The goal of this blog is to show things that I have been learning from studying the Word of God for over forty-eight years. I am currently studying the book of Matthew and as you scroll through the writings on my two blogs you will find things from many different books of the Bible. To get to my other blog just go down to my profile and click on it and you will see how to get to the other blog, which currently has Spiritual Diaries from the book of Ephesians. , . Want to know who the next president will be? Dont trust polls or pundits. Betting odds at ElectionBettingOdds.com are the best predictor of who will win any election. Pundits have a terrible track record. Last election, Newt Gingrich and Dick Morris forecast a Romney landslide. Rush Limbaugh said, All my thinking says Romney big. ... Its not even close. Polls are better, but not much. Thats because you are not normal. Since you read this column, you are different from most voters. You think a lot about politics. Most Americans dont. People think about food, sex, money, friends, jobs, success, family, health, religion, sports, fashion, video games, money, sex, food (I know I repeated those last three, but thats where most peoples heads are). Presidential nominees are not yet taking up space in most peoples minds. When a polling company reaches the rare person willing to talk to a stranger on the phone, chances are that person is not well-informed about politics. Who do I support for the nomination? Uh, whos running? Im embarrassed! Oh, yes, Donald Trump! Polls reveal only a snapshot of current opinion. In 2011, Rick Perry led the polls for the GOP nomination with Trump-like 31 percent support. By October, Herman Cain was ahead. By December, Newt Gingrich. But people who bet knew better. They picked Romney. Likewise, bettors anticipated the Obama victory that many polls and pundits missed. Despite bettors good track record, few people know about the odds or how theyre created. Heres how: computers average bets made on prediction markets, where traders buy and sell shares like stocks on each candidate. As I write, a share of Donald Trump winning the GOP nomination effectively costs 23 cents. If Trump wins, everyone who owns that share gets $1. That implies Trump has a 23 percent chance of winning the nomination. Unfortunately, American politicians banned political prediction markets, with a few exceptions, like PredictIt.com. But candidates odds are somewhat off on that site because bettors may not trade more than $850 per candidate. The odds on the big unrestricted market in England, Betfair.com, are much more informative. Betfair posts those odds in arcane gambling formulas, so producer Maxim Lott and I created the website ElectionBettingOdds.com. It shows the odds more clearly and will automatically update them every five minutes. Right now, bettors know that Trump, even though he is ahead in polls, is unlikely to be the nominee. Marco Rubio is the favorite. Ted Cruz comes in second. Trump and Jeb Bush are third and fourth. Sadly, Hillary Clinton is a 95 percent favorite to win the Democratic nomination and has a 55 percent chance of becoming our next president. Yikes! Think the odds are wrong? Put your money where your mouth is! You could win money. Prediction markets have a long track record. University of North Carolina researchers found that from 1868 to 1940, prediction markets did a remarkable job forecasting elections. More than $100 million was bet, sometimes exceeding the value of shares changing hands on Wall Street. Newspapers ran headlines like Betting Odds on Roosevelt Rise to 7 to 1. But the markets disappeared because Americas elites dont like the idea of ordinary folks betting on important events. Economist Robin Hanson says, All our familiar financial institutions were once banned as illegal gambling. Stock markets, commodity markets, insurance was banned. Thats dumb, because nothing is better at predicting the future. European prediction markets are good at predicting Oscar winners, weather disasters, even American Idol winners. Theyre not perfect, of course, but theyre better than everything else. Thats why the Department of Defense once asked Hanson to create a market to predict things like wars and terrorism. But when it was publicized, outraged Sens. Ron Wyden and Byron Dorgan held a news conference to say encouraging people to bet on and make money from atrocities ... needs to be stopped immediately. It was. A few years later, politicians killed a prediction market that would merely have let people bet on the success of Hollywood films. Sens. Patrick Leahy and Orrin Hatch complained the Hollywood stock exchange would lead to speculation that is even more risky than the typical financial product. It might. But so what? In a free country, adults ought to be allowed to speculate. Fortunately, American politicians dont control the entire world, so I offer you the most accurate presidential race odds: ElectionBettingOdds.com. The rise of the Islamic State , heightened by recent terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, have more voters saying terrorism represents the greatest threat to the United States than any other challenge. As a result, the Republican presidential race has been reconfigured. One early outsider pacesetter, estimable neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson, has fallen precipitously in recent polls resulting from the admission of his advisors that Carson was struggling to grasp foreign policy. While GOP frontrunner Donald Trump has experienced no immediate loss of support, his often changing seat-of-the pants comments reflect an inability to demonstrate even a basic understanding of foreign policy and are largely rooted in whim and impulse. The chief anti-establishment Republican candidate gaining support is Senator Ted Cruz. While Cruz excoriates the Obama Administration for hollowing out the military, he is closer to President Obama when it comes to fighting terrorism. He believes the Middle East was a safer place before the United States helped to overthrew the tyrant dictatorships of Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Muammar Gaddafi in Libya. He favors a no intervention policy in Syria against the brutal dictatorship of Bashar Assad, saying the U.S. shouldnt take a side in the Syrian civil war. Cruz was one of only two Republican Senate votes (the other being Rand Paul) against the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, providing funding to the Department of Defense. Citing civil liberty concerns, Cruz also voted to gut the National Security Agencys bulk telephone metadata program, which provided information on numbers called, time of calls but not call content. A more hawkish national security/foreign policy approach is advocated by another first tier Republican candidate, Senator Marco Rubio. A member of both the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence Committees, Rubio supported the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act and advocated the continued collection of telephone metadata records under the Patriot Act. Rubio views the intelligence community as beleaguered and in need of political support. In contrast to Cruz, Rubio has called for the reassertion of U.S. leadership in the Middle East by broadening the coalition opposing ISIS and increasing our own involvement in the fight. He has forcefully argued for aiding those fighting Assad in Syria as a means to blunt the ambitions of Assads ally, Iran. While Ted Cruz asserts we have no dog in the Syrian civil war, Rubio is joined by other leading GOP presidential contenders Carly Fiorina, Governors Chris Christie and John Kasich, and former Governor Jeb Bush in the view that we actually have to fight two dogs in Syria both ISIS and Assad. The alternative is the endless chaos ISIS incubates and desperate refugees that come knocking on our door. Ronald Reagan often spoke of a three-legged stool undergirding a complete conservative. Those legs include a commitment to both a free market economy and social conservatism. The indispensible first leg is a well formulated and strong national defense policy. The muscular national security positions advanced by Rubio as well as by Fiorina, Christie, Kasich and Bush stand in sharp contrast to the weakness being projected currently by President Obama against radical Islamic terrorism. JUNIOR doctors at Rotherham Hospital have joined their colleagues across the country in walking out on strike in a row over changes to their contracts. The British Medical Association (BMA) began a 24-hour strike at 8am today (Tuesday), which includes all junior doctors, except those on call to provide emergency cover. Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, said three clinics, involving 33 patients, have been cancelled but added there was no plans to cancel operations. A spokesman said patients should attend medical appointments as planned unless they have been informed otherwise. Conrad Wareham, the trusts medical director said: Our priority is to deliver safe care to our patients and we aim to deliver the maximum service possible while respecting that some of our colleagues do wish to take industrial action. It is important that our patients make every attempt to come to their appointments so that we can continue to deliver high quality care. The trust said it would contact patients should it become necessary for it to cancel any further appointments or procedures. The BMA said junior doctors would take strike action for the first time in 40 years after the latest round of negotiations in the long-running row ended last week. There will also be a 48-hour strike, which will also not involve doctors on emergency cover, from 8am on Tuesday, January 26. All junior doctors will walk out on strike between 8am and 5pm on Wednesday, February 10. A WOMAN claims abuse trial defendant Basharat Hussain tried to take her to Pakistan when he was on the run from police. The 30-year-old woman who said Hussain left her fearing for her life on one occasion after threatening to shoot her says she was driven to an airport and expected to board a flight, but could not go through with it. She claims Hussain had trapped her in a physically, psychologically and sexually abusive relationship from the age of 15, during which he made several threats to kill her. She told police in an interview: I never wanted to go to Pakistan. His cousin drove me to the airport but when I got there I couldnt do it. I just couldnt go because I knew what my life would be, there. The woman, who cannot be named, also claims controlling Hussain told her how to dress and behave and once locked her in a flat for two days after dragging her home from a night out in Barnsley with friends. I was scared, she said. I had no power at all. He kept me there just because he could. The woman said Hussain kept the keys to the second-floor flat in his pocket while he got "off his head" on drink and drugs for two nights. Asked why she did not take the keys and leave, she replied: I couldn't. When I was with him I was just a meek mouse. I was his property. I just felt numb. The woman says Hussain once even sent her a text message telling her point blank that he was going to shoot her. I was on my way to start a work placement, she told police. I was having nothing to do with him then. He sent me a message saying he was going to shoot me. From a man like him, I took that very seriously. Asked if she felt her life was in danger, she said: "Yes, definitely." Hussain denies two charges of assault against the woman, one of indecent assault and one of threats to kill. The trial continues. IT might be hard to believe but thousands of people across the country are still watching television in black and white - and 22 of them are in Rotherham. Almost 50 years after former BBC Two controller David Attenborough first broadcast colour TV in the UK, there are still 22 licences in force in Rotherham. Despite the switchover to digital TV and a rise in the use of HD TVs as well as tablets and smart-phones to access TV content, some UK households are shunning the attractions of the latest technology. Matthew Thompson, spokesman for TV Licensing, said: "Its astounding that more than 22 households in Rotherham still watch on a black and white telly, especially now that over half of homes access TV content over the internet, on smart TVs. Whether you have the latest 4K TV or a black and white set from the 1970s, you do need a TV licence." A CRIME kingpin who ran a massive bid to flood the UK with illicit cigarettes, tobacco and alcohol from inside a jail cell has been handed a three-year jail term. Irvin Dunn (56), whose brother Wayne Dunn (57), was also part of the plot to evade import duty, pulled the strings in the fraud while doing time, Sheffield Crown Courth heard. The Dunn brothers, of Red Hill, Kiveton Park, and Abbeyfield Road, Sheffield respectively, were among five men sentenced for the plot on Thursday, including Lee Pearson (33), of Wilberforce Road, South Anston. They were caught after HMRC officers witnessed the handover of a bag containing almost 110,000 involving co-defendants James Woods and Vincent McGeough, both from Northern Ireland, near East Midlands Airport in April 2013. After they were arrested, it soon became clear Wayne Dunn already on bail after being stopped in Ipswich driving a van containing 800,000 illicit cigarettes in February 2013 was an associate. The HMRC said the development helped investigators link Dunn back to an unattended van found laden with 169,000 illicit cigarettes in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, in January 2013, from which records showing tobacco purchases and sales were seized. A spokesman added: Searches were carried out of Dunns home as the conspiracy unfolded, leading HMRC officers to his younger brother, Irvin Dunn, who appeared to be organising the fraud from his prison cell. Pearson, who looked after barns used as storage at Everton, near Bawtry, was arrested in October 2013 after a van linked to the Dunn brothers was found near the buildings. The vehicle was strewn with packets of tobacco and cigarettes after having its window smashed in a break-in. HMRC searched the two barns, where tobacco and more than 1,000 litres of illicit beer and vodka, which contained toxic methanol 150 times the legal limit, were discovered. Phone records analysis showed Pearson was part of the conspiracy. Wayne Dunn was jailed for 21 months after admitting conspiracy to evade duty, while Pearson, Woods and McGeough were sentenced to 12 months, suspended for 18 months, for the same offence. Stuart Taylor, assistant director of the HMRCs Fraud Investigation Service, said: These men all played a part in flooding the UK with illegal cigarettes, tobacco and alcohol solely to line their own pockets with money that should have been funding vital public services. Irvin Dunn even pulled the strings while he was in prison using coded messages. But their fraud has been broken down and picked apart and now they are all paying the price. The evasion of excise duty is a criminal offence. If you are caught you will not only have your goods seized but you may also face prosecution and, if convicted, a criminal record and potentially a prison sentence. Anyone with information about the illegal trade in smuggled cigarettes and tobacco should contact the Customs hotline on 0800 59 5000. Confiscation proceedings will be launched to recover the proceeds of their criminal activity, Mr Taylor said. A MAN who played a part in a large-scale operation to steal railway cable which cost the taxpayer more than 1 million has avoided jail. Jaime Beardmore (23), of Brunswick Street, Thurnscoe, received a 12-month suspended sentence for two years at Lincolnshire Crown Court on Monday. Beardmore was part of a gang who were responsible for more than 35 thefts across Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Nottingham and Yorkshire during an 11-month period in 2013. A two-year investigation by British Transport Police has resulted in six men, five from the same family, being jailed for a total of 12 years for conspiracy to steal railway cable. The seventh man, Beardmore, had conspiracy charges dropped to just one count of theft for which he was sentenced to a 12-month suspended sentence for two years after pleading guilty. He must also serve 100 hours community service, and is subject to a 12-month supervision order. The six other defendants included: Brian Smith (36) of Millfield Lane, Stainforth, Doncaster (sentenced to three years and four months) Philip Smith (25) of New Park Estate, Stainforth, (12 months) Gordon Smith (46) of Ramskir View, Doncaster, (14 months) Malcolm Isaac (42) of Thames Road, Grantham, (32 months) Charles Smith ( 31) of Toller Court Horbling, Lincolnshire, (14 months) Craig Smith (27) of Holly Street, Lincoln. (32 months) The court heard how they targeted three major rail improvement projects being delivered by Network Rail, and stole signalling cable, which had been installed but not yet commissioned as part of the projects. They then stripped the cabling and sold the copper inside. The total cost to Network Rail to replace the stolen cabling was valued at just over 1 million. The investigation into the gangs activities secured evidence from various sources, linking all seven to each other and to the crimes and led to the seizure of two of their vans, a quad bike, as well as hydraulic cutting equipment. Property seized at their homes, including bolt coppers, disk cutters, grinders, hacksaws, cable sheathing and an off road bike also provided invaluable evidence which when shown to the group, gave them no option but to plead guilty. The gang targeted areas of the rail network which were remote and difficult to access without knowledge, said Det Insp Mick Dawes who headed up the Operation Motion. They travelled the country in what was a well-planned and organised operation. Cable theft costs the rail industry millions of pounds each year, causing delays and increases in costs to projects which have a knock-on effect on passengers. Hayley Bull, community safety manager at Network Rail, said: Trespassing onto the network for any reason is extremely dangerous and as this case shows, it can end up costing the taxpayer huge sums of money to put right. Canadian stocks fell further into bear market territory during another drubbing Monday, as crude oil prices plunged to their lowest since 2003. The S&P/TSX Composite Index dropped 126.20 points, or 1 percent, to 12,319.25, a new 3-year low. Energy stocks were hammered yet again. The Energy Index plumetted nearly 4 percent. Canadian Oil Sands Limited (COS.TO) has again rejected Suncor Energy Inc.'s (SU.TO, SU) "substantially undervalued and opportunistic hostile bid." Suncor gave COS shareholders until January 27 to approve the deal. Suncor shares dropped 4 percent. Onex Corp. (OCX.TO) and its affiliates have agreed to sell KraussMaffei Group to China National Chemical Corporation or "ChemChina" for a cash enterprise value of 925 million euros. Shares rose fractionally. Gold stocks dropped 3.4 percent, care shares lost 5 percent, and mining stocks plunged 7.5 percent. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Market Analysis The Cabinet office is slated to release the Japan consumer confidence index for December at 12:00 am ET Tuesday. The index is seen at 42.4, compared to 42.6 in November. Ahead of the data, the yen showed mixed trading against its major rivals. While the yen rose against the pound, it held steady against the euro, the U.S. dollar and the Swiss franc. As of 11:55 pm ET in the Asian deals, the yen was trading at 127.84 against the euro, 170.66 against the pound, 117.58 against the Swiss franc and 117.47 against the U.S. dollar. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Forex News The United States remains at the top of the countries that bring the most visitors to one of the world's largest adult websites. In its annual review of how people around the world watch porn, Pornhub found that American visitors accounted for about 41 percent of its overall traffic, followed by the United Kingdom in at second place. India knocks Canada out of third place with a one rank position gain, though this year's most notable chart climbers are Japan and the Philippines in at 12th and 16th place respectively, making 3 spot jumps each. Belgium makes a return to the list this year, rounding it out in 20th place. While the worldwide average length for a visit to Pornhub was 9 minutes and 20 seconds, the Americans added 11 seconds to their average time spent on watching porn, to 9 minutes, 51 seconds. Philippinos spent the most time on Pornhub with visits lasting a leisurely 12:45 minutes on average. Overall, the majority of visits to the site take place between 9 pm and midnight, after which they drop off drastically between the early morning hours, it has been found. In 2015 'lesbian' was the most searched term on the site. Lady-on-lady loving is also the type of content that happens to be the most popular among female viewers, and female viewership has also grown over the course of the past year. In the US, 'step mom' was the most searched term, replacing 'lesbian' at the number one spot. Kim Kardashian was the porn star that the Americans most searched for on Pornhub this year, followed closely by Lebanese born babe Mia Khalifa and the MILF queen Lisa Ann. Bollywood beauty Sunny Leone is the top searched porn star in India. More users are opting for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets when they visit Pornhub. As such, only 36 percent of Pornhub traffic originates from desktop computers worldwide. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News Thanks for keeping up fight with feds Editor: It is sad to see how many years of abuse and harassment the government can bring on one family. Though their methods may not be right, thanks go to the Bundy family for bringing the Hammond situation to national attention. If Sheriff Ward had stood up for the Hammonds as the primary law enforcement officer they probably would not be in prison. I can understand the frustration the ranchers, miners, loggers, and true conservationists must feel. I was born and raised in southern Oregon. In Nevada, and especially northern Nevada, the majority of people understand constitutional rights and responsible land management. Shovel Brigade, County Commissioners and some Native Americans have stood shoulder to shoulder, exercising our 1st amendment rights at Kelley Springs, Jarbridge, Grass March, and Bunkerville. We were there when woodcutters were wrongly ticketed by the BLM at Spruce Mountain. Sorry if I have missed some events. Proud to stand with these people, not as terrorists, but the true patriots that they are. We know and stand by the true meaning of the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 10th amendments and the limited powers of the federal government. My gratitude and thanks go out to the patriots, including the Bundy family, who right here at home are fighting every day for our Constitution and our children and grandchildrens freedoms. Michael L. Smith Spring Creek One killed by Saudi airstrikes on Taiz TAIZ, Jan. 11 (Saba) - At one man was killed and many others wounded on Monday by Saudi airstrikes launched on Taiz province. The Saudi aggression's "Apache" helicopters fired missiles at a car driving on the main road in Mocha city, killing a civilian and wounding another, an official in Taiz local council said. The Saudi warplanes waged the Qasr al-Sha'ab "People Palace", Western Taiz city, with several air raids resulted in damage to many nearby houses and service facilities. Another airstrikes were launched on al-Harrayr area in Taeziah district and the house of businessman Tawfiq Abdul Rahim, which was entirely destroyed, the official said. AF Saba Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Telegram Email Email Print Print [11/January/2016] UN chief condemns attack on MSF-supported hospital in Sa'ada NEW YORK, Jan. 11 (Saba) - The UN Secretary-General condemned on Monday the Saudi aggression's attack on a hospital supported by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) northern the country. In a statement issued by his Spokesperson, Ban Ki-moon called for this attack to be investigated "through prompt, effective, independent and impartial mechanisms to ensure accountability." Yesterday, Shiara Hospital, which was supported by MSF in Razeh district of Sa'ada province, was struck with one projectile. At least four people were killed and 10 wounded, three of them are MSF staff members, in addition to the collapse of several buildings of the medical facility. Ban emphasized that hospitals and medical personnel are explicitly protected under international humanitarian law, stressing that any intentional attack against civilians and civilian infrastructure is considered a serious violation of international humanitarian law. "The Secretary-General is extremely concerned about the increasingly limited access to essential health care services for Yemenis," the statement underlined. Ban reiterated his call on all parties involved in the Yemeni conflict to stop all hostilities immediately and resolve differences through peaceful negotiations facilitated by his special envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed. This is the third attack carried out by the Saudi aggression on MSF-supported health facilities in Yemen, following the MSF-supported Haydan Medical Hospital in Sa'ada on 27 October and a mobile health clinic in Taiz on December 3. This attack comes just days after the UN chief voiced his "deep concern" about the intensification of Saudi-led coalition airstrikes and ground fighting and shelling in Yemen, despite repeated calls for a renewed cessation of hostilities. In the statement, Mr. Ban expressed his sincere condolences and deepest sympathies to the families of the victims and to the Yemeni people. The United Nations recently reported that civilians are suffering a "terrible toll" in the fighting, with casualties now topping 8,100, with nearly 2,800 of them killed. AF Saba Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Telegram Email Email Print Print [11/January/2016] EU condemns missile attack on MSF hospital in Saada BRUSSELS, Jan. 12 (Saba) The European Union (EU) has condemned a missile strike on a Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) hospital in Razeh district of Sa'ada province. In a joint statement, EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini and the Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides (pictured) said: The attack on an MSF health centre in Razeh district, northern Yemen, which resulted in several casualties and many wounded is unacceptable. Our thoughts and condolences are with the families and colleagues of those affected at this time. This tragic incident is the latest of a series of attacks on medical facilities and medical personnel recorded in Yemen since the start of the conflict. Such attacks that target humanitarian operations and civilians are clearly prohibited under International Humanitarian Law (IHL). According to MSF, four people died, ten were wounded, and several buildings of the medical facility collapsed in the hit on the hospital in Northern Yemen. A number of people could remain trapped in rubble at the site. Three of the injured are MSF staff members; two of whom are in a critical condition. MSF says that it cannot confirm the origin of the attack, but that planes were seen flying over the facility at the time. The organization has said that there is no way that the parties with the capacity to carry out an airstrike or launch a rocket attack would not have known that the hospital was a MSF-supported facility. Raquel Ayora, MSF director of operations said: All warring parties, including the Saudi-led coalition, are regularly informed of the GPS co-ordinates of the medical sites where MSF works, and we are in constant dialogue with them to ensure that they understand the severity of the humanitarian consequences of the conflict and the need to respect the provision of medical services. It is the third time an MSF health facility in Yemen has been hit in the last three months. MSF says that in the previous two incidents, the Saudi-led coalition was responsible. The statement called on the warring parties to respect for the IHL and to refrain from deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure. It emphasized that the solution to this conflict should be political. "The European Union urges all parties to participate without preconditions and with sincere intentions in another round of negotiations facilitated by the United Nations in January 2016, the statement said. The statement confirmed that the EU Commission would continue to provide the humanitarian support in 2016 for the affected population in all parts of Yemen who are facing an unprecedented humanitarian situation. BA Saba Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Telegram Email Email Print Print [12/January/2016] Five killed in Saudi strike in Sanaa SANAA, Jan. 12 (Saba) A Saudi airstrike has targeted a car in Nehm district of Sanaa province, killing five citizens and injuring a woman. The car was carrying people displaced from Mareb province when was targeted by the aggression warplanes in Naqil Fardat Nehm, a local official explained. The official condemned the targeting of citizens by the aggression war aircrafts, calling on the honorable and free people of the world and humanitarian organization to pressure on the Saudil-led coalition countries to stop their aggression and crims against the Yemeni people. BA Saba Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Telegram Email Email Print Print [12/January/2016] Bison paintings inside Altamira cave. Access to Spains Altamira cave and its spectacular Paleolithic paintings might soon be easier for the super-wealthy if an auction system proposed by the regional government of Cantabria goes ahead. At present, only a group of five randomly selected visitors is allowed into the cave each week for a few minutes in the company of two guides. The new proposal contemplates an auction that would give the highest bidder the right to a guided tour of the cave. The French caves of Lascaux and Chauvet are closed and thats not a problem Teresa Chapa Brunet, prehistory expert The idea has been criticized by several parties. Such a move would introduce a category of inequality that contradicts the values of Altamiras status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, said a spokesman for the Podemos party. Jose Antonio Lasheras, director of the Altamira Museum, has refused to comment on plans for the cave complex. But Jose Antonio Lasalle, the Popular Partys secretary of state for culture, has rejected the idea of an auction: The proposal contravenes the policy of public prices that state museums operate on. In this country, access to culture is the same for everybody. The Altamira caves were closed to the public in 1977 after several decades worth of visits had caused serious deterioration. They were reopened to small groups in 1982, then closed again in 2002. Several teams from the CSIC National Research Council carried out a survey of the cave between 1996 and 2012, in some cases involving experimental visits. Their preliminary results were published in the journal Science in 2011 and formed the basis of a subsequent report for the Culture Ministry that left no doubt about the dangers posed by visitors: Any existing threshold of risk has already been crossed, warned the study. But in response, in 2012 the ministry commissioned French archeologist Gael de Guichen to prepare a second report to establish a comprehensive cave preservation plan. This newer report concluded that the caves deterioration was due to natural processes, not to the presence of humans. The importance of the Altamira cave paintings, which were discovered in 1879, is comparable only to those at Lascaux and Chauvet in southern France. But while all three are Unesco World Heritage Sites, both of the French caves are strictly off limits to visitors Lascaux because the paintings were nearly lost through deterioration, and Chauvet because it was only found in 1994 and never opened to the public at all. Five lucky visitors to the Altamira cave, selected at random. EFE Francisco Martin, the Cantabria government's tourism chief, says that better use could be made of Altamira. This isnt just about money, but a way of promoting Altamira on the international tourism circuit. What were talking about wouldnt affect the weekly lottery of visitors to the site. We would just ask for five of those tickets to be set aside for the auction. There are people who are prepared to pay a great deal of money to enter the cave. A well-known chef in New York told me that he would open a restaurant in Santillana del Mar [the nearest town] if he could guarantee diners a visit to the cave. Imagine the impact of announcing the auction in The New York Times or if Bill Gates came to visit Altamira. Spains scientific community opposes allowing visits of any kind to Altamira, and last year members of the CSIC wrote an open letter highlighting the fragile state of the caves and recommending their closure. Imagine the impact of announcing the auction in The New York Times or if Bill Gates came to visit Altamira Francisco Martin, Cantabria chief of tourism Teresa Chapa Brunet, a professor of Prehistory at Complutense University who signed the open letter, defends closing the cave, especially when there is an excellent replica next door. The French caves of Lascaux and Chauvet are closed and thats not a problem, she notes. They have provided alternatives that enable mass cultural tourism, and people are convinced that they are contributing to their preservation while they learn, enjoy themselves and experience the physical and virtual recreations. The same can be said for the [Basque] cave of Ekain, which nobody is considering opening. The Altamira replica is of excellent quality and continues to enjoy great success. The best way to attract the public is to follow along those lines, increasing the offer through new available technologies. By SA Commercial Prop News The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform is to kick-start the year with R66 million worth of payouts to cover land claims The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform is to kick-start the year with R66 million worth of payouts to cover land claims The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform is to kick-start the year with R66m worth of payouts to cover land claims to various communities in the Eastern Cape after the programme stalled for several months in the 2010-11 financial year due to insufficient funds. The department was allocated R7,3bn in last years budget for land reform after being forced to suspend aggressive land purchases in 2010 owing to a lack of funds. The priority for the department was to use the new funds to settle the estimated R500m it could not pay to willing land sellers. Last month, Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti told land claimants in Graaff-Reinet, where he distributed R100m to beneficiaries, that all land claims would be finalised within 10 years. The minister also promised to start settling all land claims below R5m to those who have opted for cash instead of reclaiming land. Mr Nkwinti said yesterday that the timing of the payout later this month "will prove perfect for the parents who will be sending their children to school and tertiary institutions". The ministers spokesman, Mtobeli Mxotwa, said land claimants who had been underpaid in Somerset East would also be receiving a R1,7m top-up to make up for a shortfall in their earlier payout last year. The Somerset land claimants were forcibly removed from their former homes in Somerset East when the Group Areas Act was passed in 1950. Mr Mxotwa said officials from the department would next week visit 368 families in Tyutyu village, near Bhisho, to finalise payouts totalling R26m to the victims of forced removals in the area. The families will be receiving between R56377 and R95303 in compensation for lost properties. While some of the families lost their homes, there were those who were not compensated for arable or grazing land. The families were forcibly removed to accommodate the now-defunct Ciskei homeland when it was granted "independence" in 1981. Skobeni village claimants, near Bhisho, will receive R23m, while Balasi village claimants, also near Bhisho, will be paid R16,3m for the loss of their homes when Bhisho became the capital of the Republic of Ciskei. A first-of-its-kind journey along India and Pakistan border What binds the two most talked about nations - India and Pakistan together? What makes the President Obama before beginning his 2015 State of the Union address. Pablo Martinez Monsivais (AP) Every US president has to do two jobs at the same time: govern the country on a day-to-day basis while at the same time preparing his place in history, his legacy. The closer toward the end of a presidents mandate, the more talk there is from supporters, opponents, journalists of that legacy. What will people remember about him, what will he leave behind, how will he have changed the country? Barack Obama, president of the United States since January 2009, will give his last State of the Union address on January 12. Within a year, he will be packing his bags. At the end of the day, were part of a long-running story. We just try to get our paragraph right US President Barack Obama Like his predecessors, Obama will also be worried about his legacy. In a 2014 interview with The New Yorker, he said: were on this planet a pretty short time, so that we cannot remake the world entirely during this little stretch that we have. He then cited the example of Abraham Lincoln, noting that it would take a century after the abolition of slavery before African-Americans would achieve full equality before the law. I think that doesnt diminish Lincolns achievements, but it acknowledges that, at the end of the day, were part of a long-running story. We just try to get our paragraph right. EL PAIS has asked several historians and political analysts what they think Obamas paragraph will be. JUSTIN VAUGHN, professor of political science at Boise State University and expert on the presidency I think, decades from now, when our various partisan attachments have faded and younger scholars who are unencumbered by their memory of this particular moment are at the helm of determining legacy, we will see that Obama is remembered as a trailblazer, but also one who underwhelmed and didn't meet expectations. Today, supporters of the president are quick to acknowledge partisan polarization and a recalcitrant Congress as the reasons why, but decades from now I think that explanation will be less persuasive. Future scholars will marvel at how Obama was so controversial while not really doing many controversial things, something that reflects poorly on both the overheated rhetoric from the right and the president's own, rather milquetoast approach to policy leadership and action. DAVID BLIGHT, professor of American history at Yale and author of American Oracle: The Civil War in the Civil Rights Era Since Americans are now, and for the foreseeable future, extremely divided politically, President Obama's presidency will for a long time have at least dual legacies. The right will continue to remember and use him as their favorite model of liberal big government and an object of their racial resentment. Others, especially liberals of differing types, will remember him as an ultimate American First (as a black president), and as a sometimes reticent, but always deeply thoughtful, even brilliant political leader in a time of utterly intractable problems. But on revival from the Great Recession, immigration, health care, gay rights, maybe gun control, and certainly on climate change, he will have an enduring and transformative legacy. It should also be said that perhaps no president of great consequence since Lincoln (perhaps Franklin Roosevelt) has ever faced as vicious and unrelenting an opposition as Obama. Most of the time he has handled the right's attacks with a grace they did not deserve. And finally, I would add two suggestions. It is possible we will look at the Obama presidency as the time when the modern Republican party tore itself to pieces in spasms of hatred for Obama and activist government, and ceased to be a viable entity. But also we may look at Obama's era as a time when Democrats were left in a kind of stasis, led by older traditional mainstream politicians who have not developed a real, viable successor coalition. GEORGE C. EDWARDS III, professor of presidential studies at Texas A&M University Barack Obama has been a president of consequence. From halting our slide over the fiscal cliff and increasing regulation of the institutions that brought us to that point to greatly expanding Americans access to healthcare, he has made the country stronger and more humane. He has also managed an extraordinarily complex international situation without sending more Americans to war, increasing trade, and lessening the threat of a nuclear Iran. History is likely to treat him kindly. JENNIFER MERCIECA, historian of American political discourse at the Texas A&M University Obama has sought, from the very beginning, to be remembered as a great president. Great presidents lead the nation during times of crisis and steady the ship of state through its troubling storms. Domestically, President Obama's legacy will be about his leadership in steering the nation through the economic crisis of 2008, about giving all Americans access to healthcare, about leading the nation through the civil unrest brought on by gun violence, racial tensions, and controversial Supreme Court decisions like Obergefell v. Hodges. Under his watch the nation's economy improved and the nation extended marriage rights to all couples, but the nation also struggled with fears of immigration, terrorism, race, and gun violence. Internationally, President Obamas legacy will be mixed: while he acted to repair the nations relationships abroad, we also saw radical extremism continue throughout the world. I believe that President Obama will be remembered as a great domestic policy president. MICHAEL BARONE, Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, journalist and coauthor of the annual Almanac of American Politics I think President Obama has gotten his paragraph mostly wrong. In a time when economic and cultural developments are producing a less centralized society, in which innovative and productivity increases come bubbling up from below, he seeks a larger and more centralized command-and-control government. In times when forces of terrorism are gaining ground in important parts of the world, he seeks to diminish American power to combat them, in the hopes that making emollient statements will make them friendlier to America and less committed to terrorism. In these respects he is working against the tide of history and against the prospects of decent democratic and rule of law societies. BRANDON ROTTINGHAUS, professor of political science at the University of Houston and presidency specialist President Obama's eight years put him in the firm middle of the curve of great presidents strong on some issues, weaker on others. Presidents are judged on navigating big, historic moments. President Obama gets credit for tapering major foreign wars and stabilizing a faltering economy. But, despite bold promises, his inability to mitigate the economic pinch of the middle class and rising incoming inequality mar his domestic agenda, and so the president's legacy will rest solely on the success of health care reform. I give my consent to Sakshi Post to be in touch with me via email for the purpose of event marketing and corporate communications. Privacy Policy At least 10 dead after blast in major Istanbul tourist area The explosion occurred in Sultanahmet Square, near Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace A blast at one of Turkeys top tourist sites has killed 10 people and injured 15 others, according to the government delegation in Istanbul. There are no confirmed causes yet for the explosion at the Sultanahmet Square, located near Hagia Sophia, the Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque sites that receive thousands of visitors daily. The police have put big security measures in place for fear of a second explosion Eye witness Authorities are considering the hypothesis that it was a suicide attack. There was a very strong explosion near the Egyptian obelisk [across from the Blue Mosque] and we went to see what had happened, explained Ersin, a local who works in the tourism industry, shortly before the police evacuated the area. The police have put big security measures in place for fear of a second explosion, he added. The blast took place shortly after 10am local time and was heard more than one kilometer away, according to several witnesses. Many ambulances and firefighter trucks were dispatched to Sultanahmet Square, which has been evacuated. In October of last year, 99 people were killed and over 240 injured in twin blasts at a peace march in Ankara. English version by Susana Urra. Tiny house being built in Salina to help homeless people in Missouri For the fifth year and second in Salina, a local group is partnering with Tiny House Ministries to help homeless people in Missouri. This post is outside my normal realm of attention, but I think it is nonetheless important for us to consider. For those of us who are... Opposition deputies in Venezuela on January 5. CARLOS GARCIA RAWLINS (REUTERS) The Venezuelan Supreme Court late Monday ruled that any decisions made by the opposition-controlled National Assembly will be invalid if three lawmakers, whose seats are being challenged, are permitted to remain on the floor of the body. The decision, which was made by justices who are supporters of President Nicolas Maduros government and the regime of his predecessor Hugo Chavez, could ignite a constitutional crisis between Venezuelas judiciary and the legislature powers. A constitutional crisis could be ignited over the courts ruling Following the December 6 parliamentary race, in which the opposition won an absolute majority, government officials filed challenges against three deputies who were elected to represent the southern Amazonas state on voter-buyer allegations and other irregularities. The Supreme Court took the case up against the elected-deputies Nirma Guarulla, Julio Haron Ygarza and Romel Guzamnana. In what the opposition sees as a strategy to cut the absolute majority of 112 seats won by candidates of its Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) coalition, defeated government candidates also filed challenges in various voting districts in Aragua, Yaracuy and Amazonas states. But on December 30, the Supreme Court decided to only take up the cases in Amazonas and prohibited four elected National Assembly members including one candidate from the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) from taking up their seats. Nevertheless, the National Assembly allowed them to be sworn in as a precautionary measure last Wednesday a day after the other members took their oath. Members of the now minority bloc in the National Assembly again went before the Supreme Court to complain and asked the justices to declare the legislative body in contempt. The order published on the courts website on Monday also holds National Assembly speaker Henry Ramos Allup and two deputy speakers in contempt. On Friday, Enrique Marquez, deputy speaker and a member of the opposition A New Time (UNT) party, said there was plenty of legal arguments as to why the deputies should be allowed to take their seats. Former National Assembly speaker Diosdado Cabello praised the top courts ruling and said that as long as the legislative body remains in contempt, no one is going to recognize it. English version by Martin Delfin. Outgoing regime, unaddressed violations A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the occasion of Human Rights Day December 10, 2015 The Philippines sees routine investigations on targeted killings, torture, arbitrary arrests and detention, all of which end up without enough evidence to prosecute the perpetrators. When prosecutions are initiated, those with the most guilt and evidence for prosecution are routinely excluded from criminal complaint. Court trials, time consuming and costly for victims, largely end with key perpetrators acquitted for their crimes. These are the Asian Human Rights Commissions (AHRC) observations on the pattern of human rights violations, not only in 2015, but over the past ten years of documenting abuses, particularly those linked to the security forces. To term these violations as continuing, would be superficial however, if not simplistic. It distracts from the fundamental question: why are these violations occurring in the first place? These violations, mostly targeted at the poor, vulnerable and marginalized sections of society, are routinely and widely reported in the countrys newspapers, radio and TV. So, why is it that those needing protection the most have no protection? In most cases, those who should be investigated, prosecuted and convicted, simply get away with their crimes and continue with their lives. In the past, targeted attacks on human rights and political activists were orchestrated and equated as counter-insurgency measures. Strong condemnation, local and international, resulted in a drop in the number of killings in 2007. At present, there are similar attacks on indigenous people, with the same justification used by the same military establishment, under a different regime. Under the Aquino administration, the killings, torture and abduction of victims are economic oriented. The states economic policy exploration of mineral resources, opening plantations to export crops, etc. in countryside have led to massive displacement of indigenous people. In Mindanao, a combination of aerial attacks and foot soldiers, on the pretext of pursuing rebels, has displaced villagers in upland communities. Those who oppose these incursions community leaders, NGOs assisting tribal groups, villagers officials are executed on the pretext of being rebels. In other words, the military is equating a person legitimately demanding the protection of his and others rights as being an armed rebel. These violations are often a byproduct of the states security and economic policies. While the military has been in a state of protracted war against rebels and militants for some time, military officers have now also become private security forces for big corporations. By law, the state is obligated to protect the investments of corporations. This makes the deployment of military forces in upland communities justifiable, transforming the behaviour of the security forces to protect corporations, not villagers. Moreover, there are no repercussions for the violations committed by the soldiers. Those who oppose them are routinely arrested, detained, tortured and killed, and all this is justified by saying the opponents were rebels. When the state is complicit in human rights abuse, where do prevention, redress and remedy fit in? This can be understood by examining how investigations and prosecutions are conducted. The police, whose chief is appointed by the President, investigates cases of violations by default. In most cases that are political in nature, like the killing of indigenous people, the ordinary investigation process does not seem to operate. It is the prosecutors and their superior the secretary of justice who selectively prosecutes cases, routinely excluding those who are guilty. The AHRC has documented numerous cases of such actions taken by the police and prosecutors. The solution to the protracted, ongoing, and becoming routine human rights violations by security forces requires both political and institutional measures. When Aquino assumed power in 2010, his agenda was to reaffirm the protection of rights. To this end, he promised justice to the families of the Maguindanao massacre. He will step down from office a few months from now, in June 2016, and his promise is yet to be fulfilled. Aquino assumed office from the widely unpopular President Arroyo, whose regime was either equal to or worse than that of Marcos when it came to human rights violations. As in the case of the late Cory Aquinos regime, Aquino has failed to alter pervasive political and institutional violations. Human rights laws are not enforced effectively, and never result in punishment. The Anti-Torture Act of 2009 has not convicted a single perpetrator. Soldiers and policemen involved in gross violations of rights, like retired general Jovito Palparan, continue to roam free. Philippines Supreme Court bans development of genetically engineered products By GREENPEACE December 11, 2015 MANILA Farmers and consumers, together with environmental organization Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura (MASIPAG), and other petitioners, welcome the permanent ban on field trials of Bt talong and the temporary ban on the development of genetically modified organisms (GMO)s in a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the Philippines which was announced earlier this week. The high court upheld the decision of the Court of Appeals which granted the Writ of Kalikasan to Greenpeace Southeast Asia, as well as several activists, academics, and politicians, in what the petitioners call a major victory for Filipino farmers. The Supreme Court affirmed the May 2013 Court of Appeals order for the government to prepare an immediate plan of action to rehabilitate field trial sites and protect, preserve, and conserve the environment, and recommend policies and measures to reform the present regulatory process. The temporary ban is in place until a new administrative order takes effect, and includes the highly controversial Golden rice, an experimental project by International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) that is currently back at the laboratory stage due to poor performance. The Supreme Court decision sets a global precedent as it is the first legal decision on GMOs in the Philippines using the writ of kalikasan (environment) a legal environmental remedy found only in the Philippines. The court is also the first in the world to adopt the precautionary principle that it is best to err on the side of caution in the absence of scientific consensus regarding GMOs in their decision. The decision of the high court means that the DA and the Department of Science and Technology are barred from issuing any approvals for genetically modified (GM) crops pending the crafting and approval of a new Administrative Order. The court order will also have an impact on the trading of GM crops. In 2014, the US exported US$ 784M worth of GM crops and products to the Philippines. 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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 The bedroom that was used by Joaquin El Chapo Guzman had to be the one at the end of the house it was the largest. It had a television on the wall, a private bathroom and a closet. There are boxes full of underwear, room for shoes and racks for his pressed shirts. One newspaper reported that El Chapo tried to bribe his arresting officers with money and businesses In theory, the closet mirror was there for the Sinaloa cartel leader to use when straightening his cap or trimming his mustache. But the closet was empty and the wood had a new smell to it, because in reality it had been built as an escape route for the Sinaloa cartel leader. Behind the closet there was a trapdoor where Guzman fled as Mexican marines came to arrest him early Friday morning in Los Mochis, the third-largest city in Sinaloa state. At that house to which reporters were granted access on Monday El Chapo lived with a group of faithful bodyguards, who engaged in a fierce firefight with the Mexican authorities when they came to arrest him. During the shootout, El Chapo and his top hitman were able to flee through the hole in the closet that led to a 15-meter tunnel, which was connected to the citys sewer system. The two traveled various kilometers inside the sewage pipe network by crawling on their hands and knees before they reached an opening and then stole a vehicle. At a police checkpoint, they were captured and taken to a seedy motel by authorities, who feared that someone would come to rescue them. According to the daily Milenio, El Chapo offered the police money and businesses if they were to let him go. You will never have to work again, he reportedly said. At this hideout, which he frequently used, two women also lived there. They were in charge of preparing meals Guzman had his own cook and doing laundry. The bedroom that the authorities believe was used by El Chapo is the only one on the first floor and can only be reached by going through a reinforced door, the kitchen, a living room and a bathroom for visitors. Back at the hideout, blood can still be seen on the floor, and spent bullet casings attest to the violent shootout between the military and El Chapos bodyguards, which gave the drug lord ample time to escape through the sewer system. It was the same method that Guzman used in July when he made a daring escape from a high-security prison through a tunnel that was dug underneath his cell. At first, the Mexican marines believed that El Chapo fled through a hole found under a refrigerator, but it was too small and appeared not to lead anywhere. When the marines unscrewed a light bulb in the ceiling they found a key that opened the door behind the mirror In one of the top-floor rooms, there was a copy of the local newspaper El Debate. The walls were left pulverized by grenade fragments and peppered with gigantic bullet holes. For nearly two hours, the military tried to find the escape route where El Chapo had fled. Where is that dude? Where did he go? the marines are heard shouting at the people who were arrested that morning. One of them an expert in tunnels insisted that there was not enough time to dig an escape route. But he was lying. When the marines unscrewed a light bulb in the ceiling they found a key that opened the door behind the mirror, which led to some small stairs and a passageway that connected to the citys sewer system. At the time it seemed like another perfect escape, but El Chapo would soon be in custody once more. English version by Martin Delfin. By Peggy Kelly Santa Paula News It was a double celebration when the Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis International Santa Paula Club staged a Mixer at the historic Depot to celebrate the centennials of the organization In Business for Business and service group Serving the Children of the World but especially those close to home. The December 16 celebration drew a crowd where Sharon Robinson, wife of Chamber CEO Fred Robinson, stood in for him as he was undergoing a medical procedure the next morning. Fred really wanted to be here to say hello to everyone, as they gathered in the same building as the Chamber offices. Mayor Martin Hernandez and City Councilman John Procter also attended the mixer. Kiwanis Club of Santa Paula President Carol Wood told the crowd that the club, which each year sponsors the Citrus Festival to benefit children and youth activities, has a new event it is looking forward to. Were having a Sweethearts Dance on February 13 at the Community Center, and the whole community is invited to celebrate Valentines Day while helping Kiwanis raise funds. Mia Bustillos, a city native and Santa Paula High School Senior, is an example of the youth the Kiwanis Club supports: She is President of the 153-member Key Club at the high school. The SPHS club is a chapter of Key Club International, the oldest and largest service leadership organization for teens that teaches leadership through service to others. By Peggy Kelly Santa Paula News It was a bittersweet moment for the Santa Paula Firefighters Association and Captain Milo Bustillos when he was honored as the SPFD Firefighter of the Year, an announcement that came on the heels of a statement that he had retired after he suffered injuries in a chemical explosion that had occurred just over a year ago. This year had to be one of the toughest, Fire Chief Rick Araiza told the crowd at the December 17 dinner. We are just survivingwe had to adapt to injuries and the loss of our firefighters, three in all that were injured resulting from the November 18, 2014 Santa Clara Waste Water-Green Compass chemical explosion and fires, and personnel changes. Araiza said the SCWW incident also heightened concerns about firefighting, when now You come to work and just wonder if youre going to be safe, if called out for such incidents where firefighters were repeatedly assured by SCWW workers that there was no danger. Araiza said the previous day had been a tough call with Bustillos retirement and discussing the details of same. Milo, he noted, is the epitome of what we do everyday, a captain of all captains. And the situation would have been different if people had just told the truth Milo, he noted, is tThe other two SPFD personnel injured in the incident, Engineer Matt Lindsey and Firefighter Matt May said Araiza, also share in the good wishes and admiration extended to Bustillos, a 27-year veteran of the SPFD. Bustillos, who was accompanied by his family, started his career with the SPFD as a paid-call volunteer and was one of the first hired by the department in 1995, when full-time engine companies were established. A city native, Bustillos rose through the firefighter ranks to become a captain as well as a popular community member and respected representative of the SPFD known for his dedication to duty and good nature. El Nino preparedness: Free sand, sandbags Saturday at Community Center By Peggy Kelly With El Nino projected to start as early as January its time to be prepared for any water related mishaps you know could occur on your property. And one of the best ways to prepare is to have sandbags placed in strategic areas before the rain comes, an effort the city will help you with Saturday when free sand and bags are available for residents only. According to Interim Public Works Director Brian Yanez, free bags and sand will be available January 2 at the Community Center (corner of West Main Street and Steckel Drive) from 8 a.m. to noon. Youll be limited to 10 bags per vehicle with proof of Santa Paula residency and youll have to bag them yourself, said Yanez. Well supply the shovels to use, the sand is free, the bags are free so come and do it The coming El Nino is projected to perhaps be the worse ever recorded, the forecast already surpassing the El Nino of the late-1980s and mid-1990s. An El Nino weather event does not mean that there is a single onslaught of heavy rain but a series of storms that keep coming creating water runoff, debris flows and flooding. With California in the fourth year of a serious drought the potential complications from an El Nino are heightened due to dry, rock-hard land that initially will reject too much moisture and then shed topsoil. If an emergency situation arises, Obviously well have sand and bags available, as soon as we know something is coming through well set up as normal at Fire Station One, on South 10th Street. The sand and bags available Saturday said Yanez, Are just to give the community a little jump start to prepareif people know they have a problem on their property they should work to prevent damage and not wait until they have damage, from flooding. Yanez said more sand and bags could be available again later in the month: I hope to do something again in January, asked Recology to do sand and sandbags instead of compost at the next drop-off event and were still on that as a possibility. If not the city will still do something later in the month. Public Works has been working to prepare for the winter El Nino weather: Our staff has been out there cleaning storm drains, making sure all our problem areas are clearedstaff is really doing a good job preparing for a large weather event. Yanez said people should be prepared at all times no matter what the anticipated emergency is. Its not only the forecasted rain stormswe could lose our power under other circumstances such as an earthquake, whatever. People should have emergency kits in their homes and in their cars with plenty of food, water and other necessities. You never know when the power might go out and you need access to a flashlight and a radio, said Yanez, so be prepared for an emergency, any emergency. Burlingame, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/12/2016 -- The capital city of England, London is globally famous for its vibrant lifestyle, beautiful attractions, shopping and incredible cuisines. 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For more information, please visit http://www.firstbusinessflights.com Deerfield Beach, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/12/2016 -- Insight Report: Insurance Markets after the Global Financial Crisis Summary 'Insight Report: Insurance Markets after the Global Financial Crisis' report analyzes the performance of the global insurance industry while dealing with the impact of the global financial crisis, which had a negative impact on the insurance industry, particularly in developed markets. However, the insurance industry in developed markets has finally managed to emerge from crisis, showing progressive signs of growth. In contrast, emerging markets were largely shielded from the impact of the crisis, and recorded robust growth, fueled by rises in disposable income and consumer awareness of the benefits of insurance. The report also discusses in detail the growth of the insurance industry in key developed and emerging markets, across all insurance segments, by analyzing key performance indicators. It also identifies growth drivers and studies issues and challenges in detail. Complete report is available @: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/insight-report-insurance-markets-after-the-global-financial-13743 Synopsis Timetric's 'Insight Report: Insurance Markets after the Global Financial Crisis' report analyzes the performance of the global insurance industry while dealing with the impact of financial crisis, which had a negative impact on the insurance industry, particularly in developed markets. Scope - This report analyzes the performance of the insurance industry in both developed and emerging markets during the review period, and also provides their future outlook. - This report provides an insight into industry consolidation and changes in insurers' investment strategies as a result of the crisis. - This report discusses product and technological innovations by insurers to increase operational efficiency and improve the customer experience. Reasons To Buy - Understand the recovery path of the global insurance industry after the global financial crisis. - Gain an insight into current developments in the global insurance industry, and the future outlook in terms of market potential. - Gain an understanding of changing regulations after the crisis, and their impact on the overall insurance industry. - Develop an insight into how insurers realigned their investment strategies to remain profitable. Request for Sample: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/insight-report-insurance-markets-after-the-global-financial-13743#RequestSample Key Highlights - Insurers across the world are making strategic decisions to execute corporate deals, expand into new territory, achieve economies of scale and strengthen distribution channels. - The global financial crisis adversely affected underwriting profitability in the US and several European countries. To offset underwriting losses, insurers had to focus on returns on investments to improve overall profitability. - The sovereign debt crisis in European countries resulted in all EU member countries, except the UK and Czech Republic, signing a fiscal compact to consolidate their fiscal spending. An important aspect of this policy is government initiatives to reduce social security spending, which are expected to encourage the public to privately purchase life and health insurance. - Technological innovation has become a key priority among insurers, which have increased their use of technology across all aspects of their operations, such as targeting potential customers, improving underwriting practice and strengthening distribution channels. Contact Us Joel John 3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442, United States Tel: +1-386-310-3803 GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714 USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651 Email: sales@marketresearchstore.com Web: http://www.marketresearchstore.com Deerfield Beach, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/12/2016 -- Synopsis Non-Life Insurance in the Japan, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2018 report provides detailed analysis of the market trends, drivers, challenges in the Japanese non-life insurance segment. It provides values of a number of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) such as written premium, incurred loss, loss ratio, commissions and expenses, combined ratio, frauds and crimes, total assets, total investment income and retentions during the review period (20092013) and forecast period (20142018). The report also analyses various distribution channels operating in the segment and provides detailed information pertaining to the competitive landscape in the country. This brings together Timetric's research, modeling, and analysis expertise in order to develop an insightful report. This allows insurers to identify segment dynamics, competitive advantage and profile of insurers operating in the country. The report also covers a detailed regulatory policies and recent changes in regulatory structure. Visit Full Report @: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/non-life-insurance-in-japan-key-trends-and-opportunities-13501 Summary The report provides in-depth market analysis, information and insights into the Japanese non-life insurance segment, including: - The Japanese non-life insurance segment's growth prospects by non-life insurance category - Key trends, drivers and challenges for the non-life insurance segment - The various distribution channels in the Japanese non-life insurance segment - The detailed competitive landscape in the non-life insurance segment in Japan - Detailed regulatory policies of the Japanese insurance industry - Analysis of various consumer segments in Japanese non-life insurance segment - Key developments in the Japanese non-life insurance segment - New products launched by Japanese non-life insurers Scope This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the non-life insurance segment in Japan: - It provides historical values for Japan's non-life insurance segment for the report's 20092013 review period, and projected figures for the 20132018 forecast period. - It offers a detailed analysis of the key categories in Japan's non-life insurance segment, along with market forecasts until 2018. - It covers an exhaustive list of parameters, including written premium, incurred loss, loss ratio, commissions and expenses, combined ratio, frauds and crimes, total assets, total investment income and retentions. - It analyses the various distribution channels for non-life insurance products in Japan. - It profiles the top non-life insurance companies in Japan and outlines the key regulations affecting them. Request for FREE SAMPLE Report @: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/non-life-insurance-in-japan-key-trends-and-opportunities-13501#RequestSample Reasons To Buy - Make strategic business decisions using in-depth historic and forecast market data related to the Japanese non-life insurance segment and each category within it. - Understand the demand-side dynamics, key market trends and growth opportunities in the Japanese non-life insurance segment. - Assess the competitive dynamics in the non-life insurance segment. - Identify the growth opportunities and market dynamics in key product categories. - Gain insights into key regulations governing the Japanese insurance industry and their impact on companies and the industry's future. Key Highlights - The Japanese non-life insurance segment was the fourth-largest non-life segment, in terms of gross written premium, in the world in 2013. - During the review period, the non-life segment posted a review-period CAGR of XX.X%. - During 20002010, the non-life direct premium fell by XX.X%, due to lower returns on insurance products. - The leading non-life insurance products sold in Japan were motor, fire, and general liability insurance. - The Japanese non-life segment is moderately concentrated, with the top 10 companies representing XX.X% of the segment's gross written premium in 2013. - The Japanese Insurance Business Act (IBA) requires all intermediaries to either be registered with the FSA or be employees of a registered corporate intermediary which has been named in a filing with the FSA. Contact Us: Joel John 3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442, United States Tel: 386-310-3803 GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714 USA/Canada Toll Free No. 855-465-4651 Email: sales@marketresearchstore.com Web: http://www.marketresearchstore.com Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/12/2016 -- Technavio's research analyst predicts the global defense drones market to grow at a CAGR of 6% during the forecast period. A defense drone or UAV is an airplane without a pilot on board. Human pilots on the ground control these machines through satellite-powered remote controls, or autonomously through onboard computers. These drones are an essential tool for modern defense forces because of their endurance and versatility, which makes them suitable for intelligence gathering and support roles for military operations. Drones can also be engineered to operate autonomously with onboard instruments with different functionalities, which are controlled and directed by instructors or an analyst operating out of a remote location in real time. The global defense industry is driven by massive investments in R&D, leading to the development of advanced technologies that enhance endurance, survivability, and functions of UAVs or drones. For instance, during 2015, the Ministry of Defense, India, announced its plans to collaborate with Lockheed Martin to develop rotary engine-powered UAVs. The rising competition between countries to possess modern and advanced weapons and technologies in the defense sector is expected to drive the growth of the defense drones market. Get More Details on this Report and a Full Table of Contents at Global Defense Drones Market 2016-2020 Product segmentation and analysis of defense drones market Large defense drones Small defense drones The large defense drones segment dominated the market during 2015, with a market share of 76%. Large drones such as MALE and HALE have long non-stop flight duration capabilities and can carry different payloads that vary from thermal cameras, listening antennas, and guidance lasers to various kinds of munitions. This enables large defense drones to perform tasks such as fire support, target designation, targeted strike missions, and intelligence gathering and surveillance. These advantages have been contributing to the growth of this segment. Geographical segmentation and analysis of the defense drones market Americas APAC EMEA The Americas accounted for 60% of the global market share during 2015 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5% during the forecast period. The increasing deployment of unmanned vehicles in countries such as the US, Brazil, and Latin Americas is driving the growth of the market in this region. For instance, by 2035, the US air force plans to develop and add close to 5,000 new drones. Competitive landscape and key vendors The global defense drones market is highly concentrated in countries such as the US and Israel. The vendors in the market compete on the basis of price, quality, innovation, service, reputation, distribution, and promotion. The leading vendors in the market are - Israel Aerospace Industries General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Boeing Lockheed Martin Other prominent vendors in the market include Textron, Northrop Grumman, AeroVirnonment, and Prox Dynamics. Key questions answered in the report include What will the market size and the growth rate be in 2020? What are the key factors driving the global defense drones market? What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the defense drones market? What are the challenges to market growth? Who are the key vendors in this market space? What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the global defense drones market? Trending factors influencing the market shares of the Americas, APAC, and EMEA? What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the defense drones market? Technavio also offers customization on reports based on specific client requirement. Related reports: Police and Law Enforcement Equipment Market - Global Report 2015-2019 GlobalUnmannedSea System Market 2016-2020 Global Civilian Drones Market 2015-2019 Global Military Aviation MRO Market 2015-2019 Companies Mentioned in this Report: Israel Aerospace Industries, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Textron, Northrop Grumman, AeroVirnonment, and Prox Dynamics. About Fast Market Research Fast Market Research is a leading distributor of market research and business information. Representing the world's top research publishers and analysts, we provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available. Our unbiased, expert staff is always available to help you find the right research to fit your requirements and your budget. For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at http://www.fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156. Browse all Defense research reports at Fast Market Research You may also be interested in these related reports: -Multirotor Drones Market - Forecast to 2020 -Commercial Drones Market - Global Forecast to 2020 -The Global Armored Vehicles and MRO Market 2015-2025 -Global Aerospace & Defense -The Global Military Electro Optical Infrared (EO/IR) Systems Market 2015-2025 New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/12/2016 -- Paraxylene, also known as PX or P-Xylene, is an aromatic hydrocarbon compound, derived particularly from benzene. Paraxylene is a colorless, toxic, sweet-smelling, and highly flammable chemical at room temperature . It is found naturally in petroleum and coal tar. Paraxylene or P-Xylene is an isomer of xylene compound, derived from benzene. Some of the other isomers of xylene include O-xylene and M-xylene. Paraxylene finds its largest application in large-scale manufacturing of terephthalic acid for polyester; also known as parylene. The production process of paraxylene is one of the most complicated among all the chemicals; simple crystallization of the xylene normally led to complex purification process owing to the formation of eutectic mixtures . It is manufactured by catalytic reforming of naptha, a petroleum derivative, and separated in a series of adsorption or crystallization, distillation, and reaction processes from ethyl benzene, o-xylene, and m-xylene. The melting point of Paraxylene is highest among other isomers of xylene. Request Full Brochure of this report: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3889 Based on end-user application, the global paraxylene market can be broadly categorized as dimethyl terephthalate (DMT), purified terephthalic acid (PTA), dibutyl phathalate xylene (Di-PX), and others. PTA accounted for the largest share in the paraxylene market in 2013 owing to their increased use in the polyester chain. On the other hand, DMT was the fasted-growing segment in 2013. In recent years, the demand-supply gap in the paraxylene market broadened owing to increasing application of paraxylene in various other nontraditional applications such as PET bottles. However, the production remains tight with limited number of manufacturers; owing to complicated manufacturing process associated with the paraxylene . Increasing use of PTA in polyester manufacturing is the most-dominant driver of the global paraxylene market. More than two-third of the total Paraxylene production was used in manufacturing pollster in 2013. Moreover, the rising demand for PET bottle resin due to increasing use of PET in soft drink and mineral water bottles is further boosting the paraxylene market. Increasing use of bio-based paraxylene in bioplastics PET bottles (Bio-PET) and other bioplastics applications such as catering utensils is creating new opportunities for the Paraxylene market. Asia Pacific is the largest market for Paraxylene followed by Europe and North America. Asia Pacific and RoW (including Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa) are two of the fasted-growing Paraxylene markets, which witnessed an above-average growth in recent years. Country wise , China, the U.S., and India are some of the largest regional markets for paraxylene. China held the largest market share in 2013 in terms of regional consumption of paraxylene. The size of the peracetic acid market is relatively low in the RoW region. However, it is expected to witness healthy growth throughout the forecasted period, especially in petroleum-rich countries of the Middle East. Request Full TOC: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/3889 Some of the major companies operating in the global Paraxylene (Px) market include British Petroleum (BP), JX Nippon Oil & Energy, Reliance Industries, ExxonMobil, BASF, Braskem, Chevron Phillips Chemical, Dragon Aromatics, Fujian Refining & Petrochemical, Toray Industries, Pemex, Kuwait Paraxylene Production, and Samsung Total Petrochemicals. Key points covered in the report 1) Report segments the market on the basis of types, application, products, technology, etc (as applicable) 2) The report covers geographic segmentation North America Europe Asia RoW 3) The report provides the market size and forecast for the different segments and geographies for the period of 2010 to 2020 4) The report provides company profiles of some of the leading companies operating in the market 5) The report also provides porters five forces analysis of the market.- About Persistence Market Research (PMR) Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients' business needs. PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients' business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMR's engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values. Former Basque premier Patxi Lopez. javier hernandez juantegui The Socialist Party (PSOE) and Ciudadanos on Tuesday agreed to vote in veteran Socialist politician Patxi Lopez as Spains new congressional speaker. The Popular Party will not present a candidate. The deal struck on Tuesday will also see the PSOE occupy one of the deputy speaker roles. Ciudadanos and Podemos, meanwhile, will both have two seats on the Mesa del Congreso, the body that is in charge of the internal organization of Spains lower house. Of the eight total positions, the PP will have three: two deputy speaker roles and a secretary. The Socialists tried, but failed to secure one of the spots for the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV). Lopez, who was Basque premier between 2009 and 2012, had emerged as a potential consensus-building figure Lopez, who was Basque premier between 2009 and 2012, had emerged as a potential consensus-building figure, who looked set to be able to bring together if only momentarily the parliamentary forces that emerged from the inconclusive general election on December 20. In the wake of the polls last month, no party has been able to reach agreement that will lead to the formation of a government, either alone or in coalition with others. If no agreement is reached among Spains political parties, new elections will have to be held. With parliament scheduled to hold its constituent session on Wednesday, parties were scrambling to close deals the day before. As part of these negotiations, PSOE general secretary Pedro Sanchez met with Ciudadanos chief Albert Rivera, as well as Pablo Iglesias from Podemos, according to PSOE sources. The Socialists were seeking a deal with Podemos, but that failed to materialize given that the emerging anti-austerity party wanted to form four different parliamentary groups, based on the fact that it ran under different names in Galicia, Catalonia and Valencia. If Podemos had been able to take this route it would have enjoyed more economic resources as well as having greater potential influence in debates between party spokespersons, greater powers to present initiatives and table questions for the government. However, Podemos sources expressed their puzzlement at the lack of a deal, given that they had agreed to renounce the extra funding they would have received as well as benefits such as intervention in debates. Carolina Bescansa, a deputy and negotiator, was due to meet with PP and PSOE spokespersons on Tuesday. PSOE chief Pedro Sanchez said that he hoped Podemos would join the pact. English version by Simon Hunter. Deerfield Beach, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/12/2016 -- Reinsurance in South Korea, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2018 Synopsis Reinsurance in South Korea is treated as a category of non-life insurance, and the regulatory structure that applies to non-life insurance also applies to reinsurance. However, the South Korean reinsurance segment's gross written premium grew from KRW13.8 trillion (US$10.8 billion) in 2009 to KRW15.8 trillion (US$14.4 billion) in 2013, at a review-period (20092013) CAGR of 3.4%. The absence of large-scale natural disasters in South Korea meant the insurance industry did not record major losses during the review period, encouraging direct insurers to retain the majority of their gross written premium. As such, the South Korean reinsurance segment posted slow growth during the review period. Although mandatory cessions in the country no longer exist, ceding insurers give priority to domestic reinsurers due to a regulation in late 2013 prohibiting foreign unlicensed reinsurers from operating. This led to increased dependence on domestic reinsurer Korean Re, supplementing the segment's growth during the review period. Browse Complete Report with TOC @: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/reinsurance-in-south-korea-key-trends-and-opportunities-13516 Summary The report provides in-depth market analysis, information and insights into the South Korean reinsurance segment, including: - The South Korean reinsurance segment's growth prospects by reinsurance category - Key drivers for the reinsurance segment - South Korean reinsurance segment's growth prospects by reinsurance ceded from direct insurance - The competitive landscape in the South Korean reinsurance segment Scope This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the reinsurance segment in South Korea: - It provides historical values for South Korea's reinsurance segment for the report's 20092013 review period, and projected figures for the 20132018 forecast period. - It offers a detailed analysis of the key categories in South Korea's reinsurance segment, along with market forecasts until 2018. - It provides a detailed analysis of the reinsurance ceded from various direct insurance segments in South Korean its growth prospects. Reasons To Buy - Make strategic business decisions using in-depth historic and forecast market data related to the South Korean reinsurance segment and each sector within it - Understand the demand-side dynamics, key market trends and growth opportunities in the South Korean reinsurance segment - Identify the growth opportunities and market dynamics in key product categories - Gain insights into key regulations governing the South Korean insurance industry, and their impact on companies and the industry's future Download Sample Report @: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/reinsurance-in-south-korea-key-trends-and-opportunities-13516#RequestSample Key Highlights - Reinsurance in South Korea is treated as a category of non-life insurance, and the regulatory structure that applies to non-life insurance also applies to reinsurance. - The absence of large-scale natural disasters in South Korea meant the insurance industry did not record major losses during the review period, encouraging direct insurers to retain the majority of their gross written premium. - Although mandatory cessions in the country no longer exist, ceding insurers give priority to domestic reinsurers due to a regulation in late 2013 prohibiting foreign unlicensed reinsurers from operating. Contact Us Joel John 3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442, United States Tel: +1-386-310-3803 GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714 USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651 Email: sales@marketresearchstore.com Web: http://www.marketresearchstore.com Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/12/2016 -- There are several huge aspects impacting medical device technology field nowadays. A number of trends including consolidation, research and developments, and international strategies and alliances are driving the market for china spinal fusion market. The spinal fusion is one of the most common surgeries suggested for back problems. With the increasing spinal fusion surgery volumes in china due to the favourable reimbursement levels and patients' willingness to undergo surgery with minimal invasive techniques is expected to foster the china spinal fusion market. Spinal fusion is surgical process are done to the patients suffering from a number of conditions such asdeformity, scoliosis, disc disease and fracture. The China Spinal Fusion Market is expected to register a double digit growth holding the fact that there is an increasing number of surgeries due to advancement in the technologies and use of minimal invasive techniques that benefits reduced cost. The procedures are highly benefited with the investment in the new technologies and their clinical success which are gaining more and more importance in the recent days and causing the China spinal fusion market to grow. The emerging China spinal fusion market has been experiencing a phase of new product development and technological advancements due to greater demand. The manufacturing companies are raising their respective market share with aggressive marketing activities and increased R&D activities. Request Free Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-cn-877 China Spinal Fusion Market: Drivers & Restraints Some of the major factors subsidizing the growth of China spinal fusion market are increasing rate of aging population with spine related diseases & related injuries coupled with the rising incomes of the Chinese populace ensuring the patients' capability to pay for the treatment. On the other hand the price sensitive population of china is very responsive to the treatment price that are anticipated to drip considerably in near future due to the increasing competition in the market. Due to existing and upcoming advance technologies such as minimal invasive surgery and better implant materials are making it more widely accepted including the younger adult populace and thereby increasing the China spinal fusion market. The economic growth and additional initiatives taken by the Chinese government had resulted in treatment of a large number of previously untreated spinal disease patients in China's rural populace who are now undergoing minimally invasive spine surgery due to increased access. Despite of being widely used procedure for curing extremely debilitating disease related to spine, and spinal deformities, such as scoliosis and kyphosis, the China spinal fusion market is facing some challenges such as reimbursement cuts and heavy government regulations, high surgery cost, risk factors involved in the surgery etc. Request For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-cn-877 Due to high competition in the market, prices for bone graft substitutes and spinal implants are expected to come down in the Asia Pacific market, even when demand and expenditure on them has become greater than before, thus restraining the China spinal fusion market from growing. Some of the other growth restraining factors of the China spinal infusion market can be growing awareness for some other treatment methods such as IDET, artificial disc, posterior dynamic stabilization, disc regeneration. China Spinal Fusion Market: Segmentation By spine fusion device types is segmented as follows: Spinal Plating Systems Pedicle Screw Systems Interbody Cages By procedure, the china spinal fusion market is segmented as follows: Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (PLIF) Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF) Anterior/Posterior Spinal Fusion Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (TLIF) Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF) The developing region of China is projected to be potentially growing in market with reference to the increasing demand for spinal fusion holding the fact that increased number of technological advancements have made the devices and surgeries cost-effective. Browse Full Report@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/spinal-fusion-market China Spinal Fusion Market: Key Players Some of the key players in the China spinal fusion market are Trauson, Depuy Synthes Companies, Biomet, Inc., Medtronic, Inc, Nuvasive Inc, Stryker Corporation, Zimmer Holding, Inc., Orthofix International N.V, B. Braun Aesculap and Weigao Orthopaedic Device Co., Ltd. Boise, ID -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/12/2016 -- Branding your business is a vital part of the recipe for success in today's world. From marketing your brand on social media, to creating a signature logo that you place on every one of your unique products when done correctly, the right branding can make all the difference. Creating effective branding tools is at the core of what Steel Stamps Inc. does best and their unique custom stamps are being offered at a discount for a limited time! Customers can use the discount code "Idahome" to take advantage of a 10% off sale on custom fabricated stamps, which will run through February 19, 2016. For over 30 years, Steel Stamps Inc. has been creating steel stamps for use in jewelry, leather, knives, and more. Much of their customer base includes fellow small business owners looking to promote their brand right on their product, although they have also worked with some of the largest corporations in America. The stamps are perfect for marking intricate jewelry pieces and stylish leather accessories, and can be designed to fit seamlessly onto the product itself. There exist two sides of the business custom stamps and production stamps. Production "design" stamps are sold through distributors and used primarily by the jewelry industry, while a custom stamp (as the name implies) is a "one-off" tool designed to the unique specifications of the customer. Owner and President of Steel Stamps Inc. Tim Purdy spoke about the discount he is offering customers, "Branding with my stamps is a great idea for businesses of all types. The goal of this sale is to help encourage companies and individuals that may be on the fence to help embolden them to step outside their comfort zone and explore this lucrative concept. Our custom stamps are handcrafted at our shop in Boise, Idaho and heat-treated for maximum quality and durability. It is this high quality that we hope to extend to companies all across the country." About Steel Stamps Inc. Steel Stamps Inc. began in Las Vegas, NV in the early 1980's providing branding and I.D. solutions to customers marking precious metals or any other non-hardened metal, as well as leather, wood, clay and plastics. As a family-run business, Steel Stamps Inc. prides itself on low prices and a quality product created with top notch craftsmanship. http://www.steelstampsinc.com 800-776-8407 Deerfield Beach, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/12/2016 -- Taiwan's Cards and Payments Industry: Emerging Opportunities, Trends, Size, Drivers, Strategies, Products and Competitive Landscape. Synopsis 'Taiwan's Cards and Payments Industry, Emerging Opportunities, Trends, Size, Drivers, Strategies, Products and Competitive Landscape' report provides detailed analysis of market trends in Taiwan's cards and payments industry. It provides values and volumes of a number of key performance indicators (KPIs) operating in the industry, including credit transfers, check payments, cash transactions, payment cards and direct debits during the review period (2009-2013). The report also analyses various payment card markets operating in the industry and provides detailed information on the number of cards in circulation, transaction values and transaction volume, during the review period and over the forecast period (2014-2018). Additionally, it offers information pertaining to the competitive landscape in the country, including market shares of issuers and schemes. This brings together Timetric's research, modeling, and analysis expertise, to develop an insightful report. This allows banks and card issuers to identify segment dynamics, competitive advantage and profiles of card issuers operating in the country. The report also covers a detailed regulatory policies and recent changes in regulatory structure and information, on card fraud statistics. Browse Full Report with TOC: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/taiwans-cards-and-payments-industry-emerging-opportunities-trends-13520 Summary The report provides top-level market analysis, information and insights into Taiwan's cards and payments industry, including: - Current and forecast values for each category of Taiwan's cards and payments industry, including debit cards, credit cards and prepaid cards - Comprehensive analysis of the industry's market attractiveness and future growth areas - Analysis of various market drivers and regulations governing Taiwan's cards and payments industry - Detailed analysis of marketing strategies adopted for selling debit, credit and prepaid cards used by banks and other institutions in the market - Comprehensive analysis of consumer attitudes and buying preferences for cards - The competitive landscape of Taiwan's cards and payments industry Scope - This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Taiwan's cards and payments industry. - It provides current values for Taiwan's cards and payments industry for 2013, and forecast figures for 2018. - It details the different economic, infrastructural and business drivers affecting Taiwan's cards and payments industry. - It outlines the current regulatory framework in the industry. - It details the marketing strategies used by various banks and other institutions. - It profiles major banks in Taiwan's cards and payments industry. Download Sample Report @: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/taiwans-cards-and-payments-industry-emerging-opportunities-trends-13520#RequestSample Reasons To Buy - Make strategic business decisions, using top-level historic and forecast market data, related to Taiwan's cards and payments industry and each market within it. - Understand the key market trends and growth opportunities within Taiwan's cards and payments industry. - Assess the competitive dynamics in Taiwan's cards and payments industry. - Gain insights into marketing strategies used for selling various card types in Taiwan. - Gain insights into key regulations governing of Taiwan's cards and payments industry. Key Highlights - The development of banking infrastructure, a higher awareness of electronic payments and wider acceptance of payment cards at point of sale (POS) terminals supported the growth of payment cards during the review period (20092013), in terms of both transaction value and volume. - In terms of the number of cards in circulation, Taiwanese payment cards (including debit and credit cards) increased significantly during the review period, recording a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of X.XX%, increasing from XXX.X million in 2009 to XXX.X million in 2013. - In terms of transaction value, payment cards valued TWDXX.X trillion (US$XXX.X billion) in 2013, after registering a review-period CAGR of X.XX%. Furthermore, the rising adoption of contactless cards also supported the growth of payment cards during the review period, in terms of transaction value and volume. - In terms of frequency of use, however, Taiwan recorded XX.X transactions per card in 2013. New Zealand, with XXX.X, had the highest frequency of use, followed by Australia (XX.X), South Korea (XX.X), Singapore (XX.X) and Indonesia (XX.X). Contact Us: Joel John 3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442, United States Tel: 386-310-3803 GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714 USA/Canada Toll Free No. 855-465-4651 Email: sales@marketresearchstore.com Web: http://www.marketresearchstore.com Sydney, New South Wales -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/11/2016 -- Australia is one of the most beautiful countries on earth, but because of its remoteness, it relies on immigrants to fill the gaps in their own talent pool. One such gap is in technicians and mechanics, and there are lucrative opportunities for qualified professionals looking to emigrate. Techs On The Move has now created a new website to better find Mechanic Jobs in Australia, making it easier than ever for highly skilled technicians to move to the country with a work permit to experience these great roles. The new and improved website is fully responsive, allowing access from any device. The website features an easy to navigate job board that enables people to quickly find the right opportunities for them. There are featured employers who describe why they work with Techs On The Move to source the finest techs in the world. There is an easy application process where applicants are supported throughout by the team, as well as information about Techs On The Move. To celebrate the launch of the new and improved website, the Techs On The Move Team have created a free e-book resource entitled, "Moving to Australia Demystified with our 7 Step Techs on the Move". The guide can be downloaded directly from the website. A spokesperson for Techs On The Move explained, "We operate unlike any other service out there, which means we had to have a website that was custom fit to our unique approach and way of doing things. Our new website is the most comprehensive resource centre yet, and is packed with great new features that make looking for and taking advantage of opportunities in Australia the easiest it has ever been. All this, backed by the same outstanding support and client relationships we are known for, make us the best possible way for technicians to relocate to Australia for work." About Techs On The Move Techs On The Move helps people from all over the world successfully emigrate to Australia to begin a career as a mechanic or technician, filling much needed and in-demand roles within the country. Their unique seven phase process helps manage individuals every step of the way, so the process is as straightforward and transparent as possible, with all the help people need to succeed. For more information please visit: http://www.techsonthemove.co.uk/ Philadelphia, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/12/2016 -- This winter, those who are searching for a social security lawyer in Philadelphia, PA, that provides legal representation for complicated social security disability cases should look no further than The Law Offices of Rovner, Allen, Rovner, Zimmerman & Nash. In fact, this law firm is excited to announce that they are now accepting social security disability cases immediately. Individuals who are interested in scheduling a confidential and free initial consultation with one of their lawyers can call 215-259-5958, or fill out a contact form on their website. Both energy and time are precious when it comes to dealing with the debilitating effects of an illness or injury. Therefore, the lawyers at The Law Offices of Rovner, Allen, Rovner, Zimmerman & Nash will work hard to ensure that the legal assistance they provide can help their clients acquire the necessary medical care and living expenses that they deserve. The lawyers at The Law Offices of Rovner, Allen, Rovner, Zimmerman & Nash have handled a countless number of social security disability cases. They often can overturn an initial determination of denial so that a client can collect necessary disability benefits. What's more, their lawyers will help individuals who need assistance with the initial application phase or need guidance for an appeal. Lastly, their lawyers have helped clients with different types of disabilities such as osteoarthritis, disc disorders, carpal tunnel syndrome, depression, RSD, diabetes, kidney failure, and liver disease. To hear more, please visit the Social Security Disability page of their website. Aside from taking social security disability cases, the law firm also handles personal injury cases, premises liability cases, medical malpractice cases, divorce, and custody cases. Furthermore, those who are in need of a criminal defense attorney in Philadelphia can also feel free to reach out to them at any time. In the end, no matter what type of case it is, their lawyers always go above and beyond to achieve a favorable outcome for their client. To learn more about the law firm, please visit their website today. About the Law Offices of Rovner, Allen, Rovner, Zimmerman & Nash When a person is injured, The Law Offices of Rovner, Allen, Rovner, Zimmerman & Nash are ready to help. For over 40 years, the Rovner Law Firm has been accomplishing its motto of getting results for many thousands of grateful and satisfied clients in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Florida. The firm is headed and founded by former Pennsylvania State Senator and Assistant District Attorney, Robert Rovner. The firm is made up of over 15 lawyers, plus paralegals, and investigators which puts The Law Offices of Rovner, Allen, Rovner, Zimmerman & Nash at the top of the Philadelphia area legal profession. To hear more about The Law Offices of Rovner, Allen, Rovner, Zimmerman & Nash, please visit http://www.dial-law.com, or call 215-259-5958 immediately. New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/12/2016 -- Thermoformed plastic products can be produced by heating a plastic sheet to a pliable forming temperature, shaping it as desirable, and trimming it to create a usable end product. Plastics can be thermoformed through various processes which include vacuum snapback, plug assist forming, and thick and thin gauge thermoforming. Different raw materials used for manufacturing thermoformed plastic products include acrylics, bio-degradable polymers, polycarbonates, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polystyrene (PS), and poly vinyl chloride (PVC). Thermoformed plastic products are usually lighter in weight and relatively-stronger compared to traditional packaging materials such as glass and woods. Thus, they are most-widely used in different packaging applications in electronic, healthcare, and food packaging industries . Request Full Brochure of this report: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3873 Based on application, the global thermoformed plastic products market can be segmented into six categories: food packaging, appliances, electronic packaging, healthcare packaging, automotive, and others. Thermoformed plastic products find the largest application in the food packaging industry. Thermoformed plastic products are used in the food packaging industry as a barrier to bacteria, odor, and moisture to food products. In terms of geography, North America dominates the global thermoformed plastic products market due to the growing packaging industry and rapid industrialization. The U.S. represents the largest market for thermoformed plastic products followed by Canada in North America. In Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K. hold major share of the thermoformed plastic products market. The thermoformed plastic products market in Asia Pacific is expected to witness high growth rates in the next five years due to rising disposable income and increasing demand for food and healthcare packaging in the region. Japan, China, and India are expected to be the fastest-growing thermoformed plastic products markets in Asia Pacific. Increasing disposable income, increasing demand for ready-to-eat food, and increasing demand for food and healthcare packaging are some of the major driving factors of the thermoformed plastic products market. Increasing demand for thermoformed plastic products in the food industry is mainly driven by increased sales of canned and packaged food products. Increased demand for canned and packaged food products are mainly driven by changing lifestyle of people, rising urbanization, and hectic life schedule . Increasing disposable income in developing countries such as India and China is expected to increase growth of the thermoformed plastic products market. Increasing disposable income allows customers to spend more on convenience, ready-to-eat, and packaged food, which indirectly boost demand for thermoformed plastic products in the food packaging industry. According to the National Bureau of Statistics China, annual per capita disposable income of urban households in China increased from USD 2,271.0 in 2008 to USD 3408.5 in 2012. The overall annual disposable income in India median household income increased from USD 1,366.2 billion in 2010 to USD 1,587.6 billion in 2013. Increasing raw material prices act as a major restraint for the thermoformed plastic product market. The most commonly -used resins in the thermoforming process are polypropylene, polyethylene, PET, and polystyrene. PP witnessed 21% increase in price from January 2011and 20% increase since January 2012 . Other resins such as PS increases by 25% on per-pound pricing since January 2012, and 13 percent since January 2012 . Data shown here is for large-volume purchases of more than 20 million pounds per year. Request Full TOC: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/3873 Some of the major companies operating in the thermoformed plastic products market are Pactiv, LLC., Anchor Packaging, Inc., Associated Packaging, Ltd., Peninsula Packaging Company, LLC., Placon Group, Berry Plastics, CM Packaging, Clear Lam Packaging, Graham Packaging, D&W Fine Pack, Huhtamaki Group, and Silgan Plastics. Key points covered in the report 1) Report segments the market on the basis of types, application, products, technology, etc (as applicable) 2) The report covers geographic segmentation North America Europe Asia RoW 3) The report provides the market size and forecast for the different segments and geographies for the period of 2010 to 2020 4) The report provides company profiles of some of the leading companies operating in the market 5) The report also provides porters five forces analysis of the market.- About Persistence Market Research (PMR) Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients' business needs. PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients' business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMR's engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values. Grand Rapids, MI -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/12/2016 -- viastore systems, a leading material handling automation systems and software company, announced that Alex Nitsche has joined the company's North American operations as chief financial officer. At viastore, he will be responsible for the financial strategy of the company and oversee all finance functions, including, external reporting, audit, tax, risk management, and business unit finance. Nitsche was previously CFO with Schuler Inc., in Canton, Michigan and brings over 25 years of increasing experience in purchasing, logistics, accounting, and international finance to viastore. "Alex is a results-oriented Senior International Finance Executive with extensive hands-on experience and managerial oversight of finance and accounting units," said Tom Tobin, president and CEO of viastore systems. "His experience with industrial capital equipment and automation systems projects, combined with his previous positions with US subsidiaries of German companies give him a great understanding of our business as we look to grow our position within the automated material handling industry. We are excited to have him on board." Nitsche received an MBA from Capital University. MODEX 2016 viastore systems, Inc. will be exhibiting at the 2016 MODEX event April 4-7, 2016 at the Georgia World Congress Center at Booth #1439. At MODEX, solutions needed to solve tough manufacturing and supply chain challenges, identify best practices, exceed customer demands and gain competitive edge are available. viastore, a proud member of MHI, will be presenting a special session titled, "An Incremental Approach to Automation and ROI" on April 5, 2016 from 12:45-1:30 in Theater H. The link to register is: http://bit.ly/1O70T0a About viastore systems, Inc. For over 40 years,viastore systems, Inc. has been a leading international provider of automated material handling solutions including AS/RS (automated storage and retrieval systems) and conveyor systems, warehouse management systems software, material flow and process controls, and integrated SAP logistics solutions. The company employs over 470 people worldwide and has annual sales of over $140 Million. viastore's focus is on consulting and planning, together with the implementation and constant improvement of intralogistics solutions with locations in Germany, USA, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Russia, China, Croatia, Turkey, Poland, Israel, Ukraine, Sweden, and Brazil. viastore, headquartered in Grand Rapids, MI, http://www.us.viastore.com. is an integrated and certified partner for all major ERP system database and operating system suppliers such as SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft. viastore earned a return spot on Food Logistics' 2015 FL100+ list of software and technology providers whose products and solutions are key to the global food supply chain. viastore is a proud member of MHI. Read the week viastore blog at blog.viastore.com. Follow viastore on Twitter at @viastoresystems. Grand Rapids, MI -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/12/2016 -- Viastore systems, Inc. was recently featured in Automation Media magazine. The feature, titled, "viastore systems Leads Automation in Cold Storage," authored by manufacturing journalist, Thomas R. Cutler, discussed the challenges of cold storage automation. viastore systems, a leading international provider of automated material handling solutions, specializes in cold storage; viastore manages the entire process, including design and workflow management, the building structure, insulation, the passageways between different temperature zones, and the design of air conditioning and refrigeration technologies. The company employs over 400 people worldwide and has annual sales of over US$140 Million. According to viastore, ensuring that AS/RS and conveyor systems can operate smoothly requires they must be equipped with freezer grade technology. The drives, controllers, and the electronic and mechanical components must all be able to withstand temperatures down to minus 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Photo sensors should be heated so they will not fog up. Control cabinets must be heated or, located outside the refrigerated zone. Also, attention must be paid to using freezer grade, food grade, or pharmaceutically compatible lubricating greases, oils and seals. Special demands regarding the corrosion resistance of metals also need to be taken into account. AutomationMedia.com is the industry's leading and popular technology website and useful resources for industrial technology enthusiasts. Industry professionals are using the Internet more than any other source to find information such as news, products, articles, application tools, technical resources, and job opportunities. To read the entire article, go to: http://bit.ly/viastorearticle MODEX 2016 viastore systems, Inc. will be exhibiting at the 2016 MODEX event April 4-7, 2016 at the Georgia World Congress Center at Booth #1439. At MODEX, solutions needed to solve tough manufacturing and supply chain challenges, identify best practices, exceed customer demands and gain competitive edge are available. viastore, a proud member of MHI, will be presenting a special session titled, "An Incremental Approach to Automation and ROI" on April 5, 2016 from 12:45-1:30 in Theater H. The link to register is: http://bit.ly/1O70T0a About Viastore Systems, Inc. For over 40 years, viastore systems, Inc. has been a leading international provider of automated material handling solutions including AS/RS (automated storage and retrieval systems) and conveyor systems, warehouse management systems software, material flow and process controls, and integrated SAP logistics solutions. The company employs over 470 people worldwide and has annual sales of over $140 Million. viastore's focus is on consulting and planning, together with the implementation and constant improvement of intralogistics solutions with locations in Germany, USA, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Russia, China, Croatia, Turkey, Poland, Israel, Ukraine, Sweden, and Brazil. viastore, headquartered in Grand Rapids, MI, http://www.us.viastore.com. is an integrated and certified partner for all major ERP system database and operating system suppliers such as SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft. viastore earned a return spot on Food Logistics' 2015 FL100+ list of software and technology providers whose products and solutions are key to the global food supply chain. viastore is a proud member of MHI. Read the week viastore blog at blog.viastore.com. Follow viastore on Twitter at @viastoresystems. Work done by Dr Jessica Cooke Bailey of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and co-authors has led to the discovery of three genes that contribute to the most common type of glaucoma. The findings are published in the Jan. 11 online edition of the journal Nature Genetics. Glaucoma is a group of conditions that damage the optic nerve, the bundle of nerve fibers connecting the eye to the brain. The most common type, primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), is a leading cause of blindness worldwide. Some rare types are inherited via a single gene. The underlying causes of POAG remain poorly understood, but likely involve the interaction of many genes with environmental influences. Dr Cooke Bailey and her colleagues from the United States, UK, Australia, Singapore, Switzerland, Greece, and Germany, compared the DNA of 3,853 people of European ancestry with POAG to a similar group of 33,480 people without it. The analysis showed that specific variations in the genes FOXC1, TXNRD2, and ATXN2 are associated with glaucoma. All three genes are expressed in the eye. TXNRD2 and ATXN2 are active in the optic nerve. Scientists had already identified an association between FOXC1 and glaucoma, but only in rare cases of severe early-onset glaucoma. The TXNRD2 gene makes an enzyme that protects mitochondria against oxidative stress the build-up of toxic byproducts from normal metabolism. Mitochondria are energy-producing cellular components. For years, scientists have suspected that oxidative stress might contribute to the degeneration of the optic nerve, but until now they lacked evidence. This is the first direct report to show the association of a gene linking oxidative damage to glaucoma, said Dr Neeraj Agarwal of the National Eye Institute, who was not involved in the study. The study suggests that people with TXNRD2 gene variants may have a reduced ability to protect mitochondria from damage, leading to optic nerve cell death. Little is known about the normal function of ATXN2. Mutations of the gene are implicated in a rare disorder called spinocerebellar ataxia 2 that causes loss of balance and coordination. Interestingly, ATXN2 is the third gene associated with both glaucoma and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrigs disease. However, there is no evidence that people with glaucoma are at greater risk of developing ALS. _____ Jessica N. Cooke Bailey et al. Genome-wide association analysis identifies TXNRD2, ATXN2 and FOXC1 as susceptibility loci for primary open-angle glaucoma. Nature Genetics, published online January 11, 2016; doi: 10.1038/ng.3482 An analysis funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, has identified three genes that contribute to the most common type of glaucoma. The study increases the total number of such genes to 15. "Just in time for Glaucoma Awareness Month, this unprecedented analysis provides the most comprehensive genetic profile of glaucoma to date," said NEI Director Paul A. Sieving, M.D., Ph.D. "These findings open avenues for the pursuit of new strategies to screen for, prevent, and treat glaucoma." Glaucoma is a group of conditions that damage the optic nerve, the bundle of nerve fibers connecting the eye to the brain. Primary open angle glaucoma, the most common type, was studied in this analysis. In the majority of cases, pressure inside the eye is increased. Glaucoma affects side vision first, often going unnoticed for years. If detected early, vision loss can often be prevented with surgery or eye drops to lower pressure. The most common culprit of irreversible vision loss, glaucoma affects about 2.7 million Americans and 60 million people worldwide. Some rare types of glaucoma are inherited via a single gene. The underlying causes of primary open angle glaucoma remain poorly understood, but likely involve the interaction of many genes with environmental influences. The researchers compared the DNA of 3,853 people of European ancestry with primary open-angle glaucoma to a similar group of 33,480 people without it. Data for the analysis came from eight datasets generated by members of the NEIGHBORHOOD Consortium. NEIGHBORHOOD stands for NEI Glaucoma Human Genetics Collaboration Heritable Overall Operational Database. To ensure uniformity among the datasets, the researchers restricted their analysis to gene variants included in the 1000 Genomes Project reference panel -- a catalog of human genetic variability. The analysis showed that specific variations in the genes FOXC1, TXNRD2, and ATXN2 are associated with glaucoma. Additional analyses of datasets from Europe, Australia/New Zealand, and Singapore also found associations between glaucoma and these gene variants. All three genes are expressed in the eye. TXNRD2 and ATXN2 are active in the optic nerve. Scientists had already identified an association between FOXC1 and glaucoma, but only in rare cases of severe early-onset glaucoma. The TXNRD2 gene makes an enzyme that protects mitochondria against oxidative stress -- the build-up of toxic byproducts from normal metabolism. Mitochondria are energy-producing cellular components. For years, scientists have suspected that oxidative stress might contribute to the degeneration of the optic nerve, but until now they lacked evidence. "This is the first direct report to show the association of a gene linking oxidative damage to glaucoma," said Neeraj Agarwal, Ph.D., a program director at NEI. The study suggests that people with TXNRD2 gene variants may have a reduced ability to protect mitochondria from damage, leading to optic nerve cell death. Little is known about the normal function of ATXN2. Mutations of the gene are implicated in a rare disorder called spinocerebellar ataxia 2 that causes loss of balance and coordination. Interestingly, ATXN2 is the third gene associated with both glaucoma and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. However, there is no evidence that people with glaucoma are at greater risk of developing ALS. "Connecting these genes to glaucoma was possible only through close collaboration among NEIGHBORHOOD investigators," said Janey Wiggs, M.D., Ph.D., associate director of the Ocular Genomics Institute at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, part of Harvard Medical School. Dr. Wiggs is the principal investigator for NEIGHBORHOOD and lead author of the report, which appears online today in Nature Genetics. Having confirmed the first cases of infection in Suriname then in French Guiana, the Institut Pasteur in French Guiana has sequenced the complete genome of the Zika virus, which is responsible for an unprecedented epidemic currently sweeping through the tropical regions of the Americas. Published in The Lancet medical journal, the analysis of this sequence shows almost complete homology with the strains responsible for the epidemic that occurred in the Pacific in 2013 and 2014. Last November, following a request by colleagues in Suriname, the team from the Virology Laboratory at the Institut Pasteur in French Guiana -- a National Reference Center for Arboviruses for the Antilles-French Guiana region -- confirmed the first five indigenous cases of infection by the Zika virus in Suriname. Researchers from the Institut Pasteur in French Guiana have just mapped the complete genome sequence of this viral strain using one of these five samples. The analysis of this genome, which features in The Lancet today, shows that it belongs to the Asian lineage and presents over 99% homology with the strain responsible for the epidemic in French Polynesia in 2013. "Until now few complete sequences of this virus and none of the strains currently circulating in South and Central America were available. This complete sequence of the virus is a major starting point for shedding light on how its behavior develops," points out Dominique Rousset, Head of the Virology Laboratory and National Reference Center for Arboviruses at the Institut Pasteur in French Guiana. The first cases were confirmed in Brazil in May 2015 and the country is currently experiencing the largest epidemic ever recorded with 440,000 to 1,300,000 suspected cases reported by the Brazilian health authorities. The Zika virus has spread quickly, affecting 10 countries in the tropical regions of the Americas as well as the Caribbean so far. While until recently the infection was considered harmless, the Zika virus epidemic which raged in French Polynesia and the Pacific in 2013-2014 was accompanied by an increase in serious neurological complications, such as Guillain-Barre syndrome and congenital neurological defects. In Brazil, the very significant increase in the number of microcephaly cases in fetuses whose mothers were infected during pregnancy forced the government to declare a state of emergency in December 2015. "Are these defects caused by the Zika virus alone, the co-circulation of other infectious agents or other factors? Multidisciplinary research projects will need to be set up to answer these questions. We are already trying to improve our knowledge of this virus and understand its development, primarily by building on diagnostic tools" explains Dominique Rousset. In addition, a team of four researchers from the Institut Pasteur in Dakar arrived in Sao Paulo on January 5th, to help Brazilian scientists deal with the Zika epidemic. To date, 17 cases have been confirmed in French Guiana and three in Martinique. Given the very rapid spread of the Zika virus, the Institut Pasteur in French Guiana remains actively involved in epidemiological monitoring, alongside the health authorities and the Institut Pasteur International Network. "We are committed to supporting vector control by monitoring resistance to insecticides, as part of an agreement with the Regional Health Agency. Research into the impact of this resistance on the vectorial competence of Aedes aegypti populations for various arboviruses, including the Zika virus, is also being conducted at the Vectopole," adds Isabelle Dusfour, entomologist at the Institut Pasteur in French Guiana. Described for the first time in Uganda in 1947, Zika is an arbovirus belonging to the same family as the dengue virus and is spread by the same vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito. It can also be spread by the tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, which is present in some regions in mainland France. Under the supervision of entomologist Anna-Bella Failloux, responsible for the Arboviruses and Insect Vectors Unit, the Institut Pasteur is currently conducting research in Paris to assess the vectorial competence of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, and ascertain the role of these two species in the dynamics of the Zika epidemic. This work will help to better assess the risk of the virus being introduced to France. A team of investigators based in Seattle, Amsterdam, and Luxembourg, has established the cause of a rare syndrome consistent with Fanconi Anemia, a chromosome instability disorder which is clinically typified by birth defects, bone marrow failure, leukemia, and susceptibility to solid tumors. The results were reported by researchers from the Institute for Systems Biology (Seattle), the Free University Medical Center in Amsterdam, and the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine and several other institutions in the United States and Europe in the journal Nature Communications. Using advanced whole genome sequencing in combination with other cell and molecular biology techniques, a mutation in the RAD51 gene was found in an affected child, but not in his parents or his healthy sister. The particular mutation observed in this patient is surprising for two reasons. First, it affects only one of the two RAD51 gene copies in the patient, suggesting a novel origin for the mutation in this patient. More typically, mutations that lead to Fanconi Anemia are derived from both parents (and thus show recessive inheritance). Second, even though only one of the two copies of the patient's RAD51 gene is affected, the protein product that carries the mutation interferes with the activity of the normal protein which is to repair damage to DNA. Thus the mutation is dominant and acts in a negative way, to impede DNA repair. This finding has implications for genetic counseling of families facing Fanconi Anemia. Furthermore, understanding the mechanism of action of this mutation shows how the RAD51 protein protects the DNA and how disruptions of DNA repair may lead to birth defects, leukemia and solid tumors. Understanding the origins of human cancer will help diagnose it earlier and may help us devise new therapies to prevent or mitigate it. This work was organized and sponsored by collaborations between the Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle (USA) with the Luxembourg Center for Systems Biomedicine (Luxembourg), the Free University Medical Center in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) with the assistance of several other institutions or universities in Europe and the United States. Obesity can be considered as one of the conditions that are affecting more individuals each year. Recently, a study in the U.K. came out revealing that there's a link between cancer and the growing number of obesity cases in the country. In a recent report published in the Cancer Research UK and the UK Health Forum, it was predicted that due to obesity, at least 700,000 people will be diagnosed with cancer within the next 20 years. That's why the two publishing journals persuaded the public for an immediate action to stop this possible epidemic from happening. Aside from the negative effects that obesity can do to the body's physical abilities, excessive fats have also been previously linked to various types of cancer such as breast, kidney, prostate and colon. Cancer Research UK also pointed out that those who suffer from obesity also have higher risks of acquiring other diseases and conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular conditions and stroke. This may be because of the 'overeating' of junk foods that contain too much sugar and harmful ingredients. Obesity doesn't choose a lifestyle as it can affect everyone, even overweight children. The reason why a movement was formed in order to provide a choice of healthier foods so that the overweight children in the country can avoid the hazards of obesity. According to Alison Cox, director of cancer prevention at Cancer Research UK, obesity will soon be a national health burden in the U.K. as it will affect people of all ages. That's why it is important to make a decision and appeal to the government to do an action and, if possible, limit the marketing of sugary and unhealthy junk foods among children. Famous chef Jamie Oliver has pointed out that due to junk foods being available everywhere, the health of the children around the country is being compromised. That's why he suggested actions should be made in order to give the younger generation a chance to become healthier adults, and that would start by putting a tax on sugary drinks. Ambassador Mnatsakanyan elected President of the Executive Board of UNDP, UNFPA and UNOPS On 11 January, Armenias Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Zohrab Mnatsakanyan was elected President of the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP), UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Office for Project Service (UNOPS), the Organizations governing body, for a one-year term. The Executive Board is made up of representatives of Member States and is mandated by the UN General Assembly to provide inter-governmental support to and overall supervision of the activities of UNDP, UNFPA and UNOPS. The Board meets three times a year ensuring that the three Agencies remain responsive to the evolving needs of programme countries. 2016 will be a pivotal time for our Board and sister-agencies in light of the recent adoption of the new set of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The year will also be critical in view of the mid-term review of the strategic plans for 2014-2017, as well as the upcoming discussions of the new cycle of Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review, which remains the main political mechanism for member states to assess the effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and impact of the UN development systems support to national development efforts, - stated Ambassador Mnatsakanyan in his acceptance remarks. Information: Armenia is a member of the Executive Board of the UNDP, UNFPA and UNOPS since 2014. In June 2015, the Board approved the UNDPs and UNFPAs country programme documents for Armenia for the period of 2016-2020. MFA The crew of 25 private security personnel and 10 seafarers were sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment by a Tuticorin court on Monday for illegally entering Indian waters with weapons in October 2013. "I am horrified and filled with anguish at this decision which is deeply unfair and unjust, stated Ken Peters, MtS director of justice and public affairs. These men are seafarers but it seems the court did not accept the basic fact that the ship was and is an anti-piracy vessel. The men carried arms in accordance with international maritime law for the purpose of ensuring the merchant fleet was protected properly from the very real risk of pirate attacks and hijack. The High Court of Madras dropped all charges against the men in July 2014, however, they were not allowed to leave India pending an appeal. The men have already suffered so much so this is a terrible outcome. It is beyond belief. We understand that the men's defence team are examining the possibility of an appeal, Peters added. The move comes in spite of the fact that UK-based offshore operators are among the hardest hit by the low oil price, now approaching $30 a barrel. The company experienced significant growth in 2015 according to a statement, thanks in large part to contracts with the Australian Navy. JFD has also announced multiple acquisitions within recent months, including the National Hyperbaric Centre in Aberdeen, broadening JFDs portfolio of services offered to customers in the oil and gas, hyperbaric medical, and defence markets. With a number of significant contract wins and acquisitions, 2015 been a highly successful year for JFD, said Giovanni Corbetta, md of JFD. "The expansion of our UK facilities is testament to our commitment to offer a fully dedicated through-life support services, and ensure that we foster a long-term partnership with our customers that will ultimately benefit both parties. The new facilities in Glasgow and Bristol will allow JFD to utilise the wide breadth of skills, expertise and innovation within the businesses to best support our current and future commitments, and further invest in developing our services and capabilities for the benefit of customers worldwide. Unanswered questions after a year (video) One year after the murder of the Avetisyan family there are lots of unanswered questions. According to Advocate Norayr Norikyan the unanswered questions are mainly connected with the decision of the Russian side not to hand over Valeri Permyakov to the Armenian side. According to the Advocate there is legal casus, After being sentenced to a certain punishment Permyakov will have the right of pardon, whom will he turn to in order to use that right- to the President of the Republic of Armenia or the President of the Russian Federation? If the abovementioned person obtains disease hindering him from serving the rest of the sentence, the court of which country will solve the issue of possibility to free him from serving his sentence? The advocate refrains from giving assessments to the circumstances arisen during the trial, but he expresses his views on the actions of the RA Law Enforcement System from January 12, 2015 until present. Details on video Press Release January 12, 2016 CHIZ REMAINS HOPEFUL PNOY WILL APPROVE SSS PENSION HIKE Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero remains optimistic that President Aquino will sign into law the Congress-ratified measure granting a P2,000 across-the-board increase in the pension of retired Social Security System (SSS) members. "I hope the President will seize the opportunity to create a legacy that will benefit millions of retirees and future retirees in the private sector," Escudero said. An enrolled bill of the Senate and the House of Representatives on the SSS pension hike was sent to the Office of the President on Dec. 14, 2015. A bill lapses into law if the President does not veto it within 30 days from the time it is sent to his office. "If the President does not want to sign the bill, he might as well allow it to lapse into law instead of vetoing it," Escudero said. House Bill No. 5842 seeks to amend the Social Security Act of 1997, increasing the present minimum pension of P1,200 to P3,200 for retirees with at least 10 years of credited service. For those with over 20 years of credited service, monthly pension will increase from P2,400 to P4,400. The bill, authored by Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, was passed on third reading by the House of Representatives on June 9 last year and was adopted in toto by the Senate on November 9. Some 1.9 million retirees are expected to benefit from the proposed legislation. Escudero had earlier said that private sector retirees, many of whom are salaried employees whose incomes have been heavily taxed during their working years, need immediate help so they can cope with the rising cost of living. "A significant increase in pension is necessary to enable our senior citizens maintain an acceptable living standard, taking into consideration the ever-increasing cost of living," he said. The veteran lawmaker said the existing monthly SSS pensions are, "without question, not enough for seniors to afford their basic needs like shelter, food and medicine." "A decent pension would keep the elderly out of poverty and allow them to complete their life journey with dignity and comfort," Escudero said. He said experiences in other countries showed that giving bigger pension to senior citizens, especially those living below the poverty line, results in better life conditions for a larger population as the elders share their benefits with the members of their household by buying food, supplies, clothes and even school materials for their grandchildren. SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan". UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022 Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully Google Ad The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens ANCA Issues National Call to Action to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Aliyevs Aggression STATEMENT OF SEN. CHIZ ESCUDERO ON THE DECISION OF THE SUPREME COURT TO UPHOLD THE TRO AND CONSOLIDATE SEN. GRACE POE'S PETITIONS I thank the Supreme Court magistrates for affirming the TRO. This confirms that Sen. Grace Poe remains a candidate for president and whose name stays on the official ballot, notwithstanding the orchestrated efforts to disqualify her. We hope that the high court will also uphold the laws and long established jurisprudence when it decides on the other petitions in connection with the candidacy of Sen. Grace. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The last known survivor of the great San Francisco earthquake and fire died Monday, three months shy of the 110th anniversary of the disaster that killed 3,000 people and forever changed the face of the city. William A. Del Monte, who was known affectionately as Uncle Bill, died of natural causes Monday morning at a retirement home in Marin County, his relatives said. He was 109 and just 11 days shy of another birthday. The quick-witted Mr. Del Monte, a stock market trader almost until the day he died, was 3 months old when the earthquake hit at 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906, so he didnt remember his dramatic escape through the burning city on a horse-drawn buckboard wagon. He was told that his mother bundled him up after the shaking stopped and ran out to the street where his father commandeered the rig, which they rode down to the waterfront as flames licked at them from all sides. They escaped the family house in North Beach with fire on both sides of the street, said Ray Barroca, Mr. Del Montes great-nephew. They made their way to the Ferry Building and got a ferry across to Oakland, where they had a summer farm. Barroca said Mr. Del Monte enjoyed his 109 years, lightening his days with travel and laughter. He had a great sense of humor, Barroca said. He just embraced the changes in technology that he saw in his life from gas lamps and horses and buggies all the way through the development of electricity and jet travel to computers. Mr. Del Montes death follows the July 29 passing of Ruth Newman of Pebble Beach, who had been the oldest San Francisco earthquake survivor at 113. She was 4 when the quake hit, forcing her father to snatch her up and run out of the house. She remembered the sight of the toppling metal cream cans, she told her family, and it became part of the clans oral history. Mr. Del Montes passing represents the loss of a common touchstone for many San Franciscans. This has personally hit me pretty hard, said Lee Houskeeper, one of the organizers of the annual marking of the quake anniversary at Lottas Fountain, which had been a downtown meeting point for survivors in 1906. In the 28 years Ive been doing this, Ive been just blessed to know well over 150 survivors of the earthquake, he said, and I cant imagine a more incredible group of humans. The common thing about them all was a stoic nature and an incredible sense of humor, which Bill certainly possessed. Houskeeper said the yearly commemoration started in 1919 when the fraternal drinking organization known as the South of Market Boys hung the first wreath at Lottas Fountain. This year, he said, the event will be dedicated to Mr. Del Monte. It is important, even when your last survivor goes, because, in the end, it is San Francisco thats surviving, he said. Mr. Del Monte grew up in San Francisco, but split time at the ranch house in Oakland. He once said he used to ride his bicycle down to where the Oakland airport is now and skinny-dip. It was a time, he said, when you could look for three miles in any direction and (there were) no cars, not a house. His father, Angelo, co-founded the Fior dItalia Restaurant in San Francisco, which opened in 1886 and still exists. Mr. Del Monte graduated from Cogswell College, then a high school in San Francisco, and went to work as a hat check. Always a charmer, he said he was given large tips, which he invested in the stock market. Well, I was damned lucky, he told an interviewer in 2005. I think I was about 23 or 24 years old and I was a millionaire. Now a millionaire at that time was the same as someone having about $50 million to $100 million today. The crash of 29 wiped me out. Mr. Del Monte managed to work his way out of his financial hole and pay off his debts while continuing to invest in stocks. Barroca said he played the stock market until the beginning of last year, when his eyesight and hearing started to fail. He was just one of the smartest guys Ive ever talked to, and he remained that way until the end, Houskeeper said. He was e-mailing and day trading until this past year. This is a guy who lost everything in the stock market crash in 1929. Mr. Del Monte enjoyed a cocktail or two from time to time, but always handled himself with aplomb. When he attended survivors luncheons at Johns Grill in 2012 and 2013, he walked out ramrod straight when a few other people there were doing figure eights, Houskeeper said. Bill once said to me, If you get tossed out of bed at 5 in the morning, what else can go wrong? Houskeeper said. He was sharp as a tack and had a wicked sense of humor, and he was a flirt. I think the most devastated people are the nurses. Mr. Del Monte was preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Vera Minetti Del Monte, who died in 1992. His survivors include nieces Janette Biagini-Barroca and Dorothy Del Monte, both of San Francisco, and nephew Fred Biagini of Pleasanton. Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite In 2009, Anjam Sundaram started teaching journalism classes in Rwanda. In the months that followed, one of his students was imprisoned for questioning government policies. Another was harassed to the point that he went into hiding. A third, recognizing the hardships that befall independent reporters in his country, quit the course and joined the regimes powerful propaganda machine. And a fourth, an up-and-coming newspaper correspondent who was about to start attending Sundarams classes, was murdered after publishing an article that angered supporters of President Paul Kagame. The killing attracted the scrutiny of media outlets from several continents. By this time, Sundaram recalls in Bad News: Last Journalists in a Dictatorship, virtually every young reporter he knew had either fled or been arrested. Jean-Leonard, just before joining us, had been killed. And the others had effectively been silenced by the spilling of his blood. Spotlight, the film about the Boston Globes reporting on sexual predators in the Catholic Church, has recently reminded us about the importance of investigative journalism but Sundarams relatively unheralded new book is an equally important cultural document. Bad News is a searing illustration of the dangers associated with newsgathering in an authoritarian state, and a paean to those courageous enough to practice it in such dire circumstances. Sundaram grew up in Dubai and has since spent extended periods reporting on Africa for well-regarded papers in the U.S. and abroad. His teaching stint in Rwanda, funded by several European governments, was meant to provide fledgling professional journalists with the tools to do their jobs. The program was part of a larger effort to help the country recover from the genocide of 1994, in which hundreds of thousands were killed; most of the dead were members of the Tutsi minority, killed by majority Hutus. The mandate was to help these journalists report mostly on government initiatives, such as efforts to make people wash their hands or see the doctor, he writes. So the program had been approved by the Rwandan government. It had existed for ten years already. Yet with the 2010 presidential elections in the offing, the Kagame administration was bent on consolidating power. A variety of methods were being used to marginalize local reporters. Early in Sundarams tenure, one of his student-journalists told the class that hed been severely beaten after Kagames allies didnt like the questions he asked the president. Another said her newspapers coverage of the election was shaped by threats against the family members of its staff. Meanwhile, an ex-police officer loyal to Kagame was put in charge of fielding complaints from aggrieved reporters. It was against this backdrop that the 2010 presidential campaign was held. Amid reports of voter fraud and physical attacks on dissenting voices, Kagame defeated the second-place finisher by 88 percentage points. Frustrated, at least one of Sundarams students tried a head-on approach. Agnes Uwimana Nkusi began to write in her newspaper about the most forbidden aspects of the presidents repression, Sundaram writes. In response, the government jailed her from 2010 to 2014. Others were simultaneously persecuted. Sundarams book contains an appendix with the names of 60 Rwandan reporters who were reportedly attacked, killed or otherwise silenced after criticizing the government of Rwanda between 1995 and 2014. Among them was Jean-Leonard Rugambage. He was due to join Sundarams class in 2010, but was shot to death after publishing an article about the role Kagame backers reputedly played in the murder of an exiled opponent of the regime. Despite the repressive tactics, reporters risked their lives to publish and broadcast the news, dreaming up clever ruses to connect with the readers and listeners. A group of journalists printed an underground newspaper. One reporter, Sundaram says, wrote copy that was read out on a small private radio station by a junior reporter. Another, chased from his home country, reached Sweden, from where he was publishing the online version of his paper. These and other Rwandan reporters continue to work in oppressive conditions. Bad News is a potent celebration of their tenacity. Kevin Canfield has written for Bookforum, Film Comment and other publications. E-mail: books@sfchronicle.com Bad News Last Journalists in a Dictatorship By Anjan Sundaram (Doubleday; 192 pages; $25.95) BRUSSELS The European Commission said Monday that a corporate tax break that Belgium has granted to at least 35 companies, amounting to total reductions equivalent to about $765 million, was illegal. The commission, the executive arm of the European Union, did not immediately identify the companies that benefited from the tax break. But one of the companies known to have used the technique is a Belgian subsidiary of the international brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev. Although Belgiums official corporate tax rate is 34 percent, the subsidiary paid a rate of only about 4 percent on annual profit of about $65.5 million in 2013. Anheuser-Busch also uses a range of other tax benefits in Belgium, where the parent company has its headquarters and paid a tiny fraction of 1 percent on its reported profit there of $1.93 billion in 2014. Anheuser-Buschs tax dealings, inside and outside Belgium, are attracting particular interest as the company is seeking to complete its acquisition of another big multinational brewing giant, SABMiller, in a deal valued at $104 billion. Anheuser-Busch acknowledged on Monday that the commissions decision could force changes to its tax approach in Belgium. But the company said it had done nothing wrong. The European Commission said Monday that the Belgian government would be required to recover the unpaid taxes from the companies involved, which the commission said it might identify at a later date. Although the financial amounts are unlikely to pose a hardship to the companies that would be forced to pay back taxes, Mondays decision would put big companies and European governments on further notice that the European Commission means to crack down on special tax arrangements granted to only privileged companies. Multinationals Other international companies that took advantage of the Belgian tax break included the British oil giant BP and the German chemicals group BASF, according to a person with direct knowledge of the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the information had not been made public. Others, this person said, included Atlas Copco, a Swedish tool and equipment company, and Wabco, a U.S. maker of vehicle parts. The ruling, part of a series of investigations led by the European Unions Competition Commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, found that Belgium had given unfair tax advantages to certain companies advantages that were not available to other companies doing business in Belgium. The inquiry is part of a wider investigation into whether other countries and multinational companies including Amazon in Luxembourg and Apple in Ireland have broken EU competition rules through tax-cutting deals that are not available to all businesses in those countries. In October, as part of that broader effort, Vestager ordered Luxembourg to recover up to $33 million from a Fiat unit, Fiat Finance and Trade. She ordered the Netherlands to retrieve a similar amount from Starbucks. Vestagers effort is part of the commissions response to the economic problems in Europe that have left many governments struggling to balance their budgets leaning on small taxpayers impatient with what they perceive as loopholes given to big businesses. Other governments in the 28-nation European Union have accused smaller players like Belgium of dangling tax deals to attract big multinational companies in ways they say end up driving down tax revenue throughout the bloc. And in some cases, U.S. tax officials and lawmakers have criticized some European countries tax arrangements as enabling multinationals to illegally shield profit on which the companies should be paying American taxes. The ruling Monday leaves Belgium in an awkward position. Johan Van Overtveldt, the Belgian finance minister, said he would take careful account of the decision even as he told investors that he would defend their interests. He also cited the possibility of an appeal against the decision. Anheuser-Busch Anheuser-Busch, which has its corporate headquarters in the Belgian city of Leuven, said last year that it had complied with all tax legislation and rules in Belgium and other countries where it operates. It repeated that contention Monday. While we are disappointed by this decision, we remain confident that our tax rulings are in full compliance with the EU jurisprudence on state aid and that we have always complied with Belgian and international tax provisions, the company said in a statement sent by e-mail. We will consider our options, taking into account the reactions by the Belgian authorities. The commission opened a formal investigation into the Belgian arrangements in February 2014. At issue is a so-called excess profits tax break given to multinational companies that move businesses to Belgium. The idea, according to the Belgian authorities, is to ensure that companies do not end up paying taxes on the same profits in different jurisdictions more than once. System to lure firms Belgium set up the system about a decade ago, partly to persuade companies to relocate a substantial part of their activities there or to make significant investments in the country. The deductions were based on reducing the amount of taxable profits of the companies involved, usually by 50 to 90 percent. The tax break was marketed by the Belgian tax authority under the logo Only in Belgium, according to the European Commission. The scheme does not even require companies to demonstrate any evidence or even risk of double taxation, the commission said in a statement Monday. Instead of preventing double taxation, in reality the scheme gives a carte blanche to double nontaxation. Vestager said at a news conference Monday, I must say, when I see the material used to promote the scheme, that it is understandable that a company would like to use the scheme. She urged Belgium to change its tax treatment so that multinationals are taxed like the rest of companies being taxed in Belgium. One year after the Gyumri massacre On this very day in 2015, at about 7 am, the tanker of the Russian military base located in Gyumri shot and stabbed the 7 members of the Avetisyan family. This incident and the further events revealed numerous circumstances. Let us try to restore what happened and summarize the conclusions we came to during this period. Chronology of the Events So, in spite of problems with mental health, Valeri Permyakov from Chita region of the Russian Federation was conscripted to the army in 2014. He started his service in the RF 21250 military unit. After escaping from that unit, he was transferred to the psychiatric ward of the military hospital. Moreover, as it turned out later, Valeri Permyakov is also a Satanist. It also turned out that in February 2013, he had signed an agreement with the devil according to which he was obliged to pass on a few men and a few women to the latter. However, after staying in the military psychiatric hospital for a long time, he was not demobilized. Instead, as a covert punishment, he was detached to 102nd Russian base in Armenia, where he reached on December 3, 2014. On January 12, 2015, at 2 am, Permyakov successfully began the guard duty but by 2:30 am he had already left the guard duty. For more than 4 hours, the soldier was strolling along the streets of Gyumri in his uniform and AK-74 rifle. And then, entering the Avetisyans house, he shot to death 5 out of 7 members of the family and stabbed 2 of them (the children) with a Kalashnikov bayonet knife. Six of the victims died on the spot, and the six-month old child died in hospital a few days later. Three hours later (at 10:05 am), when there was already information about the murder committed by a Russian soldier, the 102nd base command informed the RA Police about an armed deserter. And thus, search for Permyakov started across the country. Even Russian soldiers participated in search operations. Moreover, they were armed with rifles. In the meantime, Permyakov passed round the policemen controlling Gyumri-Armavir road and reached Bayandur village in Shirak region, where he was caught by Russian Border guards at 00:15am, January 13. Russian border guards do not pass Permyakov to the RA Police, and instead they take him to the Russian 102nd Base. He is there up to now even though Avetisyans murder part of his criminal case has been transferred to the RA law enforcement bodies. Conclusion: Unenforceable Contracts On January 13, it already became clear that the Russian side does not intend to pass Permyakov to the Armenian side. The latter revealed the fact that in fact, numerous Russian-Armenian agreements do not actually work. The point is that during the process of armed search for Permyakov, his arrest and failure to pass him to the Armenian side, as well as failure to inform about his escape in time, the Russian side violated about 10 provisions of 4 Russian-Armenian agreements. Moreover, as it has been mentioned, in spite of the 1997 Russian-Armenian agreement, the 102nd Russian base command did not inform the RA Police about the armed deserter in time. If they had done so, the RA law enforcement bodies may have been able to arrest Permyakov who was strolling along the streets of Gyumri and had not committed the massacre yet. As a result, it became clear for the public that the Russian forces do not really care about not violating points of Russian-Armenian interstate agreements. The violations of the agreements and their possible consequences are described in more detail in the video prepared by Union of Informed Citizens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=14&v=Dvnly8ALo5k Conclusions: The Military Base On the day of the incident, while Permyakov had not even been arrested, many people remembered the events of 1999, when two servicemen of the 102nd Russian military base entered the Gyumri market and opened fire on passers-by, killing 2 citizens. People also remembered the incident of death of two children from Vahramaberd village on April 7, 2013. Moreover, in case of the first incident, the accused got 14-15 year-long sentences, while the guilty for the incident in Vahramaberd polygon were never found. As it was revealed during this period, the Russian Ministry of Defense has an unwritten regulation of exiling law-breaking soldiers to 102nd base in Armenia and 201st base in Tajikistan. They sand deserters, alcoholics, drug addicts and the mentally ill to the aforementioned bases so that they have nowhere to run. And it is this factor that accounts for the abundancy of incidents connected with Russian soldiers in these two countries. Another video prepared by Union of Informed Citizens tells about the bloody trace of the 102nd Russian military base in Armenia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6fyBM6KjOs Though it is already clear that Permyakov will be sentenced to life imprisonment, not a single officer has born any responsibility for the violations of Russian-Armenian agreements (though these very violations made the crime possible). Moreover, Andrey Ruzinski, who was then commander of 102nd military base, was promoted. Currently he leads a huge military force in Lugansk Peoples Republic which is in war with Ukraine. According to some reports, he will soon assume the position of the Chief of Staff of the Second Army Corps. But even before the transfer of colonel Ruzinski to Russian-Ukrainian conflict frontline, the public remembered the example of the Russian naval base in Ukraine when considering the sense of the 102nd Russian military base in Armenia. The point is that according to the Budapest agreement signed in 1994, Russia undertook to guarantee Ukraines territorial integrity. But it were exactly the Russian soldiers and the Russian naval base that raised arms against Ukraine and violated the territorial integrity of that country. Daniel Ioannisyan Union of Infomed Citizens UPDATE: See new information at end of story . Wow Air will begin offering flights June 10 from San Francisco International Airport to Iceland for as little as $99 each way and to many European cities, with a stop in Iceland, starting at $199 each way. Tickets will go on sale at 6 a.m. Pacific time Tuesday, but the carrier, based in Reykjavik, will sell only 10 percent of seats on certain flights at those lowest fares. And like most low-fare, bare-bones carriers, Wow will charge fees for almost everything but a small personal carry-on item weighing 11 pounds or less. Between SFO and Europe, passengers will pay $114 round-trip to carry on a bag weighing more than 11 and up to 26 pounds, and $152 round trip to check a bag. Many U.S. carriers allow one free carry-on and one free checked bag on international flights, along with free meals and house wine and beer. On Wow, food and beverages, including soft drinks, are extra. To get the lowest fares, Wow passengers generally will need to book online quickly and be willing to travel during off-peak periods, said Skuli Mogensen, Wows founder and chief executive. Passengers who are less nimble and flexible should still be able to find seats for $250 to $299 each way to Europe, said Mogensen, a native of Iceland who ran a dot-com in San Francisco in the late 1990s. Wow will have five departures weekly from SFO. Starting June 16, it will offer four flights weekly from Los Angeles International. The only other U.S. cities it serves are Boston and Washington. It will add service from Toronto and Montreal this spring. Wows European-bound passengers can get a stopover in Iceland, which is quickly becoming a tourist destination, for about an extra $50 or so in airport fees. Although there are many low-fare carriers operating within the United States and Europe such as Spirit Airlines and Ryanair, respectively only a few fly long-haul routes. The leader, and Wows main competition, is Norwegian, a publicly held airline from Oslo that launched service in Oakland in 2014. Wow will expand its fleet of six purple Airbus 330s to 10 by year end. Each plane holds 350 passengers in all-economy seating, although about 100 seats will have extra legroom for an additional fee. Seat pitch the distance from any point on one seat to the same point on the seat in front of or behind it will range from 30 to 35 inches. If you want to reserve a seat, it will cost you extra. From SFO to Europe, the round-trip fee is $20 for a rear seat, $24 for a seat in the front and $96 for a 35-inch seat. Ed Perkins, a contributing editor to Smartertravel.com, suspects that Wows seating is not going to be an awful lot worse than economy class on anybody else. United usually says they are 31 (inches) or better. The bottom line is, the term comfortable economy seat is an oxymoron, he said. A bigger problem is that fee mania is killing off the huge benefit the Internet first provided, he said. When someone is looking up flights to Frankfurt, for example, one screen doesnt give comprehensive fares from all airlines. Now with the different fee packages, Expedia can no longer provide an honest comparison. Wow will fly from SFO to Northern European countries year round and to Southern European ones during the summer. With only five flights per week initially, it obviously wont go to all cities every day. The company is owned entirely by Mogensen, who sold his company, Oz Communications, to Nokia in 2008 for hundreds of millions of dollars, he said. Mogensen, 47, said he went into semi-retirement after the sale but I got bored to death and was looking for another challenge. I thought, Why not an airline. Everyone discouraged me. That made me even more excited. He launched Wow in 2012. Mogensen said his ad agency came up with the name Wow, but he liked it immediately, even more so when he learned that people understand and use the term in many languages. Wows goal is to carry 1.5 million passengers this year, up from 740,000 last year. UPDATE: The original version of this story said 10 percent of seats on each flight would be available at the introductory fares. Mogensen clarified that only 10 percent of capacity on certain dates would be available at $99 to Iceland and $199 to Europe. When Wows inaugural fares from San Francisco International were posted at 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, the only flights from SFO to Iceland available at $99 this year were on June 10, 17, 24, and on Saturdays from Sept. 24 through November 12. Flights on other days were either are $379 or $459. Mogensen said in an email that, Unfortunately do to caching issues all prices did not appear correctly when we went (live) this morning. That has now been corrected. There should be many options below $300. From SFO to Paris with a stop in Iceland, the only flights for $199 were on June 13, 20, 27 and on Mondays from Sept. 26 to Nov. 14. There were no flights from SFO to Southern European destinations connecting through Iceland. Regarding the Southern Europe destinations those are our summer only destinations and for the first launch we are focusing on our most common frequent year round destinations, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Dublin. Connections to all destinations will be added in the coming days and weeks, Mogensen said. Bill Hutchinson A 2-year-old girl suffered minor injuries after an armed robber knocked over her stroller, snatched a tablet computer from her tiny hands and stole a purse from a woman pushing her in San Franciscos Bernal Heights neighborhood, police said Monday. A 37-year-old woman was pushing the toddlers stroller along Cortland Avenue near Prospect Avenue around 3:15 p.m. Friday when a man suddenly jumped out of a car and knocked the stroller over, causing the child to hit her head on the pavement, said Officer Grace Gatpandan, a police spokeswoman. When George Gascon attended a press conference at the launch of the San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking in 2010, the issue hadnt reached the crisis level its at today. That event was sparsely attended and Gascon was there in his role as San Franciscos police chief. As district attorney, Gascon addressed on Tuesday a nearly packed room of dignitaries, government officials and law enforcement agents on the top floor of City Hall as the collaborative kicked off its month-long 2016 awareness campaign. The good news is that we are continuing our efforts to fight human trafficking, Gascon said. The bad news is that the problem continues to increase. With the upcoming Super Bowl as a backdrop, advocates used the press conference to celebrate the work being done to step up enforcement and highlight the collaborative efforts of numerous agencies including the FBI, the San Francisco Police Department, The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Homeland Security, among others. Tuesdays press conference also saw the awarding of three Modern Day Abolitionist awards to Supervisor Katy Tang, state Attorney General Kamala Harris and former supervisor Annemarie Conroy, now an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California. More important than patting themselves on the back, however, speakers at the event stressed the need for community involvement to help stop human trafficking, which they said is on the rise especially as gangs turn from the drug trade to trading in human lives. In October, a human trafficking sting led to the rescue of six children in the Bay Area who were forced into prostitution and the arrests of eight suspects accused of pimping them out. The Bay Area investigation was part of a nationwide crackdown on human trafficking that resulted in the recovery of 149 sexually exploited children across the country, the youngest being 12 years old, and the arrests of 153 suspected pimps, officials said. Its not enough to increase arrests and prosecutions, Conroy said. We need to shift the way we think about human trafficking. Victims need to be given a voice and perpetrators need to be brought to justice. While investigators continue to track, arrest and prosecute perpetrators of human trafficking, as well as provide services to aide in the recovery of victims, officials are looking to provide training to regular folks, like airport and hotel workers, who are in positions to spot and report incidents of human trafficking. The collaborative will be hosting a number of events over the coming weeks intended to shine a light on the growing problem, which Paul Henderson, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lees chief of staff and point man on public safety, said affects people across the socioeconomic spectrum. We understand these issues arent small scale, he said. We cant fix what we dont talk about and we cant pretend that these problems dont exist in society. For his part, Gascon said he was buoyed by the enthusiasm he saw at Tuesdays event, but wary of how much work was still left to be done. I am very appreciative that we are all working together, but I am hoping that this serves as a call to action that we need to do more, he said. I hope we are having a very different conversation next year. Kale Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kwilliams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfkale This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate San Francisco, along with the rest of the world, is grieving the loss of David Bowie. The wonderfully enigmatic musician and actor died just days after his 69th birthday following a secret battle with cancer, but not before gifting his fans with a sendoff gift: the music video for his latest "Lazarus." The world over is recounting stories from his life, and remembering the incredible things he did. Just before he died, some fans even created a generator that tells users the incredible things David Bowie accomplished at their age. Bootie SF paid tribute too, by compiling their favorite Bowie mashups for people to download free. In the Bay Area, planning is already underway for more events to honor the late Bowie. Here are some below. January 13, 2016: The Lab plans to hold a free screening of "The Man Who Fell to Earth" at 7 p.m. Attendees are advised to "bring your own food, drinks, drag personas and otherworldly fashions." January 13, 2016: The First Church of the Sacred Silversexual will host a tribute at Slim's that will celebrate the art and life of David Bowie. January 14, 2016: Alamo Drafthouse is putting together a music video sing-along of Bowie tunes. More info here. January 15, 2016: "Bowie by the Bay" is calling for a Bay Area-wide "community effort" to celebrate the life of Bowie. The event invite is collecting tribute plans across San Francisco and the East Bay, including this post that outlines where you can go to hear Bowie tunes across the city. January 15, 2016: Heat and Dagger Saloon in Oakland is planning a David Bowie-themed happy hour, soundtracked by "a killer Bowie playlist for your earholes." January 15, 2016: 1015 Folsom will hold a Bowie tribute party for folks 21 and up. January 15, 2016: New Parkway Theater in Oakland has listed a special screening of the iconic Bowie film, "Labyrinth." January 29, 2016: The Jean Genies tribute band will alter their planned Michael Jackson-themed show to also honor David Bowie. Bimbo's 365 Club, San Francisco. March 29, 2016: YBCA Presents: "David Bowie is Happening Now," a free screening of a documentary centered around a Bowie exhibition in London that "explores the incredible works in the exhibition and the thoughts and feelings people have had seeing them." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The former champ who got clobbered by Holly Holm (see photo in gallery above) had been keep a low profile since then. Butt then an Instagram photo of a painted rear went viral. We wrote on Jan. 5: The Internet is going gangbusters over an Instagram post from SI's swimsuit editor MJ Day. The post is of a woman's backside totally (but not really) covered in body paint in the shape of a swimsuit. The photo doesn't fully identify the mystery model which won't be revealed until next month but some web sleuths think they have already figured out who she is: the one and only Ronda Rousey. It was all because of this photo: #instabooty if #2016 keeps going like this then I'm going to be one happy happy girl! #bootypaint #siswimsuit A photo posted by @mj_day on Jan 5, 2016 at 8:15am PST Sports Illustrated said at the time that we'd all have to wait until February to find out. Butt, someone couldn't keep a secret. The magazine explained the naked truth this way: " ... as it turns out, the beach where we shot Ronda's gorgeous photos is public, so some eager paparazzi got a few early snaps. That means Christmas is coming again, folks! We're sharing a few BTS shots that are sure to tie you over until our official images of Ronda hit newsstands next month." On her Instagram stream, Rousey added: "Secret's out - so here's a free preview of this year's 2016 SI swimsuit issue ... I was one of the lucky few chosen to be a canvas for a hand painted masterpiece by @joannegair that took 14 hours to put on and photographed by the brilliant @fredericpinet - these are just behind the scenes shots taken with a phone's camera, can't wait to show you guys the final pics the when the issue hits stands!" So, as it turns out, there's more of less coming soon! This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The debate over when and how often women should get mammograms heated up again Monday with the release of new guidelines that recommend that women wait until age 50 to begin getting the breast cancer screenings, and then follow up with them only every other year. The influential U.S. Preventive Services Task Forces final guidelines go against the long-held conventional viewpoint that women at average risk of the cancer should start annual screenings at age 40, a practice endorsed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and other medical groups. But the shift is part of a trend toward recommending screening later in life and less frequently. The American Cancer Society changed its guidelines in October to recommend that annual screening start at age 45 and then switch to every other year starting at age 55. Both groups say women in their 40s dont benefit as much as older women from the screenings, and face greater potential harm. The most common is a false-positive test result, which can lead to additional screenings and procedures, and may cause anxiety or stress. Not discouraging screening Task force officials made it clear Monday that they dont want to discourage women in their 40s from getting mammograms, saying women in that age group should discuss their specific risk factors with their doctors and make their own decision. It is not our place to tell a woman what to do about when she should start screening, said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, a UCSF professor who serves as vice chairwoman of the task force. Our recommendation statement really supports the range of decisions available to women. The group, an independent panel of experts appointed by the U.S. government, said more research is needed to determine whether mammography is beneficial for women 75 and older. But doctors arent all on the same page when it comes to the recommendations, which are similar to those first made by the task force in 2009. They say the conflicting guidelines are confusing and potentially harmful to women. Dr. Bonnie Joe, chief of breast imaging at UCSF, said this debate has led to ongoing disagreement within UCSF and other major health institutions throughout the country. If we all agree saving lives is most important, the most prudent approach is to screen annually at age 40, said Joe, who also serves on the breast imaging commission for the American College of Radiology. If we follow the new task force guidelines, youre going to lose thousands of women a year by doing this less frequent screening. Joe conceded that mammography isnt perfect, and she acknowledged that technological improvements such as digital and 3-D mammography are making strides in reducing false-positive results. Most women I talk to would actually choose to screen annually because they dont feel false positives are that much of a deterrent, she said. Could influence insurance The U.S. task forces guidelines are considered significant because they could influence how health insurers cover mammography in the future, but Congress made sure insurance coverage wont be affected at least for the next two years. In December, President Obama signed a bill into law that ensures coverage for mammography will remain the same through 2017. The law guarantees that women 40 years and older enrolled in most health insurance plans will be covered for screening mammography, either annually or every other year, without copayments, coinsurance or deductibles. Officials from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said Monday that they stand by the organizations guideline to start annual mammograms at age 40. The group plans to convene a conference this month to try to develop a consistent set of uniform guidelines for breast cancer screening that can be used nationwide. Major organizations and providers of womens health care will gather to review and discuss the data in greater detail, said the colleges president, Dr. Mark DeFrancesco, in a statement. We look forward to a positive outcome of this conference that helps to avoid the confusion that currently exists among the women we treat. Victoria Colliver is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: vcolliver@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @vcolliver Dueling mammogram guidelines The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force on Monday released its final recommendations on mammography screening for breast cancer. Heres how they compare with other influential recommendations: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Recommends mammograms for average-risk women starting at age 50, then continuing every other year until age 74. It recommends women in their 40s make their own decisions based on values, preferences and health history. The group says more research is needed to determine whether mammography is beneficial for those 75 and older. The American Cancer Society: In October recommended annual mammograms for average-risk women starting at age 45, then switching to every other year at age 55. Screening should continue as long as the woman has a life expectancy of at least 10 years. It says women 40 to 44 should weigh the risks and benefits of screening and act accordingly in consultation with their doctors. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; the American College of Radiology; and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network: All three groups recommend annual mammograms starting at age 40. For more about the task forces guidelines, visit: http://screeningforbreastcancer.org/ Source: Chronicle research Albany The 36-year-old man accused of robbing and repeatedly raping a woman he allegedly kidnapped at knife point on New Scotland Avenue Saturday previously served time in prison for robbery and had been arrested before with a knife, according to police and court records. Jose L. Marlett was released from state prison in February 2014 after serving more than a decade broken up by about 18 months of freedom in connection with a 2001 robbery conviction in Ulster County, according to state records. Marlett, who is accused of robbing another woman just minutes before Saturday's alleged abduction and rape, was sentenced to up to eight years for that 2001 crime. He was conditionally released in December 2007 only to be returned to prison in May 2009 to serve the maximum after a parole violation, according to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. City police arrested Marlett in January of that year carrying a 6-inch folding knife. Prosecutors in Ulster County were not immediately able to provide details of Marlett's 2001 robbery. In charging documents filed this weekend in City Court, police allege Marlett recorded "a full confession" for detectives. Other court records shed more light on the brutality and apparent randomness of the attack. Ten minutes after allegedly wielding a kitchen knife and robbing a woman of her SEFCU debit card near New Scotland and Forest avenues, Marlett allegedly accosted the second woman as she got out of her car around 5 p.m. not far from New Scotland Elementary School. Investigators allege Marlett forced the second victim into his apartment at 335 New Scotland Ave., where he bound her with a telephone cord and belt to a table and repeatedly sexually assaulted her for two hours. But police did not learn of the second incident until around 7 p.m., when the victim "was able to break free and flee," said Officer Steven Smith, a police department spokesman. Smith could not say how the woman escaped. Not long after, Officer Ervis Miftari, who was patrolling the area between New Scotland Elementary and a stretch of popular bars and restaurants, spotted Marlett, who matched the suspect's description, Smith said. Smith said both victims appear to have been chosen at random. Marlett, he said, is not currently a suspect in any other assaults in the city. Marlett is charged with rape, robbery, kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of stolen property. He is being held at the Albany County jail without bail pending a court appearance scheduled for Wednesday. jcarleo-evangelist@timesunion.com 518-454-5445 @JCEvangelist_TU A federal law that prohibited people from wearing military medals they didnt earn is unconstitutional for the same reason as a law that made it a crime to lie about earning a medal, a federal appeals court ruled Monday: Its a falsehood that is protected by freedom of speech. In an 8-3 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco said the now-repealed law against wearing unearned military decorations was a ban on a type of symbolic speech. Although the government can forbid falsehoods that cause tangible harm, like fraud or perjury, the Constitution restricts government regulation of expression based solely on its content, the court said. Suppressing a symbolic communication threatens the same First Amendment harm as suppressing a written communication, Judge Sandra Ikuta said in the majority opinion. Wearing a medal has no purpose other than to communicate a message. She cited the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling in 2012 striking down a related law that prohibited lying about winning a military honor. That 5-4 decision said that the law punished speech without requiring proof of intent to defraud and that the government had other ways of protecting the public from deception for example, an easily accessible database of legitimate medal winners. A year after that ruling, Congress enacted a revised law that makes it a crime to lie about military honors, but only if the liar intended to profit or defraud someone. The new law does not punish someone solely for wearing an unearned medal. Dissenters from Mondays ruling said falsely wearing medals is conduct, not speech, and is potentially more harmful than lying about them. The wearing of an unearned medal dilutes the message conveyed by the medal itself, making the public less likely to accept the legitimacy of any medal, said Judge Jay Bybee, who was joined by Judges N. Randy Smith and Paul Watford. The lie here is told in a more effective way. The ruling came in the case of Elven Swisher, an Idaho man who served in the Marines from 1954 to 1957. In 2001, Swisher filed a claim for post-traumatic stress disorder benefits, saying he had been wounded and traumatized in a secret combat mission in North Korea in 1955, two years after the Korean War ended. He said an unnamed captain had awarded him a Purple Heart and told him he was entitled to other service medals. After initially rejecting his claim, the government reversed itself and granted Swisher benefits in 2004 for PTSD from the secret mission. The government canceled the benefits in 2006 after concluding that Swishers claims about the mission, the harm he suffered and the medals he earned were fraudulent. In the meantime, Swisher wore his unearned Purple Heart when he testified as a prosecution witness against David Hinkson, convicted in 2005 of plotting to murder three people, including a federal judge. Despite learning of Swishers apparent deception, the appeals court later upheld Hinksons convictions. Swisher, who has never recanted his claims, was convicted of the false-medal charge and three other crimes and has served his one-year sentence. His lawyer, Joseph Horras, said Mondays ruling was a worthwhile expansion of First Amendment protections. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko WATERLOO, Iowa Hillary Clinton has spent much of her presidential campaign looking past Democratic rival Bernie Sanders, focusing instead on Republicans and the November general election. No longer. Three weeks before the lead-off Iowa caucuses and with polls suggesting a tightening race, she now is confronting the Vermont senator more directly, attempting to undermine his liberal credentials on gun control, health care and even the Wall Street regulations that have been the core of his insurgent campaign. Its time for us to have the kind of spirited debate that you deserve us to have, Clinton told voters on Monday. We do have differences. After months with a comfortable edge in Iowa polls, the former secretary of state finds herself battling an underdog rival in a state that has a history of rewarding antiestablishment campaigns a situation that brings back echoes of her 2008 loss to Barack Obama. While Clinton has locked up the vast majority of support from party leaders and large donors, Sanders has captured the hearts of many in the Democratic base with his unapologetically liberal economic message. An NBC/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll released Sunday found Clinton with 48 percent and Sanders with 45 percent of likely caucus goers, representing a closer margin than past polls have indicated. Sanders has maintained an edge in New Hampshire, which neighbors his home state of Vermont, making Iowa even more important for Clinton. The NBC/ Wall Street Journal/Marist poll showed Sanders with 50 percent and Clinton with 46 percent in that primary. Clinton still holds a strong advantage among black and Latino voters who play a bigger role in the primaries in late February and March. But even if Clinton pulls out a win in Iowa, a narrow victory could set off alarms among Democrats about her strength against Sanders, who started the campaign as an obscure senator polling in the single digits. Until now, Clinton has rarely mentioned Sanders by name at her campaign events, choosing instead to warn voters about the risks of electing a Republican. She has pointed to efforts by Republicans to repeal Obamas signature health care law the president vetoed the most recent try as a sign of what could come if Democrats lose the White House. But on Monday, she widened her health care critique to include Sanders, saying he would rip up the law and put power in the hands of states. Sanders said during a town hall meeting in Perry that large numbers of underinsured as well as sky-high deductibles demand a better health care system, which he would seek through his single-payer, Medicare-for-all system. Said Clinton: I sure dont want to turn over health care to Republican governors for heavens sake. I think its a risky deal. Thats not quite the situation: While states would have some leeway under Sanders plan, his office says they would not be allowed to opt out completely as Republican governors have done with the Medicaid expansion provided under the current health care law. 1 Affluenza case: The mother of a Texas teenager who used an affluenza defense for a deadly wreck could soon leave jail days after the two were caught in a Mexican resort town. A judge in Fort Worth on Monday sharply reduced Tonya Couchs bond from $1 million to $75,000. Couch is charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon her 18-year-old son, Ethan Couch, who killed four people in a 2013 crash and was facing allegations that he violated his probation. Tonya Couch was brought back to Texas last week, days after she and her son were arrested in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Ethan Couch remains in a Mexico City detention facility. At trial in the fatal crash, an expert argued Ethan Couch had been coddled into a sense of irresponsibility by his wealthy parents. 2 Schools closed: A wave of teacher absences described by an activist as rolling strikes shut down more than half of Detroits 100 public schools Monday, keeping thousands of students at home as a sick-out entered a second week. A handful of high schools were forced to close last week due to teachers calling in sick. But the action Monday was more dramatic as more teachers stayed home. The Detroit district has been in turmoil, struggling with millions of dollars in debt and poor morale among staff. Ivy Bailey, interim president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, displayed photos of mold in schools. This is why those sick-outs happened, she said. The U.S. Supreme Courts conservative majority signaled Monday that it is likely to substantially weaken government employee unions by overruling a 1977 decision that has allowed the unions to charge nonmembers for the costs of representing them. At a one-hour hearing, the justices appeared to agree with a lawyer for 10 teachers who argued that the fees they must pay to the California Teachers Association violate their First Amendment rights by requiring them to subsidize political positions that they oppose. A ruling against the teachers union would overturn laws in California and 22 other states that allow public-sector unions to charge fees to nonmembers for the costs of negotiating their wages and hours and representing them in grievance proceedings. Union members pay dues, a higher amount that also covers expenses for lobbying and other expressly political activities, generally in support of pro-union Democrats. The 325,000-member teachers union, backed by the Obama administration and the state of California, contends nonunion members should not be allowed to become free riders who pay nothing for the unions costs of representing them. Conservative Justices Antonin Scalia and Anthony Kennedy appeared to endorse that view in a 1991 opinion that referred to free riders and noted that state law required the unions to represent all employees. Justices points But Kennedy rejected the free rider label on Monday and told Californias lawyer that the union is making these teachers compelled riders for issues on which they strongly disagree. And Scalia seemed to endorse the central argument of the nonunion teachers: that all economic negotiations with a school board, or any government agency, are inherently political because they affect the spending of public funds. Everything that is collectively bargained with the government is within the political sphere, almost by definition, Scalia told Californias solicitor general, Edward DuMont. Should the government pay higher wages or lesser wages? Should it promote teachers on the basis of seniority? ... All of those questions are necessarily political questions. DuMont countered that negotiations about subjects like car-mileage reimbursement rates had little to do with politics and did not prevent dissidents from speaking out against the union. There is no restriction on any individual employees speech ... either in the workplace or out of the workplace, he said. The court ruled unanimously in 1977 that a public-sector union does not engage in political activity when it represents state or local government employees on issues like wages, so it can charge those costs to all employees. Full union dues, charged only to members, also cover the costs of lobbying and other overtly political activities. Percentages vary between unions, but the teachers union says a nonmembers fee is about 70 percent of a members dues. If that ruling is overturned, the unions would lose fees from hundreds of thousands of nonmembers nationwide and some current union members who decided to drop out to save money. The result would damage labor organizations in the remaining U.S. stronghold, as representatives of more than a third of government employees, compared with less than 7 percent in the private sector. It would also reduce their political clout. Potential impact Justice Stephen Breyer, a member of the courts more liberal minority, said such a ruling would also call into question past decisions upholding mandatory fees for state bar associations and possibly some state university fees, which also support some activities the fee-payers oppose. He said the 1977 ruling was a compromise that ... has lasted reasonably well. The unions lawyer, David Frederick, pointed to the courts 2006 ruling by a 5-4 conservative majority that said government employees who express opinions on workplace issues were not protected by the First Amendment and could be fired. But Kennedy, the author of that ruling, said the two cases were different. That was in the workplace, he told Frederick. It didnt apply to merit pay. It didnt apply to the protection of underperforming teachers. The nonunion teachers lawyer, Michael Carvin of the Center for Individual Rights, said the only purpose of the fees charged to nonmembers was to inflate the unions war chest by (payments from) people who really have not made a voluntary decision to do so. A ruling in Friedrichs vs. California Teachers Association, 14-915, is due by the end of June. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A Long Island Sound dredging plan released Tuesday did little to ease differences between New York and Connecticut and continues to support dumping millions of tons of tainted sediment in the water. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers final plan calls for placing up to 52 million cubic yards of sediment dredged from harbors and rivers enough material to build 12 Hoover Dams in four underwater disposal sites over the next 30 years. The plan emphasized the need for reuse of dredge spoils, such as replenishing beaches or building berms or breakwaters, but that general commitment was not enough for New York state, which opposes the plan on environmental grounds. The Army Corps has failed to satisfy the parties shared goal to reduce or eliminate the disposal of dredge material in Long Island Sound, said Laz Benitez, a spokesman for the New York Department of State. The controversial dredge plan this fall caused a rift between traditional environmental allies in Connecticut and New York, and among activists normally united over protecting the Sound. A Hearst Connecticut Media review of the dredge plan published last month found Connecticuts support is mostly based on the fact that its $7 billion maritime industry dwarfs New Yorks and requires more dredging to keep ports and channels open. Connecticuts sediment, due to generations of industrial pollution, is more toxic than the sandy clean material typically found on the New York side. The controversy may spur legislative hearings next month before the Connecticut General Assembly. They plan to treat Long Island Sound as a landfill, and its deeply disturbing, said Adrienne Esposito, director of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment. The Army Corps simply ignored the overwhelming public comment to protect Long Island Sound and chose to advance the cheap, easy option of open water disposal instead, Esposito said. Connecticut pleased Some Connecticut officials on Tuesday were pleased with the final plan, which mirrors a draft version released last summer and is now before the federal Environmental Protection Agency for review and possible adoption. Our ability to conduct dredging in coastal waterways is critical to sustaining Connecticuts water-dependent economy, said Robert Klee, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Klee added when feasible, dredged materials are put to beneficial reuse and that will continue to be a top priority as we work toward the goal of reducing open water disposal. But Klee said much of Connecticuts sediment cannot be reused. Since reuse alternatives often are not feasible, existing open water sites must remain available for the foreseeable future, he said. Questions surrounding impact One change in the final dredge plan is an acknowledgment by the Army Corps of differing opinions about whether dumping tainted sediment harms the Sound. The Hearst review had found considerable science showing toxic mounds of dredged material remain in place after being dumped on the sea floor, but little science on the long-term impact on the surrounding ecosystem. There are significant differences of opinion between the states and agencies on the technical issues surrounding the impacts of open water placement, the Corps noted. Continued scientific analysis is the only way to address the questions surrounding environmental impact and acceptability. Still, the Corps didnt back away from its contention that open water disposal poses no danger. The Corps believes open water placement of materials deemed suitable is an environmentally acceptable practice, and in most cases, the most cost-effective method available, the Corps said in its plan. Dredged material is deemed suitable for underwater disposal after extensive testing. The sediment is disposed of in four underwater sites: off New London, Cornfield Shoals, New Haven and in the western Sound off Darien. The material can contain low levels of heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, copper and zinc, along with the nitrogen-rich organic material some blame for low oxygen conditions, which chokes marine life. Sediment containing more dangerous metals, such as cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, are buried in confined sites within harbors. Those sites amount to a hole dug in the harbor that is tightly capped with clean material so toxic sediments cannot leak out. Connecticut shoreline communities, notably Bridgeport and Greenwich, are anxious to dredge rivers and ports that have grown shallow over the years due to the movement of silt. Whatever New York may feel, ultimately environmental expertise and law will guide the result, said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. Dredging is necessary because of the flow of the currents and the usage of ports and marinas in Connecticut. New York should have a stake in preserving the Sound, Blumenthal said. The goals are consistent and complimentary. A dredging plan, perhaps with modifications, should be achievable. Just say no New Yorks Department of State and Department of Environmental Conservation opposed the Corps draft plan, based on environmental concerns and a lack of emphasis on alternatives to open water disposal, and there was no indication the final plan changed that position. Benitez, the New York state department spokesman, said the dredge plan must reduce the amount of contaminated material dumped in the Sound. New Yorks position throughout this process has been that the plan must provide for clear, staged reductions in dredge material disposal over the next 30 years, Benitez said. We look forward to a continued dialogue with the USACE, the EPA and Connecticut to support our shared vision for a cleaner Long Island Sound, Benitez said. In Connecticut, all seven members of the states Congressional delegation have signed off on the plan, saying the state must dredge or risk losing some of its 40,000 maritime jobs. Klee, Connecticuts DEEP commissioner, echoed that position on Tuesday. Thirty-five years of monitoring and active management of open water disposal sites in Long Island Sound have shown this option to be an environmentally sound and cost-effective sediment management alternative, Klee said. But not everyone in Connecticut is ready to sign up for the plan. Dan Doyle, a spokesman for state Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Branford and co-chairman of the Environment Committee, said the senator, along with several colleagues, is interested in holding hearings on the dredging plan after the General Assembly reconvenes next month. Esposito pointed out the final plan disregards a 10-year-old agreement to phase out two underwater dumping sites and move to more environmentally friendly disposal methods. Polyclinics cannot diagnose H1N1 (video) Yerevan polyclinics have been working in emergency regime for already several days. After New Year the number of patients with acute respiratory infections has drastically increased. On the average daily 20 people apply to a polyclinic, besides, about 20 home calls are received. The factor of having caught a cold is important, the calls have increased after heavy snow, and people are in panic and think that they have been infected with Swine flu. When calls are received, we go and see that there is nothing serious, people call in order to calm down, says therapist of No 1 polyclinic Raisa Badalyan. During these days the ambulance service has also been overloaded with work. During first ten days of 2016, 9611 calls have been received and 1567 people were taken to hospital. There were cases when the ambulance service wasnt able to get to the patients rapidly. People must understand when to call ambulance. A big brigade of ambulance shouldnt be called in that case, there is no such thing in the whole world, says Director of the Emergency Medical Service CJSC Taguhi Stepanyan. Mrs. Stepanyan urges people to visit polyclinics for medical examination. And if in polyclinics you are told that it is H1N1 virus, you must know, that in polyclinics such a disease cannot be diagnosed and if symptoms are noticed, the patients are given a referral to a hospital. Details on video This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Even before David Bowie passed away on Sunday night, the music artist's new album "Blackstar" was selling like hotcakes. The English singer and songwriter's 25th album, a collaboration with a jazz quartet, was released on Friday, Jan. 8, and received widespread praise. Amoeba Music on Haight Street was completely sold out on Saturday, and the next day the artist lost an 18-month battle with cancer. Wed already sold 30 or 45 of the new one before hed even passed, Events Coordinator Brent Hurst said said in an interview on Monday. The new album is that good. That was his goodbye to everyoneand we didnt even know it. Now, everything else Bowiefrom posters to copies of films he starred inis flying off the stores' shelves. Were completely out of LPs. Weve sold over 10, Hurst said in an interview Monday afternoon. Weve sold out of over half of our CD collection. People are buying $200 box sets. Hurst said its typical for fans to flock to the store when an artist dies, but he hasnt seen this sort of flurry since the death of Kurt Cobain. Like many working in the music world, Hurst is a huge Bowie fan. The first thing I thought of when I heard the news is I just want to get to work, he said I got here and we were hugging and crying. Just like people are doing all over the world. Aquarius Records in the Mission District has also been flooded with requests for Bowie today. "Oh yeah, it's like all day long," said salesperson Nick Ott. "That's all everyone wants." Ott says Aquarius also sold out of "Blackstar" before Bowie's death and new copies should arrive in the store soon. Anything else with the artist's name on itfrom cassettes to CDswas gone by this afternoon. S.F. local Devon Warner was at Amoeba on Monday browsing the Bowie CDs. She held up a copy of "Hunky Dory," the artist's fourth album, and a big smile crossed her face. This was the first album I ever bought with my own money, Warner said. I never saw him live, but I wish I had. He was just so unique and our first public pansexual before the term existed. No one knew what to call him. He was old and young, man and woman, human and alien and animal. I know so many people who feel permission to be who they are because of him. I have to say I have shed a few tears today. BRIDGEPORT - The sun was in his eyes, a 70-year-old Massachusetts man told police when he crashed into a mother and young son Monday afternoon, killing the mother. He did see them but by that time it was too late, Joseph Frazier said, according to Police Department Spokesman Michael Giannotti. He is very distraught. Because of uncertainty over what killed a Vidor woman whose body was found floating in the Sabine River more than three years ago, the man charged with her death pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter on Tuesday without going to trial - a decision attorneys agreed was the best outcome under the circumstances. In the case against David Carl Smith, 39, Jefferson County prosecutors risked a guilty man walking free. Thomas Burbank, Smith's attorney, was concerned his client faced a life sentence for a murder that could not be proven beyond reasonable doubt. Neither side wanted to risk the possibilities. A jury was selected Monday for the murder trial, which was scheduled for this week, but Smith was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison after pleading to the lesser charge. Smith faced up to life in prison if he had been convicted for murder. It took the presence of a jury ready to hear the evidence for attorneys from both sides to come to "a meeting of the minds," Assistant District Attorney Ashley Molfino said. Burbank, Smith's attorney, said it was a fair outcome for all parties involved, given the unexpected changes that come as a case develops. Prosecutors said they could link Smith to Guillory the night she disappeared and prove she was unconscious when her body was dumped in the lake, but not how she got there or when she was killed. What prosecutors felt they knew differed from what they could prove. "I think it's imperative that we look at the evidence and what we're allowed to present in the courtroom and what we anticipate the evidence will show," Molfino said. "Placing her unconscious body in the Sabine Lake was the cause of her death and that is shown by the evidence that the pathologist would have come to." Burbank noted the case was more than three years old - enough time for perspectives, witnesses and evidence to change. The understood facts of the case from the time of indictment are not always the same when the jury is picked. "You start with something and as it progresses, circumstances change, not by the control of anybody," Burbank said. "There are no winners in this case because someone has died and someone's incarcerated." Tina Glisson, Guillory's mother, said she goes home every day to her crying grandson, who will grow up without his mother. She spoke for less than two minutes Tuesday after the plea agreement was announced in court. Glisson said Smith will never know how much pain he caused, that he should be "in the ground somewhere" and that she hopes he is beaten in prison. "She didn't deserve to die, just like you don't deserve to be here," she said. "I hope every day you're in jail that you think about this. And when it comes your time, I hope they beat the hell out of you before you die." BScott@BeaumontEnterprise.comTwitter.com/BrandonKScott Californians on both sides of the political aisle strongly agree that its a good idea to ban gun sales to people on the federal no fly list and require anyone buying ammunition to undergo a background check, but they remain split on the overall subject of greater limits on gun ownership, according to a new Field Poll. The poll conducted after last months massacre in San Bernardino by a married couple who authorities say illegally obtained high-powered weapons found that 80 percent of those surveyed favor background checks for ammo purchasers. Seventy-five percent said people on the no-fly list should be barred from buying guns. The breakdowns between Democrats and Republicans on those questions were, respectively, 90 to 58 percent, and 77 to 68 percent. Those results contrasted sharply with votes by the Republican-led Congress in December turning down such restrictions. However, thats about where the ideological agreement in California ends. On the basic issue of restricting firearms ownership, 57 percent in the state favor it, about the same percentage as in Field Polls dating to 1999. But the political breakdown shows 79 percent of Democrats in favor versus 20 percent of Republicans. Asked whether all large-capacity magazines holding more than 10 rounds should be outlawed, 58 percent of those surveyed said yes but the breakdown was 66 percent of Democrats and 39 percent of Republicans. And to a question of whether semiautomatic rifles with detachable magazines should be banned, 56 percent of Californians said yes with a split of 70 percent of Democrats and 31 percent of Republicans. The poll reflects a mix of potential support and opposition for a gun-control measure Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing for the November ballot. It would introduce the nations first point-of-sale background checks for buying ammunition, and extend the states prohibition of magazines of more than 10 rounds to include those grandfathered in under a 1999 law. Owners of those magazines would have to turn them in, move them out of state or sell them to a licensed gun dealer if the proposed measure passes. Attitudes toward gun control diverge geographically, the Field Poll found, with urban coastal areas generally favoring it and more rural inland regions opposing it. For instance, 67 percent of respondents in the Bay Area said they wanted more gun control, compared with 43 percent in the Central Valley. There are still lots of partisan divides on the issue, but this poll shows that Californians are a little more on the side of gun control than the nation overall, said Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll. Recent polls, including an ABC News survey released in October, have found that Americans are evenly divided over whether there should be more gun limits. The Field Poll conducted telephone interviews with 1,003 registered voters between Dec. 15 and Jan. 3. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. As for why Republicans in California favor more restrictions on ammunition purchasers and people on the no-fly list, DiCamillo surmised that GOP voters may be more concerned about terrorism than Democrats are. Those concerns, however, dont carry that much weight in Congress, he said. That has to do with hardball politics, the lobbies of organizations such as the (National Rifle Association) and who can exert their will, DiCamillo said. Kevin Fagan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kfagan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KevinChron A witness in the murder case against Orlando Garcia - one of two Beaumont brothers accused of killing a Lamar University student last year - is claiming that investigators misrepresented her account of events leading up to the fatal shooting. Felix Smith, a private investigator, testifying in a bond hearing for Garcia on Monday told District Judge Raquel West that despite what the witness originally told police, she did not see Garcia on the night of the shooting and she did not read her statement before signing. ISTANBUL A suicide bomber detonated a bomb in the heart of Istanbuls historic district on Tuesday, killing 10 foreigners most of them German tourists and wounding 15 other people in the latest in a string of attacks by Islamic extremists targeting Westerners. The blast, just steps from a former Byzantine church and the historic Blue Mosque in the citys storied Sultanahmet district, was the first by Islamic State to target Turkeys vital tourism sector, although Islamic State militants have struck with deadly effect elsewhere in the country. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the bomber was a member of the Islamic State and pledged to battle the militant group until it no longer remains a threat to Turkey or the world. Davutoglu described the assailant as a foreign national, and Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said he was a Syrian citizen born in 1988. However, the private Dogan news agency said the bomber was Saudi-born. Kurtulmus said the attacker was believed to have recently entered Turkey from Syria and was not among a list of potential bombers wanted by Turkey. Turkey wont backtrack in its struggle against Daesh by even one step, Davutoglu said, referring to Islamic State by its Arabic acronym. This terror organization, the assailants and all of their connections will be found and they will receive the punishments they deserve. Eight Germans were among the dead and nine others were wounded, some seriously, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters in Berlin. The nationalities of the two others killed in the blast were not immediately released, but both were foreigners. The wounded also included citizens of Norway, Peru, South Korea and Turkey. Turkeys state-run news agency said Davutoglu held a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to express his condolences. Merkel pledged Germany would continue its fight against terrorism. Today Istanbul was the target, before Paris, Copenhagen, Tunis, and so many other areas, she told reporters in Berlin. International terror changes the places of its attacks but its goal is always the same it is our free life, in free society. The terrorists are the enemies of all free people, indeed, the enemies of all humanity, whether in Syria or Turkey, in France or Germany. TEHRAN An Iranian nuclear official Tuesday denied a report that technicians had removed the core of the countrys only heavy-water reactor and poured concrete into the cavity, a final step toward the completion of the historic nuclear agreement in July and the lifting of sanctions on Iran. The official, Ali Asghar Zarean, Irans deputy nuclear chief, told state television that a report about the Arak reactor by the semiofficial Fars News Agency on Monday was baseless. He added that Iran planned to sign an agreement next week with China to modify the reactor, which is capable of producing the plutonium needed to build an atomic weapon. Analysts cautioned that the denial did not necessarily mean that the actions, which are required by the nuclear deal reached in Vienna, will not be taken. In November, there were similarly conflicting reports about the disassembling of thousands of enrichment centrifuges, both in the main enrichment plant of Natanz and the underground bunker complex of Fordo. An announcement by an unidentified official at the time, saying that the centrifuges were being disassembled, was officially denied, but it was confirmed weeks later. This ambiguity is a domestic policy, a part of the rivalry between political factions here, said Farshad Ghorbanpour, an analyst with close ties to President Hassan Rouhani. Basically, it is the government trying to appease hard-liners. A group of lawmakers visited the Fordo complex Tuesday and said that only 1,044 centrifuges remained there, the semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported. The nuclear deal calls for the complex to become an educational and research center. Nuclear experts expect the deal to be completed in the coming weeks. Rouhani, who campaigned for the presidency on promises of reaching a deal and getting sanctions lifted, is said to be eager to have it finished before parliamentary elections in February. The Fars report said that completion was days away. Next week, the International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to publish its last verification report regarding the implementations of Irans commitments, Fars quoted the official as saying. After this, Irans foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, and his European Union counterpart will announce the official implementation day, the official said, referring to Federica Mogherini. WASHINGTON Iran is holding 10 U.S. Navy sailors and their two small boats after the boats had mechanical problems and drifted into Iranian waters, but American officials have received assurances from Tehran that they will be returned safely and promptly. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the riverine boats were moving between Kuwait and Bahrain when the U.S. lost contact with them. U.S. officials said the incident happened near Farsi Island, situated in the Persian Gulf. They said that some type of mechanical trouble with one of the boats caused them to run aground and they were picked up by Iran. The sailors were in Iranian custody on Farsi Island at least for some time, but its not certain where they are now. The semi-official Iranian news agency, FARS, said the Iranian Revolutionary Guards navy has detained 10 foreign forces, believed to be Americans, and said the sailors were trespassing in Iranian waters. We have been in contact with Iran and have received assurances that the crew and the vessels will be returned promptly, Cook said. The incident comes amid heightened tensions with Iran, and only hours before President Obama was set to deliver his final State of the Union address to Congress and the public. It set off a dramatic series of calls and meetings as U.S. officials tried to determine the exact status of the crew and reach out to Iranian leaders. Secretary of State John Kerry, who has forged a personal relationship with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif through three years of nuclear negotiations, called Zarif immediately on learning of the incident, according to a senior U.S. official. Kerry personally engaged with Zarif on this issue to try to get to this outcome, the official said. This comes on the heels of an incident in late December when Iran launched a rocket test near U.S. warships and boats passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The officials were not authorized to discuss the sensitive incident publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity. The incident also takes place just days before Iran is expected to satisfy the terms of last summers nuclear deal. Once the U.N. nuclear agency confirms Irans actions to roll back its program, the United States and other Western powers are obliged to suspend wide-ranging oil, trade and financial sanctions on Tehran. Kerry recently said the deals implementation was days away. Stage Set for Real ID Debate At the same time Gov. Susana Martinez and Democratic lawmakers are on Real ID noncompliance, the issue is starting to impact New Mexicans. reports the governors spin machine kicked into high gear on Monday after announced it wont accept New Mexicos drivers licenses to get on the missile base. Activists Head to Oregon New Mexico Wildlife Federation members on Monday to "condemn the behavior of anti-government protesters who have occupied federal land there since" the beginning of the year. The armed occupation stems from a larger debate in the Western United States, including New Mexico, over how federal land ownership affects the public and whether various public lands should be placed in the hands of states. New Mexico has the 10th highest rate of federal land ownership, with nearly 35 percent of the states 77.7 million acres under federal management, according to a survey conducted in 2013 by the Congressional Research Service. In contrast, just under 2 percent of Texas is federally managed, a state more than twice the size of New Mexico. More Emailgate Fallout Joey Peters reports, "A federal magistrate judge Monday from top staffers in the governors office from a high profile case among other measures. Attorneys for the plaintiffs sought out a protective order that sought to bar any content from the leaked emails from being used in the case and to bar the public from viewing the discovery process. The defendants filed an opposition, saying that what the protective order asked for was absurd because the majority of the leaked emails had been published on the website of the Santa Fe Reporter since December of 2012. The newspaper put them online after receiving them as part of an open records request from then-Attorney General Gary Kings office. The developments mark the latest fallout in one of the longest ongoing scandals in Martinezs governorship. It began with the leaking of emails from private accounts from some of her administration staffers in the summer of 2012. Some of these emails discussed controversial public subjects like a 25-year racino lease extension on public land sought out by two high-profile donors and shed light on lobbyist and insider access in the Martinez administration. School Grades Appealed With less than a years data to go by, Santa Fe Schools superintendent says the Public Education Department cant justify the F grades it gave to two new schools in the district, Engage Santa Fe and Mandela International Magnet School, and Boyd says hes going to appeal. Tough on Crime legislation and other will be discussed again during the 2016 Legislature, which begins a week from today. State of the Union US Sen. Martin Heinrich has invited , a University of New Mexico student from the Navajo Nation, to the presidents final tonight in Washington DC. Heinrich plans to push college affordability this year in Congress. Hed like to see two years of community college offered to eligible students and provide an affordable pathway to a four-year college degree for low-income students. Balderas Campaigns for Clinton New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas was at a voters forum in Des Moines. Santa Fe Biking Daniel J Chacon reports, A City Council committee if the right-of-way is clear of other vehicles and pedestrians. Rural Brainpower Carol Miller, a community organizer from Ojo Sarco who supports the Rural Development and Food Security Bill, has an interesting piece on the so-called brain drain in New Mexico: The underlying basis to the myth is the idea that rural young people who leave for an education will not come back, that our children, once enchanted with urban life, will no longer want to live in rural communities. In some cases, of course, thats true, but it is not even close to a general reality. Just in the area where I live, in northern New Mexico, the people who stayed have maintained traditional agricultural economies or brought in new practices. There is a lot of brainpower here. Rocket Time Well believe it when we see it, but , according to Christine Anderson, Spaceport Americas executive director, could be rocketing to space from southern New Mexico by 2018, even though Richard Branson is a big supporter of the United Kingdoms plan to build its own spaceport. Santa Fe Reporter The receivers of Dick Smith Holdings have appointed retailing veteran Don Grover as interim chief executive after the departure of Nick Abboud and have begun an advertising campaign to sell the indebted consumer electronics chain. James Stewart, Jim Sarantinos and Ryan Eagle of Ferrier Hodgson said in a statement that Abboud, installed as CEO by former owner Anchorage Capital Partners, resigned last night. Grover, a former chief at Retail Fusion Brands and Dymocks Group as well as holding various operational roles at Australian retailer David Jones, will assist the receivers and managers to run the business "as they work through the realisation and restructuring opportunities for the group and seek to sell it as a going concern," they said. Dick Smith's shares were suspended from trading on the ASX last week after its banking syndicate withdrew support and put the company in receivership. Secured creditors are owed about A$140 million and unsecured creditors about A$250 million. The receivers today began advertising Dick Smith for sale, having already received about 40 initial expressions of interest from various parties. They are seeking further expressions of interest by Jan. 27 and will then draw up a short-list who could undertake due diligence and submit formal offers, a process expected to take until "well into" February, they said. Dick Smith Holdings operates 393 stores across Australia and New Zealand under four brands, Dick Smith, Electronics powered by Dick Smith, Move, and Move by Dick Smith. The stock last traded at 35.5 Australian cents on the ASX, having tumbled 84 percent from the A$2.20-a-share Anchorage Capital Partners set for its initial public offering in 2013. It bought Dick Smith from Woolworths in 2012, in a deal reportedly valued at about A$115 million, before selling down in 2013 in an IPO that valued the company at A$520.3 million. Anchorage sold its remaining 20 percent in September 2014 for about A$2.22 a share. BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: VTL - Director Resignation - Reg Barrett Infratil 2022 Sydney Investor Day Rua Bioscience Confirms First International Order AIA - Auckland Airport considers retail bond offer October 19th Morning Report SCT - Scott Announces FY22 Results Manawa Energy Q2 Operating Report & Market Guidance Update IKE 1H FY23 Performance Update GSH - Annual Meeting and Director Nominations PGW Trading Guidance Update Harmoney Corp, New Zealand's first peer-to-peer lender, has gone through a boardroom reshuffle with chairman Rob Campbell departing three days after founder and co-chief executive Neil Roberts resumed his directorship following a four-month absence. Professional director Campbell resigned from the board on Dec. 14, ending a 17-month stint on the peer-to-peer lending platform's board, according to a Companies Office filing. That came after Roberts, Harmoney's biggest shareholder with almost 48 percent, returned to the board on Dec. 11. Roberts stepped down from the board on July 24, which Campbell said at the time was "a personal decision not to continue in a governance role". Campbell confirmed his resignation from Harmoney's board, saying he remained a shareholder and active investor through the peer-to-peer lending platform. "With the first phase of establishing the business complete it was my decision to step down having done my bit," he said in an email. "The major shareholders will now set the future strategy and governance of the business." Last month, Campbell told a Future Auckland Leaders alumni event that boards need to work more closely with management, saying "most business needs activist, effective, participant directors." In September, UK-based peer-to-peer lender P2P Global Investments increased its stake in Harmoney to 4.5 percent and put up a $200 million funding line to help the firm expand into Australia. Online auction site Trade Me, the company's second-biggest shareholder with about 16 percent, said it has confidence in Harmoney's board and was "upbeat about the opportunity available to the company." Registered bank Heartland Bank, Harmoney's third-biggest shareholder with 10 percent, said it wasn't in a position to comment on Campbell's resignation as it didn't have boardroom representation. The board is rounded out with Trade Me chief financial officer Jonathan Klouwens, Localist chief executive Christina Domecq, NZX Markets Disciplinary Tribunal chair David Flacks, and Tracey Jones, who manages private investment portfolio Tappenden Holdings. Harmoney didn't respond to BusinessDesk inquiries by the time of publication. BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: VTL - Director Resignation - Reg Barrett Infratil 2022 Sydney Investor Day Rua Bioscience Confirms First International Order AIA - Auckland Airport considers retail bond offer October 19th Morning Report SCT - Scott Announces FY22 Results Manawa Energy Q2 Operating Report & Market Guidance Update IKE 1H FY23 Performance Update GSH - Annual Meeting and Director Nominations PGW Trading Guidance Update New Zealand stands to reap considerably greater benefits from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade and investment agreement than the United States, says a new study of the controversial pact by economists at the World Bank. However, the biggest long term benefits are likely to be in emerging economies like Vietnam and Malaysia, where a combination of manufacturers shifting production to their more competitive economies and structural economic reforms are expected to deliver more than in countries where many of those transitions have already largely occurred. "The largest gains in GDP (economic growth) are expected in smaller, open member economies," the report, titled 'Potential Macroeconomic Implications of the TPP', says. Vietnam and Malaysia could expect GDP gains by 2030 of 10 percent and 8 percent respectively, based on modelling the World Bank concedes is not highly reliable. "Estimating the impact of deep and comprehensive trade agreements is still very much a work in progress," the report says. The combined effect for the 12 member countries of the TPP, the few studies undertaken find overall impacts for members in the order of 0.8 percent to 1.8 percent of GDP. The report was released ahead of today's official confirmation that the TPP will be signed by representatives of Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam in Auckland next month. Trade ministers rather than leaders are expected to attend the signing ceremony, which is expected to attract protest action from groups opposed to aspects of the deal, including controversial international dispute resolution mechanisms, as well as new standards on labour rights, environmental protection, the competitive neutrality of state-owned businesses, and harmonisation of rules relating to border protection and trade in services. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade confirmed the already widely reported assertions from South American signatories Chile and Peru last week of a signing ceremony, which is expected on Feb. 4, although that date is not yet officially confirmed. Twelve countries agreed in principle to the TPP deal in October, although all 12 must pass domestic legislation to bring it fully into force, with support from the US vital to its implementation. Political opposition to TPP in the US exists across the political spectrum, with reports from Washington trade newsletters continuing to speculate it may not be able to advance in the Congress and Senate until the so-called "lame duck" session at the end of this year, after the US presidential election. The World Bank study estimates an increase in economic output for New Zealand by 2030 from TPP of around 3 percent, compared to less than 1 percent for the US and Australia. New Zealand would be the fourth largest gainer behind Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei, roughly equal with gains estimated for Singapore. New Zealand could expect small increases of around 2 percent in output growth, with slightly greater gains in unskilled than skilled labour-intensive industries. The study says gains from TPP are likely to be slow to materialise and that "despite overall long term gains, member countries could experience sizeable adjustment costs in the short run." "The TPP agreement reductions in non-tariff measures and implementation of common regulatory practices are back-loaded, and so will be any transition effects and gains from TPP." Tariff reductions were expected to account for only about 15 percent of the GDP increases forecast for TPP member countries, since most had relatively low tariffs on goods already. The biggest gains were likely to be in service industries. BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: VTL - Director Resignation - Reg Barrett Infratil 2022 Sydney Investor Day Rua Bioscience Confirms First International Order AIA - Auckland Airport considers retail bond offer October 19th Morning Report SCT - Scott Announces FY22 Results Manawa Energy Q2 Operating Report & Market Guidance Update IKE 1H FY23 Performance Update GSH - Annual Meeting and Director Nominations PGW Trading Guidance Update The government's decision to reject Shanghai Pengxin as a buyer for Lochinver Station had a flow-on impact on its failed neighbour, which has been put back on the market after the rationale disappeared for the Chinese company to acquire the dairy farm. Taharua Farm is a 1,235 hectare dairy farm neighbouring the 13,843 hectare central North Island sheep and beef station Lochinver. Pengxin had an agreement to buy the property that dated back to just after the time it was first looking at Lochinver. Its owner, Fleming & Co, as trustee of the Country Spirit Trust, sold its livestock, equipment and shares to Pengxin and leased the farm to the Chinese company in June last year. The lease expires at the end of May. In September, the government scuttled Pengxin's $88 million proposed purchase of Lochinver, which would have added to a portfolio including the Crafar farms, saying the transaction failed on the test of providing a substantial benefit to New Zealand. A month later Fleming & Co was put into receivership by ASB Bank, owing about $17.8 million. Liquidators were appointed in early November. Lochinver was sold in November to a New Zealand farming group, Rimanui Farms. No price was disclosed. Tenders for Taharua Farm close on March 10. The farm is being marketed by Bayleys Real Estate, the same realtor that handled the Lochinver sale. "Our preference is to own clusters of farms, for logistical reasons," said Clare Bayly, a Pengxin spokeswoman in New Zealand. Taharua "was really attractive when Lochinver was an option. When that fell through, a lot of that changed." She said the decision to withdraw from buying Taharua was a joint decision between the purchaser and the vendor, "who shared our concern about the uncertainty of the Overseas Investment Office process." The advertisement for Taharua says it has two 80 bale rotary cowsheds and currently carries about 2,500 cows producing about 700,000 kilograms of milk solids a year. Another Pengxin unit, Dakang New Zealand Farm Group, withdrew an application to buy seven dairy and three support farms in Northland from Pinny Farms, the region's largest milk supplier, in October, citing the OIO's slow progress on the request and the company's experience trying to buy Lochinver Station. BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: VTL - Director Resignation - Reg Barrett Infratil 2022 Sydney Investor Day Rua Bioscience Confirms First International Order AIA - Auckland Airport considers retail bond offer October 19th Morning Report SCT - Scott Announces FY22 Results Manawa Energy Q2 Operating Report & Market Guidance Update IKE 1H FY23 Performance Update GSH - Annual Meeting and Director Nominations PGW Trading Guidance Update VISAKHAPATNAM: US-based defence major Lockheed Martin said it is encouraged about the recent liberalisation of India's FDI policy in the sector and is looking at increasing investments in the country. Phil Shaw, chief executive, Lockheed Martin India, said the 'Make in India' initiative of the government would help in boosting manufacturing in the country. "I think the opening of FDI in defence is encouraging and I think we will be able to do a lot more... We started in Hyderabad, we are looking at other parts of the country as well to invest," Shaw said at the CII Partnership Summit. During his visit to the US in September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met top Chief Executives including, Lockheed Martin Chairman and CEO Marillyn Hewson. The company already has manufacturing facilities near Hyderabad. Shaw said that the company would be working with local partners as "we move forward here in India". "We are an defence and aerospace company based out of the US... We are in India for a number of years now and for the last few years we begun manufacturing here," he said. Talking about 'Make in India', he said the programme focuses on what more foreign companies can do in India. He said that although the company has manufacturing facility in India "but that is kind of scratching the surface of what we could do here". Headquartered in US, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 1.26 lakh people worldwide. Also Read: Famous Financial Hoax That You May Come By All Communication of Tax Scrutiny to Be Via E-Mail from FY17 MELBOURNE: A new social security agreement signed between India and Australia has come into operation enabling people of both nations to avail retirement benefits in each other's country, a pact likely to boost bilateral business linkages. Australian Minister for Social Services Christian Porterand Minister for Small Business and Assistant Treasurer Kelly O'Dwyer said the Commonwealth government wanted to make sure people who live and work in more than one country are not disadvantaged. The Agreement signed in November 2014 came into operation on January 1, 2016. "This agreement will give people more freedom to move between Australia and India, knowing their pension rights will be recognised and protected," Porter said. "Australian residents living in India will be able to claim the Australian Age Pension without having to return to Australia, while Indian residents living in Australia will have access to Indian retirement pensions. It's a win-win," he said. Citing that ties will improve business linkages, O'Dwyer said, "As a result of this agreement, temporarily seconded workers, and their employers, will only have to make compulsory contributions into their home country's superannuation or pension system rather than both countries' systems." "This is expected to save Australian businesses operating in India about $10 million per year, and put Australian businesses on an equal footing with their competitors from other countries that already have similar agreements with India," O'Dwyer said. "Further, it is an important step in strengthening Australia's relationship with India, and shows the government's commitment to the 397,000 Indian-born people living in Australia, who make a substantial contribution to our community," she said. Australia now has 30 international social security agreements around the world to support people living and working in more than one country including with countries like Austria, Belgium, Canada, Japan, Korea, Spain, Switzerland and the US. Read More: Meet 9 Indian-Origin Women Featured in Forbes Under-30 Achiever's List Global Food Prices Down By 19 Pct in 2015, Says FAO Washington: Top Indian and U.S. officials will meet in New Delhi this week to review and expand areas of regional and global cooperation, the State Department has said. The Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Sarah Sewall is leading the U.S. official delegation to he U.S.?India Global Issues Forum, the first since 2012. She will be accompanied by the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal. While in India, Sewall will meet with civil society representatives to strengthen cooperation around common interests, including countering violent extremism, religious freedom, trafficking, and transparency and governance. She will also deliver a speech Democratic Values and Violent Extremism at the Vivekananda International Foundation in New Delhi. As the U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, Under Secretary Sewall will also travel to Dharamsala to discuss issues of importance to the Tibetan refugee community, the State Department said in a statement. Read More: NRI Students Offered Internships in 23 Indian Firms Transaction on E-Governance Services Doubled in 2015: Prasad BENGALURU: If you think Shashi Tharoors speech about India and Kohinoor glorified the country to the world, then wrong thoughts. Much before, in fact decades ago, Swami Vivekananda made India, a prominent name to the world with his famous speech at the Parliament of the Worlds Religions, Chicago in 1893. As a tribute to Swamiji, his birthday 12th January is observed as National Youth Day by the Government of India. Ramakrishna Math, NGOs and several other associations celebrate the day with much enthusiasm. On the same occasion, here is a special report paying respect to the religious philosopher and also how he remains an icon to the modern generation, reports India Times. Swamiji on religion Swamiji believed in power and is also a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, but he was never superstitious. Indeed, a modern outlook in the 19th century. According to Swamiji, The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves. Swamijis interpretation about religion being complementary to science and contradictory at the same time is still a matter of concern for modern philosophers. READ ALSO: The Journey of a Village from Quitting Alcohol to Getting Addicted To Chess Transaction on E-Governance Services Doubled in 2015: Prasad Swami-ji on love Go through a blog, browse the internet or read a book- love quotes are too easy to get. The discussion about love is quite common now. Swamiji did the same at his era. Swamiji considered love is the core of his preaching. He mentioned, It is love and love alone that I preach, and I base my teaching on the great Vedantic truth of the sameness and omnipresence of the Soul of the Universe. Swami-ji on tolerance and feeling Countries, nations and noted scholars continue debating on tolerance till date. Swami Vivekananda defined tolerance as You may talk doctrines by the millions, you may have sects by the hundreds of millions; but it is nothing, until you have the heart to feel. Feel for them as your Veda teaches you, till you find they are parts of your own bodies, till you realize that you and they, the poor and the rich, the saint and the sinner, are all parts of One Infinite Whole, which you call Brahman. READ ALSO: The Journey of a Village from Quitting Alcohol to Getting Addicted To Chess Transaction on E-Governance Services Doubled in 2015: Prasad Be not afraid If looked at Swamiji life and quotes, you will find an inspirational factor at every point. Sometimes you can look upto him as a friend, at times as a mentor or even as father. As father his popular quotes is Be not afraid, my children. Look not up in that attitude of fear towards that infinite starry vault as if it would crush you. Money does not pay, nor name; fame does not pay, nor learning. It is love that pays; it is character that cleaves its way through adamantine walls of difficulties. Swami-ji on politics When the world continues to go gross on politics and fight over it, the Indian monk also played a dominant role as a reformer during the Indian National Movement. Living in an era of British ruled India, he told India is no longer a political power; it is an enslaved race. READ ALSO: The Journey of a Village from Quitting Alcohol to Getting Addicted To Chess Transaction on E-Governance Services Doubled in 2015: Prasad STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A South Beach man's cost for cheating the state of $6.1 million in taxes from his wholesale tobacco business is up to nine years behind bars. Sulaiman Aamir was sentenced Monday, six weeks after a Brooklyn state Supreme Court judge convicted him at a bench trail of first-degree criminal tax fraud, according to the office of New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman. Aamir, 46, owned and operated Delta Distribution Services Corp., a large-scale cigar distributor on Union Street, Brooklyn, authorities said. Delta imported millions of cigars from Pennsylvania-based wholesalers and resold them in New York without paying New York taxes on the goods, said authorities. Licensed tobacco distributors like Aamir must pay a hefty 75-percent tax on the wholesale price of cigars sold, shipped, imported, manufactured or delivered in New York. Between March and November of 2013, Aamir paid $100,000 in taxes, as opposed to the more than $6 million he owed, said authorities. In a statement last year, then-state Tax Commissioner Thomas H. Mattox said it appeared Aamir had filed "multiple" false tobacco tax returns and had also falsified his business documents. When Aamir was arrested in March 2014, authorities said Delta received shipments of nearly 2 million cigars between September and November of the prior year. That merchandise's wholesale value exceeded $2.2 million, said officials. Aamir forked over $29,642 in tobacco taxes for the three-month period, while withholding more than $1.7 million he owed the state, alleged prosecutors. Authorities said then that investigators had seized hundreds of thousands of cigars and more than $9,000 in cash from Delta's warehouse. Investigators apparently discovered more discrepancies when they delved further into Delta's books after Aamir's arrest. Aamir was sentenced to three to nine years in prison. Louis Chisari, a lawyer for Aamir, said his client intends to appeal and believes he'll be vindicated. "At trial, the state failed to show he purchased the cigars in the time frame (alleged), let alone $12 million in cigars, said Chisari. . STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Jennifer Graziano never wanted to use her family name for her own advancement. Her father was allegedly a consigliere in the Bonanno crime family. But unlike her sister, Renee Graziano, the star of VH1's "Mob Wives," Jennifer didn't flaunt her connections. "We used to go to this club as teenagers, Pastel, in Brooklyn," Jennifer said. "Renee would run to the front of the line, swing her fur coat around and say, I'm here. I didn't want to be known as anyone's daughter. I wanted to be known as Jennifer. So I got in the back of the line." Jennifer didn't stay at the back of the line forever, though. In 2011, she pitched a reality television show to VH1 in which her sister and other crime family-affiliated girlfriends star. With its weekly bouts of hair-pulling and threat-making, the show is everything a modest mafia princess is not. Now entering its sixth and final season on VH1 Wednesday night, Jennifer, the show's executive producer, has brought the reality show more than a million viewers a week and more cat fights than anyone asked for. But that's not all, Jennifer insists. Almost every woman who stars on the show has launched a business of her own, whether it's sparkling wine, cosmetics or, fittingly, a line of Italian pastas and olive oils. "From the female perspective, we're giving them a voice," Jennifer, an NYU grad with a masters in business psychology, said. "In some odd way, I think doing the show has helped each and every one of the girls find themselves, outside of their mob connections." "I feel like I've set these women free." MOB WIVES IN MOTION Here's where "Mob Wives" differs from its reality television rivals: Many of the plot points of the "Mob Wives" stem from the crimes of the characters' husbands, fathers or other male associates, unlike the trite relationship drama in more popular reality television shows like "Jersey Shore" and "Real World." Certainly, all these shows are train wrecks. That's why we watch them -- or don't. But "Mob Wives" goes deeper. Watching the show, it can be hard to feel sorry for the women, some of whom are convicted felons who appear to bring the drama upon themselves. In 2001, Jennifer herself was sentenced to 21 months in prison for her role in a drug ring. The judge adjusted her role in the offense level after Jennifer's attorney argued her client was a victim of domestic abuse, which impaired her judgement, according to a court transcript. "I guess you grew up in a fairly scary family," the judge, Charles Sifton, said in the sentencing. "You certainly surround yourself with frightening people and you've just got to figure out a way to stand independently of them." Sifton's words could almost be the premise of the series Jennifer went on to create 10 years later. After five seasons, a viewer might not become sympathetic to the mob lifestyle, but he or she may start to understand women like Jennifer a little more. They're constantly dealing with old grudges; their non-mob-affiliated friends don't understand them; they're stressed out by the crime, but perhaps not enough to stop dropping the family name when things heat up. This kind of understanding is what Jennifer says she accomplished with the show. "I think we've been able to shine the light on a culture that is mostly secret," she said. "And seeing how that lifestyle affects a woman." NO ONE'S WIFE Not everyone was so thrilled to see the show take off though. Staten Islanders often comment on the notoriety the show has brought to the borough. "I really don't pay much attention to that, to be honest," Jennifer responded. "It's not giving the borough a bad look. It's an insight into one subculture that happens to live on the borough. So I think their gripe is a little generalized." Only recently, Jennifer and Renee's father started talking to them again after years of silence over the show. The fact that the show would feature real-life cast members with their real-life proceedings was risky. Really, she wanted to write a scripted series, which would likely involve changing the names of the characters in her life. But with the popularity of reality television shows still strong in 2011, "Mob Wives" was an easy sell. Despite our fascination with mob culture, the mafia was one of the few subcultures untouched by the reality television world. Was she afraid of getting whacked, to borrow a phrase? That wasn't the scary part, she said. "I wasn't afraid of that," Jennifer said. "What I was afraid of was marrying a guy who would expect me to stay home and cook for him." The success of "Mob Wives" meant she had herself a career, and wouldn't have to rely on her father or any other man financially, she said. "Letting the world into this lifestyle through the women made it easier to make my bones in television," she said. "My goal was to do that. And I empowered my friends, my sister and myself." The sentiment is sister-approved. "I learned how to be Renee," the elder Graziano sister said. "Not Just Anthony Graziano's daughter, not Jr.'s ex-wife, just Renee." undefined undefined Don't Edit Saul Loeb / Pool Photo via AP A farewell - and some legacy burnishing President Barack Obama addresses the nation for the final time on Tuesday night in a speech to Congress that will reflect both the current political climate and look back over his eight years in the White House. It's a sure bet that Obama will want to put the best face on his presidency he can. Camp Hill resident and CNN political analyst Jeffrey Lord offers his thoughts on the key points the president will have to hit in his final State of the Union address. Don't Edit Legacy, legacy, legacy Americans were looking for a lot from Obama after his 2008 election and his 2012 re-election. Inevitably, the president has fallen short in some places, but hit his marks in others. "This is his last speech - which you might call the legacy address," Lord said. "So he'll go through his accomplishments. Without doubt, he will hit the things he thinks are important: I would expect something on guns, immigration, possibly Guantanamo, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And somewhere in there, hes got to do the economy and I would expect him to claim credit for it." Don't Edit John L. Micek | jmicek@pennlive.com Who's in the audience is as important as what Obama says As is the case with past State of the Union addresses, Obama will have some special guests in the audience when he delivers his speech on Tuesday night. This year, those guests will be "a Syrian refugee, a former illegal immigrant who went on to serve in the United States Army and the lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court case last year legalizing same-sex marriage," The New York Times reported. Obama is also expected to keep an empty chair open for the victims of gun violence, according to multiple news sources. According to Lord, the tradition of filling the audience with symbolically important guests dates back to former President Ronald Reagan, who, in 1982, invited a federal worker named Lenny Skutnik to sit in the Hall of the House. Skutnik gained fame in January of that year as "The Hero of the Potomac" when he dived into the icy river separating Washington D.C. and Virginia to swim to the rescue of the victims of a downed airliner. In light of recent attacks on women in Germany, Lord said he sees a political risk for Obama seating a Syrian refugee in the crowd: "It goes to the point of critics of why we need to have a handle on who were bringing in here ... I can see critics seizing on this," he said. Don't Edit The reverberation of gun violence The president may be coming to the end of his term, but the nation was vividly reminded of the power of Obama's bully pulpit last week when he announced a series of executive actions intended to combat gun violence. Supporters said Obama's actions, which include strengthening federal background checks, did not go far enough. Critics denounced them as an end run around the Constitution. Either way, expect Obama to talk a bit about the issue, which brought him to controversial tears last week, Lord predicted. Don't Edit Don't Edit The inevitability of election year politics Because this year is an election year, partisan politics will inevitably seep into Obama's speech. Supporters of Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will be looking for lifelines and endorsements - through the mention of such key issues as climate change and the economy. Republicans, meanwhile, will look for any way they can to tie Clinton and Sanders negatively to Obama and his legacy. "Whatever he says will be scriutizined and challenged everywhere," Lord said. "[Republicans] will try to tie it to Sanders and Clinton, particularly Hillary, since she was Secretary of State. Whatever he claims on foreign policy legacy they will not only dispute but tie to her." Don't Edit Christine Baker | cbaker@pennlive.com The legacy of Obamacare For good or for ill, there is no more defining a moment of Obama's presidency than the 2010 approval of the federal Affordable Care Act and the years of court and political battles that followed it. It's also important to keep in mind that Obama's speech will come just days after the president vetoed the latest, Republican-led effort to repeal his signature piece of legislation. You can likely expect a mention of that too. "This is one of these things, there is no middle ground here," Lord said. "His audience will be there, as well as the line of would-be successors who will say theyd get rid of it. He will be there to make the pitch about why its so great." STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Today's archive page is from August 11, 1977. A year after his reign of terror began, serial murderer David Berkowitz, a.k.a. "Son of Sam," is arrested outside his Yonkers home. A parking ticket bearing his handwriting showed similarities to threatening notes he had sent his neighbor. The handwriting also matched the letters that "Son of Sam" sent to police and newspaper columnist Jimmy Breslin. A .44-caliber revolver that was found under the driver's seat of Berkowitz's car was determined to be the weapon that killed his last female victim and injured her boyfriend, a ballistics test showed. "Son of Sam" terrorized the city's "lovers' lanes," killing six people and wounding seven others. Bill de Blasio In this April 16, 2015, file photo, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File) CITY HALL -- Mayor Bill de Blasio said he would donate his $1.5 billion Powerball winnings -- if only given the chance. The mayor indicated that he didn't plan on playing in the record-breaking drawing, but he joked about the prospect on Monday. "If I don't show up for the next presser, it means miraculously I got the winning ticket," he said. Does de Blasio have $2 and a dream? "I already committed it to the coffers of New York City," the mayor said with a smile. "I don't know what I was thinking. That was when the number was lower." On Friday, when the jackpot was less than $1 billion, de Blasio said he would only play if the proceeds could go to the city. A spokeswoman with the Office of Management and Budget confirmed that private gifts can be made to the city, though the process for such a large contribution would be complicated. "Happily is a strong word," de Blasio said about making such a big donation. "I would dutifully." STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The attorney for the Rossville dental hygienist accusing her former boss, Dr. Glenn J. Marie, of sexual harassment says his client is in a tough situation. "She's doing OK," said lawyer Nicholas P. Iannuzzi, who represents Joann Sclafani. "She's been essentially forced out of her job. He essentially blackballed her." Sclafani, 44, claims Marie, a prominent pediatric dentist, exposed himself, sent her sexually explicit texts and made inappropriate comments about her body while she worked at the Annadale dental practice, a new lawsuit alleges. Sclafani says Marie, whose clients includes some of the "Mob Wives," exposed his penis to her and told her to "clean it" after he jumped into the patient's chair, according to the suit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court Monday. Sclafani, then a part-time employee, left her job after the incident, but Marie cajoled her into coming back with promises of making her full-time, the suit says. According to the complaint, the plaintiff says Marie would leer over the surveillance video in the office while she worked on patients and ask her to do inappropriate acts, such as exposing her breasts. When she didn't react to his aggressive texts, the doc then allegedly sent even more explicit messages about her breasts and buttocks and invitations for out-of-office rendezvous, the suit claims. Marie also texted Sclafani a picture of his genitals while he was on vacation in Aruba, the complaints alleges. Marie, 54, said that he was just having "fun" with her, according to the lawsuit. When she didn't respond to that text, the suit claims, Marie did not give her a year-end bonus the other employees received. When she asked him about it, he allegedly sent her more lewd texts. He allegedly told her he would give her the bonus in person while he was nude, court papers say. Sclafani, a divorced mother of three, worked part-time at the dentist's office from 2013-2015. She claims she was forced to quit her job in February 2015, and says the defendant's influence in the dental community has made it difficult for her to find work. "She's not been able to work," Iannuzzi said. "It's a tough situation to be in with three kids." Sclafani is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages. When reached by a reporter about the accusations, Marie declined to comment. BURNS, Ore. -- The armed militants occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge announced Tuesday morning that they will drive into Burns at the end of the week to hold a community meeting and inform residents when they will leave. The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Friday evening, said Robert "LaVoy" Finicum. The location has yet to be determined. All are invited to attend, Finicum added. "I think there should be a dialogue," said Finicum, a sidearm on his hip. The militants, who have held the refuge for well over a week, intend to remind the community why they are there and announce a departure plan. Finicum did not reveal any details about the plan. He said he was only relaying a message from Arizona businessman Ammon Bundy, the leader of the militants, who did not appear Tuesday at a press conference that the group has held daily at the refuge. Bundy will attend the meeting on Friday, Finicum said. The group is working on securing a location in Burns for the meeting, Finicum said. The announcement comes a day after the militants destroyed a public fence at the refuge and county residents demanded at a community meeting that Bundy and his group leave. Harney County residents, elected officials and law enforcement agents have repeatedly told Bundy, son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, to leave, even though some locals are glad he's brought attention to ranchers' desire to use public land in the area as they please. Throughout the occupation, the militants have said they will not leave until Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son, Steven Hammond - local ranchers who were sent back to federal prison for arson because of mandatory minimum sentencing rules - are freed. They have also said they won't leave until the federal government hands over public land to local ranchers and loggers. It wasn't immediately clear whether the militants will be any more detailed on Friday about their exit plan. -- Luke Hammill lhammill@oregonian.com 503-294-4029 @lucashammill STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- By mid-afternoon, Port Richmond Avenue is usually humming with activity. Mothers push baby strollers along the avenue, and people walk in and out of the several bodegas, with plastic shopping bags laden with groceries. The park opposite PS 20 on Park Avenue is usually filled with kids, just let out of school and full of pent-up energy. And not long after dismissal, the Port Richmond branch of the New York Public Library, on Bennett Street, off the park, begins to fill with parents and kids who sit and do homework or use the computers, until the sun goes down and they walk home for supper. But the neighborhood has been eerily quiet, the streets all but deserted, as residents of the borough's largest Mexican community react to new federal initiatives on undocumented individuals and families. "In more than 30 years, I've never seen the streets here in the neighborhood so empty," said the Rev. Terry Troia, executive director of Project Hospitality, which has its headquarters on Park Avenue. The concern was heightened following reports Friday that federal immigration officials allegedly detained and arrested a Mexican immigrant and father of a young son in New Dorp, not long after he had dropped the child off at a neighborhood school. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials did not respond to Advance requests to confirm that an enforcement action had been taken. Favio Ramirez, executive director of Port Richmond-based El Centro del Immigrante, says he spoke with the man, whom he would not identify, but said is being held in a New Jersey correctional facility. Regardless, word of the incident spread quickly through Staten Island's tight-knit immigrant community, already on edge over national reports of immigration sweeps. "When something like this happens, the community is really afraid...and they stress a lot," said Ramirez. "They stay at home, they are afraid to go shopping or go to the church, and that's not good for the community. That's not good for Staten Island," he said. Nearly 150 community members packed El Centro del Immigrante last Tuesday night to receive detailed information about what they should do if detained. "We explained in English and Spanish what the people's rights are, whether documented and undocumented, what should they do if they're detained, or raided," Ramirez said. He said El Centro would be planning additional meetings to keep the community informed. Lupe, a 26-year-old native of Puebla, Mexico, now living in Sunnyside, said a cousin who owns a normally-bustling barbershop in the neighborhood, told him that the shop has been empty since the weekend. "Young people who were born here, or are here legally, have nothing to fear, but they are scared for maybe their parents, or their relatives," he said. "It's crazy, but it's happening." He believes authorities may be going after adults who have prior convictions for offenses ranging from DWI, to domestic violence, to felonies. He advised borough immigrants to keep the situation in perspective and avoid panic. "They [immigration officials] might stop you and question you, but if you don't have a bad history, you shouldn't worry," he said. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- An NYPD sergeant passed out behind the wheel of a marked police car and slammed into a floral shop on Bay Street in Stapleton, police said. The sergeant, who was on duty and alone in a marked car, suffered a medical episode during the incident that occurred at about 11:45 p.m. Monday, according to a spokesman for the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. The shop, Flowers by Ricky, at the corner of Bay Street and Union Place, was closed and unoccupied at the time of the crash. The police vehicle punched a hole through an exterior wall of the building, causing damage including broken vases and flowers, according to Rosa Roca, husband of owner Ricky. Admitted as a precautionary measure to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton, the sergeant suffered minor injuries, according to police. A partial vacate order has been issued on the building, which is listed in Buildings Department records as 582 Bay St. The city Office of Emergency Management requested the inspection because the vehicle struck the building, based on information on the Buildings website. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- On the day before Dante Viggiano allegedly slayed Peter Gialluisi and badly wounded his wife, the defendant was hanging out in a wooded area across from the victims' Huguenot home, a witness testified Tuesday. Speaking through a Spanish interpreter, the witness, Jose Luis Reyes Basurtu, said he was cutting grass at the victims' Venus Place home late on the morning of Aug. 30, 2014, when he had to relieve himself. Basurtu said he crossed the street to a wooded area and, after entering it, saw the defendant sitting on a tree trunk. Viggiano, who was wearing a white shirt, nodded to him, as if to say hello, but the two men didn't speak to each other, said Basurtu. The witness said he immediately left without relieving himself. Two days later, police recovered the murder weapon, a large kitchen knife, in those woods, as well as some plastic cups and latex gloves removed from the Gialluisis' residence on Aug. 31, 2014, said prosecutors. Viggiano fatally stabbed Peter Gialluisi, 66, and seriously wounded his spouse, now, 67, Assistant District Attorney Natalie Barros said in her opening argument. Viggiano, who, the prosecutor said, had earlier broken into the house though a kitchen window, attacked Peter Gialluisi in the garage before bolting out the front door and into the woods across the street. Viggiano's DNA was found in the home and on the murder weapon, said Barros, who's prosecuting the case along with Assistant District Attorney Adam Silberlight. Defense lawyer Eric Nelson has asked jurors to keep an open mind, and raised the possibility of presenting an insanity defense. Tuesday marked the second day of testimony in state Supreme Court, St. George. Two prosecution witnesses who took the stand - Police Officer Vincent Giambalvo, and Gabriel Cuadros, a former Staten Island University Hospital paramedic - were among the first to arrive after the stabbing. Giambalvo said he encountered a dazed Vincenza Gialluisi outside the home. "She looked like she was in shock. She could not talk," he said. "She was completely covered in blood." Giambalvo said Peter Gialluisi was lying on his back in the garage in a large pool of blood. Gialluisi's breathing was shallow and he could not communicate, said Giambalvo. "He was bleeding excessively from the head and covered in blood," the cop said. Gialluisi's body was wedged between a vehicle and a wall near a set of steps leading from the garage to the kitchen, said Giambalvo. Cuadros, the ex-paramedic, said Gialluisi appeared to be in the final throes and was gasping when he arrived. He said he tried several times to move the mortally wounded victim, but could not do so until the keys for the vehicle were found and cops backed it out of the driveway. By that time, Gialluisi didn't have a pulse and wasn't breathing, he said. The victim was placed in an ambulance and given CPR and ventilation, Cuadros said, but to no avail. TOP QUOTE: "There was a lot of blood. Most of the blood we saw was from the back of his head," testified former paramedic Gabriel Cuadros regarding Peter Gialluisi's condition when he arrived at the victim's home. INTERESTING MOMENT: Grimacing at times, Officer Vincent Giambalvo hobbled up to the witness stand on a pair of crutches. The four-year NYPD veteran also had a cast on his leg. His injuries were not discussed during his testimony. WHAT'S NEXT: Additional prosecution witnesses will testify Tuesday afternoon. By clicking Agree, you consent to Slates Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and the use of technologies such as cookies by Slate and our partners to deliver relevant advertising on our iOS app to personalize content and perform site analytics. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information about our use of data, your rights, and how to withdraw consent. Agree Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic says Belgrade must resolve the disputes between Kosovo and Serbia, but not due to pressure from the European Union. Vucic told RFE/RL's Balkan Service in an exclusive interview that relations between Belgrade and Pristina must be normalized "because that is our life...we have to live next to each other." "If [we cannot act] as best friends, [we must act] as someone who knows we must live and work together successfully in order for all of us to be successful," he said. He said Serbia was preparing for "difficult talks" scheduled to open in Brussels on January 27 and that neighborly relations were in the interests of both ethnic Serbs and ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo. Pristina declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and has since been recognized by 111 countries. Belgrade has rejected the statehood proclamation and continues to refer to Kosovo as "Kosovo and Metohija," its official name when it was an autonomous Serbian republic. An EU-brokered agreement in 2013 would allow ethnic Serbs in Kosovo to have their own police force and courts, but the agreement has not been ratified by either of the countries' parliaments. Vucic, 45, is head of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and was approved as prime minister in 2014. The SNS is in a fragile ruling coalition with the Socialist Party of Serbia. He said normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo will be the "hardest thing to achieve" but will leave both sides simultaneously "displeased" and "deep downcontent." Vucic said he "despises" those who take populist positions on the Kosovo issue to appeal to Serbian nationalists and that he had told ethnic Serbs in Kosovo about difficult policies that Belgrade has adopted. He added that while he had "lived through the booing, attacks, and political disappointments," he believes everything his government has done was in Serbia's best interests and that "we will continue our dialogue with the [Kosovar] Albanians." Economic Interests A Priority Vucic summarized his goals in the upcoming negotiations in Brussels as establishing security and safety in Kosovo, guaranteeing "economic progress," and resolving all existing problems between the Serbian and Kosovar governments. He suggested the talks between Kosovar and Serbian officials, to be moderated by the EU, could take months to reach "some new agreement" and that the whole normalization process could take three or four years. The EU says a full normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina is necessary before Serbia can join the bloc. Vucic told RFE/RL that he wanted to open a new topic at the Brussels talks that would result in "a faster flow of people, goods, and capital" between Kosovo and Serbia. "I do not want us to have blockades, confirmations, papers [that] we issue at the administrative line, as we call it, or the border, as Albanians are calling it," he said. Vucic said Serbia's flagship airline, Air Serbia, needed ethnic Albanian passengers to fly from Belgrade in order for the carrier to establish its first regional transatlantic flight to New York City, noting that "even Greece does not offer a transatlantic flight." He added that Air Serbia hopes to tap into the large "colony of Albanians in New York" and that the two countries must "harmonize our economic interests." Ties To Russia Vucic rejected charges that Serbia is constantly trying to balance relations between Russia and the West. He said that while Belgrade had "traditionally good" relations with Moscow and always seeks to improve them, accession to the EU is a top priority and strategic goal of the Serbian government. Vucic suggested Serbia was not concerned about continuing to receive its natural gas from a pipeline that goes through Ukraine and would like the EU to explain to Belgrade the negative and positive reasons for either realizing or rejecting the Nord Stream and South Steam pipelines from Russia that bypass Ukraine. The South Stream, which would have passed through Serbia and led to sizable financial profits for Belgrade, was canceled by Russia in 2014 after EU officials made it clear it would not gain the bloc's approval. Germany -- which exerts great influence within the EU -- favors the completion of the Nord Stream project, which is currently a topic of heated debate in Brussels. Written by Pete Baumgartner based on translations by Darija Fajkovic and Deana Kjuka A central part of Royce's legislation is to make so-called "blocking sanctions" mandatory rather than discretionary as is now permitted through existing regulations. The sanctions are mandated against any country, business or individual that materially contributes to North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile development, imports luxury goods into North Korea, or engages with Pyongyang in money laundering, the manufacture of counterfeit goods or narcotics trafficking, according to the legislation. An Associated Press crew saw the first three trucks cross into Madaya on Monday, although journalists were not allowed to accompany the aid workers. At the town's entrance, several civilians including five children shivering against the cold said they were waiting to be evacuated. Best Canadian Blog 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 About Kate Why this blog? Until this moment I have been forced to listen while media and politicians alike have told me "what Canadians think". In all that time they never once asked. This is just the voice of an ordinary Canadian yelling back at the radio - "You don't speak for me." (goes to a private mailserver in Europe) I can't answer or use every tip, but all are appreciated! Katewerk Art Support SDA I am not a registered charity. I cannot issue tax receipts. Reconnaissance Man Economics for the Disinterested ...a fast-paced polar bear attack thriller! Want lies? Hire a regular consultant. Want truth? Hire an asshole. Weather Shop Click to inquire about rates. 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By Monday night he had resigned, having had a change of heart. Abboud came up through the ranks at department store giant Myer, and had long been viewed as one of its bright younger stars, but, along with several senior executives, left after giving up hope of getting a shot at replacing its then long-serving chief executive, Bernie Brookes. The number of Chinese visitors to Australia in a 12-month period has surpassed 1 million for the first time, driven by the lower dollar, which has been good for hotels, retailers and tourist attractions. The number of Chinese visitors rose 21.6 per cent to 1.0012 million in the 12 months ended November 30, and has more than doubled over the past five years, Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show. Sydney's BridgeClimb will offer special Mandarin-language climbs featuring karaoke at the top for the Chinese New Year in February. Credit:Geoff Jones Government agency Tourism Research Australia forecast in 2015 the number of short-term Chinese arrivals would outnumber those from New Zealand by the 2020 financial year, although in the 12 months ended November 1.30 million New Zealanders visited. China has surpassed the targets laid out in the Tourism 2020 strategy launched six years ago. The time asylum seekers spend in Australian detention centres has blown out to a record high under the Turnbull government, leaving men, women and children languishing behind wire, facing an uncertain future. The latest statistics from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection show that in December, people in onshore immigration detention had been there for an average 445 days. In November, the figure was 446 days. The average detention period has increased steadily since May last year and is now the longest since the government took power. It is more than double the 200-day wait four years ago under the Labor government. Police cars outside Nepean Hospital. Credit:Rachel Olding He has been charged with shooting with intent to murder, discharging a firearm to resist arrest and detaining for advantage. He is due to appear in Penrith Local Court on Wednesday. A police officer and security guard became involved in an altercation with a man at Nepean Hospital after receiving reports a doctor had been threatened with scissors. Credit:Wolter Peeters Senior Constable Warburton underwent surgery overnight, and Deputy Commissioner Burn said he was in a critical but stable condition early on Wednesday. The security guard was in a stable condition, she said. A spokeswoman for Nepean Hospital said ambulances were diverted to other emergency departments on Tuesday night while a police investigation was conducted. "I'm gonna kill you" An elderly male patient in a room just off the corridor where the shooting occurred told Fairfax Media that the drama began during an argument between two men, one of whom was screaming, "I'm gonna kill you. I'm gonna kill you." He said it sounded as if the men were arguing over a family matter. "One was screaming, 'You took my family,' said the patient, who asked for his name to be withheld. He said a female then intervened and was yelling and screaming at the men. He could then hear a male, believed to be Senior Constable Warburton, telling one of the men to drop their weapon. He could hear a short struggle on the floor before two gunshots rang out. "That was it, we were in lockdown immediately. I couldn't even go out for a smoke." When he was allowed to peek out of his room, he could see a vast amount of blood. "It looked like enough blood to kill somebody," he said. "It looked like something from the movies. There was blood spatter on the walls." The whole incident lasted about 10 minutes, he said. Patients were then moved to other rooms and areas of the ward were sealed off with police tape. However, another patient said he thought the argument was between a man and a woman. "Everyone kept yelling 'Michael, Michael' at the guy," he said. "When the first shot went off, the woman let out this deafening scream. It was horrible. Then when the second shot went off she screamed even louder." He said the alleged offender was swearing and yelling as he was taken away by police. A witness who was in the emergency department at the time told The Daily Telegraph that the alleged offender was holding a pair of scissors to the throat of a female doctor and was screaming when the officer and security guard arrived. "A guy was screaming and shouting and holding a [weapon] to a woman's throat, we couldn't make out what he was saying," the man, who did not want to be identified, said. He said the patient took the officer's gun during a scuffle on the floor and fired two shots. "He has taken [the gun] out of the copper's holster during the scuffle on the ground," the witness said. "I ran over to the copper. I grabbed the copper and dragged him backwards. "We threw him on a bed. The security guard wore one in the left [leg] the police officer in the left thigh." He said nurses were trying to get everyone away from the gunman. At least one child was among the patients in the emergency department at the time. Deputy Commissioner Burn went to the hospital in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and spoke to the injured officer's family. "For everybody involved, this is a very traumatic situation," she said. "At the moment my thoughts are with the officer, my thoughts are with the officer's family. "I have spoken to his wife, his wife is at the hospital." Police have not confirmed a report that the man in custody following the shooting had been arrested earlier on Tuesday for alleged break-and-enter offences, before he was released on bail. At the time of Naden's arrest in 2012, Senior Constable Warburton spoke to the Blue Mountains Gazette and praised the actions of his dog, Chuck, who had bitten Naden on the leg to stop him from escaping. Naden had been on the run for nearly seven years when police from the Tactical Operations Unit and the Dog Squad captured him in a remote area west of Gloucester in the Upper Hunter. "We'd surrounded the hut, the other two police dogs were near the front and Naden came running out the back entrance where I was," he told the Gazette. "TOU officers were there and proceeded to capture and arrest him [Naden] and in the process Chuck was able to assist - he just came in and bit Naden on the leg to prevent any chance of him escaping. "I think he [Chuck] knew something significant had gone on. "He did a good job and I gave him an extra bone that night." Naden, a former abattoir worker, is serving a life sentence for the murder of one cousin, Lateesha Nolan, and the partner of another, Kristy Scholes. Security guards face violence daily: union Gerard Hayes, the secretary of the Health Services Union, said security officers within the NSW health system were faced with violence daily. "[The shooting] is an outrageous situation. This is an extreme example, of course, but security officers within health are putting up with violent activity every day," he said. Mr Hayes said a surge in the use of the drug ice, a form of crystallised methamphetamine, was particularly concerning for healthcare workers. Police have not said whether the man arrested after Tuesday night's shooting was suspected of taking any drugs. "The ice situation is really getting out of control, particularly in emergency departments. We're seeing a growing number of violence issues, particularly related to ice. This needs to be addressed," Mr Hayes said. He said security guards working in the NSW public health system had no powers to restrain and detain people. They can only "observe and report". He said the guard injured on Tuesday night had no power to restrain the man who was shooting him. The HSU has been campaigning for hospital guards to be able to carry handcuffs and to have greater training and powers to detain people in a way "that's not going to bring a police force into the hospital but [will] be respectful of the hospital setting", he said. NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner said she had agreed to a request to meet with the Health Services Union following the shooting. The meeting is expected to take place next week. Norway's foreign ministry said one Norwegian man was injured and was being treated in hospital. The Dogan news agency said nine Germans and one Peruvian were also wounded. Police officers install security barriers around the Blue Mosque at the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul after an explosion on Tuesday. Credit:Lefteris Pitarakis Turkey, a NATO member and candidate for accession to the European Union, is part of the US-led coalition against Islamic State fighters who have seized territory in neighbouring Syria and Iraq, some of it directly abutting Turkey. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Islamist, leftist and Kurdish militants, who are battling Ankara in southeast Turkey, have all carried out attacks in the past. Citizens leave carnations as they gather near the site of the explosion in the historic Sultanahmet district in Istanbul, on Tuesday. Credit:AP "We heard a loud sound and I looked at the sky to see if it was raining because I thought it was thunder but the sky was clear," said Kuwaiti tourist Farah Zamani, 24, who was shopping at one of the covered bazaars with her father and sister. An official from one tour company who declined to be identified told Reuters that a tourist group from Germany was in the area at the time of the blast. The Tuesday morning explosion killed 10 people and wounded 15 others in the historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists. . Credit:AP "The explosion was very loud. We shook a lot. We ran out and saw body parts," one woman who works at a nearby antiques store told Reuters, declining to give her name. Ambulances rushed to the scene, ferrying away the wounded as police cordoned off streets. Rescuers and police arrive at the blast site after an explosion in central Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district. Credit:AP "We're taking precautions against a second explosion," the police officer said, ushering people out of the square. Melbourne businesswoman Mikala James and her father were in the streets of Istanbul, en route to Sultanahmet Square, when the bomb went off. Turkish forensic police officers search for evidence at the site of the suicide bombing, in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul. Credit:AP "We heard the explosion and then there was a chill in the air," Ms James said. "Dad said to me it sounded like a building demolition but I'd never heard a sound like that before." Lucky escape: Melbourne businesswoman Mikala James and her father Brian were on their way to the square when they heard the explosion. Ms James said they were on their way to a meeting at the Sultanahmet Square district, which is often crowded with locals and tourists visiting monuments. Her father, Brian, said it was sheer luck that they stopped at a cafe and were running behind schedule. A policeman stands in front of the Blue Mosque in the historic Sultanahmet district after the explosion. Credit:AP "We thank our lucky stars, otherwise we would have been right in the middle of it," he said. "It's a beautiful, friendly city with magnificent people, but everyone is on edge this morning." Police secure the historic Sultanahmet district after the explosion. Credit:AP 'Unimaginable scene' The dull thud of the blast was heard in districts of Istanbul several kilometres away, residents said. Television footage showed a police car which appeared to have been overturned by the force of the blast. Bad for tourism: A vendor waits for customers at the near-empty plaza in front of the Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia, in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, following the explosion. Credit:AP Tourist sites including the Hagia Sophia and nearby Basilica Cistern were closed on the governor's orders, officials said. "At first we thought it was percussion bomb, it was so loud. They attacked Sultanahmet to grab attention because this is what the world thinks of when it thinks of Turkey," said Kursat Yilmaz, who has operated tours for 25 years from an office by the square. "We're not surprised this happened here, this has always been a possible target," he said. Ambulances ferried away the wounded as police cordoned off streets. The sound of the call to prayer rang out from the Blue Mosque as forensic police officers worked at the scene. "It was unimaginable," the police officer who had been working on the square said, describing an amateur video he had seen of the immediate aftermath, with six or seven bodies lying on the ground and other people seriously wounded. Just over a year ago, a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a police station for tourists off the same square, killing one officer. That attack was initially claimed by a far-left group, the DHKP-C, but officials later said it had been carried out by a woman with suspected Islamist militant links. "Ambulances started rushing in and I knew it was a bomb right away because the same thing happened here last year," said Ali Ibrahim Peltek, 40, who operates a kiosk selling snacks and drinks on the square. "This is not good for Turkey but everyone was expecting a terrorist attack." Turkey a target Turkey has become a target for Islamic State, with two bombings last year blamed on the radical Sunni Muslim group, in the town of Suruc near the Syrian border and in the capital Ankara, the latter killing more than 100 people. Just over a year ago, a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a police station for tourists off the same square, killing one officer and wounding another. That attack was initially claimed by a far-left group, but officials later said it had been perpetrated by a woman with suspected Islamist militant links. Turkey has become a target for Islamic State, with two bombings last year blamed on the radical Sunni Muslim group, in the town of Suruc near the Syrian border and in the capital Ankara, the latter killing more than 100 people. Violence has also escalated in the mainly Kurdish southeast since a two-year ceasefire collapsed in July between the state and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has been fighting for three decades for Kurdish autonomy. The PKK has however generally avoided attacking civilian targets in urban centres outside the southeast in recent years. Turkey also sees a threat from the PYD and YPG, Kurdish groups in Syria which are fighting Islamic State with US backing, but which Ankara says have close links to the PKK. "For us, there is no difference between the PKK, PYD, YPG, DHKP-C ... or whatever their abbreviation may be. One terrorist organisation is no different than the other," Erdogan said, vowing that Turkey's military campaign against Kurdish militants in the southeast would continue. Davutoglu's office imposed a broadcasting ban on the blast, invoking a law which allows for such steps when there is the potential for serious harm to national security or public order. The attack raised fears of further damage to Turkey's vital tourism industry, already hit by a diplomatic row with Moscow which has seen Russian tour operators cancel trips. "Ambulances started rushing in and I knew it was a bomb right away because the same thing happened here last year," said Ali Ibrahim Peltek, 40, who operates a kiosk selling snacks and drinks on the square. "This is not good for Turkey but everyone was expecting a terrorist attack," he said. Australia's pinnacle poultry show, previously held in Canberra every four years, will be held in Sydney in June. It means Canberra has lost a popular Queen's Birthday weekend event that four years ago drew 10,000 people, including poultry exhibitors from around Australia, 58 judges, including guest judges from Britain and New Zealand, and 5500 prize-winning chooks and ducks. An Australian Game fowl looks down on a Modern Game bantam at the Royal Canberra National Poultry Show. The 2016 show will be held in Sydney. Credit:Rohan Thomson Sydney show officials are crowing. Royal Agricultural Society of NSW president Murray Wilton says it is the top event on the poultry calendar. "This is also exciting for Sydney Royal as it means providing greater engagement in agriculture outside of the Easter Show," Mr Wilton said. "The show is also popular with the general public and attracts a solid crowd, including lots of families." The sharemarket has closed and it's 8 out of 8 - sessions in red, that is. Shares weren't able to hang onto their early gains, once again falling after Chinese markets started trading, but at least there was no major plunge today. The ASX slipped 0.15 per cent to 4925.1, taking losses since the beginning of the year to 7 per cent, while the All Ords lost 0.2 per cent to 4982.2. All eyes were once again on Chinese currency markets, and while Beijing stabilised the yuan fix for a third day in a row, clear signs of intervention in the offshore yuan didn't help sentiment. "The ASX has been an epicentre of trade during its mid-session as the (yuan) fix is released at 12.15pm, AEDT. The decline today has been replicated daily for the past seven sessions. From around 12.30pm, it has declined each time," says IG analyst Evan Lucas. "In fact, the fix is beginning to be the most important intraday trading theme in Asia. It's dividing the trading day into a pre-fix 'positioning' session and post-fix 'trading' session." However, markets around the region were mixed, with Japan's Nikkei sliding 2.55 per cent, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong gained 0.1 per cent and the Shanghai Composite was up 0.6 per cent in late trade. It didn't help the local market that oil continued its relentless slide, to be down 2.25 per cent at $US30.84, having now lost more than 20 per cent since the start of the year. Consequently, energy stocks were among the biggest losers of the day, with the sub-index plunging another 3.5 per cent. Santos slid 8 per cent, Origin Energy lost 4.7 per cent and Woodside dropped 2 per cent. The big miners were also hit hard, with BHP drilling a new 11-year low at $15.01, down 3.5 per cent for the day. Rio Tinto fell 3.3 per cent to 439.15, trading at levels last seen seven years ago. The big banks were mixed. While CBA and Westpac had a strong day, adding 1 per cent and 0.9 per cent respectively, ANZ and NAB fell 0.4 per cent and 0.3 per cent. The government was now proposing a new citizenship law. It would empower the immigration minister to declare, without the need for trial or conviction, that by (allegedly) committing a terrorist act, a dual citizen had "repudiated his allegiance to Australia" and was therefore no longer a citizen. Absurd hyperbole, of course, but it's worth recalling what Mallah's question was about. A decade earlier, he'd spent two years in the Goulburn supermax prison before being acquitted of terrorism charges. He did plead guilty to the lesser charge of threatening Commonwealth officers, and was sentenced to the time he'd already served. It was a splendid opportunity for Turnbull, his eyes on Tony Abbott's job, to placate his party's right wing. Never mind that Mallah had appeared on live commercial television and been included in the Q&A audience several times before without a murmur from the security agencies. In this case, said Turnbull, he posed a serious physical threat to Q&A's high-profile panel and audience. His presence there "beggared belief". One of the most memorable media stories of 2015 was the Zaky Mallah Q&A affair: the ABC portrayed in News Corp newspapers as rabid supporters of Islamic State; the communications minister, one Malcolm Turnbull, overturning all precedent by sending a team of public service plods into the ABC to investigate an editorial decision. Mallah asked the panel a simple question: "What would have happened if my case had been decided by the minister and not the courts?" Junior government front-bencher Steve Ciobo responded bluntly: "I would be pleased to be part of a government that would say that you're out of the country as far as I'm concerned." It was a most revealing exchange. As it happens, Mallah is not a dual citizen, so he couldn't have been booted out of the country. But in Ciobo's view, a jury's verdict (on a "technicality", he repeatedly and wrongly claimed) was a mere detail. Banishment should be the consequence of a minister's gut feeling. That was in June. In early December, with the support of the ALP, the Australian Citizenship Amendment (Allegiance to Australia) Bill was passed by both houses of Parliament. Thanks to changes proposed by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, it's a less sweeping attack on our traditional rights as citizens than the original draft. Australians can now only be deemed to have renounced their citizenship if they've been convicted in the courts of a terrorism offence, and sentenced to more than six years in jail.But if they are (allegedly) fighting for a terrorist organisation overseas, or have (allegedly) committed a terrorist act in Australia but left the country before they could be charged and tried, the act says they can be declared non-citizens by the minister as soon as he or she becomes "aware" of their actions. It's true that the act now specifically says the grounds for the government's decision that someone has "repudiated" their citizenship are reviewable in the courts. But since, by definition, the ex-citizen will be overseas, and will (presumably) be refused re-entry to Australia once the declaration is made, mounting a court challenge won't be easy. Trump's appeal is usually attributed to his leadership, charisma, can-do business ethos and so on. Yet none of these qualities would resonate without the voter anger that is evident across Middle America. And yet here we are, just weeks out from the primaries, and Trump continues to dominate the Republican race for the White House and we so-called experts are wiping the egg off our faces. It's still too early to say he will win his party's nomination in July. But it's not too early to account for his extraordinary political rise. The rise of Donald Trump continues to perplex and perturb seasoned observers of American politics. I'm no exception. When the flamboyant real-estate mogul and reality-television star launched his presidential bid last June, I resolutely refused to take him seriously. After all, four years earlier he had sold the so-called "birther" theory that Barack Obama was born somewhere other than the US and therefore was unqualified to be in power. So when Trump made rude and crude remarks about Mexicans and Muslims I said he was damaged goods. Simply put, the American people President Obama addresses in Wednesday's State of the Union address are in a foul mood. Or more to the point: significant segments of mainly white blue-collar Americans believe their nation is in big trouble. It's not just that Washington has become an entrenched class of politicians increasingly divorced from the public. The angst has more to do with a widespread sense that the US is in serious decline. Illustration: Simon Letch Indeed, decline is the subtext of this primary season. Many Americans, especially less affluent white voters, feel it, and fear it. They have grown up knowing the US is the most powerful, most prosperous and the most influential nation in history. They are slowly and painfully coming to grips with their nation's limits in a pluralistic world that does not conform to American expectations. These people are what the prominent Washington-based writer John B. Judis calls Middle American Radicals (or MARS, a category proposed by sociologist Donald Warren four decades ago). Middle American Radicals are alienated lower-middle class folks who defy partisan labels: they hold right-wing views on race, crime and poverty as well as left-wing views on big business, income inequality and government pensions. Many are still registered Democrats, and they bitterly resent the white-collar wing of the Republican Party that is fragmenting among the establishment candidates, such as Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush. Which is why a Trump nomination, according to shrewd conservative analysts Peggy Noonan and Michael Gerson could splinter the GOP. Above all else, Middle American Radicals are nationalists who are disoriented by the radical socio-economic changes of recent decades. They rail against an establishment that has weakened border protection, preached political correctness, negotiated trade deals that haemorrhage US jobs and plunged the nation into Mesopotamia misadventures while permitting barbarians like Islamic State to threaten Californians. Bushfire arson, it seems, will always be with us, at least without a utopian revolution to render it meaningless. Because it does have meaning, this most appalling and frightening of crimes. What seems perplexing to most of us as we look at the beauty and majesty of the forest, its peace and its strength, and wonder how on earth any fool could ignite it arises nevertheless from a kind of reasoning. Firefighters inspect the devastation in Separation Creek after the December bushfires. Credit:Chris Hopkins There is a causality in the mind of most arsonists and perhaps we all contribute to its terrible logic. "We will never get rid of arson," said Dr Paul Read, a senior researcher at the Monash University Sustainability Institute. "All we can do is the best we possibly can. To eliminate arson we would have to completely change the structure of society, including the tax system, public transport, and core notions of social equity." "There are moments of great joy when you look around and you are like, 'Oh my God, look at where we are'. The scenery is spectacular, but then you look down and you are freezing and in the mud and you are like, 'Up there looks beautiful, but down here looks horrible'. So that was like an interesting mix." Domhnall Gleeson co-stars in survival epic The Revenant. It's the latest acclaimed release in a huge year for the down-to-earth Irish actor. Credit:photos@smh.com.au Three weeks of boot camp to learn the basic survival skills and techniques of the trappers of the period was the fun part and a bonding experience, he says. This included polishing up on horse-riding skills, learning how to light a fire using flint, as well as learning how to make bullets and arm a muzzle-loaded firearm. At the same time, the cast and crew had to rehearse highly choreographed fight scenes. The action-packed ambush scene with the Indians at the start of the film is both violent and stunning. The amount of activity skirmishes and character lines delivered is staggering. It took a huge amount of preparation and focus, and the slippery conditions didn't help. Domhnall Gleeson as Captain Andrew Henry in The Revenant. Gleeson says the cast told jokes to help cope with the extreme conditions faced during filming. Credit:Fox "It really was intricate. You are dealing with so many different things you are dealing with a moving camera, you are dealing with the natural light so it has to happen at a very particular point in the day so you have to be really on it by the time you get there," he says. "But then you are talking about hitting marks at the same time as acting in the mud, very, very slippery, you know really harsh conditions, everybody is getting cold, your galloping horse is going through, a lot of stuff is going on, guns going off, people falling in fires, arrows going into trees all of those elements have to come together at the right time for those shots. It's really tough. But you see the film and you're like, 'Wow, that was worth every bit of it'. In terms of a start to a movie, that's about as good as I've seen." Powerful performances ... Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy, who plays adversary John Fitzgerald in The Revenant. The eight-month shoot was gruelling for Gleeson and the cast and crew from September through to the beginning of May. Isolation, freezing conditions, hiking over mountains and wading icy streams took its toll, he says. A constant stream of jokes from his fellow trappers helped them cope - humour was the key survival skill. "It was very taxing emotionally, psychologically, obviously physically; you can really see that in the film. And it was a long old shoot, too. Really, really long shoot too, so that adds up. Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Credit:AP "It's not like you are going out in the wild for a week and you go home. I mean we shot chronologically so as the film goes on you can really see a change in people. "But it was a very funny group of guys. Like all of the guys in the group of trappers are like funny, funny men. So that really made it easier. Domhnall's father is acclaimed Irish actor Brendan Gleeson, pictured here with Kelly Reilly in Cavalry. "We laughed a lot but I think a lot of the time was just about the situation we were in. It was like 'I can't believe we're here in this and this is happening'." The only break Domhnall got was when he flew back to Dublin at Christmas to do a play with his father, Irish actor Brendan Gleeson (The Guard, In Bruges, Braveheart) and younger brother Brian (Snow White and the Huntsman). You can hear the emotion in his voice when he describes the experience. Performing with his family in Enda Walsh's comedy The Walworth Farce was one of the highlights of his life. Rachel McAdams and Domhnall Gleeson in romance About Time. Credit:act\douglas.fry "Amazing. We got to stand on stage at the first preview, we were holding hands, we took a bow to the audience and I don't know if it will ever get that good again." Despite his meteoric rise up the ranks as a go-to actor in Hollywood, Gleeson comes across as an everyday bloke. The lanky redhead is affable, self-deprecating and well-spoken. He's also slightly in awe at seeing DiCaprio and Hardy go head-to-head on the wilderness set and on screen. "When they go up against each other two different energies it's just, you know, two guys at the top of their game just going at it and it's brilliant, brilliant," he says. "Very different processes, the two of them. They get on really well, it's really nice to see that. Inarritu has again demonstrated his ability to bring the best performances out of his cast members, Gleeson says. The relationship between Glass and his Indigenous son Hawke (Forrest Goodluck) is a particularly strong on-screen bond that drives the trapper's will to survive. It also enables the director to explore the complexity of indigenous relations during a time when Europeans and settlers were looking to exploit the American frontier and trade with, repel or decimate Indian tribes. "I think it was very good to treat the native Americans with a lot of respect," Gleeson says. "To show that there are two very important, strong points of view going on here you know. And I didn't feel like it was political views being foisted upon me it felt like story, it felt like character. At the same time he has a lot to say. "There is one thing this film is not, is empty inside it. I mean it is absolutely packed to the brim with meaning and love and hope good things, you know ... For all the fact that it is so epic, it is on such a grand scale, it is brutal, you know, it is brutal and beautiful." Looking back at the films he made that were released in 2015, he says he is inspired by the body of work and who he worked with. Luck has played a big part in it, he says in a gentle Irish accent. But that belies the outstanding talent he continues to show on-screen the reason why he'll continue to be in demand for top film projects. "The odds are stacked against you being able to make a living in this business," he says. "When I left college, I said 'I want to be an actor', I didn't imagine, I didn't dare to dream of working with the standard of people I got to work with on those films. Sydney is in the midst of its biggest hot spell after heavy rain in almost three decades, a weather shift that will bring discomfort not just to those who don't like the heat. The city is forecast to reach 36 degrees on Tuesday before a southerly change brings some relief by the afternoon. Temperatures had climbed to 34 degrees just before 11.30am before dropping back to the mid-20s. The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting 39 degrees for inland centres such as Penrith, but the mercury may climb a bit higher, Brett Dutschke, a senior meteorologist with Weatherzone said. It was among bok choy, $4.90-a-kilogram grapes and Jamie Oliver ads that Opposition Leader Bill Shorten emerged from leave to kick off the election year and a three-week blitz of marginal electorates. Escaping 36-degree heat for the crisp surrounds of the fruit and veg section in Queanbeyan's Woolworths, the Opposition Leader gave Australians a taste of the year to come, zeroing in on discussions around the GST and penalty rates and challenging Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to a debate on the tax system. It's safe to say the advance staff had already paid a visit to the Woolies store and made sure the coast was clear for the alternative prime minister, who studiously avoided the "Butcher" sign and wasn't spotted holding a knife or compromising fruit. Federal politicians are frequent visitors to this NSW regional centre, with its 38,000 real people, abundant industry, position in the bellwether seat of Eden-Monaro and perfect proximity to Parliament House (that is, only 20 minutes away but not actually in Canberra). An Australian family who died in a horrific highway crash in India while travelling to the Taj Mahal were nearing the end of a six-week holiday to visit family when the tragedy occurred, according to a colleague. Rupen Datta, a restaurant owner from Adelaide, survived the crash on the Yamuna Expressway in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday afternoon. Rupen Datta died in hospital two weeks after the horrific crash that killed his wife, three children and sister-in-law in India. Credit:Facebook But he is now faced with the devastating loss of his wife Anamika and their three children - daughters Neetika and Pipasa, aged 12 and 15, and son Tirvijai, 20 - and Anamika's sister Sonia, 25, who all died in the crash. Early childhood teachers will be required to have qualifications from government approved universities and complete ongoing professional development to maintain their accreditation. NSW Minister for Education Adrian Piccoli announced on Tuesday that early childhood teachers will be subject to stricter standards to gain teaching accreditation. In 2014 the NSW government introduced reforms making accreditation by the NSW Board of Studies mandatory for all primary and secondary teachers, the reforms will now be uniform across the sector. "Early childhood educators have been pushing for this for many years," Minister Piccoli said. "It is recognition that like primary school and high school teachers early childhood teachers are also professionals, who are university trained, with high standards to meet." Brisbane City Council officers described a heritage protection condition in CBD's planning scheme as "onerous" in a meeting with property developers, prior to a building approval critics said would threaten historic Customs House. Developer Cbus Property has approval to build a 47-storey tower next to Customs House, despite provisions in the City Centre Neighbourhood Plan that specifically prevent some aspects of its proposal. Critics say a building approved for Queen Street will ruin the heritage value of Customs House. Credit:Michelle Smith The University of Queensland, which owned Customs House, has challenged the council approval in the Land and Environment Court. Among the supporting documents were minutes from a pre-lodgement meeting between Cbus Property and council officers, marked "commercial in confidence". Donation tins collected for the Royal Flying Doctor Service were swiped from a firefighter's car as he tirelessly battled blazes devastating the South West. Ben Casaburi, from the Sussex Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade in Busselton, said he was "gutted" thieves had broken into his car on Tuesday morning - which had been securely parked at a gated workplace in Bunbury. The firefighters car was broken into as he tackled the Waroona fire (file picture). "Who would break into a firefighter's car while he is away fighting fires?" he said. "It's just wrong. It's a real kick in the...well, it's a kick in the everything." Washington: The crew of two small US Navy craft are being held by Iran, but American officials have received assurances from Tehran that the crew and vessels will be returned safely and promptly. However, the semiofficial Fars news agency in Iran said that the boats had illegally travelled more than 1.5 kilometres into Iranian territorial waters near Farsi Island, in the Persian Gulf. It said that forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards navy had confiscated GPS equipment, which would "prove that the American ships where 'snooping' around in Iranian waters". Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said that the boats were moving between Kuwait and Bahrain when the US lost contact with them. "We have been in contact with Iran and have received assurances that the ten crew-members and the vessels will be returned promptly," Mr Cook said. Paris: Jean-Marie Le Pen is to sue a French dancer who took an unflattering selfie in which the former far-right Front National leader can be seen snoozing, open-mouthed, on a plane. The photograph was taken by Brahim Zaibat, an ex-boyfriend of Madonna, who is a dancer, choreographer and former winner of the French version of Strictly Come Dancing. Mr Le Pen said it breached his privacy and damaged his party's electoral chances. Brahim Zaibat in a selfie with a tired Jean-Marie Le Pen. Credit:Brahim Zaibat Mr Zaibat was seated behind the far-right firebrand, who was recently ousted as the FN's honorary president by his daughter and successor, Marine. In the image the dancer grins, wide-eyed, as Mr Le Pen takes a nap on a domestic flight. He shared the photo on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, calling on followers and the public at large to vote against the FN in the second round of December's regional elections. Polls suggested the far-right was poised to win up to four of 12 regions. London: Hope mixed with anger and disbelief greeted aid workers bringing the first food and medical supplies in months to the residents of a besieged Syrian town. "You could see a mixture of hope in people's eyes and disbelief that this thing was actually happening," Pawel Krzysiek, of the International Committee of the Red Cross, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Tuesday. "Many people were coming cheering, shaking our hands, but some of them were shouting angrily 'why did it take you so long?'" he said, speaking by phone from Damascus. The aid convoy arrived on Monday, bringing the first food and medical supplies for months to the western town of Madaya, where 40,000 people are trapped by encircling government forces and local doctors say some residents have starved to death. Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow could give asylum to Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad if he is forced to leave the war-torn country. "It was surely more difficult to grant Mr Snowden asylum in Russia than it would be in the case of Assad," Mr Putin told Germany's most popular tabloid, Bild, referring to former US intelligence worker turned whistleblower, Edward Snowden, who was given asylum in Russia in 2013. Vladimir Putin: "We will see if Assad would have to leave his country if he loses the election." Credit:Simon Dawson Mr Putin said it was too early to say whether Russia would have to shelter Mr Assad, whose country has disintegrated in a civil war that has lasted almost five years. "First the Syrian population has to be able to vote, and then we will see if Assad would have to leave his country if he loses the election," Mr Putin said. For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser PHILIPSBURG:---- Prime Minister William Marlin and Minister Richard Gibson met with Chief Minister Victor Banks and his delegation from Anguilla on Monday January 11th. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the possibility of implementing of a late night ferry between Sint Maarten and Anguilla during the peak season. Currently, the last ferry out of Sint Maarten leaves at 10pm from the port of entry located near the Princess Juliana International Airport. Chief Minister Banks explained the urgent need for a late night ferry in order to accommodate passengers arriving on late night flights, with Anguilla as their final destination. In addition Minister Banks stated that the late night ferry would be beneficial for both countries, as many residents of Anguilla will use this opportunity so spend the evening in Sint Maarten to experience the night life. In seeking the cooperation of Sint Maarten, the Government Officials of Anguilla requested for the immigration screening to take place at the port of entry, adjacent to the PJIA, before departure. Minister Gibson explained that paying Immigration Officers overtime in order to facilitate the late night ferry, is not permitted due to budget cuts. However, Minister Gibson stated that if Anguilla is willing to cover the overtime costs involved, that Sint Maarten would fully cooperate. Chief Minister Banks agreed to covering the costs of 3 hours of overtime of Immigration Officers per day, for the duration of the peak season. Based on this agreement, the last ferry will depart from Sint Maarten no later than 1am. Prime Minister William Marlin explored the idea of having other neighboring islands make use of the extended opening hours of the entry port, in order to divide the costs involved. In addition, Department Head of Foreign Affairs, Kalila Peters discussed the possibility of creating joint Marketing Packages between Sint Maarten and Anguilla, to stimulate traffic amongst locals to experience Sint Maarten and Anguilla by night. Prime Minister William Marlin came to an agreement with Chief Minister Banks to commence operations of the late night ferry between Sint Maarten and Anguilla as of January 17th until May 30th 2016, with the possibility of extending the time period based on the demand after the peak season. Goodwall Raises $2.1 Million in Seed Round Funding GENEVA, SWITZERLAND and BOSTON, MA (Marketwired) 01/12/16 , a website, mobile app and online community for teens, today announced a $2.1 million seed round. More than half a million students use Goodwall to showcase their academic and extracurricular achievements, discover new opportunities to expand their horizons, get recognized by colleges, and connect with peers and mentors around the world. We are proud of the growth weve seen this year, especially around key metrics like student signups, partnerships with colleges and student/college connections, said Taha Bawa, Goodwalls co-founder and CEO. Students often join Goodwall because they hear about it from other students, including our more than 150 student ambassadors. This funding will allow us to extend our reach and offerings. Goodwalls seed round came from a group of private backers led by Francis Clivaz, a global leader in international education. He is the co-founder of the European Council of International Schools (ECIS) and an active member of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Goodwall connected with several investors via , the leading European online startup platform for private investors. Three other investors, Ulrich Essmann and Tim Schumachers, co-founders of Sedo.com, the global domain marketplace and Martin Steinmann, Boston-entrepreneur, angel and startup advisor, are joining the Goodwall advisory board. Goodwall Milestones The Goodwall community has grown to more than half a million students and has achieved several major milestones in 2015: Goodwalls student base represents over , although the vast majority come from the North America. Goodwall is now connected to more than around the world Goodwall has made more than connecting colleges with potential students. The number of more than tripled and the company expanded to the United States, opening a Boston office where it is looking to hire extensively in 2016. Student of the Month Scholarships Focus on Extracurricular Achievements Every month, Goodwall recognizes a student for their extracurricular activities and awards that student a scholarship. Goodwalls U.S. Director Drew Gallagher recently presented a Goodwall Student of the Month award to Yasmeen Roumie, a senior at Stuyvesant High School in New York City. Roumie received a $1,000 scholarship toward the college of her choice. Roumies accomplishments include: interning with NASA, winning a robotics competition in China, interning at Harvard Medical Schools Genetics Lab and founding an organization that delivers leftover flowers from events to hospitals and nursing homes. Goodwall is an online community for high school students to connect with each other and showcase their accomplishments to get recognized by colleges and scholarships. From the ages of 14 through 18, Goodwall equips students with a step-by-step guide to success and the necessary tools, resources, and knowledge to help them make the most informed decisions to reach their full potential. Goodwall helps students: develop critical life skills and tell their story connect with a network of students worldwide and discover learning opportunities related to their passions navigate the college application and search process so that they find the right school Goodwall eliminates luck and privilege from the equation and provides every student with the opportunity to succeed in college and life. Goodwall was a 2015 MassChallenge Boston Finalist. Learn more at or follow the company on Twitter at Media Contact: Bobbie Carlton 781-718-7619 In an effort to rid the world of one survey fits all data collection, Covington-based Wyzerr (pronounced wiser) is taking on some of the worlds biggest names in research. Founder and CEO Natasia Malaihollo isnt surprised to see her technology platform taking off.But after following a circuitous path from California and New York to Over-the-Rhine, where Wyzerr just finished its Brandery business incubator class, Malaihollo is a bit surprised shes become so attached to Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky so quickly.Here people are really invested in startup success, she says, and are much more supportive than the startup scenes shed worked in during the companys earliest days. Shed like to keep Wyzerr in Greater Cincinnati for a long time, she says, so we want to figure out how we can be of the most help to our community.Soapbox talked with Malaihollo, 28, about Wyzerrs product rollout, Brandery experience and plans for getting young Cincinnatians excited about tech careers.Wyzerr started off as a way to reach customers while still in the store. For example, youd walk into a Target and, depending on how long you were there, youd get a different survey. As we were pitching the idea, someone suggested that our technology was too good to be delivered through Survey Monkey. That format is just so boring, and, even if you reach a customer, they dont want to do a whole survey.So we decided to design our own surveys, and from there we started asking ourselves what people really enjoy doing. Of course the answer was mobile games and Facebook and other social media apps. We designed Wyzerr to mimic those.Our immediate business plan is to pursue hospitality clients hotels, airlines and other service-based businesses that rely heavily on customer feedback but our most exciting plans are community-focused.Wyzerr is going to be here for a long time, so we want to figure out how we can be of the most help to our community. A big area of focus is mentoring youth and minority entrepreneurs.I met with (Covington businessman and former mayor) Chuck Scheper, and he showed me where Covington is headed and how Wyzerr can be involved, whether that means helping to attract other businesses to the area or getting students to start thinking about tech as a viable career path. I talk about this all the time with other entrepreneurs: Imagine what you could have accomplished by now if you had started when you were 16.Yes. I recently attended a meeting with several board members, teachers and principals from the Covington Independent School District to hear how they were able to drastically improve their state testing scores. I believe the district went from being last place in Kentucky (#174 out of 174) to now in the top percentile because of schools like Glen O. Swing Elementary.I often think about how much more I could do if I had started earlier in life. My dad was an entrepreneur, but I never thought I would be an entrepreneur myself. In retrospect, I never thought I could do it. The goal was always to work for someone else. But over time I started to see that running my own business was something realistic and doable.I think to really see a dramatic change in the economy here we have to start earlier and get kids excited about tech and entrepreneurship. I honestly believe we can build Wyzerr into a Google here in Covington, where employees are being paid well over the average salary, have insane perks like free lunch and dinner every day for not just them but their families I learned yesterday that a large population of students in Covington dont have access to dinner every night and feel excited to get up and go to work every day.My initial plan was law school, but I dropped out a few years ago to work on a social media app that I was very passionate about. While participating in an accelerator program in New York, it started to become obvious that the market just wasnt ready for what we were trying to do. Ultimately we had to abandon it, and that was a really hard decision because Id committed so much to it.In the post-mortem phase, I tried to figure out what I could have done differently. I realized that I should have been getting more user feedback. I was discussing it with colleagues one night and someone said, It would be cool if we could do those surveys like the ones on the back of receipts from Subway, and I thought, Thats it. Were going to do surveys.As a student I used to take surveys all the time to get coupons and free food and stuff. (Laughs) Ive probably taken hundreds of surveys in my life, so it seemed logical to be in that space.I was at a pitch event in Detroit last April and met (Brandery heads) Rob McDonald and Tony Alexander. Rob, who was actually a judge, approached me afterwards and said he thought that Wyzerrs consumer focus could be a perfect fit for his accelerator. As soon as he mentioned The Brandery , my ears perked up. Ive been a huge fan of The Brandery for years it was first on my list when I was looking for accelerator programs for my first startup.Its been a crazy six months, but joining The Brandery has been the best decision Ive ever made. We came in knowing that we couldnt operate like a traditional startup because were competing against huge market researchers like Survey Monkey. Weve had so much help honing our message and articulating our position.Our three main goals were to redesign our platform, choose clients and, of course, get funded. We accomplished all three of those goals with The Branderys help.They connected us to creative agencies that gave us, at minimum, $25,000 in pro-bono creative work. We were actually the only Brandery startup using two creative agencies at once, Possible and Seed Strategy . They created our logo and redesigned the 25 user interfaces that make up our platform. It was a lot of work.The number one thing is that here people are really invested in startup success. Weve worked in Southern California, Northern California, New York lots of larger markets and this area is by far the most supportive.In the Bay Area, there are a lot of big tech companies with mentors and other resources, but theres also a lot of competition. Resources are spread so thin that they end up not being helpful. We had some great champions there, but we were sharing them with 100 other startups at the same stage. In New York, we had mentors who seemed really excited talking about what they could do to help us, but then they wouldnt respond to a follow-up email. People (in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky) move quickly and follow through on their word. Its just such a different vibe.Weve been fortunate that so many enterprise companies are taking an interest in customer feedback. Weve enjoyed a lot of visibility within the databases these companies are using to find help with their market research. We work with mostly Fortune 500 companies some of the biggest retailers and car companies in the country.We work with a lot of market research departments in these large companies where they employ hundreds of analysts and associates who are ingrained with rules they have to follow to ensure the data is unbiased. We sell Wyzerr by saying, Give us the survey youre using and well run ours simultaneously to see which one gets better data. Of course Wyzerr always gets better data, so the sales process goes very quickly because clients are able to automatically see value.When we started going into these market research departments and talking to directors who have been in the industry for 10-20 years, we assumed wed hear concerns that were too Millennial-focused or that were going to bias the data, but weve actually had many users age 45 and over who are quick to embrace this technology. Whats more, theyre ready to use it the way it was built to be used.Thats been really validating for us. It helped us make the hard decision going forward to turn down potential clients if they arent willing to use Wyzerr the way we intended it. Behind Indiana's RV boom: Punishing pace, safety issues, broken bodies A look at the grueling conditions RV workers endured as companies saw record sales and profits during the RV boom of the pandemic. 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. Suburban schools grow slightly, or lose less than state average Numbers from the state Department of Public Instruction show that in suburban Milwaukee, about 27 school districts grew last year, or lost fewer students than average. Welcome to SwanseaOnline - your home for the best news, sports and what's on coverage of the city. Never miss a Swansea story with our daily newsletter Sign up to comment on our stories here Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Swansea City news | Ospreys news | InYourArea This DigitalGlobe satellite image shows Punggye-ri, a site of apparent activity in North Korea. Some experts believe Punggye-ri is a nuclear test site, but that claim is under dispute. This photo is one of a series of Punggye-ri images that have been analyzed by the company Spaceknow. A suspected nuclear test facility in North Korea shows what appears to be substantial changes over the past few years, a recent analysis of satellite imagery suggests, according to some experts. Photos captured by DigitalGlobe satellites show signs of significant activity at the site, which North Korean leaders claim hosted a hydrogen-bomb test on Jan. 6, according to a blog post by Spaceknow. (Based on the results of seismic analysis, however, many scientists cast doubt on those claims.) "You are seeing construction activity at the entrance to the test tunnel at the Punggye-ri ... test site, where the bomb was detonated as recorded by the earthquake [tracked] by the U.S. Geological Survey," Pavel Machalek, CEO of Spaceknow, told Space.com via email. "It is not immediately clear what the site is, and the images are only helpful in context." As of last night (Jan. 7), the Obama administration is considering further sanctions against North Korea following the reported Wednesday test, according to the Wall Street Journal. The United States has no diplomatic relations with North Korea and already has economic restrictions in place, such as blocking imports to the country and the property rights of certain individuals. In a recent statement, the United Nations also said it may implement "significant measures" against the Asian country, an autocratic state that has long been seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Machalek cited a Dec. 31 report by British newspaper The Telegraph quoting 38 North, a website that keeps tabs on North Korea and its activities. On Dec. 30, 38 North published DigitalGlobe imagery from Dec. 12 showing what appears to be a mining cart track and signs of excavation after an earlier claim by North Korea related to its hydrogen bomb project. At the time, 38 North, however, could not specify what the excavation was for. Last month, a report from the news agency Reuters said that U.S. officials were skeptical of North Korea's hydrogen-bomb claims. Hydrogen bombs are much more powerful than atomic bombs (a different type of nuclear bomb) and, therefore, would have set off a larger seismic wave, scientists said Wednesday, according to Live Science. "At this point, the information that we have access to calls into serious question those claims," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, according to the Reuters report. "But we take very seriously the risk and the threat that is posed by the North Korean regime in their ambitions to develop a nuclear weapon." The fact that the Punggye-ri site is underground makes it challenging to determine if there was, indeed, an H-bomb test at the site, Machalek said. Usually, an underground explosion leaves "no visible marks on the surface," he said. Machalek cited a recent Wired article that discussed analyzing radiation and seismic waves to determine the type of explosion. This sort of analysis takes time to perform. This later DigitalGlobe image shows modifications to the Punggye-ri site in North Korea. In January 2016, significant seismic activity was recorded in North Korea. Some experts, but not all, say that it could have been a result of nuclear testing at this site. This photo is one of a series of Punggye-ri images that have been analyzed by the company Spaceknow. (Image credit: Spaceknow, DigitalGlobe 2016) An explosion, the Wired article added, produces compressions that would appear on seismographs as something called a P-wave. Earthquakes usually occur when rocky plates move against each other; the shearing produces what is known as an S-wave. However, depending on the type of rock, the signal can get distorted, and it can be difficult to say definitively if it is a P-wave or an S-wave. This is why experts usually try to get readings from multiple earthquake sensors, Wired reported. The North Korea site analysis from Spaceknow is similar to other projects the company has performed. Examples include monitoring the construction of the new Apple campus in Cupertino, California, and progress on salvaging the wreckage of the Costa Concordia, a cruise ship that sank off the Italian coast in late 2012. Most of Spaceknow's work is for financial clients who want to track large economic projects such as multiple factories, mines and ports. The public can also access analytics using a beta website. Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace, or Space.com @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+. Originally published on Space.com. Atlantis, as printed on the side of the retired NASA space shuttle, was cited in the response to a trademark lawsuit. A lawsuit filed by the former concessionaire for Yosemite National Park against the federal government has raised a seemingly unrelated query: Who owns Space Shuttle Atlantis? The retired NASA winged orbiter, which flew 33 out of the 135 missions of the 30-year shuttle program, including the final flight in July 2011, has been on permanent display at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complexin Florida for the past two and a half years. The closest that Atlantis ever came to Yosemitein its three decades of existence was about 250 miles (400 km) the altitude (more or less) that it orbited above the Earth, and, by sheer coincidence, the distance separating the national park from Edwards Air Force Base in California, where the shuttle sometimes landed from space. [NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis on Display (Museum Photos)] But in a response to a lawsuit over the value of Yosemite-related trademarks registered by DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite (DNCY), the park's concessionaire until this year, the U.S. Justice Department raised a concern. "DNCY's parent company has apparently embarked on a business model whereby it collects [the] trademarks to the names of iconic property owned by the United States," wrote Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Mizer in a Jan. 4 answer to the lawsuit. "Thus, for example, DNC [Delaware North Companies], which has a concession at the Kennedy Space Center, has a trademark application for the words 'Space Shuttle Atlantis.'" The filing was first reported by The Fresno Beenewspaper in California in an article about the $44 million DNCY was claiming for the Yosemite trademarks. Space Shuttle Atlantis Space shuttle Atlantis was named after a sailboat, the RV Atlantis, which was the first and primary research vessel for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution from 1931 through 1964. The fourth of NASA's space shuttle fleet to enter service, Atlantis first launched in October 1985. Atlantis' name, like the names of the other space shuttles and a majority of NASA's other spacecraft, is in the public domain. NASA does not trademark its vehicles' monikers. But DNC Parks & Resorts at KSC, Inc., which since 1995 has operated the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for NASA, did, in fact, file for the trademark "Space Shuttle Atlantis" in 2013. The service mark was registered by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on April 1 the following year. [NASA's Space Shuttles: Where Are They Now?] "The service mark is just for the logo for retail [use]," said Therrin Protze, the chief operating officer at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, in a call with collectSPACE on Friday (Jan. 8). "Working with NASA, the attraction was named 'Space Shuttle Atlantis,' because that is obviously what the orbiter is in there." Opened to the public in June 2013, the five-story-tall, $100 million Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit showcases the orbiter as it appeared when it was in orbit above the Earth. The spacecraft is mounted 30 feet (9 m) high at a 43.21 degree angle with its payload bay doors open. "In conjunction with NASA, Delaware North created the logo for the attraction," Protze explained. "Just that is the service mark only, so that we can utilize it for retail from an exclusive matter and also for the attraction, so others can't name another [exhibit] 'Space Shuttle Atlantis' not that they would." "It is just typical business practice to service mark that logo with the attraction name," he said. Like the rest of the visitor complex, no taxpayer funds were used to pay for the Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction. The exhibit is funded by ticket and concession sales, including a plethora of souvenirs bearing the Space Shuttle Atlantis logo. The trademarked logo for the Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction at NASAs Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. (Image credit: KSCVC) Orbiter's owner NASA's three other orbiters, Discovery, Endeavour and the prototype Enterprise, were awarded in 2011 to their display homes. Discovery is now the property of the Smithsonian, the California Science Center holds the title to Endeavour and the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City owns Enterprise. Atlantis was awarded to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, but as that facility is owned by NASA, the orbiter remained federal property. Who owns space shuttle Atlantis? NASA does. But who owns the trademark to "Space Shuttle Atlantis"? "Based on our contract, we are the arm for NASA, so we apply for all of these trademark and service marks," Protze said, referring to Delaware North Companies. "But, if we're not retained as the concessionaire moving forward, than all that is a name transfer to the new concessionaire." "We own absolutely no service mark or trademarks here at the complex," Protze stated. "There would be no fees, we would just walk away. The new concessionaire would do a name transfer for all of the service and trademarks that are associated with the complex." Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2015 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved. "The Expanse" features a highly-developed Ceres colony whose gravity comes from the whole asteroid spinning. Living on real-life Ceres would be more of a challenge, at least at first. In the new SyFy channel series "The Expanse," colonists live on a Ceres that is very different from the dwarf planet seen today but what if NASA were to send a human mission out to Ceres as it is now, without changing the dwarf planet? Ceres, a large dwarf planet in the solar system's asteroid belt, would present many challenges to settlers hoping to set up a colony like the one in the new SyFy channel's show "The Expanse." (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA) In "The Expanse" on SyFy features a hollowed-out asteroid (and dwarf planet) populated by a core group of miners as well as a society of civilians. The asteroid spins, so the colonists all experience gravity. But if an expedition went out today, the explorers would find a totally untamed environment. What challenges would they face? This is something that in small part is already being explored by the Dawn mission, which has been hanging around Ceres for the better part of 2015. The orbiting probe has just moved to a lower mapping altitude to get a good look at the surface of Ceres, and already some clear differences are showing up compared with another large, rocky body: Earth's moon. [Living on Ceres: What It Would Be Like (Infographic)] Ceres' surface is an intriguing place: Dawn has seen white spots on Ceres, which are likely salt deposits, and craters with hexagonal shapes, which happen because the gravity is so low that the edges of a crater form along fractures of the surface. And the terrain is rough, meaning it will prove difficult for future rovers and humans to explore, Dawn's investigators said. Getting there The first thing a colonist would have to think about is the sheer distance between Earth and Ceres. When Ceres is at its maximum distance from the sun roughly four Earth-sun distances, known as astronomical units (AU) a one-way message from the Earth to Ceres takes about 30 minutes to arrive. Even at the dwarf planet's shortest distance from Earth, there's a 15-minute delay. That's compared with about 20 minutes for communications to get to Mars. A phone call for help would take some time for a response. It would be possible to build habitats on the surface of Ceres even though the surface gravity is about 40 times that of Earth, Dawn principal investigator Christopher Russell told Space.com. But the dwarf planet receives about 10 times less sunlight than Earth. "You just have to put out 10 times as many solar panels," said Russell, a space physicist at the University of California, Los Angeles. "That's basically what we do on our spacecraft. We have very large solar arrays, much larger than we need to operate at Earth." While it may take some time to set up a habitat, it would be easy for the colonists to heft building materials given everything weighs 40 times less, he pointed out. But there would be other threats to worry about. With no substantial atmosphere protecting colonists from radiation or micrometeroids, any potential habitat would need to be robust enough to protect the people inside from those threats. Living off the land There also don't appear to be natural structures that could be used as habitats, unlike on the moon, Dawn scientist David Williams told Space.com. Williams is also a planetary geologist at the University of Arizona. The moon has lava tubes, and some people have talked about repurposing these structures into habitats. An alternate idea for Ceres a place bereft of the silicate lavas needed to create such tubes would be to use inflatable habitats (similar to those in development by Bigelow Aerospace) and then bulldoze rocky material over the habitat to serve as a radiation shield. Living off the land on Ceres may be more difficult than doing so at the moon, but it's hard to say yet as the dwarf planet is just this year getting its first close-up. Still, any water ice on Ceres seems (so far) to be buried in the dwarf planet's interior, despite the discovery of a definitive signature of water ice in Ceres' atmosphere. The water ice on Earth's moon may be a little closer to the surface, at least at the poles. "When you think about colonizing planets or asteroids, we often talk of the live-off-the-land approach that was done when our ancestors colonized the American West," Williams said. "We recently saw that in the movie 'The Martian,' where Matt Damon's character uses the soil and water on Mars to grow plants," Williams added. "It's much more difficult to do that on an asteroid, particularly if you don't have access to nutrients in the soil or something like that." Another potential challenge is the time it would to get out there. Russell said that using the Space Launch System, a next-generation rocket NASA hopes to use for solar system missions, it would take about a year to get to Ceres. Dawn, by contrast, would take roughly six years on a direct route using its lower-power ion engine. (In reality, the probe made a pit stop at the asteroid Vesta and therefore took longer to reach Ceres.) Episode 6 of the SyFy Channel's 10-episode series "The Expanse" will air tonight (Jan. 12) at 10 p.m. ET (Check local listings). Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace, or Space.com @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. Astronomers have performed the best-ever census of the high-energy sky. Scientists used more than six years' worth of data collected by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope to construct an incredibly detailed map of gamma-ray light, which can be more than a trillion times more energetic than visible light. They also created a video to highlight the gamma-ray universe view. This map reveals hundreds of sources of such light throughout the universe, from dead stars colliding within the Milky Way to distant galaxies that sport jets from supermassive black holes, mission team members said. [Fermi's Gamma-Ray Universe in Images (Gallery)] "An exciting aspect of this catalog is that we find many new sources that emit gamma rays over a comparatively large patch of the sky," Jamie Cohen, a University of Maryland graduate student working with the Fermi team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said in a statement. "Finding more of these objects enables us to probe their structures as well as better understand mechanisms that accelerate the subatomic particles that ultimately produce gamma ray emission." The study team carefully reanalyzed all the gamma-rays spotted by Fermi's Large Area Telescope (LAT) since the spacecraft's 2008 launch, getting a better understanding of the instrument's response to each detection. This work boosted the LAT's sensitivity, and allowed researchers to spot many gamma-rays that had slipped through the cracks. More than six years of observations by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope show the entire sky at energies billions to trillions of times greater than visible light. (Image credit: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT Collaboration) "Because of the improved sensitivity, the LAT has detected over 360 sources, which is an extremely large number of sources for this extreme energy range," Marco Ajello, a Fermi team member at Clemson University in South Carolina, said Thursday (Jan. 7) at the 227th meeting of the American Astronomical Societyin Kissimmee, Florida, where he presented the team's results. With the new data in hand, Ajello and his colleagues created a map of the sky at energies ranging from 50 billion to 2 trillion electron volts. For comparison, the energy of visible light ranges from about 2 to 3 electron volts, NASA officials said. "This is an extreme energy range, which is typically only available to telescopes on the ground and is now available to the Fermi Large Area Telescope from space," Ajello said. Because gamma-rays are produced when lower-energy light collides with accelerated particles, they hint at the most extreme physical environments throughout the universe. Of those 360 sources found by Fermi's LAT, for example, 75 percent are likely "blazars" faraway galaxies that sport jet-spewing supermassive black holes at their cores. Another 11 percent likely reside within the Milky Way; these could be supernova remnants or winds streaming from rotating neutron stars that accelerate particles to nearly the speed of light, Ajello said. The remaining 14 percent are unknown. "So this means there is still some space for the discovery of new populations," Ajello said. Follow Shannon Hall on Twitter @ShannonWHall. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. Optimization Are you frustrated with a slow pc or a hard disk not performing as it should? Try SLOW-PCfighter to speed up boot time on a slow PC, or try a free scan of FULL-DISKfighter to recover space on a full disk. The latest offering is DRIVERfighter to update your driver updater. Get complete PC optimization and extend the life of your PC with these must-have software tools. "We cannot allow the current debate to lead to a bilateral conflict between Germany and Poland," says Michael Roth, the center-left Social Democrat state minister in the Foreign Ministry responsible for European affairs. Instead, Berlin is counting on the European Commission -- and is hoping that Warsaw isn't seeking to distance itself from European values in the long run. 'Pure Arrogance' But is that realistic? "We view the allegations that we are breaching rule of law as pure arrogance," says Karol Karski, a constitutional law expert and PiS member of the European Parliament representing Poland. He says his party is unruffled by the prospect that the rule of law mechanism may be opened. He says it was the liberal government that preceded his, after all, that populated the constitutional court and the media with its people. Karski claims the moves had been made in order to make it impossible for PiD to govern and that this is now being corrected. Still, the pace at which the nationalist-conservatives have been pushing through reforms in parliament has caught many Poles off guard as well. During the election campaign for the presidency and parliament, Jaroslaw Kaczynski's party had positioned itself as moderate and avoided polarizing, nationalist tones. Almost as soon as they were in power, however, the nationalist-conservatives began showing their true face. First they began appointing their own party members to the constitutional court and then followed up with a singular blow to the freedom of the press. Between Christmas and New Years, a time when politics usually comes to a standstill in this deeply Catholic country, the government used its majority in parliament to pass a new media law mandating that the most important posts at public radio and television stations will be appointed directly by the government. For its next step, the government is planning to suspend the contracts of all journalists at state broadcaster TVP. A director appointed by TVP is then expected to "review" each individual journalist before making any rehiring decisions. 'Government Propaganda Broadcasters' "We're heading towards conditions that fit the pattern of Moscow, Minsk or Budapest," says Tomasz Lis, Poland's most important news anchorman, but also arguably the journalist most-hated by the nationalist-conservatives. "PiS is going to turn the state stations into government propaganda broadcasters," he argues. "They see no difference between the interests of the state and those of the party. We're still familiar in Poland with that kind of conception from communist times." The most controversial move so far is a new law passed that requires a two-thirds majority for decisions by the Constitutional Tribunal, which decides on the constitutionality of Polish laws, rather than the previous simple majority. PiS is expected to follow the move in the coming year by seeking to bring further institutions key to power and the administration of justice under its control. These include the highest court, the highest administrative court and the office of the human rights commissioner. In March, PiS also intends to introduce its plans for the reform of the state prosecutor's office. Under the reform, the justice minister would also assume the role of chief prosecutor in what would be a clear violation of the principle of the separation of powers. Behind all the moves is PiS party leader Kaczynski, a nationalist who emerged as a political figure in the anti-communist opposition during the 1970s. "He belonged to the conservative faction," says Wojciech Sadurski, a law professor in Sydney who studied with him. "What bothered him most about communism was less the fact that it was undemocratic and more that it was 'un-Polish.'" For many, the Polish People's Republic was nothing more than the manifestation of Russian foreign control over Poland, he says. "Kaczynski still dreams today of centralizing power," says Sadurski. He argues that Kaczynski finds protracted democratic policy debates, internal party wrangling and minority interests with suspicion. The PiS chairman is also the reason it will be difficult for Poland's EU partners to convince the country to make concessions. There is little contact with the 66-year-old. Given that Kaczynski has no official government function, it would also be unusual in terms of diplomatic protocol for leaders like Chancellor Merkel or European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to request meetings with him. The nationalist-conservative prefers staying in the background, meeting only seldom even with his own party colleagues. "He will continue with the restructuring of the state," former college friend Sadurski says. Since December, tens of thousands of people have taken part in Warsaw and other cities against what some have described as a "creeping coup." In order to contain popular outrage, the government is currently preparing a series of social reforms. Among the initiatives is a move to sink the retirement age again -- which was raised by the previous government -- to 60 for women and 65 for men. The minimum wage is to be increased and Polish mothers will also get a 500 zloty monthly family allowance. Following the Hungarian model, special taxes would also be imposed on supermarket chains in order to ensure that small Polish businesses remain competitive. Legal expert Sadurski calls these measures "attempted bribery." Ultimately, the European Commission's room for maneuver is limited. It can deploy the rule of law mechanism, but the process is a complicated one. If the dialogue on the rule of law deficits between the Commission and the member state fails to make headway, the Commission has the option of introducing procedures outlined in Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty. High Hurdles for Sanctions At that point, however, high hurdles are set in place for any sanctions. First, the European Council, the powerful body representing the leaders of the member states, would be required to determine with a four-fifths majority vote that there is a "clear risk of a serious breach of the EU values by a member state." It's hard to imagine that other countries that have been the subject of criticism for their democratic deficits, including Hungary and Slovakia, would leave Poland in the lurch. In addition, sanctions like the suspension of voting rights can only be imposed if the European Council unanimously agrees that the breach of EU values existing in the member state in question is "systemic and persistent." As grave as the PiS' state incursions have been, they are unlikely to fulfill that criteria. "There would have to be something like a military putsch in Warsaw for that to happen," says one veteran EU diplomat. As such, officials in Brussels and Berlin are considering other ways to pressure Poland to shift its stance. Like the Baltic States, the country is demanding solidarity from the Europeans when it comes to dealing with potential problems with neighboring Russia. It's a card that the Poles have often played in the past -- most recently only a few days ago. Warsaw officials said a vote in favor of British EU reform proposals was conceivable if Britain were to increase its military presence near the Russian border. The government in Warsaw would also like to see the establishment of a permanent NATO base in Poland, a move Western Europeans have so far rejected out of consideration for sensitivities in Moscow. 'Those Who Want Something also Have to Give' Better leverage, however, may be offered by this year's review of the EU's financial framework. During the European refugee dispute, European Parliament President Schulz already suggested he would be prepared to use this mechanism in order to force the Poles to behave. "The medium-term planning requires unanimity," he said. "Those who want something also have to give." In mid-January, the European Parliament plans to address events in Poland during a session in Strasbourg. Herbert Reul, who heads the conservative Christian Democrats' faction in the EU parliament, says it is likely that a strongly worded resolution will be drafted. "If political means of dialogue don't work, then we need economic sanctions," he argues. Reul believes the Poles should be threatened with the withdrawal of EU subsidies. In 2014 alone, Poland netted 13.75 billion ($14.9 billion) in funds from the European budget. Indeed, no other country has profited as much from the European cash bonanza. The Brussels subsidies, for example, made the rapid construction of Poland's highway system possible. Even as Merkel has thus far avoided making public statements on the issue, her patience with Poland is finite. "It strikes me as somehow very strange that those who consider themselves lucky that they have lived to see the end of the Cold War now think that one can completely stay out of certain developments of globalization," she told members of the center-right European People's Party at the beginning of October in Strasbourg. It appears that Warsaw isn't entirely indifferent to perceptions in Brussels and Berlin. Many EU parliamentarians were taken by surprise the weekend before last when they received hundreds of emails from anonymous Polish addresses written in their respective languages. "We want to reassure you," the messages read, "democracy in Poland is in no way under threat." Despite all its reservations about German dominance in Europe, Warsaw needs to be careful not to allow relations with Germany to cool off, argues Krzysztof Bluszcz of the Warsaw-based think tank Demos Europa. He says the alliance with Germany is important, especially when it comes to the Ukraine crisis. PiS, he says, is highly critical of Russia and considers it imperative that sanctions against Moscow be maintained. But if Warsaw begins fighting with Berlin, Poland could fall into a situation in which historical traumas are reawakened -- one in which it finds itself wedged between the major powers Germany and Russia, ignored in Berlin and viewed with hostility by Moscow. This may explain why PiS politicians are currently stressing the importance of their good ties to Germany, wherever they get the chance. Even EU parliament member Karski says, "We want the best of relations." After months of silence, Warsaw is now seeking dialogue with its German neighbors. Last week, the office of Prime Minister Beata Szydlo contacted the Chancellery in Berlin. She is finally expected to make her first official visit to German Chancellor Merkel on Feb. 12. By Peter Muller, Ralph Neukirch, Christoph Pauly, Jan Puhl and Christoph Schult DANBURY - One of the states largest substance abuse treatment providers has received three grants totaling $22,000 to combat heroin addiction at its New Milford Clinic. The Midwestern Connecticut Council of Alcoholism, which has locations across greater Danbury, will use the grants from Union Savings Bank, the Cowles Foundation and the Dirk Foundation to meet the growing need for opiate treatment in its New Milford outpatient clinic, according to a news release. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate U.S. Sens. Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Murphy, D-Conn., joined firefighters from Stamford Fire House Station 5 Jan. 4 in celebrating the permanent extension of the World Trade Center Health Program and September 11 Victim Compensation fund. The World Trade Center Health Program expired in October 2015, and the Victims fund was set to expire October 2016, if not for the action of Blumenthal, Murphy and a bipartisan group of Senators that passed legislation to extend both. The World Trade Center Health Program provides medical treatment for more than 33,000 first responders and survivors suffering from illnesses related to the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The Victim Compensation Fund has provided over $1.44 billion to responders, survivors and their families. In the state alone there are 381 first responders and 48 survivors currently benefiting from the World Trade Center Health Program and 38 residents who have received compensation from the Victims fund. Fi rst responders, Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters of Connecticut President Peter Carozza, Connecticut State Fire Administrator Jeffrey Morrissette and Mayor Martin were among those in attendance. More Information How to reach them U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal 203-330-0598. Email: blumenthal.senate.gov/contact- U.S. Sen Chris Murphy 860-549-8463. Email: murphy.senate.gov/contact U.S. Rep. Jim Himes 866-453-0028. Email: himes.house.gov/contact-me/email-me- State Sen. L.Scott Frantz 800-842-1421. Email: ctsenaterepublicans.com/contact-frantz State Rep. Livvy Floren 800-842-1423. Email: livvy.floren@housegop.ct.gov- State Rep. William Tong 800-842-8267. Email: william.tong@cga.ct.gov State Sen. Carlo Leone 800-842-1420. Email: carlo.leone@cga.ct.gov- State Rep. Patricia Billie Miller 800-842-8267. Email: patricia.miller@cga.ct.gov State Rep. Caroline Simmons 800-842-8267. Email: caroline.simmons@cga.ct.gov - State Rep. Terry Adams Tel: none given. Email: terry.adams@cga.ct.gov State Rep. Daniel Fox 800-842-8267. Email: dan.fox@cga.ct.gov - Find your district: cga.ct.gov See More Collapse Without pause or hesitation, fire fighters from across Connecticut risked their lives rushing to Ground Zero on September 11, saving countless lives and supporting vital rescue missions. Our support for these heroes should never have been subject to arbitrary deadlines or limitations, said Blumenthal and Murphy in a written statement on Tuesday. Simmons, Martin, Leone honor volunteers On Friday, state Rep. Caroline Simmons and state Sen. Carlo Leone, both D-Stamford, and Mayor David Martin attended the annual Stamford Volunteer Day at Ferguson Library, hosted by the United Way Western Connecticuts Volunteer center. More than 30 Stamford residents were recognized for their contributions to the c ommunity. Money was at the center of arguments on both sides of the long-awaited school funding trial that began Tuesday in state Superior Court in Hartford. The Bridgeport and Danbury school districts are heavily involved in the case. Without enough money, school districts cant provide enough preschool, textbooks or even adequate heat in classrooms, said attorney Joseph Moodhe, who is representing a coalition of parents, school officials and municipal leaders in the case. It is not the root of all evil, Moodhe testified during opening arguments in a case that could go on for months. Resources cost money. The absence of those things is directly impairing the ability to suitably educate those students, he said. But test scores dont go up as money goes up, countered Assistant Attorney General Joseph Rubin, who is representing the state. The achievement gap is important and troubling, he said. He maintains that how much a district spends bears no relationship to the nature or size of the scoring gap between white and minority students. Connecticuts gap is among the largest in the nation. The case involves the Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding Inc. v. M. Jodi Rell, and it started in state Superior Court before Judge Thomas Moukawsher. Brought by a broad-based group of parents, school leaders and municipal leaders more than a decade ago, the suit charges that the state is failing to meet its constitutional obligation to adequately and equitably fund Connecticuts public schools. The first witness Tuesday was Sharon Locke, now school superintendent in Naugatuck, but once a school administrator in New Britain, where the poverty rate is high and student achievement is low. Locke detailed how district officials devised a plan to get more students on grade level followed by the painful process of dismantling the plan because it cost more than the district had to spend. The judge let both sides know from the start that he had questions of his own. G rindr, the gay social network app, has sold a controlling 60% stake to Chinese tech billionaire Zhou Yahui for $93 million (64.3 million). The six-year old app said it would use the cash injection to accelerate its growth. It currently has two million visitors a day across 196 countries. Founder Joel Simkhai and other Grindr managers will hold on to the remaining 40% of the shares. Simkhai said: It will be generally business as usual for us here at Grindr, but with a renewed sense of purpose and additional resources. Zhous company, Beijing Kunlun Tech, has struck seven deals since last April including taking a minority stake in British mortgage lender LendInvest. It was not immediately clear whether games developer Kunlun plans to take Grindr to China. The app was founded in Los Angeles in 2009 and now operates in 196 countries. So far it has self-funded growth. New owner Zhou is worth $1.7 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. L loyd's of London boss Inga Beale has emerged as a possible contender for the hot seat at insurer Zurich after a report linked her to the top job. Beale, the first female boss of Lloyds in its 327-year history, who joined in 2014, reportedly told friends it would be her dream job. She was previously Zurichs chief underwriting officer between 2009 and 2012 and also sat on the groups management board. Mario Greco, head of Italian insurer Generali, is considered front runner for the role. Lloyds denied the speculation, first reported by Swiss paper Tages-Anzeiger, and said Beale would stay at the company. There is no truth in speculation linking Inga with the role at Zurich. She is very happy in her current role with Lloyds, a spokesman said. Zurich has been without a chief since early December after Martin Senn abruptly walked out following a string of poor results, leaving chairman Tom de Swaan in charge. The final nail in the coffin was his failed 5.6 billion bid for UK insurer RSA, which was called off after the company revealed big losses from the Tianjin explosion in August. L ondoners are better off in Europe. Britains membership of the EU brings London jobs, growth and investment and protects workers and consumers alike. Leaving the EU would put Londons place as the greatest capital city in the world at risk. Thats a risk we simply cant afford to take. London is a truly global economic city. Large companies from all over the world build their offices and factories here and recruit staff in the capital because it is a gateway to the European single market. From car manufacturing to hi-tech industry to financial services, that investment creates vital jobs for Londoners. The scale of investment and trade that is dependent upon our membership of the EU is staggering. British companies exported 227 billion of goods and services to EU countries last year alone. We receive on average 26.5 billion of investment every year from other EU countries. That trade and investment helps Londons economy grow. Economists estimate that at least 540,000 jobs in London depend on Britains membership of the EU and that is set to grow future EU trade could create hundreds of thousands more jobs in the capital by 2030 by opening up markets in digital services, energy and tourism. These jobs will not exist if we leave the EU. Minimum paid leave, rights for agency workers, paid maternity and paternity leave, equal pay, anti-discrimination laws and protection for the workforce when companies change ownership: these are all in place thanks to our membership of the EU. They underpin the EU as a market with rules rules to protect free trade, yes, but also to protect consumers, the environment and workers too. Our economic partnership with Europe and the competition it delivers means an average family saves around 450 a year due to lower prices achieved through the strength we derive from being part of the biggest consumer market in the world. These are big numbers averages and aggregates on the economy, jobs and costs but they represent a direct benefit to individual Londoners: the job that would otherwise not have existed; the wage that would otherwise not have been earned; the new customers in Spain or Poland who would otherwise never have bought things made in Croydon or Harrow. 'Remaining in the EU is crucial to keeping Londoners safe, particularly from the threat of terrorism' Remaining in the EU is also crucial to keeping Londoners safe, particularly from the threat of terrorism. Last months attack on Paris was a stark reminder that terrorists and extremists dont recognise international borders. Keeping Londoners safe will mean closer co-operation with our European partners on tackling terrorism. Zac Goldsmith is ideologically opposed to the EU, campaigning against Britains membership throughout his life, following in the footsteps of his father, Sir James, who founded the anti-EU Referendum Party. Sadiq Khan understands that Londoners rely on the rights the EU affords them. He understands the perils of leaving the biggest commercial market in the world and that we need to be doing more to tackle extremism. He has committed to leading the London campaign to remain in the EU if he is elected as Mayor in May. Vote for someone who understands how important the EU is to the capital. Alan Johnson is chair of the Labour In for Britain campaign A new pop-up is coming to town, and this one has been designed with the good, the bad and the hungry in mind. Amusingly-named Django Bango will bring a flavour of the Wild West to Londons East End between February and April, with the promise of street food, country music, liquor and lassos as well as a pretty impressive multi-storey set. Based in Whitechapel, it will comprise an entire replica buckaroo town built of wood, and will swing its doors open every Friday and Saturday evening between February 19-20 and April 1-2. It promises sprawling buildings and dusty streets as well as a saloon bar, a church confessional and general stores selling cowboy clobber. Wild: Games, confessionals and jail are all features of Django Bango American street food, beer and liquor can be enjoyed to a backdrop of live country music, either on the streets or in the town's cosier hay-lined houses. There will also be a gun range, a spitting platoon and lassoing on hand should you fancy a play. Oh, and were warned that theres the risk of jail time for any outlaws, whatever that means. Tickets cost 5 and are available at djangobango.com now. Follow Ben Norum on Twitter @BenNorum Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout Gathered in the dampened grass, we played our songs and felt the London sky resting on our hands. It was God's land, it was ragged and naive. It was heaven." - David Bowie, Memory of a Free Festival, 1969. In case you missed it, there was a street party in Brixton in honour of the late David Bowie last night, and it was bloody great. Hundreds of glitter-covered Bowie fans gathered around candle-lit shrines by the Ritzy cinema to commemorate the man whos been called the most influential British pop artist ever. People were singing, laughing and crying, and a group of friends and their van were at the centre of it all. Jack Mcleod, 28, and his friends parked their van in central Brixton, set their speakers up on the roof and spun Bowie records all night long. When we saw the buzz about the street party on Facebook and Whatsapp, we knew we had to get down there, Jack said, I grabbed a few 45s and my Best of Bowie vinyl and ran out of the house. Ben Morgan at the Bowie party in Brixton Using a camping battery, Jack and his friends managed to keep the music going for several hours, and even though they only had one Bowie vinyl, that was all the crowd wanted so they just played it on repeat. It was the easiest DJ gig in the world, Heroes must have played about four times. Everyone just wanted Bowie. Jack said: The van is a big part of our adventures, weve driven to Ibiza through Spain in it, and my friend Ed is always taking it to parties. A lighting company project manager from Tooting, Jack said that the feeling in Brixton was incredibly charged and he was overwhelmed by the crowds response. It was really, really special, it just shows what an effect this man had on music. Near the start I was looking down, concentrating on getting the next song ready, and there must have been about 10 or 12 people dancing. I looked up 30 seconds later, and there was a sea of hundreds of people. I was starstruck. Brixton transformed into a festival last night, and the turn-out was a moving display of affection for such an iconic British pop star. As Jack said: Its what Bowie would have wanted. Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout D ry January may be well underway, but if youve decided to do it by halves this year, a gin and slimline tonic may just be the perfect beverage to wean you off the pints of lager and glasses of wine. But the world of gin extends beyond Hendrick's and Tanqueray. Here in the capital, Londons distilleries are bottling up a delicious menu of tipples to mix into Martinis or sip straight over ice. Here are six you should be drinking this year: Portobello Road No.171 Gin Created above west London bar, the Portobello Star (and now made at the Thames Distillery), Portobello Road features botanical ingredients sourced from as far as Italy, Spain, Africa and America. Bottled at 42 per cent, this spirit has enough alcoholic strength to carry and sustain the flavours of the nine botanicals used in its creation juniper berries, lemon peel, bitter orange peel, coriander seeds, orris root, angelica root, cassia bark, liquorice and nutmeg. It also offers gin-making classes. 23.95, thewhiskyexchange.com Sipsmith London Dry Gin Now based in Chiswick after upping-sticks from a garage in Shepherds bush, Sipsmiths finely crafted tipple is bold, complex and aromatic. Each bottle is handmade in small batches within its traditional copper stills in London using ten carefully selected botanicals sourced from around the globe. 17, heals.com Jensens Bermondsey Gin When Christian Jensen first tasted the vintage gins from London's lost distilleries, he began a mission to creating a finely balanced gin that honoured these forgotten recipes. Distilled in Bermondsey, the result is an old-style flavour boasting a luscious texture with an aromatic bite. 25.97, drinksupermarket.com Sacred Gin Sacred is made by a couple in their living room in Highgate in leafy north London. Each of its twelve organically sourced botanicals - including fresh cut citrus, juniper, cardamom, nutmeg and a type of frankincense called Boswellia sacra - are macerated with English grain spirit and then distilled separately in glassware under vacuum. This process gives the gin a distinctively lush, fresh punch. 30.33, sacredspiritscompany.com Fords London Dry Gin At 90 proof, Ford's Gin, which is distilled at Thames Distillers, holds a lot of flavour. There are notes of juniper and coriander on the nose and a light sweetness on the tip of the tongue, developing into botanical florals and notes of orris and angelica roots. 29.95, thewhiskyexchange.com Gilpins Gin Distilled in London using the traditional pot still method where botanicals are steeped in quadruple-distilled English grain spirit, Gilpins is a truly artisan British brand. What sets this bottle apart from the rest is the use of sage and borage botanicals for the first time in a London Dry Gin. Look out for the extra dry taste. 32.95, 31dover.com East London Liquor Company Dry Gin Established in 2013 in an old glue factory (hence the reason for the upside down horse on their label), ELLCs gins are distilled and bottled in house at Bow Wharf, overlooked by their resident cocktail bar. Only 100 per cent British wheat spirit is used for this small batch Gin, which is infused with a bright selection of botanicals, including fresh lemon and grapefruit peels, cubeb berries, cardamom, coriander, angelica root and Macedonian juniper berries. 20.95, masterofmalt.com Follow us on Twitter: @eslifeandstyle T he winner of a national live poetry contest today revealed his foster parents inspired his work and that he wants to make them proud. Solomon Ogunmefun-Brooker was crowned National Poetry Slam champion at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday. The 24-year-old had audience members welling up as he recited Unorthodox Beginnings, a poem about being raised by his white foster parents Victor and Patricia Brooker. The musician, who goes under the stage name Solomon O.B, was born in Hackney but was taken into care with his brother Sam and sister Anu when they were all babies. He calls his foster parents nan and granddad and spoke on stage about how he adopted their surname as a Christmas present. Mr Ogunmefun-Brooker, who describes himself as a hybrid between a rapper and a poet, said: They are the most loving people Ive ever met in my whole life. Of course Im biased. If we werent different skin colours you would have no idea we werent related. They showed us the same level of love and affection and pure dedication to raising us as they would their own children. We see so many fostering and adoption horror stories, and of course they are terrible, but our situation has been so beautiful and such a positive one. I think its important to share that and hopefully people can relate to it and hopefully it celebrates all that theyve done for me. Theres a line in the poem the whole family embraced us the same way that veins take in blood they are all just our family. I showed it to them on Christmas Day. My nan is quite emotional, my granddad is more like an old fashioned mans man. They tell me they are proud of me and thats all I ever want. London theatre: 2016 highlights 1 /13 London theatre: 2016 highlights The Master Builder The Old Vic, Jan 23 - Mar 19 David Hare brings this adaptation of Henrik Ibsens masterpiece to the Old Vic, which will star Ralph Fiennes as Halvard Solness, an architect who finds his life dramatically shaken by the young Hilde. Like all Ibsen, it's about the big things: love, life, death, power, control. Hare and Fiennes promise to make it a memorable run. oldvictheatre.com Red Velvet Garrick Theatre, Jan 23 - Feb 27 Olivier-Award winner Adrian Lester revives his turn in Red Velvet, which received rave notices for its 2014 run, as part of Kenneth Branagh's season at the Garrick. Reds Velvet is inspired by the story of Ira Aldridge, a young black actor who must step in to play Othello at the Theatre Royal in 1833 no easy feat with the public rioting over the abolition of slavery. branaghtheatre.com Uncle Vanya Almeida Theatre, Feb 5 - Mar 26 Chekov's Uncle Vanya is usually worth a watch for its heartbreaking and faintly hilarious exploration of human behaviour and the contradictions we wrap ourselves up in. But the real draw here is the director: Robert Icke, who was named Best Director at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards for his fresh, affecting take on Oresteia, is the man at the helm. almeida.co.uk Faith Healer Donmar Warehouse, June 23 - Aug 20 Don't let this pass you by: Lyndsey Turner (who directed Benedict Cumberbatch in this year's Hamlet) is tackling this unsettling play, which explores the both the possibilities and dangers of genius, the meaning of love, and the power of faith. It's one of Brian Friel's finest works, nothing short of a masterpiece, simple but potent. The monologues in this play stay with you. Don't miss it so long as Turner stays true to the text, it'll be magnificent. donmarwarehouse.com Aladdin the Musical Prince Edward Theatre, May 27 - Oct 1 Disney's beloved animation was given the Broadway treatment in 2014, where it enjoyed a successful run. Now transferring to the West End, this colourful production is a feel-good whirl of lights, glitz, glamour. Go for a bit of fun. delfontmackintosh.co.uk Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Palace Theatre, June 7 - mid 2017 The always-excellent Jamie Parker joins Noma Dumezweni and Paul Thornley as the grown-up Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley in the forthcoming Potter play. It's two-part play, with separate performances for each part. The synopsis for the play reads: "While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places. Interesting stuff. harrypottertheplay.com The Entertainer Garrick Theatre, Aug 20 - Nov 12 John Osborne's marvellous play about an ageing entertainer will see Kenneth Branagh take on Archie Rice (a part his idol Lawrence Olivier so memorably played in the 1960 film). Expect a touching look at a man finding himself increasingly out of touch, out of his depth, and faded. branaghtheatre.com The Caretaker The Old Vic, Mar 26 - May 14 Harold Pinter's groundbreaking play comes to the Old Vic with two huge names attached: Matthew Warchus (the theatre's new Artistic Director) will direct, while award-winning Timothy Spall stars. The combination makes this a very, very exciting proposition. oldvictheatre.com Finding Neverland Details to be confirmed Nothing is confirmed yet, but Gary Barlow's Finding Neverland will, in all likeliness, transfer from Broadway to the West End this year. Barlow said: "It has to come to London, they're ready for it. Specifics we can't say but it's coming to London next year, 2016." The musical follows the 2004 Academy Award-winning film of the same name, and tells the story of J.M. Barrie and the family who inspired him to write Peter Pan. The Wind in the Willows Details to be confirmed A brand new production of Wind in the Willows written by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes is expected to come to the West End following its run at Plymouths Theatre Royal and The Lowry in Salford. Jamie Hendry produces. Mr Ogunmefun-Brooker met his biological mother in 2001 and said he hopes to feature the experience in some of his work in the future. He added: Being crowned champion is a big sense of relief, I think the actual achievement will sink in later. I would love to make a career out of this and be able to sustain myself making music. Poetry slam champions from Edinburgh to Brighton fought for the title which was decided by the audience. The event, organised by Hammer and Tongue, featured a host of London poets and spoken word artists. Poet and Hammer and Tongue president Steve Larkin said: I think [poetry slam] is heading towards its zenith. It gives people an outlet its an uncensored stage. I thought Solomons stage presence was magnetic. Theres no reason a man of his talent, working in this genre cant be as well respected and well recompensed as people working in other genres. @SophiaSleigh T his was the moment a frustrated gambler grabbed a chair and started smashing up the slot machines in a bookmakers in north-east London. Police released CCTV footage of the shocking outburst in Chadwell Heath as they appealed for help finding the man on Tuesday. The punter can be seen lifting up a large chair and bashing in two slot machines with its metal base. He awkwardly attacks the machines - wrecking their front panels - moments after using one of them and apparently losing his money. A fellow punter can be seen quickly shuffling out of the way when he realises what is about to happen. The man then slams the chair on the floor and appears to wave at the other man before leaving. The incident happened at a betting shop in High Road, Chadwell Heath, at about 1pm on Wednesday, October 14. The man was thought to be in his late 30s, with a grey jacket and blue jeans. Anyone who can identify him is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. A n "Olympian scale" fraudster known as King Con was today ordered by an Old Bailey judge to pay a record breaking 38.6 million back to his victim and the taxpayer. Last year Ketan Somaia, 53, was jailed for eight years for swindling 13.5m after Britain's biggest private prosecution. In a landmark trial the jury heard how Somaia had created an aura of being a successful multi-millionaire leading a jet-setting lifestyle awash with "case after case" of 1948 Dom Perignon champagne. It was Britain's biggest-ever private prosecution carried out on behalf of the principle victim, entrepreneur Murli Mirchandani. In another legal first Mr Mirchandani then secured 500,000 of taxpayers' money to continue his fight to recoup the money he lost in the swindle. Now Judge Richard Hone QC has ordered Somaia to pay up or face a further 16 years in prison. Victim: Murli Mirchandani / Central News Said the judge: "Somaia has to be described as a formidable and serial fraudsman on a truly Olympian scale." Mr Mirchandani had sought repayment not only to compensate himself but to ensure the taxpayer was rewarded for the investment and with added interest. His lawyer, Tamlyn Edmonds of Edmonds Marshall McMahon said 20.4 million of the order would go to the courts and the Treasury and 18.2m to Mr Mirchandani. "Mr Mirchandani wants his money back and this has been a long process through a private prosecution and confiscation proceedings which have taken its toll in emotional stress. He just wants to put an end to all that," said Ms Edmonds. It is not only the biggest private prosecution in British legal history but also the first time a private individual has started confiscation proceedings and followed it through without the help of the police asset recovery team. Somaia had applied for legal aid two weeks before last year's trial, claiming he had no money to pay his defence team. In fact he was dining in restaurants such as Nobu and Annabel's, and in 2010 had spent two weeks in the casinos of Las Vegas. He had made his money in the 1990s and 2000s in hotels and banking in Africa and Dubai before selling a chain of hotels in Kenya for 4 million. But even though he had lived in the UK for six years and ran an online consultancy image business, he paid no tax or VAT here. Somaia had hid his wealth by using family members, friends, staff and advisors as fronts or nominees to avoid paying tax and to conceal his personal beneficial interests. Ostensibly a respectable businessman, Somaia's companies were chaired for eight years by former Tory Cabinet minister Lord Parkinson. He later acted as a consultant to Lyca Mobile, a firm which had helped fund Boris Johnson's re-election campaign for Mayor. But the truth was he was nothing more than a "confidence trickster on a grand scale and almost shameless in his exploitation" of his victims, the court heard. Even as his hotels, media and banking empire began to crumble, Somaia continued to host lavish parties in Dubai, and at a mansion with an indoor pool and a helipad in Hadley Wood where his neighbours had included Lennox Lewis. Somaia was found guilty of nine out of 11 charges of obtaining a money transfer by deception by a jury. Sentencing, Judge Hone said he would not have hesitated in passing a 10 year sentence but for Somaia's severe heart and renal condition. He described the fraudster as "fundamentally dishonest" and his conduct as "callous, amoral and flagrant." At an earlier hearing the judge said the case was "exceptional". "This has been an exceptional case because of sums of money involved, the extravagant lifestyles, the famous names, the world of international businessmen and the out-pouring of the best part of $23 million relying on the old fashioned concept of my word is my bond," he said. Outside court Murli Mirchandani said: This is a bittersweet victory, my fight for justice has robbed me of fifteen years of my life. "There are no words to describe the betrayal that my family and I have suffered at the hands of a callous man who claimed to be my friend. "While today brings some form of closure, it remains to be seen whether Ketan Somaia will comply with the Confiscation Order or face an additional ten years in prison. A heroin trafficker has been jailed for more than five years after he was caught smuggling more than half a million pounds worth of the drug into Heathrow Airport. Border Force officers stopped 46-year-old Khalid Mahmood at Terminal 4 after he arrived on a flight from Lahore in Pakistan, via Abu Dhabi, on November 24 last year. Mahmood, a Pakistani national, who lived in Colonial Road, Bordesley Green, Birmingham, was travelling with one checked-in bag, which was searched by officers. They found two tape-wrapped packages hidden among his clothing, and tests were carried out, which found the contents to be about 5.5kg of the class A drug with a street value of 632,700. Mahmood was arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling and the case was referred to the National Crime Agency to investigate. He was later charged with drugs importation. Border Force officers use an array of search techniques including sniffer dogs, carbon dioxide detectors, heartbeat monitors and scanners as well as visual searches to find well-hidden stowaways, illegal drugs, firearms and tobacco that smugglers attempt to bring into the UK. Phil Douglas, Border Force Heathrow Director, said: Border Force officers are the front line in the fight against smuggling and play a crucial role in protecting the UK from illegal drugs and other contraband. I hope the length of the sentence handed to Mahmood serves as a warning to others who would consider trafficking heroin. Working with our colleagues in the NCA we are determined to do all we can to prevent drug smuggling and put those responsible behind bars. P olice must act now to stop knife crime becoming a fact of life in London, an MP said today following the capitals first teenage stabbing death of 2016. Labours Wes Streeting made the call after his constituent Charles Kutyauripo was killed at the weekend. Charles, 16, had been at a birthday party in east London with around 100 other young people when he got into an argument with four male youths, one of whom stabbed him. Mr Streeting said: My heart goes out to the family and friends of Charles Kutyauripo. Such events are, thankfully, rare in our community, which makes the senseless death of this 16-year-old boy even more shocking. Knife crime in London rose last year and we cant afford to be complacent where childrens lives are at stake. Its time for a renewed focus on knife crime by the Metropolitan Police and both the outgoing and incoming Mayor of London to avoid a return to the days where knife crime became a fact of life in parts of London. Both Tory and Labour candidates in the forthcoming mayoral election have made tackling knife crime central to their campaigns. Charless death is the first murder of a teenager in the capital this year, Scotland Yard said. Nineteen teenagers were murdered in London in 2015, of whom 15 were stabbed to death. Interactive image: The 15 London teenagers stabbed to death in 2015 Two others were strangled, one suffered head injuries and one died from other causes. Anyone with information is asked to call police on 020 8345 3862 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. A serial child killer and sex attacker has died behind bars. Scottish-born Robert Black died in non-suspicious circumstances in Maghaberry high security jail in Northern Ireland. The 68-year-old from Falkirk was serving multiple life sentences for the murders of four schoolgirls in the 1980s and a number of other crimes. It is thought Black could be behind several other historic killings and unsolved disappearances. Black, who spent time living in London where he worked at a swimming pool, was a delivery driver who stalked the roads of the UK searching for victims. His reign of terror was ended in 1990 when he was caught red-handed by police with a barely alive six-year-old girl hooded, bound, gagged and stuffed in a sleeping bag in the back of his van. He had picked up the girl in the Scottish village of Stow, and had sexually assaulted her moments before he was caught. After he was arrested, detectives were able to link the predator to a series of unsolved crimes in the previous decade. In 1994, Black was found guilty of three child murders in the 1980s - those of 11-year-old Susan Maxwell, from the Scottish Borders, five-year-old Caroline Hogg, from Edinburgh, and Sarah Harper, 10, from Morley, near Leeds - as well as a failed abduction bid in Nottingham in 1988. In 2011, he was found guilty of the 1981 murder of nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy, from Ballinderry, Co Antrim. The killer was working in Northern Ireland at the time, for a London-based poster company. Black had also long been the prime suspect in the case of missing 13-year-old papergirl Genette Tate, who was last seen in a rural lane in Aylesbeare, Devon, in 1978. A Northern Ireland Prison Service spokeswoman said: "The Prison Service has confirmed that a 68-year-old prisoner has died at Maghaberry Prison. "While this is not being treated as suspicious, the Prison Service has informed the PSNI, Coroner, and Prisoner Ombudsman. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time." U nion bosses and London Underground are to enter fresh talks in a bid to avert the latest planned strikes over the Night Tube proposals. Three 24-hour strikes are scheduled to take place over the next five weeks as the bitter dispute over the all-night Underground service rumbles on. However, London Underground will sit down with leaders of the Aslef, RMT and Unite unions on Friday in the hope of reaching a deal and staving off the industrial action, under the chairmanship of the conciliation service Acas. The latest series of strikes announced on Monday by Aslef and RMT are scheduled to take place for 24 hours from 9pm on Tuesday, January 26; Monday, February 15; and Wednesday, February 17. Finn Brennan, Aslef's organiser on London Underground, said: "We'll be back at Acas on Friday aiming, and hoping, to do a deal. I only hope that TfL will turn up with the same attitude. "A world class capital city like London deserves a 24-hour service but it needs to work for those of who provide that public service, as well as for the passengers who use it, and the management at TfL. London Underground needs to stop bullying and start negotiating." An RMT spokesman said the union will attend the fresh talks in the hope of breaking the deadlock. Boris Johnson on Monday criticised the unions latest plans for industrial action as a disgrace. The long-running dispute centres on pay and proposed shift patterns for affected Underground workers. T he Daily Telegraph is to remove motion and heat sensors after staff reacted angrily to being tracked by bosses. The devices were installed under desks at the newspapers offices in Victoria over the weekend in an apparent attempt to monitor energy uses. The journalists were baffled by the unannounced appearance of the black boxes and resorted to Googling the brand name only to discover they were wireless motion detectors produced by a company called OccupEye. One unnamed Daily Telegraph employee called the four-week trial ridiculous and embarrassing. The paper said the devices were installed as an environmental measure to make the floors in the building as energy-efficient as possible. OccupEye's website emphasises the importance of the devices to "absorb the cost and scale of nationwide workplace inefficiency." The motion sensor installed tracks the body heat of workers to find out if they are sitting at their desks. The Telegraph said the sensors would be removed immediately following objections from some of its 1,100 staff. J unior doctors were today accused of jeopardising patient safety as they went on strike for the first time in 40 years, leading to thousands of operations being cancelled. Hospitals across England activated contingency plans to minimise the impact on patients of the walk-out, over changes to pay and working hours, which started at 8am. But one hospital in the Midlands was forced to order junior medics to work as it struggled to cope with patient numbers. Doctors at a picket line in central London Jeremy Selwyn / Jeremy Selwyn Picket lines were in place outside 20 London hospitals as services were reduced to Christmas Day levels, with 700 operations cancelled. Dr Andy Mitchell, London medical director for NHS England, said the strike would compound the problem caused by winter pressures. Sir Robert Francis QC, who chaired the inquiry into the Mid Staffordshire hospital scandal, warned: Industrial action will not solve their (the doctors) problems and can only compromise patient safety. But he also stressed that the Government should be listening to the medics. Jeremy Corbyn blamed the strike on the Government and accused it of smearing the doctors. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt was keeping off the airwaves this morning. NHS medical director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh told hospital bosses that doctors should be ordered off the picket line if hospitals become unsafe. Sandwell Hospital in West Bromwich declared a level 4 incident and told its junior doctors they must come to work. The British Medical Association said the doctors should continue with the strike until NHS England confirmed that a major unpredictable incident was happening. Doctors were not striking in casualty units. In the capital, thousands of patients had hospital clinics cancelled and hundreds of operations were postponed. Mark Blunden speaks to doctors on strike outside UCLH Dr Mitchell conceded that junior doctors were clearly highly disillusioned but pleaded with them to negotiate a settlement. The action, until 8am tomorrow, will be followed by a 48-hour walkout starting on January 26 and for nine hours on February 10. Dr Dagan Lonsdale, a junior doctor at St Georges hospital, said they had been forced into action by the Governments threat to impose new contracts that would lead to unsafe staffing. Dr Lina Carmona, on the picket line at UCLH, warned that the Government was forcing medics to make life-and-death decisions while their minds and bodies felt jetlagged on 12-hour nightshifts. T he artist behind Brixtons David Bowie mural today said he was honoured to see his painting turned into a shrine for grieving fans. Speaking while on holiday in Australia, where he grew up, James Cochran told the Standard he was shocked and sad by news of the stars death aged 69 on Monday. But as the day went on his artwork near Brixton Tube station became a focal point for mourners and by nightfall a huge pile of flowers and tributes had formed underneath it. Its an incredible loss to the world, but its amazing to see all the positive responses and how [the mural] is bringing people together," he said. Im obviously honoured to have my work used in some form as a tribute. It was funny watching the build-up and getting sent messages saying there were a few flowers being laid down. By the end of the day there were 5,000 people crammed in there. Ive seen videos of a massive pile of flowers right there so its great. Mr Cochran, who now lives in London Fields, painted the mural in 2013 to coincide with the V&As David Bowie Is exhibition and the parallel Many Faces of David Bowie show at the Opera Gallery. Artist: James Cochran working on his mural in 2013 James Cochran / James Cochran I submitted a canvas to that, he said, but I work on the street so I thought it would be logical to do something on the street as well. He chose the spot on the Morleys department store, opposite the Tube station, as it seemed too good to be true and once the stores manager agreed he set to work completing the Aladdin Sane-inspired piece. Ive always admired Bowie as an artist, he explained. I love his music and his songwriting, and his lyrics were incredible poetry. Ben Morgan at the Bowie party in Brixton I just had incredible respect for him as someone reinventing himself every decade with a fearless approach and non-stop output and creativity. He was an inspiration to me so I was happy to pay tribute to him. He chose the Aladdin Sane photo as a starting point because he felt it would lend itself well to his aerosol pointillism style large pictures created using small dots of spray paint. He admitted he was really taken aback by news of Bowies secret cancer battle and death on Monday. I was stunned, very sad and shocked, he said. I think most people were no one saw it coming. We just thought he was going to go on creating. Hes been embedded in the consciousness of the music world for so long we didnt think he could ever go away. Bowies latest album Blackstar was released just three days before news of his death. It is expected to enter the British chart at number one on Friday. T he family of a black bus driver found burned to death are planning to sue Scotland Yard after it apologised for shortcomings in the original inquiry into his death. Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe issued the apology to the family of Kester David, 53, saying it was unacceptable that a grieving family were treated with such insensitivity. Mr Davids body was found under a railway arch in Palmers Green in July 2010. Enfield detectives initially concluded he killed himself but a coroner returned an open verdict and inquiries by the police watchdog and the Yard found local officers had made basic errors. The family of Mr David, of Wood Green, said they believed he may have been murdered because he had been a police informant on drug deals. The Yard re-opened the case in 2012 amid criticism the original investigation may have been hampered by racism. Last night it announced the new inquiry could find no evidence of a murder. Mr Davids brother Roger Griffith said the family was extremely unhappy and accused the Commissioner of playing down failures. He said: The detectives in the original case could have been disciplined but retired early and evidence was lost. He added that he still believed it was murder and he was dis-cussing a civil action against the Met. Detective Chief Inspector Noel Mc-Hugh said: We have painstakingly identified every line of inquiry we can, taking 334 statements and considering 1,536 documents. Sir Bernard met Mr Davids brother and mother Winifred last week to make his apology. A ll patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital could be asked if they want to take part in medical research in a bid to find new treatments for diseases. Professor David Goldblatt, director of clinical research and development at the hospital, said a generic consent scheme would allow researchers to make the most of the huge amount of data generated there. A GOSH spokeswoman said the method was strongly supported by parents and the hospital. She said: We are looking into how this can be implemented in the near future. It would mean all patients would be asked on arrival if they wished to make their information available for research. The voluntary scheme would be similar to a consent scheme at the Royal Marsden Hospital for adult cancer patients. Professor Goldblatt, who is also head of the Immunobiology Unit at the UCL Institute of Child Health, said data would be anonymised and used within a strict ethical framework. Currently, patients are asked on a case-by-case basis if they want their data used for medical research after they have been assessed as suitable to take part in a trial. Professor Goldblatt said: We need to be careful about the way we use [and store data], but the families we see are often desperate to share their childs genetic code to get a clue towards a possible cure. The hospital is at the cutting edge of research because of the sheer number of children with rare diseases that it treats. With its research partner, the UCL Institute of Child Health, GOSH is home to Europes largest concentration of paediatric health researchers. It focuses on rare conditions, including genetic disorders, rare cancers, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, diseases of the immune system, birth defects and infectious diseases. GOSH is home to 51 paediatric clinical specialisms, giving Professor Goldblatt and the team he works with a huge amount of information. He said: GOSH is unique from a research perspective, as we dont look at a child or a particular disease in isolation. We partner with researchers and NHS trusts from across the country. If we put all the rare diseases together, there are suggestions that they are more common than cancer. This is not a niche thing. GOSH is building the Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Diseases in Children, but Professor Goldblatt said the current NHS climate was placing pressure on paediatric health researchers nationwide. The hospitals charitable arm plays a vital role funding research projects that would otherwise be hard to get off the ground. Money raised from the Evening Standards Give to GOSH appeal will allow researchers to continue their vital work. A wealthy divorcee who had a bitter 30-year feud with her estranged daughter today told how she is desperate for a reconciliation. Trouble between property investor Ann Hermsen-Wilkinson, 72, and her daughter came to a head in a legal battle over a 1 million Knightsbridge flat. Caroline Hermsen, 45, an events organiser and former competitive boxer, told Central London county court she was given the flat 20 years ago and branded her twice-divorced mother vindictive, untrustworthy, manipulative and dangerous. However, Judge Simon Monty ruled in Mrs Hermsen-Wilkinsons favour and granted her the right to remove her daughter from the property in Courtfield Road and live out her years after a lifetime spent in London, Marbella and Hong Kong. Today, Mrs Hermsen-Wilkinson said: I was hoping once this case was over I can approach my daughter and grandson. I still love my daughter. I believe shes been as much a victim of this as I have. She was misled and misinformed. She made mistakes but she is not vicious or vindictive, and neither am I. I hope she has learnt the lesson from this and I hope there will be reconciliation in the future. Mrs Hermsen-Wilkinson only learned she had a four-year-old grandson when she and her daughter sat next to each other in court during the possession hearing she lodged to reclaim the flat. She said: I did in fact break down, I was so hurt and upset about my daughter and grandchild. It was a huge shock to me, but not unwelcome. I was happy to learn this little boy exists, but Im devastated I lost the first years of his life. The court heard that trouble between the pair began when Ms Hermsen was 17 and her dog Fluffy became the focus of a row. She claimed her mother had got her arrested and put in a cell by Hong Kong police on a trumped-up allegation that she had stolen the pet. My daughter and I had an argument tell me what family doesnt have an argument, she said. But this has been blown out of proportion. I loved that little dog, but that was 30 years ago. I didnt even think it was a fall-out. She went off in a huff with her boyfriend, I cant even remember the details. She was a normal teenager, doing what a teen does. Mrs Hermsen-Wilkinson said that although she was now entitled to evict her daughter, she hadnt decided to return to the flat. She said: Im in such emotional turmoil. It was going to be my retirement home in London, but that flat is a place that caused me a great deal of pain. M P Kate Hoey has branded Transport for Londons plans to demolish one of the capitals busiest bus stations 11 years after it was built as ridiculous. TfL wants to knock down Vauxhall bus station so that two-way traffic can flow through the heart of the area. The Vauxhall Cross gyratory has some of the highest numbers of collisions involving injury to pedestrians and cyclists in the capital, according to TfL. It insists a two-way system will be safer and work could begin in 2018 if the scheme is approved. Vauxhall MP Ms Hoey, who raised the issue in a House of Commons debate, said: Less than 12 years ago, the bus station was completed at a cost of 4.5 million and was opened by Ken Livingstone. It was immediately hailed by architects and public transport users as inspired. The whole scheme is so ridiculous. Proposals: An artist's impression of how Vauxhall could look under the plans / Transport for London Community group Our Vauxhall says TfLs estimated 50 million plan, drawn up with Lambeth council, is a waste of public money. The groups alternative scheme has more green areas and relocates some exits at Vauxhall Tube station. Architect Eleanor Alexander, whose firm DSDHA drew up Our Vauxhalls plans, said that it supported the removal of the gyratory but accused TfL of wanting to demolish the bus station simply to enable developers to build a tower block. She added: The TfL consultation asks leading questions. Nobody has been asked: Would you like to remove the gyratory and keep the bus station? Alan Bristow, director of road space management at TfL, said: Londoners told us very clearly that they wanted to see an end to the intimidating one-way road system at Vauxhall To bring in a two-way system, the current station has to be removed but that will also allow us to create new public spaces and speed up bus journeys as they will no longer need to navigate the gyratory. The public consultation closes on Sunday. A supermarket shopper has called on Tesco to take action after he injured himself while scrambling for heavily discounted items in a south London store. Oliver Sanders, 31, said doctors told him he had torn a knee ligament when he was hurt in what he described as a manic free-for-all at Tesco Extra in New Malden. On Sunday, he said he was among more than a dozen customers jostling for discounted deli meat at the hot food counter after staff brought out reduced stock shortly before closing. However, Mr Sanders said he was left in intense pain after he was shoved in one direction while his knee went in another. Resting up: Oliver Sanders with his foot up after injuring his knee in Tesco / Oliver Sanders He told the Standard: I had my hands in a box when I was pushed up against the fridge cabinet. When they put the items in the fridges thats when everyone goes nuts. It happened so quickly I probably had about three or four items in my hands but I wasnt going for anything in particular. I heard my knee crunch and then I had to pull myself up to get out of the scrum. At first the pain was intense. I paid for my shopping and went straight to hospital. The doctors told me they think Ive torn my ligament. Ive bought a knee support and have been resting at home. Call for change: Mr Sanders said there were regular problems at Tesco when discount items are brought out / Google Maps The self-employed fence builder said he had been off work for two days since the injury but is poised to return on Wednesday because he cannot afford more time off. On Monday, he reported the incident to staff at the store and contacted the supermarket giant on Twitter to ask them to consider a change of policy. He added: It is partly my fault but Tesco needs to do something about this because more people are going to get hurt. Its always a free for all. He said he believed the best way to deal with bringing out discounted items was to offer them on a first come first served basis with customers raising their hands for individual goods. A Tesco spokesperson said: "Colleagues at our New Malden store always stagger the introduction of reduced to clear items in order to minimise any disruption. "They also make sure extra colleagues are on hand to oversee particularly busy times. M others from Syria today issued an emotional plea to British women not to travel to join Islamic State as new figures revealed 56 fled to the warn torn country last year. Counter terror officers said they were deeply concerned at the number of women, young girls and whole families travelling to Syria. Figures showed an increase on a previous number of 43 women who were reported missing in a 12 month period between July 2014 and June 2015. Today, three Syrian refugee mothers who fled the country with their families, made an emotional appeal to women in Britain saying: Why take your children to a war zone. Another woman in the video speaks about how bad life was in Syria The refugees, who arrived in the UK last year, are featured in a short film talk talking about the realities of life in their home country. The women have also written open letters urging British mothers to take steps to prevent their daughters travelling to the war-zone. Helen Ball, the senior national coordinator for counter terrorism policing in the UK, said: We are deeply concerned about the number of women, girls and whole families who are making the decision to travel to Syria. They are unaware of the dangers they face when they get there and the reality of living in a war torn country. They are unaware that they may not be able to return to their families and they leave behind devastated friends and families. She added: The personal accounts of the women in this film highlight the harsh reality of life for women and children living in a war torn country. I hope they will go some way to helping young women and mothers stop and think about the huge mistake they would be making if they travel. This film provides credible voices that describe the realities of the situation in Syria actually is. Figures released last year showed that police believe 60 British women and girls have travelled to Syria, with most being under the aged of 20. They include Bethnal Green Academy schoolgirls Shamima Begum and Amira Abase, both 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16, all straight A students, who fled to Syria to join the terror group nearly a year ago. Some are now thought to be married to Isis extremists. Another mother who travelled from Britain is Grace Khadijah Dare, 24, from Lewisham, who fled to join Islamic State with her young son Isa three years ago. Her son was recently identified by his family as the child dressed in military fatigues who appeared in a new Islamic State propaganda video featuring a number of executions. Speaking in the counter terror film released today one woman, named only as Isaaf, said : Your children are now living in security, are provided with schools, a nice life and a beautiful future. So why take them to a war zone. As a mother and a person who has lived through the war in Syria, your childrens future here is better, life here is much better than if you go to Syria. Another mother, called Fatten, said: We were living in Syria under very bad circumstances and it was getting worse by the day. My son could not get the medical treatment he so urgently needed. We took the hard decision to leave our country because we felt that things were going from bad to worse. A third mother, Zakaa, said: There are children who have lost their mothers, their fathers, someone to provide them with both medicine and food. I would like to say to women who want to go to our country that it is the wrong place to bring up children. The film, developed in association with the charity Families Against Stress and Trauma, will be posted on the Prevent website today. Ms Ball, a deputy assistant commissioner with the Met, said anyone worried about a loved one travelling to Syria should call specially trained police officers on 101 or visit www.preventtragedies.co.uk. A retired academic may have sacrificed his own life to save a suicidal friend from being killed when she leapt onto a railway line, an inquest heard. David Ashworth, 74, was hit by a train travelling at around 70mph after jumping onto tracks near Chartham railway station in Kent to save 38-year-old Ella Akehurst. Having been unable to push mentally-ill Ms Akehurst out of the train's path, it is believed Dr Ashworth positioned her on the track so she would not be hurt. The inquest, at Margate Magistrates' Court, heard the 10.22 Charing Cross to Ramsgate service carrying 41 passengers passed over Ms Akehurst, but killed father-of-two Dr Ashworth. Recording a narrative verdict, assistant coroner James Dillon, said: "The evidence from British Transport Police is that in attempting to assist Ms Akehurst, Dr Ashworth had placed himself in a perilous position. "Presumably being unable to push her out of the path of the oncoming train, it is highly likely that he tried to position her so that she wouldn't suffer further injury. "In so doing, he may have sacrificed the opportunity of getting himself out of harm's way and, as a result, was hit and killed by the train." University of Manchester graduate Dr Ashworth - who retired from the University of Kent in 2003 - has now been nominated to the Cabinet Office for a posthumous civilian gallantry award. The inquest heard that father-of-two Dr Ashworth, who lived in Sturry, near Canterbury, was a family friend and "unofficial carer" for Ms Akehurst, who suffered with bipolar disorder. Ms Akehurst's mother, Nan, told police that Dr Ashworth had attended a doctor's appointment with her after she woke up feeling tearful on the day of the tragedy, last June 16. In a statement to officers, Ms Akehurst said she and Dr Ashworth returned to her parents' home but "the next thing I know I was running down the road" with an urge to "jump from a height". Witness Norman Vaughan-Cubitt, who was waiting at a manned train crossing, saw her rushing without shoes on to a footbridge where "without hesitation" she jumped. His wife Thelma sounded their car's horn and shouted while Mr Vaughan-Cubitt waved his walking stick in an attempt to summon help as the train approached. Mrs Vaughan-Cubitt told the inquest: "I was taken aback, shocked and horrified by what I had witnessed. I immediately sounded the car horn to try to get the signaller's attention." She then saw Dr Ashworth had arrived in his car and rushed towards the station as the train got closer while blaring its horn and with its brakes screeching. Following the impact, Ms Akehurst told another witness, Michael Kember: "How's David? He was trying to help me." A post-mortem examination found Dr Ashworth died from multiple injuries. Ms Akehurst, who did not attend the inquest, was in hospital for three months. T he prime suspect in the murders of former EastEnders actress Sian Blake and their two children has appeared in court in Ghana for an extradition hearing. Arthur Simpson-Kent told police his partner and their children had gone to see a friend in Cambridge, the court in the capital Accra heard today. The court heard today that Simpson-Kent was uncooperative and dismissive when police officers turned up at his home in Erith, Kent, to ask questions about the actresss whereabouts as part of a missing person inquiry. He told them that Ms Blake, 43, had gone to see a friend with their sons, Zachary, eight, and Amon, four. Officers then left the house. Ms Blakes blood-spattered car was later found by police. They found their bodies two days later. The 48-year-old appeared at Kaneshie magistrates court for an extradition hearing to bring him back to Britain, where he is wanted over their murders. He was remanded in custody. Simpson-Kent was held at Ghanas maximum security jail after being arrested on a beach on Saturday. T he full drama of the operation to recapture Joaquin El Chapo Guzmans hideout has been revealed in a newly-released video of the raid on the Mexican drugs kingpins hideout. In scenes that look like an action movie, one marine is wounded by gunfire almost immediately before his comrades slowly advance through the safe house lobbing grenades and firing a hail of bullets. The operation, dubbed black swan, was launched at 4.40am on Friday by a squad of 17 Mexican marines in a central neighbourhood in the Pacific coast city of Los Mochis where Guzman had been hiding out with his henchmen. Video recorded by the marines helmet cameras released by Mexicos government shows the injured marine screaming, They got me, they got me. Another commando is heard comforting the injured man with the words: Stay calm, little guy, stay calm. The marines encountered about a dozen well-armed guards during the 15-operation to secure the safe house. The bodies of about half, all members of the notorious Sinaloa cartel, were left strewn across the compound floor as the marines inched their way throught the lair with brutal force. Arrested: Mexican drugs kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman / AFP A constant volley of gunfire can be heard, along with intermittent explosions as grenades hit the floor and the Mexican navy special forces team methodically clear each room in the two-story house. Upstairs they found two men in one room and found two women on the floor of a bathroom. On one upstairs bed the marines found four DVDs from the series La Reina del Sur, starring Kate del Castillo, the Mexican actress who put Guzman in contact with the American actor Sean Penn. Amid the chaos, the two-time prison escapee managed to flee one more time - stealing himself out of the house through a secret passageway before dropping into a manhole emerging through a maze od drains into the streets of Los Mochis. It took the Mexican authorities at least 90 minutes to find the passageway, a senior law enforcement source told CNN. Guzman was eventually caught speeding along a highway outside the city in a stolen car. Meanwhile Penn last night dismissed criticism of his interview with Guzman during a supposedly secret meeting that authorities say helped track down the worlds most-wanted trafficker. Ive got nothin to hide, Penn told The Associated Press after images published yesterday indicated he was under surveillance when he met with the Mexican actress who led him to Guzman. The pair was apparently followed and photographed as they set out for the meeting with Guzman in October. The actor also shrugged off a suggestion that he was taking hits for agreeing to submit his article to Guzman prior to publication by Rolling Stone magazine. No, youre reading hits, he said in a brief email exchange with The AP. Guzman faces extradition to the US to face drug trafficking charges. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto last night referenced Guzmans capture in a short new years message to the nation. The detention of the worlds most wanted criminal is a credit to the coordination of our institutions in favour of security and the rule of law, he said. With this action, 98 of the 122 most dangerous criminals no longer present a threat to society and we are going for all of them. H undreds of emaciated children and adults need to be immediately evacuated from a besieged town in Syria to save their lives, United Nations diplomats warned today. They desperately need medical treatment after being starved in the former holiday resort of Madaya, close to Damascus, which has been surrounded for months by forces loyal to Bashar Assads regime and Lebanons Hezbollah movement. A UN food convoy was allowed into the town yesterday, as well as into two villages, Foua and Kfarya, besieged by rebel fighters. Stephen OBrien, UN under-secretary-general and emergency relief coordinator, said around 400 people in Madaya had been identified as requiring urgent evacuation. People in the town have been forced to eat cats, leaves and grass to survive, with reports of dozens starving to death. Diplomats and charity workers insisted some of the 40,000 inhabitants had died of hunger despite a claim by Syrias ambassador to the UN, Basha Jaafari, claiming that such reports were fabricated and that humanitarian assistance had got through to Madaya in mid-October. Aid group Doctors Without Borders said 23 people have died of starvation at a health centre it supports in Madaya since December 1, including six infants and five adults over 60. Red Cross spokesman Pawel Krzysiek, who oversaw yesterdays food distribution in Madaya, said: Its really heartbreaking to see the situation of the people. A while ago, I was just approached by a little girl and her first question was, Did you bring food? Many people went onto the streets to meet the UN convoy and Mr Krzysiek added: some of them smiling to us and waving to us, but many just simply too weak. At the towns entrance, a group of civilians, including five children were found shivering against the cold, desperate to leave. I want out. There is nothing in Madaya, no water, no electricity, no fuel and no food, said teacher Safiya Ghosn. Mr OBrien stressed the supply deliveries must not be either one-off or exceptional as 4.5 million Syrians are living in besieged or hard-to-reach areas and desperately need humanitarian aid. Ahead of peace talks later this month to end the civil war, which has claimed at least 250,000 lives, Vladimir Putin said Syria needs to start working on a new constitution. The Russian president also made clear Moscow could offer Assad, a Russian ally, a safe haven if he stepped down as part of a political solution to stop the bloodshed. We granted asylum to Snowden, he said referring to American whistleblower Edward Snowden. That was more difficult than [it would be] to shelter Assad. But the Russian leader added in an interview with the German daily Bild that it was too early to speak about granting Assad political asylum. Assad wont have to go anywhere, no matter if he is elected president or not, he said. Britain is ready to allow Assad to stay in power short-term as part of a deal to end the fighting in Syria but believes in the longer term he must go. Russia has been bombing rebels seeking to oust the Syrian tyrant. M ore than 200 masked far-right thugs went on a rampage in a German city last night following the mass sexual assaults in Cologne. Protestors carried placards bearing extreme anti-immigrant slogans through the streets of Leipzig before hurling fireworks, smashing windows and vandalising buildings, police said. At least one building was set alight during the riot, carried out by thugs who carried banners including the message "Leipzig stays light", an apparent reference to the skin colour of residents. Images from the scene showed a trail of destruction with smashed up kebab shops and cars set alight by the thugs, although police claim the situation was brought under control quickly. A destroyed kebab grill in Leipzig / Jan Wotis/EPA The far-right attacks came at a time of high tension following a series of sexual assaults on women in Cologne at New Year which have been blamed on gangs of young migrant men. Police forces patrol a street in the German city / Jan Wotis/EPA Authorities and witnesses said the New Year's Eve attackers were among a group of about 1,000 people, described as predominantly Arab and North African men, who gathered at Cologne's central train station before breaking off into small groups to grope and rob women. Police detain far-right wing protesters at a far-right LEGIDA rally / Jan Wotis/EPA The Leipzig violence on Monday coincided with a march by 2,000 supporters of the anti-Islam LEGIDA group,a local version of PEGIDA, which police said had otherwise passed peacefully. LEGIDA marchers were heard shouting Merkel must go, while one placard showed the Chancellor clad in a Muslim veil with the slogan "Merkel, take your Muslims with you and get lost. Their protest appeared to be a direct attack on Chancellor Angela Merkels open-door refugee policy and her claims that Germany can cope with the 1.1 million migrants who arrived in the country last year. Protestors in Leipzig / Tobias SAchwartz/AFP/Getty Images A recent poll in the Bild newspaper has put support for Merkel's conservative bloc down one point at 35 per cent, with the right-wing Alternative for Germany, strong critics of her refugee policy, up two points at 11.5 per cent. Additional reporting by Reuters T his is the terrifying moment a suspected suicide bomber blew themselves up in a deadly attack in central Istanbul. At least 10 people were killed - nine of them reportedly Germans - and 15 badly hurt after a bomb was detonated in the city this morning. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on national television both Turks and foreign nationals were believed to be among the dead. "I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Istanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber," he said. Omer Celik, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's ruling Justice and Development Party, issued a statement condemning what he called "a heinous attack". Turkey explosion: At least 10 killed in Istanbul's Sultanahmet square The explosion rocked the tourist-heavy area of Sultanahmet at about 10.20am local time on Tuesday. President Erdogan said the bomber was thought to have links to Syria. Photographs appear to show bodies on the ground inside a police cordon. In a statement, German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he "must unfortunately assume" there were German nationals among the injured and "cannot rule out" they may also number among the dead. A Turkish government official later reported that nine German tourists had been killed. Blast: Rescue teams survey the scene after the explosion in central Istanbul Kemal Aslan/Reuters / Kemal Aslan/Reuters "We condemn in the strongest possible terms this barbaric and cowardly act of terrorism," he said. "It was aimed at the heart of the Turkish metropolis Istanbul, which we all regard highly for its cosmopolitanism. "In these hours we stand firmly by Turkeys side. "We mourn the victims of this murderous attack. Our thoughts are with the relatives and all those who remain in a state of uncertainty." Turkish news agency Dogan reports that six Germans, one Norwegian and one Peruvian tourist are among those hurt. Emergency services: Police secure the historic Sultanahmet district as ambulances arrive Emrah Gurel/AP / Emrah Gurel/AP The Istanbul governor's office told agency reporters the explosion had killed at least 10 people, while a statement said 15 others were hurt. The blast was said to be so powerful it could be heard from several neighbourhoods. Authorities were on Tuesday morning investigating what kind of explosive was used. The Istanbul governors office said the authorities were investigating the type of explosive used and who might have been responsible for the attack. It said ten people were killed and 15 wounded but gave no further details. The explosion was very loud, a worker at a nearby antiques store told reporters. Cordon: Police secure the area, which is popular with tourists Lefteris Pitarakis/AP / Lefteris Pitarakis/AP We shook a lot. We ran out and saw body parts. Sultanahmet is Istanbuls main sight-seeing area and includes the popular Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque. Erdem Koroglu, who was working at a nearby office at the time of the explosion, told NTV television he saw several people lying on the ground following the blast. It was difficult to say who was alive or dead, Koroglu said. Buildings rattled from the force of the explosion. Investigation: Police forensic experts work on the scene of the blast Murad Sezer/Reuters / Murad Sezer/Reuters State-run agency Anadolu reported several police and medics were sent to the area. Police sealed off the area, which includes a park that is home to an ancient Egyptian obelisk. Turkey suffered two major bomb attacks last year. More than 30 people were killed in an Islamic State (IS) suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near Turkey's border with Syria, in July. And a pair of suicide bombs in October outside Ankara's main train station, detonated as people gathered for a peace rally, killed more than 100. The prosecutor's office said that attack was carried out by a local IS cell. Additional reporting by Press Association, Reuters and AP W elcome to the New Jungle, says a migrant in stilted English to the visitors arriving at the depressingly bleak refugee camp crammed on to a patch of mud-swamped wasteland in France that is now home to around 3,000 people seeking to reach Britain. Behind him, other would-be asylum seekers stand outside flimsy tents and ramshackle structures made from tarpaulins and plastic sheeting. Piles of rubbish lie close by, while festering pools of water and mud emit unsavoury smells. This is Dunkirk, the French port made famous by the Second World War evacuation of British troops, but now the site of insanitary squalor that further stains the reputation of Europe, already tarnished by the fate of migrants in Greece and the Balkans. The list of problems here is endless. Lavatories and washing facilities are lacking. The presence of vermin is reported. Clothes have to be jettisoned once dirty because there is nowhere to clean or dry them. The often sodden tented accommodation is inadequate for the winter, making daily existence uncomfortable and cold. Most of the migrants are young men, but there are also women and children some unaccompanied who face the additional risk of sexual or other physical abuse. A British doctor, Natalie Roberts, working in Dunkirk for the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, says the dire conditions pose a major health threat too. The humanitarian conditions here are some of the worst Ive seen and I have worked just about everywhere, she says, listing countries such as Yemen, Ethiopia, Syria and the Central African Republic. We are seeing respiratory conditions, skin diseases, scabies and traumatic injuries. It is pretty shocking. MP Keir Starmer with an Afghan teacher and two of her children / Jeremy Selwyn Her description is valid. Conditions in Dunkirk are abysmal. Those in the original Jungle at nearby Calais where an estimated 6,000 migrants still live are slightly better because volunteers, mostly British, have built wooden shelters and, as at Dunkirk, provide clothing, food and other items. It is clear, however, that the situation in both camps is deeply unsatisfactory. Evident, too, is that the reasons attracting the aspiring Britons who come from countries ranging from Iraq, Syria and Iran to Afghanistan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Kuwait are varied and more subtle than the often cited explanation of benefits. One is the impact of previous decades of large-scale migration to Britain. Many in Dunkirk, and Calais, are trying to reunite with family or friends who have already successfully gained entry to Britain. Another lure is the UKs reputation for protecting human rights and a perception that asylum claims are more likely to succeed in Britain than other European countries. The treatment of migrants is seen as better in Britain, too. The attraction of being able to speak English and other less obvious factors such as Kuwaiti mistreatment of its stateless Bidun residents and the recent anti-Kurdish crackdown in Turkey are also responsible for driving some in Calais and Dunkirk to seek refugee status in Britain. What is not clear, however, is how many of those in the two camps have a genuine need for shelter from war or persecution. Economic migration seems a factor in at least some cases. One Kurdish Iraqi, 38-year-old engineer Fuad, says he fled with his wife Hero after being targeted in an Islamic State ambush because of his job at an oil and gas company in Kirkuk and wants to come to Britain which he has visited three times before. He says he did not seek sanctuary in the large areas of Kurdish Iraq which remain under the protection of its Peshmerga army because there are no equal opportunities there and if you dont support one of the political parties or spy for them, there are no opportunities. Toughing it out: sisters Meron and Rita Josef / Jeremy Selwyn He also rejects staying in France, where he was detained by police for 22 days after first arriving in Paris, adding: Even if you cut off all my fingers and toes I wouldnt apply for asylum in France. In Britain, by contrast, he believes everyone is smiling and friendly. Another Iraqi Kurd, Aso Ababakir, 20, left Irbil, the capital of Kurdistan three months ago after seeing a TV report, apparently erroneous, stating that Isis was near Irbil. He says he saw people running to other cities and crossed into Turkey and then Serbia, before hearing that police decided to give people the chance to reach Germany and travelling there. He recognises that Germany and France could offer a safe haven, but wants to come to Britain despite his home city of Irbil remaining safe because he has an uncle and aunt in England. Also hoping to move to Britain is a female Afghan teacher who has brought her four children to Calais after selling her home in Kabul to pay traffickers. She says that Taliban supporters had found out, after many years of marriage, that her husband was of a different religion and that this made her vulnerable to attack, even though the Afghan capital is government controlled. She says her reason for aiming to reach Britain is that her brother and nephew are here, but that she has heard nothing since applying for family reunification under asylum rules accepted by the Home Office under the EUs Dublin convention on refugees. Escaping religious persecution is the motive, too, for Eritrean sisters Rita and Meron Josef attempting to reach Britain. They say their Protestant faith made them targets of the repressive authorities in Eritrea and, after paying traffickers to reach Europe from Libya, have been in Calais for five months unsuccessfully trying to cross the Channel. Another Eritrean, 20-year-old Finmon Danny, mimes the actions of a gun firing and shows scars on his stomach and arm, which he says were caused by bullets, when asked why he left Africa. The government in Eritrea is a problem for everyone, he says. Towering rail and roadside fences, police patrols and the use of tear gas and water cannon to prevent migrants hiding in lorries or trains in Calais have led to the rapid expansion of the camp at Dunkirk, as some seek an easier way across the Channel. Walid Khaly, 21, from northern Syria, who left Turkey after two years because of the Turkish governments recent crackdown on its internal Kurdish opponents, says that human rights are better in the UK and that you get residence more easily. He wants to bring his parents, three sisters and brother, all still in Syria, and smiles when asked if, after earlier failures, he will continue trying to find a lorry to hide in. Of course, I never give up, he says. It is hard not to admire such determination or feel unease at the grim conditions in which the would-be Britons are living. There are also clear problems with the family reunification system, despite the Home Offices insistence that it is working effectively. In the meantime, volunteers from two British charities, Help Refugees and A Home for Winter, continue to provide help to ease the migrants' plight. Joe Friday, an event manager from Hackney who has worked at the Secret Garden and Glastonbury Festivals, is one of those from A Home for Winter who are assisting by setting up wooden shelters at Calais. He says the task is "like a festival where you build a site from scratch" and that "the skills needed are quite similar, but admits that meeting even the migrants basic needs is hard with a typical week seeing 1,000 jackets, trousers and pairs of shoes handed out. His colleague, Lee Eyre, 45, from Clapham, came to France in September and says the volunteers work has been life-saving. "Regardless of the politics, people here were really suffering, he adds. There were going to be deaths if people weren't provided with shelter. From the humanitarian point of view it just needed doing." A new better equipped camp, set up by the French authorities in Calais, begins operating this week. There are plans for a similar official site at Dunkirk. Labours shadow immigration minister, Sir Keir Starmer, who visited the migrant camps last week, insists that a new joint humanitarian effort by Britain and France is needed. He said: The conditions are terrible. Dunkirk is particularly bad. Nobody should have to live in conditions like that, one hour from London." Anyone wishing to assist the volunteers working at the camps in Dunkirk and Calais can find out more by visiting: http://www.helprefugees.org.uk/ Commentary: 'I saw children as young as my own settling down for another freezing, hopeless night' Late on Friday I got off the Eurostar at St Pancras, made my way home, looked in on our children fast asleep and went to bed. But I could not sleep. I had just returned from the camps in Calais and Dunkirk where thousands of migrants have temporary homes. The conditions are so bad that describing them, even with accompanying photographs, cannot capture the squalor. You have to smell conditions like these, and feel the squelch of mud mixed with urine and much else through your boots to appreciate the horror. I saw children the same age as my own (and younger) settling down for yet another freezing, damp and hopeless night. It kept playing on my mind. Their lives so different from my familys for no other reason than their place of birth. The camps are just one hour by train from central London. They dont need to be so bad. If the French authorities allowed volunteers to erect temporary shelters, toilets and water taps in Dunkirk, the situation could improve in days. But they wont; for fear that it will encourage others to arrive. If our Government put as much emphasis on humanity as it does on security in its agreements with the French, things would be better. But it doesnt. Within both camps are mums, dads and children entitled to reunite with their families in the UK if the processing system worked. But it doesnt. And in both there are unaccompanied minors without help or guidance. Any human being making the visit would come away, as I did, uneasy with themselves and clear that more needs to be done; and fast. Sir Keir Starmer, MP for Holborn and St Pancras A fter much deliberation, Marvel have finally settled on a director for the long-gestating superhero film Black Panther. Ryan Coogler, the critically acclaimed director behind new Rocky spin-off Creed and Fruitvale Station, will helm the film, based on Marvel Comics most prominent black superhero. Black Panther, aka TChalla, the king of fictional African nation Wakanda, will be portrayed by Chadwick Boseman, and receive his first screen appearance in Captain America: Civil War later this year. We are fortunate to have such an esteemed filmmaker join the Marvel family, said producer Kevin Feige. The talents Ryan showcased in his first two films easily made him our top choice to direct Black Panther. Many fans have waited a long time to see Black Panther in his own film, and with Ryan we know weve found the perfect director to bring TChallas story to life. Captain America: Civil War - trailer breakdown 1 /30 Captain America: Civil War - trailer breakdown Captain America: Civil War There's a lot to unpack in the brand new trailer - see what you might have missed Gripping opener Those who stayed until after the credits of Ant-Man will recognise this scene of Steve Rogers (aka Captain America) and Sam Wilson (aka Falcon) finally tracking down Rogers old friend Bucky Barnes. In the previous Captain America film, a brainwashed Barnes returned as The Winter Soldier, a deadly assassin with a bionic arm Marvel/Disney Caught in a trap It seems like Barnes is trapped with his metal arm in a vice it seems like the authorities have also been chasing him down, but why? Marvel/Disney Ka-boom Ah, thats why. Heres a very important-looking building going boom and the powers that be are probably thinking that The Winter Soldier is responsible. Luckily, Buckys got a very loyal friend hoping to prove his innocence Marvel/Disney Cap vs. The World So theres the set-up Cap is taking on the government to try and protect Bucky Marvel/Disney Fisticuffs Directors Anthony and Joe Russo, who also helmed Captain America: The Winter Soldier, are returning, and it looks like the impressive hand-to-hand combat from the previous film is coming back too Marvel/Disney A blast from the past The most notable mis-step in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far has been the 2008 take on The Incredible Hulk but it hasnt been entirely forgotten. William Hurt is back for the first time since that film as General Ross, here delivering an ominous warning to Cap: While a great many people see you as a hero, there are some who prefer the word vigilante Marvel/Disney Repercussions This chunky document is titled The Sokovia Accords. Sokovia was the name of the city that was attacked in Avengers: Age of Ultron it seems the super-powered events there will have serious consequences on how the world view heroes Marvel/Disney Nats back Scarlett Johansson is back once again as Caps loyal friend and fellow agent Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow Marvel/Disney The big reveal There he is Iron Man is back. The Civil War of the title will come to a head between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark Marvel/Disney Damage Worth noting: Tony Starks black eye. Has he been on the receiving end of one of Caps super-powered punches? Marvel/Disney Winging it Falcon, also introduced in The Winter Soldier, is back too now with a snazzier set of wings Marvel/Disney Team Stark Iron Man with a new chest-piece, having had the deadly shrapnel in his body removed in Iron Man 3 is backed up by James Rhodes, aka War Machine, as well as Marvel/Disney The newcomer TChalla, aka Black Panther! Chadwick Boseman has been cast as the pioneering black super hero, and it looks like hell be on Starks side Marvel/Disney Team Cap Fighting alongside Rogers are Falcon, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch (now flying with her spooky red powers), and the Winter Soldier Marvel/Disney Live and kicking Bucky Barnes meets Black Panthers boot Marvel/Disney Where in the world? To hazard a guess, this looks like it could be Wakanda the fictional African nation ruled in the comics by Black Panther. It was introduced by name in Avengers: Age of Ultron Marvel/Disney Handyman Cap displays his super-strength by stopping a helicopter taking off with his bare hands Marvel/Disney Big action It looks like one of the biggest action sequences in the film will take place at an airport heres Black Widow looking at a huge explosion Marvel/Disney The heart of the matter Bucky attempts to stop Iron Man by attacking the chest-piece on his suit Marvel/Disney Sticky end? It would be too much to assume that War Machine dies would they really put that in the trailer? but Tony Stark wont be happy about his mate getting hurt Marvel/Disney The killer line Captain America: Im sorry Tony. You know I wouldnt do this if I had any other choice. But hes my friend. Iron Man: So was I Everyone: *in tears* Marvel/Disney The money shot And to top everything off, heres Cap and Bucky teaming up to knock seven bells out of Iron Man. Bring on April. Marvel/Disney Prior to Coogler, Selma director Ava DuVernay was approached to take on Black Panther, but turned down the offer because it really wasnt going to be an Ava DuVernay film. Black Panther is due to be released in cinemas on February 16, 2018. J ohn Boyega has revealed that hes already started shooting scenes for the new Star Wars film. The British actor, who has only just finished promoting The Force Awakens, is already on set of Episode VIII and is having to keep secrets. While the plot of the new film is being kept tightly under wraps, Boyega did reveal that this film would be much darker than the last. Speaking to Vogue.co.uk, the 23-year-old said: Were just starting work on Star Wars VIII, the next film, so Im back to keeping secrets again. Star Wars: The Force Awakens - in pictures 1 /32 Star Wars: The Force Awakens - in pictures Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd Lucasfilm Guarded secret: Harrison Ford with Chewbacca in the seventh episode Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Villainous: Adam Driver as Kylo Ren with Stormtroopers Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd Seeing stars: Londoners Daisy Ridley and John Boyega both have major roles in the new Star Wars film Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd The Force Awakens: John Boyega as Finn in the latest Star Wars trailer Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Its great. Much darker, but were very excited. The Peckham-born star has recently said that he will be doing more action scenes this time around. EE Bafta Rising Star award nominees For The Force Awakens we really just took it scene by scene, there wasnt a huge regime, he said. My part in the next film will be much more physical so I might be in the gym a bit more. Rian Johnson will be directing the next film in the franchise, which will see cast including Daisy Ridley, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamil return. Star Wars: Episode VIII is slated for release on May 26 2017. T heatre empire ATG could be paving the way for a new British invasion of the US - with Funny Girl star Sheridan Smith among the first to benefit. Its founders Sir Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire recently signed a deal to reopen Broadways Hudson Theatre, and already own its neighbour the Lyric. The couples firm owns more than 40 venues, including the Donmar Warehouse, the Phoenix and the Savoy - where Funny Girl is due to open in April after a run at the Menier Chocolate Factory. Smith plays Fanny Brice, the role made famous by Barbra Streisand. Sir Howard said the show and Smith could go to Broadway. Nothing is fully decided but its really a possibility, he said. One of the things about having theatres on Broadway is we can take great British talent and hit London shows to New York. "Ive been producing on Broadway since the early Eighties but you are always in someone elses theatre, which has its own restrictions. The couple are also bringing talent in the other direction. Next month former Friends actor Matthew Perry will star in The End Of Longing, also his debut as a playwright, at the Playhouse Theatre. ATG is likely to expand again this year Sir Howard said they are looking at two or three different sites in the capital and hope to build a new venue to sit alongside their historic theatres. Ms Squire said she thought London audiences would continue to flock to theatres despite grumbles over ticket prices which she said are much cheaper than in New York and even the threat of terror attacks. I think after the Paris attacks people were worried but London is very resilient, she added. I dont mean that in a glib London can take it way but youre talking about a city where theatres stayed open during the Blitz. It is not a bad thing for us, that the route known as the Goldene Strae or the Golden Road as we will get to know it- has escaped the attention of so many. It has been spared being overrun by hordes of tourists and as you will discover the The primary elections in Nebraska are not until May, but now is a good time to find out what you, as a voter, need to do come Election Day. For the past several months, Americans have had the opportunity to watch many candidates debate issues as they vie to become president. This May, thousands of Nebraskans will head to the polls to cast a vote. There are many rules to follow, but the process is made simple for Scotts Bluff County residents with the help of County Clerk Vera Dulaney and her staff. You can register to vote if you are a U.S. citizen, a Scotts Bluff County resident, will be 18 years of age or older by the General Election Day (first Tuesday following the first Monday in November), have not been convicted of a felony, or if convicted, civil rights have been restored and you have not been found mentally incompetent. Nebraska has a closed primary, which means you can only vote on the ballot for the party you designated on your voter registration. You will receive the party ballot along with the non-partisan ballot. If you indicate you are non-partisan, you would only receive the non-partisan ballot and, if you request, a congressional and senatorial partisan ballot. You may change your party affiliation anytime before the registration deadline. I try to explain that to people, Dulaney said. I point to the oath and ask them to please read that it says specifically you are limited in your voting capacity. Each state has different rules about how non-partisan, or independent, voters can vote during an election. In Nebraska, independent voters get a non-partisan ballot, which can contain amendments and other special issues, state legislature candidates and other non-partisan candidates. They can also vote for the House of Representatives and the Senate from one political party, but cannot vote in the primary election for president, governor, or other partisan State and County offices. For Scotts Bluff County residents thinking of running for office, the deadline for incumbents to file is Feb. 15. The deadline for non-incumbents is March 1. The county clerk must be notified by March 1 for the primaries or Sept. 1 for the general election on an issue to be placed on the ballot. This year, LB 357, a proposed sales tax increase, and a referendum on the death penalty are expected to be on the ballot for the primary and general elections, respectively. Any registered voter may change their political party up to 10 days before the election if they wish to participate. Dulaney cautioned voters to remember to change back before the general election or they would be required to vote in the party they chose for the primaries. Voters in Scotts Bluff County do this, but usually for county races. A few years back, we had an intense race for sheriff, she said. People changed their party so they could vote for who they wanted. Registered voters can have an address change at the polls, but Dulaney said its easier to do ahead of time. A provisional ballot can be filled out at the Election office but is not advised. We urge you to get your address changed ahead of time, she said. A provisional ballot is time-consuming and you can do it up to 10 days before the election. Registering to vote is an easy task for any prospective voter. The procedure has changed somewhat at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and Dulaney said people should read those forms more closely because they are now more complicated. The ability to register to vote at the DMV has been combined with other forms and may be overlooked. They used to have a separate form and we liked that, Dulaney said. I think its going to be confusing for people, but well have to wait and see. Nebraska also has the capability to write in a candidate, something not available in all states. A candidate can declare themselves as a write-in up to 10 days before the election. The catch with us is we have the little ovals, she said. You have to blacken the oval and write in the persons name. Dulaney said the federal and state governments are doing everything they can to make voting easier, but many people still do not vote. We have our faithfuls, she said. The older generation religiously votes. The younger generation is unpredictable. Voters who wish to have a ballot mailed in must request an application by calling the clerks office and asked to have it mailed to them. Dulaney and her staff are happy to help anyone. You have the right and privilege of voting, she said. You live in a country where you dont have your life threatened for who you vote for. If you have questions about voting and being prepared this May, contact Dulaney at 308-436-6604 or visit http://www.scottsbluffcounty.org/election/election.html. I get up in the morning at 4:30 a.m., scratch my head, get out of bed. Go down the stairs, feed the cats, sit down to read the news. The days half over in the rest of the world. Its a good time to check whats going on. On Monday, everyones telling me, David Bowie is dead. I leaned back, paused, swore, shed a tear. Bowies final album, Blackstar is the only album not to feature himself on the cover. It was released on Jan. 8, Bowies 69th birthday, two days before his death. I have always lived in a world where David Bowie exists. His music is often in the background of my life. Throughout his career, for me his music was always filled with a sense of awe and wonder at the universe. Bowie seemed to be trying to teach me about life. Intentional or not, his music was more than a pleasant sound. I could contemplate life, morality and what makes us human. I get the references to life and death, and to The Man Who Fell to Earth on Blackstar. Im only learning about the 17th century play Tis a Pity Shes A Whore by John Ford. But thats who Bowie was to me. Always showing me something new, something to learn. As I listened to Blackstar, and watched the video of track 3s Lazarus, the symbolism was nothing new. It was an art piece, but it was Bowie. He was telling another story, except this time, he was giving us his eulogy. He was going to be leaving us and we all seemed to miss it. We took for granted that Bowie was going to be with us a little while longer. Looking back on the 10-minute short film for the title song, a woman with a tail discovers a dead astronaut. His skull is encrusted with jewels. She takes it to a town and the astronauts bones float into an eclipse. In the town, women perform a ritual with the skull. The astronaut immediately made me think of Major Tom, Bowies character in the songs Space Oddity, Ashes to Ashes and Hallo Spaceboy. Major Tom has long been associated as a symbol of Bowies life. The lyrics in Blackstar include many references to his life and death. Something happened on the day he died, Spirit rose a metre and stepped aside, Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried, Im a blackstar, Im a blackstar. According to Wikipedia, a black star is a gravitational object composed of matter. It is a transitional phase between a collapsing star and a singularity. During this time, the stars influence is thought to be infinite and space-time ceases to exist within it. The star has died, but is transformed into something else. Though it collapses, the time it takes is infinite. Black star. Two words that encompass the life of a single man. According to the British newspaper the Telegraph, producer Tony Visconti, who worked with Bowie to complete his final album, said it was deliberately created and timed as a parting gift for his fans. In a statement on his Facebook page, Visconti said: He always did what he wanted to do. And he wanted to do it his way and he wanted to do it the best way. His death was no different from his life - a work of Art. He made Blackstar for us, his parting gift. Bowie changed our perception of music and musicians. He continually changed his sound, reinventing and innovating with each new song. Bowie used his music to talk about politics, drug use, sexual orientation, philosophy and other issues. He pushed boundaries and made people think. The last song on Blackstar, I Cant Give Everything Away, would be fitting words for a tombstone. I know something is very wrong, The post returns for prodigal songs, With blackout harks with flowered muse, With skull designs upon my shoes, I cant give everything, I cant give everything away, I cant give everything away, Seeing more and feeling less, Saying no but meaning yes, This is all I ever meant, Thats the message that I sent, I cant give everything, I cant give everything away, I cant give everything away. Before the public knew Bowie was gravely ill, Dean Podesta tweeted, If youre ever sad, just remember the world is 4.543 billion years old and you somehow managed to exist at the same time as David Bowie. Even as death came, Bowie made music for us to share and to remember him. He was a master showman. If only he could be a hero, just for one more day. Maybe Ziggy Stardust will now be able to find those spiders on Mars. R.I.P. Goblin King. Im not sure anyone can take your place. While you may have heard about the research and development (R&D) tax incentive the Australian Governments tax incentive to encourage innovation you may be unsure how to apply for the incentive, or... | By Dinushi Dias A Melbourne startup founder wants networking to be less like speed dating and more rewarding for entrepreneurs. Entrepreneur Social Club (ESC) founder Jessica Williams is planning to host over 100 startup events in Melbourne this year. After attending several networking events in Melbourne and interstate, Williams tells Startupsmart she found there were limited opportunities to genuinely connect with people. Things like speed networking with shoving business cards in each others faces can be really superficial and you walk away not getting much out of it, she says. To address this, Williams designed her own series of events for networkers to create meaningful connections. Were dedicated to helping entrepreneurs become more successful and our primary focus is developing a hub that connects everyone in our [startup] community to share resources and help them grow, she says. ESCs events range from up-skilled workshops and investor-entrepreneur matching nights to retreats and singles nights. Most of these are free and funded through partnerships, she says. In her own journey, networking has been a powerful tool in getting ESC off the ground. ESC has basically been built off sharing of resources, she says. Its community has grown to more than 1500 members. Williams says genuine networking is an excellent way for startups to connect with investors, partners, co-founders, partners and consumers. And these are her top six rules to getting it right. 1. Be interested, not interesting Williams says being genuinely interested in the people you network with is critical in forming long-term relationships. Spend more time listening, she says. We all know people like to talk about themselves and remember that. This advice is echoed by investment VC veteran Ashton Kutcher who stresses the importance of understanding connections needs and motivations. 2. Share Williams says sharing knowledge, tips and contacts in the community you engage with is an excellent way to gain traction and build a healthy startup ecosystem. Seize every chance to be helpful, she says. Becoming known as a powerful resource will put you front and centre. 3. Volunteer at a networking night Williams says volunteering is the best way to overcome networking nerves. She recommends messaging organisers on Meetup.com, where a wide range of events for startups and entrepreneurs are regularly posted, and offering to assist at their event. Williams says volunteering eliminates the need for you to approach unknown faces cold. Its a really smart strategy to have people come to you naturally, she says. 4. Consider the persons networks and possibilities When networking, Williams advises that you dont write people off if they dont present immediate value. The person youre speaking to may not be able to help you now but someone in their network might, she says. Williams says exchanging contacts and resources facilitates this process and creates more opportunity for everyone. And always remember, someone may not be able to help you now but this can always change in the future. 5. Ditch the pitch Williams has seen the elevator pitch in action many times at networking events with the robotic delivery often drawing an automatic lack of interest. No one wants to be sold to, she says. People are more inclined to do business with you if they genuinely like and enjoy your company. 6. Host your own networking night Williams says organising and hosting your networking nights lets you choose the type of people you get to meet whether they be investors, entrepreneurs or skilled people to link with for long-term growth. With platforms like Meetup.com, creating and hosting professional events have become much easier to coordinate Williams says. Its one of the most powerful strategies at your disposal, she says. Follow StartupSmart on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. | By Andrew Lai The efforts to create a national fintech association have so far largely occurred as a result of fintech organisations from Sydney and Fintech Melbourne. But while the majority of fintech startups are based within these two cities, its easy to forget that many interesting and successful startup companies have been launched in cities around Australia. Atlassian for instance, is Australias biggest recent startup success and was launched in Brisbane. As the formation of the national fintech association continues to gather pace, it will be important to remember the rapidly growing communities outside of Sydney and Melbourne. With the end of the mining boom Australia is seeking other industries to fuel growth, its a golden opportunity. So it was with excitement that I was invited by Luke Howes from the Adelaide Fintech Meetup to speak at their recent event which was held at the office of Fusion within the Adelaide city centre. Luke himself runs a successful fintech company called BankStatements which enables businesses to securely download major bank statement and transaction data. Having never been to Adelaide before, I worked from their main co-working space Majoran which is run by Chhai Thach, who also runs a fintech payments company called PayHero. I found this quite surprising because its generally quite rare to randomly meet another fintech founder. The coincidences continued though at the Adelaide Fintech Meetup. After sharing our own story about how we built the fintech community in Melbourne, I was surprised at the number of quality early and later stage fintech startups I encountered. Beginning with Joust, I listened to their pitch on their developing mortgage selection product, which would help consumers get a better deal. Along with more developed financial services companies like MyBudget, I had conversations with credit unions and representatives from the local Adelaide and Bendigo Bank. Perhaps it was the feeling that media coverage had made it seem that fintech was focused in Melbourne and Sydney which is causing the Adelaide community to want to go hard on fintech. While numerically there were not as many attendees as with meetups in Sydney and Melbourne, there was a tangible buzz and excitement for fintech. As the discussions around fintech in Australia heat up in 2016, its important to remember that the national community is much more than just Sydney and Melbourne. Andrew Lai is the founder of FinancialAsk which runs ASK Crowe Horwath. He founded Fintech Melbourne which he runs alongside Alan Tsen, Sahand Bagheri and Derric Wong | By Mark C Scott In his keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, Reed Hastings, Netflix CEO, announced that Netflix will now be available in 130 new countries. This sees Netflix more than triple its global presence. The world map of Netflix availability on the companys website is now a sea of red. Among the countries yet to have access to Netflix is China, although the company is exploring this. Crimea, North Korea and Syria are also yet to be included due to United States government restrictions. So what does #NetflixEverywhere as it was dubbed on social media mean for the new media landscape globally and in Australia? Competitors in the VoD market While Netflixs main video on demand (VoD) competitors are seen to be HBO, Amazon and Hulu, their current global reach is small scale in comparison. Hulu is only available in the US and Japan. HBO Now is available solely in the US and Amazon Prime Video is only available to customers located in the US and US territories. In Australia the main VoD competitors are the locally owned Presto and Stan. But the uptake of the locally owned VoD services of only 1%, doesnt come close to Australias uptake of Netflix which by September last year was close to 10%. Netflix original content to be expanded Netflix is well known for its original content: Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, Narcos, Sense8 and Marvels Daredevil to name a few. The colossal expansion of Netflix can only provide more opportunity for original content, both globally and within the local market. In a statement, Hastings noted: Were looking forward to bringing great stories from all over the world to people all over the world. The statement also listed the original content for 2016 to include: 31 new and returning original series 24 original feature films and documentaries a wide range of stand-up comedy specials 30 original kids series. It is unclear where this content will be produced, but the Netflix original content will be available at the same time to subscribers everywhere. Unfortunately not all content available on Netflix will be released globally. The licensing contract Netflix has with Walt Disney allows the service the rights to Disney films after a theatrical release, but will be limited to only the US and Canada. This shows a clear disconnect between the distribution business models and distribution potential for streaming services. This staggered release approach is often cited to be part of the reason for high rates of piracy in Australia, although recently there has been a small decline. Local impacts These limitations on distribution will assist Australian media companies in the rights battle locally, in particular Foxtel. In the middle of last year, Foxtels CEO Richard Freudenstein said: Foxtel is a premium service, which naturally costs a bit more, whereas Netflix and Presto are add-ons either to free to air for people who dont watch much TV or to subscription TV. Despite this claim there has been a large price drop on Foxtel services to compete with the new VoD services. Netflix is now a global media network with almost full global reach. Last year, prior to the launch in an additional 130 countries, Netflix subscribers watched 42.5 billion hours of content. It was also revealed that Netflix subscribers are watching on average 13 hours of content on a weekly basis. These hours of viewing are replacing other recreational time, presumably conventional television viewing. Viewing habits have already changed An analysis of figures from the Australian multi-screen quarterly reports, which monitor peoples viewing habits, show there has already been a drop in television viewing hours by Australians, of more than 18 hours per month between 2011 to 2015. In the same period online video viewing has increased by ten hours per month. If specifically analysing the teen and 18-24 year old demographics the statistics are more damaging for traditional television viewing. Teens on average watch less than half that of the overall Australian monthly average, 38 hours and 18-24 year olds watch 40 hours on average per month. With regard to online video viewing, teens watch more than double the Australian average, 28 hours, with the 18-24 demographic watching 22 hours per month. Both demographics viewed fewer than five hours of online video in 2011. With the increase in smart television purchases in Australia, this will provide greater access to VoD services such as Netflix. This is in addition to the services being available via mobile and portable devices. Recently Apple TV used Netflix programming as part of its advertising campaign for the new Apple TV, titled The Future of Television. The return of live TV For Australian television broadcasters we may see a focus on providing content that Netflix wont, such as live content. This will include more reality and sport programming. Its interesting to note then, that television is verging back to a live medium, as it started in Australia almost 60 years ago. It is clear that Australian viewing habits are continuing to change. Netflix is yet to have its first birthday in Australia, but the 10% uptake is impressive. This is compared to Foxtels 30% uptake, for a company that started more that 20 years ago. With Netflix now everywhere, there is potential for Australians to benefit from this, including more content and hopefully more Australian content. The caution for Netflix must be to provide content for the local markets, not just a one-size-fits-all approach across more than 190 countries. Marc C-Scott, Lecturer in Screen Media, Victoria University This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. This page may have been moved, deleted, or is otherwise unavailable. To help you find what you are looking for: Enter Search Term(s): Still cant find what youre looking for? Send us a message using our contact us form. To report a broken link or other problems with the website, please include the URL. Thank you for visiting state.gov. 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According to the trade group, Brazilian auto production should be stable in 2016, reaching a slight increase of 0.5 percent. We believe there will be an increase in exports in 2016 as a result of the companys efforts to expand external businesses in a moment of currency opportunities, Luiz Moan, Anfaveas president, said. Exports are expected to increase 8.1 percent, while domestic sales should fall 7.5 percent. Tuesday, 12 January 2016 10:09:13 (GMT+3) | Shanghai Overall, iron ore prices in China continued to move on a declining trend in December, though they rebounded a little in the latter part of the month, as stated in a new report issued by the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA). At the end of December last year, the China Iron Ore Price Index (CIOPI) stood at 160.47 points, down 4.51 points or 2.73 percent month on month. In particular, the domestic production iron ore price index stood at 170.27 points, down 15.86 points or 8.52 percent month on month, while the import iron ore price index stood at 157.42 points, declining by 1.63 points or 1.02 percent month on month. The European Steel Association (EUROFER) has again called for EU policy makers to more rigorously, transparently and comprehensively assess what granting market economy status to China would do to jobs, growth and investment prospects in the EU, at a conference on Market Economy Status for China (MES) in the European Parliament (EP). At the conference, EUROFER stated that, were MES to be granted, the antidumping measures that safeguard hundreds of thousands of EU jobs against China s unfair competition across a range of strategic EU industries would become ineffective. The EUs other trade defense measures are either inoperative or simply insufficient to defend against the rising tide of dumped Chinese products, particularly steel. MES would worsen already dire market conditions caused by China s dumping of steel in the EU, and would threaten the entirety of the 330,000 jobs in the European steel sector, EUROFER said. By MARK EVANS mevans@stegenherald.com During last Thursdays county commission meeting, the topic of tourism came up. First District Commissioner Karen Stuppy reported on the Tourism Advisory Council and Tourism Tax Commissions joint meeting earlier that week, at which a task force was formed. She said that the tourism department has an $89,548 budget, with $45,000-50,000 Bankrupt coal miner Arch Coal has broad support from senior lenders for a plan to cut $4.5 billion of debt, lawyers said in court on Tuesday, and urged any unhappy creditors to join negotiations. Arch Coal, the second-largest U.S. coal miner, filed for bankruptcy on Monday, following peers Walter Energy, Alpha Natural Resources and Patriot Coal into Chapter 11 protection in the midst of a prolonged slump in the coal sector. The Creve Coeur-based company, suffering from falling coal demand and stricter regulation, said in court that it now has the support of 66.3 percent of lenders for a proposal to cut debt and continue mining operations that span from Maryland to Wyoming. I think we are well on our way to working out the mechanics, attorney Marshall Huebner of Davis Polk said on behalf of Arch Coal in bankruptcy court on Tuesday, while asking any unhappy creditors to join the negotiating table. Dont file papers. Please, just call us, Huebner said. Under a proposed debt-for-equity swap, senior lenders will receive control of most of the company, while junior lenders are being offered a small amount of equity or the value of Archs assets that are not pledged as collateral for senior loans. Senior lenders had walked away from a previous out-of-court debt proposal aimed at preventing bankruptcy, prompting a lawsuit by creditor GSO Special Situations Master Fund LP, a Blackstone Group LP affiliate. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Charles Rendlen applauded the progress on the bankruptcy negotiations so far and approved, on an interim basis, $275 million in debtor-in-possession financing and the use of $600 million in cash. This is just too big of a marshmallow to swallow in one bite, Rendlen said of the cash use. The debtor-in-possession loan includes a $75 million carve-out for environmental cleanup costs, well below the roughly $450 million that regulators expect it will need. Arch has used cash, bonds and other financing to assure mine cleanup, but its use of a federal program called self-bonding to cover a large share of cleanup costs could saddle taxpayers with much of the bill. DALLAS Dallas-based Glazers Inc. and Miami-based Southern Wine & Spirits of America are merging, the two family-owned companies said Monday. Both families will own the new company. The combined companies create the largest North American wine and spirits distributor, with operations in 41 states, including Missouri and Illinois. The new company, Southern Glazers Wine and Spirits LLC, will be headquartered in Miami. But all of Glazers operations will stay in Texas and there will be no staff cuts, said Sheldon Stein, Glazers CEO. Glazers has 7,000 employees, including 3,000 in Texas. The Dallas-area operation employs more than 1,000 people. We need all our people; theres very little overlap, Stein said. If anything, our company will be growing and getting bigger as we combine No. 4 Glazer with No. 1 Southern to become a strong No. 1. Southern has annual sales of $11.8 billion, and Glazers annual sales are $3.7 billion. The new company will distribute more than 150 million cases of wine and spirits annually and cover nearly 90 percent of the legal drinking age population in the U.S. The company will have 20,000 employees in the U.S., the Caribbean and Canada. The decision to combine is a reflection of whats happening in the wine and liquor business, Stein and Bennett Glazer, the chairman, said in an interview Monday. We need to have a national footprint because the retailers and restaurants we sell to are becoming bigger, Stein said. And big liquor brands like Bacardi prefer to use a national supplier, Stein said. Were the only ones who can do that. Bacardi said Monday that it will consolidate its business in more than 40 U.S. markets with the newly formed Southern Glazers. Glazer said Bacardis announcement is a validation of its strategy to be part of a national company. A company like Wal-Mart, which Glazers already supplies, can now offer national specials on wine instead of going to several smaller distributors, Stein said. Maryland-based Total Wine & More is becoming a national chain. The consolidation in recent years in the grocery business, with Kroger buying regional chains and Albertsons acquiring Safeway, has created bigger customers. We are embracing a uniquely compelling opportunity to unite our proud family traditions and create an undisputed industry leader for years to come, Glazer said. The second-largest U.S. wine and liquor distributor, Republic National Distributing Co., is also Texas-based. Republic, with annual sales of about $6 billion, is based in Houston. Southerns chairman, Harvey R. Chaplin, becomes chairman of the new company, and Glazers Bennett Glazer becomes executive vice chairman. Glazers MillerCoors beer distribution business is not included in the transaction. It will operate as a separate company, Glazers Beer & Beverage, under the continued ownership of the Glazer family. Glazers was founded in Dallas in 1909. From its beginnings as Jumbo Bottling Co., the firm became one of the largest privately held companies in North Texas. Glazers operates in 15 states, Canada and the Virgin Islands. The transaction is expected to close in three to six months, Stein said. After more than a half century selling Pepsi products, the Imo's Pizza chain is switching to Coca-Cola. The St. Louis-based restaurant chain said all of its 96 restaurants will switch to Coke beverages by May 1 as part of a new multi-year marketing agreement. Financial terms of the deal, which also includes plans for promotional programs between Imo's and Coke brands, were not disclosed. Imo's Pizza began selling Pepsi exclusively at its first St. Louis location in 1964. "This agreement aligns with the growth goals of the next generation of the Imo family as we look towards the continued success of our franchisees," president Carl Imo said in a statement. No matter what your relatives are like, chances are youll like them better after seeing The Lion in Winter. These spectacularly quarrelsome royals, most of them armed and all of them dangerous, battle throughout James Goldmans drama, now onstage at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Under the direction of Edward Stern, it makes satisfying, well-seasoned, wonderfully witty drama perfect fare for a cold winters night. Dominating the drama are big, bold performances from Jeffrey King and Carol Schultz as Englands King Henry II and his queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. By the time the play takes place, 1183, shes his prisoner, Henrys not-unreasonable response to the revolts shes led against him. But hes let her out for Christmas court, a celebration they will share with their sons Richard (Grayson DeJesus), Geoffrey (Wilson Bridges) and John (Kurt Hellerich). Each prince wants to inherit the crown. Also on hand for the festivities: the young king of France, Philip Capet (Ryan Ward), and his sister Alais (Angela Janas), Henrys mistress and Richards fiancee or maybe Johns. Its all up to Henry, power personified from his heavy boots to his imposing, shaven head. But Eleanor is his match. Slipping daggers into every conversation, shes quick to recall old passions and betrayals. When she sits alone with her jewelry box, musing on a ferocious past and an uncertain future, Schultz presents the aging queen in all her glory: her wealth, her power, her supple political mind. Locked in a quarrel that dates back decades, Henry and Eleanor snipe at each other reflexively (but cleverly) and plot against each other relentlessly. King, as the king, reveals both his slight limp, the result of a lifetime of battles, and his strong desire for lovely Alais. In one scene of Goldmans characteristic complexity, he kisses Alais in front of Eleanor. But does he do that to hurt her? Or does Eleanor goad him into the embrace to humiliate the lovers, making them perform for her? Could it be both? Who knows? You cant trust either of them. Eleanor, a French noblewoman, entered the marriage with a huge inheritance, the Aquitaine, that increased Henrys kingdom enormously. But Eleanor gave it to Richard, the lionhearted crusader who is her favorite. John not as brave as Richard nor as clever as Geoffrey, and, according to Alais, ill-kempt even by 12th-century standards is his fathers choice. They have a lot to fight about, and they do. But the fights are as potent as they are because King and Schultz reveal that the Henry and Eleanor still love each other. That comes through in knowing smiles, in surprising bursts of laughter, in threats so subtle that their sons fail to grasp their import. Nobody else is worthy of either of them. The younger actors also send vivid characters across Joseph P. Tilfords evocative set. Among them, however, we hear a wide range of accents. But these people, all of the same social class and most of the same family, mainly spoke French anyhow. The elevated American diction that King and Schultz employ makes the most sense. Also, much is made of the Christmas cold; costume designer Matthew J. LeFebvre bundles the characters in capes, sweaters and jackets. Philip, with a gorgeous billowing robe over his nightdress, offers a series of visitors to his bedchamber warm cups of brandywine. So why are his feet on the stony floor bare? Small touches such as that do matter. But Stern, Schultz and King make sure that theres nothing small at the heart of this production of The Lion in Winter. It roars. The Lion in Winter When Through Jan. 31 Where Browning Mainstage, Loretto-Hilton Center, 130 Edgar Road How much $17.50-$79.59 MARYVILLE, Mo. One of the men accused of using social media to threaten violence during racial unrest at the University of Missouri has pleaded guilty. Connor Stottlemyre, of Blue Springs, admitted Monday in Nodaway County District Court to making a terrorist threat. The 19-year-old was attending Northwest Missouri State University in November when he was accused of posting a threat on Yik Yak that read, "I'm gonna shoot any black people tomorrow, so be ready." Sentencing in Stottlemyre's case is set for Feb. 22. The threat was made as dissatisfaction at the larger University of Missouri campus in Columbia came to a head, leading to demonstrations and the resignation of two top administrators. One then current and one former student at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla also were charged in threat cases the same week. The Los Angeles school district hired a new leader Monday, and it was not the superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools. Kelvin Adams, who was a candidate for the job, will continue in St. Louis where he has served as superintendent since 2008. On Monday, he was named as a member of Mayor Francis Slays Crime Commission, an appointment that asks for a two-year commitment and signaled his intention to stay. Adams was named in several news accounts over the past month to be one of two top contenders for the job in California. The L.A. Unified School District, with 650,000 students, is the second-largest school system in the nation. But sources close to Adams said he wasnt excited about the prospect and was surprised to be named as a top favorite. Contacted Monday night, Adams declined to say anything about the job in L.A. Instead, he spoke of his work in St. Louis. I enjoy the work we are doing and as far as I am concerned nothing has changed, Adams said. We still have a lot of work to do to improve the outcome of our students. The thought of Adams leaving St. Louis caught the attention last week of state education officials and city leaders, who give him credit for restoring community faith in the urban school system. Since Adams arrival, the city school district has demonstrated improvements in its graduation rate, test scores, student attendance and other measures. It received an upgrade in its accreditation classification in 2012. Last school year, it performed well enough to be considered for full accreditation. The Missouri Board of Education in December denied Adams request for an upgrade, saying it wanted another year of strong performance. In 2015, the number of schools performing well enough to be considered fully accredited grew to 35, from 20. However, more than half of the 72 schools are performing below that level. In the last week, sources said Adams had told them that he wouldnt be going to Los Angeles, and was adamant about continuing the work in St. Louis. I am glad he is staying, but I am not surprised, Slay said. While L.A. has shown an interest in acquiring things from St. Louis, Dr. Adams, who has made measurable progress in making more St. Louis district schools good choices for parents, seems committed to his job here. On Monday, the L.A. School Board met in closed session and unanimously picked Michelle King, a Los Angeles administrator whod grown up attending school there.King had risen through the ranks as assistant principal, principal, chief administrator of secondary instruction, local district superintendent, chief of staff to the superintendent, senior deputy superintendent, and chief deputy superintendent. We got lucky, said Mike Jones of St. Louis, a member of the Missouri Board of Education. If thats the optimum for Kelvin and his family, then Im glad thats the way it happened. I think hes done too extraordinary of a job for me to wish him anything other than the best. UNIVERSITY CITY A divided City Council on Monday chose to censure one of its own, Terry Crow, for what adversaries led by Mayor Shelley Welsch characterized as a breach of the public trust. The censure resolution passed 4-3 with Welsch casting the deciding vote. Councilmen Rod Jennings, Arthur Sharpe Jr. and Michael Glickert teamed with Welsch on the censure vote. Crow and Councilwoman Paulette Carr joined Councilman Stephen Kraft in opposing the resolution. Carr likened the censure resolution to the political environment in a different St. Louis County community that was once synonymous with political upheaval. This has become the new Ellisville, Carr said. Crow stood accused of forwarding a 2014 email that contained what Welsch maintains was a protected legal opinion from the city attorney. The mayor last month abandoned a prior attempt to remove Crow, a second term member of council, from office. Crow and his supporters contend the email outlining state statutes that apply to campaign activities by public employees was not privileged. He noted the city itself released identical information to the public within 60 days. The councilman accused the mayor of going over and beyond the call in an effort to smear my reputation in this community with every lie she can find. Addressing the mayor, Crow continued, I hope you are satisfied with havoc youve wreaked on my family and on me. Crow promised a response to this petty and vindictive action. Kraft, a frequent Crow sparring partner, criticized Crow for forwarding the email but joined the coalition opposing the censure. Its time to move on to stop the cycle of retaliation, said Kraft, who unsuccessfully attempted to remove the censure measure from the agenda. Monday marked the second consecutive council meeting that irate residents paraded to the microphone to voice their displeasure with Welsch and her political allies. As we sit here, we have no leadership, resident John Fuller told the mayor, because the leadership of the business of this city has been set aside. Welsch ordered police to remove one resident after he refused to end personal attacks on the mayor. Speaking as both the lawyer representing Crow and a city resident, Gerald Greiman called the censure resolution Kafkaesque. Prior to the vote, Greiman demanded that the council hold a due process public forum to provide his client with an opportunity to defend himself and cross-examine his accusers. I am embarrassed and ashamed of what this city has become under this administration, Greiman told the mayor. The censure resolution on Mondays agenda is a continuation of the hostility that has marked the relationship between firefighters and certain City Hall factions since a contentious 2014 municipal election cycle. That campaign featured five uniformed firefighters in photographs supporting candidates challenging the re-election of Welsch and two other incumbent council members. City Manager Lehman Walker eventually suspended the firefighters for violating state campaign laws. The situation flared again last summer when Walker, Welsch and Kraft drafted a contract to turn the citys the medical response service provided by the fire department over to privately operated Gateway Ambulance service. Crow, along with Carr and the public at large, was informed of the agreement three days before a stormy, five-hour meeting concluded with a vote by the council majority to remove the firefighters from ambulance duty. The mayor and Kraft are the targets of petitions to place a referendum on the April municipal ballot asking University City voters to remove them from office. Welsch launched the next volley in December by presenting the council with a petition to remove Crow from office on charges that the councilman in the run-up to the 2014 election illegally forwarded an email containing what she claimed was a confidential legal opinion on political campaigning by public employees to representative of the firefighters union. Faced with public outrage over an ouster attempt characterized as draconian by Crow and his supporters, the council declined to act on the petition. Welsch, undaunted, summoned the council to a special meeting in late December to censure Crow. The meeting was scuttled after Welsch learned the councilman had already departed on planned family vacation. The mayor proceeded to resubmit the censure resolution last Thursday at the deadline to add items to the agenda for the first council meeting of the new year. The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer district is repairing a break that caused sewage to overflow into Coldwater Creek near Spanish Lake in unincorporated St. Louis County. The area is just west of the Missouri Route 367 bridge over Coldwater Creek. MSD said areas of the creek near Silver Fox, Verwood and Fox Haven Drives could be affected by the spill. Trails along the creek near Fort Belle Fontaine County Park also could be impacted. MSD is placing signs in the area to warn residents to avoid contact with the creek. Residents that do come into contact with water in the area should immediately wash with soap and water. RVs offer a convenient and affordable (if you travel enough) way to see the country. You can take a closer look at them at the St. Louis RV Vacation & Travel Show Thursday to Sunday at the America's Center. Presented by the Midwest Gateway RV Dealers Association, the show will have 300 RVs, highlighting the latest in state-of-the-art RV technology, designs, RV parts, accessories and services, as well as travel destinations, including campgrounds and resorts. When: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Jan. 14; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Jan. 15; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Jan. 16; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 17. Where: America's Center, 701 Convention Plaza LONDON MARKET CLOSE: Stocks pull back as pressure on BoE to hike rates Wednesday, October 19, 2022 - 17:20 The optimism in equity markets in London faded on Wednesday, with stocks pulled back as consumer inflation in the UK was hotter than expected. The FTSE 100 index closed down 11.75 points, or 0.2%, at 6,924.99. The FTSE 250 ended down a heftier 281.76 points, or 1.6%, at 17,247.55. The AIM All-Share lost 9.51 points, or 1.2%, at 785.97. The Cboe UK 100 closed 0.2% lower at 692.60, the Cboe UK 250 fell 1.5% to 14,806.44, and the Cboe Small Companies closed 0.7% lower at 12,369.96. In European equities on Wednesday afternoon, the CAC 40 in Paris lost 0.4%, and the DAX 40 in Frankfurt gave back 0.2%. The pound fell to $1.1242 Wednesday evening from $1.1291 late Tuesday. New data showed consumer inflation in the UK was shoved back into double digits in September, which turns the spotlight firmly onto the Bank of England. The consumer price index rose by 10.1% in September from a year before, according to the Office for National Statistics. The inflation rate picked up from 9.9% in August and returned to the same rate as recorded in July. The latest figure came in marginally hotter-than-expected, with a reading of 10% expected, according to FXStreet. AJ Bell's Danni Hewson said stretching household budgets to cover the "basic necessities of life has become harder and harder". "Cutbacks have already been made. Big name brands ditched for value lines in the weekly food shop, thermostats have been dialled down, non-essential journeys put off or abandoned altogether," she continued. "The fact that food and energy costs were the main drivers for September Russia revealed that during the last three months of 2015 it had flown (using about 100 warplanes and attack helicopters) over 4,300 sorties against Islamic terrorist rebels in Syria. Russia believes its air strikes are much more effective than those flown by Western and Arab air forces because Russia has better intelligence. In addition to intel from over 200,000 Syrian soldiers and pro-government militiamen, Russia also obtained target information from 150 rebel groups (over 5,000 rebels) willing to cooperate against ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant). Russian air strikes have killed over 2,500 people so far, about a third of the victims have been civilians. This is condemned as a war crime by many but is also a less publicized (especially by the Russians) reason why the Russian air strikes have been so much more effective than the larger number of American ones. Russia does not abort a strike because there is too much risk of civilian casualties. This makes ISIL more vulnerable to air attack than when just the Americans were handling it. The U.S. believes that only a few percent of the people its air strikes kills are civilians. The ROE (Rules of Engagement) Russia uses against ground targets ignores the use of human shields or the presence of a lot of civilians for whatever reason. Britain has decided to form their own version of the U.S. Army Special Forces. This would be a special operations organization with several hundred troops trained to organize, train and assist locals needing help to deal with Islamic terrorists or any other group of fanatics trying to impose their will with violence. The initial use would be to help people defend themselves from Islamic terrorists but long-term this Tier 2 force would be prepared to go anywhere in the world and help just about anyone. There is a certain irony in this because the model for this tier 2 force is the American Special Forces which had its origins during World War II when Britain invented the modern commandos and taught Americans how to use this new type of highly skilled soldier for a wide variety of difficult assignments. Instead of commandos, after World War II the United States developed the Special Forces. This was a unique organization in military, and intelligence, history. No other nation had anything like the Special Forces during peacetime. The idea of training thousands of troops to very high standards, then having them study foreign languages and cultures, and specialize in working with people of a specific culture, was unique to the Special Forces. But the original idea behind the Special Forces began with the World War II efforts to train and organize resistance fighters during. It was the British who first noted that their newly invented SAS troops were turning into something other than commandos. In fact, the highly skilled and talented SAS (Special Air Service commandos) were also the sort of specialists capable of helping the espionage agencies that were working with the French resistance. Thus, as part of the preparations for the 1944 invasion of Europe, hundreds of British (SOE or Special Operations Executive) and American (OSS, Office of Strategic Services) agents were landed (by boat and aircraft) in France (and other occupied countries) to assist the guerilla organizations that had developed there to fight the Germans. Many of these guerillas were poorly armed, trained, and led and often hard pressed by German secret police, soldiers and local collaborators. This guerilla assistance effort consisted of several different types of agents. For example, 25 three-agent (mostly men but some women) Jedburgh teams were parachuted into France to work with the guerilla organizations before the June 1944 D-Day invasion. These teams concentrated on establishing regular radio contact between the guerillas and SOE and OSS headquarters in Britain. The OSS also had seven thirty-four man OGs (Operational Groups) that were sent in after the invasion to work with the guerillas. The OGs were doing pretty much what the U.S. Army Special Forces do today, train the locals and fight as needed. All this made it easier to get the guerillas weapons, equipment, and instructions for their part in supporting the D-Day invasion and the months of heavy fighting after the landings. The modern day equivalent of the Jedburgh and OG teams were, for example, the CIA and U.S. Army Special Forces teams sent to Afghanistan in late 2001, to help the Northern Alliance fighters who were still fighting the Taliban (which did not yet control much of the north). Within two months the Taliban government was overthrown and most Taliban fighters dead, captured, deserting, or fleeing to Pakistan. World War II was notable for the extent of "unconventional warfare" operations. During this war most of the unconventional war action were guerillas fighting to free their nations from occupying German or Japanese troops. While previous wars had their share of raiders, commandos, and spies, the guerilla aspect of warfare was a major element in World War II. This was particularly true for the Allies (mainly Britain and America). To support dozens of separate guerilla wars America set up the OSS (Office of Strategic Services, the predecessor of the CIA and Special Forces), while the British had the SOE (Special Operations Executive). Many OSS operatives were from the U.S. Army and returned to the army after World War II. By the 1950s these OSS veterans had persuaded the army to create the Special Forces with the idea of repeating the OSS guerilla support missions in any future war with the Soviet Union and to help deal with all the insurrections the Soviets were instigating and supporting around the globe. The Special Forces have, for over half a century, done exactly what they originally set out to do. Thus it should have been no surprise when, in late 2001, the CIA was discovered to have formed a special operations force, composed of Afghans, to operate across the border in Pakistan to collect intelligence and kill Taliban and al Qaeda leaders. This force of about 3,000 was never a secret to the enemy, or anyone spending time on the Afghan side of the border. But the CIA carried out an effective deception program, based on the fact that Western journalists rarely go to such dangerous areas as the Afghan/Pakistani border. Afghan journalists could be kept out, or any reports they published got lost in the numerous wildly improbably stories they normally publish. The full details of this Afghan force are still shrouded in secrecy, but it was similar to earlier CIA/Special Forces efforts in this area and the sort of thing the CIA and Special Forces had done in other parts of the world since the 1950s. The Afghan "secret army" was similar but much smaller than the one the CIA and Special Forces set up in Vietnam during the 1960s. This one was also based on tribal warriors, who often crossed borders to carry out reconnaissance missions in North Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The United States went on to help Afghanistan create its own Special Forces. These were a huge success. Many Afghans were familiar with American Special Forces, but while these foreign troops spoke the language and knew the culture, they weren't Afghan. Despite that, the American Special Forces often established rapport with the Afghan villagers, and were often very successful. The new Afghan Special Forces took that rapport to a new level. Afghan villagers admired the skills of the American Special Forces, both as warriors and experts in many other areas. But now they could see Afghans doing the same things. This makes a big impression, and the Afghan Special Forces got even more cooperation and trust. The U.S. Special Forces assisted the Afghans in creating Special Forces units similar to the American ones, where each unit specializes in working with specific ethnic groups, or tribal coalitions. The goal was a force of four Afghan Special Forces battalions, each with 18 A-Teams. Given the success of American Special Forces, that are trained to understand Afghan culture and speak the language, it was believed that Afghans doing the same thing, would perform even better, and more than double the number of Special Forces troops, specialized in dealing with Afghanistan, available. Moreover, this means that Afghanistan will still have a Special Forces capability once U.S. forces depart. Afghanistan is the kind of country (four major ethnic groups, hundreds of tribes and clans) that needs Special Forces long term. There were some unique problems in training the Afghan Special Forces candidates. Unlike the United States, there is a much wider social gulf between officers and NCOs in Afghanistan. But for Special Forces to work, there has to be very close cooperation between officers and NCOs. The Special Forces training appears to have solved this, even if it was done by convincing the Afghan officers that this kind of closeness was a special technique unique to Special Forces operations, and essential for A-Teams to succeed. But ten officer candidates dropped out because this kind of relationship with NCOs was too much for them to handle. There were ethnic problems as well. Most of the Afghan Special Forces will be needed in the south, where the Taliban come from and where Pushtuns (40 percent of the population and historically the dominant group) are the majority. Many of the minorities in Afghanistan (Tajik, Uzbek, Hazara and Turkmen) have long been united in their opposition to Pushtun domination. The Tajik are 25 percent of the population and the Hazara (Mongols, a reminder of the medieval Mongolian invasions) 19 percent. The remainder are mostly various Turkic groups (Uzbeks and Turkmen). All of these groups are wary of the Pushtuns, but will work with them if they do not feel threatened. Because of the war with the Taliban, fewer Pushtuns joined the army, and many more Hazara (who have long been persecuted by the other groups) did. Thus there were twice as many Hazara as Pushtuns in the first Afghan A-Teams. But the Hazara are much better educated than the Pushtuns, and make better soldiers. They made superior Special Forces operators (as Special Forces troops are called) as well, and were able to work well with Pushtuns. Britain has a lot of experience to draw from, both their own during World War II and more recent examples during The Vietnam War and operations in Afghanistan after 2001. This idea has been bouncing around in Britain for several decades. But massive post-Cold War budget cuts and reluctance to get too involved fighting Islamic terrorists got in the way. But now, as it is obvious that the Islamic terrorists are going to keep trying to come after Britain, British special operations finally got the cash needed to form the long-sought Tier 2 force. A lot of decisions are on hold until February, as on February 1 st Veteran reform advocate Aung San Suu Kyi takes power. Her party won 80 percent of the vote in November elections and everyone expects big changes. No one is sure exactly will get changed and to what extent, but things will be different. In the north the army continues to battle tribal rebels while also making some of the rebel groups allies. This has been the policy for decades and there are always a few tribal leaders willing to take the benefits like no more attacks by the military, especially the artillery and warplanes and hassle-free use of roads to move people, supplies and (legal) exports. In rare cases the army will, unofficially of course, do a deal that allows a rebel group to continue producing and exporting drugs. These deals often involve the army (or at least senior officers) receiving a cut of the profits. A new round of peace talks with the Wa State rebels is to begin on January 12th. The Wa have the largest (20,000 armed men) tribal militia up there. Heroin production is growing in the Golden Triangle (the ancient poppy growing area where the borders of China, Burma, Laos and Thailand meet) and that keeps all manner of gangster, rebel and ethnic warlords in business. In 2015 over 800 tons of opium (the raw material for heroin) were produced in the triangle, over 90 percent of it in Burma. Burma is also where most of the opium is processed into heroin (ten tons of opium yields one ton of heroin). Global production of opium is currently about 7,000 tons. Back in the early 1980s 2,000 tons of opium were produced a year, nearly all of it for legitimate medicinal products. There was some illegal production in the Golden Triangle but only a fraction of what it is now. This is because the Chinese communists shut down opium production in China during the late 1940s. Some Chinese producers moved to Burma, Laos and Thailand. The Thais soon shut it down and Laos was never a big producer. Burma, run by a military dictatorship, needed the money, and didn't crack down until the 1990s, in large part to destroy the military power of Chinese drug warlords who grew strong off their heroin profits. It then picked up in Pakistan, where it was soon driven across the border to Afghanistan. The Afghan Taliban heavily taxed drug production in the late 1990s and even halted production in 2000 because of oversupply (and falling prices.) The Taliban told Western nations that they were suppressing the opium production in return for foreign aid, but they allowed opium production to resume in 2001 when the foreign aid was not forthcoming. Opium has always been all about money. By 2010 military pressure on the Afghan drug gangs allowed the Golden Triangle, especially Burma, to regain more of the world heroin market. Afghanistan is still the leader, but Burma has over ten percent of the market and is gaining as is Colombia with a much lower share. The violence against the Rohingya has died down and the May 2015 Thai crackdown on gangsters trying to smuggle Burmese Moslems through Thailand to Malaysia has forced many Rohingya to put migration plans on hold. It is estimated that attempts by Rohingya to travel (usually illegally) to another country are still down by over 70 percent. This is the result of international pressure on the Thai government to crack down on corrupt security personnel taking bribes from or otherwise cooperating with the people smugglers. This, and similar measures in Malaysia, have largely halted the lucrative people smuggling, for a while at least. Over 200,000 Rohingya are believed to have fled Burma by sea since the anti-Moslem violence began there in 2012. At least 25,000 are believed to have gone south in the first three months of 2015 and that level of activity continued until the Thai crackdown took effect in May. Suddenly a lot fewer (soon about 80 percent fewer) Rohingya refugees were showing up at in Malaysia or Indonesia. All the countries surrounding the Bay of Bengal were now watching for boats engaged in people smuggling and that pretty much ruled out using large vessels anymore. Now smugglers can only move a few people at a time on smaller vessels that could avoid or pass inspection. The drove the price of using people smugglers way up, to the point where most Rohingya could not afford it. Meanwhile Rohingya still face persecution (and occasional violence) in Burma and poverty in Bangladesh. Rohingya are hoping the new reform government will help them but that is not assured. January 3, 2016: China complained to Burma that one of its citizens was injured by a landmine on the Burma border. Many rebel groups operate along this border, sometimes on both sides. China has been pressuring Burma for years to reduce the violence on the Burmese side of the border, which often spills into China and killing or wounding Chinese. December 31, 2015: In the north troops attacked positions manned by SSA-S (Shan State ArmySouth) rebels. The rebels demanded to know why the army had violated a recent (October 2015) ceasefire deal and killed one of their men. For years the army has fought the SSA-S for key terrain, usually to control roads that supply the troops and everyone else. The army has also been trying to interfere with the tribal drug operations up north. The SSA-S is allied with the neighboring Wa and these two groups and the MNDAA are making a lot of money producing and smuggling drugs. Some army commanders up there do not trust the SSA-S and that may have triggered this clash. December 27, 2015: In the northwest (Arakan State) tribal rebels (Arakan Army) and soldiers clashed briefly. There were some wounded. The northwest coast has not had as much tribal violence as states to the east but the Arakan Army had help from Kachin State tribal rebels and have proved to be a persistent problem on both sides of the Bangladesh border. The government subsequently ordered the army to increase its efforts to destroy the Arakan Army, which has been very active lately clashing with troops on a regular basis, sometimes several times a day. December 26, 2015: In the north (Shan State) three civilians died and three were sounded when a time bomb went off at a truck stop. Police found and neutralized another bomb that failed to go off. Kokang tribal rebels and their organization (MNDAA) were the main suspects. The MNDAA wants official recognition, something the government is reluctant to grant. The MNDAA is largely composed of ethnic Chinese who have long lived in northern Burma (as have other Chinese tribes). MNDAA used to be more political (communist) but that disappeared in 1989 when the Burmese Communist Party fell apart as a side effect of the collapse of communism in East Europe. MNDAA made peace with the government in 2009 but like most peace deals up north that did not last because the army kept operating in tribal territory. The Kokang and MNDAA have become a drug gang as have many of its tribal allies in the north. These included the SSA-S. The SSA-S is allied with the neighboring Wa and these two groups and the MNDAA are making a lot of money producing and smuggling drugs. Opium and heroin production have been revived in the past few years. Production of methamphetamine is huge. Called "yaba" ("crazy drug") locally, most of it is smuggled out via Thailand. Over the last few years, production of yaba tablets has soared. The meth labs are easier to conceal than poppy fields (opium is the sap of poppy plants) and the meth labs are believed to produce several hundred million tablets a year. The tribal rebels, especially ethnic Chinese tribes (like the Wa and MNDAA) use the profits to buy more weapons for their fighters, and run their rebel organizations. December 25, 2015: In the north (Kachin State) there another landslide in the jade mining area, killing at least fifty people. These landslides are made possible by all the illegal jade mining, which often involves removing most of the vegetation on a hillside. With the trees and shrubs gone there is nothing to hold soil together when there are heavy rains. There was a similar disaster up there a month ago, which killed over a hundred people. All this brought rebel commander Wei Hsueh Kang a lot of unwanted publicity because of his control of the Jade trade. Burma is the main source of jade on the planet and exports about $4 billion worth each year. Yet only about one percent of that is taxed and half of the jade is found by illegal mining operations and is quietly sold to Chinese traders. Most of the illegal jade trade is controlled by generals who have connections inside China. The rest is controlled by rebels, mainly the Wa of the UWSA (United Wa State Army). Most of the jade is in the northern tribal territories and the army is constantly fighting with tribal rebels who are seeking to make some money in the jade producing areas. The military men are not giving up all their illegal businesses and the government, despite the 2011 elections that bought a civilian government to power. So far no one is willing to force the issue, at least not yet, especially when it comes to the lucrative illegal jade trade. A lot of the current fighting in Kachin State is a continuation of this decades old Jade War. Local tribes also point out that all the illegal jade and gold mining ruins many water supplies (streams and lakes) but since outsiders (military and tribal warlords) dominate and protect the illegal mining, no one cares about some bad water except a few locals. December 24, 2015: The navy commissioned the second locally built frigate. Based on the Chinese Type 053 frigate, the new ship is a 1,400 ton vessel equipped with 76mm cannon, anti-ship missiles and torpedoes. The first locally made one entered service in March 2014 and the first one (made it China) entered service in 2010. December 19, 2015: In the north (Shan State) MNDAA rebels clashed with troops and killed six soldiers and stole their weapons and equipment. MNDAA losses are unknown. At the end of 2015 the Chinese navy finally confirmed that they were indeed building a second aircraft carrier. The design is apparently based on the first Chinese carrier, the Liaoning. This is a 65,000 ton, 305 meter (999 feet) long ship that is actually a modified version of the last Cold War Russian carrier design. China also confirmed that the new carrier would also have the ski jump deck like Liaoning. Since 2013 there had been reports that a large aircraft carrier was under construction in northwest China (Dalian). Although China is building a 22 meter (71 foot) high wall around parts of the Dalian naval base to prevent people from taking pictures of what is going on there this has not stopped amateur naval enthusiasts from getting information and distributing it on the Internet. One of the best sources of information on Chinese warship construction is the Internet. Thousands of Chinese naval buffs living close to major shipyards provide a steady supply of photos on the web. The Chinese government tried to prevent this but since 2005 came to realize that cracking down on enthusiastic and Internet savvy Chinese fans of the navy was not a wise move. A lot of important secrets are still preserved by building parts of ships in a shed and a lot of the most valuable military secrets are with equipment installed inside the ship or behind a wall. So the government allows all (with a few exceptions) these photos to appear. Then there are some interesting official photos. In mid-2014 photos of a carrier model being displayed at an official event appeared on the Chinese Internet. The detailed model had the hull number 18 and the ship looked similar to an American CVN (a Nimitz class nuclear aircraft carrier). The Chinese CVN has four catapults and three elevators and much other evidence of being nuclear and very similar to the Nimitz class. This is not what was thought to be under construction at Dalian but rather a proposal for carrier number three or four or whatever. The first Chinese carrier, the Liaoning is hull number 16 and the 2013 photos showed sections of a new Chinese carrier under construction. This ship would probably have hull number 17. All this implies the third Chinese carrier, the second one built in China, would be nuclear and probably closer in design to the recently decommissioned American USS Enterprise (CVN 65). That is still a mystery because too much information is coming out of China. CVN 65 was the first American nuclear powered carrier and it served as the prototype for the subsequent Nimitz class. The Enterprise was an expensive design, and only one was built (instead of a class of six). While a bit longer than the later Nimitz class, it was lighter (92,000 tons displacement, versus 100,000 tons). The Enterprise was commissioned in 1961, almost 40 years after the first U.S. carrier (the Langley) entered service in 1923. Chinese are keen students of history, their own as well as that of others. Chinese ship designers know all about the Langley and Enterprise. The Chinese are also well aware that in the two decades after the USS Langley there were tremendous changes in carrier aviation. While the innovation slowed after World War II, major changes continued into the 1950s (jet aircraft, nuclear propelled carriers, SAMs). But in the ensuing half century there has been no major innovation in basic carrier design. This has not been a problem because the carriers have proven useful, at least for the U.S. Navy (the only fleet to use such large carriers) and no one else has maintained a force of these large carriers. Only the U.S. has felt a constant need to get air power to any corner of the planet in a hurry. More importantly, no navy has been able to give battle to the U.S. carrier force since 1945. The Soviets built new anti-carrier weapons and made plans to use them but that war never occurred. China is building carriers but does not yet seem committed to having a lot of them to confront the U.S. but rather just a few to intimidate its neighbors. Large ships, including warships, are often built in sections, then the sections are welded and bolted together. The section of what appears to be a carrier does not indicate the exact size of the new carrier, other than that it appears larger than the new carrier (Liaoning) China commissioned at the end of 2012. At the time China was believed to be building the first of several locally designed aircraft carriers but the Chinese officially denied this. The only official announcements have alluded to the need for two or three aircraft carriers, in addition to the Liaoning. Construction of such large ships had been seen in shipyards like Dalian. The Liaoning spent over a year on sea trials and as of early 2016 has still not entered regular service. Since its 2012 commissioning Liaoning has been used for training and getting experience with carrier operations. During that time Liaoning began flight operations in November 2012 and these were such a success that the Chinese built carrier fighter J-15 (a Su-27 variant) eventually participated in these carrier operations. In 2013 China confirmed that the Liaoning will primarily be a training carrier. The Chinese apparently plan to station up to 24 jet fighters and 26 helicopters on the Liaoning and use the ship to train pilots and other specialists for additional carriers. Meanwhile, the Liaoning will also be staffed and equipped as a combat ship as well. Liaoning began as one of the two Kuznetsov class carriers that Russia began building in the 1980s. Originally the Kuznetsovs were to be 90,000 ton nuclear powered ships (the Ulanovsk class), similar to American Nimitz class carriers (complete with steam catapults). Instead, because of the high cost and the complexity of modern (American style) carriers, the Russians were forced to scale back their plans and ended up with 65,000 ton (full load) ships that lacked steam catapults and used a ski jump type flight deck instead. Nuclear power was dropped but the Kuznetsovs were still a formidable design. The Kuznetsovs normally carry a dozen navalized Su-27s (called Su-33s), 14 Ka-27PL anti-submarine helicopters, two electronic warfare helicopters, and two search and rescue helicopters. But the ship was built to carry as many as 36 Su-33s and sixteen helicopters. The Kuznetsovs carry 2,500 tons of aviation fuel, allowing it to generate 500-1,000 aircraft and helicopter sorties. Crew size is 2,500 (or 3,000 with a full aircraft load). While the original Kuznetsov is in Russian service, the second ship, the Varyag, was launched but not completed and work stopped in 1992. The Chinese bought the unfinished carrier in 1998, towed it to China, and spent over a decade completing it as the Liaoning. Meanwhile the Nimitz class is being replaced. The U.S. Navy's newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78) was launched and christened in late 2013 and is expected to enter service in 2016. The first ship of the next class of carriers, the Ford will be about the same length (333 meters/1,092 feet) and displacement (100,000 tons) of the previous Nimitz class ships but will look different. The most noticeable difference will be the island set closer to the stern (rear) of the ship. The USS Ford is expected to cost nearly $14 billion. About 40 percent of that is for designing the first ship of the class, so the actual cost of the first ship (CVN 78) itself will be some $9 billion. Against this the navy expects to reduce the carrier's lifetime operating expenses by several billion dollars because of greatly reduced crew size. Compared to the current Nimitz class carriers (which cost over $5 billion each to build) the Fords will feel, well, kind of empty even through there will be 4,600 personnel on board. There will be lots more automation, computer networking, and robots. The most recent Nimitz class ships have a lot of this automation already. Like the Nimitz class, the Fords will carry about 75 aircraft and helicopters. The catapults will be electromagnetic rather than steam powered and its nuclear power plant will not have to be partially taken apart to be refueled. The new catapults and other design improvements will allow the Fords to launch 20-30 percent more sorties per day than the Nimitz class ships. In Iraq over a thousand Western troops, many of them special operations (Special Forces, SEALs and other commandos), are providing training and advisory assistance to Iraqi forces. To get the most out of this, especially when special ops forces are involved, the effort is directed towards the best local troops. Experience has shown the Kurds and Iraqi Arab special operations troops benefit the most from this training and do so more quickly than less trained and experienced troops. This comes with some risks, mainly because this training is often done in a combat zone and the advisory aspect is often done in combat. In both these cases there are many instances where the trainers themselves come under fire. While the trainers are not there to fight they are armed and allowed to defend themselves when necessary. Unofficially the trainers are allowed to get involved in situations where their trainees are in great danger and the intervention of the trainers would be useful, and much appreciated by the trainees. This is allowed unofficially because there is risk of trainers being killed or wounded. This causes political problems back home where politicians have pledged to provide combat trainers but no combat troops. While some trainers have been killed or wounded during front line training there is always the risk of there are too many casualties among the foreign trainers politicians and media back home would make an issue out of it. Same with Iraqi politicians and media, who are insistent that there be no foreign combat troops in Iraq. Armed trainers are tolerated, but not if they regularly engage in combat. While intelligence agencies regularly monitor the Internet for Islamic terrorist activity, its also possible for non-government groups (or individuals) to monitor and analyze the large amount of public activity by Islamic terrorists and their supporters. Even before intelligence agencies began monitoring Islamic terrorist activity on the Internet there were civilian who did it and they often passed interesting findings to intelligence or police agencies. These private efforts are still out there and they were largely responsible for showing the intel agencies how valuable this sort of thing could be in the first place. Among the openly available findings are some interesting facts. For one thing most of the Islamic terrorist related traffic in the Arab world (which is often in Arabic) is Sunni Moslems saying nasty things about Shia Moslems. This makes sense when you consider that 80 percent of Moslems are Sunni and only ten percent Shia. Unfortunately many of the messages criticizing Islamic terrorism in general gets denounced, at least among Sunni Moslems, as Shia propaganda. That shows the depth of the antipathy between Sunni and Shia because over 90 percent of Islamic terrorists are Sunni and most of their Internet support comes from the Arab Gulf states (in other words, the Arabian Peninsula). In the last few years the Islamic terrorist related messages by Moslems have increasingly been about the growing animosity between Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia (and other Sunni Arab states). This has become something of a religious war with Sunni and Shia clerics encouraging their followers to vigorously defend their form of Islam on the Internet. This often involves posting increasingly strident sermons (in text, audio or video format) by clergy backing their form of Islam. This has swept away earlier efforts by Sunni and Shia to use the Internet to help build better relations between the two forms of Islam. The fighting in Syria, which is basically a Sunni majority rebelling against an Iran-backed Shia minority government, further inflamed the nasty rhetoric on the Internet. That got worse when a Saudi led Sunni coalition entered the civil war in Yemen. There a Shia minority was defeating the Sunni majority and most Sunnis were not happy with that. Islamic terrorists were early and energetic adopters of social media on the Internet. This has always been a mixed blessing. The terrorists and their fans soon found that the messaging went two ways and those who disagreed with them had no trouble, or inhibitions about responding to terrorist messages. This was particularly the case with Twitter. Here even the U.S. State Department found it necessary to assign people to respond to terrorist tweets. The U.S. government had people who spoke Arabic and other languages Islamic terrorist fanboys used. The Americans also had the culture awareness to become very annoying for the true-believers on the Internet. Interrogations of captured terrorists or terrorism suspects revealed that the responses, especially those from a government agency, had an impact. It scared off many potential terrorist recruits and angered true believers, often to the point where they would reveal things they should have kept to themselves. This sort of backtalk because such a problem that terrorist leaders began warning followers to ignore these infidel taunts and insults and to not respond. The Internet being what it is, most pro-terrorist twitter users found themselves unable or unwilling to heed this advice. Just like they tend to ignore useful advice about Internet security. This interference has become a growing problem for Islamic terrorist organizations. Thats because the continued use of international media to keep people (largely disaffected Moslems and Western leftists looking for a new lost cause) informed about how the terrorist group is still around was being diminished by this interference. Maintaining such visibility is essential for recruiting. Al Qaeda has always recruited from the least educated and most desperate Moslem men out there and ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) continued that custom. Religious fervor was not crucial but the willingness to suffer and die was. These recruits are attracted to the image of al Qaeda as being constantly active, no matter what damage they suffer. Also important was maintaining support from older, more affluent, and less desperate supporters. It was very important to keep these rich men willing to help out with cash or access to needed resources. The new recruits and other contributions were only forthcoming if an Islamic terrorist group could demonstrate that it was active. Thus there is a constant need for new actions (assassinations, bombings, prison breaks, and other media-worthy events) to remind wealthy fans of Islamic radicalism that cash keeps it all going. The core terrorist leadership has always contained some technically adept people who recognized how the media worked and appreciated how new technology was changing how you reached and maintained those supporters. So it should not be surprising that al Qaeda, ISIL and other terrorist organizations became heavy users of Twitter and other social media sites. Even though many of these sites do not welcome groups like ISIL and al Qaeda, the Islamic terrorists keep at it and maintain a presence in high-traffic areas. Much of this is made possible by Internet-savvy volunteers who dont want to blow themselves up but are willing to risk (and it is not a big risk) arrest by working from home to serve the cause and keep al Qaeda and ISIL visible on the Internet and thus in the mass media. Now all that is being compromised by the growing pushback by individuals and organizations hostile to terrorism. Wellesbourne Airfield The core strategy will define many aspects of the development of Stratford district, with the most controversial being how many houses should be built and, crucially, where. And high on the agenda over the next two weeks will be proposals for thousands of homes on Long Marston Airfield, the highly-contentious new settlement at Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath, and the surprise inclusion of a 500-homes development on land alongside the A46 in Bishopton. Land for employment sites will also be discussed. In total, as many as 15,500 new homes are expected to be built by 2031 - almost double the figure of 8,000 or so that was mentioned when work began on the core strategy a few years ago. Some say the delay in a comprehensive planning strategy being adopted has led the district to remain vulnerable to speculative developments such as the one of 270 homes on Arden Heath Farm, off Loxley Road, Stratford. The public examination initially began on 6th January last year and was adjourned on 3rd February. Speaking to the Herald ahead of the opening day of the resumed public examination, Cllr Chris Saint, the leader of Stratford-on-Avon District Council, said: "We are well prepared for the resumed EIP and set a timetable in October to progress to Core Strategy adoption by July. "We have set a new 20-year housing target and identified sites for building in line with the work given to us in March 2015. "Our sustainability appraisals are up to date and policies have been adjusted in line with the inspectors interim recommendations." In response to the owners of Wellesbourne Airfield issuing eviction notices to businesses based there, Cllr Saint added: "We are holding firm over Wellesbourne Airfield and treat the notices to quit to operational tenants as an act of brinkmanship that I hope the inspector will ignore. The airfield is simply the wrong place for even more housing." See Thursday's Herald for a full report on the examination's opening exchanges. Wellesbourne Airfield However only a proportion of this number would be on the rota to work today. UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said: "An NHS where the same high quality care is provided, regardless of the time of day or the day of the week, will not come cheap. But Jeremy Hunt thinks he can offer more to patients by paying dedicated healthcare professionals much less. Other NHS staff fear that the dispute with junior doctors could be the dry run for a much bigger confrontation. They suspect ministers also want to axe the unsocial hours payments that they get for working nights and weekends. Charles Aston, medical director at the South Warwickshire NHS Trust, said: We are working with the British Medical Association to ensure that patient safety is not affected. On the days of the industrial action, consultants and other staff who are not taking industrial action will be working to ensure there is no impact on any of our emergency services. This hindrance proved no problem for Wright though, with the Stratford AC runner finishing almost 20 minutes ahead of her nearest lady rival. This was the fourth time Wright has competed in the event and the third year in a row that Wright has finished in the top eight overall. Fellow Stratford AC runner Tim Hutchinson followed Wright home in ninth place in a time of 2.29.11. This was despite his calf going after four miles and having to run through the pain barrier for the last 14 miles. Lisa Dallison, also of Stratford AC, was 14th lady to finish and 49th overall in 3.11.49. The overall race was once again won by Cirencesters Wyclef Forbes in a course record time of 2.04.44. The GM logo is seen at the General Motors Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant in Lansing, Michigan October 26, 2015. Photo taken October 26. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook By David Shepardson DETROIT (Reuters) - The U.S. government and a group of global automakers are set to unveil a voluntary agreement at the Detroit auto show on Friday aimed at improving auto industry safety and spurring culture changes, according to company and government officials. The accord could set the framework for further discussions on safety reforms and mark a new era of cooperation between automakers and regulators after a record-setting year of safety fines, recalls and investigations into malfunctioning vehicles made by General Motors Co (NYSE: GM), Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (NYSE: FCAU), Honda Motor Co <7267.T> and others. But it stops short of what many safety advocates have urged Congress and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to adopt: new binding legal requirements to toughen safety rules. And automakers may be able to raise the voluntary agreement to argue against future proposed regulations, saying the accord makes legally binding rules unnecessary. The agreement, under discussion for several weeks, would also attempt to improve vehicle cyber security and the use of early warning data to detect potential defects that might lead to safety problems or large-scale recalls, sources said. It would also create new government-industry task forces to work to improve auto safety. Despite the voluntary agreement, NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said the agency will not hesitate to fine automakers that fail to follow the rules and will not give up its aggressive enforcement of auto safety rules. Automakers recalled a record-setting 63.95 million vehicles in the United States in 2014, incurring large fines from NHTSA. Companies in the talks leading up to the agreement include GM, Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T>, Ford Motor Co (NYSE: F), Daimler AG , Fiat Chrysler, BMW AG , Honda, Nissan Motor Co <7201.T> and Hyundai Motor Co <005380.KS>. The agreement is to be announced at the auto show in the U.S. auto capital of Detroit by U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and top auto executives, sources told Reuters. In a letter last week to the NHTSA seen by Reuters, the group of 16 automakers said industry support of an agreement "reaffirms our shared commitment to safety, and signals to the public the areas in which government and industry intend to collaborate to further improve automotive safety." Automakers met with the NHTSA in Chicago on Dec. 16 and since then exchanged proposed "Principles for Working Collaboratively to Enhance Motor Vehicle and Traffic Safety." In recent days, NHTSA and automakers have continued to propose revisions, including discussions about government-industry working groups, according to auto industry officials who spoke to Reuters at the Detroit show. The talks come after NHTSA came under intense criticism in 2014 for failing to detect ignition switch defects in 2.6 million older GM cars linked to at least 124 deaths. Since then, NHTSA has been more aggressive in handing out fines and demanding outside monitors oversee automaker safety compliance. NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said on Monday in an interview on the sidelines of the Detroit show that the agency cannot make vehicles safe simply by imposing new regulations and handing down fines. He said he hoped a deal would be announced Friday. "We're going to have to find new tools - that means new collaborations, new partnerships," Rosekind said. But the voluntary agreement will not be enforceable - and is not as tough as what some safety advocates have called for. With only a year remaining in the Obama administration, there is a shrinking window to complete new legally binding auto safety rules. Sean Kane, president of Massachusetts-based Safety Research & Strategies Inc and an auto safety advocate, praised NHTSA "for having a dialogue" with automakers and prodding them to do more on safety "and be strong on enforcement." Kane raised concerns about a voluntary agreement that is not legally enforceable. "It also eliminates input from outside parties" like safety advocates and consumers, Kane said, "and that is a little troubling." Foxx met with top executives from major automakers on Dec. 1 in Washington. A spokeswoman for Foxx said there have since then been "productive discussions with auto manufacturers toward agreement on steps to bolster safety." Foxx "is hopeful that they will soon result in concrete commitments that lead to significant safety improvements that will strengthen public confidence," said his spokeswoman. Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said on Monday he agreed with the NHTSA that the auto industry needs more collaboration with regulators. He said he wanted the industry to "get to a stage where safety is no longer a competitive edge used by one automaker against another." (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Bill Rigby and Lisa Shumaker) By David Shepardson (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co unveiled on Tuesday a new luxury flagship full-size Continental sedan aimed at Chinese and American consumers. "We're not trying to out-German the Germans or try to be like anyone else," Ford Chief Executive Mark Fields told reporters at the Detroit auto show, declining to forecast sales volume for the revival of the Continental, a model that was discontinued in 2002. Ford's U.S. luxury sales have lagged those of foreign competitors including BMW AG and Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz unit. Until the 1990s, Lincoln along with General Motors Co's Cadillac were far and away the U.S. luxury sales leaders. Fields said Ford has made "meaningful progress and significant momentum" in reviving the Lincoln brand. Ford showed a concept version of the Continental last April. The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker considered shuttering Lincoln in 2010, when it announced it would kill its Mercury brand. But Fields has made turning around Lincoln a key priority. In 2014, Ford said it hoped to triple Lincoln's global sales by 2020 to 300,000 vehicles globally, from 100,000 in 2013. Lincoln's U.S. sales rose 7.1 percent last year to 101,227, the first time since 2008 they topped 100,000. Still that's about half the luxury automaker's record U.S. sales of more than 200,000 in 1990. Ford sold about 11,000 Lincoln vehicles in China last year, which was its first full year on sale in China. To attract more Chinese buyers, many who have drivers, Lincoln is offering Continental versions with enhanced backseat comfort and features including greater connectivity. The new Continental will be built in Flat Rock, Michigan, and goes on sale in the fall in both China and the United States. The new car is slightly smaller and lower than the flagship it replaces, the MKS. It is about a foot lower in the rear than the MKS. There some 1.7 million large luxury sedans sold in 2015, and that will grow to about 1.9 million by 2020, said Eric Turner, U.S. Lincoln brand manger, primarily fueled by growth in China. About 400,000 large luxury sedans were sold in the U.S. market. (Additional reporting by Bernie Woodall; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli) Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is consolidating its Virginia and Pocahontas divisions to form the new Pocahontas Division, with headquarters in Roanoke, Va., effective Feb. 1. The consolidation is part of the company's ongoing drive to enhance operating efficiencies and support long-term growth. This announcement follows other recent strategic initiatives, including the reduction from three corporate office locations to two, restructuring of the Triple Crown Services subsidiary, and integration of the D&H South Line to increase options for shippers. In a related move, Norfolk Southern is changing traffic patterns and idling parts of its "West Virginia Secondary," a 253-mile line between Columbus, Ohio, and central West Virginia that has experienced steady declines in business in recent years. This follows the idling of a 33-mile mainline between Elmore and Princeton, W.Va., in September 2015. The new Pocahontas Division will comprise 2,581 route miles, mainly in Virginia and West Virginia, extending from the Port of Virginia to Portsmouth, Ohio, and from Bristol, Va., to Hagerstown, Md. "Creation of the new Pocahontas Division supports the railroad's strategic plan to deliver cost-efficient and superior service while building a stronger enterprise," said Mike Wheeler, senior vice president operations. "Consolidating the two divisions enables us to streamline operations and focus resources on high-return growth opportunities." Combining the divisions will improve service by placing most of the company's coal routes under the operating authority of a single division. Additionally, the move further consolidates operational control over the company's Heartland Corridor, a double-stack intermodal route through Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio. Roanoke, which will serve as headquarters of the new Pocahontas Division, currently is headquarters of the Virginia Division. The new division will be led by Superintendent Charles M. "Mike" Irvin, a 33-year employee with wide experience managing several different divisions for the railroad. In Roanoke, Norfolk Southern currently operates a local switching yard, locomotive and rail car maintenance and overhaul facilities, and a material yard that supports track maintenance gangs systemwide. The consolidation will affect management and office staff positions now based in Bluefield, W.Va., currently the Pocahontas Division headquarters. Those employees will have an opportunity to relocate to Roanoke or apply for other positions at the company. With the consolidation, Norfolk Southern will operate 10 divisions across its network. The company will continue to operate its rail yard in Bluefield. Trains moving Appalachian coal comprise most of the business handled there, and yard traffic has declined as coal volumes moved by the railroad have dropped over the past five years. Currently, about 130 people work in operations departments at the yard, including in transportation, engineering, and mechanical. "Coal mined from the Appalachian Basin has long served as a vital, low-cost source of energy to power America, and Norfolk Southern remains committed to providing top-notch service to our valuable coal customers," Wheeler said. "At the same time, the railroad is nimble and adapts to changing market conditions. Our strategic plan positions us to meet the needs of current customers while creating efficiencies and focusing resources on infrastructure and markets that support continued growth." For example, Wheeler noted that the Heartland Corridor, opened in 2010 as part of a public-private partnership among Norfolk Southern, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, and the federal government, created the shortest, most efficient, and environmentally friendly route to transport intermodal freight between the Port of Virginia and Midwest consumer markets. This year, Norfolk Southern trains will begin serving the new Heartland Intermodal Gateway in Prichard, W.Va., the state's first intermodal facility, which was developed through the corridor partnership. "The Heartland Corridor opens global trade markets for West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio businesses, creates opportunities for jobs and economic expansion, and supports the railroad's efforts to shift freight from highway to rail," Wheeler said. "The Heartland Corridor is a vital part of the U.S. transportation network. As we help communities and businesses compete in the global marketplace, we are building a stronger future for Norfolk Southern and our shareholders." In Virginia and West Virginia, Norfolk Southern in 2014 employed 5,690 people and funded a payroll of $450 million, invested $235 million in track and facilities, and spent $278 million in purchases and payments with suppliers and local businesses. Orange (NYSE: ORAN) announced it has entered into a firm agreement with Cellcom Telecommunications Limited to acquire, through its subsidiary Orange Cote dIvoire, 100% of Cellcoms Liberia subsidiary, the leading mobile operator[1] in Liberia, with the strongest market commercial momentum. Orange will provide its marketing expertise and world-class technical capability to further strengthen the network operator, enhance services to consumers and contribute to the economic growth of Liberia. Cellcoms founders and employees will remain involved in the business to ensure a smooth integration, support performance and continue long-standing relations with the Government of Liberia. This acquisition is part of the international development strategy of Orange, which aims to accelerate its growth by entering new emerging markets with high potential. This will enable Orange to strengthen its positions in Africa, which is a strategic priority for the Group. Liberia is a country of over 4.3 million inhabitants, with a mobile penetration rate of 66%, lower than in many neighbouring countries. With a national mobile license and its significant market share in the country in number of subscribers, Cellcom has excellent potential for growth over the coming years. The completion of the transaction remains subject to approval by the competent authorities. The Vitamin Shoppe along with Grupo Unipharm, is pleased to announce the opening of the first three Vitamin Shoppe franchise stores in the Republic of Guatemala. The Vitamin Shoppe's franchise partner, Grupo Unipharm, was founded in Switzerland over 50 years ago. The company is a multi-national pharmaceutical laboratory based in Europe with deep roots in Latin America, distributing pharmaceutical products in more 10 countries throughout the region. The franchise agreement between the companies calls for the opening of 15 Vitamin Shoppe stores over the next ten years. Mike Erichsen, Chief Executive Officer of Grupo Unipharm, commented, "We are very excited to be partnering with the Vitamin Shoppe, a leading health and wellness retailer with over 700 stores in the United States, to bring nutritional products including; vitamins, minerals and supplement to Guatemala. The country has a young and fast growing population making this an ideal time to open stores. As the country continues to grow, we will be there to meet their health and wellness needs." On January 12, 2016 the Vitamin Shoppe and Unipharm celebrated the grand opening of 3 stores in Guatemala City, the country's capital and largest city. The stores, which are sited in both strip malls and stand-alone locations, offer Guatemalan consumers a curated selection of Vitamin Shoppe brand and other leading third-party brand products. Additionally, the stores go beyond just selling products and include a nutrition room, and an exercise room where instructor-led classes can be held. Further commenting on the new stores, Musab Balbale, Vice President, International and Business Development for the Vitamin Shoppe stated, "We are delighted to continue expanding the Vitamin Shoppe brand internationally through franchising stores and working with partners such as Unipharm." WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a Statement of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association Founders Affiliate, American Lung Association in New Jersey and Global Advisors on Smokefree Policy (New Jersey GASP): "The New Jersey Legislature has taken bold action to protect young people from tobacco addiction and save lives by voting to raise the minimum age of sale for tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, to 21. We urge Gov. Christie to sign this legislation and seize this opportunity to protect children, improve health, and save lives and health care dollars in New Jersey. By doing so, he can set a great example for the nation and provide critical leadership in fighting tobacco use, the nation's No. 1 cause of preventable death. Gov. Christie has spoken eloquently about addiction and his mother's battle with lung cancer following decades of cigarette smoking, which she started when she was just 16. By signing this bill, Gov. Christie can help prevent young people from becoming addicted to tobacco and starting down a path that so often leads to serious diseases and premature death. Despite enormous progress in reducing tobacco use, it still kills over 480,000 people and costs $170 billion in health care expenses nationwide each year including more than 11,500 deaths and $4 billion in health care bills in New Jersey alone. More than 5,000 New Jersey kids become daily smokers every year, and one-third of them will die prematurely as a result. Increasing the tobacco age to 21 is another tool to reduce tobacco use among youth and young adults age groups when nearly all tobacco use begins and that are heavily targeted by the tobacco industry. Nationally, we know that 95 percent of adult smokers began smoking before they turned 21. If we can get young people to age 21 as non-smokers, they almost certainly never will become smokers. Raising the age of sale to 21 will also help keep tobacco out of high schools, where younger teens often obtain tobacco products from older students. With a minimum age of 21 for selling tobacco, purchasers of tobacco products who are over 21 are less likely to be in the same social networks as high school students. The tobacco industry knows youth and young adults are susceptible to nicotine addiction and heavily targets these age groups, spending $9.6 billion each year more than $1 million every hour to market its deadly products. In New Jersey alone, tobacco companies spend more than $185 million every year. A March 2015 report by the prestigious Institute of Medicine concluded that raising the tobacco age to 21 would significantly reduce smoking among youth and young adults; reduce smoking-caused deaths; and immediately improve the health of youth, young adults and young mothers who would be dissuaded from smoking. Specifically, the report predicts that raising the minimum age for the sale of tobacco products to 21 will, over time, reduce the smoking rate by about 12 percent and smoking-related deaths by 10 percent, which translates into 223,000 fewer premature deaths, 50,000 fewer deaths from lung cancer, and 4.2 million fewer years of life lost. We urge Gov. Christie to sign this legislation to protect New Jersey's children and young adults and save lives." Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080918/CFTFKLOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leading-health-groups-urge-gov-christie-to-sign-bill-raising-tobacco-sales-age-to-21--it-will-protect-kids-and-save-lives-300202676.html SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Asahi Breweries' new beer product Asahi Super Dry Premium (L), and reissued beers Asahi Super Dry (R) and Asahi Super Dry Dry Black are seen in front of its president Akiyoshi Koji during their unveiling in Tokyo December 12, 2013. REUTERS/Yuya Shino By Ritsuko Shimizu TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Asahi Group Holdings <2502.T> is considering acquiring Grolsch and Peroni, two beer brands owned by SABMiller PLC (NYSE: SAB), to secure growth beyond a saturated and ageing home market, a source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Known for its Super Dry beer, Asahi is Japan's biggest brewer with 38 percent market share but it is not widely sold overseas, where the planned merger of SABMiller and Anheuser-Busch InBev is set to create a globally dominant player. Grabbing premium foreign brands discarded in the AB InBev-SABMiller merger would give Asahi access to growth outside Japan, which has seen two decades of declining beer sales due to a shrinking population and the growing popularity of wine. "The two brands have a high presence in developed markets, and there's very little risk that financial results will deteriorate following a deal," Nomura Securities analyst Satoshi Fujiwara said. "If they can use the sales channels of the two brands to expand distribution of its Super Dry beers, which have done well in international beer competitions, then we should also be able to see some synergies as well." Asahi's earnings growth would be limited to about 2 percent to 3 percent a year without any deals, Fujiwara said. The source, who was familiar with the ongoing negotiations, declined to comment on the deal price and requested anonymity because the bid was not yet finalised. The Yomiuri daily on Saturday reported the deal could cost 400 billion yen ($3.4 billion) and would be the biggest overseas beverage acquisition by a Japanese company, topping Kirin Holdings Co Ltd's <2503.T> $3.3 billion takeover of Australia's Lion Nathan in 2009. Anheuser Busch InBev, which agreed to buy SABMiller for $100 billion plus, has been seeking potential bidders to buy Grolsch and Peroni, sources close to the process told Reuters last month. Peroni and Grolsch are small, premium brands and AB InBev wants to avoid getting bogged down in regulatory scrutiny over a European portfolio that already includes Corona and Stella Artois, the sources said. Shares in Asahi fell about 2.7 percent by 0445 GMT (2345 ET), broadly in line with a 2.3 percent decline in the broader market . (Story refiled to correct byline) (Reporting by Ritsuko Shimizu; Additional reporting by Joshua Hunt and Taiga Uranaka; Editing by Stephen Coates) BANGUI (Reuters) - Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels killed a villager and abducted dozens of others during two weekend raids in a remote diamond-producing area of Central African Republic, local residents and officials said on Tuesday. The incidents represent the largest kidnapping by the Ugandan rebel group - headed by notorious warlord Joseph Kony - in recent months in the former French colony, which is also reeling from years of inter-religious bloodshed. The LRA, known for massacring and mutilating civilians as well as abducting children to serve as fighters and sex slaves, raided a mine near the village of Diya, around 600 km (370 miles) east of the capital Bangui, on Saturday. "In the first abduction, they kidnapped 10 people. Six were freed. The others are still with them. In the second abduction, around 20 people were taken and are still with the attackers," said local government official Herve Omere Fei-Omona. He said one person was also killed and a vehicle was burned during the attacks. News of the kidnappings emerged on Tuesday due to the raids' isolated location and Central African Republic's poor communications infrastructure, made worse by violence between Muslims and Christians that has split the former French colony. Local residents said the gunmen wore uniforms and did not speak French or the national language, Sango. "Those kidnapped went to sell their products at the market in Diya and were kidnapped in order to carry what the LRA had looted in the village," said local humanitarian worker Gaston Gazale. After a military crackdown by Kampala, the LRA left Uganda about a decade ago and its fighters have roamed across lawless parts of Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Central African Republic ever since. The United States has backed Ugandan-led regional military efforts to defeat the rebels, who are now believed to number just several hundred battle-tested fighters in addition to Kony and other leaders wanted by the International Criminal Court. However, despite some progress, notably the surrender of senior commander Dominic Ongwen last year, the LRA continues its attacks on civilians. (Reporting by Crispin Dembassa-Kette; Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Mark Heinrich) (Reuters) - A white 19-year-old Missouri man on Monday pleaded guilty to a felony charge of making terrorist threats to shoot black people on the campus of a state university, his attorney and prosecutors said. Conner Stottlemyre, one of three Missouri men arrested in November on charges of making threats on social media about shooting people on college campuses, pleaded guilty under a deal with the Nodaway County prosecuting attorney. He will serve 30 days in jail and then be on probation for five years, said his attorney, Robert Sundell, and Nodaway County Prosecuting Attorney Robert Rice. Stottlemyre was arrested by campus police at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, where he is a student, for threatening violence on that campus. He was arrested days after the president of the University of Missouri resigned amid protests over his handling of reports of racial abuse on campus. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 22 at which the judge will decide whether to accept the plea deal, Sundell and Rice said. In the interim, Stottlemyre, who appeared in Nodaway County Circuit Court in Maryville, remains free on $10,000 bond. Rice said the deal was fair, given Stottlemyre had no prior criminal record and was a good student. "It's a stiff punishment," Rice said. "What I believe was, in this situation, he got together with some buddies and on a dare made comments that I'm pretty sure he's wishing he could take back. He didn't ever intend to actually do anything, but unfortunately when you make comments on a public forum like that there are going to be consequences." No felony conviction will appear on Stottlemyre's record if he successfully completes the probation, said Sundell, who declined to make a statement for the teenager. Stottlemyre, of Blue Springs, Missouri, was charged with one felony and one misdemeanor for allegedly making threats against blacks using the social media messaging app Yik Yak. The misdemeanor charge was dropped under the plea deal, Rice said. According to a criminal complaint, Stottlemyre posted a threat saying: "I'm gonna shoot any black ppl tomorrow so be ready," and "I love evil, I can't wait for Northwest to make the news tomorrow." Under the plea deal, Stottlemyre also cannot set foot on any campus of Northwest Missouri State or enter Nodaway County, Rice said. (Reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit; Editing by Andrew Hay and Dan Grebler) (This January 8 story corrects wording in fourth paragraph about source) By Benjamin Kang Lim and Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea is seeking a peace treaty with the United States, China and South Korea to formally end the Korean War and will not stop its nuclear tests until it gets one, a person who relayed that message from North Korea to China told Reuters. North Korea announced on Wednesday it carried out its fourth nuclear test since 2006, drawing threats of more sanctions, although United States and weapons experts doubted Pyongyang's claim that the device was a hydrogen bomb. The test has again raised questions among world powers about what can be done to stop the North's nuclear weapons program. The source, who has contacts in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang and provided exclusive details about the preparations for the first nuclear test in 2006, said the tests would go on until the North's demand for a treaty was met. "North Korea will do it to the end until China and the United States want to sign a peace treaty," said the source, who declined to be identified. The 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, signed by the United States, representing U.N. forces, the North Korean military and the Chinese army. Now North Korea wants those three sides and South Korea to sign a treaty. "This explosion is mainly for the United States to see. The main objective is to persuade the United States to enter into four-country negotiations to end the war so that there can be everlasting peace on the Korean peninsula," the source said. North Korea has repeatedly said it wants a peace treaty to formally end the war, which it says will give it the security it needs, given what it sees as a hostile United States intent on "regime change" in Pyongyang. The United States and China have both dangled the prospect of better ties, including the lifting of sanctions and eventually a likely peace treaty, if North Korea gives up its nuclear weapons. But North Korea believes the United States will only negotiate if Pyongyang can demonstrate its strength through its weapons. With its demand for a treaty ignored, North Korea has continued to develop its nuclear weapons and a stalemate has ensued. 'STRATEGIC MISTAKE' The source said he had relayed the message from North Korea to China's top leadership immediately after its latest test, urging China to support a push for a treaty. "China should not follow the United States," the source said, referring to the U.S. demand that North Korea give up its nuclear program before any negotiations. "Not mentioning a peace treaty is a strategic mistake." China is the reclusive North's main economic and diplomatic backer, and the two fought side-by-side during the Korean War. Despite their old friendship, China opposes the North's nuclear program and has supported sweeping U.N. sanctions on North Korea for its weapons development. But China has been reluctant to take tougher action, such as completely shutting their shared border, fearful North Korea could collapse in chaos. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, asked on Friday what China's position was on the need for a peace treaty, said China supported resolving all parties "reasonable concerns" and achieving lasting peace through the so-called six party talks. In 2005, North Korea reached an agreement with the United States, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia to suspend its nuclear program in return for diplomatic rewards and energy assistance. Negotiations collapsed after the last round of talks in 2008, with North Korea declaring the deal void after refusing inspections to verify compliance. Pressure is growing on China to do more. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday he had made clear in a phone call with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that China's approach to North Korea has not succeeded. "Today, in my conversation with the Chinese, I made it very clear that has not worked and we cannot continue business as usual," Kerry said. Chinese spokeswoman Hua said in response that the origin of the nuclear issue did not lie with China. "The key to resolving the issue is also not on China," she said. The source with contacts in Pyongyang said North Korea was already largely cut off from the world after decades of sanctions, and more would not work. "North Korea is used to sanctions and not afraid," the source said, adding that the latest test pointed to advances in its weapons. "The (TNT) equivalent of this explosion was not big, pollution was very small. This demonstrates the technological level is high. It is even easier to make it bigger," the source said. (Additional reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Robert Birsel) Incoming Catalan President Carles Puigdemont delivers a speech during the investiture session at the Catalunya Parliament in Barcelona, Spain, January 10, 2016. REUTERS/Albert Gea By Angus Berwick MADRID (Reuters) - Catalonia's parliament swore in a new separatist leader on Sunday evening, putting the pro-independence movement's commitment to break with Spain over the next 18 months back on track after a long political deadlock. The 11th hour decision played into a fraught national political scene since an inconclusive election last month in which Spain's ruling People's Party won the most seats but lost its parliamentary majority. The country has been in stalemate since then. After months of tense negotiations between Catalan parties over a leader who could unite the pro-independence movement, Carles Puigdemont, mayor of Girona, replaced Artur Mas as head of a majority separatist Catalan parliament, which will now restart the push for a unilateral split with Spain. Catalonia's parties had until Monday to agree on a new leader or new regional elections would have had to be called. Under the separatists' 18-month "roadmap," Catalan authorities will approve their own constitution and begin building institutions necessary for an independent state such as an army, central bank and judicial system. "We begin an extremely important process, unparalleled in our recent history, to create the Catalonia that we want, to collectively build a new country," Puigdemont told the Catalan parliament. He said Catalonia would need to negotiate with the Spanish state, the European Union and the international community to achieve such a goal. His plan faces fierce opposition from Spain's central government under the People's Party, which refused to allow a referendum in Catalonia in 2014, arguing it would contravene Spain's constitution. Acting Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Sunday he would block any unilateral move from the new Catalan government and had instructed all government officials to enforce the law. "I will defend and preserve democracy all over Spain. I will defend the sovereignty of the Spanish people," he told a news conference. Rajoy said he had received the backing of Socialist party leader Pedro Sanchez and newcomer centrist party Ciudadanos' leader Albert Rivera, having spoken to both that afternoon. The resurgence of a unified independence movement increases pressure on Rajoy and his Socialist rivals to bury their differences and form a German-style "grand coalition" in Madrid to thwart the Catalan parties. A senior PP official said on Sunday a coalition would be the best response to the separatist challenge. "We should reach an agreement amongst us all to form the broadest government possible of the main parties - the People's Party, the Socialists, and also, logically, Ciudadanos," Fernando Martinez Maillo told a news conference. Spain's Constitutional Court struck down a resolution for independence by the Catalan regional assembly in November. Opposition groups also point to polls that show a majority of people in Catalonia, a northeastern region of 7.5 million people with its own distinct language, say they want to remain part of Spain but with greater autonomy on issues such as tax. "CHASE OUT THE INVADERS" The agreement between Junts pel Si (Together for Yes), a coalition of the center-right CDC party and leftist ERC, and the anti-capitalist minority partner CUP gives the separatist bloc a slim majority in the 135-seat Catalan parliament. On top of Junts pel Si's 62 seats, the CUP will add two seats of its own and its other eight delegates agreed to not oppose the government on issues of independence. Two of the eight CUP delegates abstained in the vote for Puigdemont. CUP had opposed Mas's bid for another term due to deep differences over such issues as an independent Catalonia's membership of NATO and the European Union. Puigdemont, a conservative mayor of the Catalan city of Girona, is cut from the same cloth as Mas. In a swipe at the central government in Madrid, newspaper El Pais quoted him saying he wants to "chase the invaders out of Catalonia". Antonio Barroso, an analyst at Teneo Intelligence, said Mas's departure would lead to a radicalization of the pro-independence movement given Puigdemont's attachment to a more separatist strand of the CDC party. Meanwhile, the national political parties are maneuvering for position, with a variety of coalitions possible. Some analysts also see a new national election as inevitable. The Socialists' Sanchez, whose party came second in the election, has said he would prefer a coalition of the left. But the situation is complicated by the fact that the left-wing Podemos party has said it supports a referendum on Catalan independence, which the Socialists reject. (This version of the story has been refiled to add missing word 'a' before 'long political deadlock' in first paragraph) (Additional reporting by Robert Hetz and Julien Toyer; Editing by Tom Heneghan) One of the world's most prestigious airlines could soon be landing in Wellington, with Singapore Airlines expected to launch a new jumbo service between the trans-Tasman capital cities. After months of negotiations, the airline is expected to announce a new Airbus A330 service between Canberra and Wellington on January 20, tied to a new Canberra-Singapore service. Wellington Airport, the Wellington City Council and Singapore Airlines all declined to confirm the new route on Tuesday, after news broke across the Tasman. FAIRFAX Like its capital counterpart Wellington, Canberra is Australia's home of government and culture. "I'm aware of the media reports but at this stage its speculation and there's nothing new to say," Wellington deputy mayor Justin Lester said. READ MORE: Wellington Airport's runway extension could pump $2b into the economy "We are regularly talking to airlines. We are interested in improving connectivity to Wellington and would welcome any future initiative, should it eventuate." The wide-body aircraft is expected to fly to Wellington four times a week, adding more than 1000 seats a week across the Tasman and on to Asia. It will be the first direct scheduled service between Canberra and any New Zealand city, with the Australian capital's residents currently required to travel to Sydney or Melbourne to cross the Tasman. This raises the prospect that Aucklanders wanting to travel to Canberra may start choosing to fly via Wellington, rather than transferring from the international to domestic terminals in Sydney. Direct flights would also open up an attractive new tourism market. With a population of less than 400,000, Canberra is much smaller than Sydney and Melbourne, but its residents are the best paid in Australia. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the average earnings in ACT in May 2015 were A$88,764 (NZ$94,462) a year, A$11,000 more than the national average. The new route is likely to bolster supporters of a plan to extend Wellington Airport's runway, as a sign of international demand to land in the capital. Shareholders in the airport, Infratil and the Wellington City Council, have indicated that the $300 million project to extend the runway by 354 metres would need cash from central government for it to go ahead. Air New Zealand, which has a code-sharing agreement with Singapore Airlines, is expected to support the new route, but opposes the extension of the airport. The Board of Airline Representatives New Zealand, which represents 21 airlines that operate in this country, including Singapore Airlines, has also expressed concerns about the viability of extending Wellington Airport's runway. Executive director John Beckett said the fact that flying an Airbus A330 into and out of Wellington was being talked about showed other international routes were possible, without the expense of extending the runway. Aviation commentator Peter Clark said some would see the move as proof that airlines were interested in flying long-haul to Wellington should the runway be extended, but it was worth keeping things in perspective. "This is still only a trans-tasman flight," he said. "I don't think we'll be seeing a rush of airlines into Wellington." It would be interesting to see what incentives Wellington Airport had offered Singapore Airlines, and how high ticket prices would have to be to justify the route. FIVE REASONS TO VISIT CANBERRA 1. The Australian War Memorial: It chronicles the involvement of Australia's troops in war, from the colonial period to the present. Ranked second on Trip Advisor's 2015 Top 10 Australian landmarks. 2. Parliament House: See Australian democracy in action, or simply check on who the latest prime minister is. 3. Art galleries: Dotted across the city, including the National Gallery of Australia and the National Portrait Gallery. 4. The Deep Space Communication Complex: The nearby Tidbinbilla valley is dominated by giant antenna dishes that communicate with spacecraft exploring planets hundreds of millions of kilometres away. 5. Foliage: Canberra is home to the National Arboretum, devoted to growing trees for conservation, scientific research and educational purposes. It features 48,000 trees. Aquaculture sites such as this New Zealand King Salmon farm won't be affected by the Government's plan for a Marlborough Sounds recreational fishing park. Commercial fishing interests are united in questioning the Marlborough Sounds recreational fishing park proposal the Government has released. The plan to close all of the Sounds to commercial fin-fishing, announced on Tuesday, does not affect the aquaculture industry. Commercially-fished scallops, paua and crayfish have also been left out. But industry sources say the small fishermen catching blue cod, snapper, flatfish and other species will suffer, along with small-scale processors. Seafood New Zealand, the Southern Inshore Finfish Management Co and Nelson-based Solander Group have joined the Port Nelson Fishermen's Association in opposing parts of the plan. READ MORE: * Marlborough fisherman to fight Govt plans * Commercial fishing banned in Hauraki Gulf * Sounds quota cut brings mixed reactions * Sounds group wants to work with Government to solve seabed issues * Govt awards oil permits near Marlborough Sounds Environment Minister and Nelson MP Nick Smith said this was to be expected and that all views would be listened to in the consultation period. Seafood NZ chief executive Tim Pankhurst said the industry supported effective marine conservation but the Government's purpose needed to be clear. "If it is to control who takes what from where and at what time, it is time to address accurate reporting on the size of the recreational catch. That must include charter operators who run fishing businesses and catch considerable amounts, yet operate largely unsupervised." Pankhurst said compensation to affected quota-holders and commercial operators had to be "fair and equitable" while effective recreational management was needed. "Not everyone has a boat, or goes fishing. Seafood lovers and seafood businesses, from top restaurants to fish 'n chip shops, want security of supply and that comes from the commercial sector, which also provides significant employment and domestic and export earnings," he said. Solander director Paul Hufflett said the majority of quota was owned by big companies and iwi, who would be compensated, but "not 1 cent" of the $20 million the Government had allocated would go to the small operators with no quota, including Maori, or small processors such as Solander. The group had recently invested "heavily" in a seafood processing factory in Richmond which employed up to 30 people and processed finfish from the Sounds as part of its output. "Nick Smith continues to single-handedly undermine confidence in investment within the seafood sector. He seems to have forgotten he is the MP for Nelson," Hufflett said. Nelson-based Southern Inshore Fisheries Management Co chief executive Carol Scott said she wanted to know how recreational fishing would be managed. To close the Sounds for use by one sector that didn't offer a lot of catch reporting was "a bit hard for us", she said, especially when the commercial catch was fully reported down to the last kilo. "It's quite an important blue cod fishery. It will be interesting to see what the price of blue cod - everyone's favourite fish 'n chips - will do if we're kicked out of there, as we will be. "We need to be all working towards what the best management measures are and I think just closing out one sector is not going to do that." It wasn't commercial fishing that was having the impact on the blue cod in the Sounds, Scott said, and increased tourist fishing could work against sustainability. Quota owners would be compensated, not the crews on the water actually doing the work, she said. "Why do we need the recreational park when we've actually been fishing together for so many years? Where is the conflict in the Sounds? It's invented." Smith said the record showed that the vast bulk of recreational fishing in the Sounds was for species like blue cod. "I acknowledge there's controversy on scallops. The Government is putting a discussion document out to give people the opportunity to have a say. "It's inevitable that the commercial fishermen are going to say that this goes too far, that the recreational fishers would like us to go further. I see it as a constructive middle step forward." Forest & Bird is accusing the Government of failing to protect New Zealand's exclusive economic zone in its plan but Smith said the proposed Kermadec Ocean sanctuary would be the largest no-take zone in the world, amounting to 15 per cent of the EEZ. "We're not ruling out further marine protected areas in the EEZ, but we think the best way to advance those would be as we are doing with the Kermadecs, by special legislation." Earlier on Tuesday Port Nelson Fishermen's Association president Mathew Hardyment predicted that at least one small Sounds fishing company would go out of business and a number of fishermen, including iwi members, would lose their jobs. Buttercup yellow for Prince William's Knight of the Thistle ceremony. At a garden party for the Queen's jubilee. At a charity reception in London in 2013. Here are five our our favourite Emilia Wickstead looks on Kate Middleton: Bringing out the blue for a day out in Dunedin. A designer favoured by one of the most photographed women in the world is returning to New Zealand to show at iD Dunedin Fashion Week. Emilia Wickstead is a go-to designer for Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, and the New Zealand-born designer will be showing pieces from her previous Autumn/Winter collection, and several pieces worn by celebrities. Wickstead was born in Auckland and moved to Milan at the age of 14. SUPPLIED Kiwi designer Emilia Wickstead. After graduating from London's Central Saint Martins she worked at fashion houses Giorgio Armani, Proenza Schouler, Narciso Rodriguez and Vogue in New York and Milan. READ MORE: * Samantha Cameron wearing Kiwi designer * Poppy Delevingne wearing Emilia Wickstead 1 of 6 GETTY If it's good enough for royalty, it's good enough for celebrities too. Here are some stars sporting Emilia Wickstead, starting with Olivia Palermo. 2 of 6 GETTY Elizabeth Banks. 3 of 6 GETTY Alexa Chung. 4 of 6 GETTY Jena Malone. 5 of 6 GETTY Poppy Delevingne. 6 of 6 GETTY Claudia Schiffer. She started her label, which began as a made-to measure business, in 2008. Her clothes have been worn by celebrities such as Alexa Chung, Poppy Delevingne, and Samantha Cameron, with her most famous client being the Duchess of Cambridge. The royal mum-of-two wore Emilia Wickstead garments during her New Zealand tour in 2014. Supplied Models wear Emilia Wickstead designs Wickstead joins other fashion luminaries to show at the event, including Zandra Rhodes, Stephen Jones, Akira Isogawa, Lutz Huelle, Martin Grant and last year's Queen of Vintage, Doris Raymond. She will also join the high profile judging panel for the iD International Emerging Designer Awards. iD Dunedin Fashion Week chair, Cherry Lucas, said" "Emilia Wickstead's chic and elegant designs have created an international following and we're delighted to have her back in her home country showing at iD. "From her very latest pieces from London Fashion Week to couture garments worn on the world's red carpets, iD audiences will enjoy a spectacular fashion experience." Tickets go on sale from Monday January 18 for all iD's major catwalk shows the iD International Emerging Designer Awards on Thursday 17 March and the iD Fashion Show on Friday 18 March and Saturday 19 March. Clark Boustridge, who married Sally Coleman in March, died after falling from a building in London in December. The couple is pictured on their wedding day with his mother Kay, sister Lauren and father Ian Boustridge. A 30-year-old New Zealander who died in a tragic fall in London has been farewelled in his hometown of Greymouth. Clark Boustridge, the son of a prominent West Coast jade sculptor Ian Boustridge, was with friends when he slipped and fell from a building on December 12. A service was held in Greymouth on Monday. More than 100 friends and family, including his wife, Sally Coleman, filled the Holy Trinity Anglican Church. The 30-year-old was working as a chartered financial analyst when he died in London. Boustridge or Ray as he was known married Sally Coleman in New Zealand in March last year. READ MORE: Kiwi dies in fall in London Archdeacon Robin Kingston said at the service Boustridge died in a tragic accident. "It was a slip and a trip but we are not going to focus on this death. In his 30 years he filled his life with all sorts of activities. He filled it with study, adventure and travel," he said. Ian Boustridge said the family nearly lost Clark when his mother Kay slipped down some stairs when she was three months pregnant. "Kay, as an emergency nurse at Grey Base Hospital, has saved many people's lives. She was in Christchurch emergency department at the time of the Christchurch earthquake and attended to two survivors of Pike River. "In her darkest moments, she has said, 'I could not save him'," he said. Ian Boustridge said Clark was a gifted scholar and athlete. He was educated at Grey Main School, Christ's College, in Christchurch, and Otago University where he gained a Bachelor of Commerce and a post graduate in finance. He met Sally Coleman when he worked at ANZ in Auckland. "Sally loved him deeply and made him so happy. We had never seen him so happy than when he was with her. They moved to London to pursue their dreams," he said. He thanked the West Coast community for its support. "We have been humbled and nourished by your love," he said. Sally Coleman's brother, Sam, also gave a tribute to Boustridge at the service. A letter was read out from his colleague at Lloyd's Bank in London remembering him as a person of quick wit and sharp intelligence. A man is dead after in incident on Thames St in Oamaru. The man struck and killed by an "out of control" car in Oamaru was Gerald James Cowley, 67, of Waikouaiti. Police are still investigating the cause of the crash, which killed Cowley and injured five other people on Monday morning. A teenage girl who was struck by the car could only stand and watch as Cowley died in front of her. LEE JAMIESON/STUFF The car mounted the kerb at the corner of Eden St and Thames St on January 11. Courtney Cunningham, 13, was one of three pedestrians injured after a vehicle driven by an elderly man mounted a kerb at speed and crashed into them, and then two cars, outside the Lagonda Milk Bar about 11.30am on Monday. The teen had just crossed the road with her sister when she saw the car heading towards them. "He was swerving all over the road, then he came up onto the footpath. "We didn't have time to move." She believed the vehicle was "out of control" and travelling at up to 100kmh when he hit the kerb. The car ran over her foot, leaving her with swelling and bruises. She was taken to hospital for treatment before being released on Monday afternoon. Cowley died and five others were injured, including the drivers of the two vehicles that were struck. "He died right in front of our eyes." The incident had left her "shocked and traumatised". "There was a lot of screaming, people just started running out of the shops to help." The driver of the car was conscious, but was bleeding from his head and had injured his arm, Cunningham said. MAN KILLED 'NOT A LOCAL' Two people remained in hospital following the deadly car crash. Sergeant Craig Sew Hoy said Cowley and the two injured pedestrians did not know each other, he said. A 70-year-old woman, who was a pedestrian on the footpath and suffered multiple injuries, remained in Dunedin Hospital on Tuesday morning. The driver of one of the vehicles was still in Oamaru Hospital. Sew Hoy said three people, including the other two drivers involved in the crash were treated and released from Oamaru Hospital on Monday. The family of the dead man were expected to formally identify him on Tuesday, Sew Hoy said. READ MORE: Man killed in crash "We just want to thank everybody that assisted at the scene," he said. "It was quite chaotic for the town, and the people involved." Christchurch man Nigel Newman was on the footpath at the time of the crash and said the driver of the out-of-control car, a green Honda Jazz, had left the public toilets on Eden St and pulled out of his car park smoothly before losing control. "He was motoring. He was doing well and truly more than the speed limit when he went up onto the kerb," Newman said. "He hit a bakery sign and an elderly woman first and then an elderly man. They just went flying. "There was nowhere for them to go, it all happened so quickly." Newman, who was on a day-trip to Oamaru with his wife, said he rushed to the elderly man who was "out cold" and bleeding from his mouth. He helped to place him in the recovery position as two fire engines, two ambulances and four police cars rushed to the scene. The man appeared to still be alive, but unresponsive, Newman said. Medical personnel were unable to revive him. Newman said after the Jazz hit the pedestrian it continued through the Thames St lights and crashed into a dark grey Mazda and a white Toyota Camry, the impact of which was enough to bring it to a stop. "It seems like he had a [medical] turn as he pulled out," Newman said. "The only thing that saved him was hitting those two cars. "If he had kept driving through the intersection he would have gone into a concrete building at speed on the other side." Sew Hoy urged anyone who was also injured in the crash, or who saw the incident unfold, to contact police if they had not already done so. The cause of the crash was still unclear, and investigations were ongoing. Jude Blair, who works in administration and sales support at the Waitaki Herald building, said she dialled for emergency services as soon as she heard the first of several bangs. "I heard the first bang and then there were screams. They weren't normal screams," Blair said. There were two more bangs as the car hit the Mazda and the Camry, Blair said. She raced outside with other staff members at the Waitaki Herald where they helped check on the injured and direct traffic until police and ambulance staff arrived. "There's a lot of traumatised people right now," she said. "I was one of many out there. The community was brilliant in their response and the emergency services were fantastic too." Another bystander, who did not want to be named, said the car seemed to be jammed in gear. An unknown amount of alcohol was taken in a burglary at Thirsty Liquor in Hamilton. Thirsty burglars have raided a Hamilton liquor store nabbing booze, cash and cigarettes. Police are investigating the burglary at Thirsty Liquor, on Avalon Dr, early on Tuesday. The thieves cut a hole in the wire fence and made their way into the store at 1am, Senior Sergeant Andrew Townsend said. Workers arrived at the store to open up on Tuesday morning where they found the mess, he said. Cash from the till, alcohol and cigarettes from the cupboard were taken, Townsend said. At this stage exact amounts were unknown until staff could complete a stocktake, but it appeared as though there was a focus on Johnnie Walker. Police were reviewing any CCTV at the store. Townsend said it was not known if the thieves ran away or used a vehicle. Anyone with information could contact Hamilton police on 07 858 6200 or leave information anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. The scene of a shooting about 5am on Saturday in Dinsdale, Hamilton. A Hamilton man shot in the leg was targeted in what police say was an isolated incident at a family home. The 31 year old suffered a gunshot wound to the leg in the early morning incident in the Hamilton suburb of Frankton on Saturday. He was taken to Waikato Hospital where he underwent surgery. Detective Sergeant William Loughrin said the man has since been discharged and is now recovering with family. Police had completed a canvass of the neighbourhood for any information and CCTV footage. A scene examination of the cordoned off home down a shared driveway, where the shooting was believed to have taken place, was also completed. Loughrin said police now believe the victim was targeted. "A number of people connected to the incident hold information that they have not yet shared with police and we would like those people to come forward." He said police have ruled out any gang involvement but are looking for a particular vehicle. It is described as a white hatchback with black roof racks. "Police believe the occupants of this vehicle can assist police with the investigation. "Police would like to hear from anyone who may have seen this vehicle near the Higgins Rd area of Hamilton between 12.30am and 5am on Saturday." Neighbours in the area reported hearing a loud explosion about 4.40am. Shortly after the injured man was driven to Waikato Hospital by a woman understood to live at the property. Anyone with information is asked to contact Loughrin at Hamilton CIB on 07 858 6200. Alternatively, information can be left anonymously with the independent Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Steve Haase from TwinNeedle Outdoor Equipment has been burgled twice in two months. A Christchurch business which supplies equipment to the military and police armed offenders squads has been burgled twice in two months, losing thousands of dollars worth of stock. TwinNeedle Outdoor Equipment co-owner Steve Haase said the burglars appeared to have taken gear for themselves during a mid-December burglary. But a second burglary last Sunday almost cleaned out his Phillipstown shop. All up about $12,000 worth of equipment had been taken. "I was up in Hanmer and it was just like 'f..k not again'. "Matt was the first one around here, he's my business partner, and he was like 'they cleaned us out this time'." During the first burglary "very specific" military-type equipment was taken. "Some multicam chest rigs, matching clothing and the matching packs, matching magazine holders that go on the vests. "You get the feeling they'd been in here before and had a look around," Haase said. "We were talking to the police about it and they were like 'hopefully it's just a bunch of airsofters that are being w.....s and kitting themselves out, [not] someone tooling up for something a little bit nastier." But the second trip the burglars appeared to have "thrown everything out the door". Part of Haase's business was supplying equipment for the New Zealand Police and military. "Most of the gear that the armed offenders squad and the Special Tactics Squad (STG) wear we make. "For the military we make basic pouches, first aid kits, belts, all that kind of thing and then our own TwinNeedle label," Haase said. "We know that a lot of the guys in the STG, they came in and saw us afterwards. "We've let them all know to be on the look out for our stuff whenever they are doing raids. "That has been suggested just have an STG guy in here with a mount and a sniper rifle," Haase said. Haase said the stolen equipment was insured, but that did not cover lost profits. "The profit is what we pay the girls with and pay the rent with and everything. "So it's put us back probably six months on sales and it affects the staff as well. "Most of them are really, really angry," Haase said. Both times the burglars smashed through a bottom window of a door at the front of the shop. The business would soon be moving to a location which would have cameras and security grills installed. Another major client was Kathmandu, for which the company did repairs. Parcels ready to go back to the retailer were taken during the burglaries. Between 2012 and 2013 the number of burglaries recorded in Canterbury increased from 5661 to 5707. That number dropped to 5500 in 2014. Of those 670, 787 and 712 were resolved in 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively. A police spokeswoman said the way burglary statistics were recorded had changed since 2014 so the number of victims was counted instead of the number of burglaries. Between January and October 2015 a total of 6201 were victimised by burglaries. Sergeant Richard Carolan said police were making inquiries into the two TwinNeedle burglaries based on any evidence gathered during scene of crime examinations. The government is proposing to ban commercial fishing in the Hauraki Gulf and the Marlborough Sounds. A consultation document launched today on the new Marine Protected Areas Act proposes to replace the Marine Reserves Act 1971. UPDATED: Paige Tanner was up at 7am today the earliest shes been up all holidays - to check her NCEA results. The 16-year-old Tauranga Girls College student stayed up till after midnight last night waiting for them. 2013-11-04-mg-fitzpatrick1.JPG Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick (Michelle Gabel | mgabel@syracuse.com) Mark Miller booking photo Syracuse, NY -- Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick this evening sharply criticized the victim in a Cicero road-rage shooting who charged there was a cover-up. Robert Tifft, 42, told Syracuse.com that the shooter, former cop Mark Miller, had gotten off easy because of his law enforcement background. Miller claimed he pointed a gun at Tifft in self-defense during the Dec. 2 road-rage incident, but didn't mean to pull the trigger. Tifft suffered a non-life-threatening injury. Miller pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor today and will have his guns taken away, but faces no further punishment if he stays out of trouble for a period of time, said his lawyer, Rome Canzano. He's due to be officially sentenced Tuesday. Related: Cicero road rage victim: Shooter got off easy because he's an ex-cop Miller, 49, is former military police and previously worked as a city of Oswego police officer, his ex-wife told Syracuse.com. Tifft said that Miller should not have been allowed to plead guilty only to a misdemeanor. "If you got connections, you got connections," Tifft told Syracuse.com this afternoon. "But the law is the law. You got all these gangbangers shooting the streets up. If they see this guy getting a slap on the hand, what do you think's gonna happen now?" Tifft added that he didn't know what law enforcement were doing before today's news. But Fitzpatrick responded that Tifft -- and two civil lawyers representing him -- had agreed that the misdemeanor was the appropriate punishment under the law during a meeting at the DA's office. "At that time, the legal elements of self-defense and reckless endangerment were laid out for him and his attorneys," the DA said in a news release. "All present understood and agreed that a misdemeanor reckless endangerment second degree was the appropriate charge under all the facts and circumstances." He also called Tifft's claim that he was blindsided by today's plea a "complete fabrication." Fitzpatrick said that his office called both of Tifft's civil lawyers Friday after learning that Miller would surrender himself and plead guilty today. The DA went on to say that the civil lawyers -- whom he did not name -- were appreciative of the DA's office keeping them in the loop. The DA is assuming that Tifft's lawyers told him about the plea deal; Tifft claims he wasn't informed. The DA called Tifft's interview "replete with inaccuracies, distortions and outright falsehoods." But he did not address Tifft's account of what happened to Syracuse.com point by point. Instead, he called Tifft uncooperative with sheriff's deputies at the time of the incident and said Tifft admitted he suffered from something Tifft himself called "road rage." "Mr. Tifft has admitted that he suffers from anger management issues and indeed was off his medication that is prescribed for this condition when he got out of his car and confronted the defendant," Fitzpatrick said. "Furthermore, initially, he was uncooperative with the sheriff deputies when they tried to interview him." Tifft later spoke to a prosecutor about what happened, Fitzpatrick said. That's when the law behind self-defense and reckless endangerment was brought up, the DA said. Tifft also claimed that the DA's office would not tell him the name of the shooter. Fitzpatrick did not address that complaint in his response. Tifft told Syracuse.com that he has hired a lawyer and plans to sue Miller. Staff writer John O'Brien contributed to this report. Henry W. Bartle Henry W. Bartle (Rome Police Department) Nathaniel Hitt UTICA, N.Y. -- A Rome man accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend's baby last year has been charged with manslaughter, according to a report. Henry W. Bartle was arraigned Monday in Oneida County Court on an indictment charging him with second-degree manslaughter for the death of Nathaniel Hitt, a 7-month-old boy, reported The Observer-Dispatch. Bartle, 18, was originally charged with criminally negligent homicide after police accused him of killing Nathaniel -- a boy Bartle called his son. The shooting happened Nov. 28, 2015 inside the 519 W. Dominick St. apartment Bartle shared with Nathaniel and Selena M. Hitt, Nathaniel's mother. Bartle, Hitt and Ryan C. Ziobro, a friend the couple was spending time with during the fatal incident, gave police the following account of the shooting: Bartle, Hitt and Ziobro had finished smoking marijuana inside the apartment's living room when Bartle decided to clean his Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun. Nathaniel was playing in his walker while Bartle cleaned the shotgun and installed a new pistol grip. With the grip installed, Bartle leaned forward to put the weapon on a stool. That's when the gun fired -- shooting and killing Nathaniel. Bartle, Hitt and Ziobro ran from the apartment and asked a neighbor to call for help. Before police arrived, Bartle returned to the apartment to hide his marijuana. "Now that I think about it, I can't believe that I was even thinking about the marijuana," Bartle later told police. "What the f*** was I thinking after I just killed my son." An Oneida County grand jury indicted Bartle last week for second-degree manslaughter, a felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, said The Observer-Dispatch. Bartle pleaded not guilty on Monday to both charges, reported The Observer-Dispatch. Bartle is being held in the Oneida County Jail on $50,000 bail. 2015-07-21-dl-deer1jpg-4c3e806ed911a539.jpg Deer in the Fayetteville cemetery over the summer. (David Lassman/ dlassman@syracuse.com) The village of Fayetteville signed an agreement with the USDA Monday night to hire the agency's professional sharpshooters to cull the village's deer herd. The village board voted Monday night to use the federal sharpshooters rather than rely on volunteer archers to bait and kill deer as initially planned. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, also known as USDA-APHIS, will kill the deer using rifles with suppressors at designated sites, said Fayetteville Mayor Mark Olson. Suppressors, more commonly known as silencers, reduce the noise of the guns. They are generally illegal for hunting under New York state law. Olson said the USDA sharpshooters will be more effective as they are trained professionals, and there will be accountability. The village will talk with Davis Aviation Co. Wednesday and select a date for a flyover to take place to count the deer, Olson said. After that, the USDA will let Fayetteville know when it can start, the mayor said Monday night. Using USDA sharpshooters is a much faster process, Olson said. The village will select four sites away from private residences, and the sharpshooters will cover all four spots in one day. They will do that for a total of eight days spread over a couple of weeks, Olson said. The cost of the flyover and the USDA sharpshooters is $28,000; and Onondaga County has pledged $20,000 to the village for its deer management program, the mayor said. The village will pay the remaining $8,000 from its budget. Fat Boys Pizza Fat Boys Pizza's Seneca Falls location is pictured at 74 Fall St. in this Google Street View screenshot. (Google Maps) The owner of three pizzerias in the Finger Lakes region has been accused of sales tax fraud and other felony charges. The Greece Post reports Walter Hotchkiss, 46, owns Fat Boys Pizza, Inc. locations in Seneca Falls, Geneva, and Phelps, where Hotchkiss lives. He allegedly collected $220,116 total in sales tax from customers at the three restaurants from June 2010 to February 2015, but failed to remit those funds to New York State as required by law. Hotchkiss is charged with second-degree grand larceny, two counts of second-degree criminal tax fraud, and three counts of third-degree criminal tax fraud. He was also charged with 17 felony counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing. WHAM-TV reports he appeared in Phelps Town Court and pleaded not guilty. Bail was set at $7,500. According to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, he faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Hotchkiss is scheduled to next appear in court on Wednesday. 2015-06-15-EMB-UticaSchool6.JPG Sara Griffiths teaches her second grade class about Rosa Parks and other famous people at Watson Williams Magnet Elementary School in Utica in this June 15, 2015 file photo. (Ellen M. Blalock | eblalock@syracuse.com) SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Last year, school districts in Onondaga County lost a total of $13 million in state aid due to something called the GAP Elimination Adjustment, or GEA. The Liverpool Central School District had its state aid reduced by $2.3 million last year because of this state budget trick. The GEA was first passed by the New York State Legislature in 2010, when the state faced billion-dollar budget deficits because of the recession. Each year since then, it reduced the amount of funding that the state would pay to school districts. Although state lawmakers restored some of the school funding last year, especially to urban schools like the Syracuse City School District, rural and surburban districts still get hammered by the GEA. Here's the six school districts in Onondaga County that lost the most aid in last year's state budget because of GEA reductions. Liverpool Central: $2.3 million North Syracuse Central: $1.9 million Fayetteville-Manlius, $1.5 million Baldwinsville, $1.3 million West Genesee: $996,048 East Syracuse-Minoa: $825,686 Syracuse city schools lost $50,991 due to GAP reductions. "The GEA has created huge challenges for North Syracuse Central School District over the past 6 years," Superintendent Annette Speach said Tuesday. "We have lost over $40 million in state aid as a result of this adjustment. We have eliminated over 200 positions and cut both academic and co-curricular programs as a result of the GEA." Monday, two days before Gov. Andrew Cuomo is scheduled to release his 2016-17 state budget, the state Senate launched a preemptive political strike, passing a bill to totally erase the GEA this year. Assemblyman Al Stirpe, D-Cicero, said he's optimistic the Assembly will also support eliminating the GEA reductions in this year's state budget. "I'm already a co-sponsor on two bills to eliminate the GAP elimination adjustment. We've been working pretty diligently to try to get rid of it. I think we will be successful and we will eliminate it this year," Stirpe said. "I think there's a lot of momentum behind it in both houses. I think the governor would like to eliminate it also. He hasn't said anything. But everyone else is talking about it," Stirpe said. Stirpe said he met last week with all of the school district superintendents in his Assembly District. Their top priority was eliminating the GEA, Stirpe said. In 2015, the state Legislature and Cuomo did increase overall funding for schools by an extra $1.7 billion over the prior year, an 8.1 percent increase. That put state aid for schools at $23.3 billion. The GEA has been a sore subject for school superintendents across the state for five years. The North Syracuse Central Schools website has a cool video for parents explaining the GEA and how it impacts schools. The video was produced by the Capital Region BOCES. Related story: Search our database to see what school districts in New York get the most and least state aid Contact Mike McAndrew anytime | email | Twitter | 315-470-3016 Italy American Slain Italian police officers stand outside an apartment where 35-year-old American woman Ashley Olsen was found dead, in Florence, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016. (Maurizio Degl'Innocenti | The Associated Press) FLORENCE, Italy (AP) -- Police vowed "maximum attention" Sunday to find the killer of an American found dead in her Florence apartment as Italy's expat community expressed hope that the case won't turn into another Amanda Knox-style, drawn-out, headline-grabbing legal saga. Police opened a murder investigation Saturday after 35-year-old Ashley Olsen of Summer Haven, Florida, was found dead, her neck bruised and scratched. Authorities questioned Olsen's boyfriend, a local artist, Saturday but said they have no suspects so far. "What happened in Florence is getting the maximum attention to find out what it's all about," Italy's police chief, Alessandro Pansa, said during an unrelated visit Sunday to Florence, the ANSA news agency reported. Meanwhile, friends and fellow expats expressed horror at the slaying of a woman known around Florence for her beloved beagle, Scout, and said they hoped her killer would be found quickly. Flowers were left at her doorstep. "I can't imagine a person who would hurt her. She is a gentle, a kind, a beautiful, friendly, lovely girl and it's an awful shock," Amy, a friend who only gave her first name, told The Associated Press in Florence. "We've got a great community here of people and everyone loved her." Friends and other expats expressed hope that the case wouldn't end up repeating the flawed, flip-flopping investigation into the last high-profile murder case of a foreigner living in Italy, that of Meredith Kercher. The British student was studying in the Umbrian city of Perugia when she was found dead in 2007. Knox, Kercher's American roommate, and her then-boyfriend were at first convicted of the murder, then acquitted, convicted again on appeal and finally acquitted for good when Italy's supreme court last year definitively exonerated them. Another man was convicted and is serving a 16-year sentence. "I would hope for her sake that this investigation is more clear," said Georgette Jupe, who writes the "Girl in Florence" blog and knew Olsen casually, primarily because they both had beagles and lived near one another in Florence's Santo Spirito neighborhood. Social media groups for expats in Florence expressed the same sentiment, with several people posting comments about the parallel to the Kercher investigation, which was harshly criticized in both the American and British media. "It reignites the concern of justice, different policing and judicial systems, and the different journalism styles between Italy and the U.S.," Beth Prusiecki, an American living in Milan, told the AP in a message after posting on one of the closed Facebook groups. U.S. media tended to portray Knox as a victim of a legal system she didn't understand, where prosecutors can appeal acquittals. The Italian media tended to take prosecutors' view that Knox was responsible. Jupe said Olsen was involved in fashion and had moved a few years ago to Florence, where her father was also a professor. Olsen's Facebook page is full of photos of her and Scout, including on the steps of the Santo Spirito church on the lovely piazza of the same name that is the heart of the "Oltrarno" neighborhood of the Tuscan city. "She always with her dog, always sitting on steps of Santo Spirito with friends," Jupe said in a phone interview. Alexandra Lawrence, a 17-year resident of Florence, said the art-filled city has long drawn creative people like Olsen, who find a ready-made expat community that is far more active and close-knit than ones in Rome or Milan. "I think maybe because it's such a small city, but because there are so many expats, we all eventually come across each other and run in similar circles," said Lawrence, who teaches art history to American students on study abroad programs and gives tours. She said she didn't know Olsen personally, but said the first thing she thought of when she heard the news was the Knox saga. "We've been through this terribly unresolved mystery with Amanda Knox," she said in an interview. "You never want it to get to that point." Mary Moriarty as Vera (from left), Maggie Frazer as Sylvia and Kelli Kinnaman as Bridget star in Nanas Naughty Knickers. SHARE By Angela Smith When first-time Pineapple Playhouse director Katie Dempsey described the set of the new show, "Nana's Naughty Knickers" as unique and a challenging build, she wasn't kidding. At first glance, the New York style-apartment with bright yellow walls appeared like any other set the Fort Pierce community theater has built, but as the hilarious plot unfolded, it became clear it certainly was in a class of it's own. Here's the setup: Law student Bridget (Kelli Kinnaman) moves in with her widowed grandmother, Sylvia (Maggie Frazer), for the summer. The worst Bridget thinks will happen is getting set up by her nana with friendly neighborhood cop, Tom (Edward Eddowes). Like all good slapstick comedies, hilarity ensues when Bridget finds that her nana's rent-controlled Manhattan apartment is a far cry from a grandmother's apartment. Turns out, it's been doubling as a makeshift and illegal boutique, selling homemade racy lingerie to area senior citizens. Soon Sylvia has Bridget and quirky neighbor, Vera (Mary Moriarty), running Saucy Slips, Etc. and hiding her big secret not only from police officer, Tom, but from nosey and grumpy landlord Mr. Schmidt (John Procino), who would do anything to evict Sylvia out of her cheap apartment. Here's where writing this review gets tough. It's hard to explain exactly how important the set is to the plot twists involved and I don't want to spoil it for anyone. But what I can say is the theater never was quiet. Between the wacky shenanigans, physical comedy and silly one-liners, it was hard for theatergoers not to chuckle out loud. With a cast working flawlessly together, including the backstage hands who helped pull off the magic of the production, it was easy to enjoy this mid-season romp and wonder what else the Pineapple has up its sleeves. 'NANA'S NAUGHTY KNICKERS' When: 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; Through Jan. 31 Where: Pineapple Playhouse, 700 W. Weatherbee Road, Fort Pierce Tickets: $20 Information: 772-465-0366 or www.pineappleplayhouse.com UPCOMING SHOWS March 10-27: "King o' the Moon" Mary 12-29: "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" Eriese Tisdale (center) re-enters the courtroom with his attorney Public Defender Stanley Glenn (right) for the conclusion of a Spencer hearing on Nov. 17, 2015, at the St. Lucie County Courthouse in Fort Pierce. (FILE) By Melissa E. Holsman of TCPalm FORT PIERCE The man convicted of murdering St. Lucie County Sgt. Gary Morales is supposed to be sentenced Friday, but now that the Supreme Court ruled Florida's system for sentencing people to death is unconstitutional, it could mean his final punishment will be postponed, a prosecutor said Tuesday. The opinion released Tuesday said the state's capital sentencing scheme violates the Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial because it gives too much power to judges, and not enough to juries, when determining death penalty sentences. Eriese Tisdale, 28, who was convicted in October of the murder of a law enforcement officer stemming from a Feb. 28, 2013 traffic stop in Fort Pierce, faces a punishment of execution or life in prison without parole. Reached Tuesday on her way to Tallahassee, Public Defender Diamond Litty praised the opinion, that in part said Florida's sentencing procedure is flawed because juries play only an advisory role in recommending death while the judge can reach a different decision. "Obviously we are very pleased with the decision," said Litty, who was studying how the decision could impact Tisdale's possible punishment. Chief Assistant State Attorney Tom Bakkedahl said, faced with the Supreme Court's ruling, he will ask Circuit Judge Dan Vaughn to delay the proceeding to give both sides more time to ponder an appropriate response to the 8-1 opinion. And Bakkedahl said while a brief delay may be warranted, he doesn't want to postpone Tisdale's punishment until Florida lawmakers pass legislation that could address the high court's concerns. "I don't think that's going to be an answer. I feel confident having reviewed (the opinion) and having discussed it with several people that we are going to be able to proceed to sentencing now," Bakkedahl said Tuesday. "The question would be whether or not we will be able to proceed to sentencing on Friday. I would feel more comfortable at this stage ... that we continue it for a brief period of time." Bakkedahl said he's considering filing papers with Vaughn expressing his position on how, in light of that opinion, state prosecutors should proceed. Litty said under state law, if the Supreme Court finds Florida's death penalty to be unconstitutional, then the sentencing judge must impose a punishment of life in prison. "That's the law currently in the state of Florida," said Litty, adding that it means Tisdale should be spared a sentence of death. "The court legally, in my opinion, doesn't have an alternative," she said. "If (Vaughn) sentenced him today, he would have to sentence him to life." Bakkedahl disagreed. He said for one thing, the statute Litty is citing applies to defendants previously sentenced to death. "They didn't declare the death penalty unconstitutional," he said of the Supreme Court. "They just declared the procedure used in Florida as unconstitutional." Still, the decision could trigger new sentencing appeals from some of the 390 inmates on the Florida's death row. But legal experts said it may apply only to those whose initial appeals are not yet exhausted. Assistant State Attorney Ryan Butler said Tisdale's case is one of two murder cases from the Treasure Coast that may be affected by Tuesday's opinion. Because the high court's ruling is not retroactive, Butler said only death row inmates who have direct appeals still pending before the Florida Supreme Court may benefit from the decision. Butler said former Vero Beach resident Rodney Lowe, who has twice been sentenced to death, has an appeal pending after a jury in 2012 returned him to death row for the murder of a Sebastian store clerk. "The benefit doesn't mean they will get relief," he said, "but they at least can file a motion." Downtown Stuart. (FILE PHOTO) SHARE Poll Is rooftop dining a good fit for Stuart? Yes, it would be great No, Stuart is not a good fit I'm not sure vote View Results Yes, it would be great: 94% No, Stuart is not a good fit: 6% I'm not sure: 0% Total Responses: 50 By Lidia Dinkova of TCPalm STUART Patrons at eateries in Stuart might soon be able to sip wine, swig beer or snack on salad on restaurants' rooftops. The city is a step closer to allowing rooftop dining after the City Commission on Monday tentatively approved the use. Final vote is Jan. 25. The City Commission is to consider each business' rooftop dining application separately at a public hearing; that means the commission would have the authority to place conditions on a businesses' rooftop dining use. The city plans to regulate rooftop dining, including what kinds of lights restaurants can use, whether or not music could be played and the decibels of other sound emanating from rooftops, said Terry O'Neil, city development director. The commission could, for example, mandate a lower decibel limit later in the evening. Here are the tentatively approved regulations: Most businesses would have to add parking if they open rooftop dining. Eateries located in the waived-parking area downtown might have to cap the number of seats on rooftops. Rooftop-dining support equipment, such as a bar or a small food-heating station, would be allowed on rooftops. It would be preferable to provide access to the rooftop from inside the building, but in some cases that won't be possible. The City Commission still may change regulations on second reading. The new ordinance has been met with mixed sentiments. William Hess who owns coffee bar Blue Door, 38 S.E. Osceola St., with his wife Kathy Heathcock said he would embrace the opportunity. "It's not going to be any different from the rest of the vibe at the Blue Door. So it would be drinks and the bistro food that we serve and enjoy," Hess said. The Blue Door's rooftop is about 450 square feet, Heathcock said. But rooftop dining won't be something that could be incorporated just yet at LouRonzo's Italian Fusion restaurant, 301 S. Colorado Ave., said general manager Joe Martin. An elevator would have to be built to provide access, he said. "If our building had an elevator and had a beautiful deck on the roof and maybe even a better view, I could see doing something like it," Martin said. "But it's not designed that way so it wouldn't even make sense." The rooftop dining ordinance comes after Stuart recently approved a new ordinance regulating how loud and how late music could be played. The contentious topic pits owners of venues that host live bands against nearby residents who say the music is too loud, too late. That ordinance also regulates other sounds, such as car stereos and barking dogs. For downtown resident Armond Pasquale, the commission's tentative approval was bad news. "It just expands the ability of these restaurants to bring in more drunks, more disturbance," Pasquale said. Other municipalities that allow rooftop dining include Plymouth, Michigan. Asked whether he knows of other cities that allow rooftop dining, Hess said: "It really doesn't matter what everyone else is doing. Stuart is different from every place because Stuart does what Stuart does." ringoism BHPian Join Date: May 2012 Location: Himachal Posts: 926 Thanked: 3,079 Times re: Royal Enfield trademarks the name "Himalayan" EDIT: Now unveiled! Quote: Urban_Nomad Originally Posted by most of us here feel it looks GREAT, we also coudnt care less about the looks aspect as long as the bits and bobs are functional... when it comes to ADV bikes - Less is more for me. Are you looking to be served a lobster at a 5 star hotel at the price of a vada pav? This RE looks purposeful in EVERY way, Its purpose being : touring, mild offroading. KTMs are awesome. I have been riding a 390 for around 18000 kms and still love it to bits. The value and fun factor of this motorcyle is stratospheric - But as far as this RE is concerned, I (and I am sure many others on this forum) feel that its a step in the right direction. The execution and real world performance is yet to be seen. Indeed, in our context less is more, at least on paper: LESS money, less complexity, less weight / width / bulk, less imported parts supply issues, less specialized repair skills = a much MORE practical and (in my view) pleasing subcontinental tourer. Nobody's saying you have to try and do Paris-Dakar or the German Autobahn on it. This is one new bike that I'm going to do everything in my power to get a test ride on once the showroom here in Manali receives one. Check out some forums - Even with the U.S.'s broad desert tracks and wide-open spaces, many owners of the big tourers admit they're really just excessively huge / unwieldy - obviously so for something like Ladakh/Spiti (as one Tiger owner/tour leader who'd dropped his several times out there also acknowledged to me, and as at least one parts-failure-stranded BMW rider I know of also experienced (yes, they can break down like anything else)). Even this "little" RE might prove excessive for all the tiny, muddy, steep, rock-strewn fresh-cut local dirt link-roads my Impulse has been so happily running on lately. In theory you can try and run any bike of any type on any terrain, but as Ted Simon (Jupiter's Travels) asserts, the real idea in motorcycle travel is for the machine to become ultimately sort of transparent. He says (and I agree) that any random machine might finally do the job; but the way I extrapolate that is that one ill-suited to its environment becomes a pretty continuous obstacle to just forgetting the vehicle and focusing on the places / people / etc. Of course, if you're into posing, a BMW is going to get your more "mileage". So the question becomes, "WHY do I ride?" That's going to help me decide WHAT to ride. IMO IF RE has finally got their quality control right and has done the necessary tweaking / tuning required to make it actually ride/handle appropriate to its purposes, they've got a real winner here (regardless, I might add, of how the market might finally respond). Of course, those are admittedly big "IF's". -Eric Indeed, in our context less is more, at least on paper: LESS money, less complexity, less weight / width / bulk, less imported parts supply issues, less specialized repair skills = a much MORE practical and (in my view) pleasing subcontinental tourer. Nobody's saying you have to try and do Paris-Dakar or the German Autobahn on it.This is one new bike that I'm going to do everything in my power to get a test ride on once the showroom here in Manali receives one.Check out some forums - Even with the U.S.'s broad desert tracks and wide-open spaces, many owners of the big tourers admit they're really just excessively huge / unwieldy - obviously so for something like Ladakh/Spiti (as one Tiger owner/tour leader who'd dropped his several times out there also acknowledged to me, and as at least one parts-failure-stranded BMW rider I know of also experienced (yes, they can break down like anything else)).Even this "little" RE might prove excessive for all the tiny, muddy, steep, rock-strewn fresh-cut local dirt link-roads my Impulse has been so happily running on lately. In theory you can try and run any bike of any type on any terrain, but as Ted Simon (Jupiter's Travels) asserts, the real idea in motorcycle travel is for the machine to become ultimately sort of transparent. He says (and I agree) that any random machine might finally do the job; but the way I extrapolate that is that one ill-suited to its environment becomes a pretty continuous obstacle to just forgetting the vehicle and focusing on the places / people / etc. Of course, if you're into posing, a BMW is going to get your more "mileage". So the question becomes, "WHY do I ride?" That's going to help me decide WHAT to ride.IMORE has finally got their quality control right and has done the necessary tweaking / tuning required to make it actually ride/handle appropriate to its purposes, they've got a real winner here (regardless, I might add, of how the market might finally respond). Of course, those are admittedly big "IF's".-Eric Last edited by ringoism : 11th January 2016 at 19:51 . Apple on Thursday announced some personnel moves that suggest CEO Tim Cooks future vision for the company. He named Jeff Williams (pictured above) chief operating officer, elevated Johny Srouji to Apples executive team by making him a senior vice president, broadened the powers of Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller to include supervision of Apples App Store across all its platforms, and added Tor Myhren as the new vice president of marketing communications. As we come to the end of the year, were recognizing the contributions already being made by two key executives, Cook said in a statement. Jeff [Williams] is hands-down the best operations executive Ive ever worked with, and Johny [Srouji]s team delivers world-class silicon designs which enable new innovations in our products year after year, he added. Loosening Reins Williams joined Apple in 1998 as head of worldwide procurement. In 2004 he was named vice president of operations. Since 2010, he has overseen Apples supply chain, service and support. Making Williams COO is a sign that Cook feels confident in loosening the reins to Apple a bit, noted Patrick Moorhead, founder and principal analyst atMoor Insights and Strategy. When you add a chief operating officer, it says that Tim Cook needs to spend more time on strategy and the future of the company and less time on day-to-day operations, he told the E-Commerce Times. Its a classic growth move you make when you feel comfortable about how operations are going, he said. IP in Apples Future Srouji has been vice president for hardware technologies at Apple for eight years. He oversees custom silicon and technologies, such as batteries, application processors, storage controllers, sensors silicon, display silicon and other chipsets. With Sroujis elevation to senior vice president, Apple may be recognizing the significance his role will be to the future of Apple. Hardware is a very important part of Apples business, said Tim Bajarin, president ofCreative Strategies. But its not just hardware, he told the E-Commerce Times. His role includes overseeing the silicon business, which to us is equally important to Apples future. Sroujis promotion was also a promotion of enabling technologies at Apple, Moorhead noted. Enabling technologies are going to be more important to Apple in developing more of its own intellectual property in the future, he said. This says we will see more homegrown enabling technologies from Apple, Moorhead added. Outside Hire Schiller now leads nearly all developer-related functions at Apple. His duties also include worldwide product marketing and international, education and business marketing. He will be charged with advancing Apples ecosystem, Cook said. In many ways, the whole app ecosystem is just an extension of Apples marketing, Bajarin said. It makes a lot of sense for Phil to oversee that. The only outside move Apple made was the hiring of Myhren, chief creative officer of Grey New York, who is replacing retiring 18-year Apple veteran Hiroki Asai. Under Myhrens leadership, Grey won Adweeks Global Agency of the Year award in 2013 and 2015. Bringing in someone from the outside to run advertising is an interesting move, Moorhead observed. Its interesting that there wasnt anyone inside Apple who could have taken that role, he said. More Changes Needed Apple usually brings in outsiders when it doesnt have the in-house talent for an initiative. It brought in people from the outside when it planned to enter the retail market, and it did so again when designing the fashion aspects of the Apple Watch. I wouldnt expect them to bring in an outside guy to run advertising and merchandising because Apple has good people internally to do that, Moorhead noted. Apple has problems that wont be addressed by appointing a new COO or advertising director, according to Trip Chowdhry, managing director for equity research atGlobal Equities Research. Apples stock has underperformed by every metric. Investors have zero confidence in Apples executive team, he told the E-Commerce Times. This reshuffling at the secondary level isnt going to make any difference, Chowdhry added, unless the CEO, CFO and the head of the retail channel is replaced. Microsoft on Tuesday ended technical support for the older versions of its legacy Internet Explorer browser, placing at risk millions of users who despite extensive warnings have not upgraded to the latest version of Internet Explorer or the free install of Windows 10. The support expiration, which Microsoft originally announced in a 2014 update, means that customers using IE 8, 9 and 10 no longer will receive technical support and security updates. For operating systems currently in support, beginning Jan. 12, 2016, only the most current version of Internet Explorer available for a Windows OS will be supported, the company said in a statement provided to TechNewsWorld by spokesperson Jennifer Reynolds. This is in line with industry standards and will help ensure our customers have the most modern and secure browser experience possible. Users who fail to upgrade to the latest version of IE or to Edge the Windows 10 browser will be at risk of harmful viruses, spyware and other malicious software that can steal or damage business data, according to Microsoft. Many software vendors no longer support older versions of Internet Explorer, the company also pointed out. For business customers using legacy Web applications that work on older versions of Internet Explorer, Microsoft is offering Enterprise Mode, which will enable them to work with IE 11. Microsoft also is offering premium support options for enterprise customers that urgently need to upgrade to IE 11 from older browsers. Legacy Support No Longer Viable Supporting older versions of Internet Explorer is no longer viable for Microsoft from a compatibility standpoint and essentially leaves too many legacy users vulnerable to security attacks. At the same time, the end of legacy support potentially could nudge those same users to upgrade to modern Web browsers and perhaps to buy new computers with fresh installs of Windows 10, the companys latest operating system, which comes with the new Edge browser. Microsoft is doing a couple of things with this forced browser retirement, and putting to bed some longstanding bad practices, said Ian Trump, security lead at LogicNow. Its insane to think its profitable to deal with multiple backwards-compatibility and security issues for IE-only Web applications. In some cases, the gaping security holes that need to be plugged in older browsers cannot be plugged, he told TechNewsWorld. Quantcast last fall just before Microsoft posted a major upgrade to Windows 10 released some significant market share data on the direction consumers were headed with their browser migration. Chrome Still has Edge Google Chrome was the big beneficiary of the Windows 10 release, noted Jackson Newhouse, a software engineer at Quantcast. Microsoft Edge received a temporary share increase to 16 percent of the market from 12 percent, he pointed out. However, Chrome recovered, growing to 70 percent share of the Windows 10 market. That compared with Chrome owning 63 percent of the Windows 7 and Window 8 markets. Windows 10 users numbered more than 200 million, Microsoft reported earlier this month. Included in that count were consumers using XBox One consoles and Windows 10 mobile phones, which would exclude older versions of Internet Explorer, according to Tirias Research analyst Kevin Krewell. Most of the 200 million will be PCs, and all of those PCs have the Edge browser built in, he told TechNewsWorld, but Edge lacks support for many plug-ins that users like to have, limiting its appeal as an IE replacement. ProPublica last week launched whats believed to be the first major news site on the dark Web, according to Wired. The sites purpose reportedly is to maximize the privacy of readers. TheTor hidden service goes beyond SSL in that visits to sites are hidden from eavesdroppers and Internet service providers. Anyone monitoring the various Tor nodes can track visitors who use a Tor browser to view ProPublicas regular site. Using the Tor hidden service retains visitors anonymity, Wired reported. Wow! It gets pretty bad when you have to hide which news sites you visit, observed Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. ProPublica has not yet advertised the hidden site and did not respond to our request for further details. No Taint From the Dark Web? The dark Web is noted for hostingcriminals of various stripes. However, ProPublicas site is positioned not like a dark Web underground site for criminals, but a news portal with high privacy for its readers and authors, which is an interesting idea, pointed out Andrew Komarov, chief intelligence officer atInfoArmor. The real names of authors will be published on the site, so theyre not really criminals hiding from others, but people who want to have the right to a free press, he told TechNewsWorld. This project is a very interesting initiative to preserve journalists and readers privacy and also to avoid censorship of the mass media, which is global, Komarov added. Sidestepping Surveillance ProPublicas move appears to be a reaction to the increasing surveillance of private citizens by governments worldwide. This is happening simply because people are getting fed up with not having any privacy, technology industry analystJeff Kagan told TechNewsWorld. I happen to agree with ProPublica that you have to be poking around in the dark Web for your own protection, said Laura DiDio, a research director at Strategy Analytics. We are in a day and age when everyones becoming more and more extremist, she told TechNewsWorld. Privacy Is the Key With increasing concern about excessive privacy violations by relatively liberal governments like that of the United States, theres a far higher legitimate demand for the dark Web than there ever has been, Enderle told TechNewsWorld. When you become afraid of your own government largely because its treating you as a criminal, then you are likely to begin using resources typically used by criminals to protect yourself, he said. The FBI and the U.S. National Security Agency have been pressing cybersecurity vendors to rethink encryption of their products. Senior officials from the White House and U.S. intelligence and law enforcement, including FBI director James Comey and National Intelligence Director James Clapper, met with Silicon Valley executives last week to discuss countering militants use of social media. Gentrification of the Dark Web ProPublica isnt the first mainstream company to use the dark Web. Facebook offersaccess on the dark Web, and public librarians have locked horns with law enforcement over providing Web access through Tor. The dark Web also has peaceful users trying to protect their privacy or fight for human rights, Komarov said, and ProPublicas project is a great example of this. The Eventual Blowback Accessing ProPublicas site on the dark Web may spark surveillance, Enderle warned. If youre seen using Tor resources, law enforcement may immediately assume youre doing something illegal or dangerous, even though you arent, he said. I cant see why law enforcement would care that much about ProPublica in the U.S., Enderle said. I think using Tor would be the bigger red flag. New Delhi, India, January 12, 2016: Microsoft announced call for entries for its Build The Shield contest, a first-of-its-kind national level college hacking contest hosted by Microsoft annually. Running for third time in a row, the contest provides students a competitive hands-on hacking experience coupled with real-life scenarios, wherein the participating teams defend theirs while attack competitors servers to emerge as the winner. Open to graduates or undergraduates pursuing major in Computer Science, Information Technology or Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE), the contest runs in two stages Qualifiers and National Finale. Announcing the call for entries, Suvabrata Sinha, Director, Information Security Risk Management, Microsoft India, said, We are excited to kick-start the 2016 edition of our Build The shield contest. This unique platform is an effort by Microsoft to share its passion for building robust cyber security ecosystem. We view this contest as an opportunity to engage in a fun way with some of the best and brightest future security professionals on a topic which is crucial in todays mobile-first, cloud-first world where cyberattacks are rapidly growing and evolving in both scope and sophistication. The enthusiasm and response from students toward the contest have been overwhelming over the last two years, and we look forward to replicating that success this year, and beyond. The contest begins with online qualifiers, further to which the winning teams visit Microsoft Hyderabad campus for grand finale. They compete against each other for the final challenge, hear from security leaders on Microsofts idea of information security, get a tour of the Microsoft campus and indulge in fun games. The contest is also an opportunity for participants to meet students from different colleges, compete with challenging teams and brainstorm to fight the security battle. Winners of the grand finale receive pre-placement offers from Microsoft to pursue an exciting career with the company, along with other exciting prizes. Build The Shield contest last year saw more than 290 teams and 1000+ students participate in the online qualifiers stage. Of these, 50 teams were shortlisted for the national finale at Hyderabad, who battled for the top three positions. Technuter.com News Service Google has been purposefully absent from China since 2010 when it left over increased government censorship, but they're going back soon. Lenovo's head of mobile, Chen Xudong, just confirmed that Google will launch Play services in 2016, 9to5Google reports. True, this is not verified by Google, but it's pretty close. Lenovo works with Google on Android in countries other than China, so it makes sense that they would be the launch partner for Play services. There are a lot of things we still don't know, such as when Google plans to launch Play services in China - Xudong didn't say exactly when, just sometime this year. Another thing we don't know is which services will be available when Play launches. And one more thing we don't know is whether manufacturers will have the choice between Play services and third-party app stores, or if Google will force them to stick to the same policies as manufacturers outside of China. Google and China have an interesting history, to put it mildly. In 2014, China removed Google Docs, Play and Gmail from the country completely. And let's not forget the hacking scandal in 2010 that ended up bringing a U.S. investigation into China hacking services for private information. But as China adds more and more mobile and Internet users, Western companies can't help but want to get in on that audience. Google isn't alone in this. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg spent all of 2015 trying to attract the Chinese government, with nothing to show for it as of now. Maybe Google will fare better with this Play launch. According to a study published by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, self-driving cars on average were involved in fewer accidents compared to vehicles driven by humans. Johnny Luu, a spokesperson for Google, said that the company commissioned Virginia Tech to carry out the study to develop a methodology that will be able to meaningfully compare the safety of self-driving cars and human-driven vehicles. According to Luu, the study will be very helpful in the future development of self-driving cars as an apples-to-apples comparison can now be made with human-driven cars from the developed methodology. The study analyzed more than 50 self-driving vehicles of Google, which have travelled about 1.3 million miles in total across California and Texas without being driven by humans. Google has previously reported incidents of minor accidents that involved its self-driving vehicles that are being tested. The company's fleet has been involved in just 17 crashes over the past six years, with none of the incidents being the fault of the self-driving vehicles, according to Google. The Alphabet unit's self-driving car report for November 2015 discussed an incident when one vehicle was pulled over by a cop for moving too slow and another case when Google's autonomous Lexus car, the Google AV, was rear-ended as it approached an intersection. Adjustments were made on how to classify the severity of the crashes and to account for accidents that were not reported to the authorities. Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration discovered that about 60 percent were only property damaged vehicular accidents and 24 percent of accidents that resulted in injuries were not reported to the authorities. It is a law in California, meanwhile, for all accidents that involve self-driving vehicles to be reported to the authorities. After the adjustments were made, the Virginia Tech study estimates that human-driven vehicles find themselves in 4.2 crashes per million miles, as opposed to self-driving cars that find themselves in 3.2 crashes per million miles. It also found that the crash rates for traditional cars, at all the indicated levels of severity, were higher compared to the crash rates of self-driving cars. The researchers have discovered statistically significant data that self-driving vehicles were less likely to be involved in serious accidents compared to human-driven vehicles. Although, they stressed that additional studies are needed to say for sure that self-driving cars are indeed safer than their counterparts, with human drivers behind the wheel. One of the major issues with the Google-commissioned study is the sheer number of variables to control in the examination of the safety of self-driving cars. There are some cases when it would be very hard to determine what exactly caused an accident wherein a human driver was involved, on the other hand, self-driving cars are still not widespread enough to check if the safety technologies included in these vehicles actually hold up against the myriad of real-life situations that can be experienced. A similar study was published (PDF) by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute in October 2015, which compared the crash rates among the self-driving cars of Google, Delphi and Audi. The UMTRI's study found results opposite to the Virginia Tech's study with the self-driving cars having a higher rate of crashes compared to human-driven vehicles. However, the UMTRI study also noted the low volume of miles driven by autonomous cars, with 1.2 million miles compared to the 3 trillion miles that were travelled per year by human-driven vehicles. With such conflicting results and no defined national safety standards for self-driving cars, further studies are certainly needed to determine just how safe autonomous vehicles are compared to traditional cars with human drivers. However, pending these additional studies, researchers such as the team from Google will continue to progress their development of self-driving car technology to build upon the massive strides that have been made over the past few years. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Microsoft has just released the new Windows 10 Mobile Build 10586.63 to Windows Insiders in the Fast Ring on Jan. 8, making it the first test build of the year to roll out. It's believed to be a Cumulative Update, and Microsoft hasn't detailed the changes yet. Fortunately, a generous employee provided a list of the improvements on Reddit. According to the Microsoftie, the build comes with improvements across the board, particularly on general reliability, battery, performance and quick actions settings page. On top of those, there will be enhancements for typing on the Polish keyboard in Outlook Mail, turn-by-turn directions over Bluetooth in a car, battery usage with Iris Recognition and MS Band usage with Cortana. To emphasize on how lucky for this "leak" to have happened, Windows Insider head Gabriel Aul announced back in December 2015 that after the 10586.36 build, Cumulative Updates would only be posted on the Insider Hub and no longer on the Windows Blog. "Going forward, we won't be publishing blog posts to announce new Cumulative Updates for Windows Insiders to test. Instead, we'll publish these announcements in the Insider Hub so please check there for news," he said. It's also worth mentioning that the team ran into a last-minute issue with the staging before the launch, which is why some users may have experienced some delay in getting the build. Needless to say, the team has already fixed the problem. Microsoft is also expected to release the new Windows 10 Redstone Build 11097 sometime next week to Windows Insiders. With just a few days in for the new year, Aul says that the team is returning up to speed via Twitter. @DecadeMoon @Wereszko @mayank_jee We are all getting back in the office, getting new builds through internal rings, etc. A few more days. Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) January 7, 2016 As a testament to that statement, he has already confirmed that the company is already testing the build internally. @win10fan I'm running 11097 on my PC right now Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) January 9, 2016 While he didn't give any detail for this one either, he did say that build will only bring tweaks and bug fixes here and there. In other words, it's mostly geared toward fixing what's underneath. @win10fan It's still early in development, so mostly underlying structural stuff still, not UX Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) January 9, 2016 At any rate, it's great news to hear how the team is focused on the reliability of the software. This goes without saying, but it's highly unlikely for anyone to prefer a feature-packed system full of errors over a smoothly running one. Considering that the Windows 10 Mobile Build 10586.63 went official on Friday, it's pretty safe to assume that the Redstone build will arrive on Jan. 15. Of course, that schedule is not set in stone, as Microsoft can choose not to roll it out yet for a more stable version depending on the circumstances. Windows 10 Redstone is slated for an official launch in the summer of 2016, featuring major improvements such as extension support for Edge and important updates to Continuum. According to speculations, it'll arrive in two waves: one in June and the other in October. Also, what's notable about the huge Windows update is that Cortana will become a lot smarter, giving the beloved virtual assistant the capability of working with Office apps. To top it off, it's going to address the scaling issues that some certain apps seem to have. Interestingly, Microsoft promised users that it'll release new builds at a faster pace this year, so that could mean that once the Build 11097 goes official and when the team gets back in the groove, the updates could keep on coming and coming frequently well, our fingers are crossed. Sure, it would be great if Microsoft would go ahead and let everyone in on what the company has in store. However, to put things into perspective, these developments nonetheless indicate that the company is up and about in improving the software and developing a consumer-ready build. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Tesla Motor CEO Elon Musk has made a bold prediction that self-driving cars will go cross-country in 2018. At the moment, though, this seems impossible as the electric vehicle maker just curbed Autopilot features on the Model S. Tesla has just rolled out the software update version 7.1 for its Model S and Model X cars, which allowed the owners to summon the automobiles to park themselves, just like a well-trained dog. Now, Musk believes that people could soon summon their Tesla cars from anywhere in the country in 2018. In ~2 years, summon should work anywhere connected by land & not blocked by borders, eg you're in LA and the car is in NY Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 10, 2016 The chief executive officer has not only made the prediction via Twitter, he also announced the same statement on Sunday in a media teleconference. "Within two years, you'll be able to summon your car from across the country," said Musk, although he added that he might be somewhat "optimistic" on the matter. Summon Functionality The new, nifty functionality of these two electric vehicles is deemed part of Tesla's Autopilot self-driving technology. This technology was brought in through Tesla software version 7.0 which the company started releasing back in October last year. The update allowed owners of these cars to take their hands off the steering wheel in particular conditions. While this technology was lauded for its innovation, others, however, slammed it for having been rolled out too early. It is worth noting, though, that the feature Summon is still in its beta stage. This feature is also not activated by default, which means you need to configure it by heading over to Controls > Settings > Driver Assistance > Autopilot. "[Y]ou can prompt it to... open your garage door, enter your garage, park itself, and shut down. In the morning, you wake up, walk out the front door, and summon your car," says Tesla in a blog post. "It will open the garage door and come to greet you. More broadly, Summon also eliminates the burden of having to squeeze in and out of tight parking spots." Since the functionality is still in the beta stage, Tesla underscores that owners should familiarize themselves with Summon on "private property." Musk also says that the cars will be able to autonomously drive wherever in the country to meet its owners down the road, for instance, when "you're in LA and the car is in NY." Not only that, it will also soon have the capacity to charge itself along the way, plus it will sync with the calendar so users will know when the cars are going to arrive. Users can communicate with the cars by means of their smartphones. Tesla Curbs The Autopilot Functionality The automaker also revealed on Sunday that it was updating its Autopilot features for Model S to set new limits on the vehicle's hands-free operation. Tesla is now restricting the feature on roads without a center divider or on residential roads. This also means that the vehicle cannot drive faster than the speed limit plus 5 miles per hour. Musk noted, though, that Tesla has not yet received any report of accidents caused by the earlier released version of the software. In the meantime, earlier this month, a Model S caught fire and burned down completely while supercharging at a station in Norway. No one, however, was injured in the fire. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Motherhood is a very stressful and tiring experience especially in the first few months of an infant's life. A new research, however, suggests that when mothers have more kids, the aging process slows down. Is this the solution to women's aging fears? A new study by Canadian researchers from Simon Fraser University suggests that the number of kids born to a woman impacts the rate at which her body ages. Published in the journal PLOS One, researchers have revealed that women with more children had longer telomeres than those who had fewer kids. Telomeres are important parts of human cells that influence how cells age. These are caps at the end of each DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) strand that work by protecting the chromosomes. Chromosomes are thread-like structures that contain all genetic information. When cells replicate, telomeres become shorter until such time that they become so small and unable to protect the chromosomes. This may lead to the chromosomes becoming susceptible to damage that causes the cells to age and function ineffectively. In the study, the team enrolled 75 Kaqchikel Mayan women from neighboring indigenous rural communities in Guatemala. Their telomere lengths and number of children were assessed in the 13-year period study. At the start of the study, the lengths of telomeres were measured through salivary samples. 13 years after, these were again measured but now through buccal swabs. They found that women with more children had longer telomeres than those who had only few. Each additional child born was associated to about 0.059 more telomere units. This is the first research study to examine the direct link between telomere length in humans and the number of kids a woman had. "The slower pace of telomere shortening found in the study participants who have more children however, may be attributed to the dramatic increase in estrogen, a hormone produced during pregnancy," Professor Pablo Nepomnaschy of Simon Fraser University said in a news release. The researchers speculate that estrogen the female hormone that increases during pregnancy has something to do with lengthening of telomeres thus slowing down the aging process. Nepomnaschy added that estrogen, a maternal hormone, functions as a "potent antioxidant" that helps protect cells from certain damages and shortening of telomeres. The researchers also suggest that social environment may play a major role in the anti-aging effects of having more children. They noted that women in the study with more children had more support not only from their family members, but also from their friends. More support increases the amount of metabolic energy that can be used for maintenance of body tissues, which may lead to a decreased pace of the aging process. Though the study offers new insight in the topic of aging, it's still a very complex process in which researchers have many more things to learn about. "Future research should explore the potential role of social support as well as that of estradiol and other potential biological pathways in the trade-offs between reproductive effort and the pace of cellular aging within and among human as well as in non-human populations," the researchers wrote in the study. Photo: Simon Fraser University | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. With New Year's resolutions abound from people who pigged out during the holiday season, it looks like galactic black holes can shed weight too. Astronomers found a galaxy 1 billion light years away with two black holes, and one of them is "skinny" or "naked". Black holes are massive structures in space that are usually surrounded by millions or billions of stars. This black hole discovered by scientists who used observations from the Hubble Space Telescope and NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory do not have the expected number of starts surrounding it. Scientists from the University of Colorado in Boulder found the "naked" black hole at the merger of two galaxies. With two galaxies coming together, they found two black holes - one massive as usual and the other one looking "naked" because of being deprived of the expected number of stars. "One black hole is starved of stars, and has 500 times fewer stars associated with it than the other black hole," Julie Comerford, lead researcher and an assistant professor in CU-Boulder, Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences said in a news release. "The question is why there's such a discrepancy," she added. The findings, presented at the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) held at Kissimmee, Florida, could shed light in the evolution and behavior of black holes in space. The bizarre black hole is located around 1 billion light years from Earth in SDSS J1126+2944, a merger of two galaxies. Middle-sized black holes, unlike bigger and massive ones, have been predicted by astrophysics but have never been seen by any observers until now. In the past, astronomers only found supermassive black holes at the centers of all massive galaxies like the one where the solar system is found: the Milky Way. Comerford added that the "naked" black hole could have emerged during the turmoil of the merger millions of years ago and extreme gravity and tidal forces stripped the smaller black hole of its stars. It might have also started with just a few stars because it is a different type of black hole. Another theory the scientists have speculated is that the merger reveals a very rare "intermediate" black hole with a mass between 100 and 1 million times of that of the sun. This type of black hole is predicted to occur in the center of dwarf galaxies, hence having fewer stars to begin with. These intermediate black holes, however, can grow into supermassive black holes, which are common today in space. "This unusual galaxy may provide a rare glimpse of one of these intermediate mass black holes," Scott Barrows, postdoctoral researcher at CU-Boulder, said. The study was published online in Astrophysical Journal. It is publicly available [PDF] at arXiv. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Before you start to #WinAtLife, experts say there is one personality trait you must possess: conscientiousness. In different aspects of your life, this value can help spell the difference between your successes and your failures. Basically, being conscientious means leading an organized and efficient way of life. It is the act of being mindful and vigilant in performing a task, with the goal of doing well. As defined by Merriam-Webster, being conscientious means being "very careful about doing what you're supposed to do, and doing it correctly." Your Personality Traits Conscientiousness is also one of the dimensions found in the five-factor model (FFM), a widely studied theory that describes the human psyche and personality, and is more commonly known as the Big Five personality traits. Aside from conscientiousness, the Big Five includes openness to experience, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. There also seems to be a new trait. As reported by Tech Times in June last year, scientists found a sixth personality trait that measures a person's darker impulses such as dishonesty, greed and others. Although we won't be talking about the Big Five in particular, it helps to know that people have complex personalities. According to the American Psychological Association, personalities are the "individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving." This means that personality types or traits such as the Big Five are dimensions that can be used to further understand and know a person beyond the surface. Mostly, personality theories such as the Big Five and the Myers-Brigg Type Indicator (MBTI) help companies decide if they're going to hire a certain applicant. How Conscientiousness Can Help You #WinAtLife In the book "How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character" written by Paul Tough, the author interviewed long-time conscientiousness expert Professor Brent Roberts. The professor mentioned that how conscientiousness plays a role in success greatly depends on the person. "It would actually be nice if there were some negative things that went along with conscientiousness," said Roberts. "But at this point it's emerging as one of the primary dimensions of successful functioning across the lifespan. It really goes cradle to grave in terms of how people do." 1. Conscientiousness Can Affect Your Income In a study featured in the European Journal Personality, people who are emotionally stable and highly conscientious have been found to have greater incomes and better levels of satisfaction with their jobs. 2. Conscientiousness Can Affect Your Job Opportunities For job-seekers, being conscientious and scoring low in neuroticism the trait that characterizes anxiety, worry, fear, envy, and moodiness can help a person immediately get a job. The study is published [pdf] in the Journal of Economic Psychology. 3. Conscientiousness Can Affect Your Love Life If you've been married for a long time or are planning to do so in the near future, then you should take note that conscientiousness is a valuable trait in long-lasting marriages. According to research issued in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, being careful and always trying to think of what's right is mostly associated with marital satisfaction. 4. Conscientiousness Can Affect Your Health According to the book "The Longevity Project" written by Dr. Howard Friedman and Dr. Leslie Martin, being conscientious best predicts long life among children and adults. After a heart attack, people who were highly careful and mindful were more likely to recover than those who were not, the book said. Creativity And Conscientiousness Let's face it: most people would never describe themselves as systematic or neat. In fact, some people take pride in being free-spirited, in embracing "recklessness" and letting loose of inhibitions. As people's personalities are complex and intricate, the structure of conscientiousness doesn't seem to apply to all, especially in terms of creativity. Paul Tough's book also looks into how schools treat children who are more conscientiousness and those who are not. According to Tough's book, teachers preferred those with higher GPAs who scored lower in levels of creativity, and higher in punctuality, predictability and dependability. Past studies have shown that teachers generally dislike creative students. In the end, there is still a fine line between the qualities that society values as a whole and the sense of individuality in each person. Being conscientious is definitely a respectable trait, but it doesn't mean creative traits should be shunned in consequence. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Maine wildlife biologists teamed up with Native Range Capture Services to study moose survival and population in the northeastern part of the United States. They used radio collars to analyze the conditions responsible for the infestation of winter ticks in the moose population and determine the animal's survival skills. Atop a helicopter, a three-man crew scouts for moose near Moosehead Lake. When a moose is spotted, one of the men jumps from the hovering chopper and wrestles the animal to the ground. The team works quickly, belting the moose's legs to take fecal and blood samples before placing a radio collar on its neck. According to Sam Davison, a seasoned moose handler from the Native Range Capture Services, everything needs to happen in just 10 minutes. Moose Population Decline Winter tick infestation has decreased the moose population in Maine and all the way to Alberta in Canada. In New Hampshire, the moose population dropped from 7,000 in the late 1990s to 4,000. In 2012, Maine's moose population is at an estimated 75,000. Today, however, officials said the population is just around 60,000 to 70,000. In 2014, the winter tick-related mortality caused officials to lessen the state's moose-hunting licenses by 25 percent. The state decreased it by another 9 percent in 2015. Save The Moose The research team expanded its coverage to the Aroostook County from the original Jackman/Greenville area. Initially, the team had 70 adult female and one calf moose fashioned with radio collars. The expanded reach included 36 more collared calves for the study. The two study locations will enable the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife biologists to have a total of 150 moose for the study. New Hampshire has an additional 90 collared moose for monitoring. The research team also aims to understand the impacts of climate change and a smaller size of moose herds on the winter ticks. According to moose biologist Lee Kantar, there is a theory that a smaller herd can result in decreased cases of infestation. "There is evidence if you decrease the moose population, the less parasites you'll have. But where is that sweet spot?" said Kantar. This theory was put to the test in Vermont seven years ago when the state increased its moose-hunting licenses to see if a smaller population will also result in less winter tick infestations. The Vermont moose population first decreased by half, from 5,000 to 2,500, but the animal's mortality rate continued to rise. In the past years, the moose population in Vermont dropped to 2,000. Experts are uncertain if winter tick infestation is the main culprit. According to New Hampshire moose biologist Kristine Rines, winter tick infestation can decrease the moose population significantly but the animal will not vanish entirely - at least that's not happening not in the recent case. What's Next? In the next two years, the research team will monitor the collared moose population. Upon death, the moose's radio collar will give out a signal so the researchers can immediately locate the animal and determine the cause of death. The state started collaring the moose population in 2001 but the New Hampshire study showed little findings. Biologists from the various states are hoping the moose population near Moosehead Lake will give crucial findings. Photo: Ryan Hagerty/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. If you know an iPhone user who's attempted to switch to Android, you probably noticed how hard it was for him to transfer his contacts, messages and images outside of iOS. This might be about to change, however, as Apple is purportedly working on an app to help its users make a smooth transition to Android devices. Companies from the telecom industry, especially data carriers and operators, describe Apple's iOS as a road without return. A few years ago, the European Commission started looking into whether or not iPhone users are locked into the ecosystem, forcing them to upgrade to Apple phones only. The Commision's investigation came to a halt, due to an Omerta-worthy silence level among mobile carriers that would not disclose any malicious commercial terms imposed by Apple. Evidence suggests that there are no explicit rules about keeping Apple's clients captive, yet the harsh and time-consuming way of transferring data from an iPhone to an HTC or Samsung device is intimidating. This makes telecom users think twice before changing ecosystems when they upgrade their smartphones, thus giving Apple an upper hand. The company gets leverage in negotiations with mobile networks, as they feel obligated to keep iOS devices on stock for clients who want to upgrade their handsets. Handset owners who want to move from Android to iOS face a similar conundrum, but Apple paved that road with its Move to iOS app, launched in September last year. A vast number of users saw the app as an unfair move from Apple, and the 1-star reviews started pouring in. According to a new report, Apple is allegedly working on an iOS to Android app. "Apple has privately agreed to develop a simple tool to help consumers shift data such as contacts, music and photos if they move to Android," Christopher Williams from The Telegraph reports. He further notes that big telecom players from the European Union claim that one essential reason for the small number of people who transition from iOS to Android is the painstaking way to transfer data. The Cupertino-based company may win a lot from developing the app, so read on to get a better idea of the concept. By promoting an easy way switch from iOS to Android, Apple would gain a PR bonus. It would virtually support the idea that the company has its customers' best interests in mind. What's more, the company would send an important self-confidence message. After sales from last autumn showed that a surging number of Android users are transitioning to iOS, Apple should be relaxed enough to allow its users go into the opposite direction. The third motive for Apple to open a path towards Android is to avoid future investigations from the EU Commission. Not only is such an inquiry time-consuming and resource-draining, but it usually requires companies to be transparent about their practices, and that is not really Apple's modus operandi. For the United States, Apple still reigns supreme in terms of smartphone sales, according to figures from last year. The numbers show that Android users make up 52.1 percent share of the market. Delivering an "exit app" would demount EU's concerns about Apple's disloyal competition practices. This means that the Cupertino-based company has a chance to do a proactive move, with gains that highly outweigh its drawbacks. First of all, it would make iOS's position stronger. It would help promote iOS as an operating system that it is flexible enough to allow entry and exit at the user's pace, without subjecting them to the "Stockholm syndrome." Apple reports very high customer satisfaction numbers, which means that most users are unlikely to jump ship anyway. With the new app, Apple could easily brush off the accusations of being a locked-in system - one that promotes opaque practices and discourteous business strategies. We look forward to seeing the iOS to Android app going live as quick as possible, and we will keep you posted when (or if) it happens. In case the rumor was just someone's wishful thinking, maybe Apple can man up, take a hint and transform it into a reality. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. BlackBerry has a newfound love for Android, but the company insists that this new direction does not mean the death of its own BB10 OS. It's no big secret that BlackBerry has been struggling in recent years to keep its head above water as rival smartphone makers soared to the top and left it eating dust. If BlackBerry was once the king of the smartphone market, Android and iOS are now dominant and the Canadian OEM barely manages to stay relevant. The best move for BlackBerry was to align with the current trend and forge an alliance with Android, which is exactly what it did with its much-touted BlackBerry Priv. If you can't beat them, join them, right? Not only did BlackBerry launch its first Android handset with the BlackBerry Priv, but the company also said at CES 2016 that it plans to launch at least one more Android smartphone in 2016. Moreover, the BlackBerry Priv is significantly expanding with global carrier support, greatly widening its availability. Also at CES 2016, BlackBerry announced its plans to enter the self-driving car race with its QNX software for autonomous vehicles. While these big announcements stirred lots of interest, BlackBerry loyalists were left wondering whether the company is moving away from its own BlackBerry OS to focus solely on other endeavors such as Android and QNX. Despite these new plans, however, BlackBerry promises that it has not forgotten about its own BB10, and it will not abandon the platform. "As we shift our energies toward all these exciting opportunities, does that mean the BlackBerry 10 operating system is dead? Far from it," BlackBerry noted in a company blog post. The company further highlighted that owners of BlackBerry 10 smartphones such as the BlackBerry Passport, BlackBerry Classic or other handsets running BB10 can look forward to many treats this year, including a slew of privacy and security enhancements set to roll out in 2016. The upcoming BB10.3.3 build will boast a certification for NIAP compliance, which means that it meets the toughest government-grade security standards. With this certification ensuring the highest levels of security, BlackBerry will be able to continue supporting both government and regulated customers relying on BB10 devices. Moreover, BB10.3.4 will roll out later in 2016 with an additional number of security improvements under its belt, reiterating the company's commitment to security. In other words, BlackBerry will come up with another Android smartphone this year, but it will also continue supporting its BB10 OS and rolling out important new updates and improvements. Android is just a new horizon for BlackBerry, but it will not mean the demise of BB10. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. One of the world's most powerful supercomputers dedicated to modeling the Earth's climate and weather is due to be replaced in 2017 with an even more sophisticated machine, researchers say. Silicon Graphics International Corp. will build the replacement for the current computer located at the Wyoming Supercomputing Center in Cheyenne, operated by the National Center for Atmospheric Research. A machine with 2.5 times the computing power will replace the current computer, dubbed Wyoming, a release from NCAR headquarters in Boulder, Colo., announced. The new machine, to be named Cheyenne, will be capable of computing at 5.34 petaflops, carrying out 5.34 quadrillion calculations per second. The existing Wyoming machine, used for climate and weather research since 2012 by more than 2,200 scientists and 300 universities, is ranked among the 60 fastest supercomputers in the world. It won't be taken offline when Cheyenne debuts, researchers say, but will continue to work alongside the new machine. That's because bandwidth and time on supercomputers is usually shared among many researchers and projects. "The machine is usually working on dozens of problems at the same time in a kind of mix of jobs that are running on it," explains Rich Loft, the center's director of technology. "Some of those jobs might take a quarter of the machine. Others might take only one percent." Although only in operation since 2012, the Wyoming unit is being replaced because of the rapid rate of technology advances, he says. "Things get better, faster cheaper. That's the whole story of computers," Loft says. "Certainly you know, if you have a phone, it starts to feel clunky after a few years." The new Cheyenne computer is being funded by the National Science Foundation and by the state of Wyoming through an appropriation to the University of Wyoming. It will help in studying diverse topics, including climate change and severe weather, geomagnetic storms, air quality, seismic activity, wildfires and other significant earth science subjects. Using 90 percent of the electricity the Wyoming machine consumes, Cheyenne will be three times as efficient while taking up only a third as much physical space, the researchers say. The new machine is being named in honor of the support received from the people of Cheyenne, and to celebrate the upcoming 150th anniversary of the founding of the city in 1876 and its naming for the American Indian Cheyenne nation. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Amazon may be releasing a mini-sized version of its voice-activated personal assistant speaker Echo. According to the Wall Street Journal, the online retailer has plans to release a portable Echo device, and will do so in the coming weeks. Amazon has yet to confirm the rumor, but the Wall Street Journal reports that the company is working with Flextronics International Ltd. to make the device that has been dubbed "Fox." Fox is rumored to fit in the palm of the user's hand and will be similar to Apple's Beat pill, but will instead stand vertically on a tabletop. The new and smaller voice-controlled device and Bluetooth speaker won't need to be plugged in in order to list to commands like its predecessor, and instead will only listen when the user pushes a button. This will help keep a longer battery life, since Echo's capability of always being able to listen drains its battery. Fox will be charged by using a dock. Amazon first released Echo, which uses Alexa software to listen and acts like a personal assistant to provide users with a faster and easier way to search the Internet, back in November 2014. Included Internet searches are weather and traffic updates, news or recipes a user might be seeking while cooking in the kitchen. Ford announced a partnership with Amazon that will allow owners to control their car features from their home using Echo at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week. Amazon has also released new updates for Echo, which include support for apps like Yelp, and workout activities. Amazon does not release sale figures, so it's hard to tell if there is a demand for a more portable version of the device. However, the online retailer released Echo in retails stores like Home Depot, Staples and Radio Shack across the U.S. in time for the 2015 holiday season. Amazon's Echo retails for $179.99, but the portable, smaller version is expected to be sold at a cheaper price. Source: The Wall Street Journal 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. An unexpected "bump" in the data coming out of collision experiments with the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland has scientists wondering if they've witnessed evidence of previously-unknown subatomic particles. The collision, which cannot be explained by the Standard Model of physics, may have been evidence of a previously-undiscovered particle, or maybe even two particles, researchers say. Because the particles, if they in fact exist, would fly in the face of the accepted model, scientists found themselves facing a possible and significant re-thinking of what they have long taken for granted. "It was so weird that people were forced to chuck their favorite theories and start from scratch," says Adam Martin, an assistant professor of physics at the University of Notre Dame. "That's a fun area of particle physics. We're looking into the unknown. Is it one new particle? Is it two new particles?" The new finding is particularly puzzling because it was previous work with the LHC that allowed researchers to identify the Higgs boson, sometimes referred to as the "God particle," that gives all matter mass and is the foundation stone of the Standard Model. Theoretical work predicting the existence of the Higgs boson won the Nobel Prize in Physics for Peter Higgs and Francois Englert in 2013. In the data coming out of the latest experiments, there were two deviations from what the Standard Model predicts. There is some speculation that the "bump" in the latest data could be a sign of a heavier version of the Higgs, Martin and his colleagues note; there could also be a number of other mundane explanations, Martin acknowledges. That's common in science, he points out, as initial excitement about a possible discovery fades with further research. Still, it could also open the way to new insights and require new physics models, he suggests. "People are still cautiously optimistic," he says. "Everybody knows that with more data, it could just go away. If it stays, it's potentially really, really, really exciting." Martin and his colleagues from Cincinnati and New York have published a paper in which they consider some explanations for the LHC data. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Project Titan, widely purported as Apple's plan to manufacture its own electric and/or autonomous vehicles, has been dominating the headlines recently. The company, nevertheless, is very tight-lipped about the reported project. While Apple boss Tim Cook has declined to talk about it, we have seen quite a few rumors, leaks and reports that have previously surfaced and made rounds on the Internet. Here's a roundup of what you need to know about Apple's alleged Project Titan. 1. Codenamed "Project Titan" The Wall Street Journal initially pushed out a report in February last year that Apple could be working on its electric vehicle. Citing a source who is said to be "familiar with the matter," the report claimed that Apple already had hundreds of employees working on a minivan-like vehicle. This new venture, with a reported codename of "Project Titan," is believed to be led by the company's veteran product designer Vice President Steve Zadesky, a former Ford engineer who played a big role in developing the company's iPod and iPhone. 2. Apple Could Be Working On An Autonomous Car Citing its source from the auto industry, Reuters reported in the same month that Apple is trying to make its own version of a self-driving car. The source said the company is taking advice from automotive suppliers and carmakers on production methods but isn't going beyond that. "They don't appear to want a lot of help from carmakers," the source said. It seems, then, that Apple is just going after the expertise instead of partnerships with automakers. 3. Apple Could House Its Electric Cars In Sunnyvale In October last year, we delved on a report regarding Apple's second spaceship in Sunnyvale. The spaceship-like headquarters in the major Silicon Valley city has been reported to house the company's electric vehicles down the road. The 777,000 square-foot campus that could have three six-storey buildings could host roughly about 3,000 employees when it's completely developed. 4. The Apple Car Could Have A Digital License Plate The following month, a report again cropped up claiming that Apple Car could bring digital license plates to the road soon. Of course, it's safe to say these could be used for Apple's electric vehicles. A LinkedIn profile of Ronan O Braonain, one of Apple's new hires, also leaked, showing that he worked in a company that's building the world's first digital license plate. This digital license plate is deemed high tech, having the capacity to alert authorities when an incident happens. Reports were quick on speculating that Apple could be considering incorporating the plate in its Project Titan car. 5. Apple Registered Three Car-Related Top-Level Domain Names Earlier this month, Apple allegedly registered three car-related top-level domain names. These domain names include: apple.cars, apple.car and apple.auto. At the moment, though, these web addresses are not yet active. 6. Apple Was In Talks With Officials Of A Testing Facility A report from The Guardian said engineers of Apple's alleged Special Project group purportedly met up with officials of the GoMentum Station, a former naval based near San Francisco said to be a testing facility for self-driving cars. "We would ... like to get an understanding of timing and availability for the space, and how we would need to coordinate around other parties who would be using [it]," says the leaked document which was obtained by The Guardian. 7. Apple Reportedly Met With California's DMV Another sound rumor which implies that the company is really working on Project Titan is that it reportedly met with officials of California's Department of Motor Vehicles to talk about the regulations of the state for self-driving vehicles. 8. Apple Revealed It's Enhancing Its Mapping Technology Apple disclosed on its website that it is currently beefing up its mapping technology. "Apple is driving vehicles around the world to collect data which will be used to improve Apple Maps," says Apple. This is another sign that Apple could be jumping into the auto industry. 9. Apple Hires Veterans In The Auto Industry WSJ also reported that Apple hired Doug Betts, who headed the global quality at Fiat Chrysler. The company also reportedly hired Paul Furgale, a renowned self-driving car researcher in Switzerland. Another report from Bloomberg claimed that Apple allegedly tried to appeal to Tesla hires with a very attractive deal: a 60 percent salary increase and a $250,000 signing bonus. 10. Tesla's Boss Himself Said Apple Is Developing Its Electric Car Early this month, BBC interviewed Tesla CEO Elon Musk. He boldly said that Apple is, indeed, making its own electric vehicle. "It's pretty hard to hide something if you hire over a thousand engineers to do it," said Musk. 11. Tim Cook Doesn't Want To Talk About It When NPR host Robert Siegel asked Tim Cook if the rumor that Apple is working on the Apple Car is true, Cook refused to answer the question. "Do you have another question?" said Cook. This sums up Apple's secretive nature when it comes to the company's brilliant press release strategy. It is believed it might take a few more months or years before we could hear official details from Apple about to its plan. More details are sure to surface down the road. We'll be sure to keep you posted. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. While many fans are still struggling to decide if they should accept George R.R. Martin's apology for not finishing "Winds of Winter" before season six of "Game of Thrones" airs on HBO in April, one author who also happens to be a very good friend of Martin assures her own fans and followers of the television series based on her novels, that she will not let "Outlander" catch up with the books. Diana Gabaldon is the writer behind the nine books so far that make up "Outlander" as well as a number of spin-off novellas. She is currently writing the 10th installment of the series and, needless to say, she writes like lightning. The television series based on her books, also titled "Outlander," has also gathered a fan-following, and is scheduled to air its second season on Starz in April. But while Martin is set in his writing rituals of being at home on his typewriter in order to work his magic onto paper and cannot do so when he is distracted by free trips to Dubai, for instance, Gabaldon said that she is not stuck to routine and can write even if she is traveling. "[Everyone] has their process. He likes to travel, and he can't write when he travels. I write when I travel and so forth," she said to a panel at the Television Critics Association last Friday when asked if the "Outlander" series will face a similar dilemma as "Game of Thrones" by having the TV series over takes the novels. Now, before anyone thinks that Gabaldon is throwing shade at Martin, it is worth noting that she counts the "A Song of Ice and Fire" author as one of her best friends for decades and even posted about having breakfast with him on her Facebook page. However, she did explaine that her personal work ethic was instilled with her when she began writing while holding down two jobs and raising her three young children. She was forced to write in every spare moment she could find and that habit stayed with her. She reminded the panel that different writers have their own "writing mechanism" and it should not be held against an author for not being able to give definite deadlines for their work. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The mosquito-borne Zika virus has reached the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced. Common in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and the Americas, this virus may lead to birth defects and neurological issues. Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services (HCPHES) received confirmation from the CDC that the Zika virus has been confirmed in one traveler who just returned from Latin America. The patient, who is residing in Houston, developed common symptoms of the virus such as fever, rashes, and joint pain. Much like Dengue virus, Zika virus is also carried by the same vector the aedes mosquitos. There are cases wherein the virus causes only mild symptoms that some people were not even aware they are infected. Most patients recovered fully, but infection of a pregnant woman can have detrimental effects to the unborn child. "Prevention is key to reducing the risk of Zika virus infection," Dr. Umair A. Shah, executive director of HCPHES said (PDF). "Zika virus infections occur throughout the world. We encourage individuals traveling to areas where the virus has been identified to protect themselves against mosquito bites, and to contact their health care provider immediately if they develop Zika virus-like symptoms," Shah added. Birth Defects And Neurological Issues The CDC is aware of reports pertaining to the increased numbers of babies born with a neurological defect called microcephaly in Brazil. This is the condition wherein the newborn's head is smaller than the expected size. Health officials are speculating the link between the Zika virus outbreak and the increasing numbers of babies born with birth defects. Microcephaly (PDF) may be caused by a variety of factors, including infection a mother during pregnancy, genetic deformity and exposure to toxic chemicals. In October 2015, the health department of Brazil received reports of increasing number of babies born with microcephaly, more than what they expect to see each year. Moreover, some of the babies who have microcephaly also tested positive for Zika virus. Brazil reported its first outbreak of Zika virus in May 2015 and since then, the virus has spread not only in Brazil, but to other Latin American countries. However, the link between the two was not established yet and an ongoing investigation is yet to be concluded. The disease was first seen in the Americas less than two years ago and has spread quickly across South and Central America. An estimated 440,000 to 1.3 million people have been infected by the virus. More than 2,700 babies in Brazil were born with microcephaly in 2015, which is way higher than the 147 cases recorded in 2014. Signs And Symptoms Of Zika Virus Zika virus may spread to people through mosquito bites and has signs and symptoms like fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis. Usually, the illness is just mild, with the symptoms lasting from several days to one week. Though the disease is unlikely to cause hospitalizations, it may cause birth defects to the unborn child of pregnant mothers. At present, there is still no vaccine to protect people from the virus and since it's relatively new, no medicine has been discovered yet. What Should Pregnant Mothers Do? The CDC recommends that all people, especially pregnant women, who are traveling to Latin American countries like Brazil, should take precautions against mosquito bites. Pregnant mothers should be cautious when staying outdoors. They should refrain from going out without using insect repellents and wearing protective clothing particularly in mosquito-infested areas. This will help prevent infection not only from Zika virus, but as well as from other mosquito-borne illnesses like Dengue fever and Chikungunya. Photo: John Ragai | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Despite a funding prohibition from a chief health agency, several research centers in the United States continue to move ahead with their efforts to produce and grow human tissue inside animals. Because of advances in gene-editing techniques and stem-cell biology, implanting human stem cells inside animals has become much easier for geneticists. Once these human-animal hybrids or human-animal chimeras become fully grown, scientists hope to transfer the organs to patients without transplant rejection because the organs carry human DNA. Animal rights activists, however, clamor against the act. Dr. Julia Baines, a science policy adviser for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in the United Kingdom, called the technique "Frankenscience," an obvious reference to Mary Shelley's work. Aside from that, some experts say it's very reminiscent of H.G. Wells' science fiction novel "The Island of Doctor Moreau" where a mad scientist creates human-animal hybrids. "Creating human-animal hybrids is bad for people and worse for animals," said Dr. Baines. "These animals have exactly the same capacity to feel pain and suffer as any other animal, including humans." Creating Human-Animal Chimeras According to the American Transplant Foundation, at least 123,000 patients in the U.S. are waiting to receive an organ donation. To address the shortage of vital organs needed for transplants, scientists in universities have implanted embryos containing animal and human DNA into dozens of sheep and pigs. Unfortunately, little is known about the effects of human stem cells on animal embryos. Scientists are mainly concerned that the human stem cells could multiply and specialize inside the embryo. It could then begin to give the animal host human characteristics. Experts said those possible human features could range from physical disabilities to intelligence. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Review estimates that about 20 sheep and pigs in the U.S. and 30 more all over the world have been implanted with stem cells. How are the human-animal chimeras created? Scientists first snip and cut the genes for a specific organ from the embryo of an animal. Then, they replace it with human stem cells. Afterwards, the altered embryo is inserted into the womb of a pig or a sheep, and it grows containing a human organ. Cardiologist Dr. Daniel Garry of the University of Minnesota, who worked on a human-animal chimera project, said they can create an animal that doesn't have a heart. "We have engineered pigs that lack skeletal muscles and blood vessels," said Garry. Meanwhile, none of the human-animal chimeras have been born yet, and it may be several years before their safety for humans is tested. It May Be Allowed If The Benefits Outweigh The Harms The National Institutes of Health has already said in September last year that it wouldn't fund studies concerning human-animal chimeras until it has reviewed the social and scientific implications more closely. David Resnik, an ethicist from NIH, said scientists are nowhere close to the island of Doctor Moreau, but the new technique moves fast. "The specter of an intelligent mouse stuck in a laboratory somewhere screaming 'I want to get out' would be very troubling to people," said Resnik. In the UK, there is currently an organ donor shortage as the number of family members refusing to give consent is increasing. There is also concern that the number of useable organs are dropping because donors are less fit and older. About a quarter of organs are taken from obese patients now, compared with one in eight from 10 years ago, experts said. Opposing Views As animal rights groups oppose the act of creating human-animal hybrids, some medical experts believe the technique could save lives almost immediately. Professor Bruce Whitelaw of the University of Edinburgh said the human-animal chimera experiment is scientifically fascinating and offers room for healthy, productive social debate. Martin Bobrow, a former medical genetics professor at the University of Cambridge, said the work on human-animal chimeras could lead to medical advances of significant value. "Without someone trying these experiments, we will not know whether the risks are huge, negligible or inbetween," added Bobrow. Photo : Nick Saltmarsh | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Verizon finally rolled out Android 5.1.1 Lollipop to the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, and to keep the good news rolling, Samsung released a beta version of Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow to the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. A few weeks ago, the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge received the Android 6.0 Marshmallow beta, but it was limited to a couple of owners who participated in the program in the UK, which means that the update didn't reach the United States. It was geared toward visual improvements, Google Now on Tap and Doze no surprise there, as this is a major update after all. On that note, Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow would seem like a minor update at first glance, not to mention that it's a beta, but it actually came with a ton of upgrades here and there, which is quite unusual. 1. Additional Quick Settings toggles for Private Mode in the status bar. 2. A new set of emoji characters. 3. Visibility of notification panel icons has been improved. 4. In fingerprint identification, vibration occurs only when it's not recognized. 5. A new "Install Overnight" option, where an update installation can be set at night between 2:00 and 5:00 a.m. 6. A new interface for the Edge screen settings, including an "Edge Panels" option. 7. A customizable Edge panel, where its transparency and size can be adjusted (it can also be updated with new ones online). 8. A new Tasks Edge panel to set shortcuts for apps. 9. Support for profiles that can automatically change based on location (e.g., it can mute sounds when at work and turn on volumes when at home). To get a better look of things, hit up the video SamMobile uploaded below. With the recent images, the Android Marshmallow update seems to be shaping up into one heck of an operating system. Meanwhile, the long overdue Android 5.1.1 Lollipop on Verizon's Galaxy Note 4 fixes a slew of bugs and stability issues across the board, which owners are well aware of. It's an over-the-air update with the software version LMY47X.N910VVRU2BOK3. "This software update has been tested to optimize device performance, resolve known issues and apply the latest security patches," Verizon says. Particularly, the update includes support for Android for Work, improvements to the Samsung Knox Platform and removal of the preinstalled Amazon Appstore and Amazon Widgets. In other words, it adds more features while getting rid of what could be called bloatware. In related news, T-Mobile has already published a list of devices that will receive the Marshmallow update, emphasizing on how far behind Verizon is with the updates. The eligible devices include the Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy Note edge, Galaxy S5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy Tab S2. Currently, there's no official word on when a public release will roll out, though. The information so far only shows what's in store for the users in the foreseeable future. The Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow update is already live, so participants of the beta program who haven't received it yet can go ahead and manually check for it through Settings > About device > Software update menu. The same goes for the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop upgrade for Verizon Galaxy Note 4 models, and it can be downloaded manually through the same steps. In the event of an error, the carrier has a nifty Software Upgrade Assistant (PDF) tool. Photo: Karlis Dambrans | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A survey administered to women working in Silicon Valley proves that there is discrimination and harassment against female employees happening in the workplace and little, if not nothing, is being done about it. Aptly titled "The Elephant in the Valley," co-authors Trae Vassallo, Ellen Levy, Michele Madansky, Hillary Mickell, Bennett Porter, Monica Leas and Julie Oberweis released their findings online to expose the issue, urging women to share their stories to expose such injustice. No, it's not an exaggeration. How many women have felt unsafe in their working environment, whether personally or professionally, because they are being treated by their own male colleagues as a commodity? If you say there's no such thing in your company, you're either working in a fair, feminist institution or you have just been blind and deaf to what's going on around you. You may think women are finally getting the equality that the true feminist movement has been working towards because some women earn more than their male colleagues. But those instances are actually the rare exceptions rather than the actual direction gender equality in the workforce is going in. Most are still at a standstill. What Is 'The Elephant In The Valley?' Inspired mostly by the widely reported Pao versus the Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield and Byers (KPCB) capital venture firm, the co-authors named above decided to shed light on the experiences of female employees in the Silicon Valley area. "What we realized is that while many women shared similar workplace stories, most men were simply shocked and unaware of the issues facing women in the workplace. In an effort to correct the massive information disparity, we decided to get the data and the stories," they wrote. The authors focused on women who have worked in Silicon Valley for at least 10 years and gathered answers concerning five specific factors: Feedback & Promotion, Inclusion, Unconscious Biases, Motherhood and Harassment and Safety. A Friendly Reminder Before you start complaining that the study is biased because the people who administered the survey are women, we urge you to take note of three things: 1. The proponents indicated that most men were unaware that women faced such issues; 2. The third factor is "Unconscious Biases" which may explain why men were unaware; and, 3. The study is not an attack on men but rather a way to urge women to share their stories and bring the issue into everyone's consciousness, especially the men who are unaware of these issues, so that they too may help even the playing field. Eye To Eye With The Elephant Concerning Feedback and Promotion, 84 percent of the respondents have been told they were either too aggressive or too soft and half of those women experienced this on multiple occasions, while 47 percent also said that they were given menial tasks that are not given to the males in the company, such as note-taking or ordering meals. Some 66 percent felt excluded because they were not given the same opportunities to attend key networking opportunities as their male counterparts. Likewise, 90 percent reported to have witnessed sexist behaviors from their colleagues in company offsites and industry conferences. When it came to unconscious biases, 88 percent experienced them. These are behaviors that companies and males exhibit but think are only "natural" such as directing questions to their male peers despite the knowledge that it should be addressed to them. Additionally, 87 percent received demeaning comments from their male colleagues, which they would most likely not have the gall to say if they were talking to a male counterpart. Motherhood is also a big factor since 52 percent of those who took maternity leave felt the need to shorten it in to keep their job secured despite the benefit being offered. In interviews, 75 percent of the respondents were asked about their marital status and children and, to be taken seriously, 40 percent felt the need to minimize mentions about their family. About 60 percent of the women reported unwanted sexual advances and, out of those, 65 percent received unwanted sexual advances from their superiors. Half of that 65 percent were at the receiving end of repeated unwanted sexual advances and, because of this, one in three women felt threatened and unsafe in their own workplace. We urge you to read some of the stories shared by the respondents so you have an idea. If you witness anything like it, go forward and report the incident, especially if the female involved is afraid that no one would believe her. Try to think back and determine if you've ever witnessed any of the experiences shared by the participants in the survey or whether you have been at the giving or receiving end of such issues. No matter how much people deny it, the elephant is there and it's time to stop denying its existence or convincing yourself that it's a small elephant. It's so big, you'd probably look like a flea next to it. Photo: Armando Maynez | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. True crime stories are all the rage right now. After the success of the Serial podcast and HBO's The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, it would only make sense that Netflix's Making a Murderer would be a hit among subscribers. Even after being released almost a month ago, Steven Avery's name continues to pop up in the news and on our social media feeds. And how can it not since the docu-series does leave a lasting impression the viewer? Making a Murderer, at its core, is a really good story. A man spends 18 years in prison for a crime he didn't do, only to get out be sent back behind bars this time for murder. What makes it even more captivating is that all this is true (regardless of whether or not you think Avery really did it). Of course, we rank the series one the best whodunit murder mysteries we've seen in a long time, but after it ends, you're probably left feeling the Netflix cycle of grief that comes after binge-watching. Don't worry, subscribers, Making a Murderer isn't the only documentary that will leave you on the edge of your seat as you play detective in your mind. Here are six true crime documentaries to stream on Netflix. Director: Barbara Brancaccio, Joshua Zeman Stars: Joshua Zeman, Barbara Brancaccio, Bill Ellis We have to start this list off with Cropsey in part because this reporter is originally from Staten Island. Although the crimes happened before my time, it hits close to home, which makes it even more real. In this documentary, two filmmakers try to solve the mystery of what happen to five children who went missing in Staten Island in the '70s and '80s, and the urban legend of the man who could have done it. Directors: Nick Broomfield, Joan Churchill Stars: Aileen Wuornos, Nick Broomfield, Terry Humphreys-Slay If you enjoyed Making a Murderer, you will really enjoy Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer. But unlike Avery, its hard to deny that Wournos was a monster. She is known for being America's first female serial killer, and this actually is the follow-up film (The Selling of a Serial Killer is also available to stream) that focuses on her declining mental state as she claimed the prison used sonic pressure to control her. Directors: Ken Burns, Sarah Burns Stars: Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Kharey Wise The Central Park Five follows a story of five minority teens who were convicted of sexually assaulting a white woman in Central Park in 1989. The teens spent years in prison before a serial rapist confessed to committing the brutal crime. Director: Robert May Stars: Charlie Balasavage, Joanne Balasavage, Justin Bodnar This true crime documentary does not feature a murderous plot, and instead turns the lens to focus on a person on the other side of the court room the judge. Kids for Cash is about a judge who was on a mission to keep kids in line by ordering hard sentences, but one parent set out to expose his motives. Director: Errol Morris Stars: Randall Adams, David Harris, Gus Rose Using interviews, archival footage and reenactments to tell the story, The Thin Blue Line argues that a man was wrongfully convicted for murder. It also exposes a corrupt justice stem in Dallas, Texas, perfect for those who are fans of Avery's case. Director: Bart Layton Stars: Adam O'Brian, Anna Ruben, Cathy Dresbach This documentary has more of a cinematic feel to it, which will only make the story even more compelling. The Imposter is about a young boy from Texas who goes missing for three years, who later turns back up at home after spending time in Spain. But is he really who he says he is? 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In the digital age where pretty much everything revolves around online services, sharing data and even accounts with other people is pretty common. For instance, friends sometimes ask for your Amazon log-in details just so that they can avail of the Amazon Prime benefits you have subscribed to. Similarly, many people borrow a friend or family member's Netflix account details, and the company's CEO Reed Hastings, does not have any hang-ups about people doing so. Au contraire, Hastings takes the account sharing of the streaming service in his stride and feels it is a "positive thing." During Netflix's global expansion announcement at the just concluded CES 2016, Hastings told reporters that multiple people perusing the same Netflix account was not an issue. "We love people sharing Netflix whether they're two people on a couch or 10 people on a couch," said Hastings. "That's a positive thing, not a negative thing." So why is Hastings tolerant of multiple people sharing a single Netflix account (and sees it as a positive sign) you wonder? The answer is that he thinks that eventually, in the long run, these users will sign up for their own subscription to the service. The Netflix CEO is of the belief that primarily those sharing a single Netflix account are the children of the subscriber. He feels that over time as the children grow up and are financially independent, they will end up loving Netflix so much that they will purchase their own subscriptions. Hastings elaborated on his theory and elucidated that once children grow up they prefer to have control over their lives. A natural transition is subscribing to things on their own steam a coming-of-age milestone, if you please when they have a steady income at their disposal. "As kids move on in their life, they like to have control of their life, and as they have an income, we see them separately subscribe. It really hasn't been a problem," revealed the Netflix CEO. However, Hastings was actually referring to sharing of accounts between members of a single household who share the password to a Netflix account. He did not mean friends who stay separately and still share a Netflix account. It's interesting that the CEO is alright with account sharing as a substitute for upgraded accounts, specially considering the fact that the online video streaming service offers support for family accounts which enables a member to create their own profile. The upgraded accounts allow users to sign in through multiple devices simultaneously. A December 2014 survey from Consumer Reports shares an interesting statistic. Nearly 46 percent of adults in the United States who have subscribed to a streaming service share their account with people outside their household, that is, non-family members. The report stated that the numbers would continue to grow in the future as the popularity of these services grows. While that happens, a major worry for most video streaming services that offer paid digital content will be that password sharing is in violation of terms of service. Such sharing may also be illegal. To what extent sharing of accounts is considered within the boundaries or beyond is debatable. While Hastings may see the sharing of accounts as a positive thing because it cultivates loyalists, the same could lead to potential misuse specially at a time when Netflix is looking to expand its operations. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. General Motors' brand GMC has announced the new 2017 Acadia, a smaller and lighter mid-sized SUV. GMC unveiled the original Acadia in 2006 as a 2007 model and refreshed it in 2013. GMC also added the Denali version in 2011. Despite being an old car in the segment, the Acadia has posted high sales in the United States in 2015 and a year-over-year growth of 14.8 percent. On Tuesday, the carmaker introduced the new Acadia at the North American International Auto Show, popularly known as the Detroit Auto Show. The GMC crossover has been slimmed down but the company hopes that it will give stiff competition to rivals. "GMC is a strong, growing premium brand and the Acadia is a cornerstone of our success story," says Duncan Aldred, VP of GMC Sales and Marketing. "The all-new Acadia leverages GMC's proven SUV experience to take on and shake up one of the largest vehicle segments, with a strong blend of design, technology and capability." Body And Engine When compared to the 2016 Acadia, the new variant is narrower and shorter. GMC engineers were able to take 700 pounds from the Acadia, giving the 2017 model higher fuel efficiency. GMC claims that the 2017 Acadia is easier to turn and park and it also offers an enhanced overall driving experience. The latest Acadia is about 7 inches shorter in length and 3.5 inches narrower in width. It is also around 4 inches shorter in height. The 2017 Acadia will be available in a number of powertrain options. The based version of the car will be equipped with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, which produces 194 horsepower and 190 pound-feet of torque. The higher variants of the car will have a 3.6-liter V6 engine that produces 310 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque. Both engines will be paired with a six-speed automatic gearbox and customers will also have the option to buy front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The current model of the Acadia can accommodate up to eight passengers. However, depending on the model the 2017 Acadia will seat five to seven passengers. The exteriors of the Acadia will also be different from its predecessors. The Acadia gets new wraparound headlamps and grilles. When compared to the earlier versions of the Acadia, the new car also has slightly different interiors. Design And Tech Helen Emsley, who is the executive director of Global GMC Design and User Experience, says that the 2017 Acadia has a confident design influenced by customer feedback. In addition, the original Acadia was inspired by truck bodies, but the design of the new Acadia is influenced by SUVs. GMC has installed a number of tech features in the 2017 Acadia. The car has onboard 4G LTE support, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The 2017 Acadia also has a rear seat alert as standard, which reminds drivers of items left in the second or the third row seats. The car has a rear-vision camera system, which helps in hitching and towing a trailer. A forward automatic braking feature makes the car stand out from the crowd. The 2017 Acadia will be available in spring 2016. GMC is yet to reveal the price of the latest Acadia. Last October, General Motors recalled more than 31,000 SUVs in North America, including the 2016 Acadia, due to a manufacturing defect in the vehicles' windshield wiper motor. The company has since addressed the fabrication issue, so the 2017 model may not have the same problem. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. United States pest control service Terminix ranked the top cities with the worst bed bug infestations. The report found Dayton, Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo and Cincinnati within the top 15 ranking. The Terminix report covered company calls from Jan. 1 to Dec. 17, 2015. The report also found bed bug infestations have surged since the 1990s which could be linked to higher numbers of international travels and untreated cases of infestations. "Most of the cities in our top 15 are big tourist and business destinations, making travelers even more at risk for encounters with bed bugs whether it's on the plane, at their hotel, in a movie theater or riding in a taxi," said Terminix's technical services manager Paul Curtis. Top 15 Bed Bugs Cities In The U.S. With Past Rankings 1. Detroit, Michgan (4) 2. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1) 3. Cleveland-Akron, Ohio (15) 4. Los Angeles, California (14) 5. Dayton, Ohio (-) 6. Chicago, Illinois (5) 7. Columbus, Ohio (8) 8. Cincinnati, Ohio (2) 9. Dallas-Forth Worth, Texas (7) 10. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, California (-) 11. Denver, Colorado (12) 12. Toledo, Ohio (-) 13. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (-) 14. Baltimore, Maryland (9) 15. New York City, New York (3) Don't Let The Bed Bugs Bite Bed bugs are a common cause of skin irritation. These parasitic insects get their name from the fact that they are found in close proximity to beds, where they feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals such as humans. Simliar to these pests that dwell in the same places are house dust mites, which are microscopic arachnids that feed on shed human skin and multiply in warm, humid environments, especially the bed. In November 2015, the Ohio State University Acarology Lab released a disturbing video showing thousands of dust mites squirming in their own waste. Home hygiene expert Dr. Lisa Ackerley estimated there are about 10 million dust mites in a single bed, with each dust mite pooping out 20 tiny yellow feces in a single day. Bed bugs bite, which can be annoying and unpleasant, but they don't cause any known disease so far. Dust mites, on the other hand, can cause allergic reactions due to contact with their feces, which can result in rhinitis, cough, dry eyes, hay fever and eczema. According to health officials, dealing with an infestation will require professional extermination services. However, vacuuming regularly can get rid of bed bugs and dust mites. "Vacuuming around the beds, the couches, where you have sleeping and where you have a problem. Steam heating. If you have a steamer it does help," said Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department's Howard Gamble, adding that the best solution for bed bug infestations in early stages is using hot water for washing and hot heat for drying. Photo : David Goehring | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Apple has purchased Emotient, a San Diego-based maker of facial expression recognition software that can detect emotions to assist advertisers, retailers, doctors and many other professions.Apple confirmed the purchase on Friday, but did not give details of the deal. Emotient could not be reached for comment.Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans, Apple said in an emailed statement.The purchase comes during fevered interest in artificial intelligence, or AI, in Silicon Valley and among other tech companies.Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said last week that he was attempting to build an AI system to control his home. Google, Microsoft, Amazon and entrepreneur Elon Musk have all recently made high-profiled forays into research and development of AI. Apple already has Siri, a digital assistant on iPhones that responds to user questions.Several past projects from Emotient could easily be viewed as beneficial to Apple. The San Diego company built a prototype sentiment analysis application for Google Glass. It also worked with Innerscope Research to analyze the reaction of focus groups to ads shown during the Super Bowl, something that could have been interesting for its famous 1984 commercial.Emotient was founded by six scientists from the University of California, San Diego in 2012. It uses software that recognizes facial patterns as they come into view of a camera. It had previously raised $8 million from investors, including Intel Capital.Emotients software can detect emotions including joy, disgust, anger and surprise. It mainly sold its product as a way to give real-time feedback to advertisers and retailers.We think that will be increasingly important in a world where how walk-up customers are being treated in general has never been more important, Ken Denman, chief executive of Emotient, told the in March 2014 . Given the trends these days in retail, the worst thing that can happen is for someone to walk out of your store and give a tweet about a bad experience.Emotients technology is largely based on research by Javier R. Movellan and Marian Bartlett, researchers at UC San Diego."Were delighted at the success of Emotient getting purchased by Apple," said Paul Roben, associate vice chancellor for innovation at UC San Diego. "This is how the system should work. We brought all of our innovation resources together, spun out a company, which developed a technology. This is going to generate enthusiasm for the kind of entrepreneurship we do here."UC San Diego has a sizable group of AI specialists, and it is planning to add more as part of its long-term growth in robotics. The campus has tried to jump into the big time by hiring star faculty, but has so far failed to seal some key deals.The university made an unsuccessful attempt to recruit Gil Pratt, a former Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency roboticist who recently joined Toyota. A short time later, Toyota announced that Pratt would oversee a $1 billion AI research program in Palo Alto, near Stanford University.Despite a few setbacks, the university viewed the sale as a confirmation of what it was doing.The purchase of Emotient also highlights how relevant artificial-intelligence and machine-vision expertise is right now. And these are areas where UC San Diego is actively investing yet more research resources., said Albert Pisano, dean of the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego.The business use of the technology could be Web searches that use a camera to track facial expressions during a purchase, said Heather Honea, a marketing professor at San Diego State University.She noted technology already used by major Internet companies customizes advertisements to users based on past purchases, image recognition and their online behavior. If facial recognition was used, it would be a richer set of data even if turning on your webcam for an iTunes purchase sounds odd right now.Honea said history shows that people get very concerned about a new technology at first, see how it works in their life, and then change their minds.I suspect at first everyone would say Theres no way. Im not doing that, she said. Then, the first time someone finds exactly the pair of shoes they were looking for with minimal effort, then theyll click on OK, Ill allow it the next time. At a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Silicon Valley, top tech companies met Friday with high-ranking federal officials to discuss a potential collaboration in the fight against terrorism.Representatives from Google, Facebook, Twitter, Apple and other firms gathered in San Jose to meet a Washington cadre that included White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, FBI Director James Comey and National Intelligence Director James Clapper, according to reports.Leaked government documents and agendas for a meeting hinted that the discussion would include encryption a hot-button issue that has pitted privacy-seekers against lawmakers among other less controversial measures to thwart terror groups.We are interested in exploring all options with you for how to deal with the growing threat of terrorists and other malicious actors using technology, including encrypted technology, to threaten our national security and public safety, read a White House briefing reportedly passed out to participants and provided to the Intercept Reuters broke news of the meeting Thursday evening. An agenda leaked to the Guardian outlined talking points.Among them: making it more difficult for terrorists to recruit; promoting alternative content that would undercut ISIL; making it harder for terrorists to coordinate attacks using the Internet; and dreaming up ways to possibly measure counterterror efforts.Such meetings between federal officials and tech firms arent unheard of, but this one comes as recent incidents have stoked fear about the use of technology in attacks.The U.S. intelligence community has used that fear as ammunition in its long-standing push to weaken the built-in methods that safeguard digital communication from eavesdroppers.In the memo obtained by the Intercept, federal officials recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. It asks tech executives in attendance to seek a framework on which everyone can agree.Despite that openness, privacy advocates say they have been left out of the loop.I acknowledge that we have a terrorist problem, said Pam Dixon, executive director of the World Privacy Forum in San Diego. I acknowledge we need solutions, but lets have a democratic conversation about it.The debate, she argued, should be happening in a public forum, not in private. The California Department of Technology (CDT) recently signed a contract with The Highlands Consulting Group to provide training in Organizational Change Management (OCM), based upon the Prosci industry standard. Prosci, Inc. is the world leader in change management research and methodology, and is considered the States standard. Based in Sacramento, Highlands Consulting has provided OCM consulting services to State agencies for nearly 14 years. They have provided Prosci -certified consultants on many large initiatives including CWS, my|CalPERS, CalHEERS, and FI$Cal. The firm is the only Prosci Authorized Training Provider (ATP) on the West Coast. Highlands Consulting was founded in 2002 with the mission of serving California State government. See More Stories by Highlands Consulting Dutch Police Say They Can Access Encrypted Emails on PGP Equipped BlackBerrys Known for their security, BlackBerry handsets use the PGP encryption mail, which makes the phone extremely secure. However, the criminal group are taking advantage of this feature and using BlackBerry devices to carry out attacks since their communication cant be traced and/or decrypted. The good news is that the Dutch Police have confirmed to Motherboard that they are able to read encrypted messages sent on PGP BlackBerry phonescustom, security-focused BlackBerry devices that come complete with an encrypted email feature, and which apparently may be used by organized criminal groups. The news first appeared when Dutch blog misdaadnieuws.com, or Crime News, published apparent documents sourced from the NFI (Netherlands Forensic Institute) in December last year, that indicated that deleted messages can be recovered, and encrypted emails read on BlackBerry devices. Also, Tuscha Essed, a press officer from the NFI (Netherlands Forensic Institute), told Motherboard in an email that we are capable of obtaining encrypted data from BlackBerry PGP devices. The NFI is a body that helps law enforcement in forensic evidence retrieval, and which, according to its website, deals with most of the forensic investigations in criminal cases in the Netherlands. A number of online vendors sell PGP-encrypted BlackBerrys, which are advertised as being mainly more suitable for sensitive communications than the standard models on offer. We use PGP encoding as protocol for sending and receiving messages, the site of one vendor, TopPGP, reads. Another seller, called GhostPGP, says that the company offers the only proven, time-tested means of communicating securely in total anonymity with PGP-encrypted email. While NFI did not discuss the exact methods involved to decrypt data sent through BlackBerry devices, it however needs physical access to the actual BlackBerry device. When asked how the Dutch police can decrypt BlackBerry data, Essed stated that by answering these we would provide criminals with exactly the information they would need in order to eventually get around our research method. We would like to prevent that and therefore have been very reserved with our explanation towards the press. However, there is speculation that it is relying on a tool from Cellebrite to get the job done. One possibility is that investigators are guessing the password based on a memory dump, even though that normally requires yanking a memory chip off the phones motherboard. While the NFI says that it has broken the code, it hasnt been able to do so in every case. According to the Crime News report, in one test, out of 325 encrypted emails, only 279 were cracked by the organization. In addition, the actual BlackBerry device that has the encrypted message needs to be in the possession of the law enforcement group looking to crack the code. This restricts the effectiveness of the method in real-life applications. The phone used in the test is rumored to be the BlackBerry 9720, a model of BlackBerry that was released in August 2013. We wrote about this years ago. This affects all mobile devices including Android offerings! Weak passwords will always be the weak link. Content protection is on by default for all our units. This has been the case since day one. Without it, the devices are easily cracked. [BlackBerry] devices can still be brute forced via chip-off. It could possibly be that Cellebrite has found a way to brute force without a chip-off: this I have not verified,-Jay Phillips, encrypted BlackBerry seller SecureMobile.ME According to claims made by some PGP vendors, their BlackBerry phones remain 100% secure. According to GhostPGP, We have not been affected. Our services are completely secure and have never been compromised. Meanwhile, TopPGP told Motherboard, We use the latest PGP encryption at this moment that its almost impossible to be decrypted. Our customers are very happy with the level of security provided by TopPGP.com. The free in Facebooks Free Basics comes at a price and it is not a free Internet Facebook is the only Internet firm to support telecom operators over the issue of differential pricing of data services amidst debate over net neutrality principles. However, it seems that something has been lost in translation between Facebook and those who reason to protect Internet neutrality for the masses in the vast country of India. Free Basics, previously known as Internet.org, is a Facebook operation where by partnering with local telecoms firms in the developing world the firm offers free internet access to users who cannot afford a broadband connection or smartphone data plan. Also, the offer is limited only to Facebook, Facebook-owned WhatsApp, and a few other carefully selected sites and services. Should Facebooks Free Basics initiative be stopped immediately? A response to this question cannot depend on claims of its promoter, Facebook or its goal nor its critic. It is whether there is any evidence that Free Basics violates any existing rule, harms consumers or other players in the market. According to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), an economic regulator thinks that Facebook is gaining an unfair advantage to trade over the Indian population. The Free Basics service provides useful Websites on health, travel, jobs and local government free of charge. By offering a limited number of Websites and services, and sending as little data as possible, costs are minimized for Facebook. Naturally, Facebook is one of the apps included in the service. Others are Ask.com, Baby Center, Bing, Dictionary.com,Wikipedia and AccuWeather, among others. While the debate continues whether telecoms operators should be allowed to offer different services with variable pricing, or whether a principle of network neutrality should be enforced, Facebook is not wasting time to wait for a judgement. Facebook has gone ahead and spent in the range of Rs. 180-200 crores on print ads, which it claims is most for any medium. The recent weeks has seen Facebook running full-page advertisements in multiple newspapers urging people to support its Free Basics campaign. However, its worth noting that Facebook has not refuted or supported any claims of the money it has spent on ad campaigns for Free Basics in India. A Facebook spokesperson in an emailed statement told Live Mint, Were aiming to get the facts out to as many people as possible, whether theyre connected today or will be in the future. Zuckerberg goes one step further, who in his Times piece said that those who are opposing Free Basics are actually hurting the poor. He argued that for every ten people connected to the internet, roughly one is lifted out of poverty. Without reference to supporting research, he instead offers an anecdote about a farmer called Ganesh from Maharashtra state. Ganesh apparently used Free Basics to double his crop yields and get a better deal for his crops. Zuckerberg stressed that critics of free basic internet services should remember that everything were doing is about serving people like Ganesh. This isnt about Facebooks commercial interests. However, critics say that Free Basics violates some of the core elements of net neutrality, which mandate that all Internet content and users should be treated equally. Mahesh Murthy, a Indian venture capitalist, told CNN that what Facebook wants is our less fortunate brothers and sisters to be able to poke each other and play Candy Crush, but not be able to look up a fact on Google, or learn something on Khan Academy or sell their produce on a commodity market or even search for a job. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has defended the service against critics, arguing that the platform is open to all software developers, has no advertisements and will help less fortunate users escape poverty. Instead of wanting to give people access to some basic Internet services for free, critics of the program continue to spread false claimseven if that means leaving behind a billion people, Zuckerberg wrote in an op-ed column in the Times of India. Who could possibly be against this? The service is claimed to be open to any app, site or service, in practice the submission guidelines forbid JavaScript, video, large images, and Flash, and effectively rule out secure connections using HTTPS. This means that Free Basics is able to read all data passing through the platform. The same rules dont apply to Facebook itself, ensuring that it can be the only social network, and (Facebook-owned) WhatsApp the only messaging service, provided. Instituted in 2013, Free Basics (Internet.org earlier) was supposed to be a great way for people living in remote areas where Internet connectivity is not readily available. But last May, a collective of 65 advocacy organizations from 31 countries released an open letter arguing that it was not serving its purpose and actually violates the core tenets of a free and open Internet. Thats when the first wave of protest began. Last month, the TRAI had floated a consultation paper on differential data pricing, with the last date for comments on December 30 and for counter comments on January 7. Shortly after, Facebook launched its Save Free Basics campaign urging users to send pre-written response to TRAI on the paper. The company also started an email-based campaign recently. TRAI has received a record 2.4 million comments on the paper. Recently, a survey firm recently claimed that a whopping 81 percent in a survey of 30,000 people had voted against Free Basics or any such programme and wanted an unbiased or neutral Internet for them. The survey was conducted by citizen engagement platform LocalCircles. Other critics of Free Basics have been pushing the TRAI, posting about 500,000 comments about saving the Internet generated in various forums. TRAI is expected to announce its official position on differential Internet pricing in a few weeks. Turkeys Criminal Court Sends a Young Hacker to Jail for 334 Years This may be a world record of some kind for the guys at Guinness World Records. A 26-year-old hacker has been sentenced to 334 years in prison for identity theft as well as mass bank fraud in Turkey, or in simple words, he has been sentenced to life in prison. 26 year old Onur Kopcak was arrested in 2013 for operating a phishing website that impersonated bank site, tricking victims into providing their bank details including credit card information. Kopcaks clone website was used by his gang for credit card fraud scheme. Turkish citizens were tricked into believing that the site belonged to a bank authority and parted with their credit card information. Kopcak had 11 other partners in crime who used the data collected to fraudulently to cash out mega bucks. After his arrest in 2013, Kopcak was charged with identity fraud, website forgery, access device fraud and wire fraud. The court found him guilty of these charges and and sentenced him to 199 years 7 months and 10 days in prison based on complaints from 43 bank customers. However, after his sentence was ordered by the judge, more evidence poured in and 11 other bank customers filed complaints about payment card fraud. The police had enough proof to order a fresh trial. During the fresh trial, which was concluded on January 10, the Mersin Third Criminal Court of General Jurisdiction further added another 135 years to Kopcaks original sentence of 199 years 7 months and 10 days in prison, Daily Sabah reported With the addition of these 125 years to his original sentence, Kopcak will be spending a world record 334 years in jail. With a total of 334 years in prison, Kopcak is now atop of the list of the hackers with the biggest prison sentence, by far. In previous cases, rarely did a hacker get over 20 years in jail, this being the maximum to which sentences ever got. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Is Selling His Home for $3.5 Million Tech giant CEOs are always enjoying the good life and Satya Nadella is definitely no exception to the vast majority of executives that are paid a handsome salary package that allows them to live in their dream homes. However, Nadella, who took the helm from Steve Ballmer in February 2014, is actually selling his estate for the price of $3.5 million. The housing industry seems to be booming at the moment, because approximately 20 years ago, the same house, which is present in in Clyde Hill, Washington, was built in 1963, but was purchased for approximately $1.3 million. As you can see in the images, the estate is definitely a wonder, and it looks like Satya Nadella spared no expense in making his dream home as appealing as possible. Let us jump in on the specifics; the house covers 4,050 square feet (which is equal 375 square meters). It has a total of four bedrooms, three bathrooms, two fireplaces, one office/library space over the living room, and an eat-in kitchen. As you can see in the images, the house has been modernly designed, which is possibly the reason why Nadella has decided that he is not going to let his investment go off cheaply. One reason why Satya Nadella is able to afford such an expensive home is because he received $84.3 million in 2014, with a portion of those earnings offered in the companys stock. Nadella had a salary of $918,917 for the year, but after taking charge, he had also received a bonus of $3.6 million, which is slightly more than the total current valuation of the house right now. So what do you think of the estate that has gone on sale? Look at the images carefully and let us know. Unicredit to take minority stake in Alfa Group's ABH Holdings; IPO possible in future For the first time in its history, Alfa Group's bank holding company will sell a stake to a foreign banking organization, Unicredit Group (UCG). UCG and Alfa Group have reached a binding agreement to transfer UCG's Ukrsotsbank into Alfa Group, in exchange for newly issued shares representing a 9.9% stake in ABH Holdings (ABHH), which is currently wholly owned by Alfa Group shareholders. "Agreements foresee specific protection rights for both parties including the possibility for UCG to appoint one Board member of ABHH and to cause an IPO of ABHH. Furthermore, parties agreed a Put/Call option mechanism on UCG's stake in ABHH after the 5th anniversary from Closing," UCG said in a press release. ABHH, based in Luxembourg, owns Russian Alfa-Bank and eponymous banks in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus, as well as Amsterdam Trade Bank N.V. (Netherlands) The first official announcement of Alfa Group's possible acquisition of Ukrsotsbank in exchange for a stake in ABHH was first made in August 2015, although the parameters of the potential were not disclosed at the time. ABHH's current beneficiaries are Mikhail Fridman (36.47%), German Khan (23.27%), Alexei Kuzmichev (18.12%), Pyotr Aven (13.76%), Andrei Kosogov (4.08%) and The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research (4.3%, previously held by Alexander Knaster). Russia decided not to extend a contract for power supply to Ukraine following the decision to stop buying Ukrainian electricity for Crimea, the newspaper Kommersant wrote on Tuesday. "Russia will stop commercial power supply to Ukraine and the contract which expired last year will not be extended," the newspaper wrote. "Russia is not negotiating power supply from Russia to Ukraine. We will not extend it [the contract] because it was linked to the contract for power supply from Ukraine to Crimea from the start," a representative of the Russian Energy Ministry told the newspaper. Ukraine was buying electricity from the Russian power grids in 2014 under a contract between Inter RAO and Ukrinterenergo which expired in the end of 2015. A contract for power supply from Ukraine to Crimea was signed at the same time. It was not formally related to the export contract between Russia and Ukraine. An emergency situation regime was put into place in Crimea because of the blackout of November 22, 2015. Rolling blackouts are in effect. It is planned to compensate for the 30-35% power deficit by May 2016 when the second line of the energy bridge from Kuban is launched. The first line was commissioned in December 2015 ahead of schedule. Since the blockade began in the 1960s, the United States has harmed Cuba for US$154.2 billion at current prices. | Read More The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Israel during tests have revealed salmonella enteritidis in eggs brought from Ukraine and decided to suspend imports of eggs. "At once after receiving tests, the Ministry of Agriculture stopped imports of eggs from Ukraine, their marketing and sale at supermarket chains," the ministry said. According to the report, eggs on the way to Israel from Ukraine would not be allowed to enter the Israeli market. The Ministry of Agriculture of Israel asked the Ukrainian veterinary agency to investigate into the issue and define the source of bacteria. The ministry is looking for alternative ways to supply eggs to the country. According to the State Statistics Service, egg exports from Ukraine to Israel in January-October 2015 was 20.43 million eggs worth %2.24 million, while 876.43 million eggs worth $67.13 million were exported from Ukraine to other countries. The key export markets for Ukrainian eggs were Iraq (418.75 million worth $34.9 million) and the United Arab Emirates (283.87 million worth $20.91 million). Ukrainian coal mining enterprises in 2015 cut coal production by 38.8% (by 25.236 million tonnes) compared to 2014, to 39.759 million tonnes. A source in the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry told Interfax-Ukraine that coking coal output last year fell by 49.8%, to 8.155 million tonnes, steam coal by 35.3%, to 31.604 million tonnes. Coal mining enterprises managed by the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry in 2015 reduced production by 62%, to 6.742 million tonnes, in particular coking coal production decreased by 57.6%, to 1.950 million tonnes, steam coal by 63.5%, to 4.792 million tonnes. Mines in Donetsk region in the past year produced 14.368 million tonnes of coal (44.9% down from 2014), Luhansk region 4.333 million tonnes (75.8% down), Dnipropetrovsk region 18.833 million tonnes (0.4% down), Lviv region 1.983 million tonnes (9.2% up), and Volyn region 243,200 tonnes (16.5% down). Job aspirants cautioned against fake police job website Hyderabad, Jan 11 (INN): The Telangana Police on Monday said that in online applications for the recruitment of police constable in police department a fake websites called www.tslprb.com is in the circulation on the net. Candidates are being cheated to apply through com site. Last two letters of Telangana State Level Police Recruitment Board site is in. Fake site has letters com. Please Candidates have been asked to visit www.tslprb.in, the only official website. Cheated candidates can file cases against com site in the police stations in which jurisdiction they filled application in com site, according to a press release. News Posted: 12 January, 2016 Digvijay Singh seeks Yagnam expenses details Hyderabad, Jan 12 (INN): AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh on Tuesday demanded that Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao disclose details of expenditure on 'Maha Ayutha Chandi Yagnam' and the sources through which the funds were mobilised. Addressing an election meeting at Chintal Basti in Khairtabad Assembly constituency here, Digvijay Singh alleged that nearly Rs. 7.5 crore were spent on the Yagnam. He said he was not against the conduct of Yagnam, but the Chief Minister must disclose how he arranged those funds. He also alleged that KCR did not conduct the yagnam for the welfare of Telangana State, but to gain political strength. He said spending Rs. 7.5 crore on Yagnam while ignoring hundreds of farmers' suicide was highly regrettable. Accusing KCR of ruining the Telangana State, Digvijay Singh said only Congress party could save the State from KCR and TRS. He said except for KCR family no one benefitted due to formation of Telangana. He reiterated that it was AICC President Sonia Gandhi who granted statehood for Telangana. He said KCR, along with his family members, met Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and thanked them for their role. However, he said KCR ditched the Congress party and tried to take entire credit for same. "Congress gave Telangana and only Congress can save it," he said. Digvijay Singh also accused KCR of ruling like a Nizam while treating State's exchequer as personal fiefdom. He also slammed Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen for switching loyalties to TRS after the 2014 elections. He said all the assets, including colleges, being run by the MIM were given by the previous Congress regimes. He asked MIM Presient Asaduddin Owaisi whether or not Congress party and its leaders played a major role in generation of those assets. Accusing MIM of indulging in emotional and communal politics, he said instead of speaking on issues like water, electricity and sewerage, MIM leaders seek vote by stating that "Islam was in danger". He said MIM leaders were functioning against the basic teachings of Islam. He said interest is 'haraam' in Islam. But MIM is running Darulsalaam Cooperative Bank which does interest-based transactions. Digvijay Singh alleged that MIM went to Maharashtra and Bihar at the instance of BJP President Amit Shah and Shiv Sena. Further, both the MIM MLAs abstained from the House when Maharastra's BJP CM sought Vote of Confidence. He said that the MIM did not utilise or misused the funds sanctioned by the previous Congress Governments for the development of Old City. He also slammed the BJP Government at the Centre for rising prices of essential commodities. He said that the benefit of drop in crude oil prices was not passed on to consumers. He advised party leaders to focus on door-to-door and social media campaign. TPCC President N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Leaders of Opposition K. Jana Reddy and Mohammed Ali Shabbir, Working President Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and other senior leaders addressed the meeting. News Posted: 12 January, 2016 Vietnamese government agencies' ignorance places their websites in grave danger of being attacked, an official told a conference in the central province of Thua Thien Hue on Friday. The conference was organized in Hue Town by the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Thua Thien Hue People's Committee, and the Vietnam Association for Information Processing. Nguyen Huu Hung, deputy chief of the code division under the national cipher department tasked with state management of secret codes, quoted a 2012 survey of the Vietnam Computer Emergency Response Team as saying that 54 percent of agencies had failed to recognize attacks. It found that 64 percent of agencies were unable to estimate financial losses resulting from attacks, he said. The Vietnam Information Security Association's survey also pointed out that 78 out of 100 websites with the government domain "gov.vn" had "seriously" poor security systems, the official said. In the meantime time, malware, including viruses, spread easily via emails and USB flash drives, Hung said. New viruses are usually attached in emails sent from fake addresses of the agencies' staff and officials, and the emails are often about salaries or business trips, he added. Nguyen Ai Viet, director of the Institute of Information Technology, agreed with Hung, saying that reasons behind the loss of Internet security in Vietnam include limited technical capacity and insufficient investment. Viet also quoted the Ministry of Public Security's statistics as saying that more than 90 percent of websites belonging to agencies of the Party, the government and banks have been hacked and had their data stolen. Nguyen Minh Duc, director of Bach Khoa Internetwork Security Company's Internet Security Division, told the meeting that at least 14,000 computers in Vietnam were attacked last month. They were all hacked with the "distributed denial-of-service" (DDoS) scheme that paralyzed their resources and prevented others from accessing them, he said, citing that popular online newspapers like Tuoi Tre (Youth) and VietNamNet became inaccessible for several days following repeated attacks. "What if these attacks targeted the government's website?" Duc asked. The Japanese Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday signed a grant agreement worth more than US$208,000 to build a school and provide medical equipment in two Vietnam southern provinces. The grant includes more than $108,000 worth of 20 function recovery tools for Tan Chau General Hospital in the capital town Tan Chau of An Giang Province, and the rest for building a primary school campus in the southernmost Ca Mau Province. Around 370 children are expected to benefit from the campus project, which will include six classrooms and accessory constructions. Harumitsu Hida, Japanese Consul General, said the funds are parts of Japan's official development assistance to Vietnam this year. Since 1995, Japan has provided Vietnam more than $8 million of ODA funds for 113 healthcare, education and agriculture projects in 26 southern provinces. Like us on Facebook Police arrested Friday a French doctor working at the French Hospital in Hanoi who is wanted by Interpol for sexual abuse of children in several countries. According to the Ministry of Public Security police, Olivier Larroque, 51, has been detained for further investigation. Larroque is suspected by French authorities of sexually abusing and raping children and distributing lewd materials, online newspaper VnExpress reported without saying where. The Vietnamese police started looking for him, found he had been hired by the French Hospital, and arrested him while he was attending to patients. He told them he had entered Vietnam in 2000 and signed a contract to work six weeks a year for the hospital. Information about Larroque has been removed from the hospital's website, but a cached copy says "Larroque, a French Hepato-Gastro-Enterologist, from Toulon will start working at the hospital from December 19, 2011." It also said he can speak French and English fluently, and obtained a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1988 and a Diploma in Gastroenterology and Hepatology from Aix Marseille University - Marseille Medical University, France, in 1995. Chinas efforts to protect its submarine gateway to the South China Sea could broaden from standoffs with U.S. military planes to announcing an air defense identification zone, according to two retired army officers. China could seek to restrict the air space around Hainan Island as the U.S. routinely runs surveillance flights in the area, retired Colonel Yue Gang said. The move would mirror a zone China set up in November over portions of the East China Sea disputed with Japan. Although its premature to set up an air zone over the entire South China Sea at this moment, it makes sense to build a partial zone covering the waters near Hainan, where Chinas biggest nuclear submarine base is located, Yue said. Encompassing air space deemed international by the U.S. and by China as being within its exclusive economic zone, it would draw red lines for U.S. military flights. The Ministry of National Defense did not respond to three calls seeking comment. The foreign ministry has previously said China has the right to adopt any security measures, including air zones, while calling reports of plans for one over the South China Sea speculation. Any move toward an ADIZ, which would follow the decision in January to require foreign fishing boats to seek permission before entering waters off Hainan, could raise the risk of confrontation between the air forces of China and the U.S. Maritime power President Xi Jinping has sought to extend Chinas reach since coming to power in November 2012, with defense spending rising 12.2 percent this year. The Communist Party leadership has for the first time stated a national goal of making China a maritime power, with a more combat-ready military and long-range capacity to bolster its claims to a large part of the resource-rich South China Sea. In an incident on Aug. 19, a Chinese fighter jet flew within 20 feet of a U.S. P-8 Poseidon submarine surveillance aircraft near Hainan, and rolled to expose its weapons to the pilot, Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said. The U.S. plane was in international airspace and the maneuver was unsafe, Kirby said. China said its pilot acted professionally. Within a week of that encounter, Taiwan sent fighter jets to tail two Chinese military planes it said entered the islands air space. The Chinese planes were on their way to the South China Sea, where Chinas territorial disputes with the Philippines and Vietnam have become heated this year. These kind of incidents will happen more frequently because China wants to change its passive image of the past over territorial issues, Kang Jun Young, a professor of Chinese studies at Seouls Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, said by phone. By raising tension and showing assertiveness, China is showing the world it is no longer the same country it used to be. Timing, means Setting up an air defense zone near Hainan, which could require aircraft to file flight plans with Chinese authorities, would be a direct challenge to U.S. forces, which routinely conduct surveillance exercises in the area of the Yalong Bay Naval Base. The U.S. flew B-52 Bombers through Chinas East China Sea air zone days after it was announced. While Chinese jets patrol that area, they have not generally confronted other aircraft passing through the zone such as commercial flights. The key question is in the timing and means by which this is announced by China, said Andrew Scobell, a senior political scientist at RAND Corporation in Arlington, Virginia, referring to a potential partial South China Sea air zone. Such an announcement would likely heighten alarm among Southeast Asian states and the U.S. It is not clear whether Beijing has learned the lessons of its earlier announcement of the East China Sea ADIZ, he said. Scobell said he expects China to establish a zone over some of the South China Sea in the near future. More complicated Chinas navy is modernizing and expanding the base at Yalong Bay. The facility has two piers, each a kilometer (0.6 mile) long, to service surface ships. Four 230-meter piers accommodate submarines, along with an underwater tunnel, Felix Chang, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia, has said. Japans provocative nationalization of islands in the East China Sea prompted Beijing to declare its air zone, said retired Major General Xu Guangyu, a senior adviser at Beijing-based research group the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association. Announcing a zone across the entire South China Sea would be complicated given it would directly affect more countries in the area, Xu said. Countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also claim part of the waters, through which some of the worlds busiest shipping lanes run. Core support Beijing will exercise caution in launching a South China Sea ADIZ, he said. But it will be a matter of time. Chinas air defense space wont be just confined to the East China Sea. China has already extended its naval patrols to cover most of the South China Sea, according to the Beijing News. The military will provide core support to the sovereignty-safeguarding activities in the South China Sea, said retired Colonel Yue. Well see more warships, more submarines and airplanes in the area in the future. The most serious incident occurred in 2001, when a U.S. spy plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet and was forced to make an emergency landing on Hainan. The Chinese pilot was killed in the collision. The U.S. practice of sending surveillance planes into the area wont stop because of the close encounter, Kirby said Aug. 26. The U.S. will continue to fly in international airspace and sail ships in international waters the way weve been doing. Risk falling As long as the U.S. continues to fly planes near Chinas naval base therell be more close encounters, said Song Xiaojun, a Beijing-based military commentator for state television CCTV and co-author of the 2009 book China is Unhappy. China will play along as long as the U.S. cant curb its voyeuristic curiosity. Its like climbing up a skyscraper and attempting to look at whats going on inside a room through the glass window -- you can do that, but youd risk falling down, Song said. The close encounters are not confined to the air. A U.S. missile cruiser had a confrontation with a Chinese naval vessel in the South China Sea in December, and Japanese and Chinese ships regularly tail one another around the East China Sea. But this doesnt mean China wants an actual conflict, said Kang from Hankuk University. Its simply trying to send a message by scaring others, which still increases the odds of a miscalculation. Only one Ukrainian company currently exports eggs to Israel, over the past year it exported 32 million eggs to four countries, the State Veterinary and Biosecurity Service has told Interfax-Ukraine. The service clarified that the Ukrainian side was informed about the suspected Salmonella Enteritidis bacteria content in the batch of eggs delivered to Israel from Ukraine on January 6, 2016. "Under the order of the Deputy Chief State Inspector of Veterinary Medicine on January 6 it was decided to conduct anti-epizootic checks on the enterprises engaged in exports of edible eggs to Israel," the service reported. At the same time, biological materials were selected for research in the relevant regional state laboratory of veterinary medicine and the National Research Institute for Laboratory and Veterinary Diagnostics in Kyiv. "The investigations are continuing. Both the Israeli side and the Ukrainian society will be informed on the results of research," the agency added. All on the gamble of a four-digit number. In the lead-up to September, when aspiring university students have to put down their preferences for the courses they want to study, young minds can toss and turn, from medicine to law - and from university to university. Historically, university entrance has been governed by market forces. The higher the number of students that want to take a course, the higher the number, or ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank), that is required. The University of New South Wales campus in Kensington. Credit:Edwina Pickles Aim for the stars and you might hit a tree, aim for a tree and you might hit a rock, the logic goes, as thousands "list wish" medicine or law in the hope that they might scrape through to 99.95. By November, that optimism is still in full swing. Then reality hits. In December, ATARs are simultaneously released to more than 50,000 students around the state. Motorists allege they were used as a makeshift roadblock during the Tullamarine Freeway chase - a practice explicitly forbidden by Victoria Police, and one which might have put lives at risk. Victoria Police continue to refuse to answer questions about the incident due to the matter being before the courts, but have announced an internal inquiry which will focus on whether a roadblock was used. 14 vehicles were damaged and one was written off after an allegedly-stolen van ploughed into the makeshift roadblock. Two motorists who were in separate cars told Fairfax Media they were stopped by a makeshift police roadblock on the Tullamarine on Sunday. They were ordered by police to stay in their cars. Cilacap: Radical Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir has claimed he was wrongly jailed for 15 years on terrorism charges when he was merely donating money to support the Palestinian cause in Gaza. The extremist preacher, who inspired the Bali bombers, is seeking a judicial review of his 15-year sentence for supporting a terrorist training camp in Aceh. He told a court in Cilacap on Tuesday that police and prosecutors were insulting Allah when they called military training to defend Islam an act of terror. The National Commission for Communications Regulation (NCCR) has refused MMDS Ukraine LLC (Kyiv) the extension of two radio licenses in multi-channel distribution systems in 20 regions of Ukraine and Crimea, the regulator reported on the official website. The commission explained the refusal with the violation of license conditions for the use, untimely start and complete use of radio frequency resources. In December last year the company filed an application for the extension of another license, but the NCCR failed to make any decision. Earlier the NCCR called frequencies in the range of 2.5-2.7 GHz, which MMDS Ukraine" owns, promising in terms of implementing the LTE standard there. According to the unified state register, the beneficial owner of MMDS Ukraine is businessman Rinat Akhmetov. Bali police information officer Sri Harmiti said there were four alleged victims, who were all girls aged over 10. Indonesian police arrested Robert Andrew Fiddes Ellis, who has lived in Bali for three years, from his rented home in Tabanan, a town in central Bali. Jakarta: A 69-year-old Australian man has been arrested for allegedly molesting four children in Bali. "We received information from people about his activity, we investigated the information and we followed him last night," she said. "We followed him when he's driving his bike with two kids with him. When he arrived at his rented house, we took him." A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman said DFAT was aware of reports of the arrest of an Australian man in Bali and was making urgent queries with local authorities. Dayu Gayatri from the Netherlands NGO Terre des Hommes, which assists local authorities with the prosecution of sex offenders in Indonesia, said it was believed Ellis was part of an international paedophile ring. She said it was believed a local network was providing him with access to local children. Tuggeranong residents are continuing to complain about a foul odour smelt throughout their suburbs. Numerous residents have lodged complaints with the ACT government about the stench in recent months, with many believing it is drifting from the Mugga Lane tip. Richard Larkey and his wife Ana have lived in Fadden for 22 years but are disgusted with the regular putrid odours which they think comes from the Mugga Lane tip over the nearby ridge. Credit:Elesa Kurtz With temperatures set to reach 38 degrees on Wednesday with winds of up to 20km/h, many are worried the smell will only get worse. Ana Larkey, who has lived in Fadden for 22 years, said the annoying smell was strongest in the early morning or late evening. Shares in Gindalbie Metals sunk by nearly 60 per cent after the embattled iron ore producer admitted it may face collapse should China's state-run Ansteel pull its funding support for the $2.5 billion Karara project in Western Australia. Karara's chief executive Zhang Zhao Yuan cast doubt over the viability of the project last week, saying its parent company might no longer provide funding because of the prolonged iron ore price slump. Iron ore producer Gindalbie Metals says it is concerned about its future. Credit:Michele Mossop Sources said the Karara mine, a joint venture between Ansteel and Gindalbie, could be shuttered in the coming weeks should Ansteel cut its support for the development. Gindalbie said in a statement to the market on Tuesday, it was concerned about its future. David Bowie will surely go down as one of the great innovators in pop music history: from his use of multiple stage personas (most famously the androgynous semi-alien Ziggy Stardust) to his fusion of various genres, and his admirable stand against racism, he was always pushing the boundaries. But Bowie, who died overnight at the age of 69, should also be remembered for his groundbreaking innovations in the field of business. This extends from his forays into securitised financial products, to his embrace of the embryonic internet. The question of whether he sparked the global financial crisis was even seriously asked after Lehman Brothers collapsed in 2008. In 1997, when the recorded music industry was still booming Bowie did something strange: He raised $US55 million from investors by selling securities backed by the future royalty income from his song catalogue. Melbourne's busy container port will be forced to a standstill on Wednesday when tugboat engineers walk off the job. The strike comes amid an escalating national fight between the engineers and their employer, Svitzer Australia, which runs tugboats at several east-coast ports. Tugboat unions are pushing up against Australia's biggest miner. Credit:Jessica Hromas Strikes have already halted port activity in Geelong, Sydney and Newcastle this week. But Wednesday's 12-hour strike in Melbourne is expected to have the biggest impact. From midday to midnight, delays will plague the Port of Melbourne because tugboats that tow commercial carriers and tankers will be inoperative. Fill in the blank: to swear like a _________. Score a point if you said trooper. And one point for trouper as well, since actors cuss as often as soldiers. Then again, you may have opted for sailor, or plumber, or beauty queen, or part-time dog walker. Congratulations, a point for each, as most vocations succumb to occasional bouts of blue language, some less occasional than others. Stevedores, say, would rate highly among the candidates. Until this month anyway. Head down to Pyrmont and you'll wonder where the F-bombs went. The move has been initiated by DP World, the dockside giant that's banned all invective among its staff. "For all the influence the PC police can wield in society ... the battle to defuse the F-bomb seems in vain." Credit:Simon Letch WTF, you say. Or that was my first response. I cut my teeth on those bloody wharves. As a supercargo for a Norwegian line, dad took me there most weekends, expanding my universe with the natives' salty adjectives and blunt nouns. Such verbal dexterity seeded my career in crosswords, a chance to incite profanities of my own. Paul Scurrah, DP World's chief executive, says the cuss ban is "an in-depth effort to change the culture". While wharfies remain free to unleash their glossary in tete-a-tetes, they must resort to G-rated intercourse when dealing with the public. Reading a story about women that's generally believed to appeal to women, Carolyn Burns found herself drawn to its male characters. "Frank is my absolute favourite a standard-issue bastard", she says of one of the relatively few chaps in Madeleine St John's The Women in Black. The ladies of the fictional Goodes department store in full-flight for Carolyn Burns' Ladies in Black. Being a thoughtless bastard was almost a given in the 1950s, St John implies. The inarticulate, heavy-drinking Australian male of the time could not express his feelings. He shadows the daughters, wives, sweethearts and mothers who people this endearing story. And Burns tries to understand him. Burns has adapted the novel for a stage musical now titled Ladies in Black. Written in 1993, it is set in 1950s Sydney where a group of women outfitted in black work in a fictional department store called Goode's. It can come as a surprise to learn that post-invasion Iraq is a much more dangerous place to be queer than it was before. "We tend to think in the languages of these countries being 'liberated' and 'freedom' being installed, but with the destabilisation came the rise of militias and things like ISIS," says director John Kachoyan. "You assume that the previous regime was always oppressive and always more rigorous. It's the same with the Taliban. You look at Afghanistan in the '70s and it was, relatively, an incredibly liberal place." Kachoyan is directing the first Australian production of acclaimed UK play Elegy, a one-hander that taps into the real experiences of refugees persecuted for their sexuality. The typical image of an asylum seeker rarely gives rise to thoughts about sexual orientation, but Elegy was inspired by the work of photojournalist Bradley Secker, in particular a series of images named Iraq's Unwanted. From Turkey, where he is based, Secker says the series sought to convey "the reality of life in Iraq after the US-led invasion for minorities, and the fact that it clearly wasn't better than it was before for them. The images were trying to show their lives of hiding, their waiting, and total uncertainty of those that escaped the death squads." Nick Simpson-Deeks stars in Elegy. Credit:Hayden Bevis UK writer and director Douglas Rintoul discovered the images and was stunned. "I was shocked that a country that we had 'liberated' showed more intolerance towards its minorities than it had under Saddam Hussein. This combined with a number of reports detailing the horrific injustice LGBTI asylum seekers were experiencing when they reached the UK compelled me to make Elegy." It's not illegal to be gay in Iraq, and before the war there was a healthy gay scene. "It was tolerated," says Rintoul. "But the conservative Islamic forces that won power were unwilling to tolerate Western values, and homosexuality became wrongly linked with that. LGBTI people became easy and popular targets. Many are kidnapped, tortured and killed. Militants have violated the ceasefire along the contact line in Donbas on 35 occasions in the past 24 hours, the press center of the headquarters of Kyiv's army operation in eastern Ukraine has reported. Small arms, grenade launchers and large-caliber submachine guns were fired on Ukrainian military positions in Pisky, Opytne and Avdiyivka, an anti-tank grenade launcher was used against Ukrainian armed forces near Maryinka, and a sniper was operating in the vicinity of Krasnohorivka, the press center said on its Facebook on Tuesday. Near Novhorodske, Zaitseve and Mayorsk, located to the north of Horlivka, militants' units also fired small arms, grenade launchers and large-caliber submachine guns seeking to provoke Ukraine's armed forces to return fire. An armed clash involving small arms broke out in the same area, in the vicinity of Semyhirya village. Militants' units were eventually forced to retreat. Militants also fired an 82mm mortar near Troitske, located on the border of the Donetsk and the Luhansk regions, the press center said. In a separate development, Ukrainian military positions near the village of Krymske in the Luhansk region came under grenade launcher and 120mm mortar fire on Monday evening, the press center said. Former Liberal Party boss Brian Loughnane is setting up a new company and has no immediate interest in a diplomatic posting. Tony Abbott has reportedly asked Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to appoint Mr Loughnane, who recently resigned as the party's federal director after 12 years at the helm, as Australia's next ambassador to the Vatican. Brian Loughnane is not interested in a diplomatic posting to the Holy See, despite reported support for the move from former PM Tony Abbott. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen But Fairfax Media has confirmed Mr Loughnane who is married to Mr Abbott's former chief of staff, the controversial Peta Credlin is currently setting up a new high-level strategic business advisory service, drawing on his experience in the resources sector. Well-placed sources say his plans are "well advanced" and he has no immediate interest in moving abroad. A landmark review of the system whereby private property is forcibly acquired to make way for major infrastructure projects was handed to the NSW government two years ago, but the report is being kept secret. The review by David Russell, SC, was commissioned in May 2012 by then finance minister Greg Pearce. Liz Slakey with her children Luca Slakey 8 (left), Pippi Slakey 2 (2nd from right) and Declan Slakey 5 (right) in the backyard of their Haberfield home they are set to lose. "It is well known that compulsory acquisition of private land and its impacts have been an ongoing area of stakeholder concern for many years," Mr Pearce said at the time. Mr Russell was due to report back by the end of 2012, but on Monday a spokesman for the NSW minister for finance, services and property, Dominic Perrottet, said it was not handed to the government until February 2014. Britain's Daily Telegraph has sparked outrage from unions and staff after installing workplace monitors on journalists' desks. Buzzfeed UK reported employees came into work on Monday morning to find small plastic monitoring boxes attached to their desks. The journalists were baffled by the unannounced appearance of the boxes and resorted to Googling the brand name only to discover they were wireless motion detectors produced by a company called OccupEye that monitor whether individuals are using their desks. The Daily Telegraph claimed the devices were installed as an environmental measure to make the floors in the building as energy-efficient as possible but OccupEye's website emphasises the importance of the devices to "absorb the cost and scale of nationwide workplace inefficiency". A man accused of posing as a gynaecologist in Melbourne will have charges of pretending to be a medical practitioner heard alongside serious criminal offences, including rape and fraud. Raffaele Di Paolo, 59, was charged a year ago with purporting to be an obstetrician and gynaecologist with expertise in IVF, following an investigation by the Medical Board of Australia and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. Prosecutors allege Rafaelle Di Paolo defrauded a large group of women of more than $325,000 at his Brighton-based fertility clinic. Later in 2015 he was charged with 79 criminal charges, comprising rape, and other sexual assault offences, and fraud-related offences. Crown prosecutors allege he sexually assaulted three women for allegedly performing medical procedures on them when he was not a qualified or registered doctor. The popular Brunetti cafe on Swanston Street will be forced to relocate when the Melbourne Metro Rail takes over the City Square as a construction site for the $11 billion rail project. Four other businesses in the square are in limbo, awaiting information about the security of their own sites under the Westin Hotel. The viability of the once maligned City Square is also under threat, given the space will be occupied by construction staff for up to eight years. Co-owner Yuri Angele has until 2017 to vacate to enable construction of the CBD South station but is already looking for a new space in Flinders Lane. Traffic is flowing through Burke Road in Glen Iris free for the first time from the boom gates that have long frustrated drivers. The first level-crossing removal has now been completed, with train tracks running under Burke Road. The state government described the crossing at Gardiner Station as among Melbourne's worst. Burke Road after the removal of the Gardiner Street crossing. Credit:Eddie Jim The new station will reopen on Monday with full train services scheduled to resume. Premier Daniel Andrews said intensive works had been undertaken to remove one of the most congested level crossings. An elderly man facing court over historic sexual offences has been granted bail to live interstate despite being unable to raise a $10,000 surety. The man, 77, was in a wheelchair and had trouble hearing when he appeared before a Victorian court on Tuesday, charged with sexually assaulting his three daughters during the 1960s and 1970s. The 77-year-old man is charged with 62 offences, including indecent assault, common assault, carnal knowledge of a girl under 10, incest and false imprisonment. The court heard his health had deteriorated while in custody, after he was extradited from South Australia in August last year and charged with 62 offences, including indecent assault, common assault, carnal knowledge of a girl under 10, incest and false imprisonment. The man applied for bail last year but was unable to raise the $10,000 required by a magistrate as surety and remained in custody. After years of preparation, a sorely-needed Lancelin holiday park has been knocked back on environmental grounds after a series of bungles, forcing planners back to square one. After the coastal town was in 2012 identified as one of the Western Australia's top three places most urgently needing a new park, the state government chose a 10-hectare bushland site and commenced the planning and approvals process alongside the local shire. The site proposed for the Lancelin Tourist Park, containing threatened botanical species. Credit:Lancelin Coastcare But just last October, it realised an existing caravan park right next door to the new site, at present taken up by long-term stayers, was about to become available for redevelopment - a far less environmentally destructive solution. "The man claimed to be a volunteer firefighter, before leaving the scene in a non-emergency services vehicle which had a dash-mounted emergency beacon." "The senior firefighter on site, who was not aware of any other emergency services personnel being deployed to the scene, approached the man and challenged him to identify himself," a police spokesman said. A Perth man has been charged with stealing after being caught impersonating a firefighter. Credit:Darrian Traynor Police allege the 23-year-old Kelmscott man attended the non-suspicious fire near Karnup Road dressed in a firefighting uniform. A Perth man has been caught impersonating a firefighter at a blaze in Hopeland on Friday afternoon. The man was later charged with stealing after police uncovered a number of items including an emergency services radio and an emergency beacon while executing a search warrant at a Kelmscott house. "The investigation into the circumstance surrounding the man's attendance at the fire ground is ongoing," the spokesman said. "This investigation is being jointly managed by WA Police and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services." The man will appear in Armadale Magistrates Court on January 28. Germany optimistic towards Ukraine's chances to get free from visa regime with EU Ukraine has good chances to cancel visa regime with the European Union, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and German Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said. "German foreign minister optimistically estimated chances to cancel visa regime for the Ukrainian citizens," Ukraine's Ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk wrote on his Twitter account on Monday. Besides, German Economic Cooperation and Development Minister Gerd Muller said that Ukraine would remain in the focus of the federal government, and the aid to the state will be extended. Cologne: With a new police report blaming predominantly north African migrants for the horrific sexual assaults and robberies at Cologne's train station on New Year's Eve, one man is not surprised. Former police officer Nick Hein says a migrant crime gang was operating with impunity at the station, in the knowledge that they could not lose their refugee status. Mr Hein is a minor celebrity in Germany now a UFC fighter, he previously dabbled in acting (playing an undertaker in a TV drama), and was dubbed "Judge Dredd" by his colleagues when he worked for the federal police in Cologne. Washington: When Barack Obama gives his last State of the Union address to a combined sitting of Congress on Tuesday evening one of the coveted gallery seats will remain empty, set aside by the White House to represent those killed by guns in America. "We leave one seat empty in the First Lady's State of the Union guest box for the victims of gun violence who no longer have a voice because they need the rest of us to speak for them. To tell their stories. To honour their memory," the White House said in a statement. The annual State of the Union address, a duty the US constitution requires of the President, is often a triumph of theatre over substance. It was Ronald Reagan, the president who perhaps best understood the theatre of his office, who began the tradition of inviting guests to be used as symbols of the nation's aspirations and achievements, when he invited Lenny Skutnik to the chamber in 1982. Mr Skutnik, a federal government worker, had risked his life, diving into the icy Potomac River to save a woman from a crashed aircraft. "The work that I want to do in the world absolutely should have some social relevance," says director Kate Whoriskey. There are varying philosophies on the ideal relationship between art and activism, but in that regard, Whoriskey has found a kindred spirit in playwright Lynn Nottage. Following their 2009 Pulitzer Prize-winning collaboration on the timely drama Ruined set in the civil war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo she reunites with Nottage for their next politically charged project Sweat a coproduction that started at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and now moves to Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. "We are living in a time and place, so I think it's dangerous to cut art off by its roots," Whoriskey says. This time, those roots are all-American, with a play set in Reading, Pennsylvania one of the poorest cities in the country where she and Nottage traveled to interview locals about the post-millennium industrial decline. The event that inspired the play, she tells us, was personal, but its impact, she hopes, will have a far wider reach. Kate Whoriskey directs the world premiere of Lynn Nottage's Sweat, a coproduction with Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Arena Stage. How did Lynn first approach you with the idea for Sweat? In February 2012we met for coffee and she told me she received a letter from this friend. In it, the friend confessed to having these significant financial challenges. She just wanted people to know where she was so she could unburden herself from having to pretend that things were OK financially. I think that friend was so close to Lynn that [she] began to think about the economic crisis in a personal way. She was interested in the class of people who I guess would now be categorized as the "new poor." How did the research portion of the project get started? One of my favorite ideas that [Lynn] had that didn't actually happen was she wanted to get a truck that she would drive around the country and she would offer people a beer for their story. Then she came across Reading, Pennsylvania, which is a two-and-a-half hour drive away from New York. Reading, in 2011, was named the poorest city in America, sowe just went and interviewed a bunch of different people who live in this town. We interviewed the mayor, the guy who runs the homeless shelter, a Vietnam vet who then cares for the homeless, women who were homeless whoever wanted to talk to us. That process was very interesting to go into a city and not know anybody and just make your way and find what the community is. Which stories stood out the most? Lynn was really moved by these steelworkers who lost their jobs basically based on NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). They had been out of work for I think a year at that point. These were people who worked hard all their lives and had a certain way of living that was really pretty good and then it got pulled from them in a matter of months. There was something about that exchange that really moved Lynn. Then [she] began writing the script, which is about the steelworkers. You and Lynn traveled to Uganda to interview Congolese refugees as part of your research for Ruined. How does Lynn incorporate these kinds of interviews into her plays? She uses it to spark her imagination, but in terms of dialogue, it's all created by her. It's funny, a lot of people mistake that Lynn is sort of a docudrama person and she really is a playwright. She distills all of these experiences and then creates an imagined narrative. What have been the biggest directorial challenges with this play? This play takes place in two time periods 2000 and 2008 which is kind of uncomfortably close. So part of it is precision and the clarity of making sure people know that it's in those two different time periods. The other thing is more dramaturgical. In most plays you're trying to [make] an audience empathize with a particular person and everyone supports that one person's journey. But because the play is about unions, [Lynn] really wanted to make it about a community in crisis, so part of it was how to balance the audience's relationship to each character so that it wasn't like, "OK, I pick this one person, and this person is going to take me through the show." You're going to watch all of them go through the experience. Why is it important for the play to represent different generations? Because Reading is in such crisis, people who are trying to figure out what should be funded when there's very little money have to make very difficult choices. They're trying to figure out, "Do we give the money to young people? Do we give the money to middle-aged people because they're the parents? Or do we give it to the elderly?" Generally, the impulse is to give it to the younger generation so they can survive. But of course, when people lose their jobs in their forties and fifties it's very complicated because the work force doesn't want to take them. I think Lynn was interested in what gets passed down from one generation to another. What are the good and bad habits of one generation and how they inform the second. Is the play purely a character study of a community or does it have a larger aim to inspire political action? I really think one of Lynn's strengths is that she's able to do both. People empathize with the stories so much [and] that empathy allows them to think more politically and socially. She's absolutely trying to throw a light on the new poor and the political policies that are informing people's lives. German Manufacturers Increase US Sales to Around 1.4 Million Light Vehicles Statement delivered by Matthias Wissmann, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), at the VDA's press conference in Detroit (USA) Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure to welcome you most warmly to our VDA press conference here at the Detroit Motor Show. The economic situation is healthy as this auto show the most important one for the US takes place. Estimates put growth of the gross domestic product at 2.4 percent again in 2015, and a 2.6 percent rise is expected during 2016. Employment is at a high level, and the price of oil is now 40 percent lower than it was one year ago. Consumer confidence is also riding high. All of this is reflected in the automotive market: the US market expanded by 6 percent in 2015, reaching 17.4 million new light vehicles (passenger cars and light trucks) according to WardsAuto. That is a new record level, even beating the previous top figure from 2000. One trend is still continuing that was already visible in the preceding years: the light truck segment shows double-digit growth and is driving the market. In 2015 a total of nearly 9.9 million light trucks were sold, which was 13 percent more than in the year before. The passenger car segment, on the other hand, contracted by 2 percent to 7.5 million units. In 2015 the proportion of light trucks on the overall US market rose to 57 percent, while passenger cars accounted for only 43 percent. Accordingly the middle CUV segment, with 3.2 million units, is now the segment with the highest sales and last year it squeezed the mid-size cars out of first place. In view of the low price of gasoline, this development should also continue this year. According to our forecasts the total US market (for light vehicles) will increase slightly in 2016 to 17.5 million vehicles (+1 percent). This brings me to the German manufacturers. They pushed up their sales on the US market by 2 percent in 2015 to about 1.4 million new vehicles. That is a new record level. We in the German automotive industry therefore have good reason for coming to Detroit in a confident mood. However, there certainly are some challenges. The passenger car segment, where the German brands are strong, is losing importance. But we still managed to maintain our market share (12.3 percent). In the light truck segment, which is growing strongly, the German manufacturers increased their market share and with a 14 percent rise in sales they expanded faster than the market as a whole. Overall, therefore, the German manufacturers more or less maintained a stable position on the US market (light vehicles) in 2015. Their market share amounts to 8.0 percent (8.3 percent in 2014). Of course we have also come to Detroit with the intention of making a clear statement about diesels. This topic has generated uncertainty in the public, the authorities, consumers and customers. The diesel strategy that the German automotive industry has been pursuing for many years, in particular on the important US market, has suffered considerably as a result of the events at one major company. I am sure that Volkswagen will do the utmost to regain lost customer confidence in North America. All of our companies will work hard to convince consumers of diesels advantages for fuel efficiency and CO2 reduction. Even the ICCT test has shown that we do not talk about a general diesel problem but a specific manipulation of software. Regaining consumer confidence is not going to happen overnight it will take time. But now after the Paris Climate Conference it is important also to the US. In Paris the United States along with a large number of other countries committed to the target of reducing CO2 output to make a major contribution to global action on climate. All the experts agree that modern diesels can be helpful in this. In the US we take 95 percent of the market for diesel passenger cars, and we therefore clearly remain in a dominant position in vehicles with this drive train. I also wish to emphasize that despite the resistance we are naturally experiencing here in the US, the German automotive industry will stand by its diesel strategy. We stand firmly by diesel vehicles because we are convinced that they not only have advantages that can be applied when it comes to consumption and therefore CO2 emissions, but also that they with the most advanced exhaust technology comply with the most stringent pollutant limit values. And they do so completely legally without any tricks. It is clear that the Diesel is not the end of the automotive alphabet. Electric mobility is an important part of the automotive future. We are especially pleased to see the market success of the German OEMs in the US with their electric cars. Within just one year, their attractive new models have more than doubled their market share, taking it from 9 to over 20 percent. In 2015 the German OEMs sold more than 23,000 new e-cars here in the United States, which was a rise of over 100 percent. This is all the more remarkable because last year the US market for electric cars went into reverse after years of keen growth and contracted by 5 percent. One fifth of all new electric cars sold in the US in 2015 bore a German badge. The US market is the most important and the largest one in the world for the German producers of electric cars. We sell far more e-cars here than we do in Germany. Today 40 percent of all the electric models on offer in the United States already come from German manufacturers. In 2016 and the following years, the German automotive industry will continue to massively step up its campaign for e-mobility in the US and around the world. We see ourselves as a lead nation in the strategic objective of using e-mobility to further reduce CO2 emissions from road traffic. Obviously, it would be wrong to reduce the presence of the German automotive industry here in the US simply to diesels. In fact the opposite is the case. 90 percent of all passenger cars the German manufacturers sell on this market run on gasoline, and some manufacturers have an even higher proportion. The German auto makers are particularly strong in premium passenger cars and premium CUVs their market share exceeds 40 percent in both of these segments. The model offensive by our premium brands comes over impressively at this auto show. I would like to mention just a few premieres: Audis A4 Allroad quattro, the BMW M2 and BMW X4 M40i, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and SLC, and Porsches 911 Turbo and Turbo S. Of course, premium stands for the best quality, design, safety, comfort, dynamics and efficiency. But premium brands also live in particular from the associated emotions. Starting with the purchase and then during every journey, the customers experience an additional emotional benefit enhancing their ties to the premium brand. The Germans market success is also partly due to the fact that they made their production international at an early stage: 43 percent of all light vehicles sold in the US by German producers in 2015 were built in Germany. The US is the second most significant destination for our companies exports (after the UK). In terms of value, however, the US heads the rankings for German manufacturers exports. In 2015 the value of their exports rose to over 24 billion euros, thus setting a new record Almost one quarter (23 percent) came from plants in the United States and the figure is rising Another 16 percent comes from Mexico At 39 percent, well over one third of the vehicles we sell in the US are produced in NAFTA The US is becoming more important to the German OEMs all the time, not only as a market but also as a production location. In 2015 they pushed up their production at US sites by 13 percent to 810.000 units. A good 40 percent of US production was sold in the United States, and nearly one quarter was exported both to Asia and to Europe. Exports to Asia and Europe both showed double-digit growth last year. I find it remarkable that the German manufacturers have thus increased both their exports from the US and the value of their exports from Germany to the US. The result is quite clearly a win-win situation for the national economies of both countries. At present, the German vehicle manufacturers employ 35,000 people at their US facilities, which is around 2,500 more than they had one year ago. This means that one sixth of all jobs at automotive manufacturers in the US is at a German company. The German suppliers make an even greater contribution to employment they have a workforce of 77,000, which is 5,000 more than one year ago. This figure does not yet take ZFs acquisition of TRW into account. The growth is explained by the fact that the German makers of parts supply not only German auto manufacturers, but also other OEMs that produce cars in the US. The German automotive industry is also defining key focal points when it comes to the second great driver of innovation connected and automated driving. The Frankfurt Motor Show pointed the way in September with its New Mobility World: construction of the highway for digital mobility is progressing at speed. To put it simply: smartphones and cars are being integrated. This process requires a partnership between automotive manufacturers and the IT sector. We are also aiming to be in the drivers seat concerning this mobility of tomorrow. In the coming three to four years alone, German manufacturers and suppliers will invest 16 to 18 billion euro in the research and development of connected and automated driving. Digitization will bring huge benefits: driving a car will become even safer, more comfortable and more efficient. The rapid pace of innovation and the numerous new models that the German OEMs are launching onto the market in the US lead us to expect stable sales here in the US in 2016, that is, once again a figure of around 1.4 million light vehicles although it is not yet possible to see the full consequences of the events surrounding diesel cars. In the medium term I expect to see continued growth by the German brands on the US market. The number of models that we build in NAFTA will also increase. Here in Detroit I am appealing for an active final spurt as we enter 2016, so that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) can be brought to a successful conclusion. The free trade agreement would bring huge benefits for the citizens and companies in the US and Europe. An agreement of this type is of strategic importance especially for the German automotive industry. And that is not only because we have an export quota of 77 percent, but because we produce on both sides of the Atlantic and we also supply goods across the Atlantic in both directions. Just the import duties in the US and the EU add up to around 1 billion euro for the German automotive industry every year. Then there are also non-tariff trade barriers causing much higher costs. If these obstacles are abolished there will be room for additional growth and greater prosperity. And all of us should know that a transatlantic free trade partnership should never be seen in isolation the Pacific region offers our friends in the US a very attractive alternative. For this reason, too, I am using the opportunity to point out that TTIP is necessary for the German automotive industry. Nissan IDS Concept Makes its U.S. Debut at the 2016 North American International Auto Show +VIDEO DETROIT -- January 11, 2016: The Nissan IDS Concept, Nissan's vision of the future of autonomous driving and zero emission EVs, made its first U.S. appearance at the 2016 North American International Auto Show today. MORE INFO Nissan Research and Buyer's Guide Guide "Nissan's forthcoming technologies will revolutionize the relationship between car and driver, and future mobility," said Nissan president and CEO Carlos Ghosn during its world debut at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show last October. After leading the development and expansion of EV technology, Nissan once again stands at the forefront of automotive technology. By integrating advanced vehicle control and safety technologies with cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI), Nissan is among the leaders developing practical, real-world applications of autonomous drive technology. In August 2013, Ghosn said that by 2020 Nissan plans to equip innovative autonomous drive technology on multiple vehicles. Progress is well on track to achieve this goal. Nissan Intelligent Driving is Nissan's concept of autonomous drive technology and represents what Nissan believes next-generation vehicles should be. "Nissan Intelligent Driving improves a driver's ability to see, think and react. It compensates for human error, which causes more than 90 percent of all car accidents. As a result, time spent behind the wheel is safer, cleaner, more efficient and more fun," continued Ghosn. The Nissan IDS experience Some have compared a future with autonomous drive to living in a world of conveyer belts that simply ferry people from point A to B, but the Nissan IDS Concept promises a very different vision of tomorrow. Even when the driver selects Piloted Drive and turns over driving to the vehicle, the car's performance from accelerating to braking to cornering imitates the driver's own style and preferences. In Manual Drive mode, the driver has control. The linear acceleration and cornering are pure and exhilarating. Yet behind the scenes, the Nissan IDS Concept continues to provide assistance. Sensors continually monitor conditions and assistance is available even while the driver is in control. In the event of imminent danger, Nissan IDS Concept will assist the driver in taking evasive action. In addition to learning, the Nissan IDS Concept's AI communicates like an attentive partner. From information concerning traffic conditions, the driver's schedule to personal interests, Nissan IDS Concept's AI has what is needed to help create a driving experience that is comfortable, enjoyable and safe. Design Together, we ride "A key point behind the Nissan IDS Concept is communication. For autonomous drive to become reality, as a society we have to consider not only communication between car and driver but also between cars and people. The Nissan IDS Concept's design embodies Nissan's vision of autonomous drive as expressed in the phrase together, we ride," says Mitsunori Morita, Design Director. Two interiors enable two ways for the driver to enjoy the experience Together, we ride is clearly demonstrated in the interior design. "The Nissan IDS Concept has different interiors depending on whether the driver opts for Piloted Drive or Manual Drive. This was something that we thought was absolutely necessary to express our idea of autonomous drive," says Morita. Even though it is a hatchback, the Nissan IDS Concept's long wheelbase enables comfortable seating space for four adults. But the cabin becomes even more spacious when the driver selects Piloted Drive. In this mode, the steering wheel recedes into the center of the instrument panel and a large flat screen comes out. Various driving-related operations are handled by AI, voice and gestures from the driver. The interior, which is comprised of natural materials such as mesh leather, is illuminated by soft light. All four seats rotate slightly inward, facilitating easier conversation. It's like relaxing in a living room. When the driver selects Manual Drive, the roomy interior transforms to put the driver in control. All seats face forward. The steering wheel, which takes styling cues from reins for horse riding, appears along with driving meters and a heads-up display that shows route and other driving information. Interior lighting switches to blue, stimulating the ability to concentrate. Nissan's use of hollow-structure A-pillars helps ensure excellent visibility by reducing blind spots and also contributes to the feeling of open space. "In every situation, it is about giving the driver more choices and greater control. And the driver will remain the focus of our technology development efforts," said Ghosn. The transformation to Manual Drive can be carried out with ease through a switch between the front seats called the PD Commander. This is the only control the driver can physically operate when the car is in Piloted Drive: when the driver is ready to take over driving, a physical action should initiate the change. Exterior design communication that creates confidence and harmony For autonomous drive to be widely accepted, people need to fully trust the technology. Through its innovative communication capabilities, the Nissan IDS Concept promotes confidence and a sense of harmony for those outside the car as well. Various exterior lights and displays convey to pedestrians and others the car's awareness of its surroundings and signals its intentions. The car's side body line, for example, is actually an LED that Nissan calls the Intention Indicator. When pedestrians or cyclists are nearby, the strip shines white, signaling that the car is aware of them. Another electronic display, which faces outside from the instrument panel, can flash messages such as "After you" to pedestrians. This natural, harmonious system of communication signals a new future with cars. Advanced aerodynamic performance for greater driving range Design Director Mitsunori Morita says: "By the time Nissan Intelligent Driving technology is available on production cars, EVs will be able to go great distances on a single charge. Getting to this point will, of course, require the further evolution of batteries, but aerodynamic performance is also very important. We incorporated our most advanced aerodynamic technology in the design of the Nissan IDS Concept." The height of the full carbon fiber body was constrained to 1,380 mm, sharply minimizing aerodynamic drag (Cd). Positioning the tires close to the corners of the body maximizes interior space while enabling a wrap-around cabin design. Nissan selected large-diameter wheels for high-performance and sportiness, but used very thin 175-size tires to minimize air and roll resistance. The wheels have a layered design suggestive of thin fins that create tiny vortexes of air flow on the wheel's surface. This design further contributes to smooth air flow. The icicle pattern on the Nissan IDS Concept's grille symbolizes a pure and clean design perfect for an EV. Shaped like a stack of ice blocks, the grille pattern appears transparent. The car's bluish satin silver body color heightens the impression of a comfortable and secure cabin space. Highly evolved EV technology for long-distance driving At Nissan's annual shareholders meeting in June, Executive Vice President Hideyuki Sakamoto said: "Our zero emission strategy centers on EVs. We are pursuing improved electric powertrain technologies, such as motors, batteries and inverters, which will enable us to mass produce and market EVs that equal or surpass the convenience of gasoline-powered cars." The Nissan IDS Concept is fitted with a high-capacity 60 kWh battery, and thanks to its outstanding aerodynamics, low stance, flowing form and reduced weight due to its full-carbon-fiber body, the vehicle is designed to also meet the need to drive long distances. Other technologies on the Nissan IDS Concept include Piloted Park that can be operated by smartphone or tablet, and wireless charging technologies. Through these, the driver can leave parking and charging to the car. Nissan's targets Zero traffic fatalities and zero emissions In order for our car-based society to be sustainable, complex issues ranging from sustainable energy supplies to climate change, air pollution and traffic safety must be addressed. At Nissan, we have set zero fatalities and zero emissions as aspirational targets in our mission to help create a sustainable car-based society. Over 90 percent of traffic accidents are caused by human error. Nissan IDS Concept's extensive system of sensors and AI are designed to provide enhanced safety performance compared to a human driver. This technology brings us a step closer to the goal of zero traffic fatalities. EVs produce no CO2 emissions and their batteries can store energy from renewable sources and turn it into electricity for homes and buildings. As the number of EVs increases, entire communities will be able to harness their power as part of a sustainable energy plan. Then, as EVs come to play a central role in energy supply, we will come that much closer to becoming a zero emission society. Nissan believes that the Nissan IDS Concept will evolve into a leading innovation for next generation mobility and our quest for making these "two zeroes" a reality. Featuring Nissan's most advanced safety, driving-control and EV technology all taken to a new level by AI the Nissan IDS Concept is a compelling showcase of a promising future. Scion and Baker Skateboards Bring Fans on a California Road Trip in New Video +VIDEO Torrance, CA -- January 11, 2016: Baker Skateboards, under its partnership with Scion, hit the road in a brand new iM and iA for a demo at their favorite park in San Francisco. They stopped along the way not only to shred a few local spots, but to ride along with professional drift racer Ken Gushi in a Scion FR-S release series 1.0. Watch the video here: The Baker skate team recently took a road trip with a Scion iA and a Scion iM as part of the Scion x Baker Skateboards project. The journey started off at the Buttonwillow Raceway in Buttonwillow, California, where they met up with professional race car driver (and Formula DRIFT pilot of the GReddy Racing Scion FR-S) Ken Gushi. MORE INFO Scion Research and Buyer's Guide Guide The Baker crew was given hot laps around the track in a special Scion FR-S Release Series 1.0 Race Car driven by Gushi and then they had some fun out on the open tarmac with their skateboards. When will you ever see people skating on the track? Then they brought out the ramp so Baker boss Andrew Reynolds could kick flip over the Yuzu Yellow Scion TRD FR-S Project Car. From there the team headed north to the Bay Area, enjoying the features of these two new models of Scions. Pro riders Reynolds, Don Nuge Nguyen, Cyril Jackson, Tristan Funkhouser, and Theotis Beasley took it to some spots in San Francisco, then headed across the Golden Gate Bridge to a skate demo. After that, they piled back in the Scions and headed back down the coast to Baker Headquarters in Southern California, ready for another adventure. Exclusuve Toyota/Kymeta Collaboration - Flat Antenna Makes Ultra High Satellite Connectivity To Moving Vehicles Possible 2016 NAIAS - Toyota/Kymeta Collaboration - Shigeki Tomoyama, Dr. Nathan Kundtz Detroit Mich January 12, 2016; As prepared for: 2016 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) Toyota/Kymeta Collaboration, Shigeki Tomoyama, Toyota Motor Corporation Senior Managing Officer, IT and ITS Group Chief Officer Dr. Nathan Kundtz, Kymeta Corporation Founder/CEO Toyota Motor Corporation Senior Managing Officer Shigeki Tomoyama: Good morning and thank you for coming. I am very happy to be here today to announce Toyotas partnership with Kymeta, and to share the potential for vehicle satellite communications. As many of you know, last week Toyota announced the framework for our next generation connected vehicles at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show. This framework uses vehicle data management to help make ever better cars. In the coming years, we plan to increase vehicle connectivity in order to provide our customers with better services, such as updating 3D map data and software and various infotainment options. Obviously, this framework would work very well with a secure, high bandwidth communications system with a global coverage area. Toyota has investigated satellite technology for many years. It offers several important benefits for vehicle communications. First, satellite has a global and stable coverage area. Second, it can transmit huge amounts of data. Third, it can provide stable communications in case of an emergency or natural disaster. Of course, for automotive use, satellite has challenges as well. Most important, it is very difficult to fit a large bowl-shaped antennae onto the car. That is why Toyota is so excited about Kymeta. For several years, Toyota met with emerging companies around the world to investigate new technologies. We were very excited to learn about Kymeta, because their flat antennae technology could solve the challenge of vehicle-based satellite communications. Since September 2013, Toyota and Kymeta have conducted joint research on flat antennaes for use in cars. Today, I am happy to announce that we have entered into an agreement giving Toyota exclusive right to the development and testing of the on-car antenna. In addition, Mirai Creation Investment Limited Partnership, a fund where Toyota participates as an investor, has invested $5 million in Kymeta to enhance future technology research and development. There is still much work to be done, and our project is still in the research stage. However, I hope you can see how exciting this new technology is, and what it could mean for the future of connected vehicles. Thank you. Kymeta Founder Dr. Nathan Kundtz: Thank you, Tomoyama-san. And thanks to Toyota for teaming up with us to create a new age of automotive technology: the truly connected car. I'm the founder of Kymeta Corporation. And our goal is to revolutionize the way you and your vehicle communicate globallysecurelyand inexpensively. First ... a short background on Kymeta. We opened our doors in 2012 in Redmond, Washington ... and have been making incredible leaps in satellite communications technology for the past four years. One of those leaps was the redefinition of the satellite antennafrom a single piece of hardware ...to one that is smart and uses software to scan and send signals only in the direction you want. Through research in the field of metamaterials ...we found that we could create an antenna that was ... lighter and smallerlower-in-profile and more versatile than any satellite antennae that ever existed. By aiming precisely ...we can create powerful connectionswith high-capacity satellites that have historically required a "dish." To establish a mobile connection, a conventional dish requires motors ...is quite heavy...and impractical for use on a mobile consumer product like ... say ... a car. The Kymeta antenna has no moving parts ...and uses software to track satellites that move across the horizon. So what problem does this solve? Twenty years ago if you emailed your friend a selfie taken with today's typical smartphone ... it would have taken 40 minutes to upload. Today ... that same picture uploads in ONE SECOND. And for those that have to have the best ... you can find service for the home that's even 100 times faster. Of course we can attain such speeds because the home is in a fixed place ... connected by wires and fiber optic cables. Our challenge is that we're talking about connecting a car; a 70 mile per hour moving target. It's obvious you can't connect it with wires. More importantlythe wireless spectrum that is available today ...will---simply---not meet the escalating demand to move bigger and bigger data. We and Toyota have agreed to pursue a technology that will provide uninterrupted data delivery that is comparable to ... or exceeds the speed ... of data delivered to your home today. This is possible because of a particular natural resource which is highly limited on the ground ...but widely available by satellite. That resource is called spectrum. Massive amounts of data can be delivered with this spectrum. That's why it is used to offer HD-television services with hundreds of channels. But until now you would have needed to mount a large dish to the roof of your car to gain access. If you believe data consumption will continue to climb; if you believe the car will follow the same data consumption trend as the home; the most logical path of access is from space. Unlimited, inexpensive data from space. Without wires. Without cell towers. Without poor coverage areas. Coverage areas. Our partner has a clear commitment to its global customers: be they in Detroit, Tokyoor sub-Saharan Africa. Whether they are delivering movies or critical software updates...they believe that every one of their customers should have access to those services. We believe that any connectivity solution that leaves 4 billion people in the world disconnected ... isn't a solution at all. The security of the connection to the car is crucial. Governments use satellite connectivity for their most secure transmissions. Signal security stems from the point-to-point architecture of the transmission. Without going too deeply into the mathit is estimated that there are a hundred-million fewer points of entry into a typical satellite feed than a typical cellular data network. And if there is a security breach ... the point of attack can be quickly discovered and patched. The fix can then be quickly broadcast to the affected vehicles. Think of how you live today: your car connects with a very thin thread of data. Despite this ... cars today typically have more than 100 computing processorsworking in concert. Tomorrow ... the data pipe will need to be significantly bigger. The Kymeta antenna will be designed to deliver that volume on an unprecedented scale. Look around the show floor here today and you'll see a lot about autonomous cars. If you were at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas last weekit would be even more obvious. The telemetry data, hi-res maps and software that enable higher and higher levels of automated driver-assist will be a necessary part of the equation. Kymeta technology will be designed to deliver a terabyte per month of data into that equation. That's over one-hundred times what a typical monthly cell plan gives you today. So what kind of data will tomorrow's car need? Software and firmware. Over-the-air updates. Telematics. High definition and 3D mapping. And of course infotainment. High density weather maps will warn drivers to pull over to avoid a flash flood half-a-mile up the road. Kids will have on-demand gaming in back ...while parents are notified of the best price on gas in a five-mile radius. Kymeta and Toyota are prepared for this future. Again ... I'd like to thank Toyota for having the vision to future-proof their connectivity solution ...by partnering with Kymeta Corporation to tackle the exciting times ahead. I would also like to introduce our partner ...and the world's largest holder of wireless spectrum, Intelsat. With 50 satellites, the size of a bus, in their existing fleet ...and countingthis is NOT some network that will be ready in 2025. This is the network of NOW. Thank you all for joining us today. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry is verifying information as to whether any Ukrainian citizens were hurt in the explosion in Istanbul, representative of the consulate service department of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine Yevhen Ihnatovsky said. "Our embassy and consulate are verifying information," he told Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday being asked whether there are victims among Ukrainian citizens. As reported, the explosion occurred on Sultanahmet Square in the center of Istanbul on Tuesday, the Turkish media said. Ten people were killed and another 15 suffered injuries, according to a report posted on the online portal of the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet with reference to the Istanbul governor's office. Sultanahmet Square accommodates a number of Istanbul tourist attractions Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Hippodrome. New Centro directors name is Bond TRANSPORT body Centro has appointed Pete Bond as its new director of transport services. He succeeds Stephen Rhodes, who has joined Transport for Greater Manchester as customer operations director. Bond, who has been at Centro since 2006, was previously head of network delivery. He worked with Rhodes on the development and implementation of the Transforming Bus Travel programme with West Midlands bus operators. He said: Stephen is a huge act to follow but Im very much looking forward to the challenge of my new role. With the on-going development of the Midland Metro and the pioneering Bus Alliance that was introduced last year I am proud to be playing my part in helping Centro deliver exciting times for public transport and passengers in the West Midlands. Bonds new role will see him take responsibility for bus stations, safety and security, rail operations and corporate health and safety. Previously he was responsible for key operational functions for the bus network away from bus stations. This included management and maintenance of the 12,200 bus stops and shelters within the West Midlands region overseeing cleaning, upgrading and public inquiries/appeals, and management of railway station car parks. James Aspinall, managing director of Centro, said: Pete brings huge experience and enthusiasm to his new role and I congratulate him on his appointment, which reflects the contribution he has made to Centro in his time here. Centro is the delivery arm for the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority. It represents the seven metropolitan councils of the West Midlands: Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton. If you live in Iowa and own a phone, you might get a call this week that sounds something like this: I urge you to vote for Donald Trump because he is the one candidate who points out that we should accept immigrants who are good for America. We dont need Muslims. We need smart, well-educated, white people who will assimilate to our culture. Vote Trump. This jarring message is just one part of a robocall recorded on behalf of Donald Trump by the American National Super PAC, created by none other than the leader of the American Freedom Party, a prominent white nationalist organization. In the last month, the political partywhich once tried to revoke the citizenship of every non-white inhabitant of the United Stateshas evolved from supporting Trumps candidacy to formally endorsing him for president. That endorsement made American Freedom Party history since they had never before endorsed a candidate outside of their own ranks. But the group that represents the political interests of White Americans was willing to make an exception for the Republican frontrunner. We do have our own candidate, but Bob Whitaker, our candidate, has told us that it is all right to endorse Donald Trump, the American Freedom Partys leader, William Daniel Johnson, explained in an interview with The Daily Beast. He first tried to register the group with the Federal Election Commission as the American National Trump Super PAC in November of last year, but was prohibited from naming it this because the PAC is not a committee authorized by Trumps campaign. A spokesman for Trump did not respond for a request for comment for this article. Johnson subsequently submitted an amended statement of organization to the FEC on Jan. 6, changing the name to the American National Super PAC just three days before the calls began in Iowa. He also created TheDailyTrump.org, complete with a logo depicting the candidates swooping golden locks, devoted exclusively to stories about Trump. But Iowans have the pleasure of hearing not only Johnsons voice on the opposite end of the telephone but also Filipino-American Rev. Ronald Tan and Jared Taylor, a spokesman for the Council of Conservative Citizens, which among other things, was cited as the group that inspired Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof. I think really it has to do with a nagging sense that white Americans have that their country is really slipping through their fingers, Taylor said when asked why he got involved. People realize that the United States is changing and its changing in a way that they find disagreeable. And it has enormously to do with a change in demographics. Its becoming a third-world country. Taylor, who surmises that most white Americans want a white-only nation, has sung the praises of Trump in the past writing in his own publication the American Renaissance that this could be the last chance whites have to vote for a president who could actually do something useful for them and for their country. He has also concluded in past writing that Blacks and whites are different. When blacks are left entirely to their own devices, Western civilizationany kind of civilizationdisappears. His organization is the modern iteration of the White Citizens Council which fought against desegregation in Southern schools in the 1950s and 60s. It has referred to African Americans as a retrograde species of humanity and opposes efforts to mix the races of mankind. Taylor said he recorded his part of the robocall upon Johnsons request and he would consider joining Trumps campaign if asked to do so. Its marvelously refreshing to find a fella who shoots from the hip, Taylor said in describing his fandom. Can you imagine Jeb Bush saying something that would actually surprise you? Seeing as the PAC is very new, Johnson doesnt have a long-term strategy with it as of yet. Hes put in $9,000 of his own money and is willing to put in more depending on how well this round of robocalls performs in getting Trump an Iowa caucus win. I think its a foregone conclusion that Trump will be the nominee and the president, Johnson confidently said. I think he will probably not win Iowa unless my efforts are successful. While these calls might ring as unwanted and riddled with problematic language to Iowa voters, the Federal Election Commissions hands are really tied when it comes to dealing with the content of robocalls. According to deputy press officer Christian Hilland, the only time that the FEC is made aware of the existence of robocalls is when a PAC spends $10,000 or more and has to file an independent expenditure report. That would be beyond the scope of our regulations, Hilland said when asked if the FEC would police any unsavory content in political robocalls. Youd probably have to look at something like the DOJ. The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment about whether it had been made aware of the content of these calls. Geoff Greenwood, communications director for the Iowa Attorney General, told The Daily Beast that theres no screening process when it comes to the distribution of political robocalls in the state. According to Federal Communications Commission standards, the calls are qualified as protected free speech if they go to a landline. If a cellphone receives the calls, the user has to have given express permission to get calls at that number. A representative for the FCC told The Daily Beast that details of any complaints could only be obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. But at least one expert said that the content of the calls could stoke hatred among listeners. These robocalls are too brief to engage in a complicated critique of their use of hate, Dr. Michael S. Waltman, a professor at the University of North Carolina who specializes in hate speech, told The Daily Beast. But they do manipulate the hatred of potential listeners. Jared Taylors comments directly state that Muslims are not good for America and that they are not good for America because they are Muslims (he even suggests that Muslims are not well-educated when he claims that we should only admit well-educated people to the country). There are no legal limits if Johnson wants to expand these calls to New Hampshire, which is something hes considering, unless someone files a complaint with the FCC. Which means, there could be a lot more of Johnson and his friends throughout the month as the first primary nears. Those friends include Rev. Ronald Tan, who immigrated to the United States in the 1980s and now supports Trumps immigration policies. I have nothing against building the wall, Tan told The Daily Beast. Theres a lot of danger right now with an open-ended policy. I really want to safeguard the process in terms of more stringent background checks. Its very difficult given the kind of world that we live in right now where terrorism and radical Islam has permeated even social media. Tan, who said that he gets invited to churches all the time, has no specific place of ministry and rather practices it through a radio program at the moment. That show, called For God and Country and co-hosted by Johnson, is set to air on an Iowa radio station from Jan. 12 to Jan. 22, in order to provide voters with Christian and Nationalist reasons to support Donald Trump, according to a press release from the American Freedom Party. For now this ragtag group of white Nationalists can only hope that they are playing a part in what they view as a historical moment in American politics. If you were born in the United States and suddenly find that you are living in an outpost of Guatemala or Haiti or Nicaragua or Vietnam, youre going to be angry, Taylor said, describing the changing demographics of the country. In Trump, voters see a man who says Hold on, lets look over some of these people who are coming. Maybe some of them are rapists. Maybe some of them are murderers. Maybe some of these Muslims really are undesirables. Simply having said that is a huge earthquake in American politics. A grassroots effort dedicated to embracing civil discourse and finding common ground isnt Donald Trumps natural habitat. But on Monday afternoon in New Hampshire, a state legislator representing the Trump campaign accepted the No Labels seal of approval on his behalf, proving once again there is no media event that The Donald cant hijack. The other five presidential candidates who got the No Labels nod span the political spectrum from Ben Carson and Rand Paul on the right to Chris Christie and John Kasich from the more Establishment lane to Martin OMalley, the lone Democrat among them. Each had promised if elected to pursue the groups four goals: create 25 million jobs over 10 years, secure Medicare and Social Security for 75 years, balance the budget by 2030, and energy security by 2024. Trump would add a fifth goal to make America safe and secure, said freshman Rep. Fred Doucette in his enthusiastic introduction of Trump, who did not appear at the event. None of the awardees attended the noon luncheon but Christie and OMalley appeared by video, the latter getting rousing applause when he chided the group for watering down and dumbing down your seal when you bestow it on someone like Donald Trump. A former mayor and governor who proudly wears No Labels Problem Solvers badge, OMalley called out Trump for saying things that are racist and for making a fascist appeal. Judging by the spirited reception OMalley got from the otherwise polite crowd, there is dissension within the No Labels ranks about elevating Trump when his rhetoric is so clearly contrary to the groups mission. Until the group unveiled the six who had taken The Promise to meet within 30 days of Inauguration with a group of bipartisan congressional leaders to address this new National Strategic Agenda and its four goals, it was anybodys guess which of the candidates they would be, and noticeably absent were Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side, and Jeb Bush for the Republicans. The vpce-chairs of No Labels are Thomas F. Mack McLarty, a longtime Clinton friend and loyalist, and Al Cardenas, former chairman of the Florida Republican Party, and a Bush patron. Where were their candidates? Reached by phone, McLarty acknowledged that Bush and Clinton are known for taking the No Labels approach but that each campaign had decided this is not the time to make the promise in the primary, and that is their choice. McLarty urged not to make too much of their absence, or of Trumps taking center stage yet again. He seems confident that Bush, Clinton and also Marco Rubio will eventually make the Promise. No Labels is in contact with all the campaigns. Bush has a rule against making formal promises or taking pledges in part to avoid the ubiquitous no new taxes pledge that comes up in every election. In 1988, after all, his father promised not to raise taxes and then reversed himself a few years later, helping to doom his re-election prospects. Meanwhile, Clinton is locked in a race against Bernie Sanders for the support of the Democratic left, so carrying the banner for bipartisanship is not her priority right now. Im glad we got six, we could have gotten zero, said Joe Lieberman, a former Democratic and then Independent senator who co-chairs the grassroots group. He said he was puzzled that more didnt sign on since the four goals are about as close to apple pie as it gets in politics. Still, once you start sketching out how to achieve entitlement reform or a balanced budget, there is always controversy around potential tax hikes or program cuts, and candidates worry they might be setting a trap for themselves. New Jersey Gov. Christie, one of the six, seemed like the most comfortable with the groups goals. Im happy to disrupt dysfunction, he said, a play on Liebermans phrase that Washington needs constructive disrupters. In his video remarks, Christie highlighted his detailed plan on entitlement reform, which would end social security benefits for people earning more than $200,000 a year. He said he would not raise taxes to keep the program solvent. Raising taxes just gives them another pot of money to steal from, he said. A poll of 600 New Hampshire voters conducted by No Labels found that 69 percent are more likely to vote for someone who made the No Labels promise, and 74 percent prefer a candidate who works with the opposite party. People are frustrated, people are angry, but theyre not looking for someone to steamroll the other side, said Ryan Clancy, a No Labels spokesman. No Labels co-chair Jon Huntsman celebrated the variety of ideological points of view showcased at the Monday event. They all have the right spiel about solving the countrys problems, but no one explains how theyre going to do it, and its all total hot air without a process that allows you to get from Point A to Point B, he said, which ultimately includes working with the other side. No Labels boasts some 70 lawmakers in Congress committed to its process with the hope of building a critical mass of Problem Solvers to work with the next president. It is a bold and constructive idea that could take hold as the candidates are winnowed out. But if you go to the No Labels Facebook page, there is skepticism. I think this movement lost me because the rhetoric coming from most of the Presidential candidates that signed the promise doesnt support the promise, said one commenters post. Another wonders, With all the right-wingers taking the promise will it have any value? Every candidate pledges to work across the aisle, notes another. So what is new? Thats what No Labels has yet to prove. Disclaimer: The Daily Beast Editor-in-Chief John Avlon was one of the co-founders of No Labels when it launched in 2010. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko on Tuesday held a telephone talk with Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, a press service of Ukrainian president reported. "Kazakh side confirmed its stance on implementation of current bilateral and multilateral agreements with Ukraine so that not to admit any discriminating measures in Ukrainian-Kazakh trade [relations]," reads a report posted on the president's website. The sides made a special focus on the situation, which unfolded around Russian embargo imposed on the Ukrainian goods and a ban on transit. "Poroshenko stressed that such kind of Russia's actions violate Vienna Convention on the law on international agreements, as well as respective rules and norms of World Trade Organization (WTO). In this view the leaders of the state discussed the ways to arrange a transit of the Ukrainian goods meant to counteract a negative impact of Russia's actions on commodity turnover between Ukraine and Kazakhstan, as well as Asian states," reads a report. According to the report, the leaders also discussed a course of implementation of the agreements, which have been reached following the visit of Ukrainian president to Astana in October 2015 and the prospects for intensification of cooperation in the sectors strategically important for both states. Poroshenko and Nazarbayev discussed a situation in Donbas, in particular, an initiative of the Ukrainian side to unfold international peaceful contingent on the occupied territories. The press service also added that the presidents charged foreign policy offices of two states to start preparations for the visit of Nazarbayev to Ukraine. ISTANBUL A suspected ISIS suicide bomber killed 10 tourists in the heart of Turkeys largest city on Tuesday, sending a chilling message to the country that borders on the self-styled jihadist caliphate. The blast took place in the historic neighborhood of Sultanahmet, home to the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia and other top destinations for the more than 10 million tourists that visit Istanbul every year. A group of tourists, most of them Germans, had gathered at the so-called Hippodrome, the site of ancient chariot races, at around 10:20 a.m. local time when a 28-year-old man joined the group and triggered the explosives he was carrying with him. Eyewitnesses spoke of a ball of flames shooting up from the middle of the group as body parts were hurled across the square and the boom of the powerful explosion rang out all over the city. Leyla Akcam, a Turkish woman passing by the Hippodrome shortly before the blast, told Turkish media she heard the explosion and turned around. There was smoke everywhere, she said. I escaped by three minutes, just three minutes. Media reports said that some limbs landed in the entrance area of a museum across the square, where officials closed the doors and led visitors out of the building through a back exit. Police cordoned off the square as ambulances arrived to carry away the wounded and the dying and as bomb experts looked for a possible second explosive device. They did not find one. Speaking in Ankara just hours after the explosion, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu firmly put the blame on ISIS. Erdogan said the suicide bomber was a Syrian national, while Davutoglu declared the killer had been a foreign ISIS member. Observers said the fact that Ankara had identified the man so quickly could be a sign that the suspected bomber had been known to law enforcement agencies and might have been shadowed by police or intelligence services. Somebody dropped the ball, Abdullah Bozkurt, a journalist critical of the government, wrote on Twitter. The government denied that the man had been on a watch list and said the suspect had crossed into Turkey from Syria only recently. Some news reports said the suicide bomber was a Saudi, not a Syrian national. Tuesdays bombing follows a spate of ISIS suicide attacks in Ankara and near the Syrian border last year that killed more than 130 people, and it is the first attack to directly target foreign nationals and the tourism industry that generates billions of dollars every year. Last years attacks killed Turkish citizensleftist and Kurdish activists, seen as apostates by the jihadists. Some are concerned that Tuesdays suicide bombing could be the starting point of a new ISIS offensive. ISIS will target Turkey in 2016 and is aiming to proclaim a Turkey province in February or March, journalist Mete Sohtaoglu wrote on Twitter. Critics say Ankara has failed to take ISIS seriously for too long, and some opposition politicians have even accused the government of providing weapons to extremist groups. Ankara says this is not true, but Western diplomats like the former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Francis Ricciardone, say that Turkish authorities were convinced in the first phase of the Syrian conflict that they could work with groups like the Nusra Front, the al-Qaeda-affiliated group in Syria. Davutoglu said Tuesday that Turkey wanted to push ISIS away from the Syrian border. The jihadists have been using Turkish territory as a corridor to bring fresh fighters and supplies into Syria. There have also been reports that Islamist fighters have gone to Turkey for medical treatment before heading back into Syria. But ISIS has found it harder lately to keep supply lines open in recent weeks, as they are pounded by coalition airstrikes and pushed back from some border crossing points by the advance of Kurdish fighters backed by U.S. air support. The Turkish military has also started to build walls and fences along some sectors of its 560-mile border with Syria, and the Obama administration says it is working with Turkey to close the last remaining weak points. Secretary of State John Kerry said last November that 75 percent of the border had been shut off to ISIS. With Tuesdays attack, ISIS could be saying that it cannot be defeated by those efforts. Shortly before the New Year, police in Ankara arrested two men accused of planning a double suicide attack in the Turkish capital on New Years Eve. News reports at the time said raids on the house were the two men stayed netted e-mails and other evidence that ISIS was planning terror attacks in Europe. Other reports say ISIS has sent several suicide teams into Turkey. After Tuesdays blood bath on the Hippodrome, the hunt for those sleeper cells will be on. But there is not guarantee that Turkish police will find the potential killers before they can strike again. Hillary Clinton is against federal agents raiding undocumented immigrant families homes, except when she isnt. The former Secretary of State said last night at Fusions Brown & Black Democratic Presidential Forum that she is OK with deporting immigrant children on a case-by-case basis but doesnt support using raids to apprehend them. Her comments come in the wake of a series of raids conducted by the Department of Homeland Security targeting families who fled Central America in 2014. Let me say this, Clinton told the panel of questioners. I would give every person, but particularly children, due process and have their story told. And a lot of children will of course have very legitimate stories under our law to be able to stay. She added that she opposes raids on immigrants homes. They are divisive, she said. They are sowing discord and fear. Her new anti-raid position is a sharp departure from her past stances on the issue. In fact, as recently as 2014, she expressed support for sending undocumented children who crossed the Mexican border back to their home countries. Immigration attorneys who represent children say Clinton cant have it both waysgiven her history of support for deportation-heavy enforcement of immigration law, theyre not convinced shes had a change of heart. Which unaccompanied child refugee isnt deserving of protection? said Matthew Kolken, an immigration attorney who represents immigrant children. How are they going to deport them? Theyre going to have to deport them by going into their homes to physically take them, which is a raid. I dont believe a word that comes out of her mouth, he added. Bryan Johnson, another immigration attorney who represents children and families, said that supporting the practice of deporting children means supporting raids. If ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] is going to remove a child thats ordered removed and theyre a fugitive, typically the only way for them to do that is to arrest them wherever they are, he said. And thats what a raid is, basically. So she thinks shes against raids, but at the same time, shes not. Since the number of unaccompanied children illegally crossing the southern border spiked in the summer of 2014, the White House has moved to try to burnish its tough-on-immigration bona fides by taking some controversial stepsnamely, locking up mothers and small children in family detention centers run by for-profit prison companies, and conducting raids around the country to apprehend and deport children and their parents who came here illegally. Many of these young immigrants come to the U.S. seeking asylum from Central American gang violence. The Guardian reported in October that more than 80 immigrants the Obama administration deported to Central America were subsequently murdered. While Clintons stated opposition to raids is new, it still makes her the most hawkish Democrat on immigration enforcement. Bernie Sanders has promised to use humanitarian parole to let some deported immigrants return to the U.S. legally. And Martin OMalley has called for an end to all immigrant detention except in cases of national security of safety threats. Compared to those two, Clintons current stance doesnt look particularly progressive. But over the course of her political career, shes used rhetoric and held positions on the issue that would sound right at home on the 2016 Republican debate stage. In the 2008 Democratic primary, for instance, she opposed state-level policies that let undocumented immigrants get drivers licenses. And as a U.S. senator, she suggested that people who eat at restaurants that employ undocumented workers are doing something wrong. We have to make it clear to employers that if you employ people illegally youre going to have to pay a price, she told a group of Long Island businessmen in 2006, according to Newsday. Ive had lots of constituents around the state tell me how much theyre against illegal immigration. I say, Well, have you or anyone you know ever hired an illegal immigrant to take care of your yard or your child or have you ever gone to a restaurant where someone might be illegal? During her first term in the Senate, she won praise from right-wing commentators for criticizing businesses that hired undocumented workers. People have to stop employing illegal immigrants, she said in a 2003 radio interview, according to The New York Times. I mean, come up to Westchester, go to Suffolk and Nassau counties, stand on the street corners in Brooklyn or the Bronxyoure going to see loads of people waiting to get picked up to go do yardwork and construction work and domestic work. That hawkishness reemerged in 2014, when undocumented immigrant children crossing the southern border drew national headlines. At the time, she told CNN that the children crossing the border should face deportation. They should be sent back as soon as it could be determined who responsible adults in their families are, she said. There are concerns about whether all of them can be sent back but I think all of them who can be should be reunited with their families. Clintons new way of talking about the issue has drawn some praise, though its tentative. I cant imagine condoning the deportation of a child, said Lynn Tramonte, deputy director of the pro-immigration reform group Americas Voice. At the same time, we are excited and encouraged that she is criticizing raids. Tramonte added that supporters of immigration reform dont put too much stock in comments like Clintons. Were not going to put our faith in any one politician and blindly hope that they follow through on their commitments, she said. Were going to hold them to what they promised us. Making a Murderer finally has its own rap anthema contagious victory jam produced by Brendan Dasseys half-brother, Brad. Brad Dassey released They Didnt Do It this week, and its got the 1980s fever of MC Hammer, gripping listeners with this opening line: Yeah, injustice slammed in the face of two innocent people! The self-styled indie Christian Rap artist is an Oshkosh-area computer technician by day and Midwestern emcee by night, and shared the story behind the song Tuesday in an interview with The Daily Beast. Dassey, 32, says he wrote the rhyme, first revealed by the Milwaukee Record, for his brother Brendan, who at age 16 was charged with the murder of Teresa Halbach. At age 17, Brendan was convicted to life in prison. Brendans uncle, Steven Avery, was also convicted in the gruesome Manitowoc killing in 2007, and their cases are central to the Netflix docu-series Making a Murderer. As far as whoever hears it, its geared toward the supporters, but the haters are obviously going to land on it too, Dassey told The Daily Beast. Theres no way of stopping them. I just want people who support our family to listen to it, the lyricist added. Its more of a victory song to the better days ahead, because I just had a dream the other day that [Brendan and Steven] were out, and there was going to be a massive party and people all over the globe were going to come down and celebrate. I dont want to sound prideful, but I think it could be an anthem for the awesome times ahead, said Dassey, who shares a father with Brendan. Dassey wrote the kick drum-heavy ditty after members of his familys Facebook group encouraged him to rap about allegations featured in the documentary: Brendans seemingly coerced confession and accusations of a frameup by Manitowoc police. I mainly wrote it and gave it the passion it deserves from a half-brother, Dassey said. When I was visiting my brother in prison [in 2011], he knew I was into rap and making music. He wanted me to rap some lyrics right there in front of him. Dassey said he was so inspired he produced the track in 10 hours, without even stopping to eat that day. He told The Daily Beast he took inspiration from a Massachusetts womans poem about the crime and included some of her lines. (The beat-slinger said he promises to give her credit should the tune take off, though hes not charging for it. The song is free for download on Soundcloud, to spread awareness of his familys legal plight.) They didnt do it. They didnt do it, Dassey raps. Come to your senses. Everything is just foolish. Things clearly showed that it was just a joke. Cops were only there just to prod and poke. Not a fair trial. Not a fair game. Whole things whacked. Just a lying shame, he continues with the authoritative fury of the Wisconsin version of Eminem. Making a Murderer has spawned a Late Night with Seth Meyers parody, an indie groove from the frontman of the Black Keys, and a series of memesincluding one by this Daily Beast reporter about the Internets obsession with Averys attorneys. But nothing hits home quite as much as Dasseys hip-hop tribute, recorded in his tiny home studio. Hes suspicious. Shes suspicious. Everybody think these two just did it. Killed a girl. Such a whirlwind. Got the whole world talkingtalking trash! Just stick to the facts, leave alone Mr. Kratz, he adds. Dassey said hes getting props from people across the globe. But hes also receiving hate mail from other Facebook userssome of whom may be mistaking him for Bobby Dassey, Brendans older brother and an alternate suspect in Halbachs slaying, according to a court filing by Avery. The Dr. Phil Show also called Brad, he says, offering thousands to come on the program. But a show rep called him at 10 p.m. and Dassey was turned off. If they dont have enough respect to call me at a decent time, then I just dont want to [go on], Dassey told The Daily Beast, adding, Im not sure what their intentions are. Indeed, Dassey believes hes been a target since his half-siblings confession sparked a dramatic televised press conference by prosecutors in 2006. Dassey said he lost his job as a Manitowoc radio jockeyusing the moniker DJ Dasseybecause news reports turned his boss against him. Its been a rough journey for all of us, Dassey told The Daily Beast. Just having the last name [Dassey or Avery] was horrible back then. Because, I dont know, people judge you. This isnt Dasseys first dance under the Internets magnifying glass. In 2011, he tried getting on Americas Got Talent to pursue his dream of becoming a TV voiceover actor and uploaded his reel to YouTube. He was also in Reddits crosshairs that year over his auto-tuned R&B ballad, Im Comin Home. The songs YouTube music video features snowy scenes of Manitowoc, including his grandmothers gravesite, and a little girl chirping, I love you, Jesus. The emcee penned the ode to his granny while waiting for his 1996 Chevy Cavalier to get fixed at a Little Chute auto shop. That song just came to me, Dassey told The Daily Beast, later conceding, but I have received a lot of negative feedback on it. Then again, other locals told him that the wordsabout joining relatives in Heavensent chills down their spine, in a good way. Dassey, whose influences include Coldplay, TobyMac, and Eminem, said he took a break from his music and open-mic nights in Green Bay for a while, but something kept tugging at my heart. You gotta keep doing music, man. Dont give up. Dasseys other YouTube hits include Dropped My Phone In The Toilet and Illuminating Sunshine, an Enya-esque air where he plays a djembe as his pet birds tweet in the background. After years of spinning rhymes, as well as what he calls relaxation and meditation music, the rap about his brother might be the most meaningful. I really put my heart and soul into it, Dassey said. Its more or less really about my brother Brendan. I dont really know Steven. I was influenced to write it because everybodys talking about Steven this, Steven that. Nobody talks about Brendan. The poor guy just got railroaded by investigators and got the raw end of the deal, and somebody needs to support him. Were you offended by some of Ricky Gervaiss off-color jokes at Sunday nights Golden Globe Awards? Well, whats your problem, you whiney cunt? Thats just one choice phrase Gervais has for critics of his hosting performance in a series of tweets Tuesday afternoon. The comedian took to Twitter to explain and defend some of his controversial jokes, especially one about Caitlyn Jenners transition that some argued was transphobic, and to ridicule those who were offended by his comedy. If jokes caused the easily offended to bleed internally, Id do more standup, Gervais tweeted Tuesday afternoon, one of roughly a dozen posts addressing his awards performance hatersall mixed in with tributes to David Bowie and a photo of his cat. At least two attempted to directly explain the joke he made about Jenner and why he doesnt believe it is transphobic. Another read, Suggesting a joke about Caitlin [sic] Jenner is automatically transphobic is like suggesting a joke about Bill Cosby is automatically racist. In the middle of it all he retweeted a news article with the headline, Ricky Gervais really doesnt care if youre offended by his jokes. That Gervais made headlines for pushing the envelope with his comedy at Sundays Golden Globes is no surprise. Thats the comedians brand and, in fact, offense is something he promised in the lead-up to the awards. (Better get dressed and offend some humorless cunts I suppose, he tweeted before the ceremony.) What is unusual, however, is this aggressive social media pushback against those who were scandalized by what he said and criticized him for it. A comedian known for pushing buttons doesnt normally insult or explain himself to people when their buttons are pushed, as planned. Occasionally youll see an apology come from the likes of Amy Schumer or Sarah Silverman when a joke may cross the line, though typically a raunchy comedian will let their edgier jokes just hang there for debate. Its part of what they do: provoke. What they dont do: launch what amounts to a veritable tirade against critics of their performance, explain their jokes, and react in such a loud and unapologetic way to people who didnt like what they said. The crux of the controversy sprouted from Gervaiss opening monologue, a vicious series of randy barbs designed to make the celebrities in attendance squirm and clutch their pearls and, in the age of social media, make those at home take to Twitter with their hashtag outrage. While arguably offensivebecause everything is offensive in this day and age, the Age of Offensemany of his jokes were smart critiques that cut so sharp because they were true. (His bit about equal pay in Hollywood especially.) Many were politically incorrect, but still funny because they were smart. Others were politically incorrect, but also lazylike his Caitlyn Jenner jokes. Hence the controversy. Ive changed, he said. Not as much as Bruce Jenner, obviously. Now Caitlyn Jenner, of course, he went on. What a year shes had. She became a role model for trans people everywhere, showing great bravery in breaking down barriers and destroying stereotypes. She didnt do a lot for women drivers. But, you cant have everything; not at the same time. Immediately Twitter took him task, calling the bit transphobic. (They also werent too pleased with his riff on Jeffrey Tambor trying to conceal his scrotum while playing a trans woman in Transparent.) Speaking to BuzzFeed at the ceremony, Transparent creator Jill Soloway said, I know his thing is to make fun of everything, but I think if more people understood the violence trans people face every day, it would be harder to make jokes about it. Were the jokes transphobic? Gervais certainly didnt think so, though many social activist and LGBT sites did, taking Gervais to task for it. Being generous to Gervais, they were at best lazy and tired. Beginning a longer bit with a punchline suggesting that it is inherently funny that a man would want to transition into a woman is a cheap and dated laugh, and thats what he went for with the joke about Jenner. Taken to task about that on Twitter by U.K. Huffington Post writer Rachel McGrath, Gervais argued that the joke wasnt about Jenners transition, but about her fatal car accident, and therefore was not, as McGrath accused, transphobic. After two tweets that directly addressed McGraths criticism, Gervais tweeted, I made a joke about Caitlyn Jenner killing someone in her car. Im #TransportPhobic. E.B. White once saidand we understand the preposterousness of evoking E.B. White in a piece about Ricky GervaisExplaining a joke is like dissecting a frog. You understand it better but the frog dies in the process. Speaking in terms of comedy, whether or not there was reason to be offended by Gervais at the Globes, theres a danger in defending a joke, insisting that it was funny to those who you think just didnt get it, or reducing yourself to explaining the joke. It patronizes an audience, making it seem that they are not intelligent enough to understand your comedy. And, when you are a comedian whose entire act rests on a giddy embrace of off-color content that you even say is meant to offend people, attacking those who were offended threatens your integrity as a performerat least in this critics opinion. It seems hypocritical, to intend to offend and then to be annoyed when people take offense. As we mentioned before, its not uncommon for a comedian to apologize for a controversial joke, as Schumer, Silverman, and countless other comedians have donethough wed argue that threatens a comedians integrity in a different way. But it seems particularly noteworthy that a comedian like Gervais, who at the tail end of his series of tweets posted, Outrage is the comedians alchemy, would confuse an insecure shaming of critics and pandering tutorial on the merits of his jokes for an apologetic endorsement of his controversial statements. This isnt an argument for censorship. No topic should be off-limits, and no venue should be absolved from the kind of edgy and provocative comedy that Gervais is known for when hes on his game. Provocation causes discussion, and discussion is essential in shifting cultural attitudes and moreswhether offense is the catalyst for that discussion or otherwise. So Gervais was extremely correct in one point in this series of tweets: You have every right to be offended. Just dont cry when no one cared. Call me crazy, but after spending an hour dissecting roughly 20 tweets Gervais posted on the topic, it certainly seems like he cares. In what appears to be (at least for now) his final word on the topic, Gervais posted a photo of himself with angel wings giving the middle finger. Dont offended people realise they are doing my marketing for me, he wrote. Maybe. But now more than ever they may be unsure of what brand theyre marketing. American-backed Kurdish and Arab forces have found an unlikely ally in their push to win ground in Syria: the Russians. Some of the nearly 25,000 U.S.-backed forces made some of their biggest gains in Syria in recent months when they retook villages near the hotly contested city of Aleppo with the help of Russian airstrikes. The Russian attacks targeted other opposition groups, and the U.S.-backed coalition exploited them to gain back parts of the city. The Russian strikes were not designed to help those U.S.-backed forces, nor were the groups coordinating with the Russians. But nevertheless, the air attacks allowed the U.S.-created Syrian Democratic Front to make advances, four defense officials told The Daily Beast. Its not a planned thing. It is not something Russians are trying to do. It is happenstance, one U.S. official told The Daily Beast. The net sum of everything the Russians are doing helps Assad and prolongs the war. And now, U.S. officials fear such success could create a new alliance between its proxy forces in Syria and the Russian military, which American generals have repeatedly called a potential existential threat to the United States. The Russian strikes could appeal to the Kurds because the U.S.-led coalitions air war is aimed almost exclusively at the self-proclaimed Islamic State, whereas the Russians have attacked any group opposed to Assad. The Kurds and Syrian rebels want to see Assad toppled, as well as ISIS defeated. Officials believe that within days of Russian airstrikes on positions held by the Nusra Front, al Qaedas branch in Syria, Kurdish forces moved forward to take at least three villages within the city, helping them make notable gains. Aleppo, Syrias second-biggest city, has long been a battlefield, and a prize for nearly every group vying to control territory in Syria. There is no indication of direct communications between the American-backed ground forces and the Russians, U.S. officials said. But the fact that the Kurds made so much progress in Aleppo thanks to those Russian airstrikes has some U.S. officials worried that a new Kurdish/Russian alliance could form. That would add another layer of complexity in an already fraught war in which alliances are constantly shifting. The Russians, after all, are committed to saving the Bashar al-Assad regime. The U.S. is formally committed to ending it. And so far, the Obama administration has resisted all calls to put aside those differences and form some sort of grand alliance with the Kremlin. Coordination with the Kurds would allow for Russia to continue to present itself as a worthwhile anti-ISIS actor in Syria, while angering Turkey and disrupting U.S. operations, Genevieve Casagrande, a research assistant at the Institute for the Study of War who focuses on Syria, told The Daily Beast. We arent seeing this escalation quite yet, but it is something that these airstrikes can open up the possibility for in the future. Two U.S. officials told The Daily Beast they have seen a similar pattern of ground forces moving in following Russian airstrikes near Raqqa, the self-proclaimed Islamic State capital. These land grabs werent as successful as those in Aleppo, officials said. Nor do they necessarily represent a harbinger for a future in which Kurdish forces overtly side with the Russiansa development that could potentially undermine the Kurds alliance with the U.S. and strengthen Russias influence. Two U.S. officials told The Daily Beast that the rebels and the Kurds werent likely to take sides with the Russians, at least not in the near term. Their alliance with the U.S. has largely been one of battlefield convenience. But the ground forces have a longer history with the Americans that theyre not likely to abandon overnight, the officials argued. Still, a Kurdish and rebel alliance with the Russians cant be ruled out. Indeed, in the complex stew of the Syrian conflict, various factions have coordinated with their adversaries. If you look at the entire course of fighting on the ground, its an enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend war, Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, told The Daily Beast. The YPGthe Syrian-Kurdish military forceshas coordinated with the Assad regime, and the Free Syrian Army has done so with al Nusra, he said. In that context, its not only plausible that U.S-backed and allied groups would coordinate with the Russians; its likely. Recent events could also be driving the Kurds closer to Moscow. After Turkey shot down a Russian jet it said had crossed into its airspace last year, Russians took to social media to express sympathy for and solidarity with the Kurds in their conflict with Turkey. Also, in November, the Kurdish Democratic Union Party began meetings with Russia to discuss its own plans for greater self-rule. That was an apparent stab at the U.S., Russias strategic rival, and arguably a bid to win Washingtons support for Kurdish independence, as well as more weapons. One more reason the Kurds might saddle up with Moscow: They wouldnt necessarily see their new alliance as turning their backs on the U.S. The Russians are conducting more strikes and have less compunction than the American-led coalition about whom they target. The result has been a terrible human toll. Most recently, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights alleged Russian strikes in Aleppo killed at least 12 children and three adults. But the Kurdish rebels may be using a different calculus. I think from their perspective, theres no reason that they wouldnt work with the Russians and with us, Gartenstein-Ross said. The Russians have at this point a more robust presence. Im not sure theyd see it as betraying their relations with the U.S. Marla Mitchell rushed to the charred, twisted metal wreckage on a Texas road to find her daughter. Instead, unbeknownst to her, she found Breannas killer. You dont want to go that way, slurred the boy, pacing away from the strobing red and blue emergency lights of police cars. Theres nothing good happening over there. It was Ethan Couch, who would become forever known as the affluenza teen when his lawyers got him off for killing four people on that Saturday night, June 15, 2013. I didnt know who he was at the time, Mitchell told The Daily Beast in an exclusive interview. Ever since then shes watched as Ethans deep-pocketed parents paid his way out of trouble time and time again. Couch pleaded guilty to four counts of intoxication manslaughter and prosecutors asked the judge to give him 20 years in a big boy Texas penitentiary. Instead, a judge gave Couch 10 years probation after the rich kids defense counsel got a psychologist to testify that the boy suffered from affluenza, a made-up disorder that blamed away the bluebloods repulsive behavior to the silver spoon life hed inherited. Couch went to rehab at the $450,000 a year Newport Academy where horseback riding and yoga were supposed to make him kick his drinking and drugging. It didnt work. ya boy ethan couch violating probation, @BlondeSpectre wrote on Twitter when she posted a short video clip showing the teen playing beer pong in early December. That was the last the world saw of Couch for a month, because he went on the lam to escape a 10-year prison sentence that violating probation (no driving, no drinking, no drugs) carries. In late December, Mexican authorities announced theyd caught the affluenza outlaw, now 18, with his 48-year-old mom Tonya after two weeks in tourist hotspot Puerto Vallarta. Tonya Couch was quickly spirited over the border to cool her heels in a Los Angeles County jail cell in lieu of $1 million bail for hindering apprehension of a felon. She was brought back to Texas in handcuffs, and on Monday a judge reduced her bail to $75,000 from $1 million for hindering apprehension of her fugitive son. Ethan, meanwhile, has lawyered up and is fighting extradition to the U.S. from a Mexico City holding cell. The speed demons dad, Fred Couch, has settled out of court and buried all seven lawsuits lodged against the family and their steel business since his son copped to being tanked when he killed four people and injured several others. *** It started with a flat tire. Marla Mitchell expected to encounter maybe a tow truck and some good Samaritans waiting on an ambulance. After all, Mitchell only minutes earlier had just spoken with her daughter Breanna after her white Mercury Mariners front tire blew out as she rounded a curb on Burleson-Retta Road in Burleson, a tony town just outside Fort Worth, Texas. The SUVs airbags deployed as it flipped and rolled before barreling into a mailbox and crashed in a culvert. A couple driving by approached Breanna and made certain she was OK. I spoke to the first couple that stopped to help her and they verified where she was, Mitchell recalled. It was a 15-minute drive away from their home. When Mitchell spoke to her daughter on the phone she suspected she was disoriented and scared. I could tell she wasnt talking right, she said. But the initial fears were stayed once Marla Mitchell learned that Hollie Boyles and her daughter Shelby left their house nearby to help Breanna. They were followed by Brian Jennings, a youth minister who pulled his truck over on the side of the road while heading back to his church to return chairs and tables hed borrowed for a graduation party. Pastor Jennings soothed the worried mom, telling her: The airbag deployed and she obviously got a concussion on her head and hit her face but shes standing upright. The devout Christian mom felt blessed her daughter was in good hands. I could hear her laughing and carrying on and I felt like she was safe standing by a pastor and a mother and a daughter. The pastor passed the phone to Breanna who was more concerned about the banged up car than she was with her own wounds. I told her The trucks replaceable. And she told me, No, mom, its messed up. Mitchell was already on the way. I told her I am crossing the bridge, Im almost there, she said. OK, mom, I love you. Please hurry. And then ph-shoo! What Mitchell likely heard was Ethan Couchs 6,000-pound Ford F350 Super Duty pickup truck side-swiping Brennas vehicle at 74 mph, then destroying an approaching Volkswagen Beetle, and pancaking Pastor Jenningss truck before triggering an explosion. Eight teenagers were inside the pickup truck, including Couch, after having just stolen beer from the local Walmart to fuel their bender. Couchs blood-alcohol level was 0.24 (three times the legal limit for adults), and he tested positive for Valium. Couch was shot from the truck, alive but unconscious. As he came to, he began bragging about how his name could protect those fortunate enough to be alive. Im Ethan. I can get you out of all this, he told the witness Corbin Clark. Just remember my name and Ill get you out of all this. When he was deposed months later in a civil lawsuit, Couch could only turn back to the moment he awoke from the nights pileup after a toxic brew of booze, marijuana, and Valium. He testified that he remembered waking up handcuffed to the hospital bed. And nary any recall from his deadly drive. I have this picture in my head of turning out of the driveway and thats it. Couch is lucky he doesnt remember what Marla Mitchell saw or heard. As she searched for Breanna, she saw Pastor Jennings lying lifeless on the ground, Hollie Boyles cut in half in the ditch, and Boyless daughter Shelby lying splayed inside a gated yard. Body parts were everywhere. She wasnt in the car, Mitchell said, recalling her frantic search when she arrived. Marla pried open the side door of Breannas vehicle and retrieved a flashlight. By then first responders were asking her who she was and why she was there. Im looking for my daughter. Wheres my daughter? she told them. Then she stopped searching. When I found her she was outside of the fence up to the point of her legs, she said. Her legs were gone. There was no doubt this was Breanna thanks to the Marilyn Monroe tattoo on the back of her neck and the koi fish on her arm. Marla fell to her knees and prayed for a miracle. God fix her, she said. God told me he couldnt and I didnt understand. I said, Dont tell me you cant. I know who you are. Mitchell often retraces that night in her mind and analyzes the what-ifs. I still second guess, she said. If I had been there earlier, if I had seen it or heard it maybe I would have said, Hey, yall get up in the yard! But then the grieving mother catches herself. You just you cant second guess, she said. Theres no good in that. *** Mitchell went to the courthouse to see Couch get thrown in prison but met his slick parents instead. Fred Couch went for Marlas mother first, telling her, I just want you to know that I believe in God and Im begging your forgiveness. I forgive you, lets see if God does, she shot back, according to Marla. When the coroner testified at the sentencing trial, recounting the gory scene, Mitchell excused herself from the courtroom. And this was when Fred Couch went in for another mea culpa. He came up to me and wanted to shake my hand, she said. I just kind of backed away and he said, I just want to tell you one parent to another how sorry I am that this happened. I said, Im sorry too that this happened. What are you going to do to fix it? and he told me Well, were going to do everything to make sure this is fixed. And everything comes out right. Then Couch tried to hug Marla. I backed away again and I said, OK, lets see. As she was about to re-enter the courtroom, Marla paused and saw something she couldnt believe. I turn and look back at him before I walk back in and I see there are three cameras pointing at us, she said. It was totally staged. Yeah, totally staged. *** Before her untimely demise Breanna Mitchell was beloved. She influenced people all over the world, the single mother said, noting that there were soldiers who had grown up with her daughter that had reached out while stationed overseas in Afghanistan and Europe and they wanted to cut their tours short just to be back for Breannas memorial. They told me, Were asking to end our term and come back home. She was our family. Raising five children on her house-cleaning paycheck by herself since 2001 when she says her husband bailed on the child support and abandoned his family to become a roadie for music bands, Marla admits that Breanna was her pride and joy. It took me five to get it right and she was the best of five, she said. Breanna had already earned acclaim in Dallas where she graduated with honors from the Art Institute of Dallas and had landed a full-time chef gig with a restaurant run by the Bass brothers, (rated by Forbes as the 29th-richest family in the U.S.) and from the first day she made sure her mother would have a little comfort in her life. Breanna opted for so much insurance and extras when she was hired on that an HR manager took her aside. They told her, Weve had employees that have worked with us for 20 years that have never asked for as much insurance and benefits as you want. Why did you fill out for all this extra and added? She said, I want to make sure my mama is taken care of for the rest of her life. I had no clue. No clue, Marla said through more tears. Refusing to let melancholy consume her life, the mother has maintained her daughters presence everywhere she turns. Breannas two rescue dogs still sniff at her chefs shoes; the butterfly wind chimes she made in grade school still make music; Breannas hair ties open and close the curtains, and her Texas Longhorn ornament with the two pom-poms (when she was a tot cheerleader) dangle on the Christmas tree. You can either choose to bury it and let it die or you can help the world and everyone that loved her and learn to celebrate that because shes not gone, Marla said. *** Marla worries that Ethan Couch will be spared again. The justice system has failed the whole world, she said. Look at Chicago, look at other peopleits not just us. Couch is in Mexico for the immediate future but after exhausting all his legal efforts, hell likely be extradited back to Tarrant County where the process is underway to ensure that the 18-year-olds case is upped from that of a juvenile to an adult. Marla, who reads the Bible with her outlaw biker friends, said shes often considered taking justice into her own hands. I said its a good thing I didnt choose to go to Mexico because there would be hogtie and duct tape involved when they found me with these people, she said. The momentary flash of anger stops almost as fast as it starts. Thank God for the Christian woman in me, she said. I cant execute those kind of orders because God holds me accountable and so does my daughter. Faith has sustained her, but it almost abandoned her, too. I felt like I experienced a lot of things in my lifetime, but this almost broke me. This almost broke my faith. And thats the only thing I had to hold onto. Too many times, Marla wished she could have traded places with her daughter. For me suffering is staying alive, she said. I prayed for months, God take my last breath. Take me home. Why? Why am I the one left here? and he says, I have you waking up every day for a reason. Deal with it. So I put on my boots and ask him: What have you got for me today, Lord? The fact that Couch is back in custody affords Breannas mother some solace in her otherwise ravaged life. And she hopes her daughters killer is caged for a long time to come. I just want to sit in my yard and put my feet in the river and watch Breannas dogs play and not have to worry anymore; and just know that he cant do anything horrible again and he cant make anybody else suffer. In the last days of December, I got a message on WhatsApp from Jaber al-Jaberi, a former member of the Iraqi parliament for Anbar province: Im in Ramadi, he said. That was how I learned that the provincial capital, a key to the west of the country, had been liberated from the so-called Islamic State, or, as the Arabs say, Daesh. It had been over one and a half years since Jaber had last seen his native city. It was a bittersweet moment. I am happy because we liberated the city from these criminals, he told me. But he was heartbroken to see Ramadi reduced to rubble. Jaber had driven from Baghdad, accompanying Governor Suhaib al-Rawi, the chief of the police, and local security forces. He found Ramadi deserted. Only the counter-terrorism forceswho had conducted most of the fighting to liberate the citywere visible in the streets. Before Daesh had taken over, around 600,000 people had lived there. Now only a few thousand remained, and some of those were trapped in enclaves still controlled by Daesh. And while the so-called Islamic State is losing territory it remains able to conduct deadly operations like those carried out Monday at a shopping mall in Baghdad and in Muqdadiyah. Airstrikes, and bombs planted in houses and alongside roads, had left Ramadi in ruins. Whole neighborhoods had been leveled. Power lines were down. Infrastructure was destroyed. And the bridges across the Euphratesone of which dated back to the British time in Iraq in the first half of the last centurywere no more. As Jaber walked through the carcass of what had once been Anbar University, he told me, he broke down in tears. On graduating from Baghdad medical college in the 1980s, Jaber had helped one of his professors, Tareq al-Hadithi, set up the college of medicine in Anbar University. After 2003, Jaber had poured his energies into renovating the university and establishing student dormitories. He had shown the French ambassador around the university and they had discussed establishing a French language institute. Now all those dreams of investing in future generations had disintegrated. He could not even make out where the medical laboratories had once been. I have so many good memories from this city. his voice trailed off. Jaber had built a new house there a few years ago. Last time I was here, everything looked fine. Now all his possessions were stolen, and his house mere debris. When Daesh had moved into Ramadi, Jaber and two of his sisters had moved to Baghdad. Two of his brothers left to Amman. Another sister had gone to Iraqi Kurdistan, joining the majority of Ramadis residents. While those with money rented places, many lived in tents in camps, relying on family and friends to make ends meet. They had sold their gold and whatever they could take with them before they fled. Jaber estimated that over 80 percent of Iraqs Sunnis were displaced from their homes. Daesh had murdered Jabers brother-in-law and a niece, who died when they were trying to kill her husband, a military officer. Like many of Anbars tribes, loyalties in his family were mixed. Jaber remained supportive of the government and with the political process, whereas one of his brothers was opposed to both the government and Daesh, and a small portion of his tribe were with Daesh. I peppered Jaber with questions: How had everything gone so badly wrong in Ramadi? How had Daesh been able to take over? Who were these people? Jaber described a subculture in Ramadi of uneducated men in their twenties and thirties. Some were thieves and petty criminals. Others had developed fundamentalist thinking. And when al-Qaeda in Iraq came into existence after the fall of the former regime, it was within that organization that they found a sense of power and identity. However, when the Sahwa, the Anbar Awakening, turned against al-Qaeda, and aligned with U.S. forces during the Surge in 2007, many of these same young men were drawn away from the insurgency and swapped sides, turning themselves into local police. And that was why the violence in Anbar had dramatically declined from 2007 onwards and stability had returned to the province. The agreement that my former boss, Gen. Raymond Odierno, the then-commander of U.S. forces in Iraq had negotiated with former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was that 20 percent of the Sahwa would be integrated into the security forces and 80 percent into civilian jobs. But the deal was never implemented. Rather, as U.S. forces withdrew, Maliki reneged on his promises to the Sahwa and arrested its leaders. He accused Sunni politicians of terrorism, driving them out of the political process. In response, Sunnis set up protest camps. But Maliki refused to meet their demands and sent in security forces to violently crush the demonstrations. With the citizens of Ramadi so at odds with the central government once again, it had been easy for Daesh to rise up out of the ashes of al-Qaeda in Iraq and proclaim itself as the defender of the Sunnis. Daesh had taken over Anbar University and converted it into a prison. Jaber explained that the tribes in Anbar had lost trust in the government and refused to fight Daesh. They remembered only too clearly how the Sahwa had been betrayed. We could not convince them that the experience would be different from before. Finally, 9,000 tribesmen were persuaded to join the tribal al-Hashd, the popular mobilization force, and received training from U.S. troops in bases at Taqqadum and al-Asad. And it was these tribesman who had supported the counter-terrorism forces in their efforts to liberate Ramadi from Daesh at the end of 2015. Governor al-Rawi has been nominated as the head of the Crisis Committee, which includes representatives of ministries, and is tasked with cleaning up the city, removing explosives, and restoring basic services to make Ramadi habitable once more so that its displaced citizens will return. But difficult times remain ahead. There are huge challenges to rebuilding Ramadi, particularly with scarce resources available from the government due to the steep drop in oil prices to under $35 a barrel. And looming large is the question of how to break the corrosive cycle of revenge and retribution that has led to so many deaths and displacement. Jaber was recently appointed to the new Higher Committee for National Reconciliation established under the auspices of Iraqs prime minister, the president, and the speaker of parliament, and with the mandate to promote historic national reconciliation. Reconciliation has been talked about continually in Iraq over the last decadebut little has been done to address the structural challenges facing the country, to agree on a workable system of government and to reinvent an inclusive national identity to which Iraqis diverse peoples can relate. Many observers believe that Iraq is finished: the Kurds are moving increasingly towards independence; Shia militias dominate the Iraqi government; Iranian influence is pervasive; and Sunni leadership is weak and fragmented. Jaber knows the challenges facing Iraq only too well. But he still clings to hope. Prime Minister Hayder Abadi is working hard to keep Iraq unified. Salim Jabouri, the Speaker of Parliament, is supportive of him, as is President Fuad Masoum. Although they are weak, the current incumbents of these key positions appear to be working together for the good of the countrya stark contrast with the Maliki era. This is the last chance to hold Iraq together, Jaber said, to make everyone think of themselves first as Iraqis before Sunni, Shia, or Kurd. On Jan. 6, North Koreas communist regime triggered what it claimed was a hydrogen bombthe regimes firstat an underground nuclear explosion at its Punggye-ri test site in the northern mountains. The U.S. government has cast doubt on the H-bomb claim, pointing out that the blast better matches the profile of a much less powerful tritium-boosted fission device. In any event, the atomic test had the desired effect: What happened there has definitely got our attention, said U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, commander of the 7th Fleet in the Pacific. But two can play the nuclear brinkmanship game. The U.S. responded with a martial display of its own, starring a stalwart of Americas own huge nuclear arsenal. On Jan. 10, a U.S. Air Force B-52an eight-engine, jet-powered behemoth with a crew of five and a payload of up to 35 tons of bombs and missiles including nuclear munitionsflew an impressive 4,000-mile round trip to the Korean Peninsula from Americas main Pacific air base on the island of Guam. The B-52 met up with an escort of U.S. and South Korean jet fighters and performed a noisy, smoky, low-level pass over the peninsula within full view of the medias cameras and Pyongyangs radars. The provocative air show is just the latest example of what the Pentagon calls signaling. Or, in plain language, bomber diplomacy. When a crisis flares, one of Washingtons first instincts is launch B-52s, swing-wing B-1s or stealthy B-2s as a show of forcea reminder to Americas allies and enemies alike that, despite mounting competition, America still possesses the worlds most fearsome military, including more than 150 bombers capable of striking almost anywhere in the world with just a few hours notice. The flights are the U.S.s way of saying, We know what youre doing, were aware of your actions and weve taken note. You should take note of how we could, should we feel the need, respond, Brian Laslie, an Air Force historian and author of The Air Force Way of War, told The Daily Beast . Using aerial bombers to signal strength is not a new concept. Once bombers evolved into the globe-spanning, potentially world-destroying weapons that they are today, they inherited a deterrent potential that once belonged exclusively to battleships. In the early 50s, Air Force Gen. Laurence Kuter, an early commander of the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD), said airpower should be used to influence the behavior of other nations by actions short of war in support of national policy. For the next 40 years, whenever a major crisis flared involving the United States or Russia, bombers took to the air, not necessarily to drop any bombs, but as a warning that they could. Signaling fell out of favor in the United States in the years after the Soviet Unions 1991 collapse. But the rise of China and Russias resurgence under Vladimir Putin brought the practice back into vogue. In recent years, upgraded Russian bombers have probed U.S. and NATO airspace. China has sent its own new H-6K bombers into the Western Pacific, essentially announcing its newfound ability to exert military force over disputed territories in the East and South China Seas. In response, the Pentagon has flown B-52s over the same disputed territories. Bomber diplomacy is enjoying a sort of renaissance. But theres a problem for U.S. military planners. While the demand for bombers is increasing, supply in a sense is decreasing. America possesses the worlds biggest force of long-range bombers, but only the 20 stealthy B-2s can reliably penetrate the heaviest enemy defenses. The aging B-52s, which date to the early 60s, and only somewhat less old B-1s from the 80s lose some of their signaling potential as they become less and less useful during an actual shooting war. Hence the Pentagons eagerness to acquire new stealth bombers. In 2013, the Air Force commissioned Forrest Morgan, an analyst at the RAND Corporation, a California think tank, to confirm whether bombers were still the best means of signaling military intent. Morgans answer was a resounding yes. Bombers generate a potent deterrent threat, Morgan wrote, without exposing U.S. forces to an inordinate amount of vulnerability to surprise attack, because they can fly long distances from bases too far away for most enemies to bombard. Reassured by Morgans assessment, in October 2015 the Pentagon awarded Northrop Grumman a potentially $79 billion contract to build as many as 100 long range strike bombers that the military expects to at least match the B-2s ability to avoid detectionand to amplify the political signal that B-52s and other nuclear-capable bombers broadcast when they fly low and loud near enemy territory. After all, no one expects North Korea to abandon its efforts to develop increasingly powerful nukes, nor Russia and China to roll back their expansionist foreign policy. Bomber flights could only grow in importance as the United States strives to peacefully assert its strength in an increasingly hostile world. Bottom line, its about sending a very clear message, Laslie said. In his quest to catch the Road Runner, the Coyote in the old Warner Brothers cartoons would always order supplies from the ACME Corporation, but they never performed as advertised. Either they didnt work at all, or they blew up in his face. Which brings us to the idea of a so-called Article V convention assembled for the purpose of proposing amendments to the U.S. Constitution, an idea enjoying some vogue at both ends of the political spectrum. On the left, a group founded by liberal TV host Cenk Uygur is pushing a convention aimed at overturning the Supreme Courts hated Citizens United decision and declaring that from now on corporations should stop having rights, or at least not a right to spend money spreading political opinions. Four liberal statesCalifornia, Vermont, Illinois, and New Jerseyhave signed on to this idea. On the right, the longstanding proposal for a convention to draft a balanced budget amendment has at times come within striking distance of the requisite two-thirds of state legislatures needed to trigger the idea. And for the past few years, talk-show host Mark Levin has been campaigning for a convention with broader conservative goals, an idea that got a boost when Florida Senator Marco Rubio recently endorsed it, citing Washingtons refusal to place restrictions on itself. Rubios specifics are still sketchyterm limits for members of Congress and Supreme Court justices would be part of itbut Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has now jumped in with a detailed Texas Plan of nine constitutional amendments mostly aimed at wresting various powers back from the federal government to the states. Some of these ideas are better than othersGov. Abbotts 92-page report (PDF) is rather erudite, and lays out its arguments skillfully even if I do not find all of them soundbut every such scheme to stage an Article V convention should come with a giant ACME brand stenciled on its side. If it doesnt just sit there doing nothing, its apt to blow up on the spot. The detonation that skeptics most fear is whats called a runaway convention, in which the delegates called together to, say, install term limits or revamp campaign finance decide to venture into other areas as well, and perhaps start proposing whatever new amendments they think might be a good idea. Hence Justice Antonin Scalias brusque dismissal: I certainly would not want a constitutional convention. Whoa! Who knows what would come out of it? Some respected scholars who favor a convention argue that strict instructions would deter the assembled delegates from venturing beyond the velvet rope. But if that cannot be made a legal requirement, it winds up more like an honor code. Congress might try to limit the agenda to one amendment or to one issue, but there is no way to assure that the Convention would obey, wrote the late Chief Justice Warren Burger. Dont believe Scalia or Burger? Go ahead and read the instruction kit for a convention, such as it is, in Article V of the U.S. Constitution. Its quite brief. Heres the full relevant text: The Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress Note what this does *not* say. It says not a word expressly authorizing the states, Congress, or some combination of the two to confine the subject matter of a convention. It says not a word about whether Congress, in calculating whether the requisite 34 states have called for a convention, must (or must not) aggregate calls for a convention on, say, a balanced budget, with differently worded calls arising from related or perhaps even unrelated topics. It says not a word prescribing that the makeup of a convention, as many conservatives imagine, will be one-state-one-vote (as Alaska and Wyoming might hope) or whether states with larger populations should be given larger delegations (as California and New York would surely argue). Does Congress, or perhaps the Supreme Court, get to resolve these questionsthe same Congress and Supreme Court that the process is aimed at doing an end run around? If the Supreme Court resolves them, does it do so only at the very end of the process, after years of national debate have been spent in devising amendments that we find out after the fact were not generated in proper form? Justice Burger described the whole process as a grand waste of time. One reason is that after advocates get the process rolling by convincing two-thirds of states, or 34, itself a fairly demanding number, the amendments that emerge from a convention do not get ratified unless three-quarters of states ratify, or 38, a quite demanding number. Put differently, it takes only 13 states to refuse to act to kill any of these ideas, bad or good, in the end. Sorry, Cenk and Marco, but so long as we have a nation fairly closely divided between Blue and Red sentiment, there will be at least 13 states skeptical of some systemic change so big that you had to go around the backs of both Congress and the Supreme Court to pull it off. If youre a progressive who thinks the populist winds blow only in your favor, reflect for a moment on the success of Donald Trump. If youre a conservative to whom radio call-ins resound as the voice of the people, consider that state legislatures confronted with the hard legal issues a convention would raise might turn for advice and assistance to elite lawyers (yikes) or even law professors (double yikes). Finally, we shouldnt assumeas do some of Gov. Abbotts co-thinkersthat most state governments are as eager as Texas to curtail the powers of the feds. One of the most significant conservative books on federalism lately, George Mason University professor Michael Greves The Upside-Down Constitution, sheds light on this. Conservatives tell a campfire story of how the federal government got big by taking power away from the states. But in his (admittedly long and complicated) book, Greve argues that the truth is closer to the opposite. Whether in spending programs, regulations, subsidies, you name it, almost every big expansion of federal power has been skillfully designed as a deal that cuts state political elites into some of the resulting flow of power and moneyconsider, for example, how state education, police, road, and environmental departments have come to depend on Washingtons largesse. And while many states may join Texas in sincerely griping at the bad end of the dealthe endless paperwork, the unfunded mandatesthat doesnt mean theyd actually join Gov. Abbott in risking the connection. Yes, the federal government has slipped its constitutional bounds, and yes, thats infuriating. Just dont confuse a plan for talking, which is what these amount to, with a plan for actually changing things, and always beware of a cure that might kill the patient. Walter Olson is senior fellow at the Cato Institute and the author of several books on the American legal system. He edits Overlawyered. In November 2010, Ted Cruz was in Washington, D.C., for a lawyers convention. He had attended each year for decades, but that year he met the man who would forever change his life or at least become his closest friend in the Senate. Mike and I immediately bonded, Cruz wrote in his book A Time for Truth, of Sen. Mike Lee, a fellow constitutional lawyer and Tea Party insurgent. Cruz writes the two spent hours talking that day and became such good friends that a few months later, when Cruz launched his Senate campaign, Lee asked how he could help him. Sure, you could endorse me, Cruz wrote. When Lee agreed, becoming the first sitting senator to endorse Cruz, and then asked what else he could do, Cruz replied he could help reach out to other conservatives in the Senate. Lee replied, according to Cruz, Ted, I will move Heaven and Earth to get them to back you. But six years later, after countless hours on the Senate floor together, dozens of co-sponsored bills, and even a joint victory fundraising committee, Lee has yet to back his friends presidential bid. Those close to Lee attribute his silence to the fact the Utah senator has relationships with Sens. Marco Rubio and Rand Paul and is legitimately torn between his friends. He just flat out hasnt made up his mind yet. Its as simple as that. Hes looking for principled leadership, people to speak up on ideas We work with both a lot, we agree on a lot, but weve had disagreements with both, Conn Carroll, a spokesman for Lee, told The Daily Beast. Rubio has been great on higher education and transportation, Carroll said. Cruz worked with us on USA Freedom Act, which hes been a great ally on, and for which hes been attacked by Rubio. But weve also had disagreements with Cruz on criminal justice. But while Cruz may be the closest to Lee personally, hes also the one who got him in the most trouble back home. In his memoir, Cruz said no one stood by him more courageously or indispensably during his 21-hour speech than Lee. As the buddies toured the country ahead of the government shutdown, Lees approval in Utah plummeted and establishment Republicans in the state started to have their doubts about whether Lee was someone they wanted representing them in Washington. In October 2013, Lees approval rating in the state fell to just below 40 percent, according to the Utah Voter Poll at Brigham Young University. A majority of voters in that same poll called for Lee to compromise in order to avoid a government shutdown. Lee has since bounced back from the edgein part because he courted establishment Republicans in Utah to back his re-electionand is expected to cruise (no pun intended) to victory in 2016. Spencer Stokes, Lees former chief of staff, said Lees troubles in Utah were long gone. I think people have begun to understand in Utah the importance of what Mike is talking about, he said. And Lees brush with electoral disaster hasnt kept him from continuing his friendship with Cruz. In 2014, the two buds stirred controversy when they posed together with a tiger skin rug. Cruz and Lee even had a joint fundraising apparatusthe Lee Cruz Victory Committeewhich was established in 2014, raised just under $150,000 that year, and fizzled out. We did have a joint committee a couple of years ago. It was formed to do one event and then nothing happened after that, Lee spokesman Carroll told The Daily Beast. While its unclear how Lee could help Cruz with conservatives since the two of them have many of the same fans within the party, a nod from the Utah senator could help Rubio or Paul soothe nervous members of the base. And while Cruz is fond of saying he didnt go to Washington to make friends, a snub from one he did make would have to hurt. Asked if the Cruz campaign had a comment on why Lee hasnt endorsed the Texas senator yet, a spokesman replied, No, but thanks. Nazarbayev calls on Poroshenko to look for compromise on Donbas Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev called on Kyiv to look for a compromise on the situation in eastern Ukraine in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, the Kazakh presidential press service reported on Tuesday. Nazarbayev and Poroshenko "exchanged opinions on the current situation in southeastern Ukraine. The Kazakh president called for a compromise in resolving the conflict and relieving the tension between Ukraine and Russia," it said. The two leaders also discussed other important issues and prospects for bilateral cooperation in using alternative trade channels in the new situation, it said. The conversation was arranged at Ukraine's initiative, it said. On Thursday, January 14, at 13.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference with the participation of the organizer of the event "An Evening to Commemorate Last Defenders of Donetsk Airport - Legendary Cyborgs." The participants will include chairman of the NGO "Ukrainian House" All-Ukrainian Social and Political Movement Pavlo Matsepa, Chairman of the NGO Ukrainian Coordinating Council Association Andriy Khoma, Board Chairman of the NGO All-Ukrainian Alliance of ATO Fighters and Volunteers Association Oleksiy Kopyshynsky, and Board Chairman of the NGO "Protection of Ordinary People" Dmytro Pavlychenko (8/5-A Reitarska Street). Registration requires press accreditation. For more details, call (063) 652 2323 (Nelli Zhovanyk), (097) 612 8603 (Oleksandr Panchenko). Islamic State Leader Abu-Bakr Al-Baghdadi Killed In An Airstrike Conducted By The Iraqi Army The second top deputy of Islamic State leader Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi was allegedly killed in an airstrike, the Iraqi Air Force said Saturday. This comes days after another top ISIS commander was reported to have been severely injured. Business Standard reported that according to Iraq's Joint Operations Command (IJOC), Nasser Mohammed Al-Obeidi, the ISIS military leader in western Iraq and eastern Syria was reportedly wiped out during a bombing conducted by the Iraqi army. Reports say the bombing took place in the western Anbar Province, east of the town of Haditha. Mohammed Ibrahim, a spokesperson for the IJOC, told CNN that Obeidi was a renowned soldier in the special forces unit of Saddam Hussein's Republican Guards. The said unit was the culprit behind the depraved 'death cult' operations in western Iraq and eastern Syria. Advertisement He was reportedly a fugitive from the Abu Grhraib Prison and a former prisoner at Camp Bucca, both of which are situated in Iraq. Born and raised in the small town of Hawija, Obeidi became a top IS commander in 2003 and was commonly referred to as Abu Omar al-Obeidi. Until his death, Obeidi was the chief of staff of Islamic State's Military Council. According to RT Live, Obeidi's death adds to the long list of top ranking IS soldiers alleged to have been killed by the Iraq-U.S. joint coalition in recent months. The U.S. led coalition announced that as of Saturday over 20 ISIS members have been reportedly killed and injured following a U.S. drone attack in the Afghan Province of Nangahar. "10 senior ISIS leaders operating in both Iraq and Syria, including several external attack planners with designs on attacking Western targets, had been killed in airstrikes." said Col. Steve Warren. Advertisement Advertisement Like us and Follow us Follow @Koreaportal and 2022 Korea Portal, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. HOUSTON (AP) Paul Kruse's father had warned him about the perils of family-run businesses, but he couldn't escape his place as the obvious heir of a dawning ice cream empire. After ascending to the corner office in 2004, Kruse delivered Blue Bell Creameries to its greatest height, becoming the No. 1 U.S. brand. This year, it took barely two months to undo everything. Ironically, Blue Bell's food-poisoning crisis could give it a one-up on competitors, because it already has been forced to make expensive changes to equipment and safety protocols that other ice cream makers soon will have to emulate under new federal regulations. It took most of the year to upgrade while other brands gobbled up market share. Blue Bell, for most of its history, moved at a measured pace. That strategy won ardent followers as Blue Bell went into rural markets where competitors wouldn't or couldn't reach. With Kruse still in the driver's seat, the company's future may hinge on his ability to return to a course charted by his forebears. Listeria was unknown to science when his grandfather took over the business 96 years ago. In those days, E.F. Kruse and his employees churned out a few gallons of ice cream a day in wooden tubs, blissfully unaware of the microscopic, pill-shaped bacteria, its affinity for cold, wet places, its penchant for ravaging susceptible immune systems. Foregoing a school superintendent's job to save the struggling Brenham creamery, he didn't pay himself for those first six months, according to family lore. Mindful of his own financial struggle and the misfortunes of others, he routinely warned his sons, Ed and Howard, about the tendency for family outfits to start poor, grow steadily and plunge fast in successive generations. "Shirt sleeves to shirt sleeves," it's called in America. "Stars to stables," in Italy. Ed Kruse passed on his own version of the mantra, repeatedly telling his sons and daughters to "get your own business." They listened. After he earned a law degree at Baylor University and opened his own firm in Brenham, Paul Kruse three times rejected his father's entreaties to come on as general counsel. But his father and uncle had, consciously or not, groomed him to take over. There was a standing expectation to pitch in when you could, Paul Kruse recounted in a 2004 column for the Baylor Business Review. At age 8, he had to go door to door asking neighbors for old newspapers to help fulfill the packing requirements for a military contract with Fort Hood. At 18, he had a paying job putting sticks into frozen novelties and packing half gallons into cardboard sleeves. Kruse worked in sales, made store deliveries, hauled ice cream cabinets and garnered two sets of stitches before setting off for Texas A&M University and an accounting degree. When he capitulated to his father in 1986, Jack in the Box hadn't killed any kids with undercooked hamburgers. A national database for tracking food poisoning outbreaks by DNA was still 10 years away. Listeria had only recently been confirmed as a foodborne pathogen, in a batch of Canadian coleslaw tainted by sheep manure in 1981. It was something you might get from raw food. No one was thinking about listeria in a frozen product made with pasteurized milk. Those were halcyon days, the beginning of Blue Bell's modern era, when Ed and Howard Kruse charted the course for what, in hindsight, seems like a kind of corporate manifest destiny. The American South was theirs to be had. Other brands headed straight for the big markets, Steven Young, former director of research and development for Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, said. That company expanded from the West Coast in the 1980s by acquiring other producers in the Midwest and East, ignoring much of rural America. Blue Bell grew into contiguous markets and didn't even venture beyond Texas until 1989. "They go through the hinterland, they pick up this wonderful loyalty, and people get married to it," Young said. "They've got to have it." Not buying its way across America had a second advantage: Blue Bell could closely guard production and distribution, using its own factories, trucks, procedures and personnel. It could keep sourcing most of its milk from the freshest supplies, farms within a few hundred miles of Brenham. Then, when the product entered a new market, it still had the creamy, homespun quality conveyed by the groundbreaking ad campaigns that depicted a little country churn even as the original plant mechanized and expanded, sugar yielded to high fructose corn syrup, and artificial flavors joined the mix. Being purposefully slow was thus a matter of pride. "If I wanted to go into California tomorrow," Ed Kruse told the Chronicle in 1994, "I could go into California. But that's not the plan." His father used to say, "No one ever got lost on a straight road." As general counsel, Paul Kruse continued assuming new roles, including a stint reading and responding to customer letters. Before he moved to the top job, a steady eastward creep had turned into rocket growth. It still looked slow on paper opening just a few distribution centers a year but Blue Bell was now at the forefront of the U.S. ice cream industry, topping several major brands in sales and closing in on labels made by Nestle and Unilever, both multinational conglomerates with sales in 50 states. It sped up even more under Paul Kruse. From 2006 to 2014, Blue Bell's annual sales grew by 70 percent, versus just 8 percent for the entire U.S. industry, according to figures from the market intelligence firm Euromonitor. It rose from fifth to third in U.S. market share. Relative to its own past, it abandoned any notion that slow was better, roughly doubling the geographical reach it had attained in the previous century. In 2014, for the first time, Blue Bell stole the No. 1 spot in brand sales from Dreyer's, the longtime U.S. favorite. Before the listeria crisis struck in March, it sold more than $333 million, according to Euromonitor figures updated in August. As a privately held company, Blue Bell doesn't publicly disclose sales. But by that reckoning, it had, in one quarter, sold more than half of what it did in all of 2010 and peak summer sales hadn't even set in yet. All that production came with a price. Brenham plant workers said sanitation was hurried. Hot water ran low. And federal records showed that problems reached to plants in Oklahoma and Alabama, negating the possibility that the listeria outbreak was a failure of one supplier, one machine or one employee. Somewhere amid all that growth, reality couldn't keep up with the clean country image. Worse, it hadn't been keeping up for years. Epidemiologists this year determined that illnesses from as early as 2010 were caused by Blue Bell retroactive medical sleuthing made possible by the DNA database. Production workers said they didn't see Paul Kruse as often as they had his uncle Howard, who was known to stop and help clean up messes, chat with lower-rung employees and keep tabs on fine details. Howard retired in 2004, Ed in 1993. Through a spokesman, Paul Kruse and other top Blue Bell officials declined interview requests. But if he missed the failures happening under his watch, it wasn't because Kruse was indifferent to them, associates said. Jerry Strawser, former dean of A&M's Mays Business School, who watched Kruse mentor his students, said the way the company responded after its April shutdown illustrates that point. "It would have been easy to try to race back into business," he said. "He knew he could take a shortcut, save a month or two here or there. But his goal and thought process was that as painful as this was; they can't get back into stores until they make sure nothing like this would ever happen again." Some of Kruse's most difficult moments this year came in a somber meeting in May with Brenham employees. Some of them were hopeful they might be returning to work. Instead, they were given paper slips of one of three colors. They filed into three corresponding rooms to learn their fates from Kruse. Companywide, 1,450 of 3,900 employees lost jobs. Years earlier, after he took charge, Kruse had written about his responsibility to them. "The only time I really think about being the 'big boss' is when it occurs to me that (thousands) of employees and their families are dependent on how the company performs," he wrote for the Baylor publication. "That knowledge can be a bit sobering. And really, they are why I come to work each morning. Employees are the key to what we do at Blue Bell and the primary reason for our success." Had Blue Bell folded, it would have joined the majority of third-generation businesses, only a small percentage of which survive into the fourth, according to various consulting firms. Unlike public companies, which send CEOs packing after six years on average, family bosses are entrenched, raising a host of challenges, said Andrew Hier, senior partner of the Cambridge Family Enterprise Group. They may have more difficulty coping with shifts in technology over time. Decision-making becomes more complicated in the so-called "cousin generation," with more personalities at the table. Though privately held, Blue Bell now has hundreds of shareholders. Kruse's cousin, Greg Bridges, is the vice president of operations. "Was there a demand to take profit out instead of reinvesting it for good systems?" Hier asks. "We don't know, but it tends to be one of the issues that arises in the cousin generation." Former executive vice president John Barnhill, who led the enormously risky push into the Houston market in 1960, told the Chronicle in 1996 that the company was constantly facing the challenge of indoctrinating new personnel with the Blue Bell story. "There are some that would just as soon we be the most modern ice cream company and perhaps forego our past," he said. "Our view is that we were not always where we are today, and truly we started as a little creamery and we kind of cherish our heritage, and we also don't take it for granted." After 10 illnesses and three deaths linked to Blue Bell, it now has been forced to modernize. It faces a task like Odwalla, the homegrown juice brand roiled by E.coli poisonings in 1996, and, more recently, Chipotle, the fast-food burrito chain plunged into crisis from at least four separate disease outbreaks in a span of months. Odwalla had to abandon its raw-is-better philosophy and start pasteurizing its juices as it revolutionized its industry. Similarly, Chipotle is instituting pathogen testing standards unlike any others in fast food. And so the question now for Paul Kruse and Blue Bell for its shareholders and Sid Bass, the Fort Worth billionaire who this summer bailed out the South's favorite ice cream to the tune of $125 million is whether its bucolic values will remain part of its future as it now produces ice cream under the most sophisticated hazard controls in the industry. There is no obvious successor for Kruse, 61. Odwalla ultimately sold out to Coca-Cola. Blue Bell recently announced an unexpected additional phase of its gradual return to market, which has reached most of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas and parts beyond. But the ramp-up in production says nothing about sales. The company is muscling to recover precious, finite freezer space that had been subsumed by store brands. That battle will continue into the spring, when Blue Bell may fall to a disadvantage as brands engage in seasonal jockeying by releasing new flavors, said Young, the former Dreyer's official. The Blue Bell freezer case used to be a rainbow; now, only a few varieties line the shelves. But the industry is talking about Blue Bell with a newfound respect, said Young, who puts on technical workshops for ice cream makers across the country. Quality assurance reps from other companies look at Blue Bell, imagine the same crisis happening to them, and question whether they would have survived, Young said. The pressure is mounting for all under newly tightened food safety laws. Indeed, Blue Bell and Chipotle may have motivated Congress, which has nearly matched the Obama administration's funding request for the Food Safety Modernization Act, the first wholesale reform of U.S. food policy in decades. Other ice cream manufacturers "know they've got to do something," Young said. "Some of them don't have the foggiest idea what to do." Blue Bell already has made the investments that its competitors may have to make in the next year. With that in place, it can turn its attention to scrabbling back, like the first-generation Kruse who saved it from bankruptcy a century gone. There's a reward for the kind of patience and persistence the company showed for so many decades before it went headlong into crisis, Young said. "Historically, they've gone little town, to little town, to little town," he said, "and there's a lot of America left to be had." In the latest annual PDP report - issued yesterday, 11th January - once again, glyphosate data is absent. Testing was done to look for residues of more than 400 different herbicides, insecticides and other pesticides on food products. But no tests reported for glyphosate. The USDA says it is too expensive to test for glyphosate residues; much costlier than tests for the other 400+ pesticides that are part of the analysis, the agency says. The agency also echoes the position held by Monsanto that glyphosate is safe enough that trace amounts in food are nothing to worry about. The EPA's glyphosate risk assessment delayed again This begs the question: how do we know there are only trace amounts, without the testing? And what of all that World Health Organization talk of cancer connections to glyphosate? Monsanto hired its own experts who concluded that finding was wrong. The Environmental Protection Agency, which sets the tolerance levels allowed for glyphosate and other pesticides has said glyphosate is safe at certain defined tolerance levels, and has actually raised those tolerance levels in recent years. At the same time, the EPA has been conducting a multi-year re-evaluation of glyphosate, its usage and impacts. The agency was due to release a risk assessment last year. In fact, EPA's chief pesticide regulator Jim Jones said in May 2015 that assessment was nearly completed then and should be released by July. But this week an EPA spokeswoman said the report would likely be made public "sometime later this year." The government pegged glyphosate use in the United States at nearly 300 million pounds for 2013, the most recent year the estimate is available. That was up from less than 20 million pounds in 1992. The rise in usage parallels the rise of crops genetically engineered to be glyphosate-tolerant, meaning farmers can spray the herbicide directly on their fields and kill weeds but not their crops. Many key food crops are sprayed directly with glyphosate, including corn, soybeans, sugar beets, canola and even in some cases, wheat, though wheat has not been genetically engineered as glyphosate-tolerant. Instead the herbicide is used as a 'dessicant' to kill the wheat plants and allow them to dry out before harvest. Tests carried on on bread and cereal bars in the UK, show that glyposate residues often remain at detectable levels in food products. So why won't the USDA tell us? It is a scandal that USDA tests for hundreds of pesticide residues but not glyphosate, among the most widely used chemicals on our food crops. Consumers want to know how much glyphosate is in our food. As for the idea that it is so uniquely and unaffordably expensive to test for out of over 400 pesticides, the EPA has failed to explain or justify its claim. In a statement that accompanied the annual pesticide residue report, the EPA's Jim Jones lauded the data as an "important part of ... our work to evaluate pesticide exposure from residues in food", adding that "EPA is committed to a rigorous, science-based, and transparent regulatory program for pesticides that continues to protect people's health and the environment." But given the health concerns raised by the World Health Organization and the rising use of this pesticide, consumers deserve better. In April 2015 the EPA actually said that US regulators would consider testing for glyphosate: "Given increased public interest in glyphosate, EPA may recommend sampling for glyphosate in the future", the agency told Reuters, adding that the final decision rested with USDA. Then, in a masterly piece of buck-passing, USDA insisted the desision was really up to the EPA: "EPA makes the determination which commodities and pesticides are tested", said a spokesman, and EPA had not requested any glyphosate testing. The decision remains in bureaucratic limbo. It's high time for the EPA-USDA two-step shuffle to stop - and for the two agencies to immediately respect consumer concerns and include tests for glyphosate and its residues in the Pesticide Data Program. Carey Gillam is Research Director at US Right to Know, a nonprofit organization that investigates the risks associated with the corporate food system, and promotes transparency regarding the food industry's practices and influence on public policy. She has worked as a journalist, researcher and writer specializing in the food and agriculture for more than 20 years. This article was originally published by US Right To Know. Some additional reporting by The Ecologist. As destiny would have it, you are presently the chairperson of the 'National Commission on Farmers', mandated to draft a new agricultural policy. I hope this provokes some soul-searching and open debate at all levels on the extremely vital issues involved. - So that we do not repeat the same kind of blunders that led us to our present, deep festering mess. Farming runs in our blood. But I am sad that our (now greyed) generation of Indian farmers allowed itself to be duped into adopting the short-sighted and ecologically devastating way of farming, imported into this country - By those like you, with virtually zero farming experience! For countless centuries the soil has been sustained For generations beyond count, this land sustained one of the highest densities of population on earth. Without any chemical 'fertilizers', pesticides, exotic dwarf strains of grain, or the new, fancy 'bio-tech' inputs that you now seem to champion. The many waves of invaders into this country, over the centuries, took away much. But the fertility of our land remained unaffected. In our forests, the trees like ber (jujube), jambul (jambolan), mango, umbar (wild fig), mahua (Madhuca indica), imli (tamarind) yield so abundantly in their season that the branches sag under the weight of the fruit. The annual yield per tree is commonly over a tonne - year after year. But the earth around remains whole and undiminished. There is no gaping hole in the ground! From where do the trees - including those on rocky mountains - get their water, their NPK, etc? Though stationary, Nature provides their needs right where they stand. But 'scientists' and technocrats like you - with a blinkered, meddling itch - seem blind to this. On what basis do you prescribe what a tree or plant requires, and how much, and when.? It is said: where there is lack of knowledge, ignorance masquerades as 'science'! Such is the 'science' you have espoused, leading our farmers astray - down the pits of misery. While it is no shame to be ignorant, the awareness of such ignorance is the necessary first step to knowledge. But the refusal to see it is self-deluding arrogance. This country has more than 150 agricultural universities. But every year, each churns out several hundred 'educated' unemployables, trained only in misguiding farmers and spreading ecological degradation. In all the six years a student spends for an M.Sc. in agriculture, the only goal is short-term - and narrowly perceived - 'productivity'. For this, the farmer is urged to do and buy a hundred things. But not a thought is spared to what a farmer must never do so that the land remains unharmed for future generations and other creatures. It is time our people and government wake up to the realisation that this industry-driven way of farming - promoted by our institutions - is inherently criminal and suicidal! Trying to increase Nature's 'productivity,' is the fundamental blunder that highlights the ignorance of 'agricultural scientists' like you. When a grain of rice can reproduce a thousand-fold within months, where arises the need to increase its productivity? Numerous kinds of fruit trees too yield several hundred thousand kg of nourishment each in their lifetime! That is, provided the farmer does not pour poison and mess around the tree in his greed for quick profit. Our only creator is nature herself The mindset of servitude to 'commerce and industry,' ignoring all else, is the root of the problem. But industry merely transforms 'raw materials' sourced from Nature into commodities. It cannot create anew. Only Nature is truly creative and self-regenerating - through synergy with the fresh daily inflow of the sun's energy. Modern technology, wedded to commerce - rather than wisdom or compassion - has proved disastrous at all levels... We have despoiled and polluted the soil, water and air. We have wiped out most of our forests and killed its creatures. And relentlessly, modern farmers spray deadly poisons on their fields. These massacre Nature's jeev srushti - the unpretentious but tireless little workers that maintain the ventilated quality of the soil, and recycle all life-ebbed biomass into nourishment for plants. The noxious chemicals also inevitably poison the water, and Nature's prani srushti, which includes humans. Can you deny that for more than forty centuries, our ancestors farmed the organic way - without any marked decline in soil fertility, as in the past four or five decades? Is it not a stark fact that the chemical-intensive and irrigation-intensive way of growing monoculture cash-crops has been primarily responsible for spreading ecological devastation far and wide in this country? Within the lifetime of a single generation! This country boasted an immense diversity of crops, adapted over millennia to local conditions and needs. Our numerous tall, indigenous varieties of grain provided more biomass, shaded the soil from the sun and protected against its erosion under heavy monsoon rains. How dwarf rice triggered a cycle of ruin and destruction But in the guise of increasing crop production, exotic dwarf varieties were introduced and promoted through your efforts. This led to more vigorous growth of weeds, which were now able to compete successfully with the new stunted crops for sunlight. The farmer had to spend more labour and money in weeding, or spraying herbicides. The straw growth with the dwarf grain crops fell drastically to one-third of that with most native species! In Punjab and Haryana, even this was burned, as it was said to harbour 'pathogens'. (It was too toxic to feed farm cattle that were progressively displaced by tractors.) Consequently, much less organic matter was locally available to recycle the fertility of the soil, leading to an artificial need for externally procured inputs. Inevitably, the farmers resorted to use more chemicals, and relentlessly, soil degradation and erosion set in. The exotic varieties, grown with chemical 'fertiliser', were more susceptible to 'pests and diseases', leading to yet more poison (insecticides, etc.) being poured. But the attacked insect species developed resistance and reproduced prolifically. Their predators - spiders, frogs, etc. - that fed on these insects and 'biologically controlled' their population, were exterminated. So were many beneficial species like the earthworms and bees. Agribusiness and technocrats recommended stronger doses, and newer, more toxic (and more expensive) chemicals. But the problems of 'pests' and 'diseases' only worsened. The spiral of ecological, financial and human costs mounted! No amount of rain can feed our thirst for irrigation water With the use of synthetic fertilizer and increased cash-cropping, irrigation needs rose enormously. In 1952, the Bhakra dam was built in Punjab, a water-rich state fed by five Himalayan rivers. Several thousand more big and medium dams followed all over the country, culminating in the massive Sardar Sarovar. And now, our government is toying with a grandiose, Rs 560,000 crore proposal to divert and 'inter-link' the flow of our rivers. This is sheer 'Tughlaqian' megalomania, without a thought for future generations! India, next to South America, receives the highest rainfall in the world. The annual average is almost 4 feet. Where thick vegetation covers the ground, and the soil is alive and porous, at least half of this rain is soaked and stored in the soil and sub-soil strata. A good amount then percolates deeper to recharge aquifers, or 'groundwater tables'. The living soil and its underlying aquifers thus serve as gigantic, ready-made reservoirs gifted free by Nature. Particularly efficient in soaking rain are the lands under forests and trees. And so, half a century ago, most parts of India had enough fresh water all round the year, long after the rains had stopped and gone. But clear the forests, and the capacity of the earth to soak the rain, drops drastically. Streams and wells run dry. It has happened in too many places already. While the recharge of groundwater has greatly reduced, its extraction has been mounting. India is presently mining over 20 times more groundwater each day than it did in 1950. Much of this is mindless wastage by a minority. But most of India's people - living on hand-drawn or hand-pumped water in villages, and practising only rain-fed farming - continue to use the same amount of ground water per person, as they did generations ago. Taking all the water - chemically-cultivated cash crops More than 80% of India's water consumption is for irrigation, with the largest share hogged by chemically cultivated cash crops. Maharashtra, for example, has the maximum number of big and medium dams in this country. But sugarcane alone, grown on barely 3-4% of its cultivable land, guzzles about 70% of its irrigation waters! One acre of chemically grown sugarcane requires as much water as would suffice 25 acres of jowar, bajra or maize. The sugar factories too consume huge quantities. From cultivation to processing, each kilo of refined sugar needs 2 to 3 tonnes of water. This could be used to grow, by the traditional, organic way, about 150 to 200 kg of nutritious jowar or bajra (native millets). While rice is suitable for rain-fed farming, its extensive multiple cropping with irrigation in winter and summer as well, is similarly hogging our water resources, and depleting aquifers. As with sugarcane, it is also irreversibly ruining the land through salinisation. Soil salinisation is the greatest scourge of irrigation-intensive agriculture, as a progressively thicker crust of salts is formed on the land. Many million hectares of cropland have been ruined by it. The most serious problems are caused where water-guzzling crops like sugarcane or basmati rice are grown round the year, abandoning the traditional mixed-cropping and rotation systems of the past, which required minimal or no watering. Since at least 60% of the water used for irrigation nowadays in India, is excessive, indeed harmful, the first step that needs to be taken is to control this. Thus, not only will the grave damage caused by too much irrigation stop, but a good deal of the water that is saved can also become available locally for priority areas where acute scarcity is felt. Efficient, organic farming requires very little irrigation - much less than what is commonly used in modern agriculture. The yields of the crops are best when the soil is just damp. Rice is the only exception that grows even where water accumulates, and is thus preferred as a monsoon crop in low-lying areas naturally prone to inundation. Excess irrigation in the case of all other crops expels the air contained in the soil's inter-particulate spaces - vitally needed for root respiration - and prolonged flooding causes root rot. The irrigation on my farm is a small fraction of that provided in most modern farms today. Moreover, the porous soil under the thick vegetation of the orchard is like a sponge that soaks and percolates to the aquifer, or ground-water table, an enormous quantity of rain each monsoon. The amount of water thus stored in the ground at Kalpavruksha, is far more than the total amount withdrawn from the well for irrigation in the months when there is no rain. Thus, my farm is a net supplier of water to the eco-system of the region, rather than a net consumer! Clearly, the way to ensure the water security and food security of this nation, is by organically growing mixed, locally suitable crops, plants and trees, following the laws of Nature. We don't need dams - we can store water in the trees and soil We should restore at least 30% ground cover of mixed, indigeneous trees and forests within the next decade or two. This is the core task of ecological water harvesting - the key to restoring the natural abundance of groundwater. Outstanding benefits can be achieved within a decade at comparatively little cost. We sadly fail to realise that the potential for natural water storage in the ground is many times greater than the combined capacity of all the major and medium irrigation projects in India - complete, incomplete, or still on paper! Such decentralized underground storage is more efficient, as it is protected from the high evaporation of surface storage. The planting of trees will also make available a variety of useful produce to enhance the well-being of a larger number of people. Even barren wastelands can be restored to health in less than a decade. By inter-planting short life span, medium life span, and long life span crops and trees, it is possible to have planned continuity of food yield to sustain a farmer through the transition period till the long-life fruit trees mature and yield. The higher availability of biomass and complete ground cover round the year will also hasten the regeneration of soil fertility. The problem: farming for money, not food After the British left, Indian agriculture was recovering steadily. There was no scarcity of diverse nourishment in the countryside, where 75% of India lived. The actual reason for pushing the 'Green Revolution' was the much narrower goal of increasing marketable surplus of a few relatively less perishable cereals to fuel the urban-industrial expansion favoured by the government. The new, parasitical way of farming you vigorously promoted benefited only the industrialists, traders and the powers-that-be. The farmers' costs rose massively and margins dipped. Combined with the eroding natural fertility of their land, they were left with little in their hands, if not mounting debts and dead soils. Many gave up farming. Many more want to do so, squeezed by the ever-rising costs. This is nothing less than tragic, since Nature has generously gifted us with all that is needed for organic farming - which also produces wholesome, rather than poisoned food! Restoring the natural health of Indian agriculture is the path to solve the inter-related problems of poverty, unemployment and rising population. The maximum number of people can become self-reliant through farming only if the necessary inputs are a bare minimum. Thus, farming should require a minimum of financial capital and purchased inputs, minimum farming equipment (plough, tools, etc.), minimum necessary labour, and minimum external technology. Then, agricultural production will increase, without costs increasing. Poverty will decline, and the rise in population will be spontaneously checked. Self-reliant farming - with minimal or zero external inputs - was the way we actually farmed, very successfully, in the past. Barring periods of war and excessive colonial oppression, our farmers were largely self-sufficient, and even produced surpluses, though generally smaller quantities of many more items. These, particularly perishables, were tougher to supply urban markets. And so the nation's farmers were steered to grow chemically cultivated monocultures of a few cash crops like wheat, rice, or sugar, rather than their traditional polycultures that needed no purchased inputs. Colin Todhunter is an independent writer. Support his work here. This article was originally published on Colin Todhunter's website. SHARE By Erin Schmitt of The Gleaner Lessons were learned from virtual classrooms in Webster County on Monday after snow kept students out of school. Webster County Schools debuted its Link2Learn program, which is what the school system calls nontraditional instructional days. The program was made available through grants from the Kentucky Department of Education. "Not losing any instructional time was the main goal of this initiative," said Todd Marshall, the district's director of pupil personnel. Students with Internet access log onto the district's website and can access their classroom's lessons for the day. Hard copies of the lessons were also sent home for students without Internet access. "I think it's good that they can utilize the technology that we have to continue learning on snow days where we can't make it to school," said Jamie Jones, of Slaughters. Her two children, high school senior Jerrica Jones, and seventh-grader Jace Jones, logged onto their virtual classrooms without a hitch. "My daughter said she had asked her teachers a few questions, by email or text, and she said they responded within minutes. She said they did the same things they would have done in class, but she was at home." Her son used Study Island, which was the favored software program for the middle school. He didn't have any problems using it, but knew his teachers were just a phone call, text or email message away if he had issues. Teachers log onto Infinite Campus from 8-11 a.m. and from noon to 3 p.m. on Link2Learn days. They are monitored for how long they spend online answering Facebook questions, texts, tweets, email and phone calls, said Marshall. Like their students, the teachers can also work from home. Instructors from Murray State University trained Webster County educators how to use Google Docs and Edmodo during the summer. Each teacher then created lessons for their students and uploaded it to the district's website. Jennifer David, a third-grade teacher at Providence Elementary, uploaded reading, math and science lessons for the day. Students were asked to use place-value understanding to round whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100 for the math lesson. Students were trained on how to obtain the lesson materials online starting in November. Letters were also sent home to parents and guardians. Once school was cancelled Monday, district officials notified everyone through OneCall, Facebook, Twitter and other media that it would be a Link2Learn day and then provided information on what they would need to do. "It was clearly expressed so that people knew without a shadow of a doubt that it's a Link2Learn day in Webster County," said Superintendent Rachel Yarbrough. The district keeps a spreadsheet showing what teachers have done for each Link2Learn Day, Marshall said. This and other documentation will be sent to the Kentucky Department of Education. The state agency will then verify and approve the day as a nontraditional instruction day and credit the school system with an average daily attendance. Webster County Schools can use as many as 10 nontraditional instructional days, which should keep the district from pushing back its last day of classes into June, like last year. The last day of classes for the 2015-16 school year is scheduled for May 13. "That extra couple weeks would be nice to have for an extended summer break," Jones said. SHARE By Special To The Gleaner The Kentucky attorney general's office is warning of a phone scam from someone claiming to be with the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes. "Our office handles scams every day," Beshear said in a news release. "But what's frightening about this one is that scammers have taken the identity of one of the best-known sweepstakes in our generation, Publisher's Clearing House." The Attorney General's Office of Consumer Protection has received numerous calls the last week from Kentucky consumers across the Commonwealth asking about the validity of the phone calls. Consumers have reported these calls are from Jamaica (876 area code), as well as other phone numbers with area codes within various states. "Kentuckians receiving phone calls from anyone claiming to be Publisher's Clearing House should hang up immediately." Beshear said. "This is the best defense against this type of scam." Beshear advises consumers to not be tempted to respond to the appeal of the calls based on the false hopes of winning a prize. "A simple rule to remember is that Publisher's Clearing House does not notify its winners over the phone," he said. According to the AG's Office of Consumer Protection, scammers generally inform consumers that they have won a new car, a vacation or another prize. However, in order to receive their prize, consumers are first asked for some type of payment. The most common requests are money wire transfers or the purchase of pre-paid debit cards. "The scammers are clever in their conversations with their victims," said Maryellen Mynear, Assistant Deputy Attorney General of the Family Branch. "They use effective mental tactics to build trust and rapport with them as they persuade them to send money. There is always a request for more money each time money is sent. Once the victim realizes the offer is bogus, it is too late. Their money is gone." Requesting payment upfront in order to "claim a prize" is illegal, Mynear said. "Legitimate sweepstakes are free and no purchase is ever necessary to enter or win a prize," she said. Consumers can remember these tips: Beware of unsolicited calls that may appear from an "876" area code or "Kingston" identifier on your caller ID. Don't answer the call. Be aware that callers can "spoof" the caller ID to make it appear legitimate. This gimmick allows the scammer to trick the Caller ID display and make any number of their choosing appear on the screen maybe within your own state or community. This also makes it more difficult for law enforcement to track them down. If you answer, get off the phone immediately. These scammers are experts at what they do. Their offer may sound tempting to you in a weak moment. The longer you listen, the more likely you will fall victim. Just hang up. If you are asked to send money for any reason to claim a prize, it is a scam. If you fall victim and send money, your name and information will likely be added to a "sucker list" and shared with other scammers. Your scam calls may increase as well as your junk mail. Tell your friends about any suspicious calls you receive. You could help prevent their being victimized as well. Kentuckians should report these types of scams to the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-382-4357 and to the Office of the Attorney General at 888-432-9257. SHARE By Beth Smith of The Gleaner State lawmakers said fixing the state's pension funds will be a priority during the 150th session of the Kentucky General Assembly. With just one week of the session under their belts, State Sen. Dorsey Ridley, D-Henderson, and Reps. David Watkins, Suzanne Miles and Jim Gooch spoke to those gathered for Kyndle's legislative preview breakfast Monday morning at the Henderson Fine Arts Center, about the challenges and opportunities facing legislators. Without exception, each official said the pension fund deficit will garner much of the legislative body's attention. During the first week, Ridley said, "We've had more than 300 bills filed, both House and Senate bills, and we'll probably have 1,000 plus bills total filed." Of those, he said, only a few "have great importance to our economy" with one being the "unfunded liability of two public pensions, the teachers' pension fund and the state pension fund which affects city and county employees." "My crystal ball is pretty clear," Ridley said. "The fact that the unfunded liability is in place, I see that our budgeting process will be very simple. There will be $10.3 billion in the first year of the biennium that will be brought into the state government. I think what you'll see us do is calculate how much we're prepared to pay into those two pensions. I'd say for round numbers we will put $1 billion in those funds. That leaves us $9.3 billion of state revenue, which we will calculate for the remainder of our state budget." Ridley projected that there will be budget cuts "across the board ... measured cuts as we did in the past." "State revenue continues to increase, and that's a great thing," he said. "But it's not enough to overcome what we have with regards to the unfunded liabilities." "We have a significant under-funding liability in our pension system," Watkins said. "Undoubtedly, this will be the No. 1 question that we will have from a lot of our people. We have 38,000 current retirees in the Kentucky system for county and city employees, but we have 80,000 future retirees. It is very, very important that we address this problem." "We also have teachers that have a significant impact on our state," he said. "I feel like we have an obligation to make sure their pension is secure. When Social Security got going, they left teachers out of that, so their only retirement is their pension. This is an extremely important issue." "The pension is most definitely where we will spend most of our time," Miles said. "Quite a bit of that (the pension) comes through state government so we've been hashing through that." Ridley said the pension situation is definitely a challenge, but he also had good news to report. In a discussion with Gov. Matt Bevin, Ridley said he learned that the governor is aware of local attempts to move the I-69 environmental impact study forward and indicated the issue "is on his radar screen." In addition to the pension, issue Watkins said the health of Kentuckians is of great concern to him. "We still have a tremendous amount of our young people who are starting to smoke," he said. "We still have one of the highest rates of heart disease, cancer, COPD ... That's sad because that impacts our state in lots of ways besides just the cost." "I plan to work on a smoking ban for our public buildings. Hawaii just passed a bill where they raised the legal smoking age to 21. We do that with alcohol. I'll have to be truthful, that's something I'm looking at for Kentucky." One area getting her focus this legislative session, Miles said, is related to coal severance money, "which affects this area." "There's a drastic decrease in coal severance money," she said. "I've co-sponsored a bill that more coal severance money will come back to the counties it comes out of." On a side note, she said, "I have overwhelmingly gotten lots of calls, notes and emails from people reminding us that they are praying for us and that we should use God's guidance to represent you all and be in God's will to do that. I want you to know how much we appreciate when you all reach out to us to let us know what's going on." As for Gooch, he said his agenda this session includes working with the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet and the General Assembly to "push back" against some of the federal regulations coming down from the Environmental Protective Agency which he said will adversely affect Kentucky's economy. "When George W. Bush was president, he issued about 600 regulations and about two dozen were considered significant as far as cost to citizens and businesses," Gooch said. "This president is on course to issue about 3,500 regulations and about 500 to 600 will have significant impact." "Kentucky has traditionally had cheap electricity, because we've had coal available," he said. "With the clean power plant act, reducing carbon and environmental concerns will be primary to reliability and affordability which doesn't bode very well for economic development and our citizens which are on fixed incomes." "For the average state in the nation, 20 to 27 percent of electricity goes to large industrial customers, but in Kentucky it's like 49 percent ... we could lose our competitive advantage, and it could be detrimental to us," he said. HANOI, Jan. 12 -- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung allowed Vietnam's northern Quang Ninh Province to begin trans-border self-drive tours between its Mong Cai City and China's Dongxing border City in within one year. The tours will be taken via Mong Cai international border gate in Quang Ninh, some 120 km east of capital Hanoi. The provincial people's committee assigned the Hong Gai tourism and service company, to operate the scheme. After one year, the committee will make report to the prime minister over the result of the scheme, according to an official online newspaper of Quang Ninh Province on Tuesday. The Vietnamese cabinet chief also requested the committee to work with Vietnam's Ministry of Transport in licensing Chinese self-drive passenger vehicles entering Vietnam's Mong Cai City for tourism. In 2015, Vietnam welcomed nearly eight million person-times of foreign arrivals, of which China remained the largest source of visitors to Vietnam with nearly 1.781 million person--times. SHARE By Cass Sunstein As just about everyone knows by now, Sen. Ted Cruz was born in Canada, to a Cuban-born father and a mother who was a U.S. citizen. Cruz held Canadian citizenship for nearly all of his life, relinquishing it only in 2014, when he was planning to run for the presidency. Is he eligible to hold the office he seeks? This is a question of constitutional law, not of politics; it should be approached as such. Respected analysts have shown that the question is not simple to answer. The Constitution states that the president must be "natural born," but doesn't define that term. The Supreme Court has never ruled on the issue; if it did, it would find a murky history. Under a narrow interpretation, natural born means that you were born within the territorial boundaries of the United States. Under an alternative and broader interpretation, it means that you were at citizen at birth, and did not have to undergo a naturalization process. The text of the Constitution doesn't exclude either interpretation. The word "natural" might be taken to require birth in the U.S.; in the 18th Century, natural was often opposed to "provided by statute" suggesting that to serve as president, you must have been born in the country, rather than being recognized as a citizen through an act of Congress. But a natural-born citizen might be someone who just is a citizen at the moment of birth, as Cruz plainly was (through the citizenship of his mother). William Blackstone was an important influence on the founding generation, and his views receive respectful attention in U.S. courts. In 1765, he explained that natural-born subjects "are such as are born within the dominions of the crown of England." He noted that "this maxim of the law proceeded upon a general principle, that every man owes natural allegiance where he is born, and cannot owe two such allegiances." Blackstone added that the English parliament had made exceptions, as for those born abroad to two English parents and, later, for those whose fathers were natural born. Cruz does not meet Blackstone's test (which tracks 18th-Century British law). In any case, the exceptions might suggest only that a national legislature can treat certain people, for purposes of citizenship, as if they were "natural born" not that they are, in fact, natural born. In terms of the American founding itself, there is no clear support for either the narrow or the broader interpretation. Those who favor the latter point to the Naturalization Act of 1790, which states that "the children of citizens of the United States ... shall be considered as natural born citizens." The act adds an exception, which is that "the right of citizenship shall not descend to persons whose fathers have never been resident in the United States." The Naturalization Act is the strongest argument for Cruz. Written in the immediate aftermath of the ratification of the Constitution, it was embraced by many people who were involved in drafting the founding document. (Because Rafael Cruz had resided in Texas, his son would count as natural born under the act.) Yet the act isn't necessarily decisive. First, it governs citizenship generally, not qualifications for the presidency in particular. Second, it says that the children of U.S. citizens "shall be considered as natural born citizens" not that they are natural-born citizens. Third, the Constitution's eligibility requirements, which Congress can't alter, might have meant to emphasize place of birth. In any case, that act was repealed by the Naturalization Act of 1795, which somewhat mysteriously struck the term natural born, and simply stated that "the children of citizens of the United States, born out of the limits and jurisdiction of the United States, shall be considered as citizens of the United States" (while retaining the same paternal residency restrictions as the 1790 act). On the merits, I agree with Cruz: The Naturalization Act of 1790 counts in his favor, and because he was a U.S. citizen at birth under U.S. law, the better view is that he is natural born. But University of San Diego constitutional specialist Michael Ramsey, a former law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia, put it well: "It's a mystery to me why anyone thinks it's an easy question." Cass Sunstein, a Bloomberg View columnist, is director of the Harvard Law School's program on behavioral economics and public policy. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORWALK -- The acquisition of new properties, remediation of the former structure on Hoyt Island and the continuation of its popular Outdoor Classroom are among the main goals of the Norwalk Land Trust in 2016, it was announced at the nonprofit organization's Annual Meeting held Monday evening in the Community Room of City Hall. "We have some new properties coming on and some of the old ones are in need of invasive species removal," Norwalk Land Trust President John Moeling said. "On Hoyt Island, the old house there will need some remediation. When we find out what needs to be done, we'll deal with it. It's our responsibility." The Norwalk Land Trust is an all-volunteer organization that acquires land and preserves it in its natural habitat state in perpetuity. It currently owns 27 parcels of land, totaling 97 acres. The featured speaker at the meeting, Peter Reid of Wildlife in Crisis, said that saving land is crucial to the wildlife in Connecticut. "In macro terms, habitat preservation is the most important thing for these species (of wildlife). It's so crucial," he said. "Even small amounts of land are important. In a densely populated state like Connecticut, every little bit is important." Moeling said the Norwalk Land Trust looks forward to continuing its Outdoor Classroom, a program in partnership with Norwalk schools whereby students are bused to Farm Creek to explore the natural setting and look for wildlife. Farm Creek is a Land Trust waterfront property in Rowayton. Moeling said more than 20 volunteers helped make the program a success in 2015. "I would like to hope that some day we would have the most scientifically literate kids in the state, if not the entire country," Moeling said. "What a contribution these volunteers made to the scientific discovery for children in Norwalk." Wildlife in Crisis is a Weston-based wildlife rehabilitation facility. Its goal is to treat and care for injured wildlife and return them to the wild. Some wildlife live at the facility permanently as their injuries prevent them from being released. It was founded in 1988 by Dara Reid. "It's the largest wildlife hospital in the state. We see about 5,000 patients a year," Peter Reid said. Reid stressed the "moral imperative" that is the driving force behind Wildlife in Crisis as the vast majority of injuries to wildlife is caused by human involvement. Reid was peppered with questions from the enthusiastic audience on subjects ranging from protecting koi fish from Great Blue Herons to keeping cats indoors to where rehabilitated birds and animals are released. Reid said the bat population in Connecticut is hurting because of white-nosed fungus, a disease that has devastated the Little Brown Bat species. "It's wiping out huge colonies. In Connecticut, they are just gone. It's unfortunate," he said. "They say it could take 100 years for the population to rebound." Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling greeted the crowd as the first speaker and talked about the solid relationship his office has with the Land Trust. "We'll continue to work together to figure out sufficient open space in Norwalk for the enjoyment of everyone," Rilling said. The Norwalk Land Trust board welcomed four new or returning members: Vickie Bennett; JoAnne Jackson; Lee Levey and Midge Kennedy. The board has a total of 17 volunteer members and meets monthly at Fodor Farm. On the Web: www.norwalklandtrust.org www.wildlifeincrisis.org NORWALK -- Eighty-three Republicans were nominated to sit on the Norwalk Republican Town Committee (NRTC) for the next two years during caucuses at The Norwalk Inn & Conference Center on Monday evening. The nominees include many existing members but also some new faces. For the full list, visit www.thehour.com. "By electing the people that we've elected tonight -- you'll notice there's a number of new names in there -- we're looking to get new ideas, new blood, people who are active in the community, people who want to get things done, people who are looking forward to change," NRTC Chairman Peter K. Torrano said afterward. "We're looking forward to a great two years ahead of us and a great 10 years and a great 20 years." Among the new members is Israel Navarro of District B. Navarro stepped forward as a Democrat in 2014 to offer a primary challenge to incumbent state Sen. Bob Duff, D-25, but stepped back before the nomination convention. Torrano said Navarro had been a Republican prior to 2014 and now has returned to the party. He counted Navarro, who is young and Latino, as the kind of person Republicans are looking for in District B. "We'd particularly like to get African-Americans, Hispanic and women members," Torrano told The Hour. "Many of them in the South Norwalk community are conservative by nature and we in the Republican Party feel we would be a good fit for them." Fred A. Bondi, a former Democratic councilman, was among those nominated from District C to sit on the NRTC. Bondi said afterward that he has wanted to sit on the committee since he became a Republican eight years ago. "I'm now a Republican and I'd like to be part of the organization," Bondi said. "That's why I wanted to go on the town committee and go to the meetings and find out what's going on in my district." At full complement, the NRTC comprises 100 members, or 20 people from each of Norwalk's five districts. At Monday's caucuses, 20 people were nominated from District A as well as District E. Nineteen were nominated from District C as well as District D. Navarro and four others were nominated from District B in heavily Democratic South Norwalk. Torrano acknowledged the empty seats but said the committee was looking for committed candidates rather than placeholders and can fill the vacancies later. "We can increase the numbers later. This is for the election (in March)," Torrano said. Barring any primary elections, which would take place March 1, the 83 Republicans nominated Monday evening will begin their two-terms on the NRTC in March. At that time, the NRTC members will elect their officers, including chairman and vice chairman. Torrano announced last fall that he would not seek re-election as chairman of the NRTC and indicated Monday evening that the committee was awaiting candidates. "We haven't got anybody stepping up as of yet," Torrano said. "We have between now and March to change the officers." NRTC Vice Chairman David T. McCarthy, a former District E councilman and chairman of Monday evening's caucuses, reminded nominees to sign paperwork accepting their nominations. Wednesday is the deadline for filing the paperwork with the town clerk. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WESTPORT -- After an eight-month national search, the Westport Board of Education did not go too far to find its next superintendent. Dr. Colleen Palmer, who currently serves as Weston's Superintendent of Schools, was appointed as the next superintendent of Westport Public Schools. Joined by her two sons, Rich and Brian, Palmer was greeted by a standing ovation during Monday evening's Board of Education meeting, where school board members unanimously approved her appointment in a vote of 6-0. "I love education," said Palmer. "I have always loved being an educator, from being a teacher, guidance counselor, assistant principal, principal and superintendent. In each of those roles, you're able to positively influence the lives of children and that's really what it's all about." Palmer will replace longtime Westport Superintendent of Schools Elliott Landon, who retires in June after 17 years in the district. She will start her new role in Westport on July 1. Before joining Weston Public Schools in 2011, Palmer served as superintendent of Monroe Public Schools and deputy executive director of the Capital Regional Education Council (CREC). She is the former principal of Simsbury High School, Hamden High School and Nonnewaug High School. Palmer was also named as 2016 Superintendent of the Year by the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents. "It is a privilege and a responsibility to lead the district. It's one that I take very seriously and I will commit myself fully to make sure that I serve this community with integrity and always having what is right for kids at the center of every decision," said Palmer. The Westport Board of Education announced Palmer as the sole finalist in its superintendent search last month. First Selectman Jim Marpe, the Westport school board, and other school officials recently conducted a site visit of Weston Public Schools to meet with school officials and parents there in regards to Palmer's appointment. Michael Gordon, chairman of the Westport Board of Education, said he learned during the site visit that Palmer delivers at least one bold academic initiative every year. "Hiring a superintendent is the most important job of any Board of Education. It's really the only action the board takes on its own," Palmer said. "On the outset, our search firm questioned the community about the qualities it seeks in a superintendent. The five characteristics that stood out were strong vision for education, demonstrated record of success, strong communication skills, strong interpersonal skills, and a collaborative leadership style with the board and all stakeholders. On all five of these pillars, Dr. Palmer stood out among a very competitive and very accomplished field of candidates," he said. Several members of the Westport community spoke in support of Palmer's appointment Monday including Dr. Adam Rosen, principal of Bedford Middle School; Brian Stern, chairman of the Westport Board of Finance; Anne Spencer, co-president of the Westport PTA Council and Karen DeFelice, co-president of the Westport Education Association. Palmer holds a doctorate in educational administration from the University of Connecticut. She also received a certificate in executive leadership from University of Connecticut, a master's degree in K-12 counseling from Southern Connecticut State University and a bachelor's degree in mathematics education from University of Connecticut. "I will need all of your help," Palmer told the Westport community Monday. "You will find there are two questions that I ask as superintendent -- How can I better support you? And what advice do you have for your superintendent? "As I enter the district, you may hear me ask those two questions many times and I welcome your open, honest feedback because if I know the thoughts and feelings of all of our stakeholders, I can do a better job to serve the community." The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Connecticut wholeheartedly thanks God and the honorable U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, 2nd District, for graciously inviting Dr. Mohammed Qureshi, our statewide president, as his guest at State of the Union 2016. We are honored to join the Congressman representing patriotic Muslims for peace who believe in the Messiah Ahmad at President Barack Obama's historic and final State of the Union address. Sexual violence is a layered and complex issue. No two cases are exactly alike, and no community is immune. While sexual violence is an issue that has been with us since the dawn of man, we still have not figured out how to appropriately respond to this epidemic collectively. So when we ask ourselves where we stand as a nation on combating sexual assault, we must take stock of the social, cultural and political factors involved. I still remember the reasons why I took this job with The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling and Education. These reasons sit in a folder on my desk, housing three stories that would come to change the way I view my country. After working on a film about the systematic gang rape of women and girls by village panchayats in India, I never thought that I would see such blatant oppression and abuse again. While the actual crime in and of itself was always brutal and horrific, it was the aftermath of rape that the councilmembers were relying on as the true punishment. Sexual assault doesnt just rip one life apart in India. It stigmatizes and knocks out an entire family in one motion. Survivors of sexual violence often have to leave their homes, disowned for what happened to them, or cast away by their own community. Her marriage ability destroyed, a survivor might be sold into a brothel, if she is of a profitable age. Violent harassment, victim blaming and deep shame reverberate in the wake of the assault. So much so, that the victims suicide is tragically the most common result. There would be some mourning amongst the villagers, but it would be a small faction who would grieve in private. Mostly, life would just go on. Why grieve the loss of a stupid girl? She brought it on herself, anyway. She went out after dark. Turning on the news at home brought me back to the dirt roads of Rajasthan. The stories of Rehtaeh Parsons, Audrie Pott, and the infamous case in Steubenville grabbed my attention. The similarities were astounding. Three separate incidences of gang rape of young girls at a party. From Nova Scotia, to California, to Ohio, all assaults occurred in public view, with dozens bearing witness. Smartphones came out, with photos and videos taken of the crimes. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube provided a new avenue for victimization. The comments on these platforms revealed a blanket sentiment of slut shaming and victim blaming. In the thousands of tweets that emanated from these cases, not a single one asked Why didnt anyone stop it? That is an excellent question. Why didnt anyone do anything? Surely, there had to be an individual at the Steubenville party who witnessed an unconscious girl being urinated on who thought to themselves, This isnt right. Yet, here was the common response when that very question was raised on Twitter: @HenrllJodi: I wouldnt of intervened, if she wants to be a drunk slut that on her, why would someone help her? The Center aims to challenge the social landscape that gives birth to a culture of apathy and victim blaming. Through a program called Where Do You Stand, (WDYS) The Center strives to empower college aged young men to step in and be a vehicle for change in the fight against sexual violence. Where Do You Stand approaches the concept of bystander intervention from a place of cultural understanding and analytics. Acknowledging that we are all products of our environment, WDYS challenges the behaviors and attitudes that lend to silence and inaction in response to sexual assault. This program deconstructs the mask of hegemonic masculinity, pointing out the damage it does to both men and women, and empowers participants with strategies that safely challenge these norms. WDYS carries with it the hope that we can change the way we discuss sexual assault in this country, and invariably, the way we respond. Audrie Pott and Rehteah Parsons came to take their own lives, as is so often seen in India. The harassment that they endured from their community and peers, and the weak if not laughable response of the authorities made me question everything. I thought I had left a vehement rape culture behind. It took these tragic cases to show me, that this issue knows no borders. Where Do You Stand carries with it the hope that we can change the way we discuss sexual assault in this country, and invariably, the way we respond. Come stand with us, and lets facilitate a cultural shift together. If you would like to hold a Where Do You Stand training, or for more information on The Centers prevention programs, please call (203) 348-9346. Charlotte B. Poth serves as prevention educator at the The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling and Education in Stamford. Police came up with a new way of hunting the wanted: They printed head shots and personal information of 248 suspects of cyber-crimes on the playing cards and distributed them freely to local people. This method adopted by local police in Binyang County, Nanning in southwest Chinas Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is widely discussed recently. The police will offer a reward of 2000 yuan (over 300 USD) to anyone who provides information that leads to the wanted suspects. A hotline number for public report was also printed on the back of the cards. So far, a total of 15,000 decks of the playing cards have been given away. The police plan to distribute the cards to all counties and villages where the suspects come from. Federal authorities have begun a formal investigation of North Central Service Inc., which was involved in a drilling operation near the site of the explosion and fire that ravaged the historic M's Pub building in the Old Market. If safe and acceptable procedures had been followed, this would not have happened, Jeff Funke, Omaha director for the U.S. Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration, told The World-Herald on Tuesday morning. These incidents are preventable if OSHA standards are followed, he said. The official investigation was opened late Monday, Funke said; OSHA people have been on the site since Sunday. We have six months to do this, he said. We conduct interviews and take measurements and conduct a full investigation. North Central Service of Bemidji, Minnesota, was working for Kansas City-based Unite Private Networks on a fiber-optic project for Verizon. The telecommunications company planned to install small antennas on lights posts in the Old Market district. North Central hasnt returned multiple telephone and email messages left Sunday, Monday and Tuesday by The World-Herald. Federal law says utility owners must be contacted before the start of an excavation project, Funke said. And underground installations, sewer, telephone, fuel, electric, water lines and natural gas lines be properly marked. OSHA will be checking to see if North Central followed proper workplace standards. But for now, some information isnt available its obscured by the street and buildings frozen mantle The markings are under ice and the equipment is under ice, Funke said. OSHA has not yet conducted a close inspection of the site, Funke said. The site still is under the control of the Omaha Fire Department. In the meantime, Funke said the agency is interviewing people at North Central Service, Unite Private Networks and Ms Pub, and is taking measurements and taking photographs, he said. Funke said he hopes the investigation will highlight the importance of having an emergency action plan in place whether thats a household, residential or commercial building or business. Contact the writer: 402-444-1142, janice.podsada@owh.com Two prominent Nebraskans are proposing that the state open to the public grand jury investigations into deaths while someone is in police custody or cases involving a police shooting. This is an idea that state lawmakers should seriously consider. The two Nebraskans are Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine and state Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha. State law now requires that any death involving law enforcement be investigated by a grand jury to determine if police acted properly and whether charges should be filed. Those proceedings, except for the final determination, are closed to the public. This veil of secrecy, though, can lead to questions about how serious the probe was and if prosecutors are unbiased in the proceedings. While it hasnt happened in Nebraska, police shootings in other parts of the country have raised racial tensions and especially provoked protests when charges arent brought. Kleine believes that opening the grand jury investigations will increase the publics confidence that the system is working. When you say its conducted in secret, Kleine told the Omaha World-Herald, you allow people to conclude theres something untoward going on. Grand juries ask good questions and take their role very seriously, he said. If open, the public would see that there is no coverup and that the probe is independent of police influence. This is the biggest selling point of the idea. Transparency and openness allow citizens to see how their government is working and helps prevent abuse of the system. The public can then make judgments on their own on whether the system needs to be changed. Law enforcement officers in Nebraska do an outstanding job. They face dangerous situations every day, and they handle them well in almost every instance. Open grand jury investigations would show that police are doing a good job. They would confirm that in almost every case that police acted properly and fired on a suspect only to protect themselves and others. Theres nothing to fear in openness. In reality, openness breeds confidence and trust in how the government and law enforcement are operating. The public would probably be surprised at how much danger law enforcement officers face in these situations. It should be made clear that open grand jury proceedings would just involve in-custody deaths. Other grand juries, such as federal cases determining whether indictments should be brought, would continue to be closed because these often involve unfounded allegations that could damage a persons reputation. Mandatory grand jury investigations such as those for in-custody deaths are a different matter. Opening these proceedings to the publics view is worth consideration and debate in the Legislature. This openness is likely to reveal that law officers are doing an outstanding job in handling what are often impossible situations. Payton Muth stars on the field now, but plans to be on the sidelines later Photos show thousands of Muslim pilgrims swarm over passenger trains in Bangladesh recently for the grand World Muslim Congregation, aka Biswa Ijtema. Every inch of the engine, carriages, roofs, and even stairways, was occupied. The three-day annual event is held in Tongi, a small town in Bangladesh. The festival starts on January 8 this year, drawing in Muslims from over 150 countries to Tongi. In 2010 alone, five million people attended the event, making it the second largest Muslim gathering only after the holy Hajj in Mecca. Asaduzzaman Kamal, Minister of Home Affairs in Bangladesh, said that 5,000 police personnel, 60 CCTV cameras, five watch towers, and undercover police had been used to ensure security this year during the festival. Question: My mother was recently ordained as a minister, and she is already serving people in her church. I have been to her church before, and my mother and I have a mutual friend who attends church. I know this person is going through a lot, and has spoken with my mother before about things. The other day, I asked my mom about how this individual is doing, and she said she could not discuss it, because her conversations with this person was as a minister. She explained that they were privileged. I thought she sounded like a lawyer for a second. Can you explain to me what the privilege my mom talked about is? Your question is about something that we all have probably heard of, perhaps on television or in the movies. Under the common law, this was referred to as the clergy-penitent privilege. Generally speaking, an individual can speak in real confidence to a member of the clergy. Here, clergy can pretty much be anyone who can serve as a spiritual adviser. The list of who this includes is obvious: priests, rabbis, and ministers, like your mother. The list can also include persons who function like priests, rabbis, and ministers for a religious organization, when the person who is consulting them believes that he or she functions thusly. As an aside, it is important to note here that this belief must be a reasonable one. If a person were, for example, to walk into a church, meet with someone who is clearly a receptionist at the church, and begin to confess all of his or her sins, then the belief that the receptionist was a spiritual adviser would probably not be reasonable. When it comes to the clergy-penitent privilege, the privilege does not belong to the clergy member (or spiritual adviser). The privilege is held by the penitent person (or the person seeking spiritual advice from and/or confiding in a clergy member). In other words, the person seeking spiritual guidance possesses the privilege. Therefore, it is the person who sought religious or spiritual counsel who can refuse to disclose the communications made during the spiritual consultation. Similarly, it is this person who can waive the privilege if he or she wishes to do so, and talk about what was said by him and/or his adviser. Because the privilege itself belongs to that of the person who sought religious or spiritual consultation or guidance, this person can prohibit the clergy member from disclosing that communication as well. The duration of the privileged communication between a clergy member and one seeking that individual's counsel can last indefinitely - so it can be forever. If the person seeking spiritual advice terminates his relationship with the person giving that advice, the privilege between the two still exists. In other words, if the clergy member retires or gets a job at another church far away from the person with whom he shared privileged communications, the privilege still exists. The same is true when the person seeking spiritual advice moves away or decides to attend services and seek advice at another location. The person is expected to maintain confidentiality and preserve the privilege, even if he or she stops counseling people. Even if the person does violate the privilege, and reveals to people what was said, the privilege still applies and cannot be used in court under most circumstances. Likewise, the clergy member is bound by the privilege until such time as he or she receives from the person who talked with him or her permission to disclose the contents of the communication between them. If the person who sought spiritual guidance waives the privilege, then it is possible that the spiritual adviser could be compelled to testify, regardless of how uncomfortable this makes him or her. As with all privileged communications, there are some limitations. The information must be the kind that would be expected to be confidential. If the person seeking religious advice also asks for driving directions to the nearest grocery store, then the directions would likely not be considered privileged. No consultation with a so-called spiritual adviser can be in furtherance of some wrongdoing, such as a crime. (If this were not an exception, you would see many more instances in which organized crime members are recorded discussing their various criminal enterprises in the presence of someone who is a spiritual adviser) Have questions for Brendan Bukalski? E-mail him at askthelawyer@gmail.com, or write him, c/o The Edwardsville Intelligencer, 117 N. 2nd St., Edwardsville, IL 62025. Editor's note - the answers provided in this column are general in nature, and should not be relied upon as legal advice or interpreted as creating an attorney-client relationship. As a general rule, all specific legal problems should be handled by an individual's personal attorney. Any submissions to the author are subject to being published and to being modified prior to publication. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Danica Kirka and Rachel Zoll (The Jakarta Post) London Tue, January 12, 2016 Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said Monday he hoped this week's meeting of world Anglican leaders could avoid a split over homosexuality in the worldwide fellowship and lead to "finding ways to disagree well." However, Welby said there's little he can do if some of the 38 leaders quit the meeting in Canterbury. Welby is the spiritual head of the 85-million-member Anglican Communion but, unlike a pope, he has no authority to force a compromise. "Certainly I want reconciliation, but reconciliation doesn't always mean agreement ' in fact it very seldom does. It means finding ways to disagree well and that's what we've got to do this week," Welby told the BBC. "There's nothing I can do if people decide that they want to leave the room. It won't split the communion." The communion, a fellowship rooted in the Church of England, has been fracturing for decades over gay relationships and women's ordination, among other issues. The rifts blew wide open in 2003 when the Episcopal Church, the Anglican body in the United States, consecrated the first openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson, in New Hampshire. The most vocal outrage over Robinson's election came from Africa, home to some of the fastest-growing churches in the communion and the deepest opposition to gay relationships as a violation of Scripture. Over a series of world meetings, leaders of the national churches, called primates, have debated whether they should remain one world fellowship given their differences. In 2009, Anglican national leaders in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and other church provinces helped create the Anglican Church in North America, as a conservative alternative to the U.S. Episcopal Church. Welby invited the leader of the conservative North American body to participate in the Canterbury assembly. Archbishop Stanley Ntagali, head of the Anglican Church of Uganda, said in a statement last week that he and many other conservative archbishops would walk out of the gathering "if godly order is not restored." Meanwhile, more than 100 Anglican clergy and lay people sent a letter urging the primates to repent of discrimination against gays and lesbians in the church and "to be prophetic in your action and Christ-like in your love" toward gays at the Canterbury meeting. The top U.S. Episcopal legislative body voted last year to authorize gay marriages in their churches, and the Anglican Church of Canada is scheduled to vote on a similar authorization this July. Anglicans in Brazil, South Africa and some other countries have also expressed openness to accepting same-sex relationships. A news conference has been scheduled for Friday at the end of the meeting, when church leaders are expected to issue a document explaining what they've decided. Even if a walkout occurs in the middle of the summit, Welby said, "the church is a family and you remain a family even if you go your separate ways." (kes) ___ Rachel Zoll contributed to this story from New York. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nani Afrida (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 The Indonesian Military (TNI) will deploy more personnel and additional weapons to protect eastern outer islands, which currently lack security, saying an improved watch on border areas will prevent smuggling, sea crimes, incursions and other threats to Indonesia's sovereignty. '[TNI] commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo is paying more attention to the outer islands. These areas should be managed and equipped not only with additional personnel, but also with weaponry,' said Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Sabrar Fadhilah. The reinforcement, he said, would be adjusted to conditions on the outer islands, including poor infrastructure that renders them unsuitable for large troop numbers and heavy weapons. 'If we gave [the personnel] motorcycles, it would be useless because the areas have no proper roads. We will calculate and manage the facilities needed, including the personnel because they will directly face the threats, such as incursion, smuggling or any crimes involving sea lanes,' Sabrar said. He stressed that the TNI would also add more security posts in the eastern border area and outer islands, but the decision would depend on the threat level and needs. 'If we learn of threats, of course we will establish security posts, however, if the area just needs monitoring, we don't have to build a security post,' Sabrar said. He declined to elaborate on the estimated number of personnel that would be deployed or how many security posts would be established. 'We will manage gradually by deploying the personnel first, then the weapons later to support their tasks,' he said, adding that the military would focus on eastern outer islands near Maluku and Papua. Gatot earlier revealed to journalists that many outer islands located in eastern Indonesia lacked security personnel and were abandoned. He cited for example Saumlaki, the main town on Yamdena Island in the southeastern border of Maluku Islands, which has only two Navy security posts and two units of the village supervisory non-commissioned officers (Babinsa). 'This island has one radar, however, if the radar detects foreign planes entering Indonesian territory, the personnel just pray the plane will leave the area soon, because it is impossible to inform Kohanudnas [the National Air Defense Command] to deploy fighter jets from Makassar, South Sulawesi,' Gatot said. Other outer islands such as Liran, Wetar, Kisar and Leti in Southwest Maluku and Alor in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), lack infrastructure and suitable accommodation. The Navy chief of staff, Adm. Ade Supandi has said the Navy is developing more main naval bases in several areas in Indonesia to guard the eastern border areas. Some of the naval bases are in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, in Tarakan, North Kalimantan and Sorong, Papua. It has been reported that the TNI will prioritize building infrastructure as a solution to problems in the outer islands and border areas next year. 'We will be prioritizing outer islands and border areas,' Gatot said after closing an executive meeting at the military headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, last month. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Lefteris Pitarakis and Suzan Fraser (The Jakarta Post) Istanbul Tue, January 12, 2016 A Syrian suicide bomber detonated a bomb in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists Tuesday morning, killing at least 10 people ' at least nine of them German tourists ' and wounding 15 others, Turkish officials said. Turkey's state-run news agency said Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu held a telephone conversation with German chancellor Angela Merkel to express his condolences. A senior government official confirmed that most of the victims were German. Merkel had earlier said they were part of a German travel group. "I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Istanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber was a 28-year-old Syrian national whose "connections" were being investigated. It was unclear whether the death toll of 10 included the alleged bomber. Merkel, speaking at a news conference in Berlin, decried the attack. "Today Istanbul was hit; Paris has been hit, Tunisia has been hit, Ankara has been hit before," she said. "International terrorism is once again showing its cruel and inhuman face today." The explosion, which could be heard from several neighborhoods, was at a park that is home to a landmark obelisk, some 25 meters from the historic Blue Mosque. Turkey's Dogan news agency reported that one Norwegian and one Peruvian were also among the wounded, and Seoul's Foreign Ministry told reporters via text message that a South Korean had a finger injury. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry told Norway's news agency NTB that the Norwegian tourist was slightly hurt and was being treated in a local hospital. Kurtulmus, the deputy premier, said two of the wounded were in serious condition. Germany and Denmark have warned their citizens to avoid crowds outside tourist attractions in Istanbul. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, although the Islamic State group was suspected. Kurdish militants and left-wing groups are active in Turkey. Last year, Turkey agreed to take a more active role in the US-led battle against the IS group. Turkey opened its bases to U.S. aircraft to launch air raids on the extremist group in Syria and has carried out a limited number of strikes on the group itself. It has also moved to tighten security along its 900-kilometer border with Syria in a bid to stem the flow of militants. The attack comes at a time of heightened violence between Turkey's security forces and militants linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in the country's mostly-Kurdish southeast. The country is also dealing with more than 2 million Syrian refugees and a wave of migrants from Syria and other countries pouring across Turkey to Europe. Police sealed the area, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion, and a police helicopter hovered overhead. The Sultanahmet neighborhood is Istanbul's main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and the former Byzantine church of Haghia Sophia, now a museum. Erdem Koroglu, who was working at a nearby office, told NTV television he saw several people on the ground following the blast. "It was difficult to say who was alive or dead," Koroglu said. "Buildings rattled from the force of the explosion." Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu immediately convened a security meeting with the country's interior minister and other officials. As with previous attacks, authorities imposed a news blackout, barring media from showing images of the dead or injured or reporting any details of the investigation. Turkey suffered two major bombing attacks last year, both blamed on the Islamic State group. More than 30 people were killed in a suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near Turkey's border with Syria, in July. Two suicide bombs exploded in October outside Ankara's main train station as people gathered for a peace rally, killing more than 100 in Turkey's deadliest-ever attack. The prosecutor's office said that attack was carried out by a local Islamic State cell. Last month, Turkish authorities arrested two suspected Islamic State militants they said were planning suicide bombings during New Year's celebrations in the capital Ankara. __ Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Mehmet Guzel in Istanbul, Kirsten Grieshaber and Geir Moulson in Berlin and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark contributed. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nadirah H. Rodzi (The Jakarta Post) Kuala Lumpur Tue, January 12, 2016 A 16-year-old boy, brainwashed into believing the Islamic State ideology, held a woman at knife-point at a supermarket in Sungei Petani. Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the teenager, who was clad in IS attire, was arrested minutes later at 8.30pm on Monday. "He is being detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma). "Investigations revealed that he was influenced by the IS movement through social media and wanted to prove that he was capable of such acts by threatening the woman," Khalid told a press conference at Bukit Aman on Tuesday. Khalid added that the boy was brainwashed by IS through emails and social media. "We need to identify these people. Investigations revealed that he had no intention of hurting the woman but wanted to show that he is a member and that he is able to do what is requested by the people (IS). "People should know that the threats are imminent," Khalid said, adding that the boy attended a religious school in Kedah. It was recently reported that a member of the IS in Syria beheaded his mother who had pleaded with him to leave the terror group. (kes)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 The country's air cargo industry is expected to benefit from the multilateral agreement on the opening of freight services between ASEAN countries, a move that promises to help increase air cargo volume by 50 percent this year. Indonesia National Air Carriers Association (INACA) head of cargo division Boyke P. Soebroto said that the multilateral agreement would broaden the market for Indonesian air cargo service providers. Prior to ASEAN Open Skies, also known as the ASEAN Single Aviation Market (ASEAN-SAM), Indonesian cargo planes were required to stop over in countries like Singapore, as a hub, en route to a final destination, 'For example, there wasn't a direct [air cargo] flight from Jakarta to Hanoi but, with the liberalization, we can fly directly from Surabaya to Hanoi,' Boyke said. 'This is a chance for Indonesian air cargo service providers to get into ASEAN industrial centers, both for imports and exports.' Citing data, he said the country's international air cargo shipping volume stood at around 80,000 tons in 2014, just one-fifth of domestic air cargo shipping which booked 400,000 tons during the same year. Air cargo volume decreased by 5 percent in 2015 due to the slowing economy, according to INACA data. 'But for this year, as we will have direct flights, I think it [volume] will increase by 40,000 tons,' he said. Service providers in the country, according to Boyke, would likely aim to increase air cargo shipping to Hanoi and Saigon, among others. Indonesia ratified the multilateral agreement on the full liberation of air freight services in July last year. The agreement, first approved by ASEAN in 2009, was implemented with the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) this year. In the agreement, Indonesia is to open seven cities to incoming and outgoing freight services, including Palembang, South Sumatra; Manado, North Sulawesi; Makassar, South Sulawesi and Biak, Papua. Meanwhile, the Philippines has promised to open six of its cities, including Cebu, while Thailand plans to open seven cities, including Bangkok and Phuket. The agreement grants fifth freedom to freight service providers, meaning that an airline from one country has the right to fly between two different ASEAN countries, carrying revenue traffic between the two. 'Before ASEAN Open Skies, cargo shipping had been focused in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. Indonesia was left behind,' he said. However, he admitted that the cargo service in Indonesia had been limited, with only half of 27 registered freight planes currently in operation. The main operational area for cargo airlines was also limited to Papua, in cities like Jayapura and Wamena. 'I think there will be two additional cargo service planes this year,' Boyke said. The association was also sure that the local industry would be able to produce goods to be exported abroad through a local cargo plane service. Boyke said that the agreement could help producers to sell products at a competitive price. 'Tuna producers, for example, they can export from Manado to Manila, which is already close to Japan, making the product cheaper to sell,' he said. However, the country recorded its first trade deficit in November last year, with exports dropping 7.91 percent to US$11.16 billion. Aviation expert Arista Atmadjati said that the INACA estimate was overly optimistic, citing that fierce competition from foreign airlines and the country's lack of scheduled cargo airlines were factors likely to hamper growth. 'Singapore [airlines] has one of its Boeing 747-400 going to Jakarta. It can carry up to 50 to 60 tons at once. Indonesian customers are more comfortable to distribute goods through that kind of service,' Arista said, adding that foreign airlines such as Malaysian Airlines and Thai Airways also provided such freight services. Currently, scheduled cargo airlines operators in Indonesia are limited to three airlines including Cardig Air and Tri-MGIntra Asia Airlines. He said that, to date, outbound shipping figures had been dominated (or 60 percent) by foreign airline service providers. A reasonable volume increase estimate would be around 15 percent to 20 percent, according to Arista. 'We are still limited to the domestic market, but we should maximize that too,' he said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Prima Wirayani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 Transportation company PT Citra Maharlika Nusantara Corpora (CMNC), formerly known as PT Cipaganti Citra Graha (CCG), is looking to strengthen its business core in shuttle services this year by looking for new, less competitive routes than the notoriously overserved Jakarta-Bandung route. CMNC finance director Leonard Stephen Jonatan said last week that his firm was currently mulling opportunities to open new routes between other cities, as well as working with more airports and railway stations. 'We expect to open an outlet at Purwokerto railway station in Central Java, for example, so we can cater to passengers from neighboring cities such as Banyumas and Cilacap, if the markets are promising,' Leonard said, adding that the company's focus remained on cities in Java and Bali. Currently, he said, the firm was operating a trial route in Cirebon, West Java, on the recently opened Cikopo-Palimanan toll road. The new service, which connects Cirebon with Bandung, had started, Leonard said, 'encouragingly', with 70 percent of passenger capacity filled. Ten buses ply the route four or five times daily. CMNC, Leonard said, was closely watching, among other hubs, Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java, given the large number of passengers it served. 'We will carry out research to find out which satellite cities most passengers head to [from Juanda airport],' he said. CMNC aims to reap around Rp 400 billion (US$28.73 million) in revenue this year after booking a sluggish business performance in 2015. The firm, Leonard said, was preparing its financial report, with revenues calculated to have reached around Rp 300 billion as of December. 'The amount is slightly below target,' he said, adding that the failure was probably due to a reduced number of vehicles; of the roughly 1,000 vehicles owned by CMNC, approximately 600 were unable to operate normally last year because of technical damage. The company would allocate, Leonard said, Rp 50 billion in capital expenditure (capex) to acquire 100 new vehicles and refurbish around 200 existing ones in a bid to achieve the target, with the funds sourced from several leasing companies and capital injections from its shareholders. 'With the company's poor track record with banks, it's difficult for us to get bank loans,' Leonard said in explanation of CMNC's move to establish tighter relationships with leasing companies. Three top CCG executives were implicated in a fraud and embezzlement case involving Rp 3.2 trillion in 2014. In the wake of the scandal, the new management has enacted a number of changes to the company's system and human resources. Early last year, CCG renamed itself CMNC, before changing its trademark from Cipaganti to Mgo for premium transportation services, and Sararea for standard. However, Leonard expressed hope that the business would thrive this year, especially after the government lowered fuel prices, which account for 49 percent of ticket costs. 'There's no hurry to increase ticket prices,' he said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Indra Budiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 Despite local resistance and ongoing legal appeals against eviction orders, hundreds of officers from the South Jakarta administration, Jakarta Public Order Agency and South Jakarta Police are set to demolish dozens of houses in Bukit Duri, South Jakarta. Bukit Duri subdistrict head Mardi Youce said on Monday that 600 officers would demolish houses in neighborhood units (RT) 11, 12 and 15 of community unit (RW) 10. The houses, located on the banks of the Ciliwung River, are to be torn down on Tuesday morning to make way for a project to mitigate flooding by widening the river to a width of 20 to 50 meters. According to Mardi, the three RTs comprise 97 families, each of which is entitled to a low-cost rental apartment (rusunawa) in either Cipinang Besar Selatan or Pulo Gebang, both in East Jakarta. 'Eighty-five of 97 families have received the keys to their rusunawa, while the rest opted to stand their ground. So most of them have agreed to move out,' Mardi told The Jakarta Post. The city administration plans to demolish houses and buildings along the banks of Ciliwung as part of a normalization program. Houses and buildings in the three RTs of RW 10, as well as others in RWs 11 and 12, have been targeted by the administration because of their proximity to the banks of the river. A group representing residents of RTs 11, 12 and 15 previously filed a petition with the Jakarta State Administration Court (PTUN) against an eviction notice issued by the Tebet district head, saying its issuance had not followed proper procedures. Jakarta Legal Aid (LBH Jakarta) lawyer Matthew Michele Lenggu, said on Monday that the district office should have reached an agreement with residents before evicting them. 'In this case, no agreement was reached between the district office and residents, but the former decided to forge ahead regardless,' Matthew said, adding that as the eviction notice had been challenged at the court, no demolition or evictions could go ahead until a ruling had been issued. 'If it goes ahead, it will serve as solid proof that the regional administration does not respect the legal process,' he said. Commenting on the legal process, Mardi said that after a discussion with the South Jakarta administration's legal team, he believed that, given the public interest, it was not necessary to wait for a court decision before beginning demolition. 'There's no need to wait. The river project must be carried out for the sake of the public,' he insisted, adding that the petition had been filed by LBH Jakarta and that the court had yet to schedule a hearing. Naswadi, a Bukit Duri resident who has moved to the Cipinang Besar Selatan rusunawa, said he had voluntarily demolished his own house two weeks ago after a district official told him that it would be better to do so than 'fight a losing battle'. According to Naswadi, the official told a number of local residents that they would suffer more losses if they refused to move to a rusunawa. 'He said things could go messy, like what happened in Kampung Pulo, if we didn't leave our homes. So I demolished my own house to sell all the scrap metal,' Naswadi continued. He was referring to August's clash between the East Jakarta administration and denizens of Kampung Pulo, which lies just a few hundred meters from Bukit Duri. The incident began when the administration tried to evict around 1,500 riverbank households comprising 3,400 residents. Sandyawan Sumardi, leader of Sanggar Ciliwung Merdeka, an NGO that works to empower inhabitants of the banks of the Ciliwung, said local people had proposed land compensation. According to Sandyawan, the 500 people who reside in the three RTs are seeking the administration's agreement to a proposal to build a so-called elevated village on nearby land owned by state railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia. President of Three Gorges Corporation Lu Chun met with the staff members of Karot Hydropower Plant project. A mobilization ceremony of construction of Karot Hydropower Plant was held 55km from Islamabad at the bank of Jhelum River on January 10, 2016, marking the beginning of the Karot Hydropower Plants structural construction. The construction of Karot Hydropower Plant lays foundation in Pakistan on January 10, 2015. The 1.65-billion-dollar Karot hydropower plant is the first investment project of the Silk Road Fund, an investment fund to finance China-proposed "Belt and Road" initiatives. The Karot hydropower project is being developed by the China Three Gorges Corporation. The project will provide 3.174 billion Kilowatt hour of clean energy and over 2000 jobs for Pakistan. The plant is expected to be put into operation in 2020 and to be transferred to Pakistan government after 30 years of operation. Mobilization ceremony of construction of Karot Hydropower Plant Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hendi Yogi Prabowo (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 The year 2015 has just passed but some will not look upon it with fondness. Many say it was a dark year in the history of corruption eradication in Indonesia. Multiple attempts to weaken the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) demonstrated that the road to a corruption-free nation is still a long way ahead. The alleged criminalization of the previous chief and vice-chief of the KPK was among the most highlighted issues last year. With the recent inauguration of the KPK's new leadership, despite some criticism of the selection process and the pessimism about the selected candidates, there are great expectations that the new leaders will be able to stage an effective corruption-eradication campaign. In Transparency International's 2014 Corruption Perception Index Indonesia was only ranked 107th (out of 175 countries), which demonstrates the need for some radical changes in the country's strategy against corruption. Fighting corruption is like facing a multi-headed snake with the ability to heal and grow more heads each time one is cut off. This is why cutting the snake's heads alone is not going to be enough to put an end to the problem. Another problem with this approach is that the growing heads of the snake will fight back once they are strong enough (or brave enough) to do so. The systematic weakening of Indonesia's anti-corruption agency is simply a form of retaliation from those who feel hurt or threatened by the agency. Many regional leaders have been named suspects or have been convicted for corruption. The Indonesian Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) said recently that since 2010 there had been around 289 suspicious transactions involving 50 regional heads, some of which had led to criminal investigations and prosecutions. Anti-corruption organizations have revealed that many regional leaders seem to be highly tolerant of a corrupt environment. Many public officials who ended up in prison for corruption were believed to have committed graft simply by implementing the instructions from their superiors out of a blind obedience to their superiors. The 'dark force' of obedience to powerful figures in authority has been the subject of a number of studies worldwide. One of the most prominent studies was performed by Stanley Milgram around half a century ago at Yale University. Milgram carried out a series of experiments on obedience and authority that tested individuals' willingness to administer electric shocks to a test subject under the direction of an authority figure. Interestingly, the experiments revealed that 65 percent of these individuals, despite their initial objections to the scientist in charge of the process, continued to administer the shocks even when the dials they turned already reached the fatal line. This and many more similar studies on obedience suggest that in many cases, in a situation similar to that portrayed by Milgram's experiments, obedience to an authority figure triumphs over one's morality and consciousness. Therefore, some believe that obedience is hardwired into the human brain and only those with strong willpower are able to overcome its 'dark force'. Many behavioral scientists argue that studies on obedience offer an explanation for various serious crimes committed by otherwise morally sound people including corruption or even murder and genocide. All of these suggest the danger of pledging obedience to the wrong authority figures. In reality, authority figures do not have to be one's superiors in his or her organization but can also be other figures whom one agrees to obey. In Milgram's experiments, for example, the authority figure was the scientist who administered the test whom the studied individuals had no prior or formal relationship with. Obedience has been part of the Asian culture for generations and is viewed by many as a pillar of functioning governments. Nevertheless, in many cases of corporate failures, for example, many corrupt leaders exploited the 'dark force' of obedience to control their subordinates to support their misconducts. Scandals such as those at Olympus in 2011 and Toshiba in 2015 are evidence of the devastating effects of the so called 'culture of obedience' where subordinates can only do one thing and one thing only, that is following their superiors' orders without question. Studies on corruption in Indonesia suggest that the culture of obedience was particularly strong in the government during the New Order era. Traces of this culture can still be found in a number of public institutions these days as evidenced by the numerous cases of collective corruption (also known as korupsi berjamaah). Many lower level public officials, for example, were forced to assist their superiors in their corrupt acts and ended up in jail. Some of these people did not want to live the life of a lawbreaker but their misplaced obedience finally dragged them down to the dark path of corruption. The existence of the culture of obedience has also made corruption so resilient and so enduring. This should be understood in particular by the country's anti-corruption agency, the KPK. The new leaders of the KPK who came from various backgrounds need to understand the problem from various different angles. More importantly, they themselves need to be strong enough to resist the 'dark force' of obedience (e.g. to former superiors) to maintain their independence and impartiality. The highly adversarial environment that surrounds corruption eradication demands an anti-corruption agency to have the sensitivity to recognize even the smallest elements that make corruption the problem it is and address them accordingly. The legal approach alone has been proven to be ineffective in killing the 'multi-headed snake'. More innovative initiatives are needed to ensure our children do not live in a country where corruption is a norm. Just as with any other anti-corruption agency anywhere in the world, there will always be resistance to the existence of the KPK as well as efforts to undermine its roles in eradicating corruption. Worldwide evidence suggests that being independent as well as staying impartial are major prerequisites for a successful anti-corruption agency. On the other hand, there are (much) lesser known prerequisites such as secrecy and unpredictability. Anti-corruption scholars believe that an anti-corruption agency's independence is generally associated with its ability to resist political interference as well as freedom from any undue influence. Furthermore, when performing its duties, to demonstrate its impartiality, the agency must be indifferent to things such as past and current personal relationships as well as personal preferences, likes and dislikes. To minimize the negative impacts from its adversarial environment an anti-corruption agency needs to balance the transparency and confidentiality of their corruption eradication activities. Corruption investigation, for example, is only going to be effective when sufficient confidentiality is maintained throughout the process, which leaves the investigated parties unable to predict investigators' next moves and devise countermeasures accordingly. This is also to say that when an anti-corruption agency loses its independence, impartiality, confidentiality and unpredictability it will be as good as nonexistent. The planned amendment of the KPK law has been seen by anti-corruption supporters as part of the joint efforts to diminish the KPK's power to curb corruption in the country. We should therefore stage a nationwide campaign to fight against the amendment. _____________________________________ The writer is the director of the Center for Forensic Accounting Studies at the Islamic University of Indonesia, Yogyakarta. He obtained his Master's and PhD in forensic accounting from the University of Wollongong in Australia. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 The all-round musician and artist David Bowie, who died from cancer on Monday, left not only a vast musical legacy but also a story of his love for Indonesia. The Englishman Bowie, born David Robert Jones, died at the age of 69 in his home in New York just two days after his birthday, an occasion that he marked by releasing his 28th album, titled Blackstar on Jan. 8. "David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer. While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family's privacy during their time of grief," a message from all of his social media accounts said on Monday. Bowie, often dubbed one of the most influential musicians of his era, was a great admirer of Indonesia, as could be inferred from his life work and story. He and musician Iggy Pop collaborated and released a song in 1984 titled 'Tumble and Twirl' that told a story about their journey exploring Indonesia. It was after Bowie's longest and most successful Serious Moonlight Tour ended in 1983, which did not visit Indonesia, though went to Singapore and Thailand. I've seen the city and I took the next flight for Borneo They say it's pretty, I like the t-shirts in Borneo Some wear Bob Marley others in Playbos or Duvalier Make the last plane come, let me rise through the cloudy above With a book on Borneo So went the first verse of the song. Bowie and his then girlfriend supermodel Iman also attended a Surononan ceremony, locally known as Malam Satu Suro, in Mangkunegaran Palace in Surakarta, Central Java, in 1991. The ceremony observes the Islamic New Year and the first day of the Javanese month of Sura. In an old black and white photo released by the royal family, Bowie and Iman are seen to be accompanied by businessman turned musician Setiawan Djody, and Yapto Soerjosoemarno, both part of the Mangkunegaran family. Bowie's love for Indonesia was also shown in the song titled "You Belong in Rock n' Roll' that his band at the time, Tin Machine, released in August 1991. Bowie and fellow member Reeves Gabrels created the song and even made an Indonesian version of it called "Amlapura', the name taken from a city in Karangasem, Bali. Bowie sang the first verse: Hey, hey it's the tall sail on a beach reach for Java Make way for to Java watching for boogies Hey, hey it's a dreaming I would burn you if you should die Hey, hey I would burn too if you should lie upon that bamboo pyre Bowie also made an Indonesian version of his song 'Don't Let Me Down & Down' in his 18th studio album Black Tie White Noise, released in 1993. The song title was translated into Jangan Susahkan Hatiku and Bowie sang half of the song in Indonesian. Indonesian-style island villa The Architectural Digest magazine published a story in 1992 displaying Bowie and wife Iman's villa on the exclusive Caribbean island of Mustique. The villa was heavily inspired by the traditional architecture of Bali and Java. Balinese carved doors stood strong in the living room. Teakwood from Kudus, Central Java, was used for the veranda, adorned with Sumbawa-inspired carvings. The roof design of the dining pavilion took its inspiration from Joglo, Javanese traditional housing. Bowie even proudly posed with a Balinese sarong for the magazine. Bowie and Iman got help creating their getaway villa from Arne Hasselqvist, a Swedish architect who pioneered villa architecture in Mustique. New Yorker Robert J. Litwiller and Ubud-based Irish designer Linda Garland designed the interior while Michael White, an Australian born Balinese man who later used the name Made Wijaya, designed the villa's landscaping. 'Look, you've obviously been to the East, Arne. Have you ever been to Indonesia?' He'd had a romp through there, so he knew what I was talking about. He had an idea for water running into the pools and into the swimming pool. And then I brought in Robert Litwiller to start constructing, in a vaguely Indonesian style, a potpourri of all the islands of Indonesia, running the whole gamut, the ring of fire," Bowie told the magazine in the interview for its September issue. (rin) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Raras Cahyafitri (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 State-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina is expecting diesel fuel consumption to grow sluggishly this year partly because of slowing demand from the mining industry, which is seeing low commodity prices. The company senior vice president for fuel retailing, Muhammad Iskandar, said he was expecting that consumption of non-subsidized diesel fuel would likely total about 11 million kiloliters, almost the same compared to the volume recorded in 2015. 'The volume would be the same if there is no significant move in the mining industry. Last year, we saw slow demand as many mining activities ceased operation. It led to less use of trucks,' Iskandar said. Mining companies in the country extracting different minerals, from coal to nickel, have been struggling to survive the plunging commodity prices caused partly by the global slowing of economic growth. Indonesia's coal reference price (HBA) dropped by around 16 percent from January to December 2015. Data from Pertamina showed that consumption of subsidized diesel fuel totaled 13.97 million kiloliters in 2015, a 12.4 percent drop compared to the 15.95 million kiloliters consumed in 2014. Under a fixed subsidy scheme in the state budget, the volume of subsidized diesel fuel was set at 14.7 million kiloliters this year. Meanwhile, Iskandar said the consumption of non-subsidized diesel fuel totaled about 11 million kiloliters in 2015, which was almost 3 million kiloliters lower than in 2014. Regarding the gasoline fuel, Pertamina recorded consumption of Premium-branded gasoline in Java and Bali areas at 15.74 million kiloliters in 2015, which was an 8.7 percent drop compared to the 17.24 million kiloliters consumed in 2014. Consumption outside of Java and Bali also saw a slight drop of 0.9 percent to 12.25 million kiloliters in 2015 compared to 12.36 million kiloliters in 2014. The drop was caused by the lower price of gasoline, which has made a higher quality of the product cheaper, Iskandar said. The drop in global oil prices has made the company lower the retail costs of a number of its fuel products. The consumption of Pertamax-branded gasoline jumped to 2.4 million kiloliters in 2015, compared to only 817,000 kiloliters a year earlier. However, unlike diesel fuel, Iskandar said Pertamina expected a slight increase in gasoline consumption this year. 'Premium consumption this year will likely increase by 1 to 2 percent because public activities will be moved by accelerated infrastructure projects,' Iskandar said. Earlier this year, the government decided to lower gasoline and subsidized diesel fuel prices following the drop in the benchmark prices of crude oil. Initially, the government planned to charge the same price and collect the surplus for a fund to be used partly for the development of energy infrastructure and to create a buffer when global prices started to jump. However, the plan was postponed following public criticism. The director general for oil and gas at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, IGN Wiratmaja Puja, said the government was still considering such a fund but was working on a better mechanism for it. 'We are still preparing the regulation. We are also waiting for the House of Representatives to open its new sessions this year and discuss the plan,' he said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Djemi Amnifu (The Jakarta Post) Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara Tue, January 12, 2016 Despite the rainy season having begun, rain still has yet to fall on East Nusa Tenggara, threatening swathes of the province with drought. 'No rain has fallen yet in most of East Nusa Tenggara even though it's already January. This year, our province may face harvest failures and food shortages,' East Nusa Tenggara deputy governor Benny A. Litelnoni told journalists in Kupang on Monday. As an anticipative measure, he said, the provincial administration had coordinated with regency and municipal administrations to register areas at risk of harvest failure and food shortages. The most at-risk areas, Benny said, included Timor Tengah Utara and Timor Tengah Selatan regencies in Timor, Sumba Timur regency in Sumba and Flores Timur, Lembata and Sikka regencies in Flores. 'Farmers in several areas have begun to plant food crops but the low rainfall has dried plants out,' he said. The deputy governor added that the East Nusa Tenggara administration would assess necessary preparations to provide assistance to local residents in 23 regencies and municipalities threatened with food shortages; the administration, he said, would provide seeds as well as food to ensure subsequent food security. Lasiana climatology station head July Setiyanto said one of El NiAo's major impacts was a serious reduction in rainfall in areas across Indonesia, including East Nusa Tenggara. The rainy season had in fact begun in the province on Dec. 13, July said, but the weather phenomenon had caused rainfall to drop to negligibly low levels. 'The beginning of our rainy season was in December last year but because of the impacts of El NiAo, which will continue until February 2016, rainfall remains very low,' he explained. The effects of El NiAo were different from one area to another depending on local conditions, he said, adding, however, that the most general and widely felt impact was on agriculture. 'The situation poses a major problem for agriculture, because there's less and less water available,' July noted. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 Five ministers discussed last week a plan to set up the Lake Toba Tourism Authority to improve the management of the tourist destination in North Sumatra. The meeting held at the Del Institute of Technology in Laguboti, Toba Samosir on Saturday was led by Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Rizal Ramli. A press statement received on Sunday said the four other ministers attending the meeting were Tourism Minister Arief Yahya, Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan and Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar. It was also attended by the acting governor of North Sumatra, Tengku Erry Nuradi, the North Sumatra Police chief and seven heads of districts located around Lake Toba. Rizal said he has received full commitment to set up the agency to assure better coordination in the management of Lake Toba so that it would become a 'Monaco of Asia', that is, an international-standard tourist destination that will attract more foreign tourists. He appealed to the people of North Sumatra as well as regional administrations to support the governments to make it the icon of Indonesian tourism. Luhut hailed the initiative to develop Lake Toba as a tourist destination, saying that the move had been awaited dozens of years by the indigenous Batak community. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Tue, January 12, 2016 An internal rift within the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) has emerged after House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Fahri Hamzah challenged the move by senior members of his party to force him to step down from his current position. Fahri, who is a lawmaker from West Nusa Tenggara, reported PKS deputy secretary general Mardani Ali Sera and PKS deputy chairman Al Muzzamil Yusuf to the party's Organizational Disciplinary Upholding Body (BPDO) on Monday for publicly demanding that Fahri step down from his position as deputy House speaker. According to Fahri, both Muzzammil and Mardani had previously reported Fahri to the BPDO for giving excessive support to Setya Novanto when the latter was investigated by the House's ethics council for alleged misconduct in connection with Setya's controversial meeting with the president director of PT Freeport Indonesia. "They have caused all the bother, but I am accused [of doing so], therefore, I reported them to the BPDO," said Fahri as reported by tribunnews.com on Tuesday after he was questioned by BPDO members at the party's headquarters in Jakarta. Fahri's report was conveyed to the party's disciplinary body at the time of the questioning but he said he did not know when his report would be followed up. Meanwhile, Al Muzammil played down Fahri's report. "It doesn't matter. The one who made the report is my brother," said Muzzammil on Tuesday as reported by kompas.com. He, however, declined to comment further on the issue, saying that he had no knowledge of the content of Fahri's report. Muzzammil said the news reports about their dispute did not affect their personal relationship as they still got together when they met in the PKS national coordination meeting (Rakornas) and they even posed for a photograph. "I respect him, but I don't know the point of his report. So I cannot comment further," he added. Meanwhile, former PKS president Tifatul Sembiring advised Fahri not to challenge the party and called on him to follow the process of the internal evaluation. He stressed that the BPDO had the authority to carry out the evaluation of his performance. "Fahri should follow the process. God willing, he'll be fine. He's still young. Don't challenge [the party]," said Tifatul on the sidelines of a party meeting in Depok, West Java, on Tuesday, adding that Fahri's support for Setya was not the only issue as the questioning related to cumulative issues. PKS President Sphibul Iman declined to comment on Farhi's case, saying that it was an internal party issue. "All know is that we have an internal mechanism. So let us not publicize [this issue]. When the time comes, you will know [what happened]," he added. (bbn) (+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 The Jakarta Police on Monday conducted a crime reconstruction at the Olivier Restaurant in the Grand Indonesia mall, Central Jakarta, in an attempt to reveal the mystery behind the death of Wayan Mirna Salihin, 27, who died after drinking a cup of coffee at the restaurant. The closed-door reconstruction started at about 10 a.m. and finished three hours later. 'I am sorry, but you cannot pass here for the moment,' Miftahudin, a security officer at Grand Indonesia, where the restaurant is located, said on Monday. He said the restaurant was empty of visitors. 'There are only the restaurant's owners and several employees,' he added. The reconstruction, however, could be seen and heard from outside the restaurant through the windows. During the reconstruction, officers were seen speaking with two girls, apparently the friends who accompanied the victim to the restaurant at the time of the incident, and several employees of the restaurant. The two friends, one of whom wore a cream-colored outfit while the other was in pink, were seen sitting next to an employee of the restaurant who played the part of Mirna. They were sitting at table number 45. During the reconstruction the employee playing Mirna pretended she felt dizzy as she drank her coffee. She was seen asking one of her 'friends' to smell the beverage. 'It's awful. It's so bad,' said the friend, repeating Mirna's statement in English, during the crime reconstruction. The Monday's reconstruction was part of the investigation into Mirna's death, which police suspect was murder. Last Wednesday, Mirna went to Olivier with two girlfriends. One friend came 40 minutes earlier and ordered the two others their drinks, according to the Jakarta Police. Mirna died after she drank one of the cups of coffee the friend had ordered. She reportedly went into a seizure and froth came out of her mouth after she took several gulps of the coffee. The two friends took her to the nearest clinic in the mall and later Mirna's husband came and took his wife to Abdi Waluyo Hospital, where she died. The police said the doctor at the clinic asked Mirna's friends whether she suffered from epilepsy, but they did not know. Later, the husband said she did not have a history of the ailment. Central Jakarta Police chief, Sr. Comr. Hendro Pandowo later denied a rumor that the restaurant's closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras had recorded the moment when something had been put into Mirna's drink, saying that the CCTV recordings just showed normal activities. Meanwhile, the management of Olivier Restaurant refused to comment on the issue because of the ongoing investigation. On Sunday, Jakarta Police detective corps chief Sr. Comr. Krishna Murti said the police had summoned the two friends on Sunday, but the one who ordered the victim coffee did not show up. However, she did attend the reconstruction on Monday. The Jakarta Police are currently having the victim's stomach and liver examined to learn the cause of her death. The police said on Sunday that the results would be released on Monday but by Monday afternoon they were not yet available. An initial examination showed that Mirna's stomach had bled and was damaged, allegedly by a corrosive substance. The police, however, declined to connect the substance to the coffee she drank at the restaurant. (saf /agn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 The government says it is on track in its efforts to make the EU remove the flight ban against Indonesian airlines and expects progress on the issue this year. Currently, only four Indonesian airlines are allowed to fly to the EU. The Transportation Ministry's airworthiness and aircraft operation director, Muhammad Alwi, said the ministry held a meeting with the European Commission, the regulatory arm of the EU, in October last year in Brussels, Belgium to request the removal of Indonesia from the EU Air Safety List. The EU Air Safety List is a list of airlines that are subject to an operating ban or operational restrictions within the EU. 'The meeting was successful because if not, they would have not invited us to the next meeting,' he said on Monday. The October meeting had been followed up by an assessment process held in November last year. Alwi said during the meeting in October, the ministry officials, including Alwi himself, presented the results of a safety oversight on Indonesian aviation to the commission. According to Alwi, the presentation was fruitful as EU sent a notification letter in December, announcing that the commission would come to Indonesia in 2016 to verify the assessment. 'So, in April, it will be reevaluated, but the meetings there so far have been positive,' he said. The ministry aimed to have the ban removed by June this year, as it strived to get approval from 28 members of the EU on the matter. The EU has maintained a ban on all but four Indonesian airlines from entering Europe since 2007, a move caused by a lack of improvement in domestic aviation safety. The latest Air Safety List has so far only exempted Garuda Indonesia, Airfast Indonesia, Ekspres Transportasi Antarbenua (PremiAir) and Indonesia AirAsia. The list currently contains all airlines certified in 20 states, a total of 230 airlines, including Blue Wing Airlines from Suriname and Iraqi Airways from Iraq. It is based on the unanimous opinion of the EU Air Safety Committee, consisting of aviation safety experts from 28 member states of the union. The EU also announced in June last year that it has lifted the ban on Philippines Airlines, which it imposed in 2010. Alwi also said that the ministry aimed to improve the country's aviation safety standards based on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) assessment to Category 1 by June this year as well. The FAA downgraded Indonesia's aviation safety to Category 2 in the agency's International Aviation Safety Assessment program nine years ago, signaling that Indonesia lacked the regulations necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards. 'We have completed 95 percent of the findings and we have sent it to the FAA website. They will verify it this year,' he said. The government has also followed all the recommendations from the UN International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which will be verified in May, according to Alwi. The ministry previously claimed that it had fixed the problems the ICAO pointed out in its latest audit, regarding aircraft inspection training as well as the country's poor safety oversight. The ICAO findings showed that Indonesia scored below the global average in all eight areas it assessed during its audit in May 2014. The ICAO audit in 2007, which spotted 121 loopholes in the Indonesian air safety oversight system, partly led to the FAA and the EU imposing the flight ban on all Indonesian airlines. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 The government has thwarted the illegal export of 114 kilograms of Indonesian pearls to Hongkong worth Rp 45 billion (US$3.25 million), a minister announced on Tuesday. Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said that his ministry cooperated with the Marine and Fisheries Ministry to carry out the operation. "If this is not prevented, Indonesia could lose foreign exchange"" he said on Tuesday as quoted by tempo.co. Bambang explained that the bust came about after a company, CV SBP, filed an export declaration (PEB) for goods presented as beads in five wooden boxes with a gross weight of 116.5 kilograms in December. "The customs directorate general found it was unusual to export beads and the indication was that the goods were not in accordance with the export declaration," he said. The Marine and Fisheries Ministry also carried out intelligence analysis that showed signs of document forgery. The goods identification center at the customs office then performed a physical examination and laboratory test on the items in the boxes. The result stated that the items were unprocessed marine-cultivated pearls headed for Hongkong. The pearls were estimated to be worth Rp 45 billion, or roughly Rp 400,000 per gram. The perpetrator faces a maximum of 6 years' imprisonment and a fine of up to Rp 6 billion if proven to have violated the 2006 law on customs. Bambang said that illegal exports significantly impact on the development of the domestic pearl industry if the raw materials are smuggled abroad. In the collaboration between the two ministries, the government also thwarted illegal fisheries exports worth Rp 12.75 billion in October and November. "That was also the first time that Customs actively prevented the illegal export of marine products," he said. Indonesia's lobsters are often smuggled through international airports including those in Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta and Lombok. (ami/rin)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama has denied any connection with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) regarding the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial elections, despite his attendance at the party's national meeting (Rakernas) over the weekend. The Rakernas, held in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, last Sunday, saw many important figures in attendance, such as President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, acting House of Representatives speaker Fadli Zon and Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti. Ahok was a popular attendee, with many party members scrambling to take pictures with the governor. However, Ahok said that for the time being, he would stick to his initial plan to run for governor independently. 'I only attended because I'm close with [party chairwoman] Bu Megawati. But she knows I'm currently collecting ID cards,' he clarified. Photocopies of ID cards are required to demonstrate popular backing for candidates seeking to run as independents. A group of supporters of the governor calling themselves Friends of Ahok (Teman Ahok) are collecting ID cards on his behalf. As of Monday, they claim to have collected 587,432 of their targeted 1 million ID cards from Jakarta residents. China has reorganized its four military headquarters -- staff, politics, logistics and armaments -- into 15 new agencies under the Central Military Commission (CMC). The new structure includes six new departments: joint staff, political work, logistical support, equipment development, training, and national defense mobilization. There are three commissions -- discipline inspection, politics and law, and science and technology -- as well as the general office and five more: administration, auditing, international cooperation, reform and organizational structure, and strategic planning. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the CMC, met with the new chiefs of each agency on Monday. He described the reshuffle as "a breakthrough" and "a crucial step" toward a stronger military. CPC'S ABSOLUTE LEADERSHIP Xi urged military leaders to unswervingly follow the CPC's absolute leadership over the armed forces. He stressed that military leaders must adhere to the Party spirit, obey political discipline, and "be politically intelligent," with firm political faith and right political stance. Military leaders need to sharpen their political alertness and become better at discerning right and wrong in political matters, Xi added. Xi urged them to "frequently, actively and resolutely" align their direction with the CPC Central Committee and the CMC. Following the unified leadership of the CMC is the political principle and discipline that military leaders must obey, Xi said, adding that military leaders should also take responsibility for their respective jurisdictions under the unified leadership of the CMC. FOCUSING ON WINNING WARS Xi also urged the reorganized organs of the CMC to focus on winning wars as their central task. CMC organs must concentrate on the study of military affairs, wars and how to fight battles, and strengthen their awareness in preparing for war at any time, said Xi. CMC organs must measure their work by the only fundamental standard of whether troops' fighting abilities can be improved, he added. Xi urged the organs to lose no time in adapting to changes in their operational command system and building themselves into a smooth-running and effective joint command system. He also urged the organs to initiate a "learning revolution," liberate their minds and enhance their study efforts on warfare readiness. PARTY DISCIPLINE Xi told the leaders of the organs to be demanding with themselves and impose strict self-discipline to set excellent examples for all servicemen. Leaders of CMC organs must be loyal, clean and responsible, and consciously regulate their behavior by the Party's rules and discipline, Xi said. They must be determined to overcome formalism and bureaucracy, as indicated by excessive meetings, redundant paperwork, unnecessary appraisals and inspections, Xi said. Xi said leaders of the CMC organs should set an example in carrying forward the glorious tradition of the armed forces and stimulate vigor and innovative vitality in servicemen. Leaders of CMC organs must draw a profound lesson from the corruption cases of Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, both former vice chairmen of the CMC, and take a clear-cut stand against corruption, he added. They must proactively cultivate an honest and upright political ecology so that all officers and soldiers can see a bright new image of the CMC organs and feel the "positive energy," Xi said. To address military corruption, a military auditing office was established to organize and guide internal audits and supervision. Auditors will be directly sent by the office to various military departments to ensure their independence, said Wu Qian, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, at a press conference on the reforms on Monday. Wu said the multi-department structure will help the CMC function better and is conducive to consolidating the absolute leadership of the Party over the armed forces. The new structure will also help the 15 organs carry out strategic planning and administration and help strengthen the supervision of powers, said Wu. He also elaborated on the duties of the 15 organs. He noted that the key Joint Staff Department is in charge of military operation planning, command and control, studying and formulating military strategies, and assessing operational capacity, among others. With regard to the new office for international military cooperation, Wu said it demonstrates that Chinese troops are committed to expanding international communication and cooperation and safeguarding world peace and stability. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 Fifteen automatic ticket-vending machines have been installed at four stations in Greater Jakarta to improve commuter line ticketing services, according to an official from state-owned commuter line operator PT KAI Commuter Jabodetabek (KCJ). 'The machines are already installed at Jakarta Kota station in West Jakarta, Sudirman station in Central Jakarta, Pondok Cina in Depok, West Java, and Kranji in Bekasi, West Java,' said KCJ spokeswoman Eva Chairunisa, as quoted by kompas.com on Monday. Eva added that the machines were set to serve various ticketing transactions, such as purchasing day tickets and topping up balances. In September last year, Eva explained that KCJ planned to install 50 vending machines in major stations across Greater Jakarta before 2016. However, according to Eva, KCJ failed to realize that initial target. She said the company pledged to install the remaining machines by March. According to Eva, the machines will be installed in stations with a high number of passengers, like Manggarai and Tanah Abang stations in Central Jakarta as well as Bogor station in West Java. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 An alleged thief identified as Ari Pratama, 24, reportedly shot himself in the head as he was cornered by angry residents, who had caught him stealing a motorcycle in Tambora, West Jakarta, on Sunday evening, according to police. 'Residents caught the thief red-handed. They then called the police. The thief carried a gun,' Tambora Police chief Comr. Wirdhanto was quoted by wartakotalive.com as saying on Monday. He added that the police arrived on the scene and tried to arrest the suspect with the help of the residents. 'The thief, who was cornered, shot himself in the head,' he said. Ari, who was identified as a resident of Tangerang in Banten tried to steal the motorcycle together with a friend, who managed to flee the scene, Wirdhanto said. He said the suspect shot his right temple and the bullet went through his left, killing him instantly. 'We confiscated his gun,' he said, adding that the police also seized an ID card and a cell phone belonging to owner of the motorcycle. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Erika Anindita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 The House of Representatives will strive to improve its legislative work in 2016 to win back public trust, the newly installed House speaker has said. 'We must evaluate our work performance. We must introspect. We must be more productive in the future,' House Speaker Ade Komarudin said in front of House members after being installed as House speaker during a plenary meeting at the House in Jakarta on Monday afternoon. Ade was speaking of what he referred to as the 'unproductive legislative work' of the House's previous leadership, during which only three laws and 14 open cumulative laws were produced throughout 2015. The three laws were the 2014 Legislative Institutions (MD3) Law, Law No.1/2015 on regional elections and Law No.2/2015 on regional administrations. Ade further said that a string of political events throughout 2015 had sapped the energy of House members, affecting their legislative performance. To improve its work, he said, the House will coordinate closely with the government by holding routine coordination meetings with President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo. 'Poor communication with the government hampered our legislative work. This is because law deliberation is not merely the work of House members but also involves the government,' said Ade, a veteran Golkar Party politician. In his inauguration remarks, Ade also conveyed his gratitude to his predecessor, Setya Novanto, who stepped down from his position on Dec.16, over an alleged ethics breach, saying that the House had many successes under the latter's leadership. Ade further said that under his leadership, the House would limit the foreign visits of its members, especially those on special committees (Pansus). To maximize their work, he said, House members could optimize the use of information technology. 'Pansus members should not be allowed to make frequent overseas visits anymore because they can find the information they need on the internet,' said Ade. He said he made such a call based on results of internal evaluations of House members after they returned from overseas trips. However, Ade said, the limitation on overseas visits would not apply to members of House Commission I on defense, foreign affairs and information. The House will also step up cooperation with the Foreign Ministry and the House's Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (BKSAP). (ebf)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 Indonesia needs to maintain the momentum in fishery exports as its strict measures against illegal fishing contributed to an increase in exports last year, a researcher said on Monday. Center for Policy Analysis fishery researcher Suhana said the moratorium on permits issued to foreign fishing vessels in 2014 and 2015 had contributed to an increase in tuna exports to the US last year, while neighboring Thailand and the Philippines saw decreases. "We need to take this opportunity to become the largest fishery product exporter," Suhana said at a press conference held by the People's Coalition for Equal Fisheries (KIARA). Citing latest data from the Maritime Affairs and Fishery Ministry on tuna fish exports to the US, Suhana said that Indonesian exports booked a 7.73 percent increase year-on-year from January to September 2015, while exports from Thailand and the Philippines decreased 17.36 percent and 32.59 percent, respectively. He added that the main markets for Indonesian fishery products were faraway, such as Japan and the US. Southeast Asian countries were export-oriented and did not import from each other No country had a percentage of imports from other ASEAN countries higher than 50 percent except Brunei, which was at 81.89 percent, Suhana added. "Even in Southeast Asia, only Indonesia and Vietnam have surpluses in fishery product exports-imports. ASEAN countries usually only import fishery products from other ASEAN countries to be processed and exported again to countries outside of ASEAN," Suhana said.(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rendi A. Witular (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 Japan, Indonesia's biggest creditor, may still be struggling to swallow the bitter pill it was handed last year, namely the iniquitous treatment it received that led to its loss against China in a contest to secure Indonesia's first high-speed rail project. And now Japan faces the risk of another loss, this time in the race to acquire a port project whose value and importance will make it one of the most hotly contested in the archipelago. For Japan, a two-strike loss is definitely not an option. The project is considered the next big thing after the Jakarta Mass Rapid Transportation (MRT) railway, which is being financed through US$1 billion in loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The pivotal project in question is a new deep-sea port that will replace the scrapped Cilamaya port in the West Java regency of Karawang, one of the country's largest manufacturing hubs. With initial investment of more than $1.2 billion for the first phase of construction, the new port will have the capacity to serve 3.75 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) containers, or more than two-thirds the capacity of Indonesia's largest port, Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta. The construction of the port is aimed at supporting Tanjung Priok by facilitating the flow of goods to and from industrial estates in regencies east of Jakarta that house automotive, electronics, machinery and IT manufacturers. Japan was initially thought to have the Cilamaya project locked and secured after the administration of then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono commissioned JICA to conduct a feasibility study, with a projected financing scheme similar to that used for the MRT. However, Vice President Jusuf Kalla axed the project in April, despite having many friends in Japanese high places, notably through certain big cheeses at Toyota Motor Corp. and Mitsubishi Group. Kalla decided to relocate the project to another area over concerns that the planned port would disrupt the nearby offshore operations of state oil and gas company Pertamina. The project is to be moved further east to a new site in West Java, presumably still in Karawang or neighboring regency Indramayu. Kalla announced on Dec. 23 that the government had found a new location for the project, but refused to make it public over concerns the information would be misused by land speculators. Kalla instead sent Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan to meet the latter's counterpart in Tokyo in December to announce the new location, as well as the new cooperation scheme, given that Japan remains the preferred partner to develop the port. Despite canceling the Cilamaya project, Indonesia is still required to fulfill its commitment to Japan to prepare a flagship project under the stipulated Metropolitan Priority Area (MPA) for Investment and Industry bilateral agreement. However, while things still look pretty well for Japan, some elements within the government have voiced dissenting opinions on Japan as the preferred partner, as well as on the financing scheme. Recently, there have been growing demands for the project to be financed entirely by private companies without taxpayers' money or direct overseas government loans, such as those provided by JICA. If the dissenters were to get their way, the project would have to be offered to interested parties through a bidding process that could commence in the first half of this year, according to several officials. Showing interest in the project are not only investors from the Netherlands and United Arab Emirates; Japan's arch rival China is also said to be gearing up for the challenge, including by readying state companies to join the bid. Should the government opt to take the project to open bidding, the ensuing decision is predicted to be more political than economic. With the high-speed rail project serving as just the latest example, any large-scale project in Indonesia is inevitably muddied by competing interests and attracts hordes of opportunists, each with their own list of politicians, bureaucrats and businesspeople. Infighting among Cabinet members over the development of the gas-rich Masela Block, operated by Japan's Inpex, may serve as a more salient recent example. With planned investment of more than $14 billion, regulators and Inpex agreed that the country's largest deepwater gas project should be developed offshore. However, following advice from several political kingpins, President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo late last year asked various parties to look into bringing the operation onshore with the assumption doing so would benefit local businesspeople despite the inevitable rise in cost of development. Jokowi pledged last month to make an immediate decision on the Masela operation scheme to prevent further delays. The Masela fiasco does a good job of highlighting the contempt shown toward fair play and transparency in this country, with stakeholders forced into disgraceful brokering and lobbying and personal and political interests forever triumphing over the good of the nation. Winning and losing is solely determined by each party's relations with those close to Jokowi; and China has so far gained the upper hand over other nations when it comes to gaining influence and interest in Indonesia's elite circles. It is particularly through Jokowi's most trusted ally, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno, that China has reaped the benefits of its power play. Alone among all Cabinet members, Rini has an exceptional place in Jokowi's tight circle of trusted individuals. Rini, known as the key figure behind China's success in winning the high-speed rail project, was recently appointed by Jokowi as a 'liaison officer' between Indonesia and China. The Japanese are less fortunate; their Cabinet 'liaison officer' is Sofyan Djalil, who is a member of Kalla's inner circle, but rarely has the ear of the President. As signs abound that this administration harbors little affection for Japan, what lengths will the Japanese government go to in order to stop it falling out of favor entirely? ________________________________________ The author is a staff writer at The Jakarta Post Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Amman, Jordan Tue, January 12, 2016 Jordan said Monday that some 16,000 Syrian refugees are stranded in a remote desert area along its border, up from 12,000 a week ago. Government spokesman Mohammed Momani told The Associated Press that the refugees are being "carefully monitored" by authorities and have received tents, heaters, food and medicine from U.N. and other aid organizations. He said there are clinics supported by international agencies and the Jordanian military. Many of the refugees have spent weeks or months in what aid agencies say are deteriorating humanitarian conditions. In December, Human Rights Watch said satellite images of "the berm" showed at least 20,000 refugees and the U.N. refugee agency urged Jordan to allow them to enter. Momani said about 50 to 100 are permitted entry each day, with priority given to women, children, the elderly and sick people, but that "security is the first priority." "Jordan has so far hosted around 1.4 million Syrians on its territory, or the equivalent of 20 percent of its population, receiving up to 5,000 refugees per day at times. This has been mostly done at Jordan's expense," Momani said. The U.N. refugee agency could not immediately be reached for comment. Syria's five-year conflict has killed more than 250,000 people and generated a massive refugee crisis. Most of the more than 4 million people who have fled Syria reside in neighboring countries. (kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Prima Wirayani (The Jakarta Post) Tue, January 12, 2016 The Indonesian Central Securities Depository (KSEI) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Monday with the Taiwan Depository and Clearing Corporation (TDCC) in a bid to develop Indonesia's capital market through international information and knowledge exchange. Commitments outlined in the MoU include information exchange, bilateral cooperation that aims to enhance the capacity of both parties to compete globally and other forms of collaboration that will be agreed later. Previously, the KSEI and the TDCC conducted several joint programs, such as a session to share best practices. 'The MoU is for knowledge sharing,' said KSEI president director Margeret Tang after the signing event at the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in South Jakarta on Monday. 'We want to learn from them who is already advanced in managing investors' accounts.' She expressed optimism that her office would benefit from the partnership, considering both institutions had similar account structures. The KSEI, which provides securities depository and transaction settlement services, manages accounts of securities companies and custodian banks. It also provides investor portfolio administration services that allow account holders to open sub-securities accounts for each of their investors. Services offered by the KSEI include an electronic securities depository, a securities transaction settlement, securities account administration and distribution of corporate actions. It also provides depository and transaction settlement services for government bonds. Currently, it manages around 400,000 investors, Margeret said, far fewer than the 9 million investors and 16 million accounts registered with and managed by TDCC. She said that her office wished to study the TDCC's products and marketing strategy in expanding its investor numbers. 'Our target is in line with the IDX's, which is adding to its investor and listed company numbers' she said. The number of individual investors in the capital market is expected to more than double from around 1 million to at least 2.5 million by 2016 or 2017, according to the IDX. Of the 1 million investors, less than half invest their funds in the stock market, the others preferring mutual funds, retail bonds, sukuk (Islamic bonds) and unit links. Meanwhile, TDCC chairman and CEO Sherman Lin said that the MoU was a commitment by both companies to work closer through more experience sharing, cooperation programs and assistance development. 'I believe in the future the MoU will tighten both countries further into a more mutually beneficial relationship,' he said in his remarks. Financial Services Authority (OJK) deputy commissioner for stock market supervision Sardjito, who also attended the event, expressed hope that both institutions could follow up on the agreement in the best possible way so that both parties could improve their services according to their the national best practices and standards. 'The OJK is very concerned with the realization of this cooperation agreement and will give it full support,' he said, adding that Indonesia's stock market authorities would continue efforts to improve the financial market's infrastructure and provide reliable services to investors. The MoU is the sixth cooperation agreement inked by the KSEI with its fellow Asia-Pacific Central Securities Depository (CSD) members. Previously, it sealed deals with CSDs of Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Japan and Iran. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Tue, January 12, 2016 The Jakarta Police, in cooperation with the city administration and the Indonesian Motorcycle Association (IMI), has agreed to organize motorcycle races to accommodate teenagers, who frequently hold illegal races on the city's streets, especially at weekends. 'We will try to accommodate such activities committed by teenagers,' Jakarta Police traffic division chief Sr. Comr. Risyapudin said on Tuesday as reported by kompas.com. Risyapudin said that the police, the city administration and the IMI would discuss a number of issues, including the formation of an institution to organize events for young motorcycle enthusiasts. The first official race, he added, was expected to be implemented in February, with the race track to remain those streets currently popular as illegal drag-strips. The initial roads that would be used as venues, Risyapudin explained, included Jl. Benyamin Sueb in Kemayoran in Central Jakarta, Jl. Asia Afrika in Senayan, also in Central Jakarta, and Jl. TMII in East Jakarta. Other roads would be considered as future race tracks, he went on, as long as their condition did not pose a danger to racers, with no holes, no sheer bends and smooth asphalt surfaces. The IMI and Bina Marga (Roads) Agency would survey roads before agreeing for them to be used as race tracks, he said. The City Police would also be on hand during events to monitor safety and direct traffic, he added. (bbn)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Agus Maryono (The Jakarta Post) Cilacap Tue, January 12, 2016 A team of defense lawyers have urged the Cilacap District Court to immediately release convicted terrorist Abu Bakar Ba'asyir from prison. In an attempt to win an early release from his 15-year sentence, Ba'asyir's defense lawyers have argued that the court made a wrong decision when they sent the 77-year-old terrorist leader to prison without strong evidence of his alleged involvement in the funding of a terrorist training camp in Aceh. 'We want the presiding judges to release Abu Bakar Ba'asyir immediately because of an invalid verdict,' the Muslim Team Lawyer (TPM) head Ahmad Mihdan told the Cilacap District Court during a judicial review hearing on Tuesday. Mihdan argued that the court had sentenced Ba'asyir based on a series of testimonies made by unfavorable witnesses through teleconference, which was illegal. The spiritual leader of Anshorut Tauhid (JAT) filled for a case review at the South Jakarta District Court on November 17, 2015, following the Supreme Court's decision to reject the 2011 Jakarta High Court decision to reduce Ba'asyir's original sentence from 15 to nine years. The 15-year sentence was less than the life sentence demanded by prosecutors at the time. Ba'asyir's team of lawyers had requested for the court location to be moved from the South Jakarta District Court to Cilacap due to Ba'asyir's health concerns. Ba'asyir was convicted as being the mastermind behind a terrorist training camp and was also accused of collecting Rp250 million (US$18,000) in funds for training activities. (dan) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dylan Amirio (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 The government is upbeat that Lombok's winning of an award as one of the world's best halal tourist destinations will significantly increase the number of foreign tourists visiting the province of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said the local government should capitalize on the award to attract tourists, especially from the Middle East. 'We can use this Halal Award distinction as a starting point to develop a unique identity for Lombok and the entire NTB region. If we want Lombok to become a major destination for foreign travelers, it has to be able to stand on its own. The universality of the halal tourism distinction can help a lot,' Arief said at the Tourism Ministry on Monday. Lombok, the major tourist destination of NTB, won 'The World's Best Halal Honeymoon Destination' at the 2015 World Halal Travel Awards in Dubai recently. The award, Minister Arief said, put the province on the radar of global travelers. The minister said the government should harness this momentum to its fullest by focusing on promoting Lombok as a unique and standalone destination. He said 80 percent of travelers visiting the island tended to come through Bali first, highlighting the need for NTB to stand out more. Arief added that the popularity of NTB as a destination specifically for Muslim visitors should be harnessed to accommodate those tourists' preferences and culture. Specifically, the minister highlighted the tendency of Middle Eastern travelers to vacation with their families and go on family outings after 9 p.m. He also encouraged tourism workers to be instructed in foreign languages like Arabic and Mandarin. The bulk of foreign travelers coming to Lombok and the province of NTB comes from Malaysia, Singapore, the Middle East and China. 'We can tap into the Muslim traveler market even further if we can prepare the region to better accommodate them. I want to see at least 1.5 million foreign visitors visiting Lombok and NTB in 2016: 50 percent more than the 1 million we saw in 2015,' Arief added. The ministry is targeting a total of 12 million foreign visitors in Indonesia in 2016. Arief also encouraged airlines to open direct flights to Lombok from key countries of origin, such as Singapore and Australia. Between April 11 and April 16, the province will hold the Festival Pesona Tambora as a way to promote the local culture and nature, as well as commemorate the 1815 eruption of Mt. Tambora on the island of Sumbawa. Meanwhile, NTB Governor M. Zainal Majdi noted that a series of sporting and cultural events would also be held in the province to commemorate the 201 years since the Mt. Tambora eruption, which resulted in climate patterns so bizarre that the following year, 1816, was dubbed the 'year without summer'. 'Tourism has a significant impact on the people of NTB. Holding this festival will certainly help us promote the tourism potential of the province to a wider audience and hopefully boost our visitor numbers,' he said on Monday. The governor added that his administration was targeting no fewer than 3 million visitors in 2016: 1.5 million foreign guests and 1.5 million domestic guests. Mother wants son to see bio parents while he can Doctors say adopted Chinese boy with rare disorder will go blind by time he turns 20 Molly Sano wants to help Bennett, her 3-year-old adopted son, find his biological parents in China before he goes blind.(China Daily Photo) A Seattle mother traveled more than 9,100 kilometers to Shanghai in hope of finding the biological parents of her adopted son before he goes blind. Molly Sano, who arrived in Shanghai on Monday, decided to make the journey after her 3-year-old son, Bennett, was diagnosed in December with Usher syndrome, a rare but incurable genetic disorder. Doctors in the United States say the illness will take away Bennett's eyesight by the age of 20. "We just hope that he can see his biological parents with his own eyes, creating special visual memories of them before he loses his vision," Sano said in a phone interview before her departure from Seattle, Washington. The 36-year-old has spent the past few weeks contacting authorities and hospitals in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, for leads. From Tuesday to Sunday she will visit Enmei Child Welfare Association, which runs the orphanage that formerly cared for Bennett, as well as surrounding communities. Ye Minjia, a Ningbo resident in his 30s who used to run an English school, will accompany Sano. They connected after Sano reached out through a mutual friend. "She knows it's a long shot, but she just wants to get the information out there, find some clues and increase her chances of success," Ye said. Bennett, whose Chinese name was Long Miao, was abandoned in a Ningbo neighborhood in May 2012. A note left by his side read: "We don't know what else to do. We're too poor to bring him up. We hope someone can help him." The child was born deaf, according to the note. He was taken to a home managed by Enmei Child Welfare Association, where he remained until Sano, a sign-language interpreter, and her husband, who is deaf, adopted him in February 2014. After two years in Seattle, Bennett can now communicate confidently using American sign language. "We just knew he was the son we'd been waiting foreven without looking at his file. He's the most beautiful boy I've ever seen," said Sano, who also has a daughter one month older than Bennett. While many parents may choose to wait until an adopted child is old enough to decide whether or not to meet biological parents, Sano said Bennett does not have the luxury of time. "If we wait for another 10 years, then all of the people who may remember when and where Bennett was found or born will be retired," she said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Tue, January 12, 2016 Most Malaysian militants in Syria and Iraq have no qualms turning into suicide bombers as they believe it is the fastest path to martyrdom. According to security sources, more than 69 Malaysians are in both countries in support of the Islamic State (IS) terror network. 'The ultimate aim of a militant is to become a martyr. And the best way is to become suicide bombers. They believe that such a sacrifice will absolve them of all their sins,' a source told The Star yesterday. So far, about 16 Malaysians have been killed in Syria and Iraq. Six of them were suicide bombers. Sources said Mohd Amirul Ahmad Rahim, who was from Terengganu, ignited the bomb he had on him and in a car during a clash in Raqqa on Dec 29. Mohamad Syazwan Mohd Salim targeted a military base in Iraq on Jan 3, 2014, killing Iraqi forces after he detonated his suicide vest along with six other IS fighters. The terrifying trend of suicide bombers from Malaysia started with Pahang-born Ahmad Tarmimi Maliki, 26, who drove a military SUV filled with tonnes of explosives into the SWAT headquarters in al-Anbar, Iraq, last month, blowing himself up and killing 25 elite soldiers. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said he was shocked and appalled to hear about the MalayAsians reportedly involved in the suicide bombings. 'Their actions and ideology have no place in Malaysia or Islam, and the Government is absolutely committed to fighting terrorism in all its forms and guises, both at home and overseas. (kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 Netflix's availability in Indonesia has had little impact on the local movie industry since its main operation remains in the US, according to movie producer Sheila Timothy. As Netflix does not have a representative office in this country or in Southeast Asia, local producers will need to go to the US or engage with US-based agencies to submit their movies to the service. Currently there are two main beneficiaries of Netflix's operation: telecommunications companies that enjoy increased streaming traffic and the consumer who can expect to be more affordably entertained. "Joko Anwar's [eight-part thriller] Halfworlds was aired on HBO Asia as a result of the company's representative office in Asia; HBO Asia contacted [Joko] to make a TV series for them. Some Indonesian films like The Raid and our own movie, Modus Anomali [Ritual], are available on Netflix, but these are due to the fact that the producers have agencies in the US," Sheila recently told thejakartapost.com. On-demand Internet streaming services like Netflix are an attractive solution for those looking to watch movies anytime, anywhere, free of advertisements. But, according to multimedia expert Ignatius Haryanto, the government needs to accommodate the local industry as well by encouraging the availability of local movies on the service. "As the market becomes more mature, people will be more selective about what they watch. With the [availability of] a service like this, in one or two years time, the broadcasting industry will change," said Ignatius. He added that Netflix's pay-per-view system, which enables consumers to skip ads, was one of its superior features compared to TV but as the necessary infrastructure to comfortably enjoy online streaming was not yet fully developed throughout the country, the latter would still dominate the market. (kes)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Mike Corder (The Jakarta Post) The Hague, Netherlands Tue, January 12, 2016 Police, politicians and intelligence officials from more than 50 countries pledged Monday to intensify the fight against violent extremism by cooperating more closely in tracking foreign fighters, their finances and communications. "We all agree that we need to share information better, smarter and faster," Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said after the meeting at the headquarters of European Union police organization Europol. "Terrorism is like a virus. It adapts," he added. "We have to be quicker than they are." Koenders said that building trust between countries and agencies not always accustomed to swiftly sharing intelligence was a key result of the behind-closed-doors meeting. Among a raft of measures agreed by the delegates were moves to disrupt travel routes used by foreign fighters, in part by updating on a daily basis databases at Interpol and other national and international agencies tracking such extremists and fraudulent documents they use. Addressing fears that extremists could be crossing borders amid the current surge in migrants entering Europe, Koenders said agencies need up-to-the-minute information, "to check the personal data of all persons who cross borders." The meeting came two months after the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris, in which extremists took advantage of gaps in European intelligence as they plotted and executed the rampage that killed 130 people. Salah Abdeslam and Mohamed Abrini, two fugitives in the Paris attacks, had appeared on a list of suspected Belgian extremists, but the list apparently was never widely shared. Authorities say Abdeslam was able to crisscross Europe, pick up accomplices, rent rooms and cars, and buy detonators from a fireworks shop. He was even stopped by police and released again Nov. 14 because his name had not yet been linked to the attacks, even though he rented apartments in the Paris area and a car under his name. Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected planner of the attacks, was among the most wanted men in Europe, but French authorities were seemingly unaware until after Nov. 13 that his first cousin, with whom he was in close contact, was living in the Paris region. The cousin, Hasna Ait Boulahcen, was tapped in an unrelated drug investigation, but it was Moroccan intelligence that pointed French authorities to the apartment in Saint-Denis where the cousins were hiding out with an accomplice. They died in a raid there. Ahead of the conference, Koenders warned that the extremist organizations are constantly evolving ' pointing out that Paris attackers sometimes used computer games consoles to communicate ' and law enforcement and intelligence agencies must work together to keep ahead of them. "We have made agreements, but it's very important right now that those who make the agreements and those who do the work build the trust to make sure there's a real-time exchange of information," he said. (kes) ___ Associated Press Writer Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this report. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Slamet Susanto (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 The National Police suspects the outlawed Fajar Nusantara Movement (Gafatar) of using a soft approach to convince people to join in the wake of the disappearances of several people thought to have joined the group. National Police spokesman Insp. Gen Anton Charliyan said on Tuesday that Gafatar had relaxed its religious stipulations. "They use compassion and antiviolence as their guise," Anton claimed. "Their religious requirements are actually very low. That's attractive for anyone who finds religious observance to be a chore and a hassle. Muslims in Gafatar aren't obliged to fast or pray," he said as quoted by Antara news agency. The organization recently resurfaced in the news with rumors of people reported missing having joined the group. A medical doctor, Rica Tri Handayani, and her son were reported missing on Dec. 30; she was an active member of the group when she was at university. Rica and her son were found by police on Monday at Pangkalan Bun airport in Central Kalimantan. The Yogyakarta Police recently apprehended husband and wife Eko Purnomo and Veni Orinando, naming them suspects on kidnapping charges. The duo could face 12 years in prison, Yogyakarta Police detective division officer Adj. Sr. Comr Ganda Saragih said as reported by kompas.com. Ganda refused to provide further details on the alleged involvement of the suspects with Gafatar. Yogyakarta Police spokesperson Adj. Sr. Comr Anny Pudjiastuti said on Tuesday that there had been 12 cases of Yogyakarta citizens going missing, with strong indications they had joined Gafatar. "The figure could be higher than that but we only handle the cases that are formally reported," she said. Kasihan Police chief Comr. Suwandi said the police had received reports of two families missing on Tuesday; the cases are suspected to be related to Gafatar. Bibit Rustamto, former village chief of Bangunjiwo village in Bantul, Yogyakarta, said that in 2011, during his tenure as village chief, Gafatar had established a base camp in the village. Five members of the group had come to his house and asked for permission to hold artistic and cultural activities, he said. Bibit recalled that the group often held closed-doors meetings attended by a great many participants. "As they kept holding closed-door meetings, we asked them to move," he said. Kompas.com has reported that the organization, which was established in 2011, has a management class numbering in the thousands, with thousands more ordinary members spread around the country. The group's spiritual leader is Ahmad Musadeq, who once declared himself a prophet. Gafatar chairman Mahful M. Tumanurung said in a speech at the group's national meeting in Jakarta in February that Gafatar was not a religious organization. "Religion issues are not Gafatar's business. Let's leave that to experts and individuals," he said as quoted by the group's website gafatar.org. In his speech to 3,000 members, Mahful also declared that the group would not change its platform to attempt to garner political power. (rin) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Lahore, Pakistan Tue, January 12, 2016 Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Punjab organiser Chaudhry Sarwar says the PML-N government has failed to control rape and kidnap cases, claiming that Pakistan is among the 10 worst countries when it comes to rape cases. He issued a 'fact sheet' on Monday on the rape and kidnap incidents, stating 14,850 kidnap cases involving women, children and girls were reported in Punjab during the last one year. He said some 2,000 women were kidnapped and 80 percent of them were allegedly raped during last year while 15 percent were killed. He said 980 minors were kidnapped, including the newborns from hospitals. Stating that the incidents of kidnap and rape of women and children were continuously rising, Mr Sarwar observed the Punjab government had failed to protect the lives and property of the masses. The fact sheet said some 96 kidnap for ransom cases, including 25 of minors, were registered. In Lahore, the fact sheet said, 15 cases of kidnap for ransom were reported and many of those kidnapped were also killed. On the other hand, the fact sheet said police's performance remained unimpressive as they failed to solve hundreds of cases and many of the kidnapped persons were never recovered as some 3,100 cases were still under investigation. Chaudhry Sarwar said police were only registering missing reports instead of kidnappings to save their skin. The fact sheet said that the cases of molestation against children were also increasing while the police and other institutions were unable to check such incidents. He demanded that the government introduce legislation to check such cases and give exemplary punishment to the criminals. (kes)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Teresa Cerojano (The Jakarta Post) Manila Tue, January 12, 2016 The Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday declared as constitutional a defense pact that allows American forces, warships and planes to temporarily base in local military camps, in a boost to US efforts to reassert its presence in Asia as China rises to regional dominance. Ten of the 15 members of the high court also ruled that the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which was signed by US and Philippine officials in 2014 and has a 10-year lifespan, is an executive agreement that does not need Senate approval, court spokesman Theodore Te said. "EDCA is not constitutionally infirm as an executive agreement," Te said at a news conference after the justices' long-awaited vote. The ruling will bolster US efforts to reassert its presence in Asia and dovetails with Philippine efforts to harness America's help in addressing what it perceives as China's aggressive acts in the disputed South China Sea. Washington immediately welcomed the court's decision, saying the defense pact is a mutually beneficial accord that will bolster both countries' ability to respond to disasters and strengthen the Philippine military. Left-wing activists said they would consider filing an appeal, adding that US military presence won't solve the country's current worries over China in the disputed waters. "This is another sad day for Philippine sovereignty," said left-wing activist Renato Reyes, who was one of those who challenged the legality of the defense accord before the high tribunal. "We maintain that the EDCA is not the solution to the problems of China's incursions. The Philippines has turned to Washington as it scrambled to strengthen its military, one of the most ill-equipped in Asia, to deal with an increasingly assertive China in the South China Sea. The long-simmering disputes involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei have escalated in recent years. Tensions have been especially high since Beijing transformed seven disputed reefs into islands on which it is now constructing runways and facilities that rival claimants say can be used militarily in an already very tense region. ___ Associated Press writer Jim Gomez contributed to this report. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nedi Putra AW (The Jakarta Post) Malang, East Java Tue, January 12, 2016 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do,' is the principle followed by Tjandra Purnama Edhi, a serviceman's son who moved from city to city with his father's assignments, until he finally went to college in Malang, East Java. The graduate of Malang's Brawijaya University has a strong spiritual bond with the city even though he isn't native to it. He deems it his duty to preserve the culture of the city where he studied. One of the cultural traditions there is the local dialect, Malangan, with many of its words spelled in reverse order, known as boso walikan (reverse speech). He highlights this unique feature on his T-shirts. 'I'm not merely selling T-shirts but local culture through garments,' he said. Born in 1969, Tjandra fears the local culture may be lost with the lapse of time. 'Some commentaries indicate that the history of boso walikan is closely related to the struggle for national independence,' he noted. This reverse language used to be spoken by City Guerrilla (GRK) members for communication among freedom fighters in Malang to distinguish between friends and foes. It also served as a means of countering Dutch espionage. At the time, Hamid Rusdi, a leader of a troop against Dutch aggression, was on the wanted last. This reverse language is thought to have arisen in around 1947 to 1949 and believed to have been created by Hamid Rusdi and his aide Suyudi Raharno. 'The letters in this language style are reversed, but not all words can be deciphered by reading them backward,' said Tjandra. This is because boso walikan also constitutes a blend of Javanese, Indonesian, Arabic, Madurese and Chinese. For example, there is the basics ' bakso (meatball) becomes oskab, manuk (bird) becomes kunam and telpon (telephone) is noplet ' but, there's also ebes, which means parents and can't be decoded backwards. 'Ebes still has adjectival nganal [from lanang or male] for father and kodew [from wedok or female] for mother,' he added. Tjandra uses boso walikan for his garments after consulting Malang's indigenous elders. But he applies it in a unique way, combining it with the plain dialect and humor. Yet his brand name suitably retains the reverse style, Soak Ngalam, from kaos Malang or Malang T-shirts. One T-shirt design bears the humorous KLM logo, which may be mistaken for the Dutch airline though here it's an abbreviation of the plain Malangan words kumpulan londo Malang (Malang eurasians). 'In the 1970s there were many Eurasians or Dutch descendants in Malang,' said the father of three. Another design plays on the name of late Apple boss Steve Jobs, who becomes Steve Jokes. This design appeals to the younger generation in the hope they will maintain boso walikan despite the present era of the iPad. Sam is used as the term of address, not to denote an American, but as a reversed form of mas (brother). Jobs' Apple becomes Apel Utab (apples from Batu), with the tagline 'Malang original fruits'. The words tend to be comical but Tjandra claims to present social criticisms as well, such as the T-shirt bearing the Ghostbusters logo with the words ayahab nates (bahaya setan, ghost danger). The footnote, in mixed styles, reads 'the dangerous ghosts are those in human form, such as officials who scare their people'. Another T-shirt design with plain Malangan words warns of the danger of illicit drugs, in this case marijuana, or godong maksiat (wicked leaves). 'T-shirts of this type were once bought up by the National Narcotics Agency in Malang,' he revealed. Tjandra told of a 92-year-old former Malang resident now living in Rotterdam that had visited his shop. 'He said he was moved and proud to be able to rekindle his youth and show his children and grandchildren the boso walikan that he spoke as a child,' said Tjandra. Tjandra was already fond of creating T-shirt designs in junior high school. As a college graduate he worked with a bank where he handled clients engaged in the garment business, which got him interested again in garment making. He finally left the bank and began to manage his own garment enterprise to revive his dormant T-shirt designing talents. Feeling the need to preserve part of Malang's cultural heritage in boso walikan, he found T-shirts to be the right medium. Starting his garment business in 2008, his T-shirts enjoyed a good public response despite the presence of undershirt producers introducing similar themes. Today, Tjandra has two main outlets with a total of 25 employees, one in Malang and the other in Beji, the border area between Malang and Batu, as well as a unit at the Transportation Museum in Batu. Every month he fashions at least four new designs. 'These designs have certain periods of display so that new ones will always be forthcoming, unless there's high customer demand to reprint old designs,' he pointed out. However, some of the T-shirts offered are created by other artists, in addition to various souvenirs crafted by his peers from Asli Malang, a community of Malang promoters whose products and designs display Malang's unique features. Peduli Malang (care for Malang), or Asli Malang, that he formed using Facebook, manifests his interest in the conditions of Greater Malang, comprising Malang city, Malang regency and Batu town. The community now has over 19,000 listed members. The topics shared by the members cover socio-economic affairs, environment issues as well as legal norms and ethics. The articles presented are mostly in plain Malangan and sometimes in boso walikan. Tjandra described the criticisms and suggestions posted by members as one way of conveying the aspirations of common people to the government, as there are also many regional administrators in the community. He affirmed that Asli Malang was meant for anyone that cared for Malang rather than just indigenous residents. 'They can be workers, students, lecturers, teachers, traders, non-natives of Malang or those who once lived in Malang,' he explained. In Tjandra's view, cultural preservation and the development of Malang is more a matter of one's feelings and contribution rather than one's indigenousness. He himself has been frequently invited to speak at several discussions on boso walikan. Tjandra also is still planning another an idea to protect Malang's reverse speech. 'Along with some linguists and historians, I would like to initiate the transformation of this language into printed form or a dictionary of some kind, so as to not let it vanish with the passage of time.' ' Photos by JP/Nedi Putra AW Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Lee Min Kok (The Jakarta Post) Tue, January 12, 2016 A massive drug shipment due for export to Singapore and Indonesia was seized during a police operation in Johor Bahru last week. The drugs - 58kg of Ecstasy in powder form, 5,290 Ecstasy pills and 1kg of syabu (the colloquial name for the psycho-stimulant drug called amphetamine) - were found in a house in Taman Pelangi, which allegedly operated as a "mini drug lab". They had an estimated street value of RM8.1 million (S$2.6 million) and could have reached around 190,000 drug users, reported the New Straits Times. Among the other items seized: drug-making equipment and chemical products used in the manufacture of drugs, as well as four air rifles and two air pistols. Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigations Department director Mokhtar Shariff told reporters at a press conference on Monday that two men, aged 37 and 40, had been arrested. The raid was part of a larger operation conducted last Friday and Saturday. Four other male suspects were arrested in raids on premises at Jalan Sutera, Taman Century, Taman Daya and Bandar Baru Permas Jaya. (kes)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nadirah H. Rodzi (The Jakarta Post) Kuala Lumpur Tue, January 12, 2016 Intelligence reports reveal that eight Malaysian children are currently being groomed to be Islamic State (IS) fighters, says Bukit Aman Special Branch director Comm Datuk Seri Mohamad Fuzi Harun. Although the police do not have full details on the matter, Comm Mohamad Fuzi said investigations showed that the children were being trained at IS camps in Syria and Iraq. 'It is not known where they are being placed right now. Maybe some are in Syria and some are in Iraq. 'These children were brought in to the war-torn countries by their parents, who are raising them to be IS fighters,' he said at a press conference at Bukit Aman on Tuesday. Comm Mohamad Fuzi said that at present, there were 47 Malaysian IS members in Syria and Iraq. 'Out of the that figure, 12 are women. 'Before this, there were 55 of them, but eight have either returned, been arrested or charged accordingly,' he said. Comm Mohamad Fuzi added that several families of Malaysian IS members had sought the help of police to 'lure' the militants back to Malaysia. 'But they have refused to come back. Their ultimate goal is to fight and die as martyrs,' he said. He added that investigations also revealed that at least 17 Malaysians, including six suicide bombers, had been killed overseas. (kes)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Erika Anindita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 Disappointed with the Jakarta Corruption Court (Tipikor) decision to sentence him to six years in prison over his involvement in a graft case, former religious minister Suryadharma Ali said he would likely appeal the verdict. Suryadharma's lawyer Humphrey Djemat said on Tuesday that the United Development Party's (PPP) former chairman was likely to file an appeal over the Tipikor's verdict before Jan. 17, seven days after the trial took place. 'Our consultations have led to our client's intention to lodge an appeal,' Humphrey told thejakartapost.com on Tuesday afternoon. He added that Suryadharma was considering appealing the court's verdict as he still maintained his innocence, a position the former minister has never changed. 'This is all about his principles, although the court's sentence is lower that what has demanded by prosecutors,' said Humphrey, adding that the former minister would 'struggle' to defend his principles. At the end of his trial on Monday, the Tipikor's judicial panel sentenced Suryadharma to six years in prison and fined him Rp 300 million (US$21,544.02) for his involvement in a corruption case related to the government's haj program from 2010 to 2013. The court's judicial panel, led by presiding judge Aswijon, also ordered the defendant pay a further Rp 1.8 billion (US$129,400) to replace the state losses caused by his act of corruption, or serve an additional two years. The verdict was lower than what had been demanded by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors, who asked the judicial panel to sentence Suryadharma to an 11-year prison term and order him to pay a Rp 750 million fine. "We declare that the defendant is guilty of corruption," Aswijon said as quoted by kompas.com during the trial at the Tipikor on Monday evening. Humphrey said that in drawing its decision on the case, the judicial panel considered mainly the prosecutors' indictments and this was why Suryadharma is likely to lodge an appeal over the court's ruling. However, the lawyer added that it was also possible for Suryadharma not to file an appeal. 'The decision solely depends on Suryadharma,' Humphrey added. Suryadharma was charged and found guilty of abusing his authority as religious affairs minister in relation to the government's haj programs. He caused Rp 27.28 billion and 17.96 million Saudi riyals in state losses. It was earlier reported that Suryadharma will have his rights as a public official revoked for five years after his prison term is finished. During the haj programs, Suryadharma appointed people eventually deemed incompetent to be Saudi Arabia-based haj organizing committee (PPIH) officials and gave unused haj quota seats to people not on the official list. Suryadharma also accommodated requests by House of Representatives Commission VIII, which oversees religious affairs, to enable certain people to go on haj free of charge and to appoint them to be PPIH members. In addition, Suryadharma enabled relatives, staff members, private guards, his drivers and their wives to go on haj for free. The KPK charged Suryadharma under articles 2(1) and 18 of Law No. 31/1999 in reference to Law No. 20/2001 on corruption eradication and articles 55(1) and 65(1) of the Criminal Code. (ebf) Hong Lei, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, holds a regular press conference on January 11, 2016. (Photo from official website of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs) The Vietnamese accusation claiming that China's test flights to the newly built airport on Yongshu Jiao affected regional security does not hold water, said a spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry at a press conference Monday, adding that China had informed the Vietnamese side of the flight plan in advance. The director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam said that Vietnam had sent letters of protest to China and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), saying that Chinese aircraft have ignored all the rules and norms of the ICAO by flying across Vietnam's airspace over the South China Sea without providing any flight plans or maintaining any radio contact with Vietnam's air traffic control center, which threatens regional air safety. In response to Vietnamese claim, Hong Lei, a spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry reiterated that China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters. China's inspection and test flights to the newly built airport on Yongshu Jiao fall completely within China's sovereignty. "It is utterly untrue that Vietnamese side said about China not providing any flight plans or maintaining any radio contact with Vietnam's air traffic control center and threatened regional air safety," said Hong. Hong pointed out that what the Vietnamese side said about China not notifying it is utterly untrue. On Dec. 28, 2015, the Flight Inspection Center of the Civil Aviation Administration of China informed the Ho Chi Minh Flight Information Region of the flight plan, route and other technical information concerning China's inspection aircraft in accordance with relevant regulations and international practices. However, up until now, the Vietnamese side has not given any response. Besides the aforementioned notifications by competent authorities, the Chinese side also made specific contact with the Vietnamese diplomatic authorities on Dec. 30 for technical notification and explanation, Hong added. "It is regrettable that the Vietnamese side, failing to see the professional, technical and civil nature of China's inspection and test flights which are conducted for public interest, continues to obstruct China's normal activities for no reason." To ensure safe and effective inspection and test flights, the Chinese government decided that the flights would be conducted by civil aircraft as state aviation activities. As stipulated by international law, state aviation activities, not bound by the Convention on International Civil Aviation and relevant regulations of the ICAO, are within sovereign states' independent hands to operate, Hong said. The spokesperson added that the Chinese side independently, safely and successfully completed inspection and test flights to the newly-built airport on Yongshu Jiao. The results showed that the airport completely meets the standards for civil aviation and is fully capable of guaranteeing safe flight of civil aircraft. It will provide a convenient means of transportation for personnel exchanges and emergency aid and enable the South China Sea region to better offer public services including maritime search and rescue. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 The Jakarta Corruption Court on Monday sentenced former religious affairs minister and United Development Party (PPP) chairman Surydharma Ali to six years behind bars after he was convicted of embezzling the country's haj funds between 2010 and 2013, causing billions of rupiah in state losses. 'Our examination into the case has found that the defendant is guilty of corruption together with other individuals in the case. We also order him to pay Rp 300 million in fines or he has to serve an additional three months,' said presiding judge Aswijon, reading the verdict on Monday. Suryadharma's verdict also confirms the role of other individuals in the case, including senior PPP politician Hasrul Azwar, a former lawmaker who was in charge of the haj program. Hasrul, now serving as a member of House of Representatives' Commission III overseeing legal affairs, is accused of having received millions of Saudi reals from a housing project for pilgrims in Saudi Arabia, under Suryadharma's tenure. The panel of judges also ordered Suryadharma to pay Rp 1.8 billion in restitutions, adding that the PPP politician had to serve another two years behind bars should he fail to pay. The sentence is lower from the 11 years earlier demanded last week by Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors, in addition to their demand for the politician to be ordered to pay Rp 2.3 billion in restitutions and a Rp 750 million fine. If within one month he fails to pay the restitutions then his possessions will be confiscated for auction, but if those possessions are valued lower than the demanded amount of money, then he will have to serve another four years behind bars. Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional prison term of six months. The panel of judges at the court refused to approve the KPK's call to strip Suryadharma of his political right to run for government office in the future, claiming that despite the massive corruption 'the handling of the haj program under Suryadharma's tenure had been improved'. Earlier, KPK prosecutors claimed that Suryadharma deserved the hefty sentence because he did not show any remorse, although court evidence had clearly confirmed his guilt in the case, adding that he also gave inconsistent testimony during the nearly four-month-long trial. Suryadharma condemned the verdict, reminding the panel judges of the consequences of an unjust verdict that was made in a trial that was conducted 'in the name of God'. 'Please give some time for me to consult with my lawyers about whether to challenge the verdict,' Suryadharma added. Meanwhile, KPK prosecutors also expressed dissatisfaction over Monday's verdict, saying they were considering appealing the sentence. The KPK accused Suryadharma of appointing incompetent haj committee members for the 2010 to 2013 haj program that caused a total of Rp 13 billion in state losses. The KPK said he also falsely registered his family members, adjutants, personal assistants, drivers and campaign team members as haj members so that they could go on haj for free using state funds. He also appointed his confidants as haj assistants in Saudi Arabia and gave them pocket money totalling Rp 345 million from the haj fund, of which Rp 56 million was funneled into his wife's pockets. Suryadharma also abused his authority as religious affairs minister to directly appoint consortium companies to provide housing for pilgrims in Jeddah and Madinah and determined the price by his own calculations that cost 15.4 million reals in state losses because of overpricing. Between 2010 and 2012, Suryadharma also abused his authority to channel haj quota places intended for pilgrims to his relatives, fellow politicians from the PPP and House of Representatives lawmakers, which cost the state Rp 12 billion. In total, Suryadharma gave 1,771 haj seats to parties who did not legally merit them. Suryadharma also increased the maximum age requirement for pilgrims from 60 to 87 years in order to accommodate House lawmakers and people endorsed by the House to go on haj for free using the haj quota, preventing pilgrims who had been registered on the waiting list for years from going on the haj between 2010 and 2013. _________________________________________ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Paris Tue, January 12, 2016 A teenager armed with a machete slashed a Jewish teacher in a Marseille street on Monday, invoking the Islamic State group and saying he had also planned to go after police, a French prosecutor said. The 15-year-old Turkish Kurd was arrested soon after wordlessly attacking the teacher, who was injured in the attack in central Marseille, said Brice Robin, the Marseille prosecutor. The teen invoked Allah and the extremist group only after he was detained, saying "the Muslims of France dishonor Islam and the French army protects Jews." The anti-terrorism section of the Paris prosecutor's office opened an investigation, meaning the scope of the act is viewed as not confined to anti-Semitism. The counts being investigated were aggravated attempted murder due to the victim's religion and in relation with a terrorist enterprise; criminal terrorist association; and death threats on those holding authority, the prosecutor's office said. The boy attacked the teacher from behind, slashing him in the shoulder, and then went after the man again as he tried to flee, Robin said. The prosecutor, speaking at a news conference, said the attacker was known as a good student who appeared to have radicalized via the Internet without his parents being aware. The knife attack comes just days after a man armed with a butcher's knife was shot to death after authorities said he went after police in central Paris. That man's identity has not yet been confirmed but German authorities say he had lived at a shelter for asylum-seekers in the western city of Recklinghausen. Both incidents coincide with high tension in France, which last week marked a year since the January attacks against the Charlie Hebdo newspaper and a kosher supermarket that left 17 people dead. Over the weekend, two churches were burned and a boar's head and racist inscriptions were found Friday at Perpignan's main mosque. (kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anggi M. Lubis (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 State-run telecommunication provider PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) seeks to secure loans of up to Rp 10 trillion for working capital this year. The publicly-listed firm's finance director, Heri Sunaryadi, said the company would also need between Rp 5 trillion and Rp 10 trillion in total to finance operational activities this year, such as for network maintenance and purchasing new SIM cards. 'We are going to raise the funds from a syndicated loan involving three banks, possibly state-owned lenders,' he said last week, adding that the funds would be withdrawn in stages as needed. The company's president director Alex Sinaga earlier announced that the company had achieved its target to book total revenue of more than Rp 100 trillion (US$7.3 billion) last year. He said its cellphone provider subsidiary PT Telekomunikasi Selular (Telkomsel) had contributed most to revenue growth. The company has not yet published its audited 2015 financial report, but Alex said that it was almost certain that total revenue would be slightly above Rp 100 trillion, an 11.5 percent increase from the Rp 89.7 trillion booked in 2014. This year, the company expects total revenue to increase by 8 to 10 percent. In order to achieve the revenue target, Telkom plans to prepare at least Rp 25 trillion for capital expenditure (capex) this year. The company has previously said it would use internal cash and funds from its continuous bond program to finance its capex. The company also plans to issue bonds in the first half of this year. 'Probably in May or June,' Heri said. Telkom received approval last year from the Financial Services Authority (OJK) to issue a total of Rp 12 trillion in bonds in a two-year period. In the first bonds issuance, the state-controlled company raised Rp 7 trillion to finance infrastructure development as well as strategic mergers and acquisitions. UOB KayHian's Jonathan Koh said Telkom's aggressive roll-out of fixed-broadband bundle IndiHome Triple Play ' launched early last year ' would put some strain on capex, albeit the prospects being favorable. The company announced that it managed to attract a million users for the package, which includes telephone, internet-on-fiber and interactive television, toward the end of last year. 'Telkom incurred capex of $300 per connection to roll out the last mile for fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband services. Additional capex would be Rp 4.2 trillion, assuming Telkom secures 1 million new IndiHome subscribers each year,' he said in a published reported. 'Management guided that EBITDA [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization] margin for IndiHome is lower at about 30 percent due to the high cost of content.' Telkom ' Indonesia's biggest telecommunications company and one of the country's biggest firms by market capitalization ' is at the forefront of the government's $24 billion drive to expand the country's broadband capacity and widen internet access over the next four years. Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara said previously that the government wanted Telkom to lead the broadband plan, hinting that the company would spend more on the project than its peers. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anggi M. Lubis (The Jakarta Post) Tue, January 12, 2016 State-run tin producer PT Timah will allocate up to Rp 1.2 trillion for capital expenditure (capex) this year, partly to develop the company's non-tin business and boost its revenue contributions by the end of 2016. Timah corporate secretary Agung Nugroho said the capex would come from a combination of internal funding and bank loans to finance production and business diversification. While most of the company's capex would be channeled to tin production, Agung said, the company would also focus on diversifying its business this year to lessen the impact of plunging commodity prices. 'We have learned from our experience in 2015 that we cannot rely solely on one commodity. We have to expand our business beyond tin to maintain our profitability,' he said. 'This year, we are looking to see non-core businesses contribute around 20 percent of our revenue, or at least not to contribute any losses to our bottom line,' he added. The company, he went on, would allocate at least Rp 100 billion to each of its non-tin businesses, namely property, hospitals and tin chemical and solder downstream facilities, and would set aside a sum of the capex to fund the company's rare-earth project. In addition, Timah has been altering its internal hospitals for public use since the past year, and now operates four hospitals near its concessions in Bangka Belitung and Riau Islands provinces; Agung mentioned the possibility of one more hospital beginning operation this year. The company ' cooperating with state-run builders Wijaya Karya and Adhi Karya ' is also developing its idle assets in Bekasi, West Java, into landed housing, and in Jakarta into an office building. The company, Agung said, was also considering expanding its downstream business and altering its internal dock to be used by local fishermen. He added that Timah was set to begin construction on a rare-earth facility in around the third quarter of this year. The plant will be the first of its kind in the country. The rare-earth facility would take around two years to construct, he said, and the capacity would be around 5,000-6,000 tons per annum. The company was still calculating how much was investment needed for the plant, he added. Last year, Timah concluded construction of a rare-earth mini plant as a pilot project, with the capacity to produce 1.5 tons of the minerals per year and with investment hitting Rp 35 billion. The rare-earth facility, he said, would add considerable revenue to the company, as rare earth fetches ten times the price of tin. Rare earth comprises 17 minerals commonly used in the manufacturing of parts for hybrid cars, weapons, flat-screen TVs, cell phones, mercury-vapor lights and camera lenses. China has about a third of the world's rare-earth reserves but supplies about 90 percent of what is consumed. It has placed restrictions on exports, sparking concern among manufacturers from Japan to the US. With business diversification and the operation of the rare-earth facility, Timah might be able to salvage its financial performance, which has been struck by plunging commodity prices, export restrictions and rising costs. Timah saw its revenue rise by 17.89 percent on an annual basis to Rp 5.14 trillion in the first nine months of last year, but its bottom line fell by 97.7 percent to Rp 10.47 billion. The company aims to produce and market 30,000 tons of tin this year, similar to last year. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Shanghai, China Tue, January 12, 2016 A Seattle mother traveled more than 9,100 kilometers to Shanghai in the hope of finding the biological parents of her adopted son before he goes blind. Ms Molly Sano, who arrived in Shanghai on Monday, decided to make the journey after her three-year-old son Bennett was diagnosed in December with Usher syndrome, a rare and incurable genetic disorder. Doctors in the United States say the illness will take away Bennett's eyesight by the age of 20. "We just hope that he can see his biological parents with his own eyes, creating special visual memories of them before he loses his vision," Ms Sano said in a phone interview before her departure from Seattle, Washington. The 36-year-old has spent the past few weeks contacting the authorities and hospitals in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, for leads. This week, she will visit Enmei Child Welfare Association, which runs the orphanage that used to care for Bennett, as well as surrounding communities. Mr Ye Minjia, a Ningbo resident in his 30s who used to run an English school, will accompany Ms Sano. They got to know each other after Ms Sano reached out through a mutual friend. "She knows it's a long shot, but she just wants to get the information out there, find some clues and increase her chances of success," Mr Ye said. Bennett, whose Chinese name is Long Miao, was abandoned in a Ningbo neighbourhood in May 2012. A note left by his side read: "We don't know what else to do. We're too poor to bring him up. We hope someone can help him." The child was born deaf, according to the note. He was taken to a home managed by Enmei Child Welfare Association, where he remained until Ms Sano, a sign-language interpreter, and her husband, who is deaf, adopted him in February 2014. After two years in Seattle, Bennett can now communicate confidently using American sign language. "We just knew he was the son we'd been waiting for - even without looking at his file. He's the most beautiful boy I've ever seen," said Ms Sano, who also has a daughter one month older than Bennett. While many parents may choose to wait until an adopted child is old enough to decide whether or not to meet the biological parents, Ms Sano said Bennett does not have the luxury of time. "If we wait for another 10 years, then all of the people who may remember when and where Bennett was found or born will be retired," she said. (kes)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 Vice President Jusuf Kalla has confirmed that he will testify in defense of Democratic Party politician and former minister Jero Wacik, who is on trial for multiple corruption crimes. The Corruption Eradication Corruption (KPK) has accused Jero of embezzling billions of rupiah during his tenure as culture and tourism minister in the first term of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and later while serving as energy and mineral resources minister in Yudhoyono's second term. Kalla, Yudhoyono's first-term vice president, will come to the court hearing on Thursday to defend Jero, with whom he worked from 2005 to 2009. His spokesperson Hussain Abdullah said on Monday that Jero had made a formal request for support, to which Kalla had acquiesced. '[Kalla's testimony] has been scheduled for Thursday,' Hussain told The Jakarta Post. Kalla's plan to testify for Jero has met criticism from antigraft activists, who claim that a vice president, as a symbol of the state, should never defend graft suspects. Responding to the criticism, Hussain said that Kalla had yet to brief him regarding the reasons behind his decision to testify as a defense witness for Jero, a confidant of Yudhoyono, the Democratic Party patron and chairman. The latter has yet to answer Jero's plea for help. 'Jusuf Kalla usually agrees to give court testimony if he feels that his testimony or legal advice might help resolve the case,' said Hussain. The spokesperson added that Kalla was unconcerned about the prospect of his defense of Jero being interpreted by the public as a defense of corruption, as giving court testimony was entirely in line with laws and regulations. 'The Vice President will only reveal what he knows about the case during the court hearing,' Hussain said. On Monday, a panel of judges at the Jakarta Corruption Court approved Jero's request to present Kalla in the upcoming court hearing. Jero said that he asked Kalla to defend him in the case because he had once served under Kalla's leadership. 'I am thankful that Kalla agreed to testify for me,' Jero said. When serving as culture and tourism minister, Jero allegedly misused his ministerial operational fund of around Rp 10 billion to pay for personal expenses amounting to Rp 7.3 billion, with another Rp 1 billion going to members of his family. Witnesses have alleged that, as energy minister between 2011 and 2014, Jero complained to his subordinates about the paucity of the ministry's operational fund, which was only able to provide him with Rp 120 million per month or Rp 1.4 billion per year, compared with the Rp 3.6 billion per year he had previously received from the culture and tourism ministry. Thurday's hearing will not be the first time Kalla has defended a graft suspect in court. In April, the Bandung Corruption Court acquitted former Indramayu regent Irianto MS Syafiuddin in a corruption case involving the Sumur Adem steam-fueled power plant (PLTU) project just weeks after Kalla provided alleviating testimony for Irianto. Irianto is a member of the Golkar Party, as is Kalla, who previously served as party chairman and remains a senior member. 'What we're seeing is the use of the presence of a state symbol in court as a form of defense. This is a trick increasingly used by graft suspects to attempt to dodge a guilty verdict,' Erwin Natosmal Oemar of the Indonesian Legal Roundtable said on Monday. ______________________________________________ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Tue, January 12, 2016 Over 700 animals, ranging from across 150 different species, were born or hatched at Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) attractions, including Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, River Safari and Singapore Zoo, last year. One of the year's highlights was the birth of a critically endangered Sumatran orangutan on Sept. 16, the great-grandson of Singapore Zoo's late icon, Ah Meng, according to a WRS press release on Tuesday. To date, over 40 orangutan are reported to have been born at Singapore Zoo. As part of a worldwide exchange program, many were later sent to zoological institutions in Malaysia, India, Vietnam, Japan, Australia and New Zealand to facilitate breeding programs. Throughout 2015, the zoo also saw the birth of many critically endangered cotton-top tamarins, endangered Southern white rhinoceros and pygmy hippopotamus. At Jurong Bird Park, the year's highlights include the hatching of two Bali mynahs and eight Luzon bleeding-heart doves. The former is considered to have been a particularly special moment as it is thought to be the first time Bali mynah chicks have been hand-raised. The park is said to be working closely with Avilon Zoo and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Philippines and Begawan Foundation in Bali to increase the birds' off-site numbers. Meanwhile, River Safari welcomed a manatee calf in October in addition to the births of several capybara, a super-sized rodent native to South America and the hatching of unusual amphibians such as the fire-bellied newt, a species of small newt native to China. At the Night Safari, the birth of Malayan sambar deer, Malayan bearded pig, binturong, hog badger, and the endangered Burmese brow-antlered deer represented a boost in the Southeast Asian animal population. 'Captive breeding programs play an important role in conserving threatened animal species whose numbers are declining as a result of activities like habitat destruction and poaching," said Wildlife Reserves Singapore deputy CEO and chief life sciences officer Cheng Wen-Haur in a press release on Tuesday. "Some of them can be valuable assurance colonies against extinction in the wild, with the aim of ultimate release back to nature, while all of them are ambassadors representing their relatives in the wild," he added. (kes)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam Tue, January 12, 2016 Some 2,000 workers from PT Amtek Engineering in Batam, Riau Islands province, went on strike as planned on Monday, blocking the main and only entrance to the company's factory. Gathering at the Cammo industrial area from as early as 6:30 a.m., local time, workers only cleared the entrance gate after 10 military personnel used force to make them move away from the gate. Reportedly, the workers went on strike as a way of demanding clarity with regard to their status following an announcement of the Singaporean company's plan to change its name. Meanwhile the company, a subcontractor for Apple, gave the government three months to deal with the strike and threatened to move its factory to Vietnam. PT Amtek, a Singaporean firm, become a subcontractor for Apple after the former bought Interplex, a company based in the US. The chairman of the All-Indonesia Workers Union (SPSI) PT Amtek working unit, Parulian Simanjuntak, said the name change from PT Amtek to Interplex was actually made in July 2015. Yet, he said, management never talked about the change with the employees. Quoting Article 163 of Law No. 13/2003 on manpower, Parulian claims that a company is required to pay severance allowances to its employees when a change is made to the company's name and also if a company is acquired by another company. 'PT Amtek did not do that even though the company's logo, email and website have been changed to Interplex,' Parulian said. He said that the workers rejected the change of the company from PT Amtek into Interplex. The workers demanded the company dismiss them and give them a severance payment. Article 163 states that, regarding corporate actions such as a change of name or merger, a severance allowance is to be provided if the employers or employees decide to end the working relationship. 'If the company wants to rehire the workers, it is dependant on both sides,' he added. Furthermore, Parulian said that the threat to move the factory from Batam to Vietnam was just a bluff and would be impossible to implement. He also said that there had not been a meeting between the government and the management of the company. 'We talked directly. The government did nothing to fight for our demands,' he said. He added that the strike would be conducted as planned, until the end of this month. If their demand was not met, the strike would be extended. A company of military personnel were seen guarding the factory site while the workers continued their strike by sitting in front of the factory. In July last year, Amtek's parent company, Singapore-based Amtek Engineering, officially changed its name to Interplex Holdings Ltd. The company said that the change of name was just a strategy to increase the company's brand awareness in the international market and would not change the status of the workers. Prior to the strike on Monday, Batam Free Trade Zone Authority (BPK FTZ) spokesperson Purnomo Andiantono and director of goods traffic Tri Novianta Putra led an internal meeting with the government in response to the planned strike and the company's threat to move its factory to Vietnam. They both received repeated calls from the PT Amtek general manager in Singapore, who asked whether the meeting could ensure there would be no more strike. 'PT Amtek's leader was wrathful as they are dealing with orders from their clients. If the strike continues they will not be able to accept the orders,' Purnomo told The Jakarta Post, adding that he could not yet give an assuring answer because the workers planned to continue their strike. Purnomo said that the strike was rooted in the workers' restlessness over the company's change of name from PT Amtek to Interplex. He also said that while the company had not actually planned to make any changes, other than in name, the workers worried about their status both now and in the future. 'We are still trying to encourage the workers to stop the strike but they insist on continuing,' Purnomo said. He also said that PT Amtek, through their lawyer, had informed BPK FTZ that if the workers continued with their strike on Monday, they would inform relevant parties of the closure of their factory in Batam and would move it to Vietnam. 'We are saddened by the situation. The workers should understand that if the factory is shut down they will lose their jobs,' Purnomo said on Monday. ________________________________________ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Tue, January 12, 2016 Without granting immunity to the new commission in fighting corruption, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) will experience systematic efforts of criminalization, as happened in a few countries, such as in Nigeria, where the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nuhu Ribadu, was forced to resign, because of pressure from the government. He eventually fled to the US following threats related to corruption eradication. The Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) was 'toothless' after parliament revoked its authority of investigation. In Malaysia, at the Rasuah Prevention Agency (BPR), now named the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), an investigator was shot while handling cases of corruption involving members of the Malaysian Police. In 2008, South Korean president Lee Myung-bak, a former businessman, dissolved the Korea Independent Commission Against Corruption (KICAC). He claimed the KICAC had been disturbing the relationship between the government and employers. KICAC commissioner Kim Geo-sung became a suspect. We hope that there will be no criminalization of the commission, therefore the Parliament and the government should revise the law on corruption to include a clause granting immunity to the KPK so their performance is much better and they are not preoccupied with the issue of criminalization, which requires energy and can cause a national political commotion that will result in a stagnation of national corruption eradication. Agus Riewanto Surakarta Nicht Ihr Computer? Dann konnen Sie fur die Anmeldung ein Fenster zum privaten Surfen offnen. Weitere Informationen (Illustration: Liu Rui/GT) Last year was a significant one for China and Europe as it marked the 40th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations. Along with this symbolism both sides made specific steps to boost their cooperation including the participation of several powerful European countries in the newly founded Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. This might be an even more important year for Sino-European relations. But that depends on whether the EU will grant China Market Economy Status (MES). According to the Chinese WTO Accession Protocol of 2001, the Non-Market Economy (NME) status of the country will expire on December 11th. This will possibly result in a legal obligation to give the country MES in the aftermath of this date. The issue remains controversial in the US and EU. Washington is highly critical while the majority of European states are positive predisposed. Within this framework, as is often happened in recent decades, the US is exerting pressure on the EU to avoid granting China MES. The Financial Times, for instance, recently published an article describing this pressure as a warning message. Washington traditionally views Beijing's ambitions suspiciously. Taking into account that the achievement of MES has been a core strategic interest of the latter for years, the former is rather hesitant, especially in a period when the critical deadline is approaching. Further to this, the US presidential election of this November leads some politicians to exaggerate and expand their criticism on "hot issues" such as China. Some of them believe they can be more vocal and gain public support by emphasizing their view against the country's potential MES. The flagship of US opposition to the matter is a study conducted by the Economic Policy Institute. This report associates Beijing acquiring MES after December 11 with economic catastrophe for Europe. In particular, it concludes that between 1.7 and 3.5 million EU jobs will be at risk. The argumentation is principally based on the concern of some industries about serious repercussions. Europe, they fear, might be unable to impose tariffs on cheap products coming from China while already existing cases at the WTO level will be settled in favor of Chinese companies. Italy is one of the European countries agreeing with US skepticism and actively lobbying in Brussels to deny Beijing MES. But an in-depth study published by the European Parliament last month downplays catastrophic scenarios for Europe. Specifically, it asserts that "the economic implications of granting China MES may be positive for certain sectors of the economy and negative for others [and that] no full-fledged impact assessment has yet been carried out." In other words, the study denotes that the EU has to elaborate more on how it could benefit by China's MES in the future. Additionally, there are some European researchers such as David Kleimann and Sophia Muller who not only consider "bad politics" denying Beijing MES but also employ alternative models for Brussels to enhance its trade policy when abandoning anti-dumping measures. Within this framework, the general political temper in the EU is to back China's MES in spite of the disagreement of a few member states. A few months ago the European Commission had informally briefed the media that "it would be unwise not to grant market-economy treatment to China." On the same wavelength, German Chancellor Angela Merkel favors such a development in principle. Britain holds the same opinion. France is not prepared to express any objection. For the EU to back China's MES does not mean that it ignores technical parameters of the ongoing process. Brussels is in regular contact with Beijing for it to fulfill the necessary criteria and continue its reform policy. The European approach, however, is shaped by political realism. The EU counts on its strategic partnership with China in a period which sees many Chinese companies participate in ongoing privatizations and Chinese banks contribute to Jean Claude Juncker's new investment plan. The number of jobs that can be created through this deep cooperation cannot be ignored. Europe faces the challenge of defying US guidance and show to the outside world that it is able to make important decisions alone. In the past year or two, the Lower East Sides robust nightlife scene has gradually drifted down below Canal Street. At last nights meeting of Community Board 3s State Liquor Authority (SLA) Committee, residents showed up to voice concerns about what they see as a threat to one of the last uncharted areas in all of Manhattan. The panel ultimately approved a proposal from the Forgtmenot/Kikis team to open up a new Southern European establishment at 49 Monroe St. (near Market Street). The fact that these two Division Street spots are seen as community-oriented and unusually responsive to neighbors pushed the application over the top. But there was still a spirited conversation of the potential impact in the Two Bridges neighborhood. The restaurant will cover the first floor, plus the mezzanine, and include 22 tables and a u-shaped, 40-foot bar. Last nights presentation was led by co-owner Paul Sierros, who said the building would be fully soundproofed. The team received key support from Emma Culbert, head of the SPaCE Block Association. She lives on Division Street, where Forgtmenot opened in 2012 and Kikis debuted last year. Speaking of the owners, Culbert said. They have been nothing but accommodating. The staff, she said, is incredibly diligent about keeping noise to a minimum and dealing with late night crowds. Pamela Yeh of the Orchard Street Block Association also acknowledged that the existing businesses are run responsibly. But she challenged representations about the buildings certificate of occupancy allowing 110 people; (CB3s district manager said her research found Sierros plan is legal.) Another local resident, a man who lives at 41 Monroe St., said he welcomed the new venue because the area is dangerous after dark and the block would benefit from a nighttime business. But others argued that the location, across from the Coleman Skatepark and a recreational area, is an inappropriate spot for a restaurant serving liquor. A few people mentioned the sceney bar, Mr. Fongs, which opened last summer and began attracting large crowds almost from the start. Locals, some of them residents of nearby Knickerbocker Village, said they were speaking for Chinese neighbors and seniors who fear going public with their concerns. Do not mistake silence for support, one speaker asserted. The area is diverse, low-income, working class This is not the kind of community where people need a place to get drunk at 1 a.m. Sierros said people waiting for tables would not congregate outside. He also pointed out that the block is not exactly tranquil. One of the reasons hes soundproofing the building is that the train rumbles across the Manhattan Bridge every two minutes. At the request of the committee, he agreed to close on weekends by 1 a.m. (the application proposed a 1:30 a.m. closing time. A new plan for the old Winnies space (104 Bayard St.) Longtime Chinatown residents came out last night to protest a plan from the team behind the popular Orchard Street cafe, Dudleys, to open a second restaurant on Bayard Street. While the owners said they were trying to honor the previous establishment, Chinatown mainstay Winnies, locals called their plan an insult. The partners applying for a full bar (and a 4 a.m. closing time) were listed as: Mateusz Lilpop, Ben dos Remedios and Gerardo and William Davidson. Winnies, known for its karaoke and very diverse crowd, was forced to close after 28 years when the owner was unable to negotiate a new lease with her landlord. The new team said they wanted to keep the old name and the karaoke as an homage to the original spot, while adding an innovative menu; the chef from El Rey on Stanton Street has been hired to run the kitchen. But many of last nights speakers were unimpressed. One lifelong resident of Mulberry Street said hes tired of the late night crowds coming in from other neighborhoods, of the taxis lined up, of the public urination, etc. Others said they were offended by the use of Winnies name. Community Board 3 member Karlin Chan submitted a letter from Winnie, who was sitting in the audience. A 4 a.m. karaoke bar should set off alarm bells for everyone, he argued. This concept does not fit the culture of the neighborhood. You cant just take someone elses brand. Another speaker said, We dont need another hipster bar in Chinatown We dont need privileged and entitled people exploiting our neighborhood. The applicants, however, received an important vote of confidence from Andrew Chase, co-owner of Orchard Streets Cafe Katja (Chase is a public member of the SLA Committee). He said Dudleys has a very subdued clientele and that the owners do a good job of handling crowds. I feel they are sensitive to the neighbors, said Chase. In the end, committee member Carol Kostik acknowledged the concerns local residents expressed about gentrification. But she added, Im not sure were the arbiters of ethnic purity in the neighborhood. The team agreed to drop the Winnies name, to cut back their weekend closing time to 2 a.m. and to serve a full food menu during all operating hours. There was more news from the committee last night. Jerome Barnas won approval for his new cafe at 26 Canal St. (at Rutgers Street). The proposal was supported by the SPaCE Block Association. The cafe will open at 7 a.m. daily, offering coffee and an all-day menu. Closing time on weekends is 1 a.m. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei is seen at a daily news briefing on Monday, Jan 11, 2016. [Photo/fmprc.gov.cn] China is playing a more active role in hot regional issues, as the first round of four-party talks on Afghanistan was held in Islamabad on Monday. The meeting came one day after Vice-Foreign Minister Zhang Ming returned from a Middle East mediation trip following the abrupt breaking of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily news briefing on Monday that Zhang had told the two countries to "stay calm and restrained" and ease the tension. He said the first meeting of the Quadrilateral Coordination Committee to solve the Afghan issue sought to "create favorable conditions to push forward an Afghan reconciliation process" led by the Afghan people. "China is willing to continue playing a constructive role" in the process based on respect for Afghanistan's sovereignty and the will of various parties." Chinese special envoy for Afghanistan Deng Xijun is leading the Chinese delegation in the talks, also attended by senior officials from Afghanistan, the United States and Pakistan. Niu Xinchun, director of the Institute of Middle East Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said China seems to be playing a bigger role in hot regional issues as its overseas interests increase and responsibilities as a global power grow. Pakistan's Senate Defence Committee Chairman Mushahid Hussain Sayed said China's presence at the four-party talks is critical and that Beijing is playing a unique role. Dong Manyuan, vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said, "Afghanistan is an important neighbor of China, and Beijing expects to see a peaceful and stable Afghanistan." The talks are intended to explore options to revive the stalled dialogue between Kabul and the Taliban, according to diplomatic sources. The first peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban, which the US and China attended as observers, were held in Pakistan in July but became deadlocked after the death of former Taliban leader Mullah Omar was confirmed. 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Ma Ying, one of the announcers, declared the initiative very sensible, given the sizable Chinese community living in Hungary. 18 people injured,including Chinese tourists, in bus crash off Phuket PHUKET: 18 people were injured, including a number of Chinese tourists, when the bus they were travelling on crashed on Phetkasem Rd in Phang-nga last night (Jan 11). Police are still investigating to find the cause of the accident. transportaccidentsChinese By Eakkapop Thongtub Tuesday 12 January 2016, 10:39AM The bus was taking Chinese tourists to Krabi airport when it crashed and flipped on Phetkasem Rd in Phang-nga. Takua Thung police, Phang-nga Governor Phagpong Tawiphat and more than seven units of local rescue workers were called to the scene of the crash at the Pakchang bend on the southbound side of Phetkasem Rd (Phang Nga-Phuket route) in Krasom sub-district where a double-decker bus carrying Chinese tourists had crashed and and flipped on its side. It was reported that 18 people had been injured in the crash. The bus driver, 34-year-old Suriyon Tanjaroenrat from Phuket and a Thai guide named as Ms Kanjana Leelawatkarn, 48, were immediately taken to Phang-nga Hospital due to injuries sustained in the crash, while rescue workers helped recover other injured passengers from the crashed vehicle before taking them to hospital. One Chinese passenger, Mr Zhang Shuai, 24, who had suffered head injuries was later transferred to Vachira Hospital. Pol Lt Sornsak Chandee said, The bus left Phuket and was heading to Krabi Airport to drop off the tourists. There were 18 people on board 16 Chinese tourists, one Thai tour guide and the Thai driver. This bend is prone to accidents as it is very sharp. Many vehicles lose control and have accidents here, he said. Gov Phagpong added, Medical staff from Phang-nga Hospital have confirmed that all passengers are recovering from their injuries in hospital. Officials are contacting the Chinese embassy and tourist rescue centre right now, he said. Police are investigating to find what caused the bus to crash and will start questioning the passengers and driver as soon as possible, he added. Russian man arrested off Phuket working as illegal tour guide PHUKET: A 22-year-old Russian man was arrested in Phang-nga yesterday (Jan 11) for working illegally as a tour guide when was caught taking 12 Russian tourists on a tour of the provinces popular Suwan Khuha cave tourist attraction. crimetourismRussian By Eakkapop Thongtub Tuesday 12 January 2016, 10:10AM 22-year-old Giorgiy Shokhadze was caught leading a group of tourists on a tour of Wat Suwan Khaha cave in Phang-nga. Phang-nga tourist police, led by Capt Kritsathon Uthong, arrested Giorgiy Shokhadze who was working a a tour guide for Anda Adventure and conducted a tour at Wat Suwan Khaha cave in Krasom sub-district in Takua Thung, Phang-nga. 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The body was found to have a severe slash wound to the neck when it was recovered. deathpolice By Darawan Naknakhon Tuesday 12 January 2016, 12:51PM The body was found floating in the sea at Ao Makham. Photo: Darawan Naknakhon Wichit police received a call from a local resident at 8:20am today stating that he had seen the body of a man floating in the sea behind Thailand Smelting and Refining Co Ltd (Thaisarco Ao Makham) in Moo 8 Wichit. Wichit Police Investigator Lt Ekkarach Chartpai and his team arrived at the scene with Moo 8 village headman Sontaya Usaha and Kusolharm rescue workers who were able to recover the body. Lt Ekkarach said The body is that of a male aged between 30-40 years old with a height of between 165-170 cm. The man had a short military style hair cut and was wearing a grey short sleeved T-shirt and black shorts. We discovered a slash wound on his neck which is about seven centimetres long. We believe he has been dead for at least three days. We have transferred that body to Vachira Hospital for doctors to determine the cause of death. he said. Local resident, Sayan Thanakanjana, 43, who spotted the body while fishing in the area told police that he saw something floating in the sea and thought it was a bin liner. When it kept floating to the area where I fished I could see that it was a dead body so I called police, Mr Sayan said. Village headman Mr Sontaya added, After looking at the body, I don't think he is from this area. No one seems to know or recognise him. Lt Ekkarach concluded, It is possible that the body is that of a member of a fishing crew who may possibly have been murdered and dumped in the sea, but whatever the case, we are investigating to find out who he is and what happened to him. Chen Han, 27, comes from Dalian city of northeast China's Liaoning province. He helped an Italian man suffering from food poisoning during his trip to Krabi, Thailand on New Year's Day. (Photo/Official Weibo of People's Daily Online) On New Year's Day, an Italian man became suddenly ill while traveling around Krabi, Thailand, and could not seek medical services due to the language barrier. His hotel neighbor, Chen Han, a 27-year-old Chinese man, helped him to see a doctor by translating the symptoms through cartoons. The Italian man expressed deep gratitude to Chen Han after he recovered. Chen Han, 27, comes from Dalian city of northeast China's Liaoning province. On the afternoon of Jan. 2, during his holiday in Krabi, Chen saw a foreign man crouched in front of his hotel room, pressing his stomach and grimacing with pain. Chen stepped forward to ask what was wrong in rudimentary English, only to find that the Italian also spoke only basic English. Chen nevertheless confirmed through pantomime that the man was sick and needed to be sent to the hospital immediately. However, since neither Chen Han nor the Italian man knew the local language, an idea occurred to Chen to describe the man's illness to doctors by drawing cartoons. Chen Han drew three scenarios to 'translate' the disease of the Italian man to doctors. (Photo/Official Weibo of People's Daily Online) Chen used pen and paper to draw three scenarios. The first one showed the change of thermometer scale rising to 37.8 degrees Celsius, indicating that the man had a fever. The second one presented a man sitting on the toilet and suffering from diarrhea four times a day. In the last scenario, the man had stomach pain after eating spoiled food. The Italian man, together with Chen, went to a local hospital and was diagnosed with food poisoning after the doctor examined him and analyzed the symptoms portrayed in Chen's cartoon. Chen Han drew two scenarios to 'translate' the recommendations of the doctor to the Italian man. (Photo/Official Weibo of People's Daily Online) The doctor wrote a prescription for the Italian man and offered some additional recommendations. Chen drew another picture of two scenarios: the first was to drink plenty of water with salt and sugar, and the second was to not to eat chicken, hamburgers or other fatty foods. The Italian man thanked Chen very profusely after he recovered. Many doctors at the hospital also spoke highly of Chen's efforts. Some people were curious about why Chen was so good at drawing. "I graduated from the Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts with a major in drawing. But I never thought that I could use this skill to directly help people. I was so happy and gained a lot through the journey," said Chen. Vietnam recently responded with outrage to Chinas inspection and test flights to the newly built airport on Yongshu Jiao in the Nansha Islands. The negative reaction, however, is groundless. With regards to the accusations, the spokesperson of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry first lodged opposition, and the director of the Vietnamese Civil Aviation Authority then said that Vietnam had sent letters of protest to China and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). In those letters, Vietnam claimed that Chinese aircraft have ignored all the rules and norms of the ICAO by flying across Vietnam's airspace over the South China Sea without providing flight plans or maintaining radio contact with Vietnam's air traffic control center, which threatens regional air safety. The letters also claimed that they had recorded 46 instances of Chinese planes flying without warning through that area from Jan. 2 to 8. China was then further shamed when the American, Japanese and other foreign media all expressed their concerns about the South China Sea situation. However, if the truth is viewed objectively, those accusations, though seemingly substantial, do not in fact hold water. First of all, it is Vietnam that did not respond to Chinas notifications. The Chinese Flight Inspection Center of the Civil Aviation Administration informed the Ho Chi Minh Flight Information Region of the flight plan and other technical information concerning China's inspection aircraft in accordance with relevant regulations and international practices on Dec. 28, 2015. However, the Vietnamese side has yet to give any response. Two days later, the Chinese side also made specific contact with Vietnamese diplomatic authorities for technical notification and explanation. All these contacts are verifiable. Even more important, China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters. The aforementioned activities fall completely within China's rights; China has every right to perform legitimate test flights. Moreover, as a major international power, China always adheres to protocol and international rules. When Vietnam deliberately neglected to respond, the Chinese government decided that the flights would be conducted by civil aircraft as state aviation activities to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the inspection and test flights. As stipulated by international law, state aviation activities, which are not bound by the Convention on International Civil Aviation and relevant ICAO regulations, are within sovereign states' independent hands to operate. Therefore, all operations carried out by the Chinese side are legal, and Vietnam has no reason to complain. Lastly, Chinas construction on the islands is intended to provide beneficial infrastructure. The airport can offer more convenient transportation for personnel exchanges, emergency aid and maritime search and rescue in the region. Vietnams actions, on the contrary, serve only to escalate tension in the South China Sea and ultimately pose a threat to regional security. What is hiding behind the groundless accusations is Vietnams intention to undermine Chinas interests. In recent years, Vietnam has repeatedly challenged Chinas bottom line on the South China Sea issue. These are serious misjudgments that have damaged China-Vietnam ties and threaten peace and stability in the South China Sea region. In order to prevent the disputes from affecting the big picture of bilateral ties, Vietnam should put an end to its unreasonable behavior. Vietnam has to realize that it is only through friendly negotiation and dispute management that the South China Sea issue can finally be resolved. The article is edited and translated from . Source: People's Daily Overseas Edition. The author is the Deputy Director of the Department for International and Strategic Studies at the China Institute of International Studies. SYDNEY, Jan. 12 (People's Daily Online) -- From 1st to 21st February 2016, BridgeClimb is re-extending an invitation to take part in a unique Chinese New Year celebration and is providing Chinese tourists an opportunity to sing Mandarin karaoke classics at the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia. BridgeClimb Climb Leader, Joanne Wu said, the Sydney Harbour Bridge is a perfect place to enjoy romance and to deeply explore the city. When visitors climb onto the top of bridge and join the Karaoke, they can not only have a great view of the whole city and harbour, but also have an authentic Sydney experience whist celebrating the Year of the Monkey by singing songs to their partner, families or friends. In recent years, BridgeClimb has continually paid efforts on Chinese markets. Compared to last year, the Karaoke Climb this year will be held in a much bigger scale and have more fun so as to cater to the growing number of Chinese tourists. This year's playlist is the result of a WeChat and Weibo competition, which has grown to include eight Mandarin songs, two Korean songs and two Japanese songs, and is teeming with love songs. The most popular Mandarin songs voted for the BridgeClimb Sydney Karaoke includes Manual of Youth by TF Boys; followed by Little Apple by Chopsticks Brothers and other well-loved songs. >>>Related: View video report in Chinese Fee for repeat offenders who don't mow grass could be increased Those who fail to keep their lawns cut are charged a $100 fee per incident for the city to cut their lawns. The council looks to increase this fee. CALGARYThe loonie fell below the 70-cent (U.S.) mark Tuesday for the first time in 13 years. In its wake, the rapidly dropping dollar is leaving a roster of winners and losers in Canada. Heres a look at who is benefiting and who is hurting: Winner: The film industry. Hollywood North, whether it is Vancouver, Toronto, or some of the up-and-coming markets like Calgary, is booming. Peter Leitch, president of North Shore Studios and chairman of the Motion Picture Production Industry Association of B.C., says American studios are increasingly heading to Canada to take advantage of the low dollar. That does make Canada one of the top choices of places to come to, said Leitch. A few years ago when it was at par, it was quite a challenge to attract business. He said the boost to the film industry is helping fill some of the gaps from the resource sector. Its a great alternative when other parts of the economy are struggling. I mean, were hiring people from the oil and gas industry to help rig some of our sets. Related: Loonie dips below 70 cents U.S. As loonie tanks, expect to pay more for fruits and veggies Low oil, commodities mean no easy fixes for economy, says Finance Minister Bill Morneau Loser: Snowbirds. Canadians planning their winter escape to the Southern U.S. will be feeling the pinch as their money wont stretch as far. Travellers are likely to cut back their trips and spend less while enjoying the warmer climes. Winner: The cattle industry. Canada exported about $1.5 billion in beef products to the U.S. last year. Brian Perillat, senior analyst at cattle market research outfit Canfax, says the high U.S. dollar has helped keep Canadian beef prices up even as the U.S. market has started to retreat. As the (Canadian) dollar goes down, it certainly helps our prices relative to the U.S., said Perillat. Basically every time the loonie drops a cent, on average our calf prices go up about five cents a pound, holding all other things consistent. Loser: Pro sports teams. If you think buying a pair of shoes in the U.S. hurts, try signing a multimillion-dollar contract with an NHL, NBA or Major League Baseball star. Winner: Tourism. Canadas tourist hot spots are getting a boost from Americans heading north of the border as well as Canadians opting to take so-called staycations. Weve got a lot of drive traffic coming across the border, said Sarah Morden, a spokeswoman for B.C. ski resort Whistler Blackcomb. Its just kind of a no-brainer really. Were not that far from Washington state and weve got great snow and a low Canadian dollar. The Conference Board of Canada says overnight travel from the U.S. increased about seven per cent last year and is expected to rise another 3.3 per cent this year. Loser: Consumers. Be prepared to pay more for anything imported, including food. The University of Guelphs Food Institute estimates the average Canadian household spent an additional $325 on food in 2015 and is expected see an additional increase of about $345 this year because of the low dollar. Winner: The mining sector. Vancouver mining company Teck Resources credits the low Canadian dollar for helping the company weather the downturn in commodity prices, with the company able to sell its copper and coal at U.S. prices while pay operating costs in Canadian. SHARE: A beloved Canadian literary heroine is getting a 21st-century TV makeover. CBC has greenlit a new series based on Lucy Maud Montgomerys Anne of Green Gables. But while Anne will follow a similar storyline to the book about an orphan in the late 1800s who transforms the lives of the elderly brother and sister she comes to live with in Prince Edward Island, the series will also chart new territory. Anne and the rest of the characters in and around Green Gables will experience new adventures reflecting timeless issues, including themes of identity, sexism, bullying, prejudice and trusting ones self, CBC said in a news release. The show is the brainchild of producer Miranda de Pencier, the Torontonian behind the Alberta-set drama Wild Roses also known for producing the 2003 movie Beginners, which won Christopher Plummer an Oscar. De Pencier brought the idea to Moira Walley-Beckett, a fellow Canadian who was a writer and producer on Breaking Bad and created the Golden Globe-nominated ballet drama Flesh and Bone. Theyre teaming with U.K.-based producers Alison Owen (Temple Grandin) and Debra Hayward (Pride and Prejudice) of Monumental Pictures. Annes issues are contemporary issues: feminism, prejudice, bullying and a desire to belong, Walley-Beckett said in the news release. The stakes are high and her emotional journey is tumultuous. Moira has found a way to make this classic heroine . . . feel wonderfully fresh and modern, added de Pencier. CBC has ordered eight episodes for now, which are to begin production this spring for a 2017 debut on CBC-TV. Montgomerys book is also the source of a TV movie, Lucy Maud Montgomerys Anne of Green Gables, scheduled to air on YTV this year. It stars Toronto native Ella Ballentine as Anne, and Sara Botsford and Martin Sheen as her guardians Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. And viewers of a certain age will remember the 1985 CBC miniseries Anne of Green Gables, which starred Megan Follows and the late Colleen Dewhurst, Richard Farnsworth and Jonathan Crombie. SHARE: Three years ago, Lydia Pawlowsky was living the postgrad dream. After graduating from the University of Guelph in her early 20s, she landed a job at a Liberty Village start-up company and moved into an apartment right across from Trinity Bellwoods Park in one of the hippest neighbourhoods in the city. But since she didnt know anyone in Toronto besides her co-worker pool of roughly seven guys, all a decade older than her the trendy young creative was missing one big thing: Friends. That first summer, I didnt even go into Trinity Bellwoods because I didnt have anyone to hang out with there, says Pawlowsky, now 24. The struggle of finding friends is a familiar scenario many people can relate to as they age. Maybe youve moved back home after graduating university or college, or youve landed a job in a new city. Maybe all your friends are having babies and youre single, or vice versa youre the one with kids. A bit of self-consciousness can develop over time when it comes to making friends, says American psychologist Irene S. Levine, a professor of psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine. When youre young, you have no problem going over to another child and asking to be friends, Levine says. In high school and college, everybodys thrown together in similar circumstances doing the same things, at the same place, at the same time but after that, it requires more initiation. The thing is, typically, we all want and need friends. One University of Virginia study suggests were hard-wired for empathy and friendship, and mentally associate people close to us with ourselves. A decade-long Australian study found older people with a large social network were more than 20 per cent less likely to die during the study period than people with fewer friends. And, according to Harvard Medical School, dozens of studies have shown that people who have satisfying relationships with family, friends, and their community are happier, have fewer health problems, and live longer. The evidence is clear: Friends are pretty great. So how do we make new ones as we age? You schedule dentist appointments and hair dresser appointments you need to find a way to weave friends into your life, Levine says. That means setting aside time for new relationships (and the ones youve already got.) It also means joining activities youre passionate about be it a team sport, choir, book club, cooking class, you name it which could be potential sources of friends with similar interests. Clubs and organizations where people show up automatically, like your local church or a new moms group, can be particularly good for fostering friendships since youll see people regularly, says Shasta Nelson, author of Friendships Dont Just Happen! I always use affirmation to break the ice and start the conversation, adds Nelson, who also runs GirlFriendCircles.com, a womens friendship matching site in more than 60 cities, including Toronto. That means listening for something you and a potential friend have in common, and running with it. She says something about a movie, and you say Oh, its been so long since Ive been to a movie! Its trying to find something thats an extension of something youre talking about, Nelson explains. (This goes for men and women, by the way.) Levine says people also need to be more assertive. And yes, that can be scary and a bit like asking someone out on a date. But that boldness worked for Pawlowsky. She first took a part-time job at a Queen St.W. retailer in hopes of connecting with other women, which helped her meet some new friends to bring along to art shows and concerts. Honestly, since then, Ive had a lot of luck and positive experience just reaching out to people just via Twitter and Instagram, she adds. If she spots someone doing work she enjoys, or taking photos she likes, Pawlowsky says shell get in touch to tell them how much she likes their work then asks them out on a casual friend date, like grabbing coffee. Ive never had anyone turn that down, she says. And it makes sense. One thing that often holds people back is the myth that everyone already has their friends, says Levine. Nothing could be further from the truth, she says. Friendships are dynamic and changing. Just like you could be losing some friends or the nature of your friendships are changing, you have to act on the presumption that other people are in the same situation. So what are you waiting for? Go make a new friend. If someone has the same sense of humour as you on Twitter, for instance, or lives in your neighbourhood theres no reason why you shouldnt reach out to them, Pawlowsky says. Making friends as you age Life is different in every decade, and experts say your friendship-making strategies might change, too. In your 20s Youre likely still in touch with school friends or people from your hometown. But you might also be living in a new city and working in one of your first jobs. Your office is likely a fertile environment for making new friends and acquaintances. Keep in mind that most people are in the same boat so its an ideal time to make friends at various activities, clubs or social events, or through social media. In your 30s At this age, lots of people are pairing off and starting families. If youre attached, you can start linking up with people from parenting groups or other moms and dads at the playground (or tap into the social network of your partner.) If youre single or dont have kids, your strategies might be different and maybe its time to add friendship dating-style websites and apps, like GirlFriendCircles.com or Yes New Friends, to your arsenal. 40s and beyond Youll likely be part of the sandwich generation as you age, splitting time between caregiving for your parents and children. Sure, you might still make new friends, but the later decades of your life are a good time to invest in the friendships you already have. If youre coping with big life changes like retirement or a move to a new city the same principles apply from your younger years: Find people with common interests and take the plunge. Q&A with a high-tech friendship matchmaker Last year, Amy Wood launched a little website called Yes New Friends essentially a fun matchmaking service for Toronto women to expand their social circle. It was an instant hit, but the level of sign-ups were beyond what Wood could feasibly handle, and the site took a hiatus. After that, the 29-year-old, who runs a small creative agency, went back to the drawing board. Now, the redesigned website is live again, offering local women a new way to meet friends. We talked to Wood about what the site offers, and how this type of tech can help people connect. How does Yes New Friends work? Theres a simple set of questions that you answer, mostly to do with age, location, what you do for work and fun, and a few questions probing what youre looking for in a friend. All of the matches are hand-picked. A dating site, from my limited knowledge, allows you to sort of pick the people you would message. But you cant see anyones profile on Yes New Friends its meant to give you a new, weird experience by doing the matching for you. Where did the idea come from? I think it was inspired by a phenomenon a lot of people experience it is sometimes hard to make friends, particularly in Toronto. Its an idea I had, because people use online dating, so why dont people do that to make friends? It struck me as strange that it hadnt taken off as a concept. I posted on Facebook asking if people would use it, and people really responded positively. Theres a genuine, earnest interest in friendship that hasnt really been brought to the surface. Why is it so hard to make friends in Toronto? Its a huge city and theres so many of us, but I can see how people get into a social or daily routine that can be a bit isolating. Whether youre in a job and the only people you interact with are the people you work with and if theyre not your friends, then youre spending your 9-5 with people who arent your friends, and its hard to break out of that cycle. I think in Toronto at least in a lot of single lives the spare time we have where were craving social company gets filled in with dating. Has that been your experience? I feel really, really lucky to have an amazing group of friends and I feel like thats changed my life in a lot of ways. Reflecting on my history with friendships, I think Im more inspired to do that for other people. My philosophy for Yes New Friends isnt a reaction to loneliness, but if were all willing to make one new friend someone to do new activities with or gets your career or opens you up to a new world well, everyone could use one new friend. SHARE: As Toronto budget talks continue, there has been little criticism of the renewed police request for more money their $1 billion budget is the single largest line item before councillors. But when Councillor Jon Burnside heard police were moving ahead with promoting senior officers this week, he sent a letter blasting the police board. His letter comes after the board hired consultants from KPMG to examine police spending. Burnside argues promotions should be suspended until the board addresses KPMGs recommendations. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Mayor John Tory, who sits on the board, said they should be very prudent in the number of promotions given. But he said some promotions are deserved and the board has already decided to deal with them on a case-by-case basis. The Star sat down with Burnside, a former traffic cop, to ask him about the promotions and the problems with policing. Why did you write the letter? My concern is that everyone agrees we need transformational change at the police. Change obviously starts at the top. And on the heels of the KPMG report which specifically said or advised to defer any non-essential promotions, starting up the promotional process for senior officers seemed like theyre just an entrenchment of the status quo. Why write it now? Its the fact that it flies right in the face of the KPMG report. When it was made available to councillors such as myself, I was asked, Is this something that is just going to be put on the shelf. And I said, Its not if I have any control of it, no. There are big changes recommended, including getting more officers on the street and shutting down the divisions. Do you think police brass will take the recommendations seriously? If the promotional process is any indication, Id say no. Ive read the report from front to back and from what Ive seen (shutting down divisions is) probably the most controversial. Its got the most unknowns. It definitely needs to be studied more. But what I said when the report came out is, these suggestions are a result of looking at best practices elsewhere. And, love Toronto, but were not so unique that we have to do everything differently. Lets look at what other people are doing right. Lets look at what theyre doing wrong. You supported Tory during the election campaign. It seems like you have some criticism for him now as a member of the board. Do you feel disenchanted with his leadership on this issue? First of all, its a board decision. I dont know what happens behind closed doors. Obviously I was a big supporter, still am. The police, the city, everything is a very complex place. So, thats why you need councillors like myself who arent on boards to do some digging. It seems like some of the criticism falls to chair Andy Pringle as well. He did make a comment that (the KPMG report) was just a bunch of ideas, so that did concern me. I dont know what he will or wont do. I know hes a very successful business person. I know the mayor has confidence in him. So Ill give him the benefit of the doubt. But please know that I will be following up on this. You mentioned the benefit of having outside councillors, but I wonder if you have any desire to be on the police board. Its a good question. (Laughs). Um, if I can help the process, yes. Im not sure if Im better on the outside or the inside. I really would have to look at it more closely if that opportunity ever arises. Its not something Im personally pursuing. Theres been a task force struck to deal with KPMGs report. What do you think should be their first job? Before that, I think the police services board needs to assert their authority. I think just floundering around for another year isnt the way to go. I think there needs to be communication with the chief. Maybe there has. It doesnt look like thats the case. In terms of the task force, the KPMG report actually talked about short-term, medium-term and long-term. So lets get on the short-term first. I think, ultimately, you can have as many task forces as you like, but the board and city council need to start listening and we need that political will. And I have full confidence that the mayor has that political will. But we need the political will to overcome the barriers that have been put up in the past. This interview has been edited and condensed SHARE: Two men accused of an extortion scheme last year including a York Region police sergeant are suing the Peel Police Services Board and a Peel detective, alleging they were victims of a negligent and malicious investigation that violated their Charter rights and unfairly damaged their reputations. York police Sgt. Gurdip Panaich and Surjit Brar, a civilian, had their charges dropped last summer. Surjits brother, York Const. Sukhdeep Brar, is also a plaintiff in the case, because he alleges he was investigated but never charged. The trio filed a statement of claim in Ontario Superior Court on Dec. 7. None of their allegations have been proven in court. Panaich and the Brar brothers are claiming at least $1 million in damages. The lawsuit alleges that Peel Det. Robert Crane, who led the extortion investigation, ignored contradictory evidence and arrested Panaich and Surjit Brar without interviewing the men or a key witness. Crane then failed to provide disclosure to the defence during the first three court dates and was removed from the case, according to the statement of claim. The charges were dropped weeks later. The conduct of Peel Police officers, and in particular Det. Crane . . . fell well below the standard of a reasonable police officer in similar circumstances, the statement of claim alleges. Their actions were negligent, and the defendant police board is (vicariously) liable for such conduct. Peel police spokesperson, Staff Sgt. Daniel Richardson, did not respond to requests for comment. The plaintiffs lawyer said no statement of defence has been filed. The lawsuit has not been tested in court. In their statement of claim, the plaintiffs describe the events that led to arrests and charges against Surjit Brar and Panaich in March 2015. A Brampton real-estate broker named Dale Mundi was in a legal dispute with an employee, who Mundi later suspected was responsible for a website containing allegedly defamatory statements about him. In late December 2014, there was a meeting between Mundi, Surjit Brar and a man who apparently had text-message evidence that linked Mundis employee to the website, according to the statement of claim. The man was hesitant to give Mundi the evidence, fearing legal consequences, so Mundi offered $25,000 for the text message that the man could use if a lawsuit arose, the statement of claim says. Mundi and the man proposed that Surjit Brar hold the money as an independent third party. The statement of claim says that Surjit Brar then contacted Sgt. Panaich who worked with his brother in the York police to tell him about this proposal. Panaich spoke with Const. Brar and they told Surjit Brar not to get involved, according to the statement of claim. Several weeks later, however, Mundi met with Peel police Det. Crane and gave a different version of events, the statement of claim says. In his interview with police, Mundi claimed that the man with the text message had demanded $25,000 in exchange for the evidence, and that these men could get away with such extortion because of their ties to the police. Mundi did not respond to an email and phone message from the Star asking him to clarify the different stories. Four days after Mundis interview with Crane, on Feb. 24, 2015, he met again with the man who allegedly demanded $25,000 Vick Bains, who was also subject to charges that have since been withdrawn. The lawsuit claims Mundi surreptitiously recorded the meeting for Peel police, but did not obtain any incriminating evidence. Surjit Brar and Panaich were then arrested on March 5; Panaich was apprehended in his driveway, in front of his neighbours, and he was suspended from his job with York police, the lawsuit says. A week later Peel police put out a press release linking Panaich and Surjit Brar to an extortion plot, while referring to 14 firearms-related charges against a man named Rajkanwar Mangat. The lawsuit states that Mangat was arrested on Feb. 2, and that his charges stemmed from an unrelated investigation. Const. Brar was never penalized at work because of the investigation, while Panaich has been fully reinstated as a platoon sergeant, York police Const. Andy Pattenden told the Star. Any time a police officer is charged its bound to get media coverage, so police better be sure, Panaich told the Star on Monday. Why would you not take your time to investigate properly? What was the rush? The plaintiffs lawyer, Jonathan Schachter, said the way Peel police handled and publicized the case is troubling and raises very serious issues. This case is about ensuring that police use their resources to solve real crimes, rather than to destroy the reputations of innocent people, he said. The lawsuit also states that Mundi was initially told by Peel police that his complaint was a civil matter, but that the day before he was first interviewed by Det. Crane, Brampton Coun. Gurpreet Dhillon stepped in on his behalf and asked Mayor Linda Jeffrey who sits on the Peel police board to push for a criminal investigation. In an email, Dhillon said he wont discuss a constituents private matters, but acknowledged that he was approached by Mundi and passed along the concerns to the mayor. Jeffreys spokesperson, Jim Schembri, confirmed the mayor forwarded Dhillons information to the Peel police chief. Schembri said the mayor wouldnt discuss the lawsuit because shes a member of the Peel police board and the matter is before the courts. Sgt. Panaich said he has filed a complaint against Peel police with the provinces Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) and that an investigation is ongoing. SHARE: BEIRUTThe first trucks from a convoy carrying food and medical aid entered the besieged Syrian town of Madaya on Monday, a Red Cross official on the scene said, amid a growing international outcry over the increasing number of deaths from malnutrition there. Madaya, along with neighbouring Zabadani, is besieged by pro-government forces including the Lebanese militia group Hezbollah. The aid shipment there was being co-ordinated with a similar delivery to the northern Syrian towns of Fouaa and Kfarya in Idlib province, which are surrounded by Syrian insurgent groups. After a last-minute flurry of negotiations as the convoys idled at the entrances to the towns, trucks and SUVs began rolling in, Pawel Krzysiek, a spokesman for the Syria branch of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said by text message from Madaya. Unloading was expected to last through the night, he said on Twitter. Crowds of hungry kids around, Sajjad Malik, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees representative for Syria, said in a text message released by the agency. Its heartbreaking to see so many hungry people. Its cold and raining, but there is excitement because we are here with food and blankets. By late Monday night, four trucks had entered Madaya, according to the UN, with dozens more expected to enter over the coming days. The organization said trucks also began to enter Fouaa and Kfarya, but without specifying how many arrived. The Hezbollah media office said that three trucks had entered Fouaa by evening. Khaled Mohammad, a nurse anesthetist working in a clinic in Madaya supported by Doctors Without Borders, said weak and collapsing patients continued to pour into the health centre as people gathered to receive the aid, which he said included fava beans, sugar, hummus, rice and canned tomatoes. UN officials said that oil and lentils, as well as blankets, were also included in the shipments and that additional convoys to the three towns are scheduled to bring diapers, winter clothes and jerry cans of water in the coming days. Despite the arrival of the aid, and plans for new peace talks on Jan. 25 in Geneva, spasms of violence continued on Monday, with an airstrike on a school killing at least a dozen children. UN diplomats and international aid officials welcomed news of the delivery, but coupled it with a plea for unimpeded access as international law requires. They said there was no reassurance that aid recipients would get more relief in a month, when the rations delivered Monday will be exhausted. One convoy will not solve the problem, said Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, when asked about the delivery at a press briefing at the organizations New York headquarters. For months, aid to Madaya and Zabadani has been the subject of delicate negotiations toward an agreement known as the four-towns pact. Under the agreement, some aid was delivered in October, and last month, several hundred wounded fighters and their families were evacuated. Since then, plans for more aid and evacuations have stalled, and malnutrition has worsened in Madaya, where, according to interviews with a dozen residents as well as with humanitarian workers assisting a clinic there, people have been collapsing of hunger as they try to subsist on things like grass soup. Madaya is controlled by Syrian insurgents, mainly affiliated with an Islamist group called Ahrar al-Sham, which has been the main interlocutor with Hezbollah and its patron Iran in talks to reach ceasefires to help the towns. Five people died of suspected malnutrition in Madaya on Sunday alone, bringing the total since the beginning of December to 28, medics at a clinic supported by Doctors Without Borders said. Nisrine, a teacher trapped in Madaya who for safety reasons asked that her surname not be used, said that she and her son, Abdullah, 10, were waiting eagerly for the aid but that she was sure it would not last long. I feel like someone who is drowning and finds a small wooden stick, she said in a telephone interview, adding that some people were too weak to walk to the distribution point and that she was worried that if the aid took a day to distribute, some could die in the interim. People are exhausted, she said. They cant even go to wait for the trucks. Theres not much time. The food should be distributed today. The siege in Madaya, which is surrounded by landmines, snipers and barbed wire, is only the latest that Syrians have endured despite UN Security Council resolutions insisting on the unconditional delivery of aid across front lines. The UN said that 400,000 Syrians are in besieged areas or in areas that are hard to reach, with the largest number, 200,000, trapped by Islamic State militants in the east. Nearly 200,000 are penned in by the government and allied forces and several thousand more by Syrian insurgent groups, mainly in Fouaa and Kfarya. The convoys on Monday included deliveries from UNICEF and the World Food Program, along with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, the local Red Cross affiliate that takes part in all international aid convoys in Syria. The World Food Program has said it planned to bring enough food to feed 40,000 in Madaya and 20,000 in Fouaa and Kfarya for a month. At the UN, British ambassador Matthew Rycroft issued a statement Monday, demanding stronger international action to ensure delivery of aid to the needy in Syria, especially those trapped behind front lines. The international community cannot stand by in silence while humanitarian access in Syria continues to be denied, he said. The people in Madaya represent only 10 per cent of the people in besieged areas and 1 per cent of the people in hard-to-reach areas in Syria. Rycroft placed blame for the Madaya situation on a six-month siege by the Syrian government of President Bashar Assad and on Hezbollah, its ally. On Monday afternoon, the Syrian ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar al-Jaafari, denounced what he called efforts to defame his government with reports of starvation deaths in Madaya. He offered two seemingly contradictory explanations. He said the images were fabricated, citing a photograph of one child who he said was Lebanese, not Syrian. He also said aid delivered to Madaya had been stolen by terrorist groups and sold to civilians at prices they could not afford. Terrorists are stealing humanitarian assistance, al-Jaafari told reporters outside the Security Council chambers, as diplomats gathered for a closed-door briefing on aid access in Syria. Hezbollah, in statements last week, placed blame for starvation in Madaya on insurgent forces hoarding food. The statements also accused the insurgents of not allowing civilians to leave, and using them as human shields. The air attack, or attacks, that killed the school children occurred in the insurgent-held Ankara district of Aleppo in northern Syria. According to many reports, at least 12 children were killed and 20 students and teachers wounded by an airstrike in a government-held district of the divided city. Activists said three children were reported killed by insurgent mortars. Mohamed Mostapha, the head of the Aleppo education directorate, told Halab Today TV that at least 20 people had died, most of them children, with dozens wounded. Syrian opposition politicians and activists said Russian warplanes had carried out the airstrike. In France, Riad Hijab, the oppositions negotiations co-ordinator, said the airstrike cast doubt on prospects for talks. We do not want to go to negotiations that are condemned to failure before they start. We need to create the right climate, Hijab, a former prime minister who defected in 2012, said, according to news agencies. How could we negotiate when the Syrian people are dying? Each day there are massacres. Nisrine, the teacher in Madaya, said she had seen a 41-day-old baby, Omar al-Shimali, who looked like a chicken from hunger. His mother is trying to breast feed him, but no milk, she said. Nisrine said that her son, Abdullah, fell asleep before he received any food. he got tired and disappointed while waiting, the trucks arrived so late, she said. Read more about: SHARE: MEXICO CITYLittle has gone right for Mexicos beleaguered president, Enrique Pena Nieto, since he tweeted to the world Friday that his top security forces had recaptured the worlds most-wanted drug lord. While the arrest has partly helped salvage the embarrassment of Julys humiliating escape, its raised new questions for a president whose popularity suffered from a succession of scandals and a sputtering economy. On Saturday, just hours after the shootout that led to the arrest of Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, actor Sean Penn said he covertly interviewed the kingpin in a mountain jungle of northern Mexico three months ago, a revelation that raised concerns about the governments handling of the manhunt. Mexico on Sunday informed Guzman that its taking steps to extradite him to the United States, a move that, while reducing the risk that he escapes for a third time, would also go against their own previous pledges to hold him in Mexico as a matter of national sovereignty. Implicit in that decision is the doubt that they can successfully hold him, says Andrew Selee, executive vice president of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. This is not a mission accomplished, said Vanda Felbab- Brown, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, quoting the words that Pena Nieto had used when announcing the news on Friday. This is just a sliver of the massive problems of criminal violence in Mexico. More than 150,000 people have been killed in Mexico since the nation began its war on drug cartels in December 2006, and about 26,000 have gone missing, according to the United Nations. Felbab-Brown said Penns October meeting with Guzman represented a major problem if Mexico only found out about it after the actor flew in. Security officials have told the media the encounter helped lead them to a rural part of Durango state in October, where they attacked but failed to capture Guzman. Local media reports on Monday suggested Mexicos government at a minimum was aware of Penns meeting with Guzman. Newspaper El Universal published 10 photos taken from afar that appear to show Penn and actress Kate del Castillo, who arranged the actors meeting with Guzman, arriving at an airport, then a hotel, and later with men who took them to meet Guzman in a Durango jungle. The newspaper said the images were from a government intelligence file that it acquired. Penn is under investigation for the Rolling Stone magazine interview and Kate del Castillo, the Mexican actress whom Penn says helped arrange the meeting, is also being investigated. Penn spoke with Guzman for seven hours and had followup interviews by phone and video, according to his story published Saturday in Rolling Stone. Pena Nietos approval rating suffered after Guzman escaped from prison for a second time in July and now stands at 46 per cent, according to polling agency GEA-ISA. His image also took a hit in 2014 after the disappearance of 43 teaching students and the emergence of conflict-of-interest accusations regarding homes that his wife and his finance minister bought from a government contractor. In August, the president, his wife and finance minister were cleared of favouritism by the countrys public comptroller. Mexicos weak justice system will again be put to the test as the extradition process pledged by the government gets under way, according to Mike Vigil, a retired head of international operations for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Guzmans attorney now has three days to present appeals against extraditing him and 20 days to provide supporting arguments. The extradition process faces risks including drawn-out legal proceedings in which court injunctions lead to years of delays, Vigil said. Mexican courts may also be vulnerable to intimidation by either Guzman or federal authorities, he said. Penn wrote that Alfredo Guzman, the kingpins son, drove him to see Chapo. Their vehicle passed through a military checkpoint, where two uniformed soldiers appeared to recognize Alfredo and wave them through, after which they drove several more hours to reach the capos hideout. The drug lord told Penn that after escaping in July he saw his mother often, and bragged that he had a fleet of submarines, boats and airplanes that he that allowed him to supply more heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana than anyone else in the world. Penn also wrote that he felt the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Mexican government were tracking his movements. Guzman was first caught in Guatemala in 1993 and extradited to Mexico. After his dramatic capture Friday, hes been returned to the same prison he escaped from last July his second escape from Mexican custody. Guzmans capture deserves praise, even as the government needs to do far more to improve rule of law, says Andrew Selee, executive vice president of the Woodrow Wilson Center. The Mexican government has gotten really good at going after leaders of criminal organizations, Selee said. The problem is the rest of the criminal justice system hasnt evolved in the same way. Read more about: SHARE: Sean Penn: Foreign Correspondent. Doubtless hell play that role more convincingly in the movie than in real life. And just as doubtlessly there will be a movie, likely a hit, which the two-time Oscar winner hasnt had in almost a decade. Written by Sean Penn. Directed by Sean Penn. Starring Sean Penn. A vanity project, culmination of a legendary Mexican outlaws vainglory, mythologized and defanged by an actor-activist Zelig whos crafted a sideline persona as citizen-journalist, sob-brother to reviled international figures. Suggested twist: Casting another actor to play the actor while reserving the El Chapo character for himself. Then he can put words in the mouth of the Mexican narcotics kingpin words that Joaquin Guzman Loera never actually spoke in his unrevealing answers to the embarrassingly lame questions put to the now-recaptured drug trafficker by Penn in a via-video Q & A, which was the anticlimactic upshot of all that clandestine manoeuvring to Get Shorty. (El Chapo means shorty.) What Penn got, inadvertently, was Guzman arrested following a pre-dawn shootout last Friday, almost simultaneous timing youd kill for with the online publication of the 10,000-word article he wrote for Rolling Stone magazine, a tortuous piece of self-aggrandizing, largely stream-of-conscience prose that has drawn widespread derision on social media and the tut-tutting of journalism tall foreheads. Tweeters have been having a jolly time riffing off the hashtag #NoSeanPenndejos, a play on the actors name that roughly translates as dont be a jerk. As Penn suspected, Mexican agents had surveillance eyes-on from the moment he landed in Mexico last October with the actress and crucial go-between Kate del Castillo. It was through del Castillos monitored communications, according to Mexican officials, that intelligence pluckers drew a bead on the Guzman intermediary whod facilitated the interview and accompanied the guests on an arduous trek to the village redoubt of the worlds most wanted fugitive. I search the skies for helicopters, writes Penn. I see no spying eyes but I assume they are there. Roger that, Sean. Bunch of amateurs up against sophisticated surveillance pros following the bread crumbs that Penn dimwittedly left behind. Mexican newspaper El Universal on Monday published 10 photos of Penns arrival at the airport. Tuesday, government officials released dramatic video of the raid, Guzman scuttling away in underground tunnels but caught mere hours later. The entire escapade is too lengthy to recount here some of us dont have the luxury of 10,000 words to drop in asides about tequila farts and casting a loving glance to ones penis while urinating. But from that initial only, as it turned out face-to-face meeting with Guzman, Penn drew the meat of his rendezvous with one of the most brutal and murderous drug entrepreneurs on the planet. To his credit, Penn got more up close and personal with El Chapo than any outsider has, apart from the law-enforcement community that had twice before nailed Guzman, only to lose him in notorious prison escapes. To his discredit, Penn puffballed his subject and was palpably charmed by the thug, burnishing his desperado myth while almost completely ignoring the carnage wrought by Guzmans Sinaloa cartel responsible, officials claim, for half the 120,000 whove died in the past decade alone. Included in that figure are some 60 journalists whove either been killed or disappeared because they didnt have celebrity entree. Beating up on Penn for his naive and self-indulgent foray into cloak-and-dagger journalism is like whacking a pinata with a stick. In fact, though a meandering mess, the Rolling Stone file makes for compelling reading. If thats the basic objective of any long-form story, then Penn has succeeded. The piece needed more polishing and less Penn but thats a common failing of first-person journalism. It took cojones for Penn to embark on his quixotic, self-financed, storytelling mission. He was no objective reporter, yet that too is a trait of the polemical strain which infuses advocacy journalism. So Penn isnt necessarily an outlier of the profession that hes repeatedly embraced over the years: the dilettante who mooched cigarettes during his pre-war boots-on-the-ground excursion to Iraq in 2002 after paying for full-page ads excoriating President George Bush in the Washington Post and New York Times; his look-see parachuting into Iran a year later, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle; his one-on-one with nutbar Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, whom he venerated, for The Nation; his showboating movie-star-to-the-rescue descent on New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina (where our paths crossed) and his continuing humanitarian projects in Haiti. Indeed, Penn was hosting a fundraiser in Beverly Hills for his Haiti charity on Saturday when news broke that Guzman had been recaptured. Penn attended that event holding hands with ex-wife Madonna, prompting rumours the couple had got together again. With the face-lifted Madonna looking so different than she had at the time of their marriage, its almost like dating an entirely different woman. Penn may be a dabbler, inserting himself into the zeitgeist of profound events as if it were all one special effects Hollywood blockbuster after another but I dont think hes a fraud, whether you agree or disagree with his view of things. Hes being crucified by plenty of full-time journos and J-school academics for allowing Guzman to vet his story before it was published, though the blame for such a core no-no more rightly rests with Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner, whose magazine is trying to recover from the debacle of a fulsomely reported gang rape at the University of Virginia that never happened. Take it from me: While media mooks endlessly talk a good game about journalistic integrity, accommodation is hardly unknown in the business, most often by running quotes past an interviewed subject. Thats hardly pre-approval but it comes close enough that those who know better should get off their high horse. And Guzman was one hell of a get for the Tinseltown hellraiser. As Vice correspondent Danny Gold wrote yesterday: Never a fan of Penns journalism. But me and every other journo would have compromised a whole lot more to get an interview with El Chapo. Anyone else who says otherwise is lying. In any event, Guzman didnt request any changes, according to Wenner. Penns only public comments about the whole controversy since the story broke were made Monday to Associated Press. At the suggestion that there were more than a few envious journalists out here, he responded via email: True dat. I admit my envy. But I would have written it better. Thats my vanity talking. Rosie DiManno usually appears Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Read more about: SHARE: Construction boss Vadim Kazenelson showed scant concern for the safety of his crew when he let six of them climb onto a scaffold to fix balconies at a Toronto apartment building on Christmas Eve of 2009 without enough properly secured safety harnesses. When the scaffold gave way, four workers plunged 13 storeys to their deaths and another was grievously injured. Only one emerged unscathed. He was wearing a fully anchored safety line. Torontonians were appalled by the deaths and were left wondering how the system failed these men, and what justice their families might hope for. Now, six long years later, the courts have finally rendered their judgment. Justice Ian MacDonnell has just handed down a historic and appropriately tough penalty, sending Kazenelson, who was a project manager for Metron Construction, to prison for three and a half years for criminal negligence causing death and bodily harm. Ontario Federation of Labour President Chris Buckley hailed the judgment, saying its the first time a supervisor has been jailed for the death of a worker on the job. The message is: If you kill a worker, you will go to jail, Buckley says. Or at least run the risk. Indeed, Justice MacDonnell has put reckless employers and supervisors across the province, and the country, on blunt notice: Bosses are accountable, and workers deaths cant be factored in as just another cost of doing business. Canadas Criminal Code was toughened in 2004 after the Westray Mine disaster of 1992 that killed 26 Nova Scotia miners. Employers and supervisors can now be held criminally responsible for not taking reasonable measures to prevent workers from being killed or hurt on the job. That matters. While most employers take their duty of care seriously, Ontario has seen no fewer than 741 workers die in work-related traumatic incidents in the past decade, according to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. Workplace safety is still very much an issue in this province. Far too many such accidents are preventable. In convicting Kazenelson, who is appealing the sentence, Justice MacDonnell found he had showed wanton and reckless disregard for the lives and safety of the workers. In the judges view, the risk of serious harm was foreseeable. If Kazenelson had taken steps to ensure that each of the workers was tied off to a lifeline before boarding the swing stage, none of them would have fallen to the ground when the stage collapsed. In effect, Kazenelson decided to take a chance because Metron had an interest in keeping the work going, the judge said at sentencing. In imposing what he described as a significant term of imprisonment, the judge noted it is necessary to reflect the terrible consequences. Nor did the judge have much time for arguments that the workers had voluntarily accepted dangerous working conditions. Rather, Kazenelson had a duty to ensure their safety. If he had, Alesandrs Bondarevs, Aleksey Blumberg, Vladimir Korostin and Fayzullo Fazilov would not have fallen to their deaths, and Dilshod Marupov would not have been badly injured. As the Stars Peter Edwards and Alex Ballingall report, this case has already made history. The workers employer, Metron Construction, owned by Joel Swartz, was ordered to pay a $750,000 fine for its corporate criminal liability. And Swing N Scaff Inc., the firm that made the swing stage, was fined $350,000. The accident also prompted the Ontario government to appoint a Chief Prevention Officer whose duties include promoting safety awareness training, and standards for working at heights. Still, Justice MacDonnells decision to impose prison time carries the strongest deterrent message yet. Persons in positions of authority in potentially dangerous workplaces have a serious obligation to take all reasonable steps, he said, to ensure that those who arrive for work in the morning will make it safely back to their homes and families at the end of the day. That much good, at least, has been wrung from this tragedy. SHARE: The nation is days away from getting the ultimate lowdown on business for 2016. And when the annual "State of American Business" speech is delivered by the Godfather of corporate lobbying on Jan. 14, it will be a predictable homily if ever there was one. Thomas J. Donohue, president of the powerful U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is sure to talk about issues such as regulation (which is bad) and litigation (which is good when he and his members do it, bad when you and I do it). If time permits, he may even touch on coal and nuclear energy (both good). Or a contentious proposal to require stockbrokers to put their clients' interests ahead of their own (very, very bad). It takes some fancy footwork to espouse the sometimes conflicting philosophies the Chamber promotes, but North America's most feared, honored and ridiculed corporate poobahs are masters at pushing their agenda with a straight face. We are talking, of course, of the Washington, D.C.-based national lobbying group, and not of the local chambers scattered across the country that don't always agree with the national group's extreme positions. The Chamber's press office did not respond to emailed questions other than to say it would not provide an advance copy of Donohue's speech. I don't mean to pick on the U.S. Chamber because its antics can sometimes be pretty entertaining. In December, the group published a list of 2015's most ridiculous lawsuits. I have to admit the one about the California woman who used a photo from the Internet as evidence she'd received second-degree coffee burns at a McDonald's drive-through was totally over the top. There was also the New York woman whose wrist was broken when her 8-year-old nephew leaped into her arms when she arrived at his Connecticut birthday party. Sadly, the tyke's embrace knocked Auntie to the floor, resulting in two surgeries. She sued the kid for $127,000. Those examples from the Chamber's FacesofLawsuitAbuse project are pretty darn funny -- or outrageous, depending on your mood and political leanings. But American business's most ferocious lobbyist is deadly serious when it comes to wagging its finger about the menace of frivolous lawsuits. Never mind that Donohue boasted in last year's speech that the Chamber itself would be "extremely busy in the courts," using legal action to defend the rights of business and stop what he considers government abuse. The Chamber's Litigation Center filed a record number of briefs in 2014, he said, predicting it would best that record in 2015. You might think the group would restrict itself to sotto voce conversation about the amount of paper it files in state and federal courthouses considering its passionate stance against people who clog up the judicial system. But we are talking about the rich and the powerful here, and people who revolve in the Chamber's orbit have a knack for stating the implausible with authority. Or perhaps we are meant to believe the Chamber, in its righteousness, would never take a court's time on a frivolous matter. Either way, there are curious examples of the Chamber demanding one system of justice for its members and another for the general public. It has, for instance, slammed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for sometimes pursuing violators of securities law in the comfort of its in-house courts rather than try the cases in the public courts. There are "substantial differences" in the processes used in the two forums, the Chamber's Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness wrote on its Web site in July. Those differences can impede the pursuit of "a full, fair and impartial adjudication," according to the Chamber. A fix suggested by the Chamber is for the SEC to offer enforcement targets the option of having a case heard in federal district court, which sounds fair enough to me. But giving choices to litigants appears only to be fair game when it suits the Chamber and its members, who, no doubt, see advantages to using the courts if the SEC is after them, but avoiding the courts if their customers sue. I can see why they might. Arbitrators in consumer and investor cases stand to get repeat business from Chamber members and thus might be more sympathetic to corporate defendants than an SEC judge would be. Little surprise that when consumer advocates suggest the public should have the option of going to court when they file complaints -- instead of being compelled by a company to arbitrate -- the Chamber suddenly thinks it's fine to forego the due process that court provides. Arbitration gives consumers "a fairer, simpler, cheaper and faster" way to resolve disputes than litigation, wrote Chamber official Lisa Rickard in a Nov. 14 letter to the New York Times. The Chamber can be vicious. It has attacked consumer advocacy organizations such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, sued agencies such as the Environment Protection Agency and lobbied for the tobacco industry in the face of smoking's dire health consequences. Yet, it also makes a trifling effort to show itself as a good corporate citizen. Listed dead last among 11 items on its 2016 agenda is "Business for Good," a category that includes the Chamber's Center for Women in Business. The Center's efforts include a series of YouTube videos, several of which espouse the financial and other benefits that come to companies that beef up the number of women on their boards of directors. In one, the former CEO of Frontier Communications (FTR) says boards make better decisions when they have "different genders in the room." At Frontier, 41% of board members are women. At the Chamber, 13% are. The Chamber was smart to keep all that stuff about women and corporate boards at the bottom of the agenda list, where readers would be less likely to explore and perhaps raise questions. It takes a public relations beating from time to time, when high-profile companies including CVS Health (CVS) , Apple (AAPL) or Nike (NKE) sever their relationships based on the Chamber's odious positions on tobacco or the environment. Mostly, though, the Chamber gathers up boatloads of money from old-economy polluters and financial firms desperate to bully their ways out of following reasonable rules. Too often, its benefactors get exactly the results they'd hoped for. Which is why when Donohue steps to the lectern at the Chamber's Washington headquarters to map out his plan for the year ahead, he won't be saying much that we don't already know about his agenda. At heart -- if only it had one -- the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is an operation that keeps some of the worst of yesterday's Corporate America alive. LONDON (The Deal) -- European stocks roared back to life on Tuesday, with retailers including Wm. Morrison Supermarkets (MRWSY) and TescoTESO leading London higher and China closing with slight gains as the country's central bank bolstered its defense of the yuan. In London, the FTSE 100 was up 1.32% at 5,959.24, while the DAX in Frankfurt climbed 2.42% to 10,063.18 and the CAC 40 in Paris added 2.20% to 4,407.82. Earlier in the day, the Shanghai Shenzen CSI index finished another rollercoaster trading day up 0.73%, after central bankers tried to stabilize the currency and amid reports that Beijing may play a more active role in financial regulation following all the recent turmoil. In the U.K., investors didn't seem bothered by a November drop in industrial production, choosing instead to accentuate the positive by snapping up retail and other stocks. Wm. Morrison Supermarkets jumped 8.34% after reporting that same-store sales rose 0.2% in the nine weeks to Jan. 3, unexpectedly ending four years of declines. David Potts, who took over as CEO last March, said in a statement that the company is pleased with its improved performance over the Christmas period and is making progress in reducing debt. The company also reiterated that it expects underlying pretax profit in the second half to be higher than in the first half. J Sainsbury (JSAIY) was also up, gaining 2.6% after scoring the best marks in the latest report card from Kantar Worldpanel, based on the 12-week period through Jan. 3 including the key Christmas shopping season. Sainsbury was cited in the report as the best-performing of the traditional supermarkets, focusing on simple price cuts instead of complicated multi-buy deals helping to lure an additional 114,000 shoppers over the Christmas period and boost sales by 0.8% over last year. While Tesco sales fell by 2.7% over the same period, an investment in its "festive five" promotions meant it was an improvement over last month, the authors found. Tesco was among the morning's top gainers, adding 6.63%. Department store owner Debenhams (DBHSF) jumped nearly 17% on strong sales numbers over a longer period. Like-for-like sales at the department store operator rose 3.5% in the 19 weeks to Jan. 9, with a strong performance over the holidays and a "record" Christmas. Online sales also performed well, growing 12.5% over the 19 weeks and "click and collect" penetration up 45% over a year ago and accounting for 31% of online orders in the first half to date. International sales grew in line with expectations, with record Christmas trading at Denmark's Magasin du Nord. In Frankfurt, retailer Metro was also higher. The Dusseldorf-based retailer rose nearly 4% after predicting a return to sales growth this year as strong quarterly sales in its home market outweighed weak demand in Russia, where the company operates Cash & Carry wholesale food outlets for restaurants. Among other sectors, Anglo American (AAUKF) was up about 6% in London after the troubled Anglo-South African miner said it has sold its remaining Tarmac Middle East interests -- based in the United Arab Emeriates, Oman and Qatar -- to a subsidiary of France's Bouygues (BOUYF) industrial group for an undisclosed amount. Bouygues was up 1.65% in Paris. But BHP Billiton (BHP) slipped 0.31% after ratings downgrades from Barclays and by HSBC . Most Asian markets outside of China ended the day in negative territory, with the Hang Seng shedding 0.89% in Hong Kong to 19,711.76 and the Nikkei shedding 2.71% in Tokyo to 17,218.96. "Free Capital Flows Can Put Economies in a Bind" is the headline of an editorial in the Financial Times, arguing that the free flow of capital in the modern world economy has led to instability in the economies of many nations. While this may be true, going back to the old system isn't an option and there are steps governments and central banks can take to harness the power of the free flow of capital rather than get bowled over by it. Sophisticated investors are willing and able to take their funds almost where ever they want to in this twenty-first century global environment. If money can flow freely throughout the world, then economies can attract massive amounts of funds or lose massive amounts of funds over relatively short intervals of time. This puts extreme pressure on the ability of central banks and governments to stabilize their economies and produce consistent environments for their citizens. However, when "large parts of the economy are funded by foreign money, its (the central bank's) room for maneuver is limited." In other words, in this modern world, capital flows can be so large as to overwhelm the resources of any individual country. As we have seen recently in the emerging nations "In the good times, credit flows into emerging markets where its fuels local asset price bubbles.... When, years later, liquidity dries up and the hot money returns to safe havens in North America and Europe, the country is left in a mess.... There is very little the central bank can do to moderate inflows and outflows of foreign money." The free flow of capital in the world is one of the hallmarks of the last half of the twentieth century, which has become even more pronounced in the early years of the twenty-first century. Capital controls were one of the major policy conditions put forward by John Maynard Keynes in his theoretical work in the 1920s and 1930s. Capital controls was one of the foundational conditions of the Bretton Woods international financial system, to which Keynes was a major contributor. Capital controls began to fall apart in the 1950s and 1960s as world trade and expanding financial markets allowed for much greater capital flows to take place. In the United States, the Bretton Woods system was abandoned in 1971, as President Richard Nixon floated the U.S. dollar and took America off the gold standard. Great Britain did not eliminate capital controls until Margaret Thatcher got rid of them in 1979 just after taking over as Prime Minister. The free flow of capital in the world has changed things in ways that were not captured in the theoretical arguments. For one, the problems faced by the emerging nations, mentioned above, were not considered by the arguments of economists. Flexible exchange rates were seen as the mechanism that would handle the capital flows. The magnitude of the flows was not seen as an issue. The problem? As the FT editorial reads, "Unless you accept financial instability as inevitable, then, you may soon be thinking about imposing capital controls." One outgrowth of this concern is the "concept of macroprudential regulation" which the editorial calls "a cuddly version of capital controls." A movement in this direction would take the world back into more rigid efforts. Imposing capital controls is not the answer. For one thing, in this modern world, information technology is the dominant influence in the world and is becoming more so every day. In such a world, trying to contain capital flows will be basically fruitless. Second, people don't really want to put these kind of controls back in place given the global flow of people and goods, from which we all benefit. But, such a world requires changes in the way governments do business. It is going to have to change. Nations are going to have to establish more discipline over their budgets. Focus is going to have to be transferred to improving competitiveness and productivity. Education and training are going to have to become even more important in all cultures. This will not be easy. First, we need to start more dialogue and debate on the issue. Financial Markets and the Future Can't Ignore the Past Financial markets can be good predictors of the future: "Policymakers who dismiss market moves as reflecting mere speculation often make a serious mistake," writes former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers in the Financial Times in another editorial, "Heed the Fears of the Financial Markets." Summers continues: "Signals should be taken seriously when they are long lasting and coming from many markets, as with current market indications that inflation will not reach target levels within a decade in the U.S., Europe or Japan. It is especially ominous when markets fail to rally on what should be good news." Right now, the financial markets are signalling the need for governments to change the way they handle the free flow of capital and the new world economy. Summers writes about another problem: "Over the past year, about 20 percent of China's growth as reported in its official statistics has come from its financial services sector, which in now about as large relative to gross domestic product as in Britain, and Chinese debt levels are extraordinarily high. This is hardly a case of healthy or sustainable growth." What Summers does not say is that this is what has also happened in the United States as the growth of the financial sector and financial innovation took over in the last forty years of the last century. As more credit was pumped into the American economy, more of the expansion went into the financial circuit of the economy and not into the industrial circuit. As a consequence, labor productivity stagnated and economic growth became quite tepid. This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned. It looks like stocks are headed into a bear market, and in such an environment investors would be wise to consider dividend growth stocks, an often underappreciated investment category. Back in October 2015, the OECD Business Confidence Index started to roll over and head south. At the same time, the Federal Reserve was getting ready to raise rates in anticipation of an improving economy. Many voices spoke out against the premature rate increase for several technical and fundamental reasons. As if on cue, the ringing in of the new year revealed the real financial-economic-geopolitical ugliness others had seen. Now, high-profile investment gurus such as Carl Icahn and George Soros are telling investors we're headed for a repeat of 2008. Given tumbling stock markets, a shift in China's strategy, plunging oil prices (is that really a bad thing?), Vladimir Putin, increasing dollar strength (bad for U.S.-based multinational corporations and exports but a definite benefit for U.S. consumers), the continuing hairball in the Middle East and the constant fear sown by different factions, anxiety and fear do seem to be the general backdrop for the near term. Only the lonely U.S. Fed appears to be bucking the consensus of bad news. So, what should investors do if they believe the U.S. economy and financial markets are sliding back toward a potential bottomless recession? Most investors and money managers use a combination of fundamental and technical analysis to discover a "high probability" of future market direction. Many directional indicators have been developed, but once a direction has been predicted, it becomes a matter of tactics on how to position the portfolio to optimize returns and hedge risk. The Reality Shares Guard market sentiment indicator is currently showing an overall bear market with four of the 10 broad market sectors in the red and two more not far behind. On a back-tested basis, the Guard indicator successfully predicted the last two bear market cycles, in 2002 and 2008. The dismal performance of markets ringing in the new year supports the indicator forecast. However, once a direction is accepted, it's no longer the time to worry about market direction and time to think about appropriate strategies and tactics. It becomes time to consider your portfolio asset mix, allocation, balancing and hedging strategies. Portfolio design is a complex discussion, but the purpose of this article is to present an important asset class that makes a lot of sense. Investors need to be defensive by focusing on sectors and companies with strong balance sheets, earnings growth, and most importantly, a high probability of increasing dividends in the next 12 months. Investors should favor dividend growth over yield as interest rates begin to rise. The payment and growth of dividends are true signs of corporate fundamental health and are an important component of total returns for investors. Dividend Growth Stock Recommendations: Based on the Reality Shares Advisors DIVCON Ratings, dividend growth stocks in the following sectors offer the best potential for dividend growth: Industrials, Info Tech, Consumer Staples, and Consumer Discretionary. The next step in filtering the best candidates would be to use the DIVCON Ratings tool search function to check for Level 5 dividend stocks in those sectors. These selections represent the highest-probability stocks for dividend growth in the next 12 months. Of course, there are no guarantees, only probabilities; however, over the past 14 years the DIVCON model has correctly predicted dividend increases among DIVCON 5-rated stocks 96.8% of the time (from 2001 through 2015). In conclusion, we believe -- and the historical evidence supports -- a dividend growth strategy is powerful in both up and down markets. This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned. This article represents the opinion of Eric Ervin and may not represent the view of Reality Shares. Disclaimer This material is presented for general information purposes only, and does not constitute an offer to sell securities. This publication has been prepared and issued by Reality Shares Advisors, LLC ("Reality Shares"). Reality Shares makes no express or implied warranties, and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to any data included in this publication. 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This does not constitute an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any securities or funds, nor shall any securities be offered or sold to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase, or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. The information herein is not intended to predict actual results, which may differ substantially from those reflected. Investing involves risks, including possible loss of principal. Performance data quoted here represents past performance. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Other than disclosures relating to Reality Shares, the information and material contained in this publication has been obtained from sources that Reality Shares believes to be reliable, but Reality Shares does not represent or warrant that it is accurate or complete. This document contains certain performance data based on back-testing, (i.e.) simulations of performance of a strategy as if it had actually existed during a defined period of time. The results of such data presented here are for illustrative purposes only, and constitute the judgment of Reality Shares. While the information has been prepared in good faith, there are inherent limitations that recipients must consider carefully. Different models or different assumptions may yield different results. Reality Shares, Inc. keeps certain activities of its business units separate in order to preserve the independence and objectivity of their respective activities. As a result, certain business units of Reality Shares, Inc. may have information that is not available to other business units. Reality Shares, Inc. has established policies and procedures to maintain the confidentiality of certain non-public information received in connection with each analytical process. No representation is being made that any investment product will achieve performance similar to those shown. NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) are increasing by 1.52% to $58.70 in pre-market trading on Tuesday as the company plans to open 500 new stores in China this year. "We have confidence in the future of the Chinese economy, despite all the rhetoric, noise and issues," CEO Howard Schultz told the Wall Street Journal. "People are looking for reasons not to believe. I'm on the ground and I see firsthand. I am bullish." The Seattle-based coffee giant said it intends to create 10,000 jobs in China annually through 2019 as it continues to expand in the Asian nation, Reuters reports. The move comes as Starbucks has continued to grow in China, while sales have slowed for some other food companies such as Yum! Brands (YUM), which owns the Pizza Hut and KFC chains, the Journal added. TheStreet's Jim Cramer, Portfolio Manager of the Action Alerts Plus charitable trust, commented on Starbucks' expansion in China saying: "Howard Schultz is showing a commitment to China with these 500 stores a year that shows the business is exploding over there and it is amazing. Obviously the wage increases in China are giving a boost to those who drink triple vente caps like I do! That's still one more reason why we own this terrific stock for actionalertsplus.com." Starbucks operates 2,000 stores in 100 cities in China, the Journal noted. Separately, recently, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author. TheStreet Ratings has this to say about the recommendation: We rate STARBUCKS CORP as a Buy with a ratings score of A-. This is based on the convergence of positive investment measures, which should help this stock outperform the majority of stocks that we rate. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its robust revenue growth, growth in earnings per share, increase in net income, notable return on equity and good cash flow from operations. We feel its strengths outweigh the fact that the company is trading at a premium valuation based on our review of its current price compared to such things as earnings and book value. Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows: American Apparel (APPCQ) has secured unanimous support for its reorganization plan, just as an investor group has announced it is willing to make a more attractive proposal for the company. In a Monday, Jan. 11 statement, the Los Angeles retailer said all qualified voting classes had accepted the company's plan. Votes were due Thursday, court papers show. Under the terms of an amended plan, which has yet to be filed, American Apparel would receive an additional $40 million in capital through an asset-based credit facility from a third-party lender or lenders that already have agreed to support the plan. Additionally, unsecured creditors would receive a pro rata share of $2.5 million, a 150% increase from their expected recovery under an earlier plan, the statement said. Senior secured noteholders have agreed to waive their right to receive a cash distribution on their $143.8 million in deficiency claims, therefore increasing unsecured creditors' recoveries. Finally, funding for the litigation trust established for the benefit of unsecured creditors would be doubled to $500,000, which would clear the way for the trust to investigate and pursue potential claims to increase recoveries for that class. Under the plan, in exchange for their $85.8 million in secured claims, noteholders would receive all the equity in the reorganized debtor for an estimated 37.5% recovery. American Apparel shareholders would be wiped out, while the debtor would retain its interests in its subsidiaries. Judge Brendan Linehan Shannon of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware in Wilmington on Nov. 19 approved a disclosure statement outlining an earlier version of the plan. A confirmation hearing is set for Jan. 20. Meanwhile, on Monday, Hagan Capital and Silver Creek Capital Partners said they had submitted a $300 million offer to acquire American Apparel. The proposal includes $90 million in new equity and a $40 million term loan. Additionally, the group said the debtor would exit with about $160 million in liquidity and new equity, including cash, a new $50 million undrawn revolving credit facility and $90 million of equity cushion at closing, vs. $75 million under the debtor's plan. The group said its plan is valued at $300 million, while the debtor's valuation is between $180 million and $270 million. The investor group asserted its offer is superior to the debtor's plan and is a "win-win solution for the company and all of its stakeholders." Additionally, the investor group said the debtor's plan is "not feasible and will lead to poor long-term recoveries for the company's stakeholders and put thousands of manufacturing jobs in Los Angeles at risk." Hagan and Silver Creek said their bid has the support of American Apparel founder and former CEO Dov Charney, "whose leadership and vision is central to American Apparel's long-term viability." Charney on Thursday had filed an objection to American Apparel's plan, asserting the alternative proposal -- then linked to unidentified investment funds -- was better for all parties involved. The ousted executive on Dec. 4 announced he had hired Cardinal Advisors, a Los Angeles investment bank, to help him explore strategic alternatives for the company. In response to the latest announcement, an American Apparel spokeswoman said via e-mail Monday, "American Apparel evaluates all bids consistently, and in the ordinary course. The company remains focused on pursuing the completion of its financial restructuring following its planned bankruptcy court hearing at the end of this month." The Los Angeles debtor filed for bankruptcy on Oct. 5 with the intention of implementing the reorganization plan. In its petition, American Apparel reported $199.36 million in assets and $397.58 million in liabilities. The company has been operating with the help of a $90 million debtor-in-possession loan from lenders under the company's prepetition asset-based loan and certain secured noteholders. Shannon first approved DIP access on Oct. 6; he granted final approval on Nov. 2. Despite challenging headwinds in the for-profit education sector, the strategic review of Apollo Education (APOL) could yield interest from private equity firms, company followers say. The University of Phoenix parent announced on Monday, Jan. 11, that it has decided to explore strategic alternatives and that it is in discussions that could lead to a change of control. The Phoenix company also said it has retained Barclays Capital and Credit Suisse Securities USA as its financial advisers and Sullivan & Cromwell as its legal counsel. Adam Nordin and Neil Meyer of Barclays and Todd Noffke and Sam Shah of Credit Suisse are offering financial advice, while Frank Aquila and Melissa Sawyer lead the Sullivan & Cromwell legal team, The Deal has learned. The pool of potential buyers for the for-profit education company likely will center around private equity players, Robert W. Baird analyst Jeff Meuler explained, adding that the company's bigger attraction would be its international assets. "Historically, Apollo's profitability has come from the University of Phoenix," Meuler said. While University of Phoenix is seeing its profitability contract, Apollo Global has been generating revenue growth for its parent, he said, while noting it is difficult to gauge a potential valuation for Apollo Education when two businesses are in drastically different stages. "They're a bit unique in that one of the bigger attractions to a potential buyer is the international assets," he said of Apollo Global. Still, Apollo Global is much smaller than University of Phoenix. The former had net revenue of $391.2 million in the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2015, while the latter's net revenue was $2.15 billion, according to Apollo Education's Form 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Corey Greendale, an analyst at First Analysis Securities, explained that a sale is the most likely outcome of the review, adding that international players with an interest in getting into the U.S. education market could be potential suitors in addition to financial sponsors. Greendale added that Apollo Education has a dual-class ownership structure and the review could result in a sale of Class B shares, which aren't publicly traded. "The industry has been under a lot of political pressure," Greendale further explained, noting that the for-profit education sector has been shrinking over the past several years for a number of reasons. Students' confidence in taking on debt decreased during the economic downturn, while regulatory changes have affected operations for for-profit education institutions, he said, adding that there also have been questions surrounding the value of for-profit education. As a result, the pool of potential buyers is somewhat narrow, and it is unlikely that an Apollo Education peer would emerge as the buyer, Greendale explained. He also noted that regulators will have an impact on the transaction, as the Department of Education and the University of Phoenix's accreditor -- the Higher Learning Commission -- would need to approve a change in control. Though the industry has been challenging and will continue to be so, Apollo Education is still a relatively strong business that is generating cash, according to a source familiar with the company who requested anonymity. Apollo Education had $1.26 billion in gross profit, $286.9 million in Ebitda and $2.45 billion in revenue over the past 12 months and has $43.3 million in debt, according to Bloomberg data. If a sale of the company did occur, it could open the door for its peers, the person said, as a sale of Apollo Education would be more complex and could spotlight smaller players in the sector. Apollo Education, meanwhile, on Monday also posted earnings for the quarter ended Nov. 30. The company posted an operating loss of $45.2 million on net revenue of $586 million, down from $64.2 million in income on $714.5 million in revenue during the first quarter of fiscal 2015. New enrollment during the quarter also dropped, to 24,500 from 39,600 a year earlier. Shares of Apollo Education were down 2.6% Monday afternoon to $6.42, giving the company a $696.1 million market capitalization. The stock shot up as much as 14% Monday morning to $7.54 before dropping later in the day. As of Tuesday morning it was up a further 14.4%. Apollo Education officials declined comment Monday. NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Biocept (BIOC) stock is up by 18.98% to $1.63 on heavy trading volume on Tuesday morning, after the company announced an agreement with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. The Illinois-based health insurance group's eight million members will have access to Biocept's blood-based diagnostic tests, the company said on Tuesday. Biocept is a San Diego-based cancer diagnostics company. The number of people who can access Biocept's liquid biopsy tests through insurance plans has grown to 133 million, the company added. "BCBS IL is the largest health plan in Illinois and is our first agreement with a plan in the Blue Cross Blue Shield system," Biocept CEO Michael Nall said in a statement. "We view this agreement as another indication of the growing awareness by healthcare providers of the important role liquid biopsy can have in the treatment of patients with cancer. For Biocept, gaining health plan coverage for our tests is a key aspect of our reimbursement strategy." So far today, 2.09 million shares of Biocept have traded, versus its 30-day average of about 286,000 shares. Separately, recently, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author. TheStreet Ratings has this to say about the recommendation: We rate BIOCEPT INC as a Sell with a ratings score of E+. This is based on several weak investment measures, which should drive this stock to significantly underperform the majority of stocks that we rate. The company's weaknesses can be seen in multiple areas, such as its deteriorating net income, weak operating cash flow and generally disappointing historical performance in the stock itself. Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows: Republican South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley will deliver the GOP Rebuttal to tonight's State of the Union address in what many consider to be an audition for a potential vice presidential run for the 43-year-old telegenic Indian-American. Haley made national headlines earlier this year when she made the controversial decision to take down the Confederate flag from the South Carolina state House following the Ebenezer Baptist Church shooting that killed nine. Haley has presented herself as the face of the New South: a Republican woman of color, who is not afraid to take on race issues and has attracted the type of cosmopolitan financial elite to South Carolina who are seen as key to keeping capital flowing into the state. That, along with her union-busting reputation makes her an appetizing choice for establishment Republicans for a national leadership roll. But the establishment may be miscalculating in an election cycle where Donald Trump and his relatively extreme stances on the more visceral issues of immigration, economic management and foreign policy have captured the imagination of the GOP electorate. Is being tough on unions an issue that's going to excite the more xenophobic Republican rank and file? Haley has made it very clear: Unions are not welcomed in the State of South Carolina. The state's union membership rate is the third-lowest in the country at 3.7%. As Haley puts it, employees don't need unions in the South because the culture of Southern hospitality makes employers more receptive to their employees. "We don't have unions in South Carolina because we don't need unions in South Carolina," Haley said in 2014. She has also said, "We've fought against the unionization of South Carolina, cherishing the direct relationship between our companies -- who know how to take care of those that take care of them -- and their employees." In 2011, Haley rose to national prominence by opposing an National Labor Relations Board's general counsel's complaint that found that Boeing illegally moved work from Washington State to South Carolina to punish Washington state workers for going on strike in 2008. Haley proved effective in painting trade union International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers as an outside force only interested because they want to see work transferred back to Washington State. Haley has helped made defeating numerous attempts to unionize a central part of her political legacy. Shortly after her election, Haley appointed veteran union avoidance lawyer Catherine Templeton as Secretary of the State's Department of Labor. Additionally, Governor Haley has appeared in numerous TV ads against a machinist union drive at Boeing's massive 3,000-people plant in North Charleston. The ads were so effective that they were able to force the union to withdraw its request for a union election. Haley's anti-union rhetoric is so strong that it could discourage unionized foreign and Northern manufacturers from relocating to the State. She has even publicly stated that she discourages unionized companies from even considering moving to South Carolina because she fears unionized companies would "taint the water" of South Carolina's non-union environment. "You've heard me say many times I wear heels. It's not for a fashion statement," reads a 2014 Haley quote in the Detroit Free Press, a local paper for many of the biggest unionized employers in the country, including Ford and GM. "It's because we're kicking them every day, and we'll continue to kick them." "She is the most extreme anti-union Governor that I have ever seen in my 21 years," says Ken Riley, president of one of South Carolina's largest unions, the International Longshore Association Local 1422. For African Americans union leaders like Riley, while Haley's gesture on the flag is welcomed, it's not nearly enough to repair the wounds of the South. "You see Haley shifting on race issues because they attract all this rich Northern money and foreign money to come down here," says Riley. "But when it comes to labor, South Carolina is still very much the Old South". But Riley isn't exactly Haley's target voter. Attracting companies while keeping unions out could help Haley present herself as a "forward thinking politician," anti-union public relations consultant Rick Berman told me recently. But would it help her on the campaign trail? It didn't seem to help Scott Walker. Many pundits like Berman predicted that the Wisconsin Governor could use his success as a union-buster to win the GOP nomination, but Walker was forced to drop out in September. Haley has claimed that South Carolina has one of the fastest-growing economies on the East Coast and that her state boasts one of the highest rates of out-of-state residents moving to the state; Walker isn't seeing the same kind of economic success in Wisconsin and has not made such claims. Yet, some question whether Haley's anti-union stance has actually hurt or helped the state's economy. Wages have remained stagnant under Haley while the flood of new money and gentrification into places like Charleston has priced many poor residents out of their neighborhoods. "I would like for someone to put her in the national spotlight so that we can show what her real record of poverty wages has really meant to workers in this state," says Riley, adding that her anti-union rhetoric may not appeal to many white working-class voters drawn to the populist Trump. The bigger question for the Republican establishment that is giving Haley a big stage tonight in an important election year is whether she's the complete package for improving the GOP's presidential election chances in November. Mike Elk is an outside contributor. When it comes to oozing cool, Jimi Hendrix, one of the most celebrated musicians and icons of the 20th century, is hard to beat. His fashion, his stage presence, his way of playing guitar - everything about Hendrix was ahead of his time. And years ago, Hendrix favored a way of vacationing that had yet to receive its 15 minutes of fame. While visiting Maui in the 1970s, the rocker opted to stay not at one of the island's luxury hotels worthy of a celebrity, but instead chose a tiny home. Just 218 square feet, with cathedral ceilings and surrounded by forest, the simplistic retreat offered an alternative experience - the opportunity to simplify, disconnect and be completely immersed in nature. Now, nearly 50 years later, the tiny home movement has seriously picked up steam as the focus of numerous news articles, magazine stories, and even documentaries, all dissecting a way of living focused on downsizing, steering away from McMansions and instead living more efficiently, using far fewer resources. Still mostly in the realm of early adopters and hipsters, the tiny house movement's latest incarnation may just help it break through to the masses. From Boston to Washington and California, a handful of websites have emerged over the past several months that offer tiny homes as vacation rentals. Among the most notable and well-known is a startup named Getaway, launched in July with the goal of allowing stressed out city dwellers to reconnect with nature. Created by a group of Bostonians who describe themselves as campers, designers and do-ers -- many among them are Harvard graduates, some from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, others from the law school or business school - the company is all about advancing the tiny home idea, one vacation rental at a time. "We wanted a project that could get us started in tiny houses and could immediately be useful," says Pete Davis, who along with Jon Staff, founded the site. "We have dreams about building tiny house villages. But the vacation homes are a way to test drive tiny house living." The company has started small but has big goals. For now, it is offering just three tiny home vacation rentals, all in Massachusetts. Each property is located less than two hours from Boston. The homes accommodate between two and four people and start at $99 per night. They're all in quiet, natural settings and include amenities you would expect in any home - showers, toilets, a stove and a queen bed. They also have some accoutrements you wouldn't anticipate - such as wall mounted antlers...for atmosphere. Each rental also comes with key provisions to maximize your outdoor experience - such things as bicycles, a grill to cook and even marshmallow roasting sticks. Noticeably absent among the list of offerings are televisions, WiFi, computers or any other distracting modern connections to the outside world. "A lot of people are just into this idea of disconnecting," continues Davis. "Reading the Internet is like reading the millionth page of the worst book ever written. And there are all these things you're losing out on by being so connected. Just go play an old board game or read a book." Other options during your tiny house vacation? Hang out outside, go for a walk, cook something fantastic or just site by the campfire. A tiny house in the woods provides the ideal backdrop for all of these activities and more. Getaway's success was nearly immediate. Weekend dates for all three of the houses were 100% booked nearly immediately after being offered in July and that pace continued until year's end. Monthly occupancy for the houses is above 67% and typically far closer to the 80% range. For those who fear being plopped in some forlorn corner of the woods when renting a home from Getaway, think again. Just as they obsess over each home's stylish design, the site's founders also obsess over the settings chosen for the tiny structures. Their criteria for a site includes several important considerations, both whimsical and practical: whether you can see the stars at night, whether the site is home to interesting plants and animals and whether one really feels surrounded by nature while there. "We take having high quality woods seriously," Davis adds. "If there is a roaring highway in the background, it's no good. It's about finding that sweet spot - someplace that's far enough away location and style-wise that you feel like you are truly getting away, but close enough that it doesn't feel like a crazy long adventure." Boston is merely a starting point for the Getaway folks. The company has immediate plans to expand just outside of New York City, and if that goes well, proving that the company can successfully manage the rentals from afar, then the future is wide open. Long range goals include both broadening Getaway's reach and deepening its current inventory. "We want to have getaways outside every stressed out city in America," Davis says. Not to be outdone, the hip folks on the left coast have also begun launching their own tiny home vacation rentals. Two sites in particular are worth noting. Trailermade, started by two cousins in California who grew tired of the corporate world, is a peer-to-peer trailer rental company. But the site isn't renting just any old, scrappy unwanted trailers. It rents the hippest of the category - Airstreams and vintage campers. And in keeping with that hip factor, the site also offers tiny homes. "In terms of coolness, tiny homes are right up there with Airstreams," says Jeryl Detmer. "We're focused more on what is aesthetically pleasing and what the new generation is going after." Like its Boston counterpart, Trailermade went live in July and since then has developed a following of about 10,000 users. The company offers five tiny homes, all located in Colorado, that rent for between $150 and $200 per night. While the site's bread and butter may admittedly be the trailers, the primary goal of the founders is to offer unique options for people who don't want to stay in a cookie cutter hotel or who are seeking something far less ordinary. Detmer says tiny homes fit that bill perfectly. "People who are in the know, are really into tiny homes, and I think it's gaining momentum," says Detmer. "The American dream isn't the huge house anymore. That's why people are staying in Airstreams and tiny homes. People are tired of hotels. They want to experience something different. People want more minimal living and more cool experiences." Further north, in Washington, Alexandria Nicole Cellers recently began offering two tiny homes as vacation rentals in the heart of a vineyard, overlooking the Columbia River. The added claim to fame of these homes is that they were created as part of an HGTV competition this past summer. One of the homes was designed in an urban, ultra modern style, the other crafted in classic shabby chic with abundant use of repurposed materials. Both provide yet another opportunity to feel out tiny home living, without signing up for a mortgage. The homes, each under 400 square feet and starting at $250 a night, include decks with a vineyard view, air conditioning and private bathrooms. "We thought these were a terrific way to bring this movement to light in this area," says vineyard owner Ali Boyle. "What we were really trying to emphasize is the outdoor experience around you," she adds. In this case, the outdoor options include walks through a vineyard, biking, canoeing and wine tasting. Like the tiny home rentals in Boston and Colorado, those at Alexandria Nicole Cellars have been wildly popular since first listing in May, with a typical 85% occupancy. So has the culture finally caught up with Hendrix's simplistic approach to vacationing? Perhaps. In the meantime, that stunning little rental visited by the rocker is even available on Airbnb. For a mere $175 a night, you too could have a tiny home experience, one that involves vacationing like a music legend. NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) stock is declining by 8.47% to $3.94 on heavy volume in afternoon trading on Tuesday, pressured by a downgrade at Jefferies and lower commodities prices. The firm reduced its rating to "hold" from "buy" and slashed its price target to $5 from $17 on the stock this morning. "We are concerned that the window of opportunity for FCX to repair its balance sheet may have closed," Jefferies said in a note. Today's downgrade reflects lower copper price forecasts, a higher risk in Indonesia and the company's "reluctance" to sell assets, according to the firm. It's a little stock that people want to buy, TheStreet's Jim Cramer said on CNBC's Squawk on the Street on Monday. However, the company has done everything it can to reduce its debt load, which remains around $20 billion. Freeport-McMoRan is an amalgam of everything wrong in the market, Cramer added. The company has a high debt load, and is exposed to commodities such as oil, copper and gold that are not rallying. Indeed, copper and gold prices are down on a stronger dollar this afternoon. Oil prices are lower as well, as investors continue to worry that demand from China, the world's second-largest oil consumer, will be insufficient for the oversupplied market. Based in Phoenix, Freeport-McMoRan is a natural resource company with operations in oil, natural gas, copper and gold production. About 106.91 million shares of Freeport-McMoRan have been traded so far today, well above the company's average 49.03 million shares per day. Separately, recently, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author. TheStreet Ratings has this to say about the recommendation: We rate FREEPORT-MCMORAN INC as a Sell with a ratings score of D. This is driven by a few notable weaknesses, which we believe should have a greater impact than any strengths, and could make it more difficult for investors to achieve positive results compared to most of the stocks we cover. The company's weaknesses can be seen in multiple areas, such as its deteriorating net income, generally high debt management risk, disappointing return on equity, weak operating cash flow and generally disappointing historical performance in the stock itself. Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows: NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Petrobras (PBR.A) stock is decreasing 8.05% to $2.74 on heavy trading volume on Tuesday after the Brazilian oil company announced cuts to its capital expenditure guidance for the five years ending 2019. The state-operated company reduced its 2015-2019 capital expenditures by $32 billion to $98.4 billion as oil prices continue to fall. Oil production in Brazil is expected to average 2.15 million barrels per day in 2016, down from the previous guidance of 2.19 million barrels per day. "Petrobras plans to spend the same amount it should generate in cash this year, leaving no margin to reduce its massive debt," Flavio Conde, a WhatsCall oil analyst, told Bloomberg. "The company is now 100% dependent on asset sales to reduce leverage, and you can't control sales results." Petrobras said its divestures will total $14.4 billion by the end of the year. So far today, 11.27 million shares of Petrobras have been traded, compared with its average daily volume of 10.45 million shares. Recently, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author. TheStreet Ratings has this to say about the recommendation: We rate PETROLEO BRASILEIRO SA- PETR as a Sell with a ratings score of D. A) a SELL. This is driven by some concerns, which we believe should have a greater impact than any strengths, and could make it more difficult for investors to achieve positive results compared to most of the stocks we cover. The company's weaknesses can be seen in multiple areas, such as its disappointing return on equity, weak operating cash flow, generally disappointing historical performance in the stock itself and generally high debt management risk. Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows: Apple (AAPL) rose Tuesday after Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts upgraded the stock, saying they're bullish on the launches of the new Apple Watch, the iPhone 6c and the iPhone 7 along with the company's large cash balance. In addition, the bank's China survey showed that iPhone is the most popular brand there, and about half of current users plan to buy a new iPhone in the next year. That could give Apple a gain in market share. The iPhone 6c will likely be priced lower and may "drive increased conversions from feature phones," analyst Wamsi Mohan and his team wrote. Also, investors have largely discounted worries over a lackluster cycle for the iPhone 6s, which had prompted the bank's August downgrade, the analysts wrote. The bank upgraded Apple to a buy rating from neutral, with a $130 price target. Apple rose 1.5% to $99.96. Google (GOOGL) may be working to catch up to Facebook (FB) and Microsoft (MSFT) in the realm of virtual reality. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has put a key deputy in charge of forming a dedicated division for VR computing, according to Re/code. Clay Bavor, vice president for product management is focusing on VR products after having overseen Google's apps, including Gmail, Drive and Docs, and the Google Cardboard VR device. Senior Vice President Diane Greene will be taking over the apps division, the news organization reported, saying that Google had confirmed the moves but declined to comment on them. Many in the industry had been questioning Google's dedication to VR after the company fumbled with Google Glass, Re/code wrote. Bavor's move shows that Google is taking seriously the threat from Facebook and its Oculus product, which currently has 400 people working on it, according to the article. Google parent Alphabet rose 1.7% to $745.34 on Tuesday, while Facebook gained 1.9% to $99.37 and Microsoft advanced 1% to $52.78. Twitter (TWTR) , whose shares have suffered amid flat user growth and concerns about the CEO's split focus, announced a new feature meant to keep users from leaving the social-media service's timeline by enhancing their real-time experience. Live video broadcasts from the sister app Periscope will now start playing automatically from users' Twitter feeds, so viewers will no longer have to launch a separate app, the company said. Twitter bought Periscope last year. Periscope said it is rolling out the feature for Twitter on iOS over the next few days and will launch Android and web versions "as soon as they're ready." The app's integration into Twitter could be a boon for advertisers, but it could annoy users if the broadcasts are duds or if they eat up too much data, according to the Wall Street Journal. Twitter closed flat at $19.62. Time Warner (TWX) CEO Jeff Bewkes hinted to some investors Monday that although he doesn't want to split up the New York media giant by spinning off HBO, he may be interested in a sale of the whole company, according to the New York Post. Bewkes told investors in closed-door meetings Monday that dismantling the company wouldn't make sense in an industry where scale matters, the newspaper wrote, citing unidentified sources. The people told the news organization that he played coy about his plans and said he wanted to increase shareholder value. The meetings come as pressure has been building to boost the company's share price, and two of the largest longtime investors have been running out of patience, the report said. Activists are circling Time Warner a decade after it beat back Carl Icahn's bid to break up the company, the newspaper said. Speculation has returned that Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox (FOXA) may make a fresh run at the company, a year and a half after Bewkes rejected an offer, Bloomberg News reported. Time Warner shares, which have been among the largest gainers so far this year, rose 2.1% to $71.06. This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned. It hasn't been a good week for U.S. Sen. Rand Paul. He was bumped to the second tier of the Republican presidential debate on Thursday and his bill calling for greater Congressional oversight of the Federal Reserve was blocked in the Senate. Paul, a Kentucky Republican with libertarian leanings, had sought to invoke cloture to bring his Fed proposal to a vote in the chamber, a procedure that requires at least 60 supporters. He got only 53, a victory for critics who said Paul's plan would have hampered the central bank's flexibility and left it vulnerable to political pressure. While the Fed's finances are already reviewed, both by an independent inspector general and an outside firm, Paul's bill called for allowing an unfettered examination by the Government Accountability Office, the nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress. Currently, federal law prohibits the agency from reviewing the Fed's monetary policy decisions and open-market transactions. The senator's plan, known as "Audit the Fed," would have responded to public ire with the central bank's handling of the 2008 financial crisis. Although the Fed and Treasury officials under both Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama were successful in preventing an economic collapse during the crisis, voters resented bailouts of large financial firms while their own investments plummeted in value and unemployment soared. "Since the 2008 financial crisis, the Fed has increased its balance sheet from less than $1 trillion to over $4.4 trillion," Paul said in a speech before the Senate's vote. "Although the Fed has created trillions of new dollars, it has become apparent that most of this money is not finding its way into the hands of the average American." While the Fed has made its share of mistakes, according to former Chairman Ben Bernanke, who led the central bank during the financial crisis, injecting politics into its decisions is likely to worsen, rather than improve, its performance. Established in 1913, the bank's mission is to achieve maximum employment and stable prices. "Both historical experience and formal studies have shown that monetary policy achieves better results when central bankers are allowed to focus on the longer-term interests of the economy, free of short-term political considerations," said Bernanke, who chronicled his own experiences during the financial crisis in the 2015 memoir, The Courage to Act. "Political interventions in monetary policy decisions would not lead to better results," Bernanke wrote in a blog for the nonprofit Brookings Institution. "But increasing the likelihood of such interventions is precisely the risk presented by 'Audit the Fed.'" Even though Paul's attempt to bring the bill to the floor failed, he noted in a statement that it had nonetheless achieved support from a "bipartisan majority." He also refused to accept the decision of Fox Business Network to bump him to the second-tier, or undercard, debate, instead opting out of the North Charleston, S.C., event altogether. Montreal, CA (H4T1V6) Today Cloudy with occasional rain showers. High 52F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies during the evening will give way to cloudy skies and light rain after midnight. Snow may mix in. Low 41F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%. 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. Four persons were injured, Bchasdei Hashem only lightly, when a truck lost control and slammed into a bus stop on Hashomer Street in Yerushalayim at about 8:00AM on Monday morning Rosh Chodesh Shevat 5776. Bchasdei Hashem the outcome was not worse considering it was rush hour on a workday. Ichud Hatzalah reports its responders were first on the scene. EMT Zeev Teffer reports When I arrived, the scene looked serious and it was a miracle that there was no loss of life. The bus stop was smashed apart as a woman with a baby and two elderly people were in the stop. They all acknowledged the miracle, seeing the damage and realizing what could have occurred. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem / Photos: Media Resource Group) Just hours after a landmark school security officer program was signed into law, Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D Far Rockaway) hosted Council Member David Greenfield (D Brooklyn) at Torah Academy for Girls at an informational meeting with local askonim and yeshiva leaders to discuss the new program. Every child deserves a safe, secure classroom where they can learn and reach their fullest potential, said Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder. This historic program puts our city at the forefront of ensuring a safe learning environment regardless of the school they attend. I was honored to have Council Member Greenfield in Far Rockaway to thank him and inform our schools how the program will be implemented in yeshivos throughout the community. On January 5th, Assemblyman Goldfeder and Council Member Greenfield met at Torah Academy for Girls with local school leaders and askonim from the Far Rockaway Frum community to discuss Greenfields successful push to fund security guards at yeshivos and other non-public schools. Goldfeder extended the invite to Greenfield in order to show Hakaros Hatov and update the yeshivos on the program and to explain how it would be implemented. Council Member Greenfield began the meeting by stressing the historic nature of the legislation. According to the Council Member, the bill, first introduced in 2013, garnered the support of historic coalition of Jewish, Catholic, Muslim and labor groups. The bill also received broad support in the City Council, with 45 members signing on as sponsors. The Council approved the bill last month by a vote of 43-4 and it was signed into law by Mayor de Blasio at an event in the Council chambers, just hours before the TAG meeting. The $19.8 million program will reimburse the costs of providing new state-licensed, unarmed security guards at yeshivos and non-public schools in the five boroughs. As part of the program, guards will be trained to protect school children and watch for potential hate and bias crimes. In order to qualify, schools must have its own Basic Educational Data System (BEDS) number, a state education ID unique to each school; and also have at least 300 students. Larger schools can be reimbursed for one additional guards per 500 students above the 300 minimum, meaning that a school with 2,000 students can receive up to 5 new guards. In all, the program is anticipated to cover a majority of non-public schools and 70% of non-public school students. The program is expected to begin April 1st of this year. The landmark program comes amid heightened security concerns both in the U.S. and overseas. On New Years Day, a terrorist gunned down two Israelis outside a bar in Tel Aviv. And, just last week, memorial services were held in Paris, France to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the coordinated attack by Islamic extremists on a kosher supermarket and the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. In December, Goldfeder traveled to the European capital to honor victims at a solidarity concert organized by radio host Nachum Segal at the Grand Synagogue of Paris. For his part, Goldfeder reiterated his commitment to fight for education improvements at the state level during the 2016 legislative session. The Assemblyman told the group that he planned to continue fighting for proposed Education Investment Tax Credit, as well as to secure additional state reimbursement to non-public schools for Comprehensive Attendance Policy (CAP) and Mandated Services Reimbursement (MSR) programs. Additionally, as part of the SAFE Act passed in 2013, Goldfeder secured $5 million dollars for non-public school security which has been maintained each year. Our community is only as strong as the institutions we have in place to educate our children and ensure they can continue to grow and thrive. We will continue our efforts both here at home and up in Albany to expand on these programs so that every child has the resources they need to succeed, concluded Goldfeder. (YWN Desk NYC) Rabbi Eliezer Berland, leader of the Shuvu Banim community and wanted for extradition by Israel, has received citizenship from South Africa. Rabbi Berland fled Israel to avoid arrest and has been traveling the globe for some two years to avoid being extradited to Israel to stand trial in charges made by multiple women. According to R Nachum Berland, a son, the Rabbi received citizenship and this changes everything for now, as he cannot be held should Israel file an extradition request with S. African authorities. Since fleeing Israel the rav has been in the USA, Switzerland, Morocco, Zimbabwe, S. Africa and Holland. The rabbi lost his final appeal in Holland but managed to flee before being handed over to Israel as the court permitted him to remain free on bail. Now it appears that things are looking up for him in S. Africa and while he cannot return to his beloved Eretz Yisrael, he may be free of extradition concerns in S. Africa. This report is based on reports quoting R Nachum and to date there has not been an official response from Israel Police or other Israeli authorities. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) The New York State 2016 legislative session has barely begun, yet the Senate has already passed a bill of major importance for the nonpublic school community: the Education Investment Incentives Act. This bill, sponsored by Senator Marty Golden, co-sponsored by Senator Simcha Felder, and long championed by Agudath Israel of America, would provide significant tax credits for scholarship funds for needy yeshiva students. More specifically, the bill would provide tax credits to individuals, corporations, and partnerships that donate money to public schools, charter schools and, through educational scholarships, to students who attend schools that provide religious education. The Education Investment Incentives Act would encourage the private sector to give such donations to yeshivos and yeshiva students by providing a tax credit of 90% for eligible donations. Thus, for example, a $1,000 contribution would yield a $900 reduction in taxes. Currently, a $1,000 donation results in a tax deduction, which has a significantly less substantive reduction in tax burden, dependent on ones tax bracket. While it remains to be seen if this bill will pass the subsequent hurdles to passage, including an upcoming battle with the State Assembly, this is an excellent step in a headline issue that has long been championed by Agudath Israel. Indeed, education tax credits were identified as the organizations top legislative priority in a recent letter from Agudath Israels executive vice president, Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Another issue that Agudath Israel advocated for in its annual letter to the governor included a request to close the CAP shortfall. While Agudath Israel, together with other advocacy groups, has successfully secured $250 million to nonpublic schools over the next two years, by Agudah Israel calculations, the state still owes at least $50 million to nonpublic schools. The shortfall was caused by a flawed formula employed by the state to fulfill its legal mandate to reimburse nonpublic schools for certain required services. Agudath Israel asked the governor to verify the shortfall and remedy it. Rabbi Zwiebel also noted that while nonpublic schools in New York City, Buffalo and Rochester face rising costs in maintaining immunization records due to changing vaccination requirements and Department of Health regulations, the rate of reimbursement has not changed in over 30 years. Rabbi Zwiebel proposed that the Governor increase the budget for Mandated Services reimbursement by $5 million, to help schools cover these costs. In the past three legislative sessions, nonpublic schools received $4.5 million in funding for security equipment. With the recent escalation of terrorism in the Middle East, Europe, and the US, the need to make our schools more secure is that much more pressing. Rabbi Zwiebel urged the governor to propose a $10 million appropriation in security funding for nonpublic schools, and to expand the menu of equipment that schools can purchase with this funding. Finally, Rabbi Zwiebel requested that the governor include $1 million in his budget proposal to reinstate an Office of Nonpublic Schools within the State Education Department (SED), headed by a high-level Department official to serve as a key liaison between SED and the nonpublic school community. Though the SED created the office of Assistant Commissioner for Nonpublic Schools in 1979, the position no longer exists and there is no nonpublic school office currently representing the interests of the nonpublic school community. The reinstatement of such an office will help ensure that the nonpublic school community has a voice in the halls of the State Education Department regarding issues and policies that affect them. The over 400,000 children who attend nonpublic schools in New York State represent approximately 13% of all schoolchildren statewide, Rabbi Zwiebel said. As you work on developing your executive budget for the 2016-17 fiscal year, we respectfully appeal to you once again to bear in mind the needs of these children The Governor is expected to release his proposed budget on January 13, 2016. (YWN Desk NYC) A Syrian suicide bomber detonated a bomb in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists Tuesday morning, killing at least 10 people at least nine of them German tourists and wounding 15 others, Turkish officials said. Turkeys state-run news agency said Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu held a telephone conversation with German chancellor Angela Merkel to express his condolences. A senior government official confirmed that most of the victims were German. Merkel had earlier said they were part of a German travel group. I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Istanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber was a 28-year-old Syrian national whose connections were being investigated. It was unclear whether the death toll of 10 included the alleged bomber. Merkel, speaking at a news conference in Berlin, decried the attack. Today Istanbul was hit; Paris has been hit, Tunisia has been hit, Ankara has been hit before, she said. International terrorism is once again showing its cruel and inhuman face today. The explosion, which could be heard from several neighborhoods, was at a park that is home to a landmark obelisk, some 25 meters (yards) from the historic Blue Mosque. Turkeys Dogan news agency reported that one Norwegian and one Peruvian were also among the wounded, and Seouls Foreign Ministry told reporters via text message that a South Korean had a finger injury. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry told Norways news agency NTB that the Norwegian tourist was slightly hurt and was being treated in a local hospital. Kurtulmus, the deputy premier, said two of the wounded were in serious condition. Germany and Denmark have warned their citizens to avoid crowds outside tourist attractions in Istanbul. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, although the Islamic State group was suspected. Kurdish militants and left-wing groups are active in Turkey. Last year, Turkey agreed to take a more active role in the U.S.-led battle against the IS group. Turkey opened its bases to U.S. aircraft to launch air raids on the extremist group in Syria and has carried out a limited number of strikes on the group itself. It has also moved to tighten security along its 900-kilometer (560-mile) border with Syria in a bid to stem the flow of militants. The attack comes at a time of heightened violence between Turkeys security forces and militants linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in the countrys mostly-Kurdish southeast. The country is also dealing with more than 2 million Syrian refugees and a wave of migrants from Syria and other countries pouring across Turkey to Europe. Police sealed the area, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion, and a police helicopter hovered overhead. The Sultanahmet neighborhood is Istanbuls main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and the former Byzantine church of Haghia Sophia, now a museum. Erdem Koroglu, who was working at a nearby office, told NTV television he saw several people on the ground following the blast. It was difficult to say who was alive or dead, Koroglu said. Buildings rattled from the force of the explosion. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu immediately convened a security meeting with the countrys interior minister and other officials. As with previous attacks, authorities imposed a news blackout, barring media from showing images of the dead or injured or reporting any details of the investigation. Turkey suffered two major bombing attacks last year, both blamed on the Islamic State group. More than 30 people were killed in a suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near Turkeys border with Syria, in July. Two suicide bombs exploded in October outside Ankaras main train station as people gathered for a peace rally, killing more than 100 in Turkeys deadliest-ever attack. The prosecutors office said that attack was carried out by a local Islamic State cell. Last month, Turkish authorities arrested two suspected Islamic State militants they said were planning suicide bombings during New Years celebrations in the capital Ankara. (AP) A man wearing a Yarmulka was attacked and robbed in Germany in a anti-Semitic attack by refugees from Syria and Afghanistan on the island of Puttgarden. The victim was a 49 year old French businessman who was pushed to the floor and robbed by the attackers as they yelled Yahud which is Arabic for Jew. They took his shoulder bag that contained money, a cellphone and other valuables. Police later arrested the attackers. They were released with the requirement that they report for a court hearing when called. The 30-year-old Syrian and 19-year-old Afghani were arrested aboard a train heading to a refugee shelter in Neumunster, Germany. They reportedly had wanted to travel to Denmark on Friday but were turned back for lack of proper identification papers. In 2015, an estimated 800,000 refugees from war-torn Muslim countries sought asylum in Germany. Denmark and Sweden have recently reintroduced border controls to stop refugees from pouring in from Germany. Josef Schuster, leader of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said recently that while openness to refugees is admirable, care must be taken to defuse and eradicate the anti-Semitic indoctrination that some Arab refugees might have brought with them from their home countries. (Source: EJP) Iran was holding 10 U.S. Navy sailors and their two small Navy boats after the boats had mechanical problems and drifted into Iranian waters, but American officials have received assurances from Tehran that they will be returned safely and promptly. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told The Associated Press that the riverine boats were moving between Kuwait and Bahrain when the U.S. lost contact with them. U.S. officials said that the incident happened near Farsi Island, situated in the Persian Gulf. They said that some type of mechanical trouble with one of the boats caused them to run aground and they were picked up by Iran. The sailors were in Iranian custody on Farsi Island at least for some time, but its not certain where they are now. The semi-official Iranian news agency, FARS, said the Iranian Revolutionary Guards navy has detained 10 foreign forces, believed to be Americans, and said the sailors were trespassing in Iranian waters. We have been in contact with Iran and have received assurances that the crew and the vessels will be returned promptly, Cook said. The incident comes amid heightened tensions with Iran, and only hours before President Barack Obama is set to deliver his final State of the Union address to Congress and the public. It set off a dramatic series of calls and meetings as U.S. officials tried to determine the exact status of the crew and reach out to Iranian leaders. Secretary of State John Kerry, who has forged a personal relationship with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif through three years of nuclear negotiations, called Zarif immediately on learning of the incident, according to a senior U.S. official. Kerry personally engaged with Zarif on this issue to try to get to this outcome, the official said. Kerry learned of the incident around 12:30 p.m. EST as he and Defense Secretary Ash Carter were meeting their Filipino counterparts at the State Department, the official said. This comes on the heels of an incident in late December when Iran launched a rocket test near U.S. warships and boats passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The officials were not authorized to discuss the sensitive incident publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity. The incident also takes place just days before Iran is expected to satisfy the terms of last summers nuclear deal. Once the U.N. nuclear agency confirms Irans actions to roll back its program, the United States and other Western powers are obliged to suspend wide-ranging oil, trade and financial sanctions on Tehran. Kerry recently said the deals implementation was days away. (AP) Buy-to-let landlords and second home buyers must pay extra stamp duty costs since a controversial 3 per cent surcharge was introduced. From April 1 2016, anyone purchasing an additional property must pay an extra 3 per cent stamp duty - that means the charge applies to buy-to-lets, second homes and even a property you buy with your children. The changes apply to companies and individuals no matter how many properties you are purchasing, here we outline the major changes to look out for. Nowhere to hide: The Treasury has tried to close any loopholes to get around extra stamp duty charges The buy-to-let sector has long-been a controversial part of the property market, with critics blaming landlords for pushing up property prices and keeping first-time buyers locked out. That led former chancellor George Osborne to turn his attention to landlords in recent budgets and spending reviews, with the aim of putting up some barriers to buy-to-let and raking in some extra tax. A reduction in mortgage interest relief will arrive from April 2017, but before that landlords purchasing a property were hit with an extra 3 per cent charge on each stamp duty rate band, which vary by property value. This arrived in April 2016 and triggered a big spike in buy-to-let sales as people raced to beat the deadline. How does this work? Anyone buying a 200,000 second home or buy to let before April 2016 paid stamp duty of 1,500. This was based on paying zero per cent on the first 125,000 of the property value and 2 per cent on the portion between 125,001 and 250,000. But from April 2016, landlords had to pay 3 per cent for the first 125,000 and 5 per cent instead of 2 per cent on the amount between 125,001 and 250,00. This gives them a total bill of 7,500. So a landlord would end up paying five times more than a private purchaser in this example. It is not just landlords who have been hit but anyone buying a second home (or third, fourth, fifth etc). This could even be parents buying a property for their children, or a couple purchasing a home together where one is already a homeowner. Who is affected? Those purchasing a buy-to-let and second homes face the charge, but so do others. Anyone owning a second property that isn't their main residence and buying another, or replacing the one they don't live in, is also likely to get caught up in the extra tax. However, if you already own a buy-to-let, or have a second home, but want to buy yourself a new home to live in and sell the one you live in now, then you will not have to pay the extra stamp duty. The handy flow diagram below, included in the Government policy document, shows who will be affected. The higher rates only apply to additional properties purchased in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on or after April 1 2016. Will you pay more? Answer the questions in this flow diagram to find out What are the new rates? The higher stamp duty rates are 3 percentage points above the current residential rates, including the 0 per cent band. They will be charged on the portion of the value of the property that falls into each band. The Treasury has tried to close any loopholes landlords could use to beat the stamp duty squeeze. BUY TO LET STAMP DUTY CHANGES Band Existing residential SDLT rates Proposed additional rates for landlords 0 - 125k 0% 3% 125,001 - 250k 2% 5% 250,001 - 925k 5% 8% 925,001 - 1.5m 10% 13% 1.5m + 12% 15% Forming a company Many landlords are setting up limited companies to shield themselves from earlier announced buy-to-let changes that will see mortgage interest relief reduced to the basic rate of tax from April 2017. Companies can still get mortgage interest relief at their marginal rate, which may be higher than the basic rate of 20 per cent, but they wont be able to escape the extra stamp duty charges. Initially the Treasury had proposed an exemption for companies holding more than 15 properties, but this was scrapped in the 2016 Budget. This means whether you are an individual or a company, you will still need to pay the extra charge. > Ask an expert: I am a buy-to-let investor: will I pay less tax if I set up a company for my properties? Buying a home and keeping your old one or flipping your main residence Flipping a main residence was a popular activity that was exposed during the MPs' expenses scandal. Politicians would change where their main residence was, so that they could avoid capital gains tax incurred on second home sale profits. Some have suggested a similar ruse may be possible to avoid the extra stamp duty charge. Buying an additional home that you move into and letting out your former one. But the Treasury is being pretty strict on the definition of a main residence when it comes to the extra stamp duty charge. If you buy a second property you will always have to pay the higher rate of stamp duty, even if you plan to live in it and rent out your old one. If you keep your old home at the time of completion you will need to pay the extra stamp duty charges on the new property, even if you move into it as your new main residence. The only leeway is that you can get a refund of the stamp duty if you sell your old property within 36 months. This aims to help those who may hit delays in the selling process. Also, if you had more than one property and disposed of your main residence, you would have 36 months to buy a new one before the additional stamp duty is charged. This will apply back to 25 November 2015, which is when the proposals were first announced. You will need to apply for the refund through HMRC. Main residence: If you own two properties at the same time you will have to pay the extra stamp duty, unless you are moving into a new main residence or you sell your home within 36 months What about married couples? The Government will treat married couples and civil partners living together as one unit. This means any homes owned by either partner will be included when the stamp duty bill comes due on the purchase of another property. An individual buying a property may be liable for the higher rates if his or her spouse or civil partner has an existing residential property. If the spouse or civil partner then sells that residential property they may be able to claim a refund within 36 months. > My wife and I each own a property, we want to sell up and buy together, will we be hit by capital gains tax? Purchasing a property for children to live in Parents are often keen to help their children on to the property ladder, but could be hit with extra stamp duty if they buy a home for them to live in or buy in joint names. The only way round this would be to buy the home in the child's name outright. If a couple buy a separate property for their child and are named on the deeds then, if they already own a home, they will be charged the higher rate. Even if a mother or father buys a property jointly with their daughter, they will be charged extra the stamp duty if they already owns a property. Helping hand: Parents buying property for their children may get hit with extra stamp duty Buying if you own a home abroad Property owned globally will be relevant in determining whether a property purchased in England, Wales or Northern Ireland is an additional property. This means that if someone is purchasing their first or only property in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, and they already own a property outside these areas, they should pay the higher stamp duty rate. This would apply to a foreign homeowner buying in Britain, a Briton with a holiday home, or someone who owns a Scottish property. The exemptions There are some types of property that won't fall under the stamp duty charges. These include: Caravans and houseboats Anyone owning a caravan, mobile home or houseboat currently doesnt have to pay stamp duty. Property worth less than 40,000 There is a slightly bizarre exemption under the proposed changes for homes costing less than 40,000. The Treasury says that while these homes are liable for stamp duty, it doesn't have to be paid. The consultation says: 'Transactions under 40,000 do not require a tax return to be filed with HMRC and are not subject to the higher rates.' Equally, any residential properties, including a tenancy or lease of a residential property, worth less than 40,000 will not be taken into account when determining if an additional residential property is being purchased. The Treasury says this has always been the case for any property purchase under 40,000. Social landlords Charities and registered social landlords will continue to be excluded from the stamp duty changes. Separated couples Married couples who have separated and are living separate permanently but not divorced will be exempt from the extra charges. This means if you have separated from your husband or wife permanently, but have not formally divorced, you will not be treated as one unit when making a purchase and therefore the extra charges will not apply. Inheriting a share of a property If you inherit a small share of a property, 50 per cent or less, while in the middle of a purchase of a main residence, the Treasury has said the higher rates won't apply. The Government says a small share, 50 per cent or less, in a single property which has been inherited within the 36 months prior to the transaction, will not be considered as an additional property. Bentley reported that it had delivered 1,615 cars to China in 2015 - down 36 per cent or 945 cars from 2,560 in 2014 and was not immune to the general trading problems there. The dramatic fall in China dragged down the firms global sales tally to 10,100 a 8.35 per cent fall from the record 11,020 achieved in 2014. That is the lowest figure since 2012 when 8,510 cars were sold, and is below the 10,120 achieved in 2013, though is the third largest sales figure overall. It comes just a day after rival Rolls-Royce, owned by BMW, reported a seven per cent drop in global sales following a 54 per cent fall in China. The Bentayga signals Bentley's first step into the luxury SUV market, but sales of its cars have slipped Both Bentley and Rolls-Royce have been riding high in recent years thanks to strong demand for ultra-luxury cars from the world's super-rich, with China emerging as a major sales market. Bentley is also seeking to capitalise on demand for luxury 4x4s with its new 160,000 Bentayga SUV and both it and Rolls-Royce said the China dip should be a blip in their otherwise strong recent performance. The two carmakers are German-owned, but design and build their cars in the UK, with their British-built status a major selling point. Some 85 per cent of all Bentleys are exported around the world. Bentley, which is now part of the giant Volkswagen group and employs 4,000 people at its factory in Crewe, said: Bentley was not immune from the current challenging sales conditions the automotive sector faces in China; however remains committed to its customer and retail partners in the region, and is confident of long-term success. But it insisted: Excluding China sales figures, Bentley maintained its record-breaking performance in 2015 for the rest of the world. This included a double-digit increase for Europe; gains in UK, Middle East, South Korea and Japan. Bentley bosses also insisted the fall was short-term and would not deflect them from their aim of doubling production to 20,000 vehicles a year by 2025. This will be driven by the launch this spring of the new Bentayga and a forthcoming 130,000 baby Bentley codenamed EXP10 which has been shown as a prototype. The firm said: Bentley Motors delivered 10,100 cars in 2015, following double-digit growth in Europe, strong performance in Bentleys UK home market and North America retaining its position as the number one region. 'This helped Bentley achieve its third consecutive year of selling more than 10,000 cars. China crisis: Bentley announced a 10 per cent slide in car sales in 2015, identifying the declining appetite in China as the main cause Baby Bentley: The EXP10 concept showcases what to expect from the firm that has specialised in luxurious grant tourers North America remains Bentleys biggest market but also saw sales fall by 10 per cent to 2,864 cars, a drop of 322 from 3,186 in 2014. This still accounted for 28 per cent of global deliveries, it said. By contrast, sales in Europe were up by 10 per cent with 1,695 cars delivered compared to 1,539 cars last year. Bentleys UK home market was the second highest selling country, delivering 1,457 cars, up five per cent from 1,387 in 2014. Bentley delivered 1,274 cars to the Middle East in 2015, up by 11 cars from 2014, driven by the introduction of the Continental GT V8 S. Asia Pacific sales dipped slightly to 455 cars, against 457 in 2014. But Japan saw growth of 15 per cent with 353 cars compared to 306 cars in 2014. South Korea sales were buoyed by delivery of the Flying Spur V8 and increased by 20 per cent to 387 cars compared to 322 in 2014. The United Arab Emirates established itself as the fifth most successful single country. Are the wheels coming off Bentley sales? The luxury carmaker says no as it plans to double sales to 20,000 by 2025 Bentleys chairman and chief executive Wolfgang Durheimer, said: We have worked hard to build a sustainable platform to enable long-term growth and this will help deliver a strong 2016, with the all-new Bentayga playing an important role, with first deliveries imminent. We also have exciting plans ahead as we look to introduce future models, allowing more customers around the world to experience Bentleys unique combination of luxury and performance. Bentley said it had increased its presence around the world to a record 58 markets, with 203 retail partners investing heavily in new luxury showrooms. Bentleys board member for sales, marketing and aftersales, Kevin Rose, said: This international success is a further indication of the strength of Bentleys brand. Not only have we established four key sales regions North America, Middle East, Europe, including the UK, and China - we are also seeing markets such as South Korea, Russia and Japan grow rapidly too. Britain's fourth biggest supermarkets chain Morrison's has revealed a surprise rise in sales over the Christmas period and declared that it was 'beginning to attract customers back'. The Bradford-based grocer reported a 0.2 per cent rise in like-for-like sales, excluding fuel for the nine weeks to January 3, a marked turnaround after recent hefty sales declines. Morrison's chief executive David Potts said: 'We are pleased with our improved trading performance over the Christmas period. While there is of course much more to do, we are making important progress in improving all aspects of the shopping trip.' Festive cheer: The Christmas performance marked Morrison's first rise in sales in four years and confounded expectations for a sharp fall of around 2.0 per cent The Christmas performance marked Morrison's first rise in sales in four years and confounded expectations for a sharp fall of around 2.0 per cent. It growth follows a 2.6 per cent drop in the previous three months and comes after a disappointing performance last year, when sales fell 3.1 per cent. In reaction, Morrison's shares in the FTSE 250 index soared 10 per cent, or 14.4p higher to 166.4p. The stock was dumped from the FTSE 100 index in December after its poor performance in the last quarter. Blue chip rival Tesco topped the FTSE 100 leader board, up 5 per cent or 7.5p to 152.9p, while Sainsbury's gained 3 per cent or 7.0p at 250.3p. Mid cap online grocer Occado - which started delivering for Morrison's last year- was up 6.6p at 283.4p. Morrison's notched up a Christmas sales increase despite further falls in prices - down 3.2 per cent excluding fuel over the period - as this was offset by a significant rise in sales by volume. It said the number of transactions rose 1.3 per cent on a like-for-like basis. Morrison's said its overall sales rise came mainly after an improvement from its core stores, although online sales contributed 0.9 per cent to the nine-week growth. Strong sales of beer and wine helped Morrison's notch up its festive sales increase, while it added that its Nutmeg clothing range fared well, as did its M Signature premium food range. SAINSBURY'S WAS THE CHRISTMAS WINNER, ACCORDING TO KANTAR Sainsbury's was the best performing of the major supermarkets over the key Christmas trading period, according to data today from market researcher Kantar Worldpanel. Sainsbury's total sales were up 0.8 per cent year-on-year in the 12 weeks to January 3, Kantar said, while its market share edged up 0.1 percentage point. Market leader Tesco, Wal-Mart's Asda, and Morrisons all saw sales declines - of 2.7 per cent, 3.5 per cent and 2.6 per cent respectively - and all lost market share to the fast growing discounters. Among those, Aldi and Lidl saw sales growth of 13.3 per cent and 18.5 per cent respectively. Kantar Worldpanel said sales in the overall market fell 0.2 per cent due to continuing price deflation of 1.8 per cent. Waitrose, meanwhile, benefited from shoppers trading up at Christmas, as usual, leading to a sales increase of 1.5 per cent and its market share increasing to 5.2 per cent. And the Co-operative also won market share at Christmas for the first time since it acquired Somerfield, seeing sales growth of 1.4 per cent to secure 6 per cent of the market. Figures for the six weeks to January 3 showed an even better performance, with comparable sales up 0.5 per cent. In March, Morrison's reported a 52 per cent drop in annual profits to 345million, its worst results in eight years. Meanwhile, the restructuring of the group under new boss Potts is continuing. Morrison's said it would close another seven stores, following its announcement last September that it was shutting 11 stores, putting 900 jobs at risk. It also agreed the sale of 140 M local convenience stores last September for around 25million to concentrate on its larger supermarkets. Around 680 jobs are under threat from the latest store closures. Morrison's said it was shutting the branches with regret, but stressed they were not profit- making and were among its smaller outlets, at under 15,000 square feet. It will have around 490 stores after the closures. Morrison's is the first of the 'big four' supermarkets to release Christmas trading figures. Sainsbury's publishes its third-quarter results and Christmas trading tomorrow, followed by Tesco on Thursday. Wal-Mart-owned Asda, which recently ratcheted up the supermarket price wars in the fight against expanding German discounters Aldi and Lidl by launching a further 500million in price cuts, is expected to issue an update next month. All smiles: David Potts (pictured) succeeded ousted chief executive Dalton Philips back in March Simon Johnstone, researcher at Kantar Retail, said: 'With better than expected results, Morrison's strategic priorities are still to stabilise the business and return to profitability ahead of sales growth. However, Morrison's still face several challenges heading into 2016. 'The rise of the discounter has seen supermarkets invest heavily in price to entice shoppers back into its stores. Morrison's has made noticeable progress in terms of clarity and consistency of its price proposition but face even greater pressure in 2016 with the announcement Asda plans to spend a further 500million on price cuts. The move will undoubtedly add to an already intense price war and one Morrison's will be unable to avoid.' He added: 'Additionally, having sold its entire convenience business, Morrison's is now under the greatest pressure to reinvigorate big box retailing in the UK. Whilst improving store standards, with its Back to Best program, will play a key role, Morrison's still face issues in terms of brand Identity. 'Key to improving this this will be the direction it takes with its new marketing ad agency. With Dave Potts focusing on a return to profitability, the huge investment in Marketing seen in the past is no longer a viable option. 'However, with Asda continuing to focus on value and Tesco needing to rebuild its reputation, Morrison's has a unique opportunity to differentiate itself and win back shoppers in a turbulent retail sector.' Last week, Marks & Spencer reported that its food sales were up 0.4 per cent for the 13 weeks to December 26, although its general merchandise sales were down by 5.8 per cent. This led to the departure of chief executive Marc Bolland, who will step down in April to be succeeded by Steve Rowe, executive director of general merchandise. Meanwhile upmarket Waitrose - part of the employee-owned group John Lewis - revealed last week that food deflation was eating into its like-for-like sales growth as it posted a 1.4 per cent fall in sales - its worst Christmas on record. David Stoddart, analyst at Edison Investment Research, said: It hardly looks exciting, but 0.2 per cent LFL sales growth (excluding fuel) by Morrison in the 9 weeks to 3 January is big news. 'Given the extent of deflation in the period and weather disruption in its northern heartland, negative LFLs seemed more likely. Whats more, the chain is ahead of expectation on debt reduction. All in all, an encouraging update. And Richard Hunter, Head of Equities at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers, said: At least on a temporary basis, Morrisons seems to have shaken off some of its relegation form and the share price has reacted accordingly. He added: Investors have tended to lose patience with the recovery story, and the decline in the share price (down 16 per cent in the last three months alone) contributed to the companys demotion from the premier FTSE100 index. Shrinking: The cuts mean the number of people working for the business in the North Sea will drop from 3,000 to roughly 2,400 BP will slash 600 jobs from its North Sea operations over the next two years as part of wider plans to significantly reduce headcount in the wake of tumbling oil prices. The oil giant confirmed that the majority of the posts are expected to be lost this year, with the rest to go next year. The move, which affects both staff and agency contractors, will take the number of people working for the business in the North Sea from around 3,000 to roughly 2,400. It is part of a global cull, which sees BP shed at least 4,000 posts from its worldwide exploration and extraction (or 'upstream') business over a similar timescale. Officials said that will take its total upstream workforce globally to 20,000 or less. The job losses amount to around 5 per cent of BP's total global workforce of 80,000. BP stressed it remains committed to the North Sea but that the measures were necessary for it to stay competitive. BP's 4billion investment programme in North Sea oil and gas is not expected to be affected by the job losses. The oil major is working on two major projects in the region, due to come on stream in 2016/17. Mark Thomas, regional president for BP North Sea, said: 'We are committed to the North Sea and see a long term future for our business here. 'For example, in 2016, we are continuing to invest around two billion dollars 1.3billion of capital into North Sea projects and a further 2billion in running our North Sea operations. 'This will sustain many hundreds of supply chain contractor jobs going forward. 'However, given the well-documented challenges of operating in this maturing region and in toughening market conditions, we need to take specific steps to ensure our business remains competitive and robust. 'An inevitable outcome of this will be an impact on headcount and we expect a reduction of around 600 staff and agency contractor roles by the end of 2017, with the majority of these taking place this year. 'We are speaking to our staff and agency contractor management, and will work with those affected over the coming months.' Highly skilled: BP will shed at least 4,000 posts globally from its 'upstream' business over the next two years The cuts come as a direct result of the tumbling price of oil, which has collapsed from more than $100 a barrel to just over $30 in the space of a year. And it could get worse. Analysts at Standard Chartered believe prices could hit the $20 mark this year. In October, BP boss Bob Dudley said he didn't think oil prices would fall below $40 a barrel. In 2015, the global business, which currently employs 80,000 staff, shed 4,000 jobs. But BP also warned that there could be additional job losses in the downstream business, the part of the company that deals in oil refining and marketing. The pressure at the top can be relentless with a new survey showing the majority of bosses at British firms are cancelling out their holiday entitlement by working an extra hour a day. Eight in ten managers do the extra time, adding up to 29 days of work over the course of the year, according to the latest quality of working life study by the Chartered Management Institute. With average holiday entitlement at 28 days, these additional hours cancel out managers' annual leave, the report by the development training firm reveals. Power hour: The CMI study shows many bosses work an extra hour a day, eating into their holiday entitlement Additionally, one in ten bosses put in more than three extra hours each day, the equivalent of working a 15-month year. A large number of managers blame technology for their increased hours as they find it harder to switch off, with one in five managers reporting that they are 'always on' and check emails all the time. As a result, 39 per cent want their organisation to restrict out-of-hours access to email systems to provide a chance to escape the pressures of work. Those struggling to switch off report lower personal productivity levels and experience more stress, the CMI says. Unsurprisingly, the study shows that by eating into the time available to relax, exercise and socialise, long-hours prevent managers from being able to unwind. The survey also reveals that since the recession the proportion of managers working over their contracted hours has risen steadily, reaching 92 per cent in 2015. Ann Francke, chief executive of CMI, said: 'There's nothing wrong with hard graft, but only if you're well supported. Accidental managers who lack the professional skills to deal with the causes of burnout are a threat to their health and others' at work. 'Productivity will also continue to suffer unless employers train their managers to prevent overwork and strike the necessary work/life balance.' Technology stresses: Many managers feel they are 'always on' due to the fact they have e-mails coming through to their mobile phones However, despite the rise in hours, managers' job satisfaction is on the up. Two-thirds of managers are currently satisfied with their jobs, a rise of 12 per cent on 2012 and higher than the 62 per cent recorded in 2007 before the financial crash. The annual report which has been going since 1997 - is based on a survey of 1,574 managers and is carried out by Sir Professor Cary Cooper and Professor Les Worrall. Sir Cary Cooper CBE, who is Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at Manchester Business School, said: 'Businesses should be on alert for signs of burnout. 'Stress is a natural reaction to challenging conditions, and while it can raise motivation and help individuals meet deadlines in the short-term over longer periods is extremely damaging. 'Festering resentment at our long-hours culture risks boiling over and hurting UK productivity. Striking the right balance is crucial, requiring managers to act equitably and with empathy.' The study comes as a separate report shows more than half of us want to change career. A staggering 72 per cent of those aged 25 to 34 are keen to switch career path. South Africa based producer Khanyiso Crowder poses with the author of the book titled Umjingi Udliwa Yinhlitiyo Sijabulile Sibandze. This was during the premier of the film at Movie Zone last year. MBABANE The local film industry continues to shine as the local film, Umjingi Udliwa Yinhlitiyo, was screened for the second time on South African television this past weekend. The film, which was premiered in the country towards the end of last year at the Movie Zone Cinema, was first screened on Mzansi Magic in September last year. It is based on a book by Sijabulile Sibandze, about lisiko lekwendziswa (the culture of offering your daughter for marriage without her consent). It was screened on Mzansi Magic, Channel 164 on Saturday night and was repeated on Sunday at 2:30pm. On both days, most Swazis showed that they were impressed with seeing a local product on screen. This they did through their posts on the social network facebook where they not only alerted others to tune into the Mzansi Magic channel but also commented about how real the film was. The film is real, it is indeed a true reflection of our beautiful country. I am very proud of the whole cast and the producers, one facebooker said. The film boasts with an all Swazi cast from Sphila Nje drama group. It was directed by Modison Magagula and produced by South Africa based film producer and actress Khanyiso Crowder. The two leading characters Lusekwane and Sebentile were portrayed by Hloniphile Ndzimandze and Ncamiso Ntjingila. Magagula began his career as a play writer in 1986 after attending a workshop for writers in Mbabane. He writes plays, poems and short-stories in SiSwati on themes including post colonialism, sectarianism, juvenile delinquency and relationships. The movie was filmed at Macetjeni but the story is based in Mankayane communities such as Ngcoseni, Mahlangatja, and Ngwempisana. These places are typical Swazi locations where rural homesteads can be found, generally identical to other communities in remote areas of the country. MBABANE A new study gives an insight on what Swazi women hope to get in exchange for sex. Some of the things women were hoping to gain included alcohol, a free night out, expensive clothing, sexual satisfaction, phones and basic food. The study, Cultural consensus modelling to measure transactional sex in Swaziland: Scale building and validation, was published in the Social Science and Medical Journal last week. It was written by Rebecca Fielding-Miller, Kristin L Dunkle, Hannah LF Cooper, Michael Windle and Craig Hadley. It was conducted between 2013 and 2014. We recruited a convenience sample of women from university, rural, urban, and peri-urban sites, as the literature suggested that women living in different areas may have different priorities, the journal stated. It was said Swazi research assistants (RAs) and the first author approached women in public spaces, that is, public shopping areas in urban and peri-urban sites, and in roads and by a river in rural sites and asked them to list as many items as they could think of in English or siSwati in response to the free-list question. The study stated that the meaning was left to participants interpretation: an item could be emotional (love), tangible (a cellphone), or relational (marriage). Researchers purposively sought women with a range of education, age, and marital statuses, although there was no specific quota, as the literature suggests that these may influence what items women would hope to get. The women were divided into three cultural consensus models (CCMs), being married women, aspirational and university. Married women relationships reflected those of married, older, more rural women with slightly less formal education. Marriage conferred both social and economic stability, and married women were highly respected in their communities. Married women linked a partners ability to provide financial support with the courtship process and family approval. They felt that a man should provide for his family and that marriage improved the social status for both partners. Women in the aspirational group, who were more likely to be urban and have at least a secondary education, were predominantly characterised by the aspiration to either transform their relationship into marriage, or to mirror a marriage relationship as closely as possible. MBABANE The taxpayer will fork out over E38 million over a period of three months to transport water to Mbabane, in an attempt to address the dire water crisis in the capital city. It is envisaged, as part of strategies to mitigate the situation, that government would have to haul water from Nhlangano (Mkhondvo River) or from Siphofaneni (Lubovane Dam) to Mbabane using water tankers. This means government is expected to spend about E430 000 per day to cart water to Mbabane. The figure has not yet been confirmed by government but stakeholders previously came up with the E38 million, which included mobile toilets, water tankers and fuel costs. A huge chunk of the estimated E38 million will be put towards fuel for the water tankers which will ensure that Mbabane residents have the required 26 million litres of water per day. The distance between Nhlangano and Mbabane is estimated to be about 130 kilometres and the river being targeted is the Mkhondvo River, which flows from South Africa. It has also been highlighted that water could also be sourced from Siphofaneni, and the water tankers, it is estimated, will travel 82 kilometres from Siphofaneni to Mbabane. The two areas were targeted in a plan that was made by stakeholders during planning meetings that looked into the water crisis. The capital city has an estimated population of about 94 400 people who use about 26 million litres of water per day. Hawane Dams capacity is 2 750 million litres. The estimated amount to transport the water to Mbabane was confirmed by a number of relevant stakeholders, on condition of anonymity. The drought and the plan to save Mbabane and the nation at large will be the subject, it is anticipated, between government and the National Disaster Management Agency. The distribution will include refilling water tanks that will be placed at strategic points, allowing the public to have access to potable water. I cannot go into details pertaining how the water will be sourced. We are still in talks with our partners and it would be premature to propagate the figure. What I can confirm is that it will be an expensive exercise, the source said. The source further stated that the alternative water supply would be implemented immediately the funds were available. Meanwhile, after introducing water rationing, SWSC requested the residents of Mbabane to conserve water by not using it for the least necessary things like outdoor watering, swimming pools and washing cars. The water shortage has forced the corporation to start preparing for stage four. This is the stage where there is no longer any running water available in the pipes and taps. The National Disaster Management Agency has been engaged with the view to approach government for a budget that would take care of the consequences of stage four. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Madina Toure Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed into a law a bill introduced by state Assemblyman Michael DenDekker (D-East Elmhurst) and state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) that eliminates fines and forfeitures for drivers whose tickets have been dismissed. The law, which Cuomo put his pen to Dec. 22, prohibits municipalities in New York state from assessing and collecting these additional fees associated with dismissed traffic and vehicle violations. The law will go into effect in 120 days. In the past, when a traffic or vehicle ticket was issued to an individual for a violation, there were typically accompanying administrative fees, fines, penalties or forfeitures. But when a violation was dismissed, the additional fees remained. DenDekker said he came up with the bill and reached out to Avella to have him sponsor the bill in the Senate. The assemblyman said a few of his constituents contacted him, saying they had received violations in Nassau County, and when they went to court to fight the tickets, they were told by the judge that while the ticket was dismissed, they would still be assessed a $30 administrative fee. He felt he could not resolve the issue, as it occurred in Nassau County. But after hearing a CBS News special report on the fees in Nassau County, he realized how widespread the issue is and the number of people affected, in addition to those in his district. He discovered the loophole, which he said some municipalities were apparently using to raise revenue. In my opinion, though, it is unfair to the justice system, he said. The idea of justice in our country is that you should be able towhen youre accused of somethinggo to court and if you win in court, you are vindicated and there should be no fine or penalty assessed to that. Avella said he was happy to introduce the bill, noting that local municipalities probably make a sizable amount of money from the fees. Just the processing of this type of fee has a certain amount of cost associated with it, so to make it profitable for a municipality to do it, itd have to be a significant amount, he said. Alec Slatky, legislative analyst for government affairs for Triple AAA Northeast, said the purpose of the law is to ensure that innocence does not come at a price. We know times are tough and localities, they need to find ways to raise revenue, but it should not be on the backs of motorists and drivers who did nothing wrong, Slatky said. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Bill Parry City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) has rescued three Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities from closure for the second time in two years. Dromm allocated more than $284,000 in funding for Jackson Heights Northbridge/Brulene/Southridge NORC for fiscal year 2016. The funding accounts for nearly 100 percent of NORCs operating budget. In April 2014, Dromm rallied 150 seniors and presented a petition with 1,200 signatures to effectively persuade Mayor Bill de Blasio to restore funding to the co-op program, which provides vital health and social services to senior residents in their own building or building complex. Established in 1999, NORC is managed by SelfHelp Community Services Inc. and provides transportation, medical, counseling, financial management and long-term care services to nearly 2,500 senior residents. Throughout New York City, NORCs are apartment buildings and complexes where large numbers of people have remained and grown older in the housing they moved into as young adults, a phenomenon known as aging in place. This allocation of $284,500 will allow SelfHelp Community Services to continue to provide many free and low-cost services to seniors in the Brulene, Northridge and Southridge cooperatives, Dromm said. Our seniors who depend on these quality services in order to live happy and healthy lives deserve nothing less. Protecting NORC and all programming for seniors continues to be one of my top priorities. Dromm presented the check to representatives of SelfHelp Community Services and Advisory Board members of the three cooperatives Dec. 30. The Southridge complex is between 92nd and 93rd streets between 34th Avenue and Northern Boulevard. Northridge is located directly across Northern Boulevard while Brulene is located on 34th Avenue between 93rd and 94th streets. We are grateful for his support, which is vital to creating an active and engaged NORC community in Queens, SelfHelp Community Services CEO Stuart Kaplan said. We look forward to continuing to work together to provide our residents with fulfilling programming and the support they need to remain active members of their community. John Melisdones, NORC Advisory Council president, recalled Dromms rally when the mayors 2015 preliminary budget cut $1 million in funding to the Jackson Heights NORCs, the Rochdale NORC in Jamaica and a third location in East Harlem. The funding from last year was critical to allow us to continue our programming, and without it we would likely not exist, he said. Hotel lets guests record songs; honors Pittsburgh's rich musical past The Oaklander Hotel, near the site of the old Syria Mosque, honors Pittsburgh's concert legacy with new on-site recording studio; open mic nights By Christopher Collins of the Times Record News A state tax lien against El Chico Restaurants of Texas was filed in error, according to an official at the Tex-Mex restaurant chain. On Jan. 7, the Times Record News reported that the El Chico on Central Freeway had closed, and also that a tax lien had been filed in December against El Chico Restaurants of Texas in the amount of $53,216. Bill Watson, vice president of marketing for Consolidated Restaurant Operations Inc., told a reporter the lien was filed erroneously and he later provided documents to that point. One document sent by Watson is from the Texas Comptroller's Office to the company, stating that "the lien was filed in error" and that it was being released and relinquished. The document included the statement: "As the lien was filed in error by the State of Texas, I, GLENN HEGAR, in accordance with the law, release and relinquish the lien(s) shown above. Executed the 8th day of January 2016." The document, dated Jan. 8, came one day after the news story was published. On Jan. 7, the lien still appeared to be active in county records and no document releasing it apparently had been filed. The company did not return Times Record News phone calls before publication, but Watson contacted the newspaper after the story was published. Another document provided by Watson purports to show a statement of El Chico's tax account from Jan. 1, 2011, to Aug. 31, 2014. In that time period, the company paid $40,800 in taxes, $8,160 in penalties and $4,251 in interest. About $300 in lien fees were waived, according to the document which was sent from the comptroller's office to the restaurant company on Jan. 8. A spokesman for the Texas Comptroller's office said Monday an error in a filed tax lien could be the result of any number of reasons, including a simple postmark where the lien was filed in the morning and a check came in that afternoon. Another scenario would be that a taxpayer requested an audit after a tax lien was filed, and the audit found the error. While the spokesman did not speak on the specifics of this case, he told the Times Record News that a release of lien could very well be waiting at the Wichita County courthouse to be filed as such. The lien situation did not contribute to the closing of one of Wichita Falls' El Chicos, Watson said. "The Central Freeway restaurant was closed when we were unable to agree on terms with our landlord," he said. "We will continue to serve guests at our Southwest Parkway location." According to the El Chico website, the business was founded in the 1920s, though it's only been in operation in Wichita Falls since the early 1980s. It was described as having a "traditional El Chico-style" design, as opposed to the more modern look of the Southwest Parkway location. El Chico's Tax Lien Correction 1 El Chico's Tax Lien Correction 2 Sean Penn has slugged journalism ethics and given it yet another black eye in his covert meeting and interviews with Mexico's No. 1 on-the-run criminal, El Chapo, for a journalistically off-putting Rolling Stone exclusive that's more PR than it is hard-hitting, tough-on-your-subject journalism. Penn did what authorities could not do, which was to arrange a meeting in the jungle in October with the Mexican drug lord, otherwise known as Joaquin Guzman Loera, while Guzman was on the lam. The violent criminal has embarrassed authorities with multiple escapes, including his most recent from a maximum security Mexican prison supposedly the most secure in the country. The contact between the actor and escaped criminal, who reached out to celebrities and film producers because he wants a movie made about him, supposedly helped lead Mexican authorities to El Chapo's capture recently. Authorities have said Penn was not working with authorities in the capture, but they took advantage of the opportunities the interviews presented. Mexican telenovela star Kate del Castillo, by the way, also was involved in the meeting with Guzman. All that aside, it's just wrong to meet with a fugitive as violent as El Chapo his criminal past alone should ring warning bells. It's more unsavory not to alert authorities to his location. If you know the location of an infamous drug lord, one who has not moved society to the better, would you not want to see him captured? And wouldn't seeing him captured be more important than something as seemingly less important as writing an article for Rolling Stone magazine? This is the same magazine that issued a public apology for its botched "A Rape on Campus" story, published in 2014, about a gang rape of a University of Virginia student at a frat house. Only, the author, Sabrina Rubin Erdely, never contacted the alleged rapists and people started questioning the veracity of the story. Rolling Stone ended up asking the Columbia School of Journalism to investigate the magazine's "lapses in reporting, editing and fact-checking behind the story," as the magazine pointed out. The Sean Penn-penned article, published by Rolling Stone Saturday, is, of course, its No. 1 read article. But it's one journalists have bashed for glossing over El Chapo's place as a dangerous criminal. It's a slightly fluffy piece, in el Chapo's favor. Let's be clear. El Chapo is a bad guy, the worst of the worst, who should not be glamorized with any kind of article that advances his agenda, That Sean Penn, who has in the past led humanitarian efforts in Haiti and elsewhere, would give him the kind of celebrity recognition El Chapo has supposedly always sought, and that Rolling Stone would give him even one sentence in its publication, is rotten tomatoes of the worst kind. It just smells bad. Giving Guzman that kind of glamorized attention is wrong, particularly since Mexico is one of the most violent places for journalists. Moreover, Rolling Stone and Penn allowed Guzman to read the article before it was published one of the biggest no-no's in journalism. Sources are not allowed to read articles written on them or have any kind of approval or editorial say. Articles are the viewpoint of the writer and the publication they work for to maintain artistic integrity. Sources want to control how they're perceived in a good public relations sense. But journalists want to represent a source or situation as they interpret it, with a more objective eye and without being influenced by those they are writing about. Journalists are not writing an advertising or public relations piece, after all. Giving a drug lord permission to read an article about him? It's just bad journalism all around. Follow senior multimedia journalist Lana Sweeten-Shults on Twitter @LanaSweetenShul. Council takes no action on suing entertainment giants Wichita Falls city councilors moved consideration of a lawsuit against some major entertainment companies off the agenda when they met Tuesday. Times Record News file photo From inside the Wichita County Jail. SHARE By The Washington Post New York has joined several other states in promising to scale back solitary confinement, the institutionalized torture to which prisons across the country subject thousands of inmates every day. The excuse for extreme prisoner isolation is that it maintains order. The reality is that the punishment is wildly overused, and the conditions are often of the sort you'd expect to read about in a human rights report on a Third World dictatorship, a system seemingly designed to break people down, encourage mental illness and inflict deep misery and emotional desperation. New York has some 4,000 prisoners in solitary confinement, according to the New York Civil Liberties Union, which has been pressing a lawsuit against the state. Under a settlement the NYCLU struck with the state, about a quarter of those prisoners will move out of traditional solitary confinement. This group will include people who were isolated as punishment for minor offenses, prisoners who require intensive behavioral therapy, inmates who need drug treatment, people who are developmentally disabled, minors and prisoners who are set to be released directly from isolation back into their communities. Those who violate prison drug restrictions one time and those who break minor rules will also be ineligible for isolation. Solitary confinement is obviously inappropriate for all of these groups. New York will also reduce solitary confinement terms. The NYCLU says that the average stay in isolation is roughly five months. Now, the maximum term will be three months, except in a few circumstances. The most stringent term for most inmates in solitary for their first time will be 30 days. Officers will also have to explain in writing why they put a prisoner in solitary. These changes do not mean that inmates who pose special challenges, such as the mentally ill or the drug-addicted, should simply be thrown back into the general prison population. Programs need to addresses their needs, including various types of treatment to help inmates recover from their time in solitary confinement before they re-enter the general prison population or hit the streets. They should have access to reading materials, group recreation time and other programming that's likely to help them rather than incite or exacerbate mental illness, as the current solitary system can do. These steps won't just be good for the prisoners themselves; they also could contribute to good order inside and outside New York's prisons. Some prisoners inevitably will be too dangerous to keep around others. When prison violence is the alternative, these inmates can and should be set apart. But they shouldn't be mistreated. The settlement, therefore, seeks to not just reduce the number of people relegated to solitary confinement but also improve conditions inside. Prisoners who must now spend 23 hours in a 6-by-10-foot concrete cell will have more opportunities for longer periods of out-of-cell recreation and, if it's feasible, group interaction. They will be guaranteed access to radios and more reading material. They will be offered mental-health counseling. Isolated prisoners also will no longer have to choke down "the loaf" a disgusting melange of bread, root vegetables and potatoes. New York's move won't put it in the top class of states reforming solitary confinement. But it's a massive move simply because of the number of prisoners in the state almost 60,000. Others should follow, whether or not they are facing a lawsuit. Guilty plea entered in 2014 slaying SCHENECTADY A city man is facing 28 years in prison after admitting he shot a man to death on Labor Day weekend 2014. Gammen Knight, 24, of Maple Avenue pleaded guilty Monday before Schenectady County Judge Matthew Sypniewski to first-degree manslaughter and criminal sale of a firearm for the Sept. 1, 2014 killing of Danny Russell on Catherine Street. Russell, a Bronx man who previously lived in Schenectady, was visiting friends when shot. Knight admitted he intentionally killed Russell but did so while under an "extreme emotional disturbance for which there was a reasonable explanation," District Attorney Robert Carney's office said. The condition mitigated the level of homicide, prosecutors said. Chief Assistant District Attorney Philip Mueller said evidence showed the two men had a dispute that escalated into threats and a street fight, and ended with the shooting. Mueller said Knight was expected to testify at trial that Russell provoked the shooting by "threatening armed violence" against Knight, Knight's girlfriend, Iris Vasquez, and their baby daughter. Mueller said Knight's past statements contradicted that. Knight's girlfriend and another woman attacked the mother of Russell's child, which led Russell to get involved. Vasquez was charged in December 2014 for an incident that took place before the killing. In that case, she opened fire from the same 9 mm handgun used in the killing at people sitting on a Becker Street porch. No one was injured. Vasquez, who pleaded guilty to weapon possession, is awaiting sentencing to prison for 5 to 7 years, Mueller said. "Too many times we've seen people arm themselves to settle disputes that should have been reported to and resolved by the police," Carney said in a statement. "Danny Russell would be alive today and Gammen Knight and Iris Vasquez could be raising their daughter instead of wasting their lives in prison." Robert Gavin Man convicted of murdering girlfriend ALBANY A 59-year-old man was found guilty of second-degree murder for the December 2014 stabbing death of his 56-year-old girlfriend. A jury convicted Robert Lake of killing Latisha Alzaid in a senior housing complex at 400 Hudson Ave. Lake and Alzaid lived in separate apartments in the building. Police had said Lake stabbed Alzaid twice in the neck in his apartment, on the 11th floor. He had cuts to his neck and both wrists, police said. Lindsay Ellis This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Cherry Valley Update: The auction was held as scheduled on Tuesday, Jan. 12. According to Dave Lamouret, nobody showed so NBT Bank bought back the property and presumably will market it for sale. NBT did not respond to a request for information about the auction. This is the day Dave Lamouret has long dreaded. NBT Bank will auction off farmland that his family has owned for generations. More Information Contact Chris Churchill at 518-454-5442 or email cchurchill@timesunion.com See More Collapse The financial troubles that ensnared Lamouret and led to the foreclosure of his land are not simple. But the essential and outrageous truth is this: If he hadn't served with the Army National Guard in Afghanistan, he wouldn't be losing his land. "It's the loss of a legacy," said Lamouret, 52. "I won't have the land to give to my kids." This story starts in 1983, when Lamouret first enlisted with the National Guard, went to basic training and discovered that he loved the military. He would have made it a full-time career if not for ... The land. That's the 360 acres he inherited in Cherry Valley, northeast of Cooperstown. Part of the property had been purchased by his father's family in 1910, while the rest was bought by his maternal forebears decades earlier. It's not easy to walk away from roots that deep. So Lamouret committed to a life of dairy farming and part-time military service. Eventually pushed out of full-time farming by economics, he would become a teacher at Cherry Valley-Springfield Central School. So far, so good. He was economically sound. Then Sgt. Maj. Lamouret was sent to Afghanistan. He spent much of 2007 and all of 2008 away from home. He was charged with training members of the fledgling Afghan army, work that wore at his middle-aged body. Eventually, he could barely walk, he said. He returned home for a hip replacement. Lamouret requested a medical military retirement, which meant the end of his military paycheck. And while he waited for the Army to make its decision, he was hit by an economic storm. His wife had been laid off. The farm was losing money after his time away. The waves washed over his head. He fell behind on his bills. "I just couldn't keep up anymore," Lamouret told me, "and I stopped making payments to NBT." Of his many bills including child support and the mortgage on his home paying back the farmland loan usually came last, and he fell further behind as the bank tacked on late fees and penalties. (Lamouret had taken out a loan on the land to pay his first wife's share of the farm when they divorced.) Here's the good news: Lamouret's bad economic time is over. The Army granted his early medical retirement and began supplementing his income. His wife is working again. He is able to make his monthly payments. The flip side, though, is that NBT Bank was unforgiving, Lamouret says. The bank refused to work with him after he fell behind. "They just had no compassion," Lamouret said. "And now that I have the income to make the payments, they still refuse to help." The bank foreclosed in November, affecting land that surrounds Lamouret's house, including the wood furnace that warms it. The auction is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday morning. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. What does NBT say? The Norwich-based bank declined to discuss Lamouret's situation and sent me this mealy-mouthed statement: "As a community bank, we take pride in supporting our customers facing economic hardships and work with them to arrive at the best outcomes for all parties involved in any financial matter." Lamouret laughed at that. How is foreclosure the "best" option for him? Yes, there are laws designed to protect service members from foreclosure and financial problems. But as Eric Durr, spokesman for the New York National Guard, noted, those laws only apply during active duty. Financial problems that happen once members of the military return to civilian life are exempted from the law even if they're related to service-related injuries. "It's all a big circle that I got sucked into," Lamouret said as he walked over his farm's frozen fields on a recent afternoon. "I'm stuck in the center and can't get to the outside." Still, Lamouret would be the first to note that he's relatively lucky. Nearly 7,000 Americans died serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, and many more were seriously wounded. And there are certainly examples of veterans who were treated worse upon return neglected at Walter Reed Medical Center, for example, or denied meaningful work. But Lamouret's situation is part of the same national disgrace. We ask the men and women of our military to serve and sacrifice, to put their lives at risk and on hold. We thank them for their service. Then we shrug at their struggles. cchurchill@timesunion.com 518-454-5442 @chris_churchill This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Schenectady Richard Jackson begins his book with an apology to Archie Foreman. "The words 'I am sorry' can never be enough for you and for me as well." Jackson was 16 years old with a group of friends when he shot and killed Foreman in a 1985 robbery on a Brooklyn street. By the time he was 17, Jackson was starting a sentence of 17 years to life in prison. Now 46, and living in Rotterdam after spending 26 years behind bars at 17 different prisons, Jackson included the apology in his book "Inside Out: Prison, Poetry & Perseverance." It took years and his mother's two suicide attempts at the possibility he'd spend the rest of his life in prison for him to fully comprehend what he'd done, Jackson said. "This is the hardest letter I have ever written," Jackson writes in the book. "Mr. Foreman, as you sit on your throne in Heaven with your beautiful wings spread wide looking down at this world that I took from you, I humbly ask can you please give me a muster of forgiveness." Jackson said writing became his outlet and the book is "a lot of things that go on in prison that people don't talk about that's hidden facts." The book's cover features a man's hands stretching outside a prison cell with a monarch butterfly perched on the left hand. "I wanted to show that even though you're inside, you could be out, it's all a level in your mind, you got to transform while you're in so when you get out, you could be that beautiful butterfly," Jackson said. The book features a chapter to help women avoid getting fooled by men behind bars about romance and relationships and a conversation between Jackson and God. He was released in 2011, having spent most of his time in Green Haven Correctional Facility in Dutchess County. Three years earlier, he married his childhood sweetheart. She wrote a chapter in the book detailing the struggles of visiting her husband behind bars. The couple have an 18-year-old son and live in Rotterdam. Jackson has attempted, so far without success, to reach out to his victim's sons. "It's bittersweet because had that (killing) not happened, I wouldn't be the man I am today," he said. "I might have been a drug dealer, I might have been a multi-murderer, but today I'm a proud man." He says his target audience is "anybody that comes into contact with the criminal justice system or is about to come into contact with the criminal justice system or somebody that knows somebody in the criminal justice system because it's so informative and real." He described the humiliation he felt at being stripped naked, forced to shave his head and bathe with harsh soap. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. When he was released, he already had compiled a collection of writings that his friend and one-time accomplice, Archie McInnis, thought should be published. McInnis, who attended high school with Jackson and was arrested with him in 1985 for a robbery, is now bishop presiding over Full Effect Gospel Ministries in Brooklyn. McInnis published the book through a company affiliated with his church. Jackson works as a re-entry specialist, assisting men in getting acclimated to society after prison. He also is an assistant director for a group of men who work on the streets to help prevent crime and violence in inner-city Schenectady. He signed books in November at the Hamilton Hill Arts Center. Robert Carreau, executive director of the Schenectady Foundation, attended the event. He read the first chapters of the book and calls it compelling. "I have to think that it takes a lot of courage for him to lay his life bare like that," said Carreau, whose foundation provides funding to the crime prevention group. Jackson gives out copies of his book to when he speaks to groups, but the book is available for sale: Jacksonat richard619@gmail.com. pnelson@timesunion.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Albany High school graduation rates crept up nearly two percent last year, according to data released by the state Education Department on Monday. While a majority of Capital Region districts surpassed the 78.1 percent statewide graduation rate, six came in under that bar. Ninety-six percent of seniors received diplomas in the Voorheesville Central School District, but just 53 percent walked across the stage in Green Island and Albany at the culmination of the 2014-15 school year. How local data stacked up against past years was not clear for all districts. Statewide, the 78.1 percent for the 208,436-student 2011 cohort students who graduated in 2015 was up from 76.4 percent for the 2010 cohort and 74.9 percent for the 2009 cohort. The statewide dropout rate for the 2011 cohort was 6.6 percent. "The good news is that more students, particularly those in urban districts, are graduating from high school," State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia said in a statement. "But we know the graduation rate could be even higher if students were given the option to meet our standards in a different way. This is not about changing our standard. It's about providing other avenues for kids to show what they know so they can graduate." The graduation rates increased for each of the so-called "Big 5" city school districts as well. Of those five which include New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers only the Rochester City School District's rate remains below 50 percent (45.5 percent). Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. Capital Region schools surpassed the 50 percent graduation mark, though in some cases not by much. The Albany City School District touted a 59 percent graduation rate for the class of 2015 through August, the highest since 2008. Its June graduation rate which includes special education students who attended high school in special placements outside the district, according to officials was 53 percent. The district also pointed to rates for African-American students rising from 44 percent in 2014 to 56 percent in 2015. Of the region's main three city school districts, Troy topped the list with a 74 percent graduation rate, while Schenectady had a 56 percent rate. Fourteen Capital Region districts, all of them suburban, hit or topped the 90 percent graduation rate mark. The data were released as state Board of Regents members on Monday discussed proposals to increase the graduation rate, in part by expanding the process by which students can appeal Regents exam scores. Rick Karlin contributed. mhamilton@timesunion.com 518-454-5449 Albany The state was sued Monday by two conservation groups over plans to create a new, 22-mile-long snowmobile trail in the heart of the central Adirondacks. Filed by Protect the Adirondacks and Adirondack Wild, the lawsuit claims the Adirondack Park Agency and Department of Environmental Conservation broke state law in approving plans for former timber company land centered around the Essex Chain of Lakes between Indian Lake and Newcomb in Essex and Hamilton counties. In November, the APA voted 8-2 to approve a plan for a north-south snowmobile trail that would split about 10,000 acres of former Finch-Pruyn lands roughly between the lakes and the western side of the Hudson River at the Hudson Gorge Wilderness. The state acquired the property in 2012 after the company sold it to The Nature Conservancy. "This is the single largest expansion of motor vehicle use in the history of the state Forest Preserve," said Peter Bauer, executive director of Protect the Adirondacks. "It has been a priority of the Cuomo administration to motorize the Adirondacks." Bauer said it follows state approval of about 100 miles of snowmobile trails in the 6 million-acre Adirondack Park so far this decade. Filed in state Supreme Court in Albany County, the lawsuit claims that the two state agencies violated the state Wild, Scenic and Recreational Rivers System Act, adopted in 1972, and the park's State Land Master Plan, in approving the snowmobile trail, the construction of a new snowmobile bridge over the Cedar River, and snowmobile use of a former Finch logging bridge (Polaris Bridge) on the upper Hudson River. Running from Pelon Road near Indian Lake to Newcomb on Route 28N, the trail hinges on APA reclassification of a 500-foot-wide corridor as "wild forest" under agency land use rules. Wild forest allows for snowmobile use, while land on either side of the corridor remains classified under wilderness or primitive categories, which do not allow motorized uses. "The state's actions are not only illegal, but set a dangerous precedent for other areas of our wild Adirondacks. By allowing itself to construct things in protected areas through self-issuing permits or by inventing fictitious legal theories, the state's actions threaten the entire Forest Preserve," said Chris Amato, attorney with Earthjustice, a Washington, D.C.-based environmental law firm that is representing the two conservation groups. The press offices of both the APA and DEC declined comment on the lawsuit. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. Fred Monroe, executive director of the Adirondack Park Local Government Review Board, which represents towns and villages in the park, said there is local support for the snowmobile plan. "It is unfortunate that environmental groups chose to bring the lawsuit, which is unfair and full of inaccurate information" he said. He said much of the property where the trail would run is "essentially a former tree farm" that has roads servicing some 20 private hunting camps leased by the timber company. Those camps will have to close by 2018 under terms of the Nature Conservancy sale of the property to the state. "The state Snowmobile Association and our 60,000 members have commented extensively on the state's plan for the Essex Chain of Lakes as well as the APA's review of the plan," said association Executive Director Dominic Jacangelo. "This lawsuit is another example of groups who aren't able to accomplish their agenda through the public process and turn to using the court system to purposely delay any movement for the benefit of the Adirondack economy and the people who live and play there." bnearing@timesunion.com 518-454-5094 @Bnearing10 [January 12, 2016] AlohaNAP CEO to Speak at Chamber of Commerce Hawaii State of the Economy Panel KAPOLEI, Hawaii, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- AlohaNAP, fifteenfortyseven Critical Systems Realty's (1547) premier enterprise datacenter in Hawaii, announces its CEO, J. Todd Raymond, will speak on the State of the Economy panel during the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii's Chamber Week. Chamber Week takes place January 19-22 with the State of the Economy panel taking place on Wednesday, January 20 from 11:30am 1:30pm. The panel will bring together business leaders across major industries to provide their outlook for 2016. AlohaNAP is the lead sponsor of this event and will be participating in various Chamber events throughout the week. The AlohaNAP executive team will also be attending Pacific Telecommunications Council 2016 (PTC'16) from January 17-20 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu, HI. The team will be onsite to discuss the company's latest advancements and upcoming plans. "We are excited to support the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii's Chamber Week initiatives," states Raymond. "We look forward to partnering with other member organizations tosupport the local business landscape. Chamber Week together with PTC'16 offer us the opportunity to network with existing customers and build new relationships." AlohaNAP is the only purpose built commercial datacenter on the island of Oahu. Leveraging its geographic location in Kapolei, Hawaii, and access to the submarine cable network AlohaNAP offers carrier-neutral connections to both global and local fiber providers, and satellite connectivity to over 40 different satellites. To schedule a meeting with AlohaNAP during Chamber Week or PTC'16, please email [email protected]. To learn more about AlohaNAP, please visit www.alohanap.com. About fifteenfortyseven Critical Systems Realty fifteenfortyseven Critical Systems Realty, LLC (1547) is a leading developer and operator of custom-designed datacenters with over 500,000 sq ft of datacenter space under development in Orangeburg, NY, Chicago, IL, Cheyenne, WY and Kapolei, HI. Central to the firm's strategy is the ability to uncover the true intrinsic value of properties, opportunistically developing world-class datacenter facilities with a focus on providing tenants with customized mission critical solutions from concept through completion. 1547 was formed in 2011 by a group of experienced executives from the financial and datacenter industries to leverage their combined expertise to produce market leading datacenter development projects. Together, the team has over 60 years of experience in developing, renovating and operating datacenter space. This wealth of experience allows 1547 to be uniquely positioned to acquire, develop, and operate strategically-located, custom built datacenter properties. For more information, visit www.1547realty.com. For 1547 media inquiries, please contact: Lauren Lemoi Email 214-960-5116 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alohanap-ceo-to-speak-at-chamber-of-commerce-hawaii-state-of-the-economy-panel-300202677.html SOURCE AlohaNAP [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 12, 2016] Aqua Comms to Present in Submarine Cable Workshop at PTC'16 Chief Operations Officer Greg Varisco to Discuss Subsea Cable Protection and Next-Generation System Design, Including AEConnect DUBLIN, IRELAND January 12, 2016 Aqua Comms Limited (AquaComms), a provider of scalable, subsea capacity-based network solutions, announces today that its Chief Operations Officer, Greg Varisco, will participate in a workshop at PTC16 taking place 1720 January 2016 in Honolulu, Hawaii at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort. Mr. Varisco will present at the conferences Submarine Cable Workshop: Waves of Change! on Sunday, 17 January, at 11 am at Coral 2. Organized by the David Ross Group, an international consultancy that specializes in undersea telecommunications networks, the Submarine Cable Workshop will examine how submarine cables comprise the critical infrastructure for the modern world of communications, carrying over 98% of intercontinental data traffic. Alongside executives from TE SubCom, Telekomunikasi Indonesia International, Microsoft and TeleGeography, Mr. Varisco will explore how subsea cables, including Aqua Comms America Europe Connect (AEConnect), one of the first transatlantic cables constructed between New York City and London in nearly 15 years, provide a web of comprehensive connectivity, reliability and redundancy. Subtitled The Changing Global Cable Map, Whats Next? the Submarine Cable Workshop will also address the huge volumes of demand from Over-the-Top (OTT) content providers and the effects these demands will have on building the network of the future. AEConnect, scheduled to be ready for service in late January 2016, was specifically designed to meet the exponential surge in bandwidth demand from carriers, global data centers, cloud-based networks, financial services companies and content providers. With more than 52 Tbps of available capacity, the 100G compliant system utilizes innovative optical technologies, including the latest technology of 130 Gb/s x 100 Gb/s per fiber pair. In addition to its highly secure routing the cable transverses the minimum length of shallow water along the continental shelf on both sides of the Atlantic and avoids major fishing grounds and shipping anchorage areas that are known to expose subsea cables to damage AEConnect delivers one of the lowest latency crossings of the Atlantic, projected at a speed of 53.9 milliseconds. a major advance upon systems built at the turn of the 21st century, it is designed as a coherent optimized system, and will therefore benefit the most from the improvements that coherent technology offers, today and into the future PTC's annual conference is the Asia-Pacific's premier telecommunications event. Now in its 38th year, the annual conference is a strategic springboard for the global telecommunications industry. The conference provides all attendees with a three-day platform to focus on planning, networking, and discovering what the new year will bring. To request a meeting with the AquaComms team during PTC16, email [email protected] For more information about AEConnect, visit www.AquaComms.com/ or email [email protected] # # # About Aqua Comms Limited Aqua Comms Limited (Aqua Comms) is the owner and operator of the transatlantic cable AEConnect and the Irish Sea cable CeltixConnect, and was established to build, acquire or merge with subsea fiber optic cable networks to provide capacity networking solutions to the global media, content providers and IT companies. To learn more about Aqua Comms and its new transatlantic subsea cable system, AEConnect, visit www.AquaComms.com. MEDIA INQUIRIES Aqua Comms Contacts: Greg Varisco Chief Operations Officer, Aqua Comms Limited Tel: +353 1 662 4399 [email protected] Ilissa Miller iMiller Public Relations for Aqua Comms Limited Tel: +1 866 307 2510 [email protected] As a community-building service, TMCnet allows user submitted content which is not always proofed by TMCnet editors. If you feel this entry is of inferior quality or wish to report it for some reason, please forward the URL to "webedit [AT] tmcnet [DOT] com" with your comments. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 12, 2016] POLARIS Deploys Clinical Genomic Tests on DNAnexus Platform DNAnexus Inc., the leader in cloud-based genome informatics and data management, today announced that POLARIS (Personalized OMIC Lattice for Advanced Research and Improving Stratification), is now using DNAnexus (News - Alert) to enable a series of genomic tests. The production-scale clinical applications will be used by the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS). POLARIS was established by A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) in 2011 to pilot the application of clinical omics in the treatment and diagnosis of medical diseases in Singapore. POLARIS will leverage the DNAnexus Platform to support testing for gastrointestinal (GI) and solid tumor cancers. This is part of a systematic effort to develop a nationwide framework for omics-based tests. Using DNAnexus, POLARIS was able to deploy its proprietary tests with full versioning, auditing, and dissemination using advanced permissions and access protocols on the DNAnexus network. POLARIS is one of the first clinical laboratories in Singapore to achieve CAP accreditation specifically for massively parallel sequencng. POLARIS is currently using the DNAnexus Platform to deliver clinical genomic tests: POLARIS GI Cancer Test - This assay detects somatic mutations for five genes with high clinical utility in colorectal cancer and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Delivery of a diagnostic report, including interpretation of results is delivered to the treating physician responsible for deciding on appropriate course of treatment. POLARIS XPLORA Panel Test - This panel targets more than 700 genes, selected from comprehensive review of cancer literature and six publicly available cancer genome databases. XPLORA is intended for basic and clinical research use in biomarker screening, development of companion diagnostics and focused disease panel tests. "Working with DNAnexus, we were able to deploy our validated clinical pipeline into the cloud at production scale," said Patrick Tan, MD, PhD, Program Director, POLARIS and Sr. Group Leader, Genome Institute of Singapore. "We look forward to leveraging the DNAnexus Platform to offer our genomic tests to the Singapore population and to expand our test portfolio." "The DNAnexus global network provides customers with a secure place for genomic data and allows users like POLARIS to keep pace with the growth of the global genetic testing market," said Richard Daly, CEO of DNAnexus. "We are pleased that POLARIS chose DNAnexus to deploy their CAP-accredited workflow on our Platform and we look forward to our collaboration as they embark upon additional clinical opportunities to improve patient treatment." DNAnexus CEO Richard Daly will discuss the POLARIS deployment in addition to other case studies at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare conference today in San Francisco. Date: January 12, 2016 Time: 2:00 pm Pacific Location: Westin St. Francis, Elizabethan Room D Title: The Network is the Solution in Genomics Description: DNAnexus CEO Richard Daly presents the convergence of genomics and cloud computing and how DNAnexus has acquired market leadership in this sector by building out a global network via its integrated genome informatics and data management platform. About DNAnexus DNAnexus combines expertise in cloud computing and bioinformatics to create the global network for genomics. DNAnexus provides security, scalability, and collaboration for enterprises and organizations that are pursuing genomic-based approaches to health in order to accelerate medical discovery. DNAnexus is supporting customers around the world that are tackling some of the most challenging and exciting opportunities in human health. For more information please visit: https://dnanexus.com and follow us at @DNAnexus. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160112005429/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 12, 2016] 2016 Elections, Smartphones and Self-Service Oh My! OTTAWA, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Elections Canada reports that the average voter turnout for Canada's general elections since 1867 has been 70.7% and is trending downwards. Purple Forge, a leader in mobile-first community engagement and self-service SaaS solutions including Smart Cities and Smart Government, has first-hand knowledge of these election trends. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160111/321040 High voter turnout is important to ensure an election is an accurate reflection of the will of the people. Low turnouts can lead to unequal representation among various parts of the population. In order to increase voter participation it is essential to engage citizens to inform, educate and answer questions. The effectiveness and relevance of traditional outreach such as print, television, radio, newspapers, service centers, and desktop websites are diminishing with every passing year due to the rapid adoption of smartphones. In 2015 the CRTC reported that over two thirds of Canadians own a smartphone and nearly half own a tablet computer. This shift has transformed how people prefer to access information and services they require. Industry research reports that when it comes to self-service, 75% of people believe answers to their common questions should be available via smartphones, while 50% of smartphone users would prefer to use a mobile app rather than calling a service center. "These trends present an opportunity for governments to increase voter engagement while also reducing service delivery costs. Smartphones make anytime, anywhere self-service accessible and convenient. By self-servicing, people get answers to their questins quickly and the government gets fewer service center calls and their associated costs," said Brian Hurley, President and CEO of Purple Forge. Recognizing the trends, Elections Manitoba announced their "Manitoba Votes 2016" mobile app. "Manitoba Votes 2016" was developed to improve information accessibility and convenience for voters. Highlights include: My voting information Assist citizens in finding electoral divisions, candidates, returning offices, election day and advance voting locations based on your residential address. and advance voting locations based on your residential address. Advance voting locations See a complete list of advance voting locations in the province. Find advance locations near your current location. Employment Learn about election jobs available and apply directly using the app ID requirements Find out what ID is required for advance and election day voting voting Accessibility Voting options for citizens with disabilities Students Information about eligibility and residence requirements for post-secondary students Important dates View a list of all the key dates in the election calendar. Add them to your own calendar. FAQ Answers to common election questions Contact Get contact information for your returning office and for Elections Manitoba For candidates Nomination process, information sessions and spending limits Results Access past election election results and election night results The "Manitoba Votes 2016" app is free to download for Android, iPhone and Blackberry platforms and supports both official languages. The Elections Manitoba app is powered by Purple Forge's award-winning Software as a Service (SaaS) platform. Purple Forge is a leader in mobile-first community engagement and self-service SaaS solutions including Smart Cities and Smart Government. Purple Forge mobile election apps are widely deployed in the US and Canada, where customers include: County of Denver CO, Union County NJ, City of Long Beach CA, Winnipeg MB, and Edmonton AB. About Purple Forge Purple Forge is an award-winning Software as a Service (SaaS) provider of mobile-first community engagement and self service solutions. Our customers include: Governments, Venues, Telecommunications Service Providers, Financial Institutions, and Membership-based Organizations. Purple Forge's platform and applications offer a wide range of features that span web, mobile, wearables, social, location based services, iBeacons and the Internet of Things. Our solutions increase customer engagement, provide insights into unmet customer needs and reduce service delivery costs. Purple Forge is an IBM Watson Ecosystem Partner. Purple Forge is partnered with TELUS for Smart City apps. For more information about Purple Forge, please visit www.purpleforge.com. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/2016-elections-smartphones-and-self-service-oh-my-300202605.html SOURCE Purple Forge [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 12, 2016] Mental & Behavioral Electronic Assessment App, assessURhealth, Announces Relationship with former Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- assessURhealth, a leading provider of mental and behavioral medical assessment applications, is pleased to announce new client and strategic partner, former Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. Regina Benjamin and her Alabama-based Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Look-Alike, Bayou Clinic. assessURhealth's proprietary electronic medical assessment app allows clinicians and other entities to capture key psychometric risk data across indicators of depression and anxiety, alcohol and substance abuse, and somatic symptoms, postnatal and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - directly engaging patients in awareness of their well-being through fast, simple self-reporting from inside a medical office. "As a society, we recognize the correlations that exist between depression, addiction, homelessness, violence and suicide. A product like assessURhealth could revolutionize our ability as clinicians to proactively identify the flags for mental illnesses and more effectively plan and care for our patients," says Dr. Benjamin. "I'm thrilled to work with a company that believes in the importance of the relationship between patients and clinicians to emphasize and encourage accountable care." Delivered on pre-loaded iPads, the HIPAA-secure, iOS-native application aids in satisfying a number of crucial needs for practitioners, including: increased patient engagement levels, immediate clinical insights, enhanced revenue generation and compliance with the Affordable Care Act's Preventive Services Mandate, and ultimately - improved patient outcomes. "Like Dr. Benjamin, we want to help mitigate the stigma that surrounds mental illess and narrow the gap between the questions that we ask as a society and the willingness of those suffering to open up about their struggles," added cofounders, Mallory Tai Taylor and Alison Hindman Talleri. "assessURhealth is an incredibly powerful solution with the ability to drive significant revenue to practices that are fighting against rising costs and falling reimbursement. Even more importantly, it can truly impact the identification and treatment of mental and behavioral health risks by reinforcing the power of the patient-clinician relationship. We are proud to share Dr. Benjamin's vision and work together to make an impact through assessURhealth." About assessURhealth assessURhealth is a medical software development company that offers a proprietary subscription-based electronic medical assessment application related to psychological, behavioral and overall wellness. assessURhealth was born out of the increasingly important worldwide focus on mental and behavioral health and the rapid uptick in controlled substance abuse, addiction and suicide rates. The product allows clinicians and other entities to capture key risk classification data on depression, anxiety, somatic symptom, alcohol and opioid abuse, postpartum and PTSD occurrences, and directly engage respondents in well-being awareness through fast, simple self-reporting from inside a medical facility or office. Now available in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, assessURhealth is a leading provider of electronic psychometric assessment applications nationwide. To learn more about assessURhealth, begin offering assessments to your patients or apply to be a Distribution Partner, visit our website at: www.assessURhealth.com About Dr. Regina Benjamin Bayou Clinic was founded by Dr. Regina Benjamin, the 18th and immediate past Surgeon General of the United States. As America's Doctor, she provided the public with the best scientific information available on how to improve their health and the health of the nation. Dr. Benjamin also oversaw the operational command of 6,500 uniformed public health officers who serve in locations around the world to promote and protect the health of the American People. In addition, Dr. Benjamin served as chair of the National Prevention Council - 17 cabinet-level Federal agencies that developed the road map for the Nation's health - the National Prevention Strategy - Suicide Prevention. This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mental--behavioral-electronic-assessment-app-assessurhealth-announces-relationship-with-former-surgeon-general-dr-regina-benjamin-300202714.html SOURCE assessURhealth [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 12, 2016] CSS Corp 'Leader' in NelsonHall's Recent NEAT Analysis for Hi-tech Customer Management Services (CMS) 2015 BANGALORE, January 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CSS Corp, a leading technology support company, today announced it has been positioned by NelsonHall, in the 'Leaders' quadrant in their latest NEAT analysis on Hi-tech CMS. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160112/10137871 ) (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140728/10103349 ) Key Highlights of the Report: - CSS Corp has been featured as a 'Leader' in the following categories as part of the NEAT analysis report: Overall service delivery Cost reduction focus Focus on tech support services - NelsonHall appreciates CSS Corp's deep experience in technical support and analytics expertise for Hi-tech clients - Report features CSS Corp's IPs active suite of products: Active Edge: Provides agents with a full Omni-channel CRM view of interactions Provides agents with a full Omni-channel CRM view of interactions Active i : Support augmenting tool/app Support augmenting tool/app Active Insights: Providing analytics and business intelligence support - NelsonHall recognizes CSS Corp's ability to track clients' produts and anticipate support queries by identifying threshold violations Quotes: According to Vicki Jenkins, Principal Analyst, NelsonHall "CSS Corp has a strong focus on the high-tech sector with origins in software development. It is proactive in its support, with the ability to track clients' products and anticipate support queries by identifying threshold violations. CSS Corp is looking to the future with specific plans for video support usage, which has the ability to enhance product installation and technical support as well as reduce product returns for high-tech organizations." According to Raj Reddy, Chief Delivery Officer, CSS Corp "CSS Corp is honoured to be positioned in the 'Leaders' quadrant. CSS Corp's position as a 'Leader' in the NelsonHall's NEAT analysis for Hi-tech CMS reinforces our position as a preferred support partner for hi-tech companies seeking to improve customer experience (CX), drive additional revenue opportunities and meet future requirements. In 2016, CSS Corp will broaden its competitive advantages by continuing to invest in technologies like IoT, automation and analytics to deliver superlative CX." CSS Corp's Support Capability Videos: Corporate Overview, Premium Tech Support (PTS), Activei About CSS Corp: CSS Corp is a leading technology company supporting enterprise and consumer products, managing IT infrastructure and deploying networks. We partner with many of Fortune 1000 companies to help realize their strategic business outcomes and be future-ready. Technology support is in our DNA. Our expertise and in-depth understanding of the enterprise and consumer product space, along with proven pedigree in infrastructure management, helps customers increase revenues, optimize costs, enhance IT availability and business efficiency, to more than 100 customers worldwide. With over 5,500 technology professionals across 15 locations globally, we have a rich heritage of 15+ years in managing large and complex support ecosystems. Please visit www.csscorp.com for more information. Media Contact: Smitha Hemmigae [email protected] +91-9980564770 Senior Director, Marketing CSS Corp Pvt Ltd SOURCE CSS Corp Pvt Ltd [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 12, 2016] Neah Power Systems Issues Letter to Shareholders BOTHELL, Washington, January 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Neah Power Systems, Inc. (OTCBB: NPWZ) (OTC: NPWZ) - today issued the following letter to shareholders: Dear Fellow Shareholders: 2016 is promising to be a good year for the Company as we continue to see demand for our products from diverse regions and customers due to the cost effective differentiated nature of our offerings. In particular we are pleased to update on several critical fronts related to the growth expected in the New Year. Signed MOU with South Africa: Completed late last year with a very reputed South Africa Entity (SAE), we are scheduling a visit to finalize various financial details. This licensing agreement, upon implementation, would provide NEAH with high quality products produced cost effectively and enable NEAH to serve the Africa market which is projected to be the fastest growing off-grid and renewable energy market. Additionally, this factory would allow us to serve various other markets with the cost effective product from this factory. The current financial proposal includes upfront payments, minimum guaranteed royalty payments and an ownership stake for Neah shareholders in the JV created in South Africa. Defense Research and Development Organizatin (DRDO) licensing agreement: We are in commercial close having submitted a licensing proposal for the PowerChip fuel cell to the DRDO, Government of India. We are scheduling a negotiation date to finalize the current proposal. In addition to the direct dialog, we would like to acknowledge the assistance from various entities from the Government of the USA and the Government of India in this matter. Capital to accelerate growth: As previously reported in the December 2015 shareholder letter, the company had previously entered into a senior secured loan agreement with a Connecticut based investment fund, which was expected to close in 4Q 2015. The fund has experienced some administrative delays on receiving their capital and we are receiving status updates on an almost daily basis. In addition to the licensing, which would pay out over various milestones, this debt financing is expected to further fuel our growth, allow us to deploy samples for evaluation with a variety of customers and to meet the pent-up demand, as well as continue development of our other products. We welcome our shareholders getting more familiar with our unique PowerChip fuel cell, which is the only non-air fuel cell of its kind, the Formira HOD (Hydrogen on Demand), and the BuzzBar Suite of products. We continue to make significant progress on the PowerChip battery. We will continue to share exciting developments on these products in the coming weeks. Thank you for your continued support and we wish a happy and prosperous New Year for all. Chris D'Couto President & CEO Forward Looking Statements Certain of the statements contained herein may be, within the meaning of the federal securities laws, "forward-looking statements," which are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, and the Company does not undertake any responsibility to update any of these statements in the future. Please read Neah Power System's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2014 and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC during fiscal 2015 for a discussion of such risks, uncertainties and other factors. For further information, please contact: [email protected] +1-425-424-3324 ext. 105 SOURCE Neah Power Systems, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 12, 2016] CRIQ and INRS awarded a patent for a system that removes micropollutants from wastewater QUEBEC CITY, Jan. 12, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - A US patent was recently awarded jointly to Centre de recherche industrielle du Quebec (CRIQ) and Institut national de recherche scientifique (INRS) for a system and a process that remove emerging micropollutants from industrial wastewater. In preliminary studies the patented membrane bioreactor system eliminated 99% of bisphenol-A (BPA) and other compounds in heavily contaminated wastewater. BPA, which is used in the manufacture of plastics, is a micropollutant thought to disrupt various physiological mechanisms. The system is designed for installation at factory outlets to treat wastewater at the source and can also be incorporated into wastewater treatment plants. Other efforts ongoing to treat hospital wastewater Further work conducted by INRS and CRIQ are underway to confirm that this system can also treat water contaminated by six classes of drugs: antidepressants, antibiotics, analgesics, hormones, anticonvulsants, and chemotherapy products. Its installation at hospital outlets would prevent these pollutants from dispersing into the environment, where they could have adverse effects and ultimately end up in the food chain. Universite de Montreal, the Natural Siences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and Centre d'expertise en analyse environnementale du Quebec also contributed to implementation of this project. "Since emerging micropollutants are not entirely eliminated by processes in existing wastewater treatment plants, CRIQ and its partners in 2008 began developing solutions to allow their removal before they reach municipal wastewater collection systems. Results indicate this is an especially promising approach toward protecting the environment from micropollutants, which carry real risks for human and animal health", notes Gerardo Buelna, research officer at CRIQ. "The presence of micropollutants in effluents carries risks that justify research efforts. The technology developed by CRIQ and INRS, when installed directly at the source in hospitals, could reduce or even eliminate those risks," adds Patrick Drogui, professor at Institut national de recherche scientifique. About CRIQ For over 45 years, the mission of Centre de recherche industrielle du Quebec (CRIQ) has been to make Quebec industry more competitive and boost growth by supporting innovation, productivity, and exports, as well as fostering partnerships to improve products and services. With over 200 employees, and labs in Quebec City and Montreal, CRIQ carries out close to 2,000 projects each year. www.criq.qc.ca. About INRS INRS is a university dedicated to research and the training of masters and doctoral students that ranks first in Canada in terms of research intensity (funding per faculty member). Conducting basic research essential to the advancement of science, INRS research teams also play a critical role in finding concrete solutions to problems facing our society. www.inrs.ca. Sources: Mathieu Bilodeau, Marketing and Communications Coordinator CRIQ Tel.: 418-652-2246 Toll free: 1-800-667-2386, ext. 2246 Cell: 418-580-7701 Gisele Bolduc, Communications Advisor INRS Tel.: 418-654-3817 SOURCE Centre de recherche industrielle du Quebec [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 12, 2016] Ensono Unveils New Name and Strategy for Hybrid IT Services DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ensono, formerly Acxiom IT, today unveiled a new identity and strategy to provide progressive IT solutions that help CIOs maximize efficiency and evolve operations to meet strategic goals. Along with a new management team and bolstered investments in sales, marketing, and technology, Ensono is significantly expanding its integrated portfolio of services. These new services and innovation roadmap are designed to meet clients' existing requirements as well as provide solutions for future business challenges. Experience the interactive Multimedia News Release here: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7721251-ensono-rebranding-acxiom-it/ "Our new name reflects a commitment to lead the industry in providing value to our clients today and tomorrow," said Jeff VonDeylen, Ensono's chief executive officer. "Ensono is built on more than 40 years of experience in managing clients' complex business needs. That history combined with an experienced management team and significant investments in sales, marketing and technology will help pave the way for our growth. This is an exciting time for our company and we look forward to this next chapter." The name Ensono is derived from the Zen concept enso, which references "strength and creativity" as well as the Italian expression in sogno, meaning "in dreams." The new name underscores the new direction for the company serving as a trusted leader to manage costly, labor-intensive IT operations for its customers, in turn allowing them to focus on the strategic priorities to move their business forward. "It's time for CIOs to spend less time in the data center and more time in the boardroom," adds VonDeylen. Additional information on the new brand and company launch from VonDeylen is available on Ensono Insights. Ensono's new management team is led by VonDeylen, whose experience includes a post as president at Savvis, a CenturyLink enterprise cloud and hosted IT solutions company. During his tenure at Savvis, the company grew from $200 million to more than $1.4 billion. To launch Enono, VonDeylen brought with him a team of seasoned experts from Savvis, including Brian Klingbeil as chief operating officer; Marc Capri, as executive vice president, Sales & Marketing; and Tim Beerman as chief technology officer. The new identity marks a fundamental shift in market approach, which began when Ensono, formerly named Acxiom IT, was purchased by private equity firms Charlesbank Capital Partners and M/C Partners in July 2015. Charlesbank and M/C Partners have consummated more than $4.5 billion in investments over the last 20 years. The company's new tagline, "Operate for today. Optimize for tomorrow," serves as the principle that guides Ensono's engagement with clients as well as its product and services strategy. Each customer has a tactical need to reduce costs and improve efficiency of their current IT environment today. Through these gains in efficiency they are able to refocus talent and resources toward leveraging new technology and services to compete in today's market. Ensono achieves this through its world-class service, supporting mission-critical workloads and helping clients manage and migrate between all systems from mainframes to cloud and everything in-between. Additionally, Ensono is significantly investing in talent, tools and agile development methodologies, underscoring the company's commitment to helping its clients leverage new technologies and services for the future. "Ensono delivers innovative capabilities that have improved efficiencies of our service delivery model, reduced our reaction times and enhanced our overall customer experience," said Steve Wyatt, director of IT Infrastructure and Computing Services, Sonoco. "Their self-service portal provides real-time performance data, dashboards, and drill-down capabilities that equip us with enhanced capabilities not previously available." Annual IT spending for markets in which Ensono participates is expected to be $109B by 20201. "Ensono's approach to the market addresses the growing requirement of companies seeking to balance the mission-critical mainframe management and open system support, while considering their transition options to the cloud," said veteran IT industry analyst, Brad Day of Enterprise Computing Advisors. "Whether a company is considering their mainframe footprint for both traditional and new workload deployments, or wants to transition to a hybrid cloud environment, companies like Ensono can implement a cost-effective solution by streamlining IT operations, allowing IT managers to optimize resource allocation and maximize efficiency." About Ensono Ensono, formerly Acxiom IT, collaborates with its clients to deliver progressive IT solutions to help them operate their infrastructure for today and optimize it for tomorrow. We specialize in supporting mission-critical workloads for the world's most successful companies. Ensono works across all platforms mainframe to cloud, and everything in between. We are ranked by Information Week 500 for our technology innovation and by the Uptime Institute for 100% availability. Ensono has 700 associates and is headquartered in greater Chicago, Ill. Visit us at www.ensono.com. 1 Source: Gartner, IDC, Ibis, Nemertes, CMA Analysis: ITO annual spend markets include: infrastructure utility services, cloud (public and private), colocation, mainframe outsourcing and managed hosting Media Contact Becki Gervin 408.369.7200 x 1070 [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ensono-unveils-new-name-and-strategy-for-hybrid-it-services-300202825.html SOURCE Ensono [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 12, 2016] Technologies Enabling Biomass-To-Bioenergy (TechVision) LONDON, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In a world which is continuously aspiring for greener alternatives to replace conventional fossil fuels, biomass to bioenergy technologies offer an optimal solution by producing energy and simultaneously reducing waste. The current study discusses the global scenario with respect to biomass to bioenergy technologies and provides a technology overview of the different types of bioenergy Biomass technologies available. Challenges and drivers for the industry have also been discussed in the study. Various industrial and academic players and their activities have been discussed. Opportunity Strategic Evaluation has been used to evaluate the status of various technologies in the market. Research Scope Globally, there is an increased interest in solutions enabling biomass-to-bioenergy conversion to reduce dependency on fossil fuels and to look for greener alternatives. The current research service discusses biomass-to-bioenergy technologies and delves in detail on the status of the technologies and their future. The research service offers insights primarily on the following: - Various products from biomass-to-ioenergy conversion - Region wise technology adoption - Funding agencies Opportunities for Biomass Financing Community Funding - Besides the conventional funding system via the government or financial institutions, Germany has shown that local communities are able to contribute to the growth of bioenergy in the country via swarm financing or crowd funding. - Besides increasing the share of renewable energy, more employment opportunities are created at the local level because the operation is run by the cooperative union. Securitization Activities Securitization activities, where assets are transformed into tradable investment products, can be considered as a potential method to increase the viability of biomass projects. However, this will require a more robust financial ecosystem, such as the involvement of rating agencies. Establishment of Green Bonds Green bonds are typically corporate bonds issued for projects with environmental benefits. The past two years has witnessed an increase in global fund-raising through green bonds, where the market has almost tripled in size between 2013 and 2014, with around $ billion issued in 2014. Green investments are especially attractive in Islamic finance, which calls for money to be used for the protection and preservation of society. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3558376/ About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers http://www.reportbuyer.com For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 208 816 85 48 Website: www.reportbuyer.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/technologies-enabling-biomass-to-bioenergy-techvision-300203322.html SOURCE ReportBuyer [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] City Council discuss owner occupied home rehabilitation program The $250,000 grant would be would be split between 15-20 city homeowners, who would be afforded up to $15,000 each for repairs to their homes. It scans quickly and doesn't annoy you with false positives, but Kaspersky Anti-Virus missed a few potentially hazardous pieces of malware and its interface leaves a lot to be desired. Kaspersky Anti-Virus has a layered defense posture that can scan a system quickly without confusing the user with annoying false positives. But its interface is disorganized and hard to figure out, and the program missed several potentially dangerous pieces of malware on one set of Windows 7 evaluations. Cost and What's Covered The software costs $40 per year for a single PC, $60 for three PCs and $180 for 10 PCs, and it works with Windows XP (Service Pack 2) through Windows 10. There are no included licenses for Kaspersky's Mac or Android software, and there's nothing like McAfee AntiVirus Plus' $60 unlimited, multiple-platform bundle. Antivirus Protection Kaspersky Anti-Virus has a traditional scanning engine that matches suspect software with digital signatures of known infectious agents. It also uses behavioral analysis that watches for tell-tale signs of malware. The company's Hybrid Protection analyzes data uploaded by the 400 million computers running Kaspersky products worldwide to quickly find and thwart an attack. Participation in this data-sharing program is optional, and the resulting updates are pushed to clients several times a day. Kaspersky is the one product whose malware engine didn't deliver any false positives. Kaspersky Anti-Virus can also be set to run only "trusted software," which is useful for Windows XP machines that don't have similar features built into the operating system. This feature will warn the user if any part of a program has been altered. You can add and remove applications from the trusted list. MORE: How We Test Antivirus Software The program also checks email attachments, instant messages and websites for threats. The user can turn off the screening of each category if the protection gets too intrusive. There's a Gamer Mode that protects your system without interrupting the fun. If something should slip past Kaspersky's watchful eye, the System Watcher lets you roll back the PC's settings and files to a safe point before the problem occurred. Four types of scans are available: Full (the entire drive), Quick (memory and key system files), Selective (any file or folder) and External Drives (such as a memory key). You can adjust the level of scanning intensity to Low, High or Recommended (the default setting), but there's no equivalent to Bitdefender's set-and-forget Autopilot feature. Scans can be scheduled for every day, week or month, or for weekends only. Kaspersky Anti-Virus has a specific defense against screen-locking ransomware, but nothing akin to Bitdefender's pre-emptive inoculation against encrypting ransomware. Kaspersky's free Ransomware Decryptor (opens in new tab), however, can help unlock files locked by the CoinVault or BitCryptor strains of encrypting ransomware, the keys for which were discovered by Dutch police. Antivirus Performance Of all the antivirus software makers whose products we've recently reviewed, Kaspersky is the only one whose malware engine didn't deliver any false positives in any of the third-party lab evaluations that we use. Its record at blocking actual threats was very good, but not flawless, especially on Windows 7. Kaspersky Internet Security, a sister program of Kaspersky Anti-Virus with the same malware-blocking capabilities, detected 100 percent of zero-day (previously unknown) malware in both months of German independent lab AV-TEST's recent Windows 10 evaluations. It missed only a few samples of widespread (previously seen) malware, blocking 99.8 percent in one month and 99.9 percent in the other. That's nearly perfect, but Avira did a bit better, and Bitdefender better still. Kaspersky did nearly as well in AV-TEST's Windows 8.1 evaluations, stopping 99.9 percent of widespread malware in the first month of testing, and 99.8 percent in the second. But although Kaspersky detected 100 percent of zero-day malware in one month, it got only 98.8 percent the next, letting through 1.2 percent. Overall, Avira, Bitdefender, McAfee and Panda all did better on Windows 8.1; only Avast did worse. In AV-TEST's Windows 7 evaluations, Kaspersky came in last among all six brands we recently reviewed. It detected 99.8 percent of widespread malware in the first month of tests, and 99.7 percent in the second, but all the others did just as well or better. And although Avira, Bitdefender and Panda stopped 100 percent of zero-day malware in both months, Kaspersky let through 2.3 percent in one month the worst of all six brands and 1.3 percent in the next, tied for last with McAfee. Kaspersky did much better in Austrian independent lab AV-Comparatives' evaluations, in which antivirus programs were exposed to zero-day malware attacking through Web browsers. Only Kaspersky was able to stop 100 percent of the malware over two months; Avira and Bitdefender were close behind, each letting through only 0.2 percent in one month. It may be worth noting that AV-Comparatives tested on 64-bit Windows 7, while AV-TEST used the less-secure 32-bit version. Security and Privacy Features As befits a basic antivirus program, Kaspersky Anti-Virus doesn't have a lot of extra features, and may seem stripped to the bone next to the pricier Kaspersky Internet Security or Kaspersky Total Security. The basic package lacks an add-on firewall, parental controls, a password manager, a file shredder or file encryption, and even forgoes Kaspersky's unique webcam protection. Kaspersky Anti-Virus does have a virtual encrypted keyboard to defend against keylogging malware. It also has an anti-phishing feature and a URL advisor, both of which track suspected malicious websites and block access to them. But it doesn't include a hardened Web browser, which would have come in handy for online banking or shopping. The program's vulnerability scanner looks for weaknesses in the protected computer's operating system and programs; it found 21 Windows-based problems on our test laptop. You can choose to let the vulnerability scanner fix things en masse or choose among them. By contrast, Kaspersky's Privacy Cleaner is more proactive, and can automatically do things like clear a Web browser's history file and cache. Performance and System Impact Kaspersky Anti-Virus doesn't include a performance optimizer, but its Performance section lets you decide whether the program can use more resources during start-up and whether it should actively scan only during idle periods. There's also a Windows Troubleshooting Wizard to find out-of-date and altered Windows components. We installed Kaspersky Anti-Virus on a Windows 8.1-based Asus X555LA notebook that had a Core i3 processor, 6GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive containing 36GB of assorted files. To gauge the program's effect on system performance, we used our custom OpenOffice benchmark test, which matches 20,000 names and addresses in a spreadsheet. Kaspersky Anti-Virus was neither the fastest nor the slowest of the six basic antivirus products we tested. After Kaspersky was installed, our OpenOffice benchmark completed in 6 minutes and 53 seconds the same time as the baseline without any antivirus software installed resulting in a passive system impact of zero. Kaspersky Anti-Virus' first full scan took 21 minutes and 20 seconds and looked at 259,719 files. By its third full scan, that time was down to 3:30, and it looked at only 172,572 items; the rest were judged by the program to be safe. Quick scans were even faster, taking an average of 1:29 and examining 2,015 items. MORE: Best Antivirus During Kaspersky Anti-Virus' full scan, our OpenOffice benchmark took 8:18 to complete a 21 percent slowdown from the baseline and one that might be noticeable during normal computer use. (Bitdefender and Panda each had a 13 percent lag, and Avira 16 percent.) For quick scans, the completion time dropped to 7:14, or 5 percent longer than the baseline. That beat Panda by a few seconds, but was behind Bitdefender, whose quick scan was only 1 percent slower than the baseline. Kaspersky offers a free rescue disk that can boot a PC on its own to repair and clean a Windows system overwhelmed by malware. The 240MB program needs to be downloaded separately and manually burned to a CD or installed on a USB drive. Setup and Support It took us a bit more than 5 minutes to download and install Kaspersky Anti-Virus. Kaspersky's servers delivered a 164MB file that first did an initial system scan, and then extracted its own components and went through the installation routine. You'll need to create an account with Kaspersky, but this also lets you use the My Kaspersky website to remotely start a scan or to see your last scan's timestamp and results. We were annoyed that, by default, Kaspersky Anti-Virus signs you up for auto-renewal of the software subscription when it expires. Kaspersky's higher-priced programs don't do this; some users may see it as less than honest, while others may appreciate that the protection never ends. You can opt out of auto-renewal after installation. The Kaspersky Anti-Virus subscription includes 24/7 online, email and phone help if you're in a bind. Some other antivirus companies charge extra for off-hour tech support. Interface Kaspersky Anti-Virus' forest-green-and-gray interface is easy to look at, but lacks an organizational theme and scatters its components throughout its pages. The main Kaspersky window has a bright-green checkmark when everything is safe, which becomes a red exclamation point otherwise. There's a Details link for checking on your protection and your subscription, but the main window lacks an instant-scan button, and starting a scan requires clicking through three screens. The number of days left in the subscription is in the lower-right-hand corner of every screen. Image 1 of 28 The main screen has four large icons for Scan, Update, Report (a summary of scans, threats and eradications) and the virtual keyboard. An Additional Tools button grants access to Online Management, Cloud Protection and Browser Configuration, and also lets you create a rescue disk or run the Windows Troubleshooting routine. Bottom Line While its interface is not easy to figure out, Kaspersky Anti-Virus was perfect when it came to not delivering any false positives when confronted with a slew of real and fake viruses, and it had a light system impact. That said, its malware protection was less than perfect, and it has fewer extra features than pricier Kaspersky packages or than Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2016, which offers more for the same price. Late last year, the French government was on the receiving end of a backlash when its law enforcement agencies proposed that Tor and public Wi-Fi should be banned. The government quickly retracted those proposals, saying its not going to do that, but now its coming back with a proposal thats just as bad: banning strong encryption. This time, the proposal is actually an amendment to the Digital Republic bill that was introduced in Frances lower house of Parliament by 18 politicians from the right-wing Republican party (former UMP). The whole bill will be debated this week along with over 400 amendments to it. The amendment banning strong encryption requires equipment manufacturers to build in decryption capability, so when law enforcement asks the manufacturers to decrypt a device, they would be able to do so. This could be a response to recent moves by Apple and Google, who have made it so only the users can decrypt the device with their own passphrases or fingerprints. The amendment was written with the idea that it would stop future attacks such as the recent one in Paris. However, soon after the attacks, it turned out that the Paris attackers used unencrypted SMS and phone calls, and some of them were even known to the authorities as extremists. Therefore, perhaps the reason for why the attacks couldnt be stopped can be found elsewhere. While France has been weakening civil liberties with new surveillance and censorship laws even since before the Charlie Hebdo attack, the Dutch government recently made public its support for encryption and at the same time committed half a million euro in donations to open source encryption libraries such as OpenSSL, PolarSSL and LibreSSL. The European Commissions Vice-President, Andrus Ansip, recently spoke against backdoors and the weakening of encryption, arguing that the EU needs strong data protection legislation and tools to protect users data. A requirement to force companies to decrypt devices would mean those devices arent as well protected as they could be. When the data of millions of users is protected by a single entity, then that entity becomes an important target for attackers, and it makes the data more vulnerable to attacks. This is also why its better to have fingerprint data stored and encrypted locally on each individual device than in a centralized database, regardless of whether its stored by a private company or a government. Lucian Armasu is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware. You can follow him at @lucian_armasu. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube. Now in light of his untimely passing, more than ever its important to remember that there isnt nor will there ever be anyone quite like the musical chameleon that is David Bowie. The 69 year olds legacy and influential sphere is as wide as The Beatles, Bob Dylan or The Velvet Underground, however Bowies arsenal of sound extends far beyond either any of these three important acts, having continually pushed his own creative boundaries into a myriad of genres expanding from traditional folk, dolled-up glam rock, groovin funk and soul with hints of jazz, hes pushed the buttons of electronica, traded lyrics for haunting ambience, powered through 80s synth and dance, not to mention his experimentation with industrial and alt-rock, theres very few sonic rocks in the Bowie court that remain unturned. Despite still releasing brilliant and interesting new music in both 2013 and 2014, and just a handful of days ago in the form of Blackstar, Bowie no longer hits the open road for tours however that doesnt mean there isnt opportunity to celebrate the legends artistry in live performance. Space Oddity (1969) For so, so many, this was the first image anyone ever saw of David Bowie, and despite the amount of changes the man went through, its definitely been ever-lasting, who could ever forget the alien-like figure with the insane red mullet straddling an acoustic guitar on the Space Oddity music video? In saying that, this record is so much more than just the iconic introduction to Major Tom, the album laden with folk-pop tunes like Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed to the twang-meets-psychedelica, Memory Of A Free Festival that closes the record out in the ultimate euphoric chorusing something that would surely be found later in Bowies work. The Rise and Fall Of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (1972) No matter what phase of David Bowie you were introduced to, all sounds lead listeners a time when the alien-like character Ziggy Stardust walked planet earth playing glam rock tunes. Love The Beatles? Get the latest The Beatles news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more JOIN Critically acclaimed, Bowies undeniable magnum opus saw both he and his incredibly talented guitarist Mick Ronson at their collaborative finest, producing an 11-track piece of output that would be the blueprint of a musical genre and was the soundtrack of a cultural movement: glam rock. Of course, everyone knows the more famous tracks like Ziggy Stardust, Moonage Daydream and Starman however, the record boasts of infinite Bowie brilliance. Hearts still skip with the drumbeat of album introducer Five Years, fans still belt the chorus of Lady Stardust and the fashion world are still using the title Rock n Roll Suicide as a name for countless shows and clothing lines. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars is as musically and culturally important as Sergeant Peppers or Exile On Main Street. Diamond Dogs (1974) The concept for Bowies last dance in glam rock was inspired by the George Orwell novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, however he was unable to gain full rights from the authors estate and as such, had to tweak the record toward a more Bowie post-apocalyptic world. Its pretty hard to ignore the stand-out song from this album, Bowies most accessible pop-hit with the cracking instant-classic riff, Rebel Rebel. Young Americans (1975) The second record of focus for the Bowie Tribute night is Bowies mid 70s genre switcheroo, seamlessly gliding from the the arty, glam rock of Diamond Dogs to the funk and soul of Philadelphia on Young Americans. The album, outside of being one of Bowies greatest, marks one of many major turning points in his creative endeavours that continued into the following year with the equally revered Station To Station. Young Americans was championed by the the title track single, as well as the groovin jam Fame, a track penned alongside the likes of John Lennon and Carlos Alomar. Despite fears the album wouldnt be received well in the US in particular as Bowie was a white dude from the UK taking on a musical culture so distant from his own (the albums sound even described as plastic soul), Young Americans flourished, charting in the top 10. Low (1977) A new year marked many fresh things for David Bowie, a new haircut, a new style, a (re)newed friendship with Iggy Pop and a new home in Berlin, which all came together for one very new sound. Although the crown jewel of Bowies creative output will forever be point of contention, the strongest of consensus lies with Low, David Bowies foray into the world of experimental electronics and ambience. Co-produced by Tony Visconti with contributions from the mastermind that is Brian Eno, the record is yet another turning point in Bowies life as he attempts to kick his horrid cocaine addiction, the album oozing with Bowies pain both lyrically and sonically, the album a dark, twisted beginning to what is known as the Berlin Trilogy. Lets Dance (1983) Ditching Berlin as his experiments with electronica and ambience, Bowie recorded his incredibly accessible pop album Lets Dance in New York City alongside the one and only Nile Rogers, the super producers disco and funk touch taking Bowie to yet another realm of brilliance. Charged by the throbbing title track with a video that was actually filmed in Australia the record is laden with classic 80s disco-pop songs that have stood the test of time as jukebox and drunken party favourites. From the sparkling Modern Love to the rmieagination of Iggy Pops China Girl, not to mention a reissue in 1995 to include the ultimate duet Under Pressure with Queen, Lets Dance is yet another shade of Bowie perfection. The Next Day (2013) David Bowie has always been cited as an artist one step ahead of others, and when he shocked the world with the release of the more alt-rockin industrial The Next Day, his 24th studio LP mind you, he once again cemented this notion and influenced a whole new method of releasing albums lets not forget when the world broke-down after Beyonce dropped her self-titled record at the end of 2013. Like the vast majority of his music, this record too sold like hotcakes as Bowie showed the world he can still pen killer, original music. NOTE: This piece was originally published on 19/3/15 but has been updated on 12/1/16 in light of Bowies death. With your news feed no doubt filling up with posts related to the tragic loss of music legend David Bowie, you may have missed the departure of three of Australias favourite indie bands from the local music scene. Yesterday saw three Aussie bands call it a day Brisbanes The Cairos, Sydney favourites Jinja Safari, and Adelaide rockers Leader Cheetah. Each band took to Facebook to announce the sad news and bid a final farewell to fans. A short time ago, we got together and came to the realisation that were all ready for the next part of our lives, The Carios wrote of their decision to part ways, following seven years together, one LP, and numerous tours. After spending the best part of seven years in planes, vans, rehearsal rooms, sleeping on couches, its time for new creative challenges, projects and adventures. The band will complete a three-date tour this month before closing up shop (see below). Meanwhile, in a statement addressed to their amazing fans, friends, and family, Jinja Safari announced they will split after five years together, having reached a cross roads in [our] career. Jinja Safari has been a big part of our lives ever since our first gig in a forest on the Central Coast of NSW almost six years ago, the band wrote, thanking the support of triple j in allowing them to form careers we are all extremely proud of. While weve loved every minute of creating new music and performing on stage, we have reached a cross roads in the career and as a result we have decided to call it a day. It has been an extremely difficult decision to make but feel that ultimately, its the best thing for all members of the group. Speaking to triple j, Jinja Safari songwriter Marcus Azon said the band have been busy writing a second album over the past two years and have about 30 songs almost ready to release, though no date has been set. [include_post id=453983] We want to release another album to say thanks to our fans for the wild ride. Not sure when that will be, but hopefully early this year. We never expected that things would take off as quickly as they did, he said in a statement. And finally, Leader Cheetah called their dissolution many years overdue in a statement shared with fans via Facebook. Now feels like a good time to finally take the time and thank those involved with Leader Cheetah during its four and a half year existence and say farewell. It was a hell of a ride and many amazing experiences were had Heres to new musical adventures and the next frontier, they conclude. Among the bands accolades are a triple j feature album in 2009 and a string of prestigious festival spots and support gigs. The Cairos National Tour Dates Thursday, 21st January 2016 Shebeen Bandroom, Melbourne Friday, 22nd January 2016 Brighton Up Bar, Sydney Saturday, 23rd January 2016 The Foundry, Brisbane Following on from the incredible efforts of Falls Festival to raise $120,000 for the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, the organisers of the Southbound Fire Relief Appeal have revealed their concert at Perths HBF Stadium raised over $150,000. Almost 3,500 music fans gathered to enjoy performances from the likes of JumpClimb DJs, Koi Child, San Cisco, Oh Wonder, Birds of Tokyo, Django Django, Bloc Party and Disclosure, with all proceeds going to the Lord Mayors Distress Relief Fund. In the wake of the cancellation of Southbound Festival, VenuesWest and Sunset Events quickly mobilised, putting together a concert featuring several eagerly anticipated Southbound headliners in less than 48 hours. We were utterly overwhelmed at the willingness of local businesses, suppliers, staff and our local and international artists who dropped everything to make this event happen last night, said Southbound director David Chitty. The people of West Aus wasted no time throwing their support and money behind this event to help out our friends in the South West through this devastating time. To put together a concert for 3,500 people in under two days is an amazing achievement. I commend everyone involved, added VenuesWest Chairman Richard Muirhead, offering praise to all the stakeholders involved in the gig. Staff at VenuesWest were overwhelmed with offers of support from businesses across a range of industries, without their support this event would not have been so successful. Companies who offered their services included, AEG Ogden, Audio Technic, Coca Cola Amatil, Concert and Corporate Productions, Direct Brand Distributors, Go West Tours, HOBAN Recruitment, Lounge Backline, and Perth Ice Works. [include_post id=467897] Quayclean, Radlink, St John Ambulance, Sea Containers Perth, Spotless, Ticketmaster, and Ultimo Catering also lent a helping hand. Organisers have also advised fans to keep their eyes peeled as a bunch of signed merch will soon be up for silent auction to raise further funds. As we recently reported, a number of Southbound ticket-holders have also offered to donate part or all of their ticket refund to those affected by the fires which have devastated the local community and led to the cancellation of the festival. Ticket-holders will soon be able to do this via Moshtix. Information on full ticket refunds will be available by Wednesday, 13th January, which will include further information on how to donate through the Moshtix platform. A new Australian startup wants to eliminate the guesswork from travelling to the worlds greatest music festivals by crafting custom travel packages that will take Aussie punters to events like Japans Fuji Rock and South Koreas Ultra Festival. Founded by avid traveller and music enthusiast Elizabett Akerlund, Milky Beats Travel is bringing the concept of the music festival holiday tour, something well-established in the UK, into the Australian market where it hasnt yet been attempted. Some of my greatest memories have been at music festivals where I have had some of the best natural highs because music is something that really brings people together, no matter where you come from, Akerlund told StartupSmart. The idea for Milky Beats Travel was sparked when Akerlund realised the difficulties of organising trips from Australia to overseas festivals, such as contending with language barriers and general organisational strife. Its hard to get enough people to travel with you, there are language barriers and some of these festivals are located in really remote areas so its very difficult to organise yourself, she said. Milky Beats Travel cuts through the upheaval by providing all-inclusive tour packages with VIP access to a range of the worlds most high-profile festival destinations. The tours are also designed to encourage multiple trips. [include_post id=274333] Music festivals change every year so the experience is never the same, Akerlund said. The first round of tours will take place this year, with trips to Ultra in Korea, Fuji Rock in Japan, Barrakud in Greece, Sziget Festival in Hungary, and Zokout in Singapore. And Akerlund assures travellers every experience is luxe: Ive officially linked with major travel festivals to provide VIP transfers and VIP festival tickets. Ive selected the best accommodation available, whether it be camping at the festival or in a prime location nearby. Every restaurant I take them to, I have been to and loved. Everything is personally handpicked. There are plans for a Milky Beats Travel app and the website, which is mobile, laptop, and computer friendly will go live 15th January. TKC Reader: "This is why crime is so bad south of the river and minimal in Platte and Clay Counties. The Judges actually hold people accountable for their crimes up north, unlike Jackson County Judges." "A man who escaped from prison and then shot at multiple law enforcement officers during a high-speed chase has been sentenced to 128 years in prison. Scott A. Gilbert, 52, received the sentence from a Platte County Judge Monday. Gilbert was found guilty of ten felonies in a November 2015 jury trial. Thank goodness no police officers were injured in apprehending this dangerous escaped inmate. Anyone who would shoot at law enforcement officers and put countless people in harms way deserves a long prison sentence, and thats exactly what this defendant will serve," Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd sad. "Evidence at trial showed that Gilbert was traveling in a stolen pickup truck that left the McDonalds in Platte City at about 10:00 am on May 10, 2013. Earlier that morning, Gilbert had escaped from the Lansing, KS Correctional Facility, allegedly with another inmate who was driving the truck." A word from one of our readers offering perspective on possible solutions to our current crime trend . . .The storyDeets . . .You decide . . . Mitsotakis is planning on carrying out a number of changes within the party, following his election on Sunday Newly elected New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis sent a message of renewal during the hand-over ceremony at the party offices yesterday. Mitsotakis is planning on carrying out a number of changes within the party, following his election on Sunday. According to the final results, of the 334,750 party members who voted in the second round, Mr. Mitsotakis received 173,297 (52.43%) of the vote, while Mr. Meimarakis received 157,224 (47.57%) of the vote. The new party leader is reportedly going to announce an extraordinary party conference for the 26th of February. Official handover ceremony The official handover ceremony took place at noon on Monday, with the outgoing provisional leader Yannis Plakiotakis calling for unity and support. Mr. Meimarakis contacted his opponent in the electoral race and congratulated on his win and wished him well. The new party leader was also congratulated by the President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, his father and former PM Konstantinos Mitsotakis, former PM Kostas Karamanlis, his sister Dora Bakoyanni and the head of the River Stavros Theodorakis, among others.New Democracy (ND) parliamentary group will probably convene on Thursday, its newly elected leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis said to journalists. The first change came with the appointment of Nikos Papathanasis as the conservative partys new director, while journalist and political scientist Makarios Lazaridis will be Mr. Mitsotakis press office director. Key roles for liberal MPs Adonis Georgiadis, who was also a candidate in the election and pledged his support to Mr. Mitsotakis after the first round, will have a greater role in the party and may be appointed as New Democracys spokesperson in Parliament. A number of other MPs with a liberal profile such as Makis Voridis, Kostis Hatzidakis, Lefteris Avgenakis, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis and Yannis Kefalogiannis are also expected to become more prominent and assume key roles. It remains to be seen what will happen with Andreas Papamimikos, who will carry on serving as party secretary at least until the upcoming extraordinary conference, which may take place at some point in April. Deep roots in society Mitsotakis thanked Ioannis Plakiotakis, who served as interim leader after the resignation of former interim president and Mitsotakis opponent Evangelos Meimarakis, for his work and added that the party has deep roots in society. He also called Vangelis Meimarakis a friend and congratulated him for the fight he gave and noted that he would need him next to him as a valuable partner. Mr. Mitsotakis also referred to the other two candidates of the first round of elections, Apostolos Tzitzikostas and Adonis Georgiadis, stating that We will all move forward, together, with Apostolos Tzitzikosta and Adonis Georgiadis, with the 400,000 members of the party. Closing the circle of populism As he explained, voters gave a clear mandate to proceed to partys renewal, while the party continues to be united. Together we move forward leaving behind what divides us, he said. "We will renew New Democracy with respect to its history and based on the present needs. It is our duty for New Democracy to become the great centre-right party and to close the circle of populism. No one is redundant, but the party needs widening," Mitsotakis underlined. The New Democracy president, a 47-year reformist lawmaker and scion of one of Greece's most influential political families and son of former PM Konstantinos Mitsotakis, is expected to pile pressure on 41-year-old Tsipras ahead of a crucial parliamentary vote on pension reform, as part of the first review of the country's bailout programme. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report The Greek capital is one of the cities that showed no change whatsoever in prices on a monthly basis, together with Budapest and Sofia Athens remains among the cheapest European capitals in January 2016 since the average cost of hotel accommodation is confined to 82 euros per night, despite a 10,8% increase in prices compared to January 2015. According to trivago, the most expensive city for this month remains Monaco with an average night cost at 252 euros. The Greek capital is one of the cities that showed no change whatsoever in prices on a monthly basis, together with Budapest and Sofia. Annual comparison On an annual basis, hotel prices increased in Europe during January, with the highest rate of change recorded in Porto, at 21.1 percent. Among the cities that have reduced prices, in comparison with the previous month, are Paris, Rome, Vienna, Istanbul and Monaco. The tables below indicates the average price for 15 of the largest cities: Tour operator Red Sea Holidays is expanding into Greece and Turkey for Summer 2016 following the forced suspension of flights between the UK and the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh Red Sea Holidays is expanding into Greece and Turkey for Summer 2016 following the forced suspension of flights between the UK and the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh, one of its key destinations. For this year it has added the Greek islands of Corfu, Crete and Rhodes and Antalya and Dalaman in Turkey to its programme. "Launching new Mediterranean destinations is the next step of our ambitious strategic growth plan," said Red Sea Holidays' Jason Hilton. Excellent variety of holidays "We're delighted to be offering two new countries with an excellent variety of holidays for families, couples and groups alike - all carefully selected by our experienced team." The operator is planning to add the Greek islands of Zante and Kos plus Spain and the Canary Islands later this year. Previously the operator featured only holidays to the Red Sea and Nile Cruises, but the UK government ordered the suspension of passenger flights to Sharm, one of its top destinations, two months ago after it was discovered that a bomb that brought down a Russian charter flight had been smuggled onboard at the airport. The government has yet to tell operators when they can resume flying to Sharm. Prior to suspension of flights A spokeswoman for Red Sea Holidays said the company had planned to expand into the Mediterranean prior to the suspension of flights to Egypt. It added Tunisia in 2015, to which holidays have since been suspended following the massacre of tourists on a beach in Sousse last summer. Red Sea Holidays continues to sell holidays to Hurghada, Marsa Alam, Makadi Bay, Sahl Hasheesh, El Gouna and Luxor in Egypt, said the spokeswoman. It is part of the Red Sea Group in Egypt, which also owns ETI - Express Travel International - a tour operator in Germany, Austria and Swizterland which offers holidays to Greece and Turkey as well as to Egypt. Red Sea Holidays said it will be working closely with the Turkish Culture and Information Office, she said, to offer agent educationals throughout the summer. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Tourexpi, turizm haberleri, Reiseburos, tourism news, noticias de turismo, Tourismus Nachrichten, , travel tourism news, international tourism news, Urlaub, urlaub in der turkei, , holidays in Turkey, , global tourism news, dunya turizm, dunya turizm haberleri, Seyahat Acentas, This site is best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0+, at a minimum screen resolution of 1024 x 768. The Saudi Arabian government is in talks with Turkish construction companies to execute residential projects worth $240 billion across the country, said a report. The talks with the Ministry of Housing, with regard to the construction of two million homes in the kingdom, have made significant progress towards forming a consortium of construction firms in Turkey to implement the project, reported the Arab News citing Turkish sources. Turkish companies said that Saudi officials visited Turkey last year to discuss the project. Further, the general director of Turkish real estate companies, Murad Koroum, said the group met Saudi officials on the sidelines of a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Saudi Arabia at the end of last year. Mohammed Al Dugailbi, spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, said that the ministry will soon release details of the project. An explosion in the heart of Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet tourist district killed at least ten people and wounded 15 on Tuesday and some local media reports said a suicide bomber may have been responsible. Several bodies lay on the ground in the Sultanahmet square, close to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, a major tourist area of Turkey's most populous city. A police officer and witness at the scene reported also seeing several bodies and body parts. Tourists from Germany and Norway were among the wounded, broadcaster CNN Turk said. An official from one tour company told Reuters a group from Germany was in the area at the time but said there was no immediate information on whether any of them had been injured. The Istanbul governor's office said the authorities were investigating the type of explosive used and who might have been responsible for the attack. It said ten people were killed and 15 wounded but gave no further details. "The explosion was very loud. We shook a lot. We ran out and saw body parts," one woman who works at a nearby antiques store told Reuters, declining to give her name. Turkey's AHaber television said the blast may have been caused by a suicide bomber but this was not independently confirmed. Ambulances rushed to the scene, ferrying away the wounded as police cordoned off streets. "We're taking precautions against a second explosion," the police officer said, ushering people out of the square. The blast comes just over a year after a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a police station for tourists off the same square, killing one officer and wounding another. That attack was initially claimed by a far-left group, but later turned out to have been perpetrated by a woman with suspected Islamist militant links, officials said. Kurdish, leftist and Islamist militants have all carried out attacks in Turkey in the past. Turkey has also become a target for Islamic State, with two bombings last year blamed on the radical Sunni Muslim group, in the town of Suruc near the Syrian border and in the capital Ankara, the latter killing more than 100 people. Reuters Masgo Ventures, a top lifestyle and retail concepts company, has signed a master franchise agreement for the GCC with South Africa-based Mommy Wellness, a provider of treatments that are both mother- and baby-friendly. Mommy Wellness services include prenatal and postnatal treatments, baby massage courses, and massages and treatments serving every womans needs, a statement said. Founder and CEO of Mommy Wellness, Izelle Louw, said: We are delighted to be partnering with Masgo Ventures on this important regional expansion phase as we focus on bringing our unique services to the Kingdom of Bahrain and the wider GCC. Masgo Ventures managing partner, Jenan Almaskati, said: Our recent acquisition of the Mommy Wellness franchise will allow us to provide women across the region with unique treatments and services that are critical to the needs of every expectant mother and women generally. Mommy Wellness is expected to open its first location in Bahrain in the first quarter of 2016. TradeArabia News Service A Kuwaiti court sentenced two men accused of spying for Iran and Hezbollah to death on Tuesday, a Reuters witness said. The case also included the possession of weapons. One of the men given the death penalty was an Iranian convicted in absentia, and the other was a Kuwaiti who was in court. Other suspects were given sentences ranging from five to 25 years, and three were found innocent. Tensions between Shi'ite-ruled Iran and Sunni-ruled Gulf countries have escalated since a diplomatic dispute between Tehran and Riyadh erupted after Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric this month. Saudi Arabia broke off relations with Tehran after its diplomatic missions were stormed by Iranian protesters in Iran, while Kuwait has recalled its envoy to Iran. - Reuters Iran can benefit by setting up an energy trade network in the Caspian Sea region, which could export electricity rather than natural gas to regional customers, according to an analyst. We can import natural gas from Caspian Sea to generate and export electric power, Mahmoud Khaqani, a member of the Iranian Association of Energy Economics, was quoted as saying by Irna, Irans official news agency. Gas export via pipeline is not economically justified. This is while Iran exports natural gas via pipelines to Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and plans call for raising gas production capacity to 1 billion cu m per day in two years and to 1.2 billion cu m per day by 2020, he added. Khaqani explained that the hub could serve as a platform for Caspian Sea littoral states to exchange technology and energy sources, transfer electricity, make joint investments and expand cooperation, the Irna report said. Khaqani also highlighted the high demand for power in the Persian Gulf Arab countries and called for burning gas as feedstock in southern power plants to produce and export electricity. More than $100 billion in Saudi renewable energy projects will help meet its skyrocketing energy demand and diversify its energy sector, industry experts said ahead of the upcoming World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The Kingdoms energy demand is expected to grow by 45 per cent from 69 gigawatts in 2014 to 100 gigawatts in 2040, an amount that is nearly as much as all of the rest of the GCC combined, according to a recent report by Frost & Sullivan. Saudi Arabia plans to spend $109 billion to install 54 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2040, added Frost & Sullivan. By 2020, Saudi projects alone will account for 70 per cent of the total value of the GCCs renewable energy projects. With the Middle Easts renewable energy sector rapidly advancing, Saudi Arabia holds the regions biggest potential for both solar and wind power, said Roberto De Diego Arozamena, CEO, Abdul Latif Jameel Energy and Environmental Services, which will be one of the key sponsors of the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) 2016. Renewable energy can help Saudi Arabia meet its growing energy demand, and also help diversify its economy, shift government energy subsidies, and provide jobs for the Saudi workforce, added Arozamena. Solar power in particular is seeing the strongest take-up, with the Kingdom planning to install 41 gigawatts of solar power by 2040, according to an Arthur D Little report. To support solar, Arthur D Little calls for easy financing of solar projects, strategic partnerships, deploying before manufacturing, and proactive energy policy reforms. The market has significant innovation support thanks to its world-class universities. Generally, for a successful renewable sector, governments need to implement holistic plans that boost both the innovation and manufacturing capacity to deliver practical, affordable, and competitive energy solutions, said Arozamena. Abdul Latif Jameel Energy and Environmental Services covers power infrastructure development, sustainable power generation, alternative resources, and energy efficiency. Through its portfolio company Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV), a leading global developer of large-scale solar power plants the company holds a 4.3 GWdc pipeline of projects in emerging solar markets including the Middle East, Australia, Africa, and Latin America. The World Future Energy Summit 2016, including Solar Expo and Sustainable Transport Zone, will be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre January 18 to 21. Co-located events featured are the International Water Summit and EcoWASTE. The WFES 2015 exhibition and conference saw 650 companies from 40 countries, and more than 32,000 attendees from 170 countries participate. Reuters Qatar Airways has launched a first-of-its-kind travel festival offering travellers a choice of dream deals suited for a variety of travel needs. The Qatar Airways Travel Festival has something for everyone, with exclusively designed packages including flights starting from $685, companion fares, access to special discounts on car rental and hotel deals and much more. Passengers can book fares from the US to Southeast Asia (from $725), Indian subcontinent (from $700), Africa (from $735), and to the Middle East (from $685). Popular travel destinations include Bali (from $850), Phuket (from $750), Singapore (from $800), and Bangkok (from $725). Qatar Airways Privilege Club members also stand to benefit with triple Qmiles offered for bookings made through the Qatar Airways website. The Travel Festival will be available for sale from January 11 to 17, 2016 for travel between January 19 and December 15, 2016. Offers are applicable on Economy and Business class return airfares to more than 150 destinations including the Middle East, Indian Sub-continent, Asia Pacific and Africa. Passengers may book online at qatarairways.com/travelfestival, by visiting any Qatar Airways' sales office or through appointed travel partners. Gunter Saurwein, Qatar Airways vice president, The Americas, said: "The Qatar Airways Travel Festival is an amazing opportunity for travellers to choose the best deal for themselves among a variety of exclusively designed packages. At Qatar Airways, we aim to inspire travellers to go beyond the ordinary. We offer our customers a chance to go anywhere they dream and to do it with the world's best airline." The Travel Festival celebrates Qatar Airways' exciting year of expansion across the US. Los Angeles became the airline's 8th US destination on January 1st. New service is planned for Boston on March 16th and Atlanta on June 1, while a second daily flight is scheduled to launch from New York's JFK Airport in April. In addition to new routes, the airline has brought the state-of-the-art Airbus A350 XWB to America, where it now flies daily, non-stop service to and from Philadelphia. TradeArabia News Service Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, delivered solid operational performance in 2015 by achieving continued growth in passenger and cargo volumes. The airline carried 17.4 million passengers last year, a significant increase of 17 per cent over 2014 levels, and operated 97,400 flights which covered 467 million kilometres. We enter 2016 with confidence as a stronger, more dynamic airline that will continue to support the evolution of Abu Dhabi as a global aviation hub," said James Hogan, Etihad Airways president and chief executive officer. "We continue to face challenges, not least the protectionism of the major American and European legacy carriers. We will continue to fight to bring new competitive choice to travellers around the world, he said. The growth in passenger demand continued to surpass the airlines capacity increase, underscoring the strength of its long-term growth strategy, the airline said. In total, Etihad Airways carried more than 75 per cent of the total passengers who travelled to and from the Abu Dhabi International Airport in 2015. With the addition of the airlines equity partners that operate flights into the UAE capital, the combined total rises to 84 per cent of passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi International Airport. In 2015, we were able to bring new competitive choice to millions of travellers, through our award-winning services and through the growing networks of our equity partners. No airline group is doing more to stimulate new competition in the aviation industry, Hogan said. Etihad Airways introduced six additional destinations to its global route network in 2015, with new flights to Kolkata, Madrid, Edinburgh, Entebbe, Hong Kong, and Dar es Salaam, and a new direct service to Brisbane. Last year also saw Etihad Airways fleet boosted with the deployment of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which entered commercial service on routes to Washington DC, Zurich, Singapore and Brisbane. The Airbus A380 network was expanded with a second service to London Heathrow and new flights to Sydney and New York. This year, the airline will commence its third daily A380 service to London Heathrow, and will add two new A380 destinations of Mumbai and Melbourne, while the Boeing 787 will start flying to five new cities, namely Dusseldorf, Perth, Shanghai, Istanbul and Johannesburg. Etihad Airways increased frequencies on 16 existing routes across the world in 2015. These were Bangkok, Chennai, Dammam, Delhi, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, Istanbul, Jeddah, Kochi, Kozhikode, Melbourne, Mumbai, Muscat, Seychelles, Tehran and Trivandrum. Complementing its organic growth, the airline also expanded its codeshare and equity partnerships last year. These partnerships delivered more than five million passengers onto Etihad Airways flights, an increase of 43 per cent over the 3.5 million passengers in 2014. A new codeshare agreement was launched with Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), while Etihad Airways existing codeshares with Air Serbia, American Airlines, flynas, Jet Airways, Korean Air, NIKI and S7 Airlines were significantly expanded. As a result, Etihad Airways now offers a combined passenger and cargo network of nearly 600 destinations through its 197 interline and 49 codeshare partnerships. In April 2015, the airline obtained regulatory approval from Switzerlands Federal Office of Civil Aviation, FOCA, to finalise a 33.3 per cent investment in the Swiss regional carrier, Darwin Airline. In June, Darwin Airline, trading as Etihad Regional, became the latest addition to Etihad Airways equity partners network, which also includes airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Jet Airways and Virgin Australia. Etihad Airways equity partnerships represent the seventh largest global grouping of airlines, together flying more than 100 million guests. Etihad Airways also reported strong cargo volumes for 2015, with 592,090 tonnes of freight and mail flown in total, a four per cent increase year-on-year. The airline accounted for 88 per cent of cargo imports, exports and transfers at Abu Dhabi International Airport last year. During 2015, Etihad Cargo enhanced its global reach by offering bellyhold capacity on Etihad Airways six new passenger destinations, bringing to 96 the total number of passenger destinations on which cargo services are currently provided. Etihad Cargo also expanded its freighter services to several new markets including Dakar, Nouakchott and Douala, bringing the number of freighter-only destinations operated to 20. Etihad Airways fleet consisted of 121 aircraft at the end of 2015 (+9 per cent year-on-year), with an average age of 5.8 years one of the youngest and most environmentally-friendly in the industry. The airline took delivery of 11 Airbus (four A380s, six A321s and one A320) and four Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft in 2015, while further leased capacity was also added. To support the next phase of its global network expansion, Etihad Airways will receive 10 aircraft deliveries this year, including five Boeing 787-9s, three A380s and two Boeing 777-200 Freighters. - TradeArabia News Service Bahrains national carrier Gulf Air has expanded its operations to Pakistan with the addition of two new routes: Multan and Faisalabad, said a report. The inaugural flight to the two cities Multan and Faisalabad were welcomed with a celebratory water cannon salute, said a report in Bahrain News Agency. Taking the airlines total Pakistan destinations up to seven, Multan and Faisalabad supplement Gulf Airs current service to five cities in Pakistan: Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, Peshawar and Sialkot. Gulf Air flights to Multan, Pakistan's fifth largest city by population, and Faisalabad, a major industrial and manufacturing hub, are operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft, it said. Subscribe to our newsletter Receive the latest travel news, reviews, and more.. Please provide a valid email address Most Popular Problems in Nursing Homes are Driving More Seniors to Age in Place For years, there have been many co 6 Tips For Traveling With Young Children Planning for a trip takes some time, even if it's just you g How Traveling Can Make You Happy If you have never traveled before but are thinking of doing so then Scottish Islands: The Best Places to Reside! So there are a few islands that can be found off the Sco How to Plan a Multi-Destination Honeymoon During COVID You need to know how to plan appropriately and 7 Tips for Amazing Campus Visits A campus visit's significance could not be overstated. 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They are incredibly expensive, and theyre also in sh Role of Professional companies in International Trade International trade holds great importance in a The 5 Best Wines from Germany Riesling is Germanys best-known wine, but the country makes other fi Here's Why You Should Go Camping On Weekends There is nothing like the great outdoors nature The Best Tote Bags To Travel With in 2022 Who knew you could pack your entire life away into one litt Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 Trend: Very serious actions related to a more efficient operation of the transport corridors must be taken in 2016, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in his concluding speech at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers. President Aliyev chaired the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers Jan. 10 dedicated to the results of socioeconomic development of 2015 and objectives for the future. "Serious actions were taken in late 2015," the president said. "The Coordinating Council was established for the transportation of transit goods through the territory of Azerbaijan. This is a very serious step. The Coordinating Council brings together all structures associated with transport." "A common tariff policy is being conducted and must be conducted. At the same time these issues were discussed with the leadership of Georgia and Turkey," Ilham Aliyev said. "Azerbaijan has offered to conduct a single tariff policy for this corridor with Georgia and Turkey. It is necessary for all the relevant structures to conduct a common policy and this corridor to become even more attractive. If only we make concessions in the tariff policy, as opposed to the neighboring countries, there will be no effect," he added. The president further said that serious negotiations were held with potential shippers. "These issues were widely discussed as part of my state visit to China in late 2015. The first container train has been already launched from China to Azerbaijan through this corridor," said Ilham Aliyev. "I am confident that we will achieve the transportation of larger volumes of goods via this corridor in the future as the shortest route passes through the territory of Azerbaijan," the president said. "There is infrastructure, we have created it, namely, the railway and sea transport. A new commercial port is being built. It has been partially put into operation. Moreover, the public is well aware that as a result of worsening of the Turkey-Russia relations, the movement of Turkish heavy vehicles to the Central Asia, Kazakhstan has become complicated. Azerbaijan has immediately offered its capabilities, we've granted privileges. Today the corridor has been working in this direction as well." "Azerbaijan must be better prepared for this," the president said. "Of course, the infrastructure, located on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea, must be also better prepared for this." Ilham Aliyev stressed that the remaining section of the Baku-Astara railway must be constructed in 2016. He further said that there are still 8 kilometers remaining, and the section will be built in 2016. The president said that talks have already been held with Iran, adding that the route itself is very important. "This will turn Azerbaijan into a very important partner of the North-South corridor. Thus, all the routes, namely, the East-West and the North-South will stretch through Azerbaijan," said Ilham Aliyev. "This will ensure our political and economic interests. The coordination work should be conducted with all relevant structures." The equipment interference provisions in the draft Investigatory Powers Bill would permit the intelligence and security services, police and the military to hack into gadgets to get information, such as communications, when they have a warrant to do so. The government contends that the hacking provisions that are part of the wider web surveillance legislation are required so that law implementation can capture the communications of offenders even when they are encrypted. However, tech companies have cautioned that the arrangement would set a dangerous precedent that would be trailed by different nations, will damage trust in their services and might be difficult to execute at any rate. In a combined submission to the committee of MPs examining the legislation, technology giants Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo! warned this provision would be a step in the wrong direction: "To the extent this could involve the introduction of risks or vulnerabilities into products or services, it would be a very dangerous precedent to set, and we would urge your government to reconsider," they said. They warned that the legislation doesn't currently contain any necessities to ensure network integrity and cyber security or any prerequisite for agencies to educate companies of vulnerabilities that could later be abused by others. In its submission, Apple said the plans would put tech companies in a very hard position. "For the consumer in, say, Germany, this might represent hacking of their data by an Irish business on behalf of the [U.K.] state under a bulk warrant - activity which the provider is not even allowed to confirm or deny. Maintaining trust in such circumstances will be extremely difficult." It said that there is a requirement for a much greater clarity as to how the powers in the bill will be applied specifically because this regulation will set a precedent, which if followed by other countries, could threaten the privacy and security of users in the U.K. and elsewhere. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Our posts will arrive as emails in your inbox if you provide an email address on the link below. You will receive an email from Feedburner, the engine that sends them out, asking you to confirm that you signed up. Do so and they will be on their way to you. (It's free! And, more importantly, the email address your provide won't be used for any other purpose!) Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 Trend: Azerbaijan should improve the export capacity as agricultural products will be the country's main export products besides oil and gas in the future, President Ilham Aliyev said in his concluding speech at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers. President Aliyev chaired on Jan. 10 the Cabinet's meeting dedicated to the results of socioeconomic development of 2015 and objectives for the future. "Azerbaijan should look for new markets especially taking into account that the country has access to the traditional markets," the president said. He further noted that Russia is the main market for Azerbaijani agricultural products. "There is a greater demand for Azerbaijani products in Russia today. Azerbaijan must ensure this demand and enter the Russian market with a greater production volume. At the same time, Kazakhstan has built a modern logistics center. It is almost ready. Azerbaijan will start exporting its food products to Kazakhstan in the near future," Ilham Aliyev said. "The Middle East countries are interested in Azerbaijani products as well. This issue is discussed during the visits, and Azerbaijan must enter these markets too, because the country's qualitative products are of great interest," President Aliyev said. For Azerbaijan is it necessary to enter the traditional markets with a larger volume and supply the products to new markets, he added. "It is also necessary to establish industrial parks and industrial clusters," Aliyev said. "The industrial zones must be established in all districts. I would like work in this direction to go faster, so that we could see results. We've been long talking about this and there are no results yet. Central executive bodies, bodies responsible for this area, in particular, local executive bodies, must actively work. They must organize this, allocate areas, and create conditions. This is their job." The president said the country's local executive bodies must work even more effectively, and came out with an initiative rather waiting for instructions. "This is their daily work. Economic and industrial potential of each region must be strengthened. There are necessary capabilities, but most of the country's districts live on grants. In the previous years, we could turn a blind eye on that - we've been getting big revenues and we've offered grants. But why do our districts should exist through grants?" "Population of our regions, on average, isn't so big," said Ilham Aliyev. "If they work more efficiently, in terms of economy, they can cover all the expenses. But they're waiting for the funds to be allocated. The funds are allocated anyway. The roads, gas, water communications are laid at public funds. Even meters are installed at public finance. Which country installs meters at public funds?" Aliyev went on to add that all infrastructure projects are being implemented and big investments are made. "The tourism infrastructure of tourism is being created. Who creates this? The government and private companies do. They must work more effectively at places. I set the task before them to provide information on conducted work, newly created jobs, and established enterprises on a quarterly basis. Let them also make conclusions. The country will continue to conduct its policy and make necessary investments, but I am sure that all Azerbaijani districts can work more efficiently and there will be even better results." The president further spoke about industrial zones in the country's districts. "I have repeatedly raised the issue of establishing the industrial zones in the districts," the president said. "Only one pilot project is being implemented in the Neftchala district at present. Why aren't they implemented in other districts? The reason is indifference. This must not be allowed." "This is the task of every head of the executive power. Those who cannot cope with this task will be dismissed," Ilham Aliyev said. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend: Georgia has never had serious problems with gas supply from Azerbaijan, Mahir Mammadov, head of SOCAR Energy Georgia, a subsidiary of Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR, told Trend Jan. 12. He said various processes that have no impact on the total volume of gas supplies occasionally take place. "The matter rests in that the gas Georgia receives from Russia for transit is also taken into account when considering importer countries of Georgia," Mammadov said. "This gas accounts for 10 to 15 percent of the total volume of gas importer countries and a certain correction takes place in case of technical failures or some working processes on Russian or Azerbaijani side." "The sides have been working in such a manner for already seven years, and no problems have been observed with deliveries so far," he added. He went on to add that Georgia receives gas via three gas pipelines. "The first one is SOCAR's Hajigabul-Gardabani gas pipeline, the capacity of gas pumping through which reaches 6.5 million cubic meters per day," Mammadov said. "The second one is the South Caucasus Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline, via which Georgia gets gas from the Shah Deniz field in the volume of up to three million cubic meters per day." "There is also a pipeline from Russia," he said. "Gas is transported in normal mode via all the pipelines in compliance with balance and needs of Georgia." He went on to add that Azerbaijan is constantly in touch with the Georgian side, holds planned meetings and discusses directions of cooperation. SOCAR exported 1.25 billion cubic meters of gas to Georgia in January-November 2015. SOCAR delivers its own gas to Georgia via a pipeline that runs through Azerbaijan's Gazakh district. The gas pumping capacity via this pipeline nears three billion cubic meters per year. Azerbaijan is the main gas supplier to Georgia with a share of 77.9 percent of the total volume of gas imports of the country. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov Baku, Azerbaijan, January 12 Trend: The OSCE Minsk Group US co-chairman James Warlick headed to London for consultations with the British Foreign Office, he wrote on his Twitter account on January 12. "Headed to London tonight for consultations with the British Foreign Office", he said. 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 two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 Trend: Azerbaijan's Embassy in Turkey and Consulate General in Istanbul are checking whether there are Azerbaijanis among victims of the Jan. 12 explosion in Istanbul, Trend has learned from both diplomatic missions. Azerbaijani diplomats are keeping in touch with law enforcement agencies of Turkey. An explosion occurred Jan. 12 in the central square of Istanbul, killing a number of people. Reportedly, the explosion occurred near the central mosque when tourists were passing by. According to some Turkish media, the explosion was caused by a suicide bomber, but so far there are no official statements about the incident. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 Trend: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received the credentials of the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria Lahssan Boufares Jan. 12. Boufares handed his credentials to President Aliyev, who then held a conversation with the ambassador. President Aliyev said Azerbaijan and Algeria enjoyed good relations. The head of state said there were good opportunities for developing these ties in various areas, particularly in political and economic ones. President Aliyev said reciprocal visits and cooperation of business representatives would play an important role in developing the bilateral bonds. The president stressed the importance of the two countries` cooperation in international organizations, including the United Nations. President Aliyev said the countries successfully cooperate in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, adding that Azerbaijan is making efforts to strengthen the Islamic solidarity and deepen cooperation even further. The president emphasized the significance of Azerbaijan-Algeria cooperation in the fields of security and fight against terrorism. President Aliyev expressed his confidence that the bilateral relations between the two countries would successfully develop during the diplomatic mission of the ambassador in Baku. Boufares greeted the president on behalf of President of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria Abdelaziz Bouteflika, and highlighted his wishes for the development of the relations between the two countries. The ambassador said his country highly appreciated Azerbaijan`s decision on the opening the Embassy in Algeria. He hailed cooperation between Azerbaijan and Algeria, saying he would spare no efforts to expand this cooperation. President Aliyev thanked for the greetings of President Bouteflika and asked the ambassador to communicate his greetings to the president of Algeria. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 Trend: There are no Azerbaijani citizens among the victims of the terrorist attack in Istanbul, Azerbaijan's consulate general in the city told Trend Jan. 12 citing a preliminary report. Azerbaijan's Embassy in Turkey and Consulate General in Istanbul are keeping in touch with law enforcement agencies of Turkey and continue to check whether there are Azerbaijanis among the explosion victims. An explosion occurred in the central square of Istanbul Jan. 12. Reportedly, the explosion occurred near the central mosque when tourists were passing by. Some Turkish media reported that the explosion was caused by a suicide bomber attack, but so far there has been no official statement regarding the incident. It was reported that a suicide bomber blew himself up near foreign tourists. Ten people were killed in the explosion according to preliminary reports, said the Turkish media. Citizenships of the blast victims haven't yet been established. There are police officers among the wounded. The work of subway stations in the city was suspended after the explosion. Police fear a second blast. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 Trend: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received the credentials of the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia Badamdorj Batkhishig Jan. 12. Batkhishig handed his credentials to President Aliyev, who then held conversation with the ambassador. President Aliyev said Azerbaijan was interested in developing cooperation with Mongolia in all fields, adding there was a good potential for doing this. The president recalled with pleasure his meetings with President of Mongolia Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj at various international events and their talks on the development of bilateral relations. President Aliyev said the development of political and economic ties was important for both nations and states. The head of state said cooperation between the business circles of Azerbaijan and Mongolia was not so active, adding that it was important that the two countries better know each other and correctly direct business and investment opportunities. The president expressed his confidence that the bilateral relations would develop during the diplomatic tenure of Batkhishig in Azerbaijan, and wished him success in his activities. Batkhishig extended greetings and best wishes of President Elbegdorj to President Aliyev. The ambassador highlighted his country`s economic accomplishments in various fields. He said he would spare no efforts to develop the bilateral relations between the two countries during his diplomatic tenure. The president thanked for the greetings of President Elbegdorj and asked the ambassador to communicate his greetings to the president of Mongolia. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 Trend: SAP regional training center is going to be established at BHOS. The decision was agreed between BHOS Rector Elmar Gasimov and Stefan Hoechbauer, Regional President SAP Middle and Eastern Europe. SAP regional training center aims at offering opportunities on the use of library and educational resources based on academic publications of SAP training centers, dissemination of the application principles of the contemporary applied programmes in managing business corresponding to the advanced international experience and realization of new projects based on SAP technologies. As regards the students, after successful completion of additional courses, they will be able to gain international certificates which in turn will enable them to work at SOCAR and other companies operating in Azerbaijan. The operations of SAP training center are envisaged to target not only the BHOS faculty and students, but also the whole region. Thus, BHOS is becoming the major educational and training center for providing the industry with highly qualified specialists in line with the market needs. It should be reminded that most recently BHOS became a member of SAP University Alliances by signing agreement with SAP. This agreement will enable young specialists involved in petroleum industry of Azerbaijan to learn the best practices for managing business processes in the leading international oil companies. BHOS and SAP University Alliances cooperation will include classroom and online lectures, master-classes, communication with SAP experts and access to SAP platforms and technologies. The students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge during practical trainings and student contests, while student entrepreneurship programmes, scientific workshops and symposiums will be held. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 Trend: Azerbaijan temporarily suspended the ban for sale of alcohol beverages for cash money, as well as wholesale of tobacco products, deputy tax minister of Azerbaijan, Sahib Alakbarov told local AzTV channel Jan. 12. "The decision on lifting the ban for sale of alcohol beverages for cash money was made as a result of multiple appeals of entrepreneurs," he said. "At the same time, there will be no problems with purchasing alcohol using plastic cards. There are enough POS terminals and over six million plastic cards. Over 86,000 POS terminals have been installed in shopping facilities and catering establishments, and we can install additional terminals if needed." Alakbarov said that first of all, the population itself must be ready for transition to non-cash payments and this type of payment should be promoted. "As for the issue of purchase of alcoholic beverages using non-cash payment, there were no problems in this process, there were only issues related to documentation," he said. "Therefore, as such a process takes some time, we, Administration of President, Cabinet of Ministers and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received appeals with a request to temporarily suspend this law until the documentation process is finalized." Alakbarov said that President Ilham Aliyev, having considered the appeals, instructed to suspend these rules [on introduction of non-cash payment during purchase of alcoholic beverages in the country's trading network] until completion of the documentation as part of measures taken to support the development of entrepreneurship. "Suspension of this decision will enable entrepreneurs, as well as sellers to finalize the preparation of the documents," he said. "They have a large amount of products left, and it is necessary to complete their documentation [according to the new system]. Also, this will allow the population to choose between cash and non-cash purchase of alcoholic beverages." Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 Trend: The body of an Azerbaijani oilman, found off the coast of Turkmenistan, was brought to Azerbaijan, the Emergency Situations Ministry of Azerbaijan told Trend Jan. 12. The body of the oil worker, who went missing after a fire on the platform #10 of Azerbaijan's Gunashli offshore field, was found Jan. 11 in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea. An initial inspection established that the body belongs to Mubariz Gasimov, who worked as a mechanic on the platform. After receiving the information about the oilman's body, an amphibious aircraft of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, departed for Turkmenistan together with an investigation team to deliver the body to Azerbaijan. Earlier, a fire broke out on the offshore platform #10 in the Caspian Sea, as a strong storm damaged an underwater high-pressure gas pipeline. As many as 33 people were rescued in an ensuing large-scale operation. The bodies of ten killed were retrieved, while 20 oil workers are still listed as missing. News Oct 19th, 2022 at 15:35 The cloud-native IT will continue to be offered as a stand-alone product as well as integrated with the Guestline platform Nepal has always been topping the list, when it comes to the best travel destinations in the world. It was only after the great quakes of April 25 and May 12 that the travelers got a bit skeptical regarding the safety issues in Nepal. (TRAVPR.COM) NEPAL - January 12th, 2016 - Nepal has always been topping the list, when it comes to the best travel destinations in the world. It was only after the great quakes of April 25 and May 12 that the travelers got a bit skeptical regarding the safety issues in Nepal. The news about the devastations of the quake was so rampantly broadcast by the international media that the fact of most of the parts in Nepal being untouched by the menace was seriously overlooked. Everyone was concerned about the magnitude of the destruction and execution of rescue and relief operations. Amidst all these ordeals, Nepal was somehow tagged as an unsafe destination. It is worth mentioning that only some factions of Nepal were affected by the quake while the rest of the parts were completely intact. Thanks to the Lonely Planet, Nepal has been included in the top list of the best travel destination for this October. So the bottom line is that the menace of earthquake is now over and once the monsoon subsides, Nepal is safely ready to welcome the adventurers from around the world. October is once again a peak season for trekking in Nepal and the Annapurna region is a great, nay epic, place to begin with. From the stunningly beautiful gateway town of Pokhara, which hardly suffered any damage, the classic trekking routes such as the Annapurna Circuit and Annapurna Sanctuary offer jaw-dropping mountainous vistas (probably could otherwise be relished only by the mountaineers). Pokhara is just a few hours drive nay 25 minutes flight away from Kathmandu. It is tantamount to an oasis for the trekkers who commence or get back from the trek. The Annapurna Circuit is the most popular trekking route in Nepal. It includes the staggering 5416m high pass of Thorong-La, touching the edge of the fabled Tibetan plateau. The magnificent mountainous panorama includes Annapurna 8,091 meters, Dhaulagiri 8,167 meters and Machhapuchchhre (Mt. Fishtail) 6,993 meters, which can all be witnessed at close quarters. Every year, more than 100,000 trekkers visit the Annapurna area, and nearly 50 percent of them embark the circuit. Nothing lasts forever and so is exactly the case with the natural catastrophe in Nepal. Sending support, prayers and good wishes indeed help Nepal and the Nepalese get back to their feet. But above all, if there is one best way to help Nepal and show the Nepalese that you care, it is by actually visiting Nepal. Every penny that you spend here does not merely fetch you the refreshment, but also capacitate the local economy, especially the tourism sector. So, this is a great opportunity for each one of you to be a part of this noble cause. Come, visit Nepal and help Nepal recover!! http://www.marrontreks.com ### Pecs, Hungary Welcomes Travelers with ArrivalGuides (TRAVPR.COM) SWEDEN - January 12th, 2016 - Pecs, definitely a top destination on the must-see list when in Hungary, has joined the worlds largest supplier of destination content, ArrivalGuides. Being the home of the world-famous Zsolnay ceramics and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pecs is soon to become known on a global scale, as their content will reach millions of travels through the ArrivalGuides network. With its rich history, picturesque surroundings and vineyards on the nearby hillsides, Pecs will share their information with the travelers to inspire them by showing the best things to do and see in the area. As a new ArrivalGuides Destination Partner, Pecs will manage their own content and have the freedom to create themes and organize their content, including photos and videos. Once the information of Hungarys fifth largest city is reviewed and uploaded to the ArrivalGuides system, it will automatically update to its network of over 340 distribution partners. Peter Salamon from Irany Pecs! Said, There is a lot more to Hungary than Budapest and we would like the world to know that! Being the tourism marketing organization of Pecs, we want people fully aware of our city and region internationally and ArrivalGuides is the ideal partner in doing this. We are confident that this 2000-year-old city, and region will receive the exposure needed internationally with the help of ArrivalGuides. Magnus Aideborn, CEO of ArrivalGuides said, We are excited to see another Hungarian destination join the growing library of destination content and Pecs is the perfect addition to our platform. Our distribution partners are constantly seeking new and exciting content from global destinations, and Pecs is certainly on their wish list. Welcome aboard, Pecs we look forward to working with you! About ArrivalGuides ArrivalGuides is the worlds largest distributor of destination content, with over 340 distribution partners using our library of destination information, including photos and videos, to improve customer interaction, experience, loyalty and transactions with their brand. Our distribution network consists of major global, influential brands who are using ArrivalGuides destination content to drive their travel business across all platforms and digital communications including apps, booking confirmations, newsletters, Smart TV applications and touchscreens. ArrivalGuides head office is in Gothenburg, Sweden. For more information, please see arrivalguides.biz and arrivalguides.com. About Irany Pecs! Irany Pecs! is the official tourism marketing organization for the city of Pecs and its region. Pecs is the fifth largest city of Hungary and is located in the southwest of the country, close to the Croatian border. As one of the most popular Hungarian destinations among tourists, this multicultural city has numerous attractions, picturesque surroundings, and fine restaurants to offer. In 2010, the city was selected as the European Capital of Culture. ### Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 Trend: Details added, first version posted on 11:14. The implementation of the North-South railway corridor project will reduce the cargo delivery period via various important routes twofold-threefold, Javid Gurbanov, the head of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, said at the "North-South international transport corridor: new directions, development and prospects" forum. The corridor will allow turning Azerbaijan into a major transport hub, using its geographical position, increasing the turnover, said Gurbanov. "The turnover of goods between India and the EU is 25.5 million tons of cargo a year, and delivery can take up to 60 days. With the launch of the North-South Corridor through Azerbaijan, the delivery period will be reduced to 14-20 days, that is, twofold-threefold", Gurbanov said. Negotiations are underway with the Iranian side, and a protocol was signed last year, he noted. "The railway, we are going to build, will connect the Persian Gulf to the Baltic Sea. This is a new product for logistics companies that can deliver cargo both from Astara and Amirabad through Azerbaijan and the Black Sea to Ukraine and Europe, which is beneficial in terms of distance and period. After the removal of sanctions from Iran the trade turnover with the EU will increase significantly, and we can use both sea and railway transport for cargo transportation," Gurbanov said. The North-South Corridor, originating in India and stretching to Helsinki, is one of the most important routes for Azerbaijan. The corridor stretches for about 5,000 kilometers, including through Azerbaijan's territory. The annual capacity of the transit of goods from Iran to Russia via Azerbaijan is about 10 million tons. The same figure between Europe and India is about 25 million tons. Most of the cargo is transported by sea, which takes 45 to 60 days. Therefore, the transshipment through Azerbaijan is more acceptable and this route is the most optimal. The North-South railway will link Northern Europe with South-Eastern Asia. It will serve as a link between the railways of Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia. The railway's capacity will be 1.4 million passengers and 5-7 million tons of cargo per year, according to the preliminary estimates. Moreover, 22 tunnels and 15 bridges will be built along the railway. A new trekking adventure to help preserve one of the rarest animal species in the world (TRAVPR.COM) UNITED KINGDOM - January 12th, 2016 - TRACK SNOW LEOPARDS IN NEPAL WITH LEGENDS OF THE WILD Combine trekking in spectacular mountain surroundings with the opportunity to actively contribute to the conservation of one of the rarest animal species in the world on a two-week expedition tracking snow leopards in Nepal, the newest adventure from Legends of the Wild. The expedition will explore the upper Dolpo valley in Western Nepal, one of the highest inhabited territories in the world, steeped in pure Tibetan culture. This is a rugged mountainous region offering a varied landscape of high passes, turquoise lakes, fortified villages and Buddhist monasteries. It is home to blue sheep, wolves, and snow leopards, an endangered species considered a good indicator of the ecological health of the high altitude ecosystem. Leading a small group of six to eight travellers will be Prabin Shreshta, a naturalist guide from Nepals Ministry of the Environment, who will be conducting research on the local snow leopard population by setting up camera traps to assess their habitat use and prey abundance in the Shey Phoksundo National Park. Helping Prabin with his research, participants will be able to come close to these magnificent creatures and learn more about their habits and the dangers they face. After flying to Juphal from Kathmandu, the group will embark on an exhilarating 10 day trek in the Himalayas, stopping at the stunning Phoksundo Lake before crossing the Saldang Pass (5,010 m.) to the area that has the greatest potential for snow leopard habitats. Here they will stay for four days while they carry out the camera trap study, a transect survey and snow leopard prey assessment, before trekking back to Juphal via Shey Gumba. The snow leopard expedition will take place in May/June 2016 (exact dates to be confirmed shortly), when the conditions will be optimal with the snow in the passes melted, clear skies and long days. While the trek is challenging and demands a good level of fitness and stamina, Legends of the Wild is fully committed to the safety and comfort of participants, providing porters, satellite communication devices, accommodation in tents using state of the art equipment, and tasty meals prepared in advance and cooked along the route. Price starts from US$5,000 (3,465) per person and includes all meals, guides and porters, domestic flights and accommodation (including two nights in a five star hotel, at the beginning and end of the expedition), but excludes international flights to Kathmandu. Money will go towards funding the snow leopard conservation programme in Nepal. Legends of the Wild is an American tour company that offers trekking expeditions in some of the most remote areas of the world, where participants can witness and participate in vital research projects aimed at the conservation of endangered animals. For more information and reservations email info@legendsofthewild.com or go to www.legendsofthewild.com. Legends of the Wild will also be at The Adventure Travel Show at Olympia in London on 23-24 January 2016. Ends For further information and to discuss press trip opportunities please contact Cristina Cunchillos at Latina Marketing on 0207 7048485 or email cristina@latinamarketing.com. ### Tiny houses are a popular topic on TreeHugger, and no wonder: they touch on many elements of a sustainable lifestyle, such as simplifying one's life, eschewing the enormous McMansion and corresponding mortgage in favour of more financial freedom. But as we've noted before, the teeny size of tiny homes aren't for everyone, and there are still some big barriers to consider even before thinking about living in one. Erin Anderssen over at The Globe and Mail goes further, questioning whether they are truly sustainable in the long term, noting that some high-profile tiny housers are now up-sizing. In an article titled 'Teeny house, big lie: Why so many proponents of the tiny-house movement have decided to upsize', Anderssen writes: The ardour for tiny homes suggests its the next best trend in four walls. Certainly, the motivation is hard to fault. As a society, weve been urban sprawling to our detriment, wasting energy, space and interest on sky-high mortgages. And we could definitely kick the knick-knack habit. But how small can we shrink without wreaking havoc of a different kind? Are tiny homes really sustainable? Maybe not so much. At least, not for everyone. Why are tiny homes so small, anyway? Anderssen outlines the reasons why and shares stories of how the extremely small size of tiny homes are now driving some to abandon them for larger homes. For starters, she points out that tiny home are "too small," especially for families, and that their shoebox size can "take their toll... on our physical and mental health." This is a valid point, one that has also been raised along with the recent trend toward urban micro-apartments. But what Anderssen glosses over is why tiny homes are so small. For decades, they've been a bit of a reactionary response to an increasingly unaffordable existing housing market, based on the false ideal of "bigger is better." Certainly, they could be bigger, but tiny homes are now typically sized under 200 square feet and put on wheels to go under the radar of municipal bylaws and the need to pay the larger property taxes that go with larger, immovable homes. Many municipalities have minimum square footage requirements because they prefer the higher tax assessments, but that doesn't necessarily mean that these minimum square footages are an absolute, indisputable ideal for everyone either. A tiny stab at complex problems There's also the elephant in the tiny room that people need to talk more about: how to concretely tackle the broader crisis of unaffordable housing, beyond building one's own mortgage-free tiny home. With wages stagnating against rising costs of living, real estate prices, rents, and rampant speculation in urban centers, many younger Millennials can only dream of owning a home like their parents. Some may argue tiny homes represent a kind of "poverty appropriation," but the economic inequality between the wealthy and the middle-class is growing, and the recent popularity of tiny homes are but a symptom of this very real problem. The health toll of larger homes And are small spaces damaging for your mental and physical health? It depends: conversely, one could also argue that people living in much larger houses in affluent suburbs could experience depression and isolation too: family members are segregated to their own rooms, no one bonds, and the car-centric character of the suburbs means it's planned around big-box stores instead of universally accessible community spaces. The psychological toll of large homes is an issue that some tiny house proponents have brought up, and may be the reason why smaller homes -- with some smart community-centred urban planning to go along with it -- could bring more financial, emotional freedom and better relationships, even for families. No "one size fits all" So is the tiny house movement a "big lie" as Anderssen maintains? It might a bit exaggerated; after all, Anderssen goes on to concede that: To be fair, the people abandoning their tiny homes arent trading them for McMansions their fallbacks are still small by modern standards. There's a lot of positive possibilities with experimenting with lower-impact lifestyles, and certainly tiny homes can be photogenic and endlessly inventive, but they are only one possibility. Beyond the inherent idealism of tiny homes, the larger reality we need to further explore is how legal, carefully planned micro-housing might look in our cities and neighbourhoods. Even if there are up-sizers, it doesn't detract from the fact that it will work for some people, and recent tiny house subdivisions planned for the US and Canada prove that they are being taken seriously as one potential way to revive declining rural communities. Micro-apartments are already popping up in cities like NYC, San Francisco and Vancouver, and even unlikely places like Chicago, Spokane and Edmonton. So if 200 square feet is too small, then what about 500 or 900 square feet small homes, planned in a way that allows real communities to take root? It appears that even with their flaws, tiny homes and other micro-dwellings are here to stay. In any case, they should not be taken as a "one-size-fits-all" panacea to complex socioeconomic problems, and certainly not as an ideology. No doubt it won't work for some. But if it works for others, then why not? More over at The Globe and Mail. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend: Headline changed, details added (first version posted on 12:06) Iran will commission the Qazvin-Rasht railway in 2017, Mohsen Pour Seyyed Aghaei, the head of the Iranian railways, said Jan. 12 at the "North-South international transport route: new directions, development and prospects" forum. "The construction of the Rasht-Astara railway will begin in 2016 and finish in 2019," he said. "These railways are part of the North-South railway corridor." "The implementation of the railway project Qazvin-Rasht-Astara requires an investment of $1.5 billion. But this project is a priority for Iranian government and we will ensure the necessary funds," he said. "Development of cargo transportation could give momentum to global economic recovery." "Shortening of transit routes, cutting costs and providing transportation of goods in a short time can contribute to the world economy. Iran is ready to fulfil its commitments in this area," Aghaei said. "Despite the economic pressure that we are facing because of low oil prices, we have all the opportunities to implement transit projects going through Iran." "First option - it is the joining of Iranian and Azerbaijani Astara through a railroad. Iran together with Azerbaijan has made a commitment that the process will be completed by the end of 2016. In this case, goods will be transported from Bandar Abbas to Qazvin via railway. Then they will be transported to Astara by other vehicles and then - transported via the Azerbaijani railways," Aghaei said. The second option envisages cargo transportation via Iran's Amirabad port, he added. "Within four months we will create the opportunity to direct the loading of goods directly on to ships at the port. Then from Amirabad th ships will be delivering the goods to Baku's Alat port and then to Georgia via railway. Both of these options will be valid until the end of the construction of the railway Qazvin-Rasht-Astara. Completion of this project will allow transporting at least 10 million tons of cargo a year," Aghaei said. Iran is negotiating with all relevant structures of the participating countries of the North-South corridor, he noted. "We are also negotiating to reach an agreement on common tariffs from India to Europe. We are ready for any concessions on this issue. It is expected that sanctions against Iran will be lifted next week; it will solve the problems with bank transfers, insurance and other issues," Mohsen Pour Seyyed Aghaei said. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov Tribune News Service Patiala, January 12 Two days after Jaswant Singh, a farmer of Gajisalar village, allegedly committed suicide, Punjab Cabinet Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra and Patiala Deputy Commissioner Varun Roojam today visited the affected family and handed over cheques worth Rs 3.5 lakh to them. However, the villagers are angry with the government for ignoring the farmers and taking two days to reach out to the family of the deceased. Handing over the cheques for Rs 3 lakh to Surjan Singh, son of the deceased, Rakhra said the government would stand by the family of the deceased and would ensure all possible help to them. Roojam handed over another cheque for Rs 50,000 from the District Red Cross Funds to the affected family. On Monday, senior Aam Aadmi Party leaders Durgesh Pathak, Sanjay Singh, Sucha Singh Chottepur and local leaders handed over a cheque for Rs 2 lakh to the family of Jaswant Singh, who committed suicide on Sunday by setting his paddy stock on fire and later jumping into it. Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 12 An old tree uprooted by an attack of termite in Sector 8 could have died and been sold off had it not been noticed by a good Samaritan, Rahul Mahajan, a businessman by profession, on Sunday. Mahajan, a tree lover, took the pain and gave a new lease of life to the near-dead tree today by replanting it near the Sector 26 roundabout. He bore all the expense incurred on the labour and the machinery, which was engaged in transporting the tree from Sector 8 to Sector 26. This is the second uprooted tree to which he has given a new life. Earlier, in September 2015, he successfully replanted an old tree, which had fallen on the ground after its roots were eaten by termite and fungus. I was on my way home on Sunday when I saw the tree lying on the ground near the Sector 7/8 roundabout . I took permission from the Horticulture Department on Monday so that I could replant it. I managed to hire a crane and with the help of workers, got it replanted today, Mahajan told Chandigarh Tribune. He said the Pilkhan tree was a variety of the Fycus and it seemed to be 25 years old. The process for replanting the tree began at 3 pm and it took approximately an hour to replant it. The Executive Engineer and the SDO of the Horticulture Department were also present at the time. Mahajan made an appeal to the Administration to start a drive to replant old trees. He said that the practice of replanting trees was prevalent in foreign countries but it was yet to pick up in cities like Chandigarh which had a lot of greenery. Experts say that 80 per cent of the replanted trees generally survive. When contacted, Mukesh Anand, Chief Engineer of the Administration, said the department appreciated the move and would offer all possible help to the people engaged in saving trees. He said the Administration will also conduct a survey of old trees and steps would be taken to save them from dying. Manohar Singh, Executive Engineer, Horticulture Department, who was present at the site, said the department would try its best to replant uprooted trees in future. He said since the tree had some roots, there was a possibility that it would survive. Mahajan said the process of replanting trees needed regular maintenance. Sandeep Dikshit AFTER Russia breached the exclusivity in its military association with India, Israel may be the next in line despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi's unprecedented contacts for an Indian Prime Minister with the Jewish state. Modi had become the first Indian Prime Minister to hold a meeting under arclights with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu in New York besides holding an extended conversation with President Reuven Rivlin at Singapore strongman Lee Kuan Yew's funeral. To the accompaniment of a crescendo of approvals from the right corner of the Indian strategic community, Modi let it be known that he will become the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Jerusalem. The tour was going to be packaged with balancing-out stopovers in a couple of Muslim-majority countries. It may not longer be a mystery why neither External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj nor Modi could persuade themselves to visit Tel Aviv the whole of last year despite making an announcement to that effect (Ms. Swaraj will now visit Tel Aviv from January 17). Instead the Government opted to send President Pranab Mukherjee to the three destinations, including Israel. The reason lies in Israel's inability to resist Chinese overtures for its military equipment. Even as the right-wing corner of the Indian strategic community was hailing the upswing in ties with Tel Aviv and diplomats of both countries were burning the wires to prepare for the Modi visit, China was indulging in some quiet bargaining with Israeli defence manufacturers. As in the past, once military equipment is sold to China, it is a matter of time before Pakistan lays its hands on it. The recent inauguration of a top Israeli defence company's factory in China has negated some 15 years of spirited Indian diplomacy to thwart the two from defence cooperation that enters the realm of joint research and development. With active US help, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government had accomplished something very rare in the annals of international military trade. Israel was forced to return Chinese advance payment for high-end aircraft-mounted radars that spot planes in a 400-km radius, thus providing considerable advance warning for the air defence systems to get ready for action. Without resorting to this Government's penchant for high-end optics, the Vajpayee Government followed by the Manmohan Singh regime then quietly shaped a unique India-Israel-Russia partnership to get this technology for its armed forces. For the record, Israel Aeropsace Industries (IAI) claims its upcoming factory in China will cater to the civilian sector. The ambitious Chinese plans to double the number of its civilian fleet and add about 60 airports within the next two decades may underscore the assertion. It is true that China-Israel military relationship is of older vintage than India's defence ties with Tel Aviv. Goaded by the US, China and Israel had separately equipped the Mujaheedin in Afghanistan to take on the Soviet Red Army. Israel is also said to be China's second biggest foreign supplier of military equipment. This statistic conceals Israel's huge gap with Russia, China's biggest supplier of equipment. It also does not tell the story of Israel developing military equipment for India not obtainable elsewhere in the world such as Barak ship-busting missiles, advanced men and equipment-detection radars and lethal aircraft-fired missiles. The Chinese breakthrough in poaching companies exclusively equipping the Indian armed forces is the second strategic set back in the defence sphere during this Government's tenure. Russia had caused a flutter in the Indian strategic community when six months into the Modi Government, its Defence Minister went to Islamabad and met Pakistan's leadership. Two months earlier, Pakistan army chief Raheel Sharif witnessed live demonstrations of Russian military equipment, inked a defence cooperation pact and came away with a promise for the same Mi-35 attack helicopters deployed by India in Pathankot to scorch wooded portions near the airbase where militants were believed to have been hiding. Pakistan has so far been using F-16s for bombing bases of rogue Taliban factions. Operating from lower heights, the Mi-35s cause considerably less collateral damage or inadvertent killing of civilians, a factor that has fed vengeful recruits to Taliban and Al-Qaida factions trying to bring down the Pakistani State. More important, Mi-35s are deployed as tank busters, flying over own side's armoured formations to destroy oncoming enemy tanks. As a follow up of the first contract for four Mi-35s, Russia has promised to supply Pakistan with at least 20 more pieces. These have the potential to even out the overhead advantage enjoyed by Indian tank formations in the event of a thrust into Pakistan. Apart from India, Russia had so far supplied these helicopters to Brazil, Venezuela and Azerbaijan. None of them is likely to turn over the technology to Pakistan till the present Government's inordinate proximity to the US led Russia to redraw its strategic game plan for military cooperation in South Asia. Now Israel seems unable to resist Chinese overtures for its military technology. Apart from Modi's top-level meetings, India abstained from a recent UN vote on the Israel's strong arm tactics in Gaza, the first time ever. The first visit by an Israeli Defence Minister to India also took place under his watch. Modi also did the unprecedented for an Indian Prime Minister to keep Israel happy. He got himself photographed while standing next to the booth of an Israeli company at the Indian defence expo last year. His spin managers billed it was a public display of Israel and India's strategic relationship. That solid and quiet diplomacy and agile political footwork is no match for ploys such as these has become painfully apparent after the same company, IAI, now breaks bread with the Chinese. China in the past could not persuade four visiting Israeli Presidents and three Prime Ministers to go the whole hog in defence equipment transfers. Modi's simplistic approach to international relations may have unravelled India's previous efforts to prevent exactly that. sandeep4731@gmail.com Ananya Panda Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 12 A few popular schools in the national Capital have dropped the management quota and revised their criteria for nursery admissions in line with the Delhi Government's circular dated January 6 pertaining to abolition of 62 assessment criteria, including management quota. However, the Action Committee for Unaided Recognised Public Schools (ACURPS), the umbrella body of Delhi's private and unaided school associations, today handed over a representation to the Directorate of Education against the government's move. Schools registered in the city appear to be divided over the issue as at least six popular schools-Sachdeva Global's three branches in Dwarka, Rohini and Pitampura, Queen's Valley in Dwarka, PP International School in Pitampura and Indraprastha International, Dwarka-have removed the management quota. Objecting to the government's decision, the Action Committee has backed its stand on management quota by citing in the government's Admission Procedure for Pre-Primary Class Order, 2007 and Delhi High Court order of 2014. According to principal of Ahlon International School located in Mayur Vihar, Ashok Pandey, the government has mixed up two issues-concerning autonomy and assigning of criteria falling under the discretionary powers of schools. Pointing out that the "management quota is part of schools' autonomy", he said, "Barring a few schools, most have adhered to the criteria with transparency since 2007 as framed by the Delhi Government and ratified by the Delhi High Court order. Some schools did not understand the criteria process to be followed and awarded reserved seats instead of awarding points. They should have been pointed out earlier after schools uploaded their criteria last month to avoid delaying the admission process." Timely action on the part of the government could have avoided much of the confusion and kept the process simple, Pandey added. Noting that by painting all the private schools with the same brush, ACURPS president SK Bhattarcharya alleged, "The government is maligning the image of schools and adding to the growing mistrust between parents and schools' management. It reflects the vindictive attitude of the government. Now it is the question of autonomy of private schools that the government is trying to trample. We are against it." "We have responded to allegations on framing arbitrary and unfair criteria. 95-99 per cent schools have done no wrong. The government could have given direction only to those schools which due to ignorance or compulsion have not adhered to the norms instead of bracketing all 1,650 schools in the same category," said Bhattarcharya. With little hopes for the controversial matter to be resolved with either sides refusing to budge, schools' management maintained that the registration process for admissions will continue till January 22 with either the government withdrawing the ban that is in contravention to the court orders or the court has to intervene. Even legal activists sound sceptical of the implications of the government's latest circular under question. According to noted legal activist and president of All India Parents Association (AIPA), Ashok Agarwal, after finding serious irregularities in the nursery admission criteria in 75 per cent paid category admissions, the government should have scrapped the entire admission procedure till further orders. Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 12 Two persons sustained severe injuries in a fire that broke out at a godown in northwest Delhi's Jahangirpuri area during the early hours today. The fire broke out at the godown, which stored packets for sweets, at about 1.40 am. Four fire tenders were rushed to the spot and a rescue operation was conducted, said a fire department official. Two of the workers, identified as Dinesh (40) and Jatin (25), fainted after they choked in the smoke. They received severe injuries and are presently recovering at the LNJP Hospital in central Delhi, the official said. It took around four and a half hours for the firefighters to douse the flames, the official added. In another incident, a major fire broke out at a medicine godown in Mandoli village. Twenty-one fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The incident took place at about 8.30 am, according to the police. No casualties were reported in the incident. The police suspect the fire started due to a shortcircuit. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Jan. 12 By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend: Some 1.6 million tons of wheat and 1.05 million tons of cotton are planned to be cultivated in Turkmenistan in 2016, the Turkmen government said Jan. 12. As in previous years, some 760,000 hectares of land are planned to be allocated under wheat, while 545,000 hectares under cotton in Turkmenistan in 2016. Turkmenistan cultivated over 1.406 million tons of grain and 1.1 million tons of cotton in 2015. Srinagar, January 12 Separatist JKLF chief Yasin Malik wrote a letter to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday, opposing the move to merge Gilgit-Baltistan with Pakistan. In his letter, Malik said the step would give India a political and moral right to do the same with Jammu and Kashmir. He wrote the letter after media reports spoke of a meeting on January 14 to deliberate on the future of Gilgit-Baltistan. "Apprehensions have been raised in various quarters that your government may reach a consensus to merge Gilgit-Baltistan with Pakistan," Malik wrote. Noting that the change in constitutional status of Gilgit-Baltistan was being debated in view of the China-Pakistan economic corridor, the separatist leader said: "Economic development is good but you have no moral right to make policy that will adversely affect the future of millions of Kashmiris." Malik said: "If Pakistan imposes its sovereign writ over Gilgit-Baltistan, India will then have a political and moral right to integrate Kashmir with it. With one stroke, Pakistan will be helping India to consolidate its writ on Kashmir". Malik recounted a meeting with Sharif in Lahore in 2009 in which he clearly vindicated Kashmiri position on Gilgit-Baltistan and opposed any proposal that will change its legal or constitutional status. "I will also add that history is not made by small bargaining and territorial exchanges but by respecting the will of the people." PTI Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Fatehabad, January 11 A 21-year-old Dalit girl who works with Burger King, a fast food restaurant in Chandigarh, is now the sarpanch of a Fatehabad village. A recent amendment to the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act by the state government, making educational qualification compulsory for contestants, has catapulted Rekha from serving burgers to heading Chaplamori village with a population of 2,000 people. Born on October 20, 1994, Rekha was not even eligible to contest the elections when the panchayat polls were announced in August as she was a few months short of 21 then. But the polls were challenged and by the time the Supreme Court gave the green light to the government to go ahead with the elections with the newly imposed conditions, Rekha had attained the age of 21. With the post falling under the SC (Women) category and her village having a few educated women, her father Bansi Lal, who ekes a living by doing manual labour, asked her to come back and contest the polls. I came to the village to file the nomination papers and went back to my job in Chandigarh. I returned on January 1 for campaigning, Rekha said while interacting with The Tribune. When the results were announced late on Sunday, Rekha had polled 610 votes against 390 of her rival Nirmal Rani. From the beginning, my father taught me about the dignity of labour. He insisted that the first thing an individual must learn was to be independent. I will continue to do my job in Chandigarh and perform my duties as sarpanch, she said. Rekha, who has studied till class XII, said her father allowed her to pursue her studies in nearby Bighar village even when many others dropped out after class V. One of her top priorities remains upgrading village primary school to secondary or senior secondary level. A majority of poor villagers like us have to walk long distances to fetch drinking water. I will ensure that drinking water is available to every family in their house, she added. Rekha will also be the first-ever sarpanch of her village. The village was earlier attached to Salemkhera and was part of a common panchayat. New Delhi, January 12 The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has asked Home Minister Rajnath Singh to order an investigation into the violence witnessed in Malda last week a day after some Parliamentarians from the saffron party were denied entry into riot-hit Kaliachak. A three-member team of party general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, Bupender Yadav, and Sidharth Nath Singh met the home minister on Tuesday. The party accuses the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal of shielding party members involved in the incident. Vijayvargiya, who is also the person in charge of party affairs in the state, said after the meeting: "Leaders linked with TMC were also involved in it. It is not only a matter of state but also that of national security. People who do illegal activities there were leading it". He also claimed the mob raised pro-Pakistan slogans and even targeted establishments belonging to a certain community. In a memorandum submitted to the Home Minister, the delegation said: "BJP demands that keeping in mind the region's sensitivity, the Chief Minister's allegation against a paramilitary force and infiltration and trade of narcotics and fake currency through it, an impartial action should be taken. The state government should be directed to take positive steps to restore people's sense of security and confidence". A crowd torched Kaliachak police station and several vehicles while reportedly protesting some blasphemous remarks by a pro-Hindutva leader on January 3. The incident has led to battle lines being drawn between the BJP and the TMC. The Trinamool Congress dismisses communal angle to the violence and claims it was a clash between BSF and some locals. The BJP calls in the incident a cover up and claims the police station was torched to destroy records of a fake currency and narcotics racket in the area. BJP MPs Bhupendra Yadav, Ram Vilas Vedanti and SS Ahluwalia the latter the only BJP parliamentarian from the state were turned back from Malda railway station as soon as they arrived at 6 am on Monday, drawing criticism from the saffron party. Some CPI (M) leaders were also turned back when they attempted enter the area of violence. PTI Kabul, January 12 Pakistans military officers were behind the January 3 terror attack on the Indian consulate in Afghanistan's Mazar-e-Sharif, a senior Afghan police official said on Tuesday. Sayed Kamal Sadat, police chief of Afghanistan's northern Balkh province, said the attackers, "officers from across the border, were well-trained military men who fought Afghan security forces in the 25-hour siege", Tolo News reported. "We saw with our own eyes and I can say 99 per cent that those attackers were from Pakistani military and used special tactics while conducting their operation," Sadat was quoted as saying. "The attackers were military personnel. They were educated, well-prepared and intelligent. They fought us and only by Allah's grace were we able to control them and eliminate them." On January 3 night, some militants attacked the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif. Among the weapons carried by the attackers were rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), Indian external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup confirmed at a media briefing in New Delhi on Thursday. All the four terrorists were later killed by the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF). One Afghan security personnel lost his life and nine people, among them three civilians, were wounded in the incident. Sadat on Tuesday said efforts were on to "track down, identify and detain those who assisted the attackers to gain access to the building that was opposite the consulate". "We are jointly working with the NDS (National Directorate of Security) director and have spoken about this especially as they came here not able to speak in Dari or Pashtu but speaking in Urdu. It means obviously there is someone who guided those attackers and helped the attackers," the Tolo News report quoted Sadat as saying. IANS Greater Noida (UP), January 12 India has no reason to distrust Pakistan's assurance that it will act effectively on intelligence information it has provided on perpetrators of the Pathankot terrorist strike, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday. "Pakistan government has said it will take effective action. I think we should wait," Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a function here. "There is no reason to distrust them (Pakistan) so soon." After the recent attack on an Air Force base in Pathankot, India had claimed it had provided Pakistan with actionable intelligence on the strike. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who spoke to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif after the attack, urged the latter to take action. "Actionable intelligence in regard to the terrorist attack and the links with the perpetrators in Pakistan were provided to the Pakistani side. The Pakistan Prime Minister promised us prompt and decisive action. We now wait that prompt and decisive action," the government claimed after the attack. Reports from Pakistan on Monday said law enforcement agencies had detained "some suspects" from Bahwalapur district, the hometown of Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed which India believes was behind the strike. On January 2, six heavily-armed militants attacked the Pathankot airbase in a pre-dawn strike. All militants and seven soldiers died in the shooting that followed. India claims it provided Pakistan with a telephone number in Pakistan that the militants called during the attack, among other information. New Delhi has also said that the talks between foreign secretaries of the two countries scheduled for January 15 will depend on Islamabads response to the intelligence information. PTI Tribune News Service NEW DELHI, JANUARY 12 The Congress today joined issue with Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP ministers terming as unwarranted, objectionable and unacceptable blaming the Congress leadership for the stalemate in Parliament. Deputy Leader of the Congress in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma said the continuous attack was also a diversionary tactic to deflect focus from the miserable failure of the BJP government on all fronts, for betraying the people and not fulfilling the promises made and gross mismanagement of economy. Instead of blaming, the Finance Minister should put economy back on track, the party said. Characterising the government tirade against it as unfair criticism of the Congress leadership and the party, Sharma reminded Jaitley that to the contrary as the Leader of the Opposition, he and his party opposed and stalled all progressive reforms and proposed legislation to derail the economic agenda of the UPA government. Jaitley told a select gathering on Monday that when he speaks to the mid-command of the Congress, he comes back with a sense of optimism and problem appears to be of high command. The BJP was throughout guided by a partisan agenda at the cost of the national interests, including GST and Insurance Bills, countering that the Congress has been responsible and mature in its approach in the Opposition. The fact, that the Rajya Sabha in the last 18 months has passed 45 Bills including the Insurance Bill, and enacted and amended the Acts for Coal, Mines and Minerals, besides passing the historic Constitutional amendment on the land boundary agreement with Bangladesh which, was vehemently opposed by the BJP in the Opposition cannot be ignored, he said. The statement, he said, "reveals the mindset of the government, which is both arrogant and confrontationist. The Government does not believe in building a mature understanding with the principal opposition party. There cannot be any constructive engagement achieved by targeting, blaming and insulting the leadership of the Congress", Sharma said. Underscoring the state of the economy as a matter of "grave national concern", he said the GDP growth has been almost flat; investment sentiment poor as apparent from virtual non creation of capital assets; sharp escalation in the Debt to GDP Ratio; merchandise exports in a free fall for one year resulting in job loss in manufacturing sector. "This has led to despair and despondency amongst the youth and BJP government is responsible for messing the economy despite the unprecedented advantage of historic low in international crude oil prices. New Delhi, January 12 External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will visit Israel and Palestine on January 17 and 18 to further build on the goodwill generated by the landmark trip of President Pranab Mukherjee to the two key West Asian nations three months back. As External Affairs Minister, it will be Swaraj's first visit to West Asia, a strategically important region where India is trying to expand its engagement. Palestine will be her first destination where she will hold talks with leadership of the country with an aim to boost bilateral engagement and deepen mutual understanding at the political level. "The visit will also reaffirm India's continued political, diplomatic and developmental support to Palestine," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, adding the trip will further "deepen the mutual understanding at the political level and boost bilateral engagement with Palestine." After completing her engagements in Palestine on January 17, Swaraj will go to Israel the same day for a two-day visit during which she will hold discussions with the Israeli leadership and review the entire gamut of India-Israel relations which is on an upswing. India is Israel's largest buyer of military hardware. Israel has supplied various weapons systems, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles over the last few years but the transactions have largely remained behind the curtains. Swaraj's visit to Israel also assumes significance in view of a possible visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to India later this year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi may also pay a return visit to Tel Aviv. President Pranab Mukherjee had visited Tel Aviv in October last year, becoming the first Indian Head of State to visit the Jewish nation. "India's relations with Israel are part of its engagement with the broader West Asia region and are independent of its relations with any country in the region," said Swarup. In Tel Aviv, Swaraj will have meetings with President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Minister of Defence Moshe Ya'alon, Minister of National Infrastructure Yuval Steinitz and Israeli legislators. "The visit is an important ingredient in the ever-growing relations, friendship and partnership between the two countries," the Israeli Embassy said in a statement. The External Affairs Minister will also interact with the Indian community during her visit to the jewish nation. "The visit will augment India's bilateral relations with Israel and further strengthen the linkages between the two sides," said the MEA spokesperson. On Swaraj's visit to Palestine, he said, "This is the first visit of External Affairs Minister to West Asia region and Palestine is the first destination in the region which in itself reflects the importance India holds for Palestine in its engagement with the countries of the region." India is executing several projects in Palestine to improve the living conditions of people and has been active in capacity building by extending scholarships to Palestinian students and building schools. In Palestine, Swaraj will also inaugurate the Palestine Digital Learning and Innovation Centre in Ramallah. PTI For the estimated 1.2 million trucking companies in the U.S., its no secret that the industry has long faced serious challenges and risks, including those associated with the health and wellbeing of drivers who, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, experience the most fatalities of all occupations and have more nonfatal injuries than workers in any other industry. Coupled with those sobering facts, the latest report from the American Transportation Research Institute indicates that trucking companies are experiencing the additional burdens of significant increases in equipment and labor costs, driver shortages, issues with compliance, safety and accountability, and now, impacts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which went into effect in 2014 and continues to evolve on into the new year. Changes to the ACA for 2016 include a revised definition of a small group employer from one that has 50 employees or fewer to one with 100 employees or fewer. Its not compulsory for every state, however, thanks to the Protecting Affordable Coverage for Employees (PACE) Act that was quietly signed into law by President Obama on Oct. 7, 2015. This bipartisan change to the ACA with overwhelming approval in both GOP-led chambers gives states the discretion to define small group employer, whether they choose to revert to the original definition or forge ahead with the new one. For the trucking industry, in particular, this is good news if your company is located in one of the many states that have rejected the new definition. Risks vs. Rewards If you are a carrier operating in the few states expected to forge ahead with the new definition at least in the short-term, like California, youll need to brace for changes and look for the silver lining. Considering that carriers have on average between 51 and 100 full- and part-time employees, the majority will likely be joining the small group market for the first time and experience a significant increase in the cost of coverage that kicked in on Jan. 1. In an industry of high risk, ACA changes in small group definition offer a number of new benefits, rights, and protections. In addition to providing tax breaks to small carriers for offering health insurance to their employees, these include the prevention of unjustified rate hikes and discrimination based on an employees gender and current or pre-existing health condition. The new changes also remove lifetime and annual dollar limits, eliminate unfair judgment by focusing on a companys geographic location rather than its industry, and allow young adults to stay on their parents plan until the age of 26. Finally, the ACA ensures all plans cover essential health benefits (EHB): 10 categories of wellness and preventive health services that provide, for example, coverage for out-of-network emergency room visits and dental and pediatric benefits that are not necessarily included in large group plans. Knowledge is Power Joining the new small group market will undoubtedly reduce plan flexibility yet increase premiums particularly for companies with older employees. On the downside, joining the new small group market will undoubtedly reduce plan flexibility yet increase premiums particularly for companies with older employees which may provide the impetus for carriers in the 51-100 groups to self-insure as a way to avoid strict requirements. But self-insuring, which typically involves earmarking money from corporate and employee contributions and setting it aside in a special fund that is used to pay claims as they are incurred, rather than paying fixed premiums to an insurance provider, is a risky proposition. If more and more companies take this road, it could cause a kind of chain reaction to occur, and premium averages could potentially increase not only among the fully insured 51-100 groups but also for those that fall into the 1-50 range, as these groups will be combined for the purpose of premium rating. Theres also the full- and part-time employee count to factor in when considering coverage and group size. With the new changes to ACA, an employee is considered full time at 30 hours per week rather than 40. Also be aware of the full-time equivalent employee hours, which according to SBA.gov are a combination of employees, each of whom individually is not a full-time employee because they are not employed on average at least 30 hours per week, but who, in combination, are counted as the equivalent of a full-time employee the total amount of part-time hours that are accounted for full time employment. For example, two part-time employees whose hours in total averaged more than 120 hours per month, would count as one full-time equivalent. Lastly, be prepared: Companies with more than 50 full-time equivalent employees that fail to offer health coverage to at least 95% of their full-time employees are subject to fines of $2,160 per person after the first 30 employees. In order to avoid surprises, the best course of action is to stay informed and understand your options. As the ACA continues to unfold and evolve, its a good time to examine your employee benefits plans and prepare for the unpredictable years ahead. Bill Thomas is vice president of Burnham Benefits Insurance Services Inc. a privately held, full-service employee benefits consulting and brokerage firm headquartered in Irvine, Calif. This article was authored under the guidance and editorial standards of HDT's editors to provide useful information to our readers. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 Trend: Nar, which has always given particular importance to the development of education, science and culture, supported another educational project. Competition on "Class Communities" was a project aimed at improving knowledge and skills of students, strengthening their personal development and interactive communication abilities. The winners of competition held under the slogan "We learn, rest, develop together" were awarded with valuable gifts proving to be the best in their class plans. The competition held with support of the Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan Republic and partnership of a number of public bodies and organizations such as Nar became another successful event, which contributed to the development of education in the country. Former U.S. Senator and Arkansas governor Dale Bumpers was remembered by former President Bill Clinton and others for his public service, his wit and his role in ending the segregation of the school in his small western Arkansas hometown. Bumpers, who served two terms as governor and four terms as a U.S. senator, died New Years Day. He was 90. Among the others who gathered at his memorial service Sunday at First United Methodist Church in Little Rock were former U.S. Sen. David Pryor and longtime political journalist Ernie Dumas. He made things better, and he made people bigger, Clinton said. He noted Bumpers would cast unpopular votes, such as against proposed constitutional amendments and for returning control of the Panama Canal to Panama. Clinton also recalled how Bumpers in 1999, acting as part of Clintons legal team just weeks after leaving the Senate, passionately defended him when the Senate was considering whether to remove him from office after his impeachment in the U.S. House. Bumpers spoke not to defend Clinton, but because he did not believe Clinton had violated the Constitution during his testimony in a sexual harassment lawsuit, the former president said. He was defending the Constitution, and gave an academic presentation of the Constitution, Clinton said. Pryor, who followed Bumpers as governor before also winning a seat in the Senate, recalled Bumpers wit and the speech in defense of Clinton. Pryor said he told Bumpers it was perhaps the finest speech ever delivered in the United States Senate. He used logic and the power of words to make us think, Pryor said. Bumpers said his proudest moment came in 1954, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed segregated schools, Dumas recalled. The proudest thing he ever did ... as a young lawyer was to persuade the school board of Charleston to fully integrate all 12 grades, Dumas said, making it the first district among the 11 former Confederate states to integrate. Bumpers believed politics was a noble cause, Pryor said. For all of us in public and private life, Dale Bumpers set for us a new standard. In short, he was one class act, Pryor said. OKLAHOMA CITY The Oklahoma Department of Human Services has implemented an agencywide voluntary employee buyout offer to help it deal with a projected shortfall of about $40 million by 2017. In December, state agencies were told to make reductions of 3 percent based on low projected state income. For DHS, this is about $18.7 million less in state funding, triggering a loss in federal matching money for a total of $28.1 million. DHS officials say in addition to the immediate cuts, they are expecting a $40 million shortfall in the next fiscal year if the appropriations do not change. In this fiscal year, we have been using our resources responsibly and found ways to pay for increasing costs without additional appropriations, state DHS Director Ed Lake said in a press release. Our agency has modernized and streamlined its operations, downsizing considerably over the last two years. More than 400 full-time positions were eliminated from the closure of the two resource centers for people with developmental disabilities, the closing of the Pauline Mayer Shelter and through previous agency buyout offers and restructuring. Last year, all of our carryover funds were used in combination with deep internal cuts and reductions to contracts and Medicaid waiver rates to make up a $42 million budget reduction. The voluntary buyout will be based on years of state service, 18 months of employee-only health premiums, next longevity payment and the accumulated vacation hours. For employees taking the offer, their last day will be March 15. While the buyout applies to all staff, it will be up to the managers to select the number and type of positions to eliminate. I am extremely proud of our dedicated DHS employees, Lake stated. Year after year, they have responded to reductions in the workforce by taking on more and trying to ensure that our clients do not suffer. However, at some point, there is a human limit to what they can continue to do at the same level of quantity and quality. In addition, DHS has a hiring freeze for all positions except for child-welfare workers, is reducing budgets and reserve accounts for certain services and will cut all contracts by 3 percent and those spending below the contracted amount. The cuts will not apply to fixed-rate contracts or to Medicaid waiver services in Aging or Developmental Disabilities Services. We are doing our best to prepare the agency for an even more difficult year next fiscal year. But even with further significant internal reductions in DHS, it may not be possible to avoid impacting services to the most vulnerable people we and our contract partners serve, Lake stated. We will do everything we can to ensure our essential responsibilities are met. The estimated constraints in the fiscal year 2017 budgets are from a third consecutive reduction in federal matching funds for all Medicaid-funded services, increasing costs in the foster-care system and increasing numbers of adoptions and adoption subsidies. It was paramount to us and to the people we serve that we protect core services and direct client payments wherever possible, Lake stated. I believe we have achieved that with reductions which will minimize impacts on client services and avoid a disruption of normal business operations. OKLAHOMA CITY While schools statewide added students, Tulsa Public Schools saw a dip in enrollment, according to figures released Monday. Enrollment for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade across Oklahoma increased by 4,370 students this academic year, according to the State Department of Education. Once again, Oklahoma schools are educating more students than ever, said State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister. While it is not a surprise, it is important to remember that statewide enrollment increases every year. Given the current fiscal reality and the teacher shortage crisis, many schools started 2015 ready to add additional students to their rosters with few new resources. We need to plan for this trend to continue in the future and do everything we can to minimize the negative impact on students. Last week, the State Board of Education voted to cut nearly $47 million from current fiscal year budgets in the wake of a statewide revenue failure. State-appropriated agencies were told to cut budgets by 3 percent. Next fiscal year, officials expect to have at least $900.8 million less to spend. Depressed oil prices have been cited in part for the budget woes. The increase in enrollment was greater last year, when the state added 6,722 students. Lynn Jones, executive director of accreditation for the State Department of Education, noted that Oklahoma has been recognized as good place to raise a family and a good place to live. The downturn in the oil prices may have an effect down the road, but the cost of living is good, she said. Tulsa Public Schools remained the states second-largest district with 40,867 students, behind Oklahoma Citys 45,577 students. TPS saw a slight decline in enrollment, losing 176 students for a 0.43 percent drop. A district spokesman could not be reached for comment. Broken Arrow Public Schools, ranking sixth overall in enrollment, saw the largest increase among the largest 10 districts. It added 473 students for a 2.57 percent increase. For the past several years, the district has seen growth of about 3 percent, said Shelli Holland-Handy, chief communications officer for Broken Arrow Public Schools. The district in February passed its largest bond issue in history $370 million for facilities, classrooms, materials, technology, transportation and other items, she said. Broken Arrow is a great community, Holland-Handy said, adding that it is attracting a lot of families and has a great school system. Districts record enrollment on Oct. 1 and report the figures to the Education Department. Oklahoma has 516 public school districts and 1,795 school sites, including 14 charter schools not sponsored by a district. The student population is 50 percent white; 16.21 percent Hispanic; 14.28 percent Native American or Alaskan Native; 8.87 percent black; 8.38 percent two or more races; and 2.25 percent Asian, Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. The numbers are rounded. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 By Aygun Badalova - Trend: Bulgaria hopes for the fastest possible implementation of an agreement on Azerbaijani gas purchase and the construction of the respective infrastructure, president of Bulgaria Rosen Plevneliev said, Focus informational agency reported. Plevneliev conferred the Stara Planina Order - first degree to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Azerbaijan to Bulgaria Emil Karimov. The awarding ceremony took place at the Presidency. The award is recognition for Ambassador's contribution to the development of Bulgarian-Azerbaijani relations through political dialogue on the highest level and deepening the bilateral cooperation in all fields. Plevneliev said during the ceremony that Azerbaijan is highly valued and reliable partner and friend of Bulgaria and the trade turnover marks a positive development. "Azerbaijan is a strategic partner in our efforts for achieving energy diversification and competitive price of energy resources," he said. "Signed in 2013 contract for the supply of 1 billion cubic meter of natural gas per year with the possibility of negotiating additional quantities is the basis for energy cooperation between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan," the president said. He also stressed that Bulgaria also supports the speeded up construction of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) which will guarantee diversification of gas supply for Bulgaria, the region and Europe in general. In early December, 2015, Bulgaria and Greece signed a final investment decision on the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) project. The 180-km pipeline is to be built by a Bulgarian-Greek joint venture that also includes Italian energy group Edison SpA. IGB is a gas pipeline, which will allow Bulgaria to receive Azerbaijani gas, in particular, the gas produced from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz 2 gas and condensate field. IGB is expected to be connected to the Trans Adriatic pipeline via which gas from the Shah Deniz field will be delivered to the European markets. No one asked me about my outlook for 2016. My "forecast of events." It's tragic, because in 70 years or so I have never been wrong. I have always said that in the forthcoming year we would not solve even one of our basic societal problems. I have predicted that our societal problems would become ever-more endemic and intractable. And I haven't been wrong. The pity is that I know why this happens, but no one seems interested. So the following years will be as those passed. Until we disappear as a species. William Morgan, Collinsville I completely agree with Will Winder ("Leaders needed," Jan. 8). We must fight to increase our support of the states educational institutions at all levels if Oklahoma is going to flourish. I also agree that to accomplish this we need to elect competent representatives who will govern from a pragmatic not philosophical view, and who are sufficiently educated to value high principals and better education. We cannot afford to continue electing those who prefer to concentrate on trivia, waste state money on lawsuits fighting the rule of law, and follow the false mantra, Republicans must lower taxes." However, I disagree with Winder that a few ivy-league universities are the only stars in our nations educational crown. The U.S. has the best university-level education in the world. We are second to none. We attract the brightest and best students from around the world because we have great public and land-grant universities. We have two really wonderful public universities in Oklahoma. I was fortunate to receive three degrees from two highly respected land-grant universities and am a strong believer that public education at all levels is what made our nation great. But we should not allow this basic strength to be dismantled by those who seem unable to plan and govern. Risdon W. Hankinson, Bartlesville Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 By Aygun Badalova - Trend: The political disagreements are not obstacle for construction of gas pipeline between Turkey and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, Director of Hydrocarbons, France, Mediterranean Energy Observatory (OME), Sohbet Karbuz believes. "I don't think that disagreements between Turkey and Iraq central government, or between KRG and Baghdad is a real obstacle to the construction of the gas pipeline, and later export of KRG gas to Turkey," Karbuz told Trend. He reminded that under a similar situation, an oil pipeline was constructed from KRG to Turkey, and KRG oil was sold to foreign markets through shipment of oil from KRG to Ceyhan port in Turkey. "Why would it be a problem now? And more importantly, does KRG and Turkey really care?" Karbuz said. A tender will be held Feb. 9, 2016 in Ankara for constructing a new gas pipeline between Turkey and the KRG. Both local and foreign companies are allowed to participate in the tender. The tender's winner will build new gas pipeline in 720 days. The pipeline's length will be 181.5 kilometers. Karbuz believes that international companies would be willing to participate in any project in this high risk area that promises to bring high reward. However, expert also noted that the mentioned tender is for construction of the pipeline in Turkey's side to the border of Iraq. "Who will construct, or constructing in the Iraqi side is not clear," Karbuz said. Karbuz also believes that the target of Genel Energy to export some 20 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkey by 2020 is quite ambitious. Genel Energy is the largest holder of reserves in KRG and aims to be a main provider of gas to Turkey under the Gas Sales Agreement between KRG and Turkey. Karbuz mentioned that gas is expected to come from two fields: Miran and Bina Bawi. "The problem is that final investment decisions on these fields have not yet been taken. They will be taken perhaps in the second half of this year, assuming that required financing is secured," he said. KRG and Ankara signed a 50-year contract in 2013 for natural gas supply to Turkey. As it is expected, after completion of construction of a new gas pipeline, KRG will deliver 10 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkey. The volume of the gas supplied from Iraq to Turkey will reach 20 billion cubic meters by 2020. Turkey imports 6.6 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Azerbaijan on the basis of a 'take or pay' contract. Turkey also buys 9.6 billion cubic meters of gas from Iran on the basis of a contract that is valid until July 2026. Ankara also has agreements with Algeria (from 1988 to October 2024) and Nigeria (from 1995 to October 2021) for supply of 4.4 billion cubic meters and 1.3 billion cubic meters of liquefied gas per year, respectively. 8:12 a.m., Jan. 12, 2016--Each semester, the Confucius Institute (CI) at the University of Delaware offers a calendar of courses and programs designed to introduce the campus and greater Delaware community to Chinese language and culture. This spring, in addition to regularly offered Chinese language classes for UD faculty, staff and students, the institute will offer its first family Chinese course for the general public. The class is designed for parents who want to keep up with their childrens Chinese curriculum, or any family interested in learning the language together. The family course will be offered on Tuesday evenings from Feb. 16 to May 10 and seats only 20 individuals. Also new to this semesters schedule is a Chinese calligraphy course, meant to give participants an introduction to the art of this ancient writing style. Calligraphy courses will take place on Thursdays from Feb. 18 to May 12. Registration for all classes is open online and available on a first-come, first-served basis. The campus community and general public are also invited to attend the institutes Chinese Corner, a weekly conversation program that will take place from 5:15-6:15 p.m. beginning Monday, Feb. 15. Participants will join Chinese native speakers in directed conversations meant to enhance their language skills. For film aficionados, CI will also offer its Chinese Movie Club, which will meet every other Thursday from 5-7 p.m. The club will view films that, while not popular in mainstream Western culture, are influential in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other parts of East Asia. To register to attend Chinese Corner or Chinese Movie Club meetings, email confucius@udel.edu. All courses and activities are free and take place at the Confucius Institute, 121 E. Delaware Ave., or as specified on the calendar. Community members are also reminded to mark their calendars for the annual Confucius Institute Chinese New Year Celebration, to be held on Saturday, Feb. 27, at Mitchell Hall. For a full schedule of spring semester programs for faculty, staff, students and the general public, visit the Confucius Institute website or email confucius@udel.edu with questions. Article by Nikki Laws Robert Simons, chair of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, calls the new equipment a "game changer." Workers prepare to move materials, including a 14-ton magnet, into the new Multi-Modal Imaging Center in the early morning hours Tuesday. 3:56 p.m., Jan. 12, 2016--When the delivery comes by crane, it's a big deal, no matter what's in the box. But the 14-ton magnet hoisted into place at the University of Delaware's new Multi-Modal Imaging Center on East Delaware Avenue in the frosty, early-morning hours of Tuesday, Jan. 12, is more than just a shiny new thing. Robert Simons, chair of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, calls it a "game changer" and he and James Hoffman, professor of psychological and brain sciences and interim director of the new center, were among a small assembly of witnesses who waited four hours to see the magnet's grand entrance. The after-midnight installation included 17 crates of electronics and other materials needed for operation of the MRI, according to Tim August of Bancroft Construction Co. A 120-ton crane was used to move the magnet and several other components into place. The Siemens-built fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) device is a powerful new resource for researchers campuswide, statewide, and throughout the region, offering new interdisciplinary possibilities for those in health sciences, engineering, physics, biology, chemistry, and many other fields. It will be the only research-dedicated fMRI device in Delaware, Simons said. To do the kind of work this magnet makes possible, researchers often travel to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia or to the University of Maryland in College Park. The cost, in money and time, is high. UD's new magnet, built in Germany, has a 3-Tesla power rating, which makes it about twice as strong as most clinical MRI devices, and is designed to provide high-resolution images of everything from brain activity to muscles, discs, bones and organs, to name just a few applications. The imaging is done by ingenious manipulation of hydrogen atoms, triggered by a series of interactions between the magnet and radio waves. Mapping and analyzing brain activity is possible in the fMRI because the brain requires more oxygen in areas that are active and oxygenated blood has different magnetic properties, Hoffman said. Christopher Modlesky, associate professor of kinesiology and applied physiology in the College of Health Sciences, will use it to continue his studies of the musculoskeletal system in children with cerebral palsy and other conditions. He was onsite early Tuesday, camera in hand, to see the magnet arrive. Until now, his work has been done on a device at the A.I. duPont Hospital for Children near Wilmington. "It will be nice to be able to do this in an academic environment, to bring more people into the program, and create new knowledge," he said. In addition to its power for scientific purposes, the magnet has great potential to draw faculty and students to the University who need the technology and would otherwise go elsewhere to pursue their research and studies. Simons said two new assistant professors with fMRI-focused research have joined UD's faculty in the past two weeks. And Hoffman said the fMRI will generate enormous amounts of data, which is likely to attract those with expertise in bioinformatics and statistics and computer analysis. The fMRI device will be the main attraction when the new Multi-Modal Imaging Center opens in mid-March. The new building also has a second-floor room prepared for a 9-Tesla magnet when funding is available, and that magnet will add capacity for other researchers. A third area of imaging in the building will have apparatus such as sonar, microscopes, computers, and other instruments. The new center is supported by the University, the Unidel Foundation and the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Health Sciences and Engineering. For a short video of the work, click here. Article by Beth Miller Photos by Doug Baker and Beth Miller No teams have won more UEFA Futsal EUROs than Spain, and no team can match the three UEFA Futsal Cups managed by Inter FS. However, going into 2016, neither Spain nor Inter will enter their forthcoming final tournaments as holders. In Belgrade next month, Spain will challenge for a title taken off them for the first time in nine years by Italy in 2014, then in April, Inter host the UEFA Futsal Cup finals in Guadalajara near Madrid having been waiting since 2009 to reclaim the trophy. Crucial to both attempts will be defender Carlos Ortiz, who was part of Inter's 2009 triumph in his debut season with the club, but a year later experienced an epic final defeat in Lisbon by Benfica one of three other challengers for the title in Guadalajara. In the first section of a two-part interview, Ortiz looks ahead to the UEFA Futsal Cup finals in late April. UEFA.com: Inter are back in the finals for the first time since 2010. How did you enjoy qualifying? Ortiz: It was exciting. Last year we lost in Lisbon against Sporting [in the elite round] and fell at the final hurdle. It hurt a lot. With a bit of luck we were able to get to the finals this time. It's been a good few years since we last played in them, and it was one of the team's principal objectives. We're really up for it. We're playing at home and hopefully everything will work out well. UEFA.com: How would you analyse your rivals in the final four, Ugra Yugorsk, Pescara and Benfica? Ortiz: People who don't know about futsal might think they're sides without that much of a reputation, and while they might not have too much experience in the final phase in Europe, if you look at their domestic results you can see they're very strong sides. Ugra beat [six-time UEFA Futsal Cup finalists] Dynamo to the league and played a perfect qualification campaign. They have a good lock with a lot of Russian internationals and they're a potent side. Benfica are playing really well in Portugal. Then there's Pescara, who have strengthened with [Ortiz's former Inter team-mate] Betao, a player we know well who has shown his quality. They're three great squads. Ortiz (right) in the 2010 final against future Inter team-mate Ricardinho Sportsfile UEFA.com: Benfica beat you in the 2010 final in Lisbon is revenge on the cards? Ortiz: No, there's no desire for revenge. This is more than forgotten. There are not many players in either side who were there when that final was played. We simply want to play a good final four. We're playing at home, in front of our crowd. This is a prestigious competition and we want to win it, rather than defeat a specific opponent. UEFA.com: Inter are the most successful team in the competition with three titles. What does this tournament mean for Inter? Ortiz: It's always the club's main objective. In the last few years we've not had a lot of luck. We didn't win the league and couldn't compete in Europe. Now we have won consecutive leagues and this allows us to get back in the competition and Europe. It would be great for the club to get a fourth title. UEFA.com: How would you motivate the fans in order to get them through the doors in Guadalajara? Ortiz: It's a tournament that you won't be able to see at home again. It's difficult to get into the finals and on top of that, you organise it. It's very hard to become one of the four best sides in Europe. I'm asking the fans to come down and support us and hopefully we can celebrate winning the trophy with them. In the second part of this interview to be published ahead of UEFA Futsal EURO 2016, Oritz discusses Spain's ambitions. 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). Canada's military training mission to Ukraine, Operation UNIFIER, confirms reliable support to Kyiv, Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan has said. This important training mission demonstrates that Canada, together with our other allies, stands proudly in support of our Ukrainian friends, Sajjan said, an Ukrinform correspondent reported. The Canadian Defense Minister also congratulated Canadian servicemen who would be soon deployed to Ukraine for the operation. With the return of the troops based in Petawawa, I am pleased to see additional soldiers deploying from Valcartier to offer continued support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces under Operation UNIFIER, Sajjan said. Starting from August 2015, 200 Canadian military specialists have been training Ukrainian soldiers. According to agreements between the Ukrainian and the Canadian defense ministries, this training mission will go on till March 2017. iy The United States may provide Ukraine with the counterjammers to protect the drones and to supply early-warning sensors as the corresponding bill has been submitted to the Congress. This is reported by The Washington Times. "Rep. Duncan Hunter, a California Republican who toured eastern Ukraine this fall, has submitted a bill that tries to finesse around the White House ban. It authorizes the Pentagon to ship counterjammers to protect the drones and to supply early-warning sensors," reads the article. As noted, a California company is installing eight tactical towers this month along the southeastern border. According to former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst, Moscow has a huge edge over Kyiv in border surveillance technology. "Moscow has a better idea of where and how well fortified Ukrainian troops are near the line of contact. That translates into more casualties for Ukrainian forces and fewer for Russian separatist ones," Herbst noted. Currently, the bill is up for consideration in the Congress committees. ol The agreement on commercial electricity supplies from Russia to Ukraine, which was actually terminated by the Ukrainian side last November, will not be prolonged. The Energy Ministry of the Russian Federation reported that the agreement had expired last year, Kommersant newspaper reports. "Russia isn't conducting any talks on supplying electricity from Russia to Ukraine. We won't prolong it [the contract] as it was tied to an agreement on the supplies of Ukrainian electricity to Crimea," reads the article. As a reminder, in 2014, Ukraine purchased electric power from the Russian power grids under an agreement between the companies Inter RAO and Ukrinterenergo that was effective through to the end of 2015. Early January, several Ukrainian power companies were affected by the powerful cyber attack, which could result in their damage. ol Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 By Elena Kosolapova - Trend: European markets are currently not a viable destination for the export of Turkmen gas, expert of the British University of Glasgow focusing on the Central Asia, Luca Anceschi believes. Earlier, the European Commission's Vice President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic said that the EU expects to receive Turkmen gas in 2019. The best route for delivering Turkmen gas to Europe would be a 300-kilometer long gas pipeline running through the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijani coasts by further connecting it to the Southern Gas Corridor gas pipelines' system. Anceschi said that building far-flung pipelines (for Turkmen gas supplies to Europe) appears an increasingly unlikely endeavor at times of very low oil and gas prices. "Turkmenistan continues to be reluctant to open its fields to foreign firms, especially those from the West. Also, the Trans-Caspian pipeline project which can allow Turkmen gas supplies is opposed by Russia and Iran." Anceschi stressed that in fact Russia is seeing that Turkmen gas flowing to the West will significantly dilute its leverage on European supplies. He added that Tehran does in turn oppose the Transcaspian pipeline as it aspires to become the key transit country for a pipeline carrying Turkmen gas westwards after the lifting of sanctions. The expert also stressed that the proposal to supply Turkmen gas to Europe has nothing to do with demand considerations but it does rather represent the net effect of a series of geopolitical and geo-economic factors. Meanwhile the expert noted that Gazprom's decision to suspend gas purchases from Turkmenistan since early 2016 provoked unease in Ashgabat that China is expected to become its only customer in the long term. To avoid this dependence, the identification of new export routes for Turkmenistan's natural gas has now become an urgent priority for Ashgabat, he said. Turkmenistan ranks fourth in the world in terms of gas reserves - 17.5 trillion cubic meters of gas. Currently, the country produces more than 75 billion cubic meters of gas per year, and it is planned to increase production to 230 billion cubic meters by 2030, most part of which will be exported. Edited by SI Follow the author on Twitter:@E_Kosolapova Ukraine in the scope of a free trade zone agreement has allowed imports of pork and beef from Canada without any additional certification, according to a press release by the Canadian Ministry of Agriculture. Ukraine has permitted beef and pork imports from any federally registered processing plant that meets current certification, the press release reads. The Ukrainian side took a relevant decision following a successful inspection visit to Canada in September. It is also noted that Canada is tending to strengthen economic relations with Ukraine and ensure wider access to its markets by Canadian exporters. In addition, according to the Canadian Agriculture Ministry estimates access to the Ukrainian market for Canadian beef and pork to be worth up to $50 million annually. iy President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and his Kazakhstan counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev have coordinated their action in face of the Russian embargo on the Ukrainian goods transit during a phone conversation. The press service of the President reports. Poroshenko said that such Russias acts violate the Vienna Convention on Law of Treaties, as well as the rules and regulations of the WTO. In connection with this the Heads of State discussed the possibilities of rerouting the Ukrainian transit of goods in order to prevent the negative effects done by Russia on trade turnover between Ukraine and Kazakhstan, and also the Asian countries. The two sides have also discussed the implementation of the agreements reached after the visit of the President of Ukraine to Astana on 8-9 October 2015 and the prospects for deepening cooperation in strategically important areas for both countries. Moreover, Poroshenko and Nazarbayev have discussed the situation in Donbas, including the Ukrainian initiative to deploy international peacekeepers in the occupied territories. The Heads of Ukraine and Kazakhstan have instructed their ministries for foreign affairs to commence preparations for the state visit of the Kazakhstan President to Ukraine. Police are negotiating with coal miners who have earlier blocked the highway Lviv - Rava-Ruska. Spokeswoman of the national police directorate in the Lviv region Svitlana Dobrovolska told TV 112 Ukraine channel. "Lviv regional authorities along with police are negotiating now with the protesters. We hope that soon the highways will be unblocked," she said. The police official noted the vehicles heading in this direction are being turned back. Earlier, the coal miners of the state-owned Lvivvuhillya company have blocked the international highway Lviv - Rava-Ruska demanding payment of wages in the Lviv region at about 12.00 on January 12. A total of UAH 57 billion or 2.5% GDP is allocated in the national budget for the Defense Ministry to increase the defense potential of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said at a meeting with artillery soldiers in Ternopil, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. This is the maximum the Ukrainian economy and tax payers can do. But it covers the minimum needs of the army. The year 2016 was declared the Year of the Air Force. In this context it is foreseen to conduct a complete reorganization and a significant increase in the efficiency of the Air Force, and first of all, it concerns the air defense. We must not only restore the weapons and equipment of the air defense, but also to train people how to use it, the president said. According to him, during the current year not only the Air Force will be reformed. Much attention will be also paid to the newly created special forces, the resumption of the fighting strength of the Naval Forces of Ukraine, and the development of highly mobile landing troops, the president added. iy OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Foreign Minister of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier has stated that Ukraine has good chances to cancel the visa regime with the European Union. This is reported by the Ukrainian Truth online newspaper. "German Foreign Minister is optimistic about the chances of abolishing the visa regime for Ukrainian citizens," Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany Andriy Melnyk posted on Twitter. In addition, Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany Gerd Muller noted that "Ukraine will remain in the limelight of the federal government, the assistance will be expanded." ol Boris Gryzlov, Russias representative in the Trilateral Contact Group on the settlement of the situation in Donbas, has arrived in Kyiv because of US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Ukrainian political scientist Serhiy Taran writes on his Facebook page. "The anti-Russian sanctions directly dependent on Russias implementation of the Minsk Agreements. Having realized the inevitability of economic disaster, the Kremlin will now demonstrate the devotion to the cause of peace. Thats why the Russian Minsk Group has been strengthened by peace-loving in terms of the Russian policy - Gryzlov, and thats why the demonstrative arrival in Kyiv was needed (although modern means of communication make it optional). Russia still is not going to withdraw its troops, but poses as a dove of peace Looks a sorry sight? But Russia has no much options left, Taran writes. Earlier, on January 11, Ukraines representative Leonid Kuchma met with Boris Gryzlov. During the meeting they discussed preparations for a sitting of the Trilateral Contact Group, which is to take place in Minsk on January 13. Iy In the Belarus capital of Minsk a meeting of political subgroup on Donbas is taking place. Belarus MFA has twitted. "The work group on political aspects for resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine holds the first session in 2016 in Minsk," a statement said. Talks of the Trilateral Contact Group are scheduled for January 13 in Minsk. The participants of political subgroup are expected to resume discussing issues stated in the agenda: the concept of legislation on amnesty and further talks on the election law in Donbas. The Court of Tamil Nadu in southern India on January 11 has sentenced three nationals of Ukraine who were on board Seaman Guard Ohio for five years. Communication the media official from Consular Service Department of Ukraine MFA Yevhen Ihnatovsky told Ukrinform. "Three nationals of Ukraine were sentenced for five years in jail," he said. He noted a similar sentence was given to other crew members - eight British citizens and 14 nationals of Estonia. Ihnatovsky said that the Embassy of Ukraine in India and diplomatic representatives of Great Britain and Estonia plan to appeal the verdict. Recall that on October 12, 2013 the Indian Coast Guard detained Seaman Guard Ohio vessel 15 miles off the Indian port city of Tutikoryn. It carried weapons, and three citizens of Ukraine were part of the crew. Tehran, Iran, Jan. 11 By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend: At a time when cement sales are low due to a stagnant construction market, the Oil Ministry as well as the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Trade have worsened the situation by not keeping up a contract to pay a $29 million debt to cement factories, according to Iran Cement Association Chairman Mohammad Reza Atabak. The association is surprised by the policies of the industry ministry and in particular by that of Minister Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh, Atabak told Trend January 11. "The ministry of industry has practically turned into the ministry of cars, for it is introducing special packages to boost production in the car industry, while forgetting to do what is necessary for mine-related industries," he said. Atabak pointed out that cement factories have not been paid a debt of $29 million for over one year, adding that in the meantime the ministry of industry is not taking any measures to help settle the debt. The debt comes from unpaid fuel price difference owed by the Ministry of Oil to cement factories. The factories use gas for their furnaces. An agreement from over one year ago obliged them to use liquid fuel instead of gas in cold days when gas supply runs low. The agreement asserted that the Oil Ministry would have to pay the factories the price difference between gas and liquid fuels they use. But, according to Atabak, the Oil Ministry owes cement factories $29 million according to a contract signed by the association, the industry ministry, and the Oil Ministry. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 By Elena Kosolapova - Trend: Crisis in relations with Saudi Arabia and its allies could affect Iran's economy, economist and expert on Iran at the US Northeastern University, Kamran Dadkhah believes. Dadkhah told Trend that the direct effect on Iran's economy will not be substantial because its trade and investment relations with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Djibouti that severed their diplomatic ties with Iran and Qatar, which recalled its ambassador from Iran, are very limited. Iran has extensive connections only with the United Arab Emirates which has also recalled its ambassador and downgraded its diplomatic relations with Iran, the expert noted. But there could be strong indirect effects of the tensions between Iran and these countries, Dadkhah said. "Many companies that are interested in investing or trading with Iran have extensive relations with the aforementioned countries. They may feel that becoming friendly to Iran could be detrimental to their interest in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar," Dadkhah said. The expert believes that given the hope generated by the conclusion of nuclear agreement with P5+1, Iran would have been better off if it had avoided this crisis. Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran soured after execution of Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric, by the Kingdom along with other 46 people, which was followed by a strong protest from Iran. Some Iranian protesters stormed Saudi embassy in Tehran on Jan. 3, smashing furniture and setting the building on fire before being dispersed by police. The Saudi consulate in the eastern city of Mashhad also was attacked. Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties with Iran in response to these attacks. Bahrain, Djibouti and Sudan aligned with Saudi Arabia and also cut the relations with Iran. Speaking about the oil prices, the expert noted that if the Saudi- Iranian dispute remains at diplomatic and propaganda level that has been observed so far, it will not have any effect on oil prices. "Because of high volume of output by Saudi Arabia and Russia as well as increased production by the United State (fracking and shale oil), there has been an increase in oil inventory. On the other hand, China's economic slowdown foretells of stagnant demand," he said. Moreover Dadkhah expects that in response to the current dispute, most likely Saudi Arabia will continue its high level of extraction to deny Iran any substantial increase in its oil income following the nuclear agreement. "Thus, we should expect short term volatility in oil prices, medium-term stability and long-term slow increase," he said. Meanwhile Dadkhah noted that if the two countries engage in actual warfare or face intensified terrorist attacks (for example, in Iran or Saudi Arabia's oil fields) then the story will be very different. However the turmoil in the Middle East will likely not happen because, because otherwise, everyone would be a loser, he said. Edited by SI Follow the author on Twitter:@E_Kosolapova Tehran, Iran, Jan. 12 By Khalid Kazimov - Trend: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has assured that his country is committed to implementation of the nuclear deal (aka the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action/JCPOA) reached between Tehran and the world's major powers in July 2015. "If the P5+1 group [China, France, Russia, the UK, the US plus Germany] meets its commitments regarding the nuclear deal, the Islamic Republic of Iran will also fulfil its commitments seriously on the implementation of the JCPOA," Rouhani said at a meeting with the German ex-chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in Tehran, IRIB news agency reported Jan. 12. President Rouhani further called for the expansion of bilateral ties between Iran and Germany in economic and industrial sectors, including car manufacturing, energy and transportation after the removal of sanctions. Calling for serious fight against terrorism, he urged Germany to join efforts with Iran in resolving political problems and the regional tensions. Gerhard Schroeder too called for the expansion of bilateral ties. Earlier on Jan. 11, Schroeder met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Shamkhani, as well as several ministers. Heading a trade delegation, Schroeder arrived in Tehran on Jan. 11 for a three-day visit ahead of the expected implementation of the nuclear deal, under which the international sanctions against the Islamic Republic will be removed. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Iran and Turkey can play an important role in resolving conflicts in the Middle East, Iranian ambassador to Ankara Alireza Bigdeli said, Turkish Haberturk newspaper reported Jan. 12. There are forces trying to damage relations between Ankara and Tehran, but diplomats of the two countries are making every effort to prevent this, he said. Turkey and Iran have close political and economic relations, but there are differences, in particular, on the settlement of the Syrian crisis. Ankara considers the Syrian leadership main culprit of the protracted conflict in the country, as a result of which over 200,000 people were killed, while Iran supports the Syrian authorities. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu A new study suggests that exercise may reduce the chances of developing heart disease for people with depression, Health reports. "Depression and physical inactivity have been shown to be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events," said Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, who reviewed the study's findings. "Although associations [in the study] were found between depression and artery function, which was improved in people who exercise regularly, additional studies are needed before we can conclude that exercise reduces heart disease risk in those with depression," he said. The researchers found that people who were suffering from depression and were physically inactive had stiffer and more inflamed aortas, as compared to depressed people who exercised. "Our findings highlight the link between worsening depression and cardiovascular risk and support routinely assessing depression in patients to determine heart disease risk," said Dr. Arshed Quyyumi, an author of the study and co-director of the Emory Clinical Cardiovascular Research Institute in Atlanta, in the press release. The new study was published in the Jan. 11 online edition of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The study does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship. For the new study, the researchers studied around 1000 volunteers who were free of heart disease and had no earlier diagnosis of a psychotic or anxiety disorder. "This research also demonstrates the positive effects of exercise for all patients, including those with depressive symptoms," Quyyumi said in a journal news release. The researchers pointed out that as many as 20 percent of people hospitalized with a heart attack are depressed. Also, patients with heart disease have three times the risk of developing depression as compared to the general population. Having successfully landed a rocket back on Earth after launch, SpaceX is going to try to do it again, this time at sea. First reported by Charles Lurio last week, and shortly thereafter confirmed by NBC News, SpaceX is going to launch its Falcon 9 rocket on Sunday from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. After the rocket detaches its cargo, it will head back to Earth for landing. SpaceX will try to land the Falcon 9 first stage on a drone ship during the Jason-3 launch from Vandenberg AFB on January 17. Charles A. Lurio (@TheLurioReport) January 7, 2016 SpaceX will now try to land its Falcon 9 rocket on an unmanned landing pad on the Pacific Ocean. "At Space Launch Complex 4 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the static test fire of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for the upcoming Jason-3 launch was completed Monday at 5:35 p.m. PST, 8:35 p.m. EST," read a statement from NASA. "The first stage engines fired for the planned full duration of 7 seconds. The initial review of the data appears to show a satisfactory test, but will be followed by a more thorough data review on Tuesday. With this test complete, the next step in prelaunch preparations is to mate the rocket and the Jason-3 spacecraft, which is encapsulated in the payload fairing. This also is planned to occur as soon as Tuesday." The last time SpaceX tried to land a rocket at sea was April when the rocket appeared upright as it came down before tipping over and crashing. In December, SpaceX was successful landing its rocket back on the ground. From Human Resources: University of Pennsylvania Retirement Allowance Plan: Notice to Interested Parties Print Issue January 12, 2016, Volume 62, No. 18 This notice is to all present, regular employees of The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania (the University) who are potentially eligible to participate in the Retirement Allowance Plan of the University of Pennsylvania (the RAP) as described below. An application is to be made to the Internal Revenue Service for an advance determination on the qualification of the following employee pension benefit plan: Name of the Plan: Retirement Allowance Plan of the University of Pennsylvania Plan Number: 003 Name and Address of Applicant: The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania 3401 Walnut Street, 527A Philadelphia, PA 19104 Applicants Employer Identification Number: 23-1352685 Name and Address of Plan Administrator: Vice President of Human Resources University of Pennsylvania 3401 Walnut Street, Suite 527A Philadelphia, PA 19104 The application will be filed on January 29, 2016 for an advance determination as to whether the RAP meets the qualification requirements of 401 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, with respect to the RAPs amendment. The application will be filed with: Internal Revenue Service Attention: EP Determination Letters Stop 31 P.O. Box 12192 Covington, KY 41012-0192 The employees potentially eligible to participate under the RAP are: each person who is employed by University as (i) a regular, full-time, non-exempt or limited service employee not covered by a collective bargaining agreement; or (ii) a full-time non-exempt employee covered by a collective bargaining agreement if such agreement provides for participation in the RAP; or (iii) an exempt or non-exempt, part-time employee who attains age 21 and completes 1,000 or more hours of service during a 12-consecutive-month period beginning either on such employees employment commencement date, or if applicable July 1, and who is not otherwise specifically excluded from participating in the RAP. The following are excluded: (a) any student-worker (including any individual classified by the University as a resident, fellow, or intern or any other student-worker who is engaged in employment that is not intended to be for a permanent and indefinite period of time) whose employment is incidental to his educational program with the University; (b) any student or other individual employed or performing services as part of a post-doctoral program with the University; (c) any person classified by the University as a temporary employee; (d) any person whose terms and conditions of employment are subject to a collective bargaining agreement unless the collective bargaining agreement provides for the eligibility of such person to participate in the RAP; (e) any person employed by a division or an affiliate who is covered by the Retirement Plan of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Presbyterian Medical Center and the Pennsylvania Hospital, by The Retirement Contribution and 403(b) Matching Plan of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, or by another retirement plan sponsored by a division or affiliate of the University of Pennsylvania Health System; (f) any leased employee; (g) any employee eligible to be covered under the University of Pennsylvania Basic Contribution Plan and the University of Pennsylvania Matching Plan (which together were formerly known as the Universitys Tax-Deferred Retirement Plan), unless such employee was participating in the RAP on the date he became eligible to participate in such other University plans and he elected to continue participating in the RAP; (h) any employee who is a police officer covered under the University of Pennsylvania Penn Police Association Defined Benefit Retirement Plan; (i) any member of the faculty of the University; and (j) any independent contractor or any other person who is not classified by the University as a common law employee for purposes of withholding federal employment taxes. The Internal Revenue Service has previously issued a determination letter with respect to the qualification of the RAP. Rights of Interested Parties You have the right to submit to EP Determinations, at the address below, either individually or jointly with other interested parties, your comments as to whether the RAP meets the qualification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code. Your comments to EP Determinations may be submitted to: Internal Revenue Service EP Determinations Attention: Customer Service Manager P.O. Box 2508 Cincinnati, OH 45202 You may instead, individually or jointly with other interested parties, request the Department of Labor to submit, on your behalf, comments to EP Determinations regarding qualification of the RAP. If the Department declines to comment on all or some of the matters you raise, you may, individually, or jointly if your request was made to the Department jointly, submit your comments on these matters directly to EP Determinations at the Cincinnati address above. Requests for Comments by the Department of Labor The Department of Labor may not comment on behalf of interested parties unless requested to do so by the lesser of ten employees or ten percent of the employees who qualify as interested parties. The number of persons needed for the Department to comment with respect to the RAP is ten. If you request the Department to comment, your request must be in writing and must specify the matters upon which comments are requested, and must also include: (1) the Name of the Plan, the Plan Number, the Name and Address of the Applicant, and the Applicants Employer Identification Number, as listed above on this Notice; and (2) the number of persons needed for the Department to comment. A request to the Department to comment should be addressed as follows: Deputy Assistant Secretary Employee Benefits Security Administration U.S. Department of Labor 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20210 Attention: 3001 Comment Request Comments to the Internal Revenue Service Comments submitted by you to EP Determinations must be in writing and received by it by March 14, 2016. However, if there are matters that you request the Department of Labor to comment upon on your behalf, and the Department declines, you may submit comments on these matters to EP Determinations to be received by it within 15 days from the time the Department notifies you that it will not comment on a particular matter, or by March 14, 2016, whichever is later, but not after March 29, 2016. A request to the Department to comment on your behalf must be received by it by February 13, 2016, if you wish to preserve your right to comment on a matter upon which the Department declines to comment, or by February 23, 2016 if you wish to waive that right. Additional Information Detailed instructions regarding the requirements for notification of interested parties may be found in sections 17 and 18 of Revenue Procedure 2015-6. Additional information concerning this application (including, where applicable, an updated copy of the RAP and related trust; the application for determination; any additional documents dealing with the application that have been submitted to the Service; and copies of section 17 of Revenue Procedure 2015-6) is available at the office of the Plan Administrator during normal business hours for inspection and copying, or you may request that this information be supplied to you by mail by contacting the Plan Administrator at (215) 898-9947. (There may be a nominal charge for copying and/or mailing.) Related: From Human Resources: University of Pennsylvania Basic Plan: Notice to Interested Parties From Human Resources: University of Pennsylvania Basic Plan: Notice to Interested Parties Print Issue January 12, 2016, Volume 62, No. 18 Below* are two "Notices to Interested Parties" that are required by the IRS. The notices inform employees who are covered by the Retirement Allowance Plan of the University of Pennsylvania or by the University of Pennsylvania Basic Plan: (1) that routine applications are being made to the IRS for its determination that those Plans, as amended, continue to qualify for favorable tax treatment, and (2) of their right to comment and request relevant information. Read and retain this issue for future reference. This notice is to all present, regular employees of The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania (the University) who are potentially eligible to participate in The University of Pennsylvania Basic Plan (the Plan) as described below. An application is to be made to the Internal Revenue Service for an advance determination on the qualification of the following employee pension benefit plan: Name of the Plan: The University of Pennsylvania Basic Plan Plan Number: 028 Name and Address of Applicant: The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania 3401 Walnut Street, 527A Philadelphia, PA 19104 Applicants Employer Identification Number: 23-1352685 Name and Address of Plan Administrator: Vice President of Human Resources University of Pennsylvania 3401 Walnut Street, Suite 527A Philadelphia, PA 19104 The application will be filed on January 29, 2016 for an advance determination as to whether the Plan meets the qualification requirements of 401 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, with respect to the Plans amendment. The application will be filed with: Internal Revenue Service Attention: EP Determination Letters Stop 31 P.O. Box 12192 Covington, KY 41012-0192 The employees potentially eligible to participate under the Plan are: each person who is employed by the University as (i) a regular, full-time faculty or staff member; or (ii) certain adjunct, visiting and emeritus faculty who attain age 21 and complete a year of service; or (iii) any employee who is a police officer and who elected to stop accruing benefits under the University of Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police, Pennsylvania Lodge 113 Defined Benefit Retirement Plan (now known as the University of Pennsylvania Penn Police Association Defined Benefit Retirement Plan) effective January 1, 2012 and to instead participate in this Plan. The following are excluded: (a) any student-worker (including any individual classified by the University as a resident, fellow, or intern or any other student-worker who is engaged in employment that is not intended to be for a permanent and indefinite period of time) whose employment is incidental to his educational program with the University; (b) any student or other individual employed or performing services as part of a postdoctoral program with the University; (c) any person whose terms and conditions of employment are subject to a collective bargaining agreement except to the extent such collective bargaining agreement provides for coverage under the Plan; (d) any person employed by a division or an affiliate who is covered by the Retirement Plan of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Presbyterian Medical Center and the Pennsylvania Hospital, by The Retirement Contribution and 403(b) Matching Plan of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, or by another retirement plan sponsored by a division or affiliate of the University of Pennsylvania Health System; (e) any leased employee; (f) any employee eligible to be covered under the Retirement Allowance Plan of the University of Pennsylvania; (g) any employee who is a police officer who elected to remain covered under the University of Pennsylvania Penn Police Association Defined Benefit Retirement Plan; and (i) any independent contractor or any other person who is not classified by the University as a common law employee for purposes of withholding federal employment taxes. The Internal Revenue Service has previously issued a determination letter with respect to the qualification of the Plan. Rights of Interested Parties You have the right to submit to EP Determinations, at the address below, either individually or jointly with other interested parties, your comments as to whether the Plan meets the qualification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code. Your comments to EP Determinations may be submitted to: Internal Revenue Service EP Determinations Attention: Customer Service Manager P.O. Box 2508 Cincinnati, OH 4520 You may instead, individually or jointly with other interested parties, request the Department of Labor to submit, on your behalf, comments to EP Determinations regarding qualification of the Plan. If the Department declines to comment on all or some of the matters you raise, you may, individually, or jointly if your request was made to the Department jointly, submit your comments on these matters directly to EP Determinations at the Cincinnati address above. Requests for Comments by the Department of Labor The Department of Labor may not comment on behalf of interested parties unless requested to do so by the lesser of ten employees or ten percent of the employees who qualify as interested parties. The number of persons needed for the Department to comment with respect to the Plan is ten. If you request the Department to comment, your request must be in writing and must specify the matters upon which comments are requested, and must also include: (1) the Name of the Plan, the Plan Number, the Name and Address of the Applicant, and the Applicants Employer Identification Number, as listed above on this Notice; and (2) the number of persons needed for the Department to comment. A request to the Department to comment should be addressed as follows: Deputy Assistant Secretary Employee Benefits Security Administration U.S. Department of Labor 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20210 Attention: 3001 Comment Request Comments to the Internal Revenue Service Comments submitted by you to EP Determinations must be in writing and received by it by March 14, 2016. However, if there are matters that you request the Department of Labor to comment upon on your behalf, and the Department declines, you may submit comments on these matters to EP Determinations to be received by it within 15 days from the time the Department notifies you that it will not comment on a particular matter, or by March 14, 2016, whichever is later, but not after March 29, 2016. A request to the Department to comment on your behalf must be received by it by February 13, 2016, if you wish to preserve your right to comment on a matter upon which the Department declines to comment, or by February 23, 2016 if you wish to waive that right. Additional Information Detailed instructions regarding the requirements for notification of interested parties may be found in sections 17 and 18 of Revenue Procedure 20156. Additional information concerning this application (including, where applicable, an updated copy of the Plan and related trust; the application for determination; any additional documents dealing with the application that have been submitted to the Service; and copies of section 17 of Revenue Procedure 20156) is available at the office of the Plan Administrator during normal business hours for inspection and copying, or you may request that this information be supplied to you by mail by contacting the Plan Administrator at (215) 898-9947. (There may be a nominal charge for copying and/or mailing.) * See the University of Pennsylvania Retirement Allowance Plan: Notice to Interested Parties Related: From Human Resources: University of Pennsylvania Retirement Allowance Plan: Notice to Interested Parties UTSAs Mission The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world. UTSAs Vision To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment. UTSAs Core Values We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered. UTSAS Destinations UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education. Our Commitment to Inclusivity The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to ending generations of discrimination and inequity. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice. Tehran, Iran, Jan. 12 By Farhad Daneshvar - Trend: Iran is planning to export about 40 tons of its surplus heavy water to the US through a mediator country, an Iranian atomic official has said. "We annually produce about 20 tons of heavy water and we sell the surplus product to our foreign customers," IRNA news agency quoted Ali Asghar Zarean, a deputy head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), as saying Jan. 12. The US will use six tons of heavy water received from Iran in its atomic centers and the rest will be used in research institutions, according to him. He added that the Western countries have created a consortium for producers of strategic nuclear products and Iran will be officially its member. He further added that Iran and China are discussing a contract to redesign and rebuild the Arak heavy water reactor. Iran removed the core of its Arak heavy water nuclear reactor and filled it with cement, Reuters reported Jan. 11. According to a landmark nuclear deal clinched between Iran and the world powers in July 2015, removing the core of the heavy water reactor to produce less plutonium was a crucial step before relief from economic sanctions agreed under the deal. Under the deal, Iran accepted to reconfigure the Arak heavy water reactor so it cannot produce plutonium usable for a nuclear bomb creation. China, the United States, France, Britain, Russia and Germany have agreed to participate in the redesigning and the construction of a modernized reactor. According to the Pentagon, it briefly lost contact with two small US Navy boats operating in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday. The vessels have been picked up by Iran, who has assured Washington that both ships and crewmembers will be returned to the US "promptly." "We have been in contact with Iran and have received assurances that the crew and the vessels will be returned promptly," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told the Associated Press, adding that the ships were travelling between Kuwait and Bahrain when the Pentagon lost contact. Senior military officials speaking to NBC News say that up to ten US sailors were on a training mission around noon ET when one of the vessels - small riverines - began experiencing mechanical difficulties and drifted into Iranian waters. The sailors have been detained by Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces on Farsi Island. The White House says it is working to resolve the situation, and wants all US personnel returned to normal deployment. Deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters at the White House that the administration is hopeful that the situation will be resolved. US Secretary of State John Kerry is in communication with Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif, and one senior official speaking to NBC says that Tehran believes the incident to be an accident and that the Americans will be released in international waters within hours. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday that U.S. sailors who ended up in Iranian custody would be allowed to continue their journey promptly, a senior Obama administration official said on condition of anonymity, Reuters reported. Kerry and Zarif were two of the main negotiators in the July 14 agreement under which Tehran agreed to restrain its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions. Earlier, a U.S. defense official said the U.S. military lost contact with two small U.S. boats en route from Kuwait to Bahrain. U.S. officials said 10 sailors on the boats were in Iranian custody. Tehran, Iran, Jan. 12 By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend: Iran seized 420 tons of narcotics and arrested 180,000 smugglers in the first nine months of the current Iranian fiscal year, which started March 21, said Iran Narcotics Police Chief Ali Moayedi. He said the amount of 420 tons suggests a 20-percent rise in the seized drugs as compared to the same period last year, IRNA news agency reported Jan. 12. "During that period, 2,000 smuggler gangs were crushed," he added, noting that 42 armed smugglers and two policemen were killed in the meantime. Moayedi also said the police conducted 1,500 anti-drug operations in the mentioned period. To the east, Iran is neighbor with Afghanistan, the globally known source for cultivation, processing, and export of drugs. Iran has occasionally criticized international bodies for scanty help with fighting drugs. The US Treasury 10-year notes dropped as concerns about China's latest peg of devaluating Yuan started easing off. The China's currency devaluation is aimed at boosting economy and fresh concerns about it gradually discounted by the market. This has reduced the demand for safe haven assets. Treasury prices fell for the first time in seven days. The China's central bank has devalued its currency Yuan for eighth time. The US government securities dropped as China's central government has set the reference rate for Yuan marginally different from Thursday's level. The global markets were under the impression that China's attempt to devalue Yuan further sparked the concerns about the state of economy. Bloomberg reports that the US 10- year note yield rose three basis points to 2.18 on Friday in London. The 2.25 percent note due in November 2025 fell by 0.25 percent or $2.50 per $1,000 face amount to 100 21/32. The yield also fell by 16 basis points during the past six sessions. Treasuries witnessed a rally in the past six days as China suspended trading in mainland markets for 30 minutes. The latest bout of devaluation in Yuan triggered the selloff. It further increased the concerns about the global growth. Investors are gearing up jobs report on Friday to ascertain the possibility of future rate hikes. Treasury prices rose for one week as huge sell off in Chinese markets kept pressure on global market. This situation has forced investors to switch to safe havens such as treasuries and gold, according to MarketWatch. After eight days of reductions, China set its reference rate marginally changed on Thursday (7 January 2015). However, this reduction in Yuan value has created tremors across the markets. The stability is returning to the equities gradually as the markets started discounting the China concerns. The CSI 300 index added two percent. According to a report by Yahoo Finance, the long-date Treasury (TLT) yields were low in 2015 as they rose 20 basis points during the year. The main reason was lack of supply in long-dated treasuries. Analysts opine that long-date Treasury yields could by marginally higher in 2016. Foreign demand or weakening global economy could results in rise in yields. It's estimated that China may sell treasuries to raise money to stabilize its markets, forecasts Yoshiyuki Suzuki, head of fixed income at Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance in Tokyo. China's foreign reserves were reduced in 2015 for the first time since 1992, according to People's Bank of China (PBOC). The US average hourly wages rose 2.7 percent in December 2015. The wage growth was 2.3 percent in November. The US economy witnessed creation of 200,000 jobs in December from 211,000 jobs in November. "Payrolls should be firm. It could give us a dip to buy," said Kei Katayama, a bond manager at Daiwa SB Investments in Tokyo. Daiwa Investments manage $49.2 billion. Chinese based fashion e-commerce fashion startup, Mogujie.com announces that the company will be acquiring its biggest competitor, Meilishuo for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition was done with the approval from venture backers for both companies and involved a 2:1 stock swap. Details regarding the acquisition still have not been made public but the combined company would worth around $3 billion based on an estimation by China Money Network. Besides total value of combined company, the news network also learns that Mogujie's current CEO, Chen Qi who is also a former Alibaba executive will continue to lead the merged company and is expected to receive another new investment worth $3 billion. Forbes reported that Chen told the reporters that "After acquiring Meilishuo, we will avoid competition and save lots of costs. The new company will provide differentiated services and focus on its long-term goal instead of short-term rivalry." Through the acquisition, Mogujie will be able to focus more towards improving its products and services instead of trying to compete with others. Tencent Holdings also was reported to have agreed to increase its stake in Mogujie after the merger is completed. The Hangzhou-based company is valued at $1.7 billion in its latest valuation and is struggling to obtain another round of investment due to tightening of spending done by lots of investors in China. However, the company managed to raise $200 million last year while its rival, Meilishuo latest investment obtained was back in 2012. Investors are tightening their budget as there is a growing trend by Chinese startup to be using too much money just to compete with its rival instead of improving their service. Besides that, according to The Wall Street Journal, investors are also cautious after last year's China's stock tumble bringing lots of company to low valuation. The move taken by Mogujie is similar like the one done by the ride-hailing service, Didi Kuaidi Joint Co. which is a result of a merger between Didi Dache and Kuadi Dache back in February last year. The ride-hailing company merges as they are struggling to compete with another growing company from the United States, Uber Technologies Inc. Complete details regarding the merger are expected to be announced by the company soon once the acquisition is complete. Analyst expected that the merger will create a dominant player in women's fashion e-commerce industry. The new company could also compete with the Alibaba's Taobao bazaar which has been popular among Chinese buyers. Changes are being planned in the Government of Georgia, Rustavi 2 Georgian broadcasting company reported. Reportedly, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili will dismiss four ministers. Education Minister Tamar Sanikidze, Minister of Finance Nodar Khaduri, Minister of Culture Mikhail Giorgadze and Interior Minister Giorgi Mghebrishvili will leave the posts, according to spread information. There is information about the current ministerial replacements. Reportedly, Anzor Chubinidze, who is the head of the State Security Service at this point and was head of Security Service of the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream coalition Bidzina Ivanishvili before that, will become interior minister of the country. The parliamentary majority neither confirms nor denies the changes, cabinet officials say they have no information about it. Gillian Wong has been announced to be appointed in the Associated Press (AP) to report for the world's most populous nation and second-largest economy as the News Director. His appointment has been confirmed on Monday by Ted Anthony, the cooperative's Bangkok-based director of Asia-Pacific news. Prior to this appointment, Wong has been reported to serve the Wall Street Journal covering technology. The veteran journalist has spent more than a decade covering China and different parts of Asia. She has been assigned to oversee coverage in video, text and photos across the mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong with a base in Beijing, reports The Seattle Times. Wong enjoys the image for one of the few intrepid and creative journalists in Asia and elsewhere. Aging around 33, she possesses a vast experience in reporting over China since 2008. During her prolonged journalism career, she has served AP's Beijing Bureau covering a range of categories, reports Morning Newstime quoting Ted Anthony. Wong's journalism profile includes story on Chinese leaders' response over flu epidemic and major earthquakes. She has also focused on Beijing's growing challenges with ethnic unrest in the remote west and environmental protests in the more prosperous east, reports StarTribune. Her colorful journalism career has been enriched with several whistles blowing coverage. Story on brutal torture suffered by several Communist Party members and former officials by the party's Secretive Internal Anti-graft Detention System has brought her familiarity. She has also covered the high-profile 2013 downfall of the charismatic Chinese leader, Bo Xilai, unearthing the country's biggest political scandal in years. Wong has been witnessed to Tibetans during their self- immolations protest against Beijing's rule in 2012 that taken place in the western province of Sichuan. She has also reported the fleeing of Uighur's from China in the wake of security crack down for by ethnic riots that killed nearly 200 people. The charismatic journalist has also been sent to Myanmar, Bangladesh, Malaysia and South Korea to cover both natural and human-made disasters, while serving AP in the previous phase. Her coverages have ranged from the devastating cyclone hitting Myanmar in 2008 to the sinking of the South Korean ferry Sewol in 2014. Born in Singapore, Wong has first interned at local newspapers while pursuing a bachelor's degree in communication studies at Nanyang Technological University. She has joined the AP's Singapore bureau in 2005 and been transferred to Beijing in 2008 ahead of the Summer Olympics there. Gillian Wong, Singapore born charismatic journalist has been named to be appointed by AP with assignment to cover greater China. The 33 year old journalist has already been recognized as one of the most intrepid and creative journalists in Asia as well as across the globe. Her vast experience of working in and outside China will attribute additional features to AP. South Africa may import tonnes of white corn from South America due to the worst drought since 1992, according to biggest producers association in the country. According to Yahoo, the biggest maize producer in South Africa may have to import as much as 5 million tonnes of the crop from South American countries in 2016. The effect of the El Nino has taken its toll in the area last year that brought down the crop production to only 9.94 million tonnes, the lowest it has been since 2007. "We can now, with a lot of confidence, say we are in a disaster in the maize belt," said Grain SA Chief Executive, Jannie de Villiers. "We will be lucky if we produce 5 million tonnes this year and then we will need to import 5 million tonnes. This is the sort of scenario that we are looking at." Bloomberg reported that Brazil and Argentina would be the major exporters of maize for South Africa. The South African Grain Information Service reported that shipment would exceed by more than three times the record 747,000 tons of white-corn imports in 1996. Sagis' website posted that Brazil has exported 299,000 tons of corn to South Africa starting May. That makes Brazil the second largest corn exporter. White corn is used to make an integral food called pap in South Africa. Meanwhile, the yellow corn is used to feed animals. Business Day wrote that the South African Weather Service expects temperature in Johannesburg to reach as much as 38 on Thursday. The hottest the city's temperature has ever been was 36.5C, which was in November 11, 2015. The Department of Water and Sanitation reported that South African dams were only full by 57 percent by the end of last week. This is despite the water restrictions in most part of the country. Last year, SA dam was 82 percent full. Citigroup has cancelled credit facility to South African Airways (SAA). South Africa's National Treasury is exploring ways to ensure enough liquidity for the national airline. The bank may not restore the credit facility without any guarantee from the South African government. The National Treasury will replace the interim board with a permanent entity soon. Citigroup on 24 December 2015, cancelled the short-term banking facility to South African Airways. The short-term credit facility was to the tune of Rand 250 million ($15million). The cancellation of credit facility puts more pressure on operational capability of the airline. Bloomberg reports that Phumza Macanda, the Pretoria-based ministry's spokeswoman, said over the phone that the National Treasury was working on an alternative plan to ensure the national airline has enough liquidity to continue operating. Johannesburg-based Moneyweb reported that Citigroup wouldn't reinstate the facility without a government guarantee. The South African National Treasury is in the process of restructuring the interim board of South African Airways. The Treasury will replace interim board of three members with a permanent board. South African Airways witnessed changing of seven CEOs during the past three years. Tlali Tlali, a spokesman at the Johannesburg-based airline, didn't provide details regarding the cancellation of credit facility by Citigroup. South African Airways is in the process of getting the necessary approval from the government. Getting a guarantee will ease the burden on South African Airways and enable it to present financial results for 2014-15 year, as reported by BusinessDay. Recent reports spread in the market reveal that Dudu Myeni, Chiarwoman on the board, had made an attempt to clinch a deal with Airbus to save South African Airways. Had SAA clinched the deal, it would have saved Rand1.6 billion in pre-delivery payments for South African Airways. The deal would have also helped the SAA's bottom line to the tune of Rand 1.6billion. The Companies Act says that the board is required to file for business rescue and liquidation. Or else, creditors or staff may apply to court to place SAA under business rescue, according to a report by Fin24. If Myeni and the Council didn't take necessary measures to make the airline comply with Companies Act, it could have resulted in statutory sanctions and a possible fine or imprisonment again a person found guilty of an offence. South African Airways had a talk with Airbus for leasing five new A330 aircraft instead of purchasing 10 new A320 aircraft. As per the earlier deal in 2009, South African Airways had to purchase 20 aircraft. Dudu Myeni had planned for a separate third party arrangement in form of an aircraft leasing company for executing funding and leasing activities. Under the newly appointed Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, SAA met its December deadline from Airbus and concluded the swap deal of aircraft. Former Facebook exec Sean Parker donated $500,000 to a new committee that plans to legalize recreational marijuana in California, raising the fund to $1.25 million. According to the news from Business Insider, the Silicon Valley venture capitalist gave the money through his Sean N. Parker Foundation. Besides legalizing the use of recreational marijuana in the state to adults 21 and up, the newly formed group also calls on taxing 15 percent of its retail sale. The Guardian has reported that the new proposal has a potential to bring more than a billion dollars in tax annually. However, not all in the marijuana industry are happy with the proposal. California Growers Association executive president Hezekiah Allen said, "This skews towards big marijuana." The attorney general of California cleared the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA) Wednesday. It can now start its campaign to collect 365,880 signatures to be included in the general election in 2016. The signature campaign could cost somewhere between $2 million to $10 million. "I've been following this issue with great interest for some time," said the maker of Napster to Forbes. "It's very encouraging to see a vibrant community of activists, many of whom have dedicated their lives to this issue, coming together around a sensible reform based measure that protects children, gives law enforcement additional resources, and establishes a strong regulatory framework for responsible adult use of marijuana-one that will yield economic benefits for all Californians." The campaign organizers came up with the political action committee known as the California to Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana while Protecting Children. Besides Parker, it gained monetary support from WeedMaps' Justin Hartfield, the PAC of the Drug Policy Alliance, Drug Policy Action, and the Marijuana Policy Protection of California. Hartfield donated $250,000 through his own PAC. Meanwhile, Progressive Insurance founder Peter Lewis gave $250,000. The race for the top rank for luxury automaker sales heats up as Mercedes-Benz overtakes Audi in global sales last year, thanks to strong China sales. According to Automotive News, Mercedes sales rose 13 percent to 1,871,511 cars sold last year, compared to Audi's 3.6 percent growth to 1,803,250. These figures are record sales for both companies. However, Mercedes got the upper hand with stronger sales growth in China, which is the biggest car market in the world. Mercedes saw a 33 percent increase to 373,459 vehicles sold in China. Daimler's best seller is its new C-class midsize sedan, which has seen a spike in demand as its sales grew 40 percent to 443,909 cars in 2015. The C-class has been out since March 2014, but its long-wheelbase version's release in China back in July 2014 significantly increased its sales. With Daimler's plan to add a new E-class, further momentum in sales is expected. Reuters wrote that Daimler board member Hubertus Troska expects Mercedes luxury brand to continue its growth in China. He said that the recent market volatility in the China is not a big issue for the brand. He said, "We are not overly worried with what we have seen in the past days." Meanwhile, Volkswagen Group AG's Audi saw an increase in sales in the US by 11.1 percent in 2015 to 202,202 vehicles. Its Germany sales went up 5.7 percent to 270,063 units. However, according to Auto Evolution, BMW is still projected to surpass both Mercedes and Audi at the number one spot in sales worldwide. BMW surpassed Mercedes in sales in the American soil for several consecutive months. BMW earned the number one spot in 2014 with 1.81 million vehicles sold. The company expects to surpass that figure in 2015. In the first three quarter of 2015 alone, it has increased its sales by 5.8 percent to 1,395,780 million. The brand is yet to report its sales. Apple's latest news app which allow users to read the news through the app rather than passing users to the publication's website is under review by the company itself. This is after the tech giant was reported to have been underestimating its number of users using the news app. The miscalculation done by the Apple's team could potentially hurt its revenue as its news partner will not be able to set the correct ad rates for their advertisement on the app. According to CNBC, the app, although it did not direct the user to the publisher's website, the publisher can still profit from the news app. This comes after an agreement with Apple that helps put the advertisement on their app, and in return, the publishing company will have the right to 70 percent of the ads revenue if Apple sells the ads on their behalf. However, the publishing company will also be able to obtain 100 percent of revenue when they sell it by themselves. The problem has been passed to the company's top executive and its team of engineers were reported to have been working on the case. The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue said that the miscalculation occurred as the company has been to focused on another aspect of the app. Cue also added that "We're in the process of fixing that now, but our numbers are lower than reality. We don't know what the right number is." The senior vice president also added that the problem is not serious as it is better to undercount rather than overcount the number of traffic as it could result in a loss for both sides. According to the data obtained by The Verge, Cue claims that there are 40 million users that have tried the news app. However, due to the miscalculation, the company unable to find out the exact figures of users' returning rate. Lots of publishers are disappointed with the latest news as it shows Apple's lack of commitment to properly develop the app and market it properly. One of Apple's publishing partner, Business Insider through its president, Julie Hansen told reporters that the app visitors count is "modest relative to the enormous install base of iOS devices." Besides the number of visitors count, publishers also have expressed their concern for Apple's requirement to use the iAd system for publishers to sell their own ads. The ad system does not contain a great analysis tool that publishers are familiar with such as comScore. The US real estate is overvalued and it could be another housing bubble to bring down the US economy, according to some analysts. The American real estate prices soared to peak in the decade. The US real estate is overvalued in the range of 25 percent to 60 percent. There're growing concerns about the repeat 2008 financial crisis again? Economists caution the run up in student loan debt and latest drop in junk bond prices. Now, they express concerns over a possible collapse in the US housing market again like what happened in subprime mortgage crisis in 2008. Legendary investor George Soros was quoted a few days ago saying the turmoil in China's financial markets reminds him of the crisis in 2008, as reported by The Sunday Times in Sri Lanka. Fortune analyses that lending standards eased out a bit, but remain at tighter than it used to be in mid 2000s. According to Housing Analysts Marc Hanson, the housing prices are about 25 percent to 60 percent above what the fundamentals of the US economy can justify. Hanson says that US real estate is dangerously overpriced using simple mortgage math. While giving an example on how US housing market is overpriced, Hanson said that the average home price in Bay Area is $1.45 million and average income is $180,000 per annum. Considering insurance costs, credit card payments and car debts, the average affordability for home would be $778,000. This is almost 50 percent below the average price of $1.45 million, explains Hanson. Hanson said: "The incremental demand is consuming the unorthodox capital." The unorthodox capital is not coming in form of overseas investors pouring funds in the US housing market, but domestic investors as well. Many US consumers are buying second and third homes and serving as landlords. Foreign buyers are also giving priority to park their money in the US property market. It's estimated that the US property market mostly in the New York will receive more foreign investment in 2016 than it was in 2015, reports International Business Times. According to a survey by Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (Afire), New York beats London, Los Angeles, Berlin and San Francisco in wooing foreign investors into the real estate market. The US President Barack Obama has recently signed a law that waives taxes on foreign pension funds under the 1980 foreign investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA). Foreign pension funds are allowed to buy 10 percent of a US publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT). CNBC reports that Chinese investors bought $8.6 billion worth property in the US commercial real estate in 2015. According to a global real estate services and investment firm CBRE, China ranks second after Canada in the US real estate market investments. The recent changes in law also helping the US market attract more foreign investment. Jay Farnar, President at Quicken Loans, says products such as Rocket Mortgage are improving the quality of lending. Rocket Mortgage executes more efficient collection of consumer data and it makes underwriting more robust. According to data from Mortgage Bankers Association, the mortgage originations remained flat during the past two years. Lenders handed over few mortgages these days when compared with those in 2012. Group of investors whose money was used by Martin Shkreli to acquire KaloBios Pharmaceuticals Inc. sued the company to return their money. The investors filed a court file on Monday, January 11. The investors were brought in by Martin Shkreli in November 2015 to acquire majority share of KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company that research in specific drugs for cancer patient. Following the purchase, Martin Shkreli owned 47 percent of the company, while the groups of five investor owned 26 percent. Shkreli was named CEO after the acquisition. According to Reuters, the group of investors consist of three individuals and two funds. All of them: Gregory Rea, Edward Painter, Nancy Retzlaff,RTAT LLC, and Armistice Capital Master Fund Ltd have filed a court paper to U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware to sue KaloBios for returning their money. In the paper, the investor said that KaloBios lied when it told them it and its officers were not subject to any pending investigation that could have a material impact on its business. "KaloBios, through Shkreli, its outside counsel and potentially others, knew or should have known about the FBI investigation, the gravity of the potential charges, and the fact that Shkreli's and its outside counsel's arrest was imminent." On the other hand, KaloBios said the investors were all friends and associates of Shkreli. They are well aware and have a full knowledge of the investigation of Shkreli. Federal authorities arrested Martin Shkreli because of alleged Ponzi Scheme in MSMB Capital Management. SFist reported that per the indictment, Shkreli is faced with seven counts of villainy including two counts of securities fraud, two counts of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and three counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. If convicted, Shkreli could do 20 years I prison. KaloBios fired Martin Shkreli as CEO after the arrest and immediately filed for bankruptcy. Yesterday, according to Market Watch, Kalo Bios Pharmaceutical announced Dr. Cameron Durrant as its chairman of the board. KaloBios board elected the former physician to replace Shkreli on January 7. The new CEO of KaloBios Pharmaceutical, Cameron Durrant is famous figure in pharmaceuticals industry as a company builder and turnaround specialist. He is the founder of PediatRX Inc in 2010 and developing Granisol, a medicine to prevent nausea and vomiting associated with emetogenic cancer therapy. Previously, Durrant served as senior executive position for private and public pharmaceutical and biotech companies in Merck, Pharmacia, Prism Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, and GlaxoSmithKline. Cameron Durrant first duty in in KaloBios Pharmeaceuticals is to deal legal charges from its investor related to the notorious Martin Shkreli. STAR FILE PHOTO Blood is collected during the Ventura County Battle of the Badges Blood Drive two years ago. This years event kicks off Jan. 19 and continues through mid-February, with law enforcement agencies competing to see which organization can drum up enough donors to collect the most blood. The overall goal is 333 pints. SHARE By Staff Reports What started out in 2007 as a friendly competition among badge-carrying personnel to help hospital patients in Southern California has turned into the nation's largest law enforcement blood drive. And this year's is starting up. The Battle of the Badges Blood Drive, sponsored by the American Red Cross, gets underway in Ventura County on Jan. 19. This year, for the first time, Naval Base Ventura County is taking part. It's going up against state, county and federal agencies to see which one can rally the most blood donors. The goal is 333 pints. Red Cross officials note that while this initiative is geared toward the law enforcement community, the general public is strongly encouraged to participate, as the area's blood supply historically drops to critically low levels in December and January. In fact, this year's competition kicks off at a location that isn't related to law enforcement: The Ventura County Star. The Red Cross urges donors to make an appointment and avoid excessive wait times. To schedule an appointment, visit www.redcrossblood.org and enter Sponsor Code: BADGESOCAL. Here's where you can go to take part in Battle of the Badges: Jan. 19, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Ventura County Star, 550 Camarillo Center Drive, Camarillo. Jan. 19, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Ventura County Deputy Sheriff's Association, 981 S. Victoria Ave., Ventura. Jan. 20, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, 40 Presidential Drive, Simi Valley. Jan. 28, 9:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., Ventura County Government Center, 800 Victoria Ave., Ventura. Feb. 2, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Museum of Ventura County, 100 E. Main St., Ventura. Feb. 8, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Oxnard Fire Department Headquarters, 360 W. 2nd St., Oxnard. Feb. 16, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., California Lutheran University, 60 W. Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks. Feb. 18, Naval Base Ventura County, available for military personnel only. JOE LUMAYA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Wildlife Experience animal handler Kiana Lucero shows Oak Hills students a red-tailed hawk during Mondays presentation on animals indigenous to this part of Southern California. The kids also got to see an opossum, an owl, a skunk and a gopher snake. SHARE JOE LUMAYA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Ashley Kuzmick, a third-grader at Oak Hills School in Oak Park, pets a gopher snake held by Wildlife Experience animal handler Kiana Lucero. Students also saw a red-tailed hawk, an owl, an opossum and a skunk during Mondays presentation about animals indigenous to this part of Southern California. JOE LUMAYA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Oak Hills third-graders Anahit Zubyan (from left), Lyla Sarac, Gaby Freiberg, Amanda Feldman and Tyler Kang look in fascination at a gopher snake that was brought to their school Monday by Wildlife Experience, which is based in Oak View. Students also saw a red-tailed hawk, an owl, an opossum and a skunk during a presentation about animals indigenous to this part of Southern California. JOE LUMAYA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Wildlife Experience animal handler Kiana Lucero (right) shows Oak Hills students a skunk during a presentation about animals indigenous to this part of Southern California. Related Coverage Wilderness Experience offers safari adventures By Robyn Flans A red-tailed hawk, an opossum and three other animals indigenous to this part of Southern California visited Oak Hills School in Oak Park on Monday, giving the nonprofit Wildlife Experience a chance to teach about 90 third-graders some facts about animals they're apt to see in their own back yard. The youngsters sat with rapt attention as Wildlife Experience founder Beverly Critcher and animal handler Kiana Lucero told how each animal found its way to the organization and shared a multitude of facts about each creature. Critcher explained that Wildlife Experience, which was founded in 2000, is the last resort for animals that are not able to be released back into the wild, usually because they've been injured. The organization provides lifelong care for them at its Oak View facility and takes the animals to schools so students can learn firsthand about them. The red-tailed hawk is one of those animals. Lucero held it on her gloved hand while Critcher told the third-graders that "no other hawk has that colored tail." The hawk was the first animal to move into the Wildlife Experience, Critcher told the students. She came to them after being shot in her left leg 15 years ago. Critcher said the handlers knew she was younger than 1 because her tail had not yet turned red. Ryder Donovan, 8, said he'd never seen one before, but by the end of the presentation, it turned out to be his favorite animal. "I liked it because it's unique, with its red tail," Ryder said. Next up was Pocket, an opossum so named because of its pouch. "They can have 13 babies," Critcher said. "They only live to 3 years old." After that came the gopher snake, which got its name because it goes into gopher holes to keep cool. "This animal doesn't have eyelids, so he sleeps with his eyes open," Lucero said. She explained to the students that the gopher snake smells with his tongue, which is split. That way, she said, the snake can smell the entire room. "Snakes can swallow something three times the size of their head," she added. She likened that to the kids swallowing a watermelon or even their teacher. The Great Horned Owl came next, a bird that was rescued from a home where it was being kept as a pet confined in a cage. Critcher explained that it doesn't really have horns, but its feathers make it look like it does. She dispelled the myth that owls can turn their heads completely around. They can turn their heads farther than people, but their eyeballs don't move as much as humans' do, she noted. Last came the classroom favorite: a striped skunk, also Critcher's personal favorite. She told the kids not to worry he had been de-scented. Mara Hankins, 9, said he was her favorite. "I think it's an amazing animal ... how it can spray stinky stuff to get away from its predators," she said. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 Trend: Georgia will not depend on Russian gas, said Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia, Minister of Energy Kakha Kaladze answering a question about the negotiations of Georgia with Russian Gazprom Company on gas supply, Georgia Online reported. "Georgia has a lot of opportunities to avoid the dependence on Russian gas. On the basis of the reality, Georgia is in a privileged position in this issue," Kaladze said. Actually supplies to Georgia are diversified, according to the minister. The country receives gas from different sources - from Azerbaijani State Oil Company (SOCAR) through the South Caucasus gas pipeline, and from Russian Gazprom Company, supplied as payment for transit. "If it is interesting, we will be able to take natural gas from Turkmenistan, and Iran in the future, if prices are competitive", said deputy prime minister during the live news program "Chronicle" of "Imedi" TV Company. Prior to that, Georgian media outlets reported that the share of Russian gas in Georgia may increase. --- FILE PHOTO SHARE By Staff Reports California and Ventura County public health officials say they are no longer monitoring travelers returning from West Africa for Ebola. California Department of Public Health officials announced the end of the monitoring last week. Dr. Robert Levin of the Ventura County Public Health Department said Monday that the need for monitoring ended with the World Health Organization's announcement Dec. 29 that Guinea has been declared Ebola-free. WHO earlier declared Sierra Leone and Liberia free of a disease that killed more than 11,000 people over two years. State officials said nearly 1,300 travelers to California from the three countries have been monitored since October 2014. State Public Health Director Dr. Karen Smith urged doctors and other providers to be aware of the risks that travelers could help spread different infectious diseases. "We live in a world where the introduction of a new and highly infectious disease to California could be just a plane ride away," she said. JOE LUMAYA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Wildlife Experience animal handler Kiana Lucero (right) shows Oak Hills students a skunk during a presentation about animals indigenous to this part of Southern California. By Robyn Flans Beverly Critcher took her first trip to Uganda in 1998. She went back the next year and the next, and the next. "Uganda is like my second home," she explains today. Beginning in 2011, the founder of Wilderness Experience in Oak View started taking people with her, leading groups on safari. This year, she has three safari adventures scheduled: Sept. 1-10, Sept. 15-24 and Sept. 29-Oct. 8. "We take people on a nine-day safari to four national parks," she said. "Everything is included except your airfare." On walking tours, visitors see chimpanzees, then they head to two parks to see the hippos, lions and elephants. "The highlight of the trip is to see the Mountain gorilla," Critcher said. "There are about 940 Mountain gorillas left in the world. Uganda has the bulk of the gorilla population." Critcher said trip extensions to Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya and Tanzania are also available. "During our trip, the big migration is happening, where a million wildebeests travel from Tanzania to Kenya and back, so people want to see that," she explained. "If they want to do that, we set that up and design a custom trip for them. We have partners in all the countries." Critcher is the personal guide. "It is a very intimate and educational trip," she said. The price per person, double occupancy, is $3,895. Reservations are due by late February. For more information, go to www.wildlifeexperiencesafaris.com. SHARE By Joshua Molina The city of Ventura voted Monday night to ban the commercial cultivation, delivery and distribution of medicinal marijuana. The 7-0 vote upset medicinal marijuana advocates who attended the meeting. "As a medical cannabis patient I can tell you that I wouldn't be alive without it," said Monica Lindsay. "I currently have breast cancer, and I truly believe using this plant stopped it from spreading." Lindsay, who broke into tears while she spoke in front of the City Council, said she doesn't want to buy marijuana from the kid down the street. "I am not able to grow my medicine," she said. "I don't want to go to the black market." Like other California cities, Ventura rushed to adopt an ordinance before a state law approved in October goes into effect. Cities that do not have an ordinance regulating or prohibiting cultivation by March 1 will lose the authority to regulate or ban cultivation within their limits and will fall under state rule. The bill would create the Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation and would allow medicinal marijuana patients to grow their own marijuana if they obtain a state license. The bill is part of a trio of bills that seeks to establish a framework for medicinal marijuana use, cultivation and distribution. The specifics and exact structure of the new laws won't be known until 2017, so Ventura and other cities have taken this interim step to maintain control. City Attorney Gregory Diaz and City Council members said patients will still be allowed to grow their own medicinal marijuana for personal use. Police Chief Ken Corney said there are too many unknowns with the state law so the immediate ban is appropriate. "The uncertainty of how the regulation is going to work and how it is going to be applied in our community is kind of a wait-and-see situation," Corney said. Although he voted for the ban, Councilman Carl Morehouse said he was concerned for those people who aren't able to grow their own medicinal marijuana. He wondered how they would get it if dispensaries and delivery services are banned. "I am going to go on record," Morehouse said. "This concerns me greatly about delivery." Councilman Neal Andrews agreed. "The problem with relying on individuals to cultivate their own is it gives them a certain amount of raw stuff, but some of the medications are based on processed marijuana that renders them in certain forms," Andrews said. "Many people can't smoke the stuff and don't get the same effects by eating it. I do think we need to consider as we go forward some ways to be a little bit more flexible with at least certain types of medication." Speaker Carlos Landeros-Angel urged the council to allow delivery. He said he relies on medicinal marijuana to help him sleep at night. "These delivery services have been a huge benefit service for me and my family," said Landeros-Angel, who gets his marijuana delivered from somewhere in Ventura County He said medicinal marijuana is cheaper than pharmaceutical drugs. "This medicine is so important for the future and for many, many families to come," he said. Family home 18 months after fire razed their Thousand Oaks condo The Thousand Oaks family says it's been a long, frustrating wait, but they're thrilled to finally be back home in their two-bedroom unit. SHARE Once again Veterans Affairs has failed. The VA hired a new contractor to provide outpatient care to Ventura County veterans, and moved to a much bigger facility in December. But veterans say that basically from the day the doors opened, they had trouble getting appointments, some of them being told it would be four months or longer before they could be seen. That, of course, was the history of the VA that Congress has been trying to resolve for the past two years. Faced with the delays, the veterans rightfully reached out to Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Westlake Village, who has made veterans issues her raison d'etre in Congress. And with pressure from her office and direct notification by veterans, the VA stepped in and apparently applied pressure to the contractor to fix the problem. Veterans were told that those April appointments could now be moved up to February. The problem, apparently, was that the contractor was unable to meet obligations in terms of providing sufficient staffing when they took over the operation of the expanded center. Instead of six medical professionals, there was only one doctor assigned to the clinic. That's where the VA failed the community. Knowing that service is the critical issue, the VA should have taken steps to be sure that the contractor was sufficiently staffed to meet the demands of an expanded facility in Oxnard. We're glad that the problem appears to have been repaired. And we're glad to know that a larger, permanent VA facility for Ventura County remains on the table for discussion in Congress. In the meantime, though, this latest blunder is simply one more example of where the federal government, in the form of the VA, has failed in its duty to provide appropriate service to our veterans. Rice & Company will celebrate Thanksgiving by putting a twist on traditional holiday favorites with the Thankful Dumpling, available throughout the month of November at Luxor Hotel and Casino. Executive Chef Danny Chen expertly combined Chinese and American classics to create the Thankful Dumpling; which brings traditional Thanksgiving fare into shumai. The result is a savory delight made with tender duck breast, cornbread stuffing, dried cranberry, onion and celery wrapped in a soy sheet and topped with crispy sweet potato, micro celery and cranberry-yuzu sauce. The festive dumpling, priced at $12, is the ideal autumn dish for those looking to try a new taste of Thanksgiving. Ready set race to Town Square Las Vegas for the Thin Mint Sprint 5K & 1 Mile Shortbread Shuffle on January 26, 2013. The competitive 5K and fun run supports leadership programs for Girl Scouts in Southern Nevada. Online registration is now open at girlscoutsnv.org. The Thin Mint 5K begins 8 a.m. and Shortbread Shuffle at 8:10 a.m. The cost is $25 for the Thin Mint Sprint 5K, and $15 for the 1 Mile Shortbread Shuffle through January 3, 2013, then the price increases to $35, $20. Registration after January 23 is $40, $25. Team registrations are encouraged and awards will be given to the largest teams in the following categories: corporate, community, and donations raised; along with largest Girl Scouts categories: Daisy, Brownie, Junior, Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador. In addition, awards will be given to individual age division winners male and female. Open to the public, the post-race party features the annual Girl Scout cookie sale, and highlights Girl Scout programs that girls can participate in with their earned cookie money. Interactive booths include Girl Scout robotics, Camp Foxtail, Girl Scout travel along with all the fun and friendship Girl Scouts offers. Whether you are a competitive runner or just focused on your health, join fellow runners, walkers and cookie lovers for the most scrumptious post-race party and your first chance at Girl Scout cookies, said Patricia Miller, Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada CEO. The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest girl-led financial literacy program in the country. As one of four key Girl Scout initiatives, Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy, the program teaches girls goal-setting, decision making, money management, and business ethics. By Dezan Shira & Assoicates Editor: Anais Robin After months of delay by Vietnamese authorities, Decree 118/2015 went into force on November 27, 2015. Providing implementation guidance on the Investment Law of 2014, 118/2015 clarifies a number of provisions with the aim of further facilitating foreign investment. The following article sheds light on specific guidance found within the decree regarding international law and investment treaties. One of the most important areas of treaty guidance found under the aforementioned decree concerns overlapping investment agreements. With many firms entering into Vietnam under the protection and regulation of multiple Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) signed by their home governments, 118/2015s requirements for the application of a single treaty is important to note. Although applying a single framework for the regulation and protection of investment has the potential cut down on uncertainty and promises to streamline compliance for certain industries, it also risks cutting into Vietnams increasing integration into global trade. By requiring the selection of a single treaty under which investments in a single business line will be regulated, firms seem to be prevented from strategically applying certain aspects of differing agreements to their benefit. Case Study: Japan In order to illustrate this principle, we can take the example of Japan. When a Japanese investor does business within Vietnam, its investments are protected from adverse change by the following agreements: Japan Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (FTA), Japan ASEAN FTA, Japan Vietnam BIT, Vietnams Commitments under the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) Pending implementation by national governments While there are many complimentary fields covered by the aforementioned treaties, Japanese investors will only be able to utilize the benefits from a single agreement to guide their investments within a particular line of production. This would in effect prevent a Japanese company from utilizing regulatory concessions achieved under the Japan ASEAN FTA in conjunction with dispute resolution protocol laid out under the Japan Vietnam BIT. Maximizing Opportunities With BIT coverage extending to over 60 countries, Vietnams integration into world trade has shown no sign of slowing in recent years and presents incredible opportunities for investment. Although Decree 118/2015 does seem to restrict investors from utilizing these agreements to their fullest potential, the relatively untested nature of this guidance leaves room for interpretation on the part of Vietnamese authorities. For those with vested interests in Vietnam or considering expansion, it is of utmost importance to evaluate existing treaties to determine under which agreement to claim coverage. In conjunction with this preparation, its also critical for companies to keep up to date on the manner in which 118/2015 is enforced, and to take close note of any precedents set on issues such as protocol for notify licensing authorities of treaty selection or change. About Us Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email vietnam@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight. Import and Export: A Guide to Trade in Vietnam In this issue of Vietnam Briefing Magazine, we provide you with a clear understanding of the current business trends related to trade in Vietnam, as well as explaining how to set up your trading business in the country. We also attempt to give perspective on what will be Vietnams place in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2015, and look at some of the countrys key import and export regulations. Navigating the Vietnam Supply Chain In this edition of Vietnam Briefing, we discuss the advantages of the Vietnamese market over its regional competition and highlight where and how to implement successful investment projects. We examine tariff reduction schedules within the ACFTA and TPP, highlight considerations with regard to rules of origin, and outline the benefits of investing in Vietnams growing economic zones. Finally, we provide expert insight into the issues surrounding the creation of 100 percent Foreign Owned Enterprise in Vietnam. Tax, Accounting, and Audit in Vietnam 2014-2015 The first edition of Tax, Accounting, and Audit in Vietnam, published in 2014, offers a comprehensive overview of the major taxes foreign investors are likely to encounter when establishing or operating a business in Vietnam, as well as other tax-relevant obligations. This concise, detailed, yet pragmatic guide is ideal for CFOs, compliance officers and heads of accounting who need to be able to navigate the complex tax and accounting landscape in Vietnam. In an extremely unusual airstrike, the US dropped bombs Sunday in central Mosul, Iraq, destroying a building containing huge amounts of cash IS was using to pay its troops and for ongoing operations, two US defense officials told CNN. The officials could not say exactly how much money was there or in what currency, but one described it as "millions." Two 2,000-pound bombs destroyed the site quickly. But the longstanding impact may be even more significant. The officials said the US plans to strike more financial targets like this one to take away "Islamic State's" ability to function as a state-like entity. This is a similar expansion to the target list as happened several weeks ago, when US warplanes began hitting IS oil trucks. The US considers the Mosul strike extremely sensitive, as the building is in an area where civilians are also located, and there was a significant risk of civilian casualties. Officials would not say how the US learned of the location. But after getting intelligence about the so-called "cash collection and distribution point," US aircraft and drones watched the site for days trying to determine when the fewest number of civilians would be in the area. Because civilians were nearby during the daylight hours, and IS personnel were working there at night, the decision was made to strike at dawn on Sunday. US commanders had been willing to consider up to 50 civilian casualties from the airstrike due to the importance of the target. But the initial post-attack assessment indicated that perhaps five to seven people were killed. In recent weeks, the US has said it will assess all targets on a case-by-case basis and may be more willing to tolerate civilians casualties for more significant targets. A file photo of an Air France aircraft at Roissy Airport, northeast of Paris, on October 12, 2015. (Photo: THOMAS SAMSON / AFP) PARIS: Franco-Dutch airline group Air France-KLM said Monday (Jan 11) that the November 13 terror attacks in Paris reduced its December turnover by an estimated 70 million (US$76.42 million). But the effect had largely tailed off over the past two weeks, it added. "The negative impact of the Paris attacks on December revenues is estimated to be around 70 million euros, with significant easing during the last two weeks. Booking trends in December were in line with a progressive recovery," the group said in a press release. Total traffic in December for Air France, KLM and low-cost subsidiaries HOP! and Transavia, was 6.7 million passengers, "stable" over the previous month. Seat occupancy was 82.9 per cent, a fall of 0.2 per cent, it said. Turnover in November fell by around 50 million euros as a result of the attacks, Air France-KLM said last month. The group said earlier this month that it expected to return to profit in 2015 after several years of losses. Annual results are scheduled to be announced in February. The November 13 attacks by militants on street cafes, a concert hall and the Stade de France national stadium left 130 dead and 350 injured. As of September 30, 2015, a large number of local banks managed to sell a huge chunk of their bad debts volume to the Vietnam Asset Management Company (VAMC) or drive them below the 3 per-cent threshold themselves, in accordance with the State Bank of Vietnams requirements. BIDV, for instance, was recorded to have sold the largest amount of bad debts to VAMC last year, with over VND11 trillion ($504.5 million), surpassing its own target by 25 per cent. Likewise, Maritime Bank sold almost VND6 trillion ($275.2 million) worth of bad debts to the agency, overperforming its plan to sell VND4.6 trillion ($211 million) in the first place. Although bad debts have been brought down to below 3 per cent, banks still find it hard to cope with debt recovery or controlling the arrival of new bad debts at the same time as expanding credit flow. Banks, as such, have no choice but to boost provisions for bad debts, as well as handle them and take initiative to collect their debts, apart from selling to VAMC. Vietcombank was possibly leading in terms of bad debts handling in the country when it was able to self-manage over VND8.4 trillion ($385.3 million) worth of bad debts in the first eight months of the year, 1.5 fold higher than its set target. BIDV, likewise, settled over VND4.2 trillion ($192.6 million) of its bad debts, completing 65 per cent of the entire annual target. Military Bank and VPBank were also productive in their bad debts handling programme, as the former took good care of over VND3 trillion ($137.6 million) and the latter of some VND2 trillion ($91.7 million) of bad debts. In order to clean up bad debts and ensure normal bank activities, banks ought to creep up their risk provisions, which in turn will eat up a growing portion of their profit. Eximbank, for example, made a risk provision of VND1.17 trillion ($53.7 million) in the first 11 months of the year, resulting in a shrunken pre-tax profit of VND552 billion ($25.3 million), accounting for only 52 per cent of the banks annual target. According to Eximbanks leader, their shareholders will not receive dividends, as the post risk provisions profit was too little. However, once the bank manages to recover its debts in the future, provisions will be added to its profits and dividends will rise accordingly. Other banks also strived to deal with their bad debts. SHB, at the end of August 2015, handled up to VND500 billion ($22.9 million) of bad debts, twice as much as its initial plan. ABBank, meanwhile, recovered VND398 billion ($18.2 million) of bad debts in the same time, and by the end of September the figure added up to VND656 billion ($30.1 million). Other commercial banks, like SeABank or KienlongBank, however, only managed 14 and 23 per cent, respectively, of their bad debts target set for the year. A Syrian woman and child arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea in an inflatable boat from Turkey. (AFP/Achilleas Zavallis) ANKARA: The number of migrants crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey to EU member Greece is still "way too high" despite a November deal with Ankara aiming to limit the flow, the EU's first vice president said on Monday (Jan 11). "The numbers are still way too high in Greece, between 2,000-3,000 people (arriving) every day. We cannot be satisfied at this stage," Frans Timmermans told reporters after talks with Turkey's EU Affairs Minister Volkan Bozkir in Ankara. Under an action plan agreed in November, EU leaders pledged 3 billion (US$3.2 billion) in aid for the more than 2.2 million Syrian refugees sheltering in Turkey, in exchange for Ankara acting to reduce the flow. Under pressure at from voters at home, EU leaders want to reduce the numbers coming to the European Union after over one million migrants reached Europe in 2015. Yet there has so far been no sign of a significant reduction in the numbers of migrants from Syria, Afghanistan and other troubled states undertaking the perilous crossing in rubber boats from Turkey's western coast to Greece. In the latest tragedy, Turkish authorities last week found the bodies of at least 36 migrants, including several children, washed up on beaches and floating off its western coast after their boats sank. "I believe we need to speed our work to get some of the projects in place," said Timmermans. "I also said to the minister that we need... to be very explicit on what elements of the action plan have already been implemented and where we still need work." The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said last week it estimated that in the first three days of 2016 alone just over 5,000 migrants and refugees crossed into Greece despite the onset of winter weather. But Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a keynote address earlier that Europe had woken up far too late to the severity of the migrant crisis. "Unfortunately the international community heard our warnings about the migration crisis very late," Cavusoglu told a meeting of Turkish ambassadors in Ankara. "They only understood they seriousness when the body of tiny Aylan washed up on one of our beaches and wave after wave of migrants came to their own doors." The images of three-year-old Syrian refugee Aylan Kurdi lying face-down on a Turkish beach in September 2015 spurred Europe into greater action on the migrant crisis As of now, foreign banks do not have as large a network in Vietnam as domestic banks do. In order to increase coverage in Vietnam, many foreign banks want to establish 100 per cent foreign-owned subsidiaries. Citibank, for example, is waiting for a letter of approval in principle from the State Bank of Vietnam. If granted, this is going to be the seventh 100 per cent foreign-owned bank in the country, besides HSBC, Standard Chartered, Hong Leong, ANZ, Shinhan, and Public Bank Berhad. Singaporean bank UOB has also requested permission to upgrade from a branch to a 100 per cent foreign-owned bank. Huang Nam Chou, general director of Taiwanese bank E.SUN, the first branch of which opened in Dongnai province last September, said the Vietnamese market had much potential for financial and banking services and said that E.SUN was going to open a 100 per cent foreign-owned subsidiary in the country. The Vietnamese economy has been growing by an average 6 per cent per year in the past five years. Vietnam also signed many free trade agreements, he explained, adding that Vietnam was important in E.SUNs Asian strategy and in Vietnam they targeted not only Taiwanese companies but also Vietnamese and other foreign companies. He also said the bank was going to make profit in its first year in Vietnam, and that E.SUN was going to expand to individual Vietnamese customers as well, not just companies. The reason was that following Vietnams rising income per capita, the demand for credit to buy houses and cars was going to rise too. Foreign banks are attracting individual customers by offering attractive consumer credit packages and mortgages for homes, as well as mobile and internet banking services. With the modern technology already implemented in other countries, they are becoming more and more appealing to domestic customers. Experts in the field said domestic banks should invest in technology to remain competitive. Le Thanh Trung, deputy director of HDBank, said domestic banks should learn governance from foreign banks. Vietnam currently has about 100 branches and representative offices of foreign banks from South Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand, countries that pour a large amount of foreign direct investment into Vietnam. Last year, both Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Joint Stock Corporation (Sabeco) and Hanoi Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Joint Stock Corporation (Habeco), the biggest brewers in Vietnam in terms of output, saw a marked decrease in their share of the countrys beer market. The Vietnam Beer Alcohol Beverage Association (VBA) estimated that Vietnams beer output was 3.4 billion litres in 2015. Sabeco continued to be in the lead with 1.38 billion litres, followed by Vietnam Brewery Limited with 720 million litres, Habeco with 667.8 million litres, and Carlsberg with 229 million litres. These four brewers accounted for 88.4 per cent of the market. Sabeco saw a 2.2 per cent growth in output last year, while the whole sectors output grew by 8.2 per cent, from 3.14 billion to 3.4 billion litres. Meanwhile, Vietnam Brewery Limited surpassed Habeco to become the second in terms of output. Former Sabeco chairman Phan Dang Tuat said competition had become very fierce, with brewers competing at each sales point in big and small cities alike. A few years ago Tuat enlisted a foreign marketing expert to help Sabeco recover 800 sales points. Two years later the expert returned to Vietnam Brewery Limited. Tuat said the expert could now earn between $4,000 and $5,000 at Vietnam Brewery Limited compared to the VND40-50 million ($1,900-$2,300) at Sabeco. But more importantly, foreign companies are very determined and fast in expanding their market shares while domestic companies are slower, he said. Besides foreign brewers that have been present in the market for a long time, new players such as Sapporo, AB-InBev, and Thai brewer Shingha, through its 25 per cent ownership in Masan Consumer Holdings, are expanding aggressively. Sapporo recently bought all of Vinatabas stake in their joint venture to make it wholly foreign owned, showing the Japanese firms commitment to the Vietnamese beer market. Afterwards it changed the packaging and is now expanding its distribution chain. AB-InBev in May started production at its factory in the southern province of Binh Duong, with the annual capacity of 50 million litres. The company is going to increase its output to 100 million litres per year and is now aggressively advertising on TV at prime hours. Meanwhile, Masan Brewery HG started production at its 100 million-litre brewery in the Mekong Delta provinve of Hau Giang last December. According to VBA data, as of the end of 2015 Vietnam had 129 beer production facilities, down 12 compared to 2010, but the number of factories with the annual capacity of between 50 and 100 million litres has increased. The capacity of the whole sector is now 4.8 billion litres per year. VBA president Nguyen Van Viet said sales grew by 4.7 per cent on-year in 2015, but the rate of growth is smaller than in previous years. The association predicted that in the next ten years sales would be around 5 billion litres. Draught beer, which now accounts for 1 per cent of the market and is sold at retail points and restaurants, is expected to grow well in the near future. A view of Dung Quat refinery. - Photo pve.vn However, the state-owned oil company reported that the Russian oil company said it would consider buying the facility's shares in the future when the latter goes public. The reason for Gazprom Neft quitting the negotiations could be that the Vietnamese government declined to accord preferential treatment for Gazprom Neft to join the expansion plan of the refinery. In April 2015, PetroVietnam and Gazprom Neft signed a series of agreements to extend their collaboration on joint oil and gas exploration and production, one of which has allowed Gazprom Neft to have exclusive rights to negotiate with PetroVietnam on acquiring 49 per cent of Dung Quat refinery's stakes. The documents were signed in Ha Noi in the presence of Viet Nam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev. Late in August, Gazprom Neft sent a document to call on Vietnamese ministries and industries to approve preferential conditions for the company to take part in the expansion and modernization plan of the refinery. However in November, the Ministry of Industry and Trade replied that it would not grant low tax incentives for the refinery after 2018. Dung Quat refinery, located in the central province of Quang Ngai, is Viet Nam's first and only working refinery. Operating in 2010, it has a capacity of 6.5 million tonnes of crude oil per year, meeting between 30 per cent and 40 per cent of the country's consumption demand. It is owned and operated by Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Co Ltd. In December last year, Binh Son Refining announced the US$1.8 billion expansion plan to expand the capacity of the refinery to 8.5 million tonnes per year once the upgrade is completed by 2022. Despite the steep fall in global oil prices in 2015, Dung Quat refinery posted a record revenue of almost VND95 trillion ($4.2 billion) and profit of nearly VND6 trillion ($267 million). It contributed VND20.3 trillion ($902 million) to the State Budget last year, Binh Son Refining reported. Oil prices were reported to have lost 35 per cent of value in 2015. In 2016, Binh Son Refining is targeting production of 5.83 million tonnes of oil, earn a total revenue of over VND82 trillion ($3.6 billion), and contribute VND15.7 trillion ($698 million) to the State Budget. A positive market swing is just around the corner Dominic Scriven, Dragon Capitals chief executive officer (CEO), said Vietnam was seen as one of the worlds more promising frontier markets as social and cultural forces were proving powerful growth drivers. Scriven said quality macro-economic management was widely seen to be improving in Vietnam, as the government moved to tighten financial regulations, modernise monetary policy and build more stability into growth. The gross domestic product is expected to expand by 6.5 per cent this year, after 5.3 per cent growth in 2009, among few economies with positive figure amidst the global recession. Vietnam generally is attractive, Scriven told VIR after shareholders of its biggest fund Vietnam Enterprise Investments Limited (VEIL) and another fund Vietnam Growth Fund Limited (VGF) voted to stay for at least next two years in Vietnam. VEIL and VGF have recently been the object of attention as VR Capital, a Moscow-based fund manager with holdings in the funds, supported resolutions to wind them up. At their annual general meeting last week, with 83.24 per cent of VEIL and 89.22 per cent of VGF shareholders voting against winding up, it is clear that the majority wanted to continue. The results reflect a clear sentiment that now is not the time to be exiting Vietnam, given strong market fundamentals combined with low equity valuations, said Scriven. He added that the countrys stock market had developed rapidly in recent years, now standing at almost $40 billion, from under $1 billion in 2005. Le Xuan Nghia, the National Financial Supervision Committees vice chairman, said that as the European sovereign debt crisis remained unclear, investors would turn their eyes back to Asia. Foreign investors are still upbeat on Vietnam thanks to its favourable politic-geographic conditions, particularly the very attractive capital market with increasing numbers of equitised firms and market capitalisation, Nghia told VnDirect Securities clients recently. Le Thi Bang Tam, former deputy finance minister and now chairman of HDBank, added that foreign portfolio investors have not left Vietnam. Currently, around $8 billion in foreign portfolio capital was in Vietnam, compared to the peak of $12-13 billion in 2007. Net flows of foreign portfolio investment into Vietnam reached $1.29 billion in the first quarter and $510 million in the second quarter of this year, bringing the total first half to around $1.8 billion, according to State Bank statistics. Foreign investors also net bought around $382 million worth of Vietnamese equities year to date. Scriven said that the biggest concern for investors was market liquidity. Therefore, Vietnam will not easily attract more foreign capital if the liquidity issue is not removed. VEILs sharp NAV discount trading was attributed to less liquidity, he said. Wong Giao Lian, 29, a Malaysian national, has been kept in custody by Khanh Hoa police for fraud and property appropriation, Colonel Nguyen Hong Ky, deputy chief of the local police department, said on Sunday. Wong was arrested by officers when he was spotted being chased down by local residents in Nha Trang, the capital city of Khanh Hoa, on Saturday afternoon. He arrived in Vietnam via Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City before traveling to Nha Trang and staying at a local hotel with a Vietnamese woman, according to Wongs statement. The suspect then came to a convenience store to trade ten bills of RM100 for VND5 million (US$222.5). The Vietnamese shopkeeper then found the cash to be fake and called her relatives to pursue the foreigner before he was nabbed by the police. Officers carried out a search at Wongs hotel room and confiscated VND7.2 million ($320.4) and 679 bills of RM100, which the suspect said were counterfeit money. Disagreements between Saudi Arabia and Iran hamper the fight against terrorism and efforts to settle the Syrian conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, Sputnik reported. "It definitely complicates efforts to find a solution to the Syrian problem and to solve the problem of combating terrorism, the matter of stopping refugee flows to Europe. This is absolutely obvious," Putin told Germany's Bild newspaper. The president added that he does not know whether Tehran-Ryadh tensions could lead to a major regional confrontation and that he did not want to "speak or even think" about such a turn of events. Putin noted that Russia has good relations with Iran and that a sustainable partnership is being formed with Saudi Arabia. He also said that Russia regrets execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia, but considers an attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran absolutely unacceptable. "We regret what happened, especially knowing that this cleric did not fight with arms in his hands against Saudi Arabia. At the same time, an attack on an embassy is an absolutely unacceptable event in today's world," Putin said in the interview published on Tuesday. "If our mediation [in current Saudi-Iran conflict] will be needed, we are ready to make all possible efforts to help end it as soon as possible," Putin added. Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia soured dramatically following the execution of Nimr al-Nimr, an outspoken critic of the Saudi monarchy, along with 46 other people convicted of terrorism on January 2. Bordeaux's Senegalese forward Henri Saivet controls the ball during the French L1 football match. (AFP PHOTO/NICOLAS TUCAT) BORDEAUX: Newcastle have signed Senegal midfielder Henri Saivet from French club Bordeaux, the Premier League strugglers confirmed on Monday (Jan 11). Saivet has moved to St James' Park for a reported fee of around 5 million. The 25-year-old, who was Bordeaux's captain, agreed a five-and-a-half-year contract and is Newcastle's first signing of the January transfer window. "I am very happy to be here at Newcastle. I am really proud to be able to play for this club, and I am really excited at the challenge that lies ahead," Saivet told Newcastle's website. "St James' Park is a really impressive and special stadium. In France, there is nothing that compares to this, and I can't wait to get out there with my new team-mates and help the team climb the table." Saivet joins a Newcastle team in the midst of a relegation battle, with Steve McClaren's side 18th place in the Premier League having lost their last four games in all competitions 1-0. "Henri is someone the club has been watching for a while, and he has developed into an excellent player at Bordeaux," McClaren said. "This is someone with a very good mentality, who is a tough player and a winner. Those are key qualities you need in the Premier League and we are looking forward to seeing him pulling on the Newcastle United shirt." Saivet came through the ranks at Bordeaux, making his senior debut at the age of 17 and going on to score 23 goals in 178 appearances. The Cambodian Landmine Museum sits just outside of the tourism hub of Siem Reap, the gateway city to the famed temples of Angkor Wat. Here, tourists learn about Cambodias dark past and the legacy of mines and unexploded ordnance it left behind. But while the museum serves as a reminder of the violence war commits on a country, it is also raises questions about current conflicts, such as the war destroying Syria. Paola Gonzales, who traveled to Cambodia from Spain, said Cambodias leaders must not fall into more war rhetoric. If war starts again, they arent going to have money coming in from foreigners, she said, as she toured the museum. I didnt want to see a war in Syria, where its happening now. No war. Prime Minister Hun Sen has repeatedly warned that a victory in elections by the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party would mean the return of war to the country. Absolutely, he said in a speech in September 2015. That would happen in part, he said, because the Rescue Party would seek to take peoples wealth and redistribute it to the poor. Hun Sen has also warned Cambodia away from an Arab-Spring like revolution, citing the civil war in Syria. At the Landmine Museum, there are also reminders of Cambodias wars. Nearby, Karen Sieraeki, a professor of urban planning in the UK, said Cambodia needs peace, but it must also be wary of corruption. If the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, its not good, she said. Sok Eysan, a spokesman for the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party, said that the views of the tourists were merely opinions. For the CPP, it agrees with what its leader says. At a congress for the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party over the weekend, Prime Minister Hun Sen urged ruling party members to connect to Cambodians via Facebook. Hun Sen already has an official account, as does his political rival, Sam Rainsy, head of the Cambodia National Rescue Party. But Hun Sen told members of his party that they need to be technologically savvy and use social media to get information out to people and from them, Sok Eysan, a spokesman for the party, said Tuesday. Hes thinking about the news that [officials] could get from people on time to solve their problems on time, Sok Eysan said. Chan Sophal, governor for Battamang province, who attended the congress, told VOA Khmer he has set up a Facebook account that he uses to connect with people on the advice of Hun Sen. Yes, I use it to communicate with people and get information and other news, about provincial administration and other issues that are supposed to be solved, he said. His constituents use Facebook to contact him, he said, and he encouraged his colleagues to also get on the social networking site. I think that these days information technology eases work, he said. Ill encourage my colleagues to pay attention to learning [technology] and use it. Ou Virak, head of the think tank Future Forum, said he welcomed the ruling partys stance on social media and its usesbut he also said government institutions, not just politicians, should be responding to peoples needs for transparency. In fact, all the ministries should be open to the public, in terms of information, he said. There should be a law, approved by the National Assembly, to make institutions open to the public. Thats called freedom of information. For the seventh and final time of his presidency, Barack Obama will stand before Congress and the American public to lay out his vision not only for his remaining months in office, but for the future of the United States. Not just the remarkable progress we have made, not just what I want to get done in the year ahead, but what we all need to do together in the years to come. The big things that will guarantee an even stronger, better, more prosperous America for our kids, Obama said in an Oval Office video previewing his address. An Optimistic Obama In the video, Obama says he has never been more optimistic about the path the United States is on. Its this optimism not just for 2016 but also for the years ahead - that White House officials say will be showcased when the president addresses the nation for his last State of the Union on Tuesday. The United States has recovered from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, and we see all of this economic volatility in countries around the world, and the strength of the U.S. economy stands in stark contrast to that kind of instability, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said. Unlike last year, when Obama laid out specific proposals, including initiatives to provide free community college tuition and bolster cyber security, Earnest says the president this year will focus on his long-term outlook for the country, while countering some of the pessimism seen both in public opinion polls and presidential campaigns. So much of the rhetoric that we hear from the other side is focused on fearing the future and being anxious and insecure about a changing world. The fact is, the United States is better positioned than any other nation in the world to capitalize on the opportunities that lie ahead for us, the White House spokesman told reporters recently. While will Obama likely will not lay out specific legislative proposals for Congress, he is expected to call on lawmakers to take care of unfinished business before he leaves office, including approving the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement and take steps to close the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Highlighting Accomplishments White House officials say that while Obama will not lay out a laundry list of accomplishments during Tuesdays address, the U.S. president is expected to highlight how far the country has come since he took office in 2009. Our businesses are now on a 70-month streak of job creation, with more than 14 million new jobs in all. Weve revamped our schools and the way we pay for college. Weve made historic investments in clean energy and put ourselves on a path to a low-carbon future, Obama said in his most recent weekly address on January 9. As in years past, the president plans to hit the road immediately following the State of the Union, visiting communities in Louisiana and Nebraska this week to highlight what the White House says is progress the states have made in lowering unemployment and increasing access to health care. On the global front, Obama likely will showcase his recent diplomatic successes in normalizing ties with Cuba, securing a nuclear agreement with Iran, and working to secure an international climate agreement in Paris. This president, I am sure, is going to talk about that as a signature accomplishment, and really I think make the case for why he has been so successful overseas in all of these areas. And people will be able to judge for themselves what he says, political analyst Matthew Dallek said. Confronting Challenges Ahead But along with accomplishments, George Washington University's Matthew Dallek says Obama likely will address the ongoing challenge of terrorism and the fight against the Islamic State militant group. I think the president is going to have to talk about, again, and try to encapsulate it in a clear way that maybe hasnt been done previously, what his strategy is with ISIS and why he believes it is working. And hes going to have to make the case for progress that has been made in recent months, Dallek said. The political management professor says the issue already is playing a prominent role in the Republican presidential candidates campaigns, whether it is Ted Cruz calling for the U.S. to carpet bomb Islamic State, or Donald Trump urging a temporary ban on all Muslims from entering the United States. Republican lawmakers have offered their own criticism of Obamas Middle East policy. The president is going, I assume, to talk about the future and try to paint a rosy picture where one does not exist," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told ABCs This Week on Sunday. "What we'd love to hear from the president is a real plan to defeat ISIL. Despite the negativity, White House officials say the president has never been more confident in the countrys capability to confronts such challenges a message Obama will deliver to the American people in his last State of the Union address Tuesday. Members of the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party discussed political tensions over the South China Sea during their congress this weekend, fearing it could lead to an arms race in the region. During its annual meeting, the party issued a broad-reaching strategy paper, warning US interests in the South China Sea issue makes the situation more complicated for Asean members and China, as they seek to establish and follow a code of conduct. The CPP strategy paper also describes concerns of regional conflict, as the West seeks to counter Chinas rising influence. The interference by a superpower and other countries is intended to curb the rise of the Peoples Republic of China to be the biggest regional and global superpower, the 49-page document states. In this case, it is possible to lead to armed clashes among some nations, which will have an arms race with the Peoples Republic of China in settling South China Sea disputes. The release of the strategy paper, which covers many facets of the ruling partys plans, comes just one week after China made test landings of aircraft along a dispute reef near the Spratly Islands. Four Asean nations have disputed claims over the sea with China. Each of themBrunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnamprotested the tests. Political analysts say Cambodia needs to remain politically stable and retain relationships with both China and the West to prosper. Ou Virak, head of the think tank Future Forum, said the CPPs concerns show it is paying close attention to regional disputes and a balance of power, as the issue heats up. Thats not wrong, he said. But what I doubt is that the Foreign Ministry has a clear stance to tell people what exactly it is doing. Let alone talking about the South China Sea issue. Ou Virak said the CPP should be building better relations with the US, to balance against China, which has expanded its influence in Cambodia, both militarily and economically, in recent years. Meanwhile, Koul Panha, head of the election monitoring group Comfrel, said the CPPs inclination toward China means the party doesnt want more interference from the US. Yes, the ruling party wants to show that the dispute should be settled by all parties in the conflicts and [they] do not want any outsiders to engage in the settlement, he said. But its a tough international affair, when conflicted parties in Asean are engaged in a dispute. Cambodias foreign policies are generally not well communicated or debated, he added. CPP spokesman Sok Eysan told VOA Khmer that the CPP remains neutral in international affairs and had only updated its members on the South China Sea issue over the weekend. We are not inclined to any side, he said. We only discussed developing situations, thats all. Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was very worried that German citizens might be among the victims and the wounded in an explosion in Istanbul that killed at least ten people earlier on Jan.12, Reuters international news agency reported. "International terrorism has shown its ugly face," said Merkel. "We need to act decisively against it." The explosion at Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul on January 12 killed 10 and injured 15 people, according to preliminary data. It has been reported that a suicide bomber blew himself up near the central mosque when tourists were passing by. A top Afghan official says he is confident a renewed push to resurrect stalled peace talks with Taliban groups for ending the senseless conflict in Afghanistan will yield positive results. Senior Afghan, U.S., Pakistani and Chinese diplomats met Monday in Islamabad to coordinate efforts to try to pave the way for a new round in the Afghan reconciliation process. Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai, who led the Afghan delegation in the talks, briefed reporters Tuesday about the meeting and promised further progress when the four-nation group meets again in Kabul on January 18. Afghanistan has created a 'road map.' This road map in this discussion was shared with our Pakistani, Chinese and American colleagues. This road map consists of three elements or three phases. The first phase specifically is the pre-negotiation period, second component is the peace talks, direct negotiations [with Taliban groups], and the third phase is the implementation plan, said Karzai, a cousin of former president Hamid Karzai. Afghan and U.S. officials believe the Taliban leadership is sheltering in Pakistan, amid allegations Pakistan's military uses the group as its proxy force in Afghanistan. Despite prevailing Afghan skepticism about Pakistans intentions, Karzai sounded upbeat about the new push for peace. Because, for the first time now, we have a process where two of our very close friends and strategic partners are now monitoring the process. While Afghans are extremely at times quite doubtful of certain processes, the fact that we have the United States and China being part of this process it gives us assurance, Karzai said. The Taliban has not indicated whether it is willing to return to the negotiating table. Karzai said the Afghan government is open to talks with any group fighting the insurgency, adding the Afghan people and politicians are running out of patience and support for the peace process, and want to see concrete progress during the coming weeks. He reiterated Afghan security forces are determined to deal with insurgent groups that are intent on fighting the state. Humanitarian workers say the plight of starving people in the Syrian town of Madaya is heartbreaking and the worst they have witnessed during the country's nearly five-year-long civil war. "There is no comparison in what we saw in Madaya," Sajjad Malik, the United Nations refugee agency's chief in Damascus, told journalists in Geneva Tuesday, a day after the U.N. delivered aid to the embattled town of 42,000 people surrounded by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Malik said there were "credible reports" of people starving to death in Madaya. "There are people in Madaya, but no life," he said. "What we saw in Madaya should not happen in this century." We saw a people that are desperate; a people that are cold; a people that are hungry; a people that have almost lost hope that the world cares about their plight, Yacoub el Hillo, the U.N.'s resident and humanitarian coordinator in Syria, told reporters at the U.N. in New York via phone from Damascus. El Hillo said the people told him they want the international community to do more to have sieges lifted wherever they are being imposed in Syria. All parties to this conflict are exercising it [sieges] and it must stop, he added. The United Nations says 400,000 Syrians live in areas besieged by the government, rebels or armed groups. Millions more live in areas classified as hard-to-reach for aid workers. 'Barely moving skeletons' Syria's ambassador to the U.N., Bashar Jaafari, told reporters Monday there is "no starvation in Madaya," rebuffing a report from the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders that 28 people in the town had starved to death. El Hillo refuted that, saying he and his team saw severely malnourished people there who were extremely thin, as skeletons, that are now barely moving. Elizabeth Hoff, a World Health Organization official who accompanied the aid convoy Monday, told the Reuters news agency, "I am really alarmed. People gathered in the market place. You could see many were malnourished, starving. They were skinny, tired, severely distressed. There was no smile on anybody's face. It is not what you want to see when you arrive with a convoy. The children I talked to said they had no strength to play." The WHO brought in nearly eight tons of medicine, including trauma kits for wounds, in the convoy, while the U.N. refugee agency trucked in food. At the same time, WHO delivered nearly four tons of medical supplies to Foua and Kafraya, two villages in Idlib province surrounded by anti-government rebels. Beyond the initial convoys agreed to by Damascus, the WHO is asking for permission to send mobile clinics and medical teams into Madaya to determine the extent of the malnutrition there and to be able to evacuate those in the direst of circumstances. "It's really heartbreaking to see the situation of the people," said Pawel Krzysiek of the International Committee of the Red Cross. "A while ago I was just approached by a little girl and her first question was did you bring food... we are really hungry." U.N. humanitarian and development agencies appealed Tuesday for $7.73 billion in new funding for 2016 to help 22.5 million people in Syria and across the region. The aid agencies say the funding is needed to help 4.7 million refugees expected to flood into in neighboring countries from the conflict zone by the end of 2016 and support another 13.5 million displaced and conflict-affected people inside Syria itself. The Syria appeals are part of the wider 2016 humanitarian appeal, asking for $20.1 billion to reach 87 million people in various crises zones around the world. A video analysis to be posted Tuesday on armscontrolwonk.com will demonstrate that a recent missile test (believed to have been conducted Dec. 21) shown on North Korean television on January 8 was actually an explosive dud, not the great success claimed by Pyongyang and witnessed by leader Kim Jong Un. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman exclusively spoke with the two California-based researchers who analyzed the video and reached the conclusion it was faked. Hanham: My name is Melissa Hanham. I'm a senior researcher associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, California. Dill: I'm Catherine Dill. I'm a research associate also at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, California. Watch video of the North Korea SLBM test: Herman: You both have been analyzing a recent missile test that the North Koreans conducted. Can you tell us what the North Koreans claimed to have done and what you believe actually happened? Hanham: This is Melissa. So on Friday (Jan. 8) KCTV, which is North Korean state media, published video clips of a purported SLBM launch that's a submarine launched ballistic missile. The clips were short and carefully edited together to make it look like it was a successful test. You can see Kim Jong Un in the frame viewing the test and smiling. However, Catherine took apart the video clip by clip and analyzed pretty much every frame of the video. She was able to determine, first of all, that much of the footage was doctored and, second of all, that that was done to cover up the fact that the missile launch failed and the rocket itself burst into flames and fell apart. Herman: Obviously they did not show that part on North Korean television. How were you able to figure out that the thing was a fiery dud? Dill: This is Catherine. They actually showed two frames of it. But because the video was so fast, hard to see, at a normal speed. But when we took it frame by frame and slowed it down, the debris field was quite obvious. Hanham: This is Melissa again. So what you'll see in the video that we'll post tomorrow (Tuesday) is a geo-location. So our colleague, Dave Schmerler, did a geo-location of where the test was conducted. We'll show the original clip. We'll show Catherine's analysis showing all four (video) feeds side by side. We'll do a kind of zoom-in showing the ejecta flying off the sides of the rocket and the two frames that Catherine just mentioned of the rocket starting to burn up. We'll also show that the Scud video was used to show the end of the launch that was done in June, 2014. They just recycled that footage there. And then Jeffrey Lewis found an R-27 launch from the Soviet Union and once you show it side by side with the North Korean SLBM test it becomes really obvious that the rocket is behaving unusually and soon after it ejects it starts to fail." Herman: This sounds like it was a fairly crude effort, How would you rate their attempt to manipulate what they released publicly on this? Dill: This is Catherine. It seems like a rather rudimentary effort. First of all, the way that the video plays it looks like there are three separate launches when in fact it's the exact same launch. There are three different videos of it. So there must of been, perhaps, three cameras. But two of them are from separate angles. And then, actually, two of the videos are the exact same sound. Post-editing the image was reversed. So it looks like a separate event. But when you reverse it back it's in fact the same. That's a fairly easy thing to do in a standard video editor. Herman: And you're planning to post all this online on Tuesday U.S. time. Where will people be able to see it? Hanham: "It'll be on armscontrolwonk.com -- all one word." Listen to the interview: Europe's immigration crisis has taken a new turn after reports that New Year's attacks on women in Cologne and other cities were organized by immigrant groups. Swedish authorities now have to answer allegations that police covered up similar attacks on women in Sweden. While a wave of migrants from Northern Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia continues to arrive at Europe's door, governments struggle to stem anti-immigrant sentiment in the host countries. Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Germany's eastern city of Leipzig to call for tolerance in the wake of anti-immigrant protests organized by LEGIDA, a local offshoot of the German right-wing nationalist group PEGIDA. Anti-immigrant groups have long been protesting what they call the Islamization of the West, and reports of the New Year's Eve attacks on women in Cologne and other cities have boosted their cause. "These Muslim refugees have begun a generalized terrorist attack - an attack against German women; against white, blonde women," said Tatjana Festerling, a leader of PEGIDA. Xenophobic mobs were blamed for a series of attacks against Pakistani, Syrian and African men in Cologne Sunday night. But many women came out to protest the violence. "What PEGIDA does today makes me angry. We all know that PEGIDA, and hooligans who gathered today, couldn't care less about women's rights. They always come here to beat foreigners. For them, it's about doing propaganda, not fighting sexism," said Emily Michels, a member of Cologne Against Far-right. Meanwhile, Swedish media reports accused the police of trying to cover up the fact that immigrants were behind most holiday attacks there. National police chief Dan Eliasson said Monday the allegations will be investigated. "We have to get to the bottom of this. If there is any veracity to this information, it has to be remedied and we have to see if someone has done wrong, said Eliasson. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the uncontrolled immigration flow has to be stemmed. "We have to intensify the fight against the causes that make people flee. And then we will be able, and that is what we want for this year, to noticeably reduce the number of refugees. That is clear. Because we also have the task to integrate them. That is what everyone talks about here -- what would be the best integration method? And we know, since the terrible events that night in Cologne, that for integration we need the openness of the society, but the refugees also need to be willing to follow our rules and values as well," said Merkel. For some people who grew up in a culture of chaos and violence, it may be the hardest part of the integration. Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is calling for all factions to be included in the newest round of peace talks between armed ethnic groups and the country's outgoing quasi-civilian government. "In this time, based on the mandate, it is right to do what the people want us to do, we are ready to take the responsibility of building forever peace [within the country]. I hope everybody will help us," she said. The Nobel Peace laureate made the remarks Tuesday on the opening day of negotiations in the capital Naypyitaw. Her speech marked her first involvement in the ongoing peace process, and could lay the groundwork for an eventual deal when her National League for Democracy takes power in March, four months after the party won a massive landslide in the country's first free elections in a quarter-century. President Thein Sein and Myanmar's powerful army chief, Min Aung Hlaing, were also in attendance for Tuesday's opening round. Thein Sein's government had been negotiating with rebel forces since taking power in 2011 from the long-ruling military junta; those efforts culminated with a ceasefire agreement with some of the rebel groups, who have been fighting for years for greater autonomy. But many rebel groups either refused to participate in the earlier talks or to sign the agreement, and fighting has continued between the rebels and the government. Aung San Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from assuming the presidency because her late husband was British, as are their two sons. But the 70-year-old leader says she will rule through a proxy president, who will be elected when the new NLD-led parliament takes power. She must establish a working relationship with the military, which automatically controls 25 percent of all parliamentary seats under the 2008 constitution and maintains control of several key government posts, including defense, interior and border security. Cameroon has arrested hundreds of people who allegedly attacked police stations in the capital Yaounde to protest human rights abuses, brutality and extortion. Huge stashes of locally made guns and explosives have been seized as the arrests continue. Martin Claude Forsua, the most senior police official in Cameroon's center region, where Yaounde is located, said the approximately 500 youths already in police custody were arrested following tips from some residents of the capital city and information from intelligence services. Forsua said police have been benefiting from the assistance of the population that has been denouncing suspects. He said it is intolerable to allow such a thing in a capital city like Yaounde and they will arrest all the youths who want to terrorize the citys residents. Most of the youths were arrested in night raids on their homes and street corners in their neighborhoods. Police say at least 100 of those detained have no identification documents. Rights violations alleged Trader Aristide Biloa, 40, whose younger brother was arrested, said more than 30 soldiers stormed and ransacked their Mokolo home on the night of January 9 without authorization. Biloa said the arrests have been arbitrary and in violation of human rights. He said proper investigations should have been carried out to determine who the leaders of the group are before any arrests were made. University of Yaounde law student Josue Penda said arresting the suspects will not solve what he calls an endemic problem in a country that has been suffering from Boko Haram terrorism threats. He said investigations should be conducted to see if the Boko Haram is extending its activities from Cameroon's northern border with Nigeria to the capital Yaounde. Penda said the fact that some residents of Yaounde now keep guns in their houses means the police department is a corrupt accomplice and is not doing its job. He said the government should investigate the origin of the weapons. The arrests follow last Thursday's attacks by hundreds of disgruntled and armed Cameroonian young people on police stations in Mokolo, a popular market in Yaounde. The youths said they were against police brutality, extortion and other human rights abuses, but the police said the youths were looking for revenge after the death of a popular suspect who died in a shootout with the police. The Taliban said Tuesday it was convinced by Qatari mediators to release a Canadian man on humanitarian grounds after holding him hostage in Afghanistan for nearly five years. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister announced Monday the release of Colin Rutherford, who went to Afghanistan in 2010 and was reported missing in February 2011. A Taliban video three months later accused him of spying, but Rutherford said he was a tourist interested in "history and historical sites, old buildings, shrines." Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Tuesday that Qatar's mediation led the group's leadership to release Rutherford "purely on humanitarian grounds and in accordance with Islamic ethics." Dion said Canada sends its "heartfelt thanks" to the government of Qatar for its role. "Canada is very pleased that efforts undertaken top secure the release of Colin Rutherford from captivity have been successful," he said. "We look forward to Mr. Rutherford being able to return to Canada and reunite with his family and loved ones. Details on how and where Rutherford was released are unavailable. It is also unclear where Rutherford is now. A Korean-American man who says he is being held in North Korea was a Christian pastor who had worked in China and the United States, a North Korean defector who met him and traveled with him in 2007 told Reuters. CNN reported on Monday from North Korea that it had been given access to a man claiming to be an American, who identified himself as Kim Dong Chul, and who said he had been arrested in North Korea on spying charges. He appealed for help from the United States or South Korea to rescue him. A U.S. State Department official declined to comment on the report about Kim, saying that speaking publicly about specific cases of detained Americans can complicate efforts to free them. If confirmed, Kim, who CNN said was 60 and formerly of Fairfax, Virginia, would be the second Western citizen known to be held in North Korea. The other is Korean-Canadian. Kim would be the first American to be held by the North since it released three U.S. citizens in 2014. CNN was given access to both men this week, just days after isolated North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test. The test angered its main ally, China, as well as the United States. Missionary work A North Korean defector, Ma Young-ae, told Reuters on Tuesday that she had met Kim in the United States. "He told the churches that he was a missionary working on North Korea and sending stuff from China into the North to help poor North Koreans," Ma told Reuters by telephone, recalling Kim making speeches around California and Virginia in 2007 and seeking donations. Ma, who works as a missionary based in the New York area under what she said was security protection, described Kim as a Korean-American. "I was shocked to see his face on TV," she said. Kim told her he was sending medical aid into North Korea and going in and out of Rason, a North Korean special economic zone bordering China, she said. A photograph from a small Korean-American online publication showed a man it said was Kim talking at an unidentified church in the Washington, D.C., area, although Reuters cannot independently verify the picture. Ma said Kim had once asked her and her husband to come to China to work with him, but she had declined. Another pastor named Park Simon, who also accompanied Ma and Kim to several church gatherings in the United States, told Voice of America that Kim frequented North Korea and called him from Pyongyang about four years ago. Kim told CNN he had spied on behalf of "South Korean conservative elements" and had been arrested in October. Another foreign detainee The other foreigner known to be in detention in North Korea, and who CNN was also given access to, is Hyeon Soo Lim, a South Korean-born Canadian who was the head pastor at one of Canada's largest churches. Lim has been held by the North since February. Age 60 at the time of his arrest, he was given a life sentence of hard labor in December for attempting to overthrow the North's regime. North Korea, which is under heavy U.N. sanctions related to its nuclear and missile programs, has in the past used detained U.S. citizens to extract high-profile visits from the United States, with which it has no formal diplomatic relations. The U.S. Democratic presidential candidates participated in a forum aimed at young and minority voters in Iowa Monday night, and discussed topics ranging from immigration to the death of British rock icon David Bowie. Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders are in a statistical dead heat in the Midwestern state, which hosts the lead-off presidential caucuses on February 1. An NBC/The Wall Street Journal/Marist poll released Sunday found Clinton the choice of 48 percent of likely caucus-goers to Sanders' 45 percent. Asked about the issue of immigration, Clinton said she was against deportations. "I do not think the raids are an appropriate tool to enforce the immigration laws. In fact, I think they are divisive, they are sowing discord and fear," Clinton said. Trailing the two leading candidates is former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley, who is polling in single digits in the state. Asked a similar question about immigration, he said he would not deport children. "We should never be sending women and children" fleeing "death gangs back to Central America, he said, according to The Des Moines Register. Tax the wealthy Clinton also unveiled her plan for a 4 percent "surcharge" tax on the wealthiest Americans, seeking to ensure that multimillionaires do not pay lower rates than middle-class families. The surcharge would impact those who make more than $5 million per year, or about .02 percent of the taxpaying public, and would raise more than $150 billion over 10 years, a Clinton aide said. On the issue of gun rights, Sanders defended his controversial 2005 vote for a law that gives gun manufacturers and sellers immunity from lawsuits. But he expressed support for President Barack Obama's recent use of executive actions to curb gun violence. The candidates were also asked a series of lighter questions by Univision host Jorge Ramos, leading Sanders to admit that he didn't know much about rock legend Bowie, who died Sunday. A recent survey in New Hampshire, which borders Sanders' home state of Vermont, also has the two leading Democratic candidates in a tight race, with 50 percent of likely primary voters favoring Sanders to 46 percent favoring Clinton. The Iowa Black and Brown Forum, which was held in Des Moines, bills itself as the nation's only presidential forum geared toward the concerns of African-Americans and Latinos. Foreign tourists are said to be among those killed and injured in a suicide attack in Istanbuls main tourism district. Turkish officials say at least 10 people - nine of them Germans - were killed and 15 others injured. Police and ambulances were quickly on the scene of the blast. The powerful explosion heard across much of the city struck late morning in Istanbuls Sultanahmet district the main tourism quarter of the city. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the attack. Turkey is a top target for all terrorist groups in the region," he said, adding that Turkey is fighting against all of them equally." Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the attack is believed to have been carried out by Islamic State. Speaking after the an emergency security meeting he pledged to fight the militant group until it no longer remains a threat to Turkey or the world. "Our fight against Daesh (an arabic acronym for Islamic State) that carried out this attack will continue with determination. We will not take a step back in our fight against Daesh, our resolve will continue as in our fight against all terrorist organizations," he said. Known details of the attack were given a news conference following the emergency meeting of senior ministers and intelligence chiefs. The bomber was identified as a 28-year-old described as of Syrian origin, and most of those killed and injured were foreign nationals. Turkey's state-run news agency said Davutoglu spoke on the phone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to express his condolences. Speaking to reporters in Berlin, Merkel condemned the attack, saying that the international terrorism is once again showing its cruel and inhuman face. Local media, citing security officials, say the Islamic State is the chief suspect behind the attack. Although the group never claimed responsibility, IS militants were blamed last year for two suicide attacks that killed more than 130 people, including one in the capital, Ankara. The government has been criticized by the opposition and its allies for failing to crackdown hard enough on the jihadist group, instead focusing attention on its battle against the Kurdish rebel group the PKK, a charge it strenuously denies. Observers say Kurdish rebels could also be a suspect, Turkish security forces are carrying out a major crackdown across towns and cities in the predominantly Kurdish southeast. A splinter Kurdish group called TAK claimed responsibility for a mortar attack last month on Istanbuls second largest airport. WATCH: video from the scene The Sultanahmet neighborhood is Istanbul's main sightseeing area and home of the Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia museum. Witness Ali Hakan Ataman said it was a big explosion. "I was in a shock for a while right after it happened. Blood and flesh were spattered on us and I am sure I saw six or seven people laying on the ground dead..." he said. Another witness, Erdogan Salihli, said people went briefly silent right after the blast. "As people were trying to figure out what really happened the cries of people at the scene was very tragic," he said. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura will discuss the situation in the war-torn country with ambassadors from five UN Security Council permanent members in Geneva on January 13, a spokesman for the UN Office in Geneva said Tuesday, Sputnik reported. "The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, will meet Representatives of the five Permanent Members of the Security Council ("the P5") in Geneva tomorrow, Wednesday 13 January 2016," Ahmad Fawzi said. "The meeting will be held at Ambassadorial level and will take place at the Palais des Nations," Fawzi added. A retrial of former Guatemala dictator Efrain Rios Montt on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity was suspended again for the court to resolve outstanding legal petitions, a judge said Monday. Rios Montt's opponents accuse him of a scorched earth policy in the bloodiest phase of the Central American country's 36-year-long civil war that ended in 1996. A hearing Monday was held behind closed doors and Rios Montt did not attend because of "mental incapacity," according to the court. A trial one year ago was also suspended when the defense sought the removal of one of the judges on the case. Also on trial is Jose Rodriguez, the former military intelligence director, who is accused, along with Rios Montt, of overseeing the slaughter of 1,771 members of the Maya Ixil population in the Quiche region of Guatemala in 1982 and 1983. Rios Montt was found guilty for his role in the killings in May 2013. His 80-year jail sentence was thrown out less than two weeks later, however, by Guatemala's Constitutional Court on a legal technicality after persistent efforts by Rios Montt's defense team to derail the trial with complex appeals. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley will give the Republican response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday. The honor is usually given to someone viewed as a rising star in the party, which aptly describes Haley. Haley - born Nimrata "Nikki" Randhawa on January 20, 1972, in Bamberg, South Carolina, to Indian immigrant parents - became the state's first female and first minority governor. She is also the country's youngest governor - 38 years old when she was elected in 2010. She will turn 44 a week after she appears following the president on January 12. Republican Response to State of the Union address Republican Response to State of the Union address President Barack Obama will give his eighth State of the Union address January 12. The State of the Union address is a message from the president to Congress, usually given once a year in January or February. It is customary for the party not in control of the White House to speak in response to the president's address, and the honor is usually given to a lawmaker who is gaining stature in that party. Here are the previous Republicans who have given the GOP response during Obama's tenure: February 24, 2009: Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal January 27, 2010: Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell January 25, 2011: U.S. Representative Paul Ryan, who is now Speaker of the House January 24, 2012: Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels February 12, 2013: Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who is now running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. January 28, 2014: U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington state January 20, 2015: U.S. Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa January 12, 2016: South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley Sources: The White House, American Presidency Project Haley became South Carolina's first Indian-American office-holder on her election to the state legislature in 2004. Politically, she is solidly anti-tax and a fiscal conservative. Elected governor Haley was elected governor on November 2, 2010, propelled by her involvement with the "tea party" movement. She was endorsed by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Jenny Sanford, former first lady of South Carolina. Since taking office in 2011, Haley has criticized President Obama on everything from health care reform to gun rights. She has voted for bills that restrict abortion and those that protect fetuses. And, as the child of legal immigrants, Haley supports stricter enforcement of immigration laws. In 2012, Haley spoke at the Republican National Convention, and toured the country to promote her book, Can't Is Not an Option, a memoir. Several events in South Carolina last year pushed Haley into the national spotlight. In June, Dylann Roof walked into a historic African-American church in Charleston and announced to witnesses he was there "to shoot black people." Roof opened fire on a Bible study group, killing six women and three men, including the Reverend Clementa Pinckney, who was a state senator and an Obama supporter. Roof told police he wanted to ignite "a race war," and photos turned up online showing him posing with a Confederate flag. That ignited a national debate over the banner known as "the Stars and Bars" - seen by some as a symbol of racist sentiment and by others as a reminder of the U.S. South's history of resisting federal-government controls. The flag had flown over South Carolina's capital since the 1960s. Confederate flag issue During her 2014 re-election campaign, Haley touted her ability to draw business and jobs to the state. In a debate, she defended the Confederate flags presence in the capital, declaring that flying the flag was not an issue because not a single CEO had complained about it. The mass shooting in Charleston altered the governor's position, however. She said that hate crime changed her thinking about the appropriateness of displaying the Confederate banner over the statehouse, and she supported efforts to have the flag removed and placed in a museum. Legislation was passed and the flag was removed July 10, 2015. Popularity Haley has remained popular in South Carolina, weathering such crises as a storm last October that cost nearly $1.5 billion in damages - a once-i-1,000-years event, the governor said. Her name has been mentioned a possible choice for vice president on the Republican Party's ticket for this November's general election. A Public Policy Polling survey in November found 56 percent of voters in the state approve of the job she is doing. She is favored by 71 percent of Republicans and 53 percent of Independents. What sets Haley apart from other U.S. governors, the pollsters said, is her identity as a Republican who has measurable support among Democrats - a 40-percent approval rating, compared to 42-percent disapproval among members of the party of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Haley's speech charting the Republican Party's course as an alternative to Obama's proposals in the State of the Union message comes during final campaigning for the highly anticipated Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries - the first two statewide votes in the process to determine the Democratic and Republican nominees for the presidential election. South Carolina's presidential primary, two weeks later, is considered the most influential test of voter sentiment in the U.S. South. Family life Haleys father, Ajit Randhawa, is a biology professor. Her mother, Raj, launched a multimillion-dollar clothing company from their South Carolina home. Nikki Haley was raised in the Sikh faith, but converted to Christianity and is now a member of the Methodist Church. She graduated in 1994 with an accounting degree from Clemson University, where she met her husband, Michael Haley. Michael Haley, known as South Carolina's "first gentleman," is a full-time federal employee, working as a technician for the state's Army National Guard. The Haleys have two children. U.S. House Republicans and Democrats joined together Tuesday to pass legislation that seeks to deny the Pyongyang government the hard currency it needs for its nuclear weapons program by imposing stronger sanctions. The sanctions bill called the North Korea Sanctions Enforcement Act is seen as a response to North Korea's announcement last week that it had set off a hydrogen bomb, a thermonuclear weapon with potentially massive destructive power. That claim has been met with widespread skepticism as outside experts say North Korea actually conducted its fourth test of an atomic bomb, a less powerful nuclear weapon. But those doubts didn't stop the House of Representatives from passing the sanctions bill by a whopping 418-2. In debate leading up to the vote, Republican House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce, a Republican, said North Korea's fourth atomic test alone is enough to be of concern to the United States and its allies. Royce said the threat from North Korea's nuclear advances is unacceptable, and that Congress should take the lead. "Importantly, what this bill does is use targeted financial and economic pressure to isolate [North Korean leader] Kim Jong Un and his top officials from the assets that they maintain in foreign banks and from the hard currency that sustains their rule," he said. The North Korea Sanctions Enforcement Act would authorize the seizing of any assets connected with North Korea's proliferation, illicit activities and human rights violations. It would deny North Korean leaders access to the U.S. financial system, and it presses the president to sanction individuals who facilitate cyberattacks against the United States. The U.N. Security Council, which met in an emergency session hours after the January 6 nuclear test was detected, is also considering new sanctions against North Korea for its "clear violation" of previous U.N. resolutions. The council last approved sanctions against North Korea three weeks after Pyongyang's third nuclear test on February 12, 2013. Royce and other Republicans said President Barack Obama's strategy of "strategic patience" with North Korea is not working, and conceded that several administrations have failed to stop the advance of that country's progress in developing nuclear weapons. Reckless, paranoid state Democratic Representative Gerald Connolly said it is essential to always remember the human cost of the regime's expensive nuclear program to the starving people of North Korea. "North Korea is a reckless, paranoid state devoid of virtually all aspects of human autonomy [and] now armed with a nuclear umbrella, he said. That makes the Korean peninsula one of the most dangerous flashpoints on the globe." Connolly said the proposed sanctions bill provides an exception for humanitarian aid to North Korea. The United States is the largest donor of humanitarian and food aid to the country. Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee received a classified briefing late Monday on North Korea's most recent nuclear test. Republican Committee Chair Bob Corker told VOA that the United States has, for a long time, continued to allow North Korea to make progress on its nuclear program. Democratic Senator Tim Kaine told VOA that it is hard for the U.S. to have any influence on North Korea because it does not have diplomatic ties with Pyongyang. But he said Washington must demand that nations that do have close relations with North Korea, especially China, use their leverage to keep Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions in check. It is not clear when the full Senate might take up a sanctions bill. Beijing has criticized its key ally but has been reluctant to back severe sanctions that could cause instability along its border and spark further conflict. Meanwhile, Washington and Seoul are in talks to move in more military assets such as the B-52 nuclear-capable bomber that flew over South Korea Sunday in a show of force to increase their defensive capability. There is also speculation a U.S. aircraft carrier could be sent into Korean waters. But U.S. officials said there are no plans to station nuclear weapons in South Korea, a move that could alienate China and trigger a regional nuclear arms race. Until recently, blind and visually impaired students in Kenya were still using Braille books for their studies. But Kenyan schools for the blind are now beginning to adopt technology that provides material in a audible form -- and in the process expands their opportunities. Lucas Mwanzia, 17, intently searches the internet for information. Todays class is on biology. Mwanzia is visually impaired and for the last two years has been attending computer classes at the Thika School for the Blind. Mwanzia is in eighth grade, having started school at a later age because of his vision. He says the technology has opened up new frontiers that were once inaccessible. Braille books are quite expensive and you have to use quite a sum to purchase one," Mwanzia explained. "But now since we have computers we get the books at virtually no cost. So we download the various books to read and when are done we just close the program. 'Assistive' technology The school embraced "assistive technology" six years ago, enabling blind and visually-impaired students to access information from computers and iPads. Zachary Muasya, one of the school's teachers, was born blind. He has been teaching the students how to use the technology for about two years now. He says the technology presents opportunities that can level the playing field for his students. Assistive technology equips the learners with very many skills that really make them independent in life," he said. "They can read materials like books, magazines, newspapers by themselves. And apart from that -- assistive technology equips them with employable skills. The assistive technology costs $1,000 for a school to install. But an NGO called InAble has provided it to the schools at no cost. Challenges remain Peter Okeyo, the program manager at InAble, says blind students using the technology may still face challenges when they move to higher education. When learners move from primary to high school and then to universities, they go to university and then they realize there is not that technology," Okeyo said. "So the fact that they learnt that technology in primary and high school, when they move to university they go back to braille which is another challenge to them. So far, four out of Kenya's 11 schools for the blind have adopted the technology. InAble says it will provide the funding for the remaining schools to come on board. It was a phone call Naveed Shah was not expecting. All of a sudden, this call on Saturday: Is this Naveed Shah? Would you like to be at the State of the Union in the first ladys box? I said, Are you sure you have the right Naveed?' Shah, a Pakistani-American and Iraq War veteran, will be joining first lady Michelle Obama late Tuesday when President Barack Obama delivers his seventh and final State of the Union address to Congress and the American people. It is a huge honor, and I am very blessed to have the opportunity to do this, Shah told VOAs Urdu service. I am proud to represent my family and the Pakistani and Muslim American community. 'Hatred is not American' The real estate agent, who lives outside Washington in Springfield, Virginia, with his 7-year-old son, Yusuf, and fiancee, Ashley, was born in Saudi Arabia and immigrated to the United States with his parents as a toddler. Shah, 28, served in the U.S. Army for four years and was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Since completing active duty, he has volunteered with veterans groups, helping others who served make the transition from military to civilian life. Shah said he has never been anything but a proud Muslim American and has watched with concern as some Republican presidential candidates like Donald Trump criticize immigrants and Muslims in the wake of the San Bernardino terrorist attack. National security is a huge concern," Shah said. "You want your family to be safe I want my family to be safe but at the end of the day, hatred is not American. The Iraq War veteran said he was proud to serve his country and what it stands for. My first and foremost duty is to the United States and to the Constitution of the United States, Shah told VOA. I think what the U.S. has in place, the freedom of religion, is probably one of the greatest things in the world, and I feel that no matter which God you believe in, you should have the freedom to worship them. Optimistic view Its this message that Obama wants to exemplify as he lays out what he says will be an optimistic view of the United States, the countrys future and Americans ability to confront whatever challenges lie ahead. Obama will also look to counter the pessimism and negativity heard in Republican presidential campaigns and reflected in public opinion polls. Shah is one of two dozen guests invited to sit in the first lady's box during this years State of the Union speech. He will join Refaai Hamo, a Syrian scientist who lost his wife and daughter in the conflict and left his homeland to start a new life in Michigan. Others include Spencer Stone, who helped thwart a terrorist attack on a train bound for Paris; and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who has expanded paid leave at the company and supported computer science education in schools. One seat in Michelle Obamas box will be left empty to represent victims of gun violence in the United States. Shah told VOA he never imagined he would have the opportunity to meet the president and the first lady, and he said he was looking forward to hearing Obamas message of unity for the country. The fabric of America is our multiculturalism," he said. "Our diversity is what really brings us together. Islamic State extremists are advising their supporters and recruits in the West to shave their beards and pretend to be Christians to help evade detection by intelligence services as they plot so-called "lone wolf" terror attacks. In 58 pages of dos and donts for aspiring terrorists an online manual adapted from a handbook once issued by its extremist rivals in al-Qaida the Islamic State group tells supporters to encrypt their emails, recommends which cellphone apps are secure, and tells them how to ensure they can blend in with a crowd of Westerners. It even includes advice on wearing aftershave. Displaying a cross or crucifix is a good way to avoid suspicion, Islamic State suggests, but not in every case. It is permissible ... for you to wear a necklace showing a Christian cross, the manual reads, but it warns converts to skip that subterfuge if you have a Muslim name on your passport," because "that may look strange. Lone Wolf guidelines That bit of advice is amusing to analysts who have read the 12-chapter manual, entitled Safety and Security Guidelines for Lone Wolf Mouthpiece and Small Cells. Overall, the text demonstrates the Islamists' determination to plot or inspire terror attacks, however, such as the mass attacks in Paris in November that killed 130 people, or the San Bernardino massacre in December, when a husband-and-wife team in California gunned down 14 people. We present you this modest work for lone wolf mouthpiece and small cells of brothers who want to bring victory ..." the introduction to the manual says, noting that it was adapted from a series of 30 lectures by Abu Cabbalah al-Adam about safety and security in jihad work. He was a senior figure in the al-Qaida network and served as the terror group's intelligence chief until he was killed in a 2013 U.S. drone strike in Pakistans tribal areas. The IS propagandists note, If you can avoid having a beard, wearing kameez [a long tunic], using miswak [a twig to clean teeth, as recommended by Prophet Mohammed] and having a booklet of dhikr [devotional phrases and prayers] with you, it is better, the manual advises. Dont use the oily, non-alcoholic perfume that Muslims use; instead use generic alcoholic perfume as everyone does. And if you are a man, use perfume for men [men's cologne or after-shave lotion]. The guide urges militants to work only with each other, and tightly limit information about upcoming attacks. They also are advised to avoid mosques and Islamic gatherings to avoid attracting attention or prompting security interest. Avoiding mosques In the wake of the attacks on New York and Washington on September 11, 2001, Western intelligence agencies monitored mosques, especially those with radical reputations, and active jihadist groups have long advised supporters to stay away from them. More recently, jihadists in the West are thought to have resorted to worshiping at unofficial mosques. Since the Paris attacks, and subsequent security alerts in Belgium, Italy and Germany, Europes intelligence services and politicians have been turning their attention to hundreds of unofficial or unlicensed makeshift mosques, operating in apartments and homes in migrant-dominated areas. Politicians in several EU countries including France and Italy, where the government estimates 800 makeshift mosques are operating, are exploring legal ways to force their closure. Since the Paris attacks, intelligence services and police forces are demanding more powers and more personnel. They also want looser rules on data collection and an easing of regulations governing house searches and raids. Low profile Islamic State leaders are not unaware of this, and they have been cautioning their supporters in the West to keep a low profile, especially when it comes to posting their messages or thoughts on such sites as Facebook and Twitter. Last month, for example, a pro-IS Twitter account under the name Mustafa al-Iraqi offered this guidance to the terror group's recruits: Rule #1: Don't ever type stuff like 'kill all kuffar' [or] 'it's permissible to kill kuffar' [a derogatory Arabic term for non-Muslims]. Don't even use the word "kill" if you're living in the West. Rule #2: Dont ever talk about hijra [or hegira, the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca]. If you're going to do it or know how to do it, don't even let your left hand know that you know. Rule #3: if you live in a country that is in direct war with IS, don't use social media & talk about IS unless you have taken precautions. Rule #4: Don't ever propagate [spread and promote news about] IS attacks. Don't show that you're happy about it if you haven't taken precautions. Report it normally. Anxiety among security experts also is on the increase because hundreds of battle-hardened veterans of the civil war in Syria have been returning to Europe, and hundreds or even thousands more could be going home to Europe in the future. Intelligence analysts say one of their biggest fears is the possibility of multiple, simultaneous attacks across Europe this year a European 9/11, as Yves Rotenone, a former analyst for France's DIGS intelligence service, puts it. I know that in European capitals, particularly London, specialized services are working on this theory, Rotenone told The Associated Press. If the quality of the attackers improves, we will have a problem. Maybe we will say that 2015 was just a rehearsal." This week, Liberia could be declared Ebola-free for the third time. But as some Liberians prepare to celebrate what they hope is finally the end of the outbreak, many of the men and women who risked their lives to stop the deadly virus are demanding the Liberian government pay benefits they say they were promised. Dozens of angry burial workers having been demonstrating since last week at the Disco Hill Safe Burial Site, on the outskirts of Monrovia. They yell out in protest, holding signs that read, "We need our risk benefits." Some of them are former Ebola burial team workers who were employed during the outbreak, others were hired after the virus ended to continue safe burials as a precaution. They are accusing the government of failing to give them $1,500 in promised hazard pay. Timothy Kai, who has been helping to bury the dead since December 2014, says it is only fair that the burial workers be compensated for the risks they took. He recalled his first shift with the Safe and Dignified Burial Team. That night we used car lights [headlights], just imagine, to bury," he said. "They brought more than 10 dead bodies that very night and we were using car lights just to carry on this safe burial. And these people really they are not treating us well. We have been doing well. As I speak to you right now, we have buried more than 3,000 dead bodies. Mark Slewon, a 38-year-old father of six, was also on the frontline burying Ebola victims. He stayed away from his wife and children for six months during the height of the outbreak, to keep them safe and avoid stigma. Even now our community people avoid us because we are still associating with Ebola work ... Are we not Liberians? We are permanent Liberians, we deserve whatsoever benefits they are having," he said. "We have children, we have futures., you understand. So we can not be taking this risk. People be stepping on our rights. We need our benefits. Many women were part of the teams. They would disinfect the burial workers and the equipment at the end of each day, as well as clean the burial sites. Felicia Kollie, a 30-year-old mother of three, is a gravesite cleaner. All the stuff they use, we clean it up and throw it away. That is our own work, but it is risky," she said. "Between the grave grasses growing even when the body is decaying, you smell the scent. And there are a lot of Ebola bodies. So it is a risk that we are taking. And we need our money. In reaction to the former Ebola workers' claims, Liberias Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Bernice Dahn, said the government has paid $23.2 million to all former Ebola workers and does not owe them any money. The ministry will no longer tolerate any form of street protest and warn those involved to peacefully pursue whatever claim they may have, she said. More than 10,000 Liberians contracted Ebola since the outbreak began in 2014 and more than 4,000 died. If no new cases are found, the World Health Organization will again declare the country free of the deadly virus on January 14. Turns out, having your house featured in a creepy movie is not good if you want to sell. Pennsylvania residents Scott and Barbara Lloyd own the house that portrayed the home of a serial killer in the 1991 film "The Silence of the Lambs." The couple initially listed the house for sale at a price of $300,000 in the middle of last year, but due to a lack of bids they have reduced the asking price to $250,000, according to The Associated Press. The notoriety of the house has attracted curious visitors, but no serious buyers. Two of the rooms were seen in the film, but the home has no dungeon - the pit where the fictional killer kept his victims before murdering and skinning them. Those scenes were filmed elsewhere Since the price was reduced, "We're finally starting to see a little bit of motion," Lloyd said. He and his wife have owned the home since the mid-1970s, but they are selling it in order to move to a smaller house they are having built. The Lloyds were married in their home's foyer, the room where the FBI agent played by actress Jodie Foster in the film first encounters the crazed killer known as Buffalo Bill. The house is about an hour's drive from Pittsburgh, in the small town of Layton in western Pennsylvania - a location that buyers may see as too remote. It has four bedrooms but only one bathroom. While the house is a landmark for fans of the Oscar- winning movie, that doesnt appear to translate to an easy sell. "Even though it's got notoriety, location still is a big deal," said Erik Gunther, a senior editor for Realtor.com. "The fact that a home gets a ton of publicity doesn't necessarily add up to a quick sale," Gunther added. "Just because I want to gawk at something doesn't mean I want to buy it." A David Bowie memorial concert will be held in New York City's Carnegie Hall on March 31. A tribute concert dedicated to his musical legacy had been announced for the storied venue, but organizers changed it to a memorial in the wake of his death from cancer Sunday. Tickets went on sale Monday and quickly sold out as news spread. Bowie producer Tony Visconti's house band will perform, along with artists including Cyndi Lauper, the Roots and the Mountain Goats. On Friday, the iconic musician turned 69 and released Blackstar, his 25th album. Inventive to the end, Bowie mixed rock and jazz on the album, which critics hailed as his best work in years. Students at New York Citys schools may converse at home in any of the 180 different languages spoken in the city. So when the parent of a school-age child speaks of a dislocation because of language, she is referring to a real and complicated problem facing the citys public schools. The school system estimates that fully half of the parents of public school students cannot directly communicate with educators to discuss issues concerning their children, which is why it has set up a new translation service for parents who do not speak English as a first language. The service offers in-school translation and interpretation in nine languages: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Urdu. If parents need help in one of these languages, they can request it from either the school principal or student coordinator. School chancellor Carmen Farina told a news conference Monday in Chinatowns Public School 126 that the Department of Education is also offering for the first time direct access to over-the-phone interpreters that working parents can use after 5 p.m. We want to make sure that all families will be able to get translation services so that parents in this new year can share language, can share culture, Farina said. Bridge-building Steven Choy, the executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, called the new service an outstanding accomplishment for families. He emphasized, We must remove all language barriers to better insure the success of immigrant students and their families. Co-president of the public school 126 parents association, Maria Larios, told the news media and gathered parents that the new initiative will enhance the participation of parents in all aspects of school life. Getting involved in a childs development is critical, she said. But Chancellor Farina also foresees a wider effect of the new translation services, what Choy called bridge-building. We can have greater respect for each other, we need to appreciate each other, and we need to learn from each other, Farina said. It is a top priority, and a critical part of building strong relationships between schools and communities. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 11 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Turkey began to actively work in order to get rid of energy dependence and diversify natural gas sources since the middle of last year. The deterioration of relations with Russia has pushed Ankara to actively seek alternatives to Russian gas as well. One such alternative, according to experts, could be natural gas from Iraq (Kurdish autonomy), which will start to be delivered from 2018. But it is unlikely that the Kurdish gas, if Ankara starts to receive it, will become an alternative to the Russian gas. Ankara intends to deliver gas from Iraq in the amount of 10 billion cubic meters, while since 2020, the volumes of supplies will have to increase to 20 billion cubic meters. A tender will be held Feb. 9, 2016 in Ankara for constructing a new gas pipeline between Turkey and Kurdish Regional Government (KRG). Both local and foreign companies are allowed to participate in the tender. The pipeline's length will be 181.5 kilometers. KRG and Ankara signed a contract for 50 years in 2013, to supply natural gas to Turkey. But for the investing in any project political stability is needed - something that is currently absent in Southern Turkey. Given this, it is unlikely that foreign companies will participate in the tender for construction of a new gas pipeline, however, it doesn't mean that the project won't be realized. Most probably, only local companies will participate in the tender. Meanwhile, according to Russian gas giant "Gazprom", there are two contracts between it and Turkish Botas - one is for the supply of up to eight billion cubic meters of gas through the Trans-Balkan route, the second via the "Blue Stream" - up to 12 billion cubic meters. The validity of the first contract is through 2022, the second - at least until 2028. In addition, up to four billion cubic meters of Russian gas through the "Blue Stream" are purchased by private traders (as part of the liberalization, a part of volumes has been re-registered on them). These agreements were signed for 20 years. Also, a number of traders concluded long-term contracts with "Gazprom Export" to import a total of six billion cubic meters of gas until 2042 (instead of the first contract for the supply of Russian gas to Turkey, which expired in 2012). Traditional level of volumes subject to the "take or pay" rule is 80 percent of the contracted volumes. Thus, at least until 2022, Turkey is obliged to buy 24 billion cubic meters of Russian gas and 17.6 billion cubic meters until 2028. However, according to Botas, Russia is committed to annually supply gas to the country amounting to 20 billion cubic meters. The first contract to supply Turkey with 16 billion cubic meters of Russian gas was signed in 1997, and it expires in late 2025. The second contract, for the supply of four billion cubic meters of gas, was signed in 1998 and expires in 2021. In 2014, Turkey was the second largest importer of Russian gas after Germany - Ankara purchased 27.3 billion cubic meters of gas from Gazprom. Turkey consumed 52 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas in 2015, according to the Office of Energy Market Regulation (OEMR), and the annual increase in gas consumption is five percent in Turkey. That is, no matter how Ankara tries to get rid of energy dependence, due to increased consumption of natural gas in the country, it is unlikely to be succeed. The maximum that Ankara will be able to achieve - is to diversify sources of natural gas. Rufiz Hafizoglu is the head of Trend Agency's Arabic news service, follow him on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Lionel fled Burundi last month after a tip off from a friendly police officer that he was on a "list," which opponents of President Pierre Nkurunziza say the intelligence service compiles of people who are often arrested and sometimes killed. Lionel had attended protests and had spoken out against the government online, but he believes being a member of the Tutsi ethnic minority had put people like him more at risk of being targets. "The government has tried to turn this into an ethnic problem," he told Reuters, from the Rwandan capital of Kigali. Eight months into a crisis that erupted when Nkurunziza announced he would run for a third term his opponents say is illegal, Burundi has been suffering from a worsening wave of violence. At least 400 people have been killed and 200,000, like Lionel, have fled the country. The authorities deny carrying out arbitrary arrests or killings. They say there is no "list" of government opponents and no ethnic component to the unrest. Such charges are "fabrications" stirred up to discredit them, they say. In a public phone-in last month, Nkurunziza said: "Burundi has neither political nor ethnic problems. It rather has insecurity problems." But increasingly, opposition figures openly say the authorities are disproportionately targeting Tutsis in their security crackdown an ominous accusation in a country where an ethnic-fueled civil war ended just a decade ago and in a region still scarred by the 1994 genocide in neighboring Rwanda. Issa Ngendakumana, a member of the Hutu ethnic majority and spokesman of the opposition FRODEBU Nyakuri party, said: "The tendency is clear ... Those who are mostly worried by arbitrary arrests are most often Tutsi, although even Hutus are not spared." Rwanda and Burundi are nearly twins, with an almost identical population mix of roughly 85 percent Hutus and 15 percent Tutsis. In both countries, the two groups share Africa's most densely-populated agricultural land, amid the bountifully fertile soil of mist-shrouded hills. Both countries have endured recent histories of ethnic violence. In Rwanda, the killing burned fast: a Hutu-controlled government and allied militias killed 800,000 people in 100 days in an attempt to exterminate the Tutsis in 1994. In Burundi, it burned slower: a 12-year civil war between a mainly Tutsi controlled-army and Hutu rebels had killed 300,000 people by the time it ended with a power-sharing peace deal in 2005. Today, Rwanda is still controlled by the Tutsi leader who led the rebel force that ended the genocide two decades ago, while Burundi is led by Nkurunziza, a former leader of a Hutu rebel group during the civil war, who took office under the peace accord. Political, not ethnic, fight The government in Burundi's lakeside capital Bujumbura says there is no risk of return to the ethnic bloodletting of the past. Under the 2005 peace deal, 40 percent of government jobs are reserved for Tutsis, while the army is split 50-50. Opposition parties, too, are mainly ethnically mixed and emphasize that their quarrel with the authorities is political rather than ethnic. For now, the battle lines in the crisis have still mainly followed political, rather than ethnic, allegiances. Opposition figures Hutus as well as Tutsis say the president's third term violates the constitution and the 2005 peace deal. Loyalists cite a court ruling saying he could run. A foiled coup attempt in May was led by a Hutu commander who had been close to Nkurunziza. "I would be more worried about certain branches of the security sector being instrumentalized by the state than the general population being engaged in ethnic violence," said Yolande Bouka, from Nairobi's Institute for Security Studies. But the ethnic wounds of the civil war are still so fresh that many Burundians feel they could be torn open again. The United States has condemned "incendiary language" by the government that incited division and violence. Bujumbura officials deny using goading speech: "There is no provocative language nor ethnic move from the government," said Willy Nyamitwe, presidential media adviser. But the opposition has noted what it describes as ominous examples. In October, the senate president, Reverien Ndikuriyo, a Hutu, told local officials there could be a time when people were given "the authorization to 'work.' " The word he used "gukora" in the local Kirundi language was the same word used by Rwandan Hutu extremists to promote genocide. After his comments provoked public criticism, he later said his remarks were misrepresented and he had been referring to employment in a job. Opponents dismissed the explanation. Where is Kagame to save you? So far, outside efforts to intervene to halt the violence have been thoroughly rejected by Bujumbura, which has shrugged off Western sanctions and aid cuts, and dismissed a plan for African peacekeepers as an "invasion." Regionally-backed peace talks have stumbled. Foreign governments say they are frustrated by Burundi's hostility to mediation efforts: "It is quite unusual for a country like this, that is reliant on donor funding, to be completely bloody minded," said a senior Western diplomat. "Really hard bush fighters" increasingly hold sway in the ruling party and government, the diplomat said. One worry is that ethnic violence, if unleashed, could spill across borders. Rwandan President Paul Kagame, a Tutsi whose rebel force halted the slaughter there, has in the past sent forces into neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo to pursue Hutu "genocidaires" behind the killing in Rwanda. Foreign powers believe Rwanda could do the same in Burundi if Tutsis become a target again. "If there is slaughter on the streets, they are not going to stand by," said one Western envoy to Rwanda. Claude, 33, a Tutsi from Bujumbura's Nyakabiga district who did not want his name used in full for fear of reprisals, described police raids there after rebels attacked army camps in the capital on Dec. 11. The government said the violence killed nearly 90 people. The police who swooped into the district a hotbed of anti-government protest with a large Tutsi population mentioned the Rwandan leader. "We heard cops saying, 'Where is Kagame to save you?' " Claude said. President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday will not mention today's incident in which 10 U.S. sailors were detained by Iran, according to White House officials. Obama "has no plans to address the issue" in the speech, White House Communications Director Jen Psaki told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday, just hours ahead of the president's address. Other U.S. officials have attempted to play down the incident, saying Iran has agreed to "promptly" release the sailors, who Iran says had strayed into Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf. Instead, Obama's seventh and last State of the Union speech will strike on optimistic tone, according to excerpts released beforehand, laying out his vision for the country in the years ahead. For the seventh and final time of his presidency, Barack Obama will stand before Congress and the American public to lay out his vision not only for his remaining months in office, but for the future of the United States. Not just the remarkable progress we have made, not just what I want to get done in the year ahead, but what we all need to do together in the years to come. The big things that will guarantee an even stronger, better, more prosperous America for our kids, Obama said in an Oval Office video previewing his address. An Optimistic Obama In the video, Obama says he has never been more optimistic about the path the United States is on. Its this optimism not just for 2016 but also for the years ahead - that White House officials say will be showcased when the president addresses the nation for his last State of the Union on Tuesday. The United States has recovered from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, and we see all of this economic volatility in countries around the world, and the strength of the U.S. economy stands in stark contrast to that kind of instability, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said. Unlike last year, when Obama laid out specific proposals, including initiatives to provide free community college tuition and bolster cyber security, Earnest says the president this year will focus on his long-term outlook for the country, while countering some of the pessimism seen both in public opinion polls and presidential campaigns. So much of the rhetoric that we hear from the other side is focused on fearing the future and being anxious and insecure about a changing world. The fact is, the United States is better positioned than any other nation in the world to capitalize on the opportunities that lie ahead for us, the White House spokesman told reporters recently. While will Obama likely will not lay out specific legislative proposals for Congress, he is expected to call on lawmakers to take care of unfinished business before he leaves office, including approving the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement and take steps to close the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. WATCH: Rep. Ted Lieu Previews the State of the Union: Highlighting Accomplishments White House officials say that while Obama will not lay out a laundry list of accomplishments during Tuesdays address, the U.S. president is expected to highlight how far the country has come since he took office in 2009. Our businesses are now on a 70-month streak of job creation, with more than 14 million new jobs in all. Weve revamped our schools and the way we pay for college. Weve made historic investments in clean energy and put ourselves on a path to a low-carbon future, Obama said in his most recent weekly address on January 9. As in years past, the president plans to hit the road immediately following the State of the Union, visiting communities in Louisiana and Nebraska this week to highlight what the White House says is progress the states have made in lowering unemployment and increasing access to health care. On the global front, Obama likely will showcase his recent diplomatic successes in normalizing ties with Cuba, securing a nuclear agreement with Iran, and working to secure an international climate agreement in Paris. This president, I am sure, is going to talk about that as a signature accomplishment, and really I think make the case for why he has been so successful overseas in all of these areas. And people will be able to judge for themselves what he says, political analyst Matthew Dallek said. Confronting Challenges Ahead But along with accomplishments, George Washington University's Matthew Dallek says Obama likely will address the ongoing challenge of terrorism and the fight against the Islamic State militant group. I think the president is going to have to talk about, again, and try to encapsulate it in a clear way that maybe hasnt been done previously, what his strategy is with ISIS and why he believes it is working. And hes going to have to make the case for progress that has been made in recent months, Dallek said. The political management professor says the issue already is playing a prominent role in the Republican presidential candidates campaigns, whether it is Ted Cruz calling for the U.S. to carpet bomb Islamic State, or Donald Trump urging a temporary ban on all Muslims from entering the United States. Republican lawmakers have offered their own criticism of Obamas Middle East policy. The president is going, I assume, to talk about the future and try to paint a rosy picture where one does not exist," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told ABCs This Week on Sunday. "What we'd love to hear from the president is a real plan to defeat ISIL. Despite the negativity, White House officials say the president has never been more confident in the countrys capability to confronts such challenges a message Obama will deliver to the American people in his last State of the Union address Tuesday. The crews of two small U.S. Navy vessels being held by Iran will be released early Wednesday morning Gulf time, defense officials have told multiple news sources. The 10 crew members nine men and one woman were traveling in the Persian Gulf between Kuwait and Bahrain when U.S. controllers lost contact with them. "There may have been mechanical failure on one of the vessels, but it is unclear at this time," a defense official told VOA. "My assumption is that they were in Iranian territorial waters when they were detained." President Barack Obama did not mention the situation in his annual State of the Union speech Tuesday, but he did mention a nuclear agreement reached last year between Tehran and Western powers, saying "the world has avoided another war." The agreement is expected to be implemented in the coming days, following Iran's steps taken to curb its nuclear activities. Western governments have agreed in return to lift long-standing economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The Pentagon said Iran had provided safety assurances and promised to "promptly allow [the crews] to continue on their journey." But VOA's Persian service said that the Iranian news service, the Fars news agency, was reporting that the crew members had been "arrested." U.S. officials said the incident happened in the Persian Gulf near Farsi Island, located about halfway between the gulf coast of Saudi Arabia and the Iranian mainland. Farsi Island is home to an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps naval base, which may be why the sailors were quickly detained, Matthew Kroenig, a senior fellow in the Atlantic Councils Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security, told VOA Tuesday. Most countries would do the same thing if foreign sailors came that close to a naval base, Kroenig explained. The news came less than a month after U.S. officials accused Iran of conducting a "highly provocative" rocket test near U.S. boats passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Watch: About the Riverine Patrol Boat: A senior administration official said Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by telephone at midday Tuesday with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammed Javad Zarif, shortly after the incident unfolded. The detention also came just hours before President Barack Obama was to deliver his final State of the Union address to Congress and the public. Part of his speech was expected to address congressional concerns about a nuclear agreement reached last year between Tehran and Western powers. The deal is set to curb Iran's nuclear program in return for Western governments' lifting of long-standing economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The Philippine Supreme Court has upheld a defense pact with the United States. The administration of President Benigno Aquino signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with U.S. defense officials in 2014, which allows American forces to store equipment on the archipelago for use in national security, maritime and disaster response operations. Legal challenges were launched against the pact by groups opposed to any U.S. military presence on its former colony. But Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te says the court voted 10-4 Tuesday that the agreement did not need congressional approval, because as an executive agreement it implements "existing laws and treaties." The agreement was sought by Aquino, who is seeking to bolster the Philippines's military capabilities to counter China's increasingly aggressive territorial claims in the resource-rich South China Sea, ignoring similar claims by Manila, as well as Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei. The deal is also part of President Barack Obama's strategic "pivot" of U.S. focus back to the Asia-Pacific region. Police in Philadelphia are investigating a tip that a man charged in the ambush shooting of a patrolman is connected to a radical group that may continue to pose a threat to officers. The police department said Sunday evening that someone approached an officer on the street and alleged that the man who attacked Officer Jesse Hartnett had an affiliation to a group with radical beliefs. Police say they are working with the FBI to investigate the credibility of the information. They have alerted all department personnel about the tip and will continue to require officers to work with a partner until further notice. Harnett was last reported in stable condition at the hospital after a man charged his car as he patrolled his usual west Philadelphia beat shortly before midnight Thursday, firing at least 13 shots, hitting the officer three times. Hartnett got out of his car, chased the man and returned fire, wounding him in the buttocks before he was captured by other officers about a block away. Edward Archer, 30, of Yeadon, Pennsylvania, was charged Saturday with attempted murder, aggravated assault, assault of a law enforcement officer and several firearms crimes. He is being held without bail pending a Jan. 25 preliminary hearing. The Defender Association of Philadelphia, listed in court documents as representing him, couldn't be reached over the weekend to offer comment on the charges. Investigators said Archer told them he was following Allah and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, and he believed the police department defends laws that are contrary to Islam. Authorities believe Archer traveled to Saudi Arabia in 2011 and to Egypt in 2012 and are investigating the purpose of those trips. FBI special agent Eric Ruona said Sunday that as U.S. authorities work with partners overseas, it would take time to find any potential terror connections, and it was too early for any meaningful comment on the subject. Earlier, police said a man tried to grab the gun of a Philadelphia officer working a detail at the hospital where Hartnett is recovering, but they believe the incident is unrelated to the ambush shooting. Police said the man approached the officer outside Penn Presbyterian Medical Center shortly after 10:30 p.m. Saturday and asked for money, saying he hadn't eaten in five days. The officer handed the man a $5 bill and entered the medical center, but later, when he was standing near the emergency room exit doors, the man tried to grab the officer's handgun from the holster. The officer, with the aid of hospital security and other officers, subdued the 40-year-old suspect, who said he wanted the gun to rob a store, police said. Two new political surveys in the U.S. show that Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has moved ahead of the presumed 2016 Democratic presidential frontrunner, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in both of the states where voting is set to start next month. Sanders, who describes himself as an independent socialist Democrat, is edging Clinton in Iowa, a middle-of-the-country farm state, by 49 to 44 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll of Iowa Democrats released Tuesday. Iowa voters both Democratic and Republican are holding party presidential caucuses February 1, the start of the lengthy state-by-state contests to pick party nominees for November's national election. In New Hampshire, a rural state in the northeastern U.S. where party primary elections are scheduled February 9, the latest Monmouth University poll showed Sanders soaring to a 53 to 39 percent advantage over Clinton. Clinton changes strategy National polls have shown Clinton, the country's top diplomat during President Barack Obama's first term from 2009 to 2013, with a commanding lead over Sanders. But the poll results in the two states with the first voting prompted Sanders to claim that Clinton's campaign is in "serious trouble." For months, Clinton has been loathe to attack Sanders, figuring that she will need the votes of his supporters in November if she is the Democratic nominee. But at recent rallies in Iowa, she attacked him as a less forceful advocate for gun control than she is and derided his call for a government-controlled health care system in the U.S. The November election will pick the country's 45th president, to succeed Obama as he leaves office a year from now. Russian President Vladimir Putin says civilian casualties in Syria are the fault of "the insurgents and their foreign supporters," and not of President Bashar al-Assad. In an interview published Tuesday by Germany's Bild newspaper, Putin said Assad only fights those who take up arms against the government, and that while he "has done much wrong" during Syria's nearly five-year war, he not responsible for the scale of violence. "The conflict would never have become so big if it had not been fueled by outside of Syria -- with weapons, money and fighters," Putin told Bild. "Who is responsible for that? The Assad government, which is trying to hold the country together? Or the rebels who want to tear it apart and fight against this government?" Russia is a Syrian ally, and in late September began a campaign of airstrikes that Western nations have criticized as targeting rebels and not Islamic State militants. Putin said his warplanes do not bomb civilian targets and that Russia has evidence to prove its critics wrong. As the U.N. makes a push to bring the Syrian sides to a new round of peace talks later this month in Geneva, Putin said he does not want to see Syria become like Iraq or Libya. "But this does not mean that everything can just stay the same. Once the stabilization of the country has progressed, a constitutional reform has to follow, and then early presidential elections. Only the Syrian people can decide who should govern the country in the future," said Putin. The U.N. is operating under a framework that calls for a cease-fire within six months, a new constitution and then new elections next year. Two previous rounds of U.N.-brokered peace talks ended in early 2014 with little progress, and it is not yet clear who exactly will be at the negotiating table in Geneva. Putin said before an election it is too early to discuss Assad's future, including whether he would remain in Syria. The Russian leader hinted it would be no problem for his country to welcome Assad, saying it was more difficult to grant asylum to former U.S. national security contractor Edward Snowden who fled to Russia in 2013 after leaking classified documents. For now, Putin said Russia will continue its military operations in Syria supporting both Assad's forces and rebel groups that are battling Islamic State. Japan said on Tuesday it has told China that any foreign naval vessel that enters Japanese waters for reasons other than "innocent passage" will be told to leave by a Japanese naval patrol, signalling a potential escalation in a long-running dispute. Japan had informed China of its decision in November, after Chinese navy ships sailed near disputed isles in the East China Sea known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference. Japan's government, Suga said, had approved the course of action last May. "If a foreign naval vessel transits our waters for [purposes] other than innocent passage, we will order a sea patrol and take the step of having the Self-Defense Force unit order withdrawal," Suga told a news conference. Japan refers to its military as a Self-Defense Force. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei, asked about the remarks, said China was determined to protect its territory, repeating its standard line that the islands had been Chinese "since ancient times". "At the same time we do not want to see a rise in tensions in the East China Sea and are willing to appropriately manage, control and resolve the issue via dialogue and consultations," Hong told a daily news briefing in Beijing. Suga's comments followed a Yomiuri newspaper report that Japanese navy ships would be sent to urge Chinese naval ships to leave if they came within about 22 km (12 nautical miles) of the islands for reasons other than "innocent passage". The tiny islands are under Japan's control. The dispute over them has been a major sticking point in the countries' often contentious relations in recent years. Late last year, a Chinese coastguard vessel with what appeared to be gun turrets entered territorial waters claimed by Japan near the islands, Japan's coastguard said, adding that it was the first such incursion by an armed Chinese vessel in the area. The official China Daily reported on Tuesday China's coastguard was preparing to launch a new, large, armed vessel, which could be assigned to cover the South China Sea, where China has territorial disputes with several Southeast Asian neighbors. The 12,000 ton ship will be armed with one 76-mm cannon and anti-aircraft guns, the newspaper said. Most Chinese coastguard ships are unarmed or only have water cannons. The ship, along with a sister vessel also yet to enter service, are larger than two Japanese coastguard vessels which are the world's largest active coastguard ships, the newspaper added. Hama Amadou, a major opposition figure approved to stand in Niger's February elections just two days ago, failed on Monday in an attempt to gain release from prison in a plea to the country's appeals court. President Mahamadou Issoufou, a key Western ally in the fight against Islamist militancy in the fragile Sahara region, is expected to win a second term; but critics accuse him of becoming increasingly authoritarian, especially after uncovering what he described as an aborted coup in December. Amadou, a one-time ally to the president, was jailed in November for alleged complicity in a baby trafficking ring upon return from a year-long exile. He has publicly denied the charges, which he says are politically motivated. The opposition figure was among 15 candidates that Niger's constitutional court approved on Saturday to stand in presidential elections in the uranium-producing West African country on February 21. "With this rejection of conditional release, the regime succeeded with its first knock-out blow," said Souley Oumara, his lawyer. The appeals court did not give a reason for its decision, and Amadou can appeal to the supreme court. The government was not immediately available for comment. Tensions The ruling could reignite tensions between government and the opposition which had been temporarily allayed by the implementation of changes to the electoral register sought by Issoufou's critics. "There's no reason to keep Hama [Amadou] in prison, especially since he is not directly accused in this alleged child [trafficking] affair and when all the other defendants have been released," said opposition spokesman Ousseini Salatou. Ali Sadou, a supporter of Amadou's Moden party in the streets of Niamey, said: "The government must have put pressure on the judges because they are afraid of our leader." Amadou's lawyers were not present in court on Monday because Niger's bar association called a one-day strike against what it sees as arbitrary detentions by the president's secret service that have denied lawyers access to clients. The country's secret service, the General Directorate of the Documentation and Security of the State, had interrogated Amadou, as well as members of his party and other opposition figures. "The DGDSE (secret service) cannot arrest and deny the right to a defense," said Samna Daouda, the head of Niger's bar association. "We must defend liberty and rights." Issoufou said in a televised address in December that plotters had planned the use of aerial firepower and had prevented transport of military vehicles from the capital to southern region Diffa. Several military officials were arrested. Amadou's imprisonment was not in connection with the alleged coup attempt. Iran is on the brink of reintroducing itself to the world economy as economic sanctions may be lifted soon in accordance with the nuclear deal struck in Vienna last year. Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. But last week, Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran after an attack on its embassy, following the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric. Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran are long-time rivals, believed to be fighting proxy wars in several countries. Analysts say Saudi officials object to Irans nuclear deal, as it brings its rival, Iran, closer to its allies in the West. Following the diplomatic split between Saudi Arabia and Iran the agreement will be harder to implement, according to Mark Fitzpatrick, the executive director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in the United States. Theres more ammunition for attacks on the nuclear deal, he said. I dont think that the nuclear deal is going to fall apart because of this, but its already a fragile agreement, and more and more pressure will add to the troubles in implementing it. The continuing diplomatic crisis is also stymieing other reformist efforts to normalize Irans relationship with the international community, according to Ali Vaez, the International Crisis Group's senior analyst for Iran. This has been very detrimental for Irans image, he says and for President Rouhanis efforts in basically turning the page in Irans pariah status. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is often referred to as a reformist working towards ending years of political and economic isolation in Iran. The nuclear deal, a centerpiece of these reforms, is expected to catapult Iran back into the global economy. Proceeding Well Despite the pressure, officials say economic sanctions against Iran are expected to be lifted as Iran completes key elements of the deal, which includes dismantling equipment that could be used to develop a nuclear weapon. My expectations are that this day could come rather soon and that the implementation of the agreements is proceeding well, said EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Monday. Its encouraging. News media in Iran report officials expect to decommission Irans Arak heavy water reactor within days, after previous reports the reactors core had already been filled with cement. Signs of Change The embassy attack and the continued diplomatic rift conjures the image of years past, when other embassies, including of the United States and Saudi Arabia were attacked in Iran, says Vaez of the Crisis Group. Now all of a sudden, Iran is seen once again as a country that attacks foreign embassies, he explains. And mobs that run in the streets of Tehran and chant death to a specific country. However, unlike past embassy attacks in Iran, he says, Iranian authorities have uniformly condemned the attackers, and a regional security chief was fired after the incident. Iran has also made diplomatic moves to repair the relationship, sending a letter to the U.N. Security Council shortly after the assault, expressing regret and vowing to prosecute offenders. But the apology fell short, according to Vaez, because Iran apologized to the international community in general, not specifically to Saudi Arabia. I think the Iranians now realize that they fell into a trap, he said. They were looking forward [to] this week, when sanctions are lifted and the implementation day of the nuclear deal arrives, for Iran to be able to come in from the cold and normalize its relations to the outside world. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 By Orkhan Guluzadeh - Trend: The Jan. 12 terrorist attack in Istanbul is mainly directed against Turkey's tourism, said Sanl Bahadir Koc, a research consultant at 21st Century Turkish Institute, who has an expertise in security issues. According to preliminary reports, the terrorist attack in the city killed 10 and injured 15. "It isn't a coincidence that the terrorist attack was carried out at Sultanahmet Square, which is visited by foreign tourists more often than any other sightseeing place in Istanbul," Koc told Trend Jan. 12. "It is too early to say what group stands behind the terrorist attack in Istanbul, either PKK or the IS," he said. Koc also speculated that special services of some countries could also be responsible for the attack in Istanbul, but didn't elaborate which countries could stand behind it. He also didn't rule out the possibility that the terrorist attacks, which have been recently increasing in Turkey, can cause panic among the population. The explosion at Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul on Jan. 12 killed 10 and injured 15 people. It was reported that a suicide bomber blew himself up near the central mosque when tourists were passing by. Earlier, reports suggested that as many as 450 Turkish citizens joined the terrorist group "Islamic State" (aka IS, ISIS or ISIL) in Syria in 2015. It was also reported that according to Turkey's intelligence service, 100 people from those who joined the IS in Syria learned how to make bombs. Turkey's intelligence service also has information that the citizens of the country, who underwent a training with the IS militants, intend to return to Turkey to prepare terrorist attacks there. Earlier, two suicide bombers, who planned terrorist attacks during the New Year celebrations, were arrested in Ankara, late December 2015. On Oct. 10, 2015, some 97 people were killed and over 240 people were injured as a result of a terrorist attack in Ankara. The IS carried out that terrorist attack, said Turkey's National Intelligence Organization. Previously, the National Intelligence Organization warned of the possibility of other terrorist attacks in the country. "Some 20 more suicide bombers are preparing to carry out terrorist attacks in different cities in Turkey," said the National Intelligence Organization. The expected extradition of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to the United States could take a year, but prosecutors in seven U.S. cities are looking to bring him to trial on a long list of murder and drug trafficking charges. Federal U.S. law enforcement officials, including Attorney General Loretta Lynch, will ultimately decide where Guzman is tried. They will decide where they believe prosecutors have the strongest case against him linked to the hundreds of tons of cocaine, heroin and other drugs shipped across the border. The leading possibilities appear to include San Diego, California, where the United States first filed charges against him in 1996; Chicago, where one of Guzman's top lieutenants is already in custody and cooperating with authorities, and New York where Lynch was the top prosecutor before becoming the country's top law enforcement official. Guzman faces money laundering, drug trafficking, kidnapping and murder charges in the United States. Chicago is calling him "Public Enemy No. 1," the first time the city has used the moniker since it described crime boss Al Capone the same way at the height of the Prohibition fight against the sale of alcohol in the 1930s. President Obama, on Tuesday, congratulated Mexico for Guzman's apprehension. Guzman's lawyers have vowed to fight his extradition, but the Mexican government supports sending him to the United States for trial. Before Guzman escaped last July from a prison near Mexico City, Mexican authorities had balked at U.S. requests to extradite him. Mexico is again holding Guzman at the Altiplano prison he escaped from, but authorities say they have beefed up security, stationing a military tank outside the prison and perhaps more importantly installing thick metal rods centimeters apart under the floor of his cell to prevent his tunneling out of the facility like he did six months ago. "I think it's safe to assume," U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said, "that they understand that the world is watching how this case moves forward and that this individual needs to stay behind bars." Before Mexican authorities captured him in a shootout Friday, Guzman managed to escape briefly through a tunnel hidden behind a closet mirror in the home where he was hiding in Los Mochis, a seaside city in Guzman's native Sinaloa state. A 20-meter passage led to a steel-hatch door, which officials said opened to the city's storm drainage system. Mexican authorities said Guzman and his security chief, Orso Ivan Gastelum, fled through the drainage network for a kilometer before popping out of a manhole and hijacking a car, but were soon apprehended Mexican authorities say they want to question American actor Sean Penn, who interviewed Guzman in October for a story posted on Rolling Stone magazine's web site Saturday, and Mexican actress Kate del Castillo who helped arrange Penn's meeting with Guzman. Mexican authorities say they found out about Penn's seven-hour meeting with Guzman, which eventually helped them track down the Sinaloa drug chief. Penn's interview with Guzman sparked criticism in the United States. Journalists questioned Penn's agreement to allow Guzman the right to review the article before it was published, although Rolling Stone said he did not change anything. In the interview, Guzman boasted, "I supply more heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana than anybody else in the world. I have a fleet of submarines, airplanes, trucks and boats." Penn described Guzman as "entirely unapologetic." "If there was not consumption, there would be no sales," Guzman says about his drug trafficking. "It is true that consumption, day after day, becomes bigger and bigger. So it sells and sells." Guzman's July 11 prison escape, his second in the past 14 years, was a major embarrassment for the administration of President Enrique Pena Nieto, which had been praised for its aggressive push against Mexico's top drug traffickers. Guzman was first captured in 1993, but escaped in 2001 with the help of prison guards. After more than a decade on the loose, he was recaptured early in 2014, with the help of intelligence that U.S. authorities provided to Mexico. Mexico has issued arrest warrants for more than 20 former officials, guards and police officers for their alleged participation in Guzman's escape last year. Ten civilians are also in detention. The Sierra Leone government has distanced itself from a letter supposedly written by a senior adviser to President Ernest Bai Koroma granting permission to the Dutch Chamber of Commerce for the importation of baled and non-hazardous Municipal waste into Sierra Leone as long as the materials are not toxic in nature. The government said in a statement it did not authorize any official of government to approve such a deal. The government said it understands the health and environmental risks of toxic wastes and will never expose the public to such long-term risks. The letter was signed by Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, senior special adviser to President Koroma. Kargbo told VOA his letter to the Dutch Chamber of Commerce made clear that the waste materials should be for the development of fertilizer for agriculture purposes and should not be toxic. I gave that advisory letter to the agent of a Dutch farm in Lebanon who said he wanted to come here and set up a plant to manufacture fertilizer. I did inform him in that letter that if he wanted to go through the process of investing in this country he should be very certain that, even if it is utilizing domestic waste, it should be toxic-free, he said. Koroma said he also advised the person to whom the letter had been sent that anything that might expose the public to long-term health and environment risk should be treated as paramount because the government did not want to be dragged into the embarrassment of toxic waste. We also did say in the letter that no decision will be cleared if it did not have the approval of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Koroma said. A government statement Monday said President Koroma has instructed the office of national security and the police to conduct criminal investigations into the circumstances surrounding this matter. On Monday, special adviser Kargbo was called to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for questioning about the transfer of foreign waste to Sierra Leone. The simple thing is that they wanted to know where that letter came from. And I did say yes it came from my office. But of course they could see not much damage in it or any illegal element in it. So I was released. But the important thing is whatever I did in good faith to protect the country from any difficulty that has to do with toxic waste, Kargbo said. He said he did nothing illegal and that he encouraged the Dutch because they wanted to build a fertilizer plant in a country where there is no fertilizer. Kargbo said President Koroma was not in the initial stages of the arrangement although he would have eventually been brought in on the arrangement. Of course we had agreed with the investors that they should start the process by meeting first and foremost the people who are in charge of these areas. But also importantly we wanted to make it very clear that the president came in only at a time when it was very clear as to what these fellows wanted to do. Yes, normally the president comes in, but you dont bring the president in at the beginning, Kargbo said. Six people have been killed in three days of unrest in Sudan's Darfur region, a local official said Monday, as a joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission to the area urged the government to contain and investigate the violence. UNAMID said tensions had developed after an unidentified group attacked the village of Mouli on Jan. 9, displacing large numbers of residents to the town of El Geneina, where they protested the next day at the governor's office, leading to the closure of local businesses and schools. "[UNAMID] has been receiving reports of continuous unrest and sporadic firing across El Geneina and in Mouli with an undetermined number of casualties. UNAMID calls on the government authorities to exert their utmost efforts to contain the situation and investigate the incidents," it said in a statement. Khaled Abdallah, governor of West Darfur, told Blue Nile TV that six people had been killed and three wounded. He said rebels had incited displaced civilians to attack the government headquarters and governor's residence in El Geneina. Protesters had opened fire on security forces Monday, prompting them to respond, he said. "The situation in the town is now stable," he added. Residents of El Geneina said there was a heavy security presence and that they could hear the sound of shots coming from different districts. The Darfur conflict began in 2003 when mainly non-Arab tribes took up arms against the Arab-led government in Khartoum, accusing it of discrimination. According to the United Nations, as many as 300,000 people have been killed, some 4.4 million people need aid and more than 2.5 million have been displaced. Although the killings have eased, the insurgency continues and Khartoum has sharply escalated attacks on rebel groups over the past year. UNAMID has long faced accusations of failing to do enough to protect Darfur's civilians. The International Criminal Court indicted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in 2009 for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur. A Philippines official says Manila will ask Washington to continue patrols in the South China Sea to ensure freedom of navigation in the area, a strategic passageway for many commercial and military ships, during Tuesday's ministerial level talks in Washington. Although the possibility of joint patrols by the U.S. and its Asian security allies may also be discussed, analysts see them as unlikely. So more operations, yes; but not necessarily jointly with the U.S., said Bonnie Glaser, Director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington think tank. Dubbed as the U.S.-Philippines two-plus-two talks, Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Ash Carter will meet with their counterparts from the Philippines on Tuesday to discuss regional security issues. I can assure you that tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly the South China Sea, will be on the agenda. It's a concern that we and our Philippine friends and allies share, and I suspect they'll have a pretty robust discussion about it tomorrow, said State Department Spokesman John Kirby on Monday. Patrols on the quiet Analyst Glaser said the more frequent patrols might be done quietly. "They are conducted routinely and normally. They are not intended to be provocative. They are simply intended to be an exercise of freedom of navigation, said Glaser. She added that such operations have been conducted all over the world since late 1970s. Dean Cheng, Senior Research Fellow of the Heritage Foundation, said U.S. maritime patrols are not in support of or in opposition to any states territorial claims because the U.S. takes no position on sovereign claims in disputed waters in the South China Sea. For the United States, the message is all about freedom of the high seas, the right for ships of all nations to transit international waters unmolested, and rejecting efforts by states to extend their sovereignty claims into international waters, added Cheng. Other issues likely to be discussed at the meeting include U.S. military access to the Philippines, possible future arms sales, as well as broader U.S. activities in the Asia Pacific region. Under the bilateral Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement signed by the U.S. and the Philippines in 2014, the U.S. military has access to bases in the Philippines for rotational deployments. Last October, USS Lassen transited within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef, one of China's man-made features in the South China Sea. It was accompanied by two U.S. maritime surveillance aircraft. South Korea said Monday it will limit its citizens' stay at the inter-Korean industrial complex in the North Korean border city of Kaesong, in response to Pyongyang's latest suspected nuclear test. The measure follows last week's move limiting South Koreans' entry to the complex. South Korea's Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee told reporters his government will limit the number of South Koreans staying overnight at the facility to the minimum level required to run the operation at the complex, where about 53,000 North Koreans are working at about 120 factories run by South Korean companies. "This is part of our efforts to strengthen the protection of our citizens in anticipation of possible actions by North Korea in response to the resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts," Jeong said during a press briefing, in reference to Seoul's resumption of loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts across the demilitarized zone. Minimum staff allowed The new measure taking effect Tuesday bans South Korean food vendors at the complex from staying overnight there, which would reduce the number of South Koreans staying overnight at the complex to about 650. Currently, about 800 South Koreans are staying overnight at the complex each day. Yoo Chang-keun, vice chairman of South Korea's Kaesong Industrial Complex Business Association, told VOA the move will affect its production. "They are already operating with the minimum number of staff. They may have no option but to cut production," Yoo said. On Monday, South Korea's Defense Ministry said Pyongyang has expanded its own loudspeaker broadcasts against Seoul. Citing a military source, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported Saturday that the communist country had started the propaganda broadcasts. The content includes messages glorifying Kim Jong Un and attacking South Korean President Park Geun-hye. The broadcasts appeared to be too weak to hear clearly on the South Korean side, according to the ministry. Last week, South Korea took a series of steps in a retaliatory move against North Korea, saying the nuclear test violated an inter-Korean agreement reached in August. The deal calls for easing tensions on the Korean peninsula and promoting dialogue and exchanges between the two sides. The Turkish government has imposed what it called a "limited" media ban on news coverage following Tuesday's suicide bombing in Istanbul. The ban was ordered by Turkey's Radio and Television Supreme Council and signed by Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus. The government says the ban is "temporary." "Preventing the public order from being very seriously undermined" was the reason written on the media blackout order. Turkish journalists operate under some of the most restrictive media conditions in the world, media watchdog groups say. There has been a spike in prosecutions of journalists in Turkey, many charged with anti-terrorism offenses and under laws against insulting the president. Last March, the Turkish government ordered a media ban after a hostage situation in an Istanbul courthouse. Another ban was ordered regarding the investigation of two blasts in Ankara in October. The Turkish government also put a ban on news stories last year about a legislative panel's investigation of the four former ministers allegedly involved in corruption. Gag order rules, critics Ali Akel, a journalist-commentator, told VOA that this week's media gag order was intended to cover only camera and video recordings at the blast site. "The Turkish government did not want blood and human remains from the scene to be broadcast" Akel said. But Anadolu news agency reported the ban was far more sweeping and could impact news reports and analysis. Most Turkish media covered Tuesday's bombing despite the government ban, and photos and video were streamed on social media by news outlets. The opposition Republican People's Party leader, Kemal Klcdaroglu, chastised the Turkish ban in comments to members of his party. "A suicide bomb explodes in a place like Istanbul, at the heart of tourism in Sultanahmet, and you have no measures taken," he said. "Then what do you do? You impose a ban on reporting even before ambulances arrive [on the scene]." The United Nations says it expects agencies to deliver more aid this week to tens of thousands of starving people in Madaya and other besieged Syrian cities. The International Red Cross and several U.N. agencies in a first convoy of 47 trucks delivered food and medical supplies Monday to 40,000 inhabitants of Madaya, which is besieged by pro-government forces. In a parallel operation, international aid also was brought to 20,000 people in the rebel-held northern Syrian towns of Fouaa and Kfarya in Idlib Province. The United Nations says it is planning to send more aid this week to these three places and the besieged town of Zabadani, which neighbors Madaya. A spokesman for the U.N. Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Jens Laerke, says 4.5 million people are living in hard to reach places in Syria. Almost 400,000 people in Syria are trapped in areas besieged by the various parties to the conflict," he said. "The use of siege and starvation as a method of war has become routine and systematic, with complete disregard for civilian life. Representative for the U.N. refugee agency in Syria, Sajjid Malik, traveled on the first convoy to reach Madaya. By telephone from Damascus, he describes his horror at seeing so many starving people fighting for survival in the freezing cold. People around us who were shivering, who were very frail, very weak," he said. "You could see that they are malnourished, not only the kids, but also young and the youth that were around the trucks that we were offloading ... Most of them had not had bread, rice or vegetables or fruit for months. Malik is calling for the sieges on Madaya and other hard to reach places in Syria to be lifted. He says it is critical for humanitarian agencies to have access to the communities so aid can be delivered on a regular basis and not once every few months. Without sustained support he says the present humanitarian operation to Madaya will just be a band-aid, because within a matter of days people will start running out of food and medicine. Top U.S. officials reaffirmed Washington's "ironclad" security commitment to Manila on Tuesday, applauding a ruling by the Philippine Supreme Court to uphold a bilateral defense agreement with the U.S., which could strengthen maritime security cooperation. "We welcome the Philippine Supreme Court's decision that the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement is consistent with the Philippine constitution," said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. "We look forward to implementing this accord, which will increase the interoperability of our armed forces and contribute to modernization and improve our joint capacity to respond to humanitarian emergencies." Kerry and Defense Secretary Ash Carter met with Filipino Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin in Washington for the second so-called "two-plus-two" talks on revitalizing the alliance between the two countries. "For us, that means very soon and we're working on this right now deciding together how we want to use that opportunity to strengthen our maritime security capabilities and our role in keeping a peaceful region, a region without divisions and without tensions, and a region where everyone has freedom to carry out their affairs, including commerce, in their own way," Carter said. South China Sea tensions The first U.S.-Philippines defense and foreign affairs ministerial talks were held in 2012. The bilateral U.S.-Philippines Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement was signed in 2014, but faced legal challenges from groups opposing a U.S. military presence. The Philippine High Court's ruling will bolster U.S. efforts to reassert its presence in Asia. Rosario said the ruling "opens up new opportunities to further deepen this enduring alliance." It comes at a time of heightened tensions in the South China Sea. Recent Chinese test flights on Fiery Cross Reef have drawn protests from countries including the Philippines. "There are many aspects to that security cooperation and that joint umbrella, if you like, Carter said. One of those is freedom of navigation and freedom of the commons. The United States has indicated our intention to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, whether it be the South China Sea or anywhere else around the world." A U.S. airstrike hit a cash storage building in Mosul, Iraq, sending millions of dollars of Islamic State money up in smoke, the Pentagon confirmed Monday. A Pentagon official said the cash came from illicit activity, including oil sales, looting and extortion. Officials do not know exactly how much money was destroyed or what currency it was in, but say this was not the first time a U.S. airstrike has hit a cash storage facility. U.S. coalition airstrikes have been increasingly targeting the terrorist group's money-making abilities, including targeting trucks the Islamic State uses to sell oil on the black market. The Islamic State has occupied Mosul, Iraq's largest city, since August 2014. A U.S. magistrate has charged a 31-year-old U.S. citizen with providing material support to the terrorist group al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-linked extremist group operating primarily in southern Somalia and the African Great Lakes region. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, in a statement Monday, identified the suspect as Maryland resident Maalik Alim Jones, alleging he traveled to Somalia for training from al-Shabab, before taking up arms as a "terrorist fighter with an organization that has declared the United States a target." Authorities say Jones traveled from New York to Kenya, with stopovers in Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, before traveling by land to Somalia, where they allege "he was trained to kill and destroy communities." U.S. officials say the suspect was trained in automatic weaponry and rocket-propelled grenade warfare at an al-Shabab camp in Somalia. The U.S. statement also alleges that Jones was apprehended while attempting to enter Yemen, where Saudi-allied Sunni fighters are battling Iran-backed Shi'ite rebels for control of the impoverished country on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Authorities allege Jones also appeared with other al-Shabab fighters in at least two recruitment videos that were recovered from an al-Shabab fighter. No pre-trial hearing dates were announced Monday, but the Department of Justice said the case will be prosecuted in the southern judicial district of New York. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: The terrorist attack in Istanbul was carried out by a Syrian citizen, TRT Haber news channel quoted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying Jan. 12. Erdogan further said all the countries must unite in the fight against terrorism, adding the terrorist attack in Istanbul is a clear proof of that. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted Jan. 12 that the explosion in Istanbul was a terrorist attack. The explosion at Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul on Jan. 12 killed 10 and injured 15 people, according to preliminary reports. It was reported that a suicide bomber blew himself up near the central mosque when tourists were passing by. Earlier, it was reported that as many as 450 Turkish citizens joined the terrorist group "Islamic State" (aka IS, ISIS or ISIL) in Syria in 2015. It was also reported that according to the country's intelligence service, 100 people from those who joined the IS in Syria learned how to make bombs. Turkey's intelligence service also has information that the citizens of the country, who underwent a training with the IS militants, intend to return to Turkey to prepare terrorist attacks there. Earlier, two suicide bombers, who planned terrorist attacks during the New Year celebrations, were arrested in Ankara, late December 2015. On Oct. 10, 2015, some 97 people were killed and over 240 people were injured as a result of a terrorist attack in Ankara. According to the Turkish National Intelligence Organization, the IS carried out that terrorist attack. Previously, the Turkish National Intelligence Organization warned of the possibility of other terrorist attacks in the country. "Some 20 more suicide bombers are preparing to carry out terrorist attacks in different cities in Turkey," said the National Intelligence Organization. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Iraq's prime minister vowed Tuesday to press forward with the fight against Islamic State extremists, as he toured the wreckage of a Baghdad shopping mall hit by suicide bombers a day earlier. Haider al-Abadi described Monday's attack, which killed at least 24 people and wounded dozens more, as a "desperate attempt" by IS fighters who were driven from the western city of Ramadi by Iraqi forces late last month. A separate attack Monday north of Baghdad linked to Islamic State Sunni fighters killed at least 23 others. The latest violence against Shi'ites triggered a series of apparent retaliatory attacks Tuesday. Authorities said as many as seven Sunni mosques and dozens of shops in Iraq's east were firebombed, as the Baghdad government faced its worst uptick in deadly violence since the 2011 withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country. The U.S. State Department called the attacks "barbaric acts of terrorism," and a spokesman reiterated U.S. commitment to supporting Iraq in defeating the militants. "These attacks once again display the utter disregard ISIL has for the lives of innocent civilians," said spokesman John Kirby, using an acronym for Islamic State. "We stand united with the Iraqi people as they confront the scourge of violent extremism." Iraqi forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, are working to reclaim territory Islamic State seized after sweeping through large areas of western and northern Iraq in mid-2014. They recaptured Ramadi last month, and Abadi said the next focus would be Mosul, the country's second-largest city. A federal judge in California overseeing more than 500 lawsuits filed against German automaker Volkswagen AG over its excess diesel emissions on Monday said he planned to name a former FBI director to help settle the cases. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said he would name Robert S. Mueller, former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as "settlement master" in the VW lawsuits. Mueller, a Washington lawyer, will "use his considerable experience and judgment to facilitate settlement discussions among the various parties in these complex matters," Breyer wrote on Monday. Breyer said the need for a settlement adviser was "urgent" and will give VW and lawyers for all sides until Jan. 15 to object to the appointment. VW potentially faces billions of dollars in claims from owners of vehicles with excess emissions. Separately, the Justice Department sued VW last week under the Clean Air Act seeking up to $46 billion. VW has admitted to using software to allow 580,000 vehicles to emit up to 40 times legally allowable pollution. It also faces investigations by 47 state attorneys general. Breyer said there are "few, if any, people with more integrity, good judgment, and relevant experience" than Mueller. Breyer said Mueller is "uniquely qualified to work with and earn the trust of the parties, including the consumer and car dealer plaintiffs, the United States government, the Volkswagen defendants, and the interested state governments." Last month, VW named its own adviser, lawyer Ken Feinberg, to create a VW diesel owner claims program. Feinberg said the program is aimed in part at settling lawsuits out of court. Volkswagen of America Chief Executive Officer Michael Horn said Monday the goal of hiring Feinberg is to help customers. "Everything is quicker, less hassle, they get the money faster," Horn said. VW hasn't decided the details of the compensation program or on remedies, including potential vehicle buybacks. South Africa has been given a March 15 deadline to allow U.S. poultry into the country or lose duty-free access for its farming exports under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), according to a proclamation issued Monday by U.S. President Barack Obama. Last week, South Africa's Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, announced the two countries had completed negotiations on various meat imports, but U.S. Ambassador Michael Froman warned there were more hurdles for Pretoria. Froman said the United States needed to ensure South Africans were able to purchase U.S. poultry products before confirming that South Africa could enjoy full AGOA benefits. The U.S. proclamation reiterated that remark, saying, Suspending the application of duty-free treatment to certain goods would be more effective in promoting compliance by South Africa with such requirements than terminating the designation of South Africa as a beneficiary." A U.S. Trade Representative spokesman told Bloomberg news Tuesday, "With the substantive points resolved, we are able to move to the final benchmark: Testing the new system to make certain American poultry can be made available on store shelves in South Africa." South Africa Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) spokesman Sidwell Medupe told local Fin24 the DTI would issue a statement regarding the U.S. proclamation later Tuesday. If South Africa meets the March 15 deadline, Obama could revoke the proclamation or reinstate AGOA benefits after a suspension has taken place, the U.S. Trade Representative told South African media. Obama had warned November 5 that he would revoke the duty-free status of South African agricultural produce unless Pretoria took action by the end of 2015 to loosen restrictions on U.S. farm exports. Eliminating barriers to U.S. trade and investment is one of the criteria for membership of AGOA, which was renewed by the U.S. Congress in June and provides duty-free access to goods from sub-Saharan African countries, ranging from crude oil to clothing. South Africa exported $176 million in agricultural products to the United States under AGOA in 2014 and potential lost benefits are estimated to total $4 million to $7 million. The White House says a bill that seeks to bar the U.S. from lifting certain sanctions against Iran would violate commitments necessary to implement the international agreement to limit the Iranian nuclear program. Iran made the deal with the U.S., Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany last year to cut back its nuclear activity and allay concerns it was trying to build nuclear weapons. In exchange, those countries agreed to lift economic sanctions they imposed because of the alleged nuclear arms work. The legislation in the House of Representatives would prohibit removing sanctions against individuals and companies until the president certifies they were not involved in transactions with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, a terrorist organization, or anyone whose property has been blocked in relation to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget said President Barack Obama's administration strongly opposes the bill and would veto it if the House and Senate both approve the measure. An OMB policy statement released Monday said the bill would prevent the U.S. from fulfilling its commitments by linking the nuclear deal with unrelated issues. It said those included past activities and individuals who would no longer be subject to sanctions once the agreement goes into effect. The consequences, according to the White House, include the potential "collapse of a comprehensive diplomatic arrangement that peacefully and verifiably prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon." Opponents of the nuclear deal have said it gives Iran far too much relief, unlocking billions of dollars while leaving the country with too much of a nuclear program to trust it will not try to make nuclear weapons. Iran has long insisted its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes. The OMB statement said the White House "remains clear-eyed" about the concerns of Congress and the American people, and reiterated that lifting sanctions tied to the nuclear program would not effect the sanctions enacted against Iran for other reasons. "Powerful sanctions targeting Iran's support for terrorism, its ballistic missile activities, its human rights abuses, and its destabilizing activities in the region remain in effect," read the statement. Iranian media said Monday the government had begun work to dismantle the core of the Arak heavy water reactor, one of the steps it must complete with verification from U.N. monitors in order to get the sanctions relief. The 5th International PEN Tibet Congress held its inaugural function this morning in Dharamsala. The chief guests at the function were Tashi Tsering, Director of Amnye Machen Research Center, and Thupten Samphel, Director of the Central Tibetan Administrations Tibet Policy Institute. Tashi Tsering, addressed the gathering by highlighting the challenges and difficulties faced by lay authors in the early days of the Tibetan exile community and the various pressures from the exile government on writers. He held up some books which he said were nearly banned in the exile community as evidences of the problems faced by authors and writers. Tsering urged PEN members to distinguish themselves by researching the work and conditions of authors and writers inside Tibet. Thupten Samphel reminded the young writers at the conference of the saying, The pen is mightier than the sword and urged them to make writing an integral part of the non-violent struggle for Tibet. After the inauguration, the congress held its main debate session with invited speakers, and it will elect new executive members on Tuesday. The 16th Tibetan Parliaments North America Chidthue debate took place on Saturday at the Ernst Cultural Center on the Annandale Campus of Northern Virginia Community College. All six candidates running for the two posts allocated to Tibetans living in the US and Canada took place in the debate: Pema Chagzoetsang, Kalsang Phuntsok Godrukpa, Tashi Namgyal, Tenzin Rangdol, Tsewang Rigzin and Kalsang GGT. The candidates were asked questions related to Dalai Lamas devolution of political powers, the Shugden problem, Sino-Tibetan dialogue, preservation of Tibetan language and culture for Tibetans in North America, issues related to the candidates personal life and work for Tibet, and their future plans and goals in the event of their victory in the race. According to Regional Capital Area Tibetan Youth Congress who organized the debate, nearly 150 area Tibetans attended the debate which included some Tibetans who came from as afr away as Charlottesville and New York City. Zimbabwean schools open for the first term with teachers threatening to engage in industrial action due to the governments failure to pay 2015 bonuses. Some Zimbabweans strongly back President Mugabes claims that the western sanctions are to blame for the countrys current socio-economic and political problems. Others blame Mr. Mugabes government of mismanagement. Experts weigh in on the payment of annual bonuses of workers with indications that contractual issues largely determine such packages even when a nation and companies experience cash flow problems. And For the seventh and final time of his presidency, Barack Obama will today stand before Congress and the American public to lay out his vision not only for his remaining months in office, but for the future of the United States. Stay tuned for these stories and more coming up on Studio 7 at 7:30 pm on 9-0-9 Medium Wave and on the 4-9-3-0, 5-9-4-0 and 1-5-4-6-0 shortwave frequencies. Please check us out on Facebook. We are also on WhatsApp and Twitter. Today on LiveTalk our hosts of The Connection Ntungamili Nkomo and Tatenda Gumbo will be talking with listeners and experts about the opening of schools today and how children and parents are coping with paying school fees. Send us your numbers on our WhatsApp number 001 202 465 0318. The number again 001 202 465 0318. Stay tuned!!!!!! The virus that causes AIDS, the Human Immuno Deficiency Virus (HIV), is no longer the life-threatening medical condition it once was, when it was first discovered more than 30 years ago. However, despite it now being termed a chronic but treatable disease, enabling many with it to live long healthy lives, fear of stigma still prevents many from exposing their status or going for testing. Health experts warn that stigma could defeat efforts to end the spread of the disease. Elophi Sibanda, an HIV/AIDS consultant with the Southern African Development Community (SADC), told VOA Studio 7, that while stigmatization is declining, more awareness is needed, especially from leaders in the community and other influential areas. Stigma came at a time when HIV was not treatable, when it was very difficult to manage it and when people were associating it HIV infection with almost the loss of lives. I think we have made a lot of gains in that now in that HIV is now treated as a chronic disease which will last for many years. So, the question on how to deal with stigma is really to increase the gospel, if you like, of how well we are now able to manage the condition. He said moves by parliamentarians to get tested and publicize their results helped a lot in reducing the stigma though that was not supposed to be a one-off event. I think the example by parliamentarians was actually excellent as they were trying to face the fact that stigma is one of the causes of the increasing rate of HIV. Professor Sibanda noted that popular Zimbabweans will help in reducing the stigma if they publicized their status. It should be able to change for the better but its a process. Its a matter of process where people who are HIV positive will be able to tell everybody else and they may as individuals want to discuss that but maybe they have to consult families and so on, he said. Some government employees who are yet to receive their 2015 bonus have expressed dismay in the manner the government has reneged on the 13th cheque payment initially slated for November 2015 and pushed to January this year. It still remains unclear if all civil servants will get their bonuses that were promised by President Robert Mugabe after Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa announced that the government was too broke to pay 13th cheques last year. The Zimbabwe government announced recently that it will stagger bonus payments due to its tight fiscal space caused by a non-performing economy. This has infuriated state workers who say they should have been paid their bonuses last year. A Mutare-based teacher, Pardon Mazhambe, said he is unhappy with what the government is doing though indications are that it is almost broke. Mazhambe said he is now heavily indebted and cannot meet his financial obligations due to the non-payment of his bonus. I have so many accounts that need to be settled and my only hope of doing so is through the bonus that still remains outstanding up to now. He added that 2016 started on a low note and indications are that this will continue, forcing workers to live from hand to mouth. Another government employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals as he has no authority to speak to the media without official clearance, said it is highly unlikely that the state will pay workers the promised bonuses. Some government employees have been shying away from openly discussing the outstanding bonuses as it has suddenly become a hot issue following the arrest of 20 policemen in Bindura district, who created a WhatsApp chat in which they were discussing the non-payment of 13th cheques. First were journalists, who were sucked into the controversy when it was reported in a local daily newspaper that the government had allegedly secretly paid bonuses of operatives of its spy agency, the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO). Newsday deputy editor, Nqaba Matshazi, journalist Xolisani Ncube, and Sifikile Thabethe, a representative of their company, Alpha Media Holdings, are facing charges of allegedly writing falsehoods. This is scaring a lot of government workers though some of them are adamant that they are entitled to the bonuses even if the governments coffers are in bad shape. State employee, Charles Garwe, said though most workers doubt that the government will pay the bonuses, they believe that 13th cheques normally boost the morale of workers and their disposable income. We would appreciate if the bonus is paid as promised as it has put us in the deep end. We had made so many plans around the money and failure to pay is very suicidal to many of us. The situation is not the same with some workers in the non-profit making business, whose contracts do not include any bonus payment. Louis Kahari, who works for a local non-governmental organization, said his three-year contract does not have any bonus provision since they dont make any profit. We had not been promised any bonus and therefore we had not made any plans on it and its life as usual for some of us in the NGO sector, but I am sorry for my colleagues in government who anticipated it. The non-payment of civil servants bonuses has suddenly become very political and in the same vein disrupted plans of most government employees, including other downstream beneficiaries of the 13th cheque. Schools opened for the 2016 first term Tuesday with reports that some of them were turning away children for non-payment of fees. This came at a time the government introduced a $2 and $5 building levy per child for primary and secondary schools respectively. Teachers Union of Zimbabwe chief executive officer, Manuel Nyawo, said as an organization representing teachers who were also parents, they found it heartless on the part of schools that are turning away children. He also criticized the government for introducing the levy when parents were struggling to pay school fees for their children. Studio 7 failed to reach Education Minister Lazarus Dokora for a comment as he was not responding to calls made on his mobile phone. But Nyawo told Studio 7 they will approach the government to seek a clarification since the constitution clearly stipulates that no child should be barred from attending classes because of non-payment of any fees. We are even appealing to the government of Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, in particular Minister Lazarus Dokora, to make sure that corrective measures are taken, Nyawo said. Meanwhile, the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe said its members throughout all the provinces have proposed industrial action ranging from a strike, sit-in, stay away, demonstration, march, go-slow to even picketing. The union posted a message on its Facebook page that after carefully considering all these options the leadership is convinced a go-slow is a good starting point. It noted that their attitudes and actions must harden as they meet in their staff rooms starting Tuesday. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12 By Orhan Quluzade - Trend: Closure of the border with Syria is not the best way for Turkey to fight terrorism, Armagan Kuloglu, a retired Turkish major general, told Trend in an exclusive interview Jan. 12. An explosion at Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul on Jan. 12 killed 10 and injured 15 people. It was reported that a suicide bomber blew himself up near the central mosque when tourists were passing by. On Jan. 12, after the terrorist attack in Istanbul, several Turkish media outlets reported that Ankara can close the border with Syria for security purposes. Authorities have so far made no comments on these reports. Kuloglu said that currently there are Turkish citizens who have close ties with terrorists in Syria and previously were trained in terrorist camps, adding that they can organize attacks in Turkey. Therefore, Kuloglu believes that the closure of the border with Syria will not solve problems of terrorism in Turkey. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade The government and civil servants are engaged in a war of words over the state's failure to pay bonuses that were due in November. But are the bonuses a privilege or a right? The South African Labor Guide says a bonus is normally referred to as a gratuity - "in other words, a payment of gratitude by the employer to the employee in recognition of a job well done, or if you are going the extra mile. " However, over the years most employees have come to expect the payment of the 13th cheque as a right or entitlement, or as a condition of employment. But there may come a time, in the case of the government when the economy performs poorly, an employer is unable to pay a 13th cheque despite having paid consistently for years. In this case, experts say it is highly necessary that the employees be informed at least six months in advance that the 13th cheque will not be paid. This is what Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa attempted to do. In April last year, Chinamasa announced that government had suspended civil servants performance bonuses for 2015 and 2016 as it sought to tame its ballooning wage bill and create fiscal space. The minister announced that the position would be reviewed in the 2017 national budget. He said the cash-strapped government had also failed to complete payment of 2014 bonuses, while at the same time struggling to meet its US$260 million monthly salary bill. Chinamasa said the government was committed to paying all the outstanding bonus obligations and bemoaned the collapse of the formal economy and the rise of the informal sector that was difficult to tax. I would want to clearly state that as government, we would be more comfortable with a situation where revenue growth is driven by an expanding tax base instead of continuously changing the tax policy, he said. MUGABE VS CHINAMASA But Chinamasas pronouncement was vetoed by President Robert Mugabe, who took a swipe at him, accusing him of running a parallel government and saying the scrapping of the bonuses was not approved by the cabinet or the presidency. Chinamasa admitted that mistakes were made and procedures were not followed. He was forced to withdraw his earlier directive and promised to pay the so called 13th cheque. But two months later, the government is yet to pay the bonuses and workers are threatening to go on strike. President of the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association, Fortune Nyamande, says health workers are giving the government until the end of the month to pay bonuses or they will down their stethoscopes. "We have resolved that should our 2015 bonuses not be disbursed on or before the 31st of December, our members countrywide will not be able to attend to their duties from the 1st of January 2016. Our legal advisors have also been tasked to mount a legal challenge on this contractual violation and measures will be enacted to protect our doctors from threats and victimization," Secretary general of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, Raymond Majongwe, says teachers are disillusioned and will embark on a go slow or industrial action. PROFESSOR MOYO ATTACKS WORKERS But Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Jonathan Moyo posted on his twitter account that some workers, including civil servants, seeking bonuses do not deserve the 13th cheque as they were non-performers and drunkards. Moyo said payment of bonuses should be for extra performance at work and not an entitlement. The question that arises is whether bonuses are a privilege or a right? In a follow up interview with Newsday, Moyo said this issue is a "legitimate and very serious debate that we should have as a nation with open minds outside cheap politics. He added that, My opinion is that in a modern economy such as ours, a salary bonus should be only performance-based. There should be no entitlement to a bonus regardless of ones performance. Prominent labor lawyer, Roger Matsikidze, says whether the bonus is a privilege or right depends on the contract signed by the two parties. HIGH COURT CASE Constitutional law expert, Professor Madhuku, says this is not the first time government has clashed with workers over bonuses as the two parties were in court in 1995 and the court ruled in favor of the government. He says, The state, citing financial constraints, decided not to pay a bonus in 1995 and exercised its legislative power to amend the provision on bonuses. The civil servants challenged this exercise of power by the employee, which had the effect of taking away their rights to a bonus. "In the High Court, they succeeded. On appeal, the Supreme Court was divided. By a majority of 3-2, the Supreme Court ruled that the state had power to pass legislation which had the effect of altering its obligation with its employers (whether those obligations were contractual or otherwise)." President of the Employers Confederation of Zimbabwe, John Mufukari, says it has become difficult to pay bonuses in Zimbabwe as the economy is struggling. "I do not subscribe to that argument because the employer has been able to pay bonuses for along time, does not make it an obligation that, that bonus ought to be paid. It is understood that bonuses are a way of thanking workers, for the work done during the year. "A way of sharing the excess that the workers produced over what was expected of them from the 12 months pay. So if no excess was produced then,were is that bonus going to come from." But Mufukari says government must have alerted workers well in advance that it has no capacity to pay workers. What happens if the government fails to pay bonuses? Matsikidze says it will demoralize the workers. Madhuku says the civil servants at this juncture have a legal leg to stand on and they can successfully sue the government as it did not give them sufficient time. He adds that the "bonus had accrued by November 2015 and the money is already due and payable and so it cannot be withdrawn" Experts agree that employee bonuses are compensation for the work that the employee has performed. Employers often pay the employee a bonus in addition to the employees regular salary or wages. Labor experts say not all bonuses are created equal and this often results in many questions about an employees rights and bonus laws. While some of these may be ethical questions, others are legal and require experienced legal insight. President Robert Mugabe has over the years blamed the West for ruining Zimbabwe through imposing targeted sanctions on him and his inner circle, a claim that has been dismissed as far-fetched by critics who say he has destroyed a once vibrant economy that survived restrictive measures under the colonial Ian Douglas Smith government. Most Zanu PF supporters strongly believe in President Mugabes claims that targeted sanctions are to blame for Zimbabwes past and current social, economic and political problems. They are adamant that the sanctions imposed by America, Australia and the European Union have ruined an economy whose dollar was once at par with the British pound and other major currencies. These nations imposed the sanctions after accusing President Robert Mugabes ruling Zanu PF party of gross human rights violations and alleged election fraud. With his back on the wall, the president, who has been in power since independence from British rule in 1980, has come up fighting telling the West to leave his country alone. Such utterances have attracted friends and foes alike with some Zimbabweans and other nationalities backing him for fighting against what they perceive as Western neo-colonialism. But there are others like, Takunda Serima, a politics student at a local university, who says the current crisis in Zimbabwe was caused by leaders without a vision. Serima says, Mugabe has failed to run this country successfully because from 1980 the Zimbabwe dollar, the currency then used to be at par with the US dollar but right now since Mugabe came into power everything just started to come down. Looking at the policies Mugabe and his party tried to introduce, all of them failed and right now we are still sinking. Right now they are even failing to pay civil servants. Mugabe has been blaming sanctions for all these failures but it is actually a political gimmick to mislead the people. The actual fact on the ground is that Mugabe has failed to lead this country. Harare resident, Amos Ndodana, concurs, adding that the economic crisis gripping Zimbabwe is due to bad governance. Check the amount of money and resources that came from the West and European countries, millions of dollars that were poured in terms of humanitarian aid. A country that is under sanctions not such an amount could have come from these countries. The economy has gone down because of corruption, mis-governance and misplaced priorities, says Ndodana. Former Economic Development Minister, Dr. Tapiwa Mashakada, says Zanu PF is insincere in blaming sanctions for problems bedevilling Zimbabwe. To blame sanctions for our socio-economic problems is scape-goating because sanctions have not pushed us to where we are. Where we are has been a self-inflicted journey. The greatest cause of our crises is the fact that we havent been able to get loans from institutions like the IMF, World Bank and the African Development Bank because of debt arrears. It did not start with sanctions because as early back as 1998 balance of payment the IMF and World Bank cut support because of arrears. Mashakada further argues that if the late former Rhodesian leader Ian Smith was able to bust trade sanctions, Harare with good leadership would have developed likewise while under restrictive measures imposed by developed nations. He says, Sanctions are only an inconvenience, just a nuisance but not the prime cause of our problems because there is sanctions busting. If we had real sanctions it would have been different for Zimbabwe. There is no trade embargo on Zimbabwe; we can still trade with the European Union, with America or any other country. These are just restrictions on personal travels and money transfers. The major crisis issues are corruption and mismanagement of the economy and general lack of political consensus on the way forward in this country." But Goodson Nguni, director of the Federation of Non-Governmental Organisations, who is also aligned to the ruling Zanu PF party, believes that sanctions are to blame for the crumbling Zimbabwe economy. Nguni says, Sanctions play a part in the problems we are having. There are other structural problems but sanctions are a big one because most developed countries work on balance of payment support for economic development and enhancement but for Zimbabwe that has been taken away from us. Look at AGOWA where we can take food into America duty free was taken away and various other sanctions that America and the West has put on Zimbabwe but of course there are other problems like corruption and mis-governance. But 70% of the problems are caused by sanctions and some of the sanctions are not very apparent. Ambrose Dhliwayo, a Zanu PF supporter, adds that Zimbabwe could be flourishing if the country didnt have what he called direct sanctions imposed the West. Sanctions have contributed to the deteriorating political and economic problems but because we are not living in a vacuum, we are living in a global village where we rely on other countries for survival, he says. Zimbabwe is currently being suffocated by a crippling external debt of almost $9 billion, acute power shortages, a diminishing revenue base and dry spell fuelled by the El Nino weather phenomenon, which is generating an unprecedented heat in a nation that needs help from the West and God. Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko has urged Zimbabweans to pray for rains with indications that the nation is facing a severe drought owing to the cloudless skies. Will President Mugabes government start blaming such natural disasters instead of sanctions and his own government for what crippling the nation? Many Zimbabweans in the eastern border city of Mutare, Manicaland province, say they are struggling to send children to school due to lack of money. Most schools are demanding cash upfront before enrolling children for the 2016 schools first term. While it looked like business as usual in this city on the last day before schools open, dejection was evidently written on most parents faces. Most of them were doing window shopping but complained of high prices of uniforms for both primary and secondary schools. On average, a primary school uniform for girls costs about $25, and a boys uniform is pegged at $20. School shoes are about $15. School fees at government primary schools are about $180 for starters and returnees pay about $80 a term. Government and church-run secondary schools charge about $90 a term for day scholars, and boarders pay an average of $450 a term. One of the parents, Maxwell Matiyashe, said they are failing to raise money to buy uniforms and pay school fees for their children. We are not coping as it is difficult to survive due to lack of money. Some companies are not paying much for the services rendered. Even the government is not paying and so we appeal to the government to allow parents to make an arrangement of paying later so that children are not sent home to look for fees, said Matiyashe. Alice Bhasikiti, who ekes out a living through selling carrier bags at local departmental stores in the city, said it is hard to look for money, especially when state workers are not being properly paid by the government. Bkhasikiti said, Our business is so hard there is nothing, there is no money for us as our regular customers have not been paid as expected. We dont have money to pay fees for our children and their uniforms. Another local woman, Marvelous Munyeruki, who is a street vendor, said she can only send her children to school if she gets a decent job. Selling these plastic bags is not one of the best jobs to do for me. I want a much better way of earning a living that guarantees me a better lifestyle and be able to fend for my children and send them to school. A government employee, who identified himself as Abel Charuma, said he will be able to send his children to school if he gets his delayed 2015 bonus. Now we dont know how the children will go to school because we did not get the bonuses as promised and our children are going to school on Tuesday. We cant get money to pay their school fees and buy uniforms, said Charuma. A headmaster at a local secondary school told Studio 7 that while the government has directed that no child should be sent away from school for non-payment of school fees, most school authorities will not follow the order. The headmaster said it would be improper for those that have not paid fees to enjoy the same education rights with children that have paid their fees; be it in part or in full. China will deploy the CCG3901 in the South China Sea. (Photo : YouTube) China has finished building a second domestically produced coast guard ship, China Coast Guard (CCG) 3901, and it will probably deploy the ship in the South China Sea. According to People, China will deploy the CCG3901 in the South China Sea to become a mainstay of the country's maritime law enforcement in that region. The new vessel joins another 10,000-tonne Chinese ship that was reportedly completed last year and patrols the East China Sea as the largest coast guard patrol ship globally. Advertisement The move is meant to increase China's presence in the contested South China Seas waters, just a day after a senior retired People's Liberation Army (PLA) official revealed that the Chinese military would possibly carry out test flights from a controversial airport in the disputed Spratly Islands. Meanwhile, Japan has decided that its P-3C patrol aircraft coming back from anti-piracy activities off the Somalia coast will first stop at the bases of nations facing the South China Sea, including Vietnam and the Philippines, according to Yomiuri Shimbun via Straits Times. The completion and scheduled deployment of China's second monster coast patrol vessel will be essential for the country's maritime enforcement strategy. It is reported that the vessel has a displacement of 12,000 tonnes in addition to a speed of 25 knots. Furthermore, the ship comes with a 76mm quick-firing main gun, two anti-aircraft guns, and two secondary guns. CCG3901, which has a similar design as the CCG2901 deployed last year, comes with a helicopter pad as well. According to military expert Song Zhongping, China requires such an enormous ship because of its planned goal to patrol the South China Sea that stretches for 2,000km. A bigger ship can stay at sea longer, carry more supplies, and hold a bigger crew. The ship is also effective in the event there is a clash with other vessels. Song said, "Given the distance and resources that are needed for such a vast area, it's no surprise China built a ship of this size. It's necessary." Experts have pointed out that China is expanding its coast guard at a fast rate in order to strengthen its naval capability. However, the move comes amid heightened tension in the South China Sea, as the country is perceived to be very assertive in its territorial claims that overlap with those of ASEAN states. Photo: Frank Carroll/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images Its rare to know what you want to do in life, and rarer still to find success at it. But for those who do, theres usually a moment when the breakthrough comes, when it seems that you can actually do whatever makes you happy. For some, this moment might come early; for others, it may land several years into a career. At New York Magazine, we rounded up a collection of artists, writers, and famous figures to sound off on their breakthrough moments. Here are a few of Vultures favorite answers: George Clooney got his agent and SAG card by performing in a play in Los Angeles. Its always bad to say you did a play in Los Angeles, because people just look at you and laugh. But I did it a play called Vicious, about Sid Vicious. It was an incredibly brutal play about the last night of Nancys life, and it inspired the movie Sid and Nancy. I played a male prostitute drug dealer and I was the comedy relief, believe it or not. Connie Britton made the leap from performing in plays and taking acting classes to appearing in her first film. Not to mention the fact that I walked into the audition, had no investment in the movie whatsoever, didnt know anything about the movie, the script, Eddie Burns, and he hired me on the spot. So right from the beginning, I had this sense, Oh, he believes in me. Already I felt like, Oh, okay, maybe I have something to offer here. Jerry Seinfeld got a job emceeing at the Comic Strip and quit his day job. And then I got a job emceeing at the Comic Strip on Second Avenue and 81st, and that paid $25. Then I got two nights that made it $50, so then I had $50 a week, and I thought, I think I can live on $50 a week. I handed in my apron I remember the moment so clearly. It was a red apron, and I gave it to the guy across the bar, and I knew this was the greatest moment of my life. Carrie Brownstein wrote and performed her first song, called You Annoy Me, and remembers how her best friend brought her flowers to celebrate the achievement. And so, just that moment when she presented me flowers after I played the song, I thought, Okay, I can go forth with this, and I might actually succeed. I often think its those small gestures of encouragement that operate as motivation, and those come before any critical success or fan base. Its knowing that people who love you feel a sense of certainty, or that you feel supported by them. Ta-Nehisi Coates started writing for the Washington City Paper and worked with then-editor David Carr. What I found out what I discovered at City Paper was that journalism is a done thing. In other words, there is no real better than you. Theres just the story you produced. Thats what it is. Either you repeatedly asked questions or you didnt. But you made a choice. Someone else might be more curious than you, but the functionality of them being more curious than you is that they just asked more questions. That was a deep sort of lesson that the winner is the person who keeps asking questions. Helena Bonham Carter realized she didnt want to play leading women. Then I played a stripper with a different accent, called Dancing Queen. I thought, Oh, I think this is more like it. I suddenly realized that I was a character actress rather than a matinee idol. That was the turning point Oh, Im comfortable when I really dont have to be me. Yo-Yo Ma learned he could get money for pizza by playing the cello. Then of course came a couple of $20 bills and I said, Oh my gosh, we got paid for that? Thats amazing. And same thing in college, people would ask me to do occasional things and Id get some pizza money, right? I was like, Wow, you can do that? Incredible. And of course, money for pizza, this is golden stuff. Kevin Smith decided he could make his job at a convenience store into material for a movie. So I was sitting there in a convenience store listening to that, and I was like, Wow, thats kind of tight all you have to do if you want to make a movie, make a film, figure out a story nobody else has told but, like Robert Rodriguez said, work with what you got. I wasnt going to set something in outer space. So I looked around and thought, What do I got? Where can I shoot a movie? Read more recollections from the likes of Jeffrey Eugenides, Armando Iannucci, and Kelli OHara, plus 28 more brief reminisces here. First look at Rogue One. Photo: Lucasfilm Given that The Force Awakens brought in approximately eleventy bajillion dollars over the last month, its no surprise that at least four other theatrical films are in the works, and theyre being made at a breakneck pace. Well be inundated with Star Wars hype through at least the end of the decade, alternating between the ongoing saga that began with The Force Awakens and side-stories that give heretofore unknown details about some of the universes more well-known characters and events. Heres everything we know so far. Episode VIII Rian Johnson (Brick, Looper) will write and direct the film. According to a casting sheet, much of the Force Awakens cast will return. Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Gwendoline Christie, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher are all listed. (Harrison Ford is also listed, though thats likely a fake-out.) Producer Kathleen Kennedy confirmed this info at Episode VIIs premiere. Kennedy has also hinted that Gwendoline Christies Captain Phasma will have an expanded role, saying, Shes an important character, a baddie in the best sense of the word. New names in the cast are Gugu Mbatha-Raw as an unannounced character and, as first reported last summer, Benicio Del Toro as the villain. R2-D2 is being played by actor Jimmy Vee, replacing franchise mainstay Kenny Baker. The casting sheet also says that production will take place in Iceland and London. Sources said in September that the casting short list also included Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin), and Olivia Cooke (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl). According to frequent J.J. Abrams collaborator Greg Grunberg, Abrams called the Episode VIII script, so good that he wished he had written it. Daisy Ridley also liked the script a lot. She said, Its very good; very good, and then expanded on that statement in interesting and specific ways (haha, just kidding). That said, John Boyega gave up the tiniest descriptive tidbit, calling the Episode VIII script much darker. Johnson has said that the crew has been screening other films to prepare, including the 1949 classic Twelve OClock High famous in part for using actual World War II footage as well as the 1960 Russian survival film Letter Never Sent. Mark Hamill appeared at a local bar in England following a day of shooting Episode VIII. He appeared without the beard that he is seen sporting at the end of The Force Awakens. The film comes out on May 26, 2017. Episode IX Rian Johnson will write the film. Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World) will direct. Daisy Ridley will reportedly carry over to this film as well, though this is unconfirmed. The film comes out in 2019. Rogue One The film is the first Star Wars anthology film stand-alone stories set within the larger universe. Theyll be released in between main sequel installments. Rogue One centers on a band of resistance fighters unite for a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans, so its set between Episodes III and IV. The idea for the film was pitched by John Knoll, a visual-effects supervisor at Industrial Light & Magic, Lucasfilms effects company. When the film was revealed in mid-2014, Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) was announced as the director and Gary Whitta (After Earth, LOL) as the writer. Whitta left the project after completing a first draft and was replaced with Chris Weitz. The film stars Felicity Jones, and the cast includes Forest Whitaker, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, and Riz Ahmed. None of the characters have been named. According to casting information, one of the characters possibly Joness is named Lyra Erso. Ahmeds character is supposedly named Bodhi Rook. According to an autograph, Mikkelsens character is named Galen. In the noncanonical expanded universe, Galen Marek was the name of a Vader apprentice with Force powers. Current rumors say Galen is a Robert Oppenheimeresque scientist that took over the Geonosian Death Star project, whose daughter is Felicity Joness character. The short teaser trailer for the film (which is not officially online, but theres a cam verison here) reveals the Death Star as viewed from a nearby planet and features reused audio from Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope. Part of the reason little information has come out about the film is that Disney was temporarily blocked from marketing it, due to the names similarity to Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation. Members of the British armed forces were reportedly used as extras during filming. Alexandre Desplat is scoring the film. To nobodys surprise, the film will be released in 3-D. Peter Cushings Grand Moff Tarkin is reportedly being re-created via CGI for the film, though there is some difficulty in re-creating his legs. Cushing declined to wear the uncomfortable boots that the costume required and was often shot from above the knee. The man who sculpted Darth Vaders helmet is working on the film. Spy photos from the movies filming location in England suggest that X-Wings will be featured. The film comes out on December 16, 2016. Han Solo project The film follows a younger Han Solo, but its unclear exactly when its set. Phil Lord and Chris Miller (The Lego Movie) will write and direct the movie Thousands of nearly indistinguishable actors have been considered for the part. Among the well known who have auditioned are Dave Franco, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Miles Teller. The new Marvel Star Wars comic book has retconned Han and given him a wife, Sana Solo, but its unclear if that factors into the film. (In the comics, Han denies that he is married to Sana.) It has been rumored that the film will be Lawrence Kasdans last Star Wars credit. He told a German tabloid, I have now made four Star Wars movies. Thats more than enough. The film comes out on May 25, 2018. Other stuff A film about bounty hunter Boba Fett is probably happening? Theres no official confirmation on this, but its been rumored for a while. An unauthenticated photo reportedly leaked from a Lucasfilm meeting lists untitled films referred to as the Fett/Solo Anthology Film and Kenobi: The Balance of the Force. A persistent rumor is that though the Anthology films are technically stand-alone, they might connect in some larger way, a la the Marvel movies. Josh Trank (Fantastic Four) was set to direct an unspecified anthology film but has since left the project. He is reportedly difficult to work with. A comic book explaining how C-3PO acquired his new red arm will be released early next year. No word on the status of Jar Jar Binks. He knows hes let you down, Adele. Photo: Getty Images After a solid ten weeks ruling over the entire music industry, someone has finally snatched Queen Adeles crown: On this weeks Billboard Hot 100, Justin Bieber has done the impossible and overcome Adele for the No. 1 spot. His soca-lite Sorry has bumped Hello to the second slot more than two months after both songs debuted on the chart in the same week, with Adele then at No. 1 and Bieber at No. 2. Finally, the roles have reversed, giving Bieber his second career No. 1 (What Do You Mean? also went No. 1 back in September), while another Purpose hit, Love Yourself, is on the other side of Adele at No. 3. Its the longest anyones had to wait to make the climb from second to first since OutKasts The Way You Move took eight weeks between 2003 and 2004 to topple their own hit, Hey Ya. Biebers been trailing Adele from the moment her record-obliterating third album arrived: Now in its seventh week, 25 is once again at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, while Bieber remains at No. 2. (His latest million-selling album has only topped that chart in the single week that it didnt have to compete with Adeles.) But if its any consolation, this week Bieber sold just 70,000 shy of what Adele did, meaning next weeks albums chart could have the first real battle for the top spot weve seen since Bieber vs. One Direction back in November. Its never too early to write your apologies, Biebs. Lorde. Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/2015 Getty Images After a morning flooded with tributes to the late David Bowie, Lorde shared one of her own later on Monday, recalling her first encounter with the rock idol and how he influenced her. The young New Zealandborn musician was introduced to Bowie, one of her heroes, in 2013, at a benefit honoring Tilda Swinton. After seeing Lorde perform, Bowie reportedly requested a chat. Ive never met a hero of mine and liked it. It just sucks, the pressure is too huge, you cant enjoy it, she wrote via Facebook. David was different. Ill never forget the caressing of our hands as we spoke, or the light in his eyes. That night something changed in me. The homage comes on the heels of other such notable in memoriam messages, including those of Bowies longtime producer Tony Visconti and Berlin-era partner Brian Eno. Read it in full, below: When a hero dies, everyone wants a quote. I woke up this morning with a tender head from tears and that big red cup of Japanese whiskey, gulped last night just after the news came. People were already asking me what I thought. It feels kind of garish to talk about oneself at a time like this, when the thing that has happened is so distinctly world-sized. But everything Ive read or seen since the news has been deeply intrinsic in tone, almost selfish, like therapy. Thats who he was to all of us. He was a piece of bright pleated silk we could stretch out or fold up small inside ourselves when we needed to. Mr. Bowie, I guess right now we have to hang this thing up for a minute. The night I met him I played at an expensive Vogue benefit with a lot of fresh flowers, honouring Tilda. I was not quite seventeen, America was very new to me, and I was distinctly uneasy and distrustful toward everything happening in my life that was putting me in these flat-voiced, narrow-eyed, champagneish rooms. I played my three songs, thrashing and twitching in platform boots. Afterward, Anna clasped my hand and said David wants to meet you, and led me through people and round tables with candles and glasses and louder and louder talk, and he was there. Ive never met a hero of mine and liked it. It just sucks, the pressure is too huge, you cant enjoy it. David was different. Ill never forget the caressing of our hands as we spoke, or the light in his eyes. That night something changed in me - i felt a calmness grow, a sureness. I think in those brief moments, he heralded me into my next new life, an old rock and roll alien angel in a perfect grey suit. I realized everything Id ever done, or would do from then on, would be done like maybe he was watching. I realized I was proud of my spiky strangeness because he had been proud of his. And I know Im never going to stop learning dances, brand new dances. Its not going to change, how we feel about him. For the rest of our lives, well always be crashing in that same car. Thank you, David Bowie. MTV had a landmark year in 1983. The network broke into the mainstream following the airing of Michael Jacksons Billie Jean music video in heavy rotation, a decision that was forced upon the network by Walter Yetnikoff, the president of Jacksons record label. The network initially refused to air the video because it was made by a black artist. That criticism was not just from Jacksons label, however. Also in 1983, during an interview with Mark Goodman, David Bowie used his platform on MTV itself to criticize the network for its lack of videos by black artists. In the interview, Bowie points out, There seem to be a lot of black artists making very good videos that Im surprised arent being used on MTV. Now we can forever remember 1983 as the year Bowie and Jackson made MTV get its act together. The news is that Uber Technologies Inc has raised fresh funds amounting to $7 Billion for the expansion of its China unit. (Photo : Reuters) Uber Technologies Inc. announced on Monday, Jan. 11, that its China branch will receive some investment from Chinese company HNA Group, as part of a partnership of the United States ride-hailing corporation with the aviation and shipping multinational. The collaboration, which marks Uber's move to venture into China's large tourism industry, includes a collection of transportation services to and from airports and for HNA flights, and online financing for the automotive sector, according to China Technology News. Advertisement Speaking in Beijing, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said that he visualizes a system where clients can impeccably shift from traveling within a city to between and beyond cities, established on a universal series of collaboration. The partnership between Uber and HNA Group comes at a time when Uber and competitor Didi Kuaidi fight to establish ties with influential Chinese firms with long-established relationships to government as they try to avoid upsetting policymakers in China's growing ride-hailing sector. According to Reuters, ride hailing in China, just like in other states, can either be technically illegitimate or function in a gray region based on the location and type of service rendered. The rivalry between Uber and Didi Kuaidi has proven particularly expensive. Both corporations have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in order to entice and retain users. Now, the battle is likely to extend further as Uber entices tourists and inter-city travelers. During a press conference on Monday, Kalanick and Tan Xiangdong, HNA president, said they see the partnership as symbiotic, filling each company's gaps in travel. Up to now, Uber has put an investment worth 6.3 billion yuan ($958.61 million) in China, with the country being Uber's biggest market worldwide and a major strategic hub. Recently, the U.S. ride-hailing firm's China branch closed a financing round, before which it was valued at $7 billion. While Kalanick did not provide more details, he said that investors from China were more than he could name. With regard to Uber's high cash-burn rate in China, Kalanick pointed out that the company is investing profits from cities around the globe into China. The St. Olaf Choir will present a concert at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4 at Jones Concert Hall in Baylor Universitys Glennis McCrary Music Building. The program will include sacred and secular masterpieces, works for chorus and organ, and a group of spiritual arrangements, including works by Felix Mendelssohn, Johann Sebastian Bach, Herbert Howells and Alberto Ginastera. Tickets cost $30, or $10 for students, and are available from the St. Olaf Choir website at stolaf.edu/stolaf-choir. For more information, visit www.baylor.edu/ music or call 710-3991. Library story times The Waco-McLennan County Librarys weekly preschool story-time program, for ages 3 to 6, will feature a Winter Wonderland theme this week at the following times and locations: 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the West Waco Library, 5301 Bosque Blvd. 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the Central Library, 1717 Austin Ave. 10:30 a.m. Friday at the South Waco Library, 2737 S. 18th St. For more information, call 750-5942 or visit www.wacolibrary.org. SCV meeting The Sons of Confederate Veterans will meet Tuesday at Poppa Rollos Pizza, 703 N. Valley Mills Drive. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. with the groups annual birthday dinner to honor Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, followed by a talk by Charles Oliver on The Personal Life of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Visitors are welcome. For more information, visit www.scv-waco.org. or call 772-1676. Watercolor Society Central Texas Watercolor Society will meet from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, 1624 Wooded Acres Drive. Attendees can bring their paints and projects to the monthly get-together of watercolorists. For more information, call 296-3776. Grief support group Providence Hospice, 6700 Sanger Ave., will begin a six-week grief support group Jan. 19. The weekly sessions are designed for those who have experienced the loss of a loved one within the past 12 months. There is no charge for this group, but registration is requested by Friday. To register, call Debbie Simcox at 399-9099. Choral auditions The Central Texas Choral Society will conduct auditions from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Central United Methodist Church, 5740 Bagby Ave. For more information, email centraltexaschoralsociety@yahoo.com. Mature driver class The Mature Driver Program at Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center will have an AARP Smart Driver Class from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Jan. 19 at the West Waco Library and Genealogy Center, 5301 Bosque Blvd. Cost is $20, or $15 for AARP members. To register, call Rose Moyer at 202-6541. An excavator demolishes the former H-E-B grocery store on Speight Avenue and South 12th Street near Baylor University. Austin-based American Campus Communities plans to build a five-story, $40 million student housing complex at the location, with living units for 702 people and a multistory parking garage. The 42-year-old store closed in August 2013 in conjunction with the opening of an H-E-B Plus! store at South Valley Mills Drive and Interstate 35. Republican presidential hopeful Ben Carson hosted a private lunch at the Waco Hippodrome on Tuesday and cautioned voters about President Barack Obamas message ahead of Tuesday nights State of the Union Address. Im sure we will be painted an extremely rosy picture, Carson said. But I am concerned about the safety of our nation and our position in the world, which is why we released our statement today on prescription of safety and security of our nation. The statement, available on his website, lists six principles for creating a stronger, safer America. Carson is polling fourth in the 2016 Republican Primary behind Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, according to an NBC News poll. About 90 people attended the event, Hippodrome special events director Brooke Borg said. Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton said dignitary protection detail was provided. SWAT officers provided most of the security. The lunch followed a brief reception where Carson greeted VIPs, who paid $1,000 per ticket. General admission tickets cost $250. The retired brain surgeon said the current generation is the first expected not to do economically better than their parents. Thats a trend thats continuing into a foreseeable future unless we do something about it, and we cant stick our heads in the sand and just say everything is rosy when its not, Carson said. Carson visited Wacos Barnes & Noble bookstore in October to sign copies of his book, A More Perfect Union. Always happy to be in Waco, he said. There was a beautiful bed and breakfast here that Ill always remember. And its a very pleasant place, despite the fact that a lot of people associate Waco with David Koresh and all that stuff, but theres so much more to Waco than that. Good stuff. Carson said he likes talking to as many people as possible on the campaign trail. So many people dont know me. They just know what the media tells them, which is usually false, he said. And then when they have an opportunity to see me and hear me it has a profound effect, a very positive one. McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara and Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton differed on the definition of a lawman, while Pastor Willie Tompkins emphasized that what he would bring to the office of sheriff is the common sense that has been lacking. The three spoke at a meeting Monday night, the first time the three candidates for the McLennan County sheriff position have been in the same room discussing issues. Each candidate was permitted 15 minutes to speak, and no back-and-forth between them was allowed. A crowd of more than 100 people jammed into Brazos Plaza to hear the candidates speak. All three candidates are running as Republicans. The Republican primary election is March 1, with a runoff election set for May 24 if needed. There is no Democrat in the race. For fiscal year 2016, county commissioners approved a more than $31.6 million budget for the sheriffs office, which includes the jail and visitation center operations. Commissioners also approved a salary for the sheriff at $107,341. McLennan County Republican Chairman Jeb Leutwyler introduced the candidates and told the crowd it was great to have three experienced lawmen running for sheriff. After all three spoke, the trio moved to another room, where they stood next to their separate booths and spoke to residents who approached their area. Swanton, who has been with the Waco Police Department for 35 years, was asked by several individuals to address matters related to the May 17 Twin Peaks shootout that left nine bikers dead. He declined to speak about the situation, citing a gag order issued in the case. At least one person asked Tompkins, a former Waco police officer who ran for the same position in 2012 as a Democrat, whether he would allow individuals with a license to carry a weapon to enter the McLennan County Courthouse. Tompkins said if individuals are permitted to enter with weapons, then no one should stop them. McLennan County leaders recently posted signs prohibiting anyone, except law enforcement, from entering the courthouse with a weapon. During the breakout session, McNamara said that it was obvious he and Swanton had a different definition of a front-line lawman. Good law enforcement is not flying solo but working as a team within the agency and with neighboring law enforcement departments, said McNamara, who was a deputy U.S. marshal from 1970 to 2003. During the speech, McNamara emphasized various awards he has received over the years, reiterating he was always on the front line. He said since he was elected, arrests have gone up 450 percent, and the department has formed an organized crime unit, which didnt exist when he took office. McNamara also discussed how the county has the only bomb squad between Dallas and Austin and how the department has given deputies more authority to investigate crimes immediately when they happen. McNamara said he has doubled the amount of training time for SWAT and snipers, and is doing everything he can to give the officers more training opportunities. If you want a mudslinger, Im not the guy, he said. Swanton, 54, brought up that he is the youngest candidate and has been a police officer for 35 years. He outlined different ways he and his family members have given back to the community, including his youngest daughter, who is the departments youngest police officer. I believe God put me in the place where I am today, he said. Swanton emphasized his time working on the streets as a patrol officer for 10 years, then serving on the SWAT team for four years before moving to community services and being asked to serve as spokesman. Swanton said the county needs a sheriff who will share information about the department, whether its good or bad news, and thats something he would do. If something were to occur bad as they have in the past three years, I think its important to be able to tell the citizens, he said, adding its not mudslinging but facts. Tompkins, pastor of New Generation Church in Bellmead and a substitute teacher at Waco High School, said he has a wide variety of experiences he would bring to the sheriffs position. Tompkins, who had been in law enforcement for 17 years, said his role was not just to catch the criminals but to protect and serve the community. Tompkins said if there is a problem on the horizon, there needs to be an element of common sense to bring together a common purpose within all the area agencies. Common sense is that we want to make sure first of all that our community is protected, he said. We put our lives on front line and thats what its for. The American Red Cross is asking for blood donations after a slow two months resulted in about 50,000 fewer donations than usual. Holiday schedules led to about 1,700 fewer blood drives in November and December across the country, according to a release. A decline in the blood supply after the winter holidays is not uncommon, said Jan Hale, communications manager for the Red Cross Southwest Blood Services Region. But it can be replenished when generous volunteers roll up their sleeves to help save lives. Since 1970, January has been National Blood Donor Month in an effort to increase donations. Severe weather often cancels winter blood drives, and seasonal illnesses may render some donors unable to give. We encourage our generous donors who are eligible, as well as new donors, to make an appointment to give blood and help ensure blood products continue to be available for patients, Hale said in a release. Every two seconds, a patient in the U.S. needs blood. Eligible donors must be ages 17 or older, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in generally good health. A donor card, drivers license or two other forms of identification are required. Students attend a lesson at the Northeast Normal University in Changchun of Jilin Province, China, on March 22, 2007. (Photo : Getty Images) The recent case of a university lecturer publicly slapping his dean in southern China has triggered widespread debate online over how Chinas youth should face campus corruption and unfair treatment in terms of salaries and promotion. Gan Yang, 64, dean of the Liberal Arts College of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, was sent to the hospital after he was slapped by lecturer Li Siya on Thursday, according to a statement posted on the college's website on Saturday. Advertisement Li allegedly hit the dean over allegations that Gan was behind the cancellation of teacher evaluations in October the previous year, in which he was supposed to have had a good chance to be promoted to associate professor, the Global Times reported on Monday. Such behavior completely violates the code of conduct and ethics required of a college teacher, the university said in its online statement, adding that local police have already launched an investigation into the incident. "No matter what the reason is, slapping shouldn't happen in an academic workplace, and the university will deal with the aggressor fairly," a staff member with Sun Yat-sen University's publicity department told Guangzhou Daily. Chu Zhaohui, a research fellow at China National Institute for Educational Research and a colleague of Li, told the Global Times on Sunday that Li had failed to secure a professorship through an evaluation in March the previous year despite his academic achievements outstripping those of his competitors. If a lecturer at Sun Yat-sen University fails to become an associate professor within nine years, he or she will be reassigned to an administrative position or transferred to one of the university's subordinate colleges. It generally takes six to seven years for a lecturer to be promoted to associate professor at the university, according to the Yangcheng Evening News. "Though hitting is certainly wrong, it is not rare in universities," said Xiong Bingqi, dean of 21st Century Education Research Institute. In 2014, a 52-year-old professor at Hainan University was sentenced to five months in jail for assaulting another professor. Many academic commissions fail to solve academic disputes among teachers, as most of them are set up to serve administrative functions, said Xiong. Chu added that many of China's young teachers are under intense pressure due to fierce competition for professorships, and that administrative power often interferes in evaluations. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., had a very good week last week, in part because so many of his competitors had a bad one. Jeb Bushs unfavorables are up and he canceled ad buys. Sen. Ted Cruz took Donald Trumps bait and was forced to defend his citizenship. On Friday he sounded tone-deaf and downright creepy in suggesting, In my house, if my daughter Catherine, the 5-year-old, says something that she knows to be false, she gets a spanking. Well, in America, the voters have a way of administering a spanking. Expectations for him in Iowa are so high, a loss there would be tragic. According to the latest Fox News poll, a huge plurality (43 percent) of Republicans name National security, such as ensuring a strong military and Americas position in the world, as the single most important issue. The economy, at 27 percent, is a distant second. Immigration, which Cruz and Trump have relied so heavily upon, is picked by only 15 percent. That is a favorable issue mix for Rubio, whose foreign-policy knowledge is widely recognized. Meanwhile, Rubio got a spate of good horse-race polling news which may be indicative of nothing but gets him good press. He has a good shot at third in Iowa and at least second in New Hampshire. If Trump and Cruz split Iowa and New Hampshire while Rubio comes in ahead of other mainstream Republicans, he goes a long way toward consolidating moderate and somewhat conservative support. He can then pivot to fight off the winner of the Trump-Cruz battle. Rubio held his own in a verbal duel with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, cut a heartfelt ad on faith (aimed especially at Iowa evangelicals) and bashed the president on everything from a U.S. missile showing up in Cuba to the failure of our North Korea policy. His favorable ratings remain extraordinarily high. And he gets two more debates this month in which to shine, one just three days before the Iowa caucuses. Rubio now, however, enters the most critical part of his campaign. Hes been called a lightweight, too young and inexperienced to take on Hillary Clinton. In response, he surely can talk about his years in local and state government as well as the work hes done in the Senate. He can remind Republicans of the election fought against the reviled former Florida governor Charlie Crist (now a Democrat). But the proof will be in the next two debates when opponents confront him. He must show he cannot be rolled or intimidated. Just as he flummoxed Bush when challenged on his attendance, he will need to counterpunch when the barbs come his way. The issue is not one of ideology, no matter how much candidates such as Cruz would like their base to think this is a contest about conservative purity. If this was all about ideological purity, Trump would not be leading. It is as much if not more about gravitas and personal strength. Unlike Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Rubio has resisted the urge to dash to the right and therefore has not suffered the loss of authenticity that was Walkers death knell. Unlike Cruz, Rubio seems to understand that one cannot win the nomination by appealing only to the segment of GOP voters who identify as very conservative while trashing everyone else in the party. Whereas even Cruz seems to understand his poor interpersonal skills (If you want someone to grab a beer with, I may not be that guy), Rubio uses his own to maximum effect. Nevertheless, when Trump or Christie or Cruz or Bush challenges him as surely one or more will, he will need all the toughness, verbal dexterity and wit he can manage. The next three weeks could well determine if he is the partys savior from Trump. Jennifer Rubin writes the Right Turn blog for The Post, offering reported opinion from a conservative perspective. She has also written extensively for The Weekly Standard. Prior to her career in journalism, Rubin practiced labor law for two decades. In the glum but soberly engrossing presentation by local educator, scholar and veteran David Oualaalou on the Middle East turmoil recently marked by sparks between Shiite-led Iran and Sunni-led Saudi Arabia, Waco Rotary Club members on Monday learned two key lessons, maybe more. First, U.S. policy in the Middle East has been wildly inconsistent under Republican and Democratic presidents in terms of holding to our democratic ideals and following up on our tough talk. Second, anyone who ever again proposes the United States embark on a nation-building scheme as it did in Iraq admittedly, something many U.S. military personnel in Iraq voiced understandable pride in may want to re-evaluate, given how quickly it all collapsed into tribal and religious infighting as soon as U.S. troops left and that again is rooted in decisions by both the Bush and Obama administrations. Some of this contributed to the rise of Islamic State terrorism. Why should we care here in Waco? Because some local reservists as well as troops from neighboring Fort Hood ended up in the faraway fray, doing what they thought was right, only to be let down by our political leaders and the instinctive tribal squabbling of Sunni and Shiite Muslims in Iraq. Ever since the Saudis executed a prominent Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia (with 46 others) and Iranians sacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran, followed by Saudis ordering Iranian diplomats out of the country, our politicians have been clamoring for the United States to take sides, with some agitating for our old ally Saudi Arabia. However, under its new king, the desert kingdom has become dangerously fickle, waging a futile war in neighboring Yemen and flooding the oil market to crush our own recently revived U.S. energy industry. Our nation, which has already fought two inconclusive wars against terrorism, should think hard about the blood and treasure required if we get involved in another foreign adventure that, to a significant degree, revolves around the rightful heir to Prophet Muhammad as leader of the Muslim community following his death in 632. Given the longevity of this Muslim disagreement, were not sure a nation imbued by Judeo-Christian principles is going to do anything but sorely aggravate the matter. (Incidentally, if the Muslim debate seems absurd, think of some of the fights that we Americans wage over conflicting interpretations of the Bible.) Even should our politicians refrain from militarily supporting one side if real hostilities break out between the two Middle East giants and the matter comes down to some aerial support and money, our nations citizens and political leaders must ask whether Iran or Saudi Arabia remotely reflects our political and humanitarian values. The Middle East might never champion the sort of tenets that we hold dear in the United States, but theres increasingly less and less justification for picking sides between merciless tyrants. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday called on Texas to join other states in calling for an Article V Convention of the States to write new amendments to the U.S. Constitution, nine of which he proposed, mostly bolstering states rights and undermining the U.S. Supreme Court. Reactions from his spirited Facebook page: Pete Blake: Greg Abbott is one of a handful of constitutional conservatives we have who can lead and help stop the runaway usurping of power and tyranny by the White House. Long John Owen: Needs two more amendments. 10. Term limits for Congress. 11. All laws that apply to the people also apply to all federally elected officials and federal appointees/employees. Arturo Sanchez: I agree the federal government has been overstepping boundaries and trampling on the rights of Americans. We need to ensure this president or any after him cannot do this again. Tim Ward: Thank you, Gov. Abbott, for your steadfast support of the Constitution and keeping Texas as a leader in this fight to restore American values. Godspeed, sir! Matthew Nelson: Gov. Abbott, I am embarrassed you are the governor of my state. You already both figuratively and literally sit on your backside and do nothing. Who needs this convention? We already have the GOP fighting anything the Democrats do. Instead of working or compromising to make our state and country better, you and your comrades fight for whatever is better for you and not your constituents. Our state as a whole is embarrassing. Randy Mills: It is too late, governor. Only secession along with other like-minded states will fix this. The divisions are too deep between the give-me states and the Atlas Shrugged states. William Kubaitis: Sounds like a bunch of scared old wrinkly white guys trying to ensure they maintain minority rule in the future to me. Americas youth doesnt like your bigotry. You are a dying breed and this is desperation. Americans will continue to limit your power to infringe on the civil liberties of others. You will fail. And we (the liberals) will close your military bases just for spite. You dont deserve that federal money. John McCraw: If I were governor, Id realize that the political process is about coming to the table and compromising like a proper adult. At the moment, it isnt the Constitution that is failing us, it is the crybaby extremists who have been elected to Congress. At the very most, Id propose backing an amendment for term limits such as two election cycles for legislators and if they want more, then they have to petition their constituency. Our legislators have become more and more ridiculous since the early 1980s and it needs to stop. If we have a shutdown because people cant agree on something as simple as a budget, they dont need to be in Congress anymore. Julio Sandoval: Ah, term limit laws . . . asking the government to do for you that which you are unwilling to do for yourself. Heres an idea: Every once in a while, vote for the candidate with a different letter next to his or her name. Incumbents get re-elected about 90 percent of the time. Vote them out. Term limits cheapen our voice as an electorate. Rebekah Cook: For those of you who are ignorant regarding Texas history: We were the Republic of Texas. We had our own Navy and Army. We are the only state that is allowed to fly the state flag on the same level as the U.S. flag. We are the only state that can legally secede from the U.S. David Simonis: Rebekah Cook, you are absolutely incorrect. Texas does not have legal authority to simply secede from the rest of the nation and the Flag Code is not law, simply a set of guidelines that are expected to be followed and for which there are no real penalties for violation. Dream on. But if Texas wants to leave the nation, keep in mind how much industry, defense and armament will exit the state. Youll no longer enjoy the protection of the U.S. armed forces, which will open up your borders to more than just Mexican migrants. Highways and pipelines leading in and out of the state will be cut. The borders with Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and New Mexico will be closed. Texas citizens will forfeit any and all tax monies paid to the U.S. federal government. Texas will be subject to the same import/export tariffs and laws that other foreign countries are subject to. The best thing that could ever happen to Mexico is for Texas to leave the USA. Youd be the northernmost Mexican state within five years. Brooks Cannon: In Texas, we are on our eighth constitution. We have more than 480 amendments to our current (state) constitution. Texans have been asked to vote on over 660 amendments. How can anybody who claims to revere the work of Thomas Jefferson and the rest of our Founding Fathers actually wish to open up that magnificent document to the constant political attacks and manipulation Abbott proposes? The truth is, Abbott doesnt love the U.S. Constitution; he is frustrated by it! Betting on Texas The issue of downtown revitalization was being discussed a few years ago when we lived in Wichita Falls. Wichita Falls, like Waco and other cities of 100,000 to 150,000 population, grappled with the problem of lack of use and deterioration. To find a possible solution, one needs to look no further than the vehicle license plates parked at the casinos in Oklahoma and Louisiana. What would happen to downtown Waco if a state-commissioned and controlled casino were built? I could just imagine the additional traffic of consumers not only at the casino but staying at hotels, eating at restaurants and shopping at all the new shops. This could make Waco a weekend or week-long vacation city. Families would bring their children to the water park, zoo, museums and other attractions. The bus terminal would be bringing people to Waco instead of taking them to out-of-state casinos. Houston, Dallas and other large cities in Texas do not need revitalization, but medium-sized cities like Waco, Abilene, Amarillo and Wichita Falls do need help. Waco and other McLennan area city councils could meet with our state representatives to explore the possibilities. Maybe the state could allow casinos but limit them to cities or areas of Texas that would most benefit. Casinos on Indian reservations seem to help the reservations but not the rest of the citizens of that state. It is hypocritical for the state to deny casinos while at the same time operate Lotto Texas. The prevention of casinos in Texas has not stopped gambling in Texas. It only stops people from Texas from spending money in Texas. David A. Smith, Woodway Lost in blizzard While there has been an outpouring of sympathy for dairy producers in Texas and New Mexico affected by Winter Storm Goliath, little has been shown for the 30,000 cows who lost their lives in the blizzard. Many of these animals were pushed into fenced corners by the wind where they suffocated in snowdrifts. And even before the storms, they had probably already endured plenty of suffering. Cows on dairy farms are often repeatedly artificially inseminated on what farmers call rape racks, only to have baby after precious baby taken away from them so humans can take their milk. They may have suffered from mastitis, a painful inflammation of the udder that is one of the leading causes of death in adult cows in the dairy industry. People who drink cows milk have to share in the responsibility for all of the suffering that the animals endure. Its too late for the cows who suffered and died in the blizzard, but each of us can spare other cows from suffering by choosing healthy soy, rice or almond milks. Michelle Kretzer, PETA Foundation Our pleasure Just wanted to say thank you for publishing the list of restaurants that would be open for Christmas. It was truly appreciated by all of us. Katherine Stephens, Waco Story by Staff Sgt. Daniel Ter Haar Covered in dust, a North American Aviation F-100F Super Sabre sat in the desert at Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. Bearing tail number 3880, the once proud aircraft was assigned to the Iowa Air National Guards 174th Fighter Squadron in Sioux City, Iowa until her retirement when she was sent to the The Boneyard. Although the desert is ideal for keeping older aircraft preserved, it is a far cry from the glory 3880 once experienced in the skies.The Air National Guard had a better retirement plan for 3880 and brought it home to the Air National Guard Paint Facility in Sioux City, Iowa. After 38 years of sitting in the desert, where it was almost used for target practice in the 1990s, it received a full static display restoration. According to Dave Miller, the paint facility manager at Sioux City, the aircraft designated tail number 3880 was built in 1956 and served at Sioux City starting in 1961 until its retirement in 1977. Miller said it was the only F-100F remaining at the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group in Arizona. Its scheduled to be on its way to the National Guard Bureau at Andrews Air Force Base by the end of January. 3880 will be placed on display as a tribute to Major General Donald Shepperd (Retired), an F-100F pilot for the Mistys squadron during Vietnam and whose name is now painted on the side. While deployed to Vietnam, Shepperd flew 58 missions out of Phu Cat from Dec. 1967 to April 1968, as a part of the Mistys. The Misty mission in Vietnam was to fly low and fast over the jungles of Vietnam in order to locate targets. Once a target was located, they would direct other aircraft in to strike the target, according to MistyVietnam.com, a website operated by Misty Veterans. The tail markings of 3880 were changed to HE to representing the tail markings the Mistys used during the Vietnam War.The F-100F Super Sabre served at Sioux City longer than any other aircraft. Sioux City used the F-100 from 1961-1977, a period of 16 years. It saw combat in Vietnam, which included close air support missions for troops on the ground and flew 250 thousand sorties during the Vietnam War, more than any other fixed wing aircraft. Now clean and restored with new paint, 3880 has found a new home at Andrews Air Force Base where it will be displayed for current and future generations of Airmen to enjoy and honor the pilots of the Misty missions in Vietnam. This work, Back from the bone yard, by SSgt Daniel Ter Haar, identified by DVIDS, is free of known copyright restrictions under U.S. copyright law. Grindr (Photo : Grindr) Gay dating app Grindr is now 60 percent owned by Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun. In selling the majority stake to Beijing Kunlun, Grindr Chief Operating Officer Carter McJunkin says it got the Chinese gaming firm as a partner to reach the next phase of its business and expand faster. The $155-million company has users in all 196 nations in the world and is one of the leading gay dating sites globally. But Grindr suffers from consistently low scores in user reviews because of spam bots and persistent bugs, reports Engadget. Advertisement With its technical expertise, Beijing Kunlun hopes to help Grindr address these digital issues, and also add to the app's users which average 2 million a day. In contrast, China-based Blued enjoys 3 million average daily users and is considered a competitor of Grindr. Joel Simkhai founded Grindr in 2009 with a few thousand dollars. The mobile app allows users to see the photos of another gay based on location. Users could also share photos and text messages with one another. Grindr users spent an average of 54 minutes daily using the app, according to the company which earned $32 million in 2014, a 29 percent improvement from its 2013 revenue of $25 million, reports The New York Times. However, dating apps, such as Grindr and Tinder, have been blamed for over 400 criminal offenses in the UK in 2015. The offenses include attempted murder, rape, blackmail and assault. The numbers are up from only 55 dating-app crimes in 2013 to 135 in 2014. Andy Cooke, deputy chief constable of the Merseyside Police in UK, urged users of dating apps to be security conscious and not to share personal data right away until they are sure about the person they are communicating with. We at WarbirdsNews thought our readers would love to see some news about the three Lockheed P-38 Lightnings currently under restoration in Australia. Our good friend John Parker from WarbirdsOnline recently visited Historical Aircraft Restorations Ltd.s workshop in Albion Park, New South Wales where the Lightnings are under rebuild, and has graciously allowed us to share some of his words and fascinating images from that trip. The restoration shop is located within one of the large hangars belonging to the world famous Historical Aircraft Restoration Society museum, better known as HARS, and is run by Rob Greinert, a legendary aircraft recovery and restoration expert. One of the Lightnings will fly again with HARS, while the other two will be returned to static condition. According to widely published sources, Greinert is known to have substantial remains from P-38G 42-12847 Dumbo! recovered from the Solomons in the early 2000s and P-38F 42-12647 Dottie from Brooklyn, as well as parts from P-38F 42-13084 and the tail booms from P-38H 42-66905. Although the identity of the future flyer is not yet on the civil registry, Dottie from Brooklyn is set to be one of the two static examples. She will eventually return to Papua New Guinea for their national WWII museum, much like one of the P-47s also under restoration with Greinert (click HERE). We will let John Parker pick up the story from here We were very pleased to see the work being undertaken on three Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighters in the workshop. In the past month, we again visited the workshop and to view the progress being made on these Fork Tailed Devils. Great strides have been made in the interim on the aircraft and it was exciting to see the work progressing so well. At the time of our latest visit the first aircraft was in the process of disassembly of the wing and center section. This work was being undertaken by Arthur Griffiths and Jason Cockayne and the task is huge. The centre section and wing assembly is a very large structure in its own right and although the donor example is in relatively sound condition, much of it will serve as patterns for new build components. This particular P-38 is not identified, but is thought to have come from Keema Misson in the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG), according to a notation scratched into the spar. Once completed, this particular static example will be making its way to the PNG National Museum and the other static aircraft will be going to a well-known American Museum [Ed. Pima Air & Space Museum]. The aircraft will be completely detailed inside and out and make an exceptional museum exhibit. Also in evidence at the time of our visit, was the work progressing on other components for the P-38 projects, including the start of a cockpit assembly and substantial horizontal stabilizer work, as well as the rebuilding of the tail boom assemblies. The booms are a real work of art in themselves and the workmanship is very impressive. The concept of building the two static P-38 Lightnings first and then the flying examples makes perfect sense, as the static aircraft, although built to the highest standards, will allow Robert Grienert and his team to learn from the experience and develop methods and tools to make the airworthy examples easier to complete. As discussed previously, parts for P-38 rebuilds are becoming extremely hard to come by and Robert Grienert has amassed the largest remaining collection of components. However, even this will be exhausted once the 3 aircraft are completed and he believes there wont be many more P-38s rebuilt in the future as a result of these parts shortages. Where do you find a good set of P-38 landing gear legs for instance? One little known fact is that Australia operated the F-4 photo-reconnaissance version of the P-38 Lightning in WWII from the Northern Territory, however the availability of the deHavilland Mosquito halted widespread RAAF use. It will be great to follow the story of these Fork Tailed Devils over the next few years and even greater to see the first Lockheed P-38 Lightning fly in Australia since 1945 as part of the great HARS collection. - WarbirdsNews wishes our great thanks to John Parker, and also by extension to Rob Greinert, for the article and images published here. We expect to hear from them again before too long! Warbirds Online extends our thanks Robert Grienert and the team at Albion Park for their help and assistance for this visit. Hyundai is looking for ways to change its China business after sales of its reputable mid-market lineup fell last year. (Photo : YouTube) Hyundai Motor Co. is weighing options to make its new luxury Genesis vehicles in China as a way of overcoming import tariffs that add 25 percent to the price tag. The tariffs perceivably inhibit the company's ability to compete with locally build BMWs and Audis. Hyundai's chief marketing officer, Cho Won-Hong, said that the biggest South Korean automaker should still reach an agreement with local partners. According to China Daily, BAIC Group currently builds the Sonata and Elantra in collaboration with Hyundai, although Cho would not specify whether the two companies were in discussions for the Genesis production. Advertisement Cho said, "China has a high tariff and that makes our vehicles more expensive than competitors, which makes it difficult to be profitable. There are a lot of issues that need to be solved before we could go in. But we will definitely go in." Hyundai is looking for ways to change its China business after sales of its reputable mid-market lineup fell last year for the first time since 2007 due to economic decline. One way is to tap into the luxury sector as cuts in sales taxes and imminent restrictions on vehicle registration trigger buyers to splurge on the most expensive car they can afford. A report from Bloomberg quoted the chief executive officer of Midas International Asset Management in Seoul, Heo Pil-seok: "Hyundai has no choice. It's difficult to expect quantitative growth in the auto market, so companies have to promote luxury models and brands to bring up the profits." China is the biggest Hyundai market, accounting for 21 percent of sales in 2015. The United States accounted for 15 percent only out of the company's 4.96 million cars sold in 2015. The company's deliveries in China dropped 5.1 percent for 2015 to 1.06 million units due to an economy likely growing at its slowest pace since 1990. Global luxury brands like BMW AG and Volkswagen AG manufacture in China to cut down on the import tariffs. Embattled retailer Dick Smith has replaced its chief executive, strengthening speculation that a buyer for the chain can be found. Nick Abboud tendered his resignation on Monday night and receiver Ferrier Hodgson said on Tuesday it had installed former Retail Fusion Brands boss Don Grover as interim CEO. Dick Smith CEO Nick Abboud was appointed by Anchorage in 2012. Credit:Louise Kennerley Mr Grover is a 30-year retail veteran who as Fusion CEO oversaw footwear chains Diana Ferrari, Williams, Mathers and Colorado, and has previously headed up bookseller Dymocks as well as holding a number of roles at David Jones. Forager Funds chief investment officer Steve Johnson said that it was not unusual for the boss of a collapsed business to quit, but he was surprised that Ferrier Hodgson chose to appoint a new chief executive rather than run Dick Smith itself. As MC Wally Lewis began addressing the crowd, Steve Miller sat in the front row struggling to keep his composure. Well-wishers greet Cole Miller's father Steve at the a memorial. Credit:Drew Creighton Sitting beside him, Mitch put his arm around him, where it stayed, until it was Steve's turn to support Billy, standing behind him on stage as the member of the 2012 Australian Olympic water polo team bravely paid tribute to his "quiet, humble but very driven" brother, whose life was cruelly snatched away just as it was his "time to shine". Cole, 18, graduated from Brisbane State High School last year and had achieved a Queensland Academy of Sport scholarship when he died. Wally Lewis MCs the memorial for alleged one-punch victim Cole Miller, a week after he died. Credit:Kim Stephens He scored his first goal as a member of the Australian under 18 water polo team just a few weeks ago, Mr Lewis told the crowd who gathered in King George Square. "All the boys spoke about how hard it would be to take that smile away," he said. Members of the Veterans Motorcycle Club attended the memorial to Cole Miller, to take a stand against street violence. Credit:Kim Stephens We should not have to worry about a loved one going out and having a good time with friends Billy Miller "He was at the beginning of what should have been a very long and distinguished career." Cole had been out in Fortitude Valley's nightclub precinct during a break in training in the early hours of Sunday, January 3 when he walked through Chinatown Mall with a friend on the way to a taxi rank and allegedly into the path of Armstrong Renata and Daniel Maxwell, both 21. Sunshine Coast school friends of Cole's including a tearful Cheyenne Lyons, left, attended his memorial at King George Square. Credit:Kim Stephens The pair allegedly picked a fight with the teenager, and, in an unprovoked attack, Mr Renata allegedly delivered a ferocious single blow to Cole's head that caused massive head injuries from which he would never wake. Both Mr Renata and Mr Maxwell are in custody, charged with unlawful striking causing death. Two days before his family will bid their final goodbyes to their much-loved youngest member at a service in Brisbane's CBD on Wednesday, Billy Miller called for an end to the senseless street violence that allegedly claimed the life of his brother. "Sadly, our family is not alone in losing a loved one in tragic circumstances," he said. "We should not have to worry about a loved one going out and having a good time with friends. "We should, as a society, be educated enough to understand the difference between right and wrong. "It is time for love and truth and action." It was a sentiment echoed by Mr Lewis, which drew applause from the crowd, many of whom were sporting black wristbands "It has to stop. It must stop and we demand it does right now," he said. "We've had enough. It's not fair. It's not right and it's not going to continue." While the formalities of the memorial lasted just 15 minutes, it took another 20 minutes for Steve, Billy and Mitch Miller to make the 20 metre walk to the entrance of City Hall, as many green-clad well-wishers, a number fo them strangers, flocked to the trio to hug them and offer their condolences. The eclectic crowd of mourners included a large contingent of Brisbane Barracudas members, school friends of Cole's, along with many who had never met the teenager but who had been shocked by his death. Among the more surprising members were about 10 members of the Veterans Motorcycle Club from across Southeast Queensland. Sunshine Coast club member Daniel Kelly who knew the Miller family from their time living in the area said in addition to supporting the family, it was important that the club took a stand against street violence. "Bikies might always have violence against each other but they don't hold with violence against kids or women and if they do, there's none of this king-hitting or anything like that," said. "We wanted to stand up against this violence, it's senseless, you know?" "I mean we've had our bit of violence in our time but we don't want to see this sort of stuff in the streets with our children as well." A tearful Cheyenne Lyons also travelled from the Sunshine Coast with two school friends, all of whom went attended junior school with the slain teenager before he left for Brisbane. Ms Lyons kept in touch with her school friend and last saw him at November's schoolies celebration on the Gold Coast. "You hear about it on the news but you don't expect it to happen to someone you know," she said. "He was the loveliest guy, so funny and just so caring. "He was always really loving and obviously everyone's here in support of him." An artists' impression of Cbus Property's proposed development. "From my personal point of view, yes, we were sold here on the fact we were overlooking a heritage precinct that was coded to only be low-rise," she said. A spokesman for Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the proposal, as lodged, was code assessable, which meant it could be approved without the need for public submissions. But it would have required public submissions had Cbus Property not taken advantage of a little-known mechanism transferable development rights, introduced during the Sallyanne Atkinson administration to the property. That allowed Cbus Property to transfer development rights it would have otherwise had over another property it owned, the NAB building on the corner of Creek and Queen streets, if it was not heritage listed. "The application triggered code assessment procedures under state government law after a formal change was made to the proposal in November, adding transferable development rights to the site," Cr Quirk's spokesman said. "This town-planning provision allows building height development potential to be transferred between sites within the same area of the city centre and has been in place since 1987. "While the matter is before the courts it is not appropriate to make any further comment that could prejudice any proceedings." In its submission to the court, UQ said the development application was "piecemeal and unlawful". "In broad terms the purpose of (transferable site area) is to encourage the preservation of heritage sites," UQ said in its application to the court. "The effect of the purported approval is to subvert, rather than comply with, the stated intent and express assessment criteria of the planning scheme. "Further, the addition of the TSA has ostensibly impermissibly made the application no longer subject to impact assessment, and thereby excludes the custodian of the Brisbane Customs House (UQ) from being able to exercise the right which it would have otherwise been lawfully entitled to, to challenge the council's decision to approve the development application." UQ has argued the allocation of a TSA should "only be approved where the conservation of the heritage value of the transferring site is certain and where the council is satisfied that the conservation of the transferring heritage place is assured". "Yet, paradoxically, the effect of the approval of the allocation of TSA in the present circumstances is to treat heritage values inconsistently, that is, indirectly to fail to treat as certain or as assured the heritage value of Customs House," UQ said in its submission. UQ's application was due to be heard in the Planning and Environment Court on January 29. Cbus Property chief executive Adrian Pozzo said he would not comment on the development while it remained subject to court action. "We'll have to wait to see what happens on January 29," he said. But prior to the lodgement of the DA, Mr Pozzo told Fairfax's Australian Financial Review the building was the "right product" for Brisbane. "To date, Brisbane apartments generally have not been designed well to address and take advantage of the city's subtropical environment," Mr Pozzo told the AFR. "We think 443 Queen Street is a new generation of design for subtropical living." A family friend has described the "sickening" manner in which a Melville grandmother-of-two was killed during a burglary last Tuesday. Ivan, who did not want to reveal his last name, faced the media on behalf of Valeria Fermendjin's daughter Violeta and her son-in-law [also] Ivan, who were still battling to come to grips with the violent end the much-loved grandmother met in her Leach Highway home. Ivan called for the people responsible for Valeria Fermendjin's brutal death to come forward if they had "an ounce of humanity". Mrs Fermendjin's family members were too distraught to make an appeal for the people involved to come forward. Five horses badly burned in the South West bushfires were transferred to the Murdoch University Veterinary Hospital on Tuesday for further specialised treatment. The injured animals, with burns to their heads, legs and bodies, received first response care from vets at Murray Veterinary Services in Coolup, about 25 kilometres west of Waroona. The horses' injuries may get worse before they get better. Credit:Murray Veterinary Services The intensity of their ongoing treatment, however, needs meant the major vet hospital in Perth's southern suburbs was the best care option. MVS head vet Ross Wallace said the injured horses had mainly received second degree burns with some at the milder end of third degree. A WA man who allegedly secretly filmed children at schools, shopping centres and sporting areas has been charged with a series of child exploitation offences. Police will allege the 30-year-old Esperance man had nearly 40,000 images and videos of children on mobile phones, computers and recording devices. A Perth man has been charged with a string of child exploitation offences. Credit:Craig Sillitoe A police spokesman said the man was charged after his mobile phone was handed into police on August 7 and a search warrant was executed at his home the following day. "Analysis of the items seized resulted in a total of 15,816 files, comprising still images and video recordings depicting children constituting child exploitation material and a further 24,142 files, comprising depictions of children believed to form part of a series of child exploitation material being located," he said. Chinese President Xi Jinping, general-secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has vowed to complete military reforms by 2020. (Photo : www.rushincrash.com) hina has reshuffled its four military headquarters--staff, politics, logistics and armaments--into 15 new agencies under the Central Military Commission (CMC), which President Xi Jinping described as a breakthrough and a crucial step toward a stronger military, China Daily reported. Advertisement The report said that the new structure has now six new departments which include joint staff, political work, logistical support, equipment development, training, and national defense mobilization. It has also three commissions--discipline inspection, politics and law, and science and technology--as well as the general office, administration, auditing, international cooperation, reform and organizational structure, and strategic planning. President Xi Jinping, general-secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the CMC, met with the new chiefs of the 15 new agencies on Monday, Jan. 11, the report said. During the meeting, Xi urged military leaders to follow the CPC's leadership, stressing that military leaders must adhere to the Party principles, obey political discipline, and "be politically intelligent," with firm political faith and right political stance. Military leaders must sharpen their political alertness and become better at discerning right and wrong in political matters, Xi added. Xi also called on military leaders to align their direction with the CPC Central Committee and the CMC. The Chinese leader also urged the reorganized CMC organs to focus on winning wars as their central task, which include concentrating on the study of military affairs, how to fight battles, and strengthen their awareness in preparing for war at any time. Xi urged the organs to lose no time in adapting to changes in their operational command system and building themselves into a smooth-running and effective joint command system. He also urged the organs to initiate a "learning revolution," liberate their minds and enhance their study efforts on warfare readiness. As CMC chairman, Xi asked the leaders to impose strict self-discipline to set examples for all servicemen, urging them to be loyal and responsible, and control their behavior based on the Party's rules and discipline. Wu Qian, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said during a press conference on the reforms on Monday that the multi-department structure will help the CMC function better, adding that it would be conducive to consolidating the leadership of the Party over the armed forces. The new structure will also help the 15 organs carry out strategic planning and administration as well as strengthen the supervision of powers, Wu added. The ministry spokesman also discussed the duties of the 15 organs including the responsibilities of the key Joint Staff Department, which is in charge of military operation planning, command and control, studying and formulating military strategies, and assessing operational capacity, among others. On the new office for international military cooperation, Wu assured that Chinese troops are committed to expanding international communication and cooperation and safeguarding world peace and stability. Warsaw, Poland: Opposition groups have massed in demonstrations across Poland, enraged by the new government's efforts to exert its influence on the nation's media supervisors and top courts. The protests, which were organised by the Committee for the Defence of Democracy, drew about 20,000 people in Warsaw on Saturday, while other gatherings were reported nationwide. A demonstrator seals his mouth during a protest over media freedom at the Polish TVP News headquarters in Warsaw. Credit:AP "If journalists cannot keep an eye on the powerful, then people will not know what the government is up to," committee leader Mateusz Kijowski said at a rally in the central Polish city of Lodz. The conservative government, which took power in November, has angered many with the new measures. The changes give newly installed conservative judges a greater say on the nation's highest court and let the government install a political appointee to head public broadcasters. Description: Outdoor fire pit is constructed of heavy duty mesh and frame. It is an ideal choice for warmth, BBQ and cooling drinks and food in patio/garden/yard. mesh lid poker 600D Oxford cover Specifications: Material: Mesh & Stainless Steel Product Size: 32 X 32 X 18" (L X W X N) Pot Size: 23 x 23 x 4 (LxWxH) Lid Size: 21 X 21 X 4 (LxWxH) G.W.: 32.7lb N.W.: 29.3lb Package Included Log Grate x 1 Poker x 1 Protective Cover x 1 BBQ Net x 1 Mesh Lid x 1 Fire Bowl x 1 Note: Please keep away from kids to avoid burning injury when using it. Box arrived with some holes. Everything seemed fine, not damaged in shipping thank goodness. Several pcs were bent or ding marks just from how it was made it seems. They were packed in foam so un damaged from shipping. Some holes didnt aline correctly and had to use some force to get the screws in right. Nothing major just annoying. The poker is small and actually looks old or used already. Not happy with that but i bought it for the pit itself not the poker, we have a better poker. The metal is not the BEST quality, pretty thin, but for the price it's fine. We haven't started a fire in it yet but it looks like it will hold up a few years anyway. Seems sturdy enough. Not as in, Oh look I can sit on it, but just for what it's for (logs/fire) its sturdy. I'm sure the whole thing will get really hot when fire is going as its all metal. So i wouldnt say you can put a cup or your feet up on the sides. The cover is cheap plastic, already stretching, as in going to rip, just first time putting it on. So put it on veeery carefully. Nice size, I didn't want anything huge. Nice for a small family to just enjoy a small fire. Staci. CLAYTON, NJ. 2022-07-01 19:04:12 China National Chemical Corporation (ChemChina) has agreed to buy German machinery maker KraussMaffei Group, valued at about $1 billion. (Photo : www.digitaljournal.com) China National Chemical Corp. (ChemChina) has agreed to buy German machinery maker KraussMaffei Group, valued at about $1 billion, in a bid to upgrade the state-controlled companys expertise in manufacturing plastics and rubber, China Daily reported. Advertisement According to a statement released on Monday, Jan. 11, the company will make the transaction at an enterprise value of 925 million euros ($1 billion) from Onex Corp. and its affiliates. The deal is expected to be completed during the first half of the year in which ChemChina, the country's biggest chemicals company, will team up with Guoxin International Investment Corp. and Henry Cai's AGIC Capital. The report said that the purchase would make ChemChina one of most ambitious deal-makers after buying or investing in assets in Italy, France, Norway, the United Kingdom and Singapore in the past few years, including tiremaker Pirelli & C SpA. According to the report, KraussMaffei earned a revenue of about 1.1 billion euros in 2014. The company supplies machines that process and produce plastics and rubber, with industry customers ranging from automotive to consumer goods and pharmaceuticals. The company has about 4,500 employees worldwide, of which 2,800 are located in Germany. ChemChina said after the deal that the company will retain KraussMaffei's management and employees and maintain its headquarters in Munich while its operations will stay in Europe. ChemChina chairman Ren Jianxin said in the statement that buying 178-year-old KraussMaffei will enhance ChemChina's chemical machinery business and also adopts to the Chinese government's broader plans to upgrade its manufacturing sector over the next decade. Canada's Onex, the buyout firm which facilitated the deal, will receive proceeds of 670 million euros. The firm has invested 276 million euros in KraussMaffei in 2012. The report said that the deal is considered as China's biggest acquisition in Germany. Shenzhen Police Smashes Groups Organizing Minors To Commit Crimes (Photo : Getty Images) User of Weibo, a microblogging site in China similar to Twitter, are debating on the pixilation of photos of suspects arrested for the kidnapping of a five-year-old girl on Jan. 3. Three full-faced photos of the nine men who were arrested had Chinese characters on their foreheads that reads "pixilated." Some net users say that the faces of the suspects were pixilated, while others state that they saw the Chinese characters. Advertisement The incident has sparked debate on the use of digital tools such as pixilation to mask the face of child-trafficking criminals. Some believe the faces of these suspects should be exposed so the public would be forewarned, while others believe it violates the privacy of those arrested, reports Women of China. Anhui Police insist that they did not pixilate the faces of the suspects who the authorities say could be recidivists. By publicizing their photos, the police hope that Chinese would recognize the suspects to help placate parents' concern over the safety of their children. On the other hand, Jungrun Law Firm lawyer Han Xiao points out that while there are no specific rules on pixilation of suspects' faces, the country's constitution and Criminal Procedure mandates respect and protection for human rights. However, Han adds that if the suspects are at large and would likely commit more crimes, their photos could be placed in wanted posters to help capture them. Anhui Police say the decision to pixelate suspect's faces is up to the local authorities to decide. As of Friday, the kidnap victim was rescued by Anhui police on Wednesday 56 hours after she was abducted. The suspects were arrested in Hebei Province. The victim, Yiran, was playing with her elder brother on Sunday in front of their house in Taihe County when the two suspects aboard a motorcycle pretended to ask for directions. They then abducted the girl and brought her 600 kilometers away from Anhui Province to She County, Handan City, Hebei. Police arrested the suspects at 11 p.m. on Tuesday and returned Yiran to her family at about 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Kidnapping of children is a lucrative business in China. Many migrant workers prefer to use motorcycles as their mode of transport when they go home to their families in the provinces for the Chinese New Year. (Photo : www.notey.com) Migrant workers going home by motorcycle or minibus during the upcoming annual travel rush, known as "chunyun," will be offered free refueling services by Sinopec's subsidiary in Guangdong Province, the company said on Monday, Jan. 11, reported Xinhua. According to Sinopec, they will give out a total of 10,000 free "refuelling packages" to motorists, with free pumping, accident insurance and warm clothes included. Advertisement Chen Chengmin, the company's general manager, said that the company will also offer an additional 1,000 more free refuelling items to those going home by minibus, provided that the engine displacement of each minibus must not exceed 1.3 liters. The report said that the service will be offered in the provinces of Guangdong and Hunan and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China. However, only those working in Guangdong will be eligible to apply, the report added. The company said that those who want to avail of the service must show household registration in Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hunan or Jiangxi, the six localities with the largest number of migrant workers. According to the report, thousands of passengers are expected to travel to the provinces during the upcoming peak travel period around the Lunar New Year Festival, with up to 2.91 billion trips to be made via road, railway, air and water between Jan. 24 and March 3. As competition for train tickets is intense, many of the country's more than 260 million migrant workers prefer to use motorcycle or minibus to go home before the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, which is a once-a-year chance for people to reunite with family. The report said that it is the fourth consecutive year that state-run oil and gas giant Sinopec has offered the service in Guangdong, one of the country's provinces with the biggest migrant worker population. The company started to take registrations via its official website and WeChat account on Monday, and the application period will last until Jan. 21, the report said. Chinas stance on the Diaoyu Islands is consistent and clear, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei at a press briefing. (Photo : Photo/fmprc.gov.cn) China has taken an active role in controversial regional issues as the first round of the four-party talks on Afghanistan took place in Islamabad on Monday, Jan. 11. The meeting came just a day after Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Ming came back from a mediation trip in the Middle East after the sudden breaking of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia, China Daily reported. Advertisement Hong Lei, foreign ministry spokesman, pointed out at a daily news briefing that Zhang encouraged the two countries to "stay calm and restrained" and ease the tension. He added that the first meeting of the Quadrilateral Coordination Committee to resolve the Afghan problem sought to establish favorable conditions to push forward an Afghan reconciliation process led by the people. China is ready to continue playing a constructive role in the process according to its respect for Afghanistan's independence and the will of different parties. The same publication reported that Chinese special envoy for Afghanistan, Deng Xijun, is heading the Chinese designation in the talks, as well attended by senior officials from the United States, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The director of the Institute of Middle East Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, Niu Xinchun, acknowledged that China is playing a bigger role in hot regional matters as its overseas interests increase and obligations as a worldwide power grow. In addition, Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Pakistan's Senate Defense Committee Chairman, applauded China's presence at the four-party talks, saying that it is vital and that Beijing is playing an exceptional role. On the other hand, the vice president of the China Institute of International Studies, Dong Manyuan, said, "Afghanistan is an important neighbor of China, and Beijing expects to see a peaceful and stable Afghanistan." The talks are meant to look for options to revitalize the delayed discussions between Kabul and the Taliban. The test flights proved that the airfield has the capacity to ensure safe operation of large civilian aircraft, Xinhua said in its official media release. (Photo : China Daily) While China has turned down on Monday Vietnam's protest over test flights conducted on new airstrips built on disputed South China Sea islands, Japan warned China on Tuesday of sailing into disputed islands in East China Sea. Hong Lei, spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry, insists that he country has undisputed sovereignty over Nansha Islands and the adjacent waters. Two tests flight on Jan. 6 landed and took off from the southernmost airport of Nansha's Yongshu Jiao which Hong says is part of China's territory. Advertisement Besides Vietnam, the Philippines and other Asian nations are also claiming the islands which Beijing says it is developing for humanitarian use, including for emergency landings and maritime rescue. As a result of the test flights, Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam Director Lai Xuan Thanh wrote a protest letter to Beijing and to the UN International Civil Aviation Organization. But Hong says that Lai's accusation the flights were threats to safety of all flights in the region were baseless. In a press conference, Hong says, "Vietnam's claims that it has not received notification from China does not conform to the facts," quotes Sina. The next day, it was China's turn to be told not to enter Japanese waters. In a news conference, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga was quoted as saying, "If a foreign naval vessel transits our waters for (purposes) other than 'innocent passage', we will order a sea patrol and take the steps of having the Self-Defense Force unit order withdrawal." The islands on East China Sea are called Senkaku by Japan and Diaoyu by China. In November, Chinese naval vessels sailed near these disputed islands. Like the Spratlys, as the Philippines calls Nansha, China insists the islands on East China Sea belong to the country since ancient times. Hong says that while Beijing does not want tension to escalate in the region, it is willing to manage, control and resolve the issue through dialogue and consultations, but not to submit itself to international arbitration. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 11, 2016 | PADUCAH, KY By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 11, 2016 | 09:01 PM | PADUCAH, KY Paducah School of Art and Design (PSAD) will host an opening reception for its annual showcase of works by nationally recognized master artists January 21. The reception for this years exhibition titled, Over the Top, will be held from 5:00-7:00 pm the Clemens Fine Arts Gallery located on the campus of West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC). The reception is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Audiences will get an advance preview of this summers Master Artist Program with the following master artists. Lazure will showcase works in jewelry and stonesetting. Lazures work is also in the collections of the Mint Museum of Craft and Design, and the Gallery of Art and Design in Raleigh, N.C. Images of his work have been published in 1000 Rings, 500 Brooches, The Art of Enameling, and The Craft of Silversmithing. Artwork by Yoshi Fujii features his ceramic carving artistry. Fujiis work has been published and shown in international exhibitions and competitions, won multiple awards, and added to collections. He is one of Ceramics Monthlys Emerging Artists of 2015 and a fellow of the Craftsmens Guild of Mississippi. Jill Baker Gower will present her work of etched and hollow constructed jewelry. Her work has been in many juried and curated exhibitions nationwide and has been published in Metalsmith magazine, 500 Enameled Objects and the forthcoming book CAST. In 2015, Gower was a recipient of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship. Ceramic work by Elaine Henry is designed to help viewers develop and understand their personal aesthetic style. Henry served as the President of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) from 2002 to 2004. She is currently a Fellow of NCECA and an elected member of the International Academy of Ceramics. Her work is widely published, exhibited, and collected. Sunshine Cobb will showcase her ceramic work that discovers new inspiration in established techniques. She was named as an emerging artist by both Ceramics Monthly magazine and the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts. Sunshine is working as a potter and travels the country as a lecturing and demonstrating artist. The Over the Top opening reception and exhibition will be held in conjunction with the photo contest exhibition from WKCTCs One Book Read of Saints at the River. To register for this summers Master Artist Workshop Program, which is set for May-August, call Peggy Allgood, PSAD division assistant, at 270-408-4278. PSAD, a division of West Kentucky Community and Technical College, offers an Associate in Fine Arts degree, as well as studio art classes for students of all levels and disciplines. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 11, 2016 | PADUCAH, KY By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 11, 2016 | 03:25 PM | PADUCAH, KY A joint investigation by McCracken and Marshall County Drug Detectives led to the Sunday afternoon arrest of two men on drug charges, and a large Methamphetamine seizure. Detectives stopped a pickup truck Sunday afternoon driven by 36-year-old John Doublin, of Benton on Alben Barkley drive. During the course of the stop K-9 officers conducted a search around the vehicle, and a dog reportedly indicated a narcotic odor coming from truck. Detectives said they searched the truck and found a container with eight individual bags of meth, an amphetamine pill and a syringe. Deputies said they found about 34 grams of meth in total. Both Doublin and his passenger, 49-year-old Terry Kelley Jr., of Paducah were arrested. Detectives also seized $3,408 from the men that they believe to be proceeds of illegal drug sales. Detectives said they found an additional 725 grams of meth, a digital scale and two guns in a storage unit on North Friendship Road. The investigation continued as detectives searched a motel room at 5120 Hinkleville Road in Paducah, where they seized additional drug paraphernalia and an additional $10,231 in suspected drug money. In all, detectives seized a total of 759 grams of Crystal Methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $75,900 and a total of $13,639. Both suspects face various drug trafficking and possession charges. Kelley also faces weapons charges. By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 12, 2016 | 02:46 PM | PADUCAH, KY A Paducah man was arrested twice late last week after incidents in his neighborhood. Paducah Police records show they arrested 44-year-old Howard Gorbaty early Friday morning on Rucker Avenue, after he allegedly fired shots at a man. That man and a woman who lives across the street from Gorbaty both told police that Gorbaty had some kind of disagreement with her. When the man arrived at her house, reports say Gorbaty fired two shots at him, striking the woman's home. The male victim told police that Gorbaty spoke to him when arrived, and then asked if he "wanted to kill him," before firing the shots. Police reports say Gorbaty initially told them he fired in self-defense because the man was trying to get into his home, but later admitted the man was not on his property. The citation indicates two bullet holes were found in the home, and the angles of their impact didn't match Gorbaty's story. He was arrested for 1st degree wanton endangerment. Late Friday night, police were called to the area again, because Gorbaty was allegedly walking around the area with a flashlight. When confronted, police say he produced a court order requiring he have no contact with the woman, but officers verified that he was released as long as he did not come within 1,000 yards of the victim's home. Based on the fact that Gorbaty's house is across the street, police arrested him again around midnight for violating the terms of his release. Gorbaty was taken to McCracken County Jail again, but has since been released on bail. 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. By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 27, 2015 | 09:09 AM | PADUCAH, KY Even though the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers are receding, the release of pent-up water from Kentucky and Barkley Dams could be enough to cause formerly covered roads to become inundated again. County and state road crews will keep an eye on likely areas where water could come back over roads. Here is the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's latest report of roads that are closed due to flooding: Calloway County KY 1483 between KY 80 and Elmdale Road. This will remain closed after water recedes to replace a washed-out culvert. Fulton County The Dorena-Hickman ferry is not operating at this time, since water is over KY 1354/Ferry Landing Road at Hickman. KY 1129/Adams Road from the 4-9 mile marker. KY 2140 between KY 1129 and KY 94. McCracken County Bonds Road (KY 1255) closed at the 2 mile marker. This section has been serving as a detour for KY 348, which is closed while a bridge is built near the Hardmoney community. Noble Road/KY 1420 closed near the 4 mile marker. This section can be impacted by water discharged from Kentucky and Barkley dams. By The Associated Press Jan. 12, 2016 | 05:55 AM | FRANKFORT, KY Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin is promoting the state's automotive industry at the North American International Auto Show in Michigan.Bevin's office says the governor is traveling to Detroit on Tuesday to speak with auto industry leaders at the event. It's Bevin's first official trip outside the state as governor since taking office. Bevin says the show is an opportunity to promote Kentucky to some of the auto industry's most influential leaders. The event is considered by industry experts to be the largest and most prestigious automotive showcase. The event features more than 750 vehicles and interactive displays by suppliers. Kentucky ranks near the top nationally in auto production. Ford has two production plants in Louisville, Toyota has a production facility at Georgetown and General Motors makes Corvettes at Bowling Green. Rita Redmond was a true lady who felt that every pupil had something to gift to the world Shona McCarthy has been appointed the chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe society. McCarthy will take up the post in early March, following the departure of previous boss Kath Mainland, who has been appointed executive director of Melbourne Festival. McCarthy was chief executive of the culture company, the organisation behind Derry-Londonderry's year as the UK City of Culture. Between 2009 and 2011 she was director of the British Council Northern Ireland. McCarthy recieved a NESTA cultural leadership award and an Eisenhower Fellowship for Innovation in 2014. Timothy O'Shea, chair of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society said: "I am delighted Shona will be joining the team at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society; she brings with her an exceptional resume of experience in the cultural sector and is an experienced and successful chief executive." The Fringe Society is the organisation behind the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It was established in 1958, eleven years after the birth of the Fringe. The Fringe Society is a registered charity and exists to support all participants. McCarthy said of her appointment: "I am thrilled to be appointed chief executive of an organisation I have long admired. I have spent 25 years working in the cultural sector and have seen up close and personal the transformative power that art can have on people, on cities and on wellbeing. I passionately believe in personal and collective creativity as a force for good in a turbulent world." Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 11/01/2016 (2473 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. wfpyoutube:https://youtu.be/kszLwBaC4Sw:wfpyoutube Its unfair, in a way, to review David Bowies final album, Blackstar, after his death, as the once cryptic lyrics have since taken an obviously eulogistic turn. Look up here! Im in heaven, he sings on Lazarus, in lines that now hit a little too close to home. Oh, Ill be free / Just like that bluebird / Oh, Ill be free / Aint that just like me? But his final work is a credit to his catalogue, regardless of what meaning is pulled from each song. With Bowie, you never really know for sure, anyway. Marty Lederhandler / The Associated Press Files David Bowie listens during a news conference after a rehearsal at the Booth Theater in 1980 New York. The only thing that is relatively clear is the album, released Jan. 8, on Bowies 69th birthday, was deemed a parting gift to his fans by the producer of the record, Tony Visconti, who made a statement on his Facebook page early Monday morning. He always did what he wanted to do. And he wanted to do it his way and he wanted to do it the best way. His death was no different from his life a work of Art, Visconti wrote. He made Blackstar for us, his parting gift. I knew for a year this was the way it would be. In true Bowie fashion, Blackstar is a dense piece of work. Its swathed in modern beats and wide-ranging influences from jazz to hip hop, but is also clouded with a melancholy, not just in the sometimes lethargic pace and ominous tone of many of the songs, but also lyrically, as Bowie dissects themes of death, destruction and finality. In that way, Blackstar provides the perfect mirror for Bowies dichotomous career it is both innovative and classic, both exhilarating and heart breaking. The albums final track, I Cant Give Everything Away, feels the most weighty despite airy synths, bright saxophone and swooning harmonica that dot the melody. I know somethings very wrong, Bowie hums in the first line of the song. The pulse returns for prodigal sons/The blackouts hearts with flowered news, with skull designs upon my shoes. The song is a beautiful farewell to fans, still hanging onto the mystery that surrounded Bowie throughout his entire career, right up until the day he died. I cant give everything away, he sings in the final lines. No, he cant, and we wouldnt have wanted him to. erin.lebar@freepress.mb.ca If you value coverage of Manitobas arts scene, help us do more. Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow the Free Press to deepen our reporting on theatre, dance, music and galleries while also ensuring the broadest possible audience can access our arts journalism. BECOME AN ARTS JOURNALISM SUPPORTER Click here to learn more about the project. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 11/01/2016 (2473 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The funeral and a celebration of life for former lieutenant-governor and longtime Liberal MP John Harvard will be held on Jan. 25 at 1 p.m. at the Victoria Inn in Winnipeg. Harvard died Saturday from cancer at age 77. Harvard was Manitobas lieutenant governor from 2004 to 2009. He was the Liberal MP for Charleswood-St.James-Assiniboia from 1988 until 2004. Harvard was replaced as lieutenant-governor by Philip Lee (2009-2015). Janice Filmon was appointed last June to the position, as the Queens representative in Canada. File photo Former Manitoba lieutenant-governor John Harvard in his home in Winnipeg in June 2013. Harvard died on Saturday at the age of 77. I always admire anybody who can put their name on a lawn sign, stand up and let people know what they believe in and try to motivate a team to work them. Certainly he did that, Filmon told the Free Press. This is somebody who did spend a lot of his life in public service. Whenever anyone does that, I think they do it to make the world a better place. Harvards wife, Pat Bovey, said in lieu of flowers, anyone wishing to make a donation is asked to support Winnipeg Harvest, the Buhler Gallery at St. Boniface Hospital and the John Harvard Smart and Caring Community Fund with the Glenboro Area Foundation. ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/01/2016 (2472 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. After nearly losing her first daughter to female genital mutilation, a Nigerian woman who learned she was pregnant with three girls fled to Canada before it could happen to them. Friday, at an Immigration and Refugee Board hearing, she was granted protection in Canada. Im happy, said the woman, whose fraternal triplets were delivered by cesarean section in Winnipeg and are nearly four weeks old. Theyre going to have a good future, said the woman, who can only be identified by her initials, F.O. In an interview Monday, she said her refugee protection hearing was difficult. The minister of safetys representative argued she should not be given protection in Canada, saying she committed a crime by allowing her firstborn daughter to be circumcised. It was very bad, said the 35-year-old woman from a village in Nigeria. Court documents and affidavits tell a story of cultural traditions and the pressure brought to bear on women when they give birth to girls. F.O. met her husband in 2008 when the man from an affluent family in Lagos attended a funeral in her village. He visited her for several months before telling her he was engaged to a woman in Lagos. F.O. broke up with him, then found out she was pregnant. When she gave him the news, his first response was pure joy and they resumed their long-distance relationship. After their baby girl was born in 2009, the paternal grandfather told F.O. his wife would take their granddaughter to be circumcised at three months of age. I was shocked and surprised, F.O. said in court documents. I told him I would not allow my daughter to be circumcised. He told her there would be consequences and ramifications for the girl if the tradition was not upheld. She was pressured to allow the circumcision female genital mutilation to take place and gave in. She testified she thought it would be performed at a clinic or hospital, but the baby was taken to an old mud house in a village. An elderly woman asked her to lay the baby on a floor mat then pulled out a new blade from its package and cut out her clitoris. The new mom said she could not stand to see her baby operated on and in pain and went to wait in the car. The infant was bleeding profusely, crying and shaking and F.O. was told the baby girl had been cut too deeply. They rushed her to hospital where she was treated and sent home a few hours later. When the wound became infected days later, they returned to the hospital. We almost lost her, as she was running a fever and battling (a) painful and ugly-looking infection, F.O. said in court records. After two weeks in hospital, their daughter recovered. Three years later, F.O. and the babys father were married and she and their daughter joined him in Lagos. They had a son in 2013. In April 2015, F.O. learned she was pregnant with triplets. An ultrasound showed they were all girls. She said she was happy but afraid theyd also be subjected to female genital mutilation. Her husband told his family the circumcision could only be done if it occurred in a hospital. His father insisted on a traditional cutting for the triplets or F.O. should abort them. F.O. and her husband avoided his family and then began receiving threatening messages agree to traditional circumcision or get an abortion. F.O.s sisters-in-law told her their father was going to kidnap her, drug her and take her for an abortion. On June 30, after picking up her kids from school and daycare, thugs outside her home attacked the vehicle she was in and shattered the car window. Their driver fled and F.O. called her husband. Rather than calling police and further enraging his father, he told F.O. to take the kids and hide at her aunts place in Abuja. F.O. said thugs later showed up there when no one but the housemaid was home. F.O. and her husband decided she needed to go someplace far away thats safe. An agent in Abuja advised her to go to Canada because it has the best refugee protection system, and to Winnipeg because he has a contact at a church there who would help her, F.O. said. In December, her three healthy baby girls were born in Winnipeg. Shes applying for permanent resident status and for her husband and two older children to join them. This is the best start to a year, said F.O.s immigration lawyer, Bashir Khan. To be able to help her through this and to stay in safety feels wonderful. This is what I studied to do. On Monday, after taking the triplets out into the cold for checkups, F.O. said the bite of a Winnipeg winter is bearable when the alternative in Nigeria is so much worse. carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/01/2016 (2472 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. What do you get when you cross the Festival du Voyageur with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights? Your right to party at the 47th annual Festival du Voyageur from Feb. 12-21. The human rights museum is participating for the first time with its first-ever outdoor exhibit, a tribute to leaders in the womens rights movement. Portraits of women leaders will be mounted on the walls of Fort Gibraltar, celebrating the 100th anniversary of women securing the right to vote in Manitoba. BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS From left: Marcel Sorin (wearing a blue hat), (behind in plaid) Ginette Lavack Walters, Executive Director (behind, in plaid), Cabrel Sorin (holding guitar), Simon Normandeau, vice-president of Festival du Voyageur (behind with red hat), Catherine Sorin, Michelle Sorin (behind with purple top), Amelie Sorin (yellow top), and Miguel Sorin (violin). The festival will take care of partying part, including what organizers promise will be Winnipegs biggest Singles Night dance at the Fort Gibraltar site. It coincides with Valentines Day on Feb. 14. The festival is particularly focused on music, with 140 artists slated to perform. But festival executive director Ginette Lavack Walters is very excited about a new feature, the Portage Tent. It will be host the Singles Night as well as Karaoke Night, and Board Game Night run by Across the Board Game Cafe. The tent will also run Market Days during the daytime on Saturdays. The tent holds up to 300 people. Walters announced the upcoming festival at a press conference on Tuesday, with fox and raccoon pelts draped over the podium in front of her. Passion red would seem the official colour of Western Canadas largest winter festival, from toques to sashes to overcoats. Some other new features include ther opportunity to watch and learn crafts such as Metis beading and hide tanning, in addition to flint knapping, making birchbark baskets, and other returning crafts. The festival is as varied as its history is long. Buildings inside Fort Gibraltar will showcase favourite festival trades such as blacksmiths, carpenters and fur traders. Meanwhile, ice blocks have been cut and moved to the Fort Gibraltar site for guest artists to sculpt. The festival sponsors sculptors from as far away as South America to turn ice into works of art. Other features include the snow maze, snow slides, climbing hills, horse-drawn sleighs, a giant igloo, the Liquor Snow Bar, Souvenir Tent, Bar Gibraltar, fiddling and jiggling workshops and daily musical performances. The 10-day Voyageur Pass, on sale at the festival office at 233 Provencher Blvd. and Safeway stores, are $32 for adults 18 and over, $16 for 13-17 year olds, and $11 for children. Admission is free for children 5 and under. More information is available at http://festivalvoyageur.mb.ca/. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/01/2016 (2472 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A home-grown proposal to save a block of heritage buildings on south Main Street won over a competing proposal to demolish the buildings for a major hotel project. Councillors on the property and development committee voted today to impose heritage designations on three buildings the Winnipeg Hotel (214 Main St.), the Fortune Block (232 Main St., home to Times Change(d) bar), and the adjoining MacDonald block (226 Main St.) rather than see them demolished to make way for a $35-million, 150-room hotel. I believe (the buildings) are of heritage value to the city but we know we cant let buildings crumble to the ground and be unsafe, Coun. John Orlikow, chairman of the property and development committee, said following the committee meeting. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press files The MacDonald Building is next door to the Fortune Building, which is occupied by Times Change(d) High and Lonesome Club on the first floor. Technically, the councillors werent considering the competing development proposals only whether a heritage designation should be placed on the three properties. The property owners told the committee they opposed the designations, arguing the buildings are in such poor shape they are not salvageable. The owners also have an agreement to sell the properties to a Toronto development group, which plans to demolish the properties for the hotel project. Harry Christakis, the spokesman for the Toronto group, said his engineering reports said the buildings are structurally unsound and not worth saving. Local businessman John Pollard, co-CEO of Pollard Banknote, urged the committee to impose the designations, explaining that hes developed a plan to buy two of the properties the Fortune Block and the MacDonald Block and invest whatever is necessary to save the buildings. Pollard said hed consider buying the Winnipeg Hotel and incorporate it into his redevelopment plans. Coun. Russ Wyatt (Transcona) said he was persuaded to support the heritage designations because of Pollards interest in saving the buildings. The question of the buildings heritage status will have to be answered by all of council. Because the building owners formally opposed the designation, a vote on the issue will be put to all council members. Christakis said after the meeting he will appeal to the executive policy committee and council to reject the heritage designations. I am disappointed with (the committee) decision, Christakis said, adding his group still has the exclusive option to buy the buildings the develop the site for their hotel project. Orlikow said the two competing development proposals are only vague ideas at this point, adding there have no formal applications to city hall from either side. Orlikow said he hopes Pollard will be successful with saving the buildings and that the Toronto group will consider another downtown Winnipeg location for the hotel project. Christakis said his group was focused on the south Main Street location for the hotel, adding the project will not proceed if council upholds the heritage designations. aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca Veteran parliamentarian Kamal Ahmed announced his resignation from Egypt's new parliament only two days after its inaugural session, MENA reported on Tuesday. Prior to the 25 January revolution, the Alexandria parliamentarian was known as a harsh critic of Mubarak-era ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). He ran in the 2015 elections as an independent. Ahmed ran for speaker of the new parliament garnering 36 votes, losing to now-speaker Ali Abdel-Al who swept into the position with 401 supporters. Ahmed, who is in his seventies, said he is leaving parliament for health reasons. However, sources close to him say Ahmed resigned because he disagreed with the way the new parliament is operating. The new parliament witnessed controversial and confusing moments in its first two days. On Monday, the majority of MPs agreed to temporarily ban the live airing of its sessions until it finishes discussing the laws issued since July 2013 by the executive power as mandated by the 2014 constitution. The ban triggered disagreements from a number of representatives and other public figures. Many MPs had objected to an initial unilateral decision by the speaker who appointed certain members to five committees to review general laws and one to revise parliament bylaws. MP Seri Siam charged that the speaker of the house was committing violations through his decisions. On Sunday, the opening day, MP Mortada Mansour caused a raucous on the floor by refusing to recite the parliamentary oath properly, causing delays in the swearing-in process. Search Keywords: Short link: Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 11/01/2016 (2473 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. First Nations will get back control of child welfare in southern Manitoba Tuesday, ending a three-year dispute that halted devolution. A new seven-person board of First Nations people will regain control of the Southern Authority, likely Tuesday. And the province will cancel its order appointing an administrator to run the authority, Family Services Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross said Monday. The Southern Authority, which oversees 10 frontline agencies and about 4,500 kids in care, has been under provincial control for more than three years, sparked by a dispute between Manitobas top chiefs and the Southern Authority over whether chiefs could sit on the authoritys board. In the fall of 2012, with both sides at a stalemate and the matter in court, the authoritys board fell below levels allowed by legislation, forcing the province to step in and take over. Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press Family Services Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross says First Nations will get back control of child welfare in southern Manitoba Tuesday, ending a three-year dispute that halted devolution. The move essentially stripped First Nations of any direct authority over child welfare, a key element of devolution, which was meant to hand over responsibility of child welfare programs to indigenous people. But the role of chiefs in child welfare has always been controversial. Many, including current Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Derek Nepinak, have argued that democratically elected band chiefs ought to have some say in the running of a key public service on their reserve. Others, including senior child welfare officials, worried chiefs might be prone to interfere in specific cases for political gain. To me that was a really sad day, that we got to that point, said Irvin-Ross of the provinces takeover of the Southern Authority. Today is a day of celebration that we worked through the governance issues and we find ourselves in a place where I have a lot of confidence in their ability to govern the authority and support the agencies. Weve all matured through devolution. The Southern Authoritys new board includes an education expert, a former senior child welfare official and two former band councillors but no chiefs. The Southern Chiefs recruited and vetted the new board members. Irvin-Ross said the province had no input into the choices. The new board will meet Tuesday with the Southern Authoritys new acting CEO, Tara Petti. Southern Grand Chief Terry Nelson said he hopes the new board pushes to keep far more children on reserve rather than sending them to Winnipeg or other cities for foster care. And he expressed skepticism of a child welfare system that was imposed on First Nations people, even under the guise of devolution. This is an interim step, said Nelson of the Southern Authoritys new board. But legitimizing someone elses system isnt the way to go. Meanwhile, Irvin-Ross said she hopes the Northern Authority will also come out of administration this spring. The province took over the Northern Authority more than a year ago because the authority was dysfunctional. It wasnt keeping proper track of children in care and wasnt moving quickly enough on key recommendations from the Phoenix Sinclair inquiry. Irvin-Ross said the province is finalizing a memo with the northern chiefs organization, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, that will outline the steps the Northern Authority must follow in order to emerge from administration and be transferred back to a First Nations board. maryagnes.welch@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 11/01/2016 (2473 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The downtown Hudsons Bay store is, quite literally, a fraction of its former self. The quintessentially Canadian retailer has consolidated its operations at the corner of Portage Avenue and Memorial Boulevard by closing off the fourth floor and leaving its merchandise to its main and second floors. Hudsons Bay is simply adjusting its store layout in its downtown Winnipeg location in order to improve navigation and enhance the overall shopping experience for customers, said Tiffany Bourre, the companys Toronto-based director of external communications. To do so, we are consolidating our retail floor space from three floors to two. There is no change to the assortment of product offered. WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The downtown Hudson's Bay Store on Portage Ave.is closing up its fourth floor. Hudson Bay has been reducing the shopping space at its downtown location for years and whenever it shrinks yet again, a new round of speculation about the future of the iconic building is launched. The store has been operating for the last number of years on the first, second and fourth floors. (Astute male shoppers would realize the closing of the fourth floor leaves no male washrooms in the remaining retail areas. Men will, however, still be able to use the washroom on that floor.) The most recent retraction has Cindy Tugwell, executive director of Heritage Winnipeg, worried. I think any heritage building where people are moving out is a clear sign that the building is in jeopardy. In order to preserve a building, it has to be occupied, she said. The challenge facing everybody who wants to see the building return to prominence in downtown Winnipeg is its sheer size. There are precious few retailers looking for anything like the 600,000 square feet that it offers. Despite being built 90 years ago by Canadas oldest retail company, the downtown Hudsons Bay store has not been formally designated a heritage building, she said. Although its a landmark building that we cant imagine not having, we cant protect it from demolition, she said. That may be technically the case but such a potential scenario is far off in the distance and she said every effort is going to be made to spur new uses and tenants. Were not questioning if were redeveloping, its how were redeveloping, she said. Its a beautiful building from an architectural standpoint. Its an amazing location for redevelopment. Both Tugwell and Angela Mathieson, CEO of CentreVenture, believe some level of government assistance, either civic, provincial or federal or possibly all three may be required to have the entire space bustling like it used to a couple of decades ago. Further complicating matters is the sheer width of the building because it limits the amount of natural sunlight that gets in, making it far less attractive for potential business or residential tenants. Mathieson believes any redevelopment would require an architectural solution, such as a glass tower down the middle to increase natural sunlight and the likelihood of finding other uses. Thats critical. Its going to be a function of whether that solution, which is required to attract tenants, will come at a price that the tenants can afford, she said. It would have the costs of creating a Class A building but because its older with the huge floor plate and older mechanical systems, you can only (develop) a budget where you can achieve Class B rent. Mathieson said CentreVenture has tried to help Hudsons Bay out over the years by pointing it in the direction of potential tenants but nothing much has come of it. Its by far the largest heritage building we have in downtown Winnipeg. I like to compare it to the Richardson Building. If you turn it on its end and stretched it out, they would be the same size, she said. geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 11/01/2016 (2473 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A baby girl died under mysterious circumstances, and the cause of her death wasnt apparent to doctors. But a Philadelphia laboratory uncovered the truth a 10-month-old had a toxic level of morphine in her system. The girls mother is on trial in a case thats believed to be the first of its kind in Manitoba. The 33-year-old woman appeared in court Monday and pleaded not guilty to criminal negligence causing death and failing to provide the necessities of life. She cant be named under a court order that protects her babys identity. Clearly, our position is that this was an accident, defence lawyer Amanda Sansregret said. The Crown sees it differently. Prosecutor Daniel Chaput said the key issue is how the mother reacted when it would have been obvious her daughter was in distress. Chaput said it is unknown how the morphine got into the babys system. And I dont think well know the answer to that question by the end of this hearing, he said Monday. He told court that factual vacuum shouldnt prevent the judge from making a legal finding against the accused. Its what happened thereafter, or didnt happen thereafter, that will be the central legal focus, Chaput said. Dr. Charles Littman, who performed the autopsy in 2012, told court Monday they were puzzled by what happened. He said the girl showed signs of chest congestion and possibly a touch of pneumonia. Toxicology tests showed a troubling spike in morphine levels. Morphine should not be found in a child, Littman said. There were traces of other drugs that were linked to a cold medication the mother admitted giving the girl. But there was no explanation for the morphine. He forwarded a liver sample from the girl to a specialized lab in Philadelphia, which analyzed the level of morphine she had ingested. Those findings were submitted at the trial. Littman was asked whether there would have been noticeable signs the child was suffering from morphine ingestion. This would make the breathing more difficult, and ultimately the breathing would stop, he said. Littman added there likely would have been chest heaving and other red flags. Getting immediate medical attention was crucial. The trial is being heard by a judge alone and is set for three days. Several police, medical and civilian witnesses will be called, including the victims father, who was in jail at the time and had recorded phone conversations with the accused that will be played. Sources have told the Free Press Child and Family Services had extensive contact with the family before and after the girls death. Several other children in the home were taken away from the mother. Court records show there are two ongoing family court files involving the accused. Criminal negligence is a complicated charge. The Crown must prove there was a marked departure from the normal standard of care expected from a parent. Police never released details about the tragic incident, which occurred in July 2012. The Free Press learned about the case through justice sources and court records. Last year, a Winnipeg drug dealer was given a three-year prison sentence for supplying morphine to a woman who overdosed and died. Curtis Haas, 54, was convicted of manslaughter, criminal negligence causing death and two counts of trafficking. Justice Gerald Chartier of Manitoba Court of Queens Bench found that while Wendy Henry, 20, willingly took the drugs she was given, that didnt excuse Haass actions. Court was told Haas gave Henry 16 pills of street morphine in his Dufferin Avenue apartment in October 2007. The defence lawyer had argued Haas had no way of knowing how many pills Henry took. Chartier ruled her death in hospital two days later was his fault. Haas didnt call 911 until the woman was in extreme distress. It was believed to be the first time in Manitoba a person was convicted of causing death by providing drugs to someone. www.mikeoncrime.com In the fall of 1983 the Winona County Historical Society had its first annual Harvest of Quilts quilt show. Now, decades later, staff will dust off their most prized quilts for an exhibit. The second year the then-new director, Mark Peterson, traveled southeast Minnesota to collect about 100 quilts. Area historical societies loaned quilts from their collections to create a large exhibit exploring the history of the region through quilting. Since, the society's quilt shows have become an annual tradition, and influenced the creation of the Winona Area Quilters Guild. The hard work of that second show paid off, with 22 counties participating and more than 1,500 people visiting the show. As the years went by, each show had new quilts. The last show was called a Cornucopia of Quilts in 2007 and featured a large variety of patterns. Now the society is bringing out the best of its own quilt collection, which has over 140 quilts and quilt tops in it. Rather than a show, this new exhibit will only use those quilts that are the best of the societys collection, many not seen for decades or at all. Some of the quilts exhibited will include a Grand Army of the Republic ribbon quilt, some will commemorate the countys bicentennial, and one features the La Moille cave drawings. These quilts are made by Winona County quilters from early pioneer days to just a few years ago. Some quilts will be changed out every couple months, so stop back in March and May for new quilts added to the exhibit. If you havent fallen down the rabbit hole of Making a Murderer, the 10-part, true-crime Netflix binge-athon that has spawned petitions for a retrial or presidential pardons as well as endless dinner party chatter, allow me to give you a gentle shove. In 1986, a Wisconsin man named Steven Avery was sentenced to 32 years in prison for violent sexual assault. Eighteen years later, he was exonerated and released based on new DNA evidence. He filed a $36-million suit against local law enforcement. Less than two years into his freedom, however, Avery was charged with the rape and murder of 25-year-old Teresa Halbach. With limited physical evidence, the prosecution based its case largely on the grisly testimony of Averys cognitively delayed teenage nephew, Brendan Dassey. Both were convicted. Avery received a life sentence without possibility of parole and Dassey, a life sentence with a chance of parole after 41 years. Starting from the time of the murder charge, two filmmakers followed the case for 10 years, shooting and collecting the footage that would become Making a Murderer. It shows a judicial system making a mockery of due process and a law enforcement team that is incompetent at best and corrupt at worst. The defenses position was that the Manitowoc, Wis., police and sheriffs departments framed Avery for the murder, maybe because he was suing them or maybe because the Avery family had its share of troublemakers and was generally disliked. Theres much more to tell, and thats part of the problem with the rabid public response to Making a Murderer. Even in 10 hours, the filmmakers cant possibly include every relevant detail. Unsurprisingly, some on the prosecution team have derided the project as advocacy rather than journalism and said key details were omitted. (The filmmakers say they invited members of the prosecution to be interviewed but were turned down.) Nonetheless, countless viewers are now convinced that they know, if not the whole truth, enough of it to light up the Internet with armchair sleuthing and comments on lead prosecutor Ken Kratzs Yelp page along the lines of I hope that you get an incurable STD and spend the rest of your short life in constant misery, you fat slob. Meanwhile, Averys defense attorneys, Dean Strang and Jerome Buting, have been turned into national heroes. Fans are calling them modern-day Atticus Finches (the Atticus we thought we knew until Go Set a Watchman) and gushing over their courtroom skills and their understated charisma. A photo of the two men surrounded by hearts and girlish scribbles has been retweeted hundreds of times. (Keep in mind, these are two middle-aged guys from Wisconsin.) All of this clamor tells us more than we want to know about wasting time on the Internet. But it tells us nothing at all about who killed Halbach or whether authorities tampered with evidence and coerced testimony. Instead, the buzz illustrates the power of a compelling narrative, along with the importance of knowing your audience. If it seems to you that Steven Avery is suddenly a household name, its probably because youre part of that audience. Were talking about households that can afford Netflix subscriptions and are composed of people willing and able to sit through hours of relatively complicated legal proceedings. People like that I know because Im one of them tend to take pride in their critical thinking skills and their opinions. People like that think that whether or not Avery is guilty, there clearly wasnt enough evidence to send him, much less Dassey, to prison. As engaged and enraged as we are, it doesnt change the fact that we watched a multipart movie, not the trial itself. Im not saying the filmmakerscut isnt trustable the reporting looks to be solid but its still not the whole story. Toward the end of the film, Strang talks about the tragic lack of humility and unwarranted certitude of official investigators who devoutly believe theyre right. He might as well be talking about the massive public jury thats now deliberating the Avery case online. In a interview about Making a Murderer, Strang said that the positive attention hes getting now is no more representative of the truth than the how can you defend a killer? criticism he received when he was trying the case. Both of those experiences are artificial and distorting, Strang said. Neither of them represent any particular reality other than whats going on in fevered social media at the moment among a self-selected portion of the population. Thats good to keep in mind. The social media self-selected may be on to something this time, but we, too, could stand some humility. That said, the petition requesting presidential pardons hit the 100,000 signature mark Wednesday, which means the White House must respond. There was a day when far too many people considered drunken driving something to wink at, something rather humorous. Thankfully, public attitudes have changed, for the most part. Theres nothing funny about drunken driving (not that there ever was). Its dangerous. Its deadly. Unfortunately, the laws of Wisconsin have done a lousy job of emphasizing the importance of curbing drunk drivers. Were the only state that continues to consider first-offense drunken driving a civil violation. In essence, its treated like a speeding ticket in our state. Our newspaper carries far too many stories about drunken drivers who have reached double figures in arrests. Yet law enforcement will tell you that taking away the keys, the license, the registration none of it matters to someone who has a buzz, a vehicle and a place to go after drinking. Eighty-five people were killed in drunken-driving collisions in Wisconsin in 2015, according to preliminary figures from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Thats 85. Its shameful. Just as shameful is the lax penalty for drunken driving in Wisconsin, because it sends a message thats more of a wink than a wake-up call. A Republican initiative is moving quickly through the Legislature to toughen up some of the penalties, and its a move that deserves support. As you would hope, the penalties should grow with the number of drunken-driving offenses. But heres the problem: As Wisconsin law stands, prosecutors cant count drunken-driving offenses that happened five years earlier. So, if youve had three drunken-driving convictions, the fourth doesnt count as the fourth if it occurs five years and a day after the third. Why is that important? Because the fourth offense in Wisconsin is a felony. A third offense is a misdemeanor, which is less serious when it comes to punishment. The Assembly Judiciary committee unanimously approved a measure last week that would make the fourth offense a felony with no exception for when it occurs. That would carry a prison sentence of up to three years. (The same committee in the Senate may take up the measure this week.) Sadly but wisely, the measure also boosts prison time for drunken-driving offenses five and six (from three to five years) seven, eight and nine (from five to seven-and-a-half years) and 10 or more drunken-driving offenses (a maximum of 10 years, up from 7). Were always concerned about the rising cost of corrections especially because Wisconsin is now in the embarrassing position of spending more on corrections that it does on the University of Wisconsin System. But, as weve said, merely winking at the problem and taking away the keys and the license wont get these dangerous, problem drinkers off our streets and highways. Its a good sign when the Tavern League has registered its support along with the Association of State Prosecutors, Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association and the Wisconsin Medical Society. According to The Associated Press, one of the sponsors Rep. Jim Ott is fighting for this legislation to honor a constituent whose pregnant daughter and 10-year-old granddaughter were the victims of a drunk driver eight years ago. Of course, nothing will bring them back. But theres no reason to continue repeating the insanity. The time for winking at the problem is long past. A judge has ruled that a Baraboo companys health plan requirements dont violate federal law. In 2014, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Flambeau Inc. violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by requiring an employee to submit to medical exams and answer health questions not related to his job. But last month, District Judge Barbara Crabb rejected the agencys lawsuit. She declared that Flambeaus requirement that the employee undergo testing was lawful because it was related to the administration of a company-sponsored health plan. She wrote that a safe harbor exemption to the ADA allows companies to require employees to undergo testing to qualify for benefits. Such screenings allow employers to classify workers health risks and project their insurance costs. These types of decisions are a fundamental part of developing and administering an insurance plan and therefore fall squarely within the scope of the safe harbor, Crabb wrote in her Dec. 30 ruling. Flambeau President Jason Sauey hailed the decision. We feel very firmly what were doing is right, he said. Judge Crabbs ruling reinforces that. Case history Dale Arnold, who worked at a Flambeau plastics plant in Baraboo, lost his health insurance when he missed a biometrics exam and a health-risk assessment while hospitalized and on medical leave in December 2011. Court documents state Arnold was being treated for cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure while on leave. The lawsuit stated that Arnold returned from medical leave the next month, but Flambeau refused to reschedule the tests. His health insurance was terminated. Arnold switched to a COBRA health plan, which he ultimately could not afford. He filed a union grievance and complaints with the EEOC and the Department of Labor. Flambeau agreed to reinstate Arnolds insurance once he completed the required testing and made his premium contributions. He agreed, and his insurance was reinstated. Arnold later left the company. Despite the affected parties reaching a compromise, the EEOC filed suit on Arnolds behalf. The agency asserted that the health plans testing requirement violates the ADAs ban on employer-mandated medical exams. The lawsuit sought back pay to compensate Arnold for the premiums he paid and other losses, along with an order barring Flambeau from requiring workers to participate in the wellness plan. Sauey said the agencys meddling created unnecessary costs and complications. Its frustrating, he said, but what can you do about it? EEOC spokesperson Kimberly Smith-Brown said the agency is reviewing the decision and had no further comment as to whether an appeal might be sought. If they do, well stand up for what we believe is right, Sauey said. Were going to continue to stand on principle. ADA requirements The ADA prohibits employers from making disability-related inquiries or requiring medical exams unless theyre job-related. Crabb cited precedents in ruling that employers are allowed to require testing as a condition of receiving health coverage. Its a common approach companies take to encourage workers to achieve and maintain healthy lifestyles. I think there are a lot of employers who are watching this case, Sauey said. The ruling caught the attention of the National Law Review in an article published last week. This is a significant victory for employers who are seeking to encourage employees to be aware of their health risks and, hopefully, to take some action to address them, wrote attorney Jon Anderson of the Wisconsin law firm Godfrey & Kahn. While the lawsuit claimed Flambeau was using the safe harbor protection as an act of subterfuge, Crabb ruled that its required health testing didnt discriminate against disabled people. Regardless of their disability status, all employees that wanted insurance had to complete the wellness program before enrolling in (the) defendants plan, she wrote. Baraboo school crossing guards have learned to bundle up for Wisconsin winters and to be especially wary of speeding vehicles and inattentive drivers. This year is no exception. This is an eight-layer-day, longtime crossing guard John Ellington said at a breakfast Monday honoring those who help children get to and from school safely during Wisconsin Adult School Crossing Guard Recognition Week. Ellington is one of eight crossing guards employed by either the city of Baraboo or the village of West Baraboo. The School District of Baraboo is so appreciative of the work of our school crossing guards, said Baraboo School District Administrator Lori Mueller. We are pleased to hear from the crossing guards that they love supporting our students and that the students respond back with kindness and respect, Mueller said. The crossing guards play such a critical role in ensuring the daily safety of our students. Penny Burckhardt, who has manned the corner of 8th and Wood for about five years, was at the breakfast. She said she enjoys her job. I was looking for a part-time job and I like working with kids, she said. They need to cross safely. She said the students are polite and many of the children thank her, with some even giving Halloween cupcakes and Christmas presents. She said she received a lot of smiles and comments when she dressed up in Christmas lights during the holiday season. However, the job is not all lights and presents. There is danger in escorting children across busy roads. Ive had quite a few close calls, Burckhardt said. The really dangerous part is in the early morning when it is still dark out and people dont have their headlights on, she said. Butch Fernstaedt, who has been a crossing guard for three years, said he was looking for something to get him out of the house after his retirement. He said in the short time he has guarded the crosswalk near the busy corner of Jefferson Street and 8th Avenue, before and after school, he also has had several close calls. There are two lanes, he said. Theres an inside lane, where people will stop, but people coming up behind them want to jump in the outside lane and pass them. Fernstaedt said he has seen Wisconsin State Patrol officers pull over cars that have sped through the crosswalk. People dont pay attention, he said. One frightening incident happened recently when he was walking an older child across the road and a pick-up truck drove very quickly through the crosswalk. I could have reached out and touched the truck, he said. As for other close encounters of the traffic kind, Fernstaedt said he tries to move on. I try not to remember all of them, he said. There will be at least six competitive Sauk County Board races in the April 5 election, with 38 candidates filing paperwork to fill 31 seats. Sauk County Clerk Becky Evert said one race will require a primary election in February, because three people have filed nomination papers. Evert said for most county residents, the Feb. 16 primary election will only include candidates for Wisconsin Supreme Court justice. Voters in County Board District 25, however, also will be asked to select the two supervisor candidates whose names they wish to appear on the spring ballot. Competitive races are as follows: District 8: Arthur J. Biesek of Reedsburg will challenge incumbent John Deitrich, also of Reedsburg. District 13: Kristin White Eagle of Baraboo will challenge incumbent Jeffrey P. Giebel of Reedsburg. District 18: Gregory Petrulis of Baraboo will challenge incumbent Scott Von Asten, also of Baraboo. District 19: Douglas N. Ament of Baraboo will challenge incumbent Andrea Lombard, also of Baraboo. District 25: Lynn Zick and Charlotte Huelsemann, both of North Freedom, will challenge incumbent Brian Peper of Loganville. District 27: Andy Andrews of Baraboo will challenge incumbent Scott Alexander, also of Baraboo. Aside from the six competitive races, there are three districts in which incumbents have declared they will not seek another term. In those districts, newcomers have filed papers to have their names included on the spring ballot. In District 14, Rebecca Penberthy-Hovde of Baraboo will vie to replace outgoing incumbent Michelle Dent, also of Baraboo. In District 21, Charles Spencer of Baraboo will vie to replace outgoing incumbent Tut Gramling, also of Baraboo. And in District 22, Jean E. Berlin of Hillpoint will vie to replace outgoing incumbent Jerry Kast, also of Hillpoint. In District 5, incumbent Connie Lehman will seek her first full term on the board. Lehman was appointed to the board in November to fill the remaining term of her late husband, Gerald Lehman, who passed away in October at the age of 69 following complications from a stroke. Twenty-two county board incumbents are running unopposed. An investigation into a batch of heroin that caused multiple Sauk County overdoses has led to the arrest of a Baraboo man. There have been an estimated 13 heroin overdoses in Sauk County from Thursday through Sunday, according to Baraboo Police Chief Mark Schauf. While some patients were helped by first responders, others were dropped off at hospitals. The Sauk County Drug Task Force worked through the weekend to identify the source of the drugs. Schauf said investigators ultimately arrested 31-year-old Daniel A. Kaiser of Baraboo. Kaiser was arrested on a warrant from the Illinois Department of Corrections and is being held at the Sauk County jail. Formal charges in connection with the heroin case have not been filed. Schauf said the investigation revealed that Kaiser was the person who provided heroin in at least two of the Baraboo area overdose cases. However, he said, there are other dealers selling heroin elsewhere that comes from the same batch, and additional suspects may be identified. Authorities initially questioned whether the heroin being sold locally may have been laced with a foreign additive or was simply stronger than what local users are accustomed to. What I can let you know is that investigators believe at this time that this is a batch of heroin that is stronger and have no proof that there was anything mixed into it, Schauf said Monday. So yes, this is a stronger version of heroin than we have previously seen in the area. He said because of the ongoing investigation, he could not comment on whether Kaiser may have had knowledge of the drugs potency. Kaiser was arrested in June after police allegedly found drugs in his car during a traffic stop in Lodi. That case is still pending in Columbia County Circuit Court. Kaiser also has prior convictions including misdemeanor cocaine possession and theft in a business setting. According to court records, he has spent time in the Burkwood Treatment Center for chemical dependency in Hudson. If you see something, say something. This is the unofficial motto of everyone interested in preventing and stopping child abuse. Speak up; dont keep your observations about marks on a childs body to yourself. All school employees in Wisconsin are required by law to report signs of abuse, and a state legislator wants to add school volunteers to that list. Were in favor, with some reservations, of this initiative. The Wisconsin State Journal reported that the list of mandated reporters of child abuse or neglect would expand to include any adult who volunteers in a school for at least 40 hours in a school year, under the bill authored by state Rep. Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls, and poverty would no longer be a reason not to report signs of a child not having proper food, clothing or shelter. Investigations into neglect or abuse would not be triggered solely because a child was living in poverty. Current law requires all school employees to report such signs and says if the signs are a result of poverty, then abuse and neglect have not occurred and therefore the signs dont have to be reported. Bill Savage, a spokesman for Brandtjen, said the bill seeks to identify all children who dont have all of their needs met in order to put social services representatives in touch with parents. Youre not abusing your child if youre just so poor you cant afford food, said Savage. We make that distinction so that we dont throw people in jail because youre poor. We are, of course, in favor of making a distinction between extreme poverty and child abuse. Help is needed in both instances, but different kinds. Dan Rossmiller, lobbyist for the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, said in a blog post the bill could have a serious chilling effect on the willingness of people to volunteer in schools. We doubt that. Someone willing to volunteer in a school seems likely to speak up if he or she spots signs of students who are being abused, so adding them to the list of mandatory reporters seems like more of a formality. The volunteer wants to help children, and shielding them from abuse is one of the most important forms of help that adult can provide. Where we take issue is that the bill would require volunteers and contractors to receive training on what must be reported. If the training were something onerous, that probably would deter some parents from volunteering; the parent taking time away from work to chaperone a field trip, upon hearing that he or she would first have to attend a training session, might well say Some other kids parent will have to go along to the Heritage Museum. To us, it would seem sufficient to require school volunteers to notify a school employee of his or her observations. The employee will, presumably, have had the mandatory-reporter training and will know whether to take action. State Department of Public Instruction lobbyist Dee Pettack testified at a recent hearing on the bill that because the bill removes the words severe or frequent from the phrase severe and frequent bruising in the states definition of physical injury, students who are bruised from normal child activity would be suspected of being abused under the bill. Thats a good point. We cant help vulnerable children as effectively if we remove common sense from the process. Kids bruise themselves in the innocent play of childhood, and we must not lose sight of the distinction between a skinned knee and bruising which indicates abuse. Again, this is where the volunteer would report an observation to a school employee. As long as the requirements are not onerous, we believe adding school volunteers to the mandatory reporting list is a matter of requiring that which most volunteers would have done regardless. If you see something, say something. The Board of Education for Beaver Dam asked school administration Monday to take a look at redesigning the music program so younger students have more opportunities to participate. Board member Marge Jorgensen asked for the administration to find a more equitable way to deliver band and orchestra instruction to the elementary school students during the school year, revisit how students are added to the middle school program when they are unable to attend summer school and look at changing the high school musical programs from garde based to ability based. Jorgensen said the goal would be to have the program up and running by the 2017-18 school year. If the administration is unable to make the changes, Jorgensen said the board needs to hear why. We believe that children need to learn it earlier, Jorgensen said. If we change to the proposal where we stop the musical instruction at the elementary school, people with resources to get private instructors will get lessons anyway. A lot of children wouldnt have that opportunity though. Last month the board of education heard a proposal by district instrumental music teachers Richard Zeman and Russell Diggins about the possibility of starting the orchestra and band students a year later beginning in the 2017-18 school year. Zeman said since at least 1980 the district has started teaching orchestra to fourth graders and band to fifth graders. Beaver Dam has seen a steady decline in the number of instrumental music students who start in fourth and fifth grades over the past five years, Zeman said. However the students beginning in sixth grade when they enter Beaver Dam Middle School are on the rise. It is also a trend in some parts of the state to have students begin instrumental instruction in sixth grade. Prairie View teaches students during the school day and accounts for more of the instrumental students than those coming from other schools. The schools in the city though have to meet at Beaver Dam High School before the start of the school day. Theyve obviously been wrestling with it, Zeman said after the meeting. If it was an easy decision for them it would be more worrisome. Zeman said he did not feel the change would happen next year, but they would be regrouping with the administration to find out what the next steps would be for the program. Whatever we have, we just have to make sure it is good for the kids and gives the m the same opportunities and addresses all their needs, Zeman said. Retail theft Saturday at 12:12 p.m., an 18-year-old man was warned for retail theft at Caseys General Store, 906 N. University Ave. Disorderly conduct Saturday at 2:06 p.m., a woman told police she had an argument with a 34-year-old man in the 100 block of Grove Street. She referred to a physical domestic incident. The man was taken into custody for domestic disorderly conduct. Intoxicated person Saturday at 5:44 p.m., police received a report that someone was driving recklessly in the 100 block of Gould Street. Police located the vehicle, took the 26-year-old man into custody and cited him with operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Intoxicated person Saturday at 7:16 p.m., a woman told police that a 64-year-old woman hit three vehicles with trying to leave Thirsty Beaver, 500 Madison St. She was located and was cited with operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Disorderly conduct Sunday at 6:38 a.m., a man and a woman in the 400 block of Grove Street were involved in a civil dispute over property. Hit and run Sunday at 1:48 p.m., a woman reported that her vehicle was struck in the 1600 block of North Spring Street. Hit and run Monday at 8:16 a.m., a man reported that his truck was struck in the 200 block of Bogert Street. The truck was parked on the street. Accident Monday at 8:41 a.m., a man driving a semi-truck hit a car that was driven by another man near Kwik Trip, 2006 N. Spring St. Hit and run Monday at 11:40 a.m., a woman told police that someone struck her fiances vehicle in the 1000 block of North Spring Street. Retail theft Monday at 2:20 p.m., an employee at Walmart Supercenter, 120 Frances Lane, told police that a 19-year-old woman and an 18-year-old woman have been detained for retail theft. Both were cited. Retail theft Monday at 3:50 p.m., a 29-year-old man was taken into custody for retail theft at Walmart Supercenter, 120 Frances Lane. A 29-year-old woman was also taken into custody for retail theft. Break-in Monday at 7:07 p.m., a man reported that items were stolen from his residence in the 1100 block of North Spring Street. Theft Monday at 7:52 p.m., a woman told police that money was stolen from her property in the 100 block of Lake Crest Drive. An Egyptian police officer was sentenced to seven years in jail on Monday for murdering, and then attempting to frame, a man he shot dead in a bungled arrest attempt. A criminal court in Cairo sentenced Ibrahim Mahgoub to seven years, and five other policemen involved in the case to five years in jail. In 2010 Mahgoub attempted to arrest Helal Hassan at his home in Giza on charges of drug dealing. When Hassan refused to open his door in the absence of an arrest warrant , the officer shot at the door, killing him. After realising he had falsely identified Hassan and that he was not the suspect he was seeking, Mahgoub fabricated an arrest warrant and planted drugs and a birdshot pellet next to the victim's body. The Monday verdict against the men can be appealed. In recent months, Egyptian courts have meted out prison sentences against several officers who were found guilty of torture or murder. On 12 December, two policemen were handed five-year sentences by courts for beating to death a detained lawyer at a Cairo police station last February. On 26 December, a court in the Nile Delta city of Tanta sentenced two policemen in absentia to life in jail for killing an inmate, Ismail Abdelhamid, in October 2014. The interior ministry has repeatedly maintained that it respects human rights and pledged to punish officers who abuse their powers. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi pledged last month to punish police officers found guilty of mistakes amid mounting criticism after a number of widely publicised deaths of detainees in police custody. Search Keywords: Short link: She was born on June 18, 1925, in Fall River, to Clarence and Alma (Schoenrock) Lienke. Doris was a 1943 graduate of Fall River High School. She was married to Wilbert Martens on April 8, 1948, at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Columbus. The couple farmed in the town of Hampden where Doris was as skilled on a tractor as she was in her kitchen preparing a fine meal. They were active in their farming community and attended, or were members of, social events and homemakers clubs. Independent, passionate, frugal, yet generous in many ways, Doris was a kind soul with a great sense of humor who loved her family. She helped many over the years as a home caregiver. Doris served for years as the town of Hampden treasurer and Hampden Cemetery sextant. She was a member of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church where she held several offices in the Zion Ladies Aid. Doris often had life challenge her, but she always returned the challenge. She kept busy being part of numerous card clubs, crafting, watching The Golden Girls, or spending hours stamp collecting. Family and friends loved her and will dearly miss her. After a challenging week, life is returning to normal at the New Lisbon School District. A bus accident on Wednesday morning sent 14 students to Mile Bluff Medical Center in Mauston, but only two were treated with minor injuries. According to a police report, the bus, traveling along Welch Prairie Road near New Lisbon, hit an icy patch, slid off the road and turned onto its side. Approximately 30 students were on the bus at the time of the accident. Fortunately none of the students were seriously injured, but Brown Bus Company decided to release bus driver John Knox from his duties. Knox was cited by authorities for failure to have a vehicle under control and inattentive driving. On Monday, after the districts monthly board meeting, Superintendent Dennis Birr said the bus company is handling the matter internally. Since we dont own the busses and he wasnt employed by us, it makes it a little bit simpler because the bus company is dealing with hassles more continually because its their employee and they will have to deal with the injuries and liability insurance issues for months, Birr said. Its a bus company out of Elroy that we contract with. They serve us, Wonewoc-Center and Royall. Birr said the bus, with only 7,000 miles on it, could be restored. He said the exterior wasnt smashed, but some windows and trim were busted. No one can ever remember a true bus accident here and Ive talked to people who are 60-years-old that grew up here, Birr said. They remember people getting stuck in a ditch and trying to get out of a snow bank, but not actually tipping a bus over. Birr and the district can breathe easier knowing the accident didnt cause serious harm and emergency service personnel responded quickly. One broken bone, I think thats it. And I saw the little boy today and hes just fine, Birr said. But the guidance counselors came in the next day and talked to as many kids as they could and on Friday they had a little group session with them to see how theyre doing and clarified what happened to kind of help them be grounded. They know theyll have a new driver and that theyll be okay. While the district did receive a few complaints about Knox prior to Wednesdays accident, Birr said Know had also received praise from parents for his driving. According to Birr, when the district did receive complaints, they informed Brown Bus Company, which monitored Knox during daily routes. Every bus company does a secret follow where they ride behind the bus and see how the driver operates. I found out at my last district that its a pretty regular thing; they watch the drivers unbeknownst to the driver, Birr said. The guy from Brown told us that he never saw anything (in Knoxs operation) that would ever be a problem. Some of the complaints were valid, but some might have been a parent who wasnt happy because their kids were disciplined on the bus. Then we also got calls saying, Oh, we love the driver, he does such a good job, so theres some on either side. If he had felt that this could have happened, he never would have left them on there. Birr said the support of the community, along with the New Lisbon Police and Fire Departments, the Juneau County Sheriffs Office, Wisconsin State Patrol and local EMTs, all played a role in making sure children were safe. So many people came so quickly I was just shocked, Birr said. And we also had some good samaritan drivers who saw the bus tip on its side and they zipped out to help kids; its just heartwarming. Its a scary situation, but at least I didnt have to make some more difficult calls to parents that day. Change in open enrollment At Mondays board meeting, the New Lisbon school board voted to change the districts open enrollment policies, based on a reduction in state funding for special education. In the end, this will make it easier for designating space because you cant just take so many kids, you cant afford them all because you have to hire new teachers. Every kid that is here, open enrolled or not, were just taking them back next year; its about how many new open enrolled kids there will be who have never done so here before, Birr said. Were just trying to put a limit on that and its mostly about special education because (the state is) changing the funding formula on that. Under the new formula, districts wont be able to allow the students previous district to pay for special needs instruction. The state is hoping $12,000 will be enough to cover costs of each student, but having an open enrollment cap could help districts save money by not taking on more students. It sets a cap on how many open spots you have, which kind of protects the district a little bit, and that was my recommendation to the board, Birr said. Later on, it could be determined that we could open more spots for them because we have such good open enrollment numbers. We have more kids coming in than leaving by about 50 percent. People want to come here and we want to continue that, but we still want to be fiscally responsible to the taxpayers. It works both ways. The Columbia County Sheriffs Office filed charges against a Pardeeville man on Monday, accused of making methamphetamine in a home with two small children and across the street from an elementary school. Aaron Lytle, 32, had been under investigation by Columbia County Sheriffs Office detectives, following a number of tips regarding possible drug activity. Surveillance came to an abrupt end though when, according to Detective Lt. Roger Brandner, detectives thought children to be in immediate danger. What we learned on Wednesday was that an 8-month-old and a 3-year-old were with Mr. Lytle. He had left those kids home alone for approximately 11 minutes when he left the residence in the early afternoon when he had gone and picked up some of the materials for the meth lab, said Brandner. Thats when they made contact at the residence and made sure the children were safe and took him into custody. One way officers were able to follow up on initial tips was by looking at the records of sale of products that contained the chemical pseudoephedrine. The chemical, found in over-the-counter medications like Sudafed, is a necessary ingredient for making many kinds of methamphetamine. Wisconsin state law limits individual purchases of pseudoephedrine to 7.5 grams in a 30-day period. Stores are required to keep an up-to-date record of sales of these products, keeping a minimum two-year history of sales. Detectives determined that Lytle had been purchasing the maximum allowable amount of pseudoephedrine products with conspicuous frequency. Once in the house, detectives found the makings of a meth lab. As opposed to the elaborate kind of setup in the Breaking Bad television series, Brandner explained that it appeared to be a more primitive one-man operation. The meth in itself we call that the shake and bake process its still dangerous, its very volatile, its very explosive, said Brandner. It has been so refined down to just the one-pot method where everybody is mixing everything together in a 2-liter bottle or a jug. Its more discrete, its just as dangerous and thats what were seeing now. Among the chemicals involved are hydrochloric acid and ammonia gas that officers said wafted through the house where the young children were living. We did provide medical care to the children and got them tested, just to make sure that their exposure was not something that was life threatening, said Brandner. And when that was done, the children were turned over to their mother. The childrens mother was at work while the arrest was happening. According to Brandner, there has been no evidence to indicate her involvement in drug-making. Meth on rise again Brandner said that after a decline from the methamphetamine epidemic of a few years ago, the drug has become more prevalent again, with the increase in meth accompanying regional heroin problems. Over the past three years the state Department of Justice recorded no crime lab submissions of methamphetamine from Columbia County in 2013, one in 2014, and one in 2015. The northwest part of the state has had a harder time with meth, with Polk County submitting 73, 118 and 102 over the past three years. The DOJ also mapped the number of meth labs recovered and divided by lab type. The DOJ found 52 labs statewide. Of those, 45 were one pot labs like the one Columbia County detectives uncovered in Pardeeville. One-pot operations are very mobile and disposable, making them harder to track down and also posing a safety and environmental risk when materials are simply discarded by the side of the road, with a toxic sludge clinging to the parts and seeping into the ground. On Wednesday, after Lytles children were out of the house, assistance was called in including the Pardeeville Fire Department and EMS, as well as a federal Drug Enforcement Agency meth lab disposal team from Chicago. Responders reported finding a two-liter bottle of chemicals sitting on a hot radiator. If not handled properly, the bottle could have exploded, causing a flash fire. No other suspects The Columbia County Sheriffs Office does not suspect that anyone had been connected with Lytle in making meth or that it had been part of any commercial enterprise. It was just very disheartening and very sad to see that ones addiction could come to this, said Brandner. Lytle, charged with six counts including manufacturing methamphetamine, felony child neglect and violation of parole, is expected to appear in Columbia County Circuit Court later in the week for an initial appearance and bond hearing. The Portage Canal is beginning to look like a construction site or more accurately, a destruction site. Demolition was tentatively scheduled to start Monday, but it didnt, partly because some of the buildings that are slated for razing still have asbestos, which needs to be safely removed and disposed before the buildings can come down. Crews from Waunakee-based Robinson Brothers on Monday continued the hazardous materials abatement work that they started shortly before the end of 2015. To make way for a three-story Columbia County administration building on the canals northwest side and a two-story Health and Human Services building on the southeast side, several buildings, acquired by Columbia County, will be taken down, starting in a matter of days. Kirk Konkel, chairman of the County Boards Ad Hoc Building Committee, on Monday updated members of the County Boards Public Safety Committee on the progress of the demolition. Excluded from the demolition, Konkel said, are two properties that Columbia County has not yet acquired due to impasses in negotiations with the owners: Gruber Automotive at 208 E. Edgewater St. and the Big Chicken antique store at 131 E Mullett St. However, a company that bought salvage rights for a 154-year-old feed mill on the Big Chicken site has resumed the task of dismantling the building, in the hope that as many of the buildings components as possible can be sold for reuse. That project, started shortly before Christmas, was halted just before the end of 2015 because the mill had not yet undergone testing and possible abatement for potentially hazardous materials such as asbestos. On Monday, however, a crew from H and H Demolition of Hillsboro had taken apart a substantial portion of the mill, including its front facade. The component parts will be sold to a middleman, who would in turn sell the parts for uses such as furniture or building siding. The County Boards Executive Committee on Monday learned that theres demand for some other building components, from the buildings that the county has acquired for its $45.51 million project. For example, said County Board Chairman Vern Gove, the Portage Elks Club wants the lighted sign from either the former Miller Brussell Ebben and Glaeske at 119 W. Conant St. or the former Wisconsin River Title building at 115 W. Conant St. Both structures were acquired by the county to be used as off-street parking after the courthouse at 400 DeWitt St. is remodeled to accommodate court-related uses only. Corporation Counsel Joseph Ruf said giving away the signs, so that the Elks can attempt to refurbish and reuse them, saves the county the cost and trouble of demolishing them. If the county doesnt give it away, the stuffs going to end up in a dumpster, he said. The Executive Committee approved giving the signs from either building to the Elks if theyre willing to haul them away. The Executive Committee also OKd giving away a metal sign, 2 to 3 feet in diameter, on the former Dorn property at 205 E. Mullett St., which is slated for demolition along with the other canal-side buildings. Konkel described it as an old tin sign that used to be on the buildings, and somebody wants it for sentimental or nostalgic value. Committee Member Andy Ross said he has no problem with giving materials from the county-owned structures to non-profit community groups such as the Elks. However, he said, other components of the buildings might have some value and possibly should be sold rather than given away. Konkel said people have requested items located inside the canal-side buildings that are slated to be torn down this week. He said he suggests that whoever wants something from these buildings should deal with the Waunakee-based Robinson Brothers, which is handling both the hazardous materials abatement and the demolition. Egypt's State Security Prosecution ordered on Monday the detention of activist Moheb Doss, a leading member of the anti-Morsi Tamarod group, for 15 days pending investigation on charges of joining an "outlawed group." Doss was arrested on 6 January in front of the Saint Mark Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo Abbasiya's district, where Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi was giving a speech during the Coptic Christmas mass. He has been accused of joining an outlawed group called 'January 25 Youth', his lawyer Mohamed Fadel told Ahram Online, saying the charges were false. Doss was a leading member of the Tamarod campaign, which gathered milions of signatures in 2013 demanding that then-president Mohamed Morsi step down. There have been several calls for anti-government protests on 25 January, the fifth anniversary of the uprising that toppled then-president Hosni Mubarak. Protesting without prior police permission is banned in Egypt, under a law passed in 2013. "The authorities don't have any evidence against him. He wasn't given the right to contact a lawyer, or even the right to be questioned by a normal prosecution, not a specialised one," Fadel added. According to family, his laptop was confiscated from home by authorities on 7 January. The Kefaya movement, founded in 2004 to oppose Mubarak, condemned the arrest of Doss without charges, describing the wave of recent arrests made by the security forces against young activists as frenzied. The movement added in a statement that the security forces has lost the sense of differentiation and were now targeting all the icons of the January 25 uprising, and oppressing any voice that opposes or criticises the policies of the current authorities. The movement said that it would hold the Egyptian interior ministry fully responsible for the safety of those youth who have been arrested, calling on President El-Sisi to announce his political affiliations and true stance towards the January 25 revolution, adding that such a repressive role negatively affects the overall credibility of the regime. Doss was the first of Tamarod's founding members to say publicly that security officials had influence over the anti-Morsi group, in an interview with Buzzfeed in 2014. How did we go from such a small thing, five guys trying to change Egypt, to the movement which brought tens of millions to the street to get rid of the Brotherhood? The answer is we didnt. I understand now it wasnt us, we were being used as the face of what something bigger than us wanted, said Doss in the interview. According to Doss, Tamarod founding members Mahmoud Badr, Mohamed Abd El-Aziz and Hassan Shahin met with state and army officials during Morsi's presidency, including now-president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, at that time head of the military. The three activists declined to comment at the time. I realised that they were taking orders, being used by state institutes, Doss said in the interview, asserting that the group was no longer independent and was receiving limitless funding from the state. Badr, once spokesperson for Tamarod and a supporter of El-Sisi's policies, was sworn in on Sunday as a member of Egypt's newly formed parliament. While the Egyptian state has not banned Tamarod, courts banned in 2014 the 6 April group, which played a key role in fomenting the 25 January revolution, and police have arrested and jailed many of its members since the end of 2013. Search Keywords: Short link: Strike continues at Racine Case tractor factory with no clear end in sight The temporary ban on TV coverage does not extend to other reporters Egypt's new House of Representatives decided late on Monday to temporarily ban the live airing of its sessions until it finishes discussing the laws issued since July 2013 by the executive power as mandated by the 2014 constitution. The decision came after the majority of MPs agreed to a proposal submitted by 40 members to stop TV coverage in order to prevent grandstanding by some MPs. "This live airing gave comfort to some MPs, who think they have a monopoly on ideas, to put on show their false interpretations of bylaws," the parliament's speaker Ali Abdel-Al said. Abdel-Al said journalists would be able to continue to conduct their work covering the sessions, rejecting proposals by some MPs to ban all coverage. The ban order was criticised by a number of representatives and other public figures. Leftist MP Haytham El-Hariry from Alexandria wrote on his Facebook page "The people have the right to follow the performance of their representatives and of the parliament's speaker." In an interview on Al-Ghad Al-Araby TV channel, the head of the Regional Center for Political and Strategic Studies Abdel-Moneim Said also a well known journalist -- called upon the parliament to air its sessions, stressing on the importance of honouring the principle of transparency. A dispute preceded the decision The decision to ban the live coverage comes following a heated dispute between MPs on how to deal with 340 laws issued since July 2013 by interim president Adly Mansour (2013-2014) and current president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi (2014-present). Many MPs objected to an initial unilateral decision by the speaker who appointed certain members to five committees to review general laws and one to revise parliament bylaws. MP Khaled Youssef, a movie director, questioned the decision to exclude representatives of the left on one economic committee for social justice considerations. MP Seri Siam, for example, argued that the traditional parliamentary specialised committees -- not five -- should be formed to study the outstanding issues, arguing that the speaker has committed a violation with his decision. Arguments ended with an agreement by MPs and the speaker to form the 19 committees to review the laws, issue a report, and send an opinion back to the floor by 9 AM Saturday. Search Keywords: Short link: The Speaker of the new Egyptian parliament told members they don't have a constitutional right to vote on North Sinai state of emergency since decision was issued in absence of legislature Egyptian parliamentary speaker Ali Abdel-Al told MPs that in cases where parliament is not in session, or in the absence of one, the president can pass a measure to impose a state of emergency, then simply inform the parliament once it convenes, adding that MPs in this case do not have a constitutional right to vote on the measure. On Monday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi informed parliament that the executive branch had extended a state of emergency in parts of the troubled North Sinai governorate on 27 October. Abdel-Al's announcement to MPs that they have no right to vote on the October decision angered some MPs, who argued that Article 154 of the 2014 constitution, which regulates legal steps to declare a state of emergency, stipulates that parliament has the right to vote on emergency steps. However, Abdel-Al's interpretation of Article 154 of the constitution carried the day and no vote was taken. According to Article 154 of the Egyptian constitution, the president, after consultations with the cabinet, declares the state of emergency. The president's decision must be reviewed by a sitting parliament within seven days of its issuing, the article continues. Meanwhile, the article adds, once a parliament re-convenes following absence, it has to be notified in its first session by the executive of the decision to declare the state of emergency. "In all cases, the majority of parliament has to agree on imposing the state of emergency, the article concludes. The presidents decision to impose a state of emergency in parts of North Sinai came in October 2014 following a terrorist attack by Islamist insurgents that killed over 30 soldiers. The decision has since been extended more than once, for a three-month period at a time, in January, April, July, and October of 2015. Egypts newly elected parliament convened on Sunday for the first time in four years and started its preliminary procedural session. MPs elected a speaker and one of his two deputies on Sunday then voted for the second deputy on Monday. The parliament will have to review and decide upon all laws issued by El-Sisi and his predecessor, interim president Adly Mansour, within 15 days of convening. Search Keywords: Short link: China News on Women Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page The business tycoon and founder of the liberal Free Eguptians Party criticised interferance in media and jailing of youth activists Egyptian business tycoon Naguib Sawiris on Monday voiced disgruntlement with what he describes as interference in the way local media work as well as the arrest of youth, saying such practices remind him of the atmosphere ahead of the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak from power. "The way issues are being run in Egypt today reminds me of the atmosphere before the 25 of January revolution," The founder of the liberal Free Egyptians Party, who supported the ouster of Mubarak five years ago, told ONTV. The Mubarak years were characterised by political repression of opponents, widespread rigging of elections and security agencies' interference in political life. Sawiris believes incumbent President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi is quite popular in Egypt, and thus there is no need for such measures to secure his rule." "There has been interference in media and issues related to the electoral process, as well as arrests of many youth [activists]," Sawiris added, without elaborating on his reservations about the parliamentary elections that have recently ended. The Free Egyptians Party, which was co-founded by Sawiris in 2011 after the uprising against Mubarak, won 65 seats in the recent parliamentary elections, giving it the largest share of seats by a political party in the legislature. The party refused to join the parliamentary bloc "In Support of Egypt", which is led by the former intelligence officer Sameh Seif El-Yazal and announced repeatedly it would solidly support the policies of El-Sisi. "For the Love - the precursor of In Support of Egypt - would kill the democratic process in Egypt, Sawiris told private newspaper Youm7 last month, describing the members of the formation as sheep being led by a supreme guide just like the Muslim Brotherhood [from which ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi hails. He reiterated on Monday that his party "would not join the bloc in order not to be [controlled] by any power in the parliament." Search Keywords: Short link: Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Egypt's Prime Minister Sherif Ismail ordered the minister of local development to hold those responsible for the deadly incident accountable Two sisters were killed and three others injured late on Monday after their residential building collapsed in the Nile Delta's Sharqiya governorate. The dead bodies of the two sisters, aged eight and 17, were pulled from the rubble as rescue workers continued to dig through the debris of the building located in Miniya El-Qamh city to find survivors. The health ministry's undersecretary in Sharqiya, Sherif Makeen, told Al-Ahram Arabic news website that the injured were in a stable condition but two were suffering from fractures and one from a suspected skull fracture. Makeen said that the injured would need psychological treatment due to the trauma sustained during the collapse. Following the deadly collapse, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail ordered the Minister of Local Development Zaki Badr to present a report about the accident in order to hold those responsible accountable. The four-story building had two illegal floor extensions, Sharqiya's governor Khaled Said said in a press statement on Tuesday. Building collapses are commonplace in Egypt and usually take place and lives due to violations of building specifications, illegal extensions, and lax construction. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt has condemned ''in the strongest terms'' a terrorist bombing that rocked Turkey's Istanbul, killing 10 people and wounding 15 others in the city's main tourist hub Sultanahmet. In an official press release, the spokesperson for the Egyptian foreign ministry expressed Egypt's condolences to the Turkish people and the families of the victims of other nationalities. "Egypt reaffirms its stance calling for the unity of the international community to combat the abhorrent phenomenon that targets the stability and safety of nations worldwide, with no ethnic or religious discrimination," the spokesperson said. Following the bombing, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that a Syrian militant is thought to be responsible for the attack, though no group has yet claimed responsibility. Despite tensions between Turkey and Egypt since the 2013 ouster of Egyptian Islamist Mohamed Morsi, an Erdogan ally, Turkey said on Saturday that it intends to invite Egypt to the to the 13th Summit of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul next April. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Turkish President Erdogan have not held talks since El-Sisi came to power in June 2014 due to the acrimony between the two countries. Search Keywords: Short link: Imminent Deportation For Men Found Working Illegally In Brynteg & Southsea This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Jan 12th, 2016 Two immigration offenders have been found working illegally following operations by Immigration Enforcement officers in the Wrexham area. On Sunday acting on intelligence, officers visited Brynteg Premier Stores on Victoria Road and Southsea Premier Stores on Southsea Road in Wrexham. At Victoria Road a 25-year-old Indian man who had overstayed his visa was arrested and at Southsea Road a 23-year-old Indian man was arrested for working in breach of his visa. Both men have now been transferred to immigration detention pending their removal from the country. Each business was served a notice warning that a financial penalty of up to 20,000 per illegal worker will be imposed unless the employer can demonstrate that appropriate right-to-work document checks were carried out, such as seeing a passport or Home Office document confirming permission to work. This means there is a potential penalty of 20,000 each for Brynteg Premier Stores and Southsea Premier Stores. Richard Johnston from Immigration Enforcement in Wales said: These arrests are a clear warning to those abusing our immigration laws. There will be no slowdown in our efforts to arrest, detain and remove you from the UK. Employers who use illegal labour are defrauding the taxpayer, undercutting genuine employers and denying legitimate job hunters work. We are happy to work with employers who want to play by the rules but those which continue to flout them will face heavy financial penalties. I would urge anyone with detailed and specific information about suspected immigration abuse to get in touch. Anyone with information about suspected immigration offending in Wales can contact 029 2092 4727. Information to help employers carry out checks to prevent illegal working can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/employers-illegal-working-penalties. It includes a quick answer right-to-work tool to help employers check if someone has the right to work in the UK. Egypt's new parliament refused the resignation of veteran parliamentarian Kamal Ahmed, with the majority of MPs voting "no" on the request. Earlier on Tuesday, Ahmed submitted his resignation citing "health reasons", but sources close to him say he resigned because he disagreed with the way the new parliament was operating, as it witnessed a number of controversial and confusing moments in its first two days. Ahmed, an Alexandria parliamentarian who ran in the 2015 elections as an independent, was known as a harsh critic of Mubarak-era ruling National Democratic Party. He ran for speaker of the new parliament, garnering 36 votes, losing to the now-speaker Ali Abdel-Al, who swept into the position with 401 supporters. Search Keywords: Short link: The Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP) and the pro-austerity separatist parties of the Together for Yes coalition have joined to elect a new Catalan premier and form a pro-austerity government pledged to secede from Spain in the next year. These events illustrate the reactionary role of the CUP and those who have promoted its farcical pretensions to being an anti-capitalist force. The CUP emerged from last Septembers elections with 10 seats. It had the decisive vote as to Together for Yescomprising the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) and the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC), who had 62 seats in the 135-seat assemblywould be able to form a separatist government. Under Premier Artur Mas, the CDC has ruled the region since 2010, supported by the ERC. It has carried out savage austerity measures, tax hikes and major privatisations, including 20 percent cuts in health care and education, leaving the region with a 30 percent poverty rate (2.2 million people), and 19 percent unemployed. Currently, it is involved in numerous corruption scandals. Having claimed they would not re-elect Together for Yess main candidate, Artur Mas, because of his austerity policies, the CUP pressured the coalition to replace Mas. Whilst talks continued, the CUP demonstrated its support for the CDC-ERC. It voted for Together for Yes candidate Carme Forcadell as head of the Catalan parliament. It then junked its previous pledge not to initiate independence unless the majority of the Catalan population supported it. Finally, it co-authored with Together for Yes a secessionist resolution, announcing the start of the process to create the independent Catalan State in the form of a Republic, and which the Catalan parliament passed even before a new government was installed. Appended was a 270 million social emergency package, a face-saving measure to cover over the CUPs decision to scrap a 2 billion anti-poverty programme it had inscribed in its programme. The social emergency package and the entire resolution were in any case rapidly illegalised by Spains Constitutional Court. During the investiture voting round, they voted against Mass re-election, causing him to fail to win a confidence vote. For two months, the CUP negotiated with Together for Yes, which was divided between pro-Mas and anti-Mas supporters. In the end, local assemblies and its Political Committee voted against re-electing Mas last week. Soon after, Mas announced he was not standing down. Snap elections were anticipated. Then on Saturday, 30 hours before the deadline to choose a new candidate for premiership, a last-minute deal was reached between the CUP and Together for Yes. Apart from replacing Mas as Together for Yess candidate, the agreement specified that the CUP would support Together for Yess policies. Behind the last-minute deal lies the growing consciousness of the petty-bourgeois separatist forces that their project is opposed by the majority of Catalans. Pro-separatist parties won only 48 percent in the recent regional elections. On the other hand, it was widely expected that new elections would have seen their combined vote and seats fall. Mas himself said that the deal with the CUP has achieved what they didnt give us in the ballot. Mas explained, CUP had the upper hand but now it is Together for Yes who controls parliamentary activity with CUPs explicit commitment to guarantee its stability. The deal includes the CUPs support of the new premier, the former CDC mayor of Girona, Carles Puigdemont, who was selected by Mas himself. Puigdemont has been a member of the CDC for more than 20 years. As a mayor of Girona, he carried out savage austerity, in alliance with the right-wing anti-separatist Popular Party. He made world headlines in 2012 when the city council decided to put locks on waste bins outside supermarkets to prevent the poor from scavenging. He stated that this measure responded to a necessity detected in the city. The deal also specifies that the CUP will never vote with anti-separatist parties in the assembly, and will give two CUP deputies to Together for Yes, so that the governments proposals wont be banned every now and then, as Mas put it. The CUP then abases itself, recognising its errors in the belligerence expressed towards Together for Yes and promises to change its deputies to implicitly assume its part in self-criticism during the negotiations. This is the inevitable political outcome of the bankrupt perspective of the CUP. It accepted the basic framework of Together for Yess separatist politics, while demanding the departure of Mas as a fig leaf to allow the CUP to continue orienting with Together for Yes while claiming to be an anti-capitalist party. Now that they have secured Mass departure, this pretense is being abandoned, and they are wholeheartedly adopting Together for Yess anti-working class policies. Mas is now being allowed to reconstruct his discredited party, moreover, after local, regional and national elections have seen his party plummet to record low votes and seats, whilst still indirectly controlling the Catalan government. The filthy CUP-Together for Yes deal exposes the pseudo-left groups that worked to present the CUP as an anti-capitalist force. This includes the Pabloite Izqueirda Anticapitalista (Anticapitalist Left), which worked in the CUP for years before joining Podemos, as well as those that currently have leading positions within the CUPEn Lucha, Lucha Internacionalista and Corriente Roja. En Lucha defended the deal outright, explaining that Mas will not be premier, nor will snap elections be held. They shamelessly argued that this was due to the firm and horizontal democratic CUP, which prevented blackmail and weakened the right wing. Dismissing the fact, which they acknowledged, that Together for Yes will almost certainly impose austerity, they hailed this as a victory of the break-away left. Yesterday, Corriente Roja (Red Current) issued a statement warning against this agreement which throws into question the anti-capitalist and break-away power of the CUP. It pledged to struggle to reverse [the deal] and prevent the self-destruction of the CUP as a break-away, anti-capitalist opponent of corruption and of continued anti-austerity policies. In fact, this experience exposes Corriente Rojas role in promoting illusions that the CUPs separatist and Catalan nationalist perspective would prove to be anything other than a trap and a dead end for the working class. The 24-hour strike by junior doctors across England today is part of a wider movement in opposition to austerity-based attacks on the National Health Service (NHS). Last Saturday thousands demonstrated in London against the Conservative governments plans to scrap bursaries by 2017 for nurses and midwives. It is more than 40 years since the last national strike by junior doctors over pay and conditions. Prime Minister David Camerons government is intent on imposing new contracts that will reduce payments for unsocial hours and lift safeguards against excessive hours. The first day of action is due to be followed by a two-day stoppage starting from 8 a.m. on Tuesday, January 26, with both sets of action allowing for emergency care only. An all-out one-day strike is planned for Wednesday, February 10. The fact that the one-day stoppage is taking place at all is despite the best efforts of British Medical Association (BMA), which postponed the rolling series of stoppages planned for last month. Over two-thirds of the workforce (37,700 junior doctors) were balloted by the BMA and returned an emphatic majority of 98 percent in favour of strike action. Trampling on this mandate, the BMA postponed the strikes to re-enter talks with NHS Employers and the Department of Health via the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS). The negotiations only confirmed that the government will not countenance any retreat on the substantive issues. The main content of the changes to pay is to reclassify weekend working as normal working in order to eliminate premium rates currently paid for this and for night shifts. The attack on junior doctors is a test case for moving NHS staff over to seven-day working for more services without receiving payment for unsocial hours. The offer of an 11 percent rise on basic pay will not compensate for the loss of premium rates for unsocial hours during the week and weekend working, which the government aims to introduce by August this year. According to the BMA, junior doctors could lose up to 30 percent of their income. Junior doctors would only receive time and a half for any hours worked between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. and time and a third for hours worked between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Saturdays or Sundays. The mandatory enforcement against unsafe working hours would be lifted. This will impact negatively on recruitment, leaving already overworked and exhausted junior doctors to provide patient care. In an attempt to reverse public opinion, which is overwhelmingly on the side of the junior doctors, the government has orchestrated a dirty-tricks campaign via the media to claim the strike action places the lives of the public in danger. Details have emerged that back in November Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt vetted a press release to the BMA from the Medical Director of NHS England, Sir Bruce Keogh, which aimed to portray the strike action as a threat to national security. NHS England is meant to be independent of government. The press release went through several changes to ensure it spread alarm about the possibilities of a Paris-style terror attack, with the junior doctors strike undermining an emergency response. More than a thousand doctors have put their name to a letter expressing their outrage and calling for Keogh to stand down. A letter written in protest declared: You implied that, were a similar event to occur during junior doctors industrial action, we might not return to work to help the victims, an insinuation we found deeply offensive. ... Imagine now our dismay in discovering that you engaged in covert crafting and re-crafting of this letter with Whitehall officials, in order to ensure the final product was as hard-edged as possible. Do you really feel that we, the countrys junior doctors, deserve to be attackedwith your permissionby the full force of the Governments spin machine? To have the publics trust in us put at risk by the Governments actions? This breakdown in protocol and medical ethics is not an aberration, but points to the intimate connection between the criminal foreign and domestic policies pursued by the British ruling elite. The parliamentary vote for bombing Syria has set the stage for another illegal war in the Middle East, the fourth in 14 years. The financing of new wars places further strains on the funding of the NHS and other public services. The response is to deploy the supposed war on terror as a pretext to outlaw all manifestations of protest and opposition against the socially destructive impact of austerity. The governments Trade Union Bill is similarly aimed at further curtailing the right to strike, particularly in the public sector essential services. In addition to disorientating public opinion, the lies and smears of the government and the media are aimed at disciplining the Labour Party and trade unions to clamp down on the suppressed discontent over rising social inequality and dismantling of the welfare state. No confidence can be placed in the BMA to wage a struggle in defence of junior doctors. Nothing worthwhile will emerge from the ACAS negotiations. Instead they will be used to grind down opposition and force acceptance of a repackaged version of the cuts. The main health unions such as Unison, UNITE and the GMB have smothered opposition to a succession of attacks on the NHS. The Health and Social Care Act 2012 has created the conditions for the wholesale privatisation of the NHS and passed without any mobilisation against it by the unions. Protests against Accident & Emergency closures have been diverted down the dead end of petitions to the government and MPs. In the rare instances where strikes have taken place, such as over pay restraint, these have been on the most ineffective basis and were wound down after accepting a pitiful 1 percent pay increase on the grounds that this was the best deal that could be achieved through negotiation. The only way forward in the junior doctors dispute is to break out of the stranglehold of the trade unions and link the struggle with a broader offensive to defend the NHS, mobilising all health workers and the entire working class in the struggle for a workers government and socialism. The Socialist Equality Party and NHS FightBack urges all those wanting to take up this fight to make contact and discuss how this can be achieved. On January 11, the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case related to the legality of so-called agency shop agreements for public employees, also known as agency fee or fair share agreements. These agreements give a single union the exclusive right to represent a particular category of employees, and require employees who choose not to join the union to still pay a fee for costs supposedly related to collective bargaining. The case, captioned Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, was brought by the Center for Individual Rights, a right-wing law firm previously responsible for cases attacking the Voting Rights Act, undermining the separation of church and state and supporting the so-called Michigan Civil Rights Initiative. The lawsuit was supported in the Supreme Court by a consortium of right-wing entities, including the National Right to Work Legal Defense Fund and Pacific Legal Foundation, which was founded in 1973 by former members of then-Governor Ronald Reagans welfare reform team. The aim of the case is not to defend the rights of workers against unions that regularly collaborate with the employers to betray workers interests. Like various right-to-work laws, the case is aimed at undermining any efforts by workers to collectively defend themselves. The unions oppose the case, however, entirely from the standpoint of the narrow income and institutional interests of the labor apparatus. The case was filed in the name of a group of teachers led by Rebecca Friedrichs, a teacher in Orange County, California. The chief legal theory is that the payment of the agency fee to the California Teachers Association infringed on the First Amendment rights of the teachers because it compelled them to subsidize the political activities of the teachers union. The theory goes beyond the issue of the use of union funds for traditional political activities, and would prohibit public sector unions from collecting any fees from non-union members in workplaces they represent. There was a Kafkaesque dimension to the extended discussion in the Supreme Court of rights protected by the Bill of Rights, including free speech, in a country where whistleblower Bradley (Chelsea) Manning languishes in prison for the crime of exposing government criminality, and where ubiquitous government surveillance is the norm. In the upside-down world of Supreme Court jurisprudence, the rights of individuals can be trampled in the name of the war on terror, and the police can get away with murder, but the supposed constitutional rights of corporations are jealously protected. The constitutional rights of the teachers involved in the union dues case are being discussed in the Supreme Court only because they have been invoked in the service of a right-wing, pro-management agenda. Under California law, public sector workers who are covered by a union contract must pay a fair share fee, typically equivalent to union dues, even if they opt out of joining the union. Some 20 other states have similar laws on the books. According to the unions, the purpose of the fee is to prevent free riders from gaining the supposed benefits of union membership without paying for it. A ruling favorable to the plaintiffs, which appears likely, would impact public sector unions in the 25 states not currently covered by right to work laws that bar the payment of union dues as a condition of employment. At issue is a 1977 Supreme Court ruling in the case of Abood vs. Detroit Board of Education, which held that there was a distinction between two types of compelled payments. The forced payment of union dues to support political activities, such as candidate donations, was held to be a violation of the right to free speech, but the court held workers could be compelled to pay fees related to the costs of collective bargaining. The current suit seeks to overturn that decision. It is being backed by right-wing forces that seek to obstruct any ability by workers to organize and struggle against employers and the state. These forces represent a section of the political establishment that would like to remove all legal obstacles to the control of corporations over every aspect of workers lives. In support of this agenda, lawyers for the teachers argued that all collective bargaining activity is inherently political. They contended that through the means of negotiations the unions are effectively lobbying for a political reallocation of societys resources toward public services and away from other areas. Such things as seniority rights, they argue, are an infringement on the free speech rights of teachers who support such regressive measures as merit pay. As for the opponents of the lawsuit, in the first case the US public employee unions, they are by no means opposed to attacks on teachers and other workers from any principled standpoint. It has been many decades since they have mounted even a limited defense of workers rights. The right-wing unions of the present day function entirely as business entities, concerned primarily with expanding the perks and privileges of their well-paid functionaries, as well as with funneling money into the Democratic Party. As such, they are opposing the attack on the agency shop agreements principally from the standpoint of the protection of their dues income. During oral arguments, the majority of the court appeared hostile to the position of the unions. Justice Antonin Scalia, a reactionary justice who in the past had evinced sympathy for arguments that the unions needed to collect fees to prevent free riders, did not pose any questions favorable to the unions. Meanwhile, the swing justice, Anthony Kennedy, who sometimes sides with the courts four supposedly liberal justices, also seemed hostile to the unions case. He expressed sympathy for the argument that the current system created a class of people whose free speech had been silenced. If the Supreme Court decides against agency shop fees, it would be a further major blow to the financial base of the unions. There are currently union contracts covering some 9.5 million public sector workers. While the unions have been almost wiped out in the private sector, where they represent just over 6 percent of all workers, some 36 percent of public employees are still unionized. A ruling favorable to the plaintiffs could, in effect, convert all states into right to work states as far as public employees are concerned, with serious implications for union finances. In Michigan, where right to work legislation took effect in 2013, union membership fell from 16.3 percent to 14.5 percent in 2014, the first full year that the law was in force. In the lawsuit before the Supreme Court, the unions have the backing of the Obama administration and a layer of Democratic politicians, along with a few Republicans, who support the unions because of their useful role in suppressing the struggles of the working class. In the end, the conflict between opponents and supporters of agency shop fees is a debate over the best means of destroying workers rights and living standards with the help of the unions or without the help of the unions. There are obvious short-term partisan considerations involved in the Supreme Court case. The Democratic Party relies on the unions for a considerable portion of its campaign donations, and the Republicans would like to cut off this source of funds. Meanwhile, after decades of betrayals, the unions have lost any wide popular backing and rely more and more on the patronage of the Democratic Party for their continued survival. The incestuous relationship between the unions and a layer of the political establishment was on display in a case relating to the fair share fee by the Supreme Court in 2014. In that case, the court struck down an Illinois statute that required home health care workers to pay an agency fee even if they were not union members. As part of a dirty backroom deal involving former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) was appointed the bargaining agent for home health care workers in the state. Under Illinois law, disabled residents can hire an assistant at state expense to help care for them. Many of these workers are in fact relatives of those for whom they care. The SEIU negotiated a contract that required nonunion home care workers to pay an agency fee to the union. The deal proved a windfall for the SEIU, which took in about $3.6 million in dues each year from the home health care workers. Meanwhile, the SEIU negotiated the home care workers wages to a measly $12 an hour. At the same time, according to the Wall Street Journal, the SEIU donated some $1.8 million to Blagojevichs two campaigns for governor. As the saying goes, You scratch my back and Ill scratch yours. Blagojevich was later convicted of corruption charges. One of the charges was that he attempted to sell President Obamas former Senate seat in return for a job that paid $300,000 with an SEIU affiliate. On the one hand, it is clear that workers should give no support whatever to right-wing campaigns such as right to work, which are aimed at undermining any ability by workers to organize and defend themselves collectively against the dictatorship of management. On the other hand, workers have no interest in paying dues to corrupt, right-wing, pro-company unions, which function only as obstacles in the path of workers who want to fight back. Effective mass resistance to the dictatorship of the employers requires the building of new, genuinely democratic organizations of struggle, independent of the existing unions. The Egyptian FM said in a statement that three among the 12 Egyptians arrested in Turkey are minors Egypt's foreign ministry announced on Tuesday the release of 12 Egyptians arrested in Turkey on charges of joining the ISIS militant group. The 12 Egyptians had been arrested in Adana province, according to Egypt's consul in Istanbul Bassam Rady, who confirmed on Monday that the Turkish authorities had arrested them for allegedly joining ISIS. Three minors were among those arrested, according to the Egyptian foreign ministry statement. The assistant to the foreign minister for consular affairs and Egyptians abroad said that the Turkish court decided to release all the Egyptian citizens and refer them to the Office of Foreigners and Immigration to deport them to Egypt. Foreign ISIS recruits often cross Turkish borders to join the militant group in Syria and Iraq. Ties between Egypt and Turkey have been tense since the 2013 ouster of Egyptian Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, a close ally of Turkey. On Tuesday, Turkey witnessed a terrorist bombing that rocked Istanbul, killing 10 people and wounding 15 others in the city's main tourist hub Sultanahmet. In an official statement made later in the day, Egypt condemned the terrorist attack despite the tensions between the two countries. Search Keywords: Short link: A massive bushfire in Western Australia over the past week has left two dead, destroyed at least 143 properties and ruined an entire town. The fire has burnt more than 72,000 hectares in the states southwest, about 120 kilometres south of Perth, the state capital. The blaze follows a series of bushfires around the country, including three in the Esperance region, also in southern Western Australia, last November, that claimed four lives and burnt 300,000 hectares. The latest fire reportedly began last Wednesday morning as a result of lightning strikes, and spread rapidly. Officials said on Sunday that the fire was contained, but it may be months before it is entirely extinguished. Amid what is already a severe and prolonged bushfire season, questions have been raised about the preparation and response of authorities to the disaster. Residents of Yarloop, a timber mill-town with a population of around 500, said they were given virtually no warning before the fire engulfed the area, and the town was left without water. The fire struck Yarloop at around 8pm on Thursday. Residents reported widespread panic and fear as strong winds created a series of fireballs that swept through the town. Many people only learned of the imminent danger when told by friends, or volunteer firefighters. The blaze is believed to have destroyed some 128 homes in the town. A nearby caravan park was decimated, while the post office, workshops, factories, historic buildings, the fire station and parts of the local school were also destroyed. Two elderly residents perished in the blaze and four firefighters suffered burns. It was revealed yesterday that Yarloop was only explicitly named in an emergency alert by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services 25 minutes before the blaze hit the town. A post by the Yarloop Volunteer Bushfire Brigades Facebook page commented: We were left by the hierarchy to defend our town on our [own], unfortunately we lost. Residents have expressed anger that in the hours preceding the fire, the towns water supply apparently failed. One resident, Barry Goodwill, whose comments were quoted in the Mandurah Coastal Times, said: We were sacrificedwe didnt have a hope in hell ... I went to put sprinklers on my roof, but the water went out. This was at about 10am or 11am on Thursdayseveral hours before the fire came. Another resident wrote to the states emergency services minister last year about faulty water hydrants in the town. While they were serviced, some did not work during the fire. Authorities have responded contemptuously to the mounting anger of the towns residents. They defended the warning system and claimed that residents should have known that rural water supplies, which are not connected to the main metropolitan water systems, often fail in the event of a fire. Western Australian Fire Commissioner Wayne Gregson declared on Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio yesterday morning: Therell be no shortage of armchair generals to tell you what you should have, could have or might have done. He blamed residents, saying: You cannot be sitting at home waiting to get a text before you take responsibility for your own safety. His comments, and others from the state Liberal governments emergency services minister, Joe Francis, are a warning that any official investigation into the blaze will be a whitewash to absolve authorities of responsibility for the disaster. The fire has created a mounting social crisis, with hundreds left homeless. In addition to Yarloop, nearby towns such as Waroona, Harvey and Preston Beach were affected by the blaze, with residents evacuated. Around 1,000 homes in the area are reportedly still without power. According to insurance companies, the blaze has resulted in damage worth at least $60 million. A number of vineyards have been destroyed, along with sections of dairy farms. As the disaster was unfolding, a report was released into the official response to major bushfires in Western Australia in January and February 2015. It concluded that residents and firefighters had been placed at risk by a lack of resources and poor coordination. The report found that during the Northcliffe and Boddington fires, which destroyed some 150,000 hectares of land, the states Incident Management Teams suffered from inadequate resources. Clashes between government departments, insufficient community engagement and poor management of appliance and crews also hampered the response. Reports into earlier fires have found that the Western Australian Fire and Emergency Service Authority is not equipped to tackle large blazes on multiple fronts. A United Fire Fighters Union submission on fires that destroyed 71 homes in the Perth Hills at the beginning of 2011 pointed out that many firefighting personnel were volunteers, while professional firefighters were denied overtime pay. The city reportedly ran out of fire engines due to the number of separate fires, while crews lacked essential supplies. An initial inquiry in August 2011, headed by former Australian Federal Police chief Mick Keelty, focused on education and administrative reforms, evading the questions of funding, personnel numbers and equipment. Nevertheless, most of its limited proposals were not even implemented before the start of the 2011-2012 bushfire season. In November 2011, a blaze swept through Margaret River, in the states south, destroying 37 homes. State authorities had been conducting a controlled burn, despite high temperatures and heavy winds, that skipped containment lines. A scathing report into that fire pointed to insufficient resources, poor communication between agencies and other issues that had been identified by previous bushfire inquiries. In the 2012-2013 financial year, the state government froze the hiring process for vacant positions in the Fire and Emergency Service Authority, which was directed to reduce its operating costs by almost $400,000. Deadly fires again broke out in the Perth Hills at the beginning of 2014, killing one person and destroying over 50 homes. Amid a collapse in government revenues, resulting from the end of the mining boom, and calls for deeper cuts to social services, further tragedies are inevitable. The fire risk is being exacerbated by the effects of global climate change, which has resulted in periods of long, hot weather. The states southwest has undergone long-term drying trends, with winter and autumn rainfall dropping by around 20 percent since 1970. The state had its second-hottest year on record in 2015, experiencing temperatures almost one degree Celsius above average. Australias Climate Council, which was stripped of federal government funding in 2013, warned at the beginning of 2015: Longer, hotter and more intense heatwaves, and more frequent and severe droughts, are driving up the likelihood of very high bushfire risk, particularly in the southwest and southeast of Australia. It stated that by 2030, the number of professional firefighters in Western Australia would need to be doubled to match the increasing risk. Israels use of live ammunition and a shoot-to-kill policy has claimed at least 146 Palestinian lives and injured thousands more since the beginning of October. Such ruthlessness and criminality are part of its broader strategy of engineering the collapse of the Palestinian Authority, breaking up the occupied West Bank into a number of different cantons, bringing them under its direct control, and reducing the number of Palestinians living in East Jerusalem, in pursuit of its expansionist schemes. Around 46 Palestinians have been killed during demonstrations and clashes with the security forces by a single shot to the head or chest, a clear indication of a shoot-to-kill policy. Others died from wounds inflicted by teargas canisters or rubber-coated steel bullets. This does not include the killing of more than 90 alleged Palestinian assailants whom the security authorities held responsible for 21 lethal and other stabbing, stoning, shooting and car ramming attacks on Jewish Israelis. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, a further 1,887 Palestinians have been wounded by live ammunition and 3,105 by rubber-coated bullets, while around 10,000 have been treated for teargas inhalation. A senior Israeli military official told the Washington Post that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians killed in recent clashes were shot at by M-16-type rifles or other weapons. M-16s are automatic high-velocity assault rifles that have 30-round magazines and a 600-metre target range. Such a statement is tantamount to admitting that Israel has a policy of summary execution. Just three of the Palestinians were killed by rifles loaded with .22-caliber bullets, known as two-twos, which Israeli officials say are meant to be less lethal. A spokesperson for the Israel Defence Forces said that two-twos were considered a useful tool for dispersing crowds. Such rounds were often fired at the legs of people Israeli soldiers consider instigators of violent demonstrations or at attackers posing less than lethal threats. In one demonstration at the Huwara military checkpoint south of Nablus, the Israeli human rights group BTselem counted 72 Palestinians injured68 by live rounds and four by rubber-coated metal bullets. According to the prisoners rights group Addameer, Israeli military and police repeatedly used lethal force against Palestinians as a first resort, ignoring arrest procedures and failing to give warnings. In the case of many of those killed in the context of alleged stabbing attempts, eyewitnesses and video footage show that suspects did not or no longer represented a threat at alla breach of international law that limits the use of lethal force to cases where suspects pose a serious threat. In the absence of such a threat, such a killing amounts to extrajudicial execution and is a violation of the right to life under human rights law and a breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention that constitutes a war crime under the Rome Statute. Israel has arrested more than 2,663 Palestinians since the beginning of October 2015, including more than 620 Palestinians, 177 of them children, from occupied East Jerusalem. As a result, there are now 6,800 political prisoners and detainees, including more than 470 children, 60 female prisoners and five members of the Palestinian Legislative Council. This number includes 660 administrative detainees who can be held indefinitely without trial, double the number at the beginning of October. Addameer says that Israel has arrested dozens of Palestinians, claiming incitement via social media platforms, and is holding many of them under administrative detention. Israeli security forces are targeting Palestinian human rights defenders and journalists. Since the beginning of October, Israel has issued five expulsion orders, deporting Palestinians from Jerusalem, a number that is expected to increase as part of Israels broader policy of ridding the city of Palestinians. The security forces have made increased use of collective punishment, illegal under international law, demolishing, sealing or rendering out of bounds 26 family homes of Palestinians accused of attempting attacks against Israelis, withholding the bodies of scores of Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces after alleged attacks, and harassing their families with arrests and repeated raids on their homes. These punitive measures only served to raise tensions in the West Bank. The current unrest was provoked last summer by right-wing Zionist elements, backed by the security forces, demanding access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, clashing with Palestinians whose access to the mosque has been increasingly restricted. Underlying the Palestinian resistance, however, is the mounting violence by Zionist settlers and Israeli security forces against Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank and the steady expansion of Zionist settlements in the territory. Lone Palestinian youths with no organisational affiliation have killed 21 Israelis, using stones, screwdrivers and knives, or their cars. But the huge disparity in the number of Palestinians killed for every Israeli, not to mention the thousands of Palestinians who have been wounded, has done nothing to blunt Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or the medias efforts to portray the unrest as the work of terrorists and hard-line Islamists, thereby justifying Israels repression of the Palestinians as part of the global war on terror. The security measures put in place by Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) that have kept the West Bank more or less stable over the last decade are unravelling. The PA itself, notorious for its corruption and cronyism and servility towards Israel and US and European imperialism, is widely discredited. Its mandate under the 1993 Oslo Accords was meant to expire in 1999. President Mahmoud Abbas term of office expired in 2009. There is no successor to the 81-year-old Abbas who has any popular support. His ruling clique in Fatah, the main party in the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, is made up of a handful of multimillionaire businessmen that have maintained their grip on the Palestinian institutions by brute force, despite the election of Hamas in 2006 and its failed attempt to organise a coup against Hamas in Gaza in 2007. Fatah is riven with factional infighting and its congresses have been postponed on several occasions. Abbas has cooperated fully with Israels draconian crackdown. He has: * stopped the Tanzim, Fatahs military faction, from staging demonstrations and confrontations with Israel; * deployed Palestinian security personnel at flashpoints such as Rachels Tomb in Bethlehem, the junction at the northern exit of Ramallah and the exit from Tul Karm in the West Bank to prevent confrontations with Israeli soldiers; * arrested Hamas military activists in Nablus and Hebron; * cut back on anti-Israel rhetoric on the PAs official media outlets, and largely refrained from mentioning Israels designs on the al-Aqsa compound. Haaretz quoted an Israeli security source as saying that security coordination with the PA had improved and had been exceptionally good in recent weeks. None of this has calmed the situation, sparking concerns that the PA could collapse later this year. The Netanyahu government has Washingtons support in its campaign against the Palestinians, with President Barack Obama endorsing the crackdown and condemning in the strongest terms Palestinian violence, while reaffirming his strong belief that Israel has not just the right, but the obligation to protect itself. Washington is expected to increase annual US military aid to Israel to possibly as much as $5 billion a year for the next 10 years. A key factor in this is the need, expressed in a report by the US Army War Colleges Strategic Studies Institute published in January 2015, for US security and military support to its key allies in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly Israel, over access to recent vast discoveries of regional oil and gas. On January 2, Gisela Mota Ocampo, the 33-year-old mayor of the city of Temixco in the central Mexican state of Morelos, was gunned down in her home, one day after being sworn into office. On January 3, police killed two suspects in the assassination and arrested three others. Temixco, with about 100,000 people, is a suburb of Moreloss capital city Cuernavaca, where many wealthy Mexico City residents and foreigners buy homes. The expressway between Mexico City and the Pacific Coast city of Acapulco in Guerrero state, a major drug trafficking route, cuts through Cuernavaca and Temixco. Morelos governor Graco Ramirez and its public security commission told the media that Mota Ocampo, formerly a federal congresswoman, was killed by members of the Los Rojos (The Reds) drug gang, for refusing to ally with them. Los Rojos is also known for kidnappings and extortion of local businesses. Los Rojos has battled the Guerreros Unidos (United Warriors) cartel for some time for control of the Morelos and parts of neighboring Guerrero state. Both groups arose out of the demise of the Beltran-Leyva cartel, which itself arose out of a split with Joaquin El Chapo Guzman Loeras cartel, based in the northwest state of Sinaloa. The Mexican government officially blames Guerreros Unidos for the likely killing in September 2014 near the Guerrero town of Iguala of 43 missing teaching students (normalistas) from Ayotzinapa, Guerrero. Mayor Mota was a member of the center-left Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). Upwards of 100 mayors from the PRD and other political parties have been killed across Mexico over the past decade at the hands of organized crime. Another PRD candidate for mayor of Temixco was kidnapped in December 2014, allegedly by Guerreros Unidos. Temixco was also the site of another highly publicized March, 2011 killing of the the 24-year-old son of poet Javier Sicilia and six other people by members of the Pacifico Sur (Pacific South) cartel, yet another remnant of the defunct Beltran-Leyva cartel. As in the case of Iguala after the Ayotzinapa normalista killings, efforts to clean out corrupt local police who protected gangs led Morelos to put Temixco officers under a unified Morelos state command. That did nothing to protect Mayor Mota. The mayor of Iguala, where the Ayotzinapa normalistas were kidnapped, Jose Luis Abarca Hernandez, was a PRD member as well, who was in the process of decamping to Andres Manuel Lopez Obradors pseudo-left Moreno party, as part of a plan to run for governor of Guerrero. Abarca and local police under his command worked in league with Guerreros Unidos. His wife, mother-in-law and brother in-law had come out of the Beltran-Leyva cartel. As to the 43 missing students, the official version of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and his ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) remains that local Iguala police delivered the students to members of Guerreros Unidos, who then killed them, burned their corpses and tossed them into a dump in the neighboring town of Cocula. However, during the last week of December a group of distinguished experts from the Interamerican Commission of Human Rights that studied the case reported that new evidence showed that the students were not incinerated in that location, something the parents of the students have asserted for over a year. The Mexican government ignored that report. Pena Nietos strategy has been to simply attempt to wait out Mexicos profound outrage over the killing of the normalistas and his abysmal poll ratings. Various sectors of the PRI, and other major Mexican political parties, have been associated with drug cartels for the years. Chapo Guzmans Sinaloa cartel infiltrated the ranks of various Mexican government agencies, including Mexicos Interpol. Reputable Mexican investigative journalists have also accused the PRI of favoring the Sinaloa cartel to the extent of helping it wage war against its rivals. On Friday Guzman was recaptured by a unit of the Mexican navy in the coastal Sinaloa city Los Mochis, a little over ten months after he escaped from the Altiplano federal prison. That was the second time Guzman escaped from a federal high-security prison. Rolling Stone magazine published Saturday an interview with Guzman by American actor Sean Penn, which was conducted in October. Guzman was interested in having a film made of his life, much as was done as with the late Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, who recently became the subject of a Netflix and Spanish television dramatic series. Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, known for her portrayal of a narco queen in the popular Mexican soap opera Reina del Sur (Queen of the South), introduced Penn to Guzman. According to the Mexican Secretary of the Interior, Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, the government located Chapo Guzman by monitoring his contacts with his lawyers, Castillo and Penn. This is indeed the stuff of soap operas. Belief is widespread among Mexicans that the government had a deal with Guzman, whose net worth is reputedly upwards of $3 billon, to let him escape last year, and could have picked him up again any time. This is not farfetched. Guzman has been taken back to the same high security prison from which he escaped in February. American business interests have increasingly warned the Mexican government that the instability and violence associated with the drug war in Mexico is an impediment to investment. Guzmans escape in 2014 did little to assuage investors. Pena Nieto, himself proven to be immersed up to his eyeballs in corruption, may have decided it was time to pull in Guzman once again, as efforts are accelerated in the new year to bring foreign capital into the oil and telecommunications industries. It is true that the population of Mexico has suffered immensely from the drug violence and government corruption. At the same time, the narco drama also serves as a diversion from a class war raging in Mexico, as the Pena Nieto government imposes ever increasing attacks on the working class. Tensions between Germany and Poland have escalated rapidly since the victory of the right-wing nationalist PiS (Law and Justice) party in the Polish federal election last October. By the end of last year German newspapers were calling for a halt to EU funds to Poland and to not allow the Polish government to do what it wants (Die Welt). Now leading German politicians and journalists are publicly advocating placing Poland under EU supervision or expelling the country from the EU entirely. On Monday Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski met with the German Ambassador to Poland, Rolf Nikel. At the meeting Nikel was asked to account for the anti-Polish statements of German politicians. The right-wing PiS government in Poland has carried out a virtual putsch in the space of a few months following its election victory. The party led by Jarosaw Kaczynski aims to establish an authoritarian regime in Poland and enforce massive attacks on the working class, together with an aggressive military policy against Russia. Even more than the previous government led by the Civic Platform (PO) and the Polish Peoples Party PSL, the (PiS) bases itself on a close alliance with the US, combining its nationalist policies with anti-German and anti-European rhetoric. Representatives of the EU and especially Germany have reacted very tersely to the new media law introduced by the PiS, which brings public television and radio under its control. In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, European Commissioner for Media and Digital Affairs Gunther Oettinger (CDU) called for the enactment of the rule of law and mechanisms to place Warsaw under supervision. Specifically, this would mean that a commission appointed by the EU would make proposals to Warsaw for the amendment of current national legislation. If the Polish government fails to agree to these proposals, thereby leading to a serious and persistent breach of the guidelines enshrined in the Treaty on European Union Policy, then Brussels could strip Poland of its voting rights in ministerial councils and EU summitsan historic precedent for the EU. Spiegel Online commented that such a scenario amounts to what diplomats in Brussels call a nuclear bomb. Jakob Augstein, the editor-in-chief and publisher of the weekly newspaper Freitag went even further. In his regular column in Spiegel Online, Augstein argued for the exclusion of Poland from the EU. Taking a lead from Samuel Huntingtons book Clash of Civilizations Augstein espouses ideas associated with the extreme right, writing that a cultural war between east and west was in progress. The western values of liberalism, tolerance, equality confront the eastern lack of valuesracism, ignorance, bigotry, Augstein writes. It is therefore appropriate to consider, he continues, with which neighbours we want to build a united Europe. The Poles are not likely to be included. Augsteins comments reek of aggression and hypocrisy. The claim that the West has the monopoly on such values as liberalism, tolerance and equality is a brazen lie. American, German, French and British imperialism have brought about a disaster of historical proportions in North Africa and the Middle East. In the past 25 years the countries of Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and now Syria have been bombed, killing millions, and forcing millions of survivors to flee abroad. In the southern member states of the EU, the German government has played a central role in enforcing draconian austerity diktats against the population and in violation of all democratic norms. In Ukraine, Germany and the US have collaborated with fascist forces to instigate a right-wing coup. The German government also maintains friendly relations and cooperation with authoritarian regimes such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which brutally suppress the minorities in their own countries. Representatives of German imperialism and its servants in the media have absolutely no right to lecture any country about democracy and tolerance. Poland was one of the greatest victims of German imperialism during World War II. Under Nazi occupation Poland became the main centre for the Nazi mass murder of European Jews. Of the original 3.3 million Polish Jews around 3 million were murdered. An additional 1.5 million Jews from all over Europe were transported to and gassed in extermination camps in Poland. Several million Poles, including hundreds of thousands of children were deported to the Reich and were forced to work there. An estimated 8 million died in Polandvictims of the Nazi war of aggression, forced labor, famine and the Holocaust. Given the propaganda about Western values to be taught to the rest of the world, it is appropriate to recall that the German occupation of Eastern Europe was carried out in the First and Second World War with the argument that Germany was conducting a civilizing mission in the East. The current shift to the right in Poland and other Eastern European countries is not unrelated to the policies of Germany and the EU. The ruling class in Germany enthusiastically support the restoration of capitalism in Poland and has profited considerably from it. After joining the EU in 2004 Poland was transformed into an extended work-bank of German industry while Polish immigrants and temporary workers in Germany remain amongst the most exploited layer of workers. Jarosaw Kaczynski and his party are a product of this development. Like much of the current PiS government, he is one of the group of former activists of the Solidarity movement that threw themselves into the arms of imperialism and made capitalist restoration the starting point for their personal enrichment and political career. Together with his late twin brother Lech, Jarosaw Kaczynski assumed political posts under the presidency of Lech Walesa, the leader of Solidarity. In both interior and foreign policy, Kaczynski has based himself on the political legacy of Jozef Pisudski, who established an authoritarian regime in the interwar period in Poland to avert the threat of socialist revolution. In the realm of foreign policy, Kaczynski and his ally President Andrzej Duda, are seeking to revive the Intermarium project of Pisudski. The Intermarium was an alliance of far-right and nationalist forces in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus, whose primary objective was the forcible dissolution of the Soviet Union into individual nation states. After the German invasion of Poland, the Nazis took over large parts of the Intermarium network and integrated it into their war offensive against the Soviet Union. In his inaugural speech in August 2015, Duda pointed to the foreign policy objectives of the PiS. He spoke in favour of the renaissance of a confederation of states extending from Central and Eastern Europe from the Baltic Sea down to the Adriatic Sea and called for the military reinforcement of NATO in Poland and throughout Eastern Europe. The PiS is pursuing this strategy in close cooperation with the United States. At a meeting with new Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski in December 2015 US Secretary of State John Kerry reaffirmed the Obama Administrations support for the expansion of NATOs missile defense system in Poland. Berlin has repeatedly opposed such a step. Representatives of the American elite have repeatedly campaigned for a revival of the Intermarium in recent years. In an aggressive speech at the European Forum for New Ideas (EFNI) in 2012 George Friedman, the head of the private intelligence service Stratfor, called upon Poland to take up a leading role in Europe. As archaic it may sound, a revival of Intermarium against Russia and Germany in alliance with the US, was in the national interest of Poland, Friedman explained. These geopolitical conflicts are the real background to the hysteria and hostility on the part of German politicians and the media against the new Polish government. The German elite understands very well that Kaczynskis foreign policy of an Intermarium, supported by US imperialism would challenge German leadership in Europe. A commentary in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung complained recently about the Polish vision of an Intermarium, a union of states from the Baltic to the Black Sea as a counterweight to Russiaand Germany, the new hegemon in Europe. Hundreds of Detroit Public Schools (DPS) teachers called in sick Monday morning in a coordinated protest against intolerable conditions in the schools, pay cuts of 20 percent or more and the dictatorial policies of the state-appointed DPS emergency manager. The sickout shut down 64 of the districts 97 school buildings, according to DPS officials, affecting 31,000 out of 47,000 students. The struggle has largely erupted outside of the control of the Detroit Federation of Teachers (DFT), which has a long and sordid history of collaborating with state and local officials, including successive emergency managers, to destroy educators jobs and livelihoods and shift resources into for-profit charter schools. At a hastily called press conference Monday morning, DFT Interim President Ivy Bailey feigned support for protesting teachers while making it clear that the DFT was not advocating a sickout. In an effort to regain control of the rebellious teachers, Bailey called for public hearings into decaying school structures and unsanitary conditions, claiming the DFT would not stand by while school employees faced conditions similar to those in Third World countries. After decades of budget cuts, many schools have been left to rot, making it impossible for students to learn. Many buildings are infested with rats, roaches and bedbugs. Schools have broken boilers and no heat, leaking ceilings and black mold on the walls. Due to a shortage of hundreds of teachers, class sizes are as high as 45. At the Thirkell Elementary-Middle School, for example, there are so many teacher vacancies that eighth-graders are housed in the gym and pulled out for instruction in core subjects for only an hour or so each day. It is precisely because the DFT has stood by and colluded in imposing such conditions that teachers are taking matters into their own hands. For too long we have been looking to the union to do something. Now we figured we have to do it ourselves, a long-time teacher protesting outside the Detroit Schools headquarters told the World Socialist Web Site Monday. We feel we are grossly mistreated. There is money for everything else but our children. The children are the victims and we are the victims. We felt we had to stand up. We have to have a voice. This is a rogue movement by teachers. It isnt a movement by the DFT or the AFT [American Federation of Teachers], Shalon Miller told the WSWS. Its a movement by the teachers on the front lines everyday that is not sanctioned by any party. We have been facing a bipartisan attack on education by both the Republicans and Democrats. Education is big money, she continued, and the rich want to get their hands on it the same way they raided the pensions of city workers in Detroit. That was supposed to be unconstitutional. We have an oligarchy in this country instead of a democracy. The workers are going to have to stand up because the unions have been bought out. While Detroit city officials, including Mayor Mike Duggan, City Council members, and even Emergency Manager Darnell Earley have promised to address teachers concerns, behind the scenes they are doing everything they can to strangle the struggle. Republican state legislators in Lansing are threatening to hit teachers with massive fines or the termination of their jobs if they continue the sickout, claiming the action is a strike, which is illegal for public employees under state law. These ridiculous antics are simply so-called adults depriving schoolchildren of valuable instruction time, state Senator Phil Pavlov, who is chair of the Senates Education Committee, told the Detroit News. They are clearly deliberate and coordinated efforts to shut down schools, and they absolutely merit the legislatures attention. In fact, we are looking right now into the legal definitions of strike conditions and other potential measures to address this situation. These threats should not be taken lightly. They make it all the more imperative that teachers rally the broadest possible support from working people for their struggle. The fight to defend public education is a political fight against corporate and financial interests, backed by both big business parties, which seek to profit by looting public resources. To fight such powerful forces, teachers must turn to their allies--the millions of autoworkers, city employees, postal workers, airline workers and other sections of workers and youth who are facing the same attacks on jobs, wages, pensions and social programs such as education. The conditions exist for building up a common struggle. Just weeks before the teachers sickouts, tens of thousands of autoworkers were rebelling against the United Auto Workers to fight for improved wages and oppose the attacks on health care and pensions. The sickouts have been organized largely by teachers associated with the Facebook page DPS Teachers Fight Back. Describing itself as a union within a union, the group says it is not affiliated with any faction of the DFT, either current President Ivy Bailey or former President Steve Conn. Conn, a supporter of the pseudo-left By Any Means Necessary group, which is closely aligned with the Democratic Party in Detroit, has tried to take credit for the protests, largely in an effort to regain his office after the DFT Executive Board ousted him in a factional dispute last year. The Fight Back group called a rally at school headquarters Monday that was attended by more than 100 teachers. While the teachers expressed a determination to fight, the platform at the event was handed over to various Democratic politicians, including State Representative Sherry Gay-Dagnogo and City Councilwoman Mary Sheffield, who claimed to support the teachers. Gay-Dagnogo, a member of the Detroit Caucus in the state legislature, attempted to portray the issue as a racist attack by a Republican governor against a majority African-American school district. This is not happening in West Bloomfield or Southfield schools, she said. The state created the deficit. This is a civil rights issue. The actions are unethical; were going to Lansing to demand equality for our children. Such comments are aimed at driving a wedge between teachers in Detroit and teachers in the suburbs and other cities. In fact, budget cuts and school closings are sweeping the state and country and are being imposed by Democrats and Republicans alike. The Obama administration has overseen the greatest attack on teachers and public education in US history. Obamas former Education Secretary Arne Duncan worked with Republican Governor Rick Snyder to make Detroit ground zero for corporate-backed school reform. The DFT and the AFT are allied with the Democrats not because the Democratic Party defends public education. It does not. The union promotes the Democrats because that big business party generally utilizes the services of the unions to suppress the opposition of teachers and workers more broadly to the destruction of education. Tania Chico, a middle-school teacher, said, [AFT President] Randi Weingarten personally negotiated our contract. They said if we gave $10,000 in a loan to the school district we would avoid taking a 10 percent wage cut. After we paid $9,600, they instituted the pay cut anyway. My husband works at DPS too. Between us, we have lost $1,000 a month. How do you adjust your budget to that? Today the legislature is trying to pass a bill to make it illegal for a teacher to call in sick or use a day for personal business to express ourselves like this. Referring to Obamas former education secretary, Arne Duncan, Chico said, He took his Chicago agenda national when he got to the White House. We are fighting for the children. These are not racial questions. It is about our children deserving the best. Carla Bond, who has over 20 years at Cook Elementary as a science teacher, said, I want everyone to know that the attacks have led to my personal bankruptcy. I can no longer afford my home and I am going to lose it. My wages have dropped 20 percent over the last 10 years. I invest a lot of my personal money to have what I need. Last year alone I spent $3,000 just for science experiments. My kids go to Detroit schools and I love teaching and their being there, but I am losing everything. Sarah Jardine spoke to the WSWS about why she was participating in the fight. The quality of education has been going down ever since emergency managers have been running things. I am a special education traveling teacher, so I get to see many of the buildings. I was so excited for DPS when I saw them renovating Denby High School. My heart was broken when the school went to the EAA [the state-run Education Achievement Authority district for so-called failing schools]. Our only demand is to bring attention to the inequality in education in Detroit. Kelly Williams, who has 13 years at DPS, said, I went to school this morning and spoke to my kids. They told me to go downtown and stand up for them. I have 40 kids in each class. I have to write grants to get what I need and I still spend $3,000 a year on supplies. How dare they say we dont care about our kids! In yet another piece of pro-war propaganda in the guise of news, the New York Times on Monday published a front-page lead article headlined Starving Syrians in Madaya Are Denied Aid Amid Political Jockeying. The piece was co-authored by Anne Barnard, Hwaida Saad and Somini Sengupta. The article details starvation conditions in a number of besieged cities throughout Syria, focusing on the rebel-controlled city of Madaya, northwest of Damascus, which has been blockaded by Syrian government forces. It is typical of reports strategically displayed by the Times editors for the purpose of manipulating public opinion and overcoming popular anti-war sentiment. Despite numerous accounts in the establishment press in recent days, the situation in Madaya remains murky. Photo images circulated on social media said to depict starving children in the city have been shown to be months old and to have been taken in other locations. According to some sources, the rebels who control the city belong to Ahrar al-Sham, an Islamist militia which is fighting for the ouster of Assad alongside the al-Nusra Front, the Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria, as well as the CIA-backed Free Syrian Army. Speaking at the UN on Monday, US Ambassador Samantha Power, one the architects of the 2011 ouster and murder of Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi, seized on the reports of starvation in Madaya in the Times and other newspapers to denounce Assad and call for regime-change in Syria. The Times article was published on the same day that a convoy of trucks entered Madaya to deliver food and medical supplies as part of a deal brokered by the UN, which included the delivery of emergency aid supplies to the government-controlled cities of Foua and Kfarya, which have been blockaded by Ahrar al-Sham. While the article cites human rights violations by all sides in the Syrian civil war, it clearly places the onus on the Assad regime and its Russian backers. Barnard and company write, for example: Since last fall, when Russia joined the fray, at least 16 health centers have been hit, and six aid groups have pulled out of Idlib Province, where the Islamic State has little presence but Syrian and Russian forces regularly bomb other groups that oppose President Bashar al-Assad. Further on, the authors write: Critics say the United Nations, eager to keep the Syrian government on board for peace talks with opposition groups, is either selling out or getting played. The unstated political agenda that informs the article is the push for a significant escalation of the war, starting with the establishment of no-fly zones by the US and its allies and ending with the toppling of Assad and his replacement with a US puppet ruler. Barnard cites only anti-Assad forces, including a member of the Syria Campaign, an advocacy group started in 2014 with funding from Syrian-born British businessman Ayman Asfari, the billionaire chief executive of oilfield servicing company Petrofac. The group advocates no-bombing zones within Syria to protect rebel groups and a negotiated transition, i.e., the removal of Assad. As the Times Beirut bureau chief, Barnard has played a key role in the newspapers coverage of the civil war in Syria since late 2011, writing article after article hailing the activities of various CIA-backed rebel groups and promoting the lie that Washingtons proxy forces in Syria are spearheading a democratic revolution. Barnard has managed throughout her career to find herself strategically placed in those areas of the world where US imperialism was concentrating its efforts to assert its interests, through overt or covert means. In addition to reporting on Syria, Barnard has reported for the Times on Libya, Lebanon, Haiti and Russia. She reported from Pakistan after the 9/11 attacks and was Baghdad bureau chief and Middle East bureau chief for the Boston Globe during the invasion and occupation of Iraq. She later made reporting trips to Iran. The suffering of the residents of Madaya is only the latest humanitarian crisis seized upon by the newspaper of record to press for a general escalation of bombing and killing in the Middle East and the assertion of US hegemony throughout the region. It follows the now long-forgotten plight of the Yazidis on Mount Sinjar that was used to justify what President Obama presented as a temporary and limited intervention in Iraq in August 2014, and the siege of Kurdish Kobane later that year, which was used to justify the expansion of US bombing in Syria. As for the supposed concern of the Times and Barnard for the well-being of the Syrian people, it is instructive to recall the crucial role the newspaper played in promoting and legitimizing the lies and pretexts (weapons of mass destruction, the fight against Al Qaeda, the pursuit of democracy) that were used by the American ruling class to justify the invasion and occupation that killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and devastated the country, and the identical role the Times played in promoting the wars for regime-change in Libya and Syria that have had similarly catastrophic consequences for the people. The Times ran similar front-page lead articles by conduits of the CIA and Pentagon such as Judith Miller in the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and other Times purveyors of state propaganda penned the same type of news articles in advance of the Libyan and Syrian wars. The Times has repeatedly used its news pages to agitate for military escalation in the Middle East on the pretext of human rights. It published articles in 2013 supposedly proving that Syrian government forces had fired chemical weapons into the Damascus suburb of Ghouta, an event that was to serve as the casus beli for a US attack on the regimes forces in the late summer and autumn of 2013. After the plans for war were temporarily shelved, articles appeared in other publications exposing the Times claims as fraudulent, most notably by investigative journalist Seymour Hersh. At least five medical workers were killed and 10 others wounded when an explosive projectile slammed into a Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)-affiliated medical facility in the Shiara Hospital in Razeh district on Sunday. The attack on the hospital, which led to the destruction of multiple buildings within the MSF-linked center, came amid an ongoing surge of fighting in Yemens northern province of Saada. As of Monday afternoon, rescuers continued to work through the rubble, where more medical staff and patients are believed to be trapped. MSF officials remained uncertain whether the explosion was caused by an airstrike or by a missile fired from ground forces. The identity of the attackers also remains contested, with reports from the Houthi-controlled SABA news agency asserting that the attack was launched by the Saudi coalition forces and US media reports maintaining that the origins of the strike are still not known. All of the opposing military forces and militias in the area were repeatedly warned about the location of the MSF hospital, which had been operating at the same location for years, according to MSF operations chief Raquel Ayora. All warring parties, including the Saudi-led coalition (SLC), are regularly informed of the GPS coordinates of the medical sites where MSF works and we are in constant dialogue with them to ensure that they understand the severity of the humanitarian consequences of the conflict and the need to respect the provision of medical services, Ayora said. There is no way that anyone with the capacity to carry out an airstrike or launch a rocket would not have known, Ayora said. An MSF statement described the attack as the third severe strike to be suffered by MSFs network in Yemen, with both previous attacks being launched by the Saudi-led coalition. On October 27, Saudi strikes completely destroyed MSFs Hospital Haydan, and another round of Saudi coalition attacks struck an MSF medical center in the city of Taiz on December 3. While its precise origins remain unconfirmed, there is every reason to assume that the attack was carried out as a deliberate act of terror against the medical charity and the civilian population of Yemen, more than likely by Saudi forces and their Gulf state allies. Even in the unlikely event that non-Saudi forces were immediately behind Sundays attack, ultimate responsibility for the deaths of at least five medical workers, and the destruction of yet another medical facility in a country where the vast majority lack access to medical care, lies squarely with Washington and Riyadh. The Saudi-led war itself has been made possible only through the close support and collaboration of US forces, which have coordinated the war from the beginning from a joint US-Saudi military cell in Riyadh. US military personnel have provided intelligence and target lists to the Saudi war coalition, and have flown thousands of mid-air refueling missions, enabling Saudi jets to remain airborne for multiple bombing runs. The weapons used by the Saudi and Gulf militaries against countless civilian targets across Yemen have been overwhelmingly supplied by US companies, including a $1.3 billion arms package authorized by the Obama administration in November. Armed to the teeth with US-made weaponry and guided by the US militarys target spotters and logistics specialists, the Saudi coalition has struck literally dozens of other hospitals in Yemen in the course of the war, along with wedding parties, residential areas, and a center that provides assistance to the blind. The conditions which gave rise to the latest hospital bombing, along with the dozens of other such attacks that have occurred during the 10-month-old war, are ultimately the outcome of the US-backed Saudi war, and, more broadly, the efforts of the US and its Saudi allies to maintain their dominance over the entire region through ever growing doses of military violence. Over the past decade and a half, in the name of fighting the Islamic militia Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, US forces have carried out years of covert and drone warfare throughout Yemen. The rapid successes achieved by the Houthi insurgency against former president Ali Abdullah Saleh Salehs successor, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, were enabled by the widespread hatred toward the US-backed government produced by its collaboration with the secret US war and the endless series of assassinations and kidnapping raids carried out by US forces. Saudi forces have used illegal cluster munitions against civilian areas on multiple occasions, as documented in separate reports by the United Nations and Human Rights Watch. Last Wednesday, one day after Saudi forces destroyed the blind persons medical center, the Saudi coalition deployed cluster bombs against residential neighborhoods in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. The coalitions repeated use of cluster bombs in the middle of a crowded city suggests an intent to harm civilians, Human Rights Watch weapons chief Stephen Goose said. The coalition seems less concerned than ever about sparing civilians from wars horrors, he added. The weapons used were likely provided to the Saudis by the US, Goose said. The US government knew that the Saudi coalition was deploying the illegal weapons, an unnamed US official confirmed in statements cited by US News and World Report in August. Nearly 3,000 civilians have been killed overall in fighting since the beginning of the Saudi-led war on March 30, according to the UN. Over 21 million Yemenis, or more than 80 percent of the population, now require some form of humanitarian aid. The state of emergency has been extended for three-months at a time in January, April, July and October of 2015 Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has extended a state of emergency in parts of the North Sinai governorate for three more months starting from January, the state's official gazette reported. The presidents initial decision to impose the state of emergency came in August 2013 when violent unrest gripped the country following the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi. The decision has since been extended for three-months at a time in January, April, July and October of 2015. The extension will be in effect starting January 27. The state of emergency covers El-Arish, Rafah and some surrounding areas. A night-time curfew from 7pm (17:00 GMT) to 6am (04:00 GMT) has also been extended in these areas, though El-Arish will see a four-hour curfew starting from 1am. The decree states that any citizen found in public during curfew hours will be imprisoned according to a 1958 law. Some cities in North Sinai have been the epicentre of an Islamist insurgency that spiked after the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Morsi following mass protests against his one-year rule. The violence has killed hundreds of soldiers and policemen in the restive region. Search Keywords: Short link: Head of the International Organisations Department at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office David Concar arrived Tuesday in Cairo to "welcome Egypt to the Security Council and underline the UKs interest in a close partnership with Egypt." Building on our strong historic ties and existing close partnership, the UK looks forward to forging a close partnership with Egypt on the Security Council, which will be essential to face todays global challenges, the British official said in a statement by the British embassy in Cairo. Concar met Ambassador Hisham Badr the assistant to the Egyptian foreign minister and a number of senior officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss how the UK and Egypt can work together as Egypt takes up its temporary seat on the UN Security Council for two years. I welcome Egypt warmly as it takes up its seat on the Security Council for 2016-17," Concar said. "It is an important regional leader with a strong strategic position in the Arab world and in Africa. It will bring with it depth, knowledge and authority." The officials discussed issues on the Security Council agenda including counter-terrorism and UN peacekeeping, as well as Libya, Palestine and Syria. In particular, membership in the Security Council at this critical moment gives Egypt an opportunity to lead the international community in supporting Libyans form a unified and representative government of national accord, which can take the fight to Daesh (ISIS) and restore peace and stability to the country," Concar said. Egypt secured a non-permanent UN Security Council seat for the fifth time with 179 votes. Egypt has been a non-permanent member of the council four times in 1949-1950, 1961-1962, 1984 and 1996-1997. Search Keywords: Short link: TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) - Democratic Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders is making a stop in the Capital City. The senator from Vermont will be stopping at Florida A&M University as part of his "Feel the Bern" Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Tour. His first stop is South Carolina State University on Thursday, January 14th. His campaign has not yet released a date for when he will be in Tallahassee. Sanders will also be visiting Tennessee State University, Alabama State University, Jackson State University, Virginia State University, Howard University, the Atlanta University Center and Benedict College. Submit An Obituary Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death. Go to form If you are sending a Letter To the Editor, please be sure to follow these rules: Letters have a firm 200-word limit and will be edited for grammar, clarity and accuracy. The person who signs the letter must be the author. Anonymous letters will not be considered. Letters must address the editor, not a third party. We will not print form letters, libelous letters, business promotions or personal disputes, poetry, open letters, letters espousing religious views without reference to a current issue, or letters considered in poor taste. Letters reflect the opinion of the writer. The Yakima Herald-Republic cannot verify the accuracy of all statements made in letters. Writers are limited to one published letter per calendar month. Morocco said on Friday its security forces had arrested a group of seven suspected Islamist militants linked to Islamic State (ISIS), including the group's leader, who has been recruiting fighters. The North African kingdom, an ally of the West against Islamist militancy, has been on high alert since 2014, when ISIS took control of large swathes of northern Iraq and Syria. The Islamist group, the latest of a series that the authorities say they have found plotting attacks inside and outside the country, had been active in the town of Dar Bouazza, near Casablanca, they said. The group had been in contact with ISIS in Iraq and Syria and had tried to send fighters there for training so that they could return to carry out attacks on Moroccan soil, the interior ministry said in a statement. "Investigations showed that the leader of the group had solid contacts with commanders of ISIS on the ground in Iraq and Syria," the statement said. The government believes 2,000 Moroccan nationals are fighting with armed groups in Syria and Iraq. About 220 have returned home and been jailed and 286 have been killed. Morocco has suffered a number of bomb attacks by suspected Islamist militants, most recently in 2011 in Marrakesh. Search Keywords: Short link: Officials in the West and the Middle East have expressed doubt over a Daily Beast report on Monday that Russia is directly arming Hezbollah as part of its aid to President Bashar Assad in Syria. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter According to the report, Moscow is providing the Lebanese terror organization with long-range tactical missiles, laser guided rockets, and anti-tank weapons, but the officials insist: "This report is baseless. This is an awkward attempt by Hezbollah to plant disinformation via a respected Western news site in order to muddy the waters between Israel and Russia." Last September, when Moscow became involved in the civil war in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed on Russian-Israeli military cooperation to prevent "unnecessary accidents." The details of this agreement were ironed out in meetings between a Russian delegation led by the Russian deputy chief of staff and an Israeli team led by IDF deputy chief Maj.-Gen. Yair Golan. Netanyahu and Putin (Photo: Amos Ben Gershom, GPO) The Russian team visited Israel about three weeks ago, when it stressed to the IDF that as long as Israel doesn't get in the way of Russia protecting its vital security interests in the region, Russia would not get in Israel's way when it seeks to protect its own security interests. The story in The Daily Beast cites Hezbollah field commanders fighting alongside the Assad regime in Syria, who claimed the supplies from Russia are given to them with "no strings attached." They also claimed the co-dependency between Moscow and Hezbollah is increasing. "We are strategic allies in the Middle East right now the Russians are our allies and give us weapons," said one of the Hezbollah field commanders, who dubbed himself Commander Bakr, adding that the Russian airstrikes in Syria changed the conditions of fighting on the ground. Hezbollah fighters on the Syrian-Lebanon border (Photo: AP) Except that these claims entirely contradict the agreements reportedly reached between Putin and Netanyahu in September. Netanyahu, it was later implied, also received the green light to launch a campaign to prevent military escalation on the northern border as a whole - not just with Syria, but with all of the countries in the radical Shi'ite axis led by Iran, with whom Russia is now allied and is in constant dialogue. If indeed there were agreements reached about setting up a mechanism for coordination between the Russian forces operating in Assad's "smaller Syria" and the IDF, and if such a mechanism has indeed been set up and has begun operating, it could be an indirect channel not just between Israel and Russia, but also between Israel and the Syrian army, Hezbollah, and even the Iranians. Either way, Moscow has yet to comment on the reports about its alleged cooperation with Hezbollah, or on reports it plans to put boots on the ground in Syria. Hezbollah did not issue an official response to the report either. MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that it would be too early to speak about granting political asylum to Syrian President Bashar Assad, a Putin ally and arguably the main obstacle in the Syrian peace process. Putin said in an interview with the German daily Bild published on Tuesday that Moscow is advocating for a constitutional reform in Syria and if the next election is democratic, "Assad won't have to go anywhere, no matter if he is elected president or not." While Putin refused to speculate on a possible Moscow's role in helping to remove Assad, he indicated that it would not be too difficult for Moscow to do. "We granted asylum to Snowden," he said referring to the American whistleblower Edward Snowden. "That was more difficult than (it would be) to shelter Assad." They came in the hope of enjoying Istanbul's sights in the relative peace of the low season. But Tuesday's suicide attack in the heart of the city's historic Sultanahmet area left tourists reeling. 'This is the first time that I've been afraid for my life while on holiday," said French tourist Nathalie Julien after the attack blamed by Turkish authorities on ISIS group. "I can't believe this is happening here, in the heart of Istanbul. It's like you get invited to someone's house, treated really well and, all of a sudden, get attacked," Julien told AFP. "I just want to get home now, it's scary," she said, dragging her luggage into a tram. Ten people, mostly Germans, were killed early Tuesday when a Syrian suicide bomber blew himself up in Sultanahmet Square, next to the world famous Ottoman Blue Mosque and Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia museum. The target appeared to have been chosen carefully, with the square acting as a gathering point for tens of thousands of tourists every day. The foreigners killed appeared to be taking advantage of the morning calm to take in the sights before the afternoon rush. Germans are by far the most frequent foreign vistors to Turkey, with 258,613 arriving in November 2015, accounting for 15 percent of all arrivals. Some 5.4 million Germans arrived in Turkey between January and November last year. Many of the tourists still flocking to museums and kebab restaurants in the area a few hours after the attack were still in a state of shock. Czech couple Zdenek and Eva, both 60, said they were planning to spend a lazy afternoon in the neighbourhood when they heard the huge blast that sent people screaming and running for cover. "Because it was so sunny, we wanted to stay outdoors, so we skipped the mosques and museums and then this horrible thing happened," Zdenek said, sitting at a cafe, sipping his tea. "I came to Istanbul many times before and always thought it was a very safe place, but it seems nowhere is safe anymore," he said. "I think they chose such a day intentionally to hurt as many people as possible. It's truly horrible," Eva said. Adrienn Martin, a 28-year-old student from Hungary, considered herself lucky to have opted to visit the Grand Bazaar with her boyfriend instead of hanging around Sultanahmet Square, where her hotel is located. She said it was her second near miss after escaping the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami while in India. "It's quite shocking. Two days ago we were sitting at the same spot where the explosion happened," she said. "It really got my nerves, seeing ambulances around, when I was expecting a memorable day. "I'm terrified. It could have been us," she said, clutching her boyfriend's hand. Turkey had been on high alert after a series of attacks blamed on ISIS, including a double suicide bombing in October in Ankara that killed 103 people. But this is the first time in recent years that tourists have been directly targeted. Previous attacks blamed on ISIS in Turkey had all hit pro-Kurdish targets. "I had just stepped out of my hotel when I heard the explosion. I thought our hotel had been bombed," said Stefan, from Austria. "Watching all the news, I was already hesitant about visiting Istanbul because of the terror risk. My fears have now been justified," he said. Search Keywords: Short link: Most of the economic sanctions imposed on Iran will be removed on Friday, US State Department officials said, while Russia readies the sale of advanced weapons to the Islamic Republic. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter January 15 will mark the end of the international sanctions regime, which has been in place since 2007 through a series of decisions by American Presidents George W. Bush and Barak Obama, legislation passed by the US Congress and in the European Union, and resolutions passed by the UN Security Council. These sanctions were put in place in an effort to hinder and thwart Iran's nuclear program. The American administration and the EU have already begun preparing the public for the diplomatic move: US Secretary of State John Kerry and his European counterpart, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, have announced over the past few days that the lifting of the sanctions would be done "in a matter of days." The decision to lift the sanctions is based on a report from IAEA inspectors submitted to world powers last month that confirmed Iran was indeed meeting its commitments to dismantle its nuclear capabilities, in accordance with the agreement it signed with the P5+1 group of nations - the US, the UK, China, France, Russia, and Germany. $21 billion worth of weapons In light of the impending lifting of the sanctions, the regime in Tehran announced it plans on rehabilitating the outdated Iranian military, which desperately needs to update and upgrade its weapons systems. The first country to get in line to do business with Iran is Russia. Iranian President Rouhani meets with Russian President Putin at the UN (Photo: AP) A security delegation from Moscow is in the process of finalizing talks with the Iranian government, which began in March 2015, on the sale of Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets (considered the counterpart of the American F-15 jets) and advanced Yakhont (P-800 Oniks) anti-ship cruise missiles to Tehran. Iran and Russia are also discussing the possibility of including in the arms deal advanced T-90 tanks, currently used by Russian forces in Syria. In addition, the two nations discussed restarting the production line of T-72 tanks, which were built by the Russians in Iran in the past. Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missiles (Photo: AP) Next month, Iran will receive the first shipment of the advanced aerial defense system S-300. The Iranians had purchased four units of the anti-aircraft S-300 system, which were removed from service in the Russian military, and have already received all of the supporting systems at the end of 2015, including the radar system. Also in line are the French, who are negotiating the sale of Dassault Rafale fighter jets with the Iranians. Bolstering Rouhani The EU and the US are in a rush to lift the sanctions because of the Iranian elections in February. The White House believes removing the sanctions, and the flow of cash expected as a result, could help bolster President Hassan Rouhani against the hardliners being supported by the Revolutionary Guard Corps. Bolstering Rouhani (Photo: AFP) Senior Israeli officials, meanwhile, have accused the American administration of ignoring - knowingly and intentionally - the military aspects of the sanctions removal, saying Washington did not put any pressure on the Iranians on the development of strategic weapons - like long-range ballistic missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. The Iranians, it turns out, conducted two tests of ballistic missiles with a range of 1,800 kilometers, and even presented an underground depot of these missiles. Iran has been barred of arming itself with missiles that can carry unconventional warheads in the framework of the international agreements it signed. Despite that, the American administration rejected Congress' demand to condition the removal of the sanctions on supervision over the manufacturing of ballistic missiles in Iran. Israel views the public missile experiments conducted in recent months by Iran as a move meant to test international reaction - particularly the American one. President Obama's decision not to press Tehran on this issue encourages the Iranians to continue chipping away at these international agreements meant to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. By the way, it's unclear whether putting this issue on the UN Security Council's table would do any good: The Russians have already said they would veto any decision on Iran's ballistic missiles program. BAGHDAD - Islamic State published a video on Monday purporting to show the destruction from an airstrike on a bank in its northern Iraqi stronghold which the US-led coalition said had been aimed at disrupting the group's financing activities. Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the footage posted by a news agency that supports the militant group, but two Mosul residents contacted by Reuters confirmed the location of al-Zuhour bank in an eastern district of the city. Targeting Islamic State's finances is a key part of the coalition's strategy to defeat the group. Iraq's finance minister last year said the militants had looted nearly half a billion dollars from banks in Mosul and the other northern cities of Tikrit and Baiji after its lightning dash across the Syrian border in 2014. Papers and burnt furniture littered the concrete and steel rubble of several buildings that appeared to have been destroyed by the bombing, the video showed. Debris hung from dust-covered tree limbs, and rescuers pulled an old man's bloodied body from the remains. Footage from inside a damaged apartment building suggested civilian areas had also been hit. An explosion in the heart of Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet tourist district killed at least ten people and wounded 15, two seriously, on Tuesday. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said a suicide bomb was detonated by a foreign member of Islamic State Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Several bodies lay on the ground in the Sultanahmet square, some 25 meters away from the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, a major tourist area of Turkey's most populous city. A police officer and witness at the scene reported also seeing several bodies and body parts. Bodies strewn across Sultanahmet Square (Photo: Reuters) Most of the 10 people killed were Germans, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said. Turkey's Dogan news agency said at least six Germans, one Norwegian and one Peruvian are among those wounded in the explosion, while Seoul's Foreign Ministry told reporters that one South Korean had a slight finger injury after the blast. So far, there have been no reports of Israeli tourists hurt in the attack. The Istanbul governor's office said the authorities were investigating the type of explosive used and who might have been responsible for the attack. State-run TRT television and AHaber television reported it was likely caused by a suicide bomber. A government official said the explosion was believed to be "terror-linked." He did not provide further details. Kurtulmus said the suspected suicide bomber had been identified from body parts as a Syrian national born in 1988, and that his links were being investigated. Turkish security officials told Reuters that there is a high probability that Islamic State militants were responsible for the explosion. Turkish police ferrying people away from the area (Photo: Reuters) "The explosion was very loud. We shook a lot. We ran out and saw body parts," one woman who works at a nearby antiques store told Reuters, declining to give her name. Police sealed the area, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion, and a police helicopter hovered overhead. Ambulances rushed to the scene, ferrying away the wounded as police cordoned off streets. The Sultanahmet neighborhood is Istanbul's main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and the Haghia Sophia museum. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu immediately convened a security meeting with the country's interior minister and other officials. As with previous attacks, authorities imposed a news blackout, barring media from showing images of the dead or injured or reporting any details of the investigation. Turkey suffered two major bombing attacks last year, both blamed on the Islamic State group. More than 30 people were killed in a suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near Turkey's border with Syria, in July. Two suicide bombs exploded in October outside Ankara's main train station as people gathered for a peace rally, killing more than 100 in Turkey's deadliest-ever attack. The prosecutor's office said that attack was carried out by a local Islamic State cell. A year ago, a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a police station for tourists off the Sultanahmet square, killing one officer and wounding another. That attack was initially claimed by a far-left group, but later turned out to have been perpetrated by a woman with suspected Islamist militant links, officials said. Kurdish, leftist and Islamist militants have all carried out attacks in Turkey in the past. Lebanon is effectively barring many Syrian refugees from renewing their residency permits, putting them at risk of exploitation and "setting the stage for a potentially explosive situation", rights campaigners warned on Tuesday. Human Rights Watch said a $200 annual renewal fee introduced last year was prohibitive for most Syrian refugees in Lebanon where the great majority rely on aid. HRW's deputy Middle East director, Nadim Houry, warned that the residency rules were "making life impossible for refugees ... and pushing them underground". "The last thing Lebanon needs is a large, undocumented community living at the margins of society, at heightened risk of abuse." A 17-year-old Palestinian attacker tried to stab a Givati soldier near Beit Einun on Tuesday, but was shot dead before he was able to attack. The attacker arrived at the Beit Einun junction on Highway 60 with his car, exited the car and approached a patrol of Givati soldiers with a knife drawn. He was shot and killed by the soldiers. A 21-year-old was shot dead near the village of Beit Jala, just outside of Bethlehem, in clashes with Israeli troops after hurling stones at troops. Four Israelis were indicted on Tuesday for their involvement in the beating of an Eritrean asylum seeker thought to be a terrorist in the wake of the attack at the Be'er Sheva Central Bus Terminal in October. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Haftom Zarhum was shot by the terminal's head of security, who also thought him to be the terrorist, and then beaten by an angry mob. The four - Prisons Service officer Ronen Cohen, IDF soldier Yaakov Shimba, and two civilians, David Moyal and Evyatar Dimri - were charged with aggravated battery. Haftom Zarhum beaten after Be'er Sheva attack (: ) X The reason for the relatively minor charge is that Zarhum's autopsy found he did not die as a result of the beating he suffered, but from being shot. "When the deceased was lying on the floor, bleeding, while it was clear to all that he was helpless, and a large crowd of people gathered around him, the defendant David Moyal approached him and slammed him forcefully with a bench that was nearby, with the intention of causing him serious harm, disability or maiming him," the indictment said. Haftom Zarhum "Some of those present at the scene pulled the defendant away and lifted the bench off the decreased, who remained lying on the floor. "Shortly afterwards, soldier Yaakov Shimba and Evyatar Dimri approached the deceased and kicked him forcefully in the head and upper body. "While the deceased was still lying on the floor, in a pool of his own blood, helpless, Prisons Service officer Ronen Cohen and another prison guard who was with him approached (Zarhum), picked up the bench, and threw it at the deceased so it would be over him and prevent him from moving." In addition to Zarhum, IDF soldier Sgt. Omri Levy was also murdered in the terror attack in Be'er Sheva on October 19. Ten others were wounded. The terrorist, Mouhand al-Okbi , 21, from Hura, snatched Levy's weapon and started firing indiscriminately inside the bus terminal. He was able to escape the station and a gunfight with police and Special Forces ensued, during which five police officers were wounded. He was eventually shot dead. The next day, police launched an investigation into the Israelis who beat Zarhum, who was likely in Be'er Sheva to renew his work visa. A senior adviser to Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon has voiced concern for Jordan's future stability given encroaching Islamist-led insurgencies in the region, a departure from Israel's customary reticence about its neighbor and security partner. "There is a stable regime in Jordan, which is dealing with dramatic challenges," Amos Gilad, senior regional adviser to Ya'alon, said in an interview with the Israel Defense journal. But while Israeli officials generally limit themselves in public to extolling Amman's conduct, Gilad noted the big influx to Jordan of refugees from next-door Syria and Iraq, where Islamic State insurgents have set up fiefdoms. "There is no doubt that ISIS is trying to penetrate (Jordan) from there, on a small scale for now," he said. "So they have worries. We should also be worried, but there is no way of not being impressed by their capabilities, military and otherwise." Three Americans and a Belgian citizen on Monday filed a lawsuit against Israel in US federal court over compensation for injuries sustained in the raid on the Mavi Marmara flotilla, the Washington Post reported. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter According to the Post, the plaintiffs were on board the American-flagged Challenger 1 during the incident in which Israeli commandos raided six Turkish boats trying to reach Gaza in 2010, an event that still affects relations between Turkey and Israel. Their attorneys said the injuries they suffered including partial loss of sight caused by a stun grenade explosion and a broken nose from a rubber bullet. Still from footage of the 2010 raid Plaintiff Mary Ann Wright told the Post that she had observed commandos "taking women and shoving them down onto passageways, pushing their faces into shards of glass and binding them up". The newspaper noted that US law does not permit lawsuits against foreign governments with some exceptions. The case "may turn on whether a court finds that the action against a US-flagged ship in international waters should be treated as an assault in the United States or that Israels conduct was so egregious that it is not entitled to immunity," the Post reported. In October, the Turkish parents of 19-year-old Furkan Dogan, among the nine people killed in the raid, sued former prime minister Ehud Barak in federal court in Los Angeles, claiming unlawful death and torture. The Mavi Marmara incident strained relations between Turkey and Israel, and the two countries have only recently shown signs of attempting to normalize ties. Just this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country must accept that it needs Israel. Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom called on Tuesday for an investigation to determine whether Israel was guilty of extrajudicial killings of Palestinians during recent violence there, local media reported. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The comments were the latest in a series of statements by Wallstrom that have irked Israeli authorities. Ties between Sweden and Israel nose-dived when Sweden recognized the Palestinian state shortly after Wallstrom's center-left Social Democrats won a parliamentary election in 2014. Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom (Photo: AFP) The rift then deepened further when she described the Palestinians' plight as a factor leading to Islamist radicalization. "It is vital that there is a thorough, credible investigation into these deaths in order to clarify and bring about possible accountability," Wallstrom said during a parliamentary debate, according to news agency TT. In response, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement: "The Swedish Foreign Minister has, in her reckless and ludicrous comments, buoyed terrorism and by so doing is encouraging violence." Wallstrom publicly accused Israeli of "extrajudicial killings" in December during a discussion at the Swedish parliament about the ongoing wave of violence and terror attacks raging in Israel. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven caused controversy in December when he said stabbing attacks were not considered terrorism. Jews across Europe are taking off their yarmulkes and prayer shawls and hiding their Star of David necklaces as the fear of anti-Semitic violence continues to grow across the continent, Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter At the same time, Zvi Ammar, the head of Marseille's Jewish community, has called on the city's Jewish residents to stop wearing yarmulkes in the wake of an attack on a Jewish teacher on Monday morning. Benjamin Amsalem, who was attacked with a machete in Marseilles Benjamin Amsalem, an ultra-Orthodox resident of the southern French city, was attacked with a machete by a 15-year-old Turkish citizen of Kurdish origin, who was caught after a brief chase. In his interrogation the stabber said that he had attacked Amsalem in the name of Islamic State and that he was also planning to attack police. "The stream of events means that we need to take exceptional decision," Ammar said. "Life is more sacred than anything else. We need to hide a little." Armed soldiers stand guard outside a Jewish school in Paris last year (Photo:gettyimages) The head of the Department for Combating Anti-Semism in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gideon Bachar, said: "There is a sense of growing fear and worry among Europe's Jews. "Many Jews feel that their Jewish identity is a threat to them. We know that many have stopped going to synagogue on holy days for fear of terror attacks. To our regret, Jewish life is taking place more and more behind walls, armed guards, police and security cameras." The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on European governments to increase the level of security for Jewish communities and institutions throughout the continent, including synagogues, community centers, schools and kindergartens. Soldiers patrolling around a Jewish school in Paris last year (Photo: AFP) The rise in aliyah from Europe to Israel is also testament to the growing impact of anti-Semitism on European Jews. Aliyah has also grown from countries such as Canada, the US and Australia. "We are seeing a lot of Jews leaving France making aliyah, or leaving France and Europe. The numbers are not huge but there is a clear phenomenon," Bachar said. Meanwhile, police in France are investigating the murder of Jewish politician Alain Ghozlan, who was found dead in his home on the outskirts of Paris on Tuesday morning, was motivated by anti-Semitism. Ghozlan, a prominent figure in the French Jewish community and a resident of Creteil a predominantly Jewish suburb of the French capital failed to show up to his synagogue on Monday evening or Tuesday morning, arousing his brother's suspicions. Alain Ghozlan, who was found murdered in his apartment. Police are investigating whether anti-Semitism lies behind the murder Arriving at Ghozlan's apartment, his brother found the body, which showed signs of violence. The initial indication is that Ghozlan was beaten to death. Ghozlan's credit cards and car had disappeared, but according to local media the French police have not rejected any line of enquiry and are investigating possibilities from robbery to anti-Semitism. Ghozlan was a member of the Creteil local council as well as of the local Jewish community. The police are also investigating the possibility of anti-Semitism due to the current rise in such incidents in France. Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom on Tuesday called for "thorough" investigations into the killing of Palestinians by the Israeli army in recent months. Wallstrom was responding to a question in parliament by an opposition member on the controversy raised last month by her statement on the need for Israel to avoid "extrajudicial executions". She was referring then to the more than 100 Palestinians killed in two months. "It is essential that thorough and credible investigations be conducted concerning these deaths with the aim of providing clarity and bringing about possible accountability," Wallstrom said Tuesday. Israel's foreign ministry responded angrily. "In her irresponsible and delusional statements the foreign minister of Sweden gives support to terror and in so doing encourages violence," it said in a Hebrew-language statement. Ties between Israel and Sweden plummeted after Stockholm recognised the Palestinian state shortly after Wallstrom's centre-left Social Democrats won a parliamentary election in 2014. A day after the Paris attacks claimed by ISIS group, Wallstrom again attracted Israeli condemnation when she said the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was a factor of radicalisation. The Israeli foreign ministry said then that Wallstrom "has consistently demonstrated bias against Israel". *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has given two speeches in the last few weeks, an exceptional occurrence following an extended period in which he was not heard and rarely seen. The Muqata'a is making sure to create noise and to parcel out vague clues regarding the importance of the speeches, in order to gain extensive media coverage among Palestinians. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The first speech came on the last day of 2015, in order to mark the 51st anniversary of Fatah's founding. A few days after that Abbas delivered another speech in Bethlehem. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the Muqata'a in Ramallah (Photo: EPA) It would be reasonable to assume that the speeches focused on burning political issues and the current escalation, but Abbas surprisingly dedicated a significant part of his statements to employment and housing for young people. Addressing youngsters, Abbas said that they are "the tomorrow and future of Palestine" and that he understands their feelings of fury and their distress at the Israeli occupation and lack of a political horizon. "We are with you in order to turn this anger into energy and to continue building and developing our homeland and society," Abbas said. He then segued into talking about the qualities of the young generation and of the need to build a future and employment opportunities. Exceptionally, he announced the establishment of a national fund to support youth employment. In his Bethlehem speech Abbas presented his vision for housing for young couples and spoke of the efforts that would be made to build housing units for the next generation. Abbas' statements did not come out of the blue. Two weeks beforehand the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, headed up by respected political scientist Khalil Shikaki, published a worrying survey that showed a worrying radicalization among the Palestinian public regarding the current escalation with Israel. Two thirds of those questioned expressed support for an armed struggle against Israel and said that such a move would better serve Palestinians better than negotiations. Clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in Kfar Qaddum near Nablus (Photo: AFP) The last time that a majority supported an armed intifada was in 2004. Shikaki estimated that the results of the survey show that Palestinian youngsters are significantly alienated from their leadership, and that they do not consider the political system any more legitimate. On the same day that the survey was published, Abbas addressed the escalation and said that it is justified, even saying that has grown out of the despair of the younger Palestinian generation. At the same time, another Palestinian research institute published a survey which questioned Palestinians aged 16-35, thus revealing the frustration of the young generation. Eighty-four percent of them said that their future is shrouded in danger, while a similar number responded that they do not have sufficient options for the future. Two thirds of those questioned said that the Palestinian Authority is not playing a positive role in the current escalation. Added to that is the high unemployment rate among young Palestinians in the West Bank, which averages 30 percent. As such, a Palestinian student who completes an accounting degree at a university in the West Bank can consider themselves lucky if they manage to find work as a plasterer. Most stay with a degree in their hand and frustration in their heart. These surveys, which point to the young generation's dissatisfaction and disappointment with their leadership and join the unemployment statistics, were received by Ramallah like a punch in the stomach. Clashes between Palestinians and the IDF in Bethlehem (Photo: Reuters) They were followed by a growing worry in the Muqata'a that the sword is at some point liable to turn inwards against the Palestinian Authority itself. The penny dropped for Abbas after more than three months of a mini-intifada, causing him to change his tone and to try and find a solution to the real problem at a time when a political arrangement with Israel seems for the foreseeable future like the stuff of science fiction. The protests that worry Hamas Meanwhile, Hamas is doing everything in its power to try and light the fire in the West Bank, while at the same time fanatically and violently guarding budding protests against it in the Gaza. The situation in the Strip is abysmal. While the West Bank's youth has the option to leave for a new life in the big wide world, Gaza's youth does not, by and large, have that option. The employment rate among young people in Gaza stands at 50 percent. The majority of those who are working are employed in the private sector and earn an average of NIS 740. The minority of Palestinians who have recently left the Strip tell of terrible suffocation and can even be heard surreptitiously voicing protests against Hamas. They indicated that ideology and politics interests no one. It is doubtful whether any of them would willingly return to Gaza after getting a treasured exit permit. Hamas deputy leader Ismail Haniyeh speaking in Saja'iyyah, Gaza, at the end of Ramadan (Photo: EPA) Following loud whispers, Hamas operatives recently arrested a number of bloggers and activists that probably criticized the government in Gaza. It seems that Hamas is very worried about protests against it, which is also perhaps the reason that the organization's deputy leader Ismail Haniyeh is increasingly seen in public, in the street, at mourning tents and in hospitals. Haniyeh and the Hamas leadership all that they can to broadcast the message "we are with you and we are like you" to the public in the Strip. Hamas' strategy is to bring the Palestinian Authority to collapse, between Israel's doing and the Palestinian public's doing. It's not clear to what extent it's understood in Gaza that an Arab Spring protest in the West Bank, should it erupt, could within hours or at most days catch up with the Gazan public, which is crushed under the burden and under the curfew. In such an eventuality, Hamas will try to divert fire towards Israel. This is exactly what the organization did when it felt the sword dangling over its neck at the start of summer 2014 and then Operation Protective Edge began. A Polish city used tombstones from its Jewish cemetery to build a short wall around the Christian cemetery, an Israeli blogger was recently shocked to find. Food blogger Meir Bolka was searching Ostrowiec for the graves of relatives who perished before the Holocaust. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Bolka went to the mayor and succeeded in convincing the city to dismantle the wall and repair the tombstones. An Israeli searching for the graves of his relatives in Poland discovered that the tombstones had been added to a wall in Ostrowiec (Photo: Courtesy of Meir Bolka) The wall made out of old gravestones in Ostrowiec (Photo: Courtesy of Meir Bolka) Ostrowiec was a well-known center of Jewish life in prewar Poland, with more than 15,000 Jewish residents more than 70 percent of the population. The Second World War was a turning point for the city's Jewish residents. Like the vast majority of Poland's Jews, they were herded into ghettoes, robbed of their belongings, and exterminated in Birkenau and Treblinka. Nearly the entire population perished. In the early 1960s, when Poland was ruled by a pro-Soviet communist regime, the country needed raw materials for construction. Because there was no Jewish population in the city, residents began dismantling tombstones from the Jewish cemetery and using them to build houses, sidewalks and more. "I went to the municipality to figure out what happened and yesterday met with the mayor, city council members and other senior officials," said Molka, "with the goal of finding a solution and return the tombstones to their rightful place or else find some other solution that doesn't involve this desecration." He added that "the mayor expressed appreciation of Jewish heritage and of the fact that we haven't forgotten the past after more than 60 years, and here comes someone from Israel to make this correction." Because the city's socioeconomic situation is not particularly high, community leaders are worried about the cost of the project and have requested cooperation on the part of Jewish groups. All city officials agreed with Bolka that the situation reflected a historic injustice that must be rectified. President Barack Obama and Jordan's King Abdullah plan to meet in the next few months, an official said Tuesday, amid questions about why they did not hold talks in Washington this week. "A meeting with the president will be arranged during an upcoming visit, likely to take place within the coming month or two," a Jordanian official told AFP. Obama did not host close ally Abdullah -- who is currently in Washington -- at the White House this week because of scheduling problems, aides said. "The president regrets that he is unable to meet with him personally on this visit due to scheduling conflicts, including the State of the Union address," a White House spokesperson said. Obama will deliver his final annual address to a joint session of Congress later Tuesday, a set piece of the US political calendar. White House and Jordanian officials said Abdullah would instead meet with Vice President Joe Biden. He met Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday. Kerry and Abdullah discussed the fight against ISIS and "efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations," a diplomat said. For his part, Carter expressed his "deep appreciation... for Jordan's continued contributions to regional counter-ISIL efforts," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said. Obama and Abdullah last met in Washington almost a year ago. Since then, the fight against ISIS group has intensified, and efforts to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have ossified. Obama "looks forward to the opportunity to meet with his majesty in the near future," the White House official said. Search Keywords: Short link: The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria will meet ambassadors from major powers in Geneva on Wednesday, ahead of planned peace talks set for Jan. 25. Staffan de Mistura was already expected to meet senior U.S. and Russian envoys in the Swiss city on Wednesday. A brief statement issued by his office said that he would also then meet the ambassadors from all five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council - Britain, China and France as well as those of Russia and the United States. Earlier, Syrian opposition coordinator Riad Hijab, speaking in Paris, said the United States had softened its stance on Syria, including the future of President Bashar al-Assad, to accommodate Russia. Hijab also said the opposition would face a hard choice on whether to attend the Jan. 25 peace talks. Search Keywords: Short link: Boko Haram gunmen have killed seven people in a raid in northeast Nigeria, a local official and the police told AFP on Tuesday, in the latest attack targeting remote communities. The attack happened on Sunday evening in the town of Madagali, in the north of Adamawa state, which has been repeatedly targeted despite a military counter-offensive against the Islamist rebels. "They killed seven people and burnt 10 houses," said the former chairman of the Madagali local government area, Maina Ularamu, who said soldiers pursued the attackers into the bush. "We are calling on the security agencies to launch a mission... to flush out the insurgents because they use the bush as their operational base from where they attack Madagali and its environs." Adamawa police spokesman Abubakar Othman confirmed Ularamu's account and said two people were injured. Madagali and nearby towns and villages have been repeatedly hit by Boko Haram raids in recent months, as they are pushed out of their Sambisa Forest stronghold just across the border in Borno state. On December 28, two female suicide bombers struck a market in Madagali, killing at least 30 people -- one of seven attacks last month that largely targeted hard-to-reach locations. Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari had four days earlier declared the Islamic State group affiliate as "technically" defeated as a result of a months-long counter-offensive by troops. But security analysts believe the insurgents could be lying low until the military lowers its guard, as happened in 2013, when a state of emergency was declared in three northeastern states. Boko Haram increased the frequency and intensity of its campaign to create a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria in 2014, seizing swathes of territory in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. To underline the persistent threat, seven people were killed in a raid in the Gwoza area of Borno last week, while security fears remain after cross-border attacks in Niger, Chad and Cameroon. Search Keywords: Short link: Sign up to get the latest news delivered to your inbox every week! Netflix announced at the Consumer Electronics Show on Jan. 6 that the online media streaming company will expand its services this year to over 130 countries, with the exception of China, as well as North Korea and Syria due to U.S. trade conflicts, reported The Guardian on Jan. 6. The streaming service will widely be available to the additional countries in English with subtitle support, and will also include Korean, Arabic and traditional and simplified Chinese to the list of supported languages along with 17 others. "Right now, you are witnessing the birth of a global TV network," said chief executive of Netflix Reed Hastings during the announcement. "Whether you are in Sydney or St. Petersburg, Singapore or Seoul, Santiago or Saskatoon, you now can be part of the Internet TV revolution." Advertisement "We still have a lot of work to do," Hastings added during a separate telephone interview. "Because of the number of countries, it seems like we are ahead of plan. But we still have China - we still have a quarter of the world to go." The expansion of Netflix to various countries not only boosts the profit and prominence of the company in the media streaming industry, but is also a form of strategy to tap a wider market to share its popular contents to. "The rest of the world has about six times as many broadband subscribers as the U.S.," said Puneet Manchanda, a professor at the Ross School of Business in Michigan, in relation to the company's expansion to India. "So this is one way they can grow by expanding into new markets because the market size is quite big." "They become a worldwide channel, and that's part of their strategy," Manchanda added. Aside from the 130 countries that will be receiving Netflix's services soon, many existing subscribers are also excited about the expansion, especially once the company receives rights to global content from the new countries, noted Michigan Daily on Jan. 12. "I've heard really good things about Bollywood films," said Netflix subscriber Chloe Herl. "I have only seen one or two, but they are really fun. I think one of the great things about Netflix is that you can find really obscure films as opposed to really mainstream American culture." "They have such a thriving movie industry over there, but it doesn't always make it over to American film audiences, and I think that is something Americans are going to enjoy," Herl added. Hundreds of activists in several Ukrainian cities blockaded on Tuesday the cigarette distribution centres owned by a Russian tycoon with alleged links to ousted pro-Moscow president Viktor Yanukovych. Ukrainian lawmaker Sergiy Vystotskiy said the protest action was launched in Kiev and the Western city of Lviv and other locations around the warehouses of a firm controlled by Moscow-based retail magnet Igor Kasaev. Forbes magazine identifies Kasaev as president of the Mercury group of companies that controls 70 percent of the Russian cigarette market and more than 90 percent of those in Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Vystotskiy wrote on Facebook that Kasaev had secretly split the Ukrainian branch of his company "50:50 with Yanukovych's family" -- an expression used by the ousted leader's critics to describe insiders who allegedly profitted from preferential deals. A Kiev police spokesman confirmed to AFP that "activists" had launched a protest action in the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday around a warehouse owned by Mercury. He provided no other details and directed all questions to the organisers of the protests aimed at getting the government to break up the Russian-linked firm. Photographs in Ukrainian media showed at least 200 protesters gathered in the heavily pro-Western and nationalist city of Lviv alone. Economic relations between Russia and Ukraine have been effectively frozen since the moment Kiev entered a free trade agreement with the European Union at the start of the year. Russia and Ukraine have launched mirror import bans against each other's food products that reflect those Moscow has already imposed on the West. The United States and the European Union had earlier slapped economic sanctions on Russia for its supposed orchestration and involvement in eastern Ukraine's 20-month separatist conflict in which more than 9,000 have died. Neither Moscow nor the Russian oligarch issued an immediate comment on the protests. Yanukovych fled to exile in Russia hours after his ouster by pro-European protesters in February 2014. He has since largely avoided the limelight and said nothing in public on Tuesday about his reputed links to the Moscow tycoon. Search Keywords: Short link: Oil forged fresh 12-year lows Tuesday on global oversupply, prompting OPEC member Nigeria to call for an emergency meet to address collapsing prices that has ravaged revenues. In early morning deals, New York's benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for February delivery tanked to $30.41 a barrel, which was the lowest level since December 3, 2003. Europe's Brent North Sea crude for February dived to $30.43, a point last seen on April 6, 2004. Nigerian petroleum resources minister Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu declared that he expects an extraordinary meeting of the oil cartel in "early March" to discuss nosediving crude prices. "We did say that if it (the price) hits the 35 (dollar per barrel), we will begin to look (at)... an extraordinary meeting," said Kachikwu, whose term as OPEC president finished in December. The prices have hit levels that necessitate a meeting, he told an energy forum in Abu Dhabi, but added that he not yet confirmed with fellow OPEC ministers if they would be willing to attend. "The prospect of a meeting is definitely capping losses for the day and driving prices back towards $32, however I cannot see it stopping the slide in the longer term," said analyst James Hughes at trading firm GKFX. "The call for the meeting is not necessarily a surprise as we have lost almost 20 percent since the start of the year and are looking to test $20 a barrel." In midday deals on Tuesday, Brent prices rebounded by 25 cents to $31.82, while WTI clawed back ground to stand at $31.30, down 11 cents from Monday's close. Saudi-led Gulf exporters within the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) have so far refused to cut production to curb sliding prices, seeking to protect their market share despite a heavy blow to their revenues. Kachikwu said member states differ on the issue of intervention. "One group feels there is a need to intervene. The other group feels even if we did, we are only 30 to 35 percent of the producers really", as 65 percent of supply comes from non-OPEC countries, he said at the Gulf Intelligence UAE Energy Forum. Nigeria, Africa's largest economy and foremost oil producer, has been ravaged by collapsing oil prices in recent years because crude accounts for 90 percent of the nation's export earnings and 70 percent of overall government revenue. "The reported breakeven price for Nigeria is around $87 a barrel and with price looking so much weaker its no surprise if they are one of the countries asking for a meeting before the next scheduled one in June," added Hughes, noting rumours that other OPEC members also wanted an exceptional gathering. OPEC refused to slash output at its scheduled production meetings in June and December last year, despite a collapse in prices since July 2014, when the market stood above $100 per barrel. The Saudi-backed policy, and supported really by only OPEC's Gulf members, is aimed at pushing oil prices lower to squeeze US shale producers out of the market. However, it has slammed smaller producing nations like Nigeria and Venezuela. "OPEC has taken a big gamble that hasn't really worked so far," said analyst Fawad Razaqzada at Gain Capital. "Essentially, the smaller OPEC members, who are struggling really badly, are unlikely to be able to persuade the Saudis to make a U-turn on its policy of maintaining market share." The market's dramatic collapse has continued in 2016, as a row between cartel kingpin Saudi Arabia and fellow cartel member Iran dimmed prospects for production cutbacks. Crude futures plummeted 10 percent last week, also on fears about the global supply glut and demand weakness in China, the world's biggest energy user. The rise in the greenback, which makes dollar-priced oil more expensive for holders of weaker currencies, has dented prices as well. Search Keywords: Short link: PATH is an international organization that drives transformative innovation to save lives and improve health, especially among women and children. We accelerate innovation across five platformsvaccines, drugs, diagnostics, devices, and system and service innovationsthat harness our entrepreneurial insight, scientific and public health expertise, and passion for health equity. By mobilizing partners around the world, we take innovation to scale, working alongside countries primarily in Africa and Asia to tackle their greatest health needs. Together, we deliver measurable results that disrupt the cycle of poor health. Program for the Advancement of Malaria Outcomes is a newly awarded United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded project. PAMO works with the National Malaria Control Centre to strengthen implementation of malaria control and elimination efforts. The project works at provincial, district, and community levels to 1) Support proven malaria interventions in alignment with the National Malaria Strategic Plan; 2) Strengthen management capacity of provincial and district Ministry of Health/Ministry of Community Development Mother and Child Health personnel to provide oversight/supervision of malaria interventions and; 3) Strengthen the Health Management Information System at the provincial and district levels to improve data reporting, analysis, and use for decision-making. We seek to recruit a Capacity Building Officer, Eastern Province who will coordinate and oversee PAMO capacity building work at all levels within the province. S/he will work closely with government stakeholders across the province, works closely with staff of Provincial Medical Office to manage implementation of provincial, district and community capacity strengthening activities in alignment with gap analysis and capacity building plans, contributes to design and analysis and facilitates implementation of capacity assessments, to be conducted by PAMO sub-contractor at province, district, and sub-district levels, monitor progress in capacity through implementation of a performance-monitoring component to assess continuous performance and quality improvement efforts at province, district and sub-district levels. The Capacity Building Officer will be based in the Eastern Province and report to the PAMO Provincial Coordinator, also based in Eastern Province. Specific duties include: Lead provincial PAMO training efforts. Coordinates with PAMO Technical Officers and Project STTA to organize training, supervision and other technical assistance activities. Works closely with staff of Provincial Medical Office to manage implementation of provincial, district and community capacity strengthening activities in alignment with gap analysis and capacity building plans. Contributes to design and analysis and facilitates implementation of capacity assessments, to be conducted by PAMO sub-contractor at province, district, and sub-district levels. Contributes to development and implementation of capacity building plans; plans at province level are expected to focus on management and supervision, while plans at district and lower levels are expected to focus on improvements in provision of malaria prevention and control services Monitors progress in capacity through implementation of a performance-monitoring component to assess continuous performance and quality improvement efforts at province, district and sub-district levels. Liaises regularly with Technical Officer M&E/OR and Provincial Coordinator to ensure that capacity building efforts mirror performance as measured through HMIS reporting and other management tools. Contributes to quarterly provincial reports that will feed into overall project reporting to donor and Government of Zambia. Represents PAMO at provincial level meetings, as assigned. Please note: This position is contingent on successful award of project funding. Zambian nationals are encouraged to apply. Applicants must have legal authorization to work in Zambia to be considered and confirm this in their cover letter. Please submit a cover letter with your resume describing your interest in this position and how you meet the requirements. Application materials must be submitted in English. PATH offers a highly dynamic work environment and provides competitive compensation and benefits based on experience. Salary and benefit package are paid in Zambian Kwacha. PATH is the leader in global health innovation. An international nonprofit organization, we save lives and improve health, especially among women and children. We accelerate innovation across five platformsvaccines, drugs, diagnostics, devices, and system and service innovationsthat harness our entrepreneurial insight, scientific and public health expertise, and passion for health equity. By mobilizing partners around the world, we take innovation to scale, working alongside countries primarily in Africa and Asia to tackle their greatest health needs. Together, we deliver measurable results that disrupt the cycle of poor health. PATH is seeking a Finance and Operations Director candidate for an anticipated United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded project entitled Increasing Citizen Demand for Accountable and Transparent Service Delivery in the Health Sector through Enhanced Community-based Monitoring. The project will seek to mobilize communities and increase their engagement in monitoring the delivery of health services. Proposed activities will include enhancing citizens action based on basic facts on utilization and quality of services collected from the communities themselves. It will include improving upon or developing community-based monitoring tools such as report cards, social contracts, and action plans. This component will seek to strengthen existing local governance social structures such, as the neighborhood health committees, health advisory committees, and/or safe-motherhood action groups. Health service providers under the Ministry of Community Development, Mother, and Child Health will also be involved to improve and strengthen their engagement with community members. The Finance and Operations Director, based in Lusaka, Zambia, will be responsible for the following key activities: Standard Chartered Zambia (officially Standard Chartered Bank (Zambia) Plc) is a commercial bank in Zambia and a subsidiary of Standard Chartered. It is one of the 18 commercial banks licensed by the Bank of Zambia, the national banking regulator.Stanchart Zambia is a large bank, serving large corporate clients, upscale retail customers and medium to large business enterprises. It is one of the largest commercial banks in Zambia, by assets, controlling an estimated 20% of all commercial bank assets in the country, as of December 2007. In December 2011, the total asset valuaion of the bank was about US$893 million (ZMK:4.586 billion), with shareholder's equity valued at US$72 million (ZMK:373 billion).[4] In June 2012, Zambian press reports indicated that the bank's total assets had increased to US$902 million (ZMK:4,632 billion), with shareholders' equity of about US$78 million (ZMK:400 million).The bank was established in 1906. The shares of stock of Stanchart Zambia are listed on the Lusaka Stock Exchange (LuSE), where they trade under the symbol: SCZ. About ZVTS Even with the Biden Administration adults in charge and Democrats in control on Congress (barely), there remains an increasingly crumbling global economy imperiling the world, rising nationalism and deadly racism across Europe and Asia, a seemingly endless war against terror, a federal government nobody trusts or believes in, global climate change putting us on the brink of destruction and a Village media that barely does its job on even the best day. Needless to say there's a lot of Stupid out there when we need solutions . Dangerous levels of Stupid. Into the fray, dear Reader. Tray tables, crash helmets, arms inside blog at all times. Well, the Government of Delhi has finally woken up and taken notice of the depleting Ozone layer and banned the use, sale and storage of plastic bags. Bio-degradable bags, they say, will now be encouraged.

It was in the reckoning for long, but the followers of laws and rules that we Indians are, I guess the government must have considered quite a lot before enforcing the ban. We actually have a crack code for every law or rule that comes in our way. The declaration is that anyone caught carrying plastic bags will be at a risk of facing a five-year jail term or a fine of one lakh rupees, or both. Sounds good, doesnt it? I think it does for those who care for the environment that ultimately boils down to caring for oneself.

Now we have to carry a cloth bag or paper bag, when we go out shopping for groceries or at the dairy outlets for milk. All the shops and the shopping malls will have to provide their customers with paper carry bags too.

All the ban and penalty seems pretty cool for the cause of the environment, but will it actually be followed? I ask that question because, honestly, I havent seen many follow the traffic lights or use the subway for crossing the roads or even get their driving licenses made through the legal procedures. There is a jugaad to anything and everything in our country. I might sound blunt, but this is how it is and one would realize it if some unbiased thought is given to these things.

There was so much hype and hoopla about the smoking ban. But now it seems as if it was only a rumour. There was supposed to be a fine of Rs 200 on the person found smoking in public places. As far as I remember only 80 challans were issued on Day 1 of the ban. And after that, I never saw any news regarding the same. Well, Im sure there arent only a hundred or so smokers in our country that has the second largest population on this planet.

I just hope that the same is not the case with the ban on the plastic bags, considering the deteriorating environmental condition in the world. Global warming has been on a rise since forever now. Thanks to the negligence by the people world over. The attitude that prevails is nothing-will-happen-with-just-one-charger-plugged. But that one unplugged charger or a fan or a light switched off actually makes the difference. And one person starting to carry bio-degradable bags is bound to make a difference. One plastic bag will burn less and the environment will be affected 0.0000001% lesser. There is a difference, without a doubt.

The point here to ponder over is the hefty fine, leave alone the imprisonment. Can a daily wage earner pay a fine of one lakh rupees if caught carrying a plastic bag? There are murderers roaming free in this country, or should I say some corrupt citizens even running this nation. So is it practical to impose these punishments? The fine for over speeding is about four hundred rupees. We generally get away with handing over a Rs 50 or a maximum of Rs 100 note to the policeman. As stated above, a jugaad for everything here.

So how much do we pay for a fine of Rs 1 lakh? 200 bucks? I dont think so. The same 50 or 100 rupee note would do. Something better than nothing (in case they issue the challan) for the concerned authorities.

The citizens will have to put their foot down and support the governments steps for a better environment. We need to fight for a universal cause of Global Warming, which seems a petty issue to most of us. That can be done to some extent if we dump the plastic bags for bio-degradable carry bags rather than finding jugaads of evading the penalty. Patna: Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United wants a new election symbol, as per a media report. According to NDTV, members of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party supposedly believe that the present symbol of Janata Dal (United) - the arrow - may be confusing for the voters. The move has come in the wake of JD(U), post its electoral success in Bihar, wanting to spread its wing outside the state. The report also said that the party plans to meet the Election Commission after January 15. They are likely to submit a list of its choice of symbols to replace the arrow. The website quoted JDU sources as saying that the party has zeroed in on a tree, a farmer wielding a plough or a hut as some of the choices for the symbols. JD(U) is reportedly looking at contesting upcoming elections in Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, West Bengal and Kerala and hopes to have a new symbol by the end of January with whom the people can identify with better. The party had passed a resolution at its national executive meeting on December 20-21 which, as quoted in the report, said - "Janata Dal is deeply concerned about its election symbol, which had similarity with election symbols of other political parties in the recently completed assembly election." The Grand Alliance of JD(U), RJD, Congress won a two-thirds majority in Bihar in the 2015 Assembly elections with BJP suffering massive humiliation. New Delhi: Bihar's ruling party JD-U could soon have a new election symbol as it plans to widen its reach beyond the state after halting the Narendra Modi juggernaut in state Assembly polls a few months ago. After veering round to the view that its existing "arrow" election symbol is "confusing" voters, the party has planned to meet the Election Commission any day after Makar Sankranti and submit a list of its symbol choices to replace the existing one. Makar Sankranti is on coming Thursday and, hence a forward movement on the issue is expected next week. The party's bid to seek a new symbol comes ahead of Assembly Election scheduled in five states -- Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, West Bengal and Kerala, where it is planning to contest as part of some 'grand morcha' on the lines of that formed in Bihar to defeat NDA, sources in JD-U said. They said that the party is likely to seek one of the three symbols -- tree, a farmer wielding a plough and hut. Banyan tree was the symbol of Samyukta Socialist Party, while Praja Socialist Party's symbol was hut. Farmer with plough was the symbol of Lok Dal. All of them were part of larger Janata Parivar family at some point or the other. After initially showing keenness to get the 'wheel' symbol of erstwhile Janata Dal, JD-U has given up the hope on it as it is not sure of the support of Janata Dal (Secular). A JD-U delegation had met the Election Commission immediately after the Bihar polls to discuss the issue of symbol. Responding to their demand for the wheel symbol, the EC is learnt to have told them that the wheel symbol can be given to them if JD(S) does not object to it. The sources in the party said that after Makar Sankranti, a party delegation will visit the EC to take up the matter. JD-U is hopeful that it will get the new symbol by the month end. The party's hunt for the new symbol emanates from a feeling that something much more identifiable with the people should be its election symbol. Moreover, JD-U's symbol arrow is also identical with the bow and arrow symbol of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Shiv Sena. There is a feeling in the party that JD-U lost a good number of votes in a number of seats in Bihar even in this Assembly Election due to its symbol being confused with that of Shiv Sena and JMM. At its national executive meeting on December 20-21, last year, the party had passed a resolution, saying, "Janata Dal is deeply concerned about its election symbol, which found similarity with election symbols of other political parties in the recently completed assembly election. "In the last election for Bihar Assembly and election for Lok Sabha in different states, the reason of defeat of Janata Dal (U) candidates was similar election symbols," it said. At the meeting, the party had unanimously resolved to "approach the Election Commission effectively for allotment of a new symbol to JD(U)" and authorised party president Sharad Yadav to pursue the matter with the poll panel. A party functionary, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that in the recently concluded Bihar polls, it had been observed and there is also a feedback from voters that they had to face confusion in selecting the symbol arrow of JD(U). "The reason for confusion was almost identical symbol of two other parties -- Shiv Sena and JMM. It has not happened for the first time in Bihar, but our candidates were defeated in the past too in other states only because of similar symbols of some other parties." "Therefore, it is essential that some other symbol is allotted to our party in order to protect the right of citizens to exercise their franchise for the candidates of their choice," the party functionary. He said that the matter was discussed in detail in the party's national executive here, which was also attended by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The party will approach the EC with the drawings of the symbols and a copy of the resolution. The party will request the EC to freeze its arrow symbol while granting it a new one. The wheel symbol of Janata Dal was frozen in 1999 as the party was split into JD(U) led by Sharad Yadav and JD-S under HD Deve Gowda when the former decided to join the then NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The two parties were then allotted separate symbols -- 'farmer driving a tractor' to JD(S) and 'arrow' to Sharad Yadav's party. Later, JD(S) changed its symbol to a 'woman farm labourer carrying a stack of paddy on her head'. Sharad Yadav's faction of Janata Dal, Samata Party and Lokshakti of former Karnataka chief minister Ramakrishna Hegde later merged to form Janata Dal (U) and retained the symbol of arrow. In the 1962 General Election, Praja Socialist Party had the 'hut' election symbol. In 1964, Praja Socialist Party, also known Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party, and Socialist Party combined to form Samyukta Socialist Party. Socialist Party's symbol was banyan tree then. The Election Commission then allotted the 'hut' symbol to the new party. However, the two parties fell apart by 1965. The hut symbol was back to Praja Socialist Party while Socialist Party retained the name of Samyukta Socialist Party. In 1975, Samyukta Socialist Party and Praja Socialist Party again merged and formed Socialist Party which merged with Charan Singh's Bharatiya Kranti Dal, Swatantra Party and Biju Patnaik's Utkal Congress. They together formed BLD just before Indira Gandhi declared Emergency. Later, when the representatives of the four non-Communist opposition parties formed a new party -- Janata Party, they decided to contest on a common symbol of 'farmer with plough' of Bhartiya Lok Dal. It was on this symbol that Janata Party had scored its spectacular victory against Congress in 1977 ushering in the first non-Congress government to power after Independence. New Delhi: In a bid to end uncertainty over the implementation of Rs 1.65 lakh crore package for Bihar, the Centre has said that it is being implemented as it is for the people of the state and not for any particular government. The projects under the Bihar package are at different stages of implementation and they are being monitored on regular basis, it said. At a meeting yesterday, Union Ministers including Suresh Prabhu (Railways), Dharmendra Pradhan (Oil & Gas) and Piyush Goyal (Power) assured BJP state representatives including Sushil Kumar Modi, Prem Kumar and Mangal Pandey on the issue. The representatives met over half a dozen Union Ministers and asked them to monitor all these projects on monthly basis for speedy implementations. "The Prime Minister had announced a package of Rs 1.65 lakh crore for Bihar. We are meeting with different Union Ministers to assess the progress over the announced package. All of them have assured that this package is for Bihar and not for a particular government," Leader of Opposition, Bihar Legislative Council, Sushil Kumar Modi told PTI. The BJP, which rules at the Centre, was unable to form the government in Bihar following the state elections, raising concerns in certain quarter over the package. "There was a confusion that if the government will not change in Bihar then what would happen (to the package). All ministers told us that the Prime Minister has given package for the people of Bihar. We are implementing this package. It at different stages in all ministries." Modi further said, "Two mega bridges are being constructed on the Ganga river. One is at Digha-Sonepur rail-cum-road bridge in Patna and second such bridge is in Munger. Prabhu has told us that these bridge would be ready in a month's time and would be opened by February end." Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had laid foundation stone of these two bridges in 2003. But these could not be completed during the decade long UPA regime. Another project is the Mahatama Gandhi Setu on the river Ganga, connecting North Bihar, and it is to be implemented properly. Modi said: "The Road Ministry has approved Rs 1,800 crore for repair of this bridge. Centre will allocate funds and the Bihar government will carry out repair work." The road projects are a big component in Bihar package. A new bridge on the Ganga costing Rs 5,000 crore will be built. It will be near Gandhi setu. "The project is at Detailed Project Report stage. Besides there will be another six lane bridge on Ganga river in Begusarai," Modi said. About the power sector in Bihar, he said that the second 660 MW unit of Phase-II of Barh project will be operation next month besides NTPC Ltd is in the final stage of finalising developer for first phase of the project. Modi said: "Power Minister has told us the one Ultra Mega Power Project of 4,000 MW in Banka will soon be auctioned out of which 50 percent power will be given to Bihar. During NDA regime Bihar is getting additional 1,000 MW from Centre." He added, "The Oil Minister told us that the work is in progress on Jagdishpur-Haldia gas pipeline. Besides there are plans to increase refining capacity of Baruni refinery to nine million tonnes from existing six million tonnes. There is also a plan for a petrochemical complex there." Raipur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that India will progress only when its 125 crore citizens remain committed to achieving specific goals. Speaking at 20th National Youth festival in Raipur, the PM said that the World was looking at India with a sense of hope. "If we don't have unity,harmony, respect towards each other's traditions and ideas, India might face hurdles in its path of development," he added. Addressing people via video conference, PM Modi also paid tribute to Swami Vivekananda on his birth anniversary. "The moment someone talks about Swami Vivekananda and Bhagat Singh, youth of India feels inspired," he said. "Earlier people were inspired to die for the nation. Today it is about living for the nation and doing something for India," the PM pointed out. Talking about the young nation that India was, PM Modi said, "We are blessed to have so many youngsters. If India can be a manufacturing hub, it is not because we have a market or raw materials, it is because we have skilled youngsters." At the same time he maintained, "Development is about bringing a positive change in lives of the poor. That explains why we have put so much focus on skill development. Parents are proud if their child is a graduate but is it the same when a child went to an ITI? Such a mindset needs to end." Thiruvananthapuram: Vice-President Hamid Ansari will on Wednesday officially declare Kerala for becoming country's first state to achieve cent percent primary education. Ansari, who will be arriving in the state on a 3-day visit, will make the announcement on January 13 at a function at the senate hall in Thiruvananthapuram. Education Minister PK Abdu Rabb confirmed the news and said that Kerala has achieved total primary education. The state aims at educating people who had been unable to complete their primary education to people aged between 1 to 50, through its literacy programme Athulyam - which is carried out in two phases. The first phase of Athulyam programme commenced in 2010. In 2015, at least 2.6 lakh people took the fourth standard equivalency exam under which 2.2 lakh qualified. The equivalency examination was held at 6,613 centers across the state and the qualifying mark was set at 30/75 in English and 20/50 in other subjects. The second phase of the Athulyam project was implemented as part of the Mission 676 of the State government. Panaji: Even as state Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar claimed that 90 percent of the passengers arriving on Goa's Dabolim airport are tourists, legislators from both ruling and opposition parties benches cornered him for not being able to furnish adequate visitors' data from AAI. Former state Tourism Minister and current Goa Vikas Party legislator Fransisco Miccky Pacheco raising the issue on the floor of the House in the ongoing session questioned the credibility of the figures provided by Parulekar about the passengers arriving at state's lone airport. Pacheco put questions on the issue number of tourists arriving in the state through the airport. The minister, however, could not give the details and only stated that "almost 90 percent of the passengers arriving at the airport are tourists," before snapping at Pacheco saying that "you should have asked the specific question if you wanted the answer". To this, Pro-tem Speaker Mauvin Godinho, who was chairing the session, told the minister that since Goa is a tourist state, he should have had a detailed answer for the question asked by the member. "You should have had the information. Pull up your department for not providing proper data," he said. Leader of Opposition Pratapsingh Rane, who participated in the discussion, questioned how many e-visas were issued at Goa airport, for which too, the minister could not reply. "The minister is a very incompetent person. You don't know anything," Rane said on the floor of the House. During the Question Hour, Parulekar said the Tourism Ministry has been holding regular meetings with the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Defence Ministry over the airport. As per the reply tabled on the floor of the House, between April 2014 and March 2015 45,14,278 passengers, and between April-November 2015, another 31,20,652 passengers used the airport. Amritsar: Punjab Police on Tuesday arrested Border Security Force (BSF) jawan in Amritsar for his alleged involvement in cross-border arms-smuggling. Prem Singh, who was posted in Fazilka border in 2014, has been accused of allegedly helping illegal arms smuggling on the Indo-Pak border. Accused Prem Singh joined the BSF in 1993 and at present, is posted at Barmer region in Rajasthan. He is currently being questioned over his involvement in weapon smuggling. On January 9 2016, Punjab police had arrested another BSF jawan from Mohali for cross-border drug trafficking and illegal arms supplying. Anil Kumar, a jawan with 52 Battalion and posted in Rajasthan, confessed delivering the consignment across the border to help Pakistani smugglers, in return for money. According to police, Pakistani handlers established a connection with 29-year-old Singh during a marriage held at Tarn Taran district. They lured Singh by offering him big bucks in exchange of helping them smuggle drugs and other arms across the border. New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written an article exclusively for English daily, the Times of India. In the article, Kejriwal, also the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief, talks about the success of the Odd-Even scheme in Delhi, Delhiites' overwhelming response to the formula, the AAP government's ability to govern, and much more. Here are some highlights from the article: - Kejriwal says Indians normally curse themselves and admire people of other countries like Singapore, Britain, Japan and the US for their discipline. However, Kejriwal adds, he always had faith in the country's people. Indians do well in almost all fields when they are in other countries. Indians are first-class people with third-class governance. They have the capacity to do wonders when provided with proper systems and a sincere leadership. - The Delhi CM says his government relied on the faith in the capital's citizens for the success of the Odd-Even scheme. - Kejriwal writes he was nervous as a school child a day before the Odd-Even scheme was to be implemented. On New Year's Eve, I was quite nervous. It was the nervousness of that boy who has an exam next day, who has revised the syllabus twice but is still nervous, he says in the article. - For the AAP chief, success of the scheme was overwhelming. The success showed people's power. - Kejriwal says the people of Delhi followed the Odd-Even scheme not just for the fear of Rs 2000 fine but because they wanted to. The same set of people who were condemned by everyone earlier as indisciplined were leaving their cars behind and either car-pooling or using public transport,he writes. - The Delhi CM says the Odd-Even scheme's success shows the AAP can execute toughest of schemes and that it can govern. - The Odd-Even scheme has not just brought down pollution in Delhi but also decongested city's roads. The significant reduction in traffic congestion all over Delhi has caught everyone's imagination. Traffic jams are rare. Travel time across Delhi has got significantly reduced, the CM writes in the article. - The Delhi CM says the scheme will stop on January 15 as decided earlier. However, the government will take stock and analyse the experience of the 15 days. We could (then) implement it later in a better form, he adds. Kakdwip: The Bangladeshi authorities on Tuesday released 178 Indian fishermen hailing from West Bengal who had been arrested and jailed about two months ago for allegedly trespassing in that country's waters. Minister of State, Sunderbans Unnayan Affairs, Monturam Pakhira said the fishermen, lodged in Bagerhat jail in Bangladesh, were released at 8 am. Altogether 179 fishermen in 14 trawlers had been arrested by Bangladesh coastguard authorities two months back for trespassing while fishing. One fisherman, Sanjay Samanta (45) died soon after his arrest, Pakhira said. The Bangladeshi authorities had also released the coffin with his mortal remains, the minister said. The 14 trawlers with 178 fishermen and the coffin had set sail for Namkhana in South 24-Parganas district today, Pakhira said. The trawlers were expected to arrive in Namkhana tomorrow from where the fishermen would go to their respective residences in Namkhana, Kakdwip and East Midnapore, the minister said. New Delhi: Stepping up its attack on the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal over Malda violence, a BJP delegation on Tuesday met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and demanded a high-level probe into the matter, alleging it had links with fake currency and narcotics trade and infiltration. Accusing the Trinamool Congress government of protecting criminals involved in the incident of "anarchy and terror", a three-member team led by general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, who is also its Bengal in-charge, met Singh, who "assured" them of appropriate action. "Leaders linked with TMC were also involved in it. It is not only a matter of state but that of national security. People who do illegal activities there were leading it," Vijayvargiya told media after the meeting. He alleged that "pro-Pakistan" slogans were raised by the crowd which also targeted establishments of a particular community. The delegation also included general secretary Bupender Yadav and Sidharth Nath Singh. Their meeting with Singh came a day after a 'fact-finding' team of the party was not allowed by the state administration to visit violence-hit Kaliachak which falls in Malda. In a memorandum submitted to the Home Minister, the delegation said "BJP demands that keeping in mind the region's sensitivity, the Chief Minister's allegation against a paramilitary force and infiltration and trade of narcotics and fake currency through it, an impartial action should be taken. The state government should be directed to take positive steps to restore people's sense of security and confidence." TMC has accused BJP of working to communalise the atmosphere in the state, which goes to the polls in a few months, and claimed that the violence was localised and due to the tiff between a section of the crowd and some BSF personnel. A member of the delegation said the Home Ministry is likely to send a team to the area. The memorandum also blames a Muslim organisation for illegally assembling a crowd of over 2 lakh people and targeting local police and administration facilities. BJP has alleged that a police station was torched so as to burn the records of local criminals involved in a host of unlawful activities. Washington: The US has said it is encouraged by the fact that the Pakistan government has condemned the Pathankot terror attack and promised investigation. "Our expectation is that investigation will be thorough and complete and as transparent as possible. But in terms of its progress and where they are, you'd have to talk to Pakistani authorities on it," State Department Spokesman John Kirby said at his daily news conference. "We're encouraged by the fact that the Pakistani Government condemned the attack and said that they would investigate," he said. The spokesman said that the US would like the two countries to continue with their peace talks. Last week, US Secretary of State John Kerry asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to find out the truth and stressed on the need to stay focused on the pressing challenge of terrorism in the region. "He (Kerry) certainly encouraged India and Pakistan to work bilaterally to continue discussions and to try to work through these problems. I don`t think they spoke with any great detail or specificity about the next round of talks and what's on the calendar. But writ large, yes, this was a topic of discussion with the Prime Minister," Kirby said. In their call on January 9, Kerry and Sharif talked a lot about this issue. "Then he stressed that it's obviously United States interest that India and Pakistan continue to look for ways to work better together to...terrorism concerns but to reduce the tensions between the two countries," he said. "...the State Department remains focused and committed to working bilaterally and multilaterally on counter-terrorism challenges," Kirby said in response to a question. Meanwhile, senior US officials believe that Pakistan is serious about investigation this time unlike in the past. "We do not talk much in detail about the diplomatic conversations. He (Kerry) came away believing that the Pakistani government is serious about this particular incident, serious about investigating it, serious about trying to work with partners in the region, Afghanistan specifically," a senior State Department official said. "I am not going to define it as change in tone. I think, we all recognise that more can be done, including by Pakistan. But that does not mean that we would not keep working at it," the senior administration official said when asked if Secretary Kerry feels that there is a change in tone of the Pakistanis given that they have been dilly-dallying on similar issues in the past. Hisham Geneina stood his ground after the committee accused him of defamation, insisting that he can support all his statements with evidence An investigative committee formed on the order of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi accused on Tuesday Central Auditing Organisation (CAO) head Hisham Geneina of deliberately defaming state authorities. Geneina had claimed that corruption from 2012 to 2015 in Egypt resulted in the loss of up to LE600 billion. Geneina stood his ground following the committee's accusation, insisting that he can support all his statements with evidence. The committee, formed in late 2015 shortly after Geneina made his claims, said in its report that the latter's statements were "misleading, exaggerating, and lacking credibility," and that he misused the word "corruption." The report said that the committee which consists of a number of officials from the justice, planning, finance and interior ministries had contacted Genena on 27 December to verify his statements before he sent the study he prepared through CAO based on which he released his statement to the committee. The study was undated, according to committee's report, although Geneina says it covers the period from 2012 to 2015. However, the committee said his statements were about incidents that took place over the course of 10 years. The committee said a "number of professors and experts in accounting, finance and statistics who were joined by members of the Central Auditing Organisation" worked together over a fortnight before issuing the report. In February 2014, Geneina said financial violations had been committed by the states sovereign bodies. One of the points highlighted by the committee's report was the delay of paying debts in the petrol field by foreign partners, which Geneina considered corruption but which the committee says was the result of the deterioration of the economy. Geneina told Al-Ahram's Arabic website that he will prepare another detailed report in reply to the committee's allegations and release it publicly after 25 January, the anniversary of the 2011 uprising that toppled long-time president Hosni Mubarak. Geneina's appointment as CAO chair during former president Mohamed Morsi's term came almost one year after the previous CAO head, Gawdat El-Malt, completed his tenure. The CAO is a governmental body that supervises public finances and after January uprisings in 2011 it was accused of covering up financial crimes carried out by the regime of ousted president Hosni Mubarak. Search Keywords: Short link: New Delhi: Massimiliano Latorre, one of the two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen in 2012 off the Kerala coast, will not return to India, according to the Head of Italian Senate's defence committee. Latorre was allowed by the Supreme Court in September 2014 to go to Italy initially for four months after he had suffered a brain stroke. His stay there was extended subsequently. "Massimiliano Latorre will not go back to India and work is being done on the possibility of requesting for Salvatore Girone to be able to return to Italy," Senator Nicola Latorre was quoted as saying by Italy's ANSA news agency today. Salvatore Girone, the other accused, is still here and Italy has been seeking his return as well. The Supreme Court on July 13 last year had allowed Latorre to stay in Italy for another six months on medical grounds, after the government did not object to his plea. The six-month period ends tomorrow. The matter may come up for hearing in the apex court tomorrow. The marines, who were on board ship 'Enrica Lexie', are accused of killing two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast on February 15, 2012 after mistaking them for pirates. The Supreme Court which was handling the case suspended the court proceedings relating to the trial of two marines in August last year following an order to this effect by International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) which was approached by Italy for international arbitration. Lucknow: This is one-of-its-kind love without boundaries story. A boy from Lucknow has undergone a sex change surgery to live a normal life with a Pakistan boy Rizwan. According to a TOI report, Gaurav from UP's capital has now become Meera (after sex change surgery) to spend life with Pakistani beloved Rizwan. Like any other normal man, Gaurav (now Meera) had affairs with women and was about to marry when she met Rizwan over a social networking website in connection with her PhD studies. According to Gaurav, their common connection was Sufism. Gaurav is well-trained Kathak dance and calls kathak his life. "Our love bonds and companionship grew stronger day-by-day and a time came when Rizwan became my mehboob (beloved)," Meera said. Meera has never met Rizwan but has faith in the Almighty. Rizwan is likely to meet Meera in March this year. Watch Kathak dance performance by Gaurav (now Meera):- New Delhi: Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for one and a half years used a SIM card sold in Delhi to contact its moles in India, police sources said. The ISI used the prepaid telephone SIM card from near the Attari-Wagah border to be in touch with its moles in Jammu and Kashmir, where three men have been arrested for getting calls and WhatsApp messages from that number. The SIM card was issued in the name of a woman, Rohini Gomes, in Laxmi Nagar in east Delhi, a highly-placed source told IANS. "No such woman ever lived or lives at the Laxmi Nagar address." The Crime Branch of Delhi Police made the discovery after busting a pan-India ISI-backed espionage racket towards the end of November 2015. An officer of the Crime Branch, which busted the ISI espionage racket by arresting Kafaitullah Khan from the New Delhi Railway Station on November 26, said the SIM card belonged to a leading cellular service provider. "An ISI operative used the Delhi number from the India-Pakistan border to contact his agents in India. The number was issued from Delhi on a fake identity card," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Ravindra Yadav told IANS. Another officer told IANS: "It was a prepaid number and was being used to send messages through WhatsApp." "The SIM number was actively used near the Attari border through Indian towers without paying international roaming charges," he added. Delhi Police arrested six suspected ISI moles in November-December 2015. The six included a serving leading aircraftsman Ranjith K.K., library assistant Kafaitullah Khan, Border Security Force head constable Abdul Rasheed, retired army havildar Munawwar Ahmad Mir, rifleman Farid Khan of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, and a government teacher, Sabar. The officer said Kafaitullah Khan, Mir and Sabar were in touch with their ISI handler, identified as Faizal, who was using the number. "We are also trailing the man who provided the activated SIM card to Faizal, whose real identity is yet to be ascertained." On December 30, police arrested Ankush Khandelwal from Delhi for issuing several SIM cards on the strength of fake identity cards. A total of 205 pre-activated SIM cards were recovered from Khandelwal. A 33-year-old man from Shakurpur in west Delhi, Mohit Gupta, was arrested on January 4 for his involvement in creating fake identity cards for those without any residence proof. "Several fake identity cards and blank customer acquisition forms (CAFs) were recovered from Mohit. On his personal laptop, we found more than 1,000 such fake cards and equal number of photographs of different persons in a folder," the officer said. Mohit reportedly used these fake identity cards for getting SIM cards activated and to sell these for Rs 500-700 each -- without obtaining any identification documents from the purchaser. "Mohit also created identity cards for those who had no address proof in Delhi," the officer added. New Delhi: National Investigative Agency (NIA) is not satisfied with Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh`s responses following extensive interrogation, an official of Ministry of Home Affairs said on Tuesday. The interrogation of the top cop is likely to conclude today, the official added. Singh reached the NIA office for the second consecutive day today for questioning in connection with the Pathankot airbase terror attack case. The NIA had yesterday questioned the Gurdaspur SP at its headquarters in New Delhi. Singh had been summoned by the NIA on Friday to appear before it for detailed interrogation. The Home Ministry in a statement yesterday said that Salwinder`s jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal have also been questioned and would be called again for questioning, if needed. "The NIA teams have continued to question SP Salwinder Singh`s friend Rajesh Verma as well as his cook Madan Gopal in Punjab. Madan Gopal will be called for questioning at the NIA headquarters in Delhi and the date of his questioning will be intimated in due course," it added. Intelligence agencies are also not ruling out the possibility of Salwinder becoming a fall guy in drug peddling racket that is rampant in Punjab. They are also examining through the past call data record (CDR) of Salwinder Singh to know about any possible links to the drug mafia. In the meantime, a 10-member NIA team headed by a DIG has found more evidence from the crime scene during its search operation that includes one magazine of AK-47, a mobile phone and a binocular, said union home ministry. A black corner notice is also being issued to the Interpol to establish the identities of four slain terrorists. The step would increase pressure on Pakistan to provide information about the terrorists in question, sources said. Seven security personnel died in the attack on the IAF base in Pathankot, located 250 km from Chandigarh, by five Pakistan-backed terrorists. With ANI inputs Delhi: Pakistan is in the process of asking India for audio files of the call intercepts recorded by Indian intelligence agencies regarding Pathankot terror attack, as per a media report. According to India Today, Islamabad is likely to convey the demand officially by Pakistan's National Security Advisor Lt Gen Naseer Khan Janjua to his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval soon. The website quoted sources in Pakistan as saying that their government believes that the evidence submitted by India in the terror attack so far is insufficient. The report said that Pakistan feels that they need more evidence to effectively probe the origins of the terrorists who carried out the attacks in Pathankot. Pakistan will also be asking for finger prints of the terrorists who were killed at the Pathankot airbase as they wanted to match the samples received from India with the National Database and Registration Authority system or the NADRA database. Not only this, Janjua may also seek voice samples of the calls that were made by the Jaish terrorists to their handlers in Pakistan. Meanwhile, widening the probe in Pathankot attack case, NIA teams today visited Samba and Kathua areas of Jammu region where similar strikes had taken place last year and quizzed for the second day a Punjab police officer who was allegedly kidnapped by terrorists hours before the assault on the air base. NIA sources said a team of the agency today visited the army camp in Samba on the Jammu-Pathankot highway where two terrorists had opened fire on March 21 last year. Both the militants were shot dead by security forces, while three people including a major were injured in the gunbattle, as per PTI. Another team also visited Kathua where Rajbagh police station was attacked by a group of militants a day before. Three security personnel, two militants and as many civilans were killed in the ensuing exchange of fire. They said the agency could spot "glaring" similarities in the modus operandi of the terrorists, who attacked installations in Kathua and Samba and those who mounted the brazen assault on Pathankot IAF base on the intervening night of January one and two this year. (With Agency inputs) New Delhi/Islamabad: It seems that Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's quick action over India's evidence in connecting with the Punjab's Pathankot airbase attack has really agitated their former president General (retired) and Kargil plotter Pervez Musharraf. In an interview given to a Pakistani channel AAJ TV, Musharraf not only said that India is over-reacting on Pathankot attack case but also added that such kind of attacks will continue to happen in future. "Terrorism is prevalent in both India and Pakistan. We are also victims of the same so we should not over react to what happened in Pathankot. Yes, of course we want to control such incidents, but one should get hyper over such incidents," he said. Although Pakistan has yesterday hinted that the foreign-secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan may be defered, Musharraf said during the interview, India can not threaten us by putting conditions ahead of such interactive sessions. Accusing New Delhi of creating pressure on Islamabad when it came to terror attacks, the former President alleged that terrorism and extremism was quite prevalent in India as well. "India simply can't create pressure on Pakistan when it comes to terrorism. We may be a small country but we have honour of our own. There are lots of areas in India where extremism is rampant. India always treats terrorism as a one-sided issue and that infuriates me. They can't just bulldoze us when something happens there," Musharraf said. Further hitting out at Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, the former Pak Prez said, Indian PM may be a 'bold man' but he should keep his boldness withing his country. "India's first reaction to every terrorist attack is Pakistan but India is not free of terrorism or extremism themselves," he added. He also said that there was a lot of 'disgruntlement' among the Muslim community in India since Prime Minister Modi came to power. Comparing the Prime Minister's leadership with that of his former counterpart Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he added that ties between India and Pakistan had flourished under the latter as he was more 'sincere' in his approach. "I interacted with Vajpayee sahab and at the time we had very good ties with India. It all comes down to leadership in the end. We were moving forward with him and Manmohan sahab. Unfortunately, it's not working under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. His popularity has dampened post his loss in Delhi and Bihar," Musharraf said. Pak PM Nawaz Sharif had yesterday ordered formation of a high-profile joint investigation team (JIT) to investigate the links of the Pathankot air base attackers with Pakistan. This development comes on the heels of the Pathankot airforce base attack, where six suspected Pakistani militants targeted the area, resulting in the deaths of seven Indian soldiers. Mohali: Another Border Security Force (BSF) personnel has been arrested for allegedly helping drug smugglers in cross-border smuggling of drugs and ammunitions, days after a jawan from the force was arrested from Rajasthan on same charges, a senior police official said here on Tuesday. The BSF jawan has been identified as Havildar Prem Singh, and was arrested yesterday from his village Naushera Dhalla in Tarn Taran district, said Mohali SSP Gurpreet Singh Bhullar. Singh's alleged involvement came to light following the questioning of a drug smuggler, Gurjant Singh alias Bholu, who along with his two associates was arrested by the police on January 4 from Kharar here. The SSP said, during interrogation, Bholu confessed that he had got smuggled drugs and arms and ammunitions from Pakistan with the alleged help of Prem Singh, who was posted at Fazilka in year 2014. "Two consignments which came from Pakistan included 30 kg heroin each and ammunition during August and November 2014," he said. During the probe, it came to light that Singh allegedly used to engage his other colleagues, posted at the border, into talks in order to divert their attention from vigil and then secretly inform Bholu and his other accomplice to pick up the consignment coming from across the border, SSP said. The BSF Havildar was given Rs 50,000, two mobile sim cards and one mobile phone by the accused, he said. He had been posted at Assam twice, Kashmir, West Bengal, Manipur, Tripura and Fazilka (Punjab). Exposing a nexus between security officials and drug smugglers, Mohali Police on Jaunary 9 had arrested a BSF jawan for allegedly helping drug smugglers in cross-border smuggling of drugs and ammunitions. Last week, Punjab police had claimed to have busted a drug smuggling syndicate and arrested three persons from near here, and recovered Pakistani SIM card, mobiles, weapons and ammunition from their possession. Besides, Bholu, two others who were arrested were Sandip Singh and Jatinder Singh alias Jindi. Delhi: The move by Barack Obama administrations to sell Pakistan eight new F-16 fighter jets has been stalled by US Congress, as per a media report. According to Hindustan Times, the US lawmakers have raised questions about the end use of the combat aircraft. They have also questioned the relationship itself. The Daily quoted sources as saying that several requests for clarification and information were made by members of the House of Representatives. This effectively 'stalled' the process. However, the report also said that it did not mean that the move was dead or had been 'cancelled'. Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif had been 'informally' notified by Congress of its proposal of a 'foreign military sale', of the jets, during his visit to Washington last October, the Daily said. Lawmakers were reportedly worried about several issues, namely, the end use of the jets and whether they could and would, be used against India. Bhopal: In the backdrop of Pathankot airbase terror attack, Shiv Sena leader and Union Minister Anant Geete on Tuesday said his party has always maintained that as long as cross border terrorism exists, the government should not hold any dialogue with Pakistan. "I am a Shiv Sainik. I am also a part of the government. 'Sarkar jo bhi nirnaya karegi, Shiv Sena saath rahegi' (Whatever decision the government takes, Shiv Sena will be with it)," the Union Heavy Industries Minister said replying to a query. "We (Shiv Sena) have maintained that as long as cross border terrorism does not end, the government should not hold any dialogue with Pakistan. I strongly condemn this attack," Geete said after visiting Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited's (BHEL) Bhopal unit, but clarified that it is the stand of Shiv Sena. However, he said, "We (NDA Government) are determined that such incidents should not recur in future as it is concerned with country's security, which is paramount for this government." Answering a query, he said that if Bala Sahab Thackeray was alive he would have given a befitting reply in his own language in such a situation. But a government has to function like a government. Whatever decision it has to take, the Prime Minister will take it in the national interest, he said. "My party and I believe that there should be no compromise on country's security," he said. Referring to economic crisis in China, he said that the communist nation has tried to capture the world market and this was bound to happen. It will have its impact on India also for sometime, but in the longer run it will be good for the country, he added. The Zamalek streets are expected to pound with thousands of runners taking part in the third anniversary of Cairo Runners. Chocolate is the event's main theme On Friday 15 January, Cairo Runners, the leading running community in Egypt, will celebrate their 3rd anniversary with a jog in Cairo's district Zamalek. "The theme of the upcoming event will be chocolate. Sponsored by Snickers, the day will include many mentions of chocolate, including the route flags, signs, certificates, etc," Mohamed Seif, Cairo Runners Media Manager told Ahram Online. "At the end of the day, the participants will be treated to bars of the chocolate," he added. Cairo Runners is the leading running community in Egypt and one of the earliest groups to attempt to lure Egyptians to adopt a healthier, and more energetic lifestyle. The group's first events kicked off in 2012 as a series of runs through the areas in central Cairo and surrounding suburbs. At that time, the runners comprised around 70 people. Over the past three years, the Cairo Runners became very popular, raising its membership from an initial 70 to over 3,000 who take part in its regular Friday runs at different locations around the capital. The group has also reached almost 400,000 members on its Facebook page, and over 16,000 followers on its Twitter account. The upcoming Friday 15 January run will kick off at 7am, from the El Sawy Culturewheel. Search Keywords: Short link: Bijnor: In a shocking incident, a woman has been caught assaulting and trying to strangle her 70-year-old bed ridden mother-in-law to death in Uttar Pradesh. The video, captured on January 5, shows the woman, Sangeeta Jain brutally assaulting 70-year-old Rajrani Jain, with a brick and trying to strangle her with a rope. The incident took place in Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh. The video was uploaded by social activist Kundan Srivastava on his Facebook page and was supported by an appeal to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to take action against the woman. "My daughter in-law attacked me brutally. That day she came from kitchen and started slapping me. She almost strangled me to death. She even hit my head with brick. I don't know why she did this. I never interfered in anything happening in the family," told the victimized mother in-law. Sangeeta's husband Sandip Kumar Jain informed that he installed CTV camera in their home to catch her wife red-handed as she had been troubling his parents for quite some time. "This has been happening for quite some time now. She used to assault and abuse my parents very often. I complained about her but no one used to listen to me. Then after waiting for two years, I installed a CCTV camera expecting that she will fix her ways, but she didn't. That day she crossed all the limits. I installed the camera to unmask her since the law is on the woman's side when these types of cases are concerned," said Sandip. "We have registered a case under section 307 of IPC against the woman. Investigation is underway," Subhash Singh Baghel, SP said. Reportedly, the woman had earlier filed a false case on marital rape against her husband, who is currently in police custody. On the other hand, Sangeeta has claimed that the video is fake and she is being framed by husband and in-laws. New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday met Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Walid Al Moualem and discussed issues of bilateral interest. "Emphasising engagement. EAM @SushamSwaraj meets Syrian Dy PM & FM, Walid Al Moualem for bilateral discussion," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted along with a picture of the two leaders. Al Moualem, who arrived in India on Monday on a three-day visit, is also expected to meet other Indian leaders. The visit assumes importance in view of fresh initiatives taken by the UN to bring about peace in war-torn Syria, where more than 300,000 people have been killed in the past four years and seven million have fled to other countries. European nations have also witnessed a huge influx of Syrian refugees. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Moscow last month, held detailed talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the growing threat of the Islamic State terrorist group and the Syrian crisis. Since the Paris terror attack, many Western nations have directly or indirectly established contact with the Syrian government to counter the activities of the Islamic State. Buthina Shaban, special advisor to the Syrian president, had visited India in March 2013. New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will visit Israel and Palestine on January 17-18 to further build on the goodwill generated by the landmark trip of President Pranab Mukherjee to the two key West Asian nations three months back. As External Affairs Minister, it will be Swaraj's first visit to West Asia, a strategically important region where India is trying to expand its engagement. Palestine will be her first destination where she will hold talks with leadership of the country with an aim to boost bilateral engagement and deepen mutual understanding at the political level. "The visit will also reaffirm India's continued political, diplomatic and developmental support to Palestine," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, adding the trip will further "deepen the mutual understanding at the political level and boost bilateral engagement with Palestine." After completing her engagements in Palestine on January 17, Swaraj will go to Israel the same day for a two-day visit during which she will hold discussions with the Israeli leadership and review the entire gamut of India-Israel relations which is on an upswing. India is Israel's largest buyer of military hardware. Israel has supplied various weapons systems, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles over the last few years but the transactions have largely remained behind the curtains. Swaraj's visit to Israel also assumes significance in view of a possible visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to India later this year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi may also pay a return visit to Tel Aviv. Pesident Pranab Mukherjee had visited Tel Aviv in October last year, becoming the first Indian Head of State to visit the Jewish nation. "India's relations with Israel are part of its engagement with the broader West Asia region and are independent of its relations with any country in the region," said Swarup. In Tel Aviv, Swaraj will have meetings with President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Minister of Defence Moshe Ya'alon, Minister of National Infrastructure Yuval Steinitz and Israeli legislators. "The visit is an important ingredient in the ever-growing relations, friendship and partnership between the two countries," the Israeli Embassy said in a statement. The External Affairs Minister will also interact with the Indian community during her visit to the Jewish nation. "The visit will augment India's bilateral relations with Israel and further strengthen the linkages between the two sides," said the MEA spokesperson. On Swaraj's visit to Palestine, he said, "This is the first visit of External Affairs Minister to West Asia region and Palestine is the first destination in the region which in itself reflects the importance India holds for Palestine in its engagement with the countries of the region." India is executing several projects in Palestine to improve the living conditions of people and has been active in capacity building by extending scholarships to Palestinian students and building schools. In Palestine, Swaraj will also inaugurate the Palestine Digital Learning and Innovation Centre in Ramallah. Srinagar: In its first official confirmation since the death of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the PDP said on Tuesday that the alliance with BJP will stand, as per media reports. "No disputes between BJP and PDP, Both alliance partners will join hands soon," PDP's Dr Mehboob Beigh was quoted by India Today as saying. He also told ANI, "The day Mehbooba Mufti is out of grief, she'll head government to take her father's mission ahead." "We'll stick to agenda of alliance in letter and spirit," Beg added on future of coalition government with BJP in J&K. Yesterday, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav had hinted that the party had no objection to PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti becoming chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. "We are broadly in favour of continuing with the arrangement reached between the two parties eight month ago," Ram Madhav had told the media, as per PTI. "It's up to the PDP to initiate the process of formation of a new government in the state," he had added. Mehbooba Mufti's father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who had led a PDP-BJP coalition government in the state, died on January 7 in New Delhi's AIIMS hospital. Governor's Rule was imposed in the state on Saturday after Mehbooba Mufti refused to take oath before the traditional four-day mourning period ended. Ram Madhav, who has been the main interlocutor between the BJP and the PDP, had also hoped that the PDP leadership would soon take a call after discussions within their party. The BJP, which was a junior partner in the Sayeed government, had earlier pitched for a 50:50 formula for the remaining chief ministerial term. (With Agency inputs) Mumbai: Mumbai police said Tuesday they have identified 16 dangerous selfie spots across the Indian city after a man drowned trying to save a girl who fell into the sea while taking a photo of herself. The spots include the major tourist attractions of Girgaum Chowpatty beach and Marine Drive promenade as well as the site where the 18-year-old girl slipped last week, deputy commissioner Dhananjay Kulkarni told AFP. "After the unfortunate incident we have decided to identify 16 spots where taking selfies can be dangerous but we may add more," he said. "We have written to the municipal corporation to put some warning signs up at such points. We also want them to deploy some lifeguards also," Kulkarni added. The girl and two friends fell off rocks into the Arabian Sea near Bandra Bandstand in the north of India`s financial capital while clicking selfies on Saturday. A passerby, 37-year-old Ramesh Walanju, jumped in and helped save the two friends but was washed away by the choppy waters and his body was found floating in a nearby creek on Monday. The girl is still missing. Police officers patrolling the selected areas have been briefed to warn people against taking selfies, the deputy commissioner said. Last month a Pakistani man died in Rawalpindi after being hit by a fast-moving train as he tried to take a selfie with it while standing on the track. In May last year a Russian woman accidentally shot herself in the head with a pistol while posing for a selfie with the weapon. And US investigators in February said a pilot`s repeated snapping of selfie photos caused a small plane to crash, killing both people on board. Mumbai: Police sub-inspector and 'encounter specialist' Daya Nayak has been reinstated in the state police department, almost a year after he was suspended. Nayak, who is known to have killed over 80 gangsters in encounters, was suspended in June 2015 for not joining duty and being on sick leave for a very long time. At that time his posting was in Nagpur area. A 1995-batch police officer, Nayak was under suspension for nearly six-and-a-half years after the Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested him in 2006 following complaints by former journalist Ketan Tirodkar that he owned assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. The ACB had also arrested his two friends, who lent their names to the transfer of his wealth. In 2009, however, the then Director General of Police SS Virk had denied permission to prosecute Nayak in the case with a remark that there were insufficient grounds and cleared him of all charges. In 2010, the Supreme Court quashed all the charges against him under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). He was reinstated in 2012 and posted in a local arms wing of the department. After a brief stint here, he was transferred to the west region (Bandra to Andheri), considered a high-profile zone in the city. Nayak is known to have killed more than 80 gangsters in encounters, including Vinod Matkar, Rafik Dabba, Sadik Kalia and three Lashkar-e-Toiba operatives. Mumbai: Congress registered an impressive performance, leading the seat tally by winning in 105 wards in the municipal council and nagar panchayat polls and bypolls for 345 wards held across Maharashtra. While NCP and Shiv Sena finished second and third, the BJP had to be content with only 39 seats, finishing fourth in the overall seat tally. The results of the polls held on Sunday were declared late yesterday. The final tally showed Congress on the top with 105 wards, followed by the NCP that won 80 wards and Sena that bagged 59 wards. The polls were held in Raigad, Nandurbar, Ahmednagar, Nanded, Osmanabad, Hingoli, Washim and Chandrapur councils and nagar panchayats. The by-elections were conducted in Ratnagiri, Jalgaon, Latur, Yavatmal, Wardha and Bhandara. A major setback for the BJP has come at Jamkhed in Ahmednagar district, which is the home turf of Minister of State for Home Ram Shinde, and at Chandrapur, which is represented by Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar. Congress-NCP leaders described the outcome as a reflection of the people's disillusionment with the ruling party. Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said, "The results show the people's confidence in the Congress is back and that people are disillusioned with the BJP led regime." The results come ahead of Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi's Mumbai visit on January 15 and 16. Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Dhanajay Munde of NCP said, "The results show failure of the BJP-Sena-led government in Maharashtra." During elections to 59 nagar panchayat and municipal councils in November 2015, BJP was in the lead with 254 wards, followed by Congress with 239, NCP with 201 and Shiv Sena with 126 wards. Mumbai: Your dream to own a house in Mumbai may come true soon as Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) is all set to begin sale of thousands of low-cost homes in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). MHADA LOTTERY 2016 Number of flats: 4,275 Location: 183 flats in Thane (164 in Kavesar, 19 in Balkum), Mira Road (310), Virar (3,755), Vengurla (27) Price: Houses suiting all pockets will be available they are priced between Rs4.37 lakh and Rs40.93 lakh Size: The size for the low income flat is around 368 sq feet while that of the middle income flat is approximately 670 sq feet. How to book: Register online starting January 13 (Wednesday) Earnest money of Rs 5,300 Rs 10,300 to be paid for low income, middle income house at the time of booking. Lottery will be held on February 24 at Rangsharada auditorium in Bandra MHADA will hand over the flats to by April Any house on sale in Mumbai? MHADA will hold a separate lottery for sale of 1,700 to 1,800 houses within Mumbai. Ferozepur: Security forces in this border town were on their toes for hours and the entire Cantonment area was cordoned off after two telephone linesmen, who were climbing a wall to repair phone lines, were mistaken for terrorists. The Army was informed which swung into action and cordoned off the entire area. Quick Reaction Teams (QRT) were also deployed and checking was started. However, when the CCTV footages were checked, the duo turned out to be telephone linesmen from Signals Regiment, who had come to repair the phone lines passing through the area. With Pathankot attack fresh in minds, the development triggered panic in the area and parents thronged schools to collect their children. Ferozepur Senior Superintendent of Police Hardyal Singh Mann said that the rumors regarding firing or infiltration by terrorists were all baseless and there was no need to panic. In a pre-dawn attack, a group of heavily-armed Pakistani terrorists, believed to be belonging to JeM, attacked the Pathankot airbase on January 2 killing seven security personnel. Six terrorists were also killed in the incident. The terrorists were said to have crossed the India-Pakistan border in Punjab and reached the strategically crucial air base and carried out the attack. Toronto: A Canadian man has been freed from captivity in Afghanistan after being taken hostage by the Taliban five years ago, Canada`s foreign minister said on Monday. Colin Rutherford, who was 26 years old when he was reported missing in February 2011 while visiting the war-torn nation as a tourist, was released with the help of Qatar. "Canada is very pleased that efforts undertaken to secure the release of Colin Rutherford from captivity have been successful," Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion said in a statement. "We look forward to Mr Rutherford being able to return to Canada and reunite with his family and loved ones," he added. The Taliban confirmed his release on "humanitarian grounds" in a brief statement Tuesday, which provided no further details. The insurgent group had captured Rutherford in the central province of Ghazni, who accused him of being a spy. In a video released by the militant group in May 2011, Rutherford said he travelled to Afghanistan to see "historical sites, old buildings, shrines." A US special forces officer tasked with trying to negotiate the release of American soldier Bowe Bergdahl told a US Senate hearing in June 2015 that the US State Department had rejected a plan that might have also seen Rutherford and others also freed. During his efforts, Lieutenant Colonel Jason Amerine said he obtained information about Rutherford as well as US national Warren Weinstein and others in captivity. According to his testimony, Rutherford may have been moved to Pakistan at some point. Weinstein was killed by mistake in January 2015 in a US drone strike. Bergdahl, who had been captured by insurgents in Afghanistan in 2009, was released in 2014 as part of a deal that saw several Taliban leaders released from US custody. He has been charged with desertion for leaving his post before being captured. The announcement of Rutherford`s release comes as Pakistan hosted four-country talks Monday aimed at luring the Afghan Taliban back to the negotiating table with the Kabul government. A temporary exhibition for recently recuperated artefacts that have been stolen and illegally smuggled out of Egypt is set to open on Thursday at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir At hall number 44 on the Egyptian Museum's first floor, a temporary exhibition telling the story behind a collection of recuperated stolen and illegally smuggled artefacts will open on Thursday. The exhibition opens on the tenth annual Archeologists Day, a celebration organised by the antiquities ministry. The exhibition is also being held to highlight the efforts made by the ministry to protect Egypt's heritage and in recovering stolen artefacts that were smuggled out of the country following the January 2011 uprising. Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh Eldamaty told Ahram Online that the exhibition will put on show a collection of 226 objects from different eras of Egyptian civilizations that have been recovered from France, England, Denmark, Germany and the United States in 2014 and 2015. "This is the fourth exhibition of its kind," Eldamaty said. The exhibition will last until the end of November. The General Supervisor of the Egyptian Museum Khaled El-Enany also told Ahram Online that the ministry succeeded in recovering 722 artefacts. 50 were returned to Egypt in 2015, while the rest were returned in 2014. El-Enany continued to say that Egypt proved its possession of 36 stolen and illegally smuggled objects to Spain and 122 to the United States. Among them were three sarcophagi of an ancient Egyptian woman named Shesibemtisher, a coffin of a Graeco-Roman nobleman, 99 coins and five statuettes carved in stone. El-Nany added that the ministry succeeded in stopping the sale of a unique ancient Egyptian statue that was on show in an auction hall in Germany in June, as well as a collection of 46 beads carved in faience that were on display in a jewelry exhibition in Berlin. Search Keywords: Short link: Islamabad: A four-nation group involving the US, Afghanistan, Pakistan and China has pushed for immediate direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban to end the conflict in the war-torn country. "The participants emphasised the immediate need for direct talks between representatives of the government of Afghanistan and representatives from Taliban groups in a peace process that aims to preserve Afghanistan's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity," a joint statement said after the meeting here yesterday. "The group would hold discussions on a roadmap at its next meeting to be held on 18th January 2016 in Kabul," it said. The group was set up last year to facilitate the reconciliation process in the war-torn country. The talks came as Taliban waged an unprecedented winter campaign of violence. All the four countries underscored the importance of bringing an end to the conflict in Afghanistan that continues to inflict senseless violence on the Afghan people and also breeds insecurity throughout the region, it added. The delegations were led by Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai, Pakistan`s Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador Richard G Olson and China`s Special Envoy for Afghanistan Ambassador Deng Xijun. The discussions focused on undertaking a clear and realistic assessment of the opportunities for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan, anticipated obstacles and measures that would help create conducive environment for peace talks with the shared goal of reducing violence and establishing lasting peace in Afghanistan, the statement said. The meeting adopted the terms for the work of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group and agreed to continue regular meetings to advance the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan. The participants reiterated the commitment of their countries to the realisation of objectives expressed in their statement from the quadrilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia Conference here on December 9, 2015. "Building on the outcome of December 9 trilateral and quadrilateral meetings, they considered mutual efforts to facilitate an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process with a view to achieving lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region," it added. The first round of talks was held in July but the process was suspended in the same month after news of Taliban chief Mullah Omar's death was announced. Officials from Pakistan, China and US were present when Taliban leaders and the Afghan government met in Murree near here during the first round. According to officials, the second round may take place towards the end of January if the four nations agreed on the minimum agenda of talks. Kanpur: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said his party would contest the 2017 Assembly polls in the state alone. "Samajwadi Party will fight the next Assembly election in the state alone," he said when reporters asked him about possible alliance partners in the polls for his party. Yadav, who was at the Green Park Stadium here to attend a ceremony to welcome the 'Asha Yatra' - from Kanyakumari to Kashmir - of spiritual guru Sri M or Mumtaz Ali Khan, said as CM he is of no one party and works for development of all. Without naming any individual or party Yadav said those who are raking up the Ram Temple issue ahead of the 2017 polls are "polluting" the atmosphere of the country and the state. "Anything beyond limit is wrong and is considered as pollution. Which party is spreading pollution in the state or in the country? You know it better than I do. Catch them and ask them," he told media persons when asked about the issue. He said his party is busy in completing developmental works like making available ambulance services, metro project, new roads etc, which benefit all, irrespective of party. Welcoming the spiritual guru and his 'Asha Yatra', the Chief Minister said the country today needs people like Sri M to ensure an atmosphere of peace and brotherhood. "The 'Ganga-Jamuni mahaul' of Uttar Pradesh welcomes all in the state. Sri M has embarked on this journey with the message of peace and brotherhood. Hence, being the head of the government I am welcoming and congratulating him and his team," Yadav said. Earlier SP workers tried to make it into the Stadium to take part in the event and police had to lathi-charge them to stop them. Some journalists were also hit in the lathi-charge. The Chief Minister also spoke of pollution in the river Ganga and said earlier its water never needed to be cleaned but it's no longer so. "Look at Delhi. The pollution there is so high they have to resort to odd-even (road-rationing scheme). Supreme Court has to tell what should be the permissible limit of noise. All these are happening due to us. We all need to work to fix this," he said. Vienna: Austria registered 90,000 asylum claims in 2015, government figures showed on Tuesday, a rise of more than 200 percent compared to 28,000 the year before and just 11,000 in 2010. Afghans topped the list of requests by nationality with 25,202 asylum claims closely followed by 25,064 fleeing the civil war in Syria and 13,258 Iraqis, the Interior Ministry data showed. The number was however considerably under the record of 170,000 set in 1956 when the Soviet Union crushed an uprising in Budapest and large numbers of Hungarians fled to neighbouring Austria. Austria last year became a major transit country for hundreds of thousands of migrants from the Middle East and elsewhere travelling up from Greece through the Balkans. The migrants and refugees seek mostly to travel onwards, notably to Germany and Sweden, but Austria still has one of the highest asylum claim rates per capita in the 28-nation European Union. This has contributed to a rise in popularity for the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) and to tensions within the ruling centrist coalition of Chancellor Werner Faymann. On Monday Austria authorities said that Germany has been returning around 200 migrants every day since January 1, mostly Afghans as well as Moroccans and Algerians who wanted to apply for asylum elsewhere. This appeared to be a knock-on effect from Sweden and Denmark`s decision last week to tighten controls on their borders. Austria meanwhile has been returning some migrants entering from Slovenia. A police spokeswoman in the German state of Bavaria said however that the daily number being returned was below 100 but varied considerably. She said Germany was "acting in accordance with current legal provisions". Currently between 1,000 and 2,000 migrants seek to enter Germany from Austria on a daily basis, according to the Austrian authorities. Belgian prosecutors said Monday they have arrested a high-profile expert on jihadi fighters and charged him with providing a suspected extremist with a false affidavit that he was on a deradicalisation course. Montasser AlDe`emeh runs a centre in Brussels` gritty Molenbeek district -- where several of those who carried out November`s Paris attacks lived -- that aims to prevent young Belgians from going to fight in Syria and also help reintegrate those who do so on their return. Federal prosecutors said he was charged with "having drawn up and submitted a false affidavit concerning a deradicalisation course taken by Jawad O. at the centre." He was conditionally released after being charged. Prosecutors said Jawad O. was arrested on November 24, a few days after jihadists killed 130 people in a series of attacks across Paris which increasingly appear to have been coordinated from Brussels. The prosecutors said Jawad O. -- who has not been further identified -- had been charged with taking part in the activities of a terrorist group. They gave no further details. His brother Khalid O. was also arrested and released on Monday. Flemish TV station VRT reported that Jawad O. had been detained just as he tried to leave for Syria and that Khalid, an imam at a mosque in the northern Belgian city of Malines, had contacted AlDe`emeh at the time to seek his help. The prosecutors said AlDe`emeh and Khalid O. submitted the false affidavit to a court hearing on November 27 in the hope of obtaining Jawad`s release. The three men will appear in court within 24 hours to answer the charges, they said. AlDe`emeh wrote a book about Belgium`s jihadi fighters -- believed to number around 500 -- and is a regular contributor to local and foreign media on the issue. The subject is hugely controversial in Belgium, which in proportion to its size is Europe`s largest source of foreign fighters heading to Syria and Iraq, with the government fearing they will return home radicalised and battle-hardened. Copenhagen: In return for staying at a Danish refugee centre, Iranian software engineer Sarah Alimalayeri said she was happy to hand over the gold bracelet and necklace she was wearing, but not her pendant. "You can`t take everything, but this is a good balance," she said. The 24-year-old migrant is an unlikely supporter of a controversial bill due to be discussed in the Danish parliament on Wednesday, which would allow police to seize migrants` valuables to pay for their stay in asylum centres if it is passed later this month. Rather than raising significant amounts of money for the state, it is widely seen as the latest in a string of moves by the Danish government to tell potential migrants to steer clear of Denmark. Copenhagen`s right-wing government, which relies on support in parliament from an anti-immigration party, last week watered down the proposal by raising the amount of cash a refugee can keep from 3,000 kroner (402 euros, $438) to 10,000 kroner. But despite international outrage and a leading US newspaper making comparisons to Nazi Germany, Integration Minister Inger Stojberg has refused to back down from the bill`s most controversial element: searching migrants` bags for gold and other valuables. Only items for personal use such as mobile phones and watches as well as items of sentimental value like wedding rings will be exempted. The centre-right minority government has defended the bill, arguing that Danish nationals seeking welfare handouts can expect similar treatment. "It is already the case that if you as a Dane have valuables for more than 10,000 kroner it may be required that this is sold before you can receive unemployment benefits," Stojberg said last month. "In Denmark, if one can manage on one`s own, one manages on one`s own," he stressed on Friday.At the Auderod asylum centre 60 kilometres (37 miles) northwest of Copenhagen, Alimalayeri`s view was clearly in the minority -- but she insisted that Denmark was within its rights to confiscate valuables to pay "for all of these services." One of her friends at the refugee centre was wealthy but did not want the Danish authorities to find out for fear they would reject her asylum application, she claimed. However, several other residents said they had little more than the clothes they were wearing and questioned the effects of the bill. "I owe 7,000 euros ($3,250) (I borrowed) to get here," said Farhad Moradi, a 22-year-old Kurdish student from Iran, as he shuddered in a t-shirt in near-freezing temperatures. Inside the centre`s communal area nearby, young men played pool and Arabic pop music blared from a TV set. Tarek Issa, a 25-year-old law student from Hama in Syria said he had read about the Danish proposal on Facebook before travelling to the country to join his family, but said it did not affect his choice of destination. "We almost paid everything to come here. Like a house, like a restaurant we owned before," he told AFP. A police search of his bags would turn up "maybe 100 euros," he laughed.The proposal is part of a bigger immigration bill which will also delay family reunifications for some refugees by up to three years, as well as making it harder to obtain permanent residency and shortening temporary residence permits. UN refugee agency UNHCR said on January 6 that the proposals sent a signal to other countries that "could fuel fear, xenophobia and similar restrictions that would reduce -- rather than expand -- the asylum space globally." "You might of course think that this is really bad publicity for Denmark. I do," said Johanne Schmidt-Nielsen, political spokesperson for the leftist Red-Green Alliance party. "But I think the Danish government... is quite happy, because the main purpose with this proposal is to make refugees afraid of applying for asylum in Denmark," she added. Denmark received 21,000 refugees last year, compared to 163,000 in neighbouring Sweden, which until recently had some of Europe`s most generous asylum rules. The Danish Refugee Council said the move mostly seemed to be "a measure of symbolic character". "As far as we know there are not many people carrying valuables like that," spokesman Sebastian Juel Frandsen said. Criticism has not just been limited to the centre-left opposition: Two government allies have also said they will not support the migrant searches unless changes are made. The Conservative People`s Party wants to see a detailed list of things that cannot be confiscated, while the Liberal Alliance only supports seizing large amounts of cash. The Social Democrats, the main opposition party, wants more guarantees that items of personal value will not be removed. After being discussed in parliament on Wednesday, the immigration bill will be sent to a parliamentary committee, after which lawmakers will discuss it again on January 21. A vote will be held on January 26. Paris: The chief rabbi of France, Haim Korsia, today rejected a call by the leader of Marseille's Jewish community for Jews in the city to stop wearing skullcaps to avoid being targeted by extremists. "We should not give an inch, we should continue wearing the kippa," Korsia said, reacting to a call by Zvi Ammar, head of the Israelite Consistory in Marseille, which has witnessed a string of attacks on Jews recently. Roger Cukierman, the head of France's umbrella grouping of Jewish organisations, CRIF, agreed with Korsia, telling AFP that Ammar's advice reflected "a defeatist attitude." After a machete attack yesterday on a Jewish teacher wearing a skullcap Ammar had urged: "Remove the kippa during this troubled time until better days." Yesterday's attack by a 15-year-old Turkish Kurd was the third on Jews in recent months in Marseille, which counts some 70,000 Jews in a population of 855,000, making it the second-largest Jewish population in France after that of Paris. The teacher escaped with minor injuries. Washington: The US House of Representatives House pushed ahead on legislation that seeks to punish North Korea for its latest nuclear test by expanding sanctions on Pyongyang, a move with strong bipartisan support despite questions over how effective the new restrictions can be. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote today on the North Korea Sanctions Enforcement Act, which proposes to deny North Korea the hard currency they say it needs for its weapons programs. Holding the vote tomorrow puts it on the same day as President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address. But former State Department officials said any new sanctions won't have teeth unless China makes a major shift in policy toward its rebellious ally. Separately, a panel of experts on North Korea said existing United Nations sanctions against the reclusive country are going unenforced. The House bill is sponsored by Rep. Ed Royce, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The new sanctions would put "targeted economic financial pressure" on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Royce said Monday ahead of the vote, arguing that a failure to respond aggressively will embolden Pyongyang. Rep Eliot Engel, the committee's top Democrat, said Kim is on a "dangerous, destabilising course" and the US needs to act unilaterally to show the North Koreans that "there are consequences for their actions." Royce's committee unanimously approved the measure in February 2015 and it remained there until last week when North Korea announced it had conducted a fourth nuclear test this one detonating a thermonuclear device with massive destructive power. The announcement was met with doubt North Korea had set off a hydrogen bomb, which would mark a major technological advance for Pyongyang's limited nuclear arsenal. But it could take weeks or even longer to confirm or refute the claim. Yet lawmakers are pushing ahead. In the wake of the announcement, Republicans derided the Obama administration for not being more forceful in its policy toward North Korea. Royce said the administration's approach of "strategic patience" toward North Korea has failed to stop its nuclear program. It's uncertain what the bill's prospects will be in the Senate if it's passed by the House. But Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he wants the U.S. And its allies "to take a more assertive role in addressing North Korea's provocation." A central part of Royce's legislation is to make so-called "blocking sanctions" mandatory rather than discretionary as currently permitted through existing regulations. The sanctions are mandated against any country, business or individual that materially contributes to North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile development, imports luxury goods into North Korea, or engages with Pyongyang in money laundering, the manufacture of counterfeit goods, or narcotics trafficking, according to the legislation. Jakarta: Indonesia wants to mediate between Saudi Arabia and Iran in the hope of preserving peace in the Middle East, an Indonesian official said on Tuesday, warning that the impact of war between the neighbours would have a global impact. Indonesia has the world`s largest population of Muslims, the majority of whom are Sunnis, but it seldom plays a prominent role in the Islamic world. Uneasy relations between the conservative Sunni kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Shi`ite power Iran deteriorated sharply when Saudi Arabia executed Shi`ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr on January 02, triggering outrage among Shi`ites. Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran after protesters attacked the Saudi embassy there. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi will travel to the Middle East this week to meet heads of state of the rivals, both of which are major oil exporters. "Indonesia is ready to play a role to help the process and whatever needs to be done to maintain peace and stability in the region," ministry spokesman Armanatha Nasir told Reuters. "Because if it is not maintained, the impact is not just for the region, but there will be a global impact," he said. Indonesia hoped the two sides could resolve their difference amicably, he said. Indonesia has seen sporadic attacks on its Shi`ite minority in recent years and analysts say there is a risk of increasing threats against the community given the tension in the Middle East. Anti-terrorism police in recent days arrested four men suspected of planning attacks on prominent Indonesian Shi`ite leaders. Officials believe there are more than 1,000 supporters of the hardline Sunni group Islamic State (IS) in Indonesia, and say that scores of Indonesian IS activists have returned from the Middle East. Baghdad: Iraq's prime minister vowed on Tuesday to keep up the fight against the Islamic State group, a day after an IS suicide attack on a shopping mall in Baghdad killed 18 people and a wave of retaliatory attacks targeted Sunni mosques. Touring the bombed and destroyed mall in the eastern Shiite-dominated area of New Baghdad, Haider al-Abadi described the attack as a "desperate attempt" by militants after they lost control of the key western city of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province. Iraq's government will "spare no efforts" to expel IS forces from the country, al-Abadi said. Gunmen stormed the Jawhara Mall yesterday after setting off a car bomb and launching a suicide attack at its entrance. Iraqi forces later surrounded the building, landing troops on the roof before clashing with attackers inside, killing two gunmen and arresting four. Along with the 18 killed, around 50 people were wounded. After the attack, IS posted an online statement saying it targeted an area where many Shiite Muslims are known to gather and warned of "worse" to come. The Associated Press could not immediately verify the authenticity of the statement, but its language and phrasing is consistent with past IS claims of responsibility. Later yesterday, back-to-back suicide attacks in the Shiite-dominated town of Muqdadiyah, about 90 kilometers north of Baghdad in Diyala province, killed at least 24 people and wounded 52. And in a crowded area in southeast Baghdad, a car bomb explosion killed at least five people and wounded 12 others. Angry mobs then attacked several Sunni mosques in apparently retaliatory attacks, prompting security forces to impose a curfew in the area, Sunni lawmaker, Raad al-Dahlaki, told The Associated Press. Al-Dahlaki, who's from Diyala, described the mobs as "gangs outside the government control," calling on the government to chase them down. The head of the Sunni Endowment, sheik Abdul-Latif al-Himaim, said one mosque imam was killed and two mosques were completely destroyed in the attacks. The rest were partially damaged, he added. "Organized gangs were behind the attack seeking to inflame sectarian tensions," he said. Alarmed by Muqdadiyah events, the UN Special Representative for Iraq, Jan Kubis, called on "all sides to refrain from being drawn into a cycle of reprisals" and warned in a statement that the perpetrators seek to take "the country back into the dark days of sectarian strife." Paris: A Jewish teacher stabbed by a 15-year-old in the southern French city of Marseille believes the teen, an ethnic Kurd, wanted to decapitate him, his lawyer said on Tuesday. The teenager, who told police he was acting in the name of the Islamic State group, stabbed the 35-year-old teacher in the shoulder and hand in the attack, which took place in broad daylight on Monday. The teacher`s lawyer, Fabrice Labi, said his client had told him: "I had the feeling he wanted to decapitate me." Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said the weapon was blunt, which helped limit the damage. The teacher was released from hospital on Monday night. "I told him to stop hitting me but he kept going and I didn`t think I would get out alive,", the teacher told La Provence newspaper, adding he had seen "hatred... in the eyes of the attacker." The teacher was wearing a skull cap and used his Torah as a shield to fend off the assailant. It was the third attack on Jewish persons in recent months in the southern French port city, which has the second largest population of Jews in France after the capital Paris. Three Jews were assaulted in October, one with a knife near a synagogue by a drunken assailant. In November, another Jewish teacher was stabbed by people shouting anti-Semitic obscenities and support for the Islamic State group. France`s Jewish community has grown used to living under the surveillance of armed soldiers around synagogues and schools since being targeted in a jihadist attack in Paris last January. This weekend, the country marked a year since the attacks which left 17 people dead, including four people gunned down in a Jewish supermarket. According to French government statistics, anti-Semitic acts have soared in recent years, with the number reported between January and May 2015 increasing 84 percent compared with the same period in 2014. The growing insecurity has seen an increase in emigration to Israel, with record departures in 2015 of 7,900 people. "Honestly, I don`t know how I will get over this terrible attack," said the teacher, adding he would have to think about no longer wearing his skull cap in public. The prosecutor Robin said the teenager, who will turn 16 in the coming days, "has the profile of someone who was radicalised on the Internet". "He claimed to have been acting for Daesh," he added, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group. "You get the sense that he does not have a full grasp of the fundamentals of Islam," he added. The boy even admitted to investigators that he planned to arm himself and kill police as soon as he is released. The prosecutor said the attacker was a "good student" whose family had been unaware of his radicalisation. Egypt is attempting to verify the authenticity of media reports on the kidnapping or arrest of Egyptians in Libya, the Egyptian foreign ministry said on Friday. In an official press release, the foreign ministry's spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said that following reports about the arrest or abduction of Egyptians all from Upper Egypt's Minya governorate in Libya, Egypt's ambassador to Libya Mohamed Abu Bakr, who is currently based in Cairo, was quick to contact the embassy's official and unofficial sources in Libya in order to confirm the news and respond accordingly. Abu Zeid urged all media outlets and families of Egyptians in Libya to remain cautious when handling with such reports until their authenticity is verified, considering that false news has been previously circulated about the state of Egyptians in Libya. The spokesman asserted that the Egyptian foreign ministry does not spare any effort needed to secure the return of any Egyptian citizen whose life is at risk in Libya, even though there is currently no Egyptian diplomatic mission in the country. In February 2015, the ISIS militant group beheaded 20 Egyptian Copts on a beach the group said was in Libya's Tripoli. Following the beheadings, Egypt, in coordination with the Libyan army, carried out air strikes against ISIS targets in Libya, killing 64 ISIS militants. Search Keywords: Short link: Kuwait City: Kuwait on Tuesday sentenced two defendants to death, including an Iranian being tried in absentia, after they were convicted of "spying for Iran" and plotting attacks in the Gulf country. The Iranian, Abdulreda Hayder, was on trial along with a group of Kuwaiti Shiites on charges of spying for Iran and hiding large quantities of arms and ammunition in underground depots. The court sentenced another defendant to life in prison and 19 were jailed for between five and 15 years, two of them in absentia. Three were acquitted and one was fined 5,000 dinars ($16,500). The defendants were also convicted of spying for Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah, smuggling in and assembling explosives, and possessing firearms and ammunition. Kuwaiti authorities said in August they had dismantled an Iran-linked cell and seized large quantities of arms, explosives and ammunition. During the trial which began in September, all 23 defendants present in court denied the charges and alleged that confessions were extracted under torture. They told the court they were beaten and given electric shocks, with interrogators threatening to kill them if they did not sign prepared confessions. The verdicts come amid deep tensions between Tehran and Gulf Arab states after Iranian protesters on January 2 torched Saudi Arabian diplomatic missions in the Shiite-dominated Islamic republic. The attacks were in anger over Riyadh`s execution of Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent cleric from the kingdom`s Shiite minority. Riyadh cut diplomatic ties with Tehran the next day and a number of its Sunni Arab allies followed suit, including Bahrain and Sudan. Other Arab countries downgraded ties or recalled their envoys from Tehran. Kuwait recalled its ambassador from Iran to protest the attacks and summoned Tehran`s ambassador to express its disapproval. Around a third of Kuwait`s native population of 1.3 million is Shiite. Another Sunni-ruled Gulf state, Bahrain, said on Wednesday that it had dismantled an Iran-linked "terror" cell that was planning attacks in the kingdom. The hearing Tuesday was held amid tight security, with armoured vehicles with mounted machineguns stationed around the Palace of Justice in Kuwait City. Only close relatives of the defendants, lawyers and journalists were allowed to attend the hearing. Iran has denied any links to the group. Mexico City: A mirror inside a closet concealed the last tunnel that Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman used to flee as marines battled his henchmen before his recapture. The house in Los Mochis, a northwestern seaside city in Guzman`s native Sinaloa state, bears the scars of Friday`s fierce pre-dawn gunfight, with dried blood on the floors. A video released by the government shows the marines firing their assault rifles and tossing smoke grenades before entering the rooms. One troop was wounded and was on the ground. "Stay calm, buddy," one marine told him. As they moved inside, they arrested one man. They screamed at a woman who was hiding in a bathroom, asking her where the kingpin was. "I don`t know, sir," she answered. When the dust settled, five gunmen were dead, one marine wounded and six suspects detained. The 58-year-old kingpin, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen. His security chief, Orso Ivan Gastelum, was also missing.The marines frantically searched the house. In one bedroom, three DVDs of the TV series "La Reina del Sur" were on a bed. The star of the show about a drug queen is Kate del Castillo, the Mexican actress who brokered the notorious October meeting between Guzman and US actor Sean Penn. The authorities found out about the clandestine meeting and nearly caught Guzman in early October. They eventually tracked him down in Los Mochis, where he arrived on the eve of the raid. The shrapnel from stun grenades was still in the main room when reporters were allowed to tour the house on Monday. Food was rotting in the kitchen. Authorities said food had been ordered for 13 people on the eve of the raid. Dried blood stains were splattered in the entrance and another room of the white house. On the second floor, there were three bedrooms, including one with evidence that a woman slept there, including lace lingerie, makeup and a hairdryer on the ground. The top floor had a patio with more bullet holes. "Guzman`s gunmen tried to flee through here," an official from the attorney general`s office said.Suspecting that Guzman had fitted the home with a tunnel, the soldiers scoured the house. They moved the refrigerator, which had bullet holes, but no tunnel was there. "Since we know that his modus operandi is tunnels, the soldiers moved the fridge to see if there was one back there," the official said. Their suspicions were justified since he used a 1.5 kilometer (one-mile) tunnel to secretly flee prison in July. Meanwhile, he had an escape hatch into drainage systems in his home in another Sinaloa city. In Los Mochis, the drug lord`s last underground escape route was in a bedroom where the bed`s mattress was nearly on the ground and men`s clothing was strewn about the floor. Inside the closet, a mirror opened into the tunnel. The wall was covered with bullet impacts. Metal steps led down to the subterranean passage, which was about two meters (6.6 feet) high and one meter (3.3 feet) wide with concrete walls and lights. The floor was covered with belt-high water, while a dead snake was spotted. The 20-meter long passage leads to a steel hatch door, which officials said opens to the city`s storm drain system. Guzman and Gastelum fled through the drainage network for about one kilometer (half a mile) until they finally popped out of a manhole. They stole a car but were finally intercepted by the marines, flown to Mexico City and taken to the same maximum-security prison that Guzman escaped from six months ago, from which he now faces extradition to the United States. Manila: The Philippine Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday a military accord with the United States was constitutional, paving the way for a greater presence of US forces in the former American colony as tensions simmer in the South China Sea. The 10-year agreement, signed in 2014 but not implemented due to legal challenges, will see more US troops rotate through the Philippines for war games and help their hosts build military facilities. Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te said the accord was upheld with a 10-4 vote, ruling that President Benigno Aquino's government had the authority to sign the pact and did not need congressional approval. The pact "is a mere implementation of existing laws and treaties," Te said. Aquino negotiated the accord to help the Southeast Asian nation improve its military capabilities and draw the United States closer, partly in a bid to counter a fast-expanding Chinese presence in disputed parts of the South China Sea close to the Philippines. US President Barack Obama also pushed hard for the Enhanced Defense Co-operation Pact (EDCA) as part of his so-called strategic "pivot" to Asia that has involved expanding American military presence in the region. However, it faced immediate legal challenges from groups opposed to US military involvement in the Philippines, a US colony from 1898 to 1946. The Philippines hosted two of the largest overseas US military bases until 1992, following a Filipino Senate vote to end their leases that was influenced by anti-US sentiment. The EDCA agreement was signed in April 2014 as Obama visited Manila, when he said it would give US forces "greater access to Filipino facilities, airfields and ports, which would remain under the control of the Philippines". Filipino officials also previously said it would allow the United States to store equipment that could be used to mobilise American forces faster -- particularly in cases of natural disasters such as the frequent typhoons that batter the archipelago nation. The Philippines and the United States are already bound by a mutual defence treaty signed in 1951 and a visiting forces agreement signed in 1998. New York: U.S. investigators will examine actor Sean Penn`s interactions with Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, two U.S. government sources said on Monday, but it is unclear if prosecutors would try to force the actor to turn over information about his interview with the recaptured drug kingpin. Mexico is pressing the U.S. government, which has requested Guzman`s extradition, to find out more about Penn`s dealings with the infamous head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, according to one U.S. government source who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the case. Rolling Stone Magazine rushed Penn`s 10,000-word article to publication on Saturday after Mexican officials captured Guzman in a dramatic raid, ending a months-long manhunt following his July escape from a maximum security prison. The only interview the drug lord is believed to have given in decades was brokered with the help of the Mexican television star Kate del Castillo. Mexico`s Attorney General on Monday said her office has an open line of investigation into Penn`s meeting with Guzman, saying their rendezvous - captured by Mexican surveillance - was an "essential" element in the drug lord`s arrest. If U.S. authorities ultimately subpoena Penn or want him to testify against Guzman, it would be difficult to force the actor to reveal facts beyond the published interview, since he could invoke "journalistic privilege," which in some cases protects reporters from divulging information about their work, said lawyers with expertise in U.S. media law. The U.S. government sources could not confirm whether or not authorities will subpoena Penn. The request to extradite Guzman to the United States to face federal charges is still at a very early stage and Mexico said the process could take years. The question of journalistic privilege has been a hotly debated topic in the United States, with federal courts disagreeing on how much reporters are protected. Representatives for Penn did not respond to a request for comment. The actor told the Associated Press in a brief email conversation that he has "nothin` to hide." Mike Vigil, former DEA chief of international operations who has been briefed on the Guzman investigation by U.S. and Mexican law enforcement, said there is a "very strong possibility that Penn and Del Castillo are going to have to testify." Beyond requiring Penn to testify or hand over information, it would be extremely unlikely that U.S. authorities would have grounds to bring criminal charges against Penn himself, the sources said. Unless Penn aided and abetted Guzman in some way, the Oscar-winning actor would not have a duty to disclose to authorities that he was talking to a fugitive, legal experts said. Khartoum: At least six people have been killed in unrest in Sudan's West Darfur, sources have said after security forces dispersed protesters outside government buildings in the state capital Geneina. The violence began Sunday when security forces broke up a rally outside government buildings by villagers from Mulli, near Geneina, who reportedly fled their homes after being surrounded by the tribe of a herder found dead nearby. "The victims were from all sides, and there are no more than six," governor Khalil al-Sharif told the private Blue Nile television station yesterday. But the leader of the Masalit ethnic group, to which the protesting villagers reportedly belonged, said 13 people died. "The losses were 13 people killed -- three from the Arab Beni Halba tribe and 10 from the Masalit, and there were 10 people wounded," Saad Bahr al-Din told Blue Nile television. The governor described the incidents as "sporadic" but said the situation was under control. Conflicting accounts of the violence emerged on Sunday. A rebel group based in the region claimed four people were killed when security forces fired on them, while a spokesman for the West Darfur government said a protest had been dispersed after three vehicles near the government buildings were torched. Villagers fled Mulli in west Darfur after an "unidentified armed group" surrounded them, according to the UN-AU mission in Darfur (UNAMID). Some sources suggested the armed men were from the tribe of the herder found dead near Mulli. The displaced villagers protested outside the government buildings, although it is unclear what their demands were before security forces cracked down. UNAMID said it had received "reports of continuous unrest and sporadic firing across Geneina and in Mulli with an undetermined number of casualties". It urged for "restraint" from all sides. It was not immediately possible to verify reports in the conflict-hit western region, where media access is strictly limited. An eyewitness said there was further unrest yesterday afternoon in Geneina after the burial of some of those killed on Sunday. Baghdad: A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle at a checkpoint north of Baghdad on Tuesday, wounding a senior intelligence officer and killing four police, security officials said. The bomber attacked the convoy of Colonel Qassem al-Anbaki, the head of police intelligence in Diyala province, at a checkpoint, Army and police officers said. The blast in the Jdaidat al-Shatt area, south of Diyala capital Baquba, also killed four policemen, including a first lieutenant, and wounded nine other police, the officers said. A doctor at Baquba General Hospital confirmed the toll. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but suicide bombings are a tactic frequently used by Sunni militants in Iraq, including the Islamic State jihadist group. The attack followed two blasts, one of them a suicide bombing, that targeted a cafe north of Baquba the day before, killing 20 people. Iraq declared victory over IS in Diyala early last year but that has not brought an end to attacks by the jihadists. IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in June 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes have since dealt the jihadists significant defeats. Yangon: Aung San Suu Kyi promised on Tuesday to use her party`s popular mandate to drive Myanmar`s peace process as she outlined a vision of a federal future to ethnic rebels who have battled for decades. She was speaking at a fresh round of talks between the government, army and ethnic minority armed groups, at which crucial economic and social issues that spurred the violence will be discussed. Those include the ownership of natural resources, seen as a major factor in conflicts that have displaced tens of thousands of people and cost countless lives. Suu Kyi, whose party won the November general election, said she was optimistic the "fighting will be finished soon" if the nation`s political standards are improved and all groups work together. "We cannot build lasting peace without national reconciliation," she said. "Now we are ready to lead the peace process, because we have the power invested in the mandate given to us by the people and ethnic minorities." It was the first time the democracy champion had taken a leading role in years-long official peace efforts. The painstaking negotiations have until now been steered by reformist President Thein Sein, who was also present at the talks in the national capital Naypyidaw. However, deep challenges remain. Some major armed groups have shunned the talks altogether and clashes are continuing in parts of the country between rebels and soldiers. Powerful Army Chief Min Aung Hlaing also spoke at the opening of the five-day talks, calling the meeting a "historic event" which could help bring "lasting peace, stability and security" for the country. Political dialogue is a central demand of the ethnic minority armies, who for generations have fought for greater autonomy in the mountainous and resource-rich borderlands. Ahead of the election, analysts predicted Suu Kyi would struggle to win support among ethnic voters because of the Nobel laureate`s majority ethnic Bamar heritage. But her National League for Democracy swept to a thumping majority across the country including the frontier regions. Suu Kyi told Tuesday`s talks that "a real democratic federal nation" was possible if all ethnic groups cooperate in a spirit of "brotherhood and respect". Observers say major stumbling blocks lie ahead, including fostering unity and negotiating the thorny issue of ownership of resources. But the most critical challenge is seen as Suu Kyi`s uneasy relationship with the nation`s still hugely powerful military, which holds the key to securing a lasting peace. The Army in part justified its fifty-year stranglehold on Myanmar with fears that ethnic divisions would fracture the nation. It rejected out of hand the concept of federalism. But federalism has gradually become a central concept in peace discussions instituted by Thein Sein`s government, which replaced outright junta rule in 2011. In October those efforts yielded a ceasefire with some rebel groups, although the agreement fell short of a binding nationwide truce. The president said Tuesday`s meeting marked the "beginning of a process to build a union based on democratic and federal principles". The former junta general, who is trying to secure his peacemaking legacy, said the conference was being held "in order to hand over the peace process to the incoming government smoothly". But several major ethnic armies, including in war-torn northern Kachin and Shan states, have refused to sign a national truce until all groups are brought into the deal -- notably smaller organisations locked in conflict with the military. Tun Zaw, spokesman for the United Nationalities Federal Council which represents six armed groups, said his organisation was boycotting the talks because they lack "inclusively". Beirut: Syria's army and allied forces on Tuesday took full control from rebel groups of the strategic town of Salma, in the northwestern province of Latakia, state television reported. In a breaking news flash, the channel said the army, backed by the pro-government National Defence Forces militia, had also seized hilltops surrounding the town. Government forces were combing the area for mines and explosive devices "left behind by terrorist groups in the buildings, streets, and squares of the town," it said. The town's recapture is a major boost for Syria's beleaguered army, which had been mostly locked in a stalemate with rebel factions in the province. Since 2012, Salma had been the main bastion for opposition groups in hilly Latakia, which remains largely controlled by government forces. Opposition forces in Latakia province -- including the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front -- are largely based in the northern and northeastern areas of Jabal Akrad and Jabal Turkman. Regime forces have fought fierce battles in recent months to retake those areas with help from Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters and from Russian air strikes. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Russia conducted more than 120 air strikes over 48 hours in support of the army's Salma offensive. Syrian troops have since September 30 been backed by an intense air campaign by Russia, a staunch ally of President Bashar al-Assad. Today, Russian strikes killed 35 civilians in the provinces of Idlib, in Syria's northwest, and Aleppo, in the north, the Observatory said. Twenty-one civilians were killed in Russian raids on Maaret al-Numan, an opposition-held town in Idlib province, it said. The toll included two paramedics, two media activists and one child. Another 14 civilians, including three children, were killed in Russian raids on Manbij, a town in Aleppo province held by the Islamic State jihadist group, the monitor said. Rights groups have condemned Russia for killing civilians in its air war, but Moscow insists it is fighting extremist groups. In comments carried by state news agency SANA today, Assad said the support of "friendly nations" like Iran and Russia had allowed Syria to fight off "terrorism". Speaking after meeting with Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, Assad said he "appreciated the positions of Iran, which supported Syria in the face of terrorism". Damascus: Syrian regime forces advanced on Tuesday into the main bastion of rebels in the northwestern province of Latakia, the coastal heartland of President Bashar al-Assad`s clan, a monitor said. Supported by pro-regime militias, fighters with Lebanese Shi`ite movement Hezbollah and intense Russian air strikes, the Army entered the town of Salma, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the British-based monitor, said pro-government forces were locked in fierce fighting with rebels including Islamist hardliners Ahrar al-Sham and al Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front. Over the past 48 hours, more than 120 air strikes by Russian warplanes targeted Salma and its outskirts, the Observatory reported. According to Syria`s state news agency SANA, army units and the pro-government National Defence Forces militia seized seven hilltops encircling Salma, then advanced into the town`s southeastern suburbs. If the government recaptures Salma, which has been held by opposition forces since July 2012, Army units would be able to push further into rebel-held territory in Jabal Akrad, Abdel Rahman said. Opposition forces in Latakia province -- including Al-Nusra -- are largely based in the northern and northeastern areas of Jabal Akrad and Jabal Turkman. Regime forces have fought fiercely in recent months to retake those areas. Since September 30, they have been backed by an intense air campaign by Russia, a staunch ally of Assad. More than 260,000 people have died since Syria`s conflict erupted in March 2011. Washington: The sale of eight new F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan has been held by the US Congress which reflects the growing anti-Pakistan sentiments on Capitol Hill . Obama administration has been keen on selling these aircrafts to Pakistan and it may ultimately succeed in scrapping the hold. The administration notified Congress of its intention to sell eight F-16s to Pakistan during the country`s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif`s visit to Washington last October, reported the Dawn. The administration also received a `hold` notice from the Senate, using the legislative process to delay the proposed sale. Lawmakers used clarification and information notices to delay the sale. Both lawmakers belong to a growing lobby in Congress which not only opposes arms sales to Pakistan but often urge the US administration to severe its ties with the country. One of the clear trends of 2015 was the rise of parties that radically challenge the consensus of traditional parties and their representatives. This trend is perhaps most visible in France and the United States but is also strong elsewhere. It will likely be a major force shaping European and global policies. A reflection on its causes is imperative to define the right policies for 2016. We should also ask what could it mean for China. One of the main drivers of this political phenomenon is arguably an increasing sense of insecurity in large parts of the middle class. Many voters for the surging parties come from middle-class or working-class backgrounds. For example, support for Donald Trump is particularly large in the income group of less than US$ 40,000, followed by the income group earning up to US$ 75,000. And while the theory of "angry-white-man" voting for Trump may fall short of a full explanation of the changing voting behavior, it is undoubtedly true that these groups of society are under pressure to preserve their status and stay in good jobs. Data published by the Pew Research Center shows that the American middle class is losing ground. The real income of the 60th percentile of a U.S. household has not changed since 2000. In France, the issue may be less one of income inequality, which has barely changed but rather a growing sense of job insecurity. And while long-term unemployment has "only" increased from 2.8 percent to 4.4 percent since 2008, the French unemployment rate has been above 7 percent for 30 years now. Youth unemployment is also stubbornly high in several European countries. What is behind these pressures and what could they mean for China? One of the key issues to examine is the future of work. The share of labor income in national income has been falling in several advanced economies and most notably in the United States. The root causes of this are subject to debate. Some argue that the decline is a result of technological change that results in loss of jobs through mechanization. Technological change undermines traditional business models through new sharing economy models. Trade integration, in turn, exposes the remaining workers to tough global competition. Political scientists have argued that there has been a shift in bargaining power toward capital. Others have highlighted that the lack of capital investment reduces the share of labor income by lowering productivity and thereby wages. Irrespective of the reasons, a falling labor share raises important questions for the future of the European welfare state. The welfare state has shielded households somewhat from the impact of increasing inequality and the risks of unemployment. Yet, the welfare state is based on taxation of labor income. With an increasing share of income going to capital, its revenue sources are under pressure while unemployment and financial crisis weigh on the spending side and erode revenues. Simple answers to these complex questions will fail, contrary to the claims of the surging parties. For example, closing borders to trade will only make imported goods more expensive and undermine our ability to export. This would be a heavy burden on many companies in France and elsewhere, destroying jobs without bringing benefits. Migrants, in turn, are not only contributing daily to our economies but they are also net contributors to public finances and aging Europe certainly needs migrants to safeguard the welfare state that is under pressure from aging. Closing borders to any immigration would seriously undermine our economic performance. But these simple answers by populists represent a real danger also for China. Already now, there is a strong sentiment that China's integration in the global economy has destroyed many jobs in the West. Numerous voices call for laxer competition policy enforcement in Europe and new trade barriers to China and other emerging economies to protect jobs at home and prevent undue social dumping. Emerging economies should certainly embrace a communication strategy in which firms exporting to Europe or the United States do not benefit from undue subsidies. The more imports from emerging economies will be perceived to result from unfair competition and social dumping, the more ground populists will gain that promise easy answers such as new trade tariffs. But of course, confronting populism is mainly a task for established parties. They should make clear that instead of easy protectionist answers that do not work, the European Union will need informed debates and forceful actions. The EU in particular needs to show that it can give answers and implement them effectively. If falling labor income is the result of a lack of capital, taxing investment would put further pressure on labor income. If, however, robots are taking our jobs, we will need to find ways to make sure that robots and their owners pay. Yet, taxing capital owners requires cooperation across countries in order to prevent companies from avoiding taxes. This is a clear example of how the EU could show its effectiveness. The EU was conceived as a way to address our common problems in a more effective way. In trade, it was designed to not only remove internal tariffs, but be a global player that can define clear social and environmental standards on imported products. In terms of mobility, internal border controls were removed to improve lives, but the adequate external border controls and better internal security cooperation were not built up. And yes, monetary union was started with inadequate structures in place and remains in need of repair and growth. In 2016, traditional parties need to deliver on the issues identified by the populists with informed answers. China and other emerging economies should watch the developments carefully as they could have large implications for their own economies and also foreshadow future domestic developments. Guntram B. Wolff is the director of Bruegel, a Brussels-based economic think tank Washington: US President Barack Obama, whose emotionally charged speech on gun control in Washington DC took everyone by surprise, has been accused of 'fake crying' by a host of the leading American channel. As per reports on Tuesday, a Fox News anchor has accused Obama of 'fake crying' during his landmark speech on introducing tougher gun control measures in the East Room of the White House on January 5. The US President was seen wiping away tears as he talked about victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting, in which 20 children had died. Later, speaking during a discussion of Obama's address on the Fox News channel, Andrea Tantaros said the leader's show of emotion was not "believable". "I would check the podium for a raw onion or some 'No More Tears'," she reportedly said. Co-host Melissa Francis also described US President's apparent show of emotion as "bad political theatre". "I feel bad about those kids in Connecticut, but it's only about this that he gets so upset about and never about terror," she reportedly said. The reactions from the two presenters came after Obama pleaded for tougher restrictions on the sale of firearms over the internet and at gun shows. When discussing the deaths of shooting victims - particularly the first-graders murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 - the President was overcome with emotion. "Our unalienable right to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness those rights were stripped from college students in Blacksburg and Santa Barbara, and from high schoolers at Columbine, and from first-graders in Newtown. First-graders," Obama said, pausing and wiping his tears. However, it is not the first time that Fox News presenters have criticised the US President. In December, analyst Lt Col Ralph Peters had called Obama a "p***y" live on air, claiming he was "afraid" to fight ISIS. Hours later, another presenter Stacey Dash said Obama "didn't give a sh*t". Eventually, both faced suspension from the channel for two weeks. The corporate logo of Ford is seen at a Ford branch in Caracas March 27, 2015. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins (Reuters) By David Shepardson (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co said on Tuesday it was declaring a $1 billion supplemental cash dividend and that it expected to have operating profit of at least $10 billion in 2016, roughly the same as its earnings in 2015. Ford shares were down about 3 percent from Tuesday's close to $12.45 in post-market trading. The Dearborn, Michigan, automaker said it expected record 2015 pre-tax profit, excluding special items, "in the upper half of Ford's guidance of $10 billion to $11 billion." Profits this year will be at least as high "excluding special items." The $1 billion supplemental cash dividend or $0.25 per share is in addition to the first quarter regular dividend of $0.15 per share, the same as in the first quarter of 2015. The $1 billion supplemental cash dividend "reflects the company's strong financial performance in 2015 and robust cash and liquidity levels." "As we close out 2015, we are benefiting from six consecutive years of consistently strong results, and our performance is allowing us to reward our shareholders," said Mark Fields, Ford president and CEO. Ford said it expected North America to sustain its strong performance in 2016 with an operating margin of 9.5 percent or higher. The company expects its Europe, Middle East & Africa, and Asia Pacific operations to all be profitable in 2016. "In 2015, we achieved a breakthrough year as promised," said Fields. "For 2016, we're looking forward to delivering another outstanding year." (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Sandra Maler) It's just platonic. One of the worlds most popular gay dating apps is now controlled by a little-known company from a conservative country. Grindr sold a 60% stake (paywall) to Beijing Kunlun Tech Company, a Chinese gaming firm, the New York Times reports. The sale values Grindr at $155 million. Given Grindrs global presence (it has users in nearly 200 countries) and name recognition, its low-key buyer might seem puzzling. Kunlun is not household name in China, or even in its tech industry, but the company has made enough money in games to pivot towards global venture capital. Founded in 2008 by Zhou Yahui, Kunlun first distributed online games in China. Like its competitors, including the giant Tencent, it specialized in free-to-play, browser-based MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing games) titles popular among Chinas internet-cafe dwellers, with names like Eden Eternal and Glory Destiny Online. Eden Eternal (Aeria Games) The company started exporting titles to games portals in Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia in 2009, according to an interview Zhou gave Sina Tech (link in Chinese) and now partners with Rovio, makers of the Angry Birds series, and Supercell, best known for Clash of the Clans. During the third quarter of 2015, Kunlun made $64 million in operating revenue (.pdf, link in Chinese), according to an earnings release Kunlun is perhaps better known in China for its wildly successful IPO on Shenzhens ChiNext board. After listing in January 2015, the stocks price skyrocketed 75% in two days, increasing Zhous net worth to $1.7 billion, making him a new member of the China rich list. He is now worth $2.8 billion. Chinas gay dating and hookup scene, meanwhile, is still in its nascent stages, as is the gaymer communitybut the countrys massive population means theres huge potential. Blued, a social app for gay men, founded by a former police officer, has 3 million daily active users, a million more than Grindr. Story continues Grindr founder Joel Simkhai called the deal a a huge vote of confidence in our vision to connect gay men to even more of the world around them, in a blog post. By investing in Grindr, Kunlun is following in the footsteps of many Chinese internet companies: Tencent owns stakes in Snapchat, for example, and Alibaba funded mobile messenger Tango. Zhou has a wife (link in Chinese), so those wondering whether hes the next gay Chinese tech mogul (after Blued founder Geng Le) will probably be disappointed. Will Tao, an analyst who follows on Chinas internet, says that Grindrs business model could help Kunlun learn how to attract more users. Gay people spend more time engaged with apps than other user groups, Tao said, and they have closer relationships to other people. That information can be useful to game developers. Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief, our free daily newsletter with the worlds most important and interesting news. More stories from Quartz: By Taro Fuse TOKYO (Reuters) - A $3 billion restructuring plan for Japanese electronics firm Sharp Corp is likely to be finalised as early as this week, a person with direct knowledge of the discussions said on Tuesday. State-backed fund Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) is leading the bailout, which would be Sharp's third major package in three years, and would invest more than 200 billion yen ($1.7 billion) in the plan, the source added, confirming earlier media reports. The Osaka-based company is also asking Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ and Mizuho Bank to convert about 150 billion yen ($1.3 billion) of existing loans into preferred shares, said the source, who declined to be named as the discussions remained confidential. Sharp said in a statement it is in talks with various companies about LCD business but no decision have been reached, while spokesmen for the banks, units of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc and Mizuho Financial Group Inc, declined to comment. Sharp shares surged nearly 8 percent in early trade on reports of the bailout but ended morning trade down 0.9 percent. INCJ, tasked with helping to revive Japan's once-cutting edge consumer electronics sector, would merge Sharp's liquid-crystal display business with that of Japan Display Inc, the source said. INCJ is the biggest shareholder in Japan Display and a spokesman for the company declined to comment on the matter. An INCJ representative could not immediately be reached. Despite a $1.7 billion rescue in May, Sharp has shown few signs of a turnaround as it and other Japanese consumer electronics makers struggle to compete against the likes of Samsung Electronics Co and more nimble Asian rivals. Sharp has also received an investment offer from Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, also known as Foxconn, people with knowledge of the matter said last month. These sources have also cited private equity interest, and the Nikkei business daily has named U.S. buyout fund KKR & Co as a potential investor. (Reporting by Taro Fuse; Additional reporting by Makiko Yamazaki and Taiga Uranaka; Writing by William Mallard; Editing by Miral Fahmy) By Allison Lampert MONTREAL (Reuters) - A minister from the car-making Canadian province of Ontario wants to work with the U.S. state of Michigan to fend off rivals in southern United States and Mexico and boost the Great Lakes region's industry profile, he said on Monday. Ontario Economic Development Minister Brad Duguid said in a phone interview en route to the Detroit auto show that he would like to discuss a possible partnership with Michigan Governor Rick Snyder if they meet there. All major U.S. automakers are based in the Great Lakes region around the U.S.-Canadian border, where labor costs are higher than in Mexico. "This is in response I think to misconceptions that we've seen about the Great Lakes auto cluster," he said. "Some have been left with the impression that there are more automobiles being built in Mexico or the Deep South than there are in the Great Lakes region and that's simply not the case." A spokesperson for the state of Michigan was not immediately reachable for comment. Three major automotive research firms, AutoForecast Solutions, IHS Automotive and LMC Automotive, project that General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will dramatically increase their Mexican output of small cars by 2020. U.S. automakers pay their workers in Mexico $8 to $10 an hour, including benefits, data from the U.S.-based Center for Automotive Research show. GM's average labor cost per hour is $58, Ford's is $57, and Fiat Chrysler's is $48 because it has more workers earning the lower, entry-level wage. Canada's share of North American manufacturing of cars and light trucks has fallen since the 2009 financial crisis. Mexico's auto production rose 5.6 percent while exports climbed 4.4 percent in 2015 over the prior year, the Mexican Auto Industry Association (AMIA) said on Monday. The auto sector makes up about 30 percent of Mexico's exports. (Reporting by Allison Lampert; Editing by Richard Chang) [A still image from a video released by the Taliban shows Colin Rutherford in captivity. The Toronto man has been freed, Global Affairs Canada said Monday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO] The federal government announced Monday that a 31-year-old Canadian man, who was taken hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan in February 2011, has been freed. Canada is very pleased that efforts undertaken to secure the release of Colin Rutherford from captivity have been successful, Global Affairs Minister Stephane Dion said in a statement. We look forward to Mr. Rutherford being able to return to Canada and reunite with his family and loved ones. With the news that Rutherford of Toronto has been released, Yahoo Canada News looked at some other high-profile kidnappings of Canadians abroad. [PHOTO COURTESY: Reuters] Robert Hall and John Ridsdel remain captive in the Philippines after being seized by a group of gunman in September. Risdel, 68, a former mining executive, and Hall, believed to be 50, were among those fleeing armed intruders whod stormed the Holiday Ocean View Samal Resort on Samal Island. They were abducted along with a Filipino woman identified as Teresita Flor and Kjartan Sekkingstad, the Norwegian manager of the marina and resort complex. SITE Intelligence Group, a U.S.-based site that monitors jihadi websites, reported in October that the Abu Sayyaf militants claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and demanded about $20 million US ransom for each of the hostages. The Canadian government recommends a high degree of caution for anyone travelling to this part of the Philippines due the serious threat of terrorist attacks and kidnapping. [PHOTO COURTESY: Euronews] Ottawa native Joshua Boyle, 30, and his pregnant wife, American Caitlan Coleman, 28, were abducted by the Taliban in Afghanistan in late 2012. Boyles parents received two videos in 2013 in which the couple asks the U.S. government for help to free them and their newborn child. The Boyles released the videos publicly in 2014, but officials said they held no clues that could help locate the missing family. Story continues U.S. Lt.-Col. Jason Amerine told a U.S. Senate hearing last June that Boyle and Coleman were being held captive in Pakistan. He discovered the civilian hostages during the course of a mission to obtain the release of U.S. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, whod been captured by Afghan insurgents in 2009. I used every resource available but I failed them, said Amerine, who was court martialed for criticizing the governments hostage-recovery efforts. [PHOTO COURTESY: Radio-Canada] Freelance journalist Amanda Lindhout, of Alberta, along with Australian photojournalist Nigel Brennan and their Somali interpreter were kidnapped in August 2008 by Islamist insurgents in southern Somalia. They were released 15 months later after their families reportedly paid ransom. Lindhout said she was raped and tortured by her captors, and was treated for acute malnourishment after her release. Her memoir, A House in the Sky, has been optioned for a feature film starring Rooney Mara as Lindhout. Last June, the RCMP announced they had arrested Ali Omar Ader, in Ottawa, for his alleged involvement in the hostage-taking of Lindhout and Brennan. [Louis Guay, left, and Robert Fowler. PHOTO COURTESY: Radio-Canada] Canadian diplomats Robert Fowler and Louis Guay were seized, along with their driver, in Niger in December 2008, where theyd been assigned to broker a deal between the government and ethnic minority Tuaregs. Al-Qaida claimed responsibility for the attack, but the government blamed a rebel group of Tuaregs, who retracted an initial statement claiming to be behind it. The two men were freed four months later, though it was unclear how their release was secured. Their UN driver, Soumana Moukaila, had been freed a month earlier. Networking & Wireless Ramping Up for the 2016 Mobile Explosion With Wave 1 and Wave 2 How two colleges are preparing for this year's mobile demands. This month, hundreds of thousands of students are returning to campus loaded down with the latest in laptops, tablets, smartphones, smart watches, print devices and video game systems. Most of the devices are mobile and students expect the campus network to support all of their devices. Will they be delighted or frustrated when everything is hooked up and ready to go? Lorraine Abraham, CIO and library director of Emory and Henry College (VA), is not taking any chances. "We're replacing the entire network infrastructure," she said, noting that E&H will be fully prepared by installing the latest WiFi technology: 802.11ac Wave 2. "When you only upgrade every eight years," she asserted, "you have to get the latest and greatest." E&H decided to start now by installing the technology of the future some of which will not come into play for about a year. With a campus that's small (1,100 students) and remote ("Our neighbors are cows") in the beautiful Appalachian Highlands, E&H has to work harder to accommodate its students 85 percent of whom live on campus. Sean O'Connor, assistant CIO for Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA), is also opting for Wave 2, but for different reasons. "We want to be more agile for students and faculty," O'Conner said. "We're upgrading to support the mission of our school. Since we are a technical-based university, our students, faculty and staff expect this type of leading-edge service. This generation of students [about 4,200 undergrad and 1,900 grad students] expects mobile connectivity everywhere. They want the Wow' factor, and we want to have them excited about what we're doing." He added, "It's what you can do with mobile devices that makes the difference." 802.11ac is well on its way to becoming the standard for next-generation WiFi. The gigabit speed, improved capacity and reliability that 802.11ac brings to wireless LANs (WLANs) are essential as mobile users, devices and application usage continue to grow rapidly. Going forward, both Abraham and O'Connor agree that 802.11ac is the most relevant wireless out there. Whether it's Wave 1 (now up and running), Wave 2 (just coming over the horizon) or a combination of the two, it's critical that the infrastructure catch up with the proliferation of devices. "Technology is a support mechanism," O'Connor noted. "With the new technology in place, we can give both students and faculty a better product." Wave 1 vs. Wave 2 In terms of deciding between Wave 1 and Wave 2, "the solution is timing," according to Christian Gilby, director of product marketing for enterprise networking provider Aruba. "The Wave 2 certification program isn't available yet from the WiFi Alliance. I expect Aruba to start the certification of access points (APs) in early 2016, but it will be six months until there are a good number of Wave 2 clients from smartphone, tablet and laptop manufacturers." He suggested that schools invest their dollars in Wave 2 APs today: "This way, you can get all the benefits of Wave 1 now and be ready to take advantage of Wave 2 when clients become available." "Our students have never lived in a world without broadband," said Abraham. "They see it as a utility rather than as a luxury. When students complained about access, we went to a gig which was overwhelming to our network. Even though it was faster, it slowed down our outmoded network. As of the end of the calendar year, we're going to 2 gigs." "We started the process about a year-and-a-half ago," commented O'Connor. "Our users were wanting more and more connectivity. Mobility was becoming bigger, and we wanted to be more agile for both students and faculty. We doubled our structure, going from 700 APs to 1,450." The upgrade includes all residence halls, classrooms, academic buildings and Greek houses on the network. O'Connor noted that the old network had problems supporting students in classes. "Most students have two to three devices on them," he said. "It was not a good experience in the classroom. Now, after about a year mapping out the infrastructure, the bandwidth and the mobility are there for them." He added that his institution plans to use Wave 2 in classrooms, student gathering places (such as the rec center and student center) and in places that host major events, such as Career Fair. (Beijing) Thousands of taxi drivers in the eastern city of Nanjing are striking to demand that fees they have to pay their companies be cut. The strike started on January 8 when a small group of drivers walked off the job. By the evening of January 10, about 13,000 drivers, or about two-thirds of those in Nanjing, had joined the labor action, the drivers said. The strike was still going on as of January 12, and several residents of Nanjing said that it had become very difficult to hail a taxi. The city's transport authorities have not responded to inquiries from Caixin over how they will deal with the problem. One driver said that the goal of the strike is to pressure government-backed taxi companies to cut the license fees drivers are charged each month. Drivers need to pay their employers more than 3,700 yuan in licensing fees each month, and this charge, on top of expenses for gas and repairs, was becoming onerous, he said. Taxi drivers are only making 4,000 yuan a month even if they work over 10 hours a day, seven days a week, he said. The driver also said the strikers want the government to crack down on private drivers offering rides via car-hire apps backed by big Internet companies like Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. because they are eating into taxi drivers' earnings. Services such as Didi-Kuaidi that link private drivers to passengers are gaining in popularity among young people in large cities, but have angered drivers who complain they are losing money. Such strikes have broken out in several cities around China, including in Shenyang, in the northeast, and Shenzhen, in the south, since early last year. Officials in Shenzhen recently ended a walkout by offering a monthly subsidy. Thousands of taxi drivers also went on a three-day strike in Nanjing in January last year over the car-hailing apps. The strike ended when taxi companies agreed to waive a small monthly fee drivers had to pay. (Rewritten by Li Rongde) By calling for a 4 percent tax surcharge on Americans making more than $5 million a year, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton appears more determined about forcing the very richest in the country to pay more in taxes than engineering major tax reform that would affect Americans across the board. Clintons proposal would raise an estimated $15 billion a year over the coming decade by targeting a tiny fraction of 1 percent of the wealthiest taxpayers. Her chief rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, has vowed to raise trillions of dollars in tax revenue over the coming decade to fund free college tuition and expand Social Security benefits. Related: Clinton's Capital Gains Tax Plan Aims At Long-Term Investment Echoing billionaire investor Warren Buffetts rule of thumb that Americans making more than $2 million a year should pay a tax rate of at least 30 percent, Clintons proposed surtax would nick tax filers with adjusted incomes of over $5 million with a tax rate of as much as 43.6 percent on income from wages, businesses and partnerships, and between 27.8 percent and 47.4 percent on capital gains, according to an analysis by the non-partisan Tax Foundation. While potentially tens of millions of middle and upper income taxpayers would be impacted by Sanders federal tax proposals, which have yet to be formally unveiled, only about 35,000 of the wealthiest taxpayers would be hit by Clintons proposed new top tax bracket, according to the Tax Foundation. Sanders has hinted he will propose a large increase in the top marginal income-tax rate, now 39.6 percent. He has also proposed slightly increasing the payroll tax rate to cover expanded Social Security benefits, which means that even low-income families would have to pay more. Internal Revenue Service data show that the top 400 taxpayers who made an average income of $265 million in 2013 paid a 22.9 percent federal income tax rate, up from 16.7 percent in 2012, according to Bloomberg. Clintons surtax proposal would build on increases advocated by the Obama administration that took effect in 2013. Story continues Bernie Sanders $18 Trillion Price Tag If Elected President Hillary is talking about raising taxes on a small subset of 1 percent of taxpayers. Bernie Sanders is talking about taxing just about everyone. Its a huge difference in scale, Alan Cole, an economist with the Tax Foundation, said on Tuesday. Moreover, the wealthiest Americans can afford clever tax lawyers and accountants to find ways to blunt the impact of the proposed surtax. And there is no indication that Clintons proposal would be accompanied by reductions in a myriad of tax loopholes and write-offs that would help many keep their adjusted tax income below $5 million. Clintons push to raise the top tax rate for the wealthiest people in the country comes as Sanders continues to gain momentum in his challenge to her for the Democratic presidential nomination. The latest polls show the Vermont senator leading Clinton in Iowa and New Hampshire, the sites of next months first presidential caucuses and primary election. This is Clintons second major proposal on taxes. Last July, she proposed a change in the top capital gains tax rate to foster long-term growth. Related: The Pros and Cons of Bernie Sanders $50 Billion Tax Idea Clinton embraced the so-called Buffett Rule last December, when she held a joint campaign appearance with Warren Buffett in Omaha, Nebraska. Taken together, the Buffett Rule and Clintons 4 percent surtax would have the effect of significantly raising top earners taxes on capital gains, which are currently taxed at 23.8 percent top rate, according to Bloomberg. The rate was 28 percent when former President Bill Clinton took office in 1993, but was cut to 20 percent during his presidency. Clinton said a change in the federal tax code that favors nurses and truck drivers over hedge fund managers could pay for job, infrastructure, and health-research initiatives, according to Bloomberg, but Sanders and his aides say her plan isnt bold enough. At a time of grotesque income and wealth inequality and when trillions of dollars have been transferred from the middle class to the top one-tenth of 1 percent over the last 30 years, Secretary Clintons proposal is too little too late, Sanders campaign spokesman Michael Briggs said in a statement. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: Each will deal with a key area of development. The newly formed Committee on the Future Economy (CFE) in its first meeting agreed on the establishment of five subcommittees to each oversee one key area of Singapores future economic development, according to a press release by the Ministry of Trade and Industry. To take a deep dive into these five areas of work, the CFE will set up five subcommittees. For a wider range of expert views, the subcommittees will draw in additional representatives from both the private and public sectors. Each subcommittee will be co-chaired by a Minister and a private sector CFE member, the release stated. The first subcommittee is Future Corporate Capabilities and Innovation Subcommittee, under Minister of Finance Heng Kee Sweat and Singapore Business Federation Chairman Teo Siong Seng. The second is Future Growth Industries and Markets, headed by Minister for Trade and Industry S. Iswaran and K8 Global President and McKinsey & Company Senior Advisor Jean-Luc Botel. The third is Future of Connectivity, under Prime Ministers Office Minister and National Trades Union Congress Secretary-General Chan Chun Sing, and The Boston Consulting Group Partner and Singapore Managing Director Mariam Jaafar. The fourth is Future Jobs and Skills, headed by Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong, and PSA International Group CEO Tan Chong Meng. The last is Future Jobs and Skills, under Acting Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung and Singtel Country Chief Officer and Group Enterprise CEO Bill Chang. More From Singapore Business Review (Beijing) The government of the northwestern region of Ningxia has launched a campaign to ensure that companies pay their migrant workers on time, a move that comes days after a construction worker who said he didn't get paid for work done started a fire on a bus that killed 17 people. Ningxia's government said in a statement on its website that it held a meeting on January 8 to discuss ways to make sure companies give migrant workers their salaries before Spring Festival, when many return home for family reunions. The holiday also known as Chinese New Year runs from Feb 7 to 13 this year. Companies that fail to pay their employees will be subject to criminal punishment, the government of Ningxia said. The law allows for offenders to be punished with fines or jail terms of up to seven years. On January 5, a construction worker named Ma Yongping complained on social media he had not been paid for work he did and that his complaints were ignored by local officials. Shortly after posting the complaint, Ma set a fire on a public bus in Yinchuan, Ningxia's capital, that killed 17 people and injured 33 others. Ma, who had come from a neighboring city to find work, was later caught and admitted to the arson attack. Officials in Yinchuan later said he had been paid and the government never got any complaints from him. The government of Ningxia said it identified 27 construction companies that delayed salary payments to migrant workers in the first 10 months of last year. The firms cannot bid on government projects as punishment. A slowing economy means some factory bosses are running out of money and building projects are sitting idle. Yinchuan's government said in a report on a meeting on December 15 that it dealt with more than 500 cases of unpaid wages in the first 11 months of last year, 22.3 percent more than in the same period of 2014. The cases involved 10,000 migrant workers who were owed 1.48 billion yuan. The Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region is one of China's poorer provinces and regions. The government has said 1 million of the region's 6.6 million people live in poverty. (Rewritten by Chen Na) WOODLAND PARK, N.J., Jan. 12, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For the third consecutive year, Berkeley College has been ranked among the Best Colleges for Online Bachelor's Degree Programs by U.S. News & World Report. Berkeley College was ranked among the top 100 schools nationwide, at No. 92 in online education. Berkeley College is the only college in New Jersey, and one of eight colleges based in New York, to make the top 100 portion of the list. "By publicizing best practices in distance learning, U.S. News & World Report allows employers to greater appreciate the innovative opportunities offered by online degree programs," said Michael J. Smith, President of Berkeley College. "Berkeley College is proud to be recognized for its efforts in supporting students in their journeys to graduation and meaningful careers." Matt Rodriguez of Manhattan, NY, is one such student, who expects to graduate this year with a degree in Health Services Management. To read more about his story, click here. Today, Berkeley College students, faculty and staff will gather at the Berkeley College Online offices in Clifton, NJ, to celebrate the accomplishment. Colleges are ranked on factors such as student engagement; faculty credentials and training; student services and technology; and peer reputation. Berkeley College began offering online courses in 1998 and online degrees in 2003. In the 2015 Fall Quarter, more than 2,900 students were enrolled in at least one online course. More than 190 undergraduate and graduate courses were offered. To date nearly 2,500 students have graduated with online degrees. The average age of a student enrolled in an undergraduate degree program at Berkeley College Online is 30 years In addition to being ranked in the Best Online Bachelor's Degree Program category, the College also made the 2014 and 2015 U.S. News & World Report lists for Best Online Programs for Veterans. Eight percent of those enrolled are military or veterans students. Sixteen percent of all Berkeley College students are earning their degrees fully online. To view the full rankings, click here. To read more about the methodology used by U.S. News & World Report, click here. A leader in providing career-focused education since 1931, Berkeley College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and enrolls approximately 8,300 students including more than 700 international students in its Baccalaureate and Associate degree and Certificate programs. Students can study in more than 20 career fields. Berkeley College is comprised of the Larry L. Luing School of Business, the School of Professional Studies, the School of Health Studies, and the School of Liberal Arts. The School of Graduate Studies offers a Master of Business Administration degree in Management online and in Woodland Park, NJ. Berkeley College has three New York locations Midtown Manhattan, Brooklyn and White Plains. In New Jersey there are six locations Clifton, Dover, Newark, Paramus, Woodbridge and Woodland Park. Berkeley College Online serves a global population. In January 2016, U.S. News & World Report named Berkeley College one of the Best Colleges for Online Bachelor's Degrees for the third consecutive year. The website address is www.BerkeleyCollege.edu. Photo Caption: Berkeley College President Michael J. Smith and Berkeley College Online Campus Operating Officer Sharon Goldstein celebrate the third consecutive year Berkeley College is ranked among the Best Colleges for Online Degree Programs by U.S. News & World Report. Watch the Video: Click here to watch as Berkeley College announces its latest accolade in online learning from U.S. News & World Report. A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=38427 Unification Minister Hyun In-taek on Tuesday admitted that the fiber optic cables South Korea provided have made it more difficult to spy on North Korea. Hyun was answering a question from a lawmaker at a session of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee. "I understand that there is a problem or a loophole" in South Korea's intelligence-gathering ability, he said. Grand National Party lawmaker Chung Jin-suk expressed worries that South Korea's ability to gather intelligence was weakened by fiber optic cables which the South Korean government supplied to the North in the past. "I suspect that some of the 45 km-long fiber optic cables may have been diverted to lay a communications network between frontline Army units in the North," he said. Hyun said Seoul has "no plan as of now to comply with an additional request from the North for more fiber optic cables." The South Korean government sent 20 km, 15 km and 2 km-long copper cables to the North in 2002, 2005 and 2007, which were meant to be used for inter-Korean military communications. Last year, the South supplied the North with 45 km-long fiber optic cables, two sets of optical termination equipment, and two sets of optical measuring instruments. Under an agreement, a 25 km portion was supposed to be laid on the east coast, and another 20 km portion on the west coast. It is difficult to wiretap a network of fiber optic cables, Chung said. "We haven't checked yet whether the cables were used simply for the inter-Korean military communications network or for the expansion of a new communications network for frontline units," Chung said. He said if copper cables were replaced with fiber optic cables, then that would make intelligence gathering much more difficult in cases like the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan, where there is a suspicion of North Korean involvement. A humanitarian operation to deliver food, medicine and blankets is underway in three Syrian towns where sieges by pro-government forces and rebel fighters have left people to die of starvation. An International Red Cross spokesman said the convoys entered Madaya, close to the Lebanon border, and Fuaa and Kafraya in Idlib province near Syria's border with Turkey on Monday. Rebels control Madaya, and for months pro-government forces have blockaded the town of about 42,000 people; Madaya last received food assistance in October. The UN and Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say people have died of starvation. Aid group Doctors Without Borders added five people to that growing list on Sunday. Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the London-based SOHR, told Arab media that 49 aid trucks are heading to the opposition town of Madaya and 21 others are heading to the government towns of Kafraya and Foua. "Madaya is now effectively an open-air prison for an estimated 20,000 people, including infants, children, and elderly," Doctors Without Borders Director of Operations Brice de le Vingne said in a statement by the organization last week. He shot to fame with 1969's "Space Oddity," the lyrics of which summed up the loneliness of the Cold War space race and coincided with the Apollo landing on the moon: "Ground Control to Major Tom. Take your protein pills and put your helmet on ... For here am I sitting in my tin can. Far above the world. Planet Earth is blue. And there's nothing I can do." Bowie was known for his gender-bending dress and for his refusal to be pigeon-holed in any one musical genre, experimenting with glam rock, hard rock, dance, pop, soul and punk. His Facebook and Twitter accounts say he died peacefully Sunday "surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with cancer." On Friday, the iconic musician turned 69 and released "Blackstar," his 25th album. Inventive to the end, Bowie mixed rock and jazz on the album, which critics hailed as his best work in years. Ziggy Stardust Three years later, he released "The Rise of Ziggy Stardust and Spiders from Mars," which introduced one of music's most famous personas: the red-headed, androgynous, eyeliner-wearing Stardust, who would become an enduring part of Bowie's legacy. He was born David Jones in south London two years after the end of World War Two. But, to avoid confusion with the Monkees' Davy Jones, he later changed his name to David Bowie, according to Rolling Stone. Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust" gave way to the stuttering rock sound of "Changes," to the disco soul of "Young Americans," co-written with John Lennon, to a droning collaboration with Brian Eno in Berlin that produced "Heroes." Some of his biggest successes occurred in the early 1980s, with the "Let's Dance, Under Pressure," which he recorded with Queen, and a massive American tour. 'High Points of One's Life' "My entire career, I've only really worked with the same subject matter. The trousers may change, but the actual words and subjects I've always chosen to write with are things to do with isolation, abandonment, fear and anxiety -- all of the high points of one's life," he told The Associated Press in a 2002 interview. Bowie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. He also co-wrote the musical "Lazarus," which is finishing its run on Broadway this month. He kept a low profile in recent years after reportedly suffering a heart attack in 2004. However, he was to be honored with a concert at Carnegie Hall in March. Bowie is survived by his wife, the model Iman, and two children. By Maximiliano Rizzi and Richard Lough BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentine police commandos recaptured two of the country's most notorious convicts in a rice mill plant on Monday, ending a 15-day manhunt through backwater towns and flooded farm land in an episode underscoring the power of Argentina's narco gangs. Victor Schillaci and brothers Martin and Cristian Lanatta, who are convicted of drugs-related killings, escaped from jail on Dec. 27 in a prison break that raised concerns about how drug bosses had infiltrated political circles and the security forces. Crack police nabbed Martin Lanatta on Saturday, but his brother and Schillaci slipped through the dragnet, heaping embarrassment on President Mauricio Macri who had publicly celebrated the capture of all three. They were finally cornered near the farming town of Cayasta in Santa Fe, 570 km (354 miles) north of the capital Buenos Aires, and appeared to have surrendered without a struggle. In Santa Fe, Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said their capture marked the start of the new government's investigation into the ties of organized crime. "This is just the beginning of a task which will take us many years," Bullrich told a news conference. "Our responsibility is to look into these networks of complicity within politics, the judiciary, and security forces." The 15-day hunt had gripped the Argentine nation and news that it is over will ease pressure on Macri, who was left red faced after false information led officials to announce the search was over while two of the men remained on the loose. TV channels broadcast a photograph of the two men, seated on the ground in scruffy clothing, with their hands behind their backs. 'TRIPLE MURDER' The three men were serving life sentences for the 2008 killing of three businessmen in the pharmaceutical industry, allegedly linked to an ephedrine trafficking gang. The high-profile case was dubbed "The triple murder." Ephedrine is used for the production of methamphetamine. The search has focused attention on the growing muscle of drug gangs in Argentina, which drug-enforcement officials say has become an increasingly important transit point for the smuggling of South American drugs to Europe and the Americas. Prosecutors said they had launched an investigation into whether narco gangs helped the three men in their prison break. Macri, who took office on Dec. 10, last week accused the leftist government of former President Cristina Fernandez of "inaction or even complicity" with drug traffickers. TV footage over the weekend showed security agents wading waist deep through flooded fields and raiding properties as hundreds of police intensified their search, backed by forces in boats and helicopters. Earlier, Martin Lanatta declined to make a statement to a state prosecutor. (Additional reporting by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Bernadette Baum) Rome (AFP) - An American woman whose body was found in her Florence flat was strangled, the official in charge of the murder probe said Tuesday after a postmortem was carried out overnight. Florence's chief prosecutor Giuseppe Creazzo also said autopsy had not given any indication that Ashley Olsen, 35, had struggled with her killer, according to the AGI news agency. The outcome of the autopsy is expected to strengthen investigators' theory that Olsen, an artist and event organiser who lived in the Tuscan city, knew her attacker. Police found no evidence of a break-in when her naked body was found at noon on Saturday, more than 24 hours after she was last seen by friends at a late-night bar in the early hours of Friday morning. Her body was discovered by boyfriend Federico Fiorentini, an Italian artist, who is also her landlord. He reportedly raised the alarm after becoming concerned he had not heard from her for three days after the pair had rowed. Fiorentini provided police with an alibi on Monday and is not under investigation, Italian press reports said. The autopsy was unable to establish the precise time of death with the experts putting it between the early hours of Friday and Saturday morning. The prosecutor has ordered further tests to establish whether Olsen had had sex prior to her death and whether she had taken any drugs. The murder investigation has generated a high level of interest in Italy and beyond following a lengthy legal saga surrounding another American expat in Italy, Amanda Knox, who was acquitted last year of involvement in the 2007 murder of her British flatmate Meredith Kercher. By Ayla Jean Yackley ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A suicide bomber thought to have crossed recently from Syria killed at least 10 people, most of them German tourists, in Istanbul's historic heart on Tuesday, in an attack Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu blamed on Islamic State. All of those killed in Sultanahmet square, near the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia - major tourist sites in the center of one of the world's most visited cities - were foreigners, Davutoglu said. A senior Turkish official said nine were German, while Peru's foreign ministry said a Peruvian man also died. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber was believed to have recently entered Turkey from Syria but was not on Turkey's watch list of suspected militants. He said earlier that the bomber had been identified from body parts at the scene and was thought to be a Syrian born in 1988. Davutoglu said he had spoken by phone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to offer condolences and vowed Turkey's fight against Islamic State, at home and as part of the U.S.-led coalition, would continue. "Until we wipe out Daesh, Turkey will continue its fight at home and with coalition forces," he said in comments broadcast live on television, using an Arabic name for Islamic State. He vowed to hunt down and punish those linked to the bomber. Merkel similarly vowed no respite in the fight against international terrorism, telling a news conference in Berlin: "The terrorists are the enemies of all free people ... of all humanity, be it in Syria, Turkey, France or Germany." There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Islamist, leftist and Kurdish militants, who are battling Ankara in southeast Turkey, have all carried out attacks in the past. Several bodies lay on the ground in the square, also known as the Hippodrome of Constantinople, in the immediate aftermath of the blast. It was not densely packed at the time of the explosion, according to a police officer working there, but small groups of tourists had been wandering around. "This incident has once again shown that as a nation we should act as one heart, one body in the fight against terror. Turkey's determined and principled stance in the fight against terrorism will continue to the end," President Tayyip Erdogan told a lunch for Turkish ambassadors in Ankara. Norway's foreign ministry said one Norwegian man was injured and was being treated in hospital. The White House condemned the "heinous attack" and pledged solidarity with NATO ally Turkey against terrorism. U.N. Secretary Ban Ki-moon said he hoped those responsible for "this despicable crime" were swiftly brought to justice. Turkey, a candidate for accession to the European Union, is part of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State fighters who have seized territory in neighboring Syria and Iraq, some of it directly abutting Turkey. "UNIMAGINABLE" SCENE The dull thud of Tuesday's blast was heard in districts of Istanbul several kilometers away, residents said. Television footage showed a police car which appeared to have been overturned by the force of the blast. "We heard a loud sound and I looked at the sky to see if it was raining because I thought it was thunder but the sky was clear," said Kuwaiti tourist Farah Zamani, 24, who was shopping at one of the covered bazaars with her father and sister. Tourist sites including the Hagia Sophia and nearby Basilica Cistern were closed on the governor's orders, officials said. "They attacked Sultanahmet to grab attention because this is what the world thinks of when it thinks of Turkey," said Kursat Yilmaz, who has operated tours for 25 years from an office by the square. "We're not surprised this happened here, this has always been a possible target," he said. Ambulances ferried away the wounded as police cordoned off streets. The sound of the call to prayer rang out from the Blue Mosque as forensic police officers worked at the scene. "It was unimaginable," the police officer who had been working on the square said, describing an amateur video he had seen of the immediate aftermath, with six or seven bodies lying on the ground and other people seriously wounded. Just over a year ago, a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a police station for tourists off the same square, killing one officer. That attack was initially claimed by a far-left group, the DHKP-C, but officials later said it had been carried out by a woman with suspected Islamist militant links. TURKEY A TARGET Turkey has become a target for Islamic State, with two bombings last year blamed on the radical Sunni Muslim group, in the town of Suruc near the Syrian border and in the capital Ankara, the latter killing more than 100 people. Violence has also escalated in the mainly Kurdish southeast since a two-year ceasefire collapsed in July between the state and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has been fighting for three decades for Kurdish autonomy. The PKK has however generally avoided attacking civilian targets in urban centers outside the southeast in recent years. Turkey also sees a threat from the PYD and YPG, Kurdish groups in Syria which are fighting Islamic State with U.S. backing, but which Ankara says have close links to the PKK. "For us, there is no difference between the PKK, PYD, YPG, DHKP-C ... or whatever their abbreviation may be. One terrorist organization is no different than the other," Erdogan said, vowing that Turkey's military campaign against Kurdish militants in the southeast would continue. Davutoglu's office imposed a broadcasting ban on the blast, invoking a law which allows for such steps when there is the potential for serious harm to national security or public order. The attack raised fears of further damage to Turkey's vital tourism industry, already hit by a diplomatic row with Moscow which has seen Russian tour operators cancel trips. But Yilmaz, the tour operator, said he had sold a package to a tourist from Colombia just an hour after the blast. "The reality is the world has grown accustomed to terrorism. It's unfortunate, and I wish it weren't true, but terrorism now happens everywhere," he said. "The agenda changes quickly in this age. If tourism is affected by this, it will be temporary. These things pass, but the Hagia Sophia and the Sultanahmet mosque are eternal." (Additional reporting by Orhan Coskun and Ece Toksabay in Ankara, Humeyra Pamuk, Daren Butler and Melih Aslan in Istanbul, Madeline Chambers in Berlin and Joachim Dagenborg in Oslo; Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by David Stamp and Gareth Jones) By Kim Palmer CLEVELAND (Reuters) - An Ohio man wanted for drunk driving, unsatisfied with his police mug shot, sent them a photo he felt was more flattering. Donald "Chip" Pugh, 45, posted a photo of himself wearing sunglasses in a car after he saw the two mug shots the Lima, Ohio, police department had posted on its Facebook page. "Here is a better photo that one is terrible," Pugh wrote when he sent in the selfie. The police last week posted the mug shots after an arrest warrant was issued following Pugh's failure to appear in court on a misdemeanor drunk driving charge. Pugh is a person of interest in several other cases including an arson and vandalism. Pugh's post quickly captured the attention of police. "This photo was sent to us by Mr. Pugh himself. We thank him for being helpful, but now we would appreciate it if he would come speak to us at the LPD about his charges," the police said on Facebook. Police said Pugh, who could not be reached for comment, is still at large. (Additional reporting by Fiona Ortiz in Chicago; Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Matthew Lewis) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate will soon consider a bill to impose sanctions on North Korea following its test of a nuclear device, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday. "We anticipate that it will come out of the Foreign Relations Committee very soon, and I intend to schedule floor time on it shortly," McConnell told reporters. The Senate will also look at legislation to clamp down on Iran over its missile testing, he said. "We're certainly going to be looking at Iran ... an obvious rogue regime with which we have this outrageous deal that they don't intend to comply with," McConnell said, referring to the international deal to ensure Iran does not develop nuclear arms. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Writing by Megan Cassella; Editing by David Alexander) Baghdad (AFP) - Gunmen shot dead two Iraqi journalists on Tuesday in Diyala, a province where Baghdad declared victory a year ago but which is still plagued by chronic violence. Iraq is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, especially those from the country, who are far more exposed to attacks than their foreign counterparts. The murders came as a suicide bomber killed four police and wounded a top intelligence officer elsewhere in the province, a day after other bombings claimed 20 lives. "Armed militias assassinated correspondent Saif Tallal and his cameraman Hassan al-Anbaki near Baquba," the capital of Diyala province, a Sharqiya news presenter said on the air. The journalists were killed while returning to Baquba from a reporting trip with Staff Lieutenant General Mizher al-Azzawi, the head of security command responsible for the province, the channel said. Minas al-Suhail, a colleague from the channel, told AFP that the two journalists were driving some distance behind the commander's convoy on their way back from covering violence in the Muqdadiyah area. Masked militiamen in three SUVs stopped their vehicle in the village of Abu Saida, took the journalists out and shot them dead with Kalashnikov assault rifles, Suhail said. Shiite militia groups, some of which have been repeatedly accused of serious abuses, wield huge influence in the eastern province of Diyala. Sharqiya is a Sunni-owned TV channel viewed as sympathetic to the country's Sunni Arab minority. The murders took place within sight of a police checkpoint, but the police did not intervene, Suhail said. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), 11 journalists were killed in Iraq during 2015, the most of any country. "We deplore the murder of these two Iraqi journalists," Alexandra El Khazen, the head of RSF's Middle East bureau, said in a statement. "This shocking double murder must not go unpunished. Iraq is a minefield for journalists. We urge the authorities to conduct an independent investigation in order to solve this crime and bring those responsible to justice," El Khazen said. Story continues - Senior intelligence officer wounded - The Committee to Protect Journalists put the death toll for those killed because of their work last year in Iraq at five, placing it in a tie for the fourth-deadliest country for the media. CPJ also lists Iraq as the deadliest single country for journalists from 1992 to 2015, with 171 killed because of their work, almost double the second, which is Syria. Muqdadiyah, the Diyala area from which the journalists were returning, was hit by deadly bombings and other unrest the night before. Twin blasts killed 20 people at a cafe, and attackers subsequently blew up multiple Sunni mosques and burned houses and shops, officers said. The United Nations issued a statement condemning the mosque bombings. "Once again, places of worship are being attacked. The perpetrators want to incite sectarian violence, in a desperate attempt to take the country back into the dark days of sectarian strife," UN Iraq representative Jan Kubis said. A suicide bomber also detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle near the convoy of the head of police intelligence in Diyala at a checkpoint in the province on Tuesday. The blast in the Jdaidat al-Shatt area, south of Diyala capital Baquba, killed four policemen including a first lieutenant and wounded Colonel Qassem al-Anbaki and nine others, two officers said. A doctor at Baquba General Hospital confirmed the toll. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but suicide bombings are a tactic frequently used by the Islamic State jihadist group. Iraq declared victory over IS in Diyala early last year, but the persistent strife in the province paints a grim picture of the country's future even after defeating the jihadists. Diyala remains a hotbed of violence by both the jihadists and powerful Shiite militia forces that have played a major role in the fight against IS. IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in June 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes have since dealt the jihadists significant defeats. "To maintain peace and stability of Northeast Asia serves the common interests of all relevant parties," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters. "We hope that relevant parties can exercise restraint, take prudent actions and avoid ratcheting up tensions." China on Monday urged "relevant parties to remain calm and exercise restraint" as the U.S. dispatched a B-52 strategic bomber to fly over South Korea in a show of force after North Korea's fourth nuclear test. Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan has still not responded to a request for a telephone conversation Defense Minister Han Min-koo made last Wednesday right after the North conducted the nuclear test. When Seoul and Beijing opened their military hotline on New Year's Eve, Han said he expected the link to pave the way for "close cooperation and communication" between the two countries, and Chang responded the hotline demonstrates the "high level of importance" China places on its relations with South Korea. But when the real security threat occurred days later, the promises were already forgotten and Beijing simply ignored the call. On the day of the North's nuclear test, China condemned the North and voiced "strong opposition." But analysts say Beijing's stance shifted the following day, when U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry mentioned China's responsibility in the latest escalation of tensions. One diplomatic source in Beijing said, "China believes South Korea, the U.S. and Japan are moving too quickly, and there is a lot of resentment about allegations that China is responsible." The source said in a meeting last Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry officials appear to have decided to stress stability on the Korean Peninsula as well as denuclearization. China appears concerned about the assertive reaction of the U.S. in its backyard, which could be a stepping stone to boosting its military influence in the region. Beijing is also wary of Seoul and Tokyo forging stronger military ties after a vaguely worded agreement over Korean victims of Japanese sexual enslavement. Some analysts worry that China's suspicions of the U.S. and Japan are prompting a return to a Cold War-style standoff in Northeast Asia. South Korea and the U.S. are discussing the deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense batteries in the South, while Japan is trying to bolster its military power using North Korea's nuclear weapons program as an excuse. For China, these issues are as unnerving as the latest North Korean nuclear test. When North Korea conducted its third nuclear test in 2013, Beijing waited until the UN Security Council announced sanctions before making its own move, cracking down on North Korean banks in China and prohibited its citizens from traveling to the North. Beijing continued to pressure Pyongyang by closely inspecting all goods crossing the border with North Korea and curbed visas for North Korean laborers. A high-ranking diplomatic source said, "China will wait this time too until the UN Security Council announces its sanctions before reaching its own decisions on sanctioning the North. But it would be realistic to expect a slightly stronger response than after the previous nuclear test." News As IE Support Deadline Arrives, Microsoft Pushes Upgrades With older Internet Explorer browsers set to lose support this week, Microsoft is recommending that users upgrade to IE 11 to avoid potential security risks. Many of Microsoft's older browser versions, such as IE 8, IE 9 and IE 10, are set to lose "extended support" on Tuesday, Jan. 12. Some users of these browsers will get a notice in the form of browser tab, prompting them to upgrade. The loss of extended support means that these browsers will no longer get security updates from Microsoft, a potential risk. However, the loss of support depends on the underlying Windows operating system used, so IE 9 on Windows Vista continues to be supported, for instance. The nuances of this policy are explained in this article. Upgrade to IE 11 First Some organizations and individuals may decide to just uninstall IE 8, IE 9 or IE 10 to avoid the potential security risks after Jan. 12 -- but not so fast, Microsoft is saying. It's better to upgrade to IE 11 first before making that move, the company explained, in a blog post late last week. It turns out that the IE browser brings with it a bunch of software components that are used by the operating system for various purposes. Simply uninstalling IE 8, IE 9 or IE 10 without upgrading to IE 11 first means that machines potentially won't have the most current IE Dynamic-Link Library (DLL) components in place to support those ancillary components, according to the blog post. For instance, Microsoft explained that "the Web Browser control (IEFrame.dll) is the entry point and it loads the other DLLs," which include useful components such as "MSHTML.dll, URLMon.dll, and WinInet.dll." If an upgrade to IE 11 hasn't been done first, then some of those components might not get serviced with the latest updates. Here's how Microsoft explained this chicken-and-egg kind of scenario: After January 12, 2016, only the most current version of IE will receive security updates. Therefore, if you aren't upgraded to the current version of IE, you won't be able to apply the current security updates. This could result in some Windows components not being serviced. To ensure applications using components (e.g. Web Browser control) are fully patched, update to the latest version of IE and apply future cumulative IE updates. Moreover, by uninstalling IE, organizations and individuals aren't actually removing it. This action just hides the browser's user interface, according to Microsoft's explanation: When you remove IE from "Windows Features" by unchecking the selection box, IE isn't actually removed from the PC. All of the system components remain for use by the operating system and other applications. The web browser application (IExplore.exe) is "hidden" and not removed. So that's why Microsoft is recommending an upgrade to IE 11 first. It'll upgrade those underlying system components. Of course, if an organization is bothering to upgrade to IE 11, then it might as well try Microsoft's Enterprise Mode for Internet Explorer. It's designed to permit organizations use the IE 11 browser but it will switch to using older IE browser technologies when there's a need to maintain compatibility with intranet sites or older Web apps. Microsoft explains that approach and what happens with the Jan. 12 deadline more generally at this page. The Leading Edge Microsoft has found that about 70 percent of people were using IE 11 six months ago, according to Chris Jackson, Microsoft's worldwide lead for application compatibility, in a video series discussion. He explained that Microsoft made its decision to deprecate its older browsers with the Jan. 12 deadline not to take away user choice but to clarify matters -- namely because third-party software vendors didn't know which browser to support. He suggested IT pros could use Microsoft's Enterprise Site Discovery Toolkit for Internet Explorer to better determine which IE browser technologies were being used in their organizations. He also recommended using Microsoft's Enterprise Mode for Internet Explorer tool, noting that the "compatibility view" functionality in IE 8 will still work when using this tool. Jackson admitted that the Microsoft Edge browser was built because Microsoft simply could not keep up with the pace of Web changes with its IE browser. The Edge browser is Microsoft's attempt to respond in a more agile way, although it's not fully built out. For instance, Edge still lacks plug-in support. Jackson explained that Microsoft wants to build the right plug-in extensibility into Edge and so has been cautious about rolling it out. Edge does not have a compatibility strategy with older IE technologies, going forward, Jackson admitted. For instance, Edge has no support for the Silverlight plug-in. It is IE 11's role to provide that kind of legacy support, he explained. Jackson offered a cautionary note, though, for organizations expecting to go all-in for IE 11 and ignore Edge. He said that IE 11 is "a dead end." It won't have tablet and phone support like Edge in the near future. Microsoft would prefer organizations to use Edge as their default browser, he said. Nguyen Thi Yen, in blue t-shirt, leaving the State Courts on Tuesday Two Vietnamese women who were involved in arranging for a marriage of convenience between a Singaporean man and a Vietnamese woman were in court on Tuesday (12 Jan). Nguyen Thi Yen and Le Thi Tra My are each facing one charge under the Immigration Act for their roles in arranging for a scam marriage between 48-year-old Tan Teck Heng and 34-year-old Nguyen Thi Tu. If found guilty, both Thi Yen, 40, and Tra My, 29, could each be facing a jail term of up to 10 years, a fine of up to $10,000 or both. Both Tan and his bride were found guilty under the Immigration Act and had been dealt with earlier. To pay off debts Tan, who took the stand on Tuesday as a prosecution witness, said that he was convinced by his nephew, Tan Eng Hua, to participate in the scam marriage. The witness said that he needed money to pay off his debts and therefore agreed to his nephews suggestion. When asked by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) Prosecutor, Michelle Seet, about the debt, Tan revealed that he owed about $2,000 to his nephew back then. Tan, who is currently working as a dishwasher, told the court that he met Thi Yen, Tra My and Thi Tu along with his nephew at a coffeeshop in Ang Mo Kio in January 2013. It was there that the topic of marriage was discussed. He said that he was aware all along that it was a marriage of convenience and he never had any feelings for his Vietnamese bride. In fact, he knew that the arrangement allowed Thi Tu to continue working as a karaoke hostess and at the same time ensured him of a monthly payout of about $400. My nephew asked me to get involved in the scam and I will get some money out of it. I was not keen at first and decided to think about it. Two weeks later, I agreed to my nephews suggestion and decided to take up his offer, he said. Supposed to bring wife to ICA monthly Tan and Thi Tu registered their marriage on 18 March 2013 and held a lunch reception at a restaurant located at Peninsula Plaza on the very same day. Story continues He said that as part of the deal he had to bring Thi Tu to ICA every month to get her passport stamped and renew her visa. However, I only managed to do it twice before I got arrested by the authority in June 2013 and was subsequently jailed, he added. Zaminder Singh Gill, who is representing Thi Yen, questioned Tan about the payment he was supposed to receive from his nephew. Tan said that he saw an unidentified man passing money to his nephew on his wedding day and added that he received $350 on that day. He added that his nephew told him that the unidentified man handed over about $2,000 on that day. Tan admitted that he received a total of $1,150, in three separate payments and added that he did not know about the rest of the money his nephew received from the unidentified man. The trial, scheduled for seven days, will resume on Wednesday morning. (Bloomberg) -- A man being held in North Korea on espionage charges has no relationship to the South Koreas intelligence services, a government official said. Kim Dong Chul told CNN that he is a U.S. citizen who spied on behalf of South Korean conservative elements before his arrest in North Korea in October. CNN was allowed to interview Kim by North Korean officials at a hotel near Pyongyang. Kim told CNN he was a businessman living in China and regularly traveled across the border to North Korea. He began spying after unidentified South Koreans filled me with a hatred toward North Korea, he told CNN. The man has no ties to South Koreas National Intelligence Service, said an official of the agency, who declined to be identified citing policy. U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby declined to confirm details of the report at a briefing in Washington. The CNN report was the first public news of Kims detention and came less than a week after North Koreas fourth test of a nuclear device. Tensions on the peninsula have spiked since North Korea conducted what it claims was a hydrogen bomb test on Jan. 6. The U.S. flew a B-52 long-range bomber over South Korea in a show of force, while the government in Seoul resumed propaganda broadcasts critical of the Kim regime. North Korea has turned on its own propaganda loudspeakers, South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min Seok said Tuesday. South Korea and the U.S. have also pledged a tightening of international sanctions against the regime. Diplomats from South Korea, Japan and the U.S. are meeting this week in Seoul and Tokyo as they try to coordinate their efforts to impose tougher sanctions. South Korean nuclear negotiator Hwang Joon Kook will also meet with his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei in China on Thursday to discuss the issue, according to South Koreas Foreign Ministry. North Korea has used detained U.S. nationals in the past as bait to draw prominent American figures into Pyongyang and open dialogue with Washington. North Korea last month sentenced a Canadian pastor to life imprisonment for what it called a plot to overthrow the state. The U.S. has no diplomatic mission in the capital and is represented by the Swedish embassy. To contact the reporter on this story: Sam Kim in Seoul at skim609@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Rosalind Mathieson at rmathieson3@bloomberg.net Andy Sharp, Andrew Davis Syria's army and allied forces on Tuesday took full control from rebel groups of the strategic town of Salma, in the northwestern province of Latakia, state television reported. In a breaking news flash, the channel said the army, backed by the pro-government National Defence Forces militia, had also seized hilltops surrounding the town. Government forces were combing the area for mines and explosive devices "left behind by terrorist groups in the buildings, streets, and squares of the town," it said. The town's recapture is a major boost for Syria's beleaguered army, which had been mostly locked in a stalemate with rebel factions in the province. Since 2012, Salma had been the main bastion for opposition groups in hilly Latakia, which remains largely controlled by government forces. - Assad thanks 'friendly nations' - Opposition forces in Latakia province -- including the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front -- are largely based in the northern and northeastern areas of Jabal Akrad and Jabal Turkman. Regime forces have fought fierce battles in recent months to retake those areas with help from Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters and from Russian air strikes. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Russia conducted more than 120 air strikes over 48 hours in support of the army's Salma offensive. Syrian troops have since September 30 been backed by an intense air campaign by Russia, a staunch ally of President Bashar al-Assad. On Tuesday, Russian strikes killed 35 civilians in the provinces of Idlib, in Syria's northwest, and Aleppo, in the north, the Observatory said. Twenty-one civilians were killed in Russian raids on Maaret al-Numan, an opposition-held town in Idlib province, it said. The toll included two paramedics, two media activists and one child. Another 14 civilians, including three children, were killed in Russian raids on Manbij, a town in Aleppo province held by the Islamic State jihadist group, the monitor said. Rights groups have condemned Russia for killing civilians in its air war, but Moscow insists it is fighting extremist groups. In comments carried by state news agency SANA on Tuesday, Assad said the support of "friendly nations" like Iran and Russia had allowed Syria to fight off "terrorism". Speaking after meeting with Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, Assad said he "appreciated the positions of Iran, which supported Syria in the face of terrorism". "Friendly nations, chiefly Iran and Russia, have played an important role in supporting Syrians over the past five years to score victories in their war against takfiri (extremist Sunni) terrorism," Assad said. Since the country's uprising broke out nearly five years ago, Syria's government has regularly referred to all its opponents as "terrorists". On Tuesday, Fazli said Iran had "robustly" supported the Syrian people, who are engaged "in a global war against terrorism and takfiri extremist ideas," SANA reported. He said on Monday that Iran was equipping and training Syrian government forces but not providing direct aid. Last year, a US official said as many as 2,000 fighters from Iran and its regional allies were supporting Syria's army in offensives against rebels. Iran denies having fighters on the ground in Syria. The conflict in Syria erupted in March 2011 with anti-regime protests, which spiralled into a full-fledged war that has left more than 260,000 people dead and forced millions from their homes. About 4,000 hospital operations and other medical procedures are likely to be cancelled across England later as a result of a 24-hour strike by junior doctors. Outpatient clinics are also likely to be disrupted as 38,000 members of the British Medical Association take action over threats by the Government to impose a new contract. Junior doctors will provide only emergency care. Consultants will cover their other responsibilities as far as possible. Anne Rainsberry of NHS England said patients can be confident they will receive safe care. "The NHS has procedures for dealing with a range of disruptions including industrial action," she said. "Trusts have been planning to make sure urgent and emergency care continues. "If your operation has been cancelled it will be rescheduled at the earliest possible time." At Ipswich Hospital extra consultants will be available on the wards to fill gaps left by striking junior doctors. It has not cancelled any operations - and just 60 of more than 1,000 outpatient appointments have been rearranged. Nick Hulme, the hospital's chief executive, told Sky News: "The problem won't be on the day of the strike but on the following couple of days. "If patients have been admitted and need an X-ray or a CT scan before they can go home we may lose a day because that test hasn't been booked on the day of the strike." The proposed contract reduces the hours in the evenings and at weekends that qualify for pay premiums, but increases basic pay instead. The Government says the contract will help hospitals to provide more seven-day services for patients. But doctors believe it will cut their pay in the long term and remove safeguards that prevent them from working excessive hours. Gagan Bhatnagar, a junior doctor in Oxford, has arranged a consultant to see the most urgent patients on his cancer list. Others have been rescheduled for another day. "That hurts me because I do not want to inconvenience my patients," he said. Story continues "But I look at the long term and this is a dangerous contract, not just for doctors but for patients." Lawrence Anstey was due to have his broken hand put in a cast. "It's going to be inconvenient. I don't want to wait weeks and weeks but as it stands I can live with it as it is," he said. This is the first of three strikes planned by the BMA. Doctors will only provide emergency cover during a 48-hour strike starting at 8am on 26 January. There will then follow the first-ever full walkout between 8am and 5pm on 10 February. Talks are continuing at the conciliation service Acas between the BMA and NHS employers. By Philip Blenkinsop BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission ordered Belgium on Monday to recover 700 million euros (523 million pound) from 35 large companies in back taxes in the EU executive's biggest move yet to crack down on tax avoidance by multinationals. The Commission said Belgium's "excess profit" tax system, whereby multinationals' economies of scale can enable them to reduce their tax bases by up to 90 percent, was illegal because it had been granted to a select number of large companies but not to smaller firms, distorting competition. It said it could not name the companies involved, but that they were mostly European corporations and those companies would pay back around 500 million euros of the amount due. The Commission, which rules on competition issues in the European Union, has faced accusations of a bias in its investigations against non-EU companies, notably U.S. tech giants, as it investigates tax practices across the EU. In October it ruled that Starbucks Corp and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV benefited from illegal tax deals with the Dutch and Luxembourg authorities, ordering each country to recover 20-30 million euros in back taxes. It is also investigating the tax arrangements of Amazon in Luxembourg and Apple in Ireland. BELGIUM MAY APPEAL The EU's resolve to crack down on tax avoidance has galvanised national authorities in recent years into taking action to try to ensure that large companies pay a fair share of their profit in tax. Belgian Finance Minister Johan Van Overtveldt said the ruling was in line with his expectations and that the "excess profit" system, introduced in 2005, had been on hold since February 2015, when the investigation began. Such back taxes would not affect Belgium's structural deficit, he said. Clawing back taxes would be complex and hit the companies involved and that Belgium kept all options open, including a possible appeal, he said. Under the Belgian scheme, multinationals could reduce their corporate tax bases by between 50 and 90 percent due to profits arising from, for example, economies of scale, which were not liable to tax in Belgium. The Commission has said Belgian tax authority rulings, typically for four years, were often granted to companies that had relocated a substantial part of their activities to Belgium or that have made significant investments in the country. "There are many legal ways for EU countries to subsidise investment and many good reasons to invest in the EU," EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager told a news conference. Vestager said the Commission would continue its inquiries into tax practices across the 28-member European Union. Chas Roy-Chowdhury, head of taxation at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, said that the total bill amounted to an average of 2 million euros per company per year. "Is it worth the effort? You question too whether it is creating a good overall environment for business and if it is going to affect inward investment," he said. (Additional reporting by Gabriela Bacynska and Julia Fioretti; Editing Alissa de Carbonnel and Susan Fenton) By Ju-min Park and Mark Hosenball SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea said it successfully tested a powerful nuclear bomb on Wednesday, drawing threats of further sanctions even though the United States and weapons experts voiced doubts the device was as advanced as the isolated nation claimed. The underground explosion shook the earth so hard that it registered as a seismic event with U.S. earthquake monitors. It put pressure on China to rein in neighbouring North Korea. The U.N. Security Council said it would begin working immediately on significant new measures in response to North Korea, a threat diplomats said could mean an expansion of sanctions. North Korea has been under Security Council sanctions since it first tested an atomic device in 2006. After a nuclear test in 2013, the Security Council took about three weeks to agree a resolution that tightened financial restrictions and cracked down on Pyongyang's attempts to ship and receive banned cargo. In the United States, Republican presidential candidates seized on the test to accuse President Barack Obama of running a "feckless" foreign policy that enabled North Korea to bolster its nuclear arms capabilities. U.S. congressional sources said Republican leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives were considering a vote as soon as next week to broaden sanctions against North Korea by imposing stiffer punishments on foreign companies doing business with Pyongyang. While North Korea has a long history of voicing bellicose rhetoric against the United States and its Asian allies without acting on it, the assertion by Pyongyang on Wednesday that it had tested a hydrogen device, much more powerful than an atomic bomb, came as a surprise. North Korea also said it was capable of miniaturising the H-bomb, in theory allowing it to be placed on a missile and potentially posing a new threat to the U.S. West Coast, South Korea and Japan. The U.S. State Department confirmed North Korea had conducted a nuclear test but the Obama administration disputed the hydrogen bomb claim. "The initial analysis is not consistent with the claim the regime has made of a successful hydrogen bomb test," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. He said any nuclear test would be a "flagrant violation" of Security Council resolutions. The explosion drew criticism, including from China and Russia. Beijing, the North's main economic and diplomatic backer, said it will lodge a protest with Pyongyang. 'H-BOMB OF JUSTICE' Wednesday's nuclear test took place two days ahead of what is believed to be North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's birthday. "Let the world look up to the strong, self-reliant nuclear-armed state," Kim wrote in what North Korean state TV displayed as a handwritten note. North Korea called the device the "H-bomb of justice." While the Kim government boasts of its military might to project strength globally, it also plays up the need to defend itself from external threats as a way to maintain control domestically. It will likely take several days to determine more precisely what kind of nuclear device Pyongyang set off as a variety of sensors, including "sniffer planes," collect evidence. Hydrogen bombs pack an explosion that can be more powerful than an atomic bomb as it uses a two-step process of fission and fusion that releases substantially more energy. A U.S. government source said the United States believes North Korea had set off the latest in a series of tests of old-fashioned atomic bombs of which it has dozens. The source said the size of the latest explosion was roughly consistent with previous tests believed to have been conducted with A-bombs rather than H-bombs. The latest test occurred in the same geographical location, with the same geological profile, as earlier tests. The United States had been anticipating a North Korean nuclear test for some time, as intelligence surveillance produced indications of possible preparations, including evidence of new excavations of underground tunnels at the site. The USGS reported a 5.1 magnitude seismic event that South Korea said was 49 km (30 miles) from the Punggye-ri site where the North has conducted nuclear tests in the past. South Korean intelligence officials and several analysts also questioned whether Wednesday's explosion was a test of a full-fledged hydrogen device, pointing to its having been roughly as powerful as North Korea's last atomic test. Stocks across the world fell for a fifth consecutive day as the North Korea tension added to a growing list of geopolitical worries and China fuelled fears about its economy by allowing the yuan to weaken further. The Republicans added North Korea to a list of what they assert are Obama's foreign policy failures, including Syria's civil war, the rise of Islamic State and the agreement to curb Iran's nuclear programme. They also blamed his former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party front-runner in the race for the November presidential election. Asked about North Korea, Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump told CNN that "China should solve that problem" or face trade retaliation from the United States. South Korea should pay us and pay us very substantially for protecting them," he said. Clinton condemned North Korea's action as a "dangerous and provocative act" and said the United States should respond with more sanctions and stronger missile defences. North Korea has long coveted diplomatic recognition from Washington, but sees its nuclear deterrent as crucial to ensuring the survival of its third-generation dictatorship. The North's state news agency said Pyongyang would act as a responsible nuclear state and vowed not to use its nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty was infringed. Joe Cirincione, a nuclear expert who is president of Ploughshares Fund, a global security organisation, said North Korea may have mixed a hydrogen isotope in a normal atomic fission bomb. "Because it is, in fact, hydrogen, they could claim it is a hydrogen bomb," he said. "But it is not a true fusion bomb capable of the massive multi-megaton yields these bombs produce." (Additional reporting by Meeyoung Cho, James Pearson, Se Young Lee, Christine Kim, Jee Heun Kahng, Jack Kim in Seoul,; Louis Charbonneau at the United Nations, and Ayesha Rascoe, Doina Chiacu and Megan Cassella in Washington,; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Mike Collett-White and Howard Goller) The North Korean military increasingly releases disinformation via its communication network to avoid wiretapping by South Korea. A government source said on Monday that it is getting more difficult for intelligence authorities to get information because the North has been improving its tactics since the two sides exchanged fire across the border in August. "When the North fired shells across the demilitarized zone after the box mine attack earlier, the South could quickly respond to that, and it seems that made the North conclude that the South Korean military could monitor its solders' movements thorough wiretapping," the source said. Lawmaker Yoon Hu-duk of the Minjoo Party said in a parliamentary audit in September he was told by officers during a visit to a frontline Army unit that they had detected signs of North Korean preparations for provocation on the morning of Aug. 20, the day of the fire exchange. The military put soldiers on alert after catching the communication through wiretapping. Since then, the North Korean military often releases disinformation for the ears of South Korean eavesdroppers. In a radio communication with another unit, a frontline North Korean unit might repeatedly say it is moving to a certain area, but the South Korean military finds out later using its own reconnaissance equipment that the unit has not moved at all. But a military spokesman here claimed South Korea is rarely fooled and has been keeping close watch on the North Korean Army since its fourth nuclear test by obtaining information "in a variety of ways." Sports and wellness-focused venture capital firm Will Ventures has picked up $150m for its sophomore fund, almost triple the total it collected for its debut vehicle in 2020. The top envoys of South Korea, Japan and the U.S. to the six-party talks on North Korean denuclearization meet in Seoul on Wednesday to discuss the North's fourth nuclear test last week, the Foreign Ministry said Monday. A three-way meeting of vice foreign ministers from these countries is scheduled in Tokyo over the weekend. The aim is to come up with ways to induce changes in China's reluctance to implement strong sanctions against Pyongyang. The U.S. has loudly condemned China's passivity, in the middle of a somewhat peevish campaign to bring its allies on side against Beijing. This in turn has incensed Chinese officials. A South Korean official said, "Beijing has shown very strong objections to South Korea, Japan, and the U.S. collaborating because they see it as an American strategy to keep China in check. But at the moment it is China that is causing conflict." Meanwhile, Seoul imposed additional sanctions against North Korea on Monday, including restrictions on entering and leaving the Kaesong Industrial Complex. Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee said, "We will reduce the number of people staying in Kaesong to the minimum required to run the businesses there from Tuesday." Cheong Wa Dae said on Monday that President Park Geun-hye will address to the nation on Wednesday morning. The Defense Ministry requested an emergency teleconference between Defense Minister Han Min-koo and Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan after North Korea's nuclear test on Jan. 6. The military hotline was established after a summit between President Park Geun-hye and her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in 2014 and was activated on Dec. 31 last year. The basic premise of establishing the military hotline is that the two sides can contact each other at any time. But now that Seoul wished to contact Beijing in the first major crisis since the hotline was established, Beijing simply did not respond. The leaders of the two countries, too, have yet to speak to each other. Park talked on the phone with the leaders of the U.S. and Japan a day after the nuclear test. She also wanted to talk with Xi on the phone but has yet to receive a response. The only talks Seoul and Beijing have had on the matter so far was a phone call between their foreign ministers on Jan. 8. They clearly had different priorities. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se repeatedly asked China to take strong sanctions against North Korea, but Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed resolving the crisis through dialogue. China's Foreign Ministry reported only Wang's comments to reporters after the call. And as the U.S. dispatched a B-52 long-range bomber to fly over the Korean Peninsula in a show of force, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei reverted to the tired formula of urging "relevant parties to remain calm and exercise restraint." It is difficult to expect China to move completely in synch with Seoul's diplomatic priorities when it comes to North Korea, and its reluctance to take a hardline stance is understandable to a certain extent. But it is unreasonable of China to simply refuse to respond South Korea's request to communicate via a military hotline their two leaders established. Park braved international criticism last year to attend a massive military parade in Beijing commemorating the end of World War II. But any boost in amicable relations has been nullified by Beijing's snub. The problem is the lack of diplomatic foresight by Seoul's Foreign Ministry. Yun praised Seoul-Beijing relations as "the best ever" in July last year. He even said South Korea's status of being torn between strengthening its alliance with the U.S. and China was a "blessing." But Seoul has found itself stonewalled by Beijing the moment an actual crisis occurred. Instead, the Park administration, which refused to hold a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for more than two years unless Tokyo resolved the issue of comfort women, suddenly reached a vaguely worded agreement with Japan late last year. Park's focus on bolstering diplomatic ties with China ended up making her other allies suspicious of Seoul's intentions. Now, Seoul suddenly finds itself in a position where it must change its entire diplomatic approach. How can the government instill confidence among the public with such a hit-and-miss track record? If this faux pas is the result of diplomatic miscalculation by the president's foreign policy team, officials must take responsibility and fall on their swords. If the president is to blame, she at least owes the public an explanation. Credit Union National Association (CUNA) President/CEO Jim Nussle will be welcoming thousands of credit union advocates to the 2016 CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC) in just six weeks, greeting them with a packed program of key policymakers and top keynote speakers. The conference is widely considered the credit union movements premier event for political impact. It gathers credit union professionals, supporters and activists in the nations capital to advance the credit union movement by discussing topics and practices that foster service excellence to credit union members. The CUNA GAC also provides credit union participants the opportunity to network with their peers, attend hot-issue educational sessions and meet with their members of Congress and top federal regulators about the issues facing credit unions. This years four-day conference kicks off Feb. 21 and concludes Feb. 25 with credit union visits to Capitol Hill. 96 Hours of Direct Action Day 3 - Police-Terror In San Francisco Date: Sunday, January 17, 2016 Time: 12:15 AM - 12:15 AM Event Type: Protest Organizer/Author: Anti Police-Terror Project Location Details: Autonomous Actions Throughout the City of San Francisco and Beyond. Join Anti Police-Terror Project, their allies and affiliates as they combat the specter of police-terror that is wreaking havoc on communities of color in the city of San Francisco under the leadership of Mayor Ed Lee and SFPD Chief Suhr. Autonomous actions are currently being planned. To get involved come to a spokescounsel meeting #Last3Percent #firechiefsuhr #justiceforalexnieto #justiceformariowoods THIS WEEKEND'S SCHEDULE: Friday 1/15: Communities in Oakland and San Francisco will hold actions calling out the rampant gentrification occurring on both sides of the bridge Saturday 1/16: The Oakland Community will call out the many forms of state terror occurring in The Town Sunday 1/17: The people will unite in San Francisco to call out state terror, economic terror and the corrupt city governments that allow it to continue Monday 1/18: Reclaim Kings Radical Legacy March from Oakland to Emeryville THIS WEEKENDS DEMANDS INCLUDE: The resignation of Mayor Libby Schaaf The immediate termination of Chief Sean Whent The immediate termination of Chief Greg Suhr The immediate termination of the officers involved in the murders of Richard Perkins, Mario Woods, Yuvette Henderson, Amilcar Lopez, Alex Nieto, Demouriah Hogg and Richard Linyard Respect our Sanctuary Cities. ICE Out Oakland and San Francisco! No deportations! No Arrests! The immediate reallocation of city budgets: reduce police budgets and reallocate those funds to provide for affordable housing that allows Black, Brown and other people of color to remain in San Francisco and Oakland. At least five Palestinians were killed this week by Israeli gunfire, meanwhile President Abbas to discuss with Palestinian leadership the future of security coordination with Israel. These stories, and more, coming up, stay tuned.The Nonviolence ReportLets begin our weekly report as usual with the nonviolent activities organized in the West Bank. scores of protesters were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation on Friday when Israeli troops attacked anti wall and settlement protests organized at a number of west Bank villages. IMEMCs Majd Batjali has more:On Friday protests were organized at the villages of Bilin, Nilin and Al Nabi Saleh in central West Bank. Anti-wall and settlements protests were also organized in the northern West Bank village of Kufer Qadum.Scores of residents and their supporters were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation in Kufer Qadum, when Israeli troops attacked the weekly protest. Later troops stormed the village and fired tear gas at residents homes causing damage.Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers attacked protesters in Al Nabi saleh before even leaving the village. At the nearby villages of Bilin, and Nilin, residents and their supporters reached the Israeli wall. Soldiers stationed their showered them with tear gas and chemical water that generate bad smell. Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.For IMEMC News this is Majd Batjali.The Political ReportThe Palestinian president announced this week that the PLO would officially make a decision next week regarding the upholding of contractual relations with Israel, namely the security coordination. IMEMCs George Rishmawi has the details:Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made an announcement concerning security coordination with Israel, during a speech delivered in the occupied West Bank town of Bethlehem during Orthodox Christmas celebrations on Wednesday.Abbas reiterated past statements made by Palestinian political bodies supporting the end to agreements signed with Israel, notably the end of security coordination with Israel established through the Oslo Accords. Despite threats made in September by the Palestinian president to renege from the agreements, moves have yet to be made to cut coordination with his Israeli counterparts.Abbas said The Executive Committee and the Central Committee of the PLO as well as commanders of Palestinian Authority security services will hold meetings next week to give the final decision and we will adhere with whatever they decide.The president also said that as the international community has convened to address conflicts in Syria and Libya, it should also convene to solve the problems of the Palestinians, adding that the status quo maintained since Israels military occupation began in 1967 must end.The Palestinian leadership wont allow the status quo to continue, Abbas said, calling for the removal of all settlements established in the occupied West Bank since 1967.Abbas rejected that the PA was facing imminent collapse, in response to ongoing recent talks by Israeli leadership regarding the pressing possibility that the body could soon dissolve due to a wave of unrest, Palestine's economic crisis, and a political crisis in the Palestinian leadership.Abbas said, The PA is one of our accomplishments and let nobody dream of its collapse.According to Palestinian media sources, Abbas stressed during his speech that the PA will only be replaced by a Palestinian state, and no one should dream that it will collapse. The Palestinian Authority is one of the achievements of the Palestinians and will not be given u on.Abbas also said that the Palestinian leadership will not accept any other scenarios, referring to reports that the Israeli government had recently discussed various scenarios that could emerge in the aftermath of the collapse of the PA.The president's remarks come despite comments made by PLO Central Council member Muhammad Shtayyeh last month cautioning that the PA will face extreme difficulty in surviving the current situation for much longer. Shtayyeh asked: If Israel is intending to kill teenagers everyday, who have a lack of means for living...with all of the aggression that Israel is employing, how long can the Palestinian leadership maintain this reality?The question remains, how long will the Palestinian Authority sustain under this pressure, and is the collapse of the PA an Israeli interest.For IMEMC News, this is George RishmawiThe West Bank and Gaza ReportFive Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire this week, meanwhile Israeli troops continued to attack Gaza fishermen and farmers. IMEMCs Ghassan Bannoura reports:With the five killed this week, the number of Palestinians shot dead by Israeli gunfire since October 1 have reached 149. Four Palestinian civilians, three from the same family, were killed by Israeli troops gunfire on Thursday near the southern West Bank city of Hebron.On Thursday evening, Israeli soldiers shot and killed, Khalil Shalalda, 16, at the Beit 'Einoun military roadblock, east of Hebron. He is from Sa'ir town, near Hebron. He is the brother of Mahmoud Shalalda , who was killed by the Israeli army last November. Earlier on Thursday, Three Palestinians from the Kawazba family in Sa'ir - were killed by Israeli soldiers on Thursday evening at the Gush Etzion checkpoint near Hebron.The Israeli army claimed that all four killed attempted to stab soldiers manning the roadblocks, No soldiers were injured in the alleged attacks. The Israeli military has come under fire in recent months for its practice of pre-emptively shooting any Palestinian it deems threatening including children. In addition, soldiers have been captured on camera on several occasions planting knives next to the bodies of unarmed Palestinian civilians who were killed by Israeli gunfire.On Wednesday a Palestinian 12-year-old child suffered a serious head injury, after Israeli soldiers shot him in the head, druing an army invasion targeting the al-Eesawiyya town, in occupied Jerusalem.Earlier in the week, a Palestinian teenager was shoot and killed by Israeli soldiers on Tuesday near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem. Ahmad Kawazbah, 18, was shoot near the illegal Israeli settlement of Gush Atzion south of Bethlehem on Tuesday midday. Israeli soldiers accused him of trying to stab soldiers.Palestinian sources said that Kawazbah was critically wounded by the soldiers and was left on the ground bleeding until he died. Soldiers did not allow Palestinian medics from reaching Kawazbah in time to provide him with medical care.A Palestinian teenager was injured and arrested by Israeli police in Jerusalem on Monday evening, Israeli media sources reported. The 17-year-old teen, was shot and injured, by Israeli police near the tram station in West Jerusalem; The Israeli police claimed that he stabbed a soldier and a settler before he was shot and arrested by officers. Israeli media sources said that the two Israelis were moved to hospital after sustaining light wounds.also , Five Palestinians were injured on Monday when a house caught fire in Jayous village near Qalqilia city in northern West Bank. The house caught fire when Israeli soldiers invaded the village and fired tear gas into residents homes, local sources reported. The five were moved to a hospital in Qalqilia city, two in critical conditions, Palestinian sources added.In the Gaza Strip this week, Israeli troops attacked farmers and residents homes close to central and southern borders with Israel, causing damage. Attacks were reported on Tuesday and Thursday of this week. On Wednesday, Israeli navy ships attacked a Palestinian fishing boat in Palestinian territorial waters of the shore of Gaza city. The boat caught fire and was destroyed, no injuries were reported.For IMEMC news this is Ghassan Bannoura .ConclusionAnd thats all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for January 02, to the 08, 2016. From the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at http://www.imemc.org , This weeks report has been brought to you by Maher Qasiess and me Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the former president Goodluck Jonathan to speak out on the controversial $2.1bn meant for the purchase of arms to fight the Boko Haram sect but which was allegedly shared by some influential politicians. File photo of former president Goodluck Jonathan According to the party, the controversy surrounding the sharing of the money by Sambo Dasuki, the former national security adviser (NSA), should have attracted Jonathans attention by now. The Punch reports that Alhaji Abdulahi Jalo, the deputy national publicity secretary of the PDP, appealed to the ex-president at a press briefing on Monday, January 11, in Abuja. Jalo said that Jonathan should clear the air and tell Nigerians whether he authorized the sharing of the money meant to fight insurgency in the country. He also stressed that those who took part in the sharing of the money should refund it. As all of you know, no single kobo can be spent by the federal government without an act of the National Assembly. Money earmarked for arms purchase, some people diverted it to something else. So many people that you cannot even expect were involved. Now, darkness has come to light. Jonathan is alive, he should clarify whether he asked the National Security Adviser to divert money meant to fight Boko Haram into his campaign. READ ALSO: Why We Released APCs Chieftain, But Detain PDPs Spokesman EFCC Boss [article_adwert] Im from the North-East and I know the terrible security situation our people are facing there. The money was meant to fight Boko Haram, and we all know that you cant rule without peace. Now darkness has given way for the light. It was not only members of the PDP that shared the money; members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Accord Party and the Social Democratic Party, among others, also shared. At least, Chief Olu Falae is not a member of the PDP. All of them should return the money. Then, (former) President Jonathan must speak on it. He is still alive. Has he ever said anything like this to Dasuki, go and take from the money meant for the war against Boko Haram and share for my campaign? It is time for him to speak up, he said. The deputy national publicity secretary further recalled that the PDP held a fundraising dinner for Jonathan's presidential campaign during which more than N20bn was realized. He challenged the beneficiaries of the money from Dasuki to explain how the party benefitted from such money. READ ALSO: Arms Deal: Why I Wont Return N100 Million Received From Anenih Falae Speaks Up We are not fools. Money meant for the partys campaign was given to the chairman of our party. We had a dinner, where billions of money was realised and this money was for the campaign. We said so and Nigerians were aware. We thank God that all those who took money used their private accounts and companies to get that. What has this got to do with the PDP? Haliru Bello did a contract with the office of Sambo Dasuki to the tune of N600m with his companys name, not PDP, he noted. Speaking about Olisa Metuh, the national publicity secretary of the PDP, who has been recently taken into the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Jalo said: His company allegedly had transactions with the office of National Security Adviser. So, what is PDPs business with that? We want those people that have been accused to shed more light, whether they were given the money to campaign for Jonathan. Did they bring the money to the party national secretariat? PDP has nothing to do with individuals that used their companies to do contracts with National Security Adviser. READ ALSO: Arms Deal Probe: This Is What Accord Party Wants EFCC To Do To Its Chairman Ladoja Those who have been accused to have collected money from the office of the NSA should come and tell Nigerians how they used the money for the party. PDP has no company. It is not a private company. It is a political party. Was this money paid into the party account? No. So, these people are on their own. Jalo noted that all the recipients of the money from the office of the NSA must have asked where the money was coming from. Because of their ignorance all Nigerians are looking at every member of the PDP as criminals, he added. He also wondered why some prominent members of the party have remained quiet since the scandal broke. Ibrahim Magu, the chairman of the EFCC, has recently explained why Goodluck Jonathan has not been arrested over the $2.1 billion arms deal. He said that no document has been traced to the former president giving any approval for the disbursement of the money for any other purpose than arms purchase. Source: Legit.ng The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti state has condemned Governor Ayodele Fayose over his comments on President Muhmmadu Buhari. The party said Fayose had no democratic credentials and integrity to accuse Buhari of being a tyrant and a threat to the survival of democracy in the country, Vanguard reports. Fayose had on Monday, January 11, described the president as a dictator because of the way he was handling the deputy governor-elect in Kogi state, James Faleke, the Senate president, Bukola Saraki, and the former national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki, among others. He accused Buhari of abusing the rights of fellow Nigerians adding that the roles played by the DSS were clearly undemocratic. In a statement the state publicity secretary of the APC, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said Fayose was a man suffering from the diarrhea of the mouth. READ ALSO: Governor Fayose Speaks On Olisa Metuh's Arrest The statement read: Governor Fayose, clearly unfit to be a governor, should be the least to complain about anti-democratic conduct because he is the greatest threat to democracy in Nigeria based on his serial breaking of the provisions of the Constitution of Nigeria. [article_adwert] It is laughable that as shameless as Fayose is, he is now accusing the civil rights groups of keeping silent in the defence of the purported abuse of the rights of Nigerians by the President and we wonder what the governors legal backers said or did when he was serially breaking the laws of the nation in the last one year to the shock of Nigerians. Fayose invaded the court with thugs to beat up a judge and tear court records in the Chief Judges office and used seven lawmakers to illegally impeach a Speaker in the Assembly of 26 members. The party accused Fayose of using thugs to lay siege to the state assembly, preventing 19 APC members from attending House plenary sessions for six months. READ ALSO: Ekiti Youths Urge EFCC To Probe Fayose The governor was also accused of using seven members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to illegally pass the budget and confirm his commissioner-nominees. Governor Fayose is a very outspoken politician who never gets tired of attacking the Buhari-led administration and the APC. He recently challenged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to act on petitions submitted to it against chieftains of the ruling APC and President Buharis election sponsors. Source: Legit.ng There was tension at the Gokana local government area of Rivers state, as a group of armed soldiers have raided the residents of a former militant leader, Chief Solomon Ndigbara (also known as Osama bin Laden). The soldiers stormed one of Ndigbaras houses in Bua-Yeghe, from their base, 2 Brigade of the Nigerian army, at about 5.30pm on Sunday, January 10. READ ALSO: Tompolo, Asari-Dokubo Under Attack [article_adwert] According to the Punch, it is alleged that the ex-militant still has his hands in gun running and kidnapping. It was learnt that the soldiers who came with about ten Military trucks destroyed two vehicles; a Toyota Sienna and Lexus SUV. Sources said some rooms in Ndigbaras Bua-Nyeghe home were ransacked while some property inside the rooms were damaged. Mr Sydney Tambari, the chairman of Khana local government area, said that the soldiers shot sporadically and damaged property. Tambari accused leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogoni of being behind the military invasion of Gokana. He said: We received the shocking news yesterday (Sunday) that the military had besieged this premises. You can see the extent of the damage here. They were here shooting sporadically, damaging property and everything." I dont know which court, where Solomon Ndigbara has been tried and found to be guilty of whichever offence for him to deserve this kind of onslaught. I want to put it clear that this onslaught is on the entire youths of Ogoni, Tambari added. In his reaction, the Chairman of Gokana local government area, Austin Sor, described the operation as an onslaught, shocking and unwarranted. Sor said, It is pathetic and a war declared on Chief Solomon Ndigbara and the people of Bua-Yeghe. To me, this is a political war. Yesterday at about 4pm, I was in the community field watching a final match when some of my community boys came to call me and asked if I am aware that Army has taken over the community." When I got there, actually, what I saw were heavily armed soldiers with 10 vans in the compound of Solomon Ndigbara. An attempt to get their attention to know who sent them was seriously resisted. Even the paramount could not access them, Sor narrated. READ ALSO: PHOTO: Tears Flow As Bayelsa Monarch Progress Never Die Struggles To Stay Alive Confirming the raid through a statement on Monday, army spokesman in Port Harcourt, Captain Eli Lazarus, said the raid was carried out based "on credible intelligence". Capt Lazarus further informed that supporters of Ndigbara staged a protest against the raid. The 2 Brigade spokesman enjoined all law abiding citizens in the area to go about their lawful activities, as the military will continue to work assiduously to ensure the protection of lives and property of all. A youth leader in the community, Mr Letom Kukang, alleged that the action of the Military men were never on a raid but a political witch-hunt of a community peace maker, and a well known supporter of the Peoples Democratic Party (APC) in Rivers state. Letom affirmed that the home of Ndigbara was ransacked , scattered and two of his wives were whisked away alongside his younger brother. However, as at time of this report the two wives of the ex-militant had been released while the two brothers of the ex-militant are still being held. In reaction to allegations against the party, the APC cautioned that the party should not be linked with security operations, adding that issues on security should be taken to security agencies. The APC said that its attention has been drawn to reports in the media by some persons especially of the PDP attributing raids by security agencies on a location in Yeghe, Gokana LGA and other security dark spots in the state to the ruling party. This trend of narrative being dishonestly foisted on the people through the media by elements of the PDP is most uncharitable, manifestly dishonest and flies in the face of logical reasoning the APC said in a statement signed by its spokesman, Mr Chris Finebone. The APC noted that It is important to remind everyone that the APC, as a political party, has no mandate to embark on security duties either on its own or in conjunction with security agencies under any circumstances whatsoever. The APC restricts itself to its function of seeking political power through legitimate political process. READ ALSO: Tragedy: Read What Boko Haram Did In Adamawa Yesterday The Rivers state APC urged all and sundry, especially members of the PDP to resist the lure of resorting to the convenient option of seeking who to blame for its misfortunes. We expect the PDP to accept the fact that its rank is populated by known criminals and people with notorious history of criminality especially those appointed as Local Government Caretaker Chairmen and it would not be surprising if security reports point to them every now and then. The PDP is very much aware of this and that is why Governor Nyesom Wike has never presented any of his nominees to security agencies for security screening, the APC added. The APC further advised PDP in Rivers state to look inwards and blame itself for the present kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, killings and general insecurity it has foisted on the people of the state. In a related development, a group of armed policemen reportedly raided two houses belonging to an ex-militant leader and caretaker committee chairman of Asari-Toru local government, Mr Soboma Jackrich. The soldiers carried out the operation at the home of the ex-Niger Delta agitator in Port Harcourt on Monday, January 11. It remains unclear why Saboma's residence was evaded. Source: Legit.ng Charly Boy has reacted to Donald Trumps recent demeaning comments about Nigeria. File photo of controversial Nigerian entertainer Charly Boy. The Republican candidate has been in the news a lot lately for his derogatory comments on Muslims, Nigerians and the African continent in general. He reportedly bashed the continent in a recent speech, asking that Africans be recolonized for another century or so. The controversial entertainer that he is, Charly Boy has written a piece addressing Trumps comments. The Nigerian entertainer described Trumps statements as moronic, adding that his racist comments are unrivalled. READ ALSO: How I Relied On My Lover To Survive Charlie Boy [article_adwert] Read the full Charly Boy post below: A round of applause for the greatest Jackass of all Times. There is no denying that Donald Trump's actions and words have brought a more entertaining landscape to American politics that is only rivalled by Naija politics at this point. Like him or hate him (for your pocket), this man no send una. Who could have guessed Trump's longevity in American politics, with his put-outs and the notorious words that roll out of his mouth!? In September 2015 I did a piece on Trumpology. At the time, I waited for the Republicans to say his famous line "you are fired" for him to sooner-than-later bow out of the White House race. But what did we get? Trump ruling the polls, networks, blogs, social media and all, hyping the same garbage Donald's been dishing out. After staying glued to CNN for the past 5months, I am no longer fazed by Donald's constant moronic statements...All Mexicans are rapist and murderers, All Muslims are terrorists, All Migrants are suicide bombers, Africans are lazy, like to only make love and steal' His vile verbal and racist assault is endless and yet unrivaled. Naijas are currently vexing, boiling over in anger following Donald's recent miss-yarns against the black race: Look at African countries like Kenya for instance; those people are stealing from their own government and go to invest the money in foreign countries. Truth hurts. Isn't this the norm with most of our yahoo yahoo rifrafs called leaders? It doesn't matter if the JACKASS is taking a swipe at Obama because he's from Kenya. Trump was reported to have said in Indianapolis, U.S. that African Americans were lazy and that Africa needed re-colonisation for 100 years. Now tell me, with the rate of detoriation of the biggest black nation in the world, are we not beating a retreat to prehistoric times? Donald Trump said... How do you trust even those who have run away to hide here in the United States, Hiding behind education? I hear they abuse me in their blogs but I don't care because even the Internet they are using is ours and we can decide to switch it off from this side. These are people who import everything, including matchsticks. As painfully true as this is, can you blame Donald for his verbal missiles, Is this not our current situation? A country that consumes everything and produces nothing. I guess Donald is washing our dirty linen in public and we deserve it. When some of our deceitful leaders have destroyed education in this country, where do we turn to? So much shit is coming out of this guy's mouth that I wonder what comes out of his ass. Donald will say anything just to get a reaction, forget about the concept of decency. Try talking policies or anything intellectual count the mother f**ker out. My guts feeling tells me that Donald is being a Jackass/Comedian on propose. The bigger plan is yet to unfold, or is he only having a ball, engaging in masturbation?I see his verbal assault as a strategy; it smells too Naijaish. He may not really have his eyes on the White House per say, but something about making more bucks because he speaks freely what an alarming silent majority feel but won't dare say. I dey look dem! Nonesense. READ ALSO: Why Nollywood Actor Left Acting And Returned To School This is not the first time Charly Boy has addressed Donald Trump's statements. In December 2015, he responded to Trumps statement that Muslims should be banned from entering the US. Charles Chukwuemeka Charly Boy Oputa is a Nigerian entertainer and TV host, known for being one of the few entertainers, if not the only one, who promoted the eighties punk movement in Nigeria. His 1985 single Nwata Miss introduced him to a mainstream audience. He is a former judge of the music reality show Nigerian Idols and president of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria. Source: Legit.ng In order to curtail the spread of Lassa fever, the Benue state government has directed people in the state to desist from eating rats for the meantime. Benue state government has banned the eating of rat This directive was given by Governor Samuel Ortom at Aso Villa shortly after meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. The governor explained that the step becomes necessary as the state had recorded a case of the virus, The Punch reports. It was learnt that rat is a delicacy popular among the people of the state. READ ALSO: Ogun Set To Take Delivery Of Lassa Fever Vaccine Soon [article_adwert] Ortom said: Benue is affected; we have one case of Lassa Fever right now that is under control. We have advised our people that rat which is a major carrier, is a delicacy; I am finding it difficult but I have told them to suspend eating rats now until further notice. He also noted that he has decided to make agriculture the main priority programme of his administration because he had premonition early enough that a time would come when the nation would be face with dwindle revenue. Meanwhile, the federal ministry of health had disclosed that about 35 persons had lost their lives since the outbreak of the disease in November 2015. Also about 79 people were infected across eight states of Bauchi, Niger, Nasarawa, Kano, Rivers, Oyo and Edo. He said that laboratory tests had confirmed that 14 people had tested positive for Lassa fever in the past six weeks. Source: Legit.ng Lawmakers on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the House of Representatives have ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to release of the party spokesman, Olisa Metuh within 48 hours. PDP Spokesman, Olisah Metuh Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, January 12, the House majority leader, Leo Ogor who alleged the anti-graft agency of being "preferential" in the exercise of its duties however noted that it was "unconstitutional to detain anyone who has not been charged for a crime by a competent court of jurisdiction." READ ALSO: Presidency Gives Stern Warning To Corrupt Politicians Joining APC He said: As a House we condemn it totally and we insist that within the next 48hours Olisa Metuh should be given administrative bail or be taken before a competent law of jurisdiction where he can be tried and if pronounced guilty be made to face the consequence. The action of the EFCC as it stands today negates the principle of the laws that run the commission, it offends the fundamental rights of Olisa Metuh, it is more like pronouncing him guilty before he is put forward for trial. READ ALSO: Metuh Ready To Reveal Jobs He Did For Jonathan - Official On this same issue that borders on the transfer of funds, who was also arrested on the same subject matter, Isa Jafaru was detained by the EFCC and in less than 8 hours was given administrative bail after the chairman of the EFCC visited Aso Rock. [article_adwert] We are not saying that somebody is guilty but it Is not in our position, and I repeat not in the position of any other person by a competent jurisdiction to pronounce anybody guilty," he added. The PDP spokesman, Olisah Metuh was arrested by the EFCC on Tuesday, January 5, following allegations of his involvement in the $2.1 billion arms deal scam. Source: Legit.ng The documents of the 2016 budget handed over by President Muhammadu Buhari on December 22, 2015 have been reportedly declared missing, Premium Times informs. As the Nigerian Senate was going to commence deliberation on the proposed budget today, Tuesday, Senate leader Ali Ndume disclosed that the hard and soft copies of the budget documents had been stolen. According to people familiar with the matter, Ndume explained that deliberation on the budget could therefore not begin until fresh copies of the documents were obtained from the presidency, the Ministry of Finance or that of national planning. Danjuma Goje, the chairman of Senate Committee of Appropriation, was appointed to lead a search for the documents and liaise with the presidency, the senior special assistant to the president on National Assembly matters, Ita Enang, and the national planning ministry on the matter. READ ALSO: This Is The Evidence That Buhari Loves Igbos Femi Adesina Sources also disclosed that the Senators wanted to keep the matter under wraps as it could embarrass the presidency, the National Assembly and the country. Senators of the Peoples Democratic Party reportedly accused the presidency of being behind the theft of the documents. However, an accusation was rejected by their All Progressives Congress counterparts. [article_adwert] Premuim Times reports that some lawmakers said they are suspicious that the presidency might have colluded with the management of the National Assembly to quietly withdraw the documents after detecting some discrepancies in them. "Can you imagine this kind of national embarrassment? Documents that were presented to us with fanfare have been stolen," one senator said. READ ALSO: Jonathans Minister Tells Buhari To Probe APC 2015 Presidential Campaign Funds Aliyu Abdullahi, the spokesperson for the Senate, could not been reached for comments, as well as Mr. Goje, the chairman of the appropriation committee. President Muhammad Buhari had presented a N6.08 trillion budget for the fiscal year 2016. It was the first time in three years a Nigerian President would personally present a budget before the National Assembly. In the budget, capital expenditure takes N1.8 trillion, marking a significant over 300% increment from the 2015 vote of N557 billion. N396 billion is voted for education, the largest sectoral allocation. The health sector gets N296 billion, while defence has N294 billion. Source: Legit.ng Following reports that the 2016 budget submitted to the National Assembly is missing, Senate President, Bukola Saraki and President Muhammadu Buhari have met behind closed doors. President Muhammadu Buhari and Senator Bukola Saraki reprtedly met behind closed-doors. [article_adwert] According to The Punch, Saraki and Buhari met at the presidential villa in Abuja but the former Kwara state governor refused to disclosed details of their meeting to state house correspondents who had thronged the premises of the villa to know details of the meeting. After exchanging pleasantries with the Director-General of the Department of State Security (DSS), Lawal Daura, who was also in the Presidential Villa to also confer with Buhari, Saraki had showed interest in answering questions by journalists. But when he was asked about the report that the budget was missing, Saraki expressed surprise and refused to comment. Instead, he just laughed slightly before rushing into his waiting car without answering the question. Source: Legit.ng The detained National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Olisa Metuh, has reportedly torn a statement he made to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), concerning his alleged involvement in the $2,1billion arms fraud. Only yesterday Olisa Metuh, who has been in detention since Tuesday last week, admitted to receiving N400m from the office of the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, and agreed to make public all the assignments he did for Nigerias past president, Goodluck Jonathan. But today he tried to destroy his own written statement after it was presented to him for endorsement and signing. The unnamed Premiun Times source said:Rather than sign the document, Metuh on realising the weight of his confession, seized the documents and proceeded to tear them." READ ALSO: Release Metuh Within 48 Hours, PDP Lawmakers Tell EFCC [article_adwert] Moreover, he reportedly tried to stuff the documents into his mouth and swallow them but was timely stopped by operatives. The incident was confirmed by the EFCC official, who added: READ ALSO: Anti-Corruption War: APC Is Not Apologetic Oyegun The spokesperson for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, said he was informed about the incident but didn't give any details of it. It would be recalled that Metuh was arrested by the EFCC on Tuesday, January 5 following allegations of his involvement in the $2.1 billion arms deal saga. Source: Legit.ng After a successful leasing campaign in the autumn of last year Commerz Real is now able to announce the signing of the sale and purchase agreement for the Frankfurt office property Silva Sachsenhausen in its CFB Fund 142. The property on Darmstadter Landstrae in Frankfurt am Main has been purchased Photos: Commerz Real [] Strong demand for hotel acquisitions prompting private equity investors to sell their assets ahead of the usual investment time-frame, continued consolidation amongst the branded hotel chains, and the impact of recent terrorist activities are the key issues facing the European hotel sector into 2016, according to global hotel consultancy HVS. [] Javascript Error Javascript is deactivated in your browser. To use all functions on this portal, for example the login, Javascript must be activated. Please activate Javascript in your browser settings. An ongoing partnership between Housing New Zealand and the New Zealand Fire Service aims to educate tenants nationwide about fire safety in a move both organisations believe will help save lives. The two groups already work closely together but, in recent months, have formed a strong alliance to help provide the estimated 193,000 people who live in a Housing New Zealand property with an ongoing series of the best information around fire safety and prevention. A recent event in the Wellington suburb of Naenae was led by Housing New Zealand and included a simulated kitchen fire controlled by members of the New Zealand Fire Service to help educate the public on fire safety tips and show how quickly fire can spread. Housing New Zealand General Manager, Communications, Stakeholder and Marketing Group, Bryony Hilless says fire safety messages have been prominently used in Housing New Zealand materials such as the Close To Home newsletter which is sent to every one of Housing New Zealands 67,000 properties nationwide. Tips on keeping Fire Safe this summer inside and outside the home were included in this months quarterly newsletter and more fire safety messages will be regularly promoted through these newsletters and other material made available to tenants and their families. The fire safety information is not only relevant to HNZ tenants but also something to be shared with communities, says Bryony. Weve already got a strong working relationship with the New Zealand Fire Service so its great that we can use that to help educate our tenants on things they can do to reduce the risk of fire in their homes. We regularly communicate with our tenants so its a great platform for the New Zealand Fire Service to reach an important audience. Housing New Zealand provides smoke alarms in all of its homes, including bedrooms, hallways and living areas. We inspect our properties regularly and check the smoke alarms are working correctly as part of each inspection. We also encourage our tenants to immediately let us know if there are any faults, says Bryony. The New Zealand Fire Service says linking up with Housing New Zealand enables it to highlight to tenants the importance of checking smoke alarms regularly and ensuring they have and practice escape plans. National Advisor Fire Risk Management Todd ODonoghue says fire safety is a community responsibility. Housing New Zealand is showing it is a responsible landlord by installing smoke alarms in its properties, checking the alarms during property inspections and providing support if tenants discover an alarm is not working. In turn, tenants need to realise they too have fire safety responsibilities. They must regularly test smoke alarms in their properties and ensure they remain working at all times, says Todd. More than half of fatal house fires are in rental properties despite making up only a third of the countrys housing stock, says Todd. In three-quarters of the rental property fires the Fire Service attends, there are either no smoke alarms or they are not working. Everyone needs to play their part in stopping fires and the loss and damage they cause. Housing New Zealand has shown a commitment to playing its part by entering into this partnership, says Todd. The joint approach enables the Fire Service to get other safety messages directly to segments of the community most likely to benefit from greater fire safety awareness. For thousands of people, raising cattle and sending them off to slaughter is just a routine part of making a living. But this picture tells a different story. The photo below was taken in 2011 during a 4-H livestock auction in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The boy in the photo, Tyler Boyer, 11, had raised Leonard the cow since he was a calf, and had just sold him to be slaughtered for meat. The boy stands next to the patient steer, burying his head in his neck and crying as he says goodbye.

YouTube/Orpahn Pet Gr

Animals are so much stronger than we realize - even in the face of death. In November 2014, a volunteer from an animal rescue organization in Greece saw a Facebook post showing a dog who looked like he came straight out of a horror movie. The dog could barely walk and appeared to be close to death - so the woman, Valia Orfanidou, made it her mission to give the dog a home for his final days. YouTube/OrphanPet Gr "The crazy thing about that dog was that his story was, and still is, unbelievable to some," Orfanidou told The Dodo. "When his first photo was posted by a woman who had passed him on a train, there were people claiming it wasn't real, that it was a fake photo taken out of a video game or something like that." Valia Orfanidou Valia Orfanidou The day after seeing his picture, two other rescuers from Ilioupolis Animal Welfare Union in Athens traveled over 40 miles to save the struggling dog, whom they named Billy. When Billy was first brought to a vet, he was scared to death and severely emaciated, and had trouble walking. Billy also suffered from an extremely contagious kind of mange. YouTube/OrphanPet Gr Dodo Shows Soulmates Pig Loves To Launch Himself Onto His Dad's Lap It was unlikely he would survive for very much longer. "When we took him out of his box, the sight of his suffering body and his absolute terror were so petrifying that we couldn't even cry," Orfanidou wrote beneath a video about Billy's rescue. "We were pretty sure we had taken him off the streets just to offer him the chance of a dignified death." YouTube/OrphanPet Gr This browser does not support the video tag. YouTube/OrphanPet Gr Though everyone thought the vet would recommend Billy be put down, he didn't. Miraculously, his vitals were stable and, despite his appearance, he was strong enough to begin treatment and an attempt at recovery. Billy was kept in a small room in Orfanidou's home for his first days after leaving the vet's office. He barely tried to move around and didn't make a sound. "He just laid there in the corner and it was so obvious he just needed to be left alone. So we let him rest," Orfanidou wrote beneath the video. YouTube/OrphanPet Gr "He must have been feeling so safe and secure in that small room that he slept for hours and hours. He would eat four times a day and then just go back to sleep," Orfanidou wrote. "I felt like I had a tiny treasure to protect and nurture, and I checked on him a dozen times per day." YouTube/OrphanPet Gr As the days progressed, however, something incredible began to happen. Somehow, Billy pulled himself back from the brink of death. Within 10 days of being rescued, Billy started to regain his strength. He became strong enough to take short walks. Eventually, one thing became very clear: Billy wanted to live. He grew stronger and more trusting every single day and, in just two months, Billy had become a completely different dog. Valia Orfanidou Valia Orfanidou When Ilioupolis shared Billy's story on social media, many people were so shocked by his transformation, they once again could not believe what they were seeing, claiming the before and after pictures of Billy were of two different dogs. The Billy who survived his horrific condition looked nothing like the scared, skin-and-bones Billy who had been rescued only months earlier. YouTube/OrphanPet Gr This browser does not support the video tag. YouTube/OrphanPet Gr During his recovery, Orfanidou and Billy had grown very close and she was amazed to see the strong, loving dog he had become. Finally, the day came that both filled and broke everyone's hearts - someone stepped forward to adopt Billy. A woman named Emma from Switzerland emailed inquiring about Billy, and it was clear from the start she was his perfect match. Though his departure was bittersweet for his rescuers, Billy was ready. It was time to let him go. Valia Orfanidou Valia Orfanidou "Saying goodbye at the airport was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I came back home crying and waiting for his flight to arrive," Orfanidou wrote beneath the video. "It seemed like forever. We Skyped once they were home. I missed him so much already and yet I was so happy to finally see him where he belonged." Valia Orfanidou Valia Orfanidou Amanda Brooks sees countless dogs in dire need of help as the foster and adoptions coordinator for the rescue group, Marley's Mutts. But she has rarely had to make this bleak diagnosis: "He needs to be euthanized," Brooks announced upon meeting Jupiter. At least 30 pounds underweight and suffering from severe allergies, the dog was a portrait of despair when Brooks took him home from the shelter. Marley's Mutts Indeed, it looked like someone gave up on Jupiter long before he was dumped at a shelter in California City, California. "All of the itching and scratching has caused secondary skin infections all throughout his body," Brooks told The Dodo. "His stomach is pink and raw. There are bald, rough patches all over his entire body." It seemed like Jupiter had also given up on himself. "He is there, but there's not much to him, spirit-wise," she said. Marley's Mutts More accurately, she saw a dog on borrowed time. "We thought maybe he had bone cancer," Brooks said. "He could barely walk, he was very wobbly." So she lent him her compassion. And she wasn't the only one. A specialist at VCA Animal Hospital West in the area even offered to stay well beyond his shift to treat Jupiter. No one was particularly optimistic. Marley's Mutts Dodo Shows Faith = Restored Couple Meets A Beach Dog In Mexico Who Changes Their Life "We loaded him into one of our volunteer's cars and took him to the emergency vet right away, assuming they would say he would need to be put out of his misery," Brooks said. Jupiter's sorry saga would soon reveal another heartbreaking twist. Marley's Mutts The victims of animal cruelty might be voiceless, but the message Queens District Attorney Richard Brown sent abusers this week was loud and clear. On Monday, Brown announced the creation of New York City's first Animal Cruelty Prosecutions Unit, a new division dedicated solely to bringing people who hurt animals to justice. Brown and Brewster, whose former owner was prosecuted by the Queens County D.A.Twitter/QueensDABrown Brown and Brewster, whose former owner was prosecuted by the Queens County D.A. | Twitter/QueensDABrown "Such criminal activity cannot be tolerated if we wish to be known as a civilized society," said Brown. "Such atrocities, which studies have shown can be a precursor to crimes against people, constitute criminal activity against innocent and abused animal victims." Brown's office named veteran attorney Nicoletta Caferri as the first chief of the unit, citing her work prosecuting the man who abandoned Brewster, a horrifyingly emaciated boxer left for dead in a New York City park last month. Dodo Shows Adopt Me! Scared Little Dog Is So Full Of Joy Now And Looking For A Family While Brewster miraculously managed to recover, his initial shocking condition made him a symbol of animal neglect in the city. In the end, the dog's former owner pled guilty to felony animal cruelty thanks to the case put together by Caferri and the rest of Brown's office. When a New Mexico man found a puppy alone on the street, he assumed the tiny pit bull was a neighbor's escaped pet. But after checking security footage to locate the dog's owner, the good Samaritan uncovered a far darker story. Surveillance video shot the night before shows a car stopping just long enough to dump the pit bull in the road like trash. For a second, the dog even tries to follow his owner before the vehicle takes off and the 10-week-old puppy is left to fend for himself. Having been callously abandoned, the dog, renamed Bradley, was then given to Kayla's Promise Dog Rescue while the video was handed over to authorities. "It's totally unnecessary; you have so many different avenues you can take if you don't want your pet," Tina McIntosh, who runs Kayla's Promise Dog Rescue, told KRQE. "To be dumped in such a way is just cruel and heartless and I will never understand that." Dodo Shows Odd Couples Dog And Wild Dolphin Play Whenever They See Each Other Police are now looking for the person who dumped the tiny puppy, but with no visible license plate in the video, officials say an arrest is unlikely. For Bradley, however, things are only looking up. This church apparently suffers no squirrels. In fact, New Harmony Missionary Baptist Church in Kentucky seems to exult in its first squirrel hunt, which sees families bonding and purportedly getting closer to God through killing His alleged creations. Dozens of pictures of dead and dying animals are circulating on social media after last weekend's hunt - including a grisly image of a squirrel impaled against a tree with an arrow. Squirrel hunters compete for a chance to win a pair of brand new rifles. Don't worry, the church invitation assures contestants, there are also plenty of door prizes. Google Maps Dodo Shows Soulmates Dog Goes Everywhere In His Dad's Kangaroo Pouch Google Maps Many of the squirrels are left dying and orphaned. "This time of year, squirrels are often pregnant or have young babies in their nests," a local resident, who only wishes to be identified as Karen, tells The Dodo. "So not only are they killing all these squirrels, they're orphaning so many more. Many more are left out in the field to die." The hunt has sparked not one, but two online petitions protesting the hunt. In all, more than 70,000 people have signed them. But the protest has also sparked a bitter backlash, apparently among the contestants who don't take kindly to outsiders telling them their squirrel-hunting business. "We're just horrified," says Karen, who is also an admin for the Facebook page New Harmony Missionary Baptist Church Killing The Innocent. "They somehow were able to find out who we, as page admins, are, and Photoshopped pictures of us, sent us private messages, posted our private contact information." The Facebook page was also inundated with "hundreds of gruesome images." It's all, understandably, overwhelming for the Facebook group administrators, who have come under fire from squirrel hunting enthusiasts. "We're not an organization," says another admin in a phone call with The Dodo. "We're just three people basically. Me and a friend started this. Then another friend joined in. "What we're trying to do at this point is prevent it from happening again." New Harmony Missionary Baptist Church Killing The Innocent Of course, killing squirrels for fun and profit is not only the domain of a certain church in Benton, Kentucky. Several U.S. communities host so-called squirrel slams. Holley's annual hunt has also seen a storm of protest - in 2013, Friends of Animals even offered the fire department $4,000 to cancel the event - but the dubious tradition has persisted. And worse, as Karen in Benton, Kentucky, explains, the notion of killing other living beings is passed down to future generations. "They need to know the squirrels are being orphaned," she says. "And that they feel pain. The children also participate to please their parents or the pastor - and they carry on this culture." Want to help put an end to it? Start in Benton, Kentucky. Let City of Benton officials know how you feel about it here. Life for animals in the wild is often depicted as being a constant, bitter struggle for survival. But it turns out there's still plenty of time for horsing around. Over the weekend, YouTube user Evnissyen ran across this charming little scene while getting ready for work. On a hill in the distance, a creature who could aptly be described as the world's happiest coyote was spotted enjoying a lively game he'd apparently just invented - solo fetch, with a stolen ball, no less. "It's pretty rare to see a coyote this close to the house at all, and totally unexpected to see one playing with the neighbour-dog's ball in broad daylight!" wrote Evnissyen. AUTO INDUSTRY Trial begins over GM ignition switches General Motors should pay for concealing an ignition-switch defect from its customers that has been linked to nearly 400 injuries and deaths, an attorney for an Oklahoma man injured in a car crash told a Manhattan jury Tuesday. This case is not just about an accident that occurred in Oklahoma in 2014, said Robert Hilliard, who is representing plaintiff Robert Scheuer. This is about the conduct of a company over a period of time that spanned more than a decade. Key GM employees knew about the problem for more than 10 years, Hilliard said, adding that evidence would show the automakers coverup of a dangerous safety flaw. His comments came in opening statements in the first trial since GMs recall of 2.6 million vehicles, including Scheuers 2003 Saturn Ion, over an ignition switch that could inadvertently slip to an off or accessory position while the car was moving, stalling engines and disabling critical systems such as air bags. Scheuers case, in which he is seeking unspecified compensatory damages as well as punitive damages, is the first of six that have been selected to serve as a bellwether, or test, trials in federal litigation over the switch. GM has agreed to pay roughly $2 billion to resolve legal claims and probes in connection with the switch problem, which thrust the company into the hot seat with Congress, regulators, prosecutors and the public two years ago. Although Scheuer followed GMs instructions to remove all but a single key from his key ring, the ignition switch slipped to off during a May 2014 highway crash, Hilliard said. The air bags failed to deploy, and Scheuer suffered neck and back injuries. While acknowledging mistakes and errors in judgment made by GM employees over the switch, GMs lawyer, Mike Brock, said the switch was not to blame for Scheuers injuries. Reuters INSURANCE MetLife weighs sale or spinoff MetLife, the largest U.S. life insurer, plans to separate much of its retail business as chief executive Steven Kandarian works to shrink the company to limit federal oversight. The insurer is weighing a possible sale, spinoff or public offering of the operation, New York-based MetLife said in a statement Tuesday. The new company would have about $240 billion of assets and account for approximately 20 percent of MetLifes operating earnings, according to the statement. MetLife joins GEs finance unit in seeking to simplify operations after being designated by a U.S. panel as a non-bank systemically important financial institution, a tag that can lead to stricter limits on the balance sheet. The unit faces higher capital requirements that could put it at a significant competitive disadvantage, Kandarian said in the statement. Even though we are appealing our SIFI designation in court and do not believe any part of MetLife is systemic, this risk of increased capital requirements contributed to our decision to pursue the separation of the business. MetLife said Executive Vice President Eric Steigerwalt will lead the new company. Bloomberg News Also in Business From news services Coming Today Its pretty easy to hate David McCallum. Devastatingly handsome Scottish actor. Broke out in the 1962 film Billy Budd, stardom in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Television, film and stage career for 63 years, the last 13 in NCIS, as Dr. Donald Ducky Mallard. First married to no less than the actress Jill Ireland. She left him for Charles Bronson. Married to Katherine Carpenter, a former model, for 48 years. Eight grandchildren; seems happy as a clam. And now, at 82, he has published his first novel, a lark of a crime story involving a New York actor out of his depth. Worse, its pretty danged good. (Have I said I dont like this guy?) Once a Crooked Man is mostly the story of Harry Murphy, a 30-something actor in New York, getting by on commercials (his voice had the essential ingredients of sounding authoritative and at the same time friendly) and small parts in film and television. (Courtesy of David McCallum) One afternoon, just after auditions for a voice-over bit in a mayonnaise commercial and a part in an off-Broadway play, he needs a quick bathroom break. [Look back at the best mysteries and thrillers of 2015] He pops into a none-too-fancy Chinese place, the Fiery Dragon. Theres only one table with customers. Before Harry can reach the facilities, the men at the table tell him to get out. Desperate, Harry steps into the restaurant alley to take care of the business at hand . . . and overhears, through an open window, those lone customers planning an execution. First, this situation is a good reminder to go before you leave home. Second, its a reminder that, should you overhear mobsters discussing a hit, stay out of it. These low-level, lowbrow gangsters are the aging Bruschetti brothers, Salvatore, Enzo and Max. The problem is Max. He has free run of the young prostitutes for his still-surging sexual appetite in one of their establishments, but he nearly dropped dead of a heart attack a month ago. As the novel opens, hes persuading his brothers to cash out of the drug trade, with only a couple of executions needed to secure their safe retirement package. Cue Harry. Or, more particularly, Harrys conscience. Flush with that big mayo contract money (he got the gig!) and pinged by guilt about knowing some poor sap is going to get whacked, he jets off to London to give the elderly target a heads-up. Good deed done, hell pop around London and then bounce back to Gotham and his busy, if fledgling, career. Once a Crooked Man tracks how this all goes delightfully wrong, from the hitmen and prostitutes in the Bruschettis stable, to their overlords in South American drug compounds, to the sexual concerns of money launderers in the United Kingdom. Its all cheerfully implausible in the manner that, say, NCIS is implausible but still fun to watch. The only thing that stopped me was a rape-and-bondage scene in which the female victim decides that she likes it so much that she might just drop everything and take up with her assailant. That seemed sort of heavy for a crime caper told in such an otherwise breezy, engaging manner. After all, McCallum isnt writing a noirish tale of deceit, vengeance and the hard hustle. This is crime as light comedy, with a broad cast of characters, and youre not supposed to take any of it seriously. There are guns, a fetching detective and bags of money. Its a three-card monte as to who winds up where with what and whom. Neely Tucker is a national reporter for The Washington Post and the author, most recently, of Murder, D.C. Vivas to Those Who Have Failed (Norton, $25.95) showcases some of Martin Espadas most powerful writing in years. The book opens with the title piece, a skillful portrait of the Paterson, N.J., silk strike of 1913 and the plight of several workers who struggled in the face of economic and political oppression. Espada then turns to injustices in more recent history: police shootings, the massacre in Newtown, Conn., and the murder of journalist James Foley, who studied with Espada at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Those poems, deeply moving and sad, demonstrate the importance of the poets role as storyteller and push him closer to a series of works about his father. Frank Espada, who moved from Puerto Rico to Brooklyn, was a gifted athlete, a mechanic in the Air Force, a victim of discrimination and a protester who spent time in jail for his beliefs. The poems are fresh and engaging because they reveal a great deal about father and son and their commitment to helping people rise. The closing poems pay homage to the elder Espadas indomitable spirit and how, even on his deathbed, The furious pulse that fired his heart in every fight flooded / the chambers off his heart. The doctors scrutinized the film, / the grainy shadows and the light, but could never see: my father / was a morivivi. I died. I lived. He died. He lived. He dies. He lives. [Looking back at the best poetry collections of 2015] Camille Rankines Incorrect Merciful Impulses (Copper Canyon; paperback, $16) is a striking debut that delights with its sculpted lines, surprising insights, and clear-sighted observations about communication and isolation. The speaker quickly establishes a sense of ambiguity and dislocation, as in these lines from Symptoms of Prophecy: I called to say we have two lives / and only one of them is real. / . . . Im certain that Im not / as I appear, that Im a figment and / youre not really here. / The struggle / is authenticity. The elegant writing is wonderfully rich as the poems explore the complexities and contradictions of interacting with loved ones and strangers. Theres always an emotional push and a pull as the speaker desires intimacy and connection, yet remains somewhat distant. The writing shows how history and rhetoric can deepen loneliness and exclusion. The books final section includes larger, metaphysical questions about impermanence and how people relate to the earth and sea. Yet no matter the subject, the speaker remains evenhanded and compassionate as she considers how people decide who and what is worthy of attention. Rankine has been called a poet to watch by both the American Poet and O Magazine. The wide-ranging praise is well earned. Fans of Larry Levis will delight in the publication of The Darkening Trapeze (Graywolf; paperback, $16), 20 years after the poets death. The work, which includes lyrics, long elegies and a coda written about Leviss son, demonstrates the intensity and singular voice that distinguished five collections during his lifetime and two other posthumous books. Those who are new to his poetry will notice that it swings like the trapeze of the title, from tight, exquisite language to looser, grittier expression. Thats especially true in the longer pieces, where moments of wisdom punctuate sprawling narratives with multiple anecdotes. The speaker, who seems to be saying goodbye throughout these pages, is often drawn to outcasts or those who are typically overlooked, as in Poem With a Hotel Ending on Fire. There, readers meet a private dancer who owns and shows Abyssinian cats, a young man who accidentally sets the building ablaze, and a family that spent all of its money to stay in the hotel. Their longing and hardships are a different kind of flame, one the speaker feels and gives voice to many times as he addresses losses, mortality and experiences that both thrill and scare him. In Ghazal, one of the strongest poems, he asks, Does exile begin at birth? I lived beside a wide river / For so long I stopped hearing it. / As when a glass shatters during an argument, / And we are secretly thrilled. . . . We wanted it to break. Elizabeth Lund writes about poetry every month for The Washington Post. Glenn Gould made his American debut at the Phillips Collection in Washington in 1955, at the age of 22, and burst onto the international stage. Re-creating such an iconic event could be seen as an act of hubris, and even of futility. Youre going up against a career that has achieved legendary proportion, and youre doing it in a concert program that someone else picked out an artist, moreover, of notably idiosyncratic tastes. You might compare it to attending the Oscars wearing a gown custom-made for someone else. On Sunday afternoon, Stewart Goodyear re-created Goulds program as part of the Phillipss 75th-anniversary season, in an exhilarating hour and a quarter of music that he made entirely his own. Gould was one of the quirkiest, most distinctive pianists of the 20th century. Goodyear is distinctive in his own, very different way. Hes known for big, striking projects playing all of Beethovens piano sonatas in a single day, for example, or recording Tchaikovskys entire score for The Nutcracker in an arrangement for solo piano (as he did on his most recent recording). Unlike Gould, hes not the least bit neurotic: His playing is full and round and solid. Nor is he especially known for the early music that made up the full first half of Goulds program. Theres no question that Goodyear is a master of the big, full statement, but his performances of Bach five Sinfonias and the fifth partita in G major were at once entirely un-Gould-like and a highlight of the day. Not for Goodyear the delicate regular sewing-machine-like chains of notes that characterize much early music playing. He presented rapid figures with a fullness that emphasized the breakneck pace and put you on the edge of your seat with incredulity that he was able to sustain this headlong, yet controlled propulsion. Gould had his own reasons for linking one piece to another in a program that opened with Orlando Gibbons and Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck and continued with Anton Webern, Beethovens Op. 109 sonata and Bergs Op. 1 sonata. The connections that Goodyear found were no doubt different, but felt as inevitable as if hed contrived this unusual program himself. His Beethoven grew out of the quiet, cool, resilient authority that characterized his Bach, before flowering into a much more unfettered hothouse flower. His Berg brought the concert to the threshhold of the 21st century. The piece was arguably the most conventional of any on the program but also the most contemporary, played as if it could have been written yesterday. But the entire program felt as if Goodyear had invented it, and the music, afresh down to the Aria from the Goldberg Variations that he offered as a fitting, and pregnant, encore, leaving you after a packed roller coaster of an afternoon still wanting more. "Pretty Little Liars" jumps five years ahead in its winter premiere on Freeform (formerly ABC Family). (Ron Tom/Ron Tom/ABC Family) ABC Family officially becomes Freeform on Tuesday, but the network isnt the only thing undergoing a transformation. The hit show Pretty Little Liars (Freeform at 8 p.m.) jumps five years forward in its winter premiere, which finds the Liars grown up and living their very different lives until a shocking turn of events in Rosewood calls them back to the place where everything started. The one-hour retrospective Mad TV 20th Anniversary Reunion (CW at 8) recalls the politically incorrect humor seen in the shows 14 seasons and features new comedy material performed by alums including Alex Borstein, Mo Collins, Keegan Michael-Key, Nicole Parker, Debra Wilson, Bobby Lee, Artie Lange and Aries Spears. Jess gets back into the dating scene on New Girl (Fox at 8). Sparks dont exactly fly with her latest prospect (guest star Taran Killam), but she gets along great with his parents (Henry Winkler and Julie Hagerty). Soledad OBrien, Bill OReilly and Bill Maher learn about their Irish roots on Finding Your Roots (WETA and MPT at 8). President Obama delivers his final State of the Union address, which will be broadcast on multiple channels (CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, PBS, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News, Fox Business Network, MSNBC at 9). Youll also find follow-up coverage and reaction on many networks, including Fox News, Fox News Business, C-SPAN, CNN and MSNBC. [Obamas last State of the Union will try to counter electorates anger] SERIES PREMIERE: Based on Cassandra Clares fantasy series, The Mortal Instruments, Shadowhunters (Freeform at 9) follows a teen who discovers that she descends from human-angel hybrids responsible for hunting down demons. The Dance Moms (Lifetime at 9) arent happy to learn that Abby is forming a new team, but theyre shocked when they discover that Abby could be facing jail time. Actress Saoirse Ronan, Yelp chief executive Jeremy Stoppelman and the filmmakers behind Netflixs true-crime series Making a Murderer Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos will be on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (CBS at 11:35). James Bay performs. The X-Files duo David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson visit Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC at 11:35), along with actor Jacob Tremblay. Leon Bridges is the musical guest. Kevin Hart, Noel Fielding and Joshua Topolsky will be on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC at 11:35). Dr. Lonnie Smith sits in with the Roots. Incredibly detailed wedding cakes such as this Swan Lake masterpiece are what have made Maggie Austin Cake famous around the world. (Maggie Austin LaBaugh) Buzz Bakeshops new culinary director, Maggie Austin LaBaugh, seen here at the bakerys Alexandria location, has designed a series of whimsical but elegant special-order Celebration Cakes. (Jennifer Chase/For The Washington Post) At Maggie Austin Cake, there is no such thing as instant gratification. Cake artist Maggie Austin LaBaugh spends months designing the elaborate wedding centerpieces that have earned her worldwide fame. It takes several more months to craft the delicate decorations ruffles, botanicals, animals, anything that crosses her or her clients imaginations. There are sugar flowers to form, rice paper to paint. She sculpts models to create custom silicone molds used to shape fondant. And thats all long before the actual wedding. As the day approaches, LaBaugh and her sister and business partner, Jessica Rapier, will jet to the reception site with plans to stay as long as a week, if necessary. Ideally, everything will arrive intact and fit for display, but if not, they have the time and materials to rebuild or tweak, even if it means re-coloring the sugar flowers to ensure an exact match with the fresh ones provided by the florist. [Wedding cake artist Maggie (Austin) LaBaugh still sweats every perfect detail] After everything has been confirmed perfect, we make a graceful exit before anyone arrives, LaBaugh said. The effort doesnt come cheap. Maggie Austin Cake, now approaching six years old, has an $8,000 minimum. Most of its international commissions from Tokyo, Saudi Arabia, Australia are in the tens of thousands of dollars. 1 of 18 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Maggie Austin cakes, priced for royalty and the rest of us View Photos Heres a sampling of Maggie Austin LaBaughs eye-catching new line, available at Buzz Bakeshop in Alexandria and Arlington, plus some of her made-to-order stunners. Caption Heres a sampling of Maggie Austin LaBaughs eye-catching new line, available at Buzz Bakeshop in Alexandria and Arlington, plus some of her made-to-order stunners. Special-order Celebration Cakes from Buzz Bakeshop. Jennifer Chase/For The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. LaBaughs breathtaking creations have catapulted the petite former ballet dancer into the orbit of royalty, both inherited (no, they dont bake and tell) and Hollywood. (She made the cake for Ryan Reynolds and Blake Livelys wedding, though she didnt know it at the time. Another client: Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman.) Still, despite all her success, or perhaps because of it, she felt something was missing. So when a local restaurateur asked her the question What do you want? LaBaugh immediately knew the answer: She wanted to bake things you dont have to be royalty to afford. Maggie Austin LaBaugh puts the finishing touches on one of Buzzs new Celebration Cakes. (Jennifer Chase/For The Washington Post) One bite, and he was hooked Even before a foot injury derailed LaBaughs dance career and led to her transformation into a couture cake artist, the New England-born-and-raised 35-year-old had been baking almost her entire life. She would get the stool and stand next to me at the counter, recalled her father, Ross LaBaugh, who recently moved to Alexandria to be closer to his two daughters. An avid baker, he was famous for never repeating, let alone following, recipes a stark contrast to the girls mother, Mary McInnes, who lives in New Hampshire. As it turned out, little Maggie grew up to inherit both of their approaches, not to mention some recipes, all of which, put together, would convince Michael Babin that she was the right person to take over as culinary director of his beloved Buzz Bakery. (Her moms apple bread is, in fact, on the menu at Buzz.) LaBaugh and Babin, founder and owner of Buzz parent company Neighborhood Restaurant Group, had been introduced by mutual friends. Sometime around the middle of 2014, LaBaugh invited Babin over for lunch at the now-closed studio in Old Town Alexandria that doubled as the home she shared with her husband, Robert Lusk. (Their current digs are a mid-century modern in the Hollin Hills neighborhood of Fairfax County.) For dessert she served the restaurateur her signature rum cake. He was hooked, LaBaugh said. Buzz Bakeshops apple bread is a recipe from LaBaughs mom, Mary McInnes. (Jennifer Chase/For The Washington Post) [Recipe: Maggie Austins Apple Bread] Its like the perfect model of a rum cake, Babin said, and while it might not have directly resulted in the eventual appointment of LaBaugh as Buzzs culinary director, the dessert was definitely an eye-opener. Neither had gone into the meal thinking it would result in anything beyond possible referrals from NRG to the cake business. Even though former executive pastry chef Tiffany MacIsaac had left the group that year, things were in a pretty good place at Buzz, Babin said. The team that she had created was still there and doing the same work they had been doing before. Until I met Maggie, the thought of redoing Buzz . . . wasnt in my head, he said. I wasnt expecting to find out that she was just as interested in the more everyday cakes and sweet things. That was interesting. At the same time, LaBaugh and Babin agreed that they wanted to transform Buzz into something just a touch more refined and grown up, she said. After almost a year in development, the new Buzz Bakeshop debuted this past fall in both locations its original Alexandria storefront, newly renovated, and its Arlington shop marrying the kind of artistry and care LaBaughs cakes are known for with the muffins, cookies, scones, brownies and cupcakes expected at a neighborhood bakery. [Couture cake artist Maggie Austin will now be baking for the masses at Buzz Bakeshop] Sleeping Beauty cake from Maggie Austin Cake. (Maggie Austin LaBaugh) The Midnight Snack cake at Buzz Bakeshop, designed by LaBaugh. (Jennifer Chase/For The Washington Post) Scaling back and scaling up Ironically, it was the increasingly demanding artistry of Maggie Austin Cake that helped pave the way for the Buzz opportunity. The demand for the time-consuming cakes had gotten so high that LaBaugh either needed to hire a full-time staff or limit the number of cakes she took on. She and Rapier, who now holds the title of managing director at Buzz, decided in favor of the latter. Maggie Austin Cake now makes only a handful of cakes a year; LaBaugh said she had no interest in streamlining her designs, some of the secrets of which will be shared in an instructional cake decorating book set for publication in 2017. But streamlining was key at Buzz. The trick was to balance the precision and attention to detail that are trademarks of LaBaughs personality (and cakes) with the ability to scale up production of her recipes. Joli Ridenour, a former Maggie Austin Cake intern who joined Buzz as production manager, said she and LaBaugh spent about nine months in initial recipe testing. It was like Americas Test Kitchen over there, said Ross LaBaugh, referring to the famously thorough producer of cookbooks, magazines and public television shows. The food had to be delicious but also as foolproof as possible, explained Ridenour, since neither she nor LaBaugh would be in complete control of the process. Other people would have to be able to follow their recipes and designs. Its tough, because Im a super-controlling person, LaBaugh said. Buzz Bakeshops savory brunch cups. (Jennifer Chase/For The Washington Post) Attractive flourishes are common in Buzzs display case, though. Gold-dusted chocolate bees rest atop some cupcakes as a nod to the Buzz name. Macaroons are shaped into Egypt-worthy pyramids, and cookies impeccably decorated with fondant, glitter and icing are almost too pretty to eat except for the fact that they taste so much better than the cardboard commercial sugar cookies were used to. Even though LaBaugh wont have her hand on every baked good to come out of the Buzz kitchen, each recipe is a little piece of her. Its sort of a scary thing to step off that cliff and say, This is my brownie. This is the best that we have to offer, LaBaugh said. And NRG is taking pains to make sure Buzzs new identity is closely tied to its culinary director. She features prominently on the bakerys redesigned website and on a placard placed front and center in the shop the kind of attention that still makes LaBaugh uncomfortable, despite the fact that shes been featured in magazines, books and websites the world over. I still tend to hang out in the back of the kitchen, LaBaugh said. That sentiment makes perfect sense to her father and is one reason the sisters complement each other so well, with the somewhat reticent LaBaugh perfectly content to get lost in the artistry while the more outgoing Rapier handles inquiries and makes sure everything gets done. Even when the two were studying dance Rapier has a background in modern dance they took different approaches. Jess was more performance-based, and Maggie was more technique-based, Ross LaBaugh said What that really means is, for Maggie, it was never really about the performance. It was about mastery. Still, even Maggie LaBaugh will admit that its immensely satisfying to see customers enjoying her creations at the shop the kind of instant gratification that rarely happens at a client wedding. A lineup of special-order Celebration Cakes at Buzz Bakeshop. (Jennifer Chase/For The Washington Post) From rustic to refined When NRG first announced LaBaughs hiring at Buzz, she knew that one of the immediate questions would be, Are you going to be doing wedding cakes? Not quite, but there will be two ways Buzz customers can get their hands on a Maggie Austin-designed cake. For grab-and-go purchases, Buzz will sell a variety of home-style cakes (starting at $50 for an 8-inch cake) with a rustic buttercream finish in flavors such as red velvet, and banana with chocolate and peanut butter frosting. On the more elaborate end, customers will have no doubt about whos the creative force behind the eye-catching Celebration Cakes now available for special order. The line starting at $60 for an 8-inch cake is divided into four categories: Candy Shop, Cookie Bouquet, Kid at Heart and Sprinkles! The Ice Cream Cone cake features pink frosting adorned with candy confetti and a cascade of green-tinted white chocolate ganache (the colors can be customized), capped by an upside-down cone filled with a scoop of frosting. The Cookies and Cream cake is coated in a crushed cookie frosting under another artfully applied cascade of chocolate, crowned by a few Oreos and a glass of white chocolate ganache milk complete with straw. Playful but sophisticated, a fitting representation of the best-of-both-worlds approach LaBaugh is bringing to Buzz. With the wedding cake business, I was really missing that reason why bakers bake, LaBaugh said, and thats to give people good food on a more grand scale. The Ice Cream Cone cake at Buzz Bakeshop. (Jennifer Chase/For The Washington Post) The Smores cake from Buzz. (Jennifer Chase/For The Washington Post) LaBaugh will join Wednesdays Free Range chat at noon: live.washingtonpost.com. Paul Resiler and kids who took part in Kid Pan Alley perform with the Manassas Symphony in 2013. (Cheryl Toth/ Kid Pan Alley) When Wynnie Thompson was in elementary school, she played an instrument, but she had a passion to write music and perform it. What she didnt have was the confidence to do it. When you get a bad haircut and dont want to go to school its kind of like that, Wynnie said. That changed when she and classmates at Rappahannock County Elementary School went through Kid Pan Alley, a music education program that turns kids into songwriters. In the program, students learn about music and write songs, some of which professional musicians such as Amy Grant later record. Paul Reisler, who founded the program, and the Kid Pan Alley team have written more than 2,500 songs with about 35,000 kids in the past 15 years and visit 20 to 25 schools around the country each year. Kids in Washington participated last month. I had an interest before [in songwriting], but Kid Pan Alley definitely showed me how to let your brain flow, said Wynnie, whos 14 and lives in Sperryville, Virginia. She now writes songs every day. Wynnie Thompson of Sperryville, Virginia, has continued writing songs after participating in the program. (Family photo) Writing as a group helps students bond as they work toward a goal. Its something you can express yourself through without feeling like youre going to be judged for it, Wynnie said. Some kids are initially embarrassed by the idea of singing or speaking their emotions in front of their peers, but Wynnie said Kid Pan Alley brought her out of her shell and made her realize that theres nothing lame about songwriting. Its most definitely cool to play music and express yourself, she said. Although writing a song sounds tricky, Reisler said his team has gotten the process down to a science. In fact, all the songs he writes with kids are done in less than two hours. He was teaching this in a way that wasnt making us feel like babies, Wynnie said of Reislers approach. And it wasnt getting us too ahead of ourselves. After the kids brainstorm about song ideas and then develop lines, the hard part comes: making the melody. If the line was I used to know the name of all the stars, now I just know a few planets like Mercury, Earth and Mars, Ill have one of the kids speak that for me, Reisler said. And we clap it in the rhythm of which they spoke it. He shows them with his hands the pitch, or how high or low they were speaking the words. Its the natural pitch and rhythm of speech that were trying to mimic, Reisler said. He plays the line in a few musical styles on his guitar, and the kids pick which genre, or style, they think fits best. The most important part of the process is getting kids to open up and feel comfortable embracing their inner musician, Reisler said. Its a creativity program dressed up in songwriters clothes. If you go What: Kid Pan Alley concert featuring kids from Moten, Turner and Savoy elementary schools. Where: THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Avenue SE, Washington. When: Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. How much: Free. For more information: A parent can call 540-322-2022 or email info@kidpanalley.org. Adapted from an online discussion. Dear Carolyn: There is a man in my life whom I have developed strong feelings for. I expressed these feelings last week. He expressed the same feelings back but said that his life was too complicated for us to be anything more than friends. His situation is that his ex-girlfriend informed him she was pregnant after they broke up. They got back together for the sake of the child and have had a rocky relationship ever since. The child is now 2. I want to have a conversation with him where I say, out loud, that he would still be a good man, person and father even if he wasnt with the mother of his child because I think that is where he is hung up. Am I the wrong person to be saying this since I have expressed personal feelings of my own? I do care about him and want him to be happy no matter what he chooses. To say or not to say? To say or not to say?: Yes, you are the wrong person to be saying this, because you have an ulterior motive in polishing up the moral implications of his leaving the mother of his child. In fact, you need to remove yourself from this mans life completely, or at least as much as your living/family/work situation allows. To remain on the scene with your professed interest in him while he tries to make a rocky relationship work is fundamentally predatory. He has to do what he has to do, and let his relationship succeed or fail on its own merits. If it falls apart and if youre right for him, then hell know where to find you. Trusting this and leaving him alone are the two steps that would prove his happiness is your primary goal. Dear Carolyn: My elderly father is probably going to die soon. He had a massive stroke two years ago and his life since has been a misery for him and my family, so it will be a mixture of grief and relief. How do I tell my friends and co-workers that I would prefer they not attend the funeral? They would go only out of respect for me (none of my local friends has ever met him), but I would rather sit in an empty room than have to acknowledge the condolences of a bunch of well-meaning people. Ive spent two years taking the emotional weight for my fathers illness and the idea of having to smile and thank people and murmur about it being for the best makes me want to scream. I have happily attended weddings and respectfully attended funerals. I just dont want to be the one at the front of the room. Anonymous Anonymous: Im sorry for the hell you and your family have been through. Yes, you can make your wishes clear that you dont want anyone to come to the funeral. Best practice is to notify one person in your workplace and one person among your friends to serve as your spokesperson: The services are private. You can approach this person now or when the time comes, whatever feels appropriate, though saying it now might help cross this particular worry off your list. A Chipotle Mexican Grill employee prepares food in Seattle. After an E. coli outbreak that sickened more than 50 people, Chipotle is changing its cooking methods to prevent the situation from happening again. (Stephen Brashear/Associated Press) Anne and Jeff Owens love Chipotle. They love it so much that they went there on their wedding day four years ago she, radiant in her strapless wedding gown and a veiled fascinator in her hair, and he, in his tuxedo and teal vest to order burritos and pose for photos. They love it so much that the Blacksburg, Va., couple goes back each Aug. 13, their anniversary, to re-create those photos, with their 3-year-old daughter in tow. They love it so much that even now even with Chipotle Mexican Grill linked to hundreds of cases of illness because of E. coli, salmonella and norovirus they still go at least once a week. Were totally willing to throw up a little for tradition, Anne says. She laughs, then pauses. Thats probably gross, she says. Thats so gross! But even if their anniversary had come during the height of the outbreak, she adds, we totally would have gone. Four years into their marriage, were still in love with our favorite burrito place, she says. Anne and Jeff Owens celebrate their Aug. 13, 2011, wedding at Chipotle. (Natalie Gibbs/Natalie Gibbs Photography) Anne and Jeff Owens celebrate a wedding anniversary at Chipotle with their daughter, Riley. (Courtesy of Anne Owens) For many others, the honeymoon phase with the beloved brand is over. Chipotles sales have taken a hit, and its stock price is falling. The company has been served with a grand jury subpoena related to one outbreak of norovirus in California and is being sued by shareholders who allege that they were deceived about the companys food-safety practices. Meanwhile, 500 people have been sickened nationwide, and in the E. coli cases, Chipotle still hasnt figured out which ingredient is the culprit. But its not like anyone has died. So Chipotle fans will keep eating their burritos until someone, um, does. And maybe even after that. Sorry but I still love chipotle. And you have to take risks when it comes to love, tweeted @calisalafia. since i continue to eat chipotle knowing the risk i guess you could say i would die for chipotle, @GNVZT tweeted. Because what other fast-food restaurant ahem, fast-casual restaurant inspires its fans to Photoshop burritos into classic rom-com movie scenes or pen 1,000-word essays on their love-hate feelings about the restaurant (When you have three bites left of a burrito but you cant breathe so you go through the struggle of leaving an embarrassing amount left or finishing it, lamented an Elite Daily post), or draw burrito-shaped pie charts (How I spend my money: one-eighth on rent, seven-eighths on Chipotle). Members of the cult of Chipotle have been inpsired to wear an aluminum-foil burrito costumes on Halloween and make burrito-shaped cakes, and one persuaded people to shell out $1,050 on Kickstarter to help him fulfill his dream of filming himself eating a Chipotle burrito while skydiving. Sometimes, something gets some sort of odd cult following, and it builds upon itself, says Anne Owens, who knows of other Chipotle devotees through blogs that round up pictures of fan photos. Were among this strange underbelly of Chipotle-obsessed weirdos, and we love our kind. I feel like that doesnt happen for McDonalds. Her friends have tried to get her to stop eating at the restaurant. They make fun of us, she says. They ask us if we get sick, because they know how often we go. They laugh and say, If you guys give up on Chipotle, theres no chance that the brand could bounce back. Andrew Hawryluk, who ate at Chipotle for 186 days straight and chronicled it on his blog, Chipotlife, says that although his streak has ended, he hasnt shied away from eating there, either. He was upset about the E. coli scare mainly because I truly believe in the restaurants mission, Hawryluk told Business Insider. A Chipotle burrito bowl. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) But even those who dont share Owenss and Hawryluks level of fandom are sticking to Chipotle like salt on the rim of a margarita glass. Although the lines are shorter than usual at the Logan Circle location, customers on a recent day seemed unconcerned about the outbreaks, eating their tacos and burrito bowls without hesitation even after a reporter interrupted their lunch to ask some potentially stomach-turning questions. Ive never had an issue, and I eat Chipotle all the time, said Lauren Stafford, 33, a social media marketer who eats at the restaurant as often as three times a week. If Im not sick, Im not stopping eating Chipotle, said cab driver Yanemsew Zegeye, 29, who eats a vegetarian Chipotle meal every weekday. Chains in general, if they have scares, theyre super-regulated after the fact, said Chandish Nester, 27, a student at Studio Theatre across the street. They try to really get a handle on it. After all, Jack in the Box came back, even after four children died 20 years ago from eating undercooked burgers tainted with E. coli. An ad of its mascot exploding the company boardroom signaled a fresh start. But for a company that bills itself as food with integrity, it could take a larger goodwill gesture to bring back fair-weather fans. This weekend, customers thought that gesture had arrived in the form of a $1 burrito promotion with free guacamole! to regain public trust. Except the promotion didnt come from Chipotle, but from a parody site called Satira Tribune. Enough people believed it, or wanted to believe it, to force some poor Chipotle social media manager to spend his day quelling the rumors over Twitter. Even though the outbreaks which hit the West Coast and Boston hardest, and sickened only one person in Maryland, with E. coli have subsided, there were still a few wary regular customers. This was my first time coming since the scare, said Sonni Nucci, 29, a general contractor. I gave it a couple of months, just in case. I figure by now they have some new chickens in the back. He dove into an order of chicken tacos with all three salsas, cheese and a little sour cream. And my buddy turned me on to the vinaigrette mix you ever have that? You gotta dabble, Nucci said. Would he stick with the brand? Always, he affirmed. Well, unless people start dying. Members of the audience hold signs during a board of visitors meeting about sexual assault at the University of Virginia on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2014. (Ryan M. Kelly/The Daily Progress via Associated Press) In the 14 months since her story shocked the world, Jackie has been at the heart of a national debate about sexual assaults on college campuses, has become embroiled in a media scandal, and is the central figure in a series of defamation lawsuits. Yet theres one important fact missing about Jackie, the young woman who concocted a harrowing story about a gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity: her full name. News organizations have declined to reveal Jackies full identity since her now-discredited story appeared in Rolling Stone magazine in November 2014. Her single-name identity just Jackie is in keeping with a long-standing journalistic convention against identifying alleged victims of sexual crimes to protect the accusers privacy. As a result, news accounts of rape or sex-related crimes almost never name an accuser without their explicit permission, making it the only class of crime involving adults in which this practice is observed. But that standard arguably doesnt apply in Jackies case. Her story has been shown repeatedly to be false, both through news reporting and an extensive police investigation. Rolling Stone has withdrawn the article, A Rape on Campus, and apologized to its readers for publishing an account that a Columbia Journalism School report called a story of journalistic failure. Columbia University has released its report on Rolling Stone's retracted story detailing an alleged rape at a U-Va. fraternity. The Post's T. Rees Shapiro - who first reported inconsistencies in the Rolling Stone article - explains the key findings in the report. (Gillian Brockell/The Washington Post) Even so, Jackie has remained nearly anonymous. No mainstream media outlet has reported Jackies full name. Investigators for the Charlottesville police, who found no evidence to support Jackies story, havent revealed it, either. Her identity has also been redacted in documents by a court hearing one of the lawsuits against Rolling Stone. While its debatable whether knowing Jackies full name would serve much public purpose, the collective reticence to identify her plays into an underlying discussion about the medias responsibility in identifying accusers. In contrast, the accused are regularly identified once they are charged. Proponents of maintaining an accusers anonymity say it protects a presumed victim from retaliation or humiliation. But an emerging faction argues that not naming the alleged victims perpetuates a climate of silence and shame surrounding such crimes and discourages more people from reporting them. Moreover, they say, its unfair for media accounts to shield the accuser but identify the accused, potentially putting a social stigma on a person who may be innocent. The Washington Post, which broke many of the details that led to the unraveling of Jackies story, hasnt named Jackie for a particular reason: The newspaper made an agreement with Jackie not to do so. In exchange for discussing her story with Post reporters, The Post agreed in late 2014 not to report her full name. We told her we wouldnt name her, in large part because we thought she was a sex-assault victim at that time and we dont name victims of sexual assault without their permission, said Mike Semel, The Posts Metro editor. That agreement for anonymity needs to be considered until we are absolutely certain that there was no assault at all. Steve Coll, the dean of the Columbia Journalism School, said he, too, would be against revealing Jackies name. Columbias highly critical report on the Rolling Stone article, which Coll co-wrote, didnt name Jackie when it was released in April. Its an unusual situation, and I understand the argument on the other side, but I would not name her, said Coll, a former Post managing editor. She never solicited Rolling Stone to be written about. Shes not responsible for the journalism mistakes. To name her now just feels gratuitous, lacking sufficient public purpose. That could change depending on how the legal cases unfold, but thats my sense now. [Read more: Lawyers for U-Va. dean: Jackie lied to Rolling Stone about gang rape, invented story] Colls reluctance is seconded by Kristen Houser, spokeswoman for the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, a social service organization. Houser said victims of a sexual predator are more willing to step forward and be named these days witness the avalanche of accusers in the Bill Cosby case but that many are still deterred by the social consequences. We still have an environment overall that is hostile and suspicious of people who say they were sexually assaulted, she said. For many people, there are risks that come along with public exposure, such as harassment, bullying or additional violence. Its best to leave it up to the survivors to make the call, Houser said. But veteran journalist Geneva Overholser said silence and anonymity only perpetuate the social climate that rape victims and their advocates are fighting against. Overholser was editor of the Des Moines Register in 1991 when the paper won the Pulitzer Prize for public service for a series on an Iowa woman who was raped. The woman, Nancy Ziegenmeyer, gave permission to the newspaper to use her name and photograph in the stories, sparking a national debate on the naming of rape victims. Now an independent journalist in New York, Overholser has written that the practice of withholding accusers names from news stories is a particular slice of silence that I believe has consistently undermined societys attempts to deal effectively with rape. . . . Nothing affects public opinion like real stories with real faces and names attached. Attribution brings accountability, a climate within which both empathy and credibility flourish. She argues that the practice of not naming names hasnt reduced the underreporting of sexual assaults or retaliation against accusers. While Overholser said she doesnt believe there are many false charges of rape a number of studies bear this out she said the practice of naming one side and not the other creates fundamental unfairness that can be exploited. I think [Jackie] should have been named in the first place, she said in an interview. The protection of anonymity the media grants accusers was never an appropriate one for journalists to afford, because it implies that we know what party deserves protection when someone brings charges of rape. It implies that we can determine guilt or innocence. Eric Haley, left, holds a hunting rifle that he is purchasing for his seven year old son, while chatting with Steve Clark, co-owner of Clark Brothers Gun Shop Jan. 9 in Warrenton, Va. (Courtland Milloy/The Washington Post) With gun sales going strong at Clark Brothers Gun Shop in Warrenton, Va., now would be a good time for President Obama to pay a visit. Forget about those televised town hall meetings on guns, such as the one last week at George Mason University, where Obama faced off with an audience handpicked by CNN. Go to the counter at Clark Brothers. Get a close-up look at the Obama effect, a run on guns that occurs every time the president broaches the subject of gun control. If only Obama could actually see how even small-bore tinkering with gun laws can explode into high-caliber gun sales, he just might come up with a less counterproductive approach. Staying mum would be a start. Everything in the store is selling, said Steve Clark, the owner of Clark Brothers, waving his hands at a wide range of handguns, shotguns and rifles. Obama set it off again. [Gun sales hit new record ahead of Obamas call for gun restrictions] In a Jan. 7 town hall event, President Obama bristled at the suggestion that he has a plan to confiscate Americans' guns. (CNN) With one speech, Obama can spur the sale of more than a million guns in a single month. The mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., and the presidents calls for more restrictions on gun sales helped boost national background checks for the month of December. I would love to be able to sit down with Obama, without all the cameras, and just ask him, What are you trying to do? Clark said. None of the regulations that Obama wants to put in place will prevent the tragedies that he claims they will. So is he really that naive? Or does he have something else in mind? By something else, Clark meant confiscating guns. What Obama has called for is requiring gun sellers especially those who do business on the Internet and at gun shows to be licensed and to conduct background checks on potential buyers. The idea that he is trying to take legally purchased guns from owners is imaginary fiction, Obama said during the town hall at George Mason. The way it is described is that we are trying to take away everybodys guns, Obama told moderator Anderson Cooper. Our position is consistently mischaracterized. . . . If you listen to the rhetoric, it is so over-the-top, it is so overheated. Nevertheless, Obama has yet to show how his proposals would work as advertised. Make the case and end the speculation about ulterior motives. Eric Haley and his wife, Stephanie, had not come to the gun store because of the Obama effect. But they did have some insights about why his efforts are prone to backfire. Eric is teaching our son what he needs to learn in order to keep our family tradition of hunting going things like personal responsibility and safety, said Stephanie Haley, who works for a social-services agency in Manassas, Va. I remember when my grandfather used to go hunting and come back home with game to feed his family. Now another generation is following in his footsteps. She showed off a cellphone photograph of their son holding an older model .22 rifle along with the squirrel that he had shot with it. I was a proud mama that day, she said. Eric Haley, a truck driver, said that seeing his son incorporate the lessons from their hunting trips into his daily life especially discipline and patience is a source of family pride. In his view, any proposed gun law that discounts culture and tradition would be fiercely opposed. In other parts of the store, customers included elderly men and women who were looking to buy guns because they fear that the new rules will make the process of getting a gun too complicated. Fear. Even though the restrictions aimed at reducing gun violence would not affect those purchasing weapons at shops like Clark Brothers, many people cant get past the fear. But the idea of any sort of gun restriction is so polarizing and steeped in fear that the conversation stops there. Brian W. Ruttenbur, an analyst with BB&T Capital Markets, has been widely quoted as calling Obama the best salesman for firearms. But Clark wasnt gloating. I like to win, but not like that, he said. I want people to buy guns because they enjoy them or need them for personal protection, not because they fear that the government will try to ban them. If Obama did happened to drop by, however, Clark might still thank him. To read previous columns, go to washingtonpost.com/milloy. Just weeks before being sentenced for killing three people in Alexandria, Charles Severance took out a pen to write a long letter to two Washington Post reporters. The serial killers eight-page screed, printed on lined notebook paper, takes aim at The Post, D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier, and the parents and boyfriend of Alison Parker, the Roanoke reporter shot to death on live television in August. I am an internationally recognized expert witness on Mental Disorder, Severance wrote from Alexandrias detention center, where he is being held. My highly esteemed credentials are prominently posted at mentaldisorder.com so Im not kidding. The handwritten missive is addressed to me as Ian Shapira Man of Letters, and my colleague as Dana Priest Lady Scholar of the Explaining Class. It is rambling and vulgar and filled with slurs against Jews, gays and women, along with random references to sadism, the Taiping Rebellion in 19th-century China and Edmund Burke. A jury in Fairfax, Va., found Charles Severance guilty of all 10 criminal counts against him in the murder of three Alexandria residents over the course of a decade. (Ashleigh Joplin/The Washington Post) The white-bearded Severance does not address his murder trial in Fairfax County, where in November he was convicted of the 2014 slaying of music teacher Ruthanne Lodato, the 2013 shooting of regional transportation planner Ronald Kirby and the 2003 killing of real estate agent Nancy Dunning. All of the victims were shot at their homes during the day, terrifying the city. Jurors recommended that Severance, who did not testify, be sentenced to life in prison without parole in each case. A judge is expected to impose that penalty at his sentencing Jan. 22. In his letter, Severance denounces the Alexandria sheriff, without using a name, as mentally ill. But he devotes much of his ink to commentary about a recent Post profile that I wrote about Chris Hurst, the boyfriend of Parker, who was a reporter at WDBJ. [They knew theyd marry one day, then a gunman stole their future on live TV.] I figure the Misery Index for the Explaining Class was permanently elevated one degree of dangerousness since the hideous August 2015 Captain John Smith Mountain Lake Murder. Its the kind of story that will never go away despite the long Goodbye, Severance writes, referring to the title of a series on hospice care that the Roanoke station did partly in Parkers honor. Terror is passion, observed the great 18th century social thinker Sir Edmund Burke that always produces delight when it does not press too close. His letter was postmarked Dec. 26, and its envelope bears a stamp from his current residence: the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center at 2001 Mill Rd. in Alexandria. It was not discovered in The Posts mailroom until Jan. 11. An attorney for Severance, Christopher Leibig, declined to comment. In a handwritten letter to The Washington Post, Charles Severance criticizes the newspaper, the Districts police chief and the relatives of a slain Roanoke, Va., television journalist, among others. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post) Severances bizarre writings were a critical piece of evidence during his trial last year. The missives some handwritten and seized from his car, others gathered by various electronic means were often hateful, violent and incoherent, although his attorneys pointed out that they also encompassed more innocuous themes, such as history and board-game development. [The evidence against Charles Severance] Prosecutors contended that Severances writings, at times, seemed to describe his crimes. In one document, for example, he wrote, Knock. Talk. Enter. Kill. Exit. Murder an apparently perverted version of a biblical parable. He also wrote of violence toward those in law enforcement. Defense attorneys, though, contended that the documents were little more than the random musings of a man who battled mental illness later in his life. In court, Severance was known to act strangely, sometimes interrupting the judge and sparring over his constitutional rights. He was declared competent to stand trial and generally bristled at his characterization as someone in need of mental health treatment. Some pages of his letter to The Post are decorated with desultory arrangements of words and phrases signaling that Severance is following the news. Paris, San Bernadino, and Beirut, he writes on one line. ISIS ISIS ISIS, he scribbles elsewhere. Severance directs much of his anger at The Post. You guys are lackeys and toadys and word-whoring propaganda sychophants for the legitimate institution of pharmaceutical toxic psychiatric policing north of the Rio Grande. Its disgusting. Matt Zapotosky contributed to this report. Maryland faith leaders on Monday joined the swelling ranks of sick-leave advocates backing legislation to require employers in the state to pay workers for time off when they are ill a proposal that has languished in Congress but found limited success at the state and local levels. Christian and Jewish clergy, speaking to nearly 100 people at Baltimores St. Ignatius Church, called on lawmakers in Annapolis to support the sick-leave bills that Maryland Senate Majority Leader Catherine E. Pugh (D-Baltimore) and Del. Luke H. Clippinger (D-Baltimore) plan to introduce during the upcoming legislative session, which begins Wednesday. Advocates for sick leave say the working poor suffer most when they dont have the benefit, making tough choices about whether to work through illnesses or stay home without earning the wages they need to support themselves and their families. Sick leave cannot be viewed solely from the perspective of dollars and cents, Baltimore Archdiochese Bishop Denis Madden said. It must be viewed as a necessary contribution to the dignity, health, livelihood of workers and their families. The measures from Pugh and Clippinger would mandate that businesses with 10 or more employees provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours of work. [ Advocates hope 2016 could be the year to pass paid sick leave in Maryland ] Opponents argue that such requirements can hinder small businesses, but supports say they benefit employers, largely in the form of savings from lower turnover and reduced spread of the flu. All were asking is what we want for ourselves, said Pugh, who owns a Baltimore consignment shop and serves as president of a public-relations firm. This is our year. Two other Baltimore Democrats, state House Appropriations Committee Chair Maggie L. McIntosh (D-Baltimore) and Del. Shelly L. Hettleman (D-Baltimore), attended the event. McIntosh vowed to use her leadership position to promote the cause, saying she wouldnt back down from opponents who raise concerns about costs. I dont want to hear about capital. I want to hear about human capital, what we invest in our people,she said, drawing applause. Proponents say legislative leaders are unlikely to seek a floor vote on paid sick leave unless they have veto-proof majorities, because Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has promised to limit regulations and create a more business-friendly environment. [ Voters and Obama want paid sick days, poll shows. Will Congress oblige? ] Such legislation died at the committee level last year despite having 77 co-sponsors in the House and 22 in the Senate eight and seven votes short of veto-proof majorities, respectively. Pugh urged the audience to focus its advocacy efforts on lawmakers who are undecided about sick-leave legislation this year. Go to the folks who arent with us, she said. Send them letters, send them emails, all of the social media do everything. Our community is depending on you. At the federal level, proposals for paid sick leave have failed in the Republican-controlled Congress, despite strong support from the Obama administration. Advocates in recent months have increasingly focused their efforts on localities, finding success with legislation in Montgomery County but failing to push through a similar policy in Prince Georges County, where officials said the state should act first. [ Montgomery County joins other localities providing paid sick leave ] [ Paid sick leave fails in Prince Georges; council wants to wait for state to act ] Working Matters, a Maryland advocacy group leading efforts to promote sick-day legislation throughout the state, shot video testimonials from supporters at Mondays event. The organization plans to send the messages to lawmakers and blast them out on social media to promote their cause. More than 720,000 workers in Maryland lack paid sick leave, according to Working Matters. Amanda Rothschild, who owns Charmingtons cafe in Baltimore, said she offers the benefit to her full- and part-time employees. I can tell you that as a new business, as a small business, that its possible, she said. Its something that actually makes a business stronger. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan watches as a blighted rowhouse is demolished in Baltimore earlier this month. (Amy Davis/BALTIMORE SUN VIA AP) Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Tuesday proposed modest tax cuts for senior citizens, low-income families and some manufacturing businesses, fulfilling a central campaign pledge in a manner that he said should appeal to the Democrats who control the state legislature. Hogan said the cuts, which would amount to an estimated $480 million over five years, would help Marylanders who desperately need it most. The governor declined to explain how he would make up for the lost revenue, saying the details would be included in the budget he will propose next week. But he said last week that the state would carry a cash balance of $445 million going into fiscal 2018, which could help cover the cost. The governors proposals are a first step toward a goal he outlined repeatedly as a candidate in 2014 offsetting the tax and fee increases the legislature approved during the tenure of his predecessor, Martin OMalley (D). At the same time, by reaching out to poor families and senior citizens as well as businesses moving into economically depressed areas, he is increasing the likelihood of winning at least some Democratic support. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announces his 2016 tax-relief plan on Tuesday, including an additional $480 million in revenue cuts, which he says will deliver tax relief to the most vulnerable Marylanders. (GovHogan/Youtube) Anyone that isnt in favor . . . probably doesnt deserve to be in the legislature, Hogan said. I cant imagine how anybody could vote against these common-sense measures. Most of the proposed changes would require the approval of the General Assembly, where Democrats hold strong majorities in both chambers. Democratic leaders expressed cautious optimism on Tuesday that they can work with the governor on the proposals. All of these ideas will be well-received, but we need to know the details, said Del. Maggie L. McIntosh (D-Baltimore), the House Appropriations Committee chair. [What to expect in the 2016 legislative session] Hogan said his tax-relief plan would benefit about 1 million residents one-sixth of the states population and 300,000 businesses. The proposals include accelerating an existing plan to increase the Earned Income Tax Credit, which helps families earning less than $53,000 a year. Current law calls for the benefit to increase from 25 percent of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit to 28 percent by fiscal 2019. The governors plan would speed up that timeline to fiscal 2017. Hogan called for a 10-year exemption to the states corporate income tax for new manufacturers in designated high-unemployment areas, including Baltimore, Western Maryland and the lower Eastern Shore. Employees who work for those companies and earn less than $65,000 a year would not pay income taxes during that period. Were trying to bring back the manufacturing base, because there are a lot of hardworking people in the heartland of Maryland who want to work, who are looking for skilled-labor jobs, Hogan said. Additionally, the governor said he wants to increase the personal-tax exemption for senior citizens from $1,000 to $5,000, phasing in the change over four years. He said his plan would save 640,000 seniors about $183 million over the next five years. Hogan also proposed rolling back fees for permits, applications and services across state government, including trimming the $300 business-filing fee by $50 a year for the next four years. He said those cuts would save Marylanders $235 million over the next five years. Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (D-Montgomery), vice chair of the Senate budget and taxation committee, said that Hogan gleaned several of his proposals from Democrats without giving them credit. He said the governors Earned Income Tax Credit plan would fast-track legislation that Madaleno himself introduced in 2014; the proposed tax credit for manufacturers, he added, mirrors a bill that Sen. Roger Manno (D-Montgomery) sponsored last year. I appreciate that the governor has taken on the mantle of what weve been talking about, Madaleno said. It would be nice if he had talked about it that way. Senate Minority Leader J.B. Jennings (R-Baltimore County) said he welcomed the pace and focus of Hogans proposals. We have to be patient in doing this. It took eight years to raise all these taxes. It will take several to lower them all, Jennings said. This shows Governor Hogan is starting to reverse them, turn them back. And hes doing it with a balanced budget. The states fiscal outlook has improved dramatically since Hogan took office last year. State analysts are projecting a surplus of $300 million heading into the next budget year. Administration officials have said repeatedly that they prefer to return extra revenue to taxpayers rather than finding new ways to spend it. State policymakers are awaiting a separate set of tax recommendations from a commission that Democratic leaders appointed to study ways of improving the states business climate. Members of the panel, which includes several lawmakers, have said they do not expect the proposals to be finalized before the start of the legislative session on Wednesday. The governor made a wisecrack Tuesday about the amount of time the task force is taking to complete its report, joking that he has considered asking the state police to put out an all-points bulletin for the group. Im afraid that the commission may have been hijacked or kidnapped, he said, adding that he plans to support any and all of the panels tax-relief recommendations. Baltimore police officers stand outside of the courthouse as demonstrators protest in response to a hung jury and mistrial for Officer William Porter, one of six Baltimore city police officers charged in connection to the death of Freddie Gray, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015, in Baltimore Md. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) (Jose Luis Magana/AP) A Maryland legislative panel on Monday offered sweeping changes in police policies, including giving officers periodic psychological evaluations and allowing the public to attend police trial boards. Under the proposed changes, residents would also be given more time to file brutality complaints. The Public Safety and Policing Work Group voted to submit 21 recommendations to Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) and House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) for the General Assembly to consider. It spent the past six months reviewing police practices and devising ways to improve police-community relations. Its a very strong working package of proposals for reform, said Sen. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Montgomery), a member of the panel. As the national debate continues over the use of force by police officers, particularly against minorities, the recommendations send a strong signal that efforts to bolster criminal justice and police reforms will take place in Maryland during its 90-day legislative session. Criminal justice reform advocates said they were pleased with many of the proposals, specifically those that would create more transparency when police officers are accused of wrongdoing. Its a really good first step, and we look forward to working with the General Assembly to strengthen it, said Sara Love, the public policy director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland. An official with the Maryland Fraternal Order of Police said the union will work with the legislature to ensure that police officers receive due process and are treated fairly. The union has concerns about the psychological evaluations, and a recommendation would change how quickly officers must cooperate with internal investigations. The panel called for reducing the states 10-day rule, which gives officers 10 days to get a lawyer before cooperating with an investigation, to five days. This is just the beginning of the process, said Vince Canales, president of the state police union. We know there are potential changes coming up in the legislative session. The panels recommendations are the third set of proposals from committees recently investigating criminal justice and policing issues in Maryland. A second committee made recommendations on the use of police body cameras, and a third recently submitted a 10-year, $247 million plan to reduce recidivism and the states prison population by focusing more on community-based programs. [Md. panel recommends less prison for drug offenders, more treatment] The legislatures focus on police reform this session will unfold as juries in Baltimore decide the fate of six officers who were arrested in connection with the death of Freddie Gray. Gray, 25, died in April after his spine was severed while in police custody. His death sparked riots in Baltimore and renewed calls from criminal justice reform advocates for the state to review policing practices. [Judge declares mistrial in case of officer charged in Freddie Gray death] Busch and Miller created the panel after the unrest, hoping to repair the relationship between the police and the community, which is fraught with distrust. The workgroup heard from almost 100 witnesses and incorporated many recommendations from members of the public and law enforcement, Busch and Miller said in a joint statement. We believe these recommendations will make measurable progress in improving policing practices in Maryland. The panel was expected to finish its work in December, but it ran into trouble reaching a consensus on a number of issues, including mandatory psychological evaluations for officers. Police officers are given evaluations before they join the force, but Sen. Catherine E. Pugh (D-Baltimore), who was a co-chairman of the panel, wanted routine psychological evaluations. Del. Curtis S. Anderson (D-Baltimore), who also served as co-chairman, said he thought officers should have to undergo regular evaluations, much like they have to requalify to be able to use their service weapons. But the idea ran into resistance from the state police union. I think mental-health issues are a concern and something that should be addressed, Pugh said. After a lengthy debate Monday about whether psychological evaluations should be required every five years, the panel voted instead to require officers to receive them periodically and after traumatic incidents. The panel also called for the creation of an independent Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission that would focus on setting standards and training for all police agencies. Panel members said they repeatedly heard complaints about a lack of uniformity in standards in departments across the state. The police training commission would also develop and require anti-discrimination and use of force de-escalation training for all officers. It would also set up a confidential early intervention policy for dealing with officers who receive three or more citizen complaints within a 12-month period. The panel suggests that the commission require annual reporting of serious officer-involved incidents, the number of officers disciplined and the type of discipline that was given. Other recommendations include developing a police complaint mediation program, creating recruitment standards that increase the number of female, African American and Hispanic candidates, and offering incentives, including property tax credits and state and local income tax deductions, to officers who live in the jurisdictions where they work. Sino-Egyptian Culture Year launched From:chinadaily.com.cn | 2016-01-12 11:47 The Chinese Ministry of Culture and Egyptian Embassy in China jointly staged a press conference to launch the 2016 Sino-Egyptian Culture Year at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Monday. Representatives from both governments, overseas students from Egypt in China, and media from both China and abroad attended. The initiative to hold a culture year in 2016?can be traced back to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's visit to China in December 2014. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the official establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries. China's Minister of Culture Luo Shugang paid a visit to Egypt in August last year and put the project of holding a culture year on the agenda. As ancient civilizations, China and Egypt have long and glorious cultures, and both have made great achievements in modern culture and art. Holding the culture year will boost friendship between the two peoples and invigorate development and cooperation between the countries, said Lu Yanfei, deputy director of the Bureau for External Cultural Relations of Chinese Ministry of Culture. Lu said an opening ceremony will be held in Luxor attended by artists from both countries. China will subsequently hold more than 60 cultural activities around the country. Egyptian Ambassador to China Magdy Amer said China and Egypt share a history of being the cradles of civilization and have many similarities. More than 2000 years ago, royal Egyptian families wore Chinese silk products that had reached them through the ancient Silk Road. Through Egyptian harbors Chinese goods were able to be shipped to other Mediterranean countries. Egypt was the first Arabic and African country to establish official diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. In the past 60 years, the friendship between the countries has been enhanced in the pursuit of common interests and objectives. Nowadays, the "Belt and Road" initiative will bring vitality to the ancient Silk Road and create opportunities for the common prosperity for Egypt and China, said Amer. Amer also said that, during the culture year, Egypt will hold activities including music and dance performances, exhibitions of relics and a tourism fair to promote exchanges between the countries. The culture year will feature a total of 102 activities, 63 hosted by China and 39 by Egypt. Caesar R. Goodson Jr., right, one of six Baltimore city police officers charged in connection with the death of Freddie Gray, arrives at a courthouse Jan. 11 in Baltimore. (Bryan Woolston/AP) A Maryland appeals court said it will hear arguments March 4 on whether a Baltimore officer charged in the death of Freddie Gray in police custody should be forced to testify against his colleagues. The Maryland Court of Special Appeals ordered the hearing Tuesday, one day after it put a hold on the trial of the only officer facing a murder charge in the Gray case. Baltimore prosecutors say they cannot secure a conviction against Officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr. who was driving the police van in which prosecutors say Gray sustained a severe spinal injury unless jurors hear the account of Officer William G. Porter, who awaits retrial after his first ended in a hung jury in December. [Complete coverage of the Freddie Gray case] A Baltimore City Circuit Court judge had ordered Porter to testify, at the request of prosecutors, but there are questions about whether forcing the officer to take the witness stand would jeopardize his right to a fair trial. Goodson, charged in connection to the death of Freddie Gray, arrives at the courthouse. Gray broke his neck riding in the back of a van Goodson was driving on April 12, prosecutors said. (Jose Luis Magana/AP) Prosecutors said they would not use any statements Porter makes as a witness against his colleagues at his retrial. But Porters attorneys contend that the type of limited immunity the state is offering would not fully protect the officer from potential federal charges or violations against his constitutional right against self-incrimination. The legal questions the Court of Special Appeals are scheduled to consider March 4 are unprecedented in Maryland, legal experts say. Deadlines for attorneys on both sides to file various legal arguments with the court start Jan. 26. Gray, 25, broke his neck riding in the back of a van Goodson was driving on April 12, prosecutors said. Gray died one week later, sparking protests and then riots. The intervention from the states second-highest court will probably delay the trials in the Gray cases. Prosecutors also planned on forcing Porter to testify against Sgt. Alicia D. White, whose trial was scheduled to start Feb. 8. Trials for other officers charged are scheduled for Feb. 22, March 7 and March 9. It is unclear when Goodsons trial will start, and new trial dates for other officers charged have not been announced. Investigators in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia are investigating a wave of bomb threats made to at least 13 schools on Monday morning with many of the threats delivered via robo-call type automation. There were no reports of injuries or bombs discovered. But schools were evacuated, some for several hours. The disruptions came as, nationwide, agents are seeing an uptick in these kinds of threats. More and more, theyre going to these automated calls, said Michael Knight, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent and spokesman for the agencys division field office in Nashville, where agents have worked on a case of automated bomb threats to schools in Tennessee and Alabama. Knight said the technology is similar to that used by marketing companies, in which the user can plug in phone numbers and make the same repeated calls. Sometimes, all they want to see is the law enforcement response, the thrill of it, he said. In other cases, those posing the bomb threats to schools are aiming to get students out of class at a time of day when they wont have to return. Knight said ATF offices will help schools by using investigators, bomb-sniffing dogs and intelligence-sharing. Every bomb threat is taken seriously, Knight said. In Virginias Prince William County, a bomb threat was phoned in to Glenkirk Elementary School, in Gainesville, between 10:30 a.m. and 10:45, said Sgt. Jonathan Perok, spokesman for Prince William police. Perok said the threat was made by robo-call and that it was not the first threat to a school made in such a manner. We dont get many but it has happened before, Perok said. Students were taken by bus to Marsteller Middle School in Bristow, Va., where they remained for the rest of the day, said Irene Cromer, spokeswoman for the Prince William public school system. All of our schools have crisis plans, and evacuations are part of that, she said. A short time later, at 10:50 a.m., in St. Marys County, Md., Lexington Park Elementary received a call saying a bomb was set to explode in 30 seconds. Detectives say it is unclear whether the threat is related to similar incidents at other schools, said Jennifer Stone, spokeswoman for the St. Marys County Sheriffs Office. Stone said numerous police units responded, and no explosive devices were found inside or outside of the school. At about 11 a.m., in Anne Arundel County, Tyler Heights Elementary in Annapolis received a bomb threat by telephone. Officials said it was a robo-call, with few specifics, but they decided it was best to evacuate the school and call 911. Students spent about 20 minutes outside and then were allowed back into the annex and gymnasium, said district spokesman Bob Mosier. The disruption lasted about an hour. Fortunately, there was nothing to worry about, but you cant take those chances, Mosier said. Threats were also reported at schools in the Maryland counties of Harford, Carroll, Wicomico and Talbot. In Delaware, at least four schools received bomb threats between 9:30 and 10 a.m., Delaware state police officials said. A robotic style or computer generated voice phone call was received in each of the schools offices, the officials said in a statement. State police investigators are probing the four incidents at H.B. DuPont Middle School, in Hockessin; Caesar Rodney High School, in Camden; Indian River High School, in Dagsboro; and Seaford Middle School, in Seaford. As for the nature of the calls, there are definitive similarities in all of them, said Cpl. Gary Fournier of the Delaware state police. He declined to be specific about what was said. Officials said that investigators at three local Delaware jurisdictions also are investigating similar bomb threats. Investigators there will work with counterparts in Maryland and Virginia to see what, if any, connections can be made, officials said. After his wife, Carolyn, was killed, Rich Mattingly and their daughter founded the Luv u Project, one of whose activities is the study of mental health issues. (John Kelly/The Washington Post) The joke Rich Mattingly used to tell was that he knew his wifes parents before she did. The funny thing is, it was true. Their dads worked together at GMAC in Louisville, and when Rich was born, almost 60 years ago, Alex and Betty Combs visited him in the maternity ward. It wasnt until high school that Rich met their daughter Carolyn Combs, one year his junior. We never really were apart from that day on, Rich says. They became sweethearts, then husband and wife, then parents themselves. She was a remarkable human being, Rich says. She was the love of my life. I ask myself every day, all day long, How did I lose her? You may remember the horrifying story: how Carolyn had called her husband from their Potomac, Md., home to tell him that someone had slashed the tires on her car. How the police went there to investigate, then left. How later that day Sept. 30, 2014 a man named Andrew Racca returned to the house, shot and killed Carolyn and set her body on fire. How Racca drove away, crashed his car and committed suicide. Racca had been caught stealing computer equipment from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in Bethesda, Md., where he worked. Rich was the foundations executive vice president and chief operating officer. I never dreamt, ever, that the place that I had spent virtually every working day of my life, right out of school, would be her demise, Rich said. I worked my entire life she did, too to preserve life, to extend life. The fact that something could happen there that would result in her being taken out so violently is beyond my ability to understand, obviously. Rich wasnt sure he would ever understand, but he knew he had to try. And he knew he had to honor Carolyn. She was an accomplished woman, a real estate agent, a past chair of the Maryland Commission for Women, a volunteer who worked with women recently released from prison, a booster of Churchill High School sports. At Carolyns memorial service in the University of Maryland chapel more than 500 mourners listened as Rich and their daughter, Christin, promised that the donations pouring in in Carolyns honor would continue to support such programs. They would launch something else, too a special project although they werent sure what that would be. In the months after Carolyns murder, Rich and Christin and Christins husband, Alex Lewis, would talk about what had happened. Mental health became a prevalent part of our dialogues, Rich said. You have to be sick to have done what he did to her. I still ask myself: Why? I dont know that he ever even met her. Why? Obviously, I guess, to get at me. But Rich didnt have any direct interaction with Racca at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which has a staff of 600. Rich kept returning to the same place: This man must have been mentally ill. And so the family founded the Luv u Project, a nonprofit group that on Nov. 5 announced that it would team with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to sponsor a symposium on mental health in the workplace. And, with the help of the National Press Foundation, it has created the Carolyn C. Mattingly Award for Mental Health Reporting. The prize is $10,000, the same as for most Pulitzers. Rich said: We want to come out of the gate at a level that people will believe were serious. Rich has thrown himself into the study of mental health in this country, meeting with experts at universities, hospitals and in the government. Hes researching its complexities with the same vigor he devoted to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis. He says he has no preset agenda, just a desire to bring some definition to the mental health conversation, to channel the unruly streams that allow so many people to go without help. I have skin in this game, he said. Ive been touched by it. Clearly, something happened that took my childs mother and my wife. And that person had to be had to be sick. If we can help prevent one person from going down that path weve been down, the Luv u Project has been a success. The foundationss name? It comes from how Carolyn would sign every text: Luv u. Rich never returned to his job at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He never spent another night in the house he had shared with Carolyn. For four months, he lived with his daughter and son-in-law in Northern Virginia. Then he moved to an apartment in Gaithersburg. When I visited, the apartment had the spartan, impersonal decor of a model home. Rich has photographs of Carolyn, but he doesnt display them. Its too painful. Ive come to peace with not a lot maybe, he said, but I have come to peace with the fact that I cant have her back and that I must try to make a difference for others. Twitter: @johnkelly For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly. Carol Glover, with sons Marcus Glover, left, and Anthony Raymond "Ray" Glover in 2014. (Courtesy of the Glover family ) Marcus Glover still has his moms phone number programmed into his cellphone. It reminds him that even though shes gone, she is still very much with him. Same with the texts and emails that he rereads for encouragement when he thinks back to last January, when the late-night knock at the door of his D.C. home changed his life. Glover and the Washington region mark a grim anniversary Tuesday. One year ago, on a drizzly Monday afternoon, a Metro Yellow Line train headed for the Pentagon stalled in a tunnel just outside the busy LEnfant Plaza station and was engulfed by noxious fumes. Glovers mother, Carol I. Glover, 61, died of respiratory failure due to smoke exposure, and scores of others were sickened in the calamity. [Read about the Yellow Line smoke incident] The fatal incident would be the first in a series of system breakdowns last year that led to the resignation of the transit agencys chief safety officer and an unprecedented federal takeover of safety oversight of Metros rail operations. On Monday, federal officials announced a stepped-up effort in their oversight of the nations second-busiest subway system, saying they will shift from periodic to daily inspections of Metros rail operations. Marcus Glover talks about his mother on Monday, the day before the first anniversary of her death in a Metro accident. (Bill OLeary/The Washington Post) Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld, who took over the beleaguered agency in November, called the anniversary a solemn day. Its a reminder to all of us in the agency of how serious our business is and how important it is for us to always think of the safety part of what we do, he said in an interview. This is something that cannot happen again. [Family and friends remember Carol Glover] In a full page ad published Monday in Express, Wiedefeld sought to reinforce that message. As the new CEO, I started the job with a mission of rededicating Metro to safety, improving service reliability and getting our financial house in order, he wrote in the open letter to Metro riders. In the area of safety, the first executive I am recruiting is a new Chief Safety Officer, responsible for day-to-day oversight but more importantly, reinforcing a stronger safety culture throughout Metro. Even with additional scrutiny and a new leader in place, those who follow Metro say that a change in culture will not come overnight. [In an unprecedented step, feds take control of Metrorail safety] Carol I. Glover, 61, died of respiratory failure due to smoke exposure in a January 2015 incident on a Metro Yellow Line train. (Courtesy of the Glover family ) Therese W. McMillan, acting administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, whose agency took over safety oversight of Metrorail, emphasized that, ultimately, it is Metro and its management team that must take responsibility for the system. Although FTA is fulfilling a critical safety oversight function, responsibility for performing the actual work of making Metrorail safer for passengers and employees rests squarely on WMATA, she said. There is much work to do. A series of reports that followed the 2015 Yellow Line incident found that many of the same factors at play in the 2009 Red Line crash that killed nine people and injured at least 80 others a lack of communication, gaps in maintenance and a lack of strong safety oversight may have contributed to the Yellow Line calamity. After the [Red Line crash], we heard Metro was changing, but clearly it had not, Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) said Monday. Added Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.): The decline in a culture of safety, the decline in customer service, the decline in efficiency and competence has come over a long period of time. It will not be reversed immediately. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the fatal Yellow Line smoke incident. The NTSB has issued a series of critical recommendations for Metro as part of its preliminary investigation, but its final report is not expected until this spring. [NTSB makes another critical recommendation for Metro] Metro officials, however, said that in the year since the incident, they have moved aggressively to address safety lapses and shortcomings identified internally and by outside watchdogs. For example, the initial investigation by the NTSB found that two of the six fans designed to push smoke away from the train did not work, and those that did were incorrectly deployed on Jan. 12, 2015, and pulled smoke toward the stuck train instead of away from it. As a result, Metro has reexamined its tunnel ventilation system, and officials said they have fixed anomalies in 13 fans. All ventilations shafts now have working fans, the agency said. Metro said it also has retrained controllers in its rail operations control center on how to operate the tunnel ventilation system. In addition, Metro said the agency has accelerated efforts to install safer low-smoke power cables throughout the rail system. The newer cables emit fewer noxious fumes if they start to burn, unlike the older cables located in the section of the tunnel where the LEnfant Plaza crisis occurred. The NTSB has said that the smoke resulted from heat and melting caused by a malfunction of electrical components on tracks in the tunnel just south of the LEnfant Plaza station. Even as Metro has moved to make fixes, problems have continued to dog the system. Last week, two cars of a Green Line train came apart as they approached the Navy Yard station a rare but troubling occurrence. Wiedefeld said the investigation into that incident is continuing. [Green Line train separates on approach to Navy Yard] While no one was injured when the two trains separated during the morning commute, Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) said the incident is another example of the importance of holding Metros leaders accountable and ensuring that they follow through on actions they say they will take. We just have to stay on them and not let up, she said. For the Glover family, whose $50 million lawsuit against Metro is pending in federal court, the most important outcome of the tragedy will be a transit system that is safe for all of its riders. This suit is one of many that have been filed against Metro. The Glover familys lawyer said he is representing 12 other passengers who were aboard the train and suffered injuries that range from mild smoke inhalation to serious lung damage. Lawyers from the firms Cohen & Cohen and Ashcraft & Gerel said they plan to hold a news conference Tuesday to announce at least 80 additional lawsuits in connection with the incident. In the year that has followed Carol Glovers death, the family has celebrated many happy milestones: birthdays and babies, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. In an interview at the offices of his attorney, Patrick M. Regan, in Northwest Washington on Monday, Marcus Glover was poised, thoughtful and pensive. [Sons of victim Carol Glover sue Metro for $50 million] Throughout the year, weve had these moments of joy and I think Mom would have loved this, said Glover, 31. Pausing a moment to reflect on his life now, he added: I see so much of her in my life story. He spoke with pride, detailing how DKW Communications, the company his mother had been working for, invited the family to its holiday party, where it was announced that the companys employee of the year award was being renamed in honor of his mother. Carol Glover won the award in 2014. And then come the pangs. Even as he and his older brother Anthony cuddle their daughters, both born last year, their thoughts are never far from what happened on Jan. 12, 2015, when an ordinary commute became anything but. (Marcuss newborn daughters middle name is Caroline, a tribute to his mother.) Tuesday, however, will pass quietly. For Marcus, that means going to work and finalizing plans for celebrating his oldest daughters second birthday. For Anthony, his wife and two children, that means firming up plans for a move that will take them to Europe this year. Marcus no longer rides Metro. He cant bring himself to board a train. Its too difficult mentally, emotionally, he said. When he feels out of sorts, he pulls up one of the many text messages and emails from a mother who was always the familys chief encourager. The family has moved ahead and in ways he thinks that alone would make his mother proud. We are constantly reminded that we are her legacy, he said. I know my mother would appreciate that we have continued to live our lives. MARYLAND Worker is killed at mulch company A worker died Monday morning after an industrial accident at a mulch company in Montgomery County, officials said. Rescue workers were called to Metro Ground Covers on North Frederick Road in Clarksburg shortly after 8:30 a.m., said Pete Piringer, a Montgomery County fire department spokesman. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, said Cpl. Rebecca Innocenti, a county police spokeswoman. She said that no foul play was suspected but that detectives will conduct a standard death investigation. No conclusions have been drawn about what happened. But Piringer said the man may have been struck by a heavy trap door or a piece of equipment. Dan Morse Van Hollen gets nod from Sierra Club The Sierra Club has endorsed Rep. Chris Van Hollen in Marylands U.S. Senate race, weighing in on a contentious Democratic primary. Van Hollen is competing against Rep. Donna F. Edwards for a seat being vacated by the retirement of Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D). Chris is a climate champion, an environmental leader and a clean-energy jobs creator, Sierra Club President Aaron Mair said at a news conference on the bank of the Anacostia River in Bladensburg. He has shown that he has the fortitude to craft and pass legislation that will combat the climate crisis. Van Hollen and Edwards have similar records and positions on this issue, and both score highly with environmental groups. Edwards previously served on the board of the League of Conservation Voters and worked on legislation to fund the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Restoration Program. Rachel Weiner VIRGINIA Two found dead in Loudoun County Authorities in Loudoun County said they found a man and woman dead inside a Leesburg-area home in what they are calling an apparent murder-suicide. The incident happened in the Landsdowne Town Center neighborhood. County sheriffs deputies were sent to a home in the 19200 block of Winmeade Drive about 9 p.m. Sunday for a report of a suicide. Authorities said they think the incident was domestic in nature and was contained to the home, according to a statement. It went on to say that there is no danger to the community. The names of the dead were not released. Dana Hedgpeth Beware: Its coyote season in Fairfax The number of coyote sightings in Fairfax County has increased in recent months, and county officials are warning that the predators could pose a threat to small pets. The sightings are widespread and have been documented in most county parks and many communities, said Lucy Caldwell, a Fairfax police spokeswoman. Coyotes have been in Northern Virginia for decades, but Caldwell said they are particularly active during January and February as they seek mates at the start of breeding season. Since mid-December, sightings have been reported in residential neighborhoods in Centreville, Springfield and Alexandria, Caldwell said. In addition, a coyote was spotted at a business park in Falls Church in August, and another was hit by a car last week near Riverside Park in Alexandria. Police said coyotes typically feed on small animals, fruit and carrion but will sometimes attack small dogs and cats they confuse for their natural prey. Syrian refugees arrive aboard a dinghy at the island of Lesbos, Greece, in September after crossing from Turkey. (Petros Giannakouris/AP) Virginia Republicans return to the Capitol on Wednesday with a handful of bills intended to tighten controls on refugees from some of the worlds hot spots. Prompted by recent terrorist attacks and arrests at home and abroad, the legislation would prohibit state agencies from assisting any efforts by the federal government to resettle certain refugees in Virginia. Resettlement has been a highly fraught topic across the country, particularly in the South, with polls showing Americans wary that President Obamas pledge to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees could make the country vulnerable to terrorist infiltration. [Support and suspicion: The lonely life of a Syrian refugee in Maryland] Those fears have deepened amid revelations that the Islamist extremist who made a failed attack on a Paris police station last week had been living in a shelter for asylum seekers in western Germany. On Thursday, federal prosecutors said that two Iraqi-born men who came to the United States as refugees had been arrested in terrorism investigations. Due to the lack of alternative routes, hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing war and persecution are making the dangerous journey by sea from Turkey to Lesbos, Greece in hopes of finding safety in Europe. The United Nations Refugee Agency is calling on the international community to support them. (Zoeann Murphy/The Washington Post) [Suspect in attempted Paris attack lived with asylum seekers in Germany] Yet cracking down too hard on refugees is not without political risk. The mayor of Roanoke faced calls for his resignation in November after he suggested that Syrian refugees be treated like the Japanese Americans who were sent to internment camps during World War II. Mayor David Bowers (D) later apologized for his remark but stayed on the job and announced last week that he is mulling a run for Congress. [Mayor apologizes for suggesting internment for Syrian refugees] In Richmond, where the 60-day legislative session begins Wednesday, one of the bills is intended to mirror legislation passed by the U.S. House in November. Sponsored by Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William), it would prohibit the state from helping the federal government resettle refugees from Iraq or Syria unless the director of the FBI and other intelligence officials personally vouch for them. Another bill, submitted by Del. John M. OBannon III (R-Henrico), calls for government auditors to study how much the state and its localities spend on refugee resettlements in general and Syrian refugees in particular. And another measure seeks to address safety concerns without drawing complaints that it unfairly discriminates against people a concern for some Republicans after GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump called for a ban on Muslims entering the country. That legislation would put a two-year pause on state assistance to certain federal resettlement programs but does not single out specific countries. Instead, it would apply to refugees from countries that the United States designates as state sponsors of terrorism. Currently on that list: Iran, Syria and Sudan. Its not targeting any one group. Its not targeting any religion. Its saying any refugee individual from those terrorist-exporting countries, said Del. Timothy D. Hugo (R-Fairfax), the measures main sponsor. Were going to take a two-year pause to give the U.S. government time . . . to get this in line and make sure were identifying folks properly. Senate Minority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax) said there is no need for such legislation. Its absurd, he said. If it passes, the governor ought to veto it. Saslaw said the United States is doing a good job of vetting refugees before they come into the country, noting that the process takes up to two years. The people who go through that refugee program, they cant just walk across the ocean, he said. Eighty percent of them are women and children. Brian Coy, a spokesman for Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), said the governor will evaluate the legislation if it passes. Coy noted, however, that there are no Syrian refugees slated to come to Virginia and that there is no state money spent on resettling refugees, because the states refugee resettlement office operates entirely on federal funding. Coy also said that being involved in the resettlement process keeps state officials better informed about any placements, which federal officials can make in Virginia with or without the commonwealths blessing. One of the sponsors of Hugos measure is Del. Gregory D. Habeeb (R-Salem). Two of Habeebs great-grandparents were born in Syria. Habeeb spoke out against the Roanoke mayors comments in November. At the same time, he said, Hugos bill strikes a good middle ground between lock-em-up and do-nothing approaches. We werent running around saying: Build a wall. Keep people out of Virginia, Habeeb said. Were not saying, Oh, forget it, well just defer to the federal government. I think we were taking a balanced approach, seeking to figure out what holes might exist. Officials in Virginias largest jurisdiction want to close public schools during the Super Tuesday presidential primaries, saying they fear that supporters of Republican front-runner Donald Trump could cause mayhem at the polls. The concerns stem mainly from a state Republican Party decision which Trump opposes to require voters to affirm that they are Republicans before casting a ballot in the March 1 Republican presidential primary. [Trump calls pledge a suicidal mistake] If you say: I dont want to do it, I have to say: You dont get a ballot, Fairfax County Electoral Board Secretary Katherine K. Hanley told the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday before it voted to ask school officials to keep students home. Thats what this provision is, said Hanley, a Democrat who chaired the county Board of Supervisors from 1995 to 2003 and later served in the Cabinet of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D). Thats about as contentious as anything we can possibly be doing in a polling place on Election Day. Virginia voters do not register by party, and some Republican leaders in the state say the pledge will keep Democrats from casting ballots. Others, including Trump, argue that it could dissuade voters who want to support a Republican candidate but are frustrated with the party establishment. [Trump supporters sue Virginia and the state GOP over loyalty pledge] A total of 167 schools in Fairfax will be used as polling stations for the primaries, with up to 250,000 voters expected. Although voting generally takes place in gyms and cafeterias while students are elsewhere, Hanley said she believes the risk of arguments or fights over the pledge is significant enough to justify canceling classes for the countys more than 180,000 students. Corey A. Stewart, chairman of Trumps campaign in Virginia, called such concerns preposterous, saying there have been no threats of violence over the issue. This is just an attempt by Democrats and probably some establishment Republicans to malign and disparage Trump supporters and also to characterize conservative speech as hate speech, said Stewart, a Republican who is chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. [Muslim woman kicked out of Trump rally] Fairfax school officials decided in October to open schools two hours late on March 1, to accommodate what is expected to be an unusually high number of primary voters in an election that has 13 Republican and three Democratic candidates. In past years, schools have been open during primaries but closed for the general election in November, when turnout is higher. Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Karen Garza said the request to close the schools for the primary came as a complete surprise. She said she would consult with county officials, but for now, she did not believe such a step was necessary. For many years, schools have been open and serving as polling locations without incident, Garza said in a statement. We work closely with election officials, our security team and law enforcement to ensure the safety of all. A Fairfax police spokeswoman said law enforcement authorities so far do not believe that the primary poses any unusual security challenges. In neighboring Loudoun County, General Registrar Judy Brown said well-publicized incidents of scuffling and name calling at Trump rallies across the country have sparked fear among some primary-day volunteers. We have had people saying they would prefer not to work the election, Brown said. She said she is talking to county officials about whether to implement extra security precautions but nothing has been decided. [Keeping the peace at Trumps rallies] Election officials are expecting about 10 percent more voters than in 2008, the last time both parties held a presidential primary. Some officials said their concerns were focused on crowds, rather than on Trump or the pledge. Michele White, general registrar in Prince William County, said shes worried about a lack of space inside the 76 county schools that are used as polling stations. Prince William School Board Chairman Ryan Sawyers said he would support closing schools for the day to allow for more voter access and allow for more teachers to vote. Fairfax County Supervisor John Cook (R-Braddock) raised the point that voters dont have to go through the usual school security procedures when entering. We are putting out a sign to every predator and anyone who wants to get in and cause mischief with our children if we have school open during this primary, Cook said. Fairfax County supervisors voted 9 to 1 to ask the school system to cancel classes. The lone no vote was Kathy Smith (D-Sully), who said the two-hour delay was sufficient. Other county lawmakers said its better to be safe than sorry. Theres a lot of reasons why if we dont close the schools that day, were all going to regret it, Supervisor Jeff McKay (D-Lee) said. And, were all going to be blamed for it. A cut above the rest From:chinadaily.com.cn | 2016-01-12 12:45 Photo provided to China Daily Cheng Xiaochun says the secret to his craftsmanship is a modest lifestyle. He makes sieve-like screens, or molds (zhilian in Chinese), which are crucial for creating traditional Chinese rice paper and other types of paper. It is a family business that Cheng became interested in while still in elementary school. Now 43 years old, Cheng was proclaimed a master at his craft in his mid-20s. "Once your are rich you become lazy," Cheng tells China Daily. "Refrain from getting rich if you want to rely on your hands." Masters of the tradeonly a few remain in the countryare able to make paper by just looking at a piece. The making of Chinese rice paper typically involves more than 80 procedures. For example, if a stack of paper weighs some 2.5 kilograms, a refashioned bunch will deviate no more than 6 grams in weight. The rice paper, or xuanzhi, which originated from Anhui province in the country's east, is the cornerstone of Chinese calligraphy and painting. Chinese artists are always keen to get well-cut rice paper. A proper cut (roughly 100 sheets) by machine could cost 1,000 yuan ($152) nowadays, while a coveted antique cut could go into tens of thousands of yuan. Around 1,200 tons of rice paper are consumed each year in the country, according to China Publishing News. A zhilian (138138 centimeters) takes around a month to complete and could fetch from 20,000 to 30,000 yuan. A steady mold could sustain the making of 200,000 sheets of paper. "I'd say it's mostly muscle memory, nothing too mystifying," Cheng says. But it does require a few "skills". Cheng says he is immune to Chinese lacquer, an ingredient for making molds that chafes the skin, and he is less enthusiastic about cutting corners. "I was introduced to the family business the traditional way. I started from the most tiresome, elementary jobs like scrubbing the place clean," he recalls. "If I got distracted for a second, my grandfather would not hesitate to give me a beating." It is no longer the case for his own apprentices. "You can't force young people to go through that hardship now," he says, adding that theories seem to play a greater role in mentoring than practices these days. With new ways of teaching, Cheng says he cannot tell where the art is headed. The mold-making business is 300 years old. But the industry peaked in the 1960s, when many artisans from different trades came to Cheng's hometown in Zhejiang province's Quzhou city and settled down to assist the paper industry. Cheng's family had migrated from Anhui much earlier. Cheng Xiaochun (left) and his father work on a mold for making rice paper. The family has carried on the traditional craftsmanship for generations.[Photo provided to China Daily] "These people were not born into the business, but they excelled because they already had an impeccable understanding of the essential spirit of craftsmanship," Cheng says of the olden-day artisans. Their history of migration, social problems and a lifestyle that's slowly fading are all part of Cheng's narrative today. Other than being a government-recognized master craftsman, Cheng is a grower of Chinese herbs and a tai chi practitioner. The artisan life aside, Cheng still keeps his day job at a local urea factory. "It will give me security if things look down," Cheng says. "It also allows me to choose the zhilian-making jobs I want." He does not accept offers to make "very bad or very good" paper as he says it is "impossible" to make paper like it used to be made in the past in China. For example, long wang xuan ("dragon king" paper), a piece of royal rice paper that reportedly spans more than 40 meters in length, is one of the many ancient pieces of paper people nowadays hope to re-create. "History books say it took more than 100 craftsmen working in sync. It's the result of a whole nation's efforts. How can it be re-created now by me alone?" That said, Cheng's plan for the coming years until his retirement is reviving lost paper. His father retired at age 70, when his eyesighta crucial faculty for the craftfailed him. "I can't tell what people after me would do with them, but I hope to leave them with some samples, like paper made of silk ... that no longer exist. "Paper-making, as any other trade, is constantly changing and evolving," he says. "After all, it's made for use. So it's natural for one thing to die out and another to come into fashion. "That's why I don't have a favorite paper or mold. Each one is special, functional in its own time." Cheng's understanding of his trade is presented in The Lacing of Life, the first installment of a three-part, award-winning documentary on the art of making molds. "There is a reason why workshops and apprentice-style handicrafts are longstanding," says Lei Jianjun, the film's director and an associate professor at Tsinghua University. Factories seldom produce the same results, he says. Kentuckys Republican governor is following through on a campaign pledge and dismantling the states health insurance marketplace created under the Affordable Care Act. Gov. Matt Bevin sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell late last month informing her of his plans to close down Kynect and transition residents to the federal site, HealthCare.gov, for health coverage. The changes will not affect anyone shopping for insurance for the current enrollment period, which ends Jan. 31. Nor will it affect anyone who signed up for Medicaid through Kynect. In a statement Monday, Bevins office said he had taken steps to eliminate the redundancy of Kynect. He previously had pledged to shut down the exchange because it adds no value given the existence of HealthCare.gov. The former Democratic governor, Steve Beshear, had urged Bevin to maintain the exchange, noting that it is financed through a surcharge on insurance plans. Shutting Kynect would cost at least $23 million in state money, Beshear said. Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff breaks down the policy you need to understand about the Affordable Care Act, from politics to premiums. (Kate M. Tobey/(In Play)) Kentuckys health exchange has been one of the most successful state marketplaces, and advocates said Monday that Bevins move will set back efforts to reach the uninsured. As of Sept. 30, about 87,000 Kentuckians had health coverage through Kynect. HHS spokesman Ben Wakana said that the federal agency is committed to a seamless transition but that it will require strong cooperation and commitment from the state. FRANCE Teen with machete attacks Jewish man A teenager armed with a machete slashed a Jewish teacher in the southern French city of Marseille on Monday, invoking the Islamic State militant group and saying he had also planned to go after police, a prosecutor said. The 15-year-old Turkish Kurd was arrested soon after wordlessly attacking the teacher, who was injured, said Brice Robin, the Marseille prosecutor. The teen invoked Allah and the Islamic State after he was detained, saying, The Muslims of France dishonor Islam and the French army protects Jews. The anti-terrorism section of the Paris prosecutors office opened an investigation, meaning that the scope of the act is viewed as not confined to anti-Semitism. The boy attacked the teacher from behind, slashing him in the shoulder, and then went after the man as he tried to flee, Robin said. The prosecutor said the teen was known to be a good student who appeared to have become radicalized via the Internet. The knife attack comes just days after a man with a butchers knife was fatally shot when authorities said he went after police in Paris. Authorities in Germany say he had lived at a shelter for asylum seekers there. Both incidents coincide with high tension in France, which last week marked a year since attacks that left 17 people dead. Associated Press SPAIN Princess in court on tax fraud charges Spains Princess Cristina went on trial Monday in a landmark criminal case, accused of helping bankroll a lavish lifestyle with funds her husband received from an alleged scheme to embezzle millions from public contracts for conferences and sporting events. Cristina and her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, said nothing during the procedural opening as their attorneys and those for 16 additional defendants argued for the charges to be dropped. Cristina, 50, faces two counts of tax fraud, carrying a maximum prison sentence of eight years, for allegedly failing to declare taxes on personal expenses paid by a real estate company she owned with Urdangarin. Her attorney was joined by a prosecutor and a state attorney for Spanish tax authorities in saying that the charges against her should be thrown out because government officials agreed that she committed no crimes. A three-member panel of judges hearing the case will decide in coming weeks whether to side with her supporters. The judges will have to weigh whether the couple criminally abused the Aizoon firm, described in court papers as a front company, to fund luxury vacations, throw parties and pay for dancing classes. It is the first time that a member of the royal family has faced criminal charges since the monarchy was restored in 1975. Urdangarin and others are accused of embezzling up to $6.8 million from contracts that were allegedly inflated or never performed. Urdangarin, formerly the Duke of Palma, is accused of using his title to land the deals for the Noos Institute, which he ran. Associated Press SWEDEN Police coverup alleged in festival sex crimes Swedish police on Monday faced allegations of a coverup for failing to inform the public of widespread sexual assaults against teenage girls at a music festival in the summer. Police had not mentioned the August incidents at the We are Sthlm festival until the newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported on them this weekend in the wake of a string of sexual assaults and robberies on New Years Eve in Cologne, Germany. Stockholm police spokesman Varg Gyllander confirmed Monday that a large number of sexual assaults occurred during the five-day festival and that scores of suspects were detained. He denied suggestions in the newspaper report that police kept quiet because the suspects were foreigners. Police in Germany have been criticized for not immediately reporting the incidents in Cologne, where authorities and witnesses later described the attackers as predominantly Arab and North African men. Gyllander could not confirm the ethnicity of the alleged attackers in Stockholm but said the incidents involved young men who are not from Sweden. Roger Ticoalu, who heads the city governments events department, said a large part of those detained were from Afghanistan, many carrying temporary IDs issued to asylum seekers. He said that about 20 teenage girls filed complaints of sexual assault and that about 200 suspects were detained. Dagens Nyheter quoted police officials as saying that Swedish police are reluctant to speak publicly about crimes linked to migrants for fear of playing into the hands of the far-right Sweden Democrats, an anti-immigration party whose support has surged in opinion polls. Associated Press Canadian held in Afghanistan since 2010 is released: A Canadian held by the Taliban in Afghanistan since 2010 has been released, Canadas government announced. Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion said Colin Rutherford was a tourist in Afghanistan when he was seized in November 2010. The Taliban accused him of being a spy. Rutherford insisted that he had traveled to Afghanistan to study historical sites and shrines. India jails 25 foreign ship crew members: A court in southern India sentenced crew members of a private U.S. ship, including 25 foreigners, to five years in prison for illegal possession of arms in Indian waters. The crew, including six British former soldiers, was arrested in 2013 after it failed to produce papers authorizing it to carry weapons in Indias territorial waters. Ten Indians also were arrested. The southern tip of India is close to major trade routes, and cargo ships often travel with armed guards to deter pirates. From news services A makeshift memorial with crosses for the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre stands outside a home in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14, 2013, the one-year anniversary of the shootings. (Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press) Conspiracy theorists everywhere ought to be outraged by former Florida Atlantic University professor James Tracy, who brought a new low to their avocation by charging that the parents of the children murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School were complicit in a fraud on the public [Fla. college fires professor who says Sandy Hook was fake, news, Jan. 7]. Apparently the good old days of conspiracy theories being based on arguable discrepancies in the record, such as may have occurred with the Warren Commissions investigation of President John F. Kennedys assassination, are gone. Now it seems that it is the victims of such violence who must prove their case. Conspiracy theorists simply say that something as horrible, recent and public as the Sandy Hook massacre never happened and demand that the victims prove otherwise. How sad. James McKeown, Falls Church Nothing has hurt people more in this country than wanting to be in the movies. So said Edward Hayes, a sagacious New York lawyer who has been in some movies himself and been portrayed in others (Bonfire of the Vanities). He has also defended bad guys who have risked life, liberty and wealth (usually cash) in pursuit of stardom. To Hayes, El Chapo Mexican drug kingpin, killer and escape artist must be a familiar sort. Hes just another schmuck who wants to be in pictures. For that reason, El Chapo Joaquin Guzman-Loera to his mother and the police contacted Sean Penn to see about a movie. El Chapo (Shorty) was in hiding, having gone for a shower six months earlier and vanished down the drain. He plopped into a tunnel and onto a waiting motorcycle, surfacing as a free man and, without a doubt, movie material. Through a star of Mexican soap operas, Kate del Castillo, Guzman somehow got in touch with Penn. We know this from Penns account of their meeting, recently published in Rolling Stone. He called El Chapo a simple man from a simple place engaged somehow in the complex task of keeping a good part of the world supplied in dope. Penn apparently thought there might be a movie in Guzmans tale, all those murders notwithstanding. They are unfortunate, but can be dealt with in rewrite and, of course, flashbacks to an impoverished childhood. Somewhere along the line, however, Penn decided that El Chapos story could not make a movie. I feel this is totally wrong. I see Danny DeVito in the role, his charm and insouciance taking the edge off the occasional murder and masking the nature of the enterprise, which after all is drugs, addiction, death . . . blah, blah, blah. Barring that, Penn could do a movie about himself how against great odds and risking his own life (and the livelihood of his agent!), he was flown from California to Mexico and then to an airstrip in the jungle from which he went overland by car, possibly past bandidos, to a small village so remote only a movie star and a soap-opera actress could find it. I know, I know: Is this a comedy or a drama? It is both. To understand that, we must return to Edward Hayes, who in 2006 was defending a certain Stephen Caracappa. Along with Louis Eppolito, Caracappa was a retired New York City cop who had augmented his meager salary by doing the odd murder for the mob. Both men were suckered into admitting their crimes when a D.E.A. agent, pretending to be a Hollywood producer, got them to talk about their endeavors. In Eppolito, the informer had the right guy. He had already appeared in the classic mob movie Goodfellas and had written a script, the so-far unproduced Murder in Youngstown. (HBO, wake up!) So, what Hayes knew was that some people will do anything to be in the movies. The two retired cops just could not help themselves. A movie beckoned. Premieres. Stars. Banal questions from TV reporters. Maybe a broad or two. Certainly a spin in a Bentley. They talked. They opened up. They are now in prison. For life. El Chapo did something similar. The man has odd tastes, for sure homicides, drugs, widespread corruption and, the last straw, calling Donald Trump mi amigo but he needed verification from Hollywood. He was struck. Star-struck. He knows, as does whats left of the American mob, that you aint nobody until you are somebody in the movies. We have it on the word of Salvatore Sammy the Bull Gravano that real mobsters like himself looked to The Godfather the way housewives do Oprah Winfrey. They used the movies theme for their weddings, funerals and baptisms, and copped lines like Im gonna make you an offer . . . by way of business chit-chat. The movie so thrilled Gravano that it spurred him to greater productivity, executing nearly as many people as the Saudi royal family on a slow weekend. I only did, like, one murder before I saw the movie, he conceded. He went on to do 18 more. This story is not over yet. El Chapo risked everything for a movie and now, to the appropriate music, he may be extradited to the United States. There, Penn might visit him and take it all down. Hed better hurry, though. Soon, Penn will be too old to play Penn. Read more from Richard Cohens archive. Correction: An earlier version of this column incorrectly stated the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists adjusted its doomsday clock in June. The clock was changed last January. The new leader of the British Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, has sparked a political firestorm by challenging the myths around nuclear weapons and Cold War deterrence. Corbyn announced that he would never use a nuclear weapon. He followed that apostasy by declaring that he opposed renewal of the British nuclear Trident submarine program.I am opposed to the use of nuclear weapons. I am opposed to the holding of nuclear weapons. I want to see a nuclear-free world. I believe it is possible, Corbyn declared. Several Labour shadow ministers suggested they might resign if that became Labours policy. Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron and the right-wing British press have been pillorying Corbyn as a threat to national security for his heresy. Corbyns aides argue this is not a new version of the debate over unilateral disarmament that wracked Labour in the 1980s. Rather, they insist the question is whether renewing the fleet is worth the money. Corbyns doubts are shared by some current and retired military officers. The British fleet of four Trident submarines is slated for retirement in the late 2020s. It will take almost that long to develop a successor. Renewing and operating the Trident program will cost an estimated 167 billion British pounds over the next four decades. The Army has already been reduced to below 82,000 soldiers, the lowest number since the 1700s. Renewing the Trident fleet would likely force more cuts. Corbyn says the Trident isnt worth the money. It is a costly weapon that can never be used. British security concerns should be focused on terrorism, economic turmoil and catastrophic climate change; nuclear weapons are irrelevant to all that. Corbyn argues, sensibly, that the Cold War era is long gone. There are five declared nuclear weapon states in the world. There are three others that have nuclear weapons. That is eight countries out of 192, he told reporters. 187 countries dont feel the need to have a nuclear weapon to protect their security, why should those five need it themselves? British forces particularly special forces are active in countering terrorists. British intelligence is valued highly. But British nuclear weapons are at best extraneous, and at worst a dangerous, unusable threat. Budget choices have to be made. The Corbynites are sensitive about being accused of unilateral disarmament, since the partys adoption of that position in the 1980s at the height of Cold War tensions was electorally damaging. Yet a British commitment to give up nuclear weapons unilaterally might just be the highest and best use of the Trident fleet. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entered into force in 1970; 190 countries have subscribed to it. At its core, as the State Department notes, is a basic bargain: Countries with nuclear weapons will move towards disarmament; countries without nuclear weapons will not acquire them; and all countries can access peaceful nuclear technology (emphasis added). With the end of the Cold War, Russia and the United States reduced their arsenals dramatically. They also cooperated, as the Soviet Union split apart, on consolidating control over nuclear materials and scientists. Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus all gave up the arsenals they had inherited when the Soviet Union broke up. South Africa renounced the bomb. Libya agreed to give up its weapons of mass destruction. In recent years, however, as tensions have built up between Russia and the United States, the momentum in adhering to the NPT has been lost. In 2002, President George W. Bush pulled the United States out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty. Both countries have announced costly programs to modernize their nuclear triads (i.e., land, air and sea weapons), undermining existing treaties. The Obama administration has remained committed to deploying an anti-missile system in Eastern Europe. Worse, both countries still deploy hundreds of nuclear warheads on hair-trigger alert. Both have embraced unstable launch on warning policies that call for a split-second decision to launch before getting hit. And now tensions are mounting, with air and naval incidents spiking. Turkeys recent decision to shoot down a Russian plane that allegedly briefly flew over its airspace is illustrative. Last January, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved its doomsday clock to three minutes to midnight, the first such adjustment in three years. The scientists declared that unchecked climate change, global nuclear weapons modernizations, and outsized nuclear weapons arsenals pose extraordinary and undeniable threats to the continued existence of humanity. Former U.S. defense secretary William Perry now warns that the probability of a nuclear calamity is higher today . . . than it was during the Cold War. In recent months, the United States and Russia have worked together to achieve the historic Iran disarmament agreement, with the Islamic republic agreeing to forgo development of nuclear weapons and to an extensive inspection regime to police it. This is a moment to push progress on nuclear disarmament. The United States should move to revive the anti-ballistic-missile treaty protocols, and to draw down its nuclear arsenals. We should renounce first use and join with the Russians in moving our weapons off of hair-trigger alert. A unilateral declaration of nuclear disarmament by Britain would add measurably to this progress. It would enable Britain to join with others in building international pressure on the countries with nuclear weapons , from the United States and Russia to North Korea, India and Pakistan. Corbyn is now taking a beating in the conservative tabloids for his blasphemies. Yet he is talking common sense. No leader in his right mind would use nuclear weapons. The British people would be better off spending the money that renewal would cost elsewhere. The reality is that the British nuclear arsenal will have greater global significance if it is dismantled rather than renewed. Corbyn is meeting fierce resistance, even inside his own party, but he is raising questions that deserve a full debate. Read more from Katrina vanden Heuvels archive or follow her on Twitter. A Nord Stream pipeline employee standing on a platform overlooking the diagnostic cleaning plant before the opening ceremony of a gas link in Portovaya bay, northwestern Russia, in 2012. (Olga Maltseva/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images) Jim Hoaglands Jan. 3 Sunday Opinion column, Merkels unsavory deal with Putin, showed that critics of the Nord Stream 2 project fail to understand a convincing business rationale. Nord Stream 2 makes good economic sense. The European Unions domestic gas production is rapidly declining, and demand is expected to increase in the coming years. Investors such as Shell, E.ON and BASF believe Nord Stream 2 will be part of the solution. As a purely commercial project, Nord Stream 2 is in line with the E.U.s internal energy market vision, providing infrastructure at no additional cost to taxpayers. Use of Nord Stream, which was completed in 2012, stood above 70 percent in 2015 a good result for any major new infrastructure. Pipelines are designed to cover demand peaks, and no pipeline runs at 100 percent capacity all the time. Nord Stream 2 would bring needed liquidity to Europes internal energy market and hubs, encouraging new interconnectors between member states to ensure that gas can flow freely to all of Europe to meet market needs. Critics often invoke European solidarity, but many defend only their own vested interest, which in many cases is nothing more than protecting transit fees from free-market forces. Europes energy policy goals should not prevent investors from building infrastructure as long as they comply with applicable legislation and regulations. Nord Stream 2 will bolster a true energy market in Europe based on competition, a goal that the U.S. government has always supported. Ulrich Lissek, Zug, Switzerland The writer is head of communications for Nord Stream 2. WHEN PRESIDENT Obama takes the lectern for his final State of the Union address Tuesday night, he may return to the sort of high-minded rhetoric that propelled him into office seven years ago, countering the sour themes dominating both parties presidential primary contests with a message of American possibility. That would be appropriate. We also would not blame Mr. Obama for taking a victory lap or two. Defying the doom-ridden predictions of Republicans, including Mitt Romney in 2012, Mr. Obama has presided over an economy that has grown and added jobs, despite recent jitters from China, and he has entrenched important policy accomplishments, despite constant harrying opposition from Congress. But the State of the Union address should be not only about past accomplishments and future potential, but also about the next 12 months. Americans have a right to expect that both the president and the Congress will do their jobs. With federal budget limits agreed upon for the rest of Mr. Obamas term, there is some openness in Congress for policy that could gain significant bipartisan support and has been far too long in coming. Top on the list should be approving the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, a goal that congressional leaders and the White House share, and one that would be wise to complete as soon as possible. Should the presidential race continue turning toward the populist, completing the deal would only get harder. The prospects for corporate tax reform are dimmer, but congressional leaders from both parties favor simplifying the countrys tax structure, and there is still some chance for progress this year. Mr. Obama and Congress also might agree on criminal justice reform, ending some of the excesses of the tough-on-crime movement of the 1990s. Mr. Obama should press lawmakers to repair the Voting Rights Act, restoring the legal protections minority voters had before the Supreme Court struck a piece of the law. The president should push for improvements in federal mental health-care policy, which members of both parties say they support, and for Congress to revise email spying laws that do not protect information stored in the cloud. Some goals are important enough that they deserve the presidents attention even if their prospects in Congress are dim: voting rights for the District of Columbia, for example, and action on climate change. Finally, Mr. Obamas domestic achievements have not been matched by his performance on the global stage. Places such as Libya and Syria have suffered from the lack of American leadership during his second term; democracy is in retreat in much of the world. The president must explain how he will not just contain the Islamic State and other threats but how he will defeat them. In the process, he should encourage Congress to pass a new authorization for the use of military force, finding a compromise with Republicans worried about tying future presidents hands with restrictions on the future scope of military action. The presidents message should be optimistic Tuesday night about the year ahead, as well as the years beyond that. Sen. Ted Cruz speaks with his wife, Heidi, by his side during a primary night campaign event in Indianapolis. Cruz ended his presidential campaign, eliminating the biggest impediment to Donald Trumps march to the Republican nomination. May 3, 2016 Sen. Ted Cruz speaks with his wife, Heidi, by his side during a primary night campaign event in Indianapolis. Cruz ended his presidential campaign, eliminating the biggest impediment to Donald Trumps march to the Republican nomination. Darron Cummings/AP Mary Brigid McManamon is a constitutional law professor at Widener Universitys Delaware Law School. Donald Trump is actually right about something: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) is not a natural-born citizen and therefore is not eligible to be president or vice president of the United States. The Constitution provides that No person except a natural born Citizen . . . shall be eligible to the Office of President. The concept of natural born comes from common law, and it is that law the Supreme Court has said we must turn to for the concepts definition. On this subject, common law is clear and unambiguous. The 18th-century English jurist William Blackstone, the preeminent authority on it, declared natural-born citizens are such as are born within the dominions of the crown of England, while aliens are such as are born out of it. The key to this division is the assumption of allegiance to ones country of birth. The Americans who drafted the Constitution adopted this principle for the United States. James Madison, known as the father of the Constitution, stated, It is an established maxim that birth is a criterion of allegiance. . . . [And] place is the most certain criterion; it is what applies in the United States. Cruz is, of course, a U.S. citizen. As he was born in Canada, he is not natural-born. His mother, however, is an American, and Congress has provided by statute for the naturalization of children born abroad to citizens. Because of the senators parentage, he did not have to follow the lengthy naturalization process that aliens without American parents must undergo. Instead, Cruz was naturalized at birth. This provision has not always been available. For example, there were several decades in the 19th century when children of Americans born abroad were not given automatic naturalization. [Opinion: Yes, Ted Cruz is a natural-born citizen] Some of the Republican presidential candidates are going after Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), saying his birthplace could count against him in a presidential election. Here are the facts. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post) Article I of the Constitution grants Congress the power to naturalize an alien that is, Congress may remove an aliens legal disabilities, such as not being allowed to vote. But Article II of the Constitution expressly adopts the legal status of the natural-born citizen and requires that a president possess that status. However we feel about allowing naturalized immigrants to reach for the stars, the Constitution must be amended before one of them can attain the office of president. Congress simply does not have the power to convert someone born outside the United States into a natural-born citizen. Let me be clear: I am not a so-called birther. I am a legal historian. President Obama is without question eligible for the office he serves. The distinction between the president and Cruz is simple: The president was born within the United States, and the senator was born outside of it. That is a distinction with a difference. In this election cycle, numerous pundits have declared that Cruz is eligible to be president. They rely on a supposed consensus among legal experts. This notion appears to emanate largely from a recent comment in the Harvard Law Review Forum by former solicitors general Neal Katyal and Paul Clement. In trying to put the question of who is a natural-born citizen to rest, however, the authors misunderstand, misapply and ignore the relevant law. First, although Katyal and Clement correctly declare that the Supreme Court has recognized that common law is useful to explain constitutional terms, they ignore that law. Instead, they rely on three radical 18th-century British statutes. While it is understandable for a layperson to make such a mistake, it is unforgivable for two lawyers of such experience to equate the common law with statutory law. The common law was unequivocal: Natural-born subjects had to be born in English territory. The then-new statutes were a revolutionary departure from that law. [Opinion: Trumps bogus birther attack on Ted Cruz] Second, the authors appropriately ask the question whether the Constitution includes the common-law definition or the statutory approach. But they fail to examine any U.S. sources for the answer. Instead, Katyal and Clement refer to the brand-new British statutes as part of a longstanding tradition and conclude that the framers followed that law because they would have been intimately familiar with these statutes. But when one reviews all the relevant American writings of the early period, including congressional debates, well-respected treatises and Supreme Court precedent, it becomes clear that the common-law definition was accepted in the United States, not the newfangled British statutory approach. Third, Katyal and Clement put much weight on the first U.S. naturalization statute, enacted in 1790. Because it contains the phrase natural born, they infer that such citizens must include children born abroad to American parents. The first Congress, however, had no such intent. The debates on the matter reveal that the congressmen were aware that such children were not citizens and had to be naturalized; hence, Congress enacted a statute to provide for them. Moreover, that statute did not say the children were natural born, only that they should be considered as such. Finally, as soon as Madison, then a member of Congress, was assigned to redraft the statute in 1795, he deleted the phrase natural born, and it has never reappeared in a naturalization statute. When discussing the meaning of a constitutional term, it is important to go beyond secondary sources and look to the law itself. And on this issue, the law is clear: The framers of the Constitution required the president of the United States to be born in the United States. A home pot grower shows some of his marijuana from a previous harvest inside his apartment in the District last year. (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post) The Jan. 7 editorial Clouded judgment regurgitated the same tired argument that the District is moving too fast to change discriminatory cannabis laws. But as council member Brianne K. Nadeau (D-Ward 1) said, there is no emergency that warrants a ban. Beginning July 17, 2014, the day the D.C. Councils decriminalization law went into effect, it stopped being a criminal offense to have cannabis clubs in the District. It wasnt a criminal offense to have private events, where the public is not invited and cannabis could be used behind closed doors. The decriminalization law says that the smell of cannabis is not probable cause for police action. Private cannabis clubs could have been created before Initiative 71 was voted on, but they werent. By rubber-stamping the mayors ban, the council inadvertently created the smokeasy, a private residence where adults consume cannabis together. Is this the unintended consequence of poorly crafted emergency legislation? Its a hallmark of poor governance to enact laws to solve a problem that doesnt exist. By banning cannabis-using adults from gathering at private venues, the council created a problem. We look forward to working with the mayor and the D.C. Council on fixing the ban so all adults have access to safe places outside their homes to use cannabis responsibly. Adam Eidinger and Nikolas Schiller, Washington The writers are founders of DCMJ and authors of Initiative 71. LAST YEAR was a horrendous one for Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, who was battered by corruption scandals and security failures that tarnished what had been a successful reformist record. None was more embarrassing than the July prison escape of Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, a drug cartel capo responsible for thousands of deaths and billions of dollars worth of cocaine smuggled to the United States. So there was cause for celebration in the recapture of the narcotics lord on Friday as well as in the Mexican governments new determination to extradite him to the United States. The drug lords escape through a tunnel from a high-security prison revealed the continuing weaknesses, including corruption and penetration by the drug cartels, that plague Mexicos security apparatus. Mr. Pena Nieto bore some responsibility: After taking office in 2012 and launching an ambitious program of economic and political change, he initially played down the countrys war against narcotics traffickers as well as cooperation with U.S. enforcement agencies. When Mr. Guzman was captured in 2014, Mexicos attorney general said he would be turned over to U.S. prosecutors only after he finished his sentences in Mexico in 300 or 400 years. The July escape appeared to have a healthy impact on the Mexican governments approach. U.S. officials said that cooperation between the two nations on law enforcement has markedly improved in recent months, driven by meetings between two new attorneys general: Arely Gomez Gonzalez of Mexico and the Obama administrations Loretta E. Lynch. Ms. Lynch, who formerly was in charge of the Brooklyn federal prosecutors office that is among those pursuing charges against Mr. Guzman, already obtained the extradition in September of other top drug suspects. On Sunday, the Mexican attorney generals office formally began extradition proceedings against Mr. Guzman, though officials said the legal process could consume months or even years. In the meantime, Mr. Pena Nieto could take some satisfaction from the security operation that succeeded in locating and recapturing Mr. Guzman in part, it appeared, with the unwitting help of American actor and amateur journalist Sean Penn. The Los Angeles Times reported that a suspicious neighbor alerted police to Mr. Guzmans hideout in his home town of Los Mochis. But the attorney general said authorities had earlier been able to get onto the trail of Mr. Guzman because of contacts between his attorneys and actors and producers interested in making a film about him, including the Mexican star Kate del Castillo, who helped arrange Mr. Penns interview with the kingpin. Mr. Penn did no credit to himself or Rolling Stone magazine with the 10,000-word account of the interview published Saturday night. The magazine acknowledged that it has changed details and given pre-publication approval rights to Mr. Guzman, concessions that breached basic journalistic ethics. That Mr. Guzman did not ask for changes was perhaps understandable, given his fawning treatment by Mr. Penn, who at one point described him as a simple man from a simple place who did not appear as the big bad wolf of lore. Thousands of victims of the Sinaloa cartel including many journalists silenced for attempting to report honestly on its crimes are evidence of a different story. The present state of Hillary Clintons bid for the Democratic presidential nomination is a paradox. She is now seen as both increasingly vulnerable and ultimately invincible. The tension between the two provides the narrative that now defines the Democratic nomination contest. Her vulnerability comes in part from a raft of new polls, which show Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont threatening to upset the once heavily favored Clinton in both Iowa and New Hampshire. Thats a change as the election year opens, and one that is creating a fresh sense of urgency inside the Clinton campaign, reflected in the candidates stepped-up attacks on Sanderss record and ideas. [Clinton rips into Sanders as her Iowa lead vanishes] Iowa is the wild card right now. New Hampshire long has provided Sanders with a home-court advantage. As Bill Clinton noted last week, candidates from states bordering New Hampshire almost always win the Granite States presidential primary. Sanders long has been positioned to claim the crown there on Feb. 9, but without success in Iowa on Feb. 1, the value of a victory would be significantly diminished. In Iowa, he has no such advantage. But neither does Clinton. She ran third here in the 2008 caucuses behind then-senator Barack Obama and former North Carolina senator John Edwards. She left the state with sour feelings about the caucus process, which she has been working diligently over the past months to get rid of. But Iowa remains challenging and unpredictable terrain. Sanders is making the most of all this. The enthusiasm for his candidacy was palpable as he moved around Iowa the past few days. He continues to attract big crowds young and old drawn to the passion of his plain-speaking style but even more to his unabashed conviction that government must use its resources, through higher taxes as needed, to rebalance the inequities of an economy that has rewarded the rich far more than everyone else. Clinton cannot and will not match him in this potential big-government bidding war, though she has looked for ways to inch closer to him on some issues and to draw distinctions where she believes he is most exposed. Her husbands New Democrat roots and her own sense of limits about the realities of governing her innate caution and preference for incrementalism mean she must excite her party in other ways, and that has long proved to be difficult. Right now, the passion gap favors Sanders, though by how much and for how long no one can say. But it has gotten the attention of the Clinton team. The fact that Clinton and Sanders are neck-and-neck in the polls in Iowa is worrisome. Ironically, it could prove to be a motivating factor for the Clinton campaign, if it can turn the discussion properly. If there is complacency or a misplaced sense of confidence among Clinton supporters about where this race was heading, the new polls have offered a bracing reminder to those who want her to be president that nothing can be taken for granted. Yet even as she battles these renewed questions about her candidacy, Clinton and her team have been able to perpetuate the belief that, in the end, Sanders cannot defeat her and perhaps thats true. The case for her ultimate success is built on the calendar and the institutional forces she continues to amass, though process arguments are never the best strategy for winning a nomination. Still, once past Iowa and New Hampshire, the argument goes, the calendar heavily favors her. When African American and Hispanic voters begin to weigh in after the first two states, when South Carolina and Nevada are heard from, when other Southern states get their say, she will be able to put any early defeats behind her. The Democratic establishment does not want Clinton to lose, and she continues to gather up the endorsements of establishment figures and elected officials. She came to Iowa on Monday accompanied by Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. On Tuesday, she picked up the endorsement of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, drawing attention to Sanderss more checkered record on the issue. [Clinton camp sees gun control issue as a way to get to Sanderss left] Clinton wears this establishment support somewhat uncomfortably. It is a measure of the respect she enjoys after many years in the thick of the action and is an asset if the Democratic contest drags on longer than she once expected. But it also reflects the sense of obligation felt by many in the party to support her and can weigh her down as a candidate. Sanders, meanwhile, won the endorsement of the progressive grass-roots group Move On, highlighting anew that right now there is a sizable gap between the partys liberal base and its establishment wing. Yet Sanders, too, must overcome perceptions of Clinton as the eventual nominee if he hopes to truly challenge her. Talk to people at Sanderss rallies, and you come away with the sense that, as much as they love him, his candidacy, what he has accomplished and what he stands for, almost all would be perfectly comfortable if Clinton ultimately prevails. The Sanders supporters are there for him, but not to demonize her. Thats a different dynamic than the one playing out among the Republicans. Sanders is trying to overcome all this by seizing on polls that show him running better than Clinton in the general election. The question of electability long has been one of his biggest obstacles and the fresh polls have now given him ammunition to make his case. [As Clinton says only she can win, Sanders points to the polls] Clintons advisers are confident that the electability argument ultimately favors her. If Sanders picks up too much momentum, the question they will put to Democratic voters will be stark: In a general election that most analysts believe will be close and extremely hard fought, is a democratic socialist the right kind of nominee to put up against the Republicans? So much comes back to Iowa and the battle that will unfold over the next three weeks. Sanders counts on the energy and enthusiasm to bring more voters to the polls and needs a big turnout, from young voters in particular and probably independents who must register as Democrats. Clinton has one thing going for her in Iowa this year that she lacked in 2008, which is a unified operation. Her 2008 campaign was plagued by battles between her national headquarters team and her Iowa team. Most of her national advisers never really understood Iowa or the caucus process. For much of 2007, the two parts of her campaign were at war with one another over resources, the candidates time and travel schedule and just what it would take to win. Thats not the case this year, or so say the people inside the campaign. The national and Iowa teams have been working from the same page from the start, under the direction of campaign manager Robby Mook, Iowa director Matt Paul and Iowa caucus director Michael Halle. Not knowing just what turnout will be on Feb. 1, they have set high goals and are determined to meet them. Whether that will be enough to overcome an unexpected surge in turnout or the power of Sanderss organizational efforts and enthusiasm for his candidacy is the question no poll can answer. The nightmare scenario for the Clinton team right now is a race that drags well into the early spring. Given his huge success at raising large amounts of money in small contributions, Sanders has more than enough resources to wage a long, long battle, even a losing one. The longer it goes, the more it could weaken Clinton for the general election and, more to the point, would deplete her resources just as the Republicans and their super PACs go after her. Thats why so much now depends on what happens in Iowa. Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush speaks at Brownells in Grinnell, Iowa, on Tuesday. Brownells is one of the largest distributors of firearm parts and accessories in the U.S. (Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters) Here in Iowa and other states holding early presidential contests, Jeb Bush is saying one thing while the super PAC supporting him says something entirely different. A new television ad by Right to Rise USA airing in early primary states shows Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) twisting in the wind on a weathervane as an announcer describes his shifting position on immigration reform. He ran for Senate saying he opposed amnesty, it says. Then he flipped and worked with liberal Chuck Schumer to co-author the path to citizenship bill. But out on the campaign trail, Bush rarely talks about Rubio hes more focused on Republican front-runner Donald Trump. I hope that youll get involved in our effort to defeat Donald Trump and to propel me forward, Bush told voters at the public library here on Tuesday. Lawn signs for Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush are placed near the entrance to a library before a town hall with Bush on Tuesday in Coralville, Iowa. (Jae C. Hong/AP) In a campaign cycle where dozens of super PACs have propped up to help one candidate or another, the disconnect between Bush and Right to Rise USA stands out because the candidate and his supporters confidently boasted that record sums raised by the group would help him blanket the airwaves and win. But thats not happening. In Iowa, Bush placed far behind Trump and other opponents with just 3 percent in a Quinnipiac University poll released on Monday. In New Hampshire, Bush placed second behind Trump in a NH1 News poll released Friday, but other surveys in recent days there ranked Bush with as little as 4 percent support. [Jeb Bushs super PAC is burning through money with little to show for it] Right to Rise USA shattered fundraising records last summer by raising more than $100 million to spend on Bushs behalf on advertising and outreach. As of Tuesday, Right to Rise had spent more than $61.2 million on television and digital advertising and direct mail, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission. Of that, more than $15 million has gone to ads that swipe at Bushs rivals, the majority in the last 12 days. By law a presidential candidate cannot coordinate ad spending with independent groups such as super PACs and Bush has cited those rules several times when asked about Right to Rise. Im focused on my campaign; I cant control what anyone else does, he told reporters on Tuesday. I can only control what I do, and Im advocating my record and my detailed plan to fix the mess in Washington, D.C. While Right to Rise has trained its sights on Rubio, it hasnt ignored other GOP rivals. Those familiar with the groups plans say that the unprecedented nature of the 2016 campaign and its more than half-dozen reputable GOP contenders means the PAC cant focus on just one competitor at any time. Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush speaks at Brownells in Grinnell, Iowa, on Tuesday. (Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters) So in New Hampshire, an ad by the PAC contrasted Bushs gubernatorial record with the tenures of New Jersey Gov. Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Another ad called out Bushs attacks on Trump at a December debate. Yet another ad that aired in New Hampshire questioned whether Trump, Rubio and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) could sit in the Oval Office and make tough decisions. [Jeb Bush is stronger on the stump, but will it help?] Meanwhile, Bush keeps focused on Trump. He told about 200 people at a firearms manufacturing facility in Grinnell on Tuesday that Trump is a jerk because he disparages POWs, like John McCain, saying hes not a hero because he got caught. He is a jerk when he disparages women. And he is a jerk when he disparages people with disabilities. In the past week, Bush has tried out several different ways of talking about Trump. In Meredith, N.H., last Wednesday, he complimented Trump for his business prowess and refusal to be politically correct before explaining why he calls the front-runner a jerk. The next day in Londonderry, N.H., Bush more briefly praised Trump before raising doubts about his understanding of foreign affairs. A few hours later he insisted several times to radio host Hugh Hewitt that Trump will not win the GOP presidential nomination. But shortly after the interview aired, Bush warned nearly 400 people in Peterborough, N.H., that if Donald Trump wins the nomination and he might Hillary Clinton will beat him like a drum. In the weathervane ad, the announcer calls Rubio just another Washington politician you cant trust. It adds that Bush is a leader, so you always know where he stands. A separate video that Right to Rise is targeting at Republican Facebook and Instagram users in the early contest states mocks Rubios decision to wear a pair of fashionable black boots last week on the campaign trail. Onscreen, the legs of a man in a dark suit and black boots is dancing while a woman sings a song set to the tune of the 1966 Nancy Sinatra hit, These Boots Were Made for Walking. These boots are made for flippin and thats just what theyll do. One of these days, young Marcos gonna flip flop flip on you, she sings. [With Jeb Bush down in the polls, Bush World gets ready to deploy] Another part of the groups strategy is helping with organizing efforts. On Tuesday in Iowa, people who said they were with Right to Rise handed out red JEB lawn signs and orange placards touting Bushs gun rights record. Al Hoffman, a former Bush ambassador and developer in Florida who has given the super PAC $1 million, expressed confidence that the group was having an impact, saying he has seen signs that Bush is moving up in the polls in New Hampshire. My assessment all good, Hoffman wrote in an email, adding: There is enough to finish and win. But another donor, who also requested anonymity, warned that the PACs focus on Rubio could be risky given that so many Bush supporters also like the senator. What theyre probably doing is trying to ensure that Marco does not run away with the establishment lane, the donor said, adding: Nothing else weve done has worked, why not try this? Paul Lindsay, a Right to Rise USA spokesman, wrote in an email, Every candidate for president should be willing to face scrutiny over their position on issues. Or, in the case of Marco Rubio, his many different positions on issues like immigration, cap and trade, Iran and others. Rubio spokesman Alex Conant said in a statement that Jeb Bush and his establishment allies are trying to buy this election and they know Marco is standing in their way. Thats why their attacks grow more desperate by the day. When Marco is president, there will be no amnesty and we will secure the border. Period. Bush himself hasnt targeted Rubio directly since a GOP debate in October, when Bush admonished his former protege for failing to show up for work in Washington. But the attack backfired when Rubio snapped back: Someone convinced you attacking me is going to help you. On Tuesday in Coralville, a woman asked Bush about his recent attacks on Rubio. Marco is my friend. Hes my friend. And what has been said by our campaign I stand by completely, he said. Everybodys record will be scrutinized, trust me. My record has been scrutinized like nobodys business, he said. Later, he told reporters that if youve got a problem with Rubio, why dont you ask him about his ad about Christie. I saw that in New Hampshire. Thats a zinger. Matea Gold and Anu Narayanswamy contributed to this report. U.N. peacekeeping forces patrol during elections in the streets of a Muslim district of Bangui in December. (Issouf Sanogo/AFP/Getty Images) The United Nations has been grappling with so many sexual abuse allegations involving its peacekeepers that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon recently called them a cancer in our system. Now, officials have learned about what appears to be a fresh scandal. Investigators discovered this month that at least four U.N. peacekeepers in the Central African Republic allegedly paid girls as little as 50 cents in exchange for sex. The case is the latest to plague the U.N. mission in the Central African Republic, whose employees have been accused of 22 other incidents of alleged sexual abuse or sexual exploitation in the past 14 months. The most recent accusations come in the wake of Bans efforts to implement a zero tolerance policy for such offenses. The United Nations maintains nine peacekeeping operations in Africa, employing more than 100,000 people on the continent, and the abuses threaten to erode the organizations legitimacy. Other sex-crime cases have occurred in Mali, South Sudan, Liberia and Congo in recent years. Last month, the United Nations published a damning independent investigation that said that poor enforcement of policies in place to deter and report abuse meant that the credibility of the U.N. and peacekeeping operations are in jeopardy. Experts and officials say systemic problems still hinder the investigation and prosecution of alleged abusers, leading to a perception of impunity. Speaking Sept. 17, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned sexual abuse allegedly carried out by U.N. peacekeepers. (UN Web TV) The abuse undermines everything we stand for, said Anthony Banbury, the U.N. assistant secretary general for field support. The mission in the Central African Republic, where U.N. troops and civilians were sent in 2014 to help end a civil war and support a fledgling government, stands out for its record of sexual abuse and exploitation. They are preying on the people theyve come to protect, said Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, the top U.N. official in the country. Horrible, unacceptable The most recent allegations involve at least four peacekeepers who are accused of paying girls as young as 13 for sex at a camp for the internally displaced next to the international airport in Bangui, the capital. The site, known as Mpoko camp, is home to 20,000 people, mostly Christians. It is a vast agglomeration of white tents surrounding old, decaying airplanes, just yards from the airport runway. The United Nations has not publicly released the nationalities of the accused troops or provided details of the alleged abuse. But in interviews, U.N. officials said the peacekeepers were from Gabon, Morocco, Burundi and France. The prostitution ring they allegedly used was run by boys and young men who offered girls for anywhere from 50 cents to three dollars, according to one official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation. Some officials say there may be many more cases of exploitation by peacekeepers that have gone unreported. Because there is no regular U.N. presence in Mpoko, it has been difficult to gauge the scale of the problem. Mpoko had already had a problem with sexual abuse before the recent cases were reported. Its population had grown sharply since September, when violence erupted between the warring parties in the Central African Republic. Human Rights Watch documented nine cases of sexual violence between September and December in and around the displacement camp. In several instances, Christian women were raped by members of the mostly Christian anti-balaka militia after being accused of interacting with Muslims. Across Bangui, the conflict has fallen largely along religious lines. Mpoko is a lawless zone run by anti-balaka thugs a few hundred meters away from the international airport. The camp is not being protected, and women are being raped, said Lewis Mudge, a Human Rights Watch researcher focused on the Central African Republic. But this marks the first time that the United Nations has acknowledged the involvement of its employees in the camps underworld of commercial sex work, which is driven by abject poverty and a lack of law enforcement. The Mpoko camp is unfortunately a place where horrible, unacceptable things happen to women and children, said Banbury, the assistant secretary general. In some cases, we have credible allegations that there are U.N. personnel that have committed these crimes. Banbury said U.N. troops plan to begin patrolling Mpoko more frequently and will attempt to dismantle the prostitution ring. The U.N. mission in the Central African Republic has been plagued by sexual abuse allegations. The previous U.N. special representative there, retired Senegalese general Babacar Gaye, was fired in August over his teams handling of the accusations. The organization has dispatched special investigators to Bangui to better understand what has gone wrong. The United Nations was also strongly criticized for failing to react to offenses by peacekeepers in the country. As many as 14 troops from France, Chad and Equatorial Guinea allegedly raped and sodomized six boys between the ages of 9 and 15 in 2013 and 2014, before the U.N. mission formally began. The United Nations took no action after learning about the cases until a whistleblower leaked an internal U.N. investigation to French authorities, according to U.N. officials. Last month, the report by a panel including former Canadian Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps found that U.N. staff in Bangui had turned a blind eye to the criminal actions of individual troops in that case. In August, two women and one girl accused three U.N. peacekeepers of rape in the war-torn town of Bambari. That same month, a U.N. police officer allegedly raped a 12-year-old girl during an operation in Banguis main Muslim neighborhood. She had been hiding in a bathroom while peacekeepers searched her house, according to Amnesty International. When I cried, he slapped me hard and put his hand over my mouth, the girl told an Amnesty International researcher. Fractured enforcement For years, the United Nations has been trying to stop the sexual abuse perpetrated by its employees and troops under its command. It has ordered a series of reports to identify weaknesses in enforcement and mandated that a component on sexual exploitation and abuse be included in training for peacekeepers. Ban has also encouraged harsher penalties for the peacekeeping units to which the abusers belong. But the slow pace of investigations into abuse has severely undermined enforcement, according to a report last year from the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services. Even more problematic, some experts say, is that the prosecution of alleged offenders falls to the governments of the countries that provide the peacekeepers. In many cases, those governments conduct halfhearted investigations and fail to convict offenders. To say that it is immensely frustrating is a tremendous understatement, said Banbury. The U.N. should stop tiptoeing around, trying not to offend governments, and instead put the victims of sexual exploitation and abuse at the heart of their policy, said Sarah Taylor, an advocate in the womens rights division at Human Rights Watch. Some argue that the lack of enforcement encourages a sense among U.N. employees that they can commit sexual crimes with impunity while based overseas. They think Were in a special class, that sexual abuse is not that serious, said Paula Donovan, who leads Code Blue, an advocacy campaign working to expose the issue of sexual abuse by U.N. personnel. The number of alleged cases of sexual exploitation and abuse committed by U.N. personnel declined from 2008 to 2014, dropping from 83 to 51, which U.N. officials say is evidence of increasingly effective intervention. But critics say that those numbers are incomplete and that many cases go unreported. The data is not just porous. Its a joke, Donovan said. Other analysts say that getting civilians to report sexual crimes in war-torn environments, where there is a mistrust of authority and a lack of law enforcement, is an enormous challenge. The victims might fear retaliation by the perpetrator, who in some cases carries a weapon, said a report last year on U.N. abuses by the Stimson Center, a Washington-based research organization. In many other cases, impoverished girls and women accept food and money in exchange for sex. This is already a society whose social fabric has totally collapsed, with youngsters left to fend for themselves, said Onanga-Anyanga. This is putting salt into an open wound. Correction: An earlier version of this article had an incorrect name for the organization that published a report last year on U.N. abuses. The Stimson Center came out with the report. Read more Pope Francis visits mosque in war-torn Central African Republic Tens of thousands of Muslims flee Christian militias in Central African Republic Christian-Muslim marriages are latest casualty of strife in Central African Republic A suicide bomber believed to be linked to the Islamic State struck the historic heart of Istanbul on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people in what would be the groups first major attack on Turkeys vital tourism industry. The bombing, which injured 15 others, took place in the shadow of the citys famous nine-domed Blue Mosque, which draws visitors from around the world. Most of the victims were German nationals, Turkish officials said. The targeting of Turkeys tourism trade puts the group on a more direct collision course with the Turkish state, which has been criticized for not doing enough to prevent militants from using the country as a crucial route for recruits, supplies and oil smuggling. But the militants appear increasingly desperate to strike overseas as they lose territory in Iraq and Syria. This terror organization, the assailants and all of their connections will be found and they will receive the punishments they deserve, said Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. He said the attacker was a member of the Islamic State, though the group has not asserted responsibility for the attack. 1 of 17 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad The scene after the deadly explosion in central Istanbul View Photos At least 10 dead and 15 injured in deadly blast. Caption At least 10 dead and 15 injured in deadly blast. Jan. 12, 2016 Police secure the area after an explosion in central Istanbul, where Turkish police sealed off a central square in the historic Sultanahmet district after a large explosion. Osman Orsal/Reuters Wait 1 second to continue. The blast occurred just before 10:30 a.m. in the Sultanahmet district, an area that includes the 400-year-old Blue Mosque; Hagia Sophia, a former Byzantine-era basilica; and the lavish Ottoman Topkapi Palace. The attacker, identified by Turkish authorities as a 28-year-old of Syrian origin, mingled with a group of German tourists as they gathered near the Obelisk of Theodosius, an ancient Egyptian monolith brought to Istanbul then known as Constantinople in the 4th century. Turkish news outlets later identified the attacker as Nabil Fadli, adding that he had been born in Saudi Arabia. [Turkey key to Islamic States underground economy] Eight of those killed were Germans, according to authorities. In addition, officials said that at least 15 people were injured in the explosion, including nine Germans and other foreigners among them a Peruvian and a Norwegian. Today Istanbul was hit. Paris has been hit. Tunisia has been hit. Ankara has been hit before, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in Berlin. International terrorism is once again showing its cruel and inhuman face today. The White House also condemned the heinous attack, which it said struck Turks and foreign tourists alike. In a statement Tuesday, National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said that the United States stands with NATO ally Turkey, a valued member of the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State, and pledges our ongoing cooperation and support in the fight against terrorism in the face of the Istanbul attack. [NATO-member Turkey on front lines of Western-Russian divide over Syria] Directly and indirectly, tourism makes up about 12 percent of Turkeys gross domestic product, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, an international travel-industry organization, with the country welcoming about 40 million tourists a year. The vast plazas and surrounding streets of Sultanahmet, normally busy with merchants, vendors and visitors, were quiet late Tuesday, with many restaurants empty. The area immediately around the blast was cordoned off by police. Yahya Ibrahim, an imam from Perth, Australia, was visiting with his wife and three children when the blast hit. We were just about to head into the mosque but then decided to have breakfast first, he said. A huge boom reverberated through the streets, he said, which his 9-year-old daughter thought was thunder. Ibrahim said that the attack wouldnt deter them from visiting again. On a theological basis, its a perversion of Islam, he said of the Islamic States ideology. On a practical level, its murder. [Pentagon pushes allies to help choke off Islamic State networks] The Islamic State probably has the capability to launch an extended terror campaign against Turkey, said Firas Abi Ali, a senior analyst at IHS, a global risk analysis firm. Its territorial losses in Iraq and Syria may well have led the group to assess its needs to expand its influence and capability in Turkey, he said. If todays attack was perpetrated by the Islamic State, it would reflect a shift in the groups strategy and herald a broader campaign against Turkey. However, such a move will likely provoke a significant backlash by the Turkish government, he said. Turkish forces have not directly intervened in the Syrian conflict, but Ankara has been under pressure from Western governments to crack down on the cross-border flow of people and supplies to Islamic State strongholds in Syria. Last summer, Turkey opened its Incirlik air base to U.S. warplanes carrying out airstrikes against Islamic State positions in Syria. Turkey is also a key backer of rebel groups opposing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and it has recently stepped up its decades-old fight against Kurdish separatists. Turkish police conducted raids in five provinces on Jan. 12, and detained suspected militants, although it is unclear whether the raids are linked to the deadly suicide bomb attack in Istanbul earlier in the day. ( / Reuters) In the past, Turkish groups have staged their own attacks in the country. A year ago, a Chechen woman believed to be linked to militant factions blew herself up outside a police post in Sultanahmet, killing one police officer. There were also two major suicide attacks on peace activists in the countrys southeast last year, killing more than 100 people. The government blamed the Islamic State for those explosions, but the militant group never asserted responsibility. Cunningham reported from Baghdad. Brian Murphy and William Branigin in Washington contributed to this report. Israeli forces approach one of six ships bound for Gaza in the Mediterranean Sea on May 31, 2010. Israeli marines stormed a Turkish aid ship and 10 pro-Palestinian activists were killed, triggering a diplomatic crisis. (Pool photo by Uriel Sinai/via Reuters) Three Americans and a Belgian national are suing the government of Israel in U.S. federal court, seeking compensation for injuries suffered in a deadly 2010 confrontation between Israeli commandos and activists attempting to breach Israels naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. The suit, filed late Monday, is the latest repercussion of the May 2010 raid, in which Israel Defense Forces commandos boarded a six-ship aid flotilla and, after meeting resistance, killed nine Turks and an American of Turkish descent. The incident triggered international condemnation and a lasting diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Israel. Those killed were civilians aboard the passenger vessel Mavi Marmara and included Furkan Dogan, a 19-year-old U.S. citizen whose relatives filed a civil lawsuit in October for damages against former Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The plaintiffs in the new suit, filed in Washington, were aboard the U.S.-flagged Challenger 1, which was carrying media equipment and 17 passengers and crew members. [Israeli troops raid aid flotilla headed for Gaza, killing nine] According to their attorneys, American plaintiffs David Schermerhorn, Mary Ann Wright and Huwaida Arraf, a dual U.S.- Israeli citizen, and Belgian national Margriet Deknopper suffered injuries that included partial loss of sight when a stun grenade exploded inches from one of them and a broken nose when another was hit by a rubber bullet. I observed [Israel Defense Forces commandos] taking women and shoving them down onto passageways, pushing their faces into shards of glass and binding them up, hooded and kneeling, said Wright, 69, in a phone interview Monday. She is a retired U.S. diplomat and Army colonel who resigned her State Department position in opposition to the 2003 Iraq war. The four plaintiffs said they were restrained for 12 hours and detained three days on land before being deported. The attack on the high seas was unjustified and illegal under international law, lawyer Steven M. Schneebaum of Washington wrote in a 21-page complaint, which alleged that the military operations injured more than 150 protesters and included torture, cruel or degrading treatment, arbitrary arrest and assault. No statute of limitation does or should protect persons guilty of war crimes, or those who command and control such perpetrators, he wrote. A spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington could not immediately be reached for comment. Israel has said it maintains the maritime blockade of Gaza and its 1.8 million residents as a necessary security measure to counter militant attacks and smuggling, including activities it traces to Hamas, the Islamist militant movement that controls the Palestinian territory. Since 2010, Israel has eased some limits on humanitarian aid and essential goods, but economic conditions remain difficult. [Half a year after devastating war, life in Gaza seems worse] Under U.S. law, the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act generally bars lawsuits against foreign governments, except for certain circumstances, including terrorist acts against Americans by U.S.-designated state sponsors of terrorism. Ralph G. Steinhardt, a professor of international law at George Washington University Law School and a member of the plaintiffs legal team, said the suit may turn on whether a court finds that the action against a U.S.-flagged ship in international waters should be treated as an assault in the United States or that Israels conduct was so egregious that it is not entitled to immunity, even in the absence of a U.S. terrorism designation. At a news conference set for Tuesday in Washington, Steinhardt said plaintiffs expect to voice frustration that efforts to win compensation from Israel have largely been stonewalled. The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague in late 2014 reported that Israeli forces may have committed war crimes in the attack on the flotilla, but casualties were insufficiently large to warrant a criminal investigation. Last month, Israeli authorities announced a preliminary agreement with Turkish counterparts to restore diplomatic relations frozen since the incident. Israel has proposed creating a humanitarian fund on behalf of families of those killed, without admitting fault, in return for Turkey dropping legal claims against Israel, including criminal charges against Israeli officers. [How the Paris attacks worsened war of words between Israel and Turkey] Paramilitary forces raided the home of a New York Times correspondent here Tuesday, rifling through cabinets and private papers with guns slung across their shoulders, the reporter said. A senior editor on the newspapers international desk, Douglas Schorzman, said the interior minister had issued an apology, which included a claim that the search was part of a broader pattern of searches across his neighborhood in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Its still unclear whether thats true, though, Schorzman added in a statement, and given the pattern of targeted harassment of Times correspondents in Pakistan by the authorities, were taking this matter very seriously. The Interior Ministry has assured us that it will conduct an inquiry, and well be conducting our own. In a series of Twitter postings, the correspondent, Salman Masood, said Pakistan rangers showed up at his house about 8 a.m. and said they wanted to search the premises. Masood, a Pakistani national who has worked for the Times since 2001, said the rangers, members of a paramilitary security force controlled by the Interior Ministry, did not have a warrant. A man in civvies with them says he is from intelligence but not giving more identification, he wrote, apparently referring to a plainclothes official. Insists on property search. [Pakistans top TV journalist lives like a fugitive] Masood, also a columnist for a Pakistani newspaper, posted photos of armed security officials searching his kitchen cabinets. Rangers even searched the drawers of my study table and asked if I had any illegal weapons hidden in the house, Masood wrote. Masood has been the backbone of the Times Pakistan bureau since the newspapers former bureau chief, Declan Walsh, was abruptly expelled from the country in May 2013 for alleged undesirable activities. Walsh, who had previously worked in Pakistan for Britains Guardian newspaper, was never allowed to return, even to retrieve his personal belongings. The Times strongly protested Walshs expulsion and kept him on the Pakistan beat until last summer. Masood said on Twitter that a senior police official told him the raid was part of a counterterrorism operation. That allegation prompted ridicule from journalists and civic activists in Islamabad. Ironic that under anti-terror op the Islamabad home of NYT correspondent . . . is searched while Maulana Abdul Aziz roams free, wrote Omar Quraishi, a Pakistani journalist. Aziz is the Islamabad-based spiritual leader of Pakistans controversial Red Mosque, which some suspect of being sympathetic to some militant groups. Later, Pakistani journalists walked out of the National Assembly session to protest the raid on Masoods house. In a statement, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan implied that the raid was a mistake and said he was seeking answers from local police. Such raids and activities are neither appropriate nor acceptable, he said. Pakistani intelligence officials are known for keeping close tabs on journalists who work for international media outlets, including tapping phones. Over the past year, foreign journalists have reported increased difficulty in obtaining or renewing visas. Last month, Reuters reported that its staff, along with journalists from other media outlets, including The Washington Post, were being followed and harassed as they sought to gather information on the Pakistani woman who carried out the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif. Pakistani leaders later blamed overzealous local security officials for those troubles. Read more: Pakistan is still trying to get a grip on its madrassa problem Not so fast, Sunshine: A foreign journalist runs into visa trouble in Pakistan Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world Syrians wait for the arrival of an aid convoy on Monday in the besieged town of Madaya. (Marwan Ibrahim/AFP/Getty Images) By the time the convoy carrying food arrived, Sereen didnt know how much more she and others in the besieged Syrian town of Madaya could endure. She had skipped meals for months, she said, so that her young nieces and nephews could eat the familys diminishing supplies of rice and bulgur. She watched as friends turned into walking skeletons. Then, in recent weeks, people began dying. First a neighbor died of starvation, followed by his 9-year-old son, she said. On Monday the day that a U.N.-backed agreement temporarily lifted the Syrian governments brutal blockade of the mountain hamlet Sereen learned that a 60-year-old friend had died. The womans family said she stopped eating altogether so that her grandchildren could eat, Sereen said Tuesday, speaking from Madaya over Skype. Her grandchildren survived, thanks be to God. [Food aid reaches starving Syrian town under siege] A deal brokered between President Bashar al-Assads government and the United Nations permitted aid groups to send dozens of trucks to the town, near the Lebanese border and about 15 miles northwest of Syrias capital, Damascus. The operation is expected to last several days and will also deliver food to two pro-government villages, Fua and Kefraya. Pro-government forces have besieged Madaya, an opposition stronghold, since the summer, cutting off the flow of food and goods into the town. Fua and Kefraya, two villages in the northern province of Idlib, have been surrounded by rebels and face regular bombardment. Images purporting to show people from Madaya, including emaciated and listless children, have circulated on Twitter and Facebook in recent days and drawn attention to the crisis. As they began filling empty stomachs with rations of beans and rice Tuesday morning, some of the more than 20,000 people in the town revealed further details of their harrowing ordeal to aid workers and journalists. Stephen OBrien, the U.N. humanitarian chief, warned late Monday after aid workers entered the town that 400 severely malnourished people urgently needed medical treatment, or else they were in grave peril of losing their lives. Elizabeth Hoff, the World Health Organization representative in Damascus who went on the convoy, told the Reuters news agency that she was really alarmed by the situation. Syrias ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar Jaafari, on Monday denied that the government was using a policy of starvation and accused Arabic-language media of fabricating lies. [Syria is emptying] Sereen, 40, recalled seeing almost nothing but the effects of starvation all around her during that time. She spoke on the condition that her last name not be used, because of concern for her safety. She remembered an argument a few weeks ago involving a butcher who refused a customers request to have his cat prepared as dinner meat. She also described how her 10-year-old niece would forgo meals to give food to her younger sister. Even the children had to become adults in this situation, said Sereen, who shares an apartment with her grandparents, her mother and her brothers family. This summer, Sereen fled her home in the neighboring town of Zabadani with her mother during an attack by Syrian troops and Hezbollah fighters. The assaults on Madaya and Zabadani are part of a military campaign by the Assad government to clear out rebels from key territory stretching from Damascus to Lebanon and the western coastline. The pro-government forces have encircled Madaya but have been careful not to storm it, because of threatened retaliation by rebels against Fua and Kefraya. Another U.N.-backed agreement in September was supposed to end the sieges involving all those areas, including a mechanism for bringing in food, but it had faltered. Before the Syrian uprising began in 2011, Sereens husband, Mohammed, owned a grocery store, and she was a stay-at-home wife. Like many from the area, they joined peaceful demonstrations against the Assad government and then backed an armed rebellion that eventually turned into a civil war that has killed more than 250,000 people. Their three grown children have since fled the country, she said, but Mohammed was killed fighting for the Islamist Ahrar al-Sham rebel group in Zabadani last summer. She has had little time to mourn, she said. She has mainly focused on how to survive. First, youd see yourself losing weight. Then the hallucinations started happening. Youd have conversations with people and then completely forget what you said or what you talked about that day, she said, adding that she had lost a considerable amount of weight. She described how the family would pool together jewelry and other precious belongings to pay the war profiteers who would find ways to smuggle basic foods through the checkpoints that Syrian troops and Hezbollah fighters erected around Madaya. Two pounds of smuggled rice could cost $100 or more, she said. In November, she said, she attempted to brave the checkpoints with snipers that surround the town and flee for medical care. Earlier last year, she said, she had finished chemotherapy for cancer and was due for a visit to the doctor. But as she attempted to leave in the middle of the night, she said, the smugglers she paid to help her out tripped one of the many land mines apparently planted on the outskirts of the town. One of them was killed. Now she hopes the aid delivery will translate into an end to the siege and a return to the relative normalcy of seeing doctors and eating every day. We cant go back to another blockade, she said. Read more: Saudi Arabia says Syrian peace talks remain on track, easing feud with Iran How the battle against the Islamic State is redrawing the map of the Middle East Three months after the September 27 Catalan elections, the regional parliament has elected Carles Puigdemont as regional premier for the Together for Yes coalition, with the support of the pseudo-left Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP). The election is the result of a last-minute deal, whereby the CUP has agreed to support a pro-austerity Together for Yes government in order to carry out secession from Spain. In exchange for the CUPs support, Artur Mas, who has been regional premier since 2010, would stand down as Together for Yess candidate for the premiership. The new premier is a former CDC mayor of Girona, Carles Puigdemont, selected by Mas himself as he publicly acknowledged. He has been a member of Mass Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) for more than 20 years. Together with the Catalan Republican Left (ERC), the other main party of the Together for Yes coalition, the CDC has led brutal austerity measures in Catalonia since 2010. As a mayor of Girona, Puigdemont carried out savage austerity measures, allying himself with the right-wing anti-separatist Popular Party (PP) to carry them out. He made world headlines in 2012 when the city council decided to put locks on waste bins outside supermarkets to stop the poor from scavenging. He stated that this measure responded to a necessity detected in the city. This premier, described as a victory for the CUP, was elected with 62 votes from Together for Yes and 8 from the CUP in the 135-seat assembly. The unusually brief session lasted under five hours so as to avoid going past the midnight deadline that would have required the calling of new regional elections. Two other CUP members decided to abstain, in a miserable attempt to posture as critics of the CUPs de facto transformation into an appendage of Together for Yes. Opposing Puigdemont were the 63 votes against of the opposition deputies from the anti-separatist Citizens Party, the Catalan Socialist Party, the PP, and the Podemos-backed Catalonia Yes We Can. During the investiture debate, Puigdemont promised to continue the pro-separatist course, arguing that he was obeying the democratic mandate of September 27 Catalan elections. This is a political fraud. It was Together for Yes that proclaimed the elections, after an attempted referendum was ruled out, to be a plebiscite on independence. However, they did not win a majority for their candidature; based on their own arguments, they do not have a democratic mandate for secession. Together for Yes and the CUP collectively obtained only 48 percent of the popular vote. Puigdemont stated that the road map towards independence would continue and called on all parties to start working in light of the [pro-independence] declaration approved by the Parliament on the 9th of November. This refers to the resolution passed on that day, illegalised by Spains Constitutional Court, that pledges disconnection from the Spanish state in favour of the beginning of the process towards the creation of an independent Catalan state in the form of a republic. The resolution adds that the Catalan regional parliament will not be bound by Spains institutions, including the Constitutional Court that illegalised the document, and calls for an independent social security system and tax authority. Puigdemont continued: Our duty is to comply with the democratic mandate of the Parliament, because it was approved, because it is this Parliaments will, the citizens will. He promised to start negotiations with the Spanish State, with Europe and with the international community for the declaration on independence to achieve recognition. Puigdemont said this was no time for cowards and defined himself as the premier of the post-autonomous region and pre-independence era. Pseudo-left CUP spokeswoman Anna Gabriel made it clear that they had no substantive differences with the pro-austerity Together for Yes. Their main role would be the most vigilant secessionist force, she declaredthat, is making sure that the CDC and ERC, which only recently transformed themselves into separatist parties, would continue the independence process. In a friendly tone, she stated, Carles, you have the challenge of opening the process, of creating the most transverse project, but without unnecessary delays. We have to close stages that we will not be able to open again. We have the opportunity to begin a new path. We make a gesture of trust, she stated, because we believe that we have agreed on setting the basis to build the new Catalan republic. One after another, the anti-secessionist parties spoke to oppose the new premier in defence of the unity of Spain and Spanish legality, accusing the separatists of, in words of the right-wing Citizens Party, of wanting to divide Catalan society. Catalonia Yes We Can criticised unilateral independence, and Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias has called on interim Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to carry out dialogue with Puigdemont and the Catalan government. Podemos aims at giving concessions to the Catalan bourgeoisie to put an end to the secessionist process and the political crisis that has emerged after their bid for independence. Rajoy, amidst a context where a hung parliament awaits to invest a new prime minister, warned that he would not allow a single action which would contravene Spains unity and sovereignty, which would go against the law and against the courts decisions. He stated that the secessionist resolution doesnt exist, since the Constitutional Court has annulled it. Following this, he warned the Catalan government that even though a new government has still not been elected, his government would continue to firmly defend Spains unity and the democratic coexistence of our common project. Using the pretext of alleged incidents of sexual harassment in Koln (Cologne), the German media has launched a hysterical, racist campaign against millions of immigrants and Muslims. On New Years Eve, thousands of people gathered in Koln and in other major cities throughout Germany to celebrate the holiday. The next day, police issued a press release stating that there was a festive mood at the celebrations and that the atmosphere that evening was overall peaceful. However, one day later, a second statement was issued that referred for the first time to alleged attacks on women. On January 5, Kolns Christian Democratic Union (CDU)-backed Mayor Henriette Reker said at a press conference that there was no evidence that people who are residing in Koln as refugees are amongst the perpetrators. Suddenly, the media exploded with allegations of mass sexual abuse, setting into motion a hysterical campaign directed against the immigrant population. On January 7, anonymous police officers told the media that most of those suspected were migrants. A January 8 report by the Federal Ministry of the Interior announced that out of 31 suspects, 18 were refugees. Among the suspects were two Germans and an American. It was not until the period between January 8 and January 10 that the number of those alleging sexual harassment rose from 170 to over 400. So far, only two people have been arrested, and they have been released. What actually occurred in Koln is not yet known. Some reports point to a provocation. Various international media outlets, including CNN, have reported that at least one undercover police agent had infiltrated the crowd and later reported she was assaulted. It is, of course, possible that there were incidents of hooliganism in which women were harassed. Unfortunately, such behavior is not uncommon in large crowds almost anywhere in the world where liquor is flowing freely as it was on New Years Eve. At last years Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, Louisiana, for example, over 140 people were arrested, 50 for felonies. At last years Oktoberfest in Munich, the number of sexual assault allegations rose to 20. At any rate, given the absence of factual substantiation of what remain, at this point, no more than allegations, the ferocity of the press response can be explained only in political terms. The political parties and the media have launched a campaign that for many decades would have been considered impossible in Germany. Some 70 years after the collapse of the Third Reich, the media is making use of the same disgusting types of racial stereotyping, with open appeals to paranoid sexual obsessions, in which the Nazis specialized. Once again, a shameless German media is evoking images of pure Nordic women being preyed upon by dark-skinned untermenschen (sub-humans). On Saturday, the magazine Focus published on its cover an image of a nude woman covered by black handprints. The weekend edition of the Suddeutsche Zeitung carried an image of a white womans body with a black hand grasping her genitals. The newspaper also disseminated the image on Facebook. When a wave of protest erupted, the Suddeutsche apologized. However, Chief Editor of Focus Ulrich Reitz refused to apologise on the grounds that we are depicting what is unfortunately happening. Whoever said the cover was racist, he claimed, was fearful of the truth. It is not only degenerate journalists who are purveying this racist filth. Leading German academics are also getting into the act. Professor Jorg Baberowski of Berlins Humboldt University has written a column for the far-right Basler Zeitung accusing Germanys leading media of remaining silent when on New Years Eve, hundreds of Arab men sexually harassed, humiliated and robbed women on the Cathedral Square in Koln. There is no mass popular base for the racialist campaign. It is being instigated and directed by the political elites. The new edition of Der Spiegel states: A year ago, on New Years Eve 2014, similar assaults would have been (unfortunately) just an issue for the local press. Der Spiegel adds, Any attack could just as well have provided the material for national excitementa child murder in a city park or any other crime in which primal fears are concentrated, stereotypes combined and foreigners involved in one form or another. However, this does not prevent Der Spiegel from legitimizing the media campaign. It declares that the events in Koln show the need for the strengthening of the police to defend our canon of values. The political coordinates in Germany have shifted so far to the right that even the Left Partya monument to political spinelessnessendorses calls for an authoritarian state. This universal shift to the right in all sections of the political establishment has, in fact, nothing to do with the events in Koln. It is, rather, entirely bound up with the resurgence of German militarism. It is now two years since President Gauck and officials in the federal government announced the end of foreign policy restraint and stated that Germany was, in the words of Social Democratic Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, too big to comment on foreign policy only from the sidelines. Since then, the government has supported the right-wing coup in Kiev, participated in NATOs deployment against Russia, sent troops to Mali and reinforced the military mission in Afghanistan. Recently, German Tornado jets joined the bombing campaign in Syria. But despite intensive efforts, the ruling elites have thus far failed to break the ingrained resistance of broad social layers to militarism. The vast majority of Germans still oppose foreign missions and war operations by the Bundeswehr (Armed Forces). Now the issue of sexual violence against women is being employed in an attempt to overcome this resistance. The events in Koln are being exaggerated and exploited to this end. The racist smear campaign against refugees and immigrants is a means to prepare the expansion of the military intervention in the Middle East. The entire tragic and disastrous experience of the 20th century proves that Germanys ruling class cannot wage war without resorting to racism and erecting an authoritarian regime. In recent months, the most popular film in Germany has been Er ist wieder da (Hes Back). It is a satirical political fantasy that imagines how a resurrected Hitler, emerging from his World War II bunker, would rebuild his political career with the help of the modern media. During the past week, the filmmakers satire has acquired an all too disturbing element of reality. The US Navys goals and objectives outline for 2016, released last week, does not mince words: the first goal listed in the second subhead reads: Buy more ships. And that is exactly what the worlds most powerful navy is doing. On Wednesday, the Defense Department announced it was moving forward with plans to replace its Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines, the most lethal killing machines in the history of mankind, with a completely new design beginning in 2021. Each Ohio-class ballistic submarine is, by itself, the fifth most powerful military in the world. The Navy operates 14 of them. Each submarine carries 24 Trident II missiles, with each missile carrying eight warheads with a yield six times greater than the little boy bomb that killed over a hundred thousand people in the US bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945. With an effective range of more than 7,456 miles, a single Ohio-class submarine in the waters outside of San Diego could obliterate 192 cities in western China, with a combined population of 400 million people, if the commander-in-chief were so inclined. But the Ohio class is apparently in need of an upgrade, and the White House gave the Pentagon the go-ahead last Monday to send a Request for Proposal to the ships contractor, General Dynamics Electric Boat, approving funds for the building of a prototype. Each submarine, of which there will be 12, will cost an estimated $6-8 billionnot including research and development costs, the price of each submarines nearly 200 nuclear warheads, and associated operating costsup from $2 billion for the Ohio class. The day after the White House gave the go-ahead for replacing the Ohio-class submarines, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) reported Monday that up to a million people will lose food stamp benefits in 2016. Twenty-three states are expected this year to lift a moratorium on one of the harshest austerity measures imposed by the Clinton administrations 1996 welfare reform program, which caps the amount of time many people are eligible for food stamps at three months. The time limits were halted during the recession, but under the pretense that there is no money, to pay for food stamps, states all over the country are re-imposing the time limits. The loss of this food assistance, which averages approximately $150 to $170 per person per month for this group, will cause serious hardship among many, reported the organization. The CBPP notes, USDA data show that the individuals likely to be cut off by the three-month limit have average monthly income of approximately 17 percent of the poverty line, and they typically qualify for no other income support. In announcing the food stamp cuts, Bill Clinton pledged to spend the taxpayers money wisely and with discipline, that we can spend more money on the future. If he had been telling the truth, he would have declared that he was proposing the cuts so that the Navy could Buy more ships. After all, the money has to come from somewhere. And its easiest to take from those who are the least capable of defending themselves. In addition to the poor people who depend on food stamps to survive, working class children have been targeted. The same day that the White House gave the go-ahead for the design of the new submarines, the CBPP released a report showing that funding for schools has been slashed in most states since 2008, and in 15 states by more than 10 percent. Arizona has cut education spending by 23.3 percent, Alabama by 21.4 percent, Idaho by 16.9 percent, and Georgia by 16.5 percent. While there is, of course, no money for children and the poor, defense contractors are licking their chops over the expected uptick in global military spending resulting from the wars flaring out of control in the Middle East and the growing standoff in Eastern Europe and the Pacific. Defense industry analyst Deloitte gleefully declared earlier this month that military spending is poised for a rebound as a result of heightened tensions around the world. It notes, 2015 was a pivotal year that saw heightened tensions between China, its neighbors and the US over island building in the South and East China Seas, and the related claims of sovereign ocean territory rights by China. In addition, Russia and the Ukraine are at odds related to Russias takeover of Crimea and their military actions in Eastern Ukraine, while The recent tragic bombings in Paris, Beirut, Mali, the Sinai Peninsula, and other places have emboldened nations to join in the fight against terrorism. The report notes that improved profitability will result from renewed interest from buyers in acquiring armored ground vehicles, ground attack munitions, light air support aircraft and maritime patrol ships and aircraft, as the military operations tempo is likely to increase and more missions are executed. The global uptick in military spending coincides with a major new shopping spree by the United States, which spends as much money on its military as the next seven countriesChina, Russia, Saudi Arabia, France, the UK, India and Germanycombined. The US expends $609.9 billion out of the $1.7 trillion spent worldwide by all countries each year on war. But this figure is slated to surge as Many large, mainly US [Department of Defense] programs representing billions of US dollars, are likely to start soon, enter the engineering manufacturing design phase, and reach low-rate or full-scale production over the next few years. These programs include Ohio Class Submarine replacement, F-35 fighter jet, KC-46A aerial refueling tanker, and Long Range Strike Bomber. Just one of these programs, the F-35 Lightning II, plagued with delays and cost-overruns, will cost $1.45 trillion over its lifecycle, more than twice the amount that state, federal, and local governments spend educating 50 million children each year. Hondas made over Ridgeline has arrived at just the right time. The all-new pickup, introduced at the North American International Auto Show, joins one of the fastest growing segments in automotive industry: The midsize pickup segment. Midsize pickups as a whole grew 48.4 percent while the entire industry grew 5.7 percent in 2015, according to AutoData Corp. The massive growth arrived with the introduction of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, which added to the segment instead of stealing sales from the front runner, the Toyota Tacoma, which also saw sales climb 15.8 percent for the year. The Ridgeline, with its unibody construction, smooth ride and unique features, should add to the segment again, instead of fighting for a finite number of customers already there. These will be incremental sales increases, said Rebecca Lindland, a senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book. I see a lot of replacement demand. Lindland said that the type of customer who might by a Ridgeline would be less interested in the other midsize pickups. These are family vehicles, Lindland said. Its a lifestyle truck. The Ridgeline arrives later this year with a different take on what a pickup should be for its customers. John Mendel, executive vice president of America Honda Motor Co., said during the Ridgelines debut that Ridgeline purposely moves away from more traditional body on frame pickups, offering customers a clear difference than the Tacoma, Colorado and Canyon. We think weve got a better idea, a truck that uses its unibody construction and Honda packaging magic to deliver more of the things that many of todays truck customers want and need with none of the things they dont, Mendel said during the press conference on Monday. The Ridgeline arrives with either front-wheel or all-wheel drive and will be powered by Hondas 3.5L direct injection V6. It will be mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. While fuel economy numbers have not been reported, Honda executives said they expect it to deliver a segment-leading number, which currently stands at 27 miles per gallon. Story continues There are also some interesting features that Honda has carried over some of the Ridgelines popular features such as the In-Bed Trunk and the tailgate that opens two different ways. Honda has also added an in-bed stereo system to help those who need to listen to tunes while tailgating. The bed offers a 4-foot wide loading space, though it remains short at 5-feet, 4-inches. The bed also offers an optional 400-Watt power inverter in one corner to plug in tools and other devices (Honda suggests a blender). It should also have around a 1,600-pound payload capacity, though final numbers were not released. While no one in the media has driven the new Ridgeline, it will likely have a smoother ride than the outgoing model, which, when the bed was empty was far and away more gentle than any of its competition. Honda will only offer a crew cabin version of the Ridgeline with the small bed. But the luxurious interior that includes Apple Car Play and Android Auto, as well as an 8-inch display screen and a second row that includes a 60/40 rear seat split. Just five years ago, many automakers said the midsize segment was going to disappear, as companies like Ford, GM and Chrysler stopped production of their midsize pickups in the United States. However, the recent resurgence suggest that there remains a strong group of customers who do not want to own fullsize pickups that have grown in size that many barely fit in a suburban garage. Even midsize pickups have grown to proportions fullsize pickups were just 15 years ago. Even as midsize pickup sales have skyrocketed, big pickups remain the top selling products and biggest money-makers for all of Detroits automakers. Ford sold 780,000 F-Series pickups, GM sold 825,000 Colorados and Sierras, and Ram sold 450,000 pickups. As more details emerge of the alleged horrific gang rape of an 18-year-old woman at a Brooklyn playground after the victims dad was said to have been chased from the scene by gun-wielding teens any explanations of what happened, and why her father was so unsuccessful in summoning help, have become even murkier. Something does not seem to add up, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, whose district covers the playground, told the New York Times on Monday. He also noted that he was troubled by several unanswered questions as it relates to the behavior of the father. STORY: Parents Turn In Teen Boys Accused of Girls Shocking Rape On Monday, four teenagers, ranging in age from 14 to 17, were charged with first-degree rape two after being turned over to police by their parents, who saw their faces in a nearby delis surveillance video that was released during the investigation. A fifth suspect, whose age has not been released, was taken into custody on Tuesday. Despite the confusions in the case, the basics remain the same, according to reports that the 18-year-old suffered a violent attack at a playground near her home. The father said the teenagers chased him off with a gun and that he returned to throw a bottle at them but was forced away again. When he did finally return with police, the attackers were gone and his daughter was there half-clothed. It is still not clear exactly how many of the attackers had sex with the young woman. STORY: Inside the Guilt, Torment Faced by the Parents Who Shot NYC Cops The woman did not report seeing a gun, the suspects have denied having one, and no gun has been recovered near the scene. The father and daughter were heavily intoxicated during the attack, according to the New York Times report. Other details that have emerged: The father lost custody of his daughter when she was 2, and she was raised in another state, out west, by an adoptive family, according to an official involved with the case. She reconnected with him last summer. On the night of the assault, detectives say, she and her father bought some beer nearby and went into the playground to drink together at around 9 p.m. Story continues Locals have alleged that the father has been a known alcoholic for years, and that he had younger children whom he often neglected. During the attack on his daughter, the dad, who did not have a cellphone, apparently ran into two nearby delis asking for a phone, without any explanation. The clerk at one of them refused to help because he had no idea what was going on and told the New York Times the father appeared to be drunk: How he look, how he act, how he sway. On Monday, before these new details were released, Alan Lipman, director of the Center for the Study of Violence, told Yahoo Parenting that any father in this situation would certainly be going through rage and guilt and trauma of having been there, and then a sense of rage and humiliation. Thats a trauma in and of itself, seeing your daughter about to be brutalized. Then theres the issue of how he deals with his daughter going forward, how he will face her. That final question seems even more troublesome a day later as does the idea of how the young womans recovery will be affected by the relationship with her father and by his actions during the attack. The situation will make her healing significantly more difficult, Barbara Greenberg, a teen and adolescent clinical psychologist, tells Yahoo Parenting. Regarding how people respond to trauma, looking at how their caretakers respond to it is almost equally important to the nature of the trauma itself. This young woman, she says, already had tremendous trust issues, and has been trying to reconnect to her father, but while trying to do that, gets gang raped, and her father is unsuccessful in helping her because hes drunk. Inevitably, Greenberg says, all her issues of trust will be compounded. Lipman concurs, telling Yahoo Parenting, While we do not yet know the circumstances that led to this reconnection, the instabilities, uncertainties and fear associated with [it] and to these life circumstances may be significantly exacerbated by such an attack. He adds that her fathers substance issues, if confirmed, further indicate and limit the resources that she has and has had to rely on in this combined experience of violence, deprivation, vulnerability, and the lack of protection needed under each of these circumstances. The young woman, Greenberg urges, needs help immediately, and the sooner she gets it, the less dreadful her PTSD will be, although she wont escape it. She further notes that if the young woman were 17 instead of 18 and a legal adult, then the setup of the situation alone of her being out drinking with her father on the night of the attack would be a Child Protective Services case. (Photo of Brooklyn playground crime scene, above: AP Photo) Please follow @YahooParenting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Have an interesting story to share about your family? Email us at YParenting (at) Yahoo.com. Guzman, Trump and Penn (Photos: Reuters, AFP) Donald Trump says hes kind of amazed actor Sean Penn was able to score an interview with Joaquin El Chapo Guzman for Rolling Stone as the worlds most wanted drug kingpin was on the run from Mexican authorities. The Republican frontrunner was asked by a New Hampshire radio host Monday if he thought there should be an investigation into Penns secret meeting with El Chapo in Mexico three months after the drug lord tunneled out of a maximum security prison. Well, I guess there should be, Trump said in the interview, which was first published online by BuzzFeed. But it was sort of amazing the way he got in there, and all of the people that are looking for him couldnt find him, and heres a guy sitting down with a rather long interview. RELATED: What we learned from Sean Penns Rolling Stone interview with El Chapo According to Penn, the seven-hour sit-down was brokered by Kate del Castillo, a popular Mexican actress who had been in contact with El Chapo before and after his escape. Penns 10,000-word article was published online Saturday, a day after Guzmans recapture. A Mexican law enforcement official told the Associated Press that Guzmans unlikely meeting with Penn helped lead them to the notorious drug lord. But Mexican authorities say they still want to question Penn and del Castillo about their interview. Penn poses with Guzman in an undated photo taken for interview authentication purposes. (Rolling Stone) We have bigger problems in this country, Trump said Monday, but I guess it is a little amazing that he was able to get an interview with a guy that everybody else was looking for. On Sunday, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough called Guzmans boasts about global drug monopoly maddening but declined to comment on possible repercussions for the 55-year-old American actor. One thing I will tell you is that this braggadocious action about how much heroin he sends around the world, including the United States, is maddening, McDonough said on CNNs State of the Union. Story continues On ABCs This Week With George Stephanopoulos, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said he found Penns interview grotesque but not a violation of law. If one of these American actors who have benefited from the greatness of this country, who have made money from our free enterprise system, want to go fawn all over a criminal and a drug trafficker in their interviews, they have a constitutional right to do it, Rubio said. I find it grotesque. ALSO READ: Who is Kate del Castillo, the Mexican actress who brokered Sean Penns interview with El Chapo? Penn defended his interview on Monday, telling the Associated Press in an email that hes "got nothin to hide. And according to Penn, Trumps name came up in his conversation with Guzman, who last fall reportedly issued a $100 million bounty for the brash real estate mogul after his incendiary campaign comments about Mexican immigrants. I am reminded of press accounts alleging a hundred-million-dollar bounty the man across from me is said to have put on Donald Trumps life, Penn writes. I mention Trump. El Chapo smiles, ironically saying, Ah! Mi amigo! The White House is billing President Obamas seventh and final State of the Union address as untraditional, an opportunity to move beyond the usual laundry list of policy proposals and ambitions toward a broader consideration of the presidents legacy and the countrys direction. The presidents top aides have characterized this change in approach as a way for Obama to convey his optimism for the country and his hopes for how America might remember him. But the decision to forgo the usual catalog of ideas for congressional action says a lot about where the president finds himself, at the start of his final year in office, as he stares out at the joint session Tuesday. With both chambers of Congress run by Republicans and the city Obama once promised to unite more fractured and dug in than ever, there are very few items left on which this president and this Congress can come to agreement. Instead, as both Obama and the Republicans who run the legislative branch angle to help their respective parties win the White House, the fight has moved to the battleground of ideas and persuading actors other than the federal government to advance their respective agendas. Obamas pitch to the country will be that staying the course that his administration laid out, mostly through legislation in his first two years in office when Democrats had congressional majorities and then through executive action afterward will bring about a better America. [The president] wanted to step back and take a look at the future of this country, the challenges were going through, making sure that were focused on an economy that gives everybody a fair shot, this changing economy, making sure that were using all the elements of our national power to keep the country safe, White House chief of staff Denis McDonough said Sunday on ABC. Hell be very optimistic. Hell be very action-oriented. But it wont be your traditional policy speech per se. Story continues Democratic Hill staffers, usually updated with extensive details on which policy items might be highlighted by the president, were unusually sparse on sharable details from the White House, with one senior Democratic congressional aide echoing the administrations take on the speech: Not a lot of focus on legislative priorities, but rather broad strokes and a thematic discussion of where the country is, and where its going, the aide said. House Speaker Paul Ryan shares a laugh with Republican members of Congress after signing legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act and cut off federal funding of Planned Parenthood. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Republicans believe that Obamas address will play into the hands of new House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., who has used his first few weeks as Washingtons top Republican to try to change the dialogue around his own party in the same broad-brush terms the president intends to use Tuesday. Sitting behind Obama who came into the House chamber in 2010 for his first State of the Union as the change president will be a man who is trying to be the change speaker and keep his party from fracturing under from the weight of anti-establishment pressure on the 2016 campaign trail. In 2010, Obama tried to leverage his still-recent mandate by demanding action from Congress on a half-dozen specific bills that had stalled, going so far to pit the Democratic-led House against the Democratic-led Senate. For his part, Ryan is embracing a more bottom-up approach with his new-found power, going from the State of the Union Tuesday night to a three-day policy retreat in Baltimore starting Wednesday, through Friday where he plans to hear out ideas from his members and help shape them. Ryans selection of South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to deliver the official Republican response to the presidents speech reflects the speakers desire to promote a more positive and inclusive view of the Republican Party, and give it a younger face like Ryan himself, who turns 46 in 2016. An aide to the speaker said Ryan believes Haley embodies a results-driven, visionary kind of governing, the American dream and upward mobility, and stands for an inclusive party with an inclusive message. Ryan will do plenty of press himself to promote the narrative of Republicans as happy warriors in the policy trenches, a regular weekly stakeout with Capitol Hill reporters and a radio blitz. Incidentally, his staff also bought Google ads to go along with search queries like who is the speaker of the house? anticipating that some viewers will be surprised to see a new politician in the speakers chair behind the president, which was filled previously by Democrat Nancy Pelosi of California and then Republican John Boehner of Ohio, whose sudden resignation led to Ryans ascent. Of course, focusing on positive messaging is not all Republicans plan to do, especially in offices outside of Ryans or even adjacent to it at the middle of the Capitol building. Gov. Nikki Haley, moderator of the Heritage Action Presidential Candidate Forum, speaks to the crowd in Greenville, S.C. (Photo: Sean Rayford/Getty Images) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was fairly blunt in a Sunday morning talk show appearance discussing how little he buys of what the president is selling and previewing the likely Republican line of attack: that the president has been weak on foreign policy and that he does not have a plan to defeat the Islamic State. The president is going, I assume, to talk about the future and try to paint a rosy picture where one does not exist. What wed love to hear from the president is a real plan to defeat ISIL, McConnell told ABCs This Week. Instead he withdrew troops from Iran and from Iraq, entered into a very bad nuclear deal with Iran, the whole Middle East is in terrible shape. So Id like the president to step up here in the last year and lay out a plan for the defeat of ISIL. Its a good starting place. Republicans have pushed especially hard on this front, turning to the issue of the Islamic State as a response to almost any question about Obamas policy, most recently on the presidents executive action on guns. Those actions are sure to be a major theme of the State of the Union speech. The White House has announced that an empty chair in the first ladys ceremonial box in the House chamber will honor the victims of gun violence. The back-and-forth barbs traded in a crowded and buzzy Capitol Tuesday night will just begin to frame the existential choice Democrats and Republicans will face in choosing a president this year. As Obama looks to his legacy, few things matter more than the question of who will be standing in his place to give the next State of the Union address, and yet that selection is increasingly out of his control. Watch the complete State of the Union and post-speech analysis hosted by Katie Couric right here tonight at 8:45pm Eastern. Policemen secure the historic Sultanahmet district after an explosion in Istanbul, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. (Photo: AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) A suicide bomber affiliated with the Islamic State group detonated a bomb in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists Tuesday morning, killing at least 10 people - nine of them German tourists - and wounding 15 others, Turkish officials said. The bomber who carried out the attack in Istanbuls Sultanahmet district was a 28-year-old Syrian national, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the perpetrator was a member of IS and pledged to battle the militant group until it no longer remains a threat to Turkey or the world. Related: How to Travel Abroad Safely in the Age of Terrorism Turkeys state-run news agency said Davutoglu held a telephone conversation with German chancellor Angela Merkel to express his condolences. A senior government official confirmed that most of the victims were German. Merkel had earlier said they were part of a German travel group. I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Is! tanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. It was unclear whether the death toll of 10 included the alleged bomber. Related: Is Israel Safe for Tourists Right Now? Merkel, speaking at a news conference in Berlin, decried the attack. Today Istanbul was hit; Paris has been hit, Tunisia has been hit, Ankara has been hit before, she said. International terrorism is once again showing its cruel and inhuman face today. A view of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, right, better known as the Blue Mosque in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, the area of an explosion, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. (Photo: AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) The explosion, which could be heard from several neighborhoods, was at a park that is home to a landmark obelisk, some 25 meters (yards) from the historic Blue Mosque. Story continues Turkeys Dogan news agency reported that one Norwegian and one Peruvian were also among the wounded, and Seouls Foreign Ministry told reporters via text message that a South Korean had a finger injury. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry told news agency NTB that the Norwegian tourist was slightly hurt and was being treated in a local hospital. Kurtulmus, the deputy premier, said two of the wounded were in serious condition. Germany and Denmark have warned their citizens to avoid crowds outside tourist attractions in Istanbul. Last year, Turkey agreed to take a more active role in the U.S.-led battle against the IS group. Turkey opened its bases to U.S. aircraft to launch air raids on the extremist group in Syria and has carried out a limited number of strikes on the group itself. It has also moved to tighten security along its 900-kilometer (560-mile) border with Syria in a bid to stem the flow of militants. Ambulances and firefighters stationed near the citys landmark Sultan Ahmed Mosque or Blue Mosque after an explosion at Istanbuls historic Sultanahmet district, which is popular with tourists, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. (Photo: IHA via AP) The attack comes at a time of heightened violence between Turkeys security forces and militants linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in the countrys mostly-Kurdish southeast. The country is also dealing with more than 2 million Syrian refugees and a wave of migrants from Syria and other countries pouring across Turkey to Europe. Police sealed the area, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion, and a police helicopter hovered overhead. The Sultanahmet neighborhood is Istanbuls main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and the former Byzantine church of Haghia Sophia, now a museum. Erdem Koroglu, who was working at a nearby office, told NTV television he saw several people on the ground following the blast. It was difficult to say who was alive or dead, Koroglu said. Buildings rattled from the force of the explosion. Davutoglu immediately convened a security meeting with the countrys interior minister and other officials. Police search the area at the historic Sultanahmet district after an explosion in Istanbul, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. (Photo: AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) As with previous attacks, authorities imposed a news blackout, barring media from showing images of the dead or injured or reporting any details of the investigation. Turkey suffered two major bombing attacks last year, both blamed on the Islamic State group. More than 30 people were killed in a suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near Turkeys border with Syria, in July. Two suicide bombs exploded in October outside Ankaras main train station as people gathered for a peace rally, killing more than 100 in Turkeys deadliest-ever attack. The prosecutors office said that attack was carried out by a local IS cell. Related: How Not to Be a Bad American Abroad Last month, Turkish authorities arrested two suspected IS militants they said were planning suicide bombings during New Years celebrations in the capital Ankara. __ Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Mehmet Guzel in Istanbul, Kirsten Grieshaber and Geir Moulson in Berlin and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark contributed. WATCH: Take That, Terrorism! 7 Ways to Travel Without Fear Let Yahoo Travel inspire you every day. Hang out with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Check out our original adventure travel series A Broad Abroad. The latest advisory comes in the view of a martial law imposed by Putin in parts of Ukraine. #DP DP bristles at prosecution probes targeting top officials of previous administration The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) strongly protested prosecution investigations that led to arrest warrant requests for former top officials of the previous Moon Jae-in gov... If you happen to be a proud redhead, don't be surprised if strangers grab you at some point today and try to lob the gob. Why? Because today, January 12th, is 'International Kiss a Ginger Day', a (sort-of official) celebration that began as a Facebook group in 2009, in retaliation for the rather mean-spirited 'Kick a Ginger Day' established the previous year. As the official website explains, "the latter resulted in numerous ginger kids being assaulted at school, stirring international outrage and condemnation." Kiss a Ginger Day, on the other hand, is all about spreading the love. So in other words, if you find yourself near a ginger today, make sure to give them a smacker (with permission, of course). Footage has emerged of David Bowie fans singing 'Happy Birthday' to him down the phone at a gig held in New York last week. Friday marked the star's 69th birthday, and also the release date of new album 'Blackstar', just two days before his death. His long-time producer and friend Tony Visconti was playing a gig in New York with his own band Holy Holy, and their set included several Bowie covers like 'The Man Who Sold the World.' During the gig, he held up the phone to the audience, encouraged them to sing 'Happy Birthday' and left a voicemail for Bowie. Yesterday, Visconti paid tribute to his friend, saying: "He always did what he wanted to do. And he wanted to do it his way and he wanted to do it the best way. His death was no different from his life - a work of Art. He made Blackstar for us, his parting gift. I knew for a year this was the way it would be. I wasn't, however, prepared for it. He was an extraordinary man, full of love and life. He will always be with us. For now, it is appropriate to cry." Watch the footage below: If you've always wanted to see the west coast of the United States but were worried about spending an arm and a leg then today is your lucky day because Icelandic airline WOW air have announced fares from Dublin to Los Angeles and San Francisco from as low as 199 one way. The airline, which has been flying from Dublin to Reykjavik direct for the past year and already allows fliers to go to the east coast of the US, will operate flights via Reykjavik's Keflavik airport where passengers will have a one hour and 20 minute stopover (where we imagine you'll be able to score even more duty free seeing as you're outside the EU). The stopover stretches the journey time to approximately 13 and a half hours but if you balance out the price against competitors, we think it's well worth it. "This is a game-changer for WOW air, and arguably the travel industry, making travel to the US and Iceland both easy and affordable from Ireland," said Skuli Mogensen, founder and CEO of WOW air. The only thing that you'll have to do is travel light, as the airline only allows one carry-on bag of less than 5kg for their flights, and because the flights include a stopover, you'd potentially have to pay for a checked bag (from 31 to 38) four times to include each leg of the journey. So basically don't do any shopping and go in the summer and you'll be grand. Via Independent As more and more people finish binge-watching Making a Murderer, a select group have turned super sleuths and have reportedly uncovered additional evidence not covered by the documentary. Posting their findings to /r/MakingaMurderer subreddit, the following - according to Uproxx - has also come to light. Theres Even More Evidence That The Making A Murderer Convictions May Be Wrongful https://t.co/0GvLPXNkrE via @UPROXX Steven A Drizin (@SDrizin) January 11, 2016 They include the following 3 points: "There were little drops of deer blood all over Steven Averys garage, proving that the garage hadnt been washed clean with bleach after the murder of Halbach as the prosecutors claimed"... "Forensic scientist Sherry Culhane was involved in Steven Averys 1985 rape case and testified that one of Steven Averys hairs was found on victim Penny Beerntsens shirt. Averys lawyers also contend that Culhane delayed processing the DNA test that proved Stevens innocence in the 1985 rape for an entire year"... "So many problematic jurors were removed by Averys defense team that they hit the legal limit of dismissals. They still ended up with a man whose son was a Manitowoc sheriff and a county clerks husband." Sherry Culhane, same "expert"who in 1985 testified that Stevens hair was in Penny Beernsten shirt. #MakingAMurderer pic.twitter.com/lOD6Pk4LWY Catharsis in D City (@Rowena_Manila) January 11, 2016 You can read the full list of new evidence over at Uproxx, who also point out that the expertise of scientists is urgently required to devise a way to see if the blood "found" in Teresa Halbach's RAV 4 did in fact include EDTA. C'mon, it was clearly syringed from the 1985 evidence sample after the box was tampered with, and planted there, godnammit... Avery's fingerprints weren't even found in the interior of Halbach's car! Link to Profile... NB: Unsigned comments will probably be deleted. This is a polemical Catholic Royalist blog. It will also attempt to provide a window onto various events, situations and personalities not generally or favorably presented to the purview of the general public in the English speaking world. It also hopes to be a bridge for those who wish to cross over, unite and fight for the truth.Just remember, the Rhine still flows into the Tiber.Dedicated to the Immaculate and Sacred Hearts. Christof Roos and Giacomo Orsini (Institute for European Policy Studies) The refugee crisis that broke out in Europe last summer tested the effectiveness of border protection policies and the acceptance of refugees. The Dublin and Schengen rules collapsed mainly due to the chaotic situation in the Balkans. The Dublin regulation establishes the criteria by which to determine which state is responsible for decisions on accepting a refugee and processing of her/his asylum application. In the current situation, this obligation is usually assumed by the first EU Member State whose territory the refugee first arrives in. This naturally shifts a considerable degree of responsibility and burden mainly onto the southern Member States. Some northwestern members also face a stronger influx of immigrants since their legal system is more forthcoming to refugees than what is usual in the rest of the EU. The EU agencies for border protection and asylum procedures have unfortunately not reached such a level that would allow them to assume the responsibilities of the border states. Some of the EU countries not situated along Unions external borders moreover use their advantageous position to try to minimize the costs of the common refugee policy even if this means a further lowering of its already poor quality. The plans for the redistribution of refugees that the Member States adopted by the qualified majority are, somewhat paradoxically, faced with the opposition from Budapest, even though these policies were actually designed exactly to help alleviate the burden from Hungary. The quotas are a particularly sensitive topic because they strongly tamper with national sovereignty. Using the qualified majority voting (QMV) to decide on issues of such importance can then be negatively reflected in how legitimate will their conclusions be in the eyes of the European political elites and the population at large. On the other hand, it should be noted that this method of voting significantly increases the efficiency of EU institutions and their ability to act. The discrepancy between the border policies of the EU countries, which are even often in direct contradiction, still remains the paramount issue. In various EU countries, one can therefore encounter a variety of concepts, ranging from the generous acceptance of immigrants to de facto discouragement of refugee arrivals. It is therefore necessary to unify these rules, which can be achieved particularly by a more complex processing and strengthening of the role of EU-wide strategies as well as by eliminating those refugee policies designed to discourage refugee arrivals. Creating safe zones near the refugees homes, such as those temporarily affected by war, would prevent the massive migration to EU states. Most of those fleeing the war often prefer to stay close to their homeland so that they can return there once the conflict is over. (The study can be downloaded here:http://www.ies.be/files/4:2015%20Policy%20Brief.pdf) A transatlantic community, professional network, and blog for scholars and practitioners working in EU law and policy. Official blog of the European Law Section of the Association of American Law Schools, in association with the Jean Monnet Center for International and Regional Economic Law & Justice at New York University School of Law, together with International Programs at the University of Connecticut School of Law. China banking regulator to address risks in 2016 Updated: 2016-01-12 10:25 (Xinhua) BEIJING -- China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) on Monday vowed to further detect and mitigate financial risks in key areas in 2016. The CBRC said in an online statement that it will try to contain debt risks of financing vehicles and properly deal with credit risks concerning cash-strapped housing developers. The commission will work to prevent a chain reaction following debt defaults and guard against the amplification of financial risks. The CBRC will ask banks to improve their ability to cope with non-performing assets in a market-based, diverse and comprehensive way. "It is a bottom line to ward off financial risks," said the CBRC statement. China's Cosco is sole bidder for Piraeus Port stake, Greeks seek more cash Updated: 2016-01-12 21:32 By Maria Petrakis(chinadaily.com.cn) A fully-loaded container ship of COSCO departs from the Port of Qingdao in Qingdao city, East China's Shandong province in this file photo. [Photo/IC] Greece's privatization agency board said on Tuesday that the Chinese shipping giant Cosco was the only confirmed bidder for a binding stake in the country's biggest harbour, but said it had asked Cosco for an improved financial offer which it would consider during the next week. The announcement is the latest move in the long-delayed sale of a 67 percent stake in Piraeus Port Authority SA, where Cosco already runs container operations at two piers. Cosco, the Hong Kong-listed, Chinese state-owned company, had always been considered a front-runner for the stake, given its foothold in the port. APM Terminals, owned by Danish shipping conglomerate AP Moller-Maersk A/S and Philippines-based port operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. were also short-listed to bid, but in the end only Cosco put in an offer. The Piraeus sale is seen as an important development in Greece's lacklustre state asset sales program, a key revenue-raiser tied to the country qualifying for billions in rescue funds from its European partners and the International Monetary Fund. An eventual win by Cosco could unleash more Chinese investment, such as in a major freight and logistics center on the outskirts of the Greek capital and a new airport planned for the island of Crete. Since the Chinese shipping behemoth started container operations in 2008, traffic has surged at Piraeus, making the harbor one of the fastest-growing ports in the world. The port plays a central role in in China's plans to create a modern commercial empire pumping Chinese goods throughout the continent. Premier Li Keqiang called Piraeus China's gateway to Europe in June last year. Analysts see Chinese investment in Piraeus as a key part of China's One Belt, One Road policy, which envisages creating the 21st century equivalent of the Silk Road. But investment has been delayed by Greece's travails as political turmoil and concerns of financial collapse led to a slump in foreign investment and record-high unemployment. To highlight the risks, on Tuesday, Eldorado Gold, the Vancouver-based gold producer with mining, development and exploration operations in Turkey, China, Romania and Brazil said it would suspend much of its Greek operations in part due to an "openly confrontational attitude" from the energy ministry since the beginning of 2015. Leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras came to power in January as a firebrand young prime minister who opposed state asset sales, sparking concern among Chinese officials about the fate of its investment. Tsipras vowed to tear up the two bailout agreements that forced higher taxes and cuts in wages and pensions. He has tempered his tone since being forced in July to accept a new, 86 billion euro bailout to keep Greece in the eurozone. Cosco has seen five separate Greek premiers, not including caretakers, since it won the license to operate Pier II in 2008 for 30 years at a cost of 490 million euros. The deal has become a regular campaign issue as Greek politicians seek votes from union workers, such as those in the Piraeus docks, unhappy about austerity measures. The head of the agency selling the stake, the Hellenic Republic Asset Development, has defended the Piraeus sale against criticism, including from some members of the Syriza party that Tsipras leads. "The most important thing is for the process to be completed and for us to achieve the best possible price," Chairman Fund Stergios Pitsiorlas told Nea Savvatokyriko newspaper in an interview published on Sunday. "It is the most crucial phase of the bid process." The newspaper Kathimerini quoting unnamed Cosco sources as saying its bid was satisfactory. Kathimerini reported that Cosco planned an investment of 296 million euros in the first five years and another 50 million over the next three. Pitsiorlas said EU countries pulled in record amounts from privatization in 2014 and 2015, with Britain, Italy and Spain the leaders. Greece, where unemployment is the highest in the EU after six years of near-collapse, needs to understand that transforming its economy to be in a position to compete isn't a term of its bailouts but a path to prosperity for its people, he said. "And privatizations are a part of this process," he said. "If we see it that way, any discussion about selling the family silver becomes meaningless." Trading in shares in the port were temporarily suspended today, pending an announcement from the port's owners. The author is a freelance writer for China Daily Europe. Contact: chris@mail.chinadailyuk.com Editor: Chris Peterson It's about time telecom went digital Updated: 2016-01-12 21:10 By Yogesh Malik(chinadaily.com.cn) Everybody talks about digital transformation. It has become a buzzword, especially within the telecom industry that is in real need of change. While many sectors, including banking, airline and even furniture or clothing, have moved into digital long ago, telecom, despite being one with a significant technological advantage, stands still. It's time for us to move too and shift into the digital gear. And the time is now. While the need to transform and improve not only the services telecom companies provide, but the way they do business, is obvious, providers need to understand what they are doing and why. They need to establish what digital transformation means, embrace this vision and let it drive changes in the sector and empower the customer. Looking at the fundamentals, digital transformation is dramatically changing the paradigm of 'typical' way of working for telecom companies with three key dimensions driving this change: purpose, mindset and culture. Purpose can be defined in one word the customer, who should be the central component and driver of industry change. There is an ongoing debate about virtualization and digitalization while the industry is stuck in outdated mentalities, and struggles to create disruptive innovations that answer customers' truly digital needs. Systems are layered over systems, and the valuable customer and application data lies somewhere buried below. Telecom providers need to build an interface to free up that customer data flow' that will allow them to tap into customers' digital universe. Take the network for example - it could be 2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi the customer doesn't care if providers combine bandwidth or switch to an available channel, as long as their experience is seamless. The second dimension the industry needs to tackle in order to disrupt is mindset. It is time to drop incremental business models. Having the full programmed value chain in every country from design, planning, and deployment to operations is not efficient in today's consumer era. Telecoms should learn and even borrow from other industries, those that have undergone disruption. For example, retailers who centralize design, architecture, and operations so that local stores benefit from the latest clothing designs, and can plan and order with fast turnaround times. I call it clean sheet thinking: being fresh, innovative, agile and thinking out of silos. Finally, clean sheet thinking should become a part of a cultural change within global organizations. Disrupting the continue to do what we did yesterday' mentality and really challenging people to think about new ways of looking at an issue or process will produce much more interesting results. A new spirit which encourages efficiency and enrichment is what will get people behind real change. Today telecom providers use large global technology suppliers to manage network upgrades and maintain infrastructure. If they keep running their networks, infrastructure and product development processes and systems the same way, the outcome will be the same. Those who continue to maintain old practices will be at a disadvantage, while agile competitors come out with new data services that are free and funded by advertising, or launch over-the-top video channels with broadcast quality that consumes a lot of network bandwidth. Virtualizing the network and functions is not an easy task. But companies need to make their network assets work better for them, make them more cost efficient to run, easier to maintain, upgrade and operate. They should be able to roll out new services easier and faster. This is how networks operators will compete in the future. The telecom industry is embarking on the journey of transformation to benefit from the opportunities digital disruption brings. To succeed it will need to embrace three dimensions as fundamentals for all endeavors: focusing on the customer, adopting a mindset open to innovation and promoting a culture of openness and efficiency. The author is CTO of VimpelCom. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily. What can business do to make cities more efficient and sustainable? Updated: 2016-01-12 21:10 By Alex Molinaroli(chinadaily.com.cn) As we undergo the fourth industrial revolution, companies are uniquely positioned to partner with governments to address some of the world's greatest challenges. Urbanization continues to spread globally, with 70% of the world's population expected to live in cities by 2030. This trend brings with it the urgent need for more efficient use of energy, cleaner energy generation and cost effective energy storage. While the public-sector must lead, it should work closely with the private-sector to rapidly implement best practice policies, programs and projects that will improve urban efficiency and sustainability. Buildings are responsible for up to a third of greenhouse gas emissions globally. The most cost effective time to reduce energy consumption in buildings is before construction where integrated designs and off-the-shelf building technologies available today can yield up to a fifty percent reduction in energy use and positive returns on investments. For existing buildings, energy efficiency retrofits using these same principles can deliver 15-40 percent savings that pay for themselves over time through energy cost savings. Best practices for improving building energy efficiency in cities include: 1) adopting and enforcing building codes and appliance standards, 2) setting reduction targets and adopting sustainable construction and leasing policies, 3) establishing retrofit programs for public and private-sector buildings, 4) introducing certification, benchmarking and transparency programs, 5) accepting innovative financial models and programs and 6) coordinating efforts with local utilities. While results are promising, very few cities globally have implemented a comprehensive set of these elements. To help cities, the World Resources Institute (WRI), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Environment Facility announced the expansion of the Building Efficiency Accelerator1 during Paris COP-21. The Building Efficiency Accelerator is a partnership between WRI, the UN Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative and other organizations and industry partners including ICLEI, Global Green Growth Forum, Johnson Controls and Ingersoll-Rand. This program focused on doubling the rate of global energy efficiency improvement emerged from an initial dialog at the 2014 Annual Meeting in Davos. One early engagement of the Building Efficiency Accelerator is in Mexico City. Mayor Mancera of Mexico City announced at Buildings Day during COP-21 that it plans to integrate building energy performance in local construction codes, retrofitting hospitals with solar hot water and efficiency measures, and auditing and retrofitting municipal buildings. A launch event in March included over 100 participants from city and federal government and the private sector. The engagement is now being supported by four working groups chaired by Mexico City staff and managed by WRI/CTS EMBARQ. While buildings represent a great opportunity to improve demand-side urban efficiency, district energy systems are seeing a resurgence of interest in urban sustainability on the supply-side. Modern district energy systems provide centralized heating and cooling to urban areas with efficiency gains of up to 80-90 percent over conventional solutions. Paris initially developed a district heating system in 1927 to reduce air pollution from burning coal. Today, renewables provide over 50% of co-generated heat to the equivalent of 500,000 households. Paris also developed Europe's first and largest district cooling system using water from River Seine while improving energy efficiency by 35 percent. The UN SE4ALL District Energy Accelerator builds upon the success of the UNEP District Energy in Cities2 initiative which has documented best practices from 65 cities around the world. The District Energy Accelerator includes many institutional and industry partners including ICLEI, UN Habitat, Danfoss and Veolia. In Dubai, air conditioning represents 70 percent of electricity consumption. The city is developing the world's largest district cooling network which will cut this electricity use in half while also reducing its consumption of fresh water through use of treated sewage effluent. The city of Anshan, China is integrating isolated boilers into their district heating network and capturing waste heat resulting in a 1.2 million ton reduction in annual coal use. Finally, Tokyo is capturing waste heat from buildings and metro stations, heat pumps connected to local water sources and solar thermal energy Stanford University has implemented an innovative strategy for building energy efficiency and modern district energy technology. Driven by aggressive State of California goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption, the university developed a plan to reduce building energy use up to 30% less than code, increase renewable energy generation to 73 MW, decommission an existing natural gas fired combined heat and power plant and build a new water and energy efficient central energy system3. The new energy system provides 90% of campus heating needs from heat recovery chillers and reduces water consumption by 15%. The design includes chilled and hot water storage systems managed by sophisticated predictive control algorithms that forecast weather conditions, campus energy requirements and energy costs ten days in advance. Increasing urban efficiency must be a priority for leaders at all levels as we collectively strive to promote the quality of life for city residents and address the great challenges of global climate change, energy security and economic development. A number of global partnerships are helping build capability and capacity through increased collaboration between the public and private sectors. With a record numbers of cities, businesses and institutions making ambitious commitments during Paris COP-21, now is the time to leverage the experience, resources and solutions of the private-sector combined with the leadership of local governments to accelerate action toward urban efficiency and sustainability. The author is CEO of Johnson Controls. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily. We want your comments and your story tips! geniusofdespair@yahoo.com (use ALL caps in subject line) afarago@bellsouth.net. Actually I never look at my email, Genius, so write to Gimleteye. US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara announced today that there is insufficient evidence to indict New Governor Andrew Cuomo on corruption charges related to Cuomos abrupt shutdown of the states anti-corruption Moreland Commission in 2014. Above: Andrew Cuomo Cuomo Skates On Moreland Commission Tampering Shmarya Rosenberg FailedMessiah.com US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara announced today that there is insufficient evidence to indict New Governor Andrew Cuomo on corruption charges related to Cuomos abrupt shutdown of the states anti-corruption Moreland Commission in 2014, the Journal News reported. Allegations of tampering by Cuomo aides followed by Coumos abrupt disbanding of the commission were thought to show federal charges could brought against member so Cuomos staff and, perhaps, Cuomo himself. But in a terse 2-line statement released today on his official website, Bharara wrote that at this time, he could not prove a federal crime took place. After a thorough investigation of interference with the operation of the Moreland Commission and its premature closing, this office has concluded that, absent any additional proof that may develop, there is insufficient evidence to prove a federal crime, Bharara wrote. We continue to have active investigations related to substantive inquiries that were being conducted by the Moreland Commission at the time of its closure, Bharara continued. Over the past two months, Bharara has won corruption convictions against former State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and former State Senate leader Dean Skelos, the two most important political leaders in the state after Cuomo. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot has moved the IDFs controversial Jewish Identity Section from the direct control of the IDFs Chief Rabbinate to the Manpower Directorate in order to "preserve the IDF as a national army in a democratic state after Zionist Orthodox IDF rabbis repeatedly abused the section to use it to teach highly sectarian religio-political theology. IDFs Jewish Identity Section Taken From The Exclusive Control Of Zionist Orthodox Rabbis After Repeated Abuses Shmarya Rosenberg FailedMessiah.com On Monday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot moved the IDFs controversial Jewish Identity Section from the direct control of the IDFs Chief Rabbinate to the Manpower Directorate in order to "preserve the IDF as a national army in a democratic state, Eidenkot wrote today in a letter to all IDF officers ranked major and higher meant to explain the move, Haaretz reported. The move, which was supported by Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, has enraged Zionist Orthodox politicians and rabbis, many of whom lashed out at Eisenkot for the move, which was made after the Jewish Identity Section repeatedly violated IDF policies, rules and regulations by doing things like couching the IDFs war with Islamic terror groups in Gaza 18 months ago in completely religious terms, making the war into a Jewish jihad of sorts in which Gaza residents were evil and the IDF and Israelis were good and pure. It also allegedly attempted to indoctrinate soldiers to accept the entire biblical Land of Israel the area roughly including southern Lebanon, much of Jordan and even a small part of Syria is Jewish land which could be conquered by the IDF and settled by Jews. The Jewish Identity Section was established in 2001. Its recent repeated forays into politics and its improper use of religion in war were leaked by upset soldiers, and the idea of completely closing the Jewish Identity Section or moving out of the exclusive control of the rabbis apparently took hold in 2014 after the Gaza War when the sections excesses became known to top IDF brass. Meanwhile, former IDF Chief Rabbi Avichai Rontzki said Eisenkots decision warranted a political crisis and said that if he were still IDF Chief Rabbi, he would have resigned over the move. The Knesset's Transparency Committee has proof that various government ministries unwittingly funded groups that promote Jewish price tag hate crimes against Christians and Palestinians and which fund illegal West Bank Jewish settler outposts. Report: Israeli Government Accidentally Funded Pro-Price Tag Hate Crime Groups Shmarya Rosenberg FailedMessiah.com The Knesset's Transparency Committee has proof that various government ministries unwittingly funded groups that promote Jewish price tag hate crimes against Christians and Palestinians and which fund illegal West Bank Jewish settler outposts, Ynet reported. "It's awful to find out that while we've been paying taxes so the state can provide us with quality of life, millions of shekels from our money are being transferred to support activities that most of the citizens of Israel would not be willing to fund, including activity against the state itself and the rule of law," committee chairwoman MK Stav Shaffir of the Zionist Union Party said. Funds from the Agriculture, Education and Welfare Ministries, and the Authority for National Civilian Service [all] reached NGOs that encourage the twisted idea of 'price tag' attacks, Shaffir continued. "The indirect support of Jewish terror activities against the IDF, the citizens of Israel, and Palestinians, using public funds that belong to all of us - is an outrage. Government ministers condemn the 'price tag' violence, but at the same time embrace [its perpetrators] with budgets and support. The government is simply undermining itself. Documents obtained by the Knesset committee show the Interior Ministry transferred millions of shekels of taxpayer money earmarked for the Samaria and Binyamin (West Bank) local councils, which in turn used the money to pay for the establishment of the Samaria Settlers Committee and the Binyamin Settlers Committee NGOs which encourage price tag activity against security forces. According to Ynet, the Binyamin Settlers Committee alone reportedly received some NIS 3.5 million ($889,000) from the Binyamin council, while the Samaria Settlers Committee received approximately NIS 1 million ($254,000) a year Samaria council. "The first inclination of many observers is to label young people who seek out nativist causes like ISIS or the Hilltop Youth as crazy, lunatics, or hormone-laden kids. But behind this perceived lunacy is a certain philosophy, or a general tendency, that we can trace back to leaders who either taught fundamentalist and nativist philosophies or whose teachings have been interpreted to support violence and terror. One such leader affiliates with the Chabad movement in Israel. His name is Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, and many Hilltop Youth attended the yeshiva Od Yosef Chai [which he founded and] where he serves as president Hillel Gershuni, a journalist who is also a doctoral student in Talmud at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, writes in Tablet Magazine: The first inclination of many observers is to label young people who seek out nativist causes like ISIS or the Hilltop Youth as crazy, lunatics, or hormone-laden kids. But behind this perceived lunacy is a certain philosophy, or a general tendency, that we can trace back to leaders who either taught fundamentalist and nativist philosophies or whose teachings have been interpreted to support violence and terror. One such leader affiliates with the Chabad movement in Israel. His name is Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, and many Hilltop Youth attended the yeshiva Od Yosef Chai [which he founded and] where he serves as president [i.e., "nasi," the top rosh yeshiva/dean and the final word in how the yeshiva is run educationally and administratively -- FailedMessiah.com] in the settlement of Yitzhar, a community that is home to some of Israels most extremist settlers. In a famous lecture during his protest of Israels disengagement from Gaza and removal of the Gush Katif community on its banks, Rabbi Ginsburgh poetically interwove Chabad and Kabbalistic writings to promote the delegitimizing of the State institutions. Known as The shell and the fruit, Ginsburghs speech used mystical metaphors to encourage the destruction of shells around the Jewish people. The sages compared the people of Israel, said Rabbi Ginsburgh, to a nut, and the nut has three shells. The shells, according to him, are Zionism, the Israeli courts, and the government. Now, said Rabbi Ginsburgh, the time has come to break the shells, overthrow Zionism, disobey the courts and oppose the governmentevery governmentuntil a true Jewish regime is reborn. Although now shunned by Rabbi Ginsburgh himself, his pupils started and continue to carry out Price Tag terrorism, or as they called it initially, Mutual Responsibility, or Arvut Hadadit in Hebrew. They burn Palestinians fields or mosques out of revenge for terror attacks, or just for spite. Outlaws attacked IDF vehicles to disrupt state-mandated evacuations of illegally built communities, and to deter Israeli forces from policing Jewish terrorists on hilltops. A few of them took it one step further. A key figure here is Meir Ettinger, a grandson of Rabbi Meir Kahane, who has been in administrative detention by the State of Israel for six months, and who is a disciple of Rabbi Ginsburgh. He was even once a member of Rabbi Ginsburghs Derech Chayim movement, but abandoned it for its non-violent approach, and manifested the rebellion manifesto, which called for violence acts in order to shake the foundations of the State of Israel. The idea that Ginsburgh now "shuns" these violent thugs is, I think, wrong. What Ginsburgh and his close associates really did is is fill these thugs with the theological permissions to be racist violent revolutionaries, wind them up, and the let them roam free and kill and destroy. This was almost certainly done with intent and forethought. Helping Ginsburgh in this spawning of revolutionary terror are his two top students, Rabbis Yitzhak Shapira and Yosef Elitzur, both of whom are rosh yeshivas at Ginsbgurgh's yeshiva. The pair wrote the notorious handbook for racist violence, Torat HaMelech (the King's Torah), a book that sanctions the murder of Palestinian babies sleeping in their cribs because they will only grow up to hate us anyway. Ginsburgh endorsed the book. Defenders claim that horrific legal ruling and other similar halakhic (Orthodox Jewish law) rulings included in Torat HaMelech (and based on Ginsburgh's understanding of halakha) are only theoretical because they are qualified by the the book's stated cavet that they are only to be applied in a time of war by a Jewish army fighting an enemy. What Ginsburgh defenders don't say is that Ginsburgh and his followers define the situation in the biblical Land of Israel for at least the past 80 years to be a "time of war." Add to that Ginsburgh's believe that the Zionist state and its army are Illegitimate, and the Douma (Duma) arson-murders of a Palestinian baby and his sleeping parents last July suddenly can be traced to its theological root. That Ginsburgh did not directly order the Douma arson-murders may be true. But it is also true that he filled the murderer(s) with hatred and with the theological-legal system to support violently acting on that hate. Then Ginsburgh and cronies wound them up and let them loose to kill. That Ginsburgh now hides behind a very thin and weak veil of supposed nonviolence doesn't matter. Incitement to violence and murder and incitement to racism, are crimes in Israel, and arguably they still crimes even if the person doing them professes himself to be nonviolent. As long as there is a reasonable chance students or followers will act on the incitement and commit violent acts, the incitor in this case, Ginsburgh is responsible, at least in part, for them. Ginsburgh owns part of the of Douma arson-murders just as he owns part of the wave of related hate crimes and price tag attacks he has incited, and if Israel doesn't find a way to punish him for it, the next wave of Ginsburgh-incited or Ginsburgh-inspired racist and anti-Israel violence will be much more violent and much more widespread than today's is. But so far Israel hasn't shown itself to have the courage or the foresight to act. No matter how many times Ginsburgh and his top associates have been investigated or charged with incitement, in the end they always walk free because Israel's courts, prosecutors and cops are unwilling to jail a rabbi for teaching "Torah" no matter how twisted or dangerous those teachings may be. Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible) and rabbinic literature, together commonly referred to in Orthodox circles as "Torah," can be used to justify chattel slavery of Black Africans or justify abolition, they can be used to justify racism and oppose it, and they can even be used to justify terrorism or oppose it. In other words, in many ways Torah can mean whatever you want it to, whatever any rabbi wants it to mean. For Israel to stand by and allow Ginsburgh to walk free because his teachings are part of "Torah" is no different from allowing a rabbi to remain free who teaches traffickers of chattel slaves that chattel slavery is kosher. The sooner Israel comes to grips with this, the better and safer it will be for the vast majority of Israeli citizens who reject what Ginsburgh stands for and what he wants to achieve. Related Posts: All Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh Posts. All Rabbi Dov Lior Posts. All Torat HaMelech Posts. At Wedding, Settlers Dance, Sing, Rejoice With Machine Guns And Knives Held Aloft To Celebrate Murder Of Palestinian Baby. The Horrific Jewish Wedding Song That Celebrates Murder. Shin Bet Says Detained Jewish Alleged Terrorists Want To Overthrow The Government And Replace It With A Jewish Fundamentalist Theocracy Headed By A Terrorist King. Senior Rabbi Of The New "Sanhedrin" At Wedding Where Settler Youth Celebrated Murder Of Palestinian Baby. All Douma (Duma) Arson Murder Posts. All Bentzion "Bentzi" Gopstein Posts. All Rabbi Meir Kahane And His Followers Posts. TWEET ME DISCLAIMER *COMMENTS, LINKS, AND CUT AND PASTE ARTICLES, ARE NOT ALL ENDORSED BY THE PUBLISHER. THIS BLOG claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to its respectful owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and do not wish for it appear on this site, please E-mail with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed. MORE DISCLAIMERS This is a commercial free blog. Money is nice, but being able to speak my mind is better. "Real talk: Daniel Rubin has a great little piece up wherein he chats with The Field Negro, the Philly-based blogger who sharply ponders all things black on a daily basis. (Seriously, if youve never checked in with TFN, you should: Its author, Wayne Bennett, is a fantastic read who can cut through bullshit like a hot knife through butter, which is a far grosser analogy than I wanted to make, but there you have it.)" ~Philebrity~ "One of the most precocious and hilarious Black political minds on the net. Ive been a long-time fan!" ~Asad Malik~ "..While most of what he writes is tongue-in-cheek, his space is a safe house for candid discussions about race, especially in the comments section, where people of all colors meet." ~~Daniel Rubin, "The Philadelphia Inquirer"~~ "To white people, Bennett's musings are like kitchen-table talk from a kitchen they may otherwise never set foot in. To African Americans, he is part of a growing army of black Internet amateurs who have taken up the work once reserved for ministers and professional activists: the work of setting a black agenda, shaping black opinion and calling attention to the state of the nation's racial affairs." ~~Richard Fausset, "L.A. Times"~~~ ~Erik Hare, "The Twin Cities Daily Planet"~ "That's why I love the blog " Field Negro " so much. Field, as he's known to his fans, has the sense of reality that it takes to call out the ( CowPuckey ) of blame beating by those who are in positions of power and their lackeys. Because of his handle and his unabashed way of writing about racial issues, Field is often cited as a "Black blogger." What he is, however, is a first-class detector of blame deflection and an excellent student of history. If you want to write about the past and future of repression there's really no other perspective to take - which is why everyone should read Field."~Erik Hare, "The Twin Cities Daily Planet"~ 411 On The Field field negro Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Raised in the house, but field certified. Jamaica is the land of my birth, but I consider myself a citizen of the world. I currently practice law in the city of "brotherly love". View my complete profile "Half a century after Little Rock, the Montgomery bus boycott and the tumultuous dawn of the modern civil rights era, the new face of the movement is Facebook, MySpace and some 150 black blogs united in an Internet alliance they call the AfroSpear. Older, familiar leaders such as Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton and NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, are under challenge by a younger generation of bloggers known by such provocative screen names as Field Negro, thefreeslave and African American Political Pundit. And many of the newest struggles are being waged online." ~Howard Witt-The Chicago Tribune~ "I had no idea, for example, of the extent of the African-American blogging world out there and its collective powers of dissemination.But now, after reading thousands of anguished, thoughtful comments posted on these blogs reflecting on issues of persistent racial discrimination in the nation's schools and courtrooms, what's clear to me is that there's a new, "virtual" civil rights movement out there on the Internet that can reach more people in a few hours than all the protest marches, sit-ins and boycotts of the 1950s and 60s put together." ~Chicago Tribune Reporter, Howard Witt~ IF YOU ARE BRAVE ENOUGH TO FLAUNT IT. Come visit my store on CafePress! Airbnb Brian Chesky Almost a year after San Francisco's law requiring Airbnb hosts to register with the city, even Airbnb's CEO Brian Chesky has admitted he has failed to do so. As of February 1, 2015, San Francisco law has been that any unit being rented in the city on a platform like Airbnb must be registered with the city. That's a big problem for the leader who has vowed to work with cities like San Francisco to crack down on illegal rentals. According to Chesky's own verified profile on Airbnb, the CEO has been hosting guests on his couch through August 2015, six months after the law made that illegal to do so without a registration. Another visit scheduled in September was canceled by the guest, not by Chesky himself. "Last spring, I decided to temporarily not accept new bookings, while honoring the reservations guests had already made. Im now completing the registration process and Im looking forward to hosting more guests this year," Chesky wrote in an email to remind hosts to do the same. But here are reviews that show Chesky rented his place well after the law went into effect. Airbnb Airbnb did not respond to request for comment on why Chesky did not register when the law took effect or why he decided to rent his unregistered unit knowing that it was violating San Francisco law to do so. "Over the years, Brian has opened his shared space listing its just a couch in the living room to people from all over the world. Last spring, he decided to temporarily not accept new bookings, while honoring the reservations guests had already made," an Airbnb spokesperson said. "Some of the reservations had been planned for months in advance and he wanted to be a good host and not cancel on guests who were eager to share his space. He is now completing the registration process and looks forward to hosting more guests this year." Story continues The City of San Francisco confirmed that he had not registered, and could be in violation, a spokesperson told us. Even if the bookings were made before the law took effect, the law was still being violated. "Unless they were registered with the city at the time of the rental/hosting, yes, its a violation," a city spokesperson told us. San Francisco has been begging the home-sharing platform and others like it to help enforce its short term rental regulations practically since they took effect. At one point, the first law was deemed unenforceable by a city Supervisor, and the city opened a full Office of Short Term Rentals to handle the registrations. But according to the San Francisco Chronicle, only 879 hosts, a tiny fraction of the more than 6,000, have registered with the city as of January 11. While the city is asking home-sharing sites like Airbnb to deactivate unregistered listings, Airbnb is taking the approach of reminding its hosts to register. In Chesky's email to hosts, he promised Airbnb would make it easier for its users to become compliant. A second letter to the city from its policy manager Patrick Hannahan said Airbnb would start monthly sending emails and letters to hosts' homes, urging them to register. NOW WATCH: This mansion on a private beach in the Caribbean costs just $500 per night on Airbnb More From Business Insider 100 Yuan notes are seen in this illustration picture in Beijing November 5, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Lee/Files BEIJING (Reuters) - China has allowed a second batch of foreign institutions to enter China's interbank foreign exchange market, the country's central bank said on Tuesday. Six central banks and international financial institutions, including Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Monetary Authority of Singapore and Bank of International Settlements, are now allowed to trade spot products, forwards, swaps, currency swaps and options in China's domestic foreign exchange market, it said. Last November, the first seven foreign institutions had been registered to enter the interbank foreign exchange market. (Reporting by Beijing Monitoring Desk; Editing by Jacqueline Wong) China and Japan Add to Worries in the Crude Oil Market (Continued from Prior Part) Chinas stock market Chinese large cap stocks (FXI) fell by 5% in yesterdays trade. Chinese equities fell by 16% in 2016. The slowing Chinese economy and the devaluation of the Chinese yuan are weighing on the global oil market. Why is China devaluing its currency? Chinese manufacturing is contracting, and the stock market is crashing. Thus, the Chinese government is trying to boost its export-driven economy by devaluing the yuan. The yuan is pegged with the US dollar, which means the Peoples Bank of China controls the movement of the yuan within a narrow range. The yuan has appreciated against the US dollar by 50% since 2005, which has led to lower margins for exporters. Chinese yuan and crude oil If the Chinese government lets the Chinese yuan depreciate to 7.7 with respect to the US dollar, Chinas exports would increase by 10% in 2016 compared to 2015. This would add 0.7% to Chinas economic growth, per data compiled by Bloomberg. This would also put more pressure on the oil market. Weaker demand puts pressure on Chinese oil producers such as CNOOC, PetroChina (PTR), and Sinopec (SNP). These stocks also fell in yesterdays trade. Morgan Stanley estimates further depreciation of the yuan could push crude oil prices even lower. Read the last part of this series to learn more about the latest crude oil price forecasts. Chinas foreign reserves The devaluing of the yuan will lead to a reduction in Chinese foreign reserves and an increase in capital outflow from China. It is expected that $670 billion could flow out of China. However, Chinas foreign reserves are above $3.4 trillion, which means the marginal drop of $670 billion may not have a big impact. Negative sentiment from investors is weighing on the Chinese economy and leading to panic selling around the globe. Impact China-focused ETFs like the iShares China Large-Cap ETF (FXI), the iShares MSCI China ETF (MCHI), and the SPDR S&P China ETF (GXC) are affected by the roller-coaster ride in the Chinese stock market. The record-low crude oil prices also affect upstream players like ConocoPhillips (COP), Anadarko Petroleum (APC), Whiting Petroleum (WLL), and Continental Resources (CLR). They also affect energy ETFs like the PowerShares Dynamic Energy Exploration & Production Portfolio (PXE), the Vanguard Energy ETF (VDE), and the ProShares UltraShort Bloomberg Crude Oil ETF (SCO). The depressed energy market continues to put pressure on broader indexes like the S&P 500 Index (SPY). Story continues Continue to Next Part Browse this series on Market Realist: (Adds details from conference call) ATHENS, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Canadian miner Eldorado Gold Corp expects the suspension of much of its mine construction and development activity in Greece after a confrontation with the government to cost more than 600 jobs, its chief executive said on Tuesday. The Vancouver-based miner had to resort to Greece's top administrative court to annul a government decision that revoked a mining permit in northern Greece on environmental concerns. A majority of judges of Greece's top administrative court ruled in favour of Eldorado in November, but the official decision is still pending. Eldorado's shares were down 18 percent at C$3.58 in early trading in Toronto on Tuesday. The government revoked Eldorado's permit in August, disputing the miner's tests for a so-called flash-melting method to ensure against environmental damage. "Our investment is treated as a political toy, we never anticipated this," CEO Paul Wright said in Athens. "Failure to receive timely licenses and permits has proved very expensive. "It's bad for Greece because it is seen as such from off-shore," he said. Eldorado said on Monday it would suspend construction at the Skouries project and warned it would do the same at its Olympias project if it did not receive a permit by the end of March. If Olympias, also in northern Greece, does not receive permits, another 500 jobs will be cut, Wright said on a conference call. Wright will meet leaders of opposition political parties and Energy Minister Panos Skourletis in the next days. Skourletis told Parapolitika radio earlier on Tuesday the government would not be blackmailed. "Judging from the behaviour of the company, it is another attempt at creating blackmailing situations. No company, Greek or foreign can blackmail the Greek state," he said. Eldorado has said it has created around 2,000 direct jobs in Greece, which suffers from a jobless rate of 25 percent, the highest in the euro zone. Story continues The company's Greek assets make up about 30-40 percent of its net asset value, according to analysts' estimates. Eldorado's shares have shed 40 percent in the last 12 months, largely due to its problems in Greece. Wright said the treatment of Eldorado by the government would be seen as a litmus test by other potential investors. Asked whether the company was considering pulling out, Wright said: "No, we are here for a long haul." However, Wright said that while the company remained committed to Greece, it was actively looking at alternatives to grow its business. (Reporting by George Georgiopoulos and Lefteris Papadimas in Athens, and Amrutha Gayathri in Bengaluru; Editing by Louise Heavens and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty) (Adds more details on suspensions, background) Jan 11 (Reuters) - Canadian miner Eldorado Gold Corp on Monday said it was suspending much of its mine construction and development in Greece after a year of confrontations with the Greek government that included permits being revoked and delayed by the state. Eldorado said it would suspend construction at its Skouries project and warned that it would do the same at its Olympias project if it did not receive a permit by the end of March. It has halted development work its Perama Hill and Sapes projects but could restart at a later date. It is also considering whether to halt future expansion of its Stratoni mine, which has around three years of life left. Eldorado said in a statement that it would prefer to create more jobs and carry on with construction and development in Greece. "However, we have a duty to all our stakeholders and the significant time and process risks created by Greece's Ministry of Energy and Environment have left us with no choice but to reduce activities and personnel," Eldorado Chief Executive Officer Paul Wright said. Eldorado has created around 2,000 direct jobs in Greece, it said. It did not say how many jobs would be affected by its reduction in activities. Eldorado's Greek assets make up about 30 percent to 40 percent of the Vancouver-based miner's net asset value, according to analysts' estimates. Its stock is down 40 percent in the last 12 months, largely due to its problems in Greece. It has invested more than $300 million in the Skouries project. The company will hold a press conference in Athens at 11 a.m. local time (0900 GMT) on Tuesday and a conference call at 8 a.m. EST (1300 GMT). (Reporting by Nicole Mordant in Vancouver; Editing by Chris Reese and Lisa Shumaker) By Bruno Federowski SAO PAULO, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Latin American currencies strengthened on Tuesday after the Chinese government further moved to stabilize the yuan, whose devaluation triggered a global selloff last week. The Chinese central bank again allowed the currency to rise against the U.S. dollar, while dealers reported aggressive offshore yuan buying by state-owned banks. A drop in the currency had sparked concerns that China's economy could be even weaker than previously thought, slamming commodity prices and assets from economies exporting to China. "Alongside the practical effort to steady the currency, officials appear to be trying to persuade the market that the desire for a 'basically stable' currency remains intact, pushing back against expectations that the yuan will fall," Scotiabank analysts wrote in a client note. A recovery in oil prices also triggered buying of emerging-market currencies. The Mexican peso rose 0.6 percent after hitting a new low on Monday, while the Brazilian real advanced 0.5 percent. Brazilian stocks also gained despite a drop in shares of state-controlled oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA . Petrobras, as the company is known, trimmed its estimates of capital spending by one-quarter for the 2015-2019 period, warning of further cuts if oil prices and the Brazilian real keep falling. Latin American stock indexes and currencies at 1405 GMT: Stock indexes daily % YTD % change change Latest MSCI Emerging Markets 724.67 0.18 -8.91 MSCI LatAm 1678.99 1 -9.15 Brazil Bovespa 40199.22 0.62 -7.27 Chile IPSA 3552.19 0.25 -3.48 Chile IGPA 17581.56 0.22 -3.14 Currencies daily % YTD % change change Latest Brazil real 4.0281 0.51 -34.03 Mexico peso 17.7753 0.60 -17.05 Chile peso 729.1 0.30 -16.83 Colombia peso 3245.89 0.53 -26.43 Peru sol 3.417 0.27 -12.82 Argentina peso (interbank) 13.6800 0.51 -37.50 Argentina peso (parallel) 14.39 0.42 -2.71 (Editing by Jeffrrey Benkoe) By Alastair Macdonald and Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The new Polish government has stepped up efforts to address concerns in Brussels about civil rights ahead of a meeting on Wednesday at which the EU executive will review its moves to influence the constitutional court and the public broadcaster. Prime Minister Beata Szydlo had a lengthy telephone call on Tuesday evening with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, EU officials said, and on Wednesday Deputy Foreign Minister Konrad Szymanski will brief members of the European Parliament, which is due to debate Poland's actions next week. On Monday, officials said, another deputy minister in the Polish foreign ministry, Aleksander Stepkowski, visited Brussels to meet members of the Commission, the EU executive, which is considering whether to launch a procedure that could lead to sanctions on Warsaw if it is found to have breached European Union rules on upholding the rule of law in member states. No details were available on Szydlo's 45-minute conversation with Juncker, who has insisted that EU leaders are not "bashing Poland". EU officials saw the discussions as a sign that both sides were intent on avoiding a damaging confrontation at a time when the bloc faces a number of crises testing its unity. Critics accuse Polish nationalist Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of Szydlo's Law and Justice (PiS) party, of rolling back judicial independence and freedom of speech. Supporters say the government is entitled to uphold Catholic and national values and show its independence from Brussels. Since its election in October, the government has ignored existing rules to pack the constitutional court with its appointees and changed the court's voting system to curb its ability to censure legislation. It has also passed a law giving it direct control over the appointment of public media chiefs. WEDNESDAY MEETING On Wednesday, the commissioners in charge of fundamental rights, justice and media - Frans Timmermans, Vera Jourova and Gunther Oettinger - will report to the 28-member Commission on Poland's actions before it decides how to proceed. A new legal instrument known as the "rule of law framework", created by the EU in 2014 after being widely accused of failing to defend European liberal values in Hungary, gives Brussels the "nuclear option" of suspending EU voting rights and access to EU funds in case of a "systemic threat" to the rule of law. However, EU officials say the Commission may hold fire for now and seek further explanations and commitments from Poland in talks and in writing before any formal decision. Diplomats say any action by Brussels could be politically counterproductive, fuelling nationalist and Eurosceptic forces in central Europe and a "siege mentality" in Poland. One senior EU official caught in the crossfire between Warsaw and Brussels spoke out on Tuesday to call on Europe to hold Poland's leaders to account but spare ordinary Poles. Donald Tusk, who was a conservative, pro-EU prime minister of Poland and a bitter rival of Kaczynski, is now president of the European Council and chairs summits of EU leaders. He told Socialist members of the European Parliament on Tuesday: "I hope that your words and your actions will help to mitigate the behaviour of Kaczynski's party. "But at the same time, in no way should they negatively affect my country and of course Polish citizens." The new three-stage process provides a means of pressuring a country to amend its action before Brussels applies the "nuclear option". (Additional reporting by Jan Strupczewski; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by James Dalgleish) An oil tank is seen at the Saudi Aramco headquarters during a media tour at Damam city November 11, 2007. REUTERS/ Ali Jarekji By Reem Shamseddine, Celine Aswad and Rania El Gamal KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia/DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is considering selling shares in refining ventures with foreign oil firms but would not offer a stake in the crude oil exploration and production operations of state oil giant Saudi Aramco, sources familiar with official thinking said. Some Aramco managers have been informed that the company is looking at listing shares in "joint downstream subsidiaries" at home and abroad, the sources said. One option is to create a holding company that would group together Aramco's stakes in the downstream subsidiaries, one source said. Shares in the parent firm would not be offered, he added. "The holding company is the one which could be listed, not Aramco itself," he said, declining to be named because of political sensitivities. The global energy market has been awash with speculation since Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman appeared to indicate in an interview with The Economist magazine last week that Saudi Arabia might sell shares in Aramco, as part of a privatisation drive to raise money in an era of cheap oil. On Friday Aramco, the world's largest oil company, issued a brief statement saying it was considering options including the stock market listing "of an appropriate percentage of the company's shares and/or the listing of a bundle (of) its downstream subsidiaries". Aramco has crude reserves estimated at about 265 billion barrels, over 15 percent of all global oil deposits, so it could become the first listed company valued at $1 trillion or more if it went public, analysts have estimated. But several sources close to Aramco said its massive size, and the confidentiality surrounding it as the main instrument of the kingdom's oil policy, meant the sale of a stake in the parent firm was not being actively considered. "The government will never give up its crown jewel, said a senior banker in Riyadh. Instead, authorities are looking at accelerating plans that have been in the works for many years to sell shares in part of Aramco's vast refining and petrochemicals empire, which by itself is estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars. Story continues A precedent for the sale already exists: PetroRabigh , a refining and petrochemicals venture in which Aramco and Japan's Sumitomo Chemical each own 37.5 percent. It held an initial public offer on the Riyadh bourse in 2008. "The higher priority is to IPO downstream - it would be low-hanging fruit," said Essam al-Zamel, a prominent economic columnist in Saudi Arabia. Aramco could not be reached for comment on Sunday, a day off for the company's employees. VENTURES It is not clear which ventures might be involved in a sale. But the range of candidates is wide; Aramco and subsidiaries own or have an equity interest in over 5 million barrels per day of refining capacity. Its operations include a joint refinery with Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) in Jubail known as SASREF; a venture with Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) in Yanbu known as SAMREF; and its YASREF refinery, which is a venture with China Petrochemical Corp (Sinopec). YASREF has already said it is looking at listing its shares eventually on the Saudi stock market. Subsidiaries of Aramco abroad include S-Oil in Korea; a refinery in Fujian, China owned jointly with Exxon and Sinopec; and Motiva in the United States, which is a venture with Shell. Prince Mohammed told The Economist that he expected a decision on the Aramco privatisation to be made "over the next few months". But an actual sale of shares would probably take much longer to happen as it would involve reorganising Aramco. "This is still at a very preliminary stage. They have to do a study first and submit the results to the board members, and then decide whether to go ahead with it or not," said the first source. Selling shares in joint ventures could prove problematic if foreign partners did not agree. An industry source said Aramco's foreign partners had not yet been consulted on the idea; at present, they are "like a deaf man at a wedding", he said. At the right price, foreign investors might be keen on grabbing a chunk of Saudi Arabia's refining operations, which have been growing even as global oil prices have plunged in the last 18 months, squeezing upstream producers. But Saudi political sensitivities may influence any sale. Traditionally, shares in state firms have been sold at discounted prices exclusively to Saudi investors as a way of sharing the kingdom's oil wealth. So any listing of shares would probably have to occur on the Saudi bourse, and though the market opened to direct foreign investment last year, participation in an initial public offer might well be limited to local investors; foreigners would have to buy the shares in the secondary market. The Saudi bourse, capitalised at only $379 billion, has been hit hard by the tumble of oil prices - it is trading at four-year lows - so it is in poor shape to absorb a big new supply of equity. Initially, any sale of Aramco assets might therefore be limited to several billion dollars, bankers say. Nevertheless, the government appears determined to proceed with a sale - not merely to raise money, but as part of a drive to diversify the economy beyond crude oil production and have the private sector play a bigger role, analysts said. "This is part of the reformist tidal wave characterising Saudi Arabia...It's part and parcel of Mohammed bin Salman's drive to alter the structure of the economy," said John Sfakianakis, a Riyadh-based economist. (Editing by Andrew Torchia and Philippa Fletcher) rand paul carly fiorina When Republican presidential candidates take the stage for a prime-time debate on Thursday, two notable names will be missing. Fox Business, which will host the Republican debate, released on Monday the names of candidates who qualified for the main-stage debate. Here's who made the cut: Front-runner Donald Trump, US Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marco Rubio (R-Florida), retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Gov. Chris Christie (R-New Jersey), former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio), and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Notably, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) failed to qualify. They will presumably join former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania on the early-debate stage, where both have been relegated for the last several contests. Paul slammed the decision, telling CNN that Fox Business was making a "mistake" by not including him in the main-stage contest. He also seemed to suggest that he wouldn't participate in the early debate, though some reports have listed him as a participant. "We think it's a rotten thing to do to try to designate which candidates have a chance and don't, so we will not participate in anything that is not first tier," Paul told CNN host Wolf Blitzer. Following the interview, Paul's chief strategist, Doug Stafford, blasted out an email to supporters and took to Twitter to denounce the network's decision. "The media continues to work to black Senator Rand Paul out. This is an outrage. You and I can't let them get away with this," Stafford said. Bring. It. We will not back down. We will not be told what table to sit at. #StandWithRand Doug Stafford (@dougstafford) January 12, 2016 We will not give up or in we will fight twice as hard and take it to the voters of IA and NH. #standwithrand Doug Stafford (@dougstafford) January 12, 2016 Last month, Fox Business tightened its debate criteria, requiring that candidates meet slightly higher criteria to qualify. The network required presidential candidates to place in fifth in averages of the five most-recent Iowa or New Hampshire state polls, or in sixth in averages of recent national polls. Story continues Paul's and Fiorina's campaigns noted on Monday that some surveys showed the ircandidates in fifth and sixth place. Fiorina's deputy campaign manager noted that Fiorina would qualify if Fox Business relied on Fox News' own national polls. Based on two latest @FoxNews polls, @CarlyFiorina is in 5th and 6th place. Will @FoxNews trust their own polls? #GOPDebate Sarah Isgur Flores (@whignewtons) January 11, 2016 NOW WATCH: Here's who was leading the polls in January in the past three election years none of them made it to November More From Business Insider German retail giant Metro announced it will create two separate units, a wholesale and food specialist group and a consumer electronics products and services group (AFP Photo/Patrik Stollarz) (AFP/File) Frankfurt (AFP) - German retail and distribution giant Metro said on Tuesday it expects to have achieved a "significant" increase in quarterly profits, thanks to "very good" Christmas business and gains from the sale of its cash-and-carry business in Vietnam. Metro, which runs its business year from October to September, said in a statement that "we can look back on a very good Christmas business, particularly in our domestic market, Germany." "We remain confident for financial year 2015-16, despite the difficult environment, and expect positive development thanks to the range of measures introduced in our sales lines. We retain our original forecast," said chief executive Olaf Koch. Metro said it had completed the sale of its cash-and-carry business in Vietnam successfully at the end of December. The proceeds were expected to boost underlying or operating profit by "more than 400 million euros" ($435 million), which would be included in the first-quarter accounts. "Therefore the reported result will increase significantly in the first quarter," it said. In then period from October to December, Metro booked revenues of 17.1 billion euros, down slightly from 17.3 billion euros a year earlier, it said. But much of that decline was attributable to exchange rate effects, since Metro has a strong presence in eastern Europe, where currencies have weakened recently, particularly the Russian ruble. Adjusted for such effects, revenues slipped by only 0.1 percent, it said. Cologne (Germany) (AFP) - Chanting "Merkel out" and waving placards with slogans like "Rapefugees not welcome", xenophobic German PEGIDA protesters vented their fury Saturday against migrants after mass sexual assaults on New Year's Eve. Amid clashes with police, the far-right protesters took aim at Chancellor Angela Merkel, accusing her of allowing migrants to run amok through her liberal stance towards those fleeing war Tensions escalated when followers of the movement -- about half of them violence-prone hooligans, according to police -- marched and hurled beer bottles and fire crackers at police, screaming "where were you on New Year's Eve?" Riot police beat back the agitated protesters with batons, teargas and water cannon in clashes that left three police and one journalist injured and in which police detained multiple demonstrators. "Merkel has become a danger to our country. Merkel must go," one speaker earlier told the 1,700-strong crowd, which loudly echoed the call, expressing their anger at Germany's 1.1-million-strong migrant influx last year. "Tolerance is the final virtue of a dying society," read another banner in the protest, organised by the local chapter of PEGIDA, the self-styled "Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident". The heated protest was held in the Cologne railway station area that was the scene of the New Year's Eve assaults, at which witnesses described the perpetrators as people of "North African or Arab" appearance. Cologne police have come in for broad criticism for failing to stop the violence and being slow to report on it afterwards, a scandal that Friday claimed the scalp of city police chief Wolfgang Albers. By Saturday police had received 379 criminal complaints of groping, assaults, thefts and two rapes. Federal police have said that a majority of suspects identified so far were of foreign origin, inflaming a debate over Germany's ability to integrate the influx of refugees. Story continues - 'Nazis out!' - One PEGIDA speaker, a mother of four introduced only as Christiane, told the rally: "These women who fell victim will have to live with it for a long time. I feel like my freedom has been robbed." PEGIDA started life over a year ago as a xenophobic Facebook group, initially drawing just a few hundred protesters in the eastern city of Dresden before gaining strength, peaking with rallies of 25,000 people. Interest subsequently began to wane following overtly racist comments by founder Lutz Bachmann, and the surfacing of "selfies" in which he sported a Hitler moustache and hairstyle, but PEGIDA has seen a revival with the record influx of migrants. The PEGIDA protesters Saturday were greeted by 1,300 leftist demonstrators who staged a counter-protest, chanting "Nazis raus!" (Nazis out!), as hundreds of the 2,000 deployed police separated the crowds. "There is nothing right about Nazi propaganda," read one sign, while another said "Fascism is not an opinion, it is a crime". "We are there to tell them to shut up. It is unacceptable for PEGIDA to exploit this horrible sexual violence perpetrated here on New Year's day and to spread their racist nonsense," said Emily Michels, 28. Half a dozen Iraqi and Syrian refugees were among the counter-demonstration, together with a Jordan-born woman running their local shelter, Dana Khamis. "I told them the demonstration is about women's rights and against sexism and against facism, and they said they wanted absolutely to be part of it," said Khamis, 27. Earlier, up to 1,000 women staged a noisy protest carrying signs demanding "No violence against women" and "No means no! It's the law! Stay off of us!", banging pots and blowing whistles outside Cologne's famed Gothic cathedral. "We want our safety back. We are against all violence against women," said protest organiser Martina Schumeckers, 57, a musician. "I am standing here for all mothers, daughters, granddaughters, grandmothers, for them all to be able to move around safely, especially in our Cologne." Power remains a big issue in Nigeria Despite recent strong economic growth Nigeria has struggled with chronic electricity supply problems. In November 2013, major reforms in the power sector resulted in privatization of government-owned infrastructure in particular the power distribution companies. The hope was that the entry of investors into the sector would improve power generation and distribution across the country and perhaps reduce Nigerians reliance on private generators which cost three times as much as direct supply. But just over two years later, the sector now faces a major setback as investors are threatening a pull-out. Their reason: governments failure to adhere to contractual terms. The investors argue that the governments inability to meet its contractual obligations have made it impossible to deliver on providing electricity supply. They are now requesting refunds on their commitments which are pegged at more than $130 million since 2013. Among the reasons for the threatened pull-out from the sector is a backlog of debt totaling $226 million incurred by government agencies. The investors claims government offices as well as the National Assembly and the military bases have not paid their electricity bills since the privatization of the sector in 2013. Another reason is a controversial tariff increase which they claim could wipe out profit margins. From next month, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) will introduce new electricity tariffs which will replace fixed charges as power users will only pay for electricity they consume. In the past, the fixed charges were applicable irrespective of usage but the new tariff system will see increases in energy charges instead. Power investors have described the new tariff as not-cost reflective. Power remains a major impediment to growth in Nigeria. Producing only 4,000 megawatts, the countrys possible deficit is as high as 156,000 megawatts. To make up for the difference, the government is turning to solar energy which it is betting on to provide electricity to a million households in the next five years. Despite its prospects, solar energy will only provide minimal respite with as many as 90 million Nigerians possibly living without electricity. Story continues Sign up for the Quartz Africa Weekly Brief the most important and interesting news from across the continent, in your inbox. Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief, our free daily newsletter with the worlds most important and interesting news. More stories from Quartz: BAGHDAD, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Iraq plans to finance its balance of payments deficit by drawing its foreign exchange reserves down to $43 billion in 2016 from $59 billion at the end of October, it said in an International Monetary Fund memo on Tuesday. The deficit is expected to reach $14 billion in 2015 before narrowing to $11 billion in 2016, the government said as part of a Staff Monitoring Programme that the IMF has approved as a precondition for a loan. Iraq estimated gross domestic product (GDP) would grow by 1.5 percent in 2015 and 10.6 percent in 2016 on increased oil production, while falling oil prices would create a budget deficit of 15 percent of GDP in 2015 and 10 percent in 2016. (Reporting by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Ruth Pitchford) Beirut (AFP) - Aid groups pressed on with talks to evacuate hundreds of people, many starving, from a besieged Syrian town, as the UN warned more would die unless blockades are lifted. Elsewhere in Syria, forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad scored a landmark victory against rebels by capturing the key town of Salma, in the country's northwest. The United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent held talks on Tuesday to evacuate around 400 people from the starvation-struck town of Madaya. More than two dozen people have reportedly starved to death there, crippled by a six-month government siege that has made even bread and water hard to find. The UN humanitarian coordinator for Syria, Yacoub El Hillo, warned that "many more will die" unless government forces and rebels lift sieges of towns across the country. El Hillo, who toured Madaya where he said he saw "severely malnourished people", described the blockades as the "tactic of war" being used by all sides in the nearly five-year conflict. "It must stop," he said. "Many more will die if the world does not move faster" to end the sieges, which he said were chiefly to blame for the suffering. On Monday, the first aid trucks in about four months entered Madaya, delivering desperately needed food and medicine. At least one more delivery is expected in the coming days, a UN official said. But hundreds of residents remain in need of urgent care, and aid groups are working on their evacuation, said ICRC spokesman Pawel Krzysiek. "It's a very complicated process that needs permission to realise this humanitarian operation. We are in negotiations with all parties," he told AFP, adding that it could take some time. - 'No comparison' - The level of suffering in Madaya has no precedent in Syria's war, the UN refugee agency's representative in Syria said. "There is no comparison in what we saw in Madaya," Sajjad Malik told reporters in Geneva. Story continues "There are people in Madaya, but no life. What we saw in Madaya should not happen in this century," said Malik, who travelled to Madaya on Monday. "We want to make sure the siege is lifted." The town is part of a six-month UN-brokered truce that also includes the nearby rebel-held town of Zabadani, and Fuaa and Kafraya, two government-controlled towns in Syria's northwest. The agreement, reached in September, foresaw an end to hostilities in the four towns in exchange for humanitarian aid and some evacuations. The situation in Fuaa and Kafraya also "remains very concerning," with little drinking water, food, or electricity, said Krzysiek. Syria's regime has championed localised ceasefires as a way to end the conflict, which has killed 260,000 people. But with the war approaching its sixth year, UN agencies on Tuesday appealed for $7.73 billion in funding to help 22.5 million people affected by the conflict. - Major regime victory - But government forces have also ramped up ground offensives against rebels across the country, with air support from Russia. On Tuesday, the army and National Defence Forces militia took full control from rebels of the strategic town of Salma, in the northwestern province of Latakia. State television said pro-government forces also seized surrounding hilltops and were combing them for landmines and explosive devices. The army's command described Salma as "the main operational centre for terrorist groups" in the area and its recapture was an "important accomplishment". Seizing Salma -- the main bastion of opposition forces since 2012 -- is a major boost for Syria's beleaguered army, which had been mostly locked in a stalemate with rebel factions in the province. Regime forces have fought fierce battles in recent months to retake rebel-controlled areas with help from Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters and from Russian air strikes. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Russia conducted more than 120 air strikes over 48 hours in support of the army's Salma offensive. And on Tuesday, suspected Russian strikes killed 57 civilians, including children and paramedics, in Idlib province, adjacent to Latakia, and in Aleppo in the north, the Observatory said. Rights groups have condemned Russia for killing civilians in its air war, but Moscow insists it is fighting extremist groups. Meanwhile the UN said its envoy to Syria would meet on Wednesday with ambassadors from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Staffan de Mistura is trying to shore up support for planned peace talks later this month between Damascus and the opposition. Dean Strang Since the release of Netflix's docuseries "Making a Murderer," Dean Strang has become something of a celebrity. But in the nine years since the trial of convict Steven Avery, he's seen himself as one thing only. Ive been nothing but a criminal defense lawyer during the time since this trial, as before," Strang told Business Insider in an interview. Strang was one of two lawyers (the other was Jerry Buting) who represented Steven Avery during the Teresa Halbach murder trial, the subject of "Making a Murderer." Avery was accused, and eventually found guilty, of the murder. But many believe Avery was not only innocent; they also suspect he was framed by the Manitowoc County sheriff's office. Avery had previously spent 18 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, and when exonerated, sued Manitowoc, shortly before his arrest in the Halbach murder. The immense popularity of "Making a Murderer" has brought the case back to light, with thousands of people demanding that Avery be released from prison, where he is currently serving a life sentence. Dean Strang Making a Murderer Since the show's debut, Strang has found unique fame on the internet. He's inspired countless tweets that are basically love letters to the lawyer as well as a Tumblr dedicated to his fashion sense. I'm going to get a locker in 2016 just to put this up: #MakingAMurderer pic.twitter.com/PES6xqQbAO Kristen Bell (@IMKristenBell) January 3, 2016 But when asked about his newfound popularity, Strang balks. "I think its silly," Strang said. "Its gonna fade very quickly. Im not a celebrity. Im not someone who is going to remain in the public eye." Story continues On the other hand, while he has our attention, Strang wants to use the spotlight to do some good. "All Im trying to do at the moment is kick the interviews or the forums in which I think we might discuss the broader issues that the film raises and I might get to say some of the things I want to say after 30 years-plus working in courts," Strang said. And Strang has a lot on his mind. steven avery Plenty of speculation has been raised about whether Avery actually killed Halbach. But "Making a Murderer" goes far beyond just the verdict, exploring injustices in America's criminal courts in general. This is something Strang believes that series does well. "I think among those [issues] that I see in the documentary are the role of class in our criminal justice system. Once youre talking about class its hard to disconnect that from race, ethnicity, recent arrival as an immigrant, because all of those things get linked disproportionately to being a member of an underclass," Strang said. Dean Strang Making a Murderer Strang also takes issue with how Avery's nephew Brendan Dassey, who was also convicted for Halbach's murder, was questioned by an investigator. American courts, in Strang's mind, could use some more "humility." "By humility I mean willingness to evaluate our levels of certainty critically," Strang said. "I think the emphasis we place on finality is elevated far beyond what humble public servants and workers in the justice system would give it." Strang doesn't think any criminal justice system will ever be perfect, but he believes that looking at what the rest of the world does both good and bad will only benefit us. Please enable Javascript to watch this video "The world is a great laboratory to look around and say, What best practices is Norway using? What best practices is New Zealand using? What best practices do we see in any country?" Strang said. "I dont know that you could point to any country on earth that has all best practices. I do know that every country on earth has a criminal justice system that is composed entirely of human beings with all of our weaknesses and strengths. NOW WATCH: A law professor tricked his students into lying, which shows why you should never talk to police More From Business Insider steven avery arrest 2 making a murderer netflix Steven Avery has filed a new appeal to his murder conviction in Wisconsin. The motion for appeal, made public Tuesday, cites the abuse of a search warrant and jury improprieties during Avery's trial, the Daily Beast reported. Avery, whose trial and convictions are the subject of Netflix's popular "Making a Murderer," argues that a warrant that resulted in police turning up evidence of Teresa Halbach's murder was issued for one property, yet it was used to search multiple properties. Additionally, he says that one member of the jury, referred to as Juror C.W., told the jury room that Avery was "f--king guilty," which the appeal states "deprived Avery of an impartial Jury trial." The filing also points to the replacement of one juror, Richard Mahler, who was dismissed due to a family emergency after the jury had begun deliberations. However, in the trial covered by "Making a Murderer," Avery and his counsel decided to agree to a juror replacement in lieu of a mistrial. Avery is currenlty serving a life sentence for the murder of Halbach. Previous appeals of his conviction were refused up to the state supreme court, and he's exhausted his ability to be assigned a court-appointed attorney. The filing can be read at the Wisconsin Court of Appeals site. NOW WATCH: The lawyer from 'Making A Murderer' describes what's wrong with America's criminal justice system More From Business Insider Nikki Haley When South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) gives the response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address on Tuesday, she'll be doing so as a popular, young, rising female star in the Republican Party with potentially loftier goals. Her signature moment was her decision to remove the Confederate battle flag from the South Carolina state-capitol grounds after Dylann Roof allegedly killed nine black Charleston churchgoers in June. Haley's move went against the grain of traditional Southern conservative politics. "It came down to one simple thing," she told The New York Times at the time. "I couldn't look my son or daughter in the face and justify that flag flying anymore." Of the decision to lower the flag, The Times wrote it "was a moment of political and racial drama, and a signature moment for Ms. Haley, who blended the traditional values of the South faith, family, empathy into a powerful call for taking down the flag as a gesture of unity, healing and renewal." Tucker Eskew, a veteran of South Carolina politics, who once served in the George W. Bush White House as director of the Office of Media Affairs, told Business Insider that it's been fascinating to see Haley's growth as a leader from when he first met her in 2008, when she was still a state legislator. "That's not a skill, that's not even an attribute, it is a byproduct of personal values that are tested in really serious ways," he said. "And it doesn't meant you always get grace out of the values being tested, but she bears her [values] ... with a steadiness and a sense of purpose that I think is very appealing." Something Haley is doing appears to be working out of her: Public Policy Polling found in November that Haley, the youngest US governor at 43 years old, received a 56% job-approval rating, compared to just a 28% disapproval rating. The pollster noted that even among Democrats, Haley had a 40% job-approval number. Story continues But the political scene wasn't always quite so rosy for Haley. Nikki Haley She was born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa to immigrants who relocated to Bamberg, South Carolina, from India's Punjab state. Haley and her sister once entered a "Little Miss Bamberg" pageant, in which it was tradition to crown a white and a black queen, The Times reported. But since the judges decided the Haley and her sister didn't fit either category, they were kicked out of the competition. Haley was first elected to the South Carolina State House in 2004 and just five years later, she was running for governor and won the endorsement of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), who was then a prominent Republican star after her unsuccessful bid for vice president. Haley's gubernatorial campaign was fairly rocky at times. Bloomberg Politics noted that one state lawmaker called her a "raghead," and that "campaign fliers compared a 'white male/Christian/business owner' to an 'Indian female/Buddhist/housekeeper.'" And just days after receiving the Palin endorsement, Haley who has been married since 1996 and has two children faced allegations that she had extramarital affairs. She strongly denied those claims. She weathered that storm amid and won the election, becoming the youngest governor in South Carolina history at just 38, as well as the first female and first minority governor in Palmetto State history. But although she was making a name for herself outside of South Carolina, she wasn't very popular back in her home state. Her approval ratings floated around the mid-30s early in her first term. "I think it was tough for her being the first female governor," State Sen. Katrina Shealy (R) told NBC News. "I think people weren't ready for that." As NBC noted, Haley was investigated for an ethical violation that went to the state's Supreme Court. She was also criticized for speaking at the 2012 Republican National Convention as her state was hit by Hurricane Isaac. And the state's Department of Revenue was breached, leading to more than 6 million Social Security numbers belonging to South Carolinians being stolen. "She received a lot of criticism for a slow response," Alissa Warters, political science professor at Francis Marion University, told NBC."That's when you saw the national party say, OK, maybe not." Her turnaround in popularity began with strengthening her state's economy, particularly the job market, where unemployment hit a 13-year low in 2014. And the decision surrounding the removal of the Confederate flag catapulted her right back into the national discussion last year. "To be a minority female governor leading this charge, I don't look at the boxes that I am," Haley said at the funeral of one of the victims of the Charleston shooting. "I look at the fact that I'm a wife and a mother and a governor who loves this state, that refuses to let it break and refuses to let it fall apart over a flag," she continued. "This flag didn't cause those nine murders, but the murderer used this flag with him as hate to do it. And this isn't an issue of mental illness, this is an issue of hate." Nikki Haley Eskew, who once prepared a similar speech for former South Carolina Gov. Carroll Campbell, said Haley being selected to give the Obama response is a great opportunity, but it shouldn't be overplayed. "It's one moment in a long series of moments for Gov. Haley," he said. "There are people who have done very well at these and gone to great heights. There are others who have done not so well and have had problems in their political career. But you can't always tie the success or failure in a career to a speech like this." And the speech comes with risks. Former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) was widely mocked for his State of the Union response, which many people compared to Kenneth Parcell, a character from the Tina Fey comedy "30 Rock." Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Florida) is still teased mostly by Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump for drinking an excessive amount of water during his State of the Union response. But it's no secret that responding to a president's big address has opened doors for some on the national stage. Eskew said he thought she would make a great vice-presidential candidate or White House cabinet member. "She's deserving of very careful consideration by our ultimate nominee," he said. For her part, Haley isn't giving many hints as to what she'll cover in her speech. However, she did say in a press conference that it would not be a direct response to the president's speech, but an address to the country on important issues. She said she isn't one to try and compete against the president for attention. "I always go back to that five-year-old Indian girl who lived in Bamburg that just wondered what was out there," she said. "And to be able to think that I will now have the ability to address the country is really humbling." More From Business Insider Mexico's Secretariat of Communications and Transport (SCT) has decided to launch an auction for 700 MHz nationwide shared broadband network on Jan 29, 2016. These wireless spectrums were freed after all TV signals were converted from analog to digital across the nation at the end of 2015. In 2014, the Mexican government had undertaken a massive project of shared wireless network to instil competition in the highly monopolistic telecom industry. Small-scale telecom operators can use this state-owned network for their wireless coverage instead of installing their own network which is highly capital intensive. The SCT will auction at least 90 MHz of spectrum within the 700 MHz-band to cover nearly 98% of the population by 2018. However, in May 2015, the government of Mexico slashed its planned expenditure from $10 billion to $7 billion for the proposed deployment of nationwide wholesale mobile network over the next 10 years. The primary reason for the cut in planned expenditure is that the government now believes that 12,000 mobile towers will be sufficient for installing this network instead of 20,000 cell towers as estimated earlier. In Mar 2015, the SCT had opened tender to take part in this project. Various leading telecom infrastructure equipment developers, with global operational experience had offered bids for the upcoming state-owned mobile network project in Mexico. Notable among them are Ericsson AB ERIC, Nokia Corp. NOK, Cisco Systems Inc. CSCO, Motorola Solutions Inc. MSI, China Telecom Corp. Ltd. CHA, Alestra, and Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. In Jul 2015, SCT declared that it has received 37 tenders from interested parties. Mexico is the largest economy in the Latin American region with a growing middle class population eager to spend more on high-speed wireless networks for facilitating the use of smartphones and tablets. Also the wireless penetration rate is relatively lower in this country. Thus, weighing such positives, an investment in the nation may bode well for telecom network equipment manufacturers. 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 >> 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 CISCO SYSTEMS (CSCO): Free Stock Analysis Report ERICSSON LM ADR (ERIC): Free Stock Analysis Report NOKIA CP-ADR A (NOK): Free Stock Analysis Report CHINA TELCM-ADR (CHA): Free Stock Analysis Report MOTOROLA SOLUTN (MSI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research MEXICO CITY, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Mexico's oil regulator voted on Tuesday to approve plans by national oil company Pemex to drill two new deepwater wells later this year near the maritime border with the United States in the Gulf of Mexico. Both wells are expected to yield light or super light crude, and are within the Mexican extension of the Perdido Fold Belt, which has proved highly productive in adjacent U.S. waters but has represented a major challenge for Pemex due to its lack of specialized expertise. The National Hydrocarbons Commission, known as the CNH, approved Pemex's request to drill the Vasto-1001 and Nobilis-1 wells, both off the coast of northeastern Tamaulipas state in the country's largely untapped deep waters of the Gulf. Vasto-1001 will be drilled at a depth of 23,717 feet (7,229 meters), costing an estimated 3.4 billion pesos ($190 million) and believed to hold prospective resources of about 203 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe) in mostly light crude. The nearby Nobilis-1 well will be 19,619 feet (5,980 meters) deep and cost about 2.73 billion pesos ($152.7 million). The deposit the well will explore is believed to hold prospective resources of about 161 million boe in mostly super light crude. The location of the Nobilis-1 well is just over 4 miles (7 km) from Pemex's Maximino-1 well, one of the company's most promising deep water discoveries in recent years. ($1 = 17.8800 Mexican pesos) (Reporting by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli) DETROIT, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Michigan Governor Rick Snyder on Monday said the state was beginning to put together a request for federal assistance in dealing with the lead-contaminated drinking water in the city of Flint. "We also have engaged FEMA in this process," the governor said at a news conference in Flint. A spokesman for the governor said Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials were already in Flint providing technical assistance on the issue. "We actually have liaison officers from FEMA in dialogue already," Snyder said. "We have not made a specific request of assistance yet, but we are in dialogue with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and talking to them about how we can best work together." The financially strapped city was under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager when it switched its source of tap water to the nearby Flint River in April 2014 from Detroit's water system to save money. Flint, about 60 miles (100 km) northwest of Detroit, returned to Detroit water in October after tests found some children had elevated levels of lead in their blood and lead was found in higher-than-acceptable levels in the water. While the process has begun, the state needs to determine the full extent of the needs in Flint before a request for federal aid is made and that could take a period of time that he did not specify, said Dave Murray, press secretary for the governor. Snyder apologized again on Monday for the state's mishandling of the situation. In late December, he accepted the resignation of the state official whose agency, the Department of Environmental Quality, oversees water quality. Last week, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit said it was investigating the lead contamination of Flint's water and Snyder declared a state of emergency in Gennessee County, which includes Flint, authorizing additional state resources to address health and safety issues. Flint residents have filed a federal lawsuit accusing the city and state of endangering their health. (Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales and Ben Klayman; Writing by Ben Klayman; Editing by Sandra Maler) Coal trains approach Norfolk Southern's Williamson rail yard in Williamson, West Virginia at the border of Pike County, Kentucky May 13, 2015. REUTERS/Valerie Volcovici (Reuters) - U.S. railroad operator Norfolk Southern Corp (NSC.N), which has repeatedly rejected Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd's (CP.TO) takeover bid, said it will consolidate its Virginia and Pocahontas units, to cut costs and support growth. The company said on Tuesday the two units will be consolidated to form a new Pocahontas division on Feb. 1. Norfolk said the move will affect management and staff positions based in Bluefield, West Virginia, but did not detail the number of employees who would be impacted. The company also said it was idling parts of its West Virginia Secondary, a 253-mile railway line between Columbus, Ohio, and central West Virginia due to steady declines in business in recent years. Norfolk has rejected Canadian Pacific Railway's multiple bids over the last month, saying the offers were "grossly inadequate". (Reporting by Anet Josline Pinto in Bengaluru; Editing by Siddharth Cavale) By Jeff Mason and Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama voiced regret for failing to unite Washington since taking office on a wave of hope in 2009, as he prepared to give a State of the Union speech on Tuesday to launch his final year in the White House. Asked about his inability to heal America's political divisions, Obama told NBC's "Today" show, "It's a regret." The president planned to speak optimistically about America's future in his speech in Congress, one of his few remaining chances to capture and hold the attention of millions of Americans before the Nov. 8 election of a new president who will take office next January. The Democratic president will give his final State of the Union address as campaign rhetoric for November's presidential election intensifies with candidates fighting over illegal immigrants, wage inequality and violence. In a reflective mood, Obama said in the NBC interview that he could have done a better job talking to the country during his presidency so he could "communicate constantly and with confidence." "Particularly during times of stress, the American people need to hear from their president in terms of what it is exactly that we're trying to do. Things that Ive done well during the campaign I've not always done well as president." he said. Aides said Obama will try to generate support for issues he has been unable to resolve such as a Pacific trade pact, tighter gun laws and closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison. Scheduled for 9 p.m. ET (0200 GMT on Wednesday), Obama's speech is expected to stick to themes he hopes will define his legacy. Obama is likely to tout last year's Iran nuclear deal and improved U.S.-Cuba relations as achievements, while urging Congress to back criminal justice reform, support the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact and close the U.S military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. ISLAMIC STATE He will also likely discuss the U.S. fight against Islamic State, which has generated criticism from Republicans as being too meagre. "There is one thing that we hope to hear from the president, and that is a comprehensive plan to defeat ISIS," House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters, using an acronym for the militant group that has taken over large areas of Syria and Iraq. Americans are so anxious right now about their security, about whats going on around the world," said Ryan, a Republican. Aides say Obama plans in his last year in office to make good on a 2008 election campaign promise to close Guantanamo prison, which has housed foreign terrorism suspects after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. Obama took a swipe at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's rhetoric on the campaign trail where the billionaire real-estate tycoon has derided illegal immigrants. "Im pretty confident that the overwhelming majority of Americans are looking for the kind of politics that does feed our hopes and not our fears, that does work together and doesnt try to divide us, that isnt looking for simplistic solutions and scapegoating," Obama said in answer to a question about Trump. Asked whether he could imagine Trump as president giving his own State of the Union address, Obama said: "I can imagine it in a Saturday Night skit," referring to the late-night Saturday Night Live television comedy show. But he added that "anything's possible. And I think, you know, we shouldn't be complacent." First lady Michelle Obama will host people in her seating area during the speech who reflect the president's priorities. This year's guests include Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella and a Syrian refugee who lives in Michigan. (Additional reporting by Megan Cassella and Alistair Bell; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Howard Goller) A new day, a new low for oil. U.S. crude prices dropped 5.28% to $31.41 a barrel at Mondays close. During the session, oil dipped below $31 a barrel, touching a 12-year low. The commodity has been down every day of 2016. It has good support in that $31 area, said John LaForge, the co-head of Real Asset Strategy at Wells Fargo Investment Institute (WFC). The self-professed super bear in oil for three years running is now changing his stance to a more neutral tone. That's mainly because of the way supercycles die. Commodities run in these long 16-year bull markets on average, and then they hit their bears [that] last twenty, he said. But most of the damage during the 20 years is done the first five years, and pretty much that's the point we're at now. Despite his call for oils technical support at $31 a barrel, the commodities professional would not be surprised if prices fell into the $20s. But I think it's brief and we'll pop back into the $30s, and then we'll see spats of $40s throughout the year in 2016, said LaForge. Get the Latest Market Data and News with the Yahoo Finance App As for energy stocks, such as blue chips Chevron (CVX) and Exxon Mobil (XOM), which have fallen with dropping oil prices, youll get an initial bounce typically but it doesn't last more than a few weeks, and they settle back down again, said LaForge. Its a good solid two months on average before they begin to recover with oil, he added. For consumers, lower energy prices mean added cash in their pockets, but LaForge notes the benefits to the broader economy may be slow coming, if at all. The amount of money we spend as Americans on energy has gradually gone down. It used to be about 8% of our disposable income in the 70s was used toward energy. Now it's closer to 5 [%], he said. More on Yahoo Finance Tiffany's holiday sales results will sparkle: Oppenheimer Why you shouldn't believe the hype on underemployment: PNC Why Nutrisystem's CEO welcomes Oprah partnering with Weight Watchers (Correct historical record of strongest quake in last paragraph) By Heide Brandes OKLAHOMA CITY, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Earthquakes in Oklahoma in the past week, including one of the strongest ever recorded in the state, have led to calls for the governor to make changes to oil and gas drilling regulations and reduce seismic activity scientists link to the energy industry. Two large earthquakes were recorded in northwest Oklahoma on Wednesday, including a magnitude 4.8 quake. The quakes were part of a surge in seismic activity over the past several years. Scientists have tied a sharp increase in the intensity and frequency of quakes in Oklahoma to the disposal of saltwater, a byproduct of oil and gas extraction, into deep wells. Oil fields have boomed in Oklahoma over the past decade thanks to advances in hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. State Representative Richard Morrissette, a Democrat who has said the state's Republican leaders are not doing enough to address the problem, will host a public forum at the Capitol on Friday to discuss the rash of earthquakes. He wants the state to halt operation of injection wells at quake sites and do more to prevent them from causing quakes. "No one in a position of authority is taking this seriously," said Morrissette, who accused the state's leadership of bowing to pressure from the energy industry. Morrissette is hoping to build grassroots support to take on the oil and gas drilling industry, a powerful player for decades in the state and a major source of employment. The industry is Oklahoma's largest source of private capital spending and tax revenue and accounts for about 10 percent of the state's annual economy, according to the Oklahoma State Chamber, which represents more than 1,000 Oklahoma businesses. Although the quakes last week caused no major reported damage or injuries, they left many Oklahomans shaken. Firms providing quake insurance saw a surge in calls inquiring about coverage. Story continues "We don't have overall data on how much injection is going on in this area, but we attribute most of the earthquakes these days to deep injection of produced oil wastewater," said Jerry Doak, director of the Oklahoma Geological Survey. State leaders have been instituting changes, but critics said they have not gone far enough. In response to the quakes, Governor Mary Fallin, a Republican, said last week that the state has been regulating disposal wells, taking some steps to limit their injection rate and depth of their injections. "Science is ever-evolving as to what actually causes earthquakes. We know that disposal wells can cause earthquakes, but not all earthquakes. There are fault lines that are just natural in Oklahoma," she told The Oklahoman newspaper. Energy companies have also been responding. Phillips 66 has overhauled how it plans for earthquakes, a sign U.S. energy companies are starting to react to rising seismicity around the world's largest crude storage hub in Cushing, Oklahoma, site of many disposal wells. The changes include new protocols for inspecting the health of crude tanks, potentially halting operations after temblors, and monitoring quake alerts. The strongest quake recorded in Oklahoma was a magnitude 5.6 that struck in November 2011, the U.S. Geological Survey said. (Reporting by Heide Brandes; Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) Ted Cruz Donald Trump The flap over presidential candidate and Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) Canadian birth could prove significant in the nation's first-voting state, according to a new survey from the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling. The poll, which was shared with Business Insider ahead of its release Tuesday, found a tight Republican race in Iowa, which will hold the nation's first caucuses early next month. Real-estate magnate Donald Trump held a 28% to 26% lead over Cruz. Trump has shone a light on Cruz's Canadian birth in recent days, claiming that Cruz would have a "problem" if he were to become the Republican nominee. Most legal experts believe Cruz's American mother is enough to qualify him for the presidency as a "natural-born citizen," but courts have never ruled on the issue. The new survey found that only 46% of likely Iowa Republican caucus-goers realize that Cruz was born outside the US. (More Iowa Republicans believe Cruz was born in the US than President Barack Obama.) But just 32% of GOP caucus-goers said that someone born outside the US should be allowed to serve as president, while 47% think such a person should not be able to serve as president. Among the latter group of caucus-goers, Trump crushes Cruz by a 40% to 14% margin. "Our poll findings show the Birther Issue could actually cost Cruz Iowa," Tom Jensen, Public Policy Polling's director, told Business Insider in an email. Overall, when respondents were told that Cruz was born in Canada, the vast majority 65% said it wouldn't make a difference in whether they support him or not. But 24% said it makes them less likely to vote for Cruz. Jensen argued that in such a close race, "that could end up being a difference maker." Trump began talking about the issue after being asked about it during a Washington Post interview last Monday, in which he responded by saying that it could be a "precarious" issue for Republicans. Since then, Trump has mentioned it frequently in stump speeches and media appearances. Story continues During a New Hampshire rally on Monday, Trump argued that the Republican Party "just can't" nominate someone in Cruz's position. "In the case of Ted, he has to figure it out," he said. "Now, I think he can go in for some kind of a judiciary proceeding. Look, it doesn't matter what he does. You can't have a nominee who's going to be subject to be thrown out as the nominee. You just can't do it." The Public Policy Polling survey is one of several that has shown Trump closing the gap with his now-chief rival in Iowa, after Cruz surged ahead of Trump there recently. Trump also held a two-point lead over Cruz in a Quinnipiac University survey of the state released Monday. Trump and Cruz are in a dominant position compared to the rest of the field. The PPP poll found Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) in third place at 13%. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson was in fourth at 8%, while former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) was in fifth place at 6%. Trump does have another potential advantage over Cruz: Less than three weeks before the caucuses, 73% of his voters said they're "committed" to voting for him, the highest percentage of any Republican. Just 58% said the same about Cruz. View the full poll below: Public Policy Polling Iowa GOP results NOW WATCH: Watch President Obama break down during an emotional speech on gun violence More From Business Insider Saul Loeb | Pool | Reuters. The Obama administration may have done U.S. drillers a favor by holding back drilling on federal land, analyst John Kilduff says. President Barack Obama called on the American people to "fix our politics" in his final State of the Union address. Laying out his vision for the country's economic and social future, the president who has often expressed frustration in his inability to work with a Republican-controlled Congress said Tuesday night that Americans would be able to achieve a more perfect union if only they could break through the rancor of partisan politics. "The future we want opportunity and security for our families; a rising standard of living and a sustainable, peaceful planet for our kids all that is within our reach. But it will only happen if we work together. It will only happen if we can have rational, constructive debates," the president said. "It will only happen if we fix our politics." In his address, a full copy of which was posted online about 10 minutes before he delivered it, the president recalled his original election promise of "change." "We live in a time of extraordinary change change that's reshaping the way we live, the way we work, our planet and our place in the world," Obama said. "It's change that promises amazing medical breakthroughs, but also economic disruptions that strain working families. It promises education for girls in the most remote villages, but also connects terrorists plotting an ocean away. It's change that can broaden opportunity, or widen inequality." "And whether we like it or not, the pace of this change will only accelerate," he added, recalling major national changes from wars, depressions, immigration waves and pushes for civil rights. These changes, Obama said, were made to "work for us" instead of being opposed outright. "Each time, there have been those who told us to fear the future; who claimed we could slam the brakes on change, promising to restore past glory if we just got some group or idea that was threatening America under control," he said. "And each time, we overcame those fears. We did not, in the words of Lincoln, adhere to the 'dogmas of the quiet past.' Instead we thought anew, and acted anew. We made change work for us, always extending America's promise outward, to the next frontier, to more and more people." Story continues "And because we did because we saw opportunity where others saw only peril we emerged stronger and better than before," Obama said. As for his vision for politics, Obama explained that he is not calling for Americans to agree on everything, but emphasized that "democracy does require basic bonds of trust between its citizens." He asked the citizenry not to give in to cynicism, to avoid thinking that "change isn't possible and politics is hopeless." If those feelings take over, he cautioned, the powerful and the wealthy will gain greater control over the country. "As frustration grows, there will be voices urging us to fall back into tribes, to scapegoat fellow citizens who don't look like us, or pray like us, or vote like we do, or share the same background," he said, potentially referencing the perceived rancor on the campaign trail. "We can't afford to go down that path. It won't deliver the economy we want, or the security we want, but most of all, it contradicts everything that makes us the envy of the world." Addressing the economy, Obama said there is one "basic fact," and it's that "the United States of America, right now, has the strongest, most durable economy in the world." The president highlighted the country's record streak for private-sector job growth, the strength of the auto industry, and the fact that manufacturing has created almost 900,000 new jobs over the past six years. "And we've done all this while cutting our deficits by almost three-quarters," he said. Obama criticized those doubting the strength of the U.S. suggesting "anyone claiming that America's economy is in decline is peddling fiction" and instead suggested that more changes were behind public unease. "What is true and the reason that a lot of Americans feel anxious is that the economy has been changing in profound ways, changes that started long before the Great Recession hit and haven't let up," he said. The president explained that his goal for the past seven years has been to grow the economy in a way that works better for every citizen, and he said his administration "made progress," but he charged that the country needs to do more. Read More Three things Obama should focus on in 2016 He pointed to technology replacing some jobs and companies increasingly able to locate anywhere in the world as reasons why workers have "less leverage for a raise." Part of this trend, he said, is that wealth and income are becoming more concentrated at the top. "All these trends have squeezed workers, even when they have jobs; even when the economy is growing. It's made it harder for a hardworking family to pull itself out of poverty, harder for young people to start on their careers, and tougher for workers to retire when they want to," he said, referencing a dominate theme on the campaign trail to replace him. "And although none of these trends are unique to America, they do offend our uniquely American belief that everybody who works hard should get a fair shot." Larry Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute, took issue with the president's assessment of the root causes in wage stagnation. Instead of blaming technological improvements, Mishel told CNBC, Obama would have done well to point to "policy choices over many decades that worked to lessen the ability of the typical workers to get a good deal from their employer: lowered minimum wage, rules that make it harder to collectively bargain, bad trade deals, excessive unemployment and failure to enforce wage standards." Touting the bipartisan reform of No Child Left Behind as "an important start," Obama said Americans can agree that increasing economic opportunity requires better education and training. He called on the country to "build on that progress" by providing pre-kindergarten for everyone, extending computer science classes and more. He also renewed his calls to make college more affordable "because no hardworking student should be stuck in the red." While saying that his administration has already reduced the burden of student loans, Obama said the country should seek to cut the cost of college, and he pledged to keep fighting for a free two years of community college for responsible students. Obama also called for "benefits and protections that provide a basic measure of security." "It's not much of a stretch to say that some of the only people in America who are going to work the same job, in the same place, with a health and retirement package, for 30 years, are sitting in this chamber," Obama said to the assemblage of government leaders, calling Social Security and Medicare "more important than ever." Henry Aaron, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution specializing in health care reform and social programs, said the president's comments on Social Security and Medicare stood out to him. In fact, he told CNBC, the angle of strengthening those programs (however unspecific Obama may have been) reflects a position that the Democrats will want to take on the campaign trail. "I think the Democrats are going to stick with that, and that's a winning position," Aaron said. "It's hard to find any group in the U.S. who doesn't overwhelmingly support both programs. That includes Bernie Sanders' left and the Tea Party's right." While calling for America to strengthen those programs, Obama also touted the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare). "Nearly eighteen million have gained coverage so far," he boasted. "Health care inflation has slowed. And our businesses have created jobs every single month since it became law." Although Obama admitted it was unlikely that lawmakers would agree on health care "anytime soon," he said that there should be other ways for bipartisan efforts to improve economic security. Even if a hardworking American struggles to hold down a job, he or she should still be able to save for retirement "that's the way we make the new economy work better for everyone," he said. Obama recognized House Speaker Paul Ryan's interest in tackling poverty, and he said he'd welcome a "serious discussion" about strategies like expanding tax cuts for low-income workers without kids. Whether conservatives will take up the president's offer to work together remains to be seen. "The president's description of the changes facing the American economy and their effect on workers was good and important. And I applaud the president for focusing so heavily on poverty," reflected Michael Strain, the deputy director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. "Whether the president's solutions are best will hopefully be the subject of much debate in this year's presidential election." Read More Opinion: Obama's 'big miss' on manufacturing Although he expressed his hopes for bipartisan efforts, the president acknowledged that there are areas where agreement is less likely, including the government's role in "making sure the system's not rigged in favor of the wealthiest and biggest corporations." Obama said he believes the private sector is the "lifeblood of our economy," adding that there are outdated regulations and red tape that should be cut, but he called for stricter regulations in some regards. "After years of record corporate profits, working families won't get more opportunity or bigger paychecks by letting big banks or big oil or hedge funds make their own rules at the expense of everyone else; or by allowing attacks on collective bargaining to go unanswered," he said. "Food stamp recipients didn't cause the financial crisis; recklessness on Wall Street did." Obama doubled down on his criticism of corporations and financial firms while also hinting at others' campaign talking points, saying "immigrants aren't the reason wages haven't gone up enough; those decisions are made in the boardrooms that too often put quarterly earnings over long-term returns." "It's sure not the average family watching tonight that avoids paying taxes through offshore accounts," he added. The president said he plans to "lift up" businesses who are "doing right by their workers" over the next year, spreading those practices across the country. Assessing the economic portion of Obama's speech, David Wessel, director at the Brookings Institution's Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy, said the president "raised the right issues." "He is referring to very tough challenges, the sort that aren't solved by a single new government program," Wessel said. "I thought his plea at the end for 'a better politics' was well put and inspiring: Obama at his best." Andy Green, managing director for economic policy at the Center for American Progress also applauded the president's speech, saying Obama "really captured the mood of the nation when he emphasized how far too many Americans feel that the system is rigged in favor of the wealthiest and large corporations." "Ultimately, whether it's the lack of accountability from the 2008 financial crisis, the almost daily attacks on collective bargaining rights, or the seemingly never-ending search for tax loopholes, giveaways, and offshore havens, the public's feeling that the system is rigged is a deep and serious threat to the trust so essential to the proper functioning of our democratic system," Green said, adding that the president was "absolutely right" in emphasizing that "recklessness" on Wall Street led to the financial crisis. "It's a problem that has been years in the making and will requires years to address, but accountability in the face of massive distortions of wealth and power must continue to be a priority for this president and whoever comes next," Green said. In the second part of his speech, Obama turned to ways the country can leverage technology and innovation to its benefit. Recalling the space race, the president noted that the country has in recent years "protected an open Internet," and launched "next-generation manufacturing hubs." But looking ahead, Obama announced that he had initiated a new national effort to cure cancer . Led by Vice President Joe Biden, that initiative will aim to "make America the country that cures cancer once and for all." Read More While Obama gives speech, Biden unveils cancer mission And on the subject of future actions against climate change, Obama pitched it as a business opportunity. "Even if the planet wasn't at stake; even if 2014 wasn't the warmest year on record until 2015 turned out even hotter why would we want to pass up the chance for American businesses to produce and sell the energy of the future?" he asked. Obama used his address to announce the results of the government's investment in clean energy, deeming wind power cheaper than "dirtier, conventional power" in fields from Iowa to Texas, and touting tens of millions of dollars each year in solar savings (while that industry now employs more Americans than coal). "We're taking steps to give homeowners the freedom to generate and store their own energy something environmentalists and Tea Partiers have teamed up to support. Meanwhile, we've cut our imports of foreign oil by nearly sixty percent, and cut carbon pollution more than any other country on Earth," he stated. "Gas under two bucks a gallon ain't bad, either." Read More Obama: Climate change is an economic imperative Calling for an acceleration to the country's transition away from dirty energy, Obama said he will push to change the way the U.S. manages its oil and coal resources, so they "better reflect the costs they impose on taxpayers and our planet." "None of this will happen overnight, and yes, there are plenty of entrenched interests who want to protect the status quo," he said. "But the jobs we'll create, the money we'll save, and the planet we'll preserve that's the kind of future our kids and grandkids deserve." Reuters and CNBC's Jacob Pramuk and Fred Imbert contributed to this report. More From CNBC bild putin It would be less difficult for Russia to grant asylum to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad than it was to shelter former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with German newspaper BILD. The Russian leader, who launched an air campaign in Syria on behalf of Assad last September, hinted that Russia could shelter the embattled Syrian president if presidential elections were held and Assad lost. "It was surely more difficult to grant Mr. Snowden asylum in Russia than it would be in the case of Assad," Putin said, according to an English translation provided by the newspaper to Business Insider. Snowden was granted asylum by Russia in June 2013 after leaking thousands of classified US documents to the press. Indeed, Russia's intervention in Syria has proved widely popular in Russia, where the incursion has been portrayed on state media as one success after another. A poll taken in October showed that roughly 70% of Russians supported the air campaign. Putin said, however, that it was still "too early" to discuss the issue of sheltering Assad. "First the Syrian population has to be able to vote, and then we will see if Assad would have to leave his country if he loses the election," Putin, a staunch ally of Assad and his regime, told BILD. "In any case, this is not a prerequisite," Putin added. "Until then, Russia will fight ISIS and those anti-Assad rebels who cooperate with ISIS." Russia airstrikes Syria up to Dec 27 Putin called accusations that Russia was bombing civilian and US-backed rebel targets in Syria instead of ISIS "lies." "The alleged video evidence for this claim was developed before Russian forces even began their mission," Putin said. "We can prove that, even though our critics refuse to believe it." So far, Russia has provided no proof that it does not deliberately strike civilian targets. In December, the human-rights organization Amnesty International said Russia's bombing of Syria may amount to a war crime because of the number of civilians its strikes have killed at least 200 from September to November of 2015. Story continues When asked why Russia continues to support Assad who is known to use barrel bombs that have killed thousands of Syrian civilians since the war erupted in 2011 Putin said that was "a tricky question." "I also think that President Assad has done much wrong over the course of this conflict," Putin noted. "But the conflict would never have become so big if it had not been fueled by outside of Syria with weapons, money, and fighters." Aleppo syria rebels "Assad does not fight against his own population, but against those who take armed action against the government," Putin added. "If the civil population is then also harmed, it is not Assads fault, but primarily the fault of the insurgents and their foreign supporters." Barrel bombs dropped on civilian targets, including bakeries, schools, and hospitals, have killed almost 19,000 civilians and rebel fighters since 2012, according to The New York Times. In any case, Putin seems confident that the turmoil will settle long enough for Syrian civilians to vote in presidential elections. "Once the stabilization of the country has progressed, a constitutional reform has to follow, and then early presidential elections. Only the Syrian people can decide who should govern the country in the future," he said. The Syrian civil war erupted in earnest in March 2011 after pro-Assad forces attacked peaceful protesters calling for his ouster. According to Syria expert Charles Lister, there are now roughly 70,000 moderate opposition fighters not associated with either ISIS or Al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra battling to overthrow the president, who continues to receive support from Russia and Iran. NOW WATCH: Here's how President Obama starts every morning More From Business Insider There's growing evidence that Saudi Arabia's attempt to flood the crude market at a time of oversupply and concerns about weakening demand is not working, American oil billionaire Harold Hamm said Tuesday. "We're in a predatory pricing environment. That's what's happened. The Saudis turned 1.8 million barrels on, and basically their intent was to drown us. But they've not got that done. It's been a monumental mistake for them, I might add, a trillion- dollar mistake," the founder and chief of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources (NYSE: CLR) told CNBC's " Squawk Box." Read More This is the Saudi news that could move oil Hamm cited speculation that Saudi Aramco , the state-owned oil giant, may sell at least part of its operations in an initial public offering. "They're having to sell part of their business to keep doing what they are doing," he said, referring to the refusal by the Saudis to cut production. "They're having to sustain a country. We're sustaining companies here. We cut capex and quit spending money. And ride it out." Pressure may be mounting on Saudi Arabia from fellow OPEC members, as crude prices continued to trade around 12-year lows Tuesday morning. Nigeria's oil minister said a couple members of OPEC have requested an emergency meeting. But other members said the group won't be gathering to talk about oil prices before their next scheduled meeting in June. Over the next 12 months, Hamm expects oil prices to nearly double to around the $50 to $60 per barrel range as output, at least in the U.S., abates. "The tipping point is getting back to equilibrium with supply and demand. We see that happening in the back part of the year." Read More Oil prices stabilize after hitting multiyear lows But there's been some question about whether some of the U.S. oil companies can survive until the market stabilizes. Oppenheimer analyst Fadel Gheit told CNBC on Monday that half of the American shale producers could go bankrupt before crude eventually turns. Gheit also sees equilibrium at around $60 per barrel, but said it could take more than two years to get there. Story continues Hamm said the bankruptcy narrative has been vastly overstated. "It's a different situation than it was in the 1980s. Most of the companies out there [now] have long term money that's not coming due tomorrow," he said. "They're able to ride this out." "A lot of bankruptcies were predicted early. They're just not happening. We have some of them that have. The weaker companies are folding, maybe, but very few of them," he said. More From CNBC Alaska stair lift dealers welcome the free mini website service Stairlift Company Reviews brings to their state NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / January 12, 2016 / When people in the know want to find the latest information about stair lifts online they go to StairliftCompanyReviews.com. This website's appeal rests firmly on its well-earned reputation as the most reliable independent stair lift information resource for dealers and their customers. Stairlift Company Review's interest in the Alaska market has led them to offer local stair lift dealers the chance to get their very own individualized mini-websites. These fully customizable websites offer many advantages to Alaska stair lift dealers. These websites are constructed to project the dealer's business exactly as they want to be portrayed online. The dealers decide on how their business profile is displayed, on graphics and product photos, reviews, the details of how customers can be in contact and place orders, and everything else required for a winner website. Best of all, StairliftCompanyReviews.com really offers these facilities free of charge! They also offer to assist the stair lift dealers with expert online branding advice and technical support to get their mini-websites off the ground. Yale Lipshick, Co-Founder of StairliftCompanyReviews.com explains their approach, "We are convinced that the Alaskan stair lift market has much untapped potential. In many respects the Alaskan consumer has not received the same attention as their counterparts living in more populous states. Local stair lift dealers need support to bring their products to the customer's attention. Stair lift dealers who take up our mini-website offer will certainly gain from establishing or enhancing their online presence. We also appreciate how our excellent professional reputation is going to be further strengthened when we showcase our extensive knowledge in this field. From the dealer's perspective this is a not-to-be missed chance to quickly and easily access the booming online trading market." Stairlift Company Reviews has already won the confidence of local stair lift dealers by demonstrating to them the importance of mastering online marketing techniques. Bill Carter, an Alaska stair lifts dealer, describes how "StairliftCompanyReviews.com provided us with all the assistance required to bring our products to the attention of an educated online buying public. We are happy we decided to take up their offer." StairliftCompanyReviews.com is confident that this Alaska market is going to be well worth developing. Stay tuned for more important service/product news over coming months. For more information, please visit www.stairliftcompanyreviews.com. About StairliftCompanyReviews.com StairliftCompanyReviews.com is the internet's largest single source of stairlift information. We connect stairlift shoppers with the best local stairlift dealers, installers, and servicers who represent the most popular brands in the industry. Chair lift customers can quickly and easily get price quotes from all major brands on stairlift rentals and on all new and pre-owned models from manufacturers like Acorn, Stannah, Hawle and Bruno. Consumers who use StairliftCompanyReviews.com receive competitive quotes from only prescreened, trusted dealers and service representatives for new, pre-owned, and rental stairlifts. For more information about us, please visit http://www.stairliftcompanyreviews.com Contact Info: Name: Yale Lipschik Organization: Stairlift Company Reviews Address: 500 Mamaroneck Ave Harrison, NY 10528 Phone: 1-888-507-2015 SOURCE: Stairlift Company Reviews PHILADELPHIA, PA--(Marketwired - January 12, 2016) - Netrality Properties announces that Sunesys has established a Point of Presence in its Meet Me Room (MMR) at 401 North Broad, the leading Carrier Hotel in Philadelphia and the Mid-Atlantic Region. The new presence provides 401 North Broad's carrier, education, healthcare, enterprise and media customers full access to Sunesys' portfolio of dark fiber, lit, cloud and IP services critical to the city and region, expanding to and from the New York, Washington D.C. and Virginia markets. "401 North Broad is a major interconnection hub for our fiber network, covering 6,000+ miles in the Mid-Atlantic region, and a critical meeting point for SunTran, our data center transport solution. Netrality's unique offering of no monthly recurring cross connect fees coupled with a building-owned MMR makes it an ideal location to service our growing customer base," stated Alan Katz, Vice President of Sunesys. "For these reasons we are very excited that Netrality has acquired this critical Carrier Hotel, built the MMR and is committed to helping us expand our business." As demand for extensive and cost-effective distributed connectivity for content and application delivery continues to increase, locations such as 401 North Broad become even more essential. These core interconnection points provide a compelling solution for network operators of all types that need to directly connect to metro, national and global networks to successfully participate in the data process. Netrality has embraced this future, and with its investment, has positioned 401 North Broad as the leading education, healthcare and media network hub for Philadelphia and the Mid-Atlantic region. "We sincerely appreciate the response and support that we have received from the networking community for our new MMR at 401 North Broad," stated Hunter Newby, Chief Strategy Advisor of Netrality Properties. "We are thrilled to welcome Sunesys in to the room and to continue to offer additional network service options to our customers, which improves the marketplace and adds value for everyone involved." About Netrality Properties: Netrality Properties integrates the ownership of carrier hotel real estate and the operation of data center colocation, providing network neutral "Meet Me Room" environments with long-term stability and no monthly recurring charges for cross connections. Netrality Properties currently owns approximately 3 million square feet of carrier hotel property including 325 Hudson Street in New York (owned in Joint Venture with Jamestown, LP), 401 North Broad Street in Philadelphia, 1102 Grand in Kansas City, 717 South Wells in Chicago, and 1301 Fannin in Houston. Netrality is a joint venture operated by affiliates of Amerimar Enterprises and Hunter Newby. For more information on Netrality Properties, please visit www.netralityproperties.com. About Sunesys: Sunesys is a leading provider of premium bandwidth services and private fiber optic networks. Sunesys owns, operates, and maintains their own high density fiber optic network in major metropolitan areas across 31 states in the U.S. Sunesys offers a comprehensive suite of tailored, high-capacity, facilities-based network services coupled with superior industry expertise, service, and support. For more information on Sunesys' fiber solutions, please visit: http://sunesys.com/. The following factors are likely to influence Malaysian palm oil futures and other vegetable oil markets. FUNDAMENTALS * Malaysian palm oil futures fell on Monday to their lowest in over three weeks despite supportive government data, weighed down by plunging crude oil prices and volatile global equities. * U.S. wheat futures dropped 2 percent on Monday on technical selling and profit-taking after touching three-week highs last week, while traders eyed an eagerly awaited series of government reports on crops due on Tuesday. * U.S. crude prices continued a relentless dive early on Tuesday approaching a 20 percent drop since the beginning of the year as analysts scrambled to cut their 2016 oil price forecasts and traders bet on further price falls. MARKET NEWS * Wall Street rallied to finish slightly higher on Monday, steadying after a brutal start to 2016, while beaten-down oil prices plunged further after a fresh tumble for Chinese stocks. RELATED > Malaysia's Jan 1-10 palm oil exports rise 15.2 pct m/m > Malaysia's Jan 1-10 palm oil exports rose 7.9 pct -SGS > Malaysia's Dec palm stocks fall for first time in six months > Thai govt promises help for rubber farmers hit by falling prices > Oil market braces for longer downturn as 2020 crude falls to $50 DATA/EVENTS > Cargo surveyor ITS releases Malaysia's Jan 1-15 palm oil export data on January 15. > Cargo surveyor SGS releases Malaysia's Jan 1-15 palm oil export data on January 15. * For a table on Malaysian physical palm oil prices, including refined oil, Reuters Terminal users can double click on or type. * To view freight rates from Peninsula Malaysia/Sumatra to China, India, Pakistan and Rotterdam, please key in and press enter, or double click between the brackets. * Reuters Terminal users can see cash and futures edible oil prices by double clicking on the codes in the brackets: To go to the next page in the same chain, hit F12. To go back, hit F11. Palm, soy and crude oil prices at 0031 GMT Story continues Contract Month Last Change Low High Volume MY PALM OIL JAN6 0 +0.00 0 0 0 MY PALM OIL FEB6 0 +0.00 0 0 0 MY PALM OIL MAR6 0 +0.00 0 0 0 CHINA PALM OLEIN MAY6 4686 -26.00 4668 4702 548798 CHINA SOYOIL MAY6 5566 -32.00 5556 5582 196082 CBOT SOY OIL MAR6 29.25 +2.80 0.00 0.00 0 INDIA PALM OIL JAN6 414.20 +2.80 410.60 419.90 1714 INDIA SOYOIL JAN6 598.50 -4.80 598.10 608.00 23100 NYMEX CRUDE FEB6 31.32 -0.09 31.10 31.35 2608 Palm oil prices in Malaysian ringgit per tonne CBOT soy oil in U.S. cents per pound Dalian soy oil and RBD palm olein in Chinese yuan per tonne India soy oil in Indian rupee per 10 kg Crude in U.S. dollars per barrel Vegetable oils -- Malaysian palm oil exports -- CBOT soyoil futures -- CBOT soybean futures -- Indian solvent -- Weekly Indian vegetable oils -- Dalian Commodity Exchange -- Dalian soyoil futures -- Dalian refined palm oil futures -- Zhengzhou rapeseed oil -- European edible oil prices/trades -- (Reporting by Praveen Menon) General Motors (GM) will be testing Americas tolerance for free trade in 2016 when it begins to import a Chinese-made Buick, the first mainstream vehicle from China that will be sold in U.S. showrooms. Its a dicey time to introduce a Chinese import to the U.S. car market. China is a frequent target of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who wants to impose new taxes on Chinese imports to help boost U.S. manufacturing. Economists dispute the merits of tariffs, yet Trumps strong standing in the polls suggests his China-bashing has populist appeal. And some consumers still hold a grudge against GM for the 2009 government bailout that kept it in business, which could sharpen criticism of the import plan. Related: Donald Trump wants you to pay more for smartphones, TVs and a lot else But theres business logic behind GMs plan to begin shipping the Chinese-made Envision crossover from China to the United States. The consumer is definitely accepting of the fact that companies are global, Toni DiSalle, chief of marketing for Buick and GMC, told Yahoo Finance. We see this as an opportunity from a business standpoint. Auto analysts have said for years that its inevitable cars would be imported from China. But many thought theyd be low-end econoboxes peddled to the thriftiest buyers, or Chinese-branded cars trying to undercut the competition. The Envision doesnt fit either profile. Instead, its an upscale, midsized crossover meant to compete with luxury models such as the Acura RDX, Audi Q5 and BMW X3, which start at around $40,000 and can easily cost much more, with options. GM says it wasnt even sure it would sell the Envision in the United States when it made plans to build it several years ago. The vehicle was designed for the Chinese market, where Buick is a sales leader and GMs top brand. Initial sales targets for the Chinese market were less than 100,000 units per year, but GM has sold nearly 150,000 since the Envision went on sale early about 12 months ago. With the market for crossovers-- raised vehicles with the ride height of an SUV but the handling of a sedan -- red hot nearly everywhere, GM decided to bring the Envision to the U.S. market. The American version will be almost identical to the one sold in China, with a few tweaks to improve handling and comply with American safety and environmental rules. The vehicle fits well in the Buick lineup, since the division has a small crossover, the Encore, and a large one, the Enclave -- but nothing in between them. GM says quality wont be an issue. The Envision is built as part of GMs joint venture with Chinese automaker SAIC, at a Chinese plant that meets GMs highest internal standard for quality -- a level some of GMs American plants dont meet. That means fit and finish ought to be superb, with tiny gaps between seams, no misaligned cabin componenets, and no annoying squeaks or rattles. GM is borrowing talking points from Apple, as well. Executives frequently point out that while the Envision is built in China, it was completely designed in Michigan -- just as Apple says the iPhone is assembled in China but designed in California. The bet seems to be that American buyers will approve of the high-end brainwork being done at home, even if the manual labor comes from overseas. Buick hopes to sell 30,000 to 40,000 Envisions per year in the United States, a relatively modest number. If reviews are strong and sales boom, GM could start to build the crossover at a North American plant as well, since there comes a point in manufacturing where its more efficient to set up an assembly line where you sell the car than to bear the cost of shipping it halfway across the world. So it may be U.S. car buyers who ultimately determine if the Envision gets made in America. If you need more information, here is a brief list of additional forced migration resources (research guides, information-rich websites, networks, and blogs). 2000 - 2022 24 .- . focus-news.net, () . 24 . 24 . . 24 . We value your privacy. Focus Taiwan (CNA) uses tracking technologies to provide better reading experiences, but it also respects readers' privacy. Click here to find out more about Focus Taiwan's privacy policy. When you close this window, it means you agree with this policy. LOUISVILLE - Mike Scholting of Louisville recently won first place in the A non-irrigated division of the 2015 National Corn Growers Association's (NCGA) Corn Yield Contest in Nebraska. Scholting won with Pioneer(r) brand hybrid P1257AM(tm), which yielded 329.6426 bushels per acre. In 2015, recurrent yield contest winner David Hula of Charles City, Virginia, took his fields to a whole new level by breaking the world record of 532.0271 bushels per acre using Pioneer P1197AM(tm)^ brand corn on his contest plot. Scholting earned one of the 218 state titles won by growers planting Pioneer hybrids. The NCGA awarded 407 state titles in this year's contest. Growers planting Pioneer hybrids dominated the contest and won 54 percent of all state awards presented. The NCGA Corn Yield Contest is an annual U.S. national competition among corn growers with the goal of capitalizing on the high genetic yield potential of today's corn hybrids. Growers compete in six corn production classes, including non-irrigated (A and AA), no-till/strip-till non-irrigated (A and AA), irrigated and no-till/strip-till irrigated classes. "The 2015 yield heroes brought home another record yield year, and we're thrilled," said Steve Reno, DuPont Pioneer vice president, regional director - U.S. and Canada, "Growers have made a calculated choice to manage their crops with Pioneer products and services and continue to do so in 2016," Reno continued. "Management practices combined with leading genetics and traits produce the results they're looking for. These contest winners are proof of what can happen with Pioneer as their partner. At Pioneer, we're with you from the word go." Each year, our country witnesses a tradition taken straight from the Constitution. The Constitution specifically charges the president with providing to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient. In his final State of the Union, the president should focus on the significant problems that face our country in the year ahead. Many of the issues troubling our nation and the world over the past year will continue. The threat of ISIL remains persistent and dangerous. Additionally, countless American families face economic uncertainty. Meanwhile, the federal government continues to expand and impede progress on too many fronts. We can, and must, do better for the citizens of this country. As you gaze across the horizon to the year ahead, I would to like to tell you about my priorities for 2016 and the second session of the 114th Congress. The world is a dangerous place. As such, the first priority of our federal government is to provide for the common defense. I serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee, where I am honored to work with the men and women of our military. Our committee helps to ensure our service members have the resources they need to protect our nation, carry out their missions, and safely return home. As Nebraskas voice on this influential committee, I will continue to conduct oversight and push the Obama administration to adopt more effective policies for defending our nation. Entrepreneurship and technological progress will also be important in the year ahead. Its safe to say that in 2016, American innovators will be hard at work creating new technologies that will change our daily lives. Many of these entrepreneurs and innovative companies are already thriving right here in Nebraska. As a member of both the Senate Commerce Committee and the Senate Small Business Committee, I will continue to work hard to promote policies that enable businesses to grow, expand, and create jobs for our communities. Congress must prevent the federal government from regulating technology with rules from the VCR era. Nebraskans understand that roads are the lifeblood of our communities. Last year, Congress successfully passed the first long-term highway bill in over a decade. The bill was a victory for Nebraska, and I was proud to play an important role throughout the process. Our state will now receive much-needed transportation funding for important updates to Nebraskas rural and urban highway and transit infrastructure. It also provides more certainty for states and local governments across the country as they plan for future transportation projects. In my capacity as the chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to conduct robust oversight of the highway bills implementation. Our subcommittee will help ensure the important programs and regulatory reforms in the bill are being carried out in an effective and fiscally responsible manner. As we work to secure a more prosperous and healthy nation, we must also take care of our environment. All Nebraskans want clean air and clean water. Unfortunately, the federal government thinks it knows how to care for the environment better than the people of our state. This year, I will continue to hold the administration accountable for the harmful environmental burdens it places on our citizens. Nebraskans, not bureaucrats in Washington, should remain in control of our precious natural resources. The year has just begun, and the Senate is ready to work. With your feedback and input, we will be able to deliver real and meaningful solutions for Nebraska in 2016. Thank you for participating in the democratic process. I look forward to visiting with you again next week. A 27-year-old woman was sentenced to prison Monday morning in Dodge County District Court for committing check fraud over a month-long span. Megan Dohmen of Omaha pleaded guilty and was sentenced by Judge Geoffrey Hall to serve one year in the Lincoln Correctional Facility for check fraud. Deputy County Attorney Tim Sopinksi said Dohmen wrote numerous checks when she had an inactive account, or did not have the necessary funds for the checks to be processed. By committing the Class IV felony, Dohmen could have faced a sentence of five years, $10,000 or both, Hall said. From July 3 through August 2015, Dohmen wrote multiple bad checks in Dodge County, Sopinski said. During the span, she racked up $1,292 in fraudulent expenses. The prosecution sought restitution, but through the plea agreement Dohmen wont be required to pay because she has no way to cover the expense. Dohmen was credited with serving 34 days in jail, and under the Nebraska Good Time Law, could be eligible for release in six months. In other District Court news: *Jeremy C. Murray, 25, of Fremont was sentenced to an additional probationary term after failing to comply with the Nebraska Sex Offender registration Act. Murray is required to register as an offender for 25 years, Judge Hall said, and the lack of doing so resulted in Murray being charged with a Class IIIa felony. Murray, who is on probation, is being required to serve a concurrent probationary sentence with another year added after his current probation sentence is complete. *Brooklynn M. Rydel, 25, of Fremont pleaded guilty to being in possession of a controlled substance methamphetamine, a Class IV felony. Rydel was arrested at 9:50 p.m. June 25 when a traffic stop was conducted by a Dodge County Sheriffs deputy after he or she noticed a vehicle driving on the shoulder of the road, Sopinski said. Rydel, who was present in the vehicle, gave the deputy verbal consent to search her purse, where the deputy located a small bag containing a crystal-like substance meth. On the way to the Sheriffs Office, the deputy heard the sound of cellophane wrapper being fiddled with in the backseat, Sopinski said. The vehicle was stopped, and another small bag of methamphetamine was confiscated from Rydel. Judge Hall ordered a pre-sentence investigation and sentencing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Feb 29. One day you wash up on the beach, wet and naked. Another day you wash back out. In between, the scenery changes constantly. An explosion at 10.20am today hit central tourist district of Istanbuls Sultanahmet. According to the Turkish TV channels' reports many people injured in the explosion.The Sultanahmet square, close to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, is a major tourist area of Istanbul. According to a Turkish NTV, German tourists are among those injured at the explosion. The reason of the explosion is not yet known. According to the first official announcement from Istanbul Governorship, 10 people died and 15 are wounded. 11 of the wounded are foreigners. The wounded are taken to hospitals. Number of Wounded tourists and their nationalities are as follows Samatya Hospital : 2 German, 1 Peruvian Cerrahpasa Hospital: 3 German Capa Hospital: 3 German Haseki Hospital : 1 German, 1 Peruvian Dating back to the 17th century, the only Ottoman imperial palace and hotel on the Bosphorus that once hosted Sultans, the icon of timeless elegance Cragan Palace celebrates its 25th year under the management of Kempinski Hotels. As being the meeting point of history and luxury, it is offering exclusive activities to its guests throughout January. Ciragan Palace is Istanbuls iconic hotel and has an unique architecture, a matchless location on the Bosphorus, the highest level of personalised service, and management by leading hotel business executives. Since its opening, it has seen countless eminent figures passing through its doors, including government delegates, royal families, world stars and celebrities. Ciragan Palace Kempinski excites people who are able to admire its splendour and creates a desire to see it in those who have yet to do so. In the past 25 years, it has always been the host of the most prestigious and extravagant events, meetings and weddings in the city. Cragan Palace that celebrates its 25th year under the management of Kempinski Hotels is at the service of its guests with its exclusive 25th year events and accommodation package that are enriched with the service quality of Kempinski throughout January. Exclusive 25th Year Events Throughout January at Cragan Palace Laledan Restaurant, the venue of Cragan Palace that presents the most delicious brunches of the city and fascinates with the spectacular view of Bosporus, is, once again, among the most popular venues with its Sunday brunch enriched with flavors and visual shows exclusive to the 25th year on January 17, 2016. The 25th year cake that is decorated an prepared exclusively for the 25th year by the expert pastry chefs is sweeten the palates of guests besides decorating the windows of Gazebo Lounge, the cake and chocolate paradise of Istanbul. Le Fumoir, one of the favorite venues for the local people, presents the delicious 25th year cocktail "Cragan Silver" prepared with saffron brewed for 25 weeks and homemade bitter chocolate rested for 25 weeks by the talented barmen of the hotel at its stylish and elegant atmosphere in Far Eastern style. And Tugra Restaurant located right within the spectacular atmosphere of the palace continues to be the flavor spot of Ottoman cuisine fans throughout January with a menu including the favorite dishes of the last 25 years. 25th Year Exclusive Accommodation Package The accommodation package with 25% discount exclusive to those who want to experience this unique elegance fully at its 25th year is only valid until 31th of January 2016 for 2 nights accommodations with prices starting from 480 Euro excludes 8% VAT. Dont miss this opportunity if you would like to experience this exclusive package in this place that once hosted Sultans. Accommodation in luxurious rooms and suites available for minimum 2 nights and including 25th year welcome amenity in the room. The Asias 50 Best Restaurants programme sponsored by S. Pellegrino & Acqua Panna announced the Asias Best Female Chef 2016. The prestigious award will be presented at the fourth annual Asias 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony on 29th February 2016, hosted at the W Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. Asias Best Female Chef Award is voted for by over 300 industry experts from across the region. Margarita Fores, respected chef and owner of an acclaimed group of restaurants in Manila, has been selected as Asias Best Female Chef 2016. Fores gained an appreciation for authentic Italian cuisine during a tour of Italy in 1986. Immersing herself in the local culture, her culinary style evolved while cooking in home kitchens and exploring the markets of Florence, Milan and Rome. A certified public accountant by training, Fores returned to the Philippines inspired by her experiences and determined to pursue her interest in the culinary arts. In 1987, Fores founded Cibo Di M, a catering business that soon earned a reputation for memorable banquets, customised service and high-profile clients. A decade later Fores opened Cibo, her first Italian restaurant. The homegrown cafe concept introduced local diners to traditional Italian cuisine while championing local producers and organic ingredients. Since its debut 18 years ago, Cibo has expanded to 10 outlets throughout Manila. Building on Cibos success, Fores branched out with other restaurant concepts, including Lusso, a luxe champagne and gastro bar, and Grace Park, an ingredient-driven Italian restaurant specialising in farm-to-table cuisine. At each restaurant, Fores presents quality Italian dishes, the freshest local ingredients and a convivial atmosphere. Both an epicurist and an educator, Fores is eager to share her knowledge of Italian cooking with the next generation of chefs. In 2013, she partnered with Casa Artusi, an historic culinary institution in Forlimpopoli, Northern Italy, to open Casa Artusi Philippines. Focused on teaching students the traditional techniques of home-style Italian cooking, Casa Artusi in Manila is the prestigious Italian schools first and only offshore campus. While best known for her mastery of authentic Italian cooking, Fores is also a proud advocate of Filipino cuisine. As part of her ongoing commitment to promote her culinary heritage to an international audience, Fores co-authored Kulinarya, a compendium of popular regional dishes. "Letting the team make its own creative decisions builds their capacity to do even bigger stuff in the future, so I think giving them freedom makes for a more skilled team which makes for a better product and means more money, hopefully." - Double Fine's Tim Schafer Today, Double Fine head Tim Schafer participated in a Reddit "ask me anything" session regarding Psychonauts 2, which recently crossed its $3.3 million funding threshold on crowdfunding and crowd-investing platform Fig. Here are a few things we took away from the Q&A. Managing teams is hard but rewarding. The quote above comes from a larger answer he gave about his management style, which is reproduced here: Well, I think my management style, for better or worse, is to hire people smarter than me, and then get out of their way. Whenever they are doing something I wouldn't do, before I butt in I ask myself, "Do I really need to control this?" Because even if their way is different, it's probably six-of-one-half-dozen-of the-other and not worth me overruling them. Then I just try to do my best work and work hard to make great stuff myself and basically earn the right to be on the great team I've assembled. Balancing teams creative freedom with making money: Letting the team make its own creative decisions builds their capacity to do even bigger stuff in the future, so I think giving them freedom makes for a more skilled team which makes for a better product and means more money, hopefully. Ways to improve: Get my writing done faster so I can leave my door open more. :) He hopes the addition of investment to crowdfunding can lead to bigger games. When asked if the company would crowdfund a sequel to its 2009 game Brutal Legend, Schafer replied: "Man, that would be tough (i.e. expensive). But if Fig can use its new investment features to grow crowdfunding into those kind of budgets, then I might try it! Then again, I want to make new stuff too." Grim Fandango HD is "doing great." Double Fine has cut deals with Disney, owners of the LucasArts back catalogue, to bring Tim Schafer's old games out in new versions. Day of the Tentacle is still forthcoming, but according to Schafer, things are looking good for what is arguably his most beloved game: Grim Fandango. "It's been doing great! Soon it will surpass the unit sales of the original game, if it hasn't already. Wouldn't change a thing," he said. It's no secret that revivals of old IP do well with modern audiences -- hence Psychonauts 2 -- but consider this another example of the phenomenon, and proof that they can exceed even their original releases. Of course, you can comb through the AmA, if you're so inclined. Are you interested in getting your company, event, or institution noticed? Advertise with the GRC on Global Geothermal News - Contact at dgroves@geothermal.org An ISIS suicide bomber struck at the heart of an Istanbul Turkey tourist district moments ago, killing at least ten people, among them nine German citizens. The Wall Street Journal reports Turkey Blames Islamic State in Istanbul Attack. A powerful explosion hit the heart of Istanbuls central tourist district on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people and injuring 15 others. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a Syria-linked suicide bomber is believed to be behind the blast. The bomber, identified by Turkish authorities as a Syrian man in his late 20s, walked up to a tour group preparing to explore the Blue Mosque and other world-renowned buildings nearby and blew himself up shortly after 10 a.m. Nine of those killed were German, and 15 people were wounded, Turkish officials said. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the bomber belonged to Islamic State and urged Ankaras allies to step up the fight against the Sunni Muslim extremist group based in Syria that has tried to project its global power by carrying out terrorist attacks around the world. This attack is a repercussion on Turkey of the civil war that has been going on in Syria for five years, and its related proxy wars, said Numan Kurtulmus, Turkeys deputy prime minister. After chancellor Angela Merkel foolishly welcomed refugees with open arms, public opinion forced her to change tactics. She did, but in superficial, counterproductive ways.For example, Merkel bribed Turkey with a $3 billion payment so that Turkey will pen in refugees. How's that working?Today we have proof of the absurdity of that offer. But let's dig deeper with more statistics.The population of Turkey is roughly 75 million of which 90% are Sunni Muslims As part of the deal for penning migrants, Merkel agreed to speed up Turkish admission into the EU. Those 75 million Turks would then have Visa-free access to the rest of Europe.Not only is Turkey guilty of human rights violations, president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has Turkey on a Path for Dictatorship Dealing with Erdogan is madness.400,000 Syrians are in Germany right now, seeking asylum. How many of them are ISIS terrorists? Is one too many?Yet, even after the sex attacks in Cologne, she has done nothing to fix the problem. Heck, she will not even admit what the problem is.Instead, Merkel sought deals with a would-be dictator.As I have stated previously, for the good of Germany, Merkel should resign.Mike "Mish" Shedlock WATERLOO Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton split her speech Monday afternoon between contrasting herself with Republicans and distinguishing herself from her closest Democratic primary competitor, while speaking to a crowd of 300 in Waterloo. While most of her hour-long stop focused on the differences she has with the dozen Republicans running for president though not naming anyone she particularly highlighted two key differences she has with Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders. I think its time for us to have the kind of spirited debate that you deserve us to have, Clinton said, adding, Again, were so much better than the Republicans, but we do have differences, and you deserve to know what those differences are. The former secretary of state highlighted differences on gun control and federal health care policies. Clintons singling out of the former issue came as she received endorsements Monday from former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords who suffered a gunshot wound to the head in 2011 and of Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin who was shot and killed in Florida in 2012. Clinton pointed to a 2005 vote, where as a senator, she voted against legislation that ultimately passed that protects gun manufacturers from lawsuits. Sanders voted for the bill. That was the most significant piece of legislation. They (the gun lobby) lost to my husband (President Bill Clinton) on the Brady Bill and the assault weapons ban, so they came back when (George W.) Bush was president and pushed through this bill, which I think stopped a lot of creative, smart work that was being done to try to get some of these changes that the president is now calling for, Clinton told The Courier after her event. Clinton said she supports the executive orders Democratic President Barack Obama is seeking, to expand background checks and use smart technology to make guns safer. Sanders has said at events he would support changing the law he voted for in 2005, and he released a statement praising Obamas gun safety actions. Throughout her event, Clinton made clear she is passionate about the issue of gun safety, recalling the horrors victims faced in some high-profile mass shootings and airing frustrations against gun manufacturers and the National Rifle Association. Commenting on recent legal actions in Aurora, Colorado, where a lawsuit from the victims families failed against the vendor of more than 4,000 rounds that were used in the 2012 movie theater shooting, Clinton said, They got it dismissed because of this law, which says you cant sue a gun maker or seller for anything, and then the NRA affiliate that was defending against this grieving family turned around and sued them for the attorneys fees. It makes me so angry. She dismissed the idea that the executive actions or any legislation violate the Constitutions Second Amendment. We have to cut through the barrage of propaganda and fear that the NRA puts out there: Theyre coming for your guns, Clinton told The Courier. Thats such nonsense. They know its nonsense, but they try to keep people all agitated, so we just have our work cut out for us. Clinton said the effort to pass any further gun safety measures would require the public speaking out as well. I believe weve got to stand with President Obama now, and build a popular outcry, so people are saying, We can do better, because you know what, we can, Clinton told the crowd to applause. On health care, Clinton said she wants to build on existing laws and described Sanders as supporting a Medicare-for-all program that would be run by states. Clinton balked at the idea of turning health care over to states with Republican governors who may not be interested in running the program. The Sanders campaign, however, said in a statement that the governors would not be able to circumvent his proposal. Clinton leads Sanders by an average of 10.6 percentage points in Iowa, according to Real Clear Politics, ahead of the Feb. 1 caucuses. Waterloos Carolyn Bellfy said she was glad to hear the differences between the two candidates. Im much more supportive after hearing her today, Bellfy said. She thinks things through very thoroughly and has real concrete plans, and discussed the differences between her and Bernie and so thats the first time Ive heard that too. While Bellfy is still deciding who shell support in the caucus, she added, I think shes ready. University of Northern Iowa student Adam Salutric also said he appreciated Clintons depth of answers on the issues. But he said hes still deciding between Clinton and Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, whom he likes for the same reason. He just knows a lot about different details, and I feel like he knows a lot about how to advance the country out of the current state, especially how his motto is the new American century, which I believe we need to be moving towards one now, Salutric said. Elizabeth Lefler, of Waterloo, however, has her mind made up. Shes ready to support Clinton, because of her policies about womens reproductive rights, gun control, clean energy and equal pay for equal work. Ive become an even stronger supporter, Lefler said of seeing Clinton speak again on Monday. ChristiniaCrippesisareporterfortheWaterloo-CedarFallsCourier,anotherLeeEnterprisesnewspaper. DES MOINES The Iowa Legislature hailed the start of a new session Monday by installing the Houses first female speaker and laying the groundwork for another potentially divisive debate over school funding. Clear Lake Republican Linda Upmeyer made history when she was sworn in as the first female speaker of the Iowa House, replacing Rep. Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, who is serving out his last year as a state representative. Rep. Chris Hagenow, R-Windsor Heights, took Upmeyers place as House majority floor leader. It is humbling to be the first woman to preside over this prestigious chamber, said Upmeyer, whose late father, Delwyn Stromer of Garner, previously served as a House speaker. I hope my election as speaker shows all young women and Iowans who come from diverse backgrounds that opportunities abound, Upmeyer said during her opening-day remarks. For a long time, we have told children they can be whatever they want when they grow up. Today, better than ever, we are showing them that is a reality. The reality that 2016 is an election year was also evident in the Capitol Monday as legislative Democrats called for increased funding for Iowa schools beyond Gov. Terry Branstads opening bid of 2.45 percent growth. They also called for more oversight of the governors planned switch to deliver Medicaid services via privately managed care. Republicans advocated spending even less than the governor envisions in fiscal 2017. Our focus this year must be bringing more workers and their families into Iowas middle class, said Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs. Iowans are counting on us one, we should expand educational opportunities and, two, we should strengthen the health care safety net all Iowa families count on. During his weekly news conference, Branstad said he will seek $145 million in increased funding for K-12 schools that would cover teacher leadership reforms, reading initiatives and 2.45 percent growth in supplemental state aid to schools. The governor will officially announce his priorities Tuesday in his annual Condition of the State address. The school aid increase is the same level the governor proposed last session. Its a very tight budget, Branstad told reporters. He said many budget areas will face status-quo funding or cuts to make money available for education and health care. I think weve put together a reasonable and very significant commitment. Most of the new money is going to K-12 public education, he said. However, Gronstal responded to Branstads 2.45 percent proposal by saying, We thought that number was inadequate last year, we think that number is inadequate this year. Upmeyer said House Republicans think a 2 percent school funding increase would be adequate. Thats real money, Upmeyer told reporters, noting that any extra money to fund Medicaid and to cover past commitments made to property tax reductions and education reforms would also have to come from an expected $153 million in additional state revenue this year. During her opening-day remarks, Senate President Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, urged her colleagues to make a pledge to remain focused on governing for the next 100 days and leave the campaigning for the remaining 202 days. Branstad said he hopes the Legislature where Republicans hold a 57-43 edge in the House and Democrats control the Senate 26-24 can reach an early resolution on education funding so school administrators can better plan for next years budgets and not spend the whole session fighting over it. CHARLES CITY A fire Monday afternoon caused extensive damage to a multi-story apartment complex in Charles City. All occupants got out safely, according to the Charles City Fire Department. A call to the Fire Department at 2:35 p.m. Monday reported an apartment full of smoke and smoke detectors sounding at apartment 424 at 2104 Clarkview Drive in Charles City. Heavy smoke and fire were showing in a second-story window when the Fire Department arrived, the report said. The complex was found to be already evacuated and firefighters began battling the blaze. The fire was knocked down in the apartment of the fire origin, but then spread into the walls and up to the third-floor apartments, the report said. Firefighters fought the fire for about 3 hours then remained at the scene to watch for hot spots until almost 7 p.m. The 12 apartments in the building are owned and operated by Adventure Properties of Lincoln, Nebraska, according to Floyd County Assessor online records. No occupants or firefighters were injured in the blaze. The complex sustained major smoke, fire and water damage. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Fire Department. Assisting the at the scene were the Charles City Police Department, Floyd County Sheriffs Office, Floyd County EMA, Floyd County Search and Rescue, AMR Ambulance, Floyd Fire Department, Colwell Fire Department, Marble Rock Fire Department, Rudd Fire Department, American Red Cross and MidAmerican Energy. ROCKWELL The leader of a Rockwell church whose parish center was severely damaged by fire Tuesday says plans are in the works to rebuild. Multiple fire departments responded around 7:38 a.m. to reports of smoke and flames at the Sacred Heart Parish Center, formerly the Sacred Heart Catholic School. The center is located next to the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 305 Elm St. E. The school closed in the 1970s and has been used as a parish center since then for Sacred Heart, which has 180 families. It also hosted community events. Its a big loss for the church, parish secretary Helen Cahalan said Tuesday morning as she headed to the community center to make coffee for first responders. Its sickening. Rockwell Fire Chief Mark Lowe said no one was hurt and the building was unoccupied at the time of the fire, which continues to smolder. Its a controlled burn now, he said late Tuesday afternoon. Itll probably be actively burning for the next day or two. The Rockwell Fire Department is checking the site regularly to ensure the fire does not spread. The Rev. Rod Allers said although the center is considered a loss, the church plans to rebuild a similar building by fall. In the meantime, the Lutheran church has offered space to Sacred Heart, who used the center for religious education, wakes and visitations and to host a popular turkey dinner and Irish fair, as well as a community gathering place for estate auctions, family reunions and fundraisers for locals in need. It also housed offices and an apartment for the parishs groundskeeper, whom Allers identified by only his first name, Mark. He lost everything, Allers said. Most of my grief is in the loss of his personal belongings, which he cant get back. Allers believes Mark who takes care of mowing, snow removal and setting up events is staying with family. He said the parish had offered him a motel room, money whatever he needed. Allers lives on campus in a separate home, which was not damaged. The church building, which sustained repairable smoke damage, will have services on Sunday. Due to the extensive damage at the center, Allers said there will be no investigation. The parishs insurance company has reviewed the building, where the fire is believed to have started in the roof. It is suspected to be electrical Allers said arson and cooking-related mishaps have been ruled out. Allers says he has a tremendous amount of gratitude for the communitys first responders and those who assisted them Tuesday with warming stations, hot drinks and sandwiches. We dont give enough gratitude to our volunteer fire departments who take time off work to try to save a building thats important to the community, he said. There was truly an outpouring of support to get them through the day. Firefighters from Rockwell, Sheffield, Swaledale, Dougherty and Mason City were at the scene for the majority of the day. Lowe said the departments used portable heaters and generators to keep water flowing, since firefighters faced sub-zero temperatures and brisk wind chills. Brandon Wilson, a volunteer training officer for the Sheffield Fire Department, suited up quickly as his department arrived around 8 a.m. Tuesday. He said the clothing would help protect him from the elements. The gear keeps us warm, he said, as he pulled a balaclava over his head. We just have to keep moving and do our best. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Cerro Gordo County Sheriffs Office and Iowa State Patrol also provided assistance. ORCHARD He had flashbacks for years. It could be a sound. It could be a smell. It could be a touch. It could be almost anything, said John Ross of Orchard, recalling the effects of the year he spent in Vietnam. They Served With Honor: North Iowa's Vietnam Veterans The Globe Gazette will publish 50 stories starting on Veterans Day about North Iowas Vietnam Veterans. The stories will appear on Sundays Whatever it is will put you back in the war zone. You cant help it, said Ross, 65. Im over most of it now but I still cant watch movies about Vietnam and I dont go to fireworks shows. I can watch them from a distance but I cant handle the sound. Ross was drafted into the Army and was in Vietnam for 364 days in 1970-71. I was actually there exactly a year but I lost a day coming back, he said with a laugh. During that time, he was shot down twice once in a helicopter and once in a plane. The helicopter was headed into a hot zone when we were hit. I would call it a controlled crash. We hid in a crater and were really pinned down. I kind of knew how Custer felt, said Ross. Youre not really scared. But you do wonder whos next and is my number up? The incident with the plane came at a time when the company clerk helped Ross make arrangements to get home for a few days to see his girlfriend and future wife, Paula. He flew back into one area of Vietnam and then took another plane to get back with his company. When that plane left the runway, it was hit by enemy fire when it was about 500 feet off the ground. We did kind of a half-roll down and landed on another runway. We got out of there safe but it was pretty intense, said Ross. He said the experience of being in a war is hard to explain. Its like youre waiting for the school bully to come after you and it can happen when youre eating, when youre sleeping, any time. Youre under this stress 24-7, he said. Ross said today he often gives talks to school children about his days in Vietnam. I have to vary it, depending on the age of the kids. But Im often asked why we were there. I tell them about an old man over there who always shook my hand when he saw me. Why did he do that? Because as long as I was there as long as we were there the North Vietnamese wouldnt come down and steal everything he had, he said. And he didnt have that much a few things in a little hut. But it was all he had, and we protected it for him. Ross said his homecoming back in the U.S. was not pleasant. When we were flying back, we were to land in Seattle. We were told to get into civilian clothes as soon as we could. If we didnt have any with us, go buy some, we were told, said Ross. It wasnt long before he found out why. When I first got back in the U.S., it was bad. If people knew I was a soldier in Vietnam, they were vicious. I was spat on and called a baby killer, he said. Even when I got home to where I lived at that time, Austin, Minnesota, the townspeople werent very nice. It got to the point where you didnt tell anyone you were a vet and it was even difficult getting a job, he said. At the urging of Mitchell County Sheriff Greg Beaver, Ross reluctantly went to the Operation LZ reunion last summer in Forest City. I didnt want to go but it turned out to be therapeutic, he said. When he thinks of his days in Vietnam, many memories come to mind, said Ross, but one in particular stands out. Anytime I held a wounded soldier in my arms, they always wanted two things Mom and God, as in God, please dont let me die. English Finnish KESKO CORPORATION STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE 12.01.2016 AT 09.00 1(5) Kesko to acquire Onninen and strengthen its position in the building and technical trade Kesko Corporation has made an agreement to acquire Onninen Oy's whole share capital from Onvest Oy. The pro forma net sales of the business to be acquired were 1,438 million and the EBITDA was 39 million for the period from October 2014 until the end of September 2015. The transaction price of the debt-free acquisition, structured as a share purchase, is 369 million. Onninen's steel business and Russian subsidiary are not included in the acquisition. The new entity will offer full building and technical trade selections for both business and consumer customers. The acquisition will create an excellent platform for the growth of Kesko's building and technical trade in Finland and the rest of Europe. Building and renovation are becoming increasingly technical and are increasingly often assigned to professionals. Responding to this change taking place in the market is one of the key objectives of Kesko's strategy. The acquisition of Onninen will especially strengthen B2B sales. In the sales of the K-Group's building and technical trade, the share of B2B sales is over 40 per cent and with the acquisition, the share of B2B sales will rise to around 60 per cent. With the acquisition Kesko's business in HEPAC and electrical product groups will expand significantly and it will be able to provide better service especially to contractor customers. In addition, Kesko will gain new customer relationships from infrastructure and industry customer groups. Both companies operate in the Baltic Sea Region and Scandinavian markets. After completion, the arrangement will enable Kesko to gain significant economies of scale and synergies. "People have less time than before to carry out building projects that are technically increasingly demanding and, more than before, they want to buy ready-made building solutions. One of the key objectives of our strategy is to respond to this development. With the acquisition of Onninen we will gain lots of new, top notch expertise and expand into new product lines and new customer groups. Onninen and its strong brand will give Kesko an excellent opportunity to develop and expand sales to business customers. For Kesko, the acquisition of Onninen is a perfect match, and the 3.6 billion net sales of Kesko's building and technical trade will make it one of the leaders in the field in Europe and the most international trading sector operator in Finland," says Kesko's President and CEO Mikko Helander. Onninen is one of the leading providers of HEPAC and electrical products and services in the Baltic Sea Region and Scandinavia. The group specialises in B2B trade and has around 150 units in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Poland, the Baltic countries and Russia. The business to be acquired from Onninen employs around 3,000 people, around 1,200 of whom work in Finland. The company's steel business and Russian subsidiary are excluded from the acquisition. Maarit Toivanen-Koivisto, Chair of the Onvest Board, sees the acquisition as a good solution for Onninen. "This is a significant transaction. The combination of Onninen and Kesko will provide the Finnish industry sector with an excellent distribution channel to the international markets. Together the companies will form one of the largest building and technical trade companies in Europe, for which Onninen's technical trade expertise provides a strategically significant competitive advantage. The acquisition will create significant opportunities when we will be able to share the best practices of both companies. At the same time, it is important that Onninen remains in Finnish ownership." Financial impacts of the acquisition Kesko estimates that the acquisition will generate around 30 million in annual synergies at the EBITDA level from 2020 onwards, assuming that the acquisition is completed during the first half of 2016. The achievement of synergies will require both capital expenditures and non-recurring costs. The combined net cash flow impact of synergies is estimated at around 25 million positive in 2016-2019. Economies of scale and synergies will mainly be sought from the use of common customer relationships, from purchasing and logistics, from the development of the store site network, as well as from ICT and administration. The fair value allocations of the transaction price to net assets are estimated to cause an expense item of around 5 million on the first six months. The transaction will be paid in cash from Kesko's liquid assets and available debt financing reserves. Estimates of Kesko's future outlook in respect of the acquisition will be given in connection with its completion. The completion of the acquisition is subject to the approval of the competition authorities and the fulfilment of the other terms and conditions of the transaction. The acquisition is estimated to be completed during the first half of 2016. Onninen Group's profit performance and financial position* INCOME STATEMENT 1.10.2014 - 30.9.2015 1.1.2014 - 31.12.2014 Net sales 1,438 1,401 Cost of goods sold -1,162 1,134 Gross profit 277 266 Employee benefit expenses -134 -130 Other operating expenses -104 -103 EBITDA 39 34 Depreciation -11 -11 EBITA 28 23 Amortisation -2 -2 Operating profit 26 21 Finance income and expenses 0 -1 Profit before tax 25 20 Income tax -8 -6 Profit for the period 17 14 BALANCE SHEET 30.9.2015 31.12.2014 ASSETS Non-current assets Intangible assets 30 29 Tangible assets 12 11 Deferred tax assets 6 5 Total non-current assets 48 45 Current assets Inventories 222 206 Trade receivables 257 163 Other receivables 22 13 Cash and cash equivalents 1 1 Total current assets 503 382 TOTAL ASSETS 550 427 EQUITY AND LIABILITIES Equity 139 131 Total equity 139 131 Provisions 1 1 Non-current liabilities Interest-bearing liabilities 80 50 Current liabilities Interest-bearing liabilities 50 53 Trade payables 211 144 Other non-interest-bearing liabilities 67 47 Deferred tax liabilities 3 2 Total current liabilities 331 246 TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES 550 427 *The information in the pro forma income statements and balance sheets is unaudited and derived from Onninen Group's management reporting. Briefing in Finnish at Kesko today, Tuesday, 12 January 2016 at 11.00 Kesko will hold a briefing on the acquisition today at 11.00 in the auditorium at Ankkurikatu 5, Helsinki (Katajanokka). The briefing can be viewed on webcast at www.kesko.fi. Audio conference in English today, Tuesday, 12 January 2016 at 14.30 An English-language audio conference on the acquisition will be held today at 14.30 (Finnish time, EET). The audio conference login is available at www.kesko.fi. Further information: Terho Kalliokoski, President, home improvement and speciality goods trade division, tel. +358 105 320 200, terho.kalliokoski@kesko.fi Jukka Erlund, Chief Financial Officer, tel. +358 105 322 113, jukka.erlund@kesko.fi Lauri Peltola, Senior Vice President, communications, corporate responsibility and stakeholder relations, tel. +358 105 322 400, +358 505 705 606, lauri.peltola@kesko.fi Kesko Corporation Merja Haverinen Vice President, Group Communications DISTRIBUTION NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd Main news media www.kesko.fi Kesko is a Finnish listed trading sector company operating in the grocery trade, the home improvement and speciality goods trade and the car trade. Its divisions and chains act in close cooperation with retailer entrepreneurs and other partners. In 2014, Kesko's net sales were 9.1 billion and the number of personnel was nearly 20,000. Kesko has over 1,500 stores engaged in chain operations in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Belarus. Kesko's shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. The company's domicile and main premises are located in Helsinki. Kesko is the fifth most sustainable company in the world (The Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World). www.kesko.fi Kesko is the fifth largest operator in the European building and home improvement trade market. Our retail chains in the sector are K-rauta, Rautia, Byggmakker, Senukai and OMA. In addition to a strong store network, we serve our customers with digital services and online stores. In the building and home improvement trade, we operate in Finland, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Belarus. In 2014, the net sales of the building and home improvement trade were nearly 2.2 billion and the number of personnel nearly 9,000. The building and home improvement trade business is part of Kesko's home improvement and speciality goods trade division. www.kesko.fi Onninen offers comprehensive material and information flow solutions to contractors, industry, public organizations, retailers of technical products and suppliers. The Finnish company, established in 1913, today employs a total of around 3,000 people in its operations in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Russia and the Baltic countries. In 2014, the group's net sales were 1.5 billion. www.onninen.fi Onvest is a Finnish family business, with a history stretching back a century. Onvest's business areas comprise the Onninen and Are groups, as well as investment and real estate operations. The Onvest group employs around 5,900 people in eight countries. www.onvest.fi MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 12, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Charles H. Johnson & Associates announces that it has launched an investigation into a proposed merger involving Pfizer Inc. and Allergan plc. On November 23, 2015, Pfizer announced that it had entered into an agreement with Allergan, subject to shareholder approval, pursuant to which the businesses of Pfizer and Allergan will be combined under Allergan plc, which will be renamed Pfizer plc. Upon closing the transaction, the combined company is expected to maintain Allergan's Irish legal domicile. Pfizer plc will keep its global operational headquarters in New York and establish its principal executive offices in Ireland. Allergan shareholders will receive 11.3 shares in exchange for each Allergan share, and Pfizer shareholders will receive one share of Pfizer plc for each Pfizer share. The proposed transaction is intended to substantially lower Pfizers current tax rate on its foreign earnings by replacing the current U.S. tax rates to which its foreign earnings are subject with the much lower Irish tax rate. Pfizer announced that it expects that the effective tax rate for the combined Pfizer/Allergan will be 17 to 18 percent. Pfizers effective tax rate last year was 25.5 percent. By reincorporating in Ireland, Pfizer will reduce the tax rate on its foreign earnings from the U.S.s 35% rate to Irelands 12.5% rate. In addition, for certain Pfizer shareholders, the transaction will be treated as a taxable event as the merger will be considered a sale of their shares, rather than a tax-free exchange as is typically the case in such transactions. Many Pfizer shareholders who have held the stock for more than a year will pay federal taxes at rates of 15% to 30% on their gains, in addition to state capital gains taxes. In announcing the transaction, Pfizer disclosed that it had retained three financial and three legal advisers, none of whom were disclosed as representing or advising Pfizers taxpaying shareholders. The investigation is looking into the whether or not the proper effort was made by the Board of Pfizer to represent the interests of the company's shareholders. Also, the investigation seeks to determine whether the Pfizer Board of Directors has violated applicable law by directly breaching and/or aiding and abetting others in breaching their fiduciary duties of loyalty, due care, independence, candor, good faith, and fair dealing any by engaging on other wrongful conduct. If you currently hold Pfizer Inc. stock and believe that you may be subject to capital gains taxes upon completion of the merger, or have any questions concerning this notice or the rights with respect to this matter, please contact: CHICAGO, Jan. 12, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The John Marshall Law School and Saint Xavier University (SXU) have established a joint academic program in law and business that will enable students to earn advanced degrees in a shorter period of time, in fields that will give graduates the advantages of versatility and in-depth knowledge in a continually evolving job market. The collaboration between Saint Xavier's Graham School of Management and The John Marshall Law School creates a JD/MBA dual-degree program in which students enrolled at these institutions may simultaneously pursue a Juris Doctor degree at John Marshall and a Master of Business Administration at Saint Xavier University. "Our new dual-degree program with SXU gives law students the opportunity to acquire business skills that will help advance their careers and give them an even greater edge in the job market," John Marshall Dean John E. Corkery said. "We are very excited that our students will have the opportunity to apply to this new dual-degree program," said SXU Dean Asghar Sabbaghi at the Graham School of Management. "We do whatever we can to prepare our students to meet the demands of 21st Century jobs, and the development of this new dual-degree program is a prime example." Under the JD/MBA dual-degree program, accepted students may apply up to 12 John Marshall credits to the MBA program, and up to nine credits of Graham coursework to their law degree, allowing them to earn two degrees in substantially less time than it normally would take. To apply for the dual-degree program, students must apply and be accepted to both John Marshall and SXU. Students who are new to both John Marshall and SXU may begin the JD degree on a full-time or part-time basis at John Marshall. Students currently enrolled in the MBA program at Saint Xavier can apply to John Marshall as a part-time JD student. All classes for this dual-degree program will be held at John Marshall Law School. Click here for more information about the JD/MBA dual-degree program between John Marshall and Xavier University. About The John Marshall Law School The John Marshall Law School, founded in 1899, is an independent law school located in the heart of Chicago's legal, financial and commercial districts. The 2016 U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Graduate Schools ranks John Marshall's Lawyering Skills Program fifth, its Trial Advocacy Program 16th and its Intellectual Property Law Program 17th in the nation. Since its inception, John Marshall has been a pioneer in legal education and has been guided by a tradition of diversity, innovation, access and opportunity. About Saint Xavier University Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1846, Saint Xavier University was the first Mercy College in the United States and is Chicago's oldest Catholic university. Serving more than 4,300 students at its campuses in Gilbert, Ariz., Chicago, Orland Park and its Loop location, the University offers: 43 undergraduate programs; 25 graduate program options in arts and sciences, business, education and nursing; and a variety of program options in continuing and professional studies. Recognizing Saint Xavier's excellence in education, U.S. News and World Report has ranked SXU consistently among the Best Colleges in the Midwest. About Graham School of Management Graham School of Management (GSM) is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International, the hallmark of excellence in management education. This designation places the School among the top 5 percent of business programs in the world. The School has been named as one of the (top 15) most innovative small college business departments in the U.S. in recent ranking by Business Research Guide. GSM is one of the signatories of the United Nations-sponsored Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME). PRME is supported by the United Nations, AACSB International (the business school accrediting association), and many other groups. Please Evaluate My Profile [ #permalink Hello! I am Eren. I am 25, from Istanbul/Turkey, white, Muslim male. I graduated from University of Toronto - Economics-HR/IR in 2013 with a 2.75 GPA. My senior year GPA was 3.76 and my major GPA is 3.45. My GPA had risen each term, starting from low 2.1s, ending with 3.7s. The bad elective choices has decreased my GPA while my major courses were mostly As and Bs. After graduating, I started my own social media network, specifically for joining Turkish university students in one platform. I successfully established the platform, did various marketing activities and attracted thousands of students from all 172 universities in Turkey. Than I sold the codes of the site at the time I decided to start my professional career and closed the site. At the same time, I started working at the leader cosmetics producer and retailer in Turkey as an International Trade Marketing Specialist. I have been working here for about 1.5 years and now I am responsible in all marketing related activities in 40 countries, including CIS countries, Middle East and East Europe. These countries add up to around 50% of companies total revenue. My GMAT is 710 (50Q 34V) (planning to retake) I am also a licensed Muay Thai fighter. I was wondering if I could have any chances in top 10 MBA programs with my low GPA (maybe by increasing my GMAT) My goals are Stern and Tuck, are those feasible? I am also interested in schools in Asia - CEIBS, HKUST or similar. Are those more feasible for me? Thank you so much for your help Eren The Gorilla Radio archive can be found at: www.Gorilla-Radio.com. G-Radio is dedicated to social justice, the environment, community, and providing a forum for people and issues not covered in State and Corporate media. Gorilla Radio airs live Thursdays between 11-12 noon Pacific Time. Airing in Victoria at 101.9FM, and featured on the internet at: http://cfuv.ca and www.pacificfreepress.com. And check out Pacific Free Press on Twitter @Paciffreepress We rely on your support to make local news available to all Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022. Donate today A man allegedly grabbed two girls at a Manhattan Shake Shack yesterday, and police are hoping the public can help identify and find him. According to the NYPD, the incidents occurred at 11:30 a.m. at the Shake Shack located at 366 Columbus Avenue on the Upper West Side: "[A]n unidentified male approached a 12-year-old female victim on the stairs between the downstairs dining area and the street level and grabbed her wrist. The victim pulled away and the suspect continued downstairs. Five to ten minutes later, the same male approached a 13-year-old female victim outside of the location, asked her name and hug and kissed her right cheek. The victim pulled away and the suspect fled on foot on Columbus Avenue." The police released video of the suspect outside and inside the restaurant; he is described as being 5'6" and 155 pounds with black hair, and wearing a black waist-length leather jacket, dark blue pants and black sneakers. He is wanted for endangering the welfare of a child. Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577. Last Friday, manufacturing and packaging workers at the Sweet'N Low factory in Fort Greene were called in for a company-wide meeting, and informed by Cumberland Packing Company CEO Steven Eisenstadt that all 320 factory jobs at the sugar and sweetener company's Navy Yard headquarters would be nullified by year's end. The factory, where artificial sweeteners have been mixed since the late 1950s and where Sugar in the Raw, Stevia, and Sweet'N Low are packaged and shipped internationally, will be shut down. Tasks performed by the local workforcetwo thirds of current employees live in Brooklyn, and a third in Queenswill be entirely outsourced to what Cumberland has since described as "domestic co-packing companies," or second-party factories. "It hit me like a brick," said Delbert Ranger, 52, on his lunch break on Tuesday. Ranger lives in Bed-Stuy, and has worked for Cumberland for six years, operating a machine that packages Sugar in the Raw. He currently makes $9.92 an hour, which goes towards his $1,200/month rent, child support for his son, and care for his elderly mother. "Some people are still in denial that this is going to happen," he added. "They've worked 10, 20 years at the company and had hopes of retiring from this company." Cumberland confirmed that it will keep its headquarters in Brooklyn. "This borough and this city will always be our home," said Eisenstadt in a statement. "As we move out of manufacturing, Cumberland will hone our focus on product development, marketing, distribution and sales here. Our corner of the industry has incredible competition that's changing our business model." Cumberland received approximately $4 million in incentives from the city back in 2007, designated for renovating two of its Brooklyn Navy Yard buildings. As a stipulation of this agreement, Cumberland was required to maintain a workforce of at least 320but only until 2011. Company headquarters are required to stay in-borough until 2020. "Cumberland... kept the packing operations running in-house long after the scope of these incentives ended," said a company spokesperson this afternoon. "The repair work that funds paid for to keep the buildings from crumbling down and the floors from falling in will benefit whoever moves into the space next." A source also confirmed that the Navy Yard is in the midst of a 20-year reduced rent agreement with Cumberland, although exact amounts were not disclosed. The planned outsourcing of industrial labor does not impact the rent agreement. The Cumberland Packing Company at 2 Cumberland Street (Google Maps). United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 2013, the union that represents the factory workers, was as surprised as its members by Friday's announcement. Union leadership has been in bargaining with Cumberland since September 30th, and says that the company gave no warning of the impending layoffs. UFCW 2013 President Mark Carotenuto says that he hadn't yet breached economic issues in the bargaining process. According to the union, three quarters of the staff makes less than $15 per hour. "Never once did they bring up anything around competitve pressure," said Carotenuto by phone on Tuesday. Carotenuto said that Cumberland canceled its last two negotiating meetings with the union, scheduled for late December and Thursday January 7th. "It was disturbing that before we talked dollars and cents they decided they couldn't compete," he added. A press release put out last Friday states that Cumberland turned down "many lucrative offers" to move or sell the business to a conglomerate over the years, but decided that the time is right in 2016 because, in the company's estimation, a sufficient number of food and manufacturing jobs "have returned to Brooklyn and New York." Mayor de Blasio announced a ten-point, $115 million plan to increase the number of industrial and manufacturing jobs in NYC last November. At the time, NYC had 530,000 existing manufacturing and industrial jobs, making up 15.4% of the city's private sector work force. A recent study from the Center for an Urban Future found that the city gained 880 manufacturing jobs between 2011 and 2014, an increase of 1.2%. Politico points out that food manufacturing jobs saw the biggest increase, at 13.6%. However, food manufacturing has the lowest annual wages in manufacturing citywideonly $32,882. Cumberland has also pledged to work with the City and the Navy Yard to insure that each of its employees finds a new job, and both parties today confirmed these efforts. "Today, even as we complete the inevitable, we want to work with the union to help everyone who wants a job, find a job," said Eisenstadt in a statement. Until the union sits down with company representatives on Wednesday, Carotenuto said that "to me, it's a lot of smoke and mirrors." Ranger, the machine operator from Bed-Stuy, says that he might start looking for a new job before notice comes from Cumberland. As for his industry of choice, "I don't have experience in clerical work. Data processessing, word processing, I don't know anything about that," he said. "I know how to drive a truck, or drive a fork lift, and I have warehouse experience." He added that work skills aren't the only barrier to future employment. "I'm bilingual so that's a plus for me, but a lot of my coworkers don't speak English, which is why many of them are hurting," he said. "A lot of people here are in their 50s and 60s. Where is a person who is 50 or 60 going to do? Is an employer waiting to employ you if you can't speak the language?" Workers are rallying this afternoon outside of Cumberland Packing Company at 2 Cumberland Street. ABC/Randy HolmesLL Cool J's legacy soon will be cemented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has announced that the rapper will be honored with its 2,571st star on January 21. It will be placed in front of Hollywoods Hard Rock Cafe. LL's longtime friends Queen Latifah and Sean Diddy Combs will be on hand during the unveiling. LL Cool J is one of the most popular recording artists as well as a television star. He has a huge following and we are proud to honor him on the Walk of Fame, said Ana Martinez, producer of the Walk of Fame ceremonies, in a statement. The star will celebrate LL's 30-year career, during which he's earned multiple accolades including two Grammy Awards and an NAACP Image Award. Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. News Husband demands wife to pay Dhs500,000 over false accusation of her jewellery theft in Abu Dhabi The court explained that the wife used her legitimate right guaranteed to her by law when she resorted to the competent authorities to report the theft crime and did not have bad intention. The best way to revise a concept is to write about it! Paul Krugman has this description of the IS (investment-savings)-LM (liquidity pref... -- Thomas JeffersonSyndicated columnist Charley Reese (1937-2013): "Gun control by definition affects only honest people. When a politician tells you he wants to forbid you from owning a firearm or force you to get a license, he is telling you he doesnt trust you. Thats an insult. ... Gun control is not about guns or crime. It is about an elite that fears and despises the common people."The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles -- Jeff Cooper (1920-2006)Note for non-American readers: Crime reports from America which describe an offender just as a "teen" or "teenager" almost invariably mean a BLACK teenager.We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics.Two lines below of a famous hymn that would be incomprehensible to Leftists today ("honor"? "right"? "freedom?" Freedom to agree with them is the only freedom they believe in)It is of course the hymn of the USMC -- still today the relentless warriors that they always were.The intellectual Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) said: "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."How much do you know about Trayvon Martin? It's all here (Backups here and here An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life. -- Robert A. HeinleinAfter all the serious stuff here, maybe we need a funny picture of a cantankerous cat There are more Mennonites in the Congo than in the entire US Oops, not Kalona, a large Mennonite community in the state of Iowa. M... Representative Matt LoPresti (Ewa, Ewa Beach, Ewa Gentry, Ewa Villages, Hoakalei & Ocean Pointe) and leaders from the Hawaii State House of Representatives held a Lawmakers Listen session at the Ewa Makai Middle School on Saturday where they heard a wide range of concerns from residents in the area. Discussions at the meeting focused on a number of topics including the upcoming legislative session, rail, traffic mitigation, heat abatement improvements in area schools, and infrastructure improvements to address overcapacity at district schools. Members of the community were invited to share their questions and concerns directly with Rep. LoPresti, Speaker of the House Joseph M. Souki, and House Finance Chair Sylvia Luke. The group was also joined by Vice-Speaker John Mizuno and Energy and Environmental Protection Chair Chris Lee. Lawmakers Listen is an ongoing series of community town halls across the state with district representatives, members of the House leadership, and committee chairpersons. The purpose of the meetings is for legislators to hear the concerns of area residents and to discuss solutions. BILLINGS Operators of a central Montana coal mine are trying to avoid a potential shutdown after a review board found state regulators improperly approved the mine's expansion without giving enough consideration to its long-term effects on underground aquifers. Representatives of Signal Peak Energy have been negotiating with the Montana Environmental Information Center advocacy group and the state Department of Environmental Quality on a deal to allow the company's Bull Mountain Mine and its 320 workers to continue operating. Signal Peak Vice President Joseph Farinelli said a shutdown of the underground mine south of Roundup next summer is unlikely but possible if an agreement is not reached by early January. Montana's Board of Environmental Review needs to approve any deal. The board next meets Jan. 14. The board in October rejected a 2013 decision from the DEQ that allowed for the expansion of the Bull Mountain Mine, after MEIC successfully argued that an analysis of its long-term effects to groundwater was flawed. That analysis concluded no contaminated water would leave the mine area for 50 years after mining is completed. However, state regulations and statutes place no time limit on the threat contaminated water poses to streams or to water used by homes and ranches near the mine. Under its prior permits, there is enough coal to continue mining at least through next summer, Farinelli said. Yet because of the time needed to get the company's equipment in place, he said workers need to spend months before then digging tunnels, installing conveyor belts and setting up ventilation systems in the 7,100-acre expansion area. "Should they vacate the permit, it would certainly have the impact of idling, shutting down what we call the development section" of the expansion area, Farinelli said. "That's why we need to ensure ... all this is behind us by May or June." Existing mining operations could be disrupted, too, state and company officials said. Signal Peak uses longwall mining cutting across long panels of coal which requires carefully coordinated development of upcoming panels to keep the equipment moving through the panel being mined. The mining is now happening on what the company calls panel 5, where work is expected to wrap up in May, Signal Peak attorney Steve Wade told the Board of Environmental Review earlier this month. Development work in the expansion area is scheduled to begin in March. If the expansion isn't approved and that development work can't begin, about two-thirds of Signal Peak's employees would be laid off, Wade said. "DEQ was aware of the potential for this action to result in the mine not operating after panel 5 was complete," DEQ public policy director Kristi Ponozzo said Monday. "What we did not recognize until after the October BER meeting was this action could have more immediate complications to mining panel 5." MEIC attorney Shiloh Hernandez said at the December meeting that the organization is interested in clean water but does not want to put people out of work. "The Montana Environmental Information Center is trying to be reasonable and find a middle ground," Hernandez told the Associated Press. Signal Peak submitted proposed revisions to the groundwater analysis to MEIC on Dec. 14, and DEQ is weighing in on the negotiations to ensure the integrity of the process, Ponozzo said. MEIC Deputy Director Anne Hedges said her organization is working on a response and hopes a deal will be reached by Jan. 7, the deadline to submit a proposal to the board. "We have to make sure they're not harming water quality," Hedges said. Signal Peak mined almost 8 million tons of coal from Bull Mountain in 2014 and almost 5 million tons through the first nine months of 2015, according to the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration. Board of Environmental Review attorney Ben Reed said if no deal is reached, the seven-member board has the option to vacate Bull Mountain's expansion permit. Signal Peak then could go to state District Court seeking to block such a move. A Lewis and Clark County sheriff's deputy faces a felony charge of assault with a weapon after allegedly hitting and pulling a gun on a man he called "an ISIS" while drunk at a party. Phillip Jay Clark, 49, was arrested Monday morning. He is accused of pointing the gun at the man's chest three times with his finger on the trigger. Court documents filed by an assistant state attorney general say Clark brandished the gun during a bonfire outside his home on Dec. 4. Court documents say an agent with the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, Anne Dormady, "spoke with a series of witnesses" who attended a bachelor party and then a nighttime bonfire hosted by Clark and others. The alleged victim, identified as C.F., is a friend of Clark's neighbor, the documents note. C.F. told the investigator Clark was "super intoxicated" and "excited" when he arrived at the gathering. "He said Clark, 'Got a little bit violent and a little bit aggressive right away.' He said it seemed like Clark wanted to fight. He said after shaking Clark's hand Clark, 'pulled out his gun, pointed it at me and then laughed, handed it to somebody else like we were about to fight ...'" the court documents say. Court documents do not list the type of gun allegedly used by Clark. The documents say C.F. told the investigator Clark hit him in the ribs, then asked the victim to name the capital of Thailand, responded "Bangkok" and hit him in the groin before the man could respond. "C.F. had long hair on his head, facial hair and he is half-Asian," court documents note. Later during the bonfire, Clark is accused of becoming aggressive toward the man again and calling him "an ISIS" while brandishing his gun. C.F. reported a friend telling him to flee. "He said as he ran away he was '100% positive he was gonna start shooting,'" the documents say. Clark's private attorney, Mathew Johnson, said the agent failed to speak with his client and other witnesses. "My client was very surprised that charges were filed without an investigator talking to him," Johnson said. Anastasia Burton, deputy communications director for the Montana Department of Justice, said she could not comment "as the case is still under review." An interview with Clark "would include self-defense claims," Johnson said, adding that he looks forward to proving his client's innocence during trial. Clark was booked into the county jail at 9:23 a.m. Monday. Clark's bond was originally set at $50,000, but when Clark appeared in justice court, he was released on his own recognizance with certain conditions, including a GPS monitor. The case began, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton said, after his office received a call from a citizen, who filed an officer complaint. "Upon initial investigation, we found the complaint warranted further investigation," Dutton said in a press release. The case was then forwarded to the Montana Department of Justice investigation division to avoid a conflict of interest and "any sense of impropriety," he said. County Chief Administrative Officer Eric Bryson said Clark "is currently an employee of Lewis and Clark County." Bryson declined to comment on whether any restrictions have been put on Clark's job. According to a 2000 article in the Independent Record, Clark was hired that year as a deputy. He had spent five years as both a detention officer at the jail and a reserve deputy previously. A statutory mandate on Montanas Water Court threatens the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes water-rights compact passed during the last legislative session, along with other compacts not yet federally ratified, an attorney for the CSKT told a legislative interim committee on Monday. The CSKT compact was a contentious issue during the last two sessions. It found the political muscle last year to make it to Gov. Steve Bullocks desk for his signature ratifying it. The compact, coming after more than 30 years of negotiations between the tribes and state, defines tribal water rights both on and off the Flathead Indian Reservation. The state also agreed to spend more than $50 million on upgrades and infrastructure for the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project. The legislation created a Water Management Board to oversee water rights and use outside of the irrigation project. Montanas ratification of the compact was only the first step. It must also gain congressional approval -- a process with few guarantees that can take years. As the compact works its way through Congress, the Montana Water Court faces a separate statutory mandate that it issue preliminary water right decrees across the state by 2020, CSKT attorney John Carter told the Water Policy Interim Committee. The Water Court is caught between a rock and a hard place, he said. The court can choose to stay decrees subject to the pending compacts, but in the case of the Blackfeet compact introduced to Congress in 2010 but not yet passed, the court declined to issue the stays, Carter said. The decrees place water right holders in a position where they must then object through the state and potentially risk offending tribal members and nontribal members, he said. The dilemma is pretty clear; if the Water Court starts issuing temporary decrees before the compacts are approved it pretty well torpedoes it making it through Congress, Carter said. Other compact-pending decrees include the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine Tribes of the Fort Belknap Reservation, ratified by the Legislature in 2001 and taking a decade to first be introduced in Congress, with no action to date. For the CSKT decrees, Carter said the Water Court agreed to stays until 2017. Tribal representatives were also in Washington, D.C., pushing for congressional passage of the compact, he said. Sen. Bradley Hamlett, D-Cascade, asked Carter to recommend a potential solution. Carter replied that he did not have a simple solution, but the issue may require a legislative fix with a logical action to extend the deadline for temporary decrees. Preliminary implementation of the compact is already underway with the first meeting of the Compact Implementation Technical Team tasked with advising the operator of the irrigation project, said Tim Davis, administrator with the Water Resources Division of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. The team met in Pablo on Dec. 3, discussing initial operating procedures and available funding of about $1.5 million per year from the state of Montana, he said. DNRC plans to make audio and documents from the meetings available online, he said. NorthWestern Energy community relations director Rick Burt (Jan. 3, IR) ridiculed my observation that California was striving for 50 percent renewable electricity by 2030. He contended NorthWestern already has 60 percent renewables. He cited immaterial numbers showing power costs more in California, concluding Montana should not adopt Californias model. That ignores the future prospect of obtaining even cheaper power than NorthWesterns coal facilities provide while cutting its coal fired generation in half to further reduce CO2. In 2013 Palo Alto, California, purchased solar PV power for 6.9 cents per kilowatt-hour. Costs have gone down, so that price today would be about 6.21 cents/kWh. At 6.455 cents/kWh for power from Colstrip, Montana cannot compete. In the Midwest, wind power contracts are being signed for 2.5 cents/kWh. In 2015, contracts for power from solar collectors were signed for 3.87 cents/kWh in Nevada by NV Energy (Warren Buffet-owned company), and under 4 cents/kWh in Texas by Austin Energy, a municipal utility. Thus, transitioning to clean electricity while complying with Americas Clean Power Plan is saving consumers money. Burts response also minimizes my observation that Montana must include more renewable energy in the mix of power it exports because 21 states like California want to obtain more renewable power than Montana supplies them. A high percentage of dirty-electron power mix will be rejected by cities like Denver which is decreasing its carbon footprint by 80 percent by 2050 -- the goal of our MTCARES.org initiative. By matching the demand for cleaner power, Montana will continue exporting some coal-fired electrons. True, wind doesnt always blow. But, coal plants cant be scaled back easily. However, together wind and sun generation minimize the intermittency problem because they produce power at different times. Power is now and will be regulated to match demand by natural gas and hydro resources. So more renewables doesnt mean unreliability. Wind turbines generate 48.1 percent of Denmarks domestic electricity supply. That conservation Burt touted? Consumers pay NorthWestern a lost revenue adjustment to help cover conservation costs. Burt claims the utility is as passionate about LEDs as I am and is sharing information with local government officials interested in street-light conversions. Really? NorthWestern has fought LED street light implementation since 2008. And information on LED street lights does not appear to be on NorthWesterns website. Municipalities seeking facts would be better off consulting the shared experience of cities at the Municipal Solid State Street Lighting Consortium. Its free to join at http://energy.gov/eere/ssl/doe-municipal-solid-state-street-lighting-consortium. That information will help Montana cities reduce the energy component of their street lighting bill by more than 50 percent while also satisfying the nighttime lighting part of the 47 percent reduction in coal-fired generation Americas Clean Power Plan requires. In Public Service Commission Docket D2010.2.14 Northwestern prevented consideration of excellent expert testimony by Seattle City Lights Edward Smalley concerning the cost effectiveness and energy savings of LED street lighting in Seattle and elsewhere. Since NorthWestern likely is not including Smalleys testimony in information to local governments, they can view it at http://psc.mt.gov/Docs/ElectronicDocuments/pdfFiles/D2010-2-14_IN_20140407_TEST.pdf. NorthWestern also moved to strike testimony of Rev. John Soderberg and now deceased Republican legislator Bruce Simon. They revealed how NWE refused to allow use of poles to mount LED replacements for outdated high pressure sodium lights in downtown Billings and the Bozeman Methodist Church parking lot. Burt was present opposing intervention in the PSC Docket when Simon told the Billings City Council of NorthWesterns obstructionism. NorthWestern still opposes a motion requiring it to install 850 LED street lights a month -- definitely not agreement with my kind of passion. Mr. Hemsley, really? Column after column, Mr. Hemsley proves to his readers that he has very little, if any, understanding of the subject matter he attempts to tackle. First he tells us that we should not expect the government to protect us from gun violence, instead we should arm ourselves in order to be safe. Actually it is the most important job of government to protect the citizens. That is why we have agencies such as police, FBI, the military and many others protecting our lives, air, food, water and even money. Most reasonable people understand that the incredible amount of gun violence in this country, remotely unparalleled in any developed society, is the direct result of the proliferation of firearms in the U.S. and our collective obsession of gun ownership being the gold standard of civil liberties. More guns would surely equal more accidental deaths, more domestic violence deaths, more gang killings, more rage or anger issue deaths and more mentally unstable people committing random mass murder. In one of his columns, Mr. Hemsley clearly doesnt understand what the timeline for U.S. troop withdraw from Afghanistan actually is. It is not some magical date that President Obama set, when all the bad actors will disappear and the country becomes stable, and free of violence. Instead it is a time when U.S. troops should leave in order for the people of Afghanistan to take control and responsibility for their own affairs. Mr. Hemsley blaming Obama for ISIS is just laughable. Anybody that is well informed on this subject knows that ISIS is a direct result of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and destruction of that dictatorial, yet sovereign, state by the Bush administration. The only people that negate this notion are Cheney apologists and right wing media entertainers. Mr. Hemsley also told the residents of this county that it would have been in our interest to support the failed county jail levy and bond. However, the majority of Lewis and Clark County, and the officials that initiated this action, understand that such funding is the job of the state Legislature. It is simply unfair to ask a select group of residents, namely property owners, to pay for such a public works project. It is also a job of our inept Legislature to increase the budget of the notoriously underfunded public defenders office, the main cause for the jails overcrowding. In his latest column, Mr. Hemsley reaches new heights of ignorance. The standoff in Oregon has nothing to do with the stewardship of public lands by the federal government, as he suggests. It has all to do with the occupiers not even recognizing the legitimacy and authority of the federal government, period. These people are machine gun toting thugs, not ranchers or locals, who are itching to have some sort of apocalyptic battle with the federal government, which they absolutely despise. I find it ironic as well as appalling that these nut jobs are wearing our nations sacred flag on their arms, and at the same time are opposed to what that flag stands for: United, not separate, States. I cant understand why any reasonable person would support such blatant anarchy. Naturally, Mr. Hemsley is entitled to his opinion that local authorities would manage public lands better than the federal government, with which I and many Montanans strongly disagree. When I started to read the IR 15 years ago, this paper published reprints of renowned major newspaper columnists such as Krugman, Friedman, Brooks, Will, Kristof, ODowd and many others, on a daily basis. Today the IR offers us, instead, the ignorant and sometimes incoherent ramblings of Mr. Hemsley. Really? Paul Kazmierowski Helena Criminal patients at the overcrowded Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs will soon be housed at the former Reintegrating Youth Offenders facility in nearby Galen. The state of Montana's lease for a new forensic, meaning criminal, mental health facility begins Feb. 1 and runs through 2035. It will house people committed to the state hospital through the criminal justice system. The state hospital's D wing, where people are currently placed, is licensed to hold 32 people but regularly has more than 50. Dan Villa, Gov. Steve Bullock's budget director, said the facility is in the process of adding staff members, enhancing cameras and making other upgrades. The term of the lease, 19 years, is just under the cap of what the state can sign without legislative approval. The 2015 Legislature appropriated $4 million for staff and to operate the facility, but the money for building a space to house it was tied up and ultimately killed in Senate Bill 416, the infrastructure bill that failed by one vote at the end of that session. The Galen facility will have 60 beds total, including six beds to keep women separate. The former youth detention center, built and operated for the past 12 years by Butte-based Community, Counseling and Correctional Services Inc., closed in January. Villa said the cost to adapt the space is mostly rolled into the cost of the lease, a number he didn't have at a Monday meeting of the Children, Families, Health, and Human Services Interim Committee. Villa called the solution "the best alternative to comply with the $4 million the Legislature had appropriated for state facilities services in order to abate the crisis level at the Montana State Hospital." Rep. Ron Ehli, R-Hamilton, questioned to use of the money to rent the facility and the authority to do so. "Where does the authority come from for the executive branch to go out and do that?" he asked. Villa said when the 2015 Legislature appropriated the $4 million to run the unit but not the money to build it, there was no other alternative. He also said the state can enter into leases of less than 20 years and for less than 40,000 square feet without legislative approval. "The executive has to deal with the crisis as they arise," Villa said. "You get to deal with the crisis when you arrive in January 2017. We have had a crisis for two years at the Montana State Hospital." Montana regulators have unanimously approved a settlement that seeks to end a years-long battle over the proposed expansion of a coal mine in central Montana. The Montana Board of Environmental Review on Tuesday OK'd a deal that allows Signal Peak Energy to proceed with an often-criticized expansion of its operations at the underground Bull Mountain Mine. The seven-member, governor-appointed panel posed no questions and made only minor tweaks to language included in the agreement, one board members lauded as a fair deal for environmentalists and coal miners alike. Discussion ahead of that vote cut a sharp contrast with testimony heard only hours earlier at the state Capitol, where the settlement provoked a nearly two-hour back-and-forth between state officials and environmentalists speaking in front of Montanas Water Policy Interim Committee. The deal is meant to avert a threatened shutdown of most of Signal Peaks operations at Bull Mountain, where a state panel in 2013 rejected expansion plans environmentalists said could contaminate nearby water supplies. The company had threatened to lay off about two-thirds of its employees if those plans weren't allowed to go ahead. An eight-member committee of state legislators took no action for or against the planned expansion Tuesday morning, but asked plenty of questions about the legal settlement that will allow it to proceed. Meanwhile, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality has already started a revised environmental analysis called for under the agreement. That revision is expected to be completed within six months. Department head Tom Livers didnt necessarily agree with environmentalists characterization of flaws in his agencys assessment of the mine expansions impact on nearby groundwater sources. He said the DEQ had to pony up $30,000 to settle legal disputes over that assessment with the Montana Environmental Information Center. MEIC attorney Derf Johnson declined to comment on the size of a related settlement his group reached with Signal Peak. State Sen. Duane Ankney, R-Colstrip, said similar legal arrangements threaten the states economic future. The market on coal is bad right now, but so is the (market) on cattle, Ankney said. Does that mean we take cattle ranchers to court and challenge them? As long as we allow these groups to sue and settle, were going to put this state out of business. Signal Peak cut about 20 percent of its workforce last month amid a continued downturn in the coal market. Arch Coal Inc., the nations second-largest coal company, plans to file for bankruptcy protection on Monday. MEIC attorney Johnson said his group is also concerned with a state report on environmental conditions at Rosebud Mine, in Colstrip. Johnson did not rule out legal action over those concerns. NEW ORLEANS -- Leah Chase has spent her culinary life on the cutting edge of history, mixing fine dining with her southern Louisiana roots at her classic New Orleans restaurant, Dooky Chase's. She broke the city's segregation laws decades ago by serving white and black customers, including civil rights leaders like Thurgood Marshall. She offered an upscale, white-tablecloth dining experience at a time when none existed for blacks in the city. Her jambalaya, fried oysters, shrimp Creole and Gumbo des Herbes have introduced countless people to Creole cooking. The woman who's been dubbed the Queen of Creole Cuisine says she has few regrets, maybe just one. "Maybe I should have worked harder. I don't know. But I did the best I could do," says Chase, sitting in the dining room during a recent lunch rush, while fielding tourists' requests for autographs of her cookbooks or photos. The notion that Chase hasn't worked hard enough would shock her customers. Using a walker, she still goes table to table and greets diners and steps into the kitchen to make sure her fried chicken is crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Chase, who turns 93 today, has spent most of her life cooking and directing the restaurant named after her husband in Treme, a historic African-American neighborhood. New Orleans restaurateur John Besh calls her an "ambassador of our food, our people of south Louisiana," where she prepares classic dishes like red beans and rice or shrimp Clemenceau. The restaurant opened in 1941 serving sandwiches and lottery tickets. Not until after Chase married her husband Dooky in 1946 was it gradually redesigned to offer more upscale dining: tablecloths and silverware set on the table, for example, and Creole dishes. Segregation meant that fancy restaurants were off limits to black patrons in the city. But those same restaurants were staffed by black employees, and Chase waited tables in the French Quarter during World War II. "I worked in a restaurant so I knew what they did in them. I said well, why we can't have that for our people? Why we can't have a nice space?" she said. Dooky Chase's also became the meeting spot for black and white civil rights activists. Ernest "Dutch" Morial, the city's first African-American mayor, courted his wife Sybil Morial during lunches at Dooky Chase's. Sybil Morial recalled how Marshall and other lawyers would visit New Orleans and work with her husband and fellow NAACP lawyer, A.P. Tureaud, to plot legal strategies after the 1954 landmark ruling of Brown vs. Board of Education. The black and white lawyers would go to Dooky's for lunch or dinner. "It was a haven for them to refresh themselves with wonderful gumbo and it was a place where they could strategize after a hard day's work," said Morial. Chase doesn't boast about it, saying simply that she did what she thought she had to do. "All I had to do was feed them. If they were in jail in New Orleans I would send food to jail. They didn't eat that prison food," she says. Her menu reflects the south Louisiana culture she was raised in, such as crab soup, stuffed shrimp and praline pudding. She's also famous for her "Gumbo Des Herbes," which she cooks the Thursday before Easter. The gumbo, thick with cabbage, spinach or mustard greens, is traditionally made meatless on Good Friday when Catholics generally don't eat meat. But Chase's gumbo is usually made with meat so she serves it on Thursday, said Liz Williams who heads the city's Southern Food and Beverage Museum. "It's just a reflection of how seriously Creole her restaurant is that she was serving a dish that is something you would serve at home," Williams said. Chase has fed stars, world class athletes and presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. Her life inspired the Disney movie The Princess and the Frog about an African-American girl who dreams of opening the finest restaurant in New Orleans. But except for two photographs of Obama, there's little evidence of her illustrious customers at the restaurant. Instead, her extensive collection of art by African-American artists adorns the walls. Chase herself never went to culinary school, although she has an intense interest in New Orleans' culinary history. During one chat with a customer, the conversation quickly delves into the merits of oxtails. She's happy with the recent growth in Vietnamese restaurants and likes to use lemon grass in chicken soup. After seven decades in the restaurant business, it's clear her passions for food and her city haven't waned. "It's fun for me. I like what I'm doing. I hope to get it done really well someday," she said. DECATUR Chalil Mangrum, 20, is being held in jail on $20,000 bond on a felony charge of residential burglary, for allegedly stealing about $350 in cash and electronic items from a northeast side apartment. At the time of his arrest Friday night, Mangrum was free on bond in a case in which he is charged with endangering the life or health of a child. He is due in court for his arraignment on both cases Friday. The victim, a woman in her 20s, told police she left for work that morning. When she returned home, to her apartment on the 1300 block of East Wellington Way, she was missing a Playstation with controllers, a tablet and cash. The victim said she was acquainted with Mangrum and he knew where she kept things in her residence. There was no indication of forced entry. She noticed that a key to her residence was missing. She immediately suspected Mangrum, for she had caught Chalil stealing from her saving bank before, but never reported it, said a probable cause affidavit by Decatur patrol officer Robert Hoecker. When the victim discovered the items were missing, she told police where Mangrum was residing, within the same apartment complex. When police contacted Mangrum, he said he was in possession of the victim's Playstation, controllers and tablet. Chalil claimed he took the bag off of two males that he believed had just burglarized (the victim's) residence earlier that day, Hoecker wrote in his statement. Mangrum said he opened that bag and saw property he recognized as belonging to the woman he knew. He said he was planning on returning her property to her later on this date. He said he had not called the police, but did call the woman about the incident. The victim said she had not received a phone call from Mangrum that day. She said she went to the apartment where Mangrum was staying and knocked on the door. She heard a lot of commotion and it sounded like someone was moving several items around in a hurry, the woman told police. When the officer asked Mangrum to retrieve the items, he removed the Playstation and a controller from a living room closet. Mangrum initially said that was all he had, but later produced the other controller and the tablet, which were also in the closet. Mangrum admitted he was in front of the victim's building that day, as well as being in possession of the stolen items and a key to her apartment. He would not confirm that he entered (the victim's) residence on this date, the affidavit said. SHELBYVILLE Growth at two Shelbyville factories, a large expansion at a tech company and proposals for more housing developments are convincing Shelbyville Mayor Jeff Johnson that the town of 5,000 is headed for better economic times. I dont see how you cant feel optimistic when you see everything that is going on, he said. IHI Turbo America, an automotive parts manufacturer, recently expanded its factory on the city's west side. International Paper, the towns largest employer, has the now hiring sign out. Plant manager Eric Wiley said the facility, which makes paper and poly cups for a variety of restaurant and convenience store chains, employs more than 900 workers. We used to be governed by the seasonal nature of the cup business, but now the demand is year round, he said. Tech company Software Solutions Integrated is expanding to include a training facility, a home improvement store is being built, and Johnson said plans for future retail and housing developments are also being discussed. If we can bring more people into town, whether as visitors or new residents, I think theyll see that Shelbyville has a lot to offer, he said. The city has created a tax increment financing district and business districts to use property and sales tax dollars for development. Johnson has asked the Shelby County Board to consider partnering with the city on an enterprise district, a defined area approved by the state where property taxes are abated as a way to encourage new business growth. In addition, the owner of the former Shelby County Country Club is planning a housing development and restaurant on property adjacent to Lake Shelbyville. Shelbyville is a terrific area, said Dave Rifestack of Sycamore. The lake is a huge attraction but the downtown and the entire community make it attractive to people wanting to visit and live here. In the old Charles Atlas ad, a 97-pound weakling lounging on the beach gets sand kicked in his face by a bully. Humiliated, he tries the Charles Atlas muscle-building program, transforms his physique and puts the bully in his place. The Second Amendment was once the 97-pound weakling of the Bill of Rights, pitifully helpless in the face of anti-gun forces. The Supreme Court went decades without paying it any mind. My 1991 copy of the casebook "Constitutional Law," by Geoffrey Stone, Louis Seidman, Cass Sunstein and Mark Tushnet, has 1,716 pages, and no index entry for the Second Amendment. A law professor wrote in 1987 that this provision "is not taken seriously by most scholars." But in the interim, it has gotten seriously jacked. In 2008, the Supreme Court converted the Second Amendment from feeble to formidable. The justices not only struck down a Washington, D.C., ban on handguns but proclaimed an individual right to own guns for self-defense. Two years later, they tossed out a similar Chicago law. As a result, the Second Amendment has never been stronger or more protective of gun owners' rights. Yet today Republican politicians act as though it were in mortal danger. After Barack Obama announced such steps as tightening enforcement of federal regulations on gun sales, Donald Trump lamented, "He's taking chunks and chunks out of the Second Amendment." Ted Cruz said the measures are "unconstitutional." They overlook two critical facts. The first is that if Obama adopts any policy that abridges the right to keep and bear arms, the Supreme Court will deep-six it. The second is that almost none of what he is doing offends the Second Amendment. They probably know as much. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, emailed a 1,500-word statement under the subject line "Key FACTS on the Second Amendment," detailing the flaws in Obama's plan. Grassley managed to come up with only one alleged violation of the right to keep and bear arms: his endorsement of a bill to block purchases by anyone on the no-fly list. He may be right on that. But the steps unveiled last week are deferential to the limits of government power. Obama wants to require unlicensed gun dealers to get licenses and conduct background checks to block sales to the felonious and the insane, who are already forbidden to have guns. He wants to encourage states to provide better data for these background checks. He wants the Social Security Administration to forward the names of people known to have serious mental health impairments. At Thursday's town hall, rape survivor Kimberly Corban challenged Obama: "Why can't your administration see that these restrictions that you're putting to make it harder for me to own a gun or harder for me to take that where I need to be is actually just making my kids and I less safe?" Her question inadvertently exposed the mortifying fact that many people who distrust Obama on guns have no clue what he's done on guns. His new plans will not impede any law-abiding citizens from getting the firearms they want or using them for protection inside the home or in public. Nor do they conflict with the guidance of the Supreme Court. "Like most rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited," the court said in 2008. It stressed, "Nothing in our opinion should be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms." Cruz claims that Obama is "the most anti-gun president we've ever seen." But Obama's package is far less ambitious than the 1993 Brady Law, which mandated background checks on sales by licensed dealers, and the 1994 "assault weapons" ban, which were signed by Bill Clinton. Both measures had the endorsement of three other presidents: Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and, surprise, Ronald Reagan. Ford and Carter had earlier supported a ban on "Saturday night specials," which are small, inexpensive pistols. It's impossible to know Obama's deepest feelings about mass confiscation. But he has kept the promise he made in 2008: "I will not take your shotgun away. I will not take your rifle away. I won't take your handgun away." So maybe his GOP critics should conserve their outrage until such time as it's actually needed. More Illinois students are taking Advanced Placement courses. At the same time, many of those students are failing to pass the tests associated with those courses that will give them college credit. That has raised questions about whether the students are benefitting from the classes. Starting next year, public colleges and universities in the state will have to award college credit if a student scores a three on the five-point AP grading scale. Many institutions dont award college credit unless a student gets a four or a five. In tests taken last spring, about 95,000 students took some 176,000 AP exams and nearly 40 percent of exams scored below a 3. Across the state, participation in AP tests has increased about 36 percent over the last five years, but the number of students passing the exams has slipped. The increased participation is by design. For many years, access to AP classes was limited in many schools, either formally or informally. In recent years, more students have been encouraged to take the more rigorous classes. Some of these students may be borderline for advanced classes, but many educators believe its important to challenge the students. There are also socioeconomic factors at work. According to a study by the Chicago Tribune at Illinois most affluent and elite high schools, a score of at least 3 is common. Students from poorer districts dont do as well on the exams and thats where a lot of the growth in participation has occurred. One of the allures of the AP classes is for high school students to get college credit, if they pass the test, at a relatively low rate. Another option that many schools and students use to achieve that goal is dual-credit courses. These are courses that are taught at a high school or at a community college and students can receive both high school and college credit for the courses. Some students can graduate from high school with a semester or more of college credits. The difference, of course, is that dual-credit courses dont feature a credit or no credit, test at the end. While the AP tests are a barometer of success, tests can miss the point of education. While class rankings and grade point averages seem important in the high school years, they are of little consequence in the so-called real world. Most industries want employees that can accept challenges, think on their feet and know how to solve problems. Advanced Placement classes and dual-credit courses help students develop and hone those skills. There is value in students taking challenging classes that goes beyond grades or test scores. Undercover Superhero Feral FREE READ Once Upon A Princess: Land of Dreams Forget Me Not The Highlander's English Woman Sea Change Severed Amaranthine Kiss Talson's Wait Spirited Away Nightgazer A Hunt by Moonlight Bone Walker 1000 Kisses Armenias Human Rights Defender (HRD) Karen Andreasyan today submitted his letter of resignation. The news was posted on the HRD's Facebook page. While Andreasyan thanked his colleagues for their years of collaborative work, he gave no explanation for his resignation from the post, stating that there would be no further clarification. Andreasyan expressed the hope that the HRD would continue to serve as a priority institution in Armenia. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less. Margaret Krome: Government far from perfect, but it's us Brush up your skills: Madison stylist to open new beauty school in February Matt Blessing, chairman of the Public Records Board, listens to board members during a hearing on transitory records on Monday. Madison Ald. Samba Baldeh, an immigrant and a Muslim, was elected to the City Council last April. In the wake of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric from Republican presidential candidates, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan decided to show support for immigrants and Muslims by inviting Baldeh to be his guest at the State of the Union address. PHOTO BY M.P. KING/STATE JOURNAL Citing a community need to heal, Madison police Chief Mike Koval on Monday said Officer Matt Kenny will continue working behind-the-scenes for the department rather than returning to patrol duties this year. Some 10 months after Kenny, who is white, became a lightning rod for community unrest after he fatally shot unarmed black teen Tony Robinson, Koval said he and Kenny both believe Kenny should continue working for MPDs training and mounted horse patrol units, where he was temporarily assigned after the March 6 shooting. Together we came to the conclusion that perhaps it would be in everyones best interests that Kenny remain in his current posting for 2016, Koval said in an interview with the Wisconsin State Journal, noting Kenny received advanced training on mounted horse patrol issues in Houston over the summer that he could now put to use. And at the same time, that gives us some additional time and space for community healing, said Koval, who first mentioned Kennys 2016 work assignment in a December blog post pegged to the departments annual assignment process for the new year. Kenny was cleared of any criminal or procedural wrongdoing in the shooting last year. But the question of what he will do next remains a matter of intense public interest, Koval said, noting questions about where Kenny will work have continued to come up quite a lot at community meetings held by Koval around the city. Coming on the heels of controversial police killings of unarmed black men in other cities starting in August 2014 when Michael Brown was fatally shot by a white officer in Ferguson, Missouri the Robinson shooting sparked weeks of peaceful protests locally and renewed concerns about longstanding racial disparities in Dane County. It triggered a citizens inquiry into Madison police practices. As to Kennys preference, Koval said Kenny offered to be placed wherever the department could best use him. I think he is ready to accept whatever assignment I provide to him, Koval said. Hes a team player, and this is the direction Id like to go for yet another year. Kennys lawyer, Jim Palmer, largely echoed Kovals explanation of Kennys posting for the year, calling it the reasonable and responsible thing for Kenny to do now. Palmer said Kenny recognizes the community is still healing from the fatal shooting, which occurred after Kenny and Robinson briefly grappled in the interior stairwell of an East Side house that police were called to following reports that Robinson, after taking drugs, had been running in traffic and battering people. Kenny also believes his remaining off patrol duties for this year makes sense, Palmer said, because a federal civil suit filed against him by the Robinson family is pending. Kenny also is still being treated for migraine headaches experienced since the confrontation, Palmer said. But Palmer and Koval both didnt rule out Kennys returning to patrol duties at some point. With 13-plus years of seniority and the shooting ruled justified, Kenny, 46, has rights under the union contract to return to his job, Palmer said. Koval also cited certain vesting rights and employee prerogatives that Kenny has, but Koval didnt say Kenny definitely would return to patrol duties. I dont want to paint him into any kind of corner, Koval said. He may decide he wants to look at some lateral positions. We will just take it sort of one year at a time. Congressman Mark Pocan says President Barack Obama should counter what he calls anti-Muslim statements by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and others in Tuesday night's State of the Union Address. Pocan, D-Black Earth, is joining 19 other members of Congress in what they call a collective response to Republican anti-Muslim rhetoric. The lawmakers, all Democrats, are inviting Muslim Americans to be their guests to the State of the Union Address. Pocan has invited City of Madison Ald. Samba Baldeh, who represents parts of the city's far east and north sides. Baldeh, who is Muslim and a native of Gambia, was elected to the city council last year. Speaking to the Wisconsin State Journal from Washington, D.C., Tuesday, Pocan said he hopes Obama will address what he called "hate speech" against Muslims by Trump and other GOP presidential candidates. Trump has proposed a temporary ban on Muslims traveling to the U.S. and discussed the possibility of creating a database of Muslims in the U.S. Pocan said Baldeh's presence at the event shows Muslims are valuable members of the Dane County community. "Samba, to me, is the face of a Muslim American in our area," Pocan said. Baldeh said he believes most Americans reject Trump's views on Muslims in the U.S. But Baldeh said he is concerned that Trump's remarks could help such views enter the mainstream. "What I'm afraid of is the normalization of what Donald Trump is saying," Baldeh said. Congressman Keith Ellison, D-Minneapolis, who is Muslim, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Democratic National Committee Chairwoman, have urged all members of Congress to invite Muslims to the State of the Union Address to show the world that we will not be intimidated by fear into discrimination. Among other Wisconsin lawmakers, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, invited Britney Woods, a college student from Racine, to the State of the Union Address. U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, invited Pastor Jerome Smith, a Milwaukee pastor at Greater Praise Church of God in Christ. Our life is chaotic, crazy and rarely predictable...join us! Enjoy the ride! Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-01-12 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at CONTENTS [01] Labour Min Katrougalos on social security reforms [02] The government does not yield to blackmails, says Environment Min Skourletis [03] Greek economy to return to positive growth rates in 2016, Piraeus Bank chairman says [04] Film director Nikos Panayiotopoulos dies [05] At least 1,500 refugees arrive at Piraeus port [06] National Bank announces programme to support start-ups [01] Labour Min Katrougalos on social security reforms The redistribution of wealth, the guaranteed pensions and measures to combat tax evasion are the main pillars of the social security reforms, Labour Minister George Katrougalos on Tuesday said in an interview with Praktorio 104.9 FM. Katrougalos confirmed once again that there will be no pension cuts and stressed that the government aims at restoring social justice through the social security reforms. [02] The government does not yield to blackmails, says Environment Min Skourletis The government does not succumb to blackmails, Environment and Energy Minister Panos Skourletis on Tuesday said in statements to Praktorio 104.9 FM following "Eldorado Gold" announcement that it partly suspends its construction works at Skouries. Canadian mining company Eldorado Gold Corp on Monday said it will suspend part of its mine construction and investment in Greece after a year of confrontations with the Greek government that included permits being revoked and delayed by the state. Skourletis expressed his disappointment over the fact that CEO of the Canadian company, Paul Wright, decided to cancel their scheduled meeting on Tuesday. Skourletis sternly criticised those who accuse the government that 2,000 people will lose their job after the retirement of Eldorado from Northern Halkidiki and cleared out that the decision will affects around 830 workers. [03] Greek economy to return to positive growth rates in 2016, Piraeus Bank chairman says A timely completion of the first review of the Greek programme and a dynamic implementation of a privatization programme, combined with a new development law by the government will help the economy to respond positively later this year and to return to positive growth rates in the second half of 2016, Mihalis Sallas, chairman of Piraeus Bank said on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters, the Greek banker said he was surprised by a series of announcements made by foreign analysts which were making an effort to create a recessionary environment for the Greek economy this year. " The Greek economy has still to resolve a lot of its structural problems, but I believe that a timely completion of the first review, a speedy implementation of a privatization programme and a new development law will help the economy to respond positively returning to positive growth rates in the second half. We will have a positive growth rate for the year. ," Sallas said. [04] Film director Nikos Panayiotopoulos dies Greek film director Nikos Panayiotopoulos died on Monday at the age of 74. Panayiotopoulos was born on the island of Lesvos in 1941 and studied cinema in Athens and Paris where he lived from 1960 to 1973. He was awarded in international film festivals. Some of his well-known films are "A Night to Remember," "Delivery" and "Athens-Istanbul." His latest film, "Rembrandt's Daughter" was released a few weeks prior to his death. [05] At least 1,500 refugees arrive at Piraeus port "Blue Star 1" ferry carried around 1,500 refugees from Mytilene to Piraeus port on Tuesday. [06] National Bank announces programme to support start-ups National Bank on Tuesday announced an initiative aimed to support start-ups with activities in e-commerce through its NBG BusinessSeeds programme. The bank will award start-ups offering innovatiave products and services, present integrated business models, financial sustainability and high growth prospects. All eligible companies will be offered National Bank's i-bank e-commerce service free of charge for one year and with an exceptionally low fee afterwards. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article We are gathering information for the 2022 general election. On desktop, click "election information" on the right side of this pag... The two most supported by IL GOP leadership are Kasich and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush . But in Illinois, the former congressman is the favorite among a sizable number of Illinois Republican Party leaders - from senators and state representatives to campaign workers and GOP staffers. SPRINGFIELD - Ohio Governor John Kasich boasts new polling in New Hampshire that places him just behind Donald Trump , and he barely escaped being cut from Thursday night's Fox Business debate to fill the #9 out of nine candidate slots on the prime time stage. UPDATE: Politico is reporting Tuesday afternoon that the Kasich campaign could be in trouble in Illinois. They are under the minimum required signatures in six Congressional Districts, where Kasich could lose crucial delegates with recognizable names. Kasich credits himself with saving his home state from fundamentally dying. He says he balanced the budget, cut taxes, diversified Ohios economy and grew nearly 400,000 private-sector jobs. Regulatory reform would be a top priority for Kasich. "Id impose a one-year moratorium on all major new regulations to give businesses some breathing room after all the regulatory costs imposed by the Obama administration. That would give us time to overhaul the regulatory process," Kasich said on a recent call with business leaders and manufacturers. "Then we would ask Congress to make cost-benefits analyses mandatory for all new regulations and require congressional approval for any new regulations that would impose more than $100 million a year in costs to the U.S. economy." Kasich's campaign is drawing in young and old. Matthew Starr, a 28-year-old delegate from the 11th CD, told Illinois Review he's on the Kasich team because the Ohio governor has proven himself a person that will get the job done. "I am supporting Gov. Kasich because I believe he has the right balance of conservative values and pragmatic leadership that the GOP will need to win the White House in November," Starr said. "His success in Ohio is proof that he can get things done, and while I respect a lot of the candidate we have running, I think he has a record and a story that can take him through a general election." This isn't Starr's first time to be on an election ballot. He's a trustee in Will County's Plainfield Township, where he was elected in 2013. Before that, Starr was the township's tax collector at age 21. In the 1st CD, Worth Township GOP Committeeman Shaun Murphy and his brother Matt are on the ballot for Kasich, as is Bremen Township GOP Committeeman Kevin Suggs. In the 2nd CD, Thornton Township GOP Commiteeman Judy Diekelman is representing Kasich. Former Cook County Commissioner and Orland Township GOP Committeeman Liz Gorman, Cook County Commissioner and Palos Township Committeeman Sean Morrison and Illinois Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno is representing Kasich in the 3rd CD. DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin is on the Kasich list from the 5th CD. Former IL GOP Chairman Pat Brady is representing Kasich in the 6th CD, along with Cook County GOP Committeeman Aaron Del Mar and State Representative Ron Sandack. Former State Rep. Suzanne Bassi is an alternate for the 6th, as is Comptroller Leslie Munger's Communications Director Phil Rodriguez. The late Judy Baar Topinka's chief of staff Nancy Kimme - who is now a lobbyist and involved in the Rauner campaign - is joined by William Dean Smithburg representing the 7th CD. State Representatives Ed Sullivan and David Harris are representing the 9th and 10 CDs. State Rep. Tom Demmer and State Senator Dave Syverson are on the Kasich delegate ballot for the 16th CD. State Rep Randy Frese and former State Rep. Jil Tracy are on Kasich's delegate ballot for the 18th CD. CHICAGO - Busloads from surrounding states are planning to gather with fellow pro-lifers Sunday, January 17 at the 2016 March for Life Chicago on Chicagos Federal Plaza to proclaim the sanctity of human life and call for an end to abortion as they march through the Loop beginning at 2 p.m. Organizers are expecting at least 7500, likely to be the largest pro-life event in the Midwest to date. Chicagos Archbishop Blase Cupich is expected to return to the March for Life Chicago after a well-received debut in 2015. Last year, as he marked with sadness the January 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in America, Cupich reminded listeners that, We are here to do everything possible to make sure that the right to life is preserved. March for Life Chicago President Emily Zender said the theme for this years march is We Are Family." We want every woman and man in an unplanned pregnancy to know that no matter what obstacles they may be facing, the pro-life family is there to support them," she said. "We want everyone to understand that families are very diverse, including biological children, adopted children, downs syndrome children, single moms and single dads. Chicago Bear owner Pat McCaskey,U.S. Congressman Randy Hultgren and Reverend Corey Brooks, pastor of New Beginnings Church of Chicago are also scheduled to speak at the rally. But there it was on the State Board of Elections website - Pahlke's name. "I couldn't believe she could possibly be a third candidate along with Mark Kirk and James Marter on the 2016 GOP primary ballot," he said. "I'd heard her speak a couple of times in 2013," Pearson told Illinois Review. To him, her presentations were nonsensical and disruptive. When Monee resident George Pearson saw the name " Elizabeth Pahlke " listed as a GOP candidate from Illinois for U.S. Senate, he was surprised. He quickly remembered Pahlke as an Independent candidate in the 2nd Congressional District special election when it was held to replace former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr . SPRINGFIELD - A U.S. Senate primary candidate was booted from the GOP ballot last week, leaving two on the ballot in the March 15th election - incumbent Mark Kirk and challenger James Marter . Pearson said he'd heard about the condition of Pahlke's petitions - how she attached twigs, grass and bird droppings along with irrational ramblings to her petitions. "I kept waiting for someone from the Illinois Republican Party or the Kirk campaign to file an objection, and nothing happened. Day after day went by, and no one seemed interested," Pearson said. Before the deadline passed on December 7th, Pearson sought the legal counsel of Will County GOP Chairman Ed Ronkowski, who helped him file the required paperwork. Indeed, the petitions Pahlke filed were in such a state that the State Board of Elections reportedly was forced to handle them with special care. The Board considered the dried mixture of mud and bird feces to be hazardous to their staff's health. Personnel donned surgical gloves and full facial protection as they handled Pahlke's petitions, and then stored them in a protected area away from other petitions. The pages that did not have the twigs, grass or mud attached added up to a questionable 2500 signatures, half of the minimum number required to get on the ballot for the office of U.S. Senate. Still, unless a registered Illinois voter was to file an official objection to the candidate's petitions, the State Board of Elections would have had no recourse but to allow Pahlke on the ballot. Kirk campaign manager Kevin Artl told Illinois Review that thesir campaign didn't object to Pahlke's petitions because they were too busy responding to Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth's national security policies. "In response to your ... question, we are strategically applying our resources to highlight the reckless national security policies being advocated by Rep. Duckworth, including her support of allowing in 200,000 Syrian refugees that our own national security leaders admit cannot be vetted properly," Artl said. But according to George Pearson, that wasn't the whole story. "My legal counsel was contacted by the Kirk campaign and he was asked to ask me to drop the objection," Pearson said. Pearson said it was very clear that the Kirk campaign wanted three names on the GOP primary ballot. A two-on-one primary race would have a better chance of splitting the strong anti-Kirk sentiment votes among the IL GOP base, especially Downstate. It would be even better for Kirk if the third candidate had a female name with no money or notoriety to introduce herself to Downstate voters. During the course of the Board of Elections hearings starting in December, Pearson said he was shocked at Candidate Pahlke's public behavior. A veteran law enforcement officer, Pearson is used to taking copious notes following an incident. He shared with Illinois Review what he noted to himself during an election board public hearing December 9th that started at 10:30 am. Pahlke interrupted the hearing numerous times with comments audible to the board members and all in the room, Pearson reported. "Can we get on with these cases, I have lunch," Pahlke said to the board. "I need to eat or I'll get sick." When the meeting didn't move as quickly as she thought it should, she spoke up again. "Excuse me, can I reschedule? I have a meeting," she said. Then she pushed harder. "That's why our country is falling. A bunch of old men not having sex, (laughing) unable to express themselves. You are labeled correctly the 'Bored' of Elections." After the Board decided to continue considering Pearson's objections, Pahlke was escorted from the room by State Police when the Board secretary asked her to leave, Pearson said. On January 7th, when the board met again, the Pearson vs Pahlke case was the first on the docket, and the board unanimously sustained Pearson's objections. The board was prepared with the paperwork to immediately take Pahlke off the ballot. Pearson said the effort was worthwhile, when he checked and found that in 2013, Pahlke got three percent of the GOP primary voters' support in the 2nd CD Special election. Her name on the ballot could have become a big embarrassment to the Kirk people and the IL GOP. "I remembered her being disruptive when she spoke at the Plainfield Township GOP," Pearson said. "I just couldn't ignore the situation." Pearson said he would be supporting James Marter for U.S. Senate in the March 15th primary. Schlafly, who in the past has focused her support more behind social conservative candidates, says the issue that's most important to America's future in this election is immigration. Trump is the only hope to defeat the Kingmakers, the 91-year-old founder of Eagle Forum t old Breitbart. Because everybody else will fall in line. The Kingmakers have so much money behind them. SPRINGFIELD - A full slate of Illinoisans agree that Donald Trump is the only hope for America, as conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly reiterated last week in an interview with Breitbart - the second time she's surprised followers with her adulation of Trump in the past few months. The Kingmakers, Schlafly told Breitbart, have picked our last bunch of losers. And theres one loser after another because they were more interested in maintaining their flow of money from the big donors and their cooperation with the Democratstheir bipartisanshipand thats not my goal. Im for America [Schlafly slams hand on table] and America first [slams hand on table again]. Trump is leading in national polling, and a full slate of delegates' petitions were on hand early on the first day of filing at the State Board of Elections, putting Trump in contention to be the first name voters see on the March 15th GOP ballot. Springfield attorney Kent Gray led the petition effort consisting of a majority of candidates that are on a primary ballot for the first time, except immigration activist Rosanna Pulido (13th), who ran for Congress in the past and Jack McInerney (11th), who also ran for lieutenant governor. Jackie Menconi (8th) has been active in the northwest suburban Tea Party since their formation in 2009. Cook County resident Frank Biga III told Illinois Review why he's running as a delegate in the 9th District. "I support Donald Trump because he will focus on the needs of American workers by actually controlling our border and negotiating better trade deals," Biga said. "He is also beholden to no one and will do what's best for the American people rather than what has been a seemingly singular focus on what lobbyists and special interests want. I am proud and honored to be on his delegate slate in the IL 9th district." To see this page as it is meant to appear, we ask that you please enable your Javascript! Special Envoy Perriello Travel to Belgium, Italy, Tanzania, Rwanda, DRC, Burundi, and Ethiopia Washington, DC - U.S. Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa Thomas Perriello departs today for an extended trip that will include stops in Brussels, Belgium; Rome, Italy; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Kigali, Rwanda; Bukavu, Goma, and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); Bujumbura, Burundi; and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The trip is focused on supporting regional efforts to resolve the crisis in Burundi and to support upcoming elections in the DRC. The U.S. Government strongly supports the regionally-mediated Burundian dialogue relaunched on December 28, 2015, and is urging all stakeholders to remain committed to the process without preconditions. An inclusive dialogue remains the best route for peacefully resolving the crisis in Burundi and restoring the stability achieved by the Arusha Agreement. The Special Envoy will engage with Burundian stakeholders and East African Community (EAC) leadership about next steps for advancing the dialogue, including moving the dialogue to Arusha, Tanzania. The United States is committed to supporting the DRC in holding elections per the constitution. The Special Envoy will meet with Congolese stakeholders to discuss next steps in the electoral process and the importance of respecting human rights throughout an electoral cycle, including the rights to peacefully assemble and to free speech. While in the DRC, the Special Envoy will also continue to work to resolve the impasse over adoptions and engage with stakeholders working to counter the illegal trade in Congolese natural resources and promote conflict-free minerals. The trip will culminate in Addis Ababa, where the Special Envoy will join the U.S. delegation to the African Union Summit. Zak Kaczmarek/WireImageTame Impala will be returning to the U.S. this summer for a handful of tour dates. The scattered, six-date outing begins June 9 in Chicago and concludes September 2 in Berkley, California. In between the band will play Brooklyn; Columbia, Maryland; and the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado. Visit TameImpala.com for tickets. Tame Impala will be touring in continued support of their third album, last year's Currents. Just like their sophomore effort, Lonerism, Currents earned a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album. Here are Tame Impala's U.S. tour dates: 6/9 -- Chicago, IL, UIC Pavilion 6/14 -- Brooklyn, NY, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival at Prospect Park Bandshell 6/15 -- Brooklyn, NY, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival at Prospect Park Bandshell 6/16 -- Columbia, MD, Merriweather Post Pavilion 8/31 -- Morrison, CO, Red Rocks Amphitheater 9/2 -- Berkeley, CA, Greek Theatre Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Ford India can hope for some breather in the SUV segment with the launch of the new generation Endeavour. The new Ford Endeavour will compete against Toyota Fortuner and recently launched Trailblazer SUV from Chevrolet. By India Today Web Desk: According to reports, Ford India is all set to launch their new generation Ford Endeavour on January 20. Indian buyers have been waiting for quite some time for the new generation Ford Endeavour and with the SUV touted to be better than the previous generation on most fronts is probably a good thing for the company as well. With a whole lot of high power SUVs coming in the market off late, Ford India was left behind in the segment. Now, with its launch near, the company can hope for some breather after all. Engine: ALSO READ; Mercedes, Ford, Buick to show new vehicles at Detroit Auto Show The upcoming Ford Endeavour will come with two engine options and two variants- a 2.2-litre, four-cylinder TDCi diesel engine churning out maximum power output of 157bhp and maximum torque of 385Nm, mated to both six-speed manual and automatic transmission. advertisement While the 3.2-litre, four-cylinder TDCi diesel engine will come with peak power of 197bhp and peak torque of 470Nm, mated to only six-speed automatic transmission. Moreover, the 2.2-litre diesel engine will be offered with a choice of 2WD and 4WD, while the 3.2-litre diesel engine will be offered with only 4WD and will come in Trend and Titanium variants. Dimensions: The India bound Ford Endeavour will come with a wheelbase of 2850mm and will be 4892mm in length, 1860mm in width and 1837 in height, with a ground clearance of 225mm. Moreover, the new SUV will have a fuel capacity of 80 litre. Competition: ALSO READ: Ford Figo to be unveiled at Geneva Auto Show; Europe debut soon The new Ford Endeavour will compete against Toyota Fortuner and recently launched Trailblazer SUV from Chevrolet. Price: We expect the upcoming Ford Endeavour to come with a price tag of Rs 22 lakh (ex showroom, New Delhi) - Rs 30 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi). Watch this space for more information on the new Ford Endeavour. Hyundai plans to start production of the new Accent in Mexico in July 2017 and build 20,000 of them that year. The Accent would be the first Hyundai car to be made in Mexico. By Reuters: Hyundai Motor Co is planning to build the new version of its Accent small car at a Mexican plant owned by sister company Kia Motors next year, two people familiar with the matter said, shifting some output of the low-margin vehicle out of high-cost South Korea. The Accent would be the first Hyundai car to be made in Mexico, giving the automaker access to the country's cheap labor that along with its proximity to the North American and South American markets has attracted so many of its rivals. "As labor costs in Mexico are just one fifth of that in Korea, Hyundai will be able to save a lot in small car production and better compete with rivals which have manufacturing presence in Mexico," said Ko Tae-bong, auto analyst at Hi Investment & Securities. advertisement ALSO READ: Hyundai to make Santa Fe Sport SUV at Alabama plant Accent production in South Korea, where small car demand has been sluggish, would fall by roughly half, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said. But he added that the move is likely to be offset by plans to build a new higher-margin subcompact SUV at home - a sign that the automaker is unwilling to antagonize its strike-prone workforce. Hyundai plans to start production of the new Accent in Mexico in July 2017 and build 20,000 of them that year, said the person, adding that it aims to make 76,000 in 2018 and 100,000 the year after. He also said Kia plans to build its Rio subcompact at the Mexican factory, which is set to begin operating in May with production of the Forte compact. The sources declined to be identified because they were not authorized to speak on the matter publicly. ALSO READ: Hyundai India to launch 2016 Elantra soon In an emailed response to Reuters' inquiries, Hyundai said it is considering building Hyundai vehicles at Kia's Mexican factory but nothing has been decided. The automaker also said it is considering introducing subcompact SUV models in South Korea, the United States and Europe. It currently only has subcompact SUV models in markets such as China and India but the segment has become increasingly popular with consumers in more developed economies too. High labor costs and the small size of the domestic market have discouraged Hyundai and Kia from adding capacity in South Korea for over a decade. Demand for subcompact cars has been weak, with Hyundai exporting 94 percent of the Accents made at home and Kia shipping 97 percent of its Rio production overseas. Last year, Hyundai sold 61,486 Accents in the United States, and 18,280 in South Korea. ALSO READ: Hyundai reveals its new hybrid, the Ioniq Hyundai and Kia made 44 percent of their vehicles at home in 2014, according to IHS analyst Ian Park. The research firm predicts that South Korea, which ranks fifth in global car production, will cede its position to India in 2017 and then fall behind Mexico the following year. Over 20 per cent of students studying in BMC-run schools are forced to quit their studies after completing primary education because of very few options of affordable secondary education. By India Today Web Desk: Over 20 per cent of students studying in BMC-run schools are forced to quit their studies after completing primary education. According to a BMC teachers' union, this is because the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has very few options to pursue secondary education at an affordable cost. The civic body still hasn't started classes 8 and 10 as required by the Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009 which was implemented in the state, five years ago. The RTE Act accords free and compulsory education to all children between the ages of 6 and 14. It also requires all primary schools to run classes up to Class 8. Ramesh Joshi, the Brihanmumbai Mahapalika Shikshak Sabha general secretary has blamed the Maharashtra government for its negligence towards civic schools and its students. Seeking the up-gradation of all BMC-run schools from primary and upper primary to secondary and higher secondary, Joshi has moved the Bombay High Court. advertisement He said that providing primary education is the responsibility of civic bodies but the state government should work towards promoting secondary education. He pointed out the BMC's failure in implementing the provisions of the RTE Act. The BMC has only 145 secondary schools, running classes till Class 8 or Class 10. "There are total of 1,121 municipal schools, which include both, lower primary schools (up to Class IV) and upper primary (Class I to 7). Against this, the civic body runs only 145 secondary schools (Class 5 to 10). This situation is just blocking a student's progress from primary to secondary section, as there are not enough of secondary schools to absorb all those who would want to complete their education. Schools too issue leaving certificates to these students instead of helping them by transferring them to secondary schools nearby," Joshi told Indian Express. According to a latest report by NGO Praja, the 2009-10 academic year saw 4,55,900 admissions to BMC schools, while 11 per cent drop to 4,04,251 was seen in 2013-14. The report also notes that even though the allotted budget has increased from Rs 1,761 crore in 2010-11 to Rs 2,773 crore in 2014-15, the past five years have seen a decline in the total number of students by over 9.3 per cent. It was after urging the BMC education department for an upgradation of schools since the 2010 academic year that Joshi and other members of shikshak sabha moved Bombay high court in 2013. However, the BMC's education department has claimed to have received state government's approval to upgrade 472 of their primary schools up to Class 8 in November 2014. Check 11-year-old Indian origin girl surpasses Einstein, scores highest IQ Click here to get more education news. Get latest updates on exam notifications and scholarships across India and abroad here . Cases pertaining to acid attacks often make news but the question is how is acid available easily despite Supreme Court issuing a directive against it. By India Today Web Desk: In a shocking incident, a 19-year-old girl threw acid on her 21-year-old boyfriend because he rejected her marriage proposal. Afreen apparently called her boyfriend, Sooraj Kumar, home for her birthday party and burnt his face with acid. The incident took place in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh. Sooraj is in hospital with 20 per cent burn injuries and is out of danger according to the doctors. The reason behind Sooraj refusing to marry Afreen was their 'different faiths'. Sooraj is a Hindu boy and Afreen, belongs to the Muslim community. Moreover, his marriage had already been fixed with someone and this infuriated Afreen. Cases pertaining to acid attacks often make news but the question is how is acid available easily despite Supreme Court issuing a directive against it. advertisement Ban on sale of acid In fact, in 2013 the Union home ministry asked all states to ban across-the-counter sale of acid and impose a fine of Rs 50, 000 on acid sellers who sell it without asking personal information of the buyer. According to the advisory issued by the ministry, buyers are supposed to produce photo ID issued by the government specifying their age and address in order to procure acid. The home ministry also asked all states to formulate laws to make this a non-bailable offence as soon as possible. Moreover, a compensation of at least Rs 3 lakh was asked to be given to acid attack victims by the concerned state government or UT as after-care and rehabilitation cost. Keeping in mind the increasing attacks on women, in July 2013, the Supreme Court directed that the crime should be made non-bailable and the compensation should be increased to Rs. 3 lakhs. The advisory mentioned about the declaration of all acid stocks by the seller to the concerned Sub-Divisional Magistrate within 15 days or else the stocks will either be confiscated or a fine up to Rs 50,000 shall be imposed on the seller. Even the educational institutions, research laboratories, hospitals, government departments and the departments of public sector undertakings, which are required to keep and store acid/corrosive have to note the usage of acid and report the same the SDM. Easy availability despite ban According to a Mail Today sting operation, despite the ban, acid was openly available in grocery and hardware shops and the masses seemed unaware of the restriction on sale and purchase of such chemicals. Bottle of acid costing Rs 20 was easily available from the shops across Delhi and sellers sold it without inquiring the purpose and identity of the buyer. The shopkeepers were oblivious about the SC regulations. This is perhaps why such incidents still occur across the country. Amid the fresh high alert sounded on border areas in Punjab, two unidentified men were found cutting communication wires in Ferozepur cantonment area on Tuesday morning, sources told India Today. Amid the fresh high alert sounded on border areas in Punjab, two unidentified men were found cutting communication wires in Ferozepur Cantonment area on Tuesday morning, sources told India Today. "The unidentified men were in Army fatigue. They were noticed touching wires in the cantonment area located close to Dal Chand Public School at around 11.15 am. The Army and police authorities have retrieved the CCTV camera footage to verify the inputs," a source said. Already on alert the police and Army authorities swung into action and took the informer, a school employee for questioning who had informed the police about the incident. The suspected intruders fled after the people raised an alarm. It is still not confirmed whether the wires have been damaged or not. The police is scanning the CCTV footage to find out the truth. advertisement Also Read | 2 suspected terrorists spotted in Gurdaspur, security forces on toes 2 men in Army uniform spotted in Gurdaspur, search operation on In a 'self-contained note', the CBI has written to the chief vigilance officer, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, that AIIMS may take action as 'deemed fit' against Dr MC Misra, the head of department, Surgery at Apex Trauma Centre AIIMS, and Dr Amit Gupta, additional professor, in view of the verification report. The CBI has held AIIMS director Dr MC Misra (right) and a senior doctor responsible for irregularities in purchase of medical supplies. By Neetu Chandra Sharma: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has recently submitted a verification report, finding the director and a senior doctor of AIIMS responsible for irregularities in purchase of medical supplies. The report came following a complaint made by the vigilance department of the premier medical institute. In a 'self-contained note', the CBI has written to the chief vigilance officer, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, that AIIMS may take action as 'deemed fit' against Dr MC Misra, the head of department, Surgery at Apex Trauma Centre AIIMS, and Dr Amit Gupta, additional professor, in view of the verification report. Dr Misra is now the director of AIIMS. Then CVO of AIIMS Sanjiv Chaturvedi had alleged criminal misconduct by Assistance Store Officer TR Mahajan at JPNA Trauma Centre, AIIMS, and Dr Amit Gupta in purchase of two items, fogging solution and disinfectants, from companies whose sole distributor was a firm owned by the son and daughter-in-law of the store officer. advertisement The complaint also stated that these items were not proprietary in nature, yet purchases were made by bypassing the General Financial Rules (GFR) provisions and invoking the provisions relating to proprietary items. "Dr Amit Gupta signed the proprietary certificate dated 6/11/12 in respect to Cleanex Floor Disinfectant and another propriety certificate dated 14/3/13 in respect of Ultrasan Aerox Fogging Solution. However, these certificates which were initially for one-time purchase, were repeatedly used by the store officer for placing repeat orders without going through any tendering process or a fresh Proprietary Certificate," the verification report of the CBI stated. "The store officer used the proprietary certificate of Dr Amit Gupta repeatedly to obtain approval of head of the department, surgery, Dr MC Misra, who didn't object to the same," it further stated. The investigating agency also observed lapses during the verification on part of Dr Gupta and Dr Misra in addition to the misconduct done by the store officer. "Dr Amit Gupta declared Cleanex Floor Disinfectant and Aerox Fogging Solution, products of Aspetix Netherlands as proprietary in nature in an ad hoc manner without adequate care and purchases were made in spite of the existing rate contract of the main hospital. Dr MC Misra approved the use of the aforesaid proprietary certificate for repeated purchases without due diligence," the report states. Despite repeated attempts, Dr MC Misra could not be reached for comments. When contacted, Dr Amit Gupta who is also AIIMS spokesperson, told MAIL TODAY: "AIIMS has zero tolerance for corruption. Statutory compliances of CVC guidelines are being ensured. Timely audit of all procurement is being done. A joint secretary in the ministry holds charge of the post of CVO, AIIMS. The institute has a strong commitment for a transparent and clean administration. The CVO has not pointed out any procedural lapses in handling of corruption cases. The institute has also submitted its replies to the Delhi HC on the case." Related Stories: AIIMS sacks doctor for manhandling patient The fin whale is the second largest mammal in the world. By India Today Web Desk: Around a 100 fin whales got washed up on a beach, 600 km from Chennai, in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin district on Tuesday morning. According to officials, the whales seem to be disoriented as they returned to the shore even after being put back in the water. WATCH: Around 50 Small Fin Whales beached in Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu since last evening, number of them dead https://t.co/lyC7aMDZxv ANI (@ANI_news) January 12, 2016 In August, the carcass of a 33-feet-long whale was on a beach near a village in Nagapattinam district. The fin whale is the second largest mammal in the world. Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi is in no mood to go quietly into his retirement. Last Thursday, at a specially-held meeting, he lashed out at senior officers for failing to curb corruption within the force. By Ankur Sharma: Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi is in no mood to go quietly into his retirement. Last Thursday, at a specially-held meeting, he lashed out at senior officers for failing to curb corruption within the force. According to sources, there are at least five district Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCsP) and few young officers who are under the scanner of the top brass. Though Bassi didn't take any names, he warned his officers that he would take action against the corrupt ones before he retires. Sources say the Delhi Police is expecting a major reshuffle at the mid-level after the Republic Day celebrations. According to a senior official, who attended the meeting but did not wish to be named, Bassi said the top brass has been receiving information about corruption at the additional DCsP and DCP levels since the last few months. Officials claim this was the first time Bassi came down so hard on senior officials. advertisement "Bassi started his speech on a stern note, and without mincing words, said even now he has been noticing that female complainants have to run from one police station to another to get cases registered. He told officers either they have not briefed their staff or they are simply being careless," the official said. Bassi also said even after strict orders to not do so, he has been receiving complaints that police officers are visiting various construction sites and demanding bribes. Additional DCPs and DCP-level officials are also involved in this. "This was the trigger point for Bassi. He told DCPs either they have not briefed SHOs, or their staff is not under their control," a special commissioner rank official told MAIL TODAY. "The top brass of the Delhi police has got to know that few officials are directly or indirectly involved in corruption. Last Thursday, all officials got the CP's message that he will not tolerate any form of corruption within the force even on the last day of his tenure. In the almost two-hour long briefing, he focused mainly on the issue of corruption," the official added. Later, Bassi reportedly changed his tone and went on to praise the good work done by Delhi Police officials. According to our sources, Bassi praised tech savviness of the Delhi Police. Almost a day after the meeting, an additional DCP was transferred by Bassi. "This transfer was rather unexpected as Bassi transferred the official over wireless and only later was a transfer order issued. A 2009-batch official, who was posted as an additional DCP at a district, was replaced by a 2011-batch IPS officer," sources said. Sources say even though the reason behind this transfer is uncertain, more transfers are in the pipeline. It is likely that some transfers will be done at the mid-level and a fresh list of SHOs is also expected, our sources said. "Some officers have asked for transfers but they have not made any official representation in front of the top brass. It is expected that few officers will be transferred soon but the CP has little time left. Also, before the Republic Day no major reshuffle is possible," sources said. Related Stories: Thank God Delhi Police is under Centre: Police Commissioner BS Bassi Bassi to fast track probe into cases of economic offence Akshay Kumar, who has been roped in to play the negative role in Rajinikanth's Endhiran 2.0, has said that it would be an honour for him to be punched by the superstar. By India Today Web Desk: Akshay Kumar will soon be seen in a kicking-and-punching role alongside Rajinikanth. The actor has bagged the role of the villain in Rajinikanth-starrer Endhiran 2.0 (Robot 2), the sequel to the highly succesful 2010 Endhiran (Robot). And while his role might require him to punch Rajinikanth, Kumar has said that it would be 'an honour to be punched by Rajini sir'. ALSO READ: Akshay Kumar, the Endhiran 2.0 villain, is charging this much for the Rajinikanth film ALSO READ: Akshay Kumar is in Rajinikanth's film, but can say nothing at all about it. This is why In an interview to Mumbai Mirror, Akshay said how opportunities like working with Thalaiva don't even happen in dreams. "These things don't come to you even in a dream. He's a wonderful actor and even more, a wonderful human being. It will be an honour to be punched by Rajini sir. It's going be a different world for me - the graphics, the action and the adulation that he commands." Rajinikanth in a still from Endhiran 2.0 advertisement Earlier, when the sequel to Endhiran had been announced, speculations were rife that Hollywood biggie Arnold Schwarzenegger was to play the villain in the film. Akshay Kumar's response to that was, "I have no idea, I just know that Shankar (director) and some of the others called me and told me they had a film for me." While Akshay is determined on not letting out anything much about either Endhiran 2.0 or his role in it, right when he began working on it, he had tweeted: Ending the year on a high note! Super excited to be a part of Robot 2 with the one & only @superstarrajini sir! pic.twitter.com/mC7AINo3JR Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) December 16, 2015 After that tweet and Akshay's role in Endhiran 2.0 was common knowledge, social media has more or less discussed and dissected every aspect of it possible. It has also been reported that Akshay Kumar has charged a staggering Rs 25 crore for his role in the film. Apart from Akshay, Amy Jackson will also be playing a role in this Rajinikanth-starrer. Directed by Shankar, the film has AR Rahman as the music composer. Easy availability of drug couriers, who dig tunnels, insert pipes through border fencing and well-knit syndicates including transnational criminals running operations from jails are some of the factors listed by the BSF that contribute to drug menace in Punjab. By India Today Web Desk: The Pathankot terror attack has exposed a dirty nexus of drug dealers and Indian officials . Highly placed sources said there was a strong suspicion that the arms and ammunition used by the Pakistani terrorists were part of a drug consignment which was concealed by smugglers, and the group of terrorists, who struck at Pathankot air base, entered separately using the same route. Easy availability of drug couriers, who dig tunnels, insert pipes through border fencing and well-knit syndicates including transnational criminals running operations from jails are some of the factors listed by the BSF that contribute to drug menace in Punjab. BSF jawans would be paid up to Rs 50,000 for facilitating each consignment. Very often the Pakistani handlers would also smuggle weapons like automatic pistols and assault rifles into India. The Indian couriers are instructed to keep the weapons with them and await further instructions - the powder literally kept dry to be lit whenever required by the masterminds in Pakistan. SSP of the Mohali area GPS Bhullar says Pakistani smugglers use the lure of money to trap BSF jawans. advertisement On Tuesday, the Punjab police arrested yet another BSF jawan Prem Singh who was allegedly helping smugglers. The arrest of Prem Singh and other two jawans Harpratap, Anil Kumar reflects the challenges that India faces as it hopes to beat the terrorists. But how is the entire network working? What is the modus operandi? The Border Security Force recovered 22kg heroin near the India-Pakistan border in Punjab's Ferozpur district. The drug was pushed across the border using plastic pipes. The modus operandi used by the drug smugglers was simple, thrust a pipe full of heroin through the electric fence and get couriers on the other side of the border to pull the consignment out. What enabled the drug smugglers to execute this seemingly simple plan was help from compromised jawans of the BSF. 25-year-old Harpratap Singh, a native of Amritsar has chilling first-hand information to narrate. He was posted at the border outpost of SS Wala in the Abohar Sector with the 117th battalion of the Border Security Force. The Punjab Police arrested Harpratap on charges of facilitating the entry of a whopping 163 kg of heroin from across the international border. Harpratap narrates, "The Pakistani smugglers would come from the clearing on their side. The Indian couriers would be waiting in the shrubs for them. This is the area in which I was deployed. They would climb the tree and throw the consignment so that it would not get stuck in the wire. Once the consignment landed then the couriers on the Indian side would pick it up." How it all works Pakistani handler calls on the Pakistani sim-card that has been handed over to the BSF jawan and asks him to identify which Pakistan Rangers' post he can see in front of the post where he is deployed. After identifying the location of the BSF constable, the handler would then send his consignment at night to the fence near where the constable is deployed. The consignment would then either be flung over the fence where Indian couriers wait to receive it. Else, the consignment is pushed into the Indian territory through big plastic pipes. Anil Kumar, a jawan of the 52nd battalion of the Border Security Force was most recently posted in the Ganganagar district of Rajasthan. He was arrested by the Punjab Police on charges of being in cahoots with arms and drugs smugglers. India Today accosted Anil as he was leaving the court premises in Mohali. Anil's local contact in India was a smuggler named Gurjant Singh, aka Bholu. He too has now been arrested by the Punjab Police. Gurjant Singh was first arrested in 2010 while smuggling 26kg of heroin into India. He was convicted under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985 and was to serve a prison term of 20 years. However, in 2013 he was able to run away from custody while being taken to the Ferozpur government hospital for a routine medical examination. India Today caught up with Gurjant after he had been produced before a local magistrate in Mohali. Ever since the Pathankot terror attack the BSF has been in the line of fire for failing to prevent terrorists from infiltrating into India. The reason terrorists are able to cross over easily is the drug-terrorism economy, which has been flourishing in the state of Punjab. advertisement From the beginning of this year, a massive clean up operation has been launched and the hunt is on to nab the traitors in khakhi who have betrayed the country they were sworn to protect. Our country cannot be secure till those who are tasked to guard the borders, continue to betray the nation. The court observed that the restrictions were till January 15 and asked the government to consider suggestion and feedback mentioned by petitioners in their petition before taking any further action. By Mail Today: Delhi High Court in its order on the much debated pros and cons of the 15-day odd-even scheme refused to interfere with Delhi government's pilot project. The court observed that the restrictions were till January 15 and asked the government to consider suggestion and feedback mentioned by petitioners in their petition before taking any further action. A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath in a 12-page order stated, "Implementation may have caused hardship to a section of the society. However, the power of judicial review cannot be extended to determine the correctness of such policy decision or to find out whether there could be more appropriate or better alternatives." It also observed that law is well settled that on matters affecting policy, courts will not interfere unless the policy is unconstitutional or contrary to statutory provisions or arbitrary or irrational or in abuse of power. advertisement The high court on January 8 had reserved its order on the pleas challenging the scheme after Delhi government defended its stand on the issue saying that the emergency level pollution has come down by presenting the report prepared by Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA). The Delhi High Court was hearing a bunch of petitions that challenged the odd and even scheme. Delhi High Court Bar Association President Rajiv Khosla, one of the petitioners, said the data submitted by the city government was not correct and the particulate matter across the Capital showed a rising trend despite the scheme being in place since January 1. Defending the scheme, the government had said it aimed at reducing congestion on the capital's roads that has further contributed towards lowering of pollution. Related Stories: 4 more days: AAP govt's odd-even plan gets Delhi High Court backing BJP, Congress on odd-even scheme: If it's working, why stop it? Watch the eye-popping moment when a Chinese tourist is bitten on the nose by a python when she leans over to kiss it on the head! By India Today Web Desk: This terrifying footage comes from a snake show which took place in an 'unnamed' animal park in Phuket, Thailand on January 9th. In the video a Chinese woman is seen trying a death defying stunt of kissing a Python! and then all of a sudden the ruthless snake strikes back in seconds, grabbing the poor tourists' nose. The onlookers screamed in shock when the python attacked the woman. According to a report in the Phuket News , the 29-year-old Chinese tourist named Ms Jin Jing was immediately rushed to the nearby Phuket International Hospital for treatment. The report also states that the reticulated python was non-venomous, however, poor Ms Jin Jing suffered several stitches on her nose. She has also received compensation of 3,300 dollars from the Thai company that runs the snake show. --- ENDS --- Even as Pakistan claims to have begun cracking down on those who are responsible for the attack, intelligence inputs indicate that military installations in border areas are still vulnerable targets. Government sources say Indo-Pak talks may not happen till Pakistan acts on the perpetrators of the Pathankot airbase attack. By Abhishek Bhalla : The conspiracy behind the attack on the Pathankot airbase was part of a larger plot to target defence installations in India. Even as Pakistan claims to have begun cracking down on those who are responsible for the attack, intelligence inputs indicate that military installations in border areas are still vulnerable targets. Sources said terror outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba have are still preparing to carry out more such strikes. "Defence installations continue to be put on a high alert with intelligence inputs pouring in that they are still on terror radar," said a top intelligence official. With inputs indicating that Pakistan-based terror outfits are planning more such strikes, India has communicated to Pakistan to go after these groups. "It has been communicated that Pakistan must launch a massive offensive against terror group targeting India in the same manner as they did after the Peshawar school attack. Only then can bilateral relations improve," said a senior government official. advertisement Days before the Pathankot attack, central security agencies had reported that a group of eight to 10 terrorists had crossed over the border into India. A similar report from the Punjab government had said at least 15 terrorists from Pakistan had breached the border. A high-level meeting, chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, on Monday reviewed the security situation in the country and steps taken to foil more terror strikes in general and on defence installations in particular. Identifying Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf Asghar, the mastermind of the IC-814 hijack case among the four handlers of terrorists of the Pathankot attack, India has urged Pakistan to initiate action as a condition for any future talks. Six terrorists, who had sneaked into the country from Indo-Pak border in Pakistan, had attacked an Indian Air Force base in Pathankot on the intervening night of January 1 and 2. They were killed during a counter-operation by Indian forces that lasted for three days in which seven security personnel were killed. In view of the heightened threat perception, the security for the Republic Day parade will also see additional deployment 10,000 of paramilitary personnel as French President Francois Hollande will be the chief guest for the event. Following the ISIS attack on Paris, security agencies have decided to increase the deployment.Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency, which is investigating the Pathankot attack, grilled Superintendent of Police Punjab Salwinder Singh. He is expected to be questioned on Tuesday as well. Related Stories: Mobile phone, binoculars found at Pathankot, NIA calls Interpol for help Pathankot attack: Pakistan arrests some suspects in raids across 3 districts Nawaz Sharif orders probe into Pathankot attackers' link with Pakistan An explosion at the central Istanbul Sultanahmet square near Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque has killed at least 10 and injured several in Turkey on Tuesday. By India Today Web Desk: A bomb blast rocked the central Sultanahmet square in Istanbul on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people and injuring several. The explosion took place near two of the major tourist areas of Turkey, the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque. Here's what you need to know about these two historic places: Hagia Sophia Hagia Sophia. Photo: Reuters Hagia Sophia is a museum in Istanbul, Turkey, which earlier used to be a Christian patriarchal basilica, and then an imperial mosque. It was once the world's largest cathedral (and remained so for nearly 1000 years), until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520. In 1453, Sultan Mehmed II conquered the capital city of Constantinople and ordered the church to be converted into a mosque. It remained a mosque till 1931, when it was closed for public for the following four years. In 1935, Republic of Turkey reopened it as a museum. Until the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) was built in 1616, it remained the principal mosque of Istanbul. Also referred to as 'Sancta Sophia', Hagia Sophia happens to be the second-most visited museum in Turkey, attracting nearly 3.3 million visitors a year. Blue Mosque. Photo: AP advertisement 1. Popularly known as the Blue Mosque, the Sultan Ahmet Mosque was built from 1609 to 1616 under the rule of Ahmed I Instanbul. 2. It is known as 'the Blue Mosque' because of the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior. 3. After a great loss in the 1603-1618 war with Persia, Sultan Ahmet I decided to build a mosque in order to reassert the Ottoman power. It was the first imperial mosque for more than 40 years. 4. The lavishly beautiful mosque has more than 200 glass windows with intricate designs and the chandeliers have ostrich eggs so that spiders are repelled. 5. The greatest calligrapher of his time, Seyyid Kasim Gubari is said to have decorated the mosque by verses from the Holy Quran. 6. Pope Benedict XVI visited the Blue Mosque in 2006 during his visit to Turkey and meditated in silence for two minutes along with Mustafa Cagrici, the Mufti of Istanbul, and Emrullah Hatipoglu, the Imam of the Blue Mosque. Most of the 10 people killed in the Istanbul blast on Tuesday were German citizens, Turkish Prime Minister told German Chancellor Angela Merkel by phone, sources in Ahmet Davutoglu's office said. By Reuters: Most of the 10 people killed in the Istanbul blast on Tuesday were German citizens, Turkish Prime Minister told German Chancellor Angela Merkel by phone, sources in Ahmet Davutoglu's office said. Davutoglu also told Merkel on the same phone call that the details of an ongoing investigation regarding the suicide attack, thought to have been carried out by a Syrian suicide bomber, will be shared with German officials. Chancellor Angela Merkel also said she was very worried that German citizens might be among the victims and the wounded in an explosion in Istanbul. "International terrorism has shown its ugly face," said Merkel. "We need to act decisively against it." A Syrian suicide bomber is thought to be responsible for an attack which killed at least ten people including foreigners in the heart of Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet tourist district on Tuesday, President Tayyip Erdogan said. advertisement There was a high probability Islamic State militants were behind the blast near the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, major tourist sites in the centre of one of the world's most visited cities, two senior Turkish security officials told Reuters. Also Read Blast in Istanbul's Sultanahmet square, 10 dead Turkish PM says Syrian bomber behind Istanbul blast which killed 10 Istanbul bomb blast: 12 things to know about Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque Italy and India have been at loggerheads over who has jurisdiction over the case, and Italy has sought international arbitration. By Reuters: One of two Italian marines accused of murdering Indian fishermen off the coast of Kerala almost four years ago will not be returning to India to face trial after being allowed home temporarily for medical treatment, a senator said on Tuesday. India had granted Massimiliano Latorre, who suffered a stroke while in New Delhi in 2014, a period of leave in Italy for medical treatment, but he was supposed to return by Friday. It was not clear when or if Latorre would return to India. The second sailor on trial, Salvatore Girone, is being held in the Italian embassy in New Delhi. "Massimiliano Latorre will not return to India, and furthermore, the possibility of asking for Salvatore Girone's return is being explored," said Nicola Latorre, president of the Senate Defence Committee, according to Italian media. advertisement Latorre did not provide details and did not immediately respond to calls. When contacted, the prime minister's office and the foreign ministry did not confirm or deny Latorre's comments. The two men say they accidentally killed two fishermen when they mistook a fishing boat for a pirate ship and fired warning shots while protecting an Italian oil tanker in 2012. Italy and India have been at loggerheads over who has jurisdiction over the case, and Italy has sought international arbitration. The fallout from India's arrest of the marines has damaged wider relations between Italy and India, contributing to the collapse of a European Union-India summit last year. In 2013, Italy reversed an initial decision not to send the marines back to India to stand trial after a home visit, in a bid to tone down the diplomatic row. "We have not got any document from judiciary, police and other departments since 1985. For past few years the secretariat is sending few files and that is all," Muhammad Shafi Zahid, Director, Department of Archives and Archeology told Mail Today. By Naseer Ganai: For the future historians of Jammu and Kashmir there is nothing in the archives as for six decades Jammu and Kashmir government is not providing important documents and communications to the Department of Archives, which is otherwise mandatory under law, a senior official of the department said. "We have not got any document from judiciary, police and other departments since 1985. For past few years the secretariat is sending few files and that is all," Muhammad Shafi Zahid, Director, Department of Archives and Archeology told Mail Today. Former Director, Archives and Archeology, Dr. Abdul Ahad, however, says since 1947 Jammu and Kashmir government has not taken the department seriously and no one provides it any document. "I don't think any government department has regularly provided it records after 1947. There is nothing serious available in the Archives Department about happenings in Jammu and Kashmir since 1947. Nothing about tumultuous event of 1953 and I say it with confidence," advertisement He, however, said, during Maharaja rule the department was viewed with much respect. "You will find details about Dogra period in the archives even details about construction of roads and the money spent on the construction," he said. The 3-archives one each at Jammu, Srinagar and Leh are housing nearly 20 lakh files of administrative and historical importance dating back to 1724. The holdings include Persian records, administrative reports, census reports, revenue settlement reports, council proceedings, council orders, various commission reports, gazetteers, gazettes, and revenue records of Maharaja period. The records are open to public and scholars upto 1960 except confidential and classified records. The officials say Jammu and Kashmir Police, judiciary, Jammu and Kashmir Assembly have not shared a single document with the archives department since 1985. "We have even heard that Jammu and Kashmir Police have created some mechanism within the police department to preserve police archives. They don't share anything with us," Zahid said. There is no significant record of the Assembly proceedings available with the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly to share with the Archives Department. A senior official of the Assembly secretariat said, two volumes of Jammu and Kashmir Constituent Assembly debates and a copy of the debates of Autonomy resolution, which was passed by the Assembly in 2000 for restoration of pre-1953 status to Jammu and Kashmir, are available with Assembly while the rest of the records about Assembly proceedings is either untraceable or available in bits and pieces. "Kashmir is not about a territory. It is about the rights of the people. Bartering those rights for land means killing the aspirations of people," Yasin Malik said. By Naseer Ganai: Separatist leader Yasin Malik today shot a letter to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif warning him against merging northern areas strategically important Gilgit-Baltistan with Pakistan saying it will have implication on over all disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir. "If Pakistan imposes its sovereign writ over Gilgit-Baltistan, India will then have a political and moral right to integrate Kashmir with it. With one stroke, Pakistan will be helping India to consolidate its writ on Kashmir," the letter reads. "Respected Prime Minster: I, as someone who represents the aspirations and sentiments of the people of Jammu and Kashmir urge and appeal to you to stay away from such a course of action. It is not only political wisdom that makes me make this appeal but also respect for the sentiments, sacrifices and aspirations of Kashmiri people." advertisement In his letter Malik says from 1947 people of Jammu and Kashmir have been striving for their birth right and lakhs of people have given their lives for this struggle in Kashmir. "People have lost their near and dear ones, homes and yet people of Kashmir hold the struggle dear to their heart. If your government incorporates Gilgit-Baltistan into Pakistan, and if as a consequence, India consolidates its hold in Kashmir, this would amount to a bartering of people's aspirations," Malik added. "Kashmir is not about a territory. It is about the rights of the people. Bartering those rights for land means killing the aspirations of people," Malik said. Malik says according to reports China-Pakistan economic corridor was making Pakistan change the constitutional status of Gilgit-Baltistan. "Economic development is good but you have no moral right to make policy that will adversely affect the future of millions of Kashmiris," he added. "I know that Pakistan is in a phase of history that is delicate. But this does not mean trading people's rights," the letter reads. Malik has invoked personal contact with Sharif to put his point across. "I know you in personal capacity. When you met me in Lahore, in 2009, you made some promises to me. I want to remind you of those promises. You clearly vindicated Kashmiri position on Gilgit-Baltistan and opposed any proposal that will change its legal or constitutional status. I will also add that history is not made by small bargaining and territorial exchanges but by respecting the will of the people," Malik said. "I appeal you to think of the legacy you will leave if you become party to depriving people of their historical, political and moral rights for which they have given their lives. Bartering away territory for economic growth does not make you statesman. It is opportunity for you to become a statesman by not bowing to economic pressures. Become a statesman and resist short term temptations." Grave digger Atta Mohammad (75), who received and buried 235 bullet-ridden bodies, died after brief illness in his village Bimyar, Chahal, in Uri, near Line of Control, around 80 km from Srinagar on Sunday evening. According to Mohammad, he felt the forces that killed these unidentified persons would not have paid respect to the dead; therefore, he chose to give them a proper burial. By Naseer Ganai: Grave digger Atta Mohammad (75), who received and buried 235 bullet-ridden bodies, died after brief illness in his village Bimyar, Chahal, in Uri, near Line of Control, around 80 km from Srinagar on Sunday evening. "Atta Mohammad is one such brave Kashmiri who, despite an atmosphere of militarisation and repression, continued to speak truth. In the last 25 years of violent repression, Atta Mohammad received 235 unidentified bullet-ridden dead bodies, most of whom the armed forces claimed are militants killed in encounters. This included the dead body of a six-month old baby girl," the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) said. According to Mohammad, he felt the forces that killed these unidentified persons would not have paid respect to the dead; therefore, he chose to give them a proper burial. On some occasions, he and the local community members would retain some belongings of the dead, which helped in identification, when their families came looking for them. advertisement So far, the APDP has been able to document the existence of 7,000 unmarked graves in Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora, Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir. The government has no records to prove the identity of these unidentified persons. "Atta Mohammad is amongst very few people who came out in the open to testify as the witness. He was very keen that his testimony should have been used by the government for conducting a credible investigation into the phenomenon of unmarked graves in Jammu and Kashmir," the APDP statement added. By India Today Web Desk: Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif have put all the rumours of their breakup to rest, after the two attended the Christmas brunch together at Shashi Kapoor's residence. And now again the two have managed to grab the eyeballs. According to a report in Mid-Day, Ranbir and Katrina were spotted riding a bike late last night on the streets of Mumbai. "It was around 3 am when we saw them riding through Bandra streets. Ranbir was in control of his mean machine and Katrina, who was riding pillion, had clutched him tightly. They seemed to be enjoying the slight nip in the air," an eyewitness told the daily. The two left from their Bandra apartment to meet Ranbir's best friend and director Ayan Mukerji. But as soon as they realized that they were being chased by their fans and media, Ranbir took a different route and went to his father's house- Krishna Raj bungalow. advertisement "Ranbir instantly took a detour and they both landed at his parents' house in Pali Hill in the wee hours. They decided to stay there till morning," added a source. Recently, the picture of two kissing each other at the balcony of their Bandra apartment went virat and got many gossipmongers to talk about it. When Katrina was asked about the picture, she said, "I was embraced... It's always wonderful to be embraced. Ranbir and Katrina's dating rumours started when the two were shooting for their 2009 film Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani. And ever since they have started dating each other, speculations of their marriage and alleged break-ups have always been doing the rounds. On the work front, Katrina Kaif will next be seen in Abhishek Kapoor's Fitoor and Ranbir Kapoor is currently busy shooting for his upcoming film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Narcotics Control Bureau deputy director general (eastern zone) SK Sahu said sometimes it becomes difficult to carry out extensive surveys owing to territorial adversities. By Soudhriti Bhabani: A week into the Malda violence, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officials on Monday admitted that the West Bengal's district remains a 'difficult area' in terms of various aspects for the apex coordinating agency to carry out operations. "It is true that Malda has been a difficult area in terms of its communal aspect and the territorial reason. It is a sensitive belt...There is a lot of work to be done," NCB deputy director general (eastern zone) SK Sahu told MAIL TODAY. Sahu said since the money flow is high, crime rate is also alarming in that region. "We do carry out sensitisation drives involving the state government and central agencies and constantly coordinate with them. We involve local panchayats (village councils) and include the local population into the economic process so that they don't indulge in such illegal drug business," he said. advertisement Asked if there was any coordination gap between the NCB and state agencies, Sahu said sometimes it becomes difficult to carry out extensive surveys owing to territorial adversities. But the NCB does conduct satellite imaging and destroy these opium poppies wherever found. "We don't know any police official having a piece of land there who has given that out on lease to local villagers for poppy cultivation. If we find any such thing, strict action will be taken against that person too," the NCB dy-director-general said. Meanwhile, a week after the violence, the district's Kaliachak police station gets a makeover with the administration painting the barrack in fresh coat of blue-white colour. Narcotics money is at the heart of lawlessness in this West Bengal district bordering Bangladesh. The police say a large portion of this drug money goes into buying sophisticated weapons smuggled through the porous Bangladesh border and running hundreds of unrecognised madrassas in the Muslim-dominated (a little over 52 per cent, on last count) district. Local officials say the Kaliachak violence on January 3 was a pre-planned attack by Muslim groups under the garb of protesting against the hate speech of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari. More than 35 vehicles were torched, government properties ransacked and the Kaliachak police station set on fire. Barely 8 km from the border, even children and youngsters collect white latex from the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) - a mother product for producing heroin. Border areas like Golapganj, Baliadanga, Kaliachak, Mohabbatpur, Mothabari and Danga are now the epicentre of anti-national activities, thanks to the flourishing drug trade. Be it peddling of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) involving the local youth, illegal migration, drug and arms supply or smuggling, Malda is a bustling hub. "The place has become a mini Afghanistan. It is a very sensitive matter and the Assembly election is knocking on the door. All I can say is that the situation in Kaliachak is really alarming," said a senior Trinamool Congress leader, requesting anonymity for political reasons. He said recently, a car had been caught in the area packed with cash, but had to be released after officials got a call from somebody influential. The district police, along with the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, had started tightening the noose, significantly reducing the crime rate in these areas in the last one year. This, officials and many residents say, resulted in the Kaliachak rioting, with criminals sending a keep-your-hands-off-our-business message to authorities. Related Stories: BJP's fact-finding team detained at railway station in Malda Mamata Banerjee is lying that violence was not communal: BJP on Malda riots Malda violence not communal, says Mamata Banerjee This is the story of a man who chose to follow his dreams. Rupesh Kumar quit his job at a multinational to become a police constable. Hats off to this man who has a 'heart of a lion'! By India Today Web Desk: Rupesh Krishna Rao Pawar, graduated from Mumbai University and worked with a multinational soon after attaining a degree. However, his inner voice did not let him continue work with the company and he instead chose to serve as a police constable. In this five minute documentary filmed by Siddarth Sathyajit , Rupesh Kumar, talks at length about his life and career choice. He emphasises that being a constable requires a lot of courage and it is not a job meant for the faint-hearted. There are some missions he has gone on, where he was not even given a glass of water to drink, leave alone food. He gets paid just enough to support his wife and two kids, but it is a life devoid of luxury and extravagance, which he could very well afford if he continued work with the multinational. advertisement But, Rupesh dared to digress from the mainstream and was determined to pursue his passion. While on duty, Rupesh surprises people with his impeccable command over English. He gives us an insight about the misconstrued notion that people hold about the men in 'Khaki uniform'. In the video he narrates an incident when a passerby took a jibe at him saying. " We should not expect anything from you guys" and when Rupesh turned to respond, the man blatantly ignored him. This incident sheds light on the prejudice and disregard that the public holds against police force in general. Watch the documentary titled 'Heart of Lion' which gives us a peek into the life of a police constable in Mumbai: The police rescued a minor girl and two women from a brothel in Kirloskar Colony on Tumakaru Road and arrested an agent following a tip from the neighbours. By Mail Today: The police rescued a minor girl and two women from a brothel in Kirloskar Colony on Tumakaru Road and arrested an agent following a tip from the neighbours. According to the police, Mohammed Ali (25) from Vijayapura was running a brothel in the locality by hoodwinking the police. He promised the two women, who hail from Bihar, jobs in the locality and forced them into prostitution. Recently, he brought a minor girl, who he found loitering near Bengaluru City railway station, home by promising to take care of her. However, he allegedly pushed her into flesh trade. Neighbours, who were suspicious of the occupants and the visitors to the house, informed the police, who conducted a raid on the brothel and rescued the women. ALSO READ advertisement Woman raped in Ola cab in Bhopal, driver arrested Minor raped by army men aboard Howrah Amritsar Express The woman was injured in the incident and was rushed to DDU Hospital for treatment. By India Today Web Desk: In yet another incident that highlights the shameful state of the national capital, a Nigerian woman was molested in an auto. The autorickshaw driver has now been arrested. The incident took place near West Delhi's Shahpura, police said today. The woman was injured in the incident and was rushed to DDU Hospital for treatment. While the auto driver Aagya Pal Singh has been arrested, his brother Baljeet Singh, who was also involved in the crime is still absconding. Both are residents of Tilak Nagar area in West Delhi. According to police, the incident took place in the wee hours on Friday when the woman was going to meet a friend in Shahpura. When the woman entered the auto, the driver of the second autorickshaw got in behind her. She was thereafter molested on the way, said police. advertisement In her complaint, the woman told police that she had tried to jump off the moving vehicle but the duo prevented her from doing so. In the scuffle, one of the duo threw her off the vehicle before they drove off. In the preliminary inquiry it was found that on the fateful night, Aagya Pal Singh and Baljeet Singh, were present at a late hour with their autorickshaws near the place of incident of the crime. "Upon a specific input, Aagya Pal Singh was tracked down yesterday. On being interrogated, he admitted that he had committed the crime with his brother. Efforts are on to nab the other accused," DCP (West) Pushpendra Kumar said. Rohit Sharma's unbeaten 171 went in vain as Australia riding on brilliant hundreds from Bailey and Smith gunned down India's target of 310 with ease. By India Today Web Desk: When MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat in overcast conditions in Perth, everyone thought it wasn't the right decision. But once the Indian openers walked out to the middle with the sun out, the pitch hinted of big score. Right from the first over, both the openers - Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma started to time the ball well with the WACA track having slowed down considerably in recent times. Rohit looked in great touch right from the word go and after Dhawan fell early, the Mumbai batsman combined well with Virat Kohli to stitch a record partnership of 207 runs for the second wicket. With both the batsmen batting fluently, nothing less than 320 was acceptable. Rohit after getting to his half-century decided to cut loose and in no time reached his ninth ODI hundred. At the other end, Kohli too looked good for his three-figure score but holed out at long on for 91. Looking at the wicket, India should have targeted for 350-plus score and nothing less than that but it seemed they were happy with 300 par score. advertisement Kohli and Rohit somehow slowed down in the middle overs and thought of accelerating in the death overs. India were 216 for 1 at the end of 40 overs and that pretty much tells the story of where the visitors lost the plot. India at one point didn't look like going past the score of 300 but somehow managed to post 309 on the board with Rohit Sharma staying unbeaten on 171. Coming out for the chase, Australia were rocked by debutant Barinder Sran's twin strikes - who dismissed both the Aussie openers (Aaron Finch and David Warner) cheaply. India were confident of chipping away with the remaining wickets until Steven Smith (149) and George Bailey (112) stonewalled the tourists with dogged knocks. Moreover, on a flat deck, India's bowling was rudderless and made ineffective by counter-attacking batting from Bailey and Smith. India still had a chance if the bowling unit would have bowled to a plan. Two reasons could be attributed to India's loss at the WACA in the first one-dayer - 309 was not enough and bowlers failed to bowl to a plan. By Rahul Kanwal: Highly placed sources in the Pakistani government have told India Today that Islamabad is in the process of asking Delhi for the audio files of the call intercepts recorded by Indian intelligence agencies. This demand is likely to conveyed officially by Pakistan's National Security Advisor Lt Gen Naseer Khan Janjua to his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval soon. The Pakistan government believes that the evidence submitted by India so far is insufficient to be able to effectively probe the origins of the terrorists who attacked Pathankot. Sources in Islamabad have told India Today that acting on the leads provided by Ajit Doval, Pakistani security agencies have so far detained multiple people in connection with the Pathankot terror attack. These people have been detained from three areas in Pakistan - Bahawalpur, Gujranwala and Jhelum. However, no arrests have been made so far because the people who have been detained by denied all connection with the Pathankot attack. advertisement To take the investigations further Pakistan will soon be demanding finger prints of the terrorists who were killed at the Indian Air Force station in Pathankot. Security agencies want to match the samples received from India with the National Database and Registration Authority system or the NADRA database. NADRA is Pakistan's equivalent of the Indian Unique Identification System or the UID. In addition to finger prints, the Gen Janjua is also expected to demand the voice samples of the calls that were made by the Jaish terrorists to their handlers in Pakistan. The Nawaz Sharif government has constituted a Joint Investigation Team or JIT to probe the leads provided by India. But the investigators claim to have run into a roadblock because the SIM cards used by the handlers of the terrorists were apparently unregistered numbers, which means that the requisite background checks were not done before the SIMS were issued. While biometric tests are mandatory in Pakistan, authorities say that in a country of 125 million there are problems in ensuring that the rule is followed in every instance. To overcome the problem posed by the unregistered SIMS, Pakistan is preparing to ask for the voice samples so that the call recordings can be compared with the voice samples of those who have been detained by the security agencies. Highly placed sources in the Pakistan government also told India Today that they hope that Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar arrives in Islamabad as per the current schedule of talks which are slated for 14 and 15 January in Islamabad. Sources said that while a postponement of talks by a few days would not be a major problem, any insistence on the part of the India to focus only on terror while ignoring the other issues that have been agreed upon under the new comprehensive dialogue mechanism would create problems for the Nawaz Sharif government in Pakistan. Pakistan believes it is important for both the Foreign Secretary level dialogue to move hand in hand with the NSA level talks on terror so that the space being created by Nawaz Sharif to move forward on the relationship with India does not shrink. Watch video here: ALSO READ Pathankot attack: NIA to question Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh once again Mobile phone, binoculars found at Pathankot, NIA calls Interpol for help Pathankot attack: Did honeytrapped IAF man help Jaish terrorists? By India Today Web Desk: Pakistan Rangers officials today raided renowned journalist Salman Masood's house in Islamabad, saying it was a routine search operation. The officials arrived without any warrant or documents and said that a terrorist search operation is underway. A civilian among the officials claimed to be from the intelligence, but did not reveal his identity. Masood's house was searched extensively by the officials and he was asked if he had any illegal weapon in his possession. The high profile New York Times journalist took to Twitter to narrate his ordeal and a massive backlash followed. Rangers have shown up at my house, saying they want to search the premises but have no documents or warrants#islamabad&; Salman Masood (@salmanmasood) January 12, 2016 A man in civvies, with them, says he is from "intelligence" but not giving more identification. Insists on property search&; Salman Masood (@salmanmasood) January 12, 2016 Spoke with a senior Islamabad police official. He said a "terrorist search operation underway."&; Salman Masood (@salmanmasood) January 12, 2016 Rangers troops back,along with a senior officer. Hope they find the terrorist pic.twitter.com/ZiAk8tTFZ8&; Salman Masood (@salmanmasood) January 12, 2016 Rangers say it's a "routine search operation" pic.twitter.com/ItZQAi7mjG&; Salman Masood (@salmanmasood) January 12, 2016 advertisement A probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the Pathankot terror attack has revealed glaring lapses. By India Today Web Desk: A probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the Pathankot terror attack has revealed glaring lapses. In the investigation, it has been found that illegal entry was being allowed into the Pathankot airbase for a meagre sum of Rs 50. According to the sources, investigation has revealed that locals were allowed to enter airbase with their cattle if they paid Rs 50. The NIA is now examining the call details and technical investigation as to ascertain who provided inside help to the terrorists. Besides, the mobile tower records around the junkyard where terrorist hid are also being examined. Reports earlier had also hinted that an insider could have aided the terrorists in infiltrating into the airbase. Meanwhile, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that there was no reason to doubt Pakistan's commitment in Pathankot attack probe. advertisement The NIA also questioned Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh for the second day today. NIA's refusal However, the National Investigation Agency(NIA) have strongly denied the reports of locals being allowed to enter the Pathankot Air base with their cattle if they paid Rs 50. NIA has said that no such fact has been found in the ongoing investigation. Also Read Pak to ask for voice samples, fingerprints; wants talks to continue Pathankot attack: Let's wait, we have no reason to doubt Pakistan, says Rajnath Singh Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh believes that since Islamabad has assured New Delhi of strong action, it should be given more time. By India Today Web Desk: Will Pakistan take credible action against the perpetrators of January 2 Pathankot terror attack? Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh believes that since Islamabad has assured New Delhi of strong action, it should be given more time. "Pakistan government has said that they will take effective action, I think we should wait. They have assured the Indian government ... we don't have any reason to doubt them," Rajnath Singh told reporters. Meanwhile, sources in Islamabad have told India Today that Pakistan is acting on the leads provided by India. Pakistani security agencies have so far detained multiple people in connection with the Pathankot terror attack. These people have been detained from three areas in Pakistan - Bahawalpur, Gujranwala and Jhelum. However, no arrests have been made so far because the people who have been detained have denied any connection with the Pathankot attack. advertisement The Pakistan government believes that the evidence submitted by India so far is insufficient to be able to effectively probe the origins of the terrorists who attacked Pathankot. To take the investigations further Pakistan will soon be demanding finger prints of the terrorists who were killed at the Indian Air Force station in Pathankot. Also read: Pathankot terror attack: Govt says attempts to catch terrorists alive caused delay in the operation The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is all set to grill Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police Salvinder Singh once again today. By India Today Web Desk: After a day of extensive questioning on Monday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is all set to grill Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police Salvinder Singh once again today, in relation to the fatal Pathankot Air Force base terror attack. Salvinder Singh, a prime witness in the case, was questioned for the entire day on Monday at the NIA headquarters in New Delhi. His cook, Madan Gopal, is being questioned in Punjab by the NIA investigators. Madan Gopal may also be brought to Delhi for detailed questioning in a couple of days, Home Ministry spokesperson for Pathankot case, Satyendra Garg had announced on Monday. "Salvinder is being questioned on all aspects of the case as he was a prime witness. He will also be questioned on Tuesday again in detail and if required for yet another day," Satyendra Garg said. advertisement NIA officials are examining all witnesses connected to the terror attack and have any information about the terrorists. Salvinder Singh had told investigators that he was kidnapped by four terrorists on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1, and later blind-folded and dumped along with his cook. The needle of suspicion largely pointed towards Salvinder for being left unharmed by the terrorists despite travelling in a SUV with a beacon and for inconsistencies that cropped up during his narration of the incident, right from his trip to the Panj Peer Dargah to the carjacking incident to the time he reached a police station to alert about an impending terror attack. His jeweller friend, Rajesh Verma, who travelled along with the terrorists and escaped miraculously is also being questioned by the investigative agency. Intelligence agencies are not ruling out the possibility of Salvinder becoming a fall guy in a drug peddling racket that is rampant in Punjab. They are also examining call records of Salvinder Singh to know about any possible links to the drug mafia. Meanwhile, a 10 member NIA team has recovered one magazine of an AK-47, a mobile phone and a binocular, the Union Home Ministry said. A black corner notice is also being issued to the Interpol to establish the identities of the four slain terrorists. The step would increase pressure on Pakistan to provide information about the terrorists. ALSO READ Mobile phone, binoculars found at Pathankot, NIA calls Interpol for help Pathankot attack: Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh to undergo lie-detector test today Pathankot attack: Did honeytrapped IAF man help Jaish terrorists? In an interview to a Pakistani news channel, Musharraf said that India and Pakistan are both victims of terrorism, and should not overreact when an attack like the one in Pathankot happened. By India Today Web Desk: Former Pakistan president General (retired) Pervez Musharraf said that India should not 'overreact' to the terror strike on the IAF base in Pathankot, as such incidents would keep happening in the future due to the prevalence of terrorism in both countries. In an interview to a Pakistani news channel, Musharraf said that India and Pakistan are both victims of terrorism, and should not overreact when an attack like the one in Pathankot happened. "Terrorism is prevalent in both India and Pakistan. We are also victims of the same so we should not overreact to what happened in Pathankot. Yes, of course we want to control such incidents, but one should get hyper over such incidents," Musharraf said. "India's first reaction to every terrorist attack is Pakistan but India is not free of terrorism or extremism themselves," he added. advertisement Accusing New Delhi of creating pressure on Islamabad when it came to terror attacks, Musharraf alleged that extremism was quite prevalent in India as well. "India simply can't create pressure on Pakistan when it comes to terrorism. We may be a small country but we have honour of our own. There are lots of areas in India where extremism is rampant. India always treats terrorism as a one-sided issue and that infuriates me. They can't just bulldoze us when something happens there," he stated. Musharraf went on to say that there was a lot of 'disgruntlement' among the Muslim community in India ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power. Comparing Modi's leadership with that of his former counterpart Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he added that ties between India and Pakistan had flourished under the latter as he was more 'sincere' in his approach. "I interacted with Vajpayee sahab and at the time we had very good ties with India. It all comes down to leadership in the end. We were moving forward with him and Manmohan sahab. Unfortunately, it's not working under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. His popularity has dampened post his loss in Delhi and Bihar," Musharraf said. "Vajapayee and Manmohan were more sincere when it came to resolving dispute. A good leader is always flexible. Things can't work out if you are hell-bent on your own stand," he added. On Prime Minister Modi's recent visit to Islamabad, he added that it was just a case of 'showmanship' and there was nothing substantial about it. Related Stories: Nawaz Sharif orders probe into Pathankot attackers' link with Pakistan Pathankot attack: Did honeytrapped IAF man help Jaish terrorists? Pakistan trained terrorists against India: Pervez Musharraf Priyanka Chopra has been reportedly approached for the Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron-starrer Baywatch. By India Today Web Desk: Priyanka Chopra is all set to make her big crossover to Hollywood films now. Last year, the Desi Girl hopped on the American TV bandwagon with her lead role in Quantico. Now, the Bajirao Mastani star has been approached to join the Baywatch cast. Yes, you heard it right. Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra, who debuted last year in the ABC series Quantico with the lead role of Alex Parrish, is now ready to take a big jump and star in the Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron-starrer Baywatch. The film is expected to hit the screens in 2017. ALSO READ: Watch - John Stamos interrupts Priyanka Chopra's thank you speech ALSO READ: Priyanka Chopra wins People's Choice Award, friends laud her on Twitter advertisement ALSO READ: Quantico girl Priyanka Chopra wins big at People's Choice Awards, makes India proud once again The film is inspired from the 90s NBC hit series Baywatch. The series was based on the adventures of a team of lifeguards on a crowded beach. Who doesn't remember CJ Parker aka Pamela Anderson raising the temperature in her sizzling red bikni? Though Priyanka Chopra is still in talks to join Paramount's film Baywatch, we can't wait to see her donning the sexy swimsuit once again. Actor Alexandra Daddario was recently roped in to play Summer, which was played by Nicole Eggert in the series. Last week, Dwayne Johnson introduced model-turned-actor Kelly Rohrbach, who has been signed on to play Pamela Anderson's iconic character CJ Parker. Johnson shared a video on the photo-sharing platform Instagram and captioned it: "For our #BAYWATCH and the iconic role of "CJ Parker" I had to make sure @kellyrohrbach was ridiculously sexy running in SLo Mo(sic)". For our #BAYWATCH and the iconic role of "CJ Parker" I had to make sure @kellyrohrbach was ridiculously sexy running in SLO-MO.... A video posted by therock (@therock) on Jan 4, 2016 at 10:01am PST The film will be directed by Seth Gordon and will be produced by Johnson and Dany Garcia. Damian Shannon and Mark Swift have written the latest draft of the script for Baywatch. The plot details have been kept under wraps but it is sure to follow the comedy route. The production is expected to start in the next few months and the film is slated to release next year. Bollywood beauty Priyanka Chopra recently won the People's Choice Award for best actress in a new TV series for her American show Quantico. This year looks quite promising for Priyanka Chopra. On the home front, Priyanka was last seen on the big screen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's epic war drama Bajirao Mastani. This year, she has Prakash Jha's women-centric Jai Gangaajal in her kitty. The film is scheduled to be released in March 2016. Rohit Sharma, who hit his ninth ODI ton on Tuesday, became the first Indian to score a ODI century against the Australians at the WACA. By Akshay Ramesh: India would not have expected a better start to the series. Rohit Sharma has helped his team begin the tour with a bang with his trademark 'daddy' hundred. With seven sixes and 13 boundaries in his 163-ball 171, Rohit has broken Vivian Richards' 36-year-old record (159) of highest score by a visiting batsman against Australia in Australia. The 28-year-old batsman, who hit his ninth ODI ton on Tuesday, became the first Indian to score a ODI century against the Australians at the WACA. Also, he went past the 1000-run mark against Australia, against whom he slammed his first double century in Bengaluru two years ago. Before the start of the series, Rohit hinted he was charged up when he said his team was ready to 'fight fire with fire'. And how better can a batsman live up to his words? advertisement Rohit, as usual started slow, took time to get into the groove and kept rotating the strike in the early overs against a relatively inexperienced Australian bowling attack. Rohit lost his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan (9) early in the innings. Joining hands with No. 3 batsman Virat Kohli, Rohit stitched a 207-run stand. Once the Mumbai batsman reached his century in 121 balls, he started to cut loose and hurt the Australian bowlers in the death overs. Rohit belted a six and a four in the last over and took India past the 300-run mark at the WACA. Australia now need a record-chase to negate an Indian win in the first ODI with their highest second innings score at Perth being 259. A lot was expected off Rohit after his run-a-ball 67 against Western Australia XI in the second tour game. Rohit has not let his team down and has done his part to give India the upper hand early in the five-match series. The petitions seeking urgent hearing on the issue were mentioned before a bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur which agreed to hear it. Jallikattu is a bull-baiting or bull taming sport played in Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations. By India Today Web Desk: The Supreme Court will on Tuesday hear a petition led by Animal Welfare Board of India challenging the January 7 notification of the Union government allowing Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu during the festival of Pongal. The petition seeking urgent hearing on the issue was mentioned before a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur which agreed to hear it. The plea was filed by Animal Welfare Board of India, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India and a Bangalore-based NGO. The four-year-old ban on holding of Jallikattu was lifted on January 7 by the Modi government in poll-bound Tamil Nadu with certain restrictions. The decision to allow Jallikattu, days before traditional harvest festival Pongal begins alongwith bullock cart races in other parts of the country, had come through a government notification despite strong objections by animal rights groups. advertisement Jallikattu also known Eruthazhuvuthal is a bull taming sport played in Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations on Mattu Pongal day. Sharp has also received an investment offer from Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, also known as Foxconn. By Reuters: A $3 billion restructuring plan for Japanese electronics firm Sharp Corp is likely to be finalised as early as this week, a person with direct knowledge of the discussions said on Tuesday. State-backed fund Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) is leading the bailout, which would be Sharp's third major package in three years, and would invest more than 200 billion yen ($1.7 billion) in the plan, the source added, confirming earlier media reports. The Osaka-based company is also asking Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ and Mizuho Bank to convert about 150 billion yen ($1.3 billion) of existing loans into preferred shares, said the source, who declined to be named as the discussions remained confidential. Sharp said in a statement it is in talks with various companies about LCD business but no decision have been reached, while spokesmen for the banks, units of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc and Mizuho Financial Group Inc, declined to comment. advertisement Sharp shares surged nearly 8 per cent in early trade on reports of the bailout but ended morning trade down 0.9 per cent. INCJ, tasked with helping to revive Japan's once-cutting edge consumer electronics sector, would merge Sharp's liquid-crystal display business with that of Japan Display Inc, the source said. INCJ is the biggest shareholder in Japan Display and a spokesman for the company declined to comment on the matter. An INCJ representative could not immediately be reached. Despite a $1.7 billion rescue in May, Sharp has shown few signs of a turnaround as it and other Japanese consumer electronics makers struggle to compete against the likes of Samsung Electronics Co and more nimble Asian rivals. Sharp has also received an investment offer from Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, also known as Foxconn, people with knowledge of the matter said last month. These sources have also cited private equity interest, and the Nikkei business daily has named U.S. buyout fund KKR & Co as a potential investor. By Saurabh Singh: How often do you get posts saying "I lost all contacts on my phone. Please message me your phone number" on social media? The answer is quite often. Losing your contacts list is perhaps the worst thing that can happen to you in this smartphone savvy world of ours. Losing your phone may be understandable, losing your contacts list isn't. Similarly, adding your contacts list to a newly purchased phone can be a nightmare depending on your approach. Ok, breathe. Yes, managing your contacts list on a smartphone is not as easy as it sounds. But, it's no rocket science either. Here are few tips and tricks that will help you never lose your smartphone contacts ever: --Android Managing your contacts list on Android is as easy as having a Google account. Every time you unbox a new Android phone, it asks you to create one. We suggest you do that. Your Google account is a ticket to practically everything that Android has to offer, including importing and exporting your contacts. Once your Google account is ready, every time you will add a new contact to your phone, it will ask you whether or not you would like to sync it with the same account. Your other option will be to save the contact to your phone and be done with it. Syncing your contacts is the way to go. This way when you get a new phone and sign into it with the same Google ID, it will automatically restore all the contacts that you saved on a previous phone. advertisement Syncing your contacts saves them to Google's cloud. Same goes with your calendar, email, photos and more. At the same time, this also helps you to look for your phone should it be lost or stolen. --iOS You can use your valid Gmail ID to sign into iOS devices just like the way you would on a typical Android-based device. Google's active sync service will then work seamlessly across your iPhone, iPad, iTouch or whatever. This will automatically restore your entire contacts list on the iOS-based device. At the same time, if you're not a Gmail user, there's an option to sync your phone contents with Apple's native cloud service, aka iCloud. When you power up your iOS-based device for the first time, it will ask you whether or not you want to use iCloud to backup your data. --Windows Windows Outlook is a pretty neat email-service, so is the Redmond giant's cloud backup service, it calls OneDrive. You can again use your Gmail ID to log into it. At the same time, you can use ID's from other email services as well. While creating a Microsoft account (for all intends and purposes) is the way to go on any Windows-based phone, having a valid Gmail ID is more than enough to backup and restore your contacts list. If you're not a Gmail user, you can always sync your data over OneDrive. As you can see, the advent of cloud computing has made life so much easier for everyone. The fact that all your phone (as well as tablet/PC) data is saved in real-time and can be accessed from anywhere around the world is indeed a joy to have. Google's active sync seems to have an edge over rivals in this regard, due to its ease of use across platforms. But, that's not the only way to go about it. Each platform has its own cloud-based service that you can use seamlessly to backup your contacts list (and data). You may also like: Phone slow? 10 quick fixes to make Android phone fast again 13 ways to improve the battery life of your Android phone By Javed Anwer: Amazon boss Jeff Bezos as Lord Vishnu? Yes, why not says that the Fortune magazine in the US. The publication, which has a cover story on Amazon's retail push in India, has put Bezos on its cover looking like Lord Vishnu. In the illustration prepared by Nigel Buchanan, A smiling -- and rather blue and godly -- Bezos is seen holding a lotus in one hand while his other hand has Amazon's logo printed on it. While Fortune may have thought its cover clever, it hasn't amused many in the NRI community in the US. Many seem to feel that the cover trivialises Lord Vishnu and offends the feelings of Hindu community in the US. "Lord Vishnu is a highly revered major deity in Hinduism meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to be used indecorously or thrown around loosely in reimagined versions for dramatic effects," Nevada-based Rajan Zed reportedly told Hindustan Times. advertisement On Twitter too there has been tweets in protest. While noted blogger Anil Dash stopped short of calling the cover offensive, he did express his displeasure. "Ok, cool @FortuneMagazine now do one with Bezos as Jesus in honor of Black Friday,"he asked.The Fortune editor Alan Murray, however, was quick to acknowledge the tweets made by Dash. "Fair point, Anil. Apologies to those offended," he tweeted. Amazon entered Indian e-retail space around three years ago and since then has focussed heavily on winning market share. With deep pockets and expertise in running e-retail operations the website has done well. "With only two years and nine months of operations in the country, Amazon.in has emerged as the largest store, with over 40 million products, of which one million are in-stock and available for immediate shipment. Amazon.in also has the largest fulfilment and storage capacity in India," the company recently said in a statement. However, the journey forward is still not going to be easy for the global giant, a point that the Fortune story was also trying to underscore. But apparently Bezos is totally committed to Amazon's plan in India. "What we do in India will affect Amazon's future in a very, very big way," Amit Agarwal, vice president and country manager, Amazon India, told the Fortune . "If Jeff writes a book on Amazon, India will certainly be a chapter in it." Now, it seems if such a chapter materialises it may also have a note on the Fortune cover that depicted, for better or worse, Bezos as a Hindu god. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal activists have threatened to intensify the protests if the police did not rein in on the cattle thieves By India Today Web Desk: Communal unrest was reported from the sensitive coastal Karnataka region following cattle theft in many parts of Dakshina Kannada district. Since the last two days, dairy farmers have been protesting across Dakshina Kannada district seeking action against cattle thieves. On Monday, a farmer was robbed of his cattle at knife-point near Mangaluru from his home. Though he informed the police, they failed to nab the culprits. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal activists have threatened to intensify the protests if the police did not rein in on the cattle thieves. By India Today Web Desk: When Prince Narula boasts about his physical strength in Bigg Boss 9, you better believe him. Not everybody can give a toughie like Rannvijay Singha a run for his money when it comes to sports. Wondering what are we talking about? Here's a video that will explain it all. In a video from the web series SquadRann posted by Rannvijay Singha, a group of men is seen playing pitthu (the desi childhood game we all used to play) on wheels. And Prince Narula is also in the video, in the other team, and boy what a game it is! Obviously shot before he entered Bigg Boss, this web series has been releasing videos only recently and Prince features in almost all of them. In this particular video, our dear Prince fractures his foot, but his Roadies mentor Rannvijay has only words of praise for him and has also lauded him for rocking Bigg Boss 9. advertisement SquadRann is a new web series by Rannvijay Singha, in which a group of 9 people try their hand at adrenaline-filled activities. Prince Narula is indeed rocking Bigg Boss 9. From being tagged as the side hero of the house in the beginning of the show to winning a direct entry into the finale week, Prince has come a long way on the show. The Splitsvilla winner, who started his showbiz career with Roadies, overcame his fears to win the show and garner a massive fan following among the youth. And as Rannvijay said, he is currently rocking Bigg Boss. Be it a physical task or mind games, Prince has been at the top of his game since Day One. Also read: Prince Narula wins Ticket to Finale task, gets direct entry to Bigg Boss 9 finale By Priya Pathak: Have you ever been said no to a date on your face? Remember how denial in love and dating hurts? In case you havent gone through any such aforementioned experiences before, Tinder's recent revelation is so not for you because it hurts, hurts really bad! In real life, they say that opposite attracts. But not in the world of Tinder, where the company often tries to match you with the one whose desirability score is similar. And no, you can't see your desirability score. But if you profile gets lots of left swipes, Tinder will try to match you with people who are similarly not so "desirable". Yes, Tinder can tell you how many people actually want to date you, or how desirable you are amongst the other users. The service uses this for its, how you say it, internal quality testing. While talking to an American magazine, Sean Rad, CEO of Tinder discusses the app's 'Elo scores,' a term generally used to rank the skills of chess players. He said that score is used to generate better matches. Since it is a kind of desirability test, many users may now want to change their profile pictures on Tinder to save themselves from the possible heartbreak by Tinder. However, the company stresses that the algorithm is based on numerous data points and not just the profile picture. Its very complicated. It took us two and a half months just to build the algorithm because a lot of factors go into it,?? explained Rad. It's not just how many people swipe right on you.?? On being asked if the factors included educational qualification or not, Jonathan Badeen, companys VP of product said, Its a way of essentially matching people and ranking them more quickly and accurately based on who they are being matched up against.?? While the Badeen tries to soothe broken hearts by calling it a general desirability test, Chris Dumler, Tinders data analyst called it a vast voting system. Every swipe is in a way casting a vote: I find this person more desirable than this person, whatever motivated you to swipe right. It might be because of attractiveness, or it might be because they had a really good profile,?? says Dumler. The reason why it is hard for users to find the exact math that goes into the making of this score is because there are too many factors that vary from person to person. People are really polarised on even just a photographic level: Some people really favour facial hair, while some do not. Same thing with tattoos, photos with pets or children, excessive outdoors shots, or photos of you with a tiger," says Tor Solli-Nowlan, apps data engineer. In India, Tinder has seen explosive growth. The company recently said that its app download in India grew by 400 per cent that more women were downloading it then men. You may also like: Love in the age of Tinder Tinder app downloads increase 400 per cent, women more active than men --- ENDS --- Oppo's selfie-focused phone, aka F1 is expected to make its way to India on January 28. The phone in question has however landed first. By Saurabh Singh: Chinese company Oppo's selfie-focused phone, aka F1 is expected to make its way to India on January 28. The phone in question has however landed first in Vietnam where it is now available for pre-order. The Oppo F1 has been priced at roughly around $290 which roughly translates to Rs 19,377. The phone will start shipping from January 21. The Oppo F1 which was first announced during the recently concluded CES 2016 trade show focuses a great deal on premium design and top-notch camera capabilities. The F1 comes with a 13-megapixel camera on the rear with f/2.2 lens and LED flash. There's also an 8-megapixel camera on the front with f/2.0 lens (1/4" sensor). The phone uses the screen (that lights up) as a flash in low-light environments. advertisement The phone comes with full metal unibody and packs in a 5-inch HD IPS display protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass 4 (2.5D). It is powered by a 1.7GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 processor coupled with Adreno 405 GPU and 3GB of RAM. It come with 16GB of internal memory which is expandable by up to 128GB via microSD card. The dualSIM phone runs Android 5.1 Lollipop-based ColorOS 2.1 which is Oppo's custom skin. The phone is backed by a 2,500mAh battery. Oppo will celebrate its second anniversary in India this year. Only recently it announced a new after sales-service policy under which "all handsets purchased starting from December 15, 2015 will have a two years' service warranty applicable across all Oppo service centres in India." The company also plans to open 200 new service centres across India. Even though Motorola brand will continue to exist, the focus would be more on promoting Moto as a standalone brand. By Javed Anwer: A few days ago we heard about Lenovo's plan to assimilate the Moto business into the main company's phone division to consolidate it. Now, there are some more details trickling about the integration and how that marks the death of much-loved Moto E. In all probability, there won't be a new Moto E in 2016. The big plan, as Motorola's Rick Osterloh explained a few days ago, is to consolidate Lenovo's phone division so that one department is taking care of all the phones whether they are Vibe phones or Moto phones. Along with the internal consolidation, externally, in the market, too there are changes. The big change is that even though Motorola brand will continue to exist, the focus would be more on promoting Moto as a standalone brand. Osterloh, also reportedly said that Moto phones would be high-end phones while Lenovo's Vibe would take care of the mainstream and entry-level market. advertisement Now, Chen Xudong, who is senior vice president of Lenovo, has said that from now onwards no Moto phone will come with a screen size of less than 5 inches. This means either this year's Moto E will have a 5-inch screen or, something that is more probable, there won't be a Moto E anymore. It all also explains the big plan. Motorola already has a 5-inch phone -- the Moto G, which is actually too big to be killed. The Moto G is Motorola's most successful phone ever, so it is extremely unlikely that it would be killed. The Moto X variants are higher-end phones and considering that Lenovo wants Moto brand to be associated with the high-end phones, the Moto X too is safe. The Moto E is the odd one out. It has a small screen of 4.5-inch and is an entry-level smartphone, a space that Lenovo (and Motorola) want to be occupied by Vibe phones. So, Moto E is going to be the one that gets the axe. Meanwhile, earlier Motorola had tried to clarify the integration plan with Lenovo. It had said: "Motorola Mobility continues to exist as a Lenovo company and is the engineering and design engine for all of our mobile products. However, for our product branding we will utilize a dual brand strategy across smartphone and wearables going forward using Moto and Vibe globally. 'Motorola' hasn't been used on our products since the launch of the original Moto X in 2013." Investigative reporting from the inner city to Wall Street to the United Nations This is the blogspot version InnerCityPress.com APA petitions are one more tool we use to protect public lands or threatened wildlife by engaging federal agencies and pushing them to do better for the ... Astelit LLC (the life:) brand) plans to reposition its brand in 2016, expanding it to other segments, especially, the corporate segment, Astelit CEO Burak Ersoy has said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine. "The company positioned itself as the operator for youth for 10 years, and often corporate business does not consider the life:) brand as a potential provider. This year we will work on changing of our positioning. We want to become the operator for everyone for families, large and small businesses and serious corporate clients," he said. Ersoy said that the company has started changing its structure. In particular, two separate marketing directorates have been created: for corporate and individual businesses. "Dividing these directions we will be able to better focus on corporate subscribers and present more interesting and beneficial offers to them," he said. According to the Ukrainian Intellectual Property Institute (Ukrpatent), in September 2015 the operator submitted an application to register the lifecell brand for goods and services. Additionally, in December 2015, Astelit received the WE/MOVE brand, which the company plans to use to provide services to corporate clients. Fuel prices should be cut along with decline in global oil prices The Energy and Coal Industry Ministry of Ukraine expects that filling stations would reduce fuel prices along with the decline in global oil prices, the ministry's press service has reported, referring to Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn. "We in the ministry understand that today the high U.S. dollar exchange rate to the national currency and excise duties affect the price of petrol and diesel fuel. However, if we build the market economy, people should feel all its advantages. Oil prices are falling on the global market. People should feel this in their purses," the press service said, citing the minister. The ministry on January 13 plan to hold a meeting with the key market players. "Tomorrow I expect to have a constructive dialog with traders on the reduction of fuel prices," he said. MMDS Ukraine LLC (Kyiv) is ready to contest in court the refusal of the National Commission for Communications Regulation (NCCR) to extend licenses for radio communications in multi-channel distribution systems in 20 regions and Crimea, the press service of SCM holding, which incorporates the company, has told Interfax-Ukraine. The holding sees no reasons for the refusal to extend the licenses and is ready to defend its position in court. "MMDS performs the license terms, therefore, in our opinion, there are no reasons for the non-extension of the license. The company is ready to defend its position by any means within the legal framework, including in court," the press service said. Asked about the future plans of MMDS Ukraine and a possible sale of the asset, SCM noted there is no plan to sell the asset at the moment. As reported, on January 12 the National Commission for Communications Regulation refused MMDS Ukraine LLC the extension of two radio licenses in multi-channel distribution systems in 20 regions of Ukraine and Crimea. Saakashvili publicly dismisses his advisor Reznyk and asks law enforcers to look into crimes he accused of Head of Odesa Regional State Administration Mikheil Saakashvili has dismissed his advisor Volodymyr Reznyk after revealing illegal actions committed by him. "After [acting] director of the regional administration's department on the development of infrastructure and housing and utilities sector [Tetyana] Marchenko was caught red-handed, I initiated an internal examination that showed that advisor to head of Odesa Regional State Administration Reznyk broke law when signed documents regarding construction works in the region," Saakashvili wrote on his page in Facebook on Monday. According to Odesa governor, he invited the heads of interior affairs departments and prosecutor's offices for the meeting of the leadership of Odesa Regional State Administration, during which he publicly dismissed advisor of administration's head and asked law enforcement agencies to immediately deal with him, as well as to check all financial documents of the main sections of the administration. "In time when we destroyed a traditional corruption vertical line in Odesa, I'll be especially hard-edged and we'll bring to an end a complete lustration of the departments of all levels from all werewolves in the cabinets," he said. Besides, the Odesa region governor promised that his team would continue reshuffle of the regional state administration. "After we cut a number of the administration's staff from 800 to 400 persons, we'll keep up with the reshuffle and despite all the obstacles of the Labor Code almost the whole old leadership will be replaced, and all new staff will be appointed via the transparent contest, which already faced heads of regional state administrations, some departments of regional state administration and the new centre for servicing citizens," he wrote. As reported, on December 31, 2015 officers of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) and Military Prosecutor's Office detained acting director of the regional administration's department for the development of infrastructure and the housing and utilities sector of Odesa Regional State Administration Tetyana Marchenko for accepting a bribe of UAH 1.5 million. Kyiv says escalation of tensions in Donbas, says army suffers no casualties The Ukrainian Presidential Administration has reported an escalation of tensions in Donbas over the past day and the absence of casualties in the Ukrainian army. The Donbas militants used heavy weapons in several sectors of the frontline but the Ukrainian army suffered no casualties, administration spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said at a press briefing on Tuesday. He said that hostilities had resumed in the Luhansk area. "The enemy shelled our positions near Krymske by use of 120mm mortars. Another stronghold in that area came under hostile grenade launcher fire later on," he said. The militants repeatedly breached the truce on the Svitlodarsk bulge in the Donetsk area. Ukrainian army servicemen clashed with the militants in Semyhirya and Novoluhanske. After a brief shootout, the militants retreated to the south. "There was no change in other sectors of the frontline, west of Horlivka and near the Donetsk airport. Low-intensity hostilities continue without heavy armaments being used. The longest shelling incidents were observed west of Novhorodske and near Opytne," Motuzyanyk said. The militants fired ten shells from a 120mm mortar near Vodyane in the Mariupol area. There were also provocations near Hranitne. No Ukrainians injured in terrorist attack in Istanbul No Ukrainian citizens have been injured in an explosion in Istanbul, Consul General of Ukraine in Istanbul Vasyl Bodnar said quoting local police data. "Important! According to the Istanbul police, Ukrainian citizens have not been injured during the terrorist attack in Istanbul," the consul general wrote on Twitter. Turkish media reported that ten people were killed and 15 injured in an explosion that rocked Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul on Tuesday. Earlier reports said that the explosive device could have been triggered by a suicide bomber. Interfax-Ukraine to host press conference 'Kyivgaz Will Continue Installing Gas Meters in Private Houses and Flats with Gas Stoves and Gas Boilers' On Thursday, January 14, at 11.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference entitled "Public JSC Kyivgaz Will Continue Installing Gas Meters in Private Houses and Flats with Gas Stoves and Gas Boilers." The participants will include Deputy Head of City State Administration Petro Panteleyev, Deputy Board Chairman for General Issues at PJSC Kyivgaz Yuriy Lebedev and a representative of National Electricity Regulatory Commission (8/5-A Reitarska Street). Accreditation required by phone: 499 3217. I WRITE NEWS ABOUT AND PUT NEWS ARTICLES ABOUT ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM PERTAINING TO BIBLE PROPHESY HAPPENINGS.JOEL 3:20 But Judah (ISRAEL) shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.(THATS ISRAEL-JERUSALEM WILL NEVER BE DESTROYED AGAIN)-WE CHRISTIANS ARE ALL WAITING PATIENTLY FOR THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE TO OCCUR.SO WE CAN GO TO JESUS AND GET OUR NEVER DYING BODIES.SO WE CAN RULE OVER CITIES OURSELVES.WHILE JESUS RULES FROM DAVIDS THRONE FOREVER IN JERUSALEM. [January 11, 2016] The Many Faces of IoT--Smart Grids LONDON, Jan. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Many Faces of IoTSmart Grids : Smart Grids Foster Interesting Opportunities for ICT Participants to Move Beyond Connectivity This Market Insight examines the smart grids market in South America. It provides a market share breakdown, an analysis of key market drivers and restraints, and revenue and unit shipment forecasts by region for the smart electricity meter market. It also explores the major trends and impacts for service providers regarding the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions. This analysis delivers insights from primary research with Siemens, Itron, and PromonLogicalis and provides case studies in the region. Report : The Many Faces of Iot Smart Grids trend Key Findings -The Internet of Things (IoT) will encourage productivity gains and cost savings across industries, as well as enable cross-industry, end-to-end solutions. The IoT is acting as a catalyst in transforming ICT convergence into a multi-industry convergence between ICT, helthcare, energy and infrastructure, automotive, and building control participants. -Telecoms operators can protect their share of machine-to-machine (M2M) revenues by moving along the value chain, beyond pure connectivity and towards the development of applications in new verticals. As they tend to have fairly little experience in this market segment, operators should rely more on acquisitions. -Furthermore, the technical complexity of developing M2M solutions in verticals such as utilities is expected to force more partnerships among service providers. -Smart grid implementation has been taking place in South America , mainly driven by energy inefficiencies and illegal connections in the region, as well as the high energy demand per capita and a huge potential for distributed generation. However, the costs of certain parts of the grid infrastructure are still quite high for a private company to completely absorb the costs. Yet, partnerships between companies or subsidies from the government facilitate the implementation of smart grids in the region. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3552607/ About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers http://www.reportbuyer.com For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 208 816 85 48 Website: www.reportbuyer.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-many-faces-of-iotsmart-grids-300202505.html SOURCE ReportBuyer [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 12, 2016] Renesas Electronics Expands Ground-Breaking IoT Platform With Renesas Synergy Software Package, S7G2 Microcontrollers and the First Verified Software Add-On for the Platform Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced new developments for the Renesas Synergy Platform, including the commercial release of the Renesas Synergy (News - Alert) Software Package (SSP) version 1.0.0, mass production availability of the S7G2 Renesas Synergy Microcontrollers (MCUs), and availability of the first Verified Software Add-on (VSA) software from VSA Program partners. The Renesas Synergy Platform, winner of the 2015 Elektra Internet of Things Product Innovation Award (Note 1), is a complete and qualified platform for the development of embedded and IoT applications. It was designed to provide engineers with a platform that already has basic system elements implemented, configured and tested, so engineers can eliminate the time normally needed to implement and integrate base-line functionality and move almost immediately to product design, potentially reducing time to market by months. This allows system manufacturers to truly differentiate and increase the value of the end product they create. The SSP, the core of the Renesas Synergy Platform, integrates a real-time operating system with a rich set of utilities, drivers, libraries, software stacks, and application framework - all optimized specifically for the Renesas Synergy MCU architecture and fully supported by Renesas. The 1.0.0 version is the first version of the SSP fully qualified and usable in products in mass production. The first devices in the Renesas Synergy Family of MCUs to go into mass production, the S7G2 Group of MCUs provides a high-performance CPU core and a large flash memory size for high-performance human machine interface (HMI) applications. Cypherbridge Systems, Icon Labs, and Skkynet, all members of the VSA Program, are the first program members to offer production-ready software for the platform via the Renesas Synergy Gallery, the comprehensive online source for the Renesas Synergy Software. Complementary to the Renesas Synergy Platform, Renesas is offering its DevCon Extension series of in-city and online events where interested persons may gain a technical understanding of the Renesas Synergy Platform, SSP, and steps towards enabling your next design. For a list of city events, please visit http://renesasdevcon.com/devcon/. For more information about the Renesas Synergy Platform and VSAs, please visit http://www.renesassynergy.com. For more information on Renesas, follow Renesas Electronics America at @RenesasAmerica on Twitter (News - Alert) and http://www.facebook.com/RenesasAmerica. Note 1: About the 2015 Elektra Internet of Things Product Innovation Award, please visit http://www.elektraawards.co.uk/elektraawards2015/2015-winners. About Renesas Electronics Corporation Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723), the world's number one supplier of microcontrollers, is a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions including microcontrollers, SoC solutions and a broad-range of analog and power devices. Business operations began as Renesas Electronics in April 2010 through the integration of NEC (News - Alert) Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723) and Renesas Technology Corp., with operations spanning research, development, design and manufacturing for a wide range of applications. Headquartered in Japan, Renesas Electronics has subsidiaries in 20 countries worldwide. More information can be found at www.renesas.com. Renesas Synergy is a trademark of Renesas Electronics Corporation. All other registered trademarks or trademarks are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160112005373/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Nexenta Awarded 2015 InfoTech Spotlight Data Center Excellence Award for Software-Defined Storage Innovation in Partnership With ATTO Technology Nexenta (@Nexenta), the global leader in Open Source (News - Alert)-driven Software-Defined Storage (OpenSDS), today announced that TMC, a global, integrated media company, has named NexentaStor MetroHA as a 2015 Data Center Excellence Award winner, presented by InfoTech Spotlight. Nexenta and ATTO Technology, a leading storage connectivity and infrastructure solution company, jointly introduced NexentaStor MetroHA in July 2015, delivering unparalleled availability, scalability and performance across multiple data centers. NexentaStor MetroHA serves as a stretch cluster-a cluster configured with host systems located at multiple sites-allowing data to scale across different floors, buildings or cities, located up to 50 kilometers apart. The solution also delivers zero data loss and continuous operations in the event of site failures by synchronously mirroring data between sites. "We are honored to be continually recognized by TMCnet for storage and data center innovation," said Thomas Cornely, Chief Product Officer at Nexenta. "By partnering with ATTO Technology to develop NexentaStor MetroHA, we delivered the cost benefits of software-defined storage to business critical applications, ensuring complete data protection while advancing scalability and performance." SanDisk, the global leader in flash storage solutions and a proud partner of Nexenta, was also awarded the Data Center Excellence Award for the company's InfiniFlash System. NexentaStor has been integrated with InfiniFlash to create an all-flash joint solution, roviding data center customers with a cost-effective, high-performance system for addressing today's increasing Big Data challenges. Refer to the SanDisk blog for more info. The 2015 Data Center Excellence Award recognizes the most innovative and enterprising data center vendors who offer infrastructure or software, servers or cooling systems, cabling or management applications. "Nexenta has displayed its commitment to quality and innovation in the development of the data center industry," said Rich Tehrani, CEO, TMC (News - Alert). "I look forward to witnessing continued excellence from Nexenta and their efforts toward improving the future of the data center industry." Tweet This: [email protected] honored with @tmcnet @infotechspot #DataCenter Excellence Award for #OpenSDS innovation via #NexentaStor MetroHA #OpenSDx #SDS About Nexenta Nexenta is the global leader in Open Source-driven Software-Defined Storage (OpenSDS) with 6,000+ customers, 400+ partners, 33 patents, and more than 1,200 petabytes of storage under management. Nexenta uniquely integrates software-only "Open Source" collaboration with commodity hardware-centric "Software-Defined Storage" innovation. Nexenta OpenSDS solutions are 100% software-based; and 100% hardware-, protocol-, and app-agnostic providing organizations with Total Freedom protecting them against punitive vendor lock-in. Nexenta provides organizations with the "true" benefits of Software-Defined Everything-centric Cloud Computing - from data centers to end users; from the infrastructure to apps. Nexenta OpenSDS enables everyday apps from rich media-driven Social Living to Mobility; from the Internet of Things to Big Data; from OpenStack and CloudStack to Do-It-Yourself Cloud deployments - for all types of Clouds - Private, Public, and Hybrid. Founded around an "Open Source" platform and industry-disrupting vision, Nexenta delivers its award- and patent-winning software-only unified storage management solutions with a global partner network, including Cisco, Citrix (News - Alert), Dell, HP, Quanta, SanDisk, Seagate, Supermicro, VMware, Western Digital, Wipro, and many others. For more information, visit, www.nexenta.com, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Also, download the newly published Nexenta Special Edition Software Defined Data Centers (SDDC) for Dummies eBook. Nexenta and NexentaStor are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nexenta Systems Inc., in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks, service marks and company names mentioned in this document are properties of their respective owners. About InfoTech Spotlight InfoTech Spotlight brings extensive daily content focused on information technology. Visitors will find free industry news, communities, channels, blogs, feature articles, videos, whitepapers and other resources. The site keeps readers informed about developments across topics including software, hardware, security and networking. InfoTech Spotlight is powered by TMCnet, the leading communications and technology site in the World attracting two million unique visitors monthly according to Webtrends. Please visit: infoTECH Spotlight for more information. About TMC Global buyers rely on TMC's content-driven marketplaces to make purchase decisions and navigate markets. This presents branding, thought leadership and lead generation opportunities for vendors/sellers. TMC's Marketplaces: Unique, turnkey Online Communities boost search results, establish market validation, elevate brands and thought leadership, while minimizing ad-blocking. boost search results, establish market validation, elevate brands and thought leadership, while minimizing ad-blocking. Custom Lead Programs uncover sales opportunities and build databases. uncover sales opportunities and build databases. In-Person and Online Events boost brands, enhance thought leadership and generate leads. and boost brands, enhance thought leadership and generate leads. Publications, Display Advertising and Newsletters bolster brand reputations. and bolster brand reputations. Custom Content provides expertly ghost-crafted blogs, press releases, articles and marketing collateral to help with SEO, branding, and overall marketing efforts. provides expertly ghost-crafted blogs, press releases, articles and marketing collateral to help with SEO, branding, and overall marketing efforts. Comprehensive Event and Road Show Management Services help companies meet potential clients and generate leads face-to-face. For more information about TMC and to learn how we can help you reach your marketing goals, please visit www.tmcnet.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160112005611/en/ [January 12, 2016] Terepac joins Who's Who of North American IoT Technology at Cisco's newest Innovation Centre WATERLOO, ON, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Terepac Corporation will join the world's leading innovators at the new Cisco Internet of Everything (IoE) Innovation Centre in Toronto effective today. Terepac is proud to be one of a select group of innovators chosen to showcase Canadian leadership in the Internet of Things (IoT). Visitors to the Cisco IoE Innovation centre will be able to interact with Terepac technology and see how the company is giving voice to the world. Cisco Innovation Centres around the world accelerate opportunities, deepen relationships and foster innovation. Each location serves as a hub to: Showcase what is possible with the Internet of Things (IoT) Build solutions with partners and startups, and engage in rapid prototyping Invest and partner with startups, accelerators, and universities Terepac Corporation CEO Ric Asselstine stated, "Cisco's thought leadership in IoT combined with this world-class facility makes his venue an ideal place to display our ONE Machine and ONE Water solutions. City managers, investors and visionaries can see how giving voice to the world can make cities and workplaces safer, smarter and more efficient. It really is a glimpse into the near-future of everything." "Cisco is excited to feature Terepac's ONE solutions in our Innovation Centre," said William MacGowan of Cisco's Industry Transformation team "The ONE IoT platform exemplifies the goals of our Innovation Centre with show-stopping smart city and manufacturing solutions that integrate with Cisco's vision for the IoT with wireless and power-over-ethernet (PoE) capabilities." What's on display Visitors, investors and city managers can interact with Terepac's ONE IoT Plaform, a secure combination of edge of network sensing device and cloud-based software, which is already in market and changing the way smart cities, manufacturers and oil and gas industries gather, analyze and capitalize on real-time data through the Internet of Things. ONE Water is a municipal water monitoring system that uses a unique fire hydrant insert that can be retrofitted into new and existing infrastructure in order to remotely provide municipalities with breakthrough and optimizing insights into the city's water system. ONE Machine is a simple-to-deploy, magnetically-attached wireless sensing solution. Once applied to any machine, it allows facilities management to remotely monitor capital equipment. This can result in significant cost savings and improved safety. About Terepac: Terepac Corporation is an Internet of Things (IoT) solutions company based in Waterloo Ontario. Terepac offers end-to-end IoT solutions for companies who want to realize the true value of sensing electronics, join the Internet of Things, and give secure voice to the world. SOURCE Terepac Corporation [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 12, 2016] Database Trends and Applications Names WhereScape RED a Trend Setting Product for 2016 WhereScape, the data warehouse automation pioneer with software solutions for profiling, building, extending and managing data warehouses, analytic systems and big data platforms, announced today that Database Trends and Applications magazine has named WhereScape RED to its third annual list of trend-setting products in data management and analysis for 2016. DBTA Trend-Setting Products for 2016 recognizes products such as WhereScape RED that are both unique and effective in meeting the current and future needs of customers. WhereScape RED is an integrated development environment (IDE) for building, deploying, managing, and renovating data warehouses and big data solutions. WhereScape RED builds native database objects optimized for Teradata, Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2, Oracle, Greenplum, Netezza (News - Alert) and Microsoft's Analytics Platform System as well as Hadoop and Hive big data environments. WhereScape RED enables practitioners to access source data from multiple environments, create procedural code, scripts, and tables, build cubes, schedule updates, and generate documentation in HTML format, all while maintaining existing BI front-end compatibility. WhereScape RED requires fewer resources to profile, build and deploy a data warehouse or analytic pltform, creating a simplified infrastructure and dramatically reducing total cost of ownership. "Today, more than ever, businesses rely on IT to deliver a competitive edge. They want efficiency, agility and the ability to innovate through better collaboration, visibility and performance," remarked Thomas Hogan, Group Publisher of Database Trends and Applications. "However, it has become very difficult to sift through all the hype and identify products that produce results in the real world. We created this list to do the heavy lifting for you and point out the products that are really transforming enterprise data management and analysis." "We are honored that WhereScape RED, our flagship automation software, has been recognized by Database Trends and applications as a trend-setting product for 2016," said WhereScape President Mark Budzinski. "With more than 700 installations, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, Tesco and United Rentals, WhereScape RED is far and away the leading and most mature automation solution available today." Budzinski added that data warehouse automation liberates an IT organization to pursue strategies for differentiating the company through data-driven decision making. "It's a strategy for shifting resources-human and capital- away from repetitive tasks to value creation, and restoring data warehousing teams to relevance and leadership in their organizations," he said. To learn more about WhereScape's data-driven approach to automation and how it can greatly accelerate time to value for data warehouse and big data deployments, read this article authored by Budzinski in Database Trends and Applications. About WhereScape WhereScape is the data warehouse automation pioneer. WhereScape designs, develops, sells and supports WhereScape 3D, the industry's first data warehouse discovery tool; and WhereScape RED, the industry's first and best integrated development environment for building, deploying, managing and renovating data warehouses and analytic systems. WhereScape's products are used in every kind of today's commercial environment: from normal-form enterprise data warehouses and data vaults, through user access layers and tiers of dependent data marts, to standalone data marts and reporting systems. More than 700 customers use WhereScape's products to build data warehouses with fewer people, fewer diversions, missed deadlines or unmet user expectations, and in days or weeks, instead of months or years. WhereScape has offices in Portland, Oregon; Auckland, New Zealand; and Reading, UK. For more information, please visit www.wherescape.com All products or company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160112006060/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 12, 2016] TSP Introduces New Senior Leadership Team TSP (Technology Service Professionals), a leading provider of information technology services to Fortune 500 companies, announces that newly appointed CEO Frank Gonzalez has decided to restructure TSP's organizational structure and internally promote a number of leaders, in order to support TSP's continued growth. In addition to his responsibility for the sales and operations of TSP's three business units (enterprise solutions, shared solutions, and industrial automation solutions), Gonzalez will now also assume leadership of all TSP corporate staff under talent & brand management, IT, finance/accounting, and recruiting sectors. "TSP grew immensely in 015. With growth comes change, and I trust that these are the right moves for us to make as an organization to ensure that we can continue to support new business and new #TSProckstars," said Gonzalez. "I'm very happy to promote our people from within, furthering a number of our employees' careers. We renamed human resources to talent management, because we truly see our employees as talented people, not resources. Now more than ever before, TSP is a place where our employees can grow rewarding and long-term careers." Keith McElwain, who has been with the company since 2003, will step into the role of the company's first-ever senior vice president and chief financial officer. In his new role, McElwain will be the most senior official focusing on financial strategy, forecasting, compliance, risk management and the general financial wellbeing of TSP. Chris Skaggs has been promoted to senior director, talent & brand management. Skaggs will continue to be responsible for TSP's marketing, PR and social strategy but will also assume the responsibility of the company's talent management function. In addition to handling internal and external communications, Skaggs will also serve as the main interface between TSP and legal counsel. Ken Smith has been promoted to senior director & controller, responsible for finance and accounting and the accounts receivable and accounts payable functions of the company. Additionally, Smith's responsibilities will expand to include internal IT. Kristi Suddock has been promoted to the position of director of talent management, responsible for coordinating the people enterprise functions of TSP in accordance with the mission, vision and core values of the company. Larry Lozuk has been promoted to the position of director of IT, responsible for the overall planning, organizing and execution of the internal technology functions for TSP. Lozuk will continue to manage the facilities and procurement functions for the company. TSP's new internal restructuring and internal promotions are all effective immediately. About TSP (Technology Service Professionals) TSP (Technology Service Professionals) is a privately held information technology services company founded in 2002 by Rick Skaggs and Frank Gonzalez. The business provides top-tier services in enterprise solutions, shared solutions, and industrial automation. The Certified Minority Owned Business has more than 600 employees, and its service area includes more than 35 U.S. states as well as Canada. The company's client portfolio includes Texas Instruments, International Paper, Hewlett-Packard, Goodyear, Georgia-Pacific, Dell, Raytheon, 3M (News - Alert), Hitachi, NetApp, Lockheed Martin, IBM, and Neiman Marcus. To learn more, visit http://mytsp.net. Subscribe to our Blog Check out our Social Center View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160112006331/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Telehouse has entered into a new agreement with AT&T (News - Alert) that promises to help its customers simplify the way they do business through access to the network operators high-speed network, mobility and cloud solutions. To do so, Telehouse will work through the AT&T Partner Exchange reseller program, allowing the company to offer AT&Ts services to business customers via two mission-critical facilities in New York. Current business customers at Telehouses flagship location in Staten Island known as The Teleport already have access to AT&Ts highly secure, reliable and scalable solutions. Meanwhile, the companys data center in Chelsea will be granted the same level of access to AT&T IP and additional business solutions within the month. Telehouse has been focused on building up its services within New York lately. This past October, Telehouse partnered with DataGryd in an effort to attract co-location business in the city. In particular, Telehouse began offering co-location services at DataGryds Hudson Street facility. "Our collaboration with AT&T Partner Exchange gives Telehouse the opportunity to offer a more comprehensive solution to our customers and prospects," said Sandra de Novellis, Telehouse U.S. director of Marketing. "By reselling AT&T's products and services, we are better positioned to extend our reach and accommodate our customers' growing needs." Telehouses New York City facility in Chelsea is the latest addition to its portfolio of global data centers, having opened its doors in January 2011. The state-of-the-art facility is SSAE 16 certified and offers 60,000 square feet of colocation space, 24/7 access to authorized client personnel and the full capabilities of Telehouses IT support. The facility also provides connectivity to the New York International Internet Exchange (NYIIX), the largest and most active IP peering exchange in the city. "Technological advancements are changing everything for businesses, and their challenges are becoming increasingly complex. AT&T Partner Exchange is working with Telehouse to help them create more choices for their business customers, so they can stay ahead of today's marketplace," said Randall Porter, vice president of business development, AT&T Partner Solutions. Edited by Kyle Piscioniere Awarded the Golden Lion in the Orizzonti section of the 73rd Venice Film Festival, Federica Di Giacomos 2016 Liberami (Deliver Us) has be... Kuvo Singapore Tasting Session 321 Orchard Road #02-01 Orchard Shopping Centre Opening Hours: Daily: 12pm - 1am http://kuvo.com.sg/ This was an invited media review. I did not pay for the meal during the free hosted tasting session, but I did pay the standard price during subsequent visits. Attended with representatives from Chubby Botak Koala, Fiona Seah, Ms Hannah Chia, Hazel Diary, Seth Lui, Epicurious Caniggia, Dan & Esther's Food Haven, and Fundamentally Flawed. Wagyu & Camembert Sliders (SGD $17) Bespoke Fusion Cocktails, Modern Tapas Dining (Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best) Overall: 7 Ambience & Setting: 8 Food & Beverage: 8 Service: 7 Value for Money: 6 Budget about SGD $80 ++ per person. ..... Founded in November 2014 and operated under the umbrella of The Connoisseur Concerto (TCC) group, Kuvo Singapore is a multi-concept restaurant and bar located on the 2nd floor of Orchard Shopping Centre, which is directly beside 313@Somerset mall. Offering 4 different dining concepts in a 9,500 sq ft place, Kuvo Singapore, whose name is derived from the French word 'cuvee', which means 'to blend', serves a variety of modern fusion dishes in a plush yet casual setting. Kuvo Singapore Hallway Kuvo Singapore Gift Shop Ambience at Kuvo Singapore differs depending on which of the 4 concepts you're at. The Kuvo Singapore Gift Shop primarily caters for takeaway, but also doubles as a patisserie and dessert counter, with its brightly lit, attractive glass display case, and shelves of the sweet stuff. The Ambrosia I and II is a brightly lit, casual, 88-seat, all-day dining restaurant, with modern cushioned wooden furniture and plush couches, a comfortable, modern setting. The Elixir Bar is a bespoke cocktail and tapas area, with high bar tables and stools, set in a dark ambient atmosphere, with a live band on weekends. The Vine Lounge is a 32-seat wine lounge with rows upon rows of bottles, over 140 wine labels, and a wine dispenser! Overall, very good ambience no matter which of the 4 dining concepts you choose! Elixir Bar Ambrosia I Ambrosia I Ambrosia II Ambrosia II Ambrosia II Vine Lounge Service at Kuvo Singapore is professional, efficient, and courteous. Befitting of bistro quality sevice, the staff speak quietly, and carry out requests quickly. They're rather knowledgable on the menu, able to make astute recommendations, and can even inform you about off-menu selections, of which Kuvo Singapore has a few! I also like that they offer to change plates between courses, something usually done only at fine dining restaurants. However, I do feel there isn't much memorable engagement from the junior staff, the level of service provided is good, but not outstanding. The more senior staff however, are very engaging, seemingly enthusiastic about their work, and can even describe the various dining concepts and history of the place! Bottles Of Good Stuff Wine Dispenser & Glasses Light & Pattern Live Band Food at Kuvo Singapore is modern fusion, a combination of Western presentation and ingredients with Asian flavours. The kitchen produces dishes of generally average quality in taste, though some are above average. Rather decent, consistent execution, which is good. The sharing portions are nicely sized for sharing between 2 - 4 people, though it's possible for an individual to finish it all by themselves. Menu options at Kuvo Singapore are extensive, and prices are pegged to bistro standards; higher than a cafe but lower than a restaurant. Budget about SGD $14 - $22 per tapas dish, and SGD $21 per cocktail. Generally, a small meal with 2 drinks here will set you back about SGD $80 per person, I personally feel it's rather expensive. Head Bartender of Kuvo Singapore, Mr. Yutaka Nakashima, has over 16 years of experience in mixology, with several international accolades under his belt. On top of this, he's also a licensed chef in Japan! His bespoke cocktails suit the theme of modern fusion at Kuvo Singapore, intriguing and unique beverages that blend East and West, teasing and exciting the palate with each sip! Head Bartender Mr. Yutaka Nakashima Exclusive to Kuvo Singapore, the Antica Fratta Franciacorta Brut (SGD $17 Glass, SGD $98 Bottle) is a sparkling Chardonnay white wine, produced in Brescia, in the Lombardy region of Italy. Widely regarded as the country's finest sparkling wine, it has an elegant freshness, with a lively, vivacious body, a pleasing fruity citrus taste, and a floral aroma. Great for pairing with a wide variety of dishes! Antica Fratta Franciacorta Brut (SGD $17 Glass, SGD $98 Bottle) Among the best dishes we had here, the Brandy Flambeed Beef Cube (SGD $22) features tender, savoury chunks of beef, flash seared and flambeed with brandy, glazed with an earthy red wine sauce, and served with sauteed, smoky garlic cloves and chili. Love how the little bit of heat tickles the palate, and each beef cube has a meaty, satisfiying chew. Excellent! Brandy Flambeed Beef Cube (SGD $22) Brandy Flambeed Beef Cube The Grilled Octopus (SGD $16) was well executed, with tender, clean tasting, sous vide octopus leg, served with smoky slow roasted potates and smoked paprika. The earthy, roast flavours of the potato and paprika spice blend harmoniously with the chewy octopus. While I wish for a more generous portion, this was a very pleasing dish. Good! Grilled Octopus (SGD $16) Grilled Octopus Felt the Calamari Ajillo (SGD $16) was the most disappointing dish of the evening. While the squid rings were fresh with a nice, bouncy texture, serving it with savoury spicy pork chorizo sausage, garlic, and olive oil did little to add to the flavour, it didn't harmonise, seeming like disparate elements. Furthermore, the dish ended up being too oily for my liking. Calamari Ajillo (SGD $16) Calamari Ajillo The Kuvo Atlantic Cod Meuniere (SGD $20) was nice. Featuring a tender, flaky, fresh cod fish medallion, coated in a crisp, savoury sweet pea crust, along with soft boiled carrots and asparagus, on a bed of earthy, chewy pearl barley fricassee, with a zesty, citrus nutty brown butter. Deliciously light and tasty! Kuvo Atlantic Cod Meuniere (SGD $20) Kuvo Atlantic Cod Meuniere The Cocktail Brewski Yen (SGD $21) is made with Kirin Ichiban beer, Suze bitters, lemon juice, and ginger ale. A light, refreshing, zesty, easy to drink beverage, meant for pairing with the Kuvo Coffee Hot Wings (SGD $14). I did feel the amount of ginger ale used was too much though, resulting in its taste being very prominent. Cocktail Brewski Yen (SGD $21) The Kuvo Coffee Hot Wings (SGD $14) with baby carrot crudites and blue cheese dip was pretty good! The chicken wings have moist, tender meat which comes off easily, and the thick sauce glaze is savoury, with hints of roast coffee, and a good kick of spicy heat! Cool off with the Cocktail Brewski Yen (SGD $21) pairing, or the tender baby carrots and blue cheese dip, which is surprisingly mellow and pleasant, lacking the characteristic sharp pungent taste of typical blue cheese. Kuvo Coffee Hot Wings (SGD $14) Kuvo Coffee Hot Wings The Cocktail Hello Cel'lo (SGD $21) is made with Bankes London dry gin, limoncello liqueur, celery bitters, and balsamico. This beverage has a unique, zesty citrus and earthy, bitter grassy flavour, making it surprising to drink, rather like healthy vegetable juice, only more palatable and likable. Meant for pairing with the Slipper Lobster (SGD $15), which enhances its sweetness. Like a garden in a cup! Cocktail Hello Cel'lo (SGD $21) The Slipper Lobster (SGD $15) features a crayfish (slipper lobster), sauteed with bell peppers (capsicum), habanero peppers, and cilantro. The fresh crayfish meat is deshelled, cooked, then stuffed back in the shell for presentation, looking absolutely stunning. Tastes rather like a Chinese Zi Char style stir-fry, which by itself, tastes pretty good, savoury and slightly spicy. However, the rendition we got was slightly overcooked, making the crayfish meat too firm. Personally didn't like this that much. Pair it with the Cocktail Hello Cel'lo (SGD $21), which helps give it a fresh sweetness. Slipper Lobster (SGD $15) Slipper Lobster The Cocktail Green Iceland (SGD $21) is made with Antica Fratta Franciacorta Brut sparkling Chardonnay white wine, umeshu, lime juice, brown sugar, and mint leaves. A very refreshing, minty fresh, floral beverage with sweet sour notes, the ice within tends to dilute this drink towards the end. Works as a thirst quencher when paired with the Wagyu & Camembert Sliders (SGD $17), washing down the heavy meat in this dish! Cocktail Green Iceland (SGD $21) The Wagyu & Camembert Sliders (SGD $17) actually consists of a trio of items, firstly, a juicy medium grilled wagyu beef patty, topped with camembert cheese, and sandwiched with lettuce between 2 fluffy slider burger buns. Tastes great, with savoury, salty, meaty, cheesy, and fresh notes. Secondly, several deep fried shrimp wontons, crispy on the outside, with succulent fresh prawn bits within, coated in a sharp wasabi mayonnaise. Loved it! Thirdly, several deep fried cheese rolls, with a light truffle cream sauce. The taste of cheese is somewhat lost in the earthy truffle cream though. Overall, this platter is worth ordering, among the most value for money dishes on the menu! Wagyu & Camembert Sliders (SGD $17) Wagyu & Camembert Sliders The United Kingdom gets a nod with this pinic pairing. The Cocktail Captain B.R. (SGD $21), whose acronym stands for 'British Rum', is made with rum, earl grey tea, lemon juice, and soda water. The earthy, floral, citrus, spicy, fizzy notes is best paired with the equally British English Scotch Egg (SGD $14), and is just brilliant! Cocktail Captain B.R. (SGD $21) The English Scotch Egg (SGD $14) has a nicely done egg with firm white and runny yolk, wrapped in a warm, savoury, juicy, wagyu beef and veal mince meats, coated with melted edam cheese. Like a warm blanket! Garnished with sharp sour gherkins and bright pearl onions, and served in an earthy sweet red wine and onion au jus, the beautiful yolk just oozes out from the middle when cut. Great when paired with the Cocktail Captain B.R. (SGD $21), which complements the flavours of the dish. Highly recommended! English Scotch Egg (SGD $14) English Scotch Egg English Scotch Egg The lovely Cocktail Tales Of Shu (SGD $21) is made with sake, Lillet Blanc aromatised wine, orange peel, and home made genmaicha (green tea and roasted brown rice) syrup. I hear it's brewed in a glass vacuum coffee maker! Absolutely loved the earthy, sweet sour, floral tones of this warm beverage. Meant for pairing with the equally Japanese Kurobuta Yakiniku Donburi (SGD $16), which lends a floral earthy layer to the savoury dish. Cocktail Tales Of Shu (SGD $21) The Kurobuta Yakiniku Donburi (SGD $16) has tender, savoury salty strips of thinly sliced kurobuta pork loin, grilled perfectly. Served over a bowl of sticky Japanese white rice, and topped with a delicious slow cooked egg, this is best paired with the Cocktail Tales Of Shu (SGD $21), which lifts some of the heavyness of the dish. Mix the egg into the bowl to coat everything in silky goodness! I enjoyed this, it may be simple, but it's well executed and tasty! Kurobuta Yakiniku Donburi (SGD $16) Kurobuta Yakiniku Donburi They offer a variety of mocktails at Kuvo Singapore, but only as off-menu items, which you have to ask the staff about. The Mocktail Midsummer Breeze (SGD $12) is made with melon mangosteen tea, orange juice, and passionfruit. This tropical, fruity sweet beverage is refreshing and light, I think it would be great to have on a beach! Mocktail Midsummer Breeze (SGD $12) The Cocktail Peridori (SGD $21) is made with Mount Gay Barbados rum, Midori muskmelon liqueur, Pernod Anise liqueur, lime juice, and grapefruit juice. The result is a vibrant green beverage, sweet and fruity, with hints of sour and spice notes, light and refreshing on the palate, with low bitterness. I enjoyed this! Cocktail Peridori (SGD $21) Loved the Hokkaido Scallops (SGD $16), which has 2 large, flash seared scallops, tender with a slightly bouncy, chewy texture, incredibly fresh and sweet! Coated in a floral earthy cauliflower puree, and fragrant garlic bacon soil, with shavings of crunchy carrots, this was so satisfiying and delightful. Highly recommended! Hokkaido Scallops (SGD $16) Hokkaido Scallops The Cocktail P & L (SGD $21), named for the corporate business financial term of 'profit and loss', is made with Bankes London dry gin, house made apple and cinnamon syrup, peanut butter, coconut cream, and laksa leaves. Unique and creative, this rich, creamy beverage is earthy, sweet, and nutty, with hints of spice notes. Highly recommended! Cocktail P & L (SGD $21) The excellent Croissant Bread Pudding (SGD $14) is a great dessert! This innovative sweet treat has a crisp, flaky, filo pastry exterior, with a soft, doughy, chewy interior studded with dried cranberries. Cut into it, and the pastry gives way with a pleasing crunch, revealing the not overly sweet pudding within. I only wish the salted caramel sauce was less intense, as it was overwhelmingly salty on its own, though when paired with the milky sweet vanilla gelato, it balances out. The portion is large, and is best shared! Croissant Bread Pudding (SGD $14) Croissant Bread Pudding Croissant Bread Pudding The Hazelnut Chocolate Strudel (SGD $11) was pretty good. This sweet dessert treat features a crisp, flaky filo pasty shell that is nicely buttery, filled with a rich, decadent hazelnut and chocolate paste. Creamy sweet and deep in flavour, the paste just oozes out when bit. Served with rum infused morello cherries that are pleasantly sour, and a vanilla gelato. Good! Hazelnut Chocolate Strudel (SGD $11) Hazelnut Chocolate Strudel Overall, Kuvo Singapore has some tasty modern fusion food, mostly decently executed, with professional service and a variety of ambience. Price may be slightly high for everyday dining, but Kuvo Singapore is worth visiting for social occasions and outings, particularly on weekends when the live band performs. Plus point, it's rarely ever crowded due to its rather hidden location, making Kuvo Singapore a good choice if you don't wish to jostle with people! ..... Reserve a table now @ Kuvo Singapore ..... COWDEN -- Josh Wehrle is a 21st-century hunter with a keen nose for tracking down traces of the Stone Age. He hunts finely honed spear, dart and flint arrow tips used by American Indians to kill everything from mastodons (think giant, wooly elephants) to deer and pretty much anything else that didn't duck fast enough; ducks too, probably. And this loosed flurry of projectiles, found along creek beds and all over the place near Wehrle's Cowden home, does date back a long, long way. Our hunter shows off a Clovis flint spear tip that is still as sharp as a razor despite being last thrown in anger 12,000 years ago. To put that in perspective, Egyptian king Tutankhamun was being laid to rest to sleep the big sleep as recently as 1323 B.C., give or take. And one of the wonders of ancient Egypt, the Great Pyramid of Giza, only dates back 4,575 years. A visitor who spends any time with Wehrle gets used to these mind-warping dashes back in time. A well-read collector since he was 10 who still hunts at least once a week, he's amassed more than 3,000 flint projectiles and stone tools. He pours them out in little heaps, saying how these here, with the side notches, date back more than 5,000 years, while those over there with the squared-off bases are 6,000 years old. The big flint projectile tips can measure up 5 inches long, while actual arrowheads (relative newcomers in the race to secure lunch, making their North American debut a mere 1,500 years ago) are much smaller and more delicate. And it doesn't stop there: Wehrle produces precisely carved stone axe heads, knives and stone implements called celts, a later style of ax head. To listen to him tell it, you would think the countryside is just littered with these things. He says Illinois is one of the nation's top flint tool hot spots because a lot of Indians used to live and hunt here. An archaeologist told me the population in Fayette County 2,000 years ago would be about the same as it is today, says Wehrle, 42, a Caterpillar Inc. machinist in Decatur. The Indians were well spread out. And then along came the white man, carrying diseases against which no flint weapon could prevail, and the Indians began to vanish. Those who were left to linger into more modern times would meet other equally dead-end fates as the tide of white settlement shot westward like the arrow that flieth by day. What remains of the ancient American past, however, is the imperishable stone, often worked with magnificent skill into lethal slivers that still target the imagination. Not everybody could be a flint knapper, explains Wehrle, using the term for a shaper of stone into useful stuff. I can't do it, and I've tried, but I am not good at it. But when it comes to getting to the point ages after they were lost, there are few to touch him. His wife, Crystal, says she can walk the same area he does and see nothing. But he's so good at, she adds. He'll walk up right behind and pick one up that I never saw. The trick, says her husband, is knowing how to read the signs. He walks creeks and other terrain where Indians wandered long before anyone ever heard of Jesus of Nazareth. You look for things like burned rock, because they would line their fire pits with rock, he says. If you're finding burned rock, you know they were camping there, and if you start finding things like flint chips, you know they were manufacturing arrowheads or resharpening them. You've got to know what to look for, and you've got to be able to read the ground, too. Even on a slow hunt day, Wehrle says the reward is still a relaxing trek through the great outdoors, alone with your thoughts and nature. But when you do find one of those magic pieces of flint, and stoop to pick up something perhaps untouched by another hand for 12 millennia, there is a thrill to that contact that never gets old. CHARLESTON -- Local police department leaders addressed issues and questions from landlords Monday at a conference regarding safety in the area and possible trends with crime. Both Deputy Chief David Chambers of the Charleston Police Department and Deputy Chief Jason Taylor of the Mattoon Police Department detailed trends they have noticed in Charleston and Mattoon in terms of crime and specific identifiers of criminals. Taylor said a majority of more high-profile crimes that have taken place, particularly those committed in the fall, are done by males who come down from Chicago. The high profile cases that you have seen; these shootings, these stabbings. It is related to Chicago, Taylor said. The majority of our criminal cases; nothing to do with Chicago. He said while most of the crime in Mattoon is being committed by local residents from Charleston and Mattoon, the more flashy crimes are normally committed by Chicago residents or former Chicago residents. Taylor placed some of the blame on the section 8 housing for lower income people, citing the Sunrise Apartments in Mattoon. He said because Chicago has reduced Section 8 housing in that area, those people have dispersed throughout the state. While they do not get a lot of calls to the apartment complex, many of the calls are more shocking to what the area might be used to, Taylor said. His example was of an incident when a couple fought an officer for a gun. Not all of those who come down from Chicago are necessarily bad, though. He said these high profile criminals only account for a very small percentage of the population who might have migrated down to this area. We got an influx of new residents. By and large, most of them are good decent folk, Taylor said. Maybe 10 percent of them have been involved in some kind of criminal activity. Of that 10 percent, 1 to 2 percent are bad apples. Speaking from a national and broad bracket, Chambers said youth from around the ages of 18-25 often have the greatest propensity for criminal activity. That being said, Chambers noted that it is a broad statement and that people from all age groups commit crimes. Chambers also noted Charlestons population of people in that age group is declining, partly because of the dropping enrollment at Eastern. Despite this, Chambers and Taylor both said that Eastern students are predominantly not the cause for crime in the area. They added that race has nothing to do with the propensity for crime. The color of your skin is irrelevant, Taylor said. Several landlords addressed concerns of how to protect their properties from criminals. Many brought up questions of how to avoid having tenants with a criminal background. Chambers said having a strong lease agreement with an extensive background check can provide some security on how to avoid bad tenants. The first line of defense is do not cheat yourself on your background checks. It is probably well worth the time, Chambers said. Chambers said these kinds of checks cannot go through the department, though. They cannot release National Crime Information Center information. Taylor added adding security measures like signs and stickers touting alarm protecting as well as motion lights help in the protection of the property. For Charleston, crime has gone down from the previous year, staying around the same crime rate as previous years, according to police. Dear President Glassman and WEIU GM Mr. Jack Neal, The recent news that WEIU was considering selling its spectrum in the upcoming FCC auction has left me very disappointed in both a program, and university that I was very proud to be a part of. While I was never a part of the Emmy-winning News-Watch program, some of my friends were, and I myself proudly worked for WEIU-FM for four years. During my time, I worked closely with the student-journalists who were a part of this television entity, and the commitment to excellence and pride in their work easy to see. They air a professional-quality news broadcast every single weekday, that rivals professional outlets in the Champaign-Decatur-Springfield market. All while keeping full class loads. The same can be said for the professional staff whose futures are all in jeopardy. The staff at WEIU truly feels that the students are the number one priority within the facility. The leadership of Kelly Runyon at News-Watch is truly amazing. The office staff provides the best support, and the crew of technicians that keep the station running are some of the best Ive worked with. The number of EIU graduates that have jobs within the television, radio, and video production fields is astounding considering the size of the university. EIU graduates can jump right in at the professional level, because their university gave them the most realistic real-world experience possible. Dont rob future students of that opportunity. Save WEIU-TV. Orion Buckingham, Champaign EIU Class of 2010 MATTOON -- The Lake Land College Board of Trustees voted Monday evening to reinstate part of the college's Adult Education Program following the state's release of needed federal funds. Lake Land President Josh Bullock said this reinstatement was made possible by Gov. Bruce Rauner signing legislation on Dec. 2 allowing the Illinois Community College Board to disburse federal grants utilized by adult education programs. The legislation allows for the payment of expenses incurred from July 2 through the end of fiscal year 2016. Lake Land reports that it has received $192,795 in federal funding to date. Bullock said the received federal monies will enable Lake Land to provide a limited number of adult education classes in the areas of GED and English as a second language. Lake Land has enough funding to employ the faculty needed to teach these classes but not enough for the administrative and clerical employees who had worked with the Adult Education Program, Bullock said. Consequently, he said a reduction in force notification is still in effect for impacted staff positions. Lake Land's Board of Trustees had voted in October to suspend all of the college's Adult Education Program classes after Dec. 31 due to the state's budget impasse and needed funding not being appropriated. The budget impasse includes the state not yet awarding the approximately $200,000 that Lake Land needs to resume offering basic nursing assistant and welding classes as part of its Adult Education Program. Board Chairman Gary Cadwell said the college will not be able to offer a complete Adult Education Program this spring, but the partial reinstatement is better than not having any program at all. In other matters, the board approved establishing three new students clubs -- Servants with a Testimony, Spanish Club, and Theater Club. Position Title: Freelance Translator/Editor, Amharic to English Department: Communications Place of work: Addis Ababa Duration of contract: To be engaged on a need basis Remuneration: As per organization pay scale Application Deadline: January 22, 2016 PSI is a leading social marketing organization with programs in 67 countries targeting malaria, child survival, HIV and reproductive health. Working in partnership within the public and private sectors, PSI provides life-saving products, clinical services and behavior change communications that empower the worlds most vulnerable populations to lead healthier lives. PSIs core values are a belief in markets and market mechanisms for sustained impact; results and a strong focus on measurement; speed and efficiency with a predisposition to action and an aversion to bureaucracy; decentralization and staff empowerment at the local level; and a long term commitment to the people we serve. For more information, please visit www.psi.org. PSI/Ethiopia, an affiliate of Population Services International, has developed national results-based programs in HIV prevention, reproductive health and child survival. Through evidence-based social marketing and health communications, PSI/Ethiopia strengthens public and private sector partners to help Ethiopias most vulnerable people to lead healthier lives. Currently PSI/Ethiopia would like to enrich a pool of candidates for Translator/Editor from Amharic to English and vice-versa. JOB SUMMARY The Translator/Editor will be given tasks on a call-basis and be responsible for the translation and edition of health communication materials from Amharic to English and vice-versa. This role often involves working with the PSI team with intensive day-to-day interaction. The Translator/Editor must be able to have hands-on experience in developing communication materials and must have knowledge of behavioral interventions with in-depth understanding of the context and major health or development interventions in the country. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS Read source documents critically and clearly understand the intention and context of the material to be translated/edited, Work closely with the program focal person to ascertain work is on the right track, Translate/edit the source material in a way that can easily be understood by the intended audience, Submit neatly crafted document in soft-copy with editable version. Make corrections as per the feedback given by the program focal person and the Health Communications Specialist. When necessary, attend on consultative meetings on the contents embodied in the material. This Job Description is not designed to cover a comprehensive listing of activities that are required of the employee. The precise duties and responsibilities of any job may be expected to change over time. Job Description Job description: A Junior database administrator (J-DBA) is responsible for Management of the second line database services helpdesk function; Tracking and administration of events, incidents, change requests and problems in line with guidelines and procedures of the Database Management of the company; Patching of database management software under the supervision of more experienced team members Required qualifications: BSc degree in Computer Science, Information System, Information Technology, Software Engineering, or related fields, Professional certificate on database administration (MCSA: Database Administration is preferable) Experience: 2 years demonstrated experience as an SQL Database administration in both development and production environments Knowledge/Skills/Ability: Expert knowledge of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and/or 2012. Knowledge of technical terminology with the ability to translate to users Knowledge in Windows Server administration Language proficiency: Oral and written communications in Afan Oromo and English language is required Required: One Salary: as per the salary scale of the company and attractive. Closing date: Jan 20, 2016 Your rating: none Rating: 0 0 votes How to Apply Interested and qualified applicants can send their CVs with applications to Wasasa micro finance share S.C. P.O.Box, 1192, A.A. or through email at hr@wasasamfi.com Please do not apply online if other application instructions are stated. Please do not accept payment requests at any of the recruitment phases! 41 total views, 41 today Job Description Brief description: The University of the West of England, Bristol offers more than 100,000 worth of scholarships for international students each year. This includes the Global Student Scholarship wherein the recipient will be required to undertake an internship working within the Global Student Support Office. The recipient will also be required to undertake ambassadorial activity for the University throughout the duration of the course. Host Institution(s): University of the West of England, UK Field(s) of study: Eligible Postgraduate Programmes offered at the University. The MBA , BPTC , LPC , GDL , MSc Robotics, PhD s and continuing professional development courses are not eligible for the postgraduate scholarships. Number of Scholarships: One Target group: International students Scholarship value/inclusions: Full tuition fee Eligibility: To be eligible for the scholarship: Have achieved the equivalent of a British 1st in an undergraduate degree Hold an unconditional offer or a conditional offer where IELTS or equivalent English language is the only condition Be a new student to UWE Bristol with no previous UK study Be classed as overseas for fees purposes Not be a sponsored student or in receipt of another scholarship/award Provide official transcripts at the time of application. Closing date: Mar 31, 2016 Your rating: none Rating: 0 0 votes How to Apply Application instructions: To apply for this scholarship, you must hold an unconditional offer (or a conditional offer where IELTS or equivalent English language is the only condition) for an eligible Postgraduate Programme at UWE. Once admitted, scholarship applications can be made via a task in the Welcome website by 31 March 2016. It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship. Website: Official Scholarship Website:http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/feesandfunding/fundingandscholarships/internationalstudentfunding/uweinternationalscholarships/postgraduatescholarships.aspx 5 total views, 5 today Tuesday, January 12, 2016 Could Berry's Buses Be A Bomb With GOP Base? Plus: Mary Kay's Mishap, And: Pushback Against An "All Crime All The Time" Session Mayor Berry Never mind the botched management of the police department or the tepid economy, it's that proposed $100 million rapid bus line down the middle of Central Avenue that could prove to be Mayor Berry's Waterloo with his GOP conservative base. The Rapid Transit Project, which would devote two of Central's four lanes to the buses from Louisana to Coors, is The list of businesses opponents on Berry needs $80 million from the feds to get the project started. The city would pony up another $20 million. Berry is pushing hard to get the project going this year, probably in part, to showcase it for a possible 2018 Governor run. But what no one has mentioned is the likelihood of a legal battle over the project that could kill it in the crib or stall it for years. Look for a stiff legal challenge if it appears the Berry buses are going to rev up their engines.a NOT JUST R'S It's not just Republican business owners who are joining the bus battle. Dem City Councilor Pat Davis is getting an earful from Nob Hill businesses. He's trying to hold them off because of support for the bus plan among his constituents in the liberal SE Heights district but the heat is only going to get hotter for him. And here's another angle: The Berry bus plan mimics a "light rail" system that was proposed by former Mayor Chavez and which Berry and his Republican supporters mocked and which helped Berry beat Chavez in 2009. Now he's looking like "Marty Berry." Another problem? Central Avenue is already the best serviced and most reliable bus route in the city. Berry says tearing up miles of Central and gobbling up two car lanes MARY KAY'S MISHAP Sen. Papen This Police arrested a former aide to Papen and his live-in partner Monday for allegedly embezzling more than $180,000 from her personal, campaign and government accounts over two years. Stephen Siddall, Papens former campaign treasurer and longtime assistant, faces charges of embezzlement over $20,000, nine counts of forgery, two counts of disposing stolen property and one count each of identity theft and conspiracy. $180,000 disappears from three different accounts and it goes unnoticed for two years? Well, the state auditor seems to find hundreds of millions lying around and unaccounted for in Santa Fe so this is chicken feed by comparsion. Sen. Papen, 83, and in the Senate since 2001, has not formally announced her re-election plans for this year, although she is expected to run. There has been chatter that her daughter, Allison Smith, a longtime lobbyist for the NM Restaurant Association, may someday make a play to succeed her mother. NO HEDGE Wouldn't it be something if Bernie Sanders ended up as the Dem prez nominee? Top NM Dems--all lined up behind Hillary--sure would have egg on their faces. But they are going with the odds and all of them are endorsing Clinton. The latest establishment Dem THEY SAID IT The blatant political agenda of the Governor and the R's-to make all crime all the time the chief issue at the upcoming legislative session at the expense of education and the economy--is getting on the nerves of a number of observers, including Walt Rubel at the . . . To look at the bills for the session prefiled, you would think the biggest problem facing New Mexicans is that not enough of us are in jail. . . Of the 85 bills prefiled as of Thursday in the Republican-controlled House, 17 have as their primary objective the incarceration of a greater number of New Mexicans. . . At a time of declining revenue. . . coupled with increasing Medicaid costs, lawmakers will have some tough choices to make. Do we adequately fund our schools and ensure that New Mexicans living in poverty have access to health care, or do we spend that money locking up more of our neighbors? Locking 'em up and throwing away the key is a campaign strategy, not a governing strategy. But you already knew that. . . This is the home of New Mexico politics. Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here. ( c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2016 Never mind the botched management of the police department or the tepid economy, it's that proposed $100 million rapid bus line down the middle of Central Avenue that could prove to be Mayor Berry's Waterloo with his GOP conservative base.The Rapid Transit Project, which would devote two of Central's four lanes to the buses from Louisana to Coors, is drawing strong opposition from business owners and developers. They see it as a a certain biz killer, making that stretch of Central a jammed up avenue that motorists will then avoid.The list of businesses opponents on their website is long and deep, numbering over 150 and fraught with political peril for Berry.Berry needs $80 million from the feds to get the project started. The city would pony up another $20 million. Berry is pushing hard to get the project going this year, probably in part, to showcase it for a possible 2018 Governor run. But what no one has mentioned is the likelihood of a legal battle over the project that could kill it in the crib or stall it for years. Look for a stiff legal challenge if it appears the Berry buses are going to rev up their engines.aIt's not just Republican business owners who are joining the bus battle. Dem City Councilor Pat Davis is getting an earful from Nob Hill businesses. He's trying to hold them off because of support for the bus plan among his constituents in the liberal SE Heights district but the heat is only going to get hotter for him.And here's another angle: The Berry bus plan mimics a "light rail" system that was proposed by former Mayor Chavez and which Berry and his Republican supporters mocked and which helped Berry beat Chavez in 2009. Now he's looking like "Marty Berry."Another problem? Central Avenue is already the best serviced and most reliable bus route in the city. Berry says tearing up miles of Central and gobbling up two car lanes will be a boon for economic development along the war torn avenue. But that's not pacifying opponents. They don't see a city that was purposely laid out for the automobile suddenly getting obsessed with riding fast buses up and down Central. Good point.This mishap doesn't equate with Governor Martinez's infamous pizza party but it is a big embarrassment for Las Cruces State Senator Mary Kay Papen who is Senate President Pro Tem:$180,000 disappears from three different accounts and it goes unnoticed for two years? Well, the state auditor seems to find hundreds of millions lying around and unaccounted for in Santa Fe so this is chicken feed by comparsion.Sen. Papen, 83, and in the Senate since 2001, has not formally announced her re-election plans for this year, although she is expected to run. There has been chatter that her daughter, Allison Smith, a longtime lobbyist for the NM Restaurant Association, may someday make a play to succeed her mother.Wouldn't it be something if Bernie Sanders ended up as the Dem prez nominee? Top NM Dems--all lined up behind Hillary--sure would have egg on their faces. But they are going with the odds and all of them are endorsing Clinton. The latest establishment Dem to do so is Attorney General Balderas who traveled to early caucus state Iowa Monday to campaign for her. Both NM US Senators are also in the Hillary camp. Maybe the Dems should think about throwing Bernie a bone and getting him an endorsement or two. There still are some liberal Dems around here, aren't there?The blatant political agenda of the Governor and the R's-to make all crime all the time the chief issue at the upcoming legislative session at the expense of education and the economy--is getting on the nerves of a number of observers, including Walt Rubel at the Las Cruces Sun-News Locking 'em up and throwing away the key is a campaign strategy, not a governing strategy. But you already knew that. . .This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com) CLAUDIO GIOVANNINI/AFP/Getty Images(FLORENCE, Italy) -- Autopsy results have been released in the murder of an American woman living in Florence. Italian police said Tuesday the autopsy results confirmed Ashley Olsen, a 35-year-old woman from Florida, was strangled to death. Her 42-year-old Italian boyfriend Federico Fiorentini and her landlord discovered her body over the weekend after Fiorentini said the pair had an argument days before. According to police, Fiorentini has an alibi and is not a suspect in the murder. Police are investigating Olsen's whereabouts on the night of the murder including time spent at a nightclub in the area. Olsen was reportedly an artist and dog-lover who had lived in Florence for three years. She moved to the city to live near her father, an art teacher. Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. This website is intended for U.S. visitors only. The three branches of Nebraska government, at odds the past four months over aspects of administration and oversight of the state's juvenile justice program, have worked out a compromise. It comes in the form of a bill (LB917), introduced by Omaha Sen. Bob Krist, that allows Inspector General for Child Welfare Julie Rogers to obtain court records within five days for complaints and deaths of children the office is investigating, without having to seek them in a public way. State Court Administrator Corey Steel said the Office of Probation Administration would work with the courts to have judges' orders allow the inspector general to have access to probation records upon a complaint or the death or serious injury of a child. Rogers -- who is charged with investigating complaints related to state wards, children who have been the subject of calls to the Department of Health and Human Services' hotline, child care centers, and juveniles being served by Probation Administration -- has had trouble getting records and information from probation, even though it was allowed by state law. The courts had concerns about separation of powers between the three branches of government. "The agreement that we came to for our office to access juvenile probation records, I'm excited to get started on, to trust that the process will work," Rogers said Tuesday at a briefing for reporters. The compromise means the juvenile justice program will not have to move out of the office of Probation Administration, as legislators had been planning when the branches reached an impasse in the fall. "I'm very thankful that we didn't have to disrupt families and children in the process," said Krist, "and that everyone came to the table in good faith and decided that we had some changes that we could make and should make, and we did." Krist, who has been a key negotiator between the Legislature and the judicial branch, said the changes would not infringe on judicial independence. But the Legislature had to be allowed to provide oversight of the program, particularly over the financial side, he said. "It took awhile to get to where we are," Krist said. "I think we're there. ... I have great faith that this will work." With the bill, there would be no doubt what the categories of data are that will be requested and provided, Krist said. And it clarifies that any possible misconduct by an employee of the juvenile services division would be reported immediately to the office of Probation Administration. Steel said he, Krist and Rogers worked through the concerns over six weeks, and it's a compromise with which the judiciary can live. The juvenile justice program was moved within the past two years from HHS to Probation Administration. But problems quickly cropped up about oversight of the program and interpretations of the duties of the legislative branch and judicial independence. In her annual report, Rogers raised concerns about juvenile justice reform since those cases were transferred last year. She said the probation office had not followed state law designed to improve transparency and accountability, denying access to some information on how it is operating, including rules, policies and procedures. Rogers has been required to request case information each time she needs it from the courts, and to sometimes appear in court. At least a couple of times judges have denied access to information sought in investigations. State Probation Administrator Ellen Fabian Brokofsky has said the report was highly critical of an entity that was working to improve the system, just as the office of inspector general was. Brokofsky said the probation office got involved in the first place because the courts had seen a lot of low-income kids becoming wards of the state when they could have been served well in the community. All Nebraska state workers would get raises every five years under a proposal introduced by a Lincoln state senator and backed by the biggest state employees union. The goal is to provide "meaningful support to our state employees," said Sen. Matt Hansen, who introduced the bill (LB896) in the Legislature on Monday. Raises would range from 6.25 cents per hour after five years' service to 50 cents per hour after 40 years. Nebraska currently doesn't offer longevity pay for state employees. Union leaders have tried for years to secure raises based on time of service through standard contract negotiations, but the executive branch told them such a change would need to come from the Legislature, said Mike Marvin, executive director of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees. Meanwhile state agencies such as Health and Human Services and Corrections are seeing "terrible, terrible amounts of turnover and overtime." Hansen said turnover and the resulting loss of institutional knowledge has been an issue with ACCESSNebraska, the state's system of call centers and other facilities used to process public benefits. And staff at Tecumseh State Correctional Institution have complained about turnover, schedule changes and overtime since a riot broke out at the prison last May. Staffing at Tecumseh was a problem even before the riot, said Sen. Dan Watermeier of Syracuse, who cosigned Hansen's bill and introduced one of his own to boost money for state prison workers. The Tecumseh prison is the second or third biggest employer in his area, Watermeier said: "It's a big deal in my district." Other entities such as state veterans' homes, Beatrice State Developmental Center and the Lincoln Regional Center have struggled to retain employees as well, Marvin said. It isn't clear yet how much the proposed raises would cost the state. Marvin said his union, which represents about two-thirds of state employees, pegged the price tag for its members alone at about $2.7 million in the first year. Legislative fiscal analysts will provide an estimate for all state employees in the coming months. The exact dollar amount of the proposed raises could also change through the lawmaking process, which would impact the overall cost. "I understand compromise may need to happen," Hansen said. Marvin called longevity bonuses "very common," and said at least 15 other states have some form of longevity pay written in law. A legislative committee probably either Business and Labor or Appropriations will hold a public hearing on the proposal sometime in the coming months. Hansen, who has a "fair amount" of state workers in his legislative district, said the measure would benefit state agencies and provide an incentive for state employees to remain in their jobs. "I think it's a good business practice," he said. Nebraska's college journalists would retain control of the content in their school-sponsored publications under a proposal by state Sen. Al Davis of Hyannis. Davis' bill (LB885), introduced Monday in the Legislature, would guarantee student journalists at the state's public colleges and universities the right to exercise freedom of speech and of the press. The protection would exist regardless of whether their media is supported financially by the college or university, or produced as part of a class or using school facilities. The measure wouldn't apply to private college students, and wouldn't protect content that is libelous or slanderous, violates state or federal law, incites students to violate the law or campus policy, or "constitutes an unwarranted invasion of privacy." "I just think it's something that the state ought to stand up for," Davis said. Davis' bill was among 56 items introduced Monday. Here's a look at some of the others: Mandatory civics Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha introduced a bill requiring successful completion of a civics test as a prerequisite for high school graduation. "I think it's important that people understand our government and have an awareness of the heritage of this country," Krist said. Students could take the "civics practice test" online and take it as many times as needed, using the test itself as a learning experience, he said. LB868 provides that the test be identical to the 100 questions asked in the civics portion of the naturalization test administered by the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. Students would need to correctly answer at least 70 percent of the questions to successfully complete the test. TIF opt-out School districts, counties and other local government entities could opt-out of including their tax revenue in tax-increment financing and other local redevelopment projects under a proposed constitutional amendment introduced by Sen. Dan Hughes of Venango. School finance Sen. Jim Scheer of Norfolk introduced his plan for school finance reform, a pair of bills that would overhaul state aid to schools and establish new limits on school district spending growth. One bill (LB883) Scheer introduced Monday would do away with net-option funding money districts get for accepting transfer students in exchange for $3,000 in foundation aid per student. That aid would go to all districts, and would be included as a resource for those districts when calculating other forms of state aid. Another bill (LB882) would restrict school district spending growth beyond what is currently in state law by eliminating districts' ability to carry over unused budget authority from year to year. It would also forbid districts from considering their cash reserves when calculating allowable budget growth. Motorcycle helmets Sen. Dave Bloomfield has reintroduced a bill (LB900) that would allow motorcycle operators and riders 21 and older to go without a helmet. This year he added a twist. A fee of $19 would be collected on registration of motorcycles for the Motorcycle Safety and Brain Injury Trust Fund. The fund would be used for expenses for people with brain injuries and for motorcycle safety awareness and education programs. Also, no person under the age of 8 would be allowed to be a passenger on a motorcycle or moped in the state. And for all operators and riders, eye protection would be required. A bill that Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers has stood behind for several years was shot down Tuesday in the Legislature's Natural Resources Committee. The bill (LB127) would have ended the authority of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to establish a hunting season for mountain lions. The committee voted 8-0 to indefinitely postpone, or kill, the bill. But they are not done dealing with mountain lion hunting, Chambers said. The main argument from the committee is that Game and Parks is the agency that manages wildlife in the state, said Sen. Ken Schilz of Ogallala, chairman of the committee. "Since we've given them that responsibility then we should trust them to carry out that duty," he said. Chambers had asked that the committee take a vote, Schilz said. And it obliged. Bill introductions will continue to the middle of next week. Chambers would have time to introduce the bill again, and he said he will. And if they kill it again, he said, it will resurface as a proposed amendment to other bills throughout the session. "So they're not rid of it. They might think they are," he said. He also says he will target bills introduced to help the Game and Parks Commission, he said. Game and Parks authorized a hunting season in 2014, and hunters legally killed five lions. The commission said at a meeting that it would not permit hunting this year because 10 of 16 mountain lions killed in 2014 were females. In addition to the five cougars killed by hunters, 11 others died from illegal hunting, traps and being hit by vehicles. Committee member Rick Kolowski said he had mixed feelings about the bill. A lot of information is missing that needs to be discovered through studies by the agency, he said. The committee doesn't know how many mountain lions actually are roaming the state, Kolowski said. And it is unknown how many of the animals are killed by landowners who bury them without contacting Game and Parks' officials. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission field staff began capturing and collaring mountain lions last year. The research project, which includes placing GPS collars on seven to 15 mountain lions captured in the Pine Ridge, Wildcat Hills, Niobrara River Valley and elsewhere across the state, was to take about four years. "Rather than interfering with the process of putting the study together ... let's give them time to find what the study is going to tell us," Kolowski said. He would have no problem with a moratorium on hunting the animals until more is known, he said. Judiciary Committee Chairman Les Seiler was trying a case in Midland, Texas, in the 1990s, and in the middle of the trial the judge motioned to the other attorney. You know, the judge said to him, I haven't gotten your $10,000 donation to my campaign. "I turned to my co-counsel and I said, 'Have you paid?'" Seiler said. He had. Texas elects its state court judges, who run on partisan tickets at each court level for a specific term. Seiler's story made a point about a resolution introduced Monday by Sen. Dave Bloomfield of Hoskins that would require election, rather than appointment, of judges in Nebraska. The constitutional amendment, which requires a vote of the people, would provide for election of state judges, and may provide for appointment of judges for unexpired terms in case of vacancies. Election of judges, Seiler said, is a danger to an independent judiciary. "And I'm a strong believer in an independent judiciary," he said. Bloomfield said he had received an unsolicited, large number of requests from constituents asking him to put the constitutional amendment (LR398CA) forward, he said. "They don't feel the judges are connected to the people anymore," he said. "And I think they're right." If a person has an issue he has been trying for years to get resolved, and can't because the judge keeps moving the issue down on her agenda, maybe that judge won't be there the next time around, he said. Nebraska elected its judges until 1962. Now, the state uses the merit selection system to select and retain judges. Judicial nominating commissions are made up of four lawyers, four who aren't lawyers, and a nonvoting Supreme Court justice. The nominating commission holds a public hearing to interview candidates who have submitted their names for an open position, and then submits the names of at least two qualified attorneys to the governor. Generally, the governor decides who will become the new judge. A judge must run for retention in office in the first general election that occurs more than three years after his or her appointment, and every six years thereafter. Bloomfield agreed that electing judges may get political, but said that may not be a bad thing. "Do you think what we have now isn't political?" Bloomfield asked. "Is the governor not political?" Thirty-nine states elect at least a portion of their judges, and some of them are partisan elections. In a move that is likely to delay his sentencing next month, former TierOne Bank president and CEO Gilbert Lundstrom is seeking a new trial -- or an acquittal -- on a dozen criminal charges. A federal jury found him guilty in November and sentencing is set for Feb. 24 before U.S. District Judge John Gerrard. But on Friday, Chicago attorney Daniel Collins filed two motions, one seeking acquittal, the other seeking a new trial for Lundstrom, 74. In the motion for a new trial, he argued, among other things, that the court allowed the jury to consider improper hearsay evidence and improperly told jurors they could find Lundstrom had been willfully blind to wrongdoing. As a result of the errors, Collins argued Lundstrom was denied a fair trial and should get a new trial. In the motion for an acquittal, he alleged that prosecutors failed to prove each element of every count beyond a reasonable doubt and said, "the jury must have had a reasonable doubt." Specifically, Collins wrote, the government failed to prove Lundstrom's knowledge, participation and intent in each of the counts charged. He argued that the government's theory -- that Lundstrom knowingly directed bank employees not to properly establish reserves or recognize losses -- was based on "utter speculation." In the end, Collins said, the government asked the jury to convict him because of his position on the organizational chart and how much money he made. Neither was proof Lundstrom knowingly engaged in a conspiracy to defraud investors, regulators and auditors, he said. "Whether Mr. Lundstrom made millions or worked for free made it no more or less likely that he knew the bank was allegedly misleading shareholders when its holding corporation issued its quarterly statement(s) ... or when Mr. Lundstrom put his name to press releases or management responses," Collins argued in a brief. The government will get a chance to file briefs opposing the motions before Gerrard rules. On Nov. 6, at the end of a three-week trial, a federal jury found Lundstrom guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and falsify bank entries, of three counts of wire fraud, of securities fraud and six counts of falsifying bank records. He was acquitted of a single wire fraud count involving a news release about the planned sale of branches to Great Western Bank. Lundstrom led TierOne Bank for more than a decade before it was closed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. June 4, 2010, and sold to Great Western. The failure was the largest in history by a Nebraska-based bank. TierOne, which had been in business for 102 years and at its peak held assets of more than $3.1 billion and had 750 employees, was closed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. June 4, 2010, and sold to Great Western Bank. As a result, more than 200 people in Lincoln and Nebraska lost their jobs, and shareholders were wiped out. Still denying he did it, a 33-year-old Lincoln man pleaded no contest to manslaughter for stabbing a man to death in Peter Pan Park two years ago. This is my first time Im in trouble, and Im in trouble for something I didnt do, LaRon Branch told Lancaster County District Judge Jodi Nelson at one point during the plea hearing Monday. Its not right. But in the end, he stuck with the no-contest plea to killing 27-year-old Jarvis Long, without malice upon a sudden quarrel, despite pausing to talk to his attorney several times. Rob Kortus of the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy said Branch wanted the opportunity to tell the judge his side at sentencing. Prosecutors say Branch was high on methamphetamine at the time. In exchange for the plea, Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Jeff Mathers reduced the charge from second-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon, for which he could have gotten far more than the 20-year maximum sentence hell now face at sentencing Feb. 22. Mathers said Long was stabbed to death early Jan. 16, 2014, and his body was found late that morning at the park. That same day, he said, Branch showed up with bruises on his knuckles and sore ribs and told friends he had been jumped by three men in the park, that one of them hit him with a bat and another tried to stab him but that he was able to wrestle the knife away from him and stab him with it. A Crimestopper tip ultimately led police to Branch. Mathers said in an interview Feb. 14, 2014, Branch at first denied being involved or being in a fight that night and said he was with his girlfriend. After investigators confronted him with what others told them, he changed his story to say he had been jumped by three men, took a knife away from one and threw it. Mathers said when Branch failed a polygraph test a day later, he told them he had been in a fight at 30th and Starr streets, not at the park a few blocks from there, and that he didnt stab anybody. But he told others he did, including his girlfriend and a cellmate. Mathers said Branch's girlfriend, Jacara Perry, told police she and Branch were up getting high on meth the night before Longs death at a house along North 27th Street, not far from where Long was seen walking about 4:30 a.m. She told them Branch had gotten upset and walked off that night, and the next day showed up talking about being in a fight in the park. And, Mathers said, Branch's former cellmate told police Branch said he had been high on meth and didnt know he stabbed the guy that bad and that the cops would never find the clothes he was wearing. Do you still wish to enter a plea of no contest? the judge asked Branch, after the prosecutor finished. Branch paused, then talked to his attorney briefly again before answering yes. Nelson accepted his plea and found him guilty. The state has taken temporary custody of the children of a Lincoln couple after the man's 2-year-old son nearly drowned during a bath last week. Lancaster County Juvenile Judge Reggie Ryder ordered the 2-year-old and five other children, ages 15 months to 13 years, be taken away from Jacqueline and William Cooley and placed in foster care, according to court documents. Police say the 2-year-old was found unresponsive at the family's home at 1224 N. 26th St. Thursday night. His stepmother, Jacqueline Cooley, was giving Jase Queen a bath in about 10 inches of water and left the room to get a towel, Lincoln Police Investigator Ryan Duncan said in an affidavit. No one else went into the bathroom while she was gone, he wrote. Jase is small for his age, crawls most of the time and can't walk very far without help, Duncan said. On Tuesday, the child's biological mother, Tabitha Davis, said he has Down syndrome. According to the court document, Cooley couldn't find a towel and returned to the bathroom with a pillowcase 2 or 3 minutes later to see the boy face down in the tub and not breathing. She pulled him out, saw he was turning blue and screamed for her husband, who called 911, Duncan said in the affidavit. Jacqueline Cooley did CPR on the boy until rescue crews arrived. At Nebraska Children's Hospital in Omaha, the toddler was placed on a ventilator and admitted to intensive care with severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, or brain damage, according to the affidavit. Police said the boy was near brain death Friday, but a spokeswoman at Nebraska Children's Hospital in Omaha would not give a condition update Monday night. In a telephone interview from Omaha Tuesday, Davis said tests are being done to determine whether he is brain-dead. Davis lives in Texas and said if Jase dies he'll be taken to Texas to be buried with family there. The Cooleys were cited for misdemeanor child neglect in October after officers investigating an anonymous tip found the six children filthy and the home unsanitary, Duncan said. Prosecutors dropped those charges in December when the couple agreed to complete a diversion program. Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services workers tried to meet with them to evaluate the situation several times between mid-November and mid-December, but the Cooleys either rescheduled appointments or did not answer the door, the affidavit said. Davis said she wasn't aware of the October incident until Jase was rushed to the hospital last week. "As a mom, I'm in a situation where I'm way over myself right now," she said. "I wish this could have been prevented. I'm way over devastated." Lincoln police are still investigating the near drowning, Officer Katie Flood said Tuesday. If I win, will Warren and Bill invite me over to play bridge? Thats my first question: Will winning a billion dollars get me into the Billionaire Boys Club and will I have to host and provide snacks? Second question: Will I have to change my phone number and hire security and unfriend my not-real-friend friends on Facebook and worry that my kids will never work another honest day in their lives? Third: Will it make me a different person? Apparently, Im willing to find out, since I plan on putting my name in the hat for the chance to take home $1.4 billion, minus the tip for Uncle Sam, on Wednesday. But Im worried. And I know youre thinking the same thing. Do I really want this much money? Because I cant imagine that much cash in my hands, earned or dropped down from Powerball heaven. And I sort of like earning my keep. If my checking account stays in the three-digit range on the week before payday week, it feels like Ive won the lottery. If my tax guy says Im getting a $500 refund, I turn somersaults in my heavily mortgaged north Lincoln living room. When I score at the Dillards New Years Day sale and the Goodwill 10 for $10 in the same week, Im over the moon. And besides, maybe, like me, youve read stories about big Powerball winners who went down very dark roads with that cash in their Versace silk-lined pockets. (On the other hand, maybe youve taken solace in the Nebraska winners, seven coworkers who split $177 million in 2006 -- the cash payout from the $365 million pot -- and have managed to keep the root of all evil from putting down roots.) The news stories this week describe the rush to buy tickets as a fever. A sort of mass hysteria that were laboring under, as if 292,000,000-to-1 odds were nothing, because someone, somewhere is going to win eventually. Why not me? Or you? We cant agree on how to fix health care or how to take care of ISIS or whether Donald Trump is our Millionaire Everyman or the Face of Fascism, but we stand united in our belief in that maybe, just maybe, our six numbers will pop up Wednesday night at 10, despite Dave Better-Than-I-Deserve Ramseys admonishment to put our gambling dollars in the bank and watch them grow. One of the things, particularly in lottery players, is we switch off the rational parts of our brain, said Aaron Duncan, a UNL professor of practice and author of Gambling with the Myth of the American Dream. The astronomical odds, which went from a mere one in 175,000,000 to one in 292,000,000 when the Multi State Lottery Association added more numbers in October, dont seem to faze players, Duncan said. Instead, playing the Struck-by-Lightning odds is the new way to the American Dream for many, he says, ticking off the most recent reasons: layoffs, housing crisis, stock market woes, increasing economic stratification. As that (old) system becomes less reliable, this way becomes more appealing. Its appealed to us in Lincoln to the tune of nearly $56 million in sales since early 2006, the year the Powerball Seven picked out an attorney and picked up their payoffs. And weve had a few winners to keep us hopeful. A $1 million ticket sold at the Super C on 10th Street. A $1 million ticket sold at Russs Market on 17th Street. And just last week, in the rush to win the $800 million -- oh, that old thing! -- a couple dozen co-workers split $1 million from a winning ticket purchased at Fat Dogs, a convenience store by the airport. Easy peasy. Except, of course its not. (And by the way, the odds of getting struck by lightning are one in 700,000.) But the billion-dollar Powerball is a nice distraction in the midst of a frigid January. Its nice to dream of all the good we -- and by we I mean me -- could do with that money. Drop $100 bills in the drive through line at McDonalds, fund every nonprofit in town, buy the Journal Star and hire two new people to do my job. Since 1993, the Nebraska Lottery has turned $581 million of its citizens' hopes and dreams into dollars for the greater good -- education, environment, the State Fair, and funding for treatment of compulsive gambling. (Call the Nebraska Gamblers Assistance Program at 800-522-4700 if you have a problem and need help.) So heres to clean air and books for kids and endless rides on the Tilt-a-Whirl. On the outside chance, of course, that my numbers -- or yours -- dont turn up Wednesday night. University of Nebraska-Lincoln students needing a place on campus to pull an all-nighter or finish a project were out of luck until this week. Now night owls and early birds alike have a 24-hour-a-day home in Adele Hall Learning Commons, which opened Monday on the first floor of Love Library North. The $10 million project named for alumna Adele Coryell Hall, a 1953 graduate, lifelong Husker fan and wife of Hallmark Cards Inc. chairman Donald J. Hall, has created a unique space where students can collaborate in private study rooms, computer labs and active learning spaces. "This space is very reflective of our needs," UNL Dean of Libraries Nancy Busch said. "We wanted to turn this space into something collaborative, and putting a learning commons in the library was seen as a great way to recruit more students and enliven the center of campus." As the Internet became an ubiquitous part of student life and in many ways eliminated the need for reference works to be stacked in the library's north annex, a campus master plan identified the 30,000-square-foot area as a place that could recapture the what it called the academic crossroads at UNL. Designed by Holland Basham Architects and built by Sampson Construction, the commons has four distinctive areas, including a traditional space with long rows of tables and modern lights meant as a quiet study area. The northern half of the building features more active student areas, with a computer hub and areas with furniture that can be rearranged to allow for specific needs. Between those areas is the Dunkin' Donuts franchise that opened Monday and connects to a hallway bisecting the building where reception areas and reference desks can be found. The final area still under construction will become the Digital Learning Center, a space with some 200 computers for students to use in self-paced, computer-aided learning. It will open in the fall, Busch said. Once the weather warms up, students will be able to spill out onto a terrace to the north, where there will be more than 100 seats. Throughout the commons are 18 study rooms for groups of different sizes and booths and other sitting areas tucked away in nooks for students to find private spaces to do their work. While UNL said the learning commons and each of its spaces was designed with utility in mind, how each of the spaces will be used is entirely up to students. Regina Flowers, who started work Friday as the learning commons manager, said she will try to keep the space flexible as students identify different needs throughout the school year. "I'm excited for the potential for students to create collaborative work and ... do that 24/7," she said. More than $7 million of the project was paid through private donations, UNL said, with several areas named in recognition of donors. The Kit and Dick Schmoker Study Center fills the entire north side of the building and is named for 1960s graduates. The Henning Family Cafe is named in recognition of Candy and Tom Henning of Lincoln and their daughters. Dr. Barbara Arnold, Class of '65, has the central information and technology support desk named for her. There, technology and expert help is available 24 hours a day. Busch said the donations received thus far are a testimony of the important role of libraries to the university and to alums. This is the place that most people have studied," she said. "A lot of people remember fondly their times in Love Library when they were going to school here. This is one of the attractions we have, and for us its testimony to the kind of support we have. UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman said the Adele Hall Learning Commons will be the core of the students academic experience." It returns Love Library to its central place in the academic environment of a modern 21st-century university, he said in a news release. Within hours of its opening on Monday, students had claimed the private study rooms and spread out across tables and booths as the spring semester got underway. It appeared as though "we had a hit on our hands," Busch said. UNL will monitor activity and attendance at the center to see if keeping the commons open around the clock makes sense. High sales to an ever-hopeful citizenry have driven the estimated jackpot for Wednesday's Powerball drawing to $1.5 billion. $1.5 billion. If one person were to win and take the cash option, the take-home would be $930 million, the Nebraska Lottery said Tuesday. Wow. The Powerball jackpot starts at $40 million and continues to grow by at least $10 million each drawing until it is won. There have been 19 consecutive Powerball drawings since Nov. 7, 2015, without a jackpot winner. Ten jackpots ranging from $2.5 million to $365 million have been won in Nebraska since the Nebraska Lottery began offering Powerball in July 1994. The largest Powerball jackpot won in Nebraska occurred in February 2006 when a group of eight coworkers at the ConAgra Foods ham and corned beef plant in Lincoln split a $365 million jackpot. Meanwhile, the Nebraska Lottery encourages customers to play within their means. Its important for Nebraska Lottery players to remember that no matter how large the jackpot is, the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million, said acting lottery Director Jill Marshall. Your odds of winning remain the same, regardless of how many tickets are purchased or how many people play. If you or someone you know has a problem with compulsive gambling, call the Nebraska Problem Gambling Help Line at 800-522-4700. "Part of his motivation was notoriety, and that's why I'm not gonna say his name," Sheriff Wagner said. "What he told us is that he was going to be famous." We wish that Gov. Pete Ricketts had tried harder to show President Barack Obama some Nebraska hospitality during the presidents visit. Ricketts said that he was too busy working on his state of the state address, which he will deliver Thursday morning to the Legislature, to meet the president when he touches down in Omaha early Wednesday afternoon. Instead Lt. Gov. Mike Foley will greet President Obama and attend his speech later in the day. Ricketts absence may not be an outright snub, but, come on, he should be able to figure out how to shuffle some things around in order to at a minimum - greet the president. The governors decision doesnt live up to the state slogan Nebraska nice. He ought to follow the example set by former Gov. Mike Johanns, who met with President Bill Clinton during his only visit to Nebraska. A Lincoln woman's fight against gun violence scored her a personal invitation to greet President Barack Obama in Omaha on Wednesday. Amanda Gailey, associate professor of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is among 10 members of the group Nebraskans Against Gun Violence who will attend the president's speech at the White House's invitation. She is the only one who will also get a chance to meet Obama in the greeting line outside Baxter Arena. About 8,000 people are expected to attend the president's speech. Doors open at 1 p.m., and all available tickets have been claimed. The president will arrive at Offutt at 2 p.m., the White House announced Tuesday night. Obama's UNO speech is scheduled to begin at 4:15 p.m. The president will hold a living room discussion with a family in the Omaha area prior to his public appearance, the White House said. "I think it's just wonderful that Obama has made this a policy priority," Gailey said Tuesday. "I hope that it results in bringing this issue to the forefront of the political conversation in our state as the legislative session begins." Nebraskans Against Gun Violence supports restrictions on who can access "dangerous weapons" and measures that promote safe storage of firearms. Obama's recent decision to broaden the group of gun sellers who are required to conduct background checks was "really important mostly because they have put the issue forward as a major policy point," Gailey said. Family members of Kerrie Orozco, the Omaha police officer killed last year, also plan to meet with Obama during his visit. "We don't know many of the details," said Kristin Fearnow, attorney for Orozco's husband, Hector. He and his three children intend to meet the president together, and Hector Orozco will give him a letter urging him to support the Kerrie Orozco Act, a proposal by Nebraska Congressman Brad Ashford that would expedite the citizenship process for spouses of first responders killed on the job. Orozco also will express disappointment about the sentence one year of probation given to the Georgia woman who bought the gun used to kill Kerrie Orozco in May, Fearnow said. Lt. Gov. Mike Foley and a handful of state senators will attend Obama's speech, including Lincoln Sen. Adam Morfeld and Omaha Sens. Tanya Cook and Heath Mello. The Legislature will adjourn at noon to accommodate the president's visit. Dave Vrbas and his son, Jack, will also attend. Jack, 9, a third-grader at Lincoln's Hill Elementary, convinced the stay-at-home dad to drive to Omaha Sunday for tickets. "Going was completely his idea," Vrbas said in a Facebook message. "I mentioned that Obama was going to be there, and he was adamant about going." The pair snapped a selfie holding their tickets outside the arena. "When I posted the pic on Facebook, his principal liked it, so I assume she's OK with him being absent," Vrbas said. Meanwhile, a coalition of labor, farm and clean energy groups announced plans to demonstrate in opposition to the proposed Trans-Pacific trade agreement outside Baxter Arena. Included in the group will be representatives of the Nebraska AFL-CIO, the Communications Workers of America, Nebraska Farmers Union and Bold Nebraska. All public tickets to attend President Barack Obama's upcoming speech in Omaha were gobbled up on Sunday, assuring a full house of about 8,000 on Wednesday. An allocation of tickets reserved for members of the University of Nebraska at Omaha community were spoken for Monday. The president will speak Wednesday afternoon at Baxter Arena, UNO's new on-campus arena. The time for the address has not been announced, but doors will open at 1 p.m. Gov. Pete Ricketts does not plan to greet the president at the airfield upon his arrival in the state or be at the speech. The White House on Monday invited the Republican governor to attend the UNO event. Lt. Gov. Mike Foley will attend the speech. The nonpartisan Nebraska Legislature will be in recess Wednesday afternoon so state senators who wish to attend the president's speech can do so. UNO announced it will cancel all classes that day "to ensure that everyone who wants to can be part of this very historic event." This will mark Obama's first public appearance in the state as he enters the final year of his presidency. President Bill Clinton, also a Democrat, made a single appearance in Nebraska in the closing weeks of his presidency. Clinton was in Kearney on Dec. 8, 2000, to address a University of Nebraska at Kearney audience. He was awarded an honorary degree and visited the Great Platte River Road Archway. Republican Gov. Mike Johanns greeted Clinton at the airport and attended his speech. CALEDONIA The annual autumnal ritual of burning leaves in the village could be snuffed out in the near future. Village officials are considering changing the villages open-burning regulations in response to complaints about thick smoke and noxious odors from leaf burns. The village could ban burning leaves altogether or limit burning to large residential lots and agricultural property. The villages Legislative and Licensing Committee on Monday discussed the issue, continuing a dialogue that started last November. At the committees meeting on Nov. 11, village resident Claire Johnson said leaf burning in her neighborhood was causing breathing issues for her and some of her neighbors. Smoke from nearby burns made her home smell like a fire pit, she said at the meeting. Village Board members, police and fire officials and Village Administrator Tom Christensen all said they at some point or another have received complaints about leaf burning. Village Fire Chief Richard Roeder said his department has received numerous complaints about burning, but very few fires get out of control. On Monday, Village Attorney Elaine Ekes said the village could change the regulations to prohibit burning everywhere, or just in more populated areas. For example, burning might be allowed only north of 7 Mile Road and west of Highway 31, she said. Or, the board could allow burning on residential property, but increase the minimum distance from property lines and structures to 200 feet, she said. Roeder said if the village bans burning completely, it might have to consider extending the yard waste site hours, opening an additional waste site or collecting yard waste itself. There would need to be some kind of relief valve for residents, Roeder said. Recreational fires not targeted The village operates a yard waste collection site from late March to late November west of the village Safety Building, 6900 Nicholson Road. The site accepts leaves, brush and small branches and grass clippings three days a week. Only leaf burning is being studied, said village Trustee Kevin Wanggaard. The village would still allow outdoor fires for cooking, recreation or ceremonial purposes, he said. The committee will discuss the issue again next month, and plans to hear from Christensen, who was not at Mondays meeting; Johnson, who was out of town Monday; and any other residents, Wanggaard said. CALEDONIA Police are hoping a receipt left behind in a stolen car will help them find the suspect linked to the crime. Village police said Monday they are seeking a female suspected of stealing a silver Cadillac from the 3100 block of Terrace High Drive sometime in the past several weeks. The car was recovered in Oak Creek on Jan. 1, police said. Subsequent investigation of the cars interior turned up a receipt from the H&M store at Bayshore Mall in Glendale, police said. The vehicles owner did not make this purchase, nor had been to this store, police said. Police reviewed surveillance video from the store and discovered footage of the suspect making a purchase. Police have released a still photo of the suspect and are asking for help to learn the identity of the female. Anyone who can identify this person of interest should contact Caledonia Police at (262) 835-4423. RACINE An Illinois man with an extensive rap sheet faces five new charges, including two felonies, after allegedly punching a Racine County Sheriffs Office deputy and leading deputies on a short chase last Friday night. Douglas R. Welle Jr., 36, of the 19000 block of West Lakeview Avenue in Mundelein, Ill., was charged on Monday with felony counts of battery and attempting to flee a traffic officer, and misdemeanor counts of drug possession, resisting arrest and obstruction in connection with the incident that started at about 7:30 p.m. Friday in Yorkville. If convicted on all counts, Welle could face eight years in prison and $40,000 in fines. Welle appeared in Racine County Circuit Court on Monday, court records indicate. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 20 and Welle was in the Racine County Jail as of Monday night. According to the Sheriffs Office, deputies Friday night responded to reports of a man attempting to flag down cars near Highway 45 and Spring Street. Deputies located a vehicle matching the description at a gas station at the intersection, the report said. The driver of the vehicle, identified as Welle, was located in the gas station restroom, court records indicate. Deputies discovered that Welle had multiple arrest warrants from Racine and Kenosha counties, from McHenry County, Ill., and was listed as armed and dangerous, the report said. While a deputy handcuffed Welle, the suspect allegedly spun around and hit the deputy in the head, the report said. The deputy attempted to use a Taser on Welle, who got back into his car and fled west on Spring Street. Welle stopped a mile west of Highway 45, exited the vehicle, and fled on foot north through a farm field, the report said. A perimeter was set up and a K-9 dog was called to the scene. Welle was located in the field and taken into custody with the assistance of the Sheriffs Offices K-9 Nitro, who bit Welle on the left leg. Welle was treated at Wheaton Franciscan-All Saints hospital in Racine, then taken to the Racine County Jail. According to court records, Welle has at least 10 previous convictions. He has been convicted three times in Illinois for driving under the influence, twice for felony theft, and for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of marijuana. The state Assembly passed a bill on Tuesday lifting a decades-old restriction on new nuclear power plant construction in Wisconsin. The bill, which is opposed by environmental groups but received unanimous bipartisan support in committee, would place nuclear power ahead of natural gas, oil and coal on the states prioritized list of energy sources. The list guides the Public Service Commission when it considers proposals from utility companies. Bill author Rep. Kevin Peterson, R-Waupaca, said Tuesday that he introduced the bill to start a discussion about whether nuclear energy should be harnessed in Wisconsin, and to spark a move away from fossil fuels. It doesnt say were going to go to nuclear energy, it doesnt say were going to build a plant, he said. Proponents of the bill say the state needs as much flexibility as possible to comply with federal goals for halting carbon emissions. Opponents say it doesnt make sense to put nuclear power ahead of natural gas, which emits less carbon dioxide than coal. They also say the bill will open the door to siting of more nuclear waste storage facilities in the state. The restrictions were enacted after the 1979 meltdown at the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania. Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, said the state needs to wean itself off coal dependence but that nuclear energy was a dangerous option. She and Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, said studying the use of renewable energy resources is a better option that doesnt include the safety risks of nuclear energy. Lets be visionary here, Taylor said. Lets be leaders here. The way forward is not nuclear power. Nuclear power plants cannot be built in Wisconsin under current state law unless a federal storage facility for the waste from nuclear plants across the country exists. No such facility exists. Funding for a storage facility in Nevada was pulled by President Barack Obama, leaving nuclear plants to store waste on-site. The Assembly approved the bill on a voice vote, with a number of Democratic lawmakers opposing the legislation. The bill heads to the Senate, where a spokeswoman for Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, didnt respond to a request for comment. Wisconsin is currently home to only one operational nuclear power plant. Its located near Two Rivers on the Lake Michigan shoreline. Petersen told reporters he hasnt heard of any utilities looking to build a new nuclear plant. A number of union chapters covering engineers, pipefitters and construction workers, as well as Alliant Energy, the Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the states largest business group, all have registered in support of the bill, according to state Government Accountability Board records. The Citizens Utility Board, a ratepayer advocacy group, and environmental groups Clean Wisconsin, the Sierra Club and the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters all have registered in opposition. MOUNT PLEASANT Jayden Jaramillo, a 9-year-old boy who is credited with saving a bus drivers life in September, will be honored Tuesday in Madison by the State Assembly. Jaramillo, a fourth-grader at Trinity Lutheran School in Racine, will be named a Wisconsin Hometown Hero at the beginning of the legislative session day Tuesday, Jan. 12, according to a news release from the office of State Assembly House Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester. Jayden is being recognized for his bravery and service last fall when he got help for his bus driver who was having an asthma attack, the release said. According to the release, the honor is the assemblys highest citizen recognition award. On Sept. 29, Jaramillo came to the aid of his bus driver, Daquisha Adams, as Adams suffered an asthma attack at the beginning of her route. As she started coughing and stopped the bus, Jayden quickly went up front and radioed the bus company about his drivers problems. With calm direction from Jayden, the bus company was able to get an ambulance to the buss location to take Adams to a hospital. Jaramillo is credited with saving Adams life, according to the release. Withering on the Vine The Demographic Time Bomb is Most Marked in Japan The demographic time bomb whereby the elderly population assumes a greater and ... Government Sexual Libertinism Coming to a Government School Near You Further to our piece yesterday on the promotion of sexual libertinism in government schools, we rep... Some Random Observations The Aftermath of Mass Pre-Mediated Murder A few observations on the murder of 14 people in San Bernadino and the wounding of many more see... Letter From the UK (About State Tyranny) Ta-ta UK freedoms! Miranda matter outs vindictiveness of wounded police state Annie Machon is a former intelligence of... The Big One The Panoptican State Is Actually Operational Yesterday the "big one" dropped. The Guardian reported that the US and UK spy age... Fraud Central German Professor: NASA Has Fiddled Climate Data On Unbelievable Scale by James Delingpole BreitbartLondon A German professor ha... Statist Groupthink More and More Fashionable The Rise of Liberal Intolerance in America Edward Luce Financial Times I t ought to be a triumphal moment for American liberalism .... Vacuous Greenism Anti-Fracking Luddiocy Think of any technology that involves carbon based energy and its utilisation, and the lunatic fringe can be found ... "It is Finished": the Sixth Word from the Cross It is Finished: our Lords Sixth Word from the Cross What is history? That simple question covers a multitude of complexity, profundity... Lebanese residency laws risk creating a large undocumented community of refugees living at the margins of society, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] report [text] released Tuesday. Residency regulations adopted in January 2015 require [HRW report] refugees to apply to renew their residency permits under two categories: those registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and those who are not and must find a Lebanese sponsor to remain in the country legally. According to HRW, prohibitive paperwork requirements, fees, and arbitrary application of regulations have exposed Syrias to corruption, and witnesses said that sponsors will sell sponsorships for up to USD $1,000 a person and are making a business of out it. The report calls for Lebanese authorities to ensure that no one fleeing Syria is forcibly returned to Syria; to waive the residency renewal fees for all Syrians; to cancel the sponsorship pledge for Syrians not registered with UNHCR; and to hold all security force members to account who ill-treat or torture Syrian refugees during raids, detention, and during interrogations. The rights of migrant populations has emerged as one of the most significant humanitarian issue around the world, as millions seek asylum from conflict nations. In November UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed [JURIST report] the UN General Assembly and cautioned the international community to avoid discrimination against Muslims, especially refugees and migrants entering Europe, as a result of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris a week earlier. Also that month Amnesty International analyzed [JURIST report] the EUs approach to the refugee crisis and recommends changes to ensure international law is followed and human rights are appropriately valued. In October HRW called on [JURIST report] the EU and Western Balkans states to focus on remedying what it characterized as deplorable conditions for asylum-seekers in Europe. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights gave the opening statement [JURIST report] at the 30th session of the Human Rights Council in September in which he addressed, among other pressing human rights issues, the migrant crisis. Germany announced [JURIST report] that month that it was invoking temporary border controls at the nations southern border with Austria, after thousands of immigrants entered the country. [JURIST] Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto [official profile] appeared before the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] on Tuesday to argue for the dismissal of the charges of crimes against humanity filed against him and his co-defendant, broadcaster Joshua Sang. The defense claims that the charges should be dropped in light of the fact that six witnesses withdrew their testimony [VOA report], which undermines the prosecutions case. Last week Ruto persuaded the judges to allow the evidence to be heard in public over the prosecutions objections that it could lead to public backlash against the remaining witnesses. Ruto is charged with violence and displacement of his political opponents after the 2007 election, and the prosecution believes they have enough evidence to convict. The ICCs investigation and prosecution of the Kenya Situation [ICC backgrounder] has been ongoing since 2010. In March the ICC withdrew its charges [JURIST report] against Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who was accused of crimes against humanity for post-election violence, but indicated it would renew the charges if presented with enough evidence. African leaders urged [JURIST report] the ICC in February 2015 to drop cases against Ruto or suspend the charges until African concerns are considered by the court. In December prosecutors asked the court to drop [JURIST report] charges against Kenyatta. In response to the charges against Kenyatta and Ruto, the African Union (AU) [official website] unanimously resolved [JURIST report] in 2013 that African heads of state should be immune from prosecution by the ICC. Also in 2013 Kenyas National Assembly approved a motion [JURIST report] to leave the ICC. [JURIST] The Supreme Court of the Philippines [official website] on Tuesday approved a deal that would extend US military presence in their country. The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) [text, PDF] will allow for the US to build more military facilities while maintaining military ships and aircraft in the country. In a 10-4 ruling, the court found that the agreement does not violate the Philippines constitution [text]. The US Embassy in the Philippines called [press release] the EDCA a mutually beneficial agreement between the two countries. The ruling comes during a time when China disputes the Philippines 200-mile exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea. The Philippines only defense in the area is a second-hand US military ship and two functioning fighter jets. China claims nearly the entire 3.5 million square-kilometer South China Sea, a region believed to be rich in oil and minerals. China has come into territorial conflict over the region in the past not only with the Philippines [JURIST op-ed], but also with Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. The Philippines and China were involved in a two month stand-off [Al Jazeera report] that started last April around the Scarborough Shoal, a small cluster of uninhabitable islands 220km off the coast of the Philippines which, according to international maritime law, fall into the Philippines economic zone. The standoff was triggered when Chinese vessels blocked the Philippine navy from arresting Chinese fishermen for alleged illegal fishing activities within the Philippines exclusive economic zones. The Permanent Court of Arbitration [official website] in The Hague ruled in October that it has jurisdiction to hear the dispute [JURIST report] between the Philippines and China over parts of the South China Sea. [JURIST] The US Supreme Court [official website] ruled [opinion, PDF] 8-1 Monday in Hurst v. Florida [docket] that Floridas capital sentencing scheme violates the Sixth Amendment. The Florida law [text] states that in a sentencing hearing, the jury hears the evidence and votes on an advisory sentence, but in a separate hearing the judge must find and weigh aggravating and mitigating circumstances to determine whether to impose a death sentence, regardless of the jurys recommendation. The court relied on Ring v. Arizona [opinion, PDF], a 2002 case that found Arizonas capital sentencing scheme unconstitutional because it permitted a judge instead of a jury to be the fact-finder regarding whether a death sentence should be imposed. Writing for the majority, Justice Sonia Sotomayor stated: The Sixth Amendment protects a defendants right to an impartial jury. This right required Florida to base Timothy Hursts death sentence on a jurys verdict, not a judges factfinding. Floridas sentencing scheme, which required the judge alone to find the existence of an aggravating circumstance, is therefore unconstitutional. The decision upholding Hursts death sentence was reversed and the case remanded for proceedings consistent with the opinion. Petitioner Hurst was found guilty by a Florida jury of murdering his coworker. The jury recommended the death penalty, and the judge found the requisite aggravating circumstances to sentence Hurst to death. Use of the death penalty [JURIST news archive] has been a controversial issue throughout the US and internationally. Last month the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the authority [JURIST report] of Governor Tom Wolf to postpone executions in the commonwealth. In October the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals unanimously granted [JURIST report] a request from Attorney General Scott Pruitt to halt all of the states scheduled executions to allow for an investigation into why the prison received incorrect lethal injection drugs. Oklahoma became the epicenter [JURIST report] of the lethal injection drug debate in 2014 after the death of Clayton Lockett, a death row inmate who died of an apparent heart attack minutes after doctors called off a failed attempt to execute him. In June the US Supreme Court held that the use of the drug midazolam may be used in executions [JURIST report] without violating the constitution. A Swedish prosecutor on Tuesday announced a preliminary investigation [press release, in Swedish] into Volkswagen [corporate website] regarding the emissions test cheating scandal that has affected millions. Swedens National Anti-Corruption Unit has said it is focused on claims of serious fraud and the keeping of false records. A spokesperson from Volkswagen said the company invited the investigation and denied the involvement of the Swedish branch of Volkswagen. Volkswagen has admitted they used technology to hide levels of toxic emissions from some vehicles in the US, and they face billions of dollars in fines. The US Department of Justice [official website] filed suit [JURIST report] against Volkswagen earlier this month for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act [text]the latest development in the Volkswagen scandal [JURIST op-ed]. Last year the Braunschweig public prosecutors office opened a criminal investigation [JURIST report] of former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn, following accusations that the company cheated on government emissions tests by manipulating exhaust valves. The investigation followed several criminal complaints, including one filed by Volkswagen, and came less than a week after Winterkorn stepped down as CEO of the company. In his statement he accepted responsibility for the irregularities that have been found in diesel engines and said that he was clearing the way for this fresh start with [his] resignation. One California federal judge is currently overseeing hundreds of lawsuits, and 47 state attorneys general are also investigating. Im happy to say that my art and technique has been included in this book by UK author/artist Gill Barron , the fairly famous Painter of Everything (shes well on her way to painting everything in the entire world, and doing a beautiful job of it, too).I have two step-by-step projects in the book, as well as several other finished paintings used as illustrations.The book is entitled Acrylic Secrets: 300 Tips and Techniques for Painting the Easy Way , and has been distributed worldwide by Readers Digest Books.Its now available on Amazon and you can order your copy here. Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain. Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred. For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here. Blanket distributed to quake survivors in Sindhupalchok (photo feature) A blanket distribution program was held in Baramchi, Sindhupalchok, one of the worst-hit districts by the April earthquake, on Friday, bringing joy to the survivors living under harsh winter conditions. China connection Deeper economic integration with China is a key to build a prosperous and strong Nepal DPM Thapa briefs int'l community on current political situation Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa on Tuesday briefed the international community on the current political situation in Nepal. Exercise cuts heart disease risk among the depressed Regular exercise can reduce heart disease risk in people suffering from depression, suggests new research. Govt to sell rice received in grant for quake survivors The government is preparing to sell the rice offered by some countries in grant for earthquake survivors after it started to rot. Harnessing wind power not easy Even though Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has floated the idea of promoting wind energy to address the power crisis, the government, however, is not in a position to take immediate initiatives on this front. Israeli man held with 480gm hashish from TIA An Israeli man has been arrested with 480 gram of hashish from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu on Monday. Kuwait amnesty for migrants begins The Kuwait government on Sunday started granting amnesty to illegal migrant workers living in the country. Locals earn more collecting Yarsa than any other activities Yarsagumba, also known as Himalayan Viagra, has been bigger source of income than other economic activities for its collectors. Nawalparasi limps back to normalcy as Morcha withdraws border-centric protests Vehicular movement at Nawalparasi border point has limped back to normalcy lately after the agitating Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha withdrew its protest programmes at this border crossing. Promise of peace It is important to understand that transitional justice and traditional justice systems are two different things Quake-hit in Gorkha wrestle with blizzard After the snow started burying temporary huts in northern Gorkha, earthquake survivors are busy clearing their flimsy huts. Rights watchdog seeks financial autonomy The National Human Rights Commission has demanded financial autonomy from the government controlled provisions of existing laws, citing readjustment with the provisions of the new constitution. State of denial If elites were committed to a just Nepal, state demarcation would not assume the significance it has today 1. Yes. Its important to cast my votes early and avoid the lines on Election Day. 2. Yes. With nearly two weeks of early voting, its a more convenient way to take part. 3. No. Its better to wait until Election Day, in case any last-minute information surfaces. 4. No. Im not planning to vote early or on Election Day. It isnt worth my time. 5. Unsure. It depends on how the campaigns are shaping up. Ill play it by ear. Vote View Results Mike Dunleavy the governor of the US state of Alaska is intending to introduce legislation that will repeal the two state boards which regu... Trollfest '09 Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, How I sold out to da Man. Robbie Bell again performs: Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells and Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to Dancing with the Stars, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango. Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and Big Cat Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything). Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge. Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson". In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word jackass was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up. In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates. Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one. Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!! This is definitely a Beaver production. Note: Security provided by INS. NK policy lacks patience, based on wishful thinking South Korea lacks two things most in dealing with North Korea's latest challenge: patience and understanding of international politics. President Park Geun-hye has busied herself with punitive measures after what increasingly appears to be Pyongyang's test of a "boosted bomb," a midway point between an atomic and hydrogen bomb but with little success. Frustrating her and the rest of the nation is the failure to extract an agreement about punishing Pyongyang for its behavior. As a consolation, it is by and large not her fault. If there is any fault to be found with her, it is her own high sense of anticipation that also has helped the nation believe it could get whatever it wished for. China is the example. Both the public and Park are acting as if Beijing has betrayed Seoul by not joining in efforts to punish the North. Here is the reality. China's President Xi Jinping has not promised to get tough on the North; what he has promised Park during their meetings is to support the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Xi indeed condemned the North's test, Wednesday, so he kept his end of the deal with Park. Another thing is what China is however estranged they may now be to the North as is the United States to South Korea. Just consider this question: Would you expect the U.S. to forsake South and back the North, if Obama had six rounds of summits with Kim Jong-un, the young North Korean dictator? It is therefore time for Park to think about the U.S. pressure tactic targeting Beijing, which Park also strongly supports. First of all, the U.S. is amidst presidential election campaigning. Republicans, led by their leading candidate Donald Trump, are criticizing President Barack Obama and his former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for their failed do-nothing "strategic patience" in dealing with the North. Secretary of State John Kerry's attack on China for its lack of action targets not just China but also American voters. As a matter of fact, Trump, a China basher and ROK-U.S. alliance doubter, appears to be taking the bait as he also joined Kerry's anti-China slogan. For the North, its alleged H-bomb blast is nothing unusual because it was part of a natural course of action by any state after their atomic bombs are finessed. Just think about how much more dangerous the North has become in a week after Wednesday? Frankly, not much. If it used a nuclear weapon, whether based on fission or fusion, it knows it would be annihilated instantly. The only thing the 32-year-old dictator has gotten away with is bragging rights at the risk of further alienating his regime from its benefactor. Perhaps, Park would be better off by continuing to play deaf to all criticisms from the media for a little bit longer, using the time to come up with a more broad-based approach to the North's challenge. To do that, she should bear two things in mind. She should be careful in not wasting trust she has built with Xi because China holds the key to any important development on the Korean Peninsula. But also, she should not feel obligated to respond one by one to any provocation. However, if she decides to respond, she needs to ensure it hurts. Kendallville, IN (46755) Today A mix of clouds and sun. High near 45F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Low around 30F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. When Metro's Green Line opened in 1994, it sent trains from Redondo Beach all the way out to the 605 Freeway in Norwalk, linking the city of Los Angeles to the eastern reaches of the county. It stopped short, however, of reaching the Metrolink system just a few miles down the road, which means it missed the chance to link LA's Metro rail system to trains going to Orange County and beyond. Attempts were made in the 1990s to link the Metro and Metrolink stations in Norwalk, but fell short due to neighborhood opposition and lack of funding. Now, according to the LA Times, officials are again trying to get the ball rolling on closing the 2.8 mile gap that separates the Norwalk station at the end of Metro's Green Line from the Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs Metrolink station. Today, Metrolink riders looking to transfer to Metro trains into LA have to get off at the Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs station and take a 15 to 25-minute bus ride to the Metro Green Line. The whole process, including waiting for the bus, can add up to an hour to commute times. The only other alternative is to continue riding Metrolink several miles farther into Downtown LA's Union Station. Closing the gap, effectively linking the Metrolink to the Metro system in Norwalk, would dramatically decrease travel times for people coming from Orange County to the South Bay and LAX. Orange County transportation activist Jane Reifer tells the Times the link would "would open up the entire system" and get more people traveling into LA and back. The proposal to link the train lines is not a new one. When the Green Line opened in 1994, there was talk of connecting Metro and Metrolink, but opposition from the neighborhood and funding issues stopped that project. Now, some 20 years later, there is a renewed interest in a bolstering rail infrastructure in LA CountyLAX will soon be linked to the Metro system by way of a people mover stemming from the forthcoming Crenshaw Line. The Norwalk link opens up the possibility of carless commutes to the airport from the OC, and there's even the possibility for California's high-speed rail project to connect to the Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs station. The cost of the extension has not yet been announced, but it is likely to cost more than the estimates from the the early 1990s. At that time, two options were floated: an elevated train link for $215 million and an underground subway link for $241 million. Some of the cost could be covered by the project's inclusion in a ballot measure that would renew Measure R, the half-cent sales tax that raises money for transportation projects throughout LA County. Still, the rail link project is still in its very early stages, and some officials are not considering it a sure thing. Norwalk City Manager Mike Egan says "the community still has concerns" and they are "proceeding cautiously." Renee Berlin, in charge of Metro's countywide planning calls plans for Measure R funding "only hypothetical." Closing 2.8-mile transit gap in Norwalk could smooth regional commute [LA Times] New Look at the LAX People Mover Set to Be Finished in 2023 [Curbed LA] First discovered in late October, the leak at the Aliso Canyon storage facility near Porter Ranch is still raging on, spewing out an ever-growing amount of methane. (Last count, over 80,000 metric tons was belched into the air because of it.) While the Southern California Gas Company is at work digging a relief well to fix the leak, State Senator Fran Pavley, who reps the area, has plans to introduce a suite of bills that would put a ban on using "vintage wells" for production at Aliso Canyon, and stop new gas injections there, says the Daily News. One of Pavley's proposed bills would stop the use of old wellsespecially those from the 1950s, like the one that's leaking until they could be inspected and determined not to be a "risk to public health and safety." Gas injections at the site would also be halted. (The gas company had stopped gas injections about a week after the leak was found, and California's Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources told the company not to start injections again until they received proper authorization.) The temporary stoppage would be lifted once the wells could be inspected and deemed safe by both state agencies and independent experts. Gas injections are usually used in the latter, less productive part of a well's life span, as a way to get every last drop of natural gas. Other bills Pavley proposed would name one state agency, the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, as the lead on any further leaks (instead of the seven government agencies that are currently entangled in the current leak disaster), as well as institute increased inspections and "proactive well standards" at natural gas storage facilitieshopefully to prevent a disastrous situation like the one in Porter Ranch from happening again. State Senator Pavley's bills "mirror" Governor Jerry Brown's emergency declaration last week, which also called for continuing the ban on gas injections and a deep look at the "long-term viability of the state's natural gas facilities," says the LA Times. Meanwhile, the thousands of residents from Porter Ranch that have been relocating at the Southern California Gas Company's expense to avoid the side-effects (headaches, nausea) of an odorant in the gas that's added to help detect leaks are faced with rents at temporary housing that are, in many cases, double or triple the price that they should be. State Senate Leaders Announce Plan on Porter Ranch Gas Leak [NBC LA] State senator wants to temporarily ban using old gas wells in wake of Porter Ranch leak [LADN] A Running Count of Exactly How Much Methane is Being Released From Huge Porter Ranch Gas Leak [Curbed LA] A La Crosse County committee voted unanimously Monday to take a closer look at the safety of Canadian Pacific railroad crossings. The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee voted to pay SRF Consulting Group $19,298 to inspect four CP crossings over county highways and review Federal Rail Administration inspection reports for CP rails. The big focus is crossing safety review, county Highway Commissioner Ron Chamberlain said. The study will be the second of its kind in the La Crosse County. The county previously paid SRF Consulting $35,000 to do a similar study on BNSF crossings, the findings of which were released in a report November 2014. When we looked last time, it opened up some good dialogue with Burlington Northern. That netted us a couple crossing improvements, Chamberlain said. Since the study was released, crossings at county Highways GI, Z and ZN have been upgraded by BNSF and the county, with the rail company addressing sight distance requirements which represent the distance at which an approaching vehicle must be able to see the crossing in order to stop and the county repainting pavement markings to warn motorists theyre approaching a railroad. Since then weve had further movement with BNSF talking about the two crossings out on (Brice) Prairie from an access point of view, Chamberlain said. The talks would address ways to mitigate problems caused by trains stopping across the highway. It just makes sense to go ahead and finish up the review with the CP line, Chamberlain said. The first study faced opposition after officials were concerned they wouldnt see any improvements if the crossings were found deficient. As the lines go through, as the cargo increases and as the heavier trains go by, we should make our crossings and everything within the county control that we have as safe as possible, Supervisor Maureen Freedland said. Chamberlain said the first study showed that the rail companies are interested in addressing deficiencies and open to discussing cost-sharing measures with the county. When defects are noted in one inspection, theyre going to be promptly taken care of in the next inspection, so there are no difficulties or issues that way, Chamberlain said. This time around the study will be cheaper because the county wont be paying the consulting firm to review vehicle bridges over the railway. Instead, the Highway Department now has a bridge inspector on staff who has reviewed the structures. The county reached out to the countys various municipalities to participate, but each declined the offer. For better or worse, the local municipalities were not interested, Chamberlain said. Chamberlain said that did limit the federal grants the county could apply for, but said there were other funds available for the study. In other business, the committee approved an agreement with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to swap Highways C and 108. The agreement, which was signed by La Crosse County Chair Tara Johnson Monday, will transfer control of 10.1 miles of county Hwy. C to the state in exchange for control of state Hwy. 108. The state, which sought the transfer due to the high traffic count on Hwy. C, has pledged more than $4 million in substantial improvements on what will be County Hwy. C. The agreement has been forwarded onto the state for a signature. After both parties have signed, the county will organize at least two public informational meetings to finalize the jurisdictional transfertentatively planned for March through Mayand work with residents and businesses to complete necessary paperwork. The owners of Dublin Square Irish Pub & Eatery hope to allow customers to eat outside year-round later this year after their request was approved Monday by the citys Board of Public Works. Owner Matt Boschka took the first step toward building a four-season patio on the Main Street side of the eaterys outdoor area, which would allow an additional nine tables to be available during the cold months and rainy days through the use of an awning with retractable windows that could be opened or closed depending on the weather and heaters in the ceiling. Youd be outside eating today. It can get up to 95 degrees in it, Boshcka said. The structure would be entirely inside the existing fence, which would mean the business would not need to alter its lease agreement within the city. Building and electrical permits will be required for the project to continue. As far as the overall looks and the aesthetics of it, its going to look very similar to what you see at Waterfront. Its using a lot of the same materials, Boshcka said. If it goes forward as planned, the pub would continue to abide by beer garden rules requiring outdoor areas to close at midnight. Borrowers paying back their student loans would get a bigger break on their taxes and more students at Wisconsins technical colleges could receive need-based aid under bills Gov. Scott Walker unveiled Monday that are aimed at making higher education in the state more affordable. Critics said the plan didnt do enough to help student loan borrowers. The tax deduction borrowers can claim on their student loan interest payments is now capped at $2,500. But a proposal Walker rolled out during a visit to Waukesha County Technical College in Pewaukee on Monday would eliminate that limit, helping about 32,000 borrowers in Wisconsin, the governor said, and increasing their tax benefit by $165 per person on average. The proposals Walker disclosed Monday include several bills being circulated by Republican lawmakers. They would also: Create a program to provide emergency grants for college students who have unexpected expenses. Spend $700,000 to hire internship coordinators in the state Department of Workforce Development and University of Wisconsin System in an effort to connect students with local businesses and keep them in Wisconsin after they graduate. Require all students to attend financial literacy seminars during their first semester in college, and require schools to send students information about how much money they are borrowing, their interest rate and what sort of payments they will have to make after they graduate. Our college affordability legislation will help students and families make informed decisions about choosing the higher education path that is right for their future dreams and for their budgets, Walker said. Democrats countered that the proposals do not do enough to help those burdened by student loan debt. I feel like (Walker) is nibbling around the edges and its really window dressing, said state Sen. Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse. In 2014, 70 percent of students at Wisconsin colleges and universities graduated with some amount of debt, the third-highest percentage of any state in the country, according to the Institute for College Access and Success Project on Student Debt. Those students average debt load was $28,810, the 17th-highest amount in the country. Rep. Dave Murphy, R-Greenville, chairman of the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities and co-author of four of the bills, said he expects to hold a hearing on them soon after the co-sponsorship period ends on Jan. 20. It is my intention to try to pass as much of this package as I can before the session ends, Murphy said. Funds would increase grants Many of the proposals are aimed at helping current students. One would increase funding for the $18.8 million Wisconsin Grants program, which provides need-based grants to technical college students, by $500,000 annually. Nearly 24,000 WTCS students received grants from the program in the 2013-14 school year, a system spokesman said, but another 37,000 students who were eligible for the aid did not get grants because the program did not have enough money. The system estimates another 500 students each year would receive grants if the bill becomes law. Another proposal, which would provide one-time emergency grants to students, is meant to help low-income students pay for expenses that could otherwise derail their ability to stay in school, Murphy said. He gave the hypothetical example of a student at a technical college or other institution who drove to school but faced an unexpected $250 car repair. Without a way to pay for that, Everything spirals out of control for them, he said; the student could have to miss class and fall behind. Instead, under the emergency grant program, students would be eligible for as many as two grants, worth up to a combined $500, to pay for those costs. The bill would provide $320,000 to the technical college system and $130,000 to the UW System so campuses could administer the grants. These are proven strategies, WTCS President Morna Foy said. This new investment will make a real difference in the lives of our students, who quickly apply their talent after course or program completion. Dems say their bill helps more Democrats in the Legislature said none of the measures introduced Monday would do as much to help borrowers as their proposal to allow those who hold student loan debt to refinance it a bill Shilling pointed out has been stalled in a Senate committee. Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, and Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, one of that proposals authors, said the bills Walker announced Monday will only help a small fraction of student loan borrowers. Wisconsins economy would clearly do better if we had a real policy solution to student loan debt and the governors plan isnt it, Barca and Mason said. Shilling said she has not yet decided whether she will vote for the newly introduced bills. Murphy and Walker said the new proposals will complement the four-year freeze on in-state UW System tuition, which the governor has championed as a way to keep college costs in check. Tuition prices had risen for decades before the freeze was put in place increases Walkers critics say were driven by reduced state support for public higher education. Wisconsin has cut UW System funding in five of its last six two-year state budgets. Weve done some big things, Murphy said, referring to the freeze. Weve got to be able to help our students without over-burdening our taxpayers. We are finding some good ground here. A state board has rescinded a controversial decision that allowed public officials to quickly destroy certain records that they deemed to lack lasting significance. The state Public Records Board, after voting unanimously Monday to undo the decision, signaled it is unlikely to revisit the matter soon. The boards decision drew little notice when it was made in August. But it came under scrutiny last month after Gov. Scott Walkers administration cited it to explain why it had no records on file in response to requests from the Wisconsin State Journal and a liberal group, One Wisconsin Now. In a statement last month, the chairman of the Public Records Board, Matthew Blessing, said public concern caused the board to revisit the issue. Blessing also cited the cost of responding to a complaint filed in response to the changes by an open-government group, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council. In August, the board voted to change the states definition of transitory correspondence or communications deemed to be of transitory, or temporary, significance. Under the new definition, records of such correspondence no longer were required to be retained. The new definition also expanded a list of examples of records deemed transitory. The boards vote Monday means the definition reverts to the previous version, crafted in 2010. That definition said transitory records had to be retained until no longer needed. Blessing, speaking to the Wisconsin State Journal immediately after the meeting, indicated he wasnt eager to discuss further changes to the definition. Theres a lot of other records management work that needs to be addressed, Blessing told the newspaper after the meeting. Bill Lueders, president of the WFOIC, said after the meeting hes glad the board rescinded its August vote. Still, Lueders suggested the focus on the boards actions as opposed to how the Walker administration interpreted them may be misplaced. The issue may not be the definition, but the way that the definition is being cited by people who want some reason any reason to destroy or withhold records, Lueders said. Walkers office declined to comment. The State Journal last year requested text messages from the Department of Administration relating to a failed $500,000 loan from the states job-creation agency, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. The loan was issued to a business, Building Committee Inc., owned by a top Walker contributor, William Minahan. A day after the Public Records Board changed the transitory correspondence definition, Walkers administration responded to the State Journal request. It said it didnt have the requested records and noted that transitory records are not required to be retained. The boards decision is not the only recent attempt by state officials to curtail access to records about how government officials do their jobs. In July, state lawmakers endorsed then, facing public outcry, quickly backpedaled from a proposal to drastically limit access to public records in Wisconsin. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, advocated for those changes, a subsequent State Journal records request showed. On Monday, Public Records Board member Carl Buesing, a Sheboygan attorney, disavowed any link between lawmakers actions and the boards. Whatever Speaker Vos wanted to do has had nothing to do with what weve tried to do on the Public Records Board, Buesing said. Buesing said the attempt to redefine transitory records was meant to clarify their definition. But he said some have miscast it as an attempt to limit public access to text messages and other electronic communications by public officials. The process by which the board reached the decision also has been questioned. The WFOIC complaint, filed last month with the Dane County District Attorneys Office, charges that the board held the transitory records vote without proper public notice, in violation of state open records law. Lueders said the council has no plans to drop its complaint. He said the council will assess its options if and when it gets a response from the District Attorneys Office. State Attorney General Brad Schimel, speaking before the boards Monday vote, said determinations of what are public records should be based on the nature of the content of the communication. If youre talking about the administration of government, its probably something thats a public record, Schimel said. Former Fillmore County man charged with 12 counts of sex with boys Brandon James Peacock, 28, is accused of having sexual contact with two Spring Valley boys for two years, beginning in January 2010. Peacock, currently living in Covington, La., appeared in Fillmore County District Court late last month, charged with six counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and six counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. According to court documents, the Fillmore County Sheriffs Department was contacted by the Cass County Sheriffs Department about a situation they were investigating that appeared to have occurred in Fillmore County. The investigation involved two boys in a family Peacock lived with in 2010 and 2011. The boys were about 4 and 6 years old when Peacock moved in, according to court documents. According to court documents, each of the boys told Fillmore County investigators that Peacock had fondled and performed oral sex on them while they masturbated him on numerous occasions in the two-year period. Interviewed by a Fillmore County investigator, Peacock denied the accusations, stating that he would never do something like that, and anybody who would would have to be sick. - Winona Daily News Whitehall woman leads police on two pursuits Felony charges are pending against a Whitehall, Wis., woman accused of leading police on two pursuits Sunday afternoon. La Crosse police stopped a car driven by Kimberly Christenson, 43, about 4:15 p.m. for driving 53 mph on Rose Street, according to reports. She told an officer her name then fled through icy residential streets on the North Side up to 45 mph and ran a stop sign before police stopped the pursuit. A La Crosse County sheriffs deputy spotted Christenson speeding minutes later on Hwy. 53 and she fled from a second traffic stop, nearly striking the officer and squad car, at up to 100 mph, reports stated. She eventually stopped for the officer and fled. Christenson faces charges of first-degree recklessly endangering safety and fleeing officers. - La Crosse Tribune Body pulled from rubble of Amish home fire in Fillmore County Authorities say a body has been pulled from the rubble of an Amish house fire that hurt two other people in southeastern Minnesota. Neighbors gathered at the property Monday morning and said the home is owned by a bishop of the local Amish community. Authorities say the two injured people were taken to Gunderson Lutheran Hospital in La Crosse. The sheriff says firefighters were called to the home about 1 a.m. The main home was destroyed and another home was damaged by the fire. - Associated Press Girl doesnt like early Christmas present, reportedly throws tantrum A Sparta, Wis., girl reportedly threw a tantrum after an early Christmas present wasnt the type of phone she wanted. Authorities were called to a Highway A home just after 11 p.m. on Dec. 20 after a man reported his daughter was destroying items in the house and swung at his wife, according to the Monroe County Sheriffs Department. The mother said her daughters were arguing over a phone, so she gave one of the girls an early present that was a phone in an attempt to alleviate the issue. The mom said the 14-year-old girl did not like the phone and then ripped up her room, threw items around and at her and also struck her. The woman said she grabbed the girl so she wouldnt break the windows. The girl told authorities she tried to get to her room to cool off and pushed past her mother but tore down curtains and threw items when the woman grabbed her shirt, according to the report. The girl was referred to human services for disorderly conduct. - Tomah Journal You have the power to keep local news strong for the coming months. Your financial support today keeps our reporters ready to meet the needs of our city. Thank you for investing in your community. Stories like these are only possible with your help! Start your day with LAist Sign up for How To LA, delivered weekday mornings. Subscribe A pop-up dinner with top-notch wine pairings and a meal from a Top Chef alum is taking over Roy Choi's Commissary restaurant this week. This Wednesday, the Charles Smith Wines Pop-up Dinner will feature a 5-course, family-style tasting menu from Seattle's acclaimed chef Zoi Antonitsas and wine pairings from celebrated winemaker Charles Smith. Highlights from the impressive-sounding Mediterranean and Greek-inspired menu include sea urchin arancini paired with a Vino Rose, and milk braised pork shoulder with skordalia, a garlicky Greek puree, paired with K Vintners Stoneridge Cabernet. While Commissary has hosted other pop-ups, this will be their first wine-centric one. Top Chef alum Antonitsas was named one of Food & Wines' Best New Chefs for 2015, among other accolades, and Smith was named 2014 Wine Enthusiast's Winemaker of the Year. We can also get behind Smith's philosophy of "wine for everyone, everyday." Roy Choi is clearly stoked for his arrival: There will only be two seatings for the dinnerat 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.so, you'll definitely want to make your reservations here, soon. You have the power to keep local news strong for the coming months. Your financial support today keeps our reporters ready to meet the needs of our city. Thank you for investing in your community. Stories like these are only possible with your help! Start your day with LAist Sign up for How To LA, delivered weekday mornings. Subscribe Tourism in Los Angeles is on the up and up, and besides a normally very crowded Hollywood Walk of Fame, it's also evidenced by a record-setting 45.5 million people who visited our city in 2015. Last year's visits broke L.A. County's records for the fifth year in a row, the Tourism & Convention Board officials announced today. Figures showed that the number of visitors increased by 1.3 million from 2014, according to City News Service. Mayor Eric Garcetti attributed the jump in growth to "investing billions at our airport, in mass transit and other assets that are making L.A. more exciting and accessible than ever," CBS Los Angeles reports. In dealing with airport congestion, about $8.5 billion is being used to modernize the LAX airport, and $5 billion on a rail project to connect to the airport. Garcetti has high hopes for L.A. tourism, and has set a goal of an even bigger increaseto 50 million visitorsby 2020. He added, "Los Angeles is a place where the world comes together for cultural experiences and celebrated attractions that cannot be found anywhere else." International visitors made up 6.7 million of the overall 2015 tourists, and from that, Mexico had the largest number of tourists visiting L.A. County at 1.7 million. 779,000 visitors were from China, a jump up of 13% from 2014. Even though China's faced some economic downturn with the stock market recently, Garcetti said he doesn't think it's affecting tourism. "We see no letup of bookings in the last couple of weeks," Garcetti said of China, according to the L.A. Times. You have the power to keep local news strong for the coming months. Your financial support today keeps our reporters ready to meet the needs of our city. Thank you for investing in your community. Stories like these are only possible with your help! Start your day with LAist Sign up for How To LA, delivered weekday mornings. Subscribe Sunday night became a living hell for hundreds of would-be partiers in what appears to be the worst tragedy to hit Beverly Hills since the Golden Globes. C'mon @hfpa. if this is the line to the shuttle at 8:30 pm, it's time to rethink #GoldenGlobes party plan pic.twitter.com/lFnFA0PDvq Andrew Wallenstein (@awallenstein) January 11, 2016 As the awards show wrapped up at the Beverly Hilton, a massive crowd that some estimated grew to over a thousand strong began lining up inside the parking structure at 1999 Avenue of the Stars to attend the afterparties at the hotel. To be clear, these were people who didn't attend the awards ceremony. Agents, execs, TV stars, and other showbiz professionals filed into an enormous line that went down four levels, according to Deadline. Lines began forming at 8:15 p.m. and some didn't make it to their events until two hours later. Standing for so long in formal attire became almost as grueling as the production of The Revenant (especially for people wearing heels), and some people just simply gave up. "This is like waiting to get off the Titanic," The Wrap overheard one guest say. "It was like a prison camp," The Hollywood Reporter overheard actress Jaime King say when she finally got onto a shuttle bus after an hour-long wait. To be fair, who hasn't said something hyperbolic in a moment of frustration? How could an institution as hallowed as the Golden Globes devolve into such madness? Because for the massive amount of people attending after-partiesheld by the likes of HBO, The Weinstein Company, Fox, etc.parking has to be done offsite. And while the drive from the lot on Avenue of the Stars is literally minutes away from the Beverly Hilton, construction on Santa Monica Boulevard slowed traffic and extra security at both the parking lot and the Beverly Hilton compounded the matter. Also, there were just simply not enough shuttles. And yes, waiting an extra, extra long time to get to rub shoulders with A-listers is the epitome of a First World Problem. But even us plebes have to admit that waiting in line truly does suck. "Us one-percenters don't like to stand in line and there we were," a showbiz insider told The Wrap. "It was so funny." Want to know the hottest Golden Globes after party?....in the parking garage waiting for the shuttle. #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/OKa1MdftI5 Kendrick Sampson (@kendrick38) January 11, 2016 The line for the Golden Globes shuttle looks like The Human Centipede part 500. It is endless and barely moving. Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) January 11, 2016 Long, long line (way more than you can see here) to get through security for shuttle for HBO Golden Globes party pic.twitter.com/aqTqPOEoFW Eric Goldman (@TheEricGoldman) January 11, 2016 The only thing crazier than the line into #goldenglobes parties is that so many seem to be sticking it out. Not me. #HFPA fail. Andrew Wallenstein (@awallenstein) January 11, 2016 Piss off industry peeps: invite them to your Globes party & make them wait 1.5 hrs for a shuttle. #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/x9hE2XORSd Sbchick2 (@sbchick2) January 11, 2016 Mexico has agreed to send Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to the United States for prosecution. Guzman is leader of the Sinaloa crime group. He faces numerous charges in the U.S., including drug trafficking, kidnapping and murder. The Mexican government rejected U.S. requests earlier to turn over Guzman. It changed its position after he escaped a Mexican prison last July for the third time. Federal police captured him Friday after a gun battle. The legal process to send Guzman to the United States could take months. Guzman's lawyers said they will oppose the extradition effort. The prisoner could be sent to one of several U.S. cities for trial, including New York or Chicago. Mexican officials want to question American actor Sean Penn in connection with the Guzman escape. Penn met with the crime group leader in October to gather information for a story for an American magazine, Rolling Stone. The magazines web site posted the interview Saturday. Mexican officials also want to question Mexican actress Kate del Castillo. She reportedly set up the meeting between Penn and Guzman. Mexican officials say information about that meeting helped them locate the Sinaloa group chief. Some Americans denounced the interview. Republican Party presidential candidate, Senator Marco Rubio, called it "grotesque." Journalists also questioned Penn's agreement to permit Guzman the right to review the article before it was published. In the interview, Guzman said, "I supply more heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana than anybody else in the world. I have a fleet of submarines, airplanes, trucks and boats." Penn described Guzman as "entirely unapologetic." Guzman's escape was an embarrassment for President Enrique Pena Nieto. The government was praised for its aggressive push against Mexico's top drug traffickers, however. The drug lord is now at the Altiplano Prison where he escaped in July. The Mexican Attorney General said Guzman's recapture came after a huge surveillance operation. That operation involved a film crew that had been working on a biography of the drug trafficker. The gun battle Friday killed at least five suspects. One Mexican soldier was wounded. Six people were arrested at the scene. Guzman and another man escaped the raid. Police arrested them a short time later. Guzman was first captured in 1993, but escaped in 2001 with the help of prison guards. He was not recaptured until 2014. U.S. intelligence information helped in that effort. Mexico has ordered the arrest of more than 20 former officials, guards and police officers in connection with Guzman's escape last year. Ten civilians are already in detention. I'm Jim Tedder. Caty Weaver adapted this story for Learning English from VOA News reports. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Do you think Mexico is right to send Guzman to the U.S. for trial? Or should he serve his sentence in Mexico? Post your thoughts in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story extradition - n. the act of sending (a person who has been accused of a crime) to another state or country for trial interview - n. a meeting between a reporter and another person in order to get information for a news story embarrassment - n. something or someone that causes a person or group to look or feel foolish surveillance - n. the act of carefully watching someone or something especially in order to prevent or detect a crime biography - n. the story of a real person's life written by someone other than that person A large American military plane that can carry nuclear weapons flew over South Korea Sunday. The flight was an answer to North Koreas claim last week that it had tested a nuclear weapon. The B-52 bomber was seen flying over an American air base about 72 kilometers south of the North Korean border. The long-range bomber then returned to its base in Guam. The bomber was guarded by two fighter planes -- one each from the United States and South Korea. Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr. leads the U.S. Pacific Command. He said the flight showed Americas commitment to South Korea and Japan and defense of the American homeland. Lieutenant General Terrence O'Shaughnessy is the deputy commander of U.S. Forces Korea. He told reporters after the flight that the United States is committed to stability on the Korean peninsula. The U.S. also sent a long-range bomber over South Korea in 2013 after the North carried out its third nuclear test. The United States may deploy an aircraft carrier near the Korean peninsula, reported the Yonhap news agency, which is supported by the South Korean government. Im Jonathan Evans. VOANews.com reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it into VOA Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Do you agree with the decision to fly a B-52 bomber over South Korea? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story bomber n. a military aircraft designed for dropping bombs long-range adj. able to travel or be used over great distances sign n. a motion, action or movement that is used to express a thought, command or wish homeland n. a usually large area where a particular group of people can live; a country committed adj. willing to give your time, energy, etc., to something stability n. the quality or state of something that is not easily changed or likely to change aircraft carrier n. a military ship that has a large deck, or area, where aircraft take off and land LEXINGTON, Neb. - A Lexington man who allegedly brandished a filet knife at employees of Downey Drilling in Lexington pleaded no contest to a reduced charge Monday, Jan. 11. Feisan Shaye, 35, was arrested Oct. 21 by the Lexington Police Department on counts of disturbing the peace and carrying a concealed weapon. He pleaded no contest to an amended charge of attempt of a class-one misdemeanor. His sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 9. According to the police log and probable cause affidavit, officers were summoned to the area of Fourth and Grant at 6:52 a.m. Oct. 21 on the report of an individual approaching Downey Drilling employees with a knife, alternately in his hand and concealed on his person. Shaye was identified as the suspect, contacted, and placed under arrest. Business owner Tom Downey spoke about the incident during a public meeting in November. He reported Shaye previously contacted one of Downeys employees and asked about acquiring materials to make a bomb, then asked if the employee knew where to get a gun or a knife. The employee contacted police. Shaye returned to the business at a later time with the knife, looking for the employee who called police on him, Downey said. The County Attorneys office charged Shaye with disturbing the peace, according to an Oct. 27 court filing. Shaye entered a written not guilty plea on Oct. 30. The carrying a concealed weapon charge was re-added to the case on Nov. 13, per court records. The case was continued twice, on Dec. 2 and again on Dec. 22. The Lexington Public School system released its annual district report card Monday, Jan. 11. The report card lists a variety of data, ranging from standardized test scores to graduation rates to per pupil expenditures, and compares the 2014-2015 data to districts numbers the previous year as well as the state average. Lexington Public Schools saw an across-the-board increase in reading assessment scores over the previous years, with several classes earning significantly higher scores over the previous year. Third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and 11th grade students were tested on reading proficiency. Fifth grade students showed the largest improvement, jumping a remarkable 29 points over the 2013-2014 results (76 percent of students were proficient last year, compared to 47 percent the previous year). Fourth grade students also saw a double-leap in their proficiency scores. Despite the gains, LPS remained below the 2014-2015 state average in all tested grade levels. Math proficiency was more of a mixed-bag. Seventy-percent of seventh grade students tested proficient, up from 57 the year before and within three points of the state average. However, fewer third, sixth, eighth, and eleventh grade students were proficient in 2014-2015 than the previous year, by a few percentage points in each case. Fourth grade students were the same year-over year, and fifth grade students saw a one-percent increase in proficiency. Superintendent John Hakonson said 2014-2015 was the first year of a new mathematics curriculum, and he wasnt surprised to see some of the scores dip. Again, each class failed to meet the statewide average for 2014-2015. All three tested classes (fifth, eighth, and 11th) saw an increase in science proficiency in 2014-2015 over the previous year, though still lagged far behind the state average. Writing assessments saw some of the biggest jumps year-over year. Fourth grade students improved from 50-percent proficiency to 61. Eighth grade improved to 65-percent from 48, and 11th graders improved from 50-percent to 69-perrcent proficient. Hakonson told the school board that the district has placed a lot of emphasis on improving writing skills among students in recent years, and introduced the WriteTools curriculum to help make that happen. The increases put all three classes within 10-points of the statewide average. (The 2014-2015 improvements are in comparison to 2012-2013 results, as the 2013-2014 data was invalidated by testing errors statewide.) The districts average ACT score dipped slightly, from 19.2 to 19. The statewide average was 21.5, the national average 21. For the first time, however, LPS offered juniors the opportunity to take the test at school, and many students took advantage. In light of that, school board member Cindy Benjamin said she was encouraged by the results. The number of Lexington students eligible for free and reduced price meals exceeded the statewide average by nearly 30 points (73.7 percent to 44.2). The number of LPS students learning English as a second language climbed slightly to 38-percent in 2014, and is more than six-times the statewide average (6.2 percent). Lexingtons graduation rate beat the statewide average (90.1 percent to 88.9) and school attendance rates did as well (95.6 to 95.2). The college-going rate trailed the state average by just over 11 points, with 60.2 percent of 2014-2015 LPS graduates going on to college. The average class section size for kindergarten through fifth grade is 18.3 students. For sixth through eighth grade students, the average class section is 17.5 students, For high schoolers, its 17.2 students per section. These numbers do not include special education classes, which are often much smaller, or band instruction, which would skew the numbers in the opposite direction. The minimum total credits needed for graduation is 220 (40 English, 30 Social Studies, 30 Mathematics, 80 Electives, 30 Science, and 10 Health and Physical Education). Just over a third of Lexington teachers have Masters degrees (33.7-percent), compared the 52.2 percent statewide. Hakonson said that many teachers are taking advantage of the districts tuition reimbursement program, and he hopes to see the number of teachers with Masters degrees go up in the coming years. The average LPS teacher has 11.9 years of experience, against 14.3 statewide. The district employs 452 people in full and part-time positions combined, not including substitute teachers. Teachers and specialists comprise 227.3 of those positions. Instruction is the districts largest expenditure category, representing 61.9-percent of the money spent in 2014-2015. Maintenance is the second largest category, at 15.7 percent. Per pupil expenditures went down slightly in 2014-2015 ($11,948 per student, down from $12,562 the previous year). Spending per pupil is over $300 per-year higher in Lexington than in the average Nebraska school district. General fund expenditures were up two-percent over the previous year. Lexington Public Schools receive the majority of their funds (61.9-percent) from the State of Nebraska. Local property tax dollars contribute 27.6-percent, with most of the rest coming from the federal government. Prekindergarten through high school enrollment in 2014-2015 was 2,995, the highest enrollment in the schools history, Hakonson said. Any bill that would raise Louisiana's minimum wage above the current federal minimum of $7.25 an hour would likely have to come through Riser's Labor Committee. Although the committee chairman can't kill a bill on his or her own, the chairman's support of a bill is often considered critical. But much will be determined by the makeup of other members of the committee. If Labor is stacked with those who would support an increase to minimum wage, Riser likely couldn't foil it. Riser said he believes raising the state's minimum wage above federal law could harm a fragile economy and job creation. "The Louisiana economy is struggling," Riser said. "I've not talked to any business owner who believes raising the minimum wage wouldn't harm their business. Right now the federal law is in place. It should stand." Edwards, who has targeted an increase to $8.25 an hour, also supports legislation that would require equal pay for women, which would also likely come through Labor. Riser said he isn't sure whether or not he could support such a bill. "It depends on how it's presented," Riser said. When John Bel Edwards gave his first speech as governor of Louisiana Monday morning (Jan. 11), he rightly focused on the poor people of this state. "We talk a lot about our abundant natural resources, but we need to talk more about the most precious natural resource God has entrusted to us our children. In Louisiana, one in four school-aged children live in poverty," he said. "That's unacceptable, and it MUST change." Edwards linked that poverty to the struggle women in this state have getting a decent pay check. And he linked that poverty to the struggle that young people have paying the cost of skyrocketing tuition at our public universities. And, indirectly, he linked poverty in the state to his predecessor's refusal to accept the Medicaid expansion made possible by the passage of the Affordable Care Act. He vowed to accept the expansion immediately so our residents won't be going without while our taxes help pay for Medicaid expansion in 30 other states. Edwards is only asking for $8.25. Obviously nowhere near enough but, as LaToya Cantrell might say , "something is better than nothing." The chair of the Senate labor committee, though, thinks nothing is better than something. How would he like it "presented?" Powerpoint? A wax-sealed envelope? Maybe Jay Dardenne can bring it over in some sort of singing telegram format. Jarvis DeBerry's column today is about the Governor's acknowledgement in his innaugural address that the state needs to do something about poverty.Republican legislators, meanwhile, are starting things off bucking the Governor's priorities and thumbing their noses at the poor. Coming Books Expect a book on what's important to us about fishing by Bruce Edward Litton sometime in the future. Earlier yet, a book on trout fishing. About Me Louis Rozario Doss I attended St.Michael;s Institution ,Ipoh, Malaysia and St Anthony's Secondary School ,Teluk Intan. (1956- 1967).It was one of the wisest decisions made by my parents .Next to my parents, my two schools have the strongest claim to everything that has made what I am today. My principals and teachers were educators par excellence..Among these great persons I would include Brother Ultan Paul,Brother Vincent Corkery, Brother Casimir Hannon,Brother Damian Oliver and Mr Eric Gomez. What stands out in all of them was a selfless zeal for the education of young people. I hope and pray that I can be counted one day among this band of brothers to all. I also remember with great affection and reverence two of my professors at the University of Malaya where I read for my degree in English - Prof Lloyd Fernando and Prof Syed Nazir Raza Kazmi. My dearest wife Julianna and my two sons -Vinobha Anthony and Noel Ramesh inhabit and enliven the very private world in which I now spend my days. View my complete profile Mumbai: As RBI chides banks to act tough on bad debts, Governor Raghuram Rajan has asked his colleagues to ensure that the central bank is not seen as mere "paper tiger" and even rich and powerful wrong-doers are not spared. He also wondered whether there was a need to be "more intolerant of sloppy practices at regulated entities, so that these do not result in massive scams years later?" In his New Year message to all RBI employees, the academic-turned-central banker said the country is often described as "a weak state". "Not only are we accused of not having the administrative capacity of ferreting out wrongdoing, we do not punish the wrong-doer -- unless he is small and weak. "This belief feeds on itself. No one wants to go after the rich and well-connected wrong-doer, which means they get away with even more. If we are to have strong sustainable growth, this culture of impunity should stop," Rajan wrote in a 5-page letter to the 16,800-strong RBI staff. However, he was quick to add that "this does not mean being against riches or business, as some would like to portray, but being against wrong doing". Calling for strong and concerted action from and by them, Rajan, who has been chasing banks to arrest the rising tide of defaults by large borrowers, said RBI cannot and should not be seen as a 'paper tiger'. "My sense is that we need a continuing conversation about tightening both detection as well as penalties for non-compliance throughout the hierarchy. We cannot be seen as a paper tiger," Rajan wrote in the 2,500-word letter. "As the premier and most respected regulator in the country, we should take the lead. We have motivated staff with the highest integrity at every level. Yet there is a sense that we do not enforce compliance," he said. Rajan also asked whether RBI was allowing regulated entities to get away year after year with poor practices even though these are noted during inspections or scrutinies? "Should we haul up accountants who do not flag issues they should detect?" he wondered. Rajan, who has set a March 2017 deadline to banks to clean up their balance sheets which are mired in a bad loan mount of close to Rs 4 lakh crore, said RBI is changing its attitude towards compliance, but this is 'work in progress'. The central bank has also identified as many as top 150 defaulters and asked banks to set aside more funds as provisions on one hand and on the other chase them and make them pay up. Calling for a more responsible behaviour from his staff, Rajan went on to point out that "if we demand more of the regulated, we should not be found wanting ourselves. "As with all organisations, we are reliant on a few stalwarts who carry the organisation on their broad shoulders. These are the best performers." In his letter, the noted academic and monetary economist also emphasied on improving the channels of communication within the Mint Road and with the larger world outside. "We should get ahead of the press, rather than be reactive. If we want to highlight achievements or regulations, we should prepare a press release to focus the press on what is important- with the release getting to the point quickly rather than starting with pages of irrelevant history. "Press releases are best done at or before 5.30 pm if we want them to show up in the papers the next day. Beyond that, reporters do not have the time to write copy for the next day, and the news is too old for the day after," the Governor said. Rajan also asked the RBI employees to be flexible, adapt to all the circumstances and should be willing to seize all the opportunities that are thrown up by an expanding economy. "Going forward, we need to create regulatory capacity to monitor new entities like the Internet market places that are also getting into lending," he said. The Governor said with changing time there is a need to maintain transparency and good governance. "Transparency and good governance are ways to protect ourselves from roving enquiries - everyone should recognise that an effective regulator has enemies, and like Caesar's wife, should be above all suspicion," he said. Rajan said the coming year will be focused on revamping human resources department's efforts to assess individual needs and career plans and provide the necessary skill building. "We want more of one's career in the Bank to be self-driven rather than driven by the needs of the Bank - though a mix of the two will always be inevitable, it is best when the two coincide," he noted. Rajan has also lauded the employees for donating significant amount to the various tragedies that have recently hit the country. "While it would be hard to argue that our profits, net of reserves, belong to anybody other than the government, which is already in the business of public and community service, we can conduct CSR out of our own personal funds," he said. Asking his staff to be maintain a student like curiosity, Rajan rued that "as I sit through promotion interviews, I am worried that people are losing curiosity, the desire to learn and improve themselves. I am concerned that some people do not read outside the papers that come across their desk, that they have no idea of other branches of the Bank and their work, let alone the wider world. "We emphasise specialisation, but that does not mean there is no need to read the newspapers, let alone magazines and books. This has to change if the organisation is to remain vibrant. In complacency and self-satisfaction lies a slow descent into mediocrity," Rajan concluded. PTI By Shashank ND Entrepreneurship was a word unheard in my childhood. Until I was in the second year of college, I never knew of this concept. This cannot happen today if India has to participate in the global start-up race. The government could even consider including entrepreneurship in the school curriculum to make kids familiar with the concept at an early stage. There is hope surrounding Prime Minister, Narendra Modi's Start Up India Stand Up India initiative as this can offer the much needed impetus to local entrepreneurs. But, the catch here is the bureaucratic and regulatory red tape that slow down the process. The government should address this issue to make it easier for small businessmen to set up businesses. The very fact that PM has accommodated the idea of start-ups among the top priorities of the NDA-government is a significant psychological booster for small entrepreneurs, enabling the segment attract fresh talent to the start-up world. India has the benefit of demographic dividend and is best known for its talented, hard-working human resources. We do not only have success stories in the Silicon Valley but there are many such in the country itself. In the evolving scenario, there are more Indians now willing to stay back in India and contribute to the local start up industry. In simple words, Practo acts as a bridge between patients and healthcare centers. Practo literally means Practice Online.We want doctors to bring their practice online. This is a reality because of widespread usage of mobile phones and internet connectivity in the country. Since our inception in 2008, on an annual basis Practo is serving close to 5 crore people. The whole idea is to bring healthcare into the digital era. To enable people make better healthcare decisions, weve built Practo Ray - our cloud-based clinic management software that helps doctors manage millions of patients every month. Another product, Practo Search, helps patients easily find the right doctors . Red tapes still a worry For the start-up industry to gain momentum, the government should urgently address certain issues. For instance, in case if a business doesn't work for an entrepreneur in India, it is very difficult for him to shut his business and try something afresh, mainly because the regulatory system is laborious. If this issue is solved with easier processes, the same entrepreneur will be able to start-up more. Secondly, availing bank funding is a key challenge. Banks are still averse to offer finance to start-ups. On the other hand, it is still difficult for smaller start-ups to access private capital for obvious reasons. One of the reasons why banks' doors are closed to start ups is the collateral requirement, which a company in its nascent stage will find it difficult to comply. Even the infrastructure bottlenecks in the country is severe. For instance, Bengaluru is touted as the start-up capital in the country, but on a closer look, one can see that the city's infrastructure is quite inadequate in the backdrop of traffic congestion and high pollution levels. The situation is same in many other cities. This shows that, there hasn't been much change on the ground. Unless these issues are resolved, companies cannot hope to attract quality talent. There are a few things the government could do to change the outlook on Indian start ups. These include providing these firms seamless access to free internet, good infrastructure and create special zones to operate. To sum up, the government needs to address the structural bottlenecks that are paving major roadblocks for young, aspiring entrepreneurs to venture into the start up space. If the government acts right, India can emerge to the top spot as a global start-up hub among the emerging economies. (The author is Founder & CEO, Practo) New Delhi: A Delhi-bound Air India flight, with 325 passengers on board, on Tuesday landed under emergency conditions at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi after the commander reported low pressure in one of the aircraft's tyres, airport sources said. All the passengers are safe, an Air India official said. The AI flight AI 102 from New York's JFK airport landed in New Delhi seven minutes ahead of the scheduled time of 1450 hours, the AI official said. It was a "precautionary" landing, the official said, adding that the commander of the Boeing 777-300ER plane asked for landing ahead of the scheduled time after he detected low pressure in one of the tyres. The airport sources said the landing took place under emergency conditions. PTI Editor's Note: This piece was originally published in December 2015. With protests on Thursday by women seeking entry into a restricted area of the Haji Ali dargah in Mumbai amid a campaign by a group seeking rights for female devotees to offer prayers at inner sanctum of Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra, it's worth revisiting the views of the women who filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court to fight the ban. by Dr Noorjehan Safia Niaz and Zakia Soman Haji Ali dargah is a landmark in Mumbai city. Scores of women and men visit it daily from Mumbai, from across the country and the world. The Dargah is the tomb of Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, the patron saint of Mumbai. Many of us have grown up with memories of visits to the dargah with our families. As girls, we entered the mazaar (inner sanctum where the saint lies buried) from a separate entrance earmarked only for women to offer prayers, however this was true only in the past. We got a rude shock in June 2012 when a group of us women visited the Dargah. We discovered that a steel barricade was put up to prevent our entry into the inner sanctum. We were not going to accept this discrimination. We decided to meet with the keepers of the Dargah to sort out this situation. After all, some of us had offered prayers in the mazaar just the previous year. We wondered what changed that necessitated a bar on our entry! Soon we met with the President of the dargah Trust and sought a response on why we were disallowed entry. We were given ridiculous and sexist reasons pertaining to the dressing of women on account of which they decided to ban women: "Unko unke pallu ka hosh nahi rahta hai" (they don't even know how to manage their own clothing), we were told. He went on to say that the decision was for the safety and security of women and that it was being done in accordance with the Shariat. He had no answers when it was pointed out that how come we have always been allowed so far and why the sudden change? How is it that we are able to enter the inner sanctum in so many other dargahs in Mumbai and elsewhere in India? We decided to pursue the matter as it is of utmost significance for Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan to fight this gender-based discrimination we did not wish to accept this arbitrary application of Shariat. We started by contacting various authorities to look into this matter. We made a representation to the State Minorities Commission. We sent out similar letters seeking intervention for gender justice to the National Commission for Women, Maharashtra State Commission for Women, Chief Minister of Maharashtra as well as a few sitting ministers. We also personally met with several concerned officials to resolve this matter. The Secretary of the State Minorities Department arranged a meeting between us, the dargah trustees and some others. Her efforts were in vain as nobody from the dargah trust turned up for this meeting. Following our request, letters were issued by different commissions to the Trust to resolve the matter. Letters were sent by us too. All these efforts at resolving the matter through discussion and dialogue were thwarted by non-cooperation of the Trust. They seem to be in clear denial of the discrimination. In March 2014, we received a received a letter from the State Minorities Commission stating that the matter is beyond its jurisdiction. In short, the women continue to be barred from entering the inner sanctum of the Dargah. This raises several concerns. Discrimination cannot be passed off as Islamic. To us it is clear that denying access to women to the mazaar is a violation of the Quranic principles of justice and fairness. Men and women are equal in Islam; this discrimination must be challenged. Additionally, it infringes upon our fundamental rights as guaranteed by the Constitution of India. This ban on women is also against the essence of Sufism; love, compassion and humanity. It goes against the spirit of syncretism and inclusiveness that signifies the teachings of Sufi saints. Our Sufi shrines are living examples of harmony and plural traditions in our society. Today Muslim women are barred, who is next? There cannot be a greater disservice to the spirit of Sufism; the Pir would certainly not approve. Clearly, a conservative and extremist Salafi ideology seems to be at work here. At all shrines, female devotees have an equal right of entry and access to all parts including the mazaar on par with the male devotees. We need to ask whether the right to religious freedom as guaranteed by the Constitution applies only to men? Arent the Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution of India meant for men and women both? This ban on entry amounts to discrimination against women and is in violation of womens rights to equality under Article 14. It also violates the right against discrimination on the ground of sex alone under Article 15 of the Constitution. However, this discrimination is not faced by Muslim women alone. Hindu women too are discriminated in places of worship such as Sabarimala temple and Shani mandir more recently. It would be relevant here to refer to the judgment of the Honourable Supreme Court in the matter of N Adithayan vs Travancore Devaswom Board and others in 2002. The apex Court held that there was no justification for permitting only the Brahmins to carry out the necessary rites and rituals as priests only on the ground that traditionally the rites and rituals were carried out by them. After referring to several judgments dealing with the rights guaranteed under Articles 25 and 26, the Honourable Supreme Court came to the conclusion that any custom of restricting functions of priests or poojaris to Brahmins only, is in violation of human rights, human dignity, concept of social equality and the specific mandate of the Constitution and could not be considered as an integral part of the Hindu religion. The message from this judgment is clear. All citizens are equal and no class of citizens can be discriminated based on caste or gender or religion. The ban on womens entry into the Haji Ali mazaar is unacceptable. It goes against the Islamic spirit of justice. It negates the essence of Sufi ruhaniyat (spirituality). It is a clear violation of fundamental rights of women as guaranteed by the Constitution. The authors are co-founders of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan On Monday, the Supreme Court hearing a plea by the Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association seeking chemical castration of child rapists, said that it favoured tougher punishments for sex offenders. Supreme Court Justices Dipak Misra and NV Ramana, however, said that while they were definitely in favour of stricter laws to punish sex offenders, the court doesn't have the reach to rule on allowing for harsher measures such as chemical castration. The Times of India reported that the Supreme Court called child rape cases as atrocious and inconceivable, but said that changing the law to make for harsher punishment was up to the Parliament. Calls for chemical castration as punishment for sex offenders came about with renewed energy after the 2012 Delhi gangrape. The draft bill proposed to the Justice Verma Committee for strengthening laws to punish sexual offenders included a proposal for chemical castration of convicted rapists in rare cases. According to a report on DW, senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu had then welcomed maximum punishment to rapists, death penalty or emasculation and the National Commission for Women chairperson Mamta Sharma said that the offenders should be chemically castrated so that they stay alive with a vital part of their body dead. What is chemical castration? Chemical castration reduces offenders testosterone levels and the sex drive is lowered with the help of drugs. According to Jodi O Brien, author of Encyclopaedia of Gender and Society, throughout history chemical castration has had cultural, moral and punitive significance. Merill D. Smith observes in Encyclopaedia of Rape that castration was an eye-to-eye style punishment in Rome and had historically been used in India as a sentence for rape and adultery and also notes that castration in the religious context is fairly common. The rationale behind using castration as punishment for sex offenders in the contemporary context, according to Smith is that reduced testosterone would lead to reduced libido and therefore reduced deviant sexual activity. Chemical castration: Examples from other countries Countries like UK, Germany, South Korea, Poland, Indonesia; the Nordic and Scandinavian countries; and states in the US such as Florida, California and Louisiana, have enforced chemical castration as punishment in special sexual offending cases. In the US, according to ABC News, state prison officials administer anti-depressants to offenders in order to reduce their sexual urges. In fact, repeat offenders in some US states have even asked for chemical/surgical castrations as pleas for reduced sentences. In the UK, The Mirror reported that 100 sex offenders underwent chemical castration a report widely discussed by The Guardian. The Mirror reported that the scheme was voluntary and is backed by the government. The UK Ministry of Justice is quoted by The Guardian as saying, We support the use of pharmaceutical interventions for high risk sex offenders given the evidence that it can be useful in reducing risk for some perpetrators. In 2013, South Koreas National Assembly passed amendments to their sex crime-related laws allowing local courts to order heinous repeat offenders to be subject to chemical castration. Divided opinions Those in support of chemical castration as punishment say that the recidivism rate in sex crimes is high. Perhaps, one of the most effective ways is chemical castration and that it is good enough reason for the punishment to exist. Abha Singh, a womens rights activist in an interview with ANI, said that child molesters and rapists should be chemically castrated. She says that there has been a 150 percent increase in the incidents of rape against children, there was an 18-month old who was raped in Uttar Pradesh just recently, this is the reason we have put forth a PIL seeking strict measures. Abha Singh also mentioned that serial offenders have psychological problems for which only chemical castration stands as a possible solution. Swati Maliwal, Delhi Commission for Women said that when despicable and repulsive acts occur, strict measures must be taken. She added that she welcomes the Supreme Courts move in endorsing chemical castration and urged the Parliament to discuss this issue with seriousness so that repeat offending is curbed. Another argument in favour of chemical castration is that unlike surgical castration, it is non-invasive and reversible and at the same time tackles the problem of sexual urges leading to sex crimes. However, critics argue that chemical castration is only effective when viewed through the lens of biology. Robert Philips, medical deputy director of the American Psychiatry Association in 1996 in an article, Will Chemical Castration Stop Sex Offender, observed that the problem of sex offence is not only rooted in high sexual appetite but in deviant predatory behaviour. The calls for castration are rooted in the limiting framework of rape that links it only to a sexual act and ignores the ideas backed by many experts on gender and criminology, (Ann Cahill, Catherine Mac Kinnon, James W Messerschmidt) that rape is indeed about domination and in most cases, rape is a physical manifestation of anger, humiliation and degradation. Chemical castration links a heinous crime (that stems from various embedded social, cultural norms) to the penis/sexual function this is reductive. As far as the efficacy of the drugs and chemicals in reducing sexual urges is concerned, Katherina Amlin argues that administering drugs like Depo-Provera is ineffective and paedophiles will not be cured by drug therapy. Experts also argue that an evaluation must be made before admitting an offender for castration clinical evaluation along with psychological tests, polygraph tests to understand on a case by case basis to predict recidivism. The Justice Verma Committee also rejected the proposal to include chemical castration because it deemed it as unconstitutional and inconsistent with human rights. Author Ben Carson in Abnormal Psychology says that paedophilia and paedophiles should not be seen as dangerous, violent, inhuman creatures but that it is upto society to recognise their flaws and understand their mental anguish and torment and then subject them to necessary restrictions. Once upon a time in France, there lived a man called Charles Perrault. He gave us the stories we grew up reading Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, Mother Goose, The Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. And Google is celebrating his birthday, how they do best with a Google Doodle. Born in 1628, Perrault studied law and became an advisor in the court of King Louis XV in the 17th century. Perrault, surprisingly started writing his stories only after he retired. Most his works, however, were inspired by folklore, sprinkled with modern twists. He wrote a book called Histoires ou Contes du Temps passe (Tales and Stories of the Past With Morals), with the famous subtitle "Tales of Mother Goose" after loosing his job at the age of 67, reports The Mirror According to TIME, Perrault became a true pioneer of storytelling because he put them in the written form, something that was not an everyday thing at that time. Google writes in its Doodle archive, "Perrault borrowed basic plots and the familiar opening "once upon a time" (il etait une fois) from traditional stories told aloud, while modernizing them with both fashionable embellishments and the very act of putting them into writing. (The publication of the tales coincides with the rise of the modern novel: they came after Don Quixote and La Princesse de Cleves, but before Robinson Crusoe and Tom Jones)." The doodles, tableaux for Perrault's stories Mother Goose, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Puss in Boots were created by artist Sophie Diao. Bhopal: In the backdrop of Pathankot air base terror attack, Shiv Sena leader and Union Minister Anant Geete on Tuesday said his party has always maintained that as long as cross border terrorism exists, the government should not hold any dialogue with Pakistan. "I am a Shiv Sainik. I am also a part of the government. 'Sarkar jo bhi nirnaya karegi, Shiv Sena saath rahegi' (Whatever decision the government takes, Shiv Sena will be with it)," the Union Heavy Industries Minister said replying to a query. "We (Shiv Sena) have maintained that as long as cross border terrorism does not end, the government should not hold any dialogue with Pakistan. I strongly condemn this attack," Geete said after visiting Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited's (BHEL) Bhopal unit, but clarified that it is the stand of Shiv Sena. However, he said, "We (NDA Government) are determined that such incidents should not recur in future as it is concerned with country's security, which is paramount for this government." Answering a query, he said that if Balasahab Thackeray was alive, he would have given a befitting reply in his own language in such a situation. But a government has to function like a government. Whatever decision it has to take, the Prime Minister will take it in the national interest, he said. "My party and I believe that there should be no compromise on country's security," he said. Referring to economic crisis in China, he said that the communist nation has tried to capture the world market and this was bound to happen. It will have its impact on India also for sometime, but in the longer run it will be good for the country, he added. PTI New Delhi: A BJP delegation, headed by party general secretary and in-charge of West Bengal Kailash Vijayavargiya, will meet Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday evening over West Bengal's Malda violence. The BJP leaders would seek investigation by an appropriate agency into the violence in Kaliachak on 3 January in which a mob set afire a police station and a dozen-odd vehicles. The BJP on Monday had said the Malda violence was a "planned action and not a communal reaction". IANS Surat: Referring to the recent violence and communal tension in Malda district of West Bengal, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday said discussions on communal issues cannot be one-sided. Addressing a press conference in Surat, Javadekar criticised the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for not allowing BJP's fact-finding team to visit the area. "In Malda, state police acted like mute spectators when thousands of locals attacked BSF posts. Though this entire issue is communal, state government has refused to intervene. "The state government also stopped our team from going there. We condemn this step as it was undemocratic... We believe that discussions on communal issues should not be one-sided. Strict action must be taken in this incident," he said. Javadekar claimed that the Union Government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was doing a very good job of ushering in a corruption-free regime. Asked about reasons for BJP's debacle in Bihar Assembly polls and local body polls in rural Gujarat, Javadekar said the party didn't lose because people did not like the performance of Modi government. "In Bihar, three parties which used to fight independently earlier came together this time. That is the only reason we lost. There is no other reason. Local body polls are fought on local issues and we do not take them into consideration," he said. PTI Istanbul, Turkey : Following is a list of the worst bomb attacks in Turkey since 1982: -- 7 August, 1982: A bomb at Ankara airport followed by a gun battle leaves 11 dead and 63 injured. The attack is claimed by the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA). -- 6 September, 1986: A twin suicide bombing claimed by Islamic Jihad kills 22 people at the Neve Shalom synagogue in Istanbul. -- 25 December, 1991: Explosives and firebombs are hurled at a department store in Istanbul, killing 17 people and injuring 23 others. The attack is blamed on the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). -- 13 March, 1999: Twelve dead in a firebomb attack on a shopping mall in Istanbul. The attack is claimed by the PKK, but the rebel group later retracts its claim. -- 15 and 20 November, 2003: Four suicide car bomb attacks in Istanbul hit two synagogues, the British consulate and a branch of the British multinational bank HSBC, leaving 63 dead, including Britain's consul general Roger Short, and hundreds wounded. The attacks are claimed by Al-Qaeda and a Turkish extremist group named the Islamic Front of Raiders of the Great Orient. -- 12 September, 2006: Ten people, including seven children, are killed in a powerful bomb blast in Diyarbakir, the largest city in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast. Kurdish rebels deny involvement. -- 27 July, 2008: Two bombings in Istanbul leave 17 dead and 115 wounded. The authorities blame the PKK. -- 11 February, 2013: 17 people are killed when a Syrian minibus explodes barely 40 metres (yards) into the buffer zone of the Cilvegozu border crossing with Syria in the Turkish town of Reyhanli. -- 11 May, 2013: A twin car bomb attack kills 52 people in Reyhanli. Ankara blames pro-Damascus groups. -- 20 July, 2015: 34 people are killed and around 100 injured in a suicide bombing in the predominantly-Kurdish town of Suruc near the border with Syria. Turkish officials blame the Islamic State group. -- 10 October, 2015: 103 people are killed and more than 500 wounded in a twin suicide bombing targeting a crowd of leftist and pro-Kurdish activists at a peace rally in Ankara. The government blames the attack -- the deadliest ever on Turkish soil -- on IS. -- 12 January , 2016: Ten people, mostly foreigners, are killed and 15 wounded in a suicide attack by a Syrian bomber in Istanbul's Sultanahmet district, the tourist heart of the city. AFP Washington: In its biggest such operation, the US has destroyed a cash storage facility of the Islamic State in Iraq's Mosul city where the terror group had stored "millions" to pay its operatives and for ongoing operations. The US dropped two 2,000-pound (900-kilogramme) bombs on Sunday in central Mosul destroying the building containing huge amounts of cash, CNN quoted two American defence officials as saying. The officials could not say exactly how much money was there or in what currency, but one described it as "millions." The officials said the US plans to strike more financial targets like this one to take away IS' ability to function as a state-like entity. This is a similar expansion to the target list as happened several weeks ago, when US warplanes began hitting IS oil trucks. The defense official said the coalition had targeted cash-holding facilities once or twice in the past year, but Sunday's action was "probably" the biggest to date. The US considers the Mosul strike extremely sensitive, as the building is in an area where civilians are also located, and there was a significant risk of civilian casualties. Officials would not say how the US learned of the location. But after getting intelligence about the so-called "cash collection and distribution point," US aircraft and drones watched the site for days trying to determine when the fewest number of civilians would be in the area. Because civilians were nearby during the daylight hours, and IS personnel were working there at night, the decision was made to strike at dawn on Sunday. US commanders had been willing to consider up to 50 civilian casualties from the airstrike due to the importance of the target. But the initial post-attack assessment indicated that perhaps five to seven people were killed, the report said. PTI Pakistani military officers were involved in the attack on the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif in which assailants attempted to storm the mission building, a senior Afghan police official said today. This attack in Afghanistan ties in with the dateline of the attack by 6 Pakistani terrorists on an airbase in India's Pathankot in the early hours of 1 January. Seven Indian soldiers were killed in Pathankot, India has handed over "evidence" of Pakistani terror group JeM's involvement. Given what India knows about the Pathankot attacks and new information on the Kabul attacks, the scheduled foreign secretary level talks may be postponed by a few days or a few weeks, sources told The Indian Express. Intelligence sources say Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar has been identified as the mastermind of the attack, with key roles played by Abdul Rauf Asghar, Maulana Ashfaq Ahmad, Hafiz Abdul Shakoor and Kasim Jan. News of Pakistan Amry involvement in the Afghan attack comes on the same day India's Home Minister Rajnath Singh said there is no reason to distrust Pakistan's assurance of "effective action" against the Pathankot attackers. "We saw with our own eyes and I can say 99 percent that those attackers were from Pakistani military and used special tactics while conducting their operation," Sayed Kamal Sadat, police chief of the Balkh province, said of last week's attack in Mazar-e-Sharif. The Indian Express reports that four terrorists who attacked Indias consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif Sunday left behind graffiti written in their own blood stating that their mission was intended to avenge Afzal Guru, the J&K resident hanged in 2013 for his role in the December 13, 2000 attack on Parliament House in New Delhi, Afghan police sources said. Police special forces killed the attackers after a 25-hour siege. Sadat said the attackers -- officers from across the border -- were well-trained military men who fought Afghan security forces in the 25-hour siege. "The attackers were military personnel. They were educated and well prepared and had intelligence. They fought us and only by Allah's grace were we able to control them and eliminate them," Sadat was quoted as saying by Tolo News. The police official said efforts were underway to track down, identify and detain those who assisted the attackers to gain access to the building that was opposite the Indian Consulate. "We are jointly working with the NDS director and have spoken about this - especially as they came here not able to speak in Dari or Pashtu but speaking in Urdu. It means obviously there is someone who guided those attackers and helped the attackers," Sadat said. An intense gun-battle between security forces and the attackers took place outside the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif after assailants attempted to storm the mission building on 3 January. The standoff ended on the night of 4 January after the attackers who entered the building opposite the Indian Consulate were killed. One police solider also lost his life and nine others including three civilians were wounded in the incident. As the Consulate came under attack, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) guards deployed on the sentry post foiled their attempt by raining heavy fire on them. A strong contingent of over four-dozen ITBP commandos has been securing this facility from 2008 apart from three other missions in the country and the main Embassy in the capital, Kabul. The security of these sensitive facilities was recently heightened after the ITBP deployed over 35 commandos at Indian missions in Kabul, Jalalabad, Herat, Kandhar and Mazar-e-Sharif. With inputs from PTI Islamabad: Pakistan's paramilitary Rangers force raided the home of a New York Times journalist on Tuesday, sparking a wave of criticism on social media and prompting an investigation by the interior ministry. Journalist Salman Masood live-tweeted the search, fuelling outrage by other users who questioned why authorities would target members of the international media while, as user a_siab put it, "turning a blind eye to activities of banned terrorist outfits". Masood, a correspondent at the newspaper, told AFP that at least six Rangers arrived at his home around 7.30 am "in search of a suspect". When he refused to let them in without a warrant, they left, but returned later with an officer and inspected the home for a few minutes without removing anything. He said at least one other house in the neighbourhood also appeared to have been searched, and that when he tried to introduce himself, they "weren't keen" on knowing who he was. "Such raids and activities are not acceptable," a government statement quoted Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar as saying. The ministry has been asked to investigate who ordered the raid and why, the statement said. Police raids and anti-militant operations are common in Islamabad, with the capital criss-crossed by Rangers and other security force units. But it is unclear if the search of Masood's home was a routine operation, as stated by police, or if it was an attempt to intimidate the journalist -- which Human Rights Watch lawyer Saroop Ijaz said was a "distinct possibility". Either way, Ijaz told AFP, it was not acceptable to deprive someone of the fundamental right to privacy. Ijaz also recalled "the long history of Pakistani security forces using strong arm tactics against the press, and their history with New York Times". In 2013 New York Times bureau chief Declan Walsh was expelled from the country for unspecified "undesirable activities". The press in general comes under regular attack in Pakistan, where more than 70 journalists have been killed in the line of duty since 2001, according to the UN. It ranked the country among the worst for unresolved cases of violence against the media. AFP Manila, Philippines: The Philippine Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday a security accord with the United States was legal, allowing more US forces into the former American colony as it seeks to counter Chinese expansion in the South China Sea. The 10-year agreement, signed in 2014 but not implemented due to legal challenges, will see more US troops and warships rotate through the Philippines, and the hosts will receive help in building military facilities. Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te said the accord was upheld with a 10-4 vote, ruling that President Benigno Aquino's government had the authority to sign the pact and did not need congressional approval. The pact "is a mere implementation of existing laws and treaties", Te said. Aquino negotiated the accord to help the Philippines improve its military capabilities and draw the United States closer, partly to counter a fast-expanding Chinese presence in disputed parts of the South China Sea. US President Barack Obama also pushed hard for the Enhanced Defense Co-operation Agreement (EDCA) as part of his so-called strategic "pivot" to Asia that has involved strengthening the American military presence in the region. However it faced immediate legal challenges from groups opposed to US military involvement in the Philippines, a US colony from 1898 to 1946. The Philippines hosted two of the largest overseas US military bases until 1992, the year after the Philippine Senate voted to end the leases in the face of strong anti-US sentiment. Philippine military chief General Hernando Iriberri immediately welcomed Tuesday's ruling, saying the accord would help the country address short-term "capability gaps" and modernise its armed forces. Iriberri also emphasised the pact would help the Philippines "maintain maritime security", a term commonly used when referring to efforts to contain China's expansion in the sea. The US embassy in Manila also hailed the decision. "EDCA is a mutually beneficial agreement that will enhance our ability to provide rapid humanitarian assistance and help build capacity for the Armed Forces of the Philippines," a statement said. Anti-US anger However opponents quickly voiced their concern. "The government may have wantonly surrendered our national sovereignty to the US but the Filipino people will continue to fight for it," said League of Filipino Students chairperson Charisse Banez. "We will not allow the return of US bases in the country and its reoccupation of the Philippines." Filipino and US embassy officials declined to give details on Tuesday as to how quickly the pact would be implemented, or specifics such as which bases would be used by the Americans. But Filipino officials previously said the United States would be offered access to key bases, including those facing the South China Sea that would allow rapid deployment into the waters. The Philippines and the United States are already bound by a mutual defence treaty signed in 1951 and a visiting forces agreement signed in 1998. The Philippines, which has one of Asia's weakest armed forces, has for decades heavily relied on US military aid for weapons and training. And thousands of American troops pass through the country for regular war games that are authorised under the 1998 agreement. US navy ships also often make port calls. But in recent years the tensions with China have seen Aquino's government seek even greater US military and diplomatic support. China claims almost all of the South China Sea, despite conflicting claims from the Philippines as well as Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei. In April 2012, after a tense stand-off with Philippine ships, Chinese vessels took control of a shoal just 220 kilometres (135 miles) off the main Philippine island of Luzon. The Philippines has since become the most vocal critic of China's efforts to claim the waters, including its strategy of turning islets into artificial islands that can host military facilities. With its own armed forces unable to counter China, the Philippines had no choice but to draw in the United States and its allies such as Japan, according to security analyst Rodolfo Mendoza. "Our only option is partnership with the US and other allies," Mendoza told AFP. AFP Americas youngest governor, Nikki Haley, 43, will belt out what will certainly be a strident Republican response in an election year to Barack Obamas final State of the Union address 12 January 9 pm EST. Nikki Haley is South Carolina governor, she took office in 2010 and won a resounding re-election in 2014. The state of the union rebuttal - a job usually handed to an up and coming politician who has the confidence of party elders, is a rotten assignment when youre up against a rock star black American president whose rousing speeches on race and guns are the stuff of political legend. Not screwing up is a good starting block. Rewinding to some of the memorable rebuttals of the Obama years shows just what a punishing task this one will be. In his last high profile speech before leaving an empty chair, Obama will give voice to themes that Democrats can embrace in their battle to regain control of Congress. In Haley, the Republicans believe they have found a counterweight to their richest tin drum - Trump. "If you want to hear a woman who is a visionary, who has a path for the future, it is Nikki Haley, says Ryan. A deafening buzz has begun that Haley will join a potential Republican administration in 2017. The superlatives flow freely as the Republicans desperately search for a name who can mirror the diversity they are desperately seeking to headline in a most volatile US election campaign driven by right wing fear mongering, especially by their very own Donald. Haleys credentials include staunch and consistent criticism of Obamas policies - a distaste that unites the Republican controlled Congress and resonates well with the grandees. Nikki Haley was born Nimrata Randhawa to Indian immigrants in Bamberg, South Carolina. A New York Times story talks about the time when her parents entered Nikki and sister Simran in the Little Miss Bamberg pageant, the judges of the contest - which crowned one black queen and one white queen, disqualified the Randhawa sisters but not before Nikki sang 'This Land Is Your Land.' Haley's parents ran a clothing store in Columbia, where Nikki, raised as a Sikh, began working at age 13. Haley met her husband Micheal at Clemson University. After marrying in both Sikh and Methodist ceremonies. Haley was baptized into the Methodist Church and now identifies as Christian. Elected to the state Legislature in 2004, Haley is not just the first top female official of South Carolina but also its first minority governor. Haley lends credibility to the Republicans tortured attempt to prove that they retain appeal among women, minorities, and younger voters a vote bank that powered Obama to the presidency twice, even more resounding in his second term. Indian American voters played a stellar role in propelling Obama's second term. After a deadly shooting at a black church in Charleston last summer, Haley won sweeping applause by calling for removal of the Confederate flag from state capitol grounds a rare moment when Obama and Haley seemed to share a common vision. Despite stumbling in her early years as governor of South Carolina, Haley won a convincing reelection in 2014 and has stood with hardline conservatives on most issues except on the Confederate flag where she won brownie points anyway. South Carolina is one of the first Southern states to hold a primary on 27 February. For the Grand Old Party (GOP) - the local idiom for the Republicans, Haley represents a certain newness that does not contain Trumps swagger and abrasion. For Tuesday night, the non-Donald and un-Obama is good enough. 'Could Impact Pakistan's Visit to India For ODI WC': PCB Issues Statement After Jay Shah's Remark on Asia Cup T20 World Cup 2022 Preview: Dangerous Afghanistan Hope to Spring a Surprise or Two T20 World Cup: KL Rahul Plays in Very Authentic Way And is Correct Enough to Rack up the Runs - Kevin Pietersen 'It is Cheating': Ravi Shastri Puts Blame on Non-striker For Backing up And Getting Run Out A man accused of sending rape threats to women who were defending a friend from being 'slut-shamed' over her Tinder profile will fight charges in what advocates have described as a landmark case. A lawyer for Zane Alchin, 25, entered a plea of not guilty in Newtown Local Court on Tuesday to one count of using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend. Zane Alchin, pictured at an earlier court appearance, has pleaded not guilty in a Tinder 'slut-shaming' case. Credit:Nick Moir The offence carries a maximum penalty of three years' imprisonment. Mr Alchin allegedly posted violent messages threatening rape on a Facebook thread about Olivia Melville, a Sydney woman whose profile on the dating app Tinder was being pilloried online. American, British and French fighter jets have carried out a series of bombing raids over southern Iraq. The Iraqis have repeatedly breached the no-fly zone set up after the Gulf War which began almost two years ago and made a number of military raids over the border into Kuwait. The Gulf War Allies targeted missile sites and aircraft command and control bases. The air raids took place early this evening, (1700 GMT) led by American stealth fighter bombers, based in Saudi Arabia. Planes were also deployed from a US aircraft carrier in the Gulf, and British tornado bombers and French mirage jets joined the attack. Initial reports suggest the mission was successful and there were no allied casualties. The Iraqi ambassador to the UN, Nizar Hamdoon, has said the raids into Kuwait will stop. White House spokesman, Marlin Fitzwater, said: The government of Iraq should understand that continued defiance of UN security council resolutions will not be tolerated. He said if the cross-border raids continued, there would further attacks without warning. The UK Prime Minister, John Major, called the action limited and proportionate. He said it would mean British planes could once again operate in safety in the no-fly zone. The BBCs correspondent in Baghdad, Michael Macmillan, says the air raids are likely to strengthen support for Saddam Hussein. Sanctions imposed since the Gulf War are biting hard and the Iraqi people support his defiance against the West. Courtesy BBC News In context The air raids against Iraq were not repeated. However, relations between the two sides remained tense. In June, US forces launched a cruise missile attack on Iraqi intelligence headquarters in Al-Mansur district, Baghdad, in retaliation for the attempted assassination of US President, George Bush, in April. In November 1994, Iraq formally accepted the demarcation of the border with Kuwait as laid down by the UN Security Council. In March 2003 George Bushs son, George W, launched an attack on Iraq in spite of worldwide opposition to war. Within a month, President Bush was claiming victory but there was no sign of the weapons of mass destruction he claimed he was trying to eliminate. Saddam Hussein was captured in 2003 after several months in hiding, stood trial in an Iraqi court, was sentenced to death and was executed in December 2006. Power was officially handed back to Iraq by the US on 28 June 2004. Iraqs prime minister vowed yesterday to continue the fight against Islamic State militants, a day after the group launched a suicide attack on a shopping mall in the capital, Baghdad, killing 18 people. Touring the bombed and destroyed mall in the eastern Shiite- dominated area of New Baghdad, Haider al-Abadi described the attack as a desperate attempt by militants after they lost control of the key western city of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province. Iraqs government will spare no efforts to expel IS forces from the country, al-Abadi said. Gunmen stormed the Jawhara Mall on Monday after setting off a car bomb and launching a suicide attack at its entrance. Iraqi forces later surrounded the building, landing troops on the roof before clashing with attackers inside, killing two gunmen and arresting four. Along with the 18 killed, around 50 people were wounded. Shortly after the attack, IS posted an online statement saying it targeted an area where many Shiite Muslims are known to gather and warned of worse to come. The Associated Press could not immediately verify the authenticity of the statement, but its language and phrasing is consistent with past IS claims of responsibility. Shortly after the attack, a back-to-back suicide attack targeted a cafe in the town of Muqdadiyah, about 90 kilometers north of Baghdad in Diyala province, killing at least 24 people and wounding 52. And in a crowded area in southeast Baghdad, a car bomb explosion killed at least five people and wounded 12 others. All police and health officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to the media. Iraq is going through its worst crisis since the 2011 withdrawal of U.S. troops. In the summer of 2014, the Islamic State group blitzed across large swaths of the countrys north and west, capturing Iraqs second-largest city of Mosul and the majority of the western Anbar province. Last month, the group suffered a major defeat when Iraqi forces drove the extremists out of the western city of Ramadi, the capital of the sprawling Anbar province. Islamic State still controls much of northern and western Iraq. Baghdad has been almost quiet over the past few months, except for a few small attacks with bombs and assaults targeting Iraqi forces and government officials. AP The U.S. House of Representatives House pushed ahead on legislation that seeks to punish North Korea for its latest nuclear test by expanding sanctions on Pyongyang, a move with strong bipartisan support despite questions over how effective the new restrictions can be. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote today (Macau time) on the North Korea Sanctions Enforcement Act, which proposes to deny North Korea the hard currency they say it needs for its weapons programs. Holding the vote tomorrow puts it on the same day as President Barack Obamas final State of the Union address. But former State Department officials said any new sanctions wont have teeth unless China makes a major shift in policy toward its rebellious ally. Separately, a panel of experts on North Korea said existing United Nations sanctions against the reclusive country are going unenforced. The House bill is sponsored by Rep. Ed Royce, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The new sanctions would put targeted economic financial pressure on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Royce said Monday ahead of the vote, arguing that a failure to respond aggressively will embolden Pyongyang. Rep. Eliot Engel, the committees top Democrat, said Kim is on a dangerous, destabilizing course and the U.S. needs to act unilaterally to show the North Koreans that there are consequences for their actions. Royces committee unanimously approved the measure in February 2015 and it remained there until last week when North Korea announced it had conducted a fourth nuclear test this one detonating a thermonuclear device with massive destructive power. The announcement was met with doubt North Korea had set off a hydrogen bomb, which would mark a major technological advance for Pyongyangs limited nuclear arsenal. But it could take weeks or even longer to confirm or refute the claim. Yet lawmakers are pushing ahead. In the wake of the announcement, Republicans derided the Obama administration for not being more forceful in its policy toward North Korea. Royce said the administrations approach of strategic patience toward North Korea has failed to stop its nuclear program. Its uncertain what the bills prospects will be in the Senate if its passed by the House. But Sen. Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he wants the U.S. and its allies to take a more assertive role in addressing North Koreas provocation. A central part of Royces legislation is to make so-called blocking sanctions mandatory rather than discretionary as currently permitted through existing regulations. The sanctions are mandated against any country, business or individual that materially contributes to North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile development, imports luxury goods into North Korea, or engages with Pyongyang in money laundering, the manufacture of counterfeit goods, or narcotics trafficking, according to the legislation. A similar tactic was used by the Treasury Department a decade ago, Royce said, and it drained North Korea of the hard currency essential for buying the parts and supplies necessary for weapons development and missile production. Nor did Pyongyang have enough money to pay its army or police forces. But Joseph DeThomas, a former senior State Department official who advised on Iran and North Korea sanctions policy until February 2013, said new sanctions wouldnt force change in Pyongyang unless China is convinced of the strategic consequence of North Korea having nuclear weapons that could threaten America. Richard Lardner, Washington, AP CNN reports American detained by North Korean government The government of North Korea has detained a U.S. citizen on suspicion of spying, CNN reported this week. It said a man identified as Kim Dong Chul was being held by the Pyongyang government and said authorities had accused him of engaging in spying and stealing state secrets. In an interview with a CNN correspondent, Kim said he had traveled extensively in recent years between China and North Korea and had made some trips to South Korea as well. In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby said he could not confirm the report. He declined to discuss the issue further or confirm whether the U.S. was consulting with Sweden, which handles U.S. consular issues in North Korea because Washington and Pyongyang do not have diplomatic relations. We are looking into the matter, and when we have more that we can say if we have more that we can say we will, Kirby told reporters. CNN displayed Kims US passport and said he had lived in China for many years, but also had resided in Fairfax, Virginia. A Syrian suicide bomber detonated a bomb in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists yesterday, killing at least 10 people and wounding 15 others, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Erdogan said in televised remarks that both Turks and foreigners were among the dead in the explosion in the Sultanahmet district. I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Istanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber, Erdogan said. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber was a 28-year-old Syrian national. He said most of the people who died were foreigners. It was unclear whether the death toll of 10 included the alleged bomber. The explosion, which could be heard from several neighborhoods, was at a park that is home to a landmark obelisk, some 25 meters from the historic Blue Mosque. Turkeys Dogan news agency reported that at least six Germans, one Norwegian and one Peruvian were among the wounded, and Seouls Foreign Ministry told reporters via text message that one South Korean had a finger injury. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry told Norways news agency NTB that the Norwegian tourist was slightly hurt and was being treated in a local hospital. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, although the Islamic State group was suspected. Kurdish militants and left-wing groups are active in Turkey. Last year, Turkey agreed to take a more active role in the U.S.-led battle against the IS group. Turkey opened its bases to U.S. aircraft to launch air raids on the extremist group in Syria and has carried out a limited number of strikes on the group itself. It has also moved to tighten security along its 900-kilometer border with Syria in a bid to stem the flow of militants. The attack comes at a time of heightened violence between Turkeys security forces and militants linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in the countrys mostly-Kurdish southeast. The country is also dealing with more than 2 million Syrian refugees and a wave of migrants from Syria and other countries pouring across Turkey to Europe. Germany warned its citizens to avoid crowds outside tourist attractions in Istanbul, saying on a government website that further violent clashes and terrorist attacks are expected across Turkey. It also urged travelers to stay away from demonstrations and gatherings, particularly in large cities. Police sealed the area, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion, and a police helicopter hovered overhead. The Sultanahmet neighborhood is Istanbuls main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and the Haghia Sophia museum. Erdem Koroglu, who was working at a nearby office, told NTV television he saw several people on the ground following the blast. It was difficult to say who was alive or dead, Koroglu said. Buildings rattled from the force of the explosion. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu immediately convened a security meeting with the countrys interior minister and other officials. As with previous attacks, authorities imposed a news blackout, barring media from showing images of the dead or injured or reporting any details of the investigation. Lefteris Pitarakis & Suzan Fraser, Istanbul, AP Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter wants to expand the number of slots provided for Idaho students at medical schools in neighboring states through a state-sponsored program that reserves seats for Idaho residents and then encourages them to come back and practice in Idaho. While Idaho's doctor shortage is a problem acknowledged by everyone, including the governor, at his post-State of the State news conference Otter rejected the idea that the shortage of primary care physicians could stop the implementation of a proposal to extend primary care coverage to the uninsured. Otter spent a few paragraphs in his annual message on doctor recruitment, saying he wants to add five seats to the state's medical school partnership with the University of Washington, bringing it up to 40. In a separate budget presentation to the Joint Finance Appropriations Committee Tuesday morning, Division of Financial Management Administrator Jani Revier said Idaho also wants to add two more slots to a similar program it runs in partnership with the University of Utah, which would bring it up from eight to 10. Idaho doesn't have a medical school of its own. In both cases, Idaho sponsors slots at these medical schools and then helps the graduates repay their loans if they return to Idaho to practice, with the money coming from fees paid by the medical students. In his speech, Otter called this "a great investment in our students and an important step toward addressing our community needs," but acknowledged that it is "also a pipeline from which it takes years to realize benefits." "There are quicker ways to address our shortage of primary care physicians," Otter said. "So I encourage you to keep funding our physician residency slots. And we must keep attracting health care professionals by providing medical loan reimbursement incentives for primary care doctors who agree to serve our rural communities. In the meantime, I'm asking the Board of Education to work with our medical communities and higher education institutions to develop a new plan for addressing future demand for health care providers." John Ness, the CEO of Kootenai Health, told lawmakers last week that Idaho would probably need several hundred more primary care doctors to implement a $30 million plan to extend primary care coverage to the estimated 78,000 Idahoans who don't qualify either for Medicaid or for tax credits to buy insurance on the state exchange. Otter, though, said after his speech Monday that the state's doctor shortage wouldn't be such an obstacle to implementing the Primary Care Access Program. Otter said many of the uninsured who would get coverage through the program are already going to the community clinics that would take part in the program. DHW officials said the same thing last week when I asked them about it. "We're prepared for the 78,000," Otter said. BOISE Attorney General Lawrence Wasden has reached a settlement with the companies that manufacture and market 5-hour Energy products. The settlement, approved by District Judge Richard Greenwood this week, resolves a lawsuit filed by Wasden alleging Living Essentials, LLC, and Innovation Ventures, LLC, misrepresented their energy shot products, including whether consumers experience a crash after consumption and claims the products are recommended by doctors. Living Essentials and Innovation Ventures deny any violations of Idaho law. Under terms of the agreement, the companies will not represent that 5-hour Energy products have sponsorships, benefits or ingredients they dont have. Ensuring companies make accurate statements about their products is important to consumers and the marketplace, Attorney General Wasden said in a statement. Im pleased that we were able to reach a resolution of this case. Wasden filed a lawsuit in 4th District Court in May asserting violations of Idahos Consumer Protection Act and Consumer Protection Rules. Specifically, Wasden alleged the companies engaged in false, deceptive or misleading practices in advertising and promoting their products. According to the settlement, the companies, for products to be sold in Idaho, will: Ensure that any new marketing materials for 5-hour Energy products that use the word crash shall use the words no sugar crash instead. Provide on labels warnings for women who are pregnant or nursing, and that their products are not recommended for children. In any advertising campaign, only use survey data if it was created, conducted and evaluated in an objective manner by qualified people who used methods generally accepted in the profession to produce accurate and reliable results. Continue to list the amount of caffeine in products and disclose that amount as a separately listed ingredient. Not use testimonials or endorsements that do not comply with Federal Trade Commission rules. The settlement also addresses how the companies market their products to minors, Wasden said in the statement. For the next 3.5 years, the companies will not use or hire persons under the age of 18 to promote products or appear in ads. The agreement prohibits the use of the name, logo or mascot of any elementary, middle or high school in promotional materials related to products. The settlement also bars the companies from promoting products at school events and using child-oriented animated characters to market energy products. The companies will pay $9,000 to the Attorney General for fees and costs of the investigation and litigation. BOISE In 2015, Idahoans paid an average price of $2.51 for a gallon of regular grade gasoline, 11 cents more than the U.S. national average, but still the lowest annual price going back to 2009, according to AAA Idaho. Today, the U.S. average price is $1.99, while Idahos average price is $2.13. A year ago, Idahos average pump prices were vying for lowest in the country. But by mid-March they had risen to eclipse the national average a position the Gem State did not relinquish for the rest of the year, the statement says. Low oil prices suggest gasoline prices will stay low in 2016. AAA says the annual U.S. average price of gas is likely to end up between $2.25 and $2.45 per gallon. That would be cheaper or at least comparable to this years average of $2.40. Based on the historical data and accounting for the states higher fuel tax (32 cents a gallon) its reasonable to assume that Idahoans will pay a dime more than the U.S. national average price. A glut of crude oil is not likely to go away anytime soon, and regional factors resulting from planned and unplanned maintenance and repair of refineries in the U.S. are likely to have more pronounced effects on short-term spikes in gasoline prices. JEROME Idaho State Police arrested a Washington man Friday night after reportedly discovering about $45,000 worth of methamphetamine in his car. At 8:45 p.m., a state trooper stopped to assist Sergio Maldonado Farias, 38, of Monroe, Wash., who was in a 2015 Nissan passenger car on westbound Interstate 84 near milepost 170. Police said Farias gave the trooper permission to search the car where the trooper found and seized 4.5 pounds of meth. Farias was arrested and booked into the Jerome County Jail on a felony drug trafficking charge. The investigation is ongoing. Rep. Jeff Thompson ("At Idaho Legislature, Many Doubt Scientific Consensus on Global Warming," Jan. 1) seems to be arguing "I don't want electricity rates to go up, therefore climate change is not a problem and we can ignore the scientific consensus." The congressman asserts that "you can find people who believe it is not happening." Maybe he finds them at the Heartland Institute, but he will not find them in a responsible position in any independent scientific organization connected with physics, chemistry or biology anywhere in the world. There is a practical advantage in paying attention to the writing on the wall. Once I was a mainframe software engineer, and I remember a time when my colleagues doubted that people would buy personal computers. I believed they were unnecessary, unaffordable and too complicated. Of course, what I "believed" or "doubted" was irrelevant and I finally had to retool my skillset for PCs and then again later, for the Internet. Saying that climate change doesn't need a response is like saying that computers don't need to be connected. It's not a matter of belief. The future of energy is in networked, computerized, hybrid, and distributed power systems. It's happening now. If America waits too long to get on the bandwagon, Europe and China will be happy to sell the technology back to us. Many members of Congress count on industry largesse, and they will hang on to the fossil fuel era as long as they can find voters satisfied with wishful thinking. Whatever we "feel" about the science, Mother Nature is driven by the laws of physics, and she always bats last. Let's drop the obstructionism, and listen to the scientists with our own ears. It's time to expedite the future with a 100 percent revenue-neutral carbon tax. Michael Segor San Luis Obispo, Calif. The 2014 standoff at the Cliven Bundy ranch in Nevada and now the armed occupation of a federal facility in Oregon make it clear that some conservatives need an updated copy of Revolution for Dummies. Ill have to write efficiently to summarize all the Rules of Revolutionary Etiquette broken by the Bundys and their supporters this past couple of years. Think of me symbolically as the love child of Patrick Henry and Emily Post. Before we continue, I must express my dear love for the verbiage in the Declaration of Independence, which 240 years later rings every bit as true and relevant as it did originally. In our modern day course of human events, it has become abundantly clear that our government has become destructive of our foundational rights to life and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration tells us when that happens it is our right to alter or abolish it. Weve been trying the altering part for quite a while now, and were all kind of noticing that its not working very well. Which brings us to the abolish part. How does one go about sparking an effective revolution? Does it happen deliberately, or is it an organic process? Does it always require bullets and blood and armed confrontation? How many Americans with guns have a willingness to repurpose their weapons from recreation to revolution? Will militia groups be leading the charge? In fact, just who will be in charge when the guano hits the propellers? So many things to consider. Im just one guy, so take this for what its worth, but I actually DO think there are a few rules of revolutionary etiquette, and all the ones I can think of have been broken by the Bundy clan. First, have an unpolluted cause. In the Nevada standoff, Cliven Bundy was over a million dollars and years behind on his grazing fees. Most cattle ranchers pay them because they understand there are land management costs, and the taxpayers who own the land should also reap something for allowing cattle to graze. While Bundy garnered some deserved support over how the federal government harmed his ranching operation over desert tortoise habitat, it wasnt a clear-cut case. Bundys racist comments during the standoff didnt help his cause either. Next, have the support of the people you are trying to help. In Oregon, the armed occupiers say Dwight and Steven Hammonds pending imprisonment prompted their road trip to Burns. While the Hammonds were touched at the thought, they were not supportive of the illegal occupation and were willing to work through the system. Its hard to spark a revolution helping folks who dont want to be the impetus. Even the Oregon Cattlemen condemned Bundys approach. If you cant win over your most likely supporters, the revolution is over before it begins. Another rule: Dont cite scripture from a Church that isnt supporting your cause. The LDS Church quickly issued a statement after media outlets reported that the occupiers were citing verses from the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants. The statement was brief, almost terse. Church authorities were getting inquiries from media outlets and plenty of attention on social media, and wanted to make it clear that armed revolutionaries who happen to be Mormon and cite Mormon scripture are not representative of the faith. Finally, reluctant willingness for revolution is one thing. Eagerness is quite another. This is perhaps the most important revolutionary etiquette rule of all. I genuinely dont believe those most eager to stage an armed overthrow of our government are those most likely to actually succeed. They are too identifiable and the least likely to win public support. They tend to be tone deaf. Meanwhile I believe that there are tens of millions of Americans who have a locked-away and quiet willingness if it ever comes to that again to protect their lives, loved ones, property and liberty with whatever means possible, but it must get far worse than it is now for their willingness to emerge into action. An illegal and armed occupation of a federal facility even by those with a calm personal demeanor is an act of aggression. In this case it was badly timed, poorly executed, probably counterproductive to the cause, and likely not the start of American Revolution 2.0. The following editorial appears on Bloomberg View: Mexicos decision to extradite Joaquin El Chapo Guzman to the U.S. is a tacit admission that, for all President Enrique Pena Nietos groundbreaking economic reforms, his government has been less successful when it comes to law and order. Consider: The horrific toll of drug and criminal violence continues to rise. Homicides went up 7 percent last year, with even higher increases in Mexico City. Mexicos two biggest cartels including the one headed by Guzman have grown in size and scope, taking over territory from rival groups. More than a year after the massacre of 43 students in the town of Iguala, the governments investigation into what happened has made little headway, and has become a locus for public discontent. The same could be said of the unconvincing investigation into Guzmans escapade. States such as Guerrero and Michoacan, both centers of Mexicos budding heroin trade, have been victimized by quasi- official militias filling a security vacuum. More broadly, the government has continued to use the military to go after drug kingpins, and favors building up federal and state police at the expense of credible local police forces an approach that weakens engagement and accountability. There once was an argument we made it ourselves that extradition would harm U.S.-Mexico relations and that Mexicos criminal justice system just needed time to improve. And in fact the Mexican government is carrying out some important judicial reforms, as well as political changes that will allow mayors and police chiefs to stay in office beyond three years. (Mayors up for re-election are likely to be more responsive to the concerns of their citizens and to exercise greater oversight of the police.) Mexican officials appear to have changed their minds on extradition as well. Guzmans escape was an inside job that shocked the nation and humiliated the government. His recapture is a moment to celebrate. But the reality is that, when it comes to criminal justice reform, Mexico still has a long way to go. About Me Mohd. Kamal bin Abdullah I am Mohd. Kamal bin Abdullah, who resides in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. I hold a post-graduate law degree from the United Kingdom. I blog to tell MALAYSIANS THE TRUTH. View my complete profile Blog Archive Hello. Olen elakkeella oleva, talla hetkella 67 vuotta vanha ukko. Kun olin lapsi sota oli viela hyvin lahella, etenkin aikuisten miesten kahvipoyta keskusteluissa. Samaan aikaan kun opin lukemaan 1955-1958 ilmestyi runsaasti erilaisia sarjakuvalehtia, ja poikien moniin leikkeihin kuului pyssyleikit, joko villi-lansi tai juuri paattynyt sota. Nama kaikki juurtuivat syvalle pojan sieluun ja etenkin tuohon aikaan ilmestyneet sarjakuva lehdet lisasivat kiinnostusta. Muovi mallit tulivat elamaani 1958, eraan japanilaisen sarjan merkeissa. Seuraavana oli Aurora, Lindberg, ja sitten Airfix. Lopulta myos Esci, Italeri, Hasegawa, Heller... ----- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused the Syrian regime together with its allies of committing a war crime in the war torn country as he condemns Moscows military actions. His allegations are expected to further fuel the tension between Turkey and Russia that began after Ankara shot down a Russian war plane last year claiming that it violated its airspace. Cavusoglu said Russia is killing civilians almost every day including women, children and elderly in attacks on residential areas in Syria. The statement came after latest reports said that around 30 people died in airstrikes in Western Aleppo. Moscow accuses Ankara of collaborating with the rebels and buying oil from the Islamic State on the black market but the accusations were refuted. In May 2015, Cumhuriyet news agency published photos and video footages claiming to feature Turkish authorities shipping weapons to Syrian rebel groups. Ankara reacted by arresting the agencys top editors in November charging them of espionage, aiding and abetting terror. Syria is in destruction and efforts are focused on intensifying it instead of ending it, Cavusoglu said. Alluding to the besieged town of Madaya, he said targeting civilians in this way and leaving them to starve to death is a clear war crime. He warned that Russias actions could derail the peace process. On Monday, Sergei Rudskoy, a Russian defense ministry official, accused Turkey of laxity and connivance as he claimed that despite all the efforts of the international community to prevent help reaching the terrorists, reinforcements for the militants are regularly sent into the north-eastern part of (Syrias) Latakia province from Turkish territory. The Iraqi army mistakenly bombarded fighters of the Hashid Shaabi, a coalition militant group dominated by Shias, instead of the militants of the Islamic State group killing at least nine of them and injuring several others. Some members of the Shia group are blaming the United States for the incident but Washington denied any responsibility. The Shia fighters were responding to an Islamic State attack on Camp Speicher, a former US base outside the city of Tikrit, when they called for ground support. Spokesman Colonel Ahmed al-Assadi for Hashid Shaabi explained that as the Jund al-Imam forces were advancing, the Iraqi drone which was in area was fired at from outside Tikrit and it retaliated with a missile which unfortunately struck fighters of the group. He added that after a seven minutes interval, two more missiles were fired targeting the fighters on the ground. Asaib Ahl al-Haq, a powerful militia that is part of the group, blamed the US-led coalition as spokesman Naim al-Uboudi said renewed attacks on Hashid Shaabi began when an American drone bombed the headquarters of Kataib Jund al-Islam at Camp Speicher. Last month, nine Iraqi soldiers were killed when coalition warplanes mistakenly bombed them in Fallujah following information provided by the Iraqi security forces. US Army Colonel Steve Warren who is in Baghdad said coalition forces are not involved in the weekend bombing saying it was Iraqi for sure on the telephone. Neither the Iraqi defense ministry nor the joint operations command has commented on the incident. Prime Minister has ordered an investigation. The Islamic State group was defeated in Tikrit and in most parts of Salaheddin Province last year but it continues to have pockets in the desert regions. Lebanon was the only country apart from Iran that has condemned the resolution voted after the emergency meeting held by the Arab League and attended by foreign ministers of member countries. Beirut and Baghdad abstained from voting, but the Lebanese foreign minister Gebran Bassil also protested against the resolution because it linked Hezbollah with terrorism and interference in Bahraini domestic affairs which, he said, stopped them from reaching a common decision with the league. Iran is a member of the Arab League. The emergency meeting was requested by Riyadh following the storming of its embassy in Iran. Bassil said Lebanon came to the meeting to express solidarity with Saudi Arabia but stressed that we rejected a statement linking Hezbollah to acts of terror underlining that it is a political party represented in the countrys parliament and government. The Lebanese foreign minister highlighted that this Lebanese stance is based on Lebanons interest in preserving the regions stability and its domestic unity and stability and demands the removal of the expression for Lebanons position to be identical with the common decision. Hezbollah has close ties with Iran while Bahrain has on several occasions claimed the dismantling of terror cells linked to the latter and its security forces; the latest of which came on Wednesday when it announced the unveiling of another cell linked to Irans Revolutionary Guard and Lebanons Hezbollah. According to the statement from the Bahraini interior ministry, the terror cell was planning aseries of dangerous bombings. The Saudi-Iran diplomatic row influences the Lebanese political arena because major political parties are divided into two camps backed by either Saudi Arabia or Iran while the stalemate for the election of a president clocks 20months and 34 unsuccessful attempts. Arab League at an emergency meeting in Cairo on Sunday condemned the attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran and accused the government of failing to protect them as it continues to disrespect the sovereignty of some states over their internal affairs. Saudi Arabias foreign minister Adel Al Jubeir told his counterparts at the meeting that Iran is instigating a sectarian strife and threatening regional security and stability before telling a press conference that additional measures could be taken if Tehrans current policies continue. Secretary General of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi said Iran was involved in provocative acts and urged Arab States to take a clear stance against it. There are fears that the row between the two countries might develop into a regional issue and some countries are willing to mediate but Jubeir said the important thing is seriousness with regards to the Iranian position. The two governments nevertheless assured the U.N. special envoy Staffan de Mistura that their diplomatic row will not affect peace efforts in Syria where Tehran backs President Assad and Riyadh supports rebel groups. In Yemen, Iran is accused of supporting the Shia Movement that continues to resist the Saudi-led coalition to reinstate Hadi as president. The Saudi foreign minister said the escalation is coming from Iran, not from Saudi Arabia or the GCC claiming that things will be clearer in the near future. The Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates, one of Saudis closest regional allies, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said Iran should choose either being a good neighbor or a chaotic neighbor and so far it behaves like the latter. He said the storming of the Saudi embassy took place under the nose and within the earshot of security forces. The two Yemeni ex- Guantanamo detainees, Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih al-Dhuby, who were transferred to Ghana last week by the U.S. government, claimed innocence on Monday and said they hoped to live peacefully and rebuild their lives in the West African Nation. Speaking in an exclusive interview with state radio, GBC, Atef and Al-Dhuby said: we were wrongly arrested for 14 years without any charge against us, but we are not looking for revenge. We want to live in Ghana quietly and peacefully, and we want to put our life together. The two detainees said they also love the good people of Ghana and thanked the President of the small West African country for accepting to host them for the next 24 months. In the name of Allah we want to thank the president and the good people of Ghana of the decision to accept us, one of the detainees said. The two ex-convicts were held in Guantanamo for more than a decade. On Monday, a press statement from the US Embassy in Ghana read We appreciate this generous humanitarian action by our partner, the Republic of Ghana. Few weeks after being sworn in as the first new leader in almost three decades, Burkina Fasos Christian Kabore, on Monday, ordered an audit of the transitional government which ruled the country from October 2014. The president has called for an audit of the transition authority to be conducted as soon as possible, the head of the National Anti-Corruption Authority (ASCE) Luc Marius Ibriga said Monday after meeting with Kabore in Ouagadougou. The audit will reveal the good and bad practices, and will enable the government to be more cautious as it implements its policies, he said. He said the transition Prime Minister Yacouba Isaac Zida had already written a letter to ASCE asking it to conduct an audit of the management of the transition. Landlocked Burkina Faso produces cotton and gold but remains impoverished. Its economy has slowed due to lower global commodity prices and reduced investment during the democratic transition that began after Compaore fell. Last week, the new president named economist Paul Kaba Thieba as prime minister. Thieba is to form the government as the country continues with a democratic transition. Kabore said his government needs to improve access to water, healthcare and education. Tens of thousands of junior doctors went on strike in England Tuesday, causing major disruption to hospitals in the first walkout of its kind for 40 years. They are providing only emergency cover during a 24-hour walkout which started at 0800 GMT, meaning that several thousand routine operations, appointments and tests were cancelled. The strike is over a new type of contract which the government says will improve healthcare at night and at weekends but medics say would drastically reduce their pay. Many doctors also claim that Prime Minister David Cameron's government is not providing enough resources for the widely cherished, state-run National Health Service (NHS), founded by a socialist government in 1948 to provide free care. "The new contract is not fair, it's not safe and from the beginning, we as a profession have been bullied, intimidated and threatened by the Department of Health," said Florence Dalton, 29, a psychiatrist picketing at St Pancras hospital in central London. She added that many workers in the state-run health service felt "exhausted, overstretched and undervalued". "Staff are already leaving in their droves," she said. "Fewer and fewer people are coming into the profession. It makes me so angry." At St Thomas's Hospital in south London, another junior doctor, Paul Robinson, said: "It's a great shame the government has managed to alienate so many doctors. "We're not radicalswe are ordinary, smart, working, caring individuals and we're worried about the NHS." Doctors on several picket lines in London were joined by a choir of NHS staff who took this year's Christmas number one spot in Britain's pop charts ahead of Justin Bieber with a charity single. There are more than 50,000 junior doctors in England, making up a third of the medical workforce. They are qualified medical practitioners who work while studying for qualifications for more senior roles. Dispute over weekend care Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt called the strike "unnecessary" and urged fresh negotiations, adding that 40 percent of junior doctors had turned up to work. Cameron's centre-right government says the reforms are needed to help create a "seven days a week" NHS where the quality of care is as high at the weekends as on weekdays. "We have to do something about thispeople get ill every day of the week," Hunt told BBC radio. "At the moment, for example, if you have a stroke at the weekends, you are 20 percent more likely to die." While Cameron's government has increased NHS spending, many hospitals are still in debt, due to issues including soaring drug costs and an ageing population. The NHS is the fifth largest employer in the world, providing health care which remains largely free at the point of delivery nearly 70 years after it was set up. It is widely respected in Britain, with pollsters YouGov rating it the institution which the most people view positively. Nigel Lawson, finance minister under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, once described the NHS as "the nearest thing the English have to a religion". A further 48-hour stoppage is due to take place on January 26, while on February 10, there will be a full withdrawal of labour from 0800 GMT to 1700 GMT. Explore further Doctors stage second strike in English hospitals (Update) 2016 AFP Immunohistochemistry for alpha-synuclein showing positive staining (brown) of an intraneural Lewy-body in the Substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease. Credit: Wikipedia A team of local researchers have discovered a previously unknown cellular defect in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease, and identified a sequence of pathological events that can trigger or accelerate premature death of certain neurons in the brain seen in this disease. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, will provide a better understanding and further research towards a possible cure of Parkinson's disease, which is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement and other vital functions in nearly one million people in the United States. Despite advances in understanding the causes of familial forms of this disease, the most prevalent idiopathic form of Parkinson's disease remains a mystery. Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) researchers discovered that the cells of people with idiopathic Parkinson's disease have a previously unknown defect in the function of a specific PLA2g6 protein, causing dysfunction of calcium homeostasis that can determine whether some cells will live or die. "Idiopathic or genetic dysfunction of calcium signaling triggers a sequence of pathological events leading to autophagic dysfunction, progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons and age-dependent impairment of vital motor functions typical for Parkinson's disease," explained corresponding author Victoria Bolotina, PhD, professor of medicine at BUSM. "Discovery of this new mechanism associated with human Parkinson's disease and our ability to mimic this pathology in a novel genetic model opens new opportunities for finding a cure for this devastating neurodegenerative disease," she added. Explore further Finding a treatment for Parkinson's disease dementia More information: Qingde Zhou et al. Impairment of PARK14-dependent Ca2+ signalling is a novel determinant of Parkinson's disease, Nature Communications (2016). Journal information: Nature Communications Qingde Zhou et al. Impairment of PARK14-dependent Ca2+ signalling is a novel determinant of Parkinson's disease,(2016). DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10332 Pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (red) are rare cells found in clusters along the mammalian airway, where they act as sensors, sending information to the central nervous system. These clusters are found interspersed among other airway epithelial cells (green). The cells, whose function was previously unknown, have been found by a group led by medical geneticist Xin Sun to sense environmental stimuli and report to the nervous system to orchestrate an immune response. Credit: Leah Nantie An uncommon and little-studied type of cell in the lungs has been found to act like a sensor, linking the pulmonary and central nervous systems to regulate immune response in reaction to environmental cues. The cells, known as pulmonary neuroendocrine cells or PNECs, are implicated in a wide range of human lung diseases, including asthma, pulmonary hypertension, cystic fibrosis and sudden infant death syndrome, among others. Until now, their function in a live animal was unknown. A team led by University of Wisconsin-Madison medical geneticist Xin Sun reports in the current (Jan. 7) issue of the journal Science that PNECs are effective sensors seeded in the airway of many animals, including humans. "These cells make up less than one percent of the cells in the airway epithelium," the layer of cells that lines the respiratory tract, explains Sun. "Our conclusion is that they are capable of receiving, interpreting and responding to environmental stimuli such as allergens or chemicals mixed with the air we breathe." Discovering the function of the cells may provide new therapeutic avenues for a wide range of serious diseases of the pulmonary system. Sun and her group initially set out to find the underlying cause of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), a fairly common birth defect where a hole in a newborn's diaphragm, the muscle that controls breathing, lets organs from the abdomen slip into the chest. The deformed diaphragm can be repaired surgically, but many of the babies still die. Those that survive can have symptoms similar to asthma or pulmonary hypertension. The Wisconsin group homed in on a pair of genes known as ROBO1 and ROBO2. Mutations in the genes had previously been implicated in CDH. By knocking out ROBO genes in mice, Sun and her colleagues were able to mimic CDH. Unexpectedly, they also discovered that PNECs were disorganized in the ROBO mutants. In a healthy mouse, PNECs mostly form clusters of cells. "In the mutant, they don't cluster," says Sun. "They stay as solitary cells, and as single cells they are much more sensitive to the environment." The team went on to show that defects in the PNECs caused the hyperactive immune response in the ROBO mutant lungs. PNECs are the only known cells in the airway lining that are linked to the nervous system. It seems, explains Sun, that they are basically distributed sensors, gathering information from the air and relaying it to the brain. Interestingly, the same cells also receive processed signals back from the brain to amp up their secretion of neuropeptides, which are small protein molecules that are potent regulators of the immune response. Disorders of the immune system like asthma are associated with increased expression of neuropeptides. Showing that PNECs play a role in regulating host response through the release of neuropeptides suggests that it may be possible to devise ways of regulating them to prevent or ameliorate disease, Sun says. Explore further New insights into little known but common birth defect: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia More information: K. Branchfield et al. Pulmonary neuroendocrine cells function as airway sensors to control lung immune response, Science (2016). Journal information: Science K. Branchfield et al. Pulmonary neuroendocrine cells function as airway sensors to control lung immune response,(2016). DOI: 10.1126/science.aad7969 Credit: Robert Kraft/public domain When a child has a food allergy, it's critical for pediatricians and allergists to show parents when and how to use an epinephrine auto-injector and to provide a written emergency food allergy action plan for home and school. It is essential in case of a life-threatening reaction. But many parents don't recall their children's doctors giving them this information, according to a large new study from Northwestern Medicine and the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. "These points need to be hammered home by the physician at every visit," said Dr. Ruchi Gupta, an associate professor in pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a physician at Lurie Children's Hospital. "This is potentially lifesaving information. Physicians need to make sure patients understand when and how to use epinephrine and that they have an emergency action plan." An epinephrine auto-injector is used to treat life-threatening allergic reactions (anaphylaxis.) The written emergency action plan describes, for all potential caregivers, common symptoms of a food allergy reaction and what to do if a child has mild versus severe symptoms. This is the first large study to assess parents' perceptions of care for a child's food allergy. It was published January 12 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. "There is a gap in the communication between doctors and parents in management of their children's food allergies that we need to fix," Gupta said. Childhood food allergy is a serious and growing health problem affecting 8 percent of children in the U.S. Among the children in the study, peanut allergy was the most commonly reported food allergy, followed by milk, egg and tree nuts. About half of children with a food allergy had experienced a severe allergic reaction. Less than 70 percent of parents recalled their allergists explaining when to use epinephrine and less than 40 percent said the same of their pediatricians. Even fewer recalled being shown how to use epinephrine or being given a written emergency action plan by their allergists and pediatricians. Guidelines for treatment provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases aren't being followed, Gupta said. While the majority of parents reported quality health care from their children's pediatricians and allergists, Gupta noted, they lacked essential guidance for managing their children's food allergies. Not all physicians prescribe epinephrine for all food allergy diagnoses, although this is part of the treatment guidelines. In addition, research has shown many pediatricians are not adequately trained on how to use the epinephrine auto-injectors and don't feel comfortable showing patients how to use the devices. Physicians need to be trained in the best practice guidelines and how to communicate these guidelines to patients, the authors said. They also suggest clinicians ask parents to restate information being presented. "Physicians have to make sure the parents can repeat back the directions," Gupta said. "Parents may not be digesting all the information given to them in a short period of time." The study included 859 parents from the Children's Memorial Hospital Food Allergy Questionnaire who had two visits a year with their children's physicians. Parents were recruited from around the Chicago metro area and interviewed by the Northwestern research staff. Explore further Even if severe allergic reaction is in doubt, epinephrine should be used (HealthDay)Polyhydramnios with normal prenatal detailed ultrasound examination is associated with increased risk for adverse outcomes, including fetal malformations, genetic syndromes, neurologic disorders, and developmental delay, according to a study published online Jan. 11 in Pediatrics. Enav Yefet, M.D., Ph.D., and Etty Daniel-Spiegel, M.D., from the Emek Medical Center in Afula, Israel, conducted a retrospective study involving 134 children aged 4 to 9 years with polyhydramnios and normal detailed ultrasound examination during pregnancy. The children were compared with 268 matched controls with normal amniotic fluid index and normal detailed ultrasound examination. The researchers found that the risk for cesarean delivery and birth weight >90th percentile were increased in association with polyhydramnios. The increase in cesarean delivery was likely due to an increase in elective cesarean delivery due to macrosomia. There was a correlation for polyhydramnios with increased risk of congenital malformations (19 versus 10 percent; P = 0.016), with no significant increase in the rate of major malformations (8 versus 4 percent; P = 0.057). The polyhydramnios group more often had genetic syndromes (3.7 versus 0.75 percent; P = 0.043), as well as neurologic disorders and developmental delay (9.7 versus 3 percent; P = 0.004). "Despite a normal detailed ultrasound examination, polyhydramnios is associated with increased rate of fetal malformations, genetic syndromes, neurologic disorders, and developmental delay, which may be diagnosed only after birth," the authors write. Explore further Ultrasound can read weight of fetuses with FGR in obese moms Copyright 2016 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Ball-and-stick model of the dopamine molecule, a neurotransmitter that affects the brain's reward and pleasure centers. Credit: Jynto/Wikipedia That lottery fever sweeping the country in anticipation of Saturday night's record $800 million Powerball drawing? Scientists have a name for it: dopamine. It's the brain chemical associated with reward, pleasure and addiction. And it's digging into pockets at a maddening pace this week. Thanks a lot, dopamine. Whether the jackpot is $8 million or $800 million, the odds of winning are stuck at a buzz-killing 1 in 292 million. "I don't want to miss a big chance," said Javier Berec as he plunked down $10 for five tickets Friday at Hana's Bottle Shop Liquors in Santa Clara, billed as one of the California lottery's "historical lucky retailers," thanks to selling two $1 million tickets in 2011 within three months. With $800 million up for grabs, it doesn't take a neuroscientist like Howard Fields to explain how people may be ignoring probability this week because of the way the brain processes risk and reward. "In the brain stem of a gambler, dopamine neurons are firing very high, pushing them to put out the money, to go and buy the ticket," said Fields, a professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco. During pleasurable experiences, dopamine floods the brain and urges humans to repeat the bliss-blasting behavior. But, Fields added, the brain tends to overestimate the possibility of reward. If you program a computer to make the same calculations, it "would never do what a person does," Fields said. "It would say, OK, I'm not going to buy a ticket until I have at least a good chance of winning." And, of course, like any lab rat, we are more likely to take that chance as the reward - in this case, an $800 million piece of cheese - gets bigger. "Some people will just religiously play scratchers because it's more instant gratification," Alex Traverso, spokesperson for the California lottery. But this week's Powerball has lured a horde of new customers. "When you get to $800 million, you assume everyone's playing." Tony DeMola is one of the uninitiated who stopped by Cork'n Bottle Liquor in Concord on Friday to buy $10 in tickets. Dopamine wasn't his motivation - his wife was: He decided to add a few tickets to her birthday gift. At Hana's Bottle Shop Liquors, store manager Ravee Patel heard all the stories from a front-row seat at the dopamine parade on Friday morning as a steady stream of customers tried their luck. The shop issues about $500 in scratch lottery winnings a day, he said, but like all lottery outlets across California on Friday, the main attraction was clear. "A guy just bought $200 in Powerball," Patel said. What drives customers to dig so deep in their wallets while standing at the counter? Stanford University psychology professor Brian Knutson and his colleagues recently discovered a connection between an area of the brain related to excitement, the nucleus accumbens, and another area related to caution known as the anterior insula. The weaker the connection between the two regions, the more likely people were to take a gamble similar to buying a lottery ticket. When customers are at the cash register, "there's something about that display that is getting them motivated and psyched up," Knutson said. "And when that happens, we think dopamine is released, particularly in the nucleus accumbens." All that dopamine might tip the balance in favor of buying a ticket - or two - overruling the more cautious part of the brain. And once people decide to play, they often spend more than they anticipated. "Give me $15," customer Marinko Balde said at the register. As Patel handed him change, Balde hesitated. "Ah, make it $20." Many people grinned as they imagined what they would do with the money they knew they probably wouldn't win. They frequently discussed paying off mortgages and buying future houses. But for many people, the rush seemed to come independent of whether they won or not. "It's just fun," said Barbara Meyers, who plays the lottery three times a week. Unlike most players, Meyers said she wouldn't want to receive the winnings in a lump sum. "I think you might get too greedy if you take it all at once," Meyers said, adding that she would help the poor with her winnings. Meyers' ambitions highlight one more motivation driving lottery purchasers: the gratification of helping others. Cupertino residents Fernando Craff and his wife, Virginia, grew animated when they talked about donating the proceeds to charities in Peru, and shrugged off the long odds. "We have to dream," Fernando said, throwing his hands out to either side in a gesture reminiscent of a Broadway final number. "You have to be positive. ... It might as well be me." Or you. As of Friday morning, Traverso said fewer than two-thirds of the possible Powerball combinations had been sold. In other words, there's a 1 in 3 chance that the jackpot could roll over again for Wednesday's drawing. Get ready for an even bigger dopamine rush: That jackpot could reach a mind-blowing $1 billion. Explore further How lottery insider allegedly fixed jackpots 2016 San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. International Arrivals Up 6.9% to 5.89 mln in 2015 Visits to Georgia by foreign citizens reached 5,897,685 in 2015, a 6.9 percent increase compared to previous year, according to data released by the Interior Ministry on January 2.The Interior Ministry compiles statistics based on border crossing data.In these data, travellers entering into Georgia and staying in the country for more than 24 hours are classified as tourists.Of the total 5.89 million arrivals registered in 2015, 2,278,562 were identified as tourists, a 2.2 percent increase over 2014.Citizens from Georgias neighbouring states make up the largest share in total arrivals.Armenian citizens led the pack in 2015 with 1.46 million arrivals, up by 10.7% compared to 2014, followed by Azerbaijani citizens with 1.392 million, up by 8.5% year-on-year; Turkish citizens 1.391 million, down by 3.5% y/y (arrivals from Turkey led the pack in four previous years); Russian citizens 925,061 (14% y/y increase); Ukrainian citizens 141,656 (1.3% y/y decline).The number of visits to Georgia by citizens of from the EU-member states increased 4% y/y to 240,838 in 2015.Georgias newly developed first long-term strategy for its tourism industry targets to achieve 11 million international arrivals by 2025 and to increase tourism receipts from the current level of USD 1.8 billion to USD 5.5 billion. The News in Brief Catholics Patriarch turns 83 The Patriarch of Georgia, His Holiness Ilia the Second turned 83 on 4 January. Ilia II was born as Irakli Ghudushauri-Shiolashvili in Vladikavkaz, in North Ossetia, now part of the Russian Federation. He is a descendant of the influential eastern Georgian mountainous clan with family ties with the Bagrationi royal dynasty. He graduated from the Moscow clerical seminary and was ordained as a hierodeacon in 1957 and hieromonk in 1959; he graduated from the Moscow clerical academy in 1960 and returned to Georgia, where he was assigned to the Batumi Cathedral Church as a priest. In 1961, he was promoted to hegumen and later to archimandrite. On August 26, 1963, he was chosen to be the bishop of Batumi and Shemokmedi and appointed a patriarchal vicar. From 1963 to 1972 he was also the first rector of the Mtskheta Theological Seminary - the only clerical school in Georgia at that time. In 1967, he was consecrated as the bishop of Tskhumi and Abkhazeti and elevated to the rank of metropolitan in 1969. After the death of the controversial Patriarch David V, he was elected the new Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia on December 25, 1977. He began a course of reforms, enabling the Georgian Orthodox Church, once suppressed by the Soviet ideology, to largely regain its former influence and prestige by the late 1980s. In 1988 there were 180 priests, 40 monks, and 15 nuns for the faithful, who were variously estimated as being from one to three million. There were 200 churches, one seminary, three convents, and four monasteries. During the last years of the Soviet Union, he was actively involved in Georgia's social life. He joined the people demonstrating in Tbilisi against Soviet rule on April 9, 1989, and fruitlessly urged the protesters to withdraw to the nearby Kashueti Church to avoid bloodshed. This peaceful demonstration was dispersed by Soviet troops, leaving behind 22 dead and hundreds injured. During the civil war in Georgia in the 1990s, he called on the rival parties to find a peaceful solution to the crisis. From 1978 to 1983, Ilia II was Co-President of the World Council of Churches (WCC), an ecumenical organization the Georgian Orthodox Church had joined with other Soviet churches in 1962. In May 1997, the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church announced its withdrawal from the WCC. For the last 35 years, the number of Georgian church eparchies increased from 15 to 39. Some tens of churches and monasteries were built, new saints were canonized and the biggest church of Georgia, St. Trinity Temple was built. (IPN) President Margvelashvili approves two major legislative changes A witness will no longer be obliged to appear before law enforcers to be questioned before the case goes to court for a trial. Police will no longer be eligible to evict anyone from misappropriated real estate without a relevant court decision. Both of these changes will soon be implemented as Georgias President Giorgi Margvelashvili has signed the relevant laws. Margvelashvili approved two controversial changes into Georgian legislation one about the rules of witness questioning and the other about abolition of the police eviction mechanism that has been in place since 2007. The Georgians Presidents Parliamentary Secretary Giorgi Kverenchkhiladze assessed the new rule of questioning as a positive change. However, he said there were several types of crimes the change would not yet apply to. "Application of the new witness questioning rule to several crimes has been postponed again and they will be fully implemented later, Kverenchkhiladze said. "We hope that the new rule will soon apply to those crimes too and it will not be postponed again. According to the old regulations, a person was legally obliged to appear before law enforcement agencies and prosecutors if summoned as a witness in the process of investigation even before the case goes to court for a trial. Now this practice has become optional for a witness. The practice was criticised by human rights groups, who argued that it created possibility for undue pressure on witnesses to produce statement favorable for the prosecution. As for the second changed signed today about abolishing of police eviction, Kverenchkhiladze said it fully met the western standards. The amendments deprived the property owner of the opportunity to request police eviction of a person who allegedly misappropriated his or her real estate. For obtaining the mentioned right, the owner has to appeal to a court, whose verdict will decide the issue. "We believe this contributes to the strengthening the idea of national law and order and rule of law, Kverenchkhiladze said. (Agenda.ge) @MichaelAuslen Hours after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Florida's death penalty sentencing procedures as unconstitutiona, Attorney General Pam Bondi has weighed in. In light of todays United States Supreme Court decision holding Floridas capital sentencing procedure unconstitutional, the state will need to make changes to its death-sentencing statutes," she said in a written statement. "I will work with state lawmakers this legislative session to ensure that those changes comply with the Courts latest decision. The impact of the Courts ruling on existing death sentences will need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Lawmakers have already said they will consider changes to the death penalty to conform to the court's ruling. Namely, they'll have to change state law so that juries issue death sentences. Current law gives that power to the judge, who can choose to ignore a jury's recommendation. What remains unclear is how two men -- Michael Ray Lambrix and Mark James Asay -- whose executions are already scheduled for February and March would be affected. Both convicted murderers were sentenced to death under the old, now unconstitutional rules. Earlier in the day, Bondi said she had not had time to read the court's 8-1 decision in Hurst v. Florida. She said the effects on current death row inmates as well as pending cases in courts across the state were, "my first question, and that's what we're looking at right now." What she has clarified is that the Legislature will have to act. "We're reviewing it right now to see if we need a legislative change or if we can still try death cases," Bondi said earlier. @MichaelAuslen Expect plenty of agreement between the House and Senate this week as the two chambers work together to pass three priority bills. Opening the 2016 legislative session Tuesday, Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, said the first order of business would be to pass his signature legislation on water quality. Theyll also take on Senate President Andy Gardiners priority bill for children with disabilities. And theyll take on school choice, including an expansion to Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts. And then the House will work to push its own agenda, including some ideas that the Senate hasnt been as quick to support. Among them, cutting health care regulations, including Certificate of Need. And, Crisafulli announced Tuesday, a $1 billion tax cut package. Thats what Gov. Rick Scott has been asking for, including making rare visits to both chambers Finance and Tax committees. The Senate has been more reticent, pitching a more modest, $250 million proposal. But Crisafulli said the Houses tax proposal may not be exactly what the governor wants. For example, he said hell use state economist Amy Bakers revenue estimates, rather than the governors higher estimate, which would allow for permanent cuts to taxes on manufacturers. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, will take the lead on developing the Houses plan, set to be released in the coming weeks. The important thing is to not eat our seed corn, he said. Our tax cuts cant just be tax cuts for the purpose of cutting taxes. We have to look strategically at how we can make sure that our tax cuts continue to contribute to a growing economy. Crisafulli also endorsed a bill to stop local government regulation of ride-booking companies like Uber and Lyft. Thats not likely to pass in the Senate. Yet, we must not confuse our principles with our preferences, Crisafulli said. For if we simply insist on our way or the highway, we will fail the people of Florida." Faced with declining morale and reports of increasingly unsafe conditions brought on by understaffing at Florida's prisons, Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday increased his budget request and announced he will seek an additional $4.3 million to hire total of 734 officers at the troubled agency, nearly double what he had requested before the critical reports. The decision comes after an independent audit commissioned by the Florida Legislature found that the state's prisons are significantly understaffed, faced with turnover rates of nearly 50 percent and some of the most dangerous prisons have a majority of corrections officers with less than two-years experience. Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Julie Jones acknowledged to a Senate committee Monday that a near-riot occurred last week at a North Florida prison that was not appropriately staffed. The governor had previously asked for money to hire 472 new corrections officers. But he has continued to maintain that there is no need to increase salaries at the agency, despite massive turnover. Our recommendation to increase FDCs budget by $82 million this year, and these additions in staffing, will help us continue to reduce recidivism in our state while increasing safety at all Florida correctional facilities,'' Scott said in a statement. He made no mention of the agency or his budget request when he delivered his annual assessment of how the state is doing, the State of the State speech, before the Florida Legislature on Tuesday morning In his statement, the governor acknowledged that "the safety and security of our prisons is incredibly important" and the request for for additional officers "will make our institutions safer for inmates, agency staff and communities." Last year, FDC underwent three separate reviews conducted by correctional facilities operations experts and details emerged that raised questions about the state's investment in the agency, as well as the way the department has managed its staff. To save money and reduce the size of the state workforce, a priority of Scott, the agency has had corrections officers work 12-hour shifts instead of eight-hour shifts. Each of the audits recommended that agency return to eight-hour shifts, a change that will force the state to spend at least $4.3 million and hire 734 new officers. Many of the critical issues facing our Department are a result of outcomes caused by our current 12-hour model. Poor staff retention, increasing overtime expenditures, introduction of contraband, and staffing shortages are all due in some part to the officer fatigue and burnout associated with 12-hour shifts,'' Jones said in the statement. She said that if the Legislature approves the added money, it will create "a more stable and positive environment for our employees and inmates. For rank and file staff, however, the decision will likely impose another financial hit on them. They have not seen a salary increase in 10 years and, for many officers, the change will also result in more commutes to the prisons, which are often located in rural areas. "It is bad enough that we have not received a true raise in a decade,'' one officer wrote the Miami Herald, "but now we will lose the benefit of spending time with our family every other weekend for most of us." @ByKristenMClark Some Florida lawmakers want to grant victims of terrorism the right to sue co-conspirators of terrorists for damages. The measure they're considering (SB 996 / HB 3) broadens state law by including people who "facilitate or further terrorism," because technically Floridians can already sue terrorists themselves if they are victimized. But Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, acknowledged that suing a terrorist directly is "not a likely real world outcome." "Most acts of terrorism when you investigate, there are others or a network of businesses that make it possible," and those people or entities could be targeted in lawsuits under the proposed law, Negron said. The Senate version got unanimous support by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. "You saw in San Bernardino, several people involved. If they didn't participate, the crime never may have been committed," said Sen. Darren Soto, D-Orlando. "I'm glad you're casting a broad net to make sure we have justice for victims of terrorism." Negron's bill has two more committee hearings, next before the criminal and civil justice budget subcommittee, which Negron chairs. The House version of the bill -- sponsored by Rep. Mike Hill, R-Pensacola Beach -- also cleared its first committee unanimously in December. It also has two further hearings, next before that chamber's Criminal Justice Subcommittee. @ByKristenMClark With the 2016 legislative session underway, Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, says he hopes to get House and Senate leaders' top priorities cleared from both chambers and sent to Gov. Rick Scott's desk by Friday. Those include a comprehensive water policy plan that died with the abrupt end to last year's session and two bills in a package of initiatives led by Gardiner to improve educational and job opportunities for Floridians who have disabilities. "It could be a very good week and I think it sets the tone for where we are over the next 60 days," Gardiner told reporters after the opening session. @PatriciaMazzei Former U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia fuels speculation that he wants to run for his old Miami-based seat every time he visits Washington D.C. -- as he did Monday. Garcia was spotted at a Capitol Hill bar near the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee offices, where he was meeting with former staffers and friends. But he says he wasn't in town to meet party leaders about launching a candidacy. Instead, Garcia was a panelist at a National Press Club talk led by New York Times columnist Tom Friedman. The discussion was about the impact of the recently signed Paris climate deal on electric utilities. Garcia is a former chairman of the Florida Public Service Commission. Garcia has said he's thinking of running again for Florida's 26th district, a seat now held by Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo. Here's a selfie Garcia took at the Bullfeathers bar. He sent it to the Miami Herald with permission to post. This post has been updated. via @adamsmithtimes SARASOTA -- Marco Rubio on Monday promised as president he would call a constitutional convention of all the states in order to pass a balanced budget amendment and impose term limits on members of Congress. It will be limited, Rubio assured about 400 people gathered inside a boat manufacturing warehouse in Sarasota. They wont be able to touch the First Amendment, they wont be able to touch the Second Amendment. They wont be able to touch our important constitutional rights. But heres what we must do we must pass amendments limiting the size and scope of the federal government. The proposal, which Rubio only recently started touting, drew applause from the crowd in Sarasota, along with his standard stump speech about preserving the American Dream from damage being from by President Barack Obama and big-spending Republicans in Washington. The idea of holding the first constitutional convention since 1787 has bubbled up in recent years among some tea party and conservative groups, and last week Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called for one. But Rubio is the only leading presidential candidate advocating for such a gathering, which some critics fear could open the door to more sweeping changes to the Constitution. As president, I can promote such a convention, but I cannot make it happen without the American people. Thats why Im asking for your help today, he told the Sarasota crowd, crediting the founding fathers for this new plank in his presidential platform. To any American worried about the debt were leaving our children: Join me in this effort. Press your state representatives to convene a convention of states. More here. This post has been updated. Photo credit: Chris O'Meara, Associated Press via @learyreports Marco Rubio is scheduled to miss a classified briefing Monday on North Koreas weapons test, the latest conflict between Rubios elected duty and his need to campaign for president. Rubio had an event in Sarasota and was scheduled to attend a trio of fundraisers, which would clash with the 5 p.m. Foreign Relations hearing. Rubio is scheduled to be in Washington tomorrow, his office said. He has come under constant criticism from campaign rivals for missing votes and other work in Washington. Rubio has said he has more foreign affairs experience than anyone else running, which is why a missed hearing could resonate more than missing a noncontroversial vote. In November he missed a Foreign Relations briefing on the Paris attacks, though he did get briefed the day before. 4:22 p.m. UPDATE: Rubio spokesman Alex Burgos says the senator is flying back to Washington to make the meeting. --ALEX LEARY, Tampa Bay Times @PatriciaMazzei A group of progressive Miami activists marked the start of Florida's annual lawmaking session Monday by protesting outside the district office of a Republican state representative. More than a dozen activists brought together by the SEIU Florida labor union convened reporters to blast the GOP on a variety of issues, including for trying to crack down on illegal immigration and not raising the minimum wage. They stood in the rain outside the Doral office of Rep. Carlos Trujillo, who is sponsoring legislation that would make it a first-degree felony for someone with a deportation order to continue living in Florida. "They may think that we don't vote, that we don't have a voice," said Maria Bilbao, who has been in the country illegally for 15 years. But she pledged to knock on voters' doors to oppose politicians like Trujillo and pointed to her son, a legal resident eager to apply for citizenship and, eventually, vote. "He will remember how they treated his parents all these years." Laura Pierre, a fast-food worker, backed a $15-an-hour minimum wage: "We work hard, and we deserve to be able to raise our families out of these terrible circumstances," she said. The activists have organized buses of supporters to ride to Tallahassee during the session make their case. @Cveiga The Miami-Dade school district may recover $4.4 million from the county government in a proposed settlement agreement over a billing dispute with the Property Appraiser's office. For 40 years, the school district has paid the Property Appraiser for its services hearing tax appeals. The district stopped paying last year after an audit uncovered a law that appears to expressly prohibit the Property Appraiser from billing the school system. The school district was considering a lawsuit to recover the money it says it was improperly billed in the past -- about $1.5 million a year. A decision was made that it didnt really make sense to waste taxpayers money litigating this, said Deputy Property Appraiser Lazaro Solis. An agreement was reached that we can kind of put this behind us. A statute of limitations put a cap on how much the district could seek, according to school board attorney Walter Harvey. He called the settlement agreement a fair result. This was money that was supposed to go to our general fund that we were improperly billed for. Its money that is being returned, he said. The billing issue was uncovered during a heated political battle that pitted the areas two largest governments against each other and the Property Appraiser. At issue: a little-known entity called the Value Adjustment Board, which hears property tax appeals. A huge backlog in tax appeals means the school district and county have to start their budget years without really knowing how much money will come in through property taxes -- the main source of revenue for both governments. United Teachers of Dade, the local teacher's union, sued over the issue. The suit was dismissed. Frustrated school district officials launched an extensive audit of the VAB and Property Appraiser. The audit uncovered the billing issue, among others. Both the school district and the county commission have to approve the settlement agreement. The school board is expected to approve the agreement during its regular meeting on Wednesday. The county commission is scheduled to vote on the agreement during its meeting on Jan. 20. Florida prison officials acknowledged Monday that they had to fire warnings shots, shoot inmates with non-lethal pellets and put a North Florida prison on lockdown to prevent a riot last week. The incident at Franklin Correctional Institution, which houses more than 1,300 male inmates near Carrabelle, lasted three days and was the most violent to occur at a prison since Department of Corrections Secretary Julie Jones took control over a year ago. It also comes as an independent audit commissioned by the Legislature has revealed that the agency is dangerously understaffed. Were we staffed to critical complement? Yes, Jones told Senate Criminal Justice Committee Chairman Greg Evers at a hearing Monday, referring to the loophole in the law that allows wardens to modify staffing levels to accommodate their needs. Were we appropriately staffed? Sir, no. Staffing at the nations third-largest prison system is at near-crisis levels, according to a report done by CGL, an independent prison consulting firm in Sacramento. The $300,000 audit was added to the 2015-16 budget by Florida Legislature last year after reports by the Miami Herald and other news organizations detailed a rise in use-of-force incidents, inmate deaths and cover-ups of inmate abuse by agency staff. We saw some very serious deficiencies primarily as it relates to the staffing, said Karl Becker, a consultant with CGL. Those low staffing issues contribute to security issues and security concerns. More here. @doug_hanks UPDATED at 12:52 p.m. with response from Gimenez campaign UPDATED at 6:20 p.m. with a response to the response. One of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez's toughest online critics has joined the campaign of his challenger. Elaine de Valle, author of the Political Cortadito blog, says she is being paid $3,500 a month to be a media consultant for Raquel Regalado's mayoral campaign. De Valle, a former Miami Herald writer, revealed the arrangement on her blog, which is a popular read in Miami's political circles. It's also a home of fierce anti-Gimenez commentary, with de Valle endorsing a failed 2014 attempt to recall him from office and slamming Gimenez as the "Cry Wolf" mayor for his shift from austerity budgets to expanded spending. "I was already supporting Raquel Regalado," de Valle told Naked Politics this week. She said her agreement with Regalado does not include favorable mentions on the blog, but instead will focus on other campaign writing and efforts to produce coverage helpful to Regalado, a two-term school board member. Even so, De Valle is still writing about Regalado's opponent, posting a critical preview of Gimenez's meeting with a Kendall homeowners group Monday (which de Valle attended). And past clients have fared well on Political Cortadito. Last year, she worked for Ralph Cabrera's failed bid for Coral Gables mayor and Jeff Porter's successful run for Homestead mayor. Both received favorable coverage in her blog ("Ralph Carbera to the rescue in Coral Gables" read the headline of one post and she wrote that Porter was "one of the good guys" in Homestead.) Her new role on the Regalado campaign payroll officially began in December, according to the latest finance reports posted Monday, which show de Valle being paid $1,750 in mid-December. De Valle said the blog doesn't make money, and mostly endures as a hobby while she relies on consulting work and freelance writing for income. She told Naked Politics that her hiring by Regalado "might be good news for Carlos Gimenez" because instead of writing unfavorable posts she'll be shopping the information to media outlets. "If I have a really good story," she said, "I want you to write it." In a statement Tuesday, the Gimenez campaign said: "It is interesting that this 'announcement' happened the day that campaign finance reports were made public, and not over a month ago when payment was actually made. Transparency is obviously not a hallmark of our opponent's campaign, and given this announcement, neither is her credibility." De Valle wrote back to Naked Politics: "I posted it on Political Cortadito before campaign finance reports were made public because I wanted my readers to hear it from me. I figured nobody else would care. But the Gimenez campaign can't talk about transparency until they tell us what Joe Carollo is getting paid $6,000 a month to do. Inquiring minds want to know!" That's a reference to the former Miami mayor being paid $6,000 a month by the Gimenez reelection effort. Gimenez described Carollo as an adviser. @PatriciaMazzei Andrew Korge, the son of Hillary Clinton campaign donor Chris Korge, will run for Congress, setting up a Democratic primary against Annette Taddeo to see who will challenge Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo in Florida's preeminent swing district. "I intend to file at some point in the future," Korge said, without giving a date. "I'm running for office because we need new leaders who have a 21st-century vision." Korge had planned to run for Florida Senate. But a court-approved map appointing new district borders left the political novice without a clear way into office. His impending announcement was first reported by Politico Pro. Taddeo, the former Miami-Dade County Democratic Party chairwoman who ran as Charlie Crist's running mate for governor in 2014, jumped in the race early. She had the backing of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which hoped to avoid a contentious primary to instead focus on unseating the freshman Curbelo. "Annette came to this country fleeing violence, not speaking English, and was denied admission to college," her campaign manager Shaun Daniels told the Miami Herald in a statement. "She taught herself English, put herself through school working minimum wage jobs. She abandoned her career plans to help her parents rebuild their home after Hurricane Andrew, and then built one of the best small businesses in Florida from scratch, while raising a daughter. Thousands of South Floridians share those experiences and they are all inspirational. Annette's story is America's story." Taddeo has lost three races -- she previously ran for Congress and the Miami-Dade County Commission -- and Korge may not be her only opponent. Former Rep. Joe Garcia, who held the seat for one term before being ousted by Curbelo, is also considering a candidacy. The No. 2 House Democrat, Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland, was recently recorded at a Taddeo fundraiser urging Korge and Garcia not to run. Curbelo's 26th district, which extends from Westchester to Key West, was already a pickup target for Democrats before another court-approved redistricting map turned the district more Democratic. @JeremySWallace The Republican Party of Florida posted its lowest fundraising year since 2003, new campaign finance reports released Monday show. For the calendar year, the RPOF raised $11.6 million and spent $10.6 million. The amount raised is the lowest the party has raised in a year since 2003, when the party collected $8.6 million in donations, Florida Division of Elections records show. The low fundraising totals were expected given the partys tumultuous 2015. The year started with RPOF activist rejecting Gov. Rick Scotts choice to lead the party. Typically, Republican governors in Florida have been given deference to choose who they want to lead the party. The day before the RPOF select state Rep. Blaise Ingoglia to lead the party, Scott pulled out $580,000 he raised for the party. The Florida Senate followed suit, pulling more than $700,000 it helped raise for the party. Without the governor and state senators helping, the party has struggled to raise the kind of money that it typically raises. From 2011 through 2013, the party average raising $23 million a year. In 2014, when Scott was up for re-election and helping the party, the RPOF raised over $92 million. Instead of raising money for the party, key political players are raising money in political action committees they run. Scott, for instance, raised about $4.5 million for the year in a political committee he runs called Let's Get to Work. Florida Agriculture commissioner Adam Putnam raised about $4 million for a fund he maintains called Florida Grown. While the Republican numbers were low for 2015, they are still way ahead of where the Florida Democratic Party is. State Democrats raised $6.5 million in 2015 and spent $4.5 million according to new campaign finance reports released Monday. Tallahassee lobbyists would face stricter oversight and legislators would face new limits on outside employment under an ethics bill that moved ahead in a Senate committee Tuesday. The proposal faces a long road to passage and must clear three more committees before reaching the Senate floor. The bill (SB 686), the main ethics package in the 2016 session, would require lobbyists for the first time to report on a monthly basis every bill and amendment they're trying to influence, including listing the six-digit bar code numbers the Legislature uses to track amendments. Lobbyists could face fines of up to $5,000 for violations. For the first time, legislators would be prohibited from taking outside jobs from firms that get money in the state budget, such as public hospitals, school districts, colleges and universities. The provision would not apply retroactively to lawmakers who already hold such jobs, but those members could not accept a promotion or raise under the bill. For the first time, every mayor and city commissioner in Florida would have to file detailed annual financial disclosure statements, the same as the governor and all legislators must file, listing all assets and liabilities. Board members of Enterprise Florida, many of them politically prominent business leaders, would be barred from lobbying for two years after leaving the board, the same as legislators. The bill also would allow the Commission on Ethics to initiate its own investigations, which the agency has sought for nearly two decades. Seven of the panel's nine members would have to vote to take that action at a public meeting. Under current law, the ethics panel cannot act unless a complaint is filed against a public official. Two Republican senators from Tampa Bay joined with a South Florida Democrat Monday to kill an anti-corruption bill championed by Gannett newspapers in Florida. Sens. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, and John Legg, R-Trinity, sided with Sen. Dwight Bullard, D-Miami, to sink the bill, which would define private companies that have government contracts as public servants to make it easier for prosecutors to prove intent in cases of bribery, bid-rigging and other crimes against taxpayers. Latvala questioned Gannett's ethics and said it was "wrong" for a newspaper to advocate and actively lobby for legislation. "I'm very, very concerned with a newspaper that editorializes in support of candidates coming in here and pushing us to do something like this, and making me feel somehow or other like I'm a crook if I don't vote for this," Latvala said. "I've never seen an editorial writer up here doing this type of thing. Maybe that's how we sell newspapers these days, I don't know." The editorial page editor of Gannett-owned Florida Today in Melbourne, Matt Reed, who testified for the bill Monday, said later that he didn't say anything in the Capitol that he hasn't said on radio, TV or in his own paper. "At no point in any committee stop have I ever heard anybody acknowledge the problem of corruption," Reed told reporters. "The only concern I've heard, from beginning to end, is about contractors in their districts. Why is that? Not even lip service." @JeremySWallace Florida Gov. Rick Scott made a rare public appearance at a state senate committee on Monday to continue a full court press to win approval from the Legislature for a $1 billion tax cut plan that has so far received a lukewarm reception. Scott told the Senate Finance and Tax Committee that although the state has cut taxes frequently since he was elected, more needs to be done to compete against other states to lure new businesses and diversify Floridas economy. If we keep reducing our taxes we make it very difficult for anybody to compete, Scott said, referencing Texas specifically. Scotts tax plan is heavily directed at businesses. He wants to eliminate all corporate income taxes charged to manufacturers and retail companies, permanently cut sales taxes on manufacturing equipment and gradually reduce the states sales taxes charged on commercial rents. If we do these things were going to make it so difficult for anybody to be headquartered and do their business any place else, Scott told the Senate Finance and Tax Committee. Pressed by Democratic legislators as to why hes primarily focused on businesses for tax cuts instead of cutting property taxes for middle class families, Scott said it comes down to jobs. The most important thing you can do is make sure they can get a job, Scott said. I think these are going to help to continue to grow our economy; help get people jobs. From the Associated Press: WASHINGTON The Supreme Court says Floridas system for sentencing people to death is unconstitutional because it gives too much power to judges and not enough to juries to decide capital sentences. The justices on Tuesday ruled 8-1 that the states sentencing procedure is flawed because juries play only an advisory role in recommending death while the judge can reach a different decision. The court ordered a new sentencing hearing for Timothy Lee Hurst, who was convicted of the 1998 murder of his manager at a Popeyes restaurant in Pensacola. A jury divided 7-5 in favor of death, but a judge imposed the sentence. Floridas solicitor general argued that the system was acceptable because a jury first decides if the defendant is eligible for the death penalty. And see this story from Times Tallahassee bureau chief Steve Bousquet. For picture posts from 2010 and earlier, see the Earlier Picture Posts Page Putting my experiences of Life In NYC in a more personal perspective, and checking in with international/national, tech and some other news Peru-styled polygonal casing stones @ Menkaure FINGERPRINTS OF THE GODS MAGICIANS OF THE GODS a CYLINDRICAL GRINDING TOOL on the polygonal casing stones? yes, yes, yes, I'm late to the party with Graham Hancock'srevelations... reason being, "I knew all about it and didn't need to read the book," or something.Fact is, I'd forgotten how insanely over-engineered the inside of the Great Pyramid of Giza is ... it looks more like an Industrial Site or Steel-making foundry or Energy-making power station than some Tomb to some egomanical tribal 'god kings and queens'.But that's not the kicker, the real kicker in Hancock's 1995 book (yes, I've already read his, just last week) is the polygonal wall effect visible in the casing stones of the smallest of the three Giza Pyramids, the one later-attributed to Menkaure.POLYGONAL WALLS with obscure knobbles reverse-relief carved into them, erm, just like the perfectly fitting monolithic polygonal walls at Cuzco and Machu Pichu and elsewhere in Peru and Bolivia etc. same engineers? same workmen? As far as construction goes, it looks like the Peru-style wall was in the process of being levelled (planed flat, by machine?) when work stopped, or was halted. As an aside, and because many of the Peruvian polygonal walls have been smoothed, is it feasible to suggest that, "Those Peruvian walls that are 'unfinished' i.e. still retain their bulbous wall-knobs and rough surface, haven't yet been visited by the Smoothing Machine?"I'm sure we're talking neither Egyptian nor South American masons, engineers and astrologers here -- more and more it's looking like An Absent Race of Humans we are no longer able to trace. I agree with Hancock that places like Giza in Egypt and Teotihaucan in Mexicco (to name but two such sites) are nothing more than puzzles for future incarnations, future survivors of the Younger Dryas cataclysm. Maybe left to us by an ancient branch of the Human Geneline that might have simply stepped off this world during the last rendezvous with Sirius @ 100 Astronomical Units, around the time the Younger Dryas drama kicked off.They'll be back in about 10,800 AD if my Sun-Sirius binary predictions pan out... As below, in chronological order; the first in response to the article itself, and then the second and third in response to other commenters. As usual, quotes from other people appear in italics...1) Marie-Alice,I note the absence of English in that list, despite the obvious presence of English throughout the country and its' not inconsiderable economic, cultural and scientific importance.Why?Admittedly I don't exactly spend my time looking for an explanation, but I have never seen any linguist dare to openly and clearly explain the premises at work here (not that I expect to get an answer here, but I think it's worth putting the question). That a language is in decline is not, of its' own, an argument for the protection of that language. The value of the language - and its' value to whom and for what purpose - must be accounted for and without recourse to vague, evasive hand-waving about "cultural enrichment" or the like.Having said that, I appreciate the point that minority languages were once officially prohibited in Taiwan and that this was wrong. But that is not the case today; nobody is "attacking" or "overpowering" anything. The decline of these languages is simply a consequence of people making choices in their own self-interest, and these choices are not only financial but social in nature too. Are these choices "wrong", and if so, then why?***2)Shen-yi Liao,Thanks, but that wasn't particularly informative and I don't have time to plough through a book on a subject in which I have only marginal interest.So far as I can tell, there are seemingly two main arguments for preserving dying languages. The first is the preservation of knowledge - of the natural world and of a people's history. The second is the attempt to prevent or retard the occurrence of social, economic and political changes.The first argument is specious; in principle, knowledge of the natural world can, if lost, be recovered by people of any language, albeit at a cost. A people's history can be written down - if not in the original language, then when translated into another.The second argument - the attempt to arrest change - is more serious, and that was what I was really getting at in my earlier comment. My objection is twofold; first that it seems to imply ghettos from which the speakers of that language either should not escape or should be discouraged from doing so for the alleged benefit of their community; the second is the idea that problems of social dislocation should be avoided or ameliorated by preserving dying languages rather than solved.On the first point, I favour individual freedom and I don't think it is right (to put it mildly) to keep young aboriginal people locked up in little tourist show-villages and deny them the opportunities everyone else has in the cities. On the second point, crimes committed by displaced minorities don't happen just because they haven't got anyone to talk to in their native language. Having someone around who speaks their native language may help, but are we really willing to accept that that is the only thing that can help? I'm not having it. There must be plenty of other ways to prevent young minority men from going off the rails without handcuffing them to a dying culture.***3)@ I partially agree; children from a Hokkien speaking family are at a disadvantage in school compared to children from a Mandarin speaking family. The same disadvantage may also apply to children from an English or German speaking family, though these families are usually bilingual. However, I disagree that linguistic inequality is the problem. There is always likely to be one language more commonly used than others, whatever political arrangements are made. I think the problem is political control of education, to which the solution is educational freedom. A better home schooling policy wherein the Education Department relinquished dictatorial control of the terms and content of the syllabus would be a good first step. Children from Hokkien speaking families would then be free to adopt whichever mixture of Hokkien, Mandarin and English they preferred -the market for educational materials would eventually cater to these preferences, and probably quite quickly too since there would be money to be made.4)That's OK because NTU is probably overrated; their engineering graduates typically have to be re-taught properly once they graduate and go to work in large tech corporations (I have that on personal communication from more than one senior manager), and the English undergraduates at NTU whom I have taught had considerable difficulty in reading and interpreting simple graphs, even after they had been told how to do so. In the end the graphs had to be explained to them.5)Knowledge of the natural world can be categorized in at least three ways; the scientific, the practical and the aesthetic. My guess is that whatever is lost in translation will tend to be aesthetic, or in certain cases perhaps practical, rather than scientific. That reduces my concern because aesthetic categories are subjective and open to change, and the practical use of certain materials can probably be substituted for in most cases. Scientific knowledge is the preserve of Western languages, predominantly English and so scientific knowledge of the natural world is not tied to this or that dying minority language.*** On a scale of one to 10, how bad is your pain today? For some people, that question and the sad faces on the pain chart are their everyday companions. These are people with chronic pain. Unlike acute pain, which goes away as the injured area heals, chronic pain can last for months or years. Most chronic pain doesnt reach the top of the pain chart, but according to Steve Kemple, a pain specialist at the Advanced Pain and Spine Institute of Montana, its unrelenting nature can make it a life-altering condition. When youre in pain every single day, it affects your work, your finances, your family relationships every aspect of your life, says Kemple. According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 100 million people in the U.S. have this type of pain. Arthritis is a typical cause, especially osteoarthritis the deterioration of joints that comes with age and overuse. Chronic pain can also result from cancer and cancer treatments, conditions of the nervous system, headaches, old injuries and many other conditions. Regardless of the cause, pain that persists longer than six months is classified as chronic. While chronic pain has a precise definition, it also has a more complex side. For one thing, people with the same medical condition often experience pain very differently. Also, the same person may feel more pain one day and less the next, even though their condition hasnt changed. These differences are related to your genetic makeup, your life experiences and even your mood on a particular day the brain systems that interpret physical and emotional pain overlap, so one can intensify the other. And while the source of chronic pain is often obvious, for some people it remains unknown. While all pain can be treated, chronic pain often cant be cured. In fact, the objective of treatment usually isnt reaching zero on the pain scale. According to Kemple, a better approach is to decrease pain as much as possible while maximizing function. You can avoid pain by being inactive, but that doesnt alleviate the problem, he says. Instead, people with chronic pain should work toward being as active as they can safely be. If you have pain that lasts after an illness or injury has resolved, your first step is to see your doctor. He or she may order tests and ask about your health history to learn more about what is causing your pain and how to treat it. Anti-inflammatory medicines, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, sometimes help with mild to moderate pain. For pain that doesnt respond to initial treatment, your best choice may be to see a pain expert. Physicians and other providers at pain clinics diagnose the causes of pain and determine the best treatments. You may have some of these treatments for your pain: Medications. Opioids may be used for hard-to-treat pain. These include medicines such as Vicodin and OxyContin. Antidepressants help relieve pain for some people, and anti-seizure medicines can be effective against some types of chronic pain. All drugs have side effects, though, and using them in combination can be dangerous. Always tell your doctor about everything you are taking, even supplements. Physical therapy. A physical therapist trained in chronic pain management can use manual therapies and show you ways to strengthen specific muscles to help relieve pain. Physical therapy can also involve treatments such as therapeutic ultrasound, low-level laser, heat and ice. Psychological counseling. Psychologists who are trained in chronic pain management can help with therapies such as biofeedback and cognitive behavioral therapy. They can also help you sleep better and minimize feelings of anxiety or depression that often come with chronic pain. Exercise. Its important to stay as active as possible. Low-impact exercises such as swimming, walking and bicycling are best. However, be careful not to overdo it. Massage. A massage can improve circulation, relax your muscles and reduce stress. Complementary care. Studies show that techniques such as acupuncture and chiropractic therapy can help with some types of chronic pain. Relaxation techniques to relieve stress. You can often minimize pain by using meditation, yoga, tai chi or other methods for reducing stress. And its important to spend time with friends and stay involved with hobbies and projects to keep from focusing on your pain. Occupational therapy. If pain limits your movement, occupational therapy can show you easier ways to do ordinary tasks like cooking and cleaning. Surgery. In some cases of pain that doesnt respond to other therapies, surgery may help. The surgery can involve relieving pressure on nerves or destroying specific nerves by cutting or burning them. Injections. Several types of injections can help reduce pain by blocking nerve impulses or introducing substances such as cortisone or Botox to specific areas. Injections may also be used to find pains point of origin if pain is reduced after the injection, that specific area is presumed to be the problem. Implanted devices. For some people with chronic back or limb pain, doctors can use a minimally invasive procedure to implant a device that delivers electrical stimulation to nerves at the source of the pain. The current interferes with pain signals to the brain. A similar procedure is used to implant a pump that delivers pain medication to the space around the spinal cord. Living with chronic pain can lead you to withdraw from everyday activities and even avoid your friends. Its easy to feel depressed when you hurt most or all of the time, especially since others cant see your pain and may not understand your condition. And depression can make pain worse. You can short-circuit this downward spiral by getting help now. Make an appointment with your doctor or visit the American Chronic Pain Association at theacpa.org to learn ways to document your pain and describe it during your doctor visit. *** The Family Health column is written by Shawn Lake of Community Medical Center. A couple faces felony charges after authorities say they were found passed out in a Missoula motel room with their young children left unattended in a full bathtub. Mitchell Joseph Iron Cloud and Kimberly Rose Hewankorn appeared in Missoula County Justice Court on Monday, each charged with two felony counts of criminal endangerment. Hewankorn is also charged with a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia. According to an affidavit, an employee at the Motel 6 on Expo Parkway noticed water coming from the ceiling above the front desk Saturday, and attempted to contact the occupants of the room directly overhead. The employee spoke with a child in the room, whom she described as naked and wet, according to the affidavit. Upon entering the room, she found Hewankorn and Iron Cloud asleep on the beds and was unable to wake them. Missoula police were called to the motel to conduct a welfare check on the couple. When officers arrived, they found standing water in the room and heard childrens voices and the sound of a faucet behind the closed bathroom door, according to the affidavit. A bottle of rum and a bottle of wine were found between the beds. An officer entered the bathroom and found standing water on the floor and fecal matter next to the toilet, according to the affidavit. Two girls, ages 3 and 5, were standing naked in the the bathtub. The water in the bathtub was almost to the rim deep enough for the children to drown, according to the affidavit and the faucet was still running, and one of the girls was holding a rum bottle that appeared to be filled with bath water. A glass pipe containing what officers determined to be marijuana residue was found on the bed next to Hewankorn, according to the affidavit. When Hewankorn and Iron Cloud regained consciousness, their speech was slurred and they appeared to be confused by questions from the officers, the affidavit said. Hewankorn did not ask about the children, and when officers did, she allegedly had difficulty spelling one of their names. Iron Cloud and Hewankorn allegedly told officers they used heroin earlier in the day. Iron Cloud attempted to resist being handcuffed, according to the affidavit, but was unsuccessful partly due to his level of intoxication. Sgt. Travis Welsh, public information officer for the Missoula Police Department, said the children were turned over to the states Child and Family Services Division. In court Monday, Acting Justice of the Peace Ryan Phelan set bail at $50,000 each for Iron Cloud and Hewankorn. Phelan allowed Iron Cloud to be screened for pretrial supervision, and told both suspects they would be allowed only supervised visits with the children. Preliminary hearings for Iron Cloud and Hewankorn were set for Jan. 25. Despite the armed takeover of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon, voters in the Rocky Mountain West still strongly support keeping their public lands in federal hands, according to the latest version of a bipartisan conservation poll. These findings show us the Bundy family and the politicians who sympathize with them are far out of touch with most people in the West, said former U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who participated in Mondays Colorado College conference call on the annual Conservation in the West poll. What Westerners are actually concerned about is drought, water scarcity and climate change. Salazar referred to the armed group led by Nevada rancher Ammon Bundy that has occupied the Malhuer National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon, for the past 11 days. While the protesters demand the federal lands be turned over to state and local control, Salazar said the poll shows strong majorities prefer keeping national control. Just 33 percent of registered voters in seven states favored states taking over management of federal lands, compared with 58 percent opposed. The split was 31 percent in favor and 59 percent opposed in Montana. Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming respondents all preferred retaining federal management of public lands by at least 52 percent. Utah voters split with 41 percent in favor of state control and 47 percent opposed. The bottom line is that Montanans are adamantly opposed to any efforts to weaken our public lands, Business for Montanas Outdoors director Marne Hayes said of the results. Our public land and water in Montana, and our access to them, is a powerful economic advantage. We are proud of the results of this poll, which suggest that any plan to transfer control of our public lands or sell them off is a non-starter. Overall, the poll found that 73 percent of voters believed having federal public lands helped the local economy, while 19 percent thought it had little economic impact and 6 percent said federal lands hurt the economy. In state-specific questions, the poll found that 77 percent of Montanans support presidential authority for designating national monuments, with 58 percent of them saying the Upper Missouri Breaks National Monument has been a good thing (11 percent said it was a bad thing). The seven-state average in favor of presidential monument authority was 80 percent. Utah voters had the lowest support, at 66 percent in favor of monument authority. *** The Colorado College Conservation in the West poll has been an annual survey for six years. Its conducted by Republican pollster Lori Weigel of Public Opinion Strategies and Democratic pollster Dave Metz of Fairbank, Maslin, Maulin, Metz and Associates. It conducts phone interviews with 400 registered voters in seven states along the Rocky Mountains. For the first time, this years poll included voters in Nevada along with the regular list of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah respondents. For overall results, the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.74 percentage points. State-only questions had a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points. One new question asked this year probed what people thought of decision-making in public land management. It found 85 percent public land, water and wildlife matters should be issues where elected officials and state leaders should work together and seek to find common ground. Just 10 percent said those matters were issues where elected officials and state leaders should not compromise if there are differences. Weigel said while the poll question asked about debates between state and federal elected officials, similar research showed support for collaborative decision-making among stakeholder groups. When we have conducted research on public lands proposals, voters like the idea of collaboration and community input, Weigel said. When there are many voices heard, they think there are reasonable compromises. The collaborative process is something they tend to be positive about. Wild West Institute Director Matthew Koehler disagreed with that conclusion. As a frequent critic of collaborative groups in local U.S. Forest Service projects, he said reliance on such stakeholder processes undermined national environmental laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act. Right now, weve got 15 or 20 different collaborative groups in Montana working on projects, and what individual or organization has the resources and manpower to attend meetings all across the state? Koehler asked. The only part of the process thats federally required is laws like NEPA, and NEPA doesnt say you need to drop what youre doing and drive all around the state attending collaborative meetings. Once we start saying that unless youre part of a collaborative group, you wont be able to fully participate in this process for a timber sale, youre going to see all the decisions made only by organizations and entities that have a lot of money or time. Hellgate Elementary School is running out of classroom space and will seek the publics input on plans to expand. Enrollment just continues to increase, said Doug Reisig, the district superintendent. Its beginning to put real pressure on our buildings. Reisig is in his 16th year as the superintendent of Hellgate Elementary, the largest independent school district in the state. In 2006, the district had 1,197 students. This year, that number is up to 1,519, and Hellgate Elementary is projecting enrollment will rise by more than 200 students during the next five years. In an attempt to get ahead of rising enrollment, Reisig said the district will hold a public meeting at the school at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, to discuss potential options for expanding the capacity of the elementary school. What we would like to see is what are the taxpayers, the residents and the parents, what do they want to see? Reisig said. The last time Hellgate Elementary expanded was in 2007, when it passed a $13 million bond to renovate and expand, including adding classrooms to each of its three buildings. That construction was completed in 2009. At the time, we thought we would be good for another 10 to 15 years, Reisig said. More residential development in the Hellgate Elementary area, which Reisig attributed to having more available land than other parts of town, drove enrollment up quicker than anticipated. This year, to make room for another kindergarten class, the school took over a room used by physical and occupational therapy staff, and divided a music room to give the professional staff office space to work in. This is an immediate need for us, Reisig said. While Reisig said administrators are open to other ideas from the community, the school has been working with Missoulas Paradigm V2 Architects on the possible expansion. Three solutions have been proposed: bringing in modular units to house students, adding more classrooms to existing buildings, or constructing a new building. Reisig said the districts 43-acre campus has more than enough room for a new building or for modulars between the administrative office and the middle school, if they choose to go with one of those options. If the district decides to construct a new building, Reisig said it would likely be for the seventh- and eighth-grade classrooms, with other grades being redistributed among the existing three buildings. Regardless of how it is done, Reisig said the district want to increase its capacity to between 1,800 and 2,000 students. Reisig said the Jan. 20 meeting is just the beginning. He hopes monthly meetings will follow. The intention is to make a decision on how to expand by May and put measure on the November ballot to pay for it. Reisig said administrators are still early in the process and don't have any cost estimates. Reisig said the district has received feedback from community members who confuse Hellgate Elementary with Missoula County Public Schools, which will benefit from two building bonds totaling $158 million that passed in November. Weve been telling people that were not MCPS and none of that money comes to us, he said. Whichever plan the district chooses to go forward with, Reisig said it would not affect any plans Hellgate Elementary has to build its own high school, although he said that issue has been put on the far back-burner. The subsidiary of a Canadian company quietly purchased Missoula's water system last week, although the legality of the sale is in dispute. Among those disputing it is Missoula Mayor John Engen, who on Monday called the move "weird and desperate." The Montana Public Service Commission also was perplexed when it received word that Mountain Water Co., which operates Missoula's drinking water system, was sold to Liberty Utilities. "We were just informed by Liberty that they went ahead and purchased Mountain Water without the PSC's approval," PSC communications director Eric Sell said Monday morning. "This is surprising, to say the least. This is the first time anyone has ever purchased a utility in the state without the PSC's approval." In June 2015, the city of Missoula won the right to buy Mountain Water from The Carlyle Group. In a statement issued late Monday afternoon, the mayor said the city won in court and would be in control of the water system soon. "Carlyles and Algonquins announcement and supposed sale have no legal effect," Engen said. "The reality is that the city of Missoula won the condemnation case and has the court order to prove it. The city has the right to take possession of the water system at a price that has been determined in court." *** Liberty Utilities is owned by Algonquin Power and Utilities Corp. of Canada. Liberty had proposed to purchase Mountain Water from The Carlyle Group as part of a trio of water companies headquartered in California. Liberty and Carlyle announced the deal in September 2014, several months after the city had taken Carlyle and Mountain to court in its eminent domain case. The sale to Liberty was pending before the Public Service Commission, which regulates private utilities in the state. However, in a joint filing to the PSC on Monday, Carlyle and Liberty said they closed a deal Friday to transfer ownership of Mountain Water. In the filing, the parties said the matter had been under consideration at the PSC for a long time, and they had reserved arguments about the agency's lack of jurisdiction over ownership changes. The "withdrawal of joint application" noted the city has questioned the PSC's authority as well. "Since the filing of the joint application, the City of Missoula has consistently and regularly contested the Commission's jurisdiction due to the city's ongoing attempts to obtain Mountain Water's assets through condemnation," according to the document. A Missoula County District Court judge had temporarily stayed the matter pending in the PSC at the request of the city of Missoula. The city earned the right in June to use its power of eminent domain to buy the water system from global investment firm Carlyle, and water commissioners subsequently set the price at $88.6 million. Mayor Engen said the other players aren't allowed to "blow up the legal system." He also said they have shown "complete disregard for Montana courts and Montana law." "While Carlyle and Mountain Water still think they are above the law, the city expects they and their Canadian friends will continue to lose in court, and the water system will be in Missoulas control soon," Engen said. He said Liberty and Carlyle have "thumbed their noses at the courts, thumbed their noses at the PSC, and have bilaterally decided that they're in charge here. We believe that the system suggests otherwise." A Carlyle spokesman directed the Missoulian to Liberty for comment; a Liberty spokeswoman took the Missoulian's questions but did not tender a reply. The withdrawal application filed with the PSC, though, noted the agency had more than one year to consider the sale application. *** The parties initially filed for approval on Dec. 15, 2014, according to the document. "(T)he joint applicants appreciate the commission's and staff's commitment of time and resources to this proceeding, but have made a business decision not to continue moving forward." "This proceeding has been pending before the Commission for over a year, and now at the request of the City of Missoula, the District Court has ... placed an indefinite stay on this proceeding pending the court's review of various commission decisions and the commission's jurisdiction over the sale and transfer ... " the withdrawal notice said. "Therefore, it is wholly uncertain when or if this commission proceeding will be allowed to move forward." Last week, California regulators approved the sale to Liberty. In a news release, Liberty President Greg Sorensen praised the deal and said it had been in process for months. "We have been working together with Park Water Co. (Mountain's parent company) over the last several months to ensure a smooth transition, and we're looking forward to delivering high-quality service to all of our new water customers for decades to come," Sorensen said in a statement. John Kappes, general manager of Mountain Water, also commented on the deal in a statement. The company had opposed the sale to the city and supported the transfer to Liberty. "We have no doubt that Liberty Utilities, as an experienced utility that prides itself on community-oriented values, local management and customer service, commitment to safety, and focus on corporate responsibility, will head a water utility system that continues to make decisions in the best interest of Montana's water resources and customers," Kappes said in the statement. Sell said the sale price for all three water companies was $327 million, and he also said the PSC took action on the matter Monday afternoon. "We're shocked by this to say the least, and it's frustrating that they've decided to bypass us. And we are certainly not going to let this go forward without doing anything, to put it lightly," Sell said. He said the agency filed a motion in District Court requesting a partial lift of the temporary stay on PSC proceedings. The agency aims to solicit comments from the parties about the withdrawal. "It's still an open docket in front of the PSC, and we haven't approved any withdrawal of the application," Sell said. It looks like the Western Montana Fair board that was dissolved by Missoula County commissioners more than eight years ago is on its way back. Current commissioners have had a preliminary conversation to reinstate the board, Commissioner Nicole Rowley indicated Monday after a special informational session of the Missoula County Fairgrounds Advisory Committee, or McFAC. A new fair board can't technically be called a "fair board," said Chris Lounsbury, the county's chief operating officer. It wont have its own budget as the old one did because state law prohibits that these days. But the idea is really to go back to the same sort of thing, to meet monthly but to truly look at planning the fair event everything from looking at acts to working with the stock contractor and working with folks to provide different food concessions, Lounsbury said. Hands-on things, very similar to what the fair board used to do. McFAC has worked since its inception nearly five years ago to develop a long-term plan for the fairgrounds. It's expected in the next few months to arrive at a preferred concept to present commissioners. But in recent meetings the committee has expressed the need to have a companion panel to focus on the fair itself. Gary Koepplin, former manager of the Ravalli County Fair, seconded that notion Monday. Ive been involved with fairs for a number of years, and I feel very strongly that this fair needs a fair board, Koepplin told the advisory committee. It was a big mistake to take it away, and it would be an even bigger mistake not to re-implement it. The commissioners cannot do it fast enough, in my opinion. Rowley and fellow commissioners Jean Curtiss and Stacy Rye have already discussed the idea once. Lounsbury said he has been working with fairgrounds director Todd Garrett on bylaws. The hope is that sometime in February well meet again with the commissioners and, if they approve it, well get going on it in the latter part of February or early March, Lounsbury said. A board of five to seven members should be in place before this years fair in August, but 2016 would be "more of a learning experience, Lounsbury said. *** Curtiss and outgoing commissioner Barbara Evans voted in August 2007 to disband the board that had helped fair managers put on the annual August event since 1954. Bill Carey voted against the move, suggesting instead the board be expanded from seven to 21 members. The move came after the fair board developed an ill-fated master plan and in the midst of an insurrection that led to the resignation of fairgrounds staff members and board chairman Buck Smith. It left fair managers or fairgrounds directors, as theyre called now to shoulder the bulk of the burden of fair planning and consummation. Admittedly, I can keep making these decisions and forging forward, said Garrett, whos in the midst of preparations for his third Missoula fair. But the one thing I realize is all fairs have this type of thing behind them and (at) the ones that really work, what the fair managers tell me is, I dont know how you do it without (a board). Theyre such an important resource and connection to the community. When I hear those kinds of stories I get real excited. Commissioners in late 2010 created the fairgrounds advisory committee, which meets monthly in a public forum. Planning for the fair event itself is aided by a group of concessionaires and superintendents, and Garrett said their input has led to restroom upgrades and trash-removal procedures. But theyre not reviewing contracts or making official recommendations as a fair board would. And when fair week arrives, they all have their own commitments to focus on. A fair board, or more accurately a fair committee, would help Garrett with the endless details of planning and running a fair. As far as having a group making phone calls and brainstorming solutions that falls to me right now, Garrett said. Even more important, he added, is having a group of people who believe in the fair and believe in the betterment of the fair and their community. Itll be a broader connection between the fair and the community because itll be a fair community again. Sarah Rae McKnight, who faces several felony charges for her alleged involvement in the killing of one woman and the stabbing of another last month, made a brief appearance in Missoula County Justice Court on Monday. McKnight, 32, was arrested in Idaho on Dec. 22, one day after prosecutors say she was involved in killing Lonette Keehner at the Super 8 motel on Brooks Street and stabbing another woman in the parking lot of a nearby grocery store. McKnight is charged with deliberate homicide and conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping, as well as accountability for deliberate homicide, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, and theft. In court Monday, public defender Rob Greenwell requested that a decision on McKnight's bail be delayed. Acting Justice of the Peace Ryan Phelan set a Jan. 29 hearing to discuss bail and assigned the Office of the State Public Defender to represent McKnight. Until the hearing, her initial $1 million bail will remain in place. McKnight was transferred to the Missoula County jail over the weekend from Spokane, Washington, where she faces an unrelated felony theft charge. Chief Deputy Missoula County Attorney Jason Marks said Monday he didnt know the status of the Washington case. Scott Austin Price, 37, who is also charged in the Missoula case and was arrested with McKnight, has a preliminary hearing scheduled Tuesday afternoon. Price is charged with deliberate homicide, attempted deliberate homicide, conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, and solicitation to commit a theft in relation to the killing and assault. Price also has been charged in the Dec. 14 stabbing death of 78-year-old Ed Martin in Miles City, as well as with assaulting and kidnapping Martins wife, who was found beaten and locked in the basement. McKnight allegedly met Price after a court hearing in Great Falls, and the two drove McKnight's car to Missoula. They allegedly fled Missoula in Keehner's car after she was killed. Presidential campaigns inflate expectations that power wielded from governments pinnacle will invigorate the nation. Thus campaigns demonstrate that creationists threaten the creative ferment that produces social improvement. Not religious creationists, who are mistaken but inconsequential. It is secular creationists whose social costs are steep. Secular theists economist Don Boudreauxs term produce governments gripped by the fatal conceit that they are wiser than societys spontaneous experimental order. Such governments imposed order suffocates improvisation and innovation. Like religious creationists gazing upon biological complexity, secular theists assume that social complexity requires an intentional design imposed from on high by wise designers, a.k.a. them. In his book The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge, Matt Ridley refutes the secular creationists fallacious idea that because social complexity is the result of human actions, it must, or should, be the result of human design. In fact, Ridley says, Far more than we like to admit, the world is to a remarkable extent a self-organizing, self-changing place. What explains the reluctance to admit this? Perhaps the human mind evolved to seek a Designer behind designs. (On the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Ridley says, Adam and God touch fingers. To the uneducated eye it is not clear who is creating whom.) Or perhaps people feel anxious if no one is in charge. Ridleys point is that everyone is in charge of social change. It is propelled by what Friedrich Hayek, echoing Darwin, called selection by imitation of successful institutions and habits. This is a broad-based, bottom-up process by which society, like Darwinian nature, is constantly experimenting. Morality evolves: Religious and other moral instructors base their moral codes on the way people who are considered moral behave people who are deemed moral because they exemplify rules conducive to human flourishing. Legal systems evolve: The common-law basis of the system under which Americans live had no inspired lawgiver; it emerged from centuries of the Anglospheres trial and error. Describing the way living cells respond to local effects, Ridley, an evolutionary biologist, writes: It is as if an entire city emerged from chaos just because people responded to local incentives in the way they set up their homes and businesses. (Oh, hang on that is how cities emerged too.) Similarly, no committee or other command-and-control system decreed the rules of the worlds languages. Darwin: The formation of different languages, and of distinct species, and the proofs that both have been developed through a gradual process, are curiously parallel. Ridley: It is as if a human language, with all its syntax and grammar, were to emerge spontaneously from the actions of its individual speakers, with nobody laying down the rules. (Oh, hang on ...). Ridley applies to everything the perspective of Leonard E. Reads famous 1958 essay I, Pencil. In it a pencil explains that I am a mystery because not a single person knows how to make me. The seemingly simple pencil is wood harvested by loggers using saws and ropes made elsewhere, wood transported by trucks and trains made by many thousands of people, to mills where machines the products of ore mined by thousands and steel mills staffed by thousands more prepare the wood to receive graphite mined abroad and the eraser from foreign rubber, held in place by aluminum mined somewhere and smelted somewhere else, before lacquer (castor beans and other ingredients) is applied, and ... Behind a pencil stand millions of cooperating people, but no mastermind. Which is why worshipers in the church of government, the source of top-down authority, disparage a free societys genius for spontaneous order: It limits the importance of government and other supposed possessors of the expertise that supposedly is essential for imposing order from above. No one, writes Ridley, anticipated that when Gutenberg made printed books affordable, increased literacy would create a market for spectacles, which would lead to improved lenses and the invention of telescopes, which would produce the discovery that the Earth orbits the sun. No one planned that one particular books argument for the fecundity of freedom would bolster the case for limited government the way Adam Smiths The Wealth of Nations did when published in 1776. A coalition of environmental groups has won a new government review on whether fishers need federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. The cat-sized predator lives in forests in the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest. On Tuesday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published notice in the Federal Register that it was reconsidering its 2011 decision that ESA protection for fishers was not warranted. Fishers need protection now, Arlene Montgomery, program director for Friends of the Wild Swan, noted in an email Monday. Intensive surveys between 2012 and 2014 in the Southwest Crown of the Continent failed to detect any fishers, yet trapping in Montana continues to kill them and logging is degrading their habitat. FWS will conduct a 60-day public comment period on the fishers status through March 12. Under its rules, the agency looks at the amount of information that would lead a reasonable person to believe that the measure proposed in the petition may be warranted. If we find that substantial scientific or commercial information was presented, we are required to promptly commence a review of the status of the species, which will be subsequently summarized in our 12-month finding. The Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Friends of the Bitterroot, Friends of the Clearwater, Western Watersheds Project and Friends of the Wild Swan combined for the petition to FWS regarding the fisher status. They asked that the Northern Rocky Mountains fisher population be listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Fishers are legal to trap in Montana, and are prized for their thick reddish-brown fur. In a 2011 review, FWS ruled that the fisher wasnt warranted for endangered or threatened listing. Mondays announcement stated that new information presented since the 2011 review presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing the fisher ... may be warranted. Were glad to see that the Service recognizes the plight of this rare carnivore, Andrea Santarsiere, a staff attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity wrote in an email Monday. We urge the Service to act swiftly to ensure protection for the Northern Rockies fisher before the population declines any further. HELENA On Monday, Gov. Steve Bullock announced plans to move 21 people from the Montana Developmental Center in Boulder to group homes around the state run by the nonprofit AWARE Inc. MDC treats people with serious intellectual disabilities who have been determined by a court to pose an imminent risk of serious harm to themselves or others. The 2015 Legislature passed Senate Bill 411, which requires the DPHHS to develop a plan to close the center by June 30, 2017. The department must transition most of its residents out of the facility and into community services by the end of this year. The cost of the 21 transfers to AWARE, which will happen over seven months, is $5.2 million. That will pay for the continuing care needed by the clients, who will now live in two- to four-bed group homes. Twenty-eight people at the center have been approved to return to their communities and are awaiting placement. The other 24 clients are not considered ready to return to the community. Eight of those have been convicted of crimes and cant be placed into communities unless a court changes their sentence or they become eligible for parole. Three private groups have agreed to take the centers clients, through contracts have not been signed with two. In addition to AWARE, Benchmark, an Ohio-based program recently licensed in Montana, plans to build five group homes at yet-to-be-named locations around the state to take 20 clients and Missoula Developmental Service Corp. said it could take three if it increases staffing levels. DPHHS has increased the amount of money it plans to pay for community services for those awaiting services, with the changes totaling $1 million. The changes are the result of a review of the community services needed by each person and talking with community providers. The department determined many clients would need more behavioral health services, which is provided in the persons home by someone with more skills than a support employee at a group home. Community facilities that agree to take the centers clients get ongoing funding, and those who committed before Oct. 1 get a one-time payment of $40,000 per client in exchange for agreeing to provide services for at least a year. While work continues to find community placement, the Transition Planning Advisory Council, which looks specifically at the process of closing the center, has recommended that the center keep a 12-bed assessment and stabilization unit open. The 15-member committee first decided in October that the state should continue to run a facility of last resort, and on a 10-4 vote, with one member absent, agreed to continue operating the acute services unit. It's fair to say some of the clients housed in the acute services unit are people officials are nervous about placing into communities, Mary Dalton, manager of DPHHS Medicaid and health services branch, told the Children, Families, Health, and Human Services Interim Committee at a meeting Friday. Some interim legislative committee members asked if keeping part of the center open met with the legislative intent of a bill written to close the center. Dan Villa, the governors budget director who chairs the advisory council, said, We all know there will be individuals who need some sort of this care and the most acute level. Twelve in a state of 1 million seems very reasonable to me, as it did to super majority of the committee members. The state Architecture and Engineering Division estimated the cost of building three smaller secure units elsewhere to house acute care in the state as high as $3.2 million per unit, and put the cost of constructing a 12-bed unit at $9.7 million, while it said the cost of renovating the facility at the Boulder center would be $1.6 million. People in Boulder are concerned about a $4 million loan the town recently took out to meet wastewater treatment requirements, mainly at the centers campus. Residents are worried that without payments from the center, residents will be left paying higher fees to cover the cost of that loan. A legislative researcher said the governors office has indicated it might help offset these costs, though theres no additional information on that. BILLINGS - A Glendive Police officer was released on his own recognizance Monday after his initial court appearance on both felony and misdemeanor charges. Appearing Monday before Justice of the Peace David A. Carter via closed-circuit television from the Yellowstone County Detention Facility, Michael Louis Briggs, 48, is charged with a felony count of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and a misdemeanor count of driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs, first offense. Carter ordered Briggs released and scheduled his arraignment for 9:30 a.m. Jan. 19 before District Court Judge Gregory R. Todd. Carter also ordered Briggs to participate in an alcohol monitoring program. Meeting minutes from May 6, 2014, show that the Glendive City Council voted to hire Briggs as a full-time temporary patrolman, effective April 26, 2014. He was hired as a permanent full-time officer a few months later, Glendive Mayor Jerry Jimison said. Jimison said Briggs was in Billings for National Guard training. Were had no real big issues with him, Jimison said, adding that Briggs was involved in an accident while driving a police cruiser and was disciplined as a result. According to charging documents, at about 7 p.m. Friday, Billings police officers responded to the 5500 block of Midland Road after receiving a report of an intoxicated driver. Reports indicated that the driver had been swerving and driving erratically on King Avenue West and that the driver had been involved in an auto accident earlier that day. Officers stopped a pickup truck and identified the driver as Briggs. They said the driver appeared disoriented, had slurred speech and appeared to have difficulty understanding officers initial questions. Officers detected the strong odor of alcohol on Briggs breath. Briggs refused to submit to standard field sobriety tests and was then transported to the county jail. At the jail, Briggs appeared to get more upset, charging documents indicate, and refused to provide a breath sample or a narrative statement after being advised of his right to remain silent. A search of Briggs at the jail produced a mint tin containing hydrocodone, a Schedule II dangerous drug. Briggs told Carter Monday that he will produce a prescription for the hydrocodone. Just type in my name (Fager, Mary Lynn) You can also mail checks/money orders to: World Outreach Ministries PO Box B Marietta GA 30061 ATTN: Mary Lynn Fager #106 Checks should be made out to World Outreach with my name in the memo line are tax deductible and may be made here: IN the aftermath of terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., American support for accepting more Syrian refugees has withered. The Republican presidential hopeful Donald J. Trump has called for blocking all Muslims from entering the United States, saying we are at war with radical Islam. Other politicians, including some governors and members of Congress, now specifically label Syrian refugees a threat. The focus on whether or not to admit these desperate people to the United States obscures the bigger question of the refugee crisis. A vast majority of the more than four million refugees want to return to Syria once the war there ends. For that reason, most have stayed in the region, often languishing for years in camps in Lebanon and Jordan, rather than migrating to Europe or attempting to enter the United States. According to estimates from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are some 634,000 refugees still in Jordan, 1.1 million in Lebanon and 2.3 million in Turkey. These people are the responsibility of the international community, according to the 1951 Refugee Convention. The United States and all other signatories to the convention have a legal obligation to protect refugees and their well-being, which can mean resettlement when necessary. I have met and talked with refugees in camps in Jordan and roadside tent settlements in Lebanon and those arriving on rubber boats in Greece. They are the furthest things from radical Islamic jihadists. They fled their villages after nearly five years of war in a final act of desperation. The shelling was incessant, as was the fighting. They were squeezed on all sides by the Islamic State, by the forces of President Bashar al-Assad and by other rebels. They feared conscription and kidnapping. Many are professionals, including lawyers, dentists and engineers. Yet they had no work and couldnt feed their families. These are not terrorists; they are victims of terrorism. An event Monday in Waterloo underscored Mrs. Clintons challenge: About 300 people welcomed her enthusiastically and listened to her diligently, but many of them, still unsure, rebuffed Clinton aides trying to get them to sign commitment cards to caucus for her. I personally want to find out if shes trustworthy or not, said Katie Bailey, 71, of Cedar Falls. Theres so much untrust. I want to eyeball her. Matt Fagerlind, 36, also attended the Clinton event, but found himself thinking about how Mr. Sanderss rallies had the same uplifting emotional intensity as Barack Obamas in 2008. I think Sanders is going to give her a good run, he said, describing himself as unmoved by Mrs. Clinton and planning to vote for Mr. Sanders. (Ultimately, a Clinton aide said, about half of the audience signed commitment cards.) A Sanders victory in Iowa would be a shock, given the institutional advantages held by Mrs. Clinton, a former secretary of state and a favorite of the Iowa Democratic establishment. It would also set off significant momentum for Mr. Sanders heading into the Feb. 9 primary in New Hampshire, where he holds a slight lead in the polls. What we consider before using anonymous sources. Do the sources know the information? Whats their motivation for telling us? Have they proved reliable in the past? Can we corroborate the information? Even with these questions satisfied, The Times uses anonymous sources as a last resort. The reporter and at least one editor know the identity of the source. Learn more about our process. Several of Mrs. Clintons advisers, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the race candidly, said that they were anxious but not panicking about Iowa and that they believed she would still deliver a victory here. FAMILY RULE The recent media fit about the famed Muhoozi Project is one that has generated public curiosity at home and abroad. Many... Denbury Announces Covenant Amendment In Its Offers to Exchange Outstanding Senior Subordinated Notes for New 7 1/2% Senior Notes Due 2022 PLANO, Texas, Jan. 12, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Denbury Resources Inc. (NYSE:DNR) (Denbury or the Company) today announced that it has amended the Limitation on Liens covenant in its previously announced Exchange Offers to Eligible Holders (as defined below) of its outstanding 6% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2021, 5% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2022, and 4% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2023 (collectively, the Old Notes), to exchange a portion of their Old Notes for newly issued 7% Senior Notes due May 15, 2022 (the New Senior Notes). The amendments to the Exchange Offers require that the New Senior Notes will be equally and ratably secured in the event that the Company issues debt securities that are secured by junior liens (such as second or other subordinated liens). The amendment to the Exchange Offers is set forth in more detail in a supplement, dated January 12, 2016, to the Companys offering memorandum dated December 21, 2015. The Exchange Offers will expire at 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on January 20, 2016, unless extended or earlier terminated by the Company (the Expiration Time). The Exchange Offers are subject to, and conditioned upon, the satisfaction or waiver of conditions set out in the offering memorandum, as supplemented, and the related letter of transmittal, each dated December 21, 2015, subject to the Companys right to amend or terminate any of the Exchange Offers prior to the Expiration Time. The New Senior Notes have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or under any state securities laws. The New Senior Notes may not be offered or sold within the United States, absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. The Exchange Offers are extended only to, and the offering memorandum supplement will be sent only to, Eligible Holders of Old Notes who complete and return an eligibility form confirming that they are either a qualified institutional buyer under Rule 144A or not a U.S. person under Regulation S, as defined under applicable securities laws. The complete terms and conditions of the Exchange Offers, as well as the terms of the New Senior Notes, are described in the offering memorandum, as amended by the supplement, dated January 12, 2016, and the related letter of transmittal, copies of which may be obtained by Eligible Holders by contacting Global Bondholder Services Corporation, the exchange agent and information agent in connection with the Exchange Offers, at (866) 470-4500 or (212) 430-3774 (banks and brokers) or by visiting http://gbsc-usa.com/eligibility/Denbury to complete the eligibility process. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of any securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. Denbury is an independent oil and natural gas company with operations focused in two key operating areas: the Gulf Coast and Rocky Mountain regions. The Companys goal is to increase the value of its properties through a combination of exploitation, drilling and proven engineering extraction practices, with the most significant emphasis relating to CO 2 enhanced oil recovery operations. DENBURY CONTACTS: Mark C. Allen, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, 972.673.2000 Ross M. Campbell, Manager of Investor Relations, 972.673.2825 Platinum Group Metals Waterberg Project Budget Increased and 12 Drill Rigs Mobilized Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (TSX:PTM)(NYSE MKT:PLG) ("Platinum Group" or the "Company") reports that the current budget for the Waterberg Project has been expanded from US $8.0 million to US $8.5 million for the annual period ending March 31, 2016. The budget is fully funded by joint venture partner the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation ("JOGMEC"). Expenditures to date in the annual period at Waterberg are approximately US $6.0 million. Platinum Group holds a direct and indirect interest of 58.62% in Waterberg and is the project operator. The current budget has been expanded by moving funding forward from the next budget period. This provides for immediate new drilling targeted to expand recently identified shallow areas of F Zone mineralization of greater than 10 meters in thickness. The objective is to delineate indicated category resources with the best grade thickness that are accessible early in the project from decline ramps. Twelve drill rigs are being mobilized to the Waterberg site. The expanded drill program is to be completed by March 31, 2016, followed shortly by an updated resource calculation, which will be incorporated into a pre-feasibility study already in progress for the project. Additional drilling will also be focused on expanding upon an intercept of the T Zone grading 5.84 g/t platinum, palladium and gold ("3E") (1.80 g/t Pt, 2.86 g/t Pd, 1.18 g/t Au) over 19 meters (15 meters true width) at a depth of 812 meters to 831 meters. These thicker F and T Zones are in contrast to typical South African platinum deposits with a thickness of 1 meter that are mined manually. The current deposit scale is more than 360 million tonnes as detailed below. The objective of the current drilling is to target the best grade thickness in the shallowest locations. The deposit has shallow regions where grid areas measuring 250 meters by 250 meters are estimated to host more than 0.5 million 3E resource ounces each. Targeting the best areas of shallow mineralization within these regions along the 13 kilometer open strike length of the Waterberg Project is critical to optimizing the pre-feasibility design. Additional resources above 200 meters deep may play an important role in the initial years of the ramp-up profile of the pre-feasibility mine design. R. Michael Jones, President, CEO and Co-founder of Platinum Group said "We are very fortunate to have a sound technical partner in JOGMEC. Their commitment allows us to execute one of the most active drill programs in Southern Africa with the objective of growing indicated resources in a world-class project for an on-going pre-feasibility study. The ongoing work programs and large potential at Waterberg combined with the commissioning of our first platinum mine at the WBJV Project 1 demonstrate a level of business activity that is in contrast to current market conditions. Project 1 is in hot commissioning now and is scheduled for first production shortly." Pre-feasibility engineering on the Waterberg deposit, including optimization of the metallurgical flow sheet using South African and Japanese expertise, is continuing. Engagement with utilities for the delivery of bulk services also continues. Mine planning and optimization using fully mechanized methods is also ongoing. Details of the Offset Target Areas Up-Dip The following F Zone intercepts remain open up dip and have areas of more than 300 meters of open strike length at shallower depths. The T Zone intercepts remain open down dip and the area of interest has a strike length of 900m: July 2015 Waterberg Resources The resource ounces estimated at Waterberg prior to the current drilling program are: 25.64 Million 3E Ounces Inferred plus 12.61 Million 3E Ounces Indicated Inferred - 246 million tonnes grading 3.25 g/t 3E (0.98 g/t Pt, 2.11 g/t, Pd, 0.16 g/t Au, 2.50 g/t cut-off) Indicated - 121 million tonnes grading 3.24 g/t 3E (0.97g/t Pt, 2.11 g/t, Pd, 0.16g/t Au, 2.50 g/t cut-off) For resource details see July 22, 2015 News Release and Ni 43-101 technical report filed on September 4, 2015 entitled "An Independent Technical Report on the Waterberg Project located in the Bushveld Igneous Complex, South Africa" dated effective July 20, 2015 and prepared by Charles J Muller (B. Sc. (Hons) Geology) Pri. Sci. Nat., of CJM Consulting (Pty) Ltd. at www.sedar.com. 1. The Mineral Resources are classified in accordance with the SAMREC standards. There are certain differences with the "CIM Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves"; however, in this case the Company believes the differences are not material and the standards may be considered the same. Mineral Resources do not have demonstrated economic viability and Inferred resources have a high degree of uncertainty. Mineral Resources may never be upgraded or converted to reserves. 2. The Mineral Resources and are provided on a 100% project basis and Inferred and Indicated categories are separate and the estimates have an effective date of July 20th 2015. 3. A cut-off grade of 2.5 g/t 3E for both the T and the F zones is applied to the selected base case Mineral Resources. Previously a 2 g/t 4E cut-off was applied to the resources. 4. Kriging was used and Cut off for the T and the F zones considered costs, smelter discounts, concentrator recoveries from previous engineering work completed on the property by the Company. About Platinum Group Metals Ltd. Platinum Group Metals Ltd., founded in 2002 is based in Johannesburg, South Africa and Vancouver, Canada. The Company is starting production in January 2016 at its WBJV Project 1 platinum mine. Waterberg is the focus of the Company's exploration efforts targeting a globally significant, long term, competitive and fully mechanized PGE mine. Qualified Person R. Michael Jones, P.Eng., the Company's President, Chief Executive Officer and a significant shareholder of the Company, is a non-independent qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and is responsible for preparing the technical information contained in this news release. On behalf of the Board of Platinum Group Metals Ltd. R. Michael Jones, CEO and Co-Founder Disclosure The Toronto Stock Exchange and the NYSE MKT LLC have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this news release, which has been prepared by management. This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and forward-looking statements within the meaning of U.S. securities laws (collectively "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, plans, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, without limitation, statements regarding; the construction, development and ramp up of the Project 1 platinum mine; operational and economic projections with respect to the Project 1 platinum mine; future activities at Waterberg and the funding of such activities; trends in metal prices; the Company's overall capital requirements and future capital raising activities; plans and estimates regarding exploration, studies, development, construction and production on the Company's properties, other economic projections and the Company's outlook. Statements of resources also constitute forward-looking statements to the extent they represent estimates of mineralization that will be encountered on a property and/or estimates regarding future costs, revenues and other matters. Although the Company believes the forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations and assumptions in such statements will prove to be correct. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including; the Company's capital requirements may exceed its current expectations; the uncertainty of operational and economic projections; the ability of the Company to negotiate and complete future funding transactions; variations in market conditions; the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located; metal prices; other prices and costs; currency exchange rates; the Company's ability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its activities; the Company's ability to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, or to be fully able to implement its business strategies; and other risk factors described in the Company's Form 40-F annual report, annual information form and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian securities regulators, which may be viewed at www.sec.gov and www.sedar.com, respectively. To view Figure 1 please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1039084.pdf Copyright 2022 HT Digital Streams Ltd All Right Reserved Manlai Baatar Damdinsuren with two of his adjutants. Damdinsuren was Mongolian patriot and nationalist who took part in revival of Mongolian... HELENA A sale of Helena's Capital Hill Mall property is moving forward, although a closing date has not yet been set, said the buyer, Brett Del Valle, the managing partner of Peninsula Retail Partners LLC of Newport Beach, California. If the sale is completed, the mall will receive an extensive makeover, and much of the existing building will be torn down. While two anchor tenants would remain, a half dozen commercial sites are proposed along the propertys perimeter. Del Valle said on Wednesday that the mall property is in escrow and he is continuing to seek a company for one of two anchor tenant spaces in the mall. The existing JC Penney store would remain in the other anchor space under the new plan. Discussions are ongoing with a number of major tenants that have an interest in the property, he said, adding that they do not want their information disclosed at this time. The anchor tenant space hes seeking to fill could involve a market or a soft-goods retailer, although he declined to elaborate. Soft goods include textile items such as clothing and linens. The mall is located between two grocery stores, a Safeway store to the west and an Albertsons to the east. Much of the mall would be torn down if Del Valle finds the anchor tenant needed to help attract shoppers. A diagram of how Capital Hill Mall could be redeveloped if a sale is concluded shows a new look for the nearly 13.5 acre site. The diagram, found on the Mountain West Retail and Investment Commercial Real Estate website, www.mtnwest.com/properties, would retain the existing JC Penney store on the malls west end. However, the empty stores now located between JC Penney and the vacant 57,192-square-foot space for a second anchor tenant on the malls east end would be removed, leaving only the two anchor tenant sites. The vacant tenant site is listed on the diagram as a market while the JC Penney site is listed as retail. The diagram helps market the property by offering potential tenants an idea of the daily traffic passing the property. Prospect Avenue, a one-way, three-lane street leading into Helena, is listed as having daily traffic of 12,380 vehicles. Three of the six commercial sites proposed for the mall property are located along this street. Two of these sites are proposed for drive-thru operation, and the third one is labeled as a bank. Along 11th Avenue, a one-way, two-lane street that leads out of Helena and carries some 12,850 vehicles daily, two pad sites are proposed. One of these sites is listed for both retail and a restaurant while the second site is labeled for drive-thru use. There is interest in the property, but some of those who are interested want to see a more developed site plan, said Joe Cooley with Mountain West Retail and Investment Commercial Real Estate in Salt Lake City. More interest in leasing sites would come, he explained, when he is able to show more details about how the property will be developed. While he has received several letters of intent from companies interested in the sites, he has not yet received signed leases, he added. Cooley declined to say how many letters of intent he had received. The mall is a redevelopment opportunity, Del Valle said, explaining that Helena is a well-established market where he sees a growth opportunity. The website for Mountain West Retail and Investment Commercial Real Estate contains a site layout for the mall property. It also includes a demographic data table that noted there are estimated to be 43,818 people living within five miles of the site and more than 9,500 people residing within one mile of the property. According to the Peninsula Retail Partners website, Del Valle founded the company in 1999. Del Valle has constructed, managed and sold projects ranging in size from as small as a single fast food restaurant up to regional power centers of up to 250,000 square feet, the website noted. According to Del Valle's online biography, he has developed/leased more than 5 million square feet of properties in his career and worked with tenants such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Staples, Best Buy and Marshalls/TJ Maxx, among others. Our hands-on approach helps to eliminate surprises and reduce our investment and development risk, the companys website said of its approach to real estate. Once a project is acquired, we aggressively implement our development strategy. With extensive construction expertise, we are able to keep our projects on schedule and within budget, the website explained. The mall has been in decline for years, and City National Bank foreclosed on the property in August 2013, according to a Sept. 7, 2013 Independent Record article. Tax records with Lewis and Clark County in late December showed City National Bank was still the owner of record. The 181,645-square-foot structure was listed for sale on the online website Loopnet, although no price was noted on the listing in August 2014. An October 2014 listing said the mall, built in 1965, was being offered for $2.9 million. He pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal with Butte-Silver Bow County prosecutors, admitting he had an argument with his girlfriend at the time and threw a lighter at her. Court documents state the lighter hit the woman's head. Man accused of throwing boy, 13, against wall A 28-year-old Butte man accused of throwing a 13-year-boy against a wall who attempted to protect his mother pleaded not guilty in Butte city court Monday. Butte-Silver Bow Sheriff Ed Lester said Kevin Robert Kichnet and the teens mother, 35, had a volatile argument about several of her Facebook contacts or friends at their residence on the 300 block of Granite Mountain Road on Sunday. The woman reported that Kichnet refused to calm down and she ran to her sons bedroom. Lester said he threw a full can of soda at her and she ducked. Kichnet threatened to assault her, according to the woman. The undersheriff said the boy stepped in between Kichnet and his mother, who alleged he threw her son against a wall. When she called police, Kichnet fled. Kichnet was later caught by police Sunday and arrested. He is facing a misdemeanor charge of partner or family member assault. An omnibus hearing was slated for Feb. 12. Kichnet received a three-year deferred sentence on a conviction of sexual abuse of children in August 2014, according to the Montana Department of Corrections. Authorities arrested him in that case after he texted a picture of his genitals to a 14-year-old girl, The Montana Standard previously reported. Misdemeanor sexual assault charges levied James Phillips Jr., 31, of Butte was arrested Sunday after the 18-year-old daughter of a man he knows told police he came to her home on the 500 block of Suth Dakota Street, kissed her forcibly and fondled her breasts. Police say the teen said she had to use the bathroom and called 911. Police say there was no forced entry to the residence. Phillips is facing felony probation violation and misdemeanor charges of sexual assault, criminal trespass to property. He is likely to have an initial appearance in Butte city court this week. Phillips has three prior convictions in Butte-Silver Bow County: two burglary offenses and a partner or family member assault offense, according to the state DOC. Alleged assault on teen brings charges On Sunday afternoon, a 17-year-old male reported that Matthew Altizer, 37, of Butte punched him through an open window of his parked pickup truck in front of the Mountain Man Trading Post, 2084 Harrison Ave. The undersheriff said the teen told Altizer that he just hit a minor and if he threw another punch, he would call the police. Altizer allegedly hit the teen a second time. The sheriff said the two men knew one another, but it is unknown what precipitated the altercation. Altizer accused the boy of spitting in his face and pushing him. In response, he pushed the teen. He also reported that the victim stole money from him. Butte city court issued a notice for him to appear Tuesday. Altizer has prior convictions of criminal mischief and theft in Big Horn County, according to the state DOC. HELENA Criminal patients at the overcrowded Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs will soon be housed at the former Reintegrating Youth Offenders facility in nearby Galen. The state of Montana's lease for a new forensic meaning criminal mental health facility begins Feb. 1 and runs through 2035. It will house people committed to the state hospital through the criminal justice system. The state hospital's D wing, where people are currently placed, is licensed to hold 32 people but regularly has more than 50. Dan Villa, Gov. Steve Bullock's budget director, said the facility is in the process of adding staff members, enhancing cameras and making other upgrades. The term of the lease, 19 years, is just under the cap of what the state can sign without legislative approval. The 2015 Legislature appropriated $4 million for staff and to operate the facility, but the money for building a space to house it was tied up and ultimately killed in Senate Bill 416, the infrastructure bill that failed by one vote at the end of that session. The Galen facility will have 60 beds total, including six beds to keep women separate. The former youth detention center, built and operated for the past 12 years by Butte-based Community, Counseling and Correctional Services Inc., closed in January. Villa said the cost to adapt the space is mostly rolled into the cost of the lease, a number he didn't have at a Monday meeting of the Children, Families, Health, and Human Services Interim Committee. Villa called the solution "the best alternative to comply with the $4 million the Legislature had appropriated for state facilities services in order to abate the crisis level at the Montana State Hospital." State Rep. Ron Ehli, R-Hamilton, questioned to use of the money to rent the facility and the authority to do it. "Where does the authority come from for the executive branch to go out and do that?" he asked. Villa said when the 2015 Legislature appropriated the $4 million to run the unit but not the money to build it, there was no other alternative. He also said the state can enter into leases of less than 20 years and for less than 40,000 square feet without legislative approval. "The executive has to deal with the crisis as they arise," Villa said. "You get to deal with the crisis when you arrive in January 2017. We have had a crisis for two years (at) the Montana State Hospital." After nearly 75 years, the remains of one of Anaconda's heroes have been officially identified. Navy Ensign Lewis Stevens Stockdale, 27, was serving aboard the USS Oklahoma on Dec. 7, 1941, when Japanese warplanes attacked Pearl Harbor. He was among 429 soldiers and sailors who died aboard the Oklahoma when it was torpedoed and capsized, and they in turn were among the more than 2,400 members of the U.S. military killed in the Pearl Harbor attack. Stockdale's remains were among those of five U.S. sailors from the Oklahoma that were officially identified this week, according to the Navy. Stockdale was born Sept. 20, 1914, and enlisted as an apprentice seaman in the U.S. Naval Reserve Sept. 9, 1940. He was quickly commissioned as a midshipman. By June 12, 1941, he was promoted to ensign, and the following month given orders to serve aboard the Oklahoma. The hitherto unidentified remains of Stockdale and four other men were exhumed last year from their graves in Hawaii and were examined in special military laboratories. They had been buried as unknowns," but recent advances in technology made identification possible. After his death, Stockdale, like several other officers killed at Pearl Harbor, was honored by having a Navy ship named for him. The Edsall-class destroyer escort USS Stockdale (DE-399) was commissioned New Year's Eve 1943 under the command of Lt. Commander R.W. Luther. The ship was christened by Stockdale's mother and grandmother, his niece Trudy Ritz of Tuluatin, Ore., told the Washington Post. Ritz, 71, told the Post she was born after her uncle died, but said he was her grandmothers only son. She said she is grateful for the memories of her uncle that were shared through family. The other men identified this week were Chief Petty Officer Albert E. Hayden, 44, of Mechanicsville, Md.; Seaman 2nd Class Dale F. Pearce, 21, of Labette County, Kan.; Petty Officer 1st Class Vernon T. Luke, 43, of Green Bay, Wis.; and Chief Petty Officer Duff Gordon, 52, of Hudson, Wis. The identifications came about through advances in forensic science and genealogical help from family members, Air Force Lt. Col. Holly Slaughter, spokeswoman for the Pentagons Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), said in an email to the Post. The Washington newspaper said the four IDs are the first to come from a project that began last April when the Defense Department announced plans to exhume an estimated 388 of the Oklahomas "unknowns." When Montana Democrats gather at Fairmont Hot Springs next month for a caucus retreat, a tally of names on the attendance sheet will dictate whether the meeting is open to the public. Either way, the topics of discussion preparing a coordinated message for 2016 campaigns and drafting priorities for the 2017 Legislature will be the same. It is tricky to delineate between political strategizing and public business, Sen. Mary Sheehy Moe. D-Great Falls, said. I see the caucus as a political body, not a public one, Moe said, personally disagreeing with Montana courts that have ruled caucuses are indeed public. Like many political bodies we often deal with public business. After a 2015 court case, some now worry open-government gains made in the 1990s might be ignored and that legislators will not notify the public in advance about caucus meetings. Longtime state government reporter Chuck Johnson, who is now retired but continues to serve on the Montana Newspaper Associations FOIA Hotline board, remembered the discussions that led 22 Montana news outlets to file suit in 1995. Actions were occurring in caucus that made the discussion and votes on the floor a formality, Johnson said. We felt sometimes that the majority party, that was the Republicans at the time, had already had their discussions and made up their minds. The lawsuit sought public access to legislative caucuses gatherings of each political party to set priorities and strategize citing a section of the Montana constitution that all legislative meetings are open to the public. The case concluded in 1998, with District Judge Thomas Honzel finding the public has a right to observe their discussions. Specifically, the public has the right to attend any meeting wherever enough legislators gather to constitute a quorum. Just before the 2015 session, Republican legislators gathered in the basement of a restaurant without notifying the public in advance as required by open government law. The meeting was cut short when two reporters, who learned of the caucus, showed up to cover the gathering. Montana news media followed with a lawsuit seeking to hold the caucus in contempt of the 1998 ruling. District Judge Kathy Seeley dismissed the case in January 2015, saying that caucus meetings must be open to the public but that the 1998 ruling did not specifically require caucuses to provide advance notice to the public. After Seeleys ruling, public notice requirements remain a grey area, Rep. Jennifer Eck, D-Helena, said. Helena Attorney and open government advocate Mike Meloy disagreed, arguing the dismissal does not constitute a reversal of the 1998 ruling. She did not in that case, nor has she ever held, so far as Im aware, that notice of caucuses is not required, Meloy said. Our Supreme Court has said if the meetings are open to the public they must be noticed. Thats the law in Montana. Johnson defended the importance of open caucuses, which courts have affirmed in several other states, as critical to earning public trust in government and providing accountability for the actions of elected officials. For instance, he recalled House Republican Leader Mike Lang cursing Gov. Brian Schweitzer in 2007 after negotiations had fallen apart; and, in the final days of the 2015 session, Rep. Art Wittich calling for fellow Republicans to kill the infrastructure funding bill because it might be the partys only victory. Leaders of both parties have argued that having public caucuses deprives members of the forthright conversations of their peers and slows down efforts to coordinate. They say that private gatherings allow legislators to be frank and sometimes vulnerable as they hash out difficult party and policy decisions. Johnson said the 1998 ruling could be an example of winning the battle but losing the war, noting that the substance of legislative caucuses did change: less strategizing and more press conferences. The party leaders would start meeting with five legislators at a time in their offices, to avoid triggering a quorum, Johnson said. Much the same strategy is at play in planning the upcoming meeting of Democrats at Fairmont. Eck said Democrats will issue public notice about their Feb. 6 gathering and open it up to the public but only if a quorum of the House or Senate caucuses is reached. To date, however, she reports just a handful of reservations and is not certain enough members will attend to require public access. Its not unheard of for one too many people to show up to a caucus gathering and, rather than opening the meeting to the public, someone will turn around and drive home to keep the count shy of quorum. It makes it difficult to strategize, Moe said. I dont think that serves the public. Johnson disagreed, saying secrecy does not serve the public interest. We have one of the strongest state constitutions on the right to know, he said. Anything involving legislative decisions is public. HELENA Joy, gratitude and generosity of spirit are some of the beautiful qualities that Helena artist Jennifer Thompson sees in the people of Nepal, even in this time of great tragedy. Its the people shes met who keep drawing her back. She returned from her third trip there Dec. 4. What many in the United States dont realize is just how desperate and difficult the situation has become since the April 25, 2015, earthquake and aftershocks, which killed at least 8,583, she said. Thompson was on a trek in Nepal in April when the earthquake hit. The countrys dire situation has been further exacerbated by a blockade at the Indian border, she said, shutting off 90 percent of Nepals fuel supply and medical supplies. Its a political mess, she said, adding that its not the first time blockades like this have happened. A household where Thompson stayed when she was in Kathmandu this fall is fairly well off financially, but even it had no water, no propane, and only two hours of electricity by the time she left. There is no fuel to transport supplies to villages, she said: When I left the country there was no medicine for diabetes. On this recent trip, which started Oct. 22, Thompson traveled with her niece Kristin primarily to help rebuild homes in a remote village and also to volunteer with nonprofit groups and support their work. Thompson was trekking in Nepals Marsyangdi Canyon when the earthquake hit. One of her guides, Sune Bahadur Gurung, learned his childhood village, Singla, where his mother and sister live, had been destroyed. This fall, when Crystal Mountain Treks, the group that had organized Thompsons April trip, set up a rebuilding trek to the remote village, Thompson couldnt wait to take part. It took one day by jeep and two days hiking to reach Singla, Thompson said. They worked there for a week, hauling large piles of rock up to a building platform for the guides who are also builders to use. About 200 homes in the village had been leveled. Through the monsoon season and now winter, the villagers have been living in shelters made of tarps, woven rattan and corrugated metal, Thompson said. Despite the scarcities of supplies. Despite the hardships. Despite losing their homes. The people of Nepal are joyous and resilient, said Thompson, and incredibly hopeful and generous. The things people are doing to help each other, and the country is a disaster, she said in amazement. Can my mind expand any more? She saw a willingness of people to share what little they have. In her recent travels, she didnt see any of the big, international NGOs showing up. Rather, it was people helping people. She speaks of Uttam Phuyal, the owner of the Hotel Moonlight in Kathmandu, connecting contributions to people who need them. All these foreign groups go to Hotel Moonlight, Thompson said. Hes the best resource person. He also hosts many services, including a dental clinic for youth. Thompson, who is a poet, artist, art teacher, art therapist and a permaculture designer, also visited Hasera Agricultural Research and Training Center (a permaculture farm), east of Kathmandu, where she was eager to learn what they do and help with the farmwork. There she met Claire Lin, a woman from Taiwan who has set up a micro business at the farm, Lovelady Products. She hires local women to sew cotton washable, reusable sanitary pads. Lin also teaches women classes on health and the menstrual cycle. Thompson also visited and donated money she'd collected to BVS-Nepal, or Burn Violence Survivors-Nepal, a nonprofit that works with women burn victims, providing support, services and rehabilitation. These women were burned and disfigured intentionally by either their husband or mother-in-law, said Thompson. Thompson also volunteered and donated money shed collected at Setu Nepal, a nonprofit that works with HIV-positive women and children to provide training and transitional services. Wherever Thompson travels, she takes art supplies so she can hold impromptu art-making events or do art therapy with children and adults. Shes already dreaming of returning to Nepal, Thompson said. Shed like to repeat her April trek and visit the people she met to see if theyre OK. She recalled one woman she met who taught her to split and weave bamboo even though they didnt speak the same language, saying, I want to know how shes doing. I have no idea why Im doing this, Thompson said of her service trips. I didnt set out to be of service in any way its just what I do. She goes back, she said, to deepen (her) personal connections. What I come away with is oh my gosh, if we could be as happy as the Nepalese people are with nothing in a traumatic or at least hard situation, and they are so wanting to help each other, she said. How can I bring that back here? They just have this unbounded resiliency. When Thompson was there, she did what she calls informal interviews or surveys, asking the people she met about how they see this situation ending and what vision they have for the future. She recalled what Phuyal said at the Hotel Moonlight: We love Nepal. We love our country even in the hard situations. We are hopeful. We will do our best. They recognize their government is corrupt and supplies are dwindling, but they are still hopeful, she said. There was so much bright energy coming out of his eyes, said Thompson. We need their pure happiness. They can be happy in the craziest situation. HELENA Tom OConnell, administrator of the state's Architecture and Engineering Division, uses a laser pointer to highlight maroon paint peeling away to reveal the white plaster below around the dome of the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the capitol building. See that whole section? Thats water coming through and causing damage, and you see how close it is to the artwork, OConnell said last week on a tour of the capitol. The artwork is seven paintings by the Cincinnati firm F. Pedrettis Sons, oil on canvas, painted in 1902 and hung like wallpaper around the dome of this room. Theres the Gates of the Mountains, which Montanas first and fourth Gov. Joseph Toole asked to be depicted. Across the dome is Meriwether Lewis catching his first glimpse of the Rockies. To the side, President Benjamin Harrison and Secretary of State James G. Blaine sign Montanas constitution. These are not the most valuable paintings in the capitol that would be the massive C.M. Russell painting at the other end of the building in the House chambers but from an historic standpoint, you still want to protect them, OConnell said. The skylight will be fixed this year. Its the top priority among the deferred maintenance projects in the capitol, said Steve Baiamonte, administrator of the General Services Division. Thats not because its in the worst shape among the six in the building. There are four large skylights and two small ones, all built in either 1901 or 1911 except for the one over the barrel vault, which was put in around 2000 when the vault was re-sorted during an extensive renovation of the capitol. The others are probably about equal shape because theyre all roughly the same age, give or take a decade, Baiamonte said. General Services, which is the landlord and steward of the capitol, as well as all state-owned buildings within a 10-mile radius of Helena, gets money appropriated from the Legislature for deferred maintenance projects like this. This biennium, Baiamonte said, the division was appropriated $3.2 million for projects that also include flooring, fire suppression work and elevator improvements. OConnells department oversees all architecture and engineering projects on state-owned facilities in the complex. It has hired A&E Architects of Missoula to work on the skylight. That firm has been out to the capitol twice, the most recent time to look at the skylight from the superstructure above it and begin to figure out the best way to address the leak. At this point, its not known how much it will cost to remedy the situation, Baiamonte said. We always look at not what is low bid or the cheapest but what is best for the building and all the users. OConnell said he thinks a full replacement is needed for the original skylight, which is made of thin steel and glass. We think itll take a new structure. If its anything different than that, Id be extremely surprised because the structure and technology of how you do a skylight today is completely different. It shouldnt be a long-term construction project, but itll be a tricky one because the stained glass and artwork need to be protected. You talk about removing a skylight like this, and youve got some very delicate surfaces under there, OConnell said, pointing to the stained glass. Baiamonte said its feasible to wrap up work by the end of the year. We dont want to be tearing this thing apart when the snow is flying. In a perfect world, wed have it done by fall. OConnell wants something done before the Legislature gathers at the start of 2017. Its something weve done and can show them thats an obvious improvement, he said. Lots of capitols were built in the early 1900s, and skylights were a common feature. In some ways they had better taste than we do now, OConnell joked. The skylight above the House chamber is in about the same shape as the one to be replaced. If we were going to do a second one, the next one would be over the House chambers, Baiamonte said. The superstructure there is 10 years newer built in 1911 but over more than a century, a decade's worth of difference doesnt mean too much. Even though it sits over the room with the most expensive piece of artwork in the capitol, the massive C.M. Russell painting Lewis and Clark Meeting the Flathead Indians, this skylight isnt a priority, because the art isnt at risk from water damage. In the House, the damage would be more typical to stenciling or corbels or anything, Where the skylight is, theres no risk to damage of art on canvas, OConnell said. Crews did some major plaster repairs in that space earlier this year, Baiamonte said. Beads made of plaster were water-damaged and drooping like a loose pearl necklace. The area in jeopardy is right here, OConnell said, pointing to areas near the gallery seating. The beads basically (detached) and was loose here and curled and hung down. Again, thats from water. Section: STAFF PERSONNEL Code: 401.1 Policy Title: EDUCATIONAL EQUITY AND EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY References: Administrative Regulation 401.1 Date of Adoption: July 10, 1985 REVISED: May 16. 1990: March 10. 1993: September 14. 1994; June 10. 1998: June 20. 2007: February 10. 2010; June 8. 2011: June 12. 2013 REVIEWED: 2006-07; 2009-10:2010-11 It is the policy of the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency (Agency) to provide equal educational and employment opportunities and not to illegally discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, gender identity, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, socioeconomic, or disability (hereinafter referred to as protected categories) in its educational programs, activities, or its employment and personnel policies. This obligation to affirmatively implement equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment includes hiring, placement, upgrading, transfer or demotion, recruitment, advertising or solicitation for employment, treatment during employment, rates of pay, or other forms of compensation, and layoff or termination. The Agency will provide program activities, staff development, and curriculum and instructional resources which reflect the racial and cultural diversity present in the United States and the variety of careers, roles, and life styles open to both men and women in our society. The programs and services will foster respect and appreciation for the cultural diversity found in our country and an awareness of the rights, duties, and responsibilities of each individual as a member of a pluralistic society. It is the policy of this Agency to affirmatively recruit women and men members of diverse racial/ethnic groups and persons with disabilities for job categories where they are under represented. A fair and supportive environment will be provided for all employees. Harassment of a sexual nature or with demeaning intent related to the protected categories made from one employee to another or from an employee to a visitor or vice versa, is a violation of this policy. Persons filing an application with the Agency will be given consideration for employment if they meet or exceed the qualifications set by the Board of Directors (Board), administration, and Iowa Department of Education for the class or position for which they apply. In employing Agency personnel, the Board will consider the qualification, credentials, and records of the applicants without regard to race, color, creed, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, socioeconomic, or disability. In keeping with the law, the Board will consider the veteran status of applicants. The procedure for filing a complaint is outlined in Board Policy 204.12 Complaints. Inquiries or grievances related to this policy may be directed to the Director of Strategic Management and Evaluation, 729-21st Street, Bettendorf, Iowa 52722, (563) 359-1371; to the Director of the Iowa Civil Rights Commission in Des Moines; the Director of the Office of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; or the Director of the Civil Rights, United States Department of Education, in Chicago, Illinois. MISSISSIPPI BEND AREA EDUCATION AGENCY Section: BOARD OF DIRECTORS Code: 204.12 Policy Title: Complaints References: Administrative Regulation 204.12 Date of Adoption: June 13,1990 REVISED: September 14. 1994: May 11. 2011 REVIEWED: 2005-06: 2008-09 The Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency Board of Directors (Board) recognizes that complaints and/or concerns may arise which involve employees, local school staff, parents, students, applicants for employment, and other publics that need to be addressed and resolved. The Board hereby authorizes the chief administrator to develop and implement procedures to resolve these complaints. MISSISSIPPI BEND AREA EDUCATION AGENCY Regulation Title: Complaints Code No: 204.12 References: Board Policy 204.12 Date of Adoption: June 13. 1990 REVISED: November 11. 1992: September 14. 1994: May 10. 2000: May 10. 2006: June 10. 2009: May 11.2011 REVIEWED: 2005-06: 2008-09 It is the intent of the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency (Agency) to provide all groups with an opportunity to formally address complaints in an efficient and appropriate manner through the established table of organization. Any person (employee, local school staff, parent, student, applicants for employment, and other public individuals) shall have the right to file a formal complaint alleging non-compliance with: Board policy or procedure, any federal, state or local law or ordinance administrated by the Agency, Title Viand VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Title DC of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991, Or On the basis of gender identity, race, color, national origin, creed, sexual orientation, sex, religion, age, marital status, or disability. Any person with a complaint will follow these steps except if the complaint is made against the employee's supervisor, then Step 1 may be omitted at the option of the employee. Failure to follow these steps and timelines will constitute a bar to any further appeal. However, timelines may be reviewed by mutual agreement. STEP 1: Discuss the complaint with the supervisor most directly associated with the complaint, with the intent of resolving the matter informally. STEP 2: Give written notice of the dispute or complaint to the appropriate supervisor using the complaint form no later than ten working days from the date that the complaint/concern arises. The written notice will clearly describe the events leading up to and surrounding the complaint and a suggested or preferred resolution to the concern. Within five working days after receiving notice, the supervisor will: 1. Schedule a meeting with the person to hear the complaint/concern; 2. Submit a written response to the person; 3. Forward a copy to the supervisor. STEP 3: If dissatisfied with the response in Step 2, the complainant has five working days after receiving the written response from Step 2 to submit an appeal to the next higher supervisor. Within five working days after receiving the appeal, the supervisor will: 1. Schedule a meeting with the person to hear the complaint/concern; 2. Submit a written response to the person; 3. Forward a copy to the supervisor. STEP 4: Procedures will be repeated as necessary for each successive supervising level until the chief administrator level then Step 4 is in force. STEP 5: If dissatisfied with the chief administrator's response, the person has five working days after receiving the written response to forward a complaint to the president of the Board of Directors (Board), who will present the complaint to the full Board. The Board may elect to hear the complaint or rely just on the written record that has developed during the previous steps. Complaints forwarded to the Board will receive a written response within forty-five working days of receiving the complaint. Appeals of the Board decisions may be made to the Iowa State Board of Education by following procedures outlined in Chapter 290 of the Iowa Code. This procedure is expressly written to preclude individuals from formally or informally ignoring the table of organization in an attempt to resolve complaints or concerns. Staff that does not follow the prescribed procedure for addressing concerns will be in violation of Agency policies and regulations. COMPLAINT FORM I, ____________________________, am filing this complaint because: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Please attach additional sheets if necessary. Describe the incident or occurrence as fully and accurately as possible: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Please attach additional sheets if necessary. What remedy are you requesting? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Supervisor's response to complaint (if applicable): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Complainant's Signature: _________________________________ Date of Filing: _____________________ PROJECT: LOUISA-MUSCATINE CSD 2016 ROOF REPLACEMENT Louisa-Muscatine High School 14354 170th Street Letts, Iowa 52754 BIDS DUE: 01-26-2016 at 2:00 PM TO: THE Owner (HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AS Owner ): Louisa-Muscatine CSD 14478 170th Street Letts, Iowa 52754 Architect (hereinafter referred to as Architect/Engineer): Shive-Hattery, Inc. 4125 Westown Parkway, Suite 100 West Des Moines, Iowa 50266 NON-MANDATORY PREBID MEETING: Tuesday, January 19, 2016 10:00 AM High School, 14354 170th Street, Letts, Iowa 52754 TO: POTENTIAL BIDDERS Sealed bids will be received by the Owner at 14478 170th Street until 2:00 PM, Central Time, on January 26, 2016. Sealed bids will be opened and publicly read at the 14478 170th Street at 2:00 PM, Central Time, on January 26, 2016 or at such later time and place as may then be fixed. Bids will be considered by the Owner at a public meeting to be held at 14478 170th Street at 2:00 PM, Central Time, on February 15, 2016 or at such later time and place as may then be fixed. The general nature of the work is as follows: Complete the roof replacement project at Louisa-Muscatine Elementary School and High School. The work must commence on or about (June 01, 2016 and must be completed on August 19, 2016. Bidding documents may be examined at the Architect/Engineer's office, at the Owner's office, and at: Marshalltown Construction Bureau, 709 S. Center, Marshalltown, IA 50158 Master Builders of Iowa, 221 Park Street, Des Moines, IA 50309 Master Builders of Iowa, 24 North 9th Street, Fort Dodge, IA 50501 North Iowa Builders Exchange, 25 W. State Street, Mason City, IA 50401 Copies of the Bidding documents may be obtained by Bidders and Subbidders at Action Reprographics, 5037 NE 14th Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50313, 515-288-2146. There will be a charge of ($ 50.00) for each set of documents. A non-refundable handling fee of $15.00 made payable to Action Reprographics will apply to all sets shipped or delivered. Each Bidder shall accompany the Bid with a Bid security, in a separate envelope, as security that the successful bidder will enter into a contract for the work bid upon and will furnish after the award of the contract corporate surety bond or bonds, acceptable to the Owner, for the faithful performance of the contract, in an amount equivalent to one hundred percent of the amount of the contract. The bidder's security shall be in an amount equivalent to 5% of the bid amount, and shall be in the form of a cashier's or certified check drawn on a bank in Iowa or a bank chartered under the laws of the United States of America, or a certified bank share draft drawn on a credit union in Iowa or chartered under the laws of the United States of America or a bid bond with corporate surety satisfactory to the Owner. The bid security will be held by the Owner until a contract is fully executed and bonds are approved by the Owner. All Bidders are required to provide a statement regarding their residency status as required by 875 Iowa Administrative Code Capter 156. Contractors using "materials, supplies, and equipment" on projects in designated "exempt entities" may purchase these items without liability for the sales tax. The contractor must have a purchasing agent authorization letter and an exemption certificate from the public entity to present to the retailer, which specifies the construction project and will be available for that project only. Owner will issue an authorization letter and an exemption certificate to the contractor and/or subcontractors for the purchase or use of building materials, supplies, and equipment to be used on this project only. DO NOT include sales tax on your bid form. No bid may be withdrawn for a period of 30 days after the date of the scheduled closing time for the receipt of bids. The Owner seeks to provide opportunities for Targeted Small Businesses in the awarding of contracts and is authorized to award contracts to Targeted Small Businesses per the Iowa Acts of the 73rd General Assembly, 1989 Regular Session, Senate File 2274. For further information about the Targeted Small Business policies, contact the Owner. This project has a target for Targeted Small Business participation of ten percent (10%). Bidders shall be prepared to submit a performance bond and payment bond and a two-year maintenance bond conditioned on the faithful performance of the contract. Out-of-state bidders shall be prepared to submit an Out-of-State Contractor Bond to the Iowa Division of Labor in accordance with Chapter 91C of the Code of Iowa. By virtue of statutory authority, a preference will be given to products and provisions grown and coal produced within the State of Iowa, and to Iowa labor to the extent lawfully required under Iowa law. It is the intent of the Owner to award a contract to the lowest responsible, responsive bidder provided the bid has been submitted in accordance with the bidding requirements. The Owner reserves the right to waive informalities or irregularities. The Owner reserves the right to reject any or all bids. Published by order of the Board of Directors of the Louisa Muscatine School District, Letts, Iowa. By: Mike Van Sickle Title: Superintendent Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy COLUMBUS JUNCTION, Iowa It may not have been an icy reception, but a proposal from Columbus Junction officials to modify an existing tax-increment financing (TIF) plan and create a new one received a cool response from Columbus School District officials Monday. Columbus Junction Mayor Dan Wilson, Councilman Mark Huston and consultant Brent Hinson told school officials the request to add five years to an 10-year TIF and establish a new 15-year TIF would help the city complete infrastructure construction for Phase 2 of the New Heritage Village Subdivision. We are using TIF to finance (the new) development, Wilson said. Hinson, who is also the Washington City Administrator, said the city was planning to use a $1 million bond to fund the infrastructure work. He said without the TIF funding that schedule could be jeopardized. (There will be) $70,000 to $80,000 per year for debt service on a $1 million bond, (so) 15 years makes sense, he said. Under a TIF, all local taxing authorities continue to collect taxes under the existing assessed valuation at the time the TIF is created. However, any additional property taxes raised by valuations generated by new development would go to pay off the TIF debt. TIF was used about 10 years ago to fund Phase 1 of the subdivision. The city officials said street construction would be an important part of the new plan. According to the proposed subdivisions plat, New Heritage Trail would be extended from its intersection with Village Square to Spring Street, just north of the Columbus City limits. In addition to providing access for many of the new subdivisions platted lots, the city officials also stressed the extension would provide a critical and long-sought new opening for residents on Flatiron Drive and other nearby streets. However, before any work could be started as part of the new TIF, the city would need to amend its urban renewal plan to include the new subdivision. The city officials indicated that would likely be completed later in the month. School officials did not immediately support the request. Board President Sandy Martin pointed out the district did not seem to be benefiting from the initial TIF. There are no kids there, she told the city officials. Wilson, however, said the city could not control who built homes in the subdivision, but without homes there was no chance to attract families with children. Superintendent Gary Benda also questioned the value of the TIF for the school district. He said the district was hurting financially and being asked to forego 15 years of additional property tax revenue from new homes could add to its budget problems. Hinson said some of the lost taxes would be replaced by additional state funding, explaining the state set aside around $200 million last year to cover TIF revenue lost to school districts. However, both Benda and Neil Mills, school district business manager, were unsure how that was distributed to school districts and even if Columbus had received any from the previous TIF. Benda said he would need to investigate and would withhold any recommendation until he had more answers. That brought a quick reaction from Huston. I dont understand. I dont think there is a downside to the school, he said. In other action, the board reviewed its online class costs and received an update on a proposed pool management agreement with the Washington Community Y. WAPELLO, Iowa After months of trying to find a way to avoid demolition of the former county jail, the Louisa County Board of Supervisors have started the clock on tearing down the nearly 100-year-old historic building. Although the board did not take any formal action on the demolition during its meeting Tuesday, board members left little doubt about their decision. I think we are in agreement that we want to demolish the old jail, Board Chair Paula Buckman said. She also reported board members wished to renovate a newer section of the facility, with plans to move the supervisors meeting room, the countys general assistance program and possibly other county offices to the renovated section. Lets put out bids to demolish the old jail, board member Randy Griffin agreed, adding the decision would likely generate some complaints and was not one he wanted to make. I hate that because I love antique buildings, he said. The supervisors have tried for almost two years to spark interest from someone to purchase and preserve the historic building. Although there have been discussions with some individuals and groups, no one ever came up with a proposal. There had not been any recent interest from anyone to purchase and reuse the building and the supervisors agreed the countys pressing space needs had to be resolved. Supervisors 30 years from now may thank us because we have outgrown the courthouse, Griffin said. The supervisors agreed to ask County Engineer Larry Roehl to develop a project description and bid documents and then advertise for demolition bids. In the meantime, the space crunch at the courthouse might become more obvious in a few months when the states primary election is held. Louisa County Deputy Auditor Katie Walker, who helps coordinates elections in the county, reminded the supervisors their decision to relocate the countys general assistance office into the courthouse had taken the one room in the building available for elections. Walker said election officials had considered other options, but it appeared the only solution that would meet all the legal election requirements would be to locate voting booths and equipment in the hallway. Im going by the laws I know that I need to follow, Walker said. Griffin acknowledged the supervisors had known when they made the general assistance move the problem could develop. He said although any renovation of the newer part of the jail could not be completed to cover the primary election, he hoped work could be completed in time to provide space by the November general election. In other action, the supervisors approved a request from Columbus Junction officials to extend an existing 10-year tax-increment financing (TIF) program by five years and approve a second TIF for 15 years. Mayor Dan Wilson, councilman Mark Huston and consultant Brent Hinson met with the board to discuss the Phase II development of the New Heritage Subdivision. The city officials said a 15-year TIF was needed to help pay for planned infrastructure in the subdivision, including a new street that will provide another outlet for residents of the Flatiron Drive neighborhood. The supervisors also: Met with Louisa County Public Health Administrator Patti Sallee and veterans affairs director Andy Beaver for their monthly updates; Approved a box culvert replacement on I Avenue; Signed the 2015 wee commissioners report. Dear valuable customer i have good news for you. I write to inform you that we have already issued those documents to accompany your $5,000 Daily Transfer from your fund. But the only problem we are having right here is your personal signatures which the Federal Administer of Fund Benin Republic requested that you must sign those documents before we can transfer funds to you. However, I told the officer in charge that it will not be necessary for you to come down here due to your occupation or some other thing that may not allow you to come down here to sign those documents yourself. The Minster Administrator of Fund said that you should get an attorney to sign on your behalf if you are unable to come down here in person. I think this way is the best and the only way forward for you to receive the funds. I have negotiated with an attorney who would sign on your behalf. His name is Henry Oji. According to him you are to pay for the accredited attorney. He is charging $500.00 to be paid before he gets those documents signed in your favor. I told him to consider signing those documents on your behalf today with a promise that you would pay him back from the $5,000 payment you suppose to receive tomorrow morning if he gets those documents signed today. And his respond is that you have to pay the accredited attorney fee of $500.00 before signing those documents. Well, I asked him for the very last time if he could allow you pay %10 of this fee today with a promise that you would pay him the Remain balance tomorrow from your $5,000 payment at the western union office once you pick up the $5,000 payment. Well, he said yes that you should pay %10 which is $50usd through western union today. He want me to ask you if you would be so kind to pay him back the remain $450.00 balance at the western union office once you picked up the $5,000 pay out each day. I am hereby writing to ask you to let me know if you would pay his balance immediately you pick up the $5,000 payment. He wants you to pay the money which is $50 today if you are so kind to pay the balance at the western union office once you picked up the $5,000 payment tomorrow. But if you are not kind enough to pay his balance after picking the first transfer just do not bother yourself to reply because I won't see another attorney here to do this. Here is information for you to pay $50 of the fee through western union today. Send the fee of $50.00 today via Western Union; Receiver Name :::::::: EMMANUEL ONOCHIE MMADUEKE Country :::::::: Benin Republic City :::::::: Cotonou Question :::::::: what color Answer :::::::: Blue Amount :::::::: $50.00 Money Transfer Control Number :::::::: (M.T.C.N) Sender's name :::::::: The attorney will get those documents signed as soon as he confirms the fee from you. I will advice you to pay him the $50.00 and let him sign the documents and you will then pay the other balance of $450.00 from your $5,000 payment. I await your compliance. Yours Sincerely Mr.Petrick Gastos Foreign Operation Manager Western Union Your digital subscription includes access to all content on our agricultural websites across the nation. Access unlimited content and the digital versions of our print editions - This Week's Paper. What is it about liberals? Why is their liberal narrative so important to them that they will constantly insist that fact be treated as fiction and fiction be treated as fact? Why are they so challenged by basic arithmetic? Recently, the New York Times, bemoaning the tragic killing of a young, African-American in Cleveland, claimed that too often police behaved as an occupying force in communities with large numbers of African-Americans. Let me be as clear as possible on this matter. Misconduct by police, abuse of their position or willfully imposing physical harm on citizens without cause is wrong and must not to be tolerated. This is true independent of race, gender, age or anything else of the victim. This said a reality check is needed. On the one hand, liberals demand that minority neighborhoods not be ignored, that these neighborhoods receive protection. On the other hand, liberals demand law enforcement officials be absolutely perfect in the decisions they make in the heat of the moment. Here is a hard truth. The level of violence that exists in our inner cities with large numbers of African-Americans is astoundingly high. For starters, African-Americans are roughly 13 percent of the population, yet commit nearly half of the murders in the United States. Quite obviously, it follows African-Americans will be arrested disproportionately (relative to the population of the whole country) for such crimes. In a front page story, The Washington Post recently told the story of 12 of the 162 D.C. homicide victims of 2015. Overwhelmingly, those killed were part of a minority community. In nearby Baltimore, the number of murders reached more than 300 in 2015. Again, overwhelmingly, these victims were non-whites. Not surprisingly, the mainstream media seemingly ignores this reality. The overarching narrative in the mainstream media often seems to be that African-Americans are being hunted down in the streets by our police. The daily carnage of African-Americans largely killing other African-Americans is given short shrift. Ask yourself: Do you know more about these incidental instances of police killings or the basic statistics? To those more aware of exceptions of minority abuse than the norm of inner-city crime, I would ask they do three things. First, shadow the police as they go into neighborhoods where violence and law breaking is rampant. Watch, as they have to make life-and-death decisions, ones where they could well lose their lives, in real time. Then, decide if your suspicions are well founded. Second, hear what Paul Trantham, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner of the majority-African-American Ward 8 of D.C. dubbed violent by the Post had to say recently about the 54 percent increase in the number of killings in Washington. So many people want to blame the mayor, blame the police, but the police and mayor are not the ones out here shooting people and killing people. It is the people within our communities. Third, understand that demonizing the police has consequences. At a time when D.C. witnessed this 54 percent increase in homicides, the number of police in the District fell below 3,800 officers, the lowest in a decade. It is hardly stretching logic to conclude that a lot of men and women have decided the public does not support the police, and they now are unwilling to put themselves at risk. Are there bad cops? Yes, and we should do everything we can to eliminate them and punish them for any wrongdoing. Will cops make mistakes? Yes, however, the context is more a matter of making life-and-death decisions in real time than it is an indication of any racism. Even in Baltimore, the cop being tried for the death of an African-American is an African-American himself. Liberals strongly assert that it is primarily poverty that is responsible for the violence levels that exist in African-American communities. That may well be the case. If so, then, it makes sense to emphasize those things that help put someone above the poverty line. In the United States, if a person does only three things graduates from high school, does not get married until graduating from high school, and does not have children unless they are married the odds of living above the poverty line is in excess of 90 percent. Rather than dismiss these sorts of things as being white culture or matters of white privilege, we ought to say they are the stuff of a culture that can sustain itself. Violence in African-American communities is horrifically high. We can either spend a lot of time demonizing our police for a minority of misdeeds and honest mistakes, or we can spend that time working to eliminate the poverty that so highly correlates to levels of violence. For the latter to happen, we will need the mainstream media to start to be honest about the facts and what stories they choose to emphasize. Just as important, we need our leaders white and black to work together to change the culture and realities that exist in African-American communities. Bill Greener is a founding partner of Greener and Hook LLC., a Republican consulting firm. He wrote this for InsideSources.com. More than six months ago, Plymouth County deputies, Kingsley and Remsen city police and an Iowa State Patrol trooper were involved in an incident that left an unarmed suspect injured. But the public still doesn't know the nature of the injury, how it was sustained, or who the trooper was. The case involves Shanne Arre, a 29-year-old man with a history of drug-related arrests. In the early hours of June 21, the police attempted to stop Arre for speeding. Arre allegedly led the officers on a chase, ditched his car and ran from the scene on foot before attempting to hide in a patch of tall grass. He was quickly captured and arrested. He's scheduled to face trial next month on charges that include drunken driving and eluding the police. In response to a formal records request from the Associated Press, the Iowa State Patrol recently released a report that indicates one of the officers who responded to the incident used force after Arre showed "passive resistance." The report describes the force as a "rifle drawn," adding that it left Arre with a "visible injury" for which he declined treatment. The patrol has refused to elaborate on how Arre was injured by the mere drawing of a weapon. The patrol says that releasing the name of the trooper and any further details about the incident would undermine Arre's right to a fair trial. It's not at all clear how the disclosure of this basic information would violate Arre's due process rights. There's no question the information is already available to both the defense and to prosecutors and will be used at trial, should there be one. The only people left in the dark as to what transpired that night are the people of Iowa. Under state law, the police are required to provide timely public disclosure of the "immediate facts and circumstances" of a case. There's no question the names of officers involved in an incident should be part of those immediate facts and circumstances. The law cited by the patrol for keeping such information secret allows for confidentiality only when disclosure would jeopardize an investigation or pose a clear and present danger to an individual. For reasons that are abundantly clear, there is no provision for keeping officers' names secret to protect the rights of the accused. It's also troubling that the information being concealed in the Arre case is contained in the trooper's written narrative of the incident. At most police agencies, these narratives, which provide the officer's perspective on events, are part of a publicly accessible incident report. Confidential investigative reports have their place in law enforcement. But they should be used to document protected information on confidential informants, potential witnesses and uncharged suspects not to bury information that would explain the use of force. If the patrol is routinely concealing such information by simply placing it in a document that's labeled an "investigative report," that practice needs to stop. Today. The Iowa Department of Public Safety, which includes the state patrol, has a history of being less than forthcoming with the public. For several years, the patrol has insisted that citizens seeking access to public information put their requests in writing and send them in via email. Ten years ago, the Iowa attorney general clearly and emphatically told state agencies that such a requirement was not only bad public policy, but illegal. To its credit, the patrol said Thursday that it will revise its website to remove the statement that "records requests MUST be submitted" via email. That demonstrates a good-faith effort on the part of the patrol to make information more accessible, but more needs to be done. When a police officer uses force against a citizen, that should not only be disclosed, but fully explained. That's necessary not simply to protect citizens from unwarranted uses of force, but to prevent the erosion of the public's trust in law enforcement. The Des Moines Register 4 Violence in Iraq dropped during the second week of October. There were fewer incidents by the Islamic State. On the other hand, Sadrists and... is a wonderous "hot dish" of nature, places and people. As owner of this blog, I bear no responsibility to what other contributors/bloggers may post. I encourage all to speak freely without indulging in libel or defamatory content. Anyone who feels offended by any posting can email me and I will remove the offending article if appropriate. Contact me at redbeansg@yahoo.com redbean Two women sexually assaulted in Napa County were able to speak their minds during sentencing of their attacker in Napa County Superior Court last Thursday. Neither said they were entirely satisfied with the outcome. They had hoped their address to the court would lead to a jury trial and a longer prison sentence. Mark Anthony Badal, 42, was convicted of felony rape of an intoxicated person and misdemeanor sexual battery, according to court documents. Seven other felony charges were dismissed, including four counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object, two counts of forcible rape, and false imprisonment by violence. Badal was sentenced to state prison for a total term of seven years, 288 days of which have already been served. That deal was struck in a plea bargain filed on Nov. 12, according to court documents. Although Badal will spend time in jail and will be a registered sex offender for life, the victims said they were unsatisfied with the plea deal and the way prosecuting attorney Lance Hafenstein handled the case. During her address to the court, Christine Trice, 42, the victim of the sexual battery requested that Judge Michael Williams withdraw Badals guilty pleas and reinstate his trial. Nearly bringing herself to tears, Trice recounted how she was drugged, sexually assaulted and held hostage by Badal. She said that her victims rights had been violated, citing Marsys Law. According to the law, also known as the Victims Bill of Rights, victims can expect to be reasonably protected from the defendant, to have reasonable notice of all public proceedings, and to be heard (upon request) at any proceeding, including the plea and sentencing. My victims rights have been repeatedly violated by not being informed of pertinent hearings and not doing all that could be done to keep me safe, Trice said. Williams said he was unfamiliar with Marsys Law, but planned to uphold the plea bargain. Hafenstein, a deputy district attorney, said later that the District Attorneys Office completely complied with the notification requirements of Marsys Law. We feel that the six-year prison sentence (for rape) and lifetime sex offender registration given to the defendant is a just result, considering all aggravating and mitigating factors in this case, he said. The rape victim, Bianca Harmon, 25, of St. Helena, said in court that Badal is extremely dangerous and is sure to strike again when he is released from prison. I dont feel safe, she said. In court records, Harmon was known only as Jane Doe #1, and Trice was known as Jane Doe #2. Both asked that the Napa Valley Register, which first ran this article on Jan. 7, use their true names as a way of putting faces on what are often considered stigmatizing crimes. Were not happy that theyre not happy, Hafenstein said after Trice and Harmon had testified. Badal was first arrested on Nov. 24, 2014, on suspicion of raping Harmon. Harmon had reported that Badal had gone home with her and her fiance in St. Helena after they had some drinks, according to the police report. He approached her while she was sleeping in a chair, according to the police report. She said that he kissed her and penetrated her with his fingers, and when she realized it was not her fiance, she pushed him away, according to the report. She left the room and was allegedly raped again by Badal 10 minutes later while her fiances 14-year-old son slept next to them, she told police. Following sentencing, Harmon said that she provided not only DNA evidence during the investigation, but also assisted the St. Helena Police Department in obtaining a recorded confession from Badal. The sexual battery on Trice, who is from Sacramento, happened just days prior to Harmons rape at a home in unincorporated Napa County. Badal, who had been released from jail in November, was taken into custody after sentencing. In addition to jail time, Badal was ordered to pay financial restitution to both victims at an amount to be determined. Badals attorney, Molly Hendry, said that she had no comment following the sentencing. One sip of this soup is like getting wrapped in your warmest, coziest sweater. Between the thick chunks of vegetables, tender cubes of potato, juicy shreds of chicken (take your pick of boneless breasts or thighs), and thick, creamy broth, it truly doesnt get more comforting than chicken potato soup. Korean food is hot all over America, but it has followed a different path to success from many other ethnic cuisines. While Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian and Thai restaurateurs have welcomed others and adapted their food to American tastes, most Korean restaurants are pretty traditional. Theyre often clustered together in ethnic enclaves like those in Los Angeles and Santa Clara, and the Korean customers often look up surprised when a foreigner walks in. But high-profile Korean-American chefs like Roy Choi, David Chang and Edward Lee have created a sensation by introducing Korean ingredients into Western dishes, like Chois food truck tacos with bulgogi and kimchi and Changs Momofuku restaurant group as well as cookbooks like Lees Smoke and Pickles. Korean-American Marja Vongerichten, the host of PBS The Kimchi Chronicles, is the wife of French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and he often dips into the kimchi pot, too. Especially popular are grilled beef in spicy sauce and kimchi fermented vegetables. As a result, more and more Americans are being exposed to Korean-influenced dishes you can find them at Hana Sushi, RaeSet Asian Grill, Harvest Easts and Kitchen Door here more than full-out Korean meals. Peter Pahk, the Hawaiian-born Korean-American chef long at Silverado Resort, often added Korean touches to his food, and short-lived Shiro restaurant in Napa offered some Korean dishes while emphasizing Japanese when there were four other Japanese restaurants in town. You can also find Korean ingredients at supermarkets. Whole Foods offers numerous varieties of kimchi and other specialties. A contest to integrate Korean ingredients Sensing the potential of this blessed marriage of east and west, the Korea Agro Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation hosted the Korean Sensation Culinary Contest among students of the Culinary Institute of America to publicize the fusion movement. It held its finals at the CIA facility at Greystone. The contest required entrants to use at least two of the ingredients targeted for use in American food: Gochujang is savory, spicy and pungent fermented Korean condiment made from red chili, glutinoussrice, fermented soybeans and salt. Bulgogi sauce is Korean barbecue sauce, perhaps the most immediately acceptable of the ingredients. This sweet and savory marinade makes bulgogi marinated beef and more. Kimchi is probably the best-known and most controversial of popular Korean ingredients. Also spelled kimchee, it is a traditional fermented Korean side dish made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings including a lot of garlic and hot chili. Yuja cha (citron tea) is a made from Kor Yuja fruit thinly sliced with its peel and combined with honey or sugar as fruit preserves or marmalade Roasted barley tea (boricha) is made from roasted unhulled barley. Often the barley is combined with oksusu cha (roasted corn), as the corns sweetness offsets the slightly bitter flavor of the barley The winners The finalists were judged on originality, creativity, integration of authentic Korean flavors, culinary skill and presentation by celebrity guest judges including Marja D. Vongeritchen of Kimchi Chronicles and chef Hooni Kim of Han Jan in New York. The first prize winner of the competition was awarded to Stephen Neumann at CIA Greystone who produced the Yangchigi Pie (Pate Coreen), which can be translated to Shepherds pie in English. The main ingredients of the menu included kimchi with bulgogi sauce. He won $7,000. The second prize went to Elizabeth Aristeguieta from CIA San Antonio. Her dish was titled Mah-Sit-SSo-Yo Pork (Its delicious pork) and contained Korean barley tea, yuja tea, and gochujang. She won $4,000. The third prize was given to Eric Garcia from CIA Greystone who created a cuisine called, K-Town Carpaccio, who won $3,000. Sean Dodds from the CIA Hyde Park took home the fourth prize with his Memphis Seoul pulled pork sliders and $2,000. And the fifth place went to Jun Heum Park from CIA Hyde Park for his Yuja like Ssam pork, who was awarded $1,000. For fans of authentic Korean food with its bold flavors and aromas, some of the winners seemed surprisingly subtle but that might be the point of the contest. It was designed to lure new fans, not win over those who were already converted. Find out more about Korean cooking Emily Kim, who goes by her nickname Maangchi, is the infectious talented home cook who online videos demonstrates authentic Korean recipes on YouTube. She also sometimes diverges into fusion. Her recent Maangchis Real Korean Cooking is a top-selling cookbook. www.maangchi.com. Cathlyn Choi is the hot host of Cathlyns Korean Kitchen on public television. Visit www.pbs.org/food/chefs/cathlyn-choi. Tasty KFood is an online magazine of Korean food. TastyKFood.com. The only thing Gary Penir ever wanted to do was cook. The Napa natives family has a treasured photo of him in diapers whisking eggs at grandmas house. It was my grandmother who got me interested in cooking, the energetic Napa Valley culinary entrepreneur recalls. My mothers a good cook as well. Even before and all during high school, cooking shows on TV were popular on a large scale ... and I was watching. Penir notes that food was important as well on his fathers branch of the family tree. And I love to eat, as most chefs do, he hastily adds. During his undergrad years at Vintage High School, he kept busy working various and sundry shifts at a local Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop. Not long after he was handed a Crusher diploma, Penir signed up for a business-focused college program at Sonoma State University as he was intent on having his own restaurant. He went on to complete his California-based studies as a food science and nutrition grad at San Diego State University. But Gary knew he needed formal culinary training, so he enrolled in the intense two-year program offered by the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. A nice stroke of luck found him back in the valley for his CIA internship, working with executive chef Robert Curry at CIA Greystones Wine Spectator Restaurant. While at CIA Greystone, Penir also got to know chef Polly Lappetito. I told her I wanted to return (to CIA Greystone) and she held a job for me, he said. I wound up spending 3 years with chef Lappetito, working my way up to restaurant sous chef. Penir picked up a few catering jobs in the area while working in St. Helena. But when a culinary school roommate offered him a job at the former Cyrus dining venture in Healdsburg, Penir accepted. I felt the Cyrus job could really help my career, he said. I spent a year there. But Penir couldnt wait to be his own boss, launching his catering company Cuisine Gary Penir in 2009. It was boom for a while ... then the slow season set in and eventually I was down to having only enough to pay for one more months rent. A young chef who welcomed challenges, Penir decided it was time to see how the rest of the globe cooked. So he spent a couple of years traveling and cooking all over the world, including the restaurant Vendome, near Cologne, headed by three-star chef Joachim Wissler, and Michelin three-star chef Harald Wohlfahrts Schwarzwaldstube in the Black Forests Traube Tonbach, two of the top restaurants in Germany. Penir has been collaborating with area wineries in recent years, along with some private clients. Id say about 95 percent of my business comes from wineries, he said of his catering operation. His mission is providing innovative wine and food pairings for invited guests of winery clients, whether its events scheduled as part of valley visits, wine club promotions or the annual Auction Napa Valley. I build menus specific to the wines they are making ... (and) I can do that for private clients who want to build a dinner around specific wines, he notes. I enrolled in a wine program at CIA Greystone ... Im a level one sommelier. If I hadnt wanted to work as a chef, Id be in the wine business. Typically, Penir puts together dinners for groups ranging from 8 to 100. I can do larger groups ... it just depends on the size of the venue. Not all that long ago, he added another option to his culinary enterprise. Lunchbox Napa is an easy solution to a busy day of wine tasting with a group, said Penir. Although there are great places all over Napa to eat, sometimes you dont have the time for a long lunch at a restaurant, not to mention having to wait for a table. Lunchbox Napa also allows you to enjoy your lunch in a beautiful winery setting. Orders are placed at least 24 hours in advance on the website (lunchboxnapa.com) and delivered to you at your specified place and time. Simple as that. The lunchboxes provide diners with a main course, a seasonal side and a sandwich cookie, the chef said. Theres usually the chefs recommendation and five more combinations listed on the web site. A minimum of eight orders is required for delivery, or smaller orders can be picked up at the south Napa kitchen. As if Penir isnt busy enough, hes also launched Pabomba.com, created to deliver the unique experience of wood-fired dishes to clients all over California. Currently, we offer several different types of paella as well as cioppino and bouillabaisse. During an educational food and wine trip to Europe I explored many different techniques and cultural methods of cooking traditional wood-fired culinary preparations, he adds. After observing, cooking, and tasting food prepared in this method I knew there was no substitute. During one of his culinary trips to Europe, he traveled with friend/restaurateur Mick Salyer (ZuZu and La Taberna in downtown Napa) and consulted with Salyers team in designing the menu for La Taberna. Lately, out of respect to his friend, hes been referring requests for paella dinners to Salyer. I just dont want to compete with him at something hes been doing for some time now. But were ready to take on the cioppino parties any time of the year, and our format is such that we can accommodate larger groups even those who would like us to roast whole animals over an open fire. Information, menus and backgrounders can be found at all Penir websites cuisinegp.com, lunchboxnapa. com and pabomba.com. OAKLAND Authorities are having a hard time identifying a BART passenger who was shot dead on a train at the West Oakland station Saturday night, an Alameda County coroners sergeant said Tuesday. Coroners Sgt. Paul Graves said authorities are trying to use the mans fingerprints to identify him but, We havent yet been successful. Graves said its possible that the shooting victim is a foreign national but he added, It could be anyone. BART spokesman Jim Allison said the suspect is still at large in the shooting on a San Francisco International Airport-bound train as it was approaching the West Oakland station at about 7:45 p.m. Saturday. BART police described the suspect as a black man in his late 20s to early 30s who is about 6 feet 2 inches tall, has a skinny build with broad shoulders, a scruffy face and was wearing a long green trench coat over a dark sweatshirt with its hood up, dark pants, a dark backpack and was armed with a black semi-automatic handgun. Police said witnesses reported that the suspect used a handgun to shoot the victim multiple times and then ran from the train at the West Oakland station. Officers who responded to the shooting provided first aid to the victim but he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to BART police. The suspects weapon hasnt been recovered, police said. Allison said the incident was the first fatal shooting on a BART train in the 11 years hes been with the transit agency. Patricia DeBord has been creating and collecting dolls for nearly eight decades. However, most of her dolls have been in storage since she moved to California from Oregon 15 years ago. DeBord will turn 90 in July, so her two daughters, Lisa DelBondio and Lorna Knox, thought it was time to break the dolls out and put them on display. All of these dolls have been in storage, so they havent really seen the light in years, said Mary Knox, DeBords granddaughter. The family took the dolls out of storage, dusted and cleaned them, and made any necessary repairs before displaying them at Redwood Retirement Residence in Napa on Saturday. Mary, 18, said that the family had counted 167 dolls, many of which were handmade by her grandmother. I didnt collect them so much as I made them, DeBord said. DeBord began making dolls with her mother when she was only 10 years old. She had dolls that represented the girls from Little Women as well as dolls from Gone With the Wind, which she loved. Most of her dolls, though, are original pieces that she designed herself. Her father was in the Army, so DeBord moved often. During their time in Japan, she and her mother even took a doll-making class that resulted in them making a few well-detailed Japanese-style dolls. DeBord went to Woodbury College in Los Angeles, now Woodbury University, for fashion design. She ended up marrying a man in the Army, Norman, with whom she continued to travel the world. The couple had four children two boys and two girls. Although she didnt have much time to make dolls while she raised her children, DeBord continued to make clothing for the girls and their dolls. Norman would often bring dolls back from faraway places for the three women in his life. As the children grew older, DeBord was able to begin joining doll clubs and started making dolls more frequently. Norman was always supportive, she said. He enjoyed watching me make them and hed set them up and take pictures of them. Her dolls vary in size, style and ethnicity. DeBord said that many of her designs were inspired by the different cultures she encountered throughout her life. In addition to Japanese-style dolls, she also made African-style dolls, Native American-style dolls, and European-style dolls. DeBord also created a Nativity scene complete with sheep and a manger (made by Lorna). She has made handcrafted porcelain dolls, cloth dolls with embroidered faces, soft dolls with painted faces and even a doll made from spools. When the Register asked her how she came up with the spool doll, DeBord replied, I dont know. I just had spools. Many of her dolls were made with scraps, including clothes her daughters wore out or things that were given to her, she explained. I loved making them, she said. It was collecting the cloth, and picking out the different colors that I wanted, that I enjoyed. One of her favorite dolls is harlequin-styled. Dressed in black and white, the doll has a fashionable mole on her face and holds a masquerade mask. DeBords harlequin doll won a first-place blue ribbon in the United Federation of Doll Clubs Region 1 Conference in 1985. She ended up making the costume life-sized for her daughter-in-law to wear on Halloween. DeBords family enjoyed unpacking the dolls and listening to her stories of when they were made or where theyre from. DelBondio is local to Napa, but the Knoxes traveled from Portland to help with the event. My sister and I have been planning on doing something like this for years, Lisa said. The sisters made sure that both of their daughters were able to come as well. This was the first time that all the dolls have been displayed at the same time, Lorna said. Its really neat, Mary said. Its been quite a long time since even DeBord has seen the dolls. Some of them she had even forgotten about. For some reason I didnt know I had collected so many, she said. The doll display lasted one day and was open to the public. Lorna said that many doll collectors and appreciators thanked them for showing them and enjoyed the uniqueness and diversity of the collection. Shes a very creative person, she said of her mother. Most of the dolls will be going back into climate-controlled storage for safekeeping while a select few will live with DeBord or her daughters. Napa Sanitation District is considering sewer rate hikes that over five years would raise local household bills by 53 percent to replace and repair aging infrastructure. The first of the possible hikes would take effect July 1 for the 2016-17 fiscal year. Homeowners would see their annual rates rise from $482.50 to $554.88, a 15 percent change. District charges are paid as part of annual property tax bills. Subsequent years could see hikes of 15 percent, 6 percent, 5 percent and 4 percent. When compounded, the five rate hikes would equal 53 percent. A city of Napa household as of July 1, 2020, would pay $738.62 annually. These possible increases would boost the annual sewer rate income from $19.5 million this year to $31.3 million by 2021, a district report said. It would raise money to replace and maintain aging sewer lines and do other projects. Its much more expensive to fix a collapsed pipe than to rehabilitate it, district General Manager Tim Healy said on Monday. Rehabilitating 100 feet of sewer line costs $5,000. Replacing that same section of line after collapse could cost more than $50,000, or 10 times the amount, a district report said. Nobody likes a rate increase, district board member Peter Mott said. While he predicted a few complaints, he also expressed confidence that the district can successfully make its case to the majority of residents. I think well be able to show were doing projects that are important for the long-term sustainability of the system, said Mott, who is a Napa City Council member. Rates paid by businesses and industries, which are based on formulas, would change by the same percentages as the residential rates, a district report said. The Napa Sanitation District board of directors will consider the five-year rate package on Wednesday. It meets at 4 p.m. at 1515 Soscol Ferry Road. Should the district board agree to raise rates, property owners would have veto power under Proposition 218. But successfully challenging a proposed increase would require more than half of the property owners served by the district to file written protests by March 16. That sets the bar at more than 12,000 protests. The district already maintains its sewer lines. In recent years, for example, it replaced and repaired pipes north of Imola Avenue to downtown Napa at a cost of $4.4 million. But a sewer rate study said the district has underfunded repair and replacement of the sewer system for many years. As a direct result, there are many assets that are at the end of their useful life, which makes them more prone to failure. Many of the projects are to be paid for upfront, rather than issuing debt. An exception is the planned, $15.3 million Browns Valley Road Sewer Interceptor, which district officials said would be financed with bonds because of its size. The Browns Valley interceptor will serve people in Browns Valley where the current line is undersized. It will also handle flows from Westwood and other areas that would otherwise go to pipes in downtown Napa, freeing up needed sewer line capacity there. If the district board decides to forgo raising rates, the district could still meet its operating costs and pay its existing debts, a district report said. But it could not afford to replace and improve its sewer infrastructure. Napa Sanitation District has neither the cheapest nor most expensive rate in the region. That would not change, even if the rate rises to $554.88 annually on July 1. The average annual rate for a Fairfield household is $414.72; Yountville, $422.64; Vallejo, $520.20; American Canyon, $587.64; Benicia, $664.68; and Santa Rosa, $1,212.48. Some agencies use a flat rate, as does Napa Sanitation District, while others combine fixed and volume charges. Napa Sanitation District rate increases in recent years have been tied to the consumer price index for the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose area. Last year, that led to a 2.7 percent increase. The district has a low-income assistance program for about 600 parcels that lowers the annual rate to $346.40. This program costs the district about $82,000 annually and is paid for by revenues from leased property. State law prohibits one category of ratepayer from subsidizing another. Board members must decide how the proposed rate increases would affect the low-income assistance rates. Napa Sanitation District serves about 75,000 residents in the Napa and Silverado areas, has about 36,000 sewer connections and cares for 270 miles of sewer mains. It cleans up sewage at its plant located along the Napa River near the county airport. UNION CITY An Alameda County sheriff's deputy was shot Saturday night while volunteering at an event at Union City's James Logan High School by one of three men he was escorting off campus, according to police. The deputy, a parent at the school, was helping with the California Color Guard Circuit Evaluation at about 8:15 p.m. when he noticed three men in their late teens or early 20s in a locked area of the school, Union City police said. He approached them, showed them his badge and asked them to leave, police said. But while he was escorting them off campus, one of the men turned around and told him to stop following them, pulling out a gun. The deputy turned and started walking away, but the suspect opened fire, hitting the deputy in his leg. The deputy was armed but did not draw his gun, police said. The deputy was taken to a hospital to be treated for the gunshot wound. The school and color guard event were briefly locked down after the shooting. The three suspects remain at large. Police described them all as Hispanic men wearing dark clothing. The first was described as 19 or 20 years old, standing 5 feet 5 inches tall with a small build and a dark complexion. The second was described as between 19 and 23 years old, 5 feet 11 inches tall with a thin build and a dark complexion. The third was described as between 18 and 20 years old, standing 5 feet 7 inches or 5 feet 8 inches tall with a thin build. Police released a sketch of one of the suspects, though not the man who shot the deputy. Anyone with information about the shooting has been asked to contact Union City police Detective Andrew Gannam at (510) 675-5354 or to leave an anonymous tip at (510) 675-5207 or Tips@union-city.org. As I've watched and listened to Donald Trump's campaign pitch over the past few months, I am regularly reminded of the Republican presidential primary campaigns that Pat Buchanan ran in the 1990s. Buchanan ran as a "pitchfork populist" in those elections, an outsider fed up with the way both parties did their business in Washington. He also championed slowing immigration into the United States and voiced skepticism about international trade deals. Sound familiar? I reached out to Buchanan to talk about Trump's similarities and differences with him and the broader state of the Republican Party. Our conversation, conducted via email and edited only for grammar, is below. Q: Is Donald Trump the logical heir, issues-wise and tonally, to your presidential campaigns? Why or why not? A: Trump is sui generis, unlike any candidate of recent times. And his success is attributable not only to his stance on issues, but to his persona, his defiance of political correctness, his relish of political combat with all comers, his "damn the torpedos" charging in frontally where others refuse to tread, as in that full retaliatory response to Hillary Clinton's stab at him for having a "penchant for sexism." Trump shut her down. These clashes have elated a party base that is sick unto death of politicians who never fight. On building a fence to secure the border with Mexico, an end to trade deals like NAFTA, GATT, and [most favored nation status] for China, and staying out of unwise and unnecessary wars, these are the issues I ran on in 1992 and 1996 in the Republican primaries and as Reform Party candidate in 2000. What Trump has today is conclusive evidence to prove that what some of us warned about in the 1990s has come to pass. From 2000 to 2010, the U.S. lost 55,000 factories and 6 million manufacturing jobs. What Trump has in hand now to prosecute his case against the Bush Republicans and Clinton Democrats is hard proof these trade deals have de-industrialized America. If the GOP wants to know why it lost the Reagan Democrats, it is because the GOP exported their jobs to Mexico and China. The returns are in. And testifying to that truth is not only Trump's attacks on those trade deals but the lack of a vigorous defense of them by Clinton Democrats or the GOP establishment. Who today celebrates NAFTA, as John McCain went to Canada to do in 2008? Q: What's different about today's political environment from the ones you ran for president in? Are people angrier now? A: When I campaigned in North Carolina in 1992, I recall a fellow coming up to me at the airport, saying, "What are you doing in North Carolina, Pat? This is the State of Satisfaction." Undeniably, there was a true depression in New Hampshire in 1992, and a real sense on the part of conservatives that President Bush had abandoned us and the Reagan legacy and Reagan agenda to cut deals with Congress to raise taxes, spend more on "kinder, gentler" programs, impose quotas, and declare America's goal to become the creator of a "New World Order." What's different today is that the returns are in, the results are known. Everyone sees clearly now the de-industrialization of America, the cost in blood and treasure from decade-long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the pervasive presence of illegal immigrants. What I saw at the San Diego border 25 years ago, everyone sees now on cable TV. And not just a few communities but almost every community is experiencing the social impact. The anger and alienation that were building then have reached critical mass now, when you see Bernie Sanders running neck and neck with Hillary Clinton in Iowa and New Hampshire and Trump and Ted Cruz with a majority of Republican voters. Not to put too fine a point on it, the revolution is at hand. Q: You told the New York Times over the weekend that "the party is going to shift against trade and interventionism, and become more nationalist and tribal and more about protecting the border." Do you think the party establishment will be part of that shift? And, if so, do they embrace the language and rhetoric of Trump? A: There is a reason why President Obama and a Republican Congress are not taking up the Trans-Pacific Partnership this session. Trump and Sanders would lead the fight to kill it. And they would succeed, though, in the 1990s, we - Ross Perot, Ralph Nader, the AFL-CIO - failed to stop NAFTA. Then, not enough Americans saw the link between those trade deals, America's surging trade deficits and the loss of manufacturing jobs in the U.S. In both parties, people are coming to recognize that the interests of transnational corporations collide and conflict with U.S. national interest and the interests of working Americans. What is good for General Motors is not good for America if General Motors is moving production out of the United States. As history shows, free trade is an ideology that is embraced by the intelligentsia of declining nations. Rising nations - Great Britain before 1850, America from 1860 to 1912, Bismarck's Germany, postwar Japan, China today - practice economic nationalism. The past is prologue here. While the country was divided both on Desert Storm to put the emir of Kuwait back on his throne and on invading Iraq and converting it into a model democracy for the Middle East, both Bush 41 and Bush 43, when the wars first began, rose to near 90 percent approval. However, his victory in 1991 did not save President Bush in 1992, when he got only 37 percent. And when the fruits of America's victory in Operation Iraqi Freedom turned sour, Republicans lost both houses of Congress in 2006 and the presidency in 2008 - to an anti-war Democrat. If there is a horrific attack on this country like 9/11, the American people will demand we go to war and settle accounts with those who did it. But America's appetite for intervention, for nation building, for democracy crusades, is fully sated. Goodbye to all that. Americans did not want to get involved in Georgia, Crimea or Ukraine. They do not want to send an army back to Iraq or into Syria. And Trump, in his emphasis on building up America, and letting these folks solve their problems, is in line with national thinking. The hour of the liberal interventionists like Hillary Clinton in Libya, like the neocons' hour of power in the GOP, is over. Yet Trump recognizes the inner hawk in Republicans, dating to the Cold War, when he says, about ISIS: "I will bomb the [expletive] out of them." Politically, he has this about right. Will the Republican establishment walk on a Trump nomination, should he win? If it does, let it walk, as it did in 1964. What the Trump phenomenon represents, whether the Washington establishment is appalled or not, is the future. Take a look at Europe. Ethno-nationalism from Scotland to Catalonia to Flanders, and nationalism in the form of parties like the UKIP [U.K. Independence Party] in Britain and FN [National Front] in France, new governments in Warsaw and Budapest - this looks more like the future than Angela Merkel or the E.U. A party will not survive that yields to an establishment ultimatum that - either you accept our choice, or we walk. The answer to that is: Go ahead and walk! Q: You are Kelly Ayotte, a Republican senator running for reelection in the swing state of New Hampshire in November. How do you deal with Trump as your party's nominee? Run from him? To him? Ignore him? A: If Trump wins the New Hampshire primary, Kelly Ayotte should congratulate him. And, if Trump wins the nomination, Ayotte should endorse him. If she does not, she will have no future in the national party. Governors Nelson Rockefeller, George Romney and Bill Scranton, who refused to endorse [Barry] Goldwater in 1964, were ever after dead as national nominees. When Ronald Reagan rose to challenge Gerald Ford, President Ford had to put his appointed Vice President Rockefeller over the side to survive. The party base does not forgive or forget desertions under fire. How closely should Ayotte campaign with Trump? She should wait until after the nomination to decide, if Trump were nominated. But if she has national ambitions, Ayotte will endorse the nominee. Q: Can Donald Trump win the presidency as the Republican nominee? If so, how? Be specific. A: Demographically and electorally, the Democratic Party has the stronger hand. For Trump to win, I would hammer the illegal immigration issue, securing the border, renegotiating trade deals that have cost us factories, jobs and rising wages, and after securing the party base, go for victory in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin, by campaigning against the Clinton trade policies that de-industrialized Middle America and on a new Trump trade agenda to re-industrialize America. Bring the jobs back! With Obama not running, there is no reason Trump, a builder and job creator, could not win more of the African-American vote than McCain who lost it 24-1. There is no reason Trump cannot win more Hispanics, who respond to strong leaders and job creators. Romney lost over 70 percent of the Hispanic vote. Given the situation in the country and the world, the issues for Trump are backing up the men in blue, building a wall to secure the border against illegal immigrants, cracking down on corporations that hire illegals rather than Americans, making America the strongest nation on Earth, but staying out of wars that are none of our business. And paying back 10 times over those who attack us - the Jacksonian stance. Lastly, as Democrats and a hostile media will seek to make Trump the issue, the Republicans should, if she is nominated, make Hillary the issue. Do we really want to go back through all that again, or roll the dice on a better, brighter and surely more exciting future? Heres the bottom line on the significant but under-publicized retirement of Melanie M. Darling, the California Public Utilities Commission judge who fined a huge utility $16 million late last year for not reporting secret contacts with PUC officials including herself: The PUC is rid of a major embarrassment, but is still under criminal investigation. Why? Because private phone calls and emails between some of its top officials and executives of Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and Southern California Edison Co. may have fixed the outcome of billion-dollar cases. Its not known whether the commission has had secret dealings with Sempra Energy, owner of the other two large private utilities it regulates, Southern California Gas Co. and San Diego Gas & Electric Co. Darling, 63, had multiple phone calls and emails with Edison executives, both reported and not, helping make a laughingstock of the states most powerful regulatory board. None of it was intended as comedy. Darlings last major assignment was presiding over hearings that saw the PUC force consumers to pay 70 percent of about $4.7 billion in costs associated with the closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), 80 percent owned by Edison. SONGS shut down in 2012 following a major blunder by the company. Neither Edison nor the PUC has ever presented a reason why customers should pay any of those costs, but they are nevertheless stuck to the eventual tune of about $2,300 for every electric meter in the territories of Edison and SDG&E, which owns 20 percent of SONGS. That decision, it turned out, was first outlined during a secret 2013 meeting in a Polish hotel between an Edison executive and former PUC President Michael Peevey. Darlings real, unannounced task, then, was arranging the details. Emails between her and Edison executive Russell Worley reveal she began favoring Edison and SDG&E months before the Warsaw meeting. PUC judges like Darling hold hearings and recommend decisions, but only the actual commission can finalize outcomes. In this case, she and Worley agreed to split hearings on SONGS into three phases, with the first to set the amount consumers would pay and the last determining fault for the plant failure. Thats the reverse of normal, sensible procedure, where blame is assessed before costs are distributed. One email reveals Darling already knew about the Edison blunder when she set up her process; a later one shows she actually asked Edison whether it thought the proceeding should be reopened after it ended. Naturally, the utility said no and that was that. So she was a major embarrassment to the commission, which insists she planned for a long time to retire on Dec. 25. PUC spokesmen did not answer questions about when Darling gave notice of her rather early retirement. She may have been dumped quickly after this column in early December noted the absurdity of her fining Edison for not reporting to the commission contacts with her and others at the commission. Its all part of a longtime PUC climate favoring utilities over their customers. This pattern was obvious for many years, but the extent of relations between the commission and executives of the utilities whose rates and profits it sets was not clear until late 2014. A lawsuit then forced release of 65,000 previously secret and possibly illegal emails between commissioners, staff and PG&E. Further disclosures revealed private contacts with executives of other utilities. Just as astonishing is the way Gov. Jerry Brown and other state officials continue treating the under-investigation PUC as if its trustworthy. Example: When Brown belatedly declared a state of emergency over the ongoing natural gas leak at a SoCal Gas storage facility in Aliso Canyon, about a mile from the Porter Ranch section of Los Angeles San Fernando Valley, he assigned investigative functions to the PUC, saying it will ensure that (SoCal Gas) covers costs while protecting ratepayers. Absolutely no recognition there of the commissions enduring disregard for the wallets of ratepayers, aka customers. So yes, the PUC needs big change, and a wholesale housecleaning may come if indictments ever emerge from state and federal investigations. Getting rid of one embarrassing second-level official like Darling wont solve the problem, either for the PUC or the consumers it is supposed to protect but usually doesnt. Thomas D. Elias writes for the syndicated California Focus column. BAGHDAD IS claims responsibility for Baghdad mall attack The Islamic State group is claiming responsibility for the Baghdad mall attack that killed 18 people on Monday. Gunmen stormed into a Baghdad mall after setting off a car bomb and launching a suicide attack at its entrance. Iraqi officials say the attack, which lasted over an hour, killed at least 18 people and wounded 50 in the citys mainly Shiite east. The IS statement, posted online shortly after the attack, said four IS fighters carried it out and warned of worse to come. Iraqi officials say the attack was carried out by seven men. The conflicting accounts could not immediately be reconciled. BAKERSFIELD Explosives, traps found at home of man suspected of threats Kern County sheriffs officials say deputies found explosive devices and booby traps inside the home of a man who allegedly made threats against law enforcement on social media. KBAK-TV reported Sunday that Todd Sloan was taken into custody Jan. 9 at his home in the rural community of Johannesburg east of Bakersfield. Authorities obtained a search warrant after receiving reports that the 51-year-old had allegedly made threats on Facebook. Detective Augustine Moreno says deputies found numerous explosive devices and booby traps inside the desert home. Bomb squads spent the weekend detonating the devices to render them harmless. Sloan could face charges including possessing explosives and possessing explosive material. He was held on more than $2 million bail. It wasnt immediately known if Sloan has a lawyer. ROME Italy shelves plan to undo crime of illegal immigration Italian Premier Matteo Renzi says a proposal to decriminalize illegal immigration wont be on an upcoming Cabinet meetings agenda because citizens feel unsafe. Renzi told state TV Sunday night that while enforcement clogs the justice system, theres a perception of being unsafe and thus no need to rush to decriminalize. Illegally entering Italy became a crime in 2009 during Silvio Berlusconis government, which included an anti-immigrant party. With some 300,000 people arriving illegally by sea alone in the past two years, investigators say prosecuting each migrant who arrives illegally or overstays residency permits is too costly and time-consuming. Prosecutors also say decriminalization could encourage migrants to provide information about human smugglers. Violators risk fines of up to $11,100. Opinion surveys have found many Italians associate migrants with crime. PARIS Teen slasher of Jewish teacher in France cited Islamic State A French prosecutor says the teenager armed with a machete who slashed a Jewish teacher claimed to act in the name of the Islamic State group. Brice Robin, the Marseille prosecutor, says the boy told officers he planned to stab police next. The 15-year-old, who Robin described as a Turkish Kurd, was arrested shortly after the teacher was injured Monday morning. Robin described the teen as an excellent student who had shown no signs of radicalization. Tensions are climbing in France less than two months after attacks by Islamic extremists in Paris left 130 people dead. Frances interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, described the slashing as a revolting anti-Semitic aggression. Two churches were burned Sunday, and a boars head and racist inscriptions were found Friday at Perpignans main mosque. LONDON Archbishop of Canterbury pushes for reconciliation The Archbishop of Canterbury says theres little he can do if leaders of Anglican churches in Africa choose to withdraw from discussions on homosexuality a move that has prompted fears of a schism in the Anglican Communion. Justin Welby told the BBC that he hopes he can achieve reconciliation among dissenting factions during a meeting this week of senior Anglican bishops. But he says theres nothing that he can do if people decide to leave the room. But Welby cautioned Monday that reconciliation doesnt always mean agreement ... It means finding ways of disagreeing well. The issue of homosexuality has divided the communion representing 85 million people in 165 countries since 2003, when the U.S. Episcopal Church consecrated Canon Gene Robinson, who is gay, to be New Hampshire bishop. "The world is full of uncertainties and NATO needs to be prepared to meet future challenges," said General Philip M. Breedlove, Supreme Allied Commander Europe. "My aim is to make sure the NRF headquarters and forces are ready to deal with any threat in any environment." The NRF is a multinational force with a high level of readiness and technological sophistication, which can be deployed rapidly by the Alliance wherever necessary. When called upon, 13,000 personnel are ready to respondwithin five days, for a period of up to 30 days, or longer when re-supplied. Personnel numbers can be increased to approximately 30,000, if necessary. It is designed to provide a rapid military response to an emerging crisis, whether for the purposes of collective defence or for crisis-response operations. Photo: BAW JMIC M. Reudenbach "The NATO Response Force should become the engine of our future readiness. I see us revitalising this force, to keep our ability to train and operate together, as Allies, and with partners. And to conduct more demanding, more realistic, and more frequent exercises," said NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The NRF will be a core element of the Connected Forces Initiative, which seeks to maintain the high level of interoperability, availability and cohesion of Allied and partner forces through expanded education and training. This will help achieve the goal set by Allied leaders at the 2012 Chicago Summit of 'NATO Forces 2020': modern, tightly connected forces which are properly equipped, trained, exercised and led. Testing the NATO Response Force Steadfast Jazz 2013 will take place at various locations in Poland and the Baltic States from 2 to 9 November. It will be the culmination of a series of 17 exercises held in 14 countries. Based on a fictitious scenario in a fictitious country, the exercise will bring together the land, air, maritime and Special Operations Forces components, who will take over NRF duties next year. NATO has not done a live exercise of this size since 2006. Some 6,000 troops from 20 Allied and partner nations, including Finland, Ukraine and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia1, will take part. In the spirit of transparency, Russia has been invited to observe the exercise. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), theInternational Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) will also be represented. "Steadfast Jazz 2013 is part of a series of exercises in which the NATO Command Structure and NATO forces are trained to a high level of readiness to be interoperable and connected," stated General Hans-Lothar Domrose, Commander of Joint Force Command (JFC) Brunssum, the Netherlands. "Steadfast Jazz 2013 is part of a series of exercises in which the NATO Command Structure and NATO forces are trained to a high level of readiness to be interoperable and connected," stated General Hans-Lothar Domrose, Commander of Joint Force Command (JFC) Brunssum, the Netherlands. A searching independent review finds that NATO and its operational partners have made significant progress in implementing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 in NATO-led operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo but says there is ample room for improvement. The Review of the Practical Implications of UNSCR 1325 for the Conduct of NATO-led Operations and Missions was commissioned by Allied leaders at the 2012 Chicago Summit. The aim was to take stock of efforts to integrate a gender perspective in the planning, conduct and assessment of operations, and to develop recommendations for strengthening future work in this area. NATO is one of the first international organisations to conduct such a review, says NATO Assistant Secretary General for Operations Stephen Evans. Crucially, the Review was enlisted to an independent body which could be relied upon to assess critically progress and achievements so far. The Nordic Centre for Gender in Military Operations, based within the Swedish Armed Forces International Centre, was identified as the natural partner to take on this task. It has recognised expertise and knowledge in this field and is familiar with NATO structures, processes and operations. The Nordic Centre agreed to conduct the Review in close cooperation with the Swedish Defence Research Agency. It put together an international team, consisting of experienced analysts and researchers with a background in defence analysis, research on military efforts, assessments, gender research, NATO-led operations and UNSCR 1325 expertise. Some of the team members have also served with NATO in Kosovo and Afghanistan, and have a deep understanding of military efforts and operations at the operational and tactical levels. Conduct of the Review copyright NATO Training Mission AFG The Review Team made field trips to both Afghanistan and Kosovo, where NATO-led troops are deployed. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the Kosovo Force (KFOR) have different security mandates, different yet evolving security situations, and each has distinct cultural and social norms shaping gender roles and relations so the two missions provide a good sample to study the implementation of UNSCR 1325. We tried to get a broad overview of the NATO operations, their effect and impact in the local communities, says Helene Lackenbauer, the leader of the Review Team. In Kosovo, we went to the north (Mitrovica), the south (Prizren) and the capital, Pristina. We wanted to cover regions with different conflict patterns and ethnic make-up. In Afghanistan we faced a serious security situation, and were only able to visit Kabul and a couple of provinces in the north (Regional Command North). The team conducted about 145 interviews and met with almost 300 people. These included international military staff (KFOR and ISAF) in as many branches, functions and units as possible; national security forces (Kosovo Security Force and the Afghan National Security Forces); different international police missions; local police forces; government representatives and international advisors; representatives from international organisations; representatives from embassies; international and local non-governmental organisations; local civil society organisations and local people, including women, men and children. The wider impact of operations copyright Austrian MOD We were especially interested in meeting with local women and men, to get their take on the impact of KFOR/ISAF on their lives and the security situation, she adds. Meetings with the civil society were particularly important, since they provide valuable assistance and services to the population in both Afghanistan and Kosovo, and have situational awareness. Ms Lackenbauer underlines that both locals and civil society stress that ISAF and KFOR have contributed to an improved security situation, which has enabled public services to assist the population, especially women and girls. However, she is concerned that in Afghanistan these fragile gains may be lost and also stresses the importance of taking protection measures for women particularly in provinces where the insurgency is still present and exerts influence over the local population. My heart goes out to the women of Afghanistan, they are nervous about the future. Since 2001, their rights have been strengthened and their situation has improved, with regard to health, education, freedom of movement and participation in public life. I am really concerned that this might be lost post-2014, she warns. The international community needs to ensure that they stay committed to the improvement of womens rights. Women themselves claim that the international community is their best support, since it can pressure the Afghan government, she adds. Assessing implementation of UNSCR 1325 Reflecting on the findings of the Review, Ambassador Evans emphasises that there is no doubt that gender issues are relevant to any military operation it must take into consideration the different security needs of men, women, boys and girls. This is key to its effectiveness. It is noteworthy that the operation in Afghanistan has contributed to the troops enhanced awareness on gender issues and their importance to military operations, points out Ms Lackenbauer. ISAF paid more attention to gender/womens situation than KFOR. My understanding is that it is due to the extremely stratified gender relations in Afghanistan, and their impact on ISAFs force protection and ability to carry out operations. Ambassador Evans welcomes the fact that the Review recognises the significant progress that has been made in adopting the necessary policy frameworks and mechanisms, and in integrating a gender perspective in NATO-led operations and missions. But we are not there yet, he acknowledges. The focus should turn to practical issues. We must ensure that the gender perspective is integrated as a cross-cutting theme to all phases of our operations from planning and conducting operations to assessing their progress, he adds. This starts with providing our forces at all levels with sufficient training and awareness on the gender perspective, so that they are thus better equipped to apply it to their daily activities and planning of the missions. However, our role should be limited to advancing gender and the UNSCR 1325 agenda in the security sector. Outside of that, others in the international community are better placed to make the running. Ms Lackenbauer echoes the point about the need for further training: Gender mainstreaming is still questioned by some military officers despite everything we have learned about the impact of armed conflict on women, men, boys and girls. The gender perspective is not an integrated element in the staff planning cycle, but rather an ad hoc element that pops up when there are gender-aware individuals around. One way of addressing this dilemma is through training and exercises. NATO has already taken steps to address the shortcomings identified in the Review. The NATO Military Authorities have developed a robust implementation plan, which identifies the specific ways in which the military intends to take forward the Reviews recommendations. This plan was endorsed by defence ministers on 23 October 2013. There is no doubt that the findings of the Review and the ways we address them, both as an organisation and through individual nations, will impact on the planning and conduct of any future NATO operation, concludes Ambassador Evans. For decades now, Iraq has been confronting the scourge of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) which kill and injure civilians. A significant majority of IEDs in Iraq are manufactured from home-made explosives and explosive remnants of war, and used by terrorists as raw materials for improvised bombs and suicide attacks. In the framework of its strategic partnership with Iraq, NATO is supporting the Iraqi Government in its fight against IEDs. Home-made explosives now account for almost all of the improvised explosive devices in Iraq, said General Hadi Salman, Head of Military Engineering at the Iraqi Ministry of Defence. They are easy to make, simple to use, and the costs are minimal. According to the Iraq Body Count website1, 41,636 civilians were killed by explosives between 20 March 2003 and 14 March 2013. In order to effectively counter these devices, Iraqi Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) experts from the Ministry of Defence followed a Train-the-Trainer course on Countering the Threat of Home-made Explosives. The course was held at the NATO-accredited EOD Centre of Excellence in Slovakia in November 2013. This training is the first activity with Iraq which has been funded under the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme (SPS), a key partnership tool for practical and technical cooperation with all Alliance partners. It also highlights NATOs continued commitment to its partnership with Iraq following the end of the NATO Training Mission in Iraq in December 2011. Identifying the precursors Major Balasim Mohammed Mosbih Aljanaby is a military engineering officer in Baghdad. His daily work consists of defusing car bombs, bomb belts and IEDs. Along with 13 of his colleagues, EOD operators, commanders and staff officers from the Iraqi Armed Forces, Major Aljanby followed the training to improve his technical capabilities. "Any improvement in knowledge will help us to save lives, especially in respect of the home-made explosives that are widely used by terrorists in my country, said Major Aljanaby. "This training was intended to instruct the Iraqi security forces in the basics of identifying the precursors which are regularly used in the process ofmakinghome-made explosives," explained Jaroslav Bieleny, Director of the NATO EOD Centre of Excellence. The training emphasised the importance of recognising the variety of manufacturing equipment and clandestine home-made explosives laboratories. Learning how to identify precursors that are used in manufacturing home-made explosives will help us during our survey at the scene of the incident and also to control the handling of these materials," Major Aljanaby added. Some of these same precursors were used by the young Nigerian, with links to Al-Qa'eda, who tried to cause an explosion on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day 2009 by hiding explosives in his underwear. He had used a compound from the nitroglycerine family. He also had a syringe containing a chemical liquid which he intended to mix with the powder to cause the explosion. Fortunately, the device failed to explode. Spreading the knowledge Back in their country, the Iraqi security forces can now develop their own training programme in countering home-made explosives. It will be included in their national programme for the disposal of unexploded ordnance and reinforce their fight against terrorism. NATO is contributing significantly to the Iraqi, as well as the global efforts in countering IEDs which are constantly being employed by terrorist groups in Iraq and worldwide, said Dr Eyup Kuntay Turmus, SPS Advisor at NATO. Clearing mines and unexploded ordnance Mine clearance and disposal of unexploded ordnance (UXO) are possible other areas under the SPS Programme as Iraq is one of the worst mine/UXO affected countries in the world, continued Dr Turmus. According to United Nations data, Iraq has 1,730 square kilometres of mine-contaminated territory, affecting some 1.6 million people. The mine contamination at the border with Iran is around 12 -15 million according to Military Engineering estimates, but the UXOs overall are a huge amount (over 50 million according to some estimates) that no report mentions until now, said General Salman. Additionally, the issue is important from a counter-IED perspective, as often UXOs can be dismantled and used in roadside IEDs. Eliminating the UXO problem is therefore a significant preventative measure in combating IED threats. The arrival in Spain of a US guided missile destroyer marks a key stage in building up Europes protection against ballistic missile threats. The USS Donald Cook, which arrived at Rota Naval Station, Spain on 11 February, is the first of four ballistic missile defence (BMD)-capable destroyers that will be stationed at the base. The ships are capable of tracking and shooting down ballistic missiles in flight, using their Aegis radar system and SM-3 interceptor missiles. These capabilities will make the destroyers a key component of NATOs missile defence shield for Europe. They also are able to simultaneously track up to 200 targets at distances of more than 200 nautical miles, provide long-range surveillance and tracking of intercontinental ballistic missiles, and can work with other US BMD elements to provide advance warnings. With the USS Donald Cook in Rota and three other ships arriving, we have four ships and the two systems ashore permanently stationed in Europe; that is quite an impressive capability to protect European populations, said Robert Bell, Secretary of Defense Representative, Europe and Defense Advisor at the US Mission to NATO. With these ships stationed in Rota, we can project a missile defence capability much more immediately and responsively in this region, he added. The USS Donald Cook will be joined by the USS Ross, USS Porter and USS Carney over the next two years. The destroyers will patrol the Mediterranean on four-month rotations under US command and control, but can be put under NATO operational control if threat conditions warrant. During these tours, they will also carry out a full range of maritime security operations, bilateral and multinational training and exercises, and involvement in NATO missions and deployments (including NATO missile defence), if tasked. Improving interoperability Spain already operates the first European ships equipped with the Aegis system, with its four F-100 Alvaro de Bazan-class Aegis frigates. This means Spanish and US ships will be able to expand joint training and exercises. The Spanish ships are compatible with the US ships, said Col Juan Jose Martin, Defence Advisor at the Spanish Delegation to NATO. We are fully interoperable with them as we use the same Aegis system. As well as new hardware, the US move will be bringing people to bolster the US presence in Rota. Some 1,200 sailors and 1,600 family members will move to the base at Rota over the next two years, according to a US senior defence advisor. Tracking and destroying missiles The USS Donald Cooks deployment is part of a US programme known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) and represents a US contribution to the wider NATO Missile Defence plan that currently includes one Aegis ship, a radar system in Turkey and a command centre in Ramstein, Germany. Going forward, land-based interceptor batteries in Romania (expected in 2015) and Poland (expected in 2018) will significantly improve this capability. The next milestone for NATO would be to declare an initial operational capability, said Roberto Zadra, Head of the Ballistic Missile Defence Section at NATO Headquarters. He added, NATO BMD is moving forward. NATOs missile defence system is a good example of Smart Defence, which enables NATO nations to share capabilities by pooling resources to respond better to common security challenges. NATOs long-term goal is to merge individual Allies missile defence assets into a coherent defence system, providing full protection for NATO European populations, territory and forces against ballistic missiles threats. The system should reach full operational capability in the first half of the next decade. ''What PTECs do is the core business of NATO. Education and training is central to interoperability and capacity building, making PTECs a great asset,'' explains Dr Jaroslaw Skonieczka, Senior Director for Integration, Partnerships and Cooperation, NATO International Staff. ''PTECs collectively teach some 16,000 military and civilians per year, which represents a huge investment in the future.'' The Partnership Training and Education Centre (PTEC) network consists of 26 centres based in 23 NATO and partner countries, representing unique training in a variety of critical capabilities to include language training, crisis management, law of armed conflict, democratic control of the armed forces and defence structures, gender perspectives, and peace and security. As such, they collectively contribute to reinforcing and diversifying NATOs partnership activities. In 2013 alone, some 12,500 students from Allied and partner countries attended residence courses and over 3,400 students participated in Mobile Education and Training Teams. Since 1999, PTECs have effectively played a key role in supporting NATOs partnership objectives. They collaborate to offer enhanced support to interested partners to develop their defence-related education and training capacities and support the development and transformation of partners professional military education institutions. The courses help NATO and partner participants work together and share expertise, with the aim of increasing understanding, efficiency and, ultimately, interoperability in the field. For instance, one of the centres offers border security, logistics and military cooperation courses, while another focuses on media training for peace support operations and crisis communication - very concrete areas of study which are of direct use and interest to a wide public. The NATO Secretary Generals Special Representative for UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, Ms. Mari Skaare, leads a discussion on PTEC community support to gender mainstreaming Representatives from many of these training centres came together at NATO Headquarters on 19-20 March 2014 to introduce themselves to the wider NATO community, presenting their course guides and the overarching missions of the respective centres. At the opening event, Brigadier General Ivan Caruso stated that PTECs "will be the key in keeping our common level of education and training capacities at the highest level. Evoking the future role of the community, Captain (N) W. Scott Butler, Commandant of the NATO School Oberammergau, said Moving forward to the post-operations context, PTECs will remain a driving force for enhancing NATO and partner interoperabilityThis was also stressed by Colonel Hans Buhl, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Transformation Representative in Europefor fifteen years PTECs have played a key role in enhancing partner interoperability and will continue to support our partnership objectives with increased importance post-2014. Partnership Training and Education Centres: Austrian Armed Forces International Centre, Gotzendorf/Leitha, Austria* Peace Support Operations Training Centre, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina* Foreign Language Department, Vasil Leski National Military University, Shumen, Bulgaria Cairo Regional Centre for Training on Conflict Resolution and Peacekeeping in Africa, Egypt* Finnish Defence Forces International Centre, Tuusula, Finland* Public Affairs Regional Centre (PARC), The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia* Mountain Training Centre, Sachkhere, Georgia German Armed Forces UN Training Centre, Hammelburg, Germany* Hellenic Multinational Peace Support Operations Training Centre, Kristoni-Kilkis, Greece* International Institute of Humanitarian Law, San Remo, Italy Defence Institute of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan* Institute of Peace Operations Training, Jordan Armed Forces General HQ, Amman, Jordan* Language Institute, Jordan Armed Forces General HQ, Amman, Jordan* Continuous Training Centre, Chisinau, Moldova Regional Department of Defence Resources Management Studies, Brasov, Romania Crisis Management and Multinational Operations Department, Bucharest, Romania Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN)Training Centre, Serbia Slovak Armed Forces Academy of General Milan Rastislav Stefanik, Liptovsky Mikulas, Slovakia* Slovenian PfP Language Training Centre, Begunje, Slovenia Swedish Armed Forces International Centre, Kungsangen, Sweden* Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Switzerland* Swiss Armed Forces International Command, Stans Oberdorf, Switzerland* Turkish PfP Training Centre, Bakanliklar/Ankara, Turkey* International Peace and Security Centre, Yavoriv, Ukraine UK Defence Academy, Shrivenham, United Kingdom United States Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, USA (*) indicates institutions that participated in this years Marketplace Sir, hundreds of refugees are crossing the border now... All of a sudden, the line goes dead. You switch your attention to reports coming in on terrorist activity spreading along the coast, but no coordinates are given. What do you do? You are a NATO commander. Floods of refugees are creating a humanitarian crisis and, in a neighbouring country, terrorists are fuelling tension in a potentially explosive situation that could destabilise the region. Unidentified troops have been reported by refugees and you are concerned about their intentions. All the components of a conflict are there. And you must decide what to do. Right now. In the heat of the action, getting the right information to the right person at the right time can be a life and death issue. But that is a complex process. It means being able to piece together information from different platforms and analysing it to give commanders the edge, in the field, to make critical decisions while protecting their troops and civilians. Unified Vision 2014 Luckily, this is not a real-life situation, but it could be. It is NATOs biggest ever trial of Joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (JISR), comprising satellites, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, naval vessels, ground sensors and human intelligence from 18 NATO Allies. Unified Vision 2014 (UV14) is taking place in Norway from 18-28 May and aims to test NATOs ability to gather information and fuse intelligence from multiple sources from space, in the air, on land and at sea at different stages of a crisis. In the scenario, the crisis is initially local and then it gradually escalates into a full-blown international conflict. All the while, very different ISR capabilities are expected to perform in testing situations, stretching their ability to function properly in complex environments. This is the most ambitious trial we have ever done, bringing together the largest array of surveillance technology, equipment and personnel over a 10-day period. Instead of conducting our interoperability assessment in a lab, we have created a demanding operational environment to test the ability of our sensors, architecture and procedures to deliver intelligence capable of driving operations in the field. Many of these capabilities will be resident for the 2016 NATO Response Force and will facilitate the Alliances ability to quickly react to contingencies, explained U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Matt Biewer, UV14 Trial Manager. Capabilities put to the test After the shortfalls observed during the NATO-led Operation Unified Protector in Libya in 2011, improving NATOs ability to coordinate and deploy Allied ISR capability is crucial. In February 2014, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen stated, Through our operations, including Libya and Afghanistan, we have identified the areas where our capabilities do not go far enough or too few countries have them. Libya revealed shortfalls in precision-guided munitions; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets; and experts trained to interpret the data they provide. Work has been ongoing, but the economic crisis has not made it any easier. So we need to take a long hard look at the most effective way to work together to close those gaps. UV14 is testing doctrine, organisation, training, materiel, leadership, personnel, facilities and interoperability, with the aim of helping NATO to quickly process, exploit and disseminate information to commanders in action. Assets being used include equipment such as the Predator, Global Hawk, Hunter, Raven, Puma, NATOs AWACS aircraft, a naval corvette and raccoon reconnaissance vehicles. Techniques are also being introduced to provide even more intelligence such as identity intelligence i.e. using special techniques to find terrorists in dense areas. UV14 a stepping stone to a fully functioning JISR capability The trial will allow analysts to fuse ISR products derived from all of these different sources, be they imagery, communications, human or even open source, which are provided from across the 18 participating countries. Allies are also developing their ISR assets and, through UV14, are working side by side to test their equipment and their ability to work together. Rather than inundating commanders with information from different sources, the aim is to provide them with a common picture derived from multinational assets so that they can make informed decisions at any one time. The ultimate objective of the trial is to suggest improvements that will bring NATO closer to increasing the readiness of the NATO Response Force (NRF) 2016 and to delivering a Joint ISR Initial Operational Capability, which it aims to achieve end 2016. A few facts and figures Kicking down a door, a Romanian special operator recovers a hostage from an enemy fighter that just collapsed under the fire of incoming boats. He races back to his Danish and Norwegian companions and out across the water to Blackhawk helicopters waiting to fly them to safety. This show of force was a demonstration of multinational Special Operations Forces (SOF) capabilities at an international conference in Tampa, Florida, in May. This could have been the beginning of an action movie, or media coverage of an incident that fits the perceptions the public often has of special forces. However, experts at the event wanted to emphasise that Special Operations Forces are more than door-kickers. A mix of brute force and patient teaching "I would say less than ten per cent of our operations are kinetic and that's a good thing, but you don't hear about that. What you hear about always is the ones that do go high-end and high-order," says Stu Bradin, the CEO of non-profit organisation Global Special Operations Forces Foundation, which aims to promote greater understanding of the work of Special Operations Forces. While the world's media focuses on operations like the mission to capture Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan, a large proportion of Special Operations Forces prioritise training missions in Allied and partner countries. Living and working alongside local forces, small teams of highly-trained soldiers, who often speak local languages fluently, are deployed by several countries to help improve host nations' militaries and police. They teach medical skills, intelligence analysis and humanitarian response alongside the combat skills they are most famous for. Over a decade of counter-insurgency operations in Afghanistan and Iraq have given Special Operations Forces from Allied countries extensive experience in working with partners, according to the Commander of NATO Special Operations Headquarters Vice Admiral Sean Pybus. "The ability to inter-operate with partners has been a key lesson that we will carry forward into the future and that's common language, common tactics, techniques and procedures and an understanding of common effort and strategy," he explains. Adapted to new threats Interoperability is a buzzword, but its significance is greater than mere jargon. Today's global security threats, including a dispersed al-Qaida network over multiple continents, require a different model to the large, long-term deployment of troops. Special Operations Forces provide an answer to fighting these threats, even in the face of budget cuts, according to Stu Bradin. "Every nation can afford to have 500 to whatever well-trained, well-equipped, mature forces that have the capabilities they need to move quickly, and I mean we're talking hours, not days or weeks or months, that they can operate in an uncertain and often hostile environment," he says. Whether that is in Africa, Asia or even Europe, a small force is not just cheaper, but can have a lighter footprint and be perceived as less intrusive to host nations. "These efforts are really in modern day about the human domain and I think we continue to learn that in Afghanistan and we're watching that in Ukraine as one example. I think this is a role for NATO special operations as a collective that we can provide and be successful in," Vice Admiral Pybus adds. The decision-makers at this conference, entitled "Strengthening the Global SOF Network", say that returning Special Operations Forces to a pre-9/11 role, under-manned and reactive to crisis, instead of being pro-active, is unthinkable. But it will take long-term and resolute global partnership to maintain the high-level skills of these operators. On 31 October at the Czech Republic Embassy in Tbilisi, the NATO Support Agency (NSPA) and Georgia launched the fourth NATO/PfP Trust Fund project for unexploded ordnance clearance. In August 2008, two of the eight tunnels of the Military Ammunition Depot in Skra, near Gori, exploded, throwing out some 500 tons of unexploded munitions and other debris, sealing off the tunnel entrance and presenting a severe safety and proliferation threat. "The project aims to clear the debris and access the tunnels to remove any remaining live munitions or the debris. This will make the area safe for the local population and usable for the local authority" said David Towndrow, the NATO Support Agency Project Officer. The EUR 1.6 million Trust Fund project will be carried out under the leadership of the Czech Republic and Lithuania and will run for a period of up to two years. NATO Support Agency, as in previous initiatives, serves as the Executing Agent for the project. So far donations have been made by Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United States. "Georgia suffered significant damage to its military and civilian infrastructure during the war in August 2008. Post-war rehabilitation is ongoing, but much still remains to be done. Removal of mines and unexploded munitions in areas affected by the conflict is a priority", Ambassador Kestutis Jankauskas, Permanent Representative of Lithuania to NATO, said. "The Georgia IV Trust Fund project co-led by Czech Republic and Lithuania will continue to build on previous successful experience by focusing on Skra site near Gori, where explosive ordinances disposal is urgently needed". The project builds on the achievements made through the NATO/PfP Trust Fund project III, which was conducted in 2010-2012 and helped provide a demining and clearance capability to the Georgian Military Engineers, as well as the provision of medical rehabilitation equipment to Gori Military Hospital. "Cooperation between Georgia and NATO Support Agency (NSPA) proved to be very effective and fruitful", Davit Nardaia, Director of the International Relations and Euro-Atlantic Integration Department of the Ministry of Defence of Georgia said. "Thanks to these projects, Georgian Armed Forces have the national capacity of a well-trained and equipped EOD company capable to address Explosive Remnants of War threats, as well as provide physical rehabilitation at the Military Hospital in Gori". The Partnership Trust Fund mechanism allows individual Allies and partner countries to provide financial support to key projects on a voluntary basis. "This Trust Fund project is an excellent complement to the other defence capacity building and security related activities that take place within the framework of NATO-Georgia relations", Ambassador Jiri Sedivy, Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic stressed. "We consider our project leadership as a strong demonstration - and an important element - of the Czech Republic's support to Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations." (As delivered) SECRETARY GENERAL STOLTENBERG Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, its very nice to welcome you back to NATO headquarters. You have been here many, many times as Foreign Minister but this is your first visit to NATO as Prime Minister and I welcome you and also congratulate you on your reappointment as Prime Minister. I also thank you for the updated information you provided us during the meeting. And we just had important discussions on the crisis in Syria and other security challenges that our Alliance faces. Turkey is a valuable Ally. We are grateful for the many contributions you make to our shared security. And for the last three years, NATO has augmented Turkeys air defence. So Turkey is committed to NATO and NATO remains strongly committed to Turkeys security. The situation alongside NATOs south-eastern border remains highly volatile. We discussed last weeks incident, which led to the downing of a Russian jet. All Allies fully support Turkeys right to defend its territorial integrity and its airspace. I welcome Turkeys efforts to establish contacts with Moscow and through its contacts with Russia, to de-escalate the situation. It is important to stay calm and to calm tensions. I urge Russia to play a constructive role in Syria by targeting ISIL, our common enemy. NATO strongly supports the renewed international efforts to find a genuine political solution to the conflict in Syria. This is more urgent than ever. Last weeks incident shows how important it is to strengthen international mechanisms. To build stability, transparency and predictability in our relationship with Russia. This is key to reducing the risks of incidents and accidents. And, if they occur, to prevent them from escalating and get out of control. We will discuss this issue of risk-reduction mechanisms at our Foreign Ministers meeting which starts tomorrow here at NATO headquarters. So once again, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, its a great honour and a great pleasure to have you here and welcome. PRIME MINISTER DAVUTOGLU Thank you very much. Distinguished members of the press, we had a very fruitful meeting with Secretary General Stoltenberg. As Minister of Foreign Affairs I came to this headquarters several times, but this is my first visit as Prime Minister of Turkey. Of course, we shared many issues in our agenda, but the main issue was downing of Russian fighter jet in Turkish airspace on 24 of November. We discussed in detail. First of all, let me express our great gratefulness because of NATO support and personal support of NATO Secretary General after NATO Council meeting last week after this event. I want to be very clear here: Turkish airspace is Turkish sovereignty. And our action was a defensive action. And we wish it had not happened. But at the same time, our rules of engagement was very clear, was declared in advance, and was informed to Russian side, our neighbour and friend Russia, three times in Ankara, Antalya and in Moscow. That Turkish airspace should be respected after three violations committed by Russian planes. And we also made very clear that Turkish-Syria border is a national security issue for Turkey. So it was a defensive action. If there was no violation, there wouldnt be such a crisis today. That the responsibility for the incident on 24th of November clearly does not rest with Turkey by any means. We have no intention whatsoever to escalate the situation. We are ready to talk at every level in order to prevent further similar cases on Turkish-Syrian border, I underline this is Turkish-Syrian border, not the border of any other country. And Turkey has the right to defend airspace. And Turkey also wants to have good relations with Russia and with all the other countries who are fighting against Daesh on the ground. We are ready to make cooperation. But the bombardment which was done during this incident was not against Daesh. There is no single Daesh or ISIL position in this part of Syria. And we have been telling to Russian friends that the bombardments against civilians on our borders is creating new waves of refugees, which do not go to Russia or any other country, but coming to Turkey. And Turkey, after every bombardment, receiving more and more tens of thousands of refugees from Syria. So Turkey as a country paying the price of this crisis cannot be blamed because of defending our airspace. What is the lesson out of this experience? First, if there are two coalitions functioning in the same airspace against ISIL, this type of incidents it will be difficult to prevent. One side, United States-led coalition, including Turkey, is doing operations against Daesh in Syria. On the other side, Russia is doing another operation. There is a need to coordinate these activities against Daesh. Second, if we are fighting against Daesh, we have to fight only against Daesh, not against moderate opposition, not against civilians. Even after this incident, yesterday, there was Russian bombardment in Idlib. And we received, as Turkey, we received the injured people, totally burned. And in Idlib there is no Daesh. There has been bombardment in Azaz by Russian planes against humanitarian convoy, carrying humanitarian needs to Aleppo. So we have to agree that yes, all of us we are fighting against Daesh. And third, Turkish-Syria is a national security border for Turkey. We respect Russian nations security concerns, but we also expect Russian friends to understand our nations security concerns. Based on this, we are ready to talk, to have diplomatic military channels with Russia and with any other country in order to prevent this type of unintentional events, incidents, and in order to plan for the future fight against terror. And in order to have a Syria which after 1st of January, theres a new process for political solution where Turkey, Russia, United States, Saudi Arabia, is four-party group had worked in the past, in last weeks, and thirteen countries came together. Even for this we need to have a strong diplomatic channel to work together. And Turkish-Syrian border also is a NATO border. Violation was not only against Turkish border but also against NATO border. Therefore same day, we gave all the details, all the details to NATO Allies in NAC, in Council meeting. And we are ready to share all the information with any party to satisfy, to convince, to explain our position. And again, I want to express for clear position of NATO, and clear position of Secretary General personally yesterday I had also the chance to meet with EU leaders here in Brussels again I want to express our thanks to all NATO Allies expressing their solidarity with Turkey. Thank you very much. Q & A QUESTION (NTV): Secretary General, Gul Sonumut from NTV Turkey. The Prime Minister just talked a little bit about it, but theres a lot of speculation within Europe, in press, in Russian press that Turkey did not give the correct information about the flight, that there was no airspace infringement, etcetera. And theres a lot of speculation on that. So can you tell us whether Turkey was crystal clear enough, transparent enough, and shared all the necessary data with all the Allies, and whether really in the meetings in the past, and in the coming meetings, that all the Allies, all the members states are united behind Turkey? Thank you. SECRETARY GENERAL: Turkey has shared a lot of information with NATO and NATO Allies. And we also had a special meeting of the North Atlantic Council where the Turkish ambassador went through all the information and all the details related to the incident last week. And the information that we have also from other sources is consistent with the Turkish assessment about what happened last week. And I think what we have seen now just underlines what we have stated several times: and that is the concern related to all the increased activity and presence of Russian military capabilities in Syria and close to NATO borders. Turkey has its right to defend itself, and Turkey has the right to defend its airspace. My message now is that I welcome all and any contacts between Moscow and Ankara. And the important thing is to calm the tensions. And I think also the incidents last week also underlined the importance of us focusing on mechanisms to avoid these kinds of incidents in the future. And if this kind of incident happens again, to do whatever we can to prevent them from escalating and coming out of control. QUESTION (BBC): Gavin Lee, the BBC. Question to both. First of all, Prime Minister, President Putin has asked for an apology from Turkey. Will you apologise? And question for Secretary General, as a NATO member do you believe there are grounds for Turkey to apologise for the incident which has killed the pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Peshkov? PRIME MINISTER DAVUTOGLU: First of all, let me say, I formed my government last week, the same day when Russia violated, Russian planes violated our airspace. As Prime Minister of a nation which has dignity and as the Prime Minister of the new government which received 49.5 percent support during the last election, which is a record, I can say that the protection of our airspace, land border is not only a right but a duty for my government. And no Turkish Prime Minister or President or authority will apologise because of committing, because of doing our duty. Turkish airspace, protection of Turkish airspace, Turkish borders is a national duty. And our army did their job to protect this airspace. But if Russian side wants to talk, and wants to prevent any future unintentional event like this, we ready to talk anything. If they want information from us which we have provided, we can give any information regarding technical details of this incident. If they want to improve relations and normalise relations, in all sense, we are ready to talk. But no country can ask us to apologise because of doing our job. I followed the news regarding economic sanctions and other measures declared by Russia. Here I am saying that in the past, we were all against economic sanctions. And there, during previous crisis, Turkey had a principal position, like today. And Russia was against economic sanctions themselves. Not it is not consistent, it is contradictory to use the same measure against Turkey which was criticised by them when other countries did so in Ukraine. Economic relations is based on mutual interest. And any other new measures we will approach very calmly. We will not escalate the tension. We will never do anything which will be seen negatively by Russian people. Russian people is friendly people to Turkish people. For many of them, Antalya is like second home. We expect Russian friends to come to Antalya, to Turkey, in a friendly manner; as a tourist, Turkey is home for Russian tourists. And for economic relations, we hope that Russia will reconsider these reactions, these measures, which will be against our interests both. And at last I want to underline we are ready to talk, we are ready to share everything, we are ready to discuss for our future relations, which is an asset for both countries. But our military did their job when they protected our airspace. It is our airspace, and our border is an issue of national security but more an issue of dignity for us. SECRETARY GENERAL: Many NATO Allies and NATO has expressed several times concern about the increased military presence of Russia in the region. And what we saw last week is not the first example of violation of Turkish airspace by Russian planes. And as I said, the information we have is consistent with the information we have got from Turkey. But our focus now is on de-escalating the situation, calming tensions. And we would welcome direct contacts between Ankara and Moscow. And again, its the sovereign right of Turkey to defend its own airspace and territorial integrity. And we will discuss tomorrow at our Foreign Ministerial meeting in NATO how we can strengthen, develop different mechanisms to de-escalate, to reduce risks, and to whatever we can to prevent similar events to happen in future. And if they happen we have to do whatever we can to avoid spiralling out of control. So therefore our focus now is on de-escalation, calming the tensions. James Webb Telescope captures stunning image of merging galaxies More than half of Britons think Liz Truss should resign Bloomberg: Putin and Erdogan's cordial relationship arouses Western anger Dutch government invests up to 3.5 billion in military procurement Erdogan discusses latest developments in Ukraine with Zelenskyy Robot goalkeeper and crab mole: Scientists create two interesting robots School in Paris expels student from class for denying Armenian Genocide George Floyd's family sues Kanye West Artificial intelligence learns to determine human reactions to drugs Germany would like to participate in EU observer mission to Armenia U.S. is considering plan to co-produce weapons with Taiwan Poland to buy K239 Chunmoo from South Korea Air defense system repels several missile attacks by Ukrainian troops at Kakhovskaya HPP Melting Arctic glaciers may be source of new pandemic Baku court does not definitively terminate criminal prosecution of Yunus spouses Liz Truss has no plans to resign CSTO countries agree on draft agreement on standardization of military equipment EU countries agree to sanction eight people and organizations over Iranian drones Congressman David Price meets with rector of Yerevan State University Chairman of Amsterdam City Court visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex in Yerevan ASPU supports process of unification of universities Deputy Chief of Police on new draft law: 'Citizen of Azerbaijan' is extremely relative notion Benny Gantz: Israel will not supply weapons to Ukraine Cake from wedding of Charles III and Princess Diana is up for auction Saudi Arabia lifts ban on Turkish soap operas Armenia lawyer arrested Remains discovered during renovation of Ministry of Culture building in Tbilisi are transferred to Armenian Pantheon Scientists develop high-precision test to detect cervical cancer Dollar goes up, euro falls in Armenia IRGC special forces conduct helicopter operations on third day of exercises on border with Azerbaijan MFA: France position on achieving Armenia-Azerbaijan peace is unchanged Foreign Minister: Iran will not allow blocking its communications with Armenia Kremlin: Russia does not intend to close borders amid introduction of martial law in four regions EU mission delegation visits some border communities of Armenias Gegharkunik Province (PHOTOS) Firefox 106 is out: what's new in it? Armenias Papikyan attends defense ministers assembly in India Brusov university rector: Armenia education minister offered me a high position in new university, I declined Putin imposes martial law in new territories of Russia Schalke fire head coach 110 days after appointment Yerevan to host Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting Is it possible to move production of drugs into space? Putin holds meeting of Security Council Armenia MOD spox: Azerbaijan still preventing search operations Iran announces retaliatory sanctions against EU Russian Defense Ministry reports on strike on military facilities in Ukraine Artsakh Foreign Minister receives Ruben Vardanyan Daniel Craig receives order of knighthood Israel calls Australia's refusal to recognize Jerusalem as capital of Israel 'pathetic decision' Armenia to tighten penalties for overloading of trucks First commercial quantum computer in U.S. will be installed by Cleveland Clinic: what will it be used for? Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey army elite units conduct demonstration military drills Juventus want Zidane as head coach Luxembourg parliament speaker: Azerbaijan aggression is direct attack on Armenia sovereignty Jared Leto announces launch of his own cosmetics brand Russia Investigative Committee chief confirms theory of Crimean Bridge explosion accomplices PSG management is unhappy with Mbappe's behavior Uruguay vice president: We express our solidarity with Armenian people GeoProMining's ZCMC has tripled tax payments to the state budget of Armenia Yerevan judge to be arrested Yerevan to host DigiTec 2022 from March 10 to 12, 2023 Paul Krekorian unanimously elected as LA City Council President ThePrint: Armenia eyes procuring Akash missiles, loitering munitions from India Lenovo, Motorola show rollable smartphone, laptop concept Pfizer RNA vaccine against Covid rarely causes major side effects in children Armenia MP to international colleagues: Azerbaijan intends to carry out new aggression Ukraine military hits Energodar city hall Armenia PM: We hope Azerbaijan will cooperate in clarifying destiny of our compatriots Apple news: iPad Pro becomes more powerful, iPad 10 gets USB-C port, but there are also problems Rihanna records Black Panther 2 soundtrack Newspaper: Where is 1991 declaration by which Armenia, Azerbaijan once recognized each other's territorial integrity? IOC extends sanctions on Russia, Belarus Azerbaijan fires at Armenia positions at midnight La Liga: Atletico play draw PACE lawmakers call for Azerbaijan militarys immediate withdrawal from Armenia Australia reverses decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel capital Armenia MPs meet with European Parliament colleagues, reflect on recent Azerbaijan attack Paul Pogba will be back in action this month Study: Women fake orgasm because of insecurity Nouriel Roubini: In some sense, World War III has already started Benzema says after Ronaldo left, he was motivated to get better EU considers paying Elon Musk to provide Starlink Internet to Ukraine U.S. will continue to take practical, aggressive steps to make it difficult for Iran to sell drones to Russia German Prosecutor's Office searches Deutsche Bank headquarters Hubble takes beautiful image of turbulent stellar nursery Hair straighteners may increase risk of uterine cancer Head of Germany's national cybersecurity agency fired amid reports of ties to Russia Barcelona are considering return of Luis Enrique Uruguayan Chamber of Deputies condemns Azerbaijan's invasion of Armenian territory Spanish minister: EU is far from solution to energy crisis Fake Azerbaijani names of Syunik province communities removed from Google Maps and Google Earth apps Artsakh President presents details of meetings held in Yerevan to MPs Lavrov: Russia sees no point in maintaining its previous presence in Western countries UAE: OPEC+ decision has no political motive Opposition to David Price: Right to self-determination is the right of people of Artsakh to survive Under-23 World Championships: Malkhas Amoyan wins title of champion Iran is ready to negotiate with Ukraine to resolve ambiguities Deputy Speaker of Armenian National Assembly: 47 PACE deputies made written statement condemning Baku's aggression Lapid will discuss Kiev request for Israeli systems with Kuleba IBM expert on challenges of implementing AI: Provide right education, create impactful products Morawiecki: Poland is not afraid of losing EU funds GYUMRI. Some matters in connection with the case into the murder of the Avetisyan family of Gyumri, Armenia, are still unclear for the Mayor of Gyumri, Samvel Balasanyan. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the one-year anniversary of the brutal killing of this family, Balasanyan expressed the hope, however, that the murder trial will provide answers to all the issues of concern. The mayor added that he sees no problem in conducting this trial at the Russian military base in Gyumri, and expressed confidence that all conditions have been created to conduct a proper trial at the base. At 1pm, a requiem service in memory of the slain Avetisyan family was offered at the Gyumri municipal cemetery. And at 5:30pm, a liturgy and a candlelight vigil will be held at the Holy Mother of God Church in the city. Six members of the Avetisyan familyincluding a two-year-old girlwere shot dead, and a six-month-old babySeryozha Avetisyanwas wounded in their house in Gyumri on January 12, 2015; but the baby boy died in hospital one week later. Valery Permyakov, a serviceman of the 102nd Russian Military Base in the city, is charged with these murders. Armenia and Russia instituted criminal cases on charges of murder and military desertion, respectively. On August 12, the Russian court sentenced Permyakov to ten years in prison. And on October 16, Armenia formally brought criminal charges against the Russian soldier. The respective trial began on December 18. The court hearings, however, are taking place in the Russian military base. Bloomberg: Putin and Erdogan's cordial relationship arouses Western anger Dutch government invests up to 3.5 billion in military procurement Erdogan discusses latest developments in Ukraine with Zelenskyy School in Paris expels student from class for denying Armenian Genocide Germany would like to participate in EU observer mission to Armenia U.S. is considering plan to co-produce weapons with Taiwan Poland to buy K239 Chunmoo from South Korea Air defense system repels several missile attacks by Ukrainian troops at Kakhovskaya HPP Baku court does not definitively terminate criminal prosecution of Yunus spouses Liz Truss has no plans to resign CSTO countries agree on draft agreement on standardization of military equipment EU countries agree to sanction eight people and organizations over Iranian drones Congressman David Price meets with rector of Yerevan State University Chairman of Amsterdam City Court visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex in Yerevan ASPU supports process of unification of universities Deputy Chief of Police on new draft law: 'Citizen of Azerbaijan' is extremely relative notion Benny Gantz: Israel will not supply weapons to Ukraine Saudi Arabia lifts ban on Turkish soap operas Armenia lawyer arrested Remains discovered during renovation of Ministry of Culture building in Tbilisi are transferred to Armenian Pantheon Dollar goes up, euro falls in Armenia IRGC special forces conduct helicopter operations on third day of exercises on border with Azerbaijan MFA: France position on achieving Armenia-Azerbaijan peace is unchanged Foreign Minister: Iran will not allow blocking its communications with Armenia Kremlin: Russia does not intend to close borders amid introduction of martial law in four regions EU mission delegation visits some border communities of Armenias Gegharkunik Province (PHOTOS) Armenias Papikyan attends defense ministers assembly in India Brusov university rector: Armenia education minister offered me a high position in new university, I declined Putin imposes martial law in new territories of Russia Yerevan to host Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting Putin holds meeting of Security Council Armenia MOD spox: Azerbaijan still preventing search operations Iran announces retaliatory sanctions against EU Russian Defense Ministry reports on strike on military facilities in Ukraine Artsakh Foreign Minister receives Ruben Vardanyan Israel calls Australia's refusal to recognize Jerusalem as capital of Israel 'pathetic decision' Armenia to tighten penalties for overloading of trucks Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey army elite units conduct demonstration military drills Luxembourg parliament speaker: Azerbaijan aggression is direct attack on Armenia sovereignty Russia Investigative Committee chief confirms theory of Crimean Bridge explosion accomplices Uruguay vice president: We express our solidarity with Armenian people GeoProMining's ZCMC has tripled tax payments to the state budget of Armenia Yerevan judge to be arrested Paul Krekorian unanimously elected as LA City Council President ThePrint: Armenia eyes procuring Akash missiles, loitering munitions from India Armenia MP to international colleagues: Azerbaijan intends to carry out new aggression Ukraine military hits Energodar city hall Armenia PM: We hope Azerbaijan will cooperate in clarifying destiny of our compatriots Newspaper: Where is 1991 declaration by which Armenia, Azerbaijan once recognized each other's territorial integrity? Azerbaijan fires at Armenia positions at midnight PACE lawmakers call for Azerbaijan militarys immediate withdrawal from Armenia Australia reverses decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel capital Armenia MPs meet with European Parliament colleagues, reflect on recent Azerbaijan attack Nouriel Roubini: In some sense, World War III has already started EU considers paying Elon Musk to provide Starlink Internet to Ukraine U.S. will continue to take practical, aggressive steps to make it difficult for Iran to sell drones to Russia German Prosecutor's Office searches Deutsche Bank headquarters Head of Germany's national cybersecurity agency fired amid reports of ties to Russia Uruguayan Chamber of Deputies condemns Azerbaijan's invasion of Armenian territory Spanish minister: EU is far from solution to energy crisis Fake Azerbaijani names of Syunik province communities removed from Google Maps and Google Earth apps Artsakh President presents details of meetings held in Yerevan to MPs Lavrov: Russia sees no point in maintaining its previous presence in Western countries UAE: OPEC+ decision has no political motive Opposition to David Price: Right to self-determination is the right of people of Artsakh to survive Iran is ready to negotiate with Ukraine to resolve ambiguities Deputy Speaker of Armenian National Assembly: 47 PACE deputies made written statement condemning Baku's aggression Lapid will discuss Kiev request for Israeli systems with Kuleba Morawiecki: Poland is not afraid of losing EU funds Armenian President meets with Sofia Mayor Speaker of Armenian National Assembly to Norway FM: Withdrawal of Azerbaijani Armed Forces from Armenia is a priority Nikol Pashinyan receives delegation headed by Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt Iran responds to Borrell's garden and jungle statement: EU needs to accept realities or it will continue to wither Pashinyan: No one can accuse Armenia of evading its obligations Congressman: U.S. was not active in terms of security in Armenia, but now situation is changing Indian defense company Solar group says it has received orders from Armenia for 'Pinaka' missiles Price: U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan will not be used for offensive purposes against Armenia Military expert assesses possibility of new hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan Russian Embassy: Armenians' attitude towards Russians who moved to Armenia remains very friendly Clarification by Price: What Could Armenian-American military cooperation look like? Armenian Defense Minister visits DEFEXPO exhibition in India President of Artsakh talks about results of discussions held in Armenia Borrell angers UAE with his comparison of world outside Europe to 'jungle' Public Council formed in Artsakh China Daily: Party's anti-graft efforts generate fruitful outcomes Price: We demand that Azerbaijan return to its initial positions Aghajanyan: This visit should be seen as another stage in dynamic development of Armenian-American relations Ukraine will officially ask Israel for transfer of air defense systems Head of National Assembly Commission: 2023 state budget turned out to be biggest in Armenia's history Turkey conducts test launch of its own ballistic missile over Black Sea Students of Brusov State University hold protest outside building of Ministry of Education and Science of Armenia Armenia MFA: Yerevan has always openly and publicly stated its position on dialogue with Turkey Military exercises of IRGC Ground Forces on border with Azerbaijan continue for second day in Iran Blinken accuses China of violating status quo on Taiwan Armenian Foreign Minister: We see Azerbaijan's unconstructive behavior Izvestia: European banks stop accepting SWIFT-transfers from Russia Mirzoyan calls on Cavusoglu to speak for himself Norwegian FM visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex and pays tribute to victims of Genocide Mirzoyan: We need to understand to what extent CSTO recognizes this aggression against Armenia MFA: Armenian authorities apply to OSCE to send observers to border with Azerbaijan The life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. will be celebrated at Emory this month with a series of events rooted in ideals that the acclaimed American civil rights leader exemplified, including teaching, service and reflection. The Emory and Oxford College communities are invited to take part in an array of activities for Emory's observation of King Week, including special lectures, public discussions, service awards, musical performances worship services, and opportunities for community service. Beyond community engagement, the celebration offers a chance for everyone to consider how virtues such as compassion, humility, global vision and nonviolence might be woven into their daily lives, according to event sponsors. "While we are celebrating King Week at Emory to honor the legacy of Dr. King, we want to move the community beyond a day, week or month of celebrations," says Michael Shutt, interim director for Emory's Center for Diversity and Inclusion. "We aspire to be a community that applies Dr. King's legacy to every action and decision throughout the year, while holding Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a moment of reflection and time of community accountability," he adds. Thursday, January 14 Sherrilyn Ifill lecture, 6 p.m. at Tull Auditorium, Gambrell Hall, Emory School of Law Ifill is president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and has also enjoyed a distinguished career as a litigator, constitutional law scholar and public intellectual. A frequent commentator on Sunday morning talk shows, she has litigated landmark voting rights cases and authored the critically acclaimed "On the Courthouse Lawn: Confronting the Legacy of Lynching in the 21st Century," which discusses the continuing legacy of Jim Crow-era lynchings on communities today. Sponsored by Emory School of Law, this event is free and open to the public, followed by a reception in Hunter Atrium. Sunday, Jan. 17 MLK Service with Rev. Tonya Lawrence, 11 a.m. at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church An ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, Lawrence has served as a preacher, a teacher and a church leader. A native of Orangeburg, South Carolina, she accepted her call to ministry following a 10-year career in fashion and corporate retail. Today she is an advocate for youth development as the impetus for long-term social change. Lawrence recently lived in Ghana, West Africa, where she researched rites of passage for young people. Monday, Jan 18 Emory's Day On, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., multiple locations Volunteer Emory, a part of the Office of Student Leadership and Service, invites the entire community to make the MLK holiday a "day on" rather than a "day off." This year, Emory's "Day On" will engage more than 400 Emory students in community service projects across Atlanta. Volunteers may check in at 11:30 a.m. at the Coca-Cola Commons in the Dobbs University Center. Service projects will run from 1 to 3 p.m.. Those interested in volunteering may register from Jan. 8-15. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service at Oxford, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m., multiple locations To honor King's legacy, Volunteer Oxford will engage students, faculty and staff in local collaborative projects. Check-in will be from 8:30-9 a.m. in Williams Auditorium. Service projects around the community will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Online registration will be emailed to the Oxford community; registration is open through Jan. 15. Tuesday, Jan. 19 King Lecture, "That One Big Thing" with Benjamin Jealous, 4 p.m., Cannon Chapel Jealous, a former NAACP president and noted civil and human rights advocate, will present Emory's annual MLK Lecture. An NAACP leader who helped move the organization into the digital age, Jealous has fought for voting rights, for marriage equality, to free those wrongly incarcerated, to end the abuse of prison inmates, and to stop racial profiling by law enforcement officials. His talk, "That One Big Thing," draws upon the leadership tradition that connects Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr., Shirley Chisholm, Frederick Douglass, Cesar Chavez, and Frances Willard, challenging young people to define how they will each change the world. Drawing upon his own work, he offers simple steps toward achieving feats of great social transformation and service. Wednesday, Jan. 20 "Remembering a Movement: A Social Justice Dialogue," 6:30-8 p.m., Brooks Commons Join in a critical discussion about current representations of King, whether in movies or history textbooks, whether those portrayals align with the Civil Rights Movement as a whole, and how that impacts today's social movements. The event will begin with a brief introduction followed by a debate led by representatives from the Barkley Forum, Emory's award-winning debate program, and conclude with a group discussion. Thursday, Jan. 21 Service of Word: Letter to Martin Luther King Jr., 11:05 a.m., Cannon Chapel, Candler School of Theology Candler School of Theology's bishop-in-residence, Woodie W. White, will present thoughts on the state of race relations in his annual "Letter to Martin Luther King Jr. Every January, White writes a birthday letter to King describing the progress and pitfalls in race relations during the previous year. White, who met King in the early 1960s, wrote his first letter to the civil rights icon in 1976 for a public speaking engagement, and began the annual practice in 1985. The letters are published each year by United Methodist News Service. You can also livestream the event. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Awards: "Refusing the New Normal: Being Part of the Change," 4:30 p.m., Rollins School of Public Health, Claudia Nance Rollins building For more than 23 years, the Rollins School of Public Health and the Goizueta Business School have honored the legacy of King through the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Awards Program, which celebrates the contributions of individuals and organizations whose tireless service to Atlanta's communities exemplifies the work of King. The Rev. Francys Johnson, Georgia State NAACP president, will be the featured speaker. AHANA A Capella will perform at the event, along with spoken word artist Paula Fontana. Friday, Jan. 22 Voices of Inner Strength Gospel Choir, 7 p.m., Dobbs University Center, Coca-Cola Commons Emory's Voices of Inner Strength will present a gospel music concert to showcase the music that inspired King and strengthened his faith. Music about faith, hope and love will be highlighted at this concert, which is free and open to the public. Saturday, Jan. 23 Experience Shuttles to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Shuttles are available to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Tickets are available, but limited. Those interested may register online beginning Monday, Jan. 11. Sunday, Jan. 24 University Worship, 11 a.m., Cannon Chapel The King Week University Worship Service will be presented by James Waits, dean of Candler School of Theology from 1978 to 1991 and professor emeritus of practical theology. Waits served as a Methodist minister in Mississippi in the 1960s and was a member of the Committee of Southern Churchmen. In 1963, he was among a group of 28 white ministers to sign "Born of Conviction," a statement supporting integrated schools and freedom of the pulpit. While dean of the School of Theology, he also served as the first director of The Carter Center. The service will celebrate the life and legacy of King through word, song and prayer. Special music will be provided by Voices of Inner Strength Gospel Choir. A free lunch will follow in Brooks Commons. Tuesday, January 26 MLK Celebration at Oxford College, 7:30 p.m., Old Church, Oxford, Georgia Matthew Williams, vice president of strategic initiatives at the Forum for Theological Exploration, will present the keynote. The evening will also include performances by Interdenominational Community Choir and Oxappella. For more information about Emory's King Week events, visit www.facebook.com/eukingweek. Cal State Fullertons online masters degree programs in business, engineering and education are among the nations best in their respective fields, according to 2016 rankings announced today by U.S. News & World Report. The Universitys online graduate business program ranks 11th in the magazines Best Online Programs rankings; engineering programs are 16th; and education programs are 34th. This years rankings include evaluations of more than 1,200 distance-education programs nationwide. CSUFs online business program is among 91 ranked programs (excluding the MBA) and is the only California State University campus to make the list. Since 2005, the Mihaylo College of Business and Economics has offered an online master of science degree program in information technology. The Universitys online graduate-level engineering programs are among 62 such programs ranked nationally. Cal State Fullerton is the only CSU campus ranked among the top 20 and the highest ranked non-doctoral university in this category. These programs share the No. 16 rank with Texas Tech University and the University of Maryland, College Park. The College of Engineering and Computer Science offers the master of science degree in software engineering launched in 2004, and the master of science degree in environmental engineering, offered since 2012. CSUFs online education programs are the highest ranked in Orange County and California. Also, the University is the only CSU campus in the top tier among 188 nationally ranked programs. CSUF tied for the 34th rank with Arizona State University. In 2002, the College of Education launched the master of science in instructional design and technology the Universitys very first online degree program. Today, the college also offers the master of science in education degree program with concentrations in educational technology, elementary curriculum and instruction, reading education, secondary education and special education. Media Contacts: Debra Cano Ramos, 657-278-4027 Paula Selleck, 657-278-4856 Six years after Haiti's catastrophic earthquake that left tens of thousands dead, the Haitian student group Planet Kreyol is inviting the UM community to remember the victims of the disaster in a ceremony at the Shalala Student Center. The event will begin at 4 p.m. with an opening ceremony. A moment of silence will be held at 4:53 p.m. on the student center patio marking the exact time the earthquake struck outside Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010 followed by a candlelight vigil at 5 p.m. and a reception at 6 p.m. in the Iron Arrow room at the student center. ---- Look back at the Haiti Special Report on the University's response to the disaster and its continuing commitment to recovery and reconstruction. A donor gift will fund glaucoma studies of Haitians in Haiti and Haitian-Americans in Miami. Read it here. ---- In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, University of Miami doctors, nurses, and staff traveled to Haiti to help treat some of the thousands of people injured in the earthquake. The University established a tent hospital on the tarmac of the Port-au-Prince airport, and over the next several years hundreds of faculty, staff, students, and alumni have traveled to Haiti to assist Haitians in the recovery of the devastating earthquake and its reconstruction. The Haiti Special Report provides an overview of the University's commitment to training Haitians to take care of Haitians with health care, sustainable programs, community building, and infrastructure. Posted by Mark Williams | January 12, 2016 At a time when the auto industry has just come off its biggest sales year in history (17.47 million units in 2015) as well as wrestled with some ugly and challenging safety issues (think Volkswagen, Takata and GM's continuing ignition crisis), the 2016 North American International Auto Show is the first opportunity for automakers to shine in the new year. If the first day of the show is any indication of what we have to look forward to in 2016, this will also be an interesting, if not amazing, year. Here's what we saw Monday. The First Awards: The North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year awards kicked off the 2016 NAIAS. The 2016 Honda Civic took the car category and the 2016 Volvo XC90 won Truck/Utility award. Sadly, the only pickup truck that made the final cut, the 2016 Nissan Titan XD, came in third. Presidential Visit: For the first time in his tenure, President Barack Obama will visit the Detroit Auto Show. Scheduled for Jan. 20, the president's visit is likely to cause quite a stir. You can bet the vehicles he sits inside will be watched closely. If you're visiting the show that day expect huge traffic delays. Nissan Titan Warrior Concept: Nissan revealed what it has in mind for its all-new full-size pickup; this time giving it a desert-runner twist. Although this is the first diesel-powered desert runner we've ever seen that's not based on a military vehicle, there is plenty to like about this concept pickup (including both a first-aid kit and tool chest in the center console). We're hopeful this will become an option package in the future. Ford Raptor: There's nothing really new with the 2017 F-150 Raptor with the exception of the longer wheelbase of the SuperCrew, which allows for four full-size doors. The SuperCrew is likely to again be the volume player for Raptor sales when it debuts later this year. The big news is that by saving almost 500 pounds when compared to the previous-gen Raptor SuperCrew, and with the addition of a new high-output EcoBoost, acceleration off the line is likely to be rocket-ship fast. 2017 Honda Ridgeline: A funny thing happened on the way to the newest version of Honda's pickup truck. To look more like a conventional pickup, Honda designers incorporated a "pretend" cutline down the middle of the body to make it look like there's separation between the cab and bed. Of course, the Ridgeline's unibody chassis based off minivan and SUV platforms provides no distinct separation between the bed and cab. It's all one unit. Cars.com photos by Mark Williams WASHINGTON: The entry of streaming pioneer Netflix in India is evolutionary in nature though its inaugural price is a bit on the higher side for what it offers, a leading U.S. expert has said. "I would say that the current price is a bit on the high side for what Netflix offers currently and it will have to keep increasing content quantity and quality over time to justify the price point," said Puneet Manchanda, a professor of marketing at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. His areas of expertise are business in emerging markets, business in India and strategy and marketing issues. Netflix's global expansion is driven by three forces, he said. First, Netflix needs to convince investors that it can keep growing. With the broadband market size outside the U.S. about six times the size of the U.S. market, any significant growth in the future will come from large international markets such as India. Second, a large global reach can be a strong bargaining chip for Netflix in obtaining distribution rights from content providers. Finally, Netflix's vision is to be a content provider itself - this expansion exposes a large part of the world to original Netflix content, he said. "In terms of entering India, Netflix can quickly capitalise on a large English speaking market. But, for the Indian media landscape, the current entry is more evolutionary rather than revolutionary as the English speaking market already has access to a lot of Netflix's India content," Manchanda said. However, if Netflix can crack the vernacular market eg by producing content in local languages with local talent, it has the potential to be revolutionary, Manchanda said. On Wednesday Netflix launched its service globally, simultaneously bringing its Internet TV network to more than 130 new countries around the world. "Today you are witnessing the birth of a new global Internet TV network," said Reed Hastings, co-founder and CEO of Netflix in a key note address at CES 2016 in Las Vegas. However, Netflix will not yet be available in China, though the company continues to explore options for providing the service. It also will not be available in Crimea, North Korea and Syria due to US government restrictions on American companies operating there. Since its launch in 2007, Netflix has expanded globally, first to Canada, then to Latin America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. In India, the service will be available under three monthly packs -- Basic (Rs 500), Standard (Rs 650) and Premium (Rs 800). Besides, users will get a month of free trial. Read Also: Firsthandle App Launched In Bengaluru Facebook Messenger Crosses 800 Mn Monthly Users: Nielsen Program documents students co-curricular learning by Christi Mathis CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A new program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale offers students the opportunity to maximize their college experience in a tangible way to help them in their careers and lives after graduation. The SIU Advantage is an experiential learning program that enables students to graduate with a co-curricular learning resume to complement their diplomas and traditional academic transcripts. In todays competitive job market, employers want to hire graduates with that extra something special. The SIU Advantage can provide that extra something, Heather Brake, coordinator of Student Involvement, said. In addition to classroom and lab learning experiences, students at SIU can participate in numerous activities that offer them the chance to gain insights, acquire knowledge, or enhance their cultural, intellectual, professional, social or personal skills. For instance, they may attend an etiquette dinner, improving their social and personal development skills as they learn how to interact with prospective employers and others in professional dinner settings. Or, they may enrich their cultural competency by engaging with students from a variety of countries during an international student activity. Through various events and activities, students develop and learn in ways not necessarily reflected on a college transcript. Much like colleges seek well-rounded applicants, prospective employers also want employees who are prepared for the real world and the myriad circumstances that arise there, Brake said. Through the SIU Advantage, students will have tangible documentation of some of their learning experiences outside of the classroom. Heres how it works. Faculty and program developers at SIU are now applying specific learning objectives and outcomes to many extracurricular campus activities. When students log their participation by swiping their campus identification cards, their involvement is recorded onto their electronic co-curricular resume, available for printing and presentation to prospective employers after they graduate. Some activities require only attendance while others may include an active participation component or even a follow-up assessment activity. That will be determined by the faculty member or programmer coordinating the activity. The Office of Student Engagement has developed four Advantage Tracks to reflect the diverse out-of-classroom educational experiences and incorporate them with the for-credit curriculum. The co-curricular resume will list experiences within these tracks. The tracks, and a brief explanation of each, include: Cultural Competency connecting experiences that foster an appreciation for the cultural and human differences within the population and helping students develop a greater sense of global awareness. Intellectual and Professional Skills including opportunities for growth in the areas of teamwork, leadership and professional/career development. Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Development incorporating activities that strengthen interpersonal communication, self-awareness and advocacy skills as well as enhancing personal health and wellness. Personal and Social Responsibility focusing on helping students learn more about themselves and how they can be a catalyst for positive change in areas including civic engagement, sustainability, financial and personal responsibility, and civics and integrity. We have so many great programs on campus that our students enjoy participating in and they are able to learn and expand their horizons as they enjoy these experiences. The SIU Advantage attaches definitive learning objectives and purposes to some of those programs so students can benefit from them in yet more ways, Deborah Barnett, coordinator of Non-Traditional Student Services, said. Although not all activities and events on the university calendar are included in the SIU Advantage, Barnett and Brake say they anticipate the number of them that are linked to the SIU Advantage will grow over time. Learn more about the SIU Advantage by visiting www.getinvolved.siu.edu or sending an email to siuadvantage@siu.edu. Or, call Brake at 618/453-5714 or Barnett at 618/453-7521. Stanford study suggests academic benefits to ethnic studies courses New research shows gains in attendance, GPA of at-risk high school students from incorporating culturally relevant pedagogy. Marc Franklin Teacher David Ko instructs an ethnic studies class at Washington High School in San Francisco. A Stanford study found students benefit from such courses. Here, Ko is explaining an assignment about the role of advertising in reinforcing cultural stereotypes. A high school ethnic studies course examining the roles of race, nationality and culture on identity and experience boosted attendance and academic performance of students at risk of dropping out, a new study by scholars at Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE) found. The study looked at ethnic studies classes in a pilot program in San Francisco high schools, and compared academic outcomes for students encouraged to enroll in the courses with similar students who did not take them. The researchers found that students not only made gains in attendance and grades, they also increased the number of course credits they earned to graduate. "What's so unique about this program is the degree to which it helped the students who took it," said Emily Penner, co-author of the paper and a postdoctoral researcher at the GSE. "Schools have tried a number of approaches to support struggling students, and few have been this effective. It's a novel approach that suggests that making school relevant and engaging to struggling students can really pay off." Thomas S. Dee, a professor at Stanford GSE and director at the Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis, was the other author of the report, which was posted Jan. 11 as a working paper on the website of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). District debate The findings come as educators and policymakers in Arizona, California, Oregon and other states debate adding or taking away such curriculum from their schools. While ethnic studies proponents contend the courses can help address academic disparities by aligning individual student experiences with curriculum, opponents have argued they are anti-American, teach divisiveness and may displace opportunities for students to take electives of their choice. Last year, California Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed legislation proposing to require ethnic studies courses statewide, and the Arizona legislature also balked at a similar measure. Still, a number of California school districts including Los Angeles, Pico Rivera and Oakland require ethnic studies or are moving in that direction. San Francisco voted to expand its program to all 19 high schools last year when early findings from this study indicated positive gains for students. Significant gains The study was conducted in collaboration with the San Francisco Unified School District as part of a research-practice partnership with the GSE. Bill Sanderson, assistant superintendent at SFUSD, said the partnership "allows the district to validate promising practices and expand successes in multiple schools to have the greatest impact on students." The ethnic studies course offered in San Francisco focuses on the experiences and identities of racial and ethnic minorities, uses cultural references in teaching and aims to enhance social and political awareness. In one lesson, for example, teachers ask students to look at the role of advertising in reinforcing cultural stereotypes and the idea that some values and people are "normal" while others are not. "Culturally relevant pedagogy embeds several features of interventions designed to reduce stereotype threat, such as explaining stereotypes and identifying external forces that contribute to academic challenges," Dee said. "Ethnic studies may be effective because it is an unusually intensive and at-scale social-psychological intervention." For the study, Dee and Penner gathered data from three San Francisco high schools participating in the pilot ethnic studies program from 2010 to 2014. Enrollment in ethnic studies was automatic for students who had eighth grade GPAs below 2.0 and voluntary for those with GPAs above 2.0. The scholars narrowed their observations to a population of 1,405 ninth graders, and compared attendance rates, GPA and grade credits earned for students who came in closest to each side of the 2.0 threshold. Looking at students near the cutoff allowed for the best analysis of the program because a student with a 1.99 GPA, for example, was likely to be very similar to a student with a 2.01 except that one student was encouraged to enroll in the course, while the other was not. "It's similar to a randomized trial where one group of people are assigned to a treatment and another similar group is asked to take a placebo," explained Dee, a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. The researchers found that attendance for those encouraged to enroll in the class increased by 21 percentage points, GPA by 1.4 grade points and credits earned by 23. Boys, Hispanic students stand out There were positive effects across male, female, Asian and Hispanic groups of students, the study said, but the improved outcomes were particularly concentrated among boys and Hispanic students. The study also found significant effects on GPA specific to math and science. Grade point grew in English language arts, as well, but less so. Sample sizes of white and black populations, specifically, were too small to reliably estimate separate effects. "To be confident we were getting the effect of the course and not the fact that these kids were flagged as needing extra help because of their GPA, we looked for similar patterns in high schools that did not offer ethnic studies," Dee said. "We found no evidence the early warning indicators were causing the effects. "The results are highly encouraging," he added. "This is the first causally credible evidence on the academic effects of culturally relevant pedagogy." Dee and Penner cautioned, however, that the study had the benefit of examining a well-implemented program whose enrollment formula enabled a research design that allowed for causal inference. "The evidence for San Francisco is very strong," said Dee. "Whether what works there would work in other school districts is not yet determined. But the magnitude of the effects in San Francisco merits enthusiasm." The paper was funded through the Stanford-SFUSD partnership and a Postdoctoral Training Fellowship from the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences. The researchers presented their findings at the Association for Public Policy and Management conference in November 2015. The paper has not yet undergone peer review. Media Contact Thomas S. Dee, Graduate School of Education: tdee@stanford.edu Emily Penner, Graduate School of Education: epenner@stanford.edu Brooke Donald, Graduate School of Education: (650) 721-1402, brooke.donald@stanford.edu Clifton B. Parker, Stanford News Service: (650) 725-0224, cbparker@stanford.edu Stanford students among winners of new scholarship for study in China Two Stanford students are among the 100 students from around the world named 2016 Schwarzman Scholars. The program provides scholarships for a one-year master's degree program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. The program is inspired by the Rhodes Scholarship. Stanford students Alina Luk and Jordan Shapiro have won 2016 Schwarzman Scholarships for graduate study at Tsinghua University in Beijing, a leading university in China known for its scientific and technological research. Luk, a senior majoring in science, technology and society, and Shapiro, who recently earned a master's degree in management science and engineering, are among 111 students from around the world who were recently named to the inaugural class of Schwarzman Scholars. The scholars were chosen through a rigorous application process designed to evaluate intellectual and academic talent, as well as leadership potential, strength of character, ability to anticipate emerging trends and desire to understand other cultures. Scholars chosen for the highly selective program will live in Beijing for a year of study and cultural immersion, attending lectures, traveling and developing a better understanding of China. The program, which attracted 3,000 applicants from 135 countries, was inspired by the Rhodes Scholarship, which was founded in 1902 to promote international understanding and peace. The scholars will live and study together at Schwarzman College, a state-of-the art facility with residences, an auditorium and a library built for the program on Tsinghua's campus. Each scholar will earn a master's degree in global affairs, with a concentration in one of three disciplines: public policy, international studies, or economics and business. All of the classes will be taught in English. During the program, students will have the opportunity to interact with Chinese and world leaders through lectures, internships, mentorships and intensive, in-depth travel seminars. Stephen A. Schwarzman, the chairman, CEO and co-founder of Blackstone, a global investment firm, founded the program. He donated $100 million to launch Schwarzman Scholars and is leading a campaign to raise an additional $350 million more to fully endow the program. The $450 million endowment will support up to 200 scholars annually from the United States, China and around the world. Alina Luk Luk, 21, plans to pursue a master's degree in global affairs with a concentration in economics and business at Tsinghua. Courtesy Alina Luk Alina Luk "I'm a strong believer in the vision of the scholarship, and think that understanding China and its role on the global stage will be essential to future leaders," she said. "The Schwarzman Scholars program will have a long-lasting impact for future leaders from nations around the world, and I'm so thankful for the chance to be part of that community." In her application for the Schwarzman Scholarship, Luk, who was born and raised in Hong Kong, described herself as a "bicultural American Chinese citizen" who wants to engage both cultures and countries in her future professional career. Luk said she would cherish the opportunity to learn more about technology entrepreneurship in Beijing's Zhongguancun Science Park, which is often referred to as "China's Silicon Valley." "I hope to spend this time to not only learn and identify possible synergies that could be established, but to also better understand the differences between Chinese and American entrepreneurship in order to bridge the two together," Luk said. At Stanford, Luk co-founded the nonprofit organization QRist, which is working with 20 mobile clinics in rural Thailand to set up seamlessly accessible electronic medical records for more than 5,000 patients, a project that has received sponsorship and support from several organizations, including the Thailand Ministry of Public Health, the Father Ray Foundation and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Luk said her future professional goal is to design, engineer and transfer culturally compatible technologies. "Inspired by my Chinese grandmother, I am currently working on building a 'wearable' for the elderly, anticipating the needs of the aging population in China," she said. "I see how the emergence of China is changing the geopolitical landscape of the 21st century. I want to be part of that change. I hope to shape that change by designing technologies, bridging U.S.-China cross-border innovation, and leading entrepreneurially." Jordan Shapiro Shapiro, 22, plans to pursue a master's degree in global affairs with a concentration in economics and business at Tsinghua. Courtesy Jordan Shapiro Jordan Shapiro "I'm honored to have the opportunity to join the first class of Schwarzman Scholars in Beijing and to help define the relationships that scholars will have with each other and the world at large," Shapiro said. "I've known since the day the program was announced three years ago that I would one day be applying and am grateful to everyone at Stanford and at the Schwarzman Scholars team who has made this milestone possible." Shapiro, who earned a master's degree in management science and engineering in December 2015, also earned a bachelor's degree at Stanford. He graduated in June 2015 with a degree in bioengineering and a minor in modern languages (Spanish and Mandarin). In his scholarship application, Shapiro described himself as a "combiner" who is passionate about finding ideas and opportunities at the intersection of seemingly disparate studies. "My interests vary across a broad spectrum, and I have dedicated my undergraduate and master's years to satiating my academic curiosity well beyond my core area of study, propelling me to continue learning inside and outside the classroom," Shapiro said. "I have used my skills as a combiner to advance my career goal of pursuing international biotechnical business in a manner that enhances the way people live. The Schwarzman Scholars Program will equip me with a deep understanding of Chinese cultural and business practices that will allow me to be an international thought leader, uniting biotechnical advances and diverse marketplaces worldwide." At Stanford, Shapiro was named a 2014 Mayfield Fellow. The nine-month program, which includes a paid internship at a Silicon Valley startup, offers students the opportunity to develop the theoretical understanding, practical knowledge and leadership skills needed for starting and growing technology companies. From 2013 to 2015, Shapiro was the editor-in-chief of Intersect: The Stanford Journal of Science, Technology & Society. He served as class president of the Class of 2015, and as executive chief of staff for the Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) for a year from 2014 to 2015. Shapiro was the student speaker at the 2015 Opening Convocation Ceremony, an annual event that welcomes incoming freshmen to Stanford and opens the academic year. His speech was titled, "Finding Your Place." If Stanford students are interested in overseas scholarships or if Stanford faculty are interested in nominating students for such awards, they may contact Diane Murk, manager of the Overseas Resource Center, at dmurk@stanford.edu, or John Pearson, director of the Bechtel International Center, at john.pearson@stanford.edu. Federal budget expert Alice Rivlin receives Stanford's 2016 SIEPR Prize Rivlin is the fourth recipient of the $100,000 biennial prize, awarded by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. She was cited for her dedication to enhancing economic policy in order to improve people's lives. Courtesy Brookings Institution Alice Rivlin is this year's winner of Stanford's $100,000 SIEPR Prize, which recognizes contributions to economic policy. Alice Rivlin, a federal budget expert who played key roles in two presidential administrations and at the Congressional Budget Office and the Federal Reserve Board, is this year's winner of the SIEPR Prize. The $100,000 award recognizes Rivlin's contributions to economic policy. The prize is given every other year by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR). She will receive the prize during an April 14 event hosted on Stanford's campus. Rivlin, who is currently a senior fellow in the Economic Studies Program at the Brookings Institution, served as vice chair of the Federal Reserve Board between 1996 and 1999. She was deputy director and then the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget during the first Clinton administration. In 2010, Rivlin was named by President Obama to the Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform and also co-chaired with former Sen. Pete Domenici the Bipartisan Policy Center's Task Force on Debt Reduction. She was the founding director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office from 1975 to 1983 and chaired the District of Columbia Financial Management Assistance Authority from 1998 to 2001. She also served at the Department of Health, Education and Welfare as assistant secretary for planning and evaluation. "Alice Rivlin has worked tirelessly to improve economic policy in many high-level positions throughout her career," said Mark Duggan, the Trione Director of SIEPR and the Wayne and Jodi Cooperman Professor of Economics. "Her dedication to public service for more than 40 years is an excellent example of how economists can use their expertise to improve people's lives." The SIEPR Prize was inspired and first funded by George Shultz, who served as President Richard Nixon's budget director and secretary of Labor and Treasury and later led the State Department in the Reagan administration. Shultz is the honorary chair of SIEPRs advisory board, and is also the Thomas W. and Susan B. Ford Distinguished Fellow at the Hoover Institution. "SIEPR has made outstanding contributions to economic policy research over many years," Rivlin said. "I am honored and delighted to receive the SIEPR prize." At Brookings, she was the director of the Economic Studies Program and held the Leonard D. Schaeffer Chair in Health Policy. She has authored or co-authored several books, including Systematic Thinking for Social Action (recently reissued by Brookings), Reviving the American Dream, Restoring Fiscal Sanity: How to Balance the Budget (with Isabel Sawhill), and The Economic Payoff from the Internet Revolution (with Robert Litan). Rivlin received a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" in 1983 and the Moynihan Prize in 2008. She was named one of the greatest public servants of the last 25 years by the Council for Excellence in Government in 2008. In 2013 she received the Robert M. Ball Award for Outstanding Achievements in Social Insurance from the National Academy of Social Insurance. Now a visiting professor at Georgetown's McCourt School of Public Policy, she has also taught at Harvard, George Mason and The New School. She has served on the boards of directors of several corporations, and as a president of the American Economic Association. Rivlin served on D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser's transition committee and is vice chair of the Board of the D.C. Association of Public Chartered Schools. She serves on the board of the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. She received a bachelor's degree in economics from Bryn Mawr College and a doctorate from Radcliffe College in economics in 1958. Recipients of the SIEPR Prize are selected by Shultz, Duggan and three other leading economists: Jim Poterba, president of the National Bureau of Economic Research; John Shoven, former director of SIEPR; and Kenneth Arrow, a winner of the Nobel Prize in economics and an emeritus senior fellow at SIEPR. Since the program's founding in 2010, the SIEPR Prize has been awarded to Paul Volcker, former Federal Reserve chairman; Martin Feldstein, a Harvard professor and former chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers; and Stanley Fischer, former governor of the Bank of Israel and vice chairman of the Federal Reserve. Media Contact Adam Gorlick, communications director, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research: (650) 724-0614, agorlick@stanford.edu Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli has expressed confidence that his country's new Constitution would be suitably amended to address the concerns of the Madhesis agitating in the Terai and a solution found to the issue before his visit to India next month. "We have presented a bill in parliament... The Constitution is going to be amended," Oli told IANS in an interview at his office in Singha Durbar here. "We have agreed to treat special privileges as fundamental rights. This is democracy... Sometimes in a democracy, such things happen and we have to tolerate (them)," Oli observed while talking about the more than four-month-old anti-Constitution agitation by Madhesi political parties and indigenous groups. The Madhesis have been agitating for the past more than four months in the Nepali Terai against "discriminatory provisions" of the country's new Constitution, which was promulgated on September 20. The protestors blockaded the India-Nepal border entry points hindering movement of vehicles carrying supplies of essentials to the landlocked Himalayan nation -- and thus resulting in acute shortage of food, fuel and medicines, among others. Asserting that the fuel and gas crisis in Nepal in the wake of the Madhesi agitation was slowly improving, Oli hoped that the situation will be completely normal within a few days. Oli, 63, who is also chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxists-Leninists) [CPN-UML], however, made it clear that the proposed changes in the Constitution to address the issues raised by the Madhesi parties were against his own conviction and he was only agreeing to them for the sake of democracy in the country. He maintained that there was no discrimination in the new Constitution, promulgated on September 20 last year, and the effort therein was to develop a competitive society with provisions to bring the backward communities to the forefront. He said that under the new Constitution, there was 45 percent reservation in stipulated areas for Backward Communities and they could also be part of the open competition. Referring to the over four-month old agitation by Madhesi parties over provisions of the new Constitution, he said the supplies were stopped unnecessarily. Oli has alleged that the shortages were the result of an "embargo imposed by India". However, New Delhi maintains that supplies of essential commodities have not been able to move across the border because of the Madhesi agitation. Oli said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was widely hailed for his vision when he first visited Nepal in 2014 but there have been severe shortages of gas and fuel supplies from India in the wake of the Madhesi protests. Modiji came for the first time as prime minister and delivered his speech in the Nepali parliament. Not only his words, his body language was showing that he is speaking from the heart, manifesting his friendship with Nepal. The Nepali society was so happy and relations between India and Nepal saw a new height. But afterwards there was no gas, no diesel, no petrol. That sort of situation happened." Oli said "the situation is improving gradually and I believe in a few days it will be completely normal. Asked if a solution would be found to the issues raised by the Madhesi protestors before his visit to India next month, Oli said emphatically: Yes. He also said he had good expectations from the visit -- his first abroad as prime minister. Nepals southern plains have been simmering with protests against the new constitution, with over 55 people, including agitators and police personnel, killed during the agitation by the Madhesi community. The Madhesi protestors are demanding, among other things, a redrawing of the boundaries of the provinces as proposed in the new Constitution and representation in parliament on the basis of population. Nepal's Left government has held more than a score of rounds of talks with leaders of the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha, which is spearheading the agitation, but without any breakthrough so far. Oli said there were complaints about exploitation in Terai but the real reason was landlordism and lack of consciousness about education. He gave instances of higher levels of education in the hills and said these areas also did not have problems like dowry and witchcraft". There was no landlordism in the hills, it was there in the Terai. Its effect has been that only a few people moved ahead. Others are suppressed, Oli said. He said the new Constitution provides for a competitive multi-party system, periodic elections, separation of powers, independence of the judiciary and many fundamental rights. Oli, who became prime minister last October after the country adopted the new Constitution, said the Nepali people and leaders and he personally could not think of anything else except friendship with India. But there were some misunderstandings that some people were able to create. I do not know why and how they were successful... I want that our two countries come together. It is a special relationship. There is no scope for misunderstanding, he said. Asked about the Madhesis' demand for reorganising parliamentary constituencies on the basis of population, he said the constituencies in India were also organised on the basis of both geography and population". He said hill districts with sparse populations should also get representation. We copied the sentence 'on the basis of geography and population from the Indian constitution, Oli said. Asked about the demand by Madhesi parties of redrawing state boundaries, he said there was geographic and ethnic diversity in Indian states also. They are making demands pertaining to other areas. These things do not mean much. If they are talking of their own place, then it makes sense, he said. The major demand is for the formation of two provinces in the Nepali Terai -- the Madhesi pradesh extending from the Mechi river in the east to the Narayani river in mid-western Nepal and Tharuhat pradesh from the Narayani to the Mahakali river in the west. The protestors are demanding restoration of rights granted to Madhesis in the interim constitution of 2007 which, they say, the new charter had snatched away. Terai has almost 51 percent of the country's population yet gets only one-third of seats in parliament -- and proportional representation in government jobs. Asked about the anger among the people over shortage of fuel and gas supplies from India, Oli said it would vanish once the supplies were fully restored. He assured that the Nepal government would provide full security to trucks entering from India. (Prashant Sood is in Nepal at the invitation of PATA to study the situation in the wake of last April's quake that killed over 8,000 people. He can be contacted at prashant.s@ians.in) --Indo-Asian News Service ps/vm/hs/dg ( 1125 Words) 2016-01-12-16:21:36 (IANS) According to the prosecution, the accused Mareeswaran, a drop out of government boys higher secondary school at Pandalkudi in Virudhunagar district scaled the school compound wall, entered the classroom and stabbed G.Bhaskaran (13), a Class 8 student attacked him with a sickle, minutes before the commencement of class on November 28, 2014. The boy died in a cesspool of blood in the classroom itself. Police investigation revealed that Mareeswaran, a rogue student was dismissed from the school for his criminal background. He murdered Bhaskaran, after the latter objected his homo-sexual advance. Aruppukottai police had registered a case and arrested Mareeswaran. The police also arrested his associate Maheswaran (33) for harbouring the murder. When the case came up for hearing, the Sessions Judge, Fast Track Mahila Court N.Rajalakshmi sentenced Mareeswaran to undergo double life term and slapped a fine of Rs 1.10 lakh. The fine should be handed over to the slain students family. The Judge also awarded single life sentence to Maheswaran for harbouring the murder and slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 to him. UNI GSM KVV AK 2048 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0415-533434.Xml A Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan here, decided that the upper age limit for applicants from outside the state would be reduced from 40 to 35 years. The limit will be 40 years for male applicants of reserved classes domiciled in this state and 35 years for those from outside, an official release said. The assemblage gave permission to obtain a World Bank loan under the Urban Development Project covering places devoid of potable water supply schemes. The Cabinet decided to partially amend the programme for upgrading the Madhya Pradesh Urban Services under Project Udais second phase. It sanctioned Rs 382.29 crore for the Parasdeh Medium Irrigation Project whose total rabi irrigation capacity is 9,990 ha. The Cabinet sanctioned concession of Rs 350 per quintal on sale of government firewood in Ujjain and Omkareshwar during the Simhasth Mela.UNI AC RSA 2337 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-533516.Xml The accused Subodh Bobade (24), working with Aurangabad Water Utility Company Limited (AWUCL), had sought Rs 10,000 as bribe from the complainant to regularise his illegal water connection and not taking any action for the same against him. After bargaining, they settled at Rs 8,000. Reluctant to pay the bribe amount, the complainant lodged a complaint with ACB office here, said sources in ACB. After verifying the facts of the complaint, an ACB team laid a trap at the premises of Aurangabad Muncipal Corporation (AMC) and caught red-handed Bobade while accepting the bribe money from complainant. A case under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act of 1988 has been registered with the City Chowk police station against the alleged accused, sources added.UNI VKB SS RSA PR2242 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-533401.Xml The moment we try to erase differences instead of accepting them, it creates problems. This is because human beings are programmed to differ and no two persons can be the same, said noted Denmark-based Indian writer Tabish Khair, whose latest book, "The New Xenophobia", has just been released. An associate professor in the English department at Denmark's University of Aarhus, Khair has penned several books in the fiction and non-fiction categories, including "Babu Fictions: Alienation in Indian English Novels", "The Bus Stopped" and "Filming: A Love Story". "The New Xenophobia" dwells on how people constantly create "the stranger" to gain more power over them. "The construction and reception of the stranger of xenophobia, old or new, is always a matter of power, a relationship of power," Khair observed in an interview with IANS while on a visit here to promote his new book. Hailing from Gaya in Bihar, Khair, an alumnus of Magadh Univesity, worked as a reporter with The Times of India in Delhi before leaving for Copenhagen, Denmark. After a couple of years in "immigrant jobs" (hotel cleaner, house painter, census taker and the like, he enrolled for a doctorate in Copenhagen University, and completed his thesis in 2000. It was published as "Babu Fictions" by Oxford University Press in 2001. As a first generation migrant, Khair said he is concerned that his children may also face the "otherness" if these issues are not addressed. "Part of the reason I came up with this study is that being an immigrant myself in Denmark, I am concerned about my children's future," he said. Did he himself face any discrimination due to his skin colour or a Muslim sounding name? "Well, I did face some discrimination, but it is not something major or worth mentioning. Why I am largely insulated is perhaps because I come from the so-called privileged background in the way that I am educated and my circle largely consists of educated and well-informed people," said Khair. To return to his book, Khair said that with the rise of trade and money, and of early and classical capitalism, we find a gradual abstraction of the avenues of power and consequently the justification and operation of xenophobia, most clearly reflected in our definitions of violence. "My book is an attempt to make people face this problem and also think of fair solutions," Khair explained. But we can't fall back on religion - even though religions, more particularly Islam, tend to unite people and discourage xenophobia - to find solutions. Because, according to Khair, this would spawn more problems than would be addressed. "There has been bloodshed in the Middle East as they try to unite people under Wahhabism... And the Islamists' view of the West is no less xenophobic than the West's xenophobia about Muslims," said the author of "How to Fight Islamist Terror from the Missionary Position". Will the recent influx of migrants into Europe give rise to more xenophobia? "Well, it will depend on how politicians treat it. Germany has opened its gates to migrants largely for economic reasons, knowing well that most of the migrants coming to Europe now are educated and skilled. They would bring value addition to the economy. "But my question is: Is an economic reason a justification for treating people badly or warmly? I mean, in most cases, migrants are welcome if they are skilled or educated, but not if they are not," said the author. Khair is however not short of praise for the European society. "Let me tell you Europeans are among the least xenophobic people. But I am not generalising," he said. How can we counter xenophobia? "Well, we should attempt to create individual awareness about these issues. Let's get people talking about it, and perhaps some solutions may evolve," he said. Khair's honours and prizes include the All India Poetry Prize (awarded by the Poetry Society and the British Council) and an honorary fellowship (for creative writing) of Hong Kong's Baptist University. His novels have been shortlisted for nine prestigious prizes in five countries, including the Man Asian Literary Prize and the Encore Award, and translated into several languages. (Mohd Asim Khan can be contacted on mohd.a@ians.in) --Indo-Asian News Service mak/anu/vm/tb ( 718 Words) 2016-01-12-11:49:35 (IANS) Sheikh Tausifs tanga, which was returning from a religious place, overturned after the collision and he died on the spot last evening. The injured boys were admitted to government hospital. The vehicle was seized while the driver was arrested, the police added.UNI XC-BDG SV RK1150 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-533813.Xml "Emphasizing engagement. EAM @SushmaSwaraj meets Syrian Dy PM & FM, Walid Al Moualem for bilateral discussions." Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted. Moualem arrived here on Monday on a four-day official visit and was accompanied by a high level delegation. The visit assumes significance in view of fresh initiatives taken by the United Nations to bring peace in war-torn Syria, where more than 3 lakh people have been killed in the past four years and seven million have fled to other countries. Syrian President al-Assad had visited India in June 2008 while then President Prathibha Patil had visited Syria in November 2010.(ANI) Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the West Asia region, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will be on an official visit to Palestine and Israel from January 17-18. She will be accompanied by Secretary (East) and other officials from her Ministry. This is the first visit of Ms Swaraj to Israel and comes after the state visit of President Pranab Mukherjee to Israel in October, 2015. India and Israel share close and multifaceted relationship.During the visit, Ms Swaraj will hold discussions with the Israeli leadership and review entire gamut of India-Israel bilateral relations. The two sides share firm belief in the values of democracy and free market economy. India and Israel also share close relations in the fields of agriculture, science and technology and education. She will also interact with the Indian community in Israel during her visit. The visit will augment Indias bilateral relations with Israel and further strengthen the linkages between the two sides. Indias relations with Israel are part of its engagement with the broader West Asia region and are independent to its relations with any country in the region. Palestine is the first destination in the region which in itself reflects the importance India holds for Palestine in its engagement with the countries of the West region, the Ministry said in a statement. The Ministry issued two separate statements on the same visit, one dedicated to her Palestine visit, which comes after the state visit of Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas in October last year. During her visit, Ms Swaraj will meet with the Palestinian leadership and review India-Palestinian bilateral relations. India shares traditionally close relations with the State of Palestine and contributing actively through capacity building and human resource development initiatives with Palestine. "The visit will also reaffirm Indias continued political, diplomatic and developmental support to Palestine. Ms Swaraj will also inaugurate the Palestine Digital Learning & Innovation Centre in Ramallah. The visit will further deepen the mutual understanding at the political level and boost bilateral engagement with Palestine," the statement said. During her Israel visit, Ms Swaraj will have meetings and interactions with the Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Minister of Defence Moshe Yaalon, Minister of National Infrastructure Yuval Steinitz and Israeli legislators. She will also interact with the Indian community in Israel. Her visit comes shortly after Mr Mukherjee's visited to Israel in October 2015 a first visit by an Indian President to Israel. Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited Israel in November 2014. During 2015, Israeli Minister of Agriculture Yair Shamir and Moshe held visits to India. Ms Swaraj had visited Israel in 2008 as Chairperson of the Indo-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group. "The visit is an important ingredient in the ever-growing relations, friendship and partnership between the two countries," a press statement issued by the Israeli Embassy said here. UNI MK SW AE 1555 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0090-534211.Xml The Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust will, on Wednesday, confer the Neerja Bhanot Award on Subhashini Vasanth,who set up a foundation to create a support system for the well-being of families of soldiers who laid down their lives in the service of the nation. Vasanth is the founder trustee of the Vasantharatna Foundation, started in the memory of her husband, Col. Vasanth V, who was awarded the Ashok Chakra (posthumous) in 2008 for his selfless, supreme sacrifice while fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. The award will be presented by Sonam Kapoor, who is playing the lead role in the biopic "Neerja", which will be released next month. The vision of the foundation is to be able to touch the lives of all such families across the nation, a spokesman of the awards committee said here on Tuesday. "Her (Vasantha) own personal loss motivated her to start the foundation The objectives were to empower women and educate them and their children, besides providing emotional, legal, and financial counselling. It also works as a bridge between the society, government agencies and the families of martyrs," said Akhil Bhanot, managing trustee of the Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust. The foundation provides education scholarships, conducts empowerment programs and 'Outbound Learning Programmes' for women and children, provides vocational training and employment opportunities to families and institutes memorial awards in honour of martyrs, Bhanot added. "This is the 24th year of the annual award, which comprises Rs.150,000 cash reward, a citation and a trophy. The awardee is selected by a specially constituted jury," he added. Vasanth, recognized as a National level artiste by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations, is an eminent Bharatnatyam exponent. She has performed in several dance festivals, both in India and abroad. Chandigarh braveheart Neerja Bhanot gave up her life at the age of 23 years to save American children during a terrorist hijack of a Pan-Am flight in Pakistan's Karachi international airport in 1986. Neerja, who was the chief flight purser of Pan-Am 73 (Bombay-Karachi-Frankfurt-New York) flight, was killed in the shootout following the hijack on September 5, 1986. The Libyan terrorists had entered the aircraft posing as Pakistani Police personnel, carrying arms and hand grenades. The hijack had left 20 people dead and 150 others injured after a bloodbath at the Karachi airport. --Indo-Asian News Service js/vd ( 400 Words) 2016-01-12-16:51:34 (IANS) Pilgrims from all parts of India began arriving at this picturesque Sagar Island, where the Ganga, after traversing over 2,525 km from the western Himalayas, meets the turbulent Bay of Bengal,for a holy dip at the confluence to mark Makar Sankranti on January 14/15. Mohants of the Kapil Muni temple here have already arrived from Aydhoya and Sadhus from far flung Himalayas have settled in their respective temporary huts, allotted by the local authorities.The district administration has emphasised on "clean and green"Ganga sagar Mela with special funds of over Rs 10 crore to set up 12,000 temporary toilets."Open defecation has been banned," South 24 Parganas District Magistrate PV Salimex plained, indicating that sanitation and health of the pilgrims was given topmost priority. Of the Rs 60.2 crore budget for the mela, more than Rs 10 crore fromthe previous year, the administration has earmarked Rs 10 crore for sanitation, including mobile toilets and employeed hundreds of volunteers to keep the site clean and green. Security arrangements have been also beefed up with four-pronged vigilacross the island in the sea, river, land and air. Whilst the Indian Navy has deployed gun-fitted vessels on sea, Indian Coast Guard is also patrolling its speed boats and keeping an aerial view with an aircraft for the mela, the second biggest after Kumbh. Expecting a huge turnout of about 2 million in aspan of ten days from January 10, the West Bengal government has deputed a team of seven ministers at Sagar Islands for the four-day fair. The ministers will be led by state panchayat affairs and rural development minister Subrata Mukherjee, housing and youth affairs minister Arup Biswas and power minister Manish Gupta, will be deputedat Kopchuberia.Also, a team of four ministers consisting of state urban development and municipal affairs minister Firhad Hakim, irrigation minister Rajib Banerjee, minister of state for minority affairs Giasuddin Mollah and Sunderbans affairs minister Manturam Pakhira would be stationed at Harwood Point. Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Mayor Shovan Chatterjee will remain at the principal exit point at Kolkata to Gangasagar as per thedecision of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.UNI PC PL ADG AS1616 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0211-533991.Xml The Tripura High Court has directed the state government to table the judicial commission report on the killing of former health minister Bimal Sinha under mysterious circumstance on March 31, 1998, within next six weeks. A division bench headed by Chief Justice Deepak Gupta yesterday heard a PIL filed by president of Tripura Congress Women wing Kalayani Roy. It asked the government to make the report, which was submitted on January 31, 2000, public. Within a fortnight of assuming office as chief minister in 1998 by Mr Manik Sarkar, Bimal Sinha was murdered allegedly by NLFT militants along with his two brothers when he went to get release of one of his brothers who was kidnapped by the militants at Abhanga of Kamalpur in North Tripura. Despite being a minister, Sinha went with his brother leaving behind his entire security forces to negotiate with the militants in the morning. A few hours later, police recovered the bullet riddled bodies of Sinha, his accompanying brother and his kidnapped brother from the spot. The incident triggered serious controversy over the role of police and also the role of the then government. Finally, the state government constituted a judicial commission headed by Justice Yusuf of West Bengal. The commission within two years submitted the report, but the state government is yet to publish it. The opposition Congress has been accusing the Manik Sarkar led Left Front government of 'skillfully acquitting' the main culprits. They accused Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, who holds both Home and Law portfolios, of misleading the trial and relieving the seven prime accused. Sarkar was also accused of misleading the assembly several times over the issue and making false statement twice when the opposition demanded release of the Yusuf commission report. According to the Inquiry Commission Act, the government is legally bound to release the report within six months of its submission. But one and half decades later it has not released furnishing suspicious causes, alleged Congress President Birajit Sinha. He said initially Mr Sarkar had assured the assembly that after judgment of the case the state government would release the Yusuf Commission report. Sinha pointed out that Bimal Sinha was murdered in inter-party politics of CPI-M because he was the main contender of Manik Sarkar for the post of the chief minister in 1998 election and added that the process of investigation and related activities of the state government made it confirm that Bimal Sinha was a victim of utterances against Manik Sarkars nomination as CM in 1998. Meanwhile, Gauhati High Court's Agartala bench had acquitted all the accused in the sensational murder case of Bimal Sinha last week. They had earlier been awarded life imprisonment by a lower court.Bimal Sinhas wife and present CPI-M MLA Bijoy Laxmi Sinha urged the state government to appeal in the Supreme Court against the HC order but the government has yet not responded.UNI BB PL ADG AS1700 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0211-534028.Xml He said this event has been entered in the Guinness Book of world records. The Chief Minister said it has depicted the rich culture and high traditions of the state and after getting worldwide recognition this folk dance would further scale new heights. Mr Singh said it was a matter of pride for the people of the state especially the people of Kullu district, that the local dance had made a world record. He congratulated the participants particularly the female folk dancers whose contribution made it possible to enter into the Guinness Book of world records. He said he himself witnessed the event organised under the aegis of Beti Hai Anmol which effectively spread mass awareness on saving the girl child. The Chief Minister said Himachal Pradesh was known for its rich culture and traditions and state government was committed to promote and preserve it at all cost. He exhorted the people to maintain our distinct cultural traditions which were the real identity and heritage of the State.UNI ML AE AS1640 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-534183.Xml On arrival the ship was welcomed by Coast Guard Region (East) at a colourful ceremony with band in attendance and children from Kalki Renganathan Montfort Public School. Senior Coast Guard Officer were also present during the welcome ceremony. The Japan Coast Guard Ship is commanded by Capt Toshiya Mikuni and has 44 Crew onboard. During the period of stay, the Japanese delegation would be calling on important dignitaries in Chennai. In addition, social interaction between crew of Indian Coast Guard and Japan Coast Guard has been planned. A friendly volleyball match between Indian Coast Guard and Japan Coast Guard will also be played. As a part of cross training Japanese Ship Crew will visit ICGS 'Samudra Paheredar' and ICG personnel will visit Japan Coast Guard Ship tomorrow and the dayafter, besides Visiting the maritime rescue co-ordination centre and regional operation centre. The Ship will depart Chennai on January 16.UNI GV KVV AK 1735 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0415-534521.Xml Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court today dismissed a petition filed by suspended IPS officer Amitabh Thakur questioning the hiring of Special counsel against him by the Uttar Pradesh government. The bench comprising Justices A P Sahi and A R Masudi in their order said the choice of engaging a counsel rests on a matter of faith and confidence. The bench observed that so far as a court is concerned, any person enrolled under the Advocates Act 1961 can appear for his client. It also said it is not necessary that a case can be won only by engaging an eminent counsel and many eminent lawyers are also at losing end. The court said eminence of a counsel is not acknowledged only by designation as a senior counsel but by his forensic ability and capacity of legal acumen to handle matters, common sense, wit, persuasion, logic, knowledge and experience. At the same time, the court said the payment of legal expenses to special counsels also has to be regulated as it involves public exchequer. The coffers of the state should not be allowed to be utilised for any individual gains and it should be careful in engaging special counsel appropriately and not indiscriminately. UNI MB AE NS1733 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-534423.Xml A bench headed by Justice U D Salvi disposed of the petition filed by a Delhi resident seeking prohibition on running of diesel taxis in NCR Delhi. " In view of the order passed by the Supreme Court related to this matter, we do not see any reason to keep pleas pending," the bench said. President of the radio taxi association Devinder Pal Singh and a city resident had last year moved the Tribunal against the diesel-run taxi aggregators bearing All-India Tourist Permit, including Uber and Ola, over allegedly flouting pollution norms by operating as local taxis in NCR Delhi. "Since beginning, companies like Ola, Uber, TaxiForSure, Book My Cabs, Taxipixi, Meru Genie have been acting "in contravention and in blatant defiance of the law" and have even refused to get appropriate licences and permits for running their services," the plea said. The plea further contended that all commercial vehicles, including local taxis operating in Delhi, were required to be run only on CNG as per the direction issued by the Supreme Court.UNI AP RSA AE 1835 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0412-534690.Xml :Taking exception that the Central government which is duty bound to hold talks with the neighbouring country and find a viable solution in the fisheremen issue is inactive in the case of Tamil fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy,the National Fish Workers Forum today urged the Centre to take steps to get the release of the fishermen before Pongal festival. In a statement here today, NFF chairperson M Illango, while congratulating union minister Pon.Radhakrishnan for having succeeded in getting the ban on Jellikattu revoked through his tireless efforts, wished that the minister show the same amount of interest and through persistent efforts should find a lasting and viable solution to this issue of the fishermen . Mr Illango said that he hoped that Mr.Radhakrishnan may take efforts through the Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister and the Secretary, External Affairs Ministry who has just left for Sri Lanka and ensure that the boats and the fishermen are released before Pongal and the dates for the next round of talks between the fishermen of the two countries be announced at the earliest. He said a consultation meeting was held at Nagapattinam on 11th January, in which fisher representatives from district fisher panchayats of Nagapattinam, Ramnad, Karaikal, Pudukottai, Thiruvarur and Thanjavur participated. It was decided to hold a fishermen hunger strike on 26th January at Nagapattinam demanding the Govt. of India ensure the boats and fishermen are released at the earliest and the dates for the next round of talks between the fisher leaders of the two countries be announced immediately, Mr Ilango added. UNI PAB KVV AK 1825 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0415-534446.Xml Two-wheeler riders in the city, with the tech-hub having maximum two wheelers after China, struggled to come in terms with enforcement of law with pillion riders asked to wear a helmet, today. The city police enforced the Supreme Court order in to to, but allowed those breaking the law with a caution. The 'two-helmet rule' was received with a 'cold shoulder' by the men riders and their pillion women, but Karnataka government expressed helplessness over the Apex court order. The government had given much leeway for the middle class two-wheeler riders, who took their wife, children or relatives, for the last two weeks but set adeadline for pillion to wear a helmet from January 12. Though no fines were slapped, traffic police were seen educating the two wheeler riders. However, some men and women riding pillion were seen wearing helmets, but many did not use the headgear. The government had had made known this Supreme Court order and man. Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy had explained that the rule will be encored from today, but those breached it will not be fined for 'now'. ''The Karnataka government is acting on a Supreme Court order. We had already made it public that from today all two wheeler riders will have to wear a helmet. Today, the traffic police are educating he public and no fine will will be enforced,'' he said. But a question was asked by the two-wheel owners on how they buy a helmet for their children under 10 years as it was not available in the market. A Kalabaragi report said people protested against such a rule, when under sultry weather in the Hyderabad-Karnataka was difficult to even the rider to wear helmet. However, Kalabaragi Superintendent of Police Amit Singh told UNI that it will be mandatory for riders and the pillion to wear a helmet in the city from today. ''We have taken out an awareness campaign under the supreme court orders and will enforce it,'' he maintained. He said that although the rule of compulsorily wearing helmets by two-wheeler riders was force in the entire State, a majority of the two-wheeler riders seldom used helmets. UNI RS-SD KVV AK1842 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0284-534815.Xml On this occasion, the Chief Minister lauded the efforts of Harpreet Singh and also his brother whose cow also created new record of the state. Mr Badal said that the Animal Husbandry department initiated number of steps to encourage dairy farmers and also appealed them to get information and guidance to boost the milk production in the state. The Chief Minister also highlighted the various sachems, including subsidy, to bring awareness among the dairy farmers so that milk production in the state could be enhanced. Harpreet Singh said that the holding live stock competitions has increased awareness in the animals rears. He also said that his dairy farm has 140 cows that yielded around 2000 liters of milk daily and selling it to Nestle Company at Moga. A graduate Harpreet Singh has been doing dairy farming for the past 10 years and getting guidelines and training. His brother Harmanpreet Singh also helps him in the business. He called upon the progressive farmers in dairy farming to get training from the animal husbandry department, learning of new techniques and contribute towards vocational oriented diversification. He revealed that he is giving 15 kg feed and fodder daily to the winning cow.UNI XC DB DJK AS1856 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-534264.Xml Lashing out at the Sikh bodies managing affairs of Gurudwaras both at home and abroad for indulging in dirty power politics, US based North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) executive director Satnam Singh Chahal said that the fighting in or outside in any Guruduwara Sahib had been defaming the Sikh community around the globe which is a major concern for the Sikhs. Mr Chahals reaction came soon after a video of dramatic fight at the Turlock Sikh temple in California went viral. In the video, the images of men and women shouting, punching and even attacking each other with weapons, present a scene of utter chaos. Mr Chahal said that this was very unfortunate that such kind of incidents had become common at the gurudwaras across the world. He said that a common Sikh did not know the reason behind the fight but they do care about is the detrimental impact the conflict in Turlock, and other conflicts like it, have on the next generation of Sikhs in America and in other countries. When some so called Sikh participate in this sort of needless violence, it would cause an irreparable damage to the Sikh community and faith. He said, "when we see such scenes of shameful violence like what happened in Turlock, we distance ourselves from these institutions of faith. Gurudwaras are meant to be places of serenity, introspection and peace which demands sanctity at all costs".UNI XC DB DJK AS1857 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-534551.Xml "We apprised the home minister of the Malda incident and requested him for a high-level investigation into the matter," Vijayvargiya told reporters after the meeting. The BJP delegation also submitted a memorandum to Rajnath Singh and accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of trying to distort the evidence. "The state government through the administration is trying not only to hide the facts but also distort the evidence of wrongdoing in a planned manner," the memorandum said. Claiming that Malda had become a hub for drug trade as the authorities there overlooked opium cultivation, it asked why the Bengal chief minister did not make any effort to stop such cultivation. The BJP leaders also took a dig at Banerjee for her statement that the violence erupted due to BSF personnel. "This charge against the BSF is baseless and will demoralise the BSF personnel. There was a planned conspiracy behind the violence," BJP leaders said in the memorandum. The BJP on Monday had said the Malda violence was a planned action and not a communal one. --Indo-Asian News Service bns/pm/dg ( 224 Words) 2016-01-12-20:27:35 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asserted that peace, unity and harmony are not only necessary for the country but are also a guarantee for its development. Even if the country attains the heights of development, it would remain incomplete without peace, unity and harmony. If the countrymen lack respect for traditions and views of each other, it can obstruct development, said while addressing the five-day inaugural programme of the National Youth Festival via video-conferencing on the occasion of Swami Vivekanandas anniversary. He said the country possesses hundreds of dialects and languages as well as a lot of diversity but still its people have been sharing a feeling of living and dying together. He underscored the need for preserving this heritage. "Earlier people were inspired to die for the nation. Today, it is about living for the nation," averred the premier. Pointing out that the 21st Century could belong to India if the countrys youth power is realised, Mr Modi said, We possess the ability to fulfill the dreams of the nation. India could become a manufacturing hub with the help of technology and skill. Mentioning that his government has accorded big importance to skill development, he said the Centre is endeavouring to lay a network of skill development centres with the objective of imparting skills to poor people. The Prime Minister stressed on the need for changing the attitude that considers manual work as low as compared to mental work. He exhorted youngsters to learn skills rather than remain unemployed. Mr Modi praised Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh for granting legal status to skill development. He said efforts are being made to impart skills to youngsters in the state despite the influence of Naxalism wherein attempts are made to misguide youths. Referring to Prime Minister Mudra Loan Scheme, he said people are unable to launch their own ventures in the absence of adequate financial resources. However, over Rs 80,000 crore have been provided sans guarantee to about two crore people under the scheme so far. He also mentioned about the Swacchta Abhiyan saying that people have made it their own campaign.UNI AS-PS AE NS2000 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-535009.Xml Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today again ruled out any pre-polls alliance for the 2017 assembly elections in the state. Mr Yadav, who is also the state president of the Samajwadi Party, here said that his party would contest the assembly elections alone and will return to power on the basis of the work done by his government. "The political pollution in the country is a big matter and my main motto would be to remove it at any cost," he said at a function to welcome a padyatra ' Walk of Hope' here at the Green Park stadium. Mr Yadav said the people of the state would support his SP government for the work done during the past four years."Now even other states are copying the policies and programmes of our government," he claimed. The CM also raised the Metro project in Kanpur and other cities saying that very soon the picture of the cities would change due to faster developmental work.UNI MB DJK AE 1952 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-534990.Xml CREDAI Bengal, the state chapter of Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India, the apex body of the organised real estate developers across India, today launched the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikash Yojana (PMKVY) with an aim to uplift and empower unskilled workers. The PMKVT is an unique initiative by the Centre that aims to offer 24 lakh Indian youth meaningful, industry relevant, skill based training. Under this scheme, the trainees will be offered a financial reward and a government certification on successful completion of training and assessment, which will help them in securing a job for a better future. On the occasion, president of CREDAI Bengal Sushil Mohta said, On behalf of CREDAI Bengal and all its members, we express our appreciation towards the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). It is alarming that less than 5 per cent of India's 487 million workforces have not received any formal training. Empowering and development of the workers should be the highest priority of all the developers. The development of the skills by providing the workers with proper guidance and training will be done in a systemic manner under the PMKVY scheme of the government, he said. Chairman of Kushal Jaiprakash P Shroff said, As a chairman of Kushal, I would like to thank CREDAI Bengal for taking the initiative and coming forward to support the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana. With the help of National Skill Development Corporation, we believe that this scheme has the capability to develop and train the construction workers by reaching every corner in India. At Kushal, we strongly believe that with the help of PMKVY every construction worker can improve his skills, talents which will help in the development of his working and living standard. In last four years, Kushal reached out to 158 sites; touched more than 31,053 lives and 19,750 families now posses a certified construction worker on a definite career path, earning and living better,he said. Vice President of CREDAI National Harsh Vardhan Patodia said, According to a report by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), India will need around 76.5 million strong workforces for its building, construction and real estate sector. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana is an ideal scheme for the development of workers skills and latent talent in India. The scheme is focused on developing the skill of the workers by providing them with classroom sessions and practical training. As there is a spurt in affordable housing segment, we developers feel that there is growing need for manpower, proficient with excellent skills on technical abilities. The industry and the government need to pay special focus on this segment of workforce. With the help of the scheme there will be an increase in the number of skilled workers in the country, Mr Patodia added.UNI BM DJK AS1917 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0214-534645.Xml Medical and paramedical staff of Health and Family Welfare Department today celebrated the Lohri of 51 newly born female children at the civil hospital here and also honoured them and their parents. Addressing a gathering on this occasion, civil surgeon Kailash Kapur said women were playing a significant role in all the fields irrespective of the fact whether it was the field of services, politics or business. They were giving a tough competition to their male counterparts, he said. Remembering Indain-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla, he said though she had lost her life but she had become immortal with her contributions in the field of space science. He said the aim and objective of celebrating Lohri of daughters was to curb the practice of foeticide. He said with the strict implementation of PNDT act, improved and awareness programmes organised to discourage foeticide, the gender ratio in Punjab had. It was recorded at 922 after 1000 males which can be considered a satisfactory ratio, he said. District family and Welfare Officer Gurmit Kaur Duggal highlighted the programme of Beti Bachao, Beti Padao in detail.UNI XC DB RSA NS1944 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-534854.Xml Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh today said that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) bubble will burst sooner than later in Punjab. The Congress leader said the "AAP wind was only blowing in the air with virtually nothing on the ground except a bunch of rejected and worn out leaders from other parties." The AAP does not have any policy, any programme or any leader and they cannot go on to win elections by merely abusing everybody, he said, adding, that the Congress did not consider AAP or the SAD-BJP any challenge and it was in a strong position to storm to power with a record majority in 2017 elections. The former Chief Minister also did not expect much to come out from the commission of inquiry constituted by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif since the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), which controls Jaish-e-Mohammad responsible for Pathankot terror attack, was part of it (the inquiry commission). He added that there was no way out for the two countries other than talking to each other for permanent peace on the border. Capt Singh, accompanied by Campaign Committee chairperson Ambika Soni, general secretary incharge Shakeel Ahmad, secretary incharge Harish Chaudhary, CLP leader Charanjit Singh Channi, former PCC president Partap Singh Bajwa and other senior leaders, was here to pay homage to martyrs Capt Fateh Singh in Jhanda Gujaran and Subedar Kulwant Singh in Chak Sahrif village. Both martyrs had laid down their lives while fighting terrorists during attack on Pathankot airbase.More UNI DB RSA BD2006 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-534905.Xml : Madras High Court today discharged Selvi, daughter of DMK President M. Karunanidhi in a land grabbing case against her. When a petition filed by the Counsel for Ms Selvi, came up for hearing, judge T.T. Selvam discharged her from the case. The case pertained to alleged grabbing of land by Selvi in the neighbouring Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu. The case was initially filed in Poonamalee Court. However, on an appeal filed by Ms Selvi, it was transferred to Madras High Court.UNI VV KVV AK 2055 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0415-535202.Xml A fresh row has cast its shadow over the relationship between two main ruling allies-RJD and JD (U) after RJD Chief Lalu Prasad asked Civil Surgeon of Darbhanga to reinstate sacked "Mamata" workers. The matter came to light today after the Civil Surgeon of Darbhanga Dr Shri Ram Singh wrote a letter to Superintendent of Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital to reinstate sacked Mamata workers in the light of verbal order by the RJD Chief. The Civil Surgeon in his letter to DMCH Superintendent quoted RJD chief as saying that on what ground women coming to DMCH for delivery were being denied services of Mamata workers. According to the letter, Mamata workers rendering their services at DMCH were sacked from their services by the former Civil Surgeon of Darbhanga on the verbal order of the Principal Secretary of the Health Department. The CS in his letter to DMCH Superintendent said the latter should have informed him about the steps being taken in the light of order of Mr Prasad for keeping him posted with the matter. It is not for the first time that RJD Chief had courted controversy by playing a "pro active" role in the functioning of the government, setting off speculation whether he wanted to emerge as a de factor Chief Minister of the state as his party enjoys a greater numerical strength in the state Assembly.More UNI DH BM RSA BD2158 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0214-535188.Xml Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday launched TDP-BJP alliance's campaign for Hyderabad municipal elections, promising to once again develop the city. Claiming credit for Hyderabad's progress as an information technology hub, Naidu, who is also the Telugu Desam Party chief, appealed to people to give power to TDP-BJP alliance in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to ensure that the city is put back on the path of development. The alliance launched its poll campaign with a public meeting at Nizam College Grounds on Tuesday night. Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and central ministers J. P. Nadda and Bandaru Dattatreya besides Naidu, his son Nara Lokesh, TDP and BJP's Telangana unit leaders addressed the meeting. Naidu urged people to vote for TDP-BJP alliance in GHMC polls to make a beginning for bringing the alliance to power in Telangana in 2019 elections. Elections for 150-member GHMC are scheduled to be held on February 2. Describing both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as his two eyes, Naidu said he would continue to work for the progress of all Telugu people with the help from BJP-led NDA government in which the TDP is a partner. The Andhra chief minister told people that he came to the public meeting straight from Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam, where the state government signed MoUs worth Rs.5 lakh crore with various companies. The TDP chief said Hyderabad can never forget him as he was the one who put the city on the world IT map as the chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh and with the help of then NDA government transformed it by launching mega projects like the international airport, world-class outer ring road, MMTS and setting up of institutes like Indian School of Business, NALSAR University of Law, International Institute of Information Technology and Urdu University. Naidu's son Lokesh targeted ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in Telangana for failing to deliver on its promises despite a surplus budget of Rs.16,000 crore. He compared this with the performance of TDP government in Andhra Pradesh, which, he claimed, was making rapid strides despite revenue deficit. Nadda said NDA was treating both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh equally. He said the central government recently sanctioned highway projects worth Rs.43,000 crore for Telangana. Dattatreya said if Hyderabad was to be developed as a global city, Telangana needs support from the central government. He claimed that TDP-BJP alliance alone can ensure city's development. --Indo-Asian News Service ms/vd ( 415 Words) 2016-01-12-22:01:35 (IANS) BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday said he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for moving the Supreme Court to seek day-to-day hearing of civil appeals in the Ram Janmabhoomi case. "I have written to the prime minister in this connection. The case regarding the Ram temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh should be heard on a day-to-day basis," Swamy told media persons here. The BJP leader sought early verdict in the issue and start of the Ram temple construction in Ayodhya by the year-end. "The moment the court verdict is out, we will start work on the Ram temple construction. We want to start the construction work before this year-end. We will talk to Muslim leaders and find an early solution," he said. Swamy also said he will convince leaders like Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, whose party is in power in the state, and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati for the temple construction. "I am confident that Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is a believer of Hanuman, and BSP leader Mayawati will both agree for an amicable solution," he said. Asked whether the BJP was on the same page with him on the issue, he said construction of the Ram temple was mentioned in the party's manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha election. "It was in the Lok Sabha election manifesto of our party. No one will go against the party manifesto. This is a full time work (Ram temple). The prime minister will run the nation and I will work towards the construction of the Ram temple," Swamy said. The BJP manifesto, in two brief lines on the last page under the heading 'cultural heritage', reiterated the party's stand on the construction of the Ram temple at the site of the demolished Babri mosque. "The BJP reiterates its stand to explore all possibilities within the framework of the constitution to facilitate the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya," the manifesto had said. As for a controversial seminar held at Delhi University on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue last week, Swamy said more such seminars should be held across the country. The two-day seminar on "Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple: Emerging Scenario" was organised at the arts faculty from January 9 by Arundhati Vashishtha Anusandhan Peeth. "Such a seminar should be organised in Jawaharlal Nehru University too," Swamy said. JNU in New Delhi is a reputed bastion of Left-leaning student outfits who strongly opposed the Delhi University decision to allow the seminar, alleging it will "communalise" the campus. The BJP leader said such seminars will be organised across India and he had already received offers from Gujarat and Tamil Nadu for the same. Acting on a bunch of appeals, the apex court stayed the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict that divided the 2.77-acre site into three parts. It also ordered status quo at the site but restrained any religious activity on the 67 acres of adjoining land taken over by the Centre. On the violence in Malda in West Bengal, Swamy said Home Minister Rajnath Singh should exercise his powers under Article 256 and give directions to the Mamata Banerjee government that it was not performing its duty as per the Constitution. Swamy also said there was no use talking to Pakistan as it was a "dumb government" and the real government there was of the ISI, Taliban and military. --Indo-Asian News Service ar/ao/pm/dg ( 582 Words) 2016-01-12-22:21:35 (IANS) Chief Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice S Yadav set January 28 as the next date for hearing. Five applications, for becoming intervenors, were submitted. The petition, submitted by Bhopal-resident Amitabh Agnihotri, alleged that land mafias committed a scam running into crores through the medium of the agreement. In 2004, the court ordered an inquiry while hearing a different plea. A report, submitted by the then Principal Secretary (Revenue) Mala Srivastava, said that government land-related irregularities were committed in 14 villages. The erstwhile Nawabs kin connived with government officials for tampering records. However, no action was taken on the report. During an earlier hearing, Bhopals Collector was directed to submit a detailed report of the prevailing situation.UNI XC-AC RSA GC2246 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-535236.Xml He is accompanied by state Commerce, Industries and Employment Minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia and a delegation of industrialists, an official release said. Tomorrow, Mr Chouhan is scheduled to meet Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship Chairman Eddie Teo. The Chief Minister will also meet Singapore's Trade and Industry Minister S Iswaran besides Minister of State for Defence Mohamad Maliki bin Osman. Later, he shall interact with Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. On Thursday, Mr Chouhan will attend a business seminar.UNI AC RSA GC2240 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-535280.Xml The district congress today staged a demonstration and gheraoed the district collector's office protesting the gross anomalies in the National Food Security Act (NFSA) list allegedly perpetrated by the ruling party politicians. Thousands of Congress workers led by Umaballav Rath, Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mahapatra, former minister Rabindra Kumar Sethy and district president Sarat Kumar Rath besides all the panchayat level Congress functionaries, went in a rally from the party office and staged public meeting accusing the state government of shielding the BJD functionaries who were issued ration cards. They said while the BJD government was taking actions against the employees, it did not initiate any action on their party leaders most of whom have been issued ration cards. They handed over the district magistrate a four point charter of demands which included registration of criminal cases against the wife of Zilla parishad president Dibakar Patra and vice president of the parishad, chair persons of Nimapara and Gop panchayat sammittees, sarpanchas of Bantaligram and Biraharekrushnapur gram panchayats besides five BJD councilors of Puri municipality. The Congress activists demanded legal action against the officers and staff who helped the BJD functionaries in the issue of ration cards, include persons whose names were deleted from the list and to open all mandis as distress sell of paddy to unscrupulous traders by needy farmers have been noticed. The demonstrators hurled eggs at the police officers on duty at the agitation site. They did it to avenge manhandling of Swadhin Panda one their colleagues who was arrested and allegedly thrashed by the police in connection with hurling of eggs on the vehicle of Law and panchayatraj Minister Arun Sahu near Badasankha along the Badadanda on Monday night while the minister was returning after attending the Puri book fair function.UNI XC DP BM RSA BD2249 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0214-535144.Xml Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said his Samajwadi Party (SP) will not be entering into an alliance with any party for the 2017 state assembly elections. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event here, he ruled out any truck with any political party and said the ruling party would go the people with the good work and development ushered by his government. After the successful 'Maha Gathbandhan' (Grand Alliance) experiment in neighbouring Bihar, there have been talks of a similar working in UP. While the SP had walked out of the Bihar alliance at the last minute, a section of the party was in favour of stitching up an alliance with "like-minded, socialist background parties" but are averse to any understanding with Congress, something which is a roadblock for an umbrella group to form here. --Indo-Asian News Service md/vd ( 155 Words) 2016-01-12-23:19:35 (IANS) Italian news agency ANSA quoted a senator as saying that Latorre will not return toIndia, and moreover, the possibility of asking for Salvatore Girone's return was being explored. It was, however, not necessary that the Senator, Nicola Latorre who is the President ofthe Senate Defence Committee, might necessarily be representing the final view of the Italiangovernment. India had allowed Latorre to go to Italy for medical treatment, while Girone is beingheld in the Italian embassy here. The two marines deny the charge that they intentionally killed the two fishermen off theKeraala coast on 2012. They said they fired warning shots mistaking the fishing boat for a pirate ship. Italy has sought international arbitration in the case.UNI NAZ RSA 2339 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0091-535328.Xml Suspense over the prospects of the Foreign Secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan compounded further with Home Minister Rajnath Singhs asserting that there was no reason to doubt the assurances given by Islamabad and India should give them more time while the South Block maintained its stand of monitoring the situation post-Pathankot terror strike. Moreover, in a latest development Afghan authorities suspected Pakistan Army officers' involvement in the recent terror attack on the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif. A report from Afghan news agency Tolonews, quoting Balkh province Police Chief Sayed Kamal Sadat held "Those those who carried out the attacks were well trained military men who had come from across the border".''We saw with our own eyes and I can say 99 per cent that those attackers were from Pakistani military and used special tactics while conducting operation,'' the news agency quoted the police chief as saying. ''We are jointly working with the NDS director and have spoken about thisespecially as they came here not able to speak in Dari or Pashtu but speaking in Urdu..,..It means obviously there is someone who guided those attacks,'' Sadat said. Back home here, a day after Pakistan reportedly handed over the initial report of its probe into the fidayeen onslaught on the frontier airbase, Mr Rajnath Singh said, "There is no reason, as of now, to disbelieve the assurance given by Islamabad that it would take strict action on the Pathankot terror attack.'' On the sidelines of a function in the neighbouring Greater Noida, the Home Minister said, ''I think we should give them more time. "Pakistan government has assured that they will take swift action in the Pathankot attack probe..,..I think we should give them more time..." Asked about the fate of the Foreign Secretary-level talks, he added, "Lets wait. Mr Singh's remarks came ...picking up from para one, line one of External-Overall Lead Indo-Pak Talks Two Last New Delhi (DI55).UNI NAZ-NB-SS RSA 2322 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0329-535321.Xml The 32-year-old housewife who was badly burnt in a fire in the Ambernath town of the district yesterday is still battling for life at the J J Hospital in Mumbai while three other members of her family had succumbed to burns. Following the death of the trio, the Ambernath Police late last night registered an offence under sections 302 and 307 of Indian Penal Code against the husband of the woman who had allegedly burnt to death his son and daughter, and also attempted to take the life of the his wife later, police said today. In early hours of yesterday at around 0300 hrs, the neighbours of the Chowdhari family in Buvapada colony of the town saw smoke coming out of their house. As the door was locked from inside, the neighbours rushed to their house, broke open the door and found the four members of the family lying on the floor in abadly burnt condition. They were rushed to a hospital where the father and son succumbed yesterday while the girl died today, police said. The deceased have been identified as Sanjay Chowdhari (35), son Anuj (one and half years) and daughter Rani (8). While, his wife Madhavi is lying unconscious at the J J Hospital and is battling for life with cent per cent burns, police said. The family had come here from Uttar Pradesh some four months back and resided in a chawl. Sanjay worked in a garment factory at Ambernath MIDC, sources added.UNI XR SS RSA GC2306 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0171-535248.Xml The United States and South Korea are discussing deploying more US "strategic assets" to the region after North Korea's atomic test last week but not restoring US nuclear arms to the South, a US official said. North Korea said it tested a hydrogen bomb tomorrow, displeasing China, its main ally, and the United States, which said it believed the blast was an ordinary atomic test rather than a much more powerful hydrogen bomb. In a show of force and support for allies in the region following North Korea's nuclear test, its fourth since 2006, the United States on Sunday sent a nuclear-capable B-52 bomber based in Guam on a flight over South Korea. North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the mouthpiece of the ruling Workers' Party, said the United States was bringing the situation to the brink of war. South Korean media said the United States may send to South Korea B-2 bombers, nuclear-powered submarines and F-22 stealth fighter jets. A South Koran defence ministry spokesman declined to give details. "The United States and South Korea are continuously and closely having discussions on additional deployment of strategic assets," the spokesman, Kim Min-seok, said. In Washington, the US official said they were discussing deploying "the whole range" of such assets but this meant such things as nuclear-capable bombers rather than restoring US nuclear weapons to South Korea for the first time in about a quarter century. Former US President George H W Bush decided in 1991 to remove US nuclear weapons from South Korea."It could quickly escalate into an arms race, a very dangerous arms race, in the region," said the US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Asked if such a step might spur North Korea to move more aggressively on its atomic weapons program, the official replied: "That's a distinct possibility." Putting US nuclear arms back in South Korea, he said, "would embolden the North Korean leadership to be more committed to pursuing their (weapons of mass destruction) capabilities and in fact it would give them a very convenient excuse to do so." China called for all sides to avoid raising tensions. "We hope all parties can maintain restraint, proceed cautiously, and avoid successively escalating tensions," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei when asked about the US B-52 flight. 'HIGHEST LEVEL READINESS' The chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff warned that North Korea was likely to carry out further "sudden provocations", a South Korean defence ministry official said. The commander of the 28,500 US troops in South Korea, General Curtis Scaparrotti, urged them to be vigilant. On the diplomatic front, South Korea said its chief nuclear negotiator planned to meet his US and Japanese counterparts tomorrow to discuss a response to North Korea, and the next day, he would meet China's nuclear envoy in Beijing. South Korea and Japan used a military hotline for the first time after North Korea's test, South Korea's defence ministry said, in a sign the North is pushing the two old rivals closer together. South Korea also said it would restrict access to the jointly run Kaesong industrial complex just north of the heavily militarised inter-Korean border to the "minimum necessary level" from today. The complex, where South Korean factories employ North Korean workers, is an important source of revenue for the impoverished North. REUTERS MI KU PR0533 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0387-533653.Xml Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky said he has been told by Fox Business Network, host of Thursday's Republican presidential debate, he will not qualify for the prime-time debate based on his low standing in opinion polls. Paul said in an interview yesterday on CNN he had declined an invitation by Fox Business to participate in Thursday's evening earlier debate for low-polling candidates. Fox Business Network is expected to announced the line-up of candidates for the prime-time and "undercard" debates later yesterday. REUTERS MI KU PR0605 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0387-533658.Xml Seven Republican presidential candidates will participate in Fox Business Network's prime-time debate on Thursday, but Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and former business executive Carly Fiorina did not qualify for the main event, the network said. The seven candidates chosen for the main debate by Fox Business, based on the network's polling criteria, were billionaire businessman Donald Trump, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Ohio Governor John Kasich. Fiorina, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum will participate in the so called undercard debate for low-polling candidates earlier in the evening, the network said yesterday. Paul told CNN he will not take part in the undercard debate. REUTERS MI KU PR0610 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0387-533661.Xml The UN Security Council discussed the besieged towns of Syria after reports emerged that tens of thousands of civilians have been trapped for months without supplies and are starving to death. The meeting was called by New Zealand, Spain and France in response to the reports of people dying in the town of Madaya and elsewhere due to a lack of food and medical attention. "The tactic of siege and starvation is one of the most appalling characteristics of the Syrian conflict," New Zealand's United Nations ambassador, Gerard van Bohemen, told reporters yesterday. Trucks carrying food and medical supplies reached Madaya near the Lebanese border and began to distribute aid as part of an agreement between warring sides, the United Nations and the Red Cross said yesterday. A UN spokesman said aid trucks were also en route to the Shi'ite villages of al Foua and Kefraya in the northwestern province of Idlib, two other areas where there is a desperate need for humanitarian assistance. US Ambassador Samantha Power also had strong words about Madaya, slamming the "grotesque starve-or-surrender tactics the Syrian regime is using right now against its own people." "Look at the haunting pictures of civilians, including children, even babies, in Madaya," she told the General Assembly. "These are just the pictures we see. There are hundreds of thousands of people being deliberately besieged, deliberately starved, right now. And these images, they remind us of World War Two." Power was speaking at a special session of the 193-nation UN General Assembly on the 70th anniversary of the assembly's first meeting in London. British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said "starving civilians is an inhuman tactic used by the (President Bashar) al-Assad regime and their allies." "All sieges must be lifted to save civilian lives and to bring Syria closer to peace," he said in a statement, adding that there were 850 infants in urgent need of milk in Madaya. Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari told reporters his government was committed to "cooperate fully" on aid delivery but said much of what was said about Madaya was "based on false information." He labeled pictures of starving people as "fabrications." "There is no shortage of humanitarian assistance in Madaya," he said, adding that some aid has been "looted by armed terrorist groups." UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien, however, told reporters the reports of people starving to death in Madaya were "wholly credible." He added that some 400 people there were in dire need of medical evacuation. The Syrian civil war has been raging for nearly five years and has claimed more than a quarter million lives. A UN Security Council resolution adopted on December 18 set out a road map for peace talks and called on the parties to allow aid workers unhindered access throughout Syria, particularly in besieged and hard-to-reach areas. French Ambassador Francois Delattre said there could be "no credible political process without progress on the humanitarian front." The blockade of Madaya has become a focal issue for Syrian opposition leaders, who told a UN envoy last week they would not take part in talks with the government, slated for later this month, until it and other sieges are lifted. REUTERS MI KU PR0720 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0387-533670.Xml According to The Guardian, gunmen detonated suicide vests inside a shopping complex in Baghdad on Monday and a car bomb exploded nearby killing at least 18 people and injuring 40 others. Two bomb blasts in eastern town of Muqdadiya killed 23 people and wounded another 51, security and medical sources said. Another blast in a southeastern Baghdad suburb killed seven more while earlier in the day three people were killed when a car bomb went off near a restaurant in Baquba, 65km (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks saying that it had targeted "rejectionists", its derogatory term for Shia Muslims, and added that "worse was to come". (ANI) The Philippine Supreme Court today declared a security deal with the United States constitutional, as anti-American protesters rallied outside, allowing an increased US military presence in the former US colony as tension rises in the South China Sea.Manila has long been a staunch US ally and the pact is widely seen as important for both sides as the Philippines confronts an assertive China in the disputed Spratly archipelago and Washington launches a "pivot" back to Asia.The court voted 10-4 to deny the petition of some lawmakers and activists to declare the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) unconstitutional because it surrendered Philippine sovereignty to a foreign power."EDCA is not constitutionally infirm," said Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te. "As an executive agreement, it remains consistent with existing laws and treaties that it purports to implement."The pact was signed days before US President Barack Obama visited the Philippines in 2014. It will allow US troops to build facilities to store equipment for maritime security and humanitarian and disaster response operations, in addition to broad access to Philippine military bases.Security expert Rommel Banlaoi said the security deal will strengthen the alliance between Manila and Washington beyond the administration of President Benigno Aquino, who steps down at the end of June."EDCA will be Aquino's legacy for the next administration that is bound to implement it," Banlaoi told Reuters. "It can boost US leverage in balancing China, particularly in the context of the growing US-China power struggle in the South China Sea".The court ruling came hours before the Philippine defence and foreign ministers hold talks with American counterparts in Washington, discussing security and economic issues, including the South China Sea and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.Dozens of anti-US activists held protests outside the court, saying the ruling was "untenable" because the deal was a de facto basing agreement and will make the country "a launching pad for military intervention in the region".Philippine military officials say there has been an increase in US exercises, training and ship and aircraft visits in the past year under Obama's rebalance to Asia but the pact would take the relationship a step further.China claims almost all the South China Sea, which is believed to have huge deposits of oil and gas, and has been building up facilities on islands it controls.Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines also have claims. Tension rose this month when China began test flights on Fiery Cross Reef, one of three artificial islands where Beijing has constructed airfields.REUTERS SA CS1253 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0386-533932.Xml -Japan said today that it has told China that any foreign naval vessel that enters Japanese territorial waters for reasons other than "innocent passage" will be told to leave by a Japanese naval patrol, signalling a potential escalation in a long-running maritime dispute.Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference Japan had informed China of its decision in November, after Chinese navy ships sailed near disputed isles in the East China Sea known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.Japan's government, Suga said, had approved this course of action last May."Based on a Cabinet resolution last May, if a foreign naval vessel transits our waters for (purposes) other than 'innocent passage', we will order a sea patrol and take the step of having the Self-Defense Force unit order withdrawal," Suga told a news conference.Suga's comments followed a Yomiuri newspaper report that said ships belonging to the Maritime Self-Defense Force, as Japan's navy is known, would be sent to urge Chinese naval ships to leave if they came within about 22 kilometres (12 nautical miles) of the islands for reasons other than "innocent passage".The tiny islands are under Japan's control, but the territorial dispute over them has been a major sticking point in the two countries' often contentious relations in recent years.Late last year, a Chinese coastguard vessel with what appeared to be gun turrets entered territorial waters claimed by Japan near the disputed islands, Japan's coastguard said, adding that it was the first such incursion by an armed Chinese vessel in the disputed area.REUTERS SA CS1301 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0386-533934.Xml There is a high probability that Islamic State militants were responsible for an explosion in the heart of Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet tourist district which killed at least ten people today, two senior Turkish security officials told Reuters. The attack at the heart of one of the world's most visited cities comes as NATO member Turkey plays a role in the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, and as it battles Kurdish militants in its southeast.REUTERS AJ AS1654 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0109-534424.Xml Western sanctions on Moscow are intended to exert long-term pressure on Russia and not to push it "over the economic cliff," a US State Department official said today.EU and US restrictions imposed on Moscow in 2014 over the Ukraine conflict shaved about 1.5 per cent off Russian economic output in 2015, the official said, citing data from the International Monetary Fund.The effect of falling world oil prices was far greater, said the official, who requested anonymity, meaning that Russia's economy shrank 3.8 percent in 2015."The direct effect is pretty small ... at about 1 to 1.5 per cent. It's the indirect effect that's larger," the official said, adding that international companies previously considering 20-year investments in Russia were scaling back to five years."The sanctions are designed not to push Russia over the economic cliff," the official, who was on a visit to Brussels, said. "That would be bad for the Russian people."Sanctions on Russia's banking, energy and defence sectors, imposed from July 2014, are part of the West's efforts to pressure Russia to help end the crisis in eastern Ukraine, which has killed more than 9,000 people since April 2014.Russian President Vladimir Putin was quoted on Monday as telling Germany's Bild newspaper that sanctions "are severely harming Russia", although he also noted a bigger impact from global oil oversupply that is weakening energy prices.With neither the West nor Russia able to resolve the Ukraine crisis so far, the European Union and the United States will keep economic sanctions on Russia until the end of July 2016.That means Russian companies cannot borrow from the EU and the US banks and on markets for more than 30 days, limiting oil producers such as Rosneft from raising funds for investment."From what we know and from my conversations with market participants, other countries are not bridging the gap," the official said, although he added that China has offered some financing at higher rates and with shorter maturities.Any lifting of sanctions on Russia is tied to the implementation of a peace deal on Ukraine which was negotiated by the leaders of France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia almost a year ago. REUTERS SHS NS1913 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-534923.Xml Three serial killers who targeted members of Hungary's Roma minority in 2008 and 2009 were jailed for life today, the state news agency MTI reported today. The 18 months of violence, in which six people, including a small child, were killed and several more were injured, highlighted Hungary's difficulties in integrating its 500,000-strong Roma population. The killers were caught in August 2009. The killings came at a time when Hungary, a landlocked central European nation of 10 million, underwent economic and political crisis. Its gross domestic output plummeted, its government collapsed and the far-right Jobbik party rose to prominence. The three perpetrators were Zsolt Peto and the brothers Istvan Kiss and Arpad Kiss, militants with skinhead pasts from eastern Hungary. The country's top court passed the harshest possible sentence for a crime that a judge at a lower court said was a showcase to demonstrate that racist murders would incur the toughest penalties. A fourth accomplice, Istvan Csontos, who drove the murderers on their criminal outings, got a 13-year sentence last year. The string of murders played out gradually, with the country slowly realising that the perpetrators were the same people following a racist ideology. Several people, including Roma, were erroneously detained at early stages for the first attacks. After several non-lethal attacks they committed their first murder in November 2008, killing two people. In February 2009 they struck in Tatarszentgyorgy, central Hungary, setting a house on fire and shooting a 28-year-old Roma man and his 5-year old son who were fleeing the flames in what became the single most gruesome of the attacks. The long trial inspired a documentary, titled Sentence in Hungary. Its director Eszter Hajdu told the news web site Origo that she hoped the film would forge unity among the Roma. "I kept wondering why Jews like to watch Holocaust movies," she said. "While making this film I understood it taught vigilance and lead to emancipation." "After this film it will no longer be possible to engage in a good old round of Roma bashing." REUTERS SHS BD2244 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-535301.Xml Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom called today for an investigation to determine whether Israel was guilty of extrajudicial killings of Palestinians during recent violence there, local media reported. The comments were the latest in a series of statements by Wallstrom that have irked Israeli authorities. Ties between Sweden and Israel nose-dived when Sweden recognised the Palestinian state shortly after Wallstrom's centre-left Social Democrats won a parliamentary election in 2014. The rift then deepened further when she described the Palestinians' plight as a factor leading to Islamist radicalisation. "It is vital that there is a thorough, credible investigation into these deaths in order to clarify and bring about possible accountability," Wallstrom said during a parliamentary debate, according to news agency TT. In response, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement: "The Swedish Foreign Minister has, in her reckless and ludicrous comments, buoyed terrorism and by so doing is encouraging violence." Rights groups have accused Israel of using excessive force to quell the unrest. The United States, the European Union and the United Nations have all expressed concern, saying that while they recognise Israel's right to self-defence, restraint is necessary to ensure the violence does not escalate further. Since October 1, Palestinian stabbings, car-rammings and shooting attacks have killed 24 Israelis and a US citizen. The wave of bloodshed has raised fears of wider confrontation, a decade after the last Palestinian uprising subsided. During the period, Israeli forces or armed civilians have killed at least 142 Palestinians, 90 of whom the authorities have described as assailants. Most others have been killed in clashes with security forces. The surge in violence has been fueled by the 2014 collapse of US-sponsored peace talks, the growth of Jewish settlements on land Palestinians want for a state and Islamist calls for the destruction of Israel. Also stoking the violence has been Muslim opposition to increased Israeli visits to Jerusalem's al Aqsa mosque complex, which is the third holiest site in Islam and is also revered in Judaism as the location of two biblical temples. REUTERS SHS BD2245 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-535302.Xml One of two Italian marines accused of murdering Indian fishermen off the coast of Kerala almost four years ago will not be returning to India to face trial after being allowed home temporarily for medical treatment, a senator said today. India had granted Massimiliano Latorre, who suffered a stroke while in New Delhi in 2014, a period of leave in Italy for medical treatment, but he was supposed to return by Friday. It was not clear when or if Latorre would return to India. The second sailor on trial, Salvatore Girone, is being held in the Italian embassy in New Delhi."Massimiliano Latorre will not return to India, and furthermore, the possibility of asking for Salvatore Girone's return is being explored," said Nicola Latorre, president of the Senate Defence Committee, according to Italian media. Latorre did not provide details and did not immediately respond to calls. When contacted, the prime minister's office and the foreign ministry did not confirm or deny Latorre's comments. The two men say they accidentally killed two fishermen when they mistook a fishing boat for a pirate ship and fired warning shots while protecting an Italian oil tanker in 2012. Italy and India have been at loggerheads over who has jurisdiction over the case, and Italy has sought international arbitration. The fallout from India's arrest of the marines has damaged wider relations between Italy and India, contributing to the collapse of a European Union-India summit last year. In 2013, Italy reversed an initial decision not to send the marines back to India to stand trial after a home visit, in a bid to tone down the diplomatic row.REUTERS SHS BD2318 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-535309.Xml The silent battle between a father's and a mother's genes provides an experimental test of the theory that social insects favor kin that most closely resemble them genetically Using modern genetic approaches, a team of researchers has provided strong support for the long-standing, but hotly debated, evolutionary theory of kin selection, which suggests that altruistic behavior occurs as a way to pass genes to the next generation. The researchers including Christina Grozinger, PhD, distinguished professor of entomology at Penn State University; David Queller, PhD, the Spencer T. Olin Professor of Biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis; and David Galbraith, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar at Penn State, investigated kin selection by examining the social behavior of worker honey bees, which are all female. They found that the genes the workers inherit from their queen matrigenes direct worker bees altruistic behavior forgoing production of their own offspring to help rear their siblings. When the queen dies, the workers can begin to selfishly compete with one another to lay eggs. The genes they inherit from their different fathers patrigenes direct this behavior. We usually think of honey bees as ideal cooperators, with all the members of the colony working together harmoniously, Grozinger said. Our studies demonstrate that there is actually conflict, called intragenomic conflict, among the genes inherited from the father and those inherited from the mother. According to Grozinger, in a normal colony, the queen lays all the eggs and the workers remain sterile and help raise the queens offspring. When the queen dies, the workers either behave altruistically by remaining sterile and helping rear the remaining offspring and the new offspring of their sisters or they behave selfishly by activating their own ovaries and laying their own unfertilized eggs, which develop into males. In 2003, David Queller published a key model using kin selection theory that predicted that under queenless conditions in a honey bee colony, the patrigenes would promote selfish behavior in the workers, while the matrigenes would promote altruistic behavior, Galbraith said. According to Queller, this conflict is the result of unequal distribution of the matrigenes and patrigenes among the workers. All the workers in the colony share the same set of matrigenes. In contrast, because the queen mated with 10 or more males, the workers have different patrigenes. If a worker behaves altruistically and helps rear her sisters offspring, she ensures that her matrigenes are passed on. However, more of her patrigenes pass to the next generation if she behaves selfishly and lays her own eggs. It is very strange to think that your genes might be fighting with each other based on whether they came from your mother or your father, Queller said. Yet, this is just what we found. It turns out that when a queen dies, worker bees behave the way their fathers want them to, producing sons when possible. The results were published Jan. 11, 2016, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The battle of the sexes According to Queller, this intragenomic conflict supports the theory of kin selection first proposed by William Hamilton in 1964. Altruism is defined as reducing ones own reproductive output to help others reproduce. So kin selection theory predicts that altruism will only evolve to help related individuals. Using kin selection theory, David Haig of Harvard University developed models predicting intragenomic conflict, which Queller then extended to social insect societies. In 2010, however, biologist E.O. Wilson and colleagues published a paper that argued kin selection is not needed for altruistic behavior to evolve. While Quellers model made very specific predictions about the behavior of matrigenes and patrigenes in social insects, it was not possible to test this prediction until modern genomic tools were developed that allowed us to specifically track both matrigenes and patrigenes in the same individual, Grozinger said. The researchers created 18 different male-female crosses of two different genetic stocks of honey bees Africanized bees, which produce larger ovaries, and European bees, which produce smaller ovaries. The crosses enabled the workers to determine which of the genes those from fathers versus those from mothers were active in the offspring. The team housed the worker bee offspring without a queen, stimulating some to start producing eggs. The researchers first demonstrated that worker bees with Africanized fathers and European mothers had larger ovaries and were more likely to become reproductively active than bees with European fathers and Africanized mothers. According to Grozinger, this demonstrated that the reproductive traits of the workers were more strongly influenced by their patrigenes than matrigenes. We identified more than 100,000 sections of DNA, called single nucleotide polymorphisms, that were present in the genomes of either the mother or the father, but not both, Galbraith said. This exercise enabled us to determine which pieces of RNA in their worker offspring were produced by the matrigenes versus patrigenes. Next, the researchers harvested workers bees ovaries and sequenced the entire set of RNA molecules to see which of their inherited genes were expressed to a greater extent. We found that expression of the patrigenes, but not matrigenes, was strongly associated with worker egg-laying behavior, Galbraith said. According to researchers, they next plan to explore intergenomic conflict in other systems. What is amazing about Quellers model is that it provides very detailed predictions for how matrigenes and patrigenes behave in different social insect species and different contextsin some cases, matrigenes are the selfish ones, Grozinger said. This release was originally published by Penn State University. Comment Policy Advance Indiana allows you to post comments via this blog subject to the guidelines set forth herein. You understand that any comments you post are your own and are not those of Advance Indiana. You further understand that Advance Indiana is not responsible for the content of any external sites referenced in your comments. 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RELATED: The 17 Coolest Things We Saw at CES With your phone acting as the display and your homemade headset holding it in the right place, Google Cardboard presents itself as a lower-impact Oculus Rift. There are a variety of Cardboard-style headsets available for purchase from the official Google Cardboard website. Some are fancier than others, but you can expect to pay $20$30 for your own. (May we recommend the Star Wars-themed Cardboard?) After punching out the pieces and putting it all together, there are a number of apps to use that respond to head motions, immersing the wearer in a virtual reality landscape. These apps feature a designated Works With Google Cardboard logo so you know that they are specialized. The Cardboard-compatible apps are cataloged on this page of the Google Play store, and they run the gamut. Titans of Space is a virtual reality tour of our solar system and outer space. A game called WAA! immerses you in a field of asteroids. Sisters presents itself as a terrifying ghost story game, and for the more utility-minded, an app called Tilt Brush Gallery lets you view sketches in 3D. This only scratches the surface, but they all serve the same purpose: to transport the apps user to some place that is otherwise completely impossible to get to. With that in mind, here are five cool things you can do with Google Cardboard. RELATED: Virtual Reality Check Take 360-degree photos and send them to friends. The camera in your smartphone is all you need to generate an immersive virtual reality-style photograph that someone can pan and scan through from their own Cardboard setup. Googles proprietary photo app will stitch together the many photos required to make an entirely 360-degree experience, and it will even record live audio from the scene youre capturing. Story continues Read the paper in an entirely new way. The NYT VR app provides users with news stories in virtual reality format every month or so. Content is one of the most obvious things to be reinvented by virtual reality technology, and the New York Times is one of the first media companies to get serious about being ready to have serious offerings when VR proliferates. Disappear inside virtual game worlds. Whether youre investigating the spooky scenes of Insidious Chapter 3 or falling out of the sky in Caaaaardboard!, Cardboard can embed you in a daydream escape fantasy taking place on your smartphone screen. Just dont let your boss catch you using it at work. Explore the real world. Browsing Google Street View through virtual reality goggles is sure to be nostalgic or adventurous depending on where you decide to go. Tour your old hometown, or brave the freezing temps of Antarctica from the comfort of your current home. An app called Orbulus zooms in on destinations of note, allowing you to explore everything from the Sydney Opera House to Paris at night. Watch regular media in a new way. An app called VR Cinema renders your stored video into split-screen format compatible for VR hardware, like Cardboard. Related ABC is making good on its vow to explore new types of families. The network on Monday picked up comedy pilots featuring families coping with cancer and special needs children, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Pearl, produced in-house by ABC Studios, centers on a larger-than-life family matriarch who finds out she has cancer and becomes intent on controlling and orchestrating every aspect of her family's life before she dies. The single-camera comedy is written and produced by Friends graduate Andrew Reich. Read More: 'Empire' in a Winery? 5 Hot Trends of TV's Development Season Speechless, meanwhile, revolves around a family with a special needs child who is good at dealing with the challenges it faces and excellent at creating new ones. The single-camera comedy hails from 20th Century Fox Television, with fellow Friends alum Scott Silveri on board to write and exec produce. The comedy is additionally exec produced by Fresh Off the Boat duo Jake Kasdan and Melvin Mar. The news comes as family comedies were one of the five hottest trends this past development season. ABC Studios exec vp Patrick Moran and 20th TV creative affairs president Jonathan Davis told THR at the time that their studios were looking for diverse voices in family fare in a bid to see reflections of their lives on the small screen. At ABC, the two comedies join Downward Dog as the first three half-hour pilots in the works at the Disney-owned network. Dog, starring Allison Tolman, has already been completed and has eceived early support from network topper Paul Lee. Keep up with all the latest pilot news with THR's handy guide to pilot season. Jerusalem (AFP) - Palestinian officials pledged to take action Tuesday against Airbnb over rooms for rent in settlements in the occupied West Bank being listed on the website as located within Israel. Dozens of Jewish settlers advertise their homes for rent in a number of locations across the West Bank. Much of the international community, including the US and the EU, opposes all Israeli settlements built in the occupied Palestinian territory and considers them among the largest obstacles to peace. Husam Zomlot, ambassador at large for the Palestinian government, said it was seeking an immediate change of policy from the company. "Certainly we will take further action. This is strikingly illegal," he told AFP, accusing the company of "illegally profiting from occupation". "Such acts by international firms and the private sector have been a main contributor to the continuity and escalation of the situation." US-based Airbnb declined an interview, providing only a short statement. "We follow laws and regulations on where we can do business and investigate concerns raised about specific listings," it said. The Israeli tourism ministry, echoing government policy, refused to draw a distinction between the settlements and the rest of Israel. "The ministry recommends visiting and staying in every place throughout the country as no distinction can be made between one place or the next," a spokeswoman said. Users listing their homes on the hugely popular website have the ability to select their location and fill in the details. The company, however, has the ability to remove misleading or inaccurate adverts. One listing in the settlement of Tekoa in the southern West Bank highlights that it is 15 minutes from Jerusalem and offers views of the "spectacular Judea desert landscape," the Israeli word for part of the West Bank. Others stressed the tranquility of the area, while always listing their location as Israel. Story continues Omar Barghouti, Palestinian rights activist and co-founder of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign which pushes for an economic boycott of Israel, called on the company to change policy. "Airbnb can and should immediately exclude all Israeli settlements from its offerings as a significant first step towards complying with its human rights obligations under international law," he said. But Miri Maoz-Ovadia of the Yesha Council, an umbrella organisation representing Israelis living in the West Bank, told AFP they would not stop advertising their listings. "We are extremely proud of our thriving tourism industry, with hundreds of unique BnBs that offer breathtaking views and world-class service," she said. Israel's settlement expansion has been a major source of contention with the international community. US Secretary of State John Kerry said in December such a policy raises "honest questions about Israel's long-term intentions". Israel seized the West Bank and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War. About 380,000 Israelis live in 135 West Bank settlements, with another 200,000 in east Jerusalem. New analyses support the recommendation that for a woman of average breast cancer risk, beginning screening for the cancer at age 50 and undergoing mammograms every other year through age 74 reasonably balances the potential benefits and harms associated with screening. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force based its current guidelines on 2009 findings, and the latest research -- publishing in the Jan. 12 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine -- was presented to the task force as it reviews more recent evidence on breast cancer screening. The findings were determined by using six different independent simulation models to evaluate various screening strategies, including annual and biennial mammograms beginning at age 40, 45 and 50. The in-depth analyses were done by teams that are part of the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network, or CISNET, which is funded by the National Cancer Institute. Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium researchers also contributed to the latest findings. "CISNET's charge is to create models that can test a large number of screening and treatment scenarios, and provide evidence that can be considered for public health recommendations for average risk women," the paper's lead author, Dr. Jeanne Mandelblatt of Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, and a principal investigator with CISNET, said in a statement. "But it's important to remember that none of us is the 'average' woman." Among the findings: Screening every two years from ages 50 to 74 reduces the breast cancer rate by, on average, about 26 percent -- averting seven breast cancer deaths per 1,000 women screened. Annual screening from age 40 to 74 averted three more deaths, but resulted in 1,988 more false-positives and seven more overdiagnoses of cancer. Improvements in technology, like digital mammography, seemed to enhance results somewhat, but not enough for researchers to back a general recommendation of screening earlier or more often than the USPSTF currently recommends for women of average breast cancer risk. Story continues However, those with a higher risk for cancer -- like a family history of the disease -- tended to see greater benefit from earlier, more frequent screening, without the same uptick in potential harm from unnecessary treatment as those of average risk. Experts involved in the research and observers alike both say, as recommendations on when to beginning breast cancer screening and how often to get a mammogram differ, from 40s to 50, and annually or every other year, it remains for a woman to determine what's best for her in conversation with her doctor. That means balancing potential benefits with concerns about possible harms, and also looking at individual risk factors. "You don't want to lose the big picture here," says Dr. Harold Burstein, medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "The big picture is that mammograms are still a very important public health tool and reduce mortality from breast cancer. And, in general, women should be encouraged to get mammograms." He adds that millions of women who are advised to get mammograms still don't do so or fail to do so as regularly as recommended by any major guidelines. "At best, about 30 percent of women aged 50 to 70 get screening at least once every two years. Rates are substantially lower in many socioeconomic and racially-defined subgroups," he says. On the flip side, many women begin undergoing mammograms earlier than any group recommends. Nearly a third of women report undergoing a mammogram before age 40, which is earlier than any medical organization recommends starting routine breast cancer screening, Robert Smith, vice president of cancer screening at the American Cancer Society, told U.S. News in November. Approximately 14.5 percent of women ages 35 to 39 say they received a mammogram in the past year, and 31.5 percent in that age group report having ever received a mammogram, according to a ACS analysis of data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau for the 2013 National Health Interview Survey, which captures information on a range of health topics. The ACS revised its recommendations in October and now advises that women ages 40 to 44 have the choice to start breast cancer screening if they wish -- suggesting they consider the risks as well as potential benefits -- and that all women should begin annual mammograms by age 45, continuing through age 54, then switching to every other year starting at age 55. By comparison, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists currently recommends that women begin routine breast cancer screening at age 40 and then undergo a mammogram annually thereafter. For women still trying to make heads or tails of all the back and forth on breast cancer screening, Burstein suggests it might be instructive to look outside the U.S. "It's worth emphasizing that the revisions that have been proposed really bring the U.S. more into accord with what the rest of the world is doing. In Canada, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Australia, Germany -- most of the industrialized Western countries -- they recommend mammograms beginning around age 50, every two years, for the most part," he says. Dr. Otis Brawley, the chief medical officer for the ACS, emphasized the overlap between the USPSTF recommendations and ACS breast cancer screening guidelines -- rather than the differences. Both groups looked at the data, he says, and noted there's some evidence that screening saves lives starting at age 40 and that there are harms associated with screening. "Twenty years ago we never talked harms, we only talked about benefits. Both groups said that women need to balance the risk and the benefit and make a decision," he says. The ACS's recently revised guidelines moved closer to the breast cancer screening recommendations from the USPSTF, but Brawley says the ACS has no plans to further tweak its guidelines. ACOG also reasserted its guidelines on when women should get mammograms, while noting it's seeking consensus going forward to bridge the confusion that currently exists over differing recommendations. "ACOG continues to stand by our breast cancer screening recommendations, which provide for annual mammograms beginning at age 40. Evidence and experience have shown that early detection can lead to improved outcomes in women diagnosed with breast cancer," Dr. Mark DeFrancesco, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist, said in a statement. But he added that, "In January, ACOG is convening a consensus conference with the intent to develop a consistent set of uniform guidelines for breast cancer screening that can be implemented nationwide. Major organizations and providers of women's health care will gather to review and discuss the data in greater detail. We look forward to a positive outcome of this conference that helps to avoid the confusion that currently exists among the women we treat." Separately, Dr. Wanda Filer, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said in a statement provided to U.S. News that the organization agrees with USPSTF's current recommendations: "Women attain the greatest benefit from a mammography starting at age 50. Women ages 40 to 49 attain less benefit with more risk, but should have the option of getting mammography after they discuss the risks and benefits with their personal physician." Wherever groups come down on current breast cancer screening guidelines, Burstein says women are perfectly capable of doing what they've done for years amid differing recommendations, and deciding for themselves, which guidelines best suit them -- including taking into account over their own individual risk for breast cancer. "Trust yourself and trust the conversation you're capable of having with your doctor to help you make the appropriate decision," he says. Michael Schroeder is a health editor at U.S. News. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at mschroeder@usnews.com. Many predictions of childbirth are somewhat reliable the sex of a baby, for example, and the due date, as well as the presence of certain significant medical problems. But no prediction in childbirth is an exact science including the seemingly basic question of how big or small a newborn will be. Story: Mom Sues Doctor Over C-Section Fight: I Was Treated Like a Child That final point was made even clearer recently by researchers who found that a significant number of women are being erroneously told that they would be having big babies. And the study, published in Maternal and Child Health Journal in December and based on the data of 1,900 women surveyed by Childbirth Connection, further showed that mothers who believed they were having big babies were nearly five times more likely schedule a C-section even though the large majority of their babies wound up weighing less than 8 pounds 13 ounces (the medical definition of a large baby). Estimating weight is still an imprecise science. But the study is really more about communication than anything else, one of the researchers, Eugene R. Declercq, a professor at Boston University School of Public Health, tells Yahoo Parenting. Figuring that a baby will be big, rather than too small (and then at greater risk of problems), he notes, should be conveyed as good news, with no question about it being able to be delivered vaginally. But based on the studys findings, thats not whats happening, as a doctor telling a mom-to-be that her baby will be big has a profound effect, and contributes to undermining womens confidence they can deliver the baby, Declercq told the New York Times. Story: Women Told to Avoid Giving Birth in Hospitals in U.K. That article, published on Monday, told the story of Maryland lawyer Katy Clemens, 37, who wanted to give birth naturally. But when an ultrasound suggested her baby would weigh 11.5 pounds, her doctors bullied her into scheduling a C-section which she agreed to, only to reveal a baby weighing just 7 pounds 13 ounces. Story continues They said the estimates are never off by more than a pound. You imagined a baby that was 30 percent bigger, Clemens told the Times, noting that the surgery was unnecessary and might have caused breathing problems for her son at birth, as its a complication more common in C-section babies. Fewer than 8 percent of babies born in the United States meet the medical definition of a large baby, the story noted, while nearly one in three babies in the United States are born by cesarean section something that may be influenced by exaggerated estimates of fetal birth weight, Declercq said. Assessing fetal size is part of good care knowing if its particularly small or large and whether there might be any issues at birth, notes Eileen Beard, a nurse-midwife and senior practice adviser at the American College of Nurse-Midwives, a professional organization representing midwives in the U.S. But, she tells Yahoo Parenting, women were made to birth babies, so size generally isnt a problem. Estimating the size of a baby in utero isnt like taking a teaspoon and measuring something, she says, but rather is an assessment, often based on what are called Leopold maneuvers standard, manual procedures named after gynecologist Christian Gerhard Leopold which are not exact, because of factors including the size of the mother and her abdominal tone, as well as the babys positioning. Ultrasound is a wonderful tool, she adds, but its not always accurate. In the recent study, Declercq says, about two-thirds of the women had relied on ultrasounds for weight estimates. I think theres a lot of casual attitude about surgery, and our society has become very tolerant of it and doesnt always view C-section as major surgery, Beard says. But I think obstetricians are becoming more sensitive to the fact that the cesarean rate is way too high. Fetal weight, she adds, is just one factor Id look at in making an overall assessment, because midwives have a holistic view of care. So [weight is] just one little piece of the whole picture. We look at the whole woman and her ability to give birth and her confidence in giving birth, and we stress the importance of informed consent when discussing C-sections or any other interventions. That said, Women have to be informed consumers. And a provider has to take the time to make sure she understands the risks of major surgery, Beard notes. I think if more women were informed about the risks, then the cesarean rate would be lower. Women in general have great trust in their providers, but many may not realize the variation in care thats out there. Top photo: Getty Images Please follow @YahooParenting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Have an interesting story to share about your family? Email us at YParenting (at) Yahoo.com. Vienna (AFP) - Austria registered 90,000 asylum claims in 2015, government figures showed Tuesday, a rise of more than 200 percent compared to 28,000 the year before and just 11,000 in 2010. Afghans topped the list of requests by nationality with 25,202 asylum claims closely followed by 25,064 fleeing the civil war in Syria and 13,258 Iraqis, the interior ministry data showed. The number was however considerably under the record of 170,000 set in 1956 when the Soviet Union crushed an uprising in Budapest and large numbers of Hungarians fled to neighbouring Austria. Austria last year became a major transit country for hundreds of thousands of migrants from the Middle East and elsewhere travelling up from Greece through the Balkans. The migrants and refugees seek mostly to travel onwards, notably to Germany and Sweden, but Austria still has one of the highest asylum claim rates per capita in the 28-nation European Union. This has contributed to a rise in popularity for the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) and to tensions within the ruling centrist coalition of Chancellor Werner Faymann. On Monday Austria authorities said that Germany has been returning around 200 migrants every day since January 1, mostly Afghans as well as Moroccans and Algerians who wanted to apply for asylum elsewhere. This appeared to be a knock-on effect from Sweden and Denmark's decision last week to tighten controls on their borders. Austria meanwhile has been returning some migrants entering from Slovenia. A police spokeswoman in the German state of Bavaria said however that the daily number being returned was below 100 but varied considerably. She said Germany was "acting in accordance with current legal provisions". Currently between 1,000 and 2,000 migrants seek to enter Germany from Austria on a daily basis, according to the Austrian authorities. Oslo (AFP) - The bells at Oslo's City Hall rang to the tune of David Bowie's "Changes" on Tuesday in honour of the late music icon, as they will do every evening until the end of May. "We received so many requests and there was such unanimity that we just decided to do it. To be honest, there wasn't really even any discussion about it," bell ringer Laura Marie Rueslatten Olseng told AFP. Around 70 people braved sub-zero temperatures to listen to the first playing of "Changes" on Tuesday at 7:00 pm (1800 GMT). After seven gongs marking the hour, several bars of Bowie's hit song were played. The clock tower at Oslo's City Hall marks the passage of time with different musical pieces every hour. Featuring such classic composers as Edward Grieg, Eric Satie and Vivaldi, as well as more modern hits such as "Imagine" by John Lennon, the programme is sometimes changed to reflect current events. Bowie thus joins a playlist already featuring heavy metal group Motorhead, which was added after the death of the band's frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister last month. A few days after the Paris attacks on November 13, the bells played "Til Ungdommen", a Norwegian hymn about peace. So why "Changes", a track from Bowie's 1971 Hunky Dory album? "Musically, the chords and the melody suit the programming machine" for the bells, said Olseng. "And it's a song that came out many years ago and which means something to a lot of people." If youd told most Americans a year ago that Bernie Sanders would be a serious threat to Hillary Clinton in January 2016, they probably would have laughed. (Or asked who Sanders was.) If youd told them that Sanders would be arguing that he was a better candidate than Clinton because he was more electable, the reaction would have been even more incredulous. She was cautious, sure, and a bit more conservative than some Democrats, but surely she was more palatable to voters than an acerbic democratic socialist from Vermont. That is, however, exactly the state of the Democratic race on January 11. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released over the weekend tells the story. In Iowa, Clinton leads Sanders among likely voters by just three points. In New Hampshire, where he has mostly kept a small lead for months, hes up four. The Sanders campaign blasted out the results to reporters Sunday under the subject line Electability Matters. Speaking on This Week, Sanders said: If people are concerned about electabilityand Democrats should be very concerned because we certainly dont want to see some right-wing extremist in the White HouseBernie Sanders is the candidate. Read Follow-Up Notes Thats a remarkable turnaround for a senator who seemed reluctant to run in the first place. Some people viewed Sanders as a candidate out to make a point, not to win an election; even those who hoped he would win believed it was Sanders sincere, morally clear-eyed stance on inequality and other issues that would win him the racenot that voters would wager he was their best shot at the White House. But it turns out that hectoring tone, disheveled hair, and all, Sanders may beas Barack Obama memorably said of Clinton in 2008likable enough. Clinton, meanwhile, is pulling out various stops. In particular, she has spent the last few days assailing Sanders for being, in her view, soft on gun control. She is rolling out an endorsement from Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in Iowa, and a group of female senators are stumping for her thereas is Lena Dunham. Chelsea Clinton in hitting the road in New Hampshire. Story continues Recommended: Bill Cosby and His Enablers These are the moves of a candidate who looks, if not necessarily worried, at least a little anxious. And for good reason. Clinton still holds a commanding lead in national polling of the Democratic electorateall but one outlying poll show her with a strong double-digit lead. But the primary isnt a national one, and thats her problem. First, theres Iowa. The NBC poll is closer than other recent surveysperhaps in part because it draws on likely votersbut the polling tightened since four weeks ago, when Clintons comfortable lead stood at nearly 20 points. Clinton famously lost the states caucuses to Obama in 2008, the first step in his remarkably toppling of a frontrunner. Sanders argues that he can win the caucuses just as Obama did, by bringing in fresh voters. Then theres New Hampshire, where Sanders has always been strongthanks in part to hailing from neighboring Vermont. In November, Clinton briefly eclipsed him in a few polls there, but has since fallen behind again. So imagine a scenario in which Sanders emerges from the first two contests 2-0, and Clinton is still looking for her first win. The race heads to Nevada, where Clinton leads and has been organizing for months but Sanders has recently been furiously staffing up, and then to South Carolina, where Clinton leads by, uh, 36 points in the latest poll (which is almost a month old). Next up are several southern states. Recommended: The Decline of the Bundy Rebellion The south is generally said to be Clintons firewall. The Democratic Partys strength in the region is black voters, a demographic among whom Sanders has struggled. He is far more inclined to view matters of conflict in terms of class than race. After several tangles with Black Lives Matter early in the race, Sanders admitted he struggled with African American issues and promised to get smart. He hired as his press secretary Symone Sanders (no relation), a young black activist. Hes incorporated a spiel about police brutality and unequal opportunity for people of color into his stump speech. Hes spent more time around Killer Mike than El-P has over the last few months. Its unclear how much dent that has made in Clintons African American support. Sanders backers can point to the 2008 campaign, and South Carolina in particular, as proof that black voters will abandon Clinton en masse just as soon as she looks like she cant win. Thats true as far as it goes, but misses several key points. First, she never led Obama by as much as she does Sanders, and hed pulled even by Christmas. Second, Clinton is unlikely to be hurt by another grievous verbal gaffe by her husband like the one that so damaged her there eight years ago. Third, Sanders wont benefit from the good feeling of electing a first black president, as Obama did. During that campaign, there was endless questioning of whether Obama was black enough, but no one will raise that question about Sanders. Related Story Can Bernie Sanders Play in the South? All of that means that even if Sanders can sweep the first twoor even three, including Nevadacontests, he faces a steep road, but it also shows why the Clinton campaign might start getting concerned. Her situation is somewhat akin to Marco Rubio. Political insiders and gamblers still view Rubio as the best shot for the GOP nomination, even as he trails in early state-level polls. Clinton at least enjoys a national lead, but both are in the position of insisting that they can and will win even if it takes weeks or months to win an actual contest. But donors and backers tend to get very impatient over such a stretch. How convincing, though, is Sanderss electability argument? Harry Enten of FiveThirtyEight cautioned in November that head-to-head polls of candidates are largely meaningless a year out. As he pointed out, Obama and John McCain were tied up in November 2007 polling. At that point in the campaign, more people cared about foreign policy than domestic issues. That changed dramatically as the global financial system collapsed, and Obama went on to win by over 7 percentage points, Enten wrote. The 2008 campaign is a good cautionary tale: We just dont know what the most important issue will be at this time next year. As Philip Bump notes, McCain even led Obama in January 2008. Sanderss claims about being far more competitive in a general election should probably be taken with some caution, given the recent history. Much will also depend on who the Republican nominee is. But right now, the most salient electability question for both Sanders and Clinton is who will win the Democratic nomination, and Sanders has gone a long way to closing up the gap. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. (Reuters) - Time Warner Inc Chief Executive Jeff Bewkes is against a sale or a spinoff of premium cable channel HBO, but hinted he would be open to a sale of the whole company, the New York Post reported, citing sources. Bewkes told investors in a series of closed-door meetings on Monday that splitting units HBO or the Turner Broadcasting cable-TV business wouldn't make sense, the Post reported on Tuesday. HBO's shows include hits such as "Game of Thrones" and "True Detective". Bewkes played coy when asked about a sale of Time Warner, saying he wanted to "increase shareholder value," sources told the New York Post. A Time Warner spokesman declined to comment. In 2014, Time Warner snubbed a takeover offer from Twenty-First Century Fox Inc that valued it at $85 per share. Meanwhile, activist investor Carl Icahn is buying up shares in Time Warner, people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday. CNBC quoted him as saying that he does not own one share of Time Warner. Icahn waged an unsuccessful break-up campaign against Time Warner in 2006, when Bewkes was the No. 2 executive at the company. (Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Don Sebastian) New York (AFP) - David Bowie's final album soared toward the top of the charts after the music legend's death from cancer stunned the world, with the details still shrouded in mystery two days on. "Blackstar", released on Bowie's 69th birthday Friday, was on course to be the first number-one album in the United States for the quintessentially avant-garde artist who lived his last two decades in New York but enjoyed greater mainstream success in his native Britain. Billboard, which will publish the benchmark US chart this weekend, said that "Blackstar" was expected to easily outsell ballad singer Adele's blockbuster "25", which has spent seven weeks at number one. In Britain, the Official Charts Company forecast that "Blackstar" would lead the weekly list and that 13 of Bowie's previous albums would re-enter the top 100. "Blackstar" was the top-selling album on iTunes in all major developed countries on Monday. Songs from the album as well as classic Bowie hits such as "Heroes", "Let's Dance" and "Under Pressure" -- performed with Queen -- also entered the charts of streaming leader Spotify, with Bowie's catalog ascending especially quickly in France. "Blackstar" on its release already enjoyed nearly universal critical acclaim, with Bowie again proving his mastery of reinvention by creating a saxophone-driven hard jazz sound. Yet only a few people knew that the album would be Bowie's swansong and that it was in fact a meditative finale to a nearly half-century career. Especially poignant is the song "Lazarus", whose video -- also released on Bowie's birthday, two days before he died -- depicts him levitating from a hospital bed. "This way or no way / You know I'll be free / Just like that bluebird," Bowie sang over an ominous bassline but with no hint of weakness in his voice. - Discreet in death - Story continues News of his demise broke with a stunning statement on his social media accounts: "David Bowie died peacefully today (Sunday) surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer." Bowie's family asked for privacy and a representative said that no further details would be released. Left unanswered were where exactly Bowie died as well as funeral arrangements for the artist whose influence towered over music, art, fashion and drama. Bowie had told only a few people he was seriously ill as he worked on "Blackstar" and the music to "Lazarus", an off-Broadway science-fiction play based on "The Man Who Fell to Earth", whose 1976 film version starred Bowie. The play's director Ivo van Hove said that Bowie told him in confidence more than a year ago that he was suffering liver cancer and was racing to finish the projects before it was too late. At the December 7 premiere of "Lazarus" in New York, few knew that anything was amiss. "But as we went off the stage, he collapsed. And I realized that it might be the last time I saw him," van Hove told the Dutch daily NRC. - 'An elegant gentleman' - Bowie's death set off an avalanche of mourning among fans and fellow artists, especially in cities that he had called home including Berlin, London and New York. The Brit Awards announced that Bowie would be honored with a tribute at the music ceremony next month. Yet after the initial shock, many admirers also hailed Bowie as classy until the end for suffering away from the spotlight in a culture of 24-hour sharing. Fellow British songwriting great Elvis Costello suggested he would grieve for Bowie away from social media. "The right words would be written in ink on card, not to be seen suddenly and brutally, like the news. In acknowledgement, the lights on this particular, peculiar little theater will be lowered for a while," Costello wrote on Facebook, while hailing "a truly great artist, beautiful melodist and elegant gentleman." Other mourners around the world sought to find fitting tributes to the constantly innovative artist, who helped to define glam rock and to infuse an intellectual heft in pop music. Oslo's City Hall decided to ring its bells to the melody of "Changes," one of Bowie's most-loved songs. Bowie -- who was fascinated by the universe and took on the extraterrestrial alter ego Ziggy Stardust -- was mourned as far as the astronauts on the International Space Station. Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea shared on Instagram a picture of a fresh tattoo on his arm with Bowie's name and lightning motif. And Canadian indie rockers Arcade Fire said the band could not have existed without Bowie, who was not only an influence but an early supporter. "A true artist even in his passing, the world is more bright and mysterious because of him," the group said. RIO DE JANEIRO - A mask of a federal police agent known as "The Japanese Federal," who helped to detain politicians and executives in a corruption scandal engulfing state-run oil company Petrobras, could become a popular hit at Brazil's carnival. Olga Valles, who runs the Condal mask factory is betting the masks of agent Newton Ishii will be a big success during the annual carnival that begins on Feb. 5. "We are lacking in heroes, someone who does something right. This spurs us on, makes carnival more animated," said Valles, adding Ishii is already a hero. The company, which has made masks of U.S. President Barack Obama, Pope Francis, Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, will produce about 200,000 masks for this year's carnival. SEOUL (Reuters) - A Canadian pastor serving a life sentence in North Korea for subversion said in an interview with CNN he spends eight hours a day digging holes at a labour camp where he has not seen any other prisoners. Hyeon Soo Lim, a South Korean-born Canadian who was the head pastor at one of Canada's largest churches, has been held by the North since February. Lim, who was 60 at the time of his arrest, was sentenced to hard labour for life in December for attempting to overthrow the North's regime. "I wasn't originally a labourer, so the labour was hard at first," Lim said in Korean through an interpreter. "But now I've gotten used to it." The charges against Lim had lacked specifics, but Lim said it may have had to do with his open criticism of the North's three generations of leaders. "I admit I've violated this government's authority, system and order," Lim said in the interview aired on Monday. Asked if his biggest crime was speaking badly of the North's leaders, he said: "Yes, I think so." Lim, who was interviewed at a Pyongyang hotel, his hair cropped short and wearing a grey padded prison uniform bearing the number "036" on his chest, works eight hours a day, six days a week digging holes in an orchard at a labour camp where he has seen no other prisoners, CNN said. Two stern faced guards led him into the room, one ordering him to sit, then stand, then sit again. Lim gets three meals and day and regular medical attention, CNN said. His church has said Lim had a "very serious health problem, very high blood pressure." The church has said he had visited the North more than 100 times since 1997 and helped set up an orphanage and nursing home. Lim, who had lived in Canada since 1986, is the only Western citizen known to be held currently in North Korea. He has asked the authorities for a copy of the Bible but has yet to receive one, and he prays every day that North and South Korea can be unified so a situation like his will not happen again, CNN said. (Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) Vatican City (AFP) - Italy's best known comic, a cardinal and a Chinese convict teamed up on Tuesday to launch a book-length interview with Pope Francis. "God's Name is Mercy", which has been produced in some 20 languages and released in 86 countries, is intended to highlight the defining theme of both Francis's papacy and the ongoing Catholic Jubilee Year. Oscar-winning actor Roberto Benigni was the star attraction at the launch, starting his presentation in stand-up style: "There was a Venetian cardinal, a Tuscan comic and a Chinese convict..." The cardinal was Vatican number two Pietro Parolin and the convict was Zhang Agostino Jianquing, a Chinese national currently serving a 20-year prison term in Italy. Having converted to Catholicism during his incarceration, he said he had wanted to pay tribute to the interest Francis had shown towards the plight of prisoners. "I am here with my story to witness how God's mercy has changed my life," said the young Chinese, who moved to Italy as a boy and went off the rails, ultimately committing a "grave error" at the age of 19 which landed him with his lengthy prison sentence. Benigni also paid a glowing tribute to Francis, describing him as the "pope who never stops" and as someone "leading the Church to a certain place: Christianity." In the extended interview with Italian Vatican specialist Andrea Tornielli, Francis explains what the concept of mercy means to him and why he has made it the central theme of his papacy. In concrete terms, Francis's emphasis on mercy has led to him seeking to make the Church more concerned with both the poor and the disadvantaged in all walks of life and more understanding towards its own followers who are not able, in their daily lives, to comply with Church rules on issues such as divorce, cohabitation and homosexuality. In the book, Francis, 79, explains his "special relationship" with convicts as being the product of his awareness that he too is a "man who is in need of God's mercy." And he sums up his credo in these terms: "The church condemns sin, because it has to tell the truth: this is a sin. But at the same time, it embraces the sinner who acknowledges what he is." Now that Herrmann (David Eigenberg) is out of harm's way, there is just one burning question left from the first half of Chicago Fire's fourth season: What is going on with Chili (Dora Madison)? After a relatively drama-free transition into becoming Brett's new partner, the EMT's erratic behavior has become apparent not only to her colleague (Kara Killmer) but her new flame Jimmy (Steven McQueen). In addition to showing up late for work, Chili most recently was seen sobbing by herself while everyone waited to get the latest news on Herrmann. Showrunner Matt Olmstead tells The Hollywood Reporter her dilemma will hit a "crescendo" in upcoming episodes. "Inside the house, she's been a free spirit character in the show," he says. "Then we really wanted to pursue a storyline of what happens when someone starts to go off the rails, especially in a job like the one they're in because it's such a unique position in that you live with people for 24 hours. It's not eight hours and then you leave. You're completely in each other's business. You're forced to be. You have to work stuff out." However, there's more to it than just Chili's inability to emotionally grapple with the long hours and life-and-death stakes of their demanding profession. She's also experienced an "off-screen tragedy" that will be uncovered soon. "She's too prideful and has never really trusted anybody to share so she starts to show some behavior that is not good for her, not good for a paramedic," Olmstead says. "It tests the initial concept of the show, which is it's a group of people who are forced to be a family and how do you do that? When you have a family member who starts to hit a banana peel, what do you do?" Read More: 'Chicago Fire' Promotes Dora Madison to Series Regular for Season 4 He promises fans won't be disappointed with how the ongoing story wraps. "We're definitely not being timid about her storyline and the conflict that we're throwing at her and the consequences of that conflict," Olmstead says. Story continues With the exception of Chili and Herrmann's ordeals, the fall finale of Chicago Fire put out several fires pun intended at Firehouse 51 with the exoneration of Chief Boden (Eamonn Walker) and the reinstating of Severide (Taylor Kinney). With those ongoing storylines resolved, the spotlight will turn to Casey's professional future in the second half of season four. "He's approached about possibly being more than just a firefighter," Olmstead says, "and by that I mean, in Chicago politics." Specifically, Casey (Jesse Spencer) will soon be asked about becoming an alderman. In Chicago, an alderman is elected by their constituency to represent their district for a four-year term. In addition to representing the interests of their residents, the 50 elected alderman comprise the Chicago City Council. The position is in many similar ways to a city councilman, but more "powerful" and "autonomous," according to Olmstead. "He's identified as someone who could actually get something done," Olmstead says. "He hits his breaking point in terms of seeing mistreatment for people that he saved. Possibly, he could do something else other than or in combination with being a firefighter for a greater good and complications ensue." Read More: 'Chicago P.D.' Boss Talks Voight's "Bittersweet" Victory, Series "Reset" and Linstead's "Bond" Some of those complications, naturally, will be with Casey's better half, Dawson (Monica Raymund). "She's there to hold a mirror up to him, in a way saying, 'You are capable. You are needed. You're in a position to help people.' Everything that she loves about him lends itself to helping people out. She's instrumental in talking him into potentially going for this office," Olmstead says. "But there's a residual effect she didnt really anticipate, which is being the person that you love and that you've encouraged to attain a certain goal now is being pulled by other people in an opposite direction so there's two sides of it, certainly, for Dawson." Although it will cause some bumps in the road for the on-again, off-again (and on-again) couple, Olmstead says the writers specifically crafted the storyline to explore Casey outside of his love life. "When we were looking at Jesse, we realized there were a lot of storylines that were will-they-won't-they with Dawson and we felt we had explored it thoroughly at that point," he says. "We were looking for another story that was good for his character, organic to his character and could also really give Jesse something to sink his teeth into that was specific to him that wasn't about his relationship or him wagging his finger at people under him and telling them to do a better job. To continue doing that would be a huge missed opportunity for us and would be a huge underutilization of Jesse's talents." Although Olmstead anticipates some fans might be weary of the political diversion, he promises it will pay off. "When you first hear it, you're like, 'This isnt the show. It's not politics,' but that storyline isn't about politics. It's about him as a character and the people who come to him and the temptations and the threats and how it affects people that he works with," Olmstead says. "Now having gone through a couple episodes, I'm very very happy with it." Chicago Fire airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on NBC. A former Chinese deputy national police chief and ally of the country's ex-security czar Zhou Yongkang was sentenced on Tuesday to 15 years in prison for corruption, state media reported. Li Dongsheng, 61, formerly China's vice public security minister, was convicted of bribery by a court in the northern port city of Tianjin, state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) said on a verified social media account. Prosecutors previously accused him of taking nearly 22 million yuan ($3.3 million) in bribes. The court gave him 15 years in jail and he decided not to appeal, CCTV said. Before joining the public security ministry, Li spent 22 years at CCTV, ascending from a photographer to become a deputy head of the biggest television network in China. He was also a vice chief of the ruling Communist Party's propaganda department for seven years. Li is the latest in a long string of Zhou's former allies to be jailed under President Xi Jinping's sweeping anti-corruption drive. Zhou accumulated vast power as China's security chief, rising to become a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, the Communist Party's most powerful body, and was the highest-ranked politician brought down in the campaign. He was jailed for life in June on a barrage of charges that included taking bribes and "leaking state secrets". Jiang Jiemin, another high-profile disciple of Zhou and the former head of the commission that oversees China's state-owned companies, was sentenced to 16 years in October. Critics say Xi's anti-corruption campaign is open to factionalism and that the Communist Party has failed to introduce systemic reforms to prevent graft, such as public disclosure of assets. BEIJING (Reuters) - China's military has set up 15 new units - covering everything from logistics to equipment development, political work and fighting corruption - as part of an on-going drive to modernize the world's largest armed forces, the Defense Ministry said. President Xi Jinping's push to reform the military coincides with China becoming more assertive in its territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas. China's navy is investing in submarines and aircraft carriers and its air force is developing stealth fighters. Late last year Xi inaugurated a general command unit for the army, a missile force and a strategic support force for People's Liberation Army (PLA), and the 15 new units follow on from that decision. The Defense Ministry, in a statement released late on Monday, said the new units would help the military function better and consolidate the Communist Party's control. One of the 15 new departments is a dedicated auditing office, which will "organize and guide audits and supervision for the entire military" and strive to be independent, the ministry said, without giving details. The PLA is reeling from Xi's anti-corruption campaign, which has seen dozens of officers investigated, including two former vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission, Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou. Some analysts say Xi, who heads the Central Military Commission that runs the armed forces, is also eliminating rivals. Xi, in comments carried by state media on Tuesday, urged the armed forces to be "loyal, clean and responsible" and that they should learn "profound lessons" from Xu and Guo's cases. Xu died of cancer last year before he could be put on trial. Guo has yet to face a court. China has been moving rapidly to upgrade its military hardware, but integration of complex systems across a regionalized command structure has been a major challenge, something the reforms aim to address. The armed forces are also losing 300,000 members, following a surprise announcement by Xi in September. The troop cuts and broader reform program have proven controversial, and the military's official newspaper has published a series of commentaries warning of opposition to the reforms and concern about job losses. In a front page commentary on Tuesday, the People's Liberation Army Daily admitted that "everything is hard in the beginning", and urged the military to unite behind Xi. "We must keep the mission and our responsibility firmly in mind," it said. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by SImon Cameron-Moore) A Chinese gaming firm has bought a controlling stake in the hugely popular US gay dating app Grindr, despite homosexuality remaining a sensitive subject in the Asian giant. Grindr, which calls itself "the largest network for gay men in the world", has millions of users globally. It is renowned for facilitating hook-ups, helping potential partners connect via photos, messaging and location details. Its search criteria include body type, ethnicity or "Tribe": Bear, Clean-Cut, Daddy, Discreet, Geek, Jock, Leather, Otter, Poz, Rugged, Trans or Twink. Beijing Kunlun Tech's soared 10 percent -- its daily limit -- on the Shenzhen stock exchange on Tuesday after it announced the $93 million deal. Grindr is already available in China, and in a statement to the exchange Kunlun Tech -- one of China's biggest designers and operators of online games -- suggested it might be interested in the company as much for its networking technology, as for its particular niche specialisation. "This investment in a social networking platform will further improve the company's strategic layout in the global Internet market," the statement said. It added that its own experience operating Internet products in overseas markets, such as games, would help Grindr's business grow. Los Angeles-based Grindr was founded in 2009 and the gay dating application -- versions of which are tailored for Apple or Android devices -- says it has more than two million daily active users in 196 countries. Its 10 most active territories do not include China, where it competes with other foreign gay dating apps such as Jack'd as well as hugely popular homegrown options such as Blued and Zank, which sport interfaces similar to their international counterparts. Blued says its app has been downloaded by 17 million users in mainland China, and another five million overseas. - 'Vote of confidence' - China only officially decriminalised homosexuality in 1997, and listed it as a mental illness for another four years. Story continues More recently tolerance has grown in larger Chinese cities, but conservative attitudes remain deeply engrained and discrimination against gays and lesbians is common. In a company blog post, Grindr founder and chief executive Joel Simkhai touted the investment as "a huge vote of confidence in our vision to connect gay men to even more of the world around them". The six-year-old start-up agreed to the purchase to accelerate growth and improve the mobile application for its users, according to Simkhai. Simkhai founded Grindr with his own money and said it was the first time the firm had sold shares to an outside investor. The deal -- which is subject to US anti-trust approval -- is for a 60 percent stake in Grindr, and Kunlun Tech will appoint three of the five members the US app's board, including its billionaire head Zhou Yahui, who will become its chairman. Tuesday's share price jump took Kunlun Tech's market capitalisation to 1.13 billion yuan ($170 million). By John Whitesides and Alana Wise DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called on Monday for an end to raids by U.S. officials to deport undocumented Central American families, saying they were divisive and sowing fear in immigrant communities. Breaking with President Barack Obama, Clinton condemned the raids carried out by the Department of Homeland Security and released a plan that she said would help protect Central American families seeking asylum. "I do not think the raids are an appropriate tool to enforce the immigration laws. In fact, I think they are divisive, they are sowing discord and fear," Clinton said at the Iowa Brown and Black forum on minority issues. Rivals for the Democratic nomination Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley have both spoken out against the raids, and participated in the forum. Clinton had been slower to distance herself from the policy, though it has been condemned by many immigration groups and Democrats in Congress. As she spoke at the forum, Clinton's campaign released a statement and paper calling for a stop to the raids. It also advocated government-funded counsels for all unaccompanied minors in immigration court and a long-term, comprehensive fix to asylum and refugee programs that would include more officers, translators and immigration judges, as well as investment in development in Central America. "If the United States takes the lead in organizing a regional coalition to respond to this crisis, I believe we can make a serious difference," Clinton said in a statement. Polls show Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination in the November election, is clinging to a narrow lead over Sanders in Iowa, which kicks off the nominating race on Feb. 1. The polls show she trails him in the next state to vote, New Hampshire. The recent raids pursued families with undocumented members, in what some immigration groups viewed as a response by officials to a deter Central Americans flooding across the border in the southwest. Sanders said the United States should be careful in deporting the undocumented back to potentially unstable situations in Central America. "We have a moral responsibility. What refugee status is about is to make sure that people are not forced to return to communities where their lives may be in danger," he told the forum. (Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) TNT's Major Crimes is bringing back a familiar face from The Closer. Curtis Armstrong has been tapped to reprise his role from The Closer as Peter Goldman on spinoff Major Crimes, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Armstrong will first appear in the Feb. 15 winter premiere and return as the attorney who became infamous for having helped bring down former Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick). This time, he's turning his sights on Capt. Sharon Raydor (Mary McDonnell) and Assistant Chief Russell Taylor (Robert Gossett) for their seeming indifference to murder in gangland communities. The role brings Armstrong back to the Turner fold after hosting sibling network TBS' reality comedy King of the Nerds. Armstrong's credits also include playing an attorney on ABC's Scandal and Supernatural. He's repped by Don Buchwald & Associates. Cologne (Germany) (AFP) - As Cologne reels from the New Year's Eve violence against women, it's not just ethnic Germans who worry -- many Turkish migrants also fear crime and tell their host country: don't blame us. Some worry that Germany's record migrant influx is reigniting troubles that Cologne -- a pioneer city in multicultural life, with large-scale labour migration since the 1960s -- thought it had long left behind. "What happened on New Year's Eve was horrible. One group of foreigners did horrible things, and now some Germans think all foreigners are horrible," said Mihriban Findik, a 40-year-old Kurdish woman from Turkey who has lived in Germany for 23 years. She said the violence - in which men described as North African- and Arab-looking groped and robbed hundreds of women -- was no surprise to her, as a single mother working in a tobacco shop in the low-income district of Kalk. "There are many foreign men here, without women, some drink too much, they smoke hash. Men come in and say, 'do you want to go with me?' I know I have to laugh or there'll be trouble." - 'Police abandoned us' - Findik said she often felt vulnerable: "Some come from countries where women are covered and they see women in skirts and go crazy. It has got worse. I didn't used to be scared, but now I am." Many long-established migrants from Turkey say they are as much victims of crime as the majority population. A Turkish kiosk owner fumed that "the police see everything and do nothing. They have abandoned us." "It's been getting worse for two years, the street isn't safe anymore," said the 50-year-old who has been in Germany for 30 years and, like many people discussing the sensitive subject, declined to give his name. "They come in, they terrorise us and steal. Five people come in, one talks to you, the others steal - chocolate, cigarette lighters, whatever," he said, adding that his former 24-hour business now closes at midnight for safety reasons. Story continues He said he wasn't worried about the new refugees from Syria and other war zones, but thuggish groups from some North African countries who arrived years ago via EU countries. - Pepper spray sold out - "I dont have a problem with the refugees, they should stay," he said. North of Cologne lies Chorweiler, a district of 1970s era public housing tower blocks, home to over 100 nationalities, where many balconies have satellite dishes to receive foreign language TV. One resident, Ijaz Khan, 29, born in Germany to Pakistani parents, said he had felt a darkening mood since New Year's Eve, especially as he commutes to his hotel barkeeper job downtown. "To some people I might look North African, and I've noticed people on the train look at the empty seats next to me and keep walking, probably thinking I could be one of them." Having spent a decade of his childhood in Pakistan, he said he wasn't surprised that faraway conflicts would eventually come to haunt Europe. "If you stir a hornets' nest, hornets come out," he said. As global refugee flows have risen sharply, he voiced fears that his German home city now could backslide on past gains in cultural diversity and tolerance. "In Cologne we've always lived quite well together, it's a bit like a big village," he said. "My best friend is German. Integration has worked relatively well here. There are many mixed marriages. "But New Year's Eve has shaken all that. I've seen people approach each other differently, with different eyes, especially when you look different." "The shops are all out of pepper spray. Women have bought up all the supplies." Yet, he said he couldn't blame people for feeling insecure, especially at the central railway station, where there are drug dealers and 'dancers' -- pickpockets who con passers-by with sing-song and jovial hugs and steal their wallets. "The police have ignored all this for years," he said, adding that he was shocked but not surprised by the New Year's Eve troubles. "I think it was a mix - thieves, dancers, asylum-seekers, I don't know," he said. "Some of them come from countries where everything is forbidden and think that here everything goes, that German police are soft. I think alcohol played a big role too. "I think everything just came together. Everyone just thought they could do what they want." Berlin (AFP) - Authorities in the German city of Cologne said Tuesday that the number of criminal complaints arising from a rash of violence targeting women on New Year's Eve had risen to 561. At the start of the week, prosecutors had reported 516 police reports by alleged victims of groups of men of "Arab or North African appearance" who groped and robbed women in a large crowd of revellers in the city centre. Two rapes were also reported. "That represents a slight rise in the total," a spokesman for the public prosecutor's office in the western city told AFP. He said the 561 complaints covered 653 alleged criminal offences. In previous reports, authorities had said that about 45 percent of the crimes were of a sexual nature. Authorities told DPA news agency that criminal probes had been opened against 12 North African suspects, of whom five were being held in custody. The case has inflamed tensions in Germany, which took in nearly 1.1 million asylum seekers in 2015, mainly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, and put pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel for her welcoming stance toward refugees fleeing war. Havana (AFP) - Cuba's top diplomat for US affairs said Tuesday she cannot imagine the next president of the United States undoing the historic rapprochement the two countries embarked on under Barack Obama. "I can't imagine a new president, whoever it is, deciding to break off relations with Cuba and close the (US) embassy," said Josefina Vidal, the Cuban foreign ministry's top official for US affairs, in an interview published by Cuban state news agency ACN. She admitted however that the November 8 elections in the United States introduce an element of uncertainty to the thaw between the communist island and its long-time Cold War foe. "There are other issues where they could backtrack, such as cooperation in different areas," she said. The crowded field of Republican presidential candidates has been nearly unanimous in its hostility toward Obama's decision to restore ties with Cuba after more than five decades, while the Democratic candidates back the move. Vidal said the rapprochement was not yet "irreversible," and warned that the next US president could revoke some of Obama's executive orders to ease restrictions on Cuba or simply "devoid them of meaning via inaction." She urged Washington to move faster on lowering economic and trade barriers -- a reference to the crippling embargo in place since 1962, which Obama has failed to persuade the Republican-controlled Congress to lift. As he approaches the end of his term, Obama has indicated he is keen to visit Cuba, but insists such a visit would hinge on the communist regime curbing crack-downs on political dissent. San Jose (AFP) - A group of 180 Cuban migrants is to fly from Costa Rica to El Salvador on Tuesday, blazing a trail thousands of their compatriots stranded in Central America hope will see all of them securing new lives in the United States. The "pilot" scheme worked out between the governments of several countries in the region will see the 180 arriving in El Salvador to be put on buses to cross neighboring Guatemala to the Mexican border. They will then have a 20-day Mexican visa to find their own way to the border with America. They are allowed to cross that frontier under a US law passed nearly 50 years ago, during the Cold War, that specifically welcomes refugees fleeing Communist-ruled Cuba. If no problems arise, a second flight with a similar number will leave Costa Rica a week later. "We are doing this in stages. We need to create experience, to build confidence. We need to guarantee that all goes well," said Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel Gonzalez. - Closed land borders - The hope for nearly 8,000 other Cubans stranded in Costa Rica is that the air bridge will continue afterwards. The main condition to get a place on the flights is that the migrants pay for plane-and-bus trip themselves: $535 each. That is a fortune for Cubans coming from a homeland where the monthly state wage is a meager $20. Most of the migrants sold everything they had to pay for flights to Ecuador and for "coyotes" -- slang for people smugglers -- to get them across Colombia and into Central America. That clandestine path got blocked in November, when Costa Rica busted a people-smuggling ring they had been depending on, then Nicaragua -- a Cuban ally -- steadfastly refused to let any of them cross its border. That bottleneck on the narrow Central American isthmus saw the thousands of Cubans pile into Costa Rica with no route north. A frustrated Costa Rica itself blocked the entry into its territory of any more Cubans from December 19, leading to Panama finding itself caring for 2,000 Cuban migrants unable to cross the border. Story continues Costa Rica pleaded with other Central American countries to accept an air bridge skipping over Nicaragua to allow the Cubans on its soil a way out. After multiple rejections -- including initially from El Salvador -- the nascent flight deal emerged two weeks ago, in coordination with the International Organization for Migration. - 'Joy' over flight - A plane owned by the Colombia-based airline Avianca has been chartered to fly the group of Cubans out of Costa Rica's northern city of Liberia late Tuesday, at 10:25 pm (0425 GMT). An hour later, it will disembark in El Salvador's capital. Buses will take the Cubans to the town of La Hachadura, on the border with Guatemala, then across that country to Tecun Uman, on the border with Mexico. Other Cubans stranded in Costa Rica believe the air-and-land experiment will eventually lead to them also making it to America. "It was a moment of great joy when they told us some of us will be able to get out. I wanted to be in the first group but I wasn't in charge of that decision," said Henry Roque, a 42-year-old Cuban doctor. Roque intends to get to Miami, where his brother is living. He found himself stuck in Costa Rica when Nicaragua closed its border and posted police and soldiers along it. In Tuesday mornings New York Times, conservative columnist David Brooks published a punishing attack on Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Under the headline The Brutalism of Ted Cruz, Brooks went after the GOP presidential candidate for his fear-driven, apocalypse-based campaign style. Cruz has made strong inroads with evangelical Christian voters, Brooks notes, But in his career and public presentation, Cruz is a stranger to most of what would generally be considered the Christian virtues: humility, mercy, compassion and grace. Related: Bushs Awkward and Unfunny Ad Attacks Rubios Boots In Cruzs campaign speeches as in his approach to politics in general, says Brooks, He sows bitterness, influences his followers to lose all sense of proportion and teaches them to answer hate with hate. Whew. One imagines Brooks, red-faced and breathing heavily, having to straighten his repp tie when he finished with that one. Yet its hard to argue with many of his conclusions. Anyone who has seen or heard Cruz speak in public will recognize that angry, apocalyptic tone. However, Brooks appears to have hung the entire article on a misunderstanding of Cruzs role in a court case that he argued as Solicitor General of Texas. The defendant in the case, Michael Wayne Haley, was charged with shoplifting a calculator from Walmart, but instead of being given a punishment proportionate to this relatively minor crime, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison due to a misapplication of the states habitual offender laws. Related: Trump Plays the Birther Card on Cruz and Its Working When the mistake was brought to the attention of the Texas legal system, rather than admit error and release Haley, Texas argued that Haley should be required to serve out the full term. Ted Cruz was solicitor general of Texas at the time, Brooks writes. Instead of just letting Haley go for time served, Cruz took the case to the Supreme Court to keep Haley in prison for the full 16 years. Story continues The thing is, the decision wasnt really Cruzs to make. The decision to keep appealing the Haley case all the way to the Supreme Court belonged to then-Attorney General, and now Governor, Greg Abbott. Consider it this way: When the Obama administration refused to defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court, was the uproar directed at Solicitor General Donald Verrilli? Or at his boss, Attorney General Eric Holder? Related: Cruz Demands Information on the Parents of Accused Terrorists The Office of Solicitor General of the state of Texas, according to the office itself, was expressly modeled after the Office of the Solicitor General at the U.S. Department of Justice It handles appeals on behalf of the state of Texas, but does not ultimately choose what appeals will be pursued. Now, Brooks could argue that Cruz ought to have refused to argue the Haley case at all. He can (and does) argue that he should have avoided arguing in favor of keeping a man in prison unjustly because of the precedent it might set, even while acknowledging that he had been sentenced in error. But he cant argue that it was Cruzs decision to appeal the case to the Supreme Court in the first place. In this case, Cruz was just following orders. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: By Adnan Abidi ARJUNI, India (Reuters) - Mahettar Ram Tandon is still proud of the indelible message he carries almost five decades after he had the name of the Hindu god Ram tattooed over his entire body. Dressed in a simple white lungi, a traditional Indian garment, and wearing a peacock feather hat called a "mukut", Tandon is part of the Ramnami Samaj religious movement in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, one of India's poorest regions. "It was my new birth the day I started having the tattoos," he says. "The old me had died." To see the photo story, click: http://reut.rs/1Znwo0E Denied entry to temples and forced to use separate wells, low-caste Hindus in the Chhattisgarh first tattooed their bodies and faces more than 100 years ago as an act of defiance and devotion. Ramnamis wrote Ram's name on their bodies as a message to higher-caste Indians that god was everywhere, regardless of a persons caste or social standing. Now 76, Tandon's purple tattoos have faded over decades under the harsh sun of his village of Jamgahan. In the nearby village of Gorba, Punai Bai, 75, spent more than two weeks aged 18 having her full body tattooed using dye made from mixing soot from a kerosene lamp with water. "God is for everybody, not just for one community," says Bai, who lives in a one-room house with her son, daughter-in law and two grandchildren. Nowadays the tattoos of Ramnamis, who number 100,000 or more and live in dozens of villages spread across at least four districts of Chhattisgarh state, are usually on a smaller scale. Since the banning of caste-based discrimination in India in 1955, the lives of many lower-caste Indians have improved, villagers said. As young Ramnamis today also travel to other regions to study and look for work, younger generations usually avoid full-body tattoos. "The young generation just don't feel good about having tattoos on their whole body," says Tandon, who has always lived in his village of small mud houses surrounded by fields of grazing cattle, wheat and rice. "That doesn't mean they don't follow the faith." Children born in the community are still required to be tattooed somewhere on their body, preferably on their chest, at least once by the age of two. According to their religious practices, Ramnamis do not drink or smoke, must chant the name "Ram" daily and are exhorted to treat everybody with equality and respect. Almost every Ramnami household owns a copy of the Ramayana epic, a book on Lord Rama's life and teachings, along with small statues of Indian deities. Most followers' homes in these villages have "Ram Ram" written in black on the outer and inner walls. Despite the 1955 legislation, centuries-old feudal attitudes persist in many parts of India and low-caste people, or Dalits, still face prejudice in every sector from education to employment. Tandon is optimistic about the Ramnamis' relative change in fortunes since he had his body tattooed all those years ago. "The world is changing, the times are changing," he says. "We have all realized that we are all the same." (Reporting by Adnan Abidi, writing by Brian McGee; Editing by Gareth Jones) Celebrated directors Guillermo del Toro and Ang Lee will announce the 88th Academy Awards nominations alongside actor and director John Krasinski on Thursday, January 14. Six weeks ahead of the Oscar ceremony on Sunday February 28th, nominations in 24 categories will be announced at 5.30am local time (1.30pm UTC) from the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverley Hills, January 14, 2016. Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, Oscar nominated in 2007 for "Pan's Labyrinth," will take to the stage with Taiwanese-born Ang Lee, a three-time winner with "Life of Pi," "Brokeback Mountain," and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Together, the pair will announce nominations in a dozen categories, including Animated Feature Film, Documentary Feature, and a host of craft awards. Following them will be John Krasinski, best known for portraying commercial department prankster Jim Halpert in the US version of "The Office." Krasinski and the Academy's president, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, will announce the remaining 12 categories, including those for best actor, actress, supporting actor and actress, best director, and best picture. A live stream will be made available from oscars.org/live. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Democrat Bernie Sanders voted on Tuesday in favor of a bill that would require audits of Federal Reserve monetary policy decisions, his campaign said in a statement following the vote. Sanders said he supports the bill because too much of the U.S. central bank's business is conducted in secret. "Requiring the Government Accountability Office to conduct a full and independent audit of the Fed each and every year, would be an important step towards making the Federal Reserve a more democratic institution that is responsive to the needs of ordinary Americans rather than the billionaires on Wall Street," Sanders said in the statement. (Reporting by Megan Cassella and Caren Bohan; Editing by David Alexander) By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - English doctors staged their first strike in 40 years on Tuesday over government plans to reform pay and conditions for working anti-social hours, in a move health chiefs have warned could put patients' lives at risk. Junior doctors, or doctors in training, who represent just over half of all doctors in the state-funded National Health Service (NHS), said they would only deliver emergency care during the 24-hour walkout. The government expects some 4,000 non-emergency operations to be cancelled during the stoppage, the first industrial action by doctors since 1975, as picket lines went up outside some hospitals. The doctors are planning a 48-hour stoppage later this month and a full withdrawal of labour, including emergency care, for nine hours on Feb. 10. "This strike is not necessary, it will be damaging," Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday. "We will do everything we can to mitigate its effects but you cannot have a strike on this scale in our NHS without real difficulties for patients and potentially worse." The NHS, which delivers free care for all and accounts for a third of government spending on public services, is typically one of the most important issues for voters during elections and one which is often regarded as an Achilles' heel for Cameron's Conservatives. Recent struggles during winter have also led to concerns as to whether the NHS has been adequately funded to maintain high standards. Ninety-eight percent of more than 37,000 junior doctors in England voted for strikes in protest against a new employment contract Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has proposed. Doctors in the rest of Britain are not involved. Most people in England are supportive of the strikes, as long as emergency care is still provided, according to an Ipsos MORI poll for BBC Newsnight and the Health Service Journal. The survey of 869 adults in England found 66 percent were supportive, with 41 percent strongly supportive. Only 16 percent were against the strikes. The new contract is part of moves by the government to deliver what it says will be a consistent service seven days a week with studies showing mortality rates are higher at weekends when staffing is reduced. The new deal would see doctors given a pay rise but some anti-social hours for which they are currently paid a premium would be considered to be standard. The doctors' union the British Medical Association (BMA) said the contract does not provide proper safeguards against doctors working dangerously long hours. The dispute has led to an increasingly bitter war of words, with Hunt accusing some within the BMA of using strikes as a political opportunity to attack the Conservative government "that they hate". (Editing by Stephen Addison) Its tempting to say the Republican Party is letting Nikki Haley audition for the vice presidential slot later this year when the South Carolina governor delivers the GOP response to President Obamas State of the Union speech Tuesday night. The comely, 43-year old Indian-American Republican commanded national attention last June when she led her state in mourning after a young white supremacist killed nine black parishioners at an historic Charleston church. She then galvanized Republican and Democratic state officials to support legislation to remove the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the state capitol. Related: How One Tragic Event Could Change Nikki Haleys Political Future "I'm really excited about this," House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-WI) told CNN yesterday in previewing Haleys speech. "If you want to hear an inclusive leader who's visionary, who's got a path for the future, who's brought people together, who's unified, it's Nikki Haley." Since her sterling performance and unifying speeches that captured the nations attention, Haley has begun once again to pop up on lists of likely vice presidential running mates as the 2016 GOP presidential campaign began to heat up. With her political profile as the first woman and the first racial minority to become governor of a deeply conservative state, Haley struck many as a natural to help the national party reach out to women, young voters and Tea Party types who helped launch her unlikely political career. But some political experts say that Haleys record and performance as governor has been far less successful and dynamic than many outsiders would assume, especially in terms of her legislative achievements relating to government reform, the budget, highway construction and other issues. In South Carolina, theres a lot of concern about animosity between her and the legislature, and that when it comes to listing a number of significant accomplishments in office, its hard to find stuff, David Woodard, a Clemson University political scientist and GOP political consultant, said in an interview Monday. But a lot of politics is symbolic, and she certainly seems to fit what people are looking for nowadays, Woodard added. Story continues Related: Joni Ernsts GOP Response: Earnest and on Point Whether Haleys star turn delivering the nationally televised GOP State of the Union response will enhance her appeal on the national stage as a possible running mate for the ultimate GOP presidential nominee remains to be seen. However, there are certainly a number of serious caveats for anyone considering using it to catapult to higher office. Last year, freshman Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa was handpicked by the leadership to deliver the formal response to Obamas address after winning election by campaigning as a down-home farm girl with military service. Ernst proved to be a good choice, and she delivered her speech without any gaffes that have dogged other politicians who delivered the GOP response in the past. Freshman Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, dubbed The Republican Savior by Time magazine, got dry mouth while delivering his response in February 2013 and gulped water slightly off camera while delivering his speech. Former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindals Feb. 24, 2009 response to Obamas first major address to Congress in the wake of a terrible hurricane that clobbered his state was so weak and tentative that it nearly destroyed Jindals career. Haley may be too smooth to repeat those mistakes as she reaches out to a larger audience. Yet from a strictly national political perspective, the two-term governor may not be what Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas or any of the other top tier presidential candidates will be looking for. Related: South Carolinas Confederate Flag Joins Museum Collection There was a time when political analysts were calling the 2016 GOP presidential campaign the Year of the Governors because of the dominance of current and former governors in the field. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Jindal, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and so on were expected to excite voters with their substantial hands-on government experience. Yet it turned out to be the year of the political outsiders and anti-establishment candidates people like Trump and former neurosurgeon Ben Carson who captured the fancy of conservative Republican voters. Its not clear at all that yet another governor like Haley with an uneven record of accomplishments is just what the presidential nominee will be looking for. In 2010, Haley was elected governor on a conservative platform strongly backed by the Tea Party, succeeding Republican Mark Sanford, a close ally at the time. During the 2012 presidential campaign, Haley frequently turned up on lists of GOP vice presidential possibilities, although Republican nominee Mitt Romney ultimately picked Ryan ahead of Haley and a dozen others who were thought to be in the running. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: By Marko Phiri TSHOLOTSHO, Zimbabwe (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Justin Dlomo watches his small herd of emaciated cattle scrounge for bits of dry grass with a growing sense of dread. "I don't even know what to do anymore," he says. Worsening drought in Zimbabwe has dried up water holes, crops and pasture, leaving farmers like 56-year-old Dlomo, who lives about 120 kilometres north of Bulawayo, unable to feed their animals and unable to sell them for much either. "We are all selling off our livestock. Better that than watch the cattle die," Dlomo told Thomson Reuters Foundation. But because so many desperate farmers now have animals on the market, a cow that used to sell for $500 now fetches just $150 or in some places as little as $50 from buyers in the cities. As climate change strengthens, drought is becoming more frequent and severe in southern Africa, and that combined with this years El Nino phenomenon is taking a heavy toll on rural lives and economies, experts say. "Water sources have dried up and we are drinking from the same reservoirs with our cattle," Dlomo said. Zimbabwe is one of many countries feeling the strain of El Nino, which has dried up rainfall across southern Africa over the last year, killing crops, disrupting hydropower production and forcing local water authorities to enforce stringent water rationing in some areas. When facing drought in the past, Dlomo would have moved his cattle to another neighbouring region with more rainfall. But this time the drought is widespread, he said. "We cannot move our cattle anymore. There is no grass everywhere," Dlomo said. THOUSANDS DYING Livestock experts say parched pastures are causing the deaths of thousands of cattle across the country. Last year, the agriculture ministry's livestock department estimated that the national cattle herd stood at 5.3 million animals, down from over 6 million in 2014. In one district in Masvingo province last year, more than a thousand cattle died because of drought, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. Last week, the meteorological services department announced that the country should not expect any rain in the coming month, putting a further strain on livestock farmers. According to the agriculture ministry, Zimbabwe is experiencing its worst drought since one in 1991-1992 that killed more than one million cattle. However, while the World Food Programme said last month that millions of Zimbabweans will require food assistance this year, Dlomo said there is no assistance in sight for his dying livestock. "We have not seen anyone here coming to offer solutions to our plight. It's like a punishment from God," Dlomo said. Simangaliphi Ngwabi, the agriculture ministry's chief livestock specialist in Matebeleland South province, said there was little water or pasture for cattle in the region, as dry conditions continue across the country. The livestock department estimates that more than 350,000 cattle may face death due to drought in Matebeleland South. Last month, the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization said it would provide subsidised livestock feed to small-scale farmers in four districts of hard-hit Matebeleland South province as hundreds of cattle succumbed to El Nino-worsened drought. PLANNING AHEAD? Last year, amid another season of poor rainfall in the country's southwest, Paddy Zhanda, the deputy agriculture minister in charge of livestock told farmers to sell their livestock to avoid losses. By cutting herds, farmers would earn something from their cattle instead of losing them to drought, he said. However, Naboth Chuma, a livestock researcher at Chinhoyi University of Technology, said farmers facing more frequent drought need to make plans to prepare for it including storing cattle feed before animals start dying. "When a drought occurs it is never a sudden thing," Chuma said. "What is required is for government and aid agencies to work with these usually resource-challenged farmers to help them stock enough feed for their animals. The unfortunate part is that there are competing needs for both humans and livestock and it is cattle that suffer," he said. Deputy minister Zhanda has told farmers that they must find solutions to the livestock crisis and not wait for the cash-strapped government to intervene. "We are still praying for rain. It is the only thing that will save us," Dlomo said. (Reporting by Marko Phiri; editing by Laurie Goering :; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, women's rights, trafficking and corruption. Visit www.trust.org/climate) Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - Europe's top rights court on Tuesday condemned Turkey for dissolving a moderate pro-Kurdish political party in 2009 for alleged ties to PKK rebels, saying the party did not promote violence nor warrant such a severe sanction. The judges ruled that Turkey had violated the right to freedom of assembly and association by ordering the dissolution of the Party for a Democratic Society (DTP), part of the pro-Kurdish left-wing movement, which lost its seats in parliament, the European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) said in a statement. The Turkish government's reasons for dissolving DPT stem from its decades-long battle with rebels of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) who initially sought independence for the Kurdish-majority southeast, but over the years have narrowed their demands to greater autonomy and cultural rights. But the ECHR said the reasons for "the DTP's dissolution, one of the main political actors which had argued in favour of a peaceful solution to the Kurdish problem, could not be regarded as sufficient to justify the interference in its right to freedom of association," the statement said. It added that none of DTP's political projects were "incompatible with the concept of a democratic society." The judges also ruled that Turkey was in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights in denying the party's two co-presidents -- Ahmet Turk and Aysek Tugluck -- their parliamentary mandates guaranteed under the right to free elections. The court noted that the leaders' speeches did not encourage "the use of violence, armed resistence or insurrection." The judges' unanimous decision found that while Turkey criticised the DTP for not openly distancing itself from some members' "indirect support of terrorism", the failure to act was not a reason to justify "a sanction of such severity as the dissolution of an entire party". In March 2009, the DTP had garnered 5.7 percent of the vote in local elections, becoming a Kurdish political force in Turkey and the first in the southeast. Turkey has three months to contest the ruling and request a new review of the case. By Margarita Antidze TBILISI (Reuters) - The Council of Europe told Georgia on Tuesday to improve its justice system, saying it was worried by allegations the authorities were abusing the law to conduct a politically-motivated crackdown on the opposition. The criticism from the pan-European human rights body comes at a sensitive time for Georgia as it seeks to boost its drive to move closer to NATO and the European Union after Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea in 2014. Georgia fought and lost a brief war with Russia in 2008 that ended with Moscow tightening its control over two breakaway Georgian regions and it is keen to court the West as a potential counter-balance to Russian influence. Nils Muiznieks, human rights commissioner for the Council of Europe, said in a report that Georgia had made some progress in overhauling its justice system, but said long-standing structural problems needed serious attention, particularly with a view to upholding the independence of the judiciary. "The Commissioner is concerned about allegations of politically-motivated measures targeting members of the opposition, especially with regard to the use of pre-trial detention measures against them," he said. Dozens of former officials who served ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, including a former prime minister, have been arrested on charges such as abuse of power and corruption since Saakashvili's government lost power in 2012. Wanted in Georgia on charges he abused his authority, Saakashvili currently lives in Ukraine, where he is the governor of the Odessa region. Western countries have expressed concerns about the behavior of his successors in the past amid allegations from the former president's supporters that they are being subjected to a political witch-hunt. The authorities deny the accusations. Muiznieks also urged the government to tackle intolerance toward sexual minorities and to ease tensions between majority and minority religious groups in mainly Orthodox Christian Georgia. The Council of Europe, based in Strasbourg, France, promotes human rights and democracy in Europe and has 47 member states. (Editing by Andrew Osborn and Richard Balmforth) Beirut (AFP) - Aid groups were in talks Tuesday to evacuate 400 people, many starving, from a besieged Syrian town where the UN said suffering was the worst seen in the nearly five-year-old war. More than two dozen people have reportedly starved to death in Madaya, crippled by a six-month government siege that has made even bread and water hard to find. On Monday, the first trucks of aid in about four months entered the town, delivering desperately needed food and medicine. But hundreds of residents remain in need of urgent care, and humanitarian organisations were working on their evacuation, according to International Committee of the Red Cross spokesman Pawel Krzysiek. "It's a very complicated process that needs permission to realise this humanitarian operation. We are in negotiations with all parties," Krzysiek told AFP. He said the ICRC, the United Nations and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent were all "working on" the evacuation process. UN aid chief Stephen O'Brien on Monday called for Syria's government to allow the 400 people to leave the town to receive medical care. "They are in grave peril of losing their lives," O'Brien told reporters after a UN Security Council meeting. Permission for safe access must come from "all the parties who govern any of the routes that need to be deployed, either for the ambulances or for any kind of air rescue," said O'Brien. - 'No comparison' - The level of suffering in Madaya has no precedent in Syria's war, the UN refugee agency's representative in Syria said. "There is no comparison in what we saw in Madaya," Sajjad Malik told journalists in Geneva, when asked to compare the devastation in the town to other areas in Syria. He had travelled to Madaya on Monday along with the UN's aid convoy, and expressed shock at the devastation in the town. "There are people in Madaya, but no life. What we saw in Madaya should not happen in this century," Malik said. "We want to make sure the siege is lifted and this is not a one-off." Story continues Syria's envoy to the UN dismissed reports of civilians dying of hunger as fabricated, insisting that the Syrian government "is not and will not exert any policy of starvation on its own people". Ambassador Bashar Jaafari said the reports were aimed at "demonising" the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Madaya is part of a six-month UN-brokered truce reached in September that also includes the nearby rebel-held town of Zabadani, and Fuaa and Kafraya, two government-controlled towns in Syria's northwest. The agreement foresaw an end to hostilities in the four towns in exchange for humanitarian aid and some evacuations. A UN official said "one or two more aid deliveries" to the towns would be carried out in the coming days. Similar local ceasefires have been reached elsewhere in Syria, and typically require rebels to lay down their weapons in exchange for allowing in assistance to inhabitants living under siege. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) welcomed the calls for the evacuation of hundreds from Madaya but said a long-term solution was needed. "The medics in Madaya are not equipped for technical hospitalisation of really critical cases," it said in an emailed statement. Therefore, it was necessary to evacuate "critically malnourished and sick patients" from the town. But "MSF wants to know what will happen next week, or next month, for critically ill patients." "Will they have a medical evacuation option? A one-off humanitarian visit and then a return to siege-starvation will not be acceptable," the statement said. Elsewhere in Syria, government troops backed by pro-regime forces on Tuesday advanced into the main rebel bastion in the northwest province of Latakia, the coastal heartland of Assad's clan. The push into Salma, which has been held by rebel groups for more than three years, was reported by both the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor and state news agency SANA. Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the British-based monitor, said pro-government forces were locked in fierce fighting with rebels including Islamist hardliners Ahrar al-Sham and Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front. By Alison Frankel (Reuters) - Among the more than 140 plaintiffs' lawyers competing to lead private litigation against Volkswagen over its emissions cheating scandal is former U.S. Senator and Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate John Edwards. Edwards, who was a trial lawyer in North Carolina before his political career was felled by a sex scandal, sent a letter to U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer of San Francisco last Friday, asking to be appointed to the powerful plaintiffs' steering committee. "This case has ingredients I've spent my life working on," Edwards told Reuters in an interview on Monday. The litigation against Volkswagen, he said, requires trial expertise, regulatory know-how and a global perspective. In his letter, Edwards highlighted his acquaintance with foreign heads of state, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel. His work with international leaders, he said, gives him "a deep understanding of the global impact" of cases like Volkswagen's. A Volkswagen representative did not immediately respond to an email request for comment. Plaintiffs lawyers view the Volkswagen case as a potential goldmine. The litigation in San Francisco is a consolidation of hundreds of class actions filed on behalf of more than 500,000 owners and lease-holders of Volkswagen diesel vehicles. Lawyers for individual car owners have said their clients expect the automaker to repurchase cars allegedly marketed with false claims about toxic emissions and fuel efficiency. They have also said they will seek punitive damages against Volkswagen, which has admitted that it installed software to allow 580,000 vehicles to emit up to 40 times legally allowable pollution. An appointment as lead counsel or as a member of the steering committee means the lawyer's firm will play a key strategic role in the case. Lead lawyers typically have a say in how court-awarded legal fees are divided among plaintiffs firms. Story continues Edwards returned to the practice of law in 2013 after a federal jury in North Carolina acquitted him of accepting illegal campaign contributions. Edwards had been charged in 2011 in connection with nearly $1 million in contributions that were allegedly intended to cover up an extramarital affair he conducted while he was running for president in 2008. The jury did not reach a verdict on all charges at Edwards' 2012 trial but the Justice Department dropped remaining counts. Edwards' firm, Edwards Kirby, has offices in North Carolina, California and Washington, D.C., and handles mostly high-profile North Carolina wrongful death lawsuits, he said. Edwards has been involved in a New York federal antitrust lawsuit over alleged manipulation of a benchmark for crude oil prices and was scheduled to try a 2015 bellwether case against C.R. Bard in the consolidated litigation over transvaginal mesh. That case settled before trial. His Volkswagen lead counsel application acknowledged his dearth of experience in running enormous class actions like this case, and noted that "other applicants have significantly more." Other well-known lawyers seeking to join the VW steering committee include David Boies, who has represented same-sex couples, Presidential candidate Al Gore and the now-defunct music file-sharing service Napster at the U.S. Supreme Court. Boies was appointed in 2015 to serve on the steering committee in litigation over General Motors' ignition switch defect and Takata Corp's allegedly defective airbags. Many of the lawyers who submitted applications to lead the Volkswagen litigation have previously run big-ticket cases. Among them are the chief plaintiffs' negotiator in BP PLC's $5 billion settlement of claims from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, lawyers who led a $1.1 billion case against Toyota Motor Corp over an alleged sudden acceleration defect, and plaintiffs' counsel in several antitrust class actions that have ended with settlements of hundreds of millions of dollars. POTENTIAL GOLDMINE If car owners eventually reach a global settlement with Volkswagen, the legal fees could be enormous. In litigation over Toyota's alleged sudden acceleration defect, for instance, lawyers were awarded $200 million in 2013, nearly 20 percent of the automaker's $1.1 billion settlement. Lawyers who negotiated a $5.7 billion antitrust settlement with Visa and MasterCard in 2012 are slated to receive $545 million in fees. Fees will be lower if Volkswagen resolves owners' claims outside of the consolidated U.S. litigation. The company has named victims compensation expert Kenneth Feinberg to create a settlement program that will operate independently from the court case. There is also a possibility that Volkswagen will try to settle claims of U.S. car owners through Dutch, German or British proceedings. Edwards said if he is chosen for the steering committee in the U.S. case he will fit right in, despite his celebrity. Last month, he attended the first pre-trial hearing in the case. "I knew a big percentage of the people in the courtroom, from my legal practice and from running for president," he said. "It was a great chance to catch up." Judge Breyer has scheduled a hearing on steering committee applications for Jan. 21 and said he will appoint lead lawyers as soon as possible after that. By Hyunjoo Jin SEOUL (Reuters) - Hyundai Motor Co is planning to build the new version of its Accent small car at a Mexican plant owned by sister company Kia Motors next year, two people familiar with the matter said, shifting some output of the low-margin vehicle out of high-cost South Korea. The Accent would be the first Hyundai car to be made in Mexico, giving the automaker access to the country's cheap labor that along with its proximity to the North American and South American markets has attracted so many of its rivals. "As labor costs in Mexico are just one fifth of that in Korea, Hyundai will be able to save a lot in small car production and better compete with rivals which have manufacturing presence in Mexico," said Ko Tae-bong, auto analyst at Hi Investment & Securities. Accent production in South Korea, where small car demand has been sluggish, would fall by roughly half, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said. But he added that the move is likely to be offset by plans to build a new higher-margin subcompact SUV at home - a sign that the automaker is unwilling to antagonize its strike-prone workforce. Hyundai plans to start production of the new Accent in Mexico in July 2017 and build 20,000 of them that year, said the person, adding that it aims to make 76,000 in 2018 and 100,000 the year after. He also said Kia plans to build its Rio subcompact at the Mexican factory, which is set to begin operating in May with production of the Forte compact. The sources declined to be identified because they were not authorized to speak on the matter publicly. In an emailed response to Reuters' inquiries, Hyundai said it is considering building Hyundai vehicles at Kia's Mexican factory but nothing has been decided. The automaker also said it is considering introducing subcompact SUV models in South Korea, the United States and Europe. It currently only has subcompact SUV models in markets such as China and India but the segment has become increasingly popular with consumers in more developed economies too. High labor costs and the small size of the domestic market have discouraged Hyundai and Kia from adding capacity in South Korea for over a decade. Demand for subcompact cars has been weak, with Hyundai exporting 94 percent of the Accents made at home and Kia shipping 97 percent of its Rio production overseas. Last year, Hyundai sold 61,486 Accents in the United States, and 18,280 in South Korea. Hyundai and Kia made 44 percent of their vehicles at home in 2014, according to IHS analyst Ian Park. The research firm predicts that South Korea, which ranks fifth in global car production, will cede its position to India in 2017 and then fall behind Mexico the following year. (Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Tony Munroe and Edwina Gibbs) By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS - Three Italian consumer organizations have urged EU antitrust regulators to investigate McDonald's franchise system in Europe, a month after the opening of an EU inquiry into the U.S. fast food company's tax deals with Luxembourg. Codacons, Movimento Difesa del Cittadino and Cittadinanzattiva filed their complaint with the European Commission on Monday, urging the EU competition enforcer to step in and look at a system, which they alleged was anti-competitive. "The system construed by McDonald's raises strong concerns under antitrust laws," the group said in its 46-page complaint seen by Reuters. Franchising is a key business model for the world's largest fast food chain. The company made $9.27 billion in revenues from its franchised restaurants worldwide last year, accounting for about a third of overall turnover. Franchisees operate about 75 percent of McDonald's outlets in Europe. At issue are 20-year contracts which are twice as long as most other franchises, a requirement that licensees lease premises from McDonald's at above-market rates and conditions hindering them from switching to competitors, the group says. "McDonald's exercises an excessive and disproportionate control on its franchisees by implementing conditions that exceed without justification what is required for the protection of its system, its know-how and reputation," the group said. It said the restrictions hinder competition and lead to consumers paying higher prices in franchised restaurants. It cited a survey which showed 97 percent of menu items cost more in franchises than in company-operated outlets in Bologna, while in Rome the figure was 68 percent and in Paris 71 percent. McDonald's dismissed the criticism. "We are proud of our franchisees and are committed to working closely together so that they have the support they need to operate their restaurants and their businesses," spokeswoman Joanna de Koning said in an email. Story continues "This approach, with the principle of sharing risk and reward, has been successful for many years and has helped create the best business opportunities for our franchisees and the best overall experience for our customers." Commission spokeswoman Lucia Caudet said: "The Commission can confirm it has received the complaint, which it will now look into." The Italian consumer groups are backed by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and European trade unions, whose complaint about suspected tax avoidance by McDonald's prompted the European Commission to open an investigation into its tax arrangements with Luxembourg in December. The Commission is investigating the tax arrangements of multinational companies across the EU. "McDonald's abuse of its dominant market position hurts everyone: franchisees, consumers, and workers. We strongly urge the European Commission to investigate the charges and to use all of its powers to hold McDonald's accountable," SEIU organizing director Scott Courtney said. It is far from certain that the Commission will open a second investigation into the company. Complaints are usually followed by questionnaires sent to companies, after which the regulator determines whether there is cause for further action. (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Philip Blenkinsop and Susan Fenton) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration is failing to ensure that airline pilots maintain their flying skills so they can safely take control of an aircraft from automated systems during an unexpected event, according to a U.S. Transportation Department report released on Monday. The report by the department's Office of the Inspector General concludes that the FAA cannot determine how often pilots fly manually and has not ensured that airline training programs adequately focus on manual skills. Airline pilots typically fly planes manually on landings and take-offs, leaving the aircraft under the control of automated technology 90 percent of the time. While automated systems have generally improved aviation safety, experts say the practice and the growing complexity of automated technology have raised concerns about flying skills. The government watchdog also found that the U.S. aviation regulatory agency lacks the ability to ensure that pilots are fully trained to use and monitor automated flight systems. "The agency is missing important opportunities to ensure that pilots maintain skills needed to safely fly and recover in the event of a failure with flight deck automation or an unexpected event," the report said. An FAA spokesman declined to comment. But he pointed to an FAA memorandum contained in the report, in which the agency shared the inspector general's concerns and said it was developing training guidelines and discussing operations and training with industry stakeholders including airlines, pilots and flight attendants. The National Transportation Safety Board in 2014 found that an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 crashed and caught fire at San Francisco International Airport in 2013 because the pilot lacked critical skills and the flight crew relied too heavily on an automated system it did not fully understand. Three people died and 49 others were seriously injured in the crash. In a separate case, the NTSB said that 49 passengers and crew members aboard a Colgan Air Inc Bombardier DHC-8-400 regional flight died in 2009 after the flight crew failed to monitor the plane's slowing airspeed while on instrument approach to Buffalo-Niagara International Airport in upstate New York. The crew responded incorrectly to an automated warning of an imminent stall. The plane crashed into a residence, killing everyone on board and a man on the ground. (Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Dan Grebler and Leslie Adler) By Melissa Fares (Reuters) - Millions of Americans were discussing President Obama's upcoming State of the Union address on Tuesday on top social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, debating anticipated speech topics such as gun control, terrorism and healthcare. The televised speech before Congress at 9 p.m. EST (0200 GMT on Wednesday), will be one of Obama's few remaining chances to capture and hold the attention of Americans before the election of a new president in November. Following is a breakdown of some of the top trending threads by platform: FACEBOOK In the week leading up to the speech, 15 million people on Facebook discussed the speech - liking, posting, sharing and commenting on related content 54 million times. According to Facebook, the top five related topics were: 1. Guns 2. Islam and Muslims 3. Islamic State 4. Crime and criminal justice 5. Terrorism GOOGLE TRENDS On Google, the top searched policy issues in the week leading up to the speech were: 1. Taxes 2. Education 3. Healthcare 4. Immigration 5. Gun Control TWITTER The State of the Union speech has generated progressively more tweets each year, a Twitter Inc spokesperson said. Between 11:30 p.m. EST Monday (0430 GMT Tuesday) and 11:30 a.m. Tuesday (1630 GMT), about 25,000 tweets had been sent with the popular hashtag #SOTU. Other big trending hashtags included: #POTUS, #Obama, #StateOfTheUnion, #SOTU16 and #EmptySeat, referring to the seat first lady Michelle Obama will keep vacant in her viewing box in memory of gun violence victims. SNAPCHAT Snapchat, the mobile app increasingly favored by users under the age of 25, plans a State of the Union Live Story featuring posts on the speech. That follows Monday's announcement that the White House had made its debut on Snapchat under the handle TheWhiteHouse in a bid to generate more engagement from millennials. The Live Story that ran during the first Republican debate was viewed by nearly twice as many 18- to 24-year-olds on Snapchat than it was on television. Snapchat did not have figures on what discussion topics were trending. (Reporting by Melissa Fares; Editing by Bill Trott) By Anastasia Moloney BOGOTA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010, killed more than 200,000 people, leveled much of the capital Port-au-Prince and left 1.5 million Haitians homeless. As Haitians commemorate the sixth anniversary of the disaster, long-standing political instability and delayed presidential elections continue to undermine reconstruction efforts in the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. "The path to recovery and long-term development is not an easy one," United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement this week. "Many Haitians continue to face multiple challenges, including displacement, food insecurity and lack of access to clean water and sanitation," he said. Below are some facts about what has changed six years after the disaster and the key challenges ahead. * Haiti has struggled to establish democratic rule afterdecades of dictatorship, military coups and election fraud. Adecision last month by Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council topostpone a presidential run-off election between ruling partycandidate Jovenel Moise and former government executive JudeCelestin amid accusations of fraud and irregularitiesexacerbates slow construction efforts. * While most of the rubble has been cleared, many governmentbuildings have yet to be rebuilt. Haiti's parliament is stilloperating in temporary buildings, while the presidential palaceand cathedral remain in ruins. * The sprawling tent cities where hundreds of thousands ofHaitians made homeless by the quake were forced to live in havelargely disappeared. But 45,000 Haitians still live in tents andmake-shift shelters often assembled from bed sheets, tarpaulin,wooden sticks and string, with little or no access to water andsanitation. * An acute shortage of housing continues to be a keychallenge and few new permanent brick homes have been builtsince the quake. * The government estimates Haiti needs up to 500,000 newhomes to make up for the pre-earthquake housing shortage, thosehomes destroyed during the disaster, and demand resulting fromurban growth in the densely populated capital. * A new National Emergency Operations Centre was built afterthe quake to coordinate future disaster response and numerousmaps have been produced highlighting those communities most atrisk from flooding and other disasters, along with aconstruction code to improve construction and ensure buildingscan withstand future tremors. But experts say the 2010 code isnot being enforced and thousands of Haitians in the capitalcontinue to live in informal settlements perched on hilltops. * Even before the quake, land ownership and unclear landtenure was a thorny issue in Haiti, contributing to violence andpoverty in a country where land is concentrated in the hands ofa few big landowners. An incomplete national land registrysystem and unclear land tenure contributes to delays in thebuilding of new homes. * While the government has pledged to make free anduniversal education a priority, primary school enrollment isstill low - at 75 percent. On average, a Haitian aged 25 yearsor older has less than 5 years of schooling. * With half of Haiti's adult population illiterate, raisingliteracy rates remains a key priority. Roughly 75 percent ofchildren at the end of first grade and nearly half of studentsfinishing second grade could not read a single word, accordingto an assessment by the U.S. Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID).Sources: International Organization for Migration (IOM), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) (Reporting By Anastasia Moloney, Editing by Astrid Zweynert) Crude Investors Beware! Crude Might Fall Even Lower (Continued from Prior Part) Impact on Saudi Arabia Arab nations, led by Saudi Arabia, are experiencing less of an impact from terrorism compared to other countries like Syria and Iraq. However, falling crude oil prices could reduce their expenditure on national security. They could be more exposed to terrorist activities in the future. Saudi Arabia also waged a proxy war with Iran in Yemen and Russia (RSX) in Syria. Crude exports account for more than 85% of Saudi Arabias revenue. The economy still isnt diversified. Saudi Arabia is already experiencing a high fiscal deficit. If the war intensifies, it could increase the financial pressure on the country. A leadership crisis in Saudi Arabia? Shias form the majority in Saudi Arabias eastern province. As the economy weakens, it gives the existing Shia community a chance to rebel against the government. The Shias are already complaining about growing discrimination against them. The eastern province accounts for a large portion of the crude oil production. This could fall into the hands of the Shias community in the region. It could impact Saudi Arabias leadership in Riyadh. The above graph shows the Shia and Sunni majority in different provinces in Saudi Arabia. Losing the eastern province could impact the transportation through the waterways to other nations. The above graph shows the Shia majority in the Sunni mainland across the Middle East. Oil marketers based in the US (SPY) like ExxonMobil (XOM), Phillips 66 (PSX), Tesoro (TSO), and others markets get oil from the Middle East. In the next part, well discuss how Russia will likely intensify the war in the Middle East to boost the price of crude oil. Continue to Next Part Browse this series on Market Realist: By Paul Taylor BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Poland's crackdown on the judiciary and public media, emulating Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's accumulation of power, has raised fears in the European Union of a new illiberal axis based on the Visegrad group of central European states. But diplomats say that beyond an occasional joint effort to block an unpopular EU policy, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have too little in common to form a coherent bloc to resist deeper EU integration or dismantle liberal values. They differ on such major issues as relations with Russia - their former communist master - ties with Germany, membership of the euro currency and the place of religion in their societies. Nearly 12 years after they joined the EU, the four states have little interest in being lumped together in the eyes of investors as an awkward squad of ex-communist countries. "Visegrad is overblown," said a senior Slovak diplomat. "For each of us, our bilateral relationship with Germany is far more important than our shared interests in Visegrad." Each has become embedded in the German economy's extended production line. Slovakia - the biggest auto assembler in the region - has joined the euro area, but the others have so far kept their national currencies. Poland has taken the toughest line against Russia since Vladimir Putin's 2014 annexation of Crimea and support for rebels in eastern Ukraine, while Hungary has gone ahead with deeper energy and political ties with Moscow, and Prague and Bratislava have been cautious on EU sanctions. The perception of a populist wave of Eurosceptic nationalism sweeping central Europe strengthened last year when the four states united to oppose being forced to take mandatory quotas of refugees flooding into the EU. The former Polish government did eventually agree to accept a share on a voluntary basis. The October election victory of Polish conservative Jaroslaw Kaczynski's Law and Justice (PiS) party with its Eurosceptic rhetoric and moves to shackle the constitutional court and public media, combined with talk of building up the Visegrad group, raised warning flags in Brussels and Berlin. The European Commission will discuss Poland's media and constitutional court legislation and the framework for the rule of law in Europe on Wednesday. An EU diplomat said the mere fact that the EU executive was discussing the issue was in itself a punishment, even if no disciplinary procedure is launched. But diplomats say there is less than meets the eye to the grouping founded in the medieval Visegrad Castle in Hungary in 1991 to sweep away the remnants of communism, overcome historic animosities and join the European integration process. "Visegrad is effective when we agree with each other, but unlike the Franco-German partnership, it doesn't create pressure to find a common denominator when we differ," a Czech aide said. EXPANDING VISEGRAD? Before taking office as foreign and Europe ministers, PiS politicians Witold Waszczykowski and Konrad Szymanski talked of building up the Visegrad Group as a counterweight to the Franco-German alliance that has long dominated the EU. But this idea - along with a possible enlargement of the group to include the three Baltic states, Romania and Bulgaria - was still-born. Diplomats said Poland hoped to build a so-called blocking minority within the 28 member states after losing voting clout when the EU reformed its decision-making system in the 2009 Lisbon Treaty to give greater weight to population size. With a combined population of 63 million, the four countries have fewer citizens than Britain or France, let alone Germany. Neither the Balts nor the east Balkan states showed any enthusiasm for joining an eastern front. Each is more keen to nurture its own ties with Berlin, seen as the EU's power center. Even the political friendship between Kaczynski and Orban may be less symbiotic than their recent words have suggested. With Poland under pressure from Brussels over its judiciary and media laws, the two leaders held six hours of talks on a political strategy in a castle in southern Poland last week. Three days later, Orban pledged that he would veto any EU move to impose sanctions on Poland over its civil rights record. "The European Union should not think about applying any sort of sanctions against Poland because that would require full unanimity and Hungary will never support any sort of sanctions against Poland," he told Kossuth Radio. Kaczynski has tried to turn the dispute with Brussels over the Polish legislation into a battle with Berlin. "No amount of pressure and no words, particularly not German ones, can turn Poland away from its path," he said on Sunday at a ceremony commemorating his twin brother, President Lech Kaczynski, killed in a 2010 air crash near Smolensk, Russia. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, a populist social democrat, has rivalled Orban and Kaczynski in anti-migrant rhetoric and blamed Germany for drawing more refugees to Europe by rolling out the red carpet for Syrians. But neither he nor Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has tried to emulate the Hungarian and Polish crackdowns on the media, judicial independence or civil society groups. After meeting his Polish counterpart in Prague on Monday, Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek said that Czech diplomacy "should help the Poles to find ways to cooperate with Brussels". Sobotka has found his political footing by opposing statements by figurehead Czech President Milos Zeman, who has expressed anti-Islamic views, sometimes supported by Finance Minister Andrej Babis, a billionaire populist. "The mere fact that the Czech Republic is now the most moderate in the Visegrad Group, even though it has Zeman and Babis, shows how bizarre the situation is," an EU diplomat said. (Additional reporting by Gabriela Baczynska in Brussels, Wiktor Szary in Warsaw, Robert Muller in Prague; Writing by Paul Taylor; editing by David Stamp) rand paul carly fiorina Fox Business Network is set later on Monday evening to announce the field for the first Republican debate series of the year. And it appears there will be a major shuffling of the lineup for Thursday's main event. Following the network's decision last month to tighten debate-qualification rules, it seems unlikely that former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and US Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) will qualify for the main-debate stage. Seven candidates appear likely to qualify for the main event, according to an analysis of recent surveys: front-runner Donald Trump, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marco Rubio (R-Florida), retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Gov. Chris Christie (R-New Jersey), former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio), and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. That would constitute the smallest number of GOP candidates yet on the main stage. Paul, Fiorina, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania would be relegated to the undercard event. To qualify for the prime-time debate stage, Fox Business requires candidates to place in the top five in either Iowa or New Hampshire based on an average of the five most recent state polls recognized by the network. Or candidates can place in the top six nationally. Candidates who do not make the main stage can qualify for the preceding "undercard" debate by registering at least 1% in at least one of the five most recent national polls. This leaves some ambiguity. In announcing its criteria last month, Fox Business did not specify which polls it plans to use to determine the debate field. The network did not respond to a request for comment on Monday. It said only that polls must be "conducted by major nationally and state recognized organizations that use standard methodological techniques (i.e., live interviewers, random digit-dial sampling techniques and include both landlines and cell phones)." Story continues Among the most recent national polls of likely Republican primary voters that appear to meet Fox Business' qualifications conducted by International Business Daily/TIPP, Fox News (two separate polls), CNN/ORC, and Quinnipiac University Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Carson, Christie, and Bush would qualify. The same holds true in a scenario in which the network substitutes the earlier Fox News poll for an ABC/Washington Post poll. Kasich would grab the seventh spot because of his status in the top five in New Hampshire. The five most recent polls of New Hampshire GOP voters were conducted by Monmouth University, NBC and The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, The Boston Herald, and the radio station WBUR. Averages of those polls, plus two other scenarios, leave Paul and Fiorina out. Rand Paul And in Iowa, Fiorina and Paul are also on the outside looking in. The five most recent polls of Iowa Republican caucus-goers conducted by Quinnipiac University, NBC and The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, the Des Moines Register, and Gravis Marketing put Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Carson, and Bush in the top five. Even in the best scenario for Paul among recent polls of the Hawkeye state if Fox Business uses an earlier Fox News polls instead of the Gravis poll the senator still falls a point short of fifth place. The same holds true in scenarios in which the network substitutes the Gravis poll for December polls released by Loras College, Quinnipiac University, or Monmouth University. On Monday, Paul's campaign said it hoped the senator would qualify for the main stage, based on the fact that he is in fifth in select early-state polls. "This race is hitting its final stretch and Rand Paul is a serious contender for the nomination," Doug Stafford, the Paul campaign's chief strategist, said in a statement. "He expects to be on the stage this week because he has qualified to do so and because he has a top tier campaign." And Fiorina's deputy campaign manager noted on Twitter that Fox News' two most recent national surveys have placed her in the top six: Based on two latest @FoxNews polls, @CarlyFiorina is in 5th and 6th place. Will @FoxNews trust their own polls? #GOPDebate Sarah Isgur Flores (@whignewtons) January 11, 2016 NOW WATCH: Watch President Obama break down during an emotional speech on gun violence More From Business Insider Michael C. Hall is hiding something dark inside - while Tracy Letts is openly intimidating -- in The Hollywood Reporter's exclusive first look at the actors in the newsroom of Christine. Directed by Antonio Campos (known for exploring the damaged psyche in Afterschool and Simon Killer), the drama is based on the true story of Christine Chubbuck, the depressed Florida newscaster who infamously shot herself on live television in 1974. Rebecca Hall stars as the suicidal Sarasota anchor who is competing for a promotion, healing from unrequited love, and juggling a tumultuous home life. The film will make its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, where it will compete in the U.S. dramatic competition category. In the new stills from the film, Michael C. Hall - playing a fellow local anchor George (based on Christine's real-life crush George Peter Ryan) - seems like the typical all-American character, but he sits at the news desk unsettled. "Michael injects the character with this wonderful darkness and humor - I'd watch the monitor in a trance when Michael was on," Campos told THR. "He was always doing something unexpected and coming up with a gesture or ad-libbing a line that would make me jump with joy or laugh out loud." Read more: 40 of 2016's Most Anticipated Movies Meanwhile, Letts plays Christine's station manager and news director at the local Sarasota affiliate who loudly reminds his staff that "If it bleeds, it leads" - a catchphrase he picked up at a Cleveland conference - is an idea worth emulating, to Christine's dismay. Christine includes Sean Durkin and Josh Mond of Borderline Films, as well as Robert Halmi, Jr. and Jim Reeve of Great Point Media, as executive producers, and Melody C. Roscher and Craig Shilowich of The Wonderclub as producers. UTA and WME are handling the film's sales. Maria Dizzia, J. Smith-Cameron, John Cullum and Timothy Simons round out the cast of the Craig Shilowich-penned film. Story continues Read more: Sundance: Obama Love Story 'Southside With You,' Anthony Weiner Doc to Premiere at Fest See more exclusive photos from Christine below, with Campos' commentary on the revealing shots. "I must admit I was intimidated by Tracy," said Campos of Letts (right, with Rebecca Hall). "You just sense the man's greatness when he walks into the room. And he was as great as an actor as you would imagine, but he was also the kindest, most generous actor and one of the best collaborators I've ever I had the pleasure of working with." "Christine's greatest obstacle is herself. It's not so much the events that happen in the film that change her life but how she filters everything through her mental illness," explained Campos. "Rebecca transformed into Christine on a daily basis. Her back was always slightly hunched and her face would tighten and this entirely new voice would come out of her mouth. I spent months in the edit room and I realized I would never refer to the person I was watching as 'Rebecca.' It was Christine." Twitter: @cashleelee Paris (AFP) - French telecommunications group Orange said Tuesday it had reached an agreement to buy 100 percent of Cellcom, Liberia's number two mobile operator, for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition "will enable Orange to strengthen its positions in Africa, which is a strategic priority for the Group", it said in a statement. Orange noted that the Liberian market had room for expansion as only two-thirds of the population own a mobile phone, a lower rate than in other countries in West Africa. With a considerable number of subscribers already, "Cellcom has excellent potential for growth over the coming years", said Orange. The company's founders and employees will remain involved in the business to support its performance, Orange said, and it would contribute marketing and technical expertise to further strengthen the network operator. By Gerauds Wilfried Obangome LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Former African Union chairman Jean Ping, a leading critic of Gabon's President Ali Bongo, says he will run for president this year, hoping to break the ruling party's near 50-year grip on power. Ping also told Reuters in an interview he wants to make the presidency more accountable, institute term limits, and invest in health, education and infrastructure. Bongo, the son of long-ruling former president Omar Bongo, won a disputed election in 2009 after his father's death. He is currently favoured to win the August election and secure a second mandate to rule the Central African oil producer. But analysts say Ping, a leading critic of the Ali Bongo, might be able to capitalise on falling oil prices and broader frustration over wealth inequality, despite the ruling PDG party's traditional advantages such as a strong patronage network. "I am committed to defending the rights of the Gabonese and I will go all the way to victory," Ping told Reuters after a meeting with supporters this weekend, announcing plans The 73-year-old one-time ally of Omar Bongo has been at loggerheads with Ali Bongo since youths attacked his house with rocks a year ago. Ping accuses a Bongo presidential aide of organising the attack, although the government has vigorously denied this and a court has since ordered Ping to pay 650 million CFA francs ($1.07 million) in damages. [nL8N1313D6] If elected, Ping says he would reinstate a 1991 constitution shortening the presidential mandate from seven to five years, bring in term limits and implement a two-round election system. "It is broadly accepted today that you can't have more than two mandates," said Ping. "The [resident should not be a demigod." Gabon's current one-round system, an exception in the Francophone countries, is seen as favouring the ruling party since it requires strong unity among the opposition from the start rather than after a first-round when the numbers running have been cut to two. Members of the United Front of the Gabonese Opposition, an alliance of Bongo opponents, could in theory still reject Ping's candidacy and some have grumbled over whatr some see as efforts to muscle his way to the top. But Roddy Barclay, head of intelligence and analysis at London-based consultancy africapractice said that was unlikely. "He is the obvious figure with the right profile, networks and support to contest the elections effectively," he said. The small former French colony is one of Africa's richest countries, producing around 230,000 barrels per day of oil and classified as an upper middle-income nation by the World Bank. However, most of the wealth is concentrated among elites. Sharp falls in oil prices have prompted the cabinet to trim budgets and Bongo's government faced violent protests a year ago over a range of grievances and trade union disputes. [nL8N12A0D4] ($1 = 605.2900 CFA francs) (Additional reporting and writing by Emma Farge Editing by Jeremy Gaunt) By Matthew Mpoke Bigg ACCRA (Reuters) - Ghana's president defended on Tuesday its decision to accept two Yememis released from the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay and said criticism from Christian leaders that the men could endanger national security was misplaced. Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih al-Dhuby were transferred to Ghana after being held for more than a decade in Guantanamo, Cuba, the U.S. Defense Department and the Ghana government announced last week. A grouping of powerful Christian leaders said on Monday the men posed a security threat and should be sent back to Guantanamo, while the main opposition party, the New Patriotic Party, said the government should have consulted more widely before accepting the two men. [nL8N14V4O6] Comments posted on social media and callers to radio phone-in shows in Ghana have also expressed widespread opposition to their arrival. President John Mahama said the men posed no threat and would be monitored. Ghana received no money for taking them but would benefit from information from the United States about people arriving in the country who could pose a security threat. "Any Ghanaian is more in danger of dying from a road accident than from these Guantanamo detainees .... They just want to pick up the pieces of their lives and live normally. We don't have anything to fear," Mahama told a news conference. "Guantanamo has been a blot on the human rights record of the world," he said, adding ensuring security was a priority for him as president. The men live on a national security compound and are accompanied by a chaperone wherever they go, he said. National security is a sensitive political issue ahead of what is expected to be a close presidential election in November at which Mahama is running for a second and final term. Ghana is a peaceful democracy but many say they are concerned about security, in part because of the relative proximity of Islamist militant group Boko Haram in Nigeria. Ghana is also a devoutly religious country and Mahama said accepting the arrival of the former detainees was in line with Christian principles. The Yemenis, who were not convicted of a crime, spoke on national radio late on Monday and said they hoped to live peacefully and rebuild their lives in the West African country. The government has granted permission for the two to remain in Ghana for two years, subject to security clearances. (Editing by Edward McAllister and Alison Williams) Murphy is seen in an image from a trail camera on June 13, 2015. (Photo courtesy of Wilson Ring) On a late June day in 2014, a golden retriever traveling in a car that was involved in a minor crash in northern Vermont bolted, setting off a frenzied search that captivated the surrounding community. On Saturday, after 18 months of near misses, the elusive dog, Murphy, was finally caught and returned home after surviving more than 500 days alone on the run. Murphy was in the backseat of Kirsten Campbell's car when it skidded off the road near Stowe and slammed into a tree, according to local reports. Campbell, then 24, suffered a dislocated shoulder in the crash, but Murphy looked to be fine. Yet when she opened the door to check on him, the then-3-year-old golden retriever darted into a nearby field. When my granddaughter let him out of the car, he didnt come back, Ed Hamel, Murphy's owner, told WCAX-TV. And of course she was hurt, so a bunch of her friends went after him and chased him which probably did not help. Over more than a year, Murphy was spotted dozens of times along a 30-mile stretch of Vermonts Route 100 as the quest to find him became a full-fledged community effort with a network of volunteers aiding in the search. Murphy was also spotted on July 22, 2015. (Wilson Ring) Family members and a devoted group of dog lovers have deployed game cameras, custom-made traps and a gun that fires a large net, Vermonts Seven Days newspaper reported last summer. Theyve consulted an animal psychic, trappers and a wolf tracker. They have enlisted countless locals to post Murphy sightings online, and created a phone tree to spread any news about the missing canine. But they havent been able to bring Murphy home. If you say his name, he runs like a jackrabbit, Hamel told the newspaper at the time. He doesnt know who he is. Hamel himself once spotted his dog outside of a supermarket. We saw him once down in Waterbury across from Shaws, he recalled Saturday. One day he was sleeping down there next to an excavator just sleeping in the sun at noon one day. I walked up, spoke his name, and he just ran away. Story continues Holly Mokrzecki, a dog recovery expert in neighboring New Hampshire, said it was likely Murphy had gone into feral-dog survival mode following a traumatic event like a car crash. Some of them will resort to that within 15 minutes of getting away from their owners. Its pretty amazing, Mokrzecki said in July. Youre calling, Buster, Buster, and hes not thinking, Thats my owner; theyre trying to help. Theres something in their brain that says, I need to keep moving; this is a predator trying to get me. Murphy at home on Saturday. (Screengrab via WCAX-TV) In early 2014, Wilson Ring, a Vermont correspondent for the Associated Press, began seeing Murphy outside his home in Waterbury, more than 20 miles south of the accident. Ring built a homemade trap with video surveillance and set out food for Murphy, but the dog somehow always managed to elude capture. Miraculously, Murphy also managed to survive Vermont's brutally cold winter. (The average temperature in Stowe last February was -1 F, 13 degrees below normal.) As the year dragged on, spottings of Murphy decreased, and rescuers hopes for getting the retriever home began to fade. But a string of recent sightings renewed their spirits, and on Saturday, Rings retooled trap finally worked. We had an electric eye to trigger the trap that was run with a battery and a magnet, Ring told WCAX. And as soon as he cut it, the magnet let go and the gate fell, and thats how we got him. Hamel said that Murphy appears to be in good health and immediately resettled at home. Pretty much exactly like he was, Hamel said. It was so amazing when he walked in the house last night it was like a light bulb came on. Hey, Im home! I know you people, and theres my toy! San Francisco (AFP) - An open letter posted on Monday by Internet freedom advocates called on governments to back tough encryption of digital data to keep people's information private. The letter quickly gathered nearly 200 online signatures, including renowned computer security specialist Bruce Schneier and groups such as the Internet Association and the Electronic Privacy Information Center, after it was posted at the website securetheinternet.org. "The ability to freely develop and use encryption provides the cornerstone for today's global economy," the letter said. "Economic growth in the digital age is powered by the ability to trust and authenticate our interactions and communicate and conduct business securely, both within and across borders." The letter called on governments around the world to reject any policies or secret deals that limit people's access to powerful data encryption tools that could even shield information from intelligence gathering agencies. Governments were urged to spurn any idea of making companies build "backdoors" that they could use to get private data and to not ask for software "keys" for unscrambling encrypted information. "There's no middle ground on encryption," TechFreedom's policy counsel Tom Struble said in a statement announcing that the group signed the letter. "Any vulnerability imposed for government use can be exploited by those who seek to do harm." Countries considering proposals to undermine data encryption included Britain, China, India, France and the United States, according to TechFreedom. "Encryption and other anonymizing tools and technologies enable lawyers, journalists, whistleblowers and organizers to communicate freely across borders and to work to better their communities," the letter said. "We encourage you to support the safety and security of users by strengthening the integrity of communications and systems." London (AFP) - Bournemouth brought Lewis Grabban back to Dean Court on Monday after signing the striker from Norwich for an undisclosed fee. Grabban scored 35 goals during his first two-year stay with the Cherries and has agreed to a three-and-a-half-year contract to return to the Premier League club. The 27-year-old's arrival, reported to have cost 8 million ($11.6 million, 10.6 million euros), is a further boost to Bournemouth's attacking options after boss Eddie Howe signed young forward Benik Afobe from Wolves on Sunday. Grabban helped Norwich win promotion to the Premier League last season, but was unable to hold down a regular place in Alex Neil's line-up this term. "I think we'll be getting a better Lewis Grabban, but he'll realise that we've got better as well and he will have to adapt too. But we're in no doubt we're getting a good player back," Howe told Bournemouth's website. "He's also someone who was popular in the dressing room behind the scenes he's a strong motivator and we're delighted to be bringing him back." Global Markets Ring in the New Year with Dreadful Results (Continued from Prior Part) Conflict in the Middle East The growing conflict in the Middle East between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the major oil-producing countries of OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries), has become a threat for crude oil prices. The conflict between these two countries arose after Saudi Arabia executed 47 people convicted of terrorism on January 2, 2016. Shiite cleric Nemer al-Nemer was among those executed. Iran had already warned Saudi Arabia that it would face immediate consequences if it went through with the executions. After the executions, various protests in Iran called for the ruin of Saudi Arabias current government. Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran and gave Iranian diplomats 48 hours to leave the country. Lower oil prices: A threat to the global economy At the time of the executions, crude oil prices had inched up slightly, as investors were expecting a supply disruption in the Middle East. But the conflict resulted in oil going in the opposite direction, and crude oil hit new lows. Crude oil prices fell as two major oil exporters competed to flood the crude oil market with vast supplies and not cut production. If this scenario continues, we can expect a further fall in crude oil prices. Chinas (MCHI) economic slowdown, however, added strength to the downward direction of crude oil. Since China is the second-largest consumer of crude oil, contraction in its economic activity has a direct impact on the demand for crude oil. All of these factors show that global economic growth may slow down further in 2016 compared to the slowdown in 2015. Impact on the market US oil (USO) fell 11.3% in the week ended January 8. US major integrated oil and gas stocks such as Exxon Mobil (XOM), Chevron (CVX), and Occidental (OXY) fell 3.4%, 7.7%, and 8.2%, respectively, that week. In the next part of this series, well look at the impact of North Koreas alleged hydrogen bomb test on the world economy. Story continues Continue to Next Part Browse this series on Market Realist: Here are some phrases President Barack Obama uttered in a speech at the White House last week: gun violence, gun rights, gun possession, gun safety, gun laws. Here is a term he did not use: gun control. This isnt surprising. Advocates for tougher gun laws have for years edged away from gun control as a way of referring to gun regulations. The word control suggests government overreach, the opposite of what they want to evoke. How you label things has consequences, said Robert Spitzer, the chair of the political-science department at SUNY Cortland, and the author of five books about gun policy. It is important. We know rhetoric matters. Its a reinforcing effect, I think, to a great degree. Thats been the case for as long as guns have been politicized in the United States, which is to say, always. And while gun-related imagery and terminology remains ubiquitous in American culture, the way people talk about guns has changed over time. Many of these changes, arguably most of them, are steeped in politics. Bill Clinton changed the rhetoric of the gun-control side when he talked about having guns with child-safety locks, Spitzer said. Choosing to include the word child was deliberate, a way of appealing to peoples emotions. Implicit in that word choice is the idea that gun laws are about protecting children. Recommended: Inside the Lab Where Invisibility Cloaks Are Made But gun laws arent just gun laws today; theyre often gun-safety laws, a way of highlighting the reasoning behind stricter regulations among those advocating for them. Gun-control organizations increasingly like to refer to themselves as gun-safety organizations, Spitzer said. Thats a clear rhetorical change on their part. The language in the debate matters a great deal. Story continues Gun control as we know it today hasnt actually been around that long. Before the 1960s, gun control referred to the technology of weaponryactual devices, like the gun-control systems on Naval ships designed to turn, level, and sight machine guns automatically. After President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, gun control took on new meaning. As lawmakers advocated for regulations that would make it harder for people to buy guns, newspapers ran articles and editorials with headlines like The Gun and How to Control It, and Gun Control Needed. The Kennedy assassination begins the process that culminates in the Gun Control Act of 1968, Spitzer said. The message: Guns were a problem that needed to be controlled. And gun control is right there in the name of the law. It was around the same time that Americans began focusing on the nations gun culture and evoking the language of the second amendment in a way that hadnt been a prominent part of the debate on gun rules previously. Regulations were much stricter in the so-called Wild West than they have been in the past 30 years. For instance, in 1934, as Congress debated what Spitzer calls the first modern, significant gun regulations, representatives of the National Rifle Association testified in hearings related to the proposed legislation. Most of the testimony was from two officials of the NRA, Spitzer told me. No direct reference to the Second Amendment or the right to bear arms. None. And it isnt really until the 1960s that you begin to see the NRA saying, Oh, yes, there is the right to bear arms. It begins to escalate in the 1960s with their rhetoric. And in the 1970s, it becomes ubiquitous. That change came at a time when the NRA was shifting its focus; as the organization doubled down on its political involvement, it opted for messaging that came from the Constitution. (This also happened, not coincidentally, around the same time as the 1966 publication of an influential book by Carl Bakal, The Right to Bear Arms, which argued that more guns unequivocally meant more violence.) Recommended: How Netflix Reverse Engineered Hollywood And now the utterance of Second Amendment is literally a synonym for anything related to guns, Spitzer said. It is uttered incessantly and used in any possible connection. You cant even count how many times that kind of wording appears in [NRA] speeches and so on. But that rhetoric really only becomes significant in the last several decades. What it really ties to is the great importance Americans attach to anything you can attach to the Constitution. In other words, the language people use when talking about guns is often designed to appeal to Americans deepest sense of cultural identity, an image that has been crafted and reinforced by gun imagery and mythology for centuries. That imagery, from the mythology of the flintlock-toting yeoman to the urban soldier in the 1960s, Spitzer said. This is all wrapped up in a single bundle of individualism, personal initiative, the protection of liberty, and many other values that have been lumped together. The link between guns and American identity is so profound that even when people arent talking about guns, they often use gun-related descriptions. Something thats ready to go is locked and loaded, strategic missteps are misfires, people shoot for their goals, and antagonistic remarks are observed thusly: shots fired. No wonder it is hard to get rid of gun violence when Washington cannot even get rid of gun vocabulary, Peter Baker wrote for The New York Times in 2013. The vernacular of guns suffuses the political and media conversation in ways that politicians and journalists are often not even conscious of, underscoring the historical power of guns in the American experience. Candidates target their opponents, lawmakers stick to their guns, advocacy groups take aim at hostile legislation and reporters write about a White House under fire. Recommended: The Triumph of Email The prevalence of these expressions feeds back into a culture that includes guns as a crucial part of the American story, an image that gun manufacturers have perpetuated for profit. One of the chief marketing ploys was to glamorize handguns as tools used by Western pioneers, Spitzer said. Yet gun laws at the time when early settlers were fanning out across the United States, he says, were more strict than they are today. As settlers moved west in the 19th century, one of the very first things that was done was to enact anti-carry laws. If you came to a village, you had to check [your gun] at the sheriffs office. Every state except three enacted laws barring or severely restricting the concealed carry of firearms, Spitzer said. We see in the last 30 years the exact opposite phenomenon. The implicit argument for doing it is, This is our tradition and Americans need to be responsible for their own safety, but in fact our history is sort of flipped. Regulations were much stricter in the so-called Wild West than they have been in the past 30 years. Misperceptions about the actual history of gun laws, Spitzer believes, are rooted in pop culture. People were fascinated by these tales of shootouts, and exaggerated or grossly distorted versions of actual events often traveled farther than truth. As Adam Winkler points out in his book, Gunfight: The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America, even Dodge City, Kansasthe legendary frontier town once home to the gunslinger Wyatt Earphad a prominent street sign displayed in 1879 that read, The Carrying of Firearms Strictly Prohibited. The term carry is itself curious in the history of gun-related language. Though its modern connotations seem relatively neutral, the words etymological history reveals a different meaning. In the 16th century, for instance, carry was used to describe taking something by force. Its perhaps notable that Obama, in his speech last week, didnt talk about people illegally carrying guns; but instead referred to illegal gun possession, a term that evokes other criminal activity, like drug dealing. In his remarks, Obama pointed out another pronounced facet of language related to gun discourse in the United States: the script politicians use in the aftermath of gun violence. There is a ritual about this whole thing that I have to do, he said. That ritual, for many politicians, means offering thoughts and prayers in canned statementswords that, for many Americans, have come to represent government inaction more than genuine concern for victims or legitimate interest in improving gun safety. Heres how The New York Times described the narrative arc of a shooting death in America: A shot rings out in the crowd. A president, a senator, a civil rights leader falls. Some hits, some near-misses. An outcry for a few days about gun-control laws. The rifle lobby fires up its old propaganda: Constitutional right to bear arms; disarm criminals not people; its not guns that do the killing but untrained persons, etc. And terror stalks the street again, as American as apple pie and assassination. That was published in 1975. Which reveals, more than four decades later, that although the words people use to talk about guns in America have changed, the larger conversation about gun violence in this country seems to have remained the same. Related Video It's Mitch Landrieu's mission to curb the spike in fatal shootings among African American men in his city. This article is part of our With Great Power project, which is supported by a grant from the Joyce Foundation. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Deputies and senators took their seats in Haiti's parliament, enabling the fragile democracy's legislature to reconvene after a prolonged crisis but still facing a credibility shortfall. Around 50 people on Monday protested briefly outside the building over elections to the parliament, which were held years late and marred by violence and allegations of fraud. "While we're here, people are outside and are criticizing our presence in this room and everything that happened that led us here," said Andris Riche, president of the Senate. Still struggling from a 2010 earthquake that killed more than 250,000 people, Haiti's parliament was belatedly dissolved in January last year. A first round of legislative elections was held on August 9, more than three years behind the constitutional schedule because of a crisis between the executive, led by outgoing President Michel Martelly, and the opposition. Voting was canceled in nearly a quarter of the country's constituencies because of violence. Monday's session took place even though the fractious elections failed to fill all the seats. Twenty-six seats for senators and six for deputies are being contested in a partial second round of voting scheduled for January 24. On the same day, Haiti will hold the runoff vote in the presidential election, which has also been deeply controversial. Opposition candidate Jude Celestin goes up against government-backed rival Jovenel Moise. Celestin refuses to take part in the second round without sweeping reforms to electoral oversight. Eight actors have made it through to a Disney Lucasfilm shortlist of potential candidates to play the young Han Solo in 2018's upcoming "Star Wars" spin-off, according to a new report. With a production date of January 2017 and a release currently tracking for May 25, 2018, work is underway to find the actor most capable of playing a younger version of "Star Wars" galactic rogue Han Solo. Miles Teller ("Whiplash," "Divergent"), Ansel Elgort ("The Fault in Our Stars," "Divergent"), Scott Eastwood ("Suicide Squad," "Fury") and Blake Jenner ("Glee," "Everybody Wants Some") are among those named by the Variety report. Also on the list are Dave Franco ("Neighbors"), Logan Lerman ("Percy Jackson," "Fury"), Jack Reynor ("Transformers: Age of Extinction") and Emory Cohen ("Brooklyn"). A decision is expected "in the next couple of weeks." Though the Han Solo anthology film is not due until 2018, it's said that the new actor may have a cameo part in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," which is set for December 16, 2016, though "insiders were unable to confirm." Such a move would mirror Disney and Marvel tactic of inserting Tom Holland, the next Spider-Man, into "Captain America: Civil War." President Obama pauses as he speaks at the White House about steps his administration is taking to reduce gun violence. (Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP) It was barely a month into Barack Obamas presidency when his then attorney general, Eric Holder, figured it was time to raise a touchy, but important, subject the proliferation of high-powered guns. The administration would soon be pushing to reinstate a ban on so-called assault weapons, Holder told reporters at a Feb. 27, 2009, press conference announcing charges against members of Mexicos Sinaloa cartel the vicious criminal syndicate, headed by then fugitive drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, that was amassing an arsenal of weapons from U.S. gun dealers in border states. After all, Holder noted, it is something the president talked about during the campaign. The AG, it turned out, was off message. No sooner did he speak those words than a stern directive came down from White House aides under orders from then chief of staff Rahm Emanuel. They told him to shut up, recalled one former senior administration official who was privy to communications between the White House and the Justice Department. The message was Dont talk about guns. It was pretty clear and direct. There wasnt a lot of nuance there. The now largely forgotten incident underscores the dramatic evolution in President Obamas approach to gun violence. Tonight, Obama will give his last State of the Union address and will highlight his renewed commitment to enacting common sense gun control measures, leaving open an empty seat in the gallery as a symbol of Americans killed by gun violence. It is a subject that the president has spoken about with uncommon passion in recent days: He denounced what he called the gun lobbys lies during a televised forum on the subject. He welled up with tears as he announced new executive actions he was planning to require more extensive background checks and other steps aimed at curbing a national crisis of gun shootings. Story continues Obama with chief of staff Rahm Emanuel in the Oval Office. (Photo: Pete Souza/The White House) But in the early days of his presidency, the entire subject was off-limits inside the White House a stark example of how politics and circumstances can shape, and reshape, presidential agendas. At the time, gun control was viewed by Emanuel and other senior aides as an unwelcome distraction from Obamas more pressing priorities winning passage of an economic stimulus bill and health care reform. Pushing gun control measures, they feared, would rile up the powerful National Rifle Association and endanger rural blue dog Democrats whose support was crucial to the White House. The Democratic Party understands this is a losing issue its a dead loser, then Rep. Dan Boren, an Oklahoma Democrat who had just been elected to the NRA board, told Newsweek magazine at the time. After Holder made his unwelcome remarks, Sen. Max Baucus, a Democrat from Montana who was crucial to the White Houses efforts to win passage of health care reform, issued a terse press release: Senators to Attorney General: Stay Away from Our Guns, it read, in part. The issue soon became even more toxic after federal gun agents, working closely with the U.S. attorneys office in Arizona, launched an undercover operation aimed at tracking straw buyers for the Mexican drug cartels who were illegally buying AR-15 and other assault rifles from U.S. gun dealers. Code-named Fast and Furious, the plan turned into a law enforcement fiasco: Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms lost track of hundreds of the weapons and one was later linked to the death of a U.S. border patrol agent. Republicans in Congress launched investigations, claiming Fast and Furious was part of a White House conspiracy to build support for gun control. They subpoenaed documents from Justice and, when he failed to turn them over, voted to hold Holder in contempt. By the time Obama was preparing to run for reelection, Fast and Furious was being routinely cited by the NRA and other conservative groups as one of the scandals of his presidency and any suggestion of gun control was moved even further to the bottom of the White House agenda. When the president gave his State of the Union address in January 2012, the words guns or gun violence were never mentioned, just as they had not been the year before. Attorney General Eric Holder during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Fast and Furious program to combat gun running. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images) What changed was the seemingly endless series of gun massacres that, according to those who have spoken to him, had a visceral impact on the president. The Jan. 8, 2011, massacre at a Tucson parking lot in which six people, including a federal judge, were killed and U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was badly wounded, did not initially prod the president into action. But the rampages didnt stop. On July 20, 2012, a deranged gunman, James Eagan Holmes, using a semi-automatic rifle and two handguns, opened fire in a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., killing 12 people and injuring 70. Then, that December, Newtown: 20-year-old Adam Lanza, equipped with a Bushmaster semiautomatic rifle and a Glock pistol, killed 20 first-graders (ages 6 and 7) and six adult staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, a gut-wrenching event that brought the president to tears. I dont think you can underestimate the degree to which Obama and [Vice President Joe] Biden were personally affected by Newtown, said Kristen Rand, vice president of the Violence Policy Center, a gun control group that has worked with, and occasionally criticized, the White House on the issue. The whole atmosphere changed. There was a honest recognition among the public about just how awful this problem is. In the wake of Newtown, the White House finally began to push Congress to take steps to curb gun violence. The president proposed legislation to close background check loopholes and reinstate the assault weapons ban. But even then, there were limits. U.S. counterterrorism officials quietly proposed what they considered another modest step barring those on the U.S. governments terrorism watch list from purchasing firearms. The proposal was prompted by instances where suspected terrorist operatives were observed entering gun stores and purchasing weapons. We could actually watch them doing this and there was nothing we can do, recalled one former top U.S. counterterrorism official, expressing his frustration. Obama during comments at the White House about the school shooting in Newtown, Conn. (Photo: Charles Dharapak/AP) In the aftermath of Newtown, a proposal from the National Counterterrorism Center to halt such sales was sent to the White House. But once again it was apparently viewed as politically impractical and ignored, a source directly familiar with the matter tells Yahoo News. (The White House did not respond to a request for comment.) Today, the atmosphere inside the White House has clearly changed. Obama has made clear he wants curbing gun violence to be part of his legacy and central to his last years agenda. He now talks openly about taking steps to ban gun sales to those on the watch list. What could possibly be the argument for allowing a terror suspect to buy a semiautomatic gun? he asked in a speech last month after the San Bernardino massacre. To be sure, such a step would almost certainly require legislation and would likely be subject to constitutional challenges. And, as one former Obama law enforcement official said last week, it is worth noting that the president did not become engaged on the issue until he no longer had to run for reelection and blue dog Democrats (whose support he once needed) have all but disappeared from the Congress, having either been defeated for reelection or (like Dan Boren and Max Baucus) given up their seats. Still, for Obama, on the subject of guns, the stars including the policy and the politics are now in alignment. Watch the State of the Union right here. United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Some 400 Syrians on the brink of death must be urgently evacuated from Madaya to receive medical treatment, the United Nations said after the first deliveries of aid in months arrived in the besieged town. Aid workers found the 400 Syrians suffering from starvation, malnourishment and other illnesses during a visit to a hospital in Madaya, said UN aid chief Stephen O'Brien. "Around 400 are in need of being evacuated for life-saving medical attention," O'Brien told reporters on Monday, following a closed-door UN Security Council meeting. "They are in grave peril of losing their lives." The United Nations has asked the Syrian government and armed groups controlling access the town to allow the 400 Syrians to be transported out of Madaya, he said. Hours earlier, a convoy of 44 trucks loaded with food, baby formula, blankets and other supplies entered Madaya, which has been under siege by President Bashar al-Assad's forces for six months. An additional 21 trucks delivered supplies to two other towns besieged by the rebels: Fuaa and Kafraya. The council met to discuss the situation in Madaya where residents told AFP they had resorted to eating grass and killing cats for meat to survive. The medical charity MSF says 28 people have starved to death since December 1. US Ambassador Samantha Power said "over 400 people are on the brink of death in need of immediate medical evacuation" from Madaya. UN officials are hoping to carry out the evacuation on Tuesday. Permission for secure access must come from "all the parties who govern any of the routes that need to be deployed, either for the ambulances or for any kind of air rescue," said O'Brien. Syria's UN envoy Bashar Jaafari dismissed reports of starvation in Madaya as fabrications and accused "terrorists inside" the town of stealing the supplies. - End the sieges - Britain and France are calling for an end to the sieges. Story continues "Starving civilians is an inhuman tactic used by the Assad regime and their allies," said British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft. "All sieges must be lifted to save civilian lives and to bring Syria closer to peace," he said in a statement. The United Nations says it is struggling to deliver aid to about 4.5 million Syrians who live in hard-to-reach areas, including nearly 400,000 people in 15 besieged areas. "Madaya is tragically far from being unique," said O'Brien. French Ambassador Francois Delattre said lifting the sieges was key ahead of a new round of peace talks between Assad's government and the opposition planned for January 25 in Geneva. "The intra-Syrian negotiations will not resume unless there is an improvement of the civilians' plight," he said. More than 260,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government demonstrations. By Emma Batha LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A group of Indian women who were subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) as children are calling on the government to ban the ancient ritual, describing it as child abuse. FGM, which can cause serious physical and psychological problems, is more commonly linked to African countries which have led international efforts to end the practice. Little is known about FGM in India where the ritual is carried out in great secrecy by the close-knit Dawoodi Bohra community, a Shia Muslim sect thought to number over 1 million. The campaign is led by Masooma Ranalvi, a 49-year-old publisher who has launched an online petition in which she describes how she was cut as a seven-year-old in Mumbai. "The shock and trauma of that day are still with me. All of us feel scarred by it. It is there in our psyche," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from New Delhi. "What makes me really angry is that this continues today. What happened to me is history, but why are we doing this to young girls even now? Someone has to speak up and we have to stop this." Campaigners said the Dawoodi Bohras are the only Muslim community in India to practice FGM. The ritual - called Khatna in India - involves removing part of the clitoris. Although it is not mentioned in the Koran, the Bohras consider Khatna a religious obligation. Debate on the subject has long been taboo, campaigners say. "There is a lot of fear in the community that if you do not obey you will be excommunicated," Ranalvi said. "It has taken a lot of courage to speak out. Today, a lot of women support us but they are not willing to come out openly because of this fear." India is not included on U.N. lists of countries affected by FGM, but Ranalvi estimated up to three quarters of Bohra girls are still cut. PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA The petition, initiated by 17 Bohra women, calls for a law banning FGM in India. Campaigners plan to present it to the Bohra high priest and the government in the coming weeks. Government officials were not immediately available to comment. Campaigners say a previous anonymous petition to the Bohra high priest was ignored. One of the 17 women, Aarefa Johari, said FGM was rooted in the partriarchal belief that a woman's sexual desire must be curbed. "Even where the physical injury is no longer severe, the psychological trauma is really long-lasting," said Johari, co-founder of Sahiyo, a group campaigning to end FGM in the Bohra community. "We've heard from a lot of women who experience and remember the trauma as a form of sexual abuse," she added. Worldwide, up to 140 million girls and women have undergone FGM, which is carried out in a swathe of Africa and pockets of the Middle East and Asia. The practice among Indian Dawoodi Bohras hit the headlines in November when a court in Australia found two members of the diaspora community guilty of cutting two girls. A Bohra religious leader was convicted of being an accessory. The U.N. General Assembly adopted a unanimous resolution three years ago in favor of the elimination of FGM. Most African countries where FGM is practiced have made it illegal. (Editing by Tim Pearce. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit www.trust.org) DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian Revolutionary Guards have detained two U.S. boats with 10 crew aboard after the vessels "illegally" entered Iranian territorial waters in the Gulf, the semi-official Fars news agency said early on Wednesday. "These two boats were seized by Revolutionary Guard naval forces near Farsi Island 2 km inside Iranian territorial waters," Fars reported. It gave no further detail. In Washington on Tuesday, a senior Obama administration official said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that the U.S. sailors in Iranian custody would be allowed to continue their journey promptly. A U.S. defense official said nine men and one woman sailor were being held by Iran and that they had been aboard two riverine patrol boats. (Reporting by Parisa Hafezi and William Maclean; Editing by Mark Heinrich) Associated Press One migrant is dead, another is wounded and at least seven others are languishing in detention three weeks after twin brothers allegedly opened fire on them in the Texas desert, claiming they mistook them for wild hogs during a hunting trip. The case has caused outrage among advocates for the victims and survivors, who say their detention violates a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement directive that calls for giving strong consideration to the fact that they were crime victims who cooperated with authorities in determining whether they should be released. This is a hate crime that occurred immediately after they were crossing into the United States, said Zoe Bowman, the supervising attorney at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, who is representing the seven detained survivors. BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic State said it was responsible for "twin" attacks near a casino in the eastern Iraqi town of Muqdadiya on Monday that killed at least 20 people, in a statement circulated online by supporters. The hardline Sunni Muslim militant group, which controls large swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq, said one of its militants had blown himself up near a group of Shi'ite militia fighters. A car bomb was then detonated, killing people who had gathered at the site of the first blast. (Reporting by Omar Fahmy; Writing by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Kevin Liffey) The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program recently received another piece of good news as manufacturer Lockheed Martin began assembly of Israels version of the next-generation aircraft. Work on the Adir (Hebrew for mighty one) began last week at Lockheeds facility in Fort Worth, Texas, the defense giant said in a statement. The company hopes to deliver the fighter, dubbed AS-1, to the Israeli Air Force later this calendar year. Related: Congress Showers the F-35 Program with Cash Construction of the jet marks another major step forward for the F-35 effort, which has cost the Defense Department around $400 billion to develop, making it the costliest weapon in U.S. history. Partners for the program include the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, Australia, Denmark and Norway. The United Kingdom late last year released a defense strategy document that called for the nation to boost the number of F-35 jets it intends to buy. Assembly of Israels conventional takeoff and landing variant is another bit of good news for the F-35, which has become synonymous with cost overruns and technical glitches. Related: Stealth Wars: China Rolls Out a New J-20, Another Knockoff Fighter Here at home, the fiscal year 2016 omnibus spending bill approved by Congress set aside $12.3 billion for the JSF program, about $1.3 billion more than President Obamas original request, so that the U.S. could purchase a total of 68 jets in 2016. Its not all clear skies for the F-35 effort, though. The fate of the program in Canada remains up in the air as the new government weighs pulling out of the international consortium to pursue a cheaper alternative. The topic will no doubt be discussed when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visits Washington in March. In all, Jerusalem hopes to buy 33 JSFs to replace its aging F-15 and F-16 fleets. Lockheed met its F-35 production goal for 2015 when it delivered 45 jets to the U.S. military and international partners. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: Jerusalem (AFP) - Prosecutors charged four Israelis Tuesday for brutally beating an Eritrean migrant worker as he lay bleeding from gunshot wounds after being mistaken for an Arab militant attacker last year, media said. Habtom Zarhum, 29, was shot by a security guard at a bus station in the southern city of Beersheba in October when he was wrongly identified as the assailant in an attack that killed an Israeli soldier. Footage of him bleeding as an angry mob rained blows on his head and body spread on social media, prompting soul searching among Israelis over their response to a wave of attacks as well as their treatment of African migrants. Israeli public radio said one of those charged with "deliberately causing serious bodily harm" was a prison officer and another a soldier. The prison officer was not named in the reports but his lawyer, Tzion Amir, told army radio that his client believed he and others at the bus station were in a potentially life-threatening situation. "There was still danger at that time. The suspect was still moving and may have had a pistol or an explosives belt," he said. Zarhum's autopsy found that he died of gunshot wounds, rather than the vicious beating he received from bystanders as police officers looked on. His death followed the outbreak of a surge of violent attacks across Israel and the occupied West Bank. Twenty-three Israelis and an American have died in Palestinian attacks including stabbings, car rammings and gunfire since October 1, while 149 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most while carrying out attacks. Following Zarhum's death, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly called on Israelis not to take justice into their own hands, but many see the young man's killing as part of a wider problem in Israel's treatment of African asylum-seekers. Official figures show 45,000 illegal immigrants are in Israel, almost all from Eritrea and Sudan. African communities complain of marginalisation, and they have held several protests against their alleged mistreatment. The UN says as many as 53,000 refugees have crossed Israel's southern border with Egypt, including 36,000 from Eritrea. Many are fleeing persecution and they head to Israel due to its high standard of living and its relative ease of access overland from Africa. Istanbul (AFP) - They came in the hope of enjoying Istanbul's sights in the relative peace of the low season. But Tuesday's suicide attack in the heart of the city's historic Sultanahmet area left tourists reeling. 'This is the first time that I've been afraid for my life while on holiday," said French tourist Nathalie Julien after the attack blamed by Turkish authorities on the Islamic State (IS) group. "I can't believe this is happening here, in the heart of Istanbul. It's like you get invited to someone's house, treated really well and, all of a sudden, get attacked," Julien told AFP. "I just want to get home now, it's scary," she said, dragging her luggage into a tram. Ten people, mostly Germans, were killed early Tuesday when a Syrian suicide bomber blew himself up in Sultanahmet Square, next to the world famous Ottoman Blue Mosque and Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia museum. The target appeared to have been chosen carefully, with the square acting as a gathering point for tens of thousands of tourists every day. The foreigners killed appeared to be taking advantage of the morning calm to take in the sights before the afternoon rush. Germans are by far the most frequent foreign vistors to Turkey, with 258,613 arriving in November 2015, accounting for 15 percent of all arrivals. Some 5.4 million Germans arrived in Turkey between January and November last year. - 'Nowhere is safe' - Many of the tourists still flocking to museums and kebab restaurants in the area a few hours after the attack were still in a state of shock. Czech couple Zdenek and Eva, both 60, said they were planning to spend a lazy afternoon in the neighbourhood when they heard the huge blast that sent people screaming and running for cover. "Because it was so sunny, we wanted to stay outdoors, so we skipped the mosques and museums and then this horrible thing happened," Zdenek said, sitting at a cafe, sipping his tea. Story continues "I came to Istanbul many times before and always thought it was a very safe place, but it seems nowhere is safe anymore," he said. "I think they chose such a day intentionally to hurt as many people as possible. It's truly horrible," Eva said. Adrienn Martin, a 28-year-old student from Hungary, considered herself lucky to have opted to visit the Grand Bazaar with her boyfriend instead of hanging around Sultanahmet Square, where her hotel is located. She said it was her second near miss after escaping the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami while in India. "It's quite shocking. Two days ago we were sitting at the same spot where the explosion happened," she said. "It really got my nerves, seeing ambulances around, when I was expecting a memorable day. "I'm terrified. It could have been us," she said, clutching her boyfriend's hand. Turkey had been on high alert after a series of attacks blamed on IS, including a double suicide bombing in October in Ankara that killed 103 people. But this is the first time in recent years that tourists have been directly targeted. Previous attacks blamed on IS in Turkey had all hit pro-Kurdish targets. "I had just stepped out of my hotel when I heard the explosion. I thought our hotel had been bombed," said Stefan, from Austria. "Watching all the news, I was already hesitant about visiting Istanbul because of the terror risk. My fears have now been justified," he said. Rome (AFP) - Europe must choose between its Schengen open borders and its Dublin rules on asylum procedures because the migrant crisis means the two are no longer compatible, Italy said Tuesday. "The European Union (EU) has two possibilities: either it suffers the consequences of the migrant flow or it tries to control it," Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said at a Rome seminar. "It (the EU) can control it if it acts in a united way and if it recognises that rules thought up a quarter of a century ago are no longer suitable for the flows we are seeing today." Italy wants a review of the Dublin convention's clause which requires asylum-seekers coming into the EU to be processed in their country of arrival, a rule Rome regards as unsustainable given that most migrants arrive by crossing the Mediterranean to Italy or Greece from North Africa or Turkey. More than 320,000 asylum-seekers and other migrants have landed in Italy since the start of 2014. But a lack of systematic controls following their arrival means more than three quarters of them are able to continue their journeys to preferred destinations in northern Europe without being registered in Italy. Italy is now under intense pressure from its EU partners to start processing all the newly arrived boat people -- finger-printing them forcibly if necessary -- and the flow of migrants has brought the Schengen system of open borders within the bloc to the brink of collapse. "Last year, 850,000 migrants arrived in Greece. Under the Dublin accords it is Greece that should have taken them in," Gentiloni said. "Everyone knows that is not possible, that that is not what happened and yet, despite that, there is still this insistence that the Dublin rules should be respected. "Europe has to recognise this is a medium to long-term issue we are facing and that it has to be addressed by the 28 member states together." Gentiloni also called on EU governments to accelerate moves to agree on a common list of countries deemed safe enough for migrants originating there to be repatriated. "The distinction between Afghanistan, considered safe (by some European states), and Eritrea, which is not, is rather weak and that requires a decision at European level," the minister said. Designers are making room for Room star, youngster Jacob Tremblay. Specifically, Ralph Lauren. The 9-year-old actor, who has captivated critics and audiences with his riveting performance opposite Golden Globe winner Brie Larson as a mother and son who are held captive for years in a tiny shed, told Pret-a-Reporter that the designer custom made the black tuxedo with midnight blue lapels. See more Golden Globes 2016: The Red-Carpet Arrivals "It is pretty nice," he smiled, accompanied by his parents and a publicist. "We tried a few ones and this one was pretty cool. I like this one a lot." See, red carpet dressing really can be that simple. More complicated? Curfews. "This show is three hours I'm guessing and I wonder what time it will actually end," Tremblay contemplated. "I usually go to bed at 8, but my parents are letting me stay out late." Read more How to Achieve a Well-Groomed Golden Globe Beard He wasn't kidding. Pret-a-Reporter spotted Tremblay posing for fan photos on the red carpet around 11 p.m., following one major party stop at the Warner Bros./InStyle party inside the Beverly Hilton. He looked tired and ready for bed. "He's running out of steam," relayed his mother. There's plenty of steam left on the Internet for Tremblay's dad, who works as a real-life police detective. Whoa. By Gary Robertson CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (Reuters) - Police had probable cause to search the apartment of a former hospital worker accused of murdering university student Hannah Graham in 2014 after a tracking dog picked up the scent of the woman, a judge ruled on Monday. The police tracking dog found the students scent at the apartment and on the passenger side of Jesse Matthew Jr.'s car, a former detective testified on Monday. Judge Cheryl Higgins denied a motion from defense lawyers to suppress evidence found in the search. The disappearance and murder of Graham, an 18-year-old University of Virginia sophomore, shocked the campus and drew national headlines in late 2014. Matthew was the last person seen with her and could face the death penalty if convicted. Stuart Garner Jr., a former Louisa County detective and dog handler, testified in a pretrial hearing that his dog alerted him to Graham's scent in several areas of Matthew's apartment during a massive search for the student. Garner sparred with defense attorney Douglas Ramseur about whether he had told Ramseur that he believed that Graham had never been in Matthews apartment. "Didnt you say Hannah Graham had never been present in Jesse Matthews apartment? Ramseur asked, reading from an affidavit he had submitted to the court. "I dont know, Garner said. I found that her scent was present. The pretrial hearing, in Albemarle Circuit Court, offered a rare window into forensic evidence linking Matthew to Graham. Matthew's trial is scheduled to begin July. Graham disappeared in September 2014 and her remains were found about five weeks later. Surveillance video taken in Charlottesville's downtown mall showed Matthew and Graham walking together. Matthew also has been indicted for the 2009 disappearance and murder of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington. He is serving three life sentences for a 2005 sexual assault in Fairfax, Virginia. (Writing by Ian Simpson and Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Stephen Coates) Until Tuesday, Florida remained a stubborn outlier when it came to sentencing convicted felons to death. Unlike nearly every other state in the union, Florida juries could only offer an advisory sentence to a trial judge in capital cases, rather than an immovable verdict. Alabama was the only other state that shared this capital sentencing practice. No longer: The U.S. Supreme Court quashed Floridas method in an opinion on Tuesday, ruling eight to one that allowing a judge rather than a jury to render a capital sentence violated a defendants constitutional right to an impartial jury. The ruling centered on the case of Timothy Hurst, a death row inmate convicted of first-degree murder for killing his coworker in 1998, stabbing her to death, and leaving her in a walk-in freezer before robbing the Popeyes restaurant where they worked. Even though the jury in Hursts case recommended a death sentence, the plaintiffs argument was with the process and not the particulars of this case. Therein lies the problem, the Supreme Court says. Florida does not require the jury to make the critical findings necessary to impose the death penalty, wrote Justice Sonia Sotomayor in a majority opinion. Rather, Florida requires the judge to find these facts. That violates the defendants right to an impartial jury under the Sixth Amendment. Changing the way the Sunshine State handles its death sentencing process is important, because Florida is one of the country's leading jurisdictions in doling out death sentences. Nationwide, the number of death sentences being handed down is waning except in a few counties. Just 2 percent of U.S. counties account for 52 percent of all death sentences since the penalty was reinstated in 1976, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Duval County in Florida ranks in the top 10. It is no surprise that the high court found Floridas hit-or-miss death sentencing scheme unconstitutional, Mark Elliott, Director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, said in a statement. This hugely-expensive, mistake-ridden state government program has failed the people of our state. Story continues Hurst is the latest in a series of Supreme Court cases over the past several years that have nibbled around the edges of capital sentencing in the U.S., taking on lethal injection drugs, jury selection, execution of the mentally handicapped and of convicts for crimes committed as juveniles, and jury instructions. No case before the court this term tackles the broader constitutionality of the process as a whole, though Justice Stephen Breyer seemed to invite such a case in a dissenting opinion he wrote in June 2015. Related stories on TakePart: How the Death Penalty Changed in 2015 Supreme Court and States Struggle to Make the Death Penalty More Humane The Secrets That Shroud Executions: Its Not Just Oklahomas Problem Original article from TakePart KUWAIT (Reuters) - A Kuwaiti court sentenced two men accused of spying for Iran and Hezbollah to death on Tuesday, a Reuters witness said. The case also included the possession of weapons. One of the men given the death penalty was an Iranian convicted in absentia, and the other was a Kuwaiti who was in court. Other suspects were given sentences ranging from five to 25 years, and three were found innocent. Tensions between Shi'ite-ruled Iran and Sunni-ruled Gulf countries have escalated since a diplomatic dispute between Tehran and Riyadh erupted after Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric this month. Saudi Arabia broke off relations with Tehran after its diplomatic missions were stormed by Iranian protesters in Iran, while Kuwait has recalled its envoy to Iran. (Reporting by Mahmoud Harbi; Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Hugh Lawson) BANGUI (Reuters) - Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels killed a villager and abducted dozens of others during two weekend raids in a remote diamond-producing area of Central African Republic, local residents and officials said on Tuesday. The incidents represent the largest kidnapping by the Ugandan rebel group - headed by notorious warlord Joseph Kony - in recent months in the former French colony, which is also reeling from years of inter-religious bloodshed. The LRA, known for massacring and mutilating civilians as well as abducting children to serve as fighters and sex slaves, raided a mine near the village of Diya, around 600 km (370 miles) east of the capital Bangui, on Saturday. "In the first abduction, they kidnapped 10 people. Six were freed. The others are still with them. In the second abduction, around 20 people were taken and are still with the attackers," said local government official Herve Omere Fei-Omona. He said one person was also killed and a vehicle was burned during the attacks. News of the kidnappings emerged on Tuesday due to the raids' isolated location and Central African Republic's poor communications infrastructure, made worse by violence between Muslims and Christians that has split the former French colony. Local residents said the gunmen wore uniforms and did not speak French or the national language, Sango. "Those kidnapped went to sell their products at the market in Diya and were kidnapped in order to carry what the LRA had looted in the village," said local humanitarian worker Gaston Gazale. After a military crackdown by Kampala, the LRA left Uganda about a decade ago and its fighters have roamed across lawless parts of Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Central African Republic ever since. The United States has backed Ugandan-led regional military efforts to defeat the rebels, who are now believed to number just several hundred battle-tested fighters in addition to Kony and other leaders wanted by the International Criminal Court. However, despite some progress, notably the surrender of senior commander Dominic Ongwen last year, the LRA continues its attacks on civilians. (Reporting by Crispin Dembassa-Kette; Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Mark Heinrich) (Reuters) - A 54-year-old U.S. man who was on board a United flight that had to be diverted to Vancouver on Saturday en route to Denver from Anchorage Alaska, has been charged with uttering threats and mischief to property, Canadian police said on Monday. Nicholas Michael Aliksyuk, a resident of Duluth, Minnesota, was charged by police in Richmond, British Columbia. He has been remanded in custody and remains in Canada. Police gave no further details. United Air Lines Flight 1104 landed safely at about 4:30 a.m. in the western Canadian city on Saturday, where it was met by law enforcement authorities, the airline said. There were 131 passengers and six crew members aboard the Boeing 737. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Richmond said on Twitter a suspect was taken into custody but operations at Vancouver International Airport were not affected. CNN reported that a "threatening message" was found on the aircraft. (Reporting by Nicole Mordant in Vancouver; Editing by Bernard Orr) Paris (AFP) - Calls for French Jews to leave their skullcaps at home in the wake of a jihadist attack on a kippa-wearing teacher sparked an emotional debate Wednesday pitting security concerns against a desire to uphold Jewish identity. Parents in the southern city of Marseille, where Monday's vicious attack "in the name of Allah" added to a string of anti-Semitic incidents in recent months, have begun urging their sons to wear a baseball cap instead. The city's top Jewish leader, Zvi Ammar, had on Tuesday called on Jewish men and boys to stop wearing the kippa "until better days", saying: "Unfortunately for us, we are targeted. As soon as we are identified as Jewish we can be assaulted and even risk death." Chillingly, Monday's teenaged assailant, a self-radicalised ethnic Kurd from Turkey, reportedly told police he was "ashamed" that he did not manage to kill his 35-year-old victim, Benjamin Amsellem. On Wednesday, government spokesman Stephane Le Foll declined to voice an opinion on the kippa, saying it was a "debate that originated within the Jewish community". He stressed however that the state's role is to "provide protection and to denounce anti-Semitic acts." Anti-Semitism "unfortunately has gone on for too long and has taken new forms today", he added on French television. But several ministers and other politicians spoke out on the issue, with Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem voicing surprise over Ammar's urging, saying: "It's certainly not the advice I would give, personally." Ammar "clearly was well-intentioned, but it's not the sort of message to send, certainly not now," Vallaud-Belkacem told French radio. Brice Hortefeux of the centre-right Republicans party agreed with France's chief rabbi Haim Korsiathat that "giving up (the kippa) is giving in". But he said it was impossible "not to modify your behaviour in the face of these unspeakable acts." Story continues On Tuesday, top national Jewish leaders rejected the call to shun the kippa, decrying a "defeatist attitude" and an offence to the community's identity. Korsithat reacted quickly late Tuesday, acknowledging that Ammar's call came from an "understandable emotion", but insisting: "We should not give an inch." Joel Mergui, president of France's Israelite Central Consistory, said: "If we have to give up wearing any distinctive sign of our identity, it clearly would raise the question of our future in France." Anti-Semitic acts in France have soared in recent years, increasing by 84 percent in the period between January 2015 and May 2015 compared to a year earlier, according to official statistics. As a result, emigration from France to Israel has spiked, with a record 7,900 people leaving last year. - 'A pit in my stomach' - Monday's assault came just days after France marked a year since the attacks that left 17 people dead, including four gunned down in a Jewish supermarket. It was just four days after a jihadist attack on a police station in Paris, one year to the day since the massacre at the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. Marseille is particularly on edge following assaults on three Jews in October, one by a drunken assailant with a knife near a synagogue. In November, another Jewish teacher was stabbed by people shouting anti-Semitic obscenities and support for the Islamic State group. "When I drop my children off at school, I have a pit in my stomach," a 43-year-old Jewish mother said in Marseille, adding that she had asked her 14-year-old son to take off his kippa. Marseille, a city of more than 850,000 people, has France's second largest Jewish community with some 70,000 residents, and one of the country's largest Muslim populations, estimated at 220,000. France's overall Jewish community is estimated at between 500,000 and 600,000 people, the largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday that Europe was "vulnerable" in the refugee crisis because it was not yet in control of the situation to the extent that it would like to be. "Now all of a sudden we are facing the challenge that refugees are coming to Europe and we are vulnerable, as we see, because we do not yet have the order, the control, that we would like to have," Merkel said at a business event in Mainz, near Frankfurt. She also said the euro was "directly linked" to freedom of movement in Europe, adding: "Nobody should act as though you can have a common currency without being able to cross borders reasonably easily." Merkel said that if countries did not allow their borders to be crossed without much difficulty, the European single market would "suffer acutely" - meaning that Germany, at the center of the European Union and its largest economy, should fight to defend freedom of movement. The EU has struggled to cope with a tide of refugees from war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa, most of whom have landed in Greece or Italy before heading for wealthier northern EU states. Germany has taken in the bulk of them: more than a million last year alone. Some EU countries have re-established border controls within the passport-free Schengen zone, where they had been abolished, while efforts to share out the asylum-seekers across EU member states have floundered. Merkel said that, to preserve the Schengen zone within the EU, it was necessary to make the bloc's external borders more secure. (Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Kevin Liffey) By Michael O'Boyle BADIRAGUATO, Mexico (Reuters) - As Mexico and the United States celebrate the capture of Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman, the world's most wanted drug lord, a mix of fear and mourning grips the towns and ranches in the remote mountains where he was born. In the sierra of Mexico's northwestern state of Sinaloa, where marijuana and opium poppies have been grown for decades, many view Guzman as a latter-day Robin Hood who brought jobs to the rural poor and fought off the incursion of rival gangs. Guzman, whose nickname means "Shorty", built the most powerful drug cartel in the world and escaped from prison twice in the last 15 years, inspiring the next generation of smugglers and gunslingers. "He's like a legend. The people wept because this is his land and because they caught him," said Jesus Ramos, a 19-year old bricklayer as he sat in the town square of Guzman's native Badiraguato, passing the time. Besides employing farmers to grow drugs in the valleys around here, Guzman is also credited with paying for public works and giving away toys to children. "He helps more than the government. Well, he helped. He has been taken down now," Ramos said. Guzman was recaptured in the northwestern city of Los Mochis on Friday following a bloody shootout between his guards and security forces, six months after he had escaped a maximum security prison through a tunnel from his cell. His decision to hold a secretive meeting with Hollywood star Sean Penn in a jungle hideout late last year helped to cement his downfall, as the government kept tabs on their movements, sources say. "That was unexpected. They thought he would be killed before he would be caught," said Gilberto Cardenas, 51, as he tended his vegetable stand near the center of Badiraguato. Guzman's escape in July embarrassed Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, and government sources have told Reuters that Mexico aims to extradite him to the United States to prevent another jail break. In his home town, residents believe he is now going away for good. "They will probably extradite him. That is going to have an economic impact, because he helped a lot of people," Cardenas said as he weighed avocados on a scale for a customer. The town's mayor has estimated that about half of the population of Badiraguato make their living from the drug trade. Locals are given seeds and radios by Guzman's armed henchman, who patrol the surrounding valleys on quad bikes. "Many people worked with him and now they will not have any money," said Vididiana Aviles, who sells beauty supplies. "Even those of us who did not work with him said, 'what a drag'." Guzman became notorious for using tunnels to move tonnes of drugs into the United States as well as secret underground escape routes from the safe houses where he stayed. After his capture on Friday, he was taken back to the same prison where he escaped from in July, when his engineers tunneled nearly a mile to burrow into his cell. "He is digging another hole now," said Guadalupe Medina, laughing, as she served food in a Badiraguato restaurant. Some residents fear his arrest and eventual extradition could open the door for other drug gangsters to move in to this area and throw their weight around. "It will be less safe, because you know if the cartel is weaker, the others are going to want to move in," said Alberto Alvarado, 20. "He took care of the people. Neither kidnapping nor extortion was permitted here." (Editing by Simon Gardner and Kieran Murray) Mexico City (AFP) - Mexican authorities signaled Monday that extraditing Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to the United States could take more than a year, while the slippery drug kingpin waits in the prison from which he previously escaped. While the government seeks to ship Guzman across the border, a military tank sits outside the Altiplano prison west of the capital and a cell's floors were reinforced with metal rods to prevent another tunnel. The extradition bid comes as new details about Guzman's surprise meeting with Sean Penn in October emerged, with a newspaper publishing pictures showing that the US actor was monitored by the authorities. The effort to extradite him marks a reversal from President Enrique Pena Nieto's refusal to send Guzman to the United States prior to his July escape from the maximum-security facility. Authorities launched the process on Sunday -- two days after his capture -- based on petitions from courts in California and Texas on charges that include drug trafficking and homicide. "The average (extradition) timeframe is one year but it could take up to five years," Attorney General Arely Gomez told Radio Formula. Guzman's lawyer, Juan Pablo Badillo, has vowed to launch a "tough" legal battle that could reach the Supreme Court. A judge granted Guzman a temporary injunction against extradition the day of his arrest and a court now has to rule on its validity. Gomez vowed to fight any injunction and some experts say the government could try a "fast-track" extradition maneuver to speed up the process. "They will try to extradite him as fast as possible," Raul Benitez Manaut, a security expert at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, told AFP. Previously arrested in February 2014, it took Guzman just 17 months to escape from the Altiplano penitentiary after his henchmen dug a 1.5-kilometer (one-mile) tunnel that led to a hole in his cell shower's floor. Story continues A dozen prison officials have been arrested over the escape. Officials defended the decision to put him back in the same prison, saying security was beefed up to avoid another escape. "I think it's safe to assume that they understand that the world is watching how this case moves forward and that this individual needs to stay behind bars," said US State Department spokesman John Kirby. Guzman's escape humiliated Pena Nieto, who had vowed to keep him behind bars and put him on trial in Mexico even though the drug lord had already fled from another prison in 2001. - Penn was monitored? - While Guzman could face US justice, Mexican authorities are investigating the clandestine meeting between Penn and Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, who brokered the interview. Authorities want to question the actors. The newspaper El Universal published pictures on Monday showing the two actors arriving at the airport in the western city of Guadalajara on October 2. Another picture shows the pair greeting a man before taking a car that took them to an airstrip in the neighboring state of Nayarit, the newspaper said. One of the two small planes they boarded is pictured, supposedly heading toward Guzman's hideout in northwestern Mexico. The images are part of a Mexican intelligence report obtained by the daily. Penn wrote in a Rolling Stone article published Saturday that he had received a "credible tip" that the US Drug Enforcement Administration "had indeed become aware of our journey to Mexico." The US rock magazine posted an October 2 picture showing Penn shaking Guzman's hand during the meeting in an undisclosed jungle clearing in Mexico. - Meeting led to capture - Gomez said the meeting was an "essential element" that led to Guzman's capture. On October 6, or four days after the meeting, Guzman was nearly nabbed in a military raid in the state of Durango, but troops didn't shoot because he was with two women and a girl. Guzman was finally captured on Friday in a raid that left five suspects dead in Los Mochis, a coastal city in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, six months after his prison break. A video of the operation shows marines firing their assault rifles and tossing grenades inside a room. One troop comforts a wounded colleague, telling him "stay calm, buddy." During the shootout, Guzman escaped through a tunnel that was hidden behind a mirror. It led to the city's storm drain system, but the drug lord and his security chief were caught later after they came out of a manhole and stole a car. By Michael O'Boyle and Joanna Zuckerman Bernstein CULIACAN/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's public enemy No. 1, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, was nabbed last week after a gunfight and high speed getaway bid. But his more discreet partner is flourishing, moving tonnes of drugs to the United States and laundering the profits at home. Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada jointly heads the powerful Sinaloa cartel and, with Guzman behind bars again and facing possible extradition to the United States, it falls to Zambada to maintain the gang's ranking as the world's largest. In the past few years, Mexican security forces have captured or killed almost all the leading kingpins who had dominated drug trafficking over the last two decades. Guzman, the most prominent of all, was recaptured on Friday, six months after his second escape from maximum security prison. That leaves Zambada, 68, as the most senior capo still standing. "He is the patriarch," said Antonio Mazzitelli, the U.N. representative on drugs and crime in Mexico. Zambada was listed as a defendant in a U.S. case as long ago as 1978, when Colombia's Pablo Escobar was just starting his trafficking career. Unlike Escobar, who was shot dead in 1993, Zambada has never been arrested and is still selling cocaine. Eight years ago, the U.S. Treasury Department declared a business network owned by his ex-wife and children was a money-laundering front. But most of the companies are still open. There are two secrets to his success, experts say. He keeps a low profile and spends heavily on alliances with politicians and police. "Zambada is very careful," said Javier Valdez, a founder of Sinaloan weekly newspaper Riodoce, describing him as a man who rarely travels and avoids big cities. "He controls the Sinaloan police, he has businesses in many sectors." Rarely photographed, Zambada keeps away from the limelight. In Culiacan, the beating heart of Mexican drug trafficking and the centre of his power, his presence is felt everywhere, although he is rarely seen. Children grew up drinking Santa Monica milk produced at a dairy the United States said was a front organization. Others pass through the kindergarten, aquatic park, and shopping centre owned by relatives and associates. In the small town of Salado, rumoured to be Mayo's home turf, locals warned Reuters reporters not to pry into Zambada's life. "Don't even mention his name," an old woman selling tortillas hissed. Zambada was born in a village nestled among low mountains called El Alamo, on the outskirts of Culiacan. Until recently he was known to arrive there to hand out money and children's' gifts at Christmas, in the style of old drug lords. In a rare interview to Mexican news magazine Proceso in 2010, Zambada said he had come close to arrest on four occasions, crawling through ditches to flee soldiers. On the whole, he said, he was more careful than his friend Guzman. He is also more afraid of serving time, saying that he'd rather die. BILLIONAIRES Zambada's faction of the Sinaloa cartel is a family business with sons occupying top trafficking positions and his daughters owning businesses. In 2013, Mexican authorities froze two of the dairy's bank accounts. Two people currently working there said the Santa Monica brand had now been sold to another Culiacan based company called Nuthree. Neither Nuthree or the dairy could be reached for official comment. Several of Zambada's relatives are in prison, including three of his sons. Others have died violently. One son, Vicente Zambada, gave dramatic testimony in a plea deal with the U.S. government in 2013 that showed how central his father was to bringing drug money back from the United States, as well as to shipping cocaine and heroin. Vicente Zambada earlier said he was a DEA informant and critics allege that by snitching on rivals he helped cement the Sinaloa cartel's dominance. Born into poverty, Ismael Zambada once said it was "stupidity" to suggest he might have enough wealth to feature in the Forbes billionaires list, like Guzman. Still, part of Vicente's plea deal was an agreement to hand over $1.3 billion in assets. The U.S. government is seeking to confiscate another $2 billion of assets shared by Zambada, Guzman and other associates, according to an indictment unsealed in 2015. In multiple indictments and statements, the U.S. government has created a picture of the older Zambada as an astute businessmen, managing many of the cartel's financial operations. HOMEBODY While Guzman led the cartel into battle with rivals to expand its control of trafficking routes, Zambada is more closely associated with maintaining its core strength in Sinaloa state. It is too early to say what impact Guzman's arrest will have on the Sinaloa cartel, and there are rumors that his eldest son Ivan could take over. But it was Zambada who kept things running when Guzman did his two previous stints in prison. In an indictment unsealed in Illinois in September, Zambada and Guzman are named as the leaders of the cartel and accused of importing massive shipments of cocaine as well as heroin and methamphetamine into the United States. Their alliance has been extraordinarily successful and their cartel has been the main winner of a drugs war that killed more than 100,000 people since 2007. One faction of the cartel broke off until its leader was killed but, unlike other gangs, the Sinaloa cartel remains a relatively stable group. "(It) is the only real cartel, it was established and keeps on operating as an association of businessmen," said Mazzitelli. A map published last year by the Drug Enforcement Administration (http://www.dea.gov/docs/dir06515.pdf) is testimony to Sinaloa's success. Apart from Texas and Arizona, the whole of the United States, from New York to Los Angeles, is shown as being under the influence of the Sinaloa gang. (Writing and additional reporting by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Kieran Murray) By Michael O'Boyle and Joanna Zuckerman Bernstein CULIACAN/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's public enemy No. 1, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, was nabbed last week after a gunfight and high speed getaway bid. But his more discreet partner is flourishing, moving tonnes of drugs to the United States and laundering the profits at home. Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada jointly heads the powerful Sinaloa cartel and, with Guzman behind bars again and facing possible extradition to the United States, it falls to Zambada to maintain the gang's ranking as the world's largest. In the past few years, Mexican security forces have captured or killed almost all the leading kingpins who had dominated drug trafficking over the last two decades. Guzman, the most prominent of all, was recaptured on Friday, six months after his second escape from maximum security prison. That leaves Zambada, 68, as the most senior capo still standing. "He is the patriarch," said Antonio Mazzitelli, the U.N. representative on drugs and crime in Mexico. Zambada was listed as a defendant in a U.S. case as long ago as 1978, when Colombia's Pablo Escobar was just starting his trafficking career. Unlike Escobar, who was shot dead in 1993, Zambada has never been arrested and is still selling cocaine. Eight years ago, the U.S. Treasury Department declared a business network owned by his ex-wife and children was a money-laundering front. But most of the companies are still open. There are two secrets to his success, experts say. He keeps a low profile and spends heavily on alliances with politicians and police. "Zambada is very careful," said Javier Valdez, a founder of Sinaloan weekly newspaper Riodoce, describing him as a man who rarely travels and avoids big cities. "He controls the Sinaloan police, he has businesses in many sectors." Rarely photographed, Zambada keeps away from the limelight. In Culiacan, the beating heart of Mexican drug trafficking and the center of his power, his presence is felt everywhere, although he is rarely seen. Children grew up drinking Santa Monica milk produced at a dairy the United States said was a front organization. Others pass through the kindergarten, aquatic park, and shopping center owned by relatives and associates. In the small town of Salado, rumored to be Mayo's home turf, locals warned Reuters reporters not to pry into Zambada's life. "Don't even mention his name," an old woman selling tortillas hissed. Zambada was born in a village nestled among low mountains called El Alamo, on the outskirts of Culiacan. Until recently he was known to arrive there to hand out money and children's' gifts at Christmas, in the style of old drug lords. In a rare interview to Mexican news magazine Proceso in 2010, Zambada said he had come close to arrest on four occasions, crawling through ditches to flee soldiers. On the whole, he said, he was more careful than his friend Guzman. He is also more afraid of serving time, saying that he'd rather die. BILLIONAIRES Zambada's faction of the Sinaloa cartel is a family business with sons occupying top trafficking positions and his daughters owning businesses. In 2013, Mexican authorities froze two of the dairy's bank accounts. Two people currently working there said the Santa Monica brand had now been sold to another Culiacan based company called Nuthree. Neither Nuthree or the dairy could be reached for official comment. Several of Zambada's relatives are in prison, including three of his sons. Others have died violently. One son, Vicente Zambada, gave dramatic testimony in a plea deal with the U.S. government in 2013 that showed how central his father was to bringing drug money back from the United States, as well as to shipping cocaine and heroin. Vicente Zambada earlier said he was a DEA informant and critics allege that by snitching on rivals he helped cement the Sinaloa cartel's dominance. Born into poverty, Ismael Zambada once said it was "stupidity" to suggest he might have enough wealth to feature in the Forbes billionaires list, like Guzman. Still, part of Vicente's plea deal was an agreement to hand over $1.3 billion in assets. The U.S. government is seeking to confiscate another $2 billion of assets shared by Zambada, Guzman and other associates, according to an indictment unsealed in 2015. In multiple indictments and statements, the U.S. government has created a picture of the older Zambada as an astute businessmen, managing many of the cartel's financial operations. HOMEBODY While Guzman led the cartel into battle with rivals to expand its control of trafficking routes, Zambada is more closely associated with maintaining its core strength in Sinaloa state. It is too early to say what impact Guzman's arrest will have on the Sinaloa cartel, and there are rumors that his eldest son Ivan could take over. But it was Zambada who kept things running when Guzman did his two previous stints in prison. In an indictment unsealed in Illinois in September, Zambada and Guzman are named as the leaders of the cartel and accused of importing massive shipments of cocaine as well as heroin and methamphetamine into the United States. Their alliance has been extraordinarily successful and their cartel has been the main winner of a drugs war that killed more than 100,000 people since 2007. One faction of the cartel broke off until its leader was killed but, unlike other gangs, the Sinaloa cartel remains a relatively stable group. "(It) is the only real cartel, it was established and keeps on operating as an association of businessmen," said Mazzitelli. A map published last year by the Drug Enforcement Administration (http://www.dea.gov/docs/dir06515.pdf) is testimony to Sinaloa's success. Apart from Texas and New Mexico, the whole of the United States, from New York to Los Angeles, is shown as being under the influence of the Sinaloa gang. (Story corrects second state to New Mexico from Arizona, in final paragraph) (Writing and additional reporting by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Kieran Murray) By Matthias Blamont GRANDE-SYNTHE, France (Reuters) - As thousands of migrants prepare for falling temperatures in the "jungle" of Calais on France's north coast, refugees in another makeshift camp just 35 kilometers away are coping with even more squalid conditions as the winter freeze sets in. In Grande-Synthe, a small town adjacent to the port city of Dunkirk, groups of men, women and children fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Asia have converged in recent months on a vast forest clearing to set up their tents. Pouring rain and harsh winds from the nearby English Channel frequently turn the land into an ocean of mud. This weekend snow is forecast. "We believe some 3,000 people are surviving here in atrocious sanitary conditions," Samuel Hanryon of charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) told Reuters on Tuesday. That figure compares to around 4,000 for the "jungle" in Calais. Like in Calais, most of them hope eventually to reach Britain, across the Channel, where better job opportunities and the more familiar English language are big draws. "We see many of them with fractures. Others have respiratory infections, the same that we see in Calais," Hanryon said. But he added life for migrants in Grande-Synthe was far worse than in the "jungle", with only around 30 toilets and two drinking water stations. He said around 200 children were probably in the camp. "Hell on earth is here," Jutiyar, 25, said. He, his brothers and mother have been in Grande-Synthe for two months after traveling from Iraq to France. "We pray to God to stop the rain. Sometimes all the tents fly away because of the wind and at night we can't sleep because of the freezing cold." They chose Grande-Synthe after hearing life in Calais would be "too difficult". Officials in Grande-Synthe did not immediately comment on the camp. On Monday, France opened a migrants' shelter made of converted shipping containers in Calais, an initiative aimed at bringing some order after months of clashes and worsening conditions in the area. Security around train tracks to the Eurotunnel and around the port of Calais has been reinforced since last October to prevent migrants from jumping onto trains and vehicles heading for Britain or attempting to walk through the tunnel. This has led to frequent clashes between migrants and the police. A new "semi-permanent" camp, with 500 heated tents and larger sanitary facilities, will open next month in coordination with MSF. It will be located in another area of Grande-Synthe and has been designed to accommodate up to 2,500 people. But that will not stop some from pushing on. Several migrants said they still hoped to reach Britain, vowing to embark on trucks from the nearby Dunkirk port. "I speak English, I have a sister in England, I can settle there and work as a carpenter," Moji, 32, from Iran, said. (Editing by John Irish and Catherine Evans) By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization has asked the Syrian government for permission to send mobile clinics and medical teams to the besieged town of Madaya to assess the extent of malnutrition and evacuate the worst cases, its representative said on Tuesday. An aid convoy on Monday brought the first food and medical supplies for months to the town, where thousands are trapped and local doctors say some have starved to death. Elizabeth Hoff, WHO representative in Damascus who went into Madaya on Monday in a U.N. convoy, said the agency needed to do a "door-to-door assessment" in the town of 42,000 people, where a Syrian doctor told her 300-400 needed "special medical care". "I am really alarmed," Hoff told Reuters, speaking by telephone from the Syrian capital where she has been based since July 2012. "People gathered in the market place. You could see many were malnourished, starving. They were skinny, tired, severely distressed. There was no smile on anybody's faces. It is not what you seen when you arrive with a convoy. The children I talked to said they had no strength to play." An international aid convoy entered the town of Madaya, besieged by government forces, where thousands had been trapped for months without supplies and people had been reported to have died of starvation. The WHO brought in 7.8 tonnes of medicines including trauma kits for wounds and medicines for treating both chronic and communicable diseases, including antibiotics and nutritional therapeutic supplies for children, Hoff said. "The female doctor said mothers had absolutely no milk for breast-feeding, the milk had dried up and the babies are not satisfied," Hoff said. Many malnourished people were too weak to leave their homes. "We need to go in with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent for a door-to-door basement, if there are these cases we need to verify and make sure they get urgent treatment," Hoff said. "I sent an immediate request to authorities for more supplies to be brought in. We are asking for mobile clinics and medical teams to be dispatched." She added: "We need unhindered, sustained access, the only thing that will help in the long term is lifting the siege." WHO simultaneously delivered 3.9 tonnes each to Foua and Kafraya, two villages in Idlib province encircled by rebels fighting the Syrian government. Hoff visited two medical sites in Madaya, one a private practice based in a home run by two doctors, and the other a makeshift field hospital in a basement. Neither had supplies. "The doctors at the private practice said they had run out of medicines they received in October and patients preferred to spend what little money they had on food and not health care," Hoff said. "They reported widespread malnutrition and serious problems with severe acute malnutrition, I cannot confirm what they reported." The two doctors lacked equipment for measuring wasting in a child, or even a scale to weigh patients, she said. The makeshift field hospital, down a dark flight of stairs, lacked hygienic conditions, Hoff said. "The room is often so crowded that they had to give a drip to a patient outdoors because there was no room in the clinic." The Syrian doctor there told her he had names of 300-400 people requiring immediate medical care. "The doctor in the clinic reported that he hadn't eaten for three days." "I spoke with a man who said he was 45 and severely malnourished, he could hardly talk. He said he had four children at home who are in a bad situation. He was totally dehydrated and had a yellow color and was distressed." "A pregnant woman was there who came in regularly unconscious ... she was lying in front of me, with very low blood sugar and lacking food. The nurse had nothing to give." (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Giles Elgood) By Marice Richter FORT WORTH, Texas (Reuters) - The mother of a Texas teenager, derided for his "affluenza" defense for killing four people while driving drunk, posted bond on Monday and is set to be released from a county jail on Tuesday, the Tarrant County sheriff said. Tonya Couch, 48, had her bail reduced on Monday to $75,000 from $1 million after her lawyers argued the original amount was excessively high for a person charged with a third degree felony. Couch faces up to 10 years in prison for helping her son escape to Mexico, likely in violation of the probation deal. Tonya Couch needs to be placed under electronic monitoring as a condition of her release, Sheriff Dee Anderson said. A psychiatrist testifying on behalf of Ethan Couch, then 16, at his 2013 trial in juvenile court, contended his family's wealth had left him so spoiled that it impaired his judgment to tell right from wrong. The affluenza diagnosis, which is not recognized by the American Psychiatric Association, was widely ridiculed. On Monday, Judge Wayne Salvant imposed conditions on a release on bond that included the electronic monitor, drug testing and reporting weekly to authorities. In arguing that the bail should remain at $1 million, Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney Kevin Rousseau said, "She has shown she is willing to violate his probation and is willing to do so in a big way." Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson told reporters earlier in the day there was a possibility she could run again. "Hopefully, the judge's restrictions will prevent that," he said. Ethan Couch is in an immigration detention facility in Mexico and fighting deportation back to the United States. Stephanie Patten, an attorney for the mother, said her bank account had been frozen and she could not access enough money to pay the bond. Tonya Couch and her son left Texas after a video surfaced on social media in early December showing Ethan at an alcohol-fueled party, in likely violation of his probation deal. A day after the video was seen on the Internet, she withdrew $30,000 from the bank and informed her estranged husband, who owns a metal works business, that he would never see his son again, an arrest affidavit said. Mother and son drove in a pickup truck to Puerto Vallarta, where they were caught by Mexican authorities after a manhunt lasting more than two weeks. (Reporting by Marice Richter; Writing by David Bailey and Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Sandra Maler and Muralikumar Anantharaman) KISSIMMEE, Fla. NASA's next flagship astronomy mission after the James Webb Space Telescope will become a formal project in February thanks to increased funding and direction from Congress, even as the agency looks to make cuts elsewhere in its astrophysics program. Paul Hertz, director of NASA's astrophysics division, told astronomers attending the 227th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society here Jan. 4 that the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) will enter its "formulation phase," the beginning of NASA's project management process, in February after the proposed space telescope passed a mission concept review in December. That decision also comes after the passage of the fiscal year 2016 omnibus spending bill in December that provided $90 million for WFIRST, far above NASA's request of $14 million. The report accompanying the bill adopted language approved by Senate appropriators in June directing NASA to move WFIRST into the formulation phase by early 2016. [Watch: WFIRST Space Telescope Could Probe Exoplanets, Dark Energy] The increase is not the first time Congress has added funding for WFIRST. In fiscal year 2015, NASA requested $14 million but Congress appropriated $50 million. In 2014, Congress provided $56 million for WFIRST. The intent of those increases was to accelerate a mission that astronomers identified as the highest priority large mission in their latest decadal survey, published in 2010. NASA had previously stated it did not expect to formally start the WFIRST project until fiscal year 2017, when spending on JWST was projected to decline as it neared its 2018 launch. "The Committee has accelerated this key mission recommended by the decadal survey and expects it to achieve overlap and scientific synergy with Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope," the Senate report stated in June. NASA has been using the additional funding to perform technology development work, including for the mission's two key instruments: a wide field camera and a coronagraph that can be used to directly observe extrasolar planets. That work, Hertz said, has gone well. Story continues "We have made every one of our milestones on schedule so far," he said of that work. "We're making fabulous progress in keeping on that plan that will enable us to do WFIRST in the shortest possible period." One scientist involved in WFIRST endorsed that approach. "This is really a good way to do a big mission like this," said Neil Gehrels of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center during a Jan. 5 conference session about the mission. "We can lower the risks and figure out the technologies before we get a large army developing the mission." The baseline plan for the mission calls for the use of one of the 2.4-meter mirrors provided to NASA by the National Reconnaissance Office in 2012. The spacecraft will operate at the Earth-sun L-2 Lagrange point for a prime mission of at least six years. NASA will not provide an official cost and schedule estimate for WFIRST until later in the project's development. In an October presentation to a National Academies committee, members of the WFIRST team estimated the mission's cost to be $2 billion to $2.3 billion based on the current baseline design. A notional schedule in that presentation showed the mission ready for launch in August 2024. NASA's astrophysics division overall received $730 million in the 2016 omnibus spending bill, $41.5 million above the administration's request when changes in accounting for education programs are included. However, the increase in WFIRST, as well as requirements in the bill to fully fund the Hubble Space Telescope and the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, mean a shortfall of $36 million for other astrophysics programs. "We will be needing to make adjustments across the rest of the astrophysics portfolio to realize a savings of $36 million," Hertz said. Details about how those cuts will be implemented will be included in the agency's operating plan, which Hertz said should be completed in about a month. This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry. Copyright 2016 SPACE.com, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigeria's state-backed AMCON "bad bank" said on Tuesday it plans to sell its majority stake in Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN) Limited, a local joint venture with the major French automaker, and is seeking bids from investors. Peugeot Citroen is the technical partner to the Nigerian assembly plant, which has capacity to assemble 240 cars a day, PAN said on its website. In a statement, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) said it owned 79.3 percent of PAN Nigeria Limited, having acquired the stake four years ago after purchasing the company's debt and taking some as equity. PAN Nigeria Limited was set up in 1972 as a joint venture between the Nigerian government and France's Peugeot, with an annual production of 90,000 cars by the 1980s. But operations nosedived and the company accumulated bad loans shortly after the government sold its stake via a privatisation to local core investors in 2006. AMCON said PAN Nigeria had assets totalling 24.96 billion naira ($125.43 million) as of December 2014 and equity of 11.98 billion naira, and was seeking investors with experience in automobile manufacturing to buy the stake on offer. Bids will close on Jan. 26 at 1600 GMT, it said. President Muhammadu Buhari is keen to promote a "Made in Nigeria" industrial policy. In November, he met Peugeot's executive vice president for Africa and the Middle-East, Jean-Christophe Quemard, to discuss the revival of local production. The government under a National Automotive Industry Development Plan has ordered local car distributors to come up with plans for new assembly plants, along with threats of imposing prohibitive import duties. U.S. carmaker Ford Motor Co's partnership with a local car dealer has built its first model in Nigeria at a new assembly plant in November and said it will produce an initial 10 vehicles a day for the domestic market. The auto market in Africa's biggest economy has huge potential but only a small number of new vehicles are sold annually because the sector is dominated by imported used vehicles, and the absence of an industrial policy that would encourage suppliers to set up in Nigeria has stunted growth. AMCON was set up to absorb bad loans from banks after a $4 billion bailout in 2009 rescued nine lenders from collapse. AMCON then bought bad loans at a discount in exchange for government-backed bonds and has since been selling off collaterals against those loans to pay bondholders. (Reporting by Oludare Mayowa; Writing by Chijioke Ohuocha; Editing by Mark Heinrich) South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley speaks at the Kemp Forum in Columbia, S.C., in January. (Photo: Sean Rayford/AP) Every year, the president of the United States comes to the House of Representatives, stands behind the speakers rostrum, and delivers his State of the Union address and every year, the opposing party selects one of its rising stars to appear on live TV immediately afterward and respond. The point of these responses is to make your party look good and the president look bad. But this years response may be different. Thats because the GOP has picked South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to deliver it. Theres no doubt that Haley will criticize Barack Obamas policies, just as shes been doing since she first took office in 2011. But she seems to have been selected to make someone other than the president look bad as well: her own partys indomitable frontrunner, Donald J. Trump. Its hard not to think that when Haley, widely touted as a potential vice presidential nominee, was offered the gig in early December by newly minted House Speaker Paul Ryan a man who has vowed to transform the GOP into an agenda party, a solutions party, an ideas party, so that we make our case not based on personality, but based on ideas to the country the congressman and his allies were trying to send a message about The Donald. Haley, 43, is the opposite of Trump is almost every way. He is a senior citizen. She is the youngest governor in the country. He is white. She is the daughter of Indian immigrants. He is a New Yorker. She comes from a small town in South Carolina. He is a political opportunist. She is a tea party conservative. He is a he. She is a she. And while Trump has recently fashioned himself into Americas principal avatar of right-wing intolerance, demonizing Mexicans, Muslims, and Megyn Kelly, among others, Haley has emerged as a lonely symbol of Republican inclusiveness, leading the charge in the wake of Junes Charleston church massacre to remove the Confederate flag from the South Carolina state capitol and denouncing Trumps divisive rhetoric on numerous occasions since then. Story continues Every time someone criticizes him, he goes and makes a political attack, Haley said when asked about Trump during an appearance at the National Press Club in September. Thats not who we are as Republicans. Thats not what we do. Haley and her husband, Michael, pose for a selfie with fans at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India. (Photo: Sameer Sehgal/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) Born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa in Bamberg, S.C., on Jan. 20, 1972, Haley is no stranger to bias and bigotry. When her parents arrived from Indias Punjab state three years earlier her father, a biology professor, wrapped his long hair in the traditional Sikh turban; her mother, a lawyer, wore a sari they found that no one was willing to rent them a house. We were the first Indian family ever to live in Bamberg, Haley wrote in her 2012 memoir, Cant Is Not an Option. In a time and place that only knew black and white, we didnt fit either category. It was a lesson that Haley learned early on. At the age of 5, she entered a Little Miss Bamberg pageant with her sister. There were typically two winners: a black queen and a white queen. The judges let the Randhawas perform then disqualified them because they were brown. We dont have a place for you, they explained. In kindergarten, Haleys teachers cast her as Pocahontas in the school play a turn, she recalled in her memoir, that marked the beginning of a long parade of little boys dancing around me and doing the American Indian hand-to-mouth call. A few years later, the rest of Haleys classmates divided themselves into two groups at recess one black, the other white. Are we playing [kickball] today? Haley asked. We are, one girl said. Youre not. Why? Haley asked. You have to pick a side, the girl replied. Are you white or are you black? Haley began working for her mothers clothing business at an early age and eventually received an accounting degree from Clemson University. But it wasnt until she decided to run for the state House in 2004 that she realized how insidious the bigotry that she had first encountered as a kid could be. Haleys rival, incumbent Larry Koon, was the sort of guy who believed, as he once put it, that women are best suited for secretarial work, decorating cakes and counter sales, like selling lingerie. His campaign fliers featured his photograph on one side (white male, Christian, business owner) and Haleys on the other (Indian female, Buddhist, housekeeper). (Never mind that Haley is a Christian.) Whenever the two candidates met on the trail, Koon made sure to call Haley little lady; he regularly reminded voters that her birth name was Nimrata Randhawa. Eventually Haley defeated Koons the heavy favorite by 10 percentage points. Her underdog gubernatorial campaign was even more controversial. Weve got a raghead in Washington, state Senator Jake Knotts said at one point, referring to President Obama. We dont need a raghead in the Statehouse. A black Democrat referred to Haley as a conservative with a tan. Gender was an issue as well. As soon as polls showed Haley in the lead, unsubstantiated rumors of extramarital affairs began to surface in the press accusations that were more believable in the eyes of some voters, Haley wrote in her memoir, because I was a young woman. (Haley vowed to resign if the claims were validated, which they never were.) Still, for most of her governorship she won reelection in 2014 Haley, true to her tea party reputation, was hardly a civil rights crusader. She refused to expand Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act. She signed an Arizona-style immigration law forcing police officers to report anyone they suspected of being a noncitizen. She pushed for stricter enforcement of South Carolinas E-Verify rules. And when she first took office, legislators immediately complained about her administrations lack of diversity. At the end of the day, I had to show results as governor, Haley wrote in her memoir. I didnt care what color the people were who helped me do that. Haley even opposed removing the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the state capitol. During her initial run for governor, she said the flag was not something that is racist, but rather a tradition that people feel proud of. Yet after 21-year-old white supremacist Dylann Roof shot and killed nine African-Americans at Charlestons Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church during a June 17 prayer service, Haleys views began to change. Ive got some things in my head, she texted her husband after seeing photos of Roof clutching the Confederate flag, and I just need to know if Im thinking right. Legislators applaud after Haley signs a bill to remove the Confederate battle flag from the Statehouse grounds. (Photo: Sean Rayford/Getty Images) She had decided that the flag needed to come down. She met with members of both parties. She cried during a press conference. When legislation stalled in the House, Haley huddled with her fellow Republicans to make sure they understood what was at stake. I told them they had not heard me talk a lot about race, she recently explained, but I wanted them to know a story. One day, when Haley was 10, she convinced her father to let her drive with him to Columbia, the big city, about an hour away from home. On the way they stopped at a fruit stand. As her dad began to fill a bag with produce, Haley glanced at the register. The owners looked nervous. One of them picked up the phone. Moments later, a pair of police cars sped up to the stand. Even as a grade schooler, Haley realized that the cops were there because of us. I have to pass that farmers stand every time I go to the airport, Haley told the Republicans. And every time I pass it I feel pain. The Statehouse belongs to everybody, she continued. No child should drive by the Statehouse and feel pain. The bill passed soon after. When Trump ascended to the top of the GOP polls over the summer, Haley was one of the first Republicans to speak out against him. We need to make sure that were always communicating in a way thats got respect and dignity, Haley said at the time. When we saw all of this happen [in South Carolina], people respected each other. They may have disagreed, but they respected each other. That tone is important for the country. A harsh tone hurts people, and its just not necessary. Haley isnt a moderate. She isnt calling for new gun-control measures. She has pushed steep cuts to the state budget. She has sought to curb regulations and limit lawsuits. She is vehemently opposed to Obamacare. She is hostile to unions. And after the mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., she joined two dozen other governors in declaring that their states would not accept Syrian refugees. But in the wake of the Charleston massacre, Haley has proven that she understands how to be a conservative without alienating everybody who isnt a member of the GOPs dwindling demographic base. Im really excited about this, Paul Ryan said Monday. If you want to hear an inclusive leader whos visionary, whos got a path for the future, whos brought people together, whos unified, its Nikki Haley. For Ryan and other mainstream Republicans, Haleys response Tuesday night represents an opportunity to show off the GOP as they hoped it would look before Trump hijacked 2016: younger, more diverse, and more consistently, thoughtfully conservative. The question now is whether its too little too late. Watch the State of the Union and the GOP response right here. Coverage and commentary hosted by Katie Couric begins at 8:45 pm Eastern. (Reuters) - U.S. railroad operator Norfolk Southern Corp , which has repeatedly rejected Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd's takeover bid, said it will consolidate its Virginia and Pocahontas units, to cut costs and support growth. The company said on Tuesday the two units will be consolidated to form a new Pocahontas division on Feb. 1. Norfolk said the move will affect management and staff positions based in Bluefield, West Virginia, but did not detail the number of employees who would be impacted. The company also said it was idling parts of its West Virginia Secondary, a 253-mile railway line between Columbus, Ohio, and central West Virginia due to steady declines in business in recent years. Norfolk has rejected Canadian Pacific Railway's multiple bids over the last month, saying the offers were "grossly inadequate". (Reporting by Anet Josline Pinto in Bengaluru; Editing by Siddharth Cavale) SEOUL (Reuters) - A Canadian pastor serving a life sentence in North Korea for subversion said he spends eight hours a day digging holes at a labour camp, while a naturalised American citizen said he is being held by the state for spying, CNN reported from Pyongyang. If the detention of the American, Kim Dong Chul, is confirmed, he would be the second Western citizen known to be currently held in North Korea. He is being held for spying for South Korea and has asked the South or the U.S. government to rescue him, CNN said, adding Kim is 60 and formerly of Fairfax, Virginia. Hyeon Soo Lim, a South Korean-born Canadian who was the head pastor at one of Canada's largest churches, has been held by the North since last February. Lim, who was 60 at the time of his arrest, was sentenced to hard labour for life in December for attempting to overthrow the North's regime. "I wasn't originally a labourer, so the labour was hard at first," Lim told CNN in Korean through an interpreter. "But now I've gotten used to it." The charges against Lim lacked specifics, but he said it may be related to his open criticism of the North's three generations of leaders. "I admit I've violated this government's authority, system and order," Lim said in the interview aired on Monday. Asked if his biggest crime was speaking badly of the North's leaders, he said: "Yes, I think so." Lim's family in Canada released a statement after the interview, urging the Canadian government to accelerate diplomatic discussions to secure his "speedy release." A spokesman for the Canadian foreign ministry said the government "is working towards a resolution in his case" and is concerned for his rights and well-being, but said no further information could be shared. A church spokeswoman noted Lim's changed appearance. "We recognize that the difference in physical appearance is 'standard' for those sentenced in the DPRK but it's never really standard (when) it's a personal loved one. Having said this, we are hopeful because he himself was heard saying that he is at peace," Lisa Pak, spokeswoman for the Light Korean Presbyterian Church in suburban Toronto, said in an email. Lim was brought into a Pyongyang hotel for the interview, wearing a grey padded prison uniform bearing the number "036" on his chest, and with his hair cropped short. He said works eight hours a day, six days a week digging holes in an orchard at a labour camp where he has seen no other prisoners, CNN said. Lim, who had lived in Canada since 1986, gets three meals and day and regular medical attention, CNN said. His church has said Lim had a "very serious health problem, very high blood pressure." Lim had visited the North more than 100 times since 1997 and helped set up an orphanage and nursing home, according to the church. In a separate interview, Kim told CNN he spied on behalf of "South Korean conservative elements" and was arrested in October. "I was tasked with taking photos of military secrets and scandalous scenes," Kim said. The U.S. embassy in Seoul said it was aware of the report but did not have further comment. A U.S. State Department official declined to comment on the reports, saying that speaking publicly about specific cases of detained Americans can complicate efforts to get them released. If his detention is confirmed, Kim would be the first American to be held by the North since it released three U.S. citizens in 2014. He said he had moved to the Chinese city of Yanji near the border with North Korea and worked in the North Korean city of Rason in a trading business, when a number of South Koreans approached him "They asked me to help destroy the (North's) system and spread propaganda against the government," he said. He is being held at a Pyongyang hotel and is in good health, CNN said. (Reporting by Jack Kim and James Pearson; Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom in Washington and Andrea Hopkins in Toronto; Editing by Nick Macfie, Jefffey Benkoe and Frances Kerry) Global Markets Ring in the New Year with Dreadful Results (Continued from Prior Part) North Koreas hydrogen bomb test On Wednesday, January 6, 2016, North Korea declared that it successfully completed the testing of a hydrogen bomb. North Korea said it wants the H-bomb as protection from the ever-growing nuclear threat. Its the countrys first nuclear test in three years, a move that received criticism from the United States, Europe, and Japan. Impact on global market Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe immediately reacted to North Koreas statement. He said Japan absolutely cannot tolerate nuclear testing by North Korea. Japan-tracking ETFs (EWJ) (DXJ) fell 1.8% on January 6. The European Unions major countries and the United States are important allies for NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). North Koreas claim of a successful hydrogen bomb test is a direct threat to the members of NATO. NATO, led by the United States (SPY), has already imposed sanctions on North Korea. The way North Korea is ruled may not guarantee the proper use of nuclear power, which could threaten developed economies such as the Eurozone (EZU) (FEZ) and Japan. Global indexes fell Most of the global indexes fell on Wednesday, January 6, 2016, in early trading and continued to trade in the negative for the rest of the day. Following are the indexes and their returns on Wednesday, January 6: The United Kingdoms FTSE 100 Index fell 1%. Germanys DAX fell 2.3%. Frances CAC 40 fell 1.8%. Japans Nikkei 225 fell 1.7%. Major stocks of Nikkei 225 such as Toyota (TM), Honda Motor (HMC), and Sony (SNE) fell ~2% on January 6. Major auto manufacturing stocks of Germany (EWG) such as Volkswagen (VLKAY), Daimler (DDAIF), and BMW fell ~6% in the week ended January 8. In the next part of this series, well analyze the performance of the Eurozones (FEZ) various industries in the week ended January 8, 2016. Continue to Next Part Browse this series on Market Realist: By Laila Kearney NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City police were searching for the last of a group of teenage boys as young as 14 suspected of raping an 18-year-old woman in a Brooklyn playground late last week after ordering her father to leave at gunpoint, police said on Monday. Officers had taken into custody four of the five suspects, one aged 14, two 15 and one 17, by Sunday night. Two of the suspects were apprehended and another two turned themselves in. They gave no details about the remaining suspect. While city leaders and experts expressed shock over the incident coupled with the suspects' ages, they said the crime illustrates stubborn violence in one of the city's poorest neighborhoods and rising rates of reported rape citywide. The rape occurred just after 9 p.m. on Thursday in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Brownsville. The victim was with her father in a city playground when the five males approached them, police said. One of the young men pointed a gun at the pair and ordered the father to leave. After the father left, each of the males raped the woman, police said. By the time the father returned with two uniformed police officers, the suspects had fled. The woman was taken to a local hospital, where she was treated and released. Police have revealed surveillance video taken in a nearby grocery store that they said showed the five suspects before the attack. The video depicts a group of young black men talking and laughing inside the store. "It's very surprising to know that there are young adults in our neighborhood capable of committing these types of crimes," said city Councilman Rafael Espinal, whose district encompasses part of Brownsville. However, Espinal said, an increase in gun-related crimes and a lack of youth programs has fueled crime in Brownsville, the poorest neighborhood in Brooklyn. Reported rapes rose 6.3 percent citywide in 2015. "It could be emblematic of the general trend in reported rapes," said Eli Silverman, John Jay College of Criminal Justice professor emeritus. Silverman cautioned that rapes often go unreported or are reported with a delay, skewing crime statistics. Story continues New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday denounced the crime. "This administration has zero tolerance for sexual attacks," he said. The city would "not stop until the perpetrators of this disturbing attack are held accountable." Charges are pending against the suspects. (Editing by Andrew Hay and Cynthia Osterman) Looking back, was that the change you believed in? On the eve of his final State of the Union address, President Obama walked the halls of the White House with Matt Lauer of NBCs Today show during a wide-ranging interview that hit upon the current presidential race and whether he failed to deliver on an essential part of his first campaign platform: hope and change. Back in 2008, the then-junior senator from Illinois vowed to change the tone of Washington and unite people. But politics in the U.S. are still deeply divided. You will be looking out over a room that is arguably as divided as its ever been, Lauer asked in the interview, which aired Tuesday morning. Do you see that as a failure of your presidency? U.S. President Barack Obama waves at the start of his 2015 State of the Union address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Photo: Joshua Roberts/Reuters) The commander-in-chief characterized the ongoing division as a regret and said he could not be more proud of what they accomplished. He noted that sometimes we look at the past through rose-colored glasses. Its been pretty divided in the past. There have been times where people beat each other with canes, he said. We had things like the Civil War. There have been times where it was pretty rough. But theres no doubt that politics in Washington are so much more divided than the American people are. With his last address, Obama said, he wants to remind Americans we have a lot of good things going for us, and that we are not as divided ideologically as some people make us out to be. In 2008, after eight years of President George W. Bush, many Americans were ready for something different, and felt energized by Obamas message. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign stop in Windham, N.H., on Jan. 11, 2016. (Photo: Jim Cole/AP) Nowadays, Lauer said, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and others are capitalizing on a sense of fear, frustration and fatigue in the country in their bids for the White House. Story continues After seven years of the Obama presidency, do you feel youre responsible for a certain hunger out there for the message Donald Trump is putting out? Lauer asked. The message that Donald Trumps putting out has had adherents a lot of times during the course of our history, Obama said. You know, talk to me if he wins. Then well have a conversation about how responsible I feel about it. Despite Trumps popularity and partisanship in Washington, Obama said he is confident that the overwhelming majority of Americans are united in the kind of politics that they want moving forward. [America] isnt looking for simplistic solutions and scapegoating but looks for us buckling down and figuring out, How do we make things work for the next generation? he said. Watch the State of the Union and commentary right here. Coverage and commentary hosted by Katie Couric begins at 8:45 pm Eastern. (Reuters) - President Barack Obama made a brief appearance on Facebook on Tuesday as he finalised the text of his last State of the Union address. The president, sitting at his desk, said he was making last minute changes and added touches to his speech. "There's a lot of work that still needs to be done," Obama said, adding that he wanted to make sure that the American people understood his proposals. "We've got some big choices ahead," he said. EARLIER DEVELOPMENTS (ALL TIMES ET) 6:06:01 PM Hardly a quiet few hours for the White House in the run up to President Obama's swan song State of the Union address later on Tuesday. As the president goes through his final preparations for the speech: Iran has taken 10 sailors aboard two U.S. Navy boats into custody, although Iran has told the United States that the crew members will be "promptly" returned, U.S. officials said. And at least 145 congressional Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, are condemning the Obama administration's immigrant deportation efforts. 6:00:01 PM Ahead of his final State of the State speech, the White House tweeted that President Barack Obama would share a few thoughts live on Facebook before the event. Obama's speech before a joint session of Congress is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET. Meanwhile, indie rock band EL VY was gearing up for the pre-speech performance at 7:45 p.m. ET in the chamber. The White House posted clips of the band's warm up on Snapchat. 3:59:38 PM U.S. President Barack Obama will talk about the prospects for self-driving cars in his final State of the Union address on Tuesday, according to government officials, the first time the president has used the annual speech to tackle an important issue facing the auto and technology industries. 2:27:44 PM Millions of Americans were discussing President Obama's upcoming State of the Union address on Tuesday on top social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, debating anticipated speech topics such as gun control, terrorism and healthcare. 2:05:14 PM U.S. President Barack Obama voiced regret for failing to unite Washington since taking office on a wave of hope in 2009, as he prepared to give a State of the Union speech on Tuesday to launch his final year in the White House. Asked about his inability to heal America's political divisions, Obama told NBC's "Today" show, "It's a regret." The president planned to speak optimistically about America's future in his speech in Congress, one of his few remaining chances to capture and hold the attention of millions of Americans before the Nov. 8 election of a new president who will take office next January. The Democratic president will give his final State of the Union address as campaign rhetoric for November's presidential election intensifies with candidates fighting over illegal immigrants, wage inequality and violence. 9:00:22 AMPresident Barack Obama said he could envision Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump giving a State of the Union address - but in a comedy skit. In a "Today" show interview ahead of his final State of the Union address, the Democratic president was asked if he could envision Trump, the billionaire developer known for his bombastic style, making his own State of the Union speech as president. "Well, I can imagine it - in a 'Saturday Night' skit," Obama said, referring to the NBC's long-running late-night comedy show "Saturday Night Live." "Look, anything's possible. And I think, you know, we shouldn't be complacent." (Reporting by Reuters staff) (Reuters) - A family of four was killed on Monday in an explosion at a house in northeast Ohio, local authorities said. The bodies of a couple and two young children were discovered within the charred interior of the house in Northfield, about 20 miles south of Cleveland, Northfield Center Fire Chief Frank Risko told reporters. An official with the Summit County Sheriff's Office said the cause of the explosion was under investigation and gave no further details. The identities of the victims have not been released. The children were ages 8 and 12, the news website Cleveland.com reported. Dominion East Ohio Gas crews were at the scene, local radio broadcaster WTAM reported. (Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by Larry King) When war erupts at home, children living in crisis zones are some of the most vulnerable to the consequences of conflict. Many have lost friends, family, and homes, but its not just their everyday lives that are at stake. Its also their education. According to the United Nations Childrens Fund, as many as 24 million children living in war-torn areas are not in school. The childrens rights organization analyzed 22 countries affected by warfare and discovered that about one in four children of primary and lower secondary school ageusually between six and 15living in conflict zones were being deprived of their education. However, UNICEF says these figures may not accurately depict the severity of the problem, given that gathering data on children in these countries is extremely difficult. Today, there are more than 109 million children living in crisis-ridden places. In South Sudan, more than half of all children of primary and lower secondary school age are not in school. In Niger, about 47 percent dont have access to education; similarly, some 40 percent of children in South Sudan and Afghanistan are unable to attend school. When children are not in school, they are at an increased danger of abuse, exploitation and recruitment into armed groups, said UNICEF Chief of Education Jo Bourne. Schools can also protect children from the trauma and physical dangers around them. UNICEF is one of several organizations working to ensure that children in conflict-affected countries have access to education, as schools can act as safe zones for students and equip them with the skills necessary for their future. However, education is one of the least funded sectors by humanitarian aid, though universal access to education is proven to help prevent conflict, according to UNICEF. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, another rights organization focused on bettering education for children worldwide, found that conflict is most likely to happen in countries where mens education levels are low and youth populations are high. That said, they also found doubling the percentage of younger generations with secondary education in these countriesfrom 30 to 60 percentcould cut the risk of war in half. Story continues Another UNESCO study discovered that if levels of educational inequality doubled in low and middle-income countries, the probability of conflict more than doubled. The study looked at 55 countries from 1986 to 2003 and found that when inequality increased, conflict rates rose from 3.8 to 9.5 percent. Worldwide, an estimated 59 million children of primary school age are deprived of an education. Additionally, some 65 million teens aged 12 and 15 were denied access to schooling. Now, unable to learn even the basic reading and writing skills, they are at risk of losing their futures and missing out on the opportunity to contribute to their economies and societies when they reach adulthood, said Bourne. Related stories on TakePart: A Humanitarian School in Communist Laos Is Teaching Kids to Give Back How Do Children End Up as Child Soldiers? Scores of Syrian Kids Are Now the Street Children of Lebanon Original article from TakePart LONDON (Reuters) - The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries has no plan to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the drop in oil prices before its next scheduled gathering in June, two OPEC delegates said on Tuesday. On Tuesday, Nigeria's oil minister said a "couple" of OPEC member countries had requested such a meeting, after oil prices sank to a near-12-year low close to $30 a barrel. "There won't be any meeting," said one of the delegates from an African OPEC member country. (Reporting by Alex Lawler; editing by Jason Neely) Paris (AFP) - France's telecommunications giant Orange said on Tuesday there is an even chance that takeover talks with its smaller rival Bouygues Telecom will be successful. Orange, which is 20-percent owned by the French state, last week said it had "renewed preliminary discussions" with the Bouygues group to take over its telecoms division, a move that would consolidate one of Europe's most competitive telecoms marketplaces to three players from the current four. "I would say we have a 50/50 chance," Orange chief Stephane Richard told journalists. Any decision would take no more "a few weeks" to reach, he said. "We cannot take months over this," he added. "It's a complicated operation ... because it shakes up the view that people may have of this industry, and this requires regulators, both for the sector and the competition authority, to look at these topics with a fresh approach, and they will need to consider the question of investment that seems to me to be absolutely crucial," he said. Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron said last month that he had no policy position on the number of operators in the market as long as investments in fixed line and mobile services are safeguarded. That stance had evolved from June when he said consolidation was undesirable for the sector. Any merger between the two French telecoms operators would require the green light from competition authorities in both France and Brussels. The new company would control more than 60 percent of the mobile market, and compete with the two other remaining operators, SFR and Free. By Mathieu Rosemain and Bate Felix PARIS (Reuters) - Orange Chief Executive Stephane Richard said on Tuesday that a merger with rival French telecoms operator Bouygues would have to create value for the company and safeguard jobs in the sector. Orange is in talks to buy Bouygues Telecom for about 10 billion euros ($10.9 bln) in cash and shares, in a deal which could see Bouygues receive a 15 percent stake in Orange valued at 8 billion euros, and the rest in cash. The tie-up would reduce the number of mobile operators in France from four to three, creating a new giant with a market share of close to 50 percent in mobile and fixed-line communications. "The merger must create value for Orange and boost investments in the French telecoms sector," Richard told journalists at a news conference in Paris, adding the negotiations were started by Bouygues's billionaire CEO Martin Bouygues. "I will not engage Orange in a risky deal," Richard said, adding that he did not expect a protracted negotiation lasting months but saw it concluding within weeks. Richard said the potential deal would not have any negative impact on consumers. He said the tie-up and consolidation in the French telecoms market was needed to stimulate investments in infrastructure and also enable French telecoms firms to compete with European peers. He added that the negotiations did not involve any talks over Bouygues' TF1 television channel. Richard said that whatever the outcome of the merger talks, the French state will remain the leading shareholder in Orange. The most contentious issues in the negotiations are over jobs, investments in infrastructure and especially fiber optic networks, and antitrust-related disposals, a source familiar with the matter had told Reuters. Richard said he expected the deal to be screened by France's competition authorities rather than the European Commission. A deal would mean a return to three mobile operators in France four years after the arrival of Iliad's Free Mobile low-cost services led to a protracted price war. Competition concerns over a tie-up between Orange and Bouygues could, however, allow Numericable-SFR and France's fourth-biggest mobile network operator, Iliad, to scoop up assets if disposals are required. Mobile telecom operator Coriolis said on Monday it was interested in taking over the business telecommunications arm of Bouygues Telecom, Les Echos newspaper reported. (Reporting by Bate Felix and Mathieu Rosemain; Editing by Laurence Frost and Susan Fenton) A lawsuit filed by the former concessionaire for Yosemite National Park against the federal government has raised a seemingly unrelated query: Who owns Space Shuttle Atlantis? The retired NASA winged orbiter, which flew 33 out of the 135 missions of the 30-year shuttle program, including the final flight in July 2011, has been on permanent display at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complexin Florida for the past two and a half years. The closest that Atlantis ever came to Yosemitein its three decades of existence was about 250 miles (400 km) the altitude (more or less) that it orbited above the Earth, and, by sheer coincidence, the distance separating the national park from Edwards Air Force Base in California, where the shuttle sometimes landed from space. [NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis on Display (Museum Photos)] But in a response to a lawsuit over the value of Yosemite-related trademarks registered by DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite (DNCY), the park's concessionaire until this year, the U.S. Justice Department raised a concern. "DNCY's parent company has apparently embarked on a business model whereby it collects [the] trademarks to the names of iconic property owned by the United States," wrote Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Mizer in a Jan. 4 answer to the lawsuit. "Thus, for example, DNC [Delaware North Companies], which has a concession at the Kennedy Space Center, has a trademark application for the words 'Space Shuttle Atlantis.'" The filing was first reported by The Fresno Beenewspaper in California in an article about the $44 million DNCY was claiming for the Yosemite trademarks. Space Shuttle Atlantis Space shuttle Atlantis was named after a sailboat, the RV Atlantis, which was the first and primary research vessel for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution from 1931 through 1964. The fourth of NASA's space shuttle fleet to enter service, Atlantis first launched in October 1985. Story continues Atlantis' name, like the names of the other space shuttles and a majority of NASA's other spacecraft, is in the public domain. NASA does not trademark its vehicles' monikers. But DNC Parks & Resorts at KSC, Inc., which since 1995 has operated the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for NASA, did, in fact, file for the trademark "Space Shuttle Atlantis" in 2013. The service mark was registered by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on April 1 the following year. [NASA's Space Shuttles: Where Are They Now?] "The service mark is just for the logo for retail [use]," said Therrin Protze, the chief operating officer at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, in a call with collectSPACE on Friday (Jan. 8). "Working with NASA, the attraction was named 'Space Shuttle Atlantis,' because that is obviously what the orbiter is in there." Opened to the public in June 2013, the five-story-tall, $100 million Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit showcases the orbiter as it appeared when it was in orbit above the Earth. The spacecraft is mounted 30 feet (9 m) high at a 43.21 degree angle with its payload bay doors open. "In conjunction with NASA, Delaware North created the logo for the attraction," Protze explained. "Just that is the service mark only, so that we can utilize it for retail from an exclusive matter and also for the attraction, so others can't name another [exhibit] 'Space Shuttle Atlantis' not that they would." "It is just typical business practice to service mark that logo with the attraction name," he said. Like the rest of the visitor complex, no taxpayer funds were used to pay for the Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction. The exhibit is funded by ticket and concession sales, including a plethora of souvenirs bearing the Space Shuttle Atlantis logo. Orbiter's owner NASA's three other orbiters, Discovery, Endeavour and the prototype Enterprise, were awarded in 2011 to their display homes. Discovery is now the property of the Smithsonian, the California Science Center holds the title to Endeavour and the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City owns Enterprise. Atlantis was awarded to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, but as that facility is owned by NASA, the orbiter remained federal property. Who owns space shuttle Atlantis? NASA does. But who owns the trademark to "Space Shuttle Atlantis"? "Based on our contract, we are the arm for NASA, so we apply for all of these trademark and service marks," Protze said, referring to Delaware North Companies. "But, if we're not retained as the concessionaire moving forward, than all that is a name transfer to the new concessionaire." "We own absolutely no service mark or trademarks here at the complex," Protze stated. "There would be no fees, we would just walk away. The new concessionaire would do a name transfer for all of the service and trademarks that are associated with the complex." Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2015 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved. Copyright 2016 SPACE.com, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinians during an attempted stabbing attack in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday while a third was killed in unrelated clashes, officials said. Two young Palestinians were killed after one of them attempted to stab an Israeli soldier near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, the army said, the latest in more than three months of such attacks. "A Palestinian attacker, armed with a knife, attempted to stab a soldier securing the Beit Hanoun junction near Hebron," a statement said. "Responding to the imminent threat, forces at the scene fired towards the assailant, resulting in his death." A second man, who the army said had driven the attacker to the scene, was shot and injured as he fled. Palestinian security sources said he later died, with the health ministry identifying the two as 23-year-old Mohammed Kowazba and 17-year-old Adnan al-Mashti. Earlier a 21-year-old was shot and killed during protests near Bethlehem. "Young man killed after being shot in the chest by (Israeli) forces in Beit Jala," a Palestinian health ministry statement said, referring to a town south of Jerusalem in the West Bank. It identified him as 21-year-old Srur Ahmad Abu Srur from Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem. The Israeli army confirmed forces had fired on a "violent riot" in Beit Jala. "A hit was confirmed," a spokeswoman said. Hospital sources said a second person was shot in the leg during the clashes. Twenty-three Israelis and an American have been killed in Palestinian attacks including stabbings, car rammings and gunfire since October 1. An Eritrean was also killed. At the same time, 149 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most while carrying out attacks. The Palestinian Prisoners Club rights group says more than 3,000 Palestinians have been arrested since the start of the violence, with most of them minors. It says a total of more than 7,000 Palestinian prisoners are currently held by Israel. Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Palestinian well-wishers have raised more than $60,000 to rebuild the Halabi family's West Bank home, demolished by Israel after one its sons killed two Israelis, organisers of the collection said Tuesday. Mohannad Halabi, a 19-year-old student, stabbed two Israeli men to death in Jerusalem's Old City before police shot him dead. The October 3 killings were among the first of the current wave of violence which to date has claimed the lives of 23 Israelis and an American in Palestinian attacks including stabbings, car rammings and gunfire. And 149 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most while carrying out attacks, seen by some as heralding a new Palestinian intifada, or uprising. The Israeli army on Saturday carried out the punitive demolition of the Halabi home in the occupied West Bank village of Surda, near Ramallah. Claimed by the militant Palestinian Islamic Jihad group as one of its members, Halabi is seen by some Palestinians as a laudable figure of resistance to Israeli rule. The grassroots campaign to rebuild his family home took off quickly. "In two days we raised $60,000," campaign coordinator Morsi Abu Ghueila told AFP, standing next to a large transparent collection box in a central Ramallah square, labelled "Mohannad Halabi, initiator of the Jerusalem intifada." Inside lie banknotes in Israeli shekels, Jordanian dinars, US dollars and euros. People are also donating building materials said campaign spokesman Abdel Karim Abu Arqub. Standing in the ruins of his home, Mohannad's father Shafiq Halabi paid tribute to "the help of the Palestinian people." The Israelis forbade him to rebuild it but he pledges that if they stop him, "I shall put up a tent here and return to live on my land with my children." Israel has stepped up such punitive demolitions in an effort to deter attacks but it is condemned by rights groups as collective punishment against entire families. LONDON Musician Andy Summers, formerly of the band The Police, has joined the cast of Scott Spiegels supernatural horror movie The Temple, which is set to become the first Western film to be shot in the remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. The movie tells the story of a tough policewoman who is sent to investigate the robbery of a temple near a remote village, where she is confronted by wary villagers and a snooping American TV crew. The cast includes Ian Buchanan (Panic Room), Emrhys Cooper (Person of Interest) and Keith Jefferson (The Hateful Eight). Other thesps include Charlotte Price (Wild in Blue, The Sex Trip) and Bhutanese actress Kinley Pelden. Principal photography starts in Bhutan on Jan. 20. Pic is produced by Happy Himalayan Pictures and Dream It Productions, and is co-produced by Suzanne Patrick, Pelden, Cooper and Donald A. Barton. The 2,200-year-old remains of a man with a deformed knee attached to a prosthetic leg tipped with a horse hoof have been discovered in a tomb in an ancient cemetery near Turpan, China. The tomb holds the man and a younger woman, who may or may not have known the male occupant, scientists say. "The excavators soon came to find that the left leg of the male occupant is deformed, with the patella, femur and tibia [fused] together and fixed at 80 [degrees]," archaeologists wrote in a paper published recently in the journal Chinese Archaeology. [In Photos: Ancient King's Mausoleum Discovered in China] The fused knee would have made it hard for the man to walk or ride horses without the prosthetic leg, the researchers found. The man couldn't straighten his left leg out so the prosthetic leg, when attached, allowed the left leg to touch the floor when walking. The horse hoof at the bottom of the prosthetic leg acted like a foot. The prosthetic leg was "made of poplar wood; it has seven holes along the two sides with leather tapes for attaching it to the deformed leg," the archaeologists wrote. "The lower part of the prosthetic leg is rendered into a cylindrical shape, wrapped with a scrapped ox horn and tipped with a horsehoof, which is meant to augment its adhesion and abrasion." "The severe wear of the top implies that it has been in use for a long time," they added. Radiocarbon dating indicates that the tomb in Turpan (also spelled Turfan) dates back around 2,200 years. The only other known prosthetic leg in the world that dates to that time is part of a bronze leg found in Capua, Italy. That leg was destroyed in a bombing raid during World War II. Prosthetic toes, dating to earlier times, have been found in Egypt. Who used it? Two other studies, published in the journals Bridging Eurasia and Quaternary International, provide more details about the man who used the hoofed leg. Researchers estimate that the man was about 5 feet 7 inches (1.7 meters) tall, and between 50 and 65 years old when he died. Story continues What caused the odd fusion of his left knee joint? "Different causes, like inflammation in or around the joint, rheumatism or trauma, might have resulted in this pathological change," archaeologists wrote in the journal Bridging Eurasia. Researchers found evidence that the man was infected with tuberculosis at some point in his life. They think that inflammation from the infection may have resulted in a bony growth that allowed his knee to fuse together. "The smooth surface of the bones affected by the ankyloses [joint fusion] suggests the active inflammatory process stopped years before death," the researchers wrote in Bridging Eurasia. The man appears to have been a person of modest means, as he was buried with nonluxurious items: ceramic cups and a jar, a wooden plate and wooden bows, the archaeologists found. Sometime after he died, his tomb was reopened, and the body of a 20-year-old woman was put in, disturbing the man's bones. What relationship the man and woman had (if any) is unknown. The tomb was one of 30 that archaeologists excavated in the cemetery. Gushi people Based on the results of the radiocarbon dating, "the occupants of the cemetery might have belonged to the Gushi [also spelled Jushi] population," archaeologists wrote in the Chinese Archaeology article. Little is known about these people. Ancient Chinese texts suggest that the Gushi had a small state. "As recorded in the Xiyu zhuan (the Account of the Western Regions) of the Hanshu (Book of Han, by Ban Gu), during the middle of the Western Han, there lived in the Turfan Basin the Gushi population, who constitutes one of the 'Thirty-six States of the Western Regions' of the Qin and Han Dynasties," the archaeologists wrote. The Gushi state was conquered by China's Han Dynasty during a military campaign in the first century B.C., according to ancient records. "Given that the study of the Gushi culture is yet at its nascent stage, the [cemetery] provides valuable new materials," the archaeologists wrote. Excavations at the cemetery were conducted between 2007 and 2008 by scientists at the Academia Turfanica, a research institute. A paper reporting their findings was published in 2013, in Chinese, in the journal Kaogu. That paper was recently translated and published in the journal Chinese Archaeology. The papers reporting the study of the man's skeleton were published in 2014 in the journal Bridging Eurasia and in 2013 in the journal Quaternary International. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Supreme Court on Monday appeared poised to overturn a 1977 ruling that prounion advocates say will damage the bargaining power of public-sector employee unions nationwide. The justices heard arguments in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, led by plaintiff Rebecca Friedrichs, a teacher in Anaheim, California. Friedrichs and her allies argue that being required to pay union fees to a union whose views she disagrees with as a nonmember is a violation of her free speech rights. The so-called agency fees are assessed to cover the cost of union negotiations and contract enforcement, which lawyers representing the union say is fair given that nonmembers benefit from the negotiations even without participating. California teacher-union dues cost up to $1,000, according to attorneys for Friedrichs. Friedrichs and the nine teachers who joined her in the suit say that because the work of unions is inherently political, being compelled to contribute raises constitutional violations. Justice Antonin Scalia, considered a key swing vote in the case, appeared to side with this interpretation. The problem is that everything that is collectively bargained with the government is within the political sphere, almost by definition, Scalia said during the arguments. If a majority of the justices side with the teachers, public-sector unions would lose funding from state government workers, hindering their ability to bargain for both members and nonmembers. These fees are currently collected by unions in 23 states. Nonmembers are allowed to seek refunds for any payments spent on political activities such as lobbying or promoting prounion candidates, according to the California Teachers Association, but few do because the process is arduous. Its clearly part of a larger effort to undermine public-sector unions, which is really where the strength of the labor movement stands today, Jeff Grabelsky of Cornell Universitys The Worker Institute told NBC News. Story continues The Obama administration and the office of California Attorney General Kamala Harris have filed briefs urging the court to preserve the 1977 ruling in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, which ruled it was constitutional to require nonmembers to contribute. Mandatory agency fees ensure that all employees in a particular bargaining unit pay a fair share of the cost of the representation, wrote Harris in her brief. They prevent the unfairness and conflict that could arise were only part of the work force to support representation activities that, by law, must advance and protect the interests of every employee. Related stories on TakePart: If This Case Heads to the Supreme Court, Unions Could Be Over With Labor Unions Weakened, Everybodys Working for the Weekend Activists Latest Push for Police Accountability Aims for Union Reform Original article from TakePart Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a lengthy interview to the German newspaper Bild last week in which he discussed many of the problems facing Europe and the Middle East. To anyone familiar with the Russian leaders worldview, it will come as little surprise to learn that he placed the blame for much of what ails the world directly on the United States. Putin sat down with Bild Publisher Kai Diekmann and Senior Politics Editor Nikolaus Blome in the Russian resort town of Sochi, where he owns a home. According to English translations of the conversation released by both Bild and by the Kremlin, Putin blames much of the tension between Russia and the West on what he plainly views as a betrayal by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Related: Eau de Putin: Russian Leader Inspires Cologne NATO officials, Putin claims, promised Russia that there would be no eastward expansion of the alliance after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Putin also criticized NATO nations for lacking the political will to deny membership to former Soviet Republics that met the alliances requirements and requested membership. NATO and the USA wanted a complete victory over the Soviet Union, Putin said. They wanted to sit on the throne in Europe alone. But now they are sitting there, and we are talking about all these crises we would otherwise not have. To the extent any of the fault for tensions in Europe can be laid at the feet of Russia, Putin said, it is because Moscow failed to push back hard enough against the West after the Berlin Wall fell. If we had presented our national interests more clearly from the beginning, the world would still be in balance today, Putin said. Related: Putin Would Welcome a Donald Trump Presidency He did allow that much of Russias problematic economic crisis is due to internal pressures and a failure by successive governments to modernize the economy. After the demise of the Soviet Union, we had many problems of our own for which no one was responsible but ourselves: the economic downfall, the collapse of the welfare system, the separatism, and of course the terror attacks that shook our country. In this respect, we do not have to look for guilty parties abroad. Story continues When asked about the crisis at the root of much of the tension between Russia and its neighbors to the west, the invasion of Ukraines Crimean peninsula, Putin was unapologetic. He blamed the situation in Ukraine on the government in Kiev, which came to power after former president Viktor Yanukovych was driven from office following his refusal to act on a deal to align the country more closely, in an economic sense, with Western Europe. Putin cast Russias invasion of Crimea, and its continuing support of armed rebels in eastern Ukraine as some sort of humanitarian effort. Related: Donald Trumps New Role Apologist for Vladimir Putin The nationalists coup in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev in February 2014 has hugely scared 2.5 million Russian people living on Crimea. So what did we do? We have not gone to war, we have not fired, not a single person was killed. Our soldiers have merely prevented the Ukrainian troops on Crimea from impeding the freedom of expression of the people. Of course, thousands of people are dead, and Russian soldiers have done plenty of the shooting and the killing, as multiple independent non-governmental organizations have documented. Putin described the annexation of Crimea by Russia by pointing out that the people of the region voted in favor of it. This is democracy, the peoples will, he said. Conveniently, he left out the fact that the vote was conducted in a country under armed occupation by a foreign power with a very strong interest in the referendums result. Of course one always has to follow international law, he said, when questioned about Russias role in the referendum. This was also the case in Crimea. According to the Charter of the United Nations, every people has the right to self-determination. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky said on Monday he has been told by Fox Business Network, host of Thursday's Republican presidential debate, he will not qualify for the prime-time debate based on his low standing in opinion polls. Paul said in an interview on CNN he had declined an invitation by Fox Business to participate in Thursday's evening earlier debate for low-polling candidates. Fox Business Network is expected to announced the line-up of candidates for the prime-time and "undercard" debates later on Monday. (Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Eric Walsh) By Nadine Schimroszik and Emma Thomasson BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Rocket Internet is losing two senior managers, sources told Reuters, in the latest setback for a company that a year ago was considered one of Europe's best hopes for competing with global tech giants. Europe's largest internet firm, which has helped create a buzzing tech scene in Berlin, seeks to be a launch pad for stock market listings of start-ups ranging from online fashion to food delivery, but has seen its stock slide as plans to float its bigger investments have stalled. Rocket's strategy of rapidly expanding into scores of emerging markets raised the possibility that it could outflank the likes of Amazon and Alibaba as well as powerful venture capital firms. But planned flotations of Rocket start-ups have been put on ice in the past year due to a cooling market for tech initial public offerings (IPO) with investors increasingly unwilling to meet high valuations. The problems have been compounded by conflict between Rocket and major Swedish investor Kinnevik, say sources familiar with the matter, while the company is also grappling with slowing growth in the emerging markets. Now it faces further upheaval with Franziska Leonhardt, head of its legal department, and Uwe Gleitz, senior vice president of corporate finance, both departing soon, according to sources close to the company, both for personal reasons. The firm, founded in Berlin by brothers Oliver, Alexander and Marc Samwer, is also still looking for a new head of communications to replace Andreas Winiarski who left last year to join a consultancy. Leonhardt and Gleitz were members of the team that steered Rocket through its own IPO in October 2014, since which its share price has fallen by almost half from the 42.50 offer price. The stock was down another 0.2 percent on Tuesday, to 23.33 euros at 1330 GMT, valuing the company at about 3.9 billion euros ($4.2 billion). Since it started out in 2007, Rocket has set up dozens of e-commerce firms around the world, but all of its current crop are still loss-making - meaning it needs to keep eating into its cash reserves to keep them afloat, and making corporate finance a crucial department. NEWEST BILLIONAIRES Food recipe and ingredients delivery start-up HelloFresh had its listing pulled at the last minute in November, while plans to float food delivery firm Delivery Hero and online furniture firm Westwing stalled in their earlier stages last year. The plans were hit by a cooling of the market that has seen fund managers scaling back valuations for fledgling tech companies. Fidelity and Blackrock have, for example, cut the valuations of their holdings in companies like Snapchat and Dropbox in recent months. "The devaluations by Fidelity and BlackRock have sent a signal to the industry and are also being closely followed here," said Germany-based financing consultant Peter Barkow. Chief Executive Oliver Samwer and his brothers are serial internet entrepreneurs who became Germany's newest billionaires with the flotations of Rocket Internet and the European online fashion site Zalando it helped launch in 2008. Samwer insists Rocket's start-ups will eventually become as successful as Zalando, which is now a profitable business with a share price up more than 50 percent since its listed in 2014. Sources close to the company said that CEO Samwer and Kinnevik - which owns 13 percent of Rocket as well as stakes in several of its major start-ups - had disagreed over the valuation of HelloFresh, before its listing was scrapped. In a funding round in which British investor Baillie Gifford bought a stake for 75 million euros in September, HelloFresh's valuation soared to 2.6 billion euros from 600 million euros earlier in the year. Kinnevik would have been satisfied with an IPO that valued HelloFresh at that level, but Samwer wanted to push for as much as 3.3 billion, according to the sources. The spat represented a rare defeat for Samwer, who still has most of Rocket's smaller investors under control, according to a former manager of one leading Rocket start-up. "If you have Oliver on your side, then everything is OK," the manager said. Rocket last month denied media speculation that a dispute over the HelloFresh listing was behind the removal of Kinnevik's chief executive as chairman of its supervisory board. The sources said the appointment of former ProSieben digital media manager Marcus Englert was part of a long-planned move to give the role to an independent figure. Despite its stalled IPO plans, Rocket Internet has no urgent need to list businesses to generate more capital as it has cash reserves of 1.7 billion euros and plans to invest just 250-350 million euros of that by the end of 2016, company sources say. It said in September that three of its top online start-ups should break even by the end of 2017 and it hoped to list at least one in the next 18 months. It also pledged not to raise more capital from investors or make big acquisitions for a few years. (Additional reporting by Alexander Huebner and Eric Auchard in Frankfurt; Editing by Pravin Char) MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will create three new military divisions on its Western flank in 2016 and bring five new strategic nuclear missile regiments into service, Sergei Shoigu, the country's defense minister, was quoted as saying by news agencies on Tuesday. Shoigu's announcement was consistent with a multi-billion dollar overhaul of Russia's military, which is currently carrying out air strikes in Syria after helping annexe Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014. Shoigu did not explain the motivation for forming the new divisions, but said it would be one of the most important tasks for the defense ministry this year. He said every military district should also expect to undergo spot checks in 2016. "Our main effort should go into strengthening the potential of our strategic nuclear forces and of fulfilling the space defense program," the RIA Novosti agency quoted Shoigu as telling a meeting. "Five rocket regiments, equipped with modern rocket complexes, will enter active service in 2016." It was also necessary to steadily improve the infrastructure supporting the nuclear forces, he said, singling out the facilities where the country's nuclear-armed submarines and long-range nuclear bombers were based. (Reporting by Maria Kiselyova and Polina Devitt; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Christian Lowe) Seoul (AFP) - Samsung Electronics said Tuesday it had signed "a final settlement" over workers who contracted cancer in its semiconductor plants, but a victims' advocacy group said key issues remained unresolved. The deal, signed by the South Korean electronics giant and two groups representing the victims and their families, aims to improve health and safety conditions at all Samsung's plants. The parties agreed to establish an independent committee to conduct "a thorough inspection of Samsung's facilities and release reports on any areas for improvement," the company said in a statement. Lawyers for the victims say 244 employees at Samsung's chip and display plants developed rare diseases linked to hazardous conditions, of whom 87 died. Samsung fought the claims for years but issued an apology in May 2014, and then set up a compensation fund last year. In its statement on Tuesday, the company thanked the mediation committee for its dedication to "making this final settlement possible." "In the big picture, it is correct to say everything has now been settled," a Samsung official told AFP. "But Samsung remains open to talks as the agreements are put into practise." However, Banolim -- one of the groups representing the victims -- said the matter was still far from closed, arguing that Samsung's apology and its fund had never been fully approved by all the victims' families. "Samsung has refused to discuss the issues of apology and compensation with us," Kwon Young-Eun, a member of the group, told AFP. "We will continue to demand Samsung address these issues properly," Kwon said. Samsung says it has already provided financial compensation for more than 100 out of 150 applicants to its fund. By Mica Rosenberg and Mark Hosenball NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. investigators will examine actor Sean Penn's interactions with Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, two U.S. government sources said on Monday, but it is unclear if prosecutors would try to force the actor to turn over information about his interview with the recaptured drug kingpin. Mexico is pressing the U.S. government, which has requested Guzman's extradition, to find out more about Penn's dealings with the infamous head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, according to one U.S. government source who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the case. Rolling Stone Magazine rushed Penn's 10,000-word article to publication on Saturday after Mexican officials captured Guzman in a dramatic raid, ending a months-long manhunt following his July escape from a maximum security prison. The only interview the drug lord is believed to have given in decades was brokered with the help of the Mexican television star Kate del Castillo. Mexico's Attorney General on Monday said her office has an open line of investigation into Penn's meeting with Guzman, saying their rendezvous - captured by Mexican surveillance - was an "essential" element in the drug lord's arrest.. If U.S. authorities ultimately subpoena Penn or want him to testify against Guzman, it would be difficult to force the actor to reveal facts beyond the published interview, since he could invoke "journalistic privilege," which in some cases protects reporters from divulging information about their work, said lawyers with expertise in U.S. media law. The U.S. government sources could not confirm whether or not authorities will subpoena Penn. The request to extradite Guzman to the United States to face federal charges is still at a very early stage and Mexico said the process could take years. The question of journalistic privilege has been a hotly debated topic in the United States, with federal courts disagreeing on how much reporters are protected. Representatives for Penn did not respond to a request for comment. The actor told the Associated Press in a brief email conversation that he has "nothin' to hide." Mike Vigil, former DEA chief of international operations who has been briefed on the Guzman investigation by U.S. and Mexican law enforcement, said there is a "very strong possibility that Penn and Del Castillo are going to have to testify." Beyond requiring Penn to testify or hand over information, it would be extremely unlikely that U.S. authorities would have grounds to bring criminal charges against Penn himself, the sources said. Unless Penn aided and abetted Guzman in some way, the Oscar-winning actor would not have a duty to disclose to authorities that he was talking to a fugitive, legal experts said. MOVIE STAR AS JOURNALIST Even though Penn is a well known actor and was traveling to Mexico on his own dime, there is little doubt he was engaged in a journalistic endeavor when he met with one of the world's most wanted men, said George Freeman, director of the Media Law Resource Center, a non-profit group in New York. "Being a movie star wouldn't disqualify him from the journalistic privilege," said Freeman. Of particular interest to investigators could be Penn's revelations that the drug lord discussed "a host of corrupt major corporations" that helped Guzman launder money from his vast criminal enterprise. The actor said he agreed not to publish the company names. A disclaimer on the article says it was submitted to Guzman for approval before publication, a practice that several renowned journalists and professional organizations have criticized. The government could try to argue Penn's article is not journalism and therefore not protected, but that argument would be difficult to win, said Freeman. Prosecutors might also try to say the actors were not working as a journalists because Guzman's original interest in connecting with Del Castillo was for a movie deal, according to Penn's account. "You would have to know all the facts, but making a movie is creative activity and even if it is part of a business deal it would be protected by the first amendment," said Theodore Boutrous, an attorney in California who represented Time Inc in a case that also involved the New York Times journalist Judith Miller. Miller went to jail for refusing to testify in a case. Depending on where Guzman is tried, it could make a difference in how the courts would treat potential testimony from Penn. Guzman has been charged in seven separate U.S. indictments stretching back to 1995 and but Chicago and New York are the leading contenders to host the high profile trial, according to former U.S. law enforcement officials. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over Chicago has questioned whether any privilege exists for journalists in any context. Meanwhile, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which handles cases out of New York, has ruled that the party requesting a subpoena must prove the confidential information sought from a journalist is both highly relevant to the case and not attainable through any other source, raising the bar for prosecutors. David Schultz, an attorney who defends journalists and news organizations at Levine, Sullivan, Koch & Schulz in New York, said the split in the courts raises more questions than answers. "Whether or not he would have any privilege at all is pretty much in the air," said Schultz. (Story refiled to correct paragraph 17 to say attorney Boutrous represented Time Inc in a case that also involved a New York Times journalist, not defended the New York Times journalist) (Reporting by Mica Rosenberg in New York and Mark Hosenball in Washington DC; Additional reporting by Julia Edwards in Washington DC; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Mary Milliken) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Seven Republican presidential candidates will participate in Fox Business Network's prime-time debate on Thursday, but Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and former business executive Carly Fiorina did not qualify for the main event, the network said on Monday. The seven candidates chosen for the main debate by Fox Business, based on the network's polling criteria, were billionaire businessman Donald Trump, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Ohio Governor John Kasich. Fiorina, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum will participate in the so-called undercard debate for low-polling candidates earlier in the evening, the network said. Paul told CNN he will not take part in the undercard debate. (Reporting by Eric Beech) KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Six people have been killed in three days of unrest in Sudan's Darfur region, a local official said on Monday, as a joint U.N. -African Union peacekeeping mission to the area urged the government to contain and investigate the violence. UNAMID said tensions had developed after an unidentified group attacked the village of Mouli on Jan. 9, displacing large numbers of residents to the town of El Geneina, where they protested the next day at the governor's office, leading to the closure of local businesses and schools. "(UNAMID) has been receiving reports of continuous unrest and sporadic firing across El Geneina and in Mouli with an undetermined number of casualties. UNAMID calls on the government authorities to exert their utmost efforts to contain the situation and investigate the incidents," it said in a statement. Khaled Abdallah, governor of West Darfur, told Blue Nile TV that six people had been killed and three wounded. He said rebels had incited displaced civilians to attack the government headquarters and governor's residence in El Geneina. Protesters had opened fire on security forces on Monday, prompting them to respond, he said. "The situation in the town is now stable," he added. Residents of El Geneina said there was a heavy security presence and that they could hear the sound of shots coming from different districts. The Darfur conflict began in 2003 when mainly non-Arab tribes took up arms against the Arab-led government in Khartoum, accusing it of discrimination. According to the United Nations, as many as 300,000 people have been killed, some 4.4 million people need aid and more than 2.5 million have been displaced. Although the killings have eased, the insurgency continues and Khartoum has sharply escalated attacks on rebel groups over the past year. UNAMID has long faced accusations of failing to do enough to protect Darfur's civilians. The International Criminal Court indicted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in 2009 for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur. (Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz, Writing by Lin Noueihed; Editing by Kevin Liffey) By Kathryn Doyle Even slightly impaired kidney function can cause subtle damage to the heart and blood vessels, and patients should talk to their doctors about how to reduce heart disease risk, according to a new study. Most people with kidney problems have other conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes, so it has been difficult to tell if kidney problems actually increase heart risk, according to senior author Dr. Jonathan Townend of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham in Edgbaston, UK. The new study was done in healthy people who had chosen to donate a kidney to a patient needing a kidney transplant. In these healthy donors, who go from having normal kidney function to slightly impaired kidney function, subtle abnormalities occur quite quickly, Townend told Reuters Health by email. For one year, the researchers tracked 68 kidney donors and 56 similar adults who had not donated a kidney. The transplants were done between 2011 and 2014. During the following year, based on levels of protein in urine, kidney function did decline slightly for the donors. In addition, based on magnetic resonance imaging, the left ventricle of the heart grew noticeably in kidney donors and blood tests revealed some heart damage. Blood pressure did not change in either group, the authors report in a paper scheduled for publication in the journal Hypertension. However, a statistically significant finding of changes in cardiovascular structure and function does not necessarily mean that patients would notice the difference, said professor Vivekanand Jha of the George Institute for Global Health in New Delhi, India, who was not part of the new study. The abnormalities detected in this study would not require treatment, he said. The clinical significance of these findings needs to be determined on long term studies by following up these individuals to see whether they develop any significant cardiovascular 'disease,' Jha told Reuters Health by email. Until then these findings indicate need for observation but (are) not of definitive clinical importance. We dont fully understand the mediators that cause the heart and blood vessel damage in people with kidney problems, said Townend. It may be a complex mix of factors such as low grade inflammation, oxidative stress and activation of . . . blood pressure regulating compounds (in the blood) such as renin and angiotensin. Severe kidney disease is rare, but as much as 13 percent of the U.S. population has some degree of reduced kidney function, he said. For most people with reduced kidney function there are no signs or symptoms, he said. It is diagnosed on simple blood and urine tests. People who know they have reduced kidney function should talk to their doctor about preventing heart disease, which now centers around careful blood pressure control, he said. Kidney donors, however, should not be worried about these results. Kidney donation is only considered in very healthy subjects who are at extremely low risk of cardiovascular risk, Townend said. Even if long term cardiovascular risk is increased a little in donors, their absolute risk of cardiovascular disease probably remains lower than that of the general population. I do not think our results so far should deter anybody from considering kidney donation, he said. It enables a fantastic life prolonging treatment for the recipient at only minimal risk to the donor. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1kLRX1U Hypertension, online January 11, 2016. John Boyega, the actor who plays stormtrooper FN-2187 in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, revealed in an interview that the next episode of Star Wars will be even darker, and that his role will be much more physical. If you have not seen Episode VII yet, be warned, there are some huge spoilers ahead. DONT MISS: AT&T brings back unlimited data plans, but theres a big catch Talking to Vogue ahead of the BAFTA awards, Boyega revealed that hes thrilled he can talk about what happens in The Force Awakens, after keeping secrets for so long. Yes, at last! Han Solo dies, OK? he said. He dies. Phew. It feels good. But now, we just starting work on Star Wars VIII, the next film, so Im back to keeping secrets again. Boyega then said he agrees with Daisy Ridley (who plays Rey) that the script for the upcoming episode is great. Its much darker, he said, but were very excited. Disney already confirmed that pretty much every character from Episode VII is returning to Episode VIII, which means Harrison Ford will reprise his Han Solo role for at least one more episode, even if it means hell only make appearances in flashback scenes. On another note, we now know that one of these eight actors will go on to play a young Han Solo in upcoming Star Wars films. Boyega did not reveal any other details about the darker themes Star Wars: Episode VIII. He did say that his role will be a lot more physical and that he might need to go to the gym more often to prepare. Thats only good news for fans. After all, Finn seems to be badly wounded at the end of The Force Awakens. Boyegas full interview with Vogue is available at the source link below. Related stories Brilliant comic explains Chewbacca's complex relationship with Kylo Ren Leak reveals shortlist of actors who might play Han Solo in new 'Star Wars' movies J.J. Abrams responds to complaints that 'The Force Awakens' was a 'complete rip-off' More from BGR: AT&T brings back unlimited data plans, but theres a big catch This article was originally published on BGR.com BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomb attack critically wounded a senior Iraqi police officer and killed two of his guards on Tuesday near the eastern city of Baquba, police said. The blast came a day after bombers and suicide attackers killed at least 51 people, including 23 in two explosions in the nearby town of Muqdadiya. Brigadier Qasim al-Anbuki, the local head of police intelligence, was leading a force to check tips about a suspected car bomb parked on a highway linking Baghdad to eastern Diyala province, where Baquba is located. After reaching the site, a suicide car bomber detonated his vehicle near the officer's convoy, two police sources said. Three other officers were also wounded, they added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Islamic State militants controlling swathes of Iraq's north and west said they were behind Tuesday's blasts in Muqdadiya and earlier attacks at a Baghdad mall that killed 18 people. The rise of Islamic State, an ultra hardline Sunni Muslim group, has exacerbated a long-running sectarian conflict in Iraq, mostly between Shi'ites and Sunnis. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi condemned the mall attack on Tuesday after visiting the site, calling it "a desperate attempt by terrorist gangs after our forces' victories in Ramadi and other areas". The Iraqi government last month claimed victory against Islamic State in the western city of Ramadi, and has slowly pushed them back in other areas. (Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed and Saif Hameed; Writing by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Andrew Heavens) By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least seven Sunni mosques and dozens of shops in eastern Iraq were firebombed on Tuesday, security sources and local officials said, a day after 23 people were killed there in two blasts claimed by Islamic State. Ten people were also shot and killed in Muqdadiya, 80 km (50 miles) northeast of Baghdad, security and hospital sources said. The rise of the Islamist militant group Islamic State, which follows a Sunni jihadist ideology, has exacerbated a long-running sectarian conflict in the country, mostly between the Shi'ite majority and minority Sunnis. A surge in such violence could undermine efforts by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, a moderate Shi'ite Islamist, to dislodge the militants from large swaths of the north and west that they seized in 2014. At least two Sunni mosques south of Baghdad were attacked last week after a Shi'ite cleric was executed in Saudi Arabia, triggering angry reactions in Iraq and neighboring Iran. At the height of Iraq's civil war nearly a decade ago, such mosque attacks often unleashed revenge killings and counter attacks across the country. Officials tried on Tuesday to head off further violence, condemning the mosque attacks as well as Monday's bombings which Islamic State said had targeted Shi'ites. Abdul Lateef al-Himayim, head of Iraq's government body overseeing Sunni religious sites, called them "a desperate attempt to destroy Iraqi unity", while the United Nations warned in a statement the mosque bombings could "take the country back into the dark days of sectarian strife". Haqqi al-Jabouri, a member of the local council in Diyala province where Muqdadiya is located, said both types of attacks hurt the social fabric of the community. He blamed "undisciplined (Shi'ite) militias" for burning the mosques. Shi'ite militias were crucial in keeping Islamic State from overrunning Baghdad and southern Shi'ite shrines during their lightning advance across the Syrian border in 2014, and have supported Iraqi forces pushing back the militants, including from parts of Diyala. Militia elements have been accused of human rights abuses against Sunnis, allegations the groups have repeatedly denied or blamed on rogue members. Amal Omran, a Shi'ite member of the Diyala council, blamed the mosque attacks on "infiltrators" seeking to smear the image of the militias. Witnesses said some of the those killed on Tuesday had been shot inside their homes or dragged into the street and executed by gunmen wearing black and camouflage uniforms. Police sources and local residents said the gunmen were patrolling Muqdadiya and warning families through loudspeakers to leave the city or face death. Reuters could not verify these accounts. "It's worse than hell. I hid my two sons under a pile of clothes inside a wardrobe to avoid being discovered," said Um Ibrahim, a Sunni widow who fled to nearby Khanaqin after seeing two mosques engulfed by black smoke. The attacks occurred in the central districts of Mualimeen, Asri and Orouba, the security sources said. POLICE TARGETED Two Iraqi journalists were also killed on Tuesday outside Baquba, Diyala's provincial capital 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad, according to police, a security official and their network Sharqiya TV. They said the men had been turned back from a checkpoint near Muqdadiya run by a Shi'ite militia. On their way back to Baquba, gunmen sprayed their vehicle with automatic gunfire. Earlier in the day, a suicide bomber attacked a police convoy near Baquba, critically wounding a senior police officer and killing three other members of the security forces, police said. Brigadier Qasim al-Anbuki, the local head of police intelligence, was leading a force to check tips about a suspected car bomb parked on a highway linking Baghdad to Baquba. After reaching the site, a suicide car bomber detonated his vehicle near the officer's convoy, police sources said. Four others were also wounded, they added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast. Abadi condemned a separate attack on Monday at a mall in a predominately Shi'ite district of Baghdad that killed 18 people. He called it "a desperate attempt by terrorist gangs after our forces' victories in Ramadi and other areas". The Iraqi government last month claimed victory against Islamic State in the western city of Ramadi, and has slowly pushed them back in other areas. (Additional reporting by Saif Hameed and Stephen Kalin; Writing by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky) In an 8-1 decision, the United States Supreme Court has ruled against Floridas capital punishment scheme, which says that judges have the power to determine facts in death penalty cases. Writing for the majority, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor said on Tuesday in was Hurst v. Florida that the Sixth Amendment requires a jury, not a judge, to find each fact necessary to impose a sentence of death. A jurys mere recommendation is not enough. Link: Read The Opinion In 1998, Timothy Hurst was arrested for murdering his co-worker and was sentenced to death in 2000. The case was appealed to the Florida Supreme Court because Hurst claimed that his lawyers didnt effectively make clear to the jury the extent of his mental incapacities. The Florida Supreme Court ordered that Hurst be given a retrial; in the new trial, the jury voted 7-5 that Hurst was guilty and eligible for the death penalty. Following Florida trial procedure, that recommendation was sent to the judge, who ultimately affirmed the sentence. The question was whether the sentencing scheme violated Ring v. Arizona (2002), in which the Supreme Court ruled that a capital sentencing scheme violates the Sixth Amendment if it gives the judge, rather than the jury, the authority to determine whether the facts of the case are sufficient to impose the death penalty. Without contesting Rings holding, Florida offers a bevy of arguments for why Hursts sentence is constitutional. None holds water, said Sotomayor. The Sixth Amendment protects a defendants right to an impartial jury. This right required Florida to base Timothy Hursts death sentence on a jurys verdict, not a judges fact finding. Floridas sentencing scheme, which required the judge alone to find the existence of an aggravating circumstance, is therefore unconstitutional, she concluded. Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito dissented, arguing that even if there was a constitutional violation in this case, I would hold that the error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. Story continues More than 17 years have passed since Cynthia Harrison was brutally murdered. In the interest of bringing this protracted litigation to a close, I would rule on the issue of harmless error and would affirm the decision of the Florida Supreme Court, he added. Hursts lawyers had argued that reigning precedent in Florida demands that aggravating factors of the crime be identified for the defendant to be eligible for the death penalty. The jury in Hursts trial did not specifically articulate the aggravating factors that made him eligible for the death penalty, while the judge who ultimately decided Hursts sentence did. The decision striking down Hursts conviction would be consequential for the states trial proceedings, which has the second largest death row in the nation with 401 prisoners. Recent Stories on Constitution Daily Explaining the natural-born presidency controversy Constitution Check: Is the Supreme Court Obamas silent partner on gun control? Alexander Hamilton: The nations founding blogger STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom called on Tuesday for an investigation to determine whether Israel was guilty of extrajudicial killings of Palestinians during recent violence there, local media reported. The comments were the latest in a series of statements by Wallstrom that have irked Israeli authorities. Ties between Sweden and Israel nose-dived when Sweden recognized the Palestinian state shortly after Wallstrom's centre-left Social Democrats won a parliamentary election in 2014. The rift then deepened further when she described the Palestinians' plight as a factor leading to Islamist radicalization. "It is vital that there is a thorough, credible investigation into these deaths in order to clarify and bring about possible accountability," Wallstrom said during a parliamentary debate, according to news agency TT. In response, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement: "The Swedish Foreign Minister has, in her reckless and ludicrous comments, buoyed terrorism and by so doing is encouraging violence." Rights groups have accused Israel of using excessive force to quell the unrest. The United States, the European Union and the United Nations have all expressed concern, saying that while they recognize Israel's right to self-defense, restraint is necessary to ensure the violence does not escalate further. Since Oct. 1, Palestinian stabbings, car-rammings and shooting attacks have killed 24 Israelis and a U.S. citizen. The wave of bloodshed has raised fears of wider confrontation, a decade after the last Palestinian uprising subsided. During the period, Israeli forces or armed civilians have killed at least 142 Palestinians, 90 of whom the authorities have described as assailants. Most others have been killed in clashes with security forces. The surge in violence has been fueled by the 2014 collapse of U.S.-sponsored peace talks, the growth of Jewish settlements on land Palestinians want for a state and Islamist calls for the destruction of Israel. Also stoking the violence has been Muslim opposition to increased Israeli visits to Jerusalem's al Aqsa mosque complex, which is the third holiest site in Islam and is also revered in Judaism as the location of two biblical temples. (Reporting by Johan Ahlander; Additional reporting by Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; Editing by Gareth Jones) STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A Swedish prosecutor said on Tuesday he had opened a preliminary fraud investigation into Volkswagen over the German carmaker's emissions test cheating scandal which has affected up to 11 million vehicles worldwide. Volkswagen, having admitted to using software to conceal the level of toxic emissions from some of its diesel vehicles in the United States, faces billions of dollars in claims from owners of vehicles with similar software installed around the world. Sweden's National Unit Against Corruption said the preliminary investigation was regarding serious fraud and the keeping of false records. "The investigation will also address the conditions for the imposition of a corporate fine," it said in a press release. A spokesman for Volkswagen in Sweden welcomed the investigation and denied the Swedish branch of the company was guilty of the accusations. A federal judge in California is overseeing more than 500 lawsuits filed against the German automaker over the scandal. The U.S. Justice Department sued Volkswagen last week under the Clean Air Act seeking up to $46 billion. The company also faces investigations by 47 state attorneys general. (Reporting by Helena Soderpalm and Oskar von Bahr; Editing by Mark Potter) DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES--(Marketwired - Jan 12, 2016) - Swissotel Hotels & Resorts today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Mohammed Ibrahim Al Subeaei & Sons Investment Company (MASIC) to manage the 180-room Swissotel Al Khobar in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With a planned opening in 2019, Swissotel Al Khobar will be situated within the MASIC Business Park development, occupying an enviable location within the urban area's commercial and residential district. Encompassing around 55,000 square metres (approximately 592,000 square feet) of retail and prime office space, this development will become a landmark in the Eastern Province. In addition to 180 guestrooms, Swissotel Al Khobar will feature over 1,300 square metres (approximately 14,000 square feet) of meeting and conference space and a variety of food and beverage offerings from Cafe Swiss and Swiss Gourmet to a pool and grill restaurant. With an emphasis on vitality and fitness, the hotel will also feature the brand's signature Purovel Spa & Sport along with an outdoor rooftop pool. This mixed use property will also present 20 exclusive and contemporary luxury residential apartments, branded under the Swissotel Living concept offering high-end amenities and round-the-clock service to residents. The announcement marks Swissotel's, and parent company FRHI Hotels & Resorts', first venture into the heart of Saudi Arabia's oil industry in the eastern part of the country. With the city of Al Khobar as its commercial centre, the property is close to Dhahran city, home to the world's largest energy company - Saudi Aramco, as well as the US Consulate and King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals. Overall, the province is just a short distance away from the Arabian Gulf, and is linked to neighbouring Bahrain by a 25 kilometre causeway. "Continuing our pipeline growth in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a key focus for our world-leading luxury hotel brands," said Sami Nasser, senior vice president, operations, Middle East, Africa and India for FRHI. "Since our debut in the region over five years ago with our multi-branded hotel complex in Makkah, our brands have been well positioned to appeal to both business and religious tourism in this increasing sophisticated travel market." Story continues The project is being developed by MASIC, one of the largest investment companies in Saudi Arabia with an extensive portfolio of investments locally and globally featuring financial services, real estate, agriculture, manufacturing, industrial and retail. MASIC has contributed lately to many real estate projects such as the London's South Bank Tower, a retail shopping centre on King Fahd road in Riyadh as well as the development of a luxury residential tower and state-of-the-art office space in Jeddah and Thakher, a mega mixed-use project in Makkah which is currently under development. "MASIC is proud to join forces with FRHI to develop the first Swissotel in the Eastern Province" said Ihsan Bafakih, CEO of MASIC. "We believe that MASIC Business Park and the addition of Swissotel will form an impressive environment for living, working and leisure and will hopefully be a landmark that our clients and tenants will enjoy." The addition of Swissotel Al Khobar complements a growing portfolio of FRHI-managed hotels currently under development in Saudi Arabia, including Swissotel, Raffles and Fairmont hotels in Jeddah all slated to open before 2020, in addition to Fairmont Riyadh, Business Gate which will open in 2016. Swissotel flags will also be raised throughout the Middle East within the next five years with Swissotel Jadaf in the United Arab Emirates, Swissotel Citystars Sharm El Sheikh and a property in 'New Cairo' - Swissotel Katameyah in Egypt. In total, FRHI has 19 hotels and more than 7,000 guestrooms open and operating in the Middle East, Africa and India with another 18 hotels in varying stages of development representing 5,000 rooms. Swissotel Al Khobar becomes FRHI's eighth hotel in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with three hotels representing more than 3,000 guestrooms open, and another five with a total room of 1,200 guestrooms currently in the pipeline. About Swissotel Hotels & Resorts Conveniently located where travellers want to be, Swissotel Hotels & Resorts provides guests with the opportunity to stay in the heart of more than 30 top locations worldwide, where they can confidently explore the very best each destination has to offer. Synonymous with all there is to love about Switzerland, the brand remains true to its roots, successfully combining genuine Swiss hospitality with intelligent design and local flair. With social responsibility at the forefront and a genuine commitment to positively impact the destinations it calls home, every Swissotel upholds industry-leading sustainability standards and is committed to treating guests, colleagues, and the environment with equal respect. This all comes together to provide guests with peace of mind that is authentically Swiss. Part of FRHI Hotels & Resorts, a leading global hotel company that also operates the Fairmont and Raffles brands, the Swissotel portfolio offers business and leisure guests an authentic and local travel experience that is full of energy, passion and vitality. For more information or reservations, please visit swissotel.com. Beirut (AFP) - Syria's army and allied forces on Tuesday took full control from rebel groups of the strategic town of Salma, in the northwestern province of Latakia, state television reported. In a breaking news flash, the channel said the army, backed by the pro-government National Defence Forces militia, had also seized hilltops surrounding the town. Government forces were combing the area for mines and explosive devices "left behind by terrorist groups in the buildings, streets, and squares of the town," it said. The town's recapture is a major boost for Syria's beleaguered army, which had been mostly locked in a stalemate with rebel factions in the province. Since 2012, Salma had been the main bastion for opposition groups in hilly Latakia, which remains largely controlled by government forces. - Assad thanks 'friendly nations' - Opposition forces in Latakia province -- including the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front -- are largely based in the northern and northeastern areas of Jabal Akrad and Jabal Turkman. Regime forces have fought fierce battles in recent months to retake those areas with help from Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters and from Russian air strikes. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Russia conducted more than 120 air strikes over 48 hours in support of the army's Salma offensive. Syrian troops have since September 30 been backed by an intense air campaign by Russia, a staunch ally of President Bashar al-Assad. On Tuesday, Russian strikes killed 35 civilians in the provinces of Idlib, in Syria's northwest, and Aleppo, in the north, the Observatory said. Twenty-one civilians were killed in Russian raids on Maaret al-Numan, an opposition-held town in Idlib province, it said. The toll included two paramedics, two media activists and one child. Another 14 civilians, including three children, were killed in Russian raids on Manbij, a town in Aleppo province held by the Islamic State jihadist group, the monitor said. Story continues Rights groups have condemned Russia for killing civilians in its air war, but Moscow insists it is fighting extremist groups. In comments carried by state news agency SANA on Tuesday, Assad said the support of "friendly nations" like Iran and Russia had allowed Syria to fight off "terrorism". Speaking after meeting with Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, Assad said he "appreciated the positions of Iran, which supported Syria in the face of terrorism". "Friendly nations, chiefly Iran and Russia, have played an important role in supporting Syrians over the past five years to score victories in their war against takfiri (extremist Sunni) terrorism," Assad said. Since the country's uprising broke out nearly five years ago, Syria's government has regularly referred to all its opponents as "terrorists". On Tuesday, Fazli said Iran had "robustly" supported the Syrian people, who are engaged "in a global war against terrorism and takfiri extremist ideas," SANA reported. He said on Monday that Iran was equipping and training Syrian government forces but not providing direct aid. Last year, a US official said as many as 2,000 fighters from Iran and its regional allies were supporting Syria's army in offensives against rebels. Iran denies having fighters on the ground in Syria. The conflict in Syria erupted in March 2011 with anti-regime protests, which spiralled into a full-fledged war that has left more than 260,000 people dead and forced millions from their homes. By Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) - Hundreds of Londoners honoured the memory of British rock legend David Bowie on Monday by gathering to party in the area where he was born, lighting candles and singing his greatest hits. A mural of Bowie in Brixton became a natural rallying point for fans, some of them in tears, to lay flowers while others sang "Rebel Rebel" and "Starman". Bowie, who died of cancer aged 69, was a pioneering chameleon of performance imagery, straddling the worlds of hedonistic rock, fashion, art and drama for five decades, pushing the boundaries of music and his own sanity to produce some of the most innovative songs of his generation. Victoria Gafoor, a 22-year old teaching assistant who has Bowie's iconic lightning strike tattooed on her wrist, said she had been hysterical when she heard that Bowie was dead. She first encountered him in the movie The Labyrinth when she was five: "Since then, I've just been obsessed." "He never stopped pushing the boundaries: he was absolutely fearless," she said. "He just did what he wanted to do, and that's what inspired so many people to just be themselves. Gay, straight, weird - whatever is your thing, he fully embraced it." Tributes poured in from titans of popular music, including the Rolling Stones, Madonna and Kanye West, and even British Prime Minister David Cameron and the Vatican. Across London, noticeboards mourned Bowie's death with some of his best quotes. In the metro, one board read: "I don't know where Im going from here but I promise it won't be boring", while the BT Tower flashed "David Bowie Rest In Peace". Outside a cinema in Brixton where "David Bowie, Our Brixton Boy RIP" had replaced the name of the movie that was showing, fans sang his 1972 hit "Starman": "There's a starman waiting in the sky. He'd like to come and meet us. But he thinks he'd blow our minds." Will Maloney, a 40-year old technical support manager, was toasting Bowie with a plastic glass of red wine. "I am a huge David Bowie fan, not just for his music but for his pioneering spirit," he said. "I was just on my way home and I thought it was a lovely way of saying 'Thank you, David'." (Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Kevin Liffey) President Barack Obamas final State of the Union address offers foreign-policy commentators one last chance to take a stab at defining what the Obama doctrine is or should have been. It will also mark a new phase in the 2016 presidential campaign, with ensuing opportunities to speculate about what the Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, or Marco Rubio doctrines might look like. Amid all the analysis, a bigger question will almost certainly escape notice: Why are we desperate for presidential doctrines in the first place? Since Harry S. Trumans administration, almost all of them have turned out to be either disappointments or disasters. If Obama ends his second term without a doctrine to his name, we should all be grateful. As American high school students learn, the United States passage from colony to global superpower was attended by one foreign-policy doctrine (James Monroes) and one corollary (Theodore Roosevelts). That changed after World War II, when the 1947 Truman Doctrine sparked a proliferation of imitators. The Cold War gave U.S. presidents a newfound interest in communicating U.S. polices and red lines to the Soviet Union, while journalists and commentators developed an interest in defining these presidential pronouncements as doctrines. Some proved more specific than others, but none of them ever proved terribly successful. If presidential doctrines eventually came to be seen as a sign of strategic wisdom, its only because Washingtons eventual victory over the Soviet Union gave them a gloss they didnt earn. In March 1947, Truman told a joint session of Congress that he believed it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures. Specifically, the president was asking Congress to fund military and economic aid to Greece and Turkey, both subjects of Soviet interest at the end of World War II. This proved to be the early high-water mark for presidential doctrines. Soviet ambitions in the eastern Mediterranean may not have been as aggressive as U.S. policymakers feared, but Trumans show of support nonetheless ensured that Greece and Turkey would remain firmly on Americas side for the rest of the Cold War. Indeed, when both countries joined NATO in 1952, Trumans policy became a lasting part of Washingtons European defense architecture and its broader strategy of containment. Story continues Ironically, for critics at the time worried about containment, Trumans success in Europe was largely overshadowed by the fact he had supposedly lost China to the Communists in 1949. But if history eventually vindicated Truman and his doctrine, it has done little for all the presidential doctrines that followed. In January 1957, Dwight D. Eisenhower, taking inspiration from Truman, delivered a special message to the Congress on the situation in the Middle East. In this speech, coming shortly on the heels of the Suez Crisis, he offered economic and military support to secure and protect the territorial integrity and political independence of such nations, requesting such aid, against overt armed aggression from any nation controlled by international communism. Having just intervened against Americas European allies in support of Gamal Abdel Nassers nationalization of the Suez Canal, Eisenhower was now worried about the spread of Nassers anti-imperial socialist Arab nationalism and, by extension, international communism in the Middle East. In accordance with this doctrine, Eisenhower sent U.S. troops to Lebanon in 1958 to maintain the countrys pro-Western alignment. Yet this seeming victory was quickly offset that same year when a coup in Baghdad replaced the countrys pro-Western monarchy with Nasser-inspired officers. By the end of Eisenhowers term, Syrias merger with Egypt in the short-lived United Arab Republic, as well as the success of Nassers forces in Yemen, left his doctrine in a state of complete disarray. A decade later, following a period in which U.S. foreign policy had been more focused on East Asia rather than the Middle East, Richard Nixon offered the country a doctrine with implications for both regions. As far as the problems of military defense, he told journalists in 1969, the United States is going to encourage and has a right to expect that this problem will be increasingly handled by, and the responsibility for it taken by, the Asian nations themselves. In the Persian Gulf, this entailed bolstering Iran and Saudi Arabia as twin pillars of regional stability, giving them the resources to defend U.S. interests in the area without direct U.S. intervention. In Vietnam, it entailed Vietnamization of the war, or the replacement of U.S. troops with South Vietnamese ones. Which is to say, the Nixon doctrine had roughly a 50 percent success rate in the Middle East and a zero percent success rate in Southeast Asia. The loss of Iran as a U.S. ally with the Iranian revolution in turn set the stage for Jimmy Carters doctrine. In his 1980 State of the Union address, Carter declared: Let our position be absolutely clear: An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force. It was a more modest doctrine and, in a technical sense, successful. Neither the Soviet Union nor any other outside force ever seized control of Iran. But this seems like odd grounds on which to claim success for an administration that presided over the transformation of Iran itself into a hostile power. In 1985, Ronald Reagan used his State of the Union address to articulate a doctrine that he had already proved his commitment to, declaring, We must not break faith with those who are risking their lives on every continent, from Afghanistan to Nicaragua to defy Soviet-supported aggression and secure rights which have been ours from birth. Support for freedom fighters is self-defense. In Afghanistan, Reagan had expanded Carters policy of providing support for the anti-Soviet mujahideen, and in Nicaragua he began supporting the Contras in their insurgency against the left-wing Sandinista government. Which is to say, in its two signature applications, the Reagan doctrine helped bring us the Iran-Contra scandal and 9/11. In the ebullient period after the Cold War, Bill Clinton largely avoided association with any particular foreign policy doctrine. And George W. Bush may have had a doctrine, but in a rare moment of solidarity with Sarah Palin, most foreign-policy pundits admitted they had no idea what it was. Something about invading Iraq, certainly, and the less said about its successes the better. The dismal history of presidential doctrines belies John Kerrys recent suggestion that foreign policy was simpler during the Cold War. If nothing else, it was complicated enough that Washington repeatedly got it wrong, in the Middle East especially. But whats most striking about all of the Cold War doctrines is that the individual issues which inspired them proved to be mostly irrelevant to the fundamental goal of U.S. foreign policy at the time defeating the Soviet Union. The setbacks they inspired may have undermined specific U.S. regional interests, but they failed to provide any significant benefit to the Soviets in the larger Cold War struggle. Egypt, like Vietnam and China, in time grew much closer to the United States than the Soviets. Iran and Afghanistan, meanwhile, have proved ongoing challenges for U.S. policymakers well after the fall of the Soviet Union. And in Nicaragua, Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega returned to power in the countrys 2006 elections without anyone really seeming to care. The enduring popularity of presidential doctrines might have something to do with the fact that Washington won the Cold War despite them. These doctrines help personalize the dry workings of foreign policy, serving as stand-ins for the mix of idealism and toughness we admire in leaders like Truman and Reagan. The canonization of both men as the foreign-policy saints of their respective parties has encouraged us to treat their doctrines simply as expressions of their resolve to win the Cold War. Undoubtedly, the 2016 candidates will soon present their own personalized takes on foreign policy. They will all be eager to trumpet their combination of principle and resolve, with an emphasis on multilateralism or machismo according to the preferred language of their party. But when listening, we should take a lesson from the failures of Ike, Nixon, and Carter, and remember the devil is in the details. Obamas goal of avoiding stupid stuff might not amount to a doctrine, but its still better than the alternative. Photo credit: Martin H. Simon/Pool/Getty Images United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The 195 governments that clinched the Paris climate deal must now turn their pledges into concrete action, France's ecology minister Segolene Royal said Monday. Fresh from meetings with US businesses in California, Royal held talks with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York to discuss how to move quickly to implement the deal on curbing greenhouse gas emissions. "Every country will now have to turn their national commitments into concrete action," Royal said. A formal signing ceremony will be held at the United Nations on April 22, Earth Day. Invitations are going out this month for the formal signing ceremony that France and the UN hope will be attended by heads of states or governments to "maintain a high-level commitment" to the agreement. "It is very important that Europe remain at the forefront and be an example for the transition to clean energy," she said. The historical agreement reached last month will come into effect by 2020, once at least 55 countries responsible for 55 percent of global greenhouse gases ratify the accord. Jeep has come a long way from its WWII origins serving the infantry in Europe, but as the brand enters its 75th year, big changes are on the horizon. Before you worry, there's no reason to expect that the brand will remain anything but rugged. After all, Jeep has posted four consecutive years of global sales records, in part boosted by expansion into international markets. RELATED: The Coolest Vintage Jeeps of All-Time At the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the company made five major announcements though not all were intentional. Chief among the news for Jeep diehards is a vehicle that has been anticipated for years: a Jeep pickup. Here's a breakdown of what's to come for Jeep. New, Unnamed Compact SUV A newly designed compact SUV was announced to replace the aging Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot. Both the Compass and the Patriot have kept up steady sales numbers, but they haven't had a redesign in years. Not everything about the compact SUV will be new though. It will carry the name of one of the two outgoing models. Exactly which one hasn't been announced yet the Compass has more recognition in international markets while the Patriot sees more popularity in the U.S. The new SUV, as well as which name it will adopt, will debut in March at the New York International Auto Show. Special 75th Anniversary Editions Jeep will be adding a few special options and extra touches to all 2016 vehicles in celebration of its 75th year in business. The exteriors of the commemorative Jeeps feature bronze rims and a decal that says "1941" and "Seventy Five Years" alongside an outline of the Jeep that started it all. The interiors will receive similar treatments with the same decals embossed into the leather seats. (75th Anniversary editions of the 2016 Jeep lineup.) Long-Awaited Factory Pickup Custom pickups aren't unheard of, but factory-built Jeep pickups haven't been an option since the J-10 was discontinued in 1988. A return has been years in the making with Jeep announcing that a pickup may happen in 2015 or 2016 way back in 2011. Story continues RELATED: Yes, Jeep Is Going to Build a Pickup Truck Though we're still waiting, a Jeep pickup based off of the Jeep Wrangler will hit the market late 2017 or early 2018 (get more details here). Jeep global chief Mike Manley and Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne have both made comments on the new Wrangler-based pickup. "Sergio and I work very, very closely on the Jeep product portfolio, and both of us have been a fan of a potential Wrangler pickup," Manley told The Detroit News. "For me, there is a historical place in our lineup for it." This isn't the first time Jeep has toyed with the idea of a pickup either. There was the Jeep Gladiator in the 2005 Detroit auto show that was based off of the Wrangler, as well as the more traditionally designed J-12 created in 2012 for the Moab Easter Jeep Safari. 707-Horsepower Grand Cherokee Despite the excitement this beast of an SUV is garnering, Jeep didn't make it an official launch at the auto show, Rather, Manley admitted the high-powered truck would be coming in 2017 after a reporter asked if Jeep would ever put Dodge's Hellcat motor in a Grand Cherokee. The supercharged V-8 is the same engine powering the Dodge Challenger SRT a car that goes zero to 60 in 3.6 seconds and clocks a top speed around 200 MPH. Change In Leadership New models aren't the only major changes occurring at the company. Marchionne will be stepping down from his role as CEO at the end of the company's current five-year plan in 2018. A successor hasn't been named yet, and the heads of the company aren't commenting on possible choices. Manley has stated that his attention is on the short-term rollout rather than a possible move from global chief to CEO. "My entire focus is to meet the commitments that I've made in terms of the organization, in terms of the performance of Jeep, and, now, Ram through 2018," Manley said. "What happens beyond 2018, we're going to see." Related WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said on Tuesday he expected the Obama administration to pause its new campaign to deport undocumented Central American families, a policy that has led to over 120 detentions since Jan. 1 and angered Democratic lawmakers. Reid, who leads the minority party in the Senate, told reporters on Capitol Hill that he had spoken about the issue on Tuesday with Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, who "understands the concern we have." "I think you are going to find a pause in these deportations," Reid said. He did not offer further details and said he did not know if President Barack Obama would announce the pause in deportations during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night. U.S. authorities began preparing last year for their first large-scale effort to deport families who have entered the United States illegally since May 2014 while fleeing violence in Central America. More than 10,000 people could be subject to deportation under the DHS initiative, according to new figures from the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review. The new effort marked a shift in approach to deportations, from targeting individuals to entire undocumented families with both parents and children. U.S. authorities took 121 people into custody over the first weekend in the new year, mainly in Texas, Georgia and North Carolina. American officials are keen to avoid a repeat of the surge in unaccompanied children who entered the United States in 2014, when tens of thousands of minors traveling without adults flooded across the southern U.S. border illegally. The stepped-up deportation effort has angered lawmakers in Congress. Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives said on Tuesday they were sending a letter to Obama asking him to stop the deportations. Representative Luis Gutierrez of Illinois told reporters 139 Democrats had signed the letter, about three-fourths of the Democrats in the House. The No. 2 House Democrat, Steny Hoyer of Maryland, told reporters the letter would urge the administration to change its "ill-advised policy" of deporting undocumented Central American families. "The administration needs to go in a different direction," Hoyer said. He said many of the families targeted for deportation had entered the United States seeking refuge from violence in their home countries and should be treated in a manner consistent with U.S. values. (Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Writing by David Alexander; Editing by Bernard Orr) Washington (AFP) - Republicans Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are neck and neck down the stretch to the first vote in the US presidential nominating contest, while Hillary Clinton struggles to repel a surging Bernie Sanders, polls showed. With the Iowa caucuses 20 days away, the US presidential contest was on the boil Tuesday, with several candidates barnstorming the heartland state and New Hampshire as they jockey for early bragging rights in the race to the November 2016 general election. Celebrity billionaire Trump and conservative Senator Cruz are walking away with the Republican race in Iowa, but the pair are within a hair of one another, according to three polls released Monday and Tuesday. The latest survey by Quinnipiac University shows Trump leading with 31 percent support to Cruz's 29, while Senator Marco Rubio remains a distant third at 15 percent and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson is fourth with seven percent. Public Polling Policy's survey Tuesday shows Trump leading Cruz 28-26, with Rubio at 13 percent, while ARG's Monday poll has Trump with a four-point lead over Cruz, with Rubio in third. "The Iowa Republican Caucuses are tight as a tick entering the final two weeks of the campaign," Quinnipiac poll assistant director Peter Brown said. Cruz fares better than Trump with voters on characteristics such as honesty, empathy, experience and shared values, he said. "But they see the New York businessman as better able to handle some key issues. Trump is way ahead on handling the economy and terrorism." Trump has shocked many in the American electorate with his anti-Muslim remarks and other divisive comments. Like Trump, first-term Senator Cruz has sought to portray himself as a Washington outsider railing against the establishment. Perhaps hoping to burnish that image, campaign staff said Cruz was in New Hampshire and would not be in the US Capitol Tuesday night for President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address to Congress. Story continues On the Democratic side, Clinton remains the frontrunner nationally, but she is being tested by Sanders, an independent senator and self-described democratic socialist. She is particularly under the gun in New Hampshire, where Sanders has opened up a 14-point lead, 53 percent to 39 percent, according to a Monmouth University poll released Tuesday. It marks a dramatic swing from November, when the poll showed Clinton leading by three points there. Maryland's former governor Martin O'Malley, the only other Democrat in the race, is a distant third in all polls. New Hampshire borders Sanders's state of Vermont and is where he would likely shine brightest in the early contests. But the unlikely challenger is doing well in Iowa, too. Clinton and Sanders have split the lead there in recent surveys, but a poll average compiled by RealClearPolitics.com show Sanders making steady gains in Iowa while Clinton has slumped. The pair are now in a dead heat in Iowa, while national polls show Sanders has closed the gap to its smallest margin yet: Clinton now leads nationally by an average of 12.8 points. If you want to find the best airfare deal on your travel this year, a new report suggests booking about two months in advance for travel within North America, and to do so on the weekend. Those are among some of the findings in Preparing for Takeoff: Air travel outlook for 2016 prepared jointly by the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) and Expedia, which mined through reams of air travel data over the last two years to come up with a forecast on travel trends in 2016. Overall, results suggest that flyers can save 10 percent for economy class travel within North America if they buy tickets about two months -- specifically 57 days -- in advance. For long-haul flights, lead times are longer: The best deals for travel from North America to Europe for instance, are predicted to be found about six months out for a savings of 11 percent. Travelers in North America looking to fly to Asia-Pacific in 2016 may also want to get organized, as booking five months out can save them up to 13 percent. And contrary to their findings last year which identified Tuesday as the best day of the week to book, this years report found that odds of scoring a good deal run high when booking on the weekend. In Europe, travelers are advised to try booking tickets for destinations within the continent nearly five months in advance as well. The report also identified some of the most affordable intra-Europe routes expected for 2016, including Sweden and Berlin; Ireland and London; Brussels and Rome: Austria and Barcelona, all of which average less than $240 for return tickets. UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United Nations education envoy Gordon Brown appealed on Tuesday for $500 million to allow half the two million Syrian children who are refugees in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan to go to school and offer their families an alternative to fleeing to Europe. The former British prime minister said the aim was then to get all two million refugee children in school in 2017. Brown said that while some 400,000 Syrian children have made their way to Europe and other countries to escape Syria's five-year civil war, there are still some two million refugee children in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan. "Unless we take action to deliver educational opportunity then we have thousands of children on the streets, they are vulnerable to child trafficking, they are vulnerable, obviously, to radical extremism," Brown told reporters. He said they were also at risk of child labor and rates of child marriage were also increasing. Brown said that using a "double-shift" system, some 207,000 Syrian children were now being taught in schools in Lebanon in the afternoon and evenings after Lebanese children had completed their classes earlier in the day. "This is a ray of hope for children, the majority of whom have not had the chance of education since they left Syria. It gives families a choice now where they thought previously they had no alternative but to leave for Europe," Brown said. The aim was to have some 400,000 Syrian children in Lebanon in school this year, along with 400,000 Syrian children in Turkey in school - up from 200,000 - and 200,000 Syrian children in Jordan - up from 130,000 - he said. "Over these next few weeks the pressure is on to raise an additional $500 million to ensure that a million children who are refugee children are in school," Brown said, adding that in 2017 "we want to be able to say that every single refugee child is being offered, boy and girl, the chance of education." (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Sandra Maler) GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria will meet ambassadors from major powers in Geneva on Wednesday, ahead of planned peace talks set for Jan. 25. Staffan de Mistura was already expected to meet senior U.S. and Russian envoys in the Swiss city on Wednesday. A brief statement issued by his office said that he would also then meet the ambassadors from all five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council - Britain, China and France as well as those of Russia and the United States. Earlier, Syrian opposition coordinator Riad Hijab, speaking in Paris, said the United States had softened its stance on Syria, including the future of President Bashar al-Assad, to accommodate Russia. Hijab also said the opposition would face a hard choice on whether to attend the Jan. 25 peace talks. (Story corrects to clarify that two separate meetings planned) (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Gareth Jones) By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Monday discussed the besieged towns of Syria after reports emerged that tens of thousands of civilians have been trapped for months without supplies and are starving to death. The meeting was called by New Zealand, Spain and France in response to the reports of people dying in the town of Madaya and elsewhere due to a lack of food and medical attention. "The tactic of siege and starvation is one of the most appalling characteristics of the Syrian conflict," New Zealand's United Nations ambassador, Gerard van Bohemen, told reporters. Trucks carrying food and medical supplies reached Madaya near the Lebanese border and began to distribute aid as part of an agreement between warring sides, the United Nations and the Red Cross said on Monday. A U.N. spokesman said aid trucks were also en route to the Shi'ite villages of al Foua and Kefraya in the northwestern province of Idlib, two other areas where there is a desperate need for humanitarian assistance. U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power also had strong words about Madaya, slamming the "grotesque starve-or-surrender tactics the Syrian regime is using right now against its own people." "Look at the haunting pictures of civilians, including children, even babies, in Madaya," she told the General Assembly. "These are just the pictures we see. There are hundreds of thousands of people being deliberately besieged, deliberately starved, right now. And these images, they remind us of World War Two." Power was speaking at a special session of the 193-nation U.N. General Assembly on the 70th anniversary of the assembly's first meeting in London. British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said "starving civilians is an inhuman tactic used by the (President Bashar) al-Assad regime and their allies." "All sieges must be lifted to save civilian lives and to bring Syria closer to peace," he said in a statement, adding that there were 850 infants in urgent need of milk in Madaya. Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari told reporters his government was committed to "cooperate fully" on aid delivery but said much of what was said about Madaya was "based on false information." He labeled pictures of starving people as "fabrications." "There is no shortage of humanitarian assistance in Madaya," he said, adding that some aid has been "looted by armed terrorist groups." U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien, however, told reporters the reports of people starving to death in Madaya were "wholly credible." He added that some 400 people there were in dire need of medical evacuation. The Syrian civil war has been raging for nearly five years and has claimed more than a quarter million lives. A U.N. Security Council resolution adopted on Dec. 18 set out a road map for peace talks and called on the parties to allow aid workers unhindered access throughout Syria, particularly in besieged and hard-to-reach areas. French Ambassador Francois Delattre said there could be "no credible political process without progress on the humanitarian front." The blockade of Madaya has become a focal issue for Syrian opposition leaders, who told a U.N. envoy last week they would not take part in talks with the government, slated for later this month, until it and other sieges are lifted. (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Sandra Maler) By Carolyn Cohn LONDON (Reuters) - British insurance brokers are working on ways to make flood insurance more affordable for small businesses, following criticism that a government-backed scheme launching this year focuses only on household insurance. Brokers help insurers by modelling the risks of natural catastrophes, although this is becoming harder as climate change sees floods across the globe increase in severity and affect new areas. The need to act in Britain is acute as storms over the last few weeks will trigger 1.3 billion pounds in insurance payouts to households and businesses, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said. Policyholders have made nearly 15,000 claims for property damage, with more than 5,000 claims from businesses, it added. While households in flood-prone areas will be able to get cheaper insurance after launch of the Flood Re reinsurance scheme in April, partly-funded by an industry levy, small businesses have complained that they are excluded. The British Insurance Brokers' Association, however, said it was working on flood insurance for small and medium-sized businesses after raising the issue of those excluded from Flood Re last year. "We are looking to see if we can put a commercial proposition together," said Graeme Trudgill, executive director at BIBA, adding that plans would involve large insurance brokers and would not require a levy on insurers. He declined to give further details about the plans or a launch date. FLOOD RE SCHEME Even before this year, five of the six wettest British winters on record have taken place since 2000, the ABI said, driving up the cost of household insurance by as much as four times and prompting the government to set up Flood Re. Flood Re enables insurers to buy reinsurance policies and so offer cheaper household cover. The scheme is financed by the reinsurance premiums and also by a 180 million pound annual levy on insurers, which they may choose to pass on to households across the country. Flood Re could reduce the premiums of some households in flood-prone areas by thousands of pounds, consultants PwC said. The Federation of Small Businesses called last month for its members to be included in Flood Re, saying research in 2015 indicated 75,000 smaller businesses in flood risk areas were finding it difficult to find affordable insurance and 50,000 were refused. While Mike Cherry, the FSB's national policy director, was open to other potential solutions besides Flood Re, he wanted to see "rapid progress" from the insurance industry and ministers. * System long 40 mcm - National Grid (LSE: NG.L - news) * Oil falls 3 pct, nears $30 a barrel * Langeled pipeline flows at maximum capacity LONDON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - British gas prices fell on Tuesday under the weight of ample supply, including strong Norwegian flows, and falling oil prices. Gas for immediate delivery traded down 1.65 pence or 4.9 percent at 32.40 pence per therm as at 0913 GMT, while the day-ahead contract was down 0.55 pence at 33.10 pence per therm. Britain's gas system was oversupplied by 40 million cubic metres (mcm), with demand forecast at 307 mcm and supply at 347 mcm, according to National Grid data. "Overall the market dynamics continue to look weak," Alfa Energy said in a report published on Tuesday. Temperatures in Britain are forecast to remain below seasonal norms for the coming week, increasing demand for gas for heating. The Met Office forecasts highs of 7 or 8 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, with strong winds. Wind power output was expected to peak at 5,327 megawatts on Tuesday. Strong imports from Norway's Langeled pipeline helped buoy supply, with flows around its maximum capacity of 72 mcm. Further along the curve, gas for February was trading down 1.05 pence or 3.1 percent at 32.75 pence per therm, as falling oil prices put pressure on gas. Crude oil fell 3 percent on Tuesday, heading towards $30 per barrel and levels not seen in over a decade, with prices down around 20 percent since the start of the year. In the Netherlands, the day-ahead gas price at the TTF hub fell 0.38 euro to 14.10 euros per megawatt-hour, while in the European carbon market, front-year allowances eased by 0.09 euro to 7.08 euros a tonne. (Reporting by Sarah McFarlane; Editing by Dale Hudson) United Nations (United States) (AFP) - A confidential UN memo to the Security Council warns that a proposed peacekeeping force for Burundi would be unable to quell large-scale violence in the conflict-wracked African country. The memo sent by UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous advised council members last week to travel to Bujumbura for urgent talks on the crisis over President Pierre Nkurunziza's election to a third term. "A truly worst-case scenario will result in a scale of violence beyond the United Nations' capacity to protect," said the memo obtained by AFP on Tuesday. The document outlines three scenarios including a continuation of the current level of violence, an escalation and finally, all-out war with fighting along ethnic lines. "United Nations peacekeeping is limited in its ability to address significant violence against civilians, even violence amounting to genocide where it lacks a political framework or the strategic consent of the host-nation and/or the main parties in the conflict," the memo said. Burundi has been sliding deeper into violence since Nkurunziza announced his intention to run in elections in July, which he went on to win. Hundreds have died in the violence and tens of thousands have fled to neighboring countries out of fear of a return to all-out war. Some 300,000 people were killed in the 1993-2005 civil war in Burundi. Bujumbura has rejected a proposed 5,000-strong African Union contingent to halt the violence, calling it an "invasion" force. Nkurunziza last month called on Burundians to "stand up to fight" if AU troops set foot on Burundian soil without permission. Uganda is seeking to mediate talks between the government and the opposition but Nkurunziza refused to take part after a first meeting on December 28. Geneva (AFP) - The UN's Syria envoy will meet ambassadors from the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday in Geneva, ahead of planned talks to end the countrys civil war, a statement said. Envoy Staffan de Mistura has been trying to secure support for a fresh round of negotiations, which are provisionally scheduled to start on January 25, and are aimed at resolving the brutal conflict. His meeting with Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States will be "at the ambassadorial level," and will take place at the UN's European headquarters in Geneva, UN spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said. No details were given as to the agenda of the talks. Speaking to journalists earlier on Tuesday, Fawzi said De Mistura was going to spend this week trying to "nail down the timing and the framework" for the talks. Last week, Damascus pledged to take part in the negotiations, but key opposition groups have withheld such commitments. The Security Council has endorsed an ambitious 18-month plan to end Syria's nearly five-year war which has killed more than 260,000 people and forced more than 4 million others to flee the country, with a negotiated political solution seen as essential to ending the violence. Miami (AFP) - The US Spanish-language television network Univision announced Tuesday it will air a series later this year on the life of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, written by a former Colombian trafficker. "The Chapo Guzman story has been one of the most captivating stories this past year and we are thrilled to bring an inside look into his world to our audiences," Alberto Ciurana, Univision's programming chief said. Guzman, the leader of the Sinaloa cartel, was recaptured in a raid Friday nearly six months after breaking out of a maximum security prison in Mexico. In a Hollywood twist, Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn and Mexican actress Kate del Castillo met clandestinely with Guzman while he was on the run, an encounter Penn chronicled in Rolling Stone magazine and published last weekend. The Univision series will begin airing in the fall of 2016 with a cast that has yet to be decided, the network said in a statement. The script is by Andres Lopez Lopez, a onetime member of Colombia's Norte del Valle cartel who has found success writing about his former occupation after several years in prison in the United States. "In addition to including the developments of his most recent escape and capture, this unauthorized look at his life will delve deep into the man beyond his drug empire," it said. The series is to be called "Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman: El varon de la droga," which loosely translates as "The Drug Baron." Washington (AFP) - The US Supreme Court appeared likely Monday to deal a major blow to public employee unions that could see them lose millions of dollars in fees that state laws force non-union members to pay. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Anthony Kennedy, who often holds the balance between the court's progressive and conservative wings, both hinted they could side against the unions. The nine justices are weighing a challenge brought by a group of California public school teachers who say they should not be forced to pay dues to the state union that negotiates their collective contract. Under California law, non-unionized teachers at public schools cannot go it alone, the government having decided that negotiating with a single interlocutor is in the best interest of all. The system, upheld in a 1977 Supreme Court decision, has been adopted by more than 20 US states and has been consistently reaffirmed by the courts. Union membership in the United States has dropped since the late 1950s, leaving public sector unions as one of the last bastions of the American labor movement. Education, police and firefighters are the most highly unionized sectors, with a workforce that is about 35 percent unionized, compared to about 11 percent for the rest of the country, according to 2014 data. - Millions of workers affected - Monday's hearing comes against the backdrop of a so-called "right to work" offensive led by conservatives in recent years. Both Roberts and Kennedy were skeptical of the California Teachers Association's claim that non-union members would be freeloading if they are no longer required to pay the union's fees because they would benefit from collective bargaining for free. Since most of the California teachers union's members appear to support collective bargaining, "it seems to me the free-rider concern that's been raised is really insignificant," said Roberts. Kennedy said the unions are "making these teachers 'compelled riders' for issues on which they strongly disagree." Story continues Justice Antonin Scalia also expressed sympathy with the teachers' argument that their free speech rights as guaranteed under the US Constitution are violated when they are forced to pay union dues. "The problem is that everything that is collectively bargained with the government is within the political sphere, almost by definition," he said. The court's progressive justices expressed a clear reluctance to overturn a system that has been shown to work over four decades. "These contracts affect millions of employees, maybe as high as 10 million employees," said Justice Elena Kagan. She warned that throwing the state laws out would create a "heavy burden." Labor unions and think tanks also raised alarm this week over the likely impact of overturning the state laws. "The intended effect is to essentially bankrupt public sector unions, including many nurse unions that advocate for patient safety," said Jean Ross, co-president of National Nurses United, the country's largest nurses' union. Ross said it would allow public employees to gain the advantage of union membership, including wage increases, health coverage and retirement benefits, "while avoiding any financial responsibility to help support the work done by their union on their behalf." Michele Jawando, of the Center for American Progress, said striking down the laws would make it harder for workers to organize. "While some may see this attack as only impacting unions, the reality is this is a direct strike at the middle class," she said. "If the court sides with right to work conservative advocates, employers will have an increasingly upper hand in negotiations." Outside the court, several dozen protesters gathered before the start of the hearing in support of the union position and denouncing "corporate greed." DETROIT (Reuters) - Volkswagen does not expect additional costs from fixing U.S. cars capable of cheating diesel emissions tests, Chief Executive Matthias Mueller said on Monday. "We have prepared 6.7 billion euros ($7.28 billion) for the repair process of all the cars globally. We suppose that that should be enough," Mueller said in an interview with Reuters TV at the Detroit auto show. Mueller had said on Sunday that VW would propose to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) a new catalytic converter system that VW says could be fitted to about 430,000 rigged U.S. cars. Mueller is due to meet EPA administrator Gina McCarthy in Washington on Wednesday, where he plans to make the proposal which he said includes technical solutions, a "theoretical" offer to buy back cars and a time schedule. "We are looking forward to the talks on Wednesday with great confidence," he said, citing "great progress" achieved in discussions with the EPA in past weeks. "We hope that our offer on the technical solutions and timing proposals will be accepted in foreseeable time." Christopher Grundler, director of the EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality, said he didn't know if a VW proposed catalytic converter will fix 430,000 diesel vehicles. "We'd have to look at it," Grundler said in a interview on the sidelines of the auto show. "Given the circumstances and the past history, we're not going to approve anything until it's thoroughly tested and we're convinced that it addressed the non-compliance and its good for owners." Separately, Mueller expressed optimism about VW's sales outlook this year after Europe's biggest automotive group suffered the first drop in deliveries at its namesake brand as well as group level in more than a decade last year. Asked whether he was bracing for another drop in sales, the CEO said: "We have some difficult political situations all over the world, so we will see what will happen. We have a very attractive product portfolio all over the brands, so we are confident we will be successful in 2016." ($1 = 0.9202 euros) (Reporting by Kia Johnson. Additional reporting by David Shepardson.; Writing by Andreas Cremer; Editing by Maria Sheahan and Meredith Mazzilli) Known as the "Venice of Poland," Wroclaw is taking center stage this year as European Capital of Culture 2016. With a host of events and festivities lined up, there's never been a better time to discover this destination in southwestern Poland. > Getting to Wroclaw A three-hour drive from Krakow, Wroclaw has its own airport located approximately 13km from the city center. Several international airlines run daily flights to and from the city, including low-cost carriers such as Ryanair. The city is served by good bus and tram networks, with night buses on hand for visitors keen to sample the Polish nightlife. Wroclaw is a breeze to get around by bike too, thanks to a self-service bike-hire scheme with 200 two-wheelers available to pick up and drop off at one of 34 stations around the city. Visitors can explore the wider region by train, as the city's rail station offers links to cities such as Katowice and Krakow, as well as the Polish capital Warsaw. Onward connections are available for travelers taking longer trips around Central and Eastern Europe. > What to see & do The old town As a rival to Prague in the middle ages, Wroclaw is one of the oldest cities in Europe. Its old town is a must-see that's packed with historical sights. Don't miss the main square -- or Market Square (Rynek) -- which is one of the largest in Europe and is home to a breathtaking Gothic town hall. Sightseers and budding photographers will revel in the building's facade, with its pinnacle gables and astronomical clock. This building is also home to the City Museum and the Piwnica Swidnicka -- the city's most famous beer cellar, serving a beer of the same name that was once dunk all over Europe. River cruising Wroclaw is built on the banks of the river Oder, which rises in the Czech Republic and flows through Poland. With over a hundred bridges and footbridges crossing the river, its islands and canals, Wroclaw is often dubbed the "city of a hundred bridges." The most famous of these is the Grunwaldzki Bridge, which is registered as one of Poland's national historical monuments. There are several options for visitors looking for a trip out on the water, from laid-back river cruises to gondola trips. More adventurous travelers can even hire a kayak. Story continues Go local with lunch in a bar mleczny Literally a "milk bar," a bar mleczny is a traditional canteen-style eatery. These proved particularly popular in communist times, serving up cheap yet nourishing food at rock-bottom prices. They're a big hit among students too. For visitors, a "milk bar" is a great way to sample Polish food without breaking the bank. Wroclaw dwarf hunt The city of Wroclaw is home to some 300 bronze dwarf figurines that commemorate the Orange Alternative, Poland's anti-communist movement. Visitors often enjoy spotting as many of these pint-sized statues as they can while taking in the sights. There's no way of knowing the exact number of dwarf statues in the city at any one time, however, since some are subject to vandalism or theft, and new dwarves can pop up unannounced. Guided tours plus a special dwarf-tracking booklet and map are available to help hunt down popular dwarves. The Raclawicka Panorama While visitors to Paris flock to the Mona Lisa, art fans in Wroclaw admire the Panorama de Raclawicka. Housed in a specially built rotunda, this famous scene was painted by several artists, including Polish painter Wojciech Kossak. Stretching 114 meters long and standing 15 meters high, the work depicts the battle of Raclawice, fought in 1794 during the Kosciuszko Uprising. It's also the oldest and only example of a panorama painting in Poland. Its circular form plunges visitors straight into the heart of the battle. Washington (AFP) - President Barack Obama and Jordan's King Abdullah met for around five minutes at a military base near Washington on Wednesday, hoping to quash suggestions of a White House snub of the monarch. Before hitting the road to sell his State of the Union address in Nebraska, Obama met Abdullah in the VIP lounge of Joint Base Andrews. Abdullah had been in Washington for days without meeting Obama, raising questions about the health of a normally close relationship. White House aides denied there was any snub of the king, citing scheduling problems because of the Tuesday evening primetime address. "The president regrets that he is unable to meet with him personally on this visit due to scheduling conflicts, including the State of the Union address," a White House spokesperson said. Abdullah instead met with Vice President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Secretary of State John Kerry. Kerry and Abdullah discussed the fight against the Islamic State group and efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, a diplomat said. For his part, Carter expressed his "deep appreciation... for Jordan's continued contributions to regional counter-ISIL efforts," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said. Obama and Abdullah had last met in Washington almost a year ago. Since then, the fight against the Islamic State group has intensified and efforts to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have yielded nothing. A Jordanian official said "a meeting with the president will be arranged during an upcoming visit, likely to take place within the coming month or two." LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Hope mixed with anger and disbelief greeted aid workers bringing the first food and medical supplies in months to the residents of a besieged Syrian town. "You could see a mixture of hope in people's eyes and disbelief that this thing was actually happening," Pawel Krzysiek of the International Committee of the Red Cross told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Tuesday. "Many people were coming cheering, shaking our hands, but some of them were shouting angrily 'why did it take you so long?'" he said, speaking by phone from Damascus. The aid convoy arrived on Monday, bringing the first food and medical supplies for months to the western town of Madaya, where 40,000 people are trapped by encircling government forces and local doctors say some residents have starved to death. "We didn't actually know what to expect," said Krzysiek, who was unloading the supplies brought by the ICRC and the United Nations until 5 a.m. on Tuesday. He said it was "heartbreaking" to see how many people were waiting, and for how long, for aid to reach the town. "Many people were telling us 'listen, we haven't had bread or a proper meal for a very long time ... we're dreaming about bread'," Krzysiek said. "One woman showed me a photo of a nice-looking dish that turned out to be leaves with spices and salt." Madaya residents told Krzysiek that whenever they cooked their food, they added extra salt because that made them drink more water so their stomachs felt a bit fuller. "This kind of thing is really heartbreaking, that this situation in besieged places, no matter where they are, is very cruel," Krzysiek said. "It never gets better, it always gets worse ... People shouldn't have to starve to death to receive help," he said. (Reporting by Magdalena Mis, editing by Tim Pearce. Please credit Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, womens rights, corruption and climate change. Visit www.trust.org) LIGO On Monday, theoretical physicist Laurence Krauss sent the scientific community on Twitter reeling when he suggested that researchers may have detected, for the first time, an astrophysical phenomenon called gravitational waves. Right now, the rumor is just that. The scientists to which the rumor refers work at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and told Business Insider that there is no basis for such a claim, yet. "We are still taking data, and we won't finish analyzing and reviewing results until at least a month or two later," Gabriela Gonzalez, LIGO spokesperson and Louisiana State University physics and astronomy professor, told Business Insider. She added: "The instruments are working great, but ... I don't have any news with analysis results to share, yet." But what if the rumor turns out to be real? Well, the prospect of what that would mean for science is what earned Krauss's Tweet 4,250% more retweets than his usual 40 or so overnight. What are gravitational waves and why do they matter? gravity waves Albert Einstein first predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916. According to his theory of general relativity, a number of incredibly powerful cosmic systems across the universe will generate measurable ripples in the fabric of space-time called gravitational waves. One example is two black holes orbiting one another that are eventually destined to collide. When a smaller black hole meets a larger one, the two attract one another through tremendous gravitational forces. As the smaller black hole inches toward its inevitable doom, it accelerates through space at an ever-increasing rate toward the larger black hole, and, in so doing, generates gravitational waves. Over 30 years ago, a pair of scientists using the radio telescope in Puerto Rico made the first indirect detection of gravitational waves by observing the behavior of a distant pulsar binary a pair of rapidly rotating neutron stars (the densest objects in the universe next to black holes). This indirect detection gave fuel for larger projects, like LIGO and the BICEP2 telescope. Story continues In 2014, the BICEP2 team reported the discovery of gravitational waves, but the discovery was later disproved. To this day, scientists have yet to confirm the existence of gravitational waves with direct, observational evidence, which is why projects like LIGO are so important. "The detection of gravitational waves would be a game changer for astronomers in the field," Clifford Will, a distinguished profess of physics at the University of Florida who studied under famed astrophysicist Kip Thorne told Business Insider in 2015. "We would be able to test aspects of general relativity that have not been tested." Not only that, the ability to observe gravitational waves would open a whole new frontier of astronomy. The same way that astronomers today use light waves to study the universe, they could also use gravitational waves to see cosmic objects such as colliding black holes like never before. How to snag a gravitational wave ligo mirror LIGO first began sniffing for gravitational waves in 2002. And between 2002 and 2010, the $620 million experiment came up empty handed. To better the odds, engineers began upgrading LIGO to eventually make it 10 times more sensitive to gravitational waves. Last September, scientists turned the new-and-improved machine on and began taking data with, what is now called Advanced LIGO. The way Advanced LIGO works is that it consists of two identical machines that are located 1,865 miles apart one is in Livingston, Louisiana and the other is in Hanford, Washington. At each detector, there are two equally-long tunnels with a mirror at the end (one of the mirrors is shown in the image above). Scientists split a laser beam in two and then fire each half down one of the two tunnels. When the two beams reflect off the mirror, they should both return at the same time, since they're traveling at the speed of light. However, if a gravitational wave passes through the detector the same time the laser is traveling through the two tunnels it will ever-so-slightly warp the space-time surrounding the tunnels. As a result, scientists expect to see a slight difference in time between when the first and second halves of the beam return. Compared to the length of light waves we see with our eyes, which are micrometers in size (about the width of a human hair), gravitational waves are huge. This is why the distance between each LIGO detector is over 1800 miles, because that's about how long LIGO scientists think the gravitational waves they're searching for should be. Therefore, if one detector observes a gravitational wave, it should mean the other detector should measure the same signal, offering immediate confirmation that the observation at the first detector isn't a fluke. Scientists at LIGO aren't taking any chances with this experiment they don't want another BICEP2 incident. Before they announce a discovery, the data will have been fully vetted twice-over by their expert peers. But if they do succeed, it will revolutionize astronomy as we know it. NOW WATCH: Watch never-before-seen footage of SpaceX's monumental rocket landing More From Business Insider making-a-murderer-steven-avery Netflix Thousands of people have signed petitions asking President Obama to pardon Steven Avery for his conviction in the murder of Teresa Halbach, the subject of the Netflix documentary Making a Murderer. While President Obama has no jurisdiction over the matter, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker does. However, it appears that he is not sympathetic to the pleas of Avery. In spite of strong evidence suggesting corruption in the trial against Steven Avery for the murder of Teresa Halbach, the Wisconsin Governor and former candidate for the Republican nomination for President has not been persuaded. In fact, Averys new legal team will face an uphill battle if they seek to have Avery pardoned by the Governor, as tough-on-crime Scott Walker has never issued a pardon during his five-year tenure. In implying that no pardon was forthcoming, Walker cites the unanimous opinion of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, which admittedly gets it right from a technical, legal standpoint. In his appeal, Avery cited three reasons he deserved a new trial: 1) There were others on his property who could have committed the murder; 2) the search on his property that uncovered the key to the RAV4 was improper because it came two days after the initial search warrant; and 3) he deserves a new trial because a juror was improperly excused. From a legal standpoint, the Appeals Court ruled properly on the only three issues in front of them. Legally, Avery was not allowed to point to any number of people who were also on his property during the time that Halbach was murdered unless he could show that one of those people had a motive to kill Halbach. Avery could show no such motive. As to the continuation of the search, the key was admissible because it is both legal to continue a search under a warrant for several days and because of the inevitable discovery doctrine (in his appeal, Avery did not contend the key was planted by police, although the Netflix documentary strongly makes that case). Story continues Finally, Avery lost on the third point, as well, arguing that the excusal of the juror warranted a new trial. However, Avery and his lawyers agreed at the time of the trial to the removal of the juror, though it turns out that the family emergency was not as urgent as the juror made it out to be (the jurors stepdaughter had been in a car accident). However, the appeals court reasoned, there was no reason for the lawyers on either side to know that the emergency wasnt as urgent as the juror suggested. The juror said that he would have a difficult time focusing on the case because of the accident, and Steven Avery, lawyers for both sides, and the judge took him at his word. The excused juror from making a murderer can go away. He sure has a lot of nice theories a little too late. Likes this all a bit much. christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) January 7, 2016 All of which is to say: Unfortunately for Steven Avery, hes not allowed to retry the facts of his case on appeal. Hes only allowed to argue legal points. His lawyers, however, have not been able to muster a legal defense to convince the courts to overturn. Scott Walker, however, has the right as Governor to overlook the legal aspects of a case and pardon Avery based on any number of factors introduced in Making a Murderer. What the Governor does not have the ability to do and what is the best recourse in light of the details presented in the Netflix documentary is to grant Avery a new trial. Walker cant do that; only an appeals court can. (Via Wisconsin Court of Appeals) Now Watch: 9 Mind-Blowing True Crime Docs To Watch After Making A Murderer Are these fares too good to be true? (Photo: Wow) Skuli Mogensen retired early. The WOW Air CEO sold his tech company in the early 2000s, retired, and then ran triathlons and climbed mountains all the kinds of things men who retire early tend to do when they dont have to go into an office every day. But Mogensen got bored and decided to launch an airline. That was five years ago, and today WOW Air, based in Reykjavik, has turned into a major mover in the low-cost airline market. WOW connects 27 destinations across the U.S. and Europe with the Icelandic capital and estimates that its annual passenger capacity will more than double in 2016 to over 1.8 million. Today theyre launching fares from San Francisco and Los Angeles to Reykjavik for $99. Dont call him Branson. (Photo: WOW) Travelers have the option to continue their trip to WOWs 21 European destinations, including London, Paris, Berlin, Frankfurt, Dublin, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Stockholm, starting at $199 one way including taxes, with a one-hour stopover in Iceland. Its a different kind of airline to be sure. The planes are muppet purple, and Mogensen has his email right on the front page of the WOW website. Mogensen is charismatic in a way that reminds you of another high-profile budget airline CEO, but when you make the comparison he just smiles. We caught up with the Icelander on the evening before his big California launch to talk about cheap fares, paying for food on planes, and why anyone would want to be an airline CEO in the first place. Yahoo Travel: How is it possible to keep intercontinental fares this cheap? Skuli Mogensen: We apply the low-cost model that had been successful domestically to international flights. The secret is that we really started low-cost from day one. We keep a low overhead. We have no regional offices, no traditional ad campaigns. We sell directly to the customers, cutting out the middle men. We only use new and efficient aircrafts, and when you put all of it together, it allows us to keep the costs down. Story continues We are a private airline. We dont have outside investors, and for me it is more about having fun, not the profit. As soon as you become public, they expect you to optimize profit. But the flight from California to Iceland is about nine hours. How comfortable can that be on a budget carrier? We are using brand-new wide-body Airbus A330s with a 340 seat configuration. A hundred seats have a 34-inch pitch, which is far greater than the average low-cost airline, and we sell those seats for a reasonable fee. Even the regular seats are not as jammed as on a Ryan or Spirit. Since it is a low-cost carrier, do customers have to pay for all the extras? We do have the traditional low-cost model. You pay for what you use. If you travel with additional luggage, you pay additional fees. We are seeing all the airlines do that now anyway. Approximately 20 percent of our fee structure comes from additional fees. And do you have to pay for food? And if you do pay for it, is it any good? You do pay for food. But it is better than a lot of airline food. Is there anything different about Icelandic hospitality on your planes? We have worked hard on that. It sounds simple, but we emphasize friendly service with a smile. We have actresses and actors as crew members, and we use them to train our staff. It seems so obvious to us to have a staff that makes that extra effort to be nice, and it doesnt cost us anything. But airlines still get that wrong all the time. Why are your planes purple? Its the color of kings. It was the royal color in ancient times. As a color, purple has been underserved. Why did you want to run an airline? A lot of people think I am crazy. I was in the tech industry and sold my main business to Nokia. I thought I would semi-retire and climb mountains and ski. I did that for a couple of years, and I got bored out of my mind. Icelandair had a monopoly in Iceland, and I thought I could run an airline. Every time I have started anything else, I have gotten emails of congratulations. When I told people I was starting an airline, I got a lot of condolences. But today I am happy to say it is going phenomenally well. We are profitable and doubling in size and having a great time doing it. Let Yahoo Travel inspire you every day. Hang out with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. WATCH: 5 Questions for Richard Branson By Dominique Patton AKSU, China (Reuters) - The Youngor cotton spinning factory is one of the biggest employers in Aksu, an agricultural town on the edge of the Taklamakan desert in China's restive Xinjiang region. Youngor, one of China's largest shirt-makers, opened the plant in 2011 to be closer to the main cotton-growing region in Xinjiang. Soon it will be joined by others: Beijing wants to create 1 million textile jobs in Xinjiang by 2023. Xinjiang fits into Beijing's larger vision of shifting labor intensive industries such as textiles out of the Pearl River Delta and into the interior. China is putting less value on being "the world's workshop" amid labor shortages and competitive pressures from Southeast Asia. The textile hub is also a key initiative in President Xi Jinping's "one belt, one road" initiative, the new silk road and economic belt spreading from Western China to Central Asia and onwards to Europe. More immediately, Beijing is offering the carrot of jobs and development, even as it wields a harsh stick against Uighur separatism. "We must promote employment as a permanent cure to maintain social stability and achieve long-lasting peace, and particularly solve the unemployment problem for peoples in southern Xinjiang," a 2014 official document stated in outlining a massive expansion of Xinjiang's textile industry. China says it is fighting an Islamist insurgency in the deserts, mountains and forests of energy-rich Xinjiang. Critics say the unrest largely stems from repressive Chinese policies against the Uighurs, a minority Muslim people who speak a Turkic language and have different customs from Han Chinese. MIGRATING TO CITIES Most Uighurs live in towns and cities such as Aksu in the poorer southern part of Xinjiang, where much of the violence has unfolded. There, in one of its first serious attempts to address the economic factor in Xinjiang's unrest, Beijing is making a clear effort to create more jobs for Uighurs. Almost all of the 520 employees at the Youngor factory are Uighurs. The average factory floor salary is around 3,000 yuan ($463.18)a month, and comes with food and lodging - compared with roughly 4,000 yuan for textile workers in the southern China factory belt. "There are still a lot of people to come out of (Xinjiang's) countryside," said Xu Zhiwu, general manager at Youngor's Aksu factory, referring to government data that show 2.6 million rural residents sought work in Xinjiang's cities in 2014. Xinjiang Youngor Cotton Spinning Co Ltd, a unit of Youngor Group, is planning to expand its factory, built among apple orchards on Aksu's outskirts, Xu said. Yarn maker Huafu Top Dyed Melange Yarn is already at work on a 5 billion yuan plant outside Aksu, undeterred by September's attack on a coalmine near the city. Texhong Textile Group Ltd, one of China's top spinners, is targeting a 1-million spindle project in the region. "The scale of the project has to be big to ask for more favorable policy support from municipal governments," Texhong said in a stock exchange statement, referring to subsidies Beijing offers to lure firms to the region. COTTON TO GARMENTS More than 60 percent of China's cotton crop is grown in Xinjiang. It's a major advantage for companies who process the fluffy material into cotton thread to be close to supplies. Their automated spinning factories also benefit from electricity prices around half those in coastal provinces. Spinning needs relatively few workers. Creating 1 million textile jobs will require a build-out of the entire industry chain, from dyeing and weaving to garment production. And that poses a far greater challenge than attracting more spinners. Dyeing, bleaching and washing of fabric would demand substantial supplies of water in the arid region. Much of Xinjiang, including Aksu, is classified as "high risk" for water stress by the non-profit World Resources Institute. The WRI has designated Shihezi and Korla, two cities also targeted for major textile expansion, as "extremely high risk". Aksu is consulting with textile companies on plans to build a 50,000-tonne waste water treatment facility to handle discharge from future dyeing operations, said Youngor's Xu, who has attended recent government meetings on the issue. A similar facility is also under discussion for Shihezi, near Urumqi, but some firms are wary of proceeding with dyeing in the area. "We are not sure whether the capacity of the facility could meet all the demand and protect the environment from damage," said Zhao Yang, general manager of three Xinjiang spinning factories owned by Hong Kong-based shirt maker Esquel. "Compared with Guangdong, where our fabric mill sites are, Xinjiang's water is very scarce," he said. Xinjiang's location, more than 4,000 km (2,480 miles) from Shanghai in the east or Guangzhou to the south, is also a hurdle for companies rushing to meet tight deadlines for overseas clients, said Xu. Like Youngor, Esquel, maker of men's shirts for brands like Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren, also has no plans for downstream operations in Xinjiang, Zhao said. Officials in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi did not respond to a fax seeking comment. ONE BELT, ONE ROAD President Xi Jinping's "One Belt, One Road" plan, announced in late 2013, aims to restore China's old maritime and overland trade routes. Xi has said he hopes to increase trade with over 40 countries to $2.5 trillion within a decade. Xinjiang is at the "heart" of the "new silk road into Central Asia. China is making huge investments in new railways running from eastern China through Xinjiang to Central Asia and on into Europe. That should eventually cut transport times to some markets by weeks, giving Xinjiang companies an edge over manufacturers relying on ocean freight. By subsidizing transport, staff training and insurance, and offering generous support for financing, Beijing's efforts to build a textile hub in Xinjiang could counter the tide of textiles investment pouring out of the country. But take away the subsidies, and Xinjiang looks a lot less appealing. Freight costs on the first rail lines running west are still 50 percent higher than shipping costs. Add a minimum wage already about 50 percent higher than that of Vietnam, one of the world's fastest growing textile hubs, and costs in the region begin to look non-competitive. High costs were behind a 36 percent drop in Xinjiang's textile exports in the first eight months of 2015, according t0 Xinjiang's customs bureau. Beijing's subsidies are simply not enough to put much focus on exports, said Hua Jingdong, board secretary at Bros Eastern, another cotton spinner. "Our strategy is to make our current domestic production stable, and any additional capacity to be overseas," said Hua. Texhong has recently scaled back its Xinjiang project, from an initial 3 million spindles, to just 1 million. Company officials could not be reached to comment on the reason for the change. BLENDING CULTURES In the past, Han migrants from other provinces often filled jobs in Xinjiang. But many have left since violence began escalating following the 2009 riots in Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi, said a young Han shop assistant selling mobile phones in an Aksu store. Those that have stayed are not keen to work in the noisy textile factories, said several textile company managers. But for the Uighurs, cotton spinning jobs that pay around 3,000 yuan a month are double those of other city jobs, and several times that from agriculture work. Drawing them into the cities for factory work may also help Beijing achieve its desired "blending" of cultures in the region. Efforts would be strengthened on "exchanges and blending" between ethnic groups and education in the Mandarin Chinese language, China's Communist Party chief in Xinjiang Zhang Chunxian told a meeting in the old Silk Road city of Kashgar in November. "They're offering a certain way of living, to make them want to be like Han people," said Tom Cliff, a Xinjiang expert at the Australian National University. ($1 = 6.4770 Chinese yuan) (Reporting By Dominique Patton. Additional reporting by Beijing Newsroom. Editing by Bill Tarrant.) 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Project Fast Track, unveiled at a City Hall press conference, is an attempt to ensure gun cases are prosecuted quickly and efficiently at all levels of the criminal justice system. Mayor Bill de Blasio, joined by state and federal law enforcement chiefs, court officials and anti-crime advocates, made the announcement just a week after President Barack Obama said he would take several executive actions aimed at reducing gun violence nationwide. Under New York's initiative, people charged with illegally possessing firearms in Brooklyn, which has the highest rate of such cases among the city's five boroughs, would be processed through two "gun courts" starting this week. The police department's new Gun Violence Suppression Division, with nearly 200 assigned detectives, will handle gun-related investigations in the city of about 8.5 million, the largest in the United States. The unit's mandate includes gang cases and shootings, and a database to track illegal gun sales. De Blasio vowed that police would work closely with federal agencies to enhance investigations into interstate gun trafficking. New York State has some of the country's toughest gun laws, but police have struggled to stem the so-called "Iron Pipeline," in which illegal firearms flow in from Southern states with looser restrictions. De Blasio emphasized that a small number of people, numbering in the thousands, are responsible for the vast majority of gun violence. He said the new initiative would help ensure "the most dangerous individuals in this city are behind bars." Two assigned state judges will oversee the "gun courts" to try and streamline the adjudication of cases. Court officials said cases would be resolved within six months of arrest, far faster than typical prosecutions. Story continues If successful, similar courts could be set up throughout the city, including Manhattan, officials said. The gun courts recall a similar effort in 2003, when a court was established dedicated to gun cases in Brooklyn. While the court had initial successes, it eventually became overloaded with a backlog of cases, partly because of a new law increasing the minimum prison sentence for gun possession, making plea deals less likely. Court officials suspended the court in 2009. Officials said the new courts would have greater resources, including retired judges to oversee pretrial hearings. (Reporting by Joseph Ax; editing by Grant McCool) The Salem, Inc./New Salem Educational Initiative is a complete academic support program for young people living in inner city Minneapolis. Back Index Forward Weekly News Digest January 12, 2016 In addition to this week's NewsBreaks article and the monthly NewsLink Spotlight, Information Today, Inc. (ITI) offers Weekly News Digests that feature recent product news and company announcements. Watch for additional coverage to appear in the next print issue of Information Today. For other up-to-the-minute news, check out ITIs Twitter account: @ITINewsBreaks. CLICK HERE to view more Weekly News Digest items. OCLC Partners With New Publishers for WorldCat Discovery Services OCLC signed agreements with publishers to make their content discoverable through WorldCat Discovery Services, including Netherlands-based Adfo Group, ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers), Artstor, Spain-based Odilo, and Wolters Kluwer. They will provide metadata for books, ebooks, journals, databases, and other materials. OCLC has agreements with more than 200 publishers and information providers to receive their metadata. For more information, read the press release. Send correspondence concerning the Weekly News Digest to NewsBreaks Editor Brandi Scardilli Mobile Forecast: 2016 Promises Major Advances for Info on the Go Although the mobile device is now a pervasive personal technology, its worth noting that it was just 9 years ago (2007) whenthe first truly compelling mobile product that would move the industry forward. Mobile innovation has been happening at a very rapid pace for a few years now. Todays smartphones combine communication (how many people still have landlines or long-distance accounts?), the ability to check the time (how many people younger than 20 wear watches anymore?), photography (et tu, camera?), calculation, address books, note-taking, and so many other functions. With the release of Googles mobile-friendly search ranking algorithms in April 2015, companies and organizations across the globe worked to make their websites mobile-friendly so they would be able to benefit from this change. It affects mobile searches in all languages worldwide and has a significant impact in Google Search results. Users will find it easier to get relevant, high quality search results optimized for their devices. Google also released a tool that analyzes websites designs to see what improvements might be needed to make them mobile-friendly. Is Microsofts Dominance Ending? Mobile searching is different from the PC-based keystroke and Windows model that has dominated the search environment since the beginning of the PC industry in the late 1970s. Microsofts fall from grace came to a head in December 2015 when former CEO Steve Ballmer questioned the companys universal app strategy as well as its current accounting practices. Ballmer made it clear that Microsofts performance in the mobile and app sectors was lackluster. With the decline of the traditional desktop market, and now the declining laptop dominance, Microsoft appears to face an uncertain future. Its strategy under current CEO Satya Nadella has been to provide developers with the bridge tools to let them create Windows 10 universal apps to run on PCs, the Xbox One, and mobile environments, and yet keep their base in the Windows environment. However, with the traditional OS in decline, many users dont upgrade to Windows 10, let alone use it as their platform base for apps. Microsofts acquisition of Nokia a few years ago, along with its failure to make any strong showing in the smartphone marketplaceMicrosoft accounts for 3% of the smartphone marketshows a company in decline. It also makes up less than 3% of the mobile browser market. However, the company apparently plans no major changes to its current mobile strategy, recently announcing that mainstream Windows 10 Mobile support will end in early 2018which is bound to leave current Windows Mobile users questioning their long-term reliance on the product. A November Neowin.net editorial compared the current position of Microsoft with that of BlackBerry. Once one of the leaders in the smartphone market, it was predicted to account for less than 1% of the marketplace by the end of 2015. Author Andy Weir notes that despite my personal affinity for Windows, even I can see that Microsofts approach to mobile devices has always been a mess, and there remains little evidence of a clear and cohesive strategy to propel its smartphone platform to success. In a world in which mobile is everythingand in some cases the only thingthis doesnt bode well for Microsoft. The Move to Mobile Accelerates ITU (International Telecommunication Union) is a body that tracks internet developments around the world. A press release about its 2015 annual report states that over the past 15 years, information and communication technologies (ICTs) have grown in an unprecedented way, providing huge opportunities for social and economic development. The affordability of mobile broadband increased to between 20% and 30% just in the past year. Although wired broadband accounts for 0.8 billion subscriptions today, mobile broadband is estimated at a staggering 3.5 billion. ITU finds that about 350 million people still have no cellular coverage, yet 46% of the worlds households are now on the internet. There is huge potential for using mobile devices for financial services in developing countries. According to a recent World Bank Group report, in 2014, 2 billion adults in the world had no access to banking serviceswhich is 38% of all people age 15 and older. The World Bank is working to create comprehensive financial inclusion to allow everyone to be better able to start and expand businesses, invest in education, manage risk, and absorb financial shocks. Mobile money and other alternative forms of banking are providing opportunities for increased prosperity and advancement around the world. Mobile phone billing is available to Apple users in Russia in an agreement with Amsterdam-based Beeline. This service is similar to one available now in Germany with Telefonicas O2. German startup Number26 is offering mobile-first bank accounts in Europe to create a true pan-European bank account. eMarketer predicted that U.S. point-of-sale mobile payment transactions would reach an estimated $8.71 billion by the end of 2015, with transaction value expected to reach $27.05 billion in 2016. Due to a growing user base, broader merchant acceptance and the greater frequency of consumers using their phones to make point-of-sale payments on medium- and high-priced products, eMarketer notes that both users and transaction values will undergo aggressive gains over the next several years. Creating a Reliable, Global Mobile Payment System PayPal formed in 1998 as an electronic alternative to traditional paper methods for internet-based commerce. In 2015, the company reported that it operates in 203 markets with 173 million active, registered users and handles account balances in 26 currencies. Given the size of the marketand the rosy future for mobile commerceother companies have developed their own mobile payment solutions, including the following: Amazon Wallet , which launched in July 2014 and was discontinued in January 2015 while still in beta , which launched in July 2014 and was discontinued in January 2015 while still in beta Apple Pay , which launched in October 2014 , which launched in October 2014 Facebooks peer-to-peer payments , which it added to Messenger in March 2015 , which it added to Messenger in March 2015 The Apple Watch , which launched in April 2015 and has embedded near-field communications (NFC) payment functionality , which launched in April 2015 and has embedded near-field communications (NFC) payment functionality Googles Android Pay , which it introduced in May 2015 , which it introduced in May 2015 Pinterests Buyable Pins , which it launched in June 2015 , which it launched in June 2015 Samsung Pay, which launched in the U.S. in September 2015 Bitcoin, released in 2009 as a form of online payment for products and services, is growing more popular today in China as the countrys Yuan and financial system have faltered. Often called the first cryptocurrency, bitcoin has engendered major support globally, and it is now accepted even by such staid financial institutions as the British Barclays. The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce held a December 2015 hearing titled The Disrupter Series: Mobile Payments. Brian Dodge, EVP at the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), notes that never before in history have consumers had access to so many different merchant platforms and a variety of payment technologies to choose from. For retailers, meeting this challenge has meant a massive investment in new payment terminals, workforce training, mobile shopping platforms and customer service to ensure we are meeting the needs of our consumers from product selection to check outregardless of where it occurs. Does it sound confusing and unstable? At this point, it is. At the hearing, Indiana Universitys Maurer School of Law professor Sarah Jane Hughes spoke about Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Android Pay, the three leading systems. These are early days, particularly for Samsung and Android Pay. Investors interested in mobile payments technologies should not depart this space based on such early returns, in my opinion. With three new major-branded mobile payments offerings in the past 15 months, it simply may be too soon to tell the extent to which [or] how consumers will adopt which of these mobile options or others that may be available. What you need to know about the Octagon Art Festival on Sunday in Ames news Remarks by Vice President of India at the inauguration of the Interfaith Conference at Malappuram, Kerala Kerala, Tue, 12 Jan 2016 NI Wire The Vice President of India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari has said that tolerance alone is not a strong foundation for building an inclusive and pluralistic society. Addressing the gathering after inaugurating the Interfaith Conference at Malappuram in Kerala today, he said both the law and the public life in India promote and endorse religious tolerance. During the function, Shri M. Hamid Ansari laid the foundation stone of the Straightpath International School campus. Following is the text of the Vice Presidents address on the occasion: It is a pleasure to be here today to address the Interfaith Conference. India has been home to all the great religions of the world. Our society has, for centuries, provided a unique social and intellectual environment in which many distinct religions have not only co-existed peacefully but have also enriched each other. The spirit of pluralism and accommodation of cultural diversity pervades the Constitution of India as well as the dominant political discourse in the country. The Constitution lays down that the conduct of State shall be governed by the principle of secularism, that state action must be determined by fairness, non-partisanship and impartiality. The state shall treat all religions in the country with equal respect, that it shall not privilege one religion or community over others, that it shall provide equal opportunities to the followers of all religions. The institutions of the state are expected to ensure that the principle of secularism is observed in letter and spirit in public life. Addressing a meeting here in Kerala last year, the Prime Minister of India, expressing concern over division and hostility on religious lines, had noted that ancient Indian plea of mutual respect for all faiths was now recognized the world over. He had said that the government of India stands by the declaration that came out of the interfaith conference on `Faith in Human Rights` at the Hague on 10th December 2008 and which defined what constitutes freedom of faith and how it is to be safeguarded. The Prime Minister had said: My government will ensure that there is complete freedom of faith and that everyone has the undeniable right to retain or adopt the religion of his or her choice without coercion or undue influence. My government will not allow any religious group, belonging to the majority or the minority, to incite hatred against others, overtly or covertly. Mine will be a government that gives equal respect to all religions. Both the law and the public life in India, thus, promote and endorse religious tolerance. Yet tolerance alone is not a strong enough a foundation for building an inclusive and pluralistic society. It must be coupled with acceptance and understanding. If we truly want to have a society at peace with itself, we need to move from merely tolerating each others mere presence to acceptance and understanding. Swami Vivekananda said that we must not only tolerate other religions, but positively embrace them, as truth is the basis of all religions. Tolerance is a virtue. It is freedom from bigotry. It is a version of the golden rule in that, insofar as we want others to treat us decently, we need to treat them decently as well. It is also a pragmatic formula for the functioning of society without conflict between different religions, political ideologies, nationalities, ethnic groups, or other us-versus-them divisions. Acceptance goes a step beyond tolerance. It is a person's assent to the reality of a situation, recognizing a process or condition without attempting to change it, protest, or exit. You can tolerate something without accepting it, but you cannot accept something without tolerating it. Moving from tolerance to acceptance is a journey that starts within ourselves; within our own understanding and compassion for people who are different to us. We need to challenge ourselves to see beyond the stereotypes and preconceptions that prevent us from accepting others. Dialogue removes misunderstanding and promotes empathy and understanding. Dialogue is essential for developing any understanding. And in this crucial task interfaith dialogue plays an important role. The purpose of interfaith dialogue is to increase our understanding of and respect for other religious systems and institutions, thereby increasing our appreciation of their values. To promote real understanding, interreligious and interfaith dialogue has to be more than mere words or talk. It must include human interaction and relationships. It should be about people of different faiths coming to a mutual understanding and respect that allows them to live and cooperate with each other in spite of their differences. It has to be a cooperative and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions, at both the individual and institutional level. Each party remains true to their own beliefs while respecting the right of the other to practice their faith freely. Kerala has had a long tradition of religious pluralism. It is a state that has the oldest traditions of Islam and Christianity in India and is known for the relative harmony that exists between the various religious groups. Historically, there have been many instances when refuge has been provided to religious groups seeking freedom from religious and political persecution. In AD 52, when St. Thomas came to Kerala, he was received with open arms. Islam arrived through Malik Ibn Dinar, and a team of believers, who came from Saudi Arabia in the seventh century and set up the Cheraman Mosque. The Cochin or Malabar Jews, of Mizrahi and Sephardi heritage, are one of the oldest groups of Jews in India. The organizers of this Interfaith Conference are the inheritors of a great tradition. Their effort to promote understanding and acceptance among various communities is commendable. I wish them all success. Source: PIB Share Tweet Theres a storm blowin up a whopper, to speak in the vernacular of the peasantry. These words were spoken by Professor Marvel in The Wizard of Oz to describe what developed into the tornado that blasted Dorothy into a new world. But they could just as easily be applied to whats happening now with network transformation. As a recently published Alcatel-Lucent (News - Alert) white paper, Be ready for big change in the new digital era, notes, the network evolutions of the past wont be able to hold a candle to whats to come for communications service provider (CSP (News - Alert)) transformation. This new evolution, which is many ways can be viewed as a paradigm change, will mark a shift from a network-centric model to a user-centric approach with the dynamic implementation of digital services, as Alcatel-Lucent quite rightly points out. The rise of the cloud and virtualization has helped create the current environment of change. But its really changing customer requirements and marketplace imperatives that are pushing CSP network transformation forward. As we all by now understand, customers of all stripes now outfitted with and empowered by the Internet, and their always-on smartphones and tablets have become accustomed to our new on-demand society and getting what they want when they want it. The on-demand society has been erected in large part not so much by CSPs but rather by relative newcomers such as Amazon and Google, on the business infrastructure and services, devices, and other front; Apple (News - Alert), on the consumer digital content and devices sides; and a collection of other cloud and over-the-top players both large and small. The new guard has impinged on the business of CSPs, which as a result have seen stagnation or, in some cases, even decreases in ARPU, as Alcatel-Lucent explains in its white paper. At the same time, the CSPs are faced with rapidly growing data traffic on their networks. Weve already seen big upswing on this front, and forecasts calls for 66 percent annual growth in mobile data traffic in the next five years, driven primarily by multimedia and video. All of the above make it tougher than ever for a CSP to remain profitable, much less grow. So CSPs have been forced to rethink how they do things, and to consider and in many cases begin to adopt the new agile and software-centric architectures that newer companies in the marketplace are already using to their advantage. But this is no simple transition. It involves a complete rethinking not only of the infrastructure and support systems and staff skills involved, but also of the business strategies on which CSPs are built. That, Alcatel-Lucent suggests, requires CSPs to consider what key metrics they need to consider as they set out on their transformation strategies. Alcatel-Lucent believes that market share is a key metric they need to consider. Thats because, as Alcatel-Lucent indicates, success will rely not so much on acquiring new customers, but rather on keeping existing customers and garnering a larger share of their spend. And market share, it says, has a direct impact on EBITDA, the metric typically used to assess profitability. Current spend per existing subscriber and the capacity to minimize churn in the future is measured by the customer lifetime value, according to the Alcatel-Lucent white paper. The CLV is the metric of reference for CSPs financial executives. CLV represents the present value of future cash flows attributed to a given customer during his or her entire relationship with the CSP. Understanding how CLV is built is fundamental to define the right strategy to increase market share because all investment decisions need to be articulated to increase the CLV. That said, Alcatel-Lucent lays out the key drivers influencing CLV in CSP organizations and their related indicators of success. That includes cost structure and value, measured by the perceived value or perceived price paid by the customer. The measure of success here is competitiveness and trust. It also involves service quality, measured by the quality of the services offered by the network. The indicator of success in this case is flawless service quality. Customer interactions, including direct touch and through customer care tools, are third on this list. The measure of success, Alcatel-Lucent says, is the number of efficient and positive interactions. Finally theres the ability to personalize and customize devices, products, and services to offer unique or differentiating features, or even the perception that customers have of the CSP brand. The measure of success on this front is the capability to offer something appealing that motivates the customer. Edited by Peter Bernstein Googles chairman Eric Schmidt thinks artificial intelligence will let scientists solve some of the worlds hard problems, like population growth, climate change, human development, and education. Rapid development in the field of AI means the technology can help scientists understand the links between cause and effect by sifting through vast quantities of information, said Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Alphabet Inc., the holding company that owns Google. AI will play this role to navigate through this and help us. It can also aid companies in designing new, personalized systems. In the future, Schmidt would like to see Eric and Not-Eric, he said at a conference in New York, where Eric is the flesh-and-blood Schmidt andnot-Eric is this digital thing that helps me. Nextbigfutures position on population growth, climate change, human development, and education is AI is not needed Larger families in Africa is the remaining aspect of higher population growth. Population going to 11-12 billion by 2100 is because Africa will go from 1 billion to 5 billion. Asia population has flattened other than India and some South Asian countries. The developed world and China have flat to declining population. A lot of the larger family in Africa issues will be greatly reduced when they have healthcare and public health infrastructure like clean water and sanitation and vaccination. If people have over 99% confidence that their children will die then they will not have 5-6 children to assure that they end up with 2 that grow into adults. Climate change and CO2 emissions are a unintended byproduct of industrialization. We use coal and fossil fuels for energy and industry and the carbon gets combined with oxygen when it is burned to make CO2. We use about 8 billion tons of coal and about another 4 billion tons of oil. Carbon plus two oxygens means the weight of CO2 is about 40 billion tons. Burning literal mountains of carbons each year also means billions of tons of soot and particulates. Incomplete burning results in this air pollution which also blackens white icecaps and other surfaces. Darkening increases the heat that is absorbed and not reflected. The soot problem results in almost as much heating effect as the CO2 and it also kills more people because of the damage to hearts and lungs. The soot and particulate problem kills over 4 million people each year and makes billions of people less healthy which increases medical costs. The soot and particulate problem is ten to twenty times cheaper to address and can provide faster results of a few years rather than decades. Again no AI is required to diagnose and prescribe solutions. Clearly when people want to spend many trillions addressing CO2 to get some effect in several decades to a supposedly urgent issue when a lot less money could be spent targeting soot and particulates shows that people are not really trying to solve the big problems. A 2013 study indicated that the role in climate change for soot is twice as large as previous estimates. Soot has 66% of the impact of carbon dioxide. Mitigating soot would cost about $6 per ton of CO2 equivalent. CO2 mitigation costs about $100 per ton. Nextbigfuture has frequently written that soot is the most cost effective emission target for managing climate. It is also the one with the fastest results. Carbon dioxide mitigation does not impact temperatures for 50-80 years. Fully mitigating soot can also save 1-2 million lives by avoiding the disease from soot pollution Is AI supposed to make up for human corruption and unwillingness to take obviously better approaches and basic analysis ? Human development has some big and obvious global problems which are not being addressed. India and parts of Africa have 40-50% malnutrition. This causes stunting which means smaller people who have some level of brain damage. There are warehouses of rotting food in India. This is due to corruption where someone made money keeping the food off the market. For education there are many issues but they are obvious issues and here are some: * bad cultural concepts that have taken hold in some developed countries where students do not perform an appropriate volume of problem solving. * school hours have been cut for budget and other reasons which shifts homework responsibility to a significant number of parents who are not prepared, willing or able to help children * there are uneducated teachers in Africa and undeveloped countries who are illiterate and are unable to properly teach There are solutions which have work and do work and which do not require AI. 212 Bridge Academies have opened in Kenya during the past four years. Bridges schools in a box spring up seemingly overnight: In January of 2013, the company launched 51 schools at once, while in September it opened another 78. Bridge now educates roughly 50,000 students in Kenya every day, and its global aspirations may transform the entire project of education for poor youth around the world. Bridges CEO, a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur named Jay Kimmelman, compares his company to Starbucks and McDonalds organizations that offer a consistent experience no matter where in the world you encounter them. Beyond its 212 branded academies in Kenya, Bridge has set its sights on Nigeria, Uganda, and India. The founders intend to be serving half a million children in 30 countries by 2015, and 10 million by 2025. Weve systematized every aspect of how you run a school, Kimmelman says. How you manage it. How you interact with parents. How you teach. How you check on school managers, and how you support them. And this operational approach gets results. Bridge tests kids six times a year, and a third party performs Early Grade Reading and Math Assessments annually. According to those evaluations, Bridge students are beating out their peers at government and other private schools. In reading fluency, the gap is as high as 205 percent. The most notable aspect of the Machakos school is that students pay to attend. Since the United Nations made universal enrollment one of its Millennium Development Goals in 2000, governments in Kenya and in much of Africa have eliminated school fees. But outcomes in Africas public schools remain deeply disappointing. Dated curricula focus on impractical memorization, and the public school teachers are underpaid and undertrained spending more energy on managing packed classrooms than on instruction. Bridge aims to narrow this divide with a radically new take on private school. Tuition is just $5 per pupil per month. There are no student iPads, no science labs. Preschoolers work with clay or blocks; older children learn math with bottle caps and recycled egg crates. Often students write on Dickensian slate boards instead of paper. One of the teachers I met, Ms. Elizabeth, completed only high school, and the greatest technological firepower at her disposal was a decidedly analog yardstick. Bridge invested $15 million in systems development, teacher training, and in-class materials, and built an operations template for every school. (Bill Gates is an investor in the company, as are Khosla Ventures and some other traditional venture capital firms.) All student testing and teacher evaluations would filter through Android-based software monitored by engineers and assessors at Bridge headquarters. Since I met Ms. Elizabeth in 2011, Bridge has equipped teachers and school managers with tablets to manage lessons and track performance. Students take analog tests and teachers upload assessments to a central database. Accountability is the key, says Kimmelman. Its really weird, and really amazing, and it works. For parents hovering around $2 in income per day, a potentially transformative education for their kids was just one of many things they couldnt afford. The demand, however, remains enormous the global market for low-cost private education is $51 billion annually. To meet the demand, May says, we drive the price point low enough so parents can become consumers. Bridges corporate system allows them to nearly eliminate overhead. The work typically done by secretaries, bursars, principals, and other administrators can be handled remotely, leaving only three nonteaching staff at each school. Parents can transfer fees directly from their mobile phones, an innovation that builds on Kenyas particularly robust mobile money platforms. (Bridge parents on average make $1.23 per day, but 94 percent of them own mobile phones.) If a teacher fails to open or sync a digital lesson within 15 minutes of its scheduled start, someone from headquarters will take note and call the school to see whats up. If a teacher is absent, Bridge keeps a paid pool of substitutes standing by. Our commitment to our parents is that their children will be taught, May says. So we invest in, essentially, lots of plan Bs. The heart of her pitch is simple: Bridge schools teach kids. Whereas the average government primary school has a 47-to-one student-teacher ratio, Bridges is 30-to-one and it teaches students for two additional hours each day. The Bridge obsession with consistency and performance produces its most alien attribute: scripted lessons. Because effective lesson plans are a notoriously difficult aspect of teaching, Bridge eliminates any guesswork dictating classroom instruction down to the noun and to the minute. In Ms. Elizabeths subtraction class, she consults the Bridge manual as kids chant and repeat her phrasing with Pavlovian discipline. Her classroom protocol has been written in advance by Bridges dedicated curriculum team. This may sound overly doctrinaire, but there are distinct advantages. For teachers, the examples dont come off the top of their head, or when they woke up at five in the morning to try and prepare their class, May says. The scripted approach also allows for incredibly efficient teacher training: Bridges seven-week course is lightning-fast compared with traditional accreditation programs. The Israeli version of the F-35 stealth fighter is being manufactured by Lockheed Martin according to Israeli specifications. The Isreali F-35 is called Adir (Awesome). The first two Adirs will be delivered to the Israel Air Force (IAF) in December 2016. Israel has publicly announced the efforts of its air force to double the flight range of the F-35 Stealth strike fighters, the fifth generation of the air forces planes. An Israeli air force officer told Defense News when asked how the F-35 would maintain superiority over advanced anti-air systems, like the Russian S-300, slated for delivery to Iran. Your options for attacking the enemy with the stealth fighters are much more numerous and practical. The things that we could do before will entail much less risk, and the things we might not have been able to do before will be rendered doable. Lockheed Martin is now working with Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. to adapt Israeli-made air-to-ground weaponry to the plane. At the same time, Lockheed Martin is considering Israeli ideas for (probably detachable) external fuel tanks on the planes wings in order to extend their range. Israel has received an exemption from the protocol requirements of the F-35 program requiring foreign air forces to do most of the maintenance work on the planes in Lockheed Martins logistics centers. The Israel air force will be able to do most of the maintenance work in Israel, except for heavy maintenance, due to concern that a war could break out exactly when some the planes are outside Israel. A logistics center for maintenance of the Adir planes is now being built at the Nevatim base for this purpose. This center will have direct access to Lockheed Martins information system. Israel has an option to purchase 75 more Adirs. As of now, Israel has signed contracts to buy 33 of them: 19 under a contract signed in 2010 and 14 more in a contract signed in February 2015. Israel has recently held talks with the US over the possible purchase of F-35B short take off and vertical landing variants, which would enable the IAF to use airbases even if their runways are damaged by enemy rocket or missile fire. Israel has ordered 33 of the fighter jets from the US at a total cost of $4.75 billion, which includes the building of infrastructure from which the aircraft can operate as well as making changes specified by the IAF. The first order of 33 will arrive from 2016 to 2021. Israel also has the option to purchase an additional 17 of the fighter jets, which it is expected to take and even increase. The F-35 is the first jet that the IAF will use which has been built in order to evade radars, and will have Israeli security systems installed. SOURCES JPUpdates, Ynet News Never send a cop to do a man's job Behind the Facades in France: What expats and the mainstream media (French and American alike) fail to notice (or fail to tell you) about French attitudes, principles, values, and official positions 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. " ... How many opportunities do they afford to tamper with domestic factions, to practice the arts of seduction, to mislead public opinion, to influence or awe the public... " [From George Washington's farewell address.] Other Quotes: "Don't worry about genius and don't worry about not being clever. Trust rather to hard work, perseverance and determination. The best motto for a long march is ' Don't grumble. Plug on.'....Be honest. Be loyal. Be kind. Remember that the hardest thing to acquire is the faculty of being unselfish. As a quality it is one of the finest attributes of manliness." Sir Frederick Treves "...To be clear, the Constitution of the United States of America is the United States of America. They are one and the same. Any individual or agency which seeks to subvert the Constitution and wage political and/or rhetorical war on it, are self-declared enemies of the United States of America, as they are subverting and waging war on the United States of America." - Pat Dollard The truth to the matter is that Obama lies but he does it with such finess that the easily fooled are easily fooled. ~ Norman E. Hooben "Going for the grandest illusion of all, [Obama] ... told the New York Times: 'We've actually been operating in a way that has been entirely consistent with free-market principles.' Excuse me while I pick my jaw off the ground. Everyone knows -- or should know -- that putting more and more of the government in charge of more and more of the economy is entirely inconsistent with free-market principles. This means that the president's statement to the contrary is what is known as a big lie." --columnist Diana West When you trust a stranger more so than your friend, you become stranger than the stranger; Barrack Husein Obama is a stranger. - Norman E. Hooben We the peopleWe the people now have a New World Order that we the people did not order. Norman E. Hooben "We are now in a great civil war of words and you have the honor of participating as a true patriot. The battle has not been won but you will be there when we are victorious. The pen is mightier than the sword and you will inscribe your name in the book of freedomand that, my friend is an honor "If you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a small chance of survival. There may even be a worse case: you may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves ." - Winston Churchill It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first. - Ronald Reagan Thomas Sowell For those who promote a race they are called, "racists". For those that promote American they are called "American". For 'American' is a 'concept' and no racial tones are tolerated either in shades or sounds. -Norman E. Hooben (In reference to Lourdes Galvan of San Antonio, Texas racial bigotry regarding American military heroes.) Note to NATIONAL COUNCIL OF LA RAZA ( Hola! I know you are watching): Will Rogers never met Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid. - N. E. Hooben, July 2008 Harvard University was once an all boys school...today they have no balls at all. - N. E. Hooben I will stand with the Constitution For The United States of America should the political winds shift in an ugly direction Politicians are like vampires... Whether its blood or money they want to suck it out of you till you die. ~ N. E. Hooben (Norman E. Hooben in response to a writer who complained of not having the honor of serving in the U.S. Military)Back in the days of "The Lone Ranger" program, someone would ask, "Who is that masked man?" People need to start asking that question about Barack Obama. -N.E. HoobenThe Police State of Massachusetts is now imposing laws against nature. Massachusetts is by far the most un-Constitutional government of the State, by the State, and for the State than any among the the fifty that hold a star on the banner of freedom. It is run by Socialists and hypocritical so-called Christiansthe worst among them are the Catholics who go to Church on Sunday and forget what they Prayed for on Monday. - Norman E. Hooben - "A proud Catholic proud of my Faith. A proud Catholic NOT so proud of my Church!" - July 16th 2008 N. E. Hooben When a people are satisfied with receiving gifts paid with their own taxes as a way of life Anarchy is sure to follow. - Fred Boutin 2008 From the first time I heard about the boogey-man as a child to the first time I got shot at in Vietnam, nothing in my entire lifetime, THAT'S NOTHING! has put more fear into me than this man Obama. - Norman E. Hooben - July 2008 We are here for only a mini-second in the sands of time. Then we become the dust that makes the sand; and the Hand of God molds us anew. Take care my friend and may God Bless... - Norman E. Hooben on the death of our dearly beloved pet dog, Stirling The evidence is overwhelming! In order to save America we must destroy the Socialst Marxist Party... - N. E. Hooben "America is like a healthy body and its resistance is threefold: its patriotism, its morality, and its spiritual life. If we can undermine these three areas, America will collapse from within." -- Josef Stalin -- When it comes to lying, prudent people are guided by a Higher Authority driven by thou shall not written in stone. Whereas Bill Clinton has no Higher Authority to guide him, thou shall not has no conscious objections; for without a conscience there is no guilt. - Norman Hooben The victor will never be asked if he told the truth. - Adolph Hitler The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny. - James Madison, the Federalists Papers There was a Chemistry professor in a large college that had some Exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab the Prof noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his back And stretching as if his back hurt. The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist government. In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked,'Do you know how to catch wild pigs?' The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said this was no joke. 'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side. The pigs, who are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd. Suddenly, the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity. The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening to America. The government keeps pushing us toward Communism/Socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare, medicine, drugs, etc. while we continually lose our freedoms- just a little at a time. One should always remember 'There is no such thing as a free Lunch!' Also, 'You can never hire someone to provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself. You apparently don't share a sense of patriotism, Americanism, freedomism, or whatever kind of 'ism' that true Americans believe in... You do however, display a bit of socialism, communism, marxism or whatever kind of 'ism' that you make excuses for... ~ Norman E. Hooben (in response to an Obama supporter's views about the ACS census) A nation that knows not from where it came, knows not where it is going! Today, Americans know too little about the foundations of our nation. The result is a nation now in chaos, its people unable to discern what is wrong with the transformation (paradigm shift) of our society and form of government that, if left unchecked, will destroy every facet of freedom, liberty and justice. The price of freedom is vigilance; the price of vigilance is knowledge. Many of America's founding documents are now available on the web. ~ Learn USA Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu Monday threw Ankaras support behind the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) in a meeting with Faiez Serraj, Libyas unity government Prime Minister-designate, reports say. Prime Minister Davutoglu according to Turkish reports relayed by Libyas Libya Herald is very concerned by Libyas unity and security and deems that the GNA could help the country restore its stability. It is also reported that Ankara pledged to support Libyas reconstruction. Prime Minister Davutoglu according to Libya Herald also congratulated his Libyan counter-part Serraj for his appointment at the head of the GNA. Turkey is among 17 countries which pledged support for the Libyan Dialogue Accord. Ankara and Doha have been accused of supporting unrecognized Tripoli-based Libyan administration and allied parliament General National Congress (GNC) firmly opposed to the Libyan Political Accord (LPA) and have also stood in the way of the formation of the GNA. Though Prime Minister Serraj is member of the GNC, his government has been criticized by Tripoli strongmen who doubt the true ideology of the GNA which it brands as a puppet of the West. Further reports indicate that Serraj who was back to Tunis the same day, is expected to appoint on Saturday remaining members of the GNA who will be introduced to Libyan internationally recognized House of Representative (HoR) parliament which will rubber-stamp the names. The GNA will start its full operation upon official endorsement by the HoR which has been delaying dues lingering opposition by some its members. Libya has slid into chaos since 2011 following the death of Col. Gaddafi deposed and killed in a NATO-backed uprising. Since then the country has been theater of rivalries between the HoR and GNA and their affiliated governments. The rivalries have also led to the fostering of terrorist organizations and criminal networks which have developed unperturbed migrant smuggling networks sending waves of rickety boats fully of migrants in direction to Europe in search of a better life. Tunisian Tourism authorities have announced injection of around 24 billion euros in 2016 to boost the tourism industry which has been seriously hit by two major terrorist attacks leading to an acute slump in the number of international arrivals, reports say. Abdellatif Hmam, Head of the Tunisian Tourism Authority made the announcement on Saturday during an important meeting with the Federation of the Tunisian tourism agencies where he also underscored the important role the ministry of foreign affairs has to play in overcoming challenges the sector is facing following decisions by some countries to ban travels in direction to the North African country in the wake of June terrorist attack which claimed the lives of 38 people including 30 British tourists at a Sousse resort hotel. While expecting international tourists mainly from Europe to make their way back to Tunisia, Hmam highlighted a number of plans to boost the industry. These plans include promotion of local tourism, diversification of the tourist routes, conference and health tourism, search of new promising markets such as Chinese, Iranian and Iraqi tourists. The authorities are also envisaging attracting more Algerian tourists who were among largest numbers of arrivals in Tunis during the previous year. Authorities therefore are planning the establishment of link flights between the Algerian western region and Tunisia as well as link flights between Algeria and Djerba Island, one of Tunisias exceptional tourist sights. In related reports, Tunisia has lost almost 91 % of its usual British tourist arrivals last year according to the British Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) According to the CAA, only 33,270 British travelled to Tunisia in the aftermath of the June attack despite the British Foreign Offices caution to its national to avoid the North African country, compare to 364,902 arrivals registered last year. The CAA also added that link flights to Monastir and dEnfidha, the two nearest airports serving Sousse (place of the attack) had been utterly cut off (97% decrease in the number of flights) following the attack. However according to the British daily Mirror flights between Londons airports of Gatwick and Heathrow towards Tunis airport remained almost unchallenged. The Mirror also pointed out that the decrease in the number of British arrivals to Tunisia has been profitable to some other countries including Spain and Portugal which become substitute destinations for the scared British tourists. A bomb blast rocked Tuesday morning the Turkish largest city of Istanbul killing at least 10 people and wounding 15 at the citys historic square of Sultanahmet, early reports say. The blast was confirmed by the Istanbul government official website. According to reports, the blast occurred at around 10:15 local time near Obelisk of Theodosius in the square, a very popular touristic place. 10 people have been reported dead while 15 have been registered wounded, lying on the ground. Witnesses told reporters that explosion which may have been caused by a suicide bomber was loud and heard at nearby districts. The explosion was very loud. We shook a lot. We ran out and saw body parts, one woman working at a nearby antiques store reportedly told a Reuters correspondent, declining to give her name. Security forces have sealed off the area and have prevented entry fearing a second blast. Ambulances rushed to the scene and ferried wounded to nearby hospitals for treatment. Tram traffic between Beyazt and Eminonu has been suspended and the square has been closed to traffic, according to reports. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has convened Interior Minister Efkan Ala to discuss the attack. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet but Turkey has been facing insurgency from PKK Kurdish fighters who have stepped up attacks. IS militants have also perpetrated attacks in Turkey following Ankaras crackdown on the Islamic group. Last year IS claimed two terrorist attacks in the town of Suruc near the Syrian border and in the capital Ankara. Also last week, Turkish media reported that two IS militants who were arrested in December last year in Ankara on terrorist act allegations confessed to security forces that they were ordered to attack state institutions including Parliament and courthouses. Hordes of IS militants in Libya fearing western attacks are marching towards Moroccos eastern region, reports say. Moroccan daily Assabah Tuesday quoting a report by the US State Department argues that a group of IS militants have started decamping from Libya and have set sail in direction of Moroccos eastern region. The US State Departments worries have been confirmed by the US military command center in Africa which also indicated that IS militants in Libya have been relocating in other regional countries including Morocco fearing military intervention by international coalition in Libya. Though the US Africa Command is working on plans to eradicate the terrorist group and its bedfellows, the likes of Boko Harm, the current major objective is to contain the group so that it does not melt into other countries, reports say. According to Moroccan le360.ma quoting the State Department figures, around 3,500 militants have already started camping in the Sahara, waiting to cross into neighboring countries including Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria to perpetrate terrorist attacks. Late last year in December, the US State Department and French intelligence services revealed that IS fighters had captured stock-piles of Libyas Sarin gas and threatened to use it against Morocco which has been waging war against IS along with the international coalition battling the group in Iraq and Syria. The Kingdom has also been ticked as country-target by IS after Morocco provided vital assistance to French security forces to nab November 2015 Paris attacks ringleader. Morocco has raised its security level in a move to thwart attacks that may have been planned to harm the country. Besides Moroccos intelligence service has foiled several attacks and dismantled hundreds of active and dormant of IS-linked cell. 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To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. The room is probably big enough for Davis and Jim Obergefell. Photo: James Lawler Duggan/Reuters/Corbis Kim Daviss 15 minutes of fame are stretching into the New Year. After boldly preventing several same-sex couples from getting marriage licenses in a timely fashion, the Kentucky county clerk got to meet Pope Francis, and now shes at the center of a State of the Union pseudo-controversy. The Washington Examiner reports that the Family Research Council arranged for Davis and her attorney to sit in the House audience during President Obamas speech on Tuesday night. The White House has invited Jim Obergefell, the plaintiff whose Supreme Court case led to the legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide, to sit with First Lady Michelle Obama, so things are bound to get awkward or they would, if there were any chance that the two were going to interact. While we probably wont see a marriage-equality brawl break out on the House floor, this should give TV anchors something to talk about while theyre killing time before the debate starts. Behind every great vice-president Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/Corbis Its no secret that Barack Obama believes in subsidizing Americans health-care costs. But last night, Vice-President Biden revealed just how personally his boss takes that mission. In an interview with CNNs Gloria Borger, Biden recalled a lunch hed had with the president, at a time when it looked like his late son Beau would need to resign as Delawares attorney general because of health problems. The vice-president told Obama that hed been worrying about how to ensure that his sons family was taken care of, should Beau stop drawing a salary. I said, But I worked it out, Biden remembered telling Obama. I said, But Jill and I will sell the house and be in good shape. In Bidens retelling, Obama then stood up from his chair and said, Dont sell that house. Promise me you wont sell the house Ill give you the money. Whatever you need, Ill give you the money. Dont, Joe promise me. Promise me. Biden says he tried to deflect this offer, telling his boss, I dont think were going to have to anyway. Promise me, Obama supposedly replied. Beau Biden was ultimately able to serve out his second term, and his father was able to keep that Delaware home. But after leaving office last January, Beau was diagnosed with brain cancer and died the following May. Thanksgiving was hard, the vice-president told Borger. The idea of an empty chair, you know, was something no one looked forward to. On a separate and far lighter note, Biden weighed in on the Democratic primary race that hed once considered joining. Asked for his thoughts on why the contest between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders had tightened in recent days, Biden credited the authenticity of the socialist senators commitment to reducing income inequality an authenticity he implied the former secretary of State lacked. I think that that Bernie is speaking to a yearning that is deep and real, and he has credibility on it, Biden said. And that is the absolute enormous concentration of wealth in a small group of people Hillarys focus has been other things up to now, and thats been Bernies no one questions Bernies authenticity on those issues. After the Sanders campaign touted Bidens comments as though it were a covert endorsement, the vice-president sought to clarify his remarks on NBCs Today show Tuesday morning. What I meant was, for the last five years, shes been engaged in foreign policy, Biden told Savannah Guthrie. This has been Bernies mantra from the time hes gotten involved. Even when income inequality wasnt as serious as it is today, it was his drumbeat. And so thats what I meant. We must expropriate the expropriators, in a common-sense, moderate fashion. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images A hole opened in the space-time continuum on Monday, allowing some alternate universes Democratic primary to slip into our own: While socialist insurgent Bernie Sanders was reminding voters that electability matters, Establishment favorite Hillary Clinton unveiled a new plan for soaking the rich. At a campaign rally in Waterloo, Iowa, the former secretary of State called for a 4 percent surcharge on all annual income above $5 million. As opposed to a raise in the top marginal tax rate, Clintons surcharge would apply to any and all forms of income, regardless of its source. At present, capital gains are taxed at a lower rate than income a policy that famously allows billionaire investor Warren Buffet to pay a lower rate than his secretary. According to Clintons aides, the surcharge would affect only one in every 10,000 taxpayers, while generating $150 billion in new revenue in its first ten years. Bloomberg notes that the proposal closely resembles a tax established by France in 2011. But D.C. aint Paris. And with Congress firmly controlled by a party whose raison detre is opposing higher taxes on its donors, Voxs Matthew Yglesias writes that Clintons plan appears perfectly designed to be dead on arrival in the GOP House. The plan is also perfectly designed to steal some of her rivals populist energy. The latest polls show Sanders creeping up on Clinton in Iowa and maintaining a slim lead over the former senator in New Hampshire. That #Berniementum is making the Clinton camp anxious, reports CNN. In recent days, Clinton has shifted from ignoring Sanders to pointedly engaging him, questioning the socialist senators electability and alleged softness on gun-control policy. But Clintons claim to being the most electable Democrat has grown more tendentious in recent days. An NBC/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll released over the weekend found Sanders polling far stronger than Clinton against Donald Trump and Ted Cruz in both Iowa and New Hampshire. And that poll isnt unique in suggesting Sanders would be a better bet for Democrats come November. Sanders relished his new-found status as Democrats pragmatic choice on Sundays edition of This Week, telling ABCs George Stephanopoulos, If people are concerned about electability and Democrats should be very concerned because we certainly dont want to see some right-wing extremist in the White House Bernie Sanders is the candidate. Hypothetical general-election polls arent known for their accuracy, but these findings leave Clinton with little evidence that she is more electable than her left-wing challenger. Perhaps the most substantive debate in the Democratic race thus far has been over tax policy. Sanders, along with nearly the entire Democratic Senate caucus, supports the FAMILY Act, which would provide all workers with 12 weeks of family leave at 66 percent pay, funded by a slight increase to the payroll tax. Clinton opposes the legislation, having pledged not to raise taxes on anyone earning less than $250,000 a year. Beyond paid leave, that commitment would make her rivals other proposed expansions to social welfare, like free higher education and single-payer health care, fiscally untenable. The proposed surcharge on millionaires allows Clinton to simultaneously throw her partys economic populists a hefty bone and reassure the upper middle class that theyll still be able to afford that lake house under the second Clinton administration. Photo: ROB KERR/AFP/Getty Images Good morning and welcome to Fresh Intelligence, our roundup of the stories, ideas, and memes youll be talking about today. In todays edition we find Ted Cruz off the beaten path in Louisiana, Rand Paul pouting at home, and Trump attacked from where he least expected it rich people. Also, a local Bay Area foot is missing its man, Oregon militants lash out at an innocent fence, and the internet mourns David Bowie. Heres the rundown for Tuesday, January 12. THE WEATHER With winter finally coming to New York, the weather elsewhere remains steadfastly odd. Tropical storms are set to batter the West Coast, while the Great Lakes region is buried under several feet of snow and has something called an arctic blast to look forward to. [Weather.com] FRONT PAGE Oregon Militants Escalate Standoff In a scene right out of a John Wayne movie, Oregon militants tried to draw law enforcement into a confrontation Monday by defacing the fence at the bird sanctuary they are occupying and going through government papers found on-site. Federal agents somehow managed to hold their fire. [NYT, CBS News] EARLY AND OFTEN Clinton Splits With Obama, Says Deportation Raids Must End At the Iowa Black and Brown Forum on Monday night, Hillary Clinton called on the Obama administration to cease raids on undocumented Central American immigrants and provide attorneys for unattended child migrants. The recent raids, which have led to the arrest of more than 120 people, have infuriated liberals. Rand Paul: Whining His Way to the White House Rand Paul is trying public tantrum-throwing in a bid to win the hearts of the American people. He is refusing to take part in Fox Business Newss undercard debate this Thursday after he and Carly Fiorina were bumped from the main stage due to low polling numbers. Cruz Preps for Early Voting in the Wrong State Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz is spending the heated run-up to the Iowa Caucus in Louisiana. Commentators are giving him the benefit of the doubt, pointing to a strategy of prioritizing the South, not campaign-bus GPS error. [WaPo] Trump Is No Longer a Man of the (Rich) People The presidency is increasingly becoming Donald Trumps only career option as new data shows his brand read: himself is increasingly out of favor with wealthy consumers read: his entire customer base. [Politico] THE STREET, THE VALLEY United Begins Descent Delta has surpassed United to become Americas second biggest airline. Analysts point to recent megamergers in the airline industry and a perception that Delta offers superior service, which just goes to show how terrible its become to fly in the United States. [Bloomberg] Uber Pools Leaked financials show rumors of massive losses at Uber to be, if anything, underestimated. The company lost a whopping $1 billion in the first half of 2015. Still, you wont see taxi drivers rejoicing just yet, as the companys revenues increased threefold to $1.5 billion. [Business Insider] Silicon Valley Still Hostile to Women A new survey of more than 200 influential women in the tech industry found a full 60 percent have received unwanted sexual advances. One in three women said that they have feared for their personal safety. [CNET] Elon Musk Leaks Apple Car, Isnt Bitter In a BBC interview Tesla CEO Elon Musk referred to a rumored Apple car as an open secret, saying, [I]t is pretty hard to hide something if you hire over a thousand engineers to do it. When asked about Amazon CEO and rocket-business rival Jeff Bezos he continued the Regina George antics, saying Jeff who? [BBC] MEDIA BUBBLE Owner Cant Keep Magazine Afloat in World He Helped Create The owner of The New Republic, Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes is putting the liberal publication up for sale, saying he underestimated the challenges of transitioning to digital. He will now focus on creating a print edition of Facebook. Jerry Hall Has Type Model-actress Jerry Hall and octogenarian super-villain Rupert Murdoch have announced their engagement. Though famous for her longtime relationship with Mick Jagger, the marriage will be Halls first and his fourth, but whos counting? PHOTO OP Working Hard for the Money Customers line up at the Last Stop in White Hills, Arizona, on January 10 for their shot at the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot. Photo: John Locher/AP/Corbis/ Corbis. All Rights Reserved. MORNING MEME The Man Who Changed the World Many heartfelt David Bowie memes circulated on Monday, including an updated tribute from the International Space Station. At New York, one of our favorite viral remembrances was this 1983 interview, in which Bowie called out MTV for failing to feature black artists, while talking with MTV. Still too raw? The internet also provided this Bieber-fangirl-face-swap to help cheer you up. OTHER LOCAL NEWS Real-Life Parks and Recreation Plot Has Sad Ending Residents of Whitesboro, New York, have voted to retain their villages official seal, which depicts a white settler choking a Native American. Mistaking an entire enraged ethnic group for a toddler whos walked in on their parents mid-coitus, villagers claim the two men are just wrestling. [Gawker] Bay Area Mystery Afoot In a scene ripped from an Elementary plot, a weeks-old dismembered foot has been found on the tracks of San Franciscos BART train. The foots owner remains a mystery but locals are already blaming the tech bubble. [LA Times] HAPPENING TODAY D.C. Braces for Presidential Tooting of Own Horn The president delivers his final State of the Union address on Tuesday night, and commentators predict it will hold few surprises. On the other hand, Obamas chances of picking a fight with Kentucky clerk Kim Davis mid-speech just improved slightly. Affluenza Case Continues to Afflict Nation Tonya Couch, mother of drunk-driving scofflaw Ethan Couch, will be released on Tuesday after posting bail. She has been in prison since she allegedly went on the lam with her teen son, only to be apprehended in the Mexican resort town Puerto Vallarta. [CNN] Photo: Google A car bomb went off outside a mall in Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 18 people and wounding more than 20. Iraqi officials said that a child was among those killed, and the AP adds that four police officers were reportedly killed. After the bomb went off, gunmen stormed the Jawhara Mall in a Shiite neighborhood in the eastern part of the city, where as many as 50 people could have been trapped. When the security forces got too close, they killed three hostages, one Iraqi official told the AFP. Reuters adds that seven people were killed by the car bomb, [f]ive more people were shot dead by the gunmen storming the mall, and six others were killed when those same assailants detonated their explosive vests. After a battle with police officers that lasted about 90 minutes, according to the AP, security forces said they had control of the building and that the gunmen had been killed or had blown themselves up. Heavy gunfire and grenade blasts were also reportedly used during the attack. ISIS, which has suffered some losses in Iraq lately most notably when they lost control of the city of Ramadi claimed responsibility for the attack. More than 22,000 civilians were killed in Iraq last year, according to the U.N. #Baghdad regularly sees car bombings and murders. But complex attacks like today's at Al Jawhara Mall are rare. #Iraq Matt Bradley (@MattMcBradley) January 11, 2016 Another car bomb earlier in the day another attack claimed by ISIS killed at least 20 people in Muqdadiya, north of Baghdad, according to The Wall Street Journal. Altogether, at least 48 people were killed in attacks in Baghdad and surrounding cities on Monday, per Reuters. After the mall attack, parts of the city, including the Green Zone, were shut down to help prevent any further possible attacks. This post will be updated as more news is available. Obamas decision to round up undocumented immigrants in an election year put Clinton in a tough spot. Photo: Fernando Leon/2016 Getty Images Hillary Clinton and President Obama may be on the same page when it comes to gun control, but the so-called deporter-in-chief put his partys front-runner in a difficult spot when his administration began rounding up families that entered the country illegally over the holidays. Most Democrats view the deportation raids which have already scooped up about 120 people who arrived in the U.S. after May 2014 as an unnecessarily harsh tactic that expels Central Americans who should be offered asylum. Plus, from a political perspective, cracking down on undocumented immigrants in an election year threatens to erode the contrast between Democrats and Republicans (not that any liberals are calling for keeping entire religious groups out of the country). Thus, on Monday night Clinton chose to not alienate her base over loyalty to her former boss. I have come out against the raids, I do not think the raids are an appropriate tool to enforce the immigration laws. They are divisive, sewing discord and fear, she said at the Iowa Black and Brown Forum. We have to be sensitive and humane in the application of our laws. As Clinton spoke with Fusions Jorge Ramos, her campaign released a statement that said, We have laws and we must be guided by those laws, but we shouldnt have armed federal officers showing up at peoples homes, taking women and children out of their beds in the middle of the night. Clinton added that the raids have sown fear and division in immigrant communities across the country. People are afraid to go to work. They are afraid to send their kids to school. They are afraid to go to the hospital, or even the grocery store. When news of the raids broke just before Christmas, Bernie Sanders and Martin OMalley were quick to denounce them, with Sanders saying he was very disturbed. Initially Clinton only said through aides that she had real concerns about the plan and did not believe the federal government should be conducting large-scale raids. Following the raids in Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina, maintaining a moderate position on the issue became increasingly difficult. Congressional Democrats have expressed their anger toward the administration, and are demanding a face-to-face meeting with the president. You and your administration have upheld time-honored American values by offering refuge to those fleeing violence and disorder in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. We commend you for that, reads a letter to Obama signed by dozens of House Democrats. However, these same fundamental American values have not been applied in your administrations policies towards Central American refugee mothers and children. Aside from the pressure Clinton faces from Democratic lawmakers, Sanders has given her new reason to clarify that shes firmly with the left when it comes to immigration. Clinton has stepped up her rhetoric against the Vermont senator in recent days following reports that hes gaining on her in Iowa and maintaining a small lead in New Hampshire. She highlighted other left-leaning aspects of her immigration policy on Monday night, saying she would ensure all unaccompanied minors are provided with legal counsel in immigration court and work to reform the asylum and refugee systems. She also voiced her support for Obamas request for $1 billion to invest in Central America, to promote economic development and crack down on crime. Whether thats enough to win over Hispanic voters remains to be seen. Jorge Ramos was still confused about how Clintons plan differed from Donald Trumps, since she declared in November, Look, I voted numerous times when I was a senator to spend money to build a barrier to try to prevent illegal immigrants from coming in. After pledging not to use the term illegal immigrants, Clinton said she thinks border security and a plan for undocumented immigrants go hand in hand. Plus, back in 2006 she was merely voting for a fence basically a smaller, less classy version of Trumps majestic border wall. Photo: Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Quentin Tarantino upset some people at last nights Golden Globes. After Jamie Foxx and Lily James announced that Tarantinos film The Hateful Eight had won the award for Best Original Score, Tarantino came up onstage and began singing the praises of Ennio Morricone, the Italian composer who had scored the film: Wow. This is really cool. Do you realize that Ennio Morricone, who as far as I am concerned is my favorite composer and when I say favorite composer, I dont mean movie composer that ghetto Im talking about Mozart, Im talking about Beethoven, Im talking about Schubert, thats who Im talking about. And Ennio Morricone has never won an award for any one individual movie that he has done. He has in Italy but not in America [emphasis his] When Foxx got back up onstage after Tarantinos speech, he flashed a mischievous smile and said a single word ghetto before moving on with the proceedings. As Salon reports, a wave of Twitter opprobrium followed: It wasnt just random tweeps. Refinery29 even thanked Foxx for his valuable work as a social-justice watchdog: Thank you to Jamie Foxx for calling out Quentin Tarantino. #GoldenGlobes refinery29 (@Refinery29) January 11, 2016 The natural thing to do when theres debate about whether a word is being used appropriately is to look to the dictionary. Lets do that here. Heres one definition from Merriam-Webster: a : an isolated group b : a situation that resembles a ghetto especially in conferring inferior status or limiting opportunity And heres one from the Oxford English Dictionary: An isolated or segregated group or area: the relative security of the gay ghetto Tarantino, in other words, used the word exactly as its defined in the dictionary, since both dictionaries dictionaries not, on the whole, being particularly freewheeling when it comes to creative use of language assert that in the English language, ghetto is used in multiple senses and doesnt have to refer to a specific physical location inhabited by a specific group, nor only to oppression in its most extreme, systemic form. His style of usage might not be as common as others, but it isnt exactly rare: Talk to academics long enough and youll often hear them refer to certain disciplines as being ghettos, in that they dont receive enough funding or respect as compared to others. Scott Timberg, the author of the Salon article, has no interest in such pedantry: [G]hetto, no matter how Tarantino might have intended it, is a racially-charged term, and Tarantino has unleashed something online. This is an extremely useful and illuminative sentence: It implies that it doesnt matter whether what Tarantino said can reasonably or fairly be described as offensive; what matters is that there exists a controversy about it (a controversy that outlets like Salon are naturally going to help spread). Also, the term is racially charged and therefore, it can safely be implied given the context, shouldnt be used to describe anything that doesnt involve African-Americans or other darker-skinned people. If this is now a Rule of the English Language, it would be news to a lot of people including Salon writers. Over the years, articles appearing there have worried about or noted the ghettoization of womens issues, certain types of coverage, and overweight dating-show participants. Plus, if we adopt this troubling-for-various-reasons standard that every word can only mean one thing, its actually references to black ghettos that are offensive. As Merriam-Webster notes, ghetto originally referred to the Jewish quarter in a city. Among historians who study European anti-Semitism, thats the much more salient definition (I know one sociologist who is working on a book about the history of the concept of the ghetto, including its original incarnations in Europe hopefully his publicist knows not to send a copy to Salon). Now, language shifts over time. Today, ghetto is used in multiple ways to refer to multiple sorts of situations. Maybe 20 years from now, things will be different: There will be a burgeoning consensus that the only appropriate use of ghetto is in reference to a poor and neglected African-American neighborhood, that the part of Warsaw to which Jews were restricted should be called something else, and that the Salon writers who carelessly threw around the term ghettoize back in the early 21st century were monsters from a less informed time. But for now were nowhere close to that point. And in working through the sometimes complex questions of what is and isnt offensive, it might be useful to adopt what feels like a pretty reasonable heuristic: If someone uses a word exactly as it appears in a dictionary entry, they get a green light. What a difference shades make. Man, weve all been there. Someone posts a bad photograph of you on Facebook, and they flat-out wont take it down. Such was the plight of 45-year-old Ohio man Donald Pugh, who goes by the real nickname Chip and is also a fugitive of the law. Pugh ducked out of a court appearance for a drunk-driving charge, so cops with the Lima Police Department put out a warrant for his arrest. Police posted two of Pughs mug shots on Facebook, asking the public for help in tracking him down. Pugh, who got wind that his bad angles/drunk face were being shared on the internet, sent the cops an additional selfie with the message Here is a better photo that one is terrible. The cops obliged and added the photo to the mug-shot montage, writing, We thank him for being helpful but now we would appreciate it if he would come speak to us at the LPD about his charges. Pugh doesnt really seem to be feeling that hes also a person of interest in arson and vandalism cases but he does seem to be enjoying his newfound fame. He gave an interview with a local radio station, where he explained the origin story of his mug shot. Man, I think they just did me wrong, Pugh says. They put a picture out and had me looking like I was a Thundercat or something. What does it take to please you people? Photo: Olivier Douliery/ABACA/Corbis The New York Times Room for Debate column today debates the defining aspects of Obamas legacy. Six writers contributed to the discussion. It is safe to say the debate has not gone well for the Obama administration: This, in somewhat exaggerated form, is how the public debate has played out through the seven years of the Obama presidency. The conservative opposition has been apoplectic, and liberal supporters disappointed. The left has focused far more attention on holding the administrations feet to the fire and guarding against complacency than advocating for (and celebrating) its achievements. And the right has maintained a wall of totalistic opposition that cannot be cracked by any amount of real-world developments. Here is one of the oddities of the last seven years. Barack Obama won a clear majority in both his election and his reelection, fulfilled most of his policy goals as president, is presiding over a solid economic recovery, and has avoided any real scandal (i.e., one that exists outside the opposition fever swamps). Yet his approval ratings have consistently trailed his vote percentages. More than half of the electorate voted for him twice, but well under half approves of his job performance. Despite the fact that he accomplished what he said he would, Obama quickly lost a chunk of the public that voted for him, and has never won them back. In large part this represents negative polarization, the dominant political force of our time. Negative polarization is a phenomenon defined by political scientists Alan Abramowitz and Steven Webster. It means that the public has sorted itself into hardened political camps with firm voting habits, but these loyalties are based more on antipathy for the opposing party than affirmative support for ones own side. Indeed, a growing share of voters describes itself as independent even as its behavior shows that it is more, not less, consistent in its support for a single party. In a negative-polarization world, many of Obamas supporters will express dissatisfaction with his job performance but vote for him and his party anyway, because they loathe the Republicans so much. The same phenomenon would likely hold true in reverse if a Republican held office. (It may have: George W. Bushs approval ratings rose in the run-up to the 2004 election, and then fell back, as his supporters went from assessing his performance in a vacuum to comparing him to the loathsome, cheesesteak-bungling Frenchie John Kerry.) But I wonder whether the tone of the Obama-era debate has contributed as well. Most major Obama-era policy debates have resulted in a mix of right-wing apocalyptic rage and liberal dismay. The stimulus was too small, Obamacare lacked a public option, Dodd-Frank failed to break up the big banks, and on and on. When the public that barely follows the debate hears that one side considers Obamas bill the destruction of freedom in America, and the other side considers it a disappointing compromise, the impression that comes off is not positive. None of this is to say that the left has an obligation to support the administration or hold back its criticisms, only that guarding against complacency has costs of its own. In the light of history, the Obama administration is likely to be seen as a triumph. The sour perspective maintained by his supporters in his own time will be forgotten or, if and when it is revisited, it will seem very weird. These anti-union protesters may say they trust teachers, but they really trust a conservative majority on the Court to undermine organized labor. Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images It hasnt been a good century so far for the U.S. labor movement. And another blow could well be on the way from the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments today in a case involving mandatory agency fees from public employees to compensate unions for the cost of providing collective-bargaining services. By all accounts, a majority of the Court, including the usual swing vote Justice Anthony Kennedy, seemed to be sympathetic to the plaintiffs claims that their First Amendment rights were being abrogated because public-sector employment contracts invariably involve political issues. The New York Times Adam Liptak cut to the chase: The justices appeared divided along familiar lines during an extended argument over whether government workers who choose not to join unions may nonetheless be required to help pay for collective bargaining. The courts conservative majority appeared ready to say that such compelled financial support violates the First Amendment. Collective bargaining, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy said, is inherently political when the government is the employer, and issues like merit pay, promotions and classroom size are subject to negotiation. The best hope for a victory for the unions had rested with Justice Antonin Scalia, who has written and said things sympathetic to their position. But he was consistently hostile on Monday. The problem is that everything that is bargained for with the government is within the political sphere, he said. Thats the crux of the issue, and seems to lead in the ultimate direction of treating public-sector unions as illegitimate. Unions say the teachers First Amendment argument is a ruse. Nonmembers are already entitled to refunds of payments spent on political activities like advertising to support a political candidate. Collective bargaining is different, the unions say, adding that the plaintiffs are seeking to reap the benefits of such bargaining without paying their fair share of the cost. The larger threat, the unions and their supporters say, is that a decision in the plaintiffs favor would encourage many workers who are perfectly happy with the work of their unions to make the economically rational decision to opt out of paying for it. No question about it. And if SCOTUS goes in the direction it indicated today, conservatives will cheer, not just because they tend to hate unions these days, but because the public sector has been the most robust area for union expansion for quite some time. And there is, of course, a partisan dimension, as the Washington Posts Robert Barnes points out: Public employee unions have become a major player in Democratic politics, generating campaign contributions and on-the-ground support for candidates. At the same time, disputes between the unions and Republican governors have become frequent and bitter. The actual defendant in the case, the California Teachers Association, has been an important part of the coalition that has helped Democrats break decades of gridlock in Sacramento. A decision adverse to unions would not turn the Golden State over to Republicans overnight; that party has worked hard to alienate Californians on a broad range of issues. But it would be a blow to all kinds of unions, and to the progressive politics they tend to support. For life, liberty, and the delivery of snacks. Photo: Rob Kerr/AFP/Getty Images The militant ranchers currently occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Burns, Oregon, have survived glitter bombs, vegan jerky, black eyes, stinging betrayals, and erotic fanfiction, but even these hardened rebels are getting tired of living off snacks. The day after they tore down 25 or 30 yards of fence erected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (using borrowed federal equipment), the militiamen have decided to leave their adopted home for the last 11 days. Or, at least, theyve decided to think about talking about leaving. Robert LaVoy Finicum, a militia member, told The Oregonian today that the militiamen will hold a meeting at 7 p.m. on Friday to discuss an exit plan. Although the location for the meeting is yet to be determined, Finicum says anyone is welcome to attend. He did confirm that Ammon Bundy, the militias leader, will be at the meeting, and that it will take place somewhere in Burns. Perhaps the ranchers are aware theyve worn out their welcome. At a town-hall meeting Monday night, Harney County sheriff Dave Ward told the militants their stay was limited. Theres an hourglass, and its running out, he told the New York Daily News. Go home. Steve Grasty, a Harney County judge, also had harsh words for Bundys crowd, saying he was prepared to bill them for their stay: Im going to send Mr. Bundy a fine when were done, he said. It seems fair to me if youre going to put that cost on this little tiny community. Will he pay it? No. County Judge Steve Grasty says he intends to bill Ammon Bundy for $60k to $75k in daily county costs due to occupation. Les Zaitz (@LesZaitz) January 12, 2016 Higher powers, a.k.a. the Fish and Wildlife Service, have also warned the militiamen that they might face consequences for their behavior. Removing fences, damaging any refuge property, or unauthorized use of equipment would be additional unlawful actions by the illegal occupiers, the organization said in a statement. Any movement of cattle onto the refuge or other activities that are not specifically authorized by the Fish and Wildlife Service constitutes trespassing. Bundy and his self-proclaimed Citizens for Constitutional Freedom have previously said theyd leave the refuge when the federal government transfers the refuges land back to private owners and ranchers, and when Dwight Hammond and his son Steven Hammond are exonerated from federal arson charges, but so far the government seems prepared to call their bluff. H.F. Gerry Lenfest is giving em away. Photo: Matt Rourke/AP/Corbis H.F.Gerry Lenfest, philanthropist and owner of Philadelphias three major news outlets the Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News, and Philly.com is donating the organizations to a nonprofit, Philly.com reported this morning. The donation, given to nonprofit Philadelphia Foundation, comes with a $20 million endowment not enough to keep all three outlets going forever, but enough to hopefully get them started, especially since the news organizations have been struggling lately, and many of the solutions tried by other similar newspapers havent proved to be magic fixes. Lenfest bought the outlets in 2014. In November, the outlets parent company, Philadelphia Media Network (PMN), announced it was laying off more than 40 staffers in order to cut costs something this new plan is obviously trying to avoid in the future. PMN publisher and CEO Terry Egger told Philly.com, Its a damned exciting day in our industry This is a long view about the funding and future of journalism. Its not likely, but if Ted Cruz is felled by birther sentiment, Trump and Rubio are the main beneficiaries. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images As we settle down for the final three weeks of frenzied campaigning in Iowa, the latest threat to the betters favorite of an easy Ted Cruz win on the Republican side is evident in a new survey from Public Policy Polling. Heres the crucial finding: Only 32% of Iowa Republicans think someone born in another country should be allowed to serve as President, to 47% who think such a person shouldnt be allowed to serve as President. Among that segment of the Republican electorate who dont think someone foreign born should be able to be President, Trump is crushing Cruz 40/14. So is the Cruz birther issue already baked into the numbers? Not exactly. Despite all the attention to this issue in the last week, still only 46% of Iowa Republicans are aware that Cruz was not born in the United States. In fact, there are more GOP voters in the state who think Cruz (34%) was born in the United States than think Barack Obama (28%) was. Donald Trump knows what hes doing when he repeatedly brings up this issue- 36% of Cruz voters arent aware yet that he wasnt born in the United States, and 24% of Cruz voters say someone born outside the country shouldnt be allowed to be President. So this issue has the potential to be a difference maker with the race persistently so close in Iowa. The good news for Cruz is that when informed, 65% of Iowa Republicans say it makes no difference to them that he was born in Canada- but 24% saying less likely could be crucial in a margin of error race. For the sake of argument, lets say the birther issue has a big effect on Cruzs support in Iowa. Would that be enough to revive the campaigns of Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum, the (respectively) 2008 and 2012 Iowa caucus winners whose conservative Evangelical support base seems to have been gobbled up by Cruz? Or would Cruzs support go elsewhere? According to the PPP data, the top second choices of Cruz supporters in Iowa are Rubio (23 percent) and Trump (21 percent). Huck is sixth at 6 percent, and Santorum is seventh at 4 percent. In case you wonder if thats an outlier, a recent Fox News survey of Iowa tested the standing of the Republican candidates if Cruz somehow wasnt on the ballot. Trump (29 percent) and Rubio (23 percent) came in first and second, with Carsons recent plunge reversed and the doctor ranking third at 15 percent. Huck came in seventh at 5 percent, and Santorum was tied for ninth at 1 percent. Iowas conservative Evangelicals are pretty clearly looking somewhere else than the past this year, and that probably wont change even if they discover Ted Cruz was born in godless, socialistic Canada. An Australian YouTuber playing around with video-editing software accidentally created a UFO hoax that was viewed hundreds of thousands of times and sucked in several news outlets. Journalists consulted astronomers and meteorologists, and reported that the unexplained light in the sky was probably ball lightning. Really, it was just a composite someone whipped up in Blender and After Effects. Over the weekend, Australian National University astronomer Brad Tucker gave the ABC a very plausible and elaborate explanation for the video, trying to make sense of what he was seeing: It had to be a rare combination of an aurora and ball lightning. An aurora is when energy from the sun hits the Earths atmosphere, the energy rubs the Earths atmosphere with friction and charges the gas, he said. But the problem is there was no activity from the sun, it was cloudy, we cant see the aurora, so it doesnt really fit. The same activity that causes an aurora can actually happen inside our atmosphere if you have a storm with a lot of electrical charge that is rubbing against the gases in our atmosphere, causing it to grow that green or red color, he said. Sometimes, if you get a really interesting occurrence, you create something called ball lightning. Normally lightning strikes up and down hitting the ground, but ball lightning is a weird thing where it appears as a ball explosion, sometimes it can even move around in the sky. Its a good theory, if you assume the video is real. And Tucker had no reason not to. Its probably not Photoshop either, he said. Everything kind of fits and it seems right. The ABC wasnt the only news source to pick up the UFO video: The Canberra Times and others fell for it, too. The unintentional hoaxer, Johnson Thompson, later released a second video revealing how the whole thing was done: by layering day and night shots of Canberra, then adding sound and lighting effects. Tucker was right about the aurora but it was added in digitally, not caused by energy from an unlikely lightning storm. He said that he never meant to fool anyone and didnt think the video would gain as much attention as it did. I didnt intend for it to be taken seriously, but I made an error in judgement and titled the video as if it was real, he added later on Reddit, in a post called an apology from an idiot. He couldnt have pulled a better hoax if hed tried. Not bad for someone who claims hed just bought After Effects two days before he made the fake video. Aww, Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall! Photo: HFPA/AdMedia/Corbis After a four-month courtship period, 84-year-old News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch and 59-year-old ex-model Jerry Hall have announced their engagement. Much has been written about the couples supposedly inherent grossness, but did you know that theyre perfect for each other, actually, when you take a closer look? Its true. Its possible you already know Jerry Halls famous quotes: I prefer older men. I look better next to them, and A healthy love life is not and should not be the preserve of those in their 20s and 30s. Its important at all ages. Appropriate now, yes. But you dont have to look very far to uncover even more evidence of couples obvious chemistry. Such evidence can be found simply by scrolling through Rupert Murdochs Twitter and by scrolling through this Jerry Hall popular-quotes webpage. Heres a good example. On February 14, 2012, the day of love, appropriately, Rupert Murdoch tweeted, To hell with politicians! When are we going to find some to tell the truth in any country? Dont hold your breath. A lively fellow, even at his age. According to the Jerry Hall quotes page, Jerry Hall once said, I have absolutely zero interest in politics, and then also, Im a very bad citizen. Ive never even voted. You starting to see it? Heres another. According to the quotes page, Jerry Hall once said, Ive always gotten along best with artists. On September 6, 2014, Rupert Murdoch tweeted, Yesterday and today meeting Will.i.am, great artist, now turned tech entrepreneur with mind-blowing ideas. Certainly ambitious. They both get along with artists. And another. Hall once reportedly said, of religion, Ive dabbled in several different religions. On January 9, 2015, Rupert Murdoch tweeted, of religion, Maybe most Moslems peaceful, but until they recognize and destroy their growing jihadist cancer they must be held responsible. So cute! On January 9 2015, Rupert Murdoch tweeted, Big jihadist danger looming everywhere from Philippines to Africa to Europe to US. Political correctness makes for denial and hypocrisy. Jerry Hall once said, Im a very lazy, stay-at-home kind of girl. :) On January 28, 2013, Rupert Murdoch apologized for a Sunday Times cartoon published on Holocaust Memorial Day depicting Benjamin Netanyahu building a wall with the blood of Palestinians. Murdoch tweeted, Gerald Scarfe has never reflected the opinions of the Sunday Times. Nevertheless, we owe major apology for grotesque, offensive cartoon. Jerry Hall, for her part, once said: I have done a lot of theater. My heart! And finally, of her taste in music, Jerry Hall once said, I have very old-fashioned tastes, stating that she loves good rocknroll, blues and jazz, gospel, and a little reggae. She continued, I love Johnny Cash, Nina Simone, Edith Piaf, and Ella Fitzgerald. Of course I love the Stones. And Bob Dylan. On November 28, 2014, Rupert Murdoch tweeted, Moses film attacked on Twitter for all white cast. Since when are Egyptians not white? All I know are. We cant get enough of these two! If youre looking for January fitness inspiration, you cant do much better than an English bulldog doing a handstand while balancing a Louis Vuitton trunk on his toes. To help carry our New Years motivation into the second week of the year, the Cut asked photographer Dan Borris to create photo illustrations of cats and dogs with over-the-top accessories from the latest spring resort collections. Borris is no stranger to editorial work: Hes been shooting for the past three decades for outlets like New York, the New York Times, and Vanity Fair. But hes also got a sideline as an animals-doing-yoga impresario. He first photographed a dog in a pose in 2003, and since then, his Yoga Dogs franchise has grown into a photographic retail empire. Borriss wife (whom he met in a yoga class, of course) plays with each animal as he shoots. A portion of his earnings goes to the animal shelters where Borris finds the kittens and puppies. Click ahead to see Gabriella the Doberman pinscher execute a flawless Warrior 1 in a silk Gucci scarf, Savi the Siamese cat in Half-Lotus pose in a Bottega Veneta necklace, and more. Photographs by Dan Borris. Styling by Rebecca Ramsey. Text by Catie LHeureux. *A version of this article appears in the January 11, 2016 issue of New York Magazine. registered charity dedicated to relieving poverty and supporting areas where emergencies have arisen Registered Charity No. 1025957 Company No. 2843868 because there are NO effective hyperacute therapies besides tPA (only 12% effective) I have 523 posts on hyperacute therapy, enough for researchers to spend decades proving them out. These are my personal ideas and blog on stroke rehabilitation and stroke research. Do not attempt any of these without checking with your medical provider Unless you join me in agitating, when you need these therapies they won't be there. Oil regained a bit of lost ground on Tuesday morning, but is now dangerously close to dipping below $30 per barrel. We will then look at some of the key market movers early this week before providing you with the latest analysis of the top news events taking place in the global energy complex over the past few days. We hope you enjoy. (Click to enlarge) Chart of the Week U.S. coal production has collapsed over the past decade. After hitting a high-water mark in 2008, coal production has steadily declined, with losses accelerating since 2012. Coal production is estimated to have hit 900 million short tons in 2015, a massive 10 percent decline from just one year earlier. That is also the lowest level since 1986. There are a variety of factors contributing to the decline. One of the most important reasons is plummeting international coal prices, which came because of too much supply. But there are contributing factors unique to the United States that has also gone a long way to killing coal: cheap shale gas and stricter environmental regulations. Central Appalachia is bearing the brunt of the losses due to higher operating costs relative to other regions, especially the Powder River Basin. Coal exports likely wont be a savior for struggling mining companies. U.S. coal exports to China and Europe actually declined in 2015 because of weak demand. Related: Crashing Oil Prices And Dropping Rig Count Take Their Toll On U.S. Output Market Movers Arch Coal (NYSE: ACI) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday. The company hopes to get rid of $4.5 billion in debt that it cannot pay. Over one-quarter of U.S. coal production is in bankruptcy at this point. BP (NYSE: BP) announced plans to slash another 4,000 jobs, or 5 percent of its payroll. That will take its upstream workforce down below 20,000 by the end of the year. It also plans on selling of an additional $3 to $5 billion in assets in 2016. Whiting Petroleum (NYSE: WLL) and Newfield Exploration (NYSE: NFX) received a credit upgrade from Wells Fargo on Monday. Wells Fargo says that the market is near a bottom, and that Newfield is a best of breed defensive name, while Whiting is the higher risk/reward name that has more upside to a potential crude price recovery. Tuesday January 12, 2016 The extreme pessimism in crude oil markets continues. WTI and Brent have set new lows almost every day of 2016, now trading in the low $30s per barrel. Crude is down 15 percent on the year. The same gloominess surrounding oversupply has not changed. What is different this time are new worries over the Chinese economy. The Shanghai Composite has crashed by more than 5 percent in a single day multiple times in the past week and a half, and is off by 20 percent since late December. Fortunately, the index stabilized on January 12, closing out the trading day pretty much flat. But the turmoil in Chinas stock market is far from over. At the same time, Chinas currency is under pressure. The combined effect of a slowing economy with a weaker currency could do significant damage to Chinas oil demand, which is why oil markets are so alarmed. Chinas stock market is a fraction of the size of its western counterparts, but the Chinese economy is so intertwined with so many trading partners that when China sneezes, much of the world will catch a cold. The WSJ published a nice analysis of the far-reaching of effects that Chinas current economic situation is having pushing down currencies around the world, depressing commodity prices, and slowing global trade. In other words, Chinas turmoil raises the possibility of economic contagion. Related: $20 Oil Is Now A Distinct Possibility As Chinese Demand Wanes With that backdrop in mind, crude oil has declined rapidly, and a price with a 2-handle is no longer a remote possibility. Goldman Sachs made the largest splash last year when it predicted $20 oil, but now other investment banks including Morgan Stanley and Citigroup are jumping on board with the bearish predictions. Unlike some of its peers, Morgan Stanley pinned much of the decline in recent months on the strong U.S. dollar. According to Wolfe Research, around one-third of U.S. oil and gas producers could be forced into bankruptcy by mid-2017 if oil prices remain low. The ruinous prices have opened up the possibility that OPEC might call an emergency meeting, as soon as the first quarter. OPEC President and Nigerian oil minister, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, said on January 11 that two OPEC nations are pushing for such a meeting to take place. He declined to name the countries, but they can be surmised. OPEC is in two camps: Saudi Arabia and its Gulf State allies are satisfied with the groups current course. Venezuela, which called for an emergency meeting last year, and other troubled members are pressing the stronger members to cut production. Despite the push for an emergency meeting, it is unclear if it will take place. UAEs oil minister, Suhail bin Mohammed al-Mazrouei, responded to the reports by saying there was no need for such an artificial move to rescue prices. I think the strategy is working, he added. Moreover, with tensions flaring between Saudi Arabia and Iran, is not obvious that the group can even work together. Finally, Iran has yet to ramp up production, as it is expected to do following the removal of sanctions, and OPEC wont take any action until after that occurs. In short, no one should pin their hopes on OPEC to fix rock bottom prices. Related: How Low Oil Prices Are Transforming Global Politics In Startling Ways Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia made news last week when its deputy crown prince suggested that Saudi Aramco could offer a limited IPO. The companys Chairman Khalid al-Falih confirmed interest in the move on Monday, and even revealed that upstream assets could be part of a public offering. Aramco is by far the largest oil company in the world, accounting for 10 percent of global oil production and around 260 billion barrels of oil reserves under its control. The company could be worth trillions of dollars, so even a 5 percent listing would be massive. It is too early to really speculate whether an IPO will happen; Aramco says it does not have a concrete plan in place at this point. It will take time, Aramcos Chairman said. Libya is attempting to load crude oil at its major export terminal Ras Lanuf on the Mediterranean coast. The port has been shuttered since late 2014 and it has come under attacks from ISIS militants in recent weeks, with oil storage facilities set ablaze from machine gun fire. But a Greek tanker is hoping to load oil that is stored at the port, which if successful, would be the first oil exported from Ras Lanuf in over a year. Libya only produces around 400,000 barrels per day, down by over 1 mb/d since the Qaddafi era. A suicide bomber killed at least 10 people in the heart of Istanbul today, injuring more than a dozen others. The explosion hit Istanbuls tourist district. No one has yet claimed responsibility but Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the bomber came from Syria. In its January Drilling Productivity Report, the EIA expects oil production from the major U.S. shale regions to decline by 116,000 barrels per day in February, the same drop off that it projected for January. The losses will come largely from the Eagle Ford, which is expected to lose 72,000 barrels per day. The Marcellus Shale, the largest source of shale gas production, is also projected to see a decline of natural gas production by 225 million cubic feet per day. By Evan Kelly of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Its finally happened. A theoretical major scenario that has worried governments and industry in U.S. and Western Europe has occurred. Power was cut, through a hacker attack, to up to 80,000 customers in Ukraines Ivano-Frankivsk region for several hours on December 23, 2015. Security firm ESET has identified known malware - BlackEnergy - as the probable cause. Per, ESET several Ukrainian electricity distribution companies were targeted in the December attack. Ukraine immediately pointed the finger at Russia. iSIGHT Partners ties SandWorm, the group behind BlackEnergy, to Russia, but no links to the Russian government or specific organizations have yet been made. The success of this cyber attack on electricity infrastructure raises the stakes and has security and intelligence experts worried. Two concerns about the Ukraine attacks are first that malware was able to compromise industrial controls, and second the BlackEnergy Trojan appears to have been delivered simply through a spear-phishing email containing compromised Microsoft Office attachments. When one or more email recipients opened the attached Microsoft files, the malicious code executed. As office automation and industrial control systems have converged, the vulnerabilities of unprotected SCADA and other systems increase. In Europe, the push to adopt smart meters has introduced new weaknesses into power systems. It is unclear how malicious code delivered through the Ukrainian utilities business IT systems affected the industrial controls leading to the power failures. U.S. Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) ICS-CERT issued an alert that named GEs Cimplicity HM product, a known vulnerability since 2012, as the probable initial infection vector for systems running GEs Cimplicity HMI with a direct connection to the Internet. Per DHS, GE issued guidance for remediating the flaw in 2013. Its unclear if any of the Ukrainian utilities had Cimplicity or had fixed the vulnerability. Related: Crashing Oil Prices And Dropping Rig Count Take Their Toll On U.S. Output So could such an attack happen in the U.S. or Western Europe? Theoretically, yes. The U.S. government and industry has focused on hardening the power grid and other critical infrastructure. The country is more secure than in 2007 when the threat potential was first demonstrated in a test. In November 2015, the U.S. completed GridEx III - its third simulated exercise of physical and cyber attacks on U.S. electricity infrastructure. Nearly 10,000 individuals and 315 organizations including power generators, transmission firms, and government and law enforcement agencies participated in the two day test. A public report is expected in January 2016. But the government has taken note of the Ukraine hack attack. Per Reuters, The Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC), a U.S. government industry organization, last week issued an advisory describing the Ukraine black out as the result of "coordinated effort by a malicious actor" and urging its members to "do a better job at implementing multiple layers of defense against potential cyber attacks. Related: Rig Count: Capitulation? The UKs Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, announced in November 2015 that his country would spend 1.9 billion over five years to build new cyber defenses and offensive capabilities. In his remarks to GCHQ, one of the countrys intelligence agencies, Osborne made note of the need to protect the U.K.s electricity infrastructure stating that "If the lights go out, the banks stop working, the hospitals stop functioning or government itself can no longer operate, the impact on society could be catastrophic." Executives prefer to invest in power delivery capabilities and services. Cyber investments, which compete against other capital expenditures, are rather like insurance, however. A utility that suffers a catastrophic cyber attack could face a high bar to explain that it invested sufficiently against a known risk. Utilities in Europe and the U.S. have been ramping up their protections, but events in Ukraine suggest they may have to pick up their pace, or at a minimum retest the robustness of what theyve done to-date. Since 2011, the SEC has required U.S. publicly traded firms to disclose cyber incidents and risk. Related: Shocking: ISIS Attacks On Libyan Oil Facilities Visible from Space It would be surprising if C-Suites and Boardrooms are not taking a second look. iSIGHT Partners reports that SandWorm has been targeting NATO; U.S. and European government organizations; U.S. academic organizations; and European telecom and energy sector with BlackEnergy. With the success in Ukraines power sector, it will likely continue to probe. Utilities are keen to stay ahead of such determined cyber adversaries. As typically happens after a cyber breach, cyber product vendors and service firms are probably in high demand as companies rush to check and patch all known vulnerabilities. Vendors dont have a hard sell to showcase new solutions and services. As the Ukraine episode demonstrates, humans can be the weakest link in the cyber security. Insufficient cyber-related education for staff in the utility sector has been noted as a weakness. Firms that offer solutions (training, technology and services) that limit the potential havoc of seemingly innocent employee actions such as inadvertently opening malicious emails should find an eager, welcome audience. By Ronke Luke of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: (INFO) BTV has confirmed TWICE yesterday recorded performance will not be broadcast on TV,poster also changed and they deleted TWICE part jypnation90 (@jypnation90) January 11, 2016 Huang An took to his Weibo account saying Tzuyu is a Taiwan independent supporter, as she held a Taiwan flag on My Little Television, also she always says she is from Taiwan and when MC/colleagues add in China-Taiwan she doesn't acknowledge it. This issue has escalated really quickly in the last 2 days resulting in: 1. Twice recording for the Bei Jing Spring Festival Gala will be edited out 2. Twice was invited to the An Hui Spring Festival Gala, that is now removed 3. Twice CF deal with LG + Huawei has been terminated 4. Kuwo music (China's version of Spotify with over 1 million app downloads) has removed all JYP artist songs and music videos 5. Kugou music (Same deal as Kuwo) has removed all of Twice songs and music videos (OP: Apparently a copyright issue) 6. Hunan TV (The channel that a lot of Kpop artists appear on) has voiced they will not be inviting supporters of Taiwan independence to their shows apparently, chinese officials released not too long ago that they will not allow any Taiwanese independence supporters on broadcast. hunan and anhui also released that they will not broadcast anything with Taiwanese independence supporters. as a taiwanese person, nothing about this surprises me at all. people should do their research before making dumb comments about the issue Source: @ jypnation90 WELCOME TO THE ORDER Purely frivolous and perfectly harmless snark and admiration for all things stylish and royal. Have any requests? Email me at orderofsplendor at hotmail dot com. by Dan Lucas One of the factors in the popularity of Donald Trump is how he thumbs his nose at the media and their various narratives, political correctness and sacred cows. It taps into an ever-present frustration that conservatives have. Its been said of the great film dancer Fred Astaire Sure he was great, but dont forget Ginger Rogers did everything he did backwardsand in high heels! Thats the way it is for Republican politicians and elected officials. They have to do everything that Democrats do, but also do it in a way that cant be spun, distorted or misrepresented by a very biased media. It results in things like the recent federal budget deal, where frustrated conservatives are already calling for the head of Wisconsin GOP Rep. Paul Ryan. Ryan only recently and reluctantly accepted the thankless job of congressional house speaker. Although Republicans now control both the House and Senate in Congress, they still are constrained with both how President Obama will react and with how President Obama will spin what happens. That spin is a much bigger factor than it should be because of how it would be presented to the American public by the media. The vast majority of the media would support, push and sell Obamas framing of the issue and his narrative, and Republicans would be blamed. To have avoided a government shutdown, which would have only affected services not considered essential anyway, senate Democrats could have simply agreed not to filibuster the budget and President Obama could have simply agreed to a reduction in the growth of spending. He could have agreed to slow the pace that we tax people who arent old enough to vote yet through deficit spending. Our national debt is already almost 19 trillion dollars about $157,000 per taxpayer. Everything Republicans say and do is presented through a distorted filter to the American public. By selective reporting, underreporting, over reporting, framing and biased use of terminology, the media constantly push a narrative for candidates and politicians they favor. Here is just a tiny sampling of media bias a bias that certainly doesnt favor conservatives. Remember back when George W. Bush was president and all we ever heard and saw on the news was how many Americans were being killed in Afghanistan and Iraq? Did you know nearly three times as many U.S. troops have died in Afghanistan under President Obama as under President Bush? Why isnt that reported all the time? Remember the constant outrage over waterboarding? Only 3 terror suspects were ever waterboarded1. Wheres the constant outrage over President Obamas killing of terrorists and civilians with drone strikes? Back in 2013, the New York Times reported Since Mr. Obama took office, the C.I.A. and military have killed about 3,000 people in counterterrorist strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, mostly using drones. Thats 3,000 killed just for those three countries. So for the media, its OK to kill suspected terrorists and their families and neighbors, but for goodness sake dont pour water on a towel thats covering their face? And for an example closer to home, here in Oregon the media has been in a frenzy reporting on the armed militia near Burns. They have even been wringing their hands over whether to call them militia or militants. If this were a story that fit the liberal narrative, theyd be protesters. So far, these are people who havent thrown rocks or bricks at law enforcement, havent burned any buildings and havent looted any stores. Well, the difference is the militia in Burns is armed you say? Apparently the protesters in Ferguson were armed too! USA Today reported Police and firefighters also had to contend with more than 150 gunshots fired as Ferguson burned Monday night. So not only were the protesters in Ferguson armed, but they were discharging their firearms as well! Can you imagine if that happened in Burns? The vast majority of Americans still get most of their news from the mainstream media. Because it is so biased, it drives conservatives to alternate forms of news like talk radio and the Internet. To gain audience share, those sources tend to take strident and polarizing stances. What we really need is a media that limits its opinions to the opinion pages, and that actually just reports the news in an unbiased fashion. I think they may believe they do that now, but I would ask them to please do some serious self-examination. Members of the media, you are greatly contributing to the polarization in this country. 1Note: The Washington Post said in 2014 that a partisan U.S. Senate report alludes to evidence that [waterboarding] may have been used on others. To read more from Dan, visit www.dan-lucas.com Love the article on Gaddaf i Samosa Iyoha Hello from Johannesburg I was amazed to find a website for Africans in Hungary . Looks like you have quite a community there. Here in SA we have some three million Zimbabweans living in exile and not much sign of going home ... but in Hungary??? Hope to meet you on one of my trips to Europe; was in Steirmark Austria near the Hungarian border earlier this month. Every good wish for 2011. Geoff in Jo'burg I'm impressed by ANH work but... Interesting interview... My comment to the interview with his excellency Mr. Adedotun Adenrele Adepoju CDA a.i-- B.Ayo Adams click to read editor's mail We must rise above tribalism & divide & rule of the colonialist who stole & looted our treasure & planted their puppets to lord it over us..they alone can decide on whosoever is performing & the one that is corrupt..but the most corrupt nations are the western countries that plunder the resources of other nations & make them poorer & aid the rulers to steal & keep such ill gotten wealth in their country..yemen,syria etc have killed more than gadhafi but its not A good investment for the west(this is laughable)because oil is not in these countries..when obasanjo annihilated the odi people in rivers state, they looked away because its in their favour & interest..one day!I think from what have been said, the Nigerian embassy here seem to be more concern about its nationals than we are for ourselves. Our complete disregard for the laws of Hungary isn't going to help Nigeria's image or going to promote what the Embassy is trying to showcase. So if the journalists could zoom-in more focus on Nigerians living, working and studying here in Hungary than scrutinizing the embassy and its every move, i think it would be of tremendous help to the embassy serving its nationals better and create more awareness about where we live . Taking the issues of illicit drugs and forged documents as typical examples.. there are so many cases of Nigerians been involved. But i am yet to read of it in e.news. So i think if only you and your journalists could write more about it and follow up on the stories i think it will make our nationals more aware of what to expect. I wouldn't say i am not impressed with your work but you need to be more of a two way street rather than a one way street . Keep up the good work... SylviaHe is an intelligent man. He spoke well on the issues! Thanks to Mr Hakeem Babalola for the interview it contains some expedient information.. Bilawal Bhutto called for massive judicial reforms in the country 12 January, 2016 Related News Imran Khan distributed loan cheques under Kamyab Jawan Programme PTI govt to face all challenges coming its way: Imran khan More on this View All Top 2021 Accessories We Know You Will Love Types of Casino Payment Methods Tips for Taking Incredible iPhone Travel Photos Best Poker Hands ever played on a Casino Are Slot Developers Important for players? Hand Wash and Toiletries in Pakistan And the Role of DUPAS in Reshaping the Industry Ways that Players Used to Take Advantage of Slot Sites LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Monday called for massive judicial reforms in the country that may include revisiting the procedure for appointment of judges, setting up of a Constitution Court, regulating the use of suo motu powers, provision of speedy and inexpensive justice, legislation to prevent misuse of blasphemy laws. In his address to the Lahore High Court Bar Association, the PPP chief called for setting up of a Constitution Court with equal representation of all federating unites to decide constitutional matters. It is the unfinished agenda of Charter of Democracy signed in May 2006 between my mother Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif on behalf of their parties, he said. Bilawal urged the legal community to give a thought to whether the independence of judiciary is guaranteed by vesting the powers to appoint judges by the judges alone or is it best served when the power to appoint judges is diffused between the president, prime minister, parliament and the bar council. He said that during 2010-13, the Judicial Commission (JC) made 126 nominations for appointment of judges in the Supreme Court and the five high courts of the country. The parliamentary committee (PC) disagreed with only eight appointments and that two were overturned by the court. He said the then president Asif Zardari filed a constitutional reference seeking opinion on the roles of the JC, the PC and the president in the appointment of judges and the court held that the role of the PC and the president was no more than mere post offices. Bilawal said that the chief justice alone initiating nominations, the JC making its own rules and conducting business in secrecy while neither president nor prime minister or elected representatives had any role in the judges appointments. He said the judges alone selecting new judges was not conducive for the promotion of a bench having judges of divergent worldviews on issues in jurisprudence. It is not the question of integrity or competence of judges but an issue of diversity of judicial minds that must adorn the bench, he said. He called for revisiting the procedure for the appointment of judges. About the role of parliament, Bilawal said that the constitution has clearly laid down the scheme of powers in which lawmaking is the responsibility of parliament; judiciary interprets the laws and the executive implements the laws. Talking about superior courts' authority, he said that it was surprising when it was said that chief justice be consulted in the process of selection of NAB chairman or in the appointment of chairman and members of the federal service tribunal even when the laws made by the elected representatives of the people do not provide for this. About the use of suo motu powers, the PPP chairman said it would be worthwhile to make a comparative study of how many suo motu notices were taken in PPP government and how many after the PPP was no longer in the power. He said that the International Commission of Jurists, which visited Pakistan in 2011, in its report had said that the use of suo motu led to corrosion of rule of law and blurring of the constitutional separation of powers. Bilawal said that the PPP was deeply concerned on the growing misuse of blasphemy laws for silencing dissent and for oppressing minorities and welcomed the recent Supreme Court verdict and its call for looking into this issue. He expressed the hope that parliament would take note of the Supreme Court verdict and make appropriate legislation to prevent misuse of the blasphemy laws. Stressing upon the need for access to speedy and inexpensive justice, he called for a poor-friendly judicial system. He said that in our system of courts, the broadest interface of the citizens with the law occurs in the subordinate courts. He said that scant or no attention is paid to the improvement of the process of the civil courts and magisterial forums where these mills grind slow and inflict maximum pain. He said that it would be the PPP mission to introduce reform, transparency, efficiency, expedition and integrity to the legal processes in the subordinate courts. Bilawal said that the corruption was a serious issue and needed to be tackled, but cautioned against using it as a brush to paint black only one section of society. He said that every citizen must challenge the double standards in pursuing corruption cases as no one could win the fight against corruption unless we do away with the sacred cows syndrome. Bilawal said it was wrong to have one set of laws for one section of society and another for the other section of the society. He said that the fight against corruption must be across the board and above the board. He said that those who upheld the constitutional deviations, validated military takeover and dismantled the democratic structures have also to answer many questions about honesty. He asked whether we should not pursue those who have subverted the constitution or validated constitutional subversion through PCOs and court verdicts. Indo-Pak National security advisers could meet secretly in a third country: Indian media NEW DELHI: A report on NDTV news channel suggests the national security advisers could meet secretly in a third country before the foreign secretaries are brought face to face. The tone of the report is proper, bereft of the usual accusations. Pakistani officials have said that a key component of the evidence supplied by India about the terror attack doesnt check out - the numbers that the six attackers called in the hours before opening fire at Pathankot are not registered in Pakistan, NDTV said quoting sources. To resolve discrepancies and forge a plan for how to tackle the terror investigation, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval may...secretly in the next few days with his counterpart Nasser Khan Janjua in a third country, the channel said. In a demonstration of its intent to help India, up to five arrests were reportedly made in south Punjab in Pakistan today, though the government there has not released any information on the identity of the suspects. In a separate development in the Pathankot terror case, the National Investigative Agency (NIA) was trying to secure Interpols black corner notice to seek information about unidentified bodies of terrorist who were killed during the attack at the airbase. The NIA has also recovered another mobile phone, binaculour, a magazine of AK-47 rifle from encounter site in Pathankot, reports said. Meanwhile, Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on Monday reportedly said that there will be no talks between the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan on January 15, and that India will talk only if Pakistan takes action on the perpetrators of Pathankot airbase attack. In remarks to ANI news service, the NSA reportedly clarified that no date had been confirmed for the talks, so they were not being cancelled, but added in a conversation with NDTV news channel on Monday morning that talks would happen only if Pakistan takes action. No precondition to be attached for peace talks with Taliban: Sartaj Aziz ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday told the opening session of the quadrilateral group that no precondition should be attached for peace talks with Taliban. "It is important that no preconditions are attached to the reconciliation process, as it will create difficulties in bringing Taliban to the negotiating table," Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said, as he penned down four elements essential in the reconciliation process with Afghanistan. Top officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and the United States meet in Islamabad to finalise a roadmap for resurrecting a stalled peace process in Afghanistan. The delegations were led by Pakistan's Secretary for Foreign Affairs Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hakmet Khalil Karzai, US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Olson and China's Special Envoy for Afghanistan Deng Xijun. "The primary objective of the reconciliation process is to create conditions to bring the Taliban groups to the negotiation table and offer them incentives that can persuade them to move away from using violence as a tool for pursuing political goals," said Aziz, as he opened the talks. "It is therefore important that no preconditions are attached to the reconciliation process," he said. "Proper sequencing is required in the negotiating process," he said, adding that "threat of use of military action against the group will cause hindrances and cannot proceed the offer of talks to all groups." "Distinction between reconcilable and irreconcilable rules and how to deal with the irreconcilable can follow once all avenues of bringing them to the table have been exhausted," Aziz said, and added, "Certain confidence building measures can play a key role in encouraging Taliban to join the negotiating process." Expressing confidence that the meeting will evolve as an efficient and procedural framework to provide the basis for smooth functioning of the group, the adviser said the course of action should be realistic and flexible. "Unrealistic targets and deadlines must be avoided." "Keeping in mind the group's sensitive nature of work and acknowledging the importance of positive public messaging, Pakistan should keep Taliban away from media as much as possible," Aziz said. The advisor said the reconciliation process would have to take into account following fundamentals: One, the process has to be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned as an externally imposed settlement is neither desirable nor it would be sustainable. The role of Pakistan, China and the United States was basically to facilitate the process. Two, political reconciliation by nature was a complex process requiring time, patience and sense of accommodation by the concerned parties with a view to arriving at a win-win solution. He said Pakistan remained focused on strengthening engagement and collaboration with Afghanistan in the fields of security and counterterrorism with a view to creating conducive environment for steering infrastructure and energy connectivity projects. He said the gathering needs "to define the overall direction of the reconciliation process" and define goals "with a view to creating a conducive environment for holding direct talks between the Afghan government and Taliban groups." He pointed out that the 5th Ministerial Conference of the Heart of Asia in Islamabad last month provided impetus to Pakistan's quest for establishment of a lasting peace in Afghanistan. The meeting on the sidelines of the conference between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Ashraf Ghani as well as quadrilateral interaction among Pakistan, Afghanistan, US and China reflected important consensus on the way forward on Afghan peace and reconciliation process, he said. The advisor said Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif visited Afghanistan on 27th of last month and had a useful interaction with the Afghan side for strengthening the security and counter-terrorism cooperation through intelligence sharing and facilitating the Afghan peace and reconciliation process. Sartaj Aziz said that terrorism was a major threat to global and regional peace. "Pakistan has suffered huge human and economic losses due to this menace. But Pakistan's sacrifices in the struggle against terrorism have further strengthened its resolve to address the issue. Pakistan counter-terrorism policy is based on zero tolerance for any terrorist group or outfit," he said. Opposition debated on PIA landing rights to 108 airlines ISLAMABAD: The Special Parliamentary Committee on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) saw heated debate on Monday over the question of landing rights, with opposition lawmakers questioning the wisdom of extending this facility on a reciprocal basis when PIA did not have the capacity to fully benefit from the arrangement. The committee was informed by a PIA representative that the government had given landing rights to 108 foreign airlines in 2015 alone. PTI leader Asad Umar, who disputed the figures presented by the PIA management regarding their liabilities, asked: How could the national flag carrier become a profitable organisation if the government gives away landing rights to 108 foreign airlines? Responding to the query, a CAA representative said landing rights were given on a reciprocal basis. We allowed Qatar Airways 77 trips to Pakistan in a month, and PIA was permitted even more trips to Qatar, but it could avail only seven trips due to a shortage of aircraft, he said. The official said that if PIA could not provide its services on any route, it would be unfair to passengers to deprive them of the facility of other airlines. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said that the government was trying to increase the number of flights by inducting more aircraft in the fleet. Recently, we have purchased a few more planes, taking the total strength of PIAs fleet to 40. We aim to increase it to 80, he said. Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told the committee he was present in a meeting in Qatar where the Qatari government gifted a plane to Pakistan. In return, it obtained landing rights in the country. Another highlight of the meeting was the revelation that Aviation Adviser Shujaat Azeem ran a private catering firm, Royal Airport Services, which did business with 80 airlines. How can the Aviation Division chief do justice to his public office when he is running a huge private business, Sheikh Rashid complained. The consensus on Monday seemed to be that the crippled national flag carrier could be revived through efficient management. The government informed the parliamentary body that it had no plans to privatise PIA, but that the statutory body would be turned around into a corporate entity. PIA Chairman Nasir Jaffar and other senior officials gave a detailed briefing to the committee members, showing total liabilities of Rs254 billion, which they said were increasing by over Rs50 billion a year. The meeting, chaired by Zahid Hamid, will meet again on Monday to finally decide how the PIA can be turned into a viable and profitable entity. IT minister Anusha Rehman said that a culture of professionalism should be introduced in PIA so that only competent individuals are inducted. PPP Leader Naveed Qamar, defending his partys government, said that overstaffing was not PIAs only problem, as projected. If PIA is privatised today, there will be no significant cut in the number of its employees, he claimed. The meeting was informed that the PML-N government had inducted hundreds of employees in PIA as well. According to a PIA official, 300 new appointments were made in 2010, 650 in 2011, 435 in 2012, 300 in 2013, 200 in 2014 and 400 in 2015. But the finance minister claimed that new employees were appointed on posts that had fallen vacant after retirements and that presently, PIAs total staff had come down from 17,000 to 14,000 in a couple of years. It has taken a watchdog outside group, the Parents Coalition of Montgomery County, to ferret out this waste. The coalition, driven by its sharp curiosity, frequently uses the Maryland Public Information Act to request public records and keep track of district decisions and spending. We commend the coalition for its important work on this front. It is saving county residents money as inappropriate spending has been uncovered. July 16, 2014 Preorder Numbers for Today's Special Values You are welcome to share a link to this blog post, but please be kind & respectful and and post it elsewhere. So what TSVs are tempting you this month? The Ontario Teachers Pension Plan has appointed a new chief investment officer to replace longtime CIO Neil Petroff, who retired in June. Bjarne Graven Larsen, who will also serve as executive vice-president, takes the role Feb. 1, and will report to chief executive Ron Mock. Graven Larsen is a former CIO and executive board member of Denmarks largest pension plan, ATP, which is the fourth largest pension in Europe. Most recently, however, he was chief financial officer of Novo A/S in Copenhagen, and before that he led the successful turnaround of Denmarks sixth largest bank, FIH Erhvervsbank A/S, which was acquired by an ATP-led Danish consortium. With his investment expertise, global experience, forward thinking on risk management, and importantly, hands-on work within a total return framework, Bjarne is uniquely positioned to be our Chief Investment Officer, Mock said in a statement Monday. He has the experience and vision to lead our world-class investment team into our next generation of global growth. Graven Larsen will lead Teachers senior investment leadership team, which was recently restructured to reflect the evolving global pension investment environment, the pension plan said. Divisions include infrastructure and natural resources, public equities, capital markets, portfolio construction, emerging markets, Asia-Pacific, real estate and investment operations. Graven Larsen, who is also former managing director of Denmarks largest mortgage bank and a former monetary policy director at Denmarks central bank, said he has admired the innovative work and success of Ontario Teachers for many years. The Ontario Teachers Pension Plan has appointed Bjarne Graven Larsen as executive vice president and chief investment officer (CIO), effective February 1, 2016. Graven Larsen is the former CIO and executive board member of ATP, Denmarks largest pension plan and the fourth largest in Europe. He was most recently the chief financial officer at Novo A/S in Copenhagen. Between these two engagements he led the successful turnaround of Denmarks sixth largest bank, FIH Erhvervsbank A/S, which was acquired by an ATP-led Danish consortium. Graven Larsen will head up Ontario Teachers senior investment leadership team, which was recently restructured to reflect the evolving global pension investment environment. With his investment expertise, global experience, forward thinking on risk management, and importantly, hands-on work within a total return framework, Bjarne is uniquely positioned to be our chief investment officer, said CEO Ron Mock. He has the experience and vision to lead our world-class investment team into our next generation of global growth. I have admired the innovative work and success of Ontario Teachers for many years, said Graven Larsen. I consider this position to be a career opportunity of a lifetime and I look forward to learning from the outstanding team here and sharing my experiences with them as we work together to deliver members pensions. The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (Teachers'), one of Canada's biggest investors, has appointed veteran Danish investment professional Bjarne Graven Larsen as its new chief investment officer (CIO) and executive vice president. Graven Larsen, 52, is a former CIO and executive board member of ATP, Denmark's biggest pension plan and the fourth largest in Europe. He was most recently chief financial officer at holding company Novo A/S, majority shareholder in Danish insulin maker Novo Nordisk. Teachers', which is Canada's third biggest public pension fund, said on Monday that Graven Larsen would report to its Chief Executive Ron Mock and be based in Toronto. He will take up the position on Feb. 1. "With his investment expertise, global experience, forward thinking on risk management and, importantly, hands-on work within a total return framework, Bjarne is uniquely positioned to be our chief investment officer," Mock said in a statement. Teachers' and peers like the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec have been among the world's most active dealmakers in recent years, with major bets on real estate, natural resources and infrastructure. Teachers' managed net assets worth 154.5 billion Canadian dollars ($109 billion) at the end of 2014. Graven Larsen will succeed Neil Petroff, who retired in June. Barbara Shecter of the National Post reports, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan finds new chief investment officer in Denmark Jennifer Paterson of Benefits Canada also reports, Ontario Teachers appoints new CIO Lastly, Reuters also reports, Ontario Teachers appoints Danish investment veteran as CIO Ontario Teachers' put out a press release here which basically states a lot of what is stated above.Bjarne Graven Larsen is a huge recruit for Ontario Teachers. He has unbelievable experience as the former CIO of ATP and as a monetary policy director at Denmark's central bank.He also has big shoes to fill as Neil Petroff who retired last year was unquestionably a great CIO. And before Neil Petroff, there was Bob Bertram, another great CIO who built Teachers' investment divisions along with Claude Lamoureux.In my last conversation with Ron Mock before Christmas, he told me they were on the verge of hiring a CIO. And they hired a veteran who was the former CIO at ATP, arguably one of the best pension plans in the world (on par with OTPP and HOOPP, if not better, and highly regarded by everyone including Jim Keohane, CEO of HOOPP, who told me he reformed HOOPP's asset-liability approach based on the one ATP is using).And I'm sure a lot of people within and outside Teachers' wanted this position which not only has big perks like huge compensation, but is also responsible for overseeing private and public investments as well as hedge funds and the risk that is allocated between them.The fact that Ron Mock, who has tremendous investment experience under his belt, hired someone with this experience tells me he wanted a veteran who is able to navigate what increasingly looks like a very difficult investment landscape. Ron also wanted someone who will command the same respect Neil Petroff had and someone who offers fresh eyes and views to the way Teachers' invests across public and private markets.Graven Larsen will now be responsible for a great investment team which includes Jane Rowe Ken Manget , and Lee Sienna , just to name a few.There is no doubt in my mind that Graven Larsen will be another great CIO for Ontario Teachers' during what will be a very difficult period marked by global deflation and lower returns When I met Kevin Uebelein, AIMCos chief executive officer, here in Montreal in late November, he asked me my thoughts on separating the CEO and CIO function at public pension funds. He appointed Dale MacMaster as the chief investment officer responsibleI told him flat out: "I don't care if it's Ron Mock, Mark Wiseman, Leo de Bever, Gordon Fyfe or you, I do not think any CEO of a major Canadian pension fund can successfully carry both CEO and CIO hats. And if you're going to hire a CIO, make sure he or she is responsible for both private and public markets."Michael Sabia at the Caisse who has the least investment experience hired Roland Lescure as CIO but the latter is only in charge of public markets. Neil Petroff once told me on the phone that to be an effective CIO, you need to allocate risk across public and private markets and he was absolutely right.I know people have different views on this matter. Gordon Fyfe once told me he likes being CEO and CIO but as I explained to him during our breakfast right before I was wrongfully dismissed from PSP in October 2006, "it's stupid and leaves you exposed to all sorts of risks you have no idea of" ().Let me be crystal clear. I can't take any CEO of any major public pension fund seriously if they don't appoint an experienced CIO to oversee and allocate risk across public and private markets. I think it's highly irresponsible not to do so.Again, Ron Mock has more direct investment experience than all other CEOs at Canada's Top Ten (apart from Jim Keohane who is equally investment savvy) and he still chose to find an exceptionally talented CIO to help him manage investment risks.I'm sure Gordon Fyfe is reading this and saying "everything worked well at PSP without aCIO" in charge of public and private markets. He is wrong, he was always wrong on this front. Period.But let me not be too critical of Gordon, after all, I hear PSP is a total mess now after the departure of Bruno Guilmette, the head of Infrastructure and Jim Pittman, a senior VP of Private Equity. Neil Cunningham is still there as the head of Real Estate and Daniel Garant is CIO (of what exactly? public markets??) but the senior managers Gordon put in place have been forced out or are leaving on their own.My sources tell me the culture at PSP is going from bad to terrible with a lot of infighting between and within investment teams and no real direction on where they're heading. You can criticize Gordon Fyfe on many fronts, and God knows I have done so on my blog, but at least he kept cohesion in his senior ranks and kept a balance between anglophones and francophones (even if it was a boys club full of egos).I don't know what exactly Andre Bourbonnais is trying to accomplish but I suggest he takes me up on my lunch invitation and I will give it to him straight (have nothing to lose!). He needs to do a hell of a lot more to improve the culture at PSP and this means getting rid of some cockroaches at that place who are nothing more than backstabbing egomaniacs. I can say the same thing to Michael Sabia over at the Caisse. He too needs to shake things up in the senior ranks (and I'm not referring to Roland Lescure).When I hear stories at all of Canada's Top Ten on some power-hungry weasels backstabbing people,, especially since it's typically these idiots that are responsible for poor performance and god awful culture at these big shops.As far as Ontario Teachers', I'm sure it has its share of backstabbing egomaniacs but that shit won't fly with a guy like Ron Mock at the helm. And I doubt it will with a veteran outsider from Denmark like Bjarne Graven Larsen who is serious and focused on risk-adjusted returns.The first article above states Teachers senior investment leadership team was recently restructured to reflect the evolving global pension investment environment. I have no details if this means some people were let go for poor performance or other reasons but knowing Ron, you better be focused on your job and be a team player or you're out. It's that simple.Below, an older (2009) interview with Bjarne Graven Larsen discussing ATP's great results when he was CIO there. You can also view this interview here . He sounds like a very smart, soft spoken man. Listen to his comments carefully as I think he will bring the same "boring and steady" philosophy to OTPP where he will use derivatives and other investments to properly match assets with liabilities. Bjarne Graven Larsen ATP from IPE on Vimeo Figure 1: On the left are fluctuation signals that were discovered in this experiment, and on the right is a reproduction based upon the simulation in the theoretical model that has been developed. Credit: National Institutes of Natural Sciences At the National Institutes of Natural Sciences National Institute for Fusion Science, researchers have developed the high-energy heavy ion beam probe, in order to perform potential measurement inside a high-temperature plasma that was generated in the Institute's Large Helical Device (LHD). Engaging in collaborative research with Kyushu University's Research Institute for Applied Mechanics, they have discovered the new phenomenon of abrupt excitation of fluctuations and have clarified the mechanism of this phenomenon. Two successive research papers that summarize these research results were published in Physical Review Letters, the journal of the American Institute of Physics, on January 8, 2016. Seeking to achieve nuclear fusion, research on the high-temperature plasma of more than 100,000,000 degrees Celsius is being conducted around the world. In a magnetically confined plasma, sometimes there abruptly occurs the excitation of fluctuations with large amplitude, which leads to a possible plasma loss. Such a phenomenon influences the performance of the nuclear fusion reactor. Because there is the possibility of damage to the surrounding construction material, clarifying the mechanisms that lead to excitation, predicting excitation, and avoiding excitation are important issues. On the other hand, in cosmic plasma, too, similar abrupt phenomena occur, and among them the appearance of solar flares is well known. However, in either case, why large events abruptly occur is not well understood. At present, this is an unsolved problem. The research group of Dr. Takeshi Ido, of the National Institute for Fusion Science, in order to observe the plasma potential inside a high-temperature plasma produced in the LHD and that exceeds one hundred of millions of degrees Celsius, has developed a diagnostic device (the heavy ion beam probe). Using that device, when measuring fluctuations in a plasma, his research group discovered a new phenomenon in which fluctuations typically thought to be stable did grow abruptly, accompanied by a large oscillation amplitude. (See Figure 1.) Examining the experimental data in detail, they achieved the result in which before the excitation of this abrupt fluctuations occurred there was generated a separate fluctuation. That precedent fluctuation triggered the process, and a result which indicates abrupt large amplitude fluctuations had been obtained. Figure 2: This shows the restoring force against the growth of fluctuations. When the amplitude is lower than the threshold value, the amplitude approaches zero and is stable (black). Separating from the center, when the amplitude exceeds the threshold value, the amplitude abruptly grows red. Credit: National Institutes of Natural Sciences Through collaborative research with the research group of Dr. Sanae-I. Itoh, of Kyushu University's Research Institute for Applied Mechanics, the researchers constructed a new theoretical model for explaining this phenomenon. When they conducted confirmations through numerical simulations they successfully reproduced the experimental results. (See Figure 1, right.) From this, they were able to discover the heretofore unknown phenomenon of abrupt excitation of fluctuations, to clarify the mechanism, and to predict excitation. The important points of these research results are that they proved that when the stimulus from outside is beyond a certain level, the physical mechanism exists in a high-temperature plasma that excites abrupt and large amplitude fluctuations, and they clarified the conditions necessary for excitation. Phenomena that possess this type of quality are called subcritical instability. (See Figure 2.) As an example of the phenomenon in which large amplitude fluctuations abruptly is excited, in a magnetically confinement plasma, there are collapse phenomena such as sawtooth oscillation and disruption which degrades plasma performance, and in cosmic plasma there is the abrupt occurrence of solar flares. The generation mechanisms for these abrupt phenomena are unresolved questions that have long been debated. As candidates for causing these abrupt phenomena, the existence of subcritical instability was indicated theoretically. Through this research, it has been proven for the first time that such an instability exists in geodesic acoustic waves, which are in a plasma, and we successfully predicted the occurrence of this phenomenon. These results are expected to be indicators in addition to advancing our understanding of numerous abrupt phenomena that are widely observed. The abrupt excitation of fluctuations that has been discovered gives indications of the possibility of plasma heating that these fluctuations contribute to. Moreover, research in a confined plasma that can clarify the occurrence mechanism of abrupt phenomena and predict occurrence will contribute greatly to future nuclear fusion research and the development of science and technology, such as avoiding damage to the nuclear fusion reactor and suppressing damage from magnetic storms. Explore further Clarifying the fusion plasma confinement improvement mechanism More information: T. Ido, K. Itoh, M. Osakabe, M. Lesur, A. Shimizu, K. Ogawa, K. Toi, M. Nishiura, S. Kato, M. Sasaki, K. Ida, S. Inagaki, S.-I. Itoh, and the LHD Experiment Group "Strong destabilization of stable modes with a half-frequency associated with chirping geodesic acoustic modes in the Large Helical Device" T. Ido, K. Itoh, M. Osakabe, M. Lesur, A. Shimizu, K. Ogawa, K. Toi, M. Nishiura, S. Kato, M. Sasaki, K. Ida, S. Inagaki, S.-I. Itoh, and the LHD Experiment Group"Strong destabilization of stable modes with a half-frequency associated with chirping geodesic acoustic modes in the Large Helical Device" M. Lesur, K. Itoh, T. Ido, M. Osakabe, K. Ogawa, A. Shimizu, M. Sasaki, K. Ida, S. Inagaki, S.-I. Itoh, and the LHD Experiment Group "Nonlinear excitation of subcritical instabilities in a toroidal plasma" Journal information: Physical Review Letters Provided by National Institutes of Natural Sciences Complete and well preserved fossil cichlid excavated from the fossil Lagerstatte in Kenyas Tugen Hills. Credit: LMU/B. Reichenbacher The question of what conditions were like in the Rift Valley of East Africa 12 million years ago (Mya) has been the subject of intense debate. Now new research just published by a team led by LMU paleontologist Professor Bettina Reichenbacher strongly suggest that extensive grassland habitats were already established in the region by that time. The study's findings appear in the Geological Magazine, one of the most respected journals in the Earth Sciences. In 2013 Bettina Reichenbacher and her colleagues discovered a Middle to Late Miocene fossil Lagerstatte in Kenya's Tugen Hills, which harbors one of the few diverse and well preserved collections of fish fossils yet found anywhere in the world. "Almost all of these specimens belong to the cichlid family (Cichlidae), which still represents a major component of the fauna of East Africa's Great Lakes today, and they provide a unique glimpse of the evolutionary history of this group," says Reichenbacher. Her graduate students Melanie Altner and Stefanie Penk have devoted the past several months to the analysis of a fraction of the material so far recovered from the Tugen Hills. Meanwhile, her former Master's student Cornelia Rasmussen (now at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City) has been studying the sedimentology of the site and her LMU colleague Dr. Jerome Prieto has analyzed the mammalian fossils found in the locality. Dr. Olaf Lenz of the Institute for Applied Geosciences at the Technical University (TU) in Darmstadt brought his expertise to bear on the pollen samples found in the sediments, while Dennis Brusch (TU Darmstadt) investigated the mineralogy of the clay samples recovered. Taken together, the results of these analyses provide a rich source of data that will enliven the debate relating to the nature of the climate and the range of environments available in this part of Africa in the Late and Middle Miocene (11-16 Mya). The issue is of considerable interest, because the Rift Valley in Kenya has yielded a rich trove of hominid fossils over the past 80 years or so. Knowledge relating to the climate, ecology and habitats of the region therefore provides insight into the conditions under which the lineage that gave rise to Homo sapiens evolved. Shaped by catastrophic events The data derived from the paleontological investigations are incompatible with several previous assumptions. The analyses reveal that some of the fish species identified in the area lived in bodies of water that were quite deep, and were located in semiarid settings. These findings imply that, during the period concerned, tropical woodlands were in decline, and were being replaced by grasslands that were poor in tree species. "The vegetation may have looked rather like that of the grasslands set with acacia trees that are found in modern Somalia," says Reichenbacher. Based on the pollen found in the sediments, the researchers deduce that the climate was getting drier. The fish fossils from the area that had been studied up to now all belonged to a single size class, but the LMU team recovered a trove of specimens ranging in size from 1.2 to 15 cm in length. This wide size variation among fossils recovered from the same sedimentary level suggests that all the individuals died over a very short space of time. This in turn implies the occurrence of a sudden and catastrophic event, which wiped out whole populations. This interpretation is supported by the presence of a layer of ash at the same level. "It is very likely that mass die-offs of fish are linked to outbursts of volcanic activity during this period," says Bettina Reichenbacher. The impact of tectonic activity A detailed study of the sediments in which the fish fossils were discovered indicated that, during the period between 9 and 12 Mya, several instances of abrupt change in water levels must have occurred in the lakes and rivers around the Tugen Hills. Most previous studies had assumed that fluctuations in the local climate were responsible for the variations in water levels, but Bettina Reichenbacher maintains that "abrupt changes in the nature of the sediment, in the mineral composition of the parent rock, such as we have discovered, cannot be attributed to fluctuations in climate. We therefore believe that they were caused by tectonic activity." Among the fossil material excavated, Reichenbacher's team has already identified several new species of cichlid. In further studies, they hope to clarify the relationships between the fossil specimens and the cichlids found in the Rift Valley today. "We hope to learn from the evolutionary history of the cichlids whether or not a single drainage system existed in the area in the Later Miocene. The alternative possibility is that the modern drainage networks, whose course is determined by the mountains that define the Rift Valley and which are now characterized by uniquely diversified fish faunas, may have already formed by that time," Reichenbacher explains. Explore further Unique fish fossils identified More information: CORNELIA RASMUSSEN et al. Middlelate Miocene palaeoenvironments, palynological data and a fossil fish Lagerstatte from the Central Kenya Rift (East Africa), Geological Magazine (2015). CORNELIA RASMUSSEN et al. Middlelate Miocene palaeoenvironments, palynological data and a fossil fish Lagerstatte from the Central Kenya Rift (East Africa),(2015). DOI: 10.1017/S0016756815000849 The hexagonal structure of LnFe (CN) 6 consisting of alternating LnN 6 trigonal prism (green) and FeC 6 octahedra (orange). You are about to enter the strange world of coordination geometries, where energy and atomic bonding interplay to give materials unusual properties, such as negative thermal expansion (you heat something and it gets smaller) and the ability to capture and store gas molecules in nano-sized pore spaces. Principal research and neutron-scattering instrument scientist Vanessa Peterson has collaborated on a paper just published in Nature Chemistry that reports the discovery of a new torsion spring-like mechanism in a series of coordination frameworks that has implications for the strategic design of future materials with exceptional mechanical properties. The series of materials has the largest linear compressibilities of any crystalline compound, and the volume compressibilities are exceeded only by caesium, rubidium, and xenon. These compressibilities are both exceptionally large and sustained over a broad pressure range spanning at least 1 GPa. The work is the product of a long-standing collaboration with Cameron Kepert at the Molecular Materials Group at the University of Sydney, with the first author Samuel Duyker co-supervised by Kepert and Peterson during his PhD before taking up a postdoctoral position with Peterson, when this work was performed. "Understanding these multifunctional materials with the aim of controlling their range of useful properties is of great interest to the energy industry, but the research brings fundamental knowledge of the atomic and molecular mechanisms, which has broader application" said Peterson. In contrast to the shortening of bonds that occurs in conventional materials, compression in the new series of materials is achieved through structural deformation. The unusual new mechanism was found in a series 'coordination frameworks'named for the coordinative bonds linking organic molecules and metal atoms. The torsional mechanism is unlike anything seen in any other material, being fundamentally distinct from other compressible frameworks. The team first became interested in the lanthanoid frameworks because of their unusual coordination geometries. "The material is a porous framework, constructed from two types of metals that are connected by cyanide bridging ligands. The coordination environment of the lanthanoid is inherently very unstable, but exists because it is stabilised by the overall framework connectivity." Torsional compression mechanism revealed "Near 1 GPa, a change in lattice geometry occurs in the lanthanoid framework through a complex mechanism involving dramatic structural distortion," said Peterson. The LnN 6 units acting like torsion springs are synchronised by rigid Fe(CN)6 units acting like gears. The LnN 6 twists away from its original trigonal prismatic geometry becoming octahedral. These LnN 6 units act as torsional centres that coil dramatically under pressure and enable extreme compressibility in combination with chemical and thermal stability for the first time. "There is competition between two relatively strong effects. A balance is achieved between the significant stored energy in the locally unstable lanthanoid coordination and the opposing force of the hexacyanidoferrate units, which strongly prefer not to change." "These lanthanoid frameworks compress by about 20% in volume at the relatively low pressure of 1 GPa, one of the largest known pressure responses for any crystalline material," said Peterson. This represents a new paradigm in the design of materials with anomalous mechanical behaviours. "There are a range of properties that can be tailored through choice of construction units. Selecting from a range of metal nodes and ligands gives control over the material's porosity, topology, that is, the way that the pores are connected, the chemical functionality, and flexibility of these units." "Because the contribution of each part or unit of the framework to these material properties are known, they can be controlled, and tailored to particular functions. With this knowledge, you can gain insight into how to structurally engineer the properties you want at the molecular level," said Peterson. Of great importance in understanding the details of the compression mechanism in this material series was the validation of computational models using neutron scattering. The combination of the two in this approach is well-known and very powerful. The neutron powder diffraction portion of the research was done on ANSTO's high intensity powder diffractometer, WOMBAT, for which Peterson is an instrument scientist. Pressure-volume behaviour of the LnFe(CN) 6 frameworks (Ln = La, Ho, Lu Y) as calculated using density functional theory (above) using results from neutron powder diffraction on the Wombat instrument "The unique properties of neutrons allowed the neutron scattering experiment to be performed on a bulk sample, which was very useful, and provided great contrast in the scattering power of the elements," said Peterson. Temperature studies reveal something unusual in coordination geometry In earlier work, the team had found that the co-efficient of thermal expansion correlated linearly with the ionic radius of the lanthanoid in this family of materials. As part of the study, they substituted a range of elements, including yttrium, holmium, and lutetium, into the coordination site changing the coordinative bond strength. "We measured the overall property of thermal contraction or expansion using neutron scattering and computational methods to understand the mechanism. We found that there are low energy vibrational modes that give rise to this negative thermal expansion property. One of those modes was extremely unusual," said Peterson. "In theory you can tune the thermal expansion of the material by constructing it with an atom that has an ionic radius that relates to the co-efficient of thermal expansion you desire," explained Peterson. The results of this work were published in Angewandte Chemie in 2013. "We then looked at the possibility of locking in some of these interesting and unusual coordination geometries using chemical substitutions, and we found that by incorporating potassium into the structure, this could indeed be achieved." "The next logical thing to do was to see if we could induce this same coordination geometry change using pressure," said Peterson. Applying slight pressure induces extreme compressibility When they squashed it, the material underwent the coordination geometry change they were looking for. They compared the compressibility of the material with a range of others, and found that it was extremely compressible approaching the compressibility of solid polystyrene. They both measured and then calculated the volume change using density functional theory (DFT), for a range of chemically-substituted materials, deriving the compressibility from the change in volume as a function of pressure. "The compressibility changes as different metals are substituted into the unstable coordination geometry. This points towards tunable compressibility which is very desirable." They calculated the framework structure at different pressures to show exactly how the distortion happens and then calculated the contribution of each particular part of the framework in terms of energythe energy cost of that deformation and the overall contribution to the compressibility. "Basically it's a low energy distortion that relieves the framework strain. We showed that it can be accessed by thermal energy initially in the temperature study." A picture emerges of a torsion spring-like mechanism. Six-coordinate lanthanoid units act like a springthey flex and distort as the Fe(CN) 6 units act as gears. "The energy cost of deforming the Fe(CN) 6 unit in the framework is very high, so instead it is the lanthanoid unit that deforms," said Peterson. In addition, the lanthanoid framework has sustained axial compression, which is the largest for any crystalline solid in particularly useful regions of .4 to 1.5 GPa. "It occurs via an interesting mechanism," said Peterson "There is a positive linear compressibility that goes through a small region of negative linear compressibility, where as it is squashed it gets smaller really rapidly but then bigger in that direction because of a cam-like action." "We examined quantitatively the energy cost of all of these components to learn exactly what they contribute to the overall volume response of the material to pressure. Once we understand the contribution that each part of the framework has to the overall properties, it can then be tuned." Generally speaking things will try to relieve strain. "Under pressure, the softest part with the lowest energy cost to relieve that pressure will respond." The team suspects that the luminescent properties of these materials are also likely to change upon compression, because the bonding changes so dramatically. "It's very satisfying to find a material with such interesting, useful properties, and then to establish exactly how it is they are achieved," said Peterson. Explore further Framework materials yield to pressure More information: Samuel G. Duyker et al. Extreme compressibility in LnFe(CN) 6 coordination framework materials via molecular gears and torsion springs, Nature Chemistry (2016). Journal information: Angewandte Chemie , Nature Chemistry Samuel G. Duyker et al. Extreme compressibility in LnFe(CN)coordination framework materials via molecular gears and torsion springs,(2016). DOI: 10.1038/nchem.2431 The press preview of the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan on January 12, 2016 Beneath the hoods of the cars showing in Detroit this week lie engines that are as powerful as ever, but are smaller and, helped by direct injection, guzzle less gas. Automakers have subbed out stainless steel for aluminum and other lighter-weight materials, and added more gears to let engines run in "sweet spot" mode more often, so that their cars and trucks can save money on fuel and emit less climate-harming pollutants. But with gasoline prices now nearly half of what they were just two years ago, the question is, do consumers care? Or will a surge in sales of higher fuel-consuming cars and trucks, especially sport utility vehicles, erase recent efficiency gains on US roads? The improvements to gasoline-based internal combustion engines that automakers have made show how greater efficiency has been mainstreamed throughout the industry, and not just on the electric and hybrid cars that steal most of the glory. Under pressure from government regulation, fuel economy in US cars has risen 26 percent since 2004, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Signs progress is flagging Yet there are signs of flagging progress. Fuel economy for the fleet overall was unchanged at 24.3 miles per gallon in 2014, the last year with full data, according to the EPA report. A model inserts the electric charger into the Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan on January 12, 2016 Data from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute suggest fuel economy fell in 2015, with a significant drop in the last months of the year. With gasoline prices so low, customers appear less pressured to buy more fuel-efficient cars, not to mention electrics and hybrids. Of the 17.5 million cars US automakers sold in 2015, less efficient pickup trucks and SUVs dominated the market and grew much faster in sales than other types. "You hear a lot of noise about demand for hybrids not being so big," Honda executive vice president John Mendel said at a launch Monday of its Ridgeline pickup truck. "When (gasoline) was four or five bucks a gallon, everybody was clamoring for anythinga hybrid, ... something to take the sting out." The Honda Ridgeline is unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan on January 11, 2016 Focus shifts to SUVs, pickups To boot, Bill Fay, group vice president and general manager at Toyota, said his company has lowered production of some fuel-efficient models, while taking steps to lift output of SUVs and pickups. Government pressure since the late 2000s to improve fuel consumption has spurred the gains. President Barack Obama has set the goal of cars getting 54.5 miles per gallon (4.36 liters per 100 km) in 2025, compared to about 29 miles per gallon in 2014. Compliance is determined on gains of individual models and also whether the average efficiency of an automaker's overall fleet is improving enough. Trucks and SUVs are not expected to get the same mileage as sedans and subcompacts, only to improve their mileage each year. Visitors look at a cutaway model showing the fuel cells of a Toyota MIRAI car in Tokyo on December 10, 2015 The result has been not only an unprecedented number of hyper-efficient electric and hybrid vehicles in the US fleet, but also the significant improvements in gas-powered cars. But with trucks and SUVs now dominating sales, automakers have to keep improving the performance of those vehicles. Some industry officials gripe that many of the easiest and cheapest changes have already been made, and meeting the 2025 targets will be hard. Achieving gains has become more difficult now that the easiest changesthe "low-hanging fruit"have been implemented, said Wade Newton, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. "You need more and more advanced technology to meet ever-increasing fuel economy standards," Newton said. The 2016 GMC Acadia is unveiled during the press preview of the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, on January 12, 2016 Others say there is still lots of potential. "There's lots of room to get efficiency from these engines before we get rid of the internal-combustion engine," said General Motors executive vice president Mark Reuss Tuesday at a launch of the new GMC Acadia SUV Tuesday, which weighs 700 pounds (318 kg) less than the version it replaces. Still, automakers say they are not counting on the government to walk back the fuel targets. "It's a poor bet to base your business case on somebody changing the rules at the last minute," noted Honda executive vice president John Mendel. Toyota, which has enjoyed the profitable surge in truck and SUV sales, has also unveiled a revamped Prius and in October launched the Mirai, a fuel cell vehicle. "We're starting to get ready for a world that doesn't have any more gas engines by 2050," Fay told AFP. "Long way away ... but investing in that today." Explore further US cars and trucks hit record gas mileage in 2012 2016 AFP China has announced its busy 2016 launch manifest, with more than 20 missions scheduled for this year. The country that conducted 19 successful space flights in 2015, intends to launch its Tiangong 2 space laboratory and a manned spacecraft Shenzhou 11, among other military and commercial orbital missions. The first Chinese launch this year will be carried out on Jan. 15, when a Long March 3B rocket will blastoff the Belintersat 1 communications satellite for Belarus. Liftoff will take place from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, located in Sichuan Province. The spacecraft was built by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and is China's first communications satellite exported to Europe. On Apr. 30, the country plans to deliver two Argentinian Earth-observing satellites, named NuSat-1 and NuSat-2 for the Aleph-1 constellation. A Long March 4B booster will be employed for this mission slated to be launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi Province. Only these two launch dates were disclosed by Chinese media so far. Other launches are targeted for certain months or halves of the year with exact dates TBD. Several missions are still unassigned to any specific period of the year. The most important and apparently attention-grabbing Chinese orbital mission in 2016 will be sending a trio of astronauts into space. The crew will fly onboard the Shenzhou 11 spacecraft, expected to be launched by a Long March 2F a carrier rocket designed for manned missions. Liftoff will be conducted from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Gansu Province in the second half of the year. China hasn't yet released any information about the crew of this flight. Shenzhou 11 will dock with the space laboratory Tiangong 2 that will be launched in the first half of 2016, also by the Long March 2F booster and from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. Along with Tiangong 2, a small Banxing-2 satellite, probably a technology demonstrator, will piggy back on the mission. This year will see maiden flights of the next-generation Long March 5 and Long March 7 rockets. Long March 5 is a 198 feet (60.5 meters) tall heavy lift launch vehicle designed to be able to deliver up to 25 tons of payload to the low Earth orbit (LEO) and up to 14 tons to the geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). Weighing approximately 643 tons, it will be the heaviest and most technologically challenging member of the Long March rocket family. China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology is carrying out final tests of this booster to prepare it for its first flight scheduled for September. The 174.2 feet (53 meters) tall Long March 7 is a medium-heavy launch vehicle with a mass of 594 tons. It will be capable of launching nearly 13.5 tons into LEO and about 5.5 tons into a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). Although, this booster is designed to deliver satellites into space, its structure is based on Long March 2F rocket employed for manned missions. The date of first Long March flight hasn't been disclosed yet. China will also launch this year two satellites for its homegrown Beidou Navigation Satellite System and three Gaofen spacecraft for its High-Resolution Earth Observation System. One of the Beidou launches is planned for February. Other dates are currently unknown for the public. Among other noticeable Chinese missions to be conducted in 2016 are: Chinese Carbon Dioxide Observation Satellite Mission or TanSa and Quantum Science Satellite (QSS). These two scientific satellites will be probably launched in July. 2016 will see the launch of China's Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT). It is an x-ray space observatory designed to explore the fundamental physics processes in the very early universe or in the proximity of black hole horizons. The busy launch schedule will include also several missions for Chinese army. However due to their military nature, no information is currently available about these flights. With the launches of Shenzhou and Tiangong, this year could be the stepping stone for China towards establishing its own space station. The launch of the core module of this space station is planned for 2018 to test related technologies and to research engineering issues. The station could become fully operational around 2022. Explore further China's next space mission to carry 3 astronauts An artist's impression of Rosetta's lander Philae on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko Scientists will send a few final prods to robot lab Philae, incommunicado on the surface of a comet hurtling through space, but hopes for a reply are running out, they said Tuesday. A last-chance manoeuvre was attempted Sunday to shift the tiny lander into a sunnier angle for its battery-replenishing solar panels. "Unfortunately this attempt didn't lead to contact," project manager Stephan Ulamec of German space agency DLR told AFP. "We didn't receive any signal." "We are going to send a few more" commands in the coming days, he added. In a first for space exploration, Philae was dropped onto the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on November 12, 2014 after a 10-year, 6.5-billion-kilometre (four-billion-mile) journey through space piggybacking on mothership Rosetta, which is now orbiting the comet. The washing machine-sized probe survived a rough landing, bouncing several times off the craggy comet surface and ending up at an angle in a shaded crevice. Philae sent home data from about 60 hours of comet sniffing and prodding with eight of its 10 instruments before going into standby mode on November 15, 2014. The lander's power pack was recharged as 67P drew closer to the Sun on its elliptical orbit, and Philae woke up on June 13, to great excitement on Earth. Timeline of the Philae robot lab's mission on comet 67P. 135 x 103 mm It made eight intermittent contacts via Rosetta, only to fall silent again on July 9. On Sunday, ground controllers sent a command to try to get Philae to budge, hoping this would shake any dust off its panels and better align it with the Sun. Odds getting worse "We have not gotten any feedback on its success," the DLR said in a video uploaded to Twitter. It was possible Philae had received and executed the command, but could not talk to Rosetta. DLR said a camera on Rosetta took a sequence of images which are being scrutinised for any signs of a dust cloud that could have been caused by Philae shifting position. Scientists plan to send more commands to the robot lab in the coming days. If there is no response, the communications systems will be switched to "listening mode" on the off chance that Philae does get a signal out. But the odds are getting "worse and worse" as the comet moves away from the Sun. By the end of January, the comet will be some 300 million kilometres (185 million miles) from the Sun. Once its surface temperature falls below minus 51 degrees Celsius (minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit), Philae will no longer be able to operate. "If we have heard nothing by end-January, it will be over" for Philae, said Philippe Gaudon, Rosetta project manager at France's CNES space agency. The ground-breaking mission was conceived to learn more about comets, and possibly the origins of life on Earth. Comets are pristine leftovers from the Solar System's formation some 4.6 billion years ago. Many experts believe they smashed into our infant planet, providing it with water and the chemical building blocks for life. Philae has found several organic molecules. Explore further Last-chance bid to contact space robot Philae 2016 AFP It's not clear if the troubles at The New Republic are a harbinger of things to come at other media outlets led by Internet entrepreneurs It looked like a marriage that could bring together the storied history of a century-old magazine and the culture-changing dynamism of Facebook. But it didn't work. The New Republic, a leading voice on the US political left wing since 1914, is up for sale again after Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes decided to throw in the towel less than four years after he bought the magazine. Hughes, 32, invested more than $20 million in an effort to bring The New Republic into the digital era. But on Monday, he acknowledged it was not working, saying, "I underestimated the difficulty of transitioning an old and traditional institution into a digital media company in today's quickly evolving climate." Hughes, a Harvard roommate of Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and part of the original team at the social network, had faced friction with the editorial staff. It turned into a full-scale revolt in 2014 when Hughes decided to shake up the top management and reconfigure the publication as a digital media organization. Tina Brown, the former editor of The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, captured some of the venom Hughes aroused in her reaction to the latest development. "Can't believe Hughes is unloading @NewRepublic after breaking it. Feckless rich dilettante smashes toy. @chrishughes," she wrote on Twitter. Former New Republic staffer Jonathan Chait said Hughes had "a wildly unrealistic business strategy" that was aimed at ending losses. This strategy "ignored all the evidence that was presented to him by people at the magazine including the fact that the magazine had never made money in its entire history," Chait told AFP. Chait said the moves by Hughes sparked widespread departures, with many going to the online Huffington Post. "None of them were reluctant to write online," he said. "They simply no longer trusted management." A 'distinct culture' The small but respected magazine, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2014 with an event attended by former president Bill Clinton among other notables, has survived over the years thanks to a series of benefactors. "The New Republic was a small niche, with a very distinct culture," said Columbia University journalism professor Susan McGregor. "The idea that you could treat it as a blank slate that can simply be remade as a digital media outlet doesn't really appreciate the fact that this organization has a deep history that is not going to be transformed simply because suddenly you ask people to have a Twitter account." It's not clear if the troubles at The New Republic are a harbinger of things to come at other media outlets led by Internet entrepreneurssuch as the Washington Post, bought by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, or First Look Media group launched by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar. McGregor said people who have been successful in Internet ventures have been attracted to media because "it's a way to make your mark in a very public way that is much more appealing than just making a lot of money." Jay Bolter, a professor of communication at Georgia Tech University, said the two worlds are very different. "There can be a cultural clash between journalists who have strong assumptions about their work and their audience and this new digital world that has a totally different background," he said. Hughes said he will be seeking someone else to take over the publication, whether an individual, a larger digital media company, or a think-tank. "Although I do not have the silver bullet, a new owner should have the vision and commitment to carry on the traditions that make this place unique and give it a new mandate for a new century," he said. 2016 AFP Rubber with red, green and blue luminescent proteins used to produce the BioLEDs. Credit: M. D. Weber/University of Erlangen-Nuremberg Scientists from Germany and Spain have discovered a way to create a BioLED by packaging luminescent proteins in the form of rubber. This innovative device gives off a white light which is created by equal parts of blue, green and red rubber layers covering one LED, thus rendering the same effect as with traditional inorganic LEDs but at a lower cost. Increasingly popular LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, are the light of choice for the European Union and the United States when it comes to creating lighting devices of the future. This preference can be attributed to the fact that LEDs are more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs and more stable than energy-efficient light bulbs. Despite their advantages, however, LEDs are manufactured using inorganic materials that are in short supply -such as cerium and yttrium-, thus meaning that they are more expensive and difficult to sustain in the long run. Additionally, white LEDs produce a colour that is not optimal for eyesight since they lack a red component that can psychologically affect individuals exposed to them for long periods of time. Now, however, a German-Spanish team of scientists has drawn inspiration from nature's biomolecules in search of a solution. Their technique consists in introducing luminescent proteins into a polymer matrix to produce luminescent rubber. This technique involves a new way of packaging proteins which could end up substituting the technique used to create LEDs today. Details are published in the journal Advanced Materials. BioLED white light spectrum and picture, showing its quality when possessing a similar component for blue (emission at 450 nm), green (520 nm) and red (630 nm). Credit: M. D. Weber/University of Erlangen-Nuremberg "We have developed a technology and a hybrid device called BioLED that uses luminescent proteins to convert the blue light emitted by a 'normal' LED into pure white light", explains Ruben D. Costa to Sinc, a researcher at the University of Erlangen-Nurnberg (Germany) and co-author of the study. It is always necessary to have either a blue or an ultraviolet LED to excite the rubbers that are put over the LED in order to make it white. In other words, we can combine blue LED/green rubber/red rubber, or ultraviolet LED/blue rubber/green rubber/red rubber. The result is the first BioLED that gives off a pure white light created by similar parts of the colours blue, green and red, all while maintaining the efficiency offered by inorganic LEDs. The authors clear up that the blue or ultraviolet LEDs are much cheaper than white ones, which are made of an expensive and scarce material known as YAG:Ce (Cerium-doped Yttrium Aluminium Garnet). The idea is replace it by proteins. "The Bio-LEDs are simple to manufacture and their materials are low-cost and biodegradable, meaning that they can easily be recycled and replaced", points out Costa, while also highlighting the high stability of these proteins that have "luminescent properties that remain intact during the months of storage under different environmental conditions of light, temperature and humidity". In fact, with this technique "we have been able to achieve a sustained use of proteins in optoelectronic devices with an excellent stability for the first time, something that had not happened in the last 50 years. This thus represents a major breakthrough in this field", stresses Pedro B. Coto, another one of the authors who also conducts research at this German university. Scientists are already working on optimising this new elastic material in order to achieve greater thermal stability and an even longer operating lifetime. They are addressing how to optimise the chemical composition of the polymer matrix in addition to using proteins that are increasingly more resistant to device operating conditions. The goal is to make this new BioLED more accessible on an industrial scale in the not too distant future. Explore further LEDs: Better red makes brighter white More information: Michael D. Weber et al. Bioinspired Hybrid White Light-Emitting Diodes, Advanced Materials (2015). Journal information: Advanced Materials Michael D. Weber et al. Bioinspired Hybrid White Light-Emitting Diodes,(2015). DOI: 10.1002/adma.201502349 To visualize protein aggregates (red) under the microscope, they have to be stained previously. The cellular nucleus was stained blue and the mRNA, the construction manual for proteins, was stained green. Credit: MPI of Biochemistry In the brains of patients with neurodegenerative diseases, medical researchers can observe protein deposits, also called aggregates. For many years, these aggregates have been suspected to contribute to the death of nerve cells, and to diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or Huntington's. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried, led by Mark Hipp and Ulrich Hartl, have now shown that the location of protein aggregates strongly influences the survival of cells. While aggregates within the nucleus barely influence cellular function, deposits of identical proteins within the cytoplasm interfere with important transport routes between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. This results in a blockage of protein and RNA transport into and out of the nucleus. In the long run this can lead to the death of the affected cells, and progression of the disease. The results of these studies have now been published in the journal Science. Proteins consist of long chains of amino acids and function in cells like small machines. To be able to fulfill their function proteins have to assume a predetermined three-dimensional structure. In healthy cells there is a large variety of folding helpers and extensive quality control machinery. Misfolded proteins are either repaired or rapidly degraded. If this occurs inadequately, or not at all, proteins will clump together, form aggregates and harm the cell. Protein aggregates are associated with many neurodegenerative diseases including ALS, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's Disease. How exactly aggregates harm cells is however still unknown. In 2013 several groups in Martinsried formed the ToPAG consortium to address this question, and can now report their first success. Scientists in the lab of Prof. Hartl, a world-renowned expert on protein folding, have demonstrated that the location of the aggregates determines the fate of the nerve cells. Together with Konstanze Winklhofer and Jorg Tatzelt from the Ruhr-University Bochum, the researchers have expressed artificial aggregation prone proteins as well as Huntington's disease-causing mutants of the protein huntingtin in cultured cells. Both types of protein accumulate in large protein deposits. "It came as a big surprise to us that the direction of the proteins to the cytoplasm instead of the nucleus resulted in more soluble, but also more toxic aggregates", says Mark Hipp, a group leader in the department of Ulrich Hartl and leader of the study. The protein deposits in the cytoplasm blocked the transport of RNA and correctly folded proteins between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. It seems that the sticky surfaces of the aggregates can sequester important proteins and thereby inactivate them. "We have detected multiple components of the cellular transport machinery inside the aggregates. This results in the depletion of these factors from the cell, and, like a machine with missing parts, the cell is then unable to function properly", explains Andreas Woerner the first author of the study. Once the blueprint for all proteins, the RNA, is trapped within the nucleus, protein synthesis cannot progress, and the cells deteriorate. It is not completely clear why the nuclear aggregates are less harmful, but the researchers have evidence that the nuclear protein NPM1 plays a central role in shielding these aggregates. "The results of this study bring us researchers and physicians one big step further", summarizes Mark Hipp. "Only if we understand how aggregates damage cells is it possible to develop appropriate countermeasures in the future." Explore further In defence of pathogenic proteins More information: A. C. Woerner et al. Cytoplasmic protein aggregates interfere with nucleocytoplasmic transport of protein and RNA, Science (2015). Journal information: Science A. C. Woerner et al. Cytoplasmic protein aggregates interfere with nucleocytoplasmic transport of protein and RNA,(2015). DOI: 10.1126/science.aad2033 Using off-the-shelf materials, UMass Amherst functional biologists made a portable, fast, easy-to-use, high quality and low-cost system they call Beastcam to rapidly and easily create 3-D models of living animals and other objects. Credit: UMass Amherst When University of Massachusetts Amherst biologist Duncan J. Irschick was working with sharks in Florida last spring to better understand their body shapes, he longed for a simple, quick tool for creating 3-dimensional (3D) models of them, which would allow him to compare complex shark body shapes among different species. He soon realized that such a device would be useful for creating 3D models of the living geckos he studies, as well. Now, he and colleagues have developed just such a tool, a multi-armed platform that integrates several cameras plus a computer system, which they call the "Beastcam" because it can rapidly and easily create 3D models of living animals and other objects. Irschick explains, "Once you make a 3D model of an object, you can modify it, conduct experiments with it, animate it or even send it to a 3D printer for testing different designs." He says over the past decade, there has been increasing interest in developing new ways of capturing 3D models of everyday objects and settings such as crime scenes, historical reconstruction, museum specimens, landscapes and archaeological digs, among others. He adds, "The technique of creating 3D models from multiple photographic stills, known as photogrammetry, is not new, but it is rapidly emerging as a low-cost and accurate way to create 3D models. Current scanning systems, such as laser scanners or CT scanners, are typically slow, and often require bulky and expensive machinery. Faster and less expensive alternatives typically are not of a sufficiently high resolution to create detailed models, especially over a short time span. So we created the Beastcam using off-the-shelf materials to provide a portable, fast, easy-to-use, high quality and low-cost system." Irschick says a key advantage of the Beastcam technology lies in its ability to scale up to a range of sizes, which opens up new opportunities for creating 3D models from a range of subjects. "We are continuing to research new ways to make this technology applicable to a wide range of uses beyond living animals," he notes. The functional morphologist is one of several co-inventors with UMass Amherst polymer scientist Al Crosby of Geckskin technologies in 2012. Beastcam's cameras are mounted on flexible, adjustable arms placed in a favorable arrangement for rapidly scanning objects. The lightweight system, under 10 pounds, includes a small computer tablet, a battery and several other features that allow users to take the Beastcam outside the home, studio or laboratory. Images captured can be easily uploaded to various widely available software programs, such as Autodesk 123D Catch that quickly creates a 3D model. Kasey Smart, an undergraduate in the Irschick lab and co-inventor with fellow undergrad Dylan Briggs, says, "One of the advantages to our system is that cameras and mounting arms can be easily added and subtracted to customize it for many different uses and at different scales." Briggs adds, "We have been able to create accurate 3D models of a range of objects, including human-sized objects in less than 30 seconds, and car-sized objects in about 45 seconds." Beastcam is portable and easily packed into a carrying case. Irschick is currently using the the device to model body shapes of various gecko species in his laboratory, and hopes to return to Florida next spring to use it to fulfill his dream of creating 3D shark models. He says the Beastcam work was supported in part by the Human Frontiers Science Program and was created as part of the Center for Evolutionary Materials at UMass Amherst. Rombophryne ornata received its name owing to its colour and decorative features. It can be told apart from other frogs of the same genus by the reddish colour it presents. Credit: Miguel Vences The Tsaratanana Massif the highest mountain on Madagascar and one of the island's most remote regions is home to several indigenous species. Yet, the majority of these species remain unknown to science due to the fact that this woodland area is difficult to reach. Thanks to a European expedition to this area, however, a group of scientists has discovered, among other species, two new species of very elusive frogs that live on the forest floor. The rainforests located in the northern part of the island of Madagascar are rich in biodiversity, yet only a small number of species here are known to science. Discovering new native species is a difficult task since access to this remote zone in the Tsaratanana Massif the highest mountain is complicated. Here, the massif's rainforests are fragmented and threaten the species that live therein. In spite of this, a team of scientists from Germany and Spain financed by the previous Ministry for Science and Innovation ventured into these remote rainforests in 2010. "Those mountains are home to a high level of native species and are very rarely visited by researchers seeing as there are no roads and barely any paths that lead to the base," explains David Vieites to SINC, one of the authors of this study and a scientist at the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid (MNCN-CSIC). As a result of the expedition the biologists found a number of species, many of which are new to science based on taxonomy criteria such as genetics, morphology and even the sounds they make. Among these new species, the study, published in the journal Herpetelogica, emphasises the discovery of two new species of frogs: Rombophryne ornata and Rombophryne tany. Strange and elusive frogs "Both species live on the forest floor among the fallen leaves and are difficult to spot," notes Vieites. Rombophryne ornata, which received its name owing to its colour and decorative features, can be told apart from other frogs of the same genus by the reddish colour it presents. It has a black mark between each eye as well as on its back, and it also presents spines located over its eye sockets. The scientists carried out a more thorough molecular analysis on Rombophryne tany since this species does not have any features that distinguish it from other species belonging to the same genus. In fact, its name tany, which means 'land' or 'ground' in the local language, not only references the frog's brownish colour, but also its tendency to spend time on the ground. This species also presents spines over each eye. Discovering this species "is another example of the great diversity of animals in tropical areas that have yet to be described before many of these areas disappear as a result of the deforestation suffered by tropical regions, especially Madagascar," says the researcher regretfully. Luckily for these two species, however, the area where they were discovered is a national park that is very difficult to access. "We hope that this area will remain pristine for a long time," concludes the expert. Explore further A new species of nocturnal gecko from northern Madagascar More information: Mark D. Scherz et al. Two New Microhylid Frogs of the Genus Rhombophryne with Superciliary Spines from the Tsaratanana Massif in Northern Madagascar, Herpetologica (2015). Mark D. Scherz et al. Two New Microhylid Frogs of the Genus Rhombophryne with Superciliary Spines from the Tsaratanana Massif in Northern Madagascar,(2015). DOI: 10.1655/HERPETOLOGICA-D-14-00048 A 2016 Volkswagen Beetle is displayed at the North American International Auto Show, Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio) Swedish prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation related to the emissions scandal at German automaker Volkswagen. Anti-corruption prosecutor Alf Johansson said Tuesday the investigation focuses on preliminary charges of fraud and using false documents. If found guilty, Volkswagen could face corporate fines. The company first acknowledged in September that it used software to cheat on diesel emissions tests in the U.S. The software was included in its diesel cars and SUVs sold since the 2009 model year, as well as some recent diesel models sold by the VW-owned Audi and Porsche brands. Worldwide, the company says cheating software was included in more than 11 million vehicles. The Swedish prosecutors say Volkswagen's Swedish branch has said it will cooperate in the investigation. Explore further Porsche halts diesel Cayenne sales in US, Canada 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. GPM measured Ula's rainfall on Jan. 11, 2016 at 1126 UTC (6:26 a.m. EST). GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) revealed that heavy rain was falling around Ula's eye. Credit: NASA/JAXA/SSAI, Hal Pierce A weaker Tropical Storm Ula continued to move through the Southern Pacific Ocean on Jan. 11 after peaking at major hurricane status. NASA's RapidScat instrument looked at Ula's winds, while the Global Precipitation Measurement or GPM mission satellite measured rainfall in the storm. Tropical cyclone Ula's winds peaked at 115 knots (132 mph) over the weekend of Jan. 9 and 10 Those high winds meant that for a couple days Ula was a category four tropical cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Ula moved over the waters of the North Fiji Basin between the Fiji Islands and New Caledonia before moving southeastward into the South Fiji Basin. The GPM core observatory satellite is co-managed by NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. GPM had good views of powerful tropical cyclone Ula during its changes in intensity. On January 8, 2015 at 2216 UTC (5:16 p.m. EST) GPM saw that rain was falling at a rate of over 63.5 mm (2.5 inches) per hour north of the intensifying tropical cyclone's eye. GPM's Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) instrument (Ku Band) collected 3-D data at that time that showed cloud tops reached heights above 12.2 km (7.6 miles) in Ula's inner and outer eye walls. GPM also saw Ula on January 9 at 1136 UTC (6:36 a.m. EST) and on January 11 at 1126 UTC (6:26 a.m. EST). GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) revealed that heavy rain was falling around Ula's eye on both dates. On Jan. 11 at 1300 UTC (8 a.m. EST) NASA's RapidScat instrument measured surface winds in Tropical Cyclone Ula and saw strongest sustained winds near 32 meters per second//71.5 mph/115.2 kph circled the storm's center and extended south of the center. Maximum sustained winds are not always equally distributed in a hurricane or tropical storm, and the RapidScat instrument helps forecasters find the strongest quadrants of a storm. RapidScat is an instrument that flies aboard the International Space Station. By Jan. 12 at 0900 UTC (4 a.m. EST) Tropical Cyclone Ula's maximum sustained winds dropped to 50 knots (57.5 mph/92.6 kph). It was centered near 28.3 degrees south latitude and 172.7 degrees east longitude, about 259 nautical miles (298 miles/479.7 km) northeast of Kingston Island. Ula was moving to the southeast at 13 knots (14.9 mph/24.0 kph). The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) predicts that Ula will continue weakening as it becomes extra-tropical and passes over the open waters of the South Pacific Ocean well to the north New Zealand. Explore further NASA sees Tropical Cyclone Ula's eye closing Welcome Welcome to Conservative Musings. The purpose of this blog is to discuss with everyone (conservatives, moderates, independents and progressives) the issues of the day in an intelligent discussion. We believe that discussion can lead to agreement or an agreement to disagree but it must be held in a mutually respectful environment. We learn nothing from name calling or argument for argument's sake therefore we will not allow that to happen here. We will post our point of view and want a spirited discussion of the issues. Please express your opinions, hopefully we all can learn. Breaking taboos in a male-dominated society, Zahida Kazmi is Pakistans first female taxi driver. A widowed mother of six children she has faced many challenges, including the Taliban. Recently forced to sell her cab to pay for her medical bills, a Facebook campaign has been launched to get Zahida back behind the wheel. Naeem Sahoutara traveled to the capital Islamabad to find out more. I have lived my life with bravery, like a lion. If my life is going end like a fox, I would rather die before it happens, says 55-year-old Zahida Kazmi, Pakistans first female taxi driver. Zahida first learned to drive a car in the 1980s, but never thought that one day it would become her profession. But after her husband died and criminals took over her home, Zahida fled to Rawalpindi in the suburbs of the capital, Islamabad. It was a tough time, she says. I had nothing to eat when we came here, she explains, I faced very difficult times. I started a job at a driving school, but the owner defrauded me and gave me no money. A Pakistani family living in England offered to shelter Zahida and her six children, but Zahia still needed to find a way to earn money. At the time, Pakistans then prime minister had launched the first-ever government sponsored poverty alleviation scheme, offering taxis on loan. Zahida was the first citizen to receive the cab loan and in 1992 became the first female taxi driver in the country. But in Pakistans male-dominated society, it wasnt easy. The first morning I went to the airport to get passengers in their Burqa, but everyone was angry, she recalls, They remarked that a woman had come to compete with them. For two days I would go to the airport in morning and return empty handed. The male drivers would not allow me to pick up the passengers. On the third day they finally relented, after one driver stood up for her. Zahida grew up in the conservative region of Abbotabad, the lush green mountains in northwest of Pakistan, where Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011. In the local Pakhtoon culture there, women are forced to wear veils and stay indoors. Zahida says her family did not accept her decision to drive a taxi. My in-laws never visited me and my children after my husbands death, she says, I lived with my mother and my brothers also did not like me driving the cab. But, I insisted on earning bread for my children. Zahida drove through protests and celebrations and carried on with her work unnoticed. In the afternoons she would buy a cheap lunch and tea at Abpara Market next to the famous Red Mosque, from where the army launched an offensive against students calling for sharia law. During these years, Zahida met people from all walks of life even the Taliban. Once, I went to drop a passenger to the tribal areas. Some locals, who were the Taliban, stopped me and asked why I was driving the taxi, says Zahida, They said I should stay indoors. But, I told them my whole story. Then an elderly man gave me some food rations and said that every time I passed through the area I should stop by. Against all odds, Zahida continued her work. But eight months ago, after she suffered a brain hemorrhage, Zuhida Kazmi was forced to sell her taxi to pay for her medical bills. Since then she hasnt been able to work. To get back on her feet Zahida is asking fellow Pakistanis for help to buy a new taxi. I am not a beggar... My only request is that someone buy me a high-roof van so that I can start picking and dropping off the school children. Thats my only request to any Pakistani or anyone abroad, if they want to help me, she says, Dont give me money, just give me a taxi. A Facebook page called Pakistans First Female Cabbie Zahida needs your help has been launched to collect donations. Campaigners estimated they would need $7,200, US dollars to buy a new taxi for Zahida. And a recent post says the target has nearly been reached, with donations coming from as far as America. Zahida hopes that she is just days away from getting back behind the wheel. The photo of presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte (right) with his good friend Butch Chase is hanged in the latter's restaurant in the Philippines. Chase says the photo reminds him and every Filipin The Philippines will vote a new president in May. From the list of presidential candidates, a tough-talking mayor is zooming to the top of the polls. Known as the 'Dirty Harry' for stopping criminality in his city, Rodrigo Duterte has also been likened to Donald Trump From Manila and Palawan, Jofelle Tesorio and Ariel Carlos find out more. When Rodrigo Duterte addresses a rally called 'Mad For Change', the crowd goes wild and chants his name. The tough-talking mayor of Davao City formally announced his bid for presidency only late November. He has vowed to stop criminality and eradicate corruption. I can promise not heaven, but I will promise you comfortable life, he tells the crowd, Corruption has to stop. Criminality has to stop. Dutertes entry to the presidential race is a real game-changer. Popular figures such as Senator Grace Poe, Vice-President Jejomar Binay and former interior secretary Mar Roxas had dominated the polls. But many voters see Dutertes brand of politics as refreshing, different from the other candidates drawn from the political elites. While his numbers slipped last month, a survey by Pulse Asia Research this November showed Duterte with 34% of the popular vote, 8 percent higher than his closest rival. Political observer Jose Fernandez explains. Being an attorney and being fiscal at that, and with all the stories about how he deals with criminals, instead of eroding his charisma, it has enhanced it even more, explains Fernandez, And Filipinos think maybe we need this kind of president. Duterte has been mayor of Davao, a city of 2 million people, for 22 years. He has also served as vice-mayor and congressman. He is credited for making it the safest city in the country. But through controversial means. Human rights groups accuse him of supporting a group of vigilantes that extra-judicially kill criminals and drug pushers. There have been around 1,000 suspected criminals who were allegedly executed without trial during his term in Davao city. One of Dutertes closest friends, Butch Chase, says these accusations are hearsay. These human rights issues are all hearsay, claims Chase, As a friend, he never told me that he ordered the killing of a criminal or of someone. There are only small things like he would say if this criminal wont listen to me, Ill warn him and if not, he should fear for his life. Many see Dutertes popularity as a product of a breakdown of law and order, and endemic corruption. The mayor has a moniker Duterte Harry for his style of swift-justice. Duterte in a rally says he simply hates criminals. If the military or the police see you. You are a criminal, a car-napper a kidnapper, and you are on bail because the evidences against you are not strong enough, I will also abduct you. I will do whatever you did to your victim, he says. He is also called the Donald Trump of the Philippines because he admits to being a womanizer and has a penchant for using expletives, even in public. Still, Dutertes image resonates. The common Filipino voter is desperate for someone who will represent them, says civil society activist and environmentalist, Gerthie Anda. Id like to echo what a taxi driver told me. I would rather vote for a guy whose mouth is dirty because he speaks dirty but he has no corruption charges whatsoever, rather than voting for a candidate who goes to church who speaks clean language but who is linked with corruption, he says, So he represents in a sense the general public. Unlike other candidates, Duterte also has an image of being incorruptible. Activist Gerthie Anda says the common Filipino aspires security and a corruption-free society. This is what the Duterte brand offers. To them, the crimes, the womanizing, the badmouthing, killings that can be forgotten as long as basic services are actually implemented, he explains, The priorities now are basic services. As long as there is no corruption, poverty can be addressed, to them that is enough. Jaren Atrero, a young professional, will vote for Duterte. He believes the mayor can deliver on his promises. He is a concrete example of true change, says Atrero, Filipinos are craving for change. He is not a traditional politician. He is really different. If you can see his platforms, very simple and thats very attainable. I believe he is the one. Filipinos today feel insecure because of crimes, especially in the cities. Duterte offers a clear platform of dealing with criminality, a feature his competitors lack. But not everyone, including Voter Ken Chan, is impressed. I dont want him to become president because he has a lot of characteristics that dont fit a true leader, says Chan, I dont like his leadership style that uses force. Activist Gerthie Anda also sees some red flags. She says Filipinos should not immediately believe the hype. On enforcement, that is his strength but there are still blind areas, she says, What is good governance for him? How will he address social justice issues or agrarian reform? The land issue is still dominant in this country. Natural resource use. How do you deal with corruption? But the way the numbers look right now, its not impossible that Rodrigo Duterte could be the next president of the Philippines , . , 12 2000 . , - . , . , . , . GLENS FALLS | A Lake George man was arrested Monday night following a fight with security officers at Glens Falls Hospital that left one of the guards with minor injuries, police said. William A. Sawka, 33, was charged with third-degree criminal mischief, a felony, for allegedly breaking the eyeglasses of an officer, and misdemeanor assault for injuries he is accused of causing, according to Glens Falls Police. He was also charged with trespass, a non-criminal violation. Police were called to the hospital at 5:40 p.m. to deal with an "out of control" person who refused to leave, and officers arrived to find Sawka fighting with security guards, Glens Falls Police Capt. Tony Lydon said. Sawka was released pending prosecution in City Court. GLENS FALLS Glens Falls, Queensbury and Warren County should get on the same team early to have an edge in Gov. Andrew Cuomos new high stakes competition for intermunicipal consolidation funding, said Glens Falls Mayor John Jack Diamond. We need to be aggressive and go after it, Diamond said in an interview at City Hall on Monday. Diamond, who raised the topic, reiterated a theme of his State of the City presentation on Friday that the city and Warren County should consolidate police services. Cuomo, separately on Friday, announced his new state budget proposal will include a challengecompetition for cities, towns and villages to develop consolidation action plans. Plans will be judged based on the ability to permanently reduce property taxes, and the winning plan will receive $20 million. The $20 million consolidation prize will be part of $70 million in funding for municipal consolidation and efficiency initiatives in the budget proposal Cuomo will outline in a combined State of the State/State Budget speech on Wednesday. Contacted for comment later on Monday, Warren County Board of Supervisors Chairman Kevin Geraghty said supervisors likely will discuss the governors challenge, and how to begin formulating a plan, when the board meets on Friday. Geraghty said he would not comment further on police consolidation until the county Public Services Committee discusses it and makes a recommendation. We have a system that we work through. We have to go through committees to do that type of thing, he said. Queensbury Supervisor John Strough said Cuomos competition will prompt renewed discussion of regional consolidation. Im sure it will stimulate some conversation. That kind of money usually does, he said. Strough said he has not received enough information to take a position on police consolidation. Im all in favor of consolidating services and doing whatever we can as long as those services provide the same level of services and that same quality of services that the community demands and saves the community money, he said. The governors competition is separate from $400,000 in state reimbursement Diamond said Friday the county and city would be eligible to receive for consolidating police services. On Monday, Diamond released a report that city Police Chief Michelle Arnold prepared that states six city police officers transferred to Warren County Sheriffs Office in the past five years. The city paid to send five of the six officers to the states police academy. The city, Diamond said, in essence is subsidizing the countys training costs. Diamond said its understandable officers want to transfer because the county pays a higher salary. As of Jan. 1, 2014, the starting salary for a city patrol officer was $33,700, compared with $34,996 at the Sheriffs Office. The salaries at the county, they can pay more compensation because theyre based on a larger population, he said. City and county officials have discussed the feasibility of police consolidation for more than a decade without reaching consensus. The latest poultry, pig and animal feed news, animal agribusiness trends and research from WATTAgNet.com. Inventory needs to be managed and managed well, or you are going to get in recurring trouble, and lose your credibility and hard-earned conversions, whether Read more ANOTHER BLOG FROM NEVILLE STEPHENS ON BIBLICAL ESCHATOLOGY. GTP Nustyle and SA4A Designs also created competition for the various brands emerging in subsequent positions respectively. To read the full 2015 Ghana Social Media Rankings report, kindly visit www.cliqafrica.com/gsmrBelow are the 2015 TOP 10 MOST INFLUENTIAL MADE IN GHANA ON SOCIAL MEDIA, in Ghana. With presidential support and campaigns to use various Made in Ghana products other highly potential entrants for next year include: Frytol, Heel the World, Diamond Cement, MGL Naturals and Voltic Natural Mineral Water. NB: Final Data used for all Rankings were recorded on the 28th of December, 2015 and Figures (GSMR Score) on the attached chart are calculations from Social Media followings, Engagements, Post Reaches and Mentions. The GSMR score is derived from various followings on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube with data on Engagements, Posts Reach and Mentions. The 2015 Ghana Social Media Rankings is conducted by Avance Media & CliQAfrica in Partnership with Dream Ambassadors Foundation GH, Royal Scene Media and GetGhanaOnline. These measures will include the following: moving all processes to an electronic platform and accelerating the shift to a functional form of administration in all tax offices; review the current thresholds for the classification of firms as large, medium or small to reflect current trends; audit/investigation teams to conduct audits and investigations; intensify the monitoring of Free Zones Enterprises by rolling-out the Integrated Free Zones Unit in line with the 2nd GRA Strategic Plan 2015 -2017. The Act also makes it more user-friendly, retains provisions that are peculiar to income tax administration, and also enhances efficiency and facilitates compliance while broadening the tax base -- removing the narrow and distorted tax base of the Internal Revenue Act 2000 (Act 592); thus rationalising, streamlining and restricting tax concessions in the country. Ghanas problems seem to have been compounded by a direct tax act, the Internal Revenue Act 2000 Act, Act which was complex and nor user friendly. There is therefore the need to replace it with a new Act which takes into consideration international best practice. Mrs. Mona Quartey said this at the official launching of the new Income Tax Act 2015, Act (896) which seeks to revise and consolidate the law relating to income tax and simplify provisions of the Act in December 2015. To be able to raise the required revenue, government must be able to enhance the main mission of tax administration, which is to collect the tax revenue due from taxpayers under the countrys tax laws without hindering private sector development, she added. It is in this light that l see the launch today as another means of letting our country men/women know the law that regulates the payment of tax from their hard income and need to honour their tax obligations. The measures will implement the Electronic Point of Sale project, and roll-out fully the excise tax stamp project. The main responsibilities of the tax administration, Mrs Quartey explained, is to administer tax laws fairly and impartially and also minimise the cost and burden on taxpayers in complying with their tax obligations. Concerns have later been raised as to how Government will be swift in retrieving the said amount. But speaking to the media at the Flagstaff House on Tuesday, President Mahama noted that "On Friday, the lawyers of the company met with the Attorney General to agree on a payment plan to refund what has been discussed as the excess. So the Attorney General will go ahead and take that." Background It emerged in December 16, 2015 that a pro-forma invoice dated 17th July 2015, and signed by the Accounts Officer of Smarttys Management and Productions and copied to the Ministry of Transport, put the total cost of branding for each bus at Ghc30,420.00. The minority leader drew the speaker's attention to an item in the accounts of expenditures made from the petroleum revenues fund by the Ministry of Transport in 2015 which had to do with the amounts spent on branding 116 Metro Mass Transit buses. Transport Minister, Dzifa Attivor subsequently resigned following the revelation that her Ministry had spent GHC 3.6 million on re-branding 116 buses. Referring to the 2015 Annual Report on the Petroleum Revenues Fund, the Ministry of Transport spent GHC31,000 on branding the images of eight former presidents on each Metro Mass Transit bus. President Mahama who made this known during his address to the media on Tuesday said "One of the most recalcitrant culprits for non-payments is government institutions. Government institutions have come to the belief that because they are with government you can't cut them off. Meanwhile, in the budget that are approved for government institutions, electricity and utility bills are provided for." The president added that "we need to repackage all these things so that we have sustainable power." President Mahama further indicated that the country is close to solving the load shedding problem which is having a toll on businesses and individuals. "What I intend to do is to fix the problem. One of the major sectors that takes a lot of my time and attention is the Power Sector. We are close as we are to solving the problem of dumsor. Information gathered shows that government is considering privatizing the company due to poor service. The ECG would be privatised by March or June 2016 year depending on the private takeover option the government chooses. Read more: Dumsor to worsen as ECG sheds 600 MW of power The government of Ghana is considering two privatisation preferences partial privatisation or a concession contract as it weighs measures to attract investment in the state-owned power distribution company. But President John Mahama in a media interaction on Tuesday at the Flagstaff House said "ECG is not being privatised." His comments follows claims by workers of the power distribution company suggesting that government has received some $500 million from an American company as part payment for the sale of the company. He said "We are inviting private involvement so we have independent power producers coming in adding that "We are fortifying the power sector most in terms of generation and distribution." As part of efforts to end dumsor, President Mahama said "...We need to forecast our demand and plan generation to be in tune with our growth...one of the major sectors that take my time and attention is the power sector... we have made a great effort and as close as we are at solving dumsor, we still have a gab. See also: MiDA denies concessional arrangement over ECG privatisation This follows fears by some Ghanaians that the presence of the two poses a threat to the country's security. The two ex-detainees, Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby, arrived in Ghana on Thursday January 7, 2016 for a two-year stay as part of a deal reached between the United States of America and the Government of Ghana. In a statement signed by its President Most reverend Joseph Osei-Bonsu Tuesday, the Bishops said the decision to accept the ex-inmates is "wrong and dangerous". It said, "Our Government should not take the citizens of this country for a ride by acting in ways that can have serious consequences on the nations safety and security. Ghana has been open to receiving refugees in the past but these two men are not in this category. We think that they are not refugees but time-bombs and so Government should do all it can to send them back as soon as practicable." Read below the full statement ACCEPTING FORMER GUANTANAMO BAY PRISONERS IN GHANA: WRONG AND DANGEROUS Preamble We, the members of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, have received news of the transfer of two former Guantanamo Bay prisoners, namely, Mahmoud Omar Mohammed Bin Atef (36 years) and Khalid Shayk Mohammed (34 years) to Ghana with great distress and sadness and wish to call on our Government to act responsibly and in the interest of the nation by sending these men back to wherever they came from. Having learnt that of these two former prisoners, Mahmoud Bin Atef fought for the late Osama Bin Laden at one time, while Khalid Shayk Mohammed is known to have trained with the terrorist group, Al Qaeda, we wish to pose these questions, among others, for our Governments response: What is their mission here in Ghana? Does their presence not constitute or pose a clear danger to us? If indeed these two persons are harmless and if they have been cleared of any terrorist act by the US Government, as our Government and the US Government and some others want us to believe, why were they not sent back to Yemen or Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan where they come from or taken to the USA which found them harmless? Did our representatives in Parliament discuss the merits and demerits of their resettlement here in Ghana? We need urgent answers to these and other questions because we think that their presence clearly poses a threat to Ghana. Our Government should not take the citizens of this country for a ride by acting in ways that can have serious consequences on the nations safety and security. Ghana has been open to receiving refugees in the past but these two men are not in this category. We think that they are not refugees but time-bombs and so Government should do all it can to send them back as soon as practicable. Upsurge of Terrorist Activities in the World Over the past years, we have witnessed the upsurge of many terrorist groups wreaking havoc on innocent people in many places of the world. Today, the problems caused by such groups as those in the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq, Boko Haram in Nigeria and Cameroun, Al- Shabab in Somalia and Kenya, Houthi rebels in Yemen, to mention but a few, are evident for all to see. The recent terrorist attacks in France, Mali and other countries cannot escape our attention. We have reports of the movement of Boko Haram fighters across parts of West Africa, looking for places to pitch camp. This and other reports should make Ghana reflect soberly on how to tighten our nations borders and security to ensure that we do not fall victim to the attacks of these terrorist groups in the near future. The acceptance of two former prisoners of Guantanamo Bay Camp is surely not a good move in the effort to secure the security of the nation. Ghanas Security in Election Year Read more: In the lead up to elections this year, the security of our nation is going to be put to a severe test once again. We must understand that Ghana is not immune to the attacks of potential external terrorist forces. Yet, internal issues can make our country susceptible to such attacks. The Honourable Minister of Interior, Mr. Mark Woyongo, has mentioned that Brong Ahafo, for example, is a hotspot due to the challenges the people are facing in the aftermath of the closure of some financial institutions there. We still have security challenges in places like Bimbilla, Yendi, Alavanyo-Nkonya, and other places because of land and chieftaincy disputes. We have witnessed and continue to witness inter-party and intra-party violence and chaos. This year is an election year and we expect our Government to focus a lot of attention on helping to secure peace and security in the country by dealing with the above-mentioned and related challenges and not to risk the security of our land by hosting two former terrorists. This is why we think sincerely and honestly that to have two ex-prisoners of very dangerous backgrounds walking freely on our land is a wrong move and wish to call on Government to repatriate them as soon as practicable. Conclusion We call on Parliament, Religious Leaders, chiefs, opinion leaders and civil society organisations interested in the security of Ghana to speak against this unilateral decision of the Government to accept these ex-prisoners to Ghana and to advise the Government to do all it can to send these men back to wherever they came from. We expect our Government to heed our humble call, if it is indeed a listening Government. SIGNED BY MOST REV. JOSEPH OSEI-BONSU BISHOP OF KONONGO-MAMPONG & PRESIDENT GHANA CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE According to Mahama, "There is no monetary consideration. The US would have disclosed it. What they are saying on social media, is absolutely untrue that I collected 300 million." Some Ghanaians have allayed fears over the presence of the two Guantanamo Bay prisoners whith some saying they pose a threat to the country's security. But President Mahama addressing the media on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 said excessive consultation was done both internally and externally before the transfer was approved. "Ghana did a risk assessment after the US made the request for Ghana to take them. These were low-risk people who were picked when they were 20 years old. There was no evidence that they could be charged. Ghana is not the only country that is an ally of the US. "In 2003, US approached us as an ally to signed a non-surrender treaty not to send US suspects to International Criminal Court for prosecution." He said he will not jeopardize the countrys security. "What you should fear is what you dont know" adding that Ghanaians should fear road accidents than the detainees. The countries that have the largest database of persons perceived to be terrorist. Ghana is benefiting from the partnership with the US because we can get advanced information on terror suspects being tracked by international intelligence. For his heroism and sheer bravado that foiled an attempted robbery of a saleswoman of Koala Supermarkets at Cantonments in Accra last Saturday, a taxi driver from the government as a reward. DKM MICROFINANCE BOSS, 3 OTHERS ARRESTED The Director of DKM Microfinance Company, Martin K. Delle, is in the custody of the Bureau of National Investigation for allegedly misappropriating funds of his clients. NURSES, TEACHERS PICKET AT FLAGSTAFF HOUSE, EDUCATION MINISTRY Fifteen nurses and 14 teachers have been arrested for picketing at the Flagstaff House and embarking on a demonstration at the Ministry of Education, respectively, to press home their demand for employment. BNI ARREST 4 MICROFINANCE OPERATORS The Bureau of National Investigations is holding four operators of a microfinance company in the Brong Ahafo Region where customers' monies have been locked up for months. MINISTER IN 1M HOT WATERS The Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Haruna Iddrisu, has been put on the spotlight over an unusual amount of 1 million he used to fund a conference in Switzerland. BRAVE TAXI DRIVER GRABS CAR, HOUSE The heroic action of a taxi driver, which led to the arrest of two suspected armed robbers who attempted to bolt with their booty after shooting a staff of Koala Supermarket, has attracted a presidential goodwill. CORRUPTION GALORE IN GNAT: EXECUTIVES FEED FAT ON POOR TEACHERS' CONTRIBUTIONS The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), an institution which is expected to protect the interest of the country, appears to be feeding fat on the contributions of the poor teachers whose interest they profess to be protecting. 15 NURSES ARRESTED FOR UNLAWFUL PICKETING Fifteen unemployed nurses are in the grips of the police for not following due process in an attempt to find out why a promise made to them by Vice President, Kwesi Amissah Arthur has not been fulfilled. WE WILL DELIVER CREDIBLE ELECTIONS IN GHANA - EC Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei, has given the assurance that the Commission would be delivering credible elections in this year's presidential and parliamentary polls. OUT OF $23B FROM GOLD, GHANA GETS 7% The country earned $1.7 billion, roughly 7 percent, in taxes and royalties out of a total $23 billion, which is the value of gold produced in the study by the Africa Centre for Energy Policy has shown. ECOWAS RENEWS SINGLE CURRENCY PROMISE The Deputy governor of the Bank of Ghana, Millison Narh says the West African Monetary Agency (WAMA) must double its efforts to achieve a single currency for the sub-region, after a ban on its international conference in the wake of Ebola crippled operations of the Monetary Agency. 15 GRADUATE NURSES HELD..14 teachers also grabbed for picketing govt house British murderer for court today Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! This was after earlier reports which indicated that the Minister had allegedly requested an amount of GH129,089 from the YEA on 17th March 2015 and GH900, 7545.68 on 12 May 2015 for travels to ILO meetings in Geneva, Switzerland. The Minister had subsequently denied reports that the ministry spent over GHc1 million Cedis it borrowed from the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) solely on travel expenses for international conferences. According to Haruna Iddrisu, part of the amount was used to offset Ghana's annual ILO and ARLAC subscriptions. He believed that the documents in the media about his financial demands from the YEA were all leaked by the Former Chief Executive of Youth Employment Agency Vincent Kuagbenu. But, in an interview with Accra-based Joy FM, Vincent Kuagbenu said the accusations are false. I am not a coward to leak public information to the media. I dont do that. I take serious exceptions to the statement from the minister. I dont engage in crap. I dont engage people to do media work. I am not from Tamale South [the Ministers constituency], I come from the Volta region. I am not aspiring for any office that he is interested in. I dont cross him in anyway, he said. Earlier reports had indicated that the Minister had allegedly requested an amount of GH129,089 from the YEA on 17th March 2015 and GH900, 7545.68 on 12 May 2015 for travels to ILO meetings in Geneva, Switzerland. The Minister had subsequently denied reports adding that part of the amount was used to offset Ghana's annual ILO and ARLAC subscriptions. In a statement signed on January 12, 2016 by the Ministry of Employment, the Minister, Haruna Iddrisu said "For 2016, an amount of GH2millon has been budgeted for the Ministry. "The Ministry of Employment Labour Relations (MELR) had requested the Ministry of Finance to reimburse the MELR for the Pre-financed activities." Below is the full statement: The Ministry for Employment and Labour Relations (MELR) exercises oversight supervision over the Youth Employment Agency. In all, for 2014 and 2015 the total receipts from the Agency to the Ministry stands at One Million and Twenty-Nine Thousand, Eight Hundred and Thirty-Five Ghana Cedis (GH1,029,835.00). However, part of the expenditure was vired, contingent on the expectation of some payments and releases from the Ministry of Finance. This is in accordance with the Financial Administration Regulation (FAR) 2004 (LI 1802). For 2016, an amount of GH2millon has been budgeted for the Ministry. The Ministry of Employment Labour Relations (MELR) had requested the Ministry of Finance to reimburse the MELR for the Pre-financed activities. Finally it must be put on record that no vehicles have been purchased by the YEA for use by the Ministry. Signed: Haruna Iddrisu (MP) A statement issued and signed by Acting General Secretary, John Boadu on Monday, said "It cannot be in the interest of good governance that such critical matters should be agreed to by Government on the blind side of the people in whose midst these former terrorist detainees are supposed to live. The proverbial Ghanaian hospitality should not be put at such risk." Below is the full statement: NPP DEMANDS ACCOUNTABILITY FROM GOVERNMENT OVER GUANTANAMO DETAINEES The New Patriotic Party (NPP) shares the deep anxiety and fears of the Ghanaian people over the resettlement of the two former Guantanamo terrorist detainees - Mahmud Umar Muhammed Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammed Salih Al-Dhuby-in Ghana. We are concerned that the decision was made without any consultation whatsoever with Parliament, political parties and other stakeholders. The conduct of the Government raises a number of important questions and we join the Ghanaian people in demanding answers to the following pertinent questions in the spirit of full disclosure. 1. What foreign policy considerations went into the decision to resettle the detainees? 2. Why was the agreement to resettle the detainees in Ghana shrouded in secrecy? 3. Why was Parliament not informed, especially since the issue touches on and concerns terrorism and national security? 4. Why has Government chosen to ignore the relevant provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act (Act 762) which clearly frowns on the admission of suspected terrorists into Ghana? Section 35(1) of Act 762 states as follows: "The director of immigration or an officer authorised by the director shall not grant an endorsement or authority to permit a person to enter this country if there is reasonable ground to suspect that the person IS, WILL OR HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE COMMISSION OF A TERRORIST ACT!" 5. Why has the Government not disclosed the terms of agreement, nature and full extent of the consideration received in exchange for resettling the detainees? 6. Why is the Government hiding the true violent and dangerous profiles of the two detainees, as disclosed in official US Government information portals, from the Ghanaian people? 7. Why is Government straining to paint a picture of the two detainees as harmless misunderstood and wrongly detained persons? 8. Why did Government smuggle the detainees into Ghana only to give the impression that they were yet to arrive? It cannot be in the interest of good governance that such critical matters should be agreed to by Government on the blind side of the people in whose midst these former terrorist detainees are supposed to live. The proverbial Ghanaian hospitality should not be put at such risk. Signed The claim that the names of over 76, 000 Togolese are found in the voters register of Ghana, particularly in the Volta Region, seems to be devoid of the realities of life on the ground. From this angle, the claim is spurious at best, if not devious and deceitful in intent and purpose. In pursuance of these, the leadership of NPP upon several attempts landed on attacking the integrity of the nations electoral system immediately after their baseless argument in the Supreme court of Ghana. The first phase of this was when NPP attacked the personality of the EC appointed by President John Mahama in line with the full provisions of our Constitution. Some allegations by the NPP were: The EC will be partial and favour NDC in the execution of her mandate which contradict the independenct of the commission. However NPP was unable to effectively push forward these argument due to lack of strong evidence to support their irrelevant claims. Upon realising the weakness of their above argument, they quickly resorted to the issue of the voters register. The failed leadership of the NPP, frustrated followers and other disappointed members of the party are demanding and pressuring the Electoral Commission of Ghana to rely on their baseless research with a misplaced methodology to change the entire voters register under duress to their benefits. Currently, everything is being done haphazardly with a lot of cards being issued by different institutions for identification. But the national identification card, according to law, should be the card used for every transaction that requires identification. As it stands, every Ghanaian who is over 18 years of age has at least five functioning identification cards. There is the voters identification card, the drivers licence, bank card (ATM), passport and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) card. A few lucky ones also have the National Identification Authority (NIA) card, which is supposed to be a uniformed card that serves as the national ID. The question is why have all these cards not been harmonised to give the Ghanaian citizen a unique security card which can be accessed by all, be it the bank, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), police, hospitals and can as well be used as a voter ID? Members of the NPP party are still struggling to find the cause of the partys excruciating defeats in the last two presidential elections. Read also: Nana Addo has been blamed by some stalwarts as the partys biggest problem with some saying the biggest opposition party could have avoided the repeated defeat it suffered at elections if the partys twice defeated presidential candidate was changed. The NPP must focus on helping the EC in cleaning up the register and unite the party to wrestle power from the insensitive, incompetent NDC government in 2016, rather than shouting about a new voters' register. President John Mahama who announced this in Accra at the Flagstaff House noted that the fight against corruption must take a multi-agency effort, not the concern of one single organisation. He said the Attorney General's department is working hard to retrieve the money that has been lost in corruption scandals stating that the "AG has saved Ghana hundreds of millions of dollars, as part of judgement debt, in defending us." Corruption in Ghana is not just a mere perception but inherently pervasive in the country as evidenced by the recent expose by ace journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas which has resulted in the dismissal of 20 Judges and the controversial re-branding of 116 Metro Mass Transit buses at the value of GHC 3.6 million. This is the result of a monthly sectoral meeting attended by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, held at the headquarters of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). The meeting was the first of its kind, seen as part of the conscious efforts of the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to power shortages that have plagued the country. Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Louis Edozien, stated that the meeting was called to ascertain the level of compliance with contractual agreements in the sector. He said, This meeting is supposed to be a follow-up on our entering into a Transitional Electricity Market where everybody behaves in a contractual manner. So, we thought it expedient to invite the leadership of the operators of the industry to examine all the constraints we are experiencing in the industry in a very focused manner so as to operate a market-driven and contract-driven industry. In a reported speech he made in Indianapolis, Donald Trump said the African continent should be recolonized for 100 years. Charly Boy recently wrote an article about this statement. A round of applause for the greatest Jackass of all Times. There is no denying that Donald Trump's actions and words have brought a more entertaining landscape to American politics that is only rivalled by Naija politics at this point. Like him or hate him (for your pocket), this man no send una. Who could have guessed Trump's longevity in American politics, with his put-outs and the notorious words that roll out of his mouth!? In September 2015 I did a piece on Trumpology. At the time, I waited for the Republicans to say his famous line "you are fired" for him to sooner-than-later bow out of the White House race. But what did we get? Trump ruling the polls, networks, blogs, social media and all, hyping the same garbage Donald's been dishing out. After staying glued to CNN for the past 5months, I am no longer fazed by Donald's constant moronic statements..."All Mexicans are rapist and murderers", "All Muslims are terrorists", "All Migrants are suicide bombers, Africans are lazy, like to only make love and steal" His vile verbal and racist assault is endless and yet unrivaled. \ Naijas are currently vexing, boiling over in anger following Donald's recent miss-yarns against the black race: Look at African countries like Kenya for instance; those people are stealing from their own government and go to invest the money in foreign countries" Truth hurts. Isn't this the norm with most of our yahoo yahoo rifrafs called leaders? It doesn't matter if the JACKASS is taking a swipe at Obama because he's from Kenya. Trump was reported to have said in Indianapolis, U.S. that African Americans were lazy and that Africa needed re-colonisation for 100 years. Now tell me, with the rate of detoriation of the biggest black nation in the world, are we not beating a retreat to prehistoric times? Donald Trump said... "How do you trust even those who have run away to hide here in the United States, Hiding behind education? I hear they abuse me in their blogs but I don't care because even the Internet they are using is ours and we can decide to switch it off from this side. These are people who import everything, including matchsticks." As painfully true as this is, can you blame Donald for his verbal missiles, Is this not our current situation? A country that consumes everything and produces nothing. I guess Donald is washing our dirty linen in public and we deserve it. When some of our deceitful leaders have destroyed education in this country, where do we turn to? So much shit is coming out of this guy's mouth that I wonder what comes out of his ass. Donald will say anything just to get a reaction, forget about the concept of decency. Try talking policies or anything intellectual count the mother f...ker out. My guts feeling tells me that Donald is being a Jackass/Comedian on propose. The bigger plan is yet to unfold, or is he only having a ball, engaging in masturbation?I see his verbal assault as a strategy; it smells too Naijaish. He may not really have his eyes on the White House per say, but something about making more bucks because he speaks freely what an alarming silent majority feel but won't dare say. I dey look dem! Nonesense. New reports say Deadline's report is shady since no meeting was scheduled between Penn and Baghdadi. Its alleged that the Hollywood trade site's source was a fake New Yorker article by satirist Andy Borowitz. Borowitz is the author of a column called the "Borowitz Report," which features articles that lampoon actual current events with an absurdist twist. READ MORE: ISIS Recruited Muslims say they would rather watch Star Wars than fight in Syria Penn did in fact meet with Mexican drug lord El Chapo last October for an interview that was published in Rolling Stone on Saturday, January 9. A day prior, El Chapo was caught by the Mexican government, which claimed Penns interview helped lead to the drug kingpins capture. In his satirical piece, Borowitz joked that al-Baghdadi felt his meeting with Penn was no longer prudent following El Chapos arrest, and that the actor-director was disappointed because he had already purchased brand new desert-camo attire in preparation for the meeting. The humorist then cracked that the ISIS leader was still an enormous fan of Penn, and even loved that [movie] he did with Madonna." Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! According the Punch, Tiamiyu who was paraded by the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Muyiwa Adejobi, at the commands headquarters in Eleweran, Abeokuta, further confessed that he personally murdered five people during his reign of terror. Tiamiyu, who said he was popularly called Butcher due to his brutality, said the murders he took part in happened during reprisals on members of a rival group, the Eiye Confraternity. Adejobi said the suspect was arrested on Oreagba Street, Ondo Road, in the Ijebu Ode area on Sunday, January 3, 2016, after the Command had declared an all out war on cultism and cultists in the state. The suspect, a drop out of the Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic, Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State, also confessed that he had sold several guns to cult members in his former school, and Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, including buyers from Lagos. The late Xiaoguo is reported to have left a heart breaking suicide note which she addressed to her family, following her death by suicide. According to reports, the motes were words of encouragement, urging her family to hang on to hope in the face of her suicide, after which she reportedly jumped off the roof of the building she had lived in with her aunt. Daily Record reports that 15-yr-old Xiaoguo, had before her death, lived with an aunt in Changzi County, North Shanxi Province, following her parents divorce. Xiaoguo's aunt, simply identified as Lv, is reported to have revealed that her father came around the house frequently, asking to take his daughter back home with him for "a few day." Speaking on the circumstances surrounding the death of her niece, she said: Xiaoguo left with him, but reportedly returned to her aunt "acting strangely" and had no appetite." Following a lot of prodding by Lv, after noticing her strange behaviour since returning from her visit with her father, Xiaoguo finally opened up to her aunt that her father had sexually assaulted her, raping her twice. Lv reportedly called the police following the revelation, and Xiaoguo's father was immediately arrested. Unfortunately, a few days following her father's arrest, a traumatised and distraught Xiaoguo reportedly jumped off the 36 storey high-rise residential building, leaving behind a number of suicide notes. Xiaoguo writing in one of her suicide notes, said: Many things require no explanation. I didnt want to tell you these secrets because I was afraid youd lose hope and want to give up on me. Im sure you will be disappointed, but I hope you will not despair. Please burn my body and let my ashes be washed away by the sea. "I've always hated lying; it's a shameful act. Even white lies are sometimes unforgivable. I should not have existed in this world; I have no right to say or do anything. Thank you. Sorry. "Death is just another beginning; I chose to forget because it pains me (this is a mistake). "Thank you. Sorry. Guilt. Regret." Xiaoguos father is reportedly being held by the police following the rape and molestation charges of a minor, while he awaits trial. The accused, a trader who lives at 9, Jamolaya St., Abule Egba, a suburb of Lagos, is facing a charge of defilement. The Prosecutor, Insp. Benedict Eigbokhon, told the court that the offence was committed between April 4 and December 2015 at the accused residence. Eigbokhon told the court that the victim, a 10-year-old girl, was living with her father since her mother had married another man. "The girl was supposed to have gone to spend her holidays with her mother but when the mother did not see her, she went to lodge a complaint at the Welfare Office in Alausa, Ikeja. Eigbokhon said that the accused was handed over to the police for prosecution. The prosecutor said that the offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. The accused pleaded not guilty. The chief magistrate, Mr Tajudeen Elias, granted the accused bail in the sum of N1 million with two sureties in like sum. Elias ordered the accused to pay N200, 000 into the registrar's account as part of the bail condition. 23-yr-old Chidiebere Udeze is alleged to have presented Salisu Dan-Fulani to the victim, Wisi Awoloto who had earlier imported bicycles worth N2.2m. Udeze is reported to have pleaded with Awoloto, asking for the bicycles to be released to him on credit to Dan-Fulani on his behalf with a promise to pay at a much later date. The transaction is said to have taken place at Jenon Plaza located at the Alaba International market, where Udeze and his accomplice are reported to have met up with Awoloto. The bicycles were released to Udeze, which he in turn pretended to have taken to the Northern part of Nigeria to sell, at the time of the transaction, sometime in 2015. Sadly, Awoloto revealed that Udeze neither returned nor made any attempts to pay the money owed to him. After the matter had been reported to the police, they had successfully trailed ad arrested Udeze around Idimu area of Lagos State. Udeze reportedly told the police at the Area M Command that Dan-Fulani had disappeared after taking the bicycles to the north with a promise to sell and return the money owed. The suspect following his arrest, was charged to court, where he pled not guilty to the charges. Udeze was reportedly granted bail of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum, meanwhile he is to remain in jail till he is able to perfect his bail. But the affair has not gone down with Jackson's father, Ray, who has reportedly vowed to kill Moyo. She told the police: Ray Jackson who is Daytons father told my landlord that he will douse me with acid if I continued seeing his daughter. As a result, I am now scared. I live in constant fear. The threats, according to the reports, came after the lesbian lovers were caught pants down making love on December 26, 2015, at a house in Mtapa suburb, Gweru. A source said: Jackson came to Gweru on Christmas Day with all her clothes and told her uncle that she had left her husband. Moyo and Jackson were later caught having sex. Moyo told MyZimbabwe how she met Jackson whom she calls the 'love of her life', who also showed interest in her. I once stayed with Jacksons uncle who offered me a job soon after I was released from Midlands Childrens Home, that is how I met her. When they offered to help me, they were told about my homosexuality and they still agreed. Jackson lured me with her suggestive moves until I decided to propose to her and she agreed. But their affair met resistance from the onset after Daytons father stumbled on raunchy pictures of the two women. We ran out of luck when her father saw pictures of us kissing in my phone. Since then, he knew something was going on between us and he wants to make sure that we separate. Jackson was married off to a man so as to stop the homosexual lifestyle she was getting into but she soon left her husband to be with Moyo. Moyo continued: Jackson came to my home with her bags saying she no longer wanted to stay with her husband but she wanted to stay with me. She also brought a laptop which she had stolen from her husband." Moyo who was arrested and detained after they were caught having sex, says she is not happy that she was the only one detained while her lover was allowed to go back to her family. "I know homosexuality is not allowed in the country but its only fair that she gets arrested as well because we are in this together, besides its something that I had no control of. I love her and she loves me as well, so I will not leave her because of her father. What surprises me is that I had to endure two nights in the police cells while Jackson was home with her parents. She admitted in front of her parents that we are in a relationship but she was never put behind bars." This was after Miss Nandi Audu, preparing for wedding in February, reportedly died of Lassa fever on Jan. 9 at Lakowa Hospital, Mangu. Chairman of the council, Mr Titus Bise, who disclosed this in Mangu on Tuesday, said 15 persons, including the medical personnel who attended to the lady, were under surveillance to avoid spread of the disease. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that those quarantined included her family members, friends and medical personnel, who attended to her in the hospital. A reliable source told NAN on condition of anonymity that other patients ran away when news of the deceaseds ailment filtered out in the hospital. "We learnt that the victim took ill shortly after her return from her village, Ting, where she spent the Christmas and New Year holidays with her loved ones, the source said. Bise described the incident as a "very unfortunate and disturbing development." The chairman said a sample of her blood was taken and sent to Owerri in Imo for laboratory test. Bise said it was the laboratory test that confirmed that she suffered from Lassa fever. "Thank God, the World Health Organisation has assisted us with some drugs and facilities to curb and contain any spread of the disease. "We have deployed a team of medical personnel in the community to sensitise the people on the dangers of the disease and the precautionary measures to be taken to avoid being infected, he said. He called on the community to desist from eating rats or having any form of contact with them, so as to avoid being infected by the deadly disease. "People should immediately report to the nearest clinic or hospital around them whenever any person has either severe cough or fever or any other symptom of the disease for medical attention. He called on the Federal and State Governments, corporate bodies as well as international organizations, to come to the aid of he council in fighting the spread of the disease. Mr Stephen Jings, Chairman, Management Committee, Pankshin Local Government of Plateau, on Tuesday denied any reported case of Lassa fever in the area. NAN reports that the Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr Kuden Kamshak, had at a news conference on Monday mentioned two unconfirmed cases of Lassa fever in Pankshin. The commissioner had said one person died of the disease in Mangu Local Government and other cases in Lantang South, Jos North, Shendam and Pankshin areas. "As the Chairman of Pankshin Local Government, I have not heard of any such incident in our clinics or hospitals. "We have invited all our medical personnel to inquire and checked all our medical centres, especially PHC and other private clinics and hospitals, but nothing like such a report. "In fact, our medical personnel are on alert; right now there is nobody that is found ill or showed any of the symptoms of the disease, Jings asserted.Jings said he would follow up with the commissioner to find out where he got the information. Mrs Rebecca Gogwe, the councils Director of Health, described the report as nothing but a rumour, as we dont have any such case in Pankshin at all. Gogwe said the council had started campaign on the dangers of eating rats or coming in contact with rats at this time. "People should report to the nearest health clinic or health centre whenever they notice any serious fever or cough so as to save their lives. "People should stop eating rats at this period when bushes are being burnt in preparation for the next raining season, Jings added. The governor disclosed this on Tuesday in Katsina, while receiving an interim report of the states Economic and Investment Summit committee. Masari said that his administration would continue to promulgate policies that would improve the living conditions of the people and urged the committee to involve local, small and medium-scale businesses in its activities. Earlier, the Chairman of the Committee, Alhaji Ibrahim Tukur, said that the theme of the summit was unlocking the investment potential for sustainable development. Tukur said that the committee identified agri-business, power, solid minerals, property development and tourism as potential investment sectors that the state had. He further revealed that the committee would discuss with investors from countries like U.S.A., UK, Brazil, China, India, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Republic, among others. Leadership Newspapers reports that eight villagers escaped with serious injuries. Musa Tela, an eye witness, while narrating the incident, said the terrorists burnt houses belonging to some prominent members of the village. Leadership also reports that House of Representatives member, Hon Adamu Kamale said We are in mourning now, they slaughtered six people ,eight others seriously injured. The fact that our area share borders with Sambisa forest and Cameroon republic should have been enough reason why government must deploy security personnel to protect us. If the government does not take proactive measures to stem the ugly insurrection, they will kill all of us. The number of soldiers deployed is grossly inadequate, we need more security personnel as our villages share borders with Sambisa forest. He said the fake sect members were paid millions of dollars to secure the release of the Chibok girls. Adesina also said We need to know a little bit of what happened behind the scenes between the last government and some people masquerading as the leadership of Boko Haram, who wanted to get the Chibok girls released. They actually turned it into a franchise, it became a commercial thing and they got money, possibly in millions of dollars, only for the government to discover it had been deceived. Adding that They kept saying they could get the girls released; they could interface with Boko Haram and they went laughing all the way to the bank with all that money, and nothing happened. So you should understand why this government is being careful and the President has said the genuineness of the leadership of Boko Haram must be determined before any negotiation takes place, Adesina said. He also added that their level of involvement in the sect will also be verified, before any talks will commence. Over 200 girls were kidnapped from the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno state, by suspected Boko Haram members on April 15, 2014. The NBC under Mba is said to have illegally sold a public broadcasting spectrum worth N34 billion to a telecoms company without properly accounting for the money, according to Vanguard. The EFCC has reportedly been investigating the NBC for about a month after the commissions name appeared frequently in the ongoing $2.1 billion arms deal fraud probe. Yes, he (Mr. Mba) is with us. We are investigating massive diversion of public funds and were making progress. Mba definitely has questions to answer, an EFCC source told Premium Times. An official of the NBC also spoke to Vanguard on the EFCC investigation. The EFCC came back to NBC on Friday after their first visit on Monday but I do not know the details of what they came for but I am aware that it was not unconnected with the ongoing arms cash investigation, the official said. When they came, they went straight to see our DG, who was not around but they dropped a message for him that he was wanted in EFCC office. Today, I have been trying to get information about the whereabouts of the DG because he is not in the office now. I dont know the details of the matter. I suspect that the EFCC might have resorted to interrogate the DG because they felt that person they met last week didnt have the right information they are looking for. The office has been very quiet since morning. Like I told you, they are still investigating the financial transaction they saw in the account of the company they are investigating in connection with Dasukigate, the official added. The $2.1 billion fraud is alleged to have been supervised by former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki. Dasuki was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) on December 1, 2015 and handed over to the EFCC the day after. The former NSA is reported to have implicated several prominent persons in the deal including former governors, ex-ministers and members of the PDP. Dasukis lawyer however denied the report that his client had become an informant while the former NSA said that Jonathan was aware of the transactions he had made. Jonathan has however denied authorizing the release of the stated funds despite the former NSAs claim that he got the necessary presidential approval for the transactions. He said he is lucky to be the one leading the EFCC out of more than 170 million Nigerians. There is too much talk about corruption fighting back, of course corruption would fight back, you dont expect to fight somebody all the time without him fighting back, Magu told Channels Television. He continued: But we are resolved, we are determined to win this fight and Nigeria has about one hundred and something, over 170 million Nigerians. If I am opportune to drive this thing and in the process I happen to go with it, so be it. I am, we are ready. We are determined to fight this fight to finish. There are series of allegations. For instance, the case of NIMASA of N2 billion initially, we took him to court and later on, we realised that he had another matter that he siphoned out of public funds, about N34 billion. We carry out background investigation, preliminary investigation very thoroughly. We might be on you and you would not know. It may be six months, sometimes 10 months. For instance, this NIMASA case, weve been on it for more than 10 months, before we began to invite people, he said. This is coming on the heels of the comment made by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Legal Adviser, Victor Kwon, accusing EFCC of partiality. In a statement reportedly released by the EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, the anti-graft agency said The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been drawn to a statement by the National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Victor Kwon, alleging compromise and political witch hunts in the release of a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Brigadier-General Jafaru Isa, (retd) by the EFCC. The statement also said While the EFCC will not wish to join issues with Kwon in this regard, it is important that the public is presented with the facts regarding the release of Isa. The APC chieftain was arrested for his involvement in the arms procurement scam, to the tune of N170,000,000( One Hundred and Seventy Million Naira). Upon his arrest, the retired General admitted receiving the said sum from Dasuki and immediately refunded a total sum of N100,000, 000( One Hundred Million Naira only), with an undertaking to refund the balance of N70,000,000( Seventy Million Naira only) in two weeks. Besides, his health deteriorated after he was taken into custody. These two factors prompted the offer of bail to the suspect. Metuh was arrested on January 5, 2016, in connection with the ongoing investigation of the $2.1 billion arms deal fraud which was allegedly supervised by Dasuki. From the records, Metuh got over N400 million, he has not said anything because we need the public money to be returned so that its going to be used for public good, EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu disclosed during a meeting with online media publishers in Lagos on Monday, January 11. Also Jafaru Isa, what Dasuki gave him was N170 million. He also agreedof course he has collected that money, he was with us for 4-5 days and then he made a deposit of N100 million and entered an undertaking to bring the rest. That does not mean we will not prosecute him But this other Metuh, instead of going for a refund, he has admitted he collected money. so instead of he still has the money because the money is too much. Instead of returning the money, he preferred to go on strike, Magu added. Isa, a political associate of President Muhammadu Buhari, was also arrested by the EFCC for receiving N170 million from Dasuki. Dasuki was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) on December 1, 2015 and handed over to the EFCC the day after. The former NSA is reported to have implicated several prominent persons in the deal including former governors, ex-ministers and members of the PDP. Dasukis lawyer however denied the report that his client had become an informant while the former NSA said that Jonathan was aware of the transactions he had made. Jonathan has however denied authorizing the release of the stated funds despite the former NSAs claim that he got the necessary presidential approval for the transactions. For today, Tuesday, January 12, 2016: VANGUARD NEWSPAPER Why we've not arrested Jonathan - EFCC boss The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC explained,yesterday whyit has not arrested former President Goodluck Jonathan following startling revelations on how the former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col Sambo Dasuki (retd) allegedly disbursed over $2.1 billion meant for arms purchase to various individuals. Bayelsa poll: Sylva heads for tribunal Former Bayelsa State governor and candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, in the just concluded governorship poll in the state, Chief Timipre Sylva, yesterday said he would challenge the outcome of the election in the state at the tribunal, describing the exercise as a sham. CBN stops sale of FOREX to BDCs Lagos - The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has stopped, with immediate effect, the sale of foreign exchange, FOREX, to Bureau de Change, BDCs as part of measures to reduce the pressure on the nation's foreign reserves. READ MORE: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER Arms Scandal: EFCC extends probe to ex- VP Sambo The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has extended its ongoing investigation into the $2.1 bn arms procurement scandal to the office to the office offormer Vice-President Namadi Sambo. READ MORE: I won't return N100m, Falae dares EFCC The National Chairman of the Social Democratic Part, Chief Olu Falae,on Monday said he would not return the 100m he collected from a former Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Tony Anenih, as ordered by the Economic Financial Crimes Commision. READ MORE: Switzerland to return $300m looted funds to FG The Minister of Foreign Affairs,Geoffrey Onyeama, has assured Nigerians that negotiations are ongoing with a number of countries on the modalities for the repatriation of some looted funds stashed abroad. READ MORE: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE GUARDIAN CBN releases new forex rules, ends BDCs funding A set of fresh regulations on foreign exchange (fore) saw to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday ending the programme of funding bureaux de change weekly. Swiss govt to repatriate $300 million to Nigeria Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema yesterday revealed that the government of Switzerland is currently working on modalities to repatriate another $300 million Nigerian money that was stashed away in the country,proceeds of corruption. READ MORE: Govt directs depots to sell kerosene at N73.37k per litre The nation may be enmeshed in another round of tension as the Federal Government has directed petroleum depots to sell the Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK) at N73.37k per litre from the initial price of N40.90k per litre. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE NATION NEWSPAPER No more CBN forex for BDCs Bureau de Change (BDC) operators got yesterday a piece of bad news -the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will no longer sell to them foreign exchange. READ MORE: Metuh to EFCC: I'd rather starve than to refund N400m Detectives have hit a stalemate in their bid to recover the N400million traced to a companyi n which Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesman Olisa Metuh has a stake. Ekiti, Osun 2014 polls: Military panel recommends retirement of officers The military has come down hard on its officers who were unprofessional during the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states in 2014 and in last year's general elections. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Business Day Analysts welcome CBN's review of FX market rules Financial analysts and bankers last night commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for lifting the ban on Foreign Exchange (FX) cash deposits and discontinuation of Foreign Exchange Supplies to the Bureau de Change operators. Quality of local raw materials scares manufacturers Many Nigerian manufacturers avoid using local raw materials because of their poor quality and insufficient quantity. This is why manufacturers depend heavily on imported raw materials and have struggled to survive in the last 12 months, following the Central Bank of Nigeria's (CBN) decision to impose restrictions on the foreign exchange market. Nigeria VAT collections to triple on improved compliance Prominent members of the PDPhave been arrested in connection with the funds which reportedly originated from the office of the former National Security Officer, Sambo Dasuki. Punch Newspapers reports that the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Alhaji Abdulahi Jalo asked Jonathan to tell Nigerians if he truly approved the sharing of the loot. Jalo said As all of you know, no single kobo can be spent by the Federal Government without an act of the National Assembly. Money earmarked for arms purchase, some people diverted it to something else. So many people that you cannot even expect were involved. Now, darkness has come to light. Adding that Jonathan is alive, he should clarify whether he asked the National Security Adviser to divert money meant to fight Boko Haram into his campaign. Im from the North-East and I know the terrible security situation our people are facing there. The money was meant to fight Boko Haram, and we all know that you cant rule without peace. Now darkness has given way for the light. Jalo also said it was not only members of the PDP that shared from the arms purchase loot, citing Chief Olu Falae as an example. The arms purchase fraud was revealed by a committee set up by President Buhari to probe the purchase of arms since 2007. Leading the team of APC stalwarts was the partys national chairman, John Oyegun. The meeting is the first of its kind, since the party snatched power from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015. Channels Television reports that a party source hinted that internal party issues, implementation of the partys campaign promises, security, among others were discussed. John Odigie-Oyegun recently issued a stern warning to the PDP to stop insulting Buhari. The APC has also denied influencing Abia Court of Appeal verdict. Also, the party's governorship aspirant, Victor Olabintan was abducted on Monday, January 11, 2015, in Abuja. The PDP has consistently accused the ruling party of being selective in its war against corruption. The money is believed to be part of the $2.1 billion arms deal fund which was looted under Dasukis supervision. Metuh was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on January 5, 2016, and is still being held by the agency. The PDP spokesman is said to have refused to cooperate and instead went on hunger strike. This was disclosed by EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu during a meeting with online media publishers in Lagos on Monday, January 11. From the records, Metuh got over N400 million, he has not said anything because we need the public money to be returned so that its going to be used for public good, Magu said. Instead of going for a refund, he has admitted he collected money. so instead of he still has the money because the money is too much. Instead of returning the money, he preferred to go on strike, he added. According to a statement released on Tuesday, Jan. 12, by Mr Wilson Uwujaren, the EFCC spokesman, Metuh has refused to refund or sign an undertaking to refund the N1.2 billion linked to him in the arms scandal. Uwujaren said: The attention of the EFCC has been drawn to a statement by the National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Victor Kwon. The statement has alleged compromise and witch-hunt in the release of a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Brig.-Gen. Jafaru Isa, (rtd) by the EFCC. While the EFCC will not wish to join issues with Kwon, it is important that the public is presented with the facts regarding the release of Isa. He said Isa was arrested for his involvement in the arms procurement scam to the tune of N170 million, noting that he admitted to collecting the funds from Dasuki and immediately refunded N100 million with an undertaking to refund the balance in two weeks. The reasons above and the fact that his health deteriorated after being admitted to custody prompted the commission to offer the suspect bail. The bail granted the suspect by the commission does not amount to his exoneration in the case, the statement added. The Senate President was silent on the issue when journalists quizzed him over it at the Presidential in Abuja, where he held a closed door meeting with Buhari. Report said that Senate leader, Ali Ndume, hadannounced to senators, at a closed door session that the hard and soft copies of the N6.08 trillion 2016 budget document has gone missing. It was gathered that Saraki's meeting with the President lasted for about 30mins. Newsmen were said to have asked him about the missing budget after the meeting - to which he screamed Ha! Ha!! Ha!!! and quickly hopped into his car as the driver zoomed off. Christian and Muslim leaders are preparing for a major confrontation with governing bodies to fight the proposed laws which seeks to govern their activities. According to StandardMedia reports, the Kenyan government, through Attorney General Githu Muigai, has insisted that there is no going back on the new laws saying all stakeholders were consulted fully in the process of formulating the laws. A few of the proposed requirements have been deemed necessary to accommodate new developments and challenges of the 21st century demanding our adjustment accordingly, Muigai said. The religious leaders claim they would not allow any laws that seek to monitor their operations. Not all religious organisations are on the same page, however. According to Anglican Church of Kenya Bishop Beneah Salah, the church is not as healthy as it should be. Horrible things are happening in the church today. There is a lot of commercialisation of the gospel with this prosperity gospel, he said. The law, amongst other things, require clerics to submit certificates of good conduct and their theological training certificates are now ready for implementation. It also requires that all religious organisations submit their constitution showing statement of their doctrine of faith. The rules affect imams, pastors, rabbis and other religious leaders. All religious leaders must make a declaration of familial relations with other religious leaders and officers. In this case, officers include secretary, treasurer, trustees and committee members. Public schools in Lagos resumed for the second term of the 2015/2016 academic session, yesterday, January 11. Adebule, in a statement urged the school authorities to focus on making sure academic performance of student is up to par, justify governments huge investment in education. The Deputy Governor in statement to signify the commencement of a new academic session, noted that the objective is achievable when teachers and school administrators rededicate themselves to the ethics of the teaching profession, making education interesting and inspiring to their students, inculcating good orientation, and moral values, encouraging pupils to be hardworking and be self disciplined. According to her, We have the unique responsibility to be the prime change agents our dear state needs to become a better place to live and work. All what we need is to rededicate ourselves to the ethics of the profession and make education interesting and inspiring again, while I urge you to encourage hard work, ethical conduct and moral values." Speaking during the press briefing, the provost said: We do not condone examination malpractice. Last year alone, we expelled between 40 and 50 students due to examination malpractice. We do such exercises on yearly basis. The provost went on to reveal that the college would be graduating 13,000 students from 2007 to 2013 academic sessions this Saturday, January 16. Premium Times reports that the provost had shared that, of the graduating 13,000, 3,000 were to be awarded degrees from their affiliation with the University of Jos, while the remaining 10,000 would be awarded NCE's. Speaking on challenges the institution has had to deal with, the provost revealed that the colleges of education in Nigeria are seriously under-funded, explaining that the institution has been unable to hold it's convocation in the last 10 years due to under funding and lack of manpower. According to MainOne, the cable is an important part of the Cameroonian governments plan to provide internet access to its citizens via a national Broadband Network. TechCabal reports that the submarine cable installation commenced in June 2015, following a three-way partnership between MainOne, The ministry of Post and Telecommunication, Cameroun and Huawei Marine Networks. The Cameroonian Government also invested in the project. The cable, a six-pair, 1,100 km repeater submarine cable system, will deliver capacity of up to 12.8 Tbps to broadband users in Cameroun. The extension is expected to boost Cameroons low fixed broadband penetration, currently estimated to be at about five percent. We have seen phenomenal changes across other areas with internet infrastructure such as Lagos, Nigeria where Yabas Silicon Hub continues to provide opportunities for jobs, increased investor funding, and enhanced social entrepreneurship which is pushing the frontiers of eCommerce in Nigeria. Nigerias South-South region and Cameroun now have the platform to leverage the same quality of access to the internet to catalyze social, economic and technological development, said Kazeem Oladepo, regional executive for West Africa, MainOne. The NCSCS system enables us to provide users with faster bandwidth connectivity at a significantly lower cost. By providing direct connection to Nigeria, the cable system will also serve to enhance Cameroons position as the major bandwidth hub in the region and internationally to Europe and beyond, added David Nkoto Emane, general manager, Cameroon Telecommunications Corporation (CAMTEL). This means that there has been an additional 7,651 new domain names, compared to the 14,462names that the company recorded in 2014. According to the Nigerian Internet Registration Association (NIRA) domain report, Nigeria also recorded growth in the number of domain name renewals during the course of the outgoing year from January to December 2015. Details in the domain report include 4,859 registrations made, 3,394 portals with renewals due, while 5,107 additional portals were registered in the second quarter of the year. In the third quarter of the year, Nigeria added 6,225 domain registrations, 3,607 portal registrations and 106 transfers in the period. Founded in 2013, South Africa-based Silvertree has invested in about nine companies, including Click n Compare, Faithful to Nature, Cyber Cellar and Healthcart. The company also recently acquired PriceCheck from Naspers, putting founder Kevin Tucker back at the helm of the price comparison platform. Searching for top tier talent to invest in and work with will be a key focus for the Silvertree team in 2016, starting in South Africa, but with an eye on other emerging markets on the continent, specifically Nigeria and Kenya, says Paul Cook, Founder and MD at Silvertree, according to TechCabal. Through our operations across the continent, we are seeing first-hand that the African consumer market creates leapfrog tech opportunities that our portfolio companies, with their expertise and deep understanding of their markets, are poised to capitalise on and grow. Silvertree-owned companies are without a doubt best placed to service and grow the millions of African consumers who are migrating to online platforms, looking to source the most competitive prices for goods and services, Cook adds. Silvertrees investment target is coming off the back of a strong 2015 that saw the coming record 300% YoY growth its strongest year since it began operations in 2013. Maalik AlimJones, 31, "was charged with providing material support to al Shabaab and receiving training from the terrorist organization, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin said in a statement released by the department. Prosecutors said the suspect traveled to Somalia, received military training from al Shabaab, and took up arms as a terrorist fighter with an organization that has declared the United States a target. "Having allegedly sworn allegiance to al Shabaab, a terrorist organization bent on destroying America, Maalik Jones will now face American justice in a Manhattan federal court," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement. A lawyer for Jones was not listed in online court documents. In one, he possessed a firearm, and is seen with several al Shabaab fighters who participated in a June 2015 attack on a Kenyan Defense Force base where two Kenyan soldiers were killed, they said in a statement. The case comes just days after two men from the Middle East who came to the United States as refugees were arrested on federal terrorism charges in California and Texas last week for supporting Islamic militant groups. "Requiring the Government Accountability Office to conduct a full and independent audit of the Fed each and every year, would be an important step towards making the Federal Reserve a more democratic institution that is responsive to the needs of ordinary Americans rather than the billionaires on Wall Street," Sanders said in the statement. Ping also told Reuters in an interview he wants to make the presidency more accountable, institute term limits, and invest in health, education and infrastructure. Bongo, the son of long-ruling former president Omar Bongo who won a disputed election in 2009 after his father's death, is currently favoured to win the August election and secure a second mandate to rule the Central African oil producer. But analysts say Ping, a leading critic of the Ali Bongo, might be able to capitalise on falling oil prices and broader frustration over wealth inequality, despite the ruling PDG party's traditional advantages such as a strong patronage network. "I am committed to defending the rights of the Gabonese and I will go all the way to victory," Ping told Reuters after a meeting with supporters this weekend, announcing plans The 73-year-old one-time ally of Omar Bongo has been at loggerheads with Ali Bongo since youths attacked his house with rocks a year ago. Ping accuses a Bongo presidential aide of organising the attack, although the government has vigorously denied this and a court has since ordered Ping to pay 650 million CFA francs ($1.07 million) in damages. If elected, Ping says he would reinstate a 1991 constitution shortening the presidential mandate from seven to five years, bring in term limits and implement a two-round election system. "It is broadly accepted today that you can't have more than two mandates," said Ping. "The President should not be a demigod." Gabon's current one-round system, an exception in the Francophone countries, is seen as favouring the ruling party since it requires strong unity among the opposition from the start rather than after a first-round when the numbers running have been cut to two. Members of the United Front of the Gabonese Opposition, an alliance of Bongo opponents, could in theory still reject Ping's candidacy and some have grumbled over whatr some see as efforts to muscle his way to the top. But Roddy Barclay, head of intelligence and analysis at London-based consultancy africapractice said that was unlikely. The small former French colony is one of Africa's richest countries, producing around 230,000 barrels per day of oil and classified as an upper middle-income nation by the World Bank. However, most of the wealth is concentrated among elites. Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih al-Dhuby were transferred to Ghana after being held for more than a decade in Guantanamo, Cuba, the U.S. Defense Department and the Ghana government announced last week. A grouping of powerful Christian leaders said on Monday the men posed a security threat and should be sent back to Guantanamo, while the main opposition party, the New Patriotic Party, said the government should have consulted more widely before accepting the two men. Comments posted on social media and callers to radio phone-in shows in Ghana have also expressed widespread opposition to their arrival. President John Mahama said the men posed no threat and would be monitored. Ghana received no money for taking them but would benefit from information from the United States about people arriving in the country who could pose a security threat. "Guantanamo has been a blot on the human rights record of the world," he said, adding ensuring security was a priority for him as president. The men live on a national security compound and are accompanied by a chaperone wherever they go, he said. National security is a sensitive political issue ahead of what is expected to be a close presidential election in November at which Mahama is running for a second and final term. Ghana is a peaceful democracy but many say they are concerned about security, in part because of the relative proximity of Islamist militant group Boko Haram in Nigeria. Ghana is also a devoutly religious country and Mahama said accepting the arrival of the former detainees was in line with Christian principles. The Yemenis, who were not convicted of a crime, spoke on national radio late on Monday and said they hoped to live peacefully and rebuild their lives in the West African country. The high court left in place a December 2014 ruling by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that refused to dismiss a lawsuit against Nestle, Archer-Daniels-Midland Co and Cargill Inc filed by former victims of child slavery. The plaintiffs, who were originally from Mali, contend the companies aided and abetted human rights violations through their active involvement in purchasing cocoa from Ivory Coast. While aware of the child slavery problem, the companies offered financial and technical assistance to local farmers in a bid to guarantee the cheapest source of cocoa, the plaintiffs said. The case focused in part on how lower court judges have interpreted a 2013 Supreme Court decision that made it harder for plaintiffs to sue corporations in U.S. courts for abuses alleged to have occurred overseas. The court said the law under which the Nigerians brought the case, the 1789 Alien Tort Statute, was presumed to cover only violations of international law occurring in the United States. Violations elsewhere, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, must "touch and concern" U.S. territory "with sufficient force to displace the presumption." U.S. companies facing similar suits have had considerable success fending off such cases by citing the ruling, although judges have differed in how they have interpreted it. In the Nestle case, the appeals court said the plaintiffs could update their lawsuit to see if they could meet the higher burden required under the Supreme Court ruling. Several business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, urged the court to hear the case. Turning the ship before it hits the iceberg World class water sports hub will be developed at Rupnagar: Sports Minister All about coming up with a good plan and trying to execute it to its best: UAE's Aryan Lakra PKL 9: It's important for me to guide the youngsters in our team, says Fazel Atrachali A Davenport fire truck collided with a pickup truck Monday morning in the middle of an intersection. Two people, including one firefighter, were injured, according to a media release issued by the Davenport Police Department. Police responded to the accident at the intersection of West 3rd and Fillmore streets about 10 a.m. First responders transported the driver of a Ford F-150 to Genesis Medical Center-East Rusholme Street in Davenport for non-life threatening injuries, according to the release. A Davenport firefighter also received medical treatment for minor injuries at Genesis East. According to the release, the fire truck was traveling east on 3rd Street with its emergency lights on and sirens sounding when it struck the southbound pickup truck. Before to the crash, the fire truck had been dispatched to an EMS call. The crash remains under investigation. Eastern Iowa Community Colleges invite students to Presidents Day Visit Day on Feb. 15. The group includes Clinton, Muscatine and Scott Community Colleges. The event begins at 9 a.m. at each campus. During college tours, participants will learn about financial aid options, programs of study, housing options, clubs and activities and have the opportunity to ask questions. EICC also offers more than 30 career-education programs. The event is open to high-school students and their parents, as well as individuals who have been out of school for a number of years and are considering starting college classes for the first time. Registration is requested. For details or to register, call the college you plan to attend or visit www.eicc.edu/visit. Scott Community College, 500 Belmont Road, Bettendorf: 563-441-4000 Clinton Community College, 1000 Lincoln Blvd., Clinton: 563-244-7000 Muscatine Community College, 152 Colorado St., Muscatine: 563-288-6000. The toll-free number for all the colleges is 888-336-3907. DES MOINES Gov. Terry Branstad on Tuesday unveiled a $7.412 billion spending proposal for next fiscal year that would invest heavily in education and health care while holding most state government agencies at status-quo budgets and moving ahead with privately managed Medicaid services. The governor asked the split-control Legislature to pump an extra $146.8 million into K-12 education beginning July 1 and increase Medicaid funding by $41 million. Other budget areas that would be in line for more money included regent institutions, $8 million; community colleges, $3 million; the court system, $8 million mostly for judicial pay increases; college tuition grants, $1 million; and the legislative branch, $4 million. The budget I propose today was crafted the same way hardworking Iowans do, with a cautious eye and optimism for the future, Branstad told lawmakers during his Condition of the State address to a joint session of the 86th Iowa General Assembly. It is a tight budget, the governor added. It is a budget that will keep our state stable. The budget is balanced today and fits within our five-year projections. Branstads budget plan calls for a 3.3 percent increase in general fund spending that would draw about $35 million from surplus ending balances to fund his fiscal 2017 priorities. However, David Roederer, director of the state Department of Management, said budget-makers will be asked to provide $79 million in supplemental funds to cover a Medicaid shortfall and other costs in the current budget year that would lower next years overall boost to 2.3 percent if lawmakers authorize that spending. Rep. Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said he was anxious to dig into details of the governors spending plan, adding I dont think were as far apart as maybe we have been in the past with the governors office, with just preliminary conversations that weve had. Grassley and House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, were noncommittal on Branstads use of surplus money to balance the states fiscal 2017 general-fund ledger, noting House Republicans plan to live within an estimated $7.32 billion in ongoing revenue that allows for $153 million in spending growth in the next budget year. Its going to be a tough budget year, said Sen. Bob Dvorsky, D-Coralville, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. I think its going to be tougher than last year, but were going to have to look at it. David Roederer, director of the state Department of Management, told reporters during a budget briefing that a federal decision to move back implementation of Iowas Medicaid modernization changeover to privately managed care until March 1 cost the state $17 million and will carry a $300,000 daily price tag if there are further delays. Branstad said the move to managed care is designed to improve patient health, increase the coordination of services and control costs by saving an estimated $100 million in fiscal 2017. Otherwise, he said, the growth of Medicaid spending will consume virtually all of the states revenue growth in the coming fiscal year. Branstads budget blueprint would direct 67 percent of next years spending growth to education with K-12 schools to receive $93.4 million via a proposed 2.45 percent increase in supplemental state aid to Iowas 333 public districts and $53.3 million in education reform money for a third year. Property tax credits get 14 percent of the new money, followed by human services at 12 percent and court services 7 percent, Roederer said. The governors budget plan did not include any money for salary adjustments, although state employees will receive pay hikes as prescribed by collective bargaining agreements and executive-branch departments again will be expected to make adjustments using attrition or other means to absorb any raises within their budget areas, he added. The budget plan assumes the states cash reserve and economic emergency accounts will contain $738 million at the end of fiscal 2017 with a projected general fund ending balance of $112 million, according to Branstad administration budget documents. About 90 percent of state general-fund spending goes for K-12 school foundation aid ($3.1 billion), wages and benefits ($2.1 billion), and Medicaid ($1.3 billion). Roederer noted that the administrations budget asking seeks to couple the states tax code with federal changes (excluding business depreciation) for the 2016 tax year at a cost of about $49 million. The governor is not seeking to make tax coupling retroactive to the 2015 tax year, he added. The budget plan also calls for using about $65 million in Rebuild Iowas Infrastructure Fund (RIIF) money over five years to modernize the State Historical Building, beginning with $7.6 million next fiscal year. Branstad hopes to raise another $14 million privately to defray the projects overall cost of $79 million. WATERLOO Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton split her speech Monday afternoon between contrasting herself with Republicans and distinguishing herself from her closest Democratic primary competitor, while speaking to a crowd of 300 in Waterloo. While most of her hour-long stop focused on the differences she has with the dozen Republicans running for president though not naming anyone she particularly highlighted two key differences she has with Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders. I think its time for us to have the kind of spirited debate that you deserve us to have, Clinton said, adding, Again, were so much better than the Republicans, but we do have differences, and you deserve to know what those differences are. The former secretary of state highlighted differences on gun control and federal health care policies. Clintons singling out of the former issue came as she received endorsements Monday from former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords who suffered a gunshot wound to the head in 2011 and of Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin who was shot and killed in Florida in 2012. Clinton pointed to a 2005 vote, where as a senator, she voted against legislation that ultimately passed that protects gun manufacturers from lawsuits. Sanders voted for the bill. That was the most significant piece of legislation. They (the gun lobby) lost to my husband (President Bill Clinton) on the Brady bill and the assault weapons ban, so they came back when (George W.) Bush was president and pushed through this bill, which I think stopped a lot of creative, smart work that was being done to try to get some of these changes that the president is now calling for, Clinton told The Courier after her event. Clinton said she supports the executive orders Democratic President Barack Obama is seeking, to expand background checks and use smart technology to make guns safer. Sanders has said at events he would support changing the law he voted for in 2005, and he released a statement praising Obamas gun safety actions. Throughout her event, Clinton made clear she is passionate about the issue of gun safety, recalling the horrors victims faced in some high-profile mass shootings and airing frustrations against gun manufacturers and the National Rifle Association. Commenting on recent legal actions in Aurora, Colo., where a lawsuit from the victims families failed against the vendor of more than 4,000 rounds that were used in the 2012 movie theater shooting, Clinton said, They got it dismissed because of this law, which says you cant sue a gun maker or seller for anything, and then the NRA affiliate that was defending against this grieving family turned around and sued them for the attorneys fees. It makes me so angry. She dismissed the idea that the executive actions or any legislation violate the Constitutions Second Amendment. We have to cut through the barrage of propaganda and fear that the NRA puts out there: Theyre coming for your guns, Clinton told The Courier. Thats such nonsense. They know its nonsense, but they try to keep people all agitated, so we just have our work cut out for us. Clinton said the effort to pass any further gun safety measures would require the public speaking out as well. I believe weve got to stand with President Obama now, and build a popular outcry, so people are saying, We can do better, because you know what, we can, Clinton told the crowd to applause. On health care, Clinton said she wants to build on existing laws and described Sanders as supporting a Medicare-for-all program that would be run by states. Clinton balked at the idea of turning health care over to states with Republican governors who may not be interested in running the program. The Sanders campaign, however, said in a statement that the governors would not be able to circumvent his proposal. DES MOINES Hillary Clinton declined to pledge that as president she would not deport children brought to the U.S. illegally. And Bernie Sanders defended his 2005 vote in support of legislation that protected gun sellers from lawsuits brought forth from shootings. The frontrunners for the Democratic nomination for president were pressed on the issues Monday night on the Drake University campus during the Iowa Black & Brown Forum, which is described by organizers as the nations oldest minority issues forum. Clinton was pressed on whether she would pledge to not deport any children. Moderator Jorge Ramos asked Clinton if she would be the next deporter-in-chief, a reference to Latinos criticism of the deportation policies of President Barack Obamas administration. Clinton, who served as Obamas Secretary of State, said that she would not offer a blanket deportation rule, and that each case should be determined individually. She did promise all immigrants would be guaranteed due process. Heres what I can promise everyone will get due process, Clinton said. We have to be sensitive and humane in the application of our laws. Clintons campaign has criticized Sanders 2005 gun legislation vote. Sanders was asked Monday night if the vote was a mistake. Its not a mistake. Like many pieces of legislation, its complicated, Sanders said. Sanders explained that he believes a gun seller who legally sold a firearm should not be held accountable for someone who uses that firearm in a crime. He did say sellers who sell many guns into high-crime areas should be prosecuted. Clinton and Sanders are in a tight race in Iowa, according to polls here. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll published this weekend showed Clinton leading Sanders, 48 percent to 45 percent, within the polls margin for error. Lagging far behind in single digits is Martin OMalley, who during Tuesday nights forum insisted he will still be a player in the Democratic race. I believe the people of Iowa have a way of sorting through things, OMalley said. I believe were going to surprise a lot of people on caucus night. Latino and black Iowans expressed skepticism with candidates and elected officials from both political parties during a roundtable discussion hosted by DREAM Iowa and held earlier Monday at a local church. And there was little love for the current administration, especially over those deportations. Claudia Thrane, an activist from Des Moines, said if candidates truly want to increase minority turnout they should do more to educate potential voters, not just on the issues but on the caucus process itself. She lamented campaigns that storm Iowa once every four years but do not invest in creating supporters within minority communities. If they really want the Latinos out to caucus, you need to educate the people. You cannot come and say, Oh, its a shame that its just 1,000 that are coming out. Well, do they know how to do it? Do they know about the system? Thrane said. If I have no education (on the caucuses), I just came here to work and I dont know anything about the system, dont come and tell me that its a shame. No. Its your job to educate me (on the caucuses). Thrane, who said her years of activism have left her skeptical of political promises, said investing in minority outreach could pay huge dividends in long-term support, but she feels campaigns fail to see that potential. They spend so much money on those campaigns. They should spend some money educating these kids, educating the people. They dont do it because they dont care, Thrane said. DES MOINES Facing another tight budget, new House Appropriations Committee Chairman Pat Grassley is planning to do a line-by-line review of what he called the Legislatures annual Christmas tree bill. Grassley expects a three-member Appropriations subcommittee to begin working its way through the $3.46 billion catch-all appropriations bill lawmakers approved last spring, starting with funds budgeted for the Legislature itself. We know we have to find savings, so lets start with the low-hanging fruit, he said Monday. Democrats and Republicans are starting their scheduled 100-day legislative session about $127 million apart as they start crafting a state budget topping $7 billion. The standings bill includes K-12 school funding, but theres $500 million in other appropriations, including property tax credits, for the subcommittee to examine. Based on the Revenue Estimating Conference projections, Grassley thinks the Legislature will have $153 million in new revenue. Gov. Terry Branstad has proposed spending $145 million of that on education. Grassley has appointed his vice chairman, Rep. Ken Rizer, R-Cedar Rapids, to lead the review. If we dont have enough money for everything, we need to find where we can cut if we have to prioritize spending, Rizer said. So were going to start by reviewing the standing appropriations and ask, What was the appropriation for? and What was the purpose? and Is it still needed? Rep. Chris Hall, D-Sioux City, ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, has worked on the standings bill for the past four years, and he welcomes the review. Democrats will be glad to help, he said. Iowas budget process is honest and transparent, but its always important to review our budget and make sure were spending wisely. He warned, however, that the minority party is not interested if the review is a political maneuver by Republicans to cut spending on Democratic priorities or tax cuts that will result in underfunding state government. Rizers goal is to determine whether programs funded in the past are a good use of money and if they're working. Rizer conceded a deep dive into the standings bill may seem pretty dull. Sometimes, the sausage-making isnt sexy, but its important, he said. A roundup of legislative and Capitol news items for Monday: MINIMUM WAGE: House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, told reporters Monday that raising the states minimum wage is not an issue that majority House Republicans are talking about this session. Gov. Terry Branstad told reporters he isnt promoting a raise either, but he would consider a modest increase if legislation made it to his desk this year. Last session, the Democratic-led Iowa Senate voted 27-22 to boost the states minimum wage to $8.75 an hour by July 1, 2016, providing a 75-cent hourly raise to the current $7.25 minimum on July 1 and a second 75-cent jump one year later. But Republicans who control the Iowa House did not take up Senate File 269. The head of the Senate Labor Committee said his panel may pass the measure again this year and include an indexing provision. House Democratic Leader Mark Smith of Marshalltown said raising the minimum wage would ease the burden on working families during his opening-day floor speech. HOME BUYER TAX CREDIT: First-time home buyers in Iowa can reduce their tax bill by up to $2,000 annually with a tax credit announced Monday by Gov. Terry Branstad. Under the Take Credit program, eligible first-time home buyers may take 50 percent of their annual mortgage loan, up to $2,000 per year, for up to 30 years. The federally funded program is operated by the Iowa Finance Authority, and tax breaks will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. The program is expected this year to benefit roughly 780 Iowa home buyers to the tune of $1.5 million in tax relief. EDUCATION FUNDING: Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said his panel planned to pass a bill this year setting the increase in supplemental state aid to K-12 schools for the fiscal 2018 budget year. Quirmbach said state law requires the Legislature and governor to act in the sessions first 30 days, and Senate Democrats plan to comply with the requirement. Last week, Gov. Terry Branstad said he will not make a recommendation on how much supplemental state aid that 333 K-12 school districts should receive in the fiscal 2018 budget year when he delivers his Condition of the State address and budget plan to legislators on Tuesday. Quirmbach said Senate Democrats currently support a 4 percent boost in supplemental state aid to schools for fiscal 2017 but havent formulated their position on fiscal 2018. IOWA SENATE: Taking back control of the Iowa Senate was the top topic when Republican legislators gathered for a prayer breakfast before the start of the 2016 legislative session. I think we have the strongest slate of candidates weve ever had. Im really excited about it, said Gov. Terry Branstad, who has not had a Republican Legislature to work with since the 1997-98 General Assembly. Along with the strong slate of 2016 Senate candidates, Branstad said Republicans have another edge in the general election with U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, at the top of the ballot seeking re-election. Thats good news for all of you because Chuck Grassley wins and he wins big, Branstad told the GOP legislators in attendance. If I were the Senate majority leader, Id be shaking in my boots because he can see the tidal wave coming his way, the six-term GOP governor said. NEW CAUCUS CHALLENGE: Iowa GOP chairman Jeff Kaufmann expressed confidence Monday that Iowa could withstand new challenges to keep its political caucuses the kickoff event of the presidential selection process in 2020. Over the weekend, Tom Mechler, chairman of the Texas Republican Party, said he has decided to withdraw a proposal to end the early voting carve-out in national GOP rules for Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada in 2020. Mechler said he will withdraw the plan at the upcoming winter meeting of the Republican National Committee in Charleston, S.C. While Iowa appears to have dodged another attempt to supplant it lead-off position in the presidential selection process, Kaufmann said it wont be the last, and he expects a new discussion to take place at the GOP National Convention in Ohio next summer. A lot of the states want what we have, he said. QUOTE OF THE DAY: Senate Ethics Committee is meeting in Room 22. We hope to see you there soon, and we expect it will be the last meeting of the year. Sen. Wally Horn, D-Cedar Rapids, in issuing a call Monday to convene the Iowa Senates ethics panel. Times Bureau SPRINGFIELD As a first-time candidate running for Illinois governor, Bruce Rauner vowed to "shake up Springfield." One year after the Republican was sworn in as the state's 42nd governor, much of his ambitious agenda which includes curbing union power, freezing property taxes and enacting legislative term limits, among dozens of other proposals he says would strengthen the state's business climate hasn't gained traction in the Democratic-controlled General Assembly. Meanwhile, the state has passed the midway point of its fiscal year without a budget, leaving most spending to be dictated by the courts or state statutes. The government is on pace to spend billions more than it's collecting in taxes, one of the problems the governor vowed to fix. But in an interview at the Executive Mansion, Rauner said his administration has taken steps in the right direction since his Jan. 12, 2015, inauguration. He pointed the blame at Democrats, specifically House Speaker Michael Madigan of Chicago, for blocking his reform efforts and failing to pass a balanced budget. "To me, the real responsibility for the failure to have bipartisan compromise really rests with the speaker and the legislators who are supporting him," Rauner said. While other Democratic leaders, including Senate President John Cullerton of Chicago, have been open to private discussions, they have been "unwilling in public to buck the speaker," the governor said. Despite these challenges, "I'm proud of what we've gotten done," Rauner said. He cited record state funding for elementary and secondary education, "innovative" contract agreements with 17 unions representing 5,000 state employees and streamlining efforts at state agencies and departments that he says will save taxpayers more than $700 million as accomplishments he's especially proud of. Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said Rauner bears the responsibility for the lack of a budget, noting that the governor could have used his amendatory veto power to balance the Legislature's approved budget, which had a $4 billion deficit. Instead, Rauner vetoed all but the portion funding elementary and secondary education. As for the governor's proposals not making it through the Legislature, "it's a question of the governor not being able to persuade either the Legislature or the voters of the state that this is critical to getting a budget in place," Brown said. Acknowledging that Democratic leaders have been reluctant to give ground to Rauner, some observers of state government say the situation also is the result of the first-time officeholder trying to tackle too much at once and failing to shift from campaigning to governing. Kent Redfield, professor emeritus of political science the University of Illinois Springfield, said other governors have started fiscal years without budgets in place, but those situations were either resolved quickly or addressed with month-to-month plans until a deal could be reached. Going more than six months without a budget is unprecedented, Redfield said. "The most important thing that state government's supposed to do is to, in fact, fund and provide the basic services of state government," he said, "and so it's been a catastrophic failure in terms of that." As for his policy agenda, Rauner would receive a grade of "incomplete," Redfield said. Although Rauner may find compromises with Democrats on issues such as lawsuit reform, workers' compensation changes and property taxes, the governor's proposals concerning unions will continue to be tough sells in labor-friendly Illinois, he said. "I really do fault the governor in trying to get too much," Redfield said. "I think that he miscalculated how big his mandate was." David Yepsen, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University, said the governor deserves credit "for forcing the debate" on issues that have caused years of budget deficits, underfunding of pensions and other problems. "I give him poorer marks for governing," Yepsen said. "I think the campaign is over, and we need to be about governing." Rauner could use his upcoming State of the State speech, set for Jan. 27, to hit the reset button, Yepsen said. The White House said Sunday that Hamo will be among about two dozen guests invited to sit near the first lady. Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, R-Ill., has invited Gary Halbach, president and CEO of the Rockford-area nonprofit Remedies Renewing Lives. The organization helps victims of domestic violence and people fighting drug issues, primarily heroin addiction. Going social The White House says the address will stream live on YouTube, giving viewers another way to watch. Then, Obama will sit down Friday with three YouTube celebrities for a live interview from the East Room. The White House is also debuting a Snapchat account with behind-the-scenes images of the speech. Promises, promises During these winter months, the cost of heating homes weighs heavily on the minds of many Maine residents. This year, although there is good news because of lower fuel costs, there is still a significant demand for assistance. The Governor's Energy Office conducted its weekly heating fuel price survey on December 28 and found the current statewide average cash price for No. 2 heating oil was $1.83 per gallon, down 9 cents over the past two weeks. This unprecedented fall in heating oil prices is because of continued declines in global crude oil prices. In December, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) decided to eliminate production caps, and the U.S. Congress voted to lift the decades-old ban on domestic crude oil exports. The Washington Hancock Community Agency (WHCA) administers the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps pay for home heating costs. Benefits are based on a percentage of federal poverty levels. Lee Hardison, energy services director for WHCA, says applications "have been going great guns" in the Calais, Milbridge, Machias and Ellsworth offices, and at the end of December "$23,079 has been spent on heating assistance, with an average cost of $732 per household." "The highest we've paid out was $1,400, but that was for an applicant at the lowest income level and a very high consumption rate." Supplementing LIHEAP in emergencies is the Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP). To qualify for ECIP, a household must have less than one-eighth of a tank of oil or about to be disconnected. ECIP can provided a minimum delivery not exceeding $400 of emergency heating assistance in life-threatening situations. Applicants for both LIHEAP and ECIP must call to make an appointment, as applications can take up to 30 business days to process. "When making an appointment, if the person can't come, we want them to call to cancel, so someone else can take their place," urges Hardison. "We schedule applicants every 20 minutes between 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m." "I know if a day is warm, people don't think about fuel, but they need to keep their appointment," stresses Hardison. "If they don't show up, they'll have to wait two months for us to fit them in again. We live in Maine, and we know it's important to have enough fuel in the winter." Eastport area fuel fund needs donations Contributions have been low, but the Community Fuel Assistance Fund in the Eastport area has distributed 16 fuel vouchers this winter, reports Colin Windhorst, president of the Greater Eastport Ecumenical Churches Association, which oversees the fund. "That amounts to 1,600 gallons of fuel costing about $4,000." "If they qualify, this year we are giving out $200 per household," he adds. "The price of fuel is low, so we shoot for 100 gallons." Unfortunately, financial contributions to the fund have been slow in coming, says Windhorst. "People don't tend to think of it until they see snow on the ground." The fuel assistance fund is supplemented by the Salvation Army voucher system, and the field secretaries are Colin and Ron Windhorst in Dennysville, who can be reached at 726-3905; Tami Dinsmore at the Regional Medical Center at Lubec at 733-5541; Ella Kowal at Eastport City Hall at 853-2300; and Pastor David Peterson of Robbinston at 454-0596. Tax-free donations may be sent to Community Fuel Assistance Fund, c/o Ann Bellefleur, P.O. Box 250, Eastport, ME 04631. Other assistance in Washington County The small heating assistance fund for Calais residents at the Irene Chadbourne Ecumenical Food Pantry "is already out of funds," says Len Hanson. "But we're working on a large grant and throw fundraisers to build it back up." He adds, "Last year we gave out $16,000." There was $10,500 on January 6 in the Lubec Senior Fuel Fund, which is administered by the Lubec Town Office and was created to help residents who are at least 60 years old, don't qualify for general assistance and have exhausted all assistance from other agencies such as LIHEAP. Five senior fuel fund clients have received 75 gallons of heating oil, so far, this winter. The program runs from September 1 to May, and people are not turned away if they need more than one delivery of oil during the cold months. Although the Machias Food Pantry has given out heating assistance in the past, food pantry director Suzie Maxwell says there are no monies available for that charity this year. Neighbors and strangers have turned out in force to help a family whose uninsured home and barn on Old County Road in Pembroke was destroyed by fire on Sunday, January 3. As of the morning of January 6, 136 people had donated a total of $7,855 through a GoFundMe fund set up for Tony, Tabitha, Kaleb and Rhiannon Bennett. In addition, because the family farm included horses, cows, sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, rabbits, cats, dogs and one goose, the Maine Veterans Project donated a building to shelter the animals. Pigeon Hill Tractor donated time and labor to transport the building to Pembroke, and a resident in the area is housing three horses as well as grain. Food and clothing have come from many different donors, and when the Bennetts find a home, the Washington Hancock Community Agency has offered to pay the rent for the first six months. Pembroke Fire Chief James Ramsdell says the 911 call reporting the fire was made from the Bennetts' mobile home at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon after Tabitha Bennett spotted a glow in the family's two-story barn from the kitchen window. "Perry fire department showed up first, and about 25 firefighters from Perry, Dennysville and Pembroke fought the blaze," reports Ramsdell. "Everything was fully involved when the first firefighters arrived, and the scene was not cleared until 8 p.m." Although the livestock were outside the barn and none were injured, the Bennetts couldn't find the two cats who were in the mobile home when the fire was discovered. All seven of the family's cats were still missing two days after the fire. Ramsdell says the State Fire Marshal's Office was not called because the fire was believed to be electrical in nature and an accident, and the property was not insured. There were no injuries, and Ramsdell says the firefighters "had plenty of water" to fight the blaze. Help comes from many sources In a show of community support, the Pembroke Parent Teacher Community group is hosting a benefit potluck dinner on Friday, January 15, at 5 p.m. in the Pembroke Elementary School gym. Brad Sawyer will provide live music, and funds will be raised from a dessert auction and Chinese raffle. All food and dessert items must be nutfree. Items for the raffle may be dropped off at Pembroke Elementary School or call 7265564. Tickets are also being sold for one cord of hardwood, cut, split and delivered, which is being donated by Joe Jordan. Call Brent Ellinwood at 726-0831 to purchase tickets. Volunteers are needed to help move things upstairs for storage at the Bennett family's new home on 195 Old County Road, across from James and Tammy Ramsdell. The entire downstairs area needs to be cleaned. V.L. Tammaro filled the oil tank, donating the first 100 gallons of kerosene, and the Pembroke Trotting Association is covering the rest of the cost. The Bennetts have enough donated clothing, so useful everyday items such as gift cards to purchase food, daily needs, farm supplies and heating fuel are now needed. The family also lost daily hygiene essentials such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, hair products, hair ties and deodorant. Family pictures were lost, and anyone who has pictures of the family is encouraged to drop them off to Tammy Ramsdell or the Pembroke Elementary School. Information on further plans and donations needed is posted and updated on a Facebook page set up for the Bennett family at . If anyone would like to send anything to the family directly, their mailing address is 478 Old County Road, Pembroke, ME 04666 and the GoFundMe account is at . Random Things Through My Letterbox does not share personal information with third-parties nor do we store information we collect about your visit to this blog for use other than to analyze content performance through the use of cookies, which you can turn off at anyt ime by modifying your Internet browser's settings. We are not responsible for the republishing of the content found on this blog on other Web sites or media without our permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice." In broad strokes, this is what I heard from Gov. Dennis Daugaard during his State of the State address Tuesday: He wants to raise the sales tax. He wants to use most of the revenue to increase average teacher pay. He wants to expand eligibility for Medicaid, the health care program for the poor. He's really proud of his efforts to keep people out of prison. He wants to do more to improve Native American education. He wants to convert more land to state parks. It's tempting to joke that South Dakota doesn't need a Democratic governor, because it already has one. But that would oversimplify the approach of Daugaard, a Republican who self-identifies as a conservative. This is the same guy, after all, who shepherded sweeping cuts through the Legislature to eliminate a $127 million budget deficit during his first few months in office back in 2011. So, perhaps "progressive Republican" is a more accurate label. He would probably shun such a description, as would most Republicans, simply because "progressive" is a word that has come to be almost exclusively applied to Democrats and liberals. There was a time when many Republicans wore the "progressive" label proudly. Theodore Roosevelt was the ultimate progressive Republican, and his many devotees included legendary South Dakota Governor Peter Norbeck. Norbeck's accomplishments included the creation of Custer State Park, the founding of state-owned enterprises including a cement plant (which is now in private ownership but still operates in Rapid City), and leadership roles in convincing the federal government to fund the carving of Mount Rushmore and the creation of Badlands National Park. Norbeck also instigated a rural credits program that, while intended to help struggling farmers, ended up being a trainwreck of corruption that cost the state millions of dollars. In other words, Norbeck was a Republican who presumably espoused the principles of limited government and fiscal responsibility but wasn't afraid to work the levers of government in an attempt to improve life for his constituents and future generations of South Dakotans. Daugaard's speech sure made him sound more like that kind of a Republican, or at least more like a centrist, than the strident and uncompromising candidates who are leading the race for the GOP's presidential nomination. In fact, Daugaard reminds me an awful lot of another guy who was further toward the center than many in his own party: former U.S. Senator Tim Johnson, a Democrat. Johnson had one of the longest and most electorally successful careers in South Dakota political history, and Daugaard's resume includes the biggest percentage-point margin of victory in any governor's race in South Dakota history. Peter Norbeck is one of the best-remembered figures from South Dakota's past. All three shied away from ideological extremism and took actions that weren't predicated solely by their party affiliation. Perhaps other politicians would be wise to follow the center path blazed Tuesday by Daugaard, and by Johnson and Norbeck before him. An intriguing story in today's Capital Journal newspaper, of Pierre, proclaims with its headline that "SD leads nation in percentage of multiple job holders." The story goes on to quote a state official who shifts the focus to South Dakotans' work ethic and willingness to work hard, rather than their need to work two jobs to make up for low wages. The story piqued my interest because of something it did not mention: the current push to raise teacher pay in South Dakota. As we all know and are constantly reminded, teacher pay in South Dakota has been last or nearly last in the nation for decades. The topic is expected to come up today during the governor's State of the State address. I think the state's status as the national leader in multiple-job holders says a lot about why South Dakota teachers have been so low paid for so long. Why? Let's start with the reasons so many South Dakotans work multiple jobs. Personally, I think the need or desire for extra money is a major motivator. Work ethic is also a factor, but if we interviewed the thousands of South Dakotans who work multiple jobs and asked them why they do it, I don't think the most popular response would be "because I like to work." I think it's much more likely that the most popular response would be "for the money" or "because I need the money." Whatever the motivation, people who hold multiple jobs undoubtedly bring a unique perspective to political debates about wages. In a state where so many people work two jobs whether it's to make ends meet or get ahead it stands to reason that very few of those people will coalesce around proposals to raise just one interest group's pay instead of the pay of all those multiple-job workers. It's a classic "what's in it for me" situation. I don't mean to say teachers do not deserve higher pay. Many certainly do. Their status as perpetual bottom-dwellers on the list of national average teacher pay is plentiful evidence of that. And I have kids in school and know some teachers who deserve much higher pay (and also some who probably deserve lower pay, but that'll get us into a deeper discussion than I want to have today). Maybe South Dakota teachers will finally make progress in the area of pay this year. It is possible they have been so low-paid for so long that the issue has finally reached critical mass, and South Dakotans may very well coalesce around a proposal to pay teachers more, if for no other reason than to finally bump them up from the bottom of national rankings. There's additional hope for teachers in the minimum-wage increase approved by South Dakota voters in 2014, which was evidence that a majority of South Dakotans albeit against the wishes of most elected officials in the Republican majority were and could still be in a mood to boost wages for at least some people. But I also think there's still a stubborn streak among a significant number of South Dakotans who are not likely to support higher pay for teachers as long as so many other groups of workers are left behind and forced to work multiple jobs. To convince those South Dakotans to support higher pay for teachers, the best approach would seem to be a comprehensive economic program that lifts the boat of teachers along with the boats of everybody else; in other words, a proposal that addresses chronic low wages in all sectors of South Dakota's economy, rather than just one small slice of the public sector. No such proposal has ever been tried, as evidenced by South Dakota's consistent status as a low-wage state. Instead, our elected leaders have focused on keeping taxes and other costs low for employers, rather than raising the pay of workers (in fact, low pay has been willfully ignored even in the face of state government's own survey data suggesting it's a major problem, as I noted in 2014). Therefore, it's no coincidence that the state's teacher salaries have also remained low. Can teachers win higher wages while other South Dakotans, in national-leading percentages, continue to work multiple jobs? That will be one of the most interesting political questions of 2016. It's difficult to fathom a world without David Bowie: beyond the recent release of his terrific final album "Blackstar" on his 69th birthday (just two days before his death), Bowie seemed eternal, ever-evolving as an artist, a pop culture icon and a beacon of hope for the weird and the alienated. It's no exaggeration to call him one of the 20th century's most significant artists in any form. His constant reinvention of music and image served as a model for artists ranging from Radiohead to Madonna, Talking Heads to Kanye West, be it in music, in image, in early exploration of music videos or more. Bowie went through dozens of images and personas over nearly fifty years of music: spaceman Ziggy Stardust, Americanized Ziggy Aladdin Sane, British glam-soul icon, cocaine cabaret artist The Thin White Duke, avant-garde experimenter, New Wave hero. He zigged and zagged between baroque pop and ambient minmalism, excelling at nearly every musical form he took on. This is to say nothing of his small but inspired filmography, which saw him as an alienated alien ("The Man Who Fell to Earth"), a godlike vampire ("The Hunger"), a sexually charismatic Goblin King ("Labyrinth"), an unusually sympathetic Pontius Pilate ("The Last Temptation of Christ"), a wigged-out FBI agent ("Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me"), a magical Nikola Tesla ("The Prestige"), and as the ultimate master of the universe, himself ("Zoolander"). It also barely takes into account his enormous impact on fashion, or his influence on the career revivals of both Lou Reed and Iggy Pop, or the continuing power of nearly every one of his songs that appeared in movies. The latter are legion, from the battle cry of "Cat People" in "Inglourious Basterds" to the chilling use of "Young Americans" in Lars von Trier's "Dogville" and the exuberance of "Modern Love" in Leos Carax' "Mauvais Sang" and Noah Baumbach's "Frances Ha." Still, the best and most significant for me will always be "Life on Mars?" in Wes Anderson's underrated "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou." I was 14 when the film hit theaters, at that point a fledgling Bowie fan (I owned "Ziggy Stardust" and "Aladdin Sane") and unfamiliar with Anderson's earlier work. The song's piano intro plays quietly as Zissou (Bill Murray) is encountered with the news that an old flame's son (Owen Wilson) may be his own, not long after Zissou's best friend was killed by a shark. Zissou makes all sorts of excuses for why he hasn't tried to be a father ("she never contacted me"), but he's still quietly shaken, and the chorus swells as he breaks off to smoke a joint. It's a moment of endings and beginnings, the loss of an old friend and gain of a new, possibly greater one, and the inability to immediately process it all. I was emotionally affected by the scene at the time, and I can scarcely revisit it without getting choked up, both for its impact on the scene and in my appreciation of two artists, Anderson (who quickly became one of my favorite filmmakers) and Bowie, whose work I explored more fully soon after. My favorite Bowie albums have switched over time, from the glam-defining "Ziggy" to the ambient "Low," but what I appreciated more than any single album or period of work was how easily he shifted between them. Identity was a key theme in his work and his image, and he suggested that it could and should always change, and that "you're not alone" (to borrow a line from "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide") in any of it. He stayed vital right up to his last two albums, 2013's "The Next Day" and this year's "Blackstar," which was released to critical acclaim only to take on instantaneous new significance upon his death and the reveal that it was recorded while he battled liver cancer. The album reflects that, standing as one of the bleakest in his career. Yet it feels not like a howl of despair, but a way of saying goodbye, of coming to terms with death. The final song, "I Can't Give Everything Away," musically echoes "Soul Love" in verses before it hits a soaring chorus, an impossibly elegiac ending for a perfect career. Heard a few days before his death, it's already beautiful and contemplative. Taken with what we now know, it's downright courageous. PIERRE | The tuition freeze proposed for South Dakota students attending the state universities and public technical institutes came under early scrutiny Monday by members of the Legislatures Joint Committee on Appropriations. It was one of two instances Monday where lawmakers were less than excited about possible proposals by Gov. Dennis Daugaard, who is pushing the tuition freeze plan and today may offer some form of a statewide sales-tax hike to fund higher pay for teachers. The first cool reception came when the joint committee, a panel of 18 legislators who oversee state governments budget, met with the governors budget director, state Finance Commissioner Jason Dilges, to review spending recommendations for 2016 and 2017. Overall, the lawmakers appeared skeptical of Daugaard's tuition freeze. Later Monday, at a meeting of the South Dakota Retailers Association, where Daugaard spoke, one powerful state senator wondered aloud whether any form of sales-tax hike would be approved this session. On teacher salaries, Republican Corey Brown of Gettysburg, the Senate majority leaders, didnt sound enthusiastic about the chances of a half-cent sales tax increase winning legislative approval. Daugaard has not yet proposed a sales-tax hike for teachers, but it was a key consideration of by his Blue Ribbon Task Force that studied public education last year. Thats a two-thirds vote in the Legislature. Thats a pretty high bar. That may be difficult to achieve, Brown said. He offered that the teacher salary package might require three to four years to achieve through other means. I think well spend a lot of time debating that, he said. The 2016 legislative session officially starts at 11 a.m. MST today and runs 38 working days. At the morning committee meeting, Dilges explained that Daugaard wants to transfer $42.3 million of cash from other accounts to pay off four bond issues for the universities and tech schools. That would free up $3.7 million of revenue that could be applied forever as tuition subsidies for students. The goal is to avoid tuition and fee increases for South Dakota residents who attend classes on the campuses for the 2016-2017 academic year starting this autumn. Were capturing the monthly mortgage payment, or the monthly vehicle payment, and repurposing it, Dilges said. Sen. David Omdahl, R-Sioux Falls, said he was confused about why its necessary. Dilges said high tuition continues to be a challenge for the state universities and the tech schools. The Legislature approved a tuition buy-down two years ago. He said this would be the second tuition subsidy in three years. Dilges emphasized the bonding buy-out doesnt mean state government wont issue bonds for projects in the future at the 10 main campuses. The main sources of the $42.3 million include: $27.4 million that would come from state governments budget reserve; $5 million from assorted accounts within the state Department of Corrections; $3.5 million of surplus from the petroleum release compensation program; and $3.4 million of surplus from the uninsured risk pool that is expiring. (The pool helped people who couldnt otherwise buy health insurance. The federal Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, made the risk pool unnecessary.) Dilges presented legislators with information about additional savings that would result from the bonding pay-off. There would be interest savings of $13.2 million and fee savings of $1.2 million. He said the reserve fund is earning about 1 percent in interest while two of the bond issues carry average yields of 4.74 percent, another is at 5.03 percent and the fourth is 2.21 percent. The Rapid City Area School Board Monday night made a small change in the start of the next school year, but discussion preceding that vote implied a big change may be on the horizon in the form of a much-expanded school year. Board member Ed McLaughlin spent several minutes at the board's meeting emphatically endorsing what he called "a year-round learning process," a concept later supported by Superintendent Tim Mitchell and by board member Jeff Nelsen as a way to stop students from digressing in learning during summer. After the meeting, Mitchell said there is a good chance the district in February will start discussing a longer school year. McLaughlin's comments came prior to the board's vote on when to start the 2016-2017 school year, an issue that has been debated in a local school-schedule committee. Although considerable sentiment was for a post-Labor Day start, on Tuesday, Sept. 6, rather than the traditional first day of classes just after mid-August, the board passed a staggered opening. Under the new system, classes will begin on Wednesday, Aug. 31, for a three-day week, followed by a four-day week starting on Tuesday, Sept. 6, then the first full five-day week starting Sept. 12. But McLaughlin's endorsement of year-round learning overshadowed the question of next-year's start. He pointed out that the district educates 14,000 students, and he asked, "How many are actually employed in the summer?" McLaughlin said the summer vacation from school is a remnant of the early days of the country, when the United States was an agrarian society, "and students needed to work in the summer." Interrupting school for the equivalent of three full months, McLaughlin said, leads to what is known as "learning loss," the tendency of students to go backward academically when school is out for such an extended period. "We need to be lengthening (the school year)," he said, adding that at 175 days of classes, students are in class less than half of the year. "We have to look at the role the (South Dakota) High School Activities Association plays in this," McLaughlin said, wondering whether the scheduling of activities, including sports, plays a role in determining the school year. The district already has summer school, but that is mostly for remedial learning, Mitchell said. McLaughlin and Mitchell said the curriculum for the summer could start with what they called enrichment programs, such as music or advanced placement, even driver education. Mitchell said after the meeting that research shows there is "some learning loss" from the prolonged summer layoff. Mitchell, who is leaving the district on June 30, said the study of the extended school year could begin in February, and he added that it is possible some summer programs could begin in this summer. Setting up such programs isn't a snap. "Funding is always the issue," said Mitchell, no stranger to difficult financial times in the district. But there are also such technicalities as staffing through summer and getting out registration materials. The goal, as always, Mitchell said, is "meeting students' and parents' needs." McLaughlin said, "We need to work with the community to have full support" for such a significant change in education. Theres something so energizing about flipping the calendar from December to January. Its a fresh start, a new beginning, a clean slate. Im heading back to Congress this year with a renewed optimism as well. We have a lot of work to do, but Im hopeful we have momentum moving in our direction. Truth be told, were going to need every bit of that momentum we can get. The year 2015 concluded with a heightened sense of unease about our national security and rightfully so. As we return, this is an issue that will need to be addressed. I firmly believe the President, as Commander in Chief, has a responsibility to put forth a comprehensive plan to defeat and destroy ISIL. Doing so is the most effective way to keep terrorism off U.S. soil. Congress also must continue to ensure our military has the tools and resources it needs to be successful, while closing any security loopholes that may exist in federal law. That is going to be at the top of my agenda in 2016. Addressing the Presidents health care law will be another area of focus during the first part of 2016. Speaker Paul Ryan has already announced that the House, in coordination with the Senate, plans to place legislation on the Presidents desk in the coming weeks that repeals the core tenants of Obamacare, including the individual and employer mandates. This last December, thousands of South Dakotans saw their health care costs skyrocket. I have supported and will continue to support the repeal of Obamacare, but until we can achieve a full repeal, I will do what I can to incrementally lift the burden for South Dakota families. We are also working very hard on efforts to keep the Hot Springs VA Hospital open and fully staffed and operational. In late 2015, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released an Environmental Impact Statement on a plan to close the VA facility in Hot Springs. From now until Feb. 5, the VA will be accepting public comments. I encourage everyone impacted by this proposal to let their voice be heard. For my part, I have reached out to the VA Secretary directly, urging him not only to settle on a solution that will work for all involved especially our veterans but also to visit Hot Springs before making a determination about the hospitals future. Those who have served deserve nothing less. The reality is that these topics are just the tip of the iceberg. We have a lot of work to do because our country is facing a lot of big issues today. Im determined to find real solutions and produce the milestones that you seek and deserve. Ten farmers and ranchers from across Nebraska have been selected for Nebraska Farm Bureaus 2016 Leadership Academy. The selected farmers and ranchers will begin a year-long program Jan. 28-29 in Kearney. The goal of the academy is to cultivate the talents and strengths of the participants and connect their passion for agriculture to opportunities of service within the Farm Bureau organization. Great leaders have a clearly defined purpose; purpose fuels passion and work ethic. By developing leadership skills, academy members can develop their passions and positively impact their local communities and the state of Nebraska. said Adam Peterson, facilitator of the 2016 Leadership Academy. Peterson also serves as the central regional director of membership for Nebraska Farm Bureau. Academy members will participate in sessions focused on leadership skills, understanding the county, state and national structure of the Farm Bureau organization including Farm Bureaus grassroots network and policy work on agriculture issues. Also, the group will travel to Washington, D.C. in September, for visits with Nebraskas Congressional delegation and federal agency representatives. We congratulate this group of diverse individuals and thank them for their willingness to step up and out of their comfort zone to learn more about how they can influence their community, state and world for the better, said Peterson. Among the 2016 Nebraska Farm Bureau Leadership Academy members is Erin Norman of Crawford. She and her husband, Luke, operate a cow/calf operation on the family ranch that is more than 100 years old. They also grow hay. Wild turkeys from Nebraska received a one-way trip to Montana last week, courtesy of the states wildlife management officials. Montana wildlife managers were in Crawford Friday to retrieve 125 wild turkeys captured in Nebraskas Pine Ridge. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission employees caught the birds Thursday in netted enclosures on private property near Whiteclay. Unlike the birds new home, the turkey population in the area of the capture is especially high and landowners were contented to part with the birds. The turkeys were examined by a veterinarian before being placed in cardboard boxes. They were to be released in the Great Falls area of Montana upon arrival. This marks the second consecutive year Nebraska has transferred birds to the Great Falls region where officials are establishing a turkey population with the sought-after characteristics of the Merriams subspecies found in northwestern Nebraska. Montana received 91 Nebraska turkeys last year. Nebraska wildlife officials say the transfer is good for wildlife conservation overall and continues a tradition of states helping each other when they can. A sizable portion of Nebraskas bighorn sheep population originated from animals that were relocated from Montana. The 2016 legislative season is officially underway in Nebraska, and Gov. Pete Ricketts hopes to convince the Unicameral to support transportation funding through the states cash reserves. Ricketts and Sen. Jim Smith, chairman of the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee, announced their support of the creation of a transportation infrastructure bank last week. Administered by the Nebraska Department of Roads, the idea behind the infrastructure bank is to accelerate road construction, provide additional matching funds to counties for bridge repairs and to fund transportation projects that support industry and business expansion. An April 2015 research report by TRIP indicated that 5 percent of Nebraskas major roads are in poor condition, while 39 percent are in mediocre or fair condition, costing motorists $510 million a year in extra repair and maintenance costs. The report also noted that 24 percent of the states bridges are structurally deficient or obsolete, and 30 percent of the states urban highways are congested. Yet, the 2011 State Highway Needs Assessment report says the NDOR will need $9.6 billion over 20 years. In FY 2013, the NDOR needed $505 million to fund projects, but revenue estimates at the time of the 2011 report showed a $116 million shortfall. Despite the increase to the gas tax in 2015, which is estimated to add $63.5 million annually, needs will continue to be larger than revenues. Ricketts is proposing to phase in up to $150 million in cash reserve transfers to the infrastructure bank. Those dollars would then be allocated to three programs: the Accelerated State Highway Capital Improvement Program, the County Bridge Match Program and the Economic Opportunity Program. The other piece of the proposal calls for the state to begin using a Design-Build process. NDOR currently operates under a Design-Bid-Build process that results in a seven to 12 year timeframe to construct new roads. A Design-Build approach could potentially shave two to four years off of that window. As stand-alone pieces, the Heartland Expressway Association was neutral on both the infrastructure bank and Design-Build concepts in a recently released policy statement. The policy statement, distributed to key members in state government, was an effort to provide data for the transportation decision making process, said Deb Cottier, a member of the Heartland Expressway Association board. Any proposal that can save the state money and time are certainly attractive, she said, but the HEA issued a neutral ruling on Design-Build and the infrastructure bank until more details were available. The policy statement was issued prior to the governors proposal that up to $150 million be utilized. Cottier said it was the HEAs belief that anything under $100 million will not go far enough, and there is concern that senators will object to taking that much out of the states cash reserves. Transportation is key to the states success, and the HEA is pleased to see a multi-year transportation bill at the federal level and forward progress at the state level, Cottier said. While Gov Ricketts is against bonding for transportation needs, he and his staff have been soliciting input and willing to consider new perspectives when considering NDORs priorities. Refreshingly enough, they are using terms like economic impact, Cottier said. Previous administrations determined road priorities solely on traffic counts. Hopefully, that will bode well for the Heartland Expressway in Nebraska, Cottier said. The corridor management plan clearly outlines a positive cost-benefit for completing the four-lane expressway. For every dollar spent on developing the Heartland Expressway in Nebraska, $2 would be generated in economic development. The last five years have seen the Unicameral approve two new funding streams for road construction the Build Nebraska Act in 2011 and last years hike in the gas tax. The Build Nebraska Act reallocated of 1 cent of the existing general sales tax to road funding. Eighty-five percent is designated for the expansion and reconstruction of the states Expressway system and federally designated High Priority Corridors, as well as the construction of other high priority projects at the state level. The Heartland Expressway is the only federally designated high-priority project in the state. It was designated as such in 1991, and is part of the larger Ports-to-Plains route that extends from Canada to Mexico. While others are calling for more funding for roads, Omaha Sen. Bob Krist has introduced LB671 this session to repeal the Build Nebraska Act, which generates $70 million annually for road funding. During the 2011 debate over Build Nebraska, the law was characterized as taking pencils out of kids hands, Cottier said. I believe small communities in Nebraska are smart enough to understand that this is worth it to get their crops to market and get their kids safely to and from school. As the discussion about road funding continues, its important to the community of Chadron and the entire region to keep the Heartland Expressway in the forefront of the conversation. The HEA, Cottier said, is there to provide research and leadership on the issue, and serve as a voice for the region. However, that conversation includes several difficult subjects that the community must come to a consensus on such as where the city wants the Heartland Expressway route to run, and what will happen with the two Highway 385/20 intersections. The expressway could go around town and include a bypass/reliever route at the junction west of the city or it could come through town. The latter will need to address traffic at the intersection inside the city limits, and NDOR is on record supporting only one option for that intersection at this time a roundabout. Its not an easy thing to decide, Cottier said. NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. (AFNS) | (This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series. These stories focus on individual Airmen, highlighting their Air Force story.) The alarm rings. Yelling is heard from the nearby hallway. As footsteps get closer, Vickie Tippitt knows she is in a world of trouble. Her grandmother bursts through the door. With a rope in hand, Tippitt feels the wrath of child abuse come down on her by her own flesh and blood. Tippitt, now a master sergeant and member of the 926th Force Support Squadron and the Nellis Air Force Base Yellow Ribbon representative, said life wasn't always easy growing up in Fort Worth, Texas. "I remember having a good childhood at 3 years old all the way until I was 7. Once I turned 7, that's when a lot of things changed for me," Tippitt said. "That's when my mother and father decided to separate. There was a lot of fighting, and my dad was very, very abusive to my mother. Then we moved to Arlington, Texas, into an apartment where it was my mother, four siblings and me. That's when everything was just really confusing." "All of the sudden, I could remember being whisked away from school one day by my grandmother and when we left with her we never got to come back," Tippitt said. "She took us to this house in Fort Worth, and all of a sudden we were in this house for at least a month or two, where all of us kids were alone." With Tippitt's grandmother scarcely around, the house became a wreck. "More than anything, I remember my grandmother finally coming back to the house after being away for a while and she was very upset. She put us all in a row and beat the hell out of us with a very thick rope that they use to lasso horses or cows." After being beat by her grandmother, Tippitt and the rest of her siblings moved from place to place before settling in the housing projects. "We moved to some apartments, and the abuse continued." With the house always full of people, Tippitt was counted on to clean up and serve guests while they were there. Tippitt and her sister were often subjected to sexual passes made by the male guests. "There were several nights where men would try to come into me and my sister's room and they would try to talk us into being with them or touching them," Tippitt said. "I'm blessed that I never got molested. It was like that from 7 to 15 years old." "I finally ran away when I was 15 years old. We piled our clothes into trash bags and threw them out of our window. When it was time to go to school, we were standing at the bus stop with our trash bags waiting to run away to our mom," Tippitt said. When Tippitt was a teenager, she worked as a lifeguard in the summer and then, on a whim, she decided to check out an Air Force recruiter's office. "I was a lifeguard and I was going for lunch one particular day, so I decided to go to the mall to go shopping and I went to a different area of the mall near the back where I noticed there were all these different recruiting agencies," Tippitt said. "They had Navy, Army and then I saw Air Force and I knew when summer time was over I had no idea what I would be doing. So I decided to go into the Air Force recruiting office and as soon as I walked in I told the recruiter I wanted to join the Air Force." HOT SPRINGS A Hot Springs woman, will join two other caregivers as the face of Regional Health in the health care providers 2016 I Am Regional Health advertising campaign. Amy-Jo Sokol, LPN, of Hot Springs will join Theresa Ferdinand, Department Manager for Regional Healths Employee Well-Being program in Rapid City and Jamie Madden, Medical Imaging Operations Manager, in Sturgis in the advertising campaign. Sokol is a nurse who believes caring for patients involves medicine and more. In her work at Hot Springs Regional Medical Clinic, Sokol is dedicated to lifting patients spirits as well as treating their physical needs. She has worked to create a cheerful, comfortable clinic environment to put patients at ease when they are receiving medical care. A native of New York, Sokol enjoys the more relaxed pace of life in Hot Springs and considers her patients her extended family. Beginning in May 2015, Regional Health launched a yearlong campaign aimed at celebrating its nearly 5,000 physicians and caregivers. Each month, the organization showcases three exceptional individuals from across the region who truly represent Regional Healths purpose helping patients and communities live well. Additional details on the website regionalhealth.com/IAmRegional. Mounce, Lasseter announce for District 30 HOT SPRINGS With 2016 elections approaching, two candidates both Republicans for two State Representative seats in District 30 have announced their candidacy. Candidates could begin circulating petitions to be included on the June 7 primary election ballot beginning Jan. 1. Candidates have until March 29 to gather the required 50 signatures to be included on the ballot. District 30 is currently served by Lance Russell and Mike Verchio, both Republicans and both serving their fourth and final two-year terms in the State House. District 30 covers a large territory that includes Fall River, Custer and southern Pennington counties, from Wall, east and south of Rapid City. Travis Lasseter New Underwood rancher and Air Force veteran of 21 years, Travis Lasseter, a Republican, announced his candidacy for State House earlier this month, during a visit to Hot Springs and while speaking to the residents of the Pine Hills Retirement Community. Lasseter outlined his four-point platform during his visit, stating that he is committed to lowering taxes, creating jobs through pro-business legislation, supporting the 2nd Amendment and supporting family value legislation. At the forefront of the discussions in Pine Hills was the potential closure of Hot Springs VA hospital. Rudy Slater, resident of the Pine Hill Retirement Community stated that she is concerned about the closure of the hospital, as it is a cornerstone of the Hot Springs community and the area. Lasseter told the residents gathered that as a veteran, he has received services at the Hot Springs VA and vowed to work diligently to find solutions to preserve it. Other residents expressed their concern for rising taxes, referencing the recent passage of SB 1, which included the recently controversial county wheel tax going before a vote in Pennington County tomorrow, January 5th. Lasseter said of the millions raised in taxes and the state legislature, if we are expected to live within our means, then so should the government. Lasseter said of his candidacy and platform, Im running as a statesman, not a politician. It isnt politics thats going to fix our problems, its common sense solutions. Richard Mounce Mounce, an endonontist who owns a small medical supply business, announced late in August that he would be running for the District 30 State House seat, also as a Republican. He and his wife Laura have four adult children and he says they enjoy exploring the Black Hills, and are deeply committed to preserve this treasure for future generations. Mounce says he is a Christian, conservative Republican, small businessman, proud father and husband. I sincerely believe our best days are ahead of us and I am committed to limiting government, reducing regulations and balancing our budget without raising taxes. As your representative, he continues, through common sense policy anchored by Christian values, I will bring a new and fresh voice to Pierre. His top priorities include: Growing the economy, especially in agriculture, tourism, small business and professional sectors. Preserving cherished Second Amendment rights Providing necessary yet sensible funding for our schools Caring and responsible stewardship of South Dakotas natural and financial resources Supporting law enforcement Aiding the global efforts of our military services, especially those at Ellsworth AFB. Improving rural access to health care and infrastructure investments Other candidates may be in the running but have not yet shared their information with The Star. Charles Birdshead, serving a 45-year-prison sentence for a 2013 fatal shooting in Rapid City, on Monday lost one bid in court for a new trial. But a conflict between what the South Dakota Supreme Court ruled and what happened in Birdshead's July 2013 trial may open the possibility that Circuit Judge Wally Eklund could still order a new trial. Birdshead was convicted of first-degree manslaughter in the killing of a man in a drug deal gone bad outside the South Dakota Rose Inn. His defense attorney, Jamy Patterson, argued in court on Monday that Birdshead deserved a new trial because Eklund was supposed to review records of prospective witnesses, some of whom were suspected of being involved in drug crimes. The state Supreme Court ruled that Eklund had reviewed the records, but had not explained to Patterson why she was not allowed to see them. But Eklund, in a December letter, said he had never received those records for review records. "(F)ailure of this court in ensuring it had review the ... records prior to Birdshead's trial violated ... the Due Process Clause of the United States Constitution," Patterson argued in her motion for a new trial. Ecklund said in court on Monday that he now will review the records and issue an opinion, opening the possibility of a new trial. Patterson also asked for a new trial based on new evidence, saying that a witness in the trial had committed perjury. After court, she said she was "frustrated" that Eklund had denied her motions "without any process," such as an evidentiary hearing. Jody Kreycik, who pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and boating under the influence in a Pactola Reservoir accident that killed a woman, will be allowed to live under house arrest while awaiting sentencing, according to a court ruling on Monday. Judge Jeff Davis agreed with Kreycik's attorney Ken Orrock, who asked the court to allow his client to remain under house arrest with his parents in Valentine, Neb., until his sentencing hearing on March 7. Valentine is located about 200 miles southeast of Rapid City near the South Dakota border. Orrock said that Kreycik's father, Joe Kreycik, is a sheriff's deputy in Cherry County, Neb., and would account for his son while in his custody. Jody Kreycik pleaded guilty in September to being intoxicated while driving a personal watercraft that crashed into a boat in August, 2015, killing Gabrielle Fisher of Rapid City. Fisher, 33, a stylist engaged to be married, was struck by the watercraft and thrown from the boat; her body was recovered three days later. Second-degree manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Kreycik, 29 years old at the time of his plea, was not present at court Monday because he was participating in a drug-treatment program at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs facility in St. Cloud, Minn. He was reportedly released from the VA today. Kreycik will be transported from the VA facility back to Rapid City where he will enroll in the 24/7 sobriety program. From there he will be placed under house arrest in Nebraska, officials said. The judge also ordered that Kreycik wear a secure alcohol-monitoring device while under house arrest. This device monitors if an offender consumes any alcohol throughout the day. If alcohol is detected, authorities are notified immediately. The device also acts as a GPS locator. The sentencing hearing will be on March 7 at 1:15 p.m. at the Pennington County Courthouse. A young man from Guatemala stood before U.S. District Judge Jeff Viken in a courtroom in Rapid City on Monday and told how he had been exploited for sexual favors by a Spearfish man, and how it had destroyed his life. Identified only by his initials, M.G.P.G. told Viken that living with the knowledge that he had allowed Richard W. Melanson to videotape him being whipped on the buttocks and performing sex acts was a secret he painfully held to himself for more than seven years. I felt like I was living a nightmare I couldnt wake up from, M.G.P.G. said through an interpreter. With these acts, I've lost a lot of dreams, wishes and hopes, he said, choking back tears. A lurid tale of tourism for sex ended Monday with Melanson sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for preying on impoverished young men in Guatemala. After a day-long sentencing hearing that stretched into the early evening, Viken ordered Melanson, 53, to serve the maximum allowable sentence under federal guidelines for such sexual crimes. These were young men desperate for money and possessing things they see on television, Viken said. "They were treated like pieces of meat," he said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins said Melanson had picked an impoverished part of Central America for travel to look for young boys for sex. You had the money, and they had the body you wanted to exploit, she said to Melanson. Defense attorney Gary Colbath had argued for a lesser sentence of 10 years imprisonment and five years supervised release, saying Melanson had not physically threatened his victims, who Colbath said knew what Melanson was going to do to them when they had agreed to take money in exchange for sex. He did what he said he was going to do, Colbath said of Melanson. The reason these sex acts occurred is because of the arrangement they had. They had this agreement. Melanson said he knew what he was doing was illegal, but that he never meant to force anyone to do something he didnt want to do. He said the trips to Guatemala were part of fulfilling fantasies that were part of a midlife crisis. I know what I did and how I did it was wrong, Melanson said. I had to believe they were able to consent. Melanson pleaded guilty in August to traveling outside the country to engage in illicit sex with minors. According to federal documents, Melanson was already serving a state sentence on a 4th Circuit Court conviction for 10 counts of possessing child pornography. Investigators from the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children task force entered the case and noticed videos of young Spanish-speaking boys being whipped on the buttocks or being forced to perform other sexual acts. An investigation by the Department of Homeland Security found that Melanson had traveled to Guatemala in 2007, 2008 and again in 2010. Using images from the videos, Guatemalan police located two boys who they said had been offered money to pose for whipping videos and also engage in sex acts. Another victim, identified as D.A.P.M., who also been subjected to appearing in a video as a 17-year-old in 2010, told Viken that a meeting with Melanson had been arranged by another man, identified as B.T.R. He (Melanson) said he was a good person, and I learned later he was not, D.A.P.M. said. In May of 2014, a federal grand jury indicted Melanson on charges of possession of child pornography, producing child pornography transported to the United States, and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual activity. Melanson initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, but later pleaded guilty to traveling outside the U.S. for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual acts with minors. A man attending Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Rapid City had his SUV stolen Saturday morning. According to a release from the Rapid City Police, a man who had attended the 8 a.m. Mass at the cathedral, 520 Cathedral Drive, returned to the parking lot to discover his Honda CR-V was missing. At about 12:45 p.m. Sunday, police spotted the SUV when it did not stop at a stop sign at Creek Drive and East U.S. Highway 44. The officer tried to stop the SUV, but it continued west on Highway 44, turned north onto Fifth Street, then east onto Adams Avenue. The officer lost sight of the SUV in the area of Van Buren Street and Halley Avenue, but police later found it abandoned in the 700 block of Blaine Avenue and returned it to the owner. WASHINGTON | When you dance with the devil, the choreography can get awkward. Ted Cruz last week made his latest appeal to America's nativist fringe by naming Rep. Steve King of Iowa as a national co-chairman of his presidential campaign. King, called a "courageous conservative" and "incredible leader" by Cruz, is the anti-immigrant hard-liner who spoke of Mexican immigrants having "calves the size of cantaloupes" and who was a prominent birther. King raised questions about President Obama's birth certificate, voiced doubts that Obama had been born in America, floated the idea that Obama's birth announcement in Hawaiian newspapers may have been placed "by telegram from Kenya," and alleged that Obama "was not raised with an American experience." So we're entitled to savor some schadenfreude now as Cruz himself gets caught in the birther web. Donald Trump's questioning of Cruz's status as a natural-born American, and therefore his eligibility to be president, is rough justice. Cruz, like Trump, has stoked the fires of resentment and xenophobia, so it's entirely fitting that he gets burned. But however tempting it is, I'm not joining in the Cruz birtherism; it was wrong when done to Obama, and it's wrong now done to Cruz. Cruz, I am convinced, would make a truly awful president, but he is perfectly eligible to serve. Rep. Alan Grayson, a Democratic gadfly running for the Senate in Florida, vows to file a lawsuit challenging Cruz's eligibility if he wins the nomination. Grayson would try to argue that both parents of Cruz, who was born in Canada to an American mother and a Cuban father, had to be American citizens for Cruz to be considered a "natural born" citizen under the Constitution. Grayson also has questions about the U.S. birth of Cruz's mother. "The Obama birthers are loons," Grayson told U.S. News this week. But "there's a very good legal argument that Ted Cruz is not qualified to be president." Like Cruz foe John McCain (the 2008 Republican presidential nominee said Cruz's eligibility is a "legitimate question"), Democratic leaders have been happy to see Cruz twist in the wind. "I do think there is a distinction between John McCain being born to a family serving our country in Panama than someone born in another country," House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said Thursday. But that's not really so. My friend Neal Katyal, who was Obama's acting solicitor general, joined Paul Clement, a George W. Bush solicitor general, in a Harvard Law Review piece last year arguing that it's not even a close call: The constitutional evidence back to the founding makes clear that "an individual born to a U.S. citizen parent whether in California or Canada or the Canal Zone is a U.S. citizen from birth and is fully eligible to serve as president." More broadly: Do Democrats and liberals and all those who howled about the injustice and the outrage of Obama's birtherism really want to join the cause of Cruz birtherism, simply because he's a Republican, or a conservative? No doubt it would be satisfying to give conservatives a taste of their own medicine, but that would mean embracing the nativism that is turning the Republican Party into a fraternity of old white men from rural areas. The right is uniquely ill-behaved these days. Why join them? It wasn't always this way; in the early days of the Obama presidency I argued that the left was more ill-tempered. But now there's nothing equivalent to the right's rage despite attempts to draw some phony parallels. When I wrote about the overt racism injected into the campaign by Trump, the 2016 front-runner, conservative critics countered by citing the history of race-baiting by the Rev. Al Sharpton, a minor Democratic candidate in the 2004 race. When I wrote last week about Republican officeholders' support for the armed men who took over a U.S. government facility in Oregon, conservatives argued that this was no different from Obama's tolerance of Sanctuary Cities though sanctuary policies have existed for decades without successful legal challenges. Then there's the birther movement, led by Trump, which sought to portray the first African-American president as a foreigner. Now Trump is, with his characteristic disregard for truth, attempting to turn the same nativist forces against his nearest competitor in the Republican primary. There is no equivalent on the left these days to such nasty stuff. Democrats should keep it that way. Column on tax policies sheds needed light John Tsitrians Jan. 6 Journal column State's low tax reputation misleading is an accurate assessment of South Dakota tax policies and an invitation to public discussion. His column is especially welcome in these days of partisan bitterness and deadlock. Tsitrians explanation of the inherent unfairness of higher sales taxes and his reasoned support of a state income tax is a refreshing break from the ideologically warped approaches to tax policy that are typical of our Legislature. About 80 percent of our tax revenue comes from sales tax, the tax so many of our people can least afford. And theres serious talk of raising it. Our Legislatures attitude toward education and working people is reminiscent of Mississippi after the Civil War the state that didnt ratify the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery until 1995 (and failed to make it official until 2013). Public investment underwrites private-sector prosperity. It always has. It underwrites the well being of all of us. The current disdain for public values and the willingness to pass huge costs on to those who can least afford them and to the future should sicken thinking citizens. David Miller, Rapid City County commissioners need to pay for vote The wheel tax failed so the commissioners vote themselves a 20 percent pay raise. Where is this money coming from? Elected officials that don't know what they are voting for should not be in any elected position or be allowed to control public funds. As a senior citizen drawing Social Security, I should be allowed to give myself a raise. When these commissioners come up for re-election county residents should remember how they are being represented and replace each and every one of them with someone that is physically responsible with the taxpayers dollars. Jack Dean, Rapid City Russian banker Gitelsons claim for his own bankruptcy put on hold MOSCOW, January 12 (RAPSI) The Commercial Court of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region has postponed until February 11 the hearing of a claim filed by the former head of EEFC-Ural Bank, Alexander Gitelson, who was running banking business in Russia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, for his own bankruptcy, according to court records. In October, Russias Supreme Court refused to review court rulings ordering Gitelson, and two other former top managers of the bank to pay 300.2 million rubles ($4 million) in damages in a lawsuit filed by the Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA). The Commercial Court of Appeals of the Sverdlovsk Region on March 1 dismissed a petition filed by the Deposit Insurance Agency, the current bankruptcy receiver of EEFC-Ural Bank, to collect 350.2 million rubles ($4.6 million) from the defendants. The DIA argued that the defendants did damage to the bank in the said amount by approving unrecoverable loans. The Seventeenth Commercial Court of Appeals in late May overturned this decision and issued a ruling that Gitelson, and two other former top managers of the bank must pay 300.2 million rubles in damages. On August 21, the Commercial Court of the Urals District upheld this ruling. Gitelson was arrested in Austria in April 2013 and extradited to Russia in December. In March, Gitelson was convicted and sentenced to three years for embezzling over 2 billion rubles ($26.3 million) in public funds from Inkasbank. A court in St. Petersburg also fined the banker 500,000 rubles ($6,600). Inkasbank was declared bankrupt in May 2009. The banks administrator conducted an inquiry into the circumstances of the banks insolvency. As a result, the Russian Federal Security Service received a motion to open a criminal case (premeditated bankruptcy) against the banks former management. In April 2011, Moscows Meshchansky District Court sentenced Gitelson in absentia to five years in prison and a 1 million ruble ($13,200) fine for embezzling 495 million rubles ($6.5 million) from his acquaintance, MP Adnan Muzykayev. Wife of alleged Russian spy Buryakov to be deposed in Ireland MOCOW, January 12 (RAPSI, Vladimir Yaduta) The U.S. government mulls deposing Marina Buryakova, the wife of Yevgeny Buryakov who has been charged with posing as a banker while participating in a Russian spy ring operating in New York City. Buryakovs lawyers suggest the deposition to be taken in Ireland after a request for international legal assistance is filed with the High Court of Ireland and the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs is duly notified, according to court records obtained by RAPSI. The U.S. government has already communicated the Irish authorities to ask for the arrangements, e.g. what procedures would apply during the deposition. Buryakov was arrested in January 2015. He and two other Russian citizens, Igor Sporyshev and Victor Podobnyy, have been charged with conspiring to gather intelligence on behalf of Russia, including information about U.S. sanctions against the country. Prosecutors claim that Buryakov worked in the United States as an agent of Russias foreign intelligence agency, known as the SVR. Buryakov operated under non-official cover, meaning he entered and remained in the United States as a private citizen, posing as an employee in the Manhattan office of a Russian bank, according to the FBI report. Buryakov, who faces up to 15 years in prison, pleaded not guilty. He is expected to go on trial in Manhattan federal court on April 4. ECHR accepts complaint filed by Russian nationalist Potkin over detention MOSCOW, January 12 (RAPSI) - The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has accepted the complaint filed by Alexander Potkin (aka Belov), former head of the Movement Against Illegal Immigration, against his detention in BTA Bank embezzlement case, his lawyer Irina Khrunova told RAPSI on Tuesday. According to the lawyer, the complaint was registered and given a number. Belov claims that a court in Russia did not have sufficient grounds for placing him under house arrest and then in pretrial detention. Belov was arrested on October 15, 2014 at the Hotel Intourist Kolomenskoe in Moscow on charges related to the embezzlement of $5 billion from BTA Bank. At the time of the arrest, Belov allegedly had documents on him that effectively tied him to the embezzlement. The court initially placed Belov under house arrest, but later sent him to a pretrial detention center. Investigators believe that Belov (Potkin) was a mastermind in a money laundering operation in 2012-2014. He was also suspected of involvement in laundering money that was embezzled from BTA Bank by its former chairman Mukhtar Ablyazov. Ablyazov, who allegedly defrauded BTA Bank of more than $6 billion, left Kazakhstan for the UK, where he was granted political asylum in 2011. His attorneys deny the charges claiming that they are unsubstantiated and that he is being persecuted for political reasons. GREAT FALLS, Mont. Harold Bouma has attended nearly every MAGIE in the shows more than 40-year history, even the ones held on ice.We froze our butts off, recalled Bouma, owner of Bouma Post Yards, a fencing supply and wood preservation company with locations in Choteau and Lincoln, Mont.In the early days, the MAGIE was set up over the permanent skating rink that took up half of the floor space in the Four Seasons Arena at the Montana ExpoPark.Organizers placed a make-shift floor two-inches above the ice, but it wasnt enough to shield exhibitors and attendees from the cold floor conditions. Exhibitors dragged space heaters to their booths, and 110v extension cords crisscrossed the hall, tripping people and breakers alike.Bouma said he remembers constructing a second floor another two inches above the temporary floor, lifting him four inches from the ice. That helped only slightly, and when a spot opened up off the ice, he grabbed it and has been there ever since (long after they did away with the ice).It was kind of backwards, but we made it work, said Ronald Korb, regional manager of Cherry Creek Radio, which owns MAGIE sponsor KMON radio. I was so happy when the ice went away, it made that part of our life that much easier, not driving tractors over that floor and falling over all the cords.Korb has been coordinating the ag show since 1995, when he moved his young family back to his hometown after years of living out of state.The MAGIE was a homespun business when Korb took over 20 years ago.We didnt even have a data base, Korb recalled. I brought work home every night, and was up until midnight making maps and writing everything, even name tags, by hand.On top of that, Korb didnt have an ag background.My moms side of the family owned a ranch, but I never went there, Korb said. The MAGIE has educated me about agriculture. I didnt know anything about the big machinery. Id think, Whats that huge thing driving through the door?Along with the lessons he learned about agriculture (the huge thing is a combine), he learned what it takes to put on the largest ag show in central Montana, and its not only a data base (although that helps a lot).Korb said he thinks what keeps people coming back year after year are the exhibitors.MAGIE exhibitors hale from all over the Northwest and bring with them top-of-the-line, cutting-edge technology not seen elsewhere. Even in the Internet age, between 12,000-15,000 people annually turn out to see whats new.They still want to see it and touch it and get up in it and talk to people about it, Korb said. Its one thing to see online and another thing to crawl up in it.When Korb started, he regularly had 20 or 30 booths that never sold; today he has a waiting list 60 deep.He believes exhibitors like the MAGIE because they get well taken care of. Each year, KMON radio puts on the MAGIE Fondue, a Thursday night dinner for exhibitors at the Cattlemens Cut Supper Club in Great Falls, a holdover from the Pitchfork Fondue the Chamber of Commerce used to host.In addition, exhibitors can help themselves gratis to breakfast and lunch all three days.If we appreciate our exhibitors and take care of them theyre more likely to come back to our show, Korb said. We get to know people so well and look forward to seeing them every year; its almost like a reunion.Bouma, who has been in business since 1953, said its definitely a social deal.Customers look forward to seeing us and we look forward to seeing them, he said.Its good for sales, too.If were there people know were still in business, he said. It used to be we were happy if we made enough sales to cover the cost of the show, but now its our major income for the whole year.Korb said the MAGIE just wouldnt be the same without Bouma.If he ever doesnt come back to his booth, Ill put a candle in his spot as a shrine, Korb said. BILLINGS Montana officials are considering giving only partial approval to a $500 million silver and copper mine proposed beneath a wilderness area near the Idaho border, injecting uncertainty into a project that's been in the works for more than a decade. Regulators have continuing concerns with the Montanore Mine's potential effect on surrounding waterways, said Tom Livers, director of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. "We're not sure we can approve the full mining plan that's been proposed," Livers told the Associated Press. "We're looking at what we can approve. Some may have to happen subsequently as we get more information." A decision is expected in late January. The project is sponsored by Mines Management Inc. of Spokane. It would disturb more than 1,500 acres and remove up to 120 million tons of ore from beneath the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness in Lincoln County, south of Libby. Mines Management chairman Glenn Dobbs says anything less than full approval could make it difficult to attract investors or force a sale to a larger mining company that would delay the project. Just last month, the mine appeared to have cleared one of its most significant hurdles when the DEQ and and U.S. Forest Service finalized a long-awaited environmental review of the project. "To imply he (Livers) might not be able to approve the full mine plan in which his agency has been integrally involved in for 10 years is an absurdity," Dobbs said. Livers said he was limited in what he could say about the state's intentions because a final decision had not been made. But he added that the agency was reluctant to approve a permit that has "legal weaknesses" because it would likely face a court challenge given strong opposition to Montanore from environmental groups. Work on the mine site began around 1990 under different ownership but was suspended in 1991 due to low metal prices. Mines Management later took over and applied to the state for a mining permit in 2004. The mine would employ about 500 people during the construction phase and about 350 during mining. A related 14-mile transmission line would be built to carry power to the site. The mine entrance would be just outside the wilderness a rugged, remote landscape that is one of a handful of areas in the United States where the government is seeking to restore grizzly bear populations. The Fish and Wildlife Service has said mining excavation would lead to permanent changes in groundwater flows, including less water in Rock Creek and the Bull River. Once a decision is made, Mines Management had planned to kick off a two-year, $30 million evaluation of the geology and characteristics of the area to be mined. Dobbs said he had spoken with Libby officials and representatives of Montana's Congressional delegation about the issue since the DEQ first raised the possibility of a "phased approval" for the mine. U.S. Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Ryan Zinke, both Republicans, wrote in a Thursday letter to Gov. Steve Bullock that the project needs full approval. A staged approval would "create uncertainty and further delay much-needed job creation and tax revenue for the Lincoln County community, which continues to face the highest unemployment rate in our state," they wrote. HELENA Tom OConnell, administrator of the state's Architecture and Engineering Division, uses a laser pointer to highlight maroon paint peeling away to reveal the white plaster under it around the dome of the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the Capitol building. See that whole section, thats water coming through and causing damage and you see how close it is to the artwork, OConnell said last week on a tour of the Capitol. The artwork is seven paintings by the Cincinnati firm F. Pedrettis Sons, oil on canvas painted in 1902 and hung like wallpaper around the dome of this room. Theres the Gates of the Mountains, which Montanas first and fourth Gov. Joseph Toole asked to be depicted. Across the dome is Meriwether Lewis catching his first glimpse of the Rockies. To the side, President Benjamin Harrison and Secretary of State James G. Blaine sign Montanas Constitution. These are not the most valuable paintings in the Capitol that would be the massive C.M. Russell painting at the other end of the building in the House chambers but from an historic standpoint you still want to protect them, OConnell said. The skylight will be fixed this year. Its the top priority among the deferred maintenance projects in the Capitol, said Steve Baiamonte, administrator of the General Services Division. Thats not because its in the worst shape among the six in the building. There are four large skylights and two small ones, all built in either 1901 or 1911 except for the one over the barrel vault, which was put in around 2000 when the vault was resorted during an extensive renovation of the Capitol. The others are probably about equal shape because theyre all roughly the same age, give or take a decade, Baiamonte said. *** The General Services Division, which is the landlord and steward of the Capitol, as well as all state-owned buildings within a 10-mile radius of Helena, gets money appropriated from the Legislature for deferred maintenance projects like this. This biennium, Baiamonte said, the division was appropriated $3.2 million for projects that also include flooring, fire suppression work and elevator improvements. OConnells department oversees all architecture and engineering projects on state-owned facilities in the complex. It has hired A&E Architects of Missoula to work on the skylight. A&E representatives have been to the Capitol twice, the most recent time to look at the skylight from the superstructure above it and begin figuring out the best way to address the leak. At this point, its not known how much it will cost to remedy the situation, Baiamonte said. We always look at not what is low bid or the cheapest, but what is best for the building and all the users. OConnell said he thinks a full replacement is needed for the original skylight, which is made of thin steel and glass. We think itll take a new structure. If its anything different than that, Id be extremely surprised because the structure and technology of how you do a skylight today is completely different. It shouldnt be a long-term construction project, but itll be a tricky one because the stained glass and artwork need to be protected. You talk about removing a skylight like this, and youve got some very delicate surfaces under there, OConnell said, pointing to the stained glass. Baiamonte said its feasible to wrap up work by the end of the year. We dont want to be tearing this thing apart when the snow is flying. In a perfect world, wed have it done by fall. OConnell wants something done before the Legislature gathers at the start of 2017. Its something weve done and can show them thats an obvious improvement, he said. *** Lots of capitols were built in the early 1900s and skylights were a common feature. In some ways they had better taste than we do now, OConnell joked. The skylight above the House chamber is in about the same shape as the one to be replaced. If we were going to do a second one, the next one would be over the House chambers, Baiamonte said. The superstructure there is 10 years newer built in 1911 but over more than a century, a decade's worth of difference doesnt mean too much. Even though it sits over the room with the most expensive piece of artwork in the Capitol, the massive C.M. Russell painting Lewis and Clark Meeting the Flathead Indians, this skylight isnt a priority because the art isnt at risk from water damage. In the House, the damage would be more typical to stenciling or corbels or anything, where the skylight is theres no risk to damage of art on canvas, OConnell said. Crews did some major plaster repairs in that space earlier this year, Baiamonte said. Beads made of plaster were water-damaged and drooping like a loose pearl necklace. The area in jeopardy is right here, OConnell said, pointing to areas near the gallery seating. The beads basically detected and was loose here and curled and hung down. Again, thats from water. This Page has moved to a new address: Sorry for the inconvenience Redirection provided by Blogger to WordPress Migration Service OUR SPONSORS Our sponsors offer the best services available and make The View From Fez possible. Please visit them by clicking on images below Teaching Writing as Reflective Practice by George Hillocks Hillocks, the grand-daddy of research on teaching writing, challenges teachers to think about writing instruction as instruction that includes inquiry about something. In other words, students need to write about something they've invest... Narrative Writing: Learning a New Model for Teaching by George Hillocks Jr. Hillocks, in perhaps his most accessible work, argues that writing instruction and learning might best begin with narration. Students have stories to tell and, through the telling of those stories, students can learn about the craft of w... Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Flow gets at what people feel when they are engaged in optimal experiences. Literacy researchers have used the idea of flow to help teachers think about engaging students in the optimal experiences recounted in flow. Share book reviews and ratings with RRVWP, and even join a book club on Goodreads. 2015 was a busy year to say the least...Photos aren't in chronological order haha but are proof that this year was a goodn'. In a nutshell....Puppies.Sister engaged.Sister married..gained a whole new family and love them.Moved 5 minutes away to a "dog friendly" home.Became a dog owner to "Huckleberry."Arizona trip.Hikes.Ran in the Ragnar and conquired the "Ragnar Hill." 10.5 miles all uphill. 19 miles total for me. H5!Met the man of my dreams.More hiking.Got new roommates..aka life long friends.Rodeos, more hiking, glamping, boating...you know, summer stuff.Turned 30..Oh yeah, in Brazil.Spent 28 days in Brazil--Sao Paulo, Santa Catarina, and Recife.Spent 2 entire days getting home from that trip-two 8 hour layovers...Brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew moved too far away to Alabama.Best friends wedding. Love you McCall ROBINS!!Thanksgiving away from home but in good company.Seattle weekend with that man of my dreams who makes my heart flutter.Christmas with my love and family.New Years kiss.In between all this wonderful stuff we lost my Grandpa Holbrook in April, my sister Jennifer's mother in October, and my Grandma Holbrook at the end of October. It was a very bittersweet year for sure. One thing I can be certain of is how grateful I am for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. Life is constantly changing but the gospel is always constant and helps give me the comfort that this journey on earth doesn't end here. Grandpa, Grandma, and Sue fulfilled their callings on earth and are now doing the work of the Lord in his kingdom. It was very hard to lose them but I know that I will see them again. I know they're with my family still. Oh how I am so grateful for that knowledge.////////////////////////////////I am looking forward to what 2016 will bring. Recently on social media, I read on a digital poster that said "If the rights I have are not for others, then they are not rights, they... An invitation to become friends of God Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. 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I may still post the occasional review, but until further notice I will no longer post regularly. The Southern District of Florida blog was started in 2005 by David Oscar Markus , who is a criminal trial and appellate lawyer in Miami, Florida. He frequently practices in federal courts around the country, including his hometown, the Southern District of Florida and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a former law clerk to then-Chief Judge of the District, Edward B. Davis. Print Media/Music/Video selections: RonDoids does not own the copyright to certain media posted within our site. "Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use." If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE). Just after 7 a.m., my father is sitting in the dining room, already dressed in his blue-collared uniform shirt and navy pants. Hes bending over to lace his shoe. I ask him how it feels to get ready for work for the last time. SCOTUS strikes down Florida's capital sentencing scheme based on Sixth Amendment | Main | "Wanted man sends police department selfie to replace mug shot" January 12, 2016 A few (too) quick thoughts on the post-Hurst hydra As reported in this post, the Supreme Court via Hurst finally clarified today what most sensible folks long argued, namely that Florida's death penalty procedures have Sixth Amendment problems in light of the Supreme Court's 2002 ruling striking down Arizona's similar judge-dependent system in Ring v. Arizona. Kent Schneidegger in this post at Crime & Consequences highlights why this was not really a surprise and why what's next is the interesting issue now to follow: Most of the states with similar systems went with jury verdicts on both the aggravating circumstance and the final sentencing decision, although Nebraska kept a hybrid system where the jury finds the circumstance and three judges find the sentence. The Florida Legislature foolishly stuck with its system, hoping that the courts would find it distinguishable from the Arizona system struck down in Ring. I tried to tell them that was insane. They didn't listen. Today the U.S. Supreme Court decided 7-1-1 in Hurst v. Florida that the Florida system does indeed violate Ring. How many of the existing judgments can be salvaged? The Supreme Court said it left harmless error analysis to the state courts. In many cases, a jury verdict on a concurrent or prior crime can establish an aggravating circumstance. Today's decision will be fully retroactive for cases on direct appeal, but its application to cases on collateral review is uncertain. The first thing the Florida Legislature needs to do is fix its system. And do it right this time. Before turning to what Hurst may mean for the roughly 400 persons now on death row in Florida, I must first note that the two Floridians currently running to be US Prez should both be held responsible for the capital mess Florida now finds itself in. Jeb Bush was Gov of Florida when Ring was decided, and Marco Rubio was in the state legislature (and was not long thereafter to become Speaker of the Florida House). I hope that anyone troubled by the mess that Hurst creates for Florida's criminal justice system will direct some of their frustration to (and ask some hard questions of) this Sunshine State pair. As for the mess that Hurst will create, I am coining the term "post-Hurst hydra" to describe what will likely be multi-headed, snake-like litigation that will grow and grow again in Florida's courts (both state and federal). Whether the Sixth Amendment can be deemed harmless in some cases on direct appeal and whether/how Hurst will be applied retroactively in collateral cases e.g., is Hurst a new rule or just an application of Ring? is sure to engender some interesting mythology-like discussions in state and federal courts in the months ahead. Also, not to be overlooked as we take stock of the post-Hurst world, is whether any other states' capital systems might be subject to another round of procedural attack now. Alabama comes to mind because some of its nearly 200 death sentences were imposed via jury override by sentencing judges, though I am not sure if any of these are formally based on the judicial fact-finding found unconstitutional in Ring and Hurst. Similarly, it seems likely that creative capital defense lawyers will find creative ways to attack other death sentences in other jurisdictions based on something in Hurst. Prior related post: January 12, 2016 at 12:08 PM | Permalink Comments "Before turning to what Hurst may mean for the roughly 400 persons now on death row in Florida, I must first note that the two Floridians currently running to be US Prez should both be held responsible for the capital mess Florida now finds itself in. Jeb Bush was Gov of Florida when Ring was decided, and Marco Rubio was in the state legislature (and was not long thereafter to become Speaker of the Florida House). I hope that anyone troubled by the mess that Hurst creates for Florida's criminal justice system will direct some of their frustration to (and ask some hard questions of) this Sunshine State pair." Are you kidding? I mean seriously---Florida was supposed to undo a statutory scheme that the Supreme Court specifically approved? Posted by: federalist | Jan 12, 2016 12:12:21 PM That is what it seems Kent wisely urged after Ring. Posted by: Doug B. | Jan 12, 2016 12:37:07 PM Hurst is simply the US Sup Ct saying that it meant what it said. A core crime plus an aggravating factor which increases the potential punishment above the Blakely statutory maximum is a new, greater crime. The states are trying their best to duck that basic principle. Concerning harmlessness, remember Recuenco. The US Sup Ct said in Recuenco v Washington that the failure of the jury to determine the existence of the aggravator was harmless and they sent it back to Washington. Then the Washington Supreme Court took a different approach and said that since the aggravator wasn't alleged in the indictment, as a matter of state law, the trial court had no jurisdiction and reversed. One of the few examples I can think of where a state supreme court "reversed" the U S Supreme Court. why don't the states just admit that what they have been doing too long is unconstitutional? bruce Posted by: bruce cunningham | Jan 12, 2016 12:53:44 PM NC doesn't require an aggravating factor to be alleged in a bill of indictment. I think Hurst makes clear the ag which exposes the def to death is an element of capital murder. So, I think cases where the indictment was defective are vulnerable. Defense lawyers have been arguing this for years, but the prosecutors didn't listen. Posted by: bruce cunningham | Jan 12, 2016 1:07:52 PM Can you discuss a bit about what, if any, implications today's ruling has for judicial override in Delaware and Alabama? Is this the death knell for it everywhere, or is Florida different in some way such that Delaware's and Alabama's judicial override in capital cases may remain in part or in whole? Thank you! Posted by: Kirsten Tynan | Jan 12, 2016 2:17:04 PM The Justices of the Supreme Court should be impeached for their decisions, and not just for any collateral corruption. This decision is a rent seeking decision to generate lawyer jobs. It is both lawless and a form of collateral corruption. Posted by: Supremacy Claus | Jan 12, 2016 2:41:58 PM They explicitly overruled Spaziano. I would imagine that means that if the jury chose life imprisonment, they were persuaded that the mitigating evidence was stronger. Any increase in punishment by the trial judge violates Ring. Posted by: DaveP | Jan 12, 2016 2:58:05 PM It always amazes me how the law changes as well as the Justices with it. Blackmun wrote the majority opinion in Spaziano, overruled 30 years later. Posted by: DaveP | Jan 12, 2016 3:04:08 PM Dave says, "It always amazes me how the law changes as well as the Justices with it." Agreed, and what happened is that over the years the law had gotten so far away from the founder's idea of who decides whether a person committed a crime that the Sixth Amendment had lost all of its content. Or as Thomas says, the basic issue in Apprendi is "What is a crime?" The law had gotten irrational about what juries did and what judges did and Apprendi has brought rationality back. It also, simply put, is a reaffirmation of Marbury v Madison, the bedrock case of American jurisprudence. This notion of Marbury redux is best seen in Scalia's classic statement in Ring, he doesn't care if the legislature says something is an element, a sentencing factor or Mary Jane--if the finding of it exposes a def to a greater potential punishment it has to be determined by a jury. So, Dave, you're right. The law changed, reaching the extreme in Penn v McMillan, and then it has swung back to what the founding fathers envisaged for a free country. bruce Posted by: bruce cunningham | Jan 12, 2016 3:49:46 PM Bruce please give us an example of harmless error the FSC would find on cases vacated and remanded. I would think the aggravators that were there at the beginning would have weight on this. Prior felonies, killing of a law enforcement officer, etc. SCOTUS let Florida execute Jerry Correll a few months ago despite his request for a stay pending Hurst. Breyer and Sotomayor dissented. It would seem that retroactivity is a no because of Summerlin? Posted by: DaveP | Jan 12, 2016 4:13:36 PM 123D solves the problem of unindicted aggravation. Posted by: Supremacy Claus | Jan 12, 2016 4:17:55 PM was one of the aggravators a prior felony? If so, it seems to me that would be Apprendi exempt, because Apprendi didn't overrule Almendarez Torres. I thought the two ags were murder during a robbery and heinous and cruel killing. I don't think heinous killing can pass vagueness muster if it is used as a sole aggravator. Recuenco v Washington says that a judicial finding of an ag can be harmless error. But, a wrinkle could be if Florida requires a grand jury to return a bill of indictment with all the elements alleged and there are no aggravators in the indictment. Then the trial court didn't have jurisdiction, which can be raised at any time. bruce Posted by: bruce cunningham | Jan 12, 2016 4:31:11 PM In Hurst, there were no prior felonies. In other cases you believe that prior felonies or other aggravators established ahead of time are Apprendi exempt and would sustain the death sentences on remand? Posted by: DaveP | Jan 12, 2016 4:35:46 PM Yes, the law changes -- the Constitution has broad principles in it that experience had led to changing views and the growth of new doctrine that leads in new directions. Brown v. Bd. was "amazing" to some too -- John Davis argued at the time separate but equal was a time honored principle that was around so long that it obtained a permanence. Thirty years? That's more than a generation, if a generation is seen as twenty years. I'm not going to worry too much about "the founder's ideas" here, even when there was any one "idea" since we have changed a lot since then. It is true that applying said "ideas" to the degree we can seriously be thought to be doing that would be a lot difference today given how much has changed. For instance, the breadth of our domestic police force alone changed so much since then, one reason for changes in interrogation rules. Posted by: Joe | Jan 12, 2016 4:41:36 PM Dave, you are asking very complicated questions. Here are a few basic responses related to general Apprendi/Ring principles. Granted, these are only my opinions, although Doug will affirm that I am an Apprendi fanatic. (I was so convinced Blakely would result in N.C. sentencing law going out the window, I closed the office and took the staff to D.C. to watch oral argument. It was worth the trip to hear Scalia say that in his opinion the issue presented was whether the Sixth Amendment or the Washington sentencing law was unconstitutional) 1. A prior conviction is exempt from the Apprendi Rule, and a jury does not have to find an aggravating factor of something like "the def has been convicted of a violent felony". 2. There is only one Apprendi/Ring/Blakely fact per case, even though multiple aggravators are submitted to the jury. The reason is because it takes only one "fact" to increase the crime from what Scalia calls "murder simpliciter" to "aggravated" or "capital murder." In other words, the finding of a second or third aggravator doesn't increase the punishment again to something worse than death and doesn't have to be found by a jury. 3. Once the jury finds beyond a reasonable doubt one ag, the judge can find the rest. See the Arizona case of State v Martinez. 4. Once the jury finds one ag, the judge can decide if death is the appropriate sentence. See Scalia's statement in Ring. 5. Apprendi/Ring/Blakely has nothing to do with sentencing. See Scalia's statement to that effect in Ring. In other words, post Apprendi there are no aggravated sentences, there are only aggravated crimes. 6. Doug has an article on the Offense characteristic/offender characteristic distinction. I believe that the Apprendi fact must be an offense characteristic, like shooting a policeman, rather than an offender characteristic, like "def was on pretrial release for another crime". I'm not sure if Doug agrees with me. 7. Since Alleyene/Hurst make clear that the one ag which increases the crime is an element of that new crime, I believe it has to pass vagueness muster for an element, rather than a sentencing factor. See Justice Kennedy's comment about that distinction in US v Johnson on page 26 of the transcript of the oral argument. 8. So, take Hurst. I believe the ag of murder committed in course of robbery is an offense characteristic and, since I think the ag of especially cruel is too vague to be an element, the Florida jury must find if the killing occurred during course of robbery. 9. Hurst himself may win the battle and lose the war, since the court said it is up to the state court to determine, under Recuenco v Washington, if the constitutional error of a judge finding the ag is harmless, meaning the state could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that if submitted to a jury, it would have found the ag. 10. the above comment must be taken in the context of whether the robbery ag was included in an indictment. If Florida law requires a grand jury indictment to convey jurisdiction on the trial court and the ag was not in the indictment, the court didn't have jurisdiction to try Hurst for capital murder. That is a state law question. Hurtado v California. Dave, all this is very simple and very complicated at the same time. Basically, only juries convict people of crime pursuant to the Sixth Amendment. Once the jury convicts someone guilty of capital murder, the rest can be left to the judge. Again, see Scalia's comment on that in Ring. I've written two law review articles, one on Apprendi and one on Ring and would be happy to send them to you if you are interested. Again, these are my opinions, but it seems to me the Court's commitment to Apprendi has strengthened over time, not weakened. Bruce Posted by: bruce cunningham | Jan 12, 2016 6:16:21 PM Bruce please do that Posted by: DaveP | Jan 12, 2016 6:33:40 PM Dave, please send me your email address, to btcunningham545@gmail.com thanks for the questions and comments bruce Posted by: bruce cunningham | Jan 12, 2016 10:49:00 PM Bruce is happy. $Millions will be wasted on lawyer thieving, thanks to this horrible rent seeking Supreme Court. Posted by: Supremacy Claus | Jan 12, 2016 11:30:48 PM Bruce. How many people have your clients you saved from the death penalty killed in prison? You are responsible for every prison murder they committed, as if you shanked them yourself. Posted by: Supremacy Claus | Jan 12, 2016 11:32:11 PM I am not sure that the "right to jury cases" like Hurst translate into a requirement that aggravators be included in the charging document. The right to notice in the charging document flows from the due process clause, not the right to jury clause. I think there is probably a right to notice before trial of the alleged statutory aggravators, but that States can allow that notice to be filed separately from the charging document. (There is some advantages to both sides in allowing a brief time period between the filing of the charges and the prosecution having to make a decision about whether to pursue the death penalty.) I think Hurst makes clear what was implicit in Ring -- statutory aggravating factors must be found by the jury. I am not sure, however, that Hurst necessarily requires the jury to find that the death penalty is the appropriate penalty or precludes a judicial override of a recommendation for life if the jury finds the existence of at least one statutory aggravating circumstance. Posted by: tmm | Jan 13, 2016 10:08:45 AM From Harrington v. Richter: "Section 2254(d) reflects the view that habeas corpus is a "guard against extreme malfunctions in the state criminal justice systems," not a substitute for ordinary error correction through appeal. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 332, n. 5, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979) (Stevens, J., concurring in judgment). It would seem to me that sentences under a state statutory scheme that was approved by SCOTUS would not be a "extreme malfunction" allowing habeas relief, particularly where, as here, the criminals arguably benefited from the process. The stridency and dismissiveness of Sotomayor's opinion is remarkable, and it is a poor reflection on her and the Court as a whole. Posted by: federalist | Jan 13, 2016 10:26:39 AM tmm, I believe there is a big difference between due process notice, Vermont v Hodgson, and jurisdiction of a court to hear a case. There is no federal right to a grand jury indictment because the indictment clause has not been applied to the states. But if a state, like NC, requires a Grand Jury to return a bill of indictment, then I believe at least ONE aggravator must be in the indictment. No, Ring did not require all aggravators to be found by a jury, just one which can serve as an element of capital murder. Only Justice Breyer believes the Constitution requires a jury to decide the sentence in a capital case. And he bases that on the Eighth Amendment, not the Sixth. bruce Posted by: bruce cunningham | Jan 13, 2016 2:17:24 PM I don't know why or how Patty Hurst keeps rearing her ugly rear. Posted by: Beldar From Remulak | Jan 14, 2016 2:09:30 PM Post a comment Plain and Prejudice and Zombie Guideline Errors | Main | SCOTUS strikes down Florida's capital sentencing scheme based on Sixth Amendment The question in the title of this post is the headline of this new Marshall Project piece. Here is how it starts, with links from the original: Last June, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer suggested that the death penalty might be close to its ultimate demise. Rather than try to patch up the death penaltys legal wounds one at a time, he wrote in a dissent toGlossip v. Gross, to which Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg added her name, I would ask for a full briefing on a more basic question: whether the death penalty violates the Constitution. Attorneys for death-row inmates, generally a tight-knit group, immediately started talking about what to do next. While some urged caution arguing that if the court upholds capital punishment it could set their cause back indefinitely others sensed a rare opportunity. The most outspoken advocates for a more aggressive strategy have been the 8th Amendment Project, a group of lawyers who oppose the death penalty and are tracking cases that might allow the court to strike it down for good. On Friday, the high court will discuss whether to hear a challenge to the death sentence of a Pennsylvania woman named Shonda Walter. Her case is one of several posed as direct responses to Breyers invitation to attack the death penalty head-on. There is no way to know whether the justices will take any of these cases; for the court to take a case, four justices must agree, and aside from Breyer and Ginsburg, no other justices have indicated their views on whether to take such a challenge. If they do take a case, there is also no way of knowing which one they will position as the next potential landmark, the next Brownor Miranda or Roe. But each of those historic cases was preceded by numerous appeals of the sort that are now reaching the court. Death penalty abolitionists are braiding the details of these cases to the legal arguments they believe have the best shot at swaying the court. As the world grieves the loss of David Bowie, San Franciscans have started what is sure to be a long process of saying goodbye to the legendary queer rocker. And much like the man himself, the local response spans from thoughtful to sexy to fun. The (obvious) fans over at KQED News have put together a look back at Bowie's sometimes downplayed film career, recognizing that he was a power force on the screen as well as the stage. "His casting by director Nicholas Roeg was regarded by many at the time as a stunt it would be his look, his androgyny, his weirdness audiences would be coming for," notes KQED. "But then they saw his Man Who Fell to Earth, struggling to appear normal, to not attract suspicion, and audiences realized this enigmatic, infinitely changeable musician had acting chops as well." The mashup lovers over at Bootie have gone another direction, making several of their Bowie Bootie mixes available for download. "[It] was devastating news to learn that one of our biggest musical heroes and influences died yesterday," notes the Bootie blog. "While listening to dozens of Bowie songs in remembrance, we decided to pay tribute the only way Bootie knows how: by mashing him up!" As Bowie was beloved in the LGBT community, expect a memorial to take shape at 18th and Castro in the coming days. Local scribe Violet Blue already placed candles there for him Sunday night. Mother, the party formerly known as Trannyshack, will meanwhile do what it does best and throw a tribute show at Oasis for the deceased artist on March 12. Although at present the lineup is TBA, expect it to fill out fully with SF's top drag stars. Heklina spoke with Frontiers Media today about Bowie, and said what is sure to be a sentiment widely shared across San Francisco. "A world without David Bowie in it? Im strangely calm about it, because I realize how lucky I was to have had him at all," mused Heklina. "We all were. People like David Bowie dont just come along once in a lifetime. They come along once in life." Indeed. Update: Also, more here. All previous coverage of David Bowie on SFist. The gender binary is so 2015. In a release statement calling for the "most comprehensive law in the nation," Supervisor David Campos is leading the charge to "increase bathroom access for transgender people, women, frail seniors, and people with disabilities," by declaring that all single-person restrooms in San Francisco businesses and city buildings be designated as "All Gender." The move represents contemporary thinking on gender pluralism and inclusivity, and with plenty of support, it might not be long before we're all using all gender bathrooms. My reaction when I first learned about this issue," Campos tells the Chronicle, "was 'Why arent we doing this already?' Even City Hall is dotted with single-person single-gender restrooms, and that would change, though multi-stall restrooms would still carry gender designations. Washington, DC has had such a law since 2006, and now Berkeley, West Hollywood, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Austin have followed suit. As a mechanism for ensuring that businesses are in compliance, the public would be encouraged to notify the Human Rights Commission of violations with the Department of Building Inspection able to levy fines. The preferred terminology "All Gender" as opposed to the popular "Gender Neutral" distinction "recognizes the diversity of gender rather than to neutralize[s] it" according to Sasha Buchert, a staff attorney at the Transgender Law Center. The Golden Gate Restaurant Association is in support, it says. A lot of restaurants are going the route of unisex restrooms, according to executive director Gwyneth Borden. Its actually a lot easier. How many times have you seen a line at the ladies room and not the mens room? For too long in K through 12, we have asked every single student to conform to one or the other binary, Samuel Bass, the principal of San Francisco's Miraloma Elementary School, told the New York Times of the school's move to All Gender bathrooms. We had several students on the gender spectrum, and decided it was the right thing to do. It doesnt affect other students. Children dont know gender norms until we as adults teach them. With any change, parents have questions. When they realize that its just like it is at home, its not a big deal. Supervisor Mark Farrell, a co-sponsor of the legislation, adds that Equal rights and equal access should apply to restrooms just like everywhere else. Spotlight topped the Iowa Film Critics Association list for 2015, winning three awards including Best Film. Director Tom McCarthy took top honors in his category and Mark Ruffalo won Best Supporting Actor. Two Steve Jobs actors won in their categories: Michael Fassbender nabbed Best Actor, Kate Winslet won Best Supporting Actress. And Brie Larson won Best Actress for Room. Inside Out was named Best Animated Film, Amy was named Best Documentary, See You Again from Fast and Furious 7 won Best Song, and The Hateful Eight won Best Score. 45 Years was selected as the Best Movie Yet to Open in Iowa. Mad Max: Fury Road and Steve Jobs were runners-up in the best film category; Leonardo DiCaprio, Revenant, and Bryan Cranston, Trumbo, were runners-up in the Best Actor category. Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn, and Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years, were Best Actress runners-up. Ruffalo was followed by Sylvester Stallone, Creed, and Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies. Winslet was followed by Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl and Ex Machina, and Rooney Mara, Carol. The Iowa Film Critics Association includes a number of Iowa-area journalists working in print, online and in broadcast. SIOUX CITY | Two pieces of masking tape stick to a window that looks into Todd Oberg's office. Our Favorite Boss. Not. It's hard to say who put it there -- his mother who works at the register or his wife. They were probably just following the commander's orders. They've got to have some fun at the volunteer-run thrift store. Oberg operates the Disabled American Veterans Thrift Store, at 5129 Military Road. Its a one-year post that hes held for almost five. When he went to join the local military organization, he was asked to take over as commander. They told him, all he had to do was hold down a chair. They got me in here, and they could have stamped sucker on my forehead, he said. But its fun. Its something to do. Its better than sitting at home twiddling my thumbs. So I took the job. Oberg and his wife, Cathy, work at the store almost every day theyre open, Tuesday through Saturday, and sometimes cant help but work more on their days off. Theyre essentially relying on less than a dozen volunteers, some of which only work two to four hours a week. They need more help. There are other issues that need to be dealt with too like the roof thats leaking again and a patchwork of fluorescent lights that have gone out throughout the store, darkening the sales floor. Making matters worse, charitable giving to the DAV has taken a hit since the Wounded Warrior Project started in 2003. Everybodys donating to them and they forgot about us, Oberg said. We are the original wounded warriors without that title Were just dying, forgotten. And thats a problem. The DAV was founded after World War I. Veterans returned with missing limbs. Others were deaf, blind or mentally ill. There was no single government program like todays Department of Veterans Affairs and overall little assistance to help the wounded an estimated 204,000 of them find jobs and readjust to civilian life. The DAV became their advocate. Then the WWP came along, focusing on injured service men and women who were in the military on or after Sept. 11, 2001. The DAV is an organization with dues-paying members while the younger group offers a free Alumni program that provides support and camaraderie for Wounded Warriors through events, discounted services and an online community. While some of their programs and services may overlap, the organizations take a different approach to raising funds and awareness for the countrys disabled veterans. But its the DAV with the older, less-catchy name that appears to be struggling more to raise money and rally the volunteers, meaning Oberg and his wife spend extra hours at the store. Seated in his office at the thrift store, he jokes that hes like the owner without the pride of ownership or the pay. Its a low-tech operation. They dont even have a computer. Were what I call Dinosaur Incorporated, Oberg said. As he gives a grand tour of the store, he points of the signs that are professionally done, then laughs at the handwritten note on a dressing room door. The thrift store is brimming with clothes, shoes, furniture and other home items. We try not to throw anything away. Anything that we can, we salvage. Even if its a T-shirt with big stains on it, well turn them into rags, he said. There have been a few things where its like why would you send this here? Why would you send this anywhere, except the landfill? There is a sign outside that clearly states: If we cant sell it, we dont want it Donations are a vital part of the store's ability to raise money and give back to disabled veterans. For example, profits from sales help cover the costs of a wheelchair accessible van thats used to provide rides to the VA hospitals in Omaha, Nebraska, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The DAV has also worked to offer clothing and transportation assistance for job-seeking veterans. Theyve built wheelchair ramps, provided hospital beds and completed other projects for veterans and their families like replacing the buckling porch of a veterans widow. Just because hes gone, doesnt mean shes still not part of our family, Oberg said. Our job is to help any way we can. SIOUX CITY | Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson said Monday that security at the Mexican border needs to be tightened not just to halt illegal immigration but to stem terrorist groups he said are sneaking across into the U.S. "That, to me, is a bigger reason to seal the border," Carson told the Journal's editorial board. Carson said he's met with Arizona law enforcement officials, who told of terror cells with roots in Russia, Iraq, Syria and Sudan making it across the border. "They are coming into our country with no kind of check, and they are hiding and they are waiting to do all kinds of horrendous things here," Carson said. The retired neurosurgeon said there is palpable concern among the American people that a major terrorist strike will occur on U.S. soil, on the heels of large-scale November strikes in Paris that killed more than 100 people. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks, and Carson shared several steps he said would not contain but rather defeat ISIS. He said the U.S. needs a declaration of war against ISIS, then land the group holds in large parts of Iraq and also in Egypt need to be wrested away. The fact that ISIS controls land gives the group legitimacy in the eyes of Muslims in the area, he said. "In addition to taking the land back, we have to deprive them of their monetary resources, primarily oil. ISIS is the richest terrorist organization in the world, and why are they so wealthy -- because of oil revenues. We have to either take that oil or destroy their oil," Carson said. He added that special operations military forces should be striking at ISIS land holdings in overnight hours. "We should have them always on the run," Carson said. Additionally, Carson addressed the announcement last week by Democratic President Barack Obama that he will use executive orders that bypass Congress in the effort to reduce gun violence. The crux of Obama's plan is a more sweeping definition of gun dealers that the administration hopes will expand the number of sales subject to background checks. Carson said Second Amendment rights to gun ownership should not be restricted. "The terrorists don't care about any gun restrictions that you put there. If anything, we ought to be offering our citizens lessons on how to use their weapons effectively," he said. Carson rose to the top tier of Republican candidates in fall 2015, but has since dropped. In the Monday poll released by Quinnipiac University, Carson had 7 percent support in Iowa, for fourth place. Businessman and reality TV star Donald Trump led with 31 percent, with Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in a close second at 29 percent. Carson said recent shakeups in his campaign staffing shouldn't be seen as a source of weakness, but a sign that he is competing hard to have the best staff in the final three weeks to the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses, which are the first contest in the 2016 presidential nominee selection process. "We are going to do very well... I don't need to change my message," Carson said. After leaving the Journal offices, Carson met privately with a group of pastors in Sioux City before heading to Le Mars for a rally at the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor & Museum. SIOUX CITY | The murder trial for a man charged in a fatal Sioux City stabbing has been continued while authorities wait for him to have a mental health evaluation. District Judge Steven Andreasen on Friday granted Assistant Woodbury County Attorney James Loomis' request to continue the trail of Isack Abdinur, who had been scheduled to stand trial on Jan. 26. In his request for a continuance, Loomis said that the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Oakdale, Iowa, would not be able to evaluate Abdinur in January, and it was unknown when the evaluation might be conducted. A new trial date has yet to be set. Abdinur's attorney, public defender Mike Williams filed notice in November that he will rely upon an insanity or diminished-capacity defense in the case. Loomis then received the court's permission to have an independent examination of Abdinur in Oakdale. Abdinur, 36, has pleaded not guilty in Woodbury County District Court to first-degree murder. He is accused of fatally stabbing Cornelia Stead, 43, on June 23 in her apartment at 521 W. 16th St. Police have said Abdinur and Stead were romantic partners who got into an argument. Court documents said that Stead had locked herself in a bedroom during the argument but that Abdinur forced open the door and began punching her in the face. He then got a knife from the kitchen and stabbed her multiple times. If Abdinur, a native of Somalia whom police characterized as a transient, stands trial and is found guilty as charged, he would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. SIOUX CITY | An improperly disposed of cigarette was to blame in a fire at Sneaky's Chicken Monday morning, Sioux City Fire Rescue officials said on Tuesday The fire was reported at 9:30 a.m. and was contained to a back storage area at theSioux City restaurant at 3711 Gordon Drive. The flames never reached the restaurant, but the interior sustained smoke damage that will require Sneaky's to be shut down for several weeks until repairs and inspections are made, according to a release from Sioux City Fire Rescue. No injuries were reported during the fire. In Iowa, smoking is prohibited in restaurants and most other public indoor places. Sneaky's catering business will resume business at a separate location, owner David Ferris said Monday. SIOUX CITY | A federal judge has ordered that questions of state law raised by a Des Moines water utility's lawsuit against three Northwest Iowa counties be answered by the Iowa Supreme Court. U.S. District Judge Mark W. Bennett said in an order Monday that those questions could affect the case and they should be decided by the state's highest court. The answers to those questions will shape how he rules on a request to dismiss several of the counts contained in the Des Moines Water Works lawsuit against the boards of supervisors in Buena Vista, Sac and Calhoun counties. "... I believe that the interests of the parties and the public are best served by a definitive adjudication of these state law issues by the ultimate authority on them -- the Iowa Supreme Court," Bennett said in his order. The water utility filed suit in March, claiming the three counties' boards of supervisors, serving as trustees of the drainage districts within their borders, are violating the federal Clean Water Act by not doing enough to reduce the high nitrate levels of water running into the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers and their tributaries, the primary source of water for Des Moines. If left untreated, those elevated levels can cause health problems. Lawyers for the counties are seeking the dismissal of eight of 10 counts included in the lawsuit. Among the counts are nuisance, negligence, trespassing, taking without just compensation and due process and equal protection claims. Last month in U.S. District Court in Sioux City, the counties' lawyers said the drainage districts have immunity from the claims because they are essentially vehicles set up under Iowa law and have no authority to regulate landowners' actions. The Water Works attorneys countered that many of those immunity arguments are based on outdated rulings based on a bad law that should be changed and that the counties should be held liable for pollution drained from the land they cover. Bennett said it would be more appropriate for the Iowa Supreme Court to decide those matters of state law rather than a federal court. He certified to the Supreme Court four questions: two regarding immunity, one to determine if the Water Works has property interest that may be subject of a claim and whether the utility can assert protections under the Iowa Constitution's inalienable rights, due process, equal protection and takings clause. Once the Supreme Court answers those questions, Bennett will issue a ruling on the counties' dismissal request. Both sides must now file briefs with the Supreme Court. No time line for a decision has been set. The Water Works is seeking damages of more than $1.4 million it has spent for increased filtration methods to remove the nitrates, which occur naturally in the soil but also are traced to commercial fertilizers and livestock manure applied to fields. If levels remain high, Water Works officials have said, they will need a new water treatment system costing $75 million to $175 million. SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa | A Spirit Lake man has pleaded not guilty to numerous theft and burglary charges. Chayton Quail, 21, entered his written plea Monday in Dickinson County District Court to six counts of third-degree burglary, four counts of second-degree theft and single counts of first-degree theft, ongoing criminal conduct and possession of a controlled substance. Quail and Travis Johnson, 20, were arrested in November after police executed a search warrant for their residence at 2708 Keokuk Ave. and found stolen items, including two handguns, ammunition, two compound bows, iPads, iPods, 15 laptop computers, Xboxes, power tools and various electronic hardware. Marijuana and drug paraphernalia also were found. According to court documents, the two committed thefts in September and October from individuals and Spirit Lake businesses Motor Inn, Consumers Lumber and Furniture Mart, a school in Terril and Outer Limits Bar in Terril. Johnson, also of Spirit Lake, has pleaded not guilty to similar charges. DES MOINES | Facing another tight budget, new House Appropriations Committee Chairman Pat Grassley is planning to do a line-by-line review of what he called the Legislatures annual Christmas tree bill. Grassley expects a three-member Appropriations subcommittee to begin working its way through the $3.46 billion catch-all appropriations bill lawmakers approved last spring, starting with funds budgeted for the Legislature itself. We know we have to find savings, so lets start with the low-hanging fruit, he said Monday. Democrats and Republicans started their scheduled 100-day legislative session about $127 million apart as they start crafting a state budget topping $7 billion. The standings bill includes K-12 school funding, but theres about $500 million in other appropriations, including property tax credits, for the subcommittee to examine. Based on the Revenue Estimating Conference projections, Grassley believes the Legislature will have $153 million in new revenue. Gov. Terry Branstad has proposed spending $145 million of that on education. Grassley has appointed his vice chairman, Rep. Ken Rizer, R-Cedar Rapids, to lead the review. If we dont have enough money for everything, we need to find where we can cut if we have to prioritize spending, Rizer said. So were going to start by reviewing the standing appropriations and ask What was the appropriation for? and What was the purpose? and Is it still needed? Rep. Chris Hall, D-Sioux City, ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, has worked on the standings bill for the past four years and he welcomes the review. Democrats will be glad to help, he said. "Iowas budget process is honest and transparent, but its always important to review our budget and make sure were spending wisely. However, he warned that the minority party is not interested if the review is a political maneuver by Republicans to cut spending on Democratic priorities or tax cuts that will result in underfunding state government. Rizers goal is to determine whether programs funded in the past are a good use of money and if they're working. Rizer conceded a deep dive into the standings bill may seem pretty dull. Sometimes the sausage-making isnt sexy, but its important, he said. STORM LAKE, Iowa | A Storm Lake man has pleaded guilty to assaulting a 14-year-old girl in an attempt to sexually abuse her. Ricardo Juarez, 21, entered an Alford Plea Monday in Buena Vista County District Court to one count of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse, an aggravated misdemeanor. An Alford Plea allows a defendant to admit no guilt, though a guilty plea is entered in the court record. Sentencing was set for Feb. 29. Juarez entered the plea as part of a plea agreement, in which prosecutors will recommend that he receive a suspended prison sentence and be placed no probation for two years. Juarez had initially been charged with two counts of third-degree sexual abuse involving two teenage girls. In his plea, Juarez agreed that evidence would show that he assaulted one of the girls with the intent to commit a sex act against her will. SIOUX CITY | Three unions representing Woodbury County workers have asked for four-year contracts that would give them 4 percent pay raises per year and add vision insurance to their benefits packages. The workers, represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 61, Local 3462, made initial bargaining proposals Monday at the county courthouse. County officials heard the opening request, then one hour later responded with a proposal of 1 percent raises per year for the three groups for four years through June 30, 2020. After sharing the initial proposals in a public meeting, the two sides will now bargain in closed sessions toward the goal of reaching an accord on wages, benefits and other employment details. The existing AFSCME contract runs three years through June 30, 2016. The AFSCME group includes nearly 100 employees who work varying jobs in the courthouse, 20 Juvenile Detention Center employees and about a dozen assistant county attorneys. County supervisor Mark Monson, Human Resources Department director Ed Gilliland, and attorney Doug Phillips represented the county. AFSCME staff member Preston DeBoer explained the proposal on behalf of county union members, and a few employees observed the talks. Courthouse employees also are seeking President's Day as a paid holiday and changes on how accumulated sick days at times can be turned into vacation days. The assistant county attorneys sought reimbursement by the county for up to $50 per month for health club memberships and by the county to pay annual membership dues to the Iowa Bar Association. A national trend in which local paramedics make house calls is starting to take root in Nebraska. Firefighters in McCook are expected to start making visits to homes starting this month, the McCook Gazette reported. Other communities in Nebraska, including Lincoln, should pay close attention. Community paramedicine offers a way to help local residents and make the local health care system more efficient. The practice of utilizing fire department paramedics or private paramedics has skyrocketed in the past five years, fueled in part by provisions of the Affordable Care Act that penalize hospitals when surgery patients are readmitted. In McCook, city officials hope the new program will reduce the number of emergency calls, as well as improve local health care. The program will target residents who have made frequent visits to the emergency room in the past, and those who may require emergency ambulance service in the future. The overall goal I think is for us to minimize those transports and in turn lessen the emergency calls, McCook Fire Chief Marc Harpham told the Gazette. In the home visits paramedics will do things like take blood pressure and other vital signs, check blood sugar, educate patients on how they can stay out of the hospital and reinforce previous messages on what people need to do to cope with chronic medical conditions. One of the first communities to try community paramedicine was Forth Worth, Texas. Matt Zavadsky, a spokesman for MedStar in Fort Worth, said that when the program started there were only three in the country. Now there are about 230, he told the Journal of Emergency Medical Services. In Omaha, a pilot partnership between Immanuel Medical Center and Medics at Home, which is owned by Omaha Ambulance Service, provides follow-up care after area residents return home from a hospital. Pending in the Legislature is LB543, introduced by Omaha Sen. Burke Harr, which is aimed at addressing some of the issues surrounding community paramedicine. Harr last year described the bill, which is still in committee, as an effort to get people talking about the concept. One of the issues is how to pay for the programs. The Wall Street Journal reported last year that payment models are still evolving. Some are covered by grants, some by state Medicaid and some by Medicare programs that reward hospitals for innovative programs intended to save money. In McCook, the Community Hospital Health Foundation has committed $10,000. Previous attempts to introduce new ideas to Lincoln Fire and Rescue, like the experiment with sending alternative response vehicles (pickup trucks) to some emergency calls rather than fire engines, have not been greeted with enthusiasm. Change, however, is relentless. Community paramedicine is a trend that is worthy of study. Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star SIOUX CITY | The City Council approved a contract Monday that will deliver $360,000 in state tax incentives for a $9 million expansion of the Curly Foods plant in Sioux City. Council members voted 5-0 to approve the contract between the Iowa Economic Development Authority and Curly's Foods, a division of Smithfield Foods. The tax credits would come from the state's High Quality Jobs program. The Curly Foods plant located in the Yards I-29 Business Park processes ribs and other pre-cooked meats. The expansion includes $6 million to add 13,000 square feet and make other improvements to the facility, and $3 million for new machinery and equipment. The company has pledged to create 30 new jobs and retain 627 positions. "We're happy they're looking at expansion of their facility in Sioux City," city economic development director Marty Dougherty said. "They make great products, and they've been here for a long time. They've grown in the past several times." In April, Curly's Foods informed city officials of its expansion plan caused by a boost in sales and demand for pre-cooked meats. In other action Monday, the council also: -- Voted 5-0 to award a $578,989 contact to WA Klinger, LLC, to build a 10-unit hangar at Sioux Gateway Airport. The new hangar at 2601 Keokuk Ave. will replace a hangar destroyed by a windstorm in 2014. Sioux City-based Klinger submitted the low bid, which came in under the city's estimate of $650,000. Officials expect the project to be completed in 90 days. -- Voted, as part of its consent agenda, to secure the release of $2.4 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for its Lead Hazard Control Grant Program. This will be the third time Sioux City has received the federal funding, which will be used for lead hazard control and home safety inspections. SIOUX CITY | A 46-year-old man was convicted Friday on conspiracy and drug charges in U.S. District Court in Sioux City. Alberto Sanchez of Sioux City was found guilty after a two-day trial on one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and two counts of distribution of methamphetamine, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Iowa said in a release Monday. According to evidence, Sanchez was involved in a conspiracy from 2014 through June 2015 to distribute more than 50 grams of meth in Siouxland. It also showed he distributed meth on two other occasions in 2015 to an individual cooperating with law enforcement. Additional evidence indicated Sanchez used a minor to distribute the drugs. Sanchez will remain in custody until his sentencing. The conspiracy conviction has a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum life sentence; a $10 million fine; a $100 special assessment and at least five years of supervised release following jail time. The distribution convictions each have a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years in jail and a maximum 40 years in prison; a 5 million fine; a $100 special assessment and at least four years of supervised release following jail time. As technology continues to improve and make our lives better, the future of business meetings through virtual presence has stepped up as well. Research and innovations company Double Robotics has launched its new and improved robot named Double 2 featured at the recent Consumer Electronic Show (CES) 2016 in Las Vegas. Double 2 is a telepresence robot an upgrade from its previous model that aims to give virtual presence to telecommuters or remote workers. Video conferencing has been used in the business world since the 1980s and continues to be a valuable tool in the world of business communication. But unlike teleconferencing which streams video over a stationary tablet or other screen, the Double 2 robot raises virtually being there to a whole new level. The device is actually a mobile robot installed with a camera that gives the telecommuter the freedom to navigate around the office environment taking in presentations and interacting with coworkers. It is controllable using a computer keyboard or a compatible tablet like iPad. The Double 2 robot has a tablet attached to it with speakers allowing co-workers to see and here the remote employee too. It also enables the telecommuter to capture images from the robots surroundings for example the high points or graphs from an important presentation. The companys previous telecommuting robot, the Double, only depends on the camera quality of the mounted iPad used as the robots screen for video and photos. But the Double 2 includes a separate 5.0 megapixel camera for more features like wide field of view, Always-on Floor view and Adaptive HD. Double 2s camera kit also has a 150-degree wide angle lens that increases field of view to both left and right by 70 percent. The camera kit is backwards compatible, meaning owners of the Double can purchase it to experience the new camera features. Aside from its communication features, the Double 2 robot boasts new lateral stability control that prevents it from toppling over usual obstacles like cable cords. It now has a Power Drive mode that increases the robots driving speed by almost 80 percent. To date, numerous companies are already taking advantage of the new telepresence technology. Accounting firm Wise Advice in Auckland, New Zealand has hired a robot staff member that provides presence for their accountants at conferences, meetings and trainings without physical attendance. It can also act as a platform for showing presentations and content during trainings, workshops and seminar. While the main market for Double 2 robot is the business sector, it has a wide range of applications like in the education sector. Ford Sniezek, a 5-year-old student who has a condition that lets him move only his hands, uses Double to experience life inside a classroom. His mom, Kayla, operates the robot using an iPad from their home. There are many fitness goals out there that we desire. Some of us want to be leaner and others wish to put on muscle mass. The thing is, for you to achieve your fitness goals, you need to When President Barack Obama takes the stage tonight for his State of the Union address to the American people, he will be doing so with at least two individuals associated with terrorism seated in front of him. The individuals, Nezar Hamze and Sameena Usman, are leaders of CAIR and have involvement with Islamic Relief, two groups that have been named terrorist organizations by the government of United Arab Emirates (UAE).Nezar Hamze is the CEO and Regional Operations Director of the Florida statewide chapter of CAIR. Hamze is attending the State of the Union (SOTU) at the behest of United States Congressman Alcee Hastings, Democrat from Florida. Sameena Usman is the Government Relations Coordinator of the San Francisco Bay Area (SFBA) chapter of CAIR. Usman is attending SOTU at the behest of Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, Democrat from California.CAIR or the Council on American-Islamic Relations was created in June 1994 as a part of a terrorist umbrella organization led by then-global head of Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzook. In 2007 and 2008, CAIR was named a co-conspirator by the US Justice Department for two federal trials dealing with the financing of millions of dollars to Hamas. In November 2014, along with ISIS and al-Qaeda, the UAE government named CAIR to its list of terrorist organizations.CAIR-Florida reflects the same extremism as its parent organization. In July 2014, CAIR-Florida co-sponsored a pro-Hamas rally in Downtown Miami, where rally goers shouted, We are Hamas and Lets go Hamas. Following the rally, the event organizer, Sofian Zakkout, wrote, Thank God, every day we conquer the American Jews like our conquests over the Jews of Israel! In August 2014, CAIR-Florida Executive Director Hassan Shibly wrote, Israel and its supporters are enemies of God... CAIR-SFBA too epitomizes CAIR. The Executive Director of CAIR-SFBA Zahra Billoo has written that one amazing reason to get married is to raise fighters to attack Israel. She wrote that to celebrate Columbus [Day] is the same as having Jews celebrate Hitler and the Holocaust. She refers to US troops as scum. Billoo proudly announced on her blog that her younger brother, Ahmed, was quoted in an article voicing support for suicide bombings. Billoo wrote that she, herself, contemplated suicide, after viewing a pro-Israel ad on a San Francisco train.Besides CAIR, both Nezar Hamze and Sameena Usman are involved with Islamic Relief (IR). For the past three years, Hamze has helped coordinate a nationwide annual event run by Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA) called Day of Dignity. IRUSA is the American affiliate of Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW). Usman is a Disaster Assistance Response Team member for IRUSA.Islamic Relief, like CAIR, has been named by the UAE government as a terrorist organization.Islamic Reliefs ties to terror are well known. The Russian government has accused Islamic Relief of supporting terrorism in Chechnya. Israel has banned the group, labeling it a Hamas front and arresting the organizations Gaza Program Manager, Ayaz Ali, in 2006, for providing assistance to Hamas. At the end of 2014, Britains HSBC bank cut ties with Islamic Relief over concerns about terrorist financing. Reports show that Islamic Relief has sent millions of dollars to and received tens of thousands of dollars from groups related to al-Qaeda.The Chairman of IRUSA is Khaled Lamada. Lamada is also the co-chairman of the Islamic Circle of North America and Muslim American Society (ICNA-MAS) national convention. ICNA has been linked to terrorist financing and has used the web to promote a number of terrorist groups, including Hamas, al-Qaeda, Hezbollah and the Taliban. MAS, like CAIR and Islamic Relief, has been named to the UAE governments list of terrorist organizations. Lamada has used social media to advocate for such groups as the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas For United States Representatives to invite Nezar Hamze and Sameena Usman to sit in on the Presidents State of the Union address is a national disgrace and a dangerous move that can only result in the legitimization of groups associated with terror.In a country still reeling from the aftermath of the San Bernardino attacks, this is an obscene gesture and an affront to all those who have suffered at the hands of terrorists. This invitation not only sends the message to our enemies that terrorism is rewarded, but it emboldens those whose stated goal is to destroy the West. That these Islamists are being allowed into Congress makes a mockery of the safety precautions associated with the event.Most horrific of all is what this says about the current State of the Union.Shame on Representative Hastings and Representative Lofgren for pandering to their Islamist constituents at the expense of national security!If you wish to voice your displeasure with these invitations, you can do so by calling the office of Alcee Hastings at 202-225-1313 or by emailing him at alcee.pubhastings@mail.house.gov and by calling the office of Zoe Lofgren at 202-225-3072 or by emailing her at zoe.lofgren@mail.house.gov . Please be respectful in any and all communications with these offices and individuals.Beila Rabinowitz, Director of Militant Islam Monitor, contributed to this report. Pastor Al Brockman, 81, formerly from Lusby, Maryland, passed away January 7, 2016 at his home in Rolesville, North Carolina. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland on November 1, 1934 and was adopted by Asa Samuel and Alice Genevieve Brockman when he was 9 months old. He is survived by his wife of 60 years Sandra, two sons and their wives, A. Samuel and Leslie Brockman, Curtis Lee and Dalia Brockman, one daughter and her husband, Pastor Paul David and Martha Ann Crouthamel, six grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. He worked 30 years for C&P Telephone which became Verizon, graduated from Washington Bible College and served as Pastor of Calvary Bible Church in Lusby, Maryland for 23 years. He was an avid fisherman and loved fishing with his buddies, watching his Redskins and deeply caring for others and their needs. Family will receive friends on Thursday, January 14, 2016 from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. in the gym at Calvary Bible Church, 8300 Nursery Road, Lusby, Maryland 20657. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Third Person, P.O. Box 1574, Noblesville, IN 46061. This is a ministry that was important to Pastor and Sandi and one which they have supported for years. Arrangements provided by Rausch Funeral Home. District Court of Maryland, Charles County, Associate Judge Andrea Watkins will give the keynote address at the College of Southern Maryland's winter graduation ceremony Jan. 21. LA PLATA, Md. (Jan. 12, 2016)The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) will recognize candidates for degrees and certificates during its 17th Winter Commencement Jan. 21 at the La Plata Campus. A keynote address will be provided by The Honorable Andrea Watkins, associate judge for District Court of Maryland, District 4, Charles County.After graduating from Lackey High School, Watkins attended CSM, then Charles County Community College, where she earned an associate degree in 1981. Watkins earned a bachelors degree in 1983 from Mount St. Marys College and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) in 1986 from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.Admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1986, Watkins began her law career as clerk to The Honorable George W. Bowling of the Charles County Circuit Court. She served as an associate in the firms of Reichelt, Nussbaum, Brown, Dukes and La Placa; Chapman and Bowling; and John D. Hungerford, P.A. In 1996, Watkins was appointed as an assistant county attorney for Charles County, followed by an appointment as master (now magistrate) for domestic relations to the Circuit Court for Charles County in 2007. Watkins was appointed as an associate judge to the District Court of Maryland in Charles County in 2014.Watkins is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association and the Charles County Bar Association where she serves as judicial representative on the board of directors. She has previously served on the board of directors for Hospice of Charles County, the Port Tobacco Players, and Civista Medical Center (now University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center).CSMs winter commencement activities Jan. 21 will begin with a Nursing Recognition Ceremony at 1 p.m. in the Physical Education (PE) Center on the La Plata Campus with a reception immediately following on the upper level of the PE Center. The commencement ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the PE Center and tickets are required. Ticketholders are encouraged to arrive at least 30 minutes before the ceremony begins. Doors will close when the procession begins, and guests without tickets or arriving after the doors close may view the ceremony from the Fine Arts (FA) Center which will carry a live streaming broadcast. A reception immediately following commencement will be in the Center for Business and Industry (BI), Chaney Enterprises Conference Room BI-113.In the event of inclement weather, a decision will be announced and posted at www.csmd.edu if commencement activities will be held the following day, Jan. 22. Graduates and guests may also call the inclement weather hotline at 301-369-1999 or 800-650-4023.The safety of CSM students, guests and employees is of utmost importance. CSM will conduct bag checks at commencement, and all individuals may be subject to a bag check before entry. CSM Public Safety officials encourage guests to leave large secondary bags, diaper bags and backpacks in their vehicles or at home as these will be subject to the bag check process at the door.For information on commencement, visit www.csmd.edu/commencement Tallahassee The Human Rights Campaign predicts anti-LGBT legislation will be introduced in Florida during the 2016 state legislative session, which begins on Jan. 12. Its part of the HRCs preview 2016, a report released Jan. 8 on both pro-equality and anti-LGBT legislation at the state and local levels. Its a safe call for Florida, as two anti-gay bills have already been introduced. The Pastor Protection bill, filed by Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, in August, purports to protect religious leaders from being forced to conduct same-sex weddings. The bill is unnecessary because religious leaders are already free from being forced to perform any sort of wedding ceremony at all that doesnt align with their faith or personal convictions. HB 43 moved through the Civil Justice subcommittee and is now at the Judiciary Committee. A companion bill filed in the Florida Senate has not advanced. The other anti-gay bill currently active in the Florida House is titled Protection of Religious Freedom and would allow doctors to refuse to treat gay people, adoption agencies to refuse to place children with gay couples, and effectively any business to discriminate against gay people, as long as the business owner says its against their religious beliefs to do business with gay people.The bill wouldnt greenlight discrimination against just gay people, either. The wording is broad enough that it lets any business discriminate against anyone for any reason at all race, gender, disability, whatever as long as the business owner says its against their religion. HB 401 is currently referred to the Civil Justice Subcommittee and does not at this time have a companion Senate bill. The HRC predictions specify that Florida is likely to see both religious refusals and anti-transgender bills, but so far, no anti-transgender bills have been filed for 2016. In 2015, there was much debate over a bathroom bill that would have prohibited individuals from using public facilities that align with their gender identities, and instead have them use facilities based on their gender at birth. The bill died in committee. The HRC also noted pro-equality campaigns. There are campaigns to amend existing state anti-discriminationlaws to protect against discrimination on the basis of sexualorientation and gender identity in many states, including Florida.., the report reads. On the municipal level, the HRC specifically references the movement in Jacksonville to make their anti-discrimination laws LGBT-inclusive. As of press time, three pro-equality bills have been filed in the Florida Legislature. The Florida Competitive Workforce Act would shield Florida employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. The bi-partisan bill has been attempted at least a dozen times in previous years but has always died in committee. Florida House Representative David Richardson, D-Miami Beach, filed HB137, a bill that would prohibit gay conversion therapy for minors. And on Jan. 8, Richardson filed HB1151, which would update Florida statue language to strike words that are gender-specific. Specifically, the bill would iron out wrinkles regarding how same-sex parents names appear on their childrens birth certificates. According to a press release from Richardsons office, Sen. Darren Soto, D-Orlando, will file a companion bill in Floridas Senate. The preliminary hearing for a man accused of killing a psychiatrist in a Gayborhood hotel was continued until February. Manuel Baez, 27, is now scheduled for a hearing at 9 a.m. Feb. 10 in Room 306 of the Criminal Justice Center, 1301 Filbert St. He faces charges of criminal homicide, robbery and related offences in the death of Dr. Howard Baker, 75, in a room at the Rodeway Inn at 12th and Walnut streets. According to authorities, Baker, of Lower Merion Township, frequently stayed at the hotel, located a couple blocks from his practice in the 1400 block of Walnut Street. A housekeeper at the hotel discovered Bakers body Dec. 21. He was naked on the floor with a belt wrapped tightly around his neck. The cause of death was ruled strangulation, according to Officer Leeloni Palmiero, a Philadelphia police spokeswoman. Investigating officers determined Baker checked into the hotel Dec. 20. In the evening, two males visited Bakers room separately. The second was seen leaving the room just after midnight with Bakers wallet and backpack. Authorities contend this person was Baez. A motive is still being investigated. As Jim Obergefell, lead plaintiff in the lawsuit that legalized same-sex marriage nationally, prepares to attend the State of the Union address as First Lady Michelle Obama's guest, hate group leaders are taking a victory lap for having secured a seat in the hall for Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis, who continues to grandstand for her right to discriminate against same-sex couples on religious grounds. According to The Hill, anti-gay hate group Family Research Council arranged for Davis to attend President Obama's final State of the Union address on Tuesday. Seated with Davis will be her attorney Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of the anti-gay hate group Liberty Counsel. "While the President will be extolling his 'accomplishments' of the last seven years, Kim Davis and Mat Staver will be a visible reminder of the Administration's attack on religious liberty and an encouragement for people of faith to stand," reads a statement released by Liberty Counsel on Tuesday. "Kim and I are encouraging all people of faith to get involved in the political process, to vote for people who support your values, and to never give up," said Staver. "Our 'one nation under God,' is worth our continued prayers and active support." According to AP, every lawmaker gets one guest ticket to the President's annual speech. Staver did not say which members of Congress invited them, and no lawmaker has yet acknowledged extending the invitation. (CNN) -- On February 24, 2009, Americans were looking ahead to how Barack Obama's presidency would affect the country. But what do his supporters think now? Obama's 2009 speech -- not officially a "State of the Union" -- was his first address to a joint session of Congress, just over a month after taking office. We followed up with iReporters who voted for Obama in 2008 to ask what they think now versus what they thought seven years ago. The unemployed husband David Kronmiller's support of then-Sen. Obama didn't waver throughout the 2008 campaign. At the time, the Burbank, California, resident and his wife had just been laid off, and he was hoping for better days ahead. In 2009, he said he noticed a "spring in the step" of Washington and thought the President delivered a terrific speech filled with promise and hope. In a recent video, Kronmiller answered the oft-asked question, "Are you better off now?" with a resounding yes. Years later, "we're doing a lot better -- not out of the woods ... but we're doing so much better," he said. The economy turned around for Kronmiller, which was what he wanted, though he admits Obama didn't get all he wanted done. Today, Kronmiller is a vocal supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential run, despite the fact that his rival for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton is selling herself as a continuation of the Obama presidency. Instead, he thinks Clinton would move the country to the right, pointing to her last bitterly fought campaign against Obama. "Bernie Sanders has led throughout his entire 40+ career, getting arrested for protesting segregation, marching with MLK, standing up for gay rights on the floor of the House, opposing Clinton-era mandatory minimums and three strikes laws, voting against the Patriot Act and voting against the Iraq war," he said. "The Iraq war vote was a 'hard choice' for Hillary, but for Bernie it was an easy no. Something Bernie and Barack both agree on. That's the type of leadership that will lift the country up." The undecided In 2008, Jason Dinant of Las Vegas wavered between Obama and Sen. John McCain, a politician he had admired for many years. He made a special trip to New York City, asking people in Times Square whom he should vote for and was persuaded to vote for Obama. After that first speech in 2009, Dinant was excited by what Obama might have to offer for the country. Today, he's proud of the vote he made. "After two terms in office, clap it up. ... Mr. Obama, you did an amazing job," he said in a new video, citing the economy, health care and "helping equality spread across this country." However, despite a photo with Hillary Clinton that Dinant cites as an early example of a selfie, he is once again undecided, this time between Clinton and Sanders. He plans to decide soon, however, as he will be caucusing in Nevada. The true believer Longtime blogger Zennie Abraham of Oakland, California, was an early supporter of Obama, at the time calling his 2009 speech the best he had ever done, "replacing Reagan as the 'Great Communicator.' " In a new video, Abraham -- still a strong supporter -- laid out in detail why he thinks Obama is one of the greatest presidents in American history. He pointed to the President's stimulus, saying it improved the economy, the Affordable Care Act, which Abraham said helped him personally, and the killing of Osama bin Laden as three big accomplishments. He also pointed to Obama being the first African-American president as an accomplishment. "He sent the message that the truly intelligent person looks for the right person whoever it may be (regardless of race, gender or orientation)," he added. "He said to black kids especially: 'You, too, can be president of the United States.' " Abraham also noted that Obama was "the first president of the social media age." The mother and political vlogger Kingwood, Texas, resident Adriana Maxwell, who had just started vlogging her reactions to political stories in early 2009, called Obama's speech an important one directed at Americans, with repercussions for the world. One of her main concerns then was education, and on that issue, she thinks the President has done a good job, pointing especially to Common Core. She also pointed to foreign policy: "We turned the corner with Cuba, but sort of turned the corner with Iran." But at the same time, she said it was "shaky," in that there should have been "a more nuanced approach" to the Arab Spring. "Pushing U.S. allies to move forward with their version of democracy would have gone a long way to improve the situation in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan," she said. Overall, she does not fault the President, who moved forward with executive orders and actions on immigration and guns, citing a Congress that he said would not act. "I think he made it so that the next guy or gal to walk into office will have a better starting point," she said. The-CNN-Wire & 2016 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved More than 200 children may have been abused, some of them sexually, by adults working with a Catholic children's choir in southern Germany, a lawyer tasked with investigating the allegations said Friday. Ulrich Weber said the 231 alleged victims included 50 who made "plausible" claims of sexual abuse at the Regensburger Domspatzen boys' choir and two associated boarding schools between 1953 and 1992. Weber, who was commissioned by the Catholic diocese of Regensburg, said that former Domspatzen conductor Georg Ratzinger must have known of at least some of the abuses. Ratzinger, the older brother of Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, has previously denied knowledge of the incidents. Allegations of abuse surfaced several years ago, at a time when the Catholic Church's handling of such claims was being widely scrutinized following a series of high-profile cases in Europe and the United States. Weber said his eight-month investigation involved interviews with more than 140 people, including 70 alleged victims. He concluded that almost a third of all pupils at two primary feeder schools for the choir, one in Etterzhausen and one in Pielenhofen, suffered some form of abuse. The sexual assaults ranged from stroking to rape, he said. "The events were known internally and criticized, but they had almost no consequences," Weber said. Most of the alleged crimes have passed the statute of limitations for criminal complaints by now. The diocese published the interim report on its website Friday, along with a year-old sermon by Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer in which he expressed regret for the abuse the children allegedly suffered. The diocese has previously offered to pay 2,500 euros in damages to each of the victims. Vatican City (AP) Pope Francis lays out his case for emphasizing the merciful face of the Catholic Church in his first book as pontiff, saying God never tires of forgiving and actually prefers the sinners who repent over self-righteous moralizers who dont. The Name of God Is Mercy, a 100-page conversation with Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli, is being published this week in 86 countries to help kick-start Francis Holy Year of Mercy. A copy was provided in advance to The Associated Press. In the book, Francis condemns what he calls the scholars of law the doctrinaire-minded rigorists who throughout the history of the church have challenged Jesus message of unconditional love and mercy for even the most wretched of sinners. He says often these self-righteous Christians are hypocrites themselves, using the law to hide their own deep wounds. These are men who live attached to the letter of the law but who neglect love; men who only know how to close doors and draw boundaries, Francis is quoted as saying. Francis has rankled many conservatives with his frequent dismissals of theological and legalistic arguments stressing doctrine over his more pastoral message of welcome and mercy for societys most marginal. The clash in approaches has been particularly evident in recent church debates over marriage and divorce. We must avoid the attitude of someone who judges and condemns from the lofty heights of his own certainty, looking for the splinter in his brothers eye while remaining unaware of the beam in his own, Francis says. Let us always remember that God rejoices more when one sinner returns to the fold than when 99 righteous people have no need of repentance. The Vatican is officially launching the book Tuesday with a high-level panel discussion featuring Francis secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and `Life Is Beautiful actor Roberto Benigni, signaling the importance Francis places on getting the message out. In the book, Francis insists that his now-infamous Who am I to judge comment about gays was merely a repetition of the churchs teaching on homosexuality. Francis won praise from gays with the comment, uttered during his first press conference in 2013. But many conservatives have criticized the remark as vague and incomplete since church teaching also holds that gay acts are intrinsically disordered. Francis says the church has long held that gays should be treated with dignity and respect and seen as individuals. And he goes to some length throughout the text to cite scripture and previous popes to make clear that his radical agenda is fully rooted in the churchs basic teachings. People should not be defined only by their sexual tendancies: Let us not forget that God loves all his creatures and we are destined to receive his infinite love, he says. I prefer that homosexuals come to confession, that they stay close to the Lord, and that we pray all together. You can advise them to pray, show goodwill, show them the way, and accompany them along it. Francis has made clear from the start of his pontificate that his would be a papacy focused on mercy, and he called a jubilee year to emphasize it. Throughout the book, Francis refers repeatedly to his own ministry to prostitutes and prisoners in Argentina, showing how his own personal encounters with societys outcasts have shaped his view about the faith and formed the bedrock of his papacy. As a confessor, Francis is quoted as saying, I have always tried to find a crack, just a tiny opening so that I can pry open that door and grant forgiveness and mercy. But Francis opening isnt a free-for-all: He says of course prisons cant throw their doors open and let violent criminals out onto the streets. But he says once a debt is paid, prisoners must be reintegrated back into society and welcomed. And he distinguishes between ordinary and even repeat sinners and those who are corrupt, saying corruption is a condition, a state of life and often a hypocritical one incompatible with Christianity. The corrupt man often doesnt realize his own condition, much as a person with bad breath doesnt know they have it, he says. Some conservatives have balked at Francis mercy-over-morals priorities, saying it has sent confusing messages to the faithful especially after two previous popes spent so much time stressing doctrine. Even some cardinals have called on Francis to make clear-cut policy statements on certain hot-button issues, especially on the divisive question of whether divorced and civilly remarried Catholics can receive Communion. Church teaching holds that, if these Catholics are living in sin, they cannot receive the sacraments. Francis launched a two-year study on the issue and other matters related to Catholic family life, and is expected to weigh in this year with a document on whether any accommodation can be found. In the book, Francis doesnt commit himself one way or the other, but he indicated that his ultimate decision may draw on a personal experience. Francis recounts that one of his nieces wanted to marry a man who had children from a previous marriage but hadnt yet obtained an annulment, a church decree that his first marriage was null. The couple got married in a civil ceremony and went on to have three children. Francis recalls that every Sunday when they went to Mass the man went to confession and told the priest that he knew he couldnt be absolved from the sin of adultery, but he asked for a blessing. This is a religiously mature man, Francis said. Progressives, led by the German bishops, have said such religiously mature Catholics should be allowed to participate fully in the life of the church, including receiving the sacraments. It may soon be illegal to come out as LGBT in Russia. Russia's State Duma will vote on a bill next week that would effectively ban men from coming out as LGBT, Gay Star News reports (via Russian News Service). The proposed measure comes from two senior Russian Communist MPs, Ivan Nikitchuk and Nikolai Arefyev. If passed, the bill would punish those who come out with a 15-day prison sentence. Additionally, any public displays of same-sex affection from men would also result in jail time and a fine of 5,000 rubles ($80 USD). GSN notes the bill is only targeting gay men. Lawmakers said women are more "reasonable" and can "manage their emotions." "We have our own idea of honor and conscience, and we must respect tradition. The scum that comes to us from the West is unnatural to Russia. These unconventional sexual desires do nothing but disgust normal, smart, healthy people," Nikitchuk said, according to the Russian News Service. "It is sick that disgusting people feel they should be treated the same." Russia's current anti-gay "homosexual propaganda" laws ban any sort of LGBT Pride, but the new measure carries a 15-day jail sentence for anyone who wants to support the rights of the LGBT community. Nikitchuk and Arefyev said their reason for creating the new anti-gay measure is because the country's current laws against the LGBT community and non-traditional relationships are not "effective" enough," GSN writes. Surface of Dawn NASA Features on dwarf planet Ceres that piqued the interest of scientists throughout 2015 stand out in exquisite detail in the latest images from NASAs Dawn spacecraft, which recently reached its lowest-ever altitude at Ceres. Dawn took these images near its current altitude of 240 miles (385 kilometers) from Ceres, between Dec. 19 and 23, 2015. More imagery Kupalo Crater, one of the youngest craters on Ceres, shows off many fascinating attributes at the high image resolution of 120 feet (35 meters) per pixel. The crater has bright material exposed on its rim, which could be salts, and its flat floor likely formed from impact melt and debris. Researchers will be looking closely at whether this material is related to the bright spots of Occator Crater. Kupalo, which measures 16 miles (26 kilometers) across and is located at southern mid-latitudes, is named for the Slavic god of vegetation and harvest. This crater and its recently-formed deposits will be a prime target of study for the team as Dawn continues to explore Ceres in its final mapping phase, said Paul Schenk, a Dawn science team member at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston. Dawns low vantage point also captured the dense network of fractures on the floor of 78-mile-wide (126-kilometer-wide) Dantu Crater. One of the youngest large craters on Earths moon, called Tycho, has similar fractures. This cracking may have resulted from the cooling of impact melt, or when the crater floor was uplifted after the crater formed. A 20-mile (32-kilometer) crater west of Dantu is covered in steep slopes, called scarps, and ridges. These features likely formed when the crater partly collapsed during the formation process. The curvilinear nature of the scarps resembles those on the floor of Rheasilvia, the giant impact crater on protoplanet Vesta, which Dawn orbited from 2011 to 2012. Dawns other instruments also began studying Ceres intensively in mid-December. The visible and infrared mapping spectrometer is examining how various wavelengths of light are reflected by Ceres, which will help identify minerals present on its surface. Dawns gamma ray and neutron detector (GRaND) is also keeping scientists busy. Data from GRaND help researchers understand the abundances of elements in Ceres surface, along with details of the dwarf planets composition that hold important clues about how it evolved. The spacecraft will remain at its current altitude for the rest of its mission, and indefinitely afterward. The end of the prime mission will be June 30, 2016. When we set sail for Ceres upon completing our Vesta exploration, we expected to be surprised by what we found on our next stop. Ceres did not disappoint, said Chris Russell, principal investigator for the Dawn mission, based at the University of California, Los Angeles. Everywhere we look in these new low- altitude observations, we see amazing landforms that speak to the unique character of this most amazing world. Dawn is the first mission to visit a dwarf planet, and the first mission outside the Earth-moon system to orbit two distinct solar system targets. After orbiting Vesta for 14 months in 2011 and 2012, it arrived at Ceres on March 6, 2015. Dawns mission is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASAs Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Dawn is a project of the directorates Discovery Program, managed by NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. UCLA is responsible for overall Dawn mission science. Orbital ATK Inc., in Dulles, Virginia, designed and built the spacecraft. The German Aerospace Center, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Italian Space Agency and Italian National Astrophysical Institute are international partners on the mission team. For a complete list of mission participants, visit: http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission More information about Dawn is available at the following sites: http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov and http://www.nasa.gov/dawn IN EARLY December the Education Ministry issued a practical guide for school employees. Font size: A - | A + It includes models of situations in which the rights of employees are violated and it should serve as a guide on how to manage similar situations or how to avoid them. For the first time, teaching and professional employees can find all legislation regarding education in one place, including solutions to the most frequent problems, said Jarmila Javorkova, mediator of the Slovak Chamber of Teachers (SKU). The practical guide for the protection of laws of teaching and professional staff was created by the impulse of the Slovak Chamber of Teachers (SKU). Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement A campaign called Zber Strachu (Collection of Fear) collected stories from teachers who experienced bullying, mobbing, bossing or witnessed violations of law and put together the anti-mobbing manual, which formed the basis of the guide. Enforcement of the law is one of the major shortcomings also in education. Education is still on the margin of society despite the politicians talk that it is a priority, Ludovit Sebeledi, the chairman of the New School Trade Unions told the Pravda daily in January 2014. Compulsory for teachers Collection of Fear reported on over 250 stories and uncovered significant problems in the education sector that were lacking systematic solutions. They included cronyism, corruption, manipulation in choosing the school management, nepotism, non-professional interference into school management, incomprehensible financial management, bribery, and violation of employee laws. Many school principals do not allow continual and credit education as a more qualified teacher is more expensive for them, confirmed Maria Rothensteinova from the Initiative of Teachers from Bratislava (IBU). According to Sebeledi, a similar guide should have been a part of compulsory teacher training long ago. Teachers are in large part illiterate on this issue, he told The Slovak Spectator. The guide offers practical examples that solve model situations. Each of them includes the corresponding regulations and persons for reference. Some of them include even a description of inappropriate practices. One case includes a youthful offender who created a fake profile on a social network, contacted her teacher and under false identity obtained compromising photos of the teacher. Consequently, the offender introduced herself as a former student and blackmailed the teacher to pay her 800; otherwise she would make her photos public. The student wanted to take revenge on the teacher after she suggested lowering her grade for behaviour. The offender was given a probationary sentence and she was deprived of her personal computer that was used for blackmailing. Later the offended teacher was also advised to file a charge in court. Similarly, a father of a student was sentenced for verbally attacking a teacher. Including the examples speaks more vividly than if the guide included only the plain language of the legislation. Teachers can use the guide to attest potential violation of laws in their case, said Rothensteinova. They will also find whom to contact in a particular case. Violation is explicitly defined in the guide, which does away with misunderstanding. Active action The main expectations of the guide are increasing the awareness of the legal status of the teachers themselves and providing guidelines for solving problems. However, publishing the guide on the official webpage of the ministry is not enough. Javorkova stressed that it must be in the teacher rooms; teachers must be interested in discussing its contents, seek solutions to their problems and find them. Moreover, according to her the guide appeared too late and it will be difficult to fight the negative phenomena deeply rooted in the school environment. Similarly, it will be difficult to break the silence of subordinate employees over practices violating the law. The contribution depends also on the bravery of the teachers to enforce obedience with the laws, Sebeledi said. This aspect also needs improvement, which should be helped by communication, including social media. Nevertheless, a collective campaign promises better results than individual struggle, said Sebeledi. Even better if teachers join the unions that offer legal protection. IBU considers the guide as the first step towards improving the social status of teachers. If the teachers learn to fight for their rights, society will appreciate it and begin to respect them, said Rothensteinova. AMID the rush of holiday-themed shows and benefit concerts the noted French violinist of Russian origin, Alexandra Soumm, brought her music to the Slovak capital a place that still holds a place in her heart. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Soumm gave a regular concert in the Reduta hall of Slovak Philharmonic on December 15, as well as a benefit concert for childrens oncology ward of the University Hospital in Bratislava the next day. Before the second event, she also visited the children patients in person a played for them, going from room to room. At the beginning of her stay, she also have a master class for talented Slovak youths and some later joined her at the hospital concert. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The very first time when I went out of my hometown without parents was to Bratislava, Soumm, aged 26, told The Slovak Spectator. I was 9 years old and I travelled with my music professor, Boris Kushnir, for two weeks; and the first stop was Bratislava. I really remember being in the hall at Reduta, and thinking Wow, I hope I can play here one day. Soumm began playing at age 5, and performing soon after. Slovak violinist Pavol Bogacz Jr of the Sinfonietta Bratislava association which organised her stay (supported also by the Culture Ministry and the VUB Foundation) said he remembered her playing Paginini at Reduta when she was 12 years old. I have many mothers and fathers who have helped me grow, and many places where I can feel at home, Soumm said of Bratislava. On the first night, she played with young French pianist Ismael Margain, while the next day she performed in the Big Evangelical Church with renowned Slovak violinist Dalibor Karvay and the children of Sinfonietta Junior orchestra. The selection of music also differed. On December 15, she performed George Gerswhin and some more modern, jazzy pieces, while the other programme was classical and Christmas-themed. At present, Soumm is working on three Johannes Brahms concerts with Margain. We both love Bela Bartok, and I also love Prokofiev.... and we wanted to show something known by audiences but not that classical, she said. But we also choose with instinct. At the Reduta show there were five encores, and in the last piece, Soumm did not play but sang instead. I gave my first master class when I was almost 20, Soumm said about another side of her stay in Slovakia. Since then, I gave many of them in different countries. I do not have a regular class, but I am very happy to teach and share... and I think that because I am not so far from children it is good for the children to have someone like a bigger sister. Soumm has her own charity foundation, EsperanzArts, which brings music to people with limited access to it. As a child, I was very often taking the side of children in my class who were excluded, she said. I cannot take injustice. After I started my career, other concerns came; but when I was about 19 I noticed that there were almost the same people in the audience all the time. Who am I playing for? Which emotional connection do I have with my audience? Disabled, sick or homeless people who maybe need the music even more were missing, she said, so her and a group of friends began staging special concerts. Gradually, they found they needed a structure, and so the foundation came into existence. Soumm noted that she spent one of her best and most memorable New Years Eves playing a homeless shelter. The reactions are different, she explained. With everything that is happening in the world right now, we need to connect on the human level and say: OK, you are different, for sure, but we are all human and we share the same need of love and we all want the same things, more or less, with just different ways to get there. Last year 169 people applied for asylum in Slovakia and eight of them succeeded, based on the statistics of Slovakias Interior Ministry. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Moreover, 41 people were granted supplementary protection which is provided on the basis of reasons other than asylum. The Interior Ministry halted 128 asylum application proceedings and 120 applicants failed to obtain asylum. Two people obtained Slovak citizenship last year, the SITA newswire reported. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Since 1993 a total of 58,160 people have applied for asylum in Slovakia, of whom 653 succeeded. Supplementary protection was granted to 672 people and 235 people were granted Slovak citizenship. Zuzana Stevulova, director or the non-governmental organisation Human Rights League specified that countries of the European Union can grant refugees asylum or supplementary protection. Yet there are differences in reasons for which these are granted. Asylum is being granted on the basis of the Geneva Convention, i.e. when a person is persecuted for one of five specific reasons: race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. It is also possible to grant asylum based on humanitarian reasons. Supplementary protection is being granted for different reasons. On the territory of the EU also other forms of protection than asylum have been always granted, said Stevulova, adding that the definition of asylum, as it covers only five concrete reasons, does not cover all situations when human rights may be violated and the person is worthy of protection. Such cases involve granting of protection to people sentenced to death which neither Slovakia nor the EU acknowledge or to people endangered by a war conflict in their home country. PREVENTING the creation of a compact Muslim community because we dont want someone to abuse our women in public spaces, are statements which Prime Minister Robert Fico could be prosecuted for, according to lawyers approached by The Slovak Spectator. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Theoretically, the prosecution of Prime Minister Fico could be possible, lawyer Jozef Dobrovic told The Slovak Spectator, adding that the statement could be seen as incitation to restricting ethnic groups rights and freedoms. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement In his statement Fico responded to events in Cologne, Germany, where dozens of women were sexually harassed and/or robbed during the citys New Year celebrations. About 90 women reported to police that they were sexually harassed by young, mainly drunk men, who threatened them and robbed them. Two women reported that they had been raped, the Sme daily wrote. Read also: Read also: Fico rejects creation of compact Muslim community in Slovakia Read more More than 500 criminal complaints were filed, 40 percent alleging sexual assault. According to Cologne Police the suspects were almost exclusively from a migration background, mainly North African and Arab, an official report says as cited by the BBC on January 11. Obstacles with address The Slovak Spectator sent to several lawyers Ficos statements regarding a compact Muslim community in Slovakia, making connections between terrorist attacks and Islam, monitoring of all Muslims in Slovakia or opposing construction of mosques in Slovakia. Some of those statements could be punishable, according to lawyers. I dont know the exact context in which Robert Ficos statements were said, but in a way, in which you presented them to me, they could theoretically be the body of the crime of hate speech or incitation to national, racial and ethnic hatred, Peter Kovac, the docent at Faculty of Law of Trnava University in Trnava, told The Slovak Spectator. The prime minister in Slovakia could be legally prosecuted and what is more, as a public figure presenting such statements publicly he could end up behind bars for two to six years, according to Dobrovic. Based on previous experiences I presume that even if someone dares to file charges against him, there would be serious problems with delivering respective process papers to the prime minister, Kovac said. Kovac was referring on the fact that a judge of the Pezinok District Court, Michaela Kralova, failed to deliver to Fico the subpoena for the trial with former PM Iveta Radicova, after having tried for 18 months to send it to him at his former residence and the Government Office with no success. Radicova sued Fico for libel in 2011. Mosques and monitoring Muslims Fico addressed Muslims also back in early 2015. If Slovakia is a country with dominance of Catholic Church and Evangelical Church is the second strongest therefore we should not easily tolerate that 300 or 400 Muslims will come here, they start to construct mosques and start to change the character, culture and values of our state, Prime Minister Robert Fico said in January 2015 during a political debate aired by public-service RTVS. When interpreted more widely, the words we dont make such a decision used in Ficos latest statement commenting on events in Cologne and the words we should not easily tolerate used in Ficos January 2015 statement, can be seen as incitation to restricting ethnic groups rights and freedoms, according to Dobrovic. In the first case the incitation is aimed at members of the government or MPs and in the second case Fico is addressing everyone, he added. Truly, it is really wide interpretation and I do not expect that he could be prosecuted for those statements based on a criminal complaint, Dobrovic said. Fico made another controversial statement after the November 13, 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris that We monitor every single Muslim in Slovakia followed by the statement when peoples lives and state security is at stake, I dont care about ethics. This statement is not about the prime ministers ethics, its about fundamental human rights and freedoms, lawyer Tomas Kamenec told The Slovak Spectator. No one should dare to say that we will monitor every single confessor of some religion. Authorities are tight lipped The Prosecutor's Office together with the Police Presidium have not answered the question about whether they have received criminal complaints over Ficos words and whether they will deal with them on their own. However, while some lawyers admit it would be possible to prosecute Fico for his claims, Police Corps President Tibor Gaspar does not think he committed a crime. Based on my experiences as an investigator I dont think that this is it [a hate crime]; everything has to be seen in a context in which it is said, Gaspar told the Sme, adding that in context of the migration and security situation these are normal statements. There is no crime in Ficos words because those statements are general and can be interpreted as a fairly legitimate opinion of the Prime Minister. They do not aim at restricting of specific fundamental rights, according to Marek Benedik, the lawyer at Havlat & Partners. In general, Ficos words can be prosecuted, but this is not the main point of the issue. No matter if it is a criminal act or not, it is stupid to act like this, according to Kamenec. In concentration camps 60,000 of our citizens died because of the same motto that we are protecting our values and they allegedly have different values, Kamenec said. Such rhetoric is scaring me. Islamic community facing threats The Islamic Foundation in Slovakia responded that it rejected the direct or indirect connection of terrorism or sexual violence with Islam or even with the Muslim community in Slovakia. Sadly, whether we want it or not, we are becoming an issue of the pre-election campaign, reads the foundations statement. We fear that the current social atmosphere could endanger the safety of our families, particularly women and children. Therefore we ask our political representatives as well as public figures and media to please have regard to that. Meanwhile, the Islamic Foundation received several e-mails attacking their religion. We have been receiving such e-mails for a long time but the number always increases after some happenings or statements, the foundation representatives told The Slovak Spectator, adding that last time when the number of attacks increased it was due to Ficos statement about monitoring Muslims. As a response to the latest events, several NGOs including Open Society Foundation (OSF), Human Rights League (HRL) and Centre for the Research of Ethnicity and Culture (CVEK) published an open document supporting the Islamic Foundation. [Please], accept sincere apology for unfair and degrading evaluations in our names, NGOs writes in the document. We want to ensure you that not all citizens of this country see you in such way. Making headlines abroad After Interior Ministry spokesperson Ivan Netik said that we could take 800 Muslims but we dont have any mosques in August 2015, once again, the latest statements of Slovak government representatives related to Muslims are drawing the interest of foreign media. Read also: Read also: Slovakia mocked on American TV Read more Slovakia, citing Cologne assaults, vows to keep out Muslims reads the title of an article about Ficos statements published by the Politico website. Words about the compact Muslim community were quoted also by global agencies such as AP, Reuters and AFP. Therefore they made it to websites of the New York Times, Deutsche Welle and Star Tribune, the Dennik N daily reported. In the Czech Republic Fico has received the most media attention. Czech weekly magazine Reflex wrote that Fico would be found guilty for such words referring to the imprisonment of a Czech far-right politician who said: Our beautiful Czech country is flooded by a destructive immigration tsunami wave which is destroying everything which is dear to us, Dennik N quotes the politician without naming him specifically. Teachers demand salary increases for workers in the educational sector and more money for the Education Ministry in order to tackle current differences in school facilities. Font size: A - | A + Long-term ignoring of the demands of teachers and professional organisations for adequate financing of education is the reason why the Slovak Teachers Initiative (ISU) decided to announce a strike alert on January 11, Viktor Krizo of ISU stated at a briefing on the same day. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement We decided on this step because the education minister [Juraj Draxler] repeatedly acknowledged that our demands were justified, but neither he, nor the government have carried out any concrete steps in order to meet them, said Krizo as cited by the TASR newswire. Via the strike alert, disgruntled teachers are warning the government and parliament that if they do not offer specific legislative measures by January 25 to meet their demands within the current electoral period, teachers will go on full strike on that day. This means that the pedagogical and professional employees of kindergartens, primary and secondary schools and school facilities who agree with our demands will stop carrying out their work on that day, said Krizo, adding that this step is a logical continuation of teachers' protests aimed at improving their position and an adequate financing of education since 2012. ISU, which originated after the merging of local teachers initiatives from all over Slovakia, views the announcement of a strike alert and potential strike as a borderline measure, but its members think that the government is overseeing an unsustainable status for Slovak education. By not addressing accumulated problems it is shutting its eyes to the future of our society, said Krizo. ISUs requirements are the same as those that the Slovak Teachers Chamber (SKU) addressed to the Government in October. SKU demanded salary increases for all teaching and professional employees in regional education facilities of 140 per month this year and 90 per month at the beginning of 2017. Teachers also demanded that the budgets of the Education, Science, Research and Sport Ministry and the Interior Ministry for 2016 should be increased by 400 million in order to tackle current differences in school facilities. Read also: Read also: Teachers and nurses join forces Read more According to the ISU representatives, the success of the strike will depend on how many schools and teachers join. As of January 11, schools that want to join can register via ISUs website. They can also inform the strike committee if they have been barred in some way from taking part in the strike. ISU called on the Trade Union of Slovak Education and Science Workers (OZPSaV) to join. The New School Union has already announced its participation. The strike alert is first and foremost about teachers standing up for their rights and social status, said Vladimir Crmoman from ISU. It is also about the whole public joining in and showing that education needs systematic changes, that it needs to have finances poured in and that all parents and the public care about the future of our children. In November, teachers organised a protest entitled Gathering Long Noses. A few weeks later there was Health Day on which teachers underwent preventive checkups or donated blood. The latest protest was Babysitting Day in December, via which teachers wanted to point out that their salaries do not reflect market rules but are at the same level as those of babysitters. This protest was supported by 9,350 teachers from 502 schools nationwide. PRESIDENT Andrej Kiska met with Assyrian Christians from Iraq currently sheltered in the refugee camp in Humenne (Presov Region) on January 11. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled He already tried to visit them in late December, but his request was rejected by the Interior Ministry, which explained this step with the quarantine that lasted until January 10. Ive come to Humenne to greet children, their moms, fathers and grandfathers, who have been forced by circumstances to flee from their native country and for whom Slovakia will become a second home, Kiska said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. Although on a small scale, we managed to demonstrate that Slovakia has heart and character, and that were capable of helping. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The refugees are set to stay there temporarily, as the original plan was to see the Assyrians settle in a number of communities within the Nitra diocese that initiated the resettlement. Read also: Read also: Ministry prevented President from visiting refugees Read more As part of its voluntary contribution towards the resolution of the migration crisis, Slovakia has opted to accept 149 Assyrian Christians, who arrived here in early December. Kiska met the refugees once they were released from quarantine, which entailed comprehensive medical examinations. They were examined extensively, undergoing even lung X-ray exams and providing blood samples, Interior Ministrys spokesperson Ivan Netik told TASR. Theyve all been given a clean bill of health. Netik added that the refugees will receive asylum based on humanitarian grounds. For the help provided to the refugees, Kiska conveyed his thanks to the government, the Migration Office of the Interior Ministry, the Peace and Goodness civic association and other individuals, who have shown the positive and kind face of our country, as reported by TASR. The refugees treated the head of state to a rich cultural programme, while the youngsters also sang Silent Night to him in Slovak. The integration of these children, along with their parents and relatives, is slated to progress gradually over the course of two years. Theyll study Slovak and, together with Nitra diocese and Peace and Goodness civic association, we will seek solutions to allow them to integrate gradually into society, said Netik, as quoted by TASR. BRATISLAVANS collected more than 0.5 tonnes of food for people in need on January 7. Font size: A - | A + They gather it via the Uber mobile application in cooperation with the Food Bank of Slovakia (PBS) and Bratislavas Petrzalka borough. The inhabitants of Bratislava donated a total of 1,422 pieces of food and toiletries, the SITA newswire reported. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Except for Bratislava, the collection simultaneously took place in Prague and Budapest. I want to thank all Bratislavans who participated in this event, Petrzalkas Mayor Vladimir Bajan said, as quoted by SITA, adding he appreciates the examples of good cooperation. He also thanked the organisers. The donations will be distributed by the employees of the social care department of Petrzalkas municipal authority to families, seniors and also individuals who need them the most. The collection took place via the Uber application after the users chose the Donate Food service. Then a vehicle arrived, which took the food and brought it to the PBS warehouses for free. There were three vehicles collecting the food, which were taking it from various parts of Bratislava. Some donors even bought the food in a shop and then gave it to volunteers. We welcome every similar opportunity to help more people in need, Marko Urdzik from PBS said, as quoted by SITA. It is important to realise in these days that there are many people less happy than us, who will welcome such help. SLOVAKIA and the Czech Republic intend to turn together to the European Commission with a request to enable the introduction of a self-taxation system regarding the payment of VAT tax on the trade of meat and other commodities. Font size: A - | A + This proposal was introduced by Slovak Finance Minister Peter Kazimir after meeting his Czech counterpart Andrej Babis on January 11. By shifting the tax duty from suppliers to buyers, the finance ministers hope to prevent extensive tax fraud. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Well join forces in an effort to extend the list of commodities wherein VAT tax evasions could be prevented in a systematic fashion, Kazimir said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. We have identified meat as such a commodity, where were talking tax evasions worth tens of millions of euros. The list should be expanded also to include other items, such as telecommunication services, trade with rapeseed oil and marketing and advertisement services, Kazimir added. Babis pointed out that in VAT alone, 170 billion is lost annually in the EU due to tax evasion. Weve come up with a proposal to give governments reverse charge powers and want Brussels to bestow this authority upon us, so that we wont have to consult Brussels on everything because we know how to effectively combat tax fraud, Babis said, as quoted by TASR. We havent seen much success on this front to date, but well surely want to keep on promoting this. I truly hope that well manage to persuade finance ministers and bureaucrats at the end of the day to give us these authorities. Kazimir is convinced that Slovakia and the Czech Republic could become the driving force behind the mutual cooperation of tax and customs authorities in central Europe in the following years. We really know best in individual countries, which issues are most pressing, the Slovak finance minister said, as quoted by TASR. Since this is about money belonging to all of us, we want to have an option with or without Brussels to respond in the promptest and most flexible manner possible. SLOVAKIA will contribute more than 77 million to the official development aid this year. Two ambulances were sent to Moldova as part of the development aid in 2014. (Source: TASR) Font size: A - | A + Of this sum, more than 16 million will go for bilateral development aid, according to the document submitted by the Foreign Affairs Ministry for interdepartmental review. The document stipulates that for Slovakias development cooperation the year 2016 will be a year of challenges on the international level. The key agenda for the humanitarian aid will be the migration crisis, which will require more intensive efforts in the country, but also in affected territories abroad. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The formal step in this respect is the registration of Syria and the neighbouring countries of the Middle East to the list of SlovakAids territorial priorities, the ministry explained, as quoted by SITA. The ministry also reminded that the rules for development cooperation changed, and that this year it will be coordinated by six ministries, namely the ministries of foreign affairs, finance, interior, education, defence and agriculture. The official development aid will be sent mostly to the programme countries, i.e. Moldova, Kenya and Afghanistan, particularly for health care, education, water management, public affairs administration, and construction of civic society institutions. Also the countries of Eastern Partnership and western Balkans will be among the priorities of Slovakias development cooperation, where the key priority will be the activities related to transferring the transformation and integration experiences, the ministry document reads. The Foreign Affairs Ministry plans to allocate 600,000 for the material humanitarian aid. As much as 200,000 will go to Southern Sudan, while 300,000 will go to projects in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo and 300,000 on projects in Georgia. Ukraine should receive 700,000 within the development and humanitarian aid. The material aid will be secured also by the Interior Ministry, as reported by SITA. The Interior Ministry will allocate 100,000 for material humanitarian aid. Moreover, it will spend 790,000 on missions and operations of the crisis civil management of the EU and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. It will also give 1,200,000 to help refugees. The Defence Ministry will provide the bilateral development cooperation via sending civil experts to missions of the crisis management that take place outside Slovakia. It will allocate 300,000 for this purpose. Another 10,000 should go towards humanitarian and development activities. The Education Ministry will provide scholarships to 48 new applicants from developing countries and 176 students who currently study at the public universities, allocating more than 1,880,000 for this purpose. Part of the programme is also scholarships for Slovaks living abroad, SITA reported. Privacy statement: This blog does not share personal information with third parties nor do we store any information about your visit to this blog other than to analyze and optimize your content and reading experience through the use of cookies. You can turn off the use of cookies at anytime by changing your specific browser settings. We are not responsible for republished content from this blog on other blogs or websites without our permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice and was last updated on January 1, 2017. If you have any questions feel free to contact Springfield Vermont News directly here: ed44vt@gmail.com Neither local nor new to the District, La Colombe has set up shop in DCs small, busy Chinatown, with a cafe just one block up and one block over from both the Verizon Center and the neighborhoods iconic Friendship Archway. The 21-year-old roastery based out of Philadelphia already introduced itself to Washington last February with a location in tucked-away Blagden Alley. This building had been vacant for years, but it was a restaurant, and before that a laundromat, said Dave Bise, a La Colombe group manager and trainer. A customer walked in the other day and was pointing out all these spacesI slept over there; the kitchen was over here; this entire place was the laundromat Bise gestures around a space that is now both subdued and stunning, its history preserved and also reincarnated. Light is in no short supply, thanks to large windows and skylights, as well as custom-made neon and soft white lights. Painted, brick, steel and wood textures all play nice in this 1,700-square-foot space, and theres little distraction from signage or decor. A large painted dove quietly shimmers on the wall above the bar, next to an alcove with bay windows. Once a week this upper tier serves as a public cupping space; otherwise, its a coveted nook for studying and selfies. La Colombe cofounder and president JP Iberti leads the charge in selecting new storefront locations, and works closely with architects when a new space is being designed. According to Kathryn OConnor, director of marketing and brand merchandising, this location was a perfect storm of good building bones and good location. The layout of the building was kept about the same, and a lot of the bricks were salvaged and reused. When the facade of the building had to come down and be rebuilt, the bricks were numbered and then reassembled in the same locations. In the bold and now national story La Colombe is trying to tell, the company still maintains its unpretentious neighborhood-first vibe; here in Chinatown they collaborated with two historical societies during buildout, and launched with a soft opening for the neighborhood. On the other side of the counter, bar flow is optimized for getting the justa cuppa coffee folks their drinks ASAP, while the coffee fans with tons of questions slip around to the side for more in-depth chats. The usual suspects are on hand as far as gear: two white La Marzocco GB5s, two Mahlkonig EK 43s, and a FETCO XTS are rounded out with Yama Silverton drippers and Mythos One Clima-Pro grinders, as well as singular coffee taps for cold brew and draft latte. Pastries are by Rare Sweets, and a reach-in fridge filled with investor Ulukayas Chobani yogurt complement the coffee offerings. Like all businesses in this Chinatown, La Colombe displays a translation of its name in hanzi: (literally, dove) was chosen for the sign, just as the company uses the French word for dove as its name: its a universal symbol of goodwill. Dawn Shanks (@DawnShanks) is an American coffee professional based in Washington, DC. Read more Dawn Shanks on Sprudge. Germans are known to be straight-talkers, so it should be no surprise that the name of Berlins Mitte neighborhood translates as, simply, middle. Once split by the Wall, the aptly named geographical center of the city is today a surprising hodgepodge of designer boutiques, parks, start-ups, galleries, pop-ups, and social housing surrounded by many of the German capitals historic landmarks and museums. Some Berliners adore Mitte for its Old World charm, or its sleek facades and fashionistas; others loathe its high prices and the near impossibility of finding a Spati (a small grocery/beer shop). One thing is certain though: Mitte is home to some of the citys finest Third Wave coffee. This guide spotlights five of Mittes best. Father Carpenter Coffee Brewers For many, Mitte begins at Alexanderplatz, the transport hub and public square referred to by Berliners as simply Alex. From there, a short walk to the well-dressed shopping strip of Munztrasse leads to a true hidden gem: a quiet courtyard, bubbling fountain and all, plus the entrance to Father Carpenter. Opened by Australian Kresten Thogersen in January 2015, the L-shaped cafe exudes rustic chic: wood paneling, soft-white walls, steel tables, low-hanging lamps, and baristas in denim aprons. Visitors linger over coffee and cake, and a recently extended brunch and lunch menu nods to Thogersens Melbourne-cafe-culture roots and time spent at cafe/roaster Proud Mary. Father Carpenter currently goes with Berlins Five Elephant roastery for espresso-based drinks on their Synesso Hydra machine and features cameos from the likes of Denmarks Coffee Collective on their BUNN batch brewer. This may change in 2016, as Father Carpenter plans to launch Fjord, a new roastery in the Marzahn neighborhood (in collaboration with Silo Coffee in Freidrichshain) that will aim for the goals of sweet and clean; plans are underway for a second cafe, in Charlottenburg as well. Ben Rahim Speciality Coffee Around the corner on Sophienstrasse, sneak through another courtyard to find Ben Rahim Speciality Coffee and the smiling, Tunisian-born Rahim himself. After working as a barista in Brisbane (Australia again!) and at Berlins the Barn, he opened this one-room spaceperfect for a private coffee momentin March 2015. Rahim serves specialty coffee with an Arabian slant, offering baklava and Tunisian mint tea alongside espresso from a Nuova Simonelli Aurelia II, a Hario V60, and cezve/ibrik options for Turkish coffee; the cafe is loyal to Londons Square Mile Coffee Roasters. The Barn One of Mittes most buzzing strips, Auguststrasse is a narrow half-mile street, home to excellent galleries like KW Institute for Contemporary Art and Me Collectors Room, plenty of bars, and fancy bites. In a city that loves its burgers, Shiso offers an Asian-fusion twist to American soft-bun burgers; Mogg & Melzer, located inside the Judische Madchenschule (Jewish School for Girls), does a killer NYC deli-style pastrami. The street is also home to Berlin coffee institution the Barn, which has established itself as one of Germanys leading roasters by supplying single-origin light roasts across Europe since opening in 2012. But their legend began with owner and founder Ralf Rullers original Auguststrasse cafe. Compared to the Barns larger, eye-catching roastery and taste lab at Schonhauser Allee 8 (located in the Prenzlauer Berg area, and thus not featured in this guide, though definitely worth a visit), the Barns coffee shop is an intimate, neighborhood hub. For the curious, the Barn is a dedicated space to learn and ask questions of the international crew of baristasseveral of whom have gone on to open their own Berlin cafes. With no prams admitted, no music played, sugar kept firmly behind the bar, and only barista-steamed hot milk permitted, the Barn is geared toward a focused appreciation of coffee. Seasonal, weekly rotating roasts are served on a Synesso Hydra machine tailor-made in Seattle, with hand-brewed filter-coffee options as well. On my last visit, I enjoyed a smooth Burundi Muruta #26 from the Kayanza region, with hints of chocolate and dark cherry, from the V60, watching Mittes pretty young things wander past outside. Roststatte Head north to the bustling Torstrasse, passing hip bars like Neue Odessa, to find Roststatte: a cafe, brew bar, Victoria Arduino espresso machine machine retail-and-servicing space, barista training spot, and roasting workshop all rolled into one. The family business is headed by coffee sommelier and roastery director Ivo Weller and managing director Yvonne Weller. Coming from more than 20 years work in gastronomy, Ivo began distributing and repairing machines in 2003 before growing out the multifaceted operation. The warm, homey space somehow feels more European than many other Mitte specialty cafes in this guide; customers are encouraged to nest in its purple suede couches and gaze up lovingly at its Victoria Arduino VA388 Black Eagle Gravitech. The addition of the brew bar, opened in December 2015, has created an interactive space to sample Roststattes espresso blends and single-origin filter roastssuch as the lovely Kenya Gondo AA, containing notes of grapefruit and dark cherryall of which are hand-roasted on their 12-kilogram Diedrich roaster, which is visible from the retail space. Distrikt Coffee North of Torstrasse stands Distrikt Coffee, which recently celebrated its first birthday. Opened by Sophie Hardy and Hannes Haake, the cafe stands out immediately for its beautiful, spacious interior: raw brick walls, wooden and black steel tables, and leather couches. Guests fill multiple rooms, some with friends, others with laptops, flocking in for Distrikts top-notch coffee and excellent breakfast and lunch menus, overseen by new head chef Matthew Maue. With a Kees van der Westen Spirit on the counter looking as sexy as a Cadillac, Distrikt serves double-shot espressos, favoring European roasters like Londons Workshop Coffee and Swedens Koppi. Its a great space for breakfast dates (the NYC-style Superfood Bowl of chia seeds, acai, and goji berries is a favorite, as are the buttermilk pancakes), meetings, or simply wiling away slow afternoons. Annabel Brady-Brown is a freelance journalist based in Berlin, writing for ExBerliner and more. Read more Annabel Brady-Brown on Sprudge. Photos by Septimus Brope. About Me I became involved in SPUC after graduating, when I established a branch in south London in 1974. I have worked full-time for SPUC for 42 years. I became chief executive of SPUC in the UK in 1996, having been general secretary since 1978. I was elected vice-president of International Right to Life Federation in 2005. At UN conferences in Cairo, Copenhagen, Beijing, Istanbul and Rome, I helped coordinate more than 150 pro-life/pro-family groups resulting in pro-life victories in Cairo, Istanbul and Rome. I was educated at Salesian College, London, before going to Oxford where I graduated in English Language and Literature. I qualified as a teacher, becoming head of English at a secondary school. I am married to Josephine. We have a grown-up family and we live in north London. "They calculate that the price of oil will rise eventually and when it does the suppliers with dominant market shares will gain the most. They intend to be the first destination for reliable supplies of energy." Riyadh also sees the opportunity to expand its share of the domestic US market following the collapse of the US fracking industry as investment in fracking is no longer profitable, Winnie maintained. "The Saudis therefore feel they can reap the benefits of the collapse of the fracking technology sector in the US domestic oil industry," he said. Executive Intelligence Review senior editor Jeff Steinberg told Sputnik that by slashing their oil prices, the Saudis were targeting the US and Russian oil producers as well as the Iranian ones. "Saudi Arabia is bleeding through reserves, through heavy costs of the losing Yemen war and the revenue losses due to low oil prices, which the Saudis created by over production, targeting Russia and US shale oil, which are the Saudis two biggest rivals," Steinberg argued. The Saudis were locking themselves into a self-ruinous cycle of equating low oil prices with their international prestige, Steinberg warned. "A boost in oil prices led by the Saudis would be a signal that they have not succeeded in beating out their rivals, and now face major internal security problems due to the budget shortfalls, which are unsustainable," he stated. The low price strategy was being pushed by young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but he was rapidly losing credibility across the Middle East, Steinberg noted. People close to the Saudis, Steinberg added, are skeptical about Prince Salman and his schemes. "There is a simmering revolt inside the Royal Family, and the number two, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, is battling against being dumped to pave the way for Mohammed bin Salman to replace his father [King Salman]," he observed. Maintaining low oil prices also served to exacerbate the Sunni-Shia divide in the Middle East, Steinberg concluded. Our 24-year old daughter, Lara, has leukaemia and needs a stem cell transplant.All the support so far has been amazing, Posted by Match4lara on Saturday, January 9, 2016 The campaign seeks to find not only a perfect transplant match but also to promote a deeper understanding for those of mixed ethnic-minority race who suffer for a lack of donors. The only potential donor in the Casalotti family whose ethnicity matches that of Casalottis is Laras brother Seb, and he is not a precise match. Seb Casalotti said, I remember being told by the volunteers that people from mixed race and ethnic minority backgrounds were underrepresented on the register. So when we were told that Lara needed a donor, I knew that shed find it harder to find a match due to our diverse background. But I was shocked to find out there was only a one in four chance of me, as her brother, being a match for Lara, he said. Its ironic because I think most people would say theyd donate stem cells for a loved one, but wouldnt do it just for any person. But more often than not, you cant actually help your family so weve got to think as a community. English writers Stephen Fry and J.K. Rowling, as well as many other prominent figures, have spread the word to save Laras life. Do you believe in equal opportunity? Stem cell transplants won't be equal opportunity until all of us register: http://www.match4lara.com/#!A-Match-for-Any-Mix/e0nbq/569170580cf2f5ee60f6a794 Posted by Match4lara on Monday, January 11, 2016 As a former UN and Human Rights Watch employee, Lara Casalotti expressed gratitude to those attempting to assist her and the causes she has espoused. "I really can't express how grateful and touched I am by everyone who has helped raise awareness and has signed up to bone marrow registries in response to the campaign, she said. Visit the match4lara.com and anthonynolan.org websites for more details and share the #Match4Lara on social media. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) Saudi Arabias oil production levels will be much more significant to the global economy than the initial public offering (IPO) of state-owned oil company Aramco, former US Treasury Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Trade and Investment Policy Gary Hufbauer told Sputnik. On Friday, Saudi national oil giant Aramco announced that it was considering offering shares of its corporation for sale to public investors. Aramcos decision to go public comes amid record low oil prices, which some attribute to oversupply. "I dont think the [Aramco] IPO has much meaning for the global economy," Hufbauer, who is also a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told Sputnik on Monday. "But critical will be Saudi decisions on production levels in the months ahead." There are definite signs that the Cold War overtones that have underscored US-Russia relations are easing off, Earl Rasmussen, Vice-President of the Washington-based association of specialists working on European and Asian (Eurasian) affairs, told RIA Novosti. Regardless of the current political situation, the American business is still tuned up for the positive relations with Russia. I think that the US businessmen are interested in the improvement of political relations and normalization of economic partnership between the two, the agency quotes Rasmussen as saying. The businessman regrets that political agendas nowadays prevail over economic growth and development; however he has noticed some signs of an easing-off in the US position towards Russia and a drive towards more serious cooperation. Then, on November 13, gunmen and suicide bombers launched a series of attacks at the Stade de France, the Bataclan music venue, as well as cafes and restaurants, killing 130 people in the deadliest assault on French soil since the Second World War. 'Tactical Mistakes' However, an unnamed French intelligence sources told the AFP news agency: "Unfortunately, I think 2015 was nothing. We are moving towards a European 9/11: simultaneous attacks on the same day in several countries, several places. A very coordinated thing. We know the terrorists are working on this." His views were backed-up by Yves Trotignon, a former member of the French DGSE intelligence service, who told France 24: "The November 13 attacks, from the terrorists' point of view, involved a large number of tactical mistakes that they will learn from. "For example, the death toll at the Bataclan [music venue, where 89 people were killed] was limited because the attackers ran out of ammunition. At the Stade de France the bombers were unable to get into the stadium," Trotignon added. Jean-Charles Brisard, chairman of the Center for the Analysis of Terrorism told the TV station: "There will definitely be more November 13 type attacks being planned against targets in France and Europe. This kind of attack is not new." MOSCOW (Sputnik)The poll found that only 14 percent of female respondents in January said that Germany could accommodate more refugees, whereas in mid-November, 19 percent of women were positively disposed to welcoming additional refugees. Meanwhile, among men, the number of those who believed the country could still take in more refugees remained the same in both November and January, according to the poll, and stood at 22 percent. YouGov explained that the shift in opinion among female respondents was probably caused by a perceived link between the New Years Eve attacks on women in Cologne, Germany, and Chancellor Angela Merkels welcoming refugee policy. Although Cameron hasn't ruled out campaigning for a Brexit, he has said his preferred choice is for the UK to remain inside a reformed EU. He also noted that he won't make up his mind until negotiations with European counterparts have been completed. PM has written to ministers setting out collective responsibility guidance on the issue of UK membership of the EU: https://t.co/SUhf599Kpf No. 10 Press Office (@Number10press) January 12, 2016 On top of restrictions on ministers, the prime minister has also made it clear that the civil service will be fully behind the government's decision, which is expected to be in favor of remaining in the bloc. "It will not be appropriate or permissible for the civil service or individual civil servants to support ministers who opposed the Government's official position," the letter states. 'One Rule for Them and Another for the Rest' Despite Cameron allowing for ministers to express their own views over the EU debate, former environment minister Owen Paterson, who is a leading member of the Vote Leave group, says the new ground rules will severely restrict the rights of Euroskeptic ministers to campaign for a Brexit. "It's welcome that ministers who want to campaign to take back control from the EU will be able to do so without resigning, but it's increasingly clear that it'll be one rule for those who want to stay in the EU at all costs, and another rule for the rest," Paterson said. "Ministers who wish to extol the virtues of the EU have been given a green light to do so already, while those who want to take back control are currently gagged It looks like the government is focusing its energies on gearing up the full weight of the Whitehall machine to campaign to keep us in the EU rather than on bringing powers back from Brussels." The prime minister is desperate to avoid the damaging party splits that dogged former PM Sir John Major's time in office, with reports suggesting two-thirds of MPs are leaning towards voting in favor of a Brexit. A problem in the so called EU negotiations is that the EU leaders believe Cameron will never #brexit Lord Ashcroft (@LordAshcroft) December 18, 2015 In his letter he called for party unity regardless of the differences in opinion on the matter of EU membership. "Throughout this period, and in its aftermath, we will continue to have responsibility for governing the country and serving the public who elected us. This can only be done effectively if we remain, despite differences on this one issue, a united, harmonious, mutually respectful team." However, his claims have been refuted by volunteers working in the camp. "The overwhelming experience of the Care4Calais team is that all the individuals we meet in the camp are just ordinary people who have experienced terrible things and desperately need our help, support and compassion," said the charity Care4Calais. "I do not believe that a terrorist would come to the UK to apply for asylum as a refugee," noted Clare Mosely, founder of Care4Calais who posted a statement on the charity's Facebook page. "The people here in the camp fear ISIS [Daesh] and the like as much, if not more, than we do. ISIS is the reality they flee from." Yet Hurley believes that the camp is "a potential hiding space" where people could be exploited by organized criminal gangs. The refugee camp in Calais houses around 4,000 migrants in conditions that have been described as squalid and unsanitary. Responding to the deteriorating living space, French authorities have delivered empty shipping containers to replace makeshift tents and shelters in the northeast area of the camp. The containers are equipped with beds, heaters and windows, however have no toilets or showers. They are designed to accommodate 1,500 people. Their durability could be a welcome addition to many migrants but their permanence is causing political frictions in France. Pondering the implications of the expanding war of sanctions, countersanctions, and counter-countersanctions, Oleg Noginsky, president of the Suppliers of the Customs Union, a Ukrainian organization seeking to increase trade turnover with the Customs Union, suggested that Kiev's efforts are part of an effort to reorient the country's economy away from Russia, and toward Europe. Interviewed by independent Russian newspaper Svobodnaya Pressa, Noginsky recalled that "the Ukrainian government has boasted that since January 1st, [Ukrainian producers] have been issued more than 900 [EUR1] certificates," ostensibly providing Ukrainian companies with duty-free access to the EU. "At the same time, Kiev is tactfully silent about the fact that most of these certificates were issued for raw, unrefined products. This includes things like apple concentrates, seeds, honey that is, purely raw goods. As experts had earlier predicted, the certification of enterprises producing finished products is going ahead very slowly. In the last year, only eight companies were given such certification, and this despite the fact that they have been working at it for several years now." "In other words," Noginsky laments, "the bulk of Ukraine's manufacturers still do not have access to the European market. And this is not even because of the tariffs, but because of 'non-tariff regulations' and the closed nature of the European market." In Norway, police are working with their Swedish colleagues as they investigate allegations about a string of sexual attacks carried out by Afghan refugees at a Stockholm music festival, which some say have been covered up by the authorities. "A strong increase in immigration, particularly from Muslim countries, can cause other long-term challenges. When a large number of asylum seekers come to a local community, it can have unfortunate consequences," Bjrnland told delegates. "One cannot take for granted that new population groups will automatically adapt the norms and rules of the Norwegian society," she added. Sex Lessons Bjrnland went on to tell broadcaster TV2 that accepting large numbers of foreigners can lead to violent clashes and the growth of far-right extremist groups. "If in the long term, you see a growth of parallel societies, radicalization and extremist environments, then we will have challenges as a security agency," she said. Norway runs courses for male refugees about Norwegian sexual norms and laws, to help them adapt to a country where women have greater freedoms, wear fewer clothes and walk alone in public. The course explains that some sexual practices deemed 'honorable' in some Middle East and North African countries are not acceptable in the West. The course manual states: "To force someone into sex is not permitted in Norway, even when you are married to that person." Norway has also kept strict control over migrants reaching its borders, deporting 7825 people out of the country in 2015, an all-time record. According to the Atlantic Council's energy expert Jean-Francois Seznec, privatizing the production end of the company, rather than simply the subsidiaries could create transparency issues because of Aramco's direct payments to the Saudi royal family. "The issue of payments from the [Saudi King's executive office] to members of the royal family is sensitive. Perhaps one of the reasons why the privatization of Saudi Aramco has been delayed so long is that transparency could lead to questions about who is entitled to receive a payment," Seznec wrote. Midstream Madness Saudi Aramco owns most of its distribution, including the Dubai-headquartered Vela International Marine company, which operates 24 supertankers and five smaller tankers. The company's website also states that Aramco has a 20,000 kilometer pipeline system inside Saudi Arabia, which has also not been mentioned in the so far tentative remarks about privatization. The Aramco chief also noted that the company would only be listed on the Saudi Arabian stock exchange, recently made accessible to foreigners. This would allow it to escape oversight that companies listed on major exchanges face, and also pave the road for potential insider trading by royal family members. "At the end of the day, we will have to decide based on legal issues and jurisdictional complications given where the operation is and where the listing is," al-Falih told WSJ. He also noted that Russian military aircraft pounding the Islamist forces in the vicinity of Azaz and Afrin have provided considerable assistance to the Democratic Forces. "Russian aircraft bomb Daesh-controlled oil wells which the Islamists use to supply oil to Turkey. We support Russias actions aimed at exterminating terrorist groups in Syria. The Russian airborne operation is like an ambulance delivering an injured person to a hospital," said Hido. "Were grateful to Russia for the support. Russia is the only country that provides us assistance in the region, and its actions aimed at combating terrorism are extremely effective," he added. According to Hido, the clashes in the region between the Democratic Forces and the Islamist militants continue. He also remarked that several al-Nusra and Ahrar ash-Sham captives taken by the Democratic Forces turned out to be Turkish citizens. "We intend to publish the names of all people who aid these terrorist groups, Hido said. The weapons that Turkey ships to Azaz are bound for al-Nusra and Ahrar ash-Sham militants. We also spotted a Turkish reconnaissance UAV over one of the villages near Azaz two days ago." He added that the strait remains under the Al-Fohadi added that he considers the Saudi claims of Iranian military support for the Houthis fabricated. "There is not any evidence to the Saudi claims. This is totally untrue Iran did not provide any support to Yemen. There are relations between 'Ansarullah' and Iran, but not in the way that the Saudi Arabia presented; there is no Iranian weapon supply, or Iranian experts in Yemen," al-Fohadi told Sputnik. According to al-Fohadi, Saudi Arabia refuses to accept a strong neighbor state, although Yemen poses no considerable threat. "Saudi Arabia has a much larger plan, which is first to destroy Yemen and drain the Yemen Army Forces; this is what happened after the army restructuring in 2011, in which American experts took part. From one side, it is a mere destruction of the Yemeni army forces just as it happened in other Arab neighboring countries; and on the other hand, Saudi Arabia aspires to take over Bab el-Mandeb," al-Fohadi told Sputnik. Yemen's previous president, Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down in 2011, following protests and an assassination attempt. The man to succeed him, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, was elected with no alternatives on the ballot. He was brought down by the Houthi movement in 2015, escaping to Saudi Arabia and triggering an invasion of Yemen. "Germany, but also Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands are amongst those allies that support a cooperative security order vis-a-vis Russia which relies on institutionalized arms control and confidence and security-building measures as much as on strengthened defense. These states basically fear an unchecked build-up of arms in Europe." Berlin, Kuhn points out, "vividly opposes" suggestions in Washington, Warsaw and the Baltic countries that the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act's promise not to station substantial combat forces in Eastern Europe has been rendered obsolete by the Ukrainian crisis. On a deeper level, however, the analyst suggests that "NATO's Baltic dilemma is [really] a dilemma of either giving preference to power or giving preference to order." The dilemma, he notes, is based on differing perceptions among the NATO allies on what constitutes order. "NATO's Western European allies such as Germany remember the Cold War as an extreme period of constant threat and its demise as the result of the successful combination of American military commitments (power) and arms control policies (order). The former helped to deter a Soviet attack; the latter helped to avoid the worst unintended consequences of the military standoff. This collective memory has led those states to startle in pain every time another arms control treaty collapsed during the last years. It makes them cling to the last remains of institutionalized order and to define security not solely in terms of power." NATO's new eastern members, on the other hand, with their experience of being 'on the other side of the fence' during the Cold War, see order as something depending "on the actions of the powerful. That is why these states do not look to Berlin but to Washington every time Russia issues a new threat." "In Washington, meanwhile, a new foreign and security policy starts to emerge which is very much detached from the Cold War narrative of the successful combination of military power and institutionalized orders. Pundits like Mitchell are much quicker in suggesting security through power than security through order because they have no experience with managing a highly dangerous and potentially deadly adversarial relationship." MOSCOW (Sputnik) Relations between Moscow and Ankara deteriorated after a Turkish F-16 fighter jet shot down a Russian aircraft over Syria on November 24. Ankara claimed that it downed the jet because it had violated Turkish airspace. Both the Russian General Staff and the Syrian Air Defense Command have confirmed that the Russian jet never crossed into Turkish airspace. "Instead of trying to provide us with an explanation for the war crime they committed, that is, for downing our fighter jet that was targeting terrorists, the Turkish government rushed to NATO headquarters seeking protection, which looks quite odd and, in my view, humiliating for Turkey," Putin told Germany's Bild newspaper. The Russian leader added that this issue had nothing to do with Ankaras NATO membership as nobody had attacked Turkey. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Russia is ready to work with all Western partners on the issues of joint interests providing the feeling is mutual, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published on Tuesday. "It was not Russia that cut off cooperation through the G8 or the Russia-NATO Council. We are willing to interact with everyone, once there is a matter for common discussion. We think that there is one, but a relationship can be happy only when the feeling is mutual," Putin told Germany's Bild newspaper. Russias relations with the West have been strained since the start of fighting in eastern Ukraine in early 2014. In October, Syrian Ambassador to Russia Riad Haddad confirmed that the strikes were being carried out against armed terrorist organizations and not political opposition factions or civilians Vladimir Putin also said that militant groups operating in Syria and states supporting them are responsible for numerous sufferings of the civilian population in Syria amid the civil war. "[Syrian President Bashar Assad] is fighting those who rose up against him with deadly force. And if the civilians suffer, I think that the primary responsibility for this is with those who fight against him with deadly force as well as those who assist armed groups," Putin told the newspaper. Putin added that it was necessary to carry out political reforms in Syria and to work on the new constitution. "As to Syria, I believe the country should move toward a constitutional reform. It is, certainly, a complicated process. And then, based on a new Constitution, early elections must be held, both presidential and parliamentary," Putin said in the interview. According to the Russian leader, the conflict in Syria would not have escalated to a great degree if it had not been supported from abroad through supplying money, weapons and fighters. Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with forces loyal to Assad fighting against numerous opposition factions and extremist groups. Around four million people have fled the conflict-torn country since then, according to UN estimates. "In 2014, ISIL announced three provinces in Libya, namely, Wilayat Tripolitania (including Tripoli and Sirte), Wilayat Barqa (Cyrenaica, including Derna and Benghazi) and Wilayat Fezzan (south)," according to the UN analysts. They added, however, that this division does not mean the notorious Islamist group has maintained control over these territories, but rather demonstrates Daesh's aspirational vision of its presence in Libya. The decision by Islamist fighters to create a stronghold in Libya is hardly surprising, since the group has suffered tremendous losses since the beginning of the Russo-Syrian advance in Syria. "The Islamic State [Daesh] leadership is seeking ways to compensate for the financial losses it has suffered, and establish new backup outposts outside the Middle East. That is why ISIL has been fairly active in plans to take control of Libya, which is particularly rich in 'black gold,' as well as Afghanistan, with is home to a profitable narcotics market," Czech-based freelance journalist and analyst Martin Berger writes in his piece for New Eastern Outlook. News Story not available This story has been published on: 2022-10-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. This story is no longer available on our site. During his speech, the candidate insinuated that all Syrian refugees are loyal to the terror-group Daesh. At that moment in the speech Hamid and other peaceful protesters quietly stood up. As soon as they did, the protesters were met with shouts by the crowd and chants of Trump, Trump, Trump, following the real estate moguls previous instructions to his followers as a protester alert system. The demonstrators, including Hamid, were then forcibly removed from the crowd by Trumps security as the reality show hosts fans shouted Islamophobic slurs including, you have a bomb?! "There is hatred against us that is unbelievable," Trump said as the peaceful and unresisting protesters were hauled off. CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations issued a statement regarding Trumps demagoguery, requesting an apology from the former television star. "The image of a Muslim woman being abused and ejected from a political rally sends a chilling message to American Muslims and to all those who value our nation's traditions of religious diversity and civic participation," CAIR national executive director Nihad Awad in a statement. "Donald Trump should issue a public apology to the Muslim woman kicked out of his rally," Awad continued, "and make a clear statement that American Muslims are welcome as fellow citizens and as participants in the nation's political process." The day after the event, State Representative John King announced he would be introducing a resolution declaring Trump no longer allowed in the state. King told the Herald that he was sick to his stomach over Trumps treatment of the woman and called for bipartisan support of the resolution. Donald Trump is a race-baiting, xenophobic bigot and is not welcome in the state of South Carolina, the proposed resolution began. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) Thousands of new email communications with Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of state are astonishing and a potential gamechanger into probes of her conduct, watchdog group Judicial Watch said in a statement. "This latest find of Clinton records, at this late date, is astonishing," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton stated on Monday. "The State Department waited to last possible moment to tell Judicial Watch and the federal courts about thousands of records that havent been searched, as the law requires." Judicial Watch said the new documents appeared to be "working records" in an electronic format found on drives which the group identified in its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits on the 2012 crisis in Benghazi, Libya, when US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others were killed by Islamic terrorists. "So many people were killed and all you think about is money You have no shame" a user named PROMETHEUS retorted. ONLARCA iNSAN OLDU TEK DERDiNiZ PARA... ViCDANINIZ KURUMUS... @TCsenayakdemir @06melihgokcek PROMETHEUS (@serkanacar007) 12 2016 "What else did you expect him to say. Hes just looking for an excuse as always," another user remarked. @serkanacar007 @06melihgokcek Ne desin? Istikrarl sekilde bir bahane buluyor iste senayayay (@TCsenayakdemir) 12 2016 Even as the Turkish politicians condemned the terrorist attack, social media users were nonplussed. "I strongly condemn this treacherous attack against Turkey," former Turkish President Abdullah Gul declared. Turkiye'ye kars yaplan bu hain saldry siddetle knyorum. Abdullah Gul (@cbabdullahgul) 12 2016 "Then why there are no increased security measures in areas where tourists congregate? God save Turkey," @DirtiestSprite inquires. @cbabdullahgul Neden turistlerin oldugu bolgelerde daha fazla koruma onlemleri alinmiyor? Allah Turkiye devletini korusun Gonorrhea (@DirtiestSprite) 12 2016 But it was the Turkish media outlets apparent reluctance to cover the explosion which offended the people the most. "Turkish television is silent while the world media report live from Istanbul." "An explosion in the center of Istanbul. Show TV airs a cooking show, ATV airs Muge Anl show, TV8 airs a dating talk show, Star airs Big Brother. Unbelievable," one user remarks. Istanbulun gobeginde patlama oluyo show tvde yemek program atvde muge anl tv8 de evlendirme program starda big brother. Inanlmaz. meric (@otekidunyali) 12 2016 "Its a gag order. Everything is back to front," another replies. @otekidunyali olmas gereken yayna zaten yasak var... Hersey ters... Altan CETIN (@AltanChetin) 12 2016 "Were on a train speeding towards the abyss. Instead of changing the route, those who control it seek to silence those who say that were speeding towards the abyss," Turkish writer and poet Ahmet Umit concluded. Russias President Vladimir Putin recently pointed out that tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran hamper the fight against terrorism in the Middle East and efforts to settle the Syrian conflict. He added that Russia stands ready to mediate the resolution of the conflict between the two powers if they agree to it. "First of all, we would like to convey our gratitude to Russia and to President Vladimir Putin for his willingness to help resolve the crisis between the two countries as soon as possible, "Hossein Sheikholeslam, member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of the Islamic Republic of Iran, told Sputnik. "We welcome Russias initiative, but our problem with Saudi Arabia is much more complex than it appears at first glance." "The Saudi authorities executed an ordinary Shiite preacher simply because he told the truth about the despotic policies of the ruling regime. He was convicted and executed without due process, in violation of all international conventions and laws," Sheikholeslam remarked. Coffee Addict may have raced well enough to win, but it took the disqualification of the horse who beat her to give her the official victory in Mondays $20,000 Filly & Mare Preferred Handicap Pace at The Meadows. Coffee Addict and Wilbur Yoder were out before the three-eighths to pursue the leader, Set Me Up, only to fall a nose short at the wire. Set Me Up, however, was placed back to second for a pylon violation in the lane, giving Coffee Addict the win in 1:53.2. Hidden Land was a close-up third. Norm Parker trains Coffee Addict, a six-year-old daughter of Dragon Again Kahlua Queen who now boasts $439,679 in career earnings, for James C. Clarke, Sr. and Andrew Altobelli. Mike Wilder collected three wins on the 15-race card. THE MEADOWS TRIPLES TUESDAY PICK 4 GUARANTEE TO $15K The Meadows Racetrack & Casino has tripled -- to $15,000 -- the total-pool guarantee for its Tuesday, Jan. 12 Pick 4 wager as part of the United States Trotting Association's Strategic Wagering Initiative. While $5,000 Pick 4 guarantees are offered each card, The Meadows upped the ante when Mondays Pick 4 was uncovered, resulting in a carryover of $4,104.20. Minimum wager for the Pick 4 (races 4-7) is 50 cents. Since Pennsylvania law requires a minimum per-race wager of $2, a player wagering at the 50-cent level must bet at least four tickets. Tuesdays program also features a carryover of $1,103.16 in the Pick 5, races 11-15. First post is 1:00 p.m. Throughout January, The Meadows will offer Standardbred and Thoroughbred handicapping contests, both on track and at its Harmar location, for Racing Player Rewards members. The Meadows Racing Handicapping contest occurs each Wednesday. Entry is free, with the winner at each location earning 40,000 points and the overall winner collecting an additional 20,000 bonus points. The Road to Louisville Thoroughbred handicapping contests, each featuring a Kentucky Derby prep, are set for Saturdays. Featured race Jan. 16 is the California Derby at Golden Gate. Entry fee is $5. Each location winner receives all entry fees collected plus 20,000 points while the overall winner receives an additional 20,000 bonus points. For more information or to enter, visit the retail counter at either location. (with files from The Meadows) On Monday, January 11, a piece of casino expansion legislation agreed to by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto passed the Senate by a vote of 33-6. The bill, which would result in a ballot question this fall regarding casino expansion, now needs to be passed by the Assembly in order to move on. An article on the situation by Bloomberg Business has quoted Gov. Christie as saying that the agreement was reached with a great deal of compromise. The bill will need to obtain a three-fifths majority in the Assembly if it is to be passed. The ballot question would then ask New Jersey voters whether they want casino gaming to expand north in the state. Casino gaming in New Jersey is currently restricted to Atlantic City, located at the southern end of the state. The Meadowlands Racetrack and its partner, Hard Rock, have already unveiled plans for their proposed expansion of the East Rutherford raceway if casino gambling is eventually introduced to the north. The Bloomberg Business piece explains that casino operators that are currently in business in Atlantic City will get the first right of refusal when it comes to running casinos in the northern end of the state. The article also states that lawmakers are expected to introduce an resolution to the bill that any new casino initiative would need to involve a $1 billion investment. (With files from Bloomberg Business) A powerful Monday, Jan. 11 card at Dover Downs featured a handful of standout performances from Speed Again, Captive Audience, driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Eric Ell. Speed Again stepped up in ranks to win for the second straight outing, rolling down the passing lane for Yannick Gingras en route to a 1:51.1 victory in the $30,000 top pace of the week. It was one of two wins for trainer and part owner Ron Burke's Burke Racing -- one with Weaver Bruscemi, and one for partner RTC Stables. The Dragon Again-Sand Speed gelding was followed by Major Uptrend (Corey Callahan) and Dapper Dude (Tim Tetrick), who closed well for third. Callahan made good use of leaving from post 1 chalking up his second win on the card, a 1:50.2 front-end performance in the $27,500 Delaware Special behind CAptive Audience. Al Carter and trainer Doug Lewis own the six-year-old son of Art Major-Captiva Island who won for the 12th time in his career earning $632,710. Bad Boy Matt (Allan Davis) went a big trip to finish second. Little Ben (Tetrick) came on for third. Gingras, who has had hot nights at the track in recent Mondays, drove four winners. Two of the wins came with Eric Ell trainees. Beavercreek Artist, a 1:51.2 wire-to-wire winner in a $20,000 Claiming Male Allowance and Jeremes General, in 1:51.3 winning a $15,000 Male claimer, both also owned by Ken Wood, Bill Dittmar and Steve Iaquinta. Gingras and trainer Eric Ell were deprived of another win when Adventure Bound finished first in 1:51 in a $14,500 Male Winners-Over pace but was disqualified for pacing inside four pylons while in the stretch. Mike Hills Eridanus N, a veteran McArdle- Kurahaupo Dream gelding, finished second at 26-1 odds and was placed first for driver Ross Wolfenden and trainer Joe Hunderpfund. Papa Ray (A.Davis) was placed second with Adventure Bound placed third. Class Six gave Gingras his fourth win, a 1:52.2 decision in a $15,000 pace for young horses. The Western Ideal-Can Du River gelding is trained by Burke for Weaver Bruscemi and Burke Racing Stable. It was the five-year-olds second straight victory and seventh in his last eight starts. Apollo Seelster (Jonathan Roberts) was next in front of Beat Of NY (A.Davis). Soto, reined by Vic Kirby, won a $12,000 Male pace in 1:51, to give Ell and owners Wood, Dittmar and Iaquina, their third wins on the program Blazing Bobby Sox, piloted by trainer Art Stafford Jr. won for the fourth time in his last five races fashioning a 1:52.2 score in a $15,000 4&5-Year-Old pace. Totally Dreamy (George Dennis) was runner-up in front of Quick Shot (Tony Morgan). FASHION SHOWDOWN, SCANDALICIOUS, ELLIESJET N IN $20,000 OPEN Seven top distaffers battle it out in this weeks $20,000 Mares Open pace led by last weeks upset winner Fashion Showdown on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at Dover Downs. Post time is 4:30 p.m. Chris Whites Fashion Showdown has been an Open regular all meet but raised to top of the list last week when Ross Wolfenden drove her to a 1:51.3 longshot win at 35-1 odds. JFE Enterprises Scandalicious finished a head back and will be driven by Tim Tetrick. Howard Taylors Shine N Shimmer and Corey Callahan may have put in the biggest trip, racing outside on the backstretch to get the lead and hold on for third only a neck behind. Bamond Racings Nefertiti Bluechip closed strongly for Brett Miller to finish fourth in her first start in nearly a month. Last Tuesday marked the end of Elliesjet Ns eight-race win streak since arriving from New Zealand for owners Barry Spennen, Kevin Evans, trainer Josh Parker and Nanticoke Racing. Her regular driver is Art Stafford Jr. The race favourite last week was the highly regarded Jerseylicious, reined by Allan Davis for Pam Curran, Niel Gargiulo and Legacy Racing. Jeff Clarks Springforth and George Dennis made her local debut and starts from post 1. A strong undercard is topped by a $15,500 Four- & Five-Year-Old Mares pace. One of the nine starters was a winner last time, Eric Beckers Flying Nun (Tyler Davis) who steps up in class and leaves from post 9 in the second tier. Gary Ewings Sweet Bobbie (Callahan) and Fashion Rocker (Wolfenden) are the race favourites. Monday through Thursday weekday racing begins at p.m. 4:30 p.m. Dover Downs is dark on Friday and Saturday. Live racing resumes Sunday, post time is 5:30 p.m. (with files from Dover) Marv has given so much to the harness racing industry over the years and has always been willing to do anything to help anyone. But his compassion extends far beyond racing. Marv Chantler has enjoyed his share of success during nearly five decades in harness racing, but equally rewarding is the satisfaction he receives from helping others. Chantler is the past president and current vice president of the Board of Directors of Matthews House Hospice in Alliston, Ontario, and assists the charity organization with fundraising and strategic planning. Matthews House Hospice is dedicated to helping its clients live life fully everyday by offering free volunteer-based services in home, in the residential hospice and throughout the community. Matthews House Hospice, which assisted approximately 600 people last year, has an annual operating budget of roughly $850,000, but receives minimal government financial aid. The community hospice provides a variety of services including bereavement counseling, caring seminars, care-giver support, and wellness programs. The residential hospice, which has four beds, provides 24/7 end of life nursing care. We work hard all our life and there comes a time when its time to give back, the soon-to-be 68-year-old Chantler said. My basic job is fundraising or politicking or lobbying the provincial government for support, and doing long-term planning for building a permanent 10-bed hospice on property that has been donated to us in downtown Alliston. Probably what makes me feel best is helping people who need help at a time in their lives when the stress level is high. We have about 200 volunteers who work for us, giving about 18,000 hours a year of free service to our community and to our health system. For his efforts, Chantler has been named the 2015 recipient of the January Davies Humanitarian Award presented by the U.S. Harness Writers Association. The award was created in 2008 by U.S. Harness Writers Association member Callie Davies-Gooch in memory of her daughter to recognize contributions beyond harness racing. Marv has given so much to the harness racing industry over the years and has always been willing to do anything to help anyone, Davies-Gooch said. But his compassion extends far beyond racing. He is a great example of humanitarianism and when his name came before our board we felt he was the perfect choice for this award. Chantler followed his father, Dewitt Dee Chantler, into harness racing. The Chantlers were neighbors with the Hon. W. Earl Rowe, who was Ontarios lieutenant governor at the time but also a well-known and respected horseman, which provided their impetus to get into racing. After a brief stint as a trainer and driver, Marv turned to the administrative side of the sport and served as the race secretary at Barrie Raceway, which was built by the Rowe family. After several years, Chantler returned to selling heavy construction equipment and owning harness racing horses. In 1981, Chantler started Mardon Stables in Loretto, Ont. Since then, he has enjoyed relationships with many notable trainers, including Ben Wallace, Paul Doherty and Ray Schnittker, Bruce MacDonald, and Bob McIntosh. Among Chantlers best horses have been 1997 OBrien Award winning filly pacer Armbro Rosebud, world champion Card Trick Hanover, and Armbro Acquire. He also is among the owners of 2015 Ontario Sires Stakes champion Tony Soprano, who is a finalist for the OBrien Award for two-year-old male trotters. In addition to owning horses, Chantler was among the founders of Georgian Downs and is a minor stakeholder in the New Meadowlands Racetrack. He also has served on several boards for the Ontario Racing Commission. Chantler served three years as president of the board of Matthews House Hospice and was named vice president when his term expired. He devotes approximately 140 hours of his time per month to Matthews House Hospice. I think everybody is sick and tired of me being on the website or Facebook asking for people to send money, said a laughing Chantler. We bust our butts (to get funding). We have a very, very caring community, thank goodness, and both individuals and corporations are quite good to us. Otherwise I think MHH wouldnt be able to get it done. (United States Harness Writers Association) Kim Davis Stands for Religious Liberty at Obama's Final State of the Union Address Contact: Liberty Counsel, 800-671-1776, Media@LC.org WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2016 /Standard Newswire/ -- Kim Davis, the Rowan County clerk jailed for her faith, and her attorney, Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, will be present for President Obamas final State of the Union Address on Tuesday night, January 12, 2016. While the President will be extolling his "accomplishments" of the last seven years, Kim Davis and Mat Staver will be a visible reminder of the Administration's attack on religious liberty and an encouragement for people of faith to stand. "We will be there to stand for religious freedom and to represent Judeo/Christian values," said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "For seven years, people of faith have been in the crosshairs of the Obama Administration." The Obama Administration has trampled religious liberty over and over, including denying applications for tax-free status to conservative organizations, requiring Christian-owned businesses and nonprofits to pay for abortion-inducing drugs, opposing the amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would have protected the religious rights of our military, and supporting same-sex marriage, just to name a few. "The state of religious liberty is dire," Staver said, "but we cannot give up. Kim and I are encouraging all people of faith to get involved in the political process, to vote for people who support your values, and to never give up," he continued. "Our 'one nation under God,' is worth our continued prayers and active support." "Four and a half years ago, Kim had her life radically transformed by Jesus Christ," Staver recounted. "As a result of her uncompromising faith, she has gone to jail, met with the Pope, stood with the Governor of Kentucky during his lopsided election win, and is now attending President Obama's final State of the Union Address. God can and will use anyone who is committed to Him," concluded Staver. Kim Davis and Mat Staver will be seated in the House Chamber: Kim Davis in Gallery 3, Row D, Seat 49, and Mat Staver in Gallery 10, Row C, Seat 30. Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics. "If you destroy the labor unions in this country, you destroy liberty when you strike the blow, and you would leave the poor bound and shackled and helpless to do the bidding of the rich." Clarence Darrow "Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation. Robert F. Kennedy "History with its flickering lamp stumbles along the trail of the past, trying to reconstruct its scenes, to revive its echoes, and kindle with pale gleams the passion of former days." Winston Churchill Despite the anti-Chinese aspects of the recent nuclear test North Korea has quietly accepted much of the Chinese advice on economic reforms. At the same time both China and North Korea have been silent about the recent North Korean harassment of Chinese in North Korea. This is part of the ongoing effort to halt leaks of information (to China and South Korea) about what is really going on in North Korea. This is not the first time there has been such a move against Chinese and China is quietly trying to get some of the arrested Chinese freed. Since the 1950s Chinese citizens have been allowed to live and do business in North Korea. These Chinese are usually merchants or run Chinese financed businesses. These Chinese can bring their families with them and freely visit China and return. These foreigners were rarely bothered, until North Korea decides it is time to send a message. North Korea apparently suspects many of these Chinese are part of the Chinese espionage effort in North Korea and over a hundred have been arrested and questioned since late 2015. North Korean diplomats and businessmen with lots of Chinese experience warn that this crackdown could do a lot of damage to relations with China. So far those warnings do not seem to have had any impact. Apparently even Chinese diplomats, including the Chinese ambassador, have been put under surveillance by the secret police. The government has also made it more difficult for these Chinese to return to China. The Chinese are largely unfazed by this sort of thing as it has happened before and tends to last a few months at most. Thats because China is the main access point for the thousands of luxury items North Korea imports each month to keep their ruling class content and willing to do what it takes to keep the Kim dynasty in power. In North Korea the government ended the year still determined to halt the spread of South Korean culture and announced that some violators would now be publicly executed to show how serious the government considers the problem. At the same time government analysts are noting that years of efforts to halt the northern preference for South Korean culture have failed and executions are unlikely to change that. This conclusion is a state secret as are most details about how the North Korean secret police have always monitored the attitudes of the population. Back in 2010 the secret police realized that the influence of South Korean culture was corrupting the security forces ordered to suppress it. In 2011 a special unit of the secret police was formed to eliminate the corruption among secret and regular police guarding the Chinese border (where most South Korean culture entered) and that elite unit was itself soon corrupted (by the South Korean culture as well as the large bribes they got to let it in). The secret police more recently documented a very disturbing trend; the generation born in the 1990s that grew up with access to South Korean culture (video and audio recordings) has less and less respect for the North Korean leadership. This has happened despite numerous efforts to provide children with additional instruction (mandatory pro-Kim propaganda classes). The kids shrugged off the lessons and the extensive secret police monitoring (Internet, phones) and informant network reported more and more disdain and contempt for the leadership among the next generation. This is a very disturbing development because it never happened before and appears incurable and is getting worse each year. The North Korean government has increasingly been using executions to discourage unacceptable activity, especially efforts to leave the country without permission. But dramatic measures like execution only slows down the rate of bad behavior (being it smuggling contraband in or people out). Despite the growing acceptance (by the government) of the market economy the new entrepreneurs know that they are tolerated mainly because they are a source of income for the government and the only thing that is keeping an increasing number of North Koreans alive. There is no rule of law in all this, the government does whatever Kim Jong Un and his senior aides want and major changes often arrive without any warning. To add to the temptation to leave the government has increasingly tolerated nearly all trade being done in foreign currencies (mainly Chinese yuan and American dollars). This enables people to easily buy the services of smugglers who can bribe the right people to get you out. North Korean currency (won) is rapidly disappearing from daily use and no one misses it. But many government officials are uneasy about the widespread acceptance of foreign currency. This acceptance means people have more freedom to do as they please. For decades the population was controlled because the government did not let people know what was going on in the outside world or give them a way to earn much money and what they did get access to was the local currency (the won) which was pretty useless outside of North Korea. Possession of foreign currency was, until quite recently, a treasonous act and punishable by death. All this began to change during the 1990s, after post-Cold War Russia eliminated the subsidies that had been keeping North Korea alive since World War II. As a result the government could no longer afford to supply the people with essentials and it was during the 1990s that the private economy began to develop as people did whatever they could to survive. After the 1990s the government, seeing no other option, gradually legalized the free markets and now has created an institution that is becoming more powerful than the state itself. Entrepreneurs are using all the foreign cash to take over government owned businesses and hire the loyalty of the security services. Yet North Korea cannot afford to destroy the free markets as that would be a form of suicide for the rulers. To paraphrase an ancient Chinese warning; May you live in interesting times. The government has responded to the growing corruption in the bureaucracy by severely punishing senior officials known, or suspected, or disloyalty. Accepting bribes is not automatically a sign of disloyalty, especially if the Kim family is getting a cut. But the growing use of bribes is seen as a sign of divided loyalties and that makes you suspect. Since 2012 over a hundred senior officials have been sent to prison or executed for disloyalty. The families of the disloyal, at least the ones who did not manage to get out of the country, were reduced to poverty and some were sent to prison as well. All this has done is make officials more careful in accepting and spending their bribes. All this is unprecedented for North Korea. A growing business for smugglers is getting bribe money out of the country and into a Chinese bank. Its increasingly difficult to run the country when so many of your senior people have one eye on the exit. This has other side effects as growing trend is for the friends of officials who illegally migrate to quickly leave themselves lest they be prosecuted for not turning their friend in (whether they know of his illegal travel plans or not). Since early 2015 reports have been coming out of North Korea about a new series of tunnels being constructed. Like everything else in North Korea tunnel construction is a state secret and it took a while for enough information to leak out (via business visitors hearing gossip or defectors with personal experience) so one could make some sense of this new mystery. It turns out the new tunnel system consists of escape tunnels for leader Kim Jong Un. These are being built at all the places where Kim spends a lot of time and for obvious reasons details are being kept secret. One tunnel, several kilometers long, leads to the Chinese border. Others lead to airfields or small ports. Apparently there are contingency plans for each tunnel. This would include what Kim and his entourage would do once reaching the exit as well as who would be in the entourage and who would be assigned to deal with all the details of getting Kim to safety after the escape tunnel protocol was implemented. January 11, 2016: Officials from South Korea, China, the United States and Japan are meeting this week to discuss how to get North Korea to halt its nuclear program. The pressure is on China because China plays a major role in keeping the North Korean economy alive. So far China has not been willing to try drastically increasing economic pressure on North Korea to get the nuclear program dismantled. This despite four nuclear tests over the last decade. North Korea leaders have indicated that their response to hasher Chinese economic measures would be catastrophic, even if it meant the destruction of the North Korean government. January 11, 2016: An American B-52 bomber flew near the North Korean border and North Korea quickly condemned this provocative act. The U.S. responded with proposals to send more heavy bombers and other new weapons to South Korea. January 7, 2016: The North Korean announcement that they had conducted a successful test of a fusion (H-Bomb) nuclear weapon was condemned by the Russian government but on Russian Internet sites Russian nationalists celebrated this North Korean triumph over their common enemy (the United States). At the government level China and Russia both agree that North Korea having nukes is a bad thing. China is more concerned about this than Russia. Western technical experts doubt that the nuclear weapons test (that apparently did take place) was a fusion bomb. Soon (within weeks or months) intel agencies, who are equipped for this sort of thing, will have collected and analyzed air samples from the test site. The U.S. Air Force has already sent one of its sniffer aircraft (a WC-135) to collect air samples. Winds blow this contaminated air out to where intel aircraft or ground stations can capture air samples. Analysis of those samples will clearly show if it was a fission (A bomb) or fusion (H bomb) test. But this evidence eventually dissipates in the atmosphere and if China or Russia will not share sample information then it might not be possible to capture enough samples off the North Korean coast to confirm what kind of bomb is was. From an engineering point of view the latest North Korean test indicates (by seismic activity) that it is too small to be an H-bomb unless North Korea got the tech to not only make an H-bomb but to build a miniaturized one. It is unlikely that China or Russia shared their tech. Even most North Koreans appear to see the latest nuclear test as another publicity stunt. China has the most non-Korean civilians close to the site of the test and quickly was announced that an additional 500 radiation monitors would be deployed near the North Korean border. Meanwhile many of the new entrepreneurs in North Korea are complaining that this dollar bomb (as they call the H-bomb) is just an excuse to tax everyone more heavily. Soldiers enduring their annual cold weather training wonder why they are still doing that if North Korea really has an H-bomb. Many inside and outside of North Korea regard the H-bomb test as a publicity stunt and no evidence that North Korea is any closer to having usable nuclear weapons. Japan announced that its monitoring equipment on land and aboard ships and aircraft had detected no additional radiation as a result of the North Korean nuclear test. This is normal for underground tests, where little radiation escapes to the surface and what does usually cannot be detected except right at the test site. Japan detected no radiation after the 2006 and 2013 North Korean nuclear tests. On the plus side the North Korean nuke did prompt Japan and South Korea to expand their recent (end of 2015) military cooperation agreement. January 6, 2016: North Korea conducted a successful test of what they claimed was a fusion (H-Bomb) nuclear weapon. This was condemned by Russia, China, South Korea, the United States and just about everyone else. December 31, 2015: South Korea, China and Vietnam agreed to quickly set up hotline communications with each other. This enables either side to quickly contact the others military headquarters to sort out any incident involving the armed forces of one or both countries. A hotline like this is quicker and more accurate than waiting for the usual diplomatic channels to be used (and having to depend on the mass media in the meantime.) China and North Korea have long had the equivalent of a hotline in that senior Chinese military leaders could always pick up a phone and call their North Korean counterparts. This is something that dates back to the Korean War, when Chinese forces saved the North Korean military from certain destruction and kept the Korean War going for another 30 months until the ceasefire. This cost China over half a million dead, something China has not forgotten. Meanwhile South Korea already has a hotline with the United States. China and South Korea have been haggling over hotline details since mid-2014. At the end of 2015 the U.S. revealed that it believed North Korea was continuing to work on the KN-08 ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) in an effort to make it work. Getting this missile redesigned, reliable and ready for successful testing is expensive. That is a sign the North Koreas are quite serious about this project. The KN-08 is meant to threaten the United States while the North Korean nukes threaten all the neighbors. The KN-08 first appeared in public during a 2013 military parade. It had long been known that North Korea was trying to develop a ballistic missile that could reach the United States. Until the appearance of the very large KN-08 the longest range North Korean seen in actual use (during tests) were the Nodong series. These are based on the old Russia SCUD and had been scaled up to the point that they had a max range of over a thousand kilometers. Out of this came the even larger Taepodong missiles which were officially satellite launchers. Taepodong 1 was tested in 1998. North Korea had been working on Taepodong since the early 1990s. While the Taepodong 1 had a range of about 1,500 kilometers the larger Taepodong 2 went twice as far in 2009. A 2006 Taepodong 2 test barely got off the ground before crashing. The KN-08 was a different shape missile, obviously for military use and using different technology. December 28, 2015: South Korea and Japan finally settled their long standing differences over the Japanese conscription of Korean women during World War II to work in Japanese army brothels in China. Japan had long avoided accepting much blame for this practice, but in South Korea it was a major obstacle to establishing a meaningful alliance to better cope with the threat from North Korea and China. Japan finally agreed to give South Korea the admission of guilt long demanded. This will include $8.3 million from Japan for the surviving comfort women as the Japanese called the involuntary prostitutes. December 25, 2015: Since October 2015 Japanese coast guard patrols have found sixteen North Korean fishing boats drifting off the coast, most of them containing decomposing bodies. These are all coastal craft (about 12 meters/38 feet long) which cannot operate effectively on the high seas. It remains a mystery as to what is going on here. The most likely theory is that the boats are of fishermen who, desperate to fill new quotas, went out too far, ran out of fuel and were unable to call for rescue. These boats did not contain radio or GPS, were often poorly constructed, often had only a small outboard engine (which broke down or ran out of fuel) and appeared to have been drifting for weeks. The lack of such gear is common aboard North Korean fishing boats. The other theory is that these were defectors who underestimated how much fuel it would take to reach Japan or suffered engine failure. The truth may be a combination of both theories but reports eventually got out of North Korea detailing dozens of North Korea boats that had gone out in 2015 and not returned because they were going too far out to get more valuable catches (squid and sailfish). Apparently over 150 North Korean fishermen disappeared off the east coast in 2015. Making this worse, the North Korean government is doing nothing to alleviate this situation. People in east coast fishing towns and villages are getting angry about all this. It is with a heavy heart that we have to share this regretful news with you. Following the announcement by the UN Secretary-General o... LABELLE, FL. -- A young male was an apparent murder victim at the Port LaBelle Inn this morning, presumably from a handgun bullet. On scene ... The South Bays economy is in a strong place, but continued inflation and a likely recession are among the future challenges, experts predict. New vision and direction The recent actions by the Port of Longview commissioners hopefully signals a new and bold direction. The port is a critical economic driver for our region. The industries the port chooses to do business with sets the tone for the future. Propane (LPG) and oil refining should not steer our future. The Paris Climate Agreement is prompting a transformation of our global economy, perhaps something akin to the changes brought about by the industrial revolution. The Paris Climate Agreement may well signal the end of the fossil fuel era. The commissioners need to create a New Vision of Growth, that is compatible with the quality of place, values of our community and that is sensitive to the climate and environment. Now is the time to move toward cleaner and greener industries. Urge the commissioners to seize the moment and come up with a bold and forward thinking vision and direction for the port. The words of an old hymn provide an excellent summary: New occasions teach new duties (opportunities) John Steppert Longview A sinking ship The state of Washington is investing in the clean energy of the future. Yet locally, our Chamber of Commerce has hopped onto a sinking ship: coal export. Under consideration is Millenniums proposal for massive coal export terminal. Never mind that the coal market is sinking; China has stopped building coal fired power plants, and Arch Coal is bankrupt. Also ignore Millenniums outright lie to the county in 2010 when Millennium applied for a permit to export 5 million tons per year. Caught red-handed, they pulled their permit and reapplied with true figures 44 MTY. The chambers endorsement of this project sends a signal to dirty, deceitful companies that this is a great place to do business. It also signals to cleaner, honest industries that Longview is place to steer clear of. Before the lies and the financial failures, coal export might have been a great bandwagon for the Chamber of Commerce to hop on, now its a sinking ship. Aimee Rios Longview Taking refuge The anarchist group currently occupying the Malheur Refuge is stealing from each and every one of us; the land they have seized, the buildings they have infested, the machines they have commandeered, and the animals they may very well be killing, belong to all Americans. The refuge represents an investment worth millions of dollars of taxpayers money. Just because this is happening far from major cities doesnt make it any less of an atrocity, and we must not stand idly by and let these criminals, these terrorists, go unpunished for their crimes. The Bundys and their ilk are no better than ISIS, and the government and the people of the United States should treat them as such. Andy Zahn Toutle Tough leadership Dont understand why people like Trump? They love Trump, because they respect strength. It doesnt matter what he plans or who he supports. He has charisma. People have always been blinded by charisma and strong leaders. Or at least the illusion of strength. A large enough ego that enables them to say and do whatever they want without thinking it through. Thats why he is constantly in trouble. But its OK with the followers, because they forgive him. Why? Because they live vicariously through him. They follow strong leaders. They are born followers. They dont think for themselves. They just want to be on the tough guys side. The winning team. Mussolini, Hitler ... tough guys with charisma. Jim Jones ... very charismatic ... but dont drink the Kool Aid ... Greg Cosmo Longview Editors note: Todays editorial originally appeared in The Seattle Times. Editorial content from other publications is provided to give readers a sampling of regional and national opinion and does not necessarily reflect positions endorsed by the Editorial Board of The Daily News. Between Monday and March 10, when the Legislatures short 2016 session ends, Olympia requires a tight focus on pressing problems. First on lawmakers list is the systemic reform of the states education financing, as the Supreme Court had demanded in its 2012 McCleary ruling. See the Sunday editorial about that. But here are four other issues that should also be put on the front burner and one that should be deferred. Mental health: Despite a $104 million boost in the 2015-17 budget, Washingtons mental-health system is still dysfunctional. Western State Hospital is such a mess that it couldnt open new, fully-funded wards, because staffing shortages endanger patient safety. The crisis also has delayed a court-ordered plan to get mentally ill defendants out of county jails more quickly. Gov. Jay Inslees supplemental budget request includes $30 million to lure more psychiatrists and nurses. But Western State Hospitals problems go beyond money. Democratic and Republican leaders in the Senate note that Eastern State Hospital, near Spokane, does not have similar woes. Last week, Inslees human services chief, Kevin Quigley, unexpectedly announced he was leaving. If the Inslee administration cant quickly fix what ails Western State Hospital, the Legislature should use its power to confirm Quigleys successor as leverage to demand a coherent plan from the executive branch. Charter schools: The Supreme Court in 2015 overturned the new charter-schools law, imperiling the states nine charter schools. Lawmakers need to enact a fix that hews as closely as possible to the intention of the voter-approved initiative. The schools need flexibility and autonomy. The good news is two bipartisan proposals emerged last week, and the Senate is likely to pass a bill. Leadership in the state House needs to make sure the bill gets heard and voted on. Youth homelessness: The states resources that intervene with runaways were eroded by budget cuts during the Great Recession. The Legislature should give its network of secure group homes and youth shelter beds enough money to intervene in these kids lives, and not just provide a bed and a meal. Lawmakers should read a recent Seattle Times editorial series, Young and Homeless, and be galvanized to act on a startling statistic: Washington leads the nation, by far, in jailing youths for noncriminal offenses, like running away and skipping school. State task forces are often a waste of money, but not in this case. Firefighting: Fighting last years massive wildfires cost Washington about $164 million, double the previous record year. Legislators must come up with $137 million in unpaid firefighting costs. With more hot summers likely, lawmakers also need to shift their mindset toward prevention. Inslees budget request doesnt do enough to make that change. Public Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark rightly wants a larger boost to prevent or lessen forest fires. Initiative 1336: Lawmakers should save their precious time on this one. With elections looming, some are itching to capitulate to this new voter-approved law. Sponsor Tim Eyman designed I-1366 to strong-arm the Legislature into amending the state constitution to require a two-thirds majority for tax increases. If not, major tax cuts will be triggered, wreaking havoc with the budget. Voters frustration should not be ignored. But fulfilling Eymans mandate should not be a priority. I-1366 is in legal limbo and likely will be invalidated by the state Supreme Court midway through the session. A court ruling might not happen until February. With inevitable appeals, the legality of I-1366 probably wont be clear until the 2017 legislative session. A bigger reason to hold off on I-1366 is because a two-thirds tax rule would impede progress on the states top priority resolving the education-funding crisis. A fix for that enormous problem will require hard, complex decisions about taxes. "We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844 tech2 News Staff Apple has finally announced a new version of iOS tagged iOS 9.3 preview. The firmware update that is now available for iPhones, iPads and iPods as a beta, adds a few new features, updates existing apps and implements some new workarounds, that many of its users will find useful. Firstly, we have some new features. These include a new display mode called Night Shift, that reduces the blue light coming from your display. According to research, it is the same blue light that many device makers are getting rid off in their respective 'night modes' since it has often been blamed to affect circadian rhythms that disturb a user's sleep cycle. Apple's take however is a bit different and takes things a bit further, with the display automatically deciding when to switch off the blue light by using your iOS devices clock and geolocation to determine when its sunset in your location. The same can be adjusted manually as well. The next interesting new feature is security for the Notes app, that is now available in the form of a password or fingerprint. Notes can now be sorted by date modified, date created or even alphabetically if needed. Keeping notes in the Notes app private indeed goes a long way and certainly adds more value for users who currently use third-party note taking apps like Evernote (offers fingerprint security with paid subscriptions). Touch ID support adds a much needed layer of security and certainly makes the app handy, making it a worthy core feature. The News app that is not available in India for now also sees improvements in the form of feeds or articles that are better tailored to a user's interests. The iPhone app gets a landscape mode and in general will draw the latest stories faster. The much-loved Health app gets a redesign in terms of how data is displayed. The app now displays a user's move, exercise, and stand data, will also track their goals, provided they own an Apple Watch. More importantly, the Health app now delivers better access of health data to third-party apps. CarPlay with iOS 9.3 also gets a couple of new features. New and For You section will now suggest songs handpicked by experts or add music to your playlist based on user preferences. Apple also placed a majority of the new iOS 9.3 beta's focus on education with the introduction of a new Classroom app. The new app allows teachers to guide and keep track of students through a lesson and even keep a tab on their progress. Apart from the new app, Apple also added a Shared iPad feature for situations where the student to iPad ratio was below 1:1. Also added, was an Apple School Manager feature that gives complete access and control to admins, and the ability to create and manage student and teacher IDs if they are hooked up to the Classroom app. In terms of improvements, Apple has added plenty of them, but the major ones include new Touch ID shortcuts for native apps like Weather, Settings, Compass, Health, App Store and the iTunes Store, additional language support for Siri and other bug fixes. Before you head to the beta website and install the same, it is wise to note that betas (both public and developer) come with their fair share of bugs. So proceed only if you are ok with using a buggy iOS 9.3 with plenty of glitches. Else it is wise to use the same on a test device, rather than your daily driver if you simply want to try it out. hidden The Facebook billionaire who promised to give new life to the venerable US liberal magazine The New Republic four years ago said Monday he was putting it back up for sale. Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes admitted in a public letter that he had misjudged how hard it would be to revive the teetering 100-year-old publication in the face of the challenge from aggressive online journalism. But the move also came a year after Hughes's strategic changes, including a greater focus on seeking profits from online advertising rather than survive on benefactors' handouts, spurred an exodus of top writers and editors. A team of top names in centrist-liberal circles jumped ship, damaging Hughes' efforts to shore up the publication in what was touted as a clash of Silicon Valley and Washington cultures. But it also came as the New Republic faced stiff competition from innovative online-only upstarts like Vox, Vice and Salon, and other rivals in the political space like Atlantic, Politico and a slew of popular blogs. "After investing a great deal of time, energy, and over $20 million (roughly Rs. 133 crores), I have come to the conclusion that it is time for new leadership and vision at The New Republic," Hughes said. He claimed some success, building a younger and more diverse readership on a new digital strategy. "We have made it possible for The New Republic to survive and begin to flourish in its second century," he said. At the same time, he conceded in the statement, "I underestimated the difficulty of transitioning an old and traditional institution into a digital media company in today's quickly evolving climate." The statement was published on Medium.com, a social network and publishers for writers. Hughes said he will be seeking someone else to take over the publication, whether an individual, a larger digital media company, or a think-tank. "Although I do not have the silver bullet, a new owner should have the vision and commitment to carry on the traditions that make this place unique and give it a new mandate for a new century," he said. hidden By Mahesh Uppal Should Facebooks Free Basics initiative be stopped immediately? A response to this question cannot depend on claims, either of its promoter Facebook or its critics. And, the issue is not whether Facebooks goal is to expand internet access to the poor or to further its business. It is whether there is any evidence that Free Basics violates any existing rule, harms consumers or other players in the market. An economic regulator, such as Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) will need to settle this, using data and well established tests, not petitions that support or oppose Free Basics. Yet, several liberals, and even lawyers, want TRAI to do just this. They have pre-judged Free Basics and want it banned simply on suspicion of possible future mischief. They offer no evidence of harm to users or market-players - in India or in any other country where Free Basics is on offer. However, critics misgivings and allegations deserve a response. It is alleged that Facebooks initiative will split the internet since Free Basics users will have little reason to explore beyond the few Facebook controlled free content. There are several reasons why this is far-fetched. The content on Free Basics is simply too small and unrepresentative. Free Basics even if it expands 10 times would be a negligible part of roughly billion websites on the Internet. Further, Free Basics offers no video, which is around 60 percent of internet traffic today, and expected to rise to over 80 percent in about 3 years. (Its technical guidelines explicitly discourage high overhead content that consumes too much bandwidth and may not work on low cost handsets.) To suggest that users will be satisfied with unpopular or vanilla internet content simply because it is free, is absurd. More so, since the other content, even if it is priced, is a proverbial click away. Critics suggest that the partnering mobile operator gets to play a monopoly or gatekeeper role by making it impossible or expensive to access content not included in the Free Basics package. This too defies reason when applied to Indias telecom markets, where there is more competition than almost any country. While data speeds are admittedly, low in India, there are multiple ways to access the web through private and government owned fixed and mobile operators, cable operators and other standalone ISPs. As for content on Free Basics, it is available with or without subscription to it. Far from being a restrictive gatekeeper, the operator offering Free Basics is one of the many doors to the internet. Any player with delusions of being a gatekeeper, risks losing business. Some critics find it difficult to accept that the mobile operator offering Free Basics receives no money to do it. According to them, such an operator would have no commercial incentive to offer free services. They ignore that given the relatively small size of data markets,the operator, especially one without sufficient revenues from data services may see it differently. It might see Free Basics as a way, eventually, to bring its subscribers to popular content, for which data charges do apply. It is suggested that Free Basics violates the concept of net neutrality which requires all players to treat all content at par. One can look at this in several ways. For a start, India currently has no such rule or legislation. Secondly, a country like US, which does have such a provision, still does not see free access to selected websites (zero rating) as necessarily a violation. A separate issue is the relevance to India of an inflexible net neutrality legislation. Less than 20 countries have it. Several developed and developing countries, including India, currently permit some differential pricing for web content and have not incurred noticeable damage. Also, virtually no country has an internet market like Indias. Almost all have extensive fixed line networks and little competition for access. India relies predominantly on wireless and is therefore constrained for network capacity. And, it has abysmally low (20 percent) level of internet penetration. The critics have offered no serious evidence that consumers in countries with net neutrality regulation are doing better or that those without it, are doing worse. Therefore, even if Net Neutrality no blocking, no throttling or paid prioritisation of internet traffic is a sound principle the case for copycat rules is hardly clear cut. Several critics have raised concerns related to privacy and security. It would be naive to dispute the importance of these issues. However, they are generic to almost all popular internet content, cloud services, mobile apps, etc. Several critics feel Free Basics is unlikely to work in expanding internet access to the poor. They believe offering a free data package without restrictions is a better idea. They may well turn out to be right and Facebook wrong. However, this is hardly reason for a market regulator to bar any alternate approach. This is not to suggest that mischief by market players is an impossibility or that consumers may never be at risk in future. TRAI cannot afford to ignore market developments. However, TRAI's responsibility is not to pick winners- or ease out players on suspicion! - but to protect consumers by ensuring that markets work effectively. It is obliged to act proportionately after determining the nature, size and likelihood of possible harm to consumers or markets. Stopping Free Basics, without any data or subsequent analysis, is simply bad regulation. Mahesh Uppal is consultant specialising in regulatory aspects of telecom and internet markets and has advised diverse players in the sector. He can be reached on mahesh.uppal@gmail.com To read why Free Basics isn't all it's cracked out to be, check out FreeBasics: Nothing Free or Basic in this bargain of Privacy by Mishi Choudhary. hidden India's biggest e-commerce company Flipkart's chief executive and co-founder, Sachin Bansal, will step down and be succeeded by its other co-founder Binny Bansal, in a move viewed by some as a step towards a stock market listing. Binny, who was chief operating officer before the rejig, launched Flipkart in 2007 with Sachin, who will now take the role of executive chairman. The Bansals, both former Amazon.com Inc employees, are not related. The management changes come amid talks that the company is preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) in the United States, with the potential to become one of the biggest listings by an Indian company abroad. Flipkart's finance chief told Reuters in May last year that it would remain private for at least three years. However, a banker familiar with the company, said on Monday that the separation of the offices of chairman and CEO will help Flipkart to focus on medium-to-long-term plans, including IPO preparations, while ensuring smooth running of its daily operations. Flipkart has benefited from the foreign funds that have sloshed into India's growing online retail sector and bankers have expected it to start moving towards a public listing to raise fresh funds and enable some of its early backers to crystalise their investments. Goods sold through e-commerce are expected to total $220 billion a year by 2025, up from an estimated $11 billion last year, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said in a recent report. Flipkart sells everything from cellphones to suitcases and cosmetics, competing with home-grown rival Snapdeal and Amazon's Indian unit. Current investors include Tiger Global Management and Accel Partners. In his new role as Flipkart chairman, Sachin will provide strategic direction, mentor the senior leadership, look for new investment opportunities and represent the company in external forums, a company statement said on Monday. As the new CEO of Flipkart, which is currently valued at about $15 billion, Binny will be responsible for all operations and will lead all corporate functions including human resources, finance and legal. Flipkart is betting on the hundreds of millions of Indians in smaller towns turning to online shopping for products that are not available from local retailers, boosting growth as increasing numbers gain internet access currently available to only 252 million of India's 1.3 billion population. "Today, we are in a very strong leadership position with over 60 percent market share of the m-commerce market, 50 million customers and clear leadership in smartphones and fashion," Binny said in the company statement. "The journey ahead is equally exciting and challenging." Reuters tech2 News Staff The Google Play Store will finally make a comeback in China in 2016, literally after six years! Lenovo chief Chen Xudong made the announcement and also added that all Motorola smartphones launching this year will feature a fingerprint scanner. Lenovo chief also added a few other details regarding the upcoming devices. He stated that all phones this year will at least have a 5-inch screen and will no longer invest time in 4.7-inch displays. Also, Lenovo and Motorola both will merge interfaces into a brand new UI, which we will see in 2017. Spilling more beans on the upcoming smartphones, Xudong added that Moto devices will be targeted at the high-end market and the Vibe series will target affordable/budget smartphone segment. Lenovo, which purchased Motorola from Google in 2014 will now be reportedly ditching the term Motorola when it comes to smartphones, and it will instead continue as a division under Lenovo. All the new devices will eventually make a transition to Moto branding instead of Motorola. Lenovo has completed the Motorola acquisition at $2.91 billion. Google had earlier acquired the iconic smartphone brand and its prized patent portfolio in 2012 for $12.5 billion but struggled to reverse Motorolas years-long decline. tech2 News Staff Vodafone India has announced the availability of 4G-ready SIM cards in and around Kolkata. The cards will be available at exclusive Vodafone stores and will be made available at multi-brand outlets subsequently in a phased manner, the company said in a statement. According to the release, the SIMs are being made available in advance of the commercial launch of Vodafones 4G services in Kolkata. Customers will need 4G-compatible handsets and the new 4G-ready SIMs to avail of the services. Vodafone launched its 4G network in Kozhikode (Kerala) earlier this week following its successful launch in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. It is built on the 1800 MHz band and will enable customers to access internet via mobile at high speeds across a range of smart devices. Vodafone seems to be preparing Mumbai too for the service launch as the city saw roll out of 4G-ready SIMs at the beginning of the year. tech2 News Staff Xiaomi has missed its 2015 sales target mark of 80 million smartphones, and this has put the company under pressure to prove the valuation to investors, adds a new report by The Wall Street Journal citing people familiar with the matter. Xiaomi was considered one of the most valued startups, and with it missing the said target, investors may now want to take a second look at the $46 billion valuation. The company had raised huge amounts and now seem to be under pressure to meet the expectations. Xiaomi came up with the unique idea of selling a limited number of products via flash sale. The company relies only on social media to promote its products. The flash sales gathered a lot of hype, while company also started focusing on fan clubs. It was in December 2014 that the company raised $1.1 billion and leaped to a valuation of $46 million. Highlighting some analysts, the report adds that the easy availability of devices has led to the slowing demand. The company's growth overseas hasn't been swift, but it turns out be quite popular in India. The company had also revealed its India sales numbers. Xiaomi has started making phones in India at a plant in Vishakapatnam. The company has 70 service centres across the country and of them, 10 are exclusive to Mi devices, as reported in September 2015. This isn't really surprising as another news report last year had called Xiaomis $45 billion valuation as Unfeasible. A blog containing opinion and analysis in a wide array of areas including the economy, health care, broadband and international relations. Train service stopped after vandalism at Brahmanbaria station The capital Dhakas rail connection with Sylhet and Chittagong has been stopped after vandalism at Brahmanbaria Railway Station over the death of a madrasa student. According to witnesses, Madrasa students vandalized different rooms of the rail station around 12.00pm. Earlier, they blockaded the rail line and removed several slippers from the tracks in the towns TA Road area. The rail authorities have been compelled to halt three trains Subarna Express, a local train, and another because of this. A madrasa student was killed and 50 other injured in a three-pronged clash following an altercation at Jamia Islamia Unusia Madrasa in the district town on Monday night. The deceased was identified as Masudur Rahman, son of Hafez Elias Mia at Bhadughar and a class eight student of Jamia Islamia Unusia Madrasa. Locals said that an altercation took place between a Madrasa student and a driver of auto-rickshaw over fare. At one stage, the driver slapped the student which triggered the clash. Later, madrasa students vandalized two shops. On information, police rushed to the spot. Soon after, Chhatra League activists joined the clash. Masudur Rahman suffered grievous injuries on the left side of his chest and abdomen during the clash, and he was admitted to the Brahmanbarhia Sadar Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries early Tuesday. As news of his death spread, angry madrasa students threw burning tyres on streets to block several places in the town and furiously demonstrated. Vehicular traffic was disrupted in the town and tension mounted as the students smashed several display gates. Huge number of policemen and BGB men have been deployed to avoid any untoward incident in the town. At least 30 handmade bombs were exploded at different places of the town during Mondays clash. Police had to fire rubber bullets and lob tear gas canisters to disperse the madrasa students. No affront to Liberation War, FFs to be tolerated: PM BD on highway of dev; GDP growth to cross 7pc soon, she says Dhaka, Jan 12 (UNB) - Issuing a strong warning against maligning the countrys Liberation War and freedom fighters, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday sought all-out support from people for turning Bangladesh into a middle-income one by 2021 and a developed one by 2041. No affront to the countrys Liberation War and freedom fighters by anyone will be tolerated. Forge a consensus against these elements, and well be there with you, she said. The Prime Minister was addressing the nation marking the completion of two years of her 2nd successive government after a landslide victory in the January-5 national election held in 2014. She also renewed her resolve saying, Well turn Bangladesh into a middle-income country by 2021 and a prosperous developed country by 2041 along with the optimistic and confident people of the country, Insha Allah. I seek all-out support from you. Noting that Bangladesh now stands at a historic juncture of development, Hasina said, Lets continue this march towards development rising above everything and irrespective of class, creed and division. Lets turn the country into a hunger- and poverty-free prosperous developed one. In her almost 30-minute televised address beginning at 7:30pm, Hasina said Bangladesh is a victorious nation in the great Liberation War and no one will ever be able to suppress the nation. Well surely establish ourselves in a dignified position in the global arena and thus build Sonar Bangla as dreamt by the Father of the Nation. Hasina said when the country is moving upward in the staircase of development with the united efforts of all, the cohorts of the defeated forces of the Liberation War are trying to create instability and anarchy in the country. Terming Bangladesh a country of communal harmony, she categorically said nobody will be allowed to spoil the countrys communal harmony. Were taking stern actions against the misleaders and will get tougher, if necessary. Mentioning that it was the commitment of her government to hold the trial of war criminals, she said her government is moving on with their trial and the verdicts are being executed. No one will be able to deter this trial process. The countrys people have rejected those who dont want the trial of war criminals. Strongly denouncing and condemning the heinous speech by BNP chief Khaleda Zia and her party leaders about the 30 lakh martyrs during the Liberation War alongside maligning the martyred intellectuals, Hasina said, People have rejected them. And those wholl distort the history will be thrown into the dustbin of history. Turning to the recently completed countrywide pourashava elections, she said the polls were held peacefully in 223 pourashavas as those were free, fair and peaceful compared to any time in the past. Recalling the atrocities, arson and vandalism against innocent people before the January-5 polls and then again for three months in 2015 by the BNP-Jamaat nexus, Hasina said the BNP chief through staying at her Gulshan office for long 92 days with 68 men last year staged a drama keeping leaving people in untold miseries. She (Khaleda) also gave orders for unleashing killings, but her such terrorist acts didnt get public support and she had to return to her house snubbing nose after appearing before the court, Hasina said extending her heartfelt thanks and gratitude to people for protesting the immoral blockade programme by the BNP-Jamaat. The arson terrorists have already been brought under trial after their arrests and their trial is going on. Those who have snatched your near and dear ones, and caused damage to public life and property will surely be punished, she said. The Prime Minister said the BNP-Jamaat clique could not tolerate democracy and development as they could not tolerate people to live in peace, continue their livelihood with smiling faces. Hasina also highlighted various successes and achievements of her government in various fields, including in socio-economy, transport and communication, food, education, health, ICT, women empowerment, governance, sports, foreign relations over the last seven years. Noting that Bangladesh is now on the highway of development and is a role model of development, she said the countrys GDP growth rate will soon cross the seven percent mark as it has successfully maintained over six percent growth rate for the last few years. Hasina said the power generation capacity has now reached 14077 MW with some 75 percent of people getting electricity facility. Well take electricity to every household by 2021, Insh Allah. She informed that work is going on for setting up 16 economic zones out of the 100 while vehicles will ply the Padma Bridge by 2018 which is expected to boost the countrys GDP by another 1.2 percent, work for constructing tunnel beneath the Karnaphuli River will soon start while initiative has been taken to start the work on the 3rd Shitallakhya Bridge in Narayanganj. She said health card will be provided to one lakh families living below the poverty line and it will be gradually distributed among all the poor families throughout the country. One university either in public and private initiative will be set up in each district, Digital Bangladesh has been established through the relentless efforts of government over the last seven years and Bangabandhu Satellite-1 will be launched by this year. Hasina, also the President of the ruling Awami League, said parliament has now turned into the centre of all activities thanks to the lively participation and opinion from the opposition. The salaries and allowances of the public servants have been raised by 123 percent, the media is now enjoying full freedom as they could freely criticise the government, Bangladesh is now a Brand Name in UN peacekeeping missions which is a matter of pride for the nation. Labourer killed at Gafargaon Gafargaon (Mymensingh) Correspondent : A brick-field labourer was allegedly killed by throwing from a truck-lorry at Gabtoli Tekpara area of Datter Bazar Union under Pagla Thana at Gafargaon in Mymensingh on Friday night. The deceased was identified as Hiron Mea (27). This incident happened on at 10 pm on Friday night. Police and villagers said, brick-field labourer Hiron Mia of Patlashi village at Neguary Union used to work as a labourer of B.AB Brick-field owned by Roman Akanda in the same area. On the way of Gabtoli Tekpara area at Datter Bazar Union , Hiron was fallen and injured critically. He was sent to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital at night but he died on the way to hospital. It is alleged that driver Ripon Mia threw him away from lorry. Abdus Samad, father of the deceased Hiron complained that Ripon threw his son from running tractor for altercation. Abul Basher, Deputy Inspector of Pagla Thana informed, Hiron Mia was run over by tractor and he died on the way to go to Mymensingh for treatment. OC Chand Mia said, it is difficult to say whether the matter is either accident or killing. None has filed complaint. Turkey: 10 die in suicide blast in Istanbul Sultanahmet district The Istanbul governor\'s office says 10 people died in the blast BBC Online: Ten people, at least nine of them German tourists, have been killed in an explosion in a central area of Istanbul, Turkish officials say. They say a Syrian national carried out a suicide bomb attack in the Sultanahmet district, near the city's famous Blue Mosque. Fifteen people were wounded, the Istanbul governor's office said. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey was the "top target for all terrorist groups in the region". His country, he added, was "fighting against all of them equally". Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has telephoned German Chancellor Angela Merkel to tell her that most of the dead were German, the Anatolia news agency quoted his office as saying. "Davutoglu expressed his sadness over the deaths of the 10 victims... and presented his condolences," it said. Turkey's deputy PM said the suicide bomber was a Syrian born in 1988 who had been identified from body parts. Two of the injured were in a serious condition, he added. Eyewitness Murat Manaz said: "It was a suicide bomb. I went there and saw it and came back to the hotel. There was chaos. Everybody was running somewhere. "Policemen did not see this coming. They were distressed but at the same time they were trying to evacuate the area because they said there was a possibility that a second bomb could go off." The authorities are investigating the type of explosive used, the governor's office said. Mrs Merkel had earlier expressed "serious concern" about the casualties, saying a German tourist group had been affected. She added: "Today Istanbul was hit; Paris has been hit, Tunisia has been hit, Ankara has been hit before. International terrorism is once again showing its cruel and inhuman face today." Germany's foreign ministry has on its website (in German) urged German tourists in Istanbul to avoid large crowds and tourist attractions and warned that further violent clashes and "terrorist attacks" were expected across Turkey. Norway's foreign ministry said a Norwegian man was receiving treatment in hospital. Turkey last year took a more active role against so-called Islamic State in Syria, carrying out air strikes and allowing US warplanes to use its Incirlik base for missions. India`s CVD on BD`s exports COMMERCE Minister Tofail Ahmed has reportedly called upon the Indian government to withdraw the countervailing duty (CVD) on Bangladeshi exports to help boost trade between the two countries across the border. He has raised the issue in the backdrop of ever widening trade gap at the disadvantage of Bangladesh. The Minister took the issue on Sunday with India's Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman in Kolkata where Bangladesh he is attending a trade fair. It appears that when Southeast Asia and Pacific regions are opening up fast joining free trade agreements, India is working to keep the benefits of free trade in the region drastically down to member countries' benefit. Exports from Bangladesh are facing continued setback to India from many non-tariff barriers including CVDs and limited scope of advertising Bangladeshi products. We don't know why India is critical of Bangladeshi products when its own exports have made Bangladesh more and more dependent on Indian goods. We urge India to withdraw its CVD on Bangladesh exports.Despite Indian government duty-free access to all Bangladeshi products except 25 alcoholic and beverage items, India is realizing the highest rate of CVD on 20 percent of Bangladeshi products. Even garment products which are high on the list of duty-free products are paying 12.5 percent CVD and all such restrictions pushed exports 19 percent down last year from the year before. Bangladesh exported $456.63 million products in 2013-14 while India's export stood at $6.03 billion in 2013-14. Bangladesh mainly imports basic commodities from India like rice, cotton, onion, fabric, chemical products and dye, limestone, cattle, electricity, machinery and pulses. Besides, unaccounted trade - Border Haat, smuggling in of cattle and phensidyl and other narcotics, and smuggling out of rawhides, is usually advantageous to India.The general perception in Bangladesh is that India is not interested in facilitating Bangladesh's export to its market, but the fact is that if Bangladesh can't raise its export, its growing import from India will only make trade one-sided. It does not reflect a good trade policy and a supportive neighbourly policy other than an exploitative mindset to keep Bangladesh languishing with a huge trade deficit every year. As we see the world is opening up fast with free trade agreements. The 10-members ASEAN region launched zero tariff trade zone from December last. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which is also a 12-member free trade zone, is about to make its debut but the eight members SAARC started about three decades back is only limping without meaningful drive. Free trade agreements were signed among SAARC members but largely left unexploited because of India's big brotherly outlook. It must come to an end. Private sector pension scheme THE government is set to take up a $100 million project to introduce a private sector pension scheme and automate the insurance regulator. The three-year project -- Bangladesh Insurance and Private Pension Market Development -- will be financed by the World Bank and the government. The multilateral lender will provide $80 million and the government the rest $20 million and the project is likely to get the nod from the WB Board in March. The Banking Division was given the task of introducing the private sector pension scheme. As of now, it has been decided that there will be two bodies -- one in which the private sector jobholders will put in a certain amount and another that will invest the pooled funds for profitable ventures. From the profits the employees will be given benefits when they go into retirement. A policy will be formulated about the formation of the fund and regulations of the contributions. At the beginning, the fund will be managed by the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority Bangladesh (IDRA) under the Finance Ministry. Besides, the private sector pension scheme, IDRA, Jiban Bima Corporation and Sadharan Bima Corporation will be automated under the $100-million project. Before introducing the project, opinions of all stakeholders, especially the business community, should be taken. A private pension scheme looks fine on paper but it is not yet known whether this would exist for the long term. If it does the government must ensure that the project officials are competent people who are highly paid so that the millions of dollars of funds which they handle don't go into a black hole like some of our banking debacles. This should be a topmost priority. Employees who get the job should be selected transparently and must be competent and efficient to minimize the risks of corruption or nepotism. This must be doubly ensured because the money belongs to the employees or the firms - it must not be idled away or wasted in redundant schemes. Similarly, the regulation of the Insurance sector - without even strengthening the regulator (IDRA) should be a matter for concern. A regulator which does not have the capacity to monitor the insurance companies should be strengthened first and then given the charge later. But here we have the opposite - it is assumed that capacity building will go hand in hand with responsibility - but this can't automatically be assumed. However, if properly implemented both will substantially benefit private sector workers and people who buy insurance - the later can easily complain if insurance companies fail to pay on time or not pay at all, while the former will at least get a pension which they could never hope of getting at all - as is the case in many private sector firms. It may be a good start. DU students want dismissal of SI Masud bdnews24.com :Students of Dhaka University have been protesting against the recent incident of a police sub-inspector's alleged blackmailing of a Bangladesh Bank official. The victim, Golam Rabbi, now an officer with Bangladesh Bank's Communications Department, is also a former student of DU and former news presenter at Somoy TV.He has accused Mohammadpur police SI Masud Sikder of threatening him near Geneva Camp on Jan 10 with prosecution as a Yaba addict if he did not pay up the money demanded from him.In the light of reports appearing in the media over the incident, the accused policeman was taken off duty. Police are currently investigating the matter.The DU students formed a human chain at the university's Raju Memorial Sculpture on Tuesday, demanding SI Masud's dismissal from service. According to Rabbi, around 11:30pm on Sunday, he was stopped by police in the Mohammadpur area and first subjected to a body search.Then he was asked to pay them a hefty amount of money or face prosecution as a Yaba dealer and addict.Rabbi said he was returning from a relative's home when he was accosted by the police."Even when I told them I work for Bangladesh Bank, SI Masud abused me in foul language," Rabbi said.However, SI Masud Shikdar told bdnews24.com that Rabbi had not been dragged to the police station in view of his social position as an official of Bangladesh Bank."We detained him because he failed to explain what he was doing in that area so late at night." Shikdar said.He said Rabbi resisted the usual body search police would put anyone through if he or she evoked suspicion."He (Rabbi) also made many adverse comments about the police. We let him go after discussing the matter with the OC," Shikdar claimed. Madrasah students vandalise B`baria rly station Clash with shopkeepers: BCL men's involvement alleged: ASP, OC closed: BGB deployed Angry Madrasah students uprooted railway lines of B\'Baria station on Tuesday morning. Staff Reporter :Several hundred agitated Madrasah students on Tuesday allegedly vandalised and set ablaze a railway station over the death of a fellow following a clash between students and businessmen in Brahmanbaria the previous day. The rail communications of Dhaka with Chittagong and Sylhet remained suspended for several hours following the vandalism which created immense sufferings to the passengers. Following the death of the madrasah student, a tense situation is prevailing in the district town.The deceased was identified as Hafez Masudur Rahman, 25, a student of Jamia Yunusia Madrasah. He was the son of Hafez Mawlana Ilyas, a resident of Vadugar under Brahamanbaria municipality. Taposh Ranjan Ghosh, Assistant Superintendent of Brahamanbaria Sadar Police and Akul Chandra Biswas, Officer-in-Charge of Sadar Police Station, have been closed for their negligence of duty. The clash between the local madrasah students and businessmen reportedly triggered over a trifling matter of purchasing a mobile handset at Zila Parishad Market in TT Road in the town on Monday night. Later, activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League reportedly involved with the clash. Shafiqul Islam, Assistant Superintendent of Police of Brahmanbaria Headquarters, said, "Hafez Masudur Rahman received injuries in the triangular clash in a shop at the market around 7:45pm on Monday over purchasing of a mobile phone set. Masud succumbed to his injuries in a local hospital on Tuesday morning. Besides, 30 others were also injured in the incident."As the death news spread, enraged madrsah students came to the street and took position at different points in the district town. They also gheraoed local police station till 12:45pm. Later, they entered the railway station in procession and made random attacks. The unruly students damaged a computer used for selling tickets, CCTV cameras, some furniture at the station master's room and broke the signaling machine in the control room, the ASP aid. Police fired around dozens of rubber bullets and tear-gas shells to bring the situation under control, he said.At least three trains have been stranded at Bhairab Rail Station of Kishoreganj district as protesters uprooted the tracks in Mourail rail gate area of Brahmanbaria town in the morning, said Sayedur Rahman, assistant director of Bangladesh Railway.He said, "We were compelled to halt three trains - Subarna Express, a local train, and another because of the violence." Authorities have deployed four platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in the area to ward off any untoward incident, said BGB-12 battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Nazrul Islam.Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Akul Chandra Biswas said that Madrasah students blockaded the railway station around 8:30am. Police have been kept alert to tackle any unwanted situation, he said. A case has been filed with the police station in this connection. In the meantime, the government has formed a three-member inquiry committee headed by Additional DIG Mahfuzur Rahman to investigate the incident and asked to submit its report within three days. Plan to make Tejgaon an iconic zone Anisul Islam Noor :The government plans to make the Tejgaon Industtrial Area simultaneously an industrial commercial and residential area under a master plan.The Public Works Department (PWD) has prepared the plan for the whole area to turn the area into an iconic zone as per the direction from high ups of the government, sources said.According to PWD, The Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC), Tejgaon CSD (Central Storage Depot) developed in the 1950s and illegal parking places for trucks will be removed from the 500.2 acre Tejgaon Industrial Area.In the master plan, PWD recommended business centres, corporate offices, convention centres, international hotels and apartments on privately owned industrial plots for commercial use. On September 8 last year, the Cabinet approved the proposal to turn Tejgaon industrial zone with its wide roads into an industrial, commercial and residential hub.A high-level committee led by the Housing and Public Works Minister would review the master plan before seeking approval of the Prime Minister, sources said. Housing and Public Works Minister Mosharraf Hossain engaged a committee of experts led by the PWD Chief Engineer to prepare a draft of the master plan. PWD Chief Engineer Kabir Ahmed told media, "We are giving final touches to the draft." About the master plan, he said, "The draft includes updating of GIS map provided by RAJUK (Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha), verifying project potentials, preparing a database of private and public establishments in the area and so on." "We are trying to make Tejgaon I.A. an iconic zone, larger than the capital's Motijheel Area. Our main plan is to use every inch of the zone to turn it into a business hub that will have residential facilities also," he said. According to PWD sources, there are some 430 plots and sub-plots in the existing Tejgaon Industrial Area.PWD recommended shifting the Food Department's CSD, the BFDC and the truck stand to a convenient location and using a part of the freed area for multi purposes and selling the remaining plots so that the funds could be used for the rehabilitation of the government establishments. PWD Engineer SAM Fazlul Kabir, convener of a sub-committee for the draft, said, "Land office, Dhaka Polytechnic Institute, BG Press and other government establishments cannot be shifted." "But the buildings will be beautified and high-rises will replace the existing residential buildings," he added. As the plots of the area are larger than other parts of Dhaka, the master plan recommended for light industries to stay in the Tejgaon hub, SAM Fazlul Kabir also said. Every plot must have its own water, solar panel, rainwater storage, and sanitation plants, he added. Welcoming the master plan, Chairman of the Centre for Urban Studies Prof Nazrul Islam said, "Most of the large industries of Tejgaon are still one-storey buildings and it cannot be accepted." The master plan should incorporate such things as people can be benefitted both socially and commercially, he added. "Some plots can be allotted to private universities struggling to establish their own campuses in Dhaka. A university campus requires minimum one acre of area and the planned Tejgaon can accommodate some of them," Prof Nazrul said. , , www.thedayaftergr.blogspot.com . . , . . . . , . . NEWS AND VIEWS THAT IMPACT LIMITED CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT "There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty." - - - - John Adams Teasdale Foods Inc. confirmed Jan. 6 that it has acquired the Mexican foods business of Bruce Foods Corporation, which includes the Casa Fiesta, Viva Mexico and Mexene brands. Founded in 1931, the Casa Fiesta brand includes beans, peppers, sauces, corn products and seasonings. As part of the agreement, Bruce Foods will provide transition services to Teasdale, which is based in Atwater, Calif. The brands should be fully integrated into Teasdale's operations in 2016, according to a press release announcing the acquisition. This is New Iberia-based Bruce Foods third major divestiture since December 2013, when South Carolina-based McCall Foods, a processor of canned and frozen vegetables, acquired several aspects of its canned vegetables business, a deal that included the Bruces brand and two Bruce Foods plants. In April 2015, Georgia-based Southeastern Mills acquired the New Iberia companys Original Louisiana Brand Hot Sauce, Louisiana wing sauce, Red Rooster hot sauce, Louisiana Gold Pepper Sauce, Louisiana brand Tabasco Peppers in Vinegar and Bruces Tabasco Peppers in Vinegar. None of the terms of the three acquisitions were disclosed. Bruce Foods says it will continue to maintain its sales team and corporate offices in New Iberia, and own and operate its El Paso, Texas, manufacturing facility. In light of the Teasdale deal, the company notes that it will focus on marinades, outdoor cooking appliances, seasonings and sauce mixes, and pancake mix sold to retail and food service channels under brands such as Cajun Injector, Cajun King and Bruces, as well as jalapenos, green chilies and other items to food service and industrial customers. All company personnel in New Iberia and El Paso are being retained. Founded in 1925, Bruce Foods annually makes ABizs list of the Top 50 Private Companies in the region, last year ranking No. 14 with an estimated $137 million in annual revenues (the company does not disclose its revenues). For more than 70 years, Teasdale Foods has been providing branded and private label bean, sauces and hominy products to retail, food service and wholesale customers. In addition to Atwater, the company operates production facilities in Hoopeston, Ill., Greeley, Colo., and Buda, Texas. Brands include Teasdale, D.L. Jardines, 7J and Sontava!. Located on Johnston Street across from Acadiana Mall, Acadiana Square was sold for $24 million to an out-of-state partnership. Acadiana Square shopping center at 5700 Johnston St., across from Acadiana Mall, has been sold by Kimco Realty Corp. to two out-of-state real estate groups for $24 million. A real estate investment trust based in New York that now ranks as North Americas largest publicly traded owner and operator of open-air shopping centers, Kimco had owned the center since 1997. According to a Jan. 11 announcement by mortgage banking firm Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, which represented Kimco in the transaction, the 244,768-square-foot power center was purchased by a partnership between DRA Advisors, which manages more than $6 billion in assets, and RCG Ventures, a privately funded real estate investment group that acquires and develops commercial real estate throughout the country. Acadiana Square is located on 21 acres at the Johnston Street/Ambassador Caffery intersection, which has combined traffic counts of more than 89,000 vehicles per day, according to the press release, and is 91-percent leased. Its tenant mix includes T.J. Maxx, PetSmart, Office Depot, Stein Mart, Party City, Shoe Carnival, Home Furniture Company, Michaels, Toys R Us, Babies R Us, Hobby Lobby and Mardel Christian & Education. Monet rahapelien ystavat ovat viime vuosina loytaneet netticasinot ja olleet ihmeissaan. Verrattuna kotimaisen Veikkauksen kivijalkarahapeleihin puhutaan aivan eri tason palautusprosenteista ja lisaksi pelaaminen on aarimmaisen helppoa ja turvallista. Netticasinoiden maara on tana paivana todella suuri ja niita loytyy jokaiseen lahtoon, suurin ongelma aloittelevalla pelaajalla onkin tehda valinta siita, minka netticasinon valitsee. Kaikkien netticasinoiden mainospuheet naet lupaavat kauniita asioita ja niiden lapinakeminen on tietysti tarkeaa. Nyrkkisaantona voidaan kuitenkin jo kattelyssa todeta, etta jos valitsemasi netticasino on lisensoitu ETA-alueella, sen kanssa ei tule olemaan ongelmia, ellei niita itse jarjesta. Kay tutustumassa parhaisiin netticasinoihin osoitteessa www.ilmaiskierroksia.info! Ensimmainen nyrkkisaanto on siis varmistaa, etta valitsemallasi netticasinolla on ETA-alueen lisenssi. Suurimmassa osassa tapauksista se on Maltan eli MGA:n lisenssi. Myos Viron, Englannin ja Gibraltarin lisensseja nakyy ja naissa valvonta on jopa Maltaa tiukempaa. Lopputulema on kuitenkin se, etta ETA-alueen lisenssi takaa suomalaisille verovapaat voitot seka sen, etta niita valvotaan kontrolloidusti. Maailmalla on iso nippu Curacaon lisenssilla toimivia netticasinoita ja niistakin suurin osa on laadukkaita. Ne eivat kuitenkaan ole suomalaisille asiakkaille verovapaita, joten emme suosittele niita. Tana paivana markkinoille on ilmaantunut paljon ETA-alueella toimiva netticasinoita ilman rekisteroitymista. Jos tarkoitus on vain pelata yksittaisia pelikertoja, on varsin helppo suositella naita. Netticasinot ilman rekisteroitymista tarjoavat palvelun tunnistautumisen verkkopankin avainlukulistan avulla ja saman palvelun kautta tapahtuvat talletukset ja mahdolliset voittojen nostot silmanrapayksessa. Normaaleihin netticasinoihin pitaa asiakkaan rekisteroitya, tehda talletukset ja tunnistautua dokumenttien avulla. Tama on lisenssiehtojen mukainen kaytanto, eika kovinkaan monimutkainen, mutta silti monet asiakkaat haluavat yksinkertaista ja nopeaa palvelua. Toki normaalit netticasinot tarjoavat usein asiakkailleen laadukkaita talletusbonuksia ja erilaisia kampanjoita, joten kannattaa tarkkaan punnita, kumman ratkaisun valitsee. Kannattaa myos muistaa, etta tunnistautuminen tehdaan vain kerran, joten mikaan jatkuva riippakivi se ei ole. Suomalaiset asiakkaat ovat netticasinoille tarkeita, joten kaikilla vahankin laadukkailla netticasinoilla on suomenkieliset sivut seka suomenkielinen asiakaspalvelu suomenkielisyys kannattaakin ottaa netticasinoa valittaessa nyrkkisaannoksi. Vaikka tana paivana englanninkielisyys on harvoille ongelma, on suomenkielisten netticasinoiden maara niin valtava, etta suosittelemme niiden kayttoa. Rahansiirrot ovat tana paivana niin hyvassa mallissa, etta niiden kanssa tuskin tulee mitaan ongelmia. Kolme tarkeinta segmenttia: Suomalaiset verkkopankit, luottokortit (Visa, Mastercard) seka nettilompakot (Skrill, Neteller) loytyvat jokaisesta laadukkaasta netticasinosta. Viime vuosien trendiksi noussut verkkokauppa on kehittanyt rahansiirrot niin laadukkaiksi ja nopeiksi, etta niiden suhteen ei ole enaa vuosiin ollut ongelmia. Luonnollisesti netticasinot kayttavat naita samoja palveluita ja hyotyvat kehityksesta. Naiden isojen linjojen jalkeen netticasinon valintaan vaikuttavat luonnollisesti tarjottavat tervetuliaisbonukset uudet asiakkaat saavat tana paivana kovan kilpailun myota merkittavia etuja netticasinoilta ja niita kannattaa luonnollisesti vertailla. Erilaiset talletusbonukset, ilmaiskierrokset seka ilmaiset pelirahat tuovat suuriakin rahanarvoisia etuja ja niiden vertailu on ehdottomasti kannattavaa. Myoskaan useampien tilien avaaminen ja tervetuliaistarjousten kayttaminen ei missaan nimessa ole huono idea. Kun edella mainitut asiat ovat mieleisia ja vaihtoehtoja on vielakin jaljella, mennaan jo nyansseihin. Toki pelivalikoima on yksi kriteeri, mutta taman paivan netticasinoissa tamakin asia on paasaantoisesti varsin samanlainen. Toki useamman samantasoisen netticasinon vertailussa kannattaa yleensa valita se, jossa on eniten peleja tarjolla. Vaikka omat suosikit loytyisivatkin useammasta, voi tulevaisuudessa mielenkiinto nousta joihinkin muihin peleihin ja silloin on tietysti mukavampaa, etta ne loytyvat valikoimista. Viimeisena voidaan nostaa esiin kaytettavyys joidenkin netticasinoiden sivut ovat vilkkuvia, valkkyvia ja epakaytannollisia. Omaan silmaan ja kaytettavyyteen sopiva sivusto on luonnollisesti aina se paras valinta. Tarjonta netticasinoissa on tana paivana valtava ja jokaiselle loytyy varmasti se oma netticasino onnea matkaan! KSN&C is intended to be a place for well-reasoned civil discourse...not to suggest that we dont appreciate the witty retort or pithy observation. Have at it. But we do not invite the anonymous flaming too often found in social media these days. This is a destination for folks to state your name and speak your piece. It is important to note that, while the Moderator serves as Faculty Regent for Eastern Kentucky University, all comments offered by the Moderator on KSN&C are his own opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of the Board of Regents, the university administration, faculty, or any members of the university community. On KSN&C, all authors are responsible for their own comments. See full disclaimer at the bottom of the page. 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(15) Sep 30 (5) Sep 28 (8) Sep 26 (3) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (8) Sep 23 (10) Sep 22 (10) Sep 21 (3) Sep 19 (12) Sep 18 (9) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (7) Sep 14 (17) Sep 10 (6) Sep 08 (9) Sep 05 (11) Sep 04 (8) Sep 02 (3) Sep 01 (7) Aug 31 (1) Aug 29 (13) Aug 28 (7) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (7) Aug 25 (4) Aug 24 (7) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (8) Aug 19 (7) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (11) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (2) Aug 12 (5) Aug 11 (12) Aug 10 (14) Aug 07 (16) Aug 05 (4) Aug 03 (14) Aug 01 (5) Jul 31 (12) Jul 29 (17) Jul 27 (41) Jul 25 (34) Jul 24 (52) Synonyms For Curator Using a dictionary of synonyms the dictionary of synonyms enables users to find the most suitable terms for the context, rather than just those that first spring to mind. 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Newly outlined policies are a required part of accessing the critical millions of dollars in workforce training funds that funnel to Illinois. That planning is chugging along, right past the pessimistic attitudes many people hold about the economic future of the region. In defense of those attitudes, they have been shaped by the population drain of rural communities, the out-migration of many of the region's best and brightest young people, shifting economic forces constricting former bedrock industries such as coal mining, and years of dysfunction in Springfield that has positioned the state at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to drawing new industry. Challenges can't define us But Kathy Lively, a woman at the forefront of workforce development in Southern Illinois, said theres more opportunity here than meets the eye. The new act is re-energizing policymakers to come together and tackle the economic challenges facing the region, and find creative solutions to move it forward, said Lively, CEO of Management Training and Consulting Corp., commonly called Man-Tra-Con, based in Marion, a nonprofit one-stop for people attempting to access the workforce. We wont let the challenges define us. Well let the opportunities define us, Lively said. We can choose not to be defined by our poverty, and choose instead to be defined by our opportunities. We can be a place where people want to stay, and want to move to. So, how is planning for the new federal act playing out regionally? Generally speaking, policymakers are rethinking the most efficient way to match skilled employees with existing employers. They are coming up with strategies to make the most effective use of money earmarked for training or retraining employees. They are drafting policies to refocus economic development strategies that leverage viable business clusters already blooming in a particular area. In the five-county region covered by the Southern Illinois Workforce Development Board Jackson, Williamson, Perry, Jefferson and Franklin those clusters have been determined as, in this order, health care, transportation, distribution and logistics and manufacturing. They also are attempting to close skill gaps identified in the regional workforce by beefing up access to technical education programs for high school students, and offering access to technology training for older adults. They are reshaping programs that train people new to the workforce, or who are being retrained for a second career after a layoff or other life event, and they are crafting new programs for incumbent workers to keep their skills updated as companies adapt to new technologies or ways of doing business. With regards to adult education, bridge programs are being implemented to transition someone from a high school equivalency degree to a post-secondary education to a job. Theres a greater emphasis being placed on vocational rehabilitation to help people overcome barriers to achieving employment, as well as targeted programs to help youth enter the job market, particularly those who drop out of school and lack employable skills. Further, the emphasis on training new employees is shifting away from more classroom hours and onto the job site, where, for example, a person who is looking to secure an entry-level job at a manufacturer will actually be training during the graveyard shift thats available so that there are fewer surprises for the employee who had been accustomed to sleeping at night. Addressing tough challenges And theres a real conversation taking place about whats preventing many people in Southern Illinois from landing or keeping jobs. While the region could certainly use more employers and more available jobs, its a misconception that there are no jobs available, Lively said. In surveys, one of the most common concerns cited by employers regarding the area workforce has to do with ethics, which broadly encompasses issues such as a lack of pride in ones work, attendance problems, and poor attitude with bosses and/or fellow co-workers. Im not sure you can teach ethics, but maybe you can teach expectations, Lively said. You can teach those without work ethics ingrained in them by their family work expectations, and thats what well attempt to do. A related segment of the unemployed are those who are considered employees in need of a second chance, Lively said. That may mean they were formerly incarcerated and/or have a felony history in their background, even if that incident happened years ago, or perhaps their work history is spotty for any variety of reasons that could include a lack of work ethic or personal challenges. Even for people who have put their past behind them or settled whatever personal issues were making their job performance less than stellar, employers dont always want to take a chance on these folks, because it can be expensive to train someone for a job that doesnt work out beyond a few months. Lively said that for this group of people, a certificate program will be made available to demonstrate their readiness to responsibly join the workforce that will in some way show they are now ready and better prepared to be a good employee. Such a program will require working hand-in-hand with employers, she said. Policymakers optimistic looking ahead These are just some of the major initiatives underway to try to revive the economy of Southern Illinois now and into the future. In short, this region has set out to redefine workforce development. The challenges are many, and the new act untested, but policymakers are optimistic. President Barack Obama signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act into law on July 22, 2014. Effective a year later, it replaced the Workforce Investment Act that Congress passed in 1998, which was responsible for establishing one-stop career centers across the country. Those centers, the hallmark of the legislation, were designed to be a place where a range of people could access job-related services for training, retraining, as well as benefits, including unemployment and public aid such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, which provides financial assistance for pregnant women and families with children. Federal workforce development legislation has existed in several iterations over the years. In 1982, Congress passed the Job Training Partnership Act, and prior to that, there was the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act, signed into law in 1973. The current act covers a five-year period, from 2015 to 2020. Updating the act allows policymakers to take a fresh look at activities that have been successful, and those where improvements may be needed, said Kay Fleming, dean of Workforce Development and Adult Education at John A. Logan College in Carterville. Regionally, in Southern Illinois, we have come together to partner and develop this regional plan to address human resource challenges, Fleming said. One area that has affected programs at John A. Logan is the acts call for implementing adult education bridge programs. Thats playing out at the college in the form of a health care bridge program, which allows someone seeking a high school equivalency degree to learn required reading, writing and other skills while also learning about health care. Then, the goal is to smoothly transition them into a nursing, medical coding or other health care related career, which hopefully parlays into a decent-paying job upon graduation. Getting the word out The resources that are and will soon be available to help people access work are vast and varied, said Cynthia Sims, SIU Workforce Education and Developments department chair. One thing she wonders is if more needs to be done to get that information out to the public. The SIU department serves a variety of roles in workforce development. For one, it is a degree program for students who are often employed in human resources, regional planning or curriculum development roles, for example. The department also trains career and technical education teachers across the state to help them keep their curriculum fresh and current. And it is responsible for managing content for the states Illinois workNet site www.IllinoisworkNet.com that compiles resources for employers and job seekers. We have this population that needs these services, and we have all these services available, she said. Its like the best kept secret. Mary Roe, of Pinckneyville, chairwoman of the Southern Illinois Workforce Development Board, said another critical piece of implementing the new act is broader cooperation regionally as well as between various stakeholders. Further increasing the participation of business owners in the conversation is a major goal, she said. We want business owners to be very involved in telling us what they need to not only stay in our region but possibly to expand, she said. We want to know what we can do so that if a new business is attracted to this area, what can we do to make sure the employees have the skills they need. If we dont have those people available, we want to find out what we can do to make some of them employable by you. The state needs to act The workforce development conversation is critical, but may only take the region so far. Jerry Crouse, director of the Regional Economic Development Corporation, a nonprofit that relies on government funding to assist in economic deals in Williamson County, said that when it comes to attempting to recruit new businesses, the number one concerns he hears from owners is not about the quality of the workforce in Southern Illinois. Crouse said this regions workforce is as capable as any other area, and the community college system is able to quickly respond to train or retrain workers to meet a particular companys needs. So Crouse said he hopes that in this discussion, its not forgotten that the real ability to change the economic landscape of the region and state rests with the powers-that-be in Springfield, leaders such as House Speaker Michael Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton and Gov. Bruce Rauner. To be honest, theres nothing we can do on a local level. It depends on the state, Crouse said about creating a more competitive environment that lands more employers. The state has to say, OK, were going to get competitive with our surrounding states. Jak Tichenor, a veteran news broadcaster, public affairs reporter and now retired senior producer at WSIU-TV, was the keynote speaker for Southern Illinois University Carbondales commencement exercise on Dec. 19. Part of his speech is below, and the full text can be found online at www.thesouthern.com. "It is a distinct honor and privilege to be invited to speak to you on this very special day for you, your family, and your friends. Today has special meaning for me as well. Like many of you, I am a first generation college graduate. I truly understand the significance of a moment like this because I know how attending Southern Illinois University Carbondale was a life-changing experience. I grew up not far from here in Metropolis, Illinois, a small town along the Ohio River, you know, the Home of Superman. My family was poor and going to college was just never something we talked about. It simply wasnt on the radar. But unknown to me at the time, there were people who had already cleared a pathway. I'm happy to say I would later meet some of them and come to appreciate what they did in helping make higher education accessible, and affordable for students like me. There were visionary leaders like former state Senators Paul Simon of Troy and John Gilbert of Carbondale, Judge Gilberts father, who passed the Illinois Community College Act of 1965. The Act established a system of public community colleges that would be within easy reach of every Illinois resident. That includes Shawnee Community College near Ullin that I attended from 1973 to 1976. And of course, there was the legendary SIU President Delyte W. Morris who led SIU from 1948 to 1970. Although I was never lucky enough to meet him in person, I did interview a great many of his colleagues and friends for a documentary I produced about his tenure. In 22-short years, SIU grew from a small teachers college of around five thousand students into one of the countrys great comprehensive research universities. And while SIUs growth was indeed phenomenal, it never got so big that it couldnt provide opportunities to first-generation college students and others who pursued the dream of what higher education had to offer. Longtime reporter to deliver SIU keynote address at graduation CARBONDALE Veteran news broadcaster Jak Tichenor, a retired WSIU-TV senior producer and lo Thats one of the reasons I came here as a transfer student in 1976. It also didnt hurt that SIU Carbondale was home to one of the best academic programs in Radio-Television in the country an hours drive away from my hometown. Thats because Dr. Morris had this uncanny knack for identifying and growing signature programs that earned SIU national and international reputations for excellence in all sorts of fields. The story of what is now the Department of Radio-Television and Digital Media and WSIU Public Broadcasting begins in the early 1950s, when Dr. Morris started the application process for radio and television station licenses. He attracted the best faculty to build a first-rate academic program where students could take what they learned in the classroom and put it into practice on the air in real, live radio and television stations. And over 60-years later, students are still coming to SIU from around the world to learn about broadcasting and digital media from faculty and staff who are passionate about their work and dedicated to the success of their students. CHATHAM Any day now, staff at the Midwest Mission Distribution Center expect to hear whether cleaning buckets stuffed with supplies and health kits are needed by individuals in Olive Branch, which flooded when a levee spilled over from rainfalls a few weeks ago. Since flood waters washed through some communities in Illinois and Missouri, volunteers with the Midwest Mission Distribution Center have been giving out and packing up new five-gallon cleaning bucket kits and health kits for individuals. It's a mission the organization has been on since 2000, trying to encourage those who are impacted by these kinds of tragedies, according to one of its spokespeople. That group is related to the Illinois Great Rivers Conference of The United Methodist Church. This past year, the organization distributed 1,028 cleaning buckets and 5,484 health kits throughout the world. In the past two weeks, it has distributed 3,471 cleaning buckets to those impacted by the Christmas-into-New-Year flooding in Illinois and Missouri, according to executive director Pat Wright. MMDC serves people locally, nationally and internationally, she said. She and Brad Walton, logistics and warehouse assistant, said they were expecting to hear how many kits will be needed in the Olive Branch area. Each five-gallon cleaning bucket kit contains assorted items, including laundry soap, household cleaning supplies, soap, insect repellent, air freshener towels, sponges and scouring pads, brushes, dishwashing and work gloves, a clothesline and clothes pins, trash bags and even dust masks. "These buckets nowhere near can clean up a whole house -- but it gives them hope," Wright said. "Its the hope that it brings." It cost about $65 to assemble the buckets. "So, its not a cheap kit," Wright said. "Were needing donations to replace the cost of the supplies and to assemble more buckets -- with that many gone, we need to replenish the stock. Anyone can donate to the supplies, which, after they are packed, are generally sent to a United Methodist Church in an impacted area for distribution. Members of others churches and the public are free to pick up the items needed, she said. The organization also supplies teacher kits and student kits. In addition to making donations and helping to replenish the inventory of flood buckets and health kits, those wanting to help can also consider becoming certified at an UMCOR early response training. A full-day training is $40, which covers training materials and a background check. The early response training is to provide "a caring Christian presence" in the aftermath of a disaster. That group is not a first-responders of emergency workers nor a recovery, rebuild or repair team, according to an article on the website of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference of the United Methodist Church. "Rather, it fills a specific need in the early days after a disaster to establish the presence of the church," the IGRCUMC writes on its website. A training event is set for Feb. 27 at Moline Bethel Wesley UMC; registration must be made by Feb. 22. For additional information on having an ERT training at your church or district, contact Ron Monroe at smonroe50@yahoo.com. ISTANBUL A suicide bomber affiliated with the Islamic State group detonated a bomb in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists Tuesday morning, killing at least 10 people nine of them German tourists and wounding 15 others, Turkish officials said. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the bomber who carried out the attack in Istanbul's Sultanahmet district was a member of IS and pledged to battle the militant group until it no longer "remains a threat" to Turkey or the world. Davutoglu described the attacker as a "foreign national." Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus had previously said the perpetrator was born in 1988 and was a Syrian national, but the private Dogan news agency claimed the bomber was Saudi-born. "Turkey won't backtrack in its struggle against Daesh by even one step," Davutoglu said, referring to IS by its Arabic acronym. "This terror organization, the assailants and all of their connections will be found and they will receive the punishments they deserve." Turkey's state-run news agency said Davutoglu held a telephone conversation with German chancellor Angela Merkel to express his condolences. A senior government official confirmed that most of the victims were German. Merkel had earlier said they were part of a German travel group. "I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Istanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Davutoglu said the death toll of 10 did not include the suicide bomber. Merkel, speaking at a news conference in Berlin, decried the attack. "Today Istanbul was hit; Paris has been hit, Tunisia has been hit, Ankara has been hit before," she said. "International terrorism is once again showing its cruel and inhuman face today." The explosion, which could be heard from several neighborhoods, was at a park that is home to a landmark obelisk, some 25 meters (yards) from the historic Blue Mosque. Turkey's Dogan news agency reported that one Norwegian and one Peruvian were also among the wounded, and Seoul's Foreign Ministry told reporters via text message that a South Korean had a finger injury. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry told news agency NTB that the Norwegian tourist was slightly hurt and was being treated in a local hospital. Kurtulmus, the deputy premier, said two of the wounded were in serious condition. Germany and Denmark have warned their citizens to avoid crowds outside tourist attractions in Istanbul. Last year, Turkey agreed to take a more active role in the U.S.-led battle against the IS group. Turkey opened its bases to U.S. aircraft to launch air raids on the extremist group in Syria and has carried out a limited number of strikes on the group itself. It has also moved to tighten security along its 900-kilometer (560-mile) border with Syria in a bid to stem the flow of militants. The attack comes at a time of heightened violence between Turkey's security forces and militants linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in the country's mostly-Kurdish southeast. The country is also dealing with more than 2 million Syrian refugees and a wave of migrants from Syria and other countries pouring across Turkey to Europe. Police sealed the area, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion, and a police helicopter hovered overhead. The Sultanahmet neighborhood is Istanbul's main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and the former Byzantine church of Haghia Sophia, now a museum. Erdem Koroglu, who was working at a nearby office, told NTV television he saw several people on the ground following the blast. "It was difficult to say who was alive or dead," Koroglu said. "Buildings rattled from the force of the explosion." Halil Ibrahim Peltek, a shopkeeper near the area of the blast told The Associated Press it had "an earthquake effect." "There was panic because the explosion was violent," he said. Davutoglu immediately convened a security meeting with the country's interior minister and other officials. As with previous attacks, authorities imposed a news blackout, barring media from showing images of the dead or injured or reporting any details of the investigation. Turkey suffered two major bombing attacks last year, both blamed on the Islamic State group. More than 30 people were killed in a suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near Turkey's border with Syria, in July. Two suicide bombs exploded in October outside Ankara's main train station as people gathered for a peace rally, killing more than 100 in Turkey's deadliest-ever attack. The prosecutor's office said that attack was carried out by a local IS cell. Last month, Turkish authorities arrested two suspected IS militants they said were planning suicide bombings during New Year's celebrations in the capital Ankara. ___ Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Mehmet Guzel in Istanbul, Kirsten Grieshaber and Geir Moulson in Berlin and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark contributed. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Print Welcome to this weeks Tuesday PIN-spiration link party! Dont forget to stop by and pin the projects that you love the most and check out our Tuesday PIN-spiration Pinterest Board to see what Rhondda and I are pinning (at the bottom of the post)! Add your Pinterest account below so that we can follow you and see what you are pinning. Stop by a few of the others and follow them too! Rhondda and I are currently looking for Featured Bloggers! If you have a blog and would like to be featured here, you can sign up using our sign-up form here! You must have a blog to be considered. Its absolutely free to sign up and is a great little boost for your blog. Not only do we feature you, we pin your projects on our Pinterest boards! Space is limited so sign up now! Meet Your Hosts: Amy from The Stitchin Mommy Follow Amy: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Google+ Rhondda from Oombawka Design Follow Rhondda: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Google+ Go PIN wild at the PIN-spiration Link Party! Be sure to add your Pinterest Link so we can follow you and see what you are pinning too! Our picks of the week: Dont forget to pin these fabulous projects! (top) Ocean Twist 6 Afghan Square Rebeckahs Treasures (bottom) Easy Protein Ice Cream [paleo + gluten-free] Healthy Helper Blog (top) Quick n Easy Reusable Spa Scrubbie Simply Collectible Crochet (bottom) Tummy Tamer Herbal Tea Recipe Leaves & Stitches Featured Blogger: This week our featured bloggers is Hil from Raising Fairies and Knights! Sen. Bernie Sanders presidential campaign will launch its Feel the Bern HBCU tour at South Carolina State University. The event will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday in S.C. State's recital hall in the Barbara A. Vaughn Fine Arts Center, 300 College St. Philosopher and activist Dr. Cornel West will appear at the S.C. State stop to discuss a wide range of issues, including making public colleges and universities tuition-free and criminal justice reform. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are strongly encouraged. To RSVP, visit https://go.berniesanders.com/page/event/detail/organizingmeeting/4rq5b. Sanders visited S.C. State for a town hall meeting in November. The Vermont senator is seeking the Democratic nomination for president. Several stops are planned for the HBCU tour, including Tennessee State University, Alabama State University, Jackson State University, Florida A&M University, Virginia State University, Howard University, the Atlanta University Center and Benedict College. Six churches in the Cope area experienced break-ins during a 24-hour period beginning Sunday. This is the second vandalism there in about a month, said Herbert Frazier of Emanuel AME Church on Hudson Road. The window that a vandal shattered early Sunday morning was the same window that had to be replaced after the previous vandalism. We just put that window back in last week, Frazier said. Following the vandalism, church members are taking turns conducting their own surveillance during the night by driving by and making sure everything is OK, he said. The church plans to increase lighting on the property in hopes that it will help deter crime. During the break-in, someone pulled the circuit breakers from the power box and cut the phone lines. On the floor of the church office was a brick, surrounded by broken glass from the window. Deputies were able to obtain fingerprints from a filing cabinet. Someone also called deputies Sunday morning to report a burglar broke into Canaan United Methodist Church on Slab Landing Road. A parishioner found broken glass and the door to the finance office open. The rear door handle was in the grass. Nothing appeared to be missing, but items in the office had been disturbed. The pastor of Canaan Baptist Church on Cannon Bridge Road called law enforcement at 10:08 a.m. Sunday. Someone shattered a glass window on the back door of the church and gained entry. Nothing was stolen, but the burglar searched through various boxes in the secretarys office. The alarm system at Mt. Zion Baptist Church on Neighbors Road sounded at 1:20 a.m. Monday and deputies arrived moments later to find the banquet hall door open. Once deputies searched the banquet hall, they also saw an open side window. They determined that once the burglar gained entry into the banquet hall, he tampered with the alarm keypad and then forced open the door to the pastors study. Again, like the other break-ins at area churches, nothing had been stolen. Deputies recovered a partial fingerprint from the alarm keypad and took a yellow screwdriver as evidence. At St. George Baptist Church on Shillings Bridge Road, deputies responded to an alarm call at 2:32 a.m. Monday. A window section of a backdoor had been bent back and pried open. And at Mt. Olive Baptist Church on Wood Olive Street, deputies responded to an alarm call at 2:46 a.m. Monday where they discovered that the side door to the church was fully opened. Multiple windows had been shattered throughout the church and two doors had been forced open. In total, about $1,750 in damage was caused at Mt. Olive, but nothing was stolen. Investigators are working to determine if the rash of church break-ins are related. Investigators are asking anyone with information on the crimes to contact the Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office at 803-534-3550 or CRIMESTOPPERS at 1-888-CRIME-SC. The senior leadership of Denmark Technical College last week hosted Williston District 29 Superintendent Dr. Missoura G. Ashe on behalf of President Dr. Leonard McIntyre, who was unable to attend due to a death in the family. Dr. Lamin Drammeh, DTCs vice president for institutional research and special assistant to the president, filled in for McIntyre and headed the discussions. During the visit, several possible projects were discussed for the schools. I welcome Dr. Ashe to DTC and I look forward to establishing a lasting partnership with the Williston school district that will be mutually beneficial to both institutions, McIntyre said. Since arriving on the DTC campus, McIntyre has emphasized the need for the college to collaborate with service-area school districts and champion initiatives that will strengthen the socioeconomic and educational well being of its citizens. Ashes visit to the college came three weeks after McIntyre visited Williston District 29 to meet with the new superintendent. During the meeting with Ashe, potential areas of collaboration were discussed, including dual enrollment, summer high school initiative, distance learning, Project Lead the Way, cybersecurity, STEM education and Spanish language instruction. Ashe expressed excitement about beginning a new era of partnership with Denmark Technical College, according to DTC. Cheryl Walling routinely received mammograms, but it was a self-exam in May 2015 that caught her attention. Walling felt a small tumor, but it meant something big. It meant cancer. And it meant a double mastectomy. Walling talked about her personal experiences with breast cancer during the kickoff meeting of the Orangeburg County Relay for Life group, which met Tuesday, Jan. 5 at Orangeburg Lutheran Church. The groups annual Relay for Life will take place at 6 p.m. Friday, April 22 at the Orangeburg County Fairgrounds. In the meantime, teams are recruiting new members and raising funds that will help with cancer research through the American Cancer Society. Walling said that she and her husband Wayne joined Relay for Lifes efforts about six years ago simply because they wanted to pay it forward. At the Jan. 5 meeting, Walling told a roomful of people, many of whom were cancer survivors, Im part of the statistic that benefits from all of the cancer research. Walling explained that her doctors relied on research about cancer treatments so that they could decide which treatment would be most beneficial to her. She said doctors did not recommend chemotherapy as a treatment option because research indicated that such treatment would not be beneficial to the type of breast cancer Walling had. Walling and her husband decided, with the support of her doctors, to have a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery during one operation. I have been totally blessed, she said. Walling is nearing the one-year anniversary of her cancer surgery. I am a cancer survivor as of July 21, 2016. I will survive, Walling said. Two of the lessons that Walling learned first-hand through her personal experience is, Cancer sucks and you really dont have normal anymore. They said to give it one year and then there may be some normalcy, Walling said. Walling said it was by the grace of God that her breast cancer was detected early and steps could be taken to treat it. Bob Wofford also experienced a health concern last May. In the latter part of May, I wasnt feeling myself. I thought I had a bladder infection or a kidney stone, he said. On Aug. 20, however, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Tell your husband, father, son that the rectal exam, the thing people fear, is what detected it, Wofford said. We caught it early -- very, very early, he said. Woffords outcome is looking positive, he told the group. Wofford said that he, his wife and children have been long-time Relay for Life supporters, but this year, Relay has a whole new meaning for me. The theme for this years Relay for Life is Color Your World Purple. Orangeburg County Relay for Life Committee Co-Chairperson Delle Bolen said, Purple is the color of hope. American Cancer Society Regional Representative Marnie Walls told the group that research is the key to finding cures and treatments for cancer. For more information on joining a team, becoming a sponsor or any other component of the 2016 Orangeburg County Relay for Life event, contact Miller Barker at 803-707-1026 or by email at emb63@yahoo.com; Laura Fogle at 803-395-2471 or lbfogle@regmed.com; Delle Bolen at 803-531-2300 or drbolen@regmed.com; or Tillie Hunt at 803-682-5949 or thuntems@gmail.com. Individuals can also register for Relay for Life online at relayforlife.org/orangeburgsc. WASHINGTON -- Who says Donald Trump lacks subtlety? The way he's raising "birther" questions about his chief rival for the nomination is worthy of Machiavelli. "I'd hate to see something like that get in his way," Trump said of the fact that Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was born in Canada. Trump referred to the fact that the Constitution says "No Person except a natural born Citizen" -- whatever that means -- is eligible to be president. "But a lot of people are talking about it," Trump continued, in an interview with Washington Post reporters, "and I know that even some states are looking at it very strongly, the fact that he was born in Canada and he has had a double passport." Cruz flatly denied ever having a Canadian passport, telling CNN this is just one of those "silly sideshows" the media love to engage in. But there is no question that he was born in Calgary, Alberta, to an American mother and a Cuban father. And there is no question that he had Canadian citizenship -- before renouncing it in preparation for his presidential run. Ah, what goes around comes around. For years, the Republican Party had nothing but patronizing nods and winks for the unhinged birthers -- Trump included -- who claimed, despite definitive proof to the contrary, that President Obama was born in some other country. Now, as party leaders desperately look for a way to deny Trump the nomination, the candidate with the best chance of doing so happens to have been born, without any doubt, in some other country. Trump still leads the national Republican polls by a mile, while Cruz has pulled ahead of the rest of the field and now stands alone in second place. In first-to-vote Iowa, however, Cruz has taken a narrow lead over the bombastic billionaire and is favored to win. Hence Trump's sudden concern over the birthplace of a man who perhaps should be nicknamed Calgary Ted. "Republicans are going to have to ask themselves the question: 'Do we want a candidate who could be tied up in court for two years?' That'd be a big problem," Trump told the Post. "It'd be a very precarious one for Republicans because he'd be running and the courts may take a long time to make a decision." Most legal experts agree that Cruz is eligible to run; the fact that his mother was a U.S. citizen means he had citizenship from birth, which would appear to satisfy the "natural born" requirement. But the question of precisely what the Constitution means has never been fully explored by the courts. The issue came up in 2008 because Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the GOP nominee, was born in the Panama Canal Zone to parents who were American citizens. The Senate went so far as to pass a nonbinding resolution "recognizing that John Sidney McCain, III, is a natural born citizen." You'd think McCain might be sympathetic to Cruz's situation, but did I mention that what goes around comes around? Cruz has gone out of his way to alienate many of his Senate colleagues, and McCain has called him and his allies "wacko birds." Perhaps that's why McCain, when asked by a Phoenix television station to comment on Cruz's eligibility, responded: "I think there is a question. I'm not a constitutional scholar on that, but I think it's worth looking into." McCain noted that the Canal Zone was "a territory of the United States of America" when he was born. And there was a precedent, he argued, since 1964 Republican candidate Barry Goldwater was born in Arizona when it, too, was a U.S. territory. Whereas Canada is a whole different country. I confess that I find the whole flap absurd. Cruz should be deemed unsuitable for the presidency because of his wrongheaded ultra-right-wing views and his dangerous political ruthlessness, not because his American mother happened to be living in Canada when he was born. But maybe Cruz will have to squirm a bit. A lawsuit has been filed in Vermont to keep him off the ballot there, and I wouldn't be surprised if suits were filed in other states as well. Somehow I doubt he'll get the same moral support from his fellow senators that McCain was given. Has the Party of Lincoln really come to this, Donald Trump or Ted Cruz? The two men still insist they like each other, their campaign-long bromance not extinguished. I'm reminded of something Machiavelli didn't say but should have: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. 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. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. A hunter shot a mountain lion in southeastern Idaho with a very unusual deformity. The animal, which was legally killed December 30, had two teeth and whiskers extending from the back of its head.A photograph of the mountain lion was sent to the Idaho Fish and Games Southeast Regional Office in Pocatello to identify the deformity, but biologists there were baffled.It has all of us scratching our heads, biologist Zack Lockyer told the Idaho State Journal. Its a bizarre situation and a bizarre photo.The Idaho Department of Fish and Game clarified in a statement that the photo and the mountain lion are very much real, and that the deformity was probably caused in one of two ways. One possibility:Its the result of a rare tumor called a teratoma. These cancerous growths, found in animals and humans, can develop teeth, hair, other body parts and even neural tissue . This is the most likely probability. Another possibility is that the teeth could be the remnants of a conjoined twin that died in the womb and was absorbed into the other fetus, which developed into this adult cougar, the department noted.Mountain lions, also known as cougars, pumas, panthers and catamounts, are common in Idaho, and can be legally hunted at various times of year. This animal was tracked and shot after it attacked a mans dog near Preston, Idaho. /By AzerNews/ By Nigar Orujova The agrarian sector of energy-rich Azerbaijan has reached a qualitatively new stage of development after declaring 2015 the Year of Agriculture in the country. This was announced by Agriculture Minister Heydar Asadov at a Cabinet of Ministers meeting on January 10. The agricultural sector is important not only for increasing export potential of the country, but also for ensuring the countrys food security. Asadov noted that mechanisms were improved to strengthen the state support to the sector. The State Grain Fund has been created in Azerbaijan, to provide seed producers with high quality and performance seeds in 2015. Owners of animals have been issued subsidies to develop interest in this sector. Last year was also characterized by increased institutional capacity in agriculture and structural changes. The construction of administrative and laboratory buildings for 52 region and city administrations is finalizing. Agrochemical and seed laboratories, offices for diagnostic and inspection of seeds, technical control, etc. located in the same building, as well as establishment of the necessary information technology and infrastructure will give another impetus to implement challenges facing the agricultural sector. Moreover, a veterinary town meeting the requirements of ISO was also created as part of these changes and reconstruction of the administrative and laboratory building of the State Phytosanitary Control Service is completing. Another priority of the year was creation of an information system of the agricultural sector. To this end, the system on identifying land area and registry of farms, and software created on other modules were tested based on the principles of an integrated control system in line with practices of EU. In addition, a pilot application of the system has started in the Khachmaz region. Moreover, Agroleasing company has applied a 40-percent benefits on the initial cost of agricultural machinery transferred for leasing. As a result, 4,100 users of equipment have received a discount of up to 50 million manats on the principle of ASAN Service over the year. This has significantly increased their ability to invest in this area. Discount in the cost of fertilizers sold to farmers have been increased from 50 to 70 percents. As a result, along with other benefits in this area, the volume of imported fertilizers compared to previous years has increased from 85,000 to 150,000 tons, which is a major step towards achieving the level of developed countries. In addition, subsidies for the purchase of fuel and motor oil have been increased by 25 percent, resulting in 22-percent increase for subsidies allocated for these purposes from the state budget. The benefits were also presented for farmers who want to switch to modern irrigation systems, which play an important role in the transition from traditional irrigation methods. The new irrigation systems can conserve water resources and prevent degradation and salinization of lands. Azerbaijan is famous for its fruits and vegetables, which are supplied to a number of countries. In 2015, Azerbaijan exported vegetable and fruit products worth $312 million, which is 7.2 percent more than the year before. The volume of export exceeded import by times. It should be noted that last year the growth of production in the agricultural sector has been achieved not by increasing the acreage and livestock, but due to intensive factors such as increased productivity, Asadov believes. Very serious actions related to a more efficient operation of the transport corridors must be taken in 2016, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in his concluding speech at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers. President Aliyev chaired the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers Jan. 10 dedicated to the results of socioeconomic development of 2015 and objectives for the future. "Serious actions were taken in late 2015, the president said. The Coordinating Council was established for the transportation of transit goods through the territory of Azerbaijan. This is a very serious step. The Coordinating Council brings together all structures associated with transport." "A common tariff policy is being conducted and must be conducted. At the same time these issues were discussed with the leadership of Georgia and Turkey, Ilham Aliyev said. Azerbaijan has offered to conduct a single tariff policy for this corridor with Georgia and Turkey. It is necessary for all the relevant structures to conduct a common policy and this corridor to become even more attractive. If only we make concessions in the tariff policy, as opposed to the neighboring countries, there will be no effect," he added. The president further said that serious negotiations were held with potential shippers. "These issues were widely discussed as part of my state visit to China in late 2015. The first container train has been already launched from China to Azerbaijan through this corridor, said Ilham Aliyev. I am confident that we will achieve the transportation of larger volumes of goods via this corridor in the future as the shortest route passes through the territory of Azerbaijan, the president said. There is infrastructure, we have created it, namely, the railway and sea transport. A new commercial port is being built. It has been partially put into operation. Moreover, the public is well aware that as a result of worsening of the Turkey-Russia relations, the movement of Turkish heavy vehicles to the Central Asia, Kazakhstan has become complicated. Azerbaijan has immediately offered its capabilities, we've granted privileges. Today the corridor has been working in this direction as well." Azerbaijan must be better prepared for this, the president said. Of course, the infrastructure, located on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea, must be also better prepared for this. Ilham Aliyev stressed that the remaining section of the Baku-Astara railway must be constructed in 2016. He further said that there are still 8 kilometers remaining, and the section will be built in 2016. The president said that talks have already been held with Iran, adding that the route itself is very important. "This will turn Azerbaijan into a very important partner of the North-South corridor. Thus, all the routes, namely, the East-West and the North-South will stretch through Azerbaijan," said Ilham Aliyev. "This will ensure our political and economic interests. The coordination work should be conducted with all relevant structures." /By Trend/ Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev has received the credentials of the newly appointed ambassador of Mongolia Badamdorj Batkhishig on January 12, Azertac state news agency reported. The ambassador reviewed the guard of honor, and handed his credentials to President Aliyev. The President then had a conversation with the ambassador. President Aliyev said Azerbaijan was interested in developing cooperation with Mongolia in all fields, adding there was a good potential for doing this. The head of state recalled with pleasure his meetings with President of Mongolia Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj at various international events and their talks on the development of bilateral relations. President Aliyev said the development of political and economic ties was important for both nations and states. He further said cooperation between the business circles of Azerbaijan and Mongolia was not so active, adding that it was important that the two countries better know each other and correctly direct business and investment opportunities. The head of state expressed his confidence that the bilateral relations would develop during the diplomatic tenure of Ambassador Batkhishig in Baku, and wished him success in his activities. Batkhishig extended greetings and best wishes of President Elbegdorj to the head of state. The ambassador highlighted his country`s economic accomplishments in various fields. He said he would spare no efforts to develop the bilateral relations between the two countries during his diplomatic tenure. The head of state thanked for the greetings of President Elbegdorj and asked the ambassador to communicate his greetings to the Mongolian leader. /By AzerTac/ Photos have emerged of Paris shooting suspect Salah Abdeslam at a French petrol station near the Belgian border a day after the attacks on November 13 that killed 130 people, according to Euronews. His brother was one of the suicide bombers. Salah Abdeslam is being sought under an international arrest warrant. The pictures show him at a petrol station with Hamza Attou, who is suspected of driving Abdeslam to Brussels after the attacks and who was later arrested by Belgian police. /By AzerTac/ Afghanistan, Pakistan, the US and China on Monday emphasised the immediate need for direct talks between representatives of Afghan government and Taliban groups in a peace process that aimed to preserve Afghanistans unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to Daily times. It was emphasised during the first meeting of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) of Pakistan, Afghanistan, the US and China on Afghan peace and reconciliation process held here on Monday. The discussion focused on undertaking a clear and realistic assessment of the opportunities for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan, anticipated obstacles and measures that would help create conducive environment for peace talks with the shared goal of reducing violence and establishing lasting peace in Afghanistan. The meeting adopted the terms for the work of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group and agreed to continue regular meetings to advance the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan. It would hold discussions on a roadmap at its next meeting to be held on January 18, 2016 in Kabul. /By AzerTac/ Since the beginning of January there has been excitement in the European press, which can be compared, perhaps, with the response to the terrorist attacks in Paris. Every day new details are revealed of a hideous incident that took place on the night of January 1st in Germany, when organized groups of migrants, mostly young Syrians, Moroccans, Algerians and Iranians with asylum documentation, molested and robbed women in Cologne, Hamburg and other cities of Germany on New Year's Eve. In connection with the incident in Cologne, the police received over 500 applications from victims, and in 40% of cases they have direct connection with sexual harassment. More than 100 similar complaints came from Hamburg. According to numerous witnesses, the German press quotes, in the beginning drunken groups of migrants were surrounding women, following which they were making actions of a violent nature against them. In addition, young people randomly fired fireworks into the celebrating crowds. Now it is clear that the government has been trying to hush up the incident, trying to downplay its extent and to diminish the role played in it by migrants from the Middle East and North Africa. Probably, the government, wanting to hide what happened from the public, wished to prevent a rise of aggression against refugees in society and a new wave of criticism of the government policy in this regard. Perhaps it would have succeeded if not for one but: not only civilian witnesses have started speaking out, but also the ordinary policemen who were on duty on New Years night. Official police reports of numerous incidents on the New Year's night have been leaked to the German press, from which it appears clear that the crimes were committed by numerous migrant groups. We are talking about a few hundred violent people with whom the police of Cologne were not able to cope the police stations were overcrowded, as a result many of the detainees had to be released. According to the reports and testimonies, migrants who were tipsy and partly under the influence of drugs pelted police with bottles, fireworks and spat at police cars. The police were unable to react adequately to the challenges arising at the scenes, simply because they did not have enough staff: not least because a significant number of police officers have currently been transferred to the south of Germany, where they are unable to control the flow of refugees from Syria, which does not stop even for a moment. Even a quick glance at the main headlines and the most popular user comments in the media and social networks is enough to understand that the events in Cologne have produced a bombshell in society. The resonance is so strong that the government led by Angela Merkel has been forced to undertake a major review of the policy conducted today under the slogan Wir schaffen das (we can handle it). Moreover, with the forced voluntary early retirement of Cologne police chief Wolfgang Albers, who unsuccessfully tried to hush up the events of the New Year's night, it's clearly not over. Chancellor Angela Merkel after two days of silence called the incident a heinous criminal act, after which a toughening of the laws against the perpetrators of offenses for foreigners should follow: their right to stay in Germany in such cases will be annulled, even in the case of a decision to impose a conditional sentence. Ultra-right movements and parties like Pegida and AID are trying to use the New Year's events that unfolded to reap political dividends. The Pegida demonstration in Cologne, however, turned into a fiasco. After about two thousand demonstrators of the movement began attacking security forces, the action was dispersed by water cannon. The antisocial and aggressive behavior of many far right protesters does not inspire support from the general population. Opinion polls of Deutschlandtrends, conducted after New Year's night, show that, that despite some shock experienced by German society, there is no growing popularity of the right-wing movements compared to December, and the confidence of the general population in the ruling coalition (63%) and the law enforcement bodies ( 77%) is not shaken. On the other hand, significantly more respondents today are for the introduction of border controls with the other EU countries (57% in January to 47% in December). The vast majority of respondents (73%) consider the issue of refugees to be the most important political issue of the country. It is clear that the German government in such circumstances is forced to develop and offer the public new recipes for migration policy. Angela Merkel cannot ignore the risk of amplification of the internal opposition, whose informal leader, the MP Wolfgang Bozbey, openly opposed to her policy on the issue of refugees, has become one of the most popular political figures among the electorate of the Christian Democrats. The tone against migrants has noticeably tightened in the corridors of power in Berlin, and this is concerning, for the Socialists as well as the Christian Democrats. Commentators point out that todays Merkel has strongly condemned the attacks on women in Cologne and is threatening to tighten legislation on migrant offenders, this Merkel is very different from last summers one, who was taking selfies with refugees. The capacity of the German law enforcement agencies is due to be strengthened: the 2016 budget allocates funds to the opening of an additional 4000 places in the federal police. But these measures are not enough, and German society is anticipating institutional solutions at the legislative level, which would systematically solve the problem of the deportation of refugees who commit crimes in Germany. As the events in Cologne have shown, some of the migrants are grossly abusing the hospitality of the German state, which caused quite understandable resentment from many citizens. At the same time, it should be noted that the active raising of this topic in the German media, and not always well-balanced supply of materials, has fueled Islamophobic sentiments in society. For example, the well-known newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung was forced to apologize for incorrectly publishing the following quote: "Many young Muslims cannot easily react to the opposite sex, a meeting with them always provokes strong sexual motives. This was also a reason for the excesses in Cologne. Many readers have noticed racist motives even in the cover of the next issue of the magazine Focus, which depicts a naked white woman with many black marks of a man's hands. However, in this case, the editors refused to apologize for the publication. The debate within Germany is closely watched throughout Europe. The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, has even demanded that an emergency summit of the European Union leaders be convened in connection with recent events in Cologne. The Slovak government considers the incident a clear confirmation of its essentially discriminatory decision not to accept Muslim refugees. Without a doubt the decision of Berlin and the possible changes in the course of its refugee policy will have a significant influence on the policies of the other EU countries in this regard. The political disagreements are not obstacle for construction of gas pipeline between Turkey and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, Director of Hydrocarbons, France, Mediterranean Energy Observatory (OME), Sohbet Karbuz believes. I dont think that disagreements between Turkey and Iraq central government, or between KRG and Baghdad is a real obstacle to the construction of the gas pipeline, and later export of KRG gas to Turkey, Karbuz told Trend. He reminded that under a similar situation, an oil pipeline was constructed from KRG to Turkey, and KRG oil was sold to foreign markets through shipment of oil from KRG to Ceyhan port in Turkey. Why would it be a problem now? And more importantly, does KRG and Turkey really care? Karbuz said. A tender will be held Feb. 9, 2016 in Ankara for constructing a new gas pipeline between Turkey and the KRG. Both local and foreign companies are allowed to participate in the tender. The tenders winner will build new gas pipeline in 720 days. The pipelines length will be 181.5 kilometers. Karbuz believes that international companies would be willing to participate in any project in this high risk area that promises to bring high reward. However, expert also noted that the mentioned tender is for construction of the pipeline in Turkeys side to the border of Iraq. Who will construct, or constructing in the Iraqi side is not clear, Karbuz said. Karbuz also believes that the target of Genel Energy to export some 20 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkey by 2020 is quite ambitious. Genel Energy is the largest holder of reserves in KRG and aims to be a main provider of gas to Turkey under the Gas Sales Agreement between KRG and Turkey. Karbuz mentioned that gas is expected to come from two fields: Miran and Bina Bawi. The problem is that final investment decisions on these fields have not yet been taken. They will be taken perhaps in the second half of this year, assuming that required financing is secured, he said. KRG and Ankara signed a 50-year contract in 2013 for natural gas supply to Turkey. As it is expected, after completion of construction of a new gas pipeline, KRG will deliver 10 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkey. The volume of the gas supplied from Iraq to Turkey will reach 20 billion cubic meters by 2020. Turkey imports 6.6 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Azerbaijan on the basis of a take or pay contract. Turkey also buys 9.6 billion cubic meters of gas from Iran on the basis of a contract that is valid until July 2026. Ankara also has agreements with Algeria (from 1988 to October 2024) and Nigeria (from 1995 to October 2021) for supply of 4.4 billion cubic meters and 1.3 billion cubic meters of liquefied gas per year, respectively. Georgia will not depend on Russian gas, said Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia, Minister of Energy Kakha Kaladze answering a question about the negotiations of Georgia with Russian Gazprom Company on gas supply, Georgia Online reported. Georgia has a lot of opportunities to avoid the dependence on Russian gas. On the basis of the reality, Georgia is in a privileged position in this issue, Kaladze said. Actually supplies to Georgia are diversified, according to the minister. The country receives gas from different sources - from Azerbaijani State Oil Company (SOCAR) through the South Caucasus gas pipeline, and from Russian Gazprom Company, supplied as payment for transit. If it is interesting, we will be able to take natural gas from Turkmenistan, and Iran in the future, if prices are competitive, said deputy prime minister during the live news program Chronicle of Imedi TV Company. Prior to that, Georgian media outlets reported that the share of Russian gas in Georgia may increase. US-ANGLO CAPITALISM EU-NATO IMPERIALISM Illegitimate Transfer of Inalienable European Rights via Convention(s) & Supranational Bodies Establishment of Sovereignty-Usurping Supranational Body Dictatorships Enduring Program of DEMOGRAPHICS WAR on Europeans Enduring Program of PSYCHOLOGICAL WAR on Europeans Enduring Program of European Displacement, Dismemberment, Dispossession, & Dissolution No wars or conditions abroad (& no domestic or global economic pretexts) justify government policy facilitating the invasion of ancestral European homelands, the rape of European women, the destruction of European societies, & the genocide of Europeans. U.S. RULING OLIGARCHY WAGES HYBRID WAR TO SALVAGE HEGEMONY [LINK | Article] *U.S. OLIGARCHY WAGES HYBRID WAR* | U.S. Empire's Casino Unsustainable | Destabilised U.S. Monetary & Financial System | U.S. Defaults Twice A Year | Causes for Global Financial Crisis of 2008 Remain | Financial Pyramids Composed of Derivatives & National Debt Are Growing | *U.S. OLIGARCHY WAGES HYBRID WAR* | U.S. Empire's Casino Unsustainable | Destabilised U.S. Monetary & Financial System | U.S. Defaults Twice A Year | Causes for Global Financial Crisis of 2008 Remain | Financial Pyramids Composed of Derivatives & National Debt Are Growing | *U.S. OLIGARCHY WAGES HYBRID WAR* Who's preaching world democracy, democracy, democracy? Who wants to make free people free? [info from Craig Murray video appearance, follows] US-Anglo Alliance DELIBERATELY STOKING ANTI-RUSSIAN FEELING & RAMPING UP TENSION BETWEEN EASTERN EUROPE & RUSSIA. British military/government feeding media PROPAGANDA. Media choosing to PUBLISH government PROPAGANDA. US naval aggression against Russia: Baltic Sea US naval aggression against China: South China Sea . Continued NATO pressure on Russia: US missile systems moving into Eastern Europe. [info from John Pilger interview follows] War Hawk: Hillary Clinton embodiment of seamless aggressive American imperialist post-WWII system. USA in frenzy of preparation for a conflict. Greatest US-led build-up of forces since WWII gathered in Eastern Europe and in Baltic states. US expansion & military preparation HAS NOT BEEN REPORTED IN THE WEST. Since US paid for & controlled US coup, UKRAINE has become an American preserve and CIA Theme Park, on Russia's borderland, through which Germans invaded in the 1940s, costing 27 million Russian lives. Imagine equivalent occurring on US borders in Canada or Mexico. US military preparations against RUSSIA and against CHINA have NOT been reported by MEDIA. US has sent guided missile ships to diputed zone in South China Sea. DANGER OF US PRE-EMPTIVE NUCLEAR STRIKES. China is on HIGH NUCLEAR ALERT. US spy plane intercepted by Chinese fighter jets. Public is primed to accept so-called 'aggressive' moves by China, when these are in fact defensive moves: US 400 major bases encircling China; Okinawa has 32 American military installations; Japan has 130 American military bases in all. WARNING PENTAGON MILITARY THINKING DOMINATES WASHINGTON. Our Name's Origin The name Josiah Venture comes from 2 Chronicles 34. "Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem" (vs. 1). Josiah began to seek the Lord at age sixteen. He instructed his people to clear the land of false idols and to repair the Temple of the Lord. It was then that they rediscovered "the book of the Law in the house of the LORD" (vs. 15). Josiah was cut to the heart when he found out what was written in the Law. He realized that his people were not living how God had instructed them to live, so Josiah set out to make a radical change. "Josiah removed all the abominations from all the lands belonging to the sons of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel to serve the LORD their God. Throughout his lifetime they did not turn from following the LORD God of their fathers" (vs. 33). By the time he was 26, God had used Josiah to bring revival to the land, rebuild the house of God, and restore the Word of God to its central place. (taken from missionary Joe Brooks in Latvia) ----------------------------------- We want to see God raise up young leaders like Josiah all over Eastern Europe; young people who love the Lord and who will lead their nations back to Him! In Serbia, we are seeking to train and equip young leaders who will be the ones to lead their country back to Him as young Josiah did! UAE-based Emirates Islamic has launched a promotion which offers its customers free foreign currency fund transfers. Additionally, customers will also get cashback on their foreign currency transfers. Clients can get up to Dh 200 cashback on their first foreign currency transfer of each month, and this amount is doubled for customers who avail personal finance through the bank. The promotion runs until March 31 and is open to all the banks individual and business banking customers. They can avail of this offer across the banks channels, including branches, online banking and via the mobile app. Faisal Aqil, deputy CEO, consumer wealth management, said: This is a busy time of the year for fund transfers, and I am certain that our customers will appreciate the significant savings of this timely offer. We expect the promotion to be extremely well received by our individual and business banking customers. -TradeArabia News Service Bahrains residential property sector continued to show signs of market stability during the third quarter of 2015 with insignificant quarter-on-quarter changes in key performance indicators, said a report. Despite the increasing demand for housing in the north-western parts of the country (in areas such as Sar, Jasra and Budaiya), residential rentals across all areas remained stable with a marginal decrease of 0.1 per cent, according to leading consultancy PKF. Reef Island, which remains one of Bahrains most prestigious and expensive residential areas, achieved an occupancy of 95 per cent across leased properties with average rental rates standing at approximately BD1,000 ($2,633) per month. On the other hand, Amwaj Islands, which is positioned as one of the most affordable apartment markets in the country, reported average apartment rentals of BD700 ($1,843)/month, while villas in the same area were leased for BD1,350 ($3,555)/month. With regards to new project announcements, the third quarter witnessed the launching of a new high-end residential development on Amwaj Islands, named Modern Residence-2, stated the PKF in its report. Upon completion in the second quarter this year, the development will feature apartments and penthouses, ranging from 87 sq m to 198 sq m, with prices starting from BD75,879 ($199,792). Due to the areas close proximity to key economic zones, including Bahrain International Airport, and new emerging shopping districts, there is a sustained demand for residential units in Amwaj Islands, the report said. In addition, the long-delayed BD245 million ($645 million) mixed-use Villamar project in Bahrain Financial Harbour, comprising 800 residential units across three twisted towers resumed after the developer secured financing for its completion, it added. According to PKF, the sustained low rates of oil prices are expected to have a negative impact on demand for residential properties in the kingdom as companies, particularly those in the hydrocarbon sector, conduct staff redundancies to compensate for lower oil revenues. As per a third-party report, rental rates in the market are forecasted to decrease by three to four per cent over the next year due to lower demand indicators. In addition, sales transactions in the property sector are also likely to be negatively affected as disposable incomes among key target buyers (especially the Saudi market) will be hit by the current oil market, it added. On the office segment, PKF said the sector remained relatively stable during the third quarter of 2015 with no major deliveries of new commercial developments. The quarter was characterised by an increasing demand for smaller units (100-200 sq m in size) with flexible lease terms, premium facilities and good connectivity. Although current demand for office space is predominated by smaller units, minimal demand for larger units is still triggered by government institutions and renowned international firms. Due to the improved social and political stability in Bahrain, resumed business activity from multinational firms has been noticed in the kingdom. Approximately 25 per cent of all office space is occupied by multinational companies, while the hydrocarbon sector accounts for another quarter of the total office market, it added. According to PKF, the average lease rates across Grade A office space in Bahrain remained relatively unchanged during the third quarter and ranged between BD7 to 9 ($18.4 to $24) sq m. The new office properties slated for completion this year are likely to put downward pressure on rental rates and occupancy rates across older office developments, it stated. One notable project, expected to be delivered in mid-2016, is the 50-storey mixed-use United Tower at Bahrain Bay, which will house the five-star Wyndham Grand Manama hotel along with modern corporate office space, it added.-TradeArabia News Service The 7th China International Rubber Oil Summit 2016 will take place from April 6 to 8 in Hangzhou, China. It will serve as a bridge between RPO producers, traders and end users worldwide with a foothold in the local market. Meanwhile, the special RPO Spring Trade Fair will also be held simultaneously. Chinas tyre industry was beset with troubles at home and abroad in 2015, including trade barriers like antidumping and countervailing duties from the US and antidumping duties from the Eurasian Economic Commission, as well as major changes in production like bankruptcy of Deruibo Tyre and Capital Tyre and the shutdown of Giti Chongqing factory. Meanwhile, as Chinas national standards for compounded rubber took effect on July 1, 2015, the new criteria and changes in natural rubber tariffs placed the industry under cost pressure. In 2015, the Chinese tyre industry made significant progress in overseas expansion: on May 28, 2015, the first TBR tyre at LLIT, the first overseas manufacturing base of Linglong Tyre, was off the assembly line successfully. In November, Doublestars plan to set up a new tyre plant in Kazakhstan, the first overseas manufacturing base of Doublestar, was approved by the local government. Other domestic tyre manufacturers owning overseas factories are Sailun Jinyu, Zhongce, Sentury and OGreen. Apart from tyres, other downstream sectors like shoe materials, modified bitumen, TPE/TPR, vaseline, hot melt adhesives and lubricant blendstock are also taking part in the event. To facilitate target customers, the trade fair will set three separate zones overseas RPO suppliers zone, domestic RPO suppliers zone and downstream buyers zone. A suicide bomber thought to be from Syria killed at least 10 people, many of them German tourists, in Istanbul's historic heart on Tuesday, an attack senior security officials said was probably planned by Islamic State. President Tayyip Erdogan condemned the bombing in Sultanahmet square, near the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, major tourist sites in the centre of one of the world's most visited cities. He said a Syrian was thought responsible and that the blast would only harden Turkey's resolve in fighting terrorism. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber had been identified from body parts at the scene, and was a Syrian national born in 1988 whose links were being investigated. Sources in Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's office said most of those killed were Germans and he had spoken by phone with Chancellor Angela Merkel to express condolences. Merkel earlier said she was very worried Germans might be among the victims. Several bodies lay on the ground in the square, also known as the Hippodrome of Constantinople, in the immediate aftermath. It was not densely packed at the time of the explosion, according to a police officer working there, but small groups of tourists had been wandering around. "This incident has once again shown that as a nation we should act as one heart, one body in the fight against terror. Turkey's determined and principled stance in the fight against terrorism will continue to the end," Erdogan told a lunch for Turkish ambassadors, in a speech broadcast live on television. Norway's foreign ministry said one Norwegian man was injured and was being treated in hospital. The Dogan news agency said nine Germans and one Peruvian were also wounded. Two senior security officials told Reuters there was a high probability that Islamic State militants were responsible. Turkey, a NATO member and candidate for accession to the European Union, is part of a US-led coalition against Islamic State fighters who have seized territory in neighbouring Syria and Iraq, some of it directly abutting Turkey. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Islamist, leftist and Kurdish militants, who are battling Ankara in southeast Turkey, have all carried out attacks in the past. The Istanbul governor's office said the authorities were investigating the type of explosive used and who might have been responsible. "We heard a loud sound and I looked at the sky to see if it was raining because I thought it was thunder but the sky was clear," said Kuwaiti tourist Farah Zamani, 24, who was shopping at one of the covered bazaars with her father and sister. "UNIMAGINABLE" SCENE The dull thud of the blast was heard in districts of Istanbul several kilometres away, residents said. Television footage showed a police car which appeared to have been overturned by the force of the blast. Tourist sites including the Hagia Sophia and nearby Basilica Cistern were closed on the governor's orders, officials said. "At first we thought it was percussion bomb, it was so loud. They attacked Sultanahmet to grab attention because this is what the world thinks of when it thinks of Turkey," said Kursat Yilmaz, who has operated tours for 25 years from an office by the square. "We're not surprised this happened here, this has always been a possible target," he said. Ambulances ferried away the wounded as police cordoned off streets. The sound of the call to prayer rang out from the Blue Mosque as forensic police officers worked at the scene. "It was unimaginable," the police officer who had been working on the square said, describing an amateur video he had seen of the immediate aftermath, with six or seven bodies lying on the ground and other people seriously wounded. Just over a year ago, a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a police station for tourists off the same square, killing one officer. That attack was initially claimed by a far-left group, the DHKP-C, but officials later said it had been carried out by a woman with suspected Islamist militant links. "Ambulances started rushing in and I knew it was a bomb right away because the same thing happened here last year," said Ali Ibrahim Peltek, 40, who operates a kiosk selling snacks and drinks on the square. "This is not good for Turkey but everyone was expecting a terrorist attack," he said. TURKEY A TARGET Turkey has become a target for Islamic State, with two bombings last year blamed on the radical Sunni Muslim group, in the town of Suruc near the Syrian border and in the capital Ankara, the latter killing more than 100 people. Violence has also escalated in the mainly Kurdish southeast since a two-year ceasefire collapsed in July between the state and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has been fighting for three decades for Kurdish autonomy. The PKK has however generally avoided attacking civilian targets in urban centres outside the southeast in recent years. Turkey also sees a threat from the PYD and YPG, Kurdish groups in Syria which are fighting Islamic State and with US backing, but which Ankara says have close links to the PKK. "For us, there is no difference between the PKK, PYD, YPG, DHKP-C or whatever their abbreviation may be. One terrorist organisation is no different than the other," Erdogan said, vowing that Turkey's military campaign against Kurdish militants in the southeast would continue. Davutoglu's office imposed a broadcasting ban on the blast, invoking a law which allows for such steps when there is the potential for serious harm to national security or public order. The attack raised fears of further damage to Turkey's vital tourism industry, already hit by a diplomatic row with Moscow which has seen Russian tour operators cancel trips. But Yilmaz, the tour operator, said he had sold a package to a tourist from Colombia just an hour after the blast. "The reality is the world has grown accustomed to terrorism. It's unfortunate, and I wish it weren't true, but terrorism now happens everywhere: Paris, Germany, California, and people are used to it," he said. "The agenda changes quickly in this age. If tourism is affected by this, it will be temporary. These things pass, but the Hagia Sophia and the Sultanahmet mosque are eternal." - Reuters Dubai-based IT consulting company Simstream Group has acquired Design Days, a Sharjah-based software developer and applications company. Based on the acquisition, Simstream has also launched SimstreamT&D (Technology and Development) a new division which will integrate technology across the group and support its growing customer base in France, Africa and the Middle East. SimstreamT&D comprises a team of developers and engineers working across a range of technology platforms including online, Cloud, ERP and mobile app development. Commenting on the launch, chairman Gael Marronnier said: SimstreamT&D adds a new dimension to Simstream and will fit seamlessly into the groups unique approach to IT consulting engineering that allows us to deliver cost-effective and creative IT solutions, in complex business environments. Our aim is to scale-up our business rapidly from an established customer base and this acquisition and launch of our new division will enable us to build faster profitable growth. We will continue to look for additional selective acquisitions to add further complementary resources to the group, he added. Simstreams service portfolio comprises IT governance, project management and consulting. The company has worked with multinational clients in more than 30 countries on projects including the Dubai Tram, and in sectors from telecoms to banking and finance, energy, aviation, industry and services. -TradeArabia News Service Aid workers who reached a besieged Syrian town spoke of "heartbreaking" conditions being endured by emaciated and starving residents, with hundreds in need of special medical help. An aid convoy on Monday brought the first food and medical relief for months to the western town of Madaya, where 40,000 people are trapped by encircling government forces and local doctors say some residents have starved to death. "It's really heartbreaking to see the situation of the people," said Pawel Krzysiek of the International Committee of the Red Cross. "A while ago I was just approached by a little girl and her first question was did you bring food ... we are really hungry." The World Health Organization said it had asked the Syrian government to allow it to send mobile clinics and medical teams to Madaya to assess the extent of malnutrition and evacuate the worst cases. A local doctor said 300 to 400 people needed special medical care, according to Elizabeth Hoff, the WHO representative in Damascus who went into Madaya with the convoy. "I am really alarmed," Hoff told Reuters by telephone from Damascus, where she is based. "People gathered in the market place. You could see many were malnourished, starving. They were skinny, tired, severely distressed. There was no smile on anybody's face. It is not what you see when you arrive with a convoy. The children I talked to said they had no strength to play." Aid convoys also delivered supplies to Foua and Kafraya, two villages in Idlib province encircled by rebels fighting the Syrian government. FOOD WEAPON CONDEMNED Western diplomats have condemned the use of food as a weapon of war, with the US ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, accusing the government of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad of "grotesque starve-or-surrender tactics". Britain's UN ambassador, Matthew Rycroft, said "wilfully impeding relief supply and access can constitute a violation of international humanitarian law". Legal experts said that could be construed as either a war crime or a crime against humanity, or both. An independent UN commission of inquiry on Syria has long denounced use of starvation by both sides as a weapon of war, and has a consolidated list of suspected war criminals and units from all sides which is kept in a UN safe in Geneva. However, there was little immediate prospect of such a case being brought before the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague, since Syria was not a member and any referral to the court by the UN Security Council would have to overcome Russian reluctance. The difficulties in getting aid into Madaya and other besieged places could also set back efforts to hold new peace talks on the five-year-old war in Syria, scheduled to be held under UN auspices in Geneva on January 25. A UN road map for the talks calls on the parties to allow aid agencies unhindered access throughout Syria, particularly in besieged and hard-to-reach areas. An opposition grouping has told the United Nations that this must happen before the talks can begin, lending weight to suggestions that the humanitarian situation could make January 25 a hard target to hit. Negotiations to get into Madaya and the other two villages were lengthy and difficult. There are presently about 15 siege locations in Syria, where 450,000 people are trapped, the United Nations says. MORE AID DUE THURSDAY The WHO intends to return to Madaya on Thursday as part of a UN convoy with more medical and food supplies, Hoff said. ICRC spokeswoman Dibeh Fakhr also said its next distribution is planned for Thursday. The aid consists of blankets and medicine as well as food. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a group that monitors the war, said the people of Madaya had dismissed the head of the town's military council because he tried to put the newly delivered aid in warehouses. "The people refused to let it be put in warehouses and asked that it be distributed directly," the Observatory said. The UN refugee agency said local people in Madaya were involved unloading and distributing the food they received. Asked if the United Nations was confident that the food wasn't simply being intercepted and confiscated by fighters, UNHCR representative in Syria Sajjid Malik said: "The way it was handled we could see that it was a very broad community engagement ... they assured us it was going to be distributed to the population." WHO's Hoff said there had been no sign of fighters in Madaya except at checkpoints. The Observatory said at least 300 people left the town and were taken by government forces to the Damascus region. The UN said its vehicles were not used to take anyone out of Madaya. Hoff said medical staff had told her that mothers had no milk for breast-feeding and many malnourished people were too weak to leave their homes. "I sent an immediate request to authorities for more supplies to be brought in. We are asking for mobile clinics and medical teams to be dispatched," she said. Doctors said patients preferred to spend what little money they had on food and not health care, Hoff said. Rice was on sale, but at $200 or $300 a kilo. At a field hospital, Hoff said, doctors "had to give a drip to a patient outdoors because there was no room in the clinic". "An elderly lady had not eaten for 20 days, she was picked up unconscious on the street and brought in." Hoff said she had spoken with a severely malnourished man who could hardly talk, was totally dehydrated and had turned yellow in colour. - Reuters Qatar is looking to reach out to more Italian tourists with the opening of a new representative office in Milan, said a report. Through the new outlet, Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) hopes to engage with visitors and tour operators in Italy, which is one of the Gulf states fastest growing visitor source markets. The number of Italian arrivals increased by a remarkable 16 per cent to more than 34,000 in 2015, and we are confident that this market has great potential for growth, Rashed Al Qurese, chief marketing & promotions officer at QTA told The Peninsula. The Milan office will introduce and develop awareness on Qatar as a quality destination, thus enhancing QTAs on-the-ground presence and capabilities Qatars marketing campaign in Italy will cover a wide range of promotional initiatives, including workshops, sales visits, travel agents destination training through QTAs online Tawash programme, partnerships with tour operators, familiarisation trips, media campaigns and a variety of innovative activities, the report said Jumeirah Groups Gerald Lawless will be moving from his current position as chief executive officer after 18 years of building Dubai's leading hotel group. Dubai Holding, the parent company of the Jumeirah Group, announced that Lawless would be taking over responsibility for its tourism and hospitality strategy. Lawless will be replaced by Stefan Leser, who joins from Swiss travel business Kuoni, as group chief executive at Jumeirah effective February 1. Lawless first came to Dubai in 1978 and since then has devoted almost 30 years of his professional life to the city. After a 23-year career with Forte Hotels, he joined Jumeirah Group in 1997 and since then has built the company into one of the best-known luxury hospitality brands in the world. As well as leading the drive to establish Burj Al Arab Jumeirah as the most luxurious hotel in the world and a symbol of Dubai as a luxury destination, Mr Lawless spearheaded the expansion of the Companys portfolio, which now includes 23 hotels in 12 destinations, stretching from London to Shanghai, with a robust pipeline of new openings planned. Jumeirah Group operates over 100 restaurants, the Wild Wadi Waterpark and the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management; where Lawless will remain Chancellor. Mohammad Abdulla Al Gergawi, chairman of Dubai Holding, said: We appreciate the role that Gerald has played as the founding CEO of the Jumeirah Group and its subsequent expansion. As a tireless ambassador for tourism and hospitality in Dubai, he is a leader admired across the industry for his commitment to innovation and excellence in the field of luxury hospitality and has been an inspiration to Jumeirah employees, to guests and to other stakeholders in the sector. Jumeirah Group has been a consistently valuable engine of international growth for Dubai Holding and its future expansion will further enhance that impact. We are delighted to have the opportunity of benefitting from Geralds expertise in building our own integrated vision for the hospitality sector. In recognition of Geralds contribution to the success of Jumeirah, he will hold the title of Honorary President of the Jumeirah Group and remain Chancellor of the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management. We also welcome Stefan Leser as the new Group CEO of Jumeirah Group. He has a deep understanding of the fast changing international travel market, which will play an important role in driving Jumeirahs successful expansion plans both at home and abroad, Al Gergawi said. Commenting on his new role, Lawless said: It has been an immense honour and privilege to have been entrusted with setting up the Jumeirah Group, with the development of its outstanding portfolio of luxury hotels and other businesses and the promotion of the brand internationally. I would like to express my thanks to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai for giving me this opportunity, to Dubai Holding for their support over the years and to the Companys 14,000 colleagues who have made Jumeirah what it is today. As I move forward into a new set of responsibilities at Dubai Holding, I look forward to a smooth transition with Stefan, and also to assuming the Chairmanship of the World Travel & Tourism Council in April 2016. TradeArabia News Service Meet award-winning artisans and buy their products at Kerala Arts and Crafts Village This was sent to me from my mom yesterday. I don't know who wrote it, but it's worth reading. If you Google this, you will see a... Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy Veterans help available Alisa Cochrane, a state of Wyoming veteran service officer, is available to meet with veterans and their families to discuss state and federal veterans benefits, Department of Veteran Affairs claims or VA health care at the following places and times: VA Clinic, 4140 S. Poplar St., 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. If there is inclement weather, please check with the staff at the outreach locations to ensure Cochrane will be available. She is available at other times by calling 472-0212. After School at the Library Giant Lite-Brite Elementary-age students are invited to attend our weekly After School at the Library program at 4 p.m. in the Natrona County Public Librarys Crawford Room. Come play with a giant Lite-Brite! Call 577-READ, ext. 122, for more information. Spaghetti at the Elks Wednesday night special at the Casper Elks Lodge is baked spaghetti with garlic bread and salad. Cost is $7, all you can eat. Children 5 to 12 are $3. Enjoy a dessert for $1. Serving from 6 to 7 p.m. or until gone. Members, significant other and guest accompanied by a member. For more information, call 234-4839. Coin Club talks pennies The Casper Coin Club will meet at 7 p.m. at Casper College, Strausner Hall, room 207. Discussion for the evening will be on pennies. Call Al at 237-1156 if you have questions. Archaeologists meet The monthly meeting of the Casper Chapter of the Wyoming Archaeological Society will be held at 7 p.m. The meeting is on the ground floor of the Oil & Gas Conservation Commission Building, 2211 King Blvd. Please use the entrance on the east side of the building. Following a brief business meeting, Dr. Kerry Lippincott, retired consulting archaeologist, will speak on Interior Engravings on Northern Plains Marine Shell Mask Gorgets. Visitors and potential new members are welcome. Please contact Mavis Greer, Chapter President, at 237-2037 or via email at mavis@greerservices.com if you have any questions. A Laramie County District Court judge has denied a request by the Casper Star-Tribune to access reports on fatal car crashes throughout the state. The Star-Tribune had previously requested access to all such reports by the Wyoming Department of Transportation. WYDOT refused the request, stating the records are protected under an amendment to a Wyoming statute that makes them confidential. It boils down to the official story of what happens on public roadways isnt available to the public and it should be, said Dale Bohren, executive editor of the Star-Tribune. Public records and public information documents, including those about what happened on public roadways, are important for all of us. Its the basis of how we run a democracy. Last month, Judge Catherine R. Rogers in Cheyenne ruled in favor of WYDOT. The Star-Tribune, being represented by Cheyenne attorney Bruce T. Moats, has a month from the time of the Dec. 31 decision to decide if it will appeal the ruling. If it does, the Wyoming Supreme Court will review Rogers decision. Moats said he has spoken with the sponsors of the statute amendment that made fatal crash reports confidential. Were exploring options of a legislative fix, Moats said. He said he doesnt agree with the courts decision and argued that to deny access to government records is unconstitutional. When youve got a public road where public funds are being used to build roads and for officials to respond to accidents, those kinds of things are where the interest of the public is very high, Moats said. Bohren believes forbidding the public to have access to the reports may have been an unintended consequence of the legislation, which was meant to encourage drivers to file accident reports without fear of reprisal. The amendment was passed in 2013. Prior to the law being changed, fatal crash reports were accessible by the public. After twice being denied access to the reports by WYDOT, the Star-Tribune on March 2 filed a petition in District Court for access to the reports. The newspaper requested the court show cause as to why the records should not be released. WYDOT argued the statute that makes fatal crash reports confidential applies to both reports written by drivers and those made by investigative officers. When we see reports from Highway Patrol about an accident, theyre cherry-picking the information, Bohren said. Theyll tell you what they want you to know about it because they dont have to release the official version. While Bohren was disappointed with the outcome, he said he respected the court decision. We are also not deterred from continually pressing for open records of every level of government because transparency is a necessity of good self government, he said. A Casper man convicted for distributing large amounts of methamphetamine throughout Wyoming was sentenced to life in prison. U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl handed down Harold Creightons sentence Monday at the Ewing T. Kerr Federal Courthouse in Casper. A jury convicted Creighton in November of conspiracy to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine, or slightly more than a pound. According to the Department of Justice, Creighton, 39, intimidated witnesses testifying against him in an effort to tamper with testimony. Witnesses said that between early 2014 and May 2015, Creighton bought meth outside the state in quantities ranging from one-fourth of a pound to more than one pound. He then distributed the drug in communities throughout Wyoming, including Casper. Creighton has an extensive criminal history, including four drug-related felonies and one felon in possession of a firearm conviction, for which he served time in prison, according to the Department of Justice. He also has a variety of assault convictions. The case was investigated by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as part of a national effort to reduce the flow of illicit drugs and drug proceeds. A nationwide network, the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force was created to dismantle drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations. Its members also strive to find the people responsible for the nations illegal drug supply. A local group is hoping a set of advertisements will be enough to persuade motorcyclists and other drivers to keep the noise down and drive respectfully in Casper. Motorcycle enthusiasts group Wyoming Central ABATE (A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactments) will appear before the Casper City Council during an afternoon work session Tuesday to request $5,000 for signs to help the groups pipe down in town campaign. Paul Paad, the legislative representative for Wyoming Central ABATE, described the campaign as a community service that shows the group is working to assuage local concerns about noise in the city. The Council voted down a motor vehicle noise ordinance in September after hundreds of people appeared in opposition to the proposal. Were trying to police ourselves, basically, Paad said. The $5,000 ABATE is requesting would go toward production and placement of signs to help raise awareness about riding and driving respectfully on city streets, according to the Councils work session packet. To keep noise down, Paad said drivers should avoid revving their engines and showing off. Theres a time and place for it, and in towns not it, Paad said. Councilman Ray Pacheco said Monday that community efforts like ABATEs PSA campaign should be considered before using laws and ordinances to solve certain issues. Anytime you see a community rally and take that initiative, it can make a difference, Pacheco said. ABATEs plans feature both radio and television public service announcements, along with signs the group hopes to place on city property. Paad said the goal is for the radio and television advertisements to run first with the signs around the city to follow. Were just trying to promote respect and safety in town and on the roadways, Paad said. CHEYENNE Lawmakers will consider a bill during next months budget session that seeks to reduce the number of people who go through the states costly involuntary hospitalization process. But broader reforms to the controversial practice, known as Title 25, likely will have to wait until at least 2017. The Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Interim Committee voted Friday to sponsor a bill to give courts more options when dealing these cases. They could order outpatient mental-health or substance-abuse care instead relying only on the more expensive involuntary hospitalization route. Emergency detentions are ordered when authorities consider someone to be a threat to themselves or others even though no crime may have been committed. Patients can be hospitalized for 72 hours, but that can be extended if a judge finds the person mentally ill. Counties are responsible for reimbursing hospitals or mental health facilities for costs in the first 72 hours. But the state pays the bills after that. The number of residents going through this process has spiked in recent years. This has put a strain on the availability of inpatient beds at hospitals throughout the state as well as the Wyoming Department of Healths budget. That state agency projects it will face a $11.3 million shortfall in its Title 25 funding for its two-year budget that ends June 30. Department of Health Director Tom Forslund said the agency has dealt with the shortfall by shifting funds internally. But he said it likely wont have that ability in the next biennium. From a budgetary point of view, this is my largest problem in the department, Forslund said. In light of the budget issues we have statewide and the potential reductions I might be facing in my budget by the time this session is over, I am truly concerned about this. The bill lawmakers advanced Friday is designed to reduce some of the states costs and shift more care toward less expensive outpatient services at community-based treatment centers. It would do this by allowing judges to order directed outpatient commitments. These treatment plans could require periodic reporting, restrictions on travel, alcohol and drug testing and the use of community-based support services. Laramie County Attorney Mark Voss, who has worked on involuntary hospitalization issues for almost two decades, said he supports the proposal. Current state law allows judges to order the outpatient care. But Voss said there is no mechanism to hold patients responsible if they violate their treatment plans. In one case, Voss said he tried to get a judge to issue a warrant for a patient who had stopped attending mandated outpatient care. Because of the current law, he said, the judge was unable to grant that request. This whole process took about a week, Voss said. At the end of it, I received a call from the Laramie County coroner and he found her in his cooler because she had overdosed on medication. The legislative proposal is the end result of a $20,000 state-funded task force that has been studying the issue over the last year. But legislators, health officials and mental-health advocates agreed much more work needs to be done. There is no one silver bullet, Forslund said. Rep. Mary Throne, D-Cheyenne, who co-chaired the task force, said the Legislatures Management Council plans to consider extending the task force for another year. One of the big issues that officials plan to tackle is whether to designate community mental health centers as gatekeepers for the Title 25 process. This would place them on the front end of the process to help decide what level of care someone needs. Mark Russler, representing the Wyoming Association of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers, said many providers have informally been doing this. This, he said, helped divert hundreds of people out of the Title 25 system in fiscal year 2015. The other big issue is payment reform. The state now uses a block-grant model to provide funds to mental health providers. But Forslund said he would like to see a change to prioritize money where it is needed most. This also would offer incentives to help providers direct more of the less severe cases out of the Title 25 system. Meanwhile, Russler said its important that state give the proper level of funding to providers. This is a message we want to share with the (legislative) committee, he said. Mental health and substance abuse centers need to be adequately funded so we can divert people from the Title 25 hospitalization process. RAWLINS Wyoming authorities say they have rescued two young women being taken to California by human traffickers. Wyoming Highway Patrol Officers approached a car at a Shell station near Rawlins last week in response to a call about a disturbance. A woman in the back seat mouthed the words "help me" to one officer. Her plea led to the arrest of the 38-year-old male driver and a 27-year-old woman, both from California, on human trafficking charges. Police say the woman who asked for help and another female passenger say they left Philadelphia with the couple because they promised them jobs and a new start in California. But the women say the couple became threatening and wouldn't let them leave once they got out of Pennsylvania. Australia Firefighters control blazes that killed 2 PERTH Wildfires that killed two men and destroyed more than 140 buildings in southwest Australia were being brought under control, officials said Monday. The blazes had scorched more than 175,800 acres of farms and woodland south of Perth, the Western Australia state capital, since they were sparked by lightning strikes last Wednesday, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said in a statement. The fires had destroyed 143 buildings, including 128 houses, it said. Most of the property damage occurred in the township of Yarloop, where two men in their 70s died on Thursday, Emergency Services Minister Joe Francis said. Four firefighters sustained minor injuries. More than 450 firefighters took advantage of cooler conditions since Sunday to stop the fires from spreading further, Francis said. Spain Catalan parliament votes in new leader MADRID Catalonias parliament voted in a new leader for the powerful northeastern region late Sunday after hearing he would forge ahead with a drive to secede from Spain. During a pre-vote debate, Carles Puigdemont said he would continue with his predecessor Artur Mas initiative to push the region bordering France toward independence by 2017. Puigdemont was voted in as Catalonias 130th president in a 70-63 vote, with two abstentions in the 135-seat chamber. Puigdemont was selected Saturday to replace Mas as the Together for Yes alliances candidate for leader, a decision that earned him the backing of the radical, anti-capitalist CUP party whose 10 seats were needed for a majority in the chamber. Pakistan Iran warned over Saudi Arabia ISLAMABAD Any threat to Saudi Arabias territorial integrity will evoke a strong response from Islamabad, Pakistani army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif said Sunday. Sharif made the remarks in a statement after Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman met with him in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, adjacent to the capital. Salman earlier arrived in Islamabad, making him the second top Saudi official to visit Pakistan in a week amid growing tension with Iran over Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimrs recent execution. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir visited Pakistan a couple of days ago. The visits came after Saudi Arabia and several of its allies announced the severing or downgrading of diplomatic relations with Shiite powerhouse Iran. Protesters in Tehran stormed the Saudi embassy and a Saudi consulate elsewhere in the country after Saudi Arabia executed al-Nimr, a prominent Shiite cleric and opposition leader earlier this month. France Migrants in camps to get housing upgrade CALAIS French officials have taken steps to improve the lot of thousands of migrants living in dastardly conditions in northern France, setting up containers with bunk beds in Calais, which has the largest camp, and approving plans to relocate another squalid camp outside the nearby city of Dunkirk. Migrants throng by the thousands to Calais and Dunkirk in a bid to sneak into Britain. But until Monday, French authorities had done little to make life easier for migrants from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea and elsewhere because France and the United Kingdom are trying to dissuade them from coming. Teen slasher of Jew cites Islamic State PARIS A Muslim teenager armed only with a machete slashed a Jewish teacher in a Marseille street on Monday, invoking the Islamic State and saying he had also planned to go after police, a French prosecutor said. The 15-year-old Turkish Kurd was arrested soon after wordlessly attacking the teacher, who was injured in the attack in central Marseille, said Brice Robin, the Marseille prosecutor. The teen invoked Allah and the extremist group only after he was detained, saying the Muslims of France dishonor Islam and the French army protects Jews. The boy attacked the unwitting teacher from behind, slashing him in the shoulder, and then went after the man again as he tried to flee his attacker, officials said. Afghanistan Canadian tourist held since 2010 is released TORONTO A Canadian man, held by the Taliban in Afghanistan since 2010, has been released, Canadas government announced Monday. Canadian Minister Stephane Dion said in a statement that Colin Rutherford was a tourist in Afghanistan when he was seized by the Taliban in November 2010. The Taliban released a video of Rutherford in 2011 and accused him, then 26, of being a spy. It was not immediately clear how his release came about, but Dion thanked the government of Qatar. Iran Tehran disputes UN finding on nukes VIENNA Iran has rejected an assessment by the U.N. nuclear agency that it did past work on nuclear arms, but is praising some aspects of the agencys investigation of the issue, reflecting satisfaction that the more than decade-long probe has ended. Closure of the file means that some questions about the alleged weapons work may never be resolved. Before the 35-nation board of the U.Ns International Atomic Energy Agency adopted a resolution last month ending the investigation, IAEA chief Yukiya Amano told the meeting that his investigation couldnt reconstruct all the details of activities conducted by Iran in the past. But both Iran and the international community are eager to put the issue behind them in order to be able to implement a landmark nuclear deal that commits Tehran to significant limits on its nuclear activities for more than a decade in exchange for some relief from crippling economic sanctions. Reporter Carmen started at the Star in 1981 and covers diversity and inclusion. She wrote Mamas Santos: An Arizona Life, a book about the Mexican and Mexican-American experience in the Southwest through stories about her family. It won 11 awards. Paul A. Beeson is the newly appointed chief of the Tucson Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, authorities announced Monday. Beeson has been in charge of the Tucson Sector since November, when Chief Patrol Agent Manuel Padilla Jr. left to take over as chief of the Rio Grande Valley Sector, an official said. Beeson began his career in the federal agency in February 1985. He served as chief of the Yuma Sector from July 2007 to November 2010, according to a Customs and Border Protection news release. In 2010, he served as chief of the San Diego Sector, serving until 2014, when he returned to Tucson as commander of the Joint Task Force West-Arizona Corridor headquarters. He now serves as both commander of the task force and as sector chief, the release says. Arizona presents a unique challenge, said Beeson. Countering the illicit activities of entrenched trafficking organizations requires an innovative, multi-faceted and collaborative approach. As long as this element exists, we will continue to evolve in order to efficiently and effectively disrupt and degrade their ability to operate, he said in the release. Other positions Beeson has held include assistant chief at the Border Patrol Academy, deputy assistant regional director at the Border Patrols Central Regional Office and assistant chief and then deputy chief for the El Paso Sector. PHOENIX Gov. Doug Ducey promised Monday to cut taxes, eliminate some government regulations, help keep inmates from going back to prison and investigate new long-term sources of water for Arizona. In his second State of the State speech, the governor promised to be a partner in strengthening higher education after approving a budget last year that cut $99 million from the states three universities. Ducey, however, provided no specifics. Eileen Klein, president of the Arizona Board of Regents, said she was pleased the governor recognizes the importance of the university system. But she expressed a bit of concern that the governor provided no specifics and even said in his speech he wants to be cautious in new spending. I appreciate the caution, Klein said. But at this point, the (state) revenue gains are undeniable, she said. The state ended last year with an extra $325 million in the bank, with tax collections so far this fiscal year running $200 million above projections. We need to be sure the universities get their fair share of the revenue increases, Klein said. The governors proposals on K-12 also lacked specifics. Ducey agreed to put money he did not say how much into a long-ignored fund to help public schools pay for badly needed repairs. Separately, Ducey wants to use $24 million that lawmakers set aside to help both traditional public schools as well as charter schools finance new construction. House Minority Leader Eric Meyer questioned the wisdom of that. Ive said all along we should spend the money on some district schools now rather than have some complicated plan that may finance businesses to open schools, Meyer said. Technically speaking, charter schools are public schools. They get a set amount of state aid per student and are exempt from certain other regulations that govern traditional schools. But Meyer said thats no excuse to make what might be legally questionable loans to charters. When charter schools opened, they were supposed to be efficient and effective and be able to operate without those monies, he said. Whats changed about that? Theres another factor at work: In Arizona, charters can be operated as for-profit corporations, with any buildings constructed ultimately the property of the private companies that run the schools. And the Arizona Constitution specifically bars the state from giving or loaning its credit to any individual, association or corporation. But gubernatorial press aide Daniel Scarpinato said Ducey believes the plan he has, to be unveiled Friday, passes constitutional muster. Against unnecessary state regulations Issues of state revenues and spending aside, the governor took specific aim at what he said are unnecessary state regulations. But Ducey wants to go further, scrapping some state oversight entirely. Arizona requires licenses for too many jobs, resulting in a maze of bureaucracy for small-business people looking to earn an honest living, he said. And the governor said he did not need to look far for examples. Believe it or not, the state of Arizona actually licenses talent agents, he said. Lets leave the job of finding new talent to (The Voice hosts) Adam Levine and Gwen Stefani, not state government. Meyer said he shares the governors view that some regulation may be unnecessary. I didnt know that we regulated talent agents until today, he conceded. Rejects living wage laws Ducey separately fired a salvo at Flagstaff and other Arizona cities that are considering adopting their own living wage requirements, threatening to punish those cities if they go ahead. He called them trendy, feel-good policies that are stifling opportunity across the nation. I will use every constitutional power of the executive branch and leverage every legislative relationship to protect small businesses and the working men and women they employ, Ducey threatened. He said that would even include cutting state-share revenues for communities that adopt a minimum wage higher than Arizona law mandates. That measure could take the form of a voter-approved initiative. But Scarpinato said that does not mean his boss knows whats better for Flagstaff than the people who live there. Were talking about having an approach statewide, where were pro-jobs, not anti-jobs, he said. Scarpinato said that means being able to employ more people, not less. Ducey said all this is to differentiate Arizona from California. The goal is simple: to grow our economy, to take full advantage of our geography to better address the needs of businesses fleeing California and other states on the decline, he said. Lauds Pima County parole program Ducey also gave a specific shout-out to a special program run by the Department of Corrections in Pima County that handles people who have violated conditions of their parole. Often, the governor said, these are technical violations, like failing a drug test or neglecting to check in. This program allows parolees to have counseling sometimes while in custody rather than simply being sent back to prison. The result, according to the governors staff, has been that two-thirds of those in the Pima program complete it and dont go back behind bars where they add to the states prison overcrowding situation. He wants to extend that to Maricopa County, where about two-thirds of the inmates are being released. Lets give them a second chance so they stay clean and never end up back in prison, said Ducey. Other provisions in Duceys 42-minute speech include: A TUSD plan to convert Sabino High School into a campus that serves seventh- through 12th-graders would cater primarily to white, middle-class families, a desegregation expert contends. Willis Hawley, the special master assigned to oversee desegregation efforts at Tucson Unified School District, says U.S. District Court Judge David Bury should deny TUSDs request for the grade reconfiguration. He said the creation of a pipeline that would allow students at two northeast-side elementary schools to feed into Sabino would negatively affect nearby Magee Middle School. Hawley has filed his recommendation to deny the Sabino 7-12 proposal and approve grade reconfigurations at four other schools in federal court for Bury to consider. Hawley has given his blessing to other changes TUSD seeks. They are for Collier and Fruchthendler elementary schools to add a sixth grade to feed into a 7th- through 12th-grade Sabino, and for Borman and Drachman elementary schools to be converted into schools that serve kindergarten to eighth grade. The proposals were developed in an effort to reduce student flight from the Tucson Unified School District to neighboring districts and charter schools. Though Hawley is opposed to TUSDs plan as presented, he asked Bury to let the district revise it to consider capping Sabinos Anglo enrollment at 50 percent to give minority students preference in enrollment and to developing a plan to make Magee more attractive to students. TUSD Superintendent H.T. Sanchez says the district is willing to entertain Hawleys recommendations for a shot at making the Sabino student pipeline a reality. Well do what we need to do to meet him halfway to provide a further mechanism to integrate schools and provide stability to the district in terms of enrollment loss and provide other opportunities for families, Sanchez said. The district also plans to provide data to show how Sabinos demographics have changed over the last 15 years, Sanchez said. In 2000, the school was 83 percent white and 10 percent Hispanic. The 1,600-plus Anglo student body from 15 years ago has dwindled to fewer than 600, and there are about 100 more Hispanic students. Its population is now 57 percent Anglo and 31 percent Hispanic. The decision ultimately rests with Bury, who has often followed Hawleys recommendations. Less than a year ago, Bury rejected the Sabino plan, citing the same concerns Hawley is now raising, along with some procedural issues. The desegregation plaintiffs also oppose the Sabino pipeline proposal. Under the decades-old desegregation case, TUSD is charged with making its schools more racially integrated. While TUSD initially argued that the grade reconfigurations would have virtually no impact on integration, it has since revised its findings based on a survey that found a large number of parents would be interested in sending their children from the west side to Sabino or Magee if TUSD provided an express bus option. Hawley, however, was not swayed by the revised analysis. He told Bury that the questions posed to parents to elicit those responses were suspect. For example, Hawley says the survey characterized Magee Middle School as a high-achieving school, when its most recent state grade was a C. Where Hawley and TUSD are in agreement is that the creation of a middle school on the Sabino campus would increase the number of students attending TUSD by both retaining existing students and attracting new ones. However, Hawley says it would be at Magees expense. Those leaving Magee are likely to be among the (schools) higher achievers, Hawley said. The loss of students will affect perceptions of the school. The proposed Sabino pipeline is not a source of consternation for Magee Principal Daniel Erickson, at least not anymore. When the plan was initially proposed, we were a little nervous about maybe losing some of our students who are currently enrolled, said Erickson, whose mind has been changed thanks to commitments from TUSD to carry out two initiatives. The first is the expansion of an existing dual-credit option, which Magee intends to market as an honors pipeline of its own. Magee students will have the opportunity to earn high school credit while in middle school that can be transferred to Sahuaro High School. The district has also committed to maintaining the schools staffing and funding for the next two years to make the school more robust, Erickson said. As it stands, Magee already has programming for gifted students, a highly recognized Odyssey of the Mind team and accomplishments in band. And while Magee is a C-rated school, it was only one point away from earning a B. Despite the opportunities being offered to Magee, for Erickson, the big picture is whats important. The reward will outweigh the risk when we see an increase in enrollment in TUSD in general, Erickson said. A rising tide floats all boats. PHOENIX Saying theres evidence to support their claims, a federal judge on Monday agreed to allow a class-action lawsuit against the Border Patrol over alleged inhumane and punitive conditions at its facilities in Arizona. Judge David Bury denied a request by the federal agency to throw out the case, saying the challengers have made sufficient allegations to support their claims that those detained by the Border Patrol are denied adequate sleep, sanitary conditions, medical care, food and water, and warmth at holding centers. He said it will take a trial to determine whether the fact the limited length any individual is subject to those conditions sometimes several days is illegal. But in a separate ruling, the judge said affidavits from those who had been locked up in the holding centers provided sufficient evidence ... to plausibly support each of the asserted deficiencies. And Bury said the conditions about which migrants are complaining appear to be fairly widespread. What that means, Bury said, is he will consider not just the specific complaints of the three people who sued but what could be hundreds of thousands of others who pass through Border Patrol holding cells, both in the past and in the future. More to the point, if Bury finds their claims to be valid, he could order the federal agency to make extensive changes. Its a huge victory because the court validated what thousands of detainees and advocates have been saying for years about the deplorable conditions in the short-term detention facilities, said Nora Preciado, an attorney with the National Immigration Law Center. The conditions there are inhumane. Preciado acknowledged that Mondays order is not a finding by Bury that the Border Patrol has done anything illegal but only that the claims of unconstitutional conditions can go to trial. While there is no finding on the merits at this point, there was a very careful weighing of the evidence, Preciado said. There was no immediate response from the Border Patrol. The lawsuit filed last year names three individuals one Tucson man and two women who are not identified who attorneys say were denied food, adequate clothing and sleep. Browse volunteer opportunities on the Volunteer Center at United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizonas website, volunteer.unitedwaytucson.org, or call 903-3977. Habitat for Humanity: Volunteers needed to work with a staff member going door to door to preselected addresses of Habitat homeowners. We will conduct a survey, asking residents about their homeownership experience. Tucson and Pima County Coalition to End Homelessness: Community members are needed to help assess homelessness in Pima County through a variety of volunteer opportunities. United Way: Youth Prosperity Initiative: We are seeking volunteers interested in providing one-on-one assistance, mentoring and guidance aimed at helping high school students access to post-secondary education. Training provided; fingerprint clearance card needed. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA): Help provide free tax preparation to low- and moderate-income Arizonans, and help them leverage their tax refunds to achieve greater financial stability. Childrens Museum Tucson: New satellite location in Oro Valley is recruiting volunteers, who will work alongside our discovery guides to add fun and educational experiences for our visitors. Play with visitors, teach classes, read at story time and much more. Desert Ashram: Retreat center needs help with simple repairs and maintenance jobs. Volunteer for a one-time project or for a few hours per week or month. We provide tools and materials. As the midterm elections come ever closer, it can feel as if were stewing in a cauldron of tribalism, of our side vs. their side with no middle ground and little agreement on much of anything. That makes it a good time to take a breath and realize the consensus weve reached on some issues that were incredibly contentious not long ago. It gives us hope in the angry days ahead. PHOENIX Republicans and Democrats are going to keep their preferred and exclusive spots on Arizona voter registration forms. Without comment, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to disturb lower court rulings which upheld a 2011 Arizona law that only the two parties with the highest number of adherents get to be listed on the forms. The justices rebuffed contentions of the Arizona Libertarian Party that the practice is both unfair and illegal. Mondays ruling is a victory for Republicans who approved the law in what GOP lawmakers admitted was a bid to slow the tide of people not registering with their party. It also exhausts all avenues of appeal for the Libertarians. Until 2011, those registering to vote were given a blank line to insert their preferred party choice. Former state Sen. Frank Antenori, R-Tucson, who sponsored the legislation, said the result was that many people were leaving the space blank. The result was that they were registered as independent, unaffiliated with any party at all. Antenori contended that some people probably wanted to list themselves with a party but just forgot. With space on the registration form limited, Antenori said it was impossible to list all four parties recognized by the state at that time. So the decision was made to list just the two parties with the largest registration. And those wanting a different affiliation have to fill in that partys name on a line thats less than an inch long. Attorney David Hardy charged that was not fair. He said those who might want to register with the Green or Libertarian parties might look at the revised form and conclude they must not be real political parties or do not have ballot access, and thus there is no purpose to registering in them. More to the point, Hardy said the number of registrants is important: Arizona law links continued representation on the ballot to the number of adherents as well as votes cast in the previous election. But Judge Wallace Tashima, writing for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, said Hardy failed to convince the court that the new law actually is a substantial burden to Libertarians. It was that ruling that the Supreme Court upheld on Monday. Plaintiffs failed to adduce any evidence statistical, anecdotal or otherwise that the registration form has, in fact, encouraged voters to register for the major parties over minor ones, Tashima wrote. Nor was the court swayed by arguments that listing Republicans and Democrats alone would suggest that they are the only real parties. The alleged psychological effects that the registration form has on registering voters is sheer speculation, Tashima wrote. PHOENIX Legislative Democrats outlined their agenda for the new session that started Monday, hoping to make some difference despite their minority status. Senate Minority Leader Katie Hobbs, D-Phoenix, said restoring cuts made to public education is a top priority. Even if voters approve Proposition 123, it remains only a first step in adequately funding schools, she said. It would provide an additional $3.5 billion for K-12 schools over the next decade. But that $300 per student per year is still less than the amount that has been cut since the recession began. She said it does not erase the damage that has been done. Eric Meyer, D-Paradise Valley, her House counterpart, said the money is there. The Joint Legislative Budget Committee has identified $218 million in ongoing funding that could be used strategically to invest in our future, he said, cash that is expected to be there not just this coming year but for the foreseeable future. This is on top of over $1 billion cash on hand. That includes the rainy day fund. Democrats also want a focus on the Department of Child Safety, which has a backlog of inactive cases. And they want to reverse a decision that limits Temporary Assistance to Needy Families to just one year, the shortest eligibility in the country. Hobbs called it a cruel and unnecessary cut. But the influence of Democrats is limited to the fact that voters have consistently put the House in Republican hands since the 1960s. The current makeup is 36-24 Republican. Democrats have had a few turns running the Senate, but find themselves behind there, too, on an 18-12 margin. And while there have been some Democrat governors over the years, voters in 2014 chose Republican Doug Ducey over Democrat Fred DuVal. But Meyer insisted that does not mean the Democrats are out of step with what voters want. The voters that I talk to every day as Im out in my community want quality public schools they can send their kids to that are well-funded, he said. They want quality teachers in the classroom, they want to reduce class sizes, they want affordable college tuition, which should be as near as free as possible as our constitution says, Meyer continued. And they want jobs for their kids. Help India! Mumbai : BJP legislator from South Mumbai M.P. Lodha on Tuesday urged the central goverment to convert Jinnah House, the house built by Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, into a war memorial-cum-museum. Lodha met Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar, and submitted his proposal here on Tuesday. Parikkar said he would look into it. Support TwoCircles Since three years, I have been requesting the Maharashtra government to act on this since the huge property on Malabar Hill has been lying vacant without any purpose, Lodha told IANS. He said most of the wars India has fought were with Pakistan and there were many memories and incidents associated with them. If the house is converted into a war memorial-cum-museum, it would be great for future Indian generations and help put the property to good use, he said. The imposing mansion was built in 1936 on a 2.5 acre plot on Malabar Hill, with Jinnah personally looking into all aspects of its construction. He built it after his return from London and taking charge of the leadership of the Muslim League at the height of the ongoing struggle for Indias freedom. It was also the venue for the historic talks on Partition and creation of Pakistan in September 1944 and later in August 1946. Personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and other prominent leaders of the freedom movement were regular visitors there. After Partition, Jinnah left India and after his death in 1948, the property was leased to the British Deputy High Commission in Mumbai till 1983. It fell vacant for another 20 years and a portion of it was allotted to the Indian Council for Cultural Relations for a few years, even as Pakistan demanded that it be leased for its deputy high commission in Mumbai. Currently, the property is embroiled in a legal battle with Jinnahs daughter Dina Jinnah claiming ownership. Help India! By TCN Staff Reporter Support TwoCircles Aligarh: The Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, Lt. Gen. Zameer Udin Shah today presided over a joint meeting of members of AMU Court, Executive Council, Academic Council and office bearers to take stock of the situation following the hearing of AMU minority status case in the Supreme Court of India. Shedding light on the developments pertaining to the minority status case, the Vice Chancellor reiterated that it was the first priority of the University and the AMU is making meaningful efforts to this effect. Expressing unstinted faith in countrys judiciary, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Brig. S. Ahmad Ali said that AMU has already made adequate preparation regarding this case and we will put up our stand with full confidence in the next hearing of the case in the Supreme Court, which is slated for April 4. In a substantial change in stance on Monday, the NDA government withdrew its name as one of the petitioners challenging the 2005 Allahabad High Court verdict which said the University had no right to reserve its seats for Muslims. The NDA government has in fact, told the Supreme Court that it supports the Allahabad HC verdict. The UPA government had, along with the AMU administration, challenged the HC verdict and following this, the Supreme Court had in 2006 put a stay on the verdict. If the university loses the minority tag, it will have important implications on its current structure and the selection of students. Currently, except for internal quotas, there are no reservations for Muslims in AMU. The University hopes to get the minority status so that like other minority institutes (say, Jamia Milia Islamia) it can also reserve 50% students for Muslims. But if the University loses the minority status tag, it might also need to implement reservation policies for SCs, STs and OBCs and as a result, Muslims might well be left to fight for seats in the General quota. However, this cannot be said yet as we are not sure what the SC will decide. The loss of Minority status might also impact the selection of the Vice Chancellor. Currently, three names for the post of VC are elected by an Executive Council and the AMU court and of the three names; the President of India selects one for the post. Both these bodies were also set up by the same amendment in 1981 which allowed AMU to promote, especially the educational and cultural advancement of Muslims in India, said a faculty member of AMU on the condition of anonymity. Commenting on the matter, Senior advocate PP Rao, who is representing AMU, told Twocircles.net, The government has changed its stance on the matter and wants to withdraw the previous affidavit (from UPA) in which it said that AMU is a minority institution. AMU does not agree with their current stance. Condemnation against government move has started pouring in from all directions. Navaid Hamid, newly-elected President of All India Majlis-e-Mushawarat said in a statement that the stand taken by the present Government is contrary to the amendment brought to the Aligarh Muslim University Act, 1920 in the year 1981 and the stand taken by the Union of India before the Honble High Court of Allahabad and also in a separate appeal preferred by the Union of India before the Honble Supreme Court. The stand taken by the Learned Attorney General for Union of India before the Honble Supreme Court shows that the present Central Government is working against the interests of the minorities and the slogan given by the Prime Minister Sab Ka Saath Sab Ka Vikas is a hollow promise, added Mr. Hamid. The All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat is going to convene an urgent meeting of the community leaders and other stake holders to discuss the stance of Government and chalk out joint strategies to safe guard the minority character of AMU By Jeremiah Rogers Chorn Sina and her husband with safe drinking water in their home in Paknam village, Kampong Cham Lien Aid/2015 Chorn Sina and her husband are tobacco farmers in Paknam village, a rural community of just over 1,000 families along Touch River in Kampong Cham Province. They live in a simple wooden house with their 10-year-old daughter. The area in which the family lives is prone to flooding, which can contaminate water sources. The groundwater is also contaminated with arsenic, a tasteless poison that can cause irreversible health problems. Sina and her husband used to gather firewood regularly from a nearby forest, to boil their water in an effort to make it safe to drink. Gathering wood to boil water took us several hours every week, explains Sina, and we spent less time working on our farm and with our family. Now, Sina and her family have easy access to affordable clean water. In November 2014, a UNICEF-supported community water treatment plant opened in Paknam village. The system pumps raw water such as from a river or lake through a series of filters until it is fully treated and ready to drink. Sina buys four to five bottles of treated water per week, at a cost of 1,000 Cambodian Riel (approximately US$0.25) for 20 litres. Its worth the time savings to buy water instead of boiling water and we tell our friends to do the same, Sina says. Sina and her husband dry tobacco leaves at the base of their traditional elevated house. Sitting on the open slat floor, a cool breeze moves air through the building keeping it comfortable in the baking heat. Paknam village is entirely composed of houses like this, with a small dirt road running the length of the community. In the upcoming harvest season Sina plans to buy even more water up to one bottle every day so that she can provide it to people who help them harvest tobacco. Sina also tells her friends and family that the water makes her feel healthier than boiled river or well water. We like that we can inspect the water treatment plant at any time. It makes us feel confident that what we buy is not just untreated well water. Community water entrepreneur Si Mean at the UNICEF-supported water treatment plant in Paknam village Lien Aid/2015 Inside the community water treatment plant works Si Mean, Paknams community water entrepreneur. Covered under a pink plastic sheet are dozens of 20-litre bottles, filled with water that has just been treated. The treatment system begins with two large tanks where a series of filters remove large pieces of dirt and excess iron to ensure the water will have a good taste. The water is then pumped through a UV (ultra-violet light) treatment system which takes out tiny particles of dirt and kills bacteria. The water is then completely treated and safe to drink. Mean is responsible for maintaining the water treatment system and for on-site water testing. She pays a monthly fee to the commune council which owns the facility for maintenance and to send water samples to a laboratory in Phnom Penh for rigorous testing. Both Mean and members of the council are trained in maintenance of the system and water testing methods. Si Mean shows her daily records of bottle sales Lien Aid/2015 Mean keeps detailed handwritten notes on bottle sales every day. Over the past three weeks, she has sold an average of 71 bottles of treated water per day and generated about $525 in revenue. Like many people in the village, Mean was a tobacco farmer before taking her new role. We sell about 2,100 bottles every month, she says, but I hope that will continue to grow because we can produce four times as much water. Sales so far are strong for Mean, with 15% of families in Paknam village already buying water from her. Commune Chief Kaem Boteng is happy with the sales so far and hopes that they will continue to grow in the future. We think the progress is good so far but I would like it if all families bought water from the plant. With enthusiastic customers like Sina spreading the word about affordable safe drinking water to friends and neighbours, this community water treatment plant looks to have a very bright future. For the second time in less than twelve months, a prestigious private Episcopal school is in the news for sexual offenses committed at the school. The first case, at St. Paul's in New Hampshire, resulted in a trial and conviction of a young man who sexually assaulted another student. (See Update story here .) Now St. George's School in Rhode Island is faced with a case that has expanded to include more than 40 students who were assaulted by several staff members. The school dismissed some of the staff, but did not report the assaults until a student filed a lawsuit. The abuse incidents span more than 30 years, and several headmasters failed to of report incidents to the police as required by law. Now there are issues about the independence of the investigator the school has brought in to explore the situation. North San Diego County included several congregations that either left the Episcopal Church and tried to take their property with them, or left the property behind in a hands of a remnant of the parish. The diocese recovered the properties through legal action, but has decided that at least one of the restarted parishes has not been able to grow enough to be self-sustaining after 6 years of trying. Thus the congregation of St. Anne's in Oceanside has held its last service in their building, and the diocese has listed it for sale. Part of the 127 year old parish may continuebuilding as a non-traditional worship group. All Saints Church in Vista, the town next to Oceanside, is a candidate for a similar fate, but the diocese is still studying the situation. All Saints has been rebuilding since its rector left the Episcopal Church along with a good part of the congregation and formed a competing congregation . The San Diego Union-Tribune covered the sale. Uprooted Palestinians are at the heart of the conflict in the M.E Palestinians uprooted by force of arms. Yet faced immense difficulties have survived, kept alive their history and culture, passed keys of family homes in occupied Palestine from one generation to the next. ChemChina in talks to buy Syngenta Updated: 2015-11-14 11:21 By Bloomberg(China Daily) View of the stand of China National Chemical Corp (ChemChina) during an exhibition in Shanghai, China, November 4, 2010. [Photo/IC] China National Chemical Corp is in talks to buy Swiss pesticide maker Syngenta AG in what would be the largest acquisition by a Chinese company of a European target, people with knowledge of the matter said. The State-owned ChemChina offered about 449 Swiss francs ($448) a share, which values Syngenta at about 41.7 billion francs, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. Syngenta, which has a market value of about $32 billion, rejected that offer citing regulatory risk, the person said. While a deal is not imminent, the two sides are still talking and an agreement could be reached in the next few weeks, said the person. Syngenta, the world's largest pesticide producer, is also talking with other potential suitors as it explores options, the person said. Talks may fall apart and Syngenta may decide to stay independent or seek acquisitions of its own. ChemChina said it could not immediately comment in an e-mail response to questions. Syngenta representatives did not respond to requests for comment. Syngenta's American Depositary Receipts jumped as much as 16 percent in after-hours trading in New York. In March, ChemChina agreed to buy a 26.2 percent stake in Pirelli & C SpA from the Italian tiremaker's largest shareholder in a deal that valued the target at about $7.7 billion. ChemChina and other buyers then made a public tender offer for the rest of the company, a deal that closed this month. President Xi Jinping is trying to boost agricultural output to maintain self-sufficiency as a growing middle class consumes more grain-intensive meat. The World Bank estimates that China's arable land declined 6 percent in the last decade as economic growth boomed. In May, Xi gave farmers more rights to help keep them on the land and increase production. The same month, he called for the country to take the lead in development of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, such as the herbicide-tolerant crops developed by Syngenta. Last month, Syngenta named Chief Financial Officer John Ramsay as provisional chief executive officer to replace Mike Mack, who quit. Mack faced shareholder criticism after he refused to engage in talks with Monsanto Co over its $47 billion takeover approach. Monsanto initially offered to buy Syngenta earlier this year for 449 francs a share, the same price offered by ChemChina. In August, Monsanto raised its cash-and-stock offer to 470 francs. Syngenta rejected the bids for being too low and failing to recognize fully its prospects and the threat of antitrust hurdles. Monsanto, the world's largest seed producer, withdrew its offer on Aug 26 and has said it plans to seek acquisitions elsewhere. Syngenta makes agricultural pesticides, including chemicals that kill weeds and bugs. The prospect of a Monsanto-Syngenta combination has triggered deal talks among the world's top producers of pesticides and seeds, the CEOs of Dow Chemical Co and DuPont Co said last month. HK launches project to help elderly face death with dignity Updated: 2016-01-08 20:45 (Xinhua) HONG KONG - The Hong Kong Jockey Club announced Friday that it has launched a project to enable the elderly and terminally ill to spend their last days at home or in a care center, rather than a hospital environment. Social and medical institutions involved in the project will provide care services at 24 government-funded elderly centers in Kowloon as well as patients' homes. The project is expected to provide services for 1,400 patients over three years. A social administration professor at the University of Hong Kong, Cecilia Chan, who is also the project's manager, said its aim is to provide dignity to patients in their last days. China recognizes prominent scientists, premier stresses innovation Updated: 2016-01-08 22:58 (Xinhua) Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top leaders present awards to winners at China's State Science and Technology Awards ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Jan 8, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] BEIJING -- China gave awards to outstanding domestic and foreign scientists Friday, amid a government campaign encouraging innovation and more sophisticated industry. The awards were presented by state leaders including Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Liu Yunshan and Zhang Gaoli at the annual ceremony. Premier Li Keqiang said innovation should be placed at the core of national development to maintain economic growth. Li vowed to nurture new drivers of growth while upgrading traditional industries. He said China will establish more labs, "innovation centers" and other infrastructure for scientific research, nurture internationally competitive sci-tech enterprises and encourage mass entrepreneurship. Li highlighted the need to reduce overcapacity and connect traditional industries with the Internet. While asking governments to cut red tape, the premier talked up crowd sourcing and crowd funding as means to finance innovative projects. The 2015 science awards were granted for 295 research achievements, including 42 "natural science" prizes, 66 "technological invention" prizes, and 187 "sci-tech progress" prizes. However, the top accolade, the winners of which each get 5 million yuan ($762,000 dollars) for groundbreaking work seen as bringing about huge economic or social benefit, has been left vacant this year. None of the three nominees achieved the 50-percent share of the votes necessary from the voting committee for the prize to be awarded, according to the National Office for Science and Technology Awards. This is the second time after 2004 that the top prize has gone to nobody. Chinese pharmacologist Tu Youyou, who won the 2015 Nobel Prize, was not among the three nominees as no individuals or organizations had nominated her, said an unidentified official with the office. "We have strictly followed the procedure of selecting prize winners," the official added. Twenty-five scientists have received the top award in the past 15 years, including "father of hybrid rice" Yuan Longping and nuclear physicist Yu Min. Pan Jianwei and his team from the University of Science and Technology in Hefei, Anhui Province, won the award for natural sciences for their research on quantum teleportation technology. Of the prize winners in sci-tech progress, two won top honors. Chinese oil refiner Sinopec won for environmentally-friendly production of arene, an important chemical widely used in medicine and pesticide manufacturing. The other went to the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway. Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli encouraged scientists to take inspiration from the award winners. Xi calls for advancing reforms in all sectors Updated: 2016-01-12 00:07 (Xinhua) BEIJING -- President Xi Jinping called for advancing reforms in all sectors as China's leading group for overall reform convened its 20th meeting on Monday. The meeting was also attended by Li Keqiang, Liu Yunshan and Zhang Gaoli, members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and deputy heads of the group. Xi, head of the group, said a foundation should be built in the first three years of comprehensively deepening reforms, and a "main body frame" of the reform should be set up this year. According to a statement issued after the meeting, attendees called for full assessment of ongoing reforms in all sectors, prioritizing and focusing on key issues to advance reforms. Reforms of state-owned enterprises, the financial and taxation systems, the science and technology innovation system, the land system, opening up, the cultural and education system, judicial equity, environmental protection, the pension system, health care and discipline inspection are major sectors for overall reforms, the statement said. A total of seven documents were approved at the meeting, including guidelines to advance government transparency, help civil servants learn and use laws, reform public institutions that have administrative functions, and reform science and technology associations, as well as a regulation to protect and award whistleblowers in duty-related crimes. The statement stressed transparency is an important aspect of building a law-abiding government. Power should be made transparent wherever it is exercised. Priority should be given to making government budgets, allocation of public resources and the approval and construction of key projects public. It said public servants should intensify their efforts in learning the law, and their ability to perform duties according to law should be strengthened. It urged leading officials to be models in learning and observing law, adding the assessment of officials should include their performance in abiding by the law. The statement also called for efforts to enhance a system that would encourage members of the public to report cases of suspected duty-related crimes. It said clear measures should be worked out to protect informants who provide tips, and the amounts of rewards should be clarified. Meanwhile, retaliation against whistleblowers should be prevented and severely punished, it said. The pilot reform on institutions with administrative functions should be carried out with innovation, it stressed. The reform of these institutions should inject vitality into the market and society by improving their service and streamlining their structure, according to the statement. The operation of these institutions should be standardized and their administrative efficiency should be enhanced, it added. The statement said the associations for science and technology should be reformed into bodies under the leadership of the CPC which act as a platform to unite scientific workers. The meeting also stressed the significance of clarifying leading officials' responsibilities in comprehensive management of public security. Meanwhile, the management of police support staff should be further standardized with better job security and rules, it added. Xi reshuffles military headquarters Updated: 2016-01-12 08:11 By Zhao Lei and Wang Qingyun(China Daily) President urges new agencies to improve PLA's combat capability and readiness China has reshuffled its top armed forces agency, the Central Military Commission, as President Xi Jinping accelerates the massive, multilevel reform of the People's Liberation Army. The previous four military headquarters - staff, politics, logistics and armaments - were dismantled and their functions and duties are now shared by 15 new agencies under the Central Military Commission. When meeting leaders of these new agencies on Monday morning, Xi, also chairman of the Central Military Commission, said the rearrangement of the commission itself has basically concluded, describing the move as "a breakthrough" and "a crucial step" toward a stronger military. Military leaders need to sharpen their political alertness and become better at discerning right and wrong in political matters, Xi added. Xi urged military leaders to "frequently, actively and resolutely" align their direction with the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the CMC. Xi asked military leaders to always firmly support their authority and staunchly follow their command. He urged the new organs to focus on improving the PLA's combat capability and readiness so it can win modern warfare. CMC organs must measure their work by the only fundamental standard of whether troops' fighting abilities can be improved, said Xi. Commanders have been asked to spend more time studying and researching important military issues. The president said PLA leaders should solicit and take into consideration opinions from lower-level units and service members when they make decisions. He also ordered the military to reduce the number of meetings, events and paperwork, as well as awards. Colonel Wu Qian, a Defense Ministry spokesman, said at a news conference on Monday night that the reshuffle of the Central Military Commission will help it to improve management of the PLA, enable its organs to better carry out responsibilities, and facilitate with scrutiny and supervision how authorities execute powers. Wu said the establishment of a training management department will enable the PLA to better organize and coordinate its drills. He noted that the newly formed discipline watchdog will dispatch inspectors to all agencies under the Central Military Commission and all regional military commands. The reshuffle announced on Monday is the latest step Xi has taken to overhaul the Chinese military, which the president began in September when he announced that China would cut the number of troops by 300,000. Less than two weeks ago, Xi announced the establishment of the PLA Army Headquarters, the PLA Rocket Force and the PLA Strategic Support Force. In late November, a plenary session of the Central Military Commission presided over by Xi released an overall plan of this round of military reforms that many experts have described as unprecedented since 1985, when the late leader Deng Xiaoping cut PLA troops by about one million. Contact the writers at zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn Xinhua contributed to this story. (China Daily 01/12/2016 page1) A is for austria Updated: 2016-01-12 08:00 By Mike Peters(China Daily USA) A recent addition to Beijing's Nali Patio food scene hits its stride with elegant takes on traditional fare, Mike Peters reports. Recent visits to Tafelspitz have seen the Beijing restaurant's upscale aspirations ride the waves of recent holidays. Roast goose for St. Martin's Day in early November. Chicken Breast Cordon Bleu for Christmas. Grilled Angus beef sirloin with potato gratin and brandy sauce for New Year's. Such menu highlights, however, barely begin to explain the riddles of the capital's new Austrian temple of haute cuisine. For starters, what does the word tafelspitz mean? It actually sounds pretty ordinary: boiled beef. That may sound like grub for a pub - something to whip up for the gang playing darts once they're too drunk to care. But saying Tafelspitz serves boiled beef is like saying Mozart wrote a few good tunes. The beef is tender and rich with flavor, top-dressed with shavings of carrot and leek, and underscored with a few notes of herbs and spices - a little symphony of simplicity. Pan-fried potatoes with bacon, bone marrow and a rich consomme complete the picture, flanked by tiny copper pots of addendums: pureed spinach, applesauce and some delicate but satisfying horseradish. How Austrian cuisine landed in the Spanish-flavored enclave of Nali Patio is another mystery. There are other non-Latin food venues here, however, and Tafelspitz fits right in with fine-dining standouts like Mosto and Agua without stooping to parody like the now shuttered Parnas. It's no cheap date, though lunch set menus offer a good sampling for those of us not on expense accounts. Chef Alfred Krasser's many gifts include an astute way with bacon. I know what you're thinking: Any fool with an apron can make food taste better by adding bacon. Krassner's touch is delicate to the point of near-invisibility (this may be why Europeans call bacon "speck"). Bacon also breathes a layer of yumminess into a celery-cream soup we'd almost skipped. Similarly, the flavors of a holiday-season pork neck with cumin and garlic hit diners like a fugue, not a fist. Subtlety may be what sets the cuisine of Austria apart from Germany's. At least as it's practiced abroad, German cuisine tends to be boisterous: lots of oom-pah and sausage, a year-round Oktoberfest that just comes with better music and special beer when the calendar agrees it's October. Austrians, with a very parallel culture, are less in your face about it. Instead of fighting the urge to pull on some lederhosen and dance, diners at Tafelspitz will suddenly realize they've been nodding gently to the strains of The Blue Danube, another cultural icon but so discreet that it avoids being a cliche. "The cuisine is a style of cuisine native to Austria and composed of influences from throughout the former Austro-Hungarian Empire," says partner and front man Walter Lampersberger. "Regional influences from Italy, Hungary, Bohemia, Germany and the Balkans have had a profound effect," he adds, so although the country's food is most often associated with Vienna, a fusion of styles has greatly shaped what Austrian cuisine is today. At Tafelspitz, beef goes beyond the beautifully executed namesake dish. A boiled-beef carpaccio with quail egg and pickled mushroom was intriguing; that cold starter has evolved into a "new style" carpaccio, in which the shaved beef is presented with chanterelle mushrooms, mountain cheese and bitter-edged arugula, a definite hit at our table. In the sometimes-available beef tartare, the nibbles of spiced ground raw beef come with quail egg, garlic bread and nicely briny accountrements, gherkin, capers, onion and mushrooms. You can't go wrong with the basics here: roast pork tenderloin with polenta, porcini essence with griessknockerl (semolina dumpling) or the schlutzkrapfen, bright green Austrian-style ravioli bursting with cheese. Overall, the decor is Spartan-chic: parquet floors, white tablecloths, gray accents, Egon Schiele prints. Lampersberger's genial hosting keeps the elegant formality from turning frigid, and the pleasant staff has shed some of the buttoned-up jitteriness that made service in the early days a little too attentive. Another solid sign of serious hospitality training: Our waiters are well-versed on the all-Austrian wine list, where you'll find some stellar and unusual whites and an occasional surprising red. Pastry seems to be an Austrian gene, so it's no surprise that desserts are stars here. Strudel, the baked sheath of seasonal apples and winter-warming cinnamon, arrives on a recent visit with a splash of Oma's (Grandmother's) Secret Strawberry Sauce, a rosy delight we liked much better than the colorful but out-of-place kiwi drizzle the kitchen had favored earlier. Not so Austrian but the in-demand chocolate dessert of the moment, a rich lava cake pleases with its accompanying flourishes of pumpkin parfait and raspberry sauce. If that's your closing sweet of choice, Lampersberger is likely to appear at your elbow and suggest matching that with his Marielle apricot liqueur. Don't hesitate for a moment. Contact the writer at michaelpeters@chinadaily.com.cn Clockwise from top left: The kitchen takes quality ingredients -Australian beef, jumbo king prawn and scallop, proscuitto, mussels and potato gratin - and converts them into edible art.Photos Provided To China Daily (China Daily USA 01/12/2016 page9) Belgian chocolatier goes 'bean-to-bar' for best taste Updated: 2016-01-12 10:01 By Marine Laouchez(China Daily) Belgium chocolatier Benoit Nihant with chocolate stars made with cocoa beans in Awans.[Photo/ Agencies] Chuao, Baracoa, Hacienda Rio Peripa: When it comes to cocoa beans, it turns out there are vintages just like there are for fine wines, says Belgian chocolate maker Benoit Nihant. Ina country where chocolate is a source of national pride, Nihant is one of around a dozen "bean-to-bar" makers who go direct to the source in Africa, the Americas and Asia to get the best possible taste. And it is the Chuao plantation on Venezuela's Caribbean coast, where the beans dry beneath the sun in the village square before a blue and yellow church, that produces the finest chocolate in the world, experts say. The select group including Nihant and his fellow Belgian Pierre Marcolini are now trying to transform the often traditional world of chocolate making by mastering the process from the bean harvest to the creation of elaborate confections. "It took us three or four years to really master, to understand the impact of the work on the plantations on the chocolate itself," says the 41-year-old Nihant at his shop in Awans, near Liege in southern Belgium. After starting out as an iron and steel engineer in the Belgian rust-belt, Nihant says he had a revelation just before he turned 30. "I suddenly realized that I hadn't chosen my career, my destiny," he says. "I really wanted to create something, and to live my passion on a daily basis." That passion was chocolate, accounting for the attention to detail that now informs his work. "Good chocolate is made with love. Good chocolate is made with beans which come from a small plantation, which have been chosen and not mixed with the harvest from a neighboring plantation," he explains. "It's chocolate where the grower is aware of what the chocolatier wants and respects all the steps of fermentation and drying without taking shortcuts." Most of the world's major chocolate makers buy their chocolate ready-made from a small group of multinational firms which mix beans from different sources for a more consistent taste. But for his chocolate, Nihant has hand-picked nine plantations after a series of journeys, in Venezuela, Ecuador, Cuba, Madagascar and Bali in Indonesia. Soon he hopes to source beans from Peru, where he recently bought land. He imports 25 tons of beans a year in a country that produces a massive 650,000 tons of chocolate a year, mostly by big brands including Godiva, Leonidas and Neuhaus. Going direct to the source does not come cheap, though. He buys his beans for between six and 12 euros ($6.50 to $13) per kilogram, whereas ready-made chocolate is sold to manufacturers for 3.50 euros per kilo. Chocolate fans pay the price in the end for their pleasure: a 50-gram (nearly 2-ounce) Benoit Nihant bar costs between 4.20 euros and 7.20 euros. Chinese hoverboard maker sued over patent Updated: 2016-01-12 12:27 By Lia Zhu in San Francisco(China Daily USA) A patent infringement case over a hoverboard has been thrown into the spotlight following a US federal marshals raid on a Chinese company's booth at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Jan 7. The marshals confiscated the products on display, as well as signs and fliers promoting the products from Changzhou First International Trade Co, because it is accused of infringing on two US patents issued to Future Motion Inc, a Santa Cruz, California-based startup, in Aug 2015 and Jan 2016. Future Motion filed a patent infringement action and an emergency motion for injunctive relief in US District Court in Nevada on Jan 5, a day before the CES started. It obtained a temporary restraining order preventing the exhibition of the allegedly infringing products at CES. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday, but it might be delayed so the defendant's lawyer has more time to study the case, according to Shawn Kolitch, an attorney representing Future Motion. "Future Motion believes strongly in intellectual property rights. They believe they invented this product and even this category of the products, and they are planning to continue to enforce their rights aggressively when they need to do that," Kolitch told China Daily by phone. The "Onewheel" skateboard by Future Motion is a self-balancing electric vehicle comprised of a board and wheel, and a motor controller configured to receive orientation information from sensors. It sells for $1,499 on the company's website. The "Surfing Electric Scooter" produced by Changzhou First International Trade looks similar to Onewheel and sells for $550 on Alibaba. "We have information from their Alibaba website that the defendant has sold at least $75,000 worth of the infringing units," said Kolitch, According to the complaint, Future Motion demands Changzhou deliver all the articles and associated packaging and advertisements for destruction, and pay the damages that it has suffered as well as the total profits Changzhou has received from the sale of the infringing products. Kolitch said they couldn't determine the damages because they won't know how many of the units the defendant had sold until more information is obtained about the defendant's activities. Changzhou First International Trade Co could not be reached for comment. liazhu@chinadailyusa.com Wright brothers plane replicas head to China Updated: 2016-01-12 10:59 By Jack Freifelder in New York(China Daily USA) Two complete sets of replicas of the Wright brothers' earliest airplanes are headed for museums in China. Wright Brothers USA LLC, which handles the trademark, said that replicated planes and equipment have been sold to the Beijing Hangcheng International Investment Co, according to the Dayton Daily News. The specifics of the deal were not disclosed, but David Lightle, CEO of Wright Brothers USA, said the transaction could net "close to seven figures each," adding that China's appreciation for the history of aviation served as an impetus for the sale. The Chinese client is recreating a "birthplace of aviation" exhibit similar to one that appeared in Dayton for the 100th anniversary of the first successful flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, according to Lightle. The first set of replicas will be transported to China this month, with a tour of major Chinese cities to follow, according to The Associated Press. The second set will arrive in 2017. Wright Brothers Aeroplane Co, a Dayton, Ohio-based firm, will build the replicas, the report said. Nick Engler, a member of the Wright Aeroplane Co, told the Daily News that the replicas are real airplanes. "We went to Kitty Hawk and flew them," Engler said. The museums, which are located in Xi'an, Shaanxi province and Chengdu, Sichuan province, will have the planes and early aviation equipment on permanent display. "It will place Dayton's history squarely in the heart of China's most populous regions," Lightle said. "They believe in the added value of having these [replicas] originate in Dayton." The Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville, began their careers as entrepreneurs who owned a print shop in Dayton. After opening a series of bicycle shops, the Wrights turned their focus to fixed-wing, self-propelled flight and ultimately invented the airplane, according to the Wright Brothers USA webpage. In December 1903, at Kill Devil Hills on the outer banks of North Carolina, the pair successfully flew their airplane for the first time. Nearly two years later, in Dayton, the brothers debuted a plane that could take off, fly for nearly an hour, and land again. The 1905 Flyer event "marked the true advent of practical flight," the website says. The Wright brothers received the patent for the first flying machine a year later in May 1906. jackfreifelder@chindailyusa.com China helps LA get to record 45.5m visits Updated: 2016-01-12 12:27 By Heng Weili in New York(China Daily USA) The Chinese are saying hello to Hollywood more. Visits from Chinese tourists helped Los Angeles set a record of 45.5 million visitors in 2015, according to the city and the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board (L.A. Tourism). China was the most vibrant market supporting international visitation with a year-over-year increase of 13.6 percent to 779,000 visitors to become the city's No. 2 international market behind Mexico. South Korea also was a strong contributor, with more than 282,000 visitors, an increase of 11 percent. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and L.A. Tourism President and CEO Ernest Wooden Jr on Monday announced that the city saw a 2.8 percent increase in visitors over 2014 levels, breaking records for the fifth year in a row. "Los Angeles is a place where the world comes together for cultural experiences and celebrated attractions that cannot be found anywhere else," Garcetti said. "Our city keeps setting records in the tourism sector because we are investing billions at our airport, in mass transit, and other assets that are making L.A. more exciting and accessible than ever. The sky's the limit." "With double-digit visitation growth forecasted for at least the next two years, China is one of the most important tourism markets for L.A. and plays a significant role in our goal of attracting 50 million visitors by 2020," Wooden told China Daily. While maintaining its rank as L.A.'s top overseas tourism market, China has moved past Canada to become the No. 2 international market for the first time. In less than a decade, Chinese visitation to L.A. has jumped 523 percent. The city has seen six consecutive years of double-digit growth in Chinese visitation, according to L.A. Tourism. Los Angeles became the first US city to develop and launch a "China-Ready" designation program to help tourism businesses serve Chinese visitors in 2014. More than 150 businesses from hotels and attractions to shopping outlets and transportation services are participating in the program. Air service continues to expand and grow between China and L.A. In 2015, airline capacity grew by 32 percent compared with the previous year, representing an average of 17,000 nonstop weekly seats between China and California's largest city. Spain's Princess Cristina stands trial on tax fraud charges Updated: 2016-01-12 09:44 (Agencies) Spain's Princess Cristina (R) and husband Inaki Urdangarin leave court after appearing on charges of tax fraud in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, January 11, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] PALMA DE MALLORCA, Spain - Spain's Princess Cristina appeared in court on Monday on charges of tax fraud, the first member of the royal family to stand in the dock, as a lengthy investigation into her husband's business affairs finally went to trial. King Felipe's 50-year-old sister is one of 18 people on trial after a six-year investigation into the Noos Foundation, a charity run by her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, that prosecutors say was used to embezzle millions of euros in public funds. Details of the investigation into the royal family emerged during the economic crisis when Spain was grappling with record unemployment and austerity and tapped into popular disgust at cases of high-level corruption among bankers and politicians. Cristina arrived with her husband at the Mallorcan court to be greeted by a barrage of TV and press cameras. Dressed simply in a grey trouser suit, she sat motionless in the court room fronted by a framed photo of King Felipe while the accusations were read out. Her lawyers asked judges to drop the criminal charges against her as state prosecutors had previously said there was insufficient evidence to back up the accusations. The charges were filed by the 'Clean Hands' anti-corruption organization using a Spanish legal instrument known as the 'people's accusation'. The Spanish legal system is under pressure to get tough on corruption after a string of graft cases involving the establishment from the main political parties to bankers like former International Monetary Fund (IMF) head Rodrigo Rato. "The law must be equal for all," said newspaper El Pais on Monday in an editorial which said the fact the probe had come to trial showed the legal system worked, albeit at a slow pace. UN says aid convoy reaches Syria's Madaya, urges access to besieged areas Updated: 2016-01-12 09:56 (Xinhua) People gather on the street in the town of Madaya, north of the capital Damascus, Syria, Jan 11, 2016. Trucks carrying relief aid started entering three besieged Syrian towns on Monday as part of a deal concluded recently between the government and rebels to alleviate the suffering of thousands of starved people. [Photo/Xinhua] UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations relief wing said on Monday that the inter-agency humanitarian convoy carrying life-saving items have reached the town of Madaya in Syria, while calling on parties to the conflict to facilitate unimpeded access to all people in besieged areas. The first trucks of the convoy are offloading health, nutrition and food supplies; at the same time, trucks left Damascus for Kafraya and Foah, two other towns also in desperate need of aid, according to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Yacoub el Hillo, UN humanitarian coordinator in Syria, called on all parties to the conflict to facilitate sustained and unimpeded access to about 4.5 million people living in besieged and hard-to-reach areas across Syria, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a daily briefing. Rebels against the Syrian government are in control of Madaya, north of the capital Damascus. More than 40,000 people are trapped in the town due to the government siege which is similar to what the rebels in Idlib have done to Kafraya and Foah, two Shiite towns loyal to the government. Last week, the Syrian government has agreed to allow in a aid convoy to Madaya. The rebels besieging Kafraya and Foah have also agreed to the entry of food convoys to the two towns. According to the United Nations, it has received credible reports of people dying from starvation or being killed while trying to leave. The ongoing Syrian conflict continues to hamper the humanitarian response, while freedom of movement is restricted by the presence of armed actors and landmines. Dujarric also said that the Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura concluded his current round of regional consultations on Sunday with meetings in Tehran, Iran to facilitate the holding of the Geneva talks for political resolution of the current conflict. "He looks forward to the International Syria Support Group and the Security Council continuing to provide serious and consistent engagement, in order to ensure the beginning, on Jan. 25, of genuine political discussions aimed at resolving the Syrian crisis," said Dujarric. Geneva has been the venue for two previous rounds of the UN-mediated Syria peace talks between representatives of the Syrian government and opposition, but the talks have failed to yield any significant results. Egypt's new parliamentary speaker welcomed by China Updated: 2016-01-12 21:31 (chinadaily.com.cn) China welcomes the election of a new speaker of the Egyptian parliament, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Tuesday. Egypt's new parliament convened for the first time and elected Ali Abdel-Al as its speaker on Sunday. "China welcomes and congratulates the establishment of the new Egyptian parliament and the election of a new speaker in its first plenary session, which is an indication of a smooth conclusion of Egypt's political transition," said Hong. China, which enjoys "traditional friendship" with Egypt, supports the latter's exploration of a development path that suits its national conditions and its efforts to maintain stability, develop economy and improve people's lives, said Hong. Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page. Loading... Checking your browser before accessing the website. This process is automatic. Your browser will redirect to your requested content shortly. Please wait a few seconds. California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency Wednesday for the Porter Ranch area in the wake of the ongoing gas leak from a facility in Aliso Viejo in Southern California.The massive leak from a Southern California Gas Company facility began in October and has prompted the relocation of thousands of households from the area. Complaints of headaches, nausea and other ailments have been widespread. Students have also been reassigned from schools in the area to other Los Angeles Unified School District campuses until a relief well can be completed and the problem mitigated. The governor met with residents and toured the gas facility Monday. "Today's proclamation builds on months of regulatory and oversight actions from seven state agencies mobilized to protect public health, oversee Southern California Gas Company's actions to stop the leak, track methane emissions, ensure worker safety, safeguard energy reliability and address any other problems stemming from the leak," reads a statement from the governor's office. The state of emergency means "all state agencies will utilize state personnel, equipment, and facilities to ensure a continuous and thorough state response to this incident. The Governor's Office of Emergency Services will also provide frequent and timely updates to residents affected by the natural gas leak and the appropriate local officials, including convening community meetings in the coming weeks." Residents have complained they were not being provided with enough information from SoCal Gas in the wake of the leak, including potential health hazards and a realistic timeline for when it can be stopped. According to Brown's statement, the state will take the following steps: Stopping the Leak: All necessary and viable actions will be taken to ensure Southern California Gas Company: maximizes daily withdrawals of natural gas from the Aliso Canyon Storage Facility for use or storage elsewhere; captures leaking gas and odorants while relief wells are being completed; and identifies how it will stop the gas leak if relief wells fail to seal the leaking well, or if the existing leak worsens. Protecting Public Health and Safety: The state will: continue its prohibition against Southern California Gas Company injecting any gas into the Aliso Canyon Storage Facility until a comprehensive review of the safety of the storage wells and the air quality of the surrounding community utilizing independent experts is completed; expand its real-time monitoring of emissions in the community; convene an independent panel of scientific and medical experts to review public health concerns; and take all actions necessary to ensure the continued reliability of natural gas and electricity supplies in the coming months. Ensuring Accountability: The California Public Utilities Commission will ensure that Southern California Gas Company covers costs related to the natural gas leak and its response, while protecting ratepayers; and the state will develop a program to fully mitigate the leak's emissions of methane funded by the Southern California Gas Company. I have a very similar kitchen stove exhaust fan like Monicas. In fact, I had one at my last home that I thought was so powerful it would su... Terrorist group praises Australias Israel position The Albanese Governments decision to no longer recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has been welcomed by listed terrorist organisation Hamas. Major announcement on Marinus Link Anthony Albanese was with Jeremy Rockliff in Tasmania on Wednesday to make a major announcement on new under-sea transmission cables to connect the Apple Isle with Victoria. Loud bang: Earthquake rattles town in Victorias north An earthquake has shaken a small Victorian town and is the latest blow for residents facing the threat of further flash flooding in the state's north. Coatsworth slams AMAs response to Medicare scandal Former Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Coatsworth says the survival of Medicare depends on "us cleaning up our own act" following allegations of the public system wasting billions of dollars. High court may scrap union fees WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court appears ready to deliver a major setback to American unions as it considers scrapping a four-decade precedent that lets public-sector labor organizations collect fees from workers who decline to join. During more than an hour of arguments Monday, the courts conservative justices seemed likely to side with a group of California teachers who say mandatory fees violate the free-speech rights of workers who disagree with union positions. Labor officials fear unions very existence could be threatened if workers are allowed to get all the benefits of representation without at least paying fees to cover the costs of collective bargaining. The case affects more than 5 million workers in 23 states and Washington, D.C. But Justice Anthony Kennedy rejected arguments by lawyers for the state of California and the California Teachers Association the current fee system is needed to prevent non-members from becoming free riders workers who reap the rewards of bargaining and grievance procedures without paying for it. The union basically is making these teachers compelled riders for issues on which they strongly disagree, Kennedy said, noting the political nature of bargaining issues like teacher salaries, merit promotions and class size. Hawaii eyes huts to help the homeless HONOLULU (AP) Hawaii lawmakers are considering a unique solution to the housing crisis: They want to make it possible for people to live in traditional Hawaiian grass huts. Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland said Monday shes introducing a bill in the state Legislatures upcoming session that would let officials set aside land to build Native Hawaiian thatched homes. Proponents say traditional huts are cheaper and more environmentally friendly than other types of housing. Critics say living in traditional grass huts could pose safety hazards. Judge reduces bond for affluenza mom FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) The mother of a Texas teenager who used an affluenza defense for a deadly wreck could soon leave jail after a judge on Monday sharply reduced her bond. Tonya Couchs bond is now $75,000 instead of $1 million. The 48-year-old is charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon after she and her son, Ethan Couch, were caught in a Mexican resort city. Ethan, 18, killed four people in a 2013 crash and was facing allegations that he violated his probation. If Tonya Couch makes bail, she will be required to wear an electronic ankle monitor and remain at the home of her 29-year-old son Steven McWilliams, except for appointments with her doctor and lawyer. Playboy Mansion for sale, with Hef LOS ANGELES (AP) For $200 million, the Playboy Mansion, where risque parties have raged for decades, could be yours. But you might want to think twice if youre aiming to close escrow on the famous property that went on the market Monday and move in quickly, since Playboy Magazine founder and party master Hugh Hefner has often said he will never live anywhere else. A condition on the sale would be that Mr. Hefner be able to continue to work and live in the residence, Playboy spokesman John Vlautin said. Negotiations between the seller and buyer would determine whether the 89-year-old playboy stays for free or rents the place back. Nineteenth in a series of stories highlighting the 2015 20 Under 40 recipients. WATERLOO Whether on the job or in a volunteer capacity, Katy Susong has developed a well-rounded resume. Professionally, she is a marketing coordinator for Waterloo-based Cardinal Construction Inc. But she brings much more than marketing expertise to her job, said Gene Leonhart and Jon Mixdorf, the companys CEO and president, respectively. Leonhart and Mixdorf nominated their protege for The Couriers 20 Under 40 award. In her position at Cardinal Construction, she is responsible for all marketing, branding and identity management as well as event planning, business development and management of Cardinals online presence, Leonhart and Mixdorf said. Susong does much more, he said, including working closely with Mixdorf to serve as a liaison between the office and field management, providing human resource assistance, chairing the firms safety committee and providing vital input as a member of the technology committee, Leonhart and Mixdorf noted. Susong brings balance to her volunteer portfolio as well. She is an active member of the Junior League of Waterloo-Cedar Falls, serving as president of the organization in 2012-13. Susong also is a committee member, commissioner and past board president of the Friends of the Arts Center for the Waterloo Center for the Arts. Additionally, Susong is past alumni committee member of the Waterloo Community Schools Foundation and a board member of the Boys & Girls Club of the Cedar Valley. Back in the professional realm, Susong serves on the governing board of the Master Builders of Iowa having been nominated and selected by a voting group of her peers. Susong, along with husband Aram and their children, Samuel and Molly, are active members at Prairie Lakes Church. There, Katy serves as a First Impressions team member and greeter and in 2012-13 assisted as a Wee Kids classroom volunteer. Volunteering is central to success, Susong said. I believe I have been blessed in life, and because of that its really my responsibility to help others that maybe havent been as blessed as me, where I can use my skills just to (help) them, she said. Its something were called to do help others. Susong said she gets inspiration from her children, particularly 9-year-old Molly. I like to think the time that I spend doing the volunteer things that I do and continuing to try to further myself in my career is setting an example for her, Susong said. She can see that it is possible for a young woman to get involved, to be able to have a voice, particularly in my field, which is construction and which is not particularly a womens field, that you can still have a voice. Susong describes herself as introverted yet says its important to be a visible presence in the community. Its easy to stay in the background, but if you have the skills and personality to encourage others you need to get out there, she said. Im an introverted person, but Ive been challenged to kind of step outside the box. Stepping out of my comfort zone allows others to see its something they can do as well. DES MOINES | Hillary Clinton declined to pledge that as president she would not deport children brought to the U.S. illegally. And Bernie Sanders defended his 2005 vote in support of legislation that protected gun sellers from lawsuits brought forth from shootings. The front-runners for the Democratic nomination for president were pressed on the issues Monday evening on the Drake University campus during the Iowa Black & Brown Forum, which is described by organizers as the nations oldest minority issues forum. Clinton was pressed on whether she would pledge to not deport any children. Moderator Jorge Ramos asked Clinton if she would be the next deporter-in-chief, a reference to Latinos criticism of the deportation policies of President Barack Obamas administration. Clinton, who served as Obamas secretary of state, said that she would not offer a blanket deportation rule, and that each case should be determined individually. She did promise all immigrants would be guaranteed due process. Heres what I can promise everyone will get due process, Clinton said. We have to be sensitive and humane in the application of our laws. Clintons campaign has criticized Sanders 2005 gun legislation vote. Sanders was asked Monday night if the vote was a mistake. Its not a mistake. Like many pieces of legislation, its complicated, Sanders said. Sanders explained that he believes a gun seller who legally sold a firearm should not be held accountable for someone who uses that firearm in a crime. He did say sellers who sell many guns into high-crime areas should be prosecuted. Clinton and Sanders are in a tight race in Iowa, according to polls here. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll published this weekend showed Clinton leading Sanders, 48 percent to 45 percent, within the polls margin for error. Lagging far behind in single digits is Martin OMalley, who during Tuesday nights forum insisted he will still be a player in the Democratic race. I believe the people of Iowa have a way of sorting through things, OMalley said. I believe were going to surprise a lot of people on caucus night. Latino and black Iowans expressed skepticism with candidates and elected officials from both political parties during a roundtable discussion hosted by DREAM Iowa and held earlier Monday at a local church. And there was little love for the current administration, especially over those deportations. Claudia Thrane, an activist from Des Moines, said if candidates truly want to increase minority turnout they should do more to educate potential voters, not just on the issues but on the caucus process itself. She lamented campaigns that storm Iowa once every four years but do not invest in creating supporters within minority communities. If they really want the Latinos out to caucus, you need to educate the people. You cannot come and say, Oh, its a shame that its just 1,000 that are coming out. Well, do they know how to do it? Do they know about the system? Thrane said. If I have no education (on the caucuses), I just came here to work and I dont know anything about the system, dont come and tell me that its a shame. No. Its your job to educate me (on the caucuses). Thrane, who said her years of activism have left her skeptical of political promises, said investing in minority outreach could pay huge dividends in long-term support, but she feels campaigns fail to see that potential. They spend so much money on those campaigns. They should spend some money educating these kids, educating the people. They dont do it because they dont care, Thrane said. WEST UNION | A husband charged with abusing and terrorizing his wife in January 2015 will likely accept a plea deal in Fayette County. Craig Lenhart, 45, of Elgin, was scheduled to go to trial Jan. 21 in West Union. Instead, the court will hold a hearing Feb. 1, according to records. Authorities charged Lenhart with domestic abuse assault, an aggravated misdemeanor, and with interference with official acts involving a firearm and domestic abuse assault while displaying a weapon. The latter charges are felonies. Lenhart's arrest stemmed from an incident at his home on Filmore Road with his wife, Larene Lenhart. According to criminal complaints, Lenhart punched Larene in the side and face, splitting her lip and cracking a tooth. Lenhart also allegedly brandished a 9 mm handgun. Deputies told Lenhart to come out of the house but he refused, yelling and screaming at the officers. Lenhart also threatened to kill himself and any officers that tried to get into the residence, according to court documents. Officers with the West Union, Monona and Fayette police departments, Clayton County Sheriff's Office, Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa State Patrol also responded, and a standoff developed. Family members tried to persuade Lenhart to surrender. When he refused, Sheriff Marty Fisher went into the house alone. "I thought I could talk to him," Fisher said. The situation, however, unraveled, according to the sheriff. "He went for a gun, and I had to Taser him," Fisher said. Lenhart's parents posted $25,000 in cash for their son's bond, according to court records. Larene Lenhart later also asked the court to lift a no-contact order in place against her husband. In an affidavit filed Feb. 9, Larene Lenhart acknowledged her request was contrary to advice given by the Fayette County Attorney's Office. "Craig is an integral part of our family and is primary caregiver of our two children," Larene Lenhart wrote. One of the couple's children has special medical needs that require attention every three to four hours, Larene Lenhart added. After a hearing on the issue, Judge Margaret Lingreen did rescind the no-contact order, noting Larene Lenhart expressed no concerns about her or the children's safety. Lingreen, however, did order Lenhart evaluated for possible mental health and substance abuse issues. Lenhart is represented by attorney Nicholas Hay of Waukon. Hay in March filed a notice of intent to pursue a defense of intoxication. According to court records, Lenhart within weeks of the incident began receiving counseling and individual weekly treatment. WEST UNION Jonica Paris broke down Monday during a mans plea and sentencing hearing in a crash that resulted in her sons death. I knew this was happening today. I did not expect my heart to be shattered again, she said afterwards. Paris 20-year-old son, Branden Samuel of Wadena, was a passenger in Anthony Fogles pickup and died in the Nov. 1, 2014, crash. Another passenger, Louis Lumpkin of Oelwein, 21 at the time, was injured but survived. Fogle was also injured. In court Monday, Fogle, 19, of Independence admitted driving recklessly while drunk, pleading guilty to vehicular homicide and first-offense operating while intoxicated. Judge Richard Stochl, following terms of a plea deal, sentenced Fogle to serve up to 11 years in prison. Paris offered a victim-impact statement, explaining what the loss of Samuel meant to her. My son was my life. He was my protector, Paris said. His death produced anger and sleepless nights. Paris said she believes she is making more mistakes at work and also suffering in other ways. Ive lost a lot of friends because they dont know what to say to me or how to act around me, she added. My heart will never be whole again, Paris said. ... I miss his amazing smile, his love of life and his love of having fun. Everything changed after the crash, according to Paris. Since Branden died, we will never have normal, she said. This is why we have such severe laws about drunk driving, Stochl said to Fogle. A young man lost his life, and now youre going to prison. Assistant County Attorney Jay Villont spoke to Paris after Mondays hearing. I wish that I had words to help you through this. But I dont. My heart is with you and the family, he said. In court documents detailing the accident, Deputy Mike Everding reported Fogle intentionally drove a pickup into a ditch on a county road two miles west of Oelwein. After striking a driveway embankment, the truck went airborne and then rolled multiple times. Fogle and Samuel, who was in the front seat, were ejected through the windshield. Lumpkin, who was in a back seat, apparently remained in the vehicle. Deputies discovered empty beer cars and recovered a bottle of whiskey at the scene, according to Everding. Samuel died at the scene. Lumpkin and Fogle, though injured, were conscious, coherent and talking, according to Everding. They were taken to the hospital in Oelwein and later airlifted to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. Fogles blood alcohol level was .23 percent, according to Everdings affidavit. The legal threshold in Iowa .08. Boyd Novinger was killed in his Bedford home Saturday, Dec. 27, 1997. Novingers son-in-law and business partner, H. Keith Taylor, was first on scene and told officials he found his father-in-laws body the following Sunday afternoon. An autopsy concluded Novinger died from gunshot wounds to the chest. Novinger, a funeral director with the Novinger-Taylor Funeral Home in Bedford, had worked in the family-operated funeral home business for 50 years. He worked with his daughter, Christy, and her husband, Keith. In an email to Iowa Cold Cases dated June 8, 2012, Novingers daughter Christy said she still had many questions. Four different death certificates, she said, were issued in the six months following her fathers murder. The previous three times Hansens done the concert in Omaha, Milwaukee and St. Louis were with Waverly-Shell Rock, with one school to coordinate with. Managing it for Cedar Falls, however, brings with it new challenges. ROCKWELL | Multiple fire departments are responding to a fire at a building adjacent to a Rockwell church. The fire was reported about 7:38 a.m. at the building that housed the former Sacred Heart Catholic School, now the Sacred Heart Parish Center. It is located next to Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 305 Elm St. E. Flames were shooting out of the roof as firefighting crews arrived. They were using an aerial truck to fight the blaze. Personnel from Rockwell, Sheffield, Dougherty and Mason City were at the scene. DES MOINES | Gov. Terry Branstad urged state lawmakers Tuesday to take bold and courageous action this session to address water quality and criminal justice concerns while passing an austere budget that meets Iowas education, health care and training needs within tight fiscal constraints. Branstad, the longest-serving governor in U.S. history making his 22nd Condition of the State address, told members of Iowas 86th General Assembly they begin an election-year session that presents unique issues and opportunities which must be met with bipartisan solutions. When we work together, challenges are overcome, results are delivered and Iowans have a government that works for them, Branstad said in his televised address in the House chambers. When we fail to work together, challenges become steeper, results are fleeting and the government fails the very people we should be serving. The six-term Republican called for the split-control Legislature to bridge a festering urban-rural divide over water-quality concerns one that is eroding our path to prosperity -- by extending the state sales tax dedicated for school infrastructure but redirecting a share of future proceeds to address the environmental challenge. By extending the law set to expire 2029 for another 20 years and dedicating proceeds in excess of the first $10 million collected annually for school building needs to the environmental, Branstad said, schools will still be getting $20.7 billion for infrastructure otherwise funded by property taxes while $4.7 billion will be channeled to improving Iowa waterways. This is a monumental investment in both education funding and water quality and does it without raising taxes, Branstad told Republicans who control the Iowa House and Democrats who hold the Iowa Senates majority. Together we can forge a new path that will lead us to stable and predictable funding for school infrastructure and historic long-term protection for water quality, he added. Branstad praised lawmakers for work they have done in recent sessions to manage government finances, boost education funding, match job skills to technology-based workforce shortage areas and bolster renewable energy production. He urged them to continue Iowas progress in those areas with targeted initiatives going forward. Branstad also used the televised address to urge legislators to take a fresh look at Iowas criminal justice system to ensure that race does not play a role when punishing people who break Iowa laws. He called for action in all three branches of state government to improve criminal justice in Iowa based on recommendations made by a bipartisan working group he appointed to research justice policy reforms. Ensuring the fundamental fairness of our system is a worthy goal, the governor said, noting taxpayer dollars may be better spent on rehabilitation rather than incarceration. But a fairer and more equitable criminal justice system also aligns with the long-term interests of taxpayers who fund our criminal justice system. Iowa courts have become a leader in seeking to address significant racial disparities in criminal justice, Branstad said in applauding Judicial Branch reforms. He noted court officials also are working to implement recommendations such as improving the jury selection process to ensure racial diversity of jury panels and fair trials for all Iowans. The governor asked legislators to work with him to better protect children from human trafficking, combat domestic violence, revamp funding of drug and mental health courts, and keep confidential juvenile records for minor offenses with some judicial exceptions so young people arent haunted by a mistake that negatively affects future college, employment, housing and military opportunities. In unveiling his legislative agenda, Branstad also presented lawmakers with his fiscal 2017 budget framework that called for boosting funding for K-12 school districts by $145 million including a 2.45 percent increase in state aid for base budgets and the third year of funding for a teacher compensation and leadership initiatives. We should not over-promise and under-deliver, the governor said. The budget I propose today was crafted the same way hardworking Iowans do, with a cautious eye and optimism for the future, he added. It is a tight budget. It is a budget that will keep our state stable. The budget is balanced today and fits within our five-year projections. That approach requires that the state implement a privately managed Medicaid system designed to improve patient health, increase the coordination of services and control costs, Branstad said. Otherwise, he said, the growth of Medicaid spending will consume virtually all of the states revenue growth in the coming fiscal year. CEDAR RAPIDS The race for the top spot in Iowas Feb. 1 precinct caucuses is tight as a tick between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, according to a Quinnipiac University Poll completed Sunday night. Although 12 candidates are competing in the first-in-the-nation caucuses, it is essentially a two-man race between Trump and Cruz with the New York businessman leading the Texas senator 31 percent to 29 percent. Thats statistical dead heat, said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac poll. Minimum wage House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, told reporters Monday that raising the states minimum wage is not an issue that majority House Republicans are talking about this session. Gov. Terry Branstad told reporters he isnt promoting a raise either, but he would consider a modest increase if legislation made it to his desk this year. House Democratic Leader Mark Smith of Marshalltown says raising the minimum wage would ease the burden on working families during his opening-day floor speech. Homebuyer credit First-time home buyers in Iowa can reduce their tax bill by up to $2,000 annually with a tax credit announced Monday by Gov. Terry Branstad. Under the Take Credit program, eligible first-time home buyers may deduct 50 percent of their annual mortgage loan, up to $2,000 per year, for up to 30 years. Nearly 800 home buyers in Iowa are expected to benefit, state officials say. Education Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said his panel planned to pass a bill this year setting the increase in supplemental state aid to K-12 schools for the fiscal 2018 budget year. Quirmbach said Senate Democrats currently support a 4 percent boost in supplemental state aid to schools for fiscal 2017 but havent formulated their position on fiscal 2018. Senate control Taking back Republican control of the Iowa Senate was the top topic when GOP legislators gathered for a prayer breakfast before the start of the 2016 legislative session. If I were the Senate majority leader, Id be shaking in my boots because he can see the tidal wave coming his way, Gov. Terry Branstad said. Caucus challenge Iowa GOP chairman Jeff Kaufmann expressed confidence Monday Iowa could withstand challenges to keep its caucuses the kickoff event of the presidential selection process in 2020. He expects a new discussion to take place at the GOP National Convention in Ohio next summer. A lot of the states want what we have, he said. Iowa withstood a challenge from Texas over the weekend. DES MOINES Facing another tight budget, new House Appropriations Committee Chairman Pat Grassley is planning to do a line-by-line review of what he called the Legislatures annual Christmas tree bill. Grassley, R-New Hartford, expects a three-member appropriations subcommittee to begin working its way through the $3.46 billion catch-all appropriations bill lawmakers approved last spring, starting with funds budgeted for the Legislature itself. We know we have to find savings, so lets start with the low-hanging fruit, he said Monday. Democrats and Republicans are starting their scheduled 100-day legislative session about $127 million apart as they start crafting a state budget topping $7 billion. The standings bill includes K-12 school funding, but theres about $500 million in other appropriations, including property tax credits, for the subcommittee to examine. Based on the Revenue Estimating Conference projections, Grassley believes the Legislature will have $153 million in new revenue. Gov. Terry Branstad has proposed spending $145 million of that on education. Grassley has appointed his vice chairman, Rep. Ken Rizer, R-Cedar Rapids, to lead the review. If we dont have enough money for everything, we need to find where we can cut if we have to prioritize spending, Rizer said. So were going to start by reviewing the standing appropriations and ask What was the appropriation for? and What was the purpose? and Is it still needed? Rep. Chris Hall, D-Sioux City, ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, has worked on the standings bill for the past four years and he welcomes the review. Democrats will be glad to help, he said. Iowas budget process is honest and transparent, but its always important to review our budget and make sure were spending wisely. However, he warned the minority party is not interested if the review is a political maneuver by Republicans to cut spending on Democratic priorities or tax cuts that will result in underfunding state government. Rizers goal is to determine whether programs funded in the past are a good use of money and if theyre working. Rizer conceded a deep dive into the standings bill may seem pretty dull. Sometimes the sausage-making isnt sexy, but its important, he said. DES MOINES | Gov. Terry Branstad on Tuesday unveiled a $7.412 billion spending proposal for next fiscal year that would invest heavily in education and health care while holding most state government agencies at status-quo budgets and moving ahead with privately managed Medicaid services. The governor asked the split-control Legislature to pump an extra $146.8 million into K-12 education beginning July 1 and increase Medicaid funding by $41 million. Other budget areas that would be in line for more money included regent institutions, $8 million; community colleges, $3 million; the court system, $8 million mostly for judicial pay increases; college tuition grants, $1 million; and the legislative branch, $4 million. The budget I propose today was crafted the same way hardworking Iowans do, with a cautious eye and optimism for the future, Branstad told lawmakers during his Condition of the State address to a joint session of the 86th Iowa General Assembly. It is a tight budget, the governor added. It is a budget that will keep our state stable. The budget is balanced today and fits within our five-year projections. Branstads budget plan calls for a 3.3 percent increase in general fund spending that would draw about $35 million from surplus ending balances to fund his fiscal 2017 priorities. However, David Roederer, director of the state Department of Management, said budget-makers will be asked to provide $79 million in supplemental funds to cover a Medicaid shortfall and other costs in the current budget year that would lower next years overall boost to 2.3 percent if lawmakers authorize that spending. Rep. Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said he was anxious to dig into details of the governors spending plan, adding I dont think were as far apart as maybe we have been in the past with the governors office, with just preliminary conversations that weve had. Grassley and House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, were noncommittal on Branstads use of surplus money to balance the states fiscal 2017 general-fund ledger, noting House Republicans plan to live within an estimated $7.32 billion in ongoing revenue that allows for $153 million in spending growth in the next budget year. Its going to be a tough budget year, said Sen. Bob Dvorsky, D-Coralville, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. I think its going to be tougher than last year, but were going to have to look at it. Dvorsky said he believed the governor had identified some of the right priorities even if he didnt fund them at the level that Senate Democrats prefer. Roederer told reporters during a budget briefing that a federal decision to move back implementation of Iowas Medicaid modernization changeover to privately managed care until March 1 cost the state $17 million and will carry a $300,000 daily price tag if there are further delays. Branstad said the move to managed care is designed to improve patient health, increase the coordination of services and control costs by saving an estimated $100 million in fiscal 2017. Otherwise, he said, the growth of Medicaid spending will consume virtually all of the states revenue growth in the coming fiscal year. Branstads budget blueprint would direct 67 percent of next years spending growth to education with K-12 schools to receive $93.4 million via a proposed 2.45 percent increase in supplemental state aid to Iowas 333 public districts and $53.3 million in education reform money for a third year. Property tax credits get 14 percent of the new money, followed by human services at 12 percent and court services 7 percent, Roederer said. Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City, said she was glad the governor included money for schools but noted there are trust obstacles to overcome with legislative Democrats after last Julys veto of nearly $56 million in one-time money for K-12 schools. Due to last years debacle with the veto of the one-time money, that has created a real mistrust on the part of Democrats with any kind of proposals that are put out there, she said. Mascher also said she believed Iowa Medicaid recipients would be better served by an increased focus on prevention and better service delivery rather than the shift to privately managed care that has been a disaster in terms of the rollout. People saying this is a nightmare. We think it needs to be delayed for the rest of the year, Mascher added. We need to get a handle on this so we really do it right. There are so many vulnerable Iowans who are counting on us to make sure that happens. The governors budget plan did not include any money for salary adjustments, although state employees will receive pay hikes as prescribed by collective bargaining agreements and executive-branch departments again will be expected to make adjustments using attrition or other means to absorb any raises within their budget areas, he added. The budget plan presented Tuesday assumes the states cash reserve and economic emergency accounts will contain $738 million at the end of fiscal 2017 with a projected general fund ending balance of $112 million, according to Branstad administration budget documents. About 90 percent of state general-fund spending goes for K-12 school foundation aid ($3.1 billion), wages and benefits ($2.1 billion), and Medicaid ($1.3 billion). Roederer noted that the administrations budget asking seeks to couple the states tax code with federal changes (excluding business depreciation) for the 2016 tax year at a cost of about $49 million. The governor is not seeking to make tax coupling retroactive to the 2015 tax year, he added. The budget plan also calls for using about $65 million in Rebuild Iowas Infrastructure Fund (RIIF) money over five years to modernize the State Historical Building, beginning with $7.6 million next fiscal year. Branstad hopes to raise another $14 million privately to defray the projects overall cost of $79 million. WATERLOO A policy designed to keep council members from publicly talking about private information was put on the back burner for more discussion. Waterloo City Council members agreed unanimously Monday to table a policy that could have led to a public censure for any council member who revealed information discussed in a legally closed executive session. Council members initially voted 4-3 against tabling the policy indefinitely but eventually agreed after 40 minutes of debate to put it on hold until May. I dont have a problem with it, but I dont like it going through this way, said Councilman Ron Welper, citing the heavy opposition from some council members and the public. Councilman David Jones also supported the measure initially but agreed more discussion was warranted given the strong feelings it generated. I think it just adds clarity around whats expected in executive session, Jones said. I think it just clearly lays out that what happens in executive session stays in executive session. Iowa law allows city councils to hold closed door meetings for a variety of reasons, such as discussion of legal strategy in lawsuits, personnel issues where an employees reputation is at stake or how much the city may be willing to pay for property acquisition. But there is nothing in the law legally preventing a council member from disclosing such information upon leaving the closed session. Councilman Pat Morrissey has been researching the issue and developed a policy that spelled out the need to keep the discussion private and allowing a public reprimand of those who violate it. Former Mayor Buck Clark and former Councilwoman Carolyn Cole had said there were apparent instances of leaks in the past. This does not in any way impugn anybody, Morrissey said. This merely sets a policy that has not been anywhere that I have seen in the two years I have been on council. But Councilman Steve Schmitt called it offensive to infer council members would not be able to keep information confidential. Im very troubled by the idea that wed be putting this level of animosity or potential conflict among council members, Schmitt said. The potential here for he said, she said this thing just turning into a real witch hunt is great, and I dont see any benefit to it. Councilman Bruce Jacobs said the policy creates a culture where a council member may not even want to be in executive session for fear of being blamed for something and then be publicly censured. Several residents who regularly attend council meetings also spoke against it. This stuff reeks more of star chamber activity than it does of what we want of representative government in our city, said Randy Herod. MONTROSE (AP) Three people were found dead and one was injured in a mobile home fire in the southeast Iowa city of Montrose. The Lee County Sheriff's Department says firefighters on Monday afternoon found the mobile home engulfed in flames. Jacob Glen Russell, 33, escaped the fire with severe burns and wounds. He has been transferred to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Three others were found dead in the mobile home. The Iowa State Fire Marshal's office declined to release the names until relatives were notified and autopsies were complete. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. In a crime saga more bizarre than a Coen brothers movie, the oft-elusive Mexican druglord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman Loera was recaptured Saturday by Mexican Marines with an inadvertent assist from Hollywood. El Chapo (Shorty in Spanish; hes 5 feet, 6 inches) has twice escaped from alleged maximum-security Mexican prisons using ingenuity, engineering and bribery. Before that he evaded so many raids through back doors ABC News reported, U.S. officials have started to joke that theres no such word as surround in Spanish. Having turned down previous U.S. requests for extradition, Mexican authorities reportedly are open to having him tried here rather than risk further embarrassment. Guzman was labeled Public Enemy No. 1 by the Chicago Crime Commission. U.S. officials estimate his cartel is responsible for 80 percent of the drug trade there, employing as many as 150,000 people on the street, fueling the gang wars and gun violence that have saturated the city in blood. The Sinaloa cartel reportedly used some Mexican immigrants in the Chicago area to establish a foothold in the Midwest, then extended it into Milwaukee, Detroit, Cincinnati, Columbus, Washington D.C. and New York City. Guzman already has been indicted in San Diego on charges of importing cocaine and money laundering. We suspect El Chapo doesnt believe the final chapter in his saga has been written, but his desire for Hollywood to tell his story may have been his undoing. Mexican Attorney General Arely Gomez said Guzmans quest for a biographical movie led to communication with actors and producers, which formed a new line of investigation. Guzman established a social media correspondence with actress Kate del Castillo, who portrayed a drug kingpin in the Mexican TV series La Reina del Sur, after she tweeted for El Chapo to mend his ways, that she had more trust in the cartels than a corrupt government as if the cartels werent corrupting the government. Wouldnt it be cool, she wrote, that you started trafficking with love. She acted as an intermediary for actor/activist Sean Penn, who interviewed El Chapo for Rolling Stone in October at his mountain compound on his home turf in Sinaloa in northwestern Mexico. Guzman, Penn wrote, was interested in seeing the story of his life told on film, but would entrust its telling only to Kate. Penn established his bona fides by citing his relationships with Cuban dictator Raul Castro and the late Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez. Despite precautions taken by Penn and del Castillo, Mexican officials raided the compound after the actors left, but Guzman fled in a helicopter. Penns story posted online Saturday in Rolling Stone was a self-indulgent ode to obtaining the interview rather than offering insights into the drug trade. El Chapo loves his family; blame consumers, not suppliers, for drug trafficking. Penn seems to buy into that latter premise rather than traffickers preying on the weak and downtrodden. We are the consumers, and as such, we are complicit in every murder, and in every corruption of an institutions ability to protect the quality of life for citizens of Mexico and the United States that comes as a result of our insatiable appetite for illicit narcotics, he wrote. Guzman was the first drug kingpin to build tunnels between Tijuana and San Diego to funnel his products in 1989. That expertise paid dividends when he escaped from prison in July through a mile-long tunnel after sending engineers to Germany to study for three months. Their tunnel had a ventilation system, electric lights, arched ceilings and a getaway motorcycle that ran on rails, according to the New York Times. It also required inside assistance to get prison blueprints for the GPS coordinates of his cells shower, which led to the tunnel, and surveillance blind spots. Guzman previously escaped from a maximum-security prison in 2001 by hiding in a laundry cart. The bribes amounted to $2.4 million, and 71 prison officials were charged. Guzman, Penn wrote, is misunderstood: This simple man from a simple place, surrounded by the simple affections of his sons to their father, and his toward them, does not initially strike me as the big bad wolf of lore. His presence conjures questions of cultural complexity and context, of survivalists and capitalists, farmers and technocrats, clever entrepreneurs of every ilk, some say silver, and others lead. And most would say thats simply absurd. Penns potential biopic protagonist has wantonly trafficked in murder, misery and corruption. For the moment, at least, Guzman is where he needs to remain incarcerated and, we hope, not a candidate soon to be idealized on the big screen. Taking offense DARIN J. CAHOY SUMNER It is apparent being offended is the latest trend in our country. To that end Id like to share a few items that offend me. It offends me that our government ... Blames its citizens for the rise of ISIS. Does not allow me the same parameters to express my faith as it does Muslims. Spends my tax dollars in an attempt to control the climate. Essentially requires working Americans to pass a drug test, but not those who live off the governments programs. Cannot balance our checkbook. Advances class warfare to the point where profit is a bad term. Is the largest obstacle in American business today. Tries to explain to me more gun control will eliminate guns being in the hands of criminals. If this were true, why doesnt the United Nations pass global gun control laws which would, in turn, eliminate ISIS and military conflicts forever. Right? Trumps insults DAVID L. WEYLAND GILBERTVILLE Donald Trump, really? Is his childlike behavior viewed as presidential these days? Because he is a billionaire he feels he can insult people with impunity. He has insulted many people. As a veteran, the worst insult was what he said about John McCain. To ridicule a war hero and six-year prisoner of war by saying he is only a hero because he was captured. That insults anyone who was ever taken prisoner. All this from a person who never spent one day in the military. Never risked his luxurious life to defend this country. Now he wants to be in charge of the very troops he insults. He wants the power to send men and women to fight and die, so he has the freedom to insult more people. After he does his poll numbers go up, and more people think he is the only person who has the nerve to say what everyone is thinking. He is not politically correct. He is an egomaniac who will even further divide our country. Gun possession SHERRY MURPHY WATERLOO A hot topic today is possession of guns. It doesnt matter if its Blacksburg, Va., or Des Moines or any other city. Enough is enough when it comes to violence in this nation. I say thank God I dont carry (nor will I ever) a gun. Oregon standoff GARY KELLEY CEDAR FALLS Concerning the armed takeover of an Oregon wildlife refuge by a posse of cowboys who equate patriotism with anarchy The Great Hillbilly Rebellion of 2016 in the words of a recent Des Moines Register editorial: I find it ironic we Anglos are battling each other over land that was originally extorted from native inhabitants under the grand pretense of Manifest Destiny. How about we just return this real estate to its rightful owners, indigenous people of the region such as the Nez Perce? The descendants of Chief Joseph, a true American patriot with more intellect, courage and common sense than this entire army of occupiers combined. Advertisement By The Associated Press Jan. 06, 2016 | FRANKFORT, KY By The Associated Press Jan. 06, 2016 | 03:08 PM | FRANKFORT, KY Republican Gov. Matt Bevin has urged the state Senate to pass a law making it easier for some convicted felons to expunge their criminal records. The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce says Kentucky has more than 94,000 people who have been convicted of felonies that carry sentences of up to five years in prison. Once released, these people often have trouble getting accepted to colleges and finding work or housing because of their criminal record. The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives has passed the bill several times. But it has died in the Republican-controlled Senate. Bevin promised to sign the bill should it make it to his desk. Former Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear issued an executive order automatically restoring the voting rights of some nonviolent convicted felons. But Bevin suspended that order, calling it ``illegal.'' 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(12) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (4) Oct 29 (1) Oct 01 (1) Jul 29 (1) May 11 (1) Jul 11 (1) The life of erstwhile city slickers, now telecommuters in a remote log cabin raising chickens, ducks, rabbits, and bees, making beer and wine, and raising vegetables and berries. DRAWING PEOPLE from observation...in the studio and in the street. Other drawings on location can be found at: http://worksinprogress-location.blogspot.com/ I'm also a correspondent on Urban Sketchers, http://www.urbansketchers.org/ Copyright Virginia Hein 2009-2016 All Rights Reserved Youve got a decent hand. Youre sure of it, but you dont want to bet everything on it because you know the game and know that youll lose. What do you do? That depends in part upon how strong your hand is (or isnt). For example, if you have an ace low flush, you might be tempted to fold, knowing you probably wont make money betting with it. On the other hand, if you hold a pocket pair, you may have enough confidence in the strength of your hand to bet all-in, hoping for a full house or better. In order to get the most from your hand, you need to understand what the odds are against each possible outcome. Heres how you can figure out whether or not you should push your luck with a particular hand. The decision of the player to do the okbet login will provide him good return in the future. This is the platform that is considered as the reliable option. It provides the players with the high stake of the winning. Even a representative is there who will work to serve the people. The Value of A Pair Lets assume weve just dealt two cards and one player has three suited cards and another has four. If the first player bets, then hes going to win about half the time (assuming everyone else folds), so his expected return is 50 percent. The second player has a much tougher time. Hell have a good chance of winning only when he gets three of a kind, which happens 1/4th of the time. So he has a 25 percent chance of winning. When he makes the call, the third player has a 55 percent chance of winning. His expected return is 45 percent. Of course, if the first player loses, then the chances of the third player winning go way up about 80 percent. All of these percentages are based on the assumption that all players will fold. The value of the hand is calculated by taking the probability of winning times the amount you would win if you did win. This gives us a number between zero and 100. Well use $5 as our basic unit for calculating the value of the hands. If you had 10 chips and could choose any five, what would you pick? Well, wed obviously take the top hand, which is worth $50. The second best hand is a little bit worse $45 since youre giving up some equity for the opportunity to win more. So now lets calculate the value of the remaining hands. If the second player chooses a third card, his expected gain is $25, which represents the difference between the two hands. A fourth card increases the expectation to $30, while adding a fifth card drops it back down to $20. Since there are no sixth cards, the value of the hand is equal to the average of the five cards, which is $24.60. The value of a suit We can also figure out the value of a suit by looking at the value of each individual card within that suit. Lets say were dealing a standard deck of 52 cards. One person holds a KQ; the next person has a 7D; and the third has a 2S. Each person has a 20% chance of winning. What is the expected return of having this group of cards? Well, the KQ has a 5% chance of winning, the 7D has a 4% chance, and the 2S has a 3% chance. So the total expected return is 25%. The same logic applies to the other suits, where the probability of winning goes up as the value of the card decreases. For instance, the Aces have a 9% chance of winning, Kings have 8%, Queens have 7%, Jacks have 6%, and Tens have 5%. So the expected returns add up to 36%. Now lets add all of these numbers together to get an estimate of the value of a hand. Assuming that each hand was equally likely to come up, our total would be 60 percent. But we know thats wrong! Not every hand is created equal. It turns out that a royal flush beats the rest of the pack pretty consistently. So were going to adjust our calculations to reflect this fact. Royal Flushes So far, weve assumed that all of the cards were equally likely to come up. Actually, most poker players believe that Royal Flushes are extremely unlikely. In fact, many experts estimate their frequency at less than 0.1 percent. To account for this, lets increase the probability of winning for each card in a Royal Flush by 10 percent. Now when we calculate the value of a Royal Flush, well find that its actually worth 62.5 percent of what it used to be. The value of the cards in each rank will still add up to 100, but theyre now weighted differently. So what does this mean for you? Well, if you hold a Royal Flush, youre probably going to win about 75 percent of the time. And if you hold a hand like QJT, youll win about 75 percent of the time too. And if you hold a straight, youll win nearly 70 percent of the time. In short, the bigger your hand, the more likely you are to win. Of course, even though youre getting a higher hit rate, youll also tend to lose more often. So if you hold a straight, youre almost guaranteed to lose. But if you hold a Royal Flush, youre going to win about one-quarter of the time, and youll win about twice as much money. So youre almost certain to profit from such a hand, but youll also take a lot of losses. Now, I mentioned that youll lose money on any hand. In fact, youll lose money roughly half the time. So if you hold a straight, youll lose about 25 percent of the time. If you hold a flush, youll lose about 40 percent of the time. And if you hold a pair, youll lose 35 percent of the time. In addition, if you hold a set one of the two highest ranks youll lose 35 percent of the time. Finally, if you hold a high card in the lowest rank, youll lose 30 percent of the time. But the interesting thing is that youll lose less money on those losing hands than you do on winning hands. Why is that? Well, suppose you hold a straight. Theres a 65 percent chance youll win. But suppose you hold a pair instead. Theres a 65 percent chance youll win. But you lost on your last hand. So theres now a 75 percent chance that youll lose again. On the other hand, if you hold a straight and lose, theres still a 65 percent chance youll win again. So youre only losing about 15 percent of the time. This means that you can minimize your losses by playing only hands that are reasonably likely to win. So if you hold a straight, youll probably lose around 25 percent of the time. But if you hold a flush, youll probably lose around 40 percent of the time. And if you hold a pair, youll probably lose around 35 percent of the time. And if you hold a set, youll probably lose around 35 percent of the time. But if you hold a high card in the lowest rank, youll probably lose around 30 percent of the time. In summary, the higher the probability that youll win, the lower your loss percentage will be. And the lower the probability youll win, the higher your loss percentage will be. So the optimal strategy is to play only hands whose probability of winning exceeds your expected return. If you hold a straight, theres a 65 percent chance of winning, so youll lose around 25 percent of the time. If you hold a flush, theres a 65 percent chance of winning, so youll lose around 40 percent of the time. And if you hold a pair, theres a 65 percent chance of winning, so youll lose around 35 percent of the time. But if you hold a set, theres a 65 percent chance of winning, so youll lose around 35 percent of the time. And if you hold a high card in the lowest rank, theres a 65 percent chance of winning, so youll lose around 30 percent of the time. Of course, you shouldnt ignore your opponents actions entirely. You should always give them credit for being smart, making decisions, and doing whatever it takes to beat you. But just remember that youre being punished for having a decent hand. Jan 11, 2016 | By Kira Metal powders are proving to be the fastest-growing segment within the 3D printing materials market, and sales of metal 3D printers have been skyrocketing faster than, well, a 3D printed skyrocket component, however metal powders themselves still require significant improvements before they can be adopted as a mainstream manufacturing material in high-demand industries such as aerospace, medical, auto making and more. Hoping to become a 'disruptive supply source for the aerospace, medical, oil and gas, automotive, and defence sectors, among other industries', Canadian company Equispheres has developed a proprietary atomization reactor that produces more consistent, ultra-high-performance spherical metal powders, which allow for more precision and control in additive manufacturing and metal spray applications. Using this atomization technology, for which the Ottawa-based company has just filed a patent application, Equispheres plans to begin marketing its free-flowing, consistently sized, spherical metal powders for aerospace and defense applications in particular within the first quarter of 2016. We all know that metal 3D printing is ideal for advanced engineering and fabrication applicationsparticularly within the automotive and aerospace industriesas metal materials are significantly more robust, lightweight, and resistant to extreme heat. However, the problem with the majority of metal powders, which are for the most part produced via two fluid gas atomization processes, is that they often contain a variety of inconsistencies that can lead to defects within the finished, 3D printed part. For example, metal powders often turn out to be irregularly shaped and can have a wide size distribution. In other cases, they can contain agglomerate particles, or else they might not be fully dense. In any case, when you are producing an extremely high-value component such as a 3D printed rocket engine part, in which every microscopic detail can affect the entire mechanisms functionality, there is simply no room for error or inconsistencies. Equispheres patent-pending technology, on the other hand, promises to be better at producing free-flowing, uniform, monograin, agglomerate-free spherical metal powders, which, the company says, can bring improved control, flowability, and performance efficiencies throughout metal 3D printing processes and cold spray additive manufacturing (the latter is a coating deposition method for metals, polymers, ceramics and composite materials where the powder is not melted during the spraying process). Today marks a major milestone for Equispheres and our shareholders, said Kevin Nicholds, Equispheres president and CEO. With the successful commissioning of our first commercial atomization reactor, we have demonstrated our technology can successfully produce metal powders with superior performance characteristics compared to powders currently available in the marketplace. "Equispheres' metal powders enable us to better support the manufacturing needs of aerospace and other industries," added Nicholds. Based in Canadas capital city, Equispheres was just launched in 2015, however the companys engineers and directors seem to have a laser-like focus on this extremely high-demand area within metal manufacturing. The planned commissioning phase is expected to last roughly 90 days, after which point Equispheres will scale-up its production capacity to commercial quantities and begin marketing its unique, ultra-high-performance metal powders to partners in the aerospace industry for further testing and validation in additive manufacturing and metal spray applications. Posted in 3D Printing Materials Maybe you also like: Jan 12, 2016 | By Kira Were just two weeks into 2016, yet the holiday madness and New Year celebrations already seem months and months away. Perhaps not so much for Tinkerine Studios, however, the Canadian 3D printer manufacturer and 3D printing education resource, who is surely still in celebration mode. The company today announced record sales in 2015 of approximately $1,268,000 (unaudited)thats a 270% increase compared to the previous years total of $343,000. Each quarter in 2015 showed significant growth, with Q2 being the most dramatic: when compared to the same period in the previous year, sales in Q2 2015 jumped a full 532%. During Q4 2015, Tinkerine recorded sales of $349,000, a 263% increase over Q4 2014. According to the British Colombia-based company, these strongly encouraging sales numbers can be credited to an increasing demand for the Tinkerine Ditto Pro 3D printer, 3D printing filaments, and associated software downloads from its content sharing platform, TinkerineU. Tinkerine is known for pushing 3D printer education at all user-experience levels, and particularly within the educational sector with a focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Education, Arts and Mathematics) content. In addition to developing the user-friendly Ditto and Litto line of 3D printers, Tinkerine manufactures its own line of high purity 3D printing filaments, has its own 3D printing software, Tinkerine Suite, and the Tinkerine store is well-stocked with a variety of 3D printer supplies and accessories. For its part, TinkerineU features 3D printable projects, lesson plans, and comprehensive tutorials to help educators and users of all levels get hands-on learning and experience in 3D printing. "We are very pleased with the growth of Tinkerine in 2015 and the continuing interest from the education sector. Our team at Tinkerine is developing new relationships with members of the education community, with a focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Education, Arts and Mathematics) based education content, said Eguene Suyu, President and CEO. In addition to identifying and fostering new relationships, we are receiving new requests for methods to incorporate 3D printing into everyday activities. We are proud to give new users the opportunity to build up a foundation of skillsets in 3D printing, and will continue to develop new content for advancing educational content. I want to thank all shareholders and stakeholders for their support and look forward to delivering continued success and accelerated growth." Tinkerine recently applied for and received TXS Venture Exchange approval to re-price all of its 2,425,000 outstanding options to an exercise price of $0.075. As of December 31, 2015, the company had 42,638,349 shares outstanding, and no outstanding warrants during Q4 2015. In 2014, Tinkerine Studios was acquired by White Bear Resources in a reverse take-over transaction (RTO), and became a whole-owned subsidiary of White Bear, who has since then changed its name to Tinkerine Studios Ltd. As for its next steps, Tinkerine continued to add new dealers and distributors throughout Q4 2015, and expects to receive new orders from these partners during the first half of 2016. The Canadian company isnt the only one to have recorded record-breaking sales at the end of 2015. To name just a few, weve recently reported on Aleph Objects tripling its revenue thanks to sales of the LulzBot 3D printer line; Zortrax tripling sales of the M200 3D printer; and MarkForged experiencing a staggering revenue growth of 400%. Posted in 3D Printer Company Maybe you also like: Jan 12, 2016 | By Alec Over the past few years, it has become increasingly apparent that 3D printing technology and 3D imaging techniques can play an important role in complex surgeries. In academic hospitals all over the world, doctors are building 3D printable surgical models that can help them prepare for surgeries as best as they can. This was also necessary to save the life of the six-month old Teegan Lexcen from Minnesota. In dire need of heart surgery, doctors in the Nicklaus Childens Hospital in Miami turned to 3D printing but actually met a terrible setback. With Teegans life in grave danger, the 3D printer wasnt working. Fortunately, one of the doctors owned a Google Cardboard virtual reality headset and used its 3D imaging options to prep for the surgery. The story of Teegan is a nightmare for all parents. Born in August 2015 with just one lung and an incomplete heart, experts predicted that she would not live. In fact, doctors told parents Cassidy and Chad to just take her home to die in peace. But when she was still alive two months later, the parents instead got in touch with innovative pediatric surgeon Dr. Redmond Burke from the Nicklaus Childrens Hospital, who was willing to help after seeing images of Teegans heart. However, time was of the essence. Teegans twin sister Riley was growing steadily, but Teegan made absolutely no progress at all emphasizing just how poorly her heart was working. "I felt like we were racing against the clock," mom Cassidy told CNN. But the state of her heart necessitated some extreme surgery. During a meeting of cardiac doctors, it was determined that Teegan needed very invasive heart surgery, though none of the doctors present had ever seen such a particular situation. Burke therefore asked pediatric cardiologist Dr. Juan Carlos Muniz to make a 3D printed model of the heart, something that had helped before in Miami. But even those quality hospital 3D printers arent perfect, and the 3D printer was broken right during that crucial week. "Technology always goes on the fritz at the worst possible time," he lamented. However, the inventive doctors came up with a clever solution, as they were already working on 3D models of the heart in Sketchfab. After a discussing with Dr. David Ezon from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Muniz decided to give Virtual Reality a try something that is obviously already available in the Google Cardboard. As you probably know, the Google Cardboard is essentially a big cardboard set of goggles that costs around $20 and can hold your smartphone. Through an app, images can be seen and manipulated in 3D. Using this construction, the surgical team thoroughly planned the surgery just like they would otherwise have done with the help of 3D printed models. Crucially, it enabled them to intuitively manipulate the images and see it from all angles. The Google Cardboard enabled the surgeon to see that Teegan missed a ventricle (the left one, responsible for supplying blood to the rest of the body. "The right ventricle is the wimpier, weaker ventricle, and if ventricles could talk, it would say 'I can't do this. I'm not designed for this job,'" Burke said. In VR, Burke carefully studied how her one ventricle could be rerouted to take care of the extra work. This preparation made a huge difference, as Teegans unique heart is located on the left side of her chest and needed a so-called clamshell incision to reach it. While conventional heart surgery simply goes straight through the breastbone, this is a far more invasive operation. "It's massive trauma to a baby -- it's just horrendous," Burke said. "She was dwindling away. She'd been slowly dying for three months." Fortunately, through VR manipulation, even the surgical path could be carefully mapped and greatly increased the likelihood of success. Teegan went into surgery in early December, and the surgical team found that her heart looked exactly like they had seen in VR. "Sometimes that's what makes the difference between life and death," the surgeon said. The surgery proceeded without any complications and now, a month later, Teegan has been taken off the ventilator and is breathing manually. It is expected that she can make a full recovery and can go home in February. While we sometimes see 3D printed surgical models make these vital contributions, its good to see that a VR headset will be just as useful in a critical situation. Of course they are both expressions of next-gen 3D imaging technology, which is clearly going to play a more crucial medical role in the near future. "It was mind-blowing," says Cassidy Lexcen, the baby's mother. "To see this little cardboard box and a phone, and to think this is what saved our daughter's life." Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: Jan 12, 2016 | By Tess German candy brand Katjes, the company responsible for developing and presenting 3D printed wine gums at a Berlin cafe earlier in 2015, has now announced that they are partnering with Uruguayan 3D printing software company, Sur 3D, to develop their very own, easy-to-use software for designing their 3D printed gummies. Katjes 3D printed candy initiative, called The Magic Candy Factory, uses 3D design and printing technology to lets its clients create their own custom gummies by choosing their shape, color, and flavour. The gummies are then manufactured using a food safe 3D printer and a special quick drying gummy filament, making custom candies that are ready to eat. Katjes is one of Germanys leading candy manufacturers and the companys foray into 3D printed candy over the last year has certainly been successful. Beginning in August 2015, the company launched a beta version of their 3D printed Magic Candy Factory at a cafe in Berlin, which received rave reviews and lots of enthusiasm. Shortly after, in November of 2015, the company announced its launch of the second generation candy 3D printers which were made in collaboration with American 3D printer company Printrbot, and now, just months later, we can expect to see the launch of their new Magic Candy Factory software, which is being developed by Sur 3D. Uruguay based company Sur 3D was founded in 2013 by Alejandro Lozdziejski, a software engineer who has been working towards making 3D design and printing technology more accessible and easy-to-use. It was this aspect of the pioneering company that attracted Katjes and prompted the partnership. The software being designed by Sur 3D for the Magic Candy Factory is meant to facilitate the designing and 3D printing of Katjes 3D printed candy, making it increasingly accessible to everyone. Our job is to make things simple. We enjoy how sometimes people refer to our products as magical. Our real magic is to hide all the complexity so that our users could never imagine how complicated things were before, says Lozdziejski. Collaborations and partnerships have been vital to Katjes growing success in the 3D printed candy game. As Melissa Snover, Managing Director of Katjes Fassin UK Ltd., expresses, We have found the perfect partners for our mission. The development phase with both hardware and software companies has been great and has shown that were involved with true pioneers and excellent developers who are interested in the long-term future of the Magic Candy Factory. Were delighted that theyre on board and can help us take our dream of the Magic Candy Factory to an entirely new level. The fruits of the recent partnership, which follows Katjes already established hardware partnership with US based 3D printer company, Printrbot, will be showcased at this years ISM, the worlds largest confectionary and snack trade show, which runs from January 31 to February 3rd in Cologne, Germany. Posted in 3D Software Maybe you also like: Jan 12, 2016 | By Alec It is increasingly looking like NASA is betting it all on 3D printing. Over the past few years, the American space exploration giants have been green lighting and ordering 3D printing innovations for a wide range of products, and more often than not seem to do so with aerospace 3D printing specialists Aerojet Rocketdyne. And that trend seems to continue, as Aerojet Rocketdyne has now again been tapped for the final development of the MPS-130 CubeSat Modular Propulsion System that uses a green propellant. The MPS-130 is expected to be 3D printed, just like its MPS-120 predecessor. This new deal seems to be part of a long collaborative history between Aerojet Rocketdyne and NASA. Aerojet is a well-known aerospace innovator, that provides high quality design solutions for aerospace and defense clients, and are especially recognized as a world-renowned provider of propulsion and energetics solutions that extensively uses 3D printing. Just a few weeks ago, they signed a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to 3D print components for the RS-25 rocket engine. Just a few months before that, NASA conducted tests on 3D printed F-1 rocket engine parts built by Aerojet. In fact, weve been reporting on this partnership since 2013, when NASA and Aerojet first finished testing on a 3D printed rocket engine injector. In short, Aerojet Rocketdyne seems to be the company you need for 3D printed rocket propulsion systems, and they have also recently successfully tested the MPS-120, the first 3D printed hydrazine integrated propulsion system. At the time Julie Van Kleeck, vice president of Space Advanced Programs at Aerojet Rocketdyne, said that 3D printing technology was perfect for aerospace solutions. "Aerojet Rocketdyne continues to push the envelope with both the development and application of 3-D printed technologies, and this successful test opens a new paradigm of possibilities that is not constrained by the limits of traditional manufacturing techniques," she said. Through this new deal, it seems like the MPS-130 CubeSat propulsion system will be developed through the same principles. It is unusual in one respect, as it will be the first of its kind to use a green propellant (AF-M315E, to give its full name). Not only would this improve the capacity of in-space CubeSat capacities, but it also provides a safer, more efficient and higher performance alternative than traditional hydrazine propellants. "We're excited about this partnership with NASA to advance CubeSat propulsion with green propellants," Eileen Drake, the CEO of Aerojet Rocketdyne said in response to the deal. "There's no doubt it will open exciting new doors in the private and public sectors for those seeking to increase the capability of nanosats and operate them more affordably and efficiently, and with safer propellants." The idea is that the green propulsion system of the MPS-130 will give CubeSats and nanosats a lot more power, comparable to that of large satellites but then on a small scale. This would result in longer missions, higher resilience and more maneuvering options while in higher and lower orbits. Complex proximity operations and formation flying will also be enabled by this next-gen propulsion system. It will both primary propulsion and 3-axis control capabilities in a single package, and this has been designed for CubeSat customers needing significant V capabilities. For more on the MPS-130 specifications, go here. Aerojet was tapped for this development under the "Utilizing Public-Private Partnerships to Advance Tipping Point Technologies" program of NASA, which seems to take next-gen technologies like 3D printing into a commercially viable realm. As part of the deal, Aerojet Rocketdyne will deliver a fully integrated MPS-130 system featuring green propulsion for flight demonstration. They will also conduct development and validation testing as part of this deal. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: Jan 12, 2016 | By Benedict Czech Republic-based Innomia, a Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) specialist, has been using EOS additive manufacturing technology to help companies in the automobile supply chain to produce high quality components. A recent tool insert cooling system developed by the company, made using additive manufacturing techniques, has resulted in a 17% increase in productivity for Magna, a supplier to Skoda. Innomia has developed a range of production processes for injection-moulded plastic parts, many of which use 3D printed metal moulds for unparalleled detail and precision. Using DMLS to produce these moulds allows the company to create parts with virtually any external and internal shapeshapes which could not be formed using traditional manufacturing methods. Innomia has been working closely with automobile component supplier Magna, which supplies parts to Skoda, a major automobile manufacturer. A recent project involved manufacturing a central front armrest component for the Czech car brand, with a focus on optimizing the cooling of the mould. Cooling is extremely important in this area of production, since uniform dissipation of heat throughout the part helps to minimize distortion and improve overall quality of the component. Temperature control also helps to increase efficiency: If the heat is removed quickly, the component can be ejected sooner and its successor put in place faster. The previous version of the tool insert in question was made from beryllium-copper alloy, an extremely conductive metal. This component could only be cooled from one side, giving an uneven temperature distribution, which in turn produced distortion and low component quality. For this version of the insert, the cooling water had to be at 16C to absorb the large amount of thermal energy. The 120C temperature differential between the water and the mould caused increased humidity, which then caused corrosion. Intensive and expensive cleaning of the mould was required every one to two weeks to remove the rust. Seeing these problems Magna was facing, Innomia developed a new tool insert cooling system. The company used its additive manufacturing expertise to create conformal cooling channels within the insert, a feature that would have been impossible to produce using any other manufacturing technique. Innomia used the EOSINT M 270 system from EOS, opting for Maraging Steel 1.2709 powder. The diameter of the precisely 3D printed cooling channels was just 3mmdemonstrating the precision afforded by DMLS additive manufacturing techniques. With the new cooling system in place, the company was able to increase component hardness to over 50 HRc. The DMLS process enabled us to manufacture an extremely durable component, while at the same time successfully retain the proven advantages of AM in terms of design flexibility, said Lubos Rozkosny, CEO at Innomia. Thanks to the conformal cooling channels integrated into the component with optimum precision, we have inexpensively resolved the main challenge of the production process. The refined component now only requires water temperatures of 60C for sufficient cooling. The insert surface temperature does not surpass 90C and the minimized temperature differential has reduced energy consumption and all but cleared up the corrosion problems. Maintenance is now only necessary every five to six weeks. The production cycle is now also 17% faster than it was before the additively manufactured component was introduced. After 370,000 cycles, the company has saved around 20,000 euros. There is stiff competition in the European automobile industry, explained Pavel Strnadek, head of tool maintenance at Magna. That is why it is very important for us to be able to produce components to the highest quality standards at the lowest price. The issue of injection mould cooling was something that we have been trying to deal with for a long time. We knew how we wanted improved products to look, but realizing it was just not possible using conventional manufacturing methods. Additive manufacturing has allowed us to make the breakthrough and we are very happy with the results at every level. Maintenance, quality of the end product, costs, heat dissipationit has been the perfect project. The project undertaken by Innomia and Magna shows how additive manufacturing can be used at all levels of automobile production. Whilst many car manufacturers are showcasing 3D printed steering wheels, 3D printed seats and such like, small steps such as the introduction of DMLS-produced cooling systems are proving to be equally significant moments in the additive manufacturing revolution. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: Jennifer Oullette in Gizmodo: Excited rumors began circulating on Twitter this morning that a major experiment designed to hunt for gravitational wavesripples in the fabric of spacetime first predicted by Albert Einsteinhas observed them directly for the very first time. If confirmed, this would be one of the most significant physics discoveries of the last century. Move a large mass very suddenlyor have two massive objects suddenly collide, or a supernova explodeand you would create ripples in space-time, much like tossing a stone in a still pond. The more massive the object, the more it will churn the surrounding spacetime, and the stronger the gravitational waves it should produce. Einstein predicted their existence in his general theory of relativity back in 1915, but he thought it would never be possible to test that prediction. LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory) is one of several experiments designed to hunt for these elusive ripples, and with its latest upgrade to Advanced LIGO, completed last year, it has the best chance of doing so. In fact, it topped our list of physics stories to watch in 2016. More here. John Quaintance in The New Yorker: December 5, 1791 James Madison House of Representatives Dear James, How is it almost 1792?! Quick question on the right to bear arms thing in your Bill of Rightsthe wording and punctuation are slightly confusing. Did you mean that the right of the people serving in the militia to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, or people in general? Im assuming the former, but dont want to make an ass of you and me! (Franklin made that up, but Im using it everywhere!) Could you please send me a quick note whenever to clarify? TJ P.S. To be honest, Im still meh about Bill of Rights as a name. * * * December 7, 1791 Thomas Jefferson Office of the Secretary of State Dear Tom, I know, its so crazy how fast this year has goneI just got used to writing 1791 on my deeds of purchase (of slaves)! As far as the amendment, of course its the former. If every private citizen had the right to carry a musket, a thousand people wouldve shot Patrick Henry by now, am I right? Dont worry about it. Everyone will know what it means. JM P.S. Youre not back on The Ten Amendments are you? Its trying way too hard to sound Biblical. More here. Pierre, Tea Area lives up to hype and more from HS football week nine Sassetti LLC has merged in Brennan & Brosnan LLC in Naperville, Ill., effective Jan. 1, 2016, expanding Sassettis accounting, auditing and tax practice in the suburbs of Chicago. As a result of the deal, Sassetti will add seven new employees, including two partners, Margaret Brennan and Betsy Brosnan. Sassetti, based in Oak Park, Ill., plans to maintain Brennan & Brosnans office in Naperville. Sassetti has 25 people, including five partners. Were in the very near west suburbs of Chicago, in Oak Park, which is the first suburb west of Chicago, said Sassetti managing partner Jim Robbs. This gives us an opportunity to spread our wings a little bit further in the western suburbs, including Naperville, which is where theyre located, and further west. It moves us from Cook County, where were located, into DuPage County, which is a good area to be in, and it expands our capabilities. They really dont do much in the way of assurance work, and this gives us a way to expand our assurance services, not only into their client base, but into that area. Brennan & Brosnan, founded in 1994, specializes in serving the tax and business advisory needs of entrepreneurial businesses and owners in the Naperville area. In 2005 the firm won the Naperville Small Business of the Year Award. It provides tax planning, tax preparation, estate planning and estate administration services to individual clients and companies in various industries. Sassetti LLC dates back to 1921 and provides accounting, audit, tax and advisory services to middle-market businesses, both closely held and publicly traded, not-for-profit organizations, employee benefit plans and individuals. The merger deal was brokered by Bob Lewis of the Visionary Group, who contacted Robbs out of the blue. Financial terms of the deal are subject to a nondisclosure agreement, but Robbs said the combined firm will have in excess of $4 million in annual revenue. Prior to the merger, his firm was earning approximately $3.4 million. The deal closed last week, but the effective date was January 1. It gives us a greater presence in the western suburbs, and its going to increase the strength of our tax services and staff, said Robbs. They have a strong staffall manager level type people and aboveand it gives us the opportunity to provide assurance services in the marketplace that they dont currently offer. Whether its to their clients or just in the area, it gives us a presence in that western suburban area. This is the first merger for Sassetti, even though the firm is nearly a century old. As for further mergers down the road, Robbs said, Its all a function of the right time and the right place. Were not saying no, but we dont have anything lined up. He noted that Sassetti is a member of the BDO Alliance, which could provide some potential additional services and capabilities to Brennan & Brosnans tax clients. (Bloomberg) The European Union ordered Belgium to recover about 700 million euros ($762 million) in illegal tax breaks given to at least 35 companies, including Anheuser-Busch InBev NVand BP Plc, as regulators continued a crackdown on overly generous tax schemes throughout the 28-nation bloc. The European Commission told Belgium to recoup the full unpaid tax, saying that excess-profit rulings allowed global corporations to reduce their tax base by as much as 90 percent. Other beneficiaries included BASF SE, Proximus SA, Atlas Copco AB, Wabco Holdings Inc. and Celio France SAS, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be named as the identities are confidential. In essence, the scheme allowed companies to pay substantially less tax, simply because they are multinational, Margrethe Vestager, the EUs competition chief, told reporters in Brussels. It distorts competition on the merits by putting smaller competitors who are not multinational on an unequal footing. Tax deals including Apple Inc.s arrangements with Ireland and Amazon.com Inc.s agreements with Luxembourg are also under investigation by the EU, which last year ordered the Netherlands to recover as much as 30 million euros in back taxes from Starbucks Corp. The EU has said tax avoidance and evasion cost about 1 trillion euros a year. Since 2005 Most of the companies that benefited from the Belgian tax loophole, in place since 2005, are European and they will have to pay back around 500 million euros out of the estimated 700 million euros in total, Vestager said. While we are disappointed by this decision, we remain confident that our tax rulings are in full compliance with the EU jurisprudence on state aid and that we have always complied with Belgian and international tax provisions, said Kathleen Van Boxelaer, a spokeswoman at Leuven, Belgium-based AB InBev. We will consider our options, taking into account the reactions by the Belgian authorities. On Paper Belgiums De Tijd newspaper reported in 2014 that a tax agreement allowed AB InBev to transfer 140 million euros of profit from around the world over three years to a Belgian company that exists only on paper. BASF said in a statement that it is one of the largest taxpayers in Belgium and that its closely following the development of the EU case. Wabco said it is reviewing the commissions announcement. A BP spokesman declined to comment in an e-mail as did Stockholm-based Atlas Copco, the worlds largest maker of air compressors. The other companies didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. Belgium allowed multinational companies to deduct profits from their taxes due to supposed intra-group synergies and economies of scale, the commission said. The EU regulator said it wasnt convinced by Belgiums argument that the advantage could be justified to prevent double taxation as no corresponding tax claim was made by another country. The result is double non-taxation, Vestager said, adding that the deducted profits are not taxed anywhere. Logistical Nightmare Belgian Finance Minister Johan Van Overtveldt said the consequences of clawing back the 700 million euros would be difficult for the companies affected and a logistical nightmare for tax officials. He said in a statement that the country would seek talks with the EU and could consider an appeal like those filed by the Netherlands and Luxembourg in related cases. McDonalds Corp. is in the EUs firing line over a similar issue after the regulator said in December it suspects neighboring Luxembourg broke state-aid rules by allowing a unit to escape taxes in the nation and across the Atlantic by misusing a double-taxation accord. The EUs decision sets a fascinating precedent given that Belgium is a relatively small player in poaching tax base from other EU states, according to Alex Cobham, the director of research at the Tax Justice Network. Ireland, Luxembourg and Netherlands have taken in hundreds of billions of dollars in profits from elsewhere, he said. If similar steps were put in place to require the clawback of unpaid taxes, the scale would be enormous. With assistance from Stephanie Bodoni, Thomas Buckley, Alex Webb, Rakteem Katakey and Niclas Rolander. A day after the Air Force flew a B-52 Stratofortress over South Korea in the wake of their northern neighbors nuclear bomb test, Air Force officers discussed the services nuclear capabilities with policymakers Jan. 11.The hour-long discussion, part of an ongoing series, touched on North Koreas Jan. 6 test and why the Air Force responded with a show of force. It also delved further into the U.S. militarys triad system, which deters a nuclear attack using strategic bombers, missile silos and submarines.Organized by the Air Force Legislative Liaison Office at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill, the Air Force 101 sessions inform policymakers on various topics.We dont write policy. Thats not our job, said Maj. Justin Ballinger, a legislative liaison. What we do is educate how the policy and legislation affects us, and what we can do with what is given to us.The bi-monthly sessions cover airpower from the ground up and hot topics such as a briefing on cyber security that had officers talk about policies related to Air Force missions.They spoke on the things that the current legislation allows us to do and some of the things that were handcuffed with, Ballinger said.The sessions by the liaison office, which Ballinger described as an arm of the executive branch, also save time and energy to highlight Air Force matters.The more folks we can reach out to and educate, the better returns we get when it comes to responsiveness for policy and other issues, he said.At the latest session, three Air Force officers spoke to about 60 policymakers on nuclear operations -- an issue recently thrusted into the spotlight.It gives us an opportunity to build that initial foundation for a lot of them, said Maj. Nathan Perry, the chief of airborne capabilities for Air Staff 10 that handles the services nuclear mission. If a handful of them left this door smarter than they were when they walked in on nuclear deterrence, then mission accomplished.To Perry, who has flown B-2 Spirits, the session was a unique chance for him and others to communicate in person with policymakers who may alter the future of nuclear operations one day.For us to be able to say that we are credible and reliable all the time, he said of nuclear deterrence, we have to be able to correspond about it, talk about it and prove it.Allowing Capitol Hill staffers to interact with Airmen whove had prior experience on a specific issue may also indirectly shape new policy.Being over here talking and sharing our experience, we absolutely influence the process, said Maj. Stephen Bonin, a senior emergency actions officer with the National Military Command Center who once served as a missile maintainer.The goal of the sessions is to improve the decision making of policymakers.I cant tell you what the composition of the triad should be or how many weapons we should have, Bonin said, but I can tell you all the information so you can make an informed decision.Eric Mattson, a Hill staffer who works for U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer of Washington, said the session helped expand his knowledge on nuclear capabilities.As I work here there may be a time when I will work with this kind of policy, Mattson said. I think its important for us as policymakers to know what can be done better. One aspect that the Air Force is pushing to modernize is its ag ing aircraft, of which many are part of the triad system. In October, Air Force officials awarded a multibillion-dollar contract to build 100 long range strike bombers to replace legacy bombers, such as B-52s that are more than 50 years old.Bombers play a critical role in nuclear deterrence since theyre easily visible, unlike submarines or intercontinental ballistic missiles.The low-level flyover of the B-52 and fighter aircraft only a few hours from the demilitarized zone of the Korean Peninsula was a prime example.Thats what the bomber portion gives you, Perry said. It allows the whole world to see that were getting it done. Its definitely a game of chess and it takes a lot of work.How the Air Force will evolve and continue its nuclear deterrence mission will be up to those making legislation.You need to take a serious look at what is the strategic narrative that we want to push for some of these capabilities, Perry told the policymakers. Please help us use our capabilities to do what we need to do. Lync-Enterprise brings enhanced connectivity to AFRC Air Force Reserve Command recently implemented the Microsoft Lync-Enterprise Instant Messaging system that allows all users across the command to connect, collaborate and share in real time. Lync-Enterprise, part of the Microsoft Office suite, is the upgraded version of the Lync-Standard instant messaging software that Air Force deployed to all users Dec. 15, explained Lt. Col. Clayton Sammons, Air Force Reserve Command Communications Directorate. AFRC invested $3.3 million to extend the much-more capable Lync-Enterprise to all Air Force Reserve members. One of the biggest advantages of having Lync Enterprise is the ability to share your desktop, said Sammons. This includes being able to share PowerPoint slides, shared applications, whiteboard, and screen sharing. The ability to initiate multi-party audio and video conferences allows AFRC personnel to reach the people they need to, globally, in a matter of seconds. Lync-Enterprise has potential to reduce dependence on corporate email because it offers some of the same file and link sharing features of email, but the content is shareable and viewable instantly. Users can drag and drop images, documents and links into the instant messenger dialog box. Users will find much more capable collaboration tools which are helpful when budget constraints prevent travel for training. Desktop sharing is especially crucial in a training environment, said Sammons. I use it in A6 with our bases and tenants, and our Knowledge Managers use it to conduct ad-hoc training on a user's desktop from across the country. Information technology technicians can support users with a virtual "over the shoulder" assist to fix issues, train or explain applications or processes. Lync-Enterprise can be configured in seconds, compared to traditional video teleconferencing that has to be schedules days or weeks ahead because of coordination involved. Its basically VTC capability at your desktop. Any AFR user can now fully train, communicate, assist any other AFR member via a virtual environment, said Sammons. Anyone can be in a Lync session and bring up a collaboration white board that all participants can draw on and interact. Three or more users can interact via video and audio conferencing, a new feature of Lync-E. The Air National Guard, Air Force Office of Special Investigation, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and the Air Force District Washington are also Lync-Enterprise capable, according to Sammons. Life goes on, but not the same Four years ago Jan. 12, I received a phone call that completely changed my life. I woke up to news that my best friend Robby had been killed. For several hours I felt paralyzed before I broke down. I poured through all the photo albums I had looking at pictures of us from when we were kids hanging out with all of our friends. It didnt seem real. Barely a week ago, we were hanging out, having a blast celebrating the New Year while I was on leave. It turned out there were a lot of things going on beneath the surface that no one really knew about. Robby lost his life to a gunshot wound inflicted by a police officer. A shot was heard from inside his house by a neighbor, and the police were called. When the police arrived Robby stepped outside with a shot gun and refused to put it down when he was warned to. It was later revealed that his gun wasnt loaded. He purposely forced the officer to shoot him. Robby was a member of the Air Force Reserve, attached to the 442nd Fighter Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. After a deployment to Southeast Asia, he transferred from the Air Force to the Navy to become a corpsman so he could help save lives. He was a husband, father and best friend to everyone who knew him. If you knew him, he would have been your best friend too. But, this isnt about Robby and his struggles. This isnt about him not seeking help or opening up about his issues. This is about those of us who are left. This is about those of us who have a giant hole in our lives, how a part of us is missing with Robby gone. Several of us struggled since that day. Many wrestled with their faith, questioning every belief they grew up with. A few threw themselves into alcohol, trying to numb the pain of him being gone. Its hard when your best friend or brother disappears. His sister and brother-in-law adopted a little boy since his departure, and his nephew will never get to know his uncle. His daughter wont get to have her daddy there when she graduates high school or goes to her first dance. Her daddy wont walk her down the aisle. One of our friends had moved to the U.S. from Canada for school and lived in the U.S. for a decade. After Robby died, he moved back. Robby was the glue that held our circle together. Robby was the first person to tell me that my wife was interested in me. I didnt really believe him. He would have been the best man at my wedding, but wasnt even around when we started dating. I flew out the next day after I received the call so I could be there for his funeral. When I arrived back the next week to report for duty, I had to prepare for a contingency deployment to Korea. I had to take a physical fitness test and go to the combat arms range. At the range, I couldnt help but wonder if the sound I was hearing as I pulled the trigger was the last sound he heard. My heart was barely in it as I prepared to go overseas, an assignment I had previously been thrilled about. After losing Robby, I couldnt get excited about anything. Four years later, the ache is still there. His family has holidays and theres an empty space. I go visit my hometown and all I can think of is how I want to be able to invite Robby to hang out with us. Theres a missing piece in all of our lives that can never be replaced. Memories are made that are supposed to include him. One of the things that helped me heal was speaking with a chaplain and other friends who had lost people too early. If youve lost someone or are struggling yourself, strongly consider seeing a chaplain or talking to a psychological health professional. It worked for me. Four years ago, my best friend died. It still sucks. Gold medal moment for CAP honoree Maj. Gen. Stayce D. Harris, Commander, 22nd Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, presented a Congressional Gold Medal to Ms. Cecelia Bell during a ceremony Jan. 7, at the Milestone Senior Living Facility in Faribault, Minn. honoring Ms. Bell for her service in the Civil Air Patrol during World War II. Harris began her remarks by addressing the audience and welcoming everyone to the presentation. "Welcome everyone to a celebration of an American hero, or as I like to say an American 'shero,' Cecelia Bell," Harris said. Since the American Revolution, Congress has commissioned gold medals as its highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions. "The first Congressional Gold Medal was awarded in 1776 to General George Washington, so Cecelia, it sounds like you're in pretty good company here," Harris explained. In addition to the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal is one of the highest civilian awards in the United States. "The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress to persons who have performed an achievement that has an impact on American history and culture that is likely to be recognized as a major achievement in the recipient's field long after the achievement," said Harris. Born in 1921, Ms. Bell joined the Civil Air Patrol during the summer of 1943 when her older sister Elizabeth "Betty Wall" Strohfus left the local CAP Squadron in Faribault, Minn. to join the Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs). At this time, Ms. Bell assumed the duties previously held by her sister to assist the local commander. Ms. Bell is a member of the world's 'Greatest Generation,' a term made popular in a book by journalist Tom Brokaw to describe the generation that grew up in the United States during the deprivation of the Great Depression, and then went on to fight in World War II. The 'Greatest Generation' also applies to those whose productivity within the wars home front made a decisive material contribution to the war effort. Brokaw argued that these men and women of the 'Greatest Generation' fought not for fame and recognition, but because it was the right thing to do. "I would describe Cecelia and many others of her generation as great American heroes and 'sheroes' and I'm deeply honored to be allowed the privilege of presenting her with the Congressional Gold Medal today," Harris explained. "Thank you all for coming," Bell said. "I'm overwhelmed! It was a pleasure to serve and I'm overwhelmed with the presence of all of you! It's wonderful [and] thank you all for being here! It's wonderful [and] I'm very honored!" Colorado Reservists to support Southwest Asia airlift ops Approximately 150 Air Force Reservists and four C-130s from Colorados 302nd Airlift Wing have begun a four-month deployment to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Freedoms Sentinel. Assigned to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing based at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, the aircrew, aircraft maintainers and support personnel will provide airlift, airdrop and aeromedical evacuation support to operations throughout the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility. The flying training missions we conduct in Colorado have been critical in preparing our crews for deployment operations, said Col Jay Pittman, 302nd Airlift Wing commander. This scheduled rotation of aircraft and personnel is the fifth deployment of this type since 2005 for the Reserve airlift wing stationed here. Airmen and aircraft from the 302nd AW have deployed and provided airlift support for Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and New Dawn. The 302nd Airlift Wing is one of nine Air Force Reserve C-130 wings with an airdrop and airlift mission located throughout the nation and the only Air Force Reserve C-130 wing assigned the special Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) mission. Daru-Salaam City is a large scale housing project in Somalia's Mogadishu with over six thousand housing units. The latest property developments from Somalia indicates that investment in Mogadishu's housing sector is gaining momentum. Somalias elegant colonial villas were left in ruins by two decades of street fighting among warlords, and the seaside capital Mogadishu was dubbed the most dangerous city in the world. But now new housing estates are being built amid an economic boom as diaspora Somalis return and newly wealthy businessmen capitalise on the relative peace in the city. Some seven kilometres outside Mogadishu in a formerly largely rural area, new homes are springing up, with almost 50 houses now ready on an estate, builders say. Mohamed Abdullahi Ali, from Salaam Somali Bank, said it was a "great honour" to back the estimated $20m project. Construction began in early 2015 and the project was touted as offering commercial returns and helping rebuild the nation. "It is a new neighbourhood for all Somalis to buy affordable homes, by leaving the densely populated neighbourhoods of Mogadishu, and to come and stay with families here," Mr Ali said. "According to our plan, we are going to build 500 homes that can cover the residential needs for 500 families in the first stage, and then will construct more houses." Tens of thousands forced to flee their homes still live in plastic and rag shelters in the capital, sometimes in the ruins of war-shattered buildings, and more than a million people are still in need of emergency aid in a country ravaged by famine in 2011, the United Nations says. Car bombs and assassinations are still common, and a 22,000-strong African Union force fights alongside the army to protect the internationally-backed government from attacks by the Islamist Shebab insurgents. The streets in the new estate offer a very different vision of Mogadishu. Those returning to Somalia including investors wanting to start new business in the their homeland say the Daru Salaam estate offers them a more secure place to live. "I came back to this city to buy a new home in Daru Salaam neighbourhood... the houses are well built," said Abdiqadar Jimale Roble, 34, who grew up in Sweden from the age of 12 after Somalia spiralled into civil war in the early 1990s. "I have been out of Somalia for long time but I came back because everybody needs his country and the country is making much progress," Mr Roble added. "I had to take part in that progress, and everybody should have a house in his country." For those returning with dollars earned abroad, the estate reflects the possible profits to be made even in a still dangerous country. Sadia Sheikh Ahmed, who also grew up in Sweden after fleeing Somalia, said she had helped her relatives abroad snap up property. "Initially we wanted to buy two houses, but now we and our relatives have bought eight homes, scheduled to be completed soon," she said. A two-storey house can cost some $130,000, while a more simple bungalow comes in at around $70,000. Those are hefty sums in one of the poorest countries in the world, with a gross domestic product per capita of just $284, according to the World Bank, against a sub-Saharan Africa average of $1,300. Development indicators are "among the lowest in the world", the World Bank says, noting the Horn of Africa nation is "heavily dependent" on aid and remittances. Over 308,000 children are acutely malnourished, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). "After more than two decades of violence and political instability, Somalia is on a positive trajectory," OCHA said, while warning the "promising trend" takes place amid a "precarious" humanitarian and security situation. "Humanitarian needs remain vast and Somalias humanitarian crisis remains among the largest and most complex in the world," OCHA added. But the estate is symbolic of the possible changes in Mogadishu. "The security here is very good and there have been no problems," said Fuad Ahmed Warsame, marketing director of Daru Salaam Real Estate, which is building the new neighbourhood meaning "house of peace." The company is headquartered in central Mogadishus famous Bakara Market, the citys commercial heart, once infamous as the 1993 battle when fighters shot down two American Black Hawk helicopters. The bullet scars there have long been covered up with business booming. "Our plan is to build a new neighbourhood with a good environment, new designs," added Mr Warsame. The first trucks of aid entered the besieged Syrian town of Madaya on Monday, where more than two dozen people have reportedly starved to death, as the UN called for hundreds to be evacuated for medical treatment. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent said 44 trucks loaded with food and other aid entered the rebel-held town late afternoon, while 21 other trucks went to the government-controlled towns of Fuaa and Kafraya. Tearful women and children, bundled up against the cold, waited in the dark for the trucks bringing vital supplies after six months encircled by President Bashar al-Assads forces. Our children are starving, our bodies are trembling, said Ghaitha Assad, a 27-year-old resident. We have no food even bread. There is no water, no electricity, no heating. Our children cry all night, we are unable to find anything to feed them. The UN World Food Programme said the supplies could feed more than 40,000 people for one month, and the ICRC said it was taking enough medicine for three months. I saw a young man killing cats and presenting the meat to members of his family as rabbit, Hiba Abdel Rahman, 17, told AFP. Some people went through garbage bins, others ate grass. We sought food from the fighters but they refused to give it to us. Some 28 people have died of starvation in the city since December 1, including five on Sunday alone, according to Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF. The United Nations said it has asked the Syrian regime and opposition to allow 400 people, many starved and malnourished, to be airlifted out of Madaya for urgent medical attention. Around 400 are in need of being evacuated for life-saving medical attention, UN aid chief Stephen OBrien told reporters after a UN security council meeting. They are in grave peril of losing their lives. The head of the International Committee of the Red Crosss Syria delegation said the operation would likely last a few days. Spokesman Pawel Krzysiek, who reached Madaya with the trucks, said the first impression is really heartbreaking. We see a lot of people on the streets. Some are smiling and waving at us but many are just simply too weak, with a very bleak expression, too tired, he said in an audio message. Assad gave permission for the deliveries on Thursday after an outpouring of international condemnation, as footage of emaciated children in Madaya emerged on social media. But Syrias envoy to the UN dismissed reports of civilians dying as fabrications, accusing terrorists inside the town of stealing supplies. Ambassador Bashar Jaafari said the reports were aimed at demonising the Assad regime and torpedoing peace talks later this month. Actually, there was no starvation in Madaya, he told reporters. The Syrian government is not and will not exert any policy of starvation on its own people. Fifty trucks bearing the Red Crescent symbol were on their way to Madaya and 21 heading to Fuaa and Kafraya, which are home to 20,000 people, the ICRC said. The three towns, along with rebel-held Zabadani, were part of a landmark six-month deal reached in September to allow humanitarian assistance. Nayak who is known for 83 encounter killings has been reinstated for the second time. Maharashtra government has decided to reinstate suspended officer, who were known for gunning down criminals of Mumbai underworld. Director General of Police Praveen Dixit confirmed that Daya Nayak, a former encounter specialist, has been recalled for the duty. This is the second time Nayak has been reinstated. The first time was in June 2012, when he was transferred to Nagpur, pending inquiries against him. However, he did not join duty there, and was suspended again. Nayak has 83 encounter killings to his credit. A 1995-batch police officer, Nayak was under suspension for nearly six-and-a-half years, after the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested him in 2006 following complaints that he owned assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. When Nayak had inaugurated his Radhabhai Nayak School in Yennehole village at Karkala in Karnataka allegations of disproportionate assets had started against him in January 2002. The function was attended by Karnatakas then Education Minister H Vishwanath, painter MF Hussain as well as actors Amitabh Bachchan, Sunil Shetty and Aftab Shivdasani. A departmental inquiry, however, had cleared Nayak of all allegations. The order instructing him to join the Nagpur police was cancelled by the government in August. Thereafter, there was no reason to continue his suspension. He was reinstated on Thursday, DGP, Maharashtra, Praveen Dixit said. In 2009, the then Director General of Police SS Virk had denied permission to prosecute Nayak, saying there was insufficient evidence, and cleared him of all charges. In 2010, the Supreme Court quashed all charges against him under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act. When Afternoon Voice contacted Daya Nayak he said, I am always happy serving department and country. I feel privileged that the government has reinstated me in the department. Nayak was suspended in June last year for not joining duty and being on sick leave for a very long time. At that time his posting was in Nagpur area. Prior to that, he was reinstated in June 2012 after being under suspension for around six years. After a brief stint with Local Arms wing of the department, Nayak was transferred to the west region (Bandra to Andheri) of the city which is considered as a high-profile zone in the police department. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Syria needs to start working on a new constitution as a first step to finding a political solution to its civil war, though he acknowledged the process was likely to be difficult. Putin, who has thrown Russias support behind Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with air strikes, also said in an interview with the German newspaper Bild that the crisis in relations between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran would complicate the search for peace in Syria. I believe its necessary to move towards constitutional reform (in Syria). Its a complicated process, of course. And after that, on the basis of the new constitution, (Syria should) hold early presidential and parliamentary elections, Putin said in the interview which was conducted on Jan 5. Putin, obliquely referring to diplomatic pressure from the United States and France to concentrate Moscows firepower on Islamic State militants, said Russian military aid was going to help parts of the Syrian opposition in the fight against IS as well as to help Assad. You are talking about Assad as our ally. Do you know that we are backing the actions of the armed opposition combating Islamic State? We are coordinating our joint actions with them and support their offensive operations on different parts of the front with strikes by our air force. I am talking about hundreds, thousands of armed people, who combat Islamic State Some of them have already spoken about it in public, others prefer keeping silent but the work is going on. Putin made similar comments last year, but Russian officials subsequently denied that Moscow provided military aid to the Syrian opposition groups that Putin had mentioned. In the interview with Bild, Putin said the row between Saudi Arabia and Iran over Riyadhs execution of a Shiite Muslim cleric on Jan. 2 would complicate attempts to reach a solution to the Syrian conflict. If our participation were needed, we would be ready to do everything for the conflict to be resolved, and as soon as possible, he said, according to a transcript of the interview, sent to media by the Kremlin press office. Chhota Rajan coming back to India, search for Dawood Ibrahim and now bringing back all suspended cops those who were known for their encounter with underworld cannot be termed as unbiased co-incidence. Daya Nayak was known for fighting the underworld nexus. His career as an encounter specialist began in Mumbai, when he shot two gangsters from Chhota Rajans gang in Juhu. Controversial police sub-inspector Daya Nayak, who has to his credit 83 encounter killings, was reinstated in police service by the state government. Nayak was suspended in July 2015, after he failed to report to Nagpur where he had been transferred in 2014. The suspension order, which was issued in July, last year, came from the then Maharashtra director general of police (DGP), Sanjeev Dayal. In 2003, Ketan Tirodkar, former journalist, accused Daya Nayak of having links with the Mumbai underworld, and of amassing wealth disproportionate to his income through illegal means. Tirodkar alleged that he had become friends with Nayak in 2002, and ran an extortion business with him. The 1995 batch officer had been suspended once before, in January 2006, after a Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court ordered the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to conduct an inquiry into his wealth. Allegations against Nayaks disproportionate assets had started as early as January 2002, when he inaugurated his Radhabhai Nayak School in Yennehole village at Karkala in Karnataka, which was attended by Karnatakas then Education Minister H Vishwanath, painter MF Hussain as well as actors Amitabh Bachchan, Sunil Shetty and Aftab Shivdasani. A departmental inquiry, however, had cleared Nayak of all allegations. In 2006, the ACB inquiry led to Nayaks arrest after a court rejected his anticipatory bail. But, in October 2009, the then DGP, SS Virk, denied permission to prosecute Nayak, citing insufficient evidence. In 2012, after being out of the force for nearly six-and-a-half years, Nayak was reinstated and transferred to the west region (Bandra to Andheri) of the city which is considered as a high-profile zone in the police department. Since then, Nayak had maintained a low profile. Daya was born in Udupi district, Karnataka. In 1979, he moved to Mumbai and began working in hotels and as a supervisor with a plumber to make a living. Daya joined the Mumbai Police in 1995 as a trainee and rose to become the citys leading encounter specialist in late 1990s. As a member of the Detection Unit, Daya is said to have shot dead more than 80 gangsters including three Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives. Recently, Rajan had alleged that some members in the Mumbai Police have links with wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim which is world known fact, each gangster let it be Rajan, Dawood or Gawli had their Khaki shooters in department and Khadi goons to protect them. Many a times nexus between the men in khaki and the Mumbai underworld has come to light. Moreover, now Chhota Rajan is accusing police officers as Dawood counterparts is due to his insecurity and fear. Ever since the late 90s the methods adopted by encounter specialists of the Mumbai police to eliminate gangsters have come under scrutiny these men were accused of carrying out fake encounters as agents of the underworld. Just three men, Pradeep Sharma, Daya Nayak and Ravindra Angre have conducted more than 240 encounters between them. Pradeep Sharma was arrested for ordering one such encounter. He has a staggering total of a 104 encounters to his credit. Daya Nayak, with 83 encounters under his belt, was arrested for underworld links and owning disproportionate assets. He was reinstated in 2010, but has not been given any post yet. Ravindra Angre, responsible for 52 encounters, was arrested for assaulting and trying to extort money from a local builder and has been granted bail only recently. Rajan is a close confidante-turned-rival of Dawood, the prime accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. He is most cruel and insensitive criminal. I just dont feel like believing the reports that Chhota Rajan is fearing for his life and that is why he is eager to surrender and accept Z+ VVIP security in Indian jail? How a don who himself ordered killings of hundreds of people at his will and became king of criminals empire risking his life throughout his life is suddenly scared of death? If he had lived like a don then he should prefer; prepare to die like a don, fearlessly facing the danger of death and not languishing in a jail like cowardice; succumbing to old age or disease. Anyways, why is he pretending to fear as his own brother-in-law who is workers union leader and his wifes brother, who has convinced Rajan to return to India looking at his good relations with BJP. Moreover, why media is getting carried away with false planted tips? Anyway, its nice to see brave cops being reinstated. Daya was quite famous after a Bollywood. Hindi movies Ab Tak Chhappan and Kagaar which was based on Nayaks life released, The 2007 film Risk by Vishram Sawant has overtones from Daya Nayaks life. A Telugu film, titled Golimaar released in 2010 is also inspired by his life. The 2012 Bollywood film Department highlights the encounter specialists of the Mumbai Police; Daya Nayaks role is played by Sanjay Dutt. The sequel of Ab Tak Chhappan was released in February 2015. WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2016 Consumers have favored small, craft distilleries as of late, but large and well-established brands of spirits are still holding their own in the market, according to a new report. Sales of what we call micro-spirit companies (MSCs) are growing at double-digit rates, but large spirits companies are also enjoying solid growth, said Steve Rannekleiv, an analyst for Rabobank, who published the report. In the bourbon/Tennessee whiskey segment, for instance, sales from MSC brands grew 42 percent in control states in 2014, while sales from major, established distillers grew 3 percent, the report found. Still, major spirits companies generated nearly 90 percent of the categorys growth, and Rabobank doesnt expect that market share to change dramatically anytime soon. The report stated that the modern spirits market, although more craft orientated than ever before, isnt likely to go the way of the beer market, which is now significantly influenced by small or craft breweries. Thats because the spirits market is far less concentrated and more diversified, than the beer market, and the process of distilling is more complex and capital intensive than brewing beer. Even the excise taxes are more expensive for distilleries than breweries, the report noted. Like what you see on the Agri-Pulse website? See even more ag and rural policy news when you sign up for a four-week free trial Agri-Pulse subscription. Generally, larger distilleries can make more and bigger capital investments than small spirits companies, allowing them to hold on to a much larger market share. In order to grow its market share, the report said MSCs defined as companies with less than a 2 percent market share and not owned by a major international spirits company need to be able to invest in capital needs, conquer cash flow constraints, mitigate high production costs and produce consistently high quality product. MSCs are able to stay afloat in part due to consumer interest in new and local brands, and because the companies can charge a significant premium on their products often twice as much as well-known premium brands and 50 percent or more than established super-premium brands. #30 For more news, go to: www.Agri-Pulse.com Assyrian Army Chief Honors U.S. Fallen in Iraq At Arlington National Cemetery ARLINGTON, VA -- Tears welled in the eyes of the Assyrian Army commander fighting to protect Christian communities from the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) in Iraq and Syria when he reached the section of the Arlington National Cemetery where American service members who died in the name of Iraqi freedom have been laid to rest. Emmanuel Khoshaba Youkhana, commander of the Christian Assyrian Army, primarily based in Iraq, visited the national cemetery Friday during the last day of his visit to the United States. Cmdr. Youkhana become very emotional as he expressed appreciation for the American service members who paid the ultimate sacrifice to improve the lives of the Iraqi people. The moment he reached section 60 in the Arlington Cemetery, the final resting place of the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in America's most recent wars, especially Iraq and Afghanistan, the commander, along with Yosep Betkolia, his political advisor, and retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Sargis Sangari, one of the Americans advising the Assyrian Army, stopped to pray for the "souls" of the fallen American heroes. They uttered a prayer in their native Assyrian language, the same one spoken by Jesus Christ, praying for the U.S. troops and the families they have left behind, explained Youkhana. "I want to show appreciation on behalf of the Christian communities in Iraq's Assyrian Nineveh Plain for the sacrifice that the United States made to liberate our country and for the souls of those soldiers who lost their lives to give Iraqis a good life and democracy," Cmdr. Youkhana told Breitbart News, as tears ran down his face. "They died for Nineveh -- to liberate Assyria," he added. "So, I just want to show respect and appreciation for their sacrifice. Really, I am filled with emotion when I see the brave heroes buried in this cemetery. I appreciate all who sacrifice to make a good life and future for other people. It's an honor to be in the section where those who died and sacrificed for Iraqi freedom are laid to rest. It's very important to be here." Being among the buried American troops who fought during World War II, the commander said he was reminded of his own father who fought for the coalition force of the United Kingdom at that time. The Assyrian Army is known as Dwekh Nawsha, which means "self-sacrifice." During his visit to the United States, Cmdr. Youkhana asked Obama administration officials for much-needed training assistance and support for the families of the troops fighting on behalf of his army. "I hope we can we can deliver that message to the U.S. government and the American people," the commander told Breitbart News. "This is a principle of the American nation to give hope to the people who are hopeless and bring freedom to the people who live without freedom and rescue the people who are in need. So this is what we are here for -- to show the reality on the ground. We need the support from the U.S. government and from the people to save our Assyrian Christian people in Iraq who are suffering." "We didn't ask for money. We just ask for the training for our soldiers and for support for their family, but we didn't talk about money," declared the commander. "We are not here for money. We are not here to ask for visas. We don't want to be refugees. We are not here to ask for protection. Just help us with military support so we can protect ourselves and protect everybody else," he added. The commander explained that the Assyrians want to stay in their homeland, Iraq's Assyrian Nineveh Plain, despite having already lost 90 percent of their population. The Assyrian Army is primarily fighting to protect Christian communities in Iraq against the genocide they are facing at the hands of the barbaric ISIS jihadists, but it is also making efforts to assist Assyrians in Syria who are facing similar troubles. In early November 2015, the Assyrian Army told Breitbart News that it was in dire need of military training from the United States to protect Christian communities in Iraq and Syria against ISIS. "All we're saying is we're done. We don't have equipment. We don't have the weapons. We don't have the training," U.S. Army Lt. Col. Sangari, the Assyrian American who advises the Assyrian Army, told Breitbart News at the time. "As much as you're giving money to all these individuals who are killing each other, why don't you try to give it to the Assyrians?" he added, addressing the Obama administration. "Anybody who fights just for money will be a failure, but when you give money to individuals who are fighting for their homeland, they'll be successful." In late November 2015, the commander himself told Breitbart News that without U.S. support, the Christians in Iraq and Syria are losing their people and Christianity to ISIS. As of last Friday, Cmdr. Youkhana said that U.S. assistance had yet to become a reality. However, he was optimistic that after his recent meetings with U.S. government officials, "There's hope that the help is coming now." Anyone can help the cause of the Assyrian Army through The United Assyrian Appeal foundation where people can donate money to the families of the Assyrian soldiers. Sunnis vs. Shiites, Abadi vs. Maliki, Kurds vs. Everyone The liberation of Ramadi is now being treated as a fait accompli, though the Iraqi security forces continue to clear Islamic State fighters from some of the city's suburbs. But the result seems all but assured: The most significant challenges in constructing a post-Islamic State political order in Iraq still lie ahead. There is much to celebrate in the recapture of Ramadi. By the grisly standards of modern urban combat, the seizure appears to have been relatively clean, free from the sort of abuses that could tar a military victory. It certainly helps that Ramadi sits in a 100 percent Sunni Arab area, meaning that there were no ethno-sectarian challenges (read: attempts of ethnic cleansing or score-settling) in the aftermath of the fighting. No one dreams that Ramadi will ever become Shiite or Kurdish, and therefore no groups will try to force such an outcome. Iraq could still witness both inter- and intratribal fighting among local Sunni residents, and those who are rightly or wrongly perceived as having aided and abetted the Islamic State may experience persecution at the hands of their fellow Sunni Arabs. But it appears that sufficient Sunni tribal units are on hand -- many of them trained by U.S. forces in their two Anbar province outposts -- to hold the city once the assembled force moves on to its next mission. Despite all the caveats, the recapture of Ramadi is a significant victory for the Iraqi security forces, the anti-Islamic State coalition strategy, and the two chief executives involved -- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and U.S. President Barack Obama. Both Abadi and Obama had been feeling considerable political heat over the perceived lack of progress in liberating terrain from the Islamic State, and this victory gives both a political win and deprives their opponents of a weapon to use against them. Initial reports indicate that two forces conducted the bulk of the fighting: the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (often known as the Golden Division) and units in the Interior Ministry's Federal Police. The Iraqi Army and Sunni tribal units played significant supporting roles in and around the city, while the other Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), often referred to as "Shiite militias," appear to have kept a respectful distance from the city, at U.S. insistence, and were limited to performing support functions. While some of the PMUs have been fighting in Anbar for months, some factions within Anbar's often divided Sunni community view their participation as a sectarian threat. Having wrested a large urban area from the Islamic State, this combined force must now be considered the most reliable partner in the region, one that can conduct significant combat operations in conjunction with U.S. air power. Yes, the bulk of the fighting was done by forces other than the Iraqi Army. But the Army was still able to play a significant supporting role -- most notably by constructing portable floating bridges that allowed combat units to reach the city center after all the other bridges had been destroyed. In any case, recapturing Ramadi after the inglorious defeat in May 2015 removes a significant stain on the reputation of all of Iraq's security forces. The seizure of Ramadi is also a significant victory for the anti-Islamic State strategy of the past year. Despite issues with implementation, the strategy now seems to be picking up speed, and those who claimed that the defeat of the Islamic State required U.S. troops or a large Sunni-only army have been proved incorrect. Of course, it would be better for the effort on the ground to move faster, but the combination of Iraqi land power augmented with U.S. air power, intelligence, training, and equipping has proved to be a winning formula. We should expect the aftermath of Ramadi to look similar to the aftermath after the recapture of Tikrit from the Islamic State earlier in 2015. The most immediate concern will be Sunni-on-Sunni violence: While a significant minority of Sunni Arabs cooperated in ways great and small with the Islamic State, an even larger number suffered significantly under the group's rule. For example, when Ramadi was captured by the Islamic State, 12 relatives of the prominent government-affiliated Sheikh Majid Ali al-Suleiman were executed, including his 2-year-old granddaughter, Noorhan. Re-establishing order and the rule of law must become immediate priorities of the Sunni tribal units that are expected to be the "hold" force in Ramadi, though given Iraq's tribal culture, if members of these units are relatives of this sheikh or others who suffered similar crimes at the hands of the Islamic State, a retributive mood may be in place for a time. An outcome not unlike that in Tikrit would also be a step in the right direction for Iraq. The central Iraqi city was reclaimed from the Islamic State in late March and April 2015, and there were regrettable reports of looting and destruction of property in the immediate aftermath of its recapture. But today, 90 percent of displaced families have returned to Tikrit; also, Tikrit University reopened in December, with 16,000 students attending classes there. Finally, the military momentum in Ramadi must be translated into further gains. Both the city of Fallujah, which lies less than 30 miles from Ramadi, and the northern city of Mosul must be liberated to complete the removal of the Islamic State from Iraq. There remains little doubt that both cities will eventually fall, but the Iraqi government -- with coalition support -- must accelerate the process to the maximum extent possible. Each day that the Islamic State is in control of these cities, it can further indoctrinate Iraqi youth with its ideology of hate and steal an ever-greater share of Iraq's wealth. But the real question facing Iraq is not a military one. The Iraqi security forces have demonstrated their ability to liberate a large urban area, and whether Mosul falls this spring or next winter, the final outcome is not in doubt. What is in doubt is the political arrangements that will emerge in Iraq after the military struggle is won -- and this is where the U.S. focus should go. For all its failures in Iraq, the United States has endowed the country with democratic institutions -- however nascent, immature, and weak -- that are worth husbanding. But at least three pending political crises must be closely monitored. Whither the Sunnis? It has been a difficult year for Iraq's Sunni Arabs, who make up roughly 20 percent of the country's population. As demonstrated by the story of the Suleiman family in Ramadi, the Sunnis are hardly a unitary actor. Significant numbers of Sunnis in Anbar and elsewhere resisted the advances of the Islamic State -- and many paid with their lives. However, at least a sizable minority of the community also cooperated with the Islamic State, whatever its later regrets. And in the eyes of their fellow Iraqi citizens -- not only the Arab Shiites, but also the Kurds, Yazidis, Turkmen, and Assyrian Christians -- the Sunnis, as a group, have decided twice in the past dozen years to rise up and kill their fellow citizens because they were unhappy with the country's political order. Whether fair or unfair, this is the perception, and there are now even reports that it is motivating Yazidis to ethnically cleanse Sunni Arabs from their midst. Coupled with this mistrust is the fact that Iraq's Arab Sunnis are on a rapid path to becoming the country's underclass, despite their self-perception as the natural rulers of the country. They have suffered grievously at the hands of the Islamic State: Iraq is estimated to have around 3 million internally displaced people, the vast majority of whom are Sunni Arabs. Sunni cities are either under Islamic State control or have been devastated in their recapture. Businesses, homes, and other property throughout the Sunni areas have largely disintegrated, either due to the Islamic State, the fire that accompanied the areas' recapture by the Iraqi state, or simple neglect. Simultaneously, the Sunnis are suffering a crisis of leadership. Long-standing figures such as Osama and Atheel al-Nujaifi have been largely discredited, while newer leadership, such as parliament speaker Salim al-Jabouri and Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi, are largely untested. In short, Iraq's Sunni Arabs are in the unenviable position of being viewed as disloyal citizens, while simultaneously suffering massive deprivation -- inevitably diminishing their ability to generate political power -- even as they suffer a crisis of leadership. Yet, as arguably Iraq's largest minority, they are too large not to be brought back into the fold of Iraqi society. All factions of the Iraqi government in Baghdad are aware of this and are casting about for answers. How do you reintegrate members of a minority -- many of whom believe against all evidence that they are Iraq's demographic majority -- who are not trusted by the bulk of their fellow citizens? This is the kind of situation that calls for a "truth and reconciliation"-like process, but it is unclear that there is leadership with the gravitas to lead the Sunnis through such a process. In the meantime, expect their political power to continue its natural decline as the Sunni population and resources continue to diminish. Negotiating a New Deal With the Kurds One of the second-order effects of the Islamic State's invasion of northern Iraq has been the expansion of the Kurdish Peshmerga into the "disputed territories." The territories -- which are about equal in size to the current territory of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and encompass parts of the provinces of Nineveh, Kirkuk, Salahaddin, and Diyala -- are disputed because there are rival claims between the Iraqi Kurds and the Baghdad government. It is important to note that the Shiite Arabs -- Iraq's majority faction -- are largely not a party to these disputes. Iraq's Kurds have expanded their control in two ways. First, they have occupied territory abandoned by the Iraqi Army in the wake of the Islamic State's invasion. In Kirkuk, the most notable of these cases, the Peshmerga simply occupied positions that had been abandoned by the fleeing Iraqi Army. The Peshmerga have also acquired new territory by ejecting the Islamic State from areas south of the "green line" -- the traditional line separating KRG territory from the rest of Iraq -- usually with the assistance of U.S. air power and U.S. special operations forces. The Kurds' public position is that these newly acquired territories were paid for in blood and cannot be relinquished, though it is unclear whether the Yezidis, Turkmen, Assyrians, and Sunni Arabs who live there wish to be absorbed into the KRG. The situation is further complicated by the changing demographics of the territory seized by the Peshmerga. There have been allegations that the Peshmerga have pushed out non-Kurdish groups, particularly focusing on purging Arabs from these territories. Of greatest concern is Kirkuk, where the authorities are openly nervous about an influx of Arab refugees that could change the demographics of this contested territory and throw a wrench in any plans to use a referendum to legally complete Kirkuk's integration into the KRG. The KRG is also on the cusp of twin political and economic crises that threaten to upset its response to the Islamic State. The two-year extension of KRG President Masoud Barzani's term expired in August, but Barzani is still in office, putting him in year 11 of an eight-year term. This led to significant protests over his contested continuance in power, throwing the Barzani family and his KDP party into crisis mode as they search for more votes. However, the bulk of the disputed territories -- especially Kirkuk -- are strongholds of the rival PUK party. Therefore, despite the Kurds' appearance of military strength, the current government is actually quite politically fragile. Bluster is the order of the day, as the government projects strength in the hopes of creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. An economic crisis is also brewing in Kurdistan. The combination of political disputes with Baghdad, lower commodity prices, unreliable energy-export channels, and large-scale corruption has created yet another complex problem for the KRG. The traditional arrangement between Baghdad and Erbil, in which the latter exports its product via the country's North Oil Company in exchange for 17 percent of all government expenditures, has once again broken down. Even with deeply disputed oil revenues from Kirkuk being funneled into Kurdish coffers, the regional government is unable to pay its bills, leading to riots by public employees. In short, further negotiations must be conducted between Baghdad and the KRG, but the mandate of the regional government's executive is deeply contested and there is little money to pay for compromises. In this environment, violence cannot be ruled out. The Struggle for the Shiite Soul Iraq's Shiite Arabs comprise between 60 and 70 percent of Iraq's citizens. It is worth continually reminding Western observers of this fact: Given the democratic constitution bequeathed to Iraq by the U.S. occupation, calling Iraq's government "Shiite-dominated" is somewhat akin to calling that of the United States "white-dominated." That the course of Iraq's future will be charted by its Shiite majority is demographically -- and therefore democratically -- incontrovertible. Iraq's Shiite community can be roughly divided into two camps, though with deep tensions within each. The first, which is currently in power, gives priority to Iraq's relationship with the United States and the West. Prime Minister Abadi, of the Islamic Dawa Party, best symbolizes this group, together with those members of his party who spent their exile in London or other Western cities. Also in this group are the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, the Sadrists, and the religious leadership in Najaf and Karbala. Arrayed against this group are those who would prioritize Iranian ties and, by extension, an alliance with Russia as well. Former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has become the de facto face of this group, but others aligned include many members of the Dawa Party who spent their exile in Iran and Syria, plus the Badr Organization, the League of the Righteous (AAH), and Iraqi Hezbollah (KH). There has long been concern that the role of these latter factions -- most notably Badr and AAH -- in defending Baghdad against the Islamic State during the summer of 2014 would greatly increase their political power. However, it appears that the retaking of Ramadi has given Abadi and his faction some breathing room. One analyst believes that the victory in Ramadi, combined with the sidelining of the militia forces, has given the prime minster the political space he needs to defund and therefore defang the military wings of these groups, leaving only the militias under the control of the Najaf and Karbala shrines. While one certainly hopes this is the case, Abadi may have to notch more military victories on his belt before he has the clout to implement such a strategy. The point, however, is that Baghdad is not currently under Tehran's orbit -- and that in fact the current government is pushing back against such an outcome. Washington is therefore deeply vested in the success of the Abadi government and should do whatever it can to help it In short, these three political battles are where strategists need to be looking -- the remaining military battles in Iraq now fall in the realm of tactics. The United States has committed huge amounts of blood and treasure to support one of the few outposts of democratic institutions in the Middle East, and it is this democracy -- not any collection of kingdoms, emirates, or sultanates -- that is the natural ally of the United States in the region. And though the news is dominated by the fight against the Islamic State, it is important to remember that there is much in Iraq to build upon. For example, the recent Arbaeen celebration in Karbala, which involved at least 10 million pilgrims, with almost no security incidents. Or the almost 100,000 new students enrolling in Iraq's 19 public universities this academic year. Or the fact that -- despite the very real problems of sectarianism -- the most welcoming home for the Sunni Arab refugees fleeing the Islamic State has been in Iraq's majority-Shiite southern provinces. Washington should aid the Iraqi government in working through these three political crises -- reintegration of the Sunnis, negotiating the new Kurdish arrangement, and fighting to keep the Shiite bloc Western-oriented. That won't be easy -- it will require sustained attention and creative diplomacy -- but it's the only way to set the conditions for a successful Iraqi state that prevents the next version of extremist terrorism from emerging. As we give at least two cheers for the Ramadi victory, we should keep in mind that the biggest fight for Iraq's future will not take place on the military battlefield. Kurdish YPG Forces Attack Assyrians in Syria, 1 Assyrian, 3 Kurds Killed Gabriel Henry David, an Assyrian fighter killed in the attack by Kurdish YPG forces on Assyrian forces in Qamishli, Syria. Qamishli, Syria (AINA) -- Members of the YPG Kurdish militia conducted a surprise attack on Assyrian checkpoints in the Al-Wusta district of Qamishli, which is a predominantly Assyrian area. The checkpoints are manned by the Sootoro/GPF Assyrian security forces and were setup after three Assyrian restaurants were bombed on December 20, 2016 (AINA 2015-12-30), which killed 14 Assyrians. The Kurdish attack lasted for one hour, with heavy exchange of machine gun fire between the Assyrian Protection Force (Sootoro) and the YPG militia. 1 Assyrian fighter was killed, identified as Gabriel Henry David, and 3 Assyrians fighters were injured. According to reports, 3 Kurdish YPG fighters were killed in the clashes. The Assyrian Protection Forces are affiliated with the Syrian National Defense Forces. The YPG militia has previously made several attempts to take control of Al-Wusta but have been stopped by Sootoro. As recently as two weeks ago, Kurdish YPG militia directed their weapons against the Sootoro fighters but fighting was averted at the last moment. After the restaurant bombings many Assyrian residents of Qamishli suspected the YPG militia to be the real culprit, not ISIS. There was no credible claim of responsibility by ISIS, only a vague statement in a scarcely used social media account. Although one of the bombings was reported to be a suicide attack, it is now known that all three bombings were by a bag placed in each restaurant. This attack on Assyrian checkpoints has only increased the suspicion by Assyrians that it was the YPG that was behind the restaurant bombings. The attack is seen as an attempt by the YPG to take control of Qamishli and not allow Assyrians any control over their own territories. Qamishli has a population of 185,000 Assyrians, Kurds, Arabs and Armenians, with nearly 50,000 Assyrians. Assyrians Without Borders Announce Scholarships Program Assyrians Without Borders hereby announce scholarships for Assyrian (also known as Syriac and Chaldean) students in Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Iran and Lebanon. The funds are to be used for studies at university level. Certain priority will go to exchange studies. The funds are for the period 2016-01-01 to 2016-09-30. The last day for submission is 14th of February 2016. One of Assyrians Without Borders major goals is to help young Assyrians, so that themselves can improve their future and living conditions in their native country. This is done today in various ways, of which one of the most effective methods is to provide students with financial means to university studies. By doing this, Assyrians Without Borders shows, on the other hand, current students that there is someone who can support them in their ambition to the graduate diploma, but also that one gives rise to those Assyrians who express doubts to university studies in their fear to not be able to afford the studies. We in the West, and particularly in Europe, are in many ways fortunate. This is shown, for example, that the university studies many times are free of tuition fees. In this way you stimulate people to dare to invest in an education. An education that in many cases can lead to advance upward in the society, and then for example make a name for itself in politics or business. In the Middle East, where the Assyrians have its native country, things are different. There are tuition fees expensive; many times students are paying several thousand of Euros. Assyrians Without Borders would therefore also give these students the opportunity to dare to take the step fully and invest in academic studies. With this said, the opportunity to apply for Assyrians Without Borders scholarship opens once again. The means can for example be used in order to finance tuition fees, course literature, accommodation and also shorter stays (1-6 months) in a foreign university for learning new technique and/or to establish co-operate. Funds are not paid for travel expenses. An applicatant for the Assyrians Without Borders scholarships must: be an Assyrian (also known as Syriac and Chaldean) live in Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Iran or Lebanon be enrolled in a university Click here for the scholarship form. Air Charter Service has appointed Andre Rodrigues to head up the cargo division in the companys Sao Paulo office. Rodrigues brings more than 25 years aviation experience with him, having worked for a number of airlines, GSAs and other charter companies, arranging both cargo and passenger flights. In one of his previous roles he helped develop the on board courier side of the business, worked on a lot of oil and gas projects and booked the first Antonov 225 flight into South America. "Im really looking forward to this new challenge and cant wait to get started, he said. Air Charter Service chief executive Justin Bowman said: Andre has the necessary drive and experience to help our Brazil office to reach the next stage. His personality and enthusiasm are infectious and we are looking forward to him driving the cargo side of the business in South America forward. January 11, 2016 KHARTOUM, Sudan Participants kicked up plenty of dust at the most recent round of negotiations concerning the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, but once again departed with only an agreement to keep trying to reach an agreement. The negotiations among officials of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan were marked by direct confrontations and escalating tension. Potential solutions are murky, at best, and the process remains stagnant. On Dec. 27, the negotiating parties found themselves forced to announce that they had signed a document calling for continued cooperation and trust-building in an attempt to contain mounting public pressure in Egypt and Ethiopia. Yet the parties failed to find a solution that preserves the Nile water interests of Cairo and Addis Ababa. The negotiations resumed in Khartoum just two weeks after the first round held in the first week of December. However, Egypt remained skeptical, especially after Ethiopia announced Dec. 26 just hours before the start of negotiations that it was diverting the Niles course to run through the dam for the first time. This step confirmed Addis Ababas refusal to delay construction on the dam until the end of the negotiations. The filling of the dam's reservoir and its operating mechanisms topped the negotiations agenda, but Egypt and Ethiopias divergent visions and intransigent positions hindered any potential agreement. The Egyptian delegation rejected Ethiopias request to store at least 3 billion cubic meters (2.4 million acre feet) of water in the dam to carry out construction safety tests. The Egyptian delegation refused the idea of any water storage. For its part, Ethiopia rejected Egypts request to extend the period to fill up the dam to 11 years or reduce the storage capacity of the dam to 50 billion cubic meters from 72 billion cubic meters. During the first hours of the meetings, the decision was finally made to restart the technical studies on the dams impact a topic of dispute for 18 months now, after the withdrawal of the Dutch consulting institute Deltares. Officials agreed to use the French design and engineering consulting company Artelia Group to carry out 30% of the studies with BRL, another French consulting group, provided the studies are officially started by the beginning of February. Egypt and Ethiopia were both satisfied with Artelia, which has provided its services in major projects in the two countries. It has a permanent office in Egypt and participated in the studies and technical and economic assessment of the GIBE III 1.870 MW hydropower project in Ethiopia. It provided engineering and technical consulting services for hydroelectric projects such as the Ethiopian Assiut Barrage in 2009, in addition to irrigation and water treatment projects such as the rehabilitation of the Nubaria and Ismailia canals from 2010 to 2013 in the Nile Delta. An Egyptian official familiar with the negotiations told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, We are still facing a great dilemma, since Ethiopia is insisting on continuing construction of the dam without taking any political pledge to comply with the studies recommendations, which may be difficult to implement after the dam is complete and operating. The foreign ministers of all three countries signed a document after the meeting at an upbeat press conference, attended by Al-Monitor, aimed at calming the charged atmosphere that prevailed over the meetings. The agreements three major articles, however, add little new to the Declaration of Principles signed by the three presidents in March. These articles are the approval of Artelia, a commitment to speed up completion of the studies recommended by the International Panel of Experts on the dam in May 2013 and continued compliance by the three negotiating states with the policies of good faith and trust in accordance with the terms of the Declaration of Principles. It should be noted that, during the December meeting, Egypt submitted a technical proposal to increase the number of lower water gates to secure a daily flow in the event of any malfunction or maintenance of the main gates or the associated tunnels. Yet after the first technical meeting between experts from the three countries, held Jan. 7-8 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia officially rejected the proposal. Bizuneh Tolcha, public relations director at the Ethiopian Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Electricity, said no changes would be made to the plans design and two water outlets would provide a suitable water flow to Egypt and Sudan. Asrat Birhanu, an Ethiopian electrical power expert, told Al-Monitor, The diversion of the river into its natural course and the water flowing inside it means that the dam is now ready for initial filling of a storage of nearly 4 billion cubic meters in the near future. He added, This procedure does not affect the water flowing to Egypt and Sudan, which will not be reduced during the completion of the construction of the dam. Regarding Egypts request to increase the number of water gates in the dam, Birhanu said, Ethiopia already conducted a hydraulic simulation model to simulate the quantities of water flowing to Egypt and Sudan, [which showed there would not be] significant damage during the filling of the reservoir designed with a capacity of 72 billion cubic meters and estimated to be filled in a period ranging from three to five years. He explained that according to the initial design, sufficient water quantities pass through the dams water gates to Egypt and Sudan during the initial filling period as of the start of July 2016 of a storage capacity of 4 billion cubic meters. Fulfilling Egypt's request to increase the number of the dams gates to four will not have a special economic benefit, especially since these gates will not be used during the operation of the dam, he added. The meetings stirred objections among the Egyptian and Ethiopian public in the absence of a reassuring categorical solution. Egyptians have become concerned about the dams impact on Egypt's annual quota of Nile water, while Ethiopian public opinion has been influenced for the four past years by a political campaign stressing the need to complete the dam project, which has become Ethiopias No. 1 development dream. In a Dec. 30 speech, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi talked about the Egyptian concerns. I share with you this concern, he said. But rest assured I have never deceived you. January 12, 2016 CAIRO Egyptian Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Wali is promising to reform her countrys orphanages, which have long been denounced for their miserable conditions and childrens allegations of abuse. On Dec. 23, many children at an orphanage in the Alexandria governorate reported food deprivation, torture and other violence, saying they had been tied up and beaten by the facilitys director. Five days later, Wali announced an initiative to form rapid-rescue teams to deal with childrens complaints at orphanages and improve the service provided there. At a press conference, Wali admitted the existence of major violations at orphanages, as well as the need for clear standards that guarantee good treatment for children. We took it upon ourselves to be honest, she said. We have inherited a heavy burden, and the reality is painful. These practices occur in many governorates. We are responsible as a government and before God for protecting these children, and we will put an end to these violations. However, similar promises in the past never materialized. Children are falling victim to violence, including sexual abuse, committed by caretakers or their peers. In a widely publicized case from 2014, the manager of a Giza orphanage was arrested after a video of him striking and kicking numerous children was posted on social media. Also in 2014, a caretaker was reported to have raped eight male children at an orphanage in al-Sharqiyah governorate. This issue was discovered after some of the children, on many occasions, reported abdominal pain caused by the sexual assaults. Ismail Mustapha, 17, a resident of Laylat el-Qadr orphanage in 6th of October City, told Al-Monitor, My friends and I have been living here all our lives, and we have been subject to the worst kinds of torture inflicted by caretakers. We were dragged and beaten, kept in locked rooms and deprived of food. Whenever we complained, theyd tell us to leave the home, but we didnt have anywhere else to go. He added, We dont have any money to spend. So we would go on the street to beg from passers-by ever since we were young. Now, each one of us has his own job to help make a living. Some ran off to sell drugs to get money. Yasser Rifai, former assistant social solidarity minister, told Al-Monitor, The work systems at Egyptian child care centers are terrible. They lead to a whole generation of social delinquents, because subjecting children to violence early in their lives will feed into their aggressive behavior toward society. He said, The ministry has laid down some clear standards on its executive list for providing children with health care and protection against violence. However, they are yet to be implemented due to the lack of supervision. Not only that, the number of children sleeping in one room is surpassing the maximum allowed, with the children suffering from bad hygiene and lack of vaccination. Furthermore, they live together without any regard to age difference, as child care centers put together children aged 6 with 18-year-olds, which leads to harassment and rape. The executive list of the Child Protection Act No. 12, 1996, concerning work at the Social Solidarity Ministrys orphanages, stipulates comprehensive health care and calls for air conditioning, natural lighting, clean water, toiletries and sanitation installations, and other ordinary necessities. The list also stipulates children must have a place within the establishment to exercise, perform or take part in cultural activities, and they should be enrolled in clubs and provided access to public libraries. Rifai suggests designating certain cities to provide comprehensive services and make supervision easier. He said this system has worked in Turkey and Germany. According to Rifai, the army should monitor care center supervision, as it is an institution that respects discipline and provides security. And since the military is feared by everyone, the directors of childrens homes would be sure to abide by the law and protect children against violence, he said. Ali Sayyed, the head of a public orphanage, told Al-Monitor, The ministry lacks financial resources and denies us the necessary financial support to provide a decent living for children. Until now, we have been relying on donations only. He added, Im aware that orphanages are still underdeveloped and lacking basic necessities. But we are doing our best to accommodate these children so they dont end up living on the streets without shelter. According to the Ministry of Social Solidarity, there are 455 orphanages in the country, accommodating children until the age of 18, in addition to 83 nurseries sheltering homeless infants, and together they house about 12,000 children. In an interview with Al-Monitor, Radwa Qadi, a UN child protection counselor, said, Egyptian social care institutions lack habilitation and training programs for experts in treating children. Present experts are not enough to meet childrens needs. There is one expert for every 10 children, which certainly leads to major problems. She added, There are many instances of abuse that are still unreported. Children are hesitant about reporting them, for fear of the caretakers reaction. Qadi praised the ministrys plan to form rapid-rescue teams tasked with reporting abuse at orphanages. She said, We hope this initiative succeeds in ending these violations at care centers. January 12, 2016 Were here to offer assistance. The last thing we want is to be seen as cowboys playing war in a place not our own, Michael Wagnon told Al-Monitor in Amman, Jordan, awaiting a connecting flight to Erbil, Iraq. Wagnon is a former US Navy medic and founding member of Qalubna Makum (Arabic for Our hearts are with you), a group of foreign volunteers serving in the peshmerga, the military of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq. At least several dozen foreigners are volunteering with the peshmerga at present. But unlike past volunteers from Europe, North America, Australia and elsewhere, Qalubna Makum is largely focused on providing medical treatment and training, as opposed to participating in combat directly. They believe this will improve the image of foreign volunteers in Iraq and better help defeat the Islamic State (IS). Peshmerga commanders on the front lines welcome this new contribution. Qalubna Makum was established in 2015 by Wagnon and three other volunteers from the United States, France and Russia. Kat Argo leads the group, going by the pen name she created while covering the war in Ukraine as a freelance journalist. Previously, Argo was an intelligence officer and analyst in the US Army who deployed to Afghanistan three times. Wagnon too deployed to Afghanistan while in the Navy. They arrived in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region in December 2015. They are presently near Kirkuk, Iraq, in a peshmerga unit with both Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and Kurdistan Democratic Party officers, according to Argo. Qalubna Makum provides a variety of medical and other training to the peshmerga, drawing from its members experience serving with the US military in Afghanistan. According to Argo, this includes infantry, react to contact and evacuating medical personnel [training] or training the peshmerga on weapons they managed to get sometimes from dead or retreating Daesh [members], using a derogatory name for IS popular among Kurds and others. Providing medical treatment occupies a large part of the groups time. Today [Jan. 6], we stood in no man's land with a refugee family from Hawija, Iraq. Mike [Wagnon] treated an ailing woman and a baby and we stayed with them until the [peshmerga] moved to bring them safely over the wall into their controlled area, Argo said. No mans land refers to the area between two front lines held by the peshmerga and IS. Assisting refugees from IS-held locales like Hawija is an unprecedented role for foreign volunteers with the peshmerga. Argo further claims that they have treated an outbreak of the flu among their peshmerga counterparts. Other volunteers in the KRG have been focused on fighting IS militarily. But Qalubna Makum hopes to do more. We will move to training the peshmerga on medical evacuation and infantry tactics soon, but after a month it hasn't happened yet. We are also fighting to go help conditions at the refugee camps doing medical aid, Argo said. She was referring to ongoing conversations between herself and peshmerga commanders, who need to approve much of what Qalubna Makum can do. Gaining access to the front in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region can be daunting. In July 2015, another foreign volunteer fighting in Iraqi Kurdistan told Al-Monitor of the difficulty in obtaining the necessary permission from KRG officials to participate in combat. Other hindrances Qalubna Makum says it has faced include a lack of supplies and funding. Like other groups of foreigners fighting IS, Qalubna Makum is funded by private donations via the Internet. The peshmerga forces welcome foreign volunteers into their ranks. Speaking in his Erbil office in August 2015 at the height of foreign volunteers coming to the region, Brig. Gen. Helgurd Hikmet Mela Ali, the general director of the Ministry of Peshmerga-General Directorate of Media, told Al-Monitor, We dont [officially] have foreigners in the peshmerga, but on the front there are some volunteers. Whoever comes to fight the terrorists is welcome. Today, peshmerga commanders still share this sentiment. In a video about Qalubna Makum posted in late December 2015 by Kurdish-language media outlet Rudaw, an unnamed peshmerga commander praised the group for their medical and military roles. Terrorism is against the whole of humanity. We are fighting for the world, added Ail, further demonstrating the connection between the peshmerga and its foreign volunteers. Qalubna Makum is motivated by a desire to spread medical knowledge in the battle with IS, according to Wagnon. On why they decided to go to Iraq and not Syria where several dozen foreigners have joined the Kurdish People's Protection Units in their fight against IS Wagnon said, Iraqi Kurdistan is the area most manageable for US and European personnel. Wagnon believes there is a pressing need for such training, saying, We hope to assist in stabilizing and transporting casualties so more can reach [hospital] care alive. The golden hour passes very quickly. Aside from the practical, they also have moral motivations. People need to see Westerners aiding in a nonmilitary capacity, Wagnon said. Argo agrees, adding, We are members of the peshmerga, but we serve all victims of IS, and work in their name. In a speech on state television after the New Year, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said, 2016 will be the year of the big and final victory, when [IS'] presence in Iraq will be terminated. If this is to be the case, the peshmerga will need to take more territory from IS in the coming months. Westerners continue to volunteer in this struggle, and Western aid will remain an important asset to the peshmerga. However, as the first group utilizing its medical expertise from the war in Afghanistan, Qalubna Makum has the potential to help the peshmerga in a nonmilitary way as well and improve the West's image in the Middle East in the process. Samad Rashid contributed fixing and interpreting to this report. January 12, 2016 BAGHDAD Many of Iraqs prominent archaeological sites lie far away from cities, in the prairies and deserts, making them prone to neglect. Even famous sites such as the Nuffar ruins, the historic Kish city, Uruk and Ukhaidir Palace have weak security measures to protect them from antiquity thieves, and the places are not well developed for tourists. But it's hard to understand the neglect of Mustansiriya Madrassa, a historic school building situated in the ancient Abbasid district of Rusafa in the very heart of Baghdad. This site has deteriorated right under the noses of antiquity authorities and the capitals secretariat. The madrassa was established by Abbasid Caliph al-Mustansir around 1230. It was a prestigious secular, scientific and cultural center comparable in importance to contemporary universities. The disciplines taught included mathematics, philosophy, astrology, Sharia and classical Arabic. The building stands on the bank of the Tigris River, which flows behind the building. The carved interlace and writings in Arabic indicating Quranic verses on these walls are now concealed by dust. Its front facade, harboring a magnificent pointed-arch entrance, seems to disappear in a corridor surrounded by a multitude of shops and markets with narrow, winding alleys. The madrassa building is lost amid raucous commercial chaos. The building's external enclosure was turned into a parking space for street vendors trolleys and stands. Thousands of shoppers pass by this historic monument every day but fail to notice its splendor amid piles of debris. Their neglect of the site is joined by that of the authorities in charge of antiquities and tourism. Shoppers and merchants are overwhelmed by the concerns of daily life, while the authorities are preoccupied with a regime plagued by corruption, political and sectarian divisions and the costly war against the Islamic State. In the 1970s and early 1980s, this archaeological monument had contributed to the flourishing coppersmith trade in the nearby bazaar, al-Safafir Souq, by attracting visitors when tourism in this area was at its peak. However, this close relationship between the madrassa and handicraft activities has long faded. Baha Said, a coppersmith in al-Safafir Souq, told Al-Monitor, An increase in the number of tourists visiting the madrassa would in turn boost commercial activity in al-Safafir Souq and al-Naher Street, which stretches out along the Tigris River. The historical significance of the madrassa, however, does not seem to interest Saad al-Hiti, a street vendor in the surrounding markets. As Hiti rested on a concrete bench next to the madrassa enclosure, he told Al-Monitor, As far as I am concerned, this is a very old building of an old school and I never thought of visiting it, although I work in the nearby market. He added, I do not think it still retains its importance and standing. It is visited only by a few interested people, compared with the huge masses passing by. This description by an ordinary citizen illustrates the lack of government and popular attention to the ancient edifice. The state of neglect is further supported by photos of the trash at the front near the markets and along the bank of the Tigris that journalist Maad Fayad posted to Facebook on Dec. 20. In addition to all the debris, the building's entrance is being suffocated by new buildings and markets. The madrassas entrance is only a few meters from the marketplace. One can easily find oneself spontaneously wandering into the madrassa hallways without the need for a guide. The madrassa is organized around a large rectangular courtyard. Around 80 ventilated hallways and rooms extend from the court through pointed-arch entrances, classrooms from the Abbasid era. Students and teachers prayed in a mosque in a corner of the courtyard, in an isolated building with a towering minaret. Al-Monitor toured the madrassa. Halim Yasiri, an archaeological researcher and history teacher in Babil, talked about its history. Neglect started in the 1980s with the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War and the allocation of the Iraqi budget to the war expenses. Iraq lost around $220 billion in this war. Yasiri added, After 2003, when Saddam Hussein's regime fell following the US invasion, and in light of the prevailing security chaos, some of the madrassas treasures were looted by thieves and armed gangs, including manuscripts and carpets, as well as the monumental water-powered clock. He pointed out that in the 1970s, the edifice was rehabilitated and its damaged walls were repaired. But this was carried out by ordinary masons who repaired the damaged parts and removed the effects of dust and erosion off of the bricks, along with much of the edifice's original features, Yasiri said. Al-Monitor spoke to history teacher Hassan Hadi at the University of Babylon about the important role the madrassa once played. This madrassa is similar, to a large extent, to the modern science institutes. It covered all medical and religious disciplines, jurisprudence, law, philosophy, geography and history. This prestigious role makes it necessary to restore this landmark in order to preserve Iraqi history. The scientific and educational role of the school ended when Baghdad fell to the Mongols in 1258. But despite the need to restore the building, there is a lack of funds allocated for landmark rehabilitation projects. Naim Hato, a member of Baghdads provincial council, said Dec. 12, The council does not have a plan to preserve historical buildings due to lack of funding." A committee established by the council that included architects and artists and was in charge of the aesthetic embellishment of the city was also forced to suspend its work. Meanwhile, Biriwan Mosleh, a member of the parliament's Higher Education Committee, told Al-Monitor, The financial crisis plaguing the country has thwarted dozens of rehabilitation and development projects of historical regions. Al-Monitor sought the opinion of Shawan Daoudi, a member of parliament's Culture Committee, regarding the legislative authoritys stance. He said, This obstruction of restoration projects of historical landmarks pushed the parliament to call on the government in October to take urgent and exceptional steps to develop the historical regions. Officials recognize that such development could benefit the entire district. The location of Mustansiriya Madrassa in Baghdads commercial district could make it a profitable investment project to restore a cultural, artistic and tourist center that could host festivals and aid the economy. January 12, 2016 Until the beginning of 2014, the Kurdistan Regional Governments (KRG) fledgling tourism industry was growing at an impressive pace. Domestic and international investment was on the rise, and the regions capital, Erbil, was celebrating its status as the 2014 Capital of Arab Tourism. However, come February, the Islamic State (IS) made rapid advances to the east and shocked the region by arriving a mere 45 kilometers (27 miles) from Erbil, prompting travelers and tour companies to cancel their trips. Despite a number of coalition military successes since then, the looming threat of IS together with the consequent humanitarian crisis continues to stifle the development of tourism in Kurdistan. So what does 2016 hold for a tourism industry in a region that for almost two years has had drastically fewer tourists? A sharp decline In late December, KRG parliament Speaker Yousif Mohammed Sadiq gave a statement bemoaning the failure of the regions economy in 2015 and arguing that neglect of Kurdistan's tourism industry had contributed to this disappointing result. Sadiq has good reasons for raising the alarm. The success of Kurdistans economy has often been linked to its tourism sector, particularly as investment in the industry has been so high of late. Erbils Deputy Gov. Tahir Abdulla opened 2014 by announcing that the private sector had applied to build $1 billion worth of hotels and the General Board of Tourism was preparing to host 4 million tourists, of which just over 20% were international. Even as far back as 2007, a tourism stakeholders meeting was defined by its joint wish for the Kurdistan Regions economy [to] develop through the development of the tourism sector. The catastrophic decline in tourist numbers must therefore be seen from this perspective. Sarook Sarky, a student researcher at the University of Southampton, told Al-Monitor, International tourism visitor numbers have dropped by at least 50% [since summer 2014], according to the head of the media department at the General Board of Tourism. Other unofficial estimates, such as that of Douglas Layton, co-founder of The Other Iraq Tours, are much lower. The [IS] effect has been severe on tourism, Layton admitted to Al-Monitor. Tourism did not drop by 50% it basically dropped to zero in regard to international visitors. Paul Craven of UK-based Steppes Travel agrees that the affect of IS activity has been significant. He told Al-Monitor, IS activity generally and in the Kurdish region has led to enquiries drying up. Security is of such importance to international travelers that the events of the past two years have even affected tourism in other counties, which seem guilty by association. Craven said, People are now linking countries like Oman and Uzbekistan to areas they do not wish to travel to, associating them with Islamic states and therefore uncertainty of security. An air of positivity following the retaking of Sinjar in November and upcoming plans to retake Mosul might suggest that things are looking up for 2016. But with thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons already stretching Kurdistans resources, Sarky acknowledged to Al-Monitor that tourism has necessarily become a lower priority. Bayan Sami Abdelrahman, the KRG's high representative to the United States, is also realistic about the tourism nosedive being an outcome of a turbulent year. It isn't surprising that tourism has slowed down, she conveyed to Al-Monitor through a statement issued by her office, particularly with the KRGs responsibility of caring for nearly 2 million displaced people and refugees. Coping strategies So how are these stakeholders planning to address this situation? Layton insists that for any tourists who do wish to make the trip, security measures will be taken. Of course, the turmoil down south does require adjustments. Therefore, [our tour companies] do not visit any areas close to the borders that are in proximity to any potential violence, he said. Abdelrahman takes a similarly practical approach to the situation. Acknowledging that a cessation of hostilities may very well be a far-off prospect, she told Al-Monitor that she continues with the task of promoting Kurdish culture at home and abroad. Two Kurdish films have been released this past year, she noted, one even being nominated for an Academy Award. Abdelrahman has also helped Layton promote his "Kurdistan Tour Guide," published at the height of IS-bred turmoil in mid-2015. The timing of the book launch may be interpreted as reflective of the Kurds refusal to be daunted by the IS threat. The Kurdish soldiers are known as peshmerga, "the one who faces death," and this attitude one that is almost stubborn to the idea of surrender has been widely used in Kurdish anti-IS propaganda. Layton told Al-Monitor, [The tour guide] was sponsored by forward-thinking Kurdish corporations who, like us, wanted to send a message to the world that Kurdistan is not intimidated by IS. The "Kurdistan Tour Guide" certainly represents hope for Kurdistans tourism industry, and its extraordinary promotion in the United States the book was hand-delivered to every member of Congress is an attempt to generate cultural understanding about the Kurdistan Region, even when getting to the region itself seems impossible. Abdelrahman sees such activities as her duty, telling Al-Monitor that its about being prepared for when the time comes for tourists to come back. Yet, the fact of the matter is that regardless of how successful these efforts may be, the future remains murky. Sarky told Al-Monitor that the events of the past years continue to undermine international confidence in the region as a destination, concluding sadly, Socio-economic and political developments in the region will not allow tourism to develop well. January 12, 2016 TEHRAN, Iran Irans foreign policy has experienced many developments following the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with six world powers on July 14. The most significant of these changes is perhaps how Russia is now viewing Iran as a major arms customer. Indeed, the past six months have been filled with nonstop stories by Russian media outlets quoting officials voicing Moscows keen interest in selling weapons to Tehran. Of note, the JCPOA lifts the ban on sales of major conventional arms and related components and services to Iran. The first of these reported deals relates to a 2007 contract in which Russia had promised to supply Iran with S-300 surface-to-air missile systems a contract that Moscow never fulfilled. However, after the nuclear deal, Moscow quickly changed position and announced that it would deliver the missiles to Tehran; this announcement was perhaps hurriedly made out of fear that Russia would have to pay compensation to Iran to the tune of billions of dollars in case of further delay. However, as talks over the S-300 missile system became more serious, Moscow set the precondition that Tehran first withdraw the lawsuit it has filed over the withholding of the missiles before any delivery can be made. Subsequently, official Russian news agencies such as Sputnik began to report on the possibility of Moscow selling other heavy weaponry to Iran, such as Sukhoi Su-30 Flankers, MiG-35 fighter jets, T-90 battle tanks, amphibious vehicles and other weapons. But are these incessant reports accurately depicting a keen Iranian interest in purchasing Russian weaponry, or are they merely a form of psychological warfare? One instance of this potentially troublesome dynamic was when Sorena Sattari, Irans vice president for science and technology affairs, traveled to Moscow and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Following the visit, the Russians launched an intensive media campaign saying that Iran had requested the purchase of Sukhoi Su-30 Flankers. The Islamic Republic has until now shown no official reaction to such claims. Moreover, for months, Russian officials and media outlets talked of Tehrans alleged keen interest in purchasing 100 Sukhoi Superjets, even as senior Iranian officials shied away from noting such a decision. In fact, all Russian claims about the Sukhoi Superjets were eventually dismissed by the deputy head of Irans Civil Aviation Organization, Mohammad Khodakarami. There are many instances of Russian authorities making deceptive or false statements, and also Russian media outlets producing numerous reports on alleged sales of arms to Iran. Indeed, a cursory review of the archives of official Russian news outlets such as Sputnik or Russia Today produces an array of these kinds of stories. Make no mistake: There is no doubt that the Russian military-industrial complex is seeking to expand its interests by gaining access to Irans huge market. However, Russias key goals in selling arms to the Islamic Republic are more diverse. During the 1990s, Russia had produced a number of new platforms in heavy weaponry for air, sea and ground forces. The Sukhoi Su-30 and MiG-35 jets as well as T-90 tanks are among these weapons. However, as a result of different economic and political constraints, Moscow failed to obtain a suitable market for its products and its weapon sales were limited to India and a few countries that had become newly independent in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Meanwhile, Moscow has over the past several years tried to design fifth-generation jet fighters, tanks, armored personnel carriers, newer helicopters and stealth combat ships. None of these initiatives have been able to reach the level of mass production, which means Moscow has paid a heavy price for the production of its current advanced products. Thus, the arms it is putting forth for sale to Iran have failed to generate any profit so far. Research and development for new platforms such as the Armata tank or the PAK-FA 5G stealth fighter jet are very costly, and in light of Russias current economic situation appears very difficult to sustain. Thus, a sovereign arms customer such as Iran which is hungry for weapons and whose current weaponry is technologically several generations behind is viewed as an economic bridge that will allow Moscow to venture into a new generation of weapons. It should not be overlooked that following Irans 1979 Islamic Revolution, Russia has been closer to Iran than any other world power. However, based on the first principle of the Islamic Revolution, which urges an Iran independent of the East and West, Iranian officials have so far never allowed this closeness to enter a stage where Iran would be fully dependent on Russia. Neither has Tehran formed a strategic alliance with Moscow. Yet, the Russians continue to see the sale of heavy weaponry to Iran as the best opportunity to make Tehran more dependent while preventing it from coming closer to the West. This is because military dependence, due to its heavy cost in terms of finances, intelligence, security and human resources, strongly affects the relations between the selling and buying countries. The nuclear deal raised hopes for a new era in relations between Iran and the West among Iranian and Western political elites. However, as a result of numerous misunderstandings and animosities between the two sides, there have been no practical measures taken toward establishing sustainable relations by either party. Indeed, the idea of a new such era may perhaps be unlikely. Regardless, the reality is that at the current historical juncture, the West would benefit from ending its hostile policies toward Iran, and also from suggesting strategic concessions to Tehran. If not, the Islamic Republic will have no choice but to form the strategic alliance with Moscow that it has avoided. In this vein, the West can propose to provide Iran with conventional heavy weaponry for solely defensive purposes. Such a re-entry of conventional Western weaponry to Iran would help quickly remove the shadow of mistrust held by Iranian authorities toward the West on the one hand, and on the other, protect the West from the dangers posed by a potential strategic alliance between Iran and Russia. Of note, the immense profits of exports of arms to Irans military, which is in great need of virtually every kind of weaponry, cannot be overlooked and is something that could greatly improve the economies of Western countries, and especially the United States, France, Britain and Germany. If senior policymakers in Iran and the West maintain a clear understanding of the historic dimension of such a shift, their decisions could greatly impact the future strategic balance of the world. If not, it appears that current divisions are on course to harden. January 12, 2016 The ongoing dispute between Iran and Saudi Arabia following the kingdoms execution of Saudi Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on terrorism charges adds to many of the Middle Easts existing problems, but might be especially challenging for Russias foreign policy in the region. As a rule, Moscow has consistently sought to maintain cooperative relationships across the Middle East and, where possible, avoid taking sides in ways that could damage long-term Russian interests. Thus, for example, Russia has supported Palestinian aspirations for an independent state and criticized Israeli settlement policy while building a strong economic relationship with Israel and withholding condemnation of Israeli responses to domestic terrorism. Similarly, notwithstanding its cooperation with Iran; intense concern over Sunni extremism and its contribution to terrorism inside Russia; reservations about Saudi and Qatari support for armed groups opposing Syrias President Bashar al-Assad; and suspicions about Saudi motives for allowing oil prices to remain so low for so long, Moscow has recognized Saudi Arabias central role and has tried to build a working relationship with Riyadh and through it with other predominantly Sunni states. Searching the Kremlin website shows that President Vladimir Putin has had three acknowledged telephone conversations and one meeting with Saudi Arabias King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, plus a meeting with Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, since Russias intervention in Syria. Putin also had two publicly disclosed telephone calls with the Saudi king in the two weeks before he launched Russias airstrikes. Russias work-with-everyone approach to the Middle East is logical from a national interest perspective. Since Moscow lacks the power or influence to produce its preferred outcomes unilaterally, its leaders and diplomats have no alternative but to rely upon bilateral and multilateral diplomacy to achieve their objectives. In a region in which it often seems impossible to know what might happen next, this creates disincentives for spoiling relations with governments that could become important in the future. That goes double for Russias interactions with key regional powers like Iran and Saudi Arabia. Russia's armed intervention in Syria is no exception to this diplomatic strategy because its goals, such as preserving the Syrian state and improving its negotiating position in talks, are clearly political rather than military. Moreover, Russias modest deployments wont produce a decisive Syrian victory and Putin and his military and civilian advisers know it. Unfortunately for Russia and for everyone hoping for peace in Syria rising tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia will make that only more difficult. While US State Department spokesman John Kirby has declared that Washington would not need behind-the-scene efforts by Tehran or Riyadh in facilitating forthcoming talks between the Assad government and the Syrian opposition in Geneva, the two governments are at best competing for influence in Syria and at worst fighting a proxy war there. In a situation in which the various parties in Syria are hardly clamoring for peace anyway, this gives each something approaching a veto over a political settlement. Russian officials and politicians are well aware of the implications. Alexei Pushkov, the chairman of the Russian State Dumas International Affairs Committee, wrote on Twitter that the dispute could have extremely negative consequences in a region overrun with chaos and strife. While enduring rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia could make Tehran an even better customer for Russian arms exports, the current crisis could be quite costly for Moscow in other ways. Russias biggest challenge is that slowing or preventing a political settlement in Syria could trap Russias armed forces in a quagmire of indeterminate duration. As Moscow increases its commitment to the Assad regime in time, money, equipment and lives, Russias stake in the outcome will increase. And higher costs necessitate a bigger payoff to justify the investment. These are the dynamics that generate incrementalism at its worst like Americas deepening involvement in Vietnam, for example. Though Russias military presence in Syria is far from the US deployment in Vietnam or, for that matter, Soviet force levels in Afghanistan, Russias capabilities are not on US or Soviet Cold War-era levels. And Moscow simultaneously faces another optional military commitment in the currently semifrozen conflict in eastern Ukraine. From this perspective, it is notable that while Russias Foreign Ministry has leaked Moscows willingness to mediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia to the official news agency RIA Novosti, US officials have insisted in their own public comments that Washington will not seek such a role for itself. While both Washington and Moscow are likely eager to see a negotiated settlement to the war in Syria, the Obama administration appears comfortable continuing its policy of strategic patience. With its own forces on the ground inside Syria, Russias leaders may feel greater pressure to facilitate a solution. After the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, this seems like an ironic role reversal for Washington and Moscow: Newly pessimistic American officials are willing to let Syrians fight it out presumably with few perceived risks to the United States even as Russian officials struggle to manage predictable consequences of their earlier overoptimistic hopes that military intervention could produce a deal on their terms. Russian experts on the region like Al-Monitors Vitaly Naumkin have argued that Iran is unlikely to pursue military action against Saudi Arabia over Nimrs death. At the same time, Russian media have prominently quoted Saudi Arabias deputy crown prince insisting that Riyadh will not allow a war with Iran. A real war between the two seems quite unlikely because it could be extremely costly for each in no small part because it could quickly put their energy-driven economies at great risk to expensive infrastructure damage that is very slow to repair. Nevertheless, the biggest challenge for Russia is not that Iran-Saudi relations might get dramatically worse but that they seem unlikely to recover rapidly from the current downturn. In much the same way that sustained simmering tension between the United States and Russia contributes to generalized instability across the international system, a continuing standoff between Iran and Saudi Arabia could promote instability throughout the Middle East. This is bad for everyone, but the polarization that it feeds could be especially problematic for Moscow and others who try to avoid visibly choosing sides. January 12, 2016 Turkey and the United States may be strategic partners, but this has not prevented a rise in tensions between them stemming from differences over developments in Iraq and Syria. Turkish-US relations face potentially fresh turbulence as US-led coalition forces make headway against the Islamic State (IS), amplifying their differences. Both countries are nevertheless trying to keep a lid on their strained relations. Turkey continues to play host to high-level representatives from the United States, in the process trying to take advantage of their visits to draw Washington closer to its line on Iraq and Syria. A Jan. 6 visit by Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was followed by a delegation of US senators led by Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Vice President Joe Biden is due in Turkey on Jan. 23 for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu that are expected to concentrate on Iraq and Syria. There is little indication, however, that the Americans' visits are helping iron out existing differences on Iraq and Syria. Washington has been using these contacts to appease Turkey by praising its contribution to the fight against IS and its efforts to provide shelter to Syrian refugees, as well as noting its gratitude for Ankara allowing the US-led coalition to use the strategically situated Incirlik Air Base, near the southern city of Adana, to launch air attacks against IS. In December en route to Incirlik, however, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter told reporters that Turkey had to contribute more to the fight against IS. Turkey has an enormous role to play in the air and [on] the ground as appropriate, Carter said. He added, The single most important contribution that their geography makes necessary is the control of their own border, emphasizing the Western grievance that Ankara is not doing enough to secure its border with Syria to prevent the uncontrolled flow of refugees and crossings by IS militants. Of course, Turkey has its own set of grievances regarding US policies in Iraq and Syria. For one, it is angry over Washington backing Baghdads call for all unauthorized Turkish troops in Iraq to be withdrawn. In December, Iraq complained to the UN Security Council about the deployment of additional Turkish troops and tanks at the Bashiqa camp, near Mosul, saying Turkey had not informed the government in Baghdad about the move. A limited number of Turkish soldiers had already been at the camp for months training fighters to combat IS. The Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, which Ankara claims is acting under pressure from Iran, is reportedly concerned the Turkish move is part of an agenda to gain a foothold in predominantly Sunni Mosul after this strategic city is liberated from IS. Under US pressure, Turkey agreed to withdraw the additional troops, but sources in the region say this has not happened. Rather, Turkey simply moved some of its forces in Bashiqa to areas controlled by its Iraqi Kurdish allies. A White House readout of a phone conversation between President Barack Obama and Abadi on Jan. 6 revealed Washingtons unequivocal position on the matter: President Obama reaffirmed the United States commitment to Iraqs territorial integrity and sovereignty and called on Turkey to do the same by withdrawing any military forces that have not been authorized by the Iraqi government. Obama had issued a similar call in December. Ankara is also angry with Washington for its support of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the umbrella organization of Syrian Kurds, and its military wing, the People's Protection Units (YPG). Turkey has designated the PYD and YPG as terrorist groups because of their links to the Kurdistan Workers Party, which Turkey has outlawed. Washington considers the PYD and YPG legitimate organizations. The US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), consisting overwhelmingly of YPG fighters, has garnered US praise for defeating IS in a number of strategic locations in Syria, backed by US air support. The SDF recently took the strategic Tishrin Dam from IS and crossed to the west of the Euphrates River, defying a red line Ankara had set regarding the Kurdish presence in that part of Syria. Turkey fears that the Syrian Kurds will carve out an autonomous corridor along the Turkish-Syrian border and that such an occurrence would encourage Kurdish separatism in Turkey. Ankara communicated its concerns about the YPG to Dunford during his visit, but given that the Kurds have already moved west of the Euphrates, it is unclear what Ankara can now do about enforcing its red line. Kilic Bugra Kanat, from the Ankara-based Foundation for Political Economic and Social Research, believes the YPG will remain the most significant challenge for Turkish-US relations in 2016. In several different instances, the government said that it has important red lines regarding the actions of the YPG and serious concerns regarding operational cooperation between YPG and PKK forces. US military assistance to this group may result in serious problems of trust in bilateral relations, wrote Kanat in his column for the pro-government Daily Sabah. Washington, however, appears unlikely to abandon the Kurds. Dunford praised YPG fighters during his visit, even though his Turkish counterpart, Gen. Hulusi Akar, had cautioned him about the group. There have been some good things happening, Dunford was quoted as saying in a Department of Defense release. The Tishrin Dam [in northern Syria] has been secured, [and] a pretty significant swatch of ground has been uncovered by the Sunni Arab coalition working with the [People's Defense Units]. Washington refers to the SDF as a Sunni Arab coalition to avoid angering Turkey further. An underlying problem in Turkish-US relations is that the two sides are unhappy about the others regional allies in Syria. While Turkey opposes the PYD and YPG, some anti-Assad groups supported by Turkey, such as al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra, have been designated terrorist groups by the United States. Ankara significantly weakened its hand against the Syrian Kurds by downing a Russian fighter plane Nov. 24 as it carried out operations against anti-Assad Turkmen forces in northern Syria. The incident resulted in increased Russian support for the YPG in northern Syria and west of the Euphrates. Given Turkey's lack of leverage against the Syrian Kurds, it remains to be seen to what extent Washington takes Ankaras positions into account in the prelude to the UN-led Syrian peace talks slated for Jan. 25 and in their aftermath. Faruk Logoglu, former Turkish ambassador to Washington (2001-2006), underscored Ankaras weak position in this regard. Turkey has no power to influence Washington, because we do not have a government that is able to define the countrys national interests properly, Logoglu, currently a deputy with the main opposition Republican People's Party, told Al-Monitor. Logoglu believes that potential tensions between the two countries will nevertheless be contained because of the necessity of cooperating against IS. He said the imperative increased for Turkey after the Jan. 12 suicide attack by the group in Istanbuls touristy Sultanahmet Square that left 10 dead and 15 injured. Logoglu added, however, that developments in Bashiqa will remain the most immediate potential flashpoint in Turkish-US relations. January 11, 2016 GOP Donald J. Trump: Leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has famously suggested that he thinks he would get along very well with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and that the United States and Russia could find common ground in hitting the Islamic State (IS) in Syria if he were president. Putin, in turn, has praised Trump as a like-minded strongman with high poll numbers. I think that I would probably get along with him very well, Trump said of Putin on CBS News "Face the Nation" on Oct. 11, 2015. "And I don't think you'd be having the kind of problems that you're having right now." Regarding Putin intervening militarily in Syria, Trump said he supports it if Russia wants to bomb IS. As far as him attacking [IS], I'm all for it. If he wants to be bombing the hell out of [IS], which he's starting to do, if he wants to be bombing [IS], let him bomb them, Trump said. Let him bomb them." Trump warmly welcomed Putins praise at a year-end press conference. Trump is very talented, no doubt about that," Putin said Dec. 17 at a press conference. He is the absolute leader of the presidential race, as we see it today. He says that he wants to move to another level of relations, to a deeper level of relations with Russia. How can we not welcome that? Of course we welcome it. "It is always a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond," Trump said in a statement released by his campaign the same day. "I have always felt that Russia and the United States should be able to work well with each other towards defeating terrorism and restoring world peace, not to mention trade and all of the other benefits derived from mutual respect." Ive always felt fine about Putin, Trump said in an interview on MSNBCs Morning Joe on Dec. 18. I think that hes a strong leader. I think hes up in the 80s and I dont know who does the polls, maybe he does the polls, but I think theyre done by American companies, actually. Ted Cruz: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has called Putin a bully and a dictator, and said the United States can make a show of strength with its air power in Syria, aggressively expand missile defenses in Eastern Europe and promote human rights to push back Putin and deter a resurgent Russia. In Syria we can't double down on the failed strategies that have given Putin his opportunity to intervene, Cruz wrote in a CNN commentary Oct. 9. It is dangerous to dictators like Putin when Americans remember their exceptionalism. The unique combination of power and principle that has made the United States the greatest force for good on the planet has historically posed a grave threat to repressive bullies. Cruz continued, We have a successful model in front of us of how to deal with Russia without creating a diplomatic crisis We can highlight human rights, and aggressively expand and enforce the Magnitsky Act, which targets Russian officials accused of human rights abuses. We can redouble our efforts to develop the defensive weapons that neutralized the offensive Soviet threat particularly missile defense. We should not only move quickly to install the canceled interceptor sites Putin opposed in Poland and the Czech Republic, but also to develop the next generation of systems that will only increase his discomfiture. After the assessment that IS was probably responsible for the downing of a Russian passenger plane that took off from Sharm el-Sheikh Egypt, Cruz said the tragedy could be an opportunity to direct Russias airstrikes in Syria against IS rather than having them hit more moderate Syria rebel groups. "This is an opportunity for the United States to focus Russia's energy on [IS]," Cruz told CNN on Nov. 5. And if they're responsible for this horrific terrorist attack, that's all the more reason for a concerted effort and a concerted commitment to destroy them. "If you look right now, part of the problem is that Putin, I think, has taken the measure of the man in Barack Obama and doesn't respect him," Cruz said. "Once Putin determines that Obama's not credible, that he won't do what he says, that makes the prospect of our working together seriously to target [IS] a lot less plausible." Marco Rubio: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has called Putin a "gangster" who is seeking to challenge US dominance in the Middle East, prop up Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and destroy NATO, and who needs to be confronted with a far more assertive American foreign policy. Putin is exploiting a vacuum that this administration has left in the Middle East, Rubio said at the Sept. 16 CNN Republican presidential debate: [Putin] wants to reposition Russia, once again, as a geopolitical force, Rubio said. Hes trying to destroy NATO. Heres what youre going to see in the next few weeks: the Russians will begin to fly combat missions in that region, not just targeting [IS], but in order to prop up Assad. He will also, then, turn to other countries in the region and say, America is no longer a reliable ally, Egypt. America is no longer a reliable ally, Saudi Arabia. Begin to rely on us. What he is doing is he is trying to replace us as the single most important power broker in the Middle East, and this president is allowing it. "At the end of the day, although Vladimir Putin is a gangster and a criminal, he's also a geopolitical actor who makes decisions on a cost-benefit analysis," Rubio told Fox News on Nov. 24. "He will have to save face, but ultimately he won't test the alliance if the alliance stands up to him, because he would lose in that confrontation, and that would be a bigger setback for him." Rubio said Russia was deliberately attacking moderate rebel forces in Syria rather than IS. "Vladimir Putin is deliberately targeting all the non-[IS] rebels, Rubio said in an interview with Fox News on Oct. 2. The more moderate they are, the more he's going to target them." The United States and NATO need to make clear they will back up Turkey if Russia retaliates for Turkeys shooting down of a Russian air force plane, he told Fox News on Nov. 24. So it's important for us to be clear that we'll respond and defend Turkey, Rubio said. Ben Carson: Former pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson has said Putin is a dangerous belligerent destabilizing the Middle East and threatening Eastern Europe, and the United States must stand up to him and enforce its threats to deter Russian adventurism. I would tell [Putin] that we are a peaceful nation. But we are not a marshmallow, Carson told Yahoo News Katie Couric on Nov. 15. And we will not allow the extension of his influence in places where we have an interest. While saying he favors dialogue with the Russian president, Carson said the United States had to be firm and enforce any red lines that it sets. He advocated establishing a Syria no-fly zone on the Turkish-Syria border, and said the United States would have to shoot down a Russian plane if it violated it. We have to have a plan, we have to be willing to enforce that plan, and if we continue to back down, we will become a paper tiger, Carson told Couric of vowing to enforce a Syria no-fly zone, even if Russia violated it and the United States had to shoot down a Russian plane. Whatever happens next, we deal with it, but we cant continue backing down because in the long run, thatll hurt us, Carson said. To deter further Russia expansionism in Eastern Europe, the United States should place one or two armored brigades in the Baltic region, provide arms to Ukraine and upgrade the United States' nuclear arsenal, Carson also proposed in the Yahoo interview, the website reported. Vladimir Putins Russia has become dangerously belligerent, Carsons campaign website states. It is actively destabilizing Ukraine, endangering Europe in the process and continuing to fuel destabilization in the Middle East. President Putin must come to learn that there will be grave and serious consequences when Russia engages in naked aggression against other sovereign nations and free peoples, the Carson campaign site continued. All options should remain on the table when dealing with international bullies such as President Putin. In early October, Carson bizarrely and inaccurately contended in multiple interviews that Putin, Mahmoud Abbas (now Palestinian Authority president) and Ali Khamenei (an ayatollah who is now Iran's supreme leader) had known each other in Moscow in 1968. Putin "already has substantial ties in the Middle East," Carson told CNNs Wolf Blitzer on Oct. 8. "In the class of 1968 at Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow, Mahmoud Abbas was one of the members of that class, and so was Ali Khamenei. And that's where they first established relationships with the young Vladimir Putin." Jeb Bush: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has called Putin a "bully who needs to be confronted by a more assertive US president and more robust sanctions. "How to deal with him is to confront him on his terms, not to create a more bellicose environment but to simply say that there is going to be a consequence," Bush said of Putin in an Oct. 13 Reuters interview. "I wouldn't worry about antagonizing the Russians, for starters, Bush added. They should worry about antagonizing us. Responding to Trumps assertion at the Nov. 10 Fox/Wall Street Journal Republican presidential candidates debate that the United States should not be the worlds policeman, Bush said Trump is absolutely wrong. We're not going to be the world's policeman, but we sure as heck better be the world's leader, Bush said at the debate. Without us leading, voids are filled, and the idea that it's a good idea for Putin to be in Syria, let [IS] take out Assad, and then Putin will take out [IS]? I mean, that's like a board game, that's like playing Monopoly or something. That's not how the real world works. We have to lead, we have to be involved. We should have a no-fly zone in Syria. They are barrel bombing the innocents in that country. If you're a Christian, increasingly in Lebanon, or Iraq or Syria, you're going to be beheaded. And, if you're a moderate Islamist, you're not going to be able to survive either. Democrats Hillary Clinton: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who led the Obama administrations first term efforts at a reset with Russia, probably has the most direct experience with the Putin government of all the 2016 presidential candidates, and the two leaders have indicated they are not very fond of each other. Clinton has said she thinks the United States needs to take a more assertive approach to Russian annexation of Crimea while indicating there is room for cooperation on diplomacy to try to end the Syrian war. Putin in turn has expressed irritation with Clintons tough statements and belittled them as a sign of weakness. I remain convinced that we need a concerted effort to really up the costs on Russia and in particular on Putin, Clinton said at the Brookings Institution on Sept. 9. "I am in the category of people who wanted us to do more in response to the annexation of Crimea and the continuing destabilization of Ukraine." "We can't dance around it anymore, Clinton said. We all wish it would go away. We all wish Putin would choose to modernize his country and move toward the West instead of sinking himself into historical roots of czar-like behavior, and intimidation along national borders and projecting Russian power in places like Syria and elsewhere." "I think Russia's objectives are to stymie and to confront and undermine American power whenever and wherever they can. I don't think there's much to be surprised about them," she said. "We have to do more to get back talking about how to we try to confine, contain, deter Russian aggression in Europe and beyond," she said. "And try to figure out what are the best tools for doing that. "I dont admire very much about Mr. Putin, but the idea you can stand up and say I will be your next president? That has a certain, you know, attraction to it," Clinton also joked at the Brookings event. Putin, in December 2011, accused then-Secretary of State Clinton of giving support to the Russian opposition protesting disputed parliamentary polls and his plans to return to the Russian presidency in 2012. Russian opposition leaders heard the signal and with the support of the US State Department began active work," Putin said Dec. 8, 2011. "We are all grownups here. We all understand the organizers are acting according to a well-known scenario and in their own mercenary political interests. Putin apparently remained annoyed by Clinton three years later, but said they could manage to conduct themselves cordially if needed. "Its better not to argue with women," Putin said in a June 3, 2014, interview posted by the Kremlin. "But Ms. Clinton has never been too graceful in her statements, Putin said. Still, we always met afterwards and had cordial conversations at various international events. I think even in this case we could reach an agreement. When people push boundaries too far, its not because they are strong but because they are weak. But maybe weakness is not the worst quality for a woman." Despite their seemingly jaundiced views of each other, Clinton said that when it came to Syria, Russia would have to be part of the solution. We need to be putting together a coalition to support a no-fly zone, Clinton said at a campaign event in Davenport, Iowa, on Oct. 6. I think its complicated and the Russians would have to be part of it, or it wouldnt work. Sen. Bernie Sanders: In 1988, Sanders, then the mayor of Burlington, Vermont, traveled with his new wife to Yaroslavl, Russia, to inaugurate it as Burlingtons sister city. The trip misreported in some venues as Sanders honeymooning in the Soviet Union is nevertheless perhaps illustrative of the generally more dovish worldview of the Vermont senator. Sanders, a Socialist who caucuses with the Democrats, urges more dialogue, diplomacy and cooperation with Russia to combat IS, and working in concert with the international community to enforce economic sanctions on Russia as an alternative to military confrontation. "We have different points of view ... but Russia has got to join us, Sanders said during a speech at Simpson College in Iowa on Nov. 16, CNN reported. We are concerned about Iran, but Iran has to join us. We have concerns about Saudi Arabia, but Saudi Arabia has to join us. ... If all over the world these attacks are taking place, the world has got to come together." "Of course I have concerns," Sanders said of Putins motives in Syria. Historically, Russia has been, and will continue to be, a significant player in the international economic and diplomatic sphere, the pro-Sanders campaign website Feel the Bern states. Bernie Sanders supports a strong, consistent stance with Russias president, Vladimir Putin, the campaign site says. Bernie supports enforcing economic sanctions and international pressure as an alternative to any direct military confrontation when dealing with Russia. The United States must collaborate to create a unified stance with our international allies in order to effectively address Russian aggression. January 12, 2016 Several media and political reports in Beirut have addressed the impact recent US sanctions are having against Hezbollah. But so far, the reports appear to be much ado about nothing. On Dec. 18, US President Barack Obama signed the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015, imposing sanctions on foreign financial institutions that deal with Hezbollah and its affiliated Al-Manar TV channel. In a Dec. 21 speech delivered on Al-Manar, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah cautioned institutions against panicking over the US measures. Nasrallah stressed that neither Hezbollah nor any of its institutions have financial accounts at any Lebanese bank. He also called on the Lebanese government to ensure that the sanctions do not harm Lebanese citizens or institutions. A bank expert speaking on condition of anonymity told Al-Monitor that the US sanctions will not affect the Hezbollah party. Hezbollah has its own banking system, and most importantly, it does not deal with US currency, according to the expert. Soon, however, the issue emerged again in the media as a result of two developments. First, there were several Lebanese media reports Dec. 31 that Lebanese banks refused to open new accounts for Hezbollah MPs and ministers who wanted to have the salaries they receive from the Lebanese state transferred to these accounts. Second, Lebanese media reported Jan. 5 that a bank refused to open an account for the son of former Lebanese Environment Minister Wiam Wahhab, known for his support for Hezbollah. However, Al-Monitor investigated these cases and found them to be imprecise and exaggerated. An official source at the Central Bank of Lebanon told Al-Monitor that reports that the US sanctions apply to all money transfers were false. The source said the sanctions do not affect official government salaries paid in Lebanese pounds when they are transferred by the Lebanese Ministry of Finance to Lebanese MPs and ministers through Lebanese banks. The source, who requested anonymity, said that only one such case took place a few days earlier and was immediately settled. The source said that a bank branch manager in early January asked Lebanese MP Ali Miqdad to close his government salary account and stop dealing with the bank, which the source did not name. Miqdad is from Hezbollahs Lebanese parliament wing, Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc. Miqdad contacted Central Bank of Lebanon officials to inquire about the request he received. The Central Bank of Lebanon discovered that the request was based on the branch manager's personal diligence, not on a formal administrative decision issued by the bank. Consequently, the bank reversed the manager's decision, according to the Central Bank of Lebanon source. Meanwhile, Al-Monitor contacted Wahhab, who confirmed that what happened with his son was similar to Miqdad's experience. Wahhab explained that his son had visited a Lebanese bank branch, which he did not name, to open an account. Much to his son's surprise, the employee refused his request, with no justification or explanation. Wahhab called Central Bank of Lebanon governor Riad Salameh and asked for a clarification. Central Bank of Lebanon officials immediately addressed the issue and Wahhabs son was able to open an account. This incident also was attributed to the personal diligence of one bank employee. For years, US officials have insisted that Hezbollah uses front groups to launder money. Even though that makes it difficult to identify Hezbollah contacts, the US holds banks responsible for doing so. That, the Central Bank of Lebanon official told Al-Monitor, could explain the extreme caution displayed by some Lebanese bank employees. They don't want to make any mistake that could lead their institutions to have legal problems with US authorities. This is especially true given previous cases that led to significant banking crises. In 2011, US authorities accused the Lebanese Canadian Bank, a Lebanese bank, of being involved in a money-laundering operation with individuals close to Hezbollah. Consequently, the bank was liquidated and closed. The story made headlines in Beirut. A similar situation happened in June 2015 with another Lebanese bank the Middle East and Africa Bank. The US government accused bank administrators of dealing with terrorists; the Central Bank of Lebanon had to intervene and change the banks administration. The anonymous Central Bank of Lebanon official told Al-Monitor that these experiences explain the extreme caution shown in the cases of Miqdad and Wahhab's son. The source concluded that US diligence in the financial and banking sectors across the world, including Lebanon, causes banks to err on the safe side instead of showing any kind of leniency. Brewers are confident that 2016 will be the year for the so-called "growler law" that would allow them to sell beer directly to consumers. The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Study Commission voted Tuesday on recommendations to present to the state legislature that included loosening regulations on breweries, brewpubs, wineries and distilleries to allow greater retail opportunities. The recommendations passed Tuesday include the following: Small brewers and brewpubs would be able to sell less than 60,000 barrels per year for retail, and sell up to 288 ounces per consumer per day, in any packaging including bottles, cans or growlers. Brewpubs would no longer have to be located in a historic building or economically distressed area. Brewers could directly deliver beer to charity functions, up to two kegs per event. Alabama wineries would be able to retail wines at one ABC-board approved location. Alabama distilleries would be able to directly sell consumers up to one 750 milliliter bottle of their spirits per person per year, only for off-premise consumption. Jason Wilson, founder and CEO of Back Forty Beer Co. in Gadsden and President of the Alabama Brewers Guild, said the legislation, if passed, would be huge for his brewery. Wilson said customers come in asking for a 6-pack or growler daily, and the staff have to direct them a few blocks away for the nearest store that stocks their product. "It's mostly people traveling through, who have heard of the brewery and pulled off the interstate for a tour," Wilson said. "I have to send them around the corner." Wilson said he expects there will be something written into the law that prohibits brewers from selling their beer at a price lower than retailers, and that should protect the interests of brewers, distributors and retailers. "It'll allow a lot of these smaller, fledgling breweries to keep their lights on while they're still trying to establish their brands," Wilson said. [Related: Madison County brewers thrilled with state recommendations for growler sales] The Legislature gave formed an Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Study Commission last year to study other states' alcohol laws. Rep. Alan Harper and Sen. Paul Sanford chaired the commission. Members of the commission traveled to both North Carolina and Colorado to study the alcohol legislation where the beer industry thrives. Sanford said he's confident that all recommendations voted on Tuesday will be passed this session. "I'm happy with what we've got, but I still think there's work to be done," Sanford said. AX029_6ACF_9.JPG (File photo) Krispy Kreme will give away free doughnuts for a year to the first 100 customers who visit the company's new store next week in Decatur. The first customer will receive a punch card for one free dozen glazed doughnuts each week for a year, while the next 99 guests will receive a punch card for one free dozen glazed doughnuts each month for a year. The first 150 visitors will get a Krispy Kreme T-shirt. The grand opening event will begin at 6 a.m. Jan. 19 on 1654 Beltline Road S.W., in front of the Books-A-Million shopping center. Line registration for prizes will start at 3 p.m. a day earlier. The North Carolina chain said registrants must be at least 10 years old and stay in line until the shop opens to claim their prize. Drive-thru customers will be excluded from giveaways. More than their attendance to the event. Visit for official grand opening rules and regulations. Comcast said it will invest millions in a comprehensive fiber optic network for Huntsville-area businesses and government organizations in 2016. (File photo) Work is starting on the infrastructure for the Ethernet service, which will offer up to 10 gigabit speeds and voice cloud solutions. The effort complements the City of Huntsville's plan to provide high-speed Internet to homes and businesses throughout the community. Comcast Vice President of Public Relations Alex Horwitz visited the AL.com office in Huntsville on Monday to discuss the network, which he said will provide the fastest speeds in the state for existing businesses and companies looking to move or open facilities here. Here are seven things to know about the technology: 1) Larger markets. Comcast is already offering advanced speeds in Atlanta and Nashville, two major metropolitan markets within hours of the Rocket City. Horwitz explains why Comcast chose Huntsville for expansion: "Huntsville has an incredibly strong business climate obviously," he said. "You've got really progressive minds who run this town on the government side so we've had fantastic support from elected officials and our partners in the business community." 2) Construction and new jobs. The company will immediately begin buildout on the network, which will be available to certain business customers as early as May. Work will take most of the year, but Horwitz said it should be complete about September. The investment will also create some new jobs, but the exact number is still "to be decided." Horwitz said the types of positions will vary, including sales, engineering and network management. 3) All-inclusive network. Horwitz said the network will not be limited to one area of town, but will be available to businesses throughout the market. "We're trying to make this as comprehensive as possible so that virtually the entire business community will have access to the speeds and more advanced services," he said. 4) Residential customers. Huntsville is "definitely on (Comcast's) radar" for fiber service for households in the future, Horwitz said. The company launched Gigabit Pro, a two-gigabit residential service, last year in Atlanta, Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville. Horwitz said Comcast will eye high-growth markets like Huntsville for possible residential expansion in 2016. In addition to two-gigabit service, Comcast is looking at a one-gigabit service that would be supported through a new cable modem technology called Docsis 3.1. 5) What makes Comcast's fiber network different? Comcast isn't the only company working on fiber projects in Huntsville. Southern Light and AT&T have both announced plans to offer high speeds in the area, so what makes Comcast stand out from the competition? "Network availability," Horwitz said. "It will be the most available high-speed network in Huntsville." Pricing will depend on each client's need, he added. 6) Customer service. How will Comcast's customer service reputation affect its expansion into Huntsville? When the Time Warner Cable/Comcast merger unraveled last year, the company said it would move forward by improving customer service. Horwitz said they hope to achieve that through new investments, job creation, call centers, employee training and Tech ETA, a service that alerts customers when a technician is on their way and provides real-time updates if there is a delay. "There's a lot of activity going on locally and across the country to really start making a difference and moving the needle," he said. "We're seeing some early results, but we obviously have a lot of work to do ahead of us, but it's going at least in the right direction, which is good." 7) High demand. Horwitz said Comcast's Atlanta business customers range from hospitals and government agencies to school systems and counties. Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta uses Comcast's fiber speeds to send real-time test and x-ray results, telemedicine and other services to branch hospitals in more rural settings throughout the state. "The speeds aren't just being used for your traditional purposes, but for other things as well," he said. Delaney Zimlich must have known something was up when her parents wheeled her into the lobby of University of South Alabama Children's & Women's Hospital on Friday afternoon, only to find the lobby full of people who seemed to be waiting for her. Right away, Owen Bailey, the administrator of Children's & Women's, welcomed everyone and thanked them for coming. Though she wasn't sure why she was there, Delaney was poised, with a big, sweet smile on her face. And then, Dr. Adam Handwerger, the pediatric orthopedic surgeon who has treated 10-year-old Delaney for the past three-and-a-half years, came forward and announced that Delaney has been named the 2016 Children's Miracle Network Hospitals' Champion for Alabama. Delaney's mouth dropped open in surprise, as everyone assembled in the lobby clapped and cheered. Only one child is chosen from each state as a representative for the Champions program, and Children's & Women's has had three former patients named as champions from the Mobile area: Jalaysha Carter, Jenny Biggs and Starla Chapman, who have been "fantastic ambassadors," said Bailey. "You have no idea what you're in for, girl!" said Nancy Calhoun, representing Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. After the announcement, Abigail Olive, dressed as Queen Elsa from "Frozen," serenaded Delaney with "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes," and presented her with a gift. Delaney's mother, Jenni Zimlich, said that Delaney spent her first two-and-a-half weeks in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit after she was born with Spina Bifida, the most common permanently disabling birth defect in the United States. It occurs when the spinal column doesn't close all the way in utero. Delaney was back in the hospital in October for an operation. "She didn't want to leave," her mom said. "We're so fortunate to have this hospital in this area." Zimlich, a teacher who home-schools Delaney, said that the Champions program is a boost for her family, who lost their home in Baldwin County due to flooding in 2014. They also recently learned that Delaney has dyslexia. The Zimliches are in the process of moving back to Mobile, where Delaney's dad, Michael, is a veterinarian. "This will be a bright light in our journey," Jenni Zimlich said of Delaney's honor. Delaney loves to play the piano, to go boating with her family and to play with animals. She often goes to work with her dad to visit the pets in his practice. As the 2016 Alabama Champion, Delaney will travel to Washington, D.C., and to Walt Disney World Resort with her family. Champions is an awareness campaign created to spread the word about Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, the work of its hospital members and the financial needs they face. It honors remarkable children who serve as children's hospital ambassadors after facing severe medical challenges. A convicted felon is behind bars again after police said he made threats to "slit those babies' throats." Eric Jason Shook, 37, is charged with two counts of making a terrorist threat. He was arrested Jan. 8, according to court records, and remains jailed with bond set at $200,000. Shook, of Adamsville, is accused threatening two people on separate occasions. On Dec. 26, Shook did knowingly and willfully terrorize a woman by threatening, by any means, to commit a crime of violence or to damage property. Accord to an affidavit, this is what he said: "I tell you what, you little (expletive), how about I slit those babies throats, cut their heads off and feed them to the God (expletive), mother (expletive) dogs." The second incident happened Jan 3. In that case, according to court records, Shook threatened a second woman by saying, "I got you and your family. I got you." Adamsville police obtained warrants against Shook on Jan. 8, and he has been jailed since. Shook in 2009 pleaded guilty to first-degree kidnapping. According to the indictment in that case, he abducted a woman and child with the intent to physically harm or sexually abuse her. He was also indicted in that same case on charges of stealing the woman's automobile, while he was armed with a tire iron, and threatening the man. He pleaded guilty to the kidnapping charge, and in return the other charges were dismissed. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but ordered to serve only the amount of time he'd already been in jail awaiting trial. He was released from custody upon entering his plea and given five years of probation. It wasn't immediately clear how many years he served before that plea. With the new terrorist threat charges, authorities are now seeking to revoke his probation. A man was critically shot in the Kingston neighborhood right by Woodlawn Monday night. Birmingham police say a man was shot in the throat at a house near the intersection of 48th Street North and 9th Court North. The man called for help and ran a few blocks over to Messer Airport Highway. This is where police found him and had an ambulance take him to the hospital. The man was shot in the throat, police say, resulting in a life-threatening injury. He was still able to identify a possible suspect. Police detained this person and one other for questioning. Police found several weapons inside the house. An officer said they seized about 10 or 12 high-powered rifles. Investigators are trying to determine where they came from. The investigation is still ongoing. ATM Truck.PNG Police are trying to find this stolen pickup truck used in a burglary at a Lakeshore convience store. (Birmingham Police) Police are trying to find a pickup truck that was stolen from the Jefferson County Housing Authority and used in a burglary at a Birmingham gas station. The truck was stolen out of Bessemer, and is a white, 2006 Ford F-250 crew cab utility truck. It was used in a break-in at a service station on Lakeshore Parkway. The tag number is 43298C0. Birmingham police Sgt. Bryan Shelton said the truck has built-in tool boxes on both sides and black rails that run from the rear tailgate to over the cabin area. It may be occupied by two or more suspects with gloves, masks and tools used to pull open security doors. There is also likely a long chain used to yank an ATM from its foundation, Shelton said. The thieves tend to hit in the early-morning hours and target closed convenience stores that have ATM machines near the front door. Authorities said the suspects have been known to flee from police, and could be armed. Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham burglary Detective E.T. Grimes at 205-297-8468. Athens police arrested a man accused drug charges, including getting ready to sell crack cocaine. Athens Police Chief Floyd Johnson said investigators executed a search warrant in the 18000 block of North Jefferson Street on Friday. They reportedly seized 22 grams of crack cocaine, three handguns, two rifles, two shotguns, ammunition, loaded handgun magazines, three cell phones, marijuana seeds, diazepam tablets, tramadol tablets, seven grams of marijuana, digital scales and $582. Willie Hardy Jr., 55, was arrested and charged him with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, second-degree possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia. Hardy was booked at the police department then transported to the county jail. hanu.jpg Hanu Karlapalem is running for mayor of Madison, Alabama. (cstephens@al.com) Hanu Karlapalem, a small business owner, says the police stop of a 57-year-old Indian citizen and the ensuing international attention was unfortunate, but that has little to do with why he is now running to become the mayor of one of Alabama's fastest growing cities. "I think the Madison Police Department is one of the best police departments in Alabama," said Karlapalem, who was born in the state of Andhra Pradesh on the southeast coast of India and now runs a network solutions business in Madison. He says he has a better vision for Madison than incumbent Mayor Troy Trulock. He says he'd like to see Madison become the number one small city in America atop such lists as the one prepared by Money magazine. Despite high incomes and low crime rates and high-scoring schools, this year Madison didn't crack the top 50 "This city is one of the most intelligent and best educated cities yet we are not even at the top 10 in the nation," said Karlapalem, saying Madison has fallen behind on improving roads, increasing job growth and internal communication. "We are 10 to 15 years, even 20 years behind," he said of roads in particular. But he said the public schools "are some of the best" in the state and so are the police. Eleven months ago, that police department came under international scrutiny, as Indian diplomats came to Madison on behalf of Sureshbhai Patel. Police had responded to a neighbor's call on Feb. 6 about a suspicious pedestrian, stopping Patel during a morning walk in front of his son's home. Patel, an Indian citizen, could not speak English and walked away from police. The confused exchange ended with Officer Eric Parker slamming Patel to the ground, leaving Patel unable to walk and in need of emergency spinal surgery. Madison police moved to fire Parker and charged him with misdemeanor assault, although that decision and two inconclusive federal trials have deeply divided the small police department. Parker and federal prosecutors continue to await the judge's decision on whether or not there will be a third trial. "That incident was very tragic, painful and emotional," said Karlapalem, who lives a mile and half from the Patel's home in west Madison, although he said he does not know the Patels. "But one incident cannot define the department, the City of Madison, nor the state of Alabama." "I want to focus on the positive side of Alabama," said Karlapalem, adding later: "The fact that I am running is proof that Madison, Alabama, is one of the most tolerant, diverse cities." Madison is a diverse small city. Well over half of the residents of Madison were born in another state, and 8 percent were born in another country. A mechanical engineer by training, Karlapalem studied at Delhi College of Engineering in India. He said he moved to Alabama when his wife, Vidya, took a job in software development in the Huntsville area 16 years ago. He earned a master's in management information systems from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and now runs his own small company, Vinhamz. His story is not unusual. The U.S. Census shows nearly 5 percent of more than 46,000 people in Madison are naturalized citizens. That's compared to just 1 percent statewide. About 500 residents in Madison were born in India, which is the largest group of foreign born residents in the city. Karlapalem, 51, said both he and his wife became U.S. citizens in 2010. "I consider Madison as my home," he said. Karlapalem said he first considered running for mayor last March. He said he has served on an elected board for UAH alumni, was once president of the local Indian association for Huntsville and Madison, and served on the board of the international exchange programs Global Ties Alabama and International Services Council of Alabama But he has never run for public office. As for the Patel incident, he said that it did hurt the city's image and perhaps exposed some deficiencies in city administration. He said he would use his experience to "promote a culture of diplomacy." In comparison with current city leadership, he said: "I think I can do a better job communicating with the city council, with all the stakeholders." Trulock announced in October that he would seek a second term as mayor. Official qualifying doesn't begin until July. The municipal election is Aug. 23. "I'm as qualified as any other candidate," said Karlapalem. Karlapalem said Madison, which is fully encircled by the City of Huntsville, must plan well for future growth given the limited land left for expansion. He said the city must bring in business and commercial development to create a sustainable tax base. "Rooftops alone cannot sustain us." He suggested several ideas for Madison, including citizen advisory councils for each city council district, a small business incubator, a board for supporting veterans and a youth council to advise city leaders. Karlapalem will formally announce his candidacy at a kickoff on Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. at Grounded Coffee, a small business in Madison. "I bet you cannot find any Indian American in city, state or local offices in the South," said Karlapalem. "If (the voters) decide I am the right person to lead this city, that would be a historic election, not only in Madison, but in the state of Alabama." Two people ended up in Huntsville Hospital with stab wound on Monday. They were the result of completely unrelated incidents, neither of which yielded any arrests. The first stabbing was reported at about 10:30 a.m. in the 1000 block of Rison Avenue. Responding officers determined there was a physical fight between two roommates, said Huntsville police Lt. Darryl Lawson. During the fight, one roommate apparently hit the other in the head with a glass mug. hat roommate retaliated by stabbing him in the chest with a knife. Both were transported by HEMSI to Huntsville Hospital. The stabbing victim's injuries did not appear to be life-threatening. No charges have been filed at this time. Huntsville officers responded to another fight-turned-stabbing around noon in the 200 block of Bumper Crop Lane. Police determined a 25-year-old man got into a physical fight with his father during a family visit. He allegedly punched his stepmother and began choking his father. The stepmother reportedly stabbed him in the lower back to get him off of his father. The man was transported to Huntsville Hospital for treatment. His stepmother was transported to Crestwood Medical Center. Neither's injuries are life-threatening. No charges are currently filed in this case either. It remains under investigation. A 12-year-old Pennsylvania girl died Monday morning when she was shot as a constable attempted to evict her family. Ciara Meyer of Penn Township was standing behind her father when he pulled a .223-caliber rifle and pointed it at the constable, who had arrived at the Pfautz Apartments with an eviction notice. ABC 27 reports that Pennsylvania State Constable Clarke Steele unholstered his own duty weapon and fired a single shot, which struck Ciara's father, 57-year-old Donald B. Meyer, in the arm. The bullet passed through his arm and struck his daughter, who died at the scene, the news station reports. Meyer was flown to Penn State Hershey Medical Center, where he was expected to be discharged later Monday or Tuesday. He is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, terroristic threats and reckless endangerment in his daughter's death. Investigators told the news station that Meyer's gun had a round in the chamber and a magazine with 30 rounds. He will be held without bond in the Perry County Prison. An Alabama state senator on Monday denied a report he was under investigation for ethics violations, saying he has sought verification that his law practice is not benefiting from state contracts. Sen. Phil Williams, R-Rainbow City, posted a lengthy statement on his state senate web page. Williams denied a report from Alabama Political Reporter that he is under investigation. "A full inquiry by the senator at all levels of government and law enforcement has revealed no evidence of any investigation whatsoever," the senator's statement said. "I took the unusual step of contacting the Alabama Ethics Commission on Friday and personally requested they conduct a full review of my law practice," Williams said in the statement. "At my own insistence they have now received all five years of my client lists and will review them under seal. A call to Williams' cell phone by AL.com was not answered on Tuesday afternoon. Alabama Political Reporter cited "a high-ranking government official" for its report that Williams was under investigation "by law enforcement for possible ethics violations and other related activities." APR did not identify the government official. APR said that the basis for the investigation was the fact that Williams' annual statement of economic interests to the ethics commission revealed that his client list at his law firm had grown from none in 2010 when Williams first took office to 43 by 2014. An AL.com review of Williams' statements of economic interests showed that he reported no clients in 2010, four in 2011, 25 in 2012, 28 in 2013 and 43 in 2014. "I took the unusual step of contacting the Alabama Ethics Commission on Friday and personally requested they conduct a full review of my law practice," Williams said in his statement. "At my own insistence they have now received all five years of my client lists and will review them under seal." On Sat., Jan. 9 at approximately 3:40 p.m. the Auburn Police Division responded to a residence in the 400 Block of Webster Road in reference to a shots fired call according to Auburn Police. When officers arrived on the scene they located an unresponsive adult an inside the residence with an apparent gunshot wound to the chest. Paramedics with the Auburn Fire Division and Emergency Medical Services arrived and rendered aid and transported the victim to the EAMC Emergency Room. The victim, Marquorious Jurrell Rowell, 18, subsequently died as a result of his injuries and was pronounced deceased at 4:23 p.m. An investigation into the incident was initiated by Auburn Police; a juvenile acquaintance, still at the scene, was identified as firing the weapon and taken from the scene by officers. The preliminary investigation indicates the likelihood of the victim being shot accidentally when a firearm was inadvertently discharged inside the residence. The investigation is, however, ongoing. The body was transported to the State Medical Examiner's office in Montgomery for an autopsy. The Auburn Police Division is being assisted in the investigation by the Alabama Department of Forensic, the State Medical Examiner's Office and the Lee County Coroner's Office. John Kasich, Carly Fiorina, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Rand Paul Republican presidential candidates, from left, John Kasich, Carly Fiorina, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, and Rand Paul take the stage during the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Venetian Hotel & Casino on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Fox Business Network with two major changes on who will be appearing on the main stage. Qualifying for the main Jan. 14 8 p.m. CST debate were: businessman Donald Trump; Texas Sen. Ted Cruz; Florida Sen. Marco Rubio; retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson; New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush; and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and businesswoman Carly Fiorina, both of whom took part in the previous two main debates, did not qualify for the 8 p.m. event. Paul and Fiorina, along with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, will be invited to the 5 p.m. CST pre debate. The lineup was based on results of national polls, as well as those conducted in New Hampshire and Iowa. To qualify for the prime-time debate, a candidate had to place in the top six in an average of recent national polls, or in the top five in an average of recent Iowa or New Hampshire polls. To qualify for the main stage, a candidate needed to be either among the top six in an average of the five most recent national polls or among the top five in an average of the five most recent Iowa or New Hampshire polls. To qualify for the lower-tier debate, candidates must receive at least 1 percent support as determined by at least one of the most recent national polls. The six polls used in the national average were conducted by Investor's Business Daily/TIPP, FOX News, CNN/ORC, Quinnipiac University, ABC News/Washington Post, and Monmouth University. All were conducted within the last month, with the earliest coming Dec. 13. The six polls used in the Iowa average were conducted by American Research Group, Quinnipiac University, FOX News, NBC News/WSJ/Marist, Loras College, and The Des Moines Register/Bloomberg. The five polls used in the New Hampshire average were conducted by Monmouth University, American Research Group, FOX News, NBC News/WSJ/Marist, and Franklin Pierce/Boston Herald. Danish volunteers have been working at the station for months, offering advice and help to returning refugees. Copenhagen, Denmark At the Central Station in Denmarks capital, 26-year-old Erkan Sari effortlessly lists the trains from the arrival board that are likely to be carrying refugees. He has been looking at this board almost daily for the past four months and knows well that those arriving from Germany, in particular, tend to be full. During the autumn, hundreds of refugees had passed through Copenhagen daily. Sari has been coordinating a network of 80 volunteers at the station. There are at least two present at any time, 24 hours a day, waiting on the platform for the train doors to slide open. As they do, they look for arriving refugees who might need their assistance help with heavy bags, travel advice and food, water or medicine. Since the beginning of January, he has added a new category of trains to his list: those arriving from Sweden. Swedens new border controls Over the past five months, many refugees bound for Sweden have passed through Denmark, whose liberal minority government has been criticised for its anti-refugee campaigns, and for imposing laws designed to curb immigration. Rather than stay and hope for asylum in Denmark, many head for Sweden, which has embraced larger numbers than most other European Union countries. For many, Copenhagens century-old Central Station was the last stop before reaching the country of their choice. But on January 4, Sweden imposed new identity checks for travellers entering the country from neighbouring Denmark, announcing that those who fail to produce proper documentation will be turned back. Now, the volunteers wait for those who have been rejected by Sweden and left with no choice but to return. Volunteering for refugees Sari, a student of social education who grew up in Copenhagen, has been working to turn the loosely structured community of volunteers into a more organised group. It is not a formal organisation, and the volunteers have no affiliation with one. They rotate through day and night shifts while a coordinator keeps track of the train schedule so that they know where to go. They are mostly young students; many are bilingual and can help to interpret and translate for the refugees. Saris involvement began on an August morning last summer, when he decided that he could not just sit by as the refugee crisis worsened. He brought 40 home-made sandwiches to the train station at Copenhagens airport. The sandwiches soon found takers, but the one thing Sari remembers most clearly is helping reunite an elderly woman, who had got lost in the crowd, with her family. He pulls out his mobile phone and scrolls through photographs looking for one taken that day. He finds one; it is of the family members embracing Sari in gratitude. Its that joy they exhibited. Thats what matters, he says. He started visiting the Central Station regularly to lend a hand to the refugees. Inconvenient volunteers Aya El Abbassi, a 22-year-old social worker, started going to the Central Station in early September with two or three girlfriends to see if they could offer any help. There was not much of a need until Germany reopened its border with Denmark, which had been briefly shut. Refugees started arriving in Copenhagen in their hundreds. As their numbers multiplied, so, too, did the number of volunteers showing up at the station wanting to help. They began recognising each other, and swapping telephone numbers, El Abbassi explains. Volunteer organisations created a base at the centre of the station from where they distributed donated goods, and offered refugees a place to rest. People came in and donated money, food, blankets, all kinds of things, El Abbassi recalls. But after two weeks, on September 24, the Danish State Railways, the corporation in charge of Central Station, announced that the volunteer work was an inconvenience to travellers and ordered all the organisations to leave. The volunteers negotiated and requested permission to set up a permanent base at the station, but the Danish State Railways refused and cleared out the temporary volunteer base. But not all the volunteers left. Sari, El Abbassi and others continued their work, without a base. They kept their unofficial network intact and managed to maintain a permanent presence in a place where no aid organisations were operating for almost three months. Sari sees it as an advantage that the volunteer network is free of institutional ties. If I want to help someone, I will help them. Im not going to ask anyones permission, he says. Friendly citizens This informal approach to volunteer work, circumventing traditional institutions, reflects a sentiment that has been growing in Europe. The refugee crisis has sparked various bottom-up initiatives, says Thomas P Boje, a professor of sociology at Roskilde University. Theres a growing scepticism, to put it mildly, towards public institutions, the political system, the public sector, but also institutions such as [the] Red Cross because they essentially help administer the governments policy in this area [towards refugees], Boje explains. There is much regularity in that [institutional] way of helping that doesnt sit right with people when it comes to other human beings in need. Within Denmark, another informal community has become hugely popular: The so-called Venligboerne or Friendly citizens a network of Danes, refugees and immigrants connect with each other through groups on social media to arrange social events. Boje calls this a peoples movement. He believes these kinds of communities will become more common, although he cautions that in the long term, such groups may need to establish an institutional framework or create ties with an institution rather than working on enthusiasm alone. Among the volunteers at the Copenhagen Central Station, there is a sense of having been let down by the system and institutions that should have been taking care of the often traumatised incoming refugees. Its not right that this task is left up to young students, Sari says. Weve needed recognition from the government. The government has shown no interest in our work, adds El Abbassi. The Red Cross Since December 12, the Danish Red Cross has also started operating out of the Central Station, and Saris informal network of volunteers is now no longer alone in greeting refugees. The organisation managed to set up a safe zone for refugees in an old post office room. The rectangular space, plainly decorated with sofas, desks and a serving table for food and drinks, is located below the Danish railway systems first-class lounge. All the volunteers have been working out of the room. From behind a desk, a coordinator checks the train schedule and sends three volunteers to the platform where a train from Sweden is due to arrive. Only one person steps on to the freezing platform and approaches the volunteers for help a young man carrying a large backpack. He speaks no English, but explains to Arabic-speaking volunteers that he is a Syrian refugee. The three volunteers escort him back to the base, where he can rest and try to work out what to do next. The volunteers insist that, whatever the time of day, they will be here for any others who arrive in the days and weeks to come. The White House says Obamas final State of the Union address will break from convention, so what can we expect? New York, United States US President Barack Obama will deliver his last State of the Union address on Tuesday night, a speech about the progress made during his seven years in office and what to expect from his final lap and during the handover to his presidential successor. The annual report to Congress is a set piece on Washingtons political calendar in which presidents typically lay out legislative plans. However, with a general election looming, Obama will likely focus on his legacy and try to pave the way for a Democrat to replace him. While he talks about the road ahead, campaigners are pressing the president to fulfil long-standing goals, such as making life better for black Americans, closing the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, and stabilising the fractious Middle East. Explainer: Why Obama has not closed Guantanamo In a videoabout the upcoming speech, Obama, perched on his desk in the Oval Office, spoke casually about the US economic rebound and how he felt more optimistic about 2016 than at any other time in his presidency. He will cover not just what I want to get done in the year ahead, but what we all need to do together in the years to come the big things that will guarantee an even stronger, better, more prosperous America for our kids, he said. It comes three weeks before voters in the state of Iowa choose their favourites for the presidential race. Democratic wannabes include Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders; the Republican field is wide open and features the bullish property tycoon Donald Trump. Obamas approval ratings have been stuck in the mid-40s for months. An upbeat State of the Union report could boost his standing, cement his legacy and help Democrats keep the White House. That will be a struggle, with such right-wing populists as Trump declaring: Right now, the state of our union is a mess. Analysts are speculating about what big things Obama will mention at the start of his final year, during which he will struggle to avoid becoming a lame duck president who is rendered impotent by a Republican-dominated Congress. He is widely seen as having two chances to break through the US political gridlock there may be cross-party support for approving his big Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal and on reforming the criminal justice system. Who will attend the State of the Union? Pundits are drawn to first lady Michelle Obamas guest list, which typically reflects the presidents political agenda. This years line-up nods towards Obamas expansion of healthcare, gay marriage, clean energy, Latino immigrants and homeless veterans. It also features a vacant chair to mark the victims of gun violence. After the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, and other bloodbaths, Obama issued an executive order this month to expand federal background checks for online and gun show sales, as well as to beef up the enforcement of firearm regulation. Other guests include reformers of the justice system, which Obama criticises for costing $80bn a year and seeing inmate numbers growfrom 500,000 in 1980 to 2.2 million now, often blacks and Latinos for nonviolent drug offences. Are African Americans better off under Obama? Khury Petersen-Smith, from the Black Lives Matter campaign, said it was time Obama came good on pledges to make life better for ordinary black people, who often get a raw deal from police, prosecutors and judges. For a long time in the civil rights movement, we said we needed a black face in a high place, Petersen-Smith told Al Jazeera. Now weve had seven years of Obama, and we have to ask whether black people are better off. The answer has got to be no. Very little from Obamas stay in the White House has advanced the lives of black people in a positive and progressive way. We need more than rhetoric. We need to see actual change. RACISM IN THE US: The melting pot is boiling Syrian refugees and the Iran nuclear deal Syrian refugee Refaai Hamo, 55, has also been invited to Washington. He carved out a new life for himself in Michigan after losing his wife among seven members of his family when a Syrian government missile destroyed his home. His inclusion fits into a political row over the presidents decision to let 10,000 Syrian refugees into the US by October, despite right-wing sceptics who say Syrian arrivals and perhaps even all Muslims could be dangerous extremists. Obama may follow a pattern of previous presidents who, faced with gridlock at home, look overseas in their final year. He has already struck a nuclear deal with Iran, repaired relations with Cuba and negotiated the TPP trade agreement. Karim Sadjadpour, from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think-tank, said the deal trading sanctions relief for curbs on Irans nuclear work is a crowning achievement that some Republicans have vowed to nix if they take the White House in 2017. OPINION: Iran and the deal that cuts both ways Whats paramount for Obama is to protect the Iran deal, Sadjadpour told Al Jazeera. The administration is going to do everything it can to de-escalate tensions with Iran, to downplay Irans provocations, and to try to do everything they can to refrain from sanctioning Iran and doing anything could lead to the unravelling of the nuclear deal. Obama and the Middle East Obama has overseen the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan and Iraq and sought to extricate the US from an often-chaotic Middle East while pivoting towards Asia and countering Chinas growing economic might. At the rostrum, he is likely to reiterate his strategy against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, which is running swaths of Iraq and Syria and remains dangerous despite recent setbacks in Ramadi, Iraq, added Sadjadpour. The US-led military effort against ISIL is only one front in Syrias brutal civil war, which has drawn in world powers and claimed more than 250,000 lives and is complicated by the competing interests of Iran and Saudi Arabia. To hand over a more stable Middle East to his successor, Obama must address tensions between Riyadh and Tehran, part of a rift between Sunni and Shia states that was exacerbated this month when Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shia leader. OPINION: Saudi Arabia and Iran and how we got here One of Obamas visions for this region, at least in the Gulf, is equilibrium, Frederic Wehrey, the author of A New US Approach to Gulf Security, told Al Jazeera. If these two powers on each side of the Gulf were to reach some rapprochement and get along, that would facilitate the withdrawal of US forces towards Asia. Of course, that ambition of equilibrium has been shattered. I think Obama will try to salvage this. Closing Guantanamo During his first days in the White House in 2009, Obama signed an order to shutter the controversial detention centre in Guantanamo Bay, where George W Bushs administration caged, tortured and interrogated captives from its so-called war on terror. On Monday, Pentagon officials announced the repatriation of Muhammed Abd Al Rahman Awn Al-Shamrani to Saudi Arabia, amid a wave of releases from the naval base that leaves the prison population at 103. It has held about 780 men. Al Jazeeras Sami al-Hajj: Remembering Guantanamo Shane Kadidal, a lawyer and Guantanamo specialist at the Center for Constitutional Rights, a legal charity, urged Obama to live up to his promise of closing the jail and ending the dubious process of caging suspects rather than giving them a day in court. Obamas plan for closing Guantanamo is no mystery. It involves transferring the men who have been cleared, moving others to the US for trial or continued indefinite detention, closing the prison in Cuba and declaring mission accomplished, Kadidal told Al Jazeera. Even then, such a closure will be meaningless if the system of detention without charge can go on indefinitely. As long as that remains his plan, no amount of frantic manoeuvring this year will allow him to truly accomplish what he promised at the start of his presidency. Follow James Reinl on Twitter: @jamesreinl The PA has proved no better than other Arab institutions in creating mechanisms for peaceful political succession. The Palestinian Authority, initially hailed as the harbinger of an end to Israels occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the creation of an independent Palestinian state, is on the chopping block. Significant elements in both Israeli and Palestinian political circles believe, if not for the same reasons, that the PA is long past its sell-by date, and that plans must be made to prepare for, or, among the more activist sectors, to create, a successor to the moribund PA and the era of nominal Palestinian self-rule that it represents. The debate has moved to the centre stage of Israels political agenda in recent weeks, highlighted by a recent report in Haaretz that quoted the prime minister remarking that Israel must prevent the Palestinian Authority from collapsing if possible, but at the same time, we must prepare in case it happens. The lame-duck Obama administration has acknowledged that it is out of ideas on how to address the festering wound that is occupation marking an end to decades of pre-eminent US stewardship of a negotiated agreement and adding urgency to the contest to decide who will frame the agenda for the future. Jerusalem Intifada The Jerusalem Intifada has brought into stark relief for Israelis the failure of the current system to square the circle by producing a new generation of Palestinians prepared to endure permanent occupation peacefully. Palestinians, for their part, long ago despaired of the PAs ability to be the midwife of sovereignty and independence. READ MORE: Mahmoud Abbas, your time is running out [Palestinian] leaders are incapable of satisfying their [young Palestinians] political and economic demands, said former PA minister Ghassan Khatib. The PA, whatever its many shortcomings in the eyes of both Israelis and Palestinians, was initially established as a reflection of what Israel and the Palestinians believed to be their essential interests. by Palestinian politics is at an impasse and incapable of reinventing itself. Israelis such as Naftali Bennett, the minister of education, who favour a dramatic departure are framing the debate, keeping supporters of the status quo on the defensive. As a first step to annexing the West Bank, Bennett wants Israel to extend Israeli law and administration to settlement areas north and south of Jerusalem. The time has come to say Israel is ours, he explained. To go from strategic defence to a process of initiating the implementation of Israeli sovereignty over the territories under Israeli control in Judea and Samaria. Advocates of such a radical departure remain a minority, however vocal. After all, the PA, whatever its many shortcomings in the eyes of both Israelis and Palestinians, was initially established as a reflection of what Israel and the Palestinians believed to be their essential interests. Statesmen and politicians of all stripes are understandably hesitant to repudiate their own handiwork, however soiled and dysfunctional. The Oslo system Israel continues to be the most important factor in this equation, as it has been for many decades. Palestinian dissatisfaction with the PA has been constant since its inception. After all, measured against the standard promoted by all Palestinians independence and sovereignty the PA, indeed the entire Palestinian system for political representation and mobilisation in the modern era, has been a failure. The Oslo understandings offered Israel clear and immediate advantages that it remained eager to preserve in a post-PA era advantages that continuing support for the Oslo system may ironically imperil rather than promote. Then as now, Israel bases its policies on its ability to preserve its wide-ranging security and insatiable settlement requirements. Oslo also offered Israel unprecedented international legitimacy with the signature of PLO leader Yasser Arafat for the system that it created to reflect these interests. These arrangements have produced a resounding success for Israels security and settlement agenda in the decades since their creation, but this very success has created an ever-expanding foundation for ever-insistent demands like those of Bennett that address the growing importance of a settlement community numbering more than half a million and exposed shortcomings, principally in the security realm, that some proponents argue can best be addressed by ditching the PLO as a junior partner in the rule of the West Bank. READ MORE: Israels six-state reality Gaza is a central if infrequently acknowledged factor invoked by Israelis demanding a change in the status quo. In the eyes of leaders such as Yitzhak Rabin, a deal with Arafat promised an end to Israels security troubles in the Gaza Strip, which exploded during the first Intifada and persist to this day. Gaza however, has been divorced from the Oslo system since at least the routing of Fatah forces there in June 2007. The creation of a new system for managing Gaza which is independent of the PA/Oslo framework has removed an important pillar of Israels support for the PA in the West Bank. Loss of Gaza If Arafat once offered Israel a legitimate and authoritative address for its demands, Abu Mazens loss of Gaza has left the PA administering only a shrinking rump of Palestine. Abbas also rules without a popular mandate. In addition, the diplomatic dead end and Abbas increasing willingness to confront Israel in international forums undermine, in Israels eyes at least, the original rationale that made Rabins deal with Arafat desirable. Abbas advancing age the Palestinian leader is 80 is a far more prosaic factor in the current alignment of forces, but it may be the most important cause of the current Israeli rethink of its interest in the PAs sustainability. The PA has proved no better than other Arab institutions in creating mechanisms for peaceful political succession. Arafats departure and Abbas elevation were exceptions to this general rule. Jerusalem and Washington, which engineered Arafats peaceful ouster, are far less interested in Abbas unknown successor than they were when the reliable and trusted Abbas himself was the recognised heir apparent. More than a quarter-century after the Oslo agreement established the partnership between Israel and the PLO, and after almost half a century of occupation and settlement throughout Jerusalem and the West Bank, it is clear that neither party believes any more that the PA is the best agency for the promotion of its conflicting interests. In this environment, it would surprising if policymakers, as they seek advantage for their opposing policies, decide not to revise their view of the best path to victory. Geoffrey Aronson writes about Middle East affairs. He consults with a variety of public and private institutions dealing with regional political, security, and development issues. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. Forty years after her death, Britains queen of crime fiction continues to haunt and inspire the Arab world. Marcia Lynx Qualey writes about Arabic literature and literary translation for a number of publications. She blogs daily at arablit.org. So many Agatha Christie novels were published in Arabic in the mid-20th century that Hercule Poirots and Miss Marples overflowed handcarts and bookshelves from Algiers to Cairo to Amman to Muscat. These original editions, as well as reprints, are still widely available. Just how many Christie novels were published in Arabic translation? Because many appeared in unauthorised editions, the exact numbers will remain a mystery. UNESCO statistics suggest that Christie vies with Shakespeare for the title of most-translated writer from English into Arabic. GoodReads puts Christie far in the lead, with 62 separate titles. In any case, during the second half of the 20th century, many Arab writers came of age reading translations of Christies page-turning mysteries, which offered thrilling plot twists and satisfying resolutions. When I was a kid living in Amman [in the 90s], writer and translator Ibtihal Mahmood says, Arabic translations of Agatha Christies works were available in abundance in most bookstores. In fact, the first book I bought with my own money was Appointment with Death. Sympathetic to the Arabs Many well-worn copies of Christie novels now languish in Cairos second-hand book stalls, and Christie no longer tops the regions bestseller lists. Still, an appetite for the classic whodunnits persists. In Dearborn, Michigan, which has one of the United States largest Arab populations, librarian Isabella Rowan says that Arabic translations of Agatha Christie novels are extremely popular. READ MORE: The mysterious fall and rise of the Arab crime novel It wasnt a one-way relationship: The Middle East was also important to Christie. In the winter of 1910-11, Agatha, then aged 20, had her formal coming-out party in Cairo. Her time in Egypt inspired Snow Upon the Desert, which became her first, unpublished, novel. As in many of Christies works, it drew on the lives of the wealthy people she had seen in a hotel dining room. Fans have highlighted the ugly racial and cultural stereotypes in Christie's novels, with superstitious Arabs, courtly sheiks, and 'dirty dark-yellow' Iraqis... by Christie wrote several more novels before she returned to the region in the late 1920s. That was when she met her second husband at an archaeological dig in Ur, Iraq. Throughout the 1930s, Christie and her husband spent months at a stretch in Syria and Iraq, where she participated in archaeological work and wrote some of her most popular books. Hercule Poirot, Christies beloved Belgian detective, rode on the Orient Express, holidayed in Jerusalem, and solved the mystery of a murder in Petra, Jordan. Although Christies daughter Rosalind said in a 1990 interview that her mother was sympathetic to the Arabs, fans have highlighted the ugly racial and cultural stereotypes in Christies novels, with superstitious Arabs, courtly sheiks, and dirty dark-yellow Iraqis. Indeed, it seems that she put more effort into humanising the ancient Egyptians than the 20th-century people she met and worked alongside at dig sites. Still, Arab readers eagerly consumed Christies novels, as they had earlier detective stories by Arthur Conan Doyle and Maurice Leblanc. Christies mark on Arabic fiction But despite her popularity, Christies mark on Arabic fiction is hard to find. At the Emirates LitFest in 2011, Kamal Abdel Malek, the Egyptian scholar, and Matt Rees, the Welsh crime writer, gave a talk entitled: Could an Agatha Christie emerge from the Arab World? As far as I know, we do not have in the Arab world the private investigator, Abdel Malek said in an email, either as an individual or as an institution. I recall Matt Rees saying that the private investigator could function only in a democracy, and that was why it was possible to have him in the West and not in the Arab world, where all aspects of the law are squarely in the hands of the government. Certainly there are Arabic thrillers and detective novels. Still, most dont follow classic Christie style. Ahmed Mourad, the Egyptian novelist, author of the popular Vertigo, has gone out of his way to say that he doesnt consider himself an Agatha Christie. Nadia Ghanem, the Algerian scholar and detective-novel connoisseur, echoed Abdel Maleks observations, saying: In Agatha Christie, it is usually a private detective that acts, whereas in Algerian detective novels its a policeman, retired or still active. In Christies novels, Ghanem says, the story typically wraps up with the killer being found, whereas in Algerian detective fiction, things only get worse at the end. I always read Christie for comfort, knowing that at least in some parallel dimension, the world is a just place. Algerian detective literature is never comforting! Other Arab detective stories, such as the Lebanese novelist Elias Khourys White Masks, have similarly discomforting ends. Ghanem added that, nonetheless, Christie remained a benchmark and an aspiration. When the young Algerian writer Nassima Bouloufas first detective novel came out, reviewers called her an Algerian Agatha Christie. One of Algerias first female detective novelists, Zehira Houfani, quit writing detective fiction during the countys black decade of the 1990s. In a recent interview with Ghanem, Houfani who now lives in Canada recommended that others read Agatha Christie, whose sense of intrigue I so admired. I read her hoping I would learn from her to one day become an Algerian detective novelist. Marcia Lynx Qualey writes about Arabic literature and literary translation for a number of publications. She blogs daily at www.arablit.org. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. The final step in the restoration of Egypts authoritarian system of government appears to be complete. Egypt has been without a parliament since 2012. As the drastically reconstituted legislative body convenes this week for the first time in nearly four years, the final step in the restoration of Egypts authoritarian system of government appears to be complete. Ever since the July 2013 coup that brought to an abrupt halt the tenuous transition to democracy that followed a popular uprising to remove Hosni Mubarak from power, Egypts state institutions have been realigned under the authority of General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. To be sure, the process has been fraught with external opposition and internal discord but, through it all, Sisi has managed to tighten his grip on power and consolidate his control over the countrys governing structures. Sisis supposed road map to democracy, which concluded with the swearing in of the new parliament on Sunday, began with the quashing of all independent political opposition following the militarys takeover in 2013. Beginning with the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypts long-standing social movement that took the lead in the post-Mubarak transition by winning a series of elections and referendums, Sisi demonstrated that he did not intend to allow the continuation of the opening of the political field to outsiders and challengers. Post-coup political transition The military arrested Mohamed Morsi, Egypts first freely elected president, banned his political party, and detained the Muslim Brotherhoods leadership on charges ranging from treason to terrorism. Security forces confronted Morsis supporters across Egypt, leading to incidents of large-scale state violence such as the massacre of hundreds of protesters at Rabaa Square in August 2013. READ MORE: The many trials of Mohamed Morsi The judiciary did its part in the political realignment that followed by affirming the decision to ban the Muslim Brotherhood, seize its assets, and then sentencing hundreds of its members to death. While many of Egypts other opposition groups cheered on the coup and its aftermath, the counter-revolution soon turned on them as well. While many of Egypt's other opposition groups cheered on the coup and its aftermath, the counter-revolution soon turned on them as well. by Leaders of the so-called National Salvation Front which emerged in opposition to the Morsi government aimed for a stake in the post-coup political transition, but they were to be disappointed. Following a state media onslaught that questioned his loyalty to the coup, Mohamed ElBaradei was quickly isolated and retreated into another self-imposed exile. Hamdeen Sabahi dutifully performed the role of opposition candidate in the 2014 presidential election, which Sisi won with 96 percent of the vote. Egypts liberal and leftist opposition parties were also marginalised, while revolutionary groups such as the April 6 Youth movement were subject to the coup regimes new laws banning public protests. In all, security forces have imprisoned more than 40,000 Egyptians in an unprecedented wave of repression roundly condemned by international human rights groups. Having neutralised all independent opposition within Egypt, Sisi was free to reshape the countrys political landscape as he saw fit. But in the ensuing months he would discover that establishing a new authoritarian regime on the ruins of Mubaraks collapsed dictatorship would be no easy task. Egypts next legislative body In the three-part transition to democracy, Sisi announced after the coup, the passage of a new constitution was to be followed by parliamentary and then presidential elections. However, he soon reversed the order of the planned elections, securing his own position as president in May 2014 before turning to the question of Egypts next legislative body. The elections were delayed several times before they were finally held last October. In the interim period, Sisi embodied both presidential as well as legislative powers, issuing no fewer than 300 laws affecting everything from civil rights and government subsidies to state projects and the makeup of the parliament itself. Having realised that he could not count on the emergence of a new political party structure on the order of the National Democratic Party (NDP) through which Mubarak wielded power for years, Sisi instead opted for a drastically weakened body made up mostly of individual candidates. Of the record 596 seats in the new parliament, only 120 barely one-fifth are apportioned to party lists, with the rest given to single candidates, 28 of whom are appointed directly by Sisi himself. The regime even altered the party list voting structure to a winner-takes-all system that favours establishment parties. READ MORE: Egypt and Palestine in the age of Sisi The two-round parliamentary elections primarily featured candidates competing over who could more convincingly declare their undying loyalty to Sisi. Not surprisingly, voter turnout was reportedly the lowest of any election in Egypts recent history. The resulting parliament consists mostly of former regime figures, Sisi allies, and business elites with strong economic ties to the regime. All 120 seats designated for party lists were won by the ad hoc pro-Sisi alliance called For the Love of Egypt. Some recent fissures within the ranks of Sisis supporters have revealed quite a bit about how political power operates in the new Egypt. Internal cohesion Popular talk-show host and long-time Sisi supporter Tawfik Okasha received the highest number of votes but after he was sidelined in his effort to become speaker of the parliament, he claimed that the major decisions regarding the parliament were being shaped directly by Egypts General Intelligence Services (GIS). With its close ties to the president, the GIS has reportedly played the role of conduit with a parliament that lacks internal cohesion or a strong party presence. Affirming these reports, Hazem Abdel Azeem, a one-time rising star under Sisi and a key member of his presidential campaign, published a first-hand account of his attendance of several meetings last year at GIS headquarters. At these meetings, not only did intelligence officials indicate that they were handpicking the individual candidates for the upcoming elections, but they also claimed a target of 400 members of parliament the two-thirds super majority required to pass constitutional amendments. Incidentally, in its very first vote of the new session, the parliament elected Ali Abdel Al speaker, with 401 members voting in favour of his candidacy. Abdel Azeem condemned the close ties between the presidency and the new parliament as an unfair abuse of power that went beyond the standard vote rigging for which Egyptian elections had long been known. In fact, the emerging role of such state institutions in politics signals a dramatic shift away from the traditional place of parties such as the NDP as the base of political support for an authoritarian president. Instead, Sisi has demonstrated his severe distrust of Egyptian politics with the aim of creating an alternative centre of power that he can more directly control away from public view. Among the legislative initiatives to be taken up by the new parliament are efforts to extend the presidential term from four to six years and a proposal to do away with the two-term limit on the presidency. Moreover, in the true definition of a rubber stamp, the new parliament is constitutionally bound to consider Sisis more than 300 legislative orders in just 15 days. Among those, the removal of state subsidies required for the basic survival of millions of Egyptians, and major pay increases in the salaries of army officers and judges. Another major initiative undertaken by Sisi involves a controversial agreement that he signed last spring with Ethiopia on water rights in the Nile. While the parliament is expected to retroactively provide its enthusiastic endorsement of the deal, recent reports about the critical effect it would have on Egypts access to water suggests that, despite the consolidation of political power in his hands, Sisis problems are only likely to multiply. Abdullah Al-Arian is assistant professor of history at Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service in Qatar and author of Answering the Call: Popular Islamic Activism in Sadats Egypt. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. Canada thanks Qatar for helping secure release of Colin Rutherford, who armed group had accused as being a spy. A Canadian man, held by the Taliban in Afghanistan since 2010, has been released, Canadas government has announced. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion said in a statement on Monday that Colin Rutherford was a tourist in Afghanistan when he was seized by the Taliban in November 2010. The Taliban released a video of Rutherford in 2011 and accused the then 26-year-old of being a spy. Rutherford insisted he was not a spy and had travelled to Afghanistan to study historical sites and shrines. He said in the video that he is an auditor from Canada and came as a tourist. Dion said Canada gave its heartfelt thanks to the Government of Qatar for its assistance in this matter. Canada is very pleased that efforts undertaken to secure the release of Colin Rutherford from captivity have been successful, he said. We look forward to Mr. Rutherford being able to return to Canada and reunite with his family and loved ones. The Government of Canada will continue to provide Mr. Rutherford with consular assistance and will assist in facilitating his safe return home. The Canadian Circulations Audit Board said in an email that Rutherford was working for them in Toronto when he went on vacation to Afghanistan. This is great news, Tim Peel, the companys vice president, said in an email. We wish him a safe and speedy return and would like to thank all the parties involved in securing his freedom. Over 200 protesters in Leipzig throw fireworks and vandalising buildings as tension grows in wake of New Years assault. At least 200 masked far-right supporters, carrying placards with racist overtones, went on a rampage in the eastern German city of Leipzig throwing fireworks, breaking windows and vandalising buildings, police said. As roughly 2,000 anti-Muslim LEGIDA protesters marched peacefully in the city centre on Monday night, police said a separate group of 211 people walked through the southern Connewitz district before setting off fireworks, erecting barricades and vandalising property. The top floor of one building caught fire. The group carried a placard reading Leipzig bleibt Helle, or Leipzig stays light, an apparent reference to the skin colour of residents. The 211 people were to a not insignificant degree already on record as being right-wing sympathisers and or members of violent sporting groups, said police, adding that officers brought the situation under control relatively quickly. The police put the violent protesters in a bus which was then attacked by left-wing supporters. At the LEGIDA protest, people shouted Merkel must go and held placards showing the chancellor in a Muslim veil and reading Merkel, take your Muslims with you and get lost. Counter-demonstrators, led by Mayor Burkhard Jung, carried a banner saying Welcome in Leipzig and placards saying No PEGIDA, referring to the nationwide anti-Islam movement. Cologne assaults On Monday, several Pakistanis and Syrians were injured in attacks by gangs of people in Cologne, the German city where hundreds of assaults on women during New Years celebrations have been reported. The assaults on women in Cologne and other German cities have prompted more than 600 criminal complaints, with the police investigation focusing on asylum seekers. The incidents, ranging from theft to sexual molestation, have kicked off a highly charged debate in Germany about Chancellor Angela Merkels welcoming policy on refugees and migrants, more than one million of whom entered the country last year. Wenzel Michalski, the Human Rights Watch director in Germany, said that the recent attacks on foreigners in Cologne is exactly what people feared would happen following the sexual assaults on New Years Eve. Amazon donates proceeds from song by anti-Muslim group Merkels open-door policy has already been attacked by right-wing politicians and groups. Now this has given them fuel and more proof to feel empowered, he told Al Jazeera. On a bigger scale, the Europeans welcome policy might be in danger because of this incident. Germany is important, where else will they [refugees] go? Michalski also said that the German police should take part of the blame because they failed to protect citizens that night and that they should improve security. Hambar Issa, a Syrian refugee in Berlin, told Al Jazeera that refugees are concerned about a potential backlash after the sex assaults. I live with a German family here in Berlin and nothing has changed between us following the events in Cologne. But we as refugees here in Berlin have been watching the news and are up to date on the situation. We are all upset about what has happened and we condemn these assaults, Issa said. Refugees in Germany launch paper for fellow newcomers We are nervous and worried about what might happen next. It is obvious that Syrians are being targeted in response and this scares us. Any refugee who commits a crime here in Germany will be punished according to domestic laws; I think this should be made more clear to refugees. I personally think the German police are doing a good and fair job to protect us refugees and German citizens. Germany registered 1.1 million asylum seekers in 2015, the interior ministry said last week, with refugees from war-torn Syria making up almost 40 percent of arrivals. The annual arrivals were a record for Europes biggest economy and around five times more than in 2014. Additional reporting by Fleur Launspach. Follow her on Twitter @FleurLaunspach Several fighters killed in clashes prompted by Assyrians move to set up checkpoints in Qamishli in fear of ISIL. Several people have been killed in rare clashes between Assyrian Christians and Kurds in Syrias al-Hasakah province, Al Jazeera has learnt. The province in the northeast of the country is divided and in parts controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Kurds and Assyrians. Assyrian and Kurdish sources said there were casualties among fighters in the battle between the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) and Assyrians in the city of Qamishli on Tuesday. The city of Qamishli is controlled by Assyrians, but surrounded by Kurdish fighters. The Assyrians were trying to set up checkpoints and were fired at by the Kurds, Afram Yakoub, the chairman of the Assyrian Federation of Sweden, which monitors news related to Assyrians across the region, told Al Jazeera. He said at least one Assyrian and eight Kurdish fighters were killed. Taj Kordsh, a Kurd from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), confirmed that the clashes broke out because of the checkpoints, but gave a different death toll. Two Assyrian fighters were killed in the clashes and five others were injured, Kordsh said. He added that a civilian had also been killed. Kurdish fighters say these checkpoints have bothered residents and must be removed, he said. READ MORE: The Iraqi Kurds and then came ISIL The SDF was founded in Syrias mainly Kurdish northeastern region in October 2015, and is made up of at least 15 armed factions mostly fighters from the YPG and the Free Syrian Army. This is the first time clashes between Assyrians and Kurds have taken place over the course of Syrias nearly five years of civil war. Tensions have increased in the area following three separate attacks on December 30 claimed by ISIL which left at least 18 people killed. The attacks targeted two restaurants owned by Christians. Its forces include Christians, Arabs and about 500 foreign fighters, Kordsh said, adding that some groups in Aleppo and Idlib pledged allegiance to the SDF last month. ISIL has targeted Syrias Christians several times, and abducted a total of 215 civilians in February 2015. So far 88 have been released following negotiations and a deal. The deal states the Christians cannot wear symbols of their religion, such as crosses, and must pay a tax. During ISILs offensive to seize territory in Syria, thousands of people from different religious sects have been abducted or killed. Talks are aimed at ending decades of fighting in Myanmar, but some groups refuse to attend. Myanmars opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has met rebel leaders for the first time at talks aimed at ending decades of war in the country. The countrys military rulers are meeting several armed groups this week at the Union Peace Conference in the capital, Naypyidaw. The five-day effort follows the signing of a nationwide ceasefire in October last year, but some of the largest armed groups continue to boycott the peace process. For decades, armed groups such as the Kachin Independence Army have been battling the central government for independence or greater economy. Several smaller groups continue to fight in some areas of the country. Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to oversee the process in her role as the leader of the countrys largest party, the National League for Democracy, which won last years election and is forming the next government. In this time, based on the mandate, it is right to do what the people want us to do. We are ready to take the responsibility of building forever peace. I hope everybody will help us, she said. Prisoners rights group says Muhammad al-Qeq is one of 660 Palestinians held by Israel without trial or charges. A Palestinian political prisoner has been taken to hospital and is in a critical condition as he continues to refuse food in protest at being imprisoned by Israel without charges, a Palestinian official has told Al Jazeera. Muhammad al-Qeq, a 33-year-old journalist from the occupied West Bank village of Dura, launched his fast on November 24 in protest against his administrative detention, a practice in which Israel imprisons Palestinians on secret evidence and without trial or charges. Israel suspends detention of Palestinian hunger He hasnt eaten in 49 days and his health is very bad now, Issa Qaraqe, head of the Palestinian Authoritys prisoner committee, told Al Jazeera, adding that Qeq had been transferred to Afula hospital in northern Israel. He has many serious health issues and we fear he is nearing death, Qaraqe said, adding that the prisoner has lost 22kg. We are worried that Israeli prison authorities will force-feed him, he said, referring to the Israeli governments legalisation of July 2015 that allows the force-feeding of prisoners who refuse to eat. Explaining that Qeq temporarily slipped into a coma over the weekend, Qaraqe said that the Palestinian government was calling on international organisations and human rights groups to intervene on behalf of the prisoner and help save his life. The Palestinian Centre for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA), a press rights group, called in a statement published earlier this week for Israel to release Qeq . In addition to Qeq, at least two other Palestinian political prisoners are on hunger strike behind Israeli bars, Qaraqe said. READ MORE: Israels arrest of Palestinian lawmaker a farce Abdullah Abu Jaber, a dual Palestinian-Jordanian national who has been serving a 20-year sentence since 2000, renewed a hunger strike on December 31 and is demanding to be transferred to a Jordanian prison to complete the final five years of his sentence. We have been in contact with the Jordanian government, Qaraqe said, declining to elaborate as to whether Jordan has requested that Israel transfer the prisoner. Kifah Hattab, another prisoner from the Tulkarem area of the West Bank, is serving two life-sentences. He was arrested and sentenced in 2003 for alleged involvement in an armed organisation. Because he was employed by the PA security services, Hattab, who has refused to eat since November 25, is demanding to be recognised as a prisoner of war in compliance with the Third Geneva Convention. Israeli authorities have also prevented his relatives from visiting him in prison, Qaraqe said. Hattab was recently transferred to a hospital, as well. The Israel Prison Service did not reply to Al Jazeeras request for a comment. According to Addameer , a Ramallah-based prisoners rights group, there are an estimated 6,800 Palestinians being held in prison in Israel. Of those, 660 are administrative detainees and another 470 are children. Ramy Abdu, director of the Gaza chapter of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, says that Israel uses administrative detention to shut up influential members of society who speak out loudly against the Israeli occupation. Israeli forces target academics, professionals, journalists, student activists and other influential leaders in the community by using administrative detention, he told Al Jazeera. Hunger strikes are a common tactic for Palestinian prisoners to secure their release or to protest against the conditions of their imprisonment. READ MORE: Palestinian jailed by Israel could die, says family Mohammed Allan, a lawyer who was also an administrative detainee, went 66 days without food and temporarily went into a coma. He suspended his strike in August 2015 and was released three months later. Inside Story: Is force-feeding a form of torture? Qeq is not the first journalist to stage a hunger strike against Israels use of administrative detention. Nidal Abu Aker, 47, a radio host, launched a weeks-long hunger strike during his 18-month administrative detention. He was released in December. The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitors director Abdu says that prisoners will continue to launch hunger strikes behind bars as long as they feel they have no other choice. Prisoners believe this is their only tool to make people aware of their suffering, he said. It is not just about what they do inside the prisons they are part of the Palestinian national liberation struggle. Follow Patrick Strickland on Twitter: @P_Strickland_ Baasyir was sentenced to 15 years in prison for incitement to terrorism and supporting a training camp for fighters. An Indonesian Muslim leader has challenged his conviction and the 15-year jail sentence handed out to him for incitement of terrorism and supporting a training camp for fighters in the Aceh province. The 78-year-old Abu Bakar Baasyir, who is Indonesian of Yemeni origins, launched an appeal against the conviction and attended a court session on Tuesday in Cilacap, a town in Indonesias Central Java province. He condemned police and prosecutors and lashed out against people he calls kafirs, or disbelievers. Baasyir, accused of being the spiritual leader for the Jemaah Islamiyah group, was convicted in 2011. His legal team is arguing that funds he collected were intended to help people in the Palestinian territories but ended up getting sent to the Aceh group without his knowledge. Al Jazeeras Step Vaessen, reporting from the court, said hundreds of supporters travelled for many hours to express their anger over the conviction. His fierce language led to expressions of support among hundreds of his followers, many who travelled up to six hours to attend his trial, she said. Although he pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group last year while in prison, his son Abdurrahim told Al Jazeera he has distanced himself from it. Jemaah Islamiyah has been blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings and a string of other attacks in Indonesia. Baasyir denies the allegations against him, claiming that Western governments orchestrated his incarceration due to his campaigning for Islamic law in Indonesia. Turkish officials say bomber linked to ISIL behind attack that killed 10, including nine Germans, in Sultanahmet Square. A Syria-linked suicide bomber has detonated a bomb in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists, killing at least 10 people, including nine Germans, Turkish officials said. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Tuesday that the bomber was linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group. The explosion occurred at about 10:20am local time on Tuesday morning. Al Jazeera has learned that at least two of the 15 injured were in critical condition. Sources in Davutoglus office earlier told Reuters that the prime minister had spoken by phone with Chancellor Angela Merkel to express condolences. Davutoglu also told Merkel during the same phone call that the details of an ongoing investigation regarding the suicide attack will be shared with German officials. Investigations into the cause of the explosion, the type of explosion and perpetrator or perpetrators are under way, the Istanbul governors office said in a statement quoted by the Dogan news agency. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the attack and said the attacker was from Syria. Davutoglu has convened an emergency security meeting of key ministers and officials. Following the explosion, ambulances rushed to the site. Police cordoned off the area to protect people against the possibility of a second explosion. Al Jazeeras Emre Rende, reporting from Istanbul, said police were conducting searches outside the cordoned-off area in case a second bomber was involved. As of 3pm local time (1300 GMT) on Tuesday, train services near the square had resumed, but police were still gathering more evidence at the site of the attack, he said. Erdem Koroglu, who was working at a nearby office at the time of the explosion, told NTV television that he saw several people lying on the ground following the blast. It was difficult to say who was alive or dead, Koroglu said. Buildings rattled from the force of the explosion. The square sits next to the most popular tourist sites in the city, including the 6th-century Greek Orthodox church, the centuries-old Sultan Ahmet Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque, and the Roman-era Basilica Cistern, an ancient underground water depot. The blast comes just over a year after a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a police station for tourists off the same square, killing one officer and wounding another. Turkey has become a target for ISIL, with two bombings last year blamed on the armed group, in the town of Suruc near the Syrian border and in the capital Ankara. The latter killed more than 100 people. Violence has also escalated in the mainly Kurdish southeast since a two-year ceasefire collapsed in July between the state and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) armed group, which has been fighting for three decades for Kurdish autonomy. Speaking to Al Jazeera from Istanbul on Tuesday, Berkay Mandiraci, researcher at the International Crisis Group, said the latest attack was another blow to the Turkish population. Most probably we have another ISIL-linked attack here, and we have been warning of such attacks, he said. Difficult to diagnose but deadly bacterial disease, melioidosis, found likely to be endemic in many tropical countries. Research into the little-known but deadly bacterial disease melioidosis has revealed that millions of people are at threat. Also known as Whitmores disease, the illness is caught from skin contact, inhaling or by drinking contaminated water infected with the bacterium, Burkholderia pseudomallei. The particularly pathogenic bacterium is commonly found in soil and water in South and Southeast Asia and northern Australia. Now researchers say that it is highly likely the bacterium is far more widespread, is probably prevalent in at least 79 countries and infects about 165,000 people each year, of which 89,000 die. They say that this discovery means that many millions of people are at risk, and have identified all countries in Southeast Asia and some countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South America as possible sources of infection. The team says little research has been done previously because the disease, which can infect the lungs, blood and nervous system, is difficult to diagnose. Melioidosis is a great mimicker of other diseases, Direk Limmathurotsakul, co-author of the report in Nature Microbiology and the head of microbiology at the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Unit, in Bangkok, told Al Jazeera. The bacterium needs to be diagnosed by being cultured, for which you need microbial facilities, but they are rarely available in developing countries where resources are limited. Without adequate treatment, the researchers say, death rates can exceed 70 percent. As deadly as measles Putting the annual death toll of the disease at 89,000 makes melioidosis almost as deadly as measles, which kills about 95,000 people each year, and many times more deadly than dengue, which kills around 12,500 annually. There is no vaccine for melioidosis and treating it is complex and expensive because it is resistant to some antibiotics. It has been greatly underestimated as an important public health problem across the world, said Dr Limmathurotsakul. Our study predicts high infection rates in countries like India and Vietnam, where the disease is gradually being recognised more frequently. The team are recommending better diagnosis, prevention campaigns and for health workers, international health organisations and policymakers to give it a higher priority. Sixteen dangerous spots identified in Indian city and patrolling officers briefed to warn people against taking selfies. Mumbai police have identified 16 dangerous selfie spots across the Indian city and may introduce no selfie zones after a man drowned trying to save a girl who fell into the sea while taking a photo of herself. The girl and two friends fell off rocks into the Arabian Sea near Bandra Bandstand in the north of Indias financial capital while taking selfies on Saturday. A passer-by, 37-year-old Ramesh Walanju, jumped in and helped save the two friends but was washed away by the choppy waters, and his body was found floating in a nearby creek on Monday. The 18-year-old girl is still missing. The dangerous selfie spots identified by the police include the major tourist attractions of Girgaum Chowpatty beach and Marine Drive promenade as well as the site where the girl slipped, according to police. After the unfortunate incident, we have decided to identify 16 spots where taking selfies can be dangerous, but we may add more, deputy commissioner Dhananjay Kulkarni told the AFP news agency. We have written to the municipal corporation to put some warning signs up at such points. We also want them to deploy some lifeguards. Police officers patrolling the selected areas have been briefed to warn people against taking selfies. But Kulkarni added that official no selfie spots may be introduced if those precautions fail to deter those visiting the areas. Selfie hazards Last year, Russian police launched a campaign urging people to take safer selfies after about 100 people were injured and dozens died in gruesome accidents while striking high-risk poses in 2015. A cool selfie could cost you your life, the interior ministry warned in a leaflet packed with tips such as a selfie with a weapon kills. Twelve people were reported killed in selfie-related accidents last year more deaths than people killed by shark attacks. A 66-year-old Japanese tourist died, and his travel companion was injured, after falling down stairs while attempting to take a selfie at the Taj Mahal last year. In December, a Pakistani man died in Rawalpindi after being hit by a fast-moving train as he tried to take a selfie with it while standing on the track. Last May, a Russian woman accidentally shot herself in the head with a pistol while posing for a selfie with the weapon. And US investigators in February said a pilots repeated snapping of selfie photos caused a small plane to crash, killing both people on board. Assurances given on safe return of 10 sailors who were captured when the boats drifted into Iranian waters. The United States is seeking the return of two navy boats along with 10 sailors captured by Iran, according to the Pentagon. After losing contact with the two small naval craft, US officials established communication with Iranian authorities who have informed us of the safety and wellbeing of our personnel, the Pentagon said in an email to the DPA news agency. Pentagon spokesperson Peter Cook told the Associated Press news agency that the boats were moving between Kuwait and Bahrain when contact was lost. We have been in contact with Iran and have received assurances that the crew and the vessels will be returned promptly, Cook said. Iranian news agency Fars reported that the vessels were carrying heavy weapons. Al Jazeeras Rosiland Jordan, reporting from Washington DC, said the White House has been informed of the incident and is working as quickly as it can to release the boats and the sailors. She added that it was unclear when Iran will release the boats. Theres a lot of anxiety and concern about the wellbeing of these persons, Jordan said. WATCH: What is the future of US-Iran relations? US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to the AP, said that the incident happened near Farsi Island, an Iranian island located in the middle of the Gulf. The officials added that one of the vessels suffered mechanical problems, forcing it to drift into Iranian territory. Our sailors are safe, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told CNN. US Secretary of State John Kerry called Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif immediately, according to a senior US official. Kerry personally engaged with Zarif on this issue to try to get to this outcome, the official said. The incident comes days before the reported lifting of sanctions imposed by the US and other Western powers against Iran due to its nuclear programme. Activists in Ramallah raise more than $63,000 to rebuild home demolished by Israel after stabbing attack. Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have raised more than $63,000 to rebuild a house demolished by Israel. Israel demolished the family home of Muhannad Halabi in the village of Surda near Ramallah on Saturday, three months after he stabbed two Israelis in Jerusalem. Activists in Ramallah told Al Jazeera that the amount raised was expected to go up significantly over the coming week as donations continue to be sent in. Halabi was shot dead by Israeli police, but directives issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allows the fast-track destruction of attackers homes, even if they housed relatives who had nothing to do with the alleged attacks. Abed Karim Abu Arqob, an activist in Ramallah, said the movement to collect donations had grown on a grassroots level. Many people were upset about what happened to Halabis family, so we got together and decided to start a campaign to collect money and rebuild the house, Abu Arqob told Al Jazeera. Today [Tuesday] is the third day, and well continue collecting until Sunday morning In the first two days, we collected 250,000 shekels [$63,500], and we havent even finished counting the money from today. Abu Arqob said the campaign had drawn donations from all sections of Palestinian society from students to businessmen, adding many were motivated by the perceived unfairness of punishing Halabis entire family for his actions. Muhannad was killed, but why do you have to destroy a house belonging to six others? he asked. What about the children and his elderly relatives? The exact cost of rebuilding the Halabi family home has yet to be determined by architects, but Abu Arqob said any excess funds would be used to help other families whose houses had been destroyed by Israel. In Jenin, students at the Arab American University have started a similar campaign to rebuild two homes demolished in Jerusalem last week. Criticised policy Israels policy of destroying the family homes of people it says carried out attacks against Israelis has been widely criticised as collective punishment. The Israeli rights group BTselem has described the demolition of houses as vengeance against innocents and responsible for leaving 1,286 Palestinians without shelter as of October last year. The policy of demolishing the family homes of attackers constitutes collective punishment, which is prohibited under international law, the NGO said in a report last year. Despite the fact that this measure is extreme and despite the clear view held by legal scholars in Israel and abroad that it is illegal, it has been repeatedly sanctioned by Israels High Court. Demolishing or sealing a home is a draconian, vindictive measure directed at entire families who have done nothing and are suspected of nothing. Shafik Mandhai contributed to this report from Doha: Follow him on Twitter @ShafikFM Critics say decision to allow US to station troops and store weapons violates the former colonys sovereignty. The Supreme Court of the Philippines has declared, in a 10-4 ruling, a security deal with the US to be constitutional. Tuesdays decision, announced amid protests outside the country against the agreement, will allow an increased presence in the Philippines, a former US colony, against a backdrop of escalating tensions in the South China Sea. Signed two years ago, the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement, or EDCA, will allow the US to build structures, station troops and store weapons in the Philippines, as well as allow broad access to Philippine military bases. Petitioners have argued that the deal surrenders national sovereignty to a foreign power. They also argued that it is a treaty, not a mere supplement to an existing agreement. Therefore, it would require the concurrence of the Senate rather than just an executive nod. Pivot to Asia The Supreme Court decision will now allow further details to be hammered out between the Philippine and US governments. The Philippines has long been a staunch US ally and supporters say the deal is important for both sides as the country confronts China in the disputed Spratly archipelago and the US launches a pivot back to Asia. Al Jazeeras Marga Ortigas, reporting from Manila, said those protesting against the decision worry the move may provoke China, and that the brunt of this conflict into which the US has inserted itself will be felt in the Philippines. Activists outside the court said the ruling was untenable because the deal was a de-facto basing agreement and would make the country a launching pad for military intervention in the region. Philippine military officials say there has been an increase in US exercises, training and ship and aircraft visits in the past year under Obamas rebalance to Asia but this pact will take the relationship a step further. China claims almost all the South China Sea, which is believed to have huge deposits of oil and gas, and has been building up facilities on islands it controls. Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines also have claims. Tension rose this month when China began test flights on Fiery Cross Reef, one of three artificial islands where China has constructed airfields. Deal signed with families of former workers with leukaemia they claim came from working at S Korean companys factories. A final deal has been signed between South Koreas Samsung and the main group of families seeking compensation over leukaemia they say was contracted while at work in the electronics companys semiconductor plants. Documents were signed at the families lawyers office in Seoul after the agreement was reached on Tuesday. The agreement includes a confidential compensation deal for five families and former employees who have been pursuing a case against the company for years, as well as preventive measures Samsung says it will implement for better safety in its semiconductor plants from chemical exposure. Al Jazeeras Harry Fawcett, reporting from Seoul, said: The families accepted Samsungs apology, which did not take responsibility for the diseases in question but did apologise for the kind of suffering theyve been through. However, some family members are still holding out. Two family members say they arent accepting either the apology or the compensation deal. One man, who lost his daughter in 2007, says this fight must continue, Fawcett added. Meanwhile, more than 200 current or former Samsung workers suffering from grave illnesses have contacted Banolim, the main advocacy group for sick workers. American actor says he has nothing to hide as US and Mexican authorities announce probe into his meeting with drug lord. The American actor Sean Penn has dismissed criticism of his interview with Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, which authorities say helped them to track down the worlds most-wanted trafficker. Penn was apparently followed and photographed as he set out for the meeting with Guzman at a hideout in rural Mexico in October. Ive got nothin to hide, Penn told the Associated Press news agency in a brief email exchange after images published on Monday that indicated he was under surveillance when he met the Mexican actress who led him to Guzman. Penn also shrugged off a suggestion that he was taking hits for agreeing to submit his article to Guzman prior to publication by Rolling Stone magazine. Mexican and United States authorities said they are investigating the meeting between Guzman and Penn. Arely Gomez, Mexicos attorney general, said on Monday that an investigation had been opened into the meeting, adding that any possible criminal investigation against the actor-director would depend on what, if any, deals he struck with Guzman. US investigators will also examine Penns interactions with Guzman, two US government sources said, but it was unclear if prosecutors would try to force the actor to turn over information about the interview. Guzman was arrested last week after a shoot-out in Los Mochis, six months after he escaped Mexicos most secure prison. Five people were killed during the operation that caught Guzman, who has twice escaped from prison. Gomez said that while extraditing drug kingpins takes on average a year, it could take up to five years in Guzmans case. However, Al Jazeeras Adam Raney, reporting from Mexico City, said that the government is clearly keen to get El Chapo into the hands of US authorities. This is a dramatic turnaround from the last time they caught him in 2014 when they refused to extradite him, he said. The pressure is now on Mexican authorities to hold on to him long enough to make sure that extradition is successful. Meanwhile, the media were granted access on Monday to the house where Guzman was holed up before his capture last week. He had once escaped into a tunnel for a few hours, leaving behind a building full of bullet holes, bloodstains and decaying food. Video footage released by authorities showed Mexican marines firing shots inside the house after they stormed through two doors to find 15 of Guzmans henchmen armed with machine guns and rocket launchers. The military operation was dubbed Black Swan. At least 10 people have been killed and Sunni mosques firebombed in suspected reprisal attacks following a series of ISIL attacks on Shia Muslims in Iraq that left scores dead. Attackers firebombed nine mosques in Diyala province on Tuesday in what a Sunni leader described as a heinous criminal act. Witnesses told Al Jazeera that Shia militia members were responsible for the attacks in the town of Muqdadiya, 110km northeast of Baghdad. The fighters sent out messages on loudspeakers calling on Sunni civilians to leave the town within 24 hours or they would be killed. A day earlier, a wave of attacks claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a hardline Sunni group, targeted mainly Shia areas in Baghdad and Muqdadiya. Among those killed on Tuesday were two journalists working for the TV channel Al Sharqiya. Reporter Saif Talal and cameraman Hassan al-Anbaki were shot by militia members in the Diyala town of Abu Saida, the network said. In another incident, also in Abu Said, the parents of a Sunni imam were shot dead by militia fighters when they went to his home and found out he was not there, witnesses said. Abdul Latif al-Humaim, acting head of the Sunni Endowment Diwan, called the attacks in Diyala a heinous criminal act and urged the Iraqi government to assume its responsibility and track down the perpetrators. Wave of attacks Mondays bombings and shooting attacks left scores dead. The deadliest attack was in Muqdadiya, where a suicide bomber killed 42 people and injured another 54 at a cafe. At least 32 people were killed and 58 injured when ISIL fighters detonated explosives and stormed a mall in the Shia neighbourhood of New Baghdad in the capital. Another seven people were killed in a car bomb attack in the Nahrawan district in the east of Baghdad. The United Nations envoy for Iraq condemned Monday and Tuesdays string of attacks and urged all parties to avoid sectarian violence. The perpetrators want to incite sectarian violence in a desperate attempt to take the country back into the dark days of sectarian strife, Jan Kubis, the special representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq (SRSG), said. A Saudi-born suicide bomber affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group has detonated a bomb in a historic district of Istanbul, killing at least 12 people, including at least 10 Germans, officials say. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the bomber who carried out the attack in Istanbuls Sultanahmet district on Tuesday was a member of ISIL, and that the government would step up its operation against the armed group until it no longer remains a threat to Turkey or the world. Turkey wont backtrack in its struggle against Daesh by even one step, Davutoglu said, referring to ISIL by its Arabic acronym. This terror organisation, the assailants and all of their connections will be found and they will receive the punishments they deserve. The German foreign ministry on Wednesday said the number of Germans killed in the bombing has risen to 10, with five remaining in intensive care units. In a national address on Tuesday evening, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: The terrorists are the enemies of all free people, indeed, the enemies of all humanity, whether in Syria or Turkey, in France or Germany. Meanwhile, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus was quoted as saying the attacker, whom he identified as Nabeel Fadel, was a Saudi-born ISIL member. Kurtumulus said Fadel was not listed on the countrys security watch list, and entered Turkey from Syria recently. Al Jazeeras Sue Turton, reporting from Istanbul, said Fadel entered Turkey illegally as a refugee, but registered at a police station in Istanbul. She said the information the Turkish police have matched with the DNA sample of the suicide attacker, making it quick for authorities to identify him. Davutoglu said the death toll of 10 did not include the suicide bomber. At least 15 people were injured in the attack that occurred at about 10:20am local time on Tuesday morning. Police cordoned off the area to protect people against the possibility of a second explosion. Al Jazeeras Emre Rende, reporting from Istanbul, said police were conducting searches in case a second bomber was involved. As of 3pm local time (1300 GMT) on Tuesday, train services near the square had resumed, but police were still gathering more evidence at the site of the attack, he said. Erdem Koroglu, who was working at a nearby office at the time of the explosion, told NTV television that he saw several people lying on the ground following the blast. It was difficult to say who was alive or dead, Koroglu said. Buildings rattled from the force of the explosion. The square sits next to the most popular tourist sites in the city, including the 6th-century Greek Orthodox church, the centuries-old Sultan Ahmet Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque, and the Roman-era Basilica Cistern, an ancient underground water depot. The blast comes just over a year after a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a police station for tourists off the same square, killing one officer and wounding another. Turkey has become a target for ISIL, with two bombings last year blamed on the armed group in the town of Suruc near the Syrian border and in the capital Ankara. The latter killed more than 100 people. Speaking to Al Jazeera from Istanbul on Tuesday, Berkay Mandiraci, researcher at the International Crisis Group, said the latest attack was another blow to the Turkish population. We have been warning of such attacks, Mandiraci said, adding that the latest suicide bombing clearly shows that government security is still not sufficient in intensity. He also said that it has been known that ISIL-linked groups exist within Turkey, but it is unclear how they are utilised by the armed group. We know that there are people crossing into Syria, coming into Turkey, who are ISIL-linked and who have interest in destabilising Turkey further. And this is why it is important that the Turkish government continues the crackdown. Violence has also escalated in the mainly Kurdish southeast since a two-year ceasefire collapsed in July between the state and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) armed group, which has been fighting for three decades for Kurdish autonomy. Plea comes as first delivery of food reaches residents of Madaya and two other starving towns cut off for months by war. The UN humanitarian chief has called for the delivery of aid to three besieged towns in Syria to be the first of many and welcomed a Syrian statement that such deliveries should be repeated and sustained. Stephen OBrien said after briefing the UN Security Council behind closed doors that the arrival on Monday of convoys to help civilians in the three towns cut off for months by the war in Syria must not be either one-off or exceptional. The UN says 4.5 million Syrians are living in besieged or hard-to-reach areas and desperately need humanitarian aid, with civilians being prevented from leaving and aid workers blocked from bringing in food, medicine, fuel and other supplies. Aid reaches Madaya and other towns Reports of starvation and images of emaciated children have raised global concerns and underscored the urgency for new peace talks that the UN is hoping to host in Geneva, Switzerland, on January 25. Aid convoys with food and other supplies reached three besieged locations Madaya, near Damascus, where OBrien said about 400 people need to be evacuated immediately to receive life-saving treatment for medical conditions, malnourishment and starvation and the villages of Fouaa and Kefraya in northern Syria. The aid operation, which is being facilitated by the UN, was agreed on last week. OBrien said efforts will be made to get ambulances to Madaya on Tuesday to evacuate the 400 people, of all ages, if safe passage can be assured. It will take several days to distribute the aid in Madaya, Fouaa and Kefraya and the supplies are probably enough to last for a month, aid agencies said. Its really heartbreaking to see the situation of the people, said Pawel Krzysiek, a Red Cross spokesman who oversaw the distribution in Madaya. READ MORE: Communities under siege in Syria A while ago, I was just approached by a little girl and her first question was, Did you bring food?' Sajjad Malik, a representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees who took part in the delivery operation, described how grateful the people were. Its cold and raining, but there is excitement because we are here with some food and blankets, he said. The operation marked a small, positive development in a bitter conflict now in its fifth year that has killed a quarter of a million people, displaced millions of others and left the country in ruins. Rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad are in control of Madaya, a mountain town about 24km northwest of Damascus. Government troops and fighters from the Lebanese group Hezbollah have the town surrounded. Opposition activists and aid groups have reported several deaths from starvation in recent weeks. However, Bashar Jaafari, Syrias UN ambassador, has denied that anyone is starving in Madaya and blamed Arab television especially for fabricating these allegations and lies. Speaking at the UN headquarters on Monday, he blamed armed terrorist groups for stealing humanitarian aid and reselling it at prohibitive prices. The Syrian government is not, and will not be, exerting any policy of starvation against its own people, Jaafari said. Nevertheless, OBrien, the UN humanitarian chief, said all the evidence that the UN has shown there has been very severe malnourishment, severe food shortages, and reports of people who are either starving or indeed have starved and died. READ MORE: Snow and cold weather grip war-torn Syria Madaya has attracted particular attention in recent days because of reports of deaths and images in social media of severely malnourished residents. Some Assad supporters have said that the photos were faked, and others alleged the rebels were withholding food from residents. The aid deliveries come as Russia, the US and several Arab countries are promoting the forthcoming Geneva talks between the Assad government and the opposition. In an interview published on Tuesday, the Russian president said it would be too early to speak about granting political asylum to Assad, who is seen as a highly divisive figure. Vladimir Putin told the German newspaper Bild that Russia was advocating constitutional reform in Syria and, if the next election was democratic, Assad wont have to go anywhere, no matter if he is elected president or not. While Putin refused to speculate on a possible Russian role in helping to remove Assad, he indicated that it would not be too difficult for his country to do. We granted asylum to Snowden, he said referring to the American whistleblower Edward Snowden. That was more difficult than [it would be] to shelter Assad. Russia began carrying out air strikes on alleged positions of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group in September in support of Assads army which critics say are aimed against Assads opponents. Supreme Court, citing voting irregularities, says the National Assemblys decisions are void until the MPs are unseated. Venezuelas Supreme Court has declared that the new opposition-dominated National Assemblys decisions are void until it unseats three barred parliamentarians. Mondays ruling brings the South American country caught in an economic crisis worsened by falling oil prices, closer to a showdown over power in the legislature. Opponents of the socialist revolution launched by Hugo Chavez recently took control of the National Assembly for the first time in 17 years. The election of the three MPs has been questioned by the ruling socialist party, and the high court had previously barred them from taking their seats to give officials time to look into allegations of electoral fraud. That ruling angered members of the opposition, who called it an attempt to undermine their historic victory in legislative elections in December, and they swore the parliamentarians in anyway. They accuse the Supreme Court of being an arm of President Nicolas Maduros socialist government and of seeking to steal away its two-thirds majority in the National Assembly with the ruling. Some in the opposition denounced the ruling as a coup and vowed to continue defying the court. We will not cede one iota of the power that the people of Venezuela gave us, Freddy Guevara, an opposition politician, said. Al Jazeeras Virginia Lopez, reporting from Caracas, said: One of the possible consequences is that Maduro will now be addressing the country in his yearly State of the Union speech, not from the National Assembly but rather from the Supreme Court. The opposition plans to introduce an amnesty law on Tuesday for jailed politicians and activists, while government politicians intend to push for a declaration of national emergency over the economic crisis. The opposition also wants to sack Supreme Court justices sworn in by the then socialist-led congress last month, which the opposition said would then allow for the ban on the three lawmakers to be lifted. Rights group warns that residency regulations in Lebanon could lead to exploitation and abuse of Syrian refugees. New residency laws in Lebanon could lead to exploitation and abuse of Syrian refugees. Thats the warning from Human Rights Watch, which says the majority of Syrians who fled to Lebanon to escape persecution and war have in effect lost their legal status. The Lebanese government is rejecting the rights groups report. Lebanon is hosting more than one million Syrian refugees. Syrians over the age of 15 must now pay a fee of $200 to renew residency permits. On top of that, Syrians must find a sponsor to stay in Lebanon which can cost $1,000 per person. Human Rights Watch warns that the Syrian community, which is already struggling to survive, could be pushed further underground, forced to work illegally and risk being abused. So, will the new rules deter more Syrians from leaving their war-torn country? Presenter: Peter Dobbie Guests: Khalil Gebara Adviser to Lebanons interior minister Haley Bobseine Lebanon researcher for Human Rights Watch Anne Hammerstad Honorary senior research fellow at the University of Kent and specialist in refugee movements and migration A local man is dead and a local woman is in the hospital after a shooting Monday in the Holly Heights area in East Gainesville. Authorities have not found the suspected shooter or the firearm used, said Alachua County Sheriffs Office spokesman Art Forgey. At about 2 p.m. Monday, deputies found both victims shot in the 6800 block of S.W. Fourth Place, according to a press release. The deputy who first arrived at the scene gave the victims first-aid care until an ambulance took them to a local hospital, Forgey said. The man, later identified as Isadore Lee, 26, died at the hospital Monday night, he said. The woman, Lakeya Steward, 28, is being treated for a gunshot wound that is currently not believed to be life-threatening. Forgey said he could not release the name of the hospital because the shooter has not been caught. The incident began with an argument between a few people, and it ended when someone pulled out a gun and started to shoot, according to the release. Officers with Gainesville Police helped the sheriffs office secure the Holly Heights area afterward. Deputies searched the area Monday but have faced obstacles, Forgey said. Some of the witnesses are scared and not fully cooperating at this time, he said. A $1,000 reward has been set for anyone who offers information on the shooting that leads to an arrest and the seizing of the weapon used. Contact Martin Vassolo at mvassolo@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @martindvassolo. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Any successful strategy against ISIS will ultimately require both a military and political campaign. On the one hand, our military campaign has proven relatively successful. On the other, our political opposition to ISIS needs considerable improvement. Before going any further, lets establish some context. We began our military airstrike campaign, Operation Inherent Resolve, against ISIS in 2014, and since then, more than 7,900 airstrikes have killed nearly 20,000 ISIS fighters, which is nearly double the number of foreign volunteers who fight for ISIS. Furthermore, ISIS has made no significant advances in land acquisition. By all accounts, Operation Inherent Resolve, in conjunction with our support and funding of Kurdish and Iraqi army ground forces, has stalemated ISIS territorially and reduced its numbers considerably. So, from a strictly military perspective, we are succeeding against ISIS. So why do Americans not feel any semblance of success over ISIS? The answer relates to our underestimation of the political nature of this fight. In spite of their military setbacks, events like Novembers attacks in Paris, Beirut and Baghdad are ISIS way of injecting fear into the Western eye. These attacks have successfully perpetuated the false notion that ISIS has the upper hand. The more fear ISIS can incite in the West, the more Western officials cast their derision upon Muslims, Islam and refugees at large. This in turn provides ISIS with more fuel to stoke its anti-Western rhetoric. How, then, do we combat ISIS political apparatus? The first step is to reorient the political climate regarding ISIS. In my view, it is the responsibility of both public officials (though we all know how ineffective Congress is) and the American people through social media (which is, ironically enough, far more likely to be successful) to channel political focus on ISIS weaknesses and the American Muslim populations relative harmlessness to national security. For example, this would mean focusing our attention not on this notion of Syrian refugees bringing terrorism and ISIS ideology to this country, but on ISIS weaknesses, such as growing weariness and frustration with daily violence felt by the occupied people in ISIS territory and cities like Mosul, Iraq. The U.S. must also prioritize political stability in both Iraq and Syria. Political disorder and chaos amidst the Syrian Civil War and a shattered, war-torn Iraq fuel and strengthen ISIS without it, their influence quickly fades away. In addressing such instability, Iraq may be the easier of the two countries to prioritize first. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi of Iraq has already expressed interest in not only fighting ISIS directly with U.S. or Russian arms, but also in reaching out to Sunni groups to form a more politically inclusive Iraq. Meanwhile, it would behoove us to work with the other nations that former President Jimmy Carter outlined in his highly regarded peace plan Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey to draft a political future for Syria. Ultimately, both Iraq and Syria will need a politically secure and well-defined future in order to effectively nullify ISIS. In The Atlantic, Graeme Wood, a leading expert on ISIS, argued that if properly contained, (ISIS) is likely to be its own undoing. As the U.S. continually deadlocks ISIS positions and essentially bleeds it out, its claim that it is the engine of Gods will and the agent of apocalypse will weaken. The key feature to consider when pondering on an ISIS strategy for the U.S. is that there is no perfect solution. With the start of 2016, we have before us an unimaginably brutal 4.5-year-long civil war, two very broken countries, two other countries (Saudi Arabia and Iran) looking to assert independent influences and oppose one another and the eyes of the world watching. The trick in dealing with this chaos will be to devise a solution that best ameliorates subsequent consequences. David Hoffman is a UF history and physics sophomore. His column appears on Tuesdays. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now 2005 .. A Scottish Oil & Gas delegation will be visiting Ghana on 21st and 22nd of January 2016. The aim of this visit is to gain a good understanding of local market conditions and to look for potential local partners interested in enhancing their own offer by linking up with a Scotland-based company. Gary Soper, Accra-based []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric... AR's Editor Joe Shea Talks About Elections On Iranian TV Bear Stearns Saved By Fed As Lehman Bros. Falters; Major Bank Failure Looms Over Wall Street, Sends Markets Into 200-Pt. Dive Lie Upon Lie Five Years Into the Iraq War The Administration Still Churns Out Lies by Randolph Holhut A Small Tragedy Even at 90, As Friends Turn Cool She Knows the Show Must Go On by Joyce Marcel I'll Take Me Imagine John Wayne or Arnold In Heels, Silk and a Girdle by Elizabeth Andrews Sen. Nelson Calls For New Fla. Primary; Gov Crist Backs 'Do-Over' Who'll Win? Ask Spock Spock.com Engine Predicts Winners By Site Searches; It Can be Wrong by Jay Bhatti Chatting Up The Cat God Gave Me Dominion Over Him But I Think He's a Non-Believer by Constance Daley Death of a Thug The Life and Horrors of Suharto by Andreas Harsono ___________________________ This Just In Sierra Club: McCain Ducked All 15 Key Votes On Green Laws (AR) A Work By AR's T.S. Kerrigan Is Chosen As 'Best Poem' By Wordpress Site Murder At Mile 63 The Deadly Assault and Bush Administration Cover-Up by S. Eben Kirkesby and Andreas Harsono 5427 14th St. West, Bradenton, FL 34207 $6.99 Fish Fridays! Manatee Co.'s Only 24-Hr. FREE Wi-Fi Paid Advertisement On Native Ground AFTER 5 YEARS, WE'RE STILL LIED TO ABOUT IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Next week is the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. And it is likely that sometime in the next couple of weeks, the 4,000th American soldier will die in Iraq. [MORE] Momentum OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - It's 1931, and a 14-year-old girl is standing alone on a stage. She's small and lively with dark curly hair, widespread hazel eyes, slender wrists and an open, eager face filled with the wonder of performing. Her name is Rose, and one day she will be my mother. But now she is performing an Eugene O'Neill monologue called "Before Breakfast" for a ladies' club in a wealthy suburb of Long Island. [MORE] One Woman's World COMFORTABLE WITH MYSELF by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I'm not sure but I think I may be socially incorrect. [MORE] On Native Ground ENOUGH FOR A WAR, NOT FOR A PEOPLE by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Last week, the National Governors Assn. met in Washington, D.C. One of the tasks the NGA had on its agenda was to ask President Bush to increase federal spending on roads, bridges and other public works projects as a way to stimulate the economy. He rejected their pleas out of hand, claiming that infrastructure projects wouldn't offer any short-term economic boost. [MORE] Brasch Words BEWARE THE SELF-REVERENTIAL PRESS by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Shortly before the primary votes this past week, Newsweek's Jonathan Alter called Sen. Barack Obama's surge to the Democratic nomination "inevitable." It also called for Hillary Clinton to "start her campaign for Senate majority leader." [MORE] Constance A CONVERSATION WITH MY CAT Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Normally, when the cat starts his evening rant of meowing continuously until he makes his point, I just take it as long as I can, pick him up, and put him in the garage for the night. He doesn't want to go, but the meowing stops and I don't care if he likes it or not. [MORE] Momentum OUT OF STRUGGLE, ART by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Here we are again at the crossroads of art and social change, having the opportunity to watch good and great films about the lives of women in support of the Women's Crisis Center. [MORE] Campaign 2008 HOW TO PREDICT SUPER TUESDAY II WINNERS? ONLINE SEARCH by Jay Bhatti NEW YORK, March 4, 2008, 7:00PM ET -- With the outcomes of the Texas, Vermont, Ohio and Rhode Island primaries to be decided tonight, how possible is it that online searching can predict who will win tonight's primaries? [MORE] One Woman's World DON'T VOTE; IT ENCOURAGES THEM by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Call me angry and disgusted but don't call me un-American because I won't be voting come November. [MORE] On Native Ground BUSH AND THE KEYBOARD COMMANDOS by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- As the days tick down toward the eventual departure of President George W. Bush from the White House, it's a hopeful sign that most Americans are no longer moved by his Administration's constant exploitation of terrorism for political gain. [MORE] Momentum WHICH AMERICA DO YOU LIVE IN? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- It's a little confusing. [MORE] Make My Dat THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] On Native Ground FIDEL RETIRES: NOW THE COLD WAR IS REALLY OVER by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Maybe now, we can finally say the Cold War is over. [MORE] Make My Dat THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] One Woman's World POLITICS IS NO PARTY by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Are you having a hard time focusing your eyes? Do you have faint red spots all over your body? Is there a ringing in your ears and do you see wavy lines when you look at your television set? Do your hands shake when you try to hold a cup of coffee? And have you recently been forgetting what day of the week it is - or what year? [MORE] Make My Day FOR BETTER OR WORSE ... A LOT WORSE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- "Marriage: It's Only Going to Get Worse." [MORE] Constance YOU CALL THESE RIGHTS? by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- When you express an opinion you hope to persuade others to your point of view. It doesn't always happen but still, opinion writers try. [MORE] Momentum THE BRIDGE WOMAN by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - Out there in America - yes, still - is a generation of women who were born in the 1940s, raised in the 1950s, and who came to radical consciousness in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I am one of them. Hillary Clinton is one of them. [MORE] On Native Ground OBAMA AND MY GENERATION by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- I originally planned on voting for Dennis Kucinich in the Vermont Primary on March 4. [MORE] The Willies: WARNING: THIS MEDICATION MAY MURDER YOUR FRIENDS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla. -- You've heard the warnings, haven't you? Stop Prozac and you may take a shotgun, an Uzi or an AK-47 and mow down your family and friends, or even a whole classroom full of your fellow students. You didn't? Well, that warning is not on the bottle, but like countless mass-murder incidents before it, Friday's shootings at Northern Illinois University, as well as the Virginia Tech shootings that killed 32 last year, was probably precipitated by the effect of stopping medications that suppress anger and other powerful emotions but do not relieve the underlying cause. Isn't it time we started warning people - or stopped prescribing these medicines? [MORE] One Woman's World DON'T KNOCK ON MY DOOR by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I wish I could feel delight in my poet's mansion being like Grand Central Station all the time, but I can't. And I wish my place was such a place that someone would one day write: "Her door was always open and she always made you feel all fuzzy and warm in her presence. She could make a cup of coffee seem like a banquet." [MORE] Reporting: Panama PANAMA'S VIOLENT LABOR UNREST INTENSIFIES Mark Scheinbaum PANAMA CITY, Panama, Feb, 15, 2008 -- After just one day of relative calm, wildcat construction strikes by some members of Panama's largest union flared up again Friday morning, four days after a police sniper shot one worker. More than 140 demonstrators have been injured and at least 500 arrested, authorities say. [MORE] Brasch Words TO STIMULATE ECONOMY, BUY A CHINESE-MADE U.S. FLAG by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Walking down Main Street, pushing a grocery cart loaded with clothes, toys, and appliances was Marshbaum. Fastened to the right front corner of the cart was an American flag tied onto a three-foot ruler. [MORE] Make My Day THE TOOTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TOOTH by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- To commemorate the death of noted shark exploder Roy Scheider, and the "Jaws" movies that resulted in Erik never setting foot in the ocean again, we are reprinting this column from 2003. Shark Experts 0, Sharks 1 [MORE] Momentum THE WINTER OF MY DISCONTENT by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - As I write this, it's raining ice. Maybe a half a foot of snow and ice has already landed up here in the woods of Dummerston. Our cars are encased in it, and the door to the house is blocked. The satellite dish that brings in our Internet service quit about 20 minutes ago - frozen solid. [MORE] The Willies AMERICA TO HILLARY: GET OUT! by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 13, 2008 -- Sen. Hillary Clinton has adopted the Rudy Giuliani strategy, and it's working - for Sen. Barack Obama. It turns out to be the strategy all Democrats are seeking - an exit strategy. But it's not for Iraq. It's for her exit from the race for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination. [MORE] Constance CONFESSIONS OF A DISAPPOINTED VOTER by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- A week ago at just about this time, I completed an article and was about to submit it as scheduled to The American Reporter. I was feeling rather elated, ready to show up on Super Tuesday morning, firmly touch the X next to Rudy Giuliani's name and get on with my day. He was my choice; he would get my vote. [MORE] Reporting: Florida SIERRA CLUB SET TO SUSPEND FLA. CHAPTER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 10, 2008 -- The national Sierra Club is set to suspend its Florida chapter after years of divisive infighting, the president of the national club told Florida members in a letter delivered to some this weekend. It is the first time in its 116-year history that such a step has been considered by the club, according to news reports. [MORE] One Woman's World PLANT A NEW WORLD THIS SPRING by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- For a little while, the men will just have to toss and turn in their fear-free-women beds. For a small space of time Hillary Clinton will just have to trudge on toward the White House without my faint applause in the background. [MORE] On Native Ground VERMONT AND THE 5 STAGES OF CONSERVATIVE GRIEF by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- First, Vermont tried to convince the nation to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney. [MORE] Make My Day REBEL WITHOUT A TONGUE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Kids' brains work in amazing ways. At times, they can grasp complex concepts and make impressive discoveries. Other times, you have to wonder how we ever survived as a species. [MORE] The Willies FOR DEMOCRATS, NOW IT'S ABOUT RACE, INCOME AND GENDER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Feb. 6, 2008 -- It's not a good time to be a Democrat. As the Super Tuesday results demonstrated, the presidential race between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has divided the partly along clear racial, income and gender lines - the very distinctions the party has sought to erase in principle but has emphasized in its pursuit of diversity. [MORE] Momentum SUPER TUESDAY BLUES by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Super Tuesday has come and gone and I still can't get excited about the upcoming presidential elections. [MORE] The Willies ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY, YOUR PUSH IS NEEDED by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 5. 2008 -- I'm expecting a sea change tonight. I believe that for the first time in this nation's history we will once and forever banish racism as the deciding factor in the destiny of African-Americans, and indeed adopt diversity as our path to the future. [MORE] Campaign 2008 AT 88, EVERY VOTE REALLY COUNTS by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 5, 2008 -- Pearl Turner will caucus for Mitt Romney tonight in Denver. [MORE] One Woman's World STAND BY YOUR WOMAN by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- The black vote. The gay vote. The fundamentalist vote. The Hispanic vote. [MORE] An AR Special SUSPECTS IN BENAZIR ASSASSINATION HAVE TIES TO MUSHARRAF by Ahmar Mustikhan WASHINGTON, D.C. -- When Gordon Brown this past Monday feted coup-leader-turned-President Pervez Musharraf at 10 Downing Street, Britain's new prime minister probably didn't ask the Pakistani dictator a question that is now on many minds: Did you order the murder of Benazir Bhutto? [MORE] Momentum TO THE VERMONT DELEGATION: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR US LATELY? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. Back when President George W. Bush and Dick Vice President Dick Cheney were building up to their loathsome war in Iraq, very few people were brave enough to call the bullies' bluff. [MORE] On Native Ground IF BUSH HAS HIS WAY, WE'LL NEVER LEAVE IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. - In his final State of the Union address on Jan. 28, President Bush cautioned against accelerating U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, saying that it would endanger the process that has been made over the past year. [MORE] Campaign 2008 CLASH OF COMMENTS AND PROTESTORS AT CLINTON, OBAMA RALLIES IN DENVER by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 1, 2008 -- At least four presidential campaigns of both partiers rolled into in Denver this week ahead of the Feb. 5 "Super Tuesday" primaries in 22 states, but it was the Democratic presidential contenders who drew the big crowds and duked it out Wednesday. If sheer numbers are any indication, Sen. Barack Obama - preceded by a buoyant and beautiful Caroline Kennedy - won the round handily. He is the overwhelming favorite to win the Colorado primary next Tuesday. [MORE] The Willies WHY THE FLORIDA PRIMARY STINKS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Jan. 30, 2008 -- I was with my wife and daughter driving the back way from Miami home to Bradenton when we stopped at a McDonald's in Clewiston, the only big town along the vast shore of Lake Okeechobee, the state's precious freshwater reservoir. The McDonald's had three televisions at a central seating area, each tuned to a different network, and our table was in front of CNN as the very first election results started to pour in around 7:30PM. With them, almost as counterpoint, suddenly came such an overwhelming odor of cow plop that my wife started to throw up as we all ran to the parking lot. [MORE] Passings: Suharto DEATH OF A KEMUSU THUG by Andreas Harsono JAKARTA - A few minutes after hearing that former president Suharto had died in his hospital bed, Marco, a militia leader in downtown Jakarta, raced to Suhartos house, wearing his jungle camouflage and began guarding the Suhartos residence on Cendana Street. [MORE] Constance I REMEMBER YOU by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga.. -- It seems to be more often lately that the sentiment is spoken but it's always been out there: "You never get over the death of your child." This is true. But the heartfelt expressions come from some who cannot fathom the notion of losing a child; their own child is who is in their mind, not another mother's child. [MORE] by Gregory & Ernest Disney-Britton With art of the religious imagination, What do you collect, and why? Today's scripture is the parable of the weeds in the book of Matthew. How do you decide what stays in your ? With the passing of our muse and mother, we've reached an important point in our collecting journey. Amazon I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Jenal said police Chief Charlie Beck made the recommendation on charges last month to Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey. She will decide whether to charge Proctor and does not have to follow Beck's recommendation. Lacey said it's her ethical obligation to remain impartial until her office finishes its own investigation. Possible charges could range from assault with a deadly weapon to manslaughter or second-degree murder, Jenal said. Glenn's confrontation with police began late at night on a block lined with bars and restaurants, when two officers responded to a 911 call saying a man had been arguing with a bouncer who wouldn't let him into a bar and was hassling passers-by, police said at the time. The officers spoke to Glenn, who began walking away but then came back and began struggling with someone on the sidewalk, according to a police news release. The officers were trying to detain Glenn when the shooting occurred. The shooting drew angry protests and came amid tensions nationwide over police killings of unarmed black men. Both Glenn and Proctor are black. The shooting marked the first time Beck has recommended charges against an officer who fatally shot someone while on duty. More than 100 such shootings have occurred since Beck became chief in late 2009. Proctor's attorney, Larry Hanna told the Los Angeles Times that Proctor saw Glenn going for his partner's gun. The decision to recommend charges against Proctor was political, said Hanna. "There's a lot of people out there who want to see officers tried for any type of shooting," Hanna said. "When an officer is making a split-second decision and he sees somebody going for his partner's gun ... the officer's perception is very crucial here." Glenn was among 21 people fatally shot by Los Angeles police in 2015, when the overall number of officer-involved shootings in the nation's second-largest city increased by 52 percent. Jenal said a number of circumstances set the shooting apart from others that have drawn criticism but no charges. "In this case, the chief is describing that in his mind, the suspect was down, trying to push himself up, and the evidence gathered witness statements and video shows that the officer's statement that the suspect was going for a gun is not substantiated," Jenal said. "In the other ones ... the facts show that the officers were in the right and justified in using deadly force." Civil rights leaders praised Beck's recommendation, while the president of the union that represents Los Angeles police officers criticized it. "The chief should stay out of it, for or against," said Craig Lally, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League. "Let (District Attorney) Jackie Lacey determine if there's enough evidence for a filing." Lally declined to comment on the shooting itself. Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement that he hopes Beck's recommendation is "considered with the utmost gravity." The Associated Press The news of the repatriation came as former British hostages came together for the first time and protested outside the U.S. Embassy in London to call for the prisons closure. We want justice. We want these people to go home, said Shaker Aamer, only recently released despite being cleared for transfer since 2007. If they did something, OK, tell us what they did. If they did not do something, they need to be going home tomorrow not after one month, not after one week, no, tomorrow. Because you have nothing against them. And on the anniversary of the first prisoners arriving at the island prison, protesters rallied in front of White House, calling for Guantanamo to be shuttered. Among them was the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents several Guantanamo prisoners. It's not enough for President [Barack] Obama to say he tried, but that Congress and other obstacles are preventing him from closing Guantanamo, Aliya Hussain of the center said in a news release. There are more than 40 men, cleared for release, who could go home today, yet they continue to languish as the prison enters its 15th year. The president has real choices in front of him. Now is the time for him to take meaningful action. The clock is ticking. Meanwhile, legal groups and nongovernmental organizations protested in Nouakchott, Mauritania, demanding the release of Guantanamo Diary author Mohamedou Ould Slahi, the countrys last citizen held in the prison. And in front of the U.S. Embassy in Montevideo, Uruguay, the man at the center of a U.S federal legal battle was set to undergo nasogastric feeding to protest the ongoing force-feeding that reports say hunger strikers experience in Guantanamo. Abu Dhiab, one of six prisoners transferred to Uruguay in 2014, sued the U.S. demanding the release of videos that show him being forcibly removed from his cell by armed guards and force-fed. The legal battle is ongoing, but U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler has ruled favorably toward Dhiabs side. The world should see the tapes of how I was forcibly removed from my cell on countless occasions and how I was force-fed during the times I was on hunger strike, which began in 2007, Dhiab told Al Jazeera, adding that he has not fully recovered physically from his time in Guantanamo and that he continues to need crutches to walk. Dozens of students at Wheaton College in suburban Chicago protested on Monday against the school's move to terminate an associate professor who said Christians and Muslims worship the same God a statement she made while wearing a hijab to show solidarity with women who face Islamophobia. Students filled the steps of the school's Edman Memorial Chapel chanting "Reinstate Doc Hawk," a nickname for Larycia Hawkins. The Protestant evangelical college said in a Jan. 5 statement on its website that its provost had begun a process for terminating her. Hawkins, an associate professor of political science who has called herself a devout Protestant, wrote on her Facebook page on Dec. 10 that she was donning the hijab, a headscarf traditionally worn by Muslim women, during the Christian Advent season to show solidarity with Muslim women who have experienced unconstitutional and Islamophobic attacks in the United States. "We worship the same God," Hawkins post read. Subsequently, the school said Hawkins refused to participate in "clarifying conversations" about theological issues arising from her post. Hawkins refutes this, saying she met with administrators several times and provided statements explaining her beliefs. Wheaton College requires all faculty and students to sign a statement of faith in line with its Protestant evangelical tenets. Hawkins, 43, a tenured professor now on leave, has taught at the college since 2007. She has been an advisor to the student government and coordinator of the school's Peace and Conflict Studies program. Andrew Shadid, who is a former student of Hawkins at the college and helped organize the protest, told Al Jazeera that students are calling for greater transparency by the administration on how Hawkins allegedly violated the statement of faith, and are asking: "Is the college treating Larycia differently than other professors?" Shadid said others at the college who incorporated Islam in their teachings were treated more lightly, citing as an example psychology professor Michael Mangis plan to lead a class in Muslim prayers. Mangis wrote in a Facebook comment to Hawkins in December, If you get any grief at work give me a heads-up because Ill be leading my spring psychology of religion class in Muslim prayers. The college's provost, Stanton Jones, contacted Mangis and suggested he clarify that he only wanted students to experiment with different postures of prayer, the Chicago Tribune reported. In contrast, Jones didn't reach out to Hawkins directly but asked another faculty member to approach her about her post, according to the Tribune. Some students are planning further actions throughout the week, including sit-ins outside the offices of the president and provost, and some faculty plan to hold "teach-ins" about the administration's actions. "We as a faculty still love this place and believe this is not what Wheaton really is," Mangis said at the Edman Memorial Chapel on Monday. An explosion in the heart of Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet tourist district killed 10 people and wounded 15 on Tuesday, an attack that Turkey's prime minister blamed on the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the sole perpetrator belonged to ISIL. Davutoglu pledged to battle the armed group until it no longer "remains a threat" to Turkey or the world. "Turkey won't backtrack in its struggle against Daesh by even one step," Davutoglu said, referring to ISIL by an Arabic acronym. "This terror organization, the assailants and all of their connections will be found and they will receive the punishments they deserve." Davutoglu described the attacker as a "foreign national." Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus had previously said the perpetrator was born in 1988 and was a Syrian national, but the private Dogan news agency claimed the bomber was Saudi-born. Eight of the 10 people killed were German tourists, Turkish officials said. Turkey's state-run news agency said Davutoglu held a telephone conversation with German chancellor Angela Merkel to express his condolences. Davutoglu said the death toll of 10 did not include the suicide bomber. Merkel offered her thoughts for the victims of the Istanbul bombing and condolences for their families, and promised Germany would continue to fight against terror. "Today Istanbul was the target, before Paris, Copenhagen, Tunis, and so many other areas," she told reporters in Berlin. "International terror changes the places of its attacks but its goal is always the same it is our free life in free society. The terrorists are the enemies of all free people, indeed, the enemies of all humanity, whether in Syria or Turkey, in France or Germany." In the bombing's aftermath, several bodies could be seen on the ground in the Sultanahmet square, a bustling area of Turkey's most populous city close to the popular Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia tourist sites. Police sealed the area, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion, and a police helicopter hovered overhead. Among the wounded were German, Norwegian, Peruvian and South Korean nationals, reports said. The attack at the heart of one of the world's most visited cities comes as Turkey battles Kurdish fighters in its southeast and ISIL insurgents just across its southern borders in Syria and Iraq. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. The Istanbul governor's office said the authorities were investigating the type of explosive used. "We heard a loud sound and I looked at the sky to see if it was raining because I thought it was thunder but the sky was clear," said Kuwaiti tourist Farah Zamani, 24, who was shopping at one of the covered bazaars with her father and sister. "The explosion was very loud. We shook a lot. We ran out and saw body parts," one woman who works at a nearby antiques store told Reuters, declining to give her name. Davutoglu held an emergency meeting in Ankara with the interior minister and security chiefs. Davutoglu's office imposed a broadcasting ban on the blast, invoking a law which allows for such steps when there is the supposed potential for serious harm to national security or public order. Since ISIL's rapid rise over the last two years, Turkey has become a target for the group, with two major bombings last year in the town of Suruc near the Syrian border and in the capital, Ankara. The latter killed more than 100 people. Just over a year ago, a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a police station for tourists off the same square as Tuesday's attack, killing one officer and wounding another. That attack was initially claimed by a far-left group, but officials later said it had been perpetrated by a woman with suspected links to ISIL. Ankara is in the midst of a wide crackdown on groups it considers "terrorists," including ISIL and the leftist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) insurgent group. Violence has escalated in the mainly Kurdish southeast since a two-year ceasefire collapsed in July between the state and the PKK, which has been fighting for three decades for Kurdish autonomy. But the PKK has generally avoided attacking civilian targets in urban centers outside the southeast in recent years, leading most to suspect that ISIL could be behind Tuesday's attack. If that is the case, "it would reflect a shift in the groups strategy and herald a broader campaign against Turkey," said Firas Abi Ali, a senior analyst at IHS Country Risk, a consultancy based in London. Whereas ISIL fighters once enjoyed relatively free passage from Turkey into Syria, where Ankara initially hoped groups like ISIL would prove useful in fighting the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad, Turkey has shifted course by increasing cooperation with the U.S.-led anti-ISIL campaign across Syria and Iraq. Noting that ISIL propaganda has increasingly threatened Turkey, Abi Ali said ISIL's territorial losses in Iraq and Syria "may well have led the group to assess that it needs to expand its influence and capability in Turkey before it can reverse these losses. If so, this is a high-risk endeavor that will likely provoke a significant backlash by the Turkish government." Al Jazeera and wire services Detroit's mayor will tour some of the city's public schools amid sickouts by teachers that at times have forced some schools to shut down. Mayor Mike Duggan will visit the schools with city health and buildings officials on Tuesday morning after complaints from the district teachers union that some have black mold or fungus growing, while others are infested with rodents. At least two-dozen Detroit public schools were closed Tuesday as a result of the sick-outs, which teachers have undertaken to protest pay, large class sizes and the poor school conditions, among other things. The Detroit Federation of Teachers (DFT) is not part of the sickout, but union officials complained Monday about conditions in the schools after about half of them had to close because of a wave of teacher absences described by an activist as rolling strikes. "This is why those sickouts happened," the union's interim president, Ivy Bailey, told reporters while displaying photographs of mold in schools. The deplorable conditions in our schools have created a serious environmental and educational crisis that is being ignored. We refuse to stand by while teachers, school support staff and students are exposed to conditions that one might expect in a Third World country, not the United States of America, Bailey said. The children of Detroit, Flint or any other community should not be exposed to atrocious, environmental hazards," he added. The DFT listed examples of the toxic conditions in a press release Monday, in which it called for public hearings on the "dangerous learning conditions." At Spain Elementary-Middle School, teachers said there was black mold, a buckling gym floor and a broken swimming pool. Bates Academy teachers reported mice, security issues and broken computers. At Ronald Brown Academy, a special education class had no textbooks, there was a slimy growth on the walls, and ceilings were crumbling. Unlike some mayors, Duggan has no control over the city's public schools. Detroit's debt-ridden district of 46,000 students has been under state oversight for nearly seven years. The district is run by an emergency manager appointed by Republican Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. But the city can inspect the school buildings to make sure they comply with city codes. "Based on what we find, the city of Detroit will take whatever enforcement action is necessary to make sure all Detroit public schools are compliant with all health and building codes," Duggan said in a press release. He said he understands the teachers' frustrations but urged them to return to work. He also urged state officials "to move quickly to address these pressing educational problems." The district's emergency manager, Darnell Earley, said in a statement that officials "understand and share" the frustrations of teachers but that the teacher absences make it "more challenging" to reach a political solution with state lawmakers. To the union, that was tantamount to blaming teachers instead of addressing the problem. Perhaps the emergency manager is engaged in this deflection because he knows that the DFT has ramped up its efforts to address the many urgent concerns that educators and members of our community have about the deplorable conditions in schools around this city," DFT administrator Ann Mitchell said in the release. "Detroits public schools bear the scars of the citys struggles and challenges. We cant do this job alone, and we urge all Detroiters to call on officials to make high-quality public education a top priority. Al Jazeera and The Associated Press LOS ANGELES Anytime heavy rains douse this region, many eyes are cast upwards to the multi-million dollar homes precariously perched on hillsides towering over Hollywood and Malibu. The prime real estate scattered throughout the Santa Monica Mountains above the city are at the most risk when heavy El Nino storms create mudslides or earthquakes rattle the ground. California is a landslide-ridden state, said Alan Kropp, a geotechnical engineer founder of the consulting firm of Alan Kropp & Associates Inc. in Berkeley, California. Long before people were settling and building here, there were landslides. But in an often status-obsessed city - the threat of homes toppling down the hills has always been trumped by the desire to live high above the crowded streets and has become the signature address for the wealthy. The higher the elevation in Los Angeles, the richer you are, said Robert Lang, urban affairs professor and director of Brookings Mountain West at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. First off, theyre secluded and theres a lot of privacy. Youre in this very dense, second-largest metropolis (after New York) and meanwhile, by just driving up a hill, you feel like youre in a semi-rural private space and lifted out of the valley and smog. Its the same reason, he says, that affluent New Yorkers live in penthouses and on the highest floors of residential skyscrapers, far above the madding crowd. But in California, the push-pull between human nature and Mother Nature can be costly and those with big bank accounts are willing to pay for it. But should they even be living there? The trend that began in the post-World War II construction boom cant be reversed, according to experts. But what has changed is the engineering technology that can make even the most hazardous hillside location if not totally safe, at least safer. Now, in general, you can build in most places with geologic and engineering but there are some that are virtually impossible, it doesnt matter how much money you have, Kropp said. The unfortunate thing is that there are more recently constructed facilities that werent done as well as they shouldve been. In 1983, 250 Malibu homes collapsed, cracked or slipped off their foundations in the Big Rock Mesa landslide, one of the worst in state history. A tentative settlement was reached more than four years later with the county, state and insurance companies that paid homeowners $97 million in damages or about $200,000 for each homeowner. We have the technology to be able to build in those areas, sure, but you do calculate some risk in that, Lang said. Whats the social responsibility for sharing an insurance risk with a person whos rich and lives on a risky hillside. Its within their right as a land purchaser to build but the issue is more public responsibility of the public pool of insurance. In a sense, he said, everybody ends up bailing out the rich. The technology that has minimized the risk of erecting houses on hillsides is LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), which eliminates vegetation from aerial and ground photographs. You see what the bare earth looks like and then you can really see whats going on, Kropp said, including cracks and land shift patterns. The state has also released new maps that pinpoint areas where earthquake-induced landslides could occur. Engineers and geologists may require remedial grading, subsurface drainage and deep foundations to hold the hill back. But there is a problem. New technology and mapping is worthless for homes built decades ago. Its an unfortunate situation that there are lots of houses existing on weak ground and some, in each El Nino, will give way, Kropp said. Thats a concern for owners of new homes built next to an older home. That guy just uphill of you doesnt look too good and could come down on top of you, Kropp said, which requires defensive design for new construction. Homeowners should not be lulled into thinking that just because some homes are still standing after decades of earthquakes and torrential rains, they are safe. There are mud flows, more liquid types of landslides that move quickly and can be very destructive, Kropp said. But later in the year, well get more deeply-seated mudslides that move inches or feet a day and thats even more devastating because it moves more land and its more difficult to stop. But wealthy homeowners are deaf and blind to the risks when they find a secluded hillside property and see the breathtaking views and hear birds chirping. And thats what money can buy. It can be five to 10 times more expensive now to build on an unstable lot than on a stable lot, Kropp said. Larry Gross, executive director of the Coalition for Economic Survival, a Los Angeles non-profit that advocates for low-income communities, is more concerned with the impact of El Nino on the homeless and low-income tenants who may be dealing with leaky ceilings. Clearly, the (hillside homeowners) have more resources to respond to this and I would imagine more political clout to get a response from the city, he said. Leaders of Nicaraguas indigenous and Afro-Caribbean communities say government officials are pressuring them to sign a document consenting to the proposed $50 billion Nicaragua Canal passing through their autonomous territory. Dr. Maria Luisa Acosta, an attorney for the Center for Legal Assistance to Indigenous Peoples (CALPI) who has represented indigenous communities in Nicaragua for the past two decades, said she received a call from Rama-Kriol leaders Rupert Allen Clair Duncan and Santiago Thomas on Saturday. They said the government is pressuring them to sign papers and to give up the territory, and they dont want to, said Acosta. But they feel a lot of pressure and they have told them in many ways, We dont want this. We need a lawyer. We need to know more and we cannot do this this way. We need somebody independent to oversee this process. And [the government representatives] just said, Dont worry just sign. Its a lot of psychological pressure, she added. The Rama-Kriol Territorial Government (GTR-K), the ruling authority over the six Rama (indigenous) and three Kriol (Afro-Caribbean) communities that make up the South Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAS) of southeastern Nicaragua, released a statement on Sunday denouncing the pressure, and calling on Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega to stop this violation of human rights and constitutional guarantees that the [officials] seek to commit. The canal megaproject has been mired in controversy since its beginning, with opponents marking it as a new era of colonialism in Latin America. In 2013, Chinese telecom billionaire Wang Jing and his HKND Group holding company were granted a 50-year concession renewable for an additional 50 years to build and operate the canal. Opponents say the no-bid concession, fast-tracked through the National Assembly in a day, with no public debate, violates Nicaraguas Constitution as well as international environmental treaties. With media reports in October of Wangs plummeting wealth, the feasibility of the ambitious project has been thrown further in question. In late November, HKND announced that construction for the project was on hold until the end of 2016. With no indication of construction returning anytime soon, it is unclear why the Rama-Kriol people would be pressured to consent at this moment. The three officials mentioned by name in the statement released Sunday are Michael Campbell of ProNicaribe; Danilo Chang, spokesperson for the Grand Interoceanic Canal of Nicaragua megaproject in the Southern Caribbean Autonomous Region (RACS); and Ruben Lopez, chief executive of the Southern Caribbean Autonomous Region. The Rama-Kriol territory consists of more than 1,500 square miles of land and an additional 1,700 square miles of sea territory, as well as 22 keys, or low-lying islands. The title of full control for their traditional land was transferred by the State of Nicaragua to the nine communities of the Rama-Kriol Territory in a ceremony involving President Daniel Ortega in July 2010. In defending their autonomy, the Rama-Kriol and their legal advocates point to Art. 24 of Law 445, in which the State recognizes the right that indigenous and ethnic communities have over the lands they traditionally occupy and recognizes and guarantees their inalienability, unseizability, and imprescriptibility. In order to dredge the canal through their territory, the Nicaragua government must receive free, prior and informed consent from the indigenous and Afro-Caribbean communities affected. The GTR-K have requested legal assistance and an independent international observer to supervise the consent process. They have also asked to see the full documentation from the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) of the proposed canal. According to the GTR-K's statement, the officials tell them that the lawyer is not necessary and that they will explain the ESIA and send the agreement to the UN once it has been signed, all while continuing to pressure them to sign it. Researchers from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta have discovered that a blood test may help determine which patients with depression will respond best to treatments with ketamine, an anesthetic which has in recent years proved effective at helping people with treatment-resistant depression. "This could be an important step toward personalizing treatment for depression, Dr. Ebrahim Haroon, a psychiatry and behavioral sciences professor at Emory University School of Medicine, told Al Jazeera. Traditionally, with regards to the treatment of depression, its just a guessing game. You give them [a patient] a medication, and it doesnt work, and you try another. Identifying the right biochemical or blood markers that will tell us that this medication is good for this patient is a good thing, Haroon said. Ketamine, a drug sometimes used in veterinary medicine, gained notoriety as a hallucinogenic party drug in the 1990s rave scene (PDF). But scientists have been surprised to discover that the drug has helped provide immediate relief for some patients who suffer from depression and did not respond to multiple antidepressants or talk therapy. Ketamine works to interfere with a neurotransmitter called glutamate, which plays a role in mediating the brains synaptic impulses. Some scientists believe that by blocking glutamate receptors, ketamine helps build more connections between nerve cells in the brain, reversing some effects of depression. Depressed people have shown increased levels of glutamate in certain parts of their brains, a situation that can work to damage the neurons over time, explained Haroon, the lead author of the study, which was published Tuesday in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. A subset of people suffering from depression about 20 to 30 percent, Haroon said also have elevated levels of inflammation in their bodies, meaning their immune systems are kicked into high gear to respond to a perceived attack on the body. For example, previous research has shown increased levels of inflammation markers in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of some patients suffering from depression. It is these patients with heightened inflammation, Haroon said, who typically do not respond to the usual depression treatments such as antidepressant medications. But not much is known about the relationship between inflammation, higher glutamate levels and depression. The Emory scientists wanted to measure that relationship, so they examined 50 patients who were diagnosed with depression but not taking medication for it. The scientists determined patients levels of inflammation by testing their blood for presence of a substance called C-reactive protein (CRP). They also tested glutamate levels in the basal ganglia, a portion of the brain related to motor control and motivation. They found that the presence of the CRP in the blood, which indicates inflammation, as well as elevated levels of glutamate in the basal ganglia were both linked to patients reporting of anhedonia an inability to experience pleasure, a key symptom of depression and slow motor function, which is measured by a finger-tapping test and is also linked to depression. This relationship, Haroon said, could indicate that inflammation in the body may work to drive up glutamate levels, which in turn causes depression, though he says more research needs to be done. More importantly, the blood tests showing inflammation markers could be a good way to determine candidates for glutamate-related depression treatments such as ketamine. About 7 percent of American adults, according to the World Health Organization, have suffered within the last year from a major depressive episode, which is marked by a depressed mood, difficulties concentrating and changes in eating and sleeping habits lasting for a period of two weeks or longer. A Chicago-area mosque said Monday that it has fallen victim to an Islamophobic cyberattack in which unknown perpetrators created a fake website for the place of worship, attempting to link it to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The Islamic Center of Wheaton (ICW) said it had contacted local law enforcement and the FBI in an attempt to find out who set up the fake page, which mosque administrators say aims to harass the mosque and undermine efforts to create interfaith dialogue. In one photo allegedly lifted from the real site, images of ISIL fighters and flags were superimposed over photos of mosque members and visiting supporters, including small children. Theyre being very aggressive against Muslims and Islam, and its also against people of faith willing to have a dialogue with Muslims, said Abraham Antar, president of ICW. The mosque said the fake website includes threats to forcibly convert the Wheaton community to Islam, as well as insults against the Prophet Muhammad. The sites discovery comes amid a wave of anti-Muslim rhetoric, and an increase in physical attacks on mosques and Muslims in the United States. The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a legal advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., said online statements against Muslims and Islam form part of a breeding ground for hateful acts offline. The Internet is really the cesspool of Islamophobia. Thats where it all starts, said Ahmed Rehab, executive director of CAIRs Chicago branch. Islamophobia is more acute online than anywhere else, and in many ways the typical, big anti-Muslim narratives are born online and they spread from there to political circles and onto the streets. In 2014, legal aid group Muslim Advocates published a report detailing a range of online anti-Islam groups, listing dozens of websites and Facebook pages. The report provided guidelines for how to report violent hate speech to law enforcement authorities, and harassment to social media site administrators. The study said that reporting the abuse helps administrators gauge the size of the problem. "A person spreading hateful rhetoric online may have no intent of committing an act of violence, but it only takes one person to become motivated to commit an act of violence," said Madihha Ahussain, a staff attorney at Muslim Advocates. Rehab said that the best way to combat online Islamophobia in most cases is to ignore the aggressor but that fake websites cross the line, because they can put lives at risk. Who knows what kinds of vigilantes will retaliate using these false allegations against the mosque? he said. There is the intent to cause harm and potentially bodily harm. Wheaton recently garnered national focus when Larycia Hawkins, a political science professor at the evangelical Christian school Wheaton College, started wearing a hijab in solidarity with Muslim women. Hawkins, a Christian, also emphasized that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. The college has since moved to terminate Hawkins, prompting students and fellow educators to rally in support of the tenured professor. One section of the fake website features pictures of Hawkins, and mocks efforts at interfaith cooperation. Rehab said the websites goal appears to be derailing dialogue between religious groups and promoting a false image of Islam in the community. He said Muslims need to use their freedom of speech to present their true beliefs. Muslims need to use their own voices to represent their values, Rehab said. Every case is its own case. You have to weigh the cost/benefits. If its just a harmless troll, just ignore it. But if, as in this case, it has the potential for bodily harm and putting children at risk, you need to take action. Antar at ICW said Wheaton officials have been supportive after Mondays attack. "The police are even really very supportive," he said. "Now theyre increasing patrols around the center to make sure we're protected." The suffering in the besieged Syrian town of Madaya is the worst seen in the country's civil war, the United Nations said Tuesday, a day after the first aid convoys started to reach starving civilians cuf off from the outside world for months. There is no comparison in what we saw in Madaya, the UN refugee agency's chief in Damascus, Sajjad Malik, told journalists in Geneva, when asked to compare the devastation in the town to other areas in Syria. He said there were credible reports of people starving to death during the months-long siege by pro-regime forces. Syria's ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar Jaafari, told journalists in New York on Monday that there was no starvation in Madaya after the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said 28 people in the town had starved to death since Dec 1.. There was no life, said Malik, who was in the convoy, describing a town of desperate people who in many cases were too weak to voice outrage over their suffering. Concern has turned to providing much-needed aid to those suffering in the city. The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked the Syrian government for permission to send mobile clinics and medical teams to the besieged town of Madaya to assess the extent of malnutrition and evacuate the worst cases, its representative said Tuesday. Elizabeth Hoff, WHO representative in Damascus who went into Madaya on Monday in the convoy, said the agency needed to do a door-to-door assessment in the town of 42,000 people, where a Syrian doctor told her 300-400 needed special medical care. I am really alarmed, Hoff said, speaking by telephone from the Syrian capital where the health expert has been based since July 2012. People gathered in the market place. You could see many were malnourished, starving. They were skinny, tired, severely distressed. There was no smile on anybody's face. It is not what you see when you arrive with a convoy. The children I talked to said they had no strength to play. On Monday, the WHO brought in 7.8 tons of medicine including trauma kits for wounds, medicines for treating both chronic and communicable diseases, and antibiotics and nutritional therapeutic supplies for children, Hoff said. The organization intends to return on Thursday as part of a U.N. convoy with more medical and food supplies, she said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group that monitors the war, said at least 300 people left the town and were taken by government forces to the Damascus region. The U.N. said its vehicles were not used to take anyone out of Madaya. Hoff said another Syrian doctor had told her that mothers had absolutely no milk for breast-feeding, the milk had dried up and the babies are not satisfied. The female doctor also reported having done 27-30 C-sections (caesarean sections) in the past seven months. She does not have the requisite training, but she saw it as a life-saving intervention, Hoff said. Many malnourished people were too weak to leave their homes. We need to go in with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent for a door-to-door assessment, if there are these cases we need to verify and make sure they get urgent treatment, Hoff said. I sent an immediate request to authorities for more supplies to be brought in. We are asking for mobile clinics and medical teams to be dispatched. She added: We need unhindered, sustained access, the only thing that will help in the long term is lifting the siege. Hoff visited two medical sites in Madaya, one a private practice based in a home run by two doctors, and the other a makeshift field hospital in a basement. Neither had supplies. The doctors at the private practice said they had run out of medicines they received in October and patients preferred to spend what little money they had on food and not health care, Hoff said. They reported widespread malnutrition and serious problems with severe acute malnutrition. I cannot confirm what they reported. The makeshift field hospital, down a dark flight of stairs, lacked hygienic conditions, Hoff said. The room is often so crowded that they had to give a drip to a patient outdoors because there was no room in the clinic. The two doctors at the private clinic told her that they see patients with acute respiratory infections, urinary tract infections and anemia, she said. Others had low blood sugar. An elderly lady had not eaten for 20 days, she was picked up unconscious on the street and brought in. She had bruises from the fall. She was severely undernourished. The first Syrian doctor there told her he had names of 300-400 people requiring immediate medical care. The doctor in the clinic reported that he hadn't eaten for three days. I spoke with a man who said he was 45 and severely malnourished, he could hardly talk. He said he had four children at home who are in a bad situation. He was totally dehydrated and had a yellow color and was distressed. A pregnant woman was there who came in regularly unconscious she was lying in front of me, with very low blood sugar and lacking food. The nurse had nothing to give. The WHO simultaneously delivered 3.9 tons each to Foua and Kafraya, two villages in Idlib province encircled by Syrian rebels who are fighting the government. Wire services Zewarshah was 13 when he saw his 11-year-old brother shot in a wheat field while a U.S.-Afghan coalition operation was underway. Fifteen civilians were killed on Aug. 3, 2014, four of them children. More than a year later, only one Afghan has been prosecuted for wrongful death and there has been no investigation into the role of U.S. special forces. Jason Motlagh CHARKH, Afghanistan Light was still faint on the morning of Aug. 3, 2014, when Mohammad Razeq saw the women crying by the dirt road that led to his house. Recognizing them from his village, he pulled his station wagon over to see what was wrong. Razeqs older brother, Mohammad Khan (In Afghanistan, brothers sometimes share the same Arabic first name), watched from the backseat as Razeq bent over and held up the bloodied body that lay at one of the womans feet. As baray-e khuda (for Gods sake), she wailed. The man was her husband and a Taliban militant; he was shot the previous night by an aircraft. An Afghan officer claims that the man tried to fire a rocket-propelled grenade at Afghan and U.S. forces. While Razeq spoke with the distraught women, a group of Afghan soldiers emerged from the nearby thicket of buttonwood trees, as though springing a trap. Khan, a 53-year-old with an engineering degree, had relatives who were senior officers in the military during the pre-Taliban era. Judging from their camo-patterned fatigues, red berets and the U.S.-issue M-4 rifles they carried, he knew these were not ordinary army personnel. Khan had gone to Charkh district, a Taliban stronghold about 50 miles south of Kabul, three days before to celebrate the Islamic holiday Eid al-Fitr with Razeq, his wife and their seven sons. Charkh was poor and hardscrabble, its residents caught between a government they did not trust and Taliban insurgents who gave the locals no choice but to cooperate with them. Razeq eked out a living as a taxi driver with a car Khan bought him, shuttling people from villages tucked in the surrounding hills to Pul-e-Alam, the capital of Logar province. After days of feasting and a stop at the local mosque for morning prayers, Razeq was taking Khan home. They did not get far. The soldiers began to beat up Razeq with their rifle butts. When Khan ran over and begged them to stop, he received a blow to the back. The two brothers were bound at the wrists and blindfolded with a strip of shirt, then marched to the village of Dasht, several miles away. When Khans blindfold was removed, he was inside an earthen compound with 10-foot high walls that Afghan special forces commandeered from a local doctor to serve as a command post. He had lots of company: Groups of detainees were milling around the yard, and more kept arriving. His brother was taken to the courtyard on the other side of the wall, where Afghan commandos were stationed. Standing on the second-floor roof that overlooked both courtyards was a group of U.S. SEALs, a fact later confirmed by Afghan investigators and several eyewitnesses. Khan later learned that he and Razeq had been caught up in a U.S.-Afghan special forces operation to clear Taliban from Charkh district. The op ended in tragedy: Over the course of a single day, the United Nations and local residents reported, at least 15 civilians were killed. Four of the dead were children. While newsmaking incidents like the Oct. 3 U.S. bombing of a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz elicit international condemnation and multiple investigations, the deadly operation in Charkh has been forgotten by everyone, save its victims. More than a year after the fact, the Afghan government has prosecuted just one wrongful death case and defaulted on its promise to secure justice for other alleged victims. There has been no investigation into the role of U.S. Special Forces during the operation. The death of an 11-year-old In the predawn hours of Aug. 3, 2014, helicopters touched down near Dasht bearing a company of 78 Afghan commandos, some Afghan intelligence officers and a team of U.S. Navy SEALs, Afghan commanders say. Also under cover of darkness, a 59-strong company of Afghan commandos backed by a unit of U.S. Army Special Forces began to sweep the badlands around Pengram, a larger village less than 4 miles away. The objective of the joint mission was straightforward enough: to kill Taliban militants who had made Charkh district a no-go zone for the national police. Several hours into the operation and just over the ridge south of Dasht, Afghan commandos from Company 2 and U.S. Special Operations Forces were combing the craggy hillsides around the farming hamlet of Nawshahr for Taliban. In the middle of the night, some of the military forces swept into a private telecommunications tower that loomed above the village and locked a middle-aged security guard named Mohammad Ayub and a co-worker in the utility room. They remained there for the better part of the day. Nawroz and his son Zewarshah at their home in Charkh, Aghanistan, in 2015. Nawroz had sent his sons out to collect grain on the morning of Aug. 3 only to have Zewarshah witness the death of his younger brother, Ayman, whose nickname was Sufi. Jason Motlagh Coalition aircraft flew over the area during the night, scanning for Taliban fighters. Come sunup, Nawroz Khan, an aging farmer, thought it was safe enough to send his sons Yawar (rural Afghans often go by one name), Zewarshah and Ayman, nicknamed Sufi for his old-soul demeanor, outside to collect wheat. At roughly 7 a.m. they were shouldering their loads when a shot rang out from above. Zewarshah, 13, shouted, Get down, Sufi, and spun around to see Sufi, 11, sprawled on the ground, a chunk of his head sheared off. Fearing more shots, he dove into a furrow. Sufi is dead, he told Yawar, 15, who was hiding beneath some trees. Khan knew something was wrong when Yawar turned up pale-faced and panting. It was like experiencing the apocalypse, Khan says. He dashed out and called to see if his son was OK. Zewarshah was alive, too petrified to move; an aircraft was circling overhead. Each time Khan tried to retrieve his son, rounds punctured the ground: We were shouting, Hey, if youre a soldier or whoever you are, dont shoot, so I can pick up the boy. Nobody responded. He could see the tips of their guns poking out from the rocks above. When I called out to them, they opened fire. The shooting intensified as Taliban militants on the opposing slope fired in the direction of the antennas, says Ayub, the guard. U.S. forces intermittently ducked into the utility room for cover. Zewarshah swears that between the exchanges of gunfire, he heard the sound of a foreign language coming from the hill. He spent the next three hours clutching the grass in view of his younger brothers corpse, beyond the reach of his father. Farid Mohammed, who was killed in front of his mother on the morning of Aug. 3, 2015 in Charkh, Afghanistan. Courtesy of Farid Mohammed's family Confusion was brewing on several fronts. Less than 2 miles south of Nawshahr, Amana was on her way into Pengram where Afghan commandos and an ODA unit of Army Special Forces were deployed with her son and husband to visit her nephew for Eid al-Fitr when gunfire erupted. One bullet ripped away her right index finger; her back and abdomen had deep gashes. She looked up to see her son, Farid Mohammed, slumped dead over the steering wheel. She screamed his name and passed out. Amanas nephew, Fazel Rahman, 26, says he had slept fitfully the previous night. A lean engineering student with wire-rimmed glasses and a trim goatee, Rahman was expecting his aunt and her family to arrive that morning from Baraki Barak, the former provincial capital, where they lived. He was just finishing breakfast when a message arrived that his relatives were hit. According to Rahman, aircraft were streaking overhead to support the U.S. and Afghan ground forces when he set out. With gunfire raining down, it took him more than three hours to reach his aunt. She was lying on the ground and had lost a lot of blood. Her sons body was still in the car, and her husband had gone to seek help. We could see clearly that they were firing at my aunts husband, Rahman says. They were firing, and the bullets were hitting around him as he was walking on the side of the road. He was bleeding. Blood was streaming through his clothes. Few dared to move through the streets as the day wore on. Soldiers, visible from a ruined mud brick building higher up the mountain, were firing at anything that moved, says Rahman. Rumors of more killings spread through the village, but no one could yet say how many. "You are like animals'' In Dasht, Mohammad Khan and his fellow detainees were agitated. It had been a long day without food or water, and by late afternoon, several hundred men were packed into the yard. Every so often, he says, he heard groans from his brother on the other side of the wall. Mansoor, the son of the doctor who owned the house, witnessed the brutality that Khan could hear but not see. Throughout the day, he says, Afghan commandos flogged three detainees. They were beating him with a metal bar, with wood, with brick, with stone. Whatever they were able to find, they used it to beat him up. The black-bearded Mohammad Razeq was getting the worst of it because he was the oldest detainee. They told him that he is the leader of the Taliban, Mansoor says. Mohammad Razeq's body at his funeral in August 2014. Courtesy Mohammad Khan All the while, SEALs were positioned just a few yards away on the rooftops, in plain view of the abuse, according to Mansoor. The SEALs on the lower roof shouted for the Afghans to stop, he recalls, while the ones on the upper level were laughing, and they were saying, Good, good, and making thumbs-up gestures of approval, he says. Night had fallen when a voice called out, asking, Who is the brother of Razeq? Khan was stunned by what he saw: Razeqs face was smashed and swollen, one of his eyes gouged; his leg was bent askew, and he was wet and smeared with feces from having been dunked in a toilet. That evening, he was pronounced dead by the doctor who owned the compound. It later emerged in court that Razeq was tortured on and off for more than eight hours by at least seven Afghan commandos, then smashed over the head repeatedly with a flak vest. You are like animals. You must be executed, Khan cried after the Afghan and U.S. troops as they prepared to leave. Around 10 p.m., the helicopters finally took off, the thump of giant rotors fading in the distance. Charkh residents tended to their dead and wounded. An honest man The following day, Pajhwok Afghan News reported that the International Security Assistance Force, the NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan, issued a statement claiming that 16 armed Taliban insurgents were killed in an operation led and planned by Afghan special forces, with limited support from international personnel. The Charkh district chief says that nearly a dozen Taliban and one Afghan soldier died in the offensive and acknowledged that some civilians also died. District residents countered in the press that 16 civilians were killed, yet no other news organizations domestic or foreign looked into the story. In early August, Mohammad Khan pressed his case with Gov. Mohammad Niaz Amiri in Pul-e-Alam, the provincial capital. Soon after that, Afghan authorities held a gathering for aggrieved family members at the governors office. Those in attendance included Tahir Safi, a presidential adviser assigned to investigate the case; Col. Abdul Sattar Faizi, who oversaw the Aug. 3 operation from the base in Pul-e-Alam; several army and police commanders; and local and tribal elders. Safi read a letter of condolence from President Hamid Karzai and pledged that he would investigate this until you are satisfied with the answers. But victims family members told Al Jazeera that no government investigator contacted them about their loved ones deaths. Government officials met with family members of those who were killed on Aug. 3, 2014 in the provincial capital of Pul-e-Alam. A presidential representative promised to follow up, but the family members say they were never contacted. Zenat Radio When Khan followed up with the governor several days later, he saw his documents lying untouched on a table. Amiri said the case was above his authority and he could do no more, but Khan was no pushover. Armed with a relentless drive for justice and a stack of photographs and papers, he traveled to Kabul to press his case with the attorney general, independent rights groups and the army command. His efforts paid off when Wali Mohammad, the deputy commander of the intelligence office of the armys special operations division, was assigned to conduct a full investigation into Razeqs death. A veteran officer, Mohammad has led numerous inquiries into cases of wrongdoing by Afghan soldiers. After weeks of interviews, six commandos from Company 2 who were on the ground in Dasht were court-martialed. In court, the defendants lawyer argued that when they seized Razeq by the side of the road, he received a phone call from a Taliban commander denouncing him for not doing enough to help the fallen fighter. On arriving at the command post in Dasht, the soldiers said, they learned that an Afghan commando was killed in a Taliban ambush about a half hour before, which Ghulam Ali, the commander of Company 2, says provoked them to abuse Razeq. But Mohammad found no evidence that Razeq was Taliban. He was on no government blacklists and carried no weapons; neighbors roundly attested to his innocence. He was an honest man, says Mohammad. Of that I am sure. An April 2014 picture of a street in Charkh, taken from the dashboard of an Afghan National Army vehicle. Tyler Hicks / The New York Times / Redux Four of the six commandos were convicted for Razeqs murder, including Ali, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison; two received 15-year sentences. Its rare for justice to be meted out in such cases, and Mohammad attributes this outcome to Khans determination. Now serving time in the notorious Pul-e-Charkhi prison on the outskirts of Kabul, Ali says hes the fall guy for a systemic breakdown. He maintains that his men told him that Razeq was a Taliban fighter, on the basis of an incoming phone call. Ali says he was busy coordinating two teams in the field when Razeq was being beaten and tried to save him when he saw the detainees condition. (Mansoor counters that Ali threatened the few people who tried to intervene on Razeqs behalf, telling them to shut up or hed beat them too.) Ali remains adamant that members of the SEAL team stationed in the compound witnessed everything. By his account, Afghan officers with Company 3 in Pengram were the ones who lost control. When he returned to the base after the operation, Ali says, officers who were on the ground there told him that civilians were killed in Pengram after Afghan forces came under Taliban attack. In an attempt to get personnel out of the area, the commando forces or their [U.S.] advisers started shooting at those they could see out of panic, Ali says via phone from Pul-e-Charkhi. Faizi, the battalion commander who oversaw the Afghan forces during the operation, confirmed that a team of SEALs was on the ground in Dasht and an ODA unit of Army Special Forces was in Pengram. The commander of Company 3, Abdul Shafiq, says the Taliban initiated a gunbattle in the town after sunrise that roiled throughout the day and tied his men down. He says his men killed no civilians. When pressed about the meeting he attended with victims relatives in Pul-e-Alam, Faizi dismisses their testimonies as an attempt to get money from the government to pay for their Hajj. A testament to tenacity The shootings in Charkh and the murder of Mohammad Razeq coincided with a troubling trend: public announcements by top Afghan officers that sanctioned extrajudicial killings. In August 2014, the police chief of Kandahar province said he was extremely grateful to his men for killing all detainees after an operation in a hostile district, not giving a chance to the judges or prosecutors to take money from them and release [them]. That month, the security commander of northern Baghlan province issued a standing order to kill militants detained on the battlefield rather than transfer them to a corrupt justice system. He cited the case of a known militant released from prison a month before who went on to kidnap two government employees. According to Graeme Smith, a Kabul-based analyst formerly with the International Crisis Group, these statements underscore a climate of growing impunity by Afghan security forces since President Ashraf Ghani took over in late 2014. In particular, supervision of Afghan and U.S. special operations forces fighting to defend the state has become much more hands off, which raises real concerns about visibility, he says. If something goes bang, do we hear about it, especially if its something screwed up? A recent International Crisis Group report cites a case in Kandahar in which local officials said the bodies of 51 Taliban allegedly killed by Afghan forces in a gunbattle bore signs of being killed outside combat. According to an Afghan military investigator, that four Afghan commandos were convicted for the death of Mohammad Razeq was due to the determination of his brother, Mohammad Khan, pictured here in 2015. Jason Motlagh In February the United Nations annual report on civilians in armed conflict reported that 15 civilians were killed and 13 wounded in the Aug. 3 joint operation in Charkh with ground and air assets. (It further noted an additional 10 civilians, including a 9-month-old baby, were killed a week later on Aug. 9 in a U.S.-Afghan operation in neighboring Baraki Barak district.) Highlighting that insurgents were responsible for the majority of civilian casualties in what was the deadliest year on record since the war began, the U.N. expressed concern over the denial of responsibility for all civilian casualties by Afghan and U.S. forces. Overall, casualties attributable to pro-government forces increased by 141 percent in 2014 from the year before, with 336 deaths and 585 people injured. (There was a 9 percent spike in casualties in Afghan-international joint operations.) The U.S. Department of Defense and the Special Operations Joint Task Force in Afghanistan referred inquiries about the incident to Resolute Support, NATOs mission in Afghanistan. Col. Brian Tribus, the spokesman for Resolute Support, says it has not received any formal allegations of wrongdoing from the Afghan government regarding the Aug. 3 clearing operation in Charkh. He recommended contacting the Afghan presidents office, which refers all civilian casualty claims to U.S. forces. Safi, the presidential advisor tasked with investigating the Charkh allegations, refused multiple requests for an interview. Faizi gave Al Jazeera the name of the commander of the U.S. Special Forces unit that accompanied Afghan troops in Pengram; he did not respond to requests for comment. Wali Mohammad, the military investigator, believes that the U.S. operatives who witnessed Razeqs murder should be held accountable for their failure to act. However, the U.S. signed a security pact with the Afghan government in September 2014 that protects American troops from prosecution in Afghanistan. And because U.S. forces do not officially exert operational control over Afghan forces, they are not legally responsible for their actions under the prevailing norms of international humanitarian law, says Chris Jenks, an expert on the law of armed conflict at Southern Methodist University. Moral responsibility, he adds, is a different question. Although a Defense Department directive requires U.S. forces to report credible allegations of humanitarian violations committed by Afghans against Afghans, when no Americans are physically involved, an investigation may be ordered only by the head of Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and the Middle East. This is highly unlikely without serious pressure from Afghan officials, more so given that the U.S. personnel in question were from special operations, elite high-risk units whose activities are kept secret. Its a counterintuitive area, says Jenks. We think and want there to be a requirement for intervention, until we flip it around on how it would apply to us. Mohammad confirmed that no further inquiries have been made by Afghan or U.S. officials as to whether American troops or aircraft shot and killed Afghan civilians in Charkh, as residents claim. The successful convictions of the four Afghan commandos, he stresses, were, more than anything, a testament to the stubbornness of Mohammad Khan. A combustible future The Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday declared a security deal with the United States constitutional, as anti-American protesters rallied outside, allowing an increased U.S. military presence in the former U.S. colony as tension rises in the South China Sea. Manila has long been a staunch U.S. ally and the pact is widely seen as important for both sides as the Philippines confronts an assertive China in the disputed Spratly archipelago and Washington launches a "pivot" back to Asia. But critics protesting the decision worried the move may provoke China, and that the brunt of any conflict would be felt in the Philippines. Dozens of anti-U.S. activists in Manila argued the agreement was a de facto basing agreement and will make the country "a launching pad for military intervention in the region." The court voted 10-4 to deny the petition of some lawmakers and activists to declare the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) unconstitutional because it surrendered Philippine sovereignty to a foreign power. "EDCA is not constitutionally infirm," said Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te. "As an executive agreement, it remains consistent with existing laws and treaties that it purports to implement." In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called it a "very important decision" as he and U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter began talks with their Philippine counterparts on security and economic issues, including tensions in the South China Sea and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. "The United States has an iron-clad commitment to the security of the Philippines," Kerry said in opening remarks. "To that end we welcome the Philippines Supreme Court's decision ... (and) look forward to implementing this accord," he added. The pact was signed days before U.S. President Barack Obama visited the Philippines in 2014. It will allow U.S. troops to build facilities to store equipment for maritime security and humanitarian and disaster response operations, in addition to broad access to Philippine military bases. Security expert Rommel Banlaoi said the security deal will strengthen the alliance between Manila and Washington beyond the administration of President Benigno Aquino, who steps down at the end of June. "EDCA will be Aquino's legacy for the next administration that is bound to implement it," Banlaoi told Reuters. "It can boost U.S. leverage in balancing China, particularly in the context of the growing U.S.-China power struggle in the South China Sea." Philippine military officials say there has been an increase in U.S. exercises, training and ship and aircraft visits in the past year under Obama's rebalance to Asia but the pact would take the relationship a step further. China claims almost all the South China Sea, which is believed to have huge deposits of oil and gas, and has been building up facilities on islands it controls. Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines also have claims. Tension rose this month when China began test flights on Fiery Cross Reef, one of three artificial islands where Beijing has constructed airfields. Al Jazeera and Reuters More than half the children in South Sudan are not in school the highest proportion in the world, UNICEF, the U.N. children's agency, said Tuesday. Of the country's children 6 to 15 years old, 51 percent of them, or 1.8 million, are not in school, the agency said. South Sudan has seen ongoing violence for two years as government forces battle rebels. Even before the conflict began, 1.4 million children were missing class. But since the war broke out, more than 800 schools have been demolished, and more than 400,000 children have had to abandon their classrooms, according to UNICEF. South Sudan's government and the rebels signed a peace agreement in August, but violence persists in some areas. South Sudan is followed by Niger, where 47 percent of school-age children are not in school, according to UNICEF. Only 1 in 10 South Sudanese students who enter school finish primary education, amid a shortage of facilities and trained teachers, said Phuong T. Nguyen, UNICEF's chief of education for South Sudan. "There is a very, very low budget from the government to the education sector," she said. "It is not holding steady, and we see a decline." A South Sudanese official said that enrollment went up from less than 30 percent before South Sudan became independent in 2011 but that the war and a lack of school buildings and qualified teachers have slowed progress. Defense spending takes a large percentage of the national budget, with only 4 percent going to education, said Avelino Adrongo Said, the director-general of planning and budget in the Ministry of Education. Worldwide, almost one-fourth of children in conflict zones are missing out on their education nearly 24 million children out of more than 109 million living in countries at war, UNICEF said. Wire services When the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association (CTA) on Monday, two distinct groups formed outside the courthouse. The pro-union crowd was large and multiracial and held up bright handmade signs; there were many black people, Latinos and older folks with canes, all of whom stated that allowing public sector unions to opt out of union dues payments constituted an attack on unions in general. The rally for Rebecca Friedrichs and her supporters was much smaller, whiter and more polished and featured one of the rights heaviest hitters, anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist. His presence wasnt exactly a surprise: Their side was gunning for the court to rule that public sector workers should be able to opt out of paying fair-share dues to the unions representing them. Friedrichs and her crew believe that requiring employees to pay these fees is a violation of their free speech. If the plaintiffs have their way which is very likely, given the five-to-four conservative tilt of the court the court could impose a right-to-work regime on all public sector unions. That means that workers could opt out and not have to pay agency shop fees to a union that would nonetheless continue to represent them. Trade unionists understandably see this as a freeloader problem and predict a big financial hit that would make it harder for unions to fight government employers during contract negotiations and defend members during disciplinary actions. Such a ruling would embolden government officials to lower wages, reduce benefits and privatize services. (Unions are currently the largest organized force combating that trend.) In addition to hurting a key ally of the Democratic Party, it would muffle some of the strongest voices advocating for smaller class sizes in public schools and for more emergency response services for all Americans, because organized labor would be much busier organizing workers to become members and pay dues. There are a few reasons for unionists to cross their fingers and look to glimmers of hope. Sophia Lee, a legal historian at the University of Pennsylvania, said that in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, the precedent-setting case in 1977 that mandated agency-shop fees, Richard Nixon appointee Justice William Rehnquist sided with the majority because the proper conservative judicial position was for the court to restrain from governing affairs of employers and employees. Justice Antonin Scalia, Lee contends, is more in line with that doctrine than his right-wing bench-fellows. She also says the right has so far failed to bring fresh arguments to the debate. I found them shockingly uncreative, she remarked on the briefs filed on the plaintiffs behalf, noting that the onus is on the plaintiff to bring new information to light. On Jan. 8, the drug kingpin Joaquin Guzman Loera, better known as El Chapo, was captured by Mexican marines in the northern state of Sinaloa. He escaped from prison six months before, dealing a big blow to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. After the escape, the presidents popularity took a huge hit at home, and other countries started questioning the capacity of Mexican institutions to enforce the rule of law. Pena Nieto triumphantly celebrated El Chapos recapture on Twitter. However, it is far from clear that Guzmans capture will have a significant positive effect on the severely battered president. El Chapo had been an elusive figure for the Mexican authorities. He first escaped from prison in 2001, concealed in a laundry cart. He then remained a fugitive for 13 years. In the meantime, he consolidated his drug empire, the Sinaloa cartel in western Mexico. He has always drawn the fascination of Mexicans, many of whom see him as a Robin Hoodlike figure. In Sinaloa, he was known for his largesse toward the local population. Conservative Presidents Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderon of the National Action Party, who ran the country from 2000 to 2012, reportedly hunted Guzman. However, neither one was able to capture him. Conspiracy theories emerged pointing to a possible underground arrangement between the right-wing governments and El Chapo. In 2012, Pena Nieto took office, restoring to power the left-leaning Institutional Revolutionary Party, which had run Mexico for nearly a century. In 2014, less than a year and a half into his presidency, he captured Guzman. At the time, the government was enjoying a bonanza of international praise for its bold reform agenda, including an overhaul of the telecommunications sector and a major blow to the countrys most powerful union. Time magazine even ran a cover with a heroically framed Pena Nieto, reading Saving Mexico. But the honeymoon didnt last long. Later that year, 43 students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers College went missing in southern Mexico. A few months later, a group of journalists uncovered a conflict-of-interest scandal involving the presidents wife, after which they lost their jobs. Then the oil-dependent economy started to suffer from lower energy prices. Finally, in July, El Chapo made the news again: He escaped from prison through an ingenious system of tunnels, like something out of Hollywood. After the escape, international media started looking more critically at Pena Nieto, wondering how things had gone so wrong so fast. The consensus has been that Mexicos core weakness lies in its institutions and its feeble rule of law. Government officials have used Guzmans recapture to argue that the countrys institutions are strong and working. Mexicos economy minister recently declared, The capture of El Chapo generates optimism in the world toward Mexico, and this encourages foreign investment by signaling that in the country, the rule of law prevails. You take the victories where you can, President Barack Obama told the website Vox at the outset of last year, discussing his foreign policy. You make things a little bit better rather than a little bit worse. In 2015, the president finally saw some victories. The new era of American diplomacy he promised during his first run for the White House finally bore fruit; his diplomatic efforts are making foreign relations a little bit better. But in other ways, circumstances also got a lot worse in 2015 not necessarily because of things Obama did, but sometimes because of things he didnt do, namely large-scale military interventions. 2015s heady mixture of success and failure make it the banner year to assess Obamas two-pronged foreign policy doctrine that has dominated his two terms in office: a reluctance to become entrenched in new wars except for limited interventions (usually airstrikes) and the dogged pursuit of diplomacy. But which unwillingness to fully engage military or the readiness to pursue diplomacy will win out when it comes to Obamas foreign policy legacy? First, the diplomacy: Just before ringing last year in, Obama announced a dramatic shift in Americas Cuba policy, ending decades of broken relations with the Communist dictatorship and promising further openings to come between the U.S. and the island nation. It would prove to be a harbinger for the year. Midway through 2015, the Obama administration, along with the other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany, inked a nuclear agreement with Iran, addressing what he and his implacable critics had both said was one of the greatest threats to the world, the potential for Iran to acquire the bomb. Then, to round out the year in December, the White House joined other world governments and signed a landmark climate change agreement at a United Nations conference in Paris. All three are remarkable achievements, requiring staunch focus in the face of opposition from powerful special interests and lobby groups. And yet Obamas foreign policy accomplishments during his penultimate year in office are likely to be overshadowed not necessarily in importance, but in public perception as the year that the Syrian civil war finally caught up to the rest of the world, including the U.S. Refugees flooding Europe from the Middle East reached a breaking point and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) continued running amok, both in Syria and Iraq and, importantly, in the West. Obamas approach to the Syria crisis has followed another of his pre-Oval Office stances: I'm opposed to dumb wars, he said in 2002. Though calling for regime change in Syria, Obama took small steps such as arming some small revolutionary factions, but never threw the full strength of the U.S. military behind the effort. Now, his diplomatic inclinations to end the war will, despite continuing proclamations that Bashar al-Assad must go, will likely mean the pursuit of a deal to end the war that might leaves Assad in power. Though ISILs rampaging through 2015, with Obamas underwhelming response, is likely to dominate the news, the real story of the year is the successes of diplomacy. A group blog to promote discussion, debate and insight into the history, particularly religious, of America's founding. Any observations, questions, or comments relating to the blog's theme are welcomed. The prophecy is more than seeing into the future. For the prophecy sees without the element of time. For the prophecy sees things as they were, as they are, and as they always shall be. While the news of David Bowie's passing broke Sunday night, I couldn't help but be amazed at how many friends, colleagues and members of the media all had a story. Bowie was an amazing talent, and one who over his 25 albums and his many live performances he defined every style of music he made, played or started. RIP. Now, onto the news Have a view on the news today? Please let me know what you think....Andy Abramson This page has found a new home We exist to provide knowledge and points of view not represented elsewhere. Here we'll discuss and analyze politics, social issues and finance... We cut through PC & SP corporate media BS to provide Truth about the Nation, the World and where its headed... Keyword below to browse 2700+ postings as of mid Jan 2022.. Founded Sept. 6, 2010.. ** We're 100% Ad free-- We sell Nothing.. We seek no $$.. Agenda: Educate and Inform. Assessing nature's carbon sinks Manu National Park, a large (15,328-square-kilometer) protected area in southeastern Peru, includes several ecological zones and spans an elevation range of 150-4,200 meters above sea level. Manus vast tracks of Amazonian rainforest are part of the global tropical forest carbon sink that is slowing the rate of increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, a primary driver of climate change [Credit: Greg Asner/Carnegie Institution for Science] TANN you might also like Protected areas such as rainforests occupy more than one-tenth of the Earth's landscape, and provide invaluable ecosystem services, from erosion control to pollination to biodiversity preservation. They also draw heat-trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and store it in plants and soil through photosynthesis, yielding a net cooling effect on the planet.Determining the role protected areas play as carbon sinksnow and in decades to comeis a topic of intense interest to the climate-policy community as it seeks science-based strategies to mitigate climate change. Toward that end, aestimates for the first time the amount of CO2 sequestered by protected areas, both at present and throughout the 21st century as projected under various climate and land-use scenarios.Based on their models and assuming a business-as-usual climate scenario, the researchers projected that the annual carbon sequestration rate in protected areas will decline by about 40 percent between now and 2100. Moreover, if about one-third of protected land is converted to other uses by that time, due to population and economic pressures, carbon sequestration in the remaining protected areas will become negligible."Our study highlights the importance of protected areas in slowing the rate of climate change by pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and sequestering it in plants and soils, especially in forested areas," said Jerry Melillo, the study's lead author. Melillo is a distinguished scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and former director of the MBL's Ecosystems Center. "Maintaining existing protected areas, enlarging them and adding new ones over this century are important ways we can manage the global landscape to help mitigate climate change."Based on a global database of protected areas, a reconstruction of global land-use history, and a global biogeochemistry model, the researchers estimated that protected areas currently sequester 0.5 petagrams (500 billion kilograms) of carbon each year, or about 20 percent of the carbon sequestered by all land ecosystems annually. Using an integrated modeling framework developed by the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, they projected that under a rapid climate-change scenario that extends existing climate policies; keeps protected areas off-limits to development; and assumes continued economic growth and a 1 percent annual increase in agricultural productivity, the annual carbon sequestration rate in protected areas would fall to about 0.3 petagrams of carbon by 2100.When they ran the same scenario but allowed for possible development of protected areas, they projected that more than one-third of today's protected areas would be converted to other uses. This would reduce carbon sequestration in the remaining protected areas to near zero by the end of the century. (The protected areas that are not converted would be the more marginal systems that have low productivity, and thus low capacity to sequester carbon.)Based on this analysis, the researchers concluded that unless current protected areas are preserved and expanded, their capacity to sequester carbon will decline. The need for expansion is driven by climate change: As the average global temperature rises, so, too, will plant and soil respiration in protected and unprotected areas alike, thereby reducing their ability to store carbon and cool the planet."This work shows the need for sufficient resources dedicated to actually prevent encroachment of human activity into protected areas," said John Reilly, one of the study's coauthors and the co-director of the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change. YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Iran-Saudi Arabia confrontation is unlikely, but military operations in the territory of other countries are possible. The forces of Iran and Saudi Arabia can confront particularly in Syria attempting to clarify their areas of influence. Expert in Iranian studies Gohar Iskandaryan said the aforementioned to Armenpress, when talking about Iran-Saudi Arabia tension. Saudi Arabia sentenced 47 people to death, including Shia Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. What problem does Saudi Arabia solve by this? There are public and political figures that have been in prison for years. Why did Saudi Arabia choose execution at this stage? I would not lay emphasis on Shia-Sunni issues, as I do not see any religious factor in this process. Both the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia try to solve geopolitical issues here. They try to clarify their areas of influence. They have had this problem since 70s and have been struggling constantly. So I am inclined to think that this is more an issue of dividing areas of influence, simply religion in the framework of political Islam is being used here, that is to say the problem is flavored with religion by increasing the army of their followers, both Sunnis and Shia in their turn. In the context of these developments, Saudi Arabia tries to gather around itself friendly, ally countries. Does Saudi Arabia manage it and what impact will it have on Iran? First of all, Id like to note that Saudi Arabias number one ally the USA strictly condemned this action. The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also strictly condemned the execution of 47 people. It is not like Saudi Arabias allies supported its actions. Certainly there were countries that came together around Saudi Arabia but I also see a clash of interests here. Bahrain is afraid of the actions of the Islamic Republic of Iran. We know that Iran has tried to spread its ideas in the region since 80s, using the activity of Shia. So the existing fear served as a basis for the union of some Arab countries around Saudi Arabia against Iran. The expert also added that the increasing role of Iran in the region worried Saudi Arabia and its allies. The West noted that a number of problems including those in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan are impossible to solve without Iran. So Iran became one of the most important players in the region and the idea disturbed both Saudi Arabia, Turkey, a number of Arab countries and so they try to create a coalition against Iran. Gohar Iskandaryan added that the tension will undoubtedly influence the entire region. Armenia does not feel any impact at this moment. The only problem is that the coalition against Iran will directly or indirectly involve Azerbaijan and that tension will be felt in the Caucasus too. The expert emphasized that Turkey and Azerbaijan obviously try to merge against Iran, adding that Russia and Armenia will try to relieve the situation in the Caucasus. Regarding the economic projects, Iskandaryan expressed an opinion that no problem is expected there and that the projects to be implemented in the framework of Iran-Armenia cooperation do not require great financial resources. So Iran probably will realize them. YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has a specific strategy and is ready to rebuff the anti-Armenian reports included in the agenda of the coming winter session. Member of the Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), National Assembly Republican faction MP Naira Karapetyan told Armenpress. We have developed and we have a definite strategy but I cannot announce our steps at this moment. It will be wrong to do that. I am hopeful that we will be able to achieve positive results, the MP said. Regarding the EAFJD (European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy) - initiated online petition against the two anti-Armenian reports of PACE winter session agenda, Karapetyan noted that the members of the Armenian delegation will voice the results of the petition during the session. She also expressed confidence that many people will have signed the petition till January 25 when winter session begins. PACE winter session will start on January 25. Two anti-Armenian reports are included in the session agenda. One of the draft resolutions is authored by British MP Robert Walter on Escalation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and the other occupied territories of Azerbaijan. The second draft resolution is titled Inhabitants of frontier regions of Azerbaijan are deliberately deprived of water by MP Milica Markovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina). 1012 have already signed EAFJD-initiated petition. YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Armenias Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Zohrab Mnatsakanyan was elected on January 11 President of the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP), UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the Organizations governing body, for a one-year term. Armenpress was informed about it by the Department of Press, Information and Public Relations of Armenia Foreign Ministry. The Executive Board is made up of representatives of Member States and is mandated by the UN General Assembly to provide inter-governmental support to and overall supervision of the activities of UNDP, UNFPA and UNOPS. The Board meets three times a year ensuring that the three Agencies remain responsive to the evolving needs of programme countries. 2016 will be a pivotal time for our Board and sister-agencies in light of the recent adoption of the new set of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The year will also be critical in view of the mid-term review of the strategic plans for 2014-2017, as well as the upcoming discussions of the new cycle of Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review, which remains the main political mechanism for member states to assess the effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and impact of the UN development systems support to national development efforts, - stated Ambassador Mnatsakanyan in his acceptance remarks. Armenia is a member of the Executive Board of the UNDP, UNFPA and UNOPS since 2014. In June 2015, the Board approved the UNDPs and UNFPAs country programme documents for Armenia for the period of 2016-2020. YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Vice President of Armenia National Assembly, Head of Armenia- Estonia Parliamentary Friendship Group Eduard Sharmazanov met on January 11 with the First Vice-President of Estonias Riigikogu Helir-Valdor Seeder. As Armenpress was informed by the Staff of the Vice President of the National Assembly Eduard Sharmazanov, the parties bilaterally emphasized the development of cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries. Eduard Sharmazanov thanked the Estonian party for the assistance in the realization of the exhibition, dedicated to the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, held in Tallinn. Vice President of Armenia National Assembly noted that former Vice President of Parliament of Estonia and former Minister of Environment of Estonia attended the concert dedicated to the centennial of the Armenian Genocide With you, Armenia held in St. John's Church, Talinn. Regarding Armenia-EU cooperation, Eduard Sharmazanov noted that Armenia attaches importance to the continuity of political dialogue with the EU. The parties also touched upon the geopolitical situation in the Southern Caucasus. Vice President of Armenia National Assembly Eduard Sharmazanov, speaking about the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, stressed that the Republic of Armenia and the Nagorno Karabakh Republic are committed to the peaceful regulation of the conflict based on the three known principles. He also added that any attempt of a military solution of the conflict is unacceptable and reprehensible. After the "too big to jail" debate took off in 2013, the Chicken Little moment defenders of big banks dreaded came in May of last year. Five institutions Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and UBS actually copped pleas to having conspired to commit felonies related to foreign exchange trading. With a little help from their regulators, the sky did not fall. These convictions followed previous guilty pleas for crimes limited just to foreign banks. In 2014, Credit Suisse pleaded guilty to a U.S. charge dealing with tax fraud, and BNP Paribas entered a guilty plea for allowing transactions with countries under U.S. sanctions. But if the Department of Justice is going to make any headway in 2016 in convincing critics that it is serious about prosecuting systemically important banks, these guilty pleas just aren't enough. Indeed, the recent pleas, including those over the forex scandal, were defined by a bunch of curious things that didn't happen. No licenses were yanked. No charters were revoked. No one went to jail. No pension funds switched banks. Share prices did not plummet. The Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulators signaled that, despite being felons, these big institutions were not such bad actors after all. In short, life went on pretty much as it always had. Nothing to see here, folks, move along. Let's review how the "too big to jail" issue first picked up steam. In 2013, then Attorney General Eric Holder gave the "too big to fail" institutions a hall pass on obeying criminal laws when he testified before a congressional panel that some banks were just too scary to prosecute because of the ripple effects of doing so. This prompted an immediate outcry from critics claiming it showed banks being "above the law." Wasn't their taxpayer bailout offensive enough? After weeks of temporizing, Holder finally admitted that, yes, TBTF banks were subject to our country's criminal statutes. But DOJ observers' response: "Show me." The recent pleas still haven't convinced anyone. In truth, some argue that recent convictions have made the situation worse by trivializing felony charges for the big banks but not for everyone else. That said, the story isn't over, both in terms of the government's prosecution of financial institutions and executives. After the appointment of current Attorney General Loretta Lynch last year, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates gave a widely publicized speech in which she argued that the department was committed to prosecuting individuals for white-collar crimes. So far our elite financial institutions have benefited from not one but two forms of bailout. In addition to the unprecedented backing for their unsecured creditors in the 2008-9 financial crisis, there is the rescue of more recent vintage in which these same institutions are bailed out from the collateral consequences of their admitting to having engaged in criminal activities. We ought to be paying more attention to the bailouts of the second variety. But big-bank advocates won't readily acknowledge the sweetheart deals these banks have received in return for guilty pleas. Recently, I had a chance to attend the annual conference in New York sponsored by The Clearing House, the lobbyist for the big banks. During one of the panels, in which the moderator discussed the benefits of the limited collateral damage from recent guilty pleas, I attempted to question the participants during the Q&A session about whether that was in fact good public policy. But I never got an answer as my question was ruled out of order by the moderator. No reasonable person that I know of is arguing that a criminal conviction should automatically carry with it nuclear consequences for a TBTF bank. It would, of course, for a community bank. Most would argue, however, that there should be some proportionality between the offense and the punishment. As it stands now, there is no proportionality, just a "Get out of Jail Free" card for the big-bank perpetrator. Cornelius Hurley is director of the Boston University Center for Finance, Law & Policy, and a former assistant general counsel for the Federal Reserve Board. Some of the most successful fintech-startup disruptors have been the so-called robo-advisers: providers of apps that give consumers automated investment help. The leaders in this market, including Wealthfront, Betterment and FutureAdvisor, have attracted large amounts of venture capital and a great deal of media buzz, and they are on a path to capturing sizable market share (more on that later). So it made perfect sense when BBVA Compass Bancshares in Houston announced a partnership with FutureAdvisor on Tuesday. As banks seek to compete with and borrow some of the best ideas of fintech startups, more are bound to partner with robo firms or create their own automated investment-advice software. The $89 billion-asset BBVA Compass has been buying fintech startups such as the digital bank Simple and the digital design firm Spring Studio in its effort to become a leading technology innovator. In April it also became the first U.S. regional bank to partner with Dwolla and offer real-time payments. "Technology is changing the way people invest, say for retirement we see it from highly engaged, self-directed investors, all the way to passive investors with limited investment acumen," said Jorge Moller, director of the retail digital segment at BBVA Compass. BBVA Compass wanted to offer an app that would provide quick access to investment-account information to help customers make better decisions, let them easily manage their accounts such as old, abandoned 401(k)s and save time and effort for the customers and the bank. It was aiming mainly for a specific set of customers: tech-savvy, passive investors. "Passive investors often have what I call 'orphaned' retirement accounts they worked at a company and then they left that company, their 401(k) just stays there, [and] then they start another one," Moller said. "And they don't touch it." Why did BBVA Compass choose FutureAdvisor rather than, say, Betterment, Wealthfront or one of the many other robo-advisers? "One key piece is we thought they were doing a good job at communicating with customers," Moller said. The app sends text or email notifications, for instance, every time there's a change on an account. "The individual emails and mobile push notifications the clients get are all personalized by the algorithms and applied to particular situations," said Bo Lu, FutureAdvisor's chief executive. Lu's company, which was acquired by the asset management firm BlackRock in September and manages $700 million in client assets, has built about 80% of what a good financial adviser will tell his clients over the course of a year into its software, he said. For instance, the software has a general framework for communicating about orphaned 401(k)s, yet the algorithm provides a different, detailed set of recommended steps for each client. FutureAdvisor's algorithms apply modern portfolio theory to customers' account data. Account aggregation is handled through Yodlee (which is now owned by Envestnet). Lu said the company does no screen scraping, a type of account aggregation that has been under attack recently. BBVA Compass plans to build the FutureAdvisor software into all its digital channels and to begin rolling it out sometime this year. For customers who want more advice, a premium version of FutureAdvisor that comes with human investment guidance will be offered for 50 basis points. Test Drive I downloaded the FutureAdvisor app on Monday to try it. Account setup was quick, and I was able to link one of my investment accounts , an orphaned 401(k), within about five minutes. The app also asked me a few basic questions: my age (rapidly advancing), my intended retirement age (the 12th of never? sometime before death?), my investment style (low risk/conservative). The app immediately generated a report card of sorts. It told me I was following six out of nine best practices. This made me feel good, because I haven't touched this account in a long time and never put any real thought into it. My investing errors, identified by the app with X's in red circles: my portfolio is not well diversified (no surprise there), I have idle cash that should be invested, and I should be saving on taxes by using an employer-sponsored plan (this one isn't true, I do use my employer's plan, but I haven't told FutureAdvisor that yet). The app generated a specific list of recommended trades. Most of these involve selling stocks and buying exchange-traded funds. A line at the bottom of each page says, "Let us do the work to help get you to your best path." This links to FutureAdvisor Premium, the human-assisted advisory service. Am I going to drop everything and follow FutureAdvisor's recommendations? Probably not. I think ETFs are generally a good idea, but I would want to research these specific funds before putting so much money into them. And due to sheer laziness and lack of time, I may not get around to that for a while. Maybe I'm even more passive than the demographic BBVA Compass is trying to reach. One App Store reviewer of the FutureAdvisor app said, "This app is a sales tool that attempts to make the end-user uneasy so that they will upgrade to the 'premium' service. Premium service fees are high." Lu responds that the company provides all its investment advice right in the app, and customers can conduct all the transactions themselves and some do. However, he said, "it turns out [other] people don't really like maintaining portfolios. Especially our tech-savvy passive investors don't wake up thinking, ooh, I'm excited, I might do a rebalance today." In vetting FutureAdvisor, BBVA Compass went through all its normal compliance and legal reviews, Moller said. One factor that gave the bank confidence was FutureAdvisor's ownership by BlackRock. "They're not going to go away," Moller noted. "That's a concern with new startups, they could go away at any time, but now they are part of BlackRock that concern goes away." Rise of the Robos In the bigger picture, robo-advisers so far aren't taking too much business away from traditional investment firms. At the end of the second quarter of 2015, the research firm Cerulli Associates found that consumers had invested $18.6 billion in digital advisers, while total U.S. retirement assets were $24 trillion. Still, $18.6 billion is nothing to sneeze at. Research suggests this share will grow. According to the firm Corporate Insight, managed account assets among 11 leading digital advice providers (aka robo advisers) grew from $2.6 billion to $8 billion, an increase of 208%, in 15 months. "Even more telling, these firms achieved their highest six-month growth rate in the most recent period measured increasing assets by 57% from December 2014 to July 2015 despite the fact that the first half of 2015 was largely flat for most major domestic indices," spokesperson Joshua Grandy said. "This suggests that most of the growth has been driven by new client assets, rather than market performance." Cerulli Associates projects that by 2020, $489 billion in assets will be "digitally advised" in this country. This includes mutual fund advisory programs, exchange-traded funds, and unified managed accounts. Some of these apps will have some degree of human advice layered in, according to Tom O'Shea, associate director at Cerulli Associates. "The word 'robo advice' is not helpful, because it suggests you're not going to interact with a human being at all," he said. "The truth is, nearly all of these robo advisers have phone numbers you can call, chat available online, and in one case you're required to call a human being before you invest through the app. If you invest in Vanguard, Charles Schwab or Tradeking's products you can always call their 800 number." He calls this "the myth of robo-advice." That said, there's a large, underserved market of consumers who today do not receive investment advice, O'Shea noted. "Most human advisers won't talk to a client unless they have $100,000 or more to invest," O'Shea said. "Wirehouse broker/dealers have set that number at $250,000 or more." Yet there are 76 million consumer households in this country with less than $50,000 in investable assets; that is out of 122 million households in total. "Most people in the U.S. live in a financial world where an adviser doesn't want to deal with them," he said. "So the ability to get a scalable solution from a firm to address the needs of this huge slice of the American financial landscape is a huge opportunity." The first wave of robo-advisers (Betterment, Wealthfront, et al.) were fintech startups pure-play venture-capital-backed firms. More established, direct-to-consumer firms like Vanguard and Schwab have made up the next wave of entrants to the market. Their portfolios are rebalanced centrally, according to some algorithmic strategy. These larger companies have already eclipsed the startups in terms of funds invested robo-style. "They have huge pools of clients in that under-$50,000 universe," O'Shea pointed out. "That can easily be addressed in a scalable way by creating a digitally advised product." He says he also believes there's a coming convergence between these digital advisers and traditional advisers. "We're already seeing it now," he said. "Some of the original robo-advisers have repositioned and retooled their companies to be technology providers for human advisers. So they're not selling their product directly to consumers any more. They're supporting financial advisers that want to have a digital offering." In some cases, the software will alert the adviser when clients' assets reach certain thresholds or when clients are clicking on certain Web pages often. For their part, financial advisers are segmenting their practices into digitally oriented and services-oriented arms. As customers' financial lives get more complicated, they will take on more advice from humans. So the robo-adviser tools are almost like training wheels for customers. Banks could create robo-adviser tools on their own if they want, O'Shea said. "Schwab created their product in six months," he said. "One of the direct-to-consumer firms we spoke to said their developers were sitting around in between projects and they created the robo." Where the robo-advisers still have an edge, however, is automated client-relationship management how to address clients when the market is volatile, being able to predict what a particular client's concerns might be, and proactively reaching out through email and blog posts. So a partnership like BBVA Compass' may be the quickest and most sensible approach. Editor at Large Penny Crosman welcomes feedback at penny.crosman@sourcemedia.com. YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Exporting Irans gas to Georgia through Armenia is important both in political and economic terms. The President of the Union of Employers of Armenia Gagik Makaryan expressed such an opinion. He told Armenpress that Armenia, as a transit country, through the territory of which other countrys product is transported, acquires an important role. Armenias role in political and economic regard increases both for Iran and Georgia. Apparently some dependence on Armenia is created. It seems that Iran simply sells gas to Georgia, but as gas is to be transported through the territory of Armenia that circumstance will be taken into account in the relations with our country. Apart from that, Armenia will receive payment for the service. There are many countries that raise money by providing such transit services, Gagik Makaryan said. According to him, the implementation of the project is very significant for Armenia from the geopolitical point of view. Armenia has always been left out of the processes connected with the setting out of various gird lines. According to Makaryan, the aforementioned will be an important step as Armenia will become visible in such projects, and its role will be taken into account in future regional developments. As to the economic expectations connected with Iran, Gagik Makaryan emphasized that Iran is among the first five partner countries of Armenia in the sector of foreign trade. Moreover, Irans geopolitical role will increase as sanctions against Iran are expected to be relieved. Makaryan also noted that serious political and economic developments may occur in the framework of free economic zone with Iran and the EAEU, adding that in his opinion Iran will have a serious role also for Armenia in the region in 2016. Makaryan also noted that Armenia-Iran duet may work better beginning from this year. WASHINGTON The insurance giant MetLife dropped a bombshell on Tuesday, saying it would separate a "substantial portion" of its U.S. retail segment, in part because of the current "regulatory environment." The company made the announcement in a three-page statement emailed to reporters, in which it said it would create a new company worth roughly $240 billion in total assets. "MetLife has been evaluating opportunities to increase sustainable cash generation and is directing capital to businesses where we can achieve a clear competitive advantage and deliver a differentiated value proposition for customers," Steven Kandarian, MetLife's chairman, president and chief executive, said in the statement. "This analysis considers the regulatory and economic environment in each market where we do business." It said it had not yet determined how the separation would take place either through the establishment of a new publicly traded company, spinoff or sale. But the firm said that it is preparing the necessary paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission to pursue either an initial public offering or a sale. MetLife declined to elaborate beyond the details provided in the release, but said that the decision has no bearing on its pending lawsuit against the Financial Stability Oversight Council. The company sued the FSOC last year after MetLife was designated as a systemically important financial institution by the interagency council. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, nonbanks that are designated as SIFIs must face capital and liquidity requirements and be subject to supervision by the Federal Reserve Board. MetLife said Tuesday that it has not yet determined whether it will seek to have the FSOC de-designate it as a SIFI after it completes the transaction. The new company would consist of the following entities: MetLife Insurance Company USA, General American Life Insurance Company, Metropolitan Tower Life Insurance Company and "several companies that have reinsured risks underwritten by MetLife Insurance Company USA," the firm said. MetLife would retain its Group, Voluntary and Worksite Benefits segment, Corporate Benefits Funding segment, and Asia, Latin America division and Europe, Middle East and Africa division. A handful of other insurance businesses operated by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company will remain with MetLife as well. The firm said that any separation will be contingent on regulatory approval from the SEC and relevant insurance regulators, as well as the approval of the MetLife board of directors. Since the form of the separation has yet to be determined, it cannot estimate a timeframe for the breakup, but MetLif said that if it takes the form of an IPO, it expects to file a registration statement with the SEC in roughly six months. Another FSOC-designated systemically important company, GE Capital, announced last April that it would spin off its financial assets in order to get itself de-designated. Likewise, last fall American International Group investor Carl Icahn sent an open letter to the firm calling for it to break up in order to duck the SIFI designation. The remaining nonbank SIFI, the insurance firm Prudential, has made few public statements on its designation. The FSOC did not immediately return calls for comment. Lawrence Baxter, the head of the Global Financial Markets Center at Duke University, speculated that notwithstanding the company's insistence that the decision has no bearing on the lawsuit, the firm's chances to prevail might have informed the decision. But it is also likely that the company simply crunched the numbers and found that its size was not acting in its favor the way it once did. "It may have been a business decision," Baxter said. "Maybe they are not getting the synergies that they thought by having all the different pieces put together. It's possible they looked at the appeal and the uphill battle they might or might not feel they've got and decided that it's just not worth it. They said, 'We can make more money as separate entities.' " Obviously we are all supposed to be horrified by the New Years Eve atrocities in Germany and elsewhere in Europe. I get it. But, as usual, I am serenely encouraged. In my book, each new Muslim atrocity gets us closer to the point where our useless, conceited ruling class either does something about the Muslim problem, or gives way to a new ruling class, according to the Iacocca rule of lead, follow, or get out of the way. We are in this mess because our ruling class said to itself, after World War II, that only wise people like them could put the genie of fascism and extreme nationalism back in the bottle. So national identity had to be neutralized by a wise, supranational elite. The ruling class was wrong. Fascism, the hunger for a strong leader, is the natural instinct of humans when their current conceited rulers have royally -- or presidentially, or administratively, or supranationally -- screwed up. Like right now. Now back to the Muslim rapists. We humans are in the final stages of a stunning social revolution that has utterly transformed human society. At the superficial level it means that nubile young women get to totter around Cologne on New Years Eve on high heels wearing clothes that provocatively advertise their nubility -- and nobody harms them. What a world! To understand how amazing this is, think back to the good old hunter-gatherer days. In that time all young men were enrolled in the gang that would, from time to time, launch a dawn raid on the neighboring tribe, kill all the men, and rape all the women. Think Romulus and Remus and the Rape of the Sabine Women. In those days, according to Steven Pinker in The Better Angels of Our Nature, the homicide rate was 500ish per 100,000 per year. When we read on Breitbart of the culture of taharrush, of young Muslim men, from Egypt to Europe, swarming around young women and assaulting them in public places, it certainly reads like deja vu hunter-gatherer dawn raids all over again. (Know what, jihadis? I dont think this cunning plan of going back to the Stone Age is going to end well for you.) But then came the agricultural revolution, and most young men stopped being warriors, and learned to plow fields of wheat. War became the specialty of the marcher lords. The homicide rate declined to 50ish per 100,000 per year. Then came the industrial revolution, and nearly all men were socialized to wage labor and careers. Soldiers became military bureaucrats, and the homicide rate declined to 5 per 100,000 per year. Think about it. The rate of death-by-violence has declined by an order of magnitude since the agricultural high Middle Ages. How did we do it? We did it in spite of ourselves, because all along the way, whether we are talking about Bill Sykes in Dickensian London, the Irish in Boston and New York, the waves of Italians, Poles, Jews that poured into U.S. cities before World War I, everybody knew that the latest immigrant wave, with its crudity, its gangs, its violence, its backwardness, would destroy civilization as we knew it. But it didnt. Here is the real miracle. We civilized the backward country folk to city ways in spite of nostalgic movements led by rich young men eager to teach the immigrants to the city to stick to their old ways. I am talking about a Marxism that proposed an egalitarian community that never was, a National Socialism that proposed a return to blood and land that could never be, and a labor movement that proposed a culture of worker intimidation instead of cooperation. Now we have a progressive movement that wants to turn back the clock with identity politics and an honor culture of offence. Of course, it took World War II to stop the National Socialist menace, and World War III to stop the Commie menace. Probably it will take World War IV to deal with rich kids like Osama bin Laden and the dawn-raid culture of the maharrash gang. I say, lets get it over with, before my grandsons get to military age. The thing is, this taharrash culture is for losers. Think of Fiddler on the Roof and the Russian punks that set on young Chava in the cornfields. What losers! The guy that gets the girl is Fyedka; he lends Chava a book to read, and makes like he loves her for her mind before trying to get inside her panties. Be like Fyedka, Muslims! Charm the girls of Cologne into bed! Groping and terrifying them on New Years Eve is for losers. But we Westerners must stop being losers too. We must insist that our present ruling class either leads, follows, or gets out of the way. Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill runs the go-to site on US government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also see his American Manifesto and get his Road to the Middle Class. In any power struggle, language is supremely important. Thats why the Left constantly invents euphemisms to mask immoral aims and tyrannical demands. If you ask a Roman Catholic doctor, the term reproductive health care means maximizing the means to save the lives of babies and pregnant women and to keep them healthy. To the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), however, it includes life-taking abortions or, in several California cases, surgical contraception. On December 28, the ACLU filed a lawsuit on behalf of Rebecca Chamorro, who asked that a Catholic-run hospital perform a tubal ligation to render her sterile after her scheduled Caesarean section on January 28. The suit claims she is being denied basic reproductive health care. Mercy Medical Center in Redding is part of the Dignity health system, which has 40 hospitals 22 of which are Catholic in California, Nevada and Arizona, according to CNSNews. Chamorro already has two children with her husband and doesnt want more. Citing Catholic health doctrine, the hospital, which is run by the Sisters of Mercy, declined the request. The ACLU claims that Chamorro has a right to have her tubes tied at Mercy, even though she could have both procedures done at another hospital 70 miles away. Its an incredibly common procedure used by a significant number of married women, but its being denied based on religious doctrine. Its a real problem, Elizabeth Gill, senior staff attorney with the ACLU of Northern California, told the Sacramento Bee. But this real problem is not about convenience or whats common. Its about using the courts to break Catholic and other faith-based institutions to the saddle of the progressive agenda. The Sisters of Mercy are also a major target of the Obama Administration, which is using Obamacare as a bludgeon to force faith-based institutions to violate their beliefs and provide employee insurance that covers abortifacients. So far, the ACLU has represented three patients of Dr. Samuel Van Kirk, an obstetrician-gynecologist who delivers babies at Mercy. Van Kirk is a member of Physicians for Reproductive Health, a plaintiff in the ACLU lawsuit. In some cases, Catholic hospitals perform tubal ligations if they determine it would alleviate a health risk. Last August, Rachel Miller, a 32-year-old attorney, was first rebuffed by Mercy hospital officials after she asked them to sterilize her following a planned C-section. She said that going to another hospital 160 miles away was a hardship. The ACLU threatened to sue, and officials changed their decision, after her doctor provided additional clinical information that fit with its criteria to allow tubal ligations to protect patients from future risk of pregnancies, according to the Bee. Officials declined comment on the Chamorro lawsuit but issued an e-mail that included this: In general, it is our practice not to provide sterilization services at Dignity Healths Catholic facilities. Mercys policy is in accord with the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Directive 70 states: Catholic health care organizations are not permitted to engage in immediate material cooperation in actions that are intrinsically immoral, such as abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, and direct sterilization. Directive 53 addresses exceptions: Direct sterilization of either men or women, whether permanent or temporary, is not permitted in a Catholic health care institution. Procedures that induce sterility are permitted when their direct effect is the cure or alleviation of a present and serious pathology and a simpler treatment is not available. If the ACLU succeeds in overriding the Directives, its only a matter of time before they sue to force Catholic hospitals to accommodate the reproductive health care option of abortion. Actually, theyre already at it. The ACLU filed a federal lawsuit on Oct. 1 against Michigan-based Trinity Health Corporation, demanding that its hospitals perform abortions. Cant let religion get in the way of taking unwanted lives. Robert Knight is a Senior Fellow at the American Civil Rights Union and a contributor to the Washington Times. Two Democratic congressmen have invited members of the terrorist-supporting organization the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to the president's State of the Union speech tonight. The Hill: Reps. Zoe Lofgren (Calif.) and Alcee Hastings (Fla.) will both be hosting representatives from CAIR chapters in their respective states, the group announced Monday. Lofgren will be bringing Sameena Usman, a government relations coordinator in the San Francisco office, while Hastings will host Nezar Hamze, the chief operating officer of the nonprofit's Florida branch. he announcement comes days after Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), the first Muslim elected to Congress, challenged Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to bring a Muslim American as one of his guests to the speech. "This is an opportunity to really drive the point home that there are no Americans who are suspect just based on their religious identity, that all Americans are welcome in the peoples house," Ellison said in an interview with The Hill. Demoratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) has also urged Democratic lawmakers to bring Muslims to the speech as a rebuke to what she sees is anti-Islamic language from the right. Yes, there's some of that. But inviting CAIR representatives to the SOTU proves that if some on the right are bigots, most of the left are idiots. Joe Kaufman at Frontpage Magazine explains: CAIR or the Council on American-Islamic Relations was created in June 1994 as a part of a terrorist umbrella organization led by then-global head of Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzook. In 2007 and 2008, CAIR was named a co-conspirator by the US Justice Department for two federal trials dealing with the financing of millions of dollars to Hamas. In November 2014, along with ISIS and al-Qaeda, the UAE government named CAIR to its list of terrorist organizations. CAIR-Florida reflects the same extremism as its parent organization. In July 2014, CAIR-Florida co-sponsored a pro-Hamas rally in Downtown Miami, where rally goers shouted, We are Hamas and Lets go Hamas. Following the rally, the event organizer, Sofian Zakkout, wrote, Thank God, every day we conquer the American Jews like our conquests over the Jews of Israel! In August 2014, CAIR-Florida Executive Director Hassan Shibly wrote, Israel and its supporters are enemies of God... CAIR-SFBA too epitomizes CAIR. The Executive Director of CAIR-SFBA Zahra Billoo has written that one amazing reason to get married is to raise fighters to attack Israel. She wrote that to celebrate Columbus [Day] is the same as having Jews celebrate Hitler and the Holocaust. She refers to US troops as scum. Billoo proudly announced on her blog that her younger brother, Ahmed, was quoted in an article voicing support for suicide bombings. Billoo wrote that she, herself, contemplated suicide, after viewing a pro-Israel ad on a San Francisco train. Besides CAIR, both Nezar Hamze and Sameena Usman are involved with Islamic Relief (IR). For the past three years, Hamze has helped coordinate a nationwide annual event run by Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA) called Day of Dignity. IRUSA is the American affiliate of Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW). Usman is a Disaster Assistance Response Team member for IRUSA. Islamic Relief, like CAIR, has been named by the UAE government as a terrorist organization. Islamic Reliefs ties to terror are well known. The Russian government has accused Islamic Relief of supporting terrorism in Chechnya. Israel has banned the group, labeling it a Hamas front and arresting the organizations Gaza Program Manager, Ayaz Ali, in 2006, for providing assistance to Hamas. At the end of 2014, Britains HSBC bank cut ties with Islamic Relief over concerns about terrorist financing. Reports show that Islamic Relief has sent millions of dollars to and received tens of thousands of dollars from groups related to al-Qaeda. Discover the Networks has a long, detailed entry about CAIR that shows not only their extremism, but the daffy idea that they represent all American Muslims: According to a June 2007 Washington Times report, CAIR's membership had declined more than 90 percent since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, from approximately 29,000 in the year 2000, to fewer than 1,700 six years later. As a result, CAIRs annual income from dues dropped from $732,765 in 2000 (when yearly dues cost $25 per person), to $58,750 in 2006 (when dues cost $35). As of 2007, the majority of CAIRs $3 million annual budget derived from about two dozen individual donors. M. Zuhdi Jasser, Director of the American-Islamic Forum for Democracy, said in June 2007 that the decline in CAIRs membership contradicted the organizations claim that it represents the interests and concerns of 7 million American Muslims. This is the untold story in the myth that CAIR represents the American Muslim population, said Jasser. They only represent their membership and donors. What politician in his right mind would invite people who support extremism and misrepresent themselves to the media to a prestigious event like the State of the Union? Liberal Democrats some of whom support CAIR's radical agenda are more enamored of portraying themselves as tolerant rather than prudent. I have no problems with inviting Muslims to the SOTU just as long as they don't represent organizations that support Hamas or al-Qaeda. I would recommend inviting Muslim American military personnel who have proved their loyalty by serving honorably. Anybody but the rancid Hamas stooges from CAIR. When Hillary Clinton famously blamed her husbands bimbo eruption troubles on a vast right wing conspiracy, she revealed, via projection, her own approach to getting things done. Covertly pulling strings behind the scenes, mobilizing forces to act while maintaining personal deniability to foment events and determine outcomes is the very definition of conspiracy, and now also is revealed to be the way Hillarys staff has been conditioned to think about action for the SecState in the latest trove of Hillary emails. Adam Kredo of the Free Beacon highlights two emails that reveal the sort of strategies her advisers believe she would consider. In one, dated December 18, 2011, former U.S. ambassador to Israel Thomas Pickering proposed to use (as in gin up) demonstrations by Palestinians in order to pressure the Israeli government to restart stalled negotiations. Fomenting political unrest in an ally by covertly encouraging demonstrations. Of course, they are supposed to be nonviolent. In explaining how this would be accomplished, Pickering reveals a pragmatic (and therefore rather insulting) view of the nature of Palestinian culture: It must be all and only women. Why? On the Palestinian side the male culture is to use force. Bedouins were for years tribal raiders and bride stealers from other tribes. It defined the male being and the Arabs invented 'macho'. Palestinian men will not for long patiently demonstrate they will be inclined over time and much too soon to be frustrated and use force. Their male culture comes close to requiring it. Pickering insists that there must be no U.S. fingerprints on the demonstrations the conspiracy must be protected: Most of all the United States, in my view, cannot be seen to have stimulated, encouraged or be the power behind it for reasons you will understand better than anyone. I believe third parties and a number NGOs on both sides would help, particularly if there were an outline of a peace document with parameters which, like those at the end of the Clinton administration, promised a fair and lasting peace and which the women on both sides could agree to support. The second email, dated September 24, 2010, comes from Anne-Marie Slaughter, who was Hillarys director of policy planning at the State Department, and was sent staff-wide to Hillarys inner circle. In it, she recommended mobilizing Hillarys millionaire and billionaire friends to take a pledge for Palestine and devote significant portions of their wealth to the Palestinian cause: Suppose we launched a "Pledge for Palestine" campaign that copies Warren Buffet's "The Giving Pledge" campaign, described below he's trying to get 40 billionaires to give away most of their money. I had asked some S/P folks to think about how we might take that campaign global to help change the attitudes of elites in places like Pakistan and Latin America, but perhaps Warren Buffet could be convinced to lend his name or perhaps Michael Bloomberg or Danny Abraham (together with a very wealthy Muslim) - to a similar Pledge for Palestine campaign. Such a campaign among billionaires/multi-millionaires around the world would reflect a strong vote of confidence in the building of a Palestinian state and could offset the ending of the moratorium for Palestinians (there would also be a certain shaming effect re Israelis, who would be building settlements in the face of a pledge for peace). With even 30 calls to the right people in the Clinton fundraising network it should be possible to generate a substantial enough amount quickly enough to capture the public imagination on the heels of the President's speech and, critically, to serve as an expression of global solidarity with the Palestinians and but also a meaningful promise of material improvements for Palestinians on the West Bank. That could significantly bolster Abbas in a way that could help him stay in the talks. This is what diplomacy beyond the state should mean. Can we call this a vast anti-Israel conspiracy? Update from Clarice Feldman A reminder from JOM poster JMH: The Free Beacon has been doing great investigative reporting on Hillary, haven't they?. That whole business of "sparking Palestinian protests" is simply astonishing at every level! It wasn't a Sid Blumenthal scheme, either, it was coming from our Ambassador to Israel, at the time. Jeez. If anyone is wondering why the name Thomas Pickering rings a bell, guess where he turned up: The president's State of the Union address will no doubt have a lot to say about the "success" of Obamacare. Millions have signed up; millions more are enrolled in the expanded Medicaid program. This much is true. But just about anything else he says about Obamacare will be a lie. The promise that they would bend the health care cost curve down is by the boards. The promise that health insurance would be "affordable" is a joke. And there may be hundreds of thousands perhaps millions of customers who are gaming the system by signing up for coverage when they're sick and then exiting their insurance plan when they don't need it anymore. Politico: Obamacare customers are gaming the system, buying coverage only after they find out theyre ill and need expensive care a trend insurers warn is destabilizing the fledgling health law marketplaces and spiking premiums for everyone. Insurers blame the problem on lax rules that allow more than 900,000 people to sign up for coverage outside the standard enrollment season for instance, when they change jobs or move without sufficient proof they are eligible. No one knows precisely how many might be manipulating the system, but the plans say they run up much higher medical bills and then jump ship, contributing to double-digit rate increases and financial losses. Health plans also complain some customers are exploiting a three-month "grace period" when they can keep getting subsidized coverage even if theyve stopped paying their share of premiums. Both those trends make the risk pools skew toward sicker, costlier customers and under Obamacare, plans can no longer deny coverage to those with expensive medical conditions. That problem has been exacerbated by the large numbers of healthier people who are choosing to stay uninsured rather than shell out money for coverage. The issue represents a huge challenge for the Obama administration, which faces a delicate balancing act in regulating the exchanges. On the one hand, it wants as many people as possible to sign up for coverage since that's the main goal of the Affordable Care Act. But it also needs to make sure that the insurance companies see the exchanges as worthwhile markets in which to compete. In a speech Monday night, Andy Slavitt, acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which oversees the exchanges, acknowledged the problems and said the administration would tighten the rules for special enrollments and terminate coverage for those who found to have signed up improperly. It's not a question of "tightening the rules." The back-end of the healthcare.gov website is still not complete and may never perform the way the administration portrayed it five years ago. The IRS is still not able to communicate with health insurance companies to confirm information like a job change or change of address. Companies are forced to take a leap of faith when a customer receives a subsidy as a result of those life changes. Last year, I had 11 choices of plans in Illinois (I'm not eligible for a subsidy). This year, I had 4. And the plan I was on last year was dropped. My premium for less coverage and twice the deductible went up 15%. I was lucky. Check the table below that shows the spike in premiums this year increases in 49 of 50 states. Seventeen states will see an average premium increase of 20% or more. The president will crow about the 11 million people who've signed up for insurance during the open enrollment period. But as usual, more than half of those people will be Medicaid enrollees most of whom are already eligible for the program and are not benefiting from the expanded Obamacare mandate. As for the rest, how many are gaming the system as described above? Because of the incompetence and general lack of interest in catching the fraudsters, we'll never know. Hillary Clinton took part in the "Brown and Black" candidate forum in Iowa yesterday and laid the pandering on thick to her minority audience. She agreed with the moderator who asked her if "white terrorisms and extremism is as much a threat to some in this country as something like ISIS[.] Her rambling answer starts about 1:20 into the video. Daily Caller: Hillary then turned to the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 and Hadiya Pendleton, the 15-year-old shot in Chicago shortly after performing a President Obamas second inauguration. She called the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building the act of a a guy who hated the government. Thats terrorism, as far as Im concerned. I think that when you have police violence that terrorizes communities, that doesnt show the respect that youre supposed to have from protecting people in your authority, Hillary answered. That can feel, also, terrorizing. So, there are so many different kinds of potential violent acts and we have to go after all of them, we have to stop them all. It becomes higher profile when its tied to international terrorism because that seems like its coming from outside, not homegrown, she continued. Well, I saw homegrown terrorism in Oklahoma City, and I saw foreign terrorism in New York City, and I saw people grieving over the loss of their loved ones, and at some point we all have to come together as a country again and stand against violence. And do something to get the guns out of the hands of people who shouldnt have them, no matter who they are. There are a helluva lot more ISIS fighters and sympathizers who are inspired to carry out terror attacks than there are right-wing militias and anti-government extremists. In fact, there are thousands more. And the miniscule number of police officers who shoot innocent people or at least unarmed people raises the question. What the hell is she talking about? How many terror attacks have been carried out by white supremacists in the last ten years, and how many attacks have been authored by Islamic extremists? I'm sure the number of attacks carried out in the name of Islam dwarfs the number of attacks by right-wing nuts. As far as police "terrorizing" communities, let's ask the residents of Baltimore what happens when police are themselves too terrified to do their jobs. This isn't excusing police violence against anyone, but rather a simple recognition that situations arise where police are put in extremely difficult and dangerous positions, and they don't always make the correct decision. But Hillary's mindless pandering to those who desperately want to equate what happens in their communities with what happens during Islamic terror attacks only encourages a false consciousness that hinders our ability to stay safe be the perpetrators of violence drug gangs or Muslim extremists. The failure of the cover-up of the mass sexual assaults by Muslim men on New Years Eve in Cologne and elsewhere has broken a dam, revealing a pattern of similar politically motivated cover-ups for years. Sweden is currently being rocked by the news that events similar to Cologne were covered up in 2014 and 2015. The Financial Times reports: Swedens prime minister has condemned his countrys own version of the Cologne mass sexual assault allegations and alleged police cover-up, calling claims of similar events at a youth festival in Stockholm a double betrayal of women and a big democratic problem. Swedish police promised an urgent investigation into the claims first reported by liberal newspaper Dagens Nyheter that a gang of youths reportedly mostly from Afghanistan groped and molested girls as young as 11 or 12 at the We Are Sthlm festival in both 2014 and 2015. Consider that pre-adolescent Swedish girls were not warned about the danger of being sexually assaulted when they decided to attend the 2015 version of the festival. And the reason they were not warned involved the police expressly wishing to affect the politics: Referring to the cover-up allegations, Peter Agren, who was in charge of policing at the festival, was reported by Dagens Nyheter as saying: This is a sore point. We sometimes dare not to say how it is because we think it might play into the hands of the Sweden Democrats. Mattias Karlsson, head of the Sweden Democrats parliamentary group, called for Swedens police chief to resign. Bjorn Soder, a senior Sweden Democrats MP, added: It is a scandal without equal. This must be investigated immediately. Could this be something that happened at several locations in the country, that they do not bother to tell you certain things because it could play into the hands of a particular party? The Sweden Democrats are the only political force in Sweden to recognize the dangers of mass Muslim immigration, and for this they have routinely been demonized as far right and neo-Nazi. An official of the party told me a couple of months ago that all favorable mention of it or its issues has been locked out of the Swedish media, which is uniformly progressive and strongly backing multi-culti orthodoxy. The fact that Dagens Nyheter, a major newspaper, is now publicizing this cover-up and its motive indicates a shift in Sweden. The New York Times quotes a Swedish expert on hate crimes bemoaning the breaking of the dam: David Brax, a researcher of hate crimes at the University of Goteborg, said by phone that the accusations would help agitate an already intensifying backlash toward immigrants as countries across Europe were grappling with fears that terrorists and criminals were seeking to enter the Continent by masquerading as refugees. He noted that the police might have hesitated to publicize the assaults for fear of stoking revenge attacks against immigrants. (snip) Mr. Brax said the emerging scandal in Sweden would embolden the far-right anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats, which won almost 13 percent of the vote in a 2014 general election. It will probably be a boon for the populist far right who are now celebrating that there is now proof that media and police are covering up crimes perpetrated by immigrants, he said. We can't have the public knowing about mass sexual assaults, because they might vote for the party that wants to stop them. Obamas final year includes releasing Guantanamo savages who will almost undoubtedly murder Americans. Next in the growing line of people who want to, and plan to, murder Americans in the name of Allah is Muhammad Abd Al Rahman Awn Al-Shamrani (or Muhammad for short). He was released from Guantanamo on Monday and is the fourth detainee the Obama administration released this year. Breitbart reports: U.S. officials determined him to be a high risk for recidivism, warning he would likely re-engage against the West should he be released from the detention facility. He also allegedly told guards at the facility that he would kill Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan if released, according to his leaked confidential file. (snip) According to leaked military documents, Al-Shimrani is an Al Qaeda recruiter who may have served as one of Osama bin Ladens personal bodyguards. He was deemed to pose a high risk against the United States. If released without rehabilitation, close supervision, and means to successfully reintegrate into his society as a law-abiding citizen, it is assessed detainee would immediately seek out prior associates and reengage in hostilities and extremist support activities at home and abroad, said part of his file. Umm. Unless Im missing something, methinks this guy isnt going to be successfully reintegrated into society as a law-abiding citizen no matter how much rehabilitation or supervision he has. (And Im guessing hell get little of any of that, not that it would matter.) In any case, despite the evidence Muhammad is a once-a-jihadist-always-a-jihadist kind of guy, the Obama administration sees it differently. Of course. [A] periodic review board set up by the Obama administration determined that he does not pose a continuing significant threat to the security of the United States. The periodic review board is made up of executive branch defense officials. Hmm. I wonder what they consider to be a continuing significant threat. Perhaps an intermittent threat to a small number of people is acceptable. And if Muhammad proves to actually be a continuing significant threat, well. Oh well. Of course, its no surprise the Obama administration would deny evidence that points to the extremely high likelihood that this savage will remain a savage who will kill innocent human beings. But thats not Obamas problem or concern. Meanwhile, prior to Muhammads release this month, the Obama administration released three other detainees, including one suspected of being a jihad recruiter and expert propagandist. Im sure theres a job waiting for him with any number of terror organizations. Heck, his propaganda skills might even land him a high-level position with a Democratic presidential campaign. And in addition to the four Islamic terrorists released from Guantanamo so far this month, the administration plans to release nine more by the end of January. Naturally, there is a list of rationalizations for doing so that lemmings across the country will gobble up (even applaud) without batting an eye, and certainly without engaging their cerebral cortex. President Obama is expected to address the Guantanamo purge in his State of the Union (SOTU) Address on Tuesday. His chief of staff, Denis McDonough, told Fox News Sunday that the President will uphold his 2008 campaign promise to close the prison facility entirely. McDonough said the President will present a plan to Congress during the SOTU, detailing how he would close the detention center. He feels an obligation to the next president. He will fix this so that they dont have to be confronted with the same set of challenges, McDonough said. The President has said that Guantanamo serves as a recruiting tool for jihadi terrorists, a claim that has been questioned by national security professionals. Make a stupid campaign promise. Check. Follow through on the promise, even in light of information that should cause one to rethink the original plan. Check. Concoct a cockamamie story about being compelled to take this action so the next president wont have to, as if the next president would want to. (Please, God, let the next president be someone sane.) And to put the cherry on the sundae: make the now familiar claim that (fill in the blank that we do) serves as a recruiting tool for jihadists, because heaven forbid anyone dare mention, say in passing, and quietly, just to test the waters, that the recruiting tool for jihadist is the Quran. The threat of Islamic terror is constant. Violence may erupt anywhere. Unexpectedly. Thats the nature of terror. And its happening more and more, with less and less time between events. Most recently, as AT readers know, a Philadelphia police officer was shot by a Muslim barbarian who pledged his allegiance to ISIS. And now it appears he may be linked to a terror cell. Reuters reports: Philadelphia police said on Sunday they were seriously pursuing a tip that the man suspected of shooting and wounding a police officer had ties to a group with radical beliefs. (snip) The Philadelphia Inquirer and television station NBC10 in Philadelphia quoted police sources on Sunday as saying that according to the tip-off Archer was associated with three other men and was not the most extreme of the group. The sources said police were warned the threat to them was not over, the two media outlets said. (snip) People who knew the gunman told Reuters he was a devout, quiet Muslim who became more combative after trips to Egypt and Saudi Arabia. This is deeply disturbing. But perhaps more disturbing than this and other overt acts of Islamic terror is the insidious advance of the Muslim Brotherhood (M.B.) that has reached its deadly tentacles into every aspect of our society with the goal of eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and sabotaging its miserable house by their hands so that Gods religion [Islam] is made victorious over all other religions. So as we witness the rise of Islamic terror here and around the world, the M.B. continues its stealth advance, grabbing territory in institutions and in peoples minds, including the minds of our children, who are being brainwashed thanks in large part to the powerful influence of the M.B. in our education system. It was, therefore, with great interest that I listened to a recently released video of Daniel Greenfield speaking on the topic of the Muslim Brotherhood, and I wanted to share what he had to say. (Greenfield is one of the finest minds and writers around. His work can be found here and here.) Greenfields 10-minute video presentation focuses on what he calls the caliphate curve, which he defines as a measure of how fast Muslim groups seek to bring back the Caliphate. Where Islamic organizations fall on the curve is not based on some delusion about how moderate or how extreme the group is, but based on how quickly it seeks to achieve the caliphate. Greenfield notes that the speed with which a group seeks to bring back the caliphate determines its tactics. But irrespective of the speed or tactic, the goal is the same. The faster they want to bring the caliphate into the being, the more extreme their tactics will be, as evidenced by ISIS, which employs a shocking level of violence, because it works to expand the caliphate quickly. Greenfield makes clear that the murders, rapes, and torture they inflict is the caliphate. He suggests that the level of barbarity employed by ISIS is not an aberration, but is precisely what the caliphate has always looked like, dating back to the time of Mohammed, as he reminds listeners that barbaric practices are a norm in the Muslim world, even in modern times. Speaking about the M.B., Greenfield asserts they arent more moderate than ISIS just because they kill fewer people. In fact, he sees the M.B. as a far greater threat to us than ISIS. And his point is well taken. Greenfield notes that the M.B., like all Islamic organizations, wants to achieve the same thing (the caliphate) but uses tactics that advance more slowly than organizations like ISIS. The MB works toward the goal gradually, using modern, political methods. But whether you take the long road or the short one, all roads lead to the same place. He notes that ISIS is doing now what it will take the M.B. 100 years to accomplish, but that we are not at war with ISIS or with the M.B. Rather, we are at war with everyone on the caliphate curve. He notes that there are no moderates on the caliphate curve, only some groups that are more patient than others. The more patient groups (like the M.B.) do things like put up billboards, create hashtags, and influence elected officials, describing them as ISIS with a human face. And he believes that this makes them much more dangerous. Greenfield states, ISIS is, in some ways, our least dangerous enemy. We could easily destroy ISIS, but we dont because we wont. On the other hand, the M.B. is deeply embedded in a wide range of organizations in the West and wields enormous control. Whereas ISIS controls areas in failed states like Syria and Iraq, the M.B. exercises control throughout the West, stating: We could bomb Raqqa, but could we bomb Dearborn, Jersey City, or Irvine? This is where the caliphate truly reaches its most terrifying potential. He speaks of ISISs desire to terrify us and notes that while eventually people will (and are) becoming desensitized to the horrors, their savagery has awakened many people who would otherwise be asleep. On the other hand, the M.B. wants us to be asleep so it can sneak up on us, crawling forward steadily, without relent. The M.B. doesnt want us to understand what its doing until its too late. Greenfield ends his monologue with this: We are not at war with an organization, but are at war with an idea that Muslims are superior to non-Muslims. ... ISIS is the most naked expression of this idea, but its an idea that everyone on the caliphate curve accepts. Until we defeat this racist idea, new Islamic groups will constantly keep arising animated by this vision of subjugating non-Muslims and ruling the world under Islamic law. This is a position that is spread across the caliphate curve, and we are at war with the entire caliphate curve. And its important to remember that. In my view, we will never defeat the idea of Islamic supremacy. There are too many Muslims in the world, and so far the idea has withstood the test of time. What we can do is protect ourselves from the people who follow its teachings. And that means that we cannot afford to import more Muslims, that we must monitor activity in mosques across this country, that we must declare the M.B. a terror organization, shut down its front groups, and root them out of our institutions. It means we must address the brainwashing of our children, who are being taught lies about Islam. It means the media must be challenged at every turn. It means elected officials and those running for office must educate themselves, speak out, and take urgent action. It means we have much work to do because weve been living behind the curve for so long. First and foremost, we must speak the truth. Hat tip: Atlas Shrugs for linking to the Reuters report YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. After a year since the brutal murder in Gyumri relatives of the family of Avetisyans entered their house. Even the Christmas tree decorated last New Year was standing there, there was a saucepan on the stove and all the items that were of no use for the preliminary investigation were in their places. One year has passed but the relatives of the Avetisyans have not received the answers to many questions troubling them. Their first visit to the house of the murdered family was very depressing. Armenpress reports that after the visit to the Avetisyans house located in Myasnikyan str. 188, the relatives, ordinary Gyumri citizens, representatives of provincial and municipal authorities visited their tombs. A dirge and candle-lighting ceremony will be held at St. Mary Church of Gyumri in January 12 at 17:30 in memory of the murdered members of the Avetisyans family. The six members of the Avetisyans family were shot and killed in Gyumri at around 6 a.m. on January 12, 2015. The only survivor was 6-month old Seryozha Avetisyan, who was transferred to a hospital with injuries caused by a cutting and piercing tool. The childs health condition became worse on January 19. After fighting for his life and undergoing several difficult surgeries for a week, six-month old Seryozha Avetisyan also died on January 19. There was severe renal insufficiency and cardiac insufficiency, and doctors werent able to save his life. Soldier of the 102nd Russian military base stationed in Gyumri, Valery Permyakov was charged with killing the members of the Avetisyan family and causing numerous injuries to little Seryozha. Russian border guards found him when he was trying to cross the Armenian-Turkish border and handed him over to the commanders of the 102nd Russian military base. Permyakov confessed his guilt. The trial will take place on January 18. A real journalist who has tracked down and interviewed murderous villains delivers the best rebuke to Sean Penn. Monica Showalter writes in Investors Business Daily about Penn and his big fan, Geraldo Rivera: Fox News' Geraldo Rivera declared that the criticism being heaped on Sean Penn for his vetted "interview" with Mexican drug lord Chapo Guzman is simply a mistake. "I would have done it," the big-name network newsman wrote. Guys like Penn "are not co-conspirators with the world's most wanted man. They wanted to talk to him the way others have talked to a rogue's gallery of bad guys ranging from Pol Pot to Stalin to Hitler to Castro to Mark Chapman to John Wayne Gacy or Ted Bundy. This is what enterprise journalists do. They take newsworthy information from sources however distasteful, and they convey it from point A to point B," Rivera wrote. That's pretty fine words until you realize that 67 Mexican journalists have been murdered by Mexico's heinous cartels, including Guzman's, for the "crime" of trying to report the truth without Chapo's vetting. The Washington Post called it an "epic insult" to their memory. But in Rivera's own mind, it all seemed so logical. That may be because the television news culture he inhabits is so corrupted. For an example of an uncorrupted journalist, she quotes an email exchange she had with her friend Nate Thayer: Nate Thayer is a foreign correspondent's foreign correspondent who spent 20 years in Southeast Asia tracking down Pol Pot, the murderous Cambodian communist dictator who slaughtered a third of his nation in the 1970s for the purpose of rebuilding society from scratch, even killing citizens for the "crime" of wearing eyeglasses. Pol Pot was a monster. Thayer, a badass freelancer for the Far Eastern Economic Review, tracked Pol Pot down in the Cambodian jungle when he was on the run, and in 1998 managed with great difficulty to get the world's only interview with the beast. In the course of getting that interview, not once did Thayer compromise his journalistic principles not once. He had to develop contacts in the Thai military so as to obtain permission to go into the Khmer Rouge no-go zones, develop contacts inside Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge communists in the jungle, develop contacts with assorted other marauders and bad guys, and continuously persist in the back and forth that goes with such a high-risk endeavor. Thayer also had to evade random roadside killers, terrible bouts of malaria and other jungle diseases, and weather unbelievable hazards, all for the sake of the journey and his achievement. In short, he had to take the long way to the dictator, the principled way, not the short-and-easy compromised way that Penn did. Thayer is an old friend and I asked him what he thought about it: "The difference between Penn and a journalist are clear," Thayer wrote by email. "He has every right to do what he does and meet who he wants. But he advocates for people's political positions. Whatever that is, it is not journalism. And it puts the rest of us at risk. (Emphasis added) I hang out with rogue bad guys for a living (Pol Pot, the NKorean Kim's, the KKK etc), but it is vital to be clear on ones independence. They all respect that because they know that is where real credibility . . . is based upon. They need to go through the sausage making process. Otherwise one falls into the 'useful idiot' category. The jury is out on whether Penn falls in what category." Of course, as a freelancer, Thayer enjoys none of the perks and privileges, not to mention the money, of the likes of Penn and Rivera. Hes the real deal, and he knows what they have never learned about a profession they allegedly all practice. The Android operating system dates back to 2003, although it gained momentum when Google bought the software in 2005. Android is often described as an open source operating system, meaning that anybody is free to take the Android code and modify it as he or she sees fit. At the time, making an operating system such as Android free and open source was unheard of but there were several reasons why Google took this decision. These include how Google was to steer the Android platform, control the application store, work with developers to encourage application development and critically, not to develop in the open, but instead release the Android source code once the software engineers had innovated the software. So powerful was the vision behind Android that Steve Jobs called Googles founders to his office for a meeting where he asked them not to release the software. Google refused, Apple went thermonuclear in its efforts to destroy Android, and now has a distant second place in the global mobile operating system market share. As part and parcel of making Android open source, this means that anybody can take Android and modify it for their own purpose, thus creating a forked version of the software. Amazons Fire OS is an example of a forked version of Android, but there are many, many different flavors of Android. These non-Google variants of Android are in some respects considered a threat towards proper Google Android, but it must be remembered that Android was built to be spread all over the world in many different guises and flavours. This leads to a fragmented market, but it also gives customers and developers massive choice. Nevertheless, if we were to break down Android into Google Android and Non-Google Android, we relegate Apples iOS to third place in the global mobile operating system market share table. More on forked versions of Android a little later. Advertisement Android has encountered its fair share of controversy over the last decade. One of the most prominent stories is how Google is being sued by Oracle because of the embedded Java technologies in Android. By way of background, Java dates back to 1991, although the first release of the software arrived a few years later in 1996. The language and software was originally developed by Sun Microsystems, later purchased by Oracle Corporation. Java is a cross-platform environment, that is, its available across a huge number of different hardware specifications. Its been used in a massive number of devices from mobile phones, smartphones, in-car infotainment systems, household electronics and all of the way to enterprise servers and supercomputers. Now, when Google bought Android back in 2005, it incorporated a number of Java technologies into the code. Indeed, when Android was beta launched in 2007, Sun Microsystems Chief Executive Officer, Jonathan Schwartz, famously thanked Google and said they had strapped another set of rockets to the communitys momentum and to the vision defining opportunity across our (and other) planets. Oracle bought Sun Microsystems and gained control of Java in 2010. Shortly afterwards, because Google had not licenced any of the Java code used in Android with Sun (and now Oracle), the new Java owners sued Google for patent and copyright infringement. The case concerns Googles use of Oracles Java technology, including how Java was implemented and how APIs, Application Programmable Interfaces, are used. APIs are the means to access various libraries in code. Oracles case is that these APIs are copyrightable, or rather to be specific, Google used and copied the Oracle Java code without permission. Although the case is still rumbling on, we have already seen Google modifying Android in order to distance itself from Oracles technology the move from Dalvik to the Android RunTime did bring about with it some important benefits to Android devices including a more responsive operating system with the potential for performance and battery life improvements, but it also reduced the reliance on Oracles technology. Last week, Google announced it was switching to the OpenJDK API, thus removing Oracles APIs from Android. Going forwards, this means that should Google lose the case against Oracle and could be enforced to change how Android works, this has already been done. Weve learnt that this change has been in the works for some time now. Advertisement In effect, Google is reminding Oracle that it still has control over Androids direction. Oracles legal case is based on the understanding that an API is copyrightable. If this is the case, Googles new API (the OpenJDK) is protected by the GPL (the GNU General Public License). This General Public License allows companies, organizations and individuals the freedom to modify, run, study and share the software. In the case of the OpenJDK API, Google must publish any changes their engineers make to the API. However, this is exactly the point of an Application Programmable Interface: developers need to be aware of any changes made to the API so that their applications will continue to work properly. This could be the end of our story today, but for the small fact that Oracle already has a comprehensive licensing agreement already in place with Microsoft, which was signed in 2013. It is not the greatest stretch of the imagination that should Microsoft be interested in releasing or working on their own forked version of Android, they might license Oracles Java technology for use in their version of Android. We already know that Microsoft and Cyanogen (the company who have stated they are working to wrestle control of Android away from Google) are in a partnership. It is possible that Microsoft may decide to fork Android, or use Cyanogens fork, to produce a Microsoft version under their control that allows customers to use Microsofts services (such as Exchange, OneDrive, Office 365 and Azure) and have greater control over the platform without following in Googles footsteps. Microsoft could use their forked version of Android to replace Windows 10 Mobile, which itself has replaced a string of mobile operating systems including Windows Phone 8 and the Windows Mobile / PocketPC / Windows CE family). Advertisement Such an operating system could access core Microsoft services without legacy Google service support, but could relatively easily run other Android applications. Weve already seen how Microsoft has shelved its plans to run Android applications over Windows 10 for a number of reasons, many of them being licensing. This must be a tantalising prospect and using Oracles Java technologies would be a means to differentiate between Microsoft Android and Google Android. This competition should be good for both Google and Microsoft, perhaps less so for Apple. Weve already seen how successful forked versions of Android are. Microsoft may have a string of disappointing mobile operating systems behind it, but as smartphone and tablet hardware has become more powerful, so Redmond may have some tricks it could show Google. In particular, how Microsoft uses Windows Update to roll out security patches to connected and supported Windows machines. Whilst Google promises to release monthly security updates for the Android code, most manufacturers are giving the impression that they are simply ignoring these. If Google starts to lose market share to Microsofts forked version of Android and security is seen as a reason, we can be sure that Mountain View will work on improving this aspect of Google. Advertisement It would be a bizarre twist if both BlackBerry and Microsoft started using Android to power their next generation of mobile devices. Yes, especially in the case of a Microsoft product, the Android operating would be different from Googles flavor of Android, but the old saying is if you cant beat them, join them. Whatever could be next, Apple releasing hardware running Android software? Google was one of the first to get a virtual reality viewer out there, in Cardboard. Quickly followed by Samsung with the Gear VR, and many other companies putting out their own. Now with HTC partnering with Valve for the Vive which will be out in April, and Oculus (now owned by Facebook) putting out the Rift in a few months, Google seems to be behind. But that might change, and change quickly. On Tuesday, Google made some pretty big changes. They moved Clay Bavor, who was VP for product management and ran Gmail, Drive and Docs, has also been overseeing Cardboard. However, now, Bavor is moving over to being in charge or virtual reality products, as Google is making that its own division within the company. Meanwhile, Diane Greene, who joined Google in November, is set to take on apps and will also be focusing on enterprise operations. Diane Greene came to Google after being CEO at VMware, so she definitely is cut for being in charge of enterprise operations. So in just two moves, Google has shown that they are serious about virtual reality as well as the enterprise business. Google did confirm the changes happening today, but did not comment on the changes. Advertisement Many have wondered if Google will stick around with virtual reality, and Cardboard in general. As the search giant has a history of creating products, and then killing them just a few years later. And after having Google Glass come out, and not hearing anything new about it in a few years, Google has begun to move cautiously with new projects. However, spinning off virtual reality into its own unit within Google, does signal that they are dedicated to virtual reality. At least in the immediate future. Of course, things can and will change. But for now, it looks like Cardboard is here to stay for a bit. The other bit of news is that Google is saying virtual reality and not Cardboard. So we might be seeing some new virtual reality viewers from Google in the near future. With the dates for Google I/O announced earlier today, it wouldnt be surprising to see more news at Google I/O in May. The Xiaomi Mi 5 has been one of the most leaked handsets of last year, and the trend has continued in this year as well. Xiaomi was expected to announce their new flagship back in July, but the company opted to wait for the Snapdragon 820 to become available, and the Mi 5 still hasnt been launched. The companys exec has recently confirmed that the device will arrive next month (not before the Chinese New Year), and that it will be fueled by the Snapdragon 820 SoC. That being said, another Mi 5-related rumor has surfaced, read on. According to this info, the Mi 5 will actually launch in two variants. One variant will sport a metal frame which will be placed in between two pieces of 2.5D curved glass panels (pictured in the gallery down below, leaked a while back). This handset will ship with a 5.1-inch 1080p (1920 x 1080) display. The second, more premium variant will feature a metal unibody design and also a 5.1-inch display, but this handsets display will sport a QHD (2560 x 1440) resolution. This information comes from an industry insider, and well see how accurate it is. Advertisement Anyhow, according to previous leaks and rumors, the Mi 5 is also expected to sport 4GB of RAM on the inside, and we also know that it will be fueled by the Snapdragon 820 processor. The 16-megapixel shooter is said to be located on the back of this smartphone, and an 8-megapixel snapper will probably going to be available up front. The 3,600mAh battery unit has been mentioned a couple of times now, and it will almost certainly going to be non-removable. Qualcomms Quick Charge 3.0 tech will be a part of this package as well, and Android 6.0 Marshmallow will quite probably come pre-installed on this device with the companys MIUI 7 OS available on top of it. That is pretty much everything we know thus far. Xiaomis exec said that the phone wont arrive before the Chinese New Year, so it will launch after February 8th. Judging by the info we have at the moment, the phone will launch in February though, so stay tuned for additional details, well report back soon. Lenovo is one of Chinas largest tech companies, and at the same time one of their largest smartphone manufacturers. Lenovo, as you might know, is also the owner of Motorola Mobility, a company which they bought from Google a while back. Motorolas Moto devices are quite popular these days, and everyone was under the impression Lenovo will keep both the Motorola and Moto brandings. Well, that wont be the case, the company has recently confirmed that Motorola brand naming will become a thing of the past soon, but the Moto branding will be kept. Read on. The companys Senior Vice President, Chen Xudong, was recently interviewed by Tech Sina, a Chinese tech company. Mr. Xudong had plenty to say during his interview, and weve already covered a part of it yesterday. The companys Senior VP has confirmed that Google Play Services are making a comeback to China this year, and has also said that fingerprint scanner will be used in a ton of (Lenovo) devices this year as well. He has also stated that all Motorola-branded flagships will feature fingerprint scanners in 2016. That being said, Mr. Xudong has, unfortunately, also said recently (according to the source) that two Moto lines of devices might become a thing of the past soon as well, just like Motorola naming. Advertisement Mr. Xudong was referring to the Moto E and Moto G series, which might not be a part of the companys future plans. He did not seem all that sure though, but it seems like Lenovo is definitely thinking about it. This might be somewhat surprising to some of you considering the fact that the Moto E and Moto G are quite popular. Lenovo is quite probably betting on their Vibe lineup and more affordable offerings they will release as part of it, but Moto E and Moto G devices not only had a specific design, but also the unique software. Thats pretty much it. Motorola naming is becoming a thing of the past thank to Lenovos rebranding, and it seems like Moto E and Moto G will follow in its footsteps. Well see what happens before the end of the year, but this will surely irritate quite a few people. UPDATE: It turn out Chen Xudongs statement was missinterpreted by Tech Sina, Moto G and Moto E are not going anywhere, click here for more info. MediaTek are in an interesting position for a chipset designer and manufacturer. The original business was in designing reference handset designs, which were bought by other manufacturers to relabel and sell under their own branding. Over time, MediaTek have ventured into building System-on-Chips, first relatively simple designs but as the months rolled by, their chipsets have become increasingly refined and sophisticated. In 2015, MediaTek innovated with their three tier big.LITTLE architecture designs, which use three clusters of different application cores so as to better optimize the processor with whatever workload was being asked of it. MediaTek have also started renaming their chipsets in order to provide some brand identity, as we see Huawei do with their HiSilicon, Honor and Kirin sub-brands. Here, we see MediaTek using the Helio sub brand and todays story concerns one of their more conventional chipset designs, the MediaTek Helio P10. The Helio P10 is another of MediaTeks successful line of super-midrange chipsets, that is, it is designed to provide most of the performance of a flagship chipset at much less of the cost. Supermid chipsets typically lack the most modern, and expensive, of refinements so may be constructed at a larger process, use an older or less expensive application or graphics processor, and perhaps have other compromises such as the memory bandwidth. They are better suited to devices with a lower-than-flagship screen resolution, which these days typically means 1080p or perhaps 720p rather than QHD or 1440p resolution. In the case of the Helio P10, this consists of eight ARM Cortex-A53 cores clocked at up to 2.0 GHz backed up by the new ARM Mali-T860 MP2 GPU, which has a clock speed of 700 MHz. The Helio P10 is constructed on a 28nm HP+ manufacturing process, designed to improve performance and reduce power consumption compared with previous generation supermid chipsets but not as sophisticated or refined as bleeding edge 16nm or so processors. Advertisement MediaTek have announced that there are more than one hundred devices being prepared to launch with their new chipset and how the business has won more than one hundred design wins. MediaTeks Vice Chairman and President, Ching-Jiang Hsieh, their Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Johan Erik Lodenius, together with Kristin Taylor, a Vice President in charge of Industry Analyst Relations, told the Fudzilla website that the Mediatek Helio P10 had been well received by the industry. In the same conversation, the trio reported that the Helio X20 was well received but declined to provide the number of up and coming devices. Going back to the original hundred P10 devices, the source website believes that these are about to start shipping. And whilst we do not know any of the manufacturers about to release devices using the P10, its a fair bet that it will find a home in many of tomorrows mid-range Chinese devices. The second generation Motorola Moto X, also known as the Moto X (2014), is approaching eighteen months old. When the device was new, it did not have a bleeding edge specification but then Motorola devices from 2013 hadnt been about bleeding edge specs. Instead, Motorola opted for a tried-and-tested specification, which in the case of the Moto X (2014) consisted of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, 2 GB of RAM, a 5.2-inch, 1080p AMOLED display. Under the skin theres Motorolas own antenna arrangement, which replaced Qualcomms already sophisticated antenna arrangement and is designed to obtain the best possible signal no matter how the device is held. However, whilst the specification at the time was comparable with other flagship devices, where the Moto X attempts to differentiate itself is through software, where Motorola added their own special sauce to the mix. The Moto X (2014) comes with a number of Motorolas improvements to stock Android over and above stock Android, including Moto Display, which is a way of seeing what notifications are waiting for you on the device without unlocking the handset. Instead, wave your hand over the device or pick it up and Moto Display uses the AMOLED screen to show the user whats waiting for them. Motorola use a near-stock interface for their devices and were one of the manufacturers keen to upgrade their portfolio of devices to Android 5.0 Lollipop. However, under their new parent of Lenovo, Motorola is not updating the Moto X offered on the AT&T and Verizon in North American to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. We know that the hardware is certainly capable of running Android 6.0 Marshmallow, but because Motorola, Lenovo and the carriers are keeping quiet, we do not know the official reason why the businesses have taken this decision. For those customers in the know, those who bought the Motorola Moto X based on the promise of smooth and quick software updates and that near-stock interface, this is a bitterly disappointing decision. Here could be where our story ends, but of course; this is Android. Android has an entire cottage industry devoted to changing, improving or simply modifying. Weve seen six year old hardware running new versions of Android, such as the HTC HD2, but in the case of the Motorola Moto X, theres a stumbling block in the way: the device has a locked bootloader, which means it must be cracked open in order to install a custom ROM onto the device. Advertisement Luckily, at least for Verizon customers, there is no need to break this down any more as the official Motorola website is allowing customers to unlock their bootloader and is generating codes. As a word of warning if you are contemplating this: unlocking the bootloader also wipes all data on the handset. Once the bootloader has been unlocked, this means that custom ROMs may be installed and its here that we reopen up into the possibilities of upgrading the 2014 Moto X to Android Marshmallow. Over in the XDA forums, a team of developers are working on ways around this: either to convert the device into the Moto X Pure Edition and simply persuade Motorolas servers to push updates to the device, or through installing custom ROMs. As of yet, there isnt a working way to convert a Verizon Wireless Moto X into a Moto X Pure Edition, but we wouldnt be surprised if this is only a matter of time. Time and time again, Androids ROM developers have proven how remarkably capable they are. If you are interested in unlocking your Moto Xs bootloader, check out the source and via below for information on the threads you might want to look up. In an unexpected move back in mid-August, Google announced a major restructuring of the company, whereby all its non-core businesses were spun off as distinct entities that are separate from Googles bread and butter internet and related assets such as search, ads (AdSense), Google Maps, Google Apps, DeepMind (Artificial Intelligence research unit), Google ATAP research and of course, Android all of which will continue to remain under the Google brand. A new holding company called Alphabet Inc. was created, which functions as the parent company for the new, streamlined Google, as well as all other diverse and often unwieldy businesses. Most of the top management, meanwhile, kept their old designations at the new entity, once the new structure became functional last October, after getting the necessary regulatory clearances. What that means in essence, is that the two Google co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin are now the CEO and the President respectively at Alphabet, having held those two exact positions at the old Google at the time of the restructuring. Eric Schmidt and David Drummond have transitioned from being the Chairman and Chief Counsel respectively at Google, to functioning in the exact same capacities at Alphabet. The then-CFO at Google, Ruth Porat, has assumed duties as the new CFO of both Google and Alphabet, post restructuring. Meanwhile, the then-VP of products at Google, Sunder Pichai, has since taken over as the CEO of the single most valuable entity within the Alphabet setup Google Inc. Advertisement While there are as many as nine distinct companies currently within the Alphabet fold, another one is widely expected to join the list anytime now. That would be the autonomous car project that has thus far been a part of Google X. Google and Alphabet however, have been maintaining a studied silence regarding the issue thus far. The current list of Alphabet companies include Google, of course, along with Nest, the home automation company and makers of the eponymous thermostat. The company was acquired by Google back in January 2014, but continues to be headed by its celebrated co-founder and ex-Apple employee, Tony Fadell. Then there is Access and Energy the company thats responsible for the Gigabit broadband service, Fiber. Verily, the company that was known as Google Life Sciences, comes next, followed by Calico, Googles biotech venture that looks to combat aging and associated illnesses. Next comes Sidewalk labs, an Alphabet-owned company that looks to improve urban living by tackling issues such as pollution, energy usage and transportation. Coming to Alphabets Investment arm, Google Capital is an equity fund thats headed by David Lawee, whereas the Venture Capital division of the company, GV (formerly Google Ventures), is led by Bill Maris. Last, but definitely not the least, is Google X, which is a hotbed for wacky and out-there research including Project Wing, a drone delivery service; Project Loon, a service that aims to provide internet connectivity via balloons in the stratosphere; and Google Glass the controversial augmented reality eyewear that never quite caught on with mainstream consumers the way Google would have wanted it to. While the robotics unit of the company Replicant was initially a separate company under Alphabet, it was recently incorporated within Google X. YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Director General of EUROCONTROL, Frank Brenner considers progress of Armenia over air traffic safety. After making a tour in Zvartnots International Airport Frank Brenner, during the interview with journalists, mentioned that Armenia has been a member of European Aviation Safety Agency since 2006 and made a significant progress during 10 years as the result of which indicators of air traffic safety were improved. We express our satisfaction today over the great progress we achieved during our partnership, Brenner emphasized, as Armenpress reports. He added that Eurocontrol carries out 31 thousand flights a day through the air spaces of 41 member countries which will continue to grow. The air space continues remaining the same parallel with the trend of growth. We need to organize our work more efficiently in order to carry out more flights within the stable airspace. And Armenia has a big importance for us in this regard, as taking into account the aim of the growth of air transportations which will be basically indicated to the Asian direction, the flights through Armenian air spaces will necessarily increase, Frank Brenner mentioned. An agreement was signed between Eurocontrol and General Department of Civil Aviation of Armenia which purpose is the improvement of the legal and judicial sector of the Armenian Air Navigation field. According to Frank Brenner, it will contribute the increase of the level of air traffic safety. Artyom Movsesyan, Head of the General Department of the Civil Aviation of the Republic of Armenia mentioned that along with Frank Brenner they made a tour in ArmAeroNavigation CJSC and Zvartnots International Airport. We introduced Mr. Brenner with all the procedures that our passengers pass. We signed an agreement of cooperation according to which we will get free assistance by Eurocontrol during 50 days. Eurocontrol will be ready to support Armenian Civil Aviation in any issue which it will have in the sector of air traffic safety, Movsesyan emphasized. EUROCONTROL, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, is an intergovernmental Organization with 41 Member States, committed to building, together with its partners, a Single European Sky that will deliver the air traffic management performance required for the twenty-first century and beyond. EUROCONTROL coordinates and plans air traffic control for all of Europe. This involves working with national authorities, air navigation service providers, civil and military airspace users, airports, and other organizations. Its activities involve all gate-to-gate air navigation service operations: strategic and tactical flow management, controller training, regional control of airspace, safety-proofed technologies and procedures, and collection of air navigation charges. Qualcomm recently came under the scrutiny of South Korean antitrust regulators due to their patent licensing practices, such as charging license fees to device OEMs based on a percent of device cost rather than component cost. Qualcomm is under investigation in many countries for similar reasons, but South Korea in particular is after them because some of their practices violate South Korean competition law, especially in the area of license negotiation. They were served with a Case Examiners Report from the Korea Fair Trade Commission stating that The document was the Commissions way of giving them the chance to respond and present their defense before formal hearings began. After publicly acknowledging the investigation, Qualcomm is now putting in applications in U.S. Federal courts to get their hands on papers regarding them and their products submitted to the Korea Fair Trade Commission by customers and rivals. In particular, Qualcomm is looking to have subpoenas served to Apple, Samsung, Mediatek, Broadcom, Texas Instruments and Via Technologies. Rather than jumping to issue an official defense or public statement, Qualcomm plans to gather up the documentation and make a case based on what was presented, as well as what was in the Case Examiners Report. Advertisement There is definitely cause for Qualcomm to be worried. As well as this antitrust investigation, there are two in progress from the European Union and a recently concluded one in China that Qualcomm wound up paying a fine for, to the tune of $975 million. A change of licensing procedures was also in order, but it seems that was far from enough to satisfy antitrust regulators in other countries. Qualcomm has even looked to splitting its chipmaking and licensing businesses into separate entities as a possible solution, but dropped that possible solution in the end. It seems like the only party to not go after Qualcomm in antitrust proceedings at this point is their home country, the United States. Given their current circumstances and recent restructurings costing over 1,000 San Francisco employees their jobs, Qualcomm is definitely in hot water. These investigations likely unfavorable conclusions could lead to more job loss, as well as sweeping changes to Qualcomms business practices. With almost any work environment, theres at least some element of danger. With factories in particular, the potential for tragedy to strike is a huge issue that teams at most factories must always work to avoid. The grim truth is though, that tragedy can strike at any time; nobody is invincible. The families of a couple of dearly departed Samsung workers and their representatives, along with a number of watchdog agencies and advocacy groups, however, say that the number of deaths, injuries and onsets of disease suffered at Samsung factories is disproportionately high and something must be done. After some tragic accidents and the 2007 leukemia death of Hwang Yu-mi, a former employee at one of Samsungs chip factories, mounting tensions over the issue led Samsung to announce in 2014 that it would begin efforts to make things right. According to the Protector of Health and Human Rights of Semiconductor Workers, or SHARP, Samsung has a lot to make up for. Thus far, the group, which represents victims of work-related disease who were or are involved with Samsung, counts over 200 sick workers and over 71 deaths. Samsung, in response, has vowed to change conditions and compensate affected workers and families, setting aside roughly $82.9 million for this purpose. As of the end of 2015, 100 victims cases had been accounted for as having compensation provided. Advertisement Samsung has also reached an agreement with these groups to form an ombudsman group outside the company to inspect factories and working conditions, as well as set up medical services for employees and conduct related research. The committee will be tasked with releasing a report with their findings, which Samsung will be given the right to oppose. The committee will be monitoring Samsung and overseeing changes for three years, after which it will be determined if an additional three years is necessary or if Samsung has fulfilled their obligation. The main issue still in the air revolves around compensation and apologies, especially for the families of deceased employees. Negotiations have, at this point, hit a snag and are on hiatus. Thus far, there has been no sign of government involvement, mostly because Samsungs fairly high safety rankings exempt most of their sub-companies from scrutiny. The public outcry has apparently been substantial, but only time will tell if Samsung can satisfy victims and families who were involved. If youre familiar with the self-driving car scene, you probably are well aware that laws and regulations are currently one of the bigger roadblocks to a mainstream rollout of fully automated vehicles. Google met with a fairly unsatisfactory resolution in California, but hopes lawmakers will give them a bit more wiggle room elsewhere. Austin, Texas, in particular has been friendly. Unfortunately, the logical conclusion of this line of events is for some poor consumer to buy a self-driving car in one state, drive it into another and suddenly have it kick into manual mode because that state has outlawed self-driving cars. At some point, Federal authorities will have to step in. According to the secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Anthony Foxx, theyre working on it. Foxx has been diving into the tech culture thats trying to penetrate the transport industry to try and find a happy middle ground, going as far as speaking at CES. He sums up the legal plight of the self-driving revolution quite nicely when asked by Re/Code. Historically,, he says to tech companies in general, we may seem like a foreign creature to many of the tech companies that are used to doing great innovation and moving it directly to the marketplace. In the automobile area, theres a very elaborate rule-making and regulatory framework. What were trying to do is to find out where there are touch points in our regulatory system that would prevent innovation happening in the automobile space. And trying to get ahead of that and smooth that out before we have a situation where the technology is ready to go and weve not figured out how to help it get there. Advertisement In essence, he and his people are well aware of whats going on and that they need to stay one step ahead of the tech worlds advance on transportation in order to avert disaster. On that note, he said, that guidance is being worked on as we speak. I expect in the next days and weeks Ill be able to make some announcement about that. He also stated that he hopes to smooth things over in California by working hand-in-hand with tech companies as rules are drafted up on a federal level. He caps off the questionnaire by commenting that he expects to see fully autonomous cars on U.S. roads in the next five years. It will likely be a bumpy road, so to speak, but if the person in charge has ideas about how to approach the tech industrys encroachment into transport, lawmakers will at least not be caught unawares when the time comes and products begin hitting the market. YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. The existing crisis in Saudi Arabia-Iran relations is not a new phase of tension. Expert in Arabic studies Arax Pashayan expressed such a viewpoint in a press conference held at Armenpress media hall. In her words, still back in 1970s Iran planned to export Shiite revolution into Gulf States. At that time Gulf States were worried over Irans activities. The latter used Shiite communities to reinforce its position. We can say that even the Syrian war in some sense displays the intensification of Iran-Saudi Arabia relations, as Iran tries to preserve the administration of President Bashar al-Assad, while Saudi Arabia wishes to withdraw him and bring pro-Saudi forces to power. As refers to the cases of beheading people in Saudi Arabia, the reasons here can be both domestic and external. New and young forces have come to power in Saudi Arabia who wish to conduct a tougher policy, increase Saudi Arabias international weight and, of course, to overcome the failures in Syria. Saudi Arabia invested millions of dollars to withdraw Bashar al-Assad, but it failed, the expert said. Besides, according to Arax Pashayan, Saudi Arabia, together with Israel, attempts to subvert the agreements reached during Iran-5+1 negotiations. In her words, Gulf States are really worried of the cancelation of sanctions against Iran. There will be no direct clashes between Iran-Saudi Arabia, but this tension speaks of one thing. If there were hopes over the possibilities to somehow end the Syrian crisis, now that process becomes cloudy. Of course, Geneva talks on January 25 are expected, but the Syrian crisis turns more and more complicated. Numerous forces are involved, which appose one another and pursue diverse goals. It will be too difficult to reach any agreement in the current situation. The issue of settlement is dubious. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey triangle exists, which has an unconstructive role, Pashayan added. As refers to the possible impact on Armenia, the expert in Arabic studies mentioned that those developments do not directly deal but there are Armenian communities in the Middle East the security issue of which is worrying. Currently, the existence of Christian communities in the Middle East has come under doubt. Many experts state that a short life remains for the Christians in the Middle East as migration rates are very high. Armenia cooperates with its allies for the security of the communities, but there are people who do not wish to leave, even from Aleppo, where fierce clashes are underway, the expert added. YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. There are serious prospects for tourism development as a result of the implementation of Open Skies Policy in Armenia. Frank Brenner, Director General of European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, expressed such an opinion during his talk with journalists at Zvartnots International Airport. I have visited Armenia for the third time and taking the opportunity, Id like to emphasize that I admire the beauty of this country. I think, there are many sights in Armenia that can attract tourists attention and Armenia will be able to have more tourists, if Open Skies Policy is implemented, Armenpress reports, Brenner said. He added that it is important not only to improve legislative framework but also raise the level of the countrys infrastructures in order to attract tourists. He stated that Zvartnots International Airport with its technical equipment, human resources and standards is capable of providing services to many passengers. The Government of the Republic of Armenia adopted a decision on the "Program for ensuring competitive and sustainable air services, and Program implementation activities in the Republic of Armenia" on October 23, 2013 which declared introduction of the Open Skies Policy in the field of civil aviation and air communication in Armenia. YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Armenia will chair the Permanent Commission of European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) in 2016. Frank Brenner, Director General of European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, informed journalists after making a tour at Zvartnots International Airport. Brenner noted that the Head of General Department of Civil Aviation of Republic of Armenia Artyom Movsesyan will chair the Permanent Commission. As Armenpress reports, he also expressed an opinion that during that period close cooperation will become possible to solve problems in common. EUROCONTROL, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, is an intergovernmental Organisation with 41 Member States, committed to building, together with its partners, a Single European Sky that will deliver the air traffic management performance required for the twenty-first century and beyond. Armenia has been a member since 2006. Wanted man upset with police departments image of him sends better photo To Ohio, where the Lima Police Department looking for 45-year-old Donald Chip Pugh have a new photo to aid enquiries. Pugh saw the polices Facebook post about himself. He didnt like the picture police chose: He wrote to them, saying, Here is a better photo that one is terrible. Lt. Andy Green is appreciative. Hes drawing more attention to himself, which is going to make it easier for us to locate him, because the more attention that this post garners, the more people are going to see it, the more tips are going to come in about this guy, Green said. Everyone likes to be noticed Anorak Posted: 12th, January 2016 | In: Strange But True Comment | TrackBack | Permalink Poachers caught after shooting robotic decoy deer To Maryland, where two keen-eyed poachers are hunting deer. David James Few, 21 of Taneytown, Maryland, and Brian Kelley Stitely, 24, of Fairfield, Pennsylvania, are nabbed. The uniforms from Maryland Natural Resources police have been on a stakeout. Theyve spotted the pairs spotlighted and that the hunters have shot the agencys robotic decoy deer. Police swoop. They search the hunters vehicle, wherein they discover two crossbows, two flashlights, 4.2 grams of marijuana and a glass pipe. Robo-Deer suffered minor injuries. Anorak Posted: 12th, January 2016 | In: Strange But True Comment | TrackBack | Permalink Transfer balls: Pep agrees Man City move but wants Arsenal says clueless tabloid source The Metro brings news that Pep Guardiola is interested in succeeding Arsene Wenger. Newspaper have been on a mind that Pep is heading to Manchester City at the end of this season. See the Metro stories: Pep Guardiola has already agreed to take over at Manchester City next season; and Pep Guardiola agrees deal to become Manchester City manager next season. Can it now be that the Spaniard is to become the next Arsenal boss, replacing Wenger, who has expressed no desire to leave in the summer? Reading on we learn that the story is attached to the explainer claims Guillem Balague. The story is utter balls: I agree that Pep would be perfect for Arsenal but, despite the interest of Pep in the London team, I feel he might be going somewhere else, Balague told SkySports. As it stands, he has not signed anything and both City and Chelsea think they have a good chance to get him. In other words: he hasnt the foggiest. Lots more on what Guillem feels here. Anorak Posted: 12th, January 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink (ANSA) - Rome, January 12 - The government's landmark constitutional reform abolishing the Senate in its present form - which Premier Matteo Renzi on Sunday called "the mother of all battles" - returns to the Senate floor Wednesday for a third reading. The reform streamlining Italy's cumbersome political machinery faces an autumn referendum to be confirmed, and the reformist premier has said he will quit if defeated. In a nutshell, the reform package ends so-called perfect bicameralism, putting in place a Senate with fewer legislative powers and made up of 95 Senators elected from regional councils but with popular legitimacy, as well as a new federalism, abolishing concurrent competencies between the State and regions, and putting strategic competencies back in the hands of the head of State. The reform package modifies and completes the March 2001 Title V reforms, which introduced federalism. Following, then, is an overview of the major changes set to come about in the government as a result of the reform package also known as the Boschi bill: LOWER HOUSE - Will be the only body with the power to hold a no-confidence vote. There will still be 630 MPs and they will be elected with universal suffrage, as now. SENATE - Will continue to be called Senate, but will be made up of 95 members elected from regional councils (21 mayors and 74 councillor-Senators), plus five nominated for seven-year terms by the head of state. Will have full legislative powers only on constitutional laws and reforms. Regarding ordinary laws, can ask the Lower House for modifications, but the Lower House is not required to carry out the requests. If the Senate asks the Lower House to modify a law that regards the relationship between the state government and regional governments, the Lower House must have an absolute majority in order to refute the request. POPULAR LEGITIMACY - A new addition to the Senate, by request of the Democratic Party (PD) minority. Voters, at the time of electing their regional councillors, will also indicate which of those they also wish to elect as Senators. The regional councils, once seated, will be required to ratify the choice. SENATOR-COUNCILLORS: The 95 Senators will be partitioned out between the regions based on each region's demographic weight. The regional councils will elect Senators from within their councils using a proportional method, and one senator from each region must also be a mayor. IMMUNITY: The new Senators will have the same immunity protections as the MPs, namely that they can't be arrested or subject to wiretaps without Senate authorisation. FEDERALISM: Certain competencies have been returned to the hands of the head of government, such as energy, strategic infrastructure, and the national system of civil protection. Also, through a government proposal, the Lower House will be able to approve laws that are within the competence of the regional councils, "when required in order to safeguard the judicial or economic unity of the Republic, that is, to safeguard national interests". VOTE ON SPECIFIC DATE: Parliamentary regulations must indicate a specific time for voting on government bills, and limits to the government will be introduced on contents of bills. PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC: Will be elected by the 630 MPs and the 100 Senators. For the first three ballots a two-thirds majority will be required; from the fourth ballot, three-fourths; from the seventh ballot a three-fifths majority will suffice. At present the quorum is lower, with an absolute majority from the fourth ballot on. CONSTITUTIONAL COURT: Of the 15 constitutional judges, three will be elected by the Lower House and two by the Senate. REFERENDUM: A lower quorum will be required on referendums for which 800,000 signatures are collected rather than 500,000: to make it valid will require approval by half of those who voted in the most recent elections, rather than half of all registered voters. POPULAR INITIATIVE BILLS: The number of signatures required to propose a popular initiative rises from 50,000 to 150,000. However, Lower House rules must indicate precise times of examination, a clause which doesn't currently exist. ELECTORAL LAW - A preventative appeal to the Constitutional Court on electoral laws can be made by request of one-fourth of the members of the Lower House. Among the transitional regulations is also the possibility of a preventative appeal during the current legislature. Therefore even the Italicum electoral reform bill could come under examination of the Constitutional Court. PROVINCES - Will be abolished from the constitution, a necessary step in order to definitively abolish them. CNEL - The National Council on Economy and Labour (CNEL), a constitutional organ based on the 1948 Charter, will be abrogated. (ANSA) - Rome, January 12 - The head of the Senate's defence committee said Tuesday that Massimiliano Latorre, one of two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen during an anti-piracy mission in 2012, will not return to India. New Delhi allowed Latorre to return to Italy after he had a stroke in 2014 but the other marine, Salvatore Girone, is not permitted to leave India. Italy has taken the case, which has been subject to a long series of delays and caused considerable diplomatic friction between the countries, to international arbitration. "Massimiliano Latorre will not go back to India and work is being done on the possibility of requesting for Salvatore Girone to be able to return to Italy," said Senator Nicola Latorre, who is not related to the marine even though he has the same surname. Massimiliano Latorre's permit to be in Italy to receive treatment is set to expire on Friday. (ANSA) - Udine, January 11 - A Romanian panhandler who spat on and punched a young woman after she refused to give him change has been ordered out of the country, police said Monday. The 31-year-old man is homeless and can be ordered out of Italy because he cannot demonstrate the ability to support himself, authorities said. He has 30 days to report to the Italian embassy in Bucharest. If he fails to comply, he can be repatriated by force. The incident took place January 7 in the northeastern city of Udine. (ANSA) - Rome, January 12 - Strong, blustery south-westerly winds continued to lash much of Italy on Tuesday, causing disruptions to maritime transport and uprooting trees. Two residents of Altopascio in the Tuscan province of Lucca were slightly injured after a poplar crashed onto their moving vehicles. Activities at Livorno port, also in Tuscany, came to a halt on Tuesday morning, with interruptions to ferry services to Sardinia, Corsica and the small Tuscan island of Capraia. Ferry services linking the nearby port of Piombino to Elba Island were also suspended. Further north in the coastal region of Versilia, a large pine tree was uprooted in the seaside resort of Viareggio causing damage to gas and water pipes. There were also flight disruptions at Florence airport for the second consecutive day due to the strong winds. In the central Marche region, a main road was closed to traffic in the early hours after a large road sign was knocked down by the wind. Damage and disruptions were also reported in the southern Calabria and Campania regions, with an almost total block on maritime services between Naples and the islands. In Sardinia fire fighters in the province of Nuoro intervened on several occasions to remove trees, advertising billboards, Christmas lights and other objects from the roads. (see related)(ANSA) - Rome, January 11 - The co-chair of an anti-reform committee in parliament said Monday enough lawmakers are on board to request a referendum. "We have the certainty that at least 126 MPs will ask for the referendum" to strike down Premier Matteo Renzi's Constitutional reforms, said MP Alfiero Grandi. The anti-reform committee was officially launched earlier in the day to prevent "2016 from becoming the year of the end of the Republic born 70 years ago," its supporters said. The anti-reform referendum is being promoted by Italian Left (SI) - a splinter from Renzi's Democratic party - and the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S). Renzi's reform bill would change the Constitution by making the Senate into a slimmer body with limited lawmaking powers, thus streamlining Italy's notoriously slow and costly political machinery. (ANSA) - Rome, January 12 - Justice Minister Andrea Orlando said Tuesday that illegal immigration must be decriminalised but only as part of a comprehensive reform of the regulations regarding asylum seekers. Silvio Berlusconi's third government made entering Italy illegally a crime in 2009, but the law has been blamed for clogging up the legal system as Italy deals with an increasingly large waves of arrivals from North Africa. On Monday Premier Matteo Renzi said the issue would not be addressed in the next cabinet meeting as people at the moment feel unsafe. "It must be done," Orlando told La 7 television when asked about decriminalising illegal immigration. "With the interior ministry we are considering a comprehensive intervention that regards repatriations, the time scales for recognising refugee status - the abolition of the crime can be part of that package. "The crime of illegal immigration has created a mechanism that frequently hampers the repatriation process". (ANSA) - Rome, January 12 - Closer international cooperation is needed on migrants and refugees, Italian President Sergio Mattarella said Tuesday. "Closer international cooperation is needed on the identification and redistribution of refugees in order to combat irregular transits and the trafficking and exploitation of human beings," Mattarella said. The Italian government has complained that the European Union is not delivering on an agreement to relocate thousands of the refugees who have landed in Italy. YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Republic of Armenia Minister of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations Armen Yeritsyan believes in the actions taken by law enforcement bodies, as well as the fairness in the investigation of the murder case of the Avetisyan family. Armen Yeritsyan, National Assembly MPs visited Shirak cemetery where 7 members of the Avetisyan family are buried, laid flowers at their graves on January 12. When the verdict is delivered, all of us well see that it is fair. A decision was made that the trial would be held in the territory of the Russian military base, I think, it is a fair decision, Yeritsyan said. Regional and rural authorities are also hopeful that the trial will finally shed some light on the murder case of the family and the criminal will get the punishment he deserves. Governor of Shirak region Felix Tsolakyan said that the third trial of the case will be held on January 18 and hes sure that the criminal will be duly punished. Mayor of Gyumri Samvel Balasanyan expressed his hope that the people of Gyumri will finally receive answers to questions which create doubts concerning the case. The relatives of the family visited the house where murder was committed one year after the tragedy of the Avetisyan family January 12. Everything looked the same, but for a little disorder due to the searches that had been carried out in the house. (ANSA) - Rome, January 12 - The foreign ministry's crisis unit is at work to verify whether Italians were hit in Tuesday's blast in Istanbul. The explosion, which took place in the historic Sultanahmet district where the Blue Mosque and other monuments popular with tourists are situated, has killed at least 10 people, city authorities said. German officials are also at work after reports that nine of the victims are German. Another 15 people were injured, the Turkish city said. Local media reported a suicide bomber may have caused the blast. The online version of Turkish daily Hurriyet said investigators believe the bomber was linked to ISIS. Premier Matteo Renzi said that the West is faced with a tough battle against terrorism after Tuesday's explosion in Istanbul. "Before we judge, we must try to understand more," Renzi told Repubblica TV when asked about the blast in the Turkish city. "There is certainly a very tough battle to fight against terrorism and it's necessary to face a question of values and identity in our lands. "The attack in Turkey is a very big wound but many of the attackers hide and grow in the heart of Europe". Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni had a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu after Tuesday's explosion, the foreign ministry in Rome said. A statement said that Gentiloni expressed Italy's support and solidarity for the victims, their families and the Turkish government. "Italy and Turkey are more committed against terrorism than ever before," Gentiloni said. A hotel being constructed in another area of Istanbul caught fire on Tuesday but the workers on the site were evacuated to safety. (ANSA) - Rome, January 12 - Premier Matteo Renzi said Tuesday that his government has no plans to call an early general election after a referendum is held on its flagship Constitutional reform to overhaul Italy's political machinery later this year. "It's the president's decision, but the government intends to go on until the end of the parliamentary term (in 2018) because the idea that the natural time frames should be respected is a principle of good sense," Renzi told Repubblica TV, the internet channel of Rome-based daily La Repubblica. Renzi said that the campaign for the referendum on whether to ratify the Constitutional reform will start in April. Renzi, who has staked his political career on pushing through the reform, has said the referendum will take place in October after the bill has been approved in parliament. "The referendum campaign will start immediately in April," Renzi said. "I don't think it will be easy and I've said that if I lose, not only will I resign, but I will also quit politics. "It's not an attempt to turn the referendum into a personal vote, but the way to apply a principle - those who govern have responsibility". The package includes the transformation of the Senate into a leaner assembly of 95 local-government representatives, plus five members nominated by the president, with limited powers to save money and make passing legislation easier. The move is highly controversial and opposition parties are seeking to organise a separate referendum to scrap the reform, saying Renzi wants to turn the other vote into a poll on him and his executive, rather on the merits of the package. Renzi also said Tuesday that the crime of illegal immigration was useless while reiterating that decriminalising entering Italy illegally will not be on the agenda of the next cabinet meeting. "The crime of illegal immigration, which serves for nothing, will be scrapped but only when the government has a clear package on issue to make the expulsion process faster," he told Repubblica TV. Silvio Berlusconi's third government made entering Italy illegally a crime in 2009, but the law has been blamed for clogging up the legal system as Italy deals with an increasingly large waves of arrivals from North Africa. On Monday Renzi said the issue would not be addressed in the next cabinet meeting as people at the moment feel unsafe. But the head of Italy's Supreme Council of Magistrates (CSM), the judiciary's self-governing body, said the sooner the law is changed the better. "This crime did not live up to expectations and sometimes constitutes an obstacle to human trafficking investigations," Giovanni Legnini said Like Renzi, Justice Minister Andrea Orlando said Tuesday that illegal immigration must be decriminalised as part of a comprehensive reform of the regulations regarding asylum seekers. "It must be done," Justice Minister Andrea Orlando told La 7 television when asked about the issue. "With the interior ministry we are considering a comprehensive intervention that regards repatriations, the time scales for recognising refugee status - the abolition of the crime can be part of that package. "The crime of illegal immigration has created a mechanism that frequently hampers the repatriation process". (ANSA) - Rome, January 12 - Beppe Grillo, the leader of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), announced on his blog Tuesday that the mayor of the town of Quarto, near Naples, has been ejected from the movement. Grillo had called on the mayor, Rosa Capuozzo, to resign after allegations her council had been infiltrated by the the Campania mafia, the Camorra. On Monday Capuozzo said she was taking time to consider her position. "Rosa Capuozzo has received an expulsion notification from the 5-Star Movement (M5S) because of a serious violation of its principles," read Grillo's blog. "Because we are the 5-Star Movement, not any old PD," he added, referring to Premier Matteo Renzi's centre-left Democratic Party (PD). The Quarto case has caused embarrassment to the M5S, which says that it, unlike Italy's traditional parties, is untainted by corruption. Bigwigs from the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) on Tuesday denied knowing that the M5S mayor of Quarto near Naples, Rosa Capuozzo, was being blackmailed by an M5S member there who has been linked to the Camorra mafia. Roberto Fico, chair of the parliamentary oversight commission on RAI State TV, said neither he nor Lower House Deputy Speaker Luigi Di Maio "ever knew about any blackmail, threat or trade-off via threats to obtain something". Alessandro Di Battista, deputy chair of the House foreign affairs committee, agreed. Capuozzo, who was threatened by subsequently expelled M5S councillor Giovanni De Robbio in connection with allegedly Mob-linked building work on her husband's house, has herself now been ejected from the M5S but is resisting calls to step down as mayor. Renzi said Monday the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) never had a "moral monopoly" and does so even less now that the mayor of Quarto has been embroiled in a Camorra mafia row. "The idea that M5S had a moral monopoly has never existed for us and it has gone for them too now," he said. (ANSA) - Rome, January 12 - Premier Matteo Renzi said that the West is faced with a tough battle against terrorism after Tuesday's explosion in Istanbul in which at least 10 people were killed. "Before we judge, we must try to understand more," Renzi told Repubblica.tv when asked about the blast, thought to be caused by a suicide bomber, in the Turkish city. "There is certainly a very tough battle to fight against terrorism and it's necessary to face a question of values and identity in our lands. The attack in Turkey is a very big wound but many of the attackers hide and grow in the heart of Europe". The foreign ministry's crisis unit is at work to verify whether Italians were hit in Tuesday's blast. The explosion took place in the historic Sultanahmet district where the Blue Mosque and other monuments popular with tourists are situated. German officials are also at work after reports that nine of the victims are German. Deputy Turkish Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber was a 28-year-old Syrian and that most of the people killed were foreigners. Another 15 people were injured. The online version of Turkish daily Hurriyet said investigators believe the bomber was linked to ISIS. Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni had a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu after Tuesday's explosion, the foreign ministry in Rome said. A statement said that Gentiloni expressed Italy's support and solidarity for the victims, their families and the Turkish government. "Italy and Turkey are more committed against terrorism than ever before," Gentiloni said. (ANSA) - Brussels, January 11 - EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said on Monday that it's Italy's responsibility to decide whether or not it wants to create a bad bank to handle Italy's bad loan issues. "Many member states have put systems in place to manage bad loans," Vestager said. "We have a lot of experience on how to do so. We've shared our information with the Italian authorities. It's not for us to decide. We've indicated the possible roads. There are various opportunities". Energy: 1.6 $billion to fund oil shale energy project (ANSAmed) - AMMAN, JANUARY 12 - A joint consortium of Estonian-Malaysian companies signed a $1.6 billion agreement to set up oil shale a power plant south the kingdom with 470 megawatts capacity, official news agency said today. Officials have described the agreement, to be funded by Chinese banks as the biggest in history of the kingdom in terms of funding by an international consortium. Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Ibrahim Saif was quoted by Petra news agency as saying that the joint venture between Estonian Enefit and Malaysian YTL International, could be the largest in the history Jordan in terms of its funding that will exceed $2 billion by the end of the implementation phase. The project is due to be completed by 2019, the project is considered fundamental to Jordan's new policy of minimizing dependency on imported fuel and provide up to 3000 job opportunities. "The project would diverse the country's energy sources, stressing the government's commitment to ensure the success of this project with full transparency and effectiveness," said Prime minister Abdullah Nesour who was present during the signing ceremony. (ANSAmed) 16000 Syrian refugees stranded on Jordan border Amman urges aid to settle refugees,says can not allow mass entry (ANSAmed) - AMMAN, JANUARY 12 - Jordan has ruled out allowing thousands of Syrians stranded on its borders to enter the kingdom in mass, but offered help to ease their plight through aid and relocation to third destination, government official said today. Government spokesman Mohammad al Momani admitted that there are about 16000 Syrian asylum seekers languishing in no man's land in the north eastern part of the kingdom, insisting his country can only allow an average of 100 refugees a day. "Jordan is willing to cooperate with any country which might be able to take refugees from the border camp," the minister told the Jordan Times, adding that the Syrians in these camps are being provided with their needs of supplies, tents and medications. The refugees are vulnerable to extreme weather conditions, freezing temperature and blinding sand storms in summer, amid lack of running water and proper sanitation. "They are receiving all their humanitarian needs and there are clinics within the camp supported by international agencies and JAF." Jordan has been criticised by Human Rights Watch and other aid agencies for refusing entry of thousands of refugees, but authorities in Amman insist the kingdom has major security concerns. "Refugees are allowed into Jordan from other areas on the border. Jordan remains committed to its open border policy while taking needed security measures to ensure that citizens and refugees are protected." (ANSAmed). (ANSAmed) - ROME, JANUARY 12 - A violent blast at 10 am local time on Tuesday rocked the historic center of Istanbul - the Sultanhamet area where the city's top tourist attractions are located, including the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace - killing at least 10 and injuring a reported 15 people. Nine Germans were killed, according to local media reports quoted by Bild, though the toll has not been officially confirmed. A temporary death toll was released by the office of the governor in Istanbul, which did not elaborate on the cause of the explosion. According to media reports, the blast was caused by a suicide bomber but for the moment authorities have not confirmed this, saying that investigations ''are ongoing on the cause of the explosion, the type of explosive and the perpetrator or perpetrators''. The Italian foreign ministry's crisis unit is working, in contact with the Italian general consulate in Istanbul, to verify whether Italians nationals are among the victims or injured. Meanwhile, Turkish Premier Ahmet Davutoglu has summoned an emergency meeting to manage the crisis. For the moment, as in similar occasions previously, national media are being censored. Also on Tuesday, a fire was reported at a hotel in another district of Istanbul, Maltepe. According to witnesses quoted by Turkish media, a number of people were trapped inside the building although the incident has not reportedly been connected to the Sultanahmet blast - which occurred close to the Obelisk of Theodosius - after which the whole neighborhood was shut down. Over the past few months, sporadic attacks by left-wing extremists have been recorded in Istanbul while violence between Turkish and Kurdish forces with the PKK have resumed - especially in the South-East - after the end of the ceasefire. Turkey has also been struck by ISIS attacks: two explosions caused by suicide bombers in Ankara killed over 100 people last October while over 30 died close to the border with Syria in July. (ANSAmed) Catholic Church helped 27,000 migrants in 2015, Migrantes 6,000 to be at Pope's Angelus on World Migrants Day 17/1 (by Angela Abbrescia) (ANSAmed) - ROME, JANUARY 12 - Ever more asylum seekers and refugees are being welcomed into Italian dioceses. There were some 23,000 on September 6, 2014, the day the Pope called for parishes, communities, monasteries and sanctuaries to extend the welcome, and today there are 27,000, including 5,000 in parishes. The figures were provided by Monsignor Giancarlo Perego, Migrantes director general, during the presentation of the Catholic Church's initiatives for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees on January 17. Numerous institutional messages have been sent to Migrantes for the occasion, including one from President Sergio Mattarella, who underscored the need for ''closer international cooperation in the field of the recognition and relocation of refugees in order to counter irregular transit and the trafficking and exploitation of human beings''. Interior Minister Angelino Alfani underscored that ''the issue of integration, especially at this time in history, is bound to intersect with that of security''. Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said that Italy had in 2015 carried out ''over half the rescues in the central Mediterranean'' of migrants at sea. Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin said that the ministry was moving ahead with a project for an electronic healthcare file for migrants. Migrantes director Perego warned, however, that ''fear is growing. Risks are growing not only as concerns the raising of walls, forms of protectionism and limitations on welfare for migrants, but also clashes and social conflict in Europe''. Even in Italy, he said, the welcoming of migrants and refugees is very ''precarious, both in the ports of arrival and in many reception centers''. Migrantes figures show that out of the 153,000 that landed on Italian coasts in 2015, some 103,792 are still here in various facilities. Though the number of asylum requests rose (83,000 compared with 65,000 in 2014), the acceptance of requests dropped from 60% in 2014 to 42% in 2015. Perego said that one of the reasons was the basis for ''the right to international protection starting from the country of origin''. Instead, he stressed, ''this right is an individual one. We have seen group deportations, without the reading of the individuals' stories, and this is not ok in'' a country governed by rule of law. ''Europe must provide reception and integration,'' said Monsignor Guerino Di Tora, auxiliary bishop of Rome and president of Migrantes and the Episcopal Commission for Migrations, stressing that ''there are human beings behind these numbers.'' Monsignor Di Tora said that the day would be celebrated in all 27,000 Italian parishes but the focus will be the Lazio region in central Italy, where there are more immigrants than anywhere else in the country: over 600,000 including 500,000 in Rome. On Sunday, over 6,000 migrants and refugees from the 17 dioceses of Lazio with over 30 nationalities will be in St Peter's Square for the Pope's Angelus. The migrants will then go through the Holy Gate into St Peter's Basilica, where mass will be officiated by Cardinal Antonio Maria Veglio, head of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Persons. At the foot of the altar the Lampedusa Cross will be placed in memory of the dangerous journey of many asylum seekers. The wafers given out during mass have been donated by the detainees of Milan's Opera jail. (ANSAmed). BEIRUT - At least 300 civilians in need of urgent medical care have been evacuated from Madaya, the Syrian city starved after months of a siege by government troops and Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah, according to UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. A first convoy carrying humanitarian aid arrived yesterday. Previously Stephen O'Brien, UN under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs, had spoken about 400 people who needed to be immediately evacuated for treatment. YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Vice President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, Head of Armenia- Estonia Parliamentary Friendship Group Eduard Sharmazanov, who is on a working visit in Estonia, met with Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Political Affairs of the Republic of Estonia Kyllike Sillaste-Elling and representatives of Riigikogu (parliament) factions. As Armenpress was informed from the office of National Assembly Vice President Eduard Sharmazanov, the sides mutually highlighted the importance of strengthening and future development of inter-parliamentary relations which is fostered by meetings and exchange of ideas. The Vice President of the National Assembly expressed gratitude to the head of Estonia-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group Mati Raidma for his participation in the remembrance events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in Yerevan. The parties touched upon regional developments. Eduard Sharmazanov called Turkish blockade of Armenian-Turkish border unacceptable, mentioning that it is condemnable. Referring to Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Eduard Shamazanov stated that the conflict must be settled exclusively through peaceful methods based on three famous principles. ROME - Some 400 people in the besieged Syrian city of Madaya need to be evacuated as they are in urgent need of medical care, Stephen O'Brien, UN under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs, was quoted as saying by BBC News. Food and medicines on Monday started reaching Madaya, a town only 24 kilometers north-west of Damascus from which shocking pictures were just released of starving people. The city is getting aid the first time since mid-October. A humanitarian aid coordinator at the city's hospital, said O'Brien, has visited 400 people who need to be evacuated immediately. ''We must seek to do this and put the arrangements in place as soon as possible for medical treatment. Or they are in grave peril of losing their lives and dying with either the causes being from malnutrition or for complications for other medical reasons'', O'Brien was quoted as saying by the BBC. (ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, JANUARY 12 - A strong blast has rocked Istanbul's center this morning. The explosion, in the tourist area of Sultanahmet, has left at least 10 dead and 15 wounded, according to the city governor's office. The causes of the blast, which occurred in the area of Sultanahmet where the city's top tourist attractions are located, including Topkapi and the blue Mosque, are yet to be determined. Police and ambulances have rushed to the scene. Accrding to local media, the explosion was cause by a suicide attack. (ANSAmed) Libyan presidency council backs General Haftar But LNA commander wary about unity government (ANSAmed) - CAIRO, JANUARY 12 - The Libyan presidency council under prime minister-designate Fayez Al-Serraj has issued a statement declaring full support to the Libyan National Army (LNA) under General Khalifa Haftar, reported local media. Haftar is, however, well known to have been against the new national unity government. Libya Herald noted that the statement was the strongest one of support yet and that it had been released on Monday to condemn recent heavy weaponry attacks in Benghazi against a major power station (the main source of electricity for the city and much of the wider area), a camp for displaced Tawerghans and a local factory. The statement said the attacks were ''failed attempts by the so-called Islamic State and "dark powers" '' and praised the sacrifices of LNA soldiers. It said that the army would be given the highest possible support once the UN Security Council revokes the arms embargo. Haftar, head of the armed forces of Tobruk, is at the very last wary of the agreement, as many observers have noted. Italian undersecretary Marco Minniti, in charge of state security, noted the same in December to the Parliamentary Committee for the Intelligence and Security Services and for State Secret Control (COPASIR). The Libyan Observer, close to the pro-Islamist positions dominant in Tripoli, quoted sources as saying that the statement was ''unilateral'' and had been written by pro-Haftar members of the council, including Serraj. The site said that a dispute had arisen last week between members of the council on Haftar's role in the future government created on the basis of the agreement reached in Morocco last month. ''Eastern'' (Tobruk) representatives reportedly threatened to suspend their participation if the general were not to remain in a commanding role, while ''western'' ones were said to have expressed concerns that the ''controversial'' general would make them lose support from Tripoli and Misrata. Advisors to the presidency council from Misrata, who are currently meeting in Tunis, told the Libya Herald that an agreement had been reached to shelve the issue of Haftar's role for the moment. (ANSAmed). - MOSCOW - Russia's deputy foreign minister Ghennadi Gatilov has complained that the list of the Syrian opposition expected to engage in talks with the Syrian government at the end of the month is incomplete. Gatilov has called on UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura to speed up the process for the formation of a more representative delegation, Russian news agencies report. He also announced that Russian diplomats might be meeting in Geneva on January 14 with some representatives of the Syrian opposition that were not invited to the meeting in Saudi Arabia in December. The Russian foreign ministry added that there are problems concerning the drawing up of a single list of terrorist organizations in Syria. (ANSAmed) Swedish FM wants probe into Israeli violence 'Irresponsible statement', says Israeli spokesman (ANSAmed) - STOCKHOLM/TEL AVIV, JANUARY 12 - Sweden's foreign minister Margot Wallstrom called Tuesday for an investigation to determine if Israel was guilty of extrajudicial killings of Palestinians during the recent wave of violence there. Israel reacted by saying that the ''irresponsible statement'' would only ''support terrorism, thereby encouraging violence''. In November, Wallstrom was reported to have said that the Paris attacks were connected to frustration in the Middle East, and especially that of Palestinians. Israel had lashed out at the statement, calling it ''appallingly impudent''. (ANSAmed). (ANSAmed) - TUNIS, JANUARY 12 - After a long round of voting, minister after minister, Tunisia's new government led by Premier Habib Essid won a vote of confidence by a large majority in parliament. Many key ministers have been replaced, including justice, interior, foreign affairs, culture and religious affairs. Essid's new coalition government includes a total of 30 ministers and no secretary of State. It includes new posts like the ministry for local affars, which has been separated from the interior ministry, and a ministry for energy and mining separated from the industry ministry. The unity government, formed by politicians and technicians from various political sides, received parliamentary backing on February 5, 2015, succeeding in getting bipartisan support which later ended, leading to the government reshuffle on January 6. Essid said before the vote that the reshuffle was necessary to make the cabinet more effective and that is why the post of secretary of State was abolished. ''There is no development without security and stability and to reach set targets it is necessary to activate all mechanisms to fight terrorism and promote the State's continuity'', said the premier in his introduction, stressing the independence of the team (nine minsters from Nidaa, two from Ennhadha, three with Afek Tounes, four from Upl while the others are technicians). Meanwhile the political earthquake over the weekend that led 19 members of relative majority party Nidaa Tounes to leave their parliamentary group, has redesigned the Tunisian parliamentary scenario. The Islamic Ennhadha has now become the top parliamentary group with 69 seats, followed by the secular Nidaa Tounes with 67. The 19 who left Nidaa Tounees will announce on Thursday which parliamentary group they are joining and are expected to adhere to the new political project launched by the former secretary general of Nidaa Tounes, Mohsen Marzouk. The new Essid government faces many challenges starting with economic growth and the fight against terrorism. (ANSAmed) Matt Hayes leads the OAC Operations Team. Hayes is an experienced commercial helicopter pilot, aviation auditor, helideck inspector and the former Operations Manager of the successful South Africa based helideck inspection company, Helideck CertificationAfrica. Oryx Aviation Consulting is also receiving the full technical and material support of the renowned and highly respected Flight Safety Group, based in Australia who have a wealth of Helideck and Helipad inspection and certification experience gained over many years in more than 30 countries across the globe. With over 600 offshore helidecks and 500 + onshore landing facilities in the UAE there is much work to be done in achieving full compliance with the GCAA Regulations. It is expected that over the next few years the UAE will become the leaders in Helideck/Helipad safety within the Middle East and Oryx Aviation Consulting, with its Head Office in Abu Dhabi, is ideally placed to assist other countries in the Region. YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Over 18,800 migrants arrived in Europe using sea routes in the first 11 days of 2016, figures released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) showed on Tuesday. "18,882 migrants incl.refugees have arrived by sea to Europe 56 dead/missing," IOM wrote on its official Twitter account. Migrant arrivals to Europe using the dangerous maritime route averaged over 1,700 a day, the migration watchdog stated. The European Union is currently struggling to cope with a massive refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of people fleeing conflict-torn countries in the Middle East and North Africa in search of safety and refuge in the bloc. Photo by AP YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. On January 12 by 17:00 all state and interstate highways in the Republic are mainly passable. One lane of Areni-Khachik highway (8-9 km) of Vayots Dzor Province is closed for rock blasting in order to avoid a rockfall on that section of the road. A bypass road Noravank-Amaghu-Khachik is used instead. As Armenpress was informed from the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations of the Republic of Armenia, Sotk-Karvachar highway is difficult to pass. MTAES of the Republic of Armenia warns to drive on the high-mentioned roads only with winter tires and in urgent cases. As the department of Emergency Situations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of The Republic of Georgia informs Stepantsminda-Larsi roadway is open for all types of vehicles in case of using tire chains (except trucks with trailers). Le CBD, cette molecule active du cannabis a aujourdhui le vent en poupe. Et cela est en grande partie du au fait quil permet... Incentive flight broadens mission understanding Outstanding performers in the 927th Air Refueling Wing here got to experience their mission in a more personal way during an refueling flight Jan. 9. The 63rd Air Refueling Squadron took the wings stellar Airmen on an incentive flight to observe the KC-135 crew refuel a C-17 Globemaster from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. "Today's experience was amazing and exhilarating," said Senior Airman Sabrina Morris, 927th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron command support staff. "Being able to see firsthand how boom operators direct the boom and how pilots navigate their controls was incredible. Having been involved in today's flight gave me another reason to be proud to be a part of the 927th Maintenance Group." All along for the flight were grateful for the opportunity to have seen the complete view of the mission. "This experience was mind-blowing," says Airman First Class Quens Alce, 927th AMXS apprentice. "I would recommend more Airmen go on incentive flights because it will help them gain a better insight on the mission and really appreciate the job that aircrew and maintenance do." Organizing an incentive flight requires a lot of pieces to work together. Maj. Mary Lent, 927th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander and her staff ensured that Airmen were given the opportunity. "This flight was a pretty big deal for us as it gave our Airmen an opportunity to see the fruits of their labor," said Lent. "I hope this will help them gain perspective on our mission of turning fuel into freedom. Finally, I'm excited to pave the way in terms of the orientation flight process, to open this up to other agencies in the wing in hopes of giving them the same mission perspective," she concluded. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day ceremony honors, inspires "Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make this a reality for all of God's children." Those words, spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King, were read once again Jan. 11 at the Leadership Development Center on Buckley Air Force Base during a ceremony meant to honor his legacy and spur others to action in the present day. Tech. Sgt. Lee Smith, 460th Space Wing Equal Opportunity NCOIC, was tasked with bringing the event to life. Although originally ordered to plan the ceremony, Smith met the challenge with passion after being inspired by a film about Dr. King's life. "It reminded me of some of the struggles that a lot of us have been through in American history," said Smith. "With my background, and my father coming from the south and things of that nature. The reason why I wanted to do it was really to showcase everything that King had to offer, everything he'd done to change the American people, the culture." Following a short video, members of Team Buckley read portions from different speeches given by Dr. King. Applause erupted after each reading, growing with intensity until the final portion, a reading of the poem "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley. Silence lingered before Col. John Wagner, 460th Space Wing commander, took the stage to give his final comments, honoring Dr. King's accomplishments and his passion for freedom. "The struggle continues, inspired by Dr. King," said Wagner. "A lesson for each and every one of us that we cannot ever dismiss someone's contribution based upon age, race, religion or gender, particularly in our Air Force. We all continue to grow together. To defend our liberty and freedom that our founding fathers inked and Dr. King urged us to bring to life." Smith urges attendees to not only keep King's legacy alive, but to continue to take steps forward today. He also praised the military for the steps it has taken to champion freedom and diversity. "The military is a great example of what Dr. King's legacy should be," said Smith. "The diversity, the inclusion, the acceptance of everybody's different values and beliefs. Without him and his dedication, his people leading the way, we probably wouldn't be here today in this form and this fashion, especially in the military." Following the ceremony, southern style food was available to attendees, who were also able to walk around and view an array of posters and pictures from Dr. King's life and the civil rights movement, including artwork created by students to reflect the ideals of freedom and justice. "It's hard not to wonder what Dr. King would be saying right now about America if he were still here with us," said Wagner. "What a powerful and moving tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." Smith's goal was to honor King's memory and remind those in attendance of how far the U.S. has come since Dr. King's death. "Some people might not have known the struggles that the older generations, historically, have gone through in the past," said Smith. "Ultimately, the goal was to remind people of the struggles we've been through in history." King, who would have been 87 this year, was instrumental in changing a nationwide culture of racism and segregation during the 1960s, and is the first African-American and non-U.S. President to be honored by a federal holiday. AF Safety Center marks 20th anniversary This year the Air Force Safety Center commemorates the organization's 20th anniversary. Since its designation, the basic mission has remained the same: preserving lives and combat capability through mishap prevention. Safety was originally designated under the Office of the Inspector General at Norton Air Force Base, California, shortly after the Air Force became a separate department in 1947. In 1992, safety became a separate entity with the creation of the Air Force chief of safety position. The Air Force Safety Center was activated Jan. 1, 1996, as a result of recommendations accepted from the Blue Ribbon Panel on Aviation in 1995, which consolidated all safety functions at Kirtland AFB. "As we take a moment to remember our heritage, I encourage all Airmen to join us in our commitment to advancing the safety culture for the Air Force," said Maj. Gen. Andrew M. Mueller, the Air Force chief of safety and Air Force Safety Center commander. "Safety messages from our past are just as enduring today. "The lessons we learn will enable the Air Force to safeguard Airmen, protect resources and preserve combat readiness for the future," Mueller continued. The safety center develops policy, and provides guidance, education, training and oversight of the Air Force safety and nuclear surety programs to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of safety education and training, risk management, and mishap prevention. These programs cover aviation, occupational and space safety, as well as conventional and nuclear weapons, directed energy, human factors and other emerging technologies. The safety centers goal is to conserve Air Force resources by eliminating mishaps through proactive hazard identification and risk management consistent with operational requirements. Over the past 20 years, the safety center has worked hard to reduce the number of preventable mishaps. In a snapshot, the Air Force has incurred an average of 24 Class A aviation mishaps per fiscal year producing a rate of 1.15 Class A's per 100,000 flight hours for manned aircraft. Those aviation mishaps resulted in an average of 15 fatalities per year. The last five years were below the 20-year average with fiscal 2014 ending with only seven aviation flight Class A's for a rate of .43 per 100,000 flight hours. Off-duty ground mishaps continue to be one of the Air Force's biggest challenges. On-duty ground fatalities averaged five per year, while off-duty ground fatalities reached an average of 55. The Air Force finished fiscal 2014 with three on-duty and 42 off-duty ground fatalities, marking the lowest fatality rate in 10 years. Current efforts to promote a risk management-based safety culture on duty challenge Airmen to be accountable for their actions off duty. During the past 20 years, weapons safety has developed automated site planning generating more than 20,000 explosive site plans. On the nuclear side, two decades of effort of Independent Nuclear Design Certification and developing and refining the policies and procedures to ensure nuclear surety have continued to strengthen the nuclear enterprise. Weapons safety has also made great strides in the areas of improving radiation safety and the evolving field of directed energy. Recognizing the growing congestion in space and growing reliance upon its use, the Air Force formalized space safety as a mission operations discipline within the safety center in 2013. In just two years, the Air Force's space safety accomplishments earned global status with efforts such as standardizing policy across the Defense Department, academia and civil agencies such as NASA. Achievements included cooperative efforts in the development of small satellites, participation in commercial launch mishap investigations, and as a leader in the international community with regard to tracking procedures. The safety center remains committed to applying lessons learned while identifying new solutions for an ever-expanding array of challenges. "Our history and heritage are the foundation of what we do and who we are; they enable us to maintain a lasting legacy of excellence, Mueller said. "The Air Force commitment to sustain a center of safety professionals reinforces the importance of safety to mission accomplishment." by John Ai The five publishers, critical of the Chinese government, are now confirmed to be in China. But the government of the Territory seems unable to protect their rights. The population continues to protest and civil society demands "something be done". The incongruent defense of State newspapers. Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - Hong Kong leaders appear to be moving without any plan or coordination in attempts to manage the crisis that has erupted after the disappearance of the five booksellers, critical of the Beijing government. The issue has been making headlines in international media since the beginning of 2016 and has awoken civil society in Hong Kong, still in turmoil, while also embarrassing the Communist regime in Beijing. The inconsistent defense of various Chinese state media only confirms the impasse. Lee Bo, one of the owners of the Causeway Bay Bookshop, was the last to disappear. There has been no news of his fate since 30 December 2015. His four colleagues all disappeared between October and November. At first, Lee's wife received at first a few calls from Shenzhen (South China), and immediately after a letter sent by fax. The author - who signed Lee Bo - claims he went to China "of his own will" to "cooperate in a police investigation". However, Hong Kong customs controls and the border police have no record of their passage. Moreover, after receiving the fax, Lees wife withdrew the missing persons report filed with the authorities. Lee has a British passport, and London has expressed "concern" about the case. Wang Yi, of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, responded that the publisher is "first and foremost a citizen of China". In protest against this series of inconsistencies, thousands of Hong Kong citizens marched last Jan. 10, 2016 to the Office for Relations with Beijing. Anson Chan, a much loved former Secretary General, "strongly" asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to "keep his promises. One country, two systems ". Since its return to the motherland in 1997, Hong Kong has enjoyed a special status that stipulates that the Territory should enjoy a particular legal protection for 50 years from that date (that is until 2047): on paper, Beijing may intervene only for urgent matters of defense or foreign policy. To protect citizens, there is a small Constitution, the "Basic Law", which guarantees the basic human rights: these include freedom of religion, speech, expression. The pressure on the leaders of Hong Kong has forced the Chief Executive, Leung Chun-ying, to make another statement. Under the law, Beijing has to communicate to Hong Kong within 14 days any action against one of its citizens. Today is the deadline - Lee Bo disappeared on Dec. 30, 2015 - but for Leung "we are not at a definitive point. Sometimes, the Chinese authorities need more time to respond, however, and the missing persons report was filed on January 1 ". The President of the Legislative Council Jasper Tsang Yok-sing was rather less diplomatic: "Our government must consider the possibility of urgently appealing to the Chinese authorities, who have to cooperate with our Departments to clarify the situation." Lee Cheuk-yan, Democrat, said that the case of Lee Bo "is the worst fear of the citizens of Hong Kong. To disappear and reappear on the other side of the border, where our rights are not guaranteed at all. " The Global Times (the Communist Partys English-language newspaper) has published a series of editorials to refute the allegations of interference, terming them "malicious". One of the latest articles claims that Lee Bo was "known to have operated to target the Beijing government, and that this is a serious act that crosses borders. by Mathias Hariyadi Since number of participants is limited, pilgrims can wait up to 10 years to leave for Mecca and must the amount pay in advance to the government. Prosecutors had asked for 11 years for Suryadharma Ali. The politician was also chairman of the moderate Islamic party of the country. Jakarta (AsiaNews) - Suryadharma Ali, former Minister for Religious Affairs and leader of the United Development Party (PPP), was sentenced yesterday to six years in prison plus a fine for corruption during his term as minister for having appropriated money for Islamic religious pilgrimages. Suryadharma Ali was minister in the government of President Yudhoyono (2009-2014). The PPP, of which he was president, is the moderate National Islamic party. The beginning of the political trial dates back to three years ago, when Ali was accused of taking bribes to favor certain candidates for the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Saudi Arabia, which manages the pilgrimage, imposes a maximum annual number of pilgrims from abroad. In Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world, the faithful often have to waith up to 10 years before being included on the list. The pilgrimage is organized by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, which receives payment for the pilgrimage several years in advance. In addition to receiving bribes, Ali also took some of this money on several occassions. Prosecutors had asked for 11 years in prison but the Jakarta corruption court (Tipikor) reduced the sentence to six. Ali will also have to pay a fine of 21 thousand dollars and is banned from any political office for five years. Either party may appeal. In all, the politicians corruption cost Jakarta 27 billion rupees (nearly two million dollars) of financial losses. The population was surprised by the sentencing of the former Minister of Religious Affairs, who should be the defender of morality in the country. by Xin Yage After years of efforts and fundraising the dream of six lay Catholics comes true: a network dedicated to transmitting the message of the Pope and the Church's commitment to those most in need. Programming will also include archive material on evolution of Catholic life. Taipei (AsiaNews) - After years of efforts, fundraising and preparation of content, since January 1st, 2016 Catholic channel "MOD" began transmitting broadcasts on Taiwanese TV. It is the result of the determination and hard work of six Catholics from Taipei who were already working in the media. "MOD" stands for "Multimedia On Demand", and the platform is offered by Chunghwa Telecom ( ) as part of its Internet television services. MOD programs are available by selecting channel 959 on the digital decoder. Mr. Paul Su ( ) explains the origins of the company: "In the past we tried alternative projects: some were too expensive, such as cable television or other collaborations with state television. We did not have the that kind of budget and was beyond our means". Asked if this is then a fallback, he immediately responded: "No, not at all. This is a small step, and is proof that with perseverance you achieve tangible results. People want to see the Catholic productions in Chinese on their home screen, they want to hear the Pope's message with all the values that brings with it. In practice, he adds, "you want to know about the work of the Church for many underprivileged here in Taiwan and around the world. We are really pleased with this first result and will now create more content and look for new methods of communication". The channel is a sign of collaboration: "In fact we are partners with other religious channels, especially those run by the Taoists and Buddhists, who help us with the costs, given our limited resources. This cooperation is a great experience for us: we did discover new friends and different religious perspectives ". The passion and determination of these people is uplifting particularly given the fact that the main media are generally in the hands of large companies with resources of a different level. But the six Catholics are an example of how perseverance and determination can always give life to something unexpected. Three institutions sponsor the new platform: Catholic Voice ( ), Radio Veritas ( ) and Kuangchi Program Service ( ). The content library is offered mainly by the large archive of Kuangchi Program Service, which dates back to 1958. Gradually, even the old productions are being uploaded onto the platform to and especially focus on the history of the Catholic presence on the island. Taiwan already has a cable television channel linked to evangelical churches (called Good TV, channel number 15) and several channels run by Buddhist monks, above all the channel Daai ( , number "9" on every Cable television) that enrich the religious message and human values in the media on the island. In this scene a Catholic voice was lacking. "MOD" has filled this void thanks to the perseverance and hard work of these six young lay people who believed in it strongly. YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Human rights defender of the Republic of Armenia Karen Andreasyan submitted a resignation request on January 12. The Ombudsman thanks all his partners for the joint work and hopes that the human rights protection will remain our countrys and societys priority. There will be no other comments on this occasion, Armenpress reports, the Facebook post of the Ombudsman says. by Nirmala Carvalho Pilgrims to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount kneel in front of the priest and ask to confess. Msgr. Nereus Rodrigues is rector of the Basilica, where Card. Gracias opened the Holy Door. The bishop has set up panels that draw attention to the corporal works of mercy. The Holy Door decorated with messages. Thousands of pilgrims visiting. Mumbai (AsiaNews) - Since the Holy Door of Mercy was opened in the basilica of Our Lady of the Mount in Bandra (Mumbai), Maharashtra, it has attracted thousands of Christians and faithful of other religions. "Everyone is eager to receive the sacrament of reconciliation," says Msgr. Nereus Rodrigues, rector of the basilica, who cares for many pilgrims who arrive every day from dawn to dusk, along with the vice rector Fr. Anaiceto. The prelate adds: "Many Christians come here, stand in line, then kneel in front of the priest and sit in the confessional. Speaking softly, asking for the forgiveness of their sins". Msgr. Nereus is confident that many people of different faiths come to the Church throughout the year. But now, with the opening of the Jubilee Door, the church is frequented by a growing number of devotees. Outside the basilica, in the area reserved to the oratory (see photo), the bishop installed panels that draw your attention to the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, underlined by Pope Francis for this Jubilee. According to Msgr. Nereus, "in this way, through the written warnings, pilgrims can read, understand and then implement the works of mercy." Other panels were placed along the sides of the front entrance to the basilica. Msgr. Nereus said: "We want the faithful to celebrate the Jubilee of mercy even before entering the church. At the entrance there are two large panels that sway in the wind: one shows the logo of the extraordinary Holy Year, the other is the image of the prodigal son, with an explanation by Pope Francis. " Moreover, the same Holy Door is decorated with the message: "On one side the inscription 'Mary conceived without sin'. The other an invocation for the Jubilee. " In a book-length interview released today, Francis appears to reaffirm and explain some ideas that are particularly dear to him, namely how the Church is a "field hospital" that "warms the hearts of people with closeness and proximity." Corruption is sin elevated to a system that becomes a mental habit, a way of living. Rome (AsiaNews) Mercy as "Gods identity card" is the idea on which is based The Name of God Is Mercy, a book-length conversation between Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli and Pope Francis, which was presented today in Rome and released in 86 countries. Italian actor Roberto Benigni, who was present at the book launch, called it beautiful, noting that it was possible to read portions in five minutes, while waiting for a late train. In the interview, Francis appears to reaffirm and explain some ideas that are particularly dear to him. He says that prayers, reflections on previous popes, and an image of the Church as a "field hospital" that "warms the hearts of people with closeness and proximity" led him to hold the Jubilee of Mercy. Wounded by many social ills like poverty, exclusion, 3rd millennium slavery, as well as relativism, humanity needs mercy Gods identity card" from the One who "is always faithful" even when the sinner denies him. In the book, Francis urges confessors to show tenderness towards penitents. Indeed, one goes to confession, "not to be judged," but for "something greater than judgement, namely the encounter with Gods mercy" without which "the world would not exist." The confessional should be neither "a drycleaner" to cleanse away ones sins like some simple spot nor a "torture chamber" where one clashes with "overly curious confessors whose inquisitiveness is sometimes "a little sick, morbid, turning the confession into an interrogation. To those who at times say that there is "too much mercy" in the Church, the popes answer points out that "the Church condemns the sin," but "at the same time embraces the sinner who recognises himself as such, and she speaks to him about Gods infinite mercy." We must forgive "seventy times seven, that is, always." The Church, therefore, "is not in the world to condemn, but to allow the meeting with the visceral love that is God's mercy." Answering a question about gay people, the pope explains what he said in 2013, during a press conference on his return from Rio de Janeiro, namely that "If a person is gay and seeks out the Lord and is willing, who am I to judge that person?" By that, the pontiff meant, I was paraphrasing from memory the Catechism of the Catholic Church where it says that these people should be treated with care and not be marginalised. [. . .] I prefer that gay people come to confession, that they stay close to the Lord, that we pray together." Speaking about the relationship between truth, doctrine and mercy, Francis says, "I like to say: mercy is true". It "is Gods first attribute". After this, theological reflections can be done about doctrine and mercy but without forgetting that mercy is doctrine. In the book, the pope comes down hard on corruption, "the sin which, rather than being recognised as such and rendering us humble, is elevated to a system; it becomes a mental habit, a way of living. The corrupt man is the one who sins but does not repent, who sins and pretends to be Christian, and it is this double life that is scandalous. The corrupt man tires of asking for forgiveness and spends his life taking opportunistic shortcuts, at the cost of his dignity and that of others. With his Goody Two-Shoes face, the corrupt man evades taxes, fires employees to avoid hiring them on a permanent basis, uses the black market and then boasts his cunning ways with friends. He goes to Mass every Sunday but has no problem using his powerful position to demand kickbacks. by Sumon Corraya An historic pond owned by the St Peters Church since 1849 is the bone of contention. Initially used for baptisms, it now serves the community as an important source of drinking water. The government wants to fill it in to build a courthouse. For years, the Christian minority has endured forced evictions. Barisal (AsiaNews) More than 500 Christians, mostly Protestants, held a protest on Sunday in front of Ashwini Kumar Hall in Barisal, south-central Bangladesh. The demonstration over an historic Church-owned pond saw participants take part in a hunger strike (pictured). "We organised the demonstration to protest against the government's decision to construct a building that would fill the pond, Fr Shanti Mondal, representative of the Church of Bangladesh, told AsiaNews. The peaceful protest was held on Sunday in front of Ashwini Kumar Hall in Barisal. Several Catholic priests and representatives of various religions were among the demonstrators. Fr Mondal noted that the pond has belonged to St Peters Church since 1849. Initially used for baptisms, it now serves the community as an important source of drinking water. "This is an historic pond, but local lawyers want to replace it with a ten-storey building. The government has taken this decision even though we have all the legal documents, and regularly pay taxes on the land." Protesters formed a human chain and marched through the city, shouting slogans against land seizures. Afterwards, they presented a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner. "The Public Works Department filled in a 150-year pond to build the Judicial Magistrate Court in Barisal, the Christian leader said. The action is completely illegal." "Please, do not offend our religious sentiments," he pleaded. For years, Bangladeshs Christian minority has been subjected to forced land seizures, most of which are carried out with various forms of violence. Just a few days ago, a Catholic tribal man was torched to death probably in connection with a land feud. A Syrian suicide bomber hits the Sultanahmet district, near the Blue Mosque. Almost all of the dead are foreigners. About 15 people are seriously injured. For Erdogan, Turkey is the "top target for all terrorist groups in the region". For Parolin, the best medicine in the face of these evils is always mercy. Istanbul (AsiaNews) A Syrian national carried out a suicide bomb attack in the Sultanahmet district, near Istanbuls famous Blue Mosque. At least 10 people, mostly foreigners, died in the explosion. Reacting to the incident, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey was the "top target for all terrorist groups in the region". His country, he added, was "fighting against all of them equally". Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said most of the victims were foreign and that the suicide bomber was a Syrian born in 1988 who had been identified from body parts. Most of the people involved are said to be from Germany and Norway. The government has imposed a media blackout and cordoned off the area. A hundred agents in riot gear are combing the area looking for clues. It is unclear whether Turks were involved. Vatican Secretary of State Card Pietro Parolin on Tuesday expressed his sorrow for the Istanbul terrorist attack. What is happening [in Turkey] pains us, he said. What is happening there, what continues to repeat itself, confirms that the best medicine in the face of these evils is always mercy. In recent years, Kurdish, Islamist and far-left groups, including the Islamic State group, have carried out attacks in Turkey. Two suicide blasts in the capital Ankara in October killed more than 100 people and more than 30 people were killed in an attack in Suruc, near the border with Syria in July. A first shipment of aid, with food and basic necessities, entered the city under siege for months. The United Nations says there are hundreds of people, including children, near death. Local sources speak of rebel leaders who sell food at "exorbitant" prices. The guerrillas refuse to share food with the population. Damascus (AsiaNews) - Hundreds of people in Madaya need to be evacuated in a hurry to receive medical treatment, says the head of the United Nations humanitarian mission Stephen O'Brien, who is coordinating relief operations in the Syrian town. After months of siege the population is starving to death for lack of food and basic necessities. Yesterday, the first shipment of aid entered the city. Speaking to AsiaNews, the Melkite Patriarch Gregory III Laham warned of the risk that the food end up "in the hands of criminal gangs and terrorist groups." Witnesses speak of rebel leaders selling food and basic necessities to the population at "exorbitant" rates. Reporting to the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Madaya, the head of the UN mission said that at least 400 people are likely to die if they do not receive treatment soon. Meanwhile, diplomatic sources believe the stories of people who have died because of chronic food shortages are"credible". Stephen O'Brien speaks of "at least 400 people who need to be evacuated immediately. We must try to do it as soon as possible - he added they must receive medical treatment. Many of those at risk include young children. To survive, people are eating grass, soil and cat meat, while the guerrillas have "refused to share their rations or distribute food to the people". So far some people have been allowed to leave the city and are currently at collection points, waiting to complete their evacuation. Yesterday a convoy of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent under the UN - with 44 trucks loaded with food arrived in Madaya, with food stocks able to feed at least 20 thousand people for a month. The local population had been without any aid or food since last October and food prices went through the roof with a liter of milk sold on the black market at over $ 200. Among the commodities delivered yesterday there were also medicines, blankets, field materials and soaps. The distribution of aid will continue in the coming hours. Although there are no updated figures on the number of victims, sources of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported that from December 1 last year at least 28 people starved to death. UN officials speak of (credible) evidence of people who starved to death and others killed as they tried to flee the area. To date up to 4.5 million people are living in the disputed areas in Syria and difficult to access for humanitarian agencies, including at least 400 thousand in 15 different locations under siege, living in conditions of extreme necessity and without any access to aid. These include Madaya, about 25 km north-west of Damascus and only 11 kilometers from the border with Lebanon, where there are about 40 thousand people. Since July last year the area has been besieged by government forces, supported by allied Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah. Similar situations are reported in Foah and Kefraya - under siege by the rebel militias - in which there are at least 20 thousand people trapped since last March, and without aid. Criminal lawyer Adrian McKenna said he is astonished and disappointed by hacktivist group Anonymous, who claim to have named the man charged with a one-punch attack in Canberra on New Years Eve. "Any charge of intentionally or recklessly causing grievous bodily harm must in the ACT end up in the Supreme Court," McKenna said. But if it is for trial then an option for the offender is for the trial to be in front of a jury. According to a report by the ABC, the group has published what they claim is the attackers name on social media, also threatening to release his address and phone number. The post has since been shared more than 10,000 times on social media. The man turned himself in to police on New Years Day and was charged with recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm. Martin Hockridge, president of the ACT Law Society told the ABC that any form of trial by social media was unhelpful to proceedings. Let the police do their job, let the criminal justice system take its course, he said. In terms of a fair trial, and it will probably be a jury trial, you want the people that are sitting on the jury to be influenced by the evidence that is presented in court, and not anything that is presented in social media outside of the court that could be entirely wrong. When there are serious criminal charges, and this will obviously be a serious criminal charge, the best place for the matter to be sorted out is in a court of law. McKenna indicated that an application for the proceedings to be closed and for a non-publication order to be made may be sought. If this material ends up in the hands of a potential juror [then] it may lead the offender's lawyers to make an application for the matter to be heard by trial by judge alone and take the matter out of the hands of 12 members of a jury who would in effect represent the community for these proceedings, said McKenna. ACT Police would not comment on the matter as it is yet to be mentioned in the Magistrates Court. TDI We'll start with what makes the Allroad Quattro special compared to an A4 Avant. Ingolstadt engineers have increased the suspension-induced ride height by almost one inch, which, coupled with the larger wheels, means the Allroad Quattro sits 1.3 inches (34 mm) higher than your new A4 wagon. Since we mentioned the wheels, we have to explain the standard unit comes in a 17-inch size, while the list of options takes things up to 19 inches.The leave-the-road-behind model is further differentiated with the help of elements such as beefier fenders, underbody guard plates, a new rear apron and roof rails.Returning to the differences compared to the previous generation, you should expect nothing but Audi's steady evolutionary pace here.For instance, the engine compartment now houses TFSI andunits delivering between 150 and 272 hp, a 27 hp increase over the past generation. On the transmission front, this Audi can be had with a six-speed manual, a seven-speed dual-clutch or an eight-speed automatic. Still, Audi hasn't announced the US market powertrain availability yet.Oh, and you should know this Audi doesn't let anybody cut corners and embarrass themselves in front of car people - you can't have a front-wheel-drive model, since the quattro hardware is standard.Since the suspension is so important for the Allroad Quattro, we'll mention the rear axle ditches the trapezoidal setup in favor of a five-link setup.The front axle offers an updated five-link setup, which, together with that employed at the back, brings a weight saving of 26.4 lbs (12 kg), while also improving comfort by reducing unsprung mass. As an option, you can order adaptive dampers.Given the model's rugged ground potential, the Audi drive select offers a dedicated Offroad mode, but Audi talks about using this to operate the car in light terrain.There is one thing we don't appreciate about the 2017 A4 Allroad Quattro, though - in the quest to save weight and show improved efficiency figures, a plaque that is affecting more and more new cars, this Audi packs a tire fix kit instead of a spare wheel. Explain that to the rocks that cut your tires.While the automaker hasn't mentioned the US market launch date, European Allroad customers will meet the fresh model this summer. YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Armenian government will again continue its policy on providing natural gas, electric power, partial compensation for irrigation water tariffs and compensation for property and land tax to the families of border communities. As Armenpress reports, the draft decision over the mentioned above was included in the government's session of January 14. Armenian Republics law on Social support in border communities entered into force from January 1, 2015 on the basis of which the executive supports the residents of border communities. According to the project planned to be adopted, it is proposed to leave unchanged the defined compensation limits and the order of reimbursement. Well, instead of a new LS sedan, Lexus has decided to offer us a glimpse into its future with the help of a coupe. The 2017 Lexus LC 500, which we've now met on the Detroit floor, is the production version of the 2012 LF-LC concept and we have to admit we've been swept off our feet by the styling. However, unlike in the case of other recent Lexus developments, which only brought innovation as far as the eye is concerned, the important part of the LC lies under the skin.Measuring 187.4 inches (4.76 meters) in length, the car is more of an E-Class Coupe than an S-Class Coupe competitor, but the tech point it wants to prove about its maker still stands - the LC is underpinned by a modular platform built from carbon fiber reinforced plastic, aluminum and high-strength steel. With torsional rigidity managing to best that offered by the LFA's all-carbon supercar structure, the platform will be used by future Lexus models, such as the LS we're following closely.Another novelty comes in the form of a ten-speed automatic. No typo here. Lexus explains the shifts happen almost as quick as they would in a dual-clutch unit, while the gearbox is smaller than certain eight-speed autos on the market.For now, this transmission harnesses the power delivered by the 5-liter naturally aspirated V8 we've met on the RC F and GS F. Sure, the 4.5s 0 to 60 mph time sounds enticing, but Lexus needs more than 467 hp. The company knows this, with the rumor mill saying that the carmaker is working on a turbocharged future that will hit the LC line-up by the end of the decade.Given the attributes mentioned above, as well as the aluminum suspension, the Lexus LC has serious chances of providing an appealing Grand Touring mix, even though we wouldn't advise you to bet on the rear seat space when it comes to adult accommodation.While we'd stay away from the optional 21-inch wheels shown on the NAIAS car, the hefty Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber makes us think of the LC's handling department with a big smile on our faces.Climbing aboard, we find an evolution of the Lexus cabin styling we were accustomed to, with massive structures working to give one a premium feeling. And if you too are on the handling page, you can drop the standard panoramic sunroof in favor of an optional carbon roof.Lexus' current halo car, a title the LC is entirely entitled to, will start at under $100,000, once again proving the Japanese brand knows a thing or two about value for money. BMW Motorrad was the only division that recorded sales growth in December 2015, while the rest of the subsidiaries showed a slight decrease. All in all, Motorrad sold 7,497 motorcycles and maxi scooters in the last month of the previous year.This accounts for a 6.6% increase over the same period of 2014. At the opposite end sits the Rolls-Royce brand, which recorded the biggest sales reduction in December 2015, 1.8 percents.When it comes to positive figures for the entire 2015 year including December, motorcycles were only surpassed by Mini cars. No less than 12% more Mini cars were sold through the end of 2015, compared to "only" 10.9% more motorbikes and maxi scooters.BMW Motorrad sold 136,963 units to final customers in 2015. The data BMW showed at the time of writing does not specify which model sold best, though we suspect that the hierarchy did not change from the previous year. This means that the R1200GS is most likely the BMW bestseller. As for the rest of the charts, we still have to wait a bit.Small-displacement bikes are becoming the new marketing stars for an increasing number of manufacturers, and we can expect the all-new G310R to perform equally well for BMW Motorrad, too.Affordable, with lower maintenance and ownership costs, the BMW G310R may ace sales figures next year, especially as it will also be sold in developing markets, the real goldmine when it comes to strong unit sales. Margins are perhaps smaller than in the case of premium machines, but it's always the number of such bikes that makes them so profitable. SUV Still, Mike Manley has confirmed the blown V8 motivating the Dodge Challenger and Charger will find its way under the hood of the Grand Cherokee "before the end of 2017." Now that's what we call great Detroit Auto Show news. The executive dropped the bomb casually on camera, while talking to Vvuzz on the NAIAS floor, as you can see in the footage below.Since the current Grand Cherokee SRT manages to battle it out with more powerful, faster rivals that come from either Germany (Cayenne Turbo S, X5 M, anybody?) or Great Britain (yep, the Range Rover Sport SVR) thanks to the thoroughbred character of the American, we can only imagine how the fight will be once the 707-pony cavalry arrives.Forum chat brings forth people who claim they are insiders, with these voices mentioning the Hellcat-ized Grand Cherokee using the Trackhawk name. Since Dodge has trademarked that moniker, we tend to believe such rumors.Last time we visited the rumor mill side of the internet, Fiat Chrysler engineers were working overtime to overcome the challenges of having to design an all-wheel-drive system that can cope with the muscle of the supercharged 6.2-liter V8. Nevertheless, we're sure such technical journeys are just part of the job.There's another rumor out there that claims Dodge will kill both the naturally-aspirated 6.4-liter Hemi and the Hellcat V8 after 2019, all due to emission regulations.If the Grand Cherokee only gets a Hellcat for two years, expect this vehicle, which was once a Mercedes-Benz ML, to enter the rarefied structures of the collectible SUV world. AMG Now that the SLC's designation has created a connection to the C-Class, the powertrain options have been given the downsizing treatment.While in Europe this means things start with a 1.6-liter engine (no Kompressors, though) and also include a (the horror) diesel unit, the American line-up keeps things simple, only offering two engine options.We'll start with the base model, the SLC 300, which is motivated by a two-liter turbo that packs 241 hp. By the way, thanks to a partnership between Daimler and Renault-Nissan, you can also find this engine in the 2017 Infiniti Q60 Coupe.If turbo four power doesn't cut it for you, Affalterbach is ready to cater to your needs with the Mercedes-SLC 43. Since the German automaker has always made sure not to threaten its other models with an SLK that was too powerful, the 43 uses the 362 hp twin-turbo 3-liter V6 found in the C3450 AMG Sport and SL450, for instance. And yes, this means the naturally-aspirated V8 of the SLK55 AMG is but a memory these days.Nevertheless, the SLC 43 covers the 0 to 62 mph sprint in 4.7 seconds, while being electronically limited to a top speed of (you've guessed it) 155 mph (250 km/h).We won't complain about the changes in the transmission department, though, since both US models come with a nine-speed automatic. Just imagine pulling next to an S-Class Coupe driver and talking about his 7-speed box...You can now use a Dynamic Select knob to adjust the settings of the engine, gearbox, steering and suspension, with the feature offering five driving modes.The vario-roof that made the SLK famous is now easier to work with. Let's say you've started the opening/closing procedure and that traffic light mentioned above turns green. Well, you'll be able to operate the roof at speeds of up to 24.8 mph (40 km/h). Also, the boot separator, which makes sure the roof and your luggage don't become one, is now automatic (this is an option).Oh, and if the new name of the compact roadster seems familiar, this might be the fault of the 1970s SLC , an elongated incarnation of the era's SL. And since we're discussing fine details, you'll find plenty of these in the press release below (PDF file). The study has no pretenses of being conclusive for the US, so if you're willing to exercise your nitpicking skills, this is a good starting point. However, if you're ready to take a closer look at the data Dr. Carlos Rodriguez gathered at the Spectrum Health Hospital in Grand Rapids, I expect you to fall into a pensive state.Data is rather scarce, at least compared to what amount of info is needed to make sociologically- and statistically-accurate claims. Even so, with the reduced area of the study, things are grim.The study spans across a period of seven months before and the three full motorcycle seasons after the helmet law was repealed. In 2012, Michigan made wearing a helmet no longer mandatory if riders were "over 21-years-old, have had their license for at least two years, and have at least $20,000 in additional medical insurance coverage," A&R reports.Under such conditions, the trauma center at the mentioned hospital saw four times more unhelmeted riders admitted to the medical facility, 28% after the law was repealed versus 7% before.When it comes to fatalities, three times more unhelmeted riders lost their life after the law repeal, compared to the period before. That is 10% of those admitted to the hospital dying compared to only 3% before the 2012 new law.With a total of 345 patients included into the study, Dr. Rodriguez reveals that "nonhelmeted crash scene fatalities were higher after the repeal (14% vs 68%)," while the figures for "injury severity score (19 vs 14.5) and abbreviated injury scale head (2.2 vs 1.3)" also soared."Non-helmeted riders also had increased alcohol use, intensive care unit length of stay and need for mechanical ventilation," while the mentioned source also adds that the costs for a hospital visit for riders not wearing a helmet went up from $20,970 to $27,760.Once more, this is not a mass, sociologically-correct study, so you can, of course, choose to ignore it and babble on about how helmet laws "limit your freedom of expression." The research vehicle is based on a Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell car and features a flat-panel satellite antenna on its roof. The antenna is developed by Kymeta, a US-based company thats a world leader in this particular technology.The idea behind this research vehicle is to develop a distinctive Data Communications Module for the Toyota range. Thanks to the new antenna technology, these cars could benefit from higher speed data transfer and make use of the high-capacity satellites orbiting Earth.Improved antenna technology could allow the distribution of huge amounts of data to a vehicle, an improvement that could be Toyotas solution to a connected autonomous vehicle infrastructure. Such a technical solution would involve self-driving cars that notify each other about detected road hazards and use maps that are updated on a daily basis.Unlike those big satellite dishes of the past, the new technology from Kymeta works with liquid crystals and software that electronically track and steer towards satellites. The antenna remains flat throughout use and has a low profile and reduced weight. From the beginning, the system was developed to be easily integrated into the production line and even in aftermarket applications.Toyota and Kymeta have been working together on this antenna technology since September 2013. Toyota has lent the company a fleet of vehicles for test driving proposes, which have already made over 8,000 miles of road testing the new technology.The NAIAS 2016 exhibit in Toyotas stand marks the engineering progress reached by this technology in a little over two years of development. Hopefully, the two partners will develop a way to make the antennas smaller, so they could be effortlessly integrated into cars without being so easily spotted.Toyota is also supporting Kymeta with its Mirai Creation Investment Limited Partnership fund, as the Japanese brand provided them with a $5 million investment. Photo via Wheels, Inc. The 2015 Wheels Results+ Fleet Performance Summit brought together Wheels clients to showcase fleet management success stories and network with peers to share ideas. The Summit, which was attended by more than 60 professionals and held on Oct. 20 in Chicago, recognized 15 Wheels clients who achieved notable recent successes in the five Results+ optimal fleet categories. We are pleased with the turn-out and level of engagement, said Joe McDonald, senior director of Account Management at Wheels Inc. This event acts as a spring board for idea sharing between all attendees on how to work towards fleet optimization and continuous improvement. A client representative from each category winner partnered with his or her Wheels account manager to present the strategies, processes and evaluation methodologies that contributed to strong fleet performance in that area. Since the first event in 2013, 50 Wheels clients have been recognized for their outstanding achievements in one of five categories. For 2015, the winners are: Total Cost Management LabCorp PerkinElmer Westfield Insurance Fleet Administration & Ease Bayer Vesuvius Yum! Brands Risk Mitigation Rollins Saint-Gobain UCB Integration & Control ABM Industries Merck Praxair Driver Productivity & Satisfaction Becton Dickinson Bristol-Myers Squibb Recall Speakers at the event included Stephen Malush, associate procurement director at Praxair; Bill Davis, fleet and DOT manager, U.S. & Canada at Recall; Yolanda Johnson, HR operations advisor at UCB; and Lynda Dinwiddie, associate vice president at LabCorp. The Summit concluded with an industry focused discussion led by Dan Frank, president of Wheels. The dialogue covered such topics as increasing government-mandated fuel economy standards, driver/vehicle safety improvements and the evolving role of mobile technologies in fleet. For more photos from the event, click here. Photo by Mike Antich. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has reconfigured its minivan lineup by introducing the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica as a gasoline-powered or plug-in hybrid minivan to replace the Town & Country and eventually Dodge Grand Caravan. FCA unveiled the Chrysler Pacifica at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit during a Jan. 11 press conference. FCA is moving to breathe new life into a segment invented by Chrysler in 1984 with the introduction of the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager. Sales of minvans have slipped in recent years with the rise of compact and mid-size SUVs, but minivans have continued to find their way into van pools and shuttle fleets. The Chrysler Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid will arrive on a new platform that reduces noise, vibration and harshness. FCA will discontinue the Town & Country after the 2016 model year. The new minivans will arrive with more than 100 standard and available safety and security features including a 360-degree Surround View camera, ParkSense Parallel/Perpendicular Park Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Hold and Forward Collision Warning-Plus. The Pacifica will be powered by a 3.6L Pentastar V-6 that makes 287 hp and 262 lb.-ft. of torque. FCA will offer the Pacifica in six trim grades and the Pacifica Hybrid in two models. The hybrid model is expected to offer up to 80 miles per gallon equivalent in city driving and 30 miles of zero-emissions driving in EV mode from a 16 kilowatt-per-hour lithium-ion battery. The Chrysler Pacifica is expected to arrive in dealer showrooms in the spring and the Pacifica Hybrid in the second half of 2016. The Windsor Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada, is building the vehicle. Photo of Hyundai Genesis courtesy of Hyundai. Hyundai Motor America is recalling 11,142 2015 model-year Genesis vehicles so dealers can replace Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2 tires that are at risk for developing cracks in the tire sidewall, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported. The cars in question were manufactured from March 3, 2014, to Feb. 9, 2015, and are equipped with Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2 tires installed as original equipment. Hyundai dealers will replace the factory tires with tires of another brand, free of charge, according to NHTSA. The recall is expected to begin on Feb. 19. Vehicle owners can reach Hyundai customer service at (855) 671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 138. YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Republics law on "Human rights defender" defines that in the case of early termination of defenders powers the elections are passed during a month after the post remains vacant. As Armenpress reports, in the case of early termination of human rights defenders powers the President of the National Assembly (NA) informs the deputies about that during the coming session. NA elects the human rights defender by the total number of votes of at least 3/5 of the deputies; with the term of 6 years among the candidates proposed by at least 1/5 NA MPs. Human rights defender of the Republic of Armenia Karen Andreasyan submitted a resignation request on January 12. The Ombudsman thanks all his partners for the joint work and hopes that the human rights protection will remain our countrys and societys priority. There will be no other comments on this occasion, the Facebook post of the Ombudsman says. As the law defines that the new ombudsmen must be elected within a month after the resignation of the predecessor, it can be assumed that NA will elect a new ombudsmen during the first NA four-day session as it will be the only four-day session until February 12. The law also specifies that the Ombudsmen repeats his/her resignation not later than 10 days after the presentation of the resignation to the National Assembly, only after which his/her powers are considered early terminated. Mazda North American Operations are set to relocate in 2017. Photo courtesy of the automaker. Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) has signed a lease to move into a new facility that will keep the automaker in Irvine, Calif., for at least 10 years starting in February of 2017, Mazda has announced. Mazda will occupy five floors of the 21-floor building covering 102,000 square feet with exclusive naming rights on the top of the building. Mazda will also occupy half of the lobby with vehicle displays to create "a premium first impression." The new building will allow for a mobile, flexible and technologically advanced work environment for its employees. Mazda became the occupant of its current location at 7755 Irvine Center Drive in October of 1987. Mazda relocated to Irvine from Compton, Calif., where it first established its North American headquarters in 1970. Mazda North American Operations oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the U.S. and Mexico through nearly 700 dealers. Photo via Wikimedia. Avis Budget Group has launched new mobile apps and websites across Europe as part of its digital transformation initiative. This will provide Avis Car Rental and Budget Car Rental customers with improved mobile options, response times and user-friendly Web experiences, according to the company. The new Avis and Budget mobile applications are available in the United Kingdom for iOS and Android platforms. And new Avis websites are now offered in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. The websites feature new designs that are compatible across all devices, including desktops, tablets and mobile phones, according to the company. We remain focused on putting the customer first and providing them with ways to create and manage their reservations in a simple, easy and fast manner across all types of devices so as to make the car rental experience as stress-free as possible, said Mark Servodidio, Avis Budget Group International president. We're proud to report that since deploying these changes, weve seen an increase in website conversion rates and reservations. We hope to continue this up-trend in the coming months as we work on other customer-facing digital enhancements for 2016. Through an agreement with Gulf Advantage Automobiles, Saudi Arabias Jama Rent a Car has added 500 Renault vehicles to its fleet, according to a report by Arab News. The Renault vehicles make up several models, including Safrane, Duster, Fluence and Symbol, according to the report. These new vehicles will supplement Jamas existing fleet. Renault was chosen for its highest standards in quality, safety and suitability for the regions climate while maintaining the most attractive prices in the market, the rental company told Arab News. Click here for the full Arab News report. Veterans of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, now in their 80s and 90s, are widely honored in the aviation world, but now they are taking up a new fight for equality seeking the right to be interred at Arlington National Cemetery. A bill introduced in Congress this week aims to secure that option for the WASP. The legislation would overturn a recent decision by the Secretary of the Army rescinding inurnment eligibility for WASP pilots, which they have had since 2002. This decision is simply appalling, said Arizona Rep. Martha McSally, one of the sponsors of the bill. At a time when we are opening all positions to women, the Army is closing Arlington to the pioneers who paved the way for pilots like me and all women to serve in uniform. It doesnt make sense. The WASP fought, and died, in service to their country, said Rep. McSally. They trained in the military style: sleeping on metal cots, marching, and living under military discipline. They deserve the full honors we give our war heroes, and Ill continue to fight until they get them. The WASP were a group of about 1,100 women who flew non-combat missions during World War II. Their missions included ferrying aircraft across the country, training combat pilots and towing airborne targets for other aircraft. Thirty-eight WASP pilots died during their service. In 2010, the group received a Congressional Gold Medal. Nevertheless, the WASP were considered to be civilians. Neither they nor their families received military benefits. Starting in 2002, Arlington allowed members of the group to have their ashes placed at the cemetery, with full military honors. The issue of the WASPs recent rejection from Arlington was brought to light by the family of Elaine Harmon, a former WASP, who died in April 2015. When the family sought military honors for her at Arlington, they were denied by the Army. We appreciate Rep. McSally taking the lead on this issue to right this injustice for military trailblazers who were ahead of their time, said Whitney Miller, granddaughter of Elaine Harmon. Miller also has posted a petition at Change.org. This was our grandmothers last wish and we want to see this through, Miller said. Not only was she a national hero, she was our familys hero. YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Faculty of Oriental Studies of the University of Warsaw organized the first meeting of the year for students as well as for professors and lecturers with representatives of foreign missions accredited in Poland. Vice Rector of the University of Warsaw Professor Alojzy Z. Nowak and dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies gave opening speeches. Armenian Ambassador to Poland Edgar Ghazaryan, who participates in the meeting, delivered a brief report on Armenia. As the Press, Information and Public Relations Department of MFA Armenia informed Armenpress, in his speech he referred to the thousand-year history of the Armenian people, their rich Christian heritage and the Genocide perpetrated against the Armenians 100 years ago in the Ottoman Empire and the formation of the Diaspora as the result. The Ambassador also presented the peculiarities of Armenian language and Armenian alphabet urging the students of the Faculty of Oriental Studies to visit Armenia and more deeply get introduced in their further education with the history of Armenian people, culture and heritage. Within the frames of the meeting, during the organized exhibition Armenian embassy introduced literature on Armenia, Artsakh and Armenian Genocide by separate pavilions in Poland as well as organized hospitality of Armenian dishes where Armenian Lavash, which was included in UNESCOs representative list of intangible cultural heritage, occupied a special place. 12 January 2016 16:33 (UTC+04:00) By Laman Sadigova President Serzh Sargsyan, without having any remedy for the country, triumphantly announced two years ago that the country would enter the Eurasian Economic Union. Now, in 2016, when the Armenian economy has no chance to be recovered and is not far from the bankruptcy, the country plunged into calculations about phantom benefits that the country earned from the EEU. The government turned out incorrect enough in assuring the people about economic benefits and security that this union would offer to this poor nation of the South Caucasus. The people in fact deeply indulged in dream in anticipation of the "economic miracle" after joining the EEU, but the miracle did not happen. Soon, it became clear that the situation in the country is only getting worse. Now Armenian experts admit that crash of the country's economy will be inevitable in 2016 because of tough period in the Russian economy by force of western sanctions. Armenia was full of expectations while entering the union. Indeed, no one could predict that Russia the leading force in the Union would face enormous economic difficulties itself. Yerevan faced an unexpected failure in its aspiration to get a lion share in the Northern Giant's consumer market and what is the worst the amount of transfers from Russia plummeted by nearly 40 percent. The statistical agency in Armenia reported that over the last 10 months of 2015 imports into the country declined by $850 million. Moreover, this year the amount of foreign debt, which now stands at $5.12 billion, may exceed 50 percent of the GDP. The case becomes even worse because the government just wastes the money borrowed. Armenia has the highest level of external debt in the region. The International Monetary Fund even predicted that it will reach 62 percent per capita in 2020. Armenian people, driven to desperate situation, are fed up with the waste promises and lies of their government. Nobody is interested in economic and political cooperation with Armenia, ruled by aggressive political regime. This post Soviet country is dragging a string of past errors and future delusions. in this situation, nothing seems to help economically weak and politically aggressive Armenia -- the contracts would be meaningless and reforms useless. --- Follow Laman Sadigova on Twitter: @s_laman93 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 12 January 2016 13:44 (UTC+04:00) By Jacek Rostowski British Prime Minister David Cameron has lately begun to speak out about the importance of European Union membership for the United Kingdoms security. That is probably the most compelling argument for remaining in the EU that Cameron could present to British voters ahead of a referendum on whether the UK should withdraw. But is Cameron, who has promised to hold the vote by the end of 2017, making the security argument too late in the day? Many claim that, because NATO ensures the UKs defense, a British exit from the EU (Brexit) would not undermine the countrys security. But security and defense are not the same thing. True security entails the expectation that a country will not have to call upon the defense alliances to which it belongs and that is what membership in the EU, as it stands today, provides. Between World Wars I and II, Americas defense did not depend on its membership of the League of Nations. But the countrys decision not to join the League of Nations based on sovereignty arguments much like those now being used to promote Brexit led to the Leagues collapse, severely weakening US security. Today, the UK enjoys an unprecedented level of security. Despite instability and violence in countries like Ukraine and Syria, the UK does not face even a remote strategic threat. And EU membership virtually guarantees cooperation against the tactical threat posed by the Islamic State. A Brexit may well set in motion a cascade of events that could profoundly undermine that security. Euroskeptic and nationalist parties, not to mention some on the extreme left, would be strengthened across the EU. And while one cannot doubt the democratic and pro-Western credentials of most UK Euroskeptics (though one can doubt their wisdom and strategic sense), the same cannot be said of many of their counterparts on the continent. Consider Marine Le Pen of Frances far-right National Front party, whom Brexit could help propel to victory in the 2017 presidential election. Le Pen, whose popularity has been driven largely by resentment of Germanys growing influence, is openly hostile to the euro and the EU. With Le Pen in power, a major EU and NATO member would be pursuing a profoundly anti-Western foreign policy. Her defense of Russias aggression in Ukraine, for example, suggests that she would block any form of resistance to President Vladimir Putins adventurism, which is threatening NATO's eastern flank. With or without Le Pen, Brexit could spur a flight to nationalism across Europe, as countries react to rising chauvinism among their neighbors by electing the domestic brand. Political conflicts would then intensify and become increasingly difficult to resolve, with the return of vicious national enmities, unseen in Europe since 1945, confronting the EU with an existential crisis from which it would not be easy to recover. In fact, such forces are already on the rise. The trend began, somewhat unexpectedly, in Western Europe and is moving eastward. So far, the effect of nationalism has been most potent within countries, in places like Scotland and Catalonia, rather than among them. But, triggered by Brexit, that could easily change, with countries turning against one another to protect their perceived interests. In addition, as many observers (including Camerons first foreign secretary, William Hague) have pointed out, Brexit could give a huge boost to Scottish nationalism; the breakup of the UK would further weaken Britains security. Beyond Europe, Brexit would estrange the UK from the United States, where presidents from both major parties, beginning with Dwight D. Eisenhower (who also served as NATOs first Supreme Commander), have touted European integration. By thumbing its nose at so fundamental an American interest, Britain would almost certainly undermine what remains of the bilateral special relationship that UK governments have cultivated since Winston Churchills premiership. Thus, there is hardly a dimension of Britain's security that would not be devastated by Brexit. One can only hope that this point will get the attention it deserves in time to influence the outcome of the referendum. Copyright: Project Syndicate: The British threat to UK security --- Follow us on Twitter: @Azernews 12 January 2016 17:46 (UTC+04:00) By Sara Rajabova The recent statements by the world powers on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the settlement of which reached the deadlock, had an effect of grabbing an initiative in this painful issue for Azerbaijan. The two co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group - the United States and Russia especially activated efforts on the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. The U.S. has called on the parties to the conflict to peacefully resolve the problem and voiced readiness to render help in this regard. Russia, on its part, put forward new proposals for the resolution of the long-standing conflict. Although the statements promising a sincere contribution to the peaceful resolution of the conflict have become frequent, they do not give a hope for a "principal key" anymore unfortunately. Arzu Nagiyev, a political analyst, believes that the United States and Russia are fighting for influence in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement. As the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group have not been able to move beyond the adoption of a declaratory judgment and conventions, now they are trying to take the initiative in their hands. Dmitriy Savelyev, a member of the Russian State Duma and head of the Russian-Azerbaijani inter-parliamentary friendship group has recently expressed hope for a breakthrough in the peace talks this year, noting that in spite of the deadlock over some issues, the work is continuing properly. He said in an interview to Russian media that firstly, seven occupied Azerbaijani regions attached to Nagorno-Karabakh should be released from troops. The idea on the return of seven occupied regions to Azerbaijan was earlier voiced by Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as well. Nagiyev noted with regret that this idea remained at the stage of the statement, whilst the situation on the contact line between the two countries troops and border aggravated even more later. International organizations, the world community knows that Russia is one of the key figures in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. If today Russia declares that seven regions should be returned then it means that Armenia is a country that has no role and has no right to make decisions, the expert said. Nagiyev further said that the United States, in turn, is trying to reduce Russia's role in this matter by putting forward a proposal for a meeting of communities and conducting hearings in Congress. He believes their main purpose is the acquisition of influence. With mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group, the sides to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict currently holds talks based on the renewed Madrid principles, which envisage return of occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to the Azerbaijani control, ensure the right of all internally displaced persons and refugees to return to their former places of residence, future determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh and etc. Naghiyev underlined that the main task is to form a strong army and force Armenia and its supporters to the constructive negotiations. Otherwise, the negotiations will drag just putting forward initiatives and fighting for influence and that will linger the status quo that is unacceptable for us, he said. For over two decades, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict which emerged over Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since 1994, but long-standing efforts by U.S, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far. Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on its pullout from the neighboring country's territories. -- Sara Rajabova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 12 January 2016 12:50 (UTC+04:00) Very serious actions related to a more efficient operation of the transport corridors must be taken in 2016, President Ilham Aliyev said in his concluding speech at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers. President Aliyev chaired the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers Jan. 10 dedicated to the results of socioeconomic development of 2015 and objectives for the future. "Serious actions were taken in late 2015, the president said. The Coordinating Council was established for the transportation of transit goods through the territory of Azerbaijan. This is a very serious step. The Coordinating Council brings together all structures associated with transport." "A common tariff policy is being conducted and must be conducted. At the same time these issues were discussed with the leadership of Georgia and Turkey, Ilham Aliyev said. Azerbaijan has offered to conduct a single tariff policy for this corridor with Georgia and Turkey. It is necessary for all the relevant structures to conduct a common policy and this corridor to become even more attractive. If only we make concessions in the tariff policy, as opposed to the neighboring countries, there will be no effect," he added. The president further said that serious negotiations were held with potential shippers. "These issues were widely discussed as part of my state visit to China in late 2015. The first container train has been already launched from China to Azerbaijan through this corridor, said Ilham Aliyev. I am confident that we will achieve the transportation of larger volumes of goods via this corridor in the future as the shortest route passes through the territory of Azerbaijan, the president said. There is infrastructure, we have created it, namely, the railway and sea transport. A new commercial port is being built. It has been partially put into operation. Moreover, the public is well aware that as a result of worsening of the Turkey-Russia relations, the movement of Turkish heavy vehicles to the Central Asia, Kazakhstan has become complicated. Azerbaijan has immediately offered its capabilities, we've granted privileges. Today the corridor has been working in this direction as well." Azerbaijan must be better prepared for this, the president said. Of course, the infrastructure, located on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea, must be also better prepared for this. Ilham Aliyev stressed that the remaining section of the Baku-Astara railway must be constructed in 2016. He further said that there are still 8 kilometers remaining, and the section will be built in 2016. The president said that talks have already been held with Iran, adding that the route itself is very important. "This will turn Azerbaijan into a very important partner of the North-South corridor. Thus, all the routes, namely, the East-West and the North-South will stretch through Azerbaijan," said Ilham Aliyev. "This will ensure our political and economic interests. The coordination work should be conducted with all relevant structures." Developing agro sector Azerbaijan should improve the export capacity as agricultural products will be the countrys main export products besides oil and gas in the future, President Ilham Aliyev said. "Azerbaijan should look for new markets especially taking into account that the country has access to the traditional markets, the president said. He further noted that Russia is the main market for Azerbaijani agricultural products. "There is a greater demand for Azerbaijani products in Russia today. Azerbaijan must ensure this demand and enter the Russian market with a greater production volume. At the same time, Kazakhstan has built a modern logistics center. It is almost ready. Azerbaijan will start exporting its food products to Kazakhstan in the near future," Ilham Aliyev said. "The Middle East countries are interested in Azerbaijani products as well. This issue is discussed during the visits, and Azerbaijan must enter these markets too, because the countrys qualitative products are of great interest," President Aliyev said. For Azerbaijan is it necessary to enter the traditional markets with a larger volume and supply the products to new markets, he added. "It is also necessary to establish industrial parks and industrial clusters, Aliyev said. The industrial zones must be established in all districts. I would like work in this direction to go faster, so that we could see results. We've been long talking about this and there are no results yet. Central executive bodies, bodies responsible for this area, in particular, local executive bodies, must actively work. They must organize this, allocate areas, and create conditions. This is their job." The president said the countrys local executive bodies must work even more effectively, and came out with an initiative rather waiting for instructions. This is their daily work. Economic and industrial potential of each region must be strengthened. There are necessary capabilities, but most of the countrys districts live on grants. In the previous years, we could turn a blind eye on that - we've been getting big revenues and we've offered grants. But why do our districts should exist through grants?" "Population of our regions, on average, isn't so big," said Ilham Aliyev. "If they work more efficiently, in terms of economy, they can cover all the expenses. But they're waiting for the funds to be allocated. The funds are allocated anyway. The roads, gas, water communications are laid at public funds. Even meters are installed at public finance. Which country installs meters at public funds?" Aliyev went on to add that all infrastructure projects are being implemented and big investments are made. "The tourism infrastructure of tourism is being created. Who creates this? The government and private companies do. They must work more effectively at places. I set the task before them to provide information on conducted work, newly created jobs, and established enterprises on a quarterly basis. Let them also make conclusions. The country will continue to conduct its policy and make necessary investments, but I am sure that all Azerbaijani districts can work more efficiently and there will be even better results. The president further spoke about industrial zones in the country's districts. I have repeatedly raised the issue of establishing the industrial zones in the districts, the president said. Only one pilot project is being implemented in the Neftchala district at present. Why aren't they implemented in other districts? The reason is indifference. This must not be allowed." "This is the task of every head of the executive power. Those who cannot cope with this task will be dismissed," Ilham Aliyev said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 12 January 2016 14:56 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli There are no Azerbaijani citizens among the victims of the terrorist attack occurred in Istanbul on January 12, the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in the city reported. The Azerbaijani embassy in Ankara and the Consulate General in Istanbul are in contact with the Turkish law enforcement agencies and continue to investigate the presence of Azerbaijani citizens among those killed in the blast. Turkish authorities suspect a terror attack on Tuesday was the cause of an explosion in the heart of Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet, close to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, a major tourist area of Turkey's most populous city. At least ten people were killed and 15 wounded in the blast. German media reports say the country's foreign ministry is investigating reports that German citizens have been hurt in the blast, according to BBC. Some local media reports said the explosion may have been caused by a suicide bomber but this was not independently confirmed. The Istanbul governor's office said the authorities were investigating the type of explosive used and who might have been responsible for the attack. -- Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 12 January 2016 15:05 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev received the credentials of the newly appointed ambassador of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, Lahssan Boufares, on January 12, Azertac state news agency reported. Boufares reviewed the guard of honor, and handed his credentials to President Aliyev. The President then had a conversation with the ambassador. President Aliyev said Azerbaijan and Algeria enjoyed good relations, noting that there were good opportunities for developing these ties in various areas, particularly in political and economic ones. The President said reciprocal visits and cooperation of business representatives would play an important role in developing the bilateral bonds. The head of state stressed the importance of the two countries` cooperation in international organizations, including the United Nations. President Aliyev said the countries successfully cooperate in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, adding that Azerbaijan is making efforts to strengthen the Islamic solidarity and deepen cooperation even further. The head of state emphasized the significance of Azerbaijan-Algeria cooperation in the fields of security and fight against terrorism. President Aliyev expressed his confidence that the bilateral relations between the two countries would successfully develop during the diplomatic mission of the ambassador in Baku. Boufares greeted the head of state on behalf of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, and highlighted his wishes for the development of the relations between the two countries. The ambassador said his country highly appreciated Azerbaijan`s decision on the opening of the embassy in Algeria. He hailed cooperation between Azerbaijan and Algeria, saying he would spare no efforts to expand this cooperation. The head of state thanked for the greetings of President Bouteflika and asked the ambassador to communicate his greetings to the President. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 12 January 2016 19:42 (UTC+04:00) 2015 recorded no progress in the negotiation process over the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict; the situation worsened even more as Armenia intensified the ceasefire violations and aggravated of the situation on the contact line of Armenian-Azerbaijani troops. The efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, tasked to mediate over peaceful resolution of the conflict, have yielded no efforts just in the previous years. Azerbaijan has vowed to use all political, diplomatic and economic sources to achieve the peaceful settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, which is one of the main hindrances for the development and source of insecurity in the South Caucasus region. The main reason of such stalemate in the negotiation process is Armenias destructive position in the talks. Armenia is unwilling to peacefully resolve the long-standing conflict and is interested in and determined to maintain the current status quo that means keeping part of Azerbaijans internationally-recognized territory under occupation. The much-anticipated meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents last December in Switzerland also left hopes for the breakthrough in the peace talks unfulfilled for the next time. President Ilham Aliyev has recently noted this meeting was of formal nature and yielded no results. Armenia refuses to implement the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on its immediate and unconditional pullout from the neighboring country's territories. Impunity for its criminal acts encourages Armenia to keep on the occupation of Azerbaijans ancestral lands and prolong the unfruitful negotiation process further. Yerevan accepts the peace talks as never-ending process and therefore, makes every effort to delay conflict resolution. Currently, the world is witnessing the emergence of many conflicts and clashes, as well as renewal of protracted conflicts, which frequently led to great human loss and suffering. This fact necessitates taking firm steps to prevent further escalation of situation around the world. However, the international community ignores the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict over many years and doesnt call the aggressor and victim with its name. Though the world community immediately reacted to other conflicts and put pressure and even punished the countries that violated the territorial integrity of another country, such a position has not been observed in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Such indifference, more precisely, inaction on this conflict, which at any time can turn into a bloody war, encourages Armenia to hold on the control of the occupied territories. Although the mediators have repeatedly stated that they want to resolve the conflict, unfortunately, no significant pressure was put on the occupant in this direction and no concrete steps to change the status quo were taken. The Armenian armed forces have increased aggression against Azerbaijan, targeting the residential areas alongside the positions of the Azerbaijani Army. The shelling of the settlements located near the contact line and the Armenian-Azerbaijani border has endangered the life of civilians and even resulted with loss and wounding of them. The OSCE representatives also targeted by the Armenian armed forces several times while conducting monitoring on the contact line of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops. However, the organization didnt expose those guilty every time. The end of the previous year was remembered with some positive statements from the big powers, namely by the United States and Russia, two co-chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group. The United States supported a dialogue between the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities for a resolution to the conflict, which the Armenian side has impeded such contacts with all possible means. Russia has put forward the proposal on return of seven occupied regions for initial solution of the conflict. This activation of the two powerful states regarding the resolution of the conflict gives momentous hope for progress in peace talks, but remains just a hope amid continuous deadlock in the negotiation process. Azerbaijan has always voiced readiness to resolve the conflict peacefully, but the military option is still on the table. Restoring scaly military operations would benefit neither sides -- unfortunately it is hard for Armenia to understand this reality. YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. No resignation request has been submitted to the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia by Human rights defender by 18:00, January 12, 2016. In answer to numerous inquiries, Head of Public Relations and Media Department of the National Assembly of Armenia Arsen Babayan made a note on his Facebook page. At the same time I introduce the procedure of the resignation of the Human rights defender. The responsibilities of the Human Rights Defender are terminated if he repeats his resignation not later than 10 days after submitting a resignation request (this means he must submit a request twice). In case the resignation request is repeated, the President of the National Assembly (NA) informs the deputies about the termination of the responsibilities of the Defender during the coming session. In case of early termination of Defenders powers the elections are passed within a month after the post remains vacant. At the end I want to once again remind that no resignation request has been submitted to the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia by Human rights defender by 18:00, January 12, 2016, Armenpress reports, he wrote. Human rights defender of the Republic of Armenia Karen Andreasyan submitted a resignation request on January 12. The Ombudsman thanks all his partners for the joint work and hopes that the human rights protection will remain our countrys and societys priority. There will be no other comments on this occasion, the Facebook post of the Ombudsman says. 12 January 2016 15:33 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev has received the credentials of the newly appointed ambassador of Mongolia Badamdorj Batkhishig on January 12, Azertac state news agency reported. The ambassador reviewed the guard of honor, and handed his credentials to President Aliyev. The President then had a conversation with the ambassador. President Aliyev said Azerbaijan was interested in developing cooperation with Mongolia in all fields, adding there was a good potential for doing this. The head of state recalled with pleasure his meetings with President of Mongolia Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj at various international events and their talks on the development of bilateral relations. President Aliyev said the development of political and economic ties was important for both nations and states. He further said cooperation between the business circles of Azerbaijan and Mongolia was not so active, adding that it was important that the two countries better know each other and correctly direct business and investment opportunities. The head of state expressed his confidence that the bilateral relations would develop during the diplomatic tenure of Ambassador Batkhishig in Baku, and wished him success in his activities. Batkhishig extended greetings and best wishes of President Elbegdorj to the head of state. The ambassador highlighted his country`s economic accomplishments in various fields. He said he would spare no efforts to develop the bilateral relations between the two countries during his diplomatic tenure. The head of state thanked for the greetings of President Elbegdorj and asked the ambassador to communicate his greetings to the Mongolian leader. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 12 January 2016 16:28 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli Romanian Ambassador to Baku Daniel Cristian Ciobanu delivered a speech at the international conference on Cyber Security on January 12. The event was organized by NATO International School of Azerbaijan with the support of the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry in the framework of NISA Winter Session in Baku between January 11 and 15. The ambassador underlined that Romania is paying a particular attention to cyber security and is fully committed to making a substantial contribution to the implementation of NATOs Cyber Defense Policy. The fast evolution and sophistication of cyber attacks have pushed the issue of cyber defense, which is a part of the NATO's core task of collective defense, to the top of the organization security agenda. Ciobanu highlighted that developing responses to emerging security challenges is a common effort of NATO and partners. Romania, which has been the second country in the world to recognize Azerbaijans independence and established a strategic partnership with Baku since 2009, acts in the position of a NATO member, which can share its recent experience of Euro-Atlantic integration, presenting best practices and providing expertise on the implementation of reforms in the security sector in accordance to NATO standards. The Romanian ambassador said that cyber attacks pose a substantial threat to critical infrastructure and have a disruptive effect on economy. Close cooperation of Azerbaijan with the Alliance is beneficial to the stability and security of the Wider Black Sea Caspian area, encouraging also fast development of energy projects and joint initiatives among countries sharing similar tasks and objectives. Azerbaijan is a country of pivotal importance for Europes energy security and to peace and stability in the Caucasus. Ciobanu concluded that Romania, as a NATO and EU member, is determined to further promote and actively support Azerbaijans efforts to enhance its relations with the European and Euro-Atlantic institutions. Romania fulfills the mandate of NATO Contact Point Embassy in the Azerbaijan for the fourth time in a row and vowed to continue its efforts for promoting the benefits of NATO-Azerbaijan partnership. NATO and Azerbaijan are actively cooperating on democratic, institutional, and military reforms, and enjoy practical cooperation in various areas. The cooperation plan between Azerbaijan and the NATO is set out in the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) on Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan aspires to achieve Euro-Atlantic standards and get closer to Euro-Atlantic institutions. In this regard, supporting reform in the security sector and establishing democratic institutions are the key elements of the NATO-Azerbaijan cooperation. -- Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 12 January 2016 11:23 (UTC+04:00) By Nigar Orujova The change in the manat rate has thrown population into confusion as prices in shops and markets have flown up immediately. While the increase in prices of imported products was expected, prices for the local production also raised. President Ilham Aliyev, addressing the recent Cabinet meeting, emphasized that increasing prices for products manufactured in Azerbaijan is impossible in general. The head of state stressed the need to control consumer prices seriously. Whilst Azerbaijan is providing itself with some food products, it cannot fully provide itself with domestic goods and needs import. Some bargainers want to use this situation and artificially raise prices for the local products. However, the price increase for the goods produced in Azerbaijan is, in general, impossible and shouldn't take place, the head of state said. I know that some dishonorable people, bargainers want to abuse this issue with the rate. This must end. Artificial increase in prices must be stopped. The president has threatened lawbreakers with very severe penalties not limited by fines. Let the prosecution authorities get engaged in that seriously. Very severe penalties must be applied to those who want to use the situation for their own benefit, and it should be covered by the press in order to put an end to it. The stringent measures of the state will force entrepreneurs to abandon attempts to artificially inflate the price of local products, economist Vugar Bayramov told Day.az. Bayramov noted that the increase of prices for local products is wrong in economic terms. Explaining his point, Bayramov said that even cost of imported products calculated not only in dollars but also in manats. This part of their value in manats should not rise. That is, if the price of the local product has risen 50 percent, it can be regarded as artificially inflated prices, he stressed, adding that this is due to the desire of several individuals to take advantage of the change in exchange rate of the manat for artificial profit, and artificial overpricing is prohibited by the Azerbaijani legislation. Bayramov further added that pensions and salaries of citizens will be really protected. The issue of increasing pensions and salaries was on the agenda before the second devaluation of the manat, he said, but now it is even more updated. According to our data, the Finance Ministry is preparing the relevant draft. In the near future, the corresponding amendments will be made into the state budget, and the issue for increasing these payments will be determined there, the economist said. We think increase increase of wages and pensions by 25 percent. The country has necessary financial basis to do this, and it is expected that pensions and salaries of citizens will be really protected. The important decisions announced by the president at the meeting are what the people were expecting for, MP Azay Guliyev told Trend. He noted these decisions as a crisis management program. MP Fazail Agamali, in turn, said that 80 percent of Azerbaijani citizens engaged in trade are taking advantage of the situation and artificially inflate prices. He added that those who are trying to make a profit by putting people in a tight squeeze should be called to account under not only the Code of Administrative Offences, but also the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. __ Nigar Orujova is AzerNews staff journalist. Follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar Follow us on Twitter: @AzerNewsAz 12 January 2016 18:32 (UTC+04:00) By Nigar Orujova The government of Azerbaijan is switching to a strict regime of saving in the next 4 years, introducing a number of changes to the budget forecast for 2016. This move is linked with decreasing oil prices on the world markets and switching to the new exchange rate policy of the national currency, Finance Minister Samir Sharifov said at a Cabinet of Ministers meeting on January 10. These changes need to pursue such goals as compliance of the income of the consolidated and state budgets to the new conditions, increasing the efficiency of budgetary expenditures, continuing the policy of the compactness of the budget carried out in recent years, keeping the foreign currency reserves, giving the extra incentive to the development of the non-oil sector and entrepreneurship, said the minister. He went on to add that measures are expected to neutralize the possible negative effects of increasing prices for essential commodities on vulnerable populations. Moreover, given the volume of investments in the country and abroad, there must be addressed issues such as preparation of a balanced income and expenditure budget, which will provide a strict regime of saving in 2016 and the next three years, strengthening of the financial discipline and order for economical use of public resources, prevention of waste and unnecessary costs, as well as improvement of the state management system, implementation of reforms in the management of companies, giving an additional boost to the process of privatization of state property, Sharifov said. The minister assured to make every effort to mitigate the negative effects of the global economic challenges on the countrys economy. Despite the vulnerable global economic situation, non-oil revenues of the state budget of Azerbaijan performed at 103 percent in 2015. Last year, the state budget revenues from non-oil sector amounted to 6.95 billion manats ($4.4 billion), which by three percent exceeded the forecast figure and is by 9.5 percent more than in the same period in 2014, Sharifov said. During the reporting period, the total revenue of the state budget is 2.3 billion manats ($1.5 billion) -- or 11.6 percent -- less than the planned volume. The main reason for the decrease in revenues is the reduction in volume of transfers of the State Oil Fund due to the sharp decline in oil prices on the world markets. Therefore it was decided to save foreign exchange reserves of the Oil Fund, the minister explained. The minister said that in 2015, spending on education amounted to 1.605 billion manats ($1.02 billion), which is 3.3 percent more compared to the previous year. Spending on health care in the reporting year amounted to 708 million manats ($451 million) which record a 6.4 percent growth compared to 2014. Expenditures on social protection and social security amounted to 1.857 billion manats ($1.2 billion). About 18 percent of budget expenditures or 2.7 percentage points more money than the year before were directed to the increase of the defense capability and security of the country, ensuring the social protection of servicemen in 2015. About 1.7 billion manats ($1.1 billion) were directed to finance major infrastructure projects through loans raised by the government, and 994 million manats ($634 million) came on this purpose from the State Oil Fund. The government has already cut budget expenditures for 2016, when adopting the state budget in October 2015. State budget expenditures, compared to 2015, fell by 22.9 percent, and compared to 2014, they declined by 13.07 percent. Budget indicators were formed taking into account an oil price of $50 per barrel and the national currency rate of 1.05 manat/$1. __ Nigar Orujova is AzerNews staff journalist. Follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar Follow us on Twitter: @AzerNewsAz 12 January 2016 14:46 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli Azerbaijan has introduced a temporary restriction on the import of livestock and livestock products from Iran in connection with the outbreak of foot and mouth disease. The latest outbreak was recorded in the Iranian province of Qom, by the World Organization for Animal Health. As of January 8, some 15 cases out of a total of 1250 cattle were revealed, and two of these animals died in Qom. The import of animals and animal products from the provinces of Qom, Arak, Kashan and Tehran were temporarily restricted, the State Service of Veterinary Supervision under the Agriculture Ministry reported. The import of other goods, controlled by the state veterinary will be allowed if the certificate is available. The situation with foot and mouth disease and other infectious diseases in Azerbaijan is stable, the Agriculture Ministry reported. All the relevant agencies take the necessary measures to protect Azerbaijan from the disease. Foot and mouth disease is a highly contagious viral vesicular disease of cloven-hoofed animals. Although seldom lethal in adult animals, it causes serious production losses and is a major constraint to international trade in livestock products. -- Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 12 January 2016 16:16 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli Azerbaijani literature has experienced bereavement, with the loss of outstanding representative of modern Azerbaijani literature, outstanding poet Zalimkhan Yagub, who died at the age of 66 on January 9, leaving behind an abundant legacy of contemporary poetry tradition. Zalimkhan Yagub, an Azerbaijani by origin, was born in a small village in Georgia in 1950. Later he moved to Baku, the capital of the Land of Fire, where his talent shined enabling him to convey his poetry to the whole Turkic world, and becoming one of the great poets of the Azerbaijani people. He was one of the poets, who successfully continued the rich tradition of national poetry. The keynote of Zalimkhans creativity was endless love for his motherland. Skillfully using folk art, he created works depicting the national values and fateful milestones in Azerbaijani history. His poetry is imbued with heroic spirit and patriotism and demonstrate true citizenship, taking a big role in upbringing the younger generation. On his 65th anniversary, Zalimkhan said that 65 years is quite a long period for a poet to create beautiful works. Zalmkhan could conquer the soul of millions of people to occupy the worthy place in the literature history. Love was on the top of his poetry, and love of the nation was the major source of his brilliant poetry enabling to create beautiful compositions. Poems were the best of friend of Zalimkhan throughout his worthy life, and helped to survive in tough days when he was desperately fighting with fatal disease. He passed all his feelings namely through his poems. "I have never struggled for a beautiful life, but strove for a beautiful death," the poet used to say while speaking about his successes and losses, as well as the difficulties that he had to overcome on the thorny way to the pick of poetry. The last that did not lose him even in the most difficult moments were the faith and principles. Deep knowledge of the musical epic-telling art form known as "Ashug", and its perception in all the nuances further strengthened the lyricism of Zalimkhans poetry. Many ashugs and composers used his poems in their works. The poet has more than 50 books and some of them have been translated into many languages to catch souls of art lovers. His rich poetry brought many awards to Zalimkhan, including Shohrat and Sharaf orders -- the highest state awards in Azerbaijan. But the greatest reward for him was the people's love for his poetry. He also gained glory outside the country and was awarded the highest award of Georgia -- the Order of "Honor". Zelimkhan Yagub had very productive social activities, twice being elected to the Azerbaijan Parliament in 1995 and 2000. -- Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 12 January 2016 10:00 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli Modern parents are often baffled by the child's pre-school education, asking questions what age is good to start education? specifically at what age its too early, or too late on the contrary? Some specialists advice to ignore criteria on this matter and study the skills of a child. Most importantly, experts recommend that better if the child him/herself will have a desire to explore any particular area. Psychologists say that during the first six years of life the child receives more information than in the subsequent years. During this period the child learns easily, remembers well many words, and can absorb a tremendous amount of knowledge. Lets talk about what is the ideal age for parents to teach their children letters and numbers? Opinions diverge greatly on this issue, says psychologist Ayshan Musayeva. I, for example, tend to teach children reading and writing starting 4-5 years old. But teaching a kid at earlier period, like 2-3 years, can load cognitive processes, thus depriving the emotional energy of a child. Every parent is eager to see his/her child to be an intelligent and an educated, and in many cases overload the children with education activities. But are they really right in depriving their kids of their happy and careless childhood? The main teaching activities for kids should be realized during game playing. Otherwise, the child can get tired of the learning process, she said. Very often parents try to overload their children with additional activities just because relying on 'bright brain' of their kids. But they forget how necessary is for a child to spend a carefree childhood. Now the question is what is the optimum time to begin school. At what age point a childs brain is ready to begin soaking up the multiplication tables and rhymes? Many parents think if their child can read and write, then its time to send him or her to school. But reading and writing abilities do not always show the child's readiness for school life, she said, advising to send a child to school at the age of 7 years for good adaptation and performance. What if a child is less interested in education? In this case, Musayeva recommends to understand the reasons causing the difficulties and to try to solve the problem together. The history of mankind very frequently showed that talent of many famous personalities was revealed in a later age. Albert Einstein, for example, was an inhibited and retarded child, even hard speaking. His teachers were in despair, and parents feared for their son's mental abilities. Thats why no need to worry that the child cannot cope with the lessons, just try to check it he or she has other abilities, in painting or sports. Primary school teacher Kamala Aliyeva, in turn, thinks that children under 6 only require love, affection and parental attention, that is what they need to experience and learn at that young age; not alphabet, numbers and beyond. Parental attention, care and love go a long way in building the foundation of a solid individual, she stressed. Pre-schools need to be restructured to become just play areas for children, under age of 6 years, and their parents to come together, interact and participate in collective play and fun activities, Aliyeva noted. The formal education age for Azerbaijani children is six years old. For those, who is not ready enough to sit behind the desk, schools organize special pre-school training, which train children for school life. Teacher Arzu Aliyeva emphasizes the importance to expose children to education before school, as their brains are stimulated and give an impact on their academic performance later. She believes that today's educational system puts even greater demands on the schoolchildren and their parents. Current education requires a mandatory pre-school preparation. A child should have logical mind and have any idea about training in order to keep up with the current method of education, she explains. Without preparation, a child cannot adapt to the school atmosphere, and cannot concentrate on lessons. The present school beginning procedures suggests examining a child under six years old at a special commission for premature reception. Some psychologists think that testing children at such a young age to determine their individual abilities is highly questionable, since they are getting very nervous during the test. Experts recommend to get sure in a strong immune system of child before sending him/her at the age of six. It is not so easy first graders to cope with the most difficult tasks as is sitting for long periods at a desk, and keeping from running and screaming and playing games. -- Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 12 January 2016 12:20 (UTC+04:00) Bulgaria hopes for the fastest possible implementation of an agreement on Azerbaijani gas purchase and the construction of the respective infrastructure, president of Bulgaria Rosen Plevneliev said, Focus informational agency reported. Plevneliev conferred the Stara Planina Order - first degree to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Azerbaijan to Bulgaria Emil Karimov. The awarding ceremony took place at the Presidency. The award is recognition for Ambassadors contribution to the development of Bulgarian-Azerbaijani relations through political dialogue on the highest level and deepening the bilateral cooperation in all fields. Plevneliev said during the ceremony that Azerbaijan is highly valued and reliable partner and friend of Bulgaria and the trade turnover marks a positive development. Azerbaijan is a strategic partner in our efforts for achieving energy diversification and competitive price of energy resources, he said. Signed in 2013 contract for the supply of 1 billion cubic meter of natural gas per year with the possibility of negotiating additional quantities is the basis for energy cooperation between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan, the president said. He also stressed that Bulgaria also supports the speeded up construction of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) which will guarantee diversification of gas supply for Bulgaria, the region and Europe in general. In early December, 2015, Bulgaria and Greece signed a final investment decision on the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) project. The 180-km pipeline is to be built by a Bulgarian-Greek joint venture that also includes Italian energy group Edison SpA. IGB is a gas pipeline, which will allow Bulgaria to receive Azerbaijani gas, in particular, the gas produced from Azerbaijans Shah Deniz 2 gas and condensate field. IGB is expected to be connected to the Trans Adriatic pipeline via which gas from the Shah Deniz field will be delivered to the European markets. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 12 January 2016 11:41 (UTC+04:00) The price of continue falling in the world markets. On the New York Stock Exchange NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange) cost of the US Light crude oil decreased $1.91 to stand at $30.59. Price of the Brent crude oil at the London ICE (InterContinental Exchange Futures) fell $2.14 to trade at $30.67. SOCAR Marketing and Economic Operations Department said the price of a barrel of Azeri Light crude oil decreased $1.19 to stand at $32.81 on the world markets. The country produces three grades of crude oilAzeri BTC, Azeri Light, mainly sold to European and Asian markets, and Urals, Azerbaijani light crude sold at a discount as it blended in Russia. Bulk of the countrys oil is marketed by Socar Trading, which has been operating since 2008. Azerbaijan has produced 38.32 million tons of oil and gas condensate in January-November 2015, or 0.5 percent less than in the same period in 2014, the State Statistics Committee reported. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 12 January 2016 11:06 (UTC+04:00) At a time when cement sales are low due to a stagnant construction market, the Oil Ministry as well as the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Trade have worsened the situation by not keeping up a contract to pay a $29 million debt to cement factories, according to Iran Cement Association Chairman Mohammad Reza Atabak. The association is surprised by the policies of the industry ministry and in particular by that of Minister Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh, Atabak told Trend January 11. The ministry of industry has practically turned into the ministry of cars, for it is introducing special packages to boost production in the car industry, while forgetting to do what is necessary for mine-related industries, he said. Atabak pointed out that cement factories have not been paid a debt of $29 million for over one year, adding that in the meantime the ministry of industry is not taking any measures to help settle the debt. The debt comes from unpaid fuel price difference owed by the Ministry of Oil to cement factories. The factories use gas for their furnaces. An agreement from over one year ago obliged them to use liquid fuel instead of gas in cold days when gas supply runs low. The agreement asserted that the Oil Ministry would have to pay the factories the price difference between gas and liquid fuels they use. But, according to Atabak, the Oil Ministry owes cement factories $29 million according to a contract signed by the association, the industry ministry, and the Oil Ministry. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. A dirge and candle-lighting ceremony was held at St. Mary Church of Gyumri on January 12 in memory of the members of the Avetisyans family murdered on January 12, 2015. Relatives of the family of Avetisyans, as well as many Gyumri citizens arrived at the church to address their prayers to the God. Candle lighting ceremony was held in the backyard of the church after the dirge. A year after the crime Gyumri citizens are not sure that the case will be fully exposed. I have also stated that nothing is solved yet, but it is a process, it may be solved and all the questions will find their answers. Let Why questions become more and more, but we want to receive the answers to all the questions at the end, primate of the Diocese of Shirak Bishop Michael Ajapahyan told Armenpress. After a year since the brutal murder in Gyumri relatives of the family of Avetisyans entered their house. Even the Christmas tree decorated last New Year was standing there, there was a saucepan on the stove and all the items that were of no use for the preliminary investigation were in their places. There was a slice mess caused by the searches. Afterwards, Minister of TAES of the Republic of Armenia Armen Yeritsyan, National Assembly deputies, and representatives of provincial and municipal authorities visited the Shirak cemetery where the 7 members of Avetisyans family are buried. The gathered people put flowers on their graves and paid tribute. The six members of the Avetisyans family were shot and killed in Gyumri at around 6 a.m. on January 12, 2015. The only survivor was 6-month old Seryozha Avetisyan, who was transferred to a hospital with injuries caused by a cutting and piercing tool. The childs health condition became worse on January 19. After fighting for his life and undergoing several difficult surgeries for a week, six-month old Seryozha Avetisyan also died on January 19. There was severe renal insufficiency and cardiac insufficiency, and doctors werent able to save his life. Soldier of the 102nd Russian military base stationed in Gyumri, Valery Permyakov was charged with killing the members of the Avetisyan family and causing numerous injuries to little Seryozha. Russian border guards found him when he was trying to cross the Armenian-Turkish border and handed him over to the commanders of the 102nd Russian military base. Permyakov confessed his guilt. The trial will take place on January 18. Armenuhi Mkhoyan 12 January 2016 14:27 (UTC+04:00) Iran is planning to export about 40 tons of its surplus heavy water to the US through a mediator country, an Iranian atomic official has said. We annually produce about 20 tons of heavy water and we sell the surplus product to our foreign customers, IRNA news agency quoted Ali Asghar Zarean, a deputy head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), as saying Jan. 12. The US will use six tons of heavy water received from Iran in its atomic centers and the rest will be used in research institutions, according to him. He added that the Western countries have created a consortium for producers of strategic nuclear products and Iran will be officially its member. He further added that Iran and China are discussing a contract to redesign and rebuild the Arak heavy water reactor. Iran removed the core of its Arak heavy water nuclear reactor and filled it with cement, Reuters reported Jan. 11. According to a landmark nuclear deal clinched between Iran and the world powers in July 2015, removing the core of the heavy water reactor to produce less plutonium was a crucial step before relief from economic sanctions agreed under the deal. Under the deal, Iran accepted to reconfigure the Arak heavy water reactor so it cannot produce plutonium usable for a nuclear bomb creation. China, the United States, France, Britain, Russia and Germany have agreed to participate in the redesigning and the construction of a modernized reactor. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 12 January 2016 19:23 (UTC+04:00) By Sara Rajabova U.S. President Barack Obama, who will leave his post in January 2017, is determined not to allow any action that can obstacle implementation of the Iran nuclear deal reached between world powers and the Islamic Republic last July. Obama seeks to veto a Republican-sponsored bill which will prevent the United States from meeting its obligations under the nuclear deal, the White House reported on January 11. The bill, the Iran Terror Finance Transparency Act passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee last week and was expected to reach the House floor on January 13. The Obama administration attaches special importance to the Iran nuclear deal as it is regarded one of the main foreign policy achievements of the administration. Therefore, Obama is taking more efforts to prevent any act that would be harmful for the agreement that put an end to long-lasting nuclear dispute between the West and Iran. The administration asserted that if the document will go to the president for his signature, then "he will veto it". The bill envisages lifting of economic sanctions against Iran, including the unblocking of its assets, only if the Obama administration notifies the Congress that Iranian institutions, including banks, are not used for the financing of certain Iranian structures, in particular, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - elite units of the armed forces. The document also envisages other provisions that create insurmountable obstacles to implementation of the nuclear deal. Over the past six months the U.S. Congress has attempted to pass a bill blocking an agreement with Iran, but every time they faced either the staunch opposition of Democrats, or a presidential veto. Despite winning a two-thirds vote in both chambers, the Republicans cannot overcome the presidential veto because they have a simple, but not a qualified majority of seats in Congress. Iran struck the deal with world powers last year that imposed curbs on its nuclear program in return for easing sanctions that have badly hurt its oil exports and development of its oil and gas fields. Currently, the world powers and Iran are expecting the soonest removal of international sanctions. Lifting the sanctions would clear the way for an influx of cash to reinvigorate Iran's out-dated oil and gas industry. European Unions Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini has recently said though there is no set date yet, but the move could come soon. -- Sara Rajabova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Le Pain Quotidien (LPQ), the all-day bakery and cafe concept, is to make its UK regional debut on 29 January at Bicester Village, Oxfordshire, in a move announced as the companys first out-of-London site. The company is also reported to be looking to add another 15 to 20 sites in the UK in the coming three years. Last year, LPQ hired services and investment management company Jones Lang Lasalle to advise on its expansion into the regions. The Belgian restaurant and boulangerie will sit alongside Itsu, Pret A Manger, Villandry and Soho Houses Farmshop concept at the Oxfordshire shopping scheme. LPQ celebrated its 25th anniversary as well as the launch of its 25th UK site in London last year. Following on from this success, it is now bringing its good food that does good beyond the capital. Baking classes Launching on 29 January, the restaurant will be located at Unit 82 in the Village and will serve 155 covers inside the restaurant and 60 on the outside terrace. LPQ Bicester Village will be serving the restaurants signature artisan baked bread, healthy recipes and organic, seasonal dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu has been devised to use locally sourced produce, with offerings including soups, salads, hot dishes, tartines, homemade pastries, plus vegan and vegetarian options. LPQ will also be launching its popular baking classes in Bicester Village, which range from fresh artisan bread recipes to seasonal cakes and cookies. The first series of baking classes will be on a Spring Clean in Spring 2016 theme, with rejuvenating recipes using fresh local produce. The Handmade Cake Company, the Berkshire-based foodservice cake business, has reported an increase in operating profit from 1.7m to 2.4m for the year ending 31 March 2015. According to audited accounts submitted to Companies House, the companys revenue passed 12m and sales grew by 19% since the last financial year, in both the UK and Europe, despite the fall in the value of the euro limiting the extent to which profits could grow. The company was bought by French group Europeene des Desserts (EDD) last year, in which independent investment firm Equistone Partners Europe took a majority share a year ago. A statement from The Handmade Cake Company said: Joining forces with EDD gives us access to a much broader range of products and expertise including high-care desserts and some premium French sweet bakery products. New premises The Handmade Cake Company has since acquired new bakery premises and a second building next to the bakery for a bigger freezer space, loading bays and offices, making more space for its baking. This is to double its production capacity and to increase the range of products it can both make and store, such as expanding its range of gluten-free products. The Handmade Cake Company has been a business for 30 years, since Anne and Andrew Perry joined forces with Diana Maher and her kitchen to bring handmade cakes to caterers and coffee shops across the country. Chunk of Devon, the Devon-based pie maker, has launched a Mexican-inspired vegetarian pie. The Ricardos Pie comprises a hot-water crust case filled with Quorn, kidney beans, mild chilli and salsa and is topped with cheddar and tortilla chips. It has an RRP of 2.95 per pie and offers an alternative to the companys other vegetarian options, the Traditional Homity Pie and Cheddar and Onion Pasty. After successfully trialling the product at various festivals in the south west, Chunk of Devon decided to add the pie to its mainstream selection. New products Simon Bryon-Edmonds, owner of Chunk of Devon, said: We are always on the lookout for new and exciting products to add to our growing line, so it did not take much to convince us to try out Ricardos suggestion. Our recent Christmas product line featuring a hearty new Venison and Port Pie, Pork, Chicken and Ham Pie, Turkey, Ham and Cranberry Pasty and good old traditional Pork Pie has been going down famously with the public and we are confident that retailers will see the same level of sales with Ricardos Pie as it is just as delicious. Chunk of Devon produces a range of premium pies and pasties which it sells through delicatessens and farms shops throughout the south west of England. In 2012, the company won Britains Best Pasty, but was banned from entering again because it is based in Devon. YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. According to Health Ministry data, January 12th is the first day that the situation over sharp respiratory infections not only stabilizes, but also records decline in infections. Till today rise in diseases was recorded on daily bases. As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Ministry of Health, the number of patients with pneumonia was 412 on January 11 at 20:00, on January 12 at 20:00 the number declined, reaching 396. The number of patients receiving treatment intensive care units declined from 92 to 81. The number of pregnant women with sharp respiratory infections fell from 101 to 85 and later to 78. Children with sharp respiratory infections dropped from 720 to 684. At the same time, 14 patients are switched to artificial respiration devices. HN flu has been confirmed for 8 of them. If on January 11 at 20:00 the overall number of patients with sharp respiratory infections was 855, the number is 799 at this moment. Death cases of a women and a child suffering cancer who underwent an operation was registered on January 12. H1N1 infection was confirmed for the child. Summing up the latest data, the Health Ministry finds that there is a declining tendency of diseases as a result of preventive and curative measures, as well as awareness raising activities. YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Official Moscow expressed condolences to the relatives and friends of the victims of the terrorist acts that occurred in Baghdad and Istanbul, adding that the incidents come to reinforce the necessity to urgently consolidate the efforts of the international society in the fight against terrorism. Armenpress reports that the statement issued by the RF MFA mentions about this. In connection with a series of terrorist attacks in Baghdad on 11 January and a blast in Istanbul on January 12, we express our deep condolences to the families and friends of the victims. We wish a speedy recovery to all the injured. These cynical crimes, for which there can be no justification, once again demonstrated the inhumanity and cruelty of international terrorism, The incidents confirm once again the urgent need for immediate unification of efforts of the international community in forming a unified front against terrorism, based on the strict observance of international law principles and excluding any application of double standards and approaches, reads the statement. Terror act in Baghdad claimed lives of over 50 people. More than 90 received bodily injuries. The terror act in Istanbul claimed lives of 10 people, 9 of which were German citizens. Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had announced that the blast was carried out by a 27 year-old suicide bomber of Syrian descent. YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. In the period of 2008-2014 surveyed countries (Austria, the Netherlands, Turkey, China, Iran, India, Vietnam, the Republic of Korea, and Japan) that invest in the EAEU increased their FDI stock in EAEU countries to $82.8 billion. Armenpress reports that the research headlined EAEU and Eurasia: Monitoring and Analysis of Direct Investments done by Eurasian Development Banks Integration studies center mentions about this. According to the research, Asian FDI in the EAEU region continues to grow: as at the end of 2014, FDI of Turkey, China, Iran, India, Vietnam, the Republic of Korea, and Japan reached $44 billion. The most attractive sectors for them at the moment are hydrocarbon production and transportation. At the same time, significant amounts are channelled into mechanical engineering, construction, and finance. Chinese investors show the strongest dynamics of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the EAEU countries. Between 2008 and 2014, China's FDI stock in the region more than doubled, from $11 billion to $27.1 billion. Japanese FDI reached $14.7 billion, and South Korean FDI reached $1.9 billion. The data on FDI in the EAEU countries suggest that Chinese FDI is primarily concentrated in Kazakhstan, and Japanese in Russia. Iran continues to increase its investments in the EAEU countries at low, yet stable rates. The main recipient of its FDI is Belarus (commercial construction and development). The prevailing sector in the sectoral breakdown of Iran's FDI in the EAEU countries is construction, followed by infrastructure networks and transportation. According to the EDB Centre for Integration Studies, Iranian FDI stock in the surveyed post-Soviet countries is more than 90 times higher than counter-investment in Iran ($966 billion vs. $10 million). The main reason for low EAEU FDI in this country is Iran's lack of favorable business conditions. As distinct from investments by East Asian countries and Iran, Turkish FDI in EAEU countries is distributed by sectors more uniformly. It is represented across all aggregated sectors, except non-ferrous metals and oil and gas sector. Geographical diversification is also observed in most sectors. Turkish FDI stock in the EAEU region as at the beginning of 2015 totalled $7.9 billion. Russia's share in Turkish FDI in EAEU was 72.5%, Belarus' 13%, and Kazakhstan's 10.8%. Indian FDI in EAEU is distributed between two countries only: Russia ($3.6 billion), and Kazakhstan (US $2.3 billion). Other EAEU economies are of low interest to Indian TNCs for the time being. Two sectors ferrous metals (FDI in Kazakhstan) and oil and gas sector (primarily, through ONGC's participation in Sakhalin-1 project) dominate in the sectoral breakdown. Despite low growth rates in the global economy, as well as volatility and uncertainty in financial markets, the investment expansion by Asian countries in the EAEU economies has not suspended. The experts of the EDB Centre for Integration Studies believe that Asian FDI in EAEU countries will continue to grow. The main role will be played by Chinese investors, which try to give effect to memoranda and preliminary agreements entered into in 2014-2015 and thereby to increase their expansion in a wide range of directions. Japanese companies will try to occupy free niches in Central Asia, where competition among transnational corporations is still low. Iranian investors will continue to strengthen their investments. PNG TODAY THE Papua New Guinea Opposition has queried the motive behind prime minister Peter ONeill allocating himself the Bougainville Affairs Ministry in light of the looming vote on the autonomous provinces referendum on independence. Don Polye said stripping off the ministry from a Bougainvillean MP who has local knowledge about the issues is a slap in the peoples face. Mr Polye has cautioned the Mr ONeill to treat outstanding financial issues and the Bougainville copper mine issues with care. The prime minister has been undermining the [Bougainville] peace agreement with cuts in funds rightfully owed to the people, he said. I used to live in England (Crowthorne, Berks, also home to Broadmoor) and our local cemetery had some interesting graves, including a cousin of Jane Austin and some unidentified French sailors from the Napoleonic wars interred with due ceremony but sadly unnamed. What I am trying to say is that there is a great deal of interesting history to be found in the dead and their memorials. I must confess I am something of a closet taphophile. Not that I seek tombstones in closets, I just like to fossick around old cemeteries. TAPHOPHILE is the name given to someone who takes an interest in cemeteries, tombstones or past lives. If that sounds too fancy, tombstone tourist will do. The article by the good Fr Philip Gibbs SVD got me thinking about Bomana cemetery at Nine Mile (strictly speaking it should be called Ten Mile). Im not referring to the splendid war cemetery, which is further up the road and where every Australian visiting politician likes to be photographed. No, this Bomana is the final resting place of ordinary folk. Ironically perhaps, its near the new adventure park. My first mum-in-law was from Latvia and they have a tradition of celebrating saints days (or name days as they are called) with a picnic in the cemetery, which is a great idea. After all they are usually pleasant shady places where you can spend some time reflecting on your dear departed. I know that there are many sad reminders of the untimely deaths of many local people in Bomana. There are also the mass graves of unknown AIDS victims which are particularly poignant. But I was particularly interested in the graves of the early settlers who all must have stories to be told. There is real history there in Bomana. It would be fascinating to find out about these people and to learn their stories. A former 40 year Atheist analyzes Atheism, without resorting to theism, deism, or fantasy. *** If You Don't Value Truth, Then What DO You Value? *** If we say that the sane can be coaxed and persuaded to rationality, and we say that rationality presupposes logic, then what can we say of those who actively reject logic? *** Atheists have an obligation to give reasons in the form of logic and evidence for rejecting Theist theories. While the race for the White House may seem like it's already lasted an entire four-year term, the real battle traditionally begins this month, as hopefuls start fighting in earnest for votes and delegates in Iowa and New Hampshire. There are plenty of reasons politicians spend years battling for the presidency; the opportunity to live in the Neoclassical masterpiece at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, designed by Irish-born architect James Hoban, who won a prize to envision a then-new presidential residence in 1792, is just one. Arguably the most recognizable buildings in the country, the home and office of the President of the United States, like other such residences across the globe, represents architectural achievement and symbolizes national pride. Beyond some of the more well-known seats of power, such as the Kremlin or 10 Downing Street, these select homes of some of the world's most powerful men and women showcase both historic and modern architecture, and help tell the story of their particular countries and rulers. Ten structures from around the globe that prove it's good to be in charge >> 10 Reasons New Star Trek Series Should Film on Oregon Coast Published 01/11/2016 at 6:33 PM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff By Andre' Hagestedt (Oregon Coast) The veils of secrecy around the new Star Trek series coming on CBS next year are thick. Or perhaps they just don't know enough yet to leak anything. Now, in this post-Nimoy and post-JJ Abrams Trek world, we do know the network is launching yet another installment in the famed franchise, which will apparently only be available online after the pilot airs on the actual airwaves. (Photo above: Cape Kiwanda). One thing producers of the new series should know: you really need to do some filming on the Oregon coast. Aside from the gloriously otherworldly looks some locales have, Oregon gives some inviting tax breaks to filmmakers. Here's the top ten reasons the new Star Trek needs to check the region out. The links provide many more photos of these spots. Alien Landscapes: Yachats. It's almost impossible not to picture these jagged, blackened rocky ledges as part of another world. Or, head south a bit and you'll find surreal labyrinth-like beaches of spots like Strawberry Hill, which almost have a Roger Dean vibe (the artist who did most of the Yes album covers). In fact, when I was just under ten years old in the late 60's, when the original Star Trek was still airing my brother and I would play act Star Trek along Yachats' strangely-shaped shores. Alien Landscapes: Oceanside. Behind the tunnel at Oceanside is a beach actually nicknamed Star Trek Beach because of the funky shapes that reside here (some even resemble moments from TOS, such as the former arch that looked a lot like the time portal from City on the Edge of Forever). Nearby Short Beach should also provide some stunningly extraterrestrial sights. Hidden Parts of Manzanita. On a set of rather hidden (and dangerous) cliffs just north of Manzanita, you'll find these bizarre basalts. There's also the striking Cube Rock not far from here, which looks like some gigantic ancient remnant of an advanced civilization. Forests of Another World: The coastal rainforests in this area are similar to those in British Columbia, which hosted plenty of scenes of interplanetary exploration for both Stargate series, along with lots of encounters in X Files and Continuum. Some, like atop Cape Perpetua or Tillamook Head, have strange buildings, like the abandoned bunker at Tillamook Head. Weird Quarry Desolation: Yaquina Head. Newport's Yaquina Head hosts at least one old quarry, along with soaring, angular rock walls that simply scream strange new world. Or, there's that freaky black beach below where the sands are unusually large and the rocks make that wowing chattering sound. Alien Landscapes: Beneath Yaquina Head. On the northern face of this headland at Newport, a host of truly alien objects abound. It's a very hidden spot, where a weird arch and bizarre zig-zag features in the cliffs and ground reside. All of it not unlike that TOS episode where the Galileo shuttle craft was stuck with those giant, hairy Sasquatch dudes throwing spears at Spock. Post Apocalyptic in Warrenton. The gutted, concrete ruins of an old battery from World War 2, a crusty shipwreck and the jetty at Fort Stevens State Park are just the beginning of a series of sights and sites that evoke one kind of post-apocalyptic destruction or another. Be it the remnants of Earth or some other unfortunate race, framing these places in just the right way can give you the chills. Alien Landscapes: Top of Kiwanda. From the Mad Max-like dune at the top and its barren, weather-ravaged trees, to the pockmarked and Dr. Suess-like surreal-scapes of the headland, Pacific City's Cape Kiwanda really feels out of this world. The Desolation of Dunes. Desert scenes are often the staple of Sci-Fi, and the Sand Lake Recreation Area near Tillamook or the 80 miles of Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area near Florence definitely fit the bill here. Especially the latter, with towering dunes rising up and eclipsing everything else. Weird plants in the area also assist the alien vibe. Time Travel Moments: Astoria. What if this new crew has to time travel back to 1930's America? Or late 60's small town Americana? Astoria has already been popular in other movie sets for Goonies, Kindergarten Cop, The Ring II and more. Not only are parts of it serious leftovers from various time periods, there are pockets of surrealistic rusted and crusty delights as well. (Oregon Coast Beach Connection already touted our reasons that Doctor Who should film here - see those). Oregon Coast Lodging in this area - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The massive bonfire that burns across the street from St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Beaumont each year means something different to everyone. For Charles Teel, 34, it's about tradition. For Kathy English, 60, it's about spirituality. For Wesley Hoffer, 28, it's about nonconformity. No matter the individual meaning, the congregation gathers once a year on the Sunday after Epiphany for the Burning of the Greens. A heap of Christmas trees and wreaths awaited a procession of churchgoers holding lighted candles while a bagpiper played "These Three Kings." Family and friends huddled close around the mound until The Rev. Dean Calcote gave the go-ahead and the cold, dark night was lit by flames as candles were thrown into the brush. "It's already started!" a man yelled after the first few candles crackled into the piney pile. As the flames climbed higher, English told a friend that this is her favorite event. Baptized, confirmed and married at St. Mark's, English has been attending the Burning of the Greens every year for more than a decade. "I love walking out of the church in the candlelight," she said. "I get very much a spiritual feeling." Calcote reminded everyone the reason for the Burning of the Greens during his sermon. "All our small candles will create a great fire... that will dispel the darkness," he told the congregation. Calcote's sermon told of unexpected signs acting as a light to show the way. "We can catch that light and carry it in ourselves," he said. "We're all called to be an epiphany." Hoffer has only been coming to the Burning of the Greens for about five years. Raised in a split Jewish and Christian household, Hoffer doesn't attend St. Mark's regularly - only twice a year. "I don't know many churches that clean up Christmas trees the way this one does," he said. He appreciated the camaraderie, joy and excitement, but what attracted him to the Burning of the Greens was how unique it is. "It's against normal regulation and rules," he said. He recalled a past reverend giving his spiel before the burning. "His line was, 'there's a little pyromaniac in all of us,'" Hoffer recalled. Teel, a church volunteer and third generation St. Mark's member, said that everyone's welcome to the Burning of the Greens and they'll always be told why the church has been doing it for more than 50 years. "It's the light into the world," he said. "It's symbolic." He believes that this symbolism is why the Burning of the Greens has become a strong tradition. "This is my favorite service of the year," Teel said. MHeath@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/mheath31 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 Guiseppe Barranco/Photo Editor Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Guiseppe Barranco/Photo Editor Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Guiseppe Barranco/Photo Editor Show More Show Less 5 of 5 Beaumont police and FBI agents Monday evening arrested a second suspect in connection with the Chase bank robbery last week, authorities said. Kenderrick Greer, 33, was arrested in the 5300 block of Fannett Road on a federal bank robbery warrant, police said. Jan. 12, 1936 A rally in the last two periods enabled the Holy Family High School varsity to trim St. Michael's College freshman quintet 24 to 23 Saturday night at Toronto, Canada. The score was knotted at the intermission at 12 points all. Leide tallied two baskets and two shots from the charity lane to lead the Purple and Gold forces with six points. The floor play of Johnny Poole and Lavey was particularly brilliant. The Holy Family lineup: Leide, 6; Poole, 4; Lavey, 4; Synnott, 1; Hickey, 3; Oliver, 4; Crowley, 2. Jan. 12, 1961 Nancy Sutfin and her answer to communism won the county oratorical contest last night at Auburn Community College. A student at Cato-Meridian Central School, Nancy represented her school in the American Legion's 24th speaking contest, competed with four other school winners and won top honors. She will represent this county at a district contest in February. Second place winner was Richard Kneaskern of West High, and third was Richard Wenderlich of Mt. Carmel High. Jan. 12, 2006 The Scipio Volunteer Fire Company, 3550 Route 34, recently selected officers for 2006. The officers and their positions are Wayne Pettit, chief; Pete Rejman, first assistant chief; Wayne Stuttle, second assistant chief; Tammy Pettit, EMS captain; Jim Perkins, training captain; Rob Marshall, fire captain; Sharon Pettit, engine first lieutenant; Adam Andrews, engine second lieutenant; Darrin Batzer, tanker lieutenant; David Nedza, rescue lieutenant; John Nedza, water rescue lieutenant; and Jen Minde, EMS lieutenant. The company's president is Dan Tiffany, with Jerry Prego serving as vice president, Dawn Rejman as secretary and Sharon Pettit as treasurer. Jan. 12, 2011 In a surprising vote, the Cayuga County Legislature's Public Works committee declined to provide an additional $25,000 of in-kind services to the nascent Musical Theater Festival's State Street site Tuesday night. The county has already committed $25,000 in cash and another $25,000 in in-kind construction work for a scene shop near the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse. In December, festival managing director Michael Chamberlain requested another $25,000 of in-kind work at the site of the soon-to-be-demolished Kalet's building, where a 380-seat theater is supposed to go up. The committee tabled the measure last month in order to seek assurance that the county would only assume responsibility after the city had demolished the building and cleared the property. AUBURN | For possessing prison contraband, three inmates will spend more time behind bars. The three men were sentenced Tuesday in Cayuga County Court before Judge Mark Fandrich on Tuesday. Darnell Jackson, 30, was found guilty of first-degree promoting prison contraband by a Cayuga County jury in October. The jury found that Jackson possessed a sharpened metal knife on Dec. 1, 2014 while being housed in Cayuga Correctional Facility, and corrections staff found the weapon inside his underwear during a search. Jackson was sentenced to 3 1/2 to seven years in prison. He was expected to be released in 2016 but this will run consecutively to his current sentence. He is currently serving a 3 1/2 year prison sentence after pleading guilty in 2014 to third-degree attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance in New York City. Jackson was also previously convicted of first-degree robbery, which he served a five-year prison sentence for in 2005. District Attorney Jon Budelmann said Jackson was eligible for persistent felony offender treatment, which could carry a life sentence, but his office decided not to pursue that route given the defendant's age. He said since Jackson is only 30 years old, he hopes a "light bulb goes off in his head" and he can turn his life around. "Unfortunately we're seeing a pattern (of crime) that is continuing," Budelmann said. Norm Chirco, Jackson's attorney, said his client was cooperative throughout the entire process. Trevon Killings was also found guilty of first-degree promoting prison contraband and tampering with physical evidence by a Cayuga County jury in October. Fandrich sentenced him Tuesday to 3 1/2 to seven years for the prison contraband charge and two to four years for the tampering with physical evidence charge. The 24-year-old was serving a 14-year sentence at Auburn Correctional Facility for a first-degree manslaughter conviction after a gang-related shooting in Brooklyn in 2009. He was expected to be released in 2021. The jury found that Killings possessed and then intentionally discarded a weapon used to slash the face of another inmate during a fight in 2014. While the weapon was never recovered, the district attorney's office said the wound was evidence enough of the "deadly nature" of the item. Both Killings and his attorney, Rome Canzano, maintain his innocence and said that they will pursue an appeal of the decision. Canzano said he believes that given the nature of the case and the lack of evidence, his client will be successful in winning that appeal. "How was I being charged with a weapon that didn't exist?" Killings said in court. "The weapon was never found." Shaquan Oliver, 26, pleaded guilty in Oct. 2014 to attempted first-degree promoting prison contraband. He was sentenced Tuesday to 1 1/2 to three years in prison. This sentence will add to the 28 years he's currently serving in Five Points Correctional Facility for second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and first-degree robbery. He was also previously convicted of attempted second-degree criminal possession of a weapon in May 2009. Budelmann said that this is Oliver's 10th offense as an adult, which does not bode well for his future. It's important for providers and payers to align incentives, especially for self-insured employers, and ambulatory surgery centers are able to do just that. ASCs provide high-quality services at a lower cost with the ability to improve the patient experience. "ASCs are typically smaller and therefore uniquely positioned to implement cutting-edge programs such as true clinically and financially integrated bundled procedures," says Chad Somers, president and CEO of Benefits Management Inc., which was acquired by Nueterra Healthcare last year. "The benefit to ASCs from self-insured employers will be the additional volume of new procedures that can be done in lower cost venues of care." Here are five key thoughts for ASC owners and operators on the self-insured employer market: 1. Self-insured employers could drive volume to ASCs by offering a flexible benefit design that reduces the employee's out-of-pocket expenses when an ASC is appropriate. "There is tremendous opportunity to improve quality and reduce cost across hundreds of procedures which could be done in a lower acuity setting," says Mr. Somers. "Tactically, self-insured employers can implement plan designs that provide a better benefit to their participants when services are rendered at an ASC." 2. The self-insured employers may operate in the bundled payment structure. "Self-insured employers can further control costs by shifting certain procedures to ASCs and participating in bundled payments for such episodes," says Mr. Somers. "This shift is currently underway as exemplified by the rapid increase in total hip and knee replacement procedures being performed in ambulatory care settings supported by a recovery suite or other post-acute care." 3. ASCs can take advantage of bundled payment opportunities with an appropriately risk stratified population. "ASCs can further benefit from self-employed insurers' ability to create more flexible design plans, engage a different consumer and enable centers of excellence," says Mr. Somers. 4. ASCs can connect with self-insured employers via third party administrators, broker/consultants or even directly to the employers themselves. Relationships between TPAs and ASCs are currently network-driven. 5. There are 63 percent of workers enrolled in self-funded plans, according to the 2015 Kaiser/HRET Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Benefits, 1999-2015, which is up from 44 percent in 1999. "We expect this trend to continue, given the increasing healthcare cost trend and how employers will seek the cost-saving advantages of self-funded health plans," says Mr. Somers. "Specifically, employers are turning to self-funded options to avoid costly ACA mandates." 6. There are many employers willing and able to forgo the typical insurance plans and contract directly with high quality, low cost providers for their patients. "They desire to control their costs through transparent reporting, tailor benefit plans for population-specific requirements and contract directly with high-value physician networks and facilities such as ASCs," says Mr. Somers. Here are quotes that ASC administrators look to for inspiration and suggest younger professionals heed in their careers. Judy Harless, MBA, SMI Surgery Center (San Diego) "Be the change that you wish to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi Jennifer Hunara, MBA, Surgery Center of Allentown (Pa.) "Failing to plan is planning to fail." "Leadership is not a position or title it is action and example." "If you feel like you're drowning, don't swim harder. Float, reassess and catch a different wave!" "Love what you do." Rick Sizemore, RN, Spartanburg (S.C.) Surgery Center "If the plan doesn't work, change the plan but never the goal." Anonymous Brandon O'Dell, RN, Surgery Center of Athens (Ga.) "Primum non nocere." (First, do no harm) Ann Hurd, RN, Advanced Surgery Institute (Santa Rosa, Calif.) "Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of becoming." Johann Von Goethe "The joy of leadership is helping others succeed." Gale Smith Bill Hazen, Surgery Center at Pelham (Greer, S.C.) "Pigs get fat and Hogs get slaughtered." Mr. Hazen recites this often when the board asks the center to raise its rates. Recent articles: Florida legislature taking on healthcare price transparency 5 observations Tenet signs new, 4-year agreement with Aetna; Surgery Partners appoints Brent Turner to board of directors & more 4 notes on ASC companies Self-insured employers: 6 key thoughts on new opportunities for ASCs Colonoscopy is one of the most common outpatient procedures. A study published in the journal Gastroenterology set out to understand how colonoscopy quality varies between outpatient facilities. Here are five things to know about the study. 1. The study authors examined a 20 percent sample of 201 Medicare outpatient colonoscopy claims, a sample representing 331,880 colonoscopies done at 8,140 facilities. 2. The researchers established a logistic regression model to estimate the risk of unplanned hospital visit within seven days of colonoscopy. 3. The colonoscopies included in the study were followed by 5,412 unplanned hospital visits within seven days. The most common reasons for an unplanned hospital visit were abdominal pain, hemorrhage and perforation. 4. The risk for unplanned hospital admission within seven days of colonoscopy was comparable between ASCs and hospital outpatient departments (10.2 per 1,000 colonoscopies). 5. The authors concluded the risk-adjusted measure of outpatient colonoscopy quality developed for the study could be used to help patients make informed choices and support quality improvement efforts. Lawyers for Vermont are prepared to respond to a lawsuit filed by Dartmouth-HitchcockMedicalCenter in Lebanon, N.H., regarding Vermont's reimbursement policies for out-of-state providers, according to WCAX-TV. The hospital, located within 10 miles of the New Hampshire-Vermont border, estimated Vermont reimburses it about 18 percent less per Medicaid patient than it does for Vermont hospitals. Dartmouth-Hithcock lawyers contend unfair reimbursement for inpatient, outpatient and hospital teaching procedures cost the medical center more than $11 million annually. The lawsuit also criticizes the federal government for approving Vermont's reimbursement policy, which the hospital claims violated the Constitution. A similar lawsuit regarding California's lower Medi-Cal reimbursement rates for out-of-state hospitals was decided earlier this month in favor of the plaintiff hospitals. A district judge ruled California's reimbursement policy unconstitutional, as it promoted discriminatory rate setting based on a hospital's geographic location. Vermont's attorney general's office is expected to file an official response to the lawsuit next week, according to the article. One way hospitals and health systems are meeting patient demands for mobile options and digital engagement is by rallying in-house to develop their own system-specific apps, rather than linking to third party platforms. NewYork-Presbyterian is the most recent to go this route with the early-January release of their own hospital-specific mobile app for patients, dreamed and developed in the system's own Innovation Center. Peter Fleischut, MD, associate chief innovation officer of NYP, and Daniel Barchi, CIO of NewYork-Presbyterian spoke with Becker's Hospital Review about the process of designing an app specifically for their patients and what health systems can offer by way of digital engagement. Question: What drove NewYork-Presbyterian to develop this app? Mr. Barchi: We're really interested in reaching our patients and making the experience for our patients easier and better overall and more focused on them. Our patients are using mobile technology whether they're at home, in our hospitals or being seen in one of our physician practices, so we wanted to bring the experience to them wherever they were. Instead of making lots of apps that do lots of different things, it was Peter's vision to create a NewYork-Presbyterian app into which we can layer a lot of different functionality, so this was the first step into that, with a lot of functionality to begin with and plans to add more as we move forward. Dr. Fleischut: It's a way to give patients a free, easy-to-use tool to guide them through patient care. As we grow as an integrated healthcare system and provide additional services through our regional hospital network and our other hospitals, we want to make it very easy for patients to navigate that system and extend features and functionalities to them in their homes and any other places where they may need to be taken care of. Q: What can patients see using the app? How is it updated? Dr. Fleischut: Right now it's just the basics: Easy functionality, such as enabling a patient to not have to go to multiple venues to search for a doctor. They can now search for a doctor from any of our nine hospitals using the app, they're able to find directions to each hospital and understand the clinical services each offers. They're also able to pay bills via their phone rather than having to bring a physical payment to a hospital. And as Daniel mentioned, we want to construct a platform that allows us to work with other outside entrepreneurs, innovators and companies to provide new features and functionalities to those patients. Some of that exists within the app now, but we plan to expand that on a rapid cycle in the future. Mr. Barchi: To that point, less than a week after releasing the app, we released the first update, so we really are focused on rapidly building out functionality as the app develops. Dr. Fleischut: One component we plan to add on will be the ability for patients to access their medical records. The application is meant to engage and to satisfy patients and help with their needs, and one component of that is providing that access to their data. Q: What other features do you plan to build out? Dr. Fleischut: We're definitely looking at interactive visitor guides to help patients before they get to the hospital, during their stay and after. There's also additional health features they're labeled as telehealth but they are really an extension of how we provide healthcare outside of a hospital using technology and communication technology, like we've done for years. That includes follow-up appointments, providing second opinions and eventually remote patient monitoring. Mr. Barchi: When we think about patient way-finding, which is one of the functions we hope to add on to the app as well, just in Manhattan alone NewYork-Presbyterian has more than 10 million square feet of space in our hospitals. Expecting our patients to navigate their way around to their appointments, to their physicians it would be overwhelming if we didn't give them better tools. So we're interested in providing that to them through the portal as well. Q: What do you expect the patient experience impact to be? Mr. Barchi: The whole idea of what we're doing both with this app, and where our push at NewYork-Presbyterian as a whole is, is toward delivering better patient care. For [patients] and for their families, their experience with us is important because we want them to continue to return to seek care and also to follow up on their care. We want them to not only have a good experience but to keep following up with us so they remain healthy. It all ties together and if we can use this app as a way to interact with them whenever and wherever they are online, we'll keep doing that. Dr. Fleischut: I think the overriding theme is to also make it as simple as possible. So this is not just geared toward technologists, it's a simple application that can help our patients be more engaged and we feel that patients who are more engaged not only recover quicker but they are going to be happier as well. Q: Do you think developing system-specific apps is going to be a growing trend for hospitals? Mr. Barchi: I do, a lot of health systems today are using off the shelf portals for medical records that are mostly from EHR providers and I think that we're starting at the edges at one end there are health systems that are focused on the EHR and what is available from their vendor and we're starting in the other direction. With a focus on patient experience, we're all going to start moving towards the middle, which is, as Peter has envisioned, one tool that encompasses all of these different components where patients can say either, "I'm sick today," or "I'm having a visit today," or "I need to make an appointment," or "I want to follow up." They know there is one app they go to and that's the NewYork-Presbyterian app. The United Kingdom Secretary of Health Jeremy Hunt asked Robert Wachter, MD, professor and interim chairman of the Department of Medicine at University of California, San Francisco, to lead a review of the U.K.'s digital health system. In addition to his clinical positions, Dr. Wachter is also a New York Times best-selling author: His book, The Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype, and Harm at the Dawn of Medicine's Computer Age, caught the eye of Secretary Hunt, who asked Dr. Wachter to lead the review. "I wrote The Digital Doctor in the hope that it would generate an important conversation in the U.S. about how to get health information technology right," said Dr. Wachter. "It's exciting to be asked by the British Secretary of Health to think about the lessons from the American experience that might be relevant to England's health care system." Dr. Wachter is now selecting committee members from the United States and the U.K., including policy leaders, IT leaders, clinicians and patients. Over the next few months, Dr. Wachter expects to travel to England several times to conduct his review, and results are expected in June. More articles on health IT: Is interoperability getting better or worse? 6 key thoughts While top leaders leave Denver Health, CEO says Epic rollout is under budget and on time Unlocking the value of patient portals: 3 thoughts from athenahealth GE Healthcare has chosen to relocate its international headquarters to Chicago, effective early this year. The company's previous global headquarters in Amersham, U.K., will remain a major location for GE Healthcare as the global Life Sciences head office and base for U.K. operations. "We are excited to strengthen GE's roots in Chicago, where we will continue our focus on being the leading provider of outcome-based solutions for the healthcare industry," said GE Healthcare President and CEO John Flannery. The new move will enable GE's executive leadership to be closer to operations in Chicago and Milwaukee while remaining near an international transportation hub O'Hare International Airport. "GE Healthcare's decision to relocate its global headquarters here is another example of Chicago's growing strength in healthcare and innovation, and another vote of confidence in Chicago's economic future," said City of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "The relocation of GE Healthcare's global headquarters to Chicago is a tremendous win for the state of Illinois," added Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner. "GE Healthcare joins a preeminent life sciences industry in Illinois and I am happy to welcome them to their new home." The Department of Justice's Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission have recommended South Carolina repeal its certificate of need laws because they can prevent the efficient functioning of healthcare markets and thereby harm consumers. The DOJ and FTC gave their recommendation in response to a request by South Carolina Gov. Nikki R. Haley for views on a bill, which would ultimately repeal the state's CON laws. "South Carolina lawmakers have the opportunity to help healthcare consumers in the state," said Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer of the DOJ's Antitrust Division. "CON laws raise the cost of investment in new healthcare services and can shield incumbents from competition that would benefit consumers and lower costs. Repeal of South Carolina's CON laws could invigorate competition in this important sector, to the benefit of patients, employers and other healthcare consumers." Although CON laws vary by state, they typically require certain healthcare providers to obtain approval from the state before expanding, establishing new facilities or services or making certain large capital expenditures, according to the DOJ. More articles on CON laws: New Jersey hospital files for bankruptcy, blames state for troubles CON laws limit entry and competition in North Carolina Le Bonheur Children's Hospital plans $55M expansion New York's graduation rate increased slightly to 78.1 percent last year, and education officials said Monday the number could be even higher if students had different ways of earning a diploma. The four-year graduation rate for students who started high school in 2011 was 1.7 percentage points higher than for the previous class, data from the state Education Department showed, but it remained below the national rate of 82 percent. Locally, four of the nine districts that make up the Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES region saw their four-year graduation rates increase. The highest rate among the nine belonged to the Skaneateles Central School District, at 96 percent, while the Auburn Enlarged City School District's 70-percent rate was the lowest locally. Education officials said New York students, especially those just learning English or who have disabilities, would benefit from the chance to graduate outside of the current Regents exam-based system, by following a career and occupational graduation pathway, for example, or through project-based assessments. "This is not about changing our standard. It's about providing other avenues for kids to show what they know so they can graduate," Commissioner MaryEllen Elia said. Black and Hispanic students, as well as those in high-needs districts, made gains, the 2015 graduation data showed, but continued to graduate at lower rates than white students and those in wealthier districts. Also concerning, the department said, was the nearly 7 percent of students, about 14,590 of them, who should have been part of the class of 2015 but instead dropped out of high school. The majority were black or Hispanic and from economically disadvantaged families. New York State United Teachers Vice President Catalina Fortino supported the idea of alternative graduation pathways but said lifting graduation rates in large, high-needs districts also would require more investment in smaller class sizes, staff and support programs. "We know that when we provide additional support for access and opportunity in high-need districts, they graduate and contribute to the success of their communities and our country," she said. Last month, federal education officials put the U.S. high school graduation rate at 82 percent. Leading the way was Iowa, with a graduation rate of nearly 91 percent. The District of Columbia had the lowest rate, 61 percent. A former California state regulator involved in an audit of Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente's mental health plan before leaving to work for the HMO has agreed to a fine to the state Fair Political Practices Commission for acting improperly, according to the LA Times. Marcella Faye Gallagher served as supervising attorney for California's Department of Managed Health Care during the 2012 audit of the HMO's mental health plan, which sought to ensure it complied with state law by providing prompt access to services, according to the report. During the six months she worked on the audit, Ms. Gallagher "helped pick" members of the audit team, determined the scope of the audit, counseled the audit analysts, "advised on documents to be requested from Kaiser" and edited the preliminary audit report, the state FPPC told the LA Times. After Ms. Gallagher left her post as supervising attorney and joined Kaiser in July 2012, she helped the insurer defend itself against the audit findings by providing both verbal and written feedback on corrective action plans other Kaiser employees were drafting in response to the Department of Managed Health Care's audit, according to the report. The audit had identified significant problems, including Kaiser failing to provide patients with mental health appointments within 10 business days of a request, as required by the state. As a result, Kaiser was fined $4 million by the state. Subsequently, Ms. Gallagher has agreed to pay a $3,000 administrative fine to the FPPC for violating the prohibition against state administrators accepting pay to assist firms in the same audit proceedings in which they were involved while still in their state jobs. The case against her comes from a complaint filed by Sal Rosselli, president of the National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents 4,500 Kaiser employees. "Ms. Gallagher's switching of sides not only causes an appearance of impropriety, it appears to constitute serious legal violations and a severe breach of the public's trust given that it undermines a regulatory enforcement matter affecting millions of California consumers enrolled in California's largest HMO," Mr. Rosselli wrote in the formal complaint, according to the report. A whistle-blower has filed a lawsuit alleging OptumHealth Behavioral Solutions, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, allowed nine behavioral health providers in New Mexico to submit false claims for more than a year, according to The New Mexican. Karen Clark, an investigator who worked for OptumHealth, brought the lawsuit under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. She claims OptumHealth ignored complaints about behavioral health companies billing Medicaid for services that were never provided or were not medically necessary. Ms. Clark also alleges OptumHealth looked the other way when behavioral health companies billed under the wrong codes to get higher reimbursements. Ms. Clark filed her lawsuit in 2013, and it was recently unsealed with the government decided not to intervene in the case, according to the report. The whistle-blower lawsuit was filed against UnitedHealth Group, UnitedHealthcare, United Behavioral Health and OptumHealth New Mexico. An OptumHealth spokesman did not return The New Mexican's request for comment. More articles on healthcare industry lawsuits: 10 latest healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements Physician gets 9 years for role in $20M fraud scheme 5 False Claims Act trends, cases that will fuel recoveries in 2016 Attorneys general from approximately 15 states are working with the Department of Justice in its review of Aetna's $54.2 billion bid for Humana and Anthem's $37 billion plan to buy Cigna, according to Reuters. The attorneys general are from Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts and Tennessee, anonymous sources told Reuters. The other states in the group were not identified. The attorneys general will give the DOJ data on how their choice to approve the acquisitions may affect the insurance market including higher prices or other harm to customers in each state. Anthem CEO Joseph Swedish applauded the state attorneys general joining the DOJ. "The states created this path with the DOJ to promote education, [and] engagement. They develop a lot of insights so that when the DOJ does rule, our work with all of these states is probably enhanced quite a bit because we are not starting from scratch," he said, according to the report. Aetna felt the same. "We are confident that our transaction will receive a fair, thorough and fact-based review from the Department of Justice and the states," the insurer said in a statement. Cigna didn't respond to Reuters' request for comment, and Humana declined to comment. Meanwhile, others including the American Antitrust Institute are concerned about the implications of the deals going through. "The AAI recommends that the DOJ 'just say no' to the two deals that would fundamentally restructure the nation's health insurance markets and create further incentives for 'reactive' consolidation in the healthcare supply chain," the AAI said in a Jan. 11 letter to the DOJ. The following is a roundup of recent events pertaining to hospital-union relationships, including strikes, concerns, legal battles, rallies and new contract agreements. All events were reported since Dec. 3, beginning with the most recent. 1. Union voices concerns over proposed Crozer-Keystone acquisition: 4 things to know The Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals said it is concerned about potential effects from Los Angeles-based Prospect Medical Holdings' planned acquisition of Springfield, Pa.-based Crozer-Keystone Health System, according to a Delaware County Daily Times report. Job changes at Crozer-Keystone are not the union's major concern. But the union is concerned Prospect may be sold to another for-profit hospital chain not long after the deal with Crozer-Keystone closes. 2. Union files charges after nurses locked out of Nathan Littauer Hospital: 4 things to know The New York State Nurses Association, which represents workers at Nathan Littauer Hospital in Gloversville, N.Y., said it has filed several federal charges after the hospital last week locked out unionized nurses who went on strike, according to a report from The Leader Herald. The charges were filed with the National Labor Relations Board Jan. 7, after nurses were denied entry to go to work after the nurses' one-day strike ended. 3. Kindred Hospital La Mirada workers vote in favor of unionizing: 3 things to know More than 220 healthcare workers at Kindred Hospital La Mirada (Calif.) voted to join SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West. Kindred workers affected include certified nursing assistants, cooks, environmental services aides, food services aides, licensed vocational nurses, materials management clerks, medical records clerks, monitor technicians, phlebotomists, radiology technologists, respiratory therapists, respiratory care practitioners and surgical assistants. 4. Nathan Littauer workers demonstrate over contract: 3 things to know Healthcare workers at Nathan Littauer Hospital in Gloversville, N.Y., held a candlelight vigil Dec. 17. The candlelight vigil was organized by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East and members of the New York State Nurses Association. Workers who demonstrated Thursday are seeking a new contract. 5. Conn. workers vote to stay in union: 3 things to know Medical technicians and respiratory therapists at Danbury (Conn.) Hospital and New Milford (Conn.) Hospital voted in December to stay in the AFT Connecticut union, according to a report from The News-Times. The vote came as a minority portion of about 280 AFT Connecticut members petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to hold a vote to break away from the union, according to the report. The members had expressed displeasure about not having a contract, and had raised concerns about working conditions and patient care. 6. Staffing central issue in Oneida Healthcare nurse rally: 4 things to know Oneida (N.Y.) Healthcare nurses, represented by the New York State Nurses Association, rallied Dec. 16 over staffing levels, according to an Oneida Daily Dispatch report. Dozens of nurses from Oneida Healthcare and surrounding hospitals attended the rally. Nurses at the rally demanded management increase staffing levels. 7. 134 arrested during labor protest at Yale-New Haven Hospital A protest over a lack of local jobs at Yale-New Haven (Conn.) Hospital led to 134 people being arrested Dec. 12, according to a New Haven Register report. The demonstrators were demanding more local jobs at the hospital. 8. Elizabeth Seton, union reach contract: 4 things to know Registered nurses and respiratory therapists at Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center in Yonkers, N.Y., represented by the 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East union, reached a tentative contract agreement with hospital management. The contract was reached Dec. 8, in time to avoid a planned informational picket scheduled for Dec. 9. 9. Kadlec nurses vote for possible strike: 3 things to know Richland, Wash.-based Kadlec Regional Medical Center nurses, represented by the Washington State Nurses Association, voted Dec. 7 in favor of a possible future strike, according to a Tri-City Herald report. The advisory vote on a potential strike received 90 percent approval. As more small practices switch to cloud-based electronic health record systems, Practice Fusion named a few of the most popular free Cloud-based tools for physicians. The tools include: 1. The HIPAA-secure Box.com to share files online. 2. Online reputation management tool Mention. 3. Physician social network Doximity with medical journal content, salary data and other information. 4. Online drug reference tool PDR Physician's Desk Reference. 5. Social media message streamlining tool Buffer. 6. Google Apps to manage Microsoft Office online. 7. Project management platform Asana, which focuses on to-do lists and project management. 8. Medical case compilation and collaboration tool Figure 1. 9. Expensify to track business expenses, including mileage. 10. Cloud-based EHR system Practice Fusion with charting, scheduling, e-prescribing and more. To continue following the latest news and information for Bedfordshire and surrounding areas, simply enter your full postcode below Visit Belfast is seeking to take on an advertising firm for a major contract to promote the city, worth up to 5m. The citys tourism body has a tender for a comprehensive advertising service in order to promote the Belfast City Region as a world class visitor destination. That contract is due to last between three and five years, based on an option for an extension of a further two years. It values the deal at up to 5m. But its understood that depends on Visit Belfasts budget, and whether there will be any major campaigns in the pipeline. The firms work is required to support the work of Visit Belfast and incorporate the new Belfast brand in all campaign communication, a tender document has shown. Visit Belfast is seeking to appoint a suitably qualified, experienced and competent advertising agency that is able to assist Visit Belfast promote the Belfast City Region as a world class visitor destination, the document adds. The service provider will be responsible as briefed by Visit Belfast for the planning, coordination, management, delivery and evaluation of strategic advertising campaigns for Belfast. Its understood Holywood-based advertising firm Ardmore has the current contract to provide advertising. A spokeswoman for Visit Belfast said: We adhere to public sector procurement procedures, and are currently engaged in a two-stage procurement for advertising services, which will lead to a three-year contract, with the possibility of extending for a further period of two years. That contract will include selling and promoting Belfast across both business and leisure markets, through Ireland, the UK, Europe and across the globe. Visit Belfast has enjoyed a number of successful campaigns this year, including promoting the city in Rome and Barcelona, along with advertising such as its Christmas television campaign. An engineering firm in Co Londonderry, best known for making aircraft parts, is branching out into the music business. The Kilrea-based Hutchinson Group is making base and stand components for a new speaker manufactured by audio firm Linn. The speaker is part of a premium audio system costing around 12,000. Design engineer Ian Ferguson said the company had been approached by Linn in 2015 after meeting several years ago regarding a different product. An engineering collaboration led to the new speaker. "The team at Linn flew over to Northern Ireland where we collaborated on the solidworks design and came up with the best possible way of supplying Linn's design," said Mr Ferguson. "The approach to design and engineering is incredibly different to many of the more functional projects we would undertake." Linn is known internationally for its precision engineered products. Product design engineer Iain Redley said: "We worked closely with Ian Ferguson and the team to perfect the design for the base of the speaker for the 530 system. The team were phenomenal and aided greatly with the design and engineering of bespoke components of the base and stand." The value of the contract has not been revealed, but Ian Ferguson said he hoped the two companies would continue to work together in the future. Established in 1971, Hutchinson Engineering is a sub-contract laser and metal fabrication firm with a sister specialist aerospace arm, AeroTech, based in Antrim, and a design company, H360, located in Kilrea. The group manufactures components for a number of sectors, including transport, material handling, oil and gas, medical, agricultural and aerospace. Last month, the company announced it was creating 80 new jobs as part of a 4.1m investment, supported with 500,000 from Invest Northern Ireland. And earlier in 2015, Hutchinson Group revealed a 3.2m investment to include the expansion of the Kilrea site to 60,000 sq ft and further investment in laser technology with the addition of two new lasers. Speaking in December, managing director Mark Hutchinson said: "Our objective is to double business revenue over the next three years. We aim to achieve this by growing our customer base and differentiating ourselves in competitive global markets by providing value added products and services. Investing in state of the art technology, additional skilled staff and further expanding our manufacturing capabilities at Kilrea will help us to achieve this goal." A "price war" between the big four supermarket groups looks likely after Asda announced that it will spend a further 500m cutting prices in its stores. This latest investment comes on top of the 1bn "Project Renewal" spend promised by Asda in November 2013 to slash prices over five years. It's another indication of the intense pressure on Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons from the German discounters, Lidl and Aldi, which now control around 10% of the UK grocery trade. Neither Morrisons nor Aldi operates in Northern Ireland. "We must take radical action to win back our customers," said Asda chief executive Andy Clarke. "We expect that 2016 will be another year of intense pressure at a macroeconomic level, in addition to sales remaining under strain from price deflation, a continued competitive background throughout the sector, and radically changing customer shopping habits." Christmas was disappointing for the retailer, with sales falling 3.4%, while the three months leading to the end of September marked the company's fifth consecutive month of falling profits. "Our eyes are open to the fact that more impactful changes and decisive action still needs to be taken to make sure we remain not only a viable business, but a strong, market-leading one," said Mr Clarke. But a price war could spell further bad news for farmers and small producers, who say margins are being squeezed to the point that businesses are no longer viable. On Saturday, the Belfast Telegraph revealed that a leading Co Down farmer is receiving just 14p per kilo for his potatoes - which sell in the supermarkets for 1. Robin McKee, a key figure in the campaign to win special European status for the Comber potato, said: "Prices are still a very long way from sustainability and I do not know what the answer is. Certainly, the producer has no input." The Comber case comes after the Belfast Telegraph highlighted one Co Armagh farmer who discovered turnips which he was paid 8p for were then being sold at up to 10 times that price, and the same with carrots. The Ulster Farmers' Union says some cattle farmers are losing more than 200 a head and were suffering as a result of sustained downward pressure on prices. The UFU is organising a series of area meetings across the province this month to attempt to tackle the low price crisis. A legal complaint filed in November alleges a member of the Auburn Police Department was discriminated against over the last few years by several fellow officers, including Chief Brian Neagle. The complaint was submitted to the state Division of Human Rights by counsel of Officer Michael Warter, who claims he has been subject to levels of workplace retaliation from his supervisors since suffering an occupational injury in 2010. The case charges the city of Auburn and the APD with violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and the state Human Rights Law, the latter through "unlawful discriminatory practice relating to employment," according to legal documents. John Rossi, corporation counsel for the city, said the city has denied the allegations. He declined to comment further, saying the city has contracted representatives with Bond, Schoeneck & King to investigate the litigation. The action predates a no-confidence vote in Neagle by an overwhelming majority of APD officers represented by the Auburn Police Local 195. Citing Warter's legal action as pending litigation, Neagle declined to comment for this story. The discrimination complaint also claims negligence by the department dating before Neagle's administration. The complaint, filed Nov. 27, is currently under investigation by the state Division of Human Rights, according to Micha Ordway, Warter's attorney. Warter, an APD officer since 2000, claims his injury stems from response to a reported sexual assault incident in 2010, according to legal documents. In his legal complaint, Warter said he was severely bit by the suspect multiple times in a skirmish, suffering injuries to the right forearm, hand and thumb. Following emergency room treatment, Warter claims his injuries were misdiagnosed as a hand sprain and he returned to work a month later. The injuries in Warter's hand, however, flared up at points over the next four years and required additional treatment and three surgeries: the first on April 2011, another on July 2013 and the last, a "complete success," on May 2014, according to legal documents. Prior to the first surgery, Warter said former Chief Gary Giannotta "ignored" a physician's instructions and ordered Warter to return to full-time light duty rather than as a training officer as advised. Giannotta declined to comment on the allegation. "Returning to full-time duty adversely affected my injury as it forced me to use tendons in my hand that were damaged and did not have proper time to heal," Warter's complaint states. Warter stated he was able to perform his duties satisfactorily following the first two surgeries until problems returned in October 2013, by which time Neagle had become chief. The officer claims he was pressured to return by Neagle and retired Capt. David Delfavero despite his ongoing recovery from the second surgery. Delfavero declined to comment on the allegation. Neagle is quoted in the complaint as having told Warter on one alleged occasion, "everyone hates you," "get off light duty or get out do it" and, "if you retire, I'll take care of you." Warter said he was subject to further discrimination by Neagle and Sgt. Brian Clancy before and after the final surgery, which allegedly carried over into his duty as an arresting officer. Among other referenced instances, Clancy berated Warter around July 2014 for not arresting the suspect in an underage rape case despite Warter's claims of insufficient evidence, according to the complaint. Clancy also allegedly ordered Warter to take the victim to the hospital to undergo a rape kit despite the victim's refusal. In another alleged case from October 2014, Warter said Clancy ordered him to initially identify a report of lost car keys incorrectly as a domestic dispute and to "remove certain facts" from the case's incident report. Warter stated he was issued the first of four suspensions at the end of 2014. He learned of the first in December 2014 for failing to properly submit a report regarding his discrimination claim, Ordway said. "The Union also told me that I would be suspended because the report for Capt. (Paul) Casper was not in paragraph form," Warter states in the complaint. Through this, Warter stated he sought a departmental investigation into his harassment and discrimination claims. Prepared by Casper, the department report concluded Warter's complaints had no merit, according to legal documents. Warter stated he also met with City Manager Doug Selby multiple times toward April 2015 and was promised an investigation. Shortly after these meetings, however, Warter received a May 6 notice of a one-day suspension, Ordway said. Selby could not be reached for comment. The May 6 suspension was for not having a camera lens during an investigation, according to legal documents. However, Warter alleges he repeatedly told his superiors that he was directed to loan his lens to another officer who refused to return it. Warter claimed he received another proposed five-day suspension without pay as a result of an investigation into the officer's conduct by the APD and the city manager's office. The suspension claimed several alleged violations of conduct, one of which being a claim that Warter, he stated, failed to follow Clancy's orders and force the victim in the July 2014 sexual assault case to submit to a rape kit test. Warter stated he was also suspended for reporting the harassment allegations and for imploring Neagle's further investigation following Casper's report. Ordway said his client engaged in a "protected activity" in making the discrimination claims to his superiors. "If you suffer an adverse employment action for exercising your rights to engage in a protected activity, that's retaliation," Ordway said. The issuance of the five-day suspension was followed by another one-day suspension from Neagle without pay last May for alleged violations dating back to November 2014, according to legal documents. Warter's complaint states he has since received at least four "Special Reports" from the department indicating internal investigations into his conduct. "Although all four investigations ultimately determined that I did not act improperly in any way and although I have been told by the Department that Counseling Letters are not 'technically' discipline, I believe that the Department is harassing me with these unfounded disciplines and is retaliating against me for engaging in protected activities," Warter stated in his complaint. The Division of Human Rights investigates these complaints to determine whether or not there is probable cause that an act of discrimination occurred. A Division of Human Rights representative said the state agency has 180 days to conclude investigations. If probable cause is found, a public hearing would be held before with both parties and witnesses before an administrative law judge, who would then write a recommended order for Division of Human Rights Commissioner Helen Diane Foster to review, according to the representative. Tim Cottrell, executive board member for the state law enforcement union Council 82, was president of Auburn Police Local 195 through 2010 until he was replaced by current union leadership this past May. He declined to comment on Warter's claims and current APD affairs. Joseph Villano, current president of the Local 195, said he is not acutely familiar with Warter's situation since it predates his tenure. He also said he could not speak to claims regarding Clancy's conduct. "There are no other complaints, that I know of, of him ever targeting other officers," Villano said. "It's not a behavior that Clancy does." Villano said the Warter complaints were not really considered when proposing a no-confidence vote, saying the union mostly considered other alleged incidents of workplace targeting by Neagle. The Connect team at the Northern Ireland Science Park is running a workshop for innovative entrepreneurs and 'wantrepreneurs', looking to expand to the United States. The free seminar - tomorrow lunchtime in the Titanic Quarter - coincides with NISP Connect's forthcoming tech mission to California, in collaboration with Invest NI. Attendees will hear from Alan Taylor, senior partner with law firm Arthur Cox, the US Consulate's Jenny Cardell and tax expert Kevin Bell from KPMG. The session will focus on the north American market and will be hosted by NISP Connect's director Steve Orr, who himself has run a successful company in the US. Steve said: "For many start-ups and growing companies in Northern Ireland, the US is a natural market, but the bureaucracy and financial regulations sometimes can seem intimidating. "I would encourage local entrepreneurs to take the plunge - there really is so much opportunity. This workshop will give you the basics on which to build." Full details and registration can be found via the NISP Connect website at: www.nispconnect.org. Angie Bowie arriving at the Celebrity Big Brother house before news emerged of her ex-husband's death Angie Bowie has opted to remain in the Celebrity Big Brother house after being told of her ex-husband David Bowie's death. She entered the house on Tuesday January 5 and is not due to leave until she wins or is evicted in the coming weeks. A Channel 5 spokesman said: "Following the very sad news of David Bowie's death, we can now confirm that Angie Bowie has been informed off camera by her representatives. "She has taken the decision to continue in the programme. The decision to remain in the house is entirely her choice, and she has been given the option to leave at any time if she changes her mind. "Appropriate support will be available to Angie at any time if needed." The couple split in 1980 after 10 years of marriage. They had one son, Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones, 44. The 66-year-old former model has spoken about her ex-husband several times since entering the house, and accused him of turning their son against her. She said: "I don't see him (Duncan) at all. He doesn't like me. But my daughter loves me, so it's good." On the question of why her son chose not to see her, she said: "I guess David told him not to." Alex Salmond warned against a referendum being held too soon after polls in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Philip Hammond has refused to rule out the EU referendum taking place within six weeks of Scottish, Welsh and other elections in May. The Foreign Secretary said the law outlining the referendum on the United Kingdom's future membership of the EU does not prevent a vote taking place within a six-week period near the May 5 elections - which also take place in England and Northern Ireland. Alex Salmond, the SNP's international affairs and Europe spokesman, warned it would be "disrespectful" for such a situation to emerge. Mr Hammond reiterated MPs will decide the date of the referendum as they will vote on legislation outlining this detail. Prime Minister David Cameron hopes a deal will be reached on Britain's negotiation demands by February and signalled earlier this month that a referendum will take place at least three months after this agreement. Speaking in the Commons, Mr Salmond told Mr Hammond: "As I understand it, the Prime Minister has called for a united, harmonious and mutually respectful debate within the Conservative Party on the issue of Europe. "So in a united, harmonious and mutually respectful way, can I ask you to confirm that a referendum could not be held within six weeks of the date of the Scottish, Northern Irish, London and Welsh elections? "To do so would both be disrespectful to the decision of this House and also disrespectful of the people engaging in these elections." Mr Hammond replied: "As you know, that is not what the Bill provides for. "But given the timescales involved and given the fact we now expect that the conclusion will be reached at the February European Council, I think you can be confident that it will not be possible to hold a referendum before the date of the Scottish elections that you refer to." Mr Salmond continued to the Conservative frontbencher: "Can I put it to you that if the referendum was held within six weeks after the date of the elections then the two campaign period would intersect, with all the complications that would arise. "Therefore can I ask you, again, will the date of the referendum be at least six weeks after the date of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish elections?" Mr Hammond replied: "Well, what I've tried to convey to you is that is not what the Bill provides for - the Bill does not place any prohibition on a referendum being held in that period. "But ultimately it will be a decision of this House because the date will be decided by (a statutory instrument) brought before this House." Mr Hammond later insisted he could not guarantee the renegotiation of free trade agreements with the UK - currently in place due to the EU - would be a priority for other countries should Brexit occur. Shadow Europe minister Pat Glass said people backing a British exit from the EU have "made much of the unrealistic argument" that the country can walk away and "magically retain" trade agreements currently in place due to EU membership. The Labour frontbencher asked Mr Hammond to assess the impact on British industry and business of the country having no say in future EU regulations, adding: " In other words, what will out look like for British industry and British jobs?" Mr Hammond replied: "We are clear that Britain benefits from access to the single market, that if Britain voted to leave the European Union we could not be guaranteed access to the single market. "Britain benefits from the free trade agreements that have been negotiated by the European Union with third countries, we could not guarantee that renegotiating such agreements with the United Kingdom would be a priority for all of those third countries if we were outside of the European Union. "But in the end this is a balancing act. There has to be a proper calculation made between the costs and the benefits of membership. "And what we're trying to do in this negotiation is decisively alter that balance in favour of British membership so that we can convince the British people that that's the right future for Britain." Labour former minister David Hanson ( Delyn) said he believes Mr Cameron will recommend a Yes vote and a referendum, adding: "Why doesn't he just get on and do it now, set a date, face up to his backbenchers and promote the European Union for the good of Britain?" Eurosceptic Conservative David Nuttall (Bury North) said: "Many people are suspicious of the seriousness of this renegotiation when three of these so-called demands were accepted without any renegotiation at all. "Why, for example, did the Government bother to ask for a cut in red tape and for more competitiveness when in European Council after European Council in recent years the European Council has made it clear that's exactly what they intended to do anyway." In reply, Mr Hammond said the UK is seeking an "institutional restructuring that cements these arrangements for the future". A convicted sex offender accused of acting indecently towards children in the middle of two supermarkets has been granted bail despite police objections. Standing in the dock of Newtownards Magistrates Court, 82-year-old John Douglas Stanfield confirmed that he understood the 16 charges against him. Stanfield, from the Rosetta Road in east Belfast, is accused of six charges of breaching his sexual offences prevention order, six counts of engaging in sexual acts in the presence of children, three charges of indecent behaviour and one of failing to comply with the sex offenders register, all alleged to have occurred on specific dates in February, March, November and December last year. Giving evidence to the court, a detective constable said she believed she could connect Stanfield to each of the charges while a prosecuting lawyer said although it was an "unusual application" given that Stanfield was released on police bail after he initially charged, the PPS were asking for the pensioner to be remanded into custody. The detective described how police were called to the Sainsbury's supermarket at Forestside shopping centre on December 10 last year following reports of Stanfield "touching himself in front of children" in an incident captured on CCTV footage. Having seized and watched that footage, Stanfield was arrested at his home and the officer revealed that enquiries uncovered two similar incidents in the same shop on December 4 and November 28. All three incidents had been recorded on security cameras and the officer described how Stanfield could be seen "actively seeking out children in the aisles and he then, in the presence of the child would touch his penis". "When an adult comes into view he quickly takes his hand away and looks at the shelf," said the detective. District Judge Mark Hamill asked if Stanfield exposed himself while engaging in this alleged activity or if he spoke to or touched the children but the cop said no, "it's over his clothing." "He doesn't talk to them and he didn't touch them but his behaviour is concerning given the fact that he is trying to get the attention of the child as opposed to shopping," said the officer. She told the court how police enquiries uncovered further similar incidents in February and March last year, this time at the Tesco supermarket on the Newtownbreda Road. Arrested and interviewed Stanfield was shown footage from each incident but each time, his explanation "was that he was scratching his psoriasis," the court heard. Defence solicitor Hugh Edgar told the court there was "medical evidence" about Stanfield's condition, submitting that the pensioner should be released again given that he was freed on police bail in the first place. Releasing Stanfield on his own bail of 500, Judge Hamill barred the pensioner from entering any supermarket or its car park and from having contact with children. While he warned the prosecution "don't contemplate for a moment prosecuting this in the magistrates," he told Mr Edgar a "bad character application is staring you in the face." Stanfield was ordered to come back to court on 9 February and warned that any breach of his bail or SOPO would mean "you will remain in custody" until it's dealt with. The newest Enterprise train on the Belfast-Dublin service has been banned from the railway tracks because of a fault that lets doors open mid-journey. Safety chiefs in Dublin served a prohibition notice on NI Railways, banning the Enterprise train from operating in the Republic of Ireland. The new train - which reaches a maximum speed of 90mph - was unveiled as part of a 12.2 million refurbishment programme and started operating in November. But doors opened unexpectedly during two journeys on December 17 and January 6, once at Newry and the other at Dublin. A Translink spokesperson said an "extensive safety approval process" had taken place before the Enterprise train was authorised to operate on NI Railways and Irish Rail networks. "On December 17th the Enterprise was taken out of service following a report of a door fault. Following a full check of the Enterprise fleet, the train was returned to service on December 19th," she said. "On January 6th a further door incident occurred on the Enterprise which was immediately addressed by a member of staff on board and the train was removed from service. "Translink treats safety as paramount and internal investigations have highlighted that the two door incidents are unrelated in nature and at no stage were passengers in any immediate danger." A technical investigation and remedial action is currently underway across the Enterprise fleet involving specialist door contractors and the train door manufacturer. In the meantime, the Enterprise train will remain out of service - check here for the latest travel updates. Expand Expand Previous Next Close Regional Development Minister Michelle McIlveen and Chris Conway, Group Chief Executive for Translink, on board the first refurbished Enterprise train Chris Conway, group chief executive for Translink, and Regional Development Minister Michelle McIlveen with customer Edna Murray, from Belfast, on a newly refurbished Enterprise train leaving Belfast / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Regional Development Minister Michelle McIlveen and Chris Conway, Group Chief Executive for Translink, on board the first refurbished Enterprise train The Republic's Railway Safety Commission spokeswoman told the Irish News: "The wrong side door failures posed an immediate and substantial risk to the safety of persons." "The prohibition notice is independent of the RSC's approval on the newly re-furbished Enterprise trains. The doors or door circuit were not part of the re-furbishment project." She added: "NI Railways is addressing our safety concerns and the RSC awaits the submission of evidence to demonstrate that the risk to the safety of persons is as low as reasonably practicable." Yesterday, railway workers said the overall refurbishment programme has been delayed by six weeks. A bid to prevent the first British Army team from taking part in a GAA competition in London has been put on hold, it has emerged A bid to prevent the first British Army team from taking part in a GAA competition in London has been put on hold, it has emerged. Last September the Irish Guards were recognised by the GAA and are due to compete in this year's London Junior Championship. Until 2001, Rule 21 had prevented members of the security forces from taking part. However, the Granuaile club has notified the London County Board of its proposal to rescind the Guards' affiliation as a GAA club. In a statement, the GAA said it "has procedural issues with the suggestion that a club affiliation could be rescinded". It said it had "requested that any discussion or decision be put on hold until after scheduled meetings of management and central council this weekend". Noel O'Sullivan, the former London GAA chairman, said: "I am absolutely disgusted, I cannot believe it is happening." Mr O'Sullivan cast the deciding vote that allowed the Irish Guards to become GAA members after a tied vote. Just 2% of businesses expect to see strong growth in the Northern Ireland economy over the next 12 months, according to a new survey. Even though two-thirds of firms say their business is likely to expand during 2016; the overall outlook is much more bleak with one in five companies (21%) forecasting a contraction of the local economy this year. Micro and small businesses are the least optimistic about the region's growth prospects for the year ahead. Christopher Morrow, policy manager at the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce said: "The survey shows that businesses are trying to be optimistic about the year ahead, however there are a number of challenges facing them." More than half of businesses also claimed political instability had deterred investors during 2015, particularly those from overseas. However, it is hoped November's Fresh Start deal, which ended months of wrangling over finances and security issues, will project a more positive image. Mr Morrow added: "It is reassuring that as a result of the Fresh Start Agreement, there is now a sense of stability coming from the Northern Ireland Executive." Unsurprisingly competition and exchange rates topped the list of concerns but t he impact of proposed public spending cuts, the availability of skilled workers and rising energy costs were also raised. The introduction of the National Living Wage in April was highlighted by tourism and hospitality chiefs -- with one company claiming it would have to cope with a 400,000 wage bill increase by 2020. The findings form part of the latest quarterly economic survey compiled by the Chamber of Commerce and business advisers, BDO. More than 300 companies took part in the study which looked at the last quarter of 2015. Michael Jennings, partner at BDO, said: "Despite their optimism for business in 2016, many respondents do not expect the local economy to grow, noting concerns that the instability in the Northern Ireland Executive is holding back business investment. "Such concerns should have been alleviated by the Executive's Fresh Start Agreement and the confirmation of corporation tax devolution in 2018, albeit that implementation could present its own difficulties. "Proposed public spending cuts represent significant change for the local economy. However, it could prove to be a valuable opportunity for the private sector to gain access to skilled labour. Indeed, with continued focus on promoting local business, foreign direct investment and economic growth, it is hoped the private sector will be able to absorb many of the employees being released from the public sector." Press Eye Ltd Northern Ireland - 26th October 2011 Mandatory Credit - Photo-Jonathan Porter/Presseye. Robert Black, 64, found guilty murdering nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy on 12 August 1981 at Armagh court. Black was working as a poster delivery man when he abducted with her body being found at McKee's Dam near Hillsborough six days later. Jennifer's mother Pat and father Andy pictured outside the court. Press Eye Ltd Northern Ireland - 8th December 2011 Mandatory Credit - Photo-Jonathan Porter/Presseye. Serial child killer Robert Black gets 25 years for kidnapping and murdering schoolgirl Jennifer Cardy. Black murdered the nine-year-old near her home in Ballinderry, County Antrim, in 1981. He was passing through the area while working as delivery driver for a London based poster company. The 64-year-old is currently serving sentences for similar murders on main land UK. Jennifer Cardy's family, including her father Andy pushing her mother Pat, leave Laganisde Courts in Belfast after the sentencing hearing. PACEMAKER BELFAST 22/1/2010 62-year-old Robert Black appears at Lisburn magistrats court this morning charged with the 1981 murder of school girl Jennifer Cardy. Black who is from Scotland but is serving a life sentence at Wakefield Prison in England. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press Pacemaker Press 8/12/2011 Victoria Cardy 'sister' of murdered school girl Jennifer Cardy leaves Laganside Court yesterday , as convicted Scottish killer Robert Black was given a 25 year sentence of the The young girl, who disappeared from Ballinderry in August 1981 while cycling to a friend's house. Her bicycle was later discovered in a field close to her home. Six days later and following a huge search operation, her body was found at a dam near Hillsborough Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker PACEMAKER PRESS INTL. BELFAST. Detectives examining bike which was found thrown over hedge on roadside (on Crumlin Rd, Ballinderry) . 13/8/81. 22/1/2010 A 62-year-old man is to appear in court charged with the murder of schoolgirl Jennifer Cardy, who was abducted and killed near Lisburn 28 years ago. The nine-year-old disappeared from Ballinderry village in August 1981 while cycling to a friend's house. Robert Black, who was born in Scotland but is resident in England, was served with a summons charging him with her murder in December. Press Eye Ltd Northern Ireland - 27th October 2011 Mandatory Credit - Photo-Jonathan Porter/Presseye. Robert Black, 64, found guilty murdering nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy on 12 August 1981 at Armagh court. Black was working as a poster delivery man when he abducted with her body being found at McKee's Dam near Hillsborough six days later. Collect picture of Jennifer Cardy(right) with some of her family members provided by the PSNI. Undated PA file photo of murdered nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy. Convicted triple child killer Robert Black was Monday May 16, 2005 being questioned by police in Northern Ireland about the murder of a Jennifer Cardy in the province more than 20 years ago. Black was jailed in 1994 and is serving 10 life sentences for the abduction and murder of three young girls and the abduction of a 15-year-old girl. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said they had arrested a 58-year-old man on suspicion of murder and that he was being questioned at Antrim Police station about the murder of Jennifer Cardy in 1991. Undated handout file photo of child serial killer Robert Black, who has died in prison in Northern Ireland aged 68, prison sources have said. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday January 12, 2016. See PA story ULSTER Black. Photo credit should read: PA/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. Child killer Robert Black who was convicted of the murders of four children from across the UK has died in Maghaberry prison. The 68-year-old Scottish-born killer was serving 12 life sentences for the murders of four schoolgirls in the 1980s. His victims were nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy from Northern Ireland; Sarah Harper, 10, from England, and 11-year-old Susan Maxwell and five-year-old Caroline Hogg both from Scotland. Read More Northern Ireland Prison Service confirmed an inmate died in non-suspicious circumstances. Prison sources have said the dead prisoner was Black. Black was caught red-handed by police in 1990 with a barely barely alive six-year-old girl hooded, bound, gagged and stuffed in a sleeping bag in the back of his van in the Scottish village of Stow. He had sexually assaulted her moments earlier. In 2012, he was found guilty of the 1981 murder of nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy, from Ballinderry, Co Antrim. He was also suspected of involvement in other killings. He had long been the prime suspect in the case of missing 13-year-old Genette Tate, who was last seen in a rural lane in Aylesbeare, Devon, in 1978. No trace of the newspaper delivery girl has ever been found. All that remained at the scene were her bike and scattered papers. A NI Prison Service spokeswoman said: "The Prison Service has confirmed that a 68-year-old prisoner has died at Maghaberry Prison. "While this is not being treated as suspicious, the Prison Service has informed the PSNI, Coroner, and Prisoner Ombudsman. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time." SDLP MLA for Upper Bann Dolores Kelly said the murder committed by Robert Black were "scorched in the memories" of people at the time. She said: The horrific murders committed by Robert Black are scorched in the memories of people from that time. I remember vividly being in the search party that looked in vain for Jennifer Cardy. "While I didnt know her family, I have never forgotten them. Once again tonight, my thoughts and prayers are with them as the painful scars of Jennifers death undoubtedly resurface. On almost a daily basis I drive past the spot were Jennifers bike was abandoned on the 12th August 1981, and I am reminded the evil that touched this place that day. "The entire community was frightened and shocked by what had happened and we were not alone. I remember all the children he murdered over the years: Sarah, Susan and Caroline. Though Black was convicted in 1994 for the murders of the other three girls, it was not until 2011 that Jennifers family got the justice they sought. "This was one of the longest police investigations ever to be conducted here and when he was finally convicted he was described as a lost cause to humanity. There is no doubt in my mind that that is true and tonight Black faces the ultimate judge. Four young victims of depraved killer Robert Black was convicted of the murder of four schoolgirls. 1981 - Jennifer Cardy The nine-year-old schoolgirl was snatched as she cycled to a friend's house in the quiet Co Antrim village of Ballinderry on August 12 1981. Her body was found six days later in a dam behind a roadside lay-by 15 miles away at Hillsborough, Co Down. Black was in Northern Ireland to deliver posters for the start of a new beer and cigarette campaign. Detectives trawled 560,000 old fuel receipts in a bid to nail Black, and eventually they found the one that proved crucial. The receipt from a Coventry service station proved that Black, who scrawled his name on the paper, was driving south to London the day after the murder in August 1981 in a van primarily used to deliver posters in Northern Ireland. 1982 - Susan Maxwell The 11-year-old schoolgirl lived on her family's farm near the village of Cornhill-on-Tweed on the English side of the Scottish border. On Friday July 30 she arranged to play tennis with a friend two miles away, just over the border in the town of Coldstream. She got a lift there and had persuaded her mother Liz to let her walk back - the first time she had done so on her own. Her game finished at 4pm and Susan was seen crossing the bridge back into England over the River Tweed on her way home. But then she vanished. Two weeks later, her body was found 264 miles away lying a ditch at a roadside lay-by just outside Uttoxeter in the Midlands. Work records showed that Black had been travelling between Edinburgh and Newcastle on the day Susan vanished and that he would usually return to London through the Midlands, where he would visit a friend. The friend lived in Donisthorpe - 20 miles from the lay-by where Susan was found. 1983 - Caroline Hogg Five-year-old Caroline, from Portobello near Edinburgh, had spent most of Friday July 8 1983 at a friend's birthday party. She wore a princess dress - one she loved so much that her parents let her keep it on for the rest of the day. That evening back at her home on Beach Lane, she was allowed out to play for five minutes in the school grounds opposite her house. Her mother went to call her in after about half an hour, but there was no reply. It emerged that a boy had spotted Caroline in the play park she was not allowed to go to. She was on the swings. The child also noticed a ''scruffy looking man'' sitting on the promenade watching her play. Another child had seen her walking towards the town's funfair, Fun City, hand-in-hand with an unknown man. Ten days later, again in the English Midlands, Caroline's badly-decomposed body was found. The dead child was completely naked - again suggesting a sexual motive. It later emerged that Black, who used to swim in Portobello as a teenager, had been back in the town the day Caroline disappeared, making a delivery. 1986 - Sarah Harper Ten-year-old Sarah lived in the working class area of Morley in greater Leeds. On the evening of Wednesday March 26, during her Easter holidays from school, she was sent on an errand to the corner shop by her mother. The shopkeeper remembered her calling in, buying a loaf of bread for her mum and two packets of crisps. She was last seen heading down a short alleyway on her way home. Then, nothing. Three and a half weeks later, a man walking his dog along the River Trent at Wilford, near Nottingham, saw something floating in the water. He was shocked to realise it was a body - Sarah's. A post-mortem examination revealed she had been subjected to a violent sexual assault. The cause of death was drowning, with tests suggesting she was still alive when she was dumped in the river, albeit possibly unconscious. Black made a delivery in Morley on the evening Sarah disappeared. A return trip to London via the River Trent would have seen him take the same exit off the M1 motorway he used when visiting his friend in Donisthorpe. An elderly woman has been taken to hospital after she was assaulted by a man and had her handbag stolen in west Belfast. Police are investigating the report of a robbery in the Devenish Court area tonight. A report was received at around 6.10pm that an elderly woman had been assaulted by a man and her handbag was stolen. The woman has been taken to hospital to be examined by medical staff. Inspector Stephen Burns said: "Our enquiries are at an early stage but we believe the assailant may have left the scene in a white coloured car. "I would appeal to anyone who was in the area and witnessed this incident or any suspicious activity to contact police at Musgrave on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Arlene Foster is hugged by her mother Georgina Kelly after becoming First Minister of Northern Ireland yesterday New First Minister Arlene Foster talks to our reporter Noel McAdam in Stormont's Parliament Buildings yesterday New First Minister Arlene Foster talks to our reporter Noel McAdam in Stormont's Parliament Buildings yesterday New First Minister Arlene Foster talks to our reporter Noel McAdam in Stormont's Parliament Buildings yesterday New First Minister Arlene Foster talks to our reporter Noel McAdam in Stormont's Parliament Buildings yesterday New First Minister Arlene Foster talks to our reporter Noel McAdam in Stormont's Parliament Buildings yesterday New First Minister Arlene Foster talks to our reporter Noel McAdam in Stormont's Parliament Buildings yesterday Father Ted writer Graham Linehan has highlighted comments made by Edwin Poots - which led to the DUP MLA being accused of sexism - saying it shows the difficulty of bringing about a change in Northern Ireland abortion laws. Mr Poots told the Assembly that the new First Minister's job would still be first and foremost as "a wife, mother and daughter". Some took to social media to vent their frustrations at what they labelled "sexist" remarks. Comedy writer Mr Linehan - a campaigner for the reform of abortion laws - said the former health minister's comments showed "what women in Northern Ireland are up against in the abortion fight" in a tweet. As MLAs lined up to congratulate Arlene Foster after she became Northern Ireland's first female leader, Mr Poots appeared to strike a sour note with some. "In congratulating Arlene on her elevation to the post of First Minister, I should say that it is the second most important job that she will ever take on," he said. "Her most important job has been, and will remain, that of a wife, mother and daughter. Family will always come first. I know that that will be the case with Arlene, and it should be the case." In case you're wondering what women in Northern Ireland are up against in the abortion fight. https://t.co/Q5nDkY5Tuq Graham Linehan (@Glinner) January 11, 2016 The remarks prompted accusations of sexism on social media. Former DUP member Deirdre Nelson wrote: "The party is a cold house for women. Bullying of competent women remains rife and little is done to stop it. "As for their attitudes towards women's rights and any kind of equality: non-existent." Castlereagh man Alan Carson wrote: "Could you imagine a member of Plaid or the SNP even thinking like that about Ms Wood or Ms Sturgeon?" Later, Mr Poots clarified his remarks by posting: When I was health minister I described it as the second most important job I had ever done, the first being a husband, father and son. "So when wishing Arlene Foster well in here new role as First Minister today I said it was her second most important job, the first being a wife, mother and daughter because family always comes first. "Some silly liberal types have attempted to misconstrue this as sexist. Arlene will make a great First Minister not least because she cherishes the family and its values. The Legislature has returned to Albany to begin a new year, convene a new legislative session and hopefully, start a new chapter in New York State government. I had the privilege of addressing my colleagues in the Assembly on our first day back, and took the opportunity to challenge them to bring change to our Chamber. Less than a month after a second legislative leader was convicted of abusing his office, the Capitol remains under a cloud of corruption and a haze of doubt. Legislators have a greater responsibility than ever to restore the public trust. That goal can only be achieved by implementing dramatic changes to the broken system we now employ. A WAKE-UP CALL AT THE CAPITOL Among the many lessons learned from the trials and convictions of Sheldon Silver and Dean Skelos is that power in Albany has been held by too few for too long. The states budget and most important policy discussions are conducted with the notorious three men in a room approach. For the past several years, New Yorks most important decisions were made by three men two of whom are on their way to prison. After the arrest of Sheldon Silver last year, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said, There are by my count 213 men and women in the state legislature, and yet it is common knowledge that only three men essentially wield all the power. I must confess a little bit of confusion about this: When did this come to pass? Why has everyone just come to accept it? It has been accepted practice for too long. It is time to return power to individual legislators. Too many intelligent and passionate voices on both sides of the political aisle have been stifled by a power structure that actually runs counter to the goals of democracy. Bills that have widespread, bipartisan support (Mixed Martial Arts, Brittanys Law and pension forfeiture, to name a few) should be allowed to be voted on, rather than be blocked by a single individual. ASSEMBLY MINORITY FOCUSED ON REFORM On Wednesday, I issued a call to action for all legislators to stand up, change the status quo, and end the go along to get along representation that leaves decision making to party leadership. The Assembly Minority Conference is committed to implementing necessary changes to ensure that the interests of constituents come before party politics. We will once again introduce a package of reforms that hold elected officials more accountable, create transparency in how we conduct the peoples business, and give rank-and-file legislators a stronger voice for their districts. We have seen public confidence erode under the old system. The time for change in Albany starts now. And we will be a driving force for a better New York State. What do you think? I want to hear from you. Send me your feedback, suggestions and ideas regarding this or any other issue facing New York State. You can always contact my district office at (315) 781-2030, email me at kolbb@assembly.state.ny.us, find me by searching for Assemblyman Brian Kolb on Facebook and follow me on Twitter. Foreign convicts are asking seven Supreme Court justices to block their deportation on human rights grounds. The two men, referred to as HA and ZM, are an Iraqi national convicted of drugs offences and a Tunisian jailed for grievous bodily harm and weapon possession who say that removing them from the UK would be incompatible with their "right to a family life" under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Their appeals to the highest court in the land - one from the England and Wales jurisdiction and the other from Northern Ireland - are expected to lay down guidelines for future similar cases. Critics' complaints that thousands of foreign offenders have used human rights laws to stay in the UK are at the forefront of calls to scrap the Human Rights Act, which enshrines the European convention into domestic law. Both appeals are being heard on Tuesday by a panel headed by Lord Neuberger, the court's president, and deputy president Lady Hale. Other panel members are Lord Kerr, Lord Wilson, Lord Reed, Lord Hughes and Lord Thomas. Failed asylum seeker HA, an Iraqi national who came to the UK in 2000, remained without permission and was convicted and fined for possession of controlled drugs in 2005. In December 2006 the 39-year-old was convicted of two counts of possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply and sentenced to four years imprisonment. An automatic deportation order was made against him by Home Secretary Theresa May in October 2010 under the UK Borders Act 2007. His lawyers are arguing that he has a long-standing relationship with his fiancee, a British citizen, and the weight being given by the Government to the public interest in deporting foreign criminals is incompatible with his right to a family life under Article 8. Father-of-two ZM married a UK citizen in 1996 and she gave birth to a daughter the following year, when he also entered the UK. He was granted indefinite leave to remain in 1999. He and his wife separated, but he remained in the UK and lived with another partner, who gave birth to a son in 2006. Papers before the Supreme Court judges state he pleaded guilty in 2005 to offences committed in 2003 of assault causing grievous bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon and was sentenced to three years and three months imprisonment. After his conviction, ZM was not required to go back to prison because of the time he had served on remand, but was subsequently convicted of a number of less serious offences. The Home Secretary ordered his deportation in October 2012 on the basis of his conviction after rejecting his claim that his removal would infringe his Article 8 family rights. Among the issues being considered by the Supreme Court are whether Mrs May failed properly to consider the Article 8 rights of his children, and what was in their best interests, before the decision to remove their father was taken. The funeral of Lord Ballyedmond, a Northern Ireland peer killed in a helicopter crash in England. Pic Arthur Allison The funeral of Lord Ballyedmond, a Northern Ireland peer killed in a helicopter crash in England. Pic Arthur Allison The funeral of Lord Ballyedmond, a Northern Ireland peer killed in a helicopter crash in England. Pic Arthur Allison The funeral of Lord Ballyedmond, a Northern Ireland peer killed in a helicopter crash in England. Pic Arthur Allison The funeral of Lord Ballyedmond, a Northern Ireland peer killed in a helicopter crash in England. Pic Arthur Allison The funeral of Lord Ballyedmond, a Northern Ireland peer killed in a helicopter crash in England. Pic Arthur Allison Lord Ballyedmond with his widow, Mary, who is now deputy chair of Norbrook, at their home in Rostrevor Tory peer and self-made millionaire Lord Ballyedmond had been told of concerns about taking off late in foggy conditions on the night his helicopter crashed killing him and three others, an inquest has heard. Lord Ballyedmond, also known as Dr Edward Haughey, was killed when the Agusta Westland AW139 came down shortly after take-off near the estate he owned in Gillingham, Norfolk, on March 13 2014. Dr Haughey's foreman, Declan Small, 42, of Mayobridge, Co Down, Northern Ireland; pilot Captain Carl Dickerson, 36, of Thornton, Lancashire; and co-pilot Captain Lee Hoyle, 45, of Macclesfield, Cheshire, also died. A jury inquest into their deaths, which opened in Norwich on Tuesday, heard Mr Dickerson had warned the helicopter needed to take off "no later than 7pm" because of the bad weather. It did not in fact take off until 7.22pm as Dr Haughey oversaw the hanging of pictures as part of his renovation of Gillingham Hall. Ciara Cunningham, Dr Haughey's diary secretary, confirmed he had received the message and would have had no problem following Mr Dickerson's advice. "He very much valued the opinion of experts in their field," she added. Expand Close Pilot Carl Dickerson / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Pilot Carl Dickerson His personal assistant Madeleine Irwin said in a statement: "Lord Ballyedmond would never insist on flying when a pilot said they could not fly." Dr Haughey, 70, who lived at Ballyedmond Castle in Co Down, Northern Ireland, was considered to be one of Ireland's richest men, with estimated wealth in excess of 800 million. Best known as chairman and founder of Norbrook Laboratories, the largest privately-owned pharmaceutical company in the world, father-of-three Dr Haughey had a range of other business interests. A life peer with a seat in the House of Lords, first on behalf of the Ulster Unionist Party before switching to the Conservative Party, he had also previously sat in the upper house of the Republic of Ireland's parliament, the Seanad. His son, Edward Haughey, 36, who is a chief executive within Norbrook, said he had a series of conversations with his father on the day of his death and last spoke to him as the helicopter was about to take off. He added: "He was joking and said 'I better do what I'm told or I'll get in trouble with the boys'." Expand Close Co-pilot Lee Hoyle / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Co-pilot Lee Hoyle The timing of the flight had been arranged around Mr Small who was a valued employee and had a concert to attend the following day, he said. Mr Haughey described his father as a "fantastic man" who had built a large business from humble beginnings. He added: "Behind that success was a personality. He was funny, energetic, extremely kind and generous." In a statement read to the court, Mr Hoyle's widow, Georgina Hoyle, said the former soldier was a conscientious man who would not take chances with safety. "He was my best friend and losing him left our family devastated," she added. Paula Dickerson, widow of Mr Dickerson, said in her statement: "The accident shook my world and took the love of my life from me." Coroner Jacqueline Lake said the inquest would focus on events leading up to take-off, the training of the pilots particularly when taking off in low visibility, the weather conditions and the regulation of private helicopters. An Air Accident Investigation Branch report has already found that the crash may have been triggered by an error in perception along with a lack of training and procedures. The inquest will resume on Wednesday. Liam Neeson has pledged to take to the small screen to help his home town of Ballymena bounce back from two major employment blows. Almost 2,000 jobs in a town with a population of 30,000 will be lost in the near future after two of the area's biggest employers - Michelin tyres and JTI Gallaher tobacco - announced plans to close. The 63-year-old actor, who accepted the Freedom of Ballymena in 2013, has agreed to shoot a special advertisement to promote parts of Northern Ireland. Mid and East Antrim mayor Billy Ashe said the council had contacted Neeson after the Hollywood star said recently he would back moves to promote Ballymena. "He has agreed to work along with Tourism NI and the council to shoot a special advertisement featuring areas back home... and has agreed to appear on camera," he said. The council's chief executive is now working with Tourism NI to organise filming, he added. In November Neeson - who now lives in New York - described the news that the Michelin factory was to close as "tragic" and called for the Executive to "get to work". "I've always maintained that our wee corner of the globe is one of the world's best kept secrets, not least in its potential for development in all areas of industry," the Taken star said at the time. "All the more reason for the Executive and Invest Northern Ireland to really get to work now and promote the hell out of the province. They have and always will have my full support." The Michelin factory will wind down until its closure in mid-2018, with 860 jobs going. A similar number of jobs will be lost with the shutdown of JTI Gallaher next year. There are concerns for future employment in Ballymena, and people are to take to the streets to demand new jobs and more investment. A Rally For A Future will be held at Broadway bandstand in the centre of the town at noon on Saturday, February 6. Campaigners say the job losses "threaten a permanent erosion in job prospects for future generations". Neeson featured in a video in 2014 encouraging people to visit the province. Colin White leaves Antrim court where he was found guilty of displaying a racist slogan at an Eleventh Night bonfire in Co Antrim. Pic: Pacemaker Colin White leaves Antrim court where he was found guilty of displaying a racist slogan at an Eleventh Night bonfire in Co Antrim. Pic: Pacemaker The first person in Northern Ireland to be convicted for stirring up hate by writing a racist message on a loyalist Eleventh Night bonfire avoided jail on Tuesday. Colin White (19), of Farmhill in the Ballycraigy estate in Antrim town, in December, was found guilty of displaying written material which was threatening, abusive or insulting, intending thereby to stir up hatred or arouse fear, after he wrote a message on a divan bedstead at the Ballycraigy bonfire in the town on July 11, 2014. He was back at the same court for sentencing on Tuesday and White, who had a previously clear criminal record, was put on probation for 18 months. A prosecutor told the court on Tuesday a man contacted police in relation to a racist slogan which said: 'We're not racist, just don't like n---as". Photos appeared in the press and White came forward to police to say he was in the pictures and during interview admitted he was at the bonfire but denied writing the phrase and had contested the matter. Defence barrister Aaron Thompson told Tuesday's court the case has attracted much media interest and White lost his job at Belfast International Airport. Mr Thompson said the case comes at a time when there have been a number of racist attacks in the area and he admitted the type of behaviour at the bonfire engenders such incidents. He said White, who attended a "special" school and has "mental health issues", has now admitted he wrote the slogan but Mr Thompson said his client is very easily led and "would do anything if it makes him think he would fit into a peer group". The barrister said White's partner gave birth to a premature baby at Christmas and the child is still in hospital. Mr Thompson said White now has the stigma of being seen as an "outright racist" by many people as a result of a "stupid spur of the moment act to fit in". Expand Close The effigy of Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams on a fake gallows on the Ballycraigy bonfire in Antrim / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The effigy of Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams on a fake gallows on the Ballycraigy bonfire in Antrim And he said his client was "stupid enough" to spray the words in broad daylight when somebody taking photos was nearby although he said "none of that explains away the public horror of all this". Sentencing White, District Judge Alan White, said he had to give credit for the defendant's clear record but said had the defendant continued to deny what he did he would have had no hesitation in sending him into custody. Judge White said he took into account White's "learning difficulties" and accepted he may have been influenced by others "in pursuance of their hateful agenda". He said it had been "hateful behaviour which is causing so much distress in this community". During the court contest in December a man said he took photos of the Ballycraigy bonfire and noticed the divan with no writing on it but after three people approached it he could see that White was the only person whose arms were moving and afterwards there was graffiti which said: 'We're not racist, just don't like n---as". Judge White said at that court in this community "in the current climate" it seemed custody was appropriate for people stirring up racial hatred. However, he said the only thing making him pause was the defendant's learning difficulties and without that he would have been going straight to jail. Judge White said in December White's was guilty of "pernicious conduct" and said in a society were there are almost weekly race attacks and people being put out of their homes and said such incidents can be "stirred up by this type of behaviour". Opening the case in December, prosecutor David Russell said it was alleged White was the person who had written the words and several photos were supplied to the court by witness Peter Glover who said on the afternoon of July 11 he went to Ballycraigy because of publicity about the bonfire's size and height and took photos with his iPhone through the window of his car. He said he went to Ballycraigy bonfire because it was supposed to be "a special one" and said he saw a person wearing a white tee-shirt, white shorts and orange-topped socks, later identified as White, write on the divan which had no writing on it moments earlier. Mr Glover told the court: "I realised they had written a racist slogan and I was interested in taking a photo of the person who had done this". The witness later contacted police and made a complaint. Defence barrister Aaron Thompson said in December White was interviewed by police and accepted being at the bonfire but denied spraying anything on the divan which he had just gone over to to see what was written on it but Mr Glover said: "I saw him performing the action of writing. I saw the divan was clear before and he was there and it certainly had writing on it immediately after his departure." Mr Thompson said he was suggesting Mr Glover made a mistake and there were a number of people in the area who could have done the writing but the witness denied that. Former Sinn Fein councillor Noel Maguire told the court he contacted police about displays on the bonfire which he saw on Facebook. David Russell said there was a tricolour on the bonfire featuring a smiley face and the words 'Keep Antrim Tidy. KAT" which Mr Maguire said he took to mean 'Kill all T--gs'. The bonfire also contained Irish tricolours daubed with messages and a gallows with an effigy of Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams attached. The court heard after police put out an appeal and the photograph was in circulation, White went to police to say he was in the picture but denied writing the words. Aaron Thompson said there was no evidence to link White to anything else on the bonfire. Taking to the stand in December, White said he helped build the bonfire as he lived nearby and said he saw police were looking for the person in a photo and realised it was him and said he didn't know anybody else in the photos. He told the court he just went up to the divan to read the message, saying: "I was just standing there, I couldn't really see it away back." Judge White said he believed Mr Glover's evidence was "honest and accurate" and he said he had no doubt the defendant had written the words on the divan. Convicting the defendant, the judge said he didn't believe "a word" of the defendant who came to court to say he didn't do it and also didn't know anybody around him. Arlene Foster is the new First Minister of Northern Ireland Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 12th January 2016 First Minister Arlene Foster with new Social Development Minister Maurice Morrow, left and Finance Minister Mervyn Storey. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 12th January 2016 First Minister Arlene Foster with new Social Development Minister Maurice Morrow, left and Finance Minister Mervyn Storey. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Northern Ireland's newly appointed First Minister Arlene Foster has confirmed Mervyn Storey is to take on the role of Stormont's Finance Minister. Mrs Foster vacates the role to lead the Executive. She was appointed yesterday as First Minister and became leader of the DUP last month. On Tuesday afternoon Mrs Foster announced Mervyn Storey would take over as Finance Minister and his current role as Social Development minister will be filled by Lord Morrow. This is Mr Storey's third term as an assembly member for North Antrim. The former Ballymoney councillor served as chairman of Stormont's education committee until he was appointed to the Executive in September 2014. The Northern Ireland Assembly will break up in March to allow an election campaign to begin. Mrs Foster said her priority ahead of May's Assembly election was to ensure minimal disruption to public services. "We will have continuity of service and that's what people want to see, they don't want disruption in relation to public services, they want to see us continue to deliver and we will do that right up to election day." Mr Storey said he did not under estimate the challenges ahead. "This year begins for Northern Ireland with a considerable degree of hope, we need to see the implementation of the budget, challenging as all that will be, to give to the economy and the financial structures of Northern Ireland that stability that they need." Lord Morrow served as social development minister over a decade ago. He said: "I will apply myself with all my might to continue in the good work Mervyn has been doing in the weeks ahead." Before any official announced had been made CBI Northern Ireland had issued a statement congratulating Mr Storey. CBI Northern Ireland Director, Nigel Smyth, said: CBI Northern Ireland would like to congratulate Mervyn on his appointment as Minister of Finance and Personnel. While there are only a few months until the forthcoming election, the new minister must manage a number of key issues of vital importance to the business community. In particular, CBI members are particularly keen to see progression on the development of a strategy to maximise the benefits of a lower Corporation tax which has the potential to generate at least 30,000 additional jobs over the next 15 years. The business community will also look to the new minister to play a positive role in in preparing a new Programme for Government that is ambitious, strategic and outcome focused; maintain the momentum of public sector reform, and; deliver a pro-business reform of business rates. The mother of a man who died in custody has won the right to legally challenge the PSNI over the reinstatement of an officer who dealt with him. Elizabeth McGowan was granted leave to seek a judicial review of the decision taken following the death of her son David in May 2014. A High Court judge was told on Tuesday that the police policy was flawed, unlawful and involved a failure to consult the dead man's family. Mrs McGowan's lawyers also claimed resource issues wrongly featured in deciding to reinstate the officer to another role. David McGowan, 28, was taken to Lisburn station after being arrested over an incident in east Belfast. He subsequently died while being held within the custody suite. A Police Ombudsman investigation has resulted in the case being referred to the Public Prosecution Service. The court heard the watchdog's findings are still under consideration by the PPS. Barrister Hugh Southey QC, for the dead man's mother, insisted she had a legitimate interest and should have been consulted on what police were planning to do. He argued that an officer currently subject to serious allegations would have been suspended if police were not facing resource problems. According to Mr Southey there was prima facie "pretty strong evidence of serious illegality, life threatening illegality". He added: "If one reinstates the officer essentially because it's said that the PSNI in simple terms can't afford not to deploy the officer, one is potentially saying we are going to have to tolerate actions which, on the face of it, may well have been unlawful." During the hearing Mr Justice Maguire stressed that assessment of any alleged wrongdoing was ongoing. However, he ruled that Mrs McGowan had raised an arguable case which merited further legal exploration. She was granted leave to apply for a full judicial review at a further hearing still to be listed. Arlene Foster is hugged by her mother Georgina Kelly after becoming First Minister of Northern Ireland yesterday New First Minister Arlene Foster talks to our reporter Noel McAdam in Stormont's Parliament Buildings yesterday New First Minister Arlene Foster talks to our reporter Noel McAdam in Stormont's Parliament Buildings yesterday New First Minister Arlene Foster talks to our reporter Noel McAdam in Stormont's Parliament Buildings yesterday New First Minister Arlene Foster talks to our reporter Noel McAdam in Stormont's Parliament Buildings yesterday New First Minister Arlene Foster talks to our reporter Noel McAdam in Stormont's Parliament Buildings yesterday New First Minister Arlene Foster talks to our reporter Noel McAdam in Stormont's Parliament Buildings yesterday It was a relatively easy day one. Arlene Foster's first day as First Minister did not even start until lunchtime. And five or six hours later she was headed back down home to Fermanagh - accompanied by her proud-as-punch family. Her mother Georgie and husband Brian had come to sit in the public gallery to watch Mrs Foster become First Minister. Directly across from them, watching with keen interest, was the Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams. It was the first day of the new Assembly term and the new headmistress - not only the first female boss at Stormont but, at 45, the youngest as well - was making her mark. She has always been one to watch. Even an old school report noted she has a certain tendency, stating she "assumes responsibility". And MLAs may be relieved to hear it added: "Helpful but not bossy." On Mondays the Assembly kicks off at noon so her first task yesterday was the regular Monday morning meeting of all 38 DUP MLAs, at which there was some gaiety and expressions of solidarity. Then there was applause from members of the public, and schoolchildren on a tour, as Mrs Foster, accompanied by other DUP members including Social Development Minister Mervyn Storey, came down the famous Central Hall stairs en route to the chamber. But there was other business to do before Mrs Foster could once again assume responsibility. First came the lengthy tributes to outgoing First Minister Peter Robinson, following a resignation speech by the ex-DUP leader himself. And the first tribute came from the woman who as of yesterday replaced him as both. It was an all-but full turnout - only NI21 leader Basil McCrea missing throughout - in recognition of yet another historic day. After the formalities the new Stormont number one plunged straight into a series of media appearances. First she had to come out to the steps of Parliament Buildings where a gaggle of photographers waited. At first she went, naturally, a little right of centre but the Press pack brought her back onto the middle ground. Already she seemed so much more focused than many of the journalists. "We can't get enough of you," one veteran photographer shouted. But everyone knew there are tougher - and much longer - days ahead. Peter Robinson yesterday finally achieved a political aim he would have loved to have done years ago - forcing Martin McGuinness out of office. But he had to resign as First Minister to do so - and within a few minutes the senior republican was back in post. Nonetheless for that very short time yesterday, Mr McGuinness was no longer Deputy First Minister. Under the terms of the Good Friday and St Andrews Agreements, the two men stand or fall together, and so Northern Ireland was temporarily leaderless. Mr McGuinness was still in limbo as Mr Robinson, in his last act as nominating officer for the party, spoke of his "great pleasure" in nominating his successor. After Mr McGuinness was re-nominated by Sinn Fein MLA Catriona Ruane, he revealed that in recent years Mr Robinson has urged him to remain in office. "Peter took over in 2008 and, in one of the first conversations we had, he said to me, 'No matter what happens on the streets, we must ensure that these institutions do not collapse'," he said. "We were mindful that the institutions had collapsed on several previous occasions, albeit under other political parties. "I had a friendship with Ian Paisley that existed until the day he died. I have no doubt I have a friendship with Peter that will exist until the day we both die." Mr Robinson said: "It would be remiss of me not to thank the Deputy First Minister and all those whom I have served alongside in the Executive over these past years. Through good times and bad, we have worked together, despite our many differences in background, temperament and outlook. Strangely, we were at our strongest when the threat from outside political institutions was at its greatest. "The collective revulsion across the community and across the Chamber following the murders of Sappers Mark Quinsey and Patrick Azimkar, as well as those of Constables Stephen Carroll and Ronan Kerr, was the surest sign to me that we were never going to go back to the dark days of the past." While he intends to remain as a backbench MLA, Mr Robinson indicated the 'Fresh Start' deal provides a foundation which others can build on. "Crucially, after centuries of division, we had to outlive the growing pains of learning to work together, fashion shared policies and create a more inclusive society," he said. "It is a feature of every societal transformation that some will be displeased at the pace of change, some believing it to be too fast, and others feeling that it is too slow. Yet, so much has been achieved and the platform now exists to do even more." Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt, whose party has quit the Executive, argued however: "It is an Executive of just four parties these days, only two of which support the Budget and the self-styled Fresh Start." Perhaps the most unexpected praise came from his former DUP colleague, now TUV leader Jim Allister, who said Mr Robinson had attained much with debating skills "in a class of their own". To laughter, he added: "(We) would probably have the view that the other took the wrong road. In holding that view of each other, I suppose that that is something about which we still agree." Police are investigating a suspected 'tiger kidnapping' and robbery from a branch of the Nationwide Building Society in Coleraine. PSNI sources were remaining tight-lipped about the incident - thought to be the first of its kind in the north coast market town. The building society branch remained closed all day yesterday. A note in the window from branch manager Karen McKinney said: "Sorry for any inconvenience, however the branch will be open for business as usual from 9am tomorrow." It's believed the criminals held the family of a staff member hostage while they robbed the building society using the employee's keys. Police forensics and scenes of crime team officers were seen on the premises yesterday morning as the investigation got under way. A Nationwide Building Society spokesman told the Belfast Telegraph last night: "We are aware of the incident at the Coleraine branch and are liaising with the police as they continue with their investigation. "The welfare of our employees is always our first priority and we will always offer support and counselling, where necessary, to those impacted by events of this nature." The spokesman refused to give any further details of the incident. Councillor William McCandless said he had heard about the incident from an official in another of the town's banks. The crime marked a worrying new development that would concern the town's whole business community, he said. "I am Coleraine born and bred, and I can never remember anything like this happening in the town," the UUP representative told the Belfast Telegraph. The councillor also said he was concerned about the lack of communication with public representatives from the authorities about the incident. Poor communication about incidents like these creates an information vacuum that only fuels speculation and fear, he said. The councillor said he would raise the matter when he met the PSNI next week. Council colleague Trevor Clarke said: "It's a worrying time for everyone. "I've never heard of an incident of that nature in Coleraine. "My thoughts are very much with the staff and family concerned." In December, a mother and daughter were held hostage in a Dublin tiger kidnapping while a security worker was forced to hand over a substantial amount of cash. He has been given until Thursday to secure a lawyer, explain his behaviour and apologise. A serving policeman was warned today he could be jailed for allegedly approaching one of Northern Ireland's most senior judges and threatening to arrest him. Lord Justice Gillen told Thomas Anthony Carlin his actions at a hearing in Belfast amounted to prima facie contempt of court. He has been given until Thursday to secure a lawyer, explain his behaviour and apologise. The PSNI confirmed that a 43-year-old man remains in custody after being detained on on suspicion of two counts of common assault at the Royal Courts of Justice. The Police Ombudsman has also been notified. Mr Carlin's outburst came at the end of a ruling in a house repossession case at the High Court in Belfast. He was representing himself in the legal battle with Santander bank over a property in Ballymena, Co Antrim. At the end of the hearing he allegedly got up and moved towards the bench, claiming he was going to arrest the judge. Security and court staff intervened before he was led from the courtroom. Amid a heavy police presence Mr Carlin was brought back later to hear an assessment of his behaviour and be told the potential consequences. Flanked by two other officers, he asked for a pen and paper to take notes of what was to be said. As he started to interrupt proceedings Lord Justice Gillen warned that any further outburst would see him arrested and removed from the court. The judge stressed that he had allowed him several hours to reflect and consider his position. Setting out his powers to impose a fine or commit to prison for any contempt of court, he told Mr Carlin he was being granted legal aid to try to secure a lawyer. Lord Justice Gillen then confirmed: "I consider the events that occurred this morning amount, prima facie, to contempt in the face of the court. "They include, without justification, interrupting the proceedings, refusing to resume your seat or to stop talking when requested." He added that Mr Carlin had allegedly "approached the presiding judge in a threatening manner". Lord Justice Gillen continued by telling him he abused his position as a police officer "in threatening to arrest one of Her Majesty's judges without lawful excuse" and physically interfering with a court tipstaff. "You will have an opportunity, with the benefit of legal representation, to apologise to the Court and provide an explanation for your behaviour." The case was listed for a further hearing later this week. Mr Carlin was escorted back out of the courtroom by some of the uniformed officers. A PSNI spokesman confirmed later: "A 43-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of two counts of common assault at the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast this morning. "He remains in custody at Musgrave police station. The matter has been referred to the Police Ombudsman." One of Northern Ireland's leading trade unionists and civil rights activists has died. Belfast man Sean Morrissey was at the centre of the city's turbulent social and political history during the Ulster Workers Council strike in 1974, which led to the fall of the first power-sharing executive set up by the Sunningdale Agreement. He died last week at the age of 94. Mr Morrissey was the grandfather of acclaimed poet and academic Sinead Morrissey, Belfast's first poet laureate and winner of the prestigious TS Eliot prize. She recalled that during her childhood her grandfather would take her to regular Communist Party meetings and events. Her parents - father Michael was Mr Morrissey's son - were also committed communists. Her grandfather was an executive member of the Communist Party in Northern Ireland and was invited to the Soviet Union by the Kremlin for a four-week holiday in 1974 and again in the 1980s. Her father also made trips to the Soviet Union in 1969 and 1989. The poet undertook a three-week visit to Russia in 2014 to retrace the footstep of her relatives, particularly her grandfather, when she was 42, the same age as he was on one of the visits with his wife Catherine, who pre-deceased him. Russian imagery is a feature in the poet's work. As a trade unionist, Mr Morrissey was involved in fighting for workers' rights and was education officer for the Transport and General Workers Union for many decades. He was heavily involved in the civil rights movement and was secretary of the Turf Lodge Tenants organisation. He was picked up in the first wave of internment in 1971. It's understood he was a member of the IRA in the 1950s. A statement from the Communist Party of Ireland said yesterday: "It is with great sadness that the Communist Party of Ireland announces the death of our dear comrade Sean Morrissey, who died early in January 2016. "He was a former member of the national executive committee of the CPI, an officer in the ATGWU, a community and tenants' leader and a civil rights activist. "We will remember him for the stalwart and warm person that he was, and in his memory we will carry on the struggle for a better world." Domhnall pictured during a meeting with the Duchess of Cambridge Goats, a wolfhound and two Shetland ponies are among the nine taxpayer-funded mascots in the Army, Government records show. Several of the animals also hold the rankings of fusilier and lance corporal, Defence Minister Mark Lancaster added to MPs as he also included details of their "rations". The mascots include drum horses Talavera, of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, and Alamein, also known as Charlie, of the Queen's Royal Hussars. They are unranked and are joined in this category by Domhnall of Shantamon, the Wolfhound of the Irish Guards whose rations are simply listed as "dog food". On the mascot of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, Mr Lancaster explained: " As their traditional regimental mascot, an Indian black buck, is now an endangered species, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers has adopted a British Otterhound as their stand-in regimental mascot; he holds the rank of Fusilier and is fed dog food." Kashmiri goats Fusilier Llwelyn, of the 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh, and Lance Corporal Shenkin III, of the 3rd Battalion The Royal Welsh, are listed along with Lance Corporal Derby XXX - a Swaledale ram representing t he Mercian Regiment. The final two mascots are both Shetland ponies - one known as Cruachan IV, a lance corporal with the Royal Regiment of Scotland and Pegasus V, a lance corporal with the Parachute Regiment. The rations of the non-dog mascots are listed as "pasture forage and concentrate". Conservative frontbencher Mr Lancaster, in reply to a written parliamentary question, said: "Official military animal mascots are a long-standing tradition in our Armed Forces and carry out ceremonial roles and duties. "There are a total of nine publicly-funded official mascots in the Armed Forces, all of which are attached to the Army." He was replying to a request from Labour's Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish) to list the rank, rations, species and regiment of all the UK's military mascots. The Ministry of Defence said it was unable to provide costs for the official mascots immediately as it was not part of the information requested by the parliamentary question. The Government has cut the number of regular army troops in recent years as part of attempts to save cash, with moves to shrink the regular force to 82,000 while increasing the number of reservists to 30,000. In 2011, then defence minister Andrew Robathan confirmed there were 10 official mascots in the army. He said at the time: "T here are a number of mascots in the armed forces, some of which are official, and thus attract a certain level of official funding to cover accommodation, movement, quarantine, veterinary services, bedding and rations. "Other, unofficial mascots are maintained through private unit funds." A man is being questioned by police after the South Belfast election candidate for the Conservative Party was assaulted at a pub during a night out. It is understood Ben Manton, who works for restaurateur Michael Deane, was allegedly "glassed" at a Belfast city centre bar in Montgomery Street on Sunday night. It is thought the 24-year-old had been on a belated Christmas night out with colleagues when he suffered facial and head injuries. An ambulance service spokesman said its staff received a report at 11.41pm that a man had been assaulted "possibly with a glass". He was then taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital for treatment to cuts to his face and head. A PSNI spokesman told the Belfast Telegraph a 32-year-old man was subsequently arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and possessing an offensive weapon. Inspector James Ellson said: "Officers received a report of an assault at the premises at around 11.45pm on Sunday night. "Upon arrival, a man aged in his 20s was receiving treatment for cuts to his face and head by ambulance staff. He was later taken to hospital for further treatment. "A 32-year-old man was arrested at the scene and remains in custody assisting with police inquiries." Last night, Northern Ireland Tory party chairman for south Belfast, Ian Craig, said his thoughts were with Mr Manton. "Ben is an outstanding young man, who is keen to serve his local community," Mr Craig said. "He is the Conservative candidate for South Belfast at the forthcoming Assembly elections. "We wish him a speedy recovery." A Deanes spokesman said: "It has been brought to our attention that there was an incident in a bar in Belfast city centre last night involving two of our off duty employees. "The matter is currently under police investigation. We will be conducting our own independent investigation of the event to establish if there are any matters arising which could be subject to disciplinary processes. We would make no further comment on individual personnel matters." People gather for a vigil outside the home of 31-year-old Conor McKee who was shot at his Glenpark Street home in Belfast at the weekend People gather for a vigil outside the home of 31-year-old Conor McKee who was shot at his Glenpark Street home in Belfast at the weekend People gather for a vigil outside the home of 31-year-old Conor McKee who was shot at his Glenpark Street home in Belfast at the weekend People gather for a vigil outside the home of 31-year-old Conor McKee who was shot at his Glenpark Street home in Belfast at the weekend Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 11th January 2016 The scene on Glenmark Street where 31-year-old Conor McKee was shot dead last week. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye Pacemaker Press Belfast 11 January 2016: People leave tributes outside the home of 31-year-old Conor McKee who was shot at his Glenpark Street home in Belfast at the weekend. Picture By: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 11 January 2016: People read messages on floral tributes left outside the home of 31-year-old Conor McKee who was shot at his Glenpark Street home in Belfast at the weekend. Picture By: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 11 January 2016: People leave tributes outside the home of 31-year-old Conor McKee who was shot at his Glenpark Street home in Belfast at the weekend. Picture By: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 11 January 2016: People leave tributes outside the home of 31-year-old Conor McKee who was shot at his Glenpark Street home in Belfast at the weekend. Picture By: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 11 January 2016: People leave tributes outside the home of 31-year-old Conor McKee who was shot at his Glenpark Street home in Belfast at the weekend. Picture By: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 11 January 2016: People gather for a vigil outside the home of 31-year-old Conor McKee who was shot at his Glenpark Street home in Belfast at the weekend. Picture By: Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 11 January 2016: People gather for a vigil outside the home of 31-year-old Conor McKee who was shot at his Glenpark Street home in Belfast at the weekend. Picture By: Pacemaker. Friends and family last night held a vigil for north Belfast murder victim Conor McKee. A touching tribute from partner Michelle read: "To my lover and our daddy - we will miss you forever." Mr McKee's body was found by his mother at his Glenpark Street home last Thursday. He had been shot a number of times. The father-of-two had been on bail over drugs offences. Detective Chief Inspector Justyn Galloway said: "We have had a very positive response from Conor's friends after our appeal last week. "We also appealed to a person who phoned police in the early hours of last Friday morning with information about the murder to call back. That person has yet to do so." He continued: "Conor was seen in the area of Rosapenna Street and Oldpark Road at 6pm last Thursday evening. We believe he was shot in his home at Glenpark Street at 6.15pm. "I am appealing to anyone who saw Conor walking from the Oldpark area back to Glenpark Street between 6pm and 6.15pm, either on his own or with someone, to contact us." Two men arrested over the murder on Friday were later released on police bail. A woman who was fighting for her life is now in a stable condition in hospital following a fire at a house in Ballymena. It happened in Woodcroft Brae in Galgorm at around 6.30pm on Tuesday evening. Initially it was believed two children may have been present in the house but they were elsewhere during the fire. The woman, who is thought to be in her mid-50s, was rushed to Antrim Area Hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation where her condition was described as "critical". She was transferred to Altnagelvin where her condition is now described as "stable." Twenty-nine firefighters from Ballymena, Antrim and Kilrea along with two officers, four fire engines and a command vehicle attended the scene and tackled the well developed fire which broke out on the ground floor of the two-storey detached house. The PSNI are investigating the cause of the blaze. Last night an eye-witness who did not wish to be named said he had "never seen flames like it" as he described it as a "very intense fire". He said: "Our thoughts are with our neighbour in hospital and we all hope she can recover. "The family are lovely people and they are in a bad way about what has happened. They have two teenage children, a boy and girl - they go to Ballymena Academy and Cambridge House - who live in the house and they also have other children who live away from home. "At one stage there was a concern as to where the two teenagers who still live at home were but they were accounted for thankfully. "I dialled 999 when I noticed what had happened but somebody had already done so. I never saw flames like it, it was a very intense fire and the house is badly damaged. "It was very lucky there was no wind or the house next door might have caught fire." Eight breathing apparatus sets and two water jets were required to bring the fire under control and extinguish it. The Fire Officer in charge ordered an attack on the fire with two water jets and committed breathing apparatus wearers to the house. One of the breathing apparatus teams found and rescued a woman from the burning house. Group Commander Archie McKay said: "I have no information relating to her condition at this time. The breathing apparatus teams continued to search as it was believed children may have been present in the house. "Thankfully they were elsewhere during the fire. "The cause of the fire is under investigation. We wish the lady a speedy recovery." SDLP councillor for Ballymena Declan O'Loan visited the scene of the fire on Tuesday evening and said it was clear it was a very serious fire. He said: "I want to express my sympathy to the family of the woman and hope that the lady makes a full recovery." Google is taking Ireland's 1916 Easter Rising commemorations global with a virtual tour through the key sites and events of the rebellion. Rare and previously unpublished material will be just a click away to millions worldwide with the new online exhibition, narrated by Hollywood star Colin Farrell. Using Google technology, users can tour central Dublin locations as they are today and through photos, stories and statements witness what happened there during the uprising 100 years ago. "Travelling and working all over the world means that I don't get to go home to Ireland very often so anything I can do to get home, even virtually, is a blessing," said actor Farrell. "Growing up in Dublin, the events of 1916 are a key part of our schooling and culture and I'm glad now that anyone around the world can learn more about it and see why it had such an impact on modern day Ireland just by picking up their phone or computer." The rising in Dublin was a seminal moment in Irish history which ultimately led to partition and the creation of both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Throughout this year there will be more than 40 State ceremonial events held as part of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, while events are also planned throughout the UK and further afield. The virtual tour is part of a collaboration between Google, the National Library of Ireland, Military Archives, Glasnevin Cemetery Museum, the Abbey Theatre, the Royal Irish Academy and Trinity College Dublin. The National Library is special items from its online collections for the tour, including 1916 leader Joseph Plunkett's notebook, kept throughout the Easter Rising from his position in the General Post Office. A draft notice of surrender, signed by another leader Patrick Pearse, will also be available to view. Ronan Harris, head of Google Ireland, said the tour gives people a way to peel back the layers of history and experience what life was like 100 years ago in Ireland. "2016 is a significant year for Ireland, commemorating as it does the events of 1916 which subsequently led to the birth of the modern Ireland we are today," he added. "In commemoration, we have worked with a number of partners and historians to help people in Ireland and around the world, explore, learn and talk about the people, events, places and objects that shaped these defining events." The Dublin Rising 1916-2016 Tour can be accessed at https://dublinrising.withgoogle.com/ A police forensic officer leaves the house in Erith, Kent, which is being searched by police officers in relation to the missing former Eastenders actress Sian Blake. Gareth Fuller/PA Wire A body is removed from a house in Erith, Kent, which is being searched by the police in relation to the missing former EastEnders actress Sian Blake. Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Sian Blake was murdered alongside her two children in Erith, Kent (Metropolitan Police/PA Wire) Arthur Simpson-Kent was remanded in custody for two weeks (Metropolitan Police/PA) Arthur Simpson-Kent has been remanded in custody in Ghana and told he will face an extradition hearing over the murder of Sian Blake and her children. The EastEnders actress was found buried in the garden of her family home in Erith, Kent, along with her two sons. Her partner Arthur Simpson-Kent was arrested in a beach resort in the west of the African country on Saturday and he appeared before Kaneshie Magistrates' Court in Accra today. He has been remanded for two weeks following the deaths of Miss Blake and their two young sons, Zachary, eight, and four year-old Amon. But the British Government has not yet filed the request for his extradition, according to the BBC. Scotland Yard is under investigation over why it took so long to call in homicide detectives and find Miss Blake and her two sons. The number of girls and women travelling from the UK to Syria is rising after new figures revealed 56 are thought to have fled to the war-torn country last year. Counter-terrorism officers said they were "deeply concerned" about the number of cases as many women were unaware that they will probably never be able to return home. Figures released in July showed 43 females were thought to have fled from the UK to Syria in the previous 12 months. In latest figures, 56 girls and women reported missing by their families between January 1 2015 and December 31 2015 are "all feared to have travelled to Syria", police said. The figures were disclosed as a short film was released featuring three female Syrian refugees talking about the harsh realities of life in their home country. The women, named only as Faten, Esaaf, and Zakaa, have also written open letters urging British mothers to take steps to prevent their daughters travelling to the war-zone. In one letter, Zakaa revealed she left Syria because she feared for the lives of her three sons - including one who has leukaemia - after her husband was killed by a sniper. "Ask your daughter to think about what she has here in the UK," she wrote. "A country where she has safety and freedom of choice compared to Syria where, under Isis control, she would have neither. "Isis is far from the views of Islam. They do not follow Islam and they are not Muslims. Isis is more feared by Syrians than the Assad regime itself. "Isis is not in any way helping Syrians - their only achievements are killing and displacement. They have only damaged our country and caused more harm for innocent Syrian people." Scotland Yard's Deputy Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball said: "We are deeply concerned about the numbers of girls, young women and also families who are taking the decision to go to Syria, unaware of the dangers they face when they arrive and the fact that they are unlikely to ever be able to return home to their devastated wider families. "The personal accounts of the women in this film highlight the harsh reality of life for women and children living in a war torn country. I hope they will go some way to helping young women and mothers stop and think about the huge mistake they would be making if they travel." Recent high profile cases have included school friends Shamima Begum and Amira Abase, both 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16, all from Bethnal Green, east London, who left for Syria in February. Some are now thought to be married to Isis extremists. Assistant Chief Constable Angela Williams, of West Yorkshire Police, said: "It is important for everyone do everything they can to help stop people from travelling to Syria and other conflict zones. "Children have been taken to dangerous places and are at great risk; vulnerable people have been brainwashed into travelling. "My message to mothers across the region is to please come forward if you have any concerns about your loved ones who may be considering travel to Syria." Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the Government knows tourists were 'involved' in the explosion Officials are working to verify whether any Britons were killed in a suspected suicide bombing in an area of Istanbul popular with tourists, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has said. The blast in Sultanahmet, in which at least 10 people died and 15 others were injured, was described by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as "Syria-linked", while a local government official described it as "terror-linked". Mr Hammond said the Government knows tourists were "involved" in the explosion and promised to update MPs during Foreign Office questions if any news about UK nationals emerges. Opening the Commons session, he said: "I wonder if I might just take a few seconds to update the House on the breaking news coming in from Istanbul where an explosion has occurred in the Sultanahmet area, killing at least 10 people, with many more injured. "This is a tourist area of the city and we already know that some tourists are involved in this incident. "We are at the moment seeking to verify whether any British nationals are involved and if we get any news on that during the course of the next hour I will update the House accordingly. "In the meantime I offer my sympathies to the victims and their families and everyone else affected by the attack." Shadow Foreign Office minister Pat Glass said: "Our thoughts are with anyone caught up in this awful situation." The explosion in Istanbul's Old City hit a park which is home to a landmark obelisk just 30 yards from the Blue Mosque in the city's main sightseeing area, which also includes Topkapi Palace and the Hagia Sophia museum. Turkey's Dogan news agency reported that at least six Germans, one Norwegian and a Peruvian were among the wounded, while Seoul's Foreign Ministry said one South Korean had a finger injury. Alex Salmond, the SNP's international affairs spokesman, told MPs: "The thoughts of everyone on these benches are with those caught up in the incident in Istanbul." Japanese brewer Asahi is reportedly considering bidding for lager brands Peroni and Grolsch being put up for sale as part of the takeover of SABMiller. Asahi, which is known for its Super Dry beer, confirmed it was looking at deals after reports at the weekend revealed it was eyeing the two brands for acquisition in a deal that is thought to be worth as much as 400 billion yen (2.3 billion). AB InBev said last month it was looking at offloading UK and European beer brands including Peroni, Grolsch and London's Meantime brewery to help ease regulatory concerns over its 71 billion takeover of SABMiller. Buying Peroni and Grolsch would allow Asahi to tap into growth outside a declining Japanese lager market, where it has a 38% share. But it is understood that a number of other potential buyers are also in the frame, such as Heineken, US-based Molson Coors and Bulmers and Magners cider maker C&C Group. The SABMiller takeover was formally agreed in November after protracted talks. AB InBev is seeking to get the green light from authorities for the deal, which marks the largest takeover of a UK-based firm as well as the fourth biggest in global corporate history. To help overcome regulatory worries, AB InBev has been contacting potential buyers for the European brands, although any sale is conditional on its takeover of SAB going through. The brands being considered for sale include Peroni and Grolsch and their businesses in Italy, the Netherlands and the UK, as well as SAB's Meantime craft brewery in Greenwich, London. AB InBev has already announced the sale of SABMiller's US joint venture last month, with partner Molson Coors agreeing to buy the remaining 58% stake in MillerCoors for 12 billion US dollars (7.9 billion). SAB has invested heavily in Peroni in recent years, marketing the brand across Europe and America to help cement the lager as a global brand, alongside Grolsch. AB InBev's takeover of SAB is expected to go through in the second half of 2016, if it gets clearance from regulators and shareholders. A failure to resolve the row over the proposed junior doctor contract could force some Northern Ireland hospitals to close, a senior medic has warned. Dr Peter Maguire made the worrying prediction as thousands of junior doctors were expected to take to the streets in England today amid a row over changes to their contract. Doctors in Northern Ireland are not involved in today's industrial action, as no decision has been made on whether the contract will be imposed here. However, it has been claimed an increasing number of trainee doctors are planning to leave Northern Ireland due to uncertainty over future working conditions. Dr Maguire, a consultant anaesthetist, said: "Technically there is no dispute here, but doctors in Northern Ireland are following very closely what is happening in England, as history would suggest that what happens there will happen here. "As a result of the ongoing uncertainty, an increasing number of junior doctors are planning to move to Australia and other countries to work. "I think it is inevitable that come August there will not be enough junior doctors to fill rotas and services will collapse and hospitals will have to close. "Smaller hospitals are already finding it difficult to fill rotas, so services will be unable to run if more doctors leave. Basically, doctors here see the writing on the wall and are making preparations to leave Northern Ireland." Meanwhile, junior doctor Denise McKeegan said doctors in Northern Ireland are already going above and beyond the call of duty to deal with the health service which is slipping deeper into crisis. Another junior doctor, Dr Michael Moran, said: "We're not scaremongering, the simple fact is that there are better working conditions and pay in other countries, there aren't the concerns about patient safety and this all results in greater job satisfaction." Health Minister Simon Hamilton said he was aware of the strength of feeling about the new contract. He said: "Our junior doctors deserve a contract which is fair to them and which recognises the key role they play. "An imposed contract would be the worst possible outcome. I have sympathy for HM Government's desire to create a seven-day NHS but it is essential that we work with our staff to achieve it. Clearly, any strike action in England is regrettable." Prof John Hardy said researchers will son know if they are at the beginning of 'a new era' for tackling the development of diseases such as Alzheimer's New treatments for dementia are "on target" to be developed within the next decade, a leading expert has said. Researchers will know if they are at the beginning of "a new era" for tackling the development of diseases such as Alzheimer's "in the coming year", Professor John Hardy said. The award-winning University College London (UCL) biologist said therapies being trialled which combat the build-up of the damaging amyloid beta and tau protein concentrations in the brain could provide a breakthrough. Speaking at the Royal Society, London, he said: "I think we are on target for some therapies for 2025. When the drug trial results come out - and if they're positive - we will know we are on the right road. "When you are on the right road, you put your foot on the accelerator and you can go quicker, so those results are key." He added: "In the coming year we will know if we are already at the start of a new era of better treatments for slowing or stopping the development of Alzheimer's disease and allied neurodegenerative disorders, or if current research strategies should be refocused." Dementia is a degenerative disorder that researchers estimate 850,000 people live with in the UK today, and has symptoms including memory loss. By 2025, the Alzheimer's Society estimates one million people will have dementia. Age is the main risk factor, but not the cause, for dementia, meaning effective treatment for the disease will soon be required due to the UK's ageing population. As well as Alzheimer's, understanding of other forms of dementia such as Parkinson's disease is also progressing, Professor Hardy added. Symptoms of dementia are believed to sometimes be caused when amyloid beta clumps together to form a plaque in the brain, interfering with how brain cells signal to each other. Some of the current drug trials, two of which are now in the clinical trial stage, focus on using antibodies to take amyloid beta out of the brain. If successful, these drugs could be used to prevent the development of dementia in its early stages. Research also determined that Parkinson's disease can be caused by a set of genes which control how the brain digests its proteins - progress which Professor Hardy said had been "remarkable". As well as pharmaceutical treatments for dementia, experts also stress the importance of lifestyle improvements in preventing a disorder from developing. Smoking, high cholesterol, drinking above recommended limits and high blood pressure are identified as factors which raise the risk of developing such a disease, according to Public Health England. It is estimated that as much as 5 billion could be saved each year if these so-called primary prevention methods are adopted at the same rate as they have in the past few decades. Alzheimer's Research UK research director Simon Ridley said: "If primary prevention improvements can be maintained at the same rate as that achieved in the past 20 years, they alone may generate savings of 5 billion or more a year by the 2030s." He added that the impact healthy lifestyles have on preventing dementia requires further research. Ukip chief Nigel Farage and Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones traded blows on the question of membership of the EU. Ukip leader Nigel Farage and Wales' First Minister Carwyn Jones have gone head-to-head in a debate about the UK's membership of the European Union. The two party leaders locked horns in Cardiff in what was billed as the first big debate ahead of the referendum on whether Britain stays in the EU. Mr Farage said he believed the UK would be better off if it left - and added that it should make its own trade deals as well as having its own rules on immigration. However, Welsh Labour leader Mr Jones said access to the European market had massive benefits not just for Wales, but the UK as a whole. He said: "Wales is part of two unions that provide us with stability and prosperity. The union of the UK, and the union of the EU. "Neither one is perfect. But I will never advocate giving up and walking away. If you want change, you have to work for it, not walk away from the table. "Now more than ever is the time to work together nationally and internationally. "The world is getting bigger. It makes no sense for Europe to fragment down into smaller pieces." The debate came as Prime Minster David Cameron hinted an in/out referendum could take place as early as this summer. But while the PM has urged his ministers to treat each other with "appropriate respect and courtesy" no matter what side of the debate they favour, Mr Farage and Mr Jones were at loggerheads during an hour-long clash in the Welsh capital. Hosted by the Institute of Welsh Affairs and chaired by broadcaster Adrian Masters, the pair kicked off the debate with a three-minute opening speech before fielding questions on three different topics. Ukip leader Mr Farage said EU meddling had turned the UK into "a subordinate member of a bigger club". He added: "I believe we will be better off out. We should make our trade deals and stand on our own on the world stage and re-engage with the Commonwealth and others. "Crucially, I believe we should control our own borders. Unlimited EU immigration has driven down wages." However, barrister turned politician Mr Jones said 200,000 jobs in Wales relied on European trade. He added: "Europe is our largest trading partner - 43% of our trade is with EU countries. "Five hundred companies from other EU countries have their base in Wales. "I don't want those companies to feel like they are no longer welcome and see them up sticks to Italy or Spain. "The EU is one of the world's biggest markets. Why on earth would we want to take the risk of leaving that market?" Mr Farage and Mr Jones also strongly disagreed on the issue of immigration and the benefits of being in the EU. At one stage, the Ukip leader derided the Welsh Labour leader with a jibe of "keep it sane" - while Mr Jones mocked Mr Farage's sudden reference to the Magna Carta. Supporters of both politicians' parties were quick to claim victory in the debate. However, Welsh Liberal Democrat and Assembly Member Eluned Parrott thought neither leader could claim to have won. She said: "Neither person came out of this shouting match particularly well. "Carwyn Jones was right to be arguing the importance of the UK remaining the EU. Yet, his views are in stark contrast to his party in London, where Jeremy Corbyn remains ambivalent on this major issue." Gov. Doug Ducey fired a salvo at Flagstaff and other Arizona cities that are considering adopting their own "living wage'' requirements, threatening to punish those cities if they go ahead. He called them "trendy, feel-good policies that are stifling opportunity across the nation.'' His remarks came in Mondays State of the State address. "I will use every constitutional power of the executive branch and leverage every legislative relationship to protect small businesses and the working men and women they employ,'' Ducey threatened. He said that would even include cutting state share revenues with communities that adopt a minimum wage higher than Arizona law mandates. But Flagstaff Mayor Jerry Nabours, who attended Ducey's State of the State speech on Monday and a fellow Republican, said the governor went too far in threatening to take away his city's share of state revenues if the city pursues that path. "The law is that there is local control,'' the mayor noted, citing a state constitutional provision that gives charter cities the right to set their own policies on local matters. So far 18 cities have adopted charters, including Tucson, Flagstaff, Prescott and Yuma. "If the people of Flagstaff want to have a different minimum wage, then that is probably their right,'' Nabours said. "And the state should not try to back-door usurp that right.'' Duceys press secretary, Daniel Scarpinato, acknowledged that the measure could take the form of a voter-approved initiative. But Scarpinato said that does not mean his boss knows what's better for Flagstaff than the people who live there. "We're talking about having an approach statewide, where we're pro-jobs, not anti-jobs,'' he said. Scarpinato said that means being able to employ more people, not less The mayor said the issue of different cities with different wage structures probably would cause havoc in metropolitan areas where communities bump up against each other. "You wouldn't want Mesa to have one wage or Chandler to have another,'' Nabours said. But he said that's not an issue for Flagstaff, isolated from other cities. Councilmember Eva Putzova, who is also a member of the Flagstaff Living Wage Coalition, noted in an email that Flagstaff has the highest income inequality of any city in Arizona and its private-sector workers have the lowest estimated wages adjusted for cost of living in the entire nation. Governor Ducey's threat to the cities that choose to exercise their constitutional right to legislate in the area of wages and benefits goes against everything Arizona voters intended when they passed the minimum wage initiative, Putzova said. Good governing would be championing a higher minimum wage that can lift thousands of working people from poverty and put more money into local economies, not threatening local legislators. Its unclear if Ducey could follow through on his threat. A number of the revenues collected by the state and shared with local governments are distributed based on population, need and point of origin. For example, the Highway User Revenue Fund, which is used by cities and counties to help pay for road repairs, is distributed based partially on the population of a county or city and on the reported gas and diesel sales in that area The HURF fund was also a ballot measure approved by voters. In 1998, Arizona voters approved the Voter Protection Act, which prevents the governor from vetoing any initiative or referendum by voters and requires a three-fourths majority of both houses of the Arizona Legislature to make changes. According to the Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committees 2015 Tax Handbook, the states Transaction Privilege Tax, or sales tax, is also based on population. The committee estimated that the cities share of the tax was around $459.1 million in 2015. Arizonas cities and counties also have an agreement with the state that they will not charge an income tax, as long as the Urban Revenue Sharing Fund is maintained. The URS was approved by voters in 1972 and requires a percentage of the states income tax revenues be shared with cities and towns in the state. Flagstaffs share in 2015, according to the JLBC tax book, was estimated at $7.9 million. Nick Clegg is urging politicians to come together in the national interest Paying teachers more to work in poorly-performing areas of the country could help end the "postcode inequality" of education in England and Wales, former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has suggested. The ex-Liberal Democrat leader is chairing a cross-party commission aimed at addressing inequality in the education system which has been set up by the Social Market Foundation think-tank. Mr Clegg also warned that the planned shake-up of the school funding formula in England would require an injection of cash to compensate the "very considerable losers" who will face a "dramatic change" in the amount they have to spend. The Social Market Foundation published research showing how children's performance at school depends upon which part of the country they grow up in, with large regional variations across England and Wales. Mr Clegg said: "It is clear that Britain is a starkly unequal country. It is an indictment of our society that a child born today stands less chance of realising their potential if they are born in a different part of our country to another child." The research found that 70% of 16-year-olds in London gained five good GCSEs compared with 63% in Yorkshire and Humber, with such inequalities persisting - and in some cases worsening - over the past three decades. Areas such as the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, the West Midlands and the East Midlands are said to have persistently under-performed, while London's performance has surged. Mr Clegg said: " What is now becoming clear is that inequality in education comes in many shapes and sizes. It is not just the relative wealth of parents that holds large numbers of bright kids back: it is postcode inequality too. "What part of the country a child grows up in has a real impact on their life chances." He suggested that finding a way to attract the best teachers to work in poorly-performing areas could be part of the solution. "One challenge that has become clear is how to get high-quality teachers into struggling schools in remote or coastal areas. "Teach First has had great success bringing talented young teachers into deprived inner-city areas in London, b ut it is one thing to attract bright people to live in one of the world's great cities; getting them to move to more remote parts of the country is quite another thing. So we need fresh ideas about how to attract and retain high-quality teachers in these places." He added that "pay may well play a role in it" but conceded that it was an "incredibly sensitive issue". "It may play a role in trying to get some of the brightest teachers, the best teachers into those schools where they are presently not putting themselves forward for employment." He also raised concerns about the planned reforms to the school funding formula, which were announced by Chancellor George Osborne in November's spending review. "The aspiration of moving to a national funding formula is a very good one, but the devil - to put it mildly - will be in the detail," he said. "My own view, having looked at it in considerable detail when I was in government, is that introducing a standard formula across the country, of course it will mean that there are some winners but it also will mean there will be some very considerable losers as well. "It is pretty difficult to do that without pump-priming the introduction of any new funding formula with considerable amounts of money." Mr Clegg, who is joined on the commission by Tory Suella Fernandes and Labour's Stephen Kinnock, called on MPs from all parties to set aside "tribal differences" to work together on the big challenges facing the UK. "We are in a particularly volatile period in British politics right now - perhaps the most turbulent and unpredictable since I was at school myself in the 1970s," he said. "In these circumstances it is both easy and tempting for parties to retreat to their comfort zones and indulge themselves in tribalism. It is a temptation that we must resist." Mr Kinnock echoed that view: "One of the fundamental problems we have with our political system, highly confrontational as it is, is that the problems we are trying to solve transcend the vagaries of the electoral cycle. "The countries that have successfully reformed and pushed their education systems forward are the ones that have created 10, 15-year plans where you put on a piece of paper what you are going to do, you get it signed off in a way that is not connected to the next electoral cycle. "That is a huge change in our political culture but in my view some of the big issues which are areas of strategic national interest, like the future of our education system, our NHS, our infrastructure, they do not obey the five-year electoral cycle." A Department for Education spokesman said: "We recognise the need to spread educational excellence everywhere and, thanks to the hard work of teachers and our ambitious reforms, there are 1.4 million more children in good or outstanding schools since 2010. "In a recent report the Public Accounts Committee found the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers has fallen at both primary and secondary level. "However we recognise that there is more to do - we are expanding the Teach First and Schools Direct programmes and launching the National Teaching Service, which will mean more great teachers in schools in every corner of the country, so that we can extend opportunity to every single child and ensure all schools can recruit the teachers they need. "The pupil premium, worth 2.5 billion this year, is providing vital support to disadvantaged children and helping ensure every child, regardless of their background, is given the opportunity to fulfil their potential." The trial will take place at Bristol Crown Court A police custody sergeant and two detention officers are to go on trial accused of killing a schizophrenic church caretaker who collapsed while in custody. Sergeant Jan Kingshott, 44, and civilian staff Simon Tansley, 38, and Michael Marsden, 55, face trial at Bristol Crown Court. The three defendants each deny two joint charges of the manslaughter of Thomas Orchard. The first charge alleges that on October 10 2012 they did an act or series of acts which unlawfully killed Mr Orchard. The second charge alleges that on the same day the Devon and Cornwall officers unlawfully killed Mr Orchard by gross negligence. Mr Orchard died in hospital seven days after he was allegedly restrained at Exeter's main police station having been earlier arrested on suspicion of a public order offence. The trial is expected to last up to seven weeks before High Court Judge Mr Justice King. The convoy delivers aid to the town of Madaya in Syria (International Committee of the Red Cross/AP) Siege and starvation have left the rebel-held Syrian town of Madaya in a nightmarish state not seen elsewhere in the country, a UN official has said. Sajjad Malik, the UN refugee agency's chief in Damascus, was speaking as 300 residents fled and desperately needed humanitarian aid arrived in the town. The former mountain resort, besieged since last summer by forces loyal to president Bashar Assad, has come to international attention in recent weeks as reports of starvation emerged and activists shared images of emaciated children and old men widely on social media. Mr Malik said the "very grim" picture was the result of a blockade of food, medicine and other supplies that left the town in a "desperate situation". "There is no comparison to what we saw in Madaya," he said from Damascus. "It is a place where you could see there are people, but there is no life. What we saw is something that was pretty horrible." Mr Malik described seeing shivering, malnourished children and young adults, saying "most of them had not had bread or rice or vegetables or fruit for months". He said a kilogramme of rice would sell there for 300 US dollars (208), and noted one account of a person selling a motorcycle to buy 5kg of rice. A day earlier, the UN said about 400 people in the town's hospital needed to be evacuated immediately for medical treatment as starvation and other factors had left them on the brink of death. Syrian authorities, rebels and aid groups have yet to respond. UN officials said it was too early to determine whether anyone had died of hunger, but the aid group Doctors Without Borders has said that 23 people died of starvation at a health centre it supports in Madaya since December 1, including six infants and five adults over 60. UN officials have described how locals had been forced to forage for food, such as risking walks in minefields to collect grass or cooking up "leaf soup", and were burning cardboard to stay warm in their homes. Madaya is not the only place in Syria suffering from siege, despite international laws banning it. The UN says 15 municipalities across Syria are currently blockaded, with no one able to get in or out. Two Shiite villages in the north, under siege by rebels, face similar circumstances, with food and medicine scarce. Residents are said to be eating grass to survive and undergoing surgery without anaesthesia. On Monday, convoys carrying food, medical and other supplies reached Madaya around the same time as another convoy arrived in the twin Shiite villages - called Foua and Kfarya - which are far more remote and difficult for media to access. The operation marked a small, positive development in a bitter conflict now in its fifth year that has killed a quarter of a million people, displaced millions of others and left the country in ruins. Another tiny improvement in Madaya came with the evacuation of 300 civilians, mostly women and children, who left the town near the Lebanese border on foot and were transported to government-run temporary shelters. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition group that tracks both sides of the conflict, said the civilians had separately arranged with government forces to leave the city, with some heading to shelters set up in schools and similar places in the area and nearby capital Damascus. Trucks carrying food and medicine have entered a besieged Syrian town near the Lebanese border as part of a large-scale UN-supported aid operation in the country. An Associated Press team saw three trucks enter Madaya, where a group of residents had gathered, hoping to receive desperately needed assistance. The town, about 15 miles north-west of Damascus, has been blockaded for months by government troops and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Opposition activists and aid groups have reported several deaths from starvation in recent weeks. Simultaneously, trucks began entering the Shiite villages of Foua and Kfarya in northern Syria, both under siege by rebels seeking to oust President Bashar Assad. The UN-supported aid operation was agreed on last week. Red Cross spokesman Pawel Krzysiek wrote on his Twitter account that the first trucks entered Madaya, Foua and Kfarya, and said offloading of aid was expected to last throughout the night. The situation in Madaya is the latest example of both sides using hunger as a weapon in Syria's war, now in its fifth year. The town has attracted particular attention in recent days because of reports of deaths and images of severely malnourished residents that have circulated across social media. The images prompted a media war two weeks ahead of a new round of peace talks between the government and opposition expected to take place in Geneva. Some government supporters have used social media to mock the photos, saying they were fake, while others claimed it was the rebels who were withholding food from needy residents. The aid group Doctors Without Borders says 23 patients have died of starvation at a health centre it supports in Madaya since December 1 - including six infants under one-year-old and five adults over the age of 60. Yacoub El Hillo, the UN's resident and humanitarian coordinator in Syria, said almost 42,000 people in Madaya are at risk of further hunger and starvation. In Madaya, Hezbollah's Al-Manar television channel showed a group of people, including women and children, waiting for the convoys at the town's main entrance. In interviews, they accused fighters inside of hoarding humanitarian assistance that entered the town in October and selling the supplies to residents at exorbitant prices. "Our children are dying of hunger," a school teacher told the station, saying she walked to the entrance of the town to make sure she received the assistance directly. The UN's World Food Programme has said it will ship one month's worth of food for more than 40,000 people to Madaya from Damascus, and enough for 20,000 people to Foua and Kfarya from the city of Homs. Syria's Sana news agency reported that a rocket, presumably fired by rebels, hit a residential neighbourhood in the northern city of Aleppo, killing three children and wounding two other people. It said the Syrian army had begun a major offensive in the countryside to the west of the city. Barack Obama has conceded the United States is more divided than he promised (AP) President Barack Obama says Donald Trump is waging a White House campaign based on "simplistic solutions and scapegoating". In an interview on NBC's Today show, Mr Obama said Mr Trump "is putting out a message that has had adherents through history". He said the Republican hopeful is appealing to people's fears and uncertainty about the future. Asked how seriously Mr Trump should be taken, the president said: "Talk to me if he wins." When asked what he thought about the prospect of a Trump presidency, Mr Obama replied: "I can imagine it in a Saturday night skit." But Mr Obama conceded the country is more divided than he promised. Asked if he felt responsible for that, he said: "It's a regret," but he said he "could not be prouder" of his accomplishments. Mr Rutherford had been a tourist in Afghanistan when he was seized in November 2010 (AP) A Canadian man who has been held by the Taliban in Afghanistan for more than five years has been released. Colin Rutherford w as a tourist in the country when he was seized by the Taliban in November 2010. The Taliban released a video of Mr Rutherford in 2011 and accused him, then aged 26, of being a spy. Mr Rutherford insisted he was not a spy and had travelled to Afghanistan to study historical sites and shrines. It is not immediately clear how he was released, but Canadian foreign minister Stephane Dion thanked the government of Qatar for its assistance. Barack Obama will hammer home his campaign for gun control with an empty-chair tribute to shooting victims during his final State of the Union address. The main thrust of the US president's speech will attempt to frame the choice facing Americans as they select his successor, doling out an optimistic vision of the country's future in contrast with what he sees as the pessimism pervasive in the Republican primary. But the Obamas' guests will also reflect what is likely to be left undone or incomplete when the president leaves office. A chair in first lady Michelle Obama's box will be left empty to honour victims of gun violence. Despite a rash of mass shootings during his tenure, Mr Obama has been unable to get Congress to pass gun control laws, settling instead for more modest executive actions, including steps announced last week to expand background checks for weapons purchases. The president has also invited a refugee from war-torn Syria to attend the speech, a symbolic counter to Republicans proposing to block Syrians seeking asylum in the US. But the selection is also a reminder of Mr Obama's inability to end the bloodshed in Syria, where the nearly five-year civil war has spurred a refugee crisis and created a vacuum for terrorism. Mr Obama will not appeal directly for Americans to keep the Democratic Party in the White House for a third straight term or endorse a specific candidate in the 2016 race, but he will outline domestic and international priorities that build on steps he has taken during his two terms in office, a vision certain to be more in line with Hillary Clinton and other Democrats than the Republican presidential candidates. "He feels very optimistic about this future," White House chief of staff Denis McDonough said. "That, by the way, is something that's a little different than some of the doom and gloom that we hear from the Republican candidates out there every day." Tuesday's US prime-time address marks a transition for Mr Obama - his last high-profile opportunity to speak to the public before voting in the first presidential nominating contests begins on February 1 with the Iowa caucuses. The looming election means prospects are low for significant legislative accomplishments between the Democratic president and Republican politicians. Acknowledging that reality, Mr Obama's speech will have few of the new policy proposals that typically fill the annual nationally-televised presidential address to both chambers of Congress. Mr Obama has so far succeeded in staving off lame duck status, largely through a series of sweeping executive orders, as the nation's attention has been drawn inevitably to the presidential contest. Still, his reliance on executive powers means many of his actions could be erased by a Republican president. He has vowed to campaign aggressively for the Democratic nominee and his administration is seen as favouring Mrs Clinton, though he will not formally back a candidate during his party's primary. Some presidential candidates, including Republican senator Marco Rubio of Florida will be on hand for Mr Obama's address. Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, an independent seeking the Democratic nomination, will also be present. Mr Obama is likely to tout progress on the economy, which was plunging into the depths of recession when he took office and is now humming at a more comfortable pace. He is expected to keep up his appeals for broader actions to address gun violence, reform the criminal justice system and approve a sweeping Asia-Pacific trade pact. He will also try to convince a public increasingly sceptical of his foreign policy stewardship that he has a handle on the volatile Middle East and is taking steps to prevent terrorism in the United States. "There's a lot we have to get done over the course of the next year," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. The pomp and pageantry of the address in the House of Representatives chamber will also have a splash of the transparent nostalgia that is a hallmark of the Obama political operation. Among the guests sitting in Mrs Obama's box will be Edith Childs, a South Carolina woman who first introduced Mr Obama to the "Fired up! Ready to go!" chant that became ubiquitous during his 2008 campaign. Republicans have selected South Carolina governor Nikki Haley to give the opposing party's rebuttal. In another reminder of the fast-approaching election, Ms Haley, whose parents are immigrants from India, is seen as a potential running mate for the eventual Republican nominee. Three major residential projects are having public meetings this Wednesday evening. -- Core Campus will present its student-oriented housing project, The Hub, to the Flagstaff Planning and Zoning Commission at 4 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall, 211 W. Aspen Ave. -- The same evening, the developers of McMillan Mesa Village will be holding a public meeting at 7 p.m. at the Aquaplex, 1702 N. Fourth St. about changing the zoning to allow up to 240 housing units in place of stores and offices. -- And also on Wednesday at 5 p.m. VanTrust Real Estate will present a plan for an upscale apartment project on the site of the San Francisco de Asis Catholic School in downtown Flagstaff at a meeting of neighbors at Federated Church. Core is asking to switch the zoning on about 1.5 acres of the 2.39 acres it plans to build a 660-bed mixed use student housing complex from a neighborhood transect zone to a main street transect zone. The change will allow the company to build walk-up apartments on Phoenix Avenue and put the majority of commercial stores on the ground floor on Mikes Pike and on Milton Road. Core does not need the zoning to move forward with the project, but if the zoning change is not approved Core will need to put the commercial part of the project on Phoenix Avenue and Milton Road. The company is also asking for two conditional use permits to allow The Hub building to cover 93 percent of the lot and to allow Core to rent by the room, rather than by the unit. Cores representatives have said in the past they plan to rent some of the apartments in the new building by the room and some by the unit, but have not decided how many of each will be available. Residents in the area have raised concerns about parking and traffic issues that may be generated by that many people living in one concentrated location. The Southside has limited parking and many of the streets are narrowed by the number of cars parked on either side of the street during the day. The developers of McMillan Mesa Village want to rezone 29 acres near BASIS School from business park to residential to accommodate 240 housing units. The units would be duplexes, single family homes and bungalows spread across three parcels. Representatives from McMillan Mesa Village have said in the past that they are looking at the change because of the demand for residential housing is greater than the demand for commercial/business property in Flagstaff. They view the location as idea for residential because of its close proximity to downtown Flagstaff and Flagstaff Medical Center. Residents in the area have concerns about the traffic that could be generated by the proposed homes. The area already sees a large amount of traffic during the school year as parents drop off and pick up their children and at rush hour as employees try to get home. VanTrust Real Estate said in a letter to neighbors that its apartment project for the Catholic school site does not need new city zoning or permits. But it will provide details of its plans in advance in the interest of being good neighbors and to receive public input. People gather at the scene in the aftermath of a car bomb explosion in commercial area of New Baghdad (AP) Iraq's prime minister has vowed to continue the fight against Islamic State (IS) militants, a day after the group launched a suicide attack on a shopping centre, killing 18 people. Touring the bombed shopping centre in eastern New Baghdad on Tuesday, Haider al-Abadi described the attack as a "desperate attempt" by militants after they lost control of the key western city of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province. Mr Abadi said that Iraq's government will "spare no efforts" in expelling IS forces from the country. Gunmen stormed the shopping centre on Monday after setting off a car bomb and launching a suicide attack at the entrance. Iraqi forces later surrounded the building, landing troops on the roof before clashing with attackers inside, killing two gunmen and arresting four. About 50 people were wounded in the attack. Shortly afterwards, an apparent IS statement posted online said militants targeted an area where many Shiite Muslims are known to gather and warned of "worse" to come. Later, a suicide attack targeted a cafe in the town of Muqdadiyah, about 60 miles north of Baghdad in Diyala province, killing at least 24 people and wounding 52, and in a crowded area in south-east Baghdad, a car bomb explosion killed at least five people and wounded 12 others. Iraq is going through its worst crisis since the 2011 withdrawal of US troops. In summer 2014, IS blitzed across large areas of the country's north and west, capturing Iraq's second-largest city of Mosul and the majority of the western Anbar province. Last month, the group suffered a major defeat when Iraqi forces drove the extremists out of the western city of Ramadi, the capital of the sprawling Anbar province. Islamic State still controls much of northern and western Iraq. Baghdad has been almost quiet over the past few months, except for a few small attacks with bombs and assaults targeting Iraqi forces and government officials. The blast happened in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul An Islamic State suicide bomber has detonated a bomb in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists, killing 10 people - at least nine of them German - and wounding 15 others, Turkish officials said. Prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu said IS was behind the suicide attack, adding that Turkey is determined to battle the militant group until it no longer "remains a threat" to the country or the world. Turkey's state-run news agency said Mr Davutoglu held a telephone conversation with German chancellor Angela Merkel to express his condolences. A senior government official confirmed that most of the victims were German. Ms Merkel had earlier said they were part of a German travel group. "I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Istanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber," president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber was a 28-year-old Syrian national whose "connections" were being investigated. It was unclear whether the death toll of 10 included the bomber. Ms Merkel, speaking at a news conference in Berlin, condemned the attack: "Today Istanbul was hit, Paris has been hit, Tunisia has been hit, Ankara has been hit before. International terrorism is once again showing its cruel and inhuman face today." The explosion, which could be heard over a wide area, hit a park that is home to a landmark obelisk, 30 yards from the historic Blue Mosque. Turkey's Dogan news agency said one Norwegian and a Peruvian were also among the wounded, and Seoul's Foreign Ministry said a South Korean had a finger injury. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry told Norway's news agency NTB that the Norwegian tourist was slightly hurt and was being treated in a local hospital. Mr Kurtulmus said two of the wounded were in serious condition. Germany and Denmark have warned their citizens to avoid crowds outside tourist attractions in Istanbul. Last year, Turkey agreed to take a more active role in the US-led battle against IS. Turkey opened its bases to US aircraft to launch air raids on the extremist group in Syria and has carried out a limited number of strikes itself. It has also moved to tighten security along its 560-mile border with Syria in a bid to stem the flow of militants. Police sealed off the Sultanahmet area, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion, and a police helicopter hovered overhead. Sultanahmet is Istanbul's main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and the former Byzantine church of Haghia Sophia, now a museum. Mr Davutoglu immediately convened a security meeting with the country's interior minister and other officials. As with previous attacks, authorities imposed a news blackout, barring media from showing images of the dead or injured or reporting any details of the investigation. Turkey suffered two major bombing attacks last year, both blamed on Islamic State. More than 30 people were killed in a suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near the border with Syria, in July. Two suicide bombs exploded in October outside Ankara's main train station as people gathered for a peace rally, killing more than 100 in Turkey's deadliest attack. The prosecutor's office said that attack was carried out by a local IS cell. The blast happened in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul Islamic State is 'probably' behind a suicide bomb attack that killed 10 people - mostly Germans - in Istanbul today, say security officials. The explosion rocked the historic tourist area of Sultanahmet in the Turkish city, after a 28-year-old Syrian national detonated the bomb. It's unclear whether the death toll of 10 includes the bomber. The blast wounded some 15 others, two of which are in a serious condition. Two senior security officials told Reuters there was a high probability that Islamic State militants were responsible. But Kurdish militants and left-wing groups are also active in Turkey. Germany and Denmark have warned their citizens to avoid crowds outside tourist attractions in Istanbul. David Cameron has offered Turkey British help to find the organisers of the bomb attack. In a telephone call this evening, Mr Cameron offered his condolences to the Turkish president. A Downing Street spokesman said: "The Prime Minister called president Erdogan of Turkey this evening to express his condolences following today's terrorist attack in Istanbul. They agreed on the importance of remaining resolute in fighting terrorism, and president Erdogan updated the Prime Minister on the investigation. "The Prime Minister offered the UK's support in establishing who was responsible for the attack." The historical area, known as the 'old city', is the main sight-seeing district of Istanbul, where the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace are located. The UK Foreign Office has updated its travel advice, telling British tourists to "follow the instructions of the local security authorities" if in the Sultanahmet area. But it is still only advising against visits to the parts of Turkey that are within 10km of the border with Syria. German chancellor Angela Merkel said nine of those killed were part of a German travel group. "Today Istanbul was hit, Paris has been hit, Tunisia has been hit, Ankara has been hit before," she said. "International terrorism is once again showing its cruel and inhuman face today," she said at a news conference in Berlin. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Istanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber." Turkey's Dogan news agency said one Norwegian and a Peruvian were also among the wounded, and Seoul's Foreign Ministry said a South Korean had a finger injury. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry told Norway's news agency NTB that the Norwegian tourist was slightly hurt and was being treated in a local hospital. The blast, which could be heard over a wide area, hit a park that is home to a landmark obelisk, 30 yards from the historic Blue Mosque. Police sealed off the area, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion, and a police helicopter hovered overhead. Prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu immediately convened a security meeting with the country's interior minister and other officials. As with previous attacks, authorities imposed a news blackout, barring media from showing images of the dead or injured or reporting any details of the investigation. Last year, Turkey agreed to take a more active role in the US-led battle against IS. Turkey opened its bases to US aircraft to launch air raids on the extremist group in Syria and has carried out a limited number of strikes itself. It has also moved to tighten security along its 560-mile border with Syria in a bid to stem the flow of militants. Turkey suffered two major bombing attacks last year, both blamed on Islamic State. More than 30 people were killed in a suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near the border with Syria, in July. Two suicide bombs exploded in October outside Ankara's main train station as people gathered for a peace rally, killing more than 100 in Turkey's deadliest attack. The prosecutor's office said that attack was carried out by a local IS cell. The convicted killer whose case was featured in the Netflix series Making A Murderer has filed a new appeal seeking his release. Steven Avery, 53, claims authorities used an improper search warrant and said that any evidence found as a result "is clearly 'fruit of the poisonous tree'". Avery was convicted of first-degree intentional homicide in the death of photographer Teresa Halbach in Wisconsin a decade ago. He had been wrongfully convicted years earlier in a rape case and served 18 years in prison before he was cleared by DNA evidence. He was suing Manitowoc County for tens of millions of dollars when he and his nephew were arrested over Ms Halbach's death. Manitowoc County Sheriff Robert Hermann said he has not yet seen Avery's appeal. Sheriff Hermann previously said that the investigation into Avery's case was proper. The last three and a half months have seen near-daily Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers that have killed 24 people A 17-year-old Palestinian has been shot dead near the West Bank city of Hebron after trying to stab an Israeli soldier, the military said. Officials said the teenager had a knife in his hand when he approached a soldier securing a junction and tried to attack him. Elsewhere in the West Bank, a 21-year-old was shot dead after hurling stones at Israeli troops near the village of Beit Jala, just outside Bethlehem, Palestinian health officials said. The last three and a half months have seen near-daily Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers that have killed 24 people. At least 140 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the same time. About two-thirds of them are said by Israel to have been attackers, while the others were killed in clashes with troops. Israel says the bloodshed is fuelled by a Palestinian campaign of incitement. Palestinians say it stems from frustration at decades of occupation. It is impossible to gauge the full anguish of the family - indeed family circle - of Robert Hanna who has not been seen since going on a kayaking trip off Islandmagee 15 weeks ago. But our interviews today with his wife and sisters gives a glimpse into their heartache. They have accepted that he is dead, taken by the sea, but they will never be able to put this awful tragedy behind them until his body is found. It is easy to understand their frustration that the PSNI has not been in more frequent contact, especially over the Christmas and New Year periods, which were particularly emotional times with the empty chair at the dinner table a constant reminder of their loss. Yet the police, like everyone else, have probably little to say. For them, as with the family, it is purely a waiting game to see if the sea will give up its secret. Nevertheless it might be some comfort to the relatives if they were given regular updates on what investigations or searches have taken place. The family's grievous loss has been compounded by the innuendo that perhaps there was some reason, other than an accident, for Robert's disappearance. To have even the slightest suggestion that it was some sort of ruse is heaping insult on top of agony as far as they are concerned. The everyday details included in their story of the day he disappeared make for poignant reading. He had made a lasagne and left it in the oven; his youngest son was bullied on the way home from school that day and needed his dad's support; and his wallet and credit cards were found in his car. The children have special mementos to remind them of their father - pillowcases made from his shirts and sprayed with his aftershave. Further Reading Read More Inevitably when tragedies occur they make headlines for a short time but the world moves on and most people soon forget. But those directly involved cannot forget and, in this case, the tragedy is ongoing. The family is reconciled to the fact that Robert is dead, but every time they gaze out the window and drive along the coast they wonder where his body lies. The missing man's brother-in-law regularly travels to Scotland to search along the coastline there where Robert's kayak washed ashore. Their hope of ever finding the body is faint but not extinguished. Perhaps, as they say, this year will see it returned from the sea to a more fitting resting place. BEFORE the current rhetoric in relation to the Easter Rising or Revolution, as it's being presently referred to, turns to euphoria, I would just like to mention the following points of interest. Between April 24, 1916 and May 2, 1916, 12 officers of the Royal Irish Constabulary were murdered by the IRA. A further three officers of the Dublin Metropolitan Police were also murdered by the IRA. In the lead-up to partition, during the Irish Civil War, a further 513 officers of the Royal Irish Constabulary were murdered between 1919 and 1921 by the IRA. As we are all now aware, thousands of brave Irishmen in the 10th (Irish) and 16th (Irish) Divisions were heavily engaged on the Western Front with their comrades in the 36th (Ulster) Division between 1914 to 1918 with heavy losses. Only in recent years have the men from the 10th and 16th Divisions received the recognition they deserve. Perhaps, in time, this type of recognition will be afforded to those police officers of the Royal Irish Constabulary and the Dublin Metropolitan, otherwise their memory will pass into oblivion and they will sadly fall into the category of being "expendable" in the search for peace. Now there's an irony. REAL WORLD By email Julie Barton was sitting on the couch one day with her head in her hands, utterly defeated by the severe depression that filled her with sadness and self-loathing, when she felt an unexpected warmth in her toes. Her fluffy red golden retriever puppy, Bunker, was sitting on her feet. He leaned against me, and it seemed to me to be very deliberate, she says. He looked at me like, Are you better? or Did that help? and I thought, Either Im going totally crazy, or he sees me. And I decided to do one hopeful thing, which was to trust that feeling. Bartons new memoir, Dog Medicine: How My Dog Saved Me From Myself, joins a growing list of books, both fiction and nonfiction, that highlight the role pets can play in emotional healing. While the iconic pets of the past Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, Benji, That Darn Cat saved humans from physical dangers, the furry heroes of books such as the national best-seller Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him (Hachette) and the novel The Dog Who Saved Me (St. Martins Press), help their owners fend off depression, anxiety and PTSD. Science is moving in the same direction, with research suggesting that dogs bring down stress levels, encourage physical activity and reduce depression. In the typical study, depressed people who get conventional treatment are compared with depressed people who get conventional treatment as well as interaction with a pet, often a dog that is included in therapy sessions, says psychologist Stanley Coren, professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia and author of Do Dogs Dream?: Nearly Everything Your Dog Wants You to Know (W.W. Norton). The results are almost always the same: You get anyplace between a 30 percent and a 50 percent added improvement in the reduction of depression scores (with pets), so its quite huge, Coren says. Questions remain: A 2014 review of the effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy for the elderly (The Benefit of Pets and Animal-Assisted Therapy to the Health of Older Individuals in Current Gerontology and Geriatrics Research complained of the poor methodological quality of pet therapy studies and pointed to issues such as small sample sizes, and lack of adequate controls and comparison groups. Despite over four decades of research, these studies remain preliminary, the authors wrote. Barton, whose memoir covers an episode of severe depression when she was in her early 20s, got married in 2000 and lives in Piedmont, Calif., with her husband, their two children, ages 8 and 11, and an energetic terrier named Jackson (shelter name: Action Jackson). Bunker died in 2007 at age 11, but he remains a big presence in Bartons life. Speaking from her home office, she said she was surrounded by photos of Bunker. Its like a shrine in here, she quipped. GROWING AUDIENCE Dog Medicine appears to have hit a nerve: The first 2,500-copy printing sold out in a day, Barton says, and more than 5,000 additional copies have been printed. We sold rights to Korea, to Holland. The U.K. is interested, she says. Theres lots of chatter, and I think its really resonating. In the course of promoting the book, she has heard stories of emotional healing from cat-, dog- and horse-lovers. And, at a talk in California, a middle-age man approached her on the verge of tears. My daughter is very depressed. Shes 20, and shes coming home to live with us, she recounts the man telling her. But there was one bright spot: She has a therapy rat. Its the most incredible thing. Is it a trained rat? Barton asked him. No, the man told her. They are just extraordinarily connected. Something about having this living creature with her by her side all the time is really healing for her. For Barton, now 42, the road to recovery involved medication, counseling and strong family support, as well as bonding with Bunker. She was 22, an Ohioan living far from home in New York and weathering a painful breakup, when the negative thoughts that had long assailed her took on a scarier tone: Walk into the path of that cab, she would think. Step in front of that oncoming bus. The thoughts told her she was worthless, dumb, ugly and weak. Wrong in every way. Wrong for being alive. After she collapsed on the kitchen floor with a pot on the stove and woke up to a room filled with smoke, she called her mother. Her parents brought her home, found a psychiatrist and gently pressed her to take the antidepressant Zoloft. When she told them one thing that might help was a puppy, her parents helped make that happen too. A WAY TO CONNECT Bunker offered uncomplicated love and loyalty, which was vital, Barton says. As her mood stabilized, he also helped her go back out in the world again. Depression is a very isolating disease, she says. In New York, I would walk down the sidewalk thinking I was completely alone on an island of millions of people, because people didnt acknowledge you, or if they did, it was with a rude push or a mean look. When you have a dog, doors open, social doors. People go, Oh, how sweet! How old? Whats his name? You talk about your dog experience, and its a real ice breaker for someone who may not be as adept at social interactions. I loved going out because people would talk to me. It made me so happy. In her book, Barton describes how, with Bunkers help, she was able to move across the country, make friends, and eventually get a job and find love. Today, she says, shes doing very well. Her depression is a chronic condition, but medication works well for her, and she keeps an eye out for the sinking feeling that tells her to seek additional support from her doctor, her counselor or her husband. I havent had a major episode (of depression) in six or seven years, she says. It was pretty hard after Bunker died, but I had young kids, and that helped keep me occupied in a good way. IN the face of terrorism - from whatever source - it is always an important step to understand the source of the terrorism, so as to understand if there is a legitimate cause that may need to be addressed. So as to put an end to a festering sore, it is important not to pander to the terror, but to dissolve the underlying cause. In the case of current Islamic radicalism, it appears that the primary grievance - if it can be called that - is that Western society is a morally and spiritually bereft ideology. (It is arguable that aspects of Western secularism are irreverent and lacking in spiritual direction). However, the many great contributions of Western society to human civilisation are beyond doubt. As for other ideologies, there are others in our world - Buddhism, Hinduism - who do not feel the need to aggressively and horrifically assert their ideology on others. As such, radical Islam has neither cause nor right to assert its primitive, draconian, inhumane and foul terrorism on anyone, be it the West or their own peoples. In addition to this, the prevailing enmity between Sunni and Shia Islam has nothing to teach the world about spiritual values. Rather, they could learn all they need to from the peace process here in Northern Ireland. With the level of violence between innumerable warring factions throughout the Middle East and low standards of living, the Islamic world would need to quell their dissension towards the rest of the world. The warring factions should cease their fighting. Moderate and peaceful Muslims need to denounce the dissension and instead promote peace, human progress and truly spiritual values to the rest of the world. I, therefore, urge good Muslims to embrace love, progress and harmony in our world and to denounce unjustifiable radicalisation. TMK Antrim Another winter, another crisis for the NHS in Northern Ireland. A&Es are struggling to cope with greater patient numbers and the system in hospitals is backed up, as patients wait for care packages to help get them home. The blame lies squarely with Health Minister Simon Hamilton and the rest of the Northern Ireland Executive. They constantly refuse to grapple with the problems or deliver much-needed reforms. The healthcare system in Northern Ireland spends more money per head of the population than any other part of the UK, but its outcomes are the worst. Rather than make genuine changes to put things right successive ministers have asked for more money in order to provide a sticking plaster for far deeper problems. The solutions are out there. The Donaldson Report, by the Chief Medical Officer of England, made 10 recommendations to radically improve how the NHS in Northern Ireland works. It noted that some hospital facilities here cannot provide high levels of care consistently because they are too small. Donaldson proposed that a safer system might mean some facilities closing, but he recommended that an international panel should decide how best to reconfigure services. Another key observation found that the Executive's Transforming Your Care (TYC) strategy, which was supposed to deliver care closer to home and away from acute hospitals, had not been properly implemented. This failure goes to the heart of our annual winter crises. More patients present at A&E because alternative services have not been put in place. Meanwhile, hospitals struggle to find beds for new admissions, because the types of care TYC proposed have not been put in place to let patients go home. These failures are down to the Executive's reluctance to take decisions which may be unpopular in the short-term. We're likely to see another winter of inaction, too, as elections lie just around the corner in May, despite more money being available for reform thanks to lower energy costs. It's time for a change and voters can take their chance this year to shake things up at the Assembly. Johnny Andrews is a spokesman for the NI Conservatives Michaella McCollum is escorted in handcuffs by police as she arrives to the Court in Callao, Peru Drugs mule Michaella McCollum will have had a long wait for hospital treatment in Peru, according to her priest pal. The cocaine smuggler from Dungannon is believed to have contracted a tropical illness while inside Perus notorious Ancon 2 jail. There is no actual hospital in the prison so if her illness was serious then she will have needed to be treated by a doctor, said Lima-based priest Archbishop Sean Walsh. There is a state hospital nearby so shed have been taken out of the prison and transported there. The problem with that is that while there are good doctors in the state hospitals, you are one in a long line of people to be taken care of. The facilities are not bad but you wait a while for medical attention because there are simply too many people for the state hospitals to handle. Inmates have alleged that Michaella fell ill last Sunday but the Irish-American priest, who talks to Michaella on the phone, does not believe the 23-year-olds condition is serious. I think if it was a serious illness, I would heard about it by now, he said. Michaellas mother and I still write to one another so I would be surprised if Michaella had something that was particularly major or life-threatening because I think someone here in Peru would know about it. Michaella and Scottish pal, Melissa, who met in Ibiza, were caught trying to smuggle 1.5million of cocaine from Lima to Madrid back in August 2013. They were sentenced to six years and eight months in prison. But new Peruvian legislation passed in 2014 allows foreign prisoners, if their sentence is less than seven years and they meet certain criteria, to be paroled in their own country. Sometimes a foreign prisoner can get early release but more often than not it can take a lot longer than originally planned, said the priest. Since the law changed last year, there has been some first-time offending prisoners who have been given early parole after serving a third of their sentence but its entirely up to the judges disgression and theyve been known to drag their feet on issues like this. I know that Michaella would have liked to have got parole in time for Christmas but sadly things didnt work out for her. Like most things in Peru, though, Archbishop Walsh says legal processes are never very straightforward. He said: It has even been difficult for me to get to the prison in Lima to see Michaella. Im about three hours away but Ill visit Michaella once the paperwork is completed. A brave Bangor woman has opened up about her familys ordeal after UDA thugs attacked her dad with hammers. In November, Gaynor McMahon helped her father, Aaron, after two masked men viciously beat him in their family home on the Clandeboye Road. Youre always looking over your shoulder, the 22-year-old told Sunday Life. My dads the best dad I could have ever asked for and all he was doing was the right thing. Chairman of Clandeboye Village Community Association (CVCA), Aaron headed a campaign to stop paramilitary intimidation in the area. Six UDA flags were erected for the first time in March before a faction of the UDA tried to take over and secure funding for the Clandeboye community bonfire. CVCA, through a heavily attended public meeting in May and numerous chats with local PSNI and politicians, had voiced concern over the UDAs takeover. We knew this was going to happen we had said it so many times, said a tearful Gaynor. Those flags and the issues over the bonfire were making people feel intimidated but no-one wanted to know. My dad and the CVCA were trying to make the community a better place for everyone, especially the children, and instead these horrible people do this. Aaron, 45, lives above the familys thriving business, Clandeboye Printing Services. Gaynor, who had been with her father just minutes before the attack, said: I put my hand on his head and within seconds my arm was covered in blood. I was crying my eyes out and my mum was trying to calm me down so my wee brother and sister, who are only seven, and a friend didnt get too upset but they were so, so scared and so was I. Dad was shouting at me for crying and worrying but, at the end of the day, thats my dad. If he hadnt been able to cover his head it could have been murder. People dont realise that this is happening regularly because victims and their families are too scared to speak out but not any more. Its not good enough. At a recent Policing and Community Safety Partnership in Bangor, Gaynor asked: When do the PCSP and police actually start protecting our communities and people like my dad? COUNSELLING She said: We need to speak out so that people know that this isnt acceptable. You cant go into someones house and attack them in front of their kids weeks before Christmas. My little sister wont go anywhere in the house on her own now and her and my brother are receiving counselling through their local primary school, which has been very supportive. The night after the attack hundreds, including a large number of loyalists, gathered outside the house to show their support for Aaron and the family have received cards from as far away as New Zealand, New York, Canada and Australia. A joint statement has also been issued by 32 political representatives in North Down condemning the attack. The McMahon family is now keen to see actions from politicians, statutory agencies and the PSNI to ensure that this doesnt happen again in any local community. People clearly dont want this kind of violence in this area. Its wrong to run a community using intimidation, added Gaynor. Is anti-Semitism a sign that Jesus is returning? Some believe we are closer than ever before as the uptick in violence across the world against Jews hits an alarming rate. It could be a sign that it is time the Jewish people return to Israel. In Isaiah 11 God will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel and He will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth. Is this the beginning of redemption? The Knesset in Israel hosted experts from around the world to discuss the issue and the delegitimizing Israel. Kuwait Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and United Arab Emirates all believe Israel does have the right to exist and defend itself. Former justice minister for Canada Irwin Cotler addressed the Knesset said there is an increase in hate towards Israel and its right to exist and denial of, assault upon the right of Israel and the Jewish people to live as an equal member of the family of nations, in fact the right even to live, with Israel emerging as the collective Jew among the nations the targeted collective Jew among the nations, Haaretz reported. So I think when we talk about delegitimization, its not just a threat to Israel and Jews, Cotter said in a Jerusalem Post interview. Its a very threat to the universal values which underpin the whole struggle for democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law. And so thats how we have to address it. We can see this in 2015 there has been a significant rise in violence in Europe, particularly in France last year. The Simon Wiesenthal Center is a Jewish organization that confronts hate, anti-Semitism, and educates people on the history of the Holocaust. They released a reported that 2015 was the year of raging anti-Semitism and extreme anti-Israelism, and listed them in a top a 10 list. On the list was the San Bernardino, California terror attacks, Paris attack, and the P5+1 Nuclear Deal with Iran, and the Boycott Divestment Sanctions. Recently, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi threatened Israel stating in a taped message to his fighters that The Jews thought we forgotten had forgotten Palestine. God willing you will not be forgotten and very soon you will hear the footsteps of Mujahadeen. Sometimes it is hard to find hope is such adversity and hatred, but we know that there is a bigger plan and restoration that awaits. As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them. For I will restore them to the land I gave their ancestors (Jeremiah 16:14-15). Every year the President of the United States declares National Religious Freedom Day. The day honors the Virginia General Assembly's adoption of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom on January 16, 1786 signed by Thomas Jefferson. This disestablished the Church of England, which ruled the colonies since 1607. A campaign was led by different groups beyond politicians that included Protestants, Catholics, Baptists and Jews during that time to make this change for all people. Today, America remains to be a country that supports religious freedom, and many still believe our country was founded on religious freedom for everyone no matter what they believe or who they pray to. The First Amendment says: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Regardless of our disagreements we have in this country we are better than most in the world. We can worship without fear of the military barging in and arresting us during a Bible study like they do in Iran. We can attend church without fear of repercussions wearing a cross, Star of David, or whatever faith we believe and know we wont be murdered or sent to a work camp like in China or North Korea. Although over the years there has been court battles regarding religious symbols on the side of the road to honor loved ones, praying in public, or reading religious texts on campus--we still can express our faith without recourse. We should be proud we are not displaced and don't have to move from home soil to find the freedom to pray the way we desire like those in the Middle East. Where they are killed or taxed for their faith. The House and Senate passed a resolution to designate Jan. 16 as the day to honor religious freedom in 1992. Every year the president makes a declaration to encourage the nation to observe the day through events, schools, churches, and honor the freedoms we do have and take for granted. President Barack Obamas declaration in 2015 was the following. We must also continue our work to protect religious freedom around the globe. Throughout the world, millions of individuals are subjected to discrimination, abuse, and sanctioned violence simply for exercising their religion or choosing not to claim a faith. Communities are being driven from their ancient homelands because of who they are or how they pray, and in conflict zones, mass displacement has become all too common. In the face of these challenges, I am proud the United States continues to stand up for the rights of all people to practice their faiths in peace. Promoting religious freedom has always been a key objective of my Administration's foreign policy because history shows that nations that uphold the rights of their people -- including the freedom of religion -- are ultimately more just, more peaceful, and more successful. In every country, individuals should be free to choose and live their faith based upon the persuasion of the mind -- and of the heart and soul. Today, let us continue our work to protect this tradition and advance the cause of religious freedom worldwide. Let's never lose sight of what freedom means to us as a nation. We need to continue to work towards this goal every year for future generations, and stand for freedom for all, regardless of what challenges us. We can thank those who served our country to perserve this blessing of freedom, and those who risked thier lives to keep America free. Corine Gatti is a Senior Editor at Beliefnet.com. ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi continued his spew of threats against Israel, warning the nation they are not done with them. The Jews thought we forgotten had forgotten Palestine." He continued, that God willing you will not be forgotten and very soon you will hear the footsteps of Mujahadeen (Muslims who claim they are warriors of the faith). The Jerusalem Post translated the message which also reminded the Jewish Nation that Palestine will be justified. We are getting closer to you day by day. Do not think that we have forgotten about you. Palestine will be your graveyard. If it was an Islamic coalition, it would have declared itself free from its Jewish and Crusader lords and made the killing the Jews and the liberation of Palestine its goal. The pep talk continued for fighters in a 24-minute rant. It included that the strikes from the United States and Russia failed to weaken the groupnot true, the group is losing strength and territory and Syria and Iraq. Most recently, ISIS lost more territory when the Iraqi army took control over a government building in Ramadi. The area has been under ISIS control since July, the gain allows the army to take back control of important access roads. What is the truth? ISIS fighters are afraid of the same Jewish Nation they look to destroy. Apparently ISIS soldiers are scared of Israels military. The IDF is a major issue for ISIS German reporter Jurgen Todenhofe said. Todenhofe visited the group for 10 days, discussed Jewish News that ISIS is terrified of the Israeli army and its skill. He said that the group also believed IDF were too strong for them, and were not part of the Middle East colonization plan. The West would be the second stage of domination--nothing to worry about. They are not scared of the British and the Americans--they are scared of the Israelis and told me the Israeli army is the real danger. We cant defeat them with our current strategy. Baghdadi also told his soldiers that they will attain success. "Be confident that God will grant victory to those who worship him, and hear the good news that our state is doing well. The more intense the war against it, the purer it becomes and the tougher it gets. Israel is picking up the pieces from the latest attack in Tel Aviv after a gunman killed two and wounded several others in a pub with a machine gun. The suspect, still at-large dropped a bag containing a copy of the Koran. Corine Gatti is a Senior Editor at Beliefnet.com. As a college student in Illinois, Robin Smith was a regular blood donor who considered it a civic duty to open her veins. But she fell out of the habit, rushed by the demands of life and work, until November, when the 26-year-old research technician at Seattles Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center discovered a whole new way to donate. Instead of offering a routine sample of blood or plasma to be used in transfusions, Smith signed up to provide peripheral blood stem cells, or PBSCs, the less-well-known cells that are in crucial demand for scientific research. This is sort of a nice way for me to cumulatively do all of the effort of what would be several blood donations, said Smith, who spent four hours on two weekdays with needles in both arms. I actually work with PBSCs. I was very happy to do it. Smith earned $800 for her time and effort, enough to fly to Boston to see her family for Thanksgiving. Its a far higher fee than the typical $40 to $60 paid for single donations of blood or plasma, but the ramifications of her contribution may have far more impact. The idea is that these cells contribute to research thats helping develop treatments for patients, said Dr. Shelly Heimfeld, a scientific director at Fred Hutch and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA), where the donations are collected. Blood stem cells, identified in the early 1960s, were the first type of stem cells discovered and launched a new era of research. Like other stem cells, they can copy themselves, differentiate into specialized cells and undergo cell death functions that make them critical research tools for scientists. Investigators studying diseases as diverse as cancer and sickle-cell anemia have relied on the Hutch cells, which have also been used in research for more than 50 papers published in leading journals in the past five years, Heimfeld added. Heimfeld runs the 16-year-old program funded through a grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases that collects PBSCs and provides them to dozens of researchers across the country. The nonprofit Hutch program is one of the largest in the nation to collect and sell the cells. Theyre also available from commercial producers, but at a much higher cost. A single vial of CD34-positive cells, a type of stem cell vital for research, could cost $2,500 from a commercial provider. Heimfelds program charges $500. Bloodworks Northwest, the regions blood bank, collects PBSCs, but only from donors providing stem cells for transplants for specific patients. They collect no cells for research, said Dave Larsen, Bloodworks spokesman. To donate, Smith agreed to receive four days of shots containing granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, or GCSF, a protein that triggers the bone marrow to mobilize, or boost production of stem cells, which then can be retrieved from the blood. Some people have reactions to the shots, which can cause joint aches and flu-like symptoms, but Smith said she felt fine. Im always willing to help out, she said. Employees give back in other ways, but for me, my cells are much more renewable than my piggy bank. Donations that dont require the shots (non-mobilized) are also accepted. Donors receive about $300 for those procedures, said Kristie Rollins, the project manager who oversees recruitment. A single mobilized donation can yield 20 billion to 30 billion total cells, which contain about 100 million to 200 million stem cells, Heimfeld estimated. From those, scientists can request specific components, such as T cells and B cells, which play a key role in immunity. They might order a batch of 20 million or 40 million T cells, for instance, for use in an experiment. Finding enough donors to supply the cells is a constant challenge, said Sharvari Joshi, who helps manage recruitment. For every successful donor, seven people have to be screened. Donors must be between the ages of 18 and 70 and in good health, plus they must meet typical criteria for donating blood products. Mobilized donors can participate only three times in a lifetime, a cap put in place because theres too little data about the effects of the GCSF shot. It appears safe, researchers said. Auto theft Officers pulled over a suspected drunken driver and two of his friends over the weekend in what turned out to be a stolen vehicle. According to the police report, an officer stopped a vehicle for speeding at approximately 11 p.m. Sunday in the parking lot of the Americana Inn, located at 2650 E. Route 66. As the officer approached the vehicle, the driver climbed into the back seat and denied ever being behind the wheel. All three vehicle occupants showed signs of intoxication. A search of the vehicle turned up a marijuana pipe and open containers of alcohol. Upon further investigation, officers learned the vehicle belonged to a Flagstaff woman. She told officers she had lost her keys Saturday night after becoming extremely intoxicated at a downtown Flagstaff bar. A young man she met at the bar convinced her to go with her to his room at the Americana Inn, where several other young men were present. He then insisted upon accompanying her on her Uber ride home. Her husband, who was at home already, forced the young man to leave. The woman used a spare key to retrieve her car from the downtown area Sunday. She left it parked in her driveway Sunday at 5:30 p.m. and did not know it had been stolen. Chad Thompson, 21, was arrested and charged with DUI, misdemeanor possession of marijuana paraphernalia, unlawful means of transportation control and having an open container of liquor within a vehicle. Calvin Long, 22, was arrested and charged with unlawful means of transportation control and having an open container of liquor within a vehicle. Keifer Harleon Sherlock, 21, was arrested and charged with unlawful means of transportation control and having an open container of liquor within a vehicle. Charged with DUI Loretta Ann Guara, 38, of North Nyla Drive was arrested and charged with extreme DUI at 6:45 p.m. Friday. City and county residents who want to report a crime but wish to remain anonymous may call Silent Witness at 774-6111 or (877) 29-CRIME, submit a tip online at www.coconinosilentwitness.org, or text the word Flagtip along with your information to 274637 (CRIMES). Rewards of up to $2,000 are given for information that leads to an arrest. In this image taken from a video filmed by the Abu Sayyaf Group and released by the Islamic State extremist group, militants swear allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi at a ceremony in Basilan, Sulu Archipelago, Philippines. The Islamic State (IS) likely will create a branch in the Philippines and declare the southern island of Mindanao a Wilayat (province) in 2016. After various local militant groups spent a year in 2014-15 discussing pledges of allegiance to the self-appointed caliph of IS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, they united and formed a council of representatives (Ahlus Shura) that appointed Isnilon Totoni Hapilon as the overall leader of an IS branch in the Philippines. Hapilon heads the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Basilan, an island-province that lies off Mindanao. Al-Naba, an official IS newspaper, reported about the unification of at least four groups (battalions) of Gods fighters (mujahidin) in the southern Philippines, and referred to Hapilon as Sheikh Mujahid Abu Abdullah al-Filipini. It described him as of one of the senior figures of the Mujahideen in the Philippines. His jihad against the Crusaders began more than 20 years ago when he was a leader in the Abdul Razaq Abu Bakr Al-Janjalani Movement, commonly known as Abu Sayyaf Group. He was the Amir of Abu Sayyaf Group in Basilan for five years before he became the deputy leader for six years, al-Naba said. The choice of a highly experienced and a notorious leader in Hapilon to lead ISs future province in the Philippines presents a long-term threat to the stability and the security of Southeast Asia. An oath in the jungle In January 2016, IS announced the unification of four of these battalions in the Philippines and the allegiance of their leaders to al-Baghdadi. The four battalions are Ansar al-Shariah, Marakah al-Ansar, Ansarul Khilafah Philippines, and al- Harakatul al-Islamiyyah, which is based in Basilan. Abu Anas al-Mujahir, who leads Ansar al-Shariah, represented the various battalions as they took an oath in which they swore allegiance to ISs caliph. Abu Anas Al Muhajir is a Malaysian who is also known as Mohammad bin Najib bin Hussein. His battalion is in charge of laws and other matters pertaining to jurisprudence. He intentionally did not mask himself during the oath ceremony, which was videotaped. Considering the importance given to a Malaysian by Hapilon, the ASG leader, Malaysians are likely to travel to Mindanao to join IS. Marakah al-Ansar battalion leader Abu Ammar could not attend the event, but sent someone in his place. Abu Harith, who represented the battalion in Ammars absence, is from Sulu, where ASG supremo Radulan Sahiron is based. Sulu is an island in the Sulu Archipelago between Mindanao in the Philippines and Sabah in Malaysia. The appearance of Abu Harith, a former ASG member, reflected a split within the ASG, in which a small but important faction had defected to IS. In addition to ASG, a new group, Ansarul Khilafah Philippines, joined the Islamic State. Based in South Cotabato province, Sarangani province and General Santos City, Ansarul Khilafah Philippines is headed by Abu Sharifah, who is fluent in Tagalog. A total of 31 armed Filipinos and Malaysians met in Basilan and took part in the ceremonial oath presided over by Hapilon. Previously, the four battalions had pledged to serve IS individually, not collectively. In addition to members of Ansarul Khilafah Philippines and the Malaysians, most of those present were members of the ASG. Its ranking members who were on hand included Talha Tanadjalin, an experienced combat tactician and the brother of Suhud Tanadjani, the sniper-trainer for the Basilan-based ASG. After Hapilon and his group pledged allegiance to al-Baghdadi, IS publicized the event in the Philippines. The unification of the Mujahideen under one leadership and banner of the Caliphate is seen as a huge threat to the tyrants of the Philippines and is an important step in order to liberate areas in Southeast Asia in general. It has a huge significance in the spreading of tawhid (monotheism) in the region, fighting the Christians, Buddhists and other polytheists as well as establishing the religion of Allah in this part of the world, IS announced through al-Naba and online dissemination of the video of the mass oath-taking ceremony in Basilan. The Philippines is an archipelago that consists of many islands located in the Pacific Ocean. For centuries, it was occupied by the Christian Dutch and Americans who forced many of the inhabitants to revoke Islam and embrace Christianity, IS said. Today, the Christians govern the Philippines and its capital Manila. Nevertheless, jihadi movements have spread in the countrys various remote islands, and jihad against the Christians has continued for decades. A potential regional threat Since 2014, the Islamic State has engaged the threat groups in the Philippines with the aim of building an ideological and operational capability in the region. With preparations now under way to proclaim an IS branch in the southern Philippines, ISs influence and ideology is likely to grow, affecting both the southern Philippines and eastern Malaysia. Furthermore, IS will likely create a safe haven in Basilan and mount operations from the Sulu Archipelago into both the Philippines and Malaysia. In addition to enforcing the supplanting of the local practice of Islam by ISs radical interpretation of the religion, IS-type beheadings and attacks bringing mass casualties and fatalities are likely. The most enduring threat will be the creation of terrorist training camps, which will lure not only Southeast Asians but people from other regions. Recent developments indicate that Uyghurs who could not travel to Syria to join al-Nusra or IS in the Middle East travelled to Indonesia. The nationalities undertaking training in the new IS province will pose a threat to their home countries. Since 1994, when Jemaah Islamiyah established its first training camp, Hudaibiyah, the Philippines became the training ground for Indonesians, Malaysians, Singaporeans, Thai Muslims and Arabs. Most of the instructors were non-Filipinos trained by al-Qaeda. In addition to moving its officers to implement the IS brand of Islam, it is very likely that IS will dispatch its explosives experts, combat tacticians and other operatives to Southeast Asia. IS plans for declaring a state for itself in Mindanao presents a real threat to the stability and security of Asia, a region that has hitherto enjoyed political stability, social harmony and economic growth. Philippine response For its part, the government of the Philippines made significant gains in engaging the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in a peace process that proved a success. However, the ASG and a few smaller groups continue to fight to create an independent Moro homeland. The Philippines lacks political leadership and military operational capability needed to dismantle the insurgent and terrorist infrastructure in Mindanao, especially in the Sulu archipelago. The IS-initiated merger of the various battalions and the unification of their leaders will present an unprecedented challenge to the government in Manila. In their new role as the soldiers of the Caliphate in the Philippines, the local IS branch will mount operations that gradually will mirror the core of IS in Syria and Iraq. There is no better time for the Philippines to act. But if President Aquino procrastinates as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, IS ideology will spread in his country, damaging a commendable and hard-won peace process. The four "battalions" of IS will grow in strength, size and influence, as well as and pose an enduring challenge to his successors. Soon, IS will declare a satellite of the caliphate in Sulu. Ideally, Aquino should try and preempt such a declaration by IS. To win Muslim hearts and minds and undercut Muslim support for IS, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) should pursue a mandate of promoting economic development in impoverished Basilan and its surrounding areas, rather focusing its strategy solely on isolating and eliminating the Abu Sayyaf Group. Finally, to preempt the imminent declaration of an IS Wilayat in the Philippines and a local branch of IS, the Philippine military should deploy in strength in Sulu, Basilan and Tawi Tawi. If the armed forces of the Philippines can dominate the Sulu Archipelago, IS will fail in declaring, operating and expanding an satellite province in the country and a base in Southeast Asia. The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and not of BenarNews. The Bangladesh government is considering amending its Information and Communication Technology Act of 2006 and creating a Digital Security Bill of 2016 to protect the country from cyberattacks. The Bangladeshi governments move to amend four sections of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act of 2006 is drawing cautious optimism from rights activists and analysts who claim that the sections bar free speech. They also cautiously support the governments effort to enact a proposed digital security law as Bangladesh transforms into a digital society. At the time the 2006 act passed, Bangladesh had 1 million internet users compared with 54 million today. State Minister for Information and Communication Zunaid Ahmed Palak told BenarNews that the four sections, 54 to 57, would be amended to address specific concerns. He also said the government had proposed the Digital Security Bill of 2016 to protect the country from cyberattacks. Activists are most concerned about one section. Amending the dangerous section 57 is a good decision, but it should clearly guarantee constitutional freedom of expression rights, attorney Tanjib Alam told BenarNews. Section 57 states that a person who deliberately publishes or transmits false or obscene content online or electronically that undermines law and order will face criminal charges. Any electronic material that may prejudice the image of the state or a person, or that may hurt religious beliefs is considered an offense under the law. Online activists have criticized the section for stipulating a minimum seven years and a maximum 14 years in jail as punishment for such violations. If the amendment listed the offenses with detailed explanation, it would allay the peoples fear. Let us see how the government proposes the amendment, Alam said. We need a cyber security law as banking and financial activities have been converted into IT-based. Imran H. Sarker, spokesman for the Gonojagoron Moncho (Mass Awakening Platform), a group of activists who staged a country-wide secular movement in 2013, said section 57 took away the constitutional right of freedom of expression. Of course, some propaganda is there, but the section 57 is not an instrument that can stop propaganda. The section has been being misused. We want it to go and for good sense prevail upon the government, he told BenarNews. Gonojagoron Moncho protested in November and December when the government blocked the social media sites Facebook, Viber and WhatsApp, citing security concerns linked to the executions of two opposition leaders on war crimes charges. The sites were down for about three weeks following the executions of Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid. I am one of the victims Among those who were prosecuted under Section 57 is journalist Probir Shikder. He was jailed in August 2015 for defaming a senior minister and father-in-law of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas daughter. I am one of the victims of misuse of the section 57. The section is such that the government can easily victimize anyone for so-called cyber offences. The hidden agenda is to curtail our constitutional right, freedom of expression, he said. Shikder said he had written newspaper stories that angered a senior minister and a billionaire business tycoon. He went to police to file a general complaint against them, but the officer refused to record his complaints. Shikder then posted a message on Facebook claiming that his life was in danger from three people who might kill him. An agent of the minister filed a complaint, leading to his arrest. Because Shikder was sued under section 57 he had to be arrested, Local Government and Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain told bdnews24.com. A series of street protests by the human rights activists and journalists following Shikders arrest apparently forced authorities to grant him bail. The truth will come out The government has not revealed drafts of the Digital Security Bill or amendments to the ICT Act. The new bill, like the act from 2006, proposes jail terms of between seven and 14 years for cyber offenses, according to Palak. On Sunday, Palak said his ministry met with the law ministry to discuss the digital security draft, which could go before parliament in a new session starting Jan. 20. Arshad Siddiqi, a researcher and free speech advocate, said the government had no right to curtail freedom of expression on the pretext of dealing with cyber criminals. If you promote unhindered freedom of expression for all citizens, the truth will come out. Only freedom of expression, not a block, can counter propaganda, Siddiqi told BenarNews. Radical Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir made a rare public appearance at a Central Java Court Tuesday as his legal team argued that his prison sentence for funding a militant training camp be shortened. Lawyers presented what they said was new evidence that Bashir had raised money for Palestinian victims of violence that had been misused. That [receipt] is one of the new pieces of evidence, Achmad Michdan, a member of Bashirs legal team, told BenarNews by phone. The hearing unfolded days after Achmad announced that Bashir had dropped his support for the Islamic State (IS) group. Bashir once considered the spiritual head of al-Qaedas Southeast Asian affiliate, Jemaah Islamiyah reportedly pledged allegiance to IS in mid-2014 from Nusakambangan, the prison island where he is serving his sentence. Gods order Bashir was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2011 after being convicted of raising some Rp. 350 million (U.S. $25,215 today) for a militant training camp in Aceh. A defense witness had also testified in 2011 that Bashirs group, Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT), had donated Rp. 300 million to the medical charity MER-C to build a hospital in Gaza, but lawyers did not produce a receipt at the time. At Tuesdays hearing, Bashir claimed again that he did not know about the military training in the Jantho Mountains of Aceh in 2010, but learned about it on television news. But the frail 77-year-old appeared to undermine his case by defending the training camp in a fiery tirade in the courtroom, according to Agence France-Presse. The physical and weapons training in Aceh were aimed at defending Islam and Muslims in Indonesia and overseas, and were an obligation Muslims must fulfil because it is Gods order, AFP quoted Bashir as saying. Hundreds of white-clad supporters crowded the venue, at times shouting God is Great according to AFP. Tuesdays hearing took place under tight security with a combined police and military force of 1,164 on hand, Cilacap regional police spokesman Adriyanto told BenarNews. Afterward, Bashir was whisked back to Nusakambangan under armed guard. The sentence review process, expected to take three or four sessions, is scheduled to resume Jan. 26. Who created IS? Bashir withdrew his support for IS after deciding information he was receiving about it could not be trusted, Achmad Michdan told BenarNews on Saturday. Achmad claimed that he himself had investigated the matter during a trip to Turkey and learned that the armed group was created by western countries. All this time, in prison, what kind of information could he get about IS? I myself went to Turkey, studied about IS, met with scholars and activists in Syria and Turkey; even they have questions about IS. I told Bashir about this, Achmad told BenarNews Saturday. If someone asks about IS, he will answer back, who created IS? he said of Bashir. Sri Yunanto, a staff expert at Indonesias National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT), questioned whether Bashir had really withdrawn support for IS, since the assertion came from his lawyer. That statement needs to come from Bashir himself, Yunanto told BenarNews. Even if true, it is not likely to change minds in Indonesia, because most IS sympathizers are not Bashir followers, he said. In a discussion about IS in Jakarta in December, BNPT head Saud Usman Nasution gave two different figures for the number of Indonesians who have gone to Syria and Iraq. Intelligence data says 800, whereas police have a tally of 384, he said. More than 169 have already come home from Turkey. Some did not enter Syria, some did and finally returned to Indonesia because they found conditions there not as good as the propaganda says, Saud said. Fifty-three Indonesians have died in the Middle East, among them four suicide bombers, he said. We dont know for sure how many people have gone there, he admitted. Officials have not given a figure for how many IS supporters or members have been arrested in the sprawling, decentralized country. Updated at 7:30 a.m. ET on 2016-01-13 Eight Malaysian children are being trained at camps in Syria and Iraq to become fighters for the Islamic State (IS) extremist group, the head of the Royal Malaysia Polices Special Branch told local media on Tuesday. They were brought to the war-torn countries by both parents who joined IS, Special Branch chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said, according to the state-run Bernama news agency. Fuzi told a news conference that 47 Malaysian citizens are involved with IS in the groups home region, where it controls large portions of territory in Syria and Iraq as part of its self-proclaimed caliphate. Of the total, 12 were women while the remaining number were men, including the eight children, Bernama quote Fuzi as saying. On Tuesday, the chief of the Special Branch, which encompasses the national police departments counter-terrorist wing, told BenarNews that he was not at liberty to reveal how or when this information was obtained. The information released by police comes 10 months after a group of young boys from Southeast Asia, including some who appeared to be well under 10 years old, appeared in an IS propaganda video. In it, they were filmed taking part in military training and indoctrination classes at an undisclosed site, according to the Straits Times of Singapore, which broke the story last March. The dossiers on the 47 suspected IS members were not exactly complete, but the figure was believed to be accurate because police had gathered this information by cross-checking intelligence reports and through assistance from law enforcement agencies abroad, Fuzi told BenarNews. The overall number of Malaysians who have joined IS in the Middle East has gone down from the 55 previously reported, because those who had returned home to Malaysia have been arrested or charged, Fuzi said, according to local media. According to a report in the Sun Daily, Fuzi said that Malaysian police last year arrested a total of 82 people on suspicion of being involved with IS, including nine foreigners. Out of the total among those who went to Iraq or Syria to join or support ISs cause, 17 Malaysians were killed in IS operations, including six suicide bombers, The Star quoted him as saying. The numbers given by Fuzi contrast with those stated by Malaysian officials last year. In September, Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, who heads the Special Branchs counter-terrorist wing (Bukit Amin), told BenarNews that 121 Malaysians, including 23 women, had joined IS in the Middle East. In October, Prime Minister Najib Razak, told a United Nations meeting in New York that authorities in his country had arrested more than 100 people suspected of links to IS. Meanwhile, Malaysian Police Inspector-General Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters separately that authorities were trying to confirm that two suspected suicide bombers from Malaysia had been killed during IS operations in Raqqa, Syria, on Dec. 29, and in Tikrit, Iraq, on Jan. 3. It is believed that at least two of them are Malaysian IS members, but we are going to wait until the official reports are issued, local media quoted Khalid as saying. Malaysian identities have been exploited before, so we need to be very sure, he added. On Monday, Najib posted a message on his Facebook page condemning a report alleging that the two Malaysians had been involved in attacks in Syria and Iraq that killed more than 30 people. He appeared to be reacting to a story broken Monday by the Malaysian publication New Straits Times (NST), which said that Mohd Amirul Ahmad Rahim, 26, and Mohamad Syazwan Mohd Salim, 31, were killed while taking part in IS missions in Raqqa and Tikrit. The NST report cited unnamed sources and contained contradictory information about how the young Malaysians were killed. Teen arrested in Kedah In other news related to IS, a 16-year-old boy who allegedly was influenced by IS doctrine disseminated through social media sites, was arrested for threatening a worker at a supermarket in Kedah state on Monday night, police said. The Form Four student from Sungai Layar enrolled at a private Islamic religious secondary school in Sungai Petani went into the ground floor of Billion Supermarket, State police chief Zamri Yahya told BenarNews. Armed with a knife and a fake gun, he confronted a 27-year-old supermarket staff [member] and asked her to contact the cops, Zamri said. Among items confiscated from the teenaged suspect were a white face-cloth imprinted with the IS logo and documents related to the global terror group. Bukit Aman has taken over the case and the suspect is being investigated under Malaysias Security Offences (Special Measures) Act of 2012 (SOSMA), he said. The Thai junta chief on Tuesday briefed the visiting head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) about government efforts to bring peace to Thailands Deep South, but warned that rebel groups should be sincere about pursuing talks to settle the conflict. Listen to us some. If they are sincere and help solve the problem with progress, they will get all of their demands, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha told a news conference in Bangkok before meeting OIC Secretary-General Iyad Ameen Madani. Prayuth was referring to MARA Patani, an umbrella body that has been representing southern insurgency groups and factions in recent back-door efforts aimed at reopening formal peace talks with Thailand, which stalled in December 2013 when a civilian-led government was in power. We havent accepted any proposals. Everything is sensitive, said Prayuth, who rarely has spoken in public about the juntas efforts to get the rebels from the predominantly Muslim Deep South to the negotiations table, as he responded to a question from a BenarNews reporter. After the prime ministers meeting with Madani, a spokesman for the junta issued a statement saying Prayuth told the OIC secretary-general that Thailand had adopted a two-pronged approach toward the Deep South, through promoting sustainable development in the region and pursuing peace talks with the separatist rebel groups. According to Maj. Gen. Weerachon Sukhontapatipak, the governments deputy spokesman, Prayuth also explained to the OIC head how the government was approaching the peace efforts through three steps. As Weerachon summarized, the steps consist of building trust with MARA Patani; agreeing with the rebels on a code of conduct designed to lower tensions in the south and reduce the number of armed confrontations; agreeing with them on solutions for a regional peace and adopting a mutual roadmap for implementing a settlement of the long-running conflict that has claimed more than 6,000 lives since 2004. On their side, the rebels have set three demands in pursuing the prospective peace talks, including that the government recognize and accept MARA as a dialog partner, that the government list the southern peace efforts as an issue on its national agenda, and that it guarantees immunity from prosecution for the members of MARA Patani. The secretary-general of OIC expressed appreciation to the Thai government for its attempts and sincerity in solving the Deep South problem, Weerachons statement said, noting that the OIC chief advised Thailand to adopt a political and negotiated solution the insurgency. The OIC later issued a news release confirming that the leaders of Thailand and the world Muslim body had met in Bangkok, but it did not specifically mention their discussion about the Deep South. During the meeting, the Prime Minister and Secretary General discussed regional developments, issues of mutual concern and ways of enhancing relations, the OIC said. Thailand is an observer at the OIC, whose membership is made up of 57 Muslim member-states, including neighboring Malaysia. Madani arrived in Bangkok on Sunday evening after visiting in Kuala Lumpur, where he met earlier in the day with MARA Patani officials. They had asked to meet with the OIC head to brief him about MARAs peace efforts and request that the OIC work closely with Thailand and Malaysia which has been facilitating a series of pre-peace talk meetings between the Thai government and rebels since last year in support of the peace process. PHOENIX -- Legislative Democrats outlined their agenda for the new session that started Monday, hoping to make some difference despite their minority status. Senate Minority Leader Katie Hobbs Meyer said restoring cuts made to public education is a top priority. Meyer said even if voters approve Proposition 123 is remains only a first step in adequately funding schools. It would provide an additional $3.5 billion for K-12 over the next decade. But that $300 per student per year is still less than the amount that has been cut since the recession began. She said it "does not erase the damage that has been done.'' Eric Meyer, her House counterpart, said the money is there. "The Joint Legislative Budget Committee has identified $218 million in ongoing funding that could be used strategically to invest in our future,'' he said, cash that is expected to be there not just this coming year but for the foreseeable future. "This is on top of over $1 billion cash on hand. That includes the rainy day fund.'' Democrats also want a focus on the Department of Child Safety which has a backlog of inactive cases. And they want to reverse the decision that limits Temporary Assistance to Needy Families to just one year, the shortest eligibility in the country. Hobbs called it a "cruel and unnecessary cut.'' But the influence of Democrats is limited to the fact that voters have consistently put the state House in Republican hands since the 1960s. The current makeup is 36-24 Republican. Democrats have had a few turns running the Senate but find themselves behind on an 18-12 margin. And while there have been some Democrat governors over the years, voters in 2014 chose Republican Doug Ducey over Democrat Fred DuVal. But Meyer insisted that does not mean the Democrats are out of step with what voters want. "The voters that I talk to every day as I'm out in my community want quality public schools they can send their kids to that are well funded,'' he said. "They want quality teachers in the classroom, they want to reduce class sizes, they want affordable college tuition which should be as near as free as possible as our constitution says,'' Meyer continued. "And they want jobs for their kids.'' Other items on the Democrat wish list include: - More research and development tax recits; - Job training funds; - Corrections reform; - Investing in state parks; - Spending money to improve the highway to the Mariposa port of entry at Nogales. PHOENIX -- Saying there's evidence to support their claims, a federal judge on Monday agreed to allow a class-action lawsuit against the Border Patrol over alleged "inhumane and punitive conditions'' at its facilities in Arizona. Judge David Bury denied a request by the federal agency to throw out the case, saying the challengers have made sufficient allegations to support their claims that those detained by the Border Patrol are denied adequate sleep, sanitary conditions, medical care, food and water, and warmth at holding centers. He said it will take a trial to determine whether the fact the limited length any individual is subject to those conditions -- sometimes several days -- is illegal. But in a separate ruling, the judge said that affidavits from those who had been locked up in the holding centers provided "sufficient evidence ... to plausibly support each of the asserted deficiencies.'' And Bury said that the conditions about which migrants are complaining appear to be fairly widespread rather than isolated. What that means, Bury said, is he will consider not just the specific complaints of the three people who sued but what could be hundreds of thousands of others who pass through Border Patrol holding cells, both in the past and in the future. More to the point, if Bury finds their claims to be valid, he could order the federal agency to make extensive changes. "It's a huge victory because the court validated what thousands of detainees and advocates have been saying for years about the deplorable conditions in the short-term detention facilities,'' said Nora Preciado, an attorney with the National Immigration Law Center. "The conditions there are inhumane.'' Preciado acknowledged that Monday's order is not a finding by Bury that Border Patrol has done anything illegal but only that the claims of unconstitutional conditions can go to trial. But she said that Bury had to review the claims of the three former detainees and determine they had a case in order to allow the lawsuit to go forward. "While there is no finding on the merits at this point, there was a very careful weighing of the evidence,'' Preciado said. There was no immediate response from Border Patrol. The lawsuit filed last year names three individuals -- one Tucson man and two women who are not identified -- who attorneys say were denied food, adequate clothing and sleep. But lawyers said what they experienced is not unique. They said a majority of the more than 72,000 people detained in the Tucson sector in a six-month period in 2013 -- a "representative sample'' the lawyers sought through public records requests -- endured the same conditions. Attorneys also said while the agency's own guidelines say holding cells should be used for no more than 12 hours, about 80 percent were held for at least twice that long, a third held for 48 hours and almost 8,000 locked up for three days or more, all in horrible conditions. Bury rejected arguments by federal attorneys that each person who alleges harm should be required to file his or her own complaint. He said the claims are common: denial of basic necessities such as bedding, food, water and adequate health care. "The question of what standard applies to the treatment of civil immigration detainees is, itself, a question capable of -- indeed, suited to -- classwide resolution,'' the judge wrote. In fact, Bury wrote, Border Patrol is not claiming that the conditions cited vary by facility. -30- Family Violence Many people do not fully understand the seriousness of a Texas domestic or family violence crime until it's much too late. Texas family violence is defined as the reckless infliction of pain on a family or household member, which can simply involve two people who live together or are dating. The charges are filed by the police department, not by the abused person. In fact, the victim has no control over the charges at all. The victim of a family violence charge does not decide what happens with the case and cannot "drop" the charges. Only the prosecutor can decide not to proceed with the case. Simply based on the arrest, an emergency protective order (EPO) can be put into effect, which usually requires that you stay a certain distance from the alleged victim at all times. The EPO remains effective for 60 days for a misdemeanor assault and 90 days for a felony assault, prohibiting you from returning to your home if you live with the alleged victim. Matters can be further complicated if you work together or have children together. The victim can also apply for a protective order (PO), which can be granted for a period of up to two years. These severe punishments are imposed even before a conviction, which is why it's so important that you contact the Law Office of Betty Blackwell in Austin, Texas. Your case will be assigned to County Court of Law #4, which has been designated as the Travis County domestic abuse court. As a skilled trial lawyer who is Board Certified in Criminal Law, Betty Blackwell has an extensive history with this court and can advise you about the best way to handle your family violence charge. Family Violence Consequences What happens if you're convicted of a Family Violence Assault? Family violence convictions carry very serious punishments. Penalties include up to one year in the county jail or two years probation, and family violence findings on your record. Under Federal law, those persons convicted of a criminal offense involving family violence cannot purchase or possess a firearm for the rest of their lives. (Texas law prohibits the possession of a firearm within five years of a family violence conviction.) Even if you successfully complete probation for family violence, you still have a conviction on your record for the rest of your life. Employers have the absolute right to refuse to hire someone who is arrested or has a conviction for an assault. Employers have the right to terminate you from your job if you are arrested or convicted of a family violence assault. An assault can also affect where you can live. Landlords can refuse to rent to someone who has an assault on their record. You should contact an experienced trial lawyer who understands the complexities of this system. Let me bring my over 30 years of experience as a criminal defense lawyer to your case today. Call the Law Office of Betty Blackwell in Austin, Texas for aggressive, qualified defense against your criminal charge. Call to schedule your free consultation with a Board Certified Criminal Lawyer. Weather Alert ...LOW WATER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM EDT THURSDAY... ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM EDT THURSDAY... * WHAT...For the Small Craft Advisory, west winds 20 to 25 knots with gusts up to 35 knots and waves 1 to 4 feet. For the Low Water Advisory, abnormally low water levels. * WHERE...The nearshore waters of Lake Erie from Maumee Bay to The Islands OH. * WHEN...For the Small Craft Advisory, until 10 AM EDT Thursday. For the Low Water Advisory, until 4 PM EDT Thursday. * IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft. Below normal water levels will result in hazardous navigating conditions. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Water levels at Toledo will continue to slosh about every 10 hours. The stronger southwesterly winds will also assist with pushing water out of the western basin. Expect to see water levels dip to near or below the critical mark for safe navigation that currently sits at 7 inches above low water datum. The first occurrence should be late morning then again this evening. The evening water level, assisted by some stronger winds, may dip to 5-10 inches below low water datum. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller vessels, should avoid navigating in hazardous conditions. Mariners should navigate shallow waters with extreme caution due to below normal water levels. && For Immediate Release, January 11, 2016 Contact: Andrea Santarsiere, Center for Biological Diversity, (303) 854-7748, asantarsiere@biologicaldiversity.org Pete Frost, Western Environmental Law Center, (541) 543-0018, frost@westernlaw.org Bethany Cotton, WildEarth Guardians, (406) 414-7227, bcotton@wildearthguardians.org Ken Cole, Western Watersheds Project, (208) 429-1679, ken@westernwatersheds.org Gary Macfarlane, Friends of the Clearwater, (208) 882-9755, gary@friendsoftheclearwater.org Court Orders Idaho to Stop Illegal Trapping of Protected Lynx Judge Rejects States Attempts to Avoid Responsibility VICTOR, Idaho A federal judge today ordered Idaho officials to develop trapping restrictions that prevent protected Canada lynx one of the rarest cats in the United States from being illegally hurt or killed across more than 20,000 square miles of the states Panhandle and Clearwater regions. Were thrilled the court agreed with us that Idaho needs to do more to protect the beautiful lynx from Idaho's out-of-control trapping program, said Andrea Santarsiere, staff attorney of Center for Biological Diversity. Based on the illegal trapping of at least four lynx in the past four years, the court agreed with us that the state cant stand idly by and watch while indiscriminate traps harm these rare and federally protected cats. Lynx, which may number as few as 100 in Idaho, are classified as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. As a result, trapping of a lynx is illegal, regardless of whether the cat is killed, injured or released. The court found that because it is likely lynx will continue to be caught in traps meant for other species in the Panhandle and Clearwater regions, Idaho must alter its trapping regulations to prevent future lynx trapping. The court ordered the state to submit a plan within 90 days with terms that will truly protect lynx in northern Idaho. Modifications under the plan may include restrictions on the size of foothold traps that can be used, prohibiting the use of traps designed to kill such as Conibear body-gripping traps and neck snares and requiring trappers to check their traps every 24 hours instead of the currently required 72 hours. This decision marks a huge step toward restoring Canada lynx to their rightful habitat in the West, said Pete Frost, an attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center. These barbaric trapping methods must be changed to protect our treasured iconic cat not just in Idaho, but throughout lynx territory. In 2014, the Center for Biological Diversity, WildEarth Guardians, Western Watersheds Project, and Friends of the Clearwater filed a lawsuit against the Idaho Department of Fish and Wildlife, the departments commissioners and Gov. Butch Otter for allowing trapping in lynx habitat. Plaintiffs were represented by the Center for Biological Diversity and Western Environmental Law Center, with Celeste Miller serving as local counsel. This is a victory not just for lynx but for bobcats, wolves, fishers, coyotes, foxes, and a suite of other forest animals as well, said Ken Cole, Idaho director for Western Watersheds Project. Hopefully the Idaho Fish and Game Department will take the hint that their regulations are completely inadequate for the protection of endangered species, and the agency will make changes that will benefit many other species that are indiscriminately trapped. Todays decision makes crystal clear that the state of Idaho must take responsibility for its failure to adequate regulate cruel trapping to protect imperiled lynx, said Bethany Cotton, wildlife program director for WildEarth Guardians. We call on the state to immediately implement scientifically sound, humane restrictions on trapping, including 24-hour trap checks. Gary Macfarlane of Friends of the Clearwater said, With this victory lynx in the Clearwater should finally receive the protection they need. Its only common sense to put practices in place that protect rare carnivores. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 900,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. Friends of the Clearwater is an Idaho-based nonprofit conservation organization that works to protect the wildness and biodiversity of the public wildlands, wildlife, and waters of Idahos Clearwater Basin. Western Environmental Law Center is a public interest nonprofit law firm. WELC combines legal skills with sound conservation biology and environmental science to address major environmental issues throughout the West. WELC does not charge clients and partners for services, but relies instead on charitable gifts from individuals, families, and foundations to accomplish its mission. Western Watersheds Project is a nonprofit conservation group founded in 1993 with 1,500 members whose mission is to protect and restore western watersheds and wildlife through education, public policy initiatives and litigation. WildEarth Guardians is a nonprofit organization with over 121,000 members and activists working to protect and restore the wildlife, wild places, wild rivers, and health of the American West. By Howard Fischer Capitol Media Services PHOENIX -- Gov. Doug Ducey promised Monday to cut taxes, eliminate some government regulations, help keep inmates from going back to prison and investigate new long-term sources of water for Arizona. In his second State of the State speech, the governor promised to be a "partner'' in strengthening higher education after approving a budget last year that cut $99 million from the state's three universities. But Ducey provided no specifics. Eileen Klein, president of the Arizona Board of Regents, said she was pleased the governor recognizes the importance of the university system. But she expressed a bit of concern that the governor provided no specifics and even said in his speech he wants to be cautious in new spending. "I appreciate the caution,'' Klein said. "But at this point the (state) revenue gains are undeniable,'' she said. The state ended last year with an extra $325 million in the bank, with tax collections so far this fiscal year running $200 million above projections. "We need to be sure that the universities get their fair share of the revenue increases,'' Klein said. The governor's proposals on K-12 also lacked specifics. Ducey agreed to put money -- he did not say how much -- into a long-ignored fund to help public schools pay for badly needed repairs. Separately, Ducey wants to use $24 million lawmakers set aside to help both traditional public schools as well as charter schools to finance new construction. House Speaker Eric Meyer questioned the wisdom of that. "I've said all along we should spend the money on some district schools now rather than have some complicated plan that may finance businesses to open schools,'' Meyer said. Technically speaking, charter schools are public schools. They get a set amount of state aid per student and are exempt from certain other regulations that govern traditional schools. But Meyer said that's no excuse to make what might legally questionable loans to charters. "When charter schools opened, they were supposed to be efficient and effective and be able to operate without those monies,'' he said. "What's changed about that?'' There's another factor at work: In Arizona, charters can be operated as for-profit corporations, with any buildings constructed ultimately the property of the private companies that run the schools. And the Arizona Constitution specifically bars the state from giving or loaning its credit "to any individual, association or corporation.'' But gubernatorial press aide Daniel Scarpinato said Ducey believes the plan he has, to be unveiled Friday, passes constitutional muster. Issues of state revenues and spending aside, the governor took specific aim at what he said are unnecessary state regulations. But Ducey wants to go farther, scrapping some state oversight entirely. "Arizona requires licenses for too many jobs, resulting in a maze of bureaucracy for small business people looking to earn an honest living,'' he said. And the governor said he did not need to look far for examples. "Believe it or not, the state of Arizona actually licenses talent agents,'' he said. "Let's leave the job of finding new talent to ("The Voice'' hosts) Adam Levine and Gwen Stefani, not state government. Meyer said he shares the governor's view that some regulation may be unnecessary. "I didn't know that we regulated talent agents until today,'' he conceded. "It seems like something we don't need to regulate,'' Meyer continued. "But there may be some risk, there may have been some fraud in the past.'' Meyer also chided Ducey for picking and choosing which regulations should be scrapped. "When it comes to a woman's right to choose what she wants to do with her body, we have all kinds of regulations,'' Meyer said. But he said there are insufficient rules governing things like air quality. Ducey said all this is to differentiate Arizona from California "The goal is simple: to grow our economy, to take full advantage of our geography to better address the needs of businesses fleeing California and other states on the decline,'' he said. In fact, Ducey mentioned Arizona's western neighbor six times in his speech. Ducey also gave a special shout-out to a special program run by the Department of Corrections in Pima County which handles people who have violated conditions of their parole. Often, the governor said, these are technical violations, like failing a drug test or failing to check in. This program allows them to have treatment counseling -- sometimes while in custody -- rather than simply being sent back to prison. The result, according to the governor's staff, has been that two thirds of those in the Pima program complete it and don't go back behind bars where they add to the state's prison overcrowding situations. He wants to extend that to Maricopa County, where about two-thirds of the inmates are being released. "Let's give them a second chance so they stay clean and never end up back in prison,'' said Ducey, who until now has had to approve funding for more private prisons. Other provisions in Ducey's 42-minute speech include: - Forming a special panel to look at ways of expanding opportunities in what he calls the "sharing economy. That includes not only rideshare services like Lyft and Uber but also online operations like Airbnb which allows homeowners and renters to make space available to visitors; - Provide funds to deal with the backlog of uninspected "rape kits,'' with 2,300 in Maricopa County alone, a backlog he said which allows "predators (to) evade the law looking for their next victim.'' He also wants legislation requiring every rape kit to be investigated; - Add what he admitted is badly needed experts to the Department of Water Resources to help determine the state's water supply; - Revamp the quasi-private Arizona Commerce Authority to focus more on marketing and promotion. He also wants better coordination of the message with the Office of Tourism and the Arizona-Mexico Commission. For Immediate Release, January 12, 2016 Contact: Taylor McKinnon, Center for Biological Diversity, (801) 300-2414, tmckinnon@biologicaldiversity.org John Weisheit, Living Rivers, (435) 259-1063, john@livingrivers.org Legal Protest Challenges Plan to Frack 45,000 Acres in Utah SALT LAKE CITY The Center for Biological Diversity and Living Rivers on Monday filed a formal administrative protest challenging the Bureau of Land Managements decision to auction more than 45,000 acres of public land in Utah for fracking. The sale, which was postponed in November due to impending protests, includes parcels in the BLMs Moab, Price, Vernal and Fillmore field offices in central and eastern Utah and within the Fishlake National Forest in Sevier County. If President Obama wants to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as he agreed to do at the Paris climate talks, he needs to end the federal fossil fuel leasing program, said the Centers Taylor McKinnon. Each new auction undermines that goal with more carbon pollution while destroying fragile Utah canyon country and harming air, water and habitat for imperiled species like endangered Colorado River fish, Mexican spotted owls and greater sage grouse. The filing calls on the BLM and the Obama administration to cancel the fossil fuel auction and keep it in the ground. A study commissioned by the Center and Friends of the Earth late last year projects that the potential greenhouse gas pollution from unleased federal fossil fuels is incompatible with any U.S. share of global carbon budgets to keep warming below 2 or 1.5 degrees Celsius, a goal world leaders agreed to in the Paris climate pact. It also found that banning new fossil fuel leases on public lands and oceans would keep up to 450 billion tons of greenhouse gas pollution out of the atmosphere. With oil companies in liquidation, a warming climate and dwindling Colorado River supplies, committing more Utah canyon country to fossil fuel industrialization makes no sense, said John Weisheit, conservation director at Moab-based Living Rivers. Now is the time to transition to clean, renewable energy, and to keep climate-destroying fossil fuels in the ground. Avoiding dangerous warming requires leaving the vast majority of already proved fossil fuels undeveloped. By opening new fossil fuel deposits, federal fossil fuel auctions perpetuate a stark conflict between the Obama administrations climate goals and its all of the above energy policy. Facing growing public support for the Keep It in the Ground movement to end new leases for federal oil, gas and coal extraction, federal officials halted oil and gas auctions slated for Utah and Washington, D.C. Hundreds of people turned out for similar protests last fall in Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado and Alaska. More than 400 organizations and leaders working on the Keep It in the Ground campaign have called on Obama to end new federal fossil fuel leases following reports that doing so would keep up to 450 billion tons of greenhouse gas pollution in the ground, and that the president has the legal authority to do so now, without Congress. Those emissions would be incompatible with any reasonable U.S. share of global carbon budgets to avoid catastrophic warming. Download the Utah fossil fuel protest here. Background The American public owns nearly 650 million acres of federal public land, and more than 1.7 billion acres of Outer Continental Shelf and the fossil fuels beneath them. This includes federal public lands like national parks, national forests and wildlife refuges that make up about a third of the U.S. land area and oceans like Alaskas Chukchi Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Eastern Seaboard. These places and fossil fuels are held in trust for the public by the federal government; federal fossil fuel leasing is administered by the Department of the Interior. Over the past decade, the combustion of federal fossil fuels has resulted in nearly a quarter of all U.S. energy-related emissions. An August 2015 report by EcoShift consulting, commissioned by the Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Earth, found that remaining federal oil, gas, coal, oil shale and tar sands that has not been leased to industry contains up to 450 billion tons of potential greenhouse gas pollution. As of 2015, 67 million acres federal fossil fuel were already leased to industry, an area more than 55 times larger than Grand Canyon National Park containing up to 43 billion tons of potential greenhouse gas pollution. The potential greenhouse gas emissions of unleased federal fossil fuels including unleased oil and gas in Colorado is incompatible with any U.S. share of global carbon limits to avoid dangerous warming. By ending new leasing, the president can remove up to 450 billion tons from the global pool of potential greenhouse gas emissions. Download the September Keep It in the Ground letter to Obama here. Download Grounded: The Presidents Power to Fight Climate Change, Protect Public Lands by Keeping Publicly Owned Fossil Fuels in the Ground here (this report details the legal authorities with which a president can halt new federal fossil fuel leases). Download The Potential Greenhouse Gas Emissions of U.S. Federal Fossil Fuels here (this report quantifies the volume and potential greenhouse gas emissions of remaining federal fossil fuels). Download The Potential Greenhouse Gas Emissions fact sheet here. Download Public Lands, Private Profits here (this report details the corporations profiting from climate-destroying fossil fuel extraction on public lands). The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 900,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. For Immediate Release, January 12, 2016 Contact: Jenny Loda, (510) 844-7100 x 336, jloda@biologicaldiversity.org Kerry Kriger, (415) 878-6525, kerry@savethefrogs.com U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Restricts Salamander Imports to Protect Native Species From Deadly Disease WASHINGTON In response to a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity and Save The Frogs, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced a temporary rule restricting the importation of salamanders for the pet trade. The restriction is designed to prevent introduction of the deadly fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) into the United States. Bsal is a highly virulent pathogen from Asia, spreading through the salamander pet trade and killing wild salamanders, that has already nearly wiped out wild fire salamanders in the Netherlands and Belgium. With this rule the Service is trying to prevent introduction and spread of the disease across the United States. Eastern newt photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons/Patrick Coin. This photo is available for media use. Im ecstatic the Fish and Wildlife Service is taking action to protect our native salamanders from this deadly disease, said Jenny Loda, a Center biologist and attorney dedicated to protecting rare amphibians and reptiles. With nearly 200 unique species of salamanders, the U.S. is a global hotspot for salamander biodiversity. This important step gives me hope that these amazing little guys will be around for the long haul. Infected salamanders could enter the United States through commercial trade in salamanders, mostly imported as pets. Two million live salamanders have been imported into the United States over the past 10 years; 70 percent of these salamanders (1.4 million) were Chinese and Japanese newts within the Cynops genus, a group of amphibians expected to act as carriers of the disease. Over a year ago a published study revealed that Bsal is lethal to salamanders in the United States, and scientists and conservation groups called on the Fish and Wildlife Service to take swift action to suspend salamander imports to prevent the spread of this disease. In the past year Bsal has spread to Germany, and Bsal infections were discovered in three species of European salamanders imported to the United Kingdom. Bsal is a relative of the better-known killer chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), one of the major drivers of amphibian declines and extinctions throughout the world. Bd has contributed to declines of numerous species in the United States and is a primary factor in the rapid decline of mountain yellow-legged frog populations. We are lucky to have the rare opportunity to prevent this deadly disease from entering the U.S. and causing the same type of devastation we saw with Bd, said Kerry Kriger, executive director of Save The Frogs. I am so glad to see the Fish and Wildlife Service stepping up to take action to protect our native salamanders. Bsal is especially lethal to newts, including the eastern newt, a widespread species found across 33 states. The disease also poses a severe threat to rare populations of salamanders, especially given that one-third of the nations salamanders are already at risk of extinction from threats like habitat loss and climate change. Bsal infections could extirpate remaining populations of the striped newt, a rare species that has been a candidate for Endangered Species Act protection since 2011. At a time when the introduction of devastating animal diseases like the pathogens that have wiped out millions of bats in the eastern United States and frog populations across the country have become all too common, its incredible to see proactive steps being taken to protect our wildlife, said Loda. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 950,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. Save The Frogs works in California, across the USA, and around the world to prevent the extinction of amphibians, and to create a better planet for humans and wildlife. For Immediate Release, January 12, 2016 Contact: Patrick Sullivan, (415) 517-9364, psullivan@biologicaldiversity.org State of the Union: President Obama Must Pledge Deep Cuts to Climate Pollution WASHINGTON Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, released the following statement ahead of President Obamas State of the Union address tonight. President Obamas last year in office gives him a final opportunity to curb one of the gravest dangers to the worlds climate: fossil fuel companies grotesque exploitation of Americas beautiful public lands. Every new fossil fuel lease pushes our planet closer to a dangerous climate tipping point because it locks us into more decades of dangerous carbon pollution. At the Paris climate summit, the president rightly noted that the stakes have never been higher in the battle against global warming. Yet the Obama administration continues to lease more public land and offshore areas to the fossil fuel industry every year, and these leases now generate nearly a quarter of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Fracking, mining and drilling are destroying Americas natural heritage to create planet-warming pollution. To fight this climate threat, the president should halt all new federal fossil fuel leasing on Americas public lands and in our oceans. Ending new leasing could safeguard the planet against up to 450 billion tons of carbon pollution. Thats more than a quarter of Earths remaining carbon budget the amount that can be released before we trigger a dangerous level of warming that will wreak havoc on the planets poorest people and our web of life. President Obama has clear legal authority to halt new fossil fuel leasing on public lands. These lands are owned by the American people, and the administration has a responsibility to manage them for the public trust. In the presidents last year in office, he must find the courage to take this powerful action to protect the planet and his own climate legacy. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 900,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. I can't help feeling that the resignation of Environment Agency chairman Sir Philip Dilley was all a bit overdone. As chairman, he doesn't presumably actually involve himself in the day-to-day running of the place; that's the job of the chief executive. The chairman is supposed to set the strategic direction, which is not something you even really want to be thinking about in the middle of a major crisis. Frankly a beach in Barbados was probably the best place for him while there were major floods around. Now you can certainly take potshots at Sir Philip for the general state of the Environment Agency, which appears to be both thoroughly incompetent and riddled with corruption, but he was at least an engineer by background. Take a look at who has stepped into his shoes, at least on a temporary basis: the green blob personified. Emma Howard Boyd appears to have made a career in "corporate social responsibility" and is a director of a green investment fund as well as having roles in any number of green NGOs. It will be interesting to see if they keep her on. A blog called "Professional Conflict Resolution" is calling for the two sides of the climate debate to resolve their differences by means of a positive spree of gambling. The author says that "What the climate community needs are objectively verifiable predictions", which is, I think, a position that few people on this site would disagree with. The climate community is losing the battle because it has failed to put out objective measurable changes. The climate community requires something akin to the Simon-Ehrlich wager. I myself see the argument as whether climate change is happening (it is) or whether the earths temperature is rising (it is). The debate indeed, the whole debate in Paris was about this is about whether the effects of climate change will be beyond the ability of humans to adapt. To quote a presentation by Mark Boslough, is global warming inconvenient or catastrophic? The future can only be projected. We have no empirical observational data about 2025. Or even about tomorrow. Whether climate change is inconvenient or catastrophic must be demonstrated with predictions ahead of time Thus I maintain that in order to obtain credibility, the climate community must provide objective benchmark predictions. These predictions must not be subject to interpretation. They must also be indicative of a trend and cannot be individual events like storms or droughts. One caution: do not place bets on global temperature. This must not be about whether the world is warming. It must instead focus solely on impacts. In order to demonstrate that there will be catastrophic things, there must be demonstrated that there was predicted these events. Nkanyezi Masango, creative director at Y&R SA's Cape Town office, is the only South African to crack the ADC jury nod this year. He shares his views on gender equality and more in advertising. The week began with the news that Masango has made the Art Director's Club jury for the 95th edition of the awards. The Art Director's Club is a New York-based non-profit membership organisation, with its Annual Awards the oldest continuously running industry award show in the world to discover and celebrate raw creative talent. Masango, who holds artistry and craftsmanship in advertising very dear, had time for a quick Q&A... 1. How did you hear about your addition to the 2015 ADC jury? Masango: I received an email from the ADC just before midnight. Obviously, I couldn't go to sleep after reading it! 2. What does this mean for your career personally, and for Y&R SA's reputation? Masango: It's an absolute honour to be representing Y&R and South Africa as a whole. The calibre of judges at ADC is quite high, so for me, it's a great opportunity to learn. At the same time, it's an opportunity to bring a fresh perspective to the table. The jury is predominantly from the Americas, so it helps to have someone with a different lens. 3. Give us the highlights package of your career. Masango: During the few years I've spent at Y&R Cape Town, we have accomplished many agency firsts at creative award shows, but the highlight for me was the Financial Mail Annual AdFocus Medium Agency of the Year title, which was awarded to us in November 2015. It sums up the team effort that has gone into raising Y&R Cape Town's creative profile. Prior to Cape Town, I was in Hong Kong for four years. It was a blast, but the challenges I experienced made me appreciate the talent and can-do spirit we have in South Africa. 4. Tell us about your international judging experience so far, including the Film Jury at AD STARS 2015 in Busan. Masango: The key difference between local and international judging is the scale of the work. When I was judging Film at AD STARS, I was looking at work that had an impact on a global scale. Even with a multicultural jury, the brilliant pieces are rarely debatable. It's just a question of Gold or Grand Prix. 5. How does local/African creative work compare to what you've seen on a global scale? Where do we excel and where are we lacking? Masango: We're dominating radio. Our print is solid at best. But we're struggling in pretty much everything else. Having said that, considering the size of our market, we still manage to make our presence felt at the shows, and I feel positive about the direction we are going in. 6. Is enough being done to promote gender equality in advertising? Explain the ADC's 50/50 Initiative, which promotes equal participation for women and men on award show juries at least, and how this can benefit the global ad industry. Masango: Until there's an equal split of male/female ECDs and creatives, I'll say that not enough is being done. The change won't happen organically. ADC's 50/50 Initiative has been running for three years now, and has proven that equality is doable. It doesn't compromise quality - it vastly improves it. Over and out. The 95th ADC Annual Awards judging will take place from 11 to 15 April 2016 in Colorado. Click here for more on the ADC and click here for more on Masango. From manbuns to nutscaping, political meltdowns and economic downturns, The Donald Trump reality show, global terrorism and war, 2015 was a challenging year, to put it mildly. But it was also the source of much social media merriment and the slaughtering of holy cows. At least we still have bacon. Oh wait... As we start the New Year full of hope and optimism (try), it's always good to reflect, dear readers, on the year that was (cue Llamas, The Dress, clip-on man buns); and what we don't really want to see again (clip on man buns, colourblind dresses), what we would like to change and what we are looking forward to in 2016... 2015 was a hairy year. Literally. There is nothing that defines the hipster, organic, authentic space more than the beard (apart from these buzzwords). Beards came in all shapes and sizes. And the hairy horrors didn't stop there unfortunately. All that glitters: Beards came with Glitter and Christmas decorations this year, to celebrate Christmas and the holiday season. But it seems to be their last hurrah, as even The Guardian predicts that beards will be hair today, gone tomorrow, as the trend wanes. But for those of you die hard facial follicle fans, here's a video instruction on how to glitter your beard for special occasions from YouTube stars The Gay Beards, including all their glitter beard faves from this past holiday season... Sparkle y'all! Source: Groupon Mullet of the moment: I like the bearded he-man lumberjack look as much as the next girl, but man buns? No. It's the mullet of this century and as indefensible. And 'clip-on' man buns? That's as cheap as a bad 80s perm. "A grooming trend too far" as The Telegraph pegs it. Big, hairy balls to 2015! So, here's a chance to reflect on the year you would like to have, on the contribution you will make to humanity and a better society. Please let it not be "nutscaping". That this is a 'thing' doesn't bare contemplating for a single second. How is it even possible? There are things one just can't unsee. Searching for... But apart from this aberration, this is actually what people talked about in 2015: Google's 'Year in Search' is now a regular thing and this short film was made for 2015 by Los Angeles ad agency 72andSunny and Google's head of brand creative Michael Tabtabai, in a moving collaboration to remind us of some of the important stories of 2015. Stories that dominated 2015 throughout the year included the global refugee crisis; the almost daily mass shootings in America; #BlackLivesMatter campaign against the shooting of unarmed black civilians in the United States; and the American Presidential race. #Hashtag uprising: The hashtag has really came into its own in the past few years as a rallying point for various movements, social causes and as a way to express solidarity with an issue. Locally of course, South Africa also saw the beginning of our 'hashtag revolutions' #FeesMustFall and #ZumaMustFall. The hashtag will continue to be a rallying cry for many in 2016, as well as humorous interludes, the things that keep us sane when the rest of the world seems to be going insane. Even the respected Fast Company magazine writes that we demonstrated our humanity in our googling, rather than just our fascination for the weird, obscure and silly, celebrity world. Yes, LOL Cats featured, but so did social causes. Best of... Bringing home the bacon: One of the most discussed pieces of research released in 2015 was the one that said bacon and other processed meats can cause cancer. Social media exploded in uproar: "I'd rather have a short life with bacon, than a long life of misery and lentils," read a lament on NewsThump. I concurred in my ode to the joy of bacon last year. Viva bacon viva! Long live! Source: AdWeek Merry Christmas: What did Santa bring you for Christmas? If it was socks, I hope it was Netflix socks. Boring 'dad gifts' will never be the same again with this invention: Netflix socks that pause the show you are watching if you fall asleep! Given that Netflix has just launched into South Africa this week, it's a gift to get dad for Father's Day this year! Only problem is, there's a bit of knitting and assembly involved. Source: PixieRah Designs Best colouring book, like, ever: If like me, swearing is your first language, this will go onto your future gift wish list. I would have liked this for Christmas, to doodle in on 'those' days. This cursing colouring book by illustrator Sarah Bigwood contains some of the most satisfying curse words to doodle on and colour in. F*cking brilliant indeed. Top marketing word of the year: As 'snackable' content becomes another marketing category for Boardroom Bingo, 'listicles' will proliferate. We sure do like our lists. For more Google lists on absolutely every subject, click here. Best social media campaign: Groupon nailed it with their social media team's response to their rather racy new product, the Banana Bunker. Given its rather obvious shape, the comment section on its daily deals earlier this year went a bit nuts. But it was the poker-faced response from Groupon's social media team that won the internet in 2015. Quote of the Year: Half of new Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet ministers are women. When a reporter asked him why, he said, "Because it's 2015." Best word of 2015: Adult; adulting. As in "I can't adult today. I am not adulting, I want to be a cat instead." Tweet of the year: World first successful penis transplant by a South African medical team led to this contender for tweet of the year in: 'Man gets world's first successful penis transplant after circumcision cock-up'. Gamechangers Millennials: Product innovation in 2015 and 2016 is all about wearable tech and ideas that solve problems. Millennials are the influentials of the moment and their consumer habits are having a massive influence on brand strategy. Sustainability: Purpose-driven marketing and the fact that each brand needs to be sustainable in terms of impact, footprint and renewable, was the thought that went into these sneakers from these French businessmen. Virtual reality (VR): Explore Mars in this virtual reality experiment, launched in 2015. Wearables: From the Apple Watch to various health devices, techno-clothing, wearables are a trend that will dominate more and more in 2016 and the years to come. Artificial intelligence is at a tipping point according to Harvard Business Review and almost ready to be integrated into business. You can't make this stuff up... That Dress: There is no doubt 2015 was the year of social media squabbles, none more so over the ridiculous blue/black or gold/white dress debate. Brands wrapped themselves in the controversy outdoing themselves with witty repartee. Kudo's to Ireland Davenport who won global acclaim for their quick turnaround on advertising for the Salvation Army, referencing The Dress in a powerful domestic violence ad. Source: Ireland Davenport Llamas on the loose: Then America went Llama loopy on how the internet handled the Great Llama Escape of 2015. It was a day that would go down in 'hysteria', as in "You can lasso our Llamas but you can never take their freedom..." Worst ad of 2015? Or the best? Australia's stoner sloth was the perfect ad to end 2015 with, summing up the weird and the insanity that 2015 seemed at times. One tweet asked "How high were the people who made the ad?" It was intended to discourage weed smoking among teens but has become a popular meme instead. Pissed off: We had that awesome innovation by Grey London for Volvo with bike paint to make cyclists glow at night, but this hydrophobic paint project gives public urinators taking a slash outdoors in one German town, an unwelcome surprise - a splash back! Happy New Year! So, begone 2015 and take all the nuts with you! (Same goes for the 'Scrote n Tote'). Here's to an interesting 2016, may your most important dreams come true! Daniel Dercksen of the Writing Studio in Cape Town will present the ABC of Writing a Screenplay workshop for budding screenwriters on Tuesday evenings from 6pm until 9pm at the Waterfront Theatre School on 19 and 26 January and 2 and 9 February 2016. The workshop follows in the tradition of The Write Journey and is a practical and interactive exploration of what it takes to be a screenwriter in South Africa and how to write a screenplay that will eventually find its way to the big screen. During the workshop, writers will look at how to define and conceptualise their ideas, focus their thematic purpose, develop and explore their characters, and master the art of plotting the dramatic action. Writers will also attend previews of upcoming films to sharpen their visual sensibility. At the end of the 4-evening workshop, writers will have all the tools needed to write a winning screenplay and submit the first 10 pages of their new project for revision. Following the workshop, they will submit their first pages for revision and then receive guidance to complete a screenplay that will be ready for the marketplace. For more information, go to www.writingstudio.co.za. Skiers and snowboarders who drove up to Arizona Snowbowl anytime after mid-morning over the weekend may have been met with an unwelcome surprise. Parking lots at the mountain filled up by between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. both days, and mountain employees couldn't let anyone else drive up. Instead, drivers had the option of parking in the lot at the base of Snowbowl Road, if there was room, and waiting to catch a bus up to the ski mountain. Otherwise, they would have to head home and try again another day. After well over 4 feet of snow fell in the higher elevations around Flagstaff last week, people funneled into the mountains over the weekend, creating bumper-to-bumper traffic and filling the parking lots of recreation areas to capacity. Officials said they are expecting the situation to be just as bad, or worse, this coming 3-day holiday weekend. The parking lots at Arizona Snowbowl filled up by 9:30 a.m. Saturday and 10:30 a.m. Sunday, General Manager J.R. Murray said. Until some cars left the resort's upper lots, mountain employees had to turn people around or ask them to take the bus up, he said. Murray said he didnt monitor to what extent the approximately 200 spots in Snowbowl's Highway 180 parking lot were filled throughout the weekend. It only happens about five days out of the year that the 1,400 parking spots at the resort's base fill up, Murray said. This time, hefty snowfall drew larger-than-normal crowds to the mountain and more of those people drove alone, rather than packing two, three or four to a car, Murray said. Snowbowl did its best to accommodate everyone, but it was a simple issue of demand exceeding supply. After 5 feet of snow, the demand is so great that everybody wants to come, so guess what? Not everybody gets in, Murray said. We do the best we can but on some days the ski area can't accommodate everybody that wants to come. In the past, Murray said he has received requests to somehow guarantee season passholders a parking spot on the mountain, but its not practical to try to reserve spots based on an estimate of how many of those people may come up, he said. Hundreds of people did choose to ditch their cars and hop on Mountain Lines new Mountain Express service up to the ski mountain over the weekend. The pilot service started in December and runs on peak ski days. About 500 people rode the bus on both Saturday and Sunday, said Jeff Meilbeck, CEO of the Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority, which runs the line. Saturday was its biggest day yet, Meilbeck said. Farther up Highway 180, Wing Mountain Snow Play Area was almost at its 1,000-car capacity both Saturday and Sunday, said Reggie Boyd, area manager. He expected the same for next weekend. The thousands of people funneling into the Highway 180 corridor also created massive traffic backups. Deputies with the Coconino County Sheriff's Office were stuck in standstill traffic when trying to respond to a missing child report, Chief Deputy Sheriff Jim Driscoll said. In the afternoon as people were heading back to Flagstaff, traffic was backed up to Kendrick Park, approximately 20 miles north of Flagstaff, Driscoll said. In response to massive snowplay crowds, both county and state law enforcement officials stepped up their presence through the corridor. The county plans to do the same next weekend, too, Driscoll said. The sheriff's office posted signs at nine county roads that intersect with Highway 180, informing drivers that those roads were open to local traffic only. The roads included Fort Valley Ranch Road, Bader Road, Hidden Hollow Road and South Snow Bowl Road. It was the first time the sheriffs office tried that tactic after receiving numerous complaints from area residents, Driscoll said. Cars that were parking along those narrow county roads were creating congestion and access issues for residents as well as potential problems for emergency responders, Driscoll said. But thats not all. It was also creating a criminal problem with trespass because snowplayers were coming onto peoples private property and building fires, leaving horrendous amounts of trash, urinating and defecating, he said. Four deputies from the sheriffs office patrolled the area throughout the weekend to enforce the new county road barricades and to help traffic merge at the intersection of Snowbowl Road and Highway 180. Driscoll said local residents gave positive feedback about the county road closures and law enforcement presence when he met with them Monday morning. Meanwhile, the Arizona Department of Public Safety dedicated two troopers and a motorist assist civilian to the Highway 180 area over the weekend, according to DPS spokesman Bart Graves. Troopers tried to move traffic along and issued four citations to people for illegally parking on the highway, Graves said. It is against the law to park on the shoulder of the highway cars must be parked completely off the road, he said. Flagstaff Police Department Sgt. Margaret Bentzen said that the city did not have police officers out directing traffic over the busy, snowy weekend. The city has worked extensively with the Arizona Department of Transportation to get the traffic signal timing right for Milton Road, Route 66 and Highway 180 in order to keep traffic flowing, Bentzen said. It looks like you have reached this page in error ... The content you are looking for has either moved, or if you typed in the address there might have been a mistake. If you believe there has been a technical error please let us know. Most Popular Destinations Whether intentional or not, it certainly appears that Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has a strong sense of humor. Judge Boasberg has thrown out a lawsuit filed by Judicial Watch that sought to force the State Department and the FBI to take additional steps to recover the smoking gun from Hillary Clinton's private emails. The issue is moot, Boasberg said, because the government has taken a number of significant corrective steps to recover Clintons emails. [...] Taken together, all of the recovery efforts initiated by both agencies up to the present day cannot in any way be described as a dereliction of duty. The pair of conservative organizations cannot sue to force the recovery of records that they hope or imagine might exist, added Boasberg, who was appointed by President Obama. Ha! As for what they "hope or imagine might exist," it's not entirely clear what that is but we can infer that they hoped or imagined -- Ha! -- they would force the government to release evidence that Hillary Clinton did Benghazi. Or something. I cannot stop laughing. Judicial Watch was founded by birther and leader of the failed movement to overthrow the government Larry Klayman. Representative Duncan Hunter (R-CA) has a scorching hot take on women in the military and, more specifically, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus's decision to open all marine combat posts to women. According to Hunter, Ray Mabus and women in the military are a bigger threat than terrorism. And to be clear, Duncan Hunter is equal opportunity in that he also believes transgender people are a grave threat to our security. Rep. Duncan Hunter has had enough of Navy Secretary Ray Mabus' strong support for opening all Marine combat posts to women, declaring him "a greater threat to the Marine Corps than ISIS. [...] The reason the military is there is not to be a transgender, corporate organization, Hunter said, referring to the Pentagons plans to allow transgender service members to serve openly. The military is there to execute American policy overseas, protect our allies and kill our enemies. Its not a corporation. Were not all treated equal. I imagine if Congressman Hunter had been around during the Truman administration, he would have opposed racial integration of the military because we're "not all treated equal." Hunter says he will introduce legislation that will in some way prohibit women from serving in combat roles because, at least in his mind, he knows better than the Pentagon what's best for the service and for America. I can't wait to see the exact language of the bill if it ever surfaces. What will it say? 'Women cannot adequately serve in combat because I say so and because they have cooties.' Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin (R) is a small government warrior so, naturally, he is preparing to hand more power to the big federal government. Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin has notified U.S. authorities that he plans to dismantle the state's health insurance exchange created under the Obama Administration's Affordable Care Act, the Courier-Journal reported on Monday. [...] Bevin, a Republican, has said his goal is to complete the transition of the state's system, known as "kynect," by the end of 2016 to the federal system, the Louisville newspaper said. Available evidence tells us state-run exchanges are slightly more effective than the federal exchange so you may or may not consider this a great loss for the citizens of Kentucky, but what's really interesting to me is Governor Bevin essentially ceding power to the federal government. States obviously have more control over their own health insurance exchanges, which means more of that much-desired States' Rights power for the new Bevin administration, but he has chosen to give up that power. I have no idea if Bevin or his supporters even realize that. Visit Kata Philippines online www.facebook.com/katadigitalcom www.katadigital.com.ph I got insider reports that the new LTE smartphone of Kata Philippines the Kata i3L also known as Kata i3 LTE will soon have a pre order launch date this month. Just head over to Kata Philippines Facebook Page for the official details and the pre order can be placed at any Kata Philippines store nationwide.I was lucky to have a first preview with touch and try session with their new Kata i3L. The preview was last year and at first I thought that I was holding a Kata M2L. The body of the phone looks like a Kata M3, but its much more slimmer and the difference is that the home button is on the screen and not on the bottom base of the body. Just think of a smaller version of the Kata Tmini2 but with LTEHeres the specs that we know as of now as published by Kata PhilippinesPublished tech specs:5.0 inch IPS HD Display1.3 Ghz Quad Core processor13 MP rear camera8MP front cameraDual SimLTE ready1 GB RAM16 GB stroragewith Free 10 GB online Storage via Kata Cloudbody colors available black and whiteand below are the unpublished tech specs ( no official words yet from Kata)2500 mah batteryAnd it might come out with a Mega VPN app with tv streaming channels Netflix, Discovery, Fox News and etc.I predict that the SRP is around the range of PHP 5,500 to PHP6,500Official info will be posted soon by Kata Philippines in the next coming days. So stay tuned.Heres the back body of the Kata i3LIt really reminds me of a Kata M3My opinion. The black color is a bit generic, its the color of the yester years.For the new Kata phones, having a white body is much more stylish and mostly preferred by Kata fansI did some quick touch and try, I didnt use it much because the Kata i3L is running low on battery juice.But its a good phone with LTE and Im sure it will be under the affordable pricing range.Kata i3L smartphone with LTE coming soon here in the Philippines News coverage from Israel is often distorted if measured against the 'Code of Ethics' guidelines of journalism. The origins of bad news about a country thus lie with numerous foreign media. This project exposes one of many methods used.Bad News from the Netherlands has raised major international interest since it appeared on the web in October 2007. Many thanks are due to all those who have contributed news, ideas and financing. Support us to expand this project.Act against the biased media: start a bad news blog about another country. If you want to use this layout, please contact us at the e-mail address below. Do It Yourself The "Bad News Movement" is not a franchise, but consists of independent initiatives of which Bad News from the Netherlands is the first. Yet as the initiator of the movement, we would like to make a few suggestions to those who want to establish similar projects: 1. Always keep in mind the target of the blog: showing only negative items about a country makes its society aware of how some of their media distort the image of Israel. 2. Focus on items from leading sources such as the government, major media, well-known institutions. 3. Do not concentrate on one or a few areas. Deal with as many major aspects of the country as possible: government, politics, justice, media, culture, civil society, etc. 4. Do not exaggerate issues beyond what is mentioned. A collection of bad news is bad enough without blowing up the facts. Let the facts speak for themselves. 5. While one can draw part of the information from the more sensational papers, let them not dominate the blog. 6. Do not emphasize ethnicity of people where it is irrelevant to the issue. 7. When necessary, provide comments on issues which require it, but try to present the majority of issues without comment. Donations can be sent to BNC at Max Obuszewski, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212 . Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast [dot] net. Published by an old curmudgeon who came to America in 1936 as a refugee from Nazi Germany and proudly served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He is a former law enforcement officer and a retired professor of criminal justice who, in 1970, founded the Texas Narcotic Officers Association. BarkGrowlBite refuses to be politically correct. (Copyrighted articles are reproduced in accordance with the copyright laws of the U.S. Code, Title 17, Section 107.) I'm a writer and translator based in Wellington, Aotearoa/New Zealand. I publish regularly here and at Overland Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/01/2016 (2472 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Brandon School Division will draw from a pool of students applying to the citys only single-track French immersion kindergarten program, it was decided Monday night. At a regular meeting of the board, trustees defeated a motion by a count of 7-2 to maintain the current procedure, which required parents to line up in a first-come, first-served basis in order to enrol children in the program. Lineups in previous years had been hours long for the program. Trustees Sherilyn Bambridge and George Buri were the only supporters of the status quo. A new motion by trustee Jim Murray proposed that registration into the any program in high demand, including the one in question, be done by random selection, while giving precedence to the siblings of students already in the program. The motion passed 6-3, with trustees Peter Bartlette, Buri and Bambridge opposing. Ecole Harrison is the only BSD school to offer single-track immersion, so the registration runs city wide. Single-track immersion involves only French immersion classes, while dual-track immersion has both French and English classes. Ecole New Era and Shilos Ecole OKelly School both offer dual-track French immersion for kindergarten to Grade 8. Application into the draw will be done both by paper and electrically, and the draw will carried out by the superintendent in the J.L. Milne Boardroom. tbateman@brandonsun.com Twitter: @tombatemann Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/01/2016 (2472 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Discussions with user groups regarding moose population recovery are ongoing. First Nations, Metis and licensed hunters actively harvest the moose. Equitable distribution of sustainable harvest, providing opportunity for all stakeholders, will require constructive consultation. A statement on Manitoba Conservations wildlife branch website Manitobas moose population is facing a sharp decline in numbers in 2015, the population dropped to below 20,000 animals, less than half of the historical high of 45,000, according to The Wildlife Society. This is in spite of the fact that the wildlife branch of Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship suggests on its current website that there are still about 27,000 moose in the province. Whatever the case, the numbers are dropping. And while disease and predators are at least in part to blame for this decline, both society co-chair Jack Dubois and Manitoba Conservations Brian Joynt, manager of game, fur and human-wildlife conflict, say hunting is one of the significant factors in the decline in moose numbers in this province. And its not just Manitoba. Ontario and Minnesota have both witnessed significant moose population drops. Late last year, The Wildlife Society sent an open letter to the province asking for a strategy to address the worrisome situation. According to a CBC report, they had asked for co-operation, management and resource sharing between indigenous and licensed harvesters, in co-operation with habitat and disease management programming to combat the decline. Moose hunting, and hunting in general, continues to be an important tourism attraction for Manitoba. The Travel Manitoba website continues to advertise the province as a great place for moose hunting, with links to information on our hunting season August to mid-December and information on resident and non-resident licence prices. But the reality is that the province has been putting in place moose hunting bans in several locations because moose numbers are dropping. All licensed moose hunting has been suspended in the Duck Mountain and Porcupine Mountain regions. And last October, the province added bans to two regions in the Turtle Mountain area. Joynt told The Canadian Press last fall that the number of moose in the Turtle Mountain region has dropped to about 100 from about 400 a decade ago, mainly from overhunting. Back in August, the province announced stronger fines for the illegal killing of wild animals, including a $10,000 penalty for moose. But the fines dont apply to aboriginal hunters legally exercising a treaty or Metis right to hunt. Unfortunately, this has become an unusual political problem for the government. Its easy enough to enforce non-aboriginal no-hunt zones in the province, but much more difficult to regulate those who have a cultural and treaty right to hunt. First Nations hunters and those Metis hunters with harvester cards are allowed to hunt wildlife for sustenance in Manitoba, on unoccupied Crown lands, as well as private lands should they be given permission to do so. And while the Manitoba Metis Federation created guidelines around hunting, there is no enforcement body in place to regulate that right. Joynt did not come out and say that aboriginal and Metis hunters are bagging too many moose, but his comments seem to artfully dance around the suggestion. The reality is we cannot infringe on a treaty right just because we think they might be harvesting too many, he told the Sun last week. We dont suggest that any treaty rights should be curtailed. But First Nations and Metis have as much interest in keeping moose populations healthy as provincial officials and non-aboriginal hunters who carry official licenses. The province must do its part to regulate moose hunting in Manitoba, and keep enough enforcement officers on staff to ensure that illegal hunting is kept in check. But with moose numbers dwindling in southern Manitoba, we suggest that First Nations, Metis and the government need to agree to come together and create management regulations that are acceptable to all parties involved, while effectively addressing moose conservation and population management. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/01/2016 (2472 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Priorities, people! Enough of this ongoing saga of the Eighth Street bridge! Cant anyone in Brandon understand priorities? The REAL need is not another bridge over the CP railroad but an underpass/overpass where the CN tracks cut off accessibility to the hospital on First Street. This is a major concern for all those living south of those tracks in Brandon and the whole of southwestern Manitoba not just a relatively few residents in the North End who have access to two other bridges in an emergency! Should be a whole lotta shaking going on I had to shake my head at the recent Sound Off, Shake It Off. I hope and there should be a lot of shaking going on by those who elected Trudeau in. How do you really think he got in because of his dad, not much different than someone who voted Conservative. Pay what you can bus fare? Just wondering when Brandon Transit became free will offering or pay what you can. A young employed man got on the bus and said he only had $1 for a $1.30 fare and the driver let him ride. The same driver called another passenger to the front to pay the extra five cents for the new rate increase. The passenger that stiffed Transit sat beside me playing on a very nice cellphone. Another passenger who often smells of alcohol sometimes brings cases of beer on the bus got on with two bags of food and told the driver he had no money for fare. Again, the driver let him ride for free. As a senior on a very low income, I wouldnt think of boarding the bus if I did not have the fare. If the driver wants to be a hero, he or she should pay the shortage, not the taxpayers. It seems to be repeat offenders who know what drivers they can take advantage of. Crude oil and gasoline prices I saw that the price of crude oil had dropped to about $32 something a barrel. The exact price does not matter. The key word was dropped. It has been dropping for ages! And when I needed gas for my car today, it had increased from 87.9 to 91.9, and it made my blood boil. Where are the senators and politicians when we need them? And why would they do anything anyway to hurt these oil barons who are probably the greatest financial contributors to the various political parties? And the higher the prices, the more taxes governments collect. The consumers are hung out to dry once again. The only group more reprehensible than the oil companies are the prescription drug manufacturers who have increased many life-dependent drugs by 8,000 per cent. I thought blackmail was illegal. What a sorry lot we have to deal with. Suggestion for burned-out city street lights Advise the city of the exact location of the burned-out light and keep a record of your advisement. The city in turn sends a registered letter to Manitoba Hydro giving them two weeks to fix the light. If the light not fixed in two weeks, fine them $500 per light. Plus send a copy of the letter to the complainant but do not put cc on the letter. The complainant can check the light to see if it is repaired and advise the same person that he/she talked to in the first place. That way, the city does not have to send their own employees around to check. Let the complainant do it. If Manitoba Hydro gets fined a fee several times, they would smarten up. For my third prediction of the year, Im going with one just a tad bit less obvious than Facebook will go public. There seems to be no doubt about that event occurring this year, though Ive certainly heard intelligent folks argue that Facebook can and should figure out how to stay private. Ive argued that Facebook ought to be a public company, if only to be held (somewhat) accountable given all the data it has on our lives. But this prediction has to do with Facebook announcing and then launching a web-wide advertising network along the lines of Googles AdSense. Ive talked about this for years (short handing it as FaceSense,) and Ive asked Mark Zuckerberg, Carolyn Everson, Bret Taylor, and Sheryl Sandberg about it on stage and off. The answer is always the same: Were not interested in launching a web ad network at this time. I predict that line will change in 2012. Heres why: Once public, Facebook will need to keep demonstrating new lines of revenue and growth. Sure, the company already has the attention of 1/7th of all time spent on the web. But theres a lot more attention out there on the Independent Web, and the default ad service for that other 6/7ths is Googles AdSense, a multi-billion dollar business. Facebook already has its hooks into millions of websites with its Open Graph suite all those Like, Recommend, Share, Connect, and Facebook Comment plugins. These buttons are pumping data about how the web is being used directly into Facebooks servers. That data can then be combined with all the native Social Graph data Facebook already has, making for a powerful offering to marketers across the entire web. Think of it as social retargeting marketers will be able to buy attention on Facebook.com, then know where folks are across the web, and amplify their messaging out there as well. Because Facebook is already integrated into millions of sites, itll be a relative snap for the company to start signing up publishers to offer their inventory to the social giant. It will be interesting to see what terms Facebook offers/requires Im assuming the company will match Google and others non-exclusivity (IE, you can use any ad network you want), but dont assume this will be the case. Facebook may have an ace or two up their sleeve in how they go to market here. Lastly, lets not forget that the team who built and ran AdSense is now at Facebook (thatd be Sheryl Sandberg and her ad ops chief David Fischer, oh, and one of the fathers of AdSense, Gokul Rajaram). Critical to the success and rollout of Facebooks web ads will be two key factors. One, the structural underpinning of the system: AdSense scans the content of a page and delivers relevant ads (though many other factors are now creeping into its system). This leverages Googles core competence as a search engine (its already scanning the page for search.) Facebooks core leverage is knowing who you are and what youve done inside the Facebook ecosystem, so the key structural construct for its web ad network will turn on how the company leverages that data. I imagine the new ad network might initially roll out just to sites that have Facebook Connect installed, so that visitors to those sites are already inside the Facebook network, so to speak. The second issue is what may as well be called the creepiness factor. Search display retargeting is still a gray area a lot of folks dont like being chased across the web by ads that know what sites youve recently visited or what terms youve searched for. Cultural acceptance of ads on third party sites that seem to know who your friends are, what you ate for dinner last night, or what movies you recently watched might provoke a societal immune response. But thats not stopped Facebook to date. I dont expect it will in this case either. Related: Predictions 2012: #1 On Twitter and Media Predictions 2012: #2 Twitter As Free Radical, Swiss Bank, Arms MerchantAnd Google Five Years Ago Predictions 2011 2011: How I Did Predictions 2010 2010: How I Did 2009 Predictions 2009 How I Did 2008 Predictions 2008 How I Did 2007 Predictions 2007 How I Did 2006 Predictions 2006 How I Did 2005 Predictions 2005 How I Did 2004 Predictions 2004 How I Did 2015 was a record year at Dublin Port. There was year on year growth of 6.4%, with increases in both imports and exports. 7,166 ships arrived in Dublin port last year, exceeding the previous record levels of 2007. The port also saw a 5.1% increase in ferry passengers in 2015 as 1.8m passengers travelled through it. Chief Executive of Dublin Port Company Eamonn OReilly hailed 2015 as an exceptional year for Dublin Port. 2015 was an exceptional year for Dublin Port with a 6.4% increase in cargo volumes, said OReilly. We have seen growth over the past three years of 17.3% and are now well ahead of where we were at the height of the boom in 2007. We also finalised debt facilities of 100m with the EIB during 2015 and succeeded in securing 23m in grant funding from the EU for our investment plans. Our growth in recent years has been driven by the investment decisions of our major customers including Irish Ferries, Stena Line, Seatruck, CLdN, Doyle Shipping Group and Ecocem, and it is essential that we match these customers commitments by investing in nationally important port infrastructure in Dublin, the countrys premier port. Travel company Skyscanner has announced a 128 million investment (170.25m), taking the website-based firms valuation to an estimated 1 billion. Artemis, Baillie Gifford, Khazanah, Vitruvian Partners and Yahoo! Japan will acquire an undisclosed share of the Edinburgh-based travel provider with the funding. The new backers will join existing investment partners SEP and Sequoia, with officials hoping the funding will accelerate its growth in the 332bn (441.54) worldwide online travel market. Skyscanner chief executive officer Gareth Williams said: Skyscanner has enjoyed high double-digit growth rates for some years now and has been profitable since 2009. This success is thanks to our 1,200 direct partner relationships, the trust of the 50 million travellers who use us every month, our technology and the dedication of our teams to deliver the best experience for travellers possible. This financing round and our recent new hires allow us to build fantastic further tools for travellers. Id like to thank SEP and Sequoia for their belief in us and also welcome our new investors to the team. We have so much more to do together its an exciting time. With the support of the new investors, Skyscanner will secure additional access to virtual and geographical marketplaces around the world, expanding their online user profile. The travel website was officially launched in 2003 and has grown to become the number one flight search engine in Europe. The site is used by more than 50m people each month to book flights, hotels and car hire, with their free mobile app being downloaded over 40m times. Skyscanner now operates worldwide with offices in the UK, Singapore, Beijing, Shenzhen, Miami, Barcelona, Sofia and Budapest. Offering travel searches in more than 30 different languages. California air quality regulators are rejecting Volkswagens recall plan to fix vehicles programmed to trick government emissions tests. The California Air Resources Board said the recall plan for vehicles including the Beetle and Jetta did not meet its standards and was unacceptable. The US Environmental Protection Agency said it agrees with the move but is working on a different timetable. Volkswagen says it continues to work with regulators. The companys recall plan for 2.0-litre diesel engines covers 500,000 vehicles. A recall plan for 85,000 3.0-litre engines is due next month. Volkswagen told regulators last year that it had installed software on its 2009 to 2015 diesel engine models to bypass government emissions tests. The California Air Resources Board said the recall plan did not adequately identify the affected vehicles; did not include a sufficient method for obtaining the car owners' names and address and did not include adequate information on how the fix would affect future emissions results. The state agency also issued a formal notice of violation against the German car maker VWs submissions are incomplete, substantially deficient and fall far short of meeting the legal requirements, Annette Herbert, head of the agencys emissions compliance, automotive regulations and science division wrote in a letter to VW executives. VW said the rejection of its plan did not mean a recall would not go ahead. Dublin Fire Brigade were called out to a fire last night caused by a phone charger. The device was left on somebody's bed in an Islandbridge apartment and it burst into flames leaving the bedroom gutted. A fire tonight in a city apt caused by a charging device on a duvet. be safe, keep all gadgets away from your bed. pic.twitter.com/k2AewOB0On Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) January 12, 2016 Dublin Fire Brigade tweeted a warning, saying: "Be safe, bed+gadgets don't mix." A fire in Islandbridge last night caused by a charging device on a duvet. Be safe, bed+gadgets don't mix. #STOPfire pic.twitter.com/JnZM04ciTc Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) January 12, 2016 It's not the first time they've warned about phone chargers. Remember Read More: Kildare County Council have installed the country's first otter sign. The sign is to alert motorists that they are driving on a road that otters use frequently to cross between the Rye River and the Royal Canal in their search for food. It was erected after requests from the public and under advice from the National Parks and Wildlife Service who have reported many otter deaths along the Kilcock to Maynooth Road over the past few years. The elusive creatures like to move around at dusk and dawn which puts them in danger from passing motorists who may not see them in the fading light. Otters are on the decline in Ireland with numbers hovering around the 12,000 mark at the moment and it's great to see the council do their bit in preserving the protected species. There's a fisherman in Florida who dives with sharks every day in order to change people's perceptions about the animals. Michael Dornellas is part of the Spearheads group that records their spearfishing exploits online and they posted a video yesterday of him doing something that would strike terror into most people. In the clip, the 30-year-old can be seen swimming with the creatures and petting them on the nose to put them into a trance-like state, before removing a fishing hook from the mouth of one of them with his bare hands. Donnellas told Grindtv.com that he is trying to change the perception people have about sharks. He said: "Sharks arent these blood thirsty animals that attack people, theyre very precise in the ways they hunt and we are not prey. Thats what Im doing out here, allowing people to see how wonderful these creatures are with their own eyes. By posting their videos, the Spearhead group are trying to spread the message of how important sharks are to the marine environment. Dornellas told GrindTV: Sharks are as important to the health of our oceans and reefs as anything else. There have been studies done in the Bahamas and Fiji showing that where shark populations can blossom reefs grow and the number of fish on the reef skyrockets, and where sharks are wiped out the reefs die. They are essential to our oceans. Dornellas, who has given up everything to devote his life to shark conservation, hasn't gone unscathed in his exploits. He tells of an encounter he had in the Bahamas where he was taking photographs of a tiger shark while swimming alongside two lemon sharks. I was burst shooting (where several photographs are captured in quick succession), and I guess the vibrations from the camera must have imitated a fish in distress, because suddenly the two lemon sharks bit both sides of my camera housing. Rather you than me Michael. An inquest into the death of a peer and leading Irish industrialist and three other men who died in a helicopter crash is due to open. Self-made multi-millionaire Dr Edward Haughey was killed in March 2013 when the helicopter came down shortly after take-off in foggy conditions near the estate he owned in Gillingham, Norfolk. The Irish National Teachers Organisation is to ballot its members on industrial action. The union representing primary school teachers has said the continued ban on promotion in schools and increasing workload has become "intolerable". General Secretary of the INTO Sheila Nunan has said there is no decision yet on possible industrial action before the summer. What we attend to do initially is to survey the particular schools that have been most acutely hit, said Nunan In the first instance well ballot our members with a view to non-cooperation with Department policies, the second thing then is we will ballot particular schools that have been affected. We have no decision to ballot and close schools at this point. The Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said he is planning to have a "forthright discussion" with insurance providers over the refusal of companies to insure homeowners who have been flooded. He wants them to relax their rules in areas that now have flood defence schemes. A former priest and serial child abuser will have to serve an extra year behind bars for the sexual assault of a young girl in the 1970s. Tony Walsh of North Circular Road in Dublin is already serving a 16-year sentence for the rape and abuse of three schoolboys. In the late 1970s, Tony Walsh used to perform as an Elvis impersonator with an All Priests Show and became known as the "singing priest". But away from the stage act, he was a child abuser, who was eventually defrocked by Pope John Paul II. In 2010, the 61-year-old was jailed for 16 years for abusing boys in the 70s and 80s. He will now spend an extra year in prison for indecently assaulting a young girl. His trial heard the girl was between seven and 10 years old when he forced himself on her at a parish hall in Dublin sometime between April 1973 and September 1976. Walsh was aged between 19 and 22 at the time. Walsh was studying to be a priest at the time and used to help out at the hall. In handing down sentence today, Judge Catherine Murphy said she was unable to find any mitigating factors in this case, and she noted his complete lack of regret or remorse and the damaging, long-term effects his actions have had on his victim, now aged 50. In her victim impact report, the woman said she blamed herself for the assault and for bringing this awful shame on her family. A psychological report found she felt dirty growing up and had suffered panic attacks. Update 3.20pm: So-called Islamic State has been blamed for the Istanbul suicide bomb that killed 10 at popular tourist site. At least nine of the dead were German. Fiftenn other people were injured, Turkish officials said. Prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu said IS was behind the suicide attack, adding that Turkey is determined to battle the militant group until it no longer remains a threat to the country or the world. Turkeys state-run news agency said Mr Davutoglu held a telephone conversation with German chancellor Angela Merkel to express his condolences. A senior government official confirmed that most of the victims were German. Ms Merkel had earlier said they were part of a German travel group. I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Istanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber, president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber was a 28-year-old Syrian national whose connections were being investigated. It was unclear whether the death toll of 10 included the bomber. Read: Read More: Islamic State blamed for Istanbul suicide bomb that kills 10 at popular tourist site Update 1.45pm: A Syrian suicide bomber has detonated a bomb in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists, killing at least 10 people and wounding 15 others, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Mr Erdogan said in televised remarks that Turks and foreigners were among the dead in the explosion in the Sultanahmet district. I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Istanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber, Mr Erdogan said. Deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber was a 28-year-old Syrian national, and most of the people who died were foreigners. The explosion, which could be heard over a wide area, hit a park that is home to a landmark obelisk, 30 yards from the historic Blue Mosque. Turkeys Dogan news agency reported that one Norwegian and a Peruvian were among the wounded, and Seouls Foreign Ministry said one South Korean had a finger injury. At least nine of the wounded were German nationals. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking at a news conference in Berlin, said Germans from a group travelling together could also be among the dead. Today Istanbul was hit, Paris has been hit, Tunisia has been hit, Ankara has been hit before, Ms Merkel said. International terrorism is once again showing its cruel and inhuman face today. Update 12.35pm: A Syria-linked suicide bomber is believed to be behind a blast in Istanbul that killed 10 people and wounded some 15 others, the Turkish president has said. Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in televised remarks on Tuesday that both Turks and foreigners were among the dead. He did not provide details. A government official earlier said the explosion was believed to be terror-linked. The blast, which could be heard over a wide area, hit a park that is home to a landmark obelisk, 30 yards from the historic Blue Mosque. Turkeys Dogan news agency reported that at least six Germans, one Norwegian and a Peruvian were among the wounded, and Seouls Foreign Ministry said one South Korean had a finger injury. Police sealed off the area, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion, and a police helicopter hovered overhead. The Sultanahmet neighbourhood is Istanbuls main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and the Hagia Sophia museum. Earlier:At least 10 people have been killed in an explosion in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, the citys governors office has said. Fifteen other people were injured, according to a statement. The cause of the explosion is under investigation, but state-run TRT television said it was probably caused by a suicide bomber. The Department of Foreign Affairs is urging any Irish people caught up in the blast to follow instructions from security personnel. NTV television said the explosion happened near a park which is home to a landmark obelisk. Several police and medics were sent to the area, which was sealed off by police amid fears of a second explosion. Witnesses say there was a suicide bomber in Istanbul @euronews not confirmed pic.twitter.com/nagZVMfURu Bora Bayraktar (@Bora_Bayraktar) January 12, 2016 The Sultanahmet area is Istanbuls main sight-seeing district and includes the Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque. Erdem Koroglu, who was working at a nearby office at the time of the explosion, told NTV television he saw several people lying on the ground following the blast. It was difficult to say who was alive or dead, Mr Koroglu said. Buildings rattled from the force of the explosion. Turkey suffered two major bomb attacks last year. More than 30 people were killed in an Islamic State suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near the border with Syria, in July. In October, two suicide bombs outside Ankaras main train station as people gathered for a peace rally killed more than 100 people. The prosecutors office said that attack was carried out by a local Islamic State cell. Oscar Pistorius' lawyer says the South African Supreme Court of Appeal ignored the double-amputees vulnerability when it overturned a manslaughter conviction, declaring him guilty of murder for killing his girlfriend. In a request to South Africas Constitutional Court to hear an appeal over the murder conviction, lawyer Andrew Fawcett said Pistorius was on his stumps, which made him anxious, when he shot and killed Reeva Steenkamp in 2013. A snakey thief has been caught on camera smuggling a 2ft python from an Oregon pet shop by stuffing it down his trousers. Police say no arrests have been made over the theft in Portland, but Christin Bjugan, an owner of the A to Z pet shop, said video surveillance footage helped detectives identify a suspect and she expected the snake to be returned soon. We know who did it, she said. We know where he lives, we know where he works, we know all about him and his girlfriend. Were just waiting to get our snake back. The video shows the suspect with a blue-haired woman who appeared to be in on the theft. He handed her some keys before taking the black pastel ball python worth 200 from a tank and shuffling out of the store. Ms Bjugan said it was pretty gutsy for the man to put the python down his trousers and potentially a bad move because it was close to feeding day. On the other hand, she said, the snake does like warm, dark places. Police sergeant Greg Stewart said it was the first time a pet shop theft probe had involved someone putting a snake in their trousers. It also seemed more purposeful than usual. If you look at the theft of stuff from pet stores, a lot of times its someone wandering in drunk and doing something stupid, he said. This ones a little bit different, although putting a snake down your pants is not super bright. Theres a lot of different ways that could go wrong. The German government plans to ease the rules for deporting foreign criminals after the New Years Eve assaults in Cologne. Two senior ministers said the planned reform of laws on deportation and sexual offences will lower the legal hurdles to expel foreigners who commit serious crimes. Justice minister Heiko Maas and interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said any custodial sentence for crimes against another persons bodily integrity, including sexual assaults, as well as serious property damage, will be grounds for deportation. Cologne police said 553 criminal complaints have been filed in connection to the New Years Eve attacks. Most of the suspects are believed to be foreigners, including at least some asylum-seekers. Authorities are looking into whether the robberies and sexual assaults by groups of men were co-ordinated or linked to smaller-scale incidents in other cities. Holger Muench, head of the Federal Criminal Police Office, said the same conditions were in place at different locations, with crowds of people gathering to celebrate the new year. But he added: I am not saying that there was no organisation, but it is not organised crime that would have a different quality for me, we would be talking about... hierarchical groups. That's a hard but right response by the state to those who are seeking protection here, but think they can commit crimes without consequences, Mr de Maiziere told reporters in Berlin. Mr Maas said public pressure after the Cologne assaults had played a role in getting the plan agreed so quickly. The changes, which have to be approved by the cabinet and parliament, would cover youth sentences. Many asylum seekers who commit crimes avoid deportation because the danger they face in their home country is considered greater than the reason for deporting them. Iran has said it will return two small US navy boats safely and promptly after American officials lost contact with the vessels in the Persian Gulf, the Pentagon said. Spokesman Peter Cook said the boats were moving between Kuwait and Bahrain when the US lost contact with them. An Islamic State suicide bomber has detonated a bomb in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists, killing 10 people at least nine of them German - and wounding 15 others, Turkish officials said. Prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu said IS was behind the suicide attack, adding that Turkey is determined to battle the militant group until it no longer remains a threat to the country or the world. Turkeys state-run news agency said Mr Davutoglu held a telephone conversation with German chancellor Angela Merkel to express his condolences. A senior government official confirmed that most of the victims were German. Ms Merkel had earlier said they were part of a German travel group. I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Istanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber, president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber was a 28-year-old Syrian national whose connections were being investigated. It was unclear whether the death toll of 10 included the bomber. Ms Merkel, speaking at a news conference in Berlin, condemned the attack: Today Istanbul was hit, Paris has been hit, Tunisia has been hit, Ankara has been hit before. International terrorism is once again showing its cruel and inhuman face today. The explosion, which could be heard over a wide area, hit a park that is home to a landmark obelisk, 30 yards from the historic Blue Mosque. Turkeys Dogan news agency said one Norwegian and a Peruvian were also among the wounded, and Seouls Foreign Ministry said a South Korean had a finger injury. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry told Norways news agency NTB that the Norwegian tourist was slightly hurt and was being treated in a local hospital. Mr Kurtulmus said two of the wounded were in serious condition. Germany and Denmark have warned their citizens to avoid crowds outside tourist attractions in Istanbul. Last year, Turkey agreed to take a more active role in the US-led battle against IS. Turkey opened its bases to US aircraft to launch air raids on the extremist group in Syria and has carried out a limited number of strikes itself. It has also moved to tighten security along its 560-mile border with Syria in a bid to stem the flow of militants. Police sealed off the Sultanahmet area, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion, and a police helicopter hovered overhead. Sultanahmet is Istanbuls main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and the former Byzantine church of Haghia Sophia, now a museum. Mr Davutoglu immediately convened a security meeting with the countrys interior minister and other officials. As with previous attacks, authorities imposed a news blackout, barring media from showing images of the dead or injured or reporting any details of the investigation. Turkey suffered two major bombing attacks last year, both blamed on Islamic State. More than 30 people were killed in a suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near the border with Syria, in July. Two suicide bombs exploded in October outside Ankaras main train station as people gathered for a peace rally, killing more than 100 in Turkeys deadliest attack. The prosecutors office said that attack was carried out by a local IS cell. The first strike by UK junior doctors in 40 years is under way as thousands walk out in a row over a new contract. Around 100 picket lines have been put in place, with a large concentration in and around London. The NHS Choir gathered outside Great Ormond Street Hospital to lend its support to striking doctors. Carrying banners bearing the lyrics of their song, A Bridge Over You, the Lewisham and Greenwich ensemble of doctors, nurses and NHS staff braved the cold to support doctors who formed the picket line shortly after 8am. The words on the banners read: The NHS needs saving and theyre not listening but weve got something to say. You can save us, dont let them break us. We are your doctors, lets keep it that way. The NHS should be yours, lets keep it yours. Your lives are what we stand for. So lets keep it yours. The British Medical Associations junior doctors leader, Johann Malawana, said conditions for junior doctors need to change. In a video posted to the BMAs Twitter site, he said doctors have even been unable to get leave for their own weddings despite months and even up to a year of notification in advance, adding that the situation cannot continue. There are more than 50,000 junior doctors in England a position covering all doctors up to consultant level. They represent a third of the medical workforce, and just over 37,000 are members of the British Medical Association (BMA), which called the strike. Despite last-ditch talks to prevent todays strike, around 4,000 operations and procedures have been cancelled, with thousands more routine appointments also postponed. Patients have been told hospitals are under pressure and asked to attend A&E only if they have a genuine emergency. Instead, patients are being asked to make the most of other NHS services, including GPs, walk-in centres, the 111 phone line and pharmacies. The British Medical Association (BMA) is being backed in its action by other unions, including Unite, Unison and the RMT. Members of other unions are expected to join picket lines in their lunch hour and if they are having days off. Prime Minister David Cameron pleaded with doctors on Monday to call off the action. He said: This strike is not necessary, it will be damaging. The US Mint will feature an Asian American on its currency for the first time when it issues a coin next week... A Beatrice mans criminal history was a key factor in a prison sentence handed down Tuesday in Gage County District Court. William B. Donnar, 34, was sentenced in two cases to a total of 20-36 months in prison by District Court Judge Paul Korslund. Donnar was sentenced 20-36 months for aiding and abetting burglary, six months for unauthorized use of a financial transaction device and three months for criminal possession of a financial transaction device in one case. In the other, he was sentenced to 12-18 months prison for third offense theft. All sentences will be served concurrently, all beginning at the same time, amounting to a total of 20-36 months. Prosecutors werent opposing a sentence of probation in the cases, though Korslund said Donnars criminal history was a key factor in the prison sentence. One of the most outstanding aspects of your case is your prior criminal record, Korslund said. I know youre telling me youre sorry. Im not saying thats not the case, but your past behavior is of great concern. You have an extensive criminal record. Korslund said at the hearing Donnar has been arrested 22 times, five for felonies. In one case, Donnar was arrested in June for his role in a March 19 burglary of a home in the 900 block of North Fifth Street. According to Gage County Court documents, the items stolen from the home included a wedding ring, credit card and silverware set. One day after the burglary, officers were informed the stolen credit card was used to make a purchase at Earl May. Workers told officers the card was used to purchase a bird cage and items to take care of birds totaling $141.91. The clerk was able to identify William Donnar and another man as the ones who purchased the items. A warrant was issued for Donnar, who made the transaction. Officers later received a phone call advising the wedding ring had been pawned in Lincoln and were given the name of the person who pawned it. Officers were able to speak with the woman who pawned the ring. She told officers William Donnar had given it to her and asked her to pawn it. While that case was proceeding, Donnar was again arrested July 24 for shoplifting at Wal-Mart. Court documents state he went into the store, picked up a hair dye product, took it to the customer service department and returned the product with a receipt for a previously purchased item. The theft totaled $14.86. Because he had multiple prior theft convictions, the charge was a felony. Korslund did not order restitution in the cases, because Donnar will have no source of income in prison. NEW DELHI: India has raised the price at which it will buy new season wheat from local farmers in 2023 by 110 rupees... Brent oil may retest a support at $91.22 per barrel, after a weak bounce into $93-$93.62 range. The deep drop on... ISLAMABAD: The policy of import compression by the government to manage the balance of payments which was ... The One Hundred Fourth Legislature Second Session convened on Jan. 6, a day known in Christendom as Epiphany. Thats the 12th day after Christmas, which celebrates the visit of the Magi (the three wise men) to the Christ Child. They came bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Lawmakers who are entering the session with a revised revenue forecast that is $110 million short would probably appreciate gold. Just envision a joint meeting of the Appropriations and Revenue Committees and Governor Pete Ricketts as they look to take $26 million for new prison facilities and $12 million to cover lost federal dollars for the Department of Health and Human Services. Just think about the amount of property tax and maybe some state income tax relief that would buy. A gift of frankincense would be subject to review by the Health and Human Services Committee with some input sought from the General Affairs Committee, which would likely want to license the distribution while keeping it away from vape shops and head shops. Likewise, myrrh a fragrant anointing oil with some healing properties would likely catch the interest of the same two committees. Perhaps it could be used instead of a plan to cover 77,000 Nebraskans who have fallen through the cracks and cant afford health care insurance. Sick? No insurance? Just rub some myrrh on it! Of course, myrrh comes from the Near East and may not be made available by the most reputed pharmaceutical dealers. Maybe Nebraska could get credit for the $54,000 spent with one of those dealers for illegal execution drugs that were never delivered. As for the Magi, it would be interesting to see the stir caused if Melchior (a Persian), Caspar (an East Indian) and Balthazar (a Babylonian) could get through customs and TSA to even deliver the gifts. And just how welcome would they be in Nebraska? It would probably be OK as long as they didnt say they wanted drivers licenses. But, I digress. Perhaps the real epiphany for the Legislature will be in the other meaning of the word: a moment when you suddenly feel that you understand, or suddenly become conscious of, something that is very important to you. Yes, the honeymoon is over for the Governor and the 19 new senators in the 104th Legislature. No more blaming any of this on the learning curve. Time to take off the kid gloves and act like you get it, like you have truly experienced that epiphany. So, heres whats on the table for the short (60-day) session, which ends mid-April: Corrections: New Director Scott Frakes wants $26 million to build 150 beds, mostly for abused women who are now housed in facilities too close to the types of men who may have caused such abuse. Thats just one area that needs to be addressed while the big picture of alternative sentencing and alternative treatment is studied. Health Care: The Governor is adamantly against tapping unused federal Medicaid funds to provide private health insurance for an estimated 77,000 Nebraskans mostly the working poor who cant afford coverage under the Affordable Care Act. A bi-partisan coalition has offered a plan similar to one used in Arkansas, but the governor says that isnt a proven solution and he fears that federal dollars are too unstable. Schools: Theres a renewed push for more equitably distributed funding. But school funding is largely dependent on property taxes, which puts the two issues in a common can of worms. Given a Governor-led push to provide property tax relief, its doubtful that schools will benefit any time soon. Taxes: There are probably as many proposed solutions as there are problems. Expect familiar terms such as freezes and lids to make a comeback. Remember the rule of thumb: its all about whose ox is getting gored. Welcome back 104th Legislature. Lets hope the 36 Republicans, 12 Democrats and one Independent can work together in a true non-partisan way to experience an epiphany. RABAT: One volunteer firefighter has been killed and another injured in a forest fire in northern Morocco, where new... PARIS: Three weeks into a refinery strike that has caused fuel shortages across the country, tens of thousands of... President Obama has too often disregarded the Constitution to pursue his agenda, from the expansion of federal regulatory jurisdiction over local waterways to his government takeover of health care. His announcement this week of an executive order to restrict gun ownership is one of the most blatant abuses of power to date. As an unwavering supporter of the Second Amendment, I am deeply concerned the Presidents unilateral actions directly violate the Constitution and subvert the will of the people and Congress. At a time when we should be focusing our efforts on combating radical Islamic terrorism, treating mental illness and enforcing laws already on the books, the President is choosing instead to undermine Americans constitutional rights. We all share the goal of reduced violence, but arbitrary gun restrictions do not address the root causes of the problem and ultimately punish law-abiding citizens rather than criminals or terrorists. Our laws already require firearms dealers to be licensed and perform background checks, regardless of venue. The Obama administration should focus on enforcing these laws rather than attempting to intimidate Americans through executive action and empowering government bureaucrats to determine who is fit to keep their constitutional rights. This is not the first time the Obama administration has attempted to undermine the Second Amendment. Early last year, I joined 238 House colleagues in sending a letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Director B. Todd Jones to stop the administrations proposed ban on M855 ammunition. In response to massive public and congressional opposition, ATF withdrew the proposal. President Obama has also proposed including Social Security beneficiaries with representative payees in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Struggling to manage ones finances alone does not mean an individual should lose his or her Second Amendment rights. Additionally, I am concerned this threat could discourage some beneficiaries from seeking needed assistance. In July, I joined my Ways and Means colleagues in writing to the Social Security Administration to oppose this proposal, and we will continue to fight it. The Presidents disregard for the legislative branch grows with each unilateral decision. When reports surfaced about this potential executive order on gun control, I joined 35 House colleagues in sending a letter to President Obama in December asking for more details and reasoning behind his possible proposal. We did not receive the requested information. None of the Presidents executive actions would have prevented the tragedies our country has recently experienced. Though we all condemn these appalling acts of violence, restricting law-abiding Americans Second Amendment rights as the Presidents executive order is designed to do is not the solution. Congress continues to work on multiple legislative efforts, especially in the area of mental health, to help curb violence while upholding the Constitution. It is the responsibility of the President to respect all constitutional rights, not just the ones he chooses. His executive order on gun control sets a dangerous precedent. I will continue to stand against this overreach and protect the fundamental right to bear arms. A few days after the New Year, I celebrate a birthday. While I dont get very excited about the actual number or worried about milestones, it is always an occasion I use to reflect on the blessings in my life and consider my goals for the upcoming year. A ritual I like to observe in peace and quiet. Most of us are usually ready for a little serenity after the holiday season. The decorations are usually stored away and my list of things to do is done. But this year was different. We are approaching the middle of January and I have yet to find my happy and quiet place. My son was still on break from school and therefore the television was constantly on and louder than what I think it needs to be. (Of the 12 billion hours of Netflix that was downloaded in December, I know our family contributed to more than necessary.) My daughter was home and while I enjoy her company, she has always been talkative. Nonstop, sometimes, talking. There seems to be music blaring everywhere I go. My phone is constantly beeping or ringing. My calendar is still full of appointments, meetings and obligations. It seems everyone and everything needs my immediate attention. How did I get to this place of continuous motion and how do I get out? Maybe Im in the middle of a much deserved nervous breakdown, but it seems like the constant noise and this pace of life is creating clutter in my head. It also seems that the more chaotic things become the less I talk. My mind is trying to take care of itself and searching for quiet. (It is during those times that my husband is repeatedly asking me Are you mad at me? Just checking in.) I wonder if some of you also believe that quiet people have the loudest minds? (Stephen Hawking) Are you one of those people? How do you balance what to hold on to and what to let go in your head? So early last week I began my pursuit of quiet, stillness, not thinking, not acting, not doing anything! But then it seemed like once I began my search, the worse it became! Hot bubble baths, reading, melatonin and taking a long drive. Tried it all! (But not at the same time.) I cant seem to get out of my head and pull my emotions together. A friend noticed how tense I was and suggested that a good cry is what I needed. It helped, but once I turned on that faucet, I couldnt turn it off. (I cried for an hour after loading our steers to sell last week. Yes, it would also help if I didnt name all the calves. Dont judge me.) In Lamentations 3:28, God tells us When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Wait for hope to appear. In fact, God tells us repeatedly not worry, but come to Him in quiet prayer. One of my favorites is Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Psalm 37:7. I am a woman of faith why is it that prayer was one of my last attempts to get stable? I guess that is between me and God, but I share that with you so you will not have to search as long for peace. I ask for tranquility of body, mind and soul. Give me stability and help me feel whole. My mind is now silent, quiet and still. I give thanks for calming energy. But aviation industry expert Hans Mitterlechner believes if one airline were to break the ice, others might be keen to test the waters. "There's a 'me-too' effect in aviation. If someone does it and the service is maintained for some time then the assumption would be for the others that this airline makes money. If that's the case, it's easy to prove the business case to a second and third airline to do this," he said. "On a small scale it happened in Toowoomba Airport. One airline put in services to Sydney about 13 months ago and now they're flying to Cairns and Melbourne. It proves the market to a certain degree. If Singapore Airlines were to fly to Canberra it would make a business case [for others]." And as an international carrier already operating five flights to Sydney a day, Mr Mitterlechner said Singapore Airline was the "most logical" one to dip a toe in. "For the local airlines one thing you'd have to remember is [Sydney] a very high yielding market and they don't want to destroy that, they want to keep it as it is and will not interfere with their own money making," he said. Queensland's generously rewarded premier is set to earn more than the leaders of China, India and Russia combined this year. The Queensland Independent Remuneration Tribunal has recommended a $6445 raise for Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, taking her annual pay to $385,605. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is on a higher salary than the combined annual pay of the Russian, Chinese and Indian prime ministers. Credit:Robert Shakespeare That's about $116,000 more than the combined salaries of Russian President Vladimir Putin ($194,480), Chinese President Xi Jingping ($31,391) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ($43,345) in 2015. Few world leaders will take home more money than Ms Palaszczuk this year. Parkes Way lane closures are in place, westbound between Clunies Ross Street and the Glenloch Interchange, until Monday. Two lanes will be closed, except for during peak hours, when one lane will be closed. It will be back to three lanes before Monday's afternoon peak. If you see any accidents or have any info on the morning commute, let us know whenever it is safe to do so: morningblog@canberratimes.com.au or tweet us @canberratimes The National Portrait Gallery has something for everyone to enjoy these summer school holidays with free activities inspired by Sideshow Alley for families to enjoy together. Until 24 Jan. The Ainslie Arts Centre is hosting a week-long music workshop for girls aged between 10 and 17 years. More info here. School holidays at the AIS means you can choose from the Pre-School Holiday Program, Soccer and Tennis Camps and a general Sports Vacation Program. Until 29 Jan. See the year's best cartoons in Behind the Lines 2015 at the Museum of Australian Democracy. David Pope: Touch or click through for editorial cartoons. Today: Hot and mostly sunny. Light winds becoming northwesterly 15 to 20 km/h in the late afternoon then becoming light in the evening. Min 15, max 38. Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. Very high (90%) chance of rain, most likely in the afternoon and evening. Heavy falls possible. Winds north to northwesterly 15 to 20 km/h increasing to 30 km/h before shifting southerly 15 to 20 km/h in the late evening. Min 21, max 35. Friday: Partly cloudy. Slight (20%) chance of a shower in the morning and afternoon. Light winds becoming southerly 20 to 30 km/h during the morning. Min 8, max 23. Five ACT incident management specialists have been sent to Western Australia to relieve their fatigued counterparts battling an enormous bushfire that has killed two people. The three volunteers from ACT Rural Fire Service and two members from ACT Fire and Rescue are part of a 62-person team, also made up of NSW and Queensland firefighters, that has joined the fight. Weary firefighters at Harvey Fire Station in Western Australia on Monday. Credit:Scott Britza The move comes after NSW recently sent 60 frontline firefighters to the west in attempt to extinguish the fire that has burned more than 71,000 hectares and destroyed 128 homes in the state's south-west since it was sparked by lighting last Wednesday. Although the incident specialists will not be battling the blaze, ACT Fire and Rescue chief officer Mark Brown said they are responsible for overseeing the firefighting effort. In a strongly-worded opinion piece published in The Canberra Times on Tuesday, Nicholas Stuart expressed his dissatisfaction with Simon Corbell's response to an alleged one-punch attack in Civic in the early hours of New Year's Day. I understand Mr Stuart's concern about violence of this nature. I also appreciate the personal perspective he brings to the devastating consequences of such offences. Unfortunately, Mr Stuart's piece contains some fundamental misunderstandings about the law which should not go uncorrected. He states that "the maximum, absolute maximum, penalty for common assault is two years' imprisonment. A brain injury lasts for life". That is all very well, but offences of this nature do not in fact result in a charge of common assault, which applies only to cases involving minor assaults, such as spitting or touching someone's body without causing any ongoing damage. Where a victim experiences "any permanent or serious disfiguring", the appropriate charge will be one involving grievous bodily harm (GBH). In the present case, the alleged perpetrator has been charged with recklessly inflicting GBH, which carries a maximum penalty of 13 years' imprisonment. In other circumstances, a charge of intentionally inflicting GBH, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years, might be appropriate. There were 18 offenders sentenced in the ACT Supreme Court between July 2012 and September 2015 for recklessly inflicting GBH. Of these, 11 (61 per cent) received a full-time prison sentence. The most common length of prison sentence was six years, while seven offenders (64 per cent of those who received a prison sentence and 39 per cent of all offenders) received a sentence of at least four years. There were also three partly suspended sentences, ranging from 1 to 3 years, and four fully-suspended sentences, ranging from one to three years. Half of the 10 offenders sentenced for intentionally inflicting GBH received prison sentences of at least five years, with two offenders receiving sentences of at least 10 years. Mr Stuart also makes an emotional plea that ongoing brain injuries are, in their own way, a form of murder. Although we should not minimise the trauma that victims suffer, the law across Australia, as well as most countries around the world, is that a murder charge only arises where the victim actually dies. If victims of one-punch assaults die from their injuries, there is already ample scope to charge the perpetrator with murder or manslaughter under the existing ACT law. Undercover police in Istanbul have arrested two men for allegedly smuggling a painting that may be a lost work by Flemish master Anthony van Dyck. Turkish police officers posed as buyers, arranging to meet in an upmarket hotel to buy the painting, which depicts a topless woman surrounded by two other figures, for 14 million lira ($6.59 million). A painting seized in Istanbul is believed to be the work of Flemish artist Anthony van Dyck. Credit:Istanbul Police Department They then arrested two textile businessmen and confiscated the painting. While Turkish police did not officially identify the work as a van Dyck, experts at the Museum of Painting and Sculpture in Istanbul were confident it was a long-lost masterpiece by the Flemish painter. David Bowie BLACKSTAR (Sony) "Everybody knows me now," laments David Bowie on Lazarus, a menacing neo-jazz lament at the centre of his new album, Blackstar, and as he's done so many times before rock's iconic chameleon declares his position fixed, his identity rumbled, just as he slips away into a new creative vista. But unfortunately, with his passing on Monday at the age of 69, Bowie's passage is complete. His work has the one thing it always denied: an end point. Still from David Bowie's Lazarus film clip, off his final album Blackstar. Credit:Theresa Ambrose An extraordinary career is at a close, one where his creative drive redirected popular culture through not only music but also film, fashion, and social mores, and it's now nigh on impossible not to hear Blackstar as a posthumous release. "Look up here now, I'm in heaven," begins Lazarus, and as the song unfolds the lyrics are keyed in part to Bowie's battle with cancer. "I'm so high it makes my brain whirl," he sings as dissonant guitars punctuate the backbeat. Attendance at the Homestead National Monument of America was up nearly 14 percent in 2015, making it the second busiest year in the monument's 80-year history. Nearly 78,800 people visited the park last year. Park Superintendent Mark Engler attributes the increase of traffic to a few different events. I think the release of the Homestead quarter last February had a tremendous impact, Engler said. I think also the National Park Services centennial anniversary and the Find Your Park campaign is creating interest in parks across the nation. Many parks are seeing record visitation. Low gas prices are also helping to facilitate people traveling and visiting national parks, Engler said. I just wonder what visitation would have been like if we didnt experience those early spring floods, he said. The highest number of visitors to the park was in 2012, the 150th anniversary of the Homestead Act of 1862. The parks visitors traditionally bring in more than $2 million to the Beatrice area and Gage County area each year, Engler said, but that number is expected to be higher for 2015. The parks final economic report for 2015 will be released in the spring. As 2016 is the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service and the 80th anniversary of the Homestead National Monument of America, Engler expects the parks visitation number for 2016 to break the 2015 total. We know that people continue to come to the monument because of the quarter, Engler said. We know that people come here for our cool and unique programs. Many citizens across the nation are making travel plans right now, including to the Homestead National Monument. Theres a tremendous amount of interest in the monument because of the centennial and the national discussion going around about the parks. Its all pretty exciting. A number of corporations, such as Subaru, are working with the National Park Service to promote the parks, its 100th anniversary and the numerous special events, exhibits and activities each park is hosting in celebration. Homestead has a number of extra on-site events planned this year. They include: * The Centennial Film Festival showing different films every weekend of January and February and select dates throughout the year * A theatrical performance called Lift Every Voice on March 4 * The Heartland Storytelling Festival on March 17 and 18 * The Homestead Monuments 80th birthday on March 19 with activities to be announced * A musical production done in conjunction with the Lied Center for Performing Arts on April 24 * The Tallgrass Prairie Fiddle Festival on May 28 * The Centennial Campfire Concert Series in the summer months * The Tractor Relay Across Nebraska starting at the Homestead on June 4 * The American Solar Challenge in August. College students from around the world will travel in solar cars from Ohio to the Dakotas and charge their vehicles at the local park on Aug. 4. The park will also host its annual Homestead Days in June, among several other programs throughout the year. Engler said the park is seeing more visitation in the spring and fall as opposed to mostly in the summer. Homestead is a huge asset to the Beatrice and Gage County areas, said directors from the centers for local business and tourism. It brings visitors to our area, said Lora Young, executive director of the Beatrice Area Chamber of Commerce. The visitors from out of town drive through our community, they shop here, they buy gas here, they eat here. Theyre new dollars from outside our area. Those dollars roll over several times within the local economy, she said. A tourist who comes into town and buys gas, for example that enables that gas station to operate and pay its staff, Young said. And because that staff member has a job, they buy food, they pay rent. Thats how the money rolls over. Young said she is looking forward to another great year at the Homestead Monument and in the local economy. Glennis McClure, executive director for Gage Area Growth Enterprise (NGage), said the Homestead Monument is a huge asset for the area economically and it makes the community and county more visible to the outside world. When we try to market our location as a great place to live, work and play, thats a wonderful amenity that attracts people here, McClure said. Were just so fortunate that we have that here, because a lot of places dont have that. The park does more than the general public might realize, McClure said. They have programs going on all the time and do a wonderful job of keeping things fresh and new, she said. Its not just a physical place to visit. They have very interesting programs and activities that people can take part in. A Brisbane Liberal National Party federal MP has come under opposition fire for moving into a new taxpayer-funded electorate office owned by landlords with strong links to the party. Member for Brisbane Teresa Gambaro moved last week into her inner-city Newstead electorate office, part-owned by a company with links to former state Liberal Party leader Terry White. FOI documents have revealed retiring Brisbane MP Teresa Gambaro ignored departmental advice to move into an electorate office with LNP links. Credit:Andrew Meares While Ms Gambaro only recently moved into the office, a lands title search revealed the Commonwealth had been paying rent for the property since March 1 last year. A Fairfax Media investigation has revealed strong links between the 5 Kyabra Street, Newstead, building and figures with ties to the LNP in Queensland. Some of the retirement calculators on the websites of the largest super funds are misleading fund members and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) needs to take action. In 2005, ASIC granted super funds regulatory relief on their calculators. That meant the funds have been allowed to put calculators onto their websites without fear of running foul of the regulator so long as the assumptions are "reasonable". The online calculators on some super funds' websites are shoddy. Credit:Erin Jonasson There are, however, calculators on the websites on major super funds that have not even been updated to account for the deferral in the increase in the superannuation guarantee. When providing estimates of how long retirement savings will last, some calculators, as well as not having accurate projections of compulsory super, do not even take into account the age pension. Teachers have warned that the NSW government freeze on TAFE fees will not be enough to curb plummeting enrolments in the state's public vocational education provider. Fees have been frozen at their 2015 levels in a bid to lure back students to the struggling institution. Since 2012, 83,000 fewer students have enrolled in TAFE NSW campuses, while fees in some courses have surged as much as seven times 2013 levels. The move comes just three months after NSW Skills Minister John Barilaro refused to acknowledge the effect of fee hikes on enrolments at a NSW parliamentary inquiry into vocational education. Victims told the researchers that some online behaviour was more confronting than "traditional" face-to-face harassment, with employees vulnerable to their tormentors even at home and some finding themselves hounded from job to job, and even from state to state. The Queensland University of Technology study found workplace anti-bullying efforts were failing to protect state and federal public servants from web-based harassment and abuse. Cyber bullies are stalking government workplaces across Australia, exploiting a "cyber underground" where they can harass or intimidate their colleagues with impunity, according to new academic research. A set of three studies involving more than 600 public sector workers from across Australia found 72 per cent of participants reported suffering or witnessing cyber bullying at work during the previous six months, with 74 per cent ranking their workplace as highly stressful. Researcher Felicity Lawrence says that even one defamatory video, post or comment had the capacity to go viral, and once posted online could prove hard to remove and could shatter an employee's reputation and career Cyber bullying at your department? Tell us ps@canberratimes.com.au Dr Lawrence conducted surveys and face-to-face interviews during her two-year study with public servants ranging in rank from the most junior to departmental bosses and found that no one was safe from cyber bullying. One senior manager ended up in hospital after she was powerless to stop a website set up by vengeful employees and dedicated to defaming her, while another public servant quit her job and fled interstate but continued to be pursued online by malicious former colleagues. A senior barrister's landmark report into the NSW compulsory acquisition system being kept secret by the Baird government was set to be publicly released two years ago, emails reveal. But the report by David Russell, SC, is still under wraps amid the forced sale of hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of properties for infrastructure projects such as the WestConnex motorway project and the Sydney Light Rail. Many landholders are complaining about the process, including that they are being offered compensation well below market value, with limited recourse. In November 2013, then Nationals MLC Jenny Gardiner told a businessman, Owen Coleman, that she had been advised the report "is due to be received later this month and that the government's response to it will be made available in December". Mr Coleman was eager to learn the recommendations of the report as he had been through three compulsory acquisitions of parts of his property at Bulahdelah on the mid-north coast, where he owns a caravan park. All of Brisbane has been re-mapped to show where 2011 flood levels would have gone if Wivenhoe and Somerset dams had been differently managed, 2011 floods class action lawyer Rebecca Gilsenan said on Monday. Law firm Maurice Blackburn lodged a class action representing 4000 flood-affected Queenslanders with the New South Wales Supreme Court in July 2014. Alternate Brisbane Valley flood levels have been mapped by January 2011 flood class-action lawyers. By January 2016 that number of 4000 people has swollen to 5500 people being part of the class action, making it Australia's second largest ever class action behind the 10,000 involved in the Victorian bushfires class action. Brisbane floods class action timeline His two-month-old daughter remains in the Gold Coast University Hospital in a stable condition. A 22-year-old father allegedly gave his two-month-old daughter OxyContin, derived from opium poppies, to calm her down. Credit:Leanne Pickett The Carrara man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was remanded in custody in Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning. A 22-year-old Gold Coast father gave his baby daughter the opiate OxyContin to "calm her down" police have alleged. Acting Detective Inspector Greg Aubort, of the Gold Coast Child Protection Investigation Unit, said police will allege the 22-year-old gave the highly addictive painkiller to his little girl when she became unsettled on Sunday afternoon. "We'll allege he put the child down and was looking for some sleep, some time to himself for a hobby project he had. The child became unsettled and he made the decision to resettle the child with this drug," he said. "There are foreseeable consequences. This is a restricted and controlled drug, it is restricted for a reason, it's dangerous and at a high level of prescription for pain relief." OxyContin is a close relative of heroin and used to treat severe pain. The little girl was rushed to Gold Coast University Hospital, after her parents called emergency services. Brisbane and other Australian seaports - are creeping towards an ugly seven-day strike by tug boat crews which could genuinely affect the massive fuel tankers and container ships entering Australian ports. The situation is part of a national strike campaign by tug boat crews in all of Australia's major ports described as "highly irresponsible" by Ports Australia chief executive, David Anderson. Tug boats move container boats into position. Credit:Mytchall Bransgrove In Brisbane a 12-hour strike by tug boat crews begins at 12am Wednesday morning, which is unlikely to have much impact on ship movements. However, a second 24-hour strike in Brisbane has been added by the tug boat crews on Friday with a seven-day strike by the tug boat crews also a possibility. Urban expansion could be partly to blame for an increase in snake bites in parts of southeast Queensland including Brisbane's northern suburbs, an expert says. Queensland ambulance figures show 90 people reported being bitten in the service's metro north area, which spans from Roma St in the city to Kilcoy, last year. An expert says urban expansion could explain an increase in snakes bites in parts of southeast Queensland. Credit:Yanni That's a one-third increase from 2014 and comes despite the statewide figures growing by just four bites to 658 over the same period. James Cook University biologist Dr Conrad Hoskin said the increase could just be a coincidence. The 40 Australian crew members of the MV Portland have lost legal actions in the Fair Work Commission and the Federal Court, where they argued the Federal Government's "temporary coastal licence", which allows Alcoa to replace the MV Portland with a foreign-flagged vessel and foreign crew, was invalid. The MUA claimed the ship could not be sailed to Singapore because of a shortage of seafarers available to operate it. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten labelled the midnight raid "disturbing" and "Work Choices on water". "I'm deeply disturbed that we're seeing Australian seafarers being marched off ships, replaced by foreign seafarers. This is the most outrageous act of industrial relations thuggery since Patricks. Paddy Crumlin, MUA national secretary "If nothing else, a government in Australia should stand up for Australian jobs," Mr Shorten said. "What we see here is Work Choices on water being introduced by the back door with a nod and a wink by Malcolm Turnbull and his Liberals," he said. Mr Shorten said in addition to concerns about Australian jobs, he was also worried about national security and protection of the local environment. "There's an industrial dispute but that's the tip of the iceberg. What we see is Australian seafarers, Australian jobs being replaced by foreign seafarers, foreign jobs on our coastline," he said. ACTU assistant secretary Scott Connolly described the early morning raid as "an attack on Australian workers and their families that has no place in a modern Australian workplace". "An acceptance that people can be forcibly removed from their place of work in an orchestrated midnight action should send shivers down the spine of all Australian workers," he said. Employment Minister Michaelia Cash said: "it is not for industrial parties to pick and choose which orders of the Commission they will comply with. "If the obligation to follow orders of the independent umpire is only seen as optional, then the integrity of the entire Fair Work system is put at risk". Alcoa has stated the replacement of the MV Portland and its Australian crew will save the company $6 million a year. Alcoa said it took "decisive action today to end protracted illegal industrial action". "Alcoa has been extremely tolerant and given the MUA and its members every opportunity to stop their illegal industrial action," the managing director of Alcoa Australia, Michael Parker, said in a statement issued on Wednesday morning. "Instead, the MUA has held our ship hostage for two months; disrupting the lives of other crew members, disrupting operations at the Port of Portland, and threatening the Portland community with the loss of cruise ship visits." In fact, the MV Portland crew moved their ship last week and anchored in the bay, allowing a cruise ship to berth. Another cruise ship, the Pacific Eden, berthed in Portland on Wednesday morning at a berth that had not been occupied by the MV Portland. "This was very meticulously planned," Mr Crumlin said. His first reaction wasnt to call the police. Instinct took over. Retired Lincoln firefighter Mark Munger was on his way back to Lincoln from visiting his daughter in Des Moines on Friday. He had just stopped for gasoline and gotten back onto Interstate 80 on an unusually windy day. The trailer hitched to a vehicle in front of him started to teeter. In a matter of seconds, the car swung dramatically to the left, and tumbled in seemingly endless loops until it plopped upside down on the median. It was the most violent thing Ive seen in my life and Ive seen a lot of things, Munger said. While others called police, Munger could only think that he needed to get to the vehicle as fast as he could and help in any way he could. Munger dodged debris from warped, body-size pieces of what used to be the trailers side paneling to shattered glass until he was finally able to pull his car onto the shoulder. Then, he got out and ran. Sprinting down the wrong way of the interstate to the wreckage 50 yards away, he realized that potentially more dangerous than the actual wreck could be oncoming traffic crashing into the scene. As he ran, he waved both arms in the air frantically, directing traffic out of the way. He spent 35 years of his life doing this kind of thing. He might have retired six years ago, but all of his quick response instincts came back easily. Its like riding a bicycle, Munger said. If youre in the emergency services as a professional I dont think you forget. To help people is just part of my psyche, my blood, my DNA. Theres no way that I could have not stopped. As he got closer to the wreckage, Munger scanned the ground for bodies that might have flown out. He didnt see any and climbed to the drivers side, got on his stomach in the snow and peered in the window. I could not believe people were still in the vehicle, Munger said. I thought I was running back to a car full of dead people. By then, more vehicles had pulled over. Munger could hear people yelling Are they alive? Advertisement (1 of 1): 0:26 Munger was able to pry the smashed car doors open and help the two children in the back get out. Next was their mom. Much to Mungers surprise, no one suffered any major injuries just a few cuts and bruises. Munger fashioned a sling out of his T-shirt for one of the girls who had a broken arm. Munger and the girls and their mom waited in another womans car to avoid the bitter cold. To calm the situation down, Munger told them that as a firefighter he had seen things like this uncountable times. Even though he had assisted people at all kinds of accidents in the past, this one in particular was one Munger hadnt ever experienced. It was so different in the fact that I watched it all unfold right before my eyes rather than pulling up minutes after, he said. So to watch the crash in front of you is disconcerting.Munger said that if theres one thing anyone should learn from this horrific accident, its that seat belts save lives.If those folks hadnt had seat belts on, there is no way they could have survived, he said. I dont know how many times that car rolled over, but it was a bunch and every window was knocked out, every airbag deployed, every safety device. (Their seat belts) saved their lives. Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi tweeted Boris Johnson, mayor of London, for some 'Boris magic' for WA's South West. Credit:Bloomberg Lisa Scaffidi tweeted Boris Johnson on Tuesday asking him to spread some "Boris magic" for Yarloop, as apparent payback for supplying London with a million of its Jarrah bricks more than 100 years ago. The Lord Mayor of Perth has made a surprise appeal to her counterpart in London for help in raising money for West Australian bushfire victims. The tweet read: "@MayorofLondon Yarloop West Aust hit by bushfire. 1M Jarrah blocks sent to Lon in 1800s. We could use some Boris magic now #help #globalcare." The mayor's disaster appeal has so far raised more than $1.5 million, including a $1 million pledge from the state government. Local mining giant Alcoa has donated $100,000 to the fund to help its employees and community recover from the blaze. A last-minute concert in Perth on Sunday following the cancelled Southbound festival raised at least $150,000. A separate online appeal for farmers in Waroona and Harvey whose livelihoods have been destroyed has so far raised more than $18,000 via gofundme.com. The Sixth Pictorial Trek from Here to There and Back Again We begin in Beaufort County, where wildlife, large and small, are in great abundance: Above. The ragged shoreline of Goose Creek State Park along the wide Pamlico River: Below. photos by Stan Deatherage Click images to expand. The The old horse and carriage barn at Moses Cone: Above. The craggy face of Grandfather Mountain above the Blue Ridge Parkway in Avery County: Below. photos by Stan Deatherage Click images to expand. The many monuments of Winston-Salem: Above. And the Moravian Old Salem: Below. photos by Stan Deatherage Click images to expand. Beginning to the morning here in Nags Head near Jennette's Pier: Above. Jennette's Pier rises from the clear, beautiful swirling surf here in Nags Head: Below. photos by Stan Deatherage Click images to expand. From here in the center of Duck in Northern Dare County, there is commerce along the sound's shore: Above. Here the wind's whistle in the rattling reeds of an unraveling cattails can be enjoyed by those who contemplate our natural world: Below. photos by Stan Deatherage Click images to expand. The grazing horses of Shackleford Banks: Above. And the long running dunes sand, an then surf of Core Banks, with the iconic Cape Lookout Light Station in the distance: Below. photos by Stan Deatherage Click images to expand. ... If only for the sunset over the Pamlico River along the Washington, NC waterfront: Above. photo by Stan Deatherage Click image to expand. Below is our new interactive map that will show where all the pictures were made, and if you wish, you can get the distances and directions to these vistas. Also, you can interact with the map by placing your address in the "Enter an Address or Place & Click Find" field, and then click find to get best directions and mileage between your address and the chosen subject site. More features to follow. Loading Google Map...Please Wait... Enter an Address or Place & Click Find Find Latitude Longitude Zoom This is the sixth of a new series of images from across North Carolina from my travels, and from the long intervals that I have spent with my camera making a record of where I have been. Upon examination of these random images, I concluded that best format would be the one page arrangement, where I cut the images to 1280 pixels wide, arrayed in a wide viewed 'fancybox' series, where there is a title of explanation, and maybe a bit more, but mainly, the photo should speak rather than my words. In fact, I plan to put my words on hold for a bit here, which will be to the fine relief of a great many.Each series will be random and varied; however, most will center from here in eastern North Carolina, which is closer to my home in northeastern North Carolina, in the county of Beaufort, and the county seat of Washington, my home. From this perspective, we will reach out beyond the myriad waters: fresh and calm, brackish and moving, salty with powerful waves, and get to see North Carolina, where we may know it a little better, if only through images.This random display of images of North Carolina, made by the Tar Heel traveler, may have been revealed earlier in BCN, and when I can remember a relative series, I shall link to it; however know that this series of ongoing themes will remain that there is no theme. In this random projection of unrelated images, the series will seek its relevance, its beauty and its strength of purpose.Across this wide swath of a state, we drive 5 1/2 hours to the Watauga County in northwest North Carolina, where Moses Cone Memorial is somewhere between Boone and Blowing Rock.And back again to the far northeast of North Carolina, but with a stop in Winston-Salem in Forsyth County , where the Slavic Moravians came here by way of Pennsylvania.And then due east about 4 hours to North Carolina's Outer Banks and Nags Head.And then we head about 30 miles on this extensive ribbon of sand to Duck, North Clina on the Currituck Sound.Oh to be home again ... well close enough in Carteret County And now to truly be back home ...We'll do another one of these as the time becomes ready and appropriate. At your leisure, please follow this link to the growing list of this pictorial series - "Across North Carolina" Latest News Australian Mortgage Awards 2022 broker winners reflect on big night Best of the best celebrate achievements Household Capital enters strategic partnership with Genworth The insurer now has a 22% share of the firm The chief executive of leading aggregator Vow Financial says debt management should be a major focus for brokers this new year.Speaking to Australian Broker, Vow CEO Tim Brown said debt management will be particularly important for consumers this year in a slowing property and financial market.I think [debt management] will be important for a number of reasons this year. The property market is starting to slow, the equities market is in a nightmare, and I think for our clients it is about building cash. I think cash will become king as the market starts to slow and I think people who are in better position with a strong capital flow and strong equities positions in other words, paying some debt down will be in a stronger position to select an opportunity moving forward, Brown said.They cant do that if their debt to asset ratio is increasing rather than reducing. By better financial and money management they will be able to reduce their overall debt to asset ratio which then creates, when the timing is right, new opportunities.Debt management will also be a major focus for the aggregator this year after it launched Vow Money Manager as a pilot at its annual conference in South Africa in October.The launch of our new cash manager will help brokers help clients better manage their budgets to achieve their goals and objectives, Brown told Australian Broker.[Vow Money Manager] is fairly revolutionary... It is not financial planning, it is debt management, but it also includes property. We launched that to the broader network in November and December and we are now taking a number of our brokers through a training program that will help them operate the system and better advise their clients on how to budget and achieve their long term financial goals and objectives.According to Brown, the software will sweep a clients bank accounts and bring current information into the clients budgeting process, allowing them to understand where they are spending money.It also highlights where potential discretionary spends are occurring and how they can better manage that to make sure it doesnt affect their long term financial goals, Brown said.Not only will the new software help brokers expand their service offering and retain existing clients, Brown says, but it will also put a broker front and centre of a consumers financial journey.A broker needs to become like a builder and control the relationship [with the client]. Brokers should be the ones to bring specialists in at different times, such as taxation, financial planning, conveyancing or property advice.The broker should be the determinate of that. When that client needs that service they should control the relationship and help the client better manage their affairs. Latest News Australian Mortgage Awards 2022 broker winners reflect on big night Best of the best celebrate achievements Household Capital enters strategic partnership with Genworth The insurer now has a 22% share of the firm Major mortgage and wealth franchise Yellow Brick Road (YBR) has reported its biggest month of mortgage settlements ever.Over December 2015, YBR achieved its highest month of mortgage settlements in the companys history with more than a 50% increase in settlements compared to December 2014. YBR declined to provide the total value of mortgages settled over December due to commercial sensitivity.However, according to YBR executive chairman Mark Bouris , YBR saw $12 million in lodgements and 23 applications submitted for its own-branded Empower Range alone over the three working days between Christmas and New Years, 29 December to 31 December.This is unheard for the industry where many brokers usually dont return to work until Australia Day, Bouris said.Looking ahead at 2016, Bouris says he still expects to achieve growth in mortgage settlements, albeit at a slower pace.The [regulatory] changes have slowed down investors but homeowners are still hot on the trail for a better deal on their mortgage. In a year of historically low rates and lenders fighting harder for owner-occupier business, weve had more people than ever jumping in and grabbing a deal with us, he said.Over the past quarter, Yellow Brick Road has consistently delivered highly competitive rates by quickly responding to industry changes. This is growing the Yellow Brick Road business and we plan to continue to launch fresh innovative ideas and challenge the banks in the year ahead. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams Theyre trading little pink packets for pink slips. The company that has made artificial sweetener SweetN Low in Fort Greene since 1946 abruptly announced on Friday that it will shut its factory within the year, leaving 320 long-serving employees with a bad taste in their mouth. I feel very hurt, because I put a lot of work into this company, said Delbert Ranger of Bedford-Stuyvesant, who has worked at the Cumberland Street factory for six years. A lot of people have been here for 20, 30, 40 years expecting to retire, and this is the thanks they get. Cumberland Packing Corporation which also makes Sugar in the Raw told workers it will start letting people go as early as May, as it outsources all of its packing and manufacturing operations to stay competitive with rival sugar makers. The announcement came completely out of the blue, said the workers union rep the 60-year-old family-owned company has had ample opportunity to let it know that it was in trouble and try to work out a way save the plant in recent months, but instead closed ranks. Cumberland had been meeting with the union to renegotiate the workers contract since September, but hadnt said a word, said the rep, and it blew off the last two meetings claiming senior management was too busy to attend. To say were outraged puts it mildly, said Louis Carotenuto, president of the Brooklyn chapter of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents the workers. The companys attorney sent the unions lawyers a vague notice about a meeting with workers the day before the announcement, then rounded up factory employees on Friday afternoon to break the news out of the blue before sending workers home early, Carotenuto said. Cumberland honchos told workers the closure pained them greatly, said Carotenuto, but if they truly regretted having to close shop, they should have been straightforward about their problems and put more effort into preserving workers jobs, he said. If its with a heavy heart, they wouldnt be ceasing operations, he said. They would be giving the union and workers the ability to work through this issue. The company which will keep its offices in Brooklyn says it will work with the union and state agencies to find the employees new jobs. We want to work with the union to help everyone find a new job if they want one, said board member and former chief executive Jeff Eisenstadt in a statement. But the union and workers say they wont go quietly they rallied outside the plant on Tuesday, where Borough President Adams joined them in calling for the company to keep the plant open. Both the city and state have given the company taxpayer-funded subsidies over the years, the Beep said, so it owes Brooklynites better. SweetN Low has a proud history in Brooklyn, but the plan to eliminate hundreds of manufacturing jobs would be a truly bitter pill to swallow for our borough, said Adams. I urge Cumberland Packing Corporation to come back to the negotiating table and bargain in good faith. Cumberland declined to address any of the unions allegations. by Wyatt Marshall Behemoth at Irving Plaza in 2012 (more by Greg Cristman) We streamed a track (and NSFW video) from Behemoth's forthcoming album, The Satanist (due out 2/4 via Metal Blade), back in December, called "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel"--here's what we said about it then: It's far moodier and more patient composition than the cluttered, robotic death/black metal that they've produced recently. They can still put the hammer down when they need to, though; the song's final minute is both the catchiest and most intense moment I've heard them produce since the mid-aughts. The video is pretty cool too, especially if you're into artsy black-and-white shots of evil rituals happening in slow motion. Moodier and patient don't apply to Behomoth's new signle, "Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer" (translation: Pray For Us, Lucifer), which finds Behemoth back to their menacing, furious black/death metal ways. Post-leukemia treatment Nergal and Co. sound as vigorous as ever, making The Satanist an early metal highlight of 2014. Behemoth's on this month's cover of Decibel and, as discussed, they will head out across North America in early spring with Goatwhore, 1349, Inquisition and Black Crown Initiate for the Metal Alliance tour, which includes a stop in NYC at Irving Plaza on 4/19. Tickets for that show are still available. Behemoth's also slated to play France's crazy loaded Hellfest. Listen to "Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer" and check out Behemoth tour dates below... --- Behemot - "Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer" Behemoth -- 2014 Tour Dates Apr 04 Club Red Tempe, AZ Apr 05 House of Blues - Sunset Strip West Hollywood, CA Apr 06 Regency Ballroom San Francisco, CA Apr 08 Gothic Theatre Englewood, CO Apr 11 House of Blues- Dallas Dallas, TX Apr 12 Emo's Austin, TX Apr 13 House of Blues- Houston Houston, TX Apr 15 The Beacham Orlando, FL Apr 16 Tremont Music Hall Charlotte, NC Apr 17 Theatre of the Living Arts Philadelphia, PA Apr 19 Irving Plaza New York, NY Apr 22 Club Soda Montreal, QC Apr 23 The Opera House Toronto, ON Apr 24 Agora Ballroom Cleveland, OH Apr 25 House of Blues- Chicago Chicago, IL Apr 26 Skyway Theater- Studio B Minneapolis, MN Apr 27 The Garrick Winnipeg, MB Apr 29 MacEwan Hall Calgary, AB Apr 30 Union Hall Edmonton, AB May 02 Rickshaw Theatre Vancouver, BC May 03 Studio Seven Seattle, WA Jun 22 Hellfest France by Bill Pearis tributes outside of Bowie's SoHo apartment (via @natebui) The world is still reeling from the news of David Bowie's death, just two days after his 69th birthday (and the release of his great new album, Blackstar). Here in NYC, where Bowie lived, fans have been leaving candles, flowers and other tributes outside his SoHo apartment building on Lafayette St, and there are also tributes being left outside of the East Village's New York Theatre Workshop where his musical, Lazarus, is in the middle of its sold-out run. As mentioned, Michael Dorf's annual Carnegie Hall concert will be a tribute to Bowie and there are bound to be many more musical tributes in the weeks ahead. There's actually one tonight (1/11) at C'Mon Everybody in Brooklyn featuring Lena Hall, Stephen Trask, and Tim Mislock of Hedwig and The Angry Inch, as well as Akie Bermiss, Bridget Barkan and more. Advance tickets for this event, which has been in the planning for over a month, are sold out but there will be limited $10 tickets at the door tonight. Doors are at 7:30 PM. Flyer is below. There is also going to be a David Bowie tribute at Manhattan Inn tonight homage to his work by Legs and SPK, also featuring Bowie celebrations by members of A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Strange Names, EMEFE, Pavo Pavo, Indigo Street, and other artists. That show is free and doors are at 8:30 PM. Jason Lindner, who played on Blackstar, plays Nublu tonight (1/15) as part of his "Electronic Mondays" January residency. Performing with him tonight are Sasha Masakowski (vocals, electronics), Jesske Hume (bass, electronics), and Abe Seiferth (electro-beats). It's $10 at the door. Also coming up is Disappears' performance of Bowie's 1977 album Low at Baby's All Right on February 20 which they originally performed as of part of last year's Bowie Changes exhibit at Chicago's MCA. They'll also perform a set of all-new songs and tickets are still available. Other Bowie-related events: The "Feeling Gloomy" danceparty is hosting a special Bowie weekend: Friday (1/15) at Littlefield and Saturday and Sunday (1/16 & 1/17) at Grand Victory. There's also a Bowie edition of "12XU" at HiFi Bar on Saturday. At Bowery Electric on Sunday it's a Bowie edition of "Sally Can't Dance" with DJs Jonathan Toubin, MIss Guy, Alix Brown, plus a live performance by Bowie cover band Michael T. & the Vanities with loads of special guests (tickets) If you need other Bowie things today to fill the void there is no shortage of stuff to watch. Bowie made a lot of television appearances in the 1970s, including more than a few visits to daytime talk shows. He chatted with Dick Cavett in 1974 (where he performed "Young Americans" and "1984"), and he and pal Iggy Pop talked punk rock with Dinah Shore in 1977. You can watch those, plus visits to Soul Train, a Cher special and more, below. Bowie in 'Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence' There are also Criterion Collection editions of Bowie Films The Man Who Fell to Earth and Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. Neither are on Criterion's Hulu page at the time, but that might change. You can see free screenings of both of those films in NYC at Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater on Friday (1/15) with Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence at 6:30 PM and The Man Who Fell to Earth at 9 PM. Bowie was also great as Andy Warhol in Basquiat which is on Netflix. There's also the 1983 vampire flick The Hunger (which also stars Susan Sarandon, Catherine Deneuve and has Bauhaus performing "Bela Lugosi's Dead" in the opening credits) and is available to rent. You can also watch D.A. Pennebaker's 1973 concert film Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars below. Videology in Williamsburg will be showing Bowie films all night tonight (1/11) in the front bar, starting with Christiane F, and that is free. It's a good time to be a post-rock fan. Yesterday Explosions in the Sky announced a new album, and today Mogwai. The album's called Atomic and it features reworked versions of the music they recorded for Mark Cousin's documentary, Atomic: Living In Dread and Promise. It's due out April 1 via Temporary Residence Ltd in North America (same release date and label as EITS) and the band's own Rock Action Records everywhere else, and the first single is the electronic-tinged "U-235." Listen, and check out the tracklist below. --- photo: Beech Creeps @ Union Pool, 2015 (more by Amanda Hatfield) You can browse our full NYC show calendar for all of tonight's shows, but here are some highlights... RDJ2, Thanksgiving Brown (DJ Set) @ Brooklyn Bowl The great underground hip hop producer RJD2 recently announced a new album, Dame Fortune, prefaced by the soulful single "Peace of What." It sounds like his new stuff is something to look forward to, and we'll likely hear some old faves tonight too. Lil Reese, Louie Crump, Retroi$awesome @ The Studio at Webster Hall While he's probably best known to most as the guest rapper on Chief Keef's "I Don't Like," Lil Reese has his own worthy career too. He most recently released the 300 Degrezz mixtape on New Year's Eve. Cake Shop Comedy @ Cake Shop If you miss Big Terrific and Hannibal Buress' Sunday night show at Knit, and are looking for a new free, weekly comedy show that happens in a rock club and sometimes has big name talent stop by unexpectedly, "Cake Shop Comedy" might do the trick. Tonight continues Jo Firestone's residency and guests include Kurt Braunohler, Jena Friedman, Carmen Lynch, Andy Sandford and more. Beech Creeps, Junk Boys, RIPS @ Union Pool Raw, noise-driven, and prone to pedal-to-the-medal tempos, Beech Creeps headline this free show that also features blues punks Junk Boys and Rips. The Show Show w/ Jean Grae @ Union Hall Todd Barry, Starlee Kine, and Donwill guest tonight at Jean Grae's variety show at Union Hall. For all of tonight's shows, and tomorrow's, check out our NYC concert calendar. For laughs, check out the NYC Comedy calendar too. ------------- --- Follow @BrooklynVegan on Twitter. Follow @bvChicago for just Chicago stuff. Also follow @bvAustin for just Austin stuff. RALEIGH As we honor veterans today, it's also fitting to celebrate North Carolina's commitment to the military and veterans who have served so bravely.From Bath, North Carolina's first town and site of colonial and Native American conflicts, to Alamance Battleground, where backcountry farmers called Regulators fought for freedom against the British, to Bentonville, site of the largest battle ever fought in North Carolina and the last skirmish where the Confederates were able to hold back the Union Army, North Carolina has a rich military history.From the U.S. Army's Wildcats in World War I, to those who defended the U.S. in the Pacific on the battleship U.S.S. North Carolina in World War II, North Carolinians have a long and proud history of military service. On Union Square at the State Capitol, the Veteran's Monument honors those who served in both World Wars and the Korean War. The Vietnam Veteran's Memorial honors the more than 206,000 North Carolinians who served in that conflict.Today, North Carolina has the fourth-largest military population in the United States. The Marine Corps and Army are the two largest branches with a North Carolina presence; the Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard are represented as well.Fort Bragg has more general officers than any other Army installation in the country outside the Pentagon. North Carolina is home to five military bases, a military ocean terminal, and a U.S. Coast Guard base. In addition, our National Guard has over 100 facilities across the state with 13,200 personnel.According to a state Commerce Department study, the military accounts for 10 percent of economic activity; it's the second-largest economic sector in the state. The military supports 578,000 jobs (386,000 in the private sector), generating $34 billion in state personal income, and $66 billion in gross state product.And with this strong military presence, a defense industry is flourishing with prime contracts issued through the federal Defense Department totaling more that $2.49 billion in 2014. These contracts are performed in 79 of North Carolina's 100 counties.As of June 2015, there are 102,000 active-duty military personnel assigned to units in North Carolina, and more than 78,000 are expected to leave the military in the next four years. About 790,000 veterans now call this state home, including 225,000 under the age of 50. You can find them in every county.Military veterans received more than $8.2 billion in pension benefits, medical care, and other DOD support, a positive impact to North Carolina's economy. They provide a large, highly skilled labor pool, everything from truck drivers to construction workers to medical personnel to high-tech communications.With their military training they bring discipline, skills, leadership, and a work ethic like no other. They have dedicated their lives and careers to service and understand the price of freedom.The governor made it a top priority and the General Assembly agreed that military affairs and veteran services are important to North Carolina. They have committed to making North Carolina the most military-friendly state in the country.In this year's budget, they created a new cabinet-level Department of Military and Veteran Affairs to ensure that military and veterans have an important voice in state government, an equal seat in the governor's Cabinet and a strong voice representing North Carolina in Washington, D.C.Appreciating that veterans' training, discipline, and leadership skills are a valued asset to be nurtured and encouraged, the new law SL2015-116 waives the 12-month residency requirement and allows veterans to attend North Carolina's universities and community colleges at the in-state tuition rate. SL2014-67 directs the University of North Carolina Board of Governors to look at granting course credit based on military training and experience.Recognizing that veterans bring skill sets to job opportunities, recently passed laws streamline requirements for occupational licensing. SL2014-67 and SL2015-143 require occupational licensing boards to accept military specialty training, experience, and proficiency in issuing occupational licenses. SL2013-201 waives the commercial skills test for a commercial driver's license for veterans with experience driving trucks, tanks, and military equipment. Veterans with military police experience get credit for training requirements to obtain a state law enforcement certificate.Started as a pilot program in 2013 with a grant from Gov. Pat McCrory's Crime Commission, North Carolina's Veteran's Treatment Court serves veterans who, while dealing with post traumatic stress disorder or other post-service problems, commit low-level, nonviolent crimes. The courts refer vets to services, pair them with mentors, and offer supervision and direction. The program has been very successful in getting vets back on their feet and is now expanding with four locations across the state.Under the McCrory administration, services for veterans are more accessible, consolidated, and available. By going to NC4Vets.com, veterans can access and search all federal, state, local, and nonprofit programs, benefits, and services in a one-stop website. Everything from employment to health care to federal Veterans Affairs benefits to housing to personal services to education resources are available online, in a hard-copy publication, and at telephone numbers 844-NC4-VETS.There are over 200 events across North Carolina honoring veterans this week. Find one near you and participate. Hire a vet. Give him a second chance if he needs it. Pass along the contact information for NC4Vets.com. Offer a warm handshake.And to all our veterans: Thank you for your service. Thank you for keeping us safe and defending our freedom. We're honored that you call North Carolina home. John Hood, president of the John Locke Foundation RALEIGH It may be hard to believe given the results of this fall's municipal elections, but not so long ago Republicans competed effectively with Democrats for political offices in North Carolina's largest cities.Gov. Pat McCrory, for example, spent 20 years on the Charlotte city council, from 1989 to 2009, as either the mayor or an at-large council member. Republican mayors and council members were not uncommon in other large cities during the same period. Indeed, there was a moment in the mid-1990s when four of North Carolina's five most-populous cities had Republican mayors.That's not what our urban politics looks like today. In the aftermath of the 2015 election cycle, the only large city in North Carolina with a Republican mayor is Fayetteville (Nat Robertson). In Raleigh, not a single registered Republican remains on the (officially nonpartisan) city council. And in Charlotte, Democratic Jennifer Roberts clinched that city's mayoral election despite having to win a tough party primary and facing a Republican opponent, Ed Peacock, who drew the endorsement of the liberal Charlotte Observer.So, does the Democratic upswing in urban politics mean that the GOP is in trouble in North Carolina? Not really. To understand why, it's important to keep in mind that most North Carolinians don't live within the city limits of places such as Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, and Greensboro. The state's metro areas are certainly growing rapidly and, as a result, the share of North Carolinians living in rural areas has declined. But many of the fastest-growing neighborhoods in those metro areas are found in places such as Wake County's Apex and Wake Forest, Mecklenburg County's Huntersville and Mint Hill, and suburban counties that ring the major cities.There are two trends occurring at the same time. One of them is that as people move to North Carolina, many are choosing to live near but not within the limits of major cities. The other trend is that North Carolinians who used to live in places like Charlotte and Raleigh are relocating. Other folks are moving in behind them, to be sure, and these urban newcomers tend to be Democratic-leaning. The ones relocating to the suburbs are still casting ballots, as well. But instead of helping to elect Republican mayors in Charlotte and Raleigh, they are electing Republican mayors, sheriffs, county commissioners, and school board members in their new communities.If you look across the state as a whole, the two parties are much more evenly matched than it might appear if you look only at marquee races in big cities. Of the 100 counties, 52 have Republican-majority commissions. This is not a case in which Democrats hold all the populous counties and Republicans have majorities only in small, rural ones. Many of the GOP strongholds are vote-rich counties such as Union, Gaston, and Johnston where GOP politicians hold many other local offices.In 1993, when Republican Tom Fetzer won his first race for mayor of Raleigh and helped spark the GOP upswing in North Carolina urban politics, his party controlled just 27 county commissions across the state. It is no coincidence that as GOP candidates began to struggle in the big cities during the first decade of the 21st century, they began winning more county offices. North Carolinians had simply begun to sort themselves more consistently. Right-leaning voters found smaller cities and suburban counties more to their liking, for a variety of reasons. Left-leaning voters opted for city life.In my opinion, while this sorting process may have been inevitable, it has had lamentable costs. Like most other fields of human endeavor, politics works best when it is competitive. Races among politicians who share similar views and partisan loyalties are less interesting, less likely to attract high voter participation, and less successful at screening out candidates who lack what it takes to be effective leaders.North Carolina remains closely divided. For state offices and many county ones, spirited competition between Democrats and Republicans will continue for the foreseeable future. Alas, the same can't be said for big-city elections in our state. Warm up at these 11 great coffee and tea shops this winter From Millville to Philadelphia, there are plenty of spots to get a hot drink to keep you warm this winter. PE doreste ca bugetul UE pentru 2023 sa se axeze pe Ucraina, energie si pandemie The Brutale 1090 has been thrown open for bookings in India. The motorcycle is priced at Rs19.3 lakh, ex-Pune. It has been brought in by MV Augusta India, part of the Pune-based Kinetic Group. In August 2015, the Kinetic Group tied up with Italian firm, MV Augusta to launch its models in India. The Brutale 1090's top speed is 265 km/hour Separately, MV Augusta said in a media release that the company would soon launch the Brutale 800, about 15 years after the first Brutale was launched, with total sales numbering 30,000 units. Source : BS Motoring General Motors CEO Mary Barra is taking on the added role of chairman of America's largest carmaker. The company said in a release that its directors unanimously elected her to lead the board, replacing Theodore Solso, who will stay on as the board's lead independent director. When Barra, 54, took over as CEO in January 2014, she was the first woman to lead a major global carmaker. Her appointment came shortly before GM became embroiled in a scandal over faulty small-car ignition switches. But she led GM through the crisis and a related series of embarrassing safety recalls, the statement said. In July 2015, Ms Barra said her company would invest $1 billion in India as it looked to make India its key manufacturing hub. The company has a plant in Talegaon in Maharashtra, where it would make the investment. Source : BS Motoring US motorcycle maker Harley Davidson said it would expand in tier-II Indian cities, according to a report. Harley Davidson's managing director, Vikram Pahwa, was quoted as saying in Lucknow that the company planned to open more stores in similar cities. To this end the company will hold periodic rallies for Harley Davidson motorcycle owners. Pahwa said his company had sold more than 12,000 motorcycles in India over the past five years. The lowest priced Harley Davidson motorcycle in Lucknow is priced at Rs4.6 lakh. Source : BS Motoring After four-wheelers, it could be the turn of two-wheeler manufacturers to leapfrog straight to Bharat Stage-VI emission norms after these introduce BS-IV in 2017. The government had announced plans to make car makers skip Bharat Stage-V norms last week. Two-wheelers currently follow BS-III norms, while car makers follow BS-IV. The government said last week that car makers would move directly to BS-VI from April 2020 against the earlier plan of April 2021. The year of BS-VI implementation for two-wheelers might be effective April 2020. Earlier this month, the road transport and highways ministry had posted on its web site a draft notification explaining the stage-wise (BS-V and then -VI) adoption of emission norms for two-wheeler makers. It spelt out implementation of BS-V and BS-VI from 2020 and 2022, respectively. This draft has now been withdrawn and it is learnt that new composite draft for two-wheelers, three-wheelers and four-wheelers will be floated, bypassing the BS-V stage. The new draft is expected within a week. "We had issued a draft notification for two-wheelers and three-wheelers stating the phased road map of emission norms. Since the ministry recently decided to leapfrog from BS-IV to BS-VI emission norms from April 1, 2020, we have withdrawn the notification. We will issue a fresh one soon," said a senior official in the ministry. Higher emission from two-wheelers is the result of their higher share in Delhi's vehicular population. As of March 2015, Delhi had 3.6 million two-wheelers against 1.94 passenger vehicles (cars, vans and utility vehicles). Vishnu Mathur, director-general of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam), said the association had been discussing the last draft notification with its members. "We will wait for an official notification before making a comment." Hero MotoCorp, Honda Motorcycle and Scooters, and Bajaj Auto are the leading players in the domestic two-wheeler market. Hero MotoCorp did not respond to queries. "Two-wheelers release four to five times more NOx compared to four-wheelers, which defeats the purpose of stringent norms for four wheelers. Motorcycles and scooters do not have exhaust air systems, which results in higher pollution compared to four-wheelers. Also, the number of two-wheelers is five times the population of four-wheelers," Kotak Institutional Equities said in a report last week. Kotak is of the view that the implementation of BS-IV alone will lead to a three to five per cent increase in prices and have a negative impact on demand. The sector is already facing a challenge due to rural pressure and is seeing declining volumes. The previous poll on Eastern NC NOW showcased what are many of OUR Constitutional Republic's certain obstacles to remain viable, where the top encumbrance to that continuance as a functioning Republic was the Biden /Harris Wide Open Southern Border. Understanding this overwhelming concern to real America citizens: Do you believe it important to challenge the veracity of those legislated concerns of Democratic Socialists by transporting Illegal Migrants to their Sanctuary cities, counties and states for their direct care? Yes; test the depth of their sense of well being by giving Democratic Socialists an opportunity to enact all Sanctuary provisions in their communities to test how much they truly do care. No; the Biden /Harris Wide Open Southern Border Project is designed to only inundate "Red States" to begin their Demographic Upheaval for the benefit of we Democratic Socialists, our politics. The latest ruling by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) allowing a Rs 571-crore relief to Reliance Power under the change in law clause of the power purchase agreement (PPA) of its 4,000-megawatt (Mw) Sasan power plant could trigger demands for similar relief by other generators, say experts. Any relief under Change in Law is certainly give-able. Such rules are not written in stone and if the electricity duty structure related to a plant changes for no fault of the developer, the increased cost has to be borne by consumers as pass-through in tariff. This opens a window for similar demands by other projects, said a former power secretary, who did not wish to be identified. The Anil Ambani-promoted company had on Monday said the central electricity regulator had approved a compensation of Rs 571 crore to be claimed from the procurers of electricity from its Sasan Ultra Mega Power Project (UMPP) in Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh on account of change in law during operation. While the commissions order allows recovery of one-time compensation of Rs 271 crore till July 2015, it has also approved a tariff hike of nine paise per unit or seven per cent increase for recovery of Rs 300 crore a year over 25 years of the PPA term. The compensation has been allowed on account of increase in electricity duty rate and energy development cess on sale of power to the Madhya Pradesh and on auxiliary power consumption. The compensation amount would be paid for by all the procurers of Sasan UMPP together. Apart from the lead procurer Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand are the other buyers. CERCs order clearly establishes the principles of change in law in line with the terms of the PPA between Sasan Power and the procurers, which will also ease pass-through of future change in law impacts on Sasan UMPP, Reliance Power said in a statement. Madhya Pradesh had in April 2012 enacted the new Electricity Duty Act increasing the duty on sale of power from two paise a unit to five paise a unit. The same legislation had also increased the electricity duty on auxiliary power consumed by a generating company from eight per cent of the discom tariff to 15 per cent. Another legislation was enacted by Madhya Pradesh in 2013 requiring the generating companies to pay an energy development cess to the state government at Rs 0.15 a unit. The regulator worked out the impact of the three developments increase in electricity duty, auxiliary consumption and energy development cess on the company based on separate formulae and concluded the claims by the generator were admissible as Change in Law under the provisions of the PPA. CERC, however, declined to accept Reliance Powers request for permitting the company to levy the charges in future through supplementary invoices on the procurers -- without prior determination of charges by the Commission. The Sasan project is currently operating at 100 per cent capacity utilisation. The plant accounts for a major chunk of 6,000-Mw of Reliance Powers operating capacity. Delhi is an important luxury car market and the ban on sales of cars, having diesel engines above 2000cc, has delivered a strong blow to vehicle manufacturers. For Mercedes-Benz, the ban is severe because one in every five cars sold in the country is in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) market. Of this, 70 per cent is diesel-driven. Mercedes-Benzs rivals BMW and Audi are not as severely hit because a majority of their diesel engines are below 2000cc. As many as 11 Mercedes models are impacted by the ban. Speaking at the launch of the GLE 450 AMG Coupe, Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Roland Folger said he was hopeful that the Supreme Court will hear its plea and take facts into consideration. Folger also said that downsizing an engine has its own challenges and the company is not looking at that option yet. There is no option of downsizing engines because it will take one to two years to make the necessary changes to the engine and further investment. What impact will it have on the performance and emission of the car will also have to be looked into, said Folger. At least 20 per cent of Mercedes sales come from Delhi. The company has offered affected customers the option of switching to a petrol engine. However the company is witnessing a delay in purchases. Meanwhile Folger has welcomed the government's move to advancing the date of introducing Bharat Stage VI (BSVI) emission standard in the country though there is a strong disapproval from the rest of the auto pack. We welcome the move to switch to BSVI standard from 2020. We have been selling Euro VI engines in Europe and it wont be too difficult for us to bring that technology here, added Folger. Indian is leapfroging to BSVI from BSIV while skipping BSV. Folger however has expressed concern over availability of BSVI fuel from 2020 onwards as any failure will lead to damage to the BSVI compliant vehicle. Mercedes, which is India's largest manufacturer of luxury cars, today launched GLE 450 AMG Coupe in India priced at Rs 86.4 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai) making it the first launch of 2016. The GLE, which is a cross between a coupe and sport utility vehicle, is a new class of product by the company and will compete against the BMW X6. The car comes with a 3 litre turbocharged V-6 engine producing a maximum of 362 bhp of power and a peak torque of 520nm. The engine comes mated to a new 9-speed automatic gearbox. BSE-listed Dr Agarwal's Eye Hospitals, one of India's leading eye care chains, is planning to invest around Rs 600 crore to achieve its Vision 2020. The Chennai-based group said it is planning to raise money from private equity investors to support the investment. "We would like to be a pan-India player by 2020 with a turnover of around Rs 1,000 crore," said Dr Amar Agarwal, chairman and managing director, Dr Agarwal's Eye Hospitals. The Group has set a target to close the current fiscal with a revenue of around Rs 400 crore and in 2016-17 it is looking at around Rs 500 crore and by 2020 it would like to see the revenue at around Rs 1,000 crore. Currently the hospital chain has around 60 eye hospitals, including 14 in Africa, 1 in Cambodia, one in Mauritius and the target is to take it to 200 hospitals by 2020. In India majority of the hospitals are located in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telegana and Andhra Pradesh. The company is now entering into Kerala by opening three hospitals. The hospital chain, which recently entered into Eastern market by opening on hospital at Kolkata is also looking at Gujarat, Maharastra and other Northern states. "Our strategy will be both organic and inorganic," said Agarwal, adding that the company would look at raising money from Private Equity funds to support the investment plans. He did not disclose the quantum. Dr Agarwal's is planning to invest around Rs 600 crore till 2018. The company which has around Rs 25 crore debt said that other mode of funding would be debt and internal accurals. The company adopts by hub and spoke model to cater to the patients. Agarwal claims that on an average foot fall across the hospitals is around 10,000 and similar number of surgeries are being carried out. One of the major strength of Dr Agarwal's, according to him, is innovation. The company which claims it was the first one to adopt Pdek, Glued Eye Well when it comes to eye care. Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) beat the continued slowdown in consumer spending in 2014-15 by managing to increase its sales by 14 per cent. During the year, HCCB's operating revenue grew to Rs 7,859 crore from Rs 6,898 crore last year - at a much higher rate than a growth of 4.8 per cent in 2013-14, its lowest rate since 2009-10. According to latest data available with the Registrar of (RoC), HCCB posted Rs 241 crore net profit in 2014-15, 23 per cent higher than Rs 196 crore in the prior year. Its net sales rose 16.7 per cent to Rs 8,897 crore in 2014-15 from Rs 7,627 crore in the prior year. The company's sales was bolstered by 11 perccent rise in volume. It also took a five per cent in 2014. Analysts tracking the company say profitability improved on the back of these price hikes in 1.25 litre and 2-litre packs. UNCORKING TURNAROUND Operating revenue grew double digit, helped by 5% price hike in FY15 Volume sales grew 11% in 2014 (which covers 3 of the 4 quarters of FY15) due to better penetration Despite decline in buying of smaller packs, sales of larger value-saving packs of 1.25 litres and 2 litres increased significantly Focus on better penetration and higher per-capita consumption helped the company beat slowdown in consumer sentiment HCCB operates nearly 24 production units across India. The company produces for and sells Coca-Cola products in nearly two-thirds of the markets in India. According to its filing with the Registrar of Companies, Coca-Cola India has managed to grow 22 per cent to Rs 1,818 crore in 2014-15 from Rs 1,492 crore in the previous year. Of late, the Atlanta-headquartered beverages major is increasing its focus on premiumisation of its portfolio in India. It introduced Coke Zero, a sugar-free cola drink that tastes similar to the company's flagship brand Coca-Cola. It is also working on a separate channel for distribution of its premium products like Schweppes in the country. A slowdown in the cola sector has been under way for three years, leading to lower volume and sales growth for all major players in India. Since news related to the risks involved with regular consumption of sugary drinks spread, and with India featuring among the top nations with a significant population suffering from diabetes and heart diseases, cola sales have suffered in the country. Coca-Cola in India had to undertake its first production cut in a decade during the summer of 2015 due to a demand slowdown. The Kishore-Chhabria-led Allied Blenders & Distillers (ABD), which is fighting rival Tilaknagar Industries for ownership of Mansion House, withdrew its notice of motion in the Bombay High Court last week seeking permission to launch the country's second-largest selling brandy in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The notice was withdrawn citing defects in approvals received to launch the brand in the two states. The withdrawal implies that ABD cannot launch Mansion House in the two states for now, setting it back in its fight for ownership of the Rs 400-crore brand. In a mail, ABD's vice-chairman Utpal Kumar Ganguli said, " We will find out the basis of the allegations of the defects in the approval before deciding our next step," Ganguli said. Tilaknagar's chairman and managing director Amit Dahanukar was not available for comment. A mail sent to him remained unanswered till the time of going to press. Tilaknagar, said persons in the know, was expected to monitor ABD's moves closely, since an attempt to launch or seek permission to launch Mansion House could eat into its business. Mansion House is estimated to help Tilaknagar earn around half of its Rs 748.2 crore revenue. The brand trails United Spirits's McDowell's No 1 in the order of leading domestic brandies and is strong in the south, a big brandy market in India. ABD has set its sights on Mansion House owing to the brand's position and the potential it sees of growth. ABD has maintained that it should be allowed to launch the trademark under it, since it owns 50 per cent of Mansion House's brand rights in India and South Asia, a deal it struck with the original owner, Herman Jensen, in 2014. ABD became a party to the ownership dispute between Herman and Tilaknagar for Mansion House in 2014 owing to this deal. Tilaknagar, on the other hand, claims that rights to Mansion House and another brand Savoy were ceded to it by Herman in 1987, which the latter says was never legally solemnised. The ensuing court battle between Herman and Tilaknagar, which began in 2008, saw a favourable verdict coming the latter's way. It was allowed by a single-judge bench of the Bombay High Court in 2011 to continue manufacturing and marketing Mansion House in the country. ABD, in the interim, began talks with Tilaknagar to acquire a controlling stake in the debt-laden company. "There were discussions between the two for ABD buying a controlling stake in Tilaknagar, but unfortunately, due to the indecisiveness of Tilaknagar, the discussions have since been aborted," Ganguli said. Dahanukar, who belongs to the promoter family, spurned offers from ABD because he was not keen to cede control of Tilaknagar. Only Vimal, which had earlier seen launch of many fresh faces mostly models in its advertising campaigns and was a top-of-the-mind jingle in the 1980s, is now banking on start-ups to revitalise the brand. For this season, Vimal Textiles, a Reliance Industries company that announced a 51:49 joint venture with Chinas Ruyi group in 2014, has lined up five unconventional role models. Start-up founders such as carpool app Zifys Anurag Singh Rathor, packaged food company ID Fresh Foods Musthafa P C, personal finance marketplace Bankbazars Adhil Shetty, clothing accessory store Chumbaks Vivek Prabhakar are among the faces that might help bring back the glory of the old days to Vimal, according to an executive. Karan Mehrotra, founder, Localbanya, which temporarily shut its operations recently, is also a brand face for Vimal. The idea is to depict the brand as young just as India is now, Pradeep Bhandari, CEO (textiles business) at RIL, told Business Standard. RIL had started with textiles business but now it makes up for less than one per cent of its total revenue. Last year, the group started the exercise of reviving the category through technology innovation, new product portfolio and marketing campaign with a difference. The companys design team had made a presentation before 1,000 trade partners on Monday night to showcase its new collection. Besides associating with start-ups for a new image, the company is focused on technology innovation to experiment with new things. For instance, Bhandari said RIL has got a patent for a new technology, Deo2, which prevents microbial growth. It took them three years to get the patent. From 50 stores (including exclusive outlets and franchisees), Vimal Textiles aims to have 150 in the next three years. In addition, there are thousands of selling points across multi-brand outlets. At Rs 500-crore revenue now (ex-mill price), the company is targeting to double to Rs 1,000 crore in three years. Although RIL is on a major e-commerce spree, Vimal is looking at online as just another channel and not a driver. The company is looking to invest Rs 300 crore in three years. The workforce, currently at 1,800, might not rise substantially even in the high-growth phase because of use of technology. Even as the company is trying to strengthen Only Vimal brand in India, around 40 per cent of its fabric goes to foreign countries including the US and the UK. Ask the executives why those glamourous models were not endorsing the Only Vimal brand any longer and the reply is ninety-eight per cent of the collection is mens clothes now, unlike saris and other womens wear which were dominant earlier. Digital payments company PayPal today entered into a strategic partnership with Shopmatic, an international e-commerce company that manages the entire ecosystem for online sellers. The partnership will enable merchants of Shopmatic to expand their global footprint backed by the flexibility, convenience and security offered by PayPal. Singapore based e-commerce company Shopmatic was incorporated in December 2014 by Anurag Avula, Yen Lim, and Kris Chen. Priced at $20 a month, it helps merchants develop their own webstore, list them on marketplaces and social channels, and also provides insights on how to sell online. It caters to a multitude of merchants from existing customers/merchants who are selling their products and services with no online presence to existing customers/ merchants, selling their products and services offline through online marketplaces. It is focused on helping not only, the small and medium businesses and individual entrepreneurs to find their feet in the online world but also give them global exposure. Commenting on the partnership, CEO of Shopmatic Group, Anurag Avula said, "Managing payments is one of the biggest challenges for small and medium enterprises. We are delighted to partner with PayPal to enable cross border trade for Indian sellers making it easier for merchants to accept payments from customers outside India. With the significant opportunity of over 51 million small and medium businesses, we believe that this association will provide a platform for businesses to grow their business in the global marketplace." PayPal, which facilitates online payments for hundreds of thousands of Internet e-commerce ventures, processed 4 billion payments last year. It has 173 million active customer accounts and is available to people in 203 markets. "We are happy to announce Shopmatic as our first Indian partner to enable online commerce. The emerging digitization has had a strong impact on not only taking SMEs online domestically but enabling their ambitions globally," said Hamish Moline, Vice President for Regional Merchant Services and Southeast Asia at PayPal APAC. Tata ClassEdge, a provider of technology-based learning solutions for schools, has announced a partnership with Knewton, one of the worlds leading adaptive learning company, and the launch of Cosmos, an integrated suite of products. This partnership will help schools provide customised learning tools for each student. Tata ClassEdge, a division of Tata Industries, was created in 2011 out of Tata Interactive Systems a large player in eLearning and simulations, with the aim of innovatively using technology to improve learning outcomes for children. Here, Cosmos includes a mobile-based parent app, home access to students via tablets/web and a value education curriculum in addition to the existing classroom, planning and assessment solutions. Nirav Khambhati, CEO of Tata ClassEdge, said that they have added technology to participate in the teaching process. He added that Cosmos would also improve the effectiveness of education systems in India and to empower teachers, students and parents. Jose Ferreira, Founder and CEO of Knewton, added that they have a proven track record of significantly improving student outcomes and the partnership with the Tata group will help bring high-quality adaptive content to students across India. Parents will also get a detailed analysis of their childs academic performance with actionable feedback, instead of just knowing their childs scores. Here, the application School Connect designed for parents aims to enhance parent involvement through simplified communication and transactions. Fernando Rodriguez-Villa, Senior Manager Business Development, Knewton said that they will be able to help in creating personalised education tools for millions of school-going children in the country. He added that this is their first such partnership in India. For students, ClassEdge After School application has been created to improve their individual learning outcomes. Khambhati explained that this creates a personalized learning experience for the students by allowing them to continue their learning outside the classroom. He added that if a student needs additional help in any particular subject or area, they can use this solution to revise and test themselves at home, at their own pace. Tata ClassEdge offers solutions across 1300 plus schools in India and this also includes about 150 government schools. Rodriguez-Villa explained that while the product will look and feel like a Tata ClassEdge product, the infrastructure and intelligence layer behind the product will be offered by Knewton. The technology is currently being run in pilot batches across India and will be made available to schools enabled with Tata ClassEdge technologies by April 2016. Knewton is an adaptive learning company that has set up a platform to personalise educational content. Learning can use Knewton Enterprise to build or enhance adaptive learning products across grade levels and subject areas. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government is gearing up to provide better health care services for the common man. The government has announced that from February 1, it would ensure that patients at government hospitals would not be turned away because of unavailability of medicines. The government would launch a helpline where people can report shortage of medicines and send a copy of the prescription via WhatsApp. The state government also plans to make health care more affordable by waiving user charges levied on diagnostic tests. The health department will come out with a revised list next week. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, 2016 will be the year of health and education for Delhiites. Government sources said the plan was ambitious, as it required ensuring no shortage of medicines and consumables mentioned in the Essential Drug List in each of the 39 government hospitals. The AAP government wants to change the perception of government hospitals being places where patients are harassed, a government official said. The CM met medical superintendents and chief medical officers of Delhi government hospitals on Monday. He gave them three weeks to get medicine stocks in order. He plans to launch the helpline a fortnight before the first anniversary of the AAP government. Patients always complain about not getting medicines at government hospitals. From February 1, no patient will be told that medicines are out of stock. We will ensure 100 per cent availability of medicines and consumables, Kejriwal said. Health Minister Satyender Jain had said the government wanted to take health care to the grassroots by doubling the number of mohalla clinics to 1,000 by this year-end. There was no official word from New Delhi on Tuesday on whether Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar would travel to Islamabad on Friday for the India-Pakistan Foreign Secretary talks. But Home Minister Rajnath Singh said India had no reason to distrust Islamabads assurance that it would take action on inputs from India about the perpetrators of the Pathankot terror attack. Sources said two key people who would have a say in the final call on the talks Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval were out of the country. Jaishankar was in Sri Lanka and Doval in Paris. The talks are on. The only question is whether these would take place on Friday or would be postponed, a government source said. The source insisted that any decision to defer talks would not be unilateral but through mutual agreement of both governments. India is also mulling providing more evidence to Pakistan on the terror attack. Islamabad had termed the evidence given by New Delhi until now as insufficient. It had demanded records of phone calls made by the terrorists to their handlers, who India claims are based in Pakistan, as well as fingerprints of the dead terrorists. Pakistan maintains a comprehensive biometric database of its citizens. It has conveyed to India that it would run the fingerprints though the database. But Indian officials were skeptical that this would yield any results, given that Pakistan had always questioned the veracity of evidence given to it by New Delhi. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will visit the State of Palestine and later Israel on January 17-18. The Ministry of External Affairs said this will be Swaraj's first visit to West Asia. "Palestine is the first destination in the region which in itself reflects the importance India holds for Palestine in its engagement with the countries of the region," it said. President Pranab Mukherjee had visited Palestine and Israel in October 2015. Swaraj will inaugurate the Palestine Digital Learning & Innovation Centre in Ramallah. Swaraj will be in Israel on January 17-18. The MEA said India and Israel "share firm belief in the values of democracy and free market economy." It said India and Israel also share close relation in the fields of agriculture, science & technology and education. "India's relations with Israel are part of its engagement with the broader West Asia region and are independent to its relations with any country in the region," the MEA stated. Union Minister for Chemicals And Fertilisers Ananth Kumar on Tuesday announced several large-scale projects, including a greenfield petrochemical complex in Andhra Pradesh. The minister, who participated in the closing ceremony of the three-day CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam, said his ministry would consider setting up a National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) in Vizag. On behalf of the Centre, I am making in-principle announcement that HPCL and GAIL together would establish a greenfield petrochemical complex in Andhra Pradesh. This will also bring huge downstream investment opportunities to the state apart from refinery and cracker units, Ananth Kumar told the cheering audience. The project is in addition to the ongoing brownfield expansion of HPCL refinery at Visakhapatnam, and would be set up at a different location in the state, the minister said. Expansion of refinery entails an investment of Rs 25,000-Rs 30,000 crore, while establishment of a petrochemical complex would mean additional investment of more than Rs 25,000 crore. Last year, the AP government requested the Centre to establish a greenfield petrochemical complex near Machilipatnam in Krishna district. A medical devices manufacturing park, which is expected to attract Rs 20,000 crore, would also be set up. This is second such facility in the country after Gujarat. Ananth Kumar praised N Chandrababu Naidu as the Sunrise Chief Minister of the Sunrise State. Apart from these large projects, the Union minister also announced a National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Niper) at a cost of Rs 600 crore in Visakhapatnam. The plastic engineering institute at Vijayawada would be upgraded, he added. The engineering institute will offer BTech and MTech courses with 5,000-seat capacity, compared with the existing strength of 200 students. MoUs worth Rs 4.7 lakh crore in 3 days Investors interest in the CII Partnership Summit, first to be held in AP after bifurcation, exceeded expectations of the state government. We were hesitant to host this event in the beginning as we were still navigating the problems of bifurcation, CM Naidu told reporters. He said 328 MoUs committing investments worth Rs 4.7 lakh crore were signed at the three-day event. The investments if realised may result in creating 10 lakh jobs, he said. I want to serve the people of Andhra Pradesh by bringing inclusive growth to the state. As Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping once said about the tools of economic development, I too am interested in a cat that catches the mouse. I am not bothered about its colour, he added. Naidu said the CII should hold an event similar to the World Economic Forum of Davos at Visakhapatnam in collaboration with the state government. Other investments On the final day, Subhash Chandra-owned Essel group announced large investments for two projects in the state. According to the MoU, Essel would set up a large solar panels manufacturing facility and a smart industrial city involving investments of Rs 13,000 crore. Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, who was also present for the concluding ceremony, said the Centre has agreed to develop three airports in Andhra Pradesh at Visakhapatnam, Nellore and Kurnool. Officials said during the summit, the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), the corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, inked an MoU with Andhra Pradesh government for expanding the capacity other works with an investment outlay of Rs 38,500 crore. The Andhra Pradesh government also signed two MoUs with State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) and Sany Group of China for setting up power projects of 5,000 MW involving $4.8 billion. According to a senior official of the state government, over 165 MoUs were signed in areas of industry and food processing. The Chinese slowdown would hurt Indian spinning industry the most in the textile value chain. India exports 40 per cent of total cotton yarn to China. This is likely to come down significantly, creating an oversupply situation in the domestic market. Apparel exports are also likely to be impacted due to yuan depreciation. Since August 2015, yuan depreciated 5.6 per cent while Indian rupee fell 4.5 per cent. Till December, apparel exports grew at just 7-8 per cent, compared with estimated growth of 13-15 per cent. The weakening of yuan by over 5 per cent and apprehensions of further depreciation of Chinese currency have sparked concerns for the Indian textile industry. China is a major competitor in garments and made-up segments. India is strong in the value-added, hand- embroidered, casual fashion garments consisting of small orders. On the other hand, China is strong in high-value, basic garments. If yuan depreciation continues, it would threaten Indian apparel exporters as both the countries have access to common the US and Europe, said Rahul Mehta, president, International Apparel Federation and Clothing Manufactures Association of India. The garment and made-up exporters from India are expecting a stiff competition in global if China continues its depreciation spree, says Raman Saluja, managing director of Ludhiana-based SEL Manufacturing Company. Because of low demand from China, Saluja diverted his business to other parts of the world in the last few years. However, with the depreciation of yuan, he faces a fresh challenge. Our exports are in most parts of the world except China. But with their cheaper goods, exporters from China may render us uncompetitive in the existing . Owing to the slowdown in Europe, our realisations have already been hit by 10-15 per cent. We have lowest cost of production and cannot trim it further. We are helpless, Saluja told Business Standard. Cotton yarn exports will see the highest impact. In domestic market, while cotton and hand-made segments would not be affected by yuan depreciation, companies in man-made fibre segment may face fierce challenge if the Chinese resort to dumping. Industry is planning to seek government protection against dumping of cheap Chinese man-made fibre. China is not only a competitor but also a major buyer, especially for cotton yarn, which is why the vertical will see impact. This may be offset if China continues to buy from India, said Sanjay Jain, managing director, TT Ltd. The vertically-integrated Nahar Industrial Enterprises Limited has reduced its exports to China in the past few months, focusing more on domestic market. We are bleeding and in some segments operating at razor thin margins. But the competition is going to be fierce in global market as Chinese manufacturers have immense support of their government. They may also resort to dumping in order to utilize their capacities, said Daman Oswal, Director of the company. The withdrawal of focus market scheme, duty drawback and interest subvention accentuated the challenges of Indian textile exporters. Yuan depreciation may be the last straw in the camels back. According to Oswal, the government should revisit its decision of excluding spinning industry from the interest subvention of three per cent. Of the total $40 billion worth textiles and clothing (T&C) exports from India, apparel is worth $16 billion. Yarn, fabric and made-up segments together are worth $21 billion. Union Minister of State, Commerce and Industry (Independent Charge), Nirmala Sitharaman, said that the ministry will submit the proposal for a Project Development Fund to boost investments in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV countries) by next month. Addressing the third India-CLMV Business Conclave on "India-CLMV Economic Integration: Developing Regional Value Chains", organised by the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, along with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Sitharaman said that soon the proposal "will reach the cabinet, hopefully in the next month and get a clearance." The proposal, in order to have better integration in the regional value chains, had been announced in the Budget 2015-16 by the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, for a fund of Rs 500 crore. The proposal is being seen as an important instrument through which, after feasibility has been established, Indian industries can be handheld through a special purpose vehicle in each one of these countries -- Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam -- to establish their manufacturing units in these countries. This is required so that the Indian manufacturers does not confine themselves only to producing in India, but would be able to better utilise the endowments and skilled manpower which are available, in these countries, she added. India's commitment to the trilateral highways and also the projects happening in the North East would say that the country is looking at South East Asia and we are particularly focusing these four countries in the region. "We are not just looking at trilateral highways, but understanding how the port connectivity can be improved. Not just the pilot happened about a couple of months, but we are very keen to open up our ports so that the traditional link between the sea ports can be imporved rather than going through a circuited manner,"she added. She said that India is in talks with Myanmar to develop a connectivity through the Chennai Port. Connectivity, either by road or sea is a critical thing and when we are talking about road, it is not just roads, but also air connectivity. There is possibility to bring down the time taken to cover the distance, if only there is direct connectivity. A study by the study centre attached with the Ministry of External Affairs has recognised the immense possibilities that exist between India and these four countries. The finding was, there is a potential exists of an additional export expansion to the tune of $100 billion with these countries and if only the country is able to focus through Special Economic Zones, Export Processing Zones, she said. The need exists for Indian Banks to go over to these countries and establish their overseas branches there so that the facilitation between exporters and importers will be much better organised by way of their presence. With the Prime Minister's most ambitious intiatives, Make in India, Start Up India and ease of doing business, when the World Bank will come up with its next report, we think we will be much better than the the last ranking, she added. Ravi Capoor, joint secretary, Department of Commerce, said that the country would see a tangible engagement with the CLMV countries would be more tangible by the end of 2016, with the physical connectivity measures are in progress. During the past ten years, India's total trade with CLMV countries has grown from $1.1 billion in 2004 to $11.9 billion in 2014, an increase of more than 10 fold. Almost fourteen months after becoming defence minister, and after missing numerous self-imposed deadlines, Manohar Parrikar on Monday announced the contours of the Defence Procurement Policy of 2016 (DPP-2016), which will guide military acquisitions after it is promulgated in another two months. The policy will include imaginative and far-reaching changes, including a first-time emphasis on indigenous design, reduction of export content in weaponry, a boost to the "Make" programme in which the government subsidises equipment development and encouragement to small-scale industry. Design, not just make In future, vendors offering equipment designed and built in India - termed Indian Designed, Developed and Manufactured (IDDM) products - will be preferred to vendors offering equipment designed abroad. The defence ministry is incentivising defence industry, so far focused on licensed manufacture, into the higher-tech realm of designing and developing Indian weaponry. The current procurement policy, DPP-2013, explicitly promotes manufacture in India. It gives top priority to the "Buy (Indian)" category; followed by "Buy and Make (Indian)" and "Make" categories, which mandate high levels of indigenisation. Lower priority was given to "Buy (Global)" and "Buy and Make" categories, which allow a greater role to foreign production. Yet, while these categories promoted Indian manufacture, giving top priority to the new IDDM category explicitly boosts Indian design and development. "This category will be the most preferred acquisition category, above the existing 'Buy (Indian)' category", said a defence ministry statement. Besides being designed and developed in India, at least 40 per cent of a product must be manufactured in India for it to qualify for the IDDM category. "This changes everything. The impact will be far-reaching and will have cascading effect. This will change India from being a destination for low-cost manufacturing, to being a starting place for cutting-edge innovation", says Ashok Atluri, managing director of Zen Technologies, a leader in designing and building training simulators for the military. "We welcome the move to introduce the IDDM category in the DPP as it will back companies like us who have proven competencies in indigenous design, development and manufacturing", says Puneet Kaura of Samtel Avionics. On the other hand, other defence industry innovators highlight the difficulty of identifying where a product was designed. "DPP-2013 clearly defined how India's manufacturing content would be measured. Now DPP-2016 must specify how it would be gauged whether a product is of indigenous design. Today a system could be designed in several countries; how would you calculate India's share? If not clarified, this could open up a Pandora's Box of misuse", says Rahul Chaudhry, head of Tata Power (Strategic Engineering Division). In addition to indigenously designed kit, equipment containing 60 per cent or more of indigenous content will also make it to the highest procurement priority. There are far-reaching changes in the "Make" procedure, which currently involves the government funding 80 per cent of the design and development cost of indigenous weapons platforms, with vendors paying 20 per cent. In DPP-2015, the "Make" procedure will be expanded into three types. In the first type, termed Make I, the government will fund 90 per cent of the development cost, instead of just 80 per cent. Further, if after successfully developing a prototype, the vendor does not get an order within 24 months, his 10 per cent expenditure would be refunded. This indirectly addresses an oft-expressed concern of the defence industry: the high cost of capital, which effectively raised its 20 per cent share to 40-45 per cent by the time the government reimbursed its expenditure. Now, say industry leaders, their 10 per cent expenditure would rise to 20 per cent. The second type, Make II, involves industry funding, rather than government funding, for prototype development. If a tender is not issued within two years of the successful prototype development, the defence ministry would refund the entire development cost to the duly selected vendor. The third type, Make III, seeks to galvanise innovation in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). While procedurally similar to Make II (industry-funded Make), this is reserved for projects with a development cost of less than Rs 3 crore, which will be exclusively reserved for MSMEs. For the first time, the army, navy and air force will each have dedicated "Project Management Units", headed by two-star general rank officers. They will drive all Make projects relating to their respective services. To participate in a Make contract, a firm must have a majority Indian stake and be controlled by resident Indians. The company must be registered for at least five years; three years for MSMEs. It must have a minimum rating of B++ from a recognised credit rating agency. For projects worth Rs 5000 crore or more, the participating company's net worth must be 5% of the development cost, subject to a maximum of Rs 1000 crores. For projects worth under Rs 5000 crore, the eligibility criterion is a positive net worth. Offset threshold raised to Rs 2,000 crore In a surprise move, the offset threshold will be raised, with foreign vendors liable for offsets only in contracts worth over Rs 2,000 crore. Earlier, foreign vendors were liable for offsets in all contracts worth Rs 300 crore; the policy required them to plough back at least 30 per cent of the contract value into the Indian defence sector. Private industry chiefs are slamming this "inexplicable move" that they believe would sharply reduce investment by foreign companies into India. Off the record, they blame the defence ministry's inability to implement the offset policy since it was introduced in 2005-06. Parrikar has complained that offsets raise the price of defence equipment by 20 per cent. Another proposed DPP change will encourage vendors of commercial equipment - such as jeeps or trucks - to participate in tenders without incurring large expenses on costly modifications, which would be money wasted if their product is not chosen. For example, a tender could involve a specialised communications truck, which requires radio racks and antenna fitted onto commercial trucks. The ministry would specify two sets of essential parameters. "Essential Parameters A" would evaluate only the automotive performance of vehicles fielded by truck vendors, without requiring them to make costly radio modifications. Thereafter, only selected vehicles would be tested for "Essential Parameters B". "This (will increase the) vendor base by allowing participation of vendors who will make changes to existing product specifications, only on receipt of assured orders", says the ministry release. In another progressive change, Parrikar announced that the lowest qualifying bidder would no longer win a defence contract automatically, if another bidder were offering an obviously superior product at a marginally higher cost. The ministry says: "(Tenders) will also contain Enhanced Performance Parameters, to provision for additional capabilities over and above the essential parameters [which are determined by the military]; vendors meeting the same will be provided additional credit score while evaluating their product cost." DPP-2015 also seeks to overcome that defence procurement bugbear - "single vendor situations" - which often stall acquisition programmes because the vendor is perceived as enjoying too much leverage in the absence of competition. Now the defence ministry says: "Single vendor cases will be processed, with due justification." In fact, previous DPPs provide for continuing with single vendor acquisitions, with due justification noted on file. However, bureaucrats have tended to scuttle such procurements for fear of awkward questions later. Tour operators have embarked on a one message a day' campaign to highlight the woes of the sector to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The five-day campaign was launched by Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) on Monday. Each day, the members of the association which represents 1,700 tour operators, travel agents and hotels will send a message on the PMs interactive site to complain about high taxes, weak implementation of e-visas, employment issues, poor infrastructure at national monuments, and lack of tourism marketing campaigns. The campaign will end on Friday. The past year has seen an alarming slowdown in tourism arrivals into India and consequently, business for a vast majority of our members. Although government figures show small increases, the actual situation on the ground for the organised tourism sector as reported by our members and partner hotels is very different. It is evident that foreign arrivals into India have a higher percentage of non-tourists, said Gaur Kanjilal, IATO's executive director in his email to members. In 2015, India received eight million foreign tourists which is a growth of 4.4 per cent over 2014, according to tourism ministry data. The tourism data include arrivals of all foreign citizens including those of Indian origin visiting friends and relatives category. This category is not a big contributor to tour operators' business. A tourism ministry spokesperson did not respond to an email query on the topic. The decline (in tourists) can be attributed to a number of reasons. A lack of overseas promotion by the government; outdated brand image; no heads for India Tourism offices across the world; poor public relations efforts to counter negative press; our high prices due to irrational taxation structures, Kanjilal noted in his email. Low arrivals are not due to safety or security issues in India, but owing to a lack of effective strategy and campaigns, tour operators said. Even foreigners visiting the iconic Taj Mahal has been declining for the past three years. There are problems with e-visa, too, and its payment gateway. Applicants have been facing issues in making payments. We have been complaining about the issues to the tourism ministry, but we felt we need to highlight them directly with the Prime Minister. We are encouraged by the response of our members to our campaign and both our core and non-core members are participating in it, said Rajeev Kohli, vice-president, IATO. Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) and insurers are focussing on long-term and systematic protection-based plans. The regulator has more than doubled the number of approvals given for such products. There has been more than 160 per cent rise in the number of protection-based products and riders in the industry approved by Irdai in calendar year 2015. Irdai approved about 97 protection-based plans/riders in 2015, compared with 37 protection-based plans/riders a year ago. Sandeep Batra, executive director, ICICI Prudential Life said the industry needs to do more in the protection-based space. However, there is good news as there is a three-fold increase in the number of protection products approved by Irdai in the year 2015, he said. In 2015, about 215 products were approved, compared with 137 in 2014 by the Irdai. Protection-based plans provide full safeguard and financial stability to the subscribers family in case of unforeseen events like death. These include pure term plans which are usually low-cost in nature. Global reinsurer Swiss Re has found big gaps in insurance coverage (pure protection) in Indian households. The mortality protection gap report for Asia Pacific by Swiss Re has found that the gap in India was $8,555 billion in 2014. Clarence Wong, head of economic research and consulting, Asia Pacific, Swiss Re had earlier said while there was an increase in insurance coverage in India, it has not been adequate to fill the protection gap the extent to which families were insufficiently covered for death of their earning members. The study said the sum insured per working person with dependents in India was $2101 in 2014 (about Rs 1.3 lakh), which is much lower than other APAC countries like Australia, which has a sum insured of $303,401 per working person with dependents. For a typical Indian household, for every $100 needed for protection, only $7.8 of savings and insurance is in place. Anup Rau, CEO, Reliance Life said there has been an emphasis on selling protection-based plans. Rau explained that ever since the focus has shifted away from unit-linked insurance plans, regulations were tightened in September 2010, insurers have turned to long-term and systematic protection-based plans. Protection-based plans are now close to half of the total products available in the life insurance segment. Compared to 27 per cent in 2014, they now comprise 45 per cent of total life insurance offerings. Batra said customers need to understand that they should at least have an insurance cover that is 10 times their annual income, just to sustain their current lifestyle. We are grossly underinsured. Hence, we as an industry are working to bridge the protection gap. As a company too, we recently launched iProtect Smart, to bridge this gap, he said. Insurance penetration, measured as a percentage of premiums to a countrys gross domestic product (GDP), has been on a constant drop in India. According to the latest study from global reinsurer Swiss Re, Indias insurance penetration fell to 3.3 per cent in FY15, compared to 3.9 per cent in FY14. Vice President Sri. Hamid Ansari calls for positive interaction between different religions . . Vice President Shri. M Hamid Ansari today called upon people of different faiths and religious traditions to have a mutual understanding and respect that allow them to live and cooperate with each other in spite of their differences. . . Inaugurating an Interfaith Conference at Malappuram, Mr Ansari noted that interreligious and interfaith dialogue had to be more than mere words or talk. ''It must include human interaction and relationships, '' he said. . . Quoting Swami Vivekananda on his birth anniversary, the Vice President said that tolerance alone is not strong enough a foundation for building an inclusive and pluralistic society. It must be coupled with acceptance and understanding. . . ''We need to challenge ourselves to see beyond the stereotypes and preconceptions that prevent us from accepting others. Dialogue removes misunderstanding and promotes empathy and understanding. And in this crucial task interfaith dialogue plays an important role,'' Shri. Ansari added. . . ''The purpose of interfaith dialogue is to increase our understanding of and respect for other religious systems and institutions, thereby increasing our appreciation of their values'' he said, adding that there should be a cooperative and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions, at both the individual and institutional level. . . ''Each party remains true to their own beliefs while respecting the right of the other to practice their faith freely,'' he added. . . The Vice President noted that India has been home to all the great religions of the world. ''Our society has, for centuries, provided a unique social and intellectual environment in which many distinct religions have not only co-existed peacefully but have also enriched each other.'' . . He said Kerala has had a long tradition of religious pluralism. It is a state that has the oldest traditions of Islam and Christianity in India and is known for the relative harmony that exists between the various religious groups. . . Recalling the remarks made by Prime Minister at a public function in Kerala last year, Vice President said that the spirit of pluralism and accommodation of cultural diversity pervades the Constitution of India as well as the dominant political discourse in the country. . . Vice President also said that acceptance goes a step beyond tolerance. It is a person's assent to the reality of a situation, recognizing a process or condition without attempting to change it, protest, or exit. You can tolerate something without accepting it, but you cannot accept something without tolerating it. . . Wishing the conference success, the Vice President said that Kerala has had a long tradition of religious pluralism and the organizers of the event were inheritors of this tradition. . . Visit of External Affairs Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj to Israel (January 17- 18, 2016) . . Visit of External Affairs Minister to Israel (January 17- 18, 2016) . . The External Affairs Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj will pay an official visit to Israel from 17-18 January 2016. She will be accompanied by Secretary (East) and other officials from MEA. This is the first visit of EAM to Israel and comes after the State visit of The President of India to Israel in the month of October 2015. India and Israel share close and multifaceted relationship. . . During the visit EAM will hold discussions with the Israeli leadership and review entire gamut of India Israel bilateral relations. The two sides share firm belief in the values of democracy and free market economy. India and Israel also share close relation in the fields of agriculture, science & technology and education. EAM will also interact with the Indian community in Israel during her visit. The visit will augment Indias bilateral relations with Israel and further strengthen the linkages between the two sides. . . Indias relations with Israel are part of its engagement with the broader West Asia region and are independent to its relations with any country in the region. . . YSK/Uma Visit of External Affairs Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj to Palestine (January 17, 2016) . . Visit of External Affairs Minister to Palestine (January 17, 2016) . . The External Affairs Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj will visit the State of Palestine on 17 January 2016. EAM will be accompanied by Secretary (East) and other officials from MEA. This is the first visit of EAM to West Asia region and Palestine is the first destination in the region which in itself reflects the importance India holds for Palestine in its engagement with the countries of the region. The visit also comes after the state visit of President of India to Palestine in October 2015. . . During her visit EAM will meet with the Palestinian leadership and review India Palestinian bilateral relations. India shares traditionally close relations with the State of Palestine and contributing actively through capacity building and human resource development initiatives with Palestine. The visit will also reaffirm Indias continued political, diplomatic and developmental support to Palestine. EAM will also inaugurate the Palestine Digital Learning & Innovation Centre in Ramallah. The visit will further deepen the mutual understanding at the political level and boost bilateral engagement with Palestine. . . YSK/Uma AG agrees on temporary halt for Syrians; charities cry foul CJ Photo by Dan Way At a Wednesday press conference, Dallas Woodhouse, executive director of the N.C. Republican Party, asked if Attorney General Roy Cooper supported a temporary halt in resettlement of Syrian refugees to North Carolina. RALEIGH One day after national refugee organizations accused 31 governors of discrimination and fear-mongering in seeking a halt in the flow of Syrian refugees into their states, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper came out in support of Gov. Pat McCrory's request for such a moratorium."As chief law enforcement officer of North Carolina, I support asking the federal government to pause refugee entries to make sure we have the most effective screening process possible so our humanitarian efforts are not hijacked," Cooper said Wednesday.Cooper issued his statement several hours after North Carolina Republican Party Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse called on Cooper and Durham attorney Ken Spaulding, Democrats running against Republican incumbent McCrory, to make their positions known.At a press conference outside Cooper's office, Woodhouse asked if the Democrats "support[ed] what the governor, 10 members of the congressional delegation, and the leadership of the General Assembly, as well as other governors do," to freeze the program while ensuring screening procedures to keep potential terrorists out.Spaulding could not be reached for comment.Charities assisting refugee resettlement in the United States have been unmoved by the requests for a temporary halt. If the Islamic State's intention in launching last Friday's wave of terrorist attacks in Paris that killed 129 and wounded at least 350 was to provoke "small-minded panic, some governors are helping them to get their wish," Linda Hartke, president of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, said during a Tuesday conference call arranged by Refugee Council USA."It would be pretty amazing for a governor to decide to discriminate in the provision of services based on ethnicity or racial makeup," said Lavinia Limon, president and CEO of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants."I understand that the governors want to protect their citizens," Limon said during the conference call. But they also must protect individual freedoms and laws to prevent racial and ethnic discrimination."I find that the statements are not only offensive but illegal and impractical" that some governors would prevent local education or social service agencies from cooperating with assistance programs for Syrian refugees, Limon said."The governors creating this kind of poisonous atmosphere ... is really disturbing," she said.Also on the call, Kevin Appleby, director of Migration Policy for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the federal government has plenary power to regulate who comes into the U.S., and has the authority to place refugees in localities of its choosing. States do not have a right of refusal, he said."I would think any court case, that the states would have a difficult time making the case that they have the right to deny a legal resident" travel or residence in their state, Appleby said.A governor could eliminate any state funding for refugee programs, though nearly all refugee assistance is federally funded. States could refuse to accept federal flow-through dollars to disallow state health department and social services agencies from participating in the refugee program.Governors in about a half dozen states have shut down their refugee assistance in the past, Limon said."There was never any rancor or political reasons for this happening," Limon said. Programs had become so small they no longer required state cooperation.In those cases the federal government is required to contract with another refugee agency to coordinate and administer federal funds.All three refugee assistance representatives said governors and others calling for a moratorium are misleading the public by questioning the strength of the vetting process for Syrian refugees.Syrians "receive special scrutiny," Appleby said. "I don't know what else they could do" to make it more rigorous.But Hartke admitted refugee agencies don't know all the specifics about refugee screening."The minute details of every step of the process are not disclosed by our government," she said.Although Limon said refugee agencies closely monitor and work with refugees, when pressed for statistics showing criminal activity by refugees, she admitted, "We don't keep those."Jim Hanson, executive vice president of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Security Policy, acknowledged governors "don't have the power in most cases to stop this" influx of Syrians.But governors took an oath of office to defend and protect their citizens, and are correct to make a powerful political statement, he said.Hanson also lacks confidence in the vetting process."I think there's a difference between a lot of screening and effective screening," Hanson said. "It's the difference between security theater, which is the appearance of a rigorous screening process, and actual security, which is based on information that we don't have, and we can't get at this point in time" because Syria is more of a lawless region than a sovereign state, Hanson said."All of the records of that state, to the extent there were any, have been compromised because the government offices have been raided everywhere except Damascus," Hanson said. While the feds and refugee contractors insist refugees are cross-checked on Syrian databases, he said such systems don't exist in the war-ravaged nation."Tens of thousands of Syrian passports were looted from government agencies" and easily could be falsified by jihadists from anywhere, Hanson said.It would be less expensive and more humane to resettle refugees in their home regions than allow them to flood Europe or come to the United States, he said.Hanson rejects claims that governors are creating a hostile environment that could result in backlash against Muslims."I wish that the acts of Islamic terror were as fictitious as these claims of Islamophobia," he said. "We have dead bodies all around the globe." While American consumers were taking advantage of low gas prices to buy trucks and sport utility vehicles in large numbers, some automakers delayed investing in slower-selling electrified vehicles. But with increases in federal fuel-economy standards looming in 2017, car are hustling to bring out hybrid and electric models to help them meet the new rules - even though electrified vehicles make up only 2 per cent of overall sales. The federal government has mandated corporate average fuel economy of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. But need to meet an interim standard of about 37 m.p.g. by next year. Now, despite declining gas prices, automakers are showing off a raft of electric and hybrid models this week at the annual North American Auto Show in Detroit. On Monday, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles introduced a plug-in hybrid-electric version of its new minivan model, the Pacifica, making it the first hybrid vehicle in the Italian-American automaker's lineup. The Pacifica joined several other new electrified models introduced by other automakers at the auto show, including models from Ford Motor Company and General Motors. Fiat Chrysler has been an industry laggard in the push for electrified cars, relying heavily in recent years on sales of Ram pickups and Jeep sport utility vehicles to drive its growth in the American market. The results, at least financially, have been stellar. Profits have surged and market share has expanded at the expense of Fiat Chrysler's rivals. But Fiat Chrysler's chief executive, Sergio Marchionne, acknowledged on Monday that his company needed more high-mileage models, and the hybrid minivan was a good starting point. "The 2025 numbers are very high numbers," Marchionne said at a news conference. "You look around the show at all the hybrids and the electrification as being a solution to the rules in 2025." The hybrid minivan is powered by a battery charge that can cover 30 miles of driving, at which point a gasoline engine kicks in to extend its range. The company estimates that the vehicle will achieve an equivalent of 80 mpg in city driving. One hybrid alone will not improve Fiat Chrysler's corporate average fuel numbers enough to meet the coming standards. Last year, the company's fleetwide average was about 22 miles per gallon - making it one of the least fuel-efficient in the industry. Marchionne said the company would improve its average by continuing to improve the mileage of its conventional gasoline-powered vehicles, as well as by adding hybrids. Fiat Chrysler is also preparing for stricter federal rules on pollutants by purchasing emissions credits from competitors like Tesla, which can easily meet the standards by virtue of its all-electric product lineup. Marchionne said that Fiat Chrysler had to balance how much to spend on new technologies that improve fuel efficiency and cut pollution with the opportunity to buy credits that help it meet emissions standards. "We will get technology, but at a price," he said. "The cost associated with the plug-in minivan is not inconsequential." Buying emissions credits from other carmakers is part of the overall effort to comply with government standards. "It would be nonsensical for us not to utilise that market," he said. Other automakers are also adding vehicles to their lineups that can help improve fleetwide fuel-economy numbers. Mark Reuss, head of global product development at General Motors, said his company was improving fuel economy across its lineup with smaller, more efficient gasoline engines, aerodynamic designs and reductions in vehicle weight. But G.M. still needs new vehicles like the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt to make substantial gains in corporatewide fuel economy. "It is a zero-emission vehicle, so there are a lot of credits for vehicles like the Bolt," Reuss said. "Our plan is to improve fuel economy on all fronts, from taking weight out of new models to introducing game-changers like the Bolt." The average fuel economy of vehicles sold in the United States had been improving steadily until gas prices plunged to $2 a gallon last year. Consumers have opted to buy more trucks and S.U.V.s than passenger cars in 2015, resulting in greater overall fuel consumption. In December, the average fuel economy of a new vehicle sold in the United States was 24.9 miles per gallon, according to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. That was the first time in two years that the average fell below 25 miles per gallon, according to figures compiled by the institute. One analyst said that automakers could hardly be blamed for meeting high demand for pickups and S.U.V.s, even if it set back their fuel-efficiency goals. "The government is regulating what automakers have to produce to meet new standards, but it isn't what consumers want to buy," said Michelle Krebs, an analyst with the firm Autotrader. More electric cars and hybrids are coming to the market this year, including a new version of the Toyota Prius hybrid. On Monday, Ford Motor displayed its Fusion midsize passenger car, which also is offered in a hybrid version and a plug-in variation. Ford executives said the company was trying to offer electrification options on as many of its vehicles as possible. That way it could respond more quickly to shifts in consumer tastes if gas prices rose. "Every company has to work hard to achieve these new standards," Ms. Krebs said. "Some, like Fiat Chrysler, need to do more than others because they have been relying on trucks and Jeeps to keep their sales growing." New fuel-economy rules are not the only area where automakers and federal regulators are grappling with vehicle improvements. Companies have been meeting with officials of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently to come up with voluntary guidelines to improve vehicle safety. The talks follow record numbers of recalls in the industry, and aggressive enforcement actions by regulators - including the imposition of big fines for safety violations. Fiat Chrysler, for example, has been hit with $175 million in fines for delaying recalls and failing to follow reporting rules. "As unpleasant as I find these fines, I understand what prompted them," said Marchionne, adding that he expected more cooperation between auto companies and the safety agency in the future. Reuters, citing company officials, reported on Monday that an agreement with regulators on voluntary safety guidelines was imminent. But a spokesman for the safety agency, Gordon Trowbridge, said no accord had been concluded. "We're hopeful we have something to announce soon, but nothing has been finalized," he said. 2016 The New York Times News Service Some leading pharmaceutical are joining forces in an effort to speed the testing of new types of cancer drugs that harness the body's immune system to battle tumours. The cooperative effort, announced on Monday, will include Amgen, Celgene and some smaller . The effort, known as the National Immunotherapy Coalition, will try to rapidly test various combinations of such drugs. Perhaps the most exciting development in oncology now is the sudden success, after decades of failure, of efforts to unleash the immune system to control cancer. Three drugs that have been approved in the last few years - Keytruda from Merck and Opdivo and Yervoy from Bristol-Myers Squibb - have produced significant and long-lasting improvements in some patients. But many other patients do not benefit at all from the drugs. Researchers believe that combinations of two or more drugs that engage different parts of the immune system might be effective for more patients than a single drug. The drugs from Merck and Bristol-Myers are "looking at only one tiny aspect," said Patrick Soon-Shiong, a billionaire pharmaceutical entrepreneur who is the driving force behind the new coalition. "What we wanted to do is capture all these different molecules in the immunotherapy system." Merck and Bristol-Myers are already testing their drugs in combinations with dozens of other drugs, many from other . Those companies and two others considered leaders in this field, Roche and AstraZeneca, are not in the new coalition. But there are a dizzying number of possible combinations and arranging such trials one by one can be time-consuming. The coalition said it would have access to 60 drugs and would seek to enroll 20,000 patients by 2020. It will run early-stage trials of various combinations of drugs for up to 20 types of cancer, including breast, lung and prostate. Some other companies, including GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and Merck of Germany, have been considering joining the coalition but have not done so yet. Academic medical centres and community oncologists will be involved. Soon-Shiong, who is based in Los Angeles and is a part owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, is best known for developing the cancer drug Abraxane. He sold the company that owned that drug to Celgene for $2.9 billion in 2010. Forbes estimates his wealth at $12.4 billion, making him the richest American pharmaceutical executive. He is now involved in various companies and projects aimed at conquering cancer, including one called NantWorks. Some critics, however, have accused him of making exaggerated claims. The coalition is the basis for what Soon-Shiong calls Cancer MoonShot 2020. Vice President Joseph R Biden Jr, whose son Beau died of cancer last year, has also talked about devoting the rest of his term in office and his years after that to a "moonshot" against cancer. Biden has met with Soon-Shiong, but has not decided what his program would entail. The announcement of the coalition came on the first day of the huge JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, when numerous companies make announcements. 2016 The New York Times News Service This years placement season at B-schools is likely to be robust, if early trends are anything to go by. Among the B-schools Business Standard spoke to, International Management Institute, New Delhi, has completed its placement process in three days flat. On the other hand, Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, and Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, have seen an uptick in the number of offers as well as average compensation package. Data analytics and consulting are the leading sectors, according to early placement trends. At IMI-New Delhi, the placement session began on November 25 and got over by November 27. This year, on day zero, IMI-New Delhi saw completion of 80 per cent placements through major recruiters such as Google, HUL, SONY, Nestle , Bank of America, and Analytics Quotient, among others. The highest domestic offer at IMI-New Delhi was made by Google - Rs 29 lakh per annum. The average salary was Rs 14.9 lakh per annum. According to Manaswini Acharya, professor of marketing and dean (placements and corporate relations) at IMI-New Delhi, there has been a 33 per cent increase this year in recruitment from companies in manufacturing sector. At IMI-Delhi, new companies included General Motors, Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles, Tata Motors and Hero Motocorp. Pre-placement offers (PPOs) and pre-placement interviews (PPIs) were offered by BMW, DCM, Shriram, Ceat Tyres, and Hero Motocorp. IMT-Ghaziabad, which follows a rolling placement process that begins in December, too, saw a 17 per cent growth in terms of students placed till the second week of January compared to the same period a year ago. Against 460 students last year, IMT-Ghaziabad saw 520 students being placed this time. Compared to last year, where we hardly got 21 offers crossing Rs 15 lakh, we received 52 offers this year in that range. On day zero alone, we placed 241 students. This is not a trend we are seeing every year. We have got 19 offers crossing Rs 20 lakh package, said Vishal Goyal, head (corporate relations) at IMT Ghaziabad and Dubai. According to Kanwal Kapil, chairperson (placements) at MDI-Gurgaon, the first day of placements has seen good response from companies, especially those from consulting, manufacturing and banking, financial services and insurance. On an average, there has been a growth in average salaries by 15-20 per cent compared to last year, based on the current data available. Recruiters at IMT- Ghaziabad included KPMG, PwC, EY, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Google, Microsoft, and HSBC. Among them, Deloitte made 30 offers. While Credit Suisse, a first time recruiter, made 20 PPOs and 20 final offers, Cognizant, a regular recruiter at IMT Ghaziabad, raised its offers from 14 last year to 22 this year. Goyal attributes the bullish placement scenario at IMT to the institutes focus on improving its offering to the corporate world, such as a five-month internship to give companies a larger window to observe students. Apart from offers in final placements, the institute also got 80-100 PPOs. Regular recruiters are increasing their numbers due to IMT students meeting recruiters' expectations. Average compensation has risen by Rs 2.5 lakh per annum. Moreover, analytics and consulting offers have increased, said Goyal, adding the process was likely to be completed by March. Other B-schools such as XLRI will begin the process in February. Overall, placement officials from B-schools said sentiments were positive because the manufacturing sector was expected to make a big comeback in campuses. Total money mobilisation through equity reduced by 28 per cent in calendar year 2015. With cap on the upfront commission payout by the Asset Management Companies (AMCs) to distributors imposed from April, there has been a decline in the number of new launches and the assets garnered. There were 63 equity new fund offers (NFOs) in 2015, mobilising assets worth Rs 8,816 crore, compared with mobilisation of Rs 12,219 crore through 75 equity NFOs a year ago. Industry executives rule out any significant improvement in the new launches this year and add that there could be decline, because of the revised strictness by Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in allowing the new offers. Kaustubh Belapurkar, director (fund research) at Morningstar India, says, Generally, new launches are a phenomenon seen in bull market period. With scenario changing for markets, I think there will be a further slowdown in NFOs. The regulator has been quite strict and there is a push for mergers of existing similar schemes. According to funds industry executives, with Amfis and Sebis push to strictly follow the Best Practices Guidelines, fewer mutual fund houses will opt for this route to raise assets. G Pradeepkumar, CEO of Union KBC Mutual Fund, says, It looks unlikely to have significant increase in the number of new schemes. The product baskets of several fund houses are full which leaves less room for new funds. Sebi has been quite strict and has been pushing for consolidation of existing schemes.Sector officials say gone are the days when NFOs were pushed on the basis of higher commissions. Unless there is something that differentiates an NFO from the existing product basket, offer launches will remain low. In the first four months of 2015, before the cap on upfront came into existence, nearly 25 close-ended equity schemes hit the market, garnering assets worth Rs 3,600 crore. These schemes were front-loaded with commissions as high as 7-8 per cent. Now the cap is at one per cent as upfront, making distributors less enthused about selling new offers to investors. The impact was well felt in the following months as only 12 more close-ended equity schemes were offered in the rest of the year. With rising awareness, investors prefer schemes with proven track record. This is well reflected in equity schemes inflows, wherein the existing products with a reasonable performance track record of a minimum 3-5 years are accounting for more incremental inflows. In 2015, total net inflow in equity segment was Rs 90,000 crore. However, the NFOs could garner less than 10 per cent of the total fresh money. Distributors too are slowly coming to terms with working on trail-based model, which many feel is a more stable business and a win-win situation for all stakeholders AMCs, investors and the distributors. Currently, AMCs are allowed to upfront the commission to a maximum of one per cent for not more than 36 months. However, it is up to a fund house to pay it or not. Industry officials say there is a risk in giving upfront as distributors can churn investors portfolio or the investor may withdraw from the commitment. In that scenario, we are at loss and we end up like recovery agents from distributors, which is a painful exercise, says marketing head of a mid-size fund house. As things stand today, if an advisor brings in a systematic investment plan (SIP) investment of worth Rs 1,000 each instalment, he would be paid about Rs 360 as upfront commission. However, if the investor does not stay for the tenure of 36 months, there is a claw back clause which AMCs can exercise on distributors. The number of brokers operating in the cash segment has halved in the last eight months as declining cash market volumes and high compliance costs has forced nearly 3,000 brokers to shut shop. In the eight months to November last year, the broker count declined to 3,187 from 6147 in March 2015, data collated from market regulator Sebi shows. The sub-broker number declined to 36,848 from 42,351 in the same period, a declined of 5,500. Business is moving to larger brands, compliance costs have risen significantly in the past few years and margins have declined. All this has forced many brokers to shut shop, said Rahul Rege, business head - retail, Emkay Global Financial Services. According to experts, cash volumes in CY15 declined on average by 20 per cent over the previous year. In 2015, the action shifted to intraday trading from delivery-based trades, which is the bread and butter for most brokers, said Kamlesh Rao, CEO, Kotak Securities. For the cash market, rates vary between 10 paise and 30 paise for delivery-based trades and below four paise for intra-day trades. Charges in the options segment are Rs 20-50 per lot. According to industry observers, a lot of entrepreneurs turned sub-brokers in the period between 2003 and 2008, believing it was a good business to get into. Thats not the case any more. The franchisees have to put in three times more effort to earn half the money they would have earned in 2007. This has made the business unviable for many, said Rege. Earlier, the clients were inclined towards trading and one simply had to be a facilitator; now its all about providing value. The decline in participation from retail and high net worth individuals (HNI) investors has also impacted stock brokers. "Retail investors are bulls by nature and their participation comes down drastically when the market tanks or is range-bound," said Prasanth Prabhakaran, head, retail broking, IIFL. Investors that entered at high levels are stuck and sitting on losses. To make matters worse, most of the retail money in 2015 came in through the mutual fund route, and not direct equity. The assets under management of equity mutual funds rose to Rs 3.6 lakh crore in December 2015 from Rs 2.8 lakh crore a year ago. While the Sensex rose 6.7 per cent between January and March last year, it steadily fell thereafter, with year-to-date losses of 5.6 per cent. A deficient monsoon, shaky global markets, subdued corporate earnings and a slowdown in China were key reasons for the markets underperformance. Financial and capital goods stocks contributed more than half to the benchmark Sensex 5,000 points drop in the past one year. Five financials ICICI Bank, Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and State Bank of India (SBI) and two capital goods stocks Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) - collectively contributed 2,804 points to the Sensex fall since January 29, 2015, data showed. The Sensex, which ended at 24,682 on Tuesday, fell nearly 17% or 5,000 points, compared with 29,682 on January 29, 2015, the day when the benchmark index ended at an all-time high. The foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold net amount of Rs 18,195 crore ($2.5 billion) equities from the secondary market, the Sebi data shows. Most of the banks are trading at their multi-year lows on concerns that the stress on banks asset quality to remain high, especially for corporate lenders and public sector banks (PSBs), while capital goods companies has been hit by a slowdown in order inflows. ICICI Bank, the largest contributor to the 30-share Sensex, has accounted nearly 20% or 957 points in the index fall. L&T, the largest capital goods manufacturer in the country, contributed 501 points fall to the overall benchmark index. SBI has contributed 452 points followed by Axis Bank (371 points), HDFC (280 points), BHEL (142 points) and HDFC Bank (101 points). Tata Motors (508 points), ITC (355 points) and Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (269 points) are non-financials and capital goods stocks contributed more than 250 points each to the Sensex downfall. Reliance Industries, the private refinery major and Maruti Suzuki India, the automobiles giant have bucked the weak trend and outperformed the market by gaining more than 10% during the period. Shares of the countrys second largest most valued company Reliance Industries (RIL) rallied 13% during the period, contributed 217 points rise in the Sensex. Maruti Suzuki India contributed 90 points after recording a gain of 16% since January 29, 2015. Shares of Nestle India and Dr Reddys Laboratories, down more than 1% each, have touched their respective 52-week lows on the BSE. Nestle India was down 1.4% to Rs 5,440 in intra-day trade. In past one-month, the stock of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) company has dipped 8% from Rs 5,894 as compared to 1% decline in the S&P BSE Sensex. According to Centrum Broking Nestle would continue to post a revenue decline as Maggie sales started only from November15. Operating profit is set to decline by 25% to Rs 408 crore as operating margins compress by 232 basis points (bps) due to high fixed cost and ban of Maggi. We have revised our estimates downward factoring in lower volume growth due to withdrawal of Maggi from the market and price cuts in milk & other dairy products, the broking firm said in a results preview. Nestle will announce the audited financial results of the company for the year ending December 31, 2015 on February 12, 2016. Dr Reddys Laboratories has dipped 2% to Rs 2,893, extending its previous days 2% decline on the BSE. Since November 5, 2015, the stock of pharmaceutical company tanked 32% from Rs 4,253 after the company announced that it had received a warning letter issued by the US FDA relating to its API manufacturing facilities situated at Srikakulam (Andhra Pradesh) and Miryalaguda (Tamil Nadu), and also at its Oncology formulation manufacturing facility located in Duvvada (Andhra Pradesh). The benchmark index dipped 6% during the same period. Analyst at Kotak Institutional Equities expects Dr Reddys earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) margin to decline by 300 bps quarter-on-quarter (qoq) for the quarter ended December 2015 due to potential Venezuela headwinds and pressures in the US business. Higher competition in Decitabine and price erosion in Divalproex sodium should push down US revenues by US$ 8 million qoq. Domestic business is expected to grow at 18%, aided by spillover sales from Q2FY16 (hit by transportation strike), while we expect a 30% YoY decline in Russia + CIS sales due to currency issues. Margins should trend lower due to higher compliance costs and lower Russia sales, says Religare Institutional Research in Q3 preview. Paper manufacturers have raised prices by two-five per cent on expectation of rising demand from user sectors for printing of books and notebooks for the next academic year (2016-17). While Avantha Group company Bilt Graphic Paper Products Ltd (BGPPL) has raised prices of some grades, JK Paper increased its coated paper prices by Rs 500 to Rs 47,000-48,000 a tonne. As demand will continue prices are likely to remain firm in the coming months. While BGPPL has not revealed the quantum of increase, it is learnt the company has raised prices by two-five per cent. Yogesh Agarwal, managing director and chief executive said: "Domestic demand seems to be picking up. To cover the increasing input costs and reducing margins, and also taking factors like stable market and a healthy order book, BILT has increased the price of some grades." The rise assumes significance in the wake of rising import from countries with which India has signed free trade agreements. Rising domestic prices might prompt users to focus more on import if its parity becomes in their favour. Data compiled by the Indian Paper Mills Association showed India's paper and paper board import (excluding newsprint) has risen to Rs 7,223 crore for 2014-15, compared to Rs 5,987 crore in the previous year. Imports from China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) have shot up to Rs 1,293 and Rs 589 crore from Rs 1,188 crore and Rs 426 crore in 2014-15 and 2013-14, respectively. India's paper and paper board exports, however, have increased, albeit marginally, to Rs 2,926 crore in FY15 against Rs 2,739 crore in the previous year. With China devaluing its currency on many occasions since August 2015, paper import into India are likely to rise significantly in the coming months. Imports have hit the domestic sector at a time when it has made huge investment in capacity expansion. Last year, capacity utilisation of domestic mills in writing and printing grades was only 89 per cent. The domestic industry is making representations to the government to impose safeguard duties. Customs duty on paper imports ranges from zero to 10 per cent, depending on the country of import. For example, import duty from Asean countries on paper sheet is zero per cent and coated paper reels at five per cent. Under FTA, duty works out to 1.5 per cent with South Korea and 5.5 per cent with Japan. The duty stands at 10 per cent for other countries. As a consequence, while domestic mills have been facing tough competition from rising imports, being a capital-intensive business, domestic industry has restrained from taking any major production cuts. The domestic industry has preferred to manufacture and sell the installed capacity even at the cost of lower margins, which would certainly impact future investments in the infrastructure of pulp and paper. "We have not taken any decision to raise prices of mainline copier or paper board effective January. But, we adjusted coated paper price a few weeks ago, which was raised by Rs 500 to Rs 47,000-48,000 a tonne," said V Kumaraswamy, chief financial officer, J K Paper. Coated paper contributes nearly 10 per cent of J K Paper's overall production. Demand of grades such as coated and printing paper has increased significantly in the past few weeks as educational institutes have started preparations for the ensuing academic year in June 2016. Looking at the same, Kumaraswamy did not rule out some upward adjustment in paper prices in the coming weeks. Bangalore-based online brokerage firm Zerodha is eyeing a one million client base on its trading platform from its current 100,000 in next two years. To achieve this, Zerodha is banking upon launch of trading platform in major regional languages across India by March this year. Having forayed in regional languages trading platform in Kannada, Malayalam and Punjabi, the company recently launched web based trading platform KITE in Gujarati language. Moreover, the company also plans to launch the service in Hindi language soon. "We have set a target of increasing our client base to one million from current 100,000 clients. For that we are adding new services for our clients. Last month, the company began providing trading service with zero brokerage on all delivery base equity trading," said Karthik Rangappa, vice president - equity research of Zerodha. While Rangappa admitted that the company would lose about 15 per cent revenue by offering zero brokerage for the delivery based trading, Zerodha is hopeful to cover the same through other services. The company is also educating its clients about different investment instruments available in the market. "It is a fact that we will tend to lose 15 per cent due to zero brokerage but as we have other income generating instruments, we will be able to cover this loss," he stated. In 2014-15, company's revenue stood at Rs 60 crore and its daily trading volume reached to over Rs 8,000 crore. Meanwhile, Nithin Kamath, founder and chief executive officer of Zerodha stated that the company intends to nurture investment culture by not only offering a zero brokerage investing platform but also through an easy user experience with KITE. "Our plan is to reach out to the next five million participants who are currently not investing and show them how stock market can create wealth if invested for long term," Kamath said. As part of the strategy Zerodha will be launching online trading platform KITE in all the major regional languages including Telugu, Tamil, and Marathi. Rarely have I read a book about higher education that is so varied as Michael Roth's. As I'll explain, it is by turns intriguing, annoying, and challenging.Roth is the president of Wesleyan University, a liberal arts school in Connecticut. On his page , Roth declares,That certainly sounds good, but things have not been so placid and cerebral on the Wesleyan campus of late. Writing on Minding the Campus, Charlotte Allen points to recent events and concludes that at Wesleyan, it's "total PC all the time." The events center around the usual issues involving gender (fraternity houses are now a thing of the past) and free speech (convulsions over an editorial in the campus paper that dared to criticize the Black Lives Matter movement).The anti-free speech zealotry of some of the students particularly belies the idea that just because a school encourages serious intellectual and aesthetic work and has a superb faculty, its students will necessarily imbibe the excellent scholarly brew on offer.That point is pertinent to Roth's big argument, which is that America needs liberal education more than ever. He writes that the nation must "not abandon the humanistic frameworks of education in favor of narrow, technical forms of teaching intended to give quick, utilitarian results." He passionately advocates "broadly based, self-critical and yet pragmatic education" that addresses "the whole person" and enables him to "imagine a future worth striving for."All of that sounds very good. The problem is that Roth, who seems to be "preaching to members of the church of the liberal arts" (as Peter Wood writes in his review of the book in the fall 2014 issue of Academic Questions), never produces a scintilla of evidence that the sort of education he favors actually produces such wonderful results. That's the challenging part of the book and I will return to it later.What is intriguing about Beyond the University is Roth's personal foray into the realm of online education.Many higher education leaders and faculty members have been cool if not adamantly opposed to the move toward Massive Open Online Courses as a way for students to earn college credits. Roth writes, "Although at first skeptical, I have come to believe that we can use this platform to advance liberal education." He changed his mind after designing and offering a MOOC himself, a "rather traditional humanities class" entitled The Modern and the Postmodern , available on Coursera.Roth wondered how many students would want to take an online course about literature, history, and philosophy. He also wondered how much students would learn from his recorded lectures.To his great surprise, the course drew nearly 30,000 students, across the globe. Most of the students who reviewed the course gave it very high marks. Moreover, spontaneous order asserted itself, as study groups rapidly formed. Roth writes, "When I checked the site after dinner, I was astonished at the level of activity. Study groups were forming based on language and geography. There were Spanish and Portuguese groups, study units forming in Bulgaria and Russia and Boston and India."Not only were the students geographically diverse, they were also diverse in other respects. Some were retired teachers; others still in high school. Some were holding down full-time jobs. "The Modern and the Postmodern" proved to be very diverse without any effort at making it so.There's a lesson in that, but it would probably be lost on most education leaders, who are heavily invested in the idea that "diversity" only occurs if they fret over the percentages of students who are admitted based on their ancestry.What makes Roth's book annoying?It's annoying because he cannot resist taking nasty shots at some of the people who don't share his views about higher education. He misrepresents their arguments and impugns their motives.For example, Roth takes a misguided shot at Ohio University economist Richard Vedder. Vedder, as many readers know, has long argued that we have oversold higher education by luring in great numbers of students who have little interest in studying but still want credentials for employment. Vedder is not opposed to anyone studying the liberal arts, but Roth suggests to readers that he just wants higher education "to produce the equivalent of better farmers today."If Roth had bothered to look into Vedder's work, he'd have discovered that he doesn't want universities to have "narrowly utilitarian" missions. All he wants is to stop the waste of time and money that comes from the credential mania brought about by government educational subsidies.Even worse is the way Roth treats the National Association of Scholars (NAS). He acknowledges that NAS is not in the "make college utilitarian" camp, but says, "Rather than promoting the ever-expanding circle of the liberal arts...NAS would have us return to a common core of Western Civilization-by which they seem to mean European and American preindustrial values. They also seem to be very comfortable with the kinds of inequality that were characteristic of those societies."That deserves the academic equivalent of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Instead of explaining why his view of liberal education is better than that of NAS, Roth resorts to a quick smear. Liberal education should teach the lesson of being intellectually charitable toward opponents. Apparently he has forgotten it.That brings me back to the challenging part of the book-Roth's case for liberal education."A liberal education," he states, "should help us develop the intellectual and moral capacities to imagine a future that is worth striving for, and enhance our ability to create the tools for its realization." Sounds wonderful. Shouldn't we want almost everyone to have such education?And conversely, shouldn't we feel bad if we leave students behind with merely occupational training?The problem I have with Roth's claim-and he has a great deal of company here-is that it is only a claim. Nothing in the book demonstrates that his ideal of liberal education or any other actually transforms students from humdrum worker bees into deep, far-seeing thinkers.I am not saying that liberal education doesn't work and never has uplifting results, but questioning the assumption that it always or even frequently does. Maybe it's a conceit of intellectuals that the kind of education they enjoyed must be good across the board-that studying Homer necessarily makes you a much better human being than studying home economics does.Roth writes as if it were a settled matter that the kind of "pragmatic" liberal education he favors is superior to both the sort of Western liberal education favored by the NAS, and to college education that's mostly occupational training. Missing from the book is any reason to believe that.Many people whose college degrees are of the occupational sort that Roth looks down upon nevertheless become upstanding citizens who are "lifelong learners." Quite probably, some of the students who signed up for and liked Roth's MOOC are such individuals.Conversely, some who earned degrees at schools with shining liberal education curricula turn into the worst sort of authoritarian planners. The aspect of liberal education that Roth likes so much-imagining a better future-often leads people to believe that their particular imagining should be made obligatory for everyone else. Roth is blind to the possibility that his variety of liberal education might not always be best.In the end, I agree with Roth that colleges and universities shouldn't be turned into job training centers, a function they often don't perform well, at huge cost. But it would be just as bad if they all become like Wesleyan. The only way to find the right mix is for government to step aside and let all the various visions of education compete evenly for students and supporters. At least 10 people were killed and several wounded after an explosion rocked a central Istanbul square on Tuesday. Investigations into the cause of the explosion, the type of explosion and perpetrator or perpetrators are underway,reported the Dawn. Turkish police officials have confirmed the explosion was a suicide bombing with 10 killed and 15 wounded. Tourists were also reported among the victims of the explosion. Expressing shock over the horrific video of a woman thrashing her elderly mother-in-law in Uttar Pradesh's Bijnor district, the women activists on Tuesday demanded that a law should be made to protect the old and sick in this country. Advocate and women rights activist Abha Singh said it is necessary to amendment Section 498 A as it protects only the daughter-in-law. "I think the time has come where the Parliament needs to sit down and make a law which would protect the old and sick in this country. What is necessary is amendment in 498 A because it only protects the daughter-in-law. Of late, the cases against senior citizens is increasing, they are being beaten, tortured by their own children. A separate law needs to be made which will protect the aged and the old people," Singh said. "It is a very shocking and a very saddening video that has gone viral that a daughter-in-law is beating up her mother-in-law, who is old and sick, in such a brutal manner," she added. Former Commission for Women (NCW) member Shamina Shafiq said it is a crazy scenario, adding that law is made to protect women not to misuse them. "I feel ashamed that a woman is brutalising another woman. I think women should understand that law has been made to give them that extra support and to help them but that doesn't mean that it should be misused. I think we should look at the matter from a larger aspect. We should introspect where the society is heading to," Shafiq said She insisted that these incidents need to be taken very seriously. Former NCW chief Mamata Sharma echoed similar statements, saying that women should not misuse the laws which are made to protect them. The incident took place in Bijnor district where a 70-year-old lady was thrashed, beaten up and strangled by her daughter-in-law. The incident was reportedly captured on CCTV camera by her husband, who had warned his wife for her behaviour several times earlier. The accused Sangeeta Jain has been arrested after a case under Section 307 of the IPC was filed against her. During the pre-budget consultations with social sector related groups convened by the Finance Ministry, CUTS International, an independent public policy research and advocacy organisation, headquartered in Jaipur, called for equal emphasis on producer and consumer welfare in the forthcoming budget. Highlighting the positive relation between producer welfare and sustainable growth, it recommended adoption of a comprehensive rural reform package, focusing on rural farm and non-farm economy. This would include digitizing land records, reforming agriculture input, output and credit subsidies by benefiting from the experience of direct benefit transfer programme; introduction of graduation approach for sustainable increase in income; protecting intellectual property in agriculture sector; foster research and innovation with use of high yield seed varieties; focused attention on horticulture, improving infrastructure, providing alternate employment opportunities, etc. The Make in India programme must not be limited to 'Make in Urban India and Rural India' must be given equal importance, if not more. The Rural Reform Package could be designed and marketed on the lines of, and within the broad scope of Make in India. Consumer welfare is equally important for sustainable development, especially in light of ordinary consumers increasingly being ripped off by dishonest investment businesses. The risk to financial consumers has augmented with increased use of technology and electronic commerce. To address the situation, CUTS Memo to Finance Minster makes a case for adoption and implementation of a strong and omnibus financial consumer protection law covering the online as well as over the counter transactions. Such law must take into account successful and not-so-successful practices implemented by various states and comparable jurisdictions. It should establish a new national single financial consumer protection mechanism (regulator), having state units/regional offices, thus covering the entire country. Given the not-so-successful experience of pushing legislative measures, CUTS suggested government to design a package of legislative, executive and administrative efforts necessary for continuing the reform momentum. This would enable timely realignment of strategy, should one of these face roadblocks. For instance, recommendations like National Competition Policy, National Public Procurement Policy and Regulatory Impact Assessment Framework are non-legislative measures focused on ushering transparency, predictability and level playing field in policy making and implementation. It would be easier to get bipartisan support for such reforms, which complement Government's programmes aimed at stimulating manufacturing, encouraging private investments and facilitating start-ups and innovations by removing artificial barriers to entry, operation and growth. These policies require equal implementation at states, where the action lies after the adoption of cooperative and competitive federalism principles in last budget. NITI Aayog can act as facilitator in this regard. Similar measures in other jurisdictions have resulted in measurable benefits. While designing efficient policies is important, equally important is ensuring their effective implementation. CUTS calls for plugging capacity constraints in policy implementation by building necessary infrastructure and providing requisite training, with help from private sector, experts, and civil society. Pradeep S. Mehta, Secretary General, CUTS while lauding Government's initiatives on raising investment, stressed that a focused strategy was now required to achieve the goal of turning India into a ten trillion dollar economy by 2030 in absolute terms i.e. not on purchasing power parity. He added that CUTS has identified few of the critical issues which must be addressed through the forthcoming budget falling directly under the Finance & Corporate Affairs Ministry, ecognizing that there are other equally deserving issues which must be addressed. Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar arrived in Sri Lanka on Tuesday morning at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake. Jaishankar was slated to meet the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera and the Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary, reported the Lanka Page. The main purpose of his visit is to pave the way for the India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission meeting which will be held in Colombo next month. Array He is also expected to make arrangements for the Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's visit to attend the Joint Commission meeting. Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh reached the Investigation Agency (NIA) office for the second consecutive day today for questioning in connection with the Pathankot terror attack. The NIA had yesterday questioned the top cop at its headquarters in New Delhi. Singh had been summoned by the NIA on Friday to appear before it for detailed interrogation. The Home Ministry in a statement yesterday said that Salwinder's jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal have also been questioned and would be called again for questioning, if needed. "The NIA teams have continued to question SP Salwinder Singh's friend Rajesh Verma as well as his cook Madan Gopal in Punjab. Madan Gopal will be called for questioning at the NIA headquarters in Delhi and the date of his questioning will be intimated in due course," it added. A Black Corner notice has been issued to the Interpol for the identification of the bodies of the four slain terrorists, said the statement. Seven security personnel were killed in the attack at the IAF base in Pathankot, located 250 km from Chandigarh, by terrorists suspected from Pakistan. Minister of State for Railways Minister Manoj Sinha on Tuesday said the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) is directly supervising the new India-Bangladesh railway project along Tripura. "The India-Bangladesh railway project is in most priority list and the PMO is directly overseeing the much expected project," Sinha told the reporters here. "Already land acquisition for laying the track of Agartala-Akhaura railway project has been completed. Most likely the fund will be sanctioned in the coming fiscal," he added. Accompanied by Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) General Manager H. K. Jaggi and other senior officials of railway ministry and IRCON (Indian Railway Construction Company), Sinha arrived here on Tuesday on a two-day visit to the northeastern state to supervise the ongoing railway projects in the Tripura and inaugurate the trial broad gauge passenger train. The Agartala-Akhaura railway project was finalised in January 2010, when Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met her then Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh during her visit to New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the Rs.575-crore railway project with Hasina during his visit to Dhaka in June last year. Array The Agartala-Akhaura railway project is also in the consideration of the Trans-Asia Railway network connecting the South Asian nations with Europe through India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq said an official of NFR, who also accompanied the minister. "For the Trans-Asia network also this is under consideration as an alignment," said Jaggi. Earlier, the DoNER Ministry committed to provide funds to lay tracks on the Indian side. But recently, it categorically expressed its inability to give funds. The NITI Aayog had decided in a meeting in Delhi on June 18 to put in place the vital railway project between India and Bangladesh by December 2017. The 1,650-km distance between Agartala and Kolkata would be reduced to only 550 km once the new rail track is linked through Bangladesh. The Indian government had announced it will bear the entire cost of the 15-km railway project. Of the 15 km, 5 km fall in the Indian territory and the remaining in Bangladesh. The project's cost was earlier estimated at Rs.271 crore. In addition, Rs.302 crore was needed to acquire around 97.6 acres of land in Tripura for laying the track. But the latest alignment of the project in which the Indian side will be overhead has reduced the required land acquization to 72 acres. Hence, to acquire land, the requirement of funds has reduced to Rs.98 crore from Rs.302 crore. Array The state-owned IRCON is expected to lay the tracks on both sides of the border. Later the team also visited the Agartala ICP and seen the flag retread programme at the zero point between India and Bangladesh organised by the border guard of both the nations. The Minister also distributed sweets among the border guards. Disapproving former Pakistan president General (Retd.) Pervez Musharraf's assertion that India was overreacting on the Pathankot terror attack, Congress leader Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said that Indians are not superfluous who can be shot by the Pakistani terrorists. "We have had seven people killed. We will have to react. What do you think Indians are superfluous that we can let them shot? It is for them to control. What do they mean by over reaction? If one Pakistani soldier is shot, do you think Pakistan is not going to react?" Singh told ANI. Singh, who is the Congress' deputy leader in Lok Sabha, however, said that he is not against the cancellation of talks between both sides. "Talks must go on. I am not for cancellation of talks. But I don't want to see everyday body bags coming from Kashmir. Our soldiers and officers are being killed every day and they have been coming down in coffins. That must stop," he added. Musharraf earlier in an interview to a Pakistani news channel asked India not to 'overreact' to the terror strike on the Pathankot air force base, saying both nations were victims of extremism. Musharraf said that terrorism was prevalent in both India and Pakistan due to which incidents like Pathankot would keep happening. Accusing New Delhi of creating pressure on Islamabad when it came to terror attacks, the former president alleged that terrorism and extremism was quite prevalent in India as well. He also said that there was a lot of 'disgruntlement' among the Muslim community in India since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power. "I interacted with Vajpayee sahab and at the time we had very good ties with India. It all comes down to leadership in the end. We were moving forward with him and Manmohan sahab. Unfortunately, it's not working under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. His popularity has dampened post his loss in Delhi and Bihar," Musharraf said. "Vajapayee and Manmohan were more sincere when it came to resolving dispute. A good leader is always flexible. Things can't work out if you are hell-bent on your own stand," he added. Downplaying Prime Minister Modi's recent visit to Islamabad, he added that it was just a case of 'showmanship' and there was nothing substantial about his visit. Justice R. Bhanumati on Tuesday recused herself from hearing the Jallikattu matter in the Supreme Court. The matter would now be heard by another bench headed by Justice Dipak Mishra. A petition against Jallikattu, the traditional bull-fighting sport, comes after the Centre lifted the ban on the sport that had been imposed by the top court ruling in May 2014. Citing cruelty to the animals, the Animal Welfare Board, People for Ethical Treatment of Aminals, or PETA, and 11 other organisations have challenged the Centre's notification. The Tamil Nadu government has filed a caveat requiring it to be heard before any orders. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for promulgating an ordinance to enable the conduct of Jallikattu. She said the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu, who have a deep attachment to the conduct of the traditional event, must be respected. The letter comes in wake of the stay imposed on the Centre's notification allowing the bull taming sport. "I had written to you on 22.12.2015, requesting you to arrange for the promulgation of an ordinance, to enable the holding of Jallikattu. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, had issued a Notification dated 7.1.2016, enabling the conduct of the traditional sport of Jallikattu in different parts of Tamil Nadu as part of the Pongal festivities," Jayalalitha said in the letter. "On receipt of the Notification, detailed circulars were sent to the District Collectors regarding arrangements to be made for the conduct of Jallikattu, strictly in accordance with the conditions and safeguards indicated in the Notification. On this basis arrangements have been made by organisers all over the State for the conduct of Jallikattu" she added. She further said that the Supreme Court has today granted interim stay of the Notification of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, dated 7.1.2016 and therefore, Jallikattu cannot be conducted on the basis of this notification. "With the Pongal festivities commencing from 14.1.2016, the public in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu have made all arrangements and preparations and are eagerly looking forward to the conduct of Jallikattu as part of the traditional festivities ingrained in the hoary cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu," she added. "It is very important that the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu, who have a deep attachment to the conduct of the traditional event of Jallikattu, are respected," she said. "Considering the urgency of the issue, I strongly reiterate my earlier request to the Government of India to promulgate an Ordinance forthwith to enable the conduct of Jallikattu. On behalf of the people of Tamil Nadu I urge you to take immediate action in this regard," she added. Array The Supreme Court earlier this afternoon stayed a Central Government notification that paved the way for a return of the banned bull taming sport, thereby effectively scuttling plans of staging the event during the Pongal celebrations in Tamil Nadu later this week. The apex court also issued notices to the Centre, Tamil Nadu and other states where the controversial sport is played, days after the Environment Ministry issued new guidelines that permitted the popular event to go ahead, overriding protests from animal rights activists and the Law Ministry. Lawyers and petitioners, who fought for the quashing of 'Jallikattu', on Tuesday expressed happiness over the Supreme Court's order to stay the Centre's notification of lifting the ban on the traditional bull-fighting sport of Tamil Nadu. Array "The SC has issued notice to all state governments and the Centre. We had asked for the notification to be quashed, and the court stayed that notification. So, no bullfight or bullock-cart race will take place now," lawyer Aparna Bhatt told ANI. Gauri Maulekhi, who was one of the petitioners, along with Sowmya Reddy, Radha Rajan and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), said the Centre's notification was completely faulty on legal and ethical grounds. "We are extremely happy, because the notification was completely faulty on legal and ethical grounds. Legally, because there was a comprehensive order by the apex court, which earlier prohibited Jallikattu. Basically, the cruelty in the sport cannot be prevented, which is inherent in the sport itself," one of the petitioners Gauri Maulekhi told ANI. The Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended the Centre's notification, lifting the ban on jallikattu - the traditional bull-fighting sport of Tamil Nadu. Last week, the Centre had lifted the ban on the sport circumventing a Supreme Court ruling of May 2014. The apex court has also issued notices to the Centre, Tamil Nadu and other states, where 'Jallikattu' is played. The Centre's notification that sought to lift the ban on Jallikattu during the festival of Pongal in Tamil Nadu was challenged in the Supreme Court on Monday. Array The petitions were filed by Animal Welfare Board of India, (PETA) India and a Bangalore-based NGO. The four-year-old ban on holding of Jallikattu was lifted on January 8 by the Centre with some riders. Array PETA had last week criticised the Central Government's decision to permit events such as Jallikattu and bull races in Tamil Nadu. Florida senator says as president he would erase mistakes of Obama years CJ Photo by Don Carrington U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., addresses the crowd during a Saturday rally at the State Fairgrounds for his presidential campaign. RALEIGH An enthusiastic crowd greeted Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio Saturday as the Florida U.S. senator promised to fix the mistake Americans made seven years ago by electing Barack Obama president.The campaign estimates that 1,300 filed into the Gov. Jim Holshouser Building on the State Fairgrounds to listen to Rubio, who is on North Carolina's March 15 presidential preference primary ballot. Other estimates placed the attendance at slightly less than 1,000.Rubio said.Joseph Coniker of Cary came to the rally as an undecided voter. And while he said he remains undecided, Rubio did nothing to hurt his cause. He said Rubio was "passionate."Coniker said.Miriam Mathew, a Raleigh resident who is a legal immigrant from India, also had a positive impression of Rubio.Mathew said.Nineteen-year-old Jonathan Rife of Apex, one of a number of younger voters in the crowd, will be casting his first vote for president this year.Rife said.Rife remarked that it was good to see other young voters at the rally.Rife also said he liked Rubio's support of a free-market economy. "Rife said.Rubio said voters should support Republicans who separate themselves from the policy positions of the Obama years, and that Republicans should not assume that the best nominee is someone who's spent a lifetime in Washington politics.Rubio said.Rubio said. He said that American has a choice to either be greater than we've ever been, or be the first generation to leave our kids worse off than the previous one.Kathy Turner of Raleigh said she was "really struck" with what Rubio's focus on the future, agreeing with him about the necessity of leaving the country better off for the next generation.Rubio said he's the best person to take on likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton next fall."They attack me every day," Rubio said of the Clinton campaign and its supporters. "Half their emails are all about me. They don't want to run against me." Rubio said.Rubio said.Rubio said that on his first day as president, he would issue an executive order rescinding all of Obama's "unconstitutional executive orders." He said he also plans to call for an Article V constitutional convention of the states to adopt a balanced budget amendment, term limits for federal judges, and term limits for members of Congress.He hit on a number of other issues.On the economy and taxes, Rubio said he wants to fix the tax code so that businesses won't want to move their corporate headquarters outside the United States. He also criticized Obama for abandoning free-market principles.Rubio said.Rubio said changes are needed for Social Security and Medicare, but not for people who now are eligible for those programs, noting that his mother is already receiving Social Security and Medicare.he said.He told the crowd how a proposal he introduced helped wipe out an Obamacare bailout fund that shifts costs among insurance providers. "When I'm president, we're getting rid of Obamacare and we're going to put you back in charge of your own health care," Rubio said.As the son of Cuban immigrants who fled Fidel Castro's dictatorship, Rubio said he understands immigration better than anybody else.Rubio said.He said ISIS is trying to use our immigration system against us. He said the immigration issue has become a national security issue.Rubio said.Rubio called for finishing 700 miles of fencing along key portions of the border, hiring more border patrol agents, adding cameras and sensors to prevent drug trafficking, and implementing a mandatory employment verification system for workers.Rubio said the most important thing a president does is keep the country safe, saying that Obama has failed in that job. He noted some of the things other candidates are saying about terrorism.Rubio said.he said, referring to recent remarks from presidential rival Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.Rubio also called for improving veterans' benefits and allowing veterans who are not satisfied with the Veterans Administration to transfer their benefits and coverage to other hospitals and doctors. With the arrest of two suspects, the Ludhiana Police on Tuesday claimed to have busted an illegal arms trade gang and seized seven weapons and bullets from their possession. Divulging detail, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Narinder Bhargav said the intelligence wing of the Punjab Police and the Ludhiana Police Commissionerate in a joint operation arrested two people and seized seven weapons and bullets from their possession. Of the seven weapons, he said, two were of 9mm calibre and five of 32 bore pistols, besides six extra magazines - two of 9mm and four of 32 bore - 18 cartridges also seized. The duo- identified by police as Sukesh Yadav from Vaishali district in Bihar, and Navpreet Singh-was travelling in a white Skoda car when police arrested them. Sukesh's brother Mukesh, alias, Monu, who was actually running the arms trade racket, has been lodged in a Ludhiana jail since 2013, said the ACP. During questioning, they purportedly disclosed the names of two of their accomplices - Ajay Kumar and Sahibjot Singh Jyoti. "During preliminary investigation, it has come to light that Monu is in jail since 2013, and got arms supplied from Bihar to accomplices of gangsters lodge in the jail," said the ACP. However, no link between the arms dealers and the Pathankot attack emerged, he added. Lambasting former Pakistan President General (retired) Pervez Musharraf for making controversial statement on the Pathankot attack, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) patron Lalu Prasad Yadav on Tuesday said he was not a part of the Pakistani Government, which is legitimate authority to make statements. "Musharraf is not the Pakistan Government. The Pakistani Government should tell as to where the terrorists came to India," Yadav told ANI. Array "The Narendra Modi-led Government has completely failed on the issue of security. They should tell the nation as to how these terrorists were able to attack the Pathankot air base. They must tell about their failure to the nation," he added. Array Meanwhile, reports have emerged that Pakistan has rejected the evidence provided by India in the Pathankot attack and has denied the credibility of the proofs. Array This move by Pakistan comes as a huge setback, after the assurance given by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of a fair probe in the matter. Earlier in an interview to a Pakistani news channel, Musharraf has called on India to not 'overreact' to the terror strike on the Pathankot IAF base saying that both nations were victims of extremism and also accused New Delhi of creating pressure on Islamabad over terrorism. Array Musharraf said that terrorism was prevalent in both India and Pakistan due to which incidents like Pathankot would keep happening. Array "Terrorism is prevalent in both India and Pakistan. We are also victims of the same so we should not over react to what happened in Pathankot. Yes, of course we want to control such incidents, but one should get hyper over such incidents," Musharraf said. Array "India's first reaction to every terrorist attack is Pakistan but India is not free of terrorism or extremism themselves," he added. Array Accusing New Delhi of creating pressure on Islamabad when it came to terror attacks, the former President alleged that terrorism and extremism was quite prevalent in India as well. Array "India simply can't create pressure on Pakistan when it comes to terrorism. We may be a small country but we have honour of our own. There are lots of areas in India where extremism is rampant. India always treats terrorism as a one-sided issue and that infuriates me. They can't just bulldoze us when something happens there," Musharraf said. Array He also said that there was a lot of 'disgruntlement' among the Muslim community in India since Prime Minister Modi came to power. Array Comparing the Prime Minister's leadership with that of his former counterpart Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he added that ties between India and Pakistan had flourished under the latter as he was more 'sincere' in his approach. Array "I interacted with Vajpayee sahab and at the time we had very good ties with India. It all comes down to leadership in the end. We were moving forward with him and Manmohan sahab. Unfortunately, it's not working under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. His popularity has dampened post his loss in Delhi and Bihar," Musharraf said. Array "Vajapayee and Manmohan were more sincere when it came to resolving dispute. A good leader is always flexible. Things can't work out if you are hell-bent on your own stand," he added. Array Downplaying Prime Minister Modi's recent visit to Islamabad, he added that it was just a case of 'showmanship' and there was nothing substantial about his visit. Array "I know what he said in Afghanistan. He arrived here after badmouthing Pakistan there. What kind of attitude is that? Badmouthing us when it comes to something substantial and then showing off by coming here? So I don't place much importance to his visit. I simply look at the substance, which is missing," the former President said. Praising India for its diversity, Vice President Hamid Ansari on Tuesday stressed on the need for 'interfaith' dialogue to remove misunderstanding and promotes empathy and understanding and said that tolerance alone is not a strong foundation for building an inclusive and pluralistic society. Speaking at the inauguration of the Interfaith Conference at Malappuram, Kerala, Ansari said that both the law and the public life in India, promote and endorse religious tolerance. "If we truly want to have a society at peace with itself, we need to move from merely tolerating each other's mere presence to acceptance and understanding. Swami Vivekananda said that we "must not only tolerate other religions, but positively embrace them, as truth is the basis of all religions." Tolerance is a virtue. It is freedom from bigotry," he said. Asserting that interfaith dialogue was crucial for developing understanding, the Vice President added that the purpose of interfaith dialogue is to increase the understanding and respect for other religious systems and institutions. "To promote real understanding, interreligious and interfaith dialogue has to be more than mere words or talk. It must include human interaction and relationships. It should be about people of different faiths coming to a mutual understanding and respect that allows them to live and cooperate with each other in spite of their differences. It has to be a cooperative and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions, at both the individual and institutional level," he said. During the function, the Vice President also laid the foundation stone of the Straightpath International School campus. Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has ordered an inquiry into the 'search operation' carried out by rangers at New York Times Pakistan correspondent Salman Masood's residence in Islamabad. According to the Dawn, Nisar has sought an explanation into the matter from police and security agencies. He said that such search operations are unacceptable at all costs. Earlier, the New York Times correspondent had posted pictures on Twitter, showing several Rangers personnel at his home. According to Masood, the officials said they wanted to search the premises but had no warrants. In 2013, on the eve of the general election, New York Time's bureau chief in Pakistan, Declan Walsh, was expelled from the country by the government for indulging in "undesirable activities. North Korea has arrested a citizen of the United States over suspicion of spying and stealing state secrets. According to The Guardian, the man, identified as Kim Dong Chul, was being held by the North Korean government in the capital Pyongyang. Kim has reportedly lived in China for mnay years and in Virginia as well. Kim said that he had traveled extensively in recent years between China and North Korea and had made some trips to South Korea as well. However, a State Department official refused to confirm the story, saying that it could complicate their efforts in securing their freedom. The official spoke on grounds of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. Pakistani military officers were behind the Indian consulate attack in Mazar-e-Sharif earlier this month, claimed Balkh Police chief Sayed Kamal Sadat here on Tuesday. According to TOLO news, an Afghanistan news television network, Sadat said the attackers, officers from across the border, were well-trained military men, who fought Afghan security forces in the 25-hour siege. "We saw with our own eyes, and I can say 99% of those attackers were from Pakistani military and used special tactics, while conducting their operation," he said. "The attackers were military personnel. They were educated and well prepared and had intelligence. They fought us and only by Allah's grace we were able to control them and eliminate them," he added. The high-ranking official said efforts are underway to track down, identify and detain those who assisted the attackers to gain access to the building opposite the consulate. "We are jointly working with the director of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) and have spoken about this, especially as they came here not able to speak in Dari or Pashtu, but speaking in Urdu. It means obviously there is someone who guided those attackers and helped the attackers," said Sadat. The attack on the Indian consulate took place nine days ago. Three attackers entered a building opposite the Indian consulate - the siege lasted 25 hours. One policeman was killed and nine others, including three civilians, were injured in the attack. The security forces eventually gunned down the attackers, who had been holed up in the 4th floor kitchen of the building. The Congress on Tuesday attacked the Centre for not bringing Pakistan's role in the Pathankot attack onto the international arena strongly enough and lashed out at former Pakistan president General (Retd.) Pervez Musharraf over his assertion that India was 'overreacting' to the terror strike on the Pathankot air base. "I feel like we have not reacted enough...we should have reacted more seriously. What we should have done was bring Pakistan's behaviour to the international community's attention," Congress leader P.C. Chacko told ANI. Not sparing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government for keeping the opposition blind to the proceedings with Pakistan over Pathankot, Chacko said that the Centre was not making the situation transparent, which would affect the ongoing investigation. "The biggest mistake by the Modi Government was not taking the opposition into consideration. They should have shared the information with us. They have not made things transparent which is why Pakistan has failed to act on the evidence and this is a failure on the part of the Indian government," he said. Talking about Musharraf's statement which he made in an interview to a Pakistani news channel, Chacko said that India must not take the former president's reaction 'lightly'. "It is not up to Musharraf or anyone from Pakistan to decide how India will react to the issue. India's most important airbase was attacked by a group of terrorists. Fact remains that it was a major attack on one of India's defence establishments and it was with the help of the Pakistan and we don't need evidence of their involvement. In that kind of situation, India has every right to protest," he said, adding that Musharraf's reaction showed Pakistan's attitude that they were not taking the Pathankot attack seriously. Earlier, Musharraf called on India to not 'overreact' to the terror strike on the Pathankot IAF base, saying that both nations were victims of extremism. "Terrorism is prevalent in both India and Pakistan. We are also victims of the same so we should not over react to what happened in Pathankot. Yes, of course we want to control such incidents, but one should get hyper over such incidents," Musharraf said. Meanwhile, reports have emerged that Pakistan has rejected the evidence provided by India in the Pathankot attack and has denied the credibility of the proofs. Taking a passive stand, the Indian government on Tuesday expressed confidence that Pakistan will come through in the investigations in the Pathankot attack and said that Islamabad should be given more time to take concrete action. "Pakistan government has assured that they will be taking swift action in the Pathankot attack probe. I think we should give them more time. Moreover, there is no reason to doubt Pakistan's assurance," Home Minister Rajnath Singh said. However, the Congress has slammed the Centre for not bringing Pakistan's role in the Pathankot attack onto the international arena strongly enough. "I feel like we have not reacted enough...we should have reacted more seriously. What we should have done was bring Pakistan's behaviour to the international community's attention," Congress leader P.C. Chacko told ANI. Meanwhile, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi lashed out at the Congress for critiquing the Centre over India's current policy with Pakistan and said that the government was quite capable of handling security matter and added that the grand old party should refrain from becoming 'experts' on the issue. "Be it Congress or anyone, they don't need to become an expert and international commentators when it comes to security. Our hands which holds the responsibility of security is firm and experienced. We know how to fight those who try to hurt the country," Naqvi told ANI. Reconciliation talks between the Taliban and the Government of Afghanistan are expected to resume within days following a meeting between top officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and the United States. According to The Express Tribune, a joint statement said after the quadrilateral talks that all four countries emphasised the importance of bringing an end to the Afghan conflict. The four-way huddle was attended by delegations led by Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai, US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Olson and China's special envoy for Afghanistan Deng Xijun. A senior official said that direct talks between the Afghan government and Taliban representatives would resume within days. He also said that the quadrilateral meeting reached a consensus that the peace process should be revived without any further delay. Sonam Kapoor along with director Ram Madhvani, producer Atul Kasbekar and team will be visiting Chandigarh to attend the bravery award that is held on 13th January every year The 30-year-old actress who plays Neerja Bhanot her forthcoming film 'Neerja' is really looking forward to attending the award ceremony. The Neerja Bhanot Award is an award of recognition conferred up to once a year by the 'The Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust' in India to a woman of that country subjected to social injustice, who faces the situation with grit and determination and extends help to other women in similar distress. The story of Neerja, a real hero is all set to hit theaters on 19th February. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will pay a two-day official visit to Israel beginning on January 17. She will be accompanied by Secretary (East) Anil Wadhwa and other officials from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). This is the External Affairs Minister's first visit to Israel and comes after the state visit of President Pranab Mukherjee to the nation in October 2015. India and Israel share close and multifaceted relationship. During the visit, Swaraj will hold discussions with the Israeli leadership and review entire gamut of bilateral relations between both sides. The two sides share firm belief in the values of democracy and free market economy. India and Israel also share close relation in the fields of agriculture, science and technology and education. Swaraj will also interact with the Indian community in Israel during her visit. The visit will augment India's bilateral relations with Israel and further strengthen the linkages between the two sides. India's relations with Israel are part of its engagement with the broader West Asia region and are independent to its relations with any country in the region. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will visit Palestine on January 17. She will be accompanied by Secretary (East) Anil Wadhwa and other officials from Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). This is Swaraj's first visit to West Asia region, and Palestine will be her first destination, which reflects the importance that India holds for Palestine in its engagement with the countries of the region. President Pranab Mukherjee has visited Palestine in October last. During her visit, Swaraj will meet with the Palestinian leadership and review India-Palestinian bilateral relations. India shares traditionally close relations with Palestine and contributing actively through capacity building and human resource development initiatives with Palestine. The visit will also reaffirm India's continued political, diplomatic and developmental support to Palestine. Swaraj will also inaugurate the Palestine Digital Learning and Innovation Centre in Ramallah. The visit will further deepen the mutual understanding at the political level and boost bilateral engagement with Palestine. Taylor Kinney is madly in love with his finacee Lady Gaga as he cannot stop gushing about her after her big win for Best Actress in a Limited TV Series or TV Motion Picture at the 2016 Golden Globes. Kinney said he knew that the 29-year-old actress was anxious during the awards, adding that he couldn't be more proud of her, reports E! Online. The 'Chicago Fire' actor further said to have Gaga up there and just sing praises was great. She worked her tail off so it was a proud moment. Intraday recovery in mid-morning trade proved short lived as key benchmark indices weakened again in early afternoon trade. At 12:16 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 189.50 points or 0.76% at 24,635.54. The 50-unit Nifty 50 index was currently off 56.10 points or 0.74% at 7,507.75. In overseas stock markets, most Asian stocks traded in negative zone in the midst of crumbling confidence in the Chinese economy. The market breadth indicating the overall health of the market turned negative from positive in early afternoon trade. On BSE, 1,326 shares fell and 1,135 shares rose. A total of 186 shares were unchanged. The BSE Mid-Cap index was currently down 0.56%. The BSE Small-Cap index was currently down 0.22%. The decline in both these indices was lower than the Sensex's decline in percentage terms. The Sensex fell 193.82 points or 0.78% at the day's low of 24,631.22 in early afternoon trade. The barometer index rose 57.26 points, or 0.23% at the day's high of 24,882.30 at the onset of trading session. The Nifty fell 57.50 points or 0.76% at the day's low of 7,506.35 in early afternoon trade. The index rose 24.45 points or 0.32% at the day's high of 7,588.30 at the onset of trading session. In overseas stock markets, most Asian stocks traded in negative zone in the midst of crumbling confidence in the Chinese economy. US stocks eked out small gains yesterday, 11 January 2016, after dipping in and out of negative territory as a deepening rout in oil prices hit the energy sector on the heels of the worst weekly start ever to a new year. FMCG shares were mixed. Dabur India (down 2.68%), Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care (down 1.69%), Nestle India (down 1.22%), Jyothy Laboratories (down 0.57%), Tata Global Beverages (down 0.49%), Marico (down 0.34%) and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (down 0.09%), edged lower. Hindustan Unilever (up 0.22%), Colgate Palmolive (India) (up 0.34%), Bajaj Corp (up 0.81%), Britannia Industries (up 1.93%) and Godrej Consumer Products (up 3.25%), edged higher. Telecom shares witnessed selling pressure. Bharti Airtel (down 1.48%), Idea Cellular (down 0.65%), MTNL (down 1.12%) and Reliance Communications (down 0.24%) edged lower. Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) was up 0.13%. Vivimed Labs rose 1.51% after the company said that the board of directors of the company at its meeting held yesterday, 11 January 2016, approved a 5-for-1 stock split. The announcement was made by the company after market hours yesterday, 11 January 2016. Omax Autos surged 9.35% after the company announced after market hours yesterday, 11 January 2016, that it sold its entire remaining 51% stake in its subsidiary Gmax Auto for Rs 2.55 lakh to AG Industries, which already owned 49% stake in Gmax Auto. Gmax Auto reported a turnover of Rs 91.14 crore and had a negative networth of Rs 12.83 crore in the year ended 31 March 2015. The share transfers have been registered yesterday, 11 January 2016, by the board of directors of Gmax Auto. Consequently, the company has no stake in Gmax Auto and it is no more a subsidiary of the company, Omax Autos said. Powered by Capital Market - Live News Key benchmark indices edged higher in early trade as bargain hunting emerged after sell off in the previous session. At 9:21 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 29.40 points or 0.12% at 24,854.44. The Nifty 50 index was up 9.70 points or 0.13% at 7,573.55. The broad market depicted strength. There were more than three gainers against every loser on BSE. 958 shares fell and 247 shares rose. A total of 52 shares were unchanged. The BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.44%. The BSE Small-Cap index was up 0.50%. Both these indices outperformed the Sensex. In the overseas market, most Asian stocks were trading lower as investors worried over the extent of China's economic slowdown and its impact on emerging markets. US stocks eked out small gains yesterday, 11 January 2016, after dipping in and out of negative territory as a deepening rout in oil prices hit the energy sector on the heels of the worst weekly start ever to a new year. Tata Motors as down 0.04% The company announced after market hours yesterday, 11 January 2016, that Tata Motors Group global wholesales including Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) rose 7% at 91,762 units in December 2015 over December 2014. Global wholesales of all Tata Motors' commercial vehicles and Tata Daewoo range rose 6% at 32,475 units in December 2015 over December 2014. Global wholesales of all passenger vehicles rose 8% at 59,287 units in December 2015 over December 2014. Global wholesales of Tata Motors' passenger vehicles declined 32% at 8,371 units in December 2015 over December 2014. Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) was down 0.11% The company announced after market hours yesterday, 11 January 2016, that HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company, a material subsidiary of the company, on 10 January 2016, incorporated a wholly-owned subsidiary in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) called the HDFC International Life and Re Company (HILRCL) with an initial capital outlay of $12.33 million. Further, HILRCL will operate in DIFC, and shall shortly commence its business operations, subject to completion of further regulatory formalities for obtaining the final license from the Dubai Financial Services Authority. HILRCL would be in the business of offering reinsurance capacity to ceding insurers and may also foray into directly underwriting insurance contracts, subject to receipt of necessary approvals. It would initially offer reinsurance capacity in the UAE and subsequently expand to other jurisdictions, using either of the aforesaid business models. Indian Bank was up 0.71% The bank announced after market hours yesterday, 11 January 2016, that pursuant to the bank's strategic plan discussed by its board on 26 October 2015, the bank is proposing to seek the approval of its board in the ensuing board Meeting to be held on 19 January 2016 to permit the bank to raise Basel III compliant Tier II bonds for Rs 1100 crore in one or more tranches in the current or subsequent years based on the requirement. Most metal shares edged higher. Steel Authority of India (up 0.97%), Tata Steel (up 0.71%), Hindustan Zinc (up 0.68%), Bhushan Steel (up 0.48%), JSW Steel (up 0.29%), Hindalco Industries (up 0.26%), Jindal Steel & Power (up 0.24%) and NMDC (up 0.23%), edged higher. Hindustan Copper (down 1.06%), Vedanta (down 1.12%) and National Aluminium Company (down 2.03%), edged lower. Powered by Capital Market - Live News Market is seen opening lower in the early trade as global cues continue to remain negative. Trading of Nifty 50 index futures on the Singapore stock exchange indicates that the Nifty could fall 21 points at the opening bell. In the overseas market, most Asian stocks were trading lower as investors worried over the extent of China's economic slowdown and its impact on emerging markets. US stocks eked out small gains yesterday, 11 January 2016, after dipping in and out of negative territory as a deepening rout in oil prices hit the energy sector on the heels of the worst weekly start ever to a new year. Closer home, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth a net Rs 1319.24 crore yesterday, 11 January 2016, as per provisional data released by the stock exchanges. Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 900.99 crore yesterday, 11 January 2016, as per provisional data. Among corporate news, IndusInd Bank and IT major TCS will announce their Q3 results today, 12 January 2016. Tata Motors announced after market hours yesterday, 11 January 2016, that Tata Motors Group global wholesales including Jaguar Land Rover rose 7% at 91,762 units in December 2015 over December 2014. Global wholesales of all Tata Motors' commercial vehicles and Tata Daewoo range rose 6% at 32,475 units in December 2015 over December 2014. Global wholesales of all passenger vehicles rose 8% at 59,287 units in December 2015 over December 2014. Global wholesales of Tata Motors' passenger vehicles declined 32% at 8,371 units in December 2015 over December 2014. Shares of oil exploration firms, state-run oil marketing companies and aviation companies will be in focus as crude oil prices witnessed a further slide. In the global commodities markets, Brent for February settlement lost $2 a barrel or 5.96% to settle at $31.55 a barrel during the previous trading session. Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) announced after market hours yesterday, 11 January 2016, that HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company, a material subsidiary of the company, on 10 January 2016, incorporated a wholly-owned subsidiary in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) called the HDFC International Life and Re Company (HILRCL) with an initial capital outlay of $12.33 million. Further, HILRCL will operate in DIFC, and shall shortly commence its business operations, subject to completion of further regulatory formalities for obtaining the final license from the Dubai Financial Services Authority. HILRCL would be in the business of offering reinsurance capacity to ceding insurers and may also foray into directly underwriting insurance contracts, subject to receipt of necessary approvals. It would initially offer reinsurance capacity in the UAE and subsequently expand to other jurisdictions, using either of the aforesaid business models. Indian Bank announced after market hours yesterday, 11 January 2016, that pursuant to the bank's strategic plan discussed by its board on 26 October 2015, the bank is proposing to seek the approval of its board in the ensuing board Meeting to be held on 19 January 2016 to permit the bank to raise Basel III compliant Tier II bonds for Rs 1100 crore in one or more tranches in the current or subsequent years based on the requirement. Losses for IT and pharma sector stocks, public sector banks and index heavyweight HDFC pulled key benchmark indices lower in a volatile trading session yesterday, 11 January 2016. The barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, fell 109.29 points or 0.44% to settle at 24,825.04. The 50-unit Nifty 50 index declined 37.50 points or 0.49% to settle at 7,563.85. The Sensex hit its lowest level in more than 19 months on intraday basis as well as on closing basis. The Nifty hit its lowest level in almost 18 months on intraday basis. On closing basis, the Nifty hit an 18-week low. Powered by Capital Market - Live News Ministry of Tourism has launched the following new skill initiatives on the occasion of National Youth Day to mark the Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekanand today in order to improve the sectoral service standards, which is one of the pre-requisites for attracting tourists in larger numbers : (i) A SENSITIZATION PROGRAMME FOR THE EXISTING SERVICE PROVIDERS AT VARANASI It will target Boatmen, Rickshaw pullers, Pandas, Porters, Shopkeepers & Street Vendors ( in and around Ghats and temples). Each course will be of four days duration and the trainees will be compensated for the wage loss. The programme will be implemented by the Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management. The primary objectives of the programme will be to eventually achieve an improved tourist specific service ambience and to further the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan. The first course/ batch will commence on 12th of January, 2016. (ii) A PROGRAMME TO GROOM YOUNG PERSONS INTERESTED IN HOME DELIVERY SERVICE AS AN OCCUPATION It will target persons who are at least matriculates and in the age group of 18-28 years. Each course will be of 6 days duration. The programme will be implemented by the Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management, Institutes of Hotel Management & Food Craft Institutes. The programme will prepare the trainees to deliver food at home with skill, style and civility. The first course/ batch will commence of the 12th of January 2016 at the Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa. (iii) A PROGRAMME OF TRAINING TO BRING UP PARYATAK MITRA It will target college-going students including those enrolled with the NCC& NSS, in the age group of 18-28 years. Each course will be of 10 days duration. The programme will be implemented by the Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management, first at destinations identified under the PRASAD scheme of the Ministry of Tourism. The programme will attempt to inculcate appropriate tourism traits and knowledge among the trainees to enable them to act / work as Tourist Facilitators (Paryatak Mitra). The first course/ batch will commence of the 12th of January 2016 at Varanasi. (iv) A TRAINING PROGRAMME TO BRING UP TOURIST FACILITATORS IN THE NORTH EAST It will target 10+2 pass-outs in the age group of 18-28 years. Each course will be of 30 days duration. The programme will be implemented by the Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management. The primary objective of the programme limited to the North East, will be to achieve better tourist satisfaction in terms of availability of skilled tourist facilitators. The programme will be advertised soon. Powered by Capital Market - Live News Wintal Machines S.r.l. acquires Italtech S.p.A Windsor Machines announced that Wintal Machines S.r.l., a second layer subsidiary of Windsor Machines, has acquired the business of Italtech S.p.A on an ownership basis by entering into a New Agreement with the Italian Authorities under Bankruptcy Law. Earlier, Wintal Machines S.r.l. had entered into agreement for leasing the business of Italtech S.p.A, with Italian authorities under Italian Bankruptcy Law, with the aim of buying the same in a predetermined time period. Powered by Capital Market - Live News At least 10 people were killed on Tuesday when a powerful blast rocked a central Istanbul district popular with tourists, media reports said. Around 15 others were injured in the explosion in Sultanahmet district, BBC and Xinhua news agency reported. A suicide bomber may have carried out the deadly attack, some reports said. Xinhua quoted officials as saying that the blast was heard in other parts of the Turkish capital too. Several German tourists were reportedly among the injured. "Christmas Cheer" in the form of wrapped gifts: Above. photo by Stan Detherage Click image to expand. That year, my youngest sister was born on December 23rd. Those were the days when mothers spent several nights in the hospital after giving birth, so my mom missed Christmas morning with her other two daughters, and my father had to play Santa that year.We lived in Queens, NYC, and even though my mother didn't drive at the time, she had purchased and wrapped all of our gifts so everything would be ready. According to family legend, my father rarely participated in Christmas shopping and certainly not in wrapping. In his defense, he did travel a good bit for business back then, and he did pay for all the gifts.In the North, the presents from Santa were wrapped like all the other presents, unlike the South, where Santa's gifts are arranged beneath the tree unwrapped. My mom always wrote "From Santa" on those packages. Christmas morning, my four-year old sister and I tore into our presents as children do. When there was nothing left but mounds of wrapping paper and ribbon, Daddy called Mom in the hospital. I'm not sure whether we all got to speak with her, but I do recall she asked if I liked my new watch. My response was "what watch?" Not only had my father not participated in shopping and wrapping, he had no idea what we were supposed to find beneath the tree. We dug frantically through the piles of wrapping paper until we found the tiny watch box. Phew!I'm not sure how long I managed to hold on to that watch, but when I was in high school, I lost a watch I'd gotten for my birthday one year. It was a scarab watch, which was all the rage back then. I took it off while shopping with my Mom, as it kept getting hung up in the sleeves as I was trying on clothes. I only realized it was gone when I was trying on something in another shop. We rushed back to the first store only to discover that whoever found my watch in the dressing room had decided to keep it. My mom was furious at my carelessness and loudly declared that she was never buying me another watch. That seems a tad dramatic, but that was the proclamation.Fortunately for me, my dad disagreed and I received a lovely gold watch for graduation that year. I guess I've pretty much managed to hold on to my watches since then until recently. For my 25th anniversary at the bank, I got to choose a gift and chose the proverbial watch. That was almost six years ago, and now I've misplaced it somewhere. Honestly, I know I wore it Thanksgiving Day, but have been unable to find it since. I wear my exercise watch most days, so I can't say when I really saw it last. I've searched the jewelry drawer and all over the house to no avail.This time, I'm blaming our cat Puddin'. The only thing I can think is that I removed the watch and put it on the end table near my chair one evening. Puddin' is known to bat things off the table-pens, coasters, you name it. When she does, those items usually land in the basket beside my chair, the one I put the newspapers in as I finish reading them. I can only think that the watch landed in the basket and was buried in the papers, which I then scooped up and put in the recycle bin. Who knows? I keep thinking maybe it will turn up in one of the places where I've looked over and over again.I may have lost a watch, but there's always a silver lining: I'm smiling as I reflect on family memories of Christmases past and other times. And I can even smile at Puddin'. At least 12 people have been killed and many others injured in riot incidents in Sudan's West Darfur state, a media report said on Monday. "At least 12 people have been killed and others injured during Sunday and Monday," Sudan's Ashorooq net reported citing Al-Tahir Abdul-Rahman Bahar-Eddin, commissioner of El Geneina, according to Xinhua. Tension erupted on Sunday in El Geneina, capital of West Darfur state, when Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) stormed the premises of the state government after a herdsman was murdered near the village of Mouli, 15 km south of El Geneina. Sudan's Justice Minister Awad Al-Hassan Al-Nur on Monday formed a fact-finding committee to investigate El Geneina incidents. Meanwhile, the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) on Monday expressed concern over the tension in West Darfur state. "UNAMID is concerned about the continued tension in El Geneina town and around Mouli village, 15 km south of El Geneina, West Darfur," the mission said in a statement on Monday. The tensions developed after an unidentified armed group attacked Mouli village on January 9, displacing a large number of inhabitants to El Geneina, it said. The affected civilians held demonstrations in El Geneina on January 10, leading to the closure of schools and commercial businesses in the town. "The Mission has been receiving reports of continuous unrest and sporadic firing across El Geneina and in Mouli with an undetermined number of casualties," it added. "UNAMID emphasises the importance of restraint by all parties and stands ready to assist the state authorities as well as the Darfuri people in their efforts to arrive at a peaceful resolution of the situation," it said. Darfur region has been witnessing an armed conflict since 2003, where tribal conflicts constitute one of the main security threats in the region. The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the operation of a central government notification that allowed 'Jallikattu' or bull taming sport in Tamil Nadu. Observing that Jallikattu amounted to heaping cruelty on animals, an apex court bench headed by Justice Dipak Mishra said it cannot be permitted in the 21st century. The ruling came two days ahead of the start of Pongal festival when Jallikattu is played in rural parts of Tamil Nadu. The Supreme Court had in May 2014 banned the sport. On Friday, the central government issued a notification, in response to appeals from the Tamil Nadu government, effectively reversing the 2014 decision. Petitioner Gauri Maulekhi said they wanted the notification quashed. "The court has stayed it." The apex court on Tuesday issued notices to the central government and other respondents. Jallikattu is reputedly one of the oldest living sports. Bulls are specifically bred for the event, where young men try to tame the powerful animals. Many youths get killed or are injured in the process. Animal rights activists say there can be no justification for any sport where animals are treated harshly. UAE's Ajman Free Zone (AFZ) on Tuesday opened its Delhi-NCR office here as "a step towards its commitments to move closer to the customers in the North India region". "Ajman Free Zone is expanding its global reach to be closer to potential overseas entrepreneurs by collaborating entities internationally and opening offices in the key markets of the Indian subcontinent, Africa and Britain," said AFZ director general Mahmood Al Hashemi after inaugurating the second office in India at Time Tower here. He said the North India region, which is very important part of the business community of India, is the target for the office, which would bring customers closer to the advantage of having operational in the AFZ, which houses over 14,000 companies, and assist them in work related to formation of companies and related services. AFZ's first office is already functioning in Mumbai since 2013 and Al Hashemi said it is also actively considering to open its third office in India at Chennai for potential entrepreneurs from south India. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday said he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for moving the Supreme Court to seek day-to-day hearing of the civil appeals in the Ram Janmabhoomi case. "I have written to the prime minister in this connection. The case regarding the Ram temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh should be heard on a day-to-day basis," Swamy told media persons here. Swamy said he will convince Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, whose party is in power in the state, for the temple construction. As for a controversial seminar held at Delhi University on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue last week, Swamy said more such seminars should be held across the country. The two-day seminar on 'Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple: Emerging Scenario' was organised at DU's arts faculty from January 9 by Arundhati Vashishtha Anusandhan Peeth. "Such a seminar should be organised in the Jawaharlal Nehru University too," Swamy said. The JNU in New Delhi is a reputed bastion of Left-leaning student outfits who strongly opposed DU's decision to allow holding of the seminar, alleging it will "communalise" the campus. The BJP leader said such seminars will be organised across India and he had already received offers from Gujarat and Tamil Nadu for the same. Acting on a bunch of appeals, the apex court stayed the 2010 Allahabad high court verdict that divided the 2.77-acre site into three parts. It also ordered status quo at the site but restrained any religious activity on the 67 acres of adjoining land taken over by the Centre. A Canadian, who was kidnapped in 2010 while on vacation in war-torn Afghanistan, has been released from captivity, a statement by Canada's foreign minister said. Colin Rutherford, a Toronto man, had appeared in a video released by the Taliban in 2011, an year after he was captured, Xinhua news agency reported. "Canada is very pleased that efforts undertaken to secure the release of Colin Rutherford from captivity have been successful," said Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion. "We look forward to Rutherford being able to return to Canada and reunite with his family and loved ones." "The government of Canada will continue to provide Rutherford with consular assistance and will assist in facilitating his safe return home," Dion said in the news release on Monday. The minister also offered his "heartfelt thanks to the government of Qatar for its assistance in this matter". Rutherford's brother, Brian, wrote in an e-mail to CBC News: "We are obviously overjoyed with the news!" Rutherford's mother and brother spoke to CBC in 2011, saying they wanted to make contact with his captors. According to his mother, Rutherford had chosen to go to Afghanistan out of his love for travel and history. The Taliban claimed Rutherford was a "spy" and threatened to put him on trial. The moment we try to erase differences instead of accepting them, it creates problems. This is because human beings are programmed to differ and no two persons can be the same, said noted Denmark-based Indian writer Tabish Khair, whose latest book, "The New Xenophobia", has just been released. An associate professor in the English department at Denmark's University of Aarhus, Khair has penned several books in the fiction and non-fiction categories, including "Babu Fictions: Alienation in Indian English Novels", "The Bus Stopped" and "Filming: A Love Story". "The New Xenophobia" dwells on how people constantly create "the stranger" to gain more power over them. "The construction and reception of the stranger of xenophobia, old or new, is always a matter of power, a relationship of power," Khair observed in an interview with IANS while on a visit here to promote his new book. Hailing from Gaya in Bihar, Khair, an alumnus of Magadh Univesity, worked as a reporter with The Times of India in Delhi before leaving for Copenhagen, Denmark. After a couple of years in "immigrant jobs" (hotel cleaner, house painter, census taker and the like, he enrolled for a doctorate in Copenhagen University, and completed his thesis in 2000. It was published as "Babu Fictions" by Oxford University Press in 2001. As a first generation migrant, Khair said he is concerned that his children may also face the "otherness" if these issues are not addressed. "Part of the reason I came up with this study is that being an immigrant myself in Denmark, I am concerned about my children's future," he said. Did he himself face any discrimination due to his skin colour or a Muslim sounding name? "Well, I did face some discrimination, but it is not something major or worth mentioning. Why I am largely insulated is perhaps because I come from the so-called privileged background in the way that I am educated and my circle largely consists of educated and well-informed people," said Khair. To return to his book, Khair said that with the rise of trade and money, and of early and classical capitalism, we find a gradual abstraction of the avenues of power and consequently the justification and operation of xenophobia, most clearly reflected in our definitions of violence. "My book is an attempt to make people face this problem and also think of fair solutions," Khair explained. But we can't fall back on religion - even though religions, more particularly Islam, tend to unite people and discourage xenophobia - to find solutions. Because, according to Khair, this would spawn more problems than would be addressed. "There has been bloodshed in the Middle East as they try to unite people under Wahhabism... And the Islamists' view of the West is no less xenophobic than the West's xenophobia about Muslims," said the author of "How to Fight Islamist Terror from the Missionary Position". Will the recent influx of migrants into Europe give rise to more xenophobia? "Well, it will depend on how politicians treat it. Germany has opened its gates to migrants largely for economic reasons, knowing well that most of the migrants coming to Europe now are educated and skilled. They would bring value addition to the economy. "But my question is: Is an economic reason a justification for treating people badly or warmly? I mean, in most cases, migrants are welcome if they are skilled or educated, but not if they are not," said the author. Khair is however not short of praise for the European society. "Let me tell you Europeans are among the least xenophobic people. But I am not generalising," he said. How can we counter xenophobia? "Well, we should attempt to create individual awareness about these issues. Let's get people talking about it, and perhaps some solutions may evolve," he said. Khair's honours and prizes include the All India Poetry Prize (awarded by the Poetry Society and the British Council) and an honorary fellowship (for creative writing) of Hong Kong's Baptist University. His novels have been shortlisted for nine prestigious prizes in five countries, including the Man Asian Literary Prize and the Encore Award, and translated into several languages. (Mohd Asim Khan can be contacted on mohd.a@ians.in) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday launched TDP-BJP alliance's campaign for Hyderabad municipal elections, promising to once again develop the city. Claiming credit for Hyderabad's progress as an information technology hub, Naidu, who is also the Telugu Desam Party chief, appealed to people to give power to TDP-BJP alliance in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to ensure that the city is put back on the path of development. The alliance launched its poll campaign with a public meeting at Nizam College Grounds on Tuesday night. Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and central ministers J. P. Nadda and Bandaru Dattatreya besides Naidu, his son Nara Lokesh, TDP and BJP's Telangana unit leaders addressed the meeting. Naidu urged people to vote for TDP-BJP alliance in GHMC polls to make a beginning for bringing the alliance to power in Telangana in 2019 elections. Elections for 150-member GHMC are scheduled to be held on February 2. Describing both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as his two eyes, Naidu said he would continue to work for the progress of all Telugu people with the help from BJP-led NDA government in which the TDP is a partner. The Andhra chief minister told people that he came to the public meeting straight from Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam, where the state government signed MoUs worth Rs.5 lakh crore with various companies. The TDP chief said Hyderabad can never forget him as he was the one who put the city on the world IT map as the chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh and with the help of then NDA government transformed it by launching mega projects like the international airport, world-class outer ring road, MMTS and setting up of institutes like Indian School of Business, NALSAR University of Law, International Institute of Information Technology and Urdu University. Naidu's son Lokesh targeted ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in Telangana for failing to deliver on its promises despite a surplus budget of Rs.16,000 crore. He compared this with the performance of TDP government in Andhra Pradesh, which, he claimed, was making rapid strides despite revenue deficit. Nadda said NDA was treating both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh equally. He said the central government recently sanctioned highway projects worth Rs.43,000 crore for Telangana. Dattatreya said if Hyderabad was to be developed as a global city, Telangana needs support from the central government. He claimed that TDP-BJP alliance alone can ensure city's development. In an endeavour to gain from the Indian government's Make in India initiative, over 100 Chinese handset- and component-manufacturers have come here to assess the Indian market for future investment, Wu, founder and CEO of Mobile World (Shoujibao), Shenzhen, has said. "The main purpose of this visit is to understand the Indian market. More than 100 Chinese handset- and component-makers have come with this purpose. They want to invest in India," Wu told IANS in an interview. He said the companies became interested in India after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China last year and his talks on Make in India initiatives of his government. "The three things that drew us to India are its population, the vastness of the market and the Make in India drive by its government," Wu said. The Indian Cellular Association (ICA), the apex body representing the mobile handset industry in India, in association with Mobile World (Shoujibao), is organizing "China-India Mobile phone and Component Manufacturing Summit" on January 13. Wu confirmed that the representatives will also meet government officials during their week-long visit to India. "We wanted to understand the nuances of the Make in India initiative." "We are interested in India because we feel India and China, with their big populations, have a lot of potential. If both the countries work together, they can come out with best results," he said. Major Chinese players like Techno, Gionee, Coolpad, Holitech, Wingtech, Camera King, Galaxy Core, Poxiao, Vivo, Sprocomm, Nubia, ZTE, Meizu, Water World, Transsion, Huiye, Mafe, Obi, Sinwoo, Far-Sighted Mobile, Vikin, Miki, Sop, HuaLong, Wind-Mobi, Nuwei, Ramos, and Huawei are expected to attend the summit. Wu said most of the companies were from central and south China provinces. In addition to the Chinese companies, the Indian mobile industry will be represented by major players like Micromax, Lava, Karbonn, Spice, Vodafone, and Intex at the summit. The representatives of the Chinese companies also plan to visit offices and factories of Indian mobile brands like Micromax and Lava to understand their operations. (Aparajita Gupta can be reached at aparajita.g@ians.in) Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday said the Congress should not try to become an "international expert on national security" because the analysis of such "ignorant analysts" worsens the situation. "Every second leader of the Congress is talking in such a manner that he is an 'international expert on national security'. They are saying had this been done, then the terrorists would not have entered Pathankot, had this been done, then there would not have been attack on national security," Naqvi told reporters here. "Such expert comments were not heard during 10 years regime of these 'intellectual Congress people'," he added. Naqvi said the Narendra Modi government and the security forces have been working with strong nationalistic commitment on the issues of national security and terrorism. "Security of the nation is in strong hands." He also appealed to Congress leaders to stop their misleading comments on the sensitive issue of national security. "Congress leaders should not give any such comment which creates confusion on sensitive issues such as nation's security. The country will never tolerate this. Nation's voice and commitment to national security is strong. India's safety and dignity is priority of the entire nation," Naqvi said. Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli has expressed confidence that his country's new Constitution would be suitably amended to address the concerns of the Madhesis agitating in the Terai and a solution found to the issue before his visit to India next month. "We have presented a bill in parliament... The Constitution is going to be amended," Oli told IANS in an interview at his office in Singha Durbar here. "We have agreed to treat special privileges as fundamental rights. This is democracy... Sometimes in a democracy, such things happen and we have to tolerate (them)," Oli observed while talking about the more than four-month-old anti-Constitution agitation by Madhesi political parties and indigenous groups. The Madhesis have been agitating for the past more than four months in the Nepali Terai against "discriminatory provisions" of the country's new Constitution, which was promulgated on September 20. The protestors blockaded the India-Nepal border entry points hindering movement of vehicles carrying supplies of essentials to the landlocked Himalayan nation -- and thus resulting in acute shortage of food, fuel and medicines, among others. Asserting that the fuel and gas crisis in Nepal in the wake of the Madhesi agitation was slowly improving, Oli hoped that the situation will be "completely normal" within a few days. Oli, 63, who is also chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxists-Leninists) [CPN-UML], however, made it clear that the proposed changes in the Constitution to address the issues raised by the Madhesi parties were against his own conviction and he was only agreeing to them for the sake of democracy in the country. He maintained that there was no discrimination in the new Constitution, promulgated on September 20 last year, and the effort therein was to develop a competitive society with provisions to bring the backward communities to the forefront. He said that under the new Constitution, there was 45 percent reservation in stipulated areas for Backward Communities and they could also be part of the open competition. Referring to the over four-month old agitation by Madhesi parties over provisions of the new Constitution, he said the "supplies were stopped unnecessarily". Oli has alleged that the shortages were the result of an "embargo imposed by India". However, New Delhi maintains that supplies of essential commodities have not been able to move across the border because of the Madhesi agitation. Oli said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was widely hailed for his vision when he first visited Nepal in 2014 but there have been severe shortages of gas and fuel supplies from India in the wake of the Madhesi protests. "Modiji came for the first time as prime minister and delivered his speech in the Nepali parliament. Not only his words, his body language was showing that he is speaking from the heart, manifesting his friendship with Nepal. The Nepali society was so happy and relations between India and Nepal saw a new height. But afterwards there was no gas, no diesel, no petrol. That sort of situation happened." Oli said "the situation is improving gradually and I believe in a few days it will be completely normal". Asked if a solution would be found to the issues raised by the Madhesi protestors before his visit to India next month, Oli said emphatically: "Yes." He also said he had "good expectations" from the visit -- his first abroad as prime minister. Nepal's southern plains have been simmering with protests against the new constitution, with over 55 people, including agitators and police personnel, killed during the agitation by the Madhesi community. The Madhesi protestors are demanding, among other things, a redrawing of the boundaries of the provinces as proposed in the new Constitution and representation in parliament on the basis of population. Nepal's Left government has held more than a score of rounds of talks with leaders of the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha, which is spearheading the agitation, but without any breakthrough so far. Oli said there were complaints about exploitation in Terai but the real reason was landlordism and "lack of consciousness" about education. He gave instances of higher levels of education in the hills and said these areas also did not have problems like "dowry" and "witchcraft". "There was no landlordism in the hills, it was there in the Terai. Its effect has been that only a few people moved ahead. Others are suppressed," Oli said. He said the new Constitution provides for a competitive multi-party system, periodic elections, separation of powers, independence of the judiciary and many fundamental rights. Oli, who became prime minister last October after the country adopted the new Constitution, said the Nepali people and leaders and he personally could not think of anything else except friendship with India. "But there were some misunderstandings that some people were able to create. I do not know why and how they were successful... I want that our two countries come together. It is a special relationship. There is no scope for misunderstanding," he said. Asked about the Madhesis' demand for reorganising parliamentary constituencies on the basis of population, he said the constituencies in India were also organised on the basis of both "geography and population". He said hill districts with sparse populations should also get representation. "We copied the sentence 'on the basis of geography and population' from the Indian constitution," Oli said. Asked about the demand by Madhesi parties of redrawing state boundaries, he said there was geographic and ethnic diversity in Indian states also. "They are making demands pertaining to other areas. These things do not mean much. If they are talking of their own place, then it makes sense," he said. The major demand is for the formation of two provinces in the Nepali Terai -- the Madhesi pradesh extending from the Mechi river in the east to the Narayani river in mid-western Nepal and Tharuhat pradesh from the Narayani to the Mahakali river in the west. The protestors are demanding restoration of rights granted to Madhesis in the interim constitution of 2007 which, they say, the new charter had snatched away. Terai has almost 51 percent of the country's population yet gets only one-third of seats in parliament -- and proportional representation in government jobs. Asked about the anger among the people over shortage of fuel and gas supplies from India, Oli said it would vanish once the supplies were fully restored. He assured that the Nepal government would provide full security to trucks entering from India. (Prashant Sood is in Nepal at the invitation of PATA to study the situation in the wake of last April's quake that killed over 8,000 people. He can be contacted at prashant.s@ians.in) Lakewood fairgrounds Heisey Glass Here is Reg and I at the booth with our glass for sale. Avon Bottles Old Wood Ice boxes converted to Bars We kept adding to the inventory and included display cases. Antique Fire Places Atlanta is notorious for tearing down old houses for the new and improved urban trends. Old Wagons 1958 and 2015 Aside from the obvious investment value of certain antiques, there is a valid reason for everyone to have a few scattered around the house or property.At one time, I was an antique dealer. There was an antique fair held at Lakewood Fair Grounds every month called the Elco Antique show. My roommate and I attended it once and realized that it may be a potential income producing second job. It had the added benefit of attracting girls. This was in 1976; the idea of Silver Spoon rings had taken hold, and many people had jewelry made from old silverware.The reason this recently popped into my head is that one of the magazines that I get from time to time had an article about the father of Georgia Movies in that era. Ed Spivia apparently was the guy who started the Antique Fair at Lakewood and was also very instrumental in bringing the movie industry to Georgia. I do not think I ever met Ed but we had a booth there every month. Ed Spiva, Georgia's movie mogul. After we graduated from spoon rings and other novelities we began to specialize in certain collectables. Below is a list of items we featured:We moved up to Antique Wooden Ice boxes that could be converted into a modern day liquor bar. This necessitated the rental of U-Haul trailers to haul the inventory to and from the monthly show.Somewhere along the line, we gravitated to old fireplace mantels. You could drive to north Georgia and pick these up fairly cheaply from farm houses and abandoned homesteads (With permission of course). Thee were many old houses being torn down in Atlanta as well. There were two ways to sell them. On was in "as is" condition where the buyer would make it a do it yourself project. The other more intricate method was to have them stripped and refinished for sale as a completed item. Naturally, the money was in the second method, which we chose. There was a shop in Avondale, Georgia called the "Mad Stripper" that had a big dip tank and he would dip the wood pieces in the tank, which would remove all traces of paint and varnish. This was a highly labor intensive project which we did from our apartment.Anyone who has ever been in business knows that one of the secrets to success is through growth. If you are standing-still, you are going backwards. Competition will force you to innovate and move with the trends. That is how we began selling old wagons. We may have missed to point about growing the business by growing the size of our product. It started when we saw an old barn with a farmer's wagon sitting next to it. I guess neither my roommate nor I realized that we could not do this out of our two-bedroom apartment on Buford Highway. Fortunately, my dad had five acres where we could store the wagons.We were fortunate that one of the plant nurseries bought one of the wagons to display their plants outside their store. The idea caught on and other plant nurseries followed suit. That did not require us to do anything but acquire the wagons, transport them to Atlanta and then deliver them to the stores in the area.Since I was a college dropout business major with an accounting basis, it did not take long to realize that our expenses were growing faster than our gross income. I must have dropped out before the course on diminishing returns. We used a simple formula to gauge our success. If we cleared enough money after expenses to have a good steak dinner for us and dates as well as seed money for the next purchase we were in high cotton.It was never really a moneymaking goal but a scheme to pay for the incidentals of Wine, Women and Song. It did that very well but there was no goldmine to be found in our approach to this sideline/hobby.We eventually got out of the antique business when my company transferred me to Tampa, Florida. Today, I can report in all honesty that I do not have one piece of Sterling Silver Ring, Heisey glass,Avon Bottle, Wooden Bar, Wagon or anything else we had in our inventory. Neither does my partner.It was an interesting experience but never really a business. We had fun, met a few great people and generally enjoyed life without taking any of it too seriously.Today antiques are a big business and the north Georgia area is no longer an opportunity for buying cheap and selling in Atlanta for outrageous profits. The old farmers and mountain people have caught on to the city ways and you will not get a deal trying to buy their memories. Most of them do have a great story to tell about how Sherman once sat at the table or Burt Reynolds stayed at their place during the filming of "Deliverance "in 1972. Return to Deliverance post. In an effort to bring closure to this overly long and tedious article, I offer my reasoning behind why there is a valid reason for everyone to have a few Antiques scattered around their house or property. If the particular item is from your family history or holds some personal memory for you, then there is more than a dollar value to its place in your life.I was never too much interested in memories as a young man; I guess I was too busy making them. As I grow older and more reflective, I am glad that I have family artifacts to remind me of a wonderful childhood and family, that will hopefully eventually end up in my heirs homes. BJP legislator from South Mumbai M.P. Lodha on Tuesday urged the central goverment to convert Jinnah House, the house built by Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, into a war memorial-cum-museum. Lodha met Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar, and submitted his proposal here on Tuesday. Parikkar said he would look into it. "Since three years, I have been requesting the Maharashtra government to act on this since the huge property on Malabar Hill has been lying vacant without any purpose," Lodha told IANS. He said most of the wars India has fought were with Pakistan and there were many memories and incidents associated with them. If the house is converted into a war memorial-cum-museum, it would be great for future Indian generations and help put the property to good use, he said. The imposing mansion was built in 1936 on a 2.5 acre plot on Malabar Hill, with Jinnah personally looking into all aspects of its construction. He built it after his return from London and taking charge of the leadership of the Muslim League at the height of the ongoing struggle for India's freedom. It was also the venue for the historic talks on Partition and creation of Pakistan in September 1944 and later in August 1946. Personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and other prominent leaders of the freedom movement were regular visitors there. After Partition, Jinnah left India and after his death in 1948, the property was leased to the British Deputy High Commission in Mumbai till 1983. It fell vacant for another 20 years and a portion of it was allotted to the Indian Council for Cultural Relations for a few years, even as Pakistan demanded that it be leased for its deputy high commission in Mumbai. Currently, the property is embroiled in a legal battle with Jinnah's daughter Dina Jinnah claiming ownership. A court here has dismissed a plea by Telangana Police seeking to take with them suspected Maoist ideologue Kobad Ghandy, accused of propagating activities of the banned CPI-Maoist in the capital, court sources said on Tuesday. Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh last week rejected the plea of Telangana Police seeking to take Ghandy with them to face trial in a case pending against him there. Telangana Police told the court that Ghandy was required to be produced before a local court in Mahabubnagar district. The plea was opposed by the public prosecutor contending that the trial against him here was in the last stage. "In view of the submissions made by the additional public prosecutor for the state, the prayer made in this application cannot be granted at this stage," the court said. According to police, Ghandy was involved in setting up a network of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist in Delhi. He was arrested here on September 20, 2009 while undergoing treatment for cancer. The 65-years-old Ghandy, along with co-accused Rajender Kumar alias Arvind Joshi, is facing trial in the case. The odd-even restrictions for cars being experimented with in New Delhi will not work to improve the national capital's air quality due to its geographical location and the long-range airmass floating in from north and northwestern India, says an Indian origin US professor who has been analyzing satellite data. The odd/even restriction will be of great help in reducing the traffic but wouldn't do much to reduce concentrations of fine particles, Ramesh Singh, a professor at Chapman University in California, told IANS in an e-mail interview during an extended visit to Varanasi, from where he obtained his B.Sc., M.Sc. and PhD degrees. "My views are supported by data from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite," said Singh, who was formerly a professor of civil engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur. According to Singh, Aerosol Optical Depth, which is a measure of air pollution, retrieved from MODIS satellite data over Delhi during December 1, 2015, to January 10, 2016, shows that the pollution level remains high and there is no reduction in PM2.5 fine particles after the odd-even restrictions were put in place. Singh said that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has tried to copy from Beijing, where some car owners in different areas are allowed to drive only on specific days "to cut down the flow of traffic, not because of pollution". "Delhi and Beijing have similar sources of pollutants (coal-based power plants, brick kilns, industry and the like), but we should not compare whether PM2.5 is higher in Delhi or Beijing because the geographical situation is different," Singh said. "Cities in the Ganges basin have the lofty Himalayas in the background and, again, whereas in Beijing the emissions get dispersed in all directions, in Delhi pollutants come from western parts and occasionally from eastern parts of the basin. "Delhi is located in the Ganga basin and during winter time, depending upon the weather conditions, dense haze, fog and smog are formed and moves in the Ganga basin. Therefore, sometimes dense fog/haze/smog is seen in Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Banaras and Amritsar. "Also, during the winter season the wind, which is mainly westerly, brings pollutants from Pakistan, and from Punjab and Haryana, northern regions of India. All these pollutants cannot be stopped due to the towering Himalaya in the north," Singh said. Therefore, there is continuous flow of airmass from west to east and Delhi gets affected through the long range transport of pollutants from the west and also from the foothills of the Himalayas where the burning of wood is prevalent during the winter season, Singh said. Emissions from vehicles in Delhi mix with the fine particles in the airmass coming from the western side and the strong mixing of the two affects the solar radiation budget and highly impacts Delhi's atmospheric chemistry, which may create other atmospheric problems, Singh said. "While the effort of the Delhi government must be welcomed, a detailed feasibility study is needed to manage plying of vehicles in Delhi to curb the local pollution," he added. (Ramesh Singh can be reached through e-mail - rsingh@chapman.edu - and through cell phone in Varanasi at 07081212023. K.S. Jayaraman can be contacted at killugudi@hotmail.com) Parliament is the best forum for discussion, debate and disagreement but discipline and decorum are also needed in the public interest, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said on Tuesday. "In parliamentary democracy, every issue can be discussed and there cannot be a better forum than the house to discuss, debate and disagree," Mahajan said at the 23rd Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth here. "But in the larger public interest two more Ds - Discipline and Decorum - need to be added to avoid disruptions and decide issues," an official statement quoted her as saying. The speaker said she felt these objectives could be realised if house members are empowered through capacity-building programmes to become effective parliamentarians. "They need to be given proper orientation and assistance so that they can make an invaluable difference to the lives of their constituents and contribute purposively towards strengthening and deepening democracy," Mahajan said. She said members of parliaments not only represent the voice of the people and their opinion but also play a vital role in shaping public opinion and debates. The speaker said it was imperative for them to be adequately informed on the global thinking and perspectives on various issues. "...members of parliaments have the responsibility for enriching debates and discussions in parliaments and appear to be adding value as in today's scenario of live telecast of parliament (proceedings) their actions are under scrutiny 24X7," she added. In the last winter session, while the Lok Sabha had over 100 percent productivity, the Rajya Sabha could not even reach the half-way mark, working only 46 percent of its time. The disruptions resulted in stalling of several key legislations, including one to introduce Goods and Services Tax in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month called it the "country's misfortune" that parliament was not allowed to function. Actor Akkineni Nagarjuna says he's at a position in his career where he doesn't bother about stardom anymore. Instead, he says he would concentrate on doing good films, even if it means waiting for over a year for a release. Nagarjuna's "Soggade Chinni Nayana", which releases worldwide on Friday, is his first release since 2014 Telugu drama "Manam". "I don't think about stardom anymore. I'm way past that phase. The only thing that matters to me now is doing good films. I may not have had a release in 2015, but the wait has paid off with 'Soggade...', which has come out really well," Nagarjuna told IANS. Directed by debutant Kalyan Krishna, the film also stars Ramya Krishnan and Lavanya Tripathi in important roles. Talking about the film in which he plays dual roles, he said: "I play the father and son. This is a fun film with a ghost angle. I also come as a ghost, but I won't be scaring anybody. This is not your regular horror film. It's a lovely story of a father returning as a soul to help his son". While the project was supposed to be finished earlier, Nagarjuna says the delay was inevitable. "Quite early on, Shruti Haasan walked out of the project for unknown reasons. We had to wait for three months until Tamannaah Bhatia came on board as her replacement. Though we completed shooting in September, we spent the last few months on post-production," he said. A stickler for details, Nagarjuna ensured there was no compromise in the overall product. "Once I finish shooting a film, I usually sit on it to see how we can make it better. This is something I've been doing for many years on all my projects," he said. In a long time, Nagarjuna has starred in a film that's completely set against a village backdrop. "It's been a while since we had a film set completely in a village. Although villages are fast catching up with the cities, there's still something special about shooting there, like its serene environment. It was an amazing experience," he said. As much as Nagarjuna is excited about the release of "Soggade...", he's also concerned about going head on with three more releases - "Nannaku Prematho", "Dictator" and "Express Raja". "I find this trend very unhealthy, because it will force us to share our success. I had announced the release date of my film nearly three months ago and had even paid advance to theatres and blocked screens. Since I had planned in advance, there was no way I was going to step out of the race," he added. Nagarjuna also awaits the release of Telugu-Tamil bilingual "Oopiri", which also features Tamil actor Karthi alongside him. Pakistan's unwillingness to act against anti-India militants will do more harm to Islamabad "than any enemy could wish for", a former Pakistani diplomat said in remarks published on Monday. Ashraf Jehangir Qazi also wrote in the Dawn that many Western analysts believed that the terror attack on the IAF base at Pathankot was "probably planned and supervised from Pakistan by elements with a history of association with the intelligence establishment". "If the responses of the rulers of Pakistan convey the message that they are unwilling or unable to control the cross-border activities of anti-India and anti-Kabul jehadis until Kashmir is resolved and Kabul has a 'friendly' government, they will do more harm to Pakistan than any enemy could wish for," said Qazi, a former envoy to the US, China and India. "Nor will they help the Kashmiri freedom struggle one iota," he added. Qazi said India had provided Pakistan "actionable intelligence" regarding the January 2 attack on the Pathankot Indian Air Force base in Punjab that left seven security personnel dead. Indian security forces killed all six terrorists who are believed to have come from Pakistan. New Delhi, Qazi said, wanted satisfactory follow-up action by Pakistan if the foreign secretary talks scheduled in Islamabad on January 15 were to start. "Reports suggest a number of Nato countries consider the intelligence supplied (including mobile phone conversations between the attackers and suspected handlers in Pakistan, a Jaish-e-Mohammad letter, DNA samples of the attackers, their voice record samples) to be credible leads if not conclusive evidence. "Pakistan's international legal obligations require it to follow up on these leads to determine whether or not some elements based in Pakistan were involved in the attack," the former diplomat said. According to Qazi, the US agrees with India that Pakistan must take the leads provided by India seriously. "Along with India, the US and Nato countries lean to the view that the attack probably was planned and supervised from Pakistan by elements with a history of association with the intelligence establishment, whether with or without its direct or indirect connivance." Regular exercise can reduce heart disease risk in people suffering from depression, suggests new research. Depression is commonly associated with worse outcomes for patients with heart disease and other conditions. As many as 20 percent of people hospitalised with a heart attack report symptoms of depression, while patients with heart disease have three times the risk of developing depression compared to the general population, the study pointed out. "Our findings highlight the link between worsening depression and cardiovascular risk and support routinely assessing depression in patients to determine heart disease risk. This research also demonstrates the positive effects of exercise for all patients, including those with depressive symptoms," said study author Arshed Quyyumi from Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, US. The researchers studied 965 people who were free of heart disease and who had no prior diagnosis of an affective, psychotic or anxiety disorder. They used questionnaires to evaluate patients for depression and levels of physical activity and also looked several early indicators of heart disease. The researchers found that depressive symptoms were more pronounced in people who were inactive. The study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. A private company engaged in road construction in Bihar has demanded Rs.1 crore as compensation from the state government for the families of two engineers killed allegedly for not paying extortion money to a notorious gang. Two engineers of Gurgaon-based construction company BSC-C&C Joint Venture Ltd., engaged in road making in Bihar, were shot dead in Darbhanga district last month. Over two weeks after two of its engineers were killed, the company has written to a top official of Bihar's road construction department, demanding compensation to instil confidence among engineers, skilled and non-skilled workers engaged in other construction projects in the state, the company's official said on Tuesday. The company officials have informed the state government that engineers and contractors were reluctant to carry on work on some other projects despite security being provided by the Bihar authorities. Earlier, the company also requested for adequate security for its employees engaged in road construction in view of fear among them following the killing of the two engineers. According to police, the two engineers -- Brajesh Kumar and Mukesh Kumar -- were killed on December 26 by two motorcycle-borne assailants allegedly for not paying extortion money. An official of the BSC-C&C Joint Venture Ltd. said a man named Mukesh Pathak, who works as a shooterfor gangster Santosh Jha, has been demanding a "levy" from the company since August. The official said Pathak called several times between December 16 and 20. A police probe indicated involvement of Santosh Jha's gang. He is currently lodged in the Gaya Central Jail. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed, led by Special Task Force Superintendent of Police Shivdeep Lande. Jha's sister Munni Devi and her husband Sanjay Lal Dev were on last Saturday arrested in connection with the killing of the two engineers. During police interrogation, Munni Devi has reportedly confessed her involvement in the killings. Four patients who underwent cataract surgery at a health camp in Sheopur town of Madhya Pradesh, have complained of loss of vision, an official said on Tuesday. At least 66 people underwent surgery for removal of cataract on November 27 at Sheopur district hospital and their stitches were removed 45 days later on Monday. Some patients also complained of blurred vision following the surgery. Pradeep Mishra, chief medical and health officer at the district hospital, told IANS on Tuesday that as the doctors were then on leave, eye specialists from Gwalior were called in to conduct the surgeries. Mishra said the patients complained of blurred vision on Monday after the stitched were removed, but later said things are all right with them. The chief medical officer said that post surgery, the vision usually gets clearer 3-4 days after the stitches are removed. A total of 86 people also underwent cataract removal surgery in Badwani district, of whom 53 people lost their eyesight due to post-surgical infection. The opposition on Tuesday grilled the ruling BJP-led coalition government in Goa over spending Rs.19 crore on foreign junkets of tourism officials over the past three years. Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar, who was on the mat over the accusation of excessive spending by Congress legislator Digmabar Kamat in the Goa assembly, said he would table all reports filed by government officials who had gone on foreign junkets. "In three years, expenditure is Rs.19 crore and this year's statement bills have not been submitted. The amount spent must be more than Rs.19 crore," Kamat told the assembly, quoting statistics from a reply from the tourism minister. Kamat also questioned the logic behind the tourism ministry conducting official visits to Los Angeles, New York, Washington in the US, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Nepal and demanded an explanation from Parulekar as to how many tourists have visited Goa from these countries. The minister could not provide the figures. "There are even officials from the water resources ministry who have joined tourism officials on foreign tours," Kamat said. Defending the junkets, Parulekar said the Congress-led coalition government also sanctioned tourism ministry's foreign tours. The minister assured the assembly that reports of all foreign tours would be tabled in the ongoing assembly session. The Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital here has secured The Joint Commission International's USA Gold Seal of Approval accreditation as a symbol of quality and commitment to very high standards and safety of the patients, it was announced on Tuesday. With this, the seven-year-old KDAH becomes the only hospital in Mumbai and the only other in the country to have all the four major accreditations - NABH, NABL, CAP and now the JCI. For this, it underwent a stringent on-site survey last month by an international team of specialists from the US, South America, Europe and Far East, and their evaluation covered effective clinician and interdisciplinary teamwork to ensure coordinated and comprehensive patient-centric care keeping quality and safety of the patient in focus. The JCI, awarded for three years, sets protocols for accredited hospitals to ensure patients receive timely and appropriate treatment leading to improved patient outcomes, greater satisfaction and reduced overall costs, educating patients in all aspects of the ailments and treatment protocols. "Kokilaben Ambani Hospital is delighted to receive the JCI certification from the premier healthcare quality improvement and accreditation body in the US. It has further enthused the entire team to provide an all-round comprehensive and well-coordinated treatment regime to all care receivers," said KDAH chairperson Tina Ambani, whose attention to detail and unwavering faith in the credo "Every life matters" are visible across all facets and operations of the hospital. JCI's Accreditation and Certification Operations division COO Mark G. Pelletier commended the KDAH for "successfully achieving this certification and for its dedicated to become a quality improvement organisation". KDAH operates under a full-time specialist system ensuring a round-the-clock availability of specialists and access to dedicated consulting specialists and has 15 centres of excellence, 26 speciality departments, 20 super speciality Clinics and five support groups. An Iranian fighter jet crashed in the country's Sistan and Baluchestan province on Tuesday, killing two pilots, the media reported. The F-4 fighter jet of Iran's air force crashed in Konarak area during training, reported Xinhua news agency. An aide to the Sistan and Baluchestan governor told ISNA news agency that technical problems led to the crash. The pilot had intended to land the jet on a road in Konarak but failed, the aide was quoted as saying. Iran has seen several air accidents of both civil and military aircraft in recent years. Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for one and a half years used a SIM card sold in Delhi to contact its moles in India, police sources said. The ISI used the prepaid telephone SIM card from near the Attari-Wagah border to be in touch with its moles in Jammu and Kashmir, where three men have been arrested for getting calls and WhatsApp messages from that number. The SIM card was issued in the name of a woman, Rohini Gomes, in Laxmi Nagar in east Delhi, a highly-placed source told IANS. "No such woman ever lived or lives at the Laxmi Nagar address." The Crime Branch of Delhi Police made the discovery after busting a pan-India ISI-backed espionage racket towards the end of November 2015. An officer of the Crime Branch, which busted the ISI espionage racket by arresting Kafaitullah Khan from the New Delhi Railway Station on November 26, said the SIM card belonged to a leading cellular service provider. "An ISI operative used the Delhi number from the India-Pakistan border to contact his agents in India. The number was issued from Delhi on a fake identity card," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Ravindra Yadav told IANS. Another officer told IANS: "It was a prepaid number and was being used to send messages through WhatsApp." "The SIM number was actively used near the Attari border through Indian towers without paying international roaming charges," he added. Delhi Police arrested six suspected ISI moles in November-December 2015. The six included a serving leading aircraftsman Ranjith K.K., library assistant Kafaitullah Khan, Border Security Force head constable Abdul Rasheed, retired army havildar Munawwar Ahmad Mir, rifleman Farid Khan of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, and a government teacher, Sabar. The officer said Kafaitullah Khan, Mir and Sabar were in touch with their ISI handler, identified as Faizal, who was using the number. "We are also trailing the man who provided the activated SIM card to Faizal, whose real identity is yet to be ascertained." On December 30, police arrested Ankush Khandelwal from Delhi for issuing several SIM cards on the strength of fake identity cards. A total of 205 pre-activated SIM cards were recovered from Khandelwal. A 33-year-old man from Shakurpur in west Delhi, Mohit Gupta, was arrested on January 4 for his involvement in creating fake identity cards for those without any residence proof. "Several fake identity cards and blank customer acquisition forms (CAFs) were recovered from Mohit. On his personal laptop, we found more than 1,000 such fake cards and equal number of photographs of different persons in a folder," the officer said. Mohit reportedly used these fake identity cards for getting SIM cards activated and to sell these for Rs.500-700 each -- without obtaining any identification documents from the purchaser. "Mohit also created identity cards for those who had no address proof in Delhi," the officer added. (Rajnish Singh can be contacted atrajnish.s@ians.in) Suspected suicide bomber of Tuesday's Istanbul blast is a member of Islamic State group, Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said. All those who were killed at Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet Square blast are foreign nationals, Davutoglu stated at a press conference, pledging that Turkey will continue operations against jihadist group as part of the anti-IS coalition. Most of the victims were German nationals, according to anonymous sources from the prime minister's office, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Davutoglu held a phone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel after the attack and extended his condolences. The Sultanahmet bomber, Syrian origin born in 1988, has recently entered from Syria, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters. At least 10 people were killed and 15 others wounded in an explosion that hit Sultanahmet Square on Tuesday. Turkey has suffered from a series of deadly attacks. In July 2015, a bombing attack in the border town of Suruc in southeastern Turkey left 34 pro-Kurdish and left-wing activists killed. In October, twin suicide bombings hit the capital city Ankara, claiming a total of 103 lives. Both were blamed on the Islamic State (IS) militant group. Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar on Tuesday arrived in Sri Lanka to hold bilateral discussions with the island nation's leadership, media reported. Jaishankar is expected to meet Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera among other dignitaries, a report in the Daily Mirror online said. According to the report, during the course of his visit, Jaishankar is expected to pave the way for the India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission (ISLJC) meeting scheduled to be held in Colombo next month. Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is likely to attend the meeting. On Monday, Jaishankar was in the Maldives where he met President Abdulla Yameen and Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon and discussed issues of bilateral cooperation. According to Haveeru online, Yameen apprised Jaishankar of the political developments in the Maldives and "secured the regional superpower's backing in domestic and international affairs". Citing a statement issued by the president's office in the local Dhivehi language, it said Yameen apprised the Indian foreign secretary of the latest developments in local politics. He sought India's assistance in several areas, including domestic and international affairs, ways to improve cooperation in the economic and health fields and regional anti-terrorism efforts. "The president gave his assurance that his government will continuously work to further improve the close bilateral relations between the Maldives and India," the report quoted the statement as saying. "The Indian foreign secretary assured the president that India will always give its fullest cooperation to the Maldives," it added. Jaishankar later met Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon on Monday afternoon. The Indian high commission in Male tweeted that Jaishankar and Maumoon had an "excellent discussion on bilateral cooperation". Jaishankar's visit to the Maldives and Sri Lanka comes amid speculation about whether the India-Pakistan foreign secretary-level talks, scheduled to be held in Islamabad on January 15, will take place given the cross-border terror attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot on January 2. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Tuesday urged the central government to issue an ordinance to enable the conduct of Jallikattu after the Supreme Court stayed the bull taming sport. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jayalalithaa said: "I strongly reiterate my earlier request to the government to promulgate an ordinance forthwith to enable the conduct of Jallikattu." Lack of coordination between the Jharkhand government and Rashtrapati Bhavan resulted in a loss of Rs.1.25 crore to the state as three temporary helipads constructed ahead of President Pranab Mukherjee's visit were not even used, a government source said. Mukherjee was on a two-day Jharkhand visit from January 9. He participated in the convocations of the Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribagh, and BIT Mesra, Ranchi. He also participated in the Banga Sammelan in Khel Gaon here. "The helipads were constructed at BIT Mesra and Khel Gaon. The president visited all the places by road," a Jharkhand government source told IANS on Tuesday. "The district administration, without taking confirmation from Rashtrapati Bhavan, requested for temporary construction of three helipads," the source said, adding that these would not be used in future. The state government also spent a huge amount of money on improving the condition of roads and beautifying the paths through which the president passed. Thousands of junior doctors in Britain on Tuesday began a 24-hour strike over pay and working hours disputes with the country's health authorities, a media report said. The strike, which began at 8 a.m. (local time), is the first industrial action by the British junior doctors in nearly 40 years and hospital operations have been affected, Xinhua news agency reported. About 37,000 of a total of 45,000 junior doctors took part in a vote in November last year and 98 percent of them voted for action. The British government wanted to establish a "seven-day NHS" and proposed to introduce a new work contract for junior doctors, who believe the new contract would reduce protections for them. The British Medical Association (BMA), the trade union and professional association for doctors and medical students in Britain, had tried to negotiate a new contract for junior doctors with the government but the talks failed to reach an agreement. Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap says he is a fan of Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino and hopes that his latest release "The Hateful Eight" comes out without any cuts in India. "I'm very happy that this film is coming out and I hope it comes out uncut. I hope it comes out the way it is - the way the filmmaker has made it," Kashyap said at a special screening of the film here on Sunday. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Bruce Dern and Demian Bichir, the film is set for this Friday release in the country. Kashyap also said that a Hindi film on any of Tarantino's films can't be made. He said: "I'm a big fan. I like all of his films. I'm always waiting for the next film. You get that inspiration from his films that a person still does what world discourages him from doing." A court here on Tuesday sentenced two suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives to seven years in jail and another to four years' imprisonment for conspiring to carry out blasts in the capital on the instructions of their Pakistan-based handlers. Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh sentenced Ahtisham Farooq Malik and Shafaqat Ali Tuggu to seven years in jail, while Tawseef Ahmed Peer was jailed for four years. Malik and Tuggu were held guilty under provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Explosive Substances Act. Peer was convicted under the provisions of UAPA. Besides the three, the court awarded three months' jail to Saijee Anwar, convicted for forgery and various charges under the Indian Penal Code for providing help in procuring a mobile number on a fake identity proof. Anwar was granted bail and allowed to appeal against his conviction. A case was lodged against them by the Delhi Police Special Cell in 2012. According to police, Malik underwent training in Pakistan, and returned to India in 2012 to plan a terror strike in national capital. Police arrested Malik and Tuggu in February 2012 and recovered explosives from their possession. Tuggu was an associate of Malik while Peer was named as co-conspirator. Anwar helped in procuring a mobile number on a fake identity proof, police said. This is a diary of my journey to Honduras as a Missionary. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said there was no reason to distrust Pakistan's assurance of "effective action" against those linked to the terror attack on the IAF base in Pathankot in Punjab. "There is no reason to distrust them so early. We should all wait (for Pakistani action)," the minister told media persons here. Rajnath Singh said the Pakistan government had assured of swift action on the inputs given by India about the perpetrators of the attack on the Indian Air Force base in the early hours of January 2. India had said terrorists from Pakistan were responsible for the attack that left seven security personnel dead. All six terrorists were killed in the counter-offensive. India said it had provided what it called "actionable intelligence" to Islamabad to act against those who plotted the audacious attack. According to the Indian authorities, the terrorists involved were affiliated to the proscribed Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit. A senior aide of President Barack Obama has assured the American Sikh community that the Obama administration stood by it in the wake of recent incidents of violence against Sikhs. "I want to offer our deepest condolences for some recent violence and attacks against Sikhs and Sikh institutions," Melissa Rogers, special assistant to the President and head of the Office of Faith Based and Neighbourhood Partnerships said. Rogers, the highest ranking representative of Obama Administration to attend a Sikh gathering in a gurdwara, also expressed empathy with the Sikh community over reported vandalism at a Los Angeles gurdwara. "These reports are of tremendous concern to us as they are to you," she was quoted as saying at the 349th birth anniversary celebrations of the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, in Rockville, Maryland. "When these kinds of things happen there is a feeling of violation and anxiety. We want you to know that we stand by you during these challenging times," she said addressing a gathering at Guru Gobind Singh Foundation(GGSF) gurdwara. Speaking on the issue of Sikhs in the US Army, Rogers said, "We will continue to be in touch with you on the issue of Sikhs serving in the United States Armed Forces." Rajwant Singh, Chairman of the Sikh Council on Religion and Education, thanked Obama for making "available all tools of the US Government to send a strong message that hate and violence will not be tolerated against Sikhs or any other community." Inder Paul Singh Gadh, chairman of GGSF, said Obama's "resolve to stand by the community is critical at this time and it is tremendously assuring to Sikhs across the nation and especially to the Sikh youth". If you were convinced till now that your body has more bacteria (good and bad) and other microbes than human cells, it is time to revisit the decades-old assumption, says a team of researchers from Israel and Canada. Turning the conventional knowledge on its head that bacteria and other microbes in our body outnumber our own cells by about 10 to one, the team has calculated that the ratio between resident microbes and human cells is more likely to be one-to-one, the prestigious scientific journal Nature reported. "A 'reference man' (one who is 70 kg, 20-30 years old and 1.7 metres tall) contains on average about 30 trillion human cells and 39 trillion bacteria," said Ron Milo and Ron Sender from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot in Israel and Shai Fuchs at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. "Those numbers are approximate. Another person might have half as many or twice as many bacteria, for example, but far from the 10:1 ratio commonly assumed," they noted in their paper. "The numbers are similar enough that each defecation event may flip the ratio to favour human cells over bacteria," they added. The 10:1 myth persisted from a 1972 estimate by microbiologist Thomas Luckey, which was "elegantly performed, yet was probably never meant to be widely quoted decades later", the authors added. A particular overestimate in Luckey's work relates to the proportion of bacteria in our guts, Milo and colleagues say. Luckey estimated that guts contain around 1014 bacteria, by assuming that there were 1011 bacteria in a gram of faeces, and scaling that up by the one-litre volume of the alimentary canal, which stretches from the mouth to the anus. But most bacteria reside only in the colon (which has a volume of 0.4 litres), Milo and colleagues point out - and measurements suggest that there are fewer bacteria in stool samples than Luckey thought. Putting these calculations together, the researchers produce a ratio for microbial to human cells for the average man of 1.3:1, with a wide uncertainty. In 2014, molecular biologist Judah Rosner at the US National Institutes of Health at Bethesda, had expressed his doubts about the 10:1 claim, noting that there were very few good estimates for the numbers of human and microbial cells in the body. Pakistan has promised "effective action" vis-a-vis the suspected Pakistani links to the terror attack on the IAF base in Pathankot, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday. There was "no reason to distrust them so early", the minister told the media here. "We should all wait (for Pakistani action)." India says terrorists from Pakistan were responsible for the January 2 attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot that left seven security personnel dead. All six terrorists were killed. New Delhi says it has provided "actionable intelligence" to Islamabad to act against those who plotted the audacious attack. Pakistani military officers were behind the January 3 terror attack on the Indian consulate in Afghanistan's Mazar-e-Sharif, a senior Afghan police official said on Tuesday. Sayed Kamal Sadat, police chief of Afghanistan's northern Balkh province, said the attackers, "officers from across the border, were well-trained military men who fought Afghan security forces in the 25-hour siege", Tolo News reported. "We saw with our own eyes and I can say 99 percent that those attackers were from Pakistani military and used special tactics while conducting their operation," Sadat was quoted as saying. "The attackers were military personnel. They were educated and well prepared and had intelligence. They fought us and only by Allah's grace were we able to control them and eliminate them." On January 3 night, the terrorists attacked the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif. Among the weapons carried by the attackers were rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), Indian external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup confirmed at a media briefing in New Delhi on Thursday. After being kept at bay by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel posted at the consulate, all the four terrorists were later killed by the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF). One Afghan security personnel lost his life and nine others, including three civilians, were wounded in the incident. Sadat on Tuesday said efforts were on to "track down, identify and detain those who assisted the attackers to gain access to the building that was opposite the consulate". "We are jointly working with the NDS (National Directorate of Security) director and have spoken about this -- especially as they came here not able to speak in Dari or Pashtu but speaking in Urdu. It means obviously there is someone who guided those attackers and helped the attackers," the Tolo News report quoted Sadat as saying. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday attended a meeting of the Somnath Trust, which was chaired by former Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel and attended by veteran party leader L.K. Advani, an official statement said. The prime minister stressed on the need for establishing Somnath Temple as a premier religious tourist destination, it said. "He also suggested to build a state of the art virtual museum and auditorium. In this regard, the prime minister also suggested that a tourist circuit should be created connecting Somnath, Diu and Gir Lion Safari. The Trust decided to add many more tourist attractions," the statement said. The trust has reappointed Patel as chairman for 2016 while Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah was appointed as the trustee, the statement said. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) was directly supervising the new India-Bangladesh railway project in Tripura, Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha said here on Tuesday. "Funding for the India-Bangladesh railway project would not be a problem as the PMO is directly overseeing the much expected project," Sinha told reporters in Nishintipur village in Tripura along the India-Bangladesh border. "The Indian government is according highest priority to the Agartala-Akhaura railway project that would automatically connect the rail network of both the countries. Land acquisition for laying the track between Agartala railway station and Akhaura railway junction has been completed." Accompanied by Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) general manager H.K. Jaggi and other officials of the ministry and IRCON (Indian Railway Construction Company), Sinha arrived here on Tuesday on a two-day visit to the northeastern state to supervise ongoing railway projects. He met Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and discussed progress of various railway projects. "Once completed, the Agartala-Akhaura railway project would provide a major boost to development and economy of the northeastern region of India and eastern Bangladesh. The project would boost Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Act East' policy," he said. "We expect that the work for the new railway project would start early next financial year, beginning April," he added. The Agartala-Akhaura railway project was finalised in January 2010 when Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met her then Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh during her visit to New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the Rs.575-crore railway project with Hasina during his visit to Dhaka in June last year. "No funds have been allocated so far for the Agartala-Akhaura rail project. We will begin work immediately after the sanction of funds," said an NFR official, who accompanied the minister. "Earlier, the DoNER ministry had committed to provide funds to lay tracks on the Indian side. But recently, it expressed its inability to give funds. "The railway ministry was earlier considering providing funds for the Tripura part of the project, but has not taken a final decision yet," the NFR official said on condition of anonymity. The 1,650-km distance between Agartala and Kolkata would be reduced to only 550 km once the new rail track is linked through Bangladesh. The Indian government had announced it will bear the entire cost of the 15-km railway project. Of the 15 km, 5 km fall in the Indian territory and the remaining in Bangladesh. "The NITI Aayog had decided in a meeting in Delhi on June 18 to put in place the vital railway project between India and Bangladesh by December 2017," Tripura's transport secretary Samarjit Bhowmik told IANS. Bhowmik, who attended the NITI Aayog meeting, said: "The alignment and other technicalities of laying the track to link the Agartala railway station with Bangladesh's Akhaura railway station have been changed recently. A final report on the new alignment was also submitted for sanction of funds." Tripura's Transport Minister Manik Dey recently held a meeting with Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in Delhi and urged him to expedite issues related to the project. "The railway minister told me that he would personnaly talk to the Railway Board and external affairs ministry about the funding of the project," Dey told IANS. "On the Indian side, some portion of the track is likely to be elevated," the minister said. The project's cost was earlier estimated at Rs.271 crore. In addition, Rs.302 crore was needed to acquire around 97.6 acres of land in Tripura for laying the track. "After the latest alignment of the project, now 72 acres of land would be required. Hence, to acquire land, the requirement of funds would be reduced to Rs.98 crore from Rs.302 crore," Dey added. President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday wished people "happiness and prosperity" on the occasion of Lohri, Makar Sankranti and Pongal. "On the auspicious occasion of Lohri, Makar Sankranti and Pongal, I extend warm greetings to my fellow citizens and wish them success, happiness and prosperity," the president said in a statement. Lohri will be celebrated on Wednesday while Makar Sankranti and Pongal fall on Thursday. "Let us celebrate these harvest festivals with gaiety and fervour, promoting love and understanding amongst all. May these events bind the communities and regions of India in fraternal love and inspire us to work for the unity and progress of our country," the president said. As the US again voiced its expectation that Pakistan would thoroughly probe the terrorist attack on an Indian Air Force base, an expert asked Washington to unequivocally pressure Pakistan to end support for terrorist groups. The US was committed to peace between India and Pakistan and wanted them to continue talks to resolve issues between them bilaterally despite the attack on the Pathankot base, US State Department Spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Monday. "We're committed to that end (peace), to that goal, and we have been for a long time," he said. "These are tough issues, and these are some very complicated relationships." Secretary of State John Kerry had called Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday, Kirby said. "They talked a lot about this issue of the pressing need to stay focused on not just in Pakistan but in the region." Kerry, he said, also "stressed that it's obviously United States' interest that India and Pakistan continue to look for ways to work better work better together on concerns but to reduce the tensions between the two countries." Asked if Kerry had told Sharif that scheduled foreign secretary level talks between India and Pakistan should continue despite the attack, Kirby said they had talked about it. "He certainly, as I said, encouraged India and Pakistan to work bilaterally to continue discussions and to try to work through these problems." "Yes, this was a topic of discussion," he said. "It's one we're having at multiple levels here, as you might imagine, at the State Department diplomatically, not just at the Secretary's level." Asked if Kerry had any feedback about the state of investigation by Pakistan, Kerry repeated that the US was "encouraged by the fact that the Pakistani Government condemned the attack and said that they would investigate." "Our expectation is that investigation will be thorough and complete and as transparent as possible," he said. "But in terms of its progress and where they are, you'd have to talk to Pakistani authorities on it. Meanwhile, Alyssa Ayres, a senior fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations said in a commentary the US does not play a role in India-Pakistan bilateral talks. "But Washington can certainly take steps to help prevent spoilers from once again disrupting a dialogue process that deserves every chance to succeed," she wrote. "The single most useful thing the United States can do is to unequivocally pressure Pakistan to end support for terrorist groups - not just some, but all - that destabilize India and the region," Ayres wrote. (Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in) Actress Priyanka Chopra is in talks to join Hollywood actors Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron in the upcoming film "Baywatch", based on the 1990s TV series about California lifeguards. "Baywatch", to be helmed by Seth Gordon, centers on the leader of an elite group of lifeguards (Johnson) who is forced to team up with a young, former Olympian, played by Efron, to save their beloved bay. Scheduling conflicts with the film's shoot and Priyanka's ABC show "Quantico" still need to be worked out, but the actress would play the story's villain, reports hollywoodreporter.com. If the deal is struck, "Baywatch" would be Priyanka's English-language feature debut. She is already creating waves internationally with her maiden American TV series "Quantico" and also won her first international honour People Choice Award for the best actress in a new TV series. Beau Flynn, Ivan Reitman, Johnson's Seven Bucks Productions, Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, Gregory Bonann will be co-producing it. Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan, in a New Year message to all colleagues, asked them to ensure that the central bank is not seen as a paper tiger that is able to act against only the small and weak wrong-doer. "My sense is that we need a continuing conversation about tightening both detection as well as penalties for non-compliance throughout the hierarchy. We cannot be seen as a paper tiger," he wrote. "Not only are we accused of not having the administrative capacity of ferreting out wrongdoing, we do not punish the wrong-doer unless he is small and weak", he said. "This belief feeds on itself. No one wants to go after the rich and well-connected wrong-doer, which means they get away with even more. If we are to have strong sustainable growth, this culture of impunity should stop," he added. Noting that the country is often described as "a weak state", Rajan said that curbing the culture of impunity, however, "does not mean being against riches or business, as some would like to portray, but being against wrong doing". "As the premier and most respected regulator in the country, we should take the lead. We have motivated staff with the highest integrity at every level. Yet there is a sense that we do not enforce compliance," he said. He also wondered whether the RBI was permitting regulated entities to get away with poor practices even though these are noted during inspections. "Should we haul up accountants who do not flag issues they should detect?" Rajan asked. --Indo-Asian News service bc/vd Sri Lanka and Japan held high-level discussions on Tuesday aimed at enhancing bilateral and economic cooperation, the foreign ministry said here. The Sri Lanka-Japan Policy Dialogue was held between the foreign ministries of the two countries in Colombo after such an interaction was proposed during Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's visit to Japan last year, Xinhua news agency reported. The Japanese delegation will also hold discussions with the Sri Lankan defence ministry on Wednesday on maritime security, safety and oceanic issues, the foreign ministry said. The Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust will, on Wednesday, confer the Neerja Bhanot Award on Subhashini Vasanth,who set up a foundation to create a support system for the well-being of families of soldiers who laid down their lives in the service of the nation. Vasanth is the founder trustee of the Vasantharatna Foundation, started in the memory of her husband, Col. Vasanth V, who was awarded the Ashok Chakra (posthumous) in 2008 for his selfless, supreme sacrifice while fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. The award will be presented by Sonam Kapoor, who is playing the lead role in the biopic "Neerja", which will be released next month. The vision of the foundation is to be able to touch the lives of all such families across the nation, a spokesman of the awards committee said here on Tuesday. "Her (Vasantha) own personal loss motivated her to start the foundation The objectives were to empower women and educate them and their children, besides providing emotional, legal, and financial counselling. It also works as a bridge between the society, government agencies and the families of martyrs," said Akhil Bhanot, managing trustee of the Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust. The foundation provides education scholarships, conducts empowerment programs and 'Outbound Learning Programmes' for women and children, provides vocational training and employment opportunities to families and institutes memorial awards in honour of martyrs, Bhanot added. "This is the 24th year of the annual award, which comprises Rs.150,000 cash reward, a citation and a trophy. The awardee is selected by a specially constituted jury," he added. Vasanth, recognized as a National level artiste by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations, is an eminent Bharatnatyam exponent. She has performed in several dance festivals, both in India and abroad. Chandigarh braveheart Neerja Bhanot gave up her life at the age of 23 years to save American children during a terrorist hijack of a Pan-Am flight in Pakistan's Karachi international airport in 1986. Neerja, who was the chief flight purser of Pan-Am 73 (Bombay-Karachi-Frankfurt-New York) flight, was killed in the shootout following the hijack on September 5, 1986. The Libyan terrorists had entered the aircraft posing as Pakistani Police personnel, carrying arms and hand grenades. The hijack had left 20 people dead and 150 others injured after a bloodbath at the Karachi airport. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday said he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for moving the Supreme Court to seek day-to-day hearing of civil appeals in the Ram Janmabhoomi case. "I have written to the prime minister in this connection. The case regarding the Ram temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh should be heard on a day-to-day basis," Swamy told media persons here. The BJP leader sought early verdict in the issue and start of the Ram temple construction in Ayodhya by the year-end. "The moment the court verdict is out, we will start work on the Ram temple construction. We want to start the construction work before this year-end. We will talk to Muslim leaders and find an early solution," he said. Swamy also said he will convince leaders like Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, whose party is in power in the state, and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati for the temple construction. "I am confident that Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is a believer of Hanuman, and BSP leader Mayawati will both agree for an amicable solution," he said. Asked whether the BJP was on the same page with him on the issue, he said construction of the Ram temple was mentioned in the party's manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha election. "It was in the Lok Sabha election manifesto of our party. No one will go against the party manifesto. This is a full time work (Ram temple). The prime minister will run the nation and I will work towards the construction of the Ram temple," Swamy said. The BJP manifesto, in two brief lines on the last page under the heading 'cultural heritage', reiterated the party's stand on the construction of the Ram temple at the site of the demolished Babri mosque. "The BJP reiterates its stand to explore all possibilities within the framework of the constitution to facilitate the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya," the manifesto had said. As for a controversial seminar held at Delhi University on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue last week, Swamy said more such seminars should be held across the country. The two-day seminar on "Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple: Emerging Scenario" was organised at the arts faculty from January 9 by Arundhati Vashishtha Anusandhan Peeth. "Such a seminar should be organised in Jawaharlal Nehru University too," Swamy said. JNU in New Delhi is a reputed bastion of Left-leaning student outfits who strongly opposed the Delhi University decision to allow the seminar, alleging it will "communalise" the campus. The BJP leader said such seminars will be organised across India and he had already received offers from Gujarat and Tamil Nadu for the same. Acting on a bunch of appeals, the apex court stayed the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict that divided the 2.77-acre site into three parts. It also ordered status quo at the site but restrained any religious activity on the 67 acres of adjoining land taken over by the Centre. On the violence in Malda in West Bengal, Swamy said Home Minister Rajnath Singh should exercise his powers under Article 256 and give directions to the Mamata Banerjee government that it was not performing its duty as per the Constitution. Swamy also said there was no use talking to Pakistan as it was a "dumb government" and the real government there was of the ISI, Taliban and military. The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the operation of a government notification that allowed 'Jallikattu' or bull taming sport in Tamil Nadu. Observing that Jallikattu amounted to heaping cruelty on animals, an apex court bench headed by Justice Dipak Mishra said it cannot be permitted in the 21st century. The ruling came two days ahead of the start of Pongal festival when Jallikattu is played in rural parts of Tamil Nadu. Having stayed the notification issued by the central government on Friday, which effectively permitted Jallikattu, the apex court issued notice to New Delhi and other respondents. One of the oldest living ancient sports, the bulls are specifically bred for the event. Jallikattu has led to numerous deaths in recent decades as young men try to tame well built bulls. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday met Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Walid Al Moualem and discussed issues of bilateral interest. "Emphasising engagement. EAM @SushamSwaraj meets Syrian Dy PM & FM, Walid Al Moualem for bilateral discussion," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted along with a picture of the two leaders. Al Moualem, who arrived in India on Monday on a three-day visit, is also expected to meet other Indian leaders. The visit assumes importance in view of fresh initiatives taken by the UN to bring about peace in war-torn Syria, where more than 300,000 people have been killed in the past four years and seven million have fled to other countries. European nations have also witnessed a huge influx of Syrian refugees. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Moscow last month, held detailed talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the growing threat of the Islamic State terrorist group and the Syrian crisis. Since the Paris terror attack, many Western nations have directly or indirectly established contact with the Syrian government to counter the activities of the Islamic State. Buthina Shaban, special advisor to the Syrian president, had visited India in March 2013. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will visit Palestine and Israel on January 17-18 to review bilateral relations, it was announced here on Tuesday. Sushma Swaraj will be accompanied by Secretary (East) and other officials of the external affairs ministry. "This is the first visit of the minister to West Asia, and Palestine is the first destination in the region, which in itself reflects the importance India holds for Palestine in its engagement with the countries of the region," the ministry said in a statement. The visit comes after the state visit of President Pranab Mukherjee to Palestine in October last year. On January 17, Sushma Swaraj will meet the Palestinian leadership and review India-Palestinian relations. "India shares traditionally close relations with the State of Palestine and is contributing actively through capacity building and human resource development initiatives with Palestine," the statement said. "The visit will also reaffirm India's continued political, diplomatic and developmental support to Palestine." Sushma Swaraj will inaugurate the Palestine Digital Learning and Innovation Centre in Ramallah. "The visit will further deepen the mutual understanding at the political level and boost bilateral engagement with Palestine," the statement added. In a separate statement, the ministry said Sushma Swaraj and her delegation will pay an official visit to Israel on January 17-18. This is the first visit of the external affairs minister to Israel and comes after the state visit of President Mukherjee to Tel Aviv in October. Stating that India and Israel shared a close and multifaceted relationship, the statement said Sushma Swaraj would hold discussions with Israeli leaders and "review the entire gamut of bilateral relations". "The two sides share a firm belief in the values of democracy and free market economy," it stated. India and Israel also share close relations in the fields of agriculture, science and technology and education, it added. The minister will interact with the Indian community in Israel, augment India's relations with Israel and further strengthen the linkages between the two sides. "India's relations with Israel are part of its engagement with the broader West Asia region and are independent to its relations with any country in the region," the statement added. Meanwhile, a statement from the Israeli embassy here on Tuesday said Sushma Swaraj will meet and interact with President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Minister of National Infrastructure Yuval Steinitz and Israeli legislators. In November 2014, Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited Israel. In 2015 Israeli Agriculture Minister Yair Shamir and Defence Minister Ya'alon came to India. Sushma Swaraj had visited Israel in 2008 as chairperson of the Indo-Israeli Parliamentary Friendship Group. "The visit is an important ingredient in the ever-growing relations, friendship and partnership between the two countries," said the embassy statement. At least 10 people were killed and 15 others wounded in a powerful bomb explosion that rocked Turkish city Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet Square on Tuesday. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has blamed the attack on a Syrian suicide bomber, a media report said. The blast, so loud that it could be heard in the neighbouring districts, took place around 10.15 a.m. local time at the square which is a renowned tourist hub, Xinhua news agency reported quoting an Istanbul governor's statement. "I was there when the explosion happened. The earth below my feet was shaken. Everyone was running... Within five minutes, the area was full of police and ambulances," an eyewitness told Xinhua. Addressing a gathering of ambassadors in capital Ankara later, President Erdogan blamed a Syrian suicide bomber for the attack, noting that there were foreign citizens among those killed. "This incident once again has shown us that we have to stay united against terrorism," he added. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu held an emergency meeting in Ankara with the interior minister and security chiefs after the bombing. Turkey has faced a series of deadly attacks. In July 2015, a bomb attack in the border town of Suruc left 34 pro-Kurdish and Left-wing activists killed. In October, twin suicide bombings hit Ankara, claiming a toll of 103 lives. Both were blamed on the Islamic State (IS) militant group. On January 6 last year, a woman carried out a suicide bombing attack on a police station in Istanbul's Sultanahmet, leaving an officer dead and another injured. At least three school students were killed and nearly 25 others injured when a school bus fell from a bridge in Punjab's Gurdaspur district on Tuesday morning, police said. The bus, belonging to a private school, was ferrying the students to the school in Fatehgarh Churian town near Batala, 260 km from here. The injured students were taken to hospitals in Batala and Amritsar. The accident took place when a van collided with the school bus. Its driver lost control over the bus, which smashed against the railing on the small bridge and fell into a drain. The US Congress has stalled a planned sale of eight new F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, the Pakistani media reported on Tuesday. The move reflects the growing anti-Pakistan sentiments on Capitol Hill, Dawn quoted unnamed Congressional and diplomatic sources as saying. Lawmakers used clarification and information notices to delay the sale, the report said. The administration also received a "hold" notice from the Senate, using this legislative process to delay floor action on the proposed sale to Pakistan. But this does not kill the proposed sale, and it can still go through if the administration continues to push for it, Dawn added. The Obama administration is reported to be keen on selling these aircraft to Pakistan. At recent Congressional hearings, key US lawmakers raised a host of questions about the end use of the F-16 aircraft and about US relationship with Pakistan. "I don't know how an F-16, with all of its hardware on there for combat, can be used for humanitarian aid. If they were buying C-130s ? I could see those being used for humanitarian aid. But F-16! It's not really humanitarian aid," said Congressman Ted Poe. "Those F-16s and the military equipment that we are providing Pakistan are being used against their own people, just like they did against the people over there in Bangladesh," added Congressman Dan Rohrabacher. Dawn said both lawmakers belong to a growing lobby in Congress which not only oppose arms sales to Pakistan but often urge the US administration to sever its ties with Islamabad. The Obama administration had informally notified Congress of its intention to sell eight F-16s to Pakistan during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's visit to Washington in October last year. The administration followed it up with a formal notification of "foreign military financing" to fund the sale in December. Ive been gone a while from the blogging scene. Some of my more regular readers no doubt noticed but did not hassle me about it. Thank you for that. Sinc... 6 years ago It is fortunate that the Indian government has reacted with caution and maturity to the terrorist strike at the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot, the first grave crisis faced by the government led by Narendra Modi. While guesswork and accusations are being bandied around about the involvement of the Pakistan Army and the ISI in the gruesome act, the incident has presented the Indian government with an occasion to probe further into the flux and churning inside the Pakistani civil and army administration. At least outwardly, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has assured all cooperation in bringing the culprits to book and promised to take action in the leads provided by India. Sharif's posture and his promptness in speaking to the Indian prime minister clearly give out the tension between him and the the Pakistani Army establishment. As the situation stands today, Nawaz Sharif is more of a titular ruler of Pakistan and the actual epicenter of the administration has passed on to the army chief, General Raheel Sharif, in the name of the National Action Plan, a government programme to root out terrorism. But the Indian government should try to reach out to the Pakistani Army also, as in recent years, it has revised its military doctrine somewhat away from its Kashmir centric policy and incorporated into it a new chapter called sub-conventional warfare(SCW) - which is nothing but an admission of the internal fundamentalist threat. The main thrust of SCW is, no doubt, against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan(TTP). However, there is information that the TTP is tying its knots with other terrorist outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba et al. In that case, the army might be in a predicament over re-orienting its relations with terrorist organizations. A more uncomfortable development for the army has been the news that the TTP and other fundamentalist terrorist organizations have penetrated deep inside southern Punjab - the most important recruitment ground of the army. Although the army has achieved significant success in North Waziristan, there are reports that its Pashtun elements are still surrendering to the TTP while other non-state actors are receiving significant help as a result of the radicalization of the army and other security apparatus. But New Delhi should not expect much from Nawaz Sharif as he is known to enjoy good rapport with militant organizations like the Sipah-e-Sahaba (SS) and the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). During the last parliamentary election, the Pakistani establishment was rife with rumours that the Sharif family had come to an understanding with the SS by which it had guaranteed the security of the Sharif family in return for a good number of SS leaders and cadres being released from jail and accommodated in government jobs in the Punjab province, which is under the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). By a strange twist in fortune, Nawaz Sharif now needs to send positive signals to India to stand up to the overbearing shadow of the army. But the same man had appointed Lt. Gen. Javed Nasser, allegedly an infamous character, as the ISI chief. This man was allegedly the principal figure behind forging a link with and then providing shelter to Dawood Ibrahim in Pakistan. He had also airlifted arms to Bosnian Muslims when the European Union was desperately trying to keep Bosnia united. There is now a trenchant criticism, mostly from the Congress, about Narendra Modi's Pakistan policy. It now appears that Modi should have been more circumspect before meeting Nawaz Sharif in Lahore. On several occasions Sharif had held out promises of peace and justice, but that did not prevent the Pakistani establishment from releasing Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, the dreaded LeT terrorist with a hand in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Lakhvi has been put behind the bars again but that has not prevented him from carrying on his activities. During the 2013 general elections Nawaz Sharif had received at least moral support from the TTP. Moreover, he is known to enjoy a cozy relationship with the LeJ, a dreaded organization accused of carrying out murders of the Shias. The PML-N cannot deny the fact that it had given nominations to LeJ operatives like Abid Raja Gujjar, Sardar Ebad Dogar and Anjum Akeel Khan against whom charges of murdering innocent Shias are pending. Pictures of Nawaz Sharif with LeJ leaders praying for electoral success before the 2013 elections had gone viral in the internet. The close relations between the PML-N and the LeJ came to limelight when the PML-N government of Punjab province had extended a monthly stipend to Malik Ishaq, who was put behind bars on charges of killing of Shias. Rana Sanaullah, the provincial law minister, tried to softpedal the issue by saying that it was done on court orders. Opposition leaders averred that there was no such judicial order. Nawaz Sharif is putting to practice the Takfiri Deobandi ideology to which most of the terrorist outfits swear allegiance. So will he be really able to bring to book the masterminds of the Pathankot terror attack? (Amitava Mukherjee is a senior journalist and commentator.The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at amukherjee57@yahoo.com ) The government has set itself the target of skilling more than 400 million Indians by 2022. Some ministers are surely hoping the country reaches the target a little earlier. Emphasising how there was an acute shortage of skilled labour in every sector of the country, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu told a gathering recently that even as a minister he found it difficult to find a carpenter or an electrician when he needed one. One was routinely wait-listed before one got to avail of their services, he said. It will never soar into the wild blue yonder, but the dusty Peterbilt truck parked outside a hangar at Nasa's Armstrong Flight Research Center here may represent the future of low-carbon aviation. Perched on steel supports behind the truck's cab is a 30-foot airplane wing, the kind found on a small plane. Instead of a fossil-fuel-burning engine or two, however, the wing is outfitted with 18 electric motors along its leading edge, each with a small red propeller. The truck-plane mash-up, a Nasa project called LeapTech, is meant to test a new approach to powering flight. Technicians and engineers have been driving the truck down a dry lake-bed runway at this desert base at more than 70 miles per hour, the battery-powered propellers spinning as if a take-off were imminent. "We're able to simulate full take-off and landing configurations and measure lift, drag, motor efficiency and aerodynamic performance," said Sean Clarke, an engineer and a principal investigator on the project. The concept, called distributed propulsion, is one of several being studied here and at other research centres to develop technologies that could lead to completely new and far less polluting aircraft designs. Future planes may be powered by batteries or hybrid gas-electric systems, for instance, and have lighter wings that can quickly change shape to better handle the stresses brought on by turbulent air. Others may eliminate the conventional wings-and-fuselage design in favour of one that blends the two elements, all to further the cause of lower emissions. Commercial aviation accounts for about two per cent of the global total of carbon dioxide emitted annually by human activity, or a little less than what is produced by Germany. Although manufacturers and airlines have made air travel far more efficient - the Air Transport Action Group, an industry organisation, estimates that emissions per seat-mile are down 70 per cent from the 1960s, when jets began operating - the industry's tremendous growth has resulted in higher total emissions. That growth shows no signs of stopping. The International Civil Aviation Organization (Icao), the United Nations agency that oversees the industry, forecasts that the worldwide commercial fleet will double, to about 40,000 airliners, in the next 15 years. And a recent European Commission report noted that as countries and other industries reined in their emissions, aviation could eventually be responsible for more than one-fifth of the global total. Although aviation was left out of the climate agreement adopted in Paris last month, reducing emissions remains a priority for the Icao, a spokesman said. Among other initiatives, the agency is expected to approve certification standards next year that would limit CO2 emissions for new aircraft. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency earlier this year moved to begin regulating greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft, although the rule-making process is expected to be contentious and lengthy. Because emissions are directly related to fuel consumption, and fuel accounts for one-third or more of an airline's costs, carriers and manufacturers continue to make improvements. Planes have become lighter through the use of composite materials, like those that make up about half of the airframe of a Boeing 787. Jet engines have become more efficient. Alternative fuels, like biofuels, are starting to be used that sharply cut net carbon emissions. And operational measures like better management of airplane traffic, both at airports and in the air, have further reduced emissions. Daniel Rutherford, who studies aircraft emissions as a programme director at the International Council on Clean Transportation, a research group, said that improvements in fuel consumption, which have averaged a 1.3 per cent reduction a year, should continue through the next decade. Many of the improvements involve changes to existing planes - like adding winglets to wings, which reduce drag and improve efficiency by a few percentage points, or replacing older engines with more efficient models. So-called re-engining, in fact, "has been the biggest single contributor to improving fuel efficiency over the long term", Rutherford said. Some aircraft have been partly redesigned. Later this decade, for example, Boeing will introduce a variant of its 777 model, the 777x, with new composite wings and more efficient engines. Further improvements could be expected beyond the 2020s, Rutherford said, depending on how aggressively the industry adopted other advanced technologies like open-rotor engines, which improved efficiency by eliminating the shroud that surrounded most jet engines, and aerodynamic modifications that smoothed the airflow over surfaces to reduce drag. To achieve the drastic emissions reductions that may be required by the middle of the century and beyond - to make aviation as carbon-free as possible - new "clean sheet" aircraft designs may be needed, incorporating new technologies and approaches. That's where the Armstrong Flight Research Center comes in, developing technological concepts that manufacturers may one day use in radical new designs. Not far from the LeapTech truck is another hangar containing a Gulfstream business jet that has been stripped bare and wired with hundreds of sensors. It is a flying technology test bed, and is testing modifications to the trailing edge of the wings. Where a flap would normally be, there is instead a continuous, bent surface, which changes the aerodynamic characteristics of the wing. The concept is still being developed, but the eventual goal would be wings that could morph in response to real-time conditions. The idea behind distributed propulsion is to take the engines from their usual position hanging below the wings and put them elsewhere. Because jet engines are complex, heavy devices, distributed propulsion designs almost always involve simpler and smaller electric motors. 2016 The New York Times News Service Switzerland's Kuoni has gone from planning posh holidays for jaded wealthy folk to processing visas for the likes of the Saudi Arabia government. The shift leaves it less vulnerable to competitors and geopolitical risks. Private equity interest shows opportunistic buyers are circling. Kuoni cashed out of its traditional tour operating roots last year, selling operations in Europe, India and Hong Kong. The internet has hurt travel agents as holidaymakers plan their own trips and compare prices online. Unrest in tourist hotspots like Egypt and Tunisia is also squelching demand. Global tourism is on the up, however - growing 4.3 per cent in the first eight months of 2015 according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Kuoni has repositioned itself to sell back-end services to the sector. Turnover at the group's Global Travel Distribution division, which is a kind of business-to-business wholesaler for hotel rooms and other services, grew 10.6 per cent in the first nine months of 2015. Its VFS Global division processes visas for governments and turnover grew 26.2 per cent in the first nine months of last year, as fiddly visa paperwork is increasingly outsourced. Kuoni has half of global market share in this profitable business - visas generate one-tenth of group sales, but half of operating profit, after excluding loss-making divisions. With the shares up 62 per cent since October, Kuoni is no bargain. At the current price, a buyer would have to pay 1.1 billion Swiss francs ($1.1 billion) including the company's net debt. The group is forecast to earn 101 million francs of operating profit in 2017 based on Eikon estimates, or around 75 million francs after tax. That would give a buyer a return on investment of only around 6.8 per cent. Despite that, Kuoni's growth could yet surprise. Two-thirds of the world's population needs visas to travel. Identity management and citizen services for governments have big potential. Then there's China. Kuoni announced a tie-up with China's HNA to develop outbound travel only in November. The Chinese made 62 million trips in the first half of 2015 alone, up from 41 million for the whole of 2007, according to China Travel Guide. Investors ought to be wary of selling while Kuoni is so early into its next journey. The Indian Science Congress, which has just concluded a session, has been described as both a circus and a highly useful gathering which helps scientists network and, critically, encourages and inspires young people into a life of scientific enquiry. However, all are agreed that there is excessive focus on the prime minister and his speech. This is an Indian phenomenon. An event worth the name must be able to call in a VIP and you can't do better than the prime minister. Since this is a given, can we make the best use of it? Can we look at what the prime minister has to say as a guide to the government's science policy? Does it have a coherent science policy? Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come out strongly in favour of harnessing science to take forward sustainable development, which will rid India entirely of poverty. There is a strong utilitarian focus in this, a move away from the Brahminical pursuit of knowledge to addressing current urgent needs. For example, if newly independent India had devoted as many resources to immunology as it did to nuclear science then the country would have looked quite different. Imagine India's global status if it had developed effective and cheap vaccines against tuberculosis and malaria instead of fighting with the nuclear haves to get into their club? If Mr Modi is signaling a change from the Nehruvian legacy in science, then good luck to him. Related to this is the issue of money. C N R Rao, speaking at the Science Congress which was held in Mysuru, lamented the focus of the information technology community in nearby Bengaluru on "money" instead of "intellectual exploration". But, at the level of human organisations, are the two all that mutually exclusive? Have the personal computer, its operating system, the smartphone and the internet not used science for the greater good of humanity, and have Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Larry page and Sergey Brin been totally unconcerned about money? Mr Gates, who was not a scientist by a long chalk, made an incredible fortune and is now busy giving it away for, among other things, discovery of vaccines. Technology startups indisputably take science and innovation forward and the key aim of those behind them is to sell out after a time at a great profit. There is need for clarity on this as it is linked to issues of basic science and innovation. India can hardly afford to spend much on the pursuit of basic science but it stands at the core of an ecosystem in which the intellectual interplay between those engaged in basic science, applied science, technology and innovation is critical. Today, if you wish to develop a gadget which will win the world you will likely need to know what is happening in nanotechnology for which you will need to be in touch with, say, what is happening at the Indian Institute of Science, which has to be there in the first place. Mr Modi's speech ends with a plea that "let the different disciplines of science, technology and engineering unite behind this common purpose (of leaving behind a better planet for future generations)." It is good that the three have been identified as "different" disciplines but disappointing that "innovation", which was mentioned 13 times in the speech, does not figure in the final summing up. The difference between the four is important because you need different policies to promote them (all of them have to be promoted) and the last leg of "innovation" is critical for mankind to benefit from science. A basic scientist can be happy with peer recognition, an applied scientist or technology person can be happy with owning a patent, but an innovator has to make something which others find useful from the knowledge contained in a patent. Historically, the British excelled in invention, the Americans in innovation. The Japanese at one stage sought to challenge this, but with the smartphone and the internet the Americans have regained their advantage. Does India have a policy to promote innovation? Can you do much more at the official level than to fund incubators, give tax breaks and protect intellectual property rights? Is that enough? The US lead in innovation is ultimately the result of certain cultural values - questioning received wisdom (learning by memorising is abhorrent), making a habit of thinking out of the box, tolerating failure and freely exchanging ideas over coffee (as happens in Silicon Valley) without worrying much about them being pinched. The speech mentioned the launching of Startup India to encourage innovation and enterprise. There was a reference to the pledge made at Paris to double investment in innovation, but it is doubtful if government spending can do much in this regard. It refers to the need for frugal innovation. But, can innovation be anything other than cost effective? It says good governance is not just about policy and decision-making, but integrating science and technology into the choices we make. Nice words. But hopefully there will be a roadmap for this and not just end with a speech written by smart speechwriters. Ten people were killed and 15 wounded today when a blast of unknown origin rocked the main tourist hub of Turkey's largest city Istanbul, the governor's office said. "Investigations into the cause of the explosion, the type of explosion and perpetrator or perpetrators are underway," it said in a statement quoted by the Dogan agency after the blast in the Sultanahmet neighbourhood. Over 150 CEOs of prominent Chinese companies would attend an investment and business seminar in China's financial capital Shanghai tomorrow focussing on potential business initiatives in India under the 'Make in India' campaign. At the seminar, organised by the Indian Consulate in Shanghai in association with China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), officials of the Chinese companies who had successful experiences in India will make strong case for more Chinese investments into India, Consul General Prakash Gupta said. "The officials of Chinese firms will narrate their successful experiences to convince the potential Chinese investors why India makes for good business sense at this point of time," Gupta said in a statement today. Chint Group Chairman Nan Cunhui who plans to invest nearly USD 2.5 billion in India in the power, renewable energy and smart city sector, will address the seminar. CEOs of Huawei, Shanghai Electric and other leading Chinese companies who have had success stories in India will also address the potential investors, he said. President of New Development Bank K V Kamath would be providing the perspective of NDB during the seminar. Director General of Investment and Trade and Technology Promotion from Ministry of External Affairs Nagaraj Naidu will make a presentation on the latest investment guidelines for Chinese investors. The key focus area where investments are lined up for Chinese companies at the event include smart cities, infrastructure project, power, renewable energy, highways, roads and urban transportation and railways. During the event, investors from the these sectors will be provided details of projects that are available for investment across India from mid 2016 till end of 2018, with all contact points (including bidding etc) will be shared and their queries answered, Gupta said. For facilitation of business links for those Chinese companies which would like to partner with Indian companies, a delegation of leading Indian companies would attend the event and participate in B2B meetings with Chinese counterparts, he said. Austria registered 90,000 asylum claims in 2015, government figures showed today, a rise of more than 200 per cent compared to 28,000 the year before and just 11,000 in 2010. Afghans topped the list of requests by nationality with 25,202 asylum claims closely followed by 25,064 fleeing the civil war in Syria and 13,258 Iraqis, the interior ministry data showed. The number was however considerably under the record of 170,000 set in 1956 when the Soviet Union crushed an uprising in Budapest and large numbers of Hungarians fled to neighbouring Austria. Austria last year became a major transit country for hundreds of thousands of migrants from the Middle East and elsewhere travelling up from Greece through the Balkans. The migrants and refugees seek mostly to travel onwards, notably to Germany and Sweden, but Austria still has one of the highest asylum claim rates per capita in the 28-nation European Union. This has contributed to a rise in popularity for the far- right Freedom Party (FPOe) and to tensions within the ruling centrist coalition of Chancellor Werner Faymann. Yesterday, Austria authorities said that Germany has been returning around 200 migrants every day since January 1, mostly Afghans as well as Moroccans and Algerians who wanted to apply for asylum elsewhere. This appeared to be a knock-on effect from Sweden and Denmark's decision last week to tighten controls on their borders. Austria meanwhile has been returning some migrants entering from Slovenia. A police spokeswoman in the German state of Bavaria said however that the daily number being returned was below 100 but varied considerably. She said Germany was "acting in accordance with current legal provisions". Currently between 1,000 and 2,000 migrants seek to enter Germany from Austria on a daily basis, according to the Austrian authorities. The trader wing of the Aam Aadmi Party today demanded extension of the Delhi government's Odd-Even road rationing scheme to combat pollution beyond January 15, but recommended strengthening of public transport. Around 200 traders from different traders organisations joined a march to the Secretariat where they met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. "We support the Odd-Even Plan and have also demanded that it should be extended beyond January 15 as it has proved to be successful. But we also asked the Chief Minister to strengthen the public transport system," AAP's Trader's Wing Convenor Brajesh Goyal said. He said the traders demanded further expansion of Metro services and increasing of its frequency. "Also, industrial areas and markets should have better feeder bus system which can help the traders and their employees commute to their place of work," Goyal added. AAP's Traders Wing had helped the party to galvanise the community's support to the AAP during polls. The Aam Aadmi Party will host a dinner with its leaders Bhagwant Mann and Sanjay Singh in Bathinda today to raise funds for its political conference in Muktsar on January 14, which will be addressed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, ahead of the 2017 assembly polls. The party is expecting the attendance of more than 100 people at the dinner with comedian-turned-Sangrur MP Mann and party in-charge for Punjab affairs Singh at a local hotel in Bathinda. The party has fixed the cost at Rs 5,000 per person. "The dinner is being hosted in Bathinda and an open offer has been made to people to attend the dinner. We are expecting 100-125 people including traders, shopkeepers to attend the dinner," AAP leader Durgesh Pathak said. "The money raised from this dinner will be used for meeting the expenditure to be incurred on Maghi Mela conference," he said. Besides Singh and Mann, party convener (Punjab) Sucha Singh Chottepur and Durgesh Pathak will also attend the fund-raising dinner. AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had already held such fund-raising dinners in the past. Meanwhile, AAP is gearing up for the "mega" political conference on the occasion of 'Maghi Mela' on January 14 at Muktsar and the conference will be addressed by Kejriwal. The party will launch its campaign for the 2017 assembly polls in Punjab from the conference as it aims to "repeat the historic win of Delhi polls in Punjab". The Maghi mela conference will allow the AAP to spell out its poll agenda for the people of Punjab. Kejriwal also released a message in chaste Punjabi in an effort to connect with rural people of the state, appealing to them attend this rally. The party is also expecting massive participation at the conference. AAP had performed well in the 2014 Lok Sabha election in Punjab winning four of the 13 seats in the state. (REOPENS NRG16) Meanwhile, as many as 170 people took part in the fund-raising dinner oragnised by AAP at a local hotel here. According to Neel Garg, AAP's media coordinator, as many as 170 people have opted for the dinner so far and many more are still coming. He said AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal shall stay in Bathinda tomorrow after paying visit to Gurdaspur and Pathankot. Kejriwal will address Maghi conference on January 14. Books, Life, Computing, Politics, and the tracks of the domestic Moose through hill, dale, and lovely swamp. A senior Afghan official today warned the Taliban against staying out of the peace process with the government in Kabul, saying that insurgents who opt for war will face serious consequences. The remarks by Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai came after he returned from a four-country meeting in Islamabad that worked on a roadmap for ending Afghanistan's 14-year war. Karzai said all participants at yesterday's gathering Afghanistan, the US, Pakistan and China wanted to bring "permanent peace" to his country. Most Taliban want peace, he told reporters, but he added that "we will use all the means we have against those who do not." He also described the country's conflict as "not a war between Afghans" and stressed the involvement of "foreign elements." Kabul officials have long accused Pakistan of sponsoring the Taliban in cities near the Afghan border, including Quetta and Peshawar accusations that Islamabad denies. The Taliban were not invited to the one-day meeting. Though the participants agreed to meet again in Kabul on January 18, also without Taliban participation, little else is known about the outcome of the gathering. Ahead of the gathering, however, an Afghan government spokesman had told The Associated Press that the Pakistani side was expected to present a list of Taliban representatives willing to negotiate with Kabul. Javid Faisal said that Afghanistan and Pakistan had also agreed on "bilateral cooperation on eliminating terrorism," a reference to insurgents who opt to stay in the fight. Yesterday's meeting aimed to revive a process that collapsed last summer after Afghanistan announced that Mullah Mohammad Omar, founder and leader of the Taliban, had died in a Pakistani hospital more than two years ago. The announcement led the Taliban to pull out of the talks after just one meeting hosted by Islamabad. A subsequent power struggle within the Taliban has raised questions about who would represent the insurgents if and when the talks with Kabul are restarted. Karzai referred to three groups of potential interlocutors that led by Mullah Omar's former deputy and successor Mullah Akhtar Mansoor; a breakaway faction led by Mullah Muhammad Rasool; and the Haqqani network, a brutal group with close ties to Mansoor that the US has listed as a terrorist organisation. As part of its expansion plans, Dr Agarwal's Eye Hospital will invest about Rs 600 crore by 2018 to increase operations in the country and abroad. The Chennai-based firm has about 60 centres of which 15 are overseas and the rest in India. "As part of our Mission 2020 programme, we plan to have 50 overseas centres and 150 in India. We will be making investments in two tranches. Rs 300 crore will be invested immediately and another Rs 300 crore by 2018", CMD of Dr Agarwal's Eye Hospital Amar Agarwal told reporters here. Elaborating on the plan, he said the hospital would meet the fund requirement through "internal accruels" and "private equity". The company aims to become a pan-India player and is also looking to strengthen its presence in Africa besides foraying in the Middle-East and South-East Asia under the expansion plan. On top line revenues, he said by March 2016, the company would report Rs 500 crore and it would be Rs 1,000 crore by 2020. "By March 2016 we are targeting revenue of about Rs 500 crore. By 2020, we expect to reach Rs 1,000 crore with EBITDA of 25 per cent plus", he said. The hospital on an average handles 10,000 patients a day and performs 10,000 surgeries a month at its 60 locations. India has about 12 million visually impaired people including seven million suffering from cataract, he added. A Delhi-bound Air India flight, with 325 passengers on board, today landed under emergency conditions at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here after the commander reported low pressure in one of the aircraft's tyres, airport sources said. All the passengers are safe, an Air India official said. The AI flight AI 102 from New York's JFK airport landed here seven minutes ahead of the scheduled time of 1450 hours, the AI official said. It was a "precautionary" landing, the official said, adding that the commander of the Boeing 777-300ER plane asked for landing ahead of the scheduled time after he detected low pressure in one of the tyres. The airport sources said the landing took place under emergency conditions. A delegation of Ankleshwar Industries Association (AIA) has urged Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar to review the status of the industrial zone, which currently falls under the 'critically polluted' zone. The industrial zone in Bharuch district, around 100 kms away from here, was earmarked under "critically polluted" category by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in 2010. Secretary of AIA Jashubhai Chaudhary told PTI that a delegation met Javdekar yesterday in Bharuch and sought review of the current status of pollution level in the zone, which they claim has fallen due to the effective measures undertaken by the industries in the past five years. He said the minister has assured that a CPCB team will visit Ankleshwar next week. The industrial region, which comprise Ankleshwar, Jhagadiya and Panoli, was in January, 2010, earmarked under 'critically polluted' category by the CPCB, thus, banning the setting up of new units and expansion of the existing factories. The decision was taken after a review of the zone, which has several chemical units, where pollution levels were found to be high. He said they have submitted a memorandum to Javadekar in this regard. "Industries in the last five years have invested Rs 800 crore to install pollution control equipments, and took steps to control air pollution," one of the delegates, NK Navadia, said. He said in the wake of the rising pollution levels in the zone, industry owners were asked to stringently adhere to norms laid to protect the environment. CPCB had found Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) in the zone at 88.5 in 2009 and 85.60 in 2010, which were higher than acceptable CEPI norms of 70 value. A criminal managed to flee from police custody after six armed men on a car attacked the police van he was being transported from court back to jail on Pipli-Kurukshetra road here today. According to Police Chaownki Incharge, Sector-7, Urban Estate, Raj Pal, the Punjab police had brought Rajesh Pehalwan from Patiala (Punjab) jail to Kurukshetra to appear in a local court in case of assault and riot registered against him here last year. While returning, about six armed men traveling in car stopped the van in front of a petrol pump on Pipli road and started beating the two policemen carrying the accused. They tried to snatch the carbine from one of the constables and put chilli powder in the eyes of the two policemen and made their way with handcuffed Pehalwan. On getting information, Superintendent of Police, Simardeep Singh immediately reached the spot and began the hunt for the accused. A case under section 224, 225 IPC has been registered here. Police barrricades have been erected at many places. Four police teams have been constituted to trace the accused, police said. The SP told reporters that Rajesh Pehalwan was in Patiala jail in connection with a large number of cases including under NDPS Act and ransom. Law firm Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas has roped in former Competition Commission Chairman Ashok Chawla as a member on its Strategic Advisory Board. After being at the helm of the fair trade regulatory body for over four years, he had superannuated on January 7. Chawla's appointment would be effective from January 15, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas said in a release today. He would be joining Infosys Co-Founder N R Narayana Murthy, HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh, Kotak Mahindra Bank Executive Vice Chairman and Managing Director Uday Kotak, who are already advisory members. Others on the board are Janmejaya Sinha, Chairman of Boston Consultancy Group (BCG) - Asia Pacific and Umakanth Varottil, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law in National University Singapore. A seasoned civil servant, Chawla has more than 40 years of diverse experience at the state and central governments as well as at multilateral agencies. "We are delighted to have Chawla being part of our strategy advisory board. Given his rich and diversified experience, including various leadership positions, his guidance to the firm, would add immense value and depth to the firm," the law firm's Managing Partner Cyril Shroff said. On his new role, Chawla said: "It is my pleasure to be part of the distinguished advisory board of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and I look forward to be contributing to firm's growth." The Strategic Advisory Board would guide the firm on its vision, overall direction and strategy as well as provide advise to the leadership to identify new opportunities. "They (board) will guide the firm in making the best use of its resources, and achieves its ambitious vision to its fullest potential," the release said. At least nine Germans were among the 10 people killed in a suicide bombing today in the heart of Istanbul's tourist district, a Turkish government official said. "There are at leat nine Germans among the 10 killed," the official told AFP after the suicide bombing ripped through the historic Sultanahmet district, wounding 15 others. Henry Golding, BBC's 'The Travel Show' presenter, has lived with elephants in Kenya and cleared the debris of a devastating earthquake in the Philippines, but could have never imagined he would be part of Kerala's traditional art form, Kathakali performance, one day. That happened in the New Year when on a visit to 'God's Own Country', Golding enacted a Kathakali performance here on Saturday. While shooting an episode for 'The Travel Show' with its editor Mike London and producer Dawn Layke, Golding ventured onto the stage, becoming a part of the performance. The performance was from 'Narakasura Vadham' (The Killing of Narakasura), an 18th century play, regularly staged in cultural events. The event had been organised for the BBC team, which was on a six-day visit to Kerala to film an episode on the state's culture and nature-endowed destinations for 'The Travel Show', a Kerala Tourism release said today. "During the performance, Golding wanted to try if he could dance like a Kathakali dancer and he did," said P K Devan of See India Foundation, which hosted the performance. The BBC crew filmed the dance of Golding as he did the same steps and movements of the characters Jayantha and Lalitha in the play. Golding also tried the movements of eyes, feet and fingers, critical in a Kathakali performance, earning the applause of those watching the performance. "Golding succeeded in bringing a classical dance form more close to the audience," said Devan, whose institution has been working to link Kathakali with other art forms across the world. Two years ago, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla Parker Bowles had witnessed a similar Kathakali performance in Kochi. "I don't know what took me so long to come to Kerala. Kerala's beauty is unbelievable," Golding said. The BBC team, which spent two days in Kochi, also filmed the intricate make-up of Kathakali performers for the show. It will beam two episodes on 'The Travel Show' from Kerala. The first programme will be on Kathakali and will be broadcast in two weeks. The second one will include the backwaters and coconut tree climbing and will be broadcast in February. Both the programmes will be repeated later in the year, the release added. Police have seized large amount of beef from a utility vehicle which was being transported to Delhi and arrested the driver. Acting on a tip-off, police stopped the vehicle coming from Bhargain area and seized the meat in Kotwali Dehat area yesterday. Driver Rajendra Singh was arrested, while another person, suspected to be a businessman transporting the meat for sale, managed to escape in another vehicle. The driver told the police that the meat was of the cow and was being transported to Delhi. The arrested driver claimed that one Bhura was the main person involved in this business but could not give any more details, they said. Police said that they have seized the vehicle and were searching for Bhura's accomplice, Bashir, who is a resident of Etawah district. Union Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete today said that out of 32 public sector undertakings (PSUs) under his ministry, 12 including Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) are running in losses. "Out of 32 PSUs under my (heavy industries) ministry, 12 including BHEL were running in losses," he told reporters here. He said BHEL, a maharatna company, will come out of the financial distress in a year as it got orders worth Rs 28,000 crore this year. To a query, Geete blamed the alleged coal scam under the previous UPA government for the ill-health of BHEL. "After the coal scam came to light, it resulted into short supply of the fuel which hit the power generation sector in India. The coal scam came as a cropper and the new ventures in power didn't take place as expected," he alleged. According to the minister, however, things are changing and condition of BHEL and 11 other PSUs will improve. To improve the financial condition of BHEL, Geete said the company was looking to manufacture equipment used in setting up of solar power plants. BHEL is engaged in manufacturing turbines and other relevant equipments used in setting up of hydro and thermal power stations. It was expected, but the final tally is in, Yellowstone National Park set a record for visitation in 2015 with 4.09 million, up 16.6 percent from 2014. The number of visits is always greater than the actual number of individuals who came to the park because people may enter and leave the park repeatedly during a stay in the area. More than 42 percent of the visits came into Yellowstone through the parks West Entrance, which also saw the greatest percentage increase in visits among the parks five entrance gates up more than 21 percent from 2014. The National Park Services Find Your Park public awareness campaign, marketing and tourism promotions by the states of Montana and Wyoming, and lower gas prices contributed to the record number of visits, according to a park press release. The increase in visitation to Yellowstone brought an increase in demands on park staff, facilities and resources and was exemplified by long lines to enter the park and traffic jams. Last years visitation tested the capacity of Yellowstone National Park, said Dan Wenk, Yellowstone superintendent, in the press release. We are looking at ways to reprioritize in order to protect resources, to provide additional ranger programs, and to keep facilities clean. Congress provided an increase in funding for national parks in 2016, and that will help meet some needs related to increased visitation. Congress is also considering separate Centennial legislation that could provide additional temporary increases and permanent authorities to encourage philanthropy, volunteerism and allow parks to improve services. We will be asking park visitors to pack their patience for the upcoming summer season, as we expect more record-breaking numbers in 2016, the National Park Service Centennial year, Wenk said. Park visitation information and details on how these statistics are calculated is available online at https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/Reports/Park. Vice President Joe Biden described Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders as more authentic on economic inequality than Hillary Clinton and defended Sanders' record on gun control. Weighing in on the Democratic race he almost joined, Biden said he never felt Clinton was the prohibitive favorite to win. In an interview with CNN, Biden also disclosed that President Barack Obama offered him money when his son's health declined and made him promise not to sell his house. Beau Biden died from brain cancer last May. Biden, who decided not to run months after his son's death, said Sanders speaks to "a yearning that is deep and real" on issues of wealth disparity and people left out of the economy. He said Sanders had credibility on the issue, but that for Clinton, the issue was relatively new. "Hillary's focus has been other things up to now, and that's been Bernie's - no one questions Bernie's authenticity on those issues," Biden said. He went on to say people question anybody who hasn't been talking about the issue that long. He also said Clinton, who has coalesced much of the Democratic establishment's support, had a high bar to meet as the perceived favorite to win her party's nomination. "I never thought she was a prohibitive favorite. I don't think she ever thought she was a prohibitive favorite," said Biden, who praised Clinton at other points in the interview. Biden's remarks offered some of the first public insight into his machinations about the 2016 race and particularly the Democratic field. Biden and Obama have not endorsed, and Obama's chief of staff has said the president won't take sides in the primary. Biden's endorsement would be highly coveted by any of the Democratic candidates. But a campaign dispute erupted last week between Sanders and Clinton after Obama, aiming to ramp up political pressure on gun control, said he wouldn't endorse or campaign for any candidate who opposes what he described as common sense gun control, and he mentioned liability for gun-makers as a key issue. White House officials later noted that Sanders has said he's open to revisiting the liability issue. "Bernie Sanders has said that he thought the president's approach is the correct approach. Bernie Sanders said that he thinks there should be liability now," Biden said. Asked whether Sanders needed to change his position to qualify for his support, Biden said no. In the interview, Biden also revealed that during lunch with Obama as his son, the former Delaware attorney general, was losing his ability to speak. Concerned about how his son's family would support themselves without his salary, Biden said he and his wife had discussed selling their house. "He said, 'I'll give you the money,'" Biden recalled referring to Obama. "Whatever you need, I'll give you the money. Don't, Joe promise me. Promise me." Alleging massive pilferage in the public distribution system, Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta today attacked the AAP government and demanded a probe into it. "Just 20 per cent of allotted wheat, rice and sugar under PDS reaches fair price shops while the remaining 80 per cent reaches black market," Gupta alleged. Most of the 20 per cent wheat, rice and sugar that reaches PDS shops is also black-marketed while the poor get little of it, the BJP MLA claimed, demanding a reply from Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. "Kejriwal should tell how and where all the PDS ration for poor people was going," Gupta said, while denying to share the basis of his allegations of scam. Further, he claimed that nearly 40 per cent or 9 lakh of the over 19 lakh ration cards in Delhi were "fictitious" which were used for pilfering ration by the "corrupt" officials of the Food Supplies Department. "The ration drawn against fictitious ration cards issued to persons from other states is in the black market," he said, demanding a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities. Councillors from opposition Congress joined their ruling counterparts in SDMC House today in slamming the Kejriwal government for "not releasing funds" to the three BJP-ruled municipal corporations. The House meeting began with BJP councillors demanding that AAP government should release the funds as per the 3rd Delhi Finance Commission (DFC) and again pressing for implementation of the recommendations of the 4th Commission. Leader of House Ashish Sood raised the matter through a short notice, claiming the three municipal corporations had combined dues of nearly Rs 3,000 cr under the 3rd DFC which was not paid by the Delhi government. Leader of Opposition and other councilors of the party supported the demand for release of the funds and implementation of the 4th DFC. "We supported the BJP councilors demand because the interests of the people of Delhi were affected due to lack of funds," Congress councillor Surender Solanki said. Earlier, Solanki raised the issue of alleged irregularities in the EPF payment of contract-based employees of the civic body. Solanki apparently lost his cool when the commissioner sought two months time to provide him reply on the issue. "I have been seeking a detailed reply on the issue for past six months and the mayor had directed it to be provided within two days in a December meeting," he said. As the second World War raged on in parts of Europe, an unidentified US soldier, stationed in rural West Bengal took his press camera set out on a journey to capture the sights of the then Bengal countryside. Almost 42 years later, in 1990 a US-based couple Alan Teller and Jerri Zbiral - was pleasantly surprised to find the pictures in a box they had brought from a yard sale. "27 years ago a collector friend passed away and his widow was selling a lot of his photos. Stuffed under a couch we found a shoe box with lot of brown paper envelopes filled with negatives and photographs all from India. We purchased it from her for USD 20, and then forgot about it," says Teller. The Illinois-based couple which has a combined background in photography, anthropology, history and design during a class in Chicago tasked one of Teller's students to research the photographs and found out that were all from Bengal. "Our son, got a chance to study music under Pandit Shivkumar Sharma in Mumbai and we tagged along to see India and because we were curious to see the country of origin of the photographs," says Teller. The couple applied for and received a Fullbright scholarship to research the photos and presently is showcasing the photographs in an exhibition titled "Following the Box" at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Art (IGNCA). The display is accompanied by works created by 12 contemporary artists most of them with roots in Bengal who have been inspired by the vintage photographs. "The photographs are so evocative and since we are artists too we have used the photographs in our own artworks. Besides these other artists have been inspired to make their own art," says Zbrial. While artist Sunandini Banerjee made some beautiful collages out of it another artist Amritah Sen turned the photographs into colorful post cards. "These pictures immediately reminded me of my family album, restored with care and love by my parents," says Sen. Another artist Prabir Purkayastha even paid a visit to the US so that he could "bring the soldier to life," assuming the anonymous photographer as a guy from Roswell in Texas, and naming him John Millett. "My father was in army and when I saw those pictures I said, 'Oh I can relate to them,'" says Purkayastha. Sanjeet Chowdhury, Sarbajit Sen, Chhatrapati Dutta, Alakananda Nag are some of the other artists who have contributed to the exhibition. "70 years ago a white US soldier had a striking view of India and now artists from India are interpreting those photographs to make paintings, comic books graphics and other inspired artworks," says Teller. The couple says it plans to set up an exhibition in Mumbai and would even like to have it in Bangladesh. "We also need to raise funds and we are looking to rope in some corporates,"says Zbiral. However, she adds they are yet to find one. The identity of the photographer, continues to be an enigma. The exhibition is scheduled to run till January 31. Brigadier Vijay Kumar today took over the command of the Institute of Military Law (IML) from Colonel Sandeep Kumar at Kamptee near here, an official release said. Brig Kumar is an alumnus of Officers Training School, in Chennai as a direct entry JAG Officer and has 27 years of service to his credit, it said. "Brig Kumar has had a distinguished carrier as an officer of the JAG's Department of Indian Army, wherein he has held the appointments of Assistant Judge Advocate General, Officer In-charge Legal Cell at Delhi and has been legal advisor to UN Mission in Congo," said a release by Wing Commander Samir S Gangakhedkar, Public Relations Officer (Defence) in Nagpur. Prior to his appointment as Commandant IML, he was holding the charge as Director Court Martial at the Army Headquarters, New Delhi. He has been awarded Army Commander's Commendation four times and COAS Commendation once, the release said. The IML shifted its permanent establishment in Kamptee Cantonment in 1989. A Canadian helicopter pilot has died after plunging 20 metres down a crevasse when he landed on a remote ice shelf in Antarctica, Australian officials said today. David Wood, 62, was winched out of the deep crack after two hours by specialist officers from Australia's Davis scientific research station. Wood was flown by helicopter to a medical facility at the station in critical condition, where he was attended by specialists on station and in Australia via telemedicine. "Mr Wood was a respected colleague and friend to many in the Australian Antarctic program, with which he has been involved for a number of years," the Australian Antarctic Division said in a statement announcing the death and sending condolences to his family. Wood had flown to the remote site some 90 nautical miles northeast of Davis station as part of a routine operation to drop off fuel. After disembarking Monday night, he fell into the crevasse. Another pilot, who was in a separate helicopter and unable to help, flew back to Davis station - about a 45-minute flight away - and returned with the three specialist officers. One of these entered the crevasse and winched the injured man out, the Division's director Nick Gales told reporters earlier in Tasmania. Gales said the West Ice Shelf was a very remote part of eastern Antarctic, with general working conditions on the frozen continent "always very dangerous and especially in the remote field". Wood was employed by a helicopter firm working with Australia's Antarctic programme. Davis is the southernmost of Australia's three Antarctic stations, which also include Casey and Mawson, along with a sub-Antarctic station at Macquarie Island. About 30 nations operate permanent research stations in Antarctica including the US, Russia, Australia, Britain, France and Argentina. A Canadian man, held by the Taliban in Afghanistan since 2010, has been released, Canada's government has announced. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion said in a statement yesterday that Colin Rutherford was a tourist in Afghanistan when he was seized by the Taliban in November 2010. The Taliban released a video of Rutherford in 2011 and accused the then 26-year-old of being a spy. Rutherford insisted he was not a spy and had travelled to Afghanistan to study historical sites and shrines. He said in the video that he is an auditor from Canada and came as a tourist. It was not immediately clear how his release came about, but Dion thanked the government of Qatar for its assistance. "Canada is very pleased that efforts undertaken to secure the release of Colin Rutherford from captivity have been successful," Dion said. "We look forward to Mr Rutherford being able to return to Canada and reunite with his family and loved ones." Rutherford's brother, Brian, called it incredible and said he was deeply grateful to all those who aided in the release. "We're obviously overjoyed," he said. The Canadian Circulations Audit Board said in an email that Rutherford was working for them in Toronto when he went on vacation to Afghanistan. "This is great news," Tim Peel, the company's vice-president, said in an email. "We wish him a safe and speedy return and would like to thank all the parties involved in securing his freedom. US-headquartered top global thinktank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace today announced to launch its India centre in April. The New Delhi centre will be headed by top strategic thinker C Raja Mohan, as its founding director, and former journalist Shivnath Thukral will serve as managing director. Carnegie India will produce high-quality public policy research about critical national, regional, and global issues, a media release said. As with Carnegie's centres in Beijing, Beirut, Brussels, Moscow, and Washington, Carnegie India will be staffed and led by local experts who will collaborate extensively with colleagues around the world, it said. The centre's research and programmatic focus will include the political economy of reform in India, foreign and security policy, and the role of innovation and technology in India's internal transformation and international relations. "We are very proud to add Carnegie India to Carnegie's network of international centres," said William Burns, president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The centre's creation has been supported by Carnegie India's Founders Committee, a group of Indian and international donors co-chaired by former cabinet secretary and Indian ambassador to the US, Naresh Chandra, and former United States ambassador to India, Frank Wisner. "India - with its strategic partnership with the United States and its growing role in the Asia-Pacific and around the world - is a significant development on the international landscape and a natural area of focus for Carnegie," said Chandra and Wisner. US-based American Tower Corp has got CCI approval to acquire a majority stake in telecom tower firm Viom Networks for Rs 7,635 crore in an all-cash deal. In the largest FDI in the telecom sector this fiscal, American Tower Corp (ATC) will buy 51 per cent stake in Viom, which owns and operates about 42,200 towers and has another 1,000 mobile phone masts under construction, from Tata Teleservices Ltd and SREI Infrastructure Finance. In a tweet, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said it has approved "acquisition of 51 percent equity of Viom Networks Limited by ATC Asia Pacific Pte Ltd". "Under the agreement, American Tower may acquire or be required to acquire all or a portion of the remaining 49 per cent ownership stake in Viom," a statement announcing the deal had said in October. Also, as a pre-condition for the deal, ATC's existing 14,000 telecom mobile masts will be merged with Viom. This will result "in certain ownership adjustments", the statement had said. Tata Teleservices Ltd owns 54 per cent of Viom, with Kolkata-based SREI Group of Kanoria family holding about 18 per cent with management control. Singapore state investor GIC, Macquarie SBI Infrastructure Fund, Oman Investment Fund and India's IDFC Private Equity are other investors. ATC will buy all of SREI's 18.50 per cent stake and also acquire stake from other shareholders. "Tata Teleservices stake will come down to about 34 per cent from the current 54 per cent now and further, it would get reduced to 26 per cent after ATC merges its Indian business with Viom," SREI Infrastructure Finance Vice-Chairman Sunil Kanoria had said. IDFC's private equity division will bring down its holding to 3.2 per cent while SBI-Macquarie will retain its 11 per cent stake. Viom was formed in 2009 as a result of merger of mobile towers of Tata Teleservices and Quippo Telecom, a unit under the SREI Group. Unidentified armed criminals today shot dead a cement trader in Bihar's Sitamarhi district suspectedly for not paying extortion money, the police said. Criminals opened fire at the trader at his shop in Barahi Bazar within the limits of Suppi police station of the district, Deputy Superintendent of Police Rajeev Kumar said. The critically injured trader Uday Singh (40) succumbed to his injuries on way to a hospital in Riga, the DSP said. Kumar said investigation was on and efforts were made to nab the killers. When Montana Democrats gather at Fairmont Hot Springs next month for a caucus retreat, a tally of names on the attendance sheet will dictate whether the meeting is open to the public. Either way, the topics of discussion preparing a coordinated message for 2016 campaigns and drafting priorities for the 2017 legislature will be the same. It is tricky to delineate between political strategizing and public business, said Sen. Mary Sheehy Moe, D-Great Falls. I see the caucus as a political body, not a public one, Moe said, personally disagreeing with Montana courts that have ruled caucuses are indeed public. Like many political bodies we often deal with public business. After a 2015 court case, some now worry open government gains made in the 1990s might be ignored and that legislators will not notify the public in advance of caucus meetings. Longtime state government reporter Chuck Johnson, who is on the Montana Newspaper Associations FOIA Hotline board, remembered the discussions that led 22 Montana news outlets to file suit in 1995. Actions were occurring in caucus that made the discussion and votes on the floor a formality, Johnson said. We felt sometimes that the majority party, that was the Republicans at the time, had already had their discussions and made up their minds. The lawsuit sought public access to legislative caucuses gatherings of each political party to set priorities and strategize citing a section of the Montana constitution that all legislative meetings are open to the public. The case concluded in 1998, with District Judge Thomas Honzel finding the public has a right to observe their discussions. Specifically, the public has the right to attend any meeting where enough legislators gather to constitute a quorum, whether in a capitol hearing room or a residences living room. Just before the 2015 session, Republican legislators gathered in the basement of a restaurant without notifying the public in advance as required by open government law. The meeting was cut short when two reporters who learned of the caucus, showed up to cover the gathering. Montana news media followed with a lawsuit seeking to hold the caucus in contempt of the 1998 ruling. District Judge Kathy Seeley dismissed the case in January 2015, saying that caucus meetings must be open to the public but that the 1998 ruling did not specifically require caucuses to provide advance notice to the public. After Seeleys ruling, public notice requirements remain a gray area, said Rep. Jennifer Eck, D-Helena. Helena Attorney and open government advocate Mike Meloy disagreed, arguing the dismissal does not constitute a reversal of the 1998 ruling. She did not in that case, nor has she ever held, so far as Im aware, that notice of caucuses is not required, Meloy said. (Honzel) held they were subject to open-meetings laws and therefore must be noticed. Our Supreme Court has said if the meetings are open to the public they must be noticed. Thats the law in Montana. Leaders of both parties have argued that public caucuses deprive members of the forthright conversations of their peers and slows down efforts to coordinate. Much the same strategy is at play in planning the upcoming meeting of Democrats in Fairmont Hot Springs, too. Just to be safe and head off transparency concerns, Eck said Democrats will issue public notice about their Feb. 6 gathering and open it up to the public but only if a quorum of the House or Senate caucuses is reached. To date, she said, she has received just a handful of reservations and is not certain enough members will attend to require public access. Its not unheard of for one too many people to show up to a caucus gathering and, rather than opening the meeting to the public, someone will turn around and drive home to keep the count shy of quorum. Or, a legislator will decide not to attend at all, knowing only a few can, even though they would like to be part of the discussion. It makes it difficult to strategize, Moe said. I dont think that serves the public. Johnson disagreed, saying secrecy does not serve the public interest. We have one of the strongest state constitutions on the right to know, he said. Anything involving legislative decisions are public. No woman government employee will be refused child care leave for at least five days unless there are grave and extraordinarily compelling circumstances that warrant refusal, according to a proposal by the Centre. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has decided to modify necessary service rules in this regard and sought all ministries comments. "In cases where a female government servant applies for child care leave for at least five working days, she should normally not be refused leave citing exigencies of work unless there are grave and extraordinarily compelling circumstances that warrant refusal," the proposed change in rules by the DoPT reads. As per existing rules, women employees having minor children may be granted child care leave for a maximum period of two years (i.E. 730 days) during their entire service for taking care of upto two children whether for rearing or to look after any of their needs like examination, sickness. Child care leave shall not be admissible if the child is eighteen years of age or older, the rules say. All central government departments have been asked to send their comments on the proposed policy by January 27, the DoPT said. Principal Scientific Advisor to the Union government called on Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra at the Raj Bhavan here today and discussed the status of various projects taken up by the universities in the state. During the meeting, the Governor and Dr R Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India discussed the present status of the various projects taken up by the universities in Jammu and Kashmir and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board under the aegis of the Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG) Chapter. RuTAG was set up in the University of Jammu and functions with the support of IIT Delhi under the overall watch of Dr Chidambaram. The officials emphasised the importance of launching innovative projects, promote application of relevant science and technology for the resolution of practical problems faced in the day to day living and working for the rural communities residing in various parts of the state. The Governor, who is the Chairman Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board discussed various initiatives taken by the Board towards harnessing latest technologies for improvement of the Yatra, including the 4-ton per day capacity mule-dung based biogas plant established by the Shrine Board at Banganga, Katra. Vohra had requested Dr Chidambaram during his earlier visits to look into the efforts made by the Shrine Board towards preserving the environment. The Shrine's initiatives include undertaking large scale plantation of trees, setting up solar water heating systems and solar power plants, automated nurseries and vermin-compost units, use of bio-digester technology developed by DRDO for sewage treatment, implementation of rain water harvesting systems among others. Launching the campaign of TDP-BJP combine for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections of February 2, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today said it was TDP and BJP which put Hyderabad on the international map. Addressing a public meeting here, he said he brought institutions and companies of repute in IT and other sectors to Hyderabad during his stint as Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh. Top institutions like International School of Business came to the city due to his efforts, he said. The development during his tenure created four lakh IT jobs directly and another 14 lakh jobs indirectly, he claimed. Multi Modal Transport System (MMTS) was started in the city with the blessings of the then NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Naidu said. He also said that his party wanted well-being of all Telugu people, and Andhra Pradesh and Telangana should co-exist peacefully and progress. Both the states were like two eyes for him, Naidu said, adding that when he met the Union Ministers over the issues concerning Andhra Pradesh, he also spoke about problems of Telangana. Naidu also praised the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The country's prestige rose like never before with Modi's efforts, he said. Union Health Minister J P Nadda said it was TDP-BJP which put Hyderabad on the world map during the previous NDA government. The current NDA government had released thousands of crores of rupees for the development of Telangana, he said. Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said the NDA government had given funds of about Rs 50,000 crore to the state, adding that BJP and TDP stood for good governance. A Swedish man working for a human rights group in China has been detained on suspicion of endangering state security, another advocacy organisation said today, as Beijing steps up controls on civil society. A man known as Peter Beckenridge, who worked for the Chinese Urgent Action Working Group, was detained at a Beijing airport on January 4, a spokeswoman for US-based charity Chinese Human Rights Defenders told AFP, citing associates of the man. He was being held on a charge related to "endangering state security", the spokeswoman added. The Chinese Urgent Action Working Group says online that it seeks to aid "human rights defenders in distress". A document submitted by the group to the UN detailing "intimidation, surveillance, and house arrest to physical attacks, enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention" of activists listed Beckenridge as a contact. A Beijing telephone number listed on the document went unanswered today. China's foreign ministry said it was unaware of the case. Sweden's embassy in Beijing said in an email that "a Swedish citizen, man in his mid-thirties, has been detained in China", adding: "The Embassy is investigating this." China's ruling Communist Party under President Xi Jinping has stepped up a campaign against outspoken academics, lawyers and human rights activists, which has seen hundreds detained and dozens jailed. It has also drafted a new law that would put overseas non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under close supervision by Chinese police while operating in the country. Chinese state-run media often accuse foreign NGOs of undermining national security and trying to foment "colour revolution" against the Communist Party. According to drafts of the law being considered by the Communist-controlled legislature, overseas NGOs will have to "partner" with at least one Chinese government department. They will also have to submit "work plans" detailing their activities to Chinese police for approval, among other measures. Overseas charities and business groups have said they believe the law will seriously restrict their operations in China, and the vague wording of its references to "security" has raised fears it could give police wide-ranging discretionary powers. Marking "greater openness", China has allowed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and 5 other international financial institutions to participate in the country's inter-bank foreign exchange market. Continuing to open up its currency market to foreign entities, the second batch of foreign central banks and similar institutions have now been allowed after they completed the registration process with the China Foreign Exchange Trading System (CFETS). Now, six more entities, including RBI, have officially gained access to the Chinese inter-bank foreign exchange (FX) market. "This will contribute to greater openness of the Chinese foreign exchange market," People's Bank of China (PBOC) said in a statement today. Apart from RBI, the Bank of Korea, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the Bank Indonesia, the Bank of Thailand, the Bank for International Settlement and the International Finance Corporation have been allowed into the Chinese inter-bank FX market. Now, there are 14 foreign central banks and similar institutions that have completed registrations and officially entered this market. According to PBOC, the six new entities chose on their own one or more channels from the three options. These include "directly participating in the inter-bank FX market as foreign members, using inter-bank FX market members as their agent(s), and entrusting the PBC as their agent, to conduct RMB and foreign exchange trading of one or more traded FX products including spots, forwards, swaps and options". China has "removed" the head of its foreign exchange agency, the government said today, following turbulence in the yuan currency caused by what some analysts have called a policy blunder. Yi Gang had been replaced as the head of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) to be replaced by Pan Gongsheng, a deputy governor of the central People's Bank of China (PBoC), according to a statement on the central government's website. No reason was given for the moves. SAFE, which operates under the central bank, is responsible for studying and proposing policies on foreign exchange, according to its website. Chinese authorities guided the yuan currency down by setting its daily fix lower for eight sessions to last Thursday, representing a 1.4 per cent fall, before reversing on Friday. The move raised worries of a creeping devaluation, echoing moves in mid-August when China moved the yuan down nearly five per cent over a week, saying the drop was a result of reforms aimed at making the unit more flexible. The latest weakness has sparked worries China is pursuing a currency war to help boost its exports. It was unclear whether Yi, who had been administrator of SAFE since 2009, had been sacked. He holds another post as deputy governor of the central bank, on whose website he was still listed today. Pan has been a central bank deputy governor since 2012, and was previously a vice president of the Agricultural Bank of China. Today, the central bank fix for the yuan was little changed at 6.5628 to USD 1.0. At 4:30 PM (local time), the yuan was quoted at 6.5750, slightly stronger than yesterday's level at the same time. But the rate at which banks charge each other to borrow yuan offshore in Hong Kong surged to a record high today, with China's central bank thought to be buying huge amounts of the unit to fend off speculators. A Delhi court has dismissed a plea by Telangana Police seeking its nod to take Maoist ideologue Kobad Ghandy, facing trial here for allegedly trying to set up a base for the banned CPI (Maoist), to produce him before courts in that state in some other cases. Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh said the request of Telangana Police cannot be allowed at this stage, after the prosecutor argued that the trial against him in the case here was at its fag end and his presence was required here. "In view of the submissions made by the additional public prosecutor for the state, the prayer made in this application cannot be granted at this stage," the court said. In its application, Telangana Police told the court that by a notification of November 27 last year, the Lieutenant Governor of NCT of Delhi had revoked its order of June 23, 2010 regarding detention of Ghandy at the Tihar Jail here. The police said Ghandy was required to be produced before courts in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana in connection with the cases pending there. 65-year-old Ghandy is facing trial here in the case for alleged offences punishable under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and various provisions of the IPC. The court had earlier framed charges against co-accused Rajender Kumar under various sections of the IPC in the case. Ghandy, an alumnus of the prestigious Doon School and St Xavier's College Mumbai, is facing prosecution in around 20 criminal and terror cases in different parts of the country. According to the police, he was said to be part of the top leadership of erstwhile CPI-ML (People's War Group) since 1981. He allegedly continued as a Central Committee member in CPI (Maoist) after the merger with People's War Group and was elected to the Maoist Politburo in 2007. Ghandy was arrested by Special Cell of Delhi Police for allegedly trying to set up a base for CPI (Maoist) in Delhi. Denmark's government said today it had secured a parliamentary majority for a controversial plan to seize migrants' valuables to pay for their stay in asylum centres. "The government, the Social Democrats, the Danish People's Party, the Liberal Alliance and the Conservative People's Party have agreed to amend the bill concerning valuables," a government statement said, indicating that wedding rings and other items of sentimental value would be exempt from the move. In addition to wedding rings, it listed engagement rings, family portraits and badges of honour as items that could not be confiscated from asylum seekers. Items such as watches, mobile phones and computers may still be seized, it said. Copenhagen's right-wing government, which relies on support in parliament from an anti-immigration party, last week began backtracking on its proposal by raising the amount of cash a refugee can keep from 3,000 kroner to 10,000 kroner. The proposal is part of a bigger immigration bill the Danish parliament is due to begin debating on Wednesday. A vote will be held on January 26 but two right-wing parties that back the minority government in parliament, as well as the opposition Social Democrats, had demanded changes be made to the rules outlining what could be confiscated from migrants. Integration Minister Inger Stojberg has faced a storm of criticism over the plans to search migrants' bags for gold and other valuables, prompting some commentators to draw parallels to Nazi Germany. UN refugee agency UNHCR said on January 6 that the Danish government's immigration bill sent a signal to other countries that "could fuel fear, xenophobia and similar restrictions that would reduce -- rather than expand -- the asylum space globally." The bill will also delay family reunifications for some refugees by up to three years. Democratic lawmakers criticised President Barack Obama today over a wave of arrests of Central American migrants for the purpose of expelling them. US authorities announced last week they had arrested 121 adults and children, mainly in Texas, Georgia and North Carolina. These families started arriving in May 2014 and had been served with expulsion orders. "Our immigration enforcement efforts should be humane and conducted in accordance with due process, and that is why I believe we must stop the raids happening in immigrant communities," Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential frontrunner, said Monday. "We have laws and we must be guided by those laws, but we shouldn't have armed federal officers showing up at peoples' homes, taking women and children out of their beds in the middle of the night," Clinton said in a statement that was unusually critical of the president. In Congress, where Obama was to deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday evening, 135 Democrats co-signed a letter asking that the raids targeting immigrants stop immediately. "We strongly condemn the Department of Homeland Security's recent enforcement operation targeting refugee mothers and children from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala," the letter reads. Those are the home countries of many undocumented foreigners who have arrived in recent years by crossing the Mexican border. In 2014, the arrival of thousands of unaccompanied minors triggered a political crisis in the United States. Republicans accused the White House of being lax, and ruled out any attempt to legalize the status of the 11 million foreigners living in the United States without proper residency papers. The lawmakers contrasted the reception given to refugees fleeing conflicts in the Middle East with the policy of "dissuasion" they said the Obama administration was carrying out to counter arrivals of Central Americans. But the White House defended its policy of promoting legalization of undocumented foreigners who had been here the longest, mainly those who came to the United States as children. However, it asked security forces to concentrate on expelling undocumented foreigners with criminal records or those who arrived recently. "And it was only after individuals had -- had exhausted the legal remedies available to them to claim asylum or to be granted some other form of humanitarian relief -- only then -- you know, was a decision made to remove them," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. Actor Michael Galeota, who starred on Disney Channel's "The Jersey", has died at the age of 31. The actor was found dead on Sunday, January 10. He was hospitalised for abdominal pain in the previous week but he left the hospital against the doctors' advice on Wednesday, reported TMZ. A friend worried about his condition as he went radio silent over the weekend. His friend, then, decided to come to his house and found his body lying in the living room. Multiple sources said that Galeota had a history of hypertension and high cholesterol in addition to diverticulitis, an inflammation of the digestive tract. A coroner said that he died of natural causes and an autopsy was scheduled to take place in the near future. His family created a page on Go Fund Me website to raise money for his burial. "It is with tremendous heartfelt sadness to announce the passing of Michael James Galeota on January 10th. He died peacefully at home," read the statement on the website. "Although his life was short, we are grateful and appreciate the experience of having been loved, and loved him in return, and for being in our lives... Please help us to provide a burial that is worthy of a GIVER. Americas honeybees are being harmed by a common pesticide, according to new federal findings, although Montana beekeepers say the challenges to bee colonies are myriad. The report by the Environmental Protection Agency partly confirms environmentalist concerns about neonicotinoids, a pesticide variety contributing to declines in the bee population. The EPA concluded recently that neonicotinoids were harmful to bees pollinating citrus fruits and cotton, though not harmful on other crops such as corn and leafy vegetables. Earlier, the EPA stopped approval of new neonicotinoid uses until more bee data could be collected and the insecticides effect on other pollinators is understood. Neonicotinoids attack an insects nervous system. The insecticide scrutinized is known as imidacloprid. The ruling comes as Montana apiaries prepare for February trips to California, where bees are put to work pollinating almond trees. Todd Larson, of Todd D. Larson Apiaries, said his bees are already in Northern California waiting to start. He keeps them in a north-central California pasture until the almond trees are ready. Were up in the foothills. The reason why we go up there is, its just pasture ground and a lot of brush, Larson said. Theres not any pesticide up there. Theres no imidacloprid on almond trees, either, at least there hasnt been since 2011 when imidacloprid maker Bayer Crop Science asked California to ban the insecticide from Almond groves. Almonds rely on honeybees nearly exclusively for pollination. The bees come from all over the country. The insecticide risk to bees pollinating almond groves comes from crops in neighboring fields, Larson said. Imidacloprid is a sensitive issue for farms and apiaries. Farms have to have tools to help with crops, Larson said. Imidacloprid is one of those farm tools. Seeds often come coated with the insecticide, which is then taken up by the plant roots. The seed companies and the farm chemical companies are one in the same, making it difficult to avoid the insecticide entirely. Apiaries have to manage the politics of agriculture so they have work for their bees, said Mark Jensen, of Smoot Honey Co. in Power. Jensen is a past president of the American Honey Producers. Montana is typically a top five honey-producing state. The American Honey Producers worked with the federal Office of Science and Policy to come up with a plan to protect pollinators, particularly bees, which have seen high mortality rates for more than a decade. Insecticides, mites and viruses have been associated with bee deaths. The nations food supply depends on bees, prompting some to call the bee deaths a potential food crisis. Neonicotinoids are a problem for apiaries, Jensen said, but only part of the problem. Theres no question its a contributor, but really the mites, thats the big thing, Jensen said. The mites are more of an issue mainly because theyre widespread. Everybody has them. A bee weakened by insecticides is more susceptible to mites, beekeepers say. The US has said it is encouraged by the fact that the Pakistan government has condemned the Pathankot terror attack and promised investigation. "Our expectation is that investigation will be thorough and complete and as transparent as possible. But in terms of its progress and where they are, you'd have to talk to Pakistani authorities on it," State Department Spokesman John Kirby said at his daily conference. "We're encouraged by the fact that the Pakistani Government condemned the attack and said that they would investigate," he said. The spokesman said that the US would like the two countries to continue with their peace talks. Last week US Secretary of State John Kerry asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to find out the truth and stressed on the need to stay focused on the pressing challenge of terrorism in the region. "He (Kerry) certainly encouraged India and Pakistan to work bilaterally to continue discussions and to try to work through these problems. I don't think they spoke with any great detail or specificity about the next round of talks and what's on the calendar. But writ large, yes, this was a topic of discussion with the Prime Minister," Kirby said. In their call on January 9, Kerry and Sharif talked a lot about this issue. "Then he stressed that it's obviously United States interest that India and Pakistan continue to look for ways to work better together to...Terrorism concerns but to reduce the tensions between the two countries," he said. "...The State Department remains focused and committed to working bilaterally and multilaterally on counterterrorism challenges," Kirby said in response to a question. Meanwhile, senior US officials believe that Pakistan is serious about investigation this time unlike in the past. "We do not talk much in detail about the diplomatic conversations. He (Kerry) came away believing that the Pakistani government is serious about this particular incident, serious about investigating it, serious about trying to work with partners in the region, Afghanistan specifically," a senior State Department official said. "I am not going to define it as change in tone. I think, we all recognise that more can be done, including by Pakistan. But that does not mean that we would not keep working at it," the senior administration official said when asked if Secretary Kerry feels that there is a change in tone of the Pakistanis given that they have been dilly-dallying on similar issues in the past. Calling for sanctions against Pakistan, Khalilzad said that the US should declassify and broadcast information indicating Pakistani support for the insurgency and its narcotics trafficking. "Politically, Pakistan cannot be a member in good standing of the international community so long as its agencies or military services aggress against Afghanistan. Pakistan is currently designated by the US as a 'major non-NATO ally'. This status is wholly inappropriate. Pakistan's current policy and conduct would better merit its inclusion on the State Department's list of state-sponsors of terrorism," he said. The former American envoy said the US can impose financial and travel restrictions on senior Pakistani officials known to be complicit in the insurgency, and freeze funds in US banks belonging to Pakistani entities, both military and corporate, involved in financing the Taliban. Aid groups were in talks today to evacuate 400 people, many starving, from a besieged Syrian town where the UN said suffering was the worst seen in the nearly five-year-old war. More than two dozen people have reportedly starved to death in Madaya, crippled by a six-month government siege that has made even bread and water hard to find. Yesterday, the first trucks of aid in about four months entered the town, delivering desperately needed food and medicine. But hundreds of residents remain in need of urgent care, and humanitarian organisations were working on their evacuation, according to International Committee of the Red Cross spokesman Pawel Krzysiek. "It's a very complicated process that needs permission to realise this humanitarian operation. We are in negotiations with all parties," Krzysiek told AFP. He said the ICRC, the United Nations and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent were all "working on" the evacuation process. UN aid chief Stephen O'Brien yesterday called for Syria's government to allow the 400 people to leave the town to receive medical care. "They are in grave peril of losing their lives," O'Brien told reporters after a UN Security Council meeting. Permission for safe access must come from "all the parties who govern any of the routes that need to be deployed, either for the ambulances or for any kind of air rescue," said O'Brien. The level of suffering in Madaya has no precedent in Syria's war, the UN refugee agency's representative in Syria said. "There is no comparison in what we saw in Madaya," Sajjad Malik told journalists in Geneva, when asked to compare the devastation in the town to other areas in Syria. He had travelled to Madaya yesterday along with the UN's aid convoy, and expressed shock at the devastation in the town. "There are people in Madaya, but no life. What we saw in Madaya should not happen in this century," Malik said. "We want to make sure the siege is lifted and this is not a one- off." Syria's envoy to the UN dismissed reports of civilians dying of hunger as fabricated, insisting that the Syrian government "is not and will not exert any policy of starvation on its own people". Ambassador Bashar Jaafari said the reports were aimed at "demonising" the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The chief rabbi of France, Haim Korsia, today rejected a call by the leader of Marseille's Jewish community for Jews in the city to stop wearing skullcaps to avoid being targeted by extremists. "We should not give an inch, we should continue wearing the kippa," Korsia said, reacting to a call by Zvi Ammar, head of the Israelite Consistory in Marseille, which has witnessed a string of attacks on Jews recently. Roger Cukierman, the head of France's umbrella grouping of Jewish organisations, CRIF, agreed with Korsia, telling AFP that Ammar's advice reflected "a defeatist attitude." After a machete attack yesterday on a Jewish teacher wearing a skullcap Ammar had urged: "Remove the kippa during this troubled time until better days." Yesterday's attack by a 15-year-old Turkish Kurd was the third on Jews in recent months in Marseille, which counts some 70,000 Jews in a population of 855,000, making it the second-largest Jewish population in France after that of Paris. The teacher escaped with minor injuries. Chancellor Angela Merkel said that German nationals were "probably" among the victims of a suicide bombing in Istanbul today that killed 10. "We don't have all the information yet... But we fear that German citizens could be and probably are also among the victims and injured," she told reporters. Merkel said members of a German tour group were among the likely casualties and that German officials were working with their Turkish counterparts to determine the identities of the victims and offer assistance to their loved ones. "I will also speak with Turkish Prime Minister (Ahmet) Davutoglu about the situation in the coming hours," she added. Merkel said the latest attack would deepen German resolve to combat international terrorism. "Today it hit Istanbul, it has hit Paris, it hit Tunisia, it had already hit Ankara," she said at a press conference following talks with visiting Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal. "International terrorism once again showed its cruel and inhuman face and along with the sorrow that we of course feel, it once again shows the necessity to act decisively against terrorism and ultimately overcome these atrocities." Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose ministry set up a crisis team in the wake of the attacks, also condemned the blast as a "barbaric" act of terrorism. "We must assume that Germans were hurt and we cannot exclude that Germans were among the dead," he said. In the immediate aftermath of the suicide bombing, his ministry cautioned German citizens to avoid crowds and tourist sites in Istanbul. It also warned of possible "political tensions as well as violent clashes and terrorist attacks across the country," adding that tourists should avoid large demonstrations. Today's attack was carried out by a Syrian suicide bomber who blew himself up in Istanbul's busiest tourist district, killing 10 and wounding 15 in the latest deadly attack to hit the country. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said most of the dead were foreigners, but did not give details on their nationality. He identified the bomber as a Syrian national born in 1988. Germany today warned its citizens to avoid crowds and tourist sites in Istanbul after 10 people were killed and 15 wounded in a suspected terrorist attack in Turkey's largest city. "Travellers in Istanbul are strongly urged to avoid for now large groups of people in public places as well as tourist attractions" and to stay informed via official travel advisories and the media, the foreign ministry said. The ministry on its website warned of possible "political tensions as well as violent clashes and terrorist attacks across the country," adding that tourists should avoid large demonstrations. It told AFP later that it could not be ruled out that German nationals were hurt in the Turkish attack and said crisis teams at the ministry in Berlin and the consulate in Istanbul were working to establish the facts. The powerful blast rocked the Sultanahmet neighbourhood which is home to Istanbul's biggest concentration of monuments and is visited by tens of thousands of tourists every day. Turkey has been on high alert after a series of attacks blamed on the Islamic State jihadist group including a double suicide bombing in the capital Ankara in October that left 103 people dead. Glenmark Pharmaceuticals aims to keep growing its base business by 18-20 per cent per annum over the next ten years. The drug maker also aims transition to an innovative company with new drug portfolio contributing 30 per cent to the total revenues by 2025. As part of its strategic priorities for the next decade, the Mumbai-based firm also wants to build leadership position in various therapeutic segments, including dermatology and cancer treatment drugs. In a regulatory filing to the BSE, the company said it aims to "continue to grow base business at 18-20 per cent per annum over the next decade." The company also plans to "build global leadership position across core therapy areas of dermatology, respiratory and oncology", it added. Besides the drug firm aims transition to an innovative company with 30 per cent of revenues generated from the innovative portfolio by the year 2025, it said. It also plans to focus on organic growth and leverage internal capabilities and commercial footprint across markets, the company added. Glenmark had reported consolidated net sales of Rs 6,595.25 crore for 2014-15 financial year. Glenmark has a significant presence in branded generics markets across emerging economies, including India. Its subsidiary Glenmark Generics Ltd has a fast growing and robust US generics business. It has 16 manufacturing facilities in five countries and six R&D centres and it employs over 11,500 strong workforce from around 50 nationalities. Glenmark shares today ended at Rs 849.55 apiece on the BSE, up 0.96 per cent from previous close. The Centre is working with manufacturers of chemicals, plastics and allied products to boost their shipments as it expects the segment to play a major role in achieving its vision of USD 900 billion exports by 2020, a senior official said today. "We are working closely with the chemicals, plastics and allied products industry players and implementing strategies to exploit the opportunities for investments and increasing Indian exports," B S Bhalla, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, told reporters here. "With the new and simplified Foreign Trade Policy 2015 in place, we are confident of making Indian products as the most competitive globally," he added. Chemicals, plastics and allied products will play a major role in achieving the government's vision of raising exports to USD 900 billion by 2020, Bhalla said. Currently, companies under four industry bodies -- Plastics Export Promotion Council (Plexconcil), Chemical and Allied Products Export Promotion Council (Capexil), Chemical Export Promotion Council (Chemexcil) and Shellac and Forests Products Export Promotion Council (Shefexil) -- account for exports worth USD 35 billion, Bhalla said. The government has sought suggestions from these councils on bringing modern technology in the sector and exploring new export markets, the official said. Promoting exports has been an important aspect of the 'Make in India' mission. Enhancing domestic output and providing help in accessing markets overseas for Indian products are two aspects of this mission, he said. "We appreciate the joint endeavour by four of our export promotion councils. "While sharing a common vision of making in India and making it for the world, it is time that India offers a complete value chain solution for the sector. "We have the manpower, expertise, enterprise, natural resources and the right policy environment to emerge as the global manufacturing hub and enhance our exports substantially," he said. Chemicals, plastics and allied products reported 5 per cent decline in exports to USD 20 billion in April-October 2015 over the same period last year. The subdued performance was mainly due to overall slowdown in the global economy. Meanwhile, in a major initiative to promote exports of chemicals, plastics and allied products, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry is organising an event, CAPINDIA 2016, here from March 20 to 22 to project India as a reliable sourcing hub. The three-day event is being jointly organised by Plexconcil, Chemexcil, Capexil and Shefexil and would be one of the largest such gatherings so far in India. (REOPENS BCM26) The event will showcase the complete value chain in the sector with hundreds of Indian and international buyers expected to explore investment and global trade opportunities. It is expected that small and medium enterprises would get special attention at the conference as bulk of the manufacturing in India is done by them. Over 125 foreign players are expected to attend the buyer-seller meet. Buyers from markets such as Tanzania, South Africa, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Belarus have confirmed their participation. Trade delegations from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Mexico, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, Kenya and Turkey are also likely to attend CAPINDIA 2016. Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Ananth Kumar today announced a slew of large scale central projects including setting up a Greenfield petrochemical complex in Andhra Pradesh. The minister, who participated in the closing ceremony of the three-day CII Partnership Summit here, also said his ministry would consider setting up a National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) in Vizag. "Both myself and my colleague Dharmendra Pradhan (Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister) had a discussion. I am pleased to announce that he has given his consent that we are coming out with a petrochemical complex in Andhra Pradesh," Kumar said. "That complex will be constructed by both HPCL and GAIL. Today I am making an in principle announcement that we will have the expansion of HPCL refinery and we will have brand new Greenfield petrochemical complex for Andhra Pradesh. In the next one month we will have a meeting in Delhi. We will be sort out issues and will finalise the location," the minister added. Kumar said any expansion of refinery entails an investment of Rs 25,000-Rs 30,000 crore while establishment of a petrochemical complex entitles an additional investment of Rs 25,000-Rs 30,000 crore. He also said his ministry is willing to set up a Niper in the port city and sought 100 acre of land from the state government. "Before coming here I have proposed setting up a Niper in Visakhapatnam. It will be a Rs 600-crore investment. We request 100 acre land for setting up the institute. Soon we are going to lay foundation stone for Niper," Kumar added. In response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for 'Skill India', the Centre will expand the student capacity of Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology (CIPET) in Vijayawada to 5,000 from the existing 200. According to the minister, the institute will also offer graduate and post graduate courses in plastic engineering and that there are 28 CIPET centres all over the country. Kumar also said the Union government would consider setting up a "Medical Devices Park " in the state. "One (Medical Devices) park has already been announced in Gujarat and another... I am announcing in Andhra Pradesh," he added. Kumar further said each park has the potential to attract investments of up to Rs 20,000 crore. 13.5 kg of contraband hashis worth around Rs 13.5 lakh, was today recovered from a Hongkong-bound passenger at the NSC Bose International Airport here. One Saukat Sheikh was intercepted by the air intelligence unit of the Customs at the airport here while departing for Hongkong via Bangkok by a Thai Airways flight. The hashis was kept concealed in packets of tobacco in the form of cakes marked 'Ghari Chaap'. The passenger was arrested under NDPS Act, officers of the air intelligence unit of the customs said. In another incident, a passenger named Manawar Hussain was intercepted on his arrival here from Bangkok and 17,300 pieces of 4GB memory card valued at Rs 29.4 lakh were recovered from him. The passenger kept concealed the booty in his hand bag, officials said adding the person was arrested. The CBI today claimed in Delhi High Court that it has the jurisdiction to register and investigate the disproportionate assets case against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife. It, however, sought modification of the Himachal Pradesh High Court's October 1, 2015 order restraining the agency from arresting, interrogating or filing a chargesheet against Singh, saying the direction has "tied our hands completely". The agency also sought dismissal of Singh's plea to quash the FIR against him, saying his prayer was "frivolous and not maintainable". "CBI has all power to register a case and it has not violated any law nor has exceeded its jurisdiction by lodging a case against the accused persons (Singh and his wife)," the agency submitted before Justice Pratibha Rani. The agency was replying to Singh's claim that CBI had overstepped its jurisdiction in filing the case. He also questioned how CBI could raid his premises when the case was already pending in Delhi High Court, as also before the Income Tax tribunal and other tax authorities, where all documents relating to his returns had been submitted. The agency, represented by Additional Solicitor General P S Patwalia and CBI standing counsel Sanjeev Bhandari, told the court that it has the locus standi to probe the matter as some of the properties under question were also located in Delhi. After hearing the brief arguments, Justice Pratibha Rani sought written legal submissions from both sides and listed the matter on February 25. On November 5, the Supreme Court had transfered Singh's plea from Himachal Pradesh High Court to Delhi High Court, saying it was not expressing any opinion on the merits of the case but "simply" transferring the petition "in the interest of justice and to save the institution (judiciary) from any embarrassment". CBI had moved the apex court seeking transfer of the case from Himachal Pradesh HC to Delhi HC and setting aside of the interim order granting protection from arrest and other reliefs to Singh. The chief minister had filed a petition in Himachal Pradesh HC pleading that the searches on his private residence and other premises were conducted with "malafide intentions and political vendetta" by the central investigating agency. Singh had sought directions from the high court to quash the FIR registered against him and his wife under Sections 13 (2) and 13(1)(e) of Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 109 of IPC by CBI on September 23 in Delhi. HELENA On Monday, Gov. Steve Bullock announced plans to move 21 people from the Montana Developmental Center in Boulder to group homes around the state run by the nonprofit AWARE. MDC treats people with serious intellectual disabilities who have been determined by a court to pose an imminent risk of serious harm to self or others. The 2015 Legislature passed Senate Bill 411, which requires the DPHHS to develop a plan to close the center by June 30, 2017. The department must transition most of its residents out of the facility and into community services by Dec. 31, 2016. The cost of the 21 transfers to AWARE, which will happen over seven months, is $5.2 million. That will pay for the continuing care needed by the clients, who will now live in two- to four-bed group homes. There are 28 people at the center who have been approved to return to their communities and are awaiting placement. The other 24 clients are not considered ready to return to the community. Eight of those have been convicted of crimes. Those people cant be placed into communities unless a court changes their sentences or they become eligible for parole. Three private groups have agreed to take the centers clients, through contracts have not been signed with two. In addition to AWARE, Benchmark, an Ohio-based program recently licensed in Montana, plans to build five group homes at yet-to-be-named locations around the state to take 20 clients and Missoula Developmental Services Corp. said it could take three if it increases staffing levels. DPHHS has increased the amount of money it plans to pay for community services for those awaiting services, with the changes totaling $1 million. The changes are the result of a review of the community services needed by each person and talking with community providers. The department determined many clients would need more behavioral health services, which is provided in the persons home by someone with more skills than a support employee at a group home. Community facilities that agree to take the centers clients get ongoing funding, and those who committed before Oct. 1 to take people get a one-time payment of $40,000 per client in exchange for agreeing to provide services for at least a year. While work continues to find community placement, the Transition Planning Advisory Council, which looks specifically at the process of closing the center, has recommended that the center keep a 12-bed assessment and stabilization unit open. The 15-member committee first decided in October that the state should continue to run a facility of last resort, and on a 10-4 vote, with one member absent, agreed to continue operating the acute services unit. It's fair to say some of the clients housed in the acute services unit are people officials are nervous about placing into communities, Mary Dalton, manager of DPHHS Medicaid and health services branch, told the Children, Families, Health, and Human Services Interim Committee at a meeting Monday. Some interim legislative committee members asked if keeping part of the center open met with the Legislative intent of a bill written to close the center. Dan Villa, the governors budget director who chairs the advisory council, said We all know there will be individuals who need some sort of this care and the most acute level. Twelve in a state of 1 million seems very reasonable to me, as it did to super majority of the committee members. The state Architecture and Engineering Division estimated the cost of building three smaller secure units elsewhere to house acute care in the state as high as $3.2 million per unit, and put the cost of constructing a 12-bed unit at $9.7 million, while it said the cost of renovating the facility at the Boulder center would be $1.6 million. People in Boulder are concerned about a $4 million loan the town recently took out to meet wastewater treatment requirements, mainly at the centers campus. Residents are worried that without payments from MDC, residents will be left paying higher fees to cover the cost of that loan. A legislative researcher said the governors office has indicated it might help offset these costs, though theres no additional information on that. Aircraft services firm Haveus Aerotech today said it is looking for a partner that can bring in an investment of USD 10 million which will be mainly used to acquire an international MRO facility. "The seed capital of USD 10 million will be invested in acquiring a running international engine MRO (maintenance, repair and operations) facility as well as to meet the operational cost in order to execute the orders worth USD 54 million to overhaul engines," Haveus Aerotech Managing Director Anshul Bhargava said in a statement. Recently, the Delhi-based company had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Air India's subsidiary AIESL (Air India Engineering Services Limited) to set up an advanced engine MRO facility at Dubai's Al Maktoum International Airport. "The acquisition of international MRO facility will also complement and contribute to the green field MRO facility being built by Haveus Aerotech in Dubai and vice-versa," the statement added. Nearly a year after a 28-year-old aeronautical engineering graduate was sentenced to death for murdering a pawn broker in the city in 2012 for gain, the Madras High Court today held the appeal trial proceedings incamera. The CCTV footage showing the murder was a clinching prosecution evidence against the youth, who was sentenced to death by a sessions court in nearby Poonamalleee on January 21, 2015, maintaining that it was a "rarest of rare cases," in keeping with the rulings of the High Court and the Supreme Court. Ramajayam alias Appu, a native of Cuddalore district who completed his BE Degree here and undergone pilot training in Sri Lanka, was then awarded the maximum punishment for tresspass (10 years), robbery (10 years), and misappropiration of property (three years) considering the gravity of the offence. A bench comprising Justice R Sudhakar and Justice P N Prakash held the appeal hearing proceedings incamera. They also held inquiry with the prosecution witness. The division reserved its orders without mentioning any date. He murdered pawn broker Guna Ram, alias Ganesh, on April 14, 2012 at his shop in Nerkundram here and took away jewelleries. The murder had sent shock waves and pawn brokers protested by downing shutters. Ramajayam had evaded arrest for a month after the murder and also attempted to kill women for gain at Pallikaranai here. The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court today ordered notice to the Tamil Development department Secretary and others on a PIL seeking to provide infrastructure facilities, including trained Tamil typists, translators and related software, in trial courts in the state. Justice V Ramasubramanian and Justice N Kirubakaran ordered notice returnable within two weeks on the petition by PIL litigant Muthuvelan. The petitioner submitted that Official Languages Act and the high court's orders that Tamil should be official language and be used in trial courts had not been implemented by the governmment. He said the government should provide the entire state and central government legislative enactments in Tamil language periodically to trial courts and to the library sections of the recognised advocates associations in the state. He sought uniform Tamil software CD for preparation of pleadings, depositions and to publish the entire law books in Tamil language by way of CD and also upload same in respective official websites of the state. The post of translators was lying vacant for several years and cost of translation of acts, deposition etc in Tamil was high, he said. Aiming to diversify globally, India-based leather goods manufacturer Hidesign is bullish on growing its presence in the US market and is seeking to capture the niche segment with its range of men's and women's range of bags. Pondicherry-based Hidesign launched its US operations in December 2014, making an initial investment of between a quarter and half million dollars. The company plans to make more investments as it undertakes expansion of the brand in the US market. "The US market is gigantic and we are looking for a niche representation in this market, that itself will be very significant in terms of numbers and value. It is a good opportunity to diversify and build the brand outside India," Hidesign America CEO Vikas Kapur said. The company markets and distributes competitively priced bags and small leather goods in the US and sells online as well as through high-end independent retailers. The brand has also participated in major trade shows in the US to showcase its products and expand its market base. Kapur said the company had entered the US market with the men's range and is now in the process of expanding their women's range. "In the US, Hidesign has a niche product range that reflects the original brand identity," he said. In the second year of its operations, the company expects to double growth on the back of further increases in sales as it expands its footprint and brings in additional product categories. Sales and revenue for all Hidesign branded product in the US is currently in the $1-5 million range, the company said. While the men's category is its strong point in the US, going forward, the company expects that the women's range will contribute more to the sales. Outlining the strategy to grow the product in the US market, Kapur said the company is undertaking measures to educate people about the brand. In March, the company will be exhibiting at the popular Travel Goods Association trade show in Las Vegas where it will display its range of briefcases, messengers, handbags, small leather good and men's bags, Kapur said adding that the show will provide a platform to showcase to large department and luggage stores. As the company seeks to expand in the US, Kapur said the challenge will be to "tell your story as there are already many brands and products here." The company is open to partnerships and in future is looking at selling directly in the US instead of going through distributors. Kapur said Hidesign is also targeting the Indian-American community, since they are more aware of the brand, having seen and heard about it in India. "We want to get our story out to the Indian-American population also. They know the brand but they should also know that we are in the US," he said. Founded over 35 years ago, Hidesign has 80 exclusive branded stores and sells in hundreds of independent stores and major department stores in international markets. iBus Networks and Infrastructure, a leading provider of connectivity solutions inside buildings, today raised Series-A growth capital of Rs 15 crore from Vallabh Bhanshali of Enam, US-based N Squared Management LLC and the family office of Jagdish and Sandeep Mehta. The company also announced appointment of former Micromax chairman Sanjay Kapoor and Mohandas Pai as its non-executive chairman and advisory board member, respectively. Kapoor will steer and provide strategic direction to the company and Pai will mentor and advise the team, company CEO Ram Sellaratnam told reporters here. Kapoor and Pai are early investors in iBus, he said. The funding will be used to drive deployment of iBus solutions across the country and multiple segments to deliver connectivity inside buildings, Sellaratnam said. The company now is providing internet solutions to 24 sites in six southern cities, including Kochi, Bengaluru and Chennai. It plans to expand to Mumbai, Pune and Kolkata, Sellaratnam said. "We plan to reach a target of providing solutions covering 400 million square feet by 2019, and 100 millionsquare feet in next six quarters," he said. Based on this target, the company plans to increasestaff strength from the present 12 to 18 in next sixquarters, Sellaratnam said. Cipher-Plexus has been the exclusive investment banker to the transaction as well as one of the investors. Sellaratnam said the company would raise the second round of capital after it achieves the immediate target of 100 million square feet of service. He also said the company would foray into the global market, probably in the next three years. The company now has five telcos as its clients and would increase the numbers in future according to the needs arising due to growth and expansion, Sellaratnam said. A pair of Bangladeshi-origin twin sisters have graduated from Birmingham University in the UK this week and secured jobs at the same school. The identical twins Anneka and Sanya Hoque, from Yardley in Birmingham, are no strangers to working together. Having both decided to pursue a career in teaching, they progressed through an Early Years course at college before studying for a degree in Primary Education at Birmingham City University. Both Anneka and Sanya have secured teaching positions at Adderley Primary School in Saltley, Birmingham. "We've always been very close and although we were in different groups on our University course, we still helped each other out a lot and then when we went on placements at different schools, we were able to compare ideas and experiences," said Anneka. "We both applied for positions at the same school and thought if one of us gets it we'd be pleased. We didn't expect to get roles at the same school but we're so happy to stay together," added Sanya. "We are delighted to be graduating this week and accomplishing this major milestone together. It seems that we are inseparable!," she said. A mega Sino-India historic biopic on the life and times of famous Chinese Buddhist Monk Xuan Zang who brought Buddhism from India to China is ready for release. The film, made with a USD 22-million budget, has been completed but its release may take some time after clearances by Chinese official bodies, Prasad Shetty, partner of Strategic Alliance, a Chinese firm promoting Indian films told PTI here today. Earlier, officials said it may be released next month coinciding with the Chinese New Year. But Shetty said it could be released some time in May this year. The film was made in Chinese and will be released simultaneously in both the countries. The Hindi dubbed versionwill be released in India. Chinese actor Huang Xiaoming played the lead role of the famous monk who brought important Buddhist scriptures from India to China. The agreement for the co-production of the film was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China in May last year. It was jointly produced on the life and times of Zang's 17-year-long journey to India in sixth century. Part of the film was shot in Maharashtra and Nalanda in Bihar, tracing the areas traversedby the monk in the seventh century. The other two India-China co-productions include Kung Fu Yoga, by Hong Kong-based director Stanley Tong and comedy film Lost in India, featuring the star from China's 2012 blockbuster Lost in Thailand. These two films are expected to be released this year. India and Syria today held wide- ranging talks, focusing largely on the internal situation in the war-torn country and the UN-backed peace process aimed at ending the strife which has claimed lives of over 2.5 lakh people in the last five years. Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Walid Al Moualem, during the talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, appreciated India for its support to the people of Syria and its position in finding a solution to the civil war. Swaraj conveyed to Moualem, who is also Minister of Foreign Affairs, that India was sending medicines worth USD 1 million to Syria soon. India will announce further assistance to the country during a conference on Syria in London on February 4. She also sought Syria's help in ascertaining status of 39 Indians who were taken hostage by ISIS militants from Iraqi city of Mosul in June 2014. Moualem assured Swaraj that he will use his sources in Iraq to know whereabouts of the Indians. The Syrian Deputy Prime Minister met National Security Adviser Ajit Doval last evening during which challenge of combating terrorism, particularly to deal with ISIS, is understood to have figured. Moualem, who visited Russia and China before arriving here yesterday, gave a detailed exposition of how Russian air strikes have weakened the capabilities of ISIS in Syria as well as about the UN-backed peace initiative. "The Syrian Deputy Prime Minister appreciated India for its support to people of Syria," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. India has been consistently maintaining that a solution to the conflict must be found through a Syrian-led peace initiative. Russia has been carrying out air strikes in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad since September, targeting the terror outfit ISIS which has seized vast swathes of land in that country. India has been supportive of the Russian strikes maintaining that terror groups must be dealt with effectively. The peace talks are slated for later this month and Moualem has already said that Syria was ready to participate in it. The US, the UK and France are pressing for the ouster of the Syrian President to have a peaceful resolution of the conflict but Russia and China are against the move. During the talks, the Syrian side sought help from India in the form of supply of food and medicine. It also sought early completion of Tishreen power project being implemented by Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd (BEHL). As part of Line of Credit, India has already given USD 100 million out of USD 240 million for the plant. The Indian side said it was ready to complete the project if Syria can give assurance of security. BHEL and Syrian Ministry of Electricity are negotiating to resume the project. The Syrian side also requested India to complete remaining work at Hama Steel plant which is being set up by India at a cost of USD 25 million. 95 per cent of the work of the project has been completed. India conveyed to Syria that it will be happy to hand it over soon. India and Syria have friendly political relations. India's support for the Palestinian cause and for the return of the occupied Golan Heights to Syria is appreciated by Syrians. President Assad had visited India in June 2008 while then President Prathibha Patil had visited Syria in November 2010. Last month, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution endorsing a peace process in Syria to end the civil war through talks between the government and the opposition, but the draft is silent on the role of Assad in a political transition. It called for a Syrian-led political process facilitated by the UN to establish within six months "credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance", setting a schedule for drafting a new constitution, with free and fair elections to be held within 18 months under UN supervision with all Syrians, including members of the diaspora, eligible to vote. India is the world's biggest outsourcing destination in terms of financial attractiveness and business environment, according to a study published today by a London-based global management consulting firm. A T Kearney's 2016 Global Services Location Index (GSLI) rated India as number one out of the total 55 countries analysed. China, Malaysia, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, The Philippines, Mexico, Chile and Poland respectively made up the top 10 list. Offshoring to India remains a high attractive proposition for many companies, said the study which also takes a deeper dive into optimal cities for offshoring within the ranked countries. "While India and the Philippines are still top of mind when it comes to offshoring, the hunt for new talent is now taking companies beyond these countries' capitals and major cites to tier 3 locations such as Surat, Nagpur, and Lucknow in India and Bacolod and Iloilo City in the Philippines," said Nikolai Dobberstien, partner with A T Kearney's Communications, Media and Technology practice. One advantage of tier 3 cities is the relative affordability of real estate as facilities in Nagpur and Ahmedabad are 25 per cent to 30 per cent cheaper than Kolkata and Delhi, the report said. Another advantage is the relative availability of labour, its lower cost and lower attrition rates. Many of these cities have highly developed educational infrastructure, ensuring fresh crops of qualified graduates for the foreseeable future, GSLI said. "Even though the top six or seven countries are landing in the same order this year as 2014, looking forward, this could all change radically because the very nature of what's being outsourced is changing," said Arjun Sethi, global leader of A T Kearney's strategic IT practice. "For the first time, we have a trend - automation - that could displace the leadership of the likes of India and China in outsourcing. Technology's relentless progress continues to transform in unanticipated and fundamentally different ways not only where work is moving to, but how and by whom - or by what - it is being done," Sethi said. He said the new business model associated with this automation threatens established concepts of offshoring, while expanding the market. India's undisputed industry leadership is facing a challenge from China which has become attractive with its recent devaluation of Renminbi and gains in educational skills and cultural adaptability. "The implications on accessibility of services and employment in these countries are massive. On the client or receiver end, Business Process as a Service (BPaaS) dramatically lowers the entry barriers to business data management, opening the floodgates to smaller and newer companies," said Sethi, principal author of the study. The GSLI, launched in 2004, helps companies make key location decisions for offshoring and industry development projects with objective guidance. In UK's biggest private prosecution, a 53-year-old Indian-origin fraudster dubbed "King Con" who posed as a friend of billionaire Hinduja brothers was today ordered to pay back a record 38.6 million pounds to his principal victim and British taxpayers by a court here. London-based and Kenya-born Ketan Somaia, who had been found guilty of fraud and jailed for eight years last year, was ordered by the Old Bailey court in London to pay up or face a further 16 years in prison. He was found guilty of nine out of 11 charges of obtaining a money transfer by deception by a jury which noted that Somaia "has to be described as a formidable and serial fraudsman on a truly Olympian scale." Somaiatreated wealthy investors to luxury trips, generous gifts and big parties before fleecing three of them for 12 million pounds, his trial had been told. It marked Britain's biggest-ever private prosecution carried out on behalf of the principal victim, entrepreneur Murli Mirchandani. In another legal first Mirchandani secured 500,000 pounds of public funds to continue his fight to recoup the money he lost in the swindle. His lawyer Tamlyn Edmonds told the 'Evening Standard' that 20.4 million pounds of the order would go to the UK courts and Treasury and 18.2 million pounds to Mirchandani. "Mirchandani wants his money back and this hasbeen a long process through a private prosecution and confiscation proceedings which have taken its toll in emotional stress. He just wants to put an end to all that," said Edmonds. The case also marked the first time a private individual started confiscation proceedings and followed it through without the help of the police asset recovery team. Mirchandani said:"This is a bittersweet victory, my fight for justice has robbed me of fifteen years of my life." "There are no words to describe the betrayal that my family and I have suffered at the hands of a callous man who claimed to be my friend. While today brings some form of closure, it remains to be seen whether Ketan Somaia will comply with the Confiscation Order or face additional years in prison." Somaia gave the impression of being a successful businessman, posed as a friend of the billionaire Hinduja brothers and claimed to own assets worth USD 500 million. The scam took place between 1999 and 2000 whenhe was president and chief executive of the Dolphin Group of Companies. He owned an office in Mayfair and a palatial home in an exclusive north London suburb. He is said to have used his purported wealth and status within the Indian community to persuade Mirchandani to make large payments after promising him high returns. HELENA Tom OConnell, administrator of the state's Architecture and Engineering Division, uses a laser pointer to highlight maroon paint peeling away to reveal the white plaster below around the dome of the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the Capitol building. See that whole section, thats water coming through and causing damage and you see how close it is to the artwork, OConnell said last week on a tour of the Capitol. The artwork is seven paintings by the Cincinnati firm F. Pedrettis Sons, oil on canvas painted in 1902 and hung like wallpaper around the dome of this room. Theres the Gates of the Mountains, which Montanas first and fourth Gov. Joseph Toole asked to be depicted. Across the dome is Meriwether Lewis catching his first glimpse of the Rockies. To the side, President Benjamin Harrison and Secretary of State James G. Blaine sign Montanas Constitution. These are not the most valuable paintings in the Capitol that would be the massive C.M. Russell painting at the other end of the building in the House chambers but from an historic standpoint you still want to protect them, OConnell said. The skylight will be fixed this year. Its the top priority among the deferred maintenance projects in the Capitol, said Steve Baiamonte, administrator of the General Services Division. Thats not because its in the worst shape among the six in the building. There are four large skylights and two small ones, all built in either 1901 or 1911 except for the one over the barrel vault, which was put in around 2000 when the vault was restored during an extensive renovation of the Capitol. The others are probably about equal shape because theyre all roughly the same age, give or take a decade, Baiamonte said. General Services, which is the landlord and steward of the Capitol, as well as all state-owned buildings within a 10-mile radius of Helena, gets money appropriated from the Legislature for deferred maintenance projects like this. This biennium, Baiamonte said, the division was appropriated $3.2 million for projects that also include flooring, fire suppression work and elevator improvements. OConnells department oversees all architecture and engineering projects on state-owned facilities in the complex. It has hired A&E Architects of Missoula to work on the skylight. That firm has been out to the Capitol twice, the most recent time to look at the skylight from the superstructure above it and begin to figure out the best way to address the leak. At this point, its not known how much it will cost to remedy the situation, Baiamonte said. We always look at not what is low bid or the cheapest, but what is best for the building and all the users. OConnell said he thinks a full replacement is needed for the original skylight, which is made of thin steel and glass. We think itll take a new structure. If its anything different than that, Id be extremely surprised because the structure and technology of how you do a skylight today is completely different. It shouldnt be a long-term construction project, but itll be a tricky one because the stained glass and artwork needs to be protected. You talk about removing a skylight like this, and youve got some very delicate surfaces under there, OConnell said, pointing to the stained glass. Baiamonte said its feasible to wrap up work by the end of the year. We dont want to be tearing this thing apart when the snow is flying. In a perfect world, wed have it done by fall. OConnell wants something done before the Legislature gathers at the start of 2017. Its something weve done and can show them thats an obvious improvement, he said. Lots of capitols built in the early 1900s and skylights were a common feature. In some ways they had better taste than we do now, OConnell joked. The skylight above the House chamber is in about the same shape as the one to be replaced. If we were going to do a second one, the next one would be over the House chambers, Baiamonte said. The superstructure there is 10 years newer built in 1911 but over more than a century, a decade's worth of difference doesnt mean too much. Even though it sits over the room with the most expensive piece of artwork in the Capitol, the massive C.M. Russell painting Lewis and Clark Meeting the Flathead Indians, this skylight isnt a priority because the art isnt at risk from water damage. In the House, the damage would be more typical to stenciling or corbels or anything, where the skylight is theres no risk to damage of art on canvas, OConnell said. Crews did some major plaster repairs in that space earlier this year, Baiamonte said. Beads made of plaster were water-damaged and drooping like a loose pearl necklace. The area in jeopardy is right here, OConnell said, pointing to areas near the gallery seating. The beads basically detached and was loose here and curled and hung down. Again, thats from water. Top Indian and US officials will meet in New Delhi this week to review and expand areas of regional and global cooperation, the State Department has said. The Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Sarah Sewall is leading the US official delegation to the US-India Global Issues Forum, the first since 2012. She will be accompanied by the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal. While in India, Sewall will meet with civil society representatives to strengthen cooperation around common interests, including countering violent extremism, religious freedom, trafficking, and transparency and governance. She will also deliver a speech 'Democratic Values and Violent Extremism' at the Vivekananda International Foundation in New Delhi. As the US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, Under Secretary Sewall will also travel to Dharamsala to discuss issues of importance to the Tibetan refugee community, the State Department said in a statement. Iran's state TV today said that an Iranian Phantom fighter jet has crashed close to the Pakistan border, killing two pilots. It reported that the crash took place this morning some 45 miles west of Konarak Air Base, around 900 miles southeast of the Iranian capital, Tehran. The report said that the cause of the crash was unknown but investigations were ongoing. The pilots were on a training assignment. Iran's Air Force purchased the US-manufactured Phantom warplanes before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. It also has Iranian and Russian-made fighters in service. Several warplane crashes have taken place in Iran in recent years. Most recently, in July 2014, an F-4 fighter jet crashed in the south of the country, killing two pilots. Iraq's prime minister has vowed to continue the fight against Islamic State militants, a day after the group launched a suicide attack on a shopping mall in the capital, killing 18 people. Touring the bombed mall in eastern New Baghdad today, Haider al-Abadi described the attack as a "desperate attempt" by militants after they lost control of the key western city of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province. He says that Iraq's government will "spare no efforts" in expelling IS forces from the country. Gunmen stormed the shopping mall yesterday after setting off a car bomb and launching a suicide attack at the entrance. Iraqi forces later surrounded the building, landing troops on the roof before clashing with attackers inside, killing two gunmen and arresting four. The Islamic State (ISIS) mastermind of the Paris terror attacks in November last year that killed 130 people had entered the UK by ferry just months before, according to a media report. Abdelhamid Abaaoud was a wanted terrorist at the time when he managed to travel undetected through a port in Kent, believed to be Dover on the southeast coast of England, The Guardian reported. The UK Home Office is facing calls to launch an urgent review of security at the country's ferry terminals. "This adds to the growing questions about border security at our seaports," said shadow home secretary Andy Burnham, who has already demanded a review of UK border security after it emerged Indian-origin terrorist suspect Siddhartha Dhar, alias Abu Rumaysah, was able to flee Britain while on bail. Burnham added: "Not only did we discover last week that a UK terror suspect on bail waltzed out at the border, we now learn a terror suspect from the continent freely walked in through the same route. "It would appear extremists perceive the ferry border to be a weak link. The home secretary must conduct an urgent review of border security at ferry terminals and provide urgent reassurance that passports are being properly checked on exit and arrival in the UK." Counter-terrorism officials are still assessing whether the purpose of Abaaoud's trip to the UK was to plan an atrocity in Britain. Keith Vaz, the Indian-origin MP who chairs the influential parliamentary home affairs committee, told The Guardian that the government had vital questions to answer: "It is remarkable that this terrorist entered and exited the country. "He must have been on a watch list. Serious questions need to be answered so that we can prevent a repetition of what actually happened." Abaaoud, a 27-year-old Moroccon-born Belgian national, was killed in a shootout with French security forces days after he led the Paris attacks and months after he had been in Britain, the report said. He was the head of an ISIS unit set up to send European-origin extremists back to their home countries to carry out terrorist attacks. Burnham had yesterday challenged UK home secretary Theresa May in Parliament on the issue of terror suspects moving freely across Europe, but she reiterated her refusal to comment on individual cases which relate to police investigations. She said: "I said to you and indeed others last week, and I will say again today, that I am not going to comment on individual cases because of issues relating to police investigations and proceedings that take place. "But what I would say is that it is this government that has taken significant steps to enhance our border security, including in establishing the UK Border Force, taking it out of the failed UK Borders Agency which was set up by the last Labour government. Israel today took delivery of its fifth German-built submarine, an advanced Dolphin-class vessel said to be capable of remaining submerged for up to a week. Speaking at an official welcome ceremony at the northern port city of Haifa, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the undersea fleet allows Israel "to deter enemies who seek to destroy us." "They should know that Israel can strike very hard indeed at anyone who tries to harm it," he said. The new arrival is named "Rahav" after a biblical sea monster. "Rahav will take an active part in defending the state of Israel and its territorial waters, operating deeper, further, and for longer from the very depths -- with a watchful eye," President Reuven Rivlin said at the ceremony. Foreign military sources say the Dolphins can be equipped with missiles armed with nuclear warheads. They say Israel has between 100 and 200 warheads and missiles capable of delivering them. Israel is the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear power, refusing to confirm or deny it has such weapons. Its five German-made submarines will be used to protect its shores and carry out spying missions against its arch-foe Iran, Israeli media say. Netanyahu tried in vain to block a July deal with world powers on scaling down Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief, arguing it would not stop Tehran from developing an atomic weapon. The incoming head of Israel's Mossad spy agency said last week that the Islamic republic and its nuclear ambitions constitute "the principle challenge" for his organisation. A sixth submarine is to be delivered in two to three years although defence analyst Yossi Melman, writing in Maariv newspaper, has said it is likely to be cancelled for budgetary reasons. The current model costs about 500 million euros ($540 million) to build, Israeli media say. Berlin is paying one third of the cost itself. YSR Congress President Y S Jaganmohan Reddy today urged Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kodela Sivaprasad Rao to revoke the suspension of party MLA R K Roja from the House. Citing certain business rules of AP Assembly and also Lok Sabha norms, the Opposition leader maintained suspension of Roja for one year is against the rules and also "illegal". "I once again request you sincerely to kindly, respecting the time tested business rules, revoke the suspension of Smt Roja. The motion that was passed to suspend Roja was against the provisions of the Business Rules (of Assembly) and hence illegal and unconstitutional," he said. Roja, a popular actress in south Indian cinema, was suspended for a year during last month's winter session of the Assembly for allegedly making unparliamentary comments against Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in the House. A jailed Indonesian firebrand cleric today challenged his conviction for funding a militant group in court, as a hundreds-strong crowd chanting "God is great" rallied in support of the Islamist preacher. Abu Bakar Bashir is regarded as the spiritual leader of militant Islam in Indonesia, and was thought to be a key figure in regional terror network Jemaah Islamiyah, blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people. He was sentenced to 15 years in jail in 2011 for helping fund a paramilitary group in Aceh, a staunchly Islamic province in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, which planned to kill the then president as well as Westerners. The 77-year-old made a rare public appearance today to apply for a judicial review of his conviction in the hope of being freed, travelling to the court in the town of Cilacap, the gateway to the prison island off Java where he is held. His legal team are arguing that funds Bashir collected were intended to help people in the Palestinian territories, but ended up getting sent to the Aceh group without his knowledge. However Bashir, a frail, bespectacled man with a bushy white beard, appeared to undermine his own case by admitting to knowing about the group's Aceh training camp during a fiery tirade in court Tuesday. "The physical and weapons' training in Aceh were aimed at defending Islam and Muslims in Indonesia and overseas, and were an obligation Muslims must fulfil because it is God's order," said Bashir, who was wearing a white turban and white robe. Bashir also told the packed courtroom that the judges should repent for acting against the Koran. Today's hearing was brief. Prosecutors will respond to the lawyers' arguments later this month. About 500 supporters, most of whom were dressed in white Islamic skullcaps, packed out the courtroom and gathered outside, and more than 1,000 security personnel had been deployed. "Bashir is a cleric, not a terrorist," a supporter shouted, while others yelled "God is great, God is great" and thrust their fists into the air. Bashir, also co-founder of an infamous Islamic boarding school known for producing militants, was previously jailed over the Bali bombings but his conviction was quashed on appeal. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar arrived here today to hold talks with the top Sri Lankan leadership and officials on a host of issues including setting of agenda of the Indo-Lanka Joint Commission meeting next month. Jaishankar, who arrived from the Maldives, is expected to meet his Sri Lankan counterpart and call on Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. He is expected to hold talks on the Indo-Lanka Joint Commission and tour the northern province capital of Jaffna, officials said. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is expected to visit Sri Lanka for the Joint Commission meeting. Yesterday, in the Maldives, Jaishankar called on President Abdulla Yameen and Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon and discussed issues of bilateral cooperation. Japanese Coast Guard ship ECHIGO arrived at Chennai Port today to take part in the joint exercise 'Sahyog Kaijin' with the Indian Coast Guard. Commanded by Captain Toshiya Mikuni, the ship with 44 crew members was given a grand welcome by the Coast Guard Eastern region with a colourful ceremony upon arrival at the Chennai port harbour, an official release said. The joint naval exercises between the two countries would be held between January 15 and 16 on Bay of Bengal. The Japanese delegation would be calling on various state dignitaries during their stay, besides taking part in social interaction and a "friendly volleyball" match. Indian Coast Guard ship Samudra Paheredar and senior officials would visit the Japanese coast Guard ship, while Japanese crew members would visit the maritime rescue co-ordination centre, the release said. Bihar's ruling party JD-U could soon have a new election symbol as it plans to widen its reach beyond the state after halting the Narendra Modi juggernaut in state assembly polls a few months ago. After veering round to the view that its existing "arrow" election symbol is "confusing" voters, the party has planned to meet the Election Commission any day after Makar Sankranti and submit a list of its symbol choices to replace the existing one. Makar Sankranti is on coming Thursday and, hence a forward movement on the issue is expected next week. The party's bid to seek a new symbol comes ahead of assembly election scheduled in five states -- Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, West Bengal and Kerala, where it is planning to contest as part of some 'grand morcha' on the lines of that formed in Bihar to defeat NDA, sources in JD-U said. They said that the party is likely to seek one of the three symbols -- tree, a farmer wielding a plough and hut. Banyan tree was the symbol of Samyukta Socialist Party, while Praja Socialist Party's symbol was hut. Farmer with plough was the symbol of Lok Dal. All of them were part of larger Janata Parivar family at some point or the other. After initially showing keenness to get the 'wheel' symbol of erstwhile Janata Dal, JD-U has given up the hope on it as it is not sure of the support of Janata Dal (Secular). A JD-U delegation had met the Election Commission immediately after the Bihar polls to discuss the issue of symbol. Responding to their demand for the wheel symbol, the EC is learnt to have told them that the wheel symbol can be given to them if JD (S) does not object to it. The sources in the party said that after Makar Sankranti, a party delegation will visit the EC to take up the matter. JD-U is hopeful that it will get the new symbol by the month end. The party's hunt for the new symbol emanates from a feeling that something much more identifiable with the people should be its election symbol. Moreover, JD-U's symbol arrow is also identical with the bow and arrow symbol of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Shiv Sena. There is a feeling in the party that JD-U lost a good number of votes in a number of seats in Bihar even in this assembly election due to its symbol being confused with that of Shiv Sena and JMM. At its national executive meeting on December 20-21, last year, the party had passed a resolution, saying, "Janata Dal is deeply concerned about its election symbol, which found similarity with election symbols of other political parties in the recently completed assembly election. "In the last election for Bihar assembly and election for Lok Sabha in different states, the reason of defeat of Janata Dal (U) candidates was similar election symbols," it said. At the meeting, the party had unanimously resolved to "approach the Election Commission effectively for allotment of a new symbol to JD(U)" and authorised party President Sharad Yadav to pursue the matter with the poll panel. A party functionary, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that in the recently concluded Bihar polls, it had been observed and there is also a feedback from voters that they had to face confusion in selecting the symbol arrow of JD(U). "The reason for confusion was almost identical symbol of two other parties -- Shiv Sena and JMM. It has not happened for the first time in Bihar, but our candidates were defeated in the past too in other states only because of similar symbols of some other parties. "Therefore, it is essential that some other symbol is allotted to our party in order to protect the right of citizens to exercise their franchise for the candidates of their choice," the party functionary. He said that the matter was discussed in detail in the party's national executive here, which was also attended by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The party will approach the EC with the drawings of the symbols and a copy of the resolution. The party will request the EC to freeze its arrow symbol while granting it a new one. The wheel symbol of Janata Dal was frozen in 1999 as the party was split into JD(U) led by Sharad Yadav and JD-S under H D Deve Gowda when the former decided to join the then NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The two parties were then allotted separate symbols -- 'farmer driving a tractor' to JD(S) and 'arrow' to Sharad Yadav's party. Later, JD(S) changed its symbol to a 'woman farm labourer carrying a stack of paddy on her head'. Sharad Yadav's faction of Janata Dal, Samata Party and Lokshakti of former Karnataka Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde later merged to form Janata Dal (U) and retained the symbol of arrow. In the 1962 general election, Praja Socialist Party had the 'hut' election symbol. In 1964, Praja Socialist Party, also known Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party, and Socialist Party combined to form Samyukta Socialist Party. Socialist Party's symbol was banyan tree then. The Election Commission then allotted the 'hut' symbol to the new party. However, the two parties fell apart by 1965. The hut symbol was back to Praja Socialist Party while Socialist Party retained the name of Samyukta Socialist Party. In 1975, Samyukta Socialist Party and Praja Socialist Party again merged and formed Socialist Party which merged with Charan Singh's Bharatiya Kranti Dal, Swatantra Party and Biju Patnaik's Utkal Congress. They together formed BLD just before Indira Gandhi declared Emergency. Later, when the representatives of the four non-Communist opposition parties formed a new party -- Janata Party, they decided to contest on a common symbol of 'farmer with plough' of Bhartiya Lok Dal. It was on this symbol that Janata Party had scored its spectacular victory against Congress in 1977 ushering in the first non-Congress government to power after Independence. When it comes to children's mental and behavioral health, early intervention is key, said Amie Havner, who is the first-ever coordinator for the Yellowstone Youth Crisis Network. The Billings-area network has brought more than a dozen public and private organizations together to improve immediate response to youth crises and alleviate the need for placing youth in hospital treatment centers or detention. Havner, who worked with Youth Dynamics for 9 years, stepped into the new position with the Yellowstone Youth Crisis Network late last year. As coordinator, she connects families dealing with challenging childrens behavioral and mental health issues to resources that can help. Early intervention will help down the road, Havner said. Ideally, that leads to fewer trips to emergency rooms for desperate families, and fewer and shorter stays in residential-treatment settings for kids. That means keeping kids in the community at home, said Jani McCall, who helped launch the crisis network and has worked in mental health and youth services in the Billings area for 37 years. Addressing issues early also cuts down on overall health care costs, McCall said. The average child younger than 18 who has spent time in residential treatment will cycle through six to eight different placements, from hospitals to therapy-focused foster homes. A statewide emphasis on diversion programs for kids kicked off about 2 years ago with grants for a handful of Montana cities, including Billings, and ramped up with the Montana legislature signed off on $1.2 million to continue the programs. Leaders hope to integrate the program's services into a more permanent structure. Thats why we have to do an excellent job of data gathering and reporting, McCall said. Its like, "OK, what are we bringing here? What are the results?' We've got to produce here. Many of Havners duties involve working directly with families as a case manager. Shes based in an office at the Lincoln Center in space donated by School District 2, but frequently visits schools or homes. School can be an ideal place to identify kids who are struggling, but schools especially at the elementary level dont always have resources to help. One of the gaps that we are seeing, especially for kiddos under 6, theres not as many services, Havner said. Part of what data collection will do is to help identify those gaps: What kind of services are people using? How are they finding them? Are they keeping up with later appointments? Ultimately, that information helps address a greater goal: making sure children experiencing a mental health crisis are using every resource available to them before heading to the emergency room. One of the biggest challenges for experts is convincing people that they need help. Its very difficult for families to be at that point, Havner said. To admit that you cant handle a situation with your child is not easy. Significant stigma still surrounds mental health treatment, especially in rural areas. I think things have improved as far as awareness, but I think we still have a long way to go, Havner said. The group is developing a website that is designed to be easy to navigate and to allow users to access resources with plain descriptions. Its not clinical speak, Havner said. In addition to the website, a 24/7 hotline is available and staffed by Havner or a trained representative from the Youth Service Center. The number is 200-0559. The community partners for the crisis network now include 22 groups. The community needs to take ownership, McCall said. Jet Airways today said it would offer special discounted fares for Amsterdam, which is set to become the private carrier's new European Gateway from March, for a limited period. Under the five-day offer, which can be availed till January 15, Jet Airways has cut ticket prices by up to 16% for both Premier and Economy class passengers travelling to Amsterdam from New Delhi and Mumbai, according to a statement. The airline has already announced commencement of two daily non-stop flights, one each from its domestic hubs --Mumbai and New Delhi -- to the Dutch capital from March 27. Besides, it will also operate a daily flight from Toronto in Canada to Amsterdam. "We have received an overwhelming response to our new routes to and from Amsterdam since announcing them last month. The inaugural offer acknowledges the support from our guests, providing them with greater value when travelling to our new European gateway," Jet Airways senior vice president (commercial) Gaurang Shetty said. From Amsterdam, Jet Airways will be able to provide its passengers with one stop access to a wider array of destinations across Europe and North America with its partners, he said. The airline had last month also announced codesharing pacts with KLM and Delta Air Lines along with its decision to shift the European Gateway to the Dutch capital from Brussels. Code-sharing of flights allows an airline to book passengers on its partner carriers and provide seamless transport to multiple destinations where it has no presence. Under the inaugural offer, passengers travelling from Mumbai to Amsterdam in Economy class can book all-inclusive return tickets for Rs 33,734 while those travelling in Premiere (business) class can avail an all-inclusive return ticket for Rs 1,47,071, it said. The fares for the same from New Delhi will be Rs 37,211 (Economy) and Rs 1,12,480 (Premier), the airline said. Special fares are also available for travel from Amsterdam to India, it said. Jet Airways passengers from Canada can also avail the offered fares while they book on the airline's new service between Toronto and Amsterdam, it said. Similarly, private carrier has also extended the offer to guests travelling to Amsterdam on the airline's network from ASEAN and SAARC countries via Mumbai and Delhi. The codeshare pact with the two global airline, which when approved by the government, would provide seamless air connectivity to Jet Airways passengers to as many as 41 European and American cities from India. Jharkhand government today decided to set up fast track courts in five districts for speedy trial of cases relating to witchcraft incidents. The Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Raghubar Das, approved the setting up of courts in Ranchi, Chaibasa, Khunti, Palamau and Simdega districts, an official release said here. Due to prevailing superstition among a section of the rural populace, witchcraft-related attacks are sometimes reported in the state. DMK President M Karunanidhi's elder daughter S Selvi was today discharged from a four-year old cheating case by the Madras High Court. Justice C T Selvam allowed the discharge plea after Selvi's senior counsel P Kumaresan submitted that there were grave inconsistencies in the allegations levelled against his client by the complainant. A case was filed against Selvi and her son-in-law Jothimani on a complaint by the owner of a property that the accused had allegedly entered into a deal for the purchase of his 2.94 acre land in Nerkundram here in 2007 for Rs 5.14 crore but paid only Rs two crore. When he went to Selvi's house demanding the balance amount on September 11, 2011, he was threatened. Kumaresan argued that the case was foisted on her after the government change and said the alleged threat was not true because Selvi had been to Kolkata and returned to Chennai only on September 20, 2011. Also, none of the 13 witnesses had implicate her and no documents had been furnished to show she entered into an agreement with the complainant nor received money from him, he submitted. Besides, criminal proceedings were initiated three years after the transaction, attracting bar due to limitation period which expired on July 5, 2010, he contended. Kuwait today sentenced two defendants to death, including an Iranian being tried in absentia, after they were convicted of "spying for Iran" and plotting attacks in the Gulf country. The Iranian was on trial along with 25 Kuwaiti Shiites, one of whom was sentenced to life in prison. Nineteen were jailed for between five and 15 years, three were acquitted and one was fined. The defendants were also convicted of spying for Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah. Kuwaiti authorities said in August they had dismantled an Iran-linked cell and seized large quantities of arms, explosives and ammunition. The verdicts come amid deep tensions between Tehran and Gulf Arab states after Iranian protesters on January 2 torched Saudi Arabian diplomatic missions in the Shiite-dominated Islamic republic. The attacks were in anger over Riyadh's execution of Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent cleric from the kingdom's Shiite minority. Riyadh cut diplomatic ties with Tehran the next day and a number of its Sunni Arab allies followed suit, including Bahrain and Sudan. Other Arab countries downgraded ties or recalled their envoys from Tehran. Kuwait recalled its ambassador from Iran to protest the attacks and summoned Tehran's ambassador to express its disapproval. Around a third of Kuwait's native population of 1.3 million is Shiite. Another Sunni-ruled Gulf state, Bahrain, said on Wednesday that it had dismantled an Iran-linked "terror" cell that was planning attacks in the kingdom. RJD president Lalu Prasad's call to Darbhanga civil surgeon directing him to reappoint a group of Mamata health workers has triggered controversy with the BJP accusing him of acting like "Super CM". After a group of women Mamata health workers, who look after newborns in hospitals, recently met Prasad seeking reappointment in the Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), he is said to have called up the Darbhanga Civil Surgeon in this regard. Soon after the call the Civil Surgeon allegedly wrote a letter to DMCH Superintendent to act on the instruction and reappoint the women health workers. He also sent a copy to senior officers in state health department. When contacted, the Darbhanga Civil Surgeon refused to comment and told PTI "there is nothing in this." When asked for comments on the issue, Prasad, whose son Tej Pratap Yadav is state health minister, said several workers meet him and it was his duty "to help them on their genuine demand". He also admitted of calling up Darbhanga for the Mamata workers and said he was not taking any notice of the BJP allegations. State BJP chief spokesman Binod Narayan Jha, however, said "Bihar has two CMs. One is Nitish Kumar who has been administered oath by the Governor and another is RJD chief Lalu Prasad who is acting like a super CM." Former chief minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi also took potshots at Nitish Kumar and asked him to tender resignation "to escape humiliation in the hands of Lalu Prasad." Prasad's younger son and Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav said his father was running a political party and there was nothing wrong to act in solving genuine problems of people. Seeking to turn the tables on BJP, Tejaswi asked, "in what capacity BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi inaugurates Railway station on behalf of Railway Minister?" Reacting on the issue, JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar said, "Leaders in public life have the right to raise issues concerning the common man. Laluji is a leader of a partner party hence, there is nothing wrong in taking up people's problems." Another JD(U) spokesman Rajiv Ranjan Prasad echoed similar views saying "there has been no violation of protocol by chief of a partner party raising issues of masses. Maharashtra government today decided to give special scholarships to students preparing for the all India services through UPSC examinations, with the objective of increasing the quantum of successful students from the state in these examinations. The decision was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet, chaired by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis here. The government will give a stipend of Rs 10,000 per month, besides the scholarship,to those preparing for the prelim, main exam and interview,an official said. The government will spend Rs 23.46 crore for this initiative, which includes cost of training at reputed institutes in Delhi. The cabinet meeting, held at Mantralaya, also decided to reintroduce the ordinance for appointment of experts on Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) all over the state. This is being done as the legislation on this issue could not be passed in the winter session of state legislature in Nagpur last month, the official said. A 32-year-old man was stabbed to death allegedly by his younger brother today in Hanumangarh district over a domestic dispute, police said. Krishna Kumar Valmiki was attacked by his younger brother Ashok with a knife in the house early in the morning today, they said. Valmiki succumbed to critical injuries, police said, adding the body has been shifted to a local hospital for post mortem examination. The accused brother has been arrested and is being interrogated to ascertain the reasons for this act, they said. Reversing his stand, Marathi literary meet chief Sripal Sabnis today tendered an apology to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a bid to defuse the controversy over his remarks about the latter's surprise visit to Pakistan. At a hurriedly called press conference this evening, Sabnis, the president of 89th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (All India Marathi literary meet) who has drawn flak and angry protests from BJP activists, said he had written a letter to the Prime Minister expressing apology for the use of words which were construed as offending. In the morning, Sabnis, who had said he had even received threats to his life for his remarks, had refused to tender an apology. In his controversial remarks, Sabnis, an eminent writer, had said Modi could have fallen to a bullet or a bomb explosion at the Lahore airport during his surprise visit to Pakistan on December 25 and that a condolence meeting would have been organised first for the prime minister instead of the Marathi poet Mangesh Padgaonkar, who died recently. "I am restless, pained and feeling sorry. I am withdrawing my words. I hope you will give your best wishes to the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan to be held at Pimpri, Pune," Sabnis said in the letter. Refusing to take any questions, he said, "The controversy is over and I appeal to all lovers of Marathi literature to forget the episode and work to make the Sammelan a success." The BJP welcomed the apology. "We welcome his apology and hope he will not create more controversies from the platform of the literary meet," State BJP spokesman Madhav Bhandari said. The three-day Sammelan will be held at Pimpri near here from January 16-18 and the controversial comments by Sabnis about Modi had led to speculation that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devednra Fadnavis would keep away from the event in a departure from the tradition. Earlier in the morning, a defiant Sabnis had said he would not tender an apology and was not afraid of any threats to his life. Saying that he would not even retract any of his statements, he urged Fadnavis to attend the Sammelan. Sabnis, considered a writer with leftist leanings, had earlier also supported the "award wapsi" campaign by writers and artistes against the perceived intolerance under the NDA government led by Modi. An effigy of the writer was paraded on a donkey by BJP MP Amar Sable at Pimpri venue of the Sammelan while the party called for his apology. The controversy surrounding Marathi literary meet continued to generate heat in literary and political circles in Maharashtra with a question mark over the invitation to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for the event following sammelan president Sripal Sabnis' remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sabnis had allegedly criticised Modi's surprise visit to Pakistan last month. He drew flak from the BJP which has been organising protests against him at Pimpri near here, where the 89th All India Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, a prestigious annual convention of writers, is slated for January 16. In a rebuke to a tweet by Sanatan Sanstha activist Sanjeev Punalekar who asked Sabnis to "start taking morning walk", in an apparent reference to the fateful morning walks by slain rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare -- the sammelan president walked on Monday morning with his supporters who condemned Punalekar's "threat". Asserting that he would not tender an apology and was not afraid of any threats to his life, Sabnis today said he would not retract any of his statements and urged Fadnavis to attend the sammelan, which is a traditional event devoted to Marathi language. Punalekar denied that his tweet advising Sabnis to take morning walk was meant to be a threat saying "I myself take morning walks which is good for health". Meanwhile, BJP spokesman Madhav Bhandari told reporters that the Chief Minister was invited for the event, but that did not necessarily mean that he would attend it. Bhandari said that it was his personal opinion that the grant of Rs 25 lakh customarily given by the state government to the sammelan organisers should be diverted to the Chief Minister's drought relief fund, in view of deficient rainfall in Maharashtra. On the other hand, the reception committee chairman of the sammelan, P D Patil, has requested Sabnis to end the controversy over his remarks. Noted Marathi poet Vitthal Wagh said the event should be canceled in view of the vitiated atmosphere. The BJP activists also paraded Sabnis's effigy on a donkey at Pimpri to register their protest. In his controversial remarks, Sabnis had said that Modi could have fallen to a bullet or a bomb explosion at the Lahore airport and a condolence meeting would have been organised for him instead of poet Mangesh Padgaonkar (who died recently). The country's largest luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz India, which today launched its maiden SUV Coupe, the GLE 450 AMG Coupe, reiterated that if the ban on registration of high-end diesel cars in NCR continues beyond March, it will have to review its business plans in the country. The all new sporty SUV, the GLE 450 AMG Coupe, comes with a 3-liter petrol engine and is pitted against the BMW X4 and X6. The machine is priced at Rs 86.40 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai). The GLE 450 AMG Coupe is the first performance SUV Coupe from the Merc stable in the country and is a product without a predecessor, Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director and Chief Executive Roland Folger said. Regarding the restrictions on high-end diesel cars in Delhi-NCR, he said he was hopeful of a favourable outcome. "I hope the ban on high-end diesel models does not go beyond March 31. I hope the Supreme Court takes a long term view that really helps control emissions and air pollution. But if the ban stays for longer, then we will have no other option but to review our business plans here," he told PTI. The company has overtaken its rival Audi by a wide margin, selling 13,502 units in 2015, up 32 per cent from 10,201 units in 2014, to become the top luxury carmaker in India after five years. Folger, who took over last October, said, "It is not fair if the regulation and the final Supreme Court view favours just one section of the industry." "If the regulation is pitted against us only, then it is not a fair. But if we have long term, sustainable plans, then I welcome them. It cannot be that somebody gains at the cost of the other," Folger argued. When asked whether the company is ready to meet the new emission norms, with the government advancing the migration to BS VI directly from BS IV by 2020, he answered in the affirmative. "Yes, all we need is to realign our sourcing model. We already sell Euro VI models in Europe and the US. So, we can easily meet the new emission norms well before the deadline, say as early as 2017," he said. He admitted that the ban has impacted sales, as Delhi-NCR is the largest market for the company, with a volume share of 20 per cent. "But all this 20 per cent loss in diesel model sales is not getting translated into actual losses as a lot of customers are switching to petrol variants. In fact, the demand for our petrol models has more than doubled," Folger said. He said the company already offers seven of its models in the petrol variants as well -- A, B, C, E, S, CLA and GLA Classes. It also offers petrol variants in all its AMG models. When asked whether he will be able to maintain the huge lead the company managed to clock last year in terms of sales and market share ramp up, he answered in the affirmative. "I am sure we can maintain this lead we already have as our model offerings have positively changed over the last year, helping us give all customers what they want. "The startup millionaires offer a great opportunity for us. So are the moneyed youth who number aplenty in this country now. So am very optimistic about this year," he added. He attributed the massive rise in sales, the biggest ever for the company here, to "the unsurpassed product drive and the network expansion, supported by comprehensive service and financial programmes...Despite unfavourable market conditions and a slowing economy." Folger said last year the company's SUV sales grew at the fastest at 100 per cent, followed by the AMG models which grew 54 per cent and the sedan portfolio (comprising the CLA, C-Class, E-Class and the S-Class) with 43 per cent rise, taking the overall growth to 32 per cent at 13,502 units. When asked about his budget expectations, he evaded a direct answer, saying, "Let us see what it offers." The powerful 450 AMG is not to be confused with the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 Coupe, as Mercedes-AMG is a separate brand. The car can attain 100 kmph in just about 5.7 seconds, Folger said. He said the company will be launching 12 models this year, a slight scale down from the past year when it bombarded the market with 15 launches. It will also add 10 more sales and service networks to its existing 82 centres spanning 40 cities. In 2015, Mercedes added three new products -- the GLA, CLA and the Mercedes-Maybach S 500 -- to its local production portfolio and doubled the production facility to become the country's largest luxury car manufacturer. It assembles 8 models at its two facilities at Chakan which has an installed capacity of 20,000 units. During 2015, the company which entered India in 1994, increased its cumulative investment in its production facility to Rs 1,000 crore, the highest for any luxury carmaker in the country. A group of Riverside Middle School students who won a statewide app design contest now have a chance to advance to the national competition. Students wrote four essays and created a video that were submitted to the Verizon App Challenge, pitching a financial education app that would highlight issues that young adults often struggle with, like filing taxes or student financial aid. The group, made up of eighth-graders Ella Kopplin, Carie Carpenter, Laney Guldborg, Cierra Engelhardt and Kayla Wayman, is currently third overall in Western Regional voting. They need to stay in the top three to advance to the national competition. Voting closes Wednesday. To vote, text Financial2 to the number 22333. Each phone number can only vote once. The group actually got a late start on the project, which they worked on during homeroom and lunch periods, plus after school. Project ideas were wide open design an app to solve a problem in your community. We argued a lot, said Engelhardt. We all had our own plans about the different issues. They settled on something to address poverty. Riverside is a Title 1 school, which receives extra federal funding because it has a high proportion of students from low-income families. While there are options for financial education, including high school classes, many people dont take advantage of them, the students said. With an app, you cant beat the convenience of having information on a smartphone or tablet. You can do it on your own time, Carpenter said. If they advance to national voting, theres a chance an MIT designer would visit Riverside to help make the app a reality. In winning the Montana Competition, the students won a $5,000 grant for Riverside that the school is using to bolster the Project Lead the Way program, a science, technology, engineering and math program that several School District 2 schools use. Riverside teacher Val Mathison heard about the program and worked to shepherd groups through the process. Many had trouble agreeing on a cohesive approach. Thats probably the toughest problem that the other groups had, was working together, she said. At this point, the girls are getting some campaign experience too. Friends and family have encouraged voting on social media, and the group has made announcements at school and rallied voters on Snapchat. Guldborg even got her grandma to ask her knitting club to vote. Mexican troops and police are searching for up to 17 people who were abducted by gunmen as the group headed to a wedding in the crime-plagued southern state of Guerrero. A state security department official told AFP on condition of anonymity that 10 people were reported missing following Saturday's mass abduction in the municipality of Arcelia. But Governor Hector Astudillo said the mayor of Arcelia reported that more people were taken away. "There is an important deployment to search for missing people and (the mayor) says there are 17 of them," Astudillo said. State police had reported over the weekend that at least seven people were kidnapped by an armed group that intercepted a convoy of vehicles heading to the village of La Palma. The bullet-riddled bodies of two men were found at the scene of the abduction along with some 15 abandoned cars, including two that were burned, and two motorcycles. A third body was found 300 meters (yards) from the road. Hundreds of people -- relatives of the missing and residents of Arcelia -- held a protest in the town on Tuesday, demanding that authorities find them. In another incident, five teachers were kidnapped from a secondary school in the town of Ajuchitlan del Progreso on Monday, a state police official said. The teachers were bundled into a car and taken away. Guerrero is plagued by violence and multiple cases of missing people, including the disappearance and presumed massacre of 43 students in September 2014. Noted Keralite magician and motivational speaker Gopinath Muthukad has been conferred "Celebrity UNICEF Supporter" status to join the efforts of the UN agency in improving condition of children in the state. UNICEF chief for Kerala and Tamil Nadu regions, Job Zachariah conferred the title on Muthukad at a function here today. Muthukad, founder of magic-based theme park 'Magic planet' here, is the first to be granted the prestigious status by UNICEF in Kerala. "As a celebrity UNICEF supporter, he will create awareness on the importance of first 1,000 days of a child and on 10-15 essential interventions to be done in the first 1,000 days," Zachariah said. The official also said Muthukad would bring credibility and energy in communicating critical messages on child rights to a large number of people, particularly mothers, caregivers and young people. "I will work towards building awareness on promotion of child rights and other important issues affecting children in our society,"Muthukad said while accepting the invitation from UNICEF. A recipient of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy award, Muthukad is also a winner of the International Merlin Award, which is considered as the Oscar in magic. Sobha Koshy, Chairperson, Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights; Sugata Roy, UNICEF Communication specialist; members of Kerala Child Rights Observatory from different districts and members of Child Welfare Committee attended the function among others. Launching a scathing attack on the ruling BJP at the Centre and TRS in Telangana, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh today claimed that both of them have failed to fulfil their election promises. "We will give Rs 15 lakh (after recovering black money). This promise was made or not? Has Rs 15 lakh been deposited in your account? Neither Narendra Modi nor KCR (Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao) fulfilled their election promises. It was only Congress party, led by Sonia Gandhi that fulfilled promises," the AICC General Secretary said. He was addressing a campaign meeting here for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections scheduled to be held on February 2. The campaign for city civic body elections picked up with senior leaders of ruling TRS, opposition Congress and the TDP-BJP combine taking part in intensive campaign. Telangana IT Minister K T Rama Rao, son of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, talked about plans to make Hyderabad a world-class city. Rama Rao has also been reaching out to Seemandhra natives amid opposition parties' allegations that the TRS had insulted them during separate statehood agitation. The TRS government emphasised on ensuring adequate supply of water and electricity, beside promoting IT after the formation of Telangana, he said. Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Radha Mohan Singh, Hansraj Ahir and Bandaru Dattatreya have already campaigned in support of the BJP-TDP alliance. Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa today expressed hope that the world community would support Nepal for the smooth implementation of the new Constitution and assured that all "genuine concerns" of the Madhesis would be addressed through dialogue. Addressing chiefs of diplomatic missions based here and representatives of donor agencies, Thapa, who is also foreign minister, noted that Nepal has become only the second country in South Asia to draft its constitution through a democratically-elected constituent assembly. Thapa also thanked the international community for its support in concluding the peace process and promulgation of the new Constitution in September last year. "I am also confident of receiving your continued support which is crucial for the implementation of this Constitution," he said. "Nothing is perfect in this world," he said adding "Nepal's new constitution encompasses the main features of a democratic and inclusive polity to judge by any fair standard". "Commitment has been expressed in the very Preamble to democratic norms and values, civil liberty, fundamental freedoms, human rights, adult franchise, periodic elections, complete press freedom and an independent, impartial and competent judiciary, and the rule of law," he said. He said that the new constitution has guaranteed the rights of socially backward groups and communities based on principle of inclusion. Stating that a few political parties, especially Madhes-based parties, have expressed discontent over some of the provisions of the new statute, Thapa stressed that Nepal government has repeatedly made it clear that the Constitution is dynamic in a true sense and genuine concerns can and will be addressed through dialogue. Nepal has been in political turmoil as the Indian-origin Madhesi people are opposing the seven-province model of federalism which was introduced in the country through the promulgation of the new Constitution. Madhesis are also protesting against division of their ancestral homeland under the new structure and have led an ongoing blockade of key border trade points with India. Thapa said as a result of several rounds of dialogue between the government and the agitating leaders an amendment bill has been tabled to address the demands of proportional inclusiveness in state organs and delineation of electoral constituency on the basis of population while maintaining at least one seat in each geographical district. He noted that a high-level mechanism with representatives of major parties will be formed to settle the dispute over demarcation of provinces. Lauding the Indian government's statement on the amendment proposal as an encouraging and positive gesture, Thapa hoped that problems would be resolved soon. He said supply of commodities from the southern border check points that were disrupted following the promulgation of new constitution has been gradually improving in recent days. "I have been informed that all other check-points, except Raxaul-Birgunj, are now operational," said Thapa. The continued disruption of supplies, especially medicines and food might lead to a humanitarian crisis, Thapa said adding that the government has conveyed this concern to the Indian authorities. He hoped the supply situation will return to normal with resumption of all border check-points within a few days. Highlighting the foreign policy of the new government, Thapa said that the country is fully committed to further strengthening relations with its neighbours and all other friendly nations. "We pursue the policy of friendship with all and enmity with none. It was in pursuance with this commitment that I visited India and the People's Republic of China where I had very fruitful discussions on matters of mutual interest with my counterparts and other high dignitaries," he said. "The government is serious about the reconstruction of the infrastructures, both public and private, damaged by the earthquakes," he said. "I am pleased to say that with passage of Reconstruction Authority Act by the Legislature-Parliament and the appointment of its CEO, the Authority has started its task," he said. Thapa further requested all donor countries to use government channels for their support and firmly recognise the national leadership and ownership in development efforts rather than channelling such precious resources through non-transparent agencies, NGOs and other entities. India's new high commissioner to the UK, Navtej Sarna, has taken charge of his new post at India House in London. Sarna, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 1980 batch, is the 25th Indian high commissioner to the UK and will submit his credentials to Queen Elizabeth II Buckingham Palace as per diplomatic protocol in due course. The envoy, who took charge this week, is scheduled to host his first major event in the UK on January 29 to mark the annual Republic Day celebrations in London. Sarna, among the longest-serving spokespersons of the Ministry of External Affairs between 2002 and 2008, is an author of many fiction and non-fiction books, with the most recent being 'Second Thoughts: On Books, Authors and the Writerly Life' released last year. He was serving as Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs before his London posting and his diplomatic career has also included a term as India's Ambassador to Israel from 2008 to 2012. For two years from August 2012, Sarna served as additional secretary in-charge of international organisations. He is well-versed in Russian and Polish languages and has served in various Indian missions, including Moscow, Warsaw, Tehran, Geneva, Thimphu and Washington. Sarna succeeds Ranjan Mathai, a former foreign secretary, who retired at the end of last year. The New York Times' Pakistan correspondent today accused the Rangers of raiding his house illegally, triggering a storm on the social media with the Interior Minister ordering a probe into the incident. Salman Masood tweeted that paramilitary "Rangers have shown up at my house, saying they want to search the premises but have no documents or warrants." "Spoke with a senior Islamabad police official. He said a "terrorist search operation underway"," he said in another tweet as he uploaded pictured of the officials searching his house in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. The tweet created a storm on the social media with civil society and media professionals condemning the search of journalist residence. Masood said he talked to senior police officials who said a routine search operation was going against the terrorists. As the condemnation poured in and journalists boycotted proceedings of the parliament, Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan took notice of the incident. "Such activities and raids are unacceptable," his office said in a brief statement. The minister asked secretary of Interior Ministry to "properly investigate why and on whose behalf the raid was carried." Meanwhile, police official Mustafa Tanvir said police searched rented houses in some areas and it was not against any individual. The National Green Tribunal today came down heavily on the Uttar Pradesh government for "inaction" and "unsatisfactory" implementation of its order to provide clean drinking water in six western districts of the state. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar slammed the state government, Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam and UP Pollution Control Board for risking the lives of "young children" in the villages of Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad and Saharanpur districts. "The (UP) officers were supposed to comply with our orders. But, they have not. Let human life be not so invaluable. What is the job as an authority? It is really unfortunate that the state is not able to provide even safe potable water to the residents of the state. "Samples of water show contamination of ground water. This cannot be done to young children of our country. It is really a sorry state of affairs prevailing in these areas. You (the state government) don't give water to people and make excuses before us," the bench said. The green panel directed the UP government and Jal Nigam to take a clear stand on the quality of ground water and said if piped supply of water can be provided to the people living in these villages then it would order removal of handpumps in these area. The tribunal was hearing a petition filed by NGO Doaba Paryavaran Samiti which alleged that people were forced to drink contaminated water in six districts of western Uttar Pradesh. The NGO has alleged negligence on part of the state government and said that villagers and kids of school in six districts were forced to drink contaminated water. Advocate Gaurav Bansal, appearing for the NGO, told the bench that children in different villages of Baghpat district were developing serious physical disabilities because of drinking of ground water. He also submitted various photographs purportedly showing infants and young children having developed serious disabilities, mentally and physically, due to contaminated water. During the hearing, UP Jal Nigam told the bench that samples of groundwater from handpumps show excessive levels of iron, magnesium, lead, calcium, manganese, among others. The jal nigam also said that it has placed sign boards on handpumps indicating that water is unfit for drinking. The matter has now been listed for next hearing on February 16. Lauding Indian-American Nikki Haley as an inclusive and visionary leader, US House Speaker Paul Ryan said the South Carolina Governor is the right person to deliver Republican response to President Barack Obama's last State of the Union address. "If you want to hear an inclusive leader who's visionary, who's got a path for the future, who's brought people together, who's unified, it's Nikki Haley," Ryan told the CNN in an interview yesterday. Haley - the two-term Governor of South Carolina - would be delivering the Republican response to the last State of the Union Address of Obama to the US Congress, in a move that has the potential of propelling her to the national scene and make her a formidable vice-presidential candidate. "That's who we're going to hear from tomorrow night. So I think she's the perfect person for it. I had a hand in selecting her," said Ryan, who himself delivered this speech in 2011 - a year before he became a vice presidential nominee of the party in 2012. "I did this speech in 2011, so believe me, I understand the stakes can be high for a person doing this speech. I think she's a natural. I spoke with her. I was with her on Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina. The advice I gave her is put a cough drop in the corner of your mouth. It keeps you salivating so you don't go thirsty," Ryan said. "So, there's a lot of little pieces of advice like that that I've given her, but at the end of the day, we just said be yourself, communicate to the country, represent our party as well as you have been, and you'll be just fine. And I think she's going to do great," said the Speaker of the US House of Representatives. "I think she's a natural (leader). I think she's a great spokesman for our party. I think the future's extremely bright for Nikki, and that's why we asked her to do it," he said in response to a question. After Haley was selected to give GOP response to Obama's State of the Union Address, several media outlets have written that she could be one of the top Republican vice presidential contenders this year. She is the first female and first minority governor of South Carolina. With the BJP attacking West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the Malda violence incident and accusing her of playing communal politics, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today came out in support of the Trinamool Congress chief. "Mamata Banerjee has been a great 'Himayati' (protagonist) of communal harmony," Kumar said after coming out of a state Cabinet meeting. Kumar said he did not have details of the incident as he was busy with his work in Bihar. But all efforts should be made to maintain social and communal amity in the country, he added. Kumar's support to his West Bengal counterpart comes at a time when she is battling BJP's blistering attack over violence in Malda. Kumar enjoys a close relationship with Mamata Banerjee who had attended his swearing-in ceremony in November last year in Patna. Violence had broken out at Kaliachak in Malda district on December 3 over an alleged remark by a BJP leader. Protesters had set fire to a police station and damaged vehicles. The West Bengal CM had said there was no communal tension in the area and described the incident as the fallout of an issue between BSF and the local people. With barely three days left for the proposed Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary-level talks in Islamabad, a clarity was yet to emerge today amid mounting suspense whether India will go ahead or postpone the parleys by a few weeks. Government sources said today a decision was yet to be taken on India's participation at the talks on Friday--as proposed by Pakistan. Following the Pathankot terror attack, India had asked Pakistan to take "prompt and decisive" action against the terrorists behind the stike and linked it with the FS-level talks. The sources said there was a possibility of postponing the talks by a few weeks. After the attack, India had said it has provided to Pakistan actionable intelligence to act upon the perpetrators of the terrorist act. India has identified Masood Azhar, chief of banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed, as the mastermind of the attack. It also blamed his brother Rauf and five others for carrying out the attack on January 2 that left all six terrorists and seven Indian security personnel dead. Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said India has no reason to distrust Pakistan's assurance that it will take effective action on inputs given about the perpetrators of the attack. "Pakistan government has said it will take effective action. I think we should wait," Singh told reporters adding, "There is no reason to distrust them (Pakistan) so early." India has provided telephone number in Pakistan contacted by the airbase attackers and given other inputs. India has called on Islamabad to act on the information if the FS-level talks are to take place on Friday.. Yesterday, reports from Pakistan said law enforcement agencies have picked up "some suspects" connected to Pathankot attack from Bahwalapur district, the hometown of Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed. There were reports of "some arrests" having been made in this regard but police did not confirm any arrest related to the Pathankot attack. The process of resumption of talks was set in motion after a meeting between Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan in Paris on November 30 on the sidelines of Climate Change Conference in Paris. The meet was followed by the NSAs of India and Pakistan meeting in Bangkok a week later following which External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Pakistan to attend Heart of Asia Conference during which the two sides announced the resumption of talks under "Bilateral Comprehensive Dialogue" process. In a surprise move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited Lahore on December 25 to greet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on his birthday. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) does not have a clear guideline regarding the printing of different titles on the currency note of Re 1 and that of other denominations, reply to an RTI query has revealed. The Re 1 note bears the title 'Government of India', while other currency notes bear the title 'Guarantee by the Central Government'. Activist Manoranjan Roy had filed an RTI query with the RBI recently seeking gazette copy or any other legal document with respect to the two different titles printed on Re 1 note and other notes. In its reply, RBI's Central Public Information Officer Uma Shankar said, "The information sought is not available with us." Notes of Re 1 bear the signature of Secretary, Ministry of Finance, while currency notes of all denominations carry signature of the Governor of RBI. Roy said that the discrepancy in the title is ambiguous and, moreover, it seems like the RBI was doing its job "without clear-cut guidelines". The activist also said the RBI Governor's signature on the currency notes, which are in both Hindi and English, should only be in one language. "These are definitely not part of security features on a currency note but definitely creates unnecessary ambiguity. It is time that the Finance Ministry take a note of it. A top Norweigan renewable energy developer has decided to pull out from a 650 MW power plant project in Nepal citing the fragile political situation in the country and the lack of power sector reforms. Statkraft decided withdraw from Nepal after conducting a thorough assessment of all aspects of the project, including commercial, technical and regulatory factors, the company said in a statement. "These factors include a lack of viable power offtake option, lower electricity price forecasts, insufficient transmission capacity for power evacuation and absence of necessary policies and regulatory framework for operationalising power sales," the statement said. The Tamakoshi - 3 hydropower project, which was to produce 650 MW electricity, has been discontinued due to the fragile political situation in the country. "The fragile political situation in Nepal, the strained Indo-Nepal relations in the wake of the four-month long border blocade and lack of power sector reforms are also reasons for this decision," said Sandip Shah, Vice president and Country Director, Nepal for Statkraft. "It also reflects the increased bureaucratic hurdles for foreign investments, a fragile political situation and a geo-political situation leading to a non-conducive project development environment," Shah said. The company has already notified Investment Board of Nepal regarding its decision to discontinue the development of the project. "Statkraft is still interested in further developments in Nepal, but projects need to demonstrate attractive returns on investment and stable long-term conditions in which to operate," Shah said. The company has already spent USD 11 million in the feasibility study of the project, which is expected to cost USD 1.5 billion. "As majority owner of Himal Power Ltd (HPL), Statkraft has a long-term commitment to Nepal as the license agreement for the 60 MW Khimti hydropower plant runs until 2045, said Tima Utne Iyer, Senior Vice president at Statkraft. "Our decision is purely linked to the Tamakoshi-3 Project and does not influence our activities in South Asia," she added. Nepal has high demand for electricity during winter and the country's power projects are producing less electricity during the period due to low water level in the river. Nepal currently produces around 780 MW electricity though the domestic demand stands at 1,300 MW during peak period. The country is currently facing daily 14-hour load- shedding in its major cities. Nepal is also facing acute shortage of energy in the wake of the blockade of the Indo-Nepal border by Madhesis, largely of Indian-origin. Many people in the urban areas are relying on electricity due to the shortage of cooking gas. President Barack Obama says Donald Trump is waging a White House campaign based on "simplistic solutions and scapegoating." In an interview today on NBC, Obama says Trump is appealing to people's fears and uncertainty about the future. Asked how seriously the front-running Republican candidate should be taken, Obama says, "Talk to me if he wins." But Obama concedes the country is more divided than he promised. When asked if he felt responsible for that, he said, "It's a regret." But he said he "could not be prouder" of his accomplishments. Vice President Joe Biden, who also appeared on the show, said "I think it's possible" that Trump could win the presidency. If that happens, Biden added, "I hope that he gets a lot more serious about the issues, a lot more serious about gaining knowledge about how this nation functions in foreign policy and domestic policy. (Reopens FGN4) Clinton understands that the decisions one make in this job mean life or death; affect soldiers and veterans, and workers who need a good job or a raise or a decent retirement. "She understands that it counts for families who are trying to climb into the middle class or stay in the middle class, and kids who are looking for getting a decent education. And she listens to people, and she keeps her cool and treats everybody with respect," he said. "No matter how daunting the odds, or how many times she gets knocked down, she doesn't point fingers or complain that everything is rigged if it doesn't work out the way you want it to. She doesn't check her mic. She just worries about getting up, and working harder. And she doesn't quit. That's the Hillary I know. That's the Hillary admire. That's why I believe that she is more qualified to be President of the United States of America," Obama said. Clinton, he said, has got real plans to address the real concerns that she has heard on the campaign trail. "This (presidential election) isn't an audition for like some show. This ain't a show. She's got specific ideas to invest in jobs, to help workers share in their company's profits, to put more young people and children and toddlers in preschool, to make sure that students get through college without taking on a ton of debt. She actually is sweating the details. She cares about this stuff," he said. In a rare gesture, the Obama administration has assured American Sikhs of their safety and security amid a recent spike in threats and hate crimes against the community. Melissa Rogers, Special Assistant to President Barack Obama and head of the Office of Faith Based and Neighbourhood Partnerships office of the White House, visited a Gurdwara in Maryland to deliver the message of reassurance from President Barack Obama. Asserting that the US government stands with Sikhs in America, Rogers also expressed empathy with the Sikh community over the recent incidents of violence against it and a reported case of vandalism at a Los Angeles Gurdwara. "I want to offer our deepest condolences for some recent violence and attacks against Sikhs and Sikh institutions. These reports are of tremendous concern to us as we they are to you. We feel a deep sense of loss for victims of these crimes," Rogers said in her address to the community at the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation (GGSF) Gurdwara. "When these kinds of things happen there is kind of deep sense of violation and anxiety. We want you to know that we stand by with you during these challenging times," she was quoted as saying by an official statement. Rogers said such incidents not only cause a great grief among the people who are being attacked and the communities mostly associated with it, but they also threaten all as America draws its strength from the diversity of its people. "We want you to know that we stand by you and we will continue to work until we stamp these incidents out. Like you, we believe that attack on any faith is an attack is an attack on every faith," Rogers said. "It is essential that all faith communities here and all over the world stand against hate motivated violence. We will continue to stand with you and we will continue to work to ensure that security and your civil constitutional rights are protected," she added. "Sikh community has shown tremendous resilience in face of challenges and I am confident that you will triumph and we will be there with you to triumph over the current challenges that we face together," Rogers said in her remarks. She was presented with a 'siropa' and a book on the Sikh scriptures. A bank dacoity accused today escaped from police custody in Palamau district of Jharkhand. Surendra Yadav, one of the seven members of a gang which allegedly looted the Hussainabad bank branch in Palamau district on Monday last, managed to dodge the police and escaped from custody, a senior police officer said. A seven member gang had entered the Hussainabad branch of a nationalied bank during transaction hours, took the staff members at gun point and decamped with Rs.2.32 lakh yesterday. On being informed of the incident, police had succeeded to apprehend one of the members, Yadav. Deputy Superintendent of Police (Hussainabad), Nasrullah Khan said they were trying to identify the policemen responsible for the escape. OPEC president Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu said today that he expects an extraordinary meeting of the oil cartel in "early March" to address nosediving crude prices. "We did say that if it (the price) hits the 35 (dollar per barrel), we will begin to look (at)... An extraordinary meeting," said Kachikwu, who is Nigerian minister for petroleum resources. The prices have hit levels that necessitate a meeting, he told an energy forum in Abu Dhabi, but added that he not yet confirmed with fellow OPEC ministers if they would be willing to attend. The US crude oil price tumbled below USD 31 a barrel today, extending a sell-off that has pushed it to more than 12-year lows amid a global supply glut, a strong dollar and tepid demand. Saudi-led Gulf exporters within OPEC have so far refused to cut production to curb sliding prices, seeking to protect their market share despite a heavy blow to their revenues. Kachikwu said that member states differ on the issue of intervention. "One group feels there is a need to intervene. The other group feels even if we did, we are only 30 to 35 percent of the producers really," as 65 per cent of supply comes from non-OPEC countries, he said at the Gulf Intelligence UAE Energy Forum. "Unless you have this 65 per cent (of) producers coming back to the table you really won't make any dramatic difference," he added. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for February delivery was down around 2.8 per cent, at USD 30.54 per barrel, in Asian trade today. European benchmark Brent North Sea crude fell 3.1 per cent, to USD 30.57. The last time prices were so low for WTI was in December 2003 and in April 2004 for Brent. Prices plummeted 10 percent last week on fears about the global supply glut and weakness in China, the world's biggest energy user. US-based fund Oppenheimer has bought nearly 51 lakh shares, worth about Rs 56 crore, of real estate major DLF through open market transactions. OppenheimerFunds, registered as an FII in India, bought 50,99,048 shares, representing 0.29 per cent stake, from open market on January 8, according to a regulatory filing. Post acquisition of these shares, Oppenheimer stake in DLF has increased to 7.30 per cent stake from 7.01 per cent held earlier. DLF' share price today closed at Rs 109.60 on BSE, down 2.14 per cent. In November last year, promoters of DLF, the country's largest real estate firm, bought 23 lakh shares of the company through open market transactions for nearly Rs 25 crore, raising their stakes to 74.99 per cent. DLF has a land bank of about 300 million sq ft, of which nearly 50 million sq ft is under construction. Last month, DLF received Rs 1,992 crore from Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC, thereby completing the deal to sell 50 per cent stake each in two upcoming projects in the national capital. A four-nation group involving the US, Afghanistan, Pakistan and China has pushed for immediate direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban to end the conflict in the war-torn country. "The participants emphasised the immediate need for direct talks between representatives of the government of Afghanistan and representatives from Taliban groups in a peace process that aims to preserve Afghanistan's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity," a joint statement said after the meeting here yesterday. "The group would hold discussions on a roadmap at its next meeting to be held on 18th January 2016 in Kabul," it said. The group was set up last year to facilitate the reconciliation process in the war-torn country. The talks came as Taliban waged an unprecedented winter campaign of violence. All the four countries underscored the importance of bringing an end to the conflict in Afghanistan that continues to inflict senseless violence on the Afghan people and also breeds insecurity throughout the region, it added. The delegations were led by Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai, Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador Richard G Olson and China's Special Envoy for Afghanistan Ambassador Deng Xijun. The discussions focused on undertaking a clear and realistic assessment of the opportunities for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan, anticipated obstacles and measures that would help create conducive environment for peace talks with the shared goal of reducing violence and establishing lasting peace in Afghanistan, the statement said. The meeting adopted the terms for the work of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group and agreed to continue regular meetings to advance the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan. The participants reiterated the commitment of their countries to the realisation of objectives expressed in their statement from the quadrilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia Conference here on December 9, 2015. "Building on the outcome of December 9 trilateral and quadrilateral meetings, they considered mutual efforts to facilitate an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process with a view to achieving lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region," it added. The first round of talks was held in July but the process was suspended in the same month after of Taliban chief Mullah Omar's death was announced. Officials from Pakistan, China and US were present when Taliban leaders and the Afghan government met in Murree near here during the first round. According to officials, the second round may take place towards the end of January if the four nations agreed on the minimum agenda of talks. Pakistani military officers were involved in the attack on the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e- Sharif in which assailants attempted to storm the mission building, a senior Afghan police official said today. "We saw with our own eyes and I can say 99 per cent that those attackers were from Pakistani military and used special tactics while conducting their operation," Sayed Kamal Sadat, police chief of the Balkh province, said of the attack that took place last week. Sadat said the attackers -- officers from across the border -- were well-trained military men who fought Afghan security forces in the 25-hour siege. "The attackers were military personnel. They were educated and well prepared and had intelligence. They fought us and only by Allah's grace were we able to control them and eliminate them," Sadat was quoted as saying by Tolo . The police official said efforts were underway to track down, identify and detain those who assisted the attackers to gain access to the building that was opposite the Indian Consulate. "We are jointly working with the NDS director and have spoken about this -- especially as they came here not able to speak in Dari or Pashtu but speaking in Urdu. It means obviously there is someone who guided those attackers and helped the attackers," Sadat said. An intense gun-battle between security forces and the attackers took place outside the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif after assailants attempted to storm the mission building on January 3. The standoff ended on the night of January 4 after the attackers who entered the building opposite the Indian Consulate were killed. One police solider also lost his life and nine others including three civilians were wounded in the incident. As the Consulate came under attack, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) guards deployed on the sentry post foiled their attempt by raining heavy fire on them. A strong contingent of over four-dozen ITBP commandos has been securing this facility from 2008 apart from three other missions in the country and the main Embassy in the capital, Kabul. The security of these sensitive facilities was recently heightened after the ITBP deployed over 35 commandos at Indian missions in Kabul, Jalalabad, Herat, Kandhar and Mazar-e-Sharif. Likening the Pakistan-sponsored terrorism with a crooked tail of a dog, Madhya Pradesh BJP today said time has come to pay back the neighbouring country in the same coin. "Every country wants to have cordial relations with its neighbour. We made an attempt towards this and our Prime Minister went to Pakistan. However, its outcome was that the crooked tail of the Pak-sponsored terrorism has remained as it is," MP BJP chief Nandkumar Singh Chauhan said here. He was speaking at the human chain formed by party's youth wing 'BJP Yuva Morcha' here against terrorism. Expressing his displeasure over the Pathankot attack, the BJP leader noted that there was only one remedy left. "This tail should be cut off and thrown away...Time has come to teach a lesson to the traitor state Pakistan in its own language," Chauhan said. Common people should support Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the fight against terror so that stern action is taken against terrorists, the BJP leader added. Businesses dont usually ask government for regulation, yet thats what the Montana State Fund did. The result is a win for the states largest workers compensation insurer, its customers and Montana taxpayers. The 2015 Legislature and Gov. Steve Bullock enacted a law that transferred oversight of the Montana State Fund from the Legislature to the state commissioner of insurance as of Jan. 1. Before that date, Montana was the only state with a workers comp fund that wasnt regulated by the state insurance commissioner. Laurence Hubbard, chief executive of the Montana State Fund, said customers wont notice that much has changed. It has the potential to make a difference where people will notice change, at least in the long run, said Jesse Laslovich, chief legal counsel for Monica Lindeen, state auditor and insurance commissioner. For the first time, starting July 1, Montana State Fund premiums will be subject to rate review the same review applied to other workers comp insurers. Laslovich said the review is to assure that the premiums arent excessive or discriminatory, but that they are adequate to cover the funds expenses. The insurance commissioner also will examine fund financials to help guard against insolvency. This is no abstract worry. Many Gazette readers will recall the Old Fund debacle about 25 years ago when the state workers comp fund was inadequate to pay claims. Taxpayers bailed it out and the state general fund is still paying those obligations. The Montana State Fund was created as a fresh start without the Old Fund liabilities. But Laslovich said taxpayers are still on the hook if the Montana State Fund goes insolvent. Regulatory oversight aims to ensure that reserves are adequate for present and future claims. The Montana State Fund is in a huge gray area, neither private nor public Laslovich said. 60% market share This fund is unlike any of its competitors: It writes 60 percent of all workers comp coverage in Montana, about $165 million in premiums last year. Unlike other insurers, it cannot refuse to offer coverage to any Montana business, although it does underwrite policies to reflect the customers risks. The state of Montana is required to use the state fund for its workers comp coverage. The new law that requires the insurance commissioner to regulate the state fund also requires the fund to pay for two new positions in the auditors office to help cover costs of its additional oversight responsibility. The auditors office is funded by fees paid by the businesses it regulates, not by general taxes. However, the Legislature exempted the state fund from the 2.75 percent tax on premiums that private insurers must pay. The switch to regulation wont affect employee claims. The Montana Department of Labor and Industry continues to handle those issues. But employers who have questions or concerns about their state fund workers comp policies may contact the state auditors office for information and assistance. The auditors office has taken the position that the Montana State Fund should be privatized, Laslovich said. He sees the new regulation as a big first step to make it private. $35 million 2015 dividend According to information from the state fund, the organization is financially strong. The total dividend returned to customers has grown annually from $2 million in 2010 to $35 million in 2015. The latest dividend will be shared among about 23,000 policy holders, depending on the business own premium and experience in workplace safety. The dividends ranged from $10 to $890,581. The Legislature and governors have revised workers comp law repeatedly since the new Montana State Fund was created. More limits have been placed on benefits for injured workers. Hubbard said the state fund also has invested in promoting workplace safety to reduce Montanas relatively high rate of worker injuries and deaths. The state fund initiated the effort for regulation, recognizing that it should instill even greater confidence among our customers in how we operate. Most state fund customers are small businesses that need to know their insurer is dependable and not overcharging them. Now all state fund customers will have their rates independently reviewed by the insurance commissioner/auditors office. The quasi-governmental state fund will be treated more like a private insurer and held to the same standards of accountability. That accountability is a safeguard for taxpayers that the Montana State Fund wont repeat its insolvent past. A 17-year-old Palestinian was shot dead near the West Bank city of Hebron after trying to stab an Israeli soldier, the military said, while elsewhere in the West Bank, Palestinian officials said a 21-year-old was shot dead after hurling stones at Israeli troops. The last three and a half months have seen near-daily Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers that have killed 24 people. At least 140 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since mid-September. About two-thirds of them are said by Israel to be attackers, while the others were killed in clashes with troops. Israel says the bloodshed is fueled by a Palestinian campaign of incitement. Palestinians say it stems from frustration at decades of occupation. The military said the alleged stabber had a knife in his hand when he approached a soldier securing a junction in the West Bank and tried to attack him. Palestinians have also frequently clashed with Israeli troops in recent months, with protesters throwing rocks and firebombs and troops responding with tear gas and, in some cases, live fire. The 21-year-old was shot dead near the village of Beit Jala, just outside of Bethlehem. The Palestinian officials initially said the man was 16. Security forces in this border town were on their toes for hours and the entire Cantonment area was cordoned off after two telephone linesmen, who were climbing a wall to repair phone lines, were mistaken for terrorists. The army was informed which swung into action and cordoned off the entire area. Quick Reaction Teams (QRT) were also deployed and checking was started. However, when the CCTV footages were checked, the duo turned out to be telephone linesmen from Signals Regiment, who had come to repair the phone lines passing through the area. With Pathankot attack fresh in minds, the development triggered panic in the area and parents thronged schools to collect their children. Ferozepur Senior Superintendent of Police Hardyal Singh Mann said that the rumors regarding firing or infiltration by terrorists were all baseless and there was no need to panic. In a pre-dawn attack, a group of heavily-armed Pakistani terrorists, believed to be belonging to JeM, attacked the Pathankot air base on January 2 killing seven security personnel. Six terrorists were also killed in the incident. The terrorists were said to have crossed the India- Pakistan border in Punjab and reached the strategically crucial air base and carried out the attack. A Sainik school similar to the one in Satara will be started at Chandrapur in Maharashtra, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said today, adding that an MoU will be signed with the state government within 15 days in this regard. The announcement was made at a meeting between Parrikar and Maharashtra Finance and Planning Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar at the latter's office here. Also present at the meeting were state Education Minister Vinod Tawade, BJP MLA Mangalprabhat Lodha and other senior officials. The Maharashtra government will fund Chandrapur Sainik School, Mungantiwar said. The plan for Chandrapur Sainik School was presented before Parrikar. A total of 123 acres of land is proposed near Chandrapur-Ballapur Highway for the school with a capacity of 600 students and the funds for the same will be given by Maharashtra government, he added. Meanwhile, a spokesperson of Mungantiwar said that Parrikar was quoted as saying that all districts in Marathwada region (in Maharashtra) were scarcely forested and there was a need of forestation for which an eco-battalion would be established. Even as state Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar claimed that 90 per cent of the passengers arriving on Goa's Dabolim airport are tourists, legislators from both ruling and opposition parties benches cornered him for not being able to furnish adequate visitors' data from AAI. Former state Tourism Minister and current Goa Vikas Party legislator Fransisco Miccky Pacheco raising the issue on the floor of the House in the ongoing session questioned the credibility of the figures provided by Parulekar about the passengers arriving at state's lone airport. Pacheco put questions on the issue number of tourists arriving in the state through the airport. The minister, however, could not give the details and only stated that "almost 90 per cent of the passengers arriving at the airport are tourists," before snapping at Pacheco saying that "you should have asked the specific question if you wanted the answer". To this, the Pro-tem Speaker Mauvin Godinho, who was chairing the session, told the minister that since Goa is a tourist state, he should have had a detailed answer for the question asked by the member. "You should have had the information. Pull up your department for not providing proper data," he said. Leader of Opposition Pratapsingh Rane, who participated in the discussion, questioned how many e-visas were issued at Goa airport, for which too, the minister could not reply. "The minister is a very incompetent person. You don't know anything," Rane said on the floor of the House. During the Question Hour, Parulekar said the Tourism Ministry has been holding regular meetings with the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Defence Ministry over the airport. As per the reply tabled on the floor of the House, between April 2014 and March 2015 45,14,278 passengers, and between April-November 2015, another 31,20,652 passengers used the airport. Widening the probe in Pathankot terror attack case, NIA teams today visited Samba and Kathua areas of Jammu region where similar strikes had taken place last year and quizzed for the second day a Punjab police officer who was allegedly kidnapped by terrorists hours before the assault on the air base. NIA sources said a team of the agency today visited the army camp in Samba on the Jammu-Pathankot highway where two terrorists had opened fire on March 21 last year. Both the militants were shot dead by security forces, while three people including a major were injured in the gunbattle. Another team also visited Kathua where Rajbagh police station was attacked by a group of militants a day before. Three security personnel, two militants and as many civilans were killed in the ensuing exchange of fire. They said the agency could spot "glaring" similarities in the modus operandi of the terrorists, who attacked installations in Kathua and Samba and those who mounted the brazen assault on Pathankot IAF base on the intervening night of January one and two this year. In a related development, the NIA has asked mobile telephone service providers to submit details about the calls made using three particular towers which give coverage to the IAF base in Pathankot, after initial probe indicated that the terrorists had entered the restricted area in the morning of January one, sources said. They said officials of Defence Security Corps and others responsible for handling entry and exit at the base were being questioned to ascertain possible lapses that allowed the terrorists to enter the restricted areas without being noticed. Meanwhile, questioning of Salwinder Singh, a superintendent of police rank officer, continued for the second day today at the NIA headquarters, with the agency claiming he has been changing statements quite often. NIA has also summoned Somraj, caretaker of Panj Peer Dargah in Punjab, which Singh had claimed to have visited before he was kidnapped by terrorists, who attacked the Pathankot Air Force base hours later. The shrine is located a few kilometres from Bamiyal, the village from where the terrorists were suspected to have infiltrated India before mounting the attack. A 40-year-old petrol pump worker was allegedly shot dead by a customer when he asked the latter to settle his payment dues of Rs 57,000 at Dhaki Saidan village, some 15 km from here. Umesh Sharma, a native of Bhatoli village in Himachal Pradesh and working as a salesman in a local petrol pump on Pathankot-Jalandhar national highway, was shot dead by one Rupinder Singh on January 9, SHO Gurwinder Singh said. The entire incident was recorded in a CCTV camera installed at the fuel pump, he said. As per the footage, the accused was showing his .30 bore pistol to Umesh in the presence of another petrol pump employee, when the victim asked Rupinder to settle his outstanding dues amounting to Rs 57,000. The victim also refused to fill the petrol tank of Rupinder's vehicle, police said. In a fit of rage, Rupinder, a regular at the petrol pump shot dead the victim, they said. After the crime, Rupinder took out the body from the petrol pump's cabin and dumped it about 150 feet away in nearby bushes and fled from the spot, Singh said. Rupinder has been arrested in the case, police said, adding that further investigations were on. The Philippine Supreme Court ruled today a military accord with the United States was constitutional, paving the way for a greater presence of US forces in the former American colony as tensions simmer in the South China Sea. The 10-year agreement, signed in 2014 but not implemented due to legal challenges, will see more US troops rotate through the Philippines for war games and help their hosts build military facilities. Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te said the accord was upheld with a 10-4 vote, ruling that President Benigno Aquino's government had the authority to sign the pact and did not need congressional approval. The pact "is a mere implementation of existing laws and treaties," Te said. Aquino negotiated the accord to help the Southeast Asian nation improve its military capabilities and draw the United States closer, partly in a bid to counter a fast-expanding Chinese presence in disputed parts of the South China Sea close to the Philippines. US President Barack Obama also pushed hard for the Enhanced Defense Co-operation Pact (EDCA) as part of his so-called strategic "pivot" to Asia that has involved expanding American military presence in the region. However it faced immediate legal challenges from groups opposed to US military involvement in the Philippines, a US colony from 1898 to 1946. The Philippines hosted two of the largest overseas US military bases until 1992, following a Filipino Senate vote to end their leases that was influenced by anti-US sentiment. The EDCA agreement was signed in April 2014 as Obama visited Manila, when he said it would give US forces "greater access to Filipino facilities, airfields and ports, which would remain under the control of the Philippines". Filipino officials also previously said it would allow the United States to store equipment that could be used to mobilise American forces faster -- particularly in cases of natural disasters such as the frequent typhoons that batter the archipelago nation. The Philippines and the United States are already bound by a mutual defence treaty signed in 1951 and a visiting forces agreement signed in 1998. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to pay a visit to his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi and the state capital Lucknow on January 22. "We have started preparations for the visit of the Prime Minister at both these places for which a demand letter for providing 12 companies each of the RAF has been sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs," IG, Law and Order, A Satish Ganesh said. "We have also asked for four detachments NSG snipers for both these places and a detailed programme of the VVIP visit is awaited," the IG said. Arrangements are being made to provide 8 SP rank officials, 15 ASPs, 30 Dy SPs, 150 SIs and 500 constables each for both the places, and additional force will be provided in case it is required, he said. Although PM's programme was not officially known, he is likely to attend a programme hosted by Ministry of Social Welfare and Justice in Varanasi, Ganesh said. In Lucknow, Prime Minister is likely to attend an university convocation. The President Pranab Mukherjee is also scheduled to visit Gautam Budh Nagar on January 18 for which a demand of eight companies of PAC and civil police has been made and it is being processed. The IG said that a team of Rampur police will attend the Republic Day function in Udhamsingh Nagar district of neighbouring Uttarakhand and vice-versa. Russian President Vladimir Putin said today it was premature to say whether Moscow would grant asylum to embattled Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, who had made "many mistakes." "You know I believe that it is premature to discuss this," Putin said in the second half of a two-part interview with German mass circulation daily Bild. "We gave asylum to Mr Snowden, it was more difficult than giving it to Assad," he said, referring to fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, granted asylum in Russia in 2013. "First one needs to give the Syrian people an opportunity to have their say," Putin said, according to a Russian-language transcript of the interview published by the Kremlin. "And I assure you that if this is done in a democratic way, then maybe he won't have to go anywhere. And it does not matter whether he is president or not." Global powers are seeking to push the Syrian regime and opposition to the negotiating table in a bid to end the nearly five-year war that has killed 260,000 people. A UN-backed plan foresees talks between the different sides starting on January 25, the establishment of a transitional government within six months and elections within 18 months. Putin - who launched a bombing campaign in the war-torn country on September 30 - appeared to defend Assad, although he acknowledged the Syrian president had made "many mistakes" since the conflict broke out in 2011. The unrest would not have escalated so quickly "if from the very beginning it had not been fuelled from abroad - with a huge amount of money, weapons and fighters," Putin said. "Assad is not seeking to annihilate his own population. He's fighting those who have come to him with arms," Putin added. "And if the peaceful population suffers because of that then I think that it is primarily those who are fighting him with arms in their hands and who are helping the armed groups that are responsible for this." The Kremlin strongman reiterated that the Russian military has also been helping the armed anti-Assad opposition. "We are talking about hundreds, thousands of armed people who are fighting ISIL," he said, using an alternative name for the Islamic State group. "We support both the Assad army and the armed opposition. Some of them have already publicly announced this, some prefer to remain silent but the work is ongoing. Human rights groups and activists say one of Saudi Arabia's most prominent human rights advocates has been arrested. Samar Badawi is the sister of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, who was lashed 50 times last year and is serving a 10-year prison sentence for insulting the kingdom's influential religious establishment. She is also the wife of human rights lawyer Waleed Abulkhair, who is serving a 15-year prison sentence on charges related to his work, which included defending Raif Badawi. Amnesty International and the Center for Inquiry say the arrest of Samar Badawi yesterday is believed to be linked to her alleged role in managing a Twitter account campaigning for the release of her husband. There has been a lot of discussion in Missoula and throughout Montana this year about raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour for all low-wage workers. It s a great idea that I fully support, especially for home care workers like me. But raising minimum wage is only part of the story. I have been a home caregiver for 30 years. I work for three different care giving agencies right now. One pays me $10 an hour, the other two pay me $11 an hour. I love my clients and the work is rewarding. I have shared so many memories with so many families during the years. But, its also hard work and its very fast-paced. When I arrive at a home, I usually help my client shower and dress, I do the laundry, maybe change the bedding, cook a meal and take the client to doctor appointments or do grocery shopping. I work 70 hours a week, trying to make enough money to live and keep a roof over my head. Four days of the week I work 12 hours shifts, then I work a 24-hour shift. Ive had as many as 11 clients at a time, and that means a lot of driving around. I need a reliable car, which also means car payments, and full insurance coverage so I can take clients to their medical appointments. This is the part of the story that I think is overlooked. Workers making less than a living wage arent just working one job, we are working several, piecing together enough hours at low pay to hopefully make ends meet. Home care agencies often assign us 20 or 30 hours a week. If a client goes to the hospital, or if they pass away, we can lose hours for a while until we are assigned a new client. And that means losing pay. Even with my 70-hour work weeks, every month its nip and tuck whether I will have enough to cover my bills. As it turns out, my story isnt unusual. According to a new report from the Alliance for a Just Society, the living wage in Montana is $14.36 an hour for a worker just trying to support herself. At our state minimum wage of $8.05, a worker has to put in more than 71 hours a week to make ends meet. A parent supporting a child in elementary school has to be paid $20.66 an hour to make enough to get by. I cant even imagine how many hours a week that would translate to at minimum wage. I have very little left over at the end of the month for clothes, a little gift for my grandchildren, or to put away savings in case of an emergency something like a car repair or reduced hours. Home care workers, who help people stay in their homes and live with dignity, deserve a $15-an-hour minimum wage. I know it would let me work fewer hours, and I could spend more time with my grandchildren. A week after busting a drug smuggling syndicate with Pakistan connection, Punjab Police today claimed to have traced another link of the neighbouring country in the case by identifying the man who supplied the arrested trio with drugs from across the border. A senior police official said that during interrogation of the three persons arrested for drug smuggling on January 4, the name of Pakistani national Nasir Khan, believed to be instrumental in sending consignments to them on the Indian side, cropped up. With the identification of Khan, police investigation is now focussed on the local contacts of the smugglers to break the chain, the official added. Last week police had arrested three persons from near here, and recovered Pakistani SIM card, mobiles, weapons and ammunition from their possession. One of the arrested persons, Gurjant Singh alias Bholu (26), was in contact with Khan, police said, adding Khan was the prime supplier of the drug to the gangsters. Khan had sent 10 kg heroin through Hindumal Kot in Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan, police said. Besides Gurjant Singh, police had arrested Sandip Singh (25) and Jatinder Singh alias Jindi (34). Police had recovered one stengun of .9 mm, two pistols .9 mm, two pistols .30 bore, one airgun, 190 live cartridges, 31 mobile phones, one Pakistani mobile sim card and one car from them. Ras Al Khaimah, one of the seven emirates that comprise the United Arab Emirates, is targeting nearly two-fold jump in the overnight stays from India in 2016. "Ras Al Khaimah is targeting close to 30,000 overnights from India this year. During last year the destination witnessed 16,000 Indian overnights, an 81 per cent rise over the previous year," Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority CEO Haitham Mattar told reporters here. India is expected to continue to grow as a key source market for Ras Al Khaimah, contributing significantly to its goal of achieving one million visitors (from all over the world) by the end of 2018, he added. "India ranks as the fourth source market for the destination after Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom with 2-3 days of average length of stay," Mattar said. The tourism authority is now enhancing efforts to drive awareness across India through its marketing campaigns and relationships with key partners in the public and private sectors, including airlines, he added. "Our goal is to continue this growth and diversify the type of visitors from India to include those seeking adventure, nature, heritage, sun and sand. Through these efforts, we expect India to continue to be a top inbound market and remain a strong contributor to the growth of the emirate's tourism sector," Mattar said. Established in May 2011, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority mandate is to develop the emirate's tourism infrastructure and establish Ras Al Khaimah as a leading destination for leisure and business travel. The authority has a government mandate to license, regulate and monitor the emirate's tourism and hospitality industry. The Renault-Nissan alliance is ready to expand its manufacturing footprint in Iran once sanctions are lifted, but will be "extremely careful" about the execution, chief Carlos Ghosn has said. "Iran is a very promising market," Ghosn said on the sidelines of the Detroit auto show yesterday. "Today it's more than one million cars, it has the potential to go to 1.5 or 2 million." The rate of car ownership in Iran is just 100 per 1,000 people -- six times less than in Europe -- and consumers have had limited access to new vehicles since economic sanctions imposed by Europe and the United States prompted some automakers to leave the country. The historic accord reached in July over Tehran's nuclear program opens the door to lifting sanctions. US Secretary of State John Kerry said last week that the deal will be implemented in a matter of "days." "We're ready to go, but we want to go in a way which is sustainable," Ghosn told reporters. "You don't want to go too precipitously and create for ourselves a bigger problem than we need. So I think yes, lots of potential in Iran, but still the timing is going to need to be politically correct and completely clear from a legal point of view." An official with Pars Khodro told The Wall Street Journal in July that the Renault was negotiating taking a minority stake in the state-owned automaker. The official also said Renault was in talks to buy facilities like the auto factories of Pars Khodro parent Saipa. The Iranian sanctions strangled local production of Renault vehicles, which are assembled with imported parts. Meanwhile, French rival PSA Peugeot Citroen -- which left Iran in 2012 as a result of the sanctions -- is involved in "intense discussions" with its former partner Iran Khodro over creating a new joint enterprise. It signed an accord in October to distribute its luxury brand DS in Iran. Pitching for peace, unity and harmony against the backdrop of 'intolerance' debate, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked people to respect each other's traditions and views, saying its absence can obstruct development. "We are a country with diversity. This is our big strength. Harmony is our strength," he said while addressing the Youth Festival here via video conferencing. Underlining that his government is working for the development of the country, Modi said, "If we do not maintain harmony, a sense of belonging, we will not be able to make progress. If unity and harmony are not there, if we do not respect each other's traditions and views, then there can be obstruction in the path of development." He said prosperity, wealth and creation of employment will have no meaning if there is no peace, unity and harmony. "So it is the demand of time that we maintain peace, unity and harmony. These are the guarantee for the country's progress," the Prime Minister told the gathering of youth collected for the four-day event to mark Swami Vivekanda's birth anniversary. He said India has shown to the world that the country with hundreds of languages, different religions and such diversity can live in peace. "This is our culture... We have grown up in this culture... We have to preserve this," Modi said and invoked Vivekananda's teachings in this regard. "We have to nurture unity and strengthen the bridge of harmony," he added. The comments assume significance as these came against the backdrop of 'intolerance' debate that was triggered following the killing of a Muslim man in Dadri in Uttar Pradesh few months back over rumours that he had consumed beef. In a bid to end uncertainty over the implementation of Rs 1.65 lakh crore package for Bihar, the Centre has said that it is being implemented as it is for the people of the state and not for any particular government. The projects under the Bihar package are at different stages of implementation and they are being monitored on regular basis, it said. At a meeting yesterday, Union Ministers including Suresh Prabhu (Railways), Dharmendra Pradhan (Oil & Gas) and Piyush Goyal (Power) assured BJP state representatives including Sushil Kumar Modi, Prem Kumar and Mangal Pandey on the issue. The representatives met over half a dozen Union Ministers and asked them to monitor all these projects on monthly basis for speedy implementations. "The Prime Minister had announced a package of Rs 1.65 lakh crore for Bihar. We are meeting with different Union Ministers to assess the progress over the announced package. All of them have assured that this package is for Bihar and not for a particular government," Leader of Opposition, Bihar Legislative Council, Sushil Kumar Modi told PTI. BJP, which rules at the Centre, was unable to form the government in Bihar following the state elections, raising concerns in certain quarter over the package. "There was a confusion that if the government will not change in Bihar then what would happen (to the package). All ministers told us that the Prime Minister has given package for the people of Bihar. We are implementing this package. It at different stages in all ministries." Modi further said, "Two mega bridges are being constructed on the Ganga river. One is at Digha-Sonepur rail-cum-road bridge in Patna and second such bridge is in Munger. Prabhu has told us that these bridge would be ready in a month's time and would be opened by February end." Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had laid foundation stone of these two bridges in 2003. But these could not be completed during the decade long UPA regime. Another project is the Mahatama Gandhi Setu on the river Ganga, connecting North Bihar, and it is to be implemented properly. Modi said: "The Road Ministry has approved Rs 1,800 crore for repair of this bridge. Centre will allocate funds and the Bihar government will carry out repair work." The road projects are a big component in Bihar package. A new bridge on the Ganga costing Rs 5,000 crore will be built. It will be near Gandhi setu. "The project is at Detailed Project Report stage. Besides there will be another six lane bridge on Ganga river in Begusarai," Modi said. About the power sector in Bihar, he said that the second 660 MW unit of Phase-II of Barh project will be operation next month besides NTPC Ltd is in the final stage of finalising developer for first phase of the project. Modi said: "Power Minister has told us the one Ultra Mega Power Project of 4,000 MW in Banka will soon be auctioned out of which 50 per cent power will be given to Bihar. During NDA regime Bihar is getting additional 1,000 MW from Centre." He added, "Oil Minister told us that the work is in progress on Jagdishpur-Haldia gas pipeline. Besides there are plans to increase refining capacity of Baruni refinery to nine million tonnes from existing six million tonnes. There is also a plan for a petrochemical complex there. Haryana government and Samsung India today signed a pact to provide Citizen hospital here with high-tech equipment worth about Rs 1.25 crore. Samsung India has come voluntarily to donate modern hi-tech machines to Citizen hospital, Gurgaon, under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner T L Satyapraksh told reporters here. "Given the large volume of patients at our government hospitals, we welcome support from companies such as Samsung in helping hospitals cater to the locals' need for quality health care," he said. Samsung has already started healthcare initiatives in Chennai, Mumbai and Bangalore and it plans to start its 5th initiative in Delhi, Samsung India Vice President Rajiv Mishra said. Saudi Arabia today put to death one of its citizens convicted of murder, bringing to 51 the number of locals and foreigners executed this year. Mishari al-Anzi was convicted of shooting dead another Saudi during a dispute, the interior ministry said. Most executions in the country are carried out by beheading with a sword. On January 2, the kingdom executed 47 men convicted of "terrorism", including Al-Qaeda-linked Sunni militants and Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, whose death sparked a diplomatic crisis with Iran. Last year Saudi Arabia executed 153 people, most of them for drug trafficking or murder, according to AFP tallies. Amnesty International said Saudi Arabia engaged in "a horrendous execution spree" in 2015, when the number of people put to death was the highest for two decades, since 192 in 1995. "The past year has seen the kingdom's human rights record go from bad to worse," London-based Amnesty said in a statement on Friday. The number of Saudi executions was far behind that of its regional rival Iran. Non-governmental organisations said in a letter to the United Nations General Assembly that Iran executed at least 830 people between January and November 1 last year. Saudi Arabia practises a strict Islamic legal code under which murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death. Supporters of the bull taming sport Jalikattu today staged protests in Tamil Nadu after Supreme Court stayed the Centre's notification lifting the ban on it, amidst demands by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and DMK supremo Karunanidhi for an ordinance to hold the event. Meanwhile Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan assured positive action in this regard. Dismayed supporters and organisers of the sport resorted to agitations and road blockades in some parts of the state and downed shutters in various areas, including those in Madurai district, hitting normalcy. Police said the situation in some areas in Madurai district where the sport has largely been held traditionally was tense, but under control. Protests were held in areas including Alanganallur, Palamedu and Avaniapuram in the district. In one voice, political leaders of Tamil Nadu demanded an ordinance by the Centre to facilitate holding Jallikattu. Recalling her December's request last year to promulgate an ordinance to enable holding Jallikattu, Jayalalithaa said, "Considering the urgency of the issue, I strongly reiterate my earlier request to promulgate an ordinance forthwith to enable the conduct of Jallikattu." "On behalf of the people of Tamil Nadu I urge you to take immediate action in this regard," she told Modi in a letter. People's sentiments should be respected, she said, adding arrangements had already been made all over the state to hold Jallikattu and circulars sent to district authorities over it. "It is very important that the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu, who have a deep attachment to the conduct of the traditional event of Jallikattu, are respected," she said. Echoing her views, DMK chief Karunanidhi said, "All Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu have only expressed the opinions reflected in the letter written by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to Prime Minister Modi." "Hence, the Centre, in particular PM Modi, should take immediate steps in this emotional issue of the Tamil Nadu people," he said. "On behalf of DMK, I urge that an ordinance amending the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, be promulgated and help holding Jallikattu sport," he said. "The court stay is deeply disappointing. The Central government will take appropriate action on this issue after studying the court ruling," Minister of State for Shipping, Pon Radhakrishnan told PTI. People want cultural practices to be nurtured, he said, adding he would leave for Delhi tomorrow tentatively. "The issue will be discussed at appropriate official channels," he said. Later, speaking to reporters, Karunandhi said, "I believe that the Central government will act understanding the feelings of Tamils and not deny what we have sought." DMK treasurer M K Stalin demanded that the Centre immediately pursue the issue legally, so as to facilitate conduct of the sport in Tamil Nadu. Expressing disappointment on the court stay, DMDK chief and leader of opposition in State Assembly, Vijayakanth sought legal steps to get the stay of Supreme Court vacated, paving the way for holding the bull taming sport in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu Congress Committee chief E V K S Elangovan sought steps on a war footing through an ordinance to facilitate the bull taming sport. MDMK general secretary and leader of People's Welfare Front Vaiko said the Central and state governments should take appropriate action to facilitate conducting of Jallikattu. PMK Lok Sabha MP Anbumani Ramadoss asked the Centre to immediately move the court to get the interim stay removed. "Chief Minister Jayalalithaa should convene an all-party meeting and lead a delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to exert pressure and find a permanent solution to the issue," he said. The Supreme Court had earlier in the day stayed the Centre's January 7, 2016 notification, lifting the ban on Jallikattu. It had also issued notices returnable in four weeks to Environment Ministry and Tamil Nadu over the issue. Animal rights groups had strongly opposed the notification. The notification lifting the ban was challenged in the apex court by Animal Welfare Board of India, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India and a Bangalore-based NGO. The May 2014 ban on holding the sport was lifted on January 8 by the Modi government in poll-bound Tamil Nadu with certain restrictions. The Supreme Court today stayed the Centre's notification lifting ban on controversial bull taming sport Jallikattu during the festival of Pongal in Tamil Nadu. "As an interim measure, we direct that there shall be stay of notification dated January 7, 2016 issued by Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF)," a bench comprising justices Dipak Misra and N V Ramana said. The bench also issued notice to the MoEF and Tamil Nadu on petitions filed by various bodies including Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) seeking striking down of the Centre's notification and sought their replies within four weeks. Earlier during the day, a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur referred the petitions to the present bench as one of the judges Justice Banumathi, who hails from Tamil Nadu, recused from hearing the batch of petitions. The Centre's notification lifting ban on Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu was challenged in the Supreme Court yesterday by AWBI, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India and a Bangalore-based NGO. The four-year-old ban on holding of Jallikattu was lifted on January 8 by the Modi government in poll-bound Tamil Nadu with certain restrictions. The decision to allow Jallikattu along with bullock cart races in other parts of the country, had come through a government notification despite strong objections by animal rights groups. Jallikattu also known Eruthazhuvuthal is a bull taming sport played in Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations on Mattu Pongal day. In its notification, the Centre had said, "...Central Government, hereby specifies that following animals shall not be exhibited or trained as performing animals with effect from the date of publication of this notification, namely bears, monkeys, tigers, panthers, lions and bulls." "Provided that bulls may be continued to be exhibited or trained as a performing animal, at events such as Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu and bullock cart races in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana, Kerala and Gujarat in the manner by customs of any community or practiced traditionally," it had said. However, the Centre had also put some conditions, saying bullock cart race shall be organised on a proper track, which shall not exceed two kilometres. In case of Jallikattu, the moment the bull leaves the enclosure, it shall be tamed within a radial distance of 15 metres and it should also be ensured that bulls are put to proper testing by authorities of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department to ensure that they are in good physical condition to participate in the event. Performance enhancement drugs are not to be administered to the bulls, the notification had said. The use of bulls in performances was banned by the UPA government in 2011 on the ground that the sport ended in cruelty to the animals. Geeta, the deaf-mute girl who returned to India in October last after being stranded for over a decade in Pakistan, today refused to recognise yet another couple who had claimed that she was their daughter. "When we showed the couple's photograph to Geeta, she refused to recognise them," said Monika Punjabi Verma, the head of sign language department of an institute for the speech and hearing impaired here where the girl is staying. "Bhopal-based Ranjeet Singh and his wife Maya had petitioned the district authorities (seeking permission to meet her) saying Geeta was their daughter who got lost 27 years ago during a journey," a senior district official said. "So far, the district authorities have received around 10 claims from people saying Geeta is their daughter or relative. But none could establish the claim," the officer added. Last month, Aneesa Bi, a 40-year-old woman from Jabalpur district, had claimed that Geeta was her long-lost daughter, Najjo. However, Geeta didn't recognise her from photograph. Geeta was reportedly 7 or 8 years old when she was found sitting alone on the Samjhauta Express by the Pakistan Rangers at Lahore railway station 15 years ago. She was then adopted by Edhi Foundation's Bilquis Edhi. When it comes to militia members taking over Oregons Malheur National Wildlife Range, many people are confused by whats perceived as a random act, or they pass it off as the actions of some renegade kooks. Its dangerous to minimize events through these lenses. The Oregon occupiers represent the latest incarnation of county supremacy, a well-established doctrine of right-wing movements. Sometimes county supremacists claim county commissions can exert control over all the land within their boundaries and ignore environmental regulations, thereby jumpstarting local economies through extractive industry. Other times, the focus is on the county sheriff keeping federal agencies from enforcing tax, firearms, environmental and other laws. Frequently, as in Oregon right now, right-wing militants promote both versions simultaneously. The Oregon occupiers repeatedly say they wont leave until the federal government relinquishes the land to the local community to use for ranching, logging, and otherwise stimulating the local economy. Initially, the occupiers claimed they would leave if asked by the local sheriff. When the sheriff did so, the insurrectionists questioned whether he was upholding his responsibilities. Rumors abound that they may convene their own illegitimate court and sentence the lawman to death. Anti-government flashpoint While claiming they dont want violence, many of Occupiers tend to wax poetic about armed conflict with federal agents. The militia movement itself has increased by about 40 percent in recent years. The point: The Oregon invasion is grounded in well-established ideology and represents the latest flashpoint for an anti-government movement that should concern us all. There is growing speculation as to why law enforcement seems to be taking a lackadaisical approach to the Oregon Occupiers. On one hand, officials dont want to create martyrs to fuel an already-increasing militia movement. Federal agencies no doubt want to avoid disasters like Idahos Ruby Ridge and the siege of the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas, which served as catalysts for the creation and mobilization of the militia movement during the 1990s. Remember, this movement spawned the likes of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. However, there is concern that the insurrectionists will get away scot-free as anti-government activists did during the standoff with Nevadas Cliven Bundy. Despite militia snipers literally taking aim at federal officials, Bundy and his supporters faced no legal repercussions. Given that, its not surprising that Bundys sons are leading the Oregon Occupiers, and many of those seizing the wildlife range tout their accomplishments in Nevada. Militia supporters want another victory in Oregon, while the vast majority of America wants these false patriots held accountable for their illegal actions. Montana land legislation Whats happening in Oregon is both influencing and reflecting mainstream public policy debates. This notion of transferring/privatizing federal lands is an outgrowth of county supremacy that has, in recent years, started to gain traction in legislatures across western states. Last session, Sen. Jennifer Fielder, R-Thompson Falls, sponsored legislation to transfer federal lands in Montana to the state. Prior to her election, she worked extensively with groups in Sanders County that pushed county supremacy and have concrete links to the Militia of Montana. Recently, she has taken to social media to defend the Oregon occupiers cause. The ideologies driving the Oregon insurrectionists and right-wing movements consistently find their way into the political mainstream. We cannot afford to sit around and hope situations like the one in Oregon resolve themselves. That gives these dangerous groups confidence and a sense of legitimacy. Instead, local communities need to respond. Thats what is happening in Oregon. The local community didnt ask the militia to take action. Instead, the militia is there on its own behalf hoping for a revolution. Armed militants tend to dominate news coverage. However, if you look and listen closely, the local community is finding its voice and courage to tell the outsiders to leave. Without standing up and saying these groups dont represent us, the loudest and angriest voices begin defining our communities. If that happens, we all lose. Regulator Sebi today banned Milan and Milan International Ltd from capital markets "till further directions" for violating public issue norms. The direction follows Sebi probe into the fund-raising activity of Milan and Milan International Ltd (MMIL) and found that it had mobilised Rs 14.52 lakh by issuing preference shares to 260 people in 2010-11. Since the shares were issued to over 50 people by the firm, the issuance qualified as a public issue that requires compulsory listing on a recognised stock exchange. The company was also required to file a prospectus, among other things, which it failed to do. "MMIL is prima facie engaged in fund mobilising activity from the public, through the offer of preference shares" and as a result of such activity has violated the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956, Sebi said in an interim order. Accordingly, Sebi has barred the company, its directors and promoters from the securities market till further directions. The company has been restrained from mobilising any fresh funds from investors through the issuance of securities to the public till further directions. It has asked them not to dispose of any of the properties or alienate or encumber assets owned by the firm through preference shares without prior permission from the regulator. The directions would take effect immediately and would be in force until further orders, Sebi said. Markets regulator Sebi today refused to lift restrictions it had imposed on Kesar Petroproducts for not complying with the minimum public shareholding (MPS) norms. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in June 2013, had imposed various curbs on over 100 firms, including Kesar Petroproducts, their promoters and directors for not achieving the minimum 25 per cent public holding within the June 3 deadline of the same year. The regulator had frozen the voting rights and corporate benefits of promoters/directors of these companies and barred them from holding any new position on boards of listed firms, among others. It had also warned the companies of further actions, including levy of monetary penalties, initiation of criminal proceedings and restricting the trading activities of related stocks. As per the last disclosed shareholding pattern of the company, the public shareholding stood at 6.19 per cent for the quarter ended September 2015. It observed that the firm has "not complied with the MPS requirements till date and such non-compliance being continuous in nature," it becomes necessary for Sebi to confirm the directions issued against it, the capital markets watchdog said in an order passed today. Accordingly, the regulator has confirmed the directions issued through an interim order in June, 2013 against the company, its directors and promoters. In the backdrop of Pathankot air base terror attack, Shiv Sena leader and Union Minister Anant Geete today said his party has always maintained that as long as cross border terrorism exists, the government should not hold any dialogue with Pakistan. "I am a Shiv Sainik. I am also a part of the government. 'Sarkar jo bhi nirnaya karegi, Shiv Sena saath rahegi' (Whatever decision the government takes, Shiv Sena will be with it)," the Union Heavy Industries Minister said replying to a query. "We (Shiv Sena) have maintained that as long as cross border terrorism does not end, the government should not hold any dialogue with Pakistan. I strongly condemn this attack," Geete said after visiting Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited's (BHEL) Bhopal unit, but clarified that it is the stand of Shiv Sena. However, he said: "We (NDA govt) are determined that such incidents should not recur in future as it is concerned with country's security, which is paramount for this government." Answering a query, he said that if Bala Sahab Thackeray was alive he would have given a befitting reply in his own language in such a situation. But a government has to function like a government. Whatever decision it has to take, the Prime Minister will take it in the interest, he said. "My party and I believe that there should be no compromise on country's security," he said. Referring to economic crisis in China, he said that the communist nation has tried to capture the world market and this was bound to happen. It will have its impact on India also for sometime, but in the longer run it will be good for the country, he added. US Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton suffered a major setback in her presidential campaign as her rival Bernie Sanders took lead in the latest opinion polls in two key primary States of Iowa and New Hampshire. Winning in these two early primary States - in less than a month from now - is considered to be the key for an effective presidential campaign, but there has been past trends wherein candidates have won the Democratic Party's nominations even in setbacks in first few Sates. In New Hampshire, Sanders, 74, leads Clinton, 69, by 14 points, according to latest poll released by Monmouth University. However, as per realclearpolitics.Com - which aggregates all the recent major polls - Sanders lead in New Hampshire is 4.3 points. Sanders has also taken lead over Clinton in Iowa polls. According to Quinnipiac University polls Sanders has support of 49 per cent likely caucus goers against 44 for Clinton. This is a significant drop for Clinton as last month she was up by 11 per cent. This is Clinton's second attempt at US presidential elections. In her first attempt in 2008, she was defeated in the Democratic Party primaries by the outgoing President Barack Obama. If elected she would be the first woman president of the United States. NCP president Sharad Pawar had a meeting with the Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao at Raj Bhavan here today. It was a courtesy call, Raj Bhavan spokesperson said. Pawar's wife Pratibha Pawar and the Governor's wife Ch Vinodha were also present. The Pawars met the Governor on his invitation, the spokesperson added. A local court in Sri Lanka has said that it may summon Army chief if he does not cooperate with investigations into the abduction and disappearance of journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda. Colombo suburban court Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake made the comments yesterday when the senior State Attorney complained that the Army had failed to respond to his request for information in late September. Eknaligoda, a cartoonist and a journalist, has been missing since January 2010 from the time he backed the presidential campaign of the then opposition challenger Sarath Fonseka against incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa. At least six army men attached to military intelligence suspected in the abduction are currently in custody. The opposition backers of the former President Rajapaksa are using the case to portray it as an act of political vengeance. Rajapaksa visited the suspects in jail. The Slovenian army today began removing sections of a razor-wire border fence, erected to control the inflow of migrants from Croatia, due to flooding by the Kolpa river, local media reported. Slovenian soldiers removed 200-300 metres of the fence in the Griblje and Dragatus areas, villages some 110 kilometres (70 miles) south of Ljubljana, after the Kolpa burst its banks and floodwaters threatened to tear down the fence, the STA agency reported. Since mid-November Slovenia has built over 150 kilometres of razor-wire fence along its border with Croatia, hoping to prevent an uncontrolled inflow of migrants across the "green border". Over 400,000 migrants have crossed into Slovenia since mid-October, most hoping to carry on to Austria or Germany. The Slovenian government's information office said Monday that the border fence would be removed in areas where the stream of the Kolpa river was strongest and replaced, in the near future, by a more resistant fence. Situated in one of Slovenia's most attractive natural parks, the Kolpa river marks over 100 kilometres of the 670 kilometre-long Slovenia-Croatia border. The fence has been criticised by environmentalists and civil groups in Slovenia and Croatia which claim the razor wire is a threat to wildlife. A former Sri Lankan Supreme Court judge was today indicted for sexually abusing a domestic help, the first such case in the country's history. Sarath de Abrew was indicted by the Colombo High Court for sexually abusing his domestic help before being ordered bail and released on two sureties of rupees 100,000 each. The Attorney General charged the judge under the clause-365 of the Penal Code, court officials said. Abrew, who has denied the accusation, had earlier filed a Fundamental Rights (FR) petition. In his petition, he said that the Attorney General acted arbitrarily and did not consider statements of several witnesses before filing the indictment. However, the Supreme Court today rejected his argument and refused to grant leave to proceed with his FR application. After a decline in November, India's steel imports again surged by 23 per cent in December 2015 neutralising the measures taken by the government to check cheap inbound shipments of the product. Steel imports rose by 23 per cent to 0.94 million tonnes (MT) in December 2015 compared to November, official data showed. In November, steel imports were at 0.76 MT, down by 35 per cent over the previous month. However, the December imports were down by 1.4 per cent compared to that in same month of 2014. Imports of total finished steel stood at 8.389 MT in the April-December period of 2015-16 fiscal, a growth of 29.2 per cent compared to same period of last year. "India was a net importer of total finished steel in the current fiscal so far," a steel ministry's panel said. Since June 2015, steel sector has been provided a range of protection including hike in import and safeguard duties to check cheap imports. Analysts said exporting countries, particularly China, have been constantly adjusting (reducing) the price of steel products in-line with the imposition of duties. In June, India imposed anti-dumping duty of up to USD 316 per tonne on imports of certain steel products from three countries, including China, to protect domestic producers from below-cost inbound shipments. Then in August, the government had hiked import duty on base metals, including iron and steel, by 2.5 per cent, in a move aimed at helping domestic players battle out cheap Chinese imports after the currency devaluation by China. Next month, a provisional safeguard duty of 20 percent was imposed on import of hot-rolled flat products of non-alloy and other alloy steel, which was in vogue for 200 days. Strides Shasun on Tuesday got Commission of Indis (CCI's) nod to acquire Sun Pharmaceutical's two business divisions in India for Rs 165 crore. In September last year, Sun Pharma and Strides signed an agreement related to erstwhile Ranbaxy's 'Solus' and Solus Care divisions. The agreement involves transfer of these two marketing divisions along with employees to Strides for a consideration of Rs 165 crore. CCI in a tweet said it has approved acquisition of certain assets and business of Sun Pharmaceutical by Strides Shasun Limited. Sun Pharma had said as per IMS July 2015 MAT report, all the products of these two divisions together accounted for about Rs 92 crore in sales. Strides India President (Brands) Subroto Banerjee had said, the acquisition of Solus and Solus Care divisions is of strategic significance to the growth of the company's branded business in India. The rich product portfolio and capable teams of these two divisions will help us establish a strong footing in the fast growing CNS market of India, he had said, adding the product portfolio of Strides and these divisions will strategically complement each other very well. Last year, Sun Pharma had also announced plans to sell a manufacturing facility in Ireland that was owned by Ranbaxy as part of a rationalisation programme post completion of their USD 4 billion merger. I was disappointed by the impression of my views and actions created by the recent Lee newspaper article (Jan. 12 Gazette) on the proposed retreat for the Democratic caucus. John Adams broke the story when he learned that I had objected to the retreat. As he reported in a Montana Public Radio interview on Jan. 8, I told him that my personal analysis on whether a caucus is a public body or a political entity doesnt matter. A court of law has ruled that our caucus is governed by Montanas open meeting laws and thats what matters to me. I have always urged, as I did in this case, that my caucus provide public notice of its meetings so that everyone in the caucus (especially me!) can participate. Sen. Mary Sheehy Moe Great Falls External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will visit Israel and Palestine on January 17-18 to further build on the goodwill generated by the landmark trip of President Pranab Mukherjee to the two key West Asian nations three months back. As External Affairs Minister, it will be Swaraj's first visit to West Asia, a strategically important region where India is trying to expand its engagement. Palestine will be her first destination where she will hold talks with leadership of the country with an aim to boost bilateral engagement and deepen mutual understanding at the political level. "The visit will also reaffirm India's continued political, diplomatic and developmental support to Palestine," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, adding the trip will further "deepen the mutual understanding at the political level and boost bilateral engagement with Palestine." After completing her engagements in Palestine on January 17, Swaraj will go to Israel the same day for a two-day visit during which she will hold discussions with the Israeli leadership and review the entire gamut of India-Israel relations which is on an upswing. India is Israel's largest buyer of military hardware. Israel has supplied various weapons systems, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles over the last few years but the transactions have largely remained behind the curtains. Swaraj's visit to Israel also assumes significance in view of a possible visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to India later this year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi may also pay a return visit to Tel Aviv. Pesident Pranab Mukherjee had visited Tel Aviv in October last year, becoming the first Indian Head of State to visit the Jewish nation. "India's relations with Israel are part of its engagement with the broader West Asia region and are independent of its relations with any country in the region," said Swarup. In Tel Aviv, Swaraj will have meetings with President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Minister of Defence Moshe Ya'alon, Minister of National Infrastructure Yuval Steinitz and Israeli legislators. "The visit is an important ingredient in the ever-growing relations, friendship and partnership between the two countries," the Israeli Embassy said in a statement. The External Affairs Minister will also interact with the Indian community during her visit to the jewish nation. "The visit will augment India's bilateral relations with Israel and further strengthen the linkages between the two sides," said the MEA Spokesperson. On Swaraj's visit to Palestine, he said,"This is the first visit of External Affairs Minister to West Asia region and Palestine is the first destination in the region which in itself reflects the importance India holds for Palestine in its engagement with the countries of the region." India is executing several projects in Palestine to improve the living conditions of people and has been active in capacity building by extending scholarships to Palestinian students and building schools. In Palestine, Swaraj will also inaugurate the Palestine Digital Learning and Innovation Centre in Ramallah. Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom today called for "thorough" investigations into the killing of Palestinians by the Israeli army in recent months. Wallstrom was responding to a question in parliament by an opposition member on the controversy raised last month by her statement on the need for Israel to avoid "extrajudicial executions". She was referring then to the more than 100 Palestinians killed in two months, most while committing or attempting to commit knife attacks in Israel and the Palestinian territories, and others in clashes or attacks. "It is essential that thorough and credible investigations be conducted concerning these deaths with the aim of providing clarity and bringing about possible accountability," Wallstrom said Tuesday. Israel's foreign ministry responded angrily. "In her irresponsible and delusional statements the foreign minister of Sweden gives support to terror and in so doing encourages violence," it said in a Hebrew-language statement. Ties between Israel and Sweden plummeted after Stockholm recognised the Palestinian state shortly after Wallstrom's centre-left Social Democrats won a parliamentary election in 2014. A day after the Paris attacks claimed by the Islamic State group, Wallstrom again attracted Israeli condemnation when she said the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was a factor of radicalisation. The Israeli foreign ministry said then that Wallstrom "has consistently demonstrated bias against Israel". Syria's army and allied forces today took full control from rebel groups of the strategic town of Salma, in the northwestern province of Latakia, state television reported. In a breaking flash, the channel said the army, backed by the pro-government National Defence Forces militia, had also seized hilltops surrounding the town. Government forces were combing the area for mines and explosive devices "left behind by terrorist groups in the buildings, streets, and squares of the town," it said. The town's recapture is a major boost for Syria's beleaguered army, which had been mostly locked in a stalemate with rebel factions in the province. Since 2012, Salma had been the main bastion for opposition groups in hilly Latakia, which remains largely controlled by government forces. Opposition forces in Latakia province -- including the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front -- are largely based in the northern and northeastern areas of Jabal Akrad and Jabal Turkman. Regime forces have fought fierce battles in recent months to retake those areas with help from Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters and from Russian air strikes. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Russia conducted more than 120 air strikes over 48 hours in support of the army's Salma offensive. Syrian troops have since September 30 been backed by an intense air campaign by Russia, a staunch ally of President Bashar al-Assad. Today, Russian strikes killed 35 civilians in the provinces of Idlib, in Syria's northwest, and Aleppo, in the north, the Observatory said. Twenty-one civilians were killed in Russian raids on Maaret al-Numan, an opposition-held town in Idlib province, it said. The toll included two paramedics, two media activists and one child. Another 14 civilians, including three children, were killed in Russian raids on Manbij, a town in Aleppo province held by the Islamic State jihadist group, the monitor said. Rights groups have condemned Russia for killing civilians in its air war, but Moscow insists it is fighting extremist groups. In comments carried by state agency SANA today, Assad said the support of "friendly nations" like Iran and Russia had allowed Syria to fight off "terrorism". Speaking after meeting with Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, Assad said he "appreciated the positions of Iran, which supported Syria in the face of terrorism". Syria's envoy to the United Nations has dismissed as fabrications reports that civilians were dying of starvation in a town besieged by government forces. Ambassador Bashar Jaafari spoke after a convoy of 44 trucks loaded with food, baby formula, blankets and other supplies entered Madaya, where medical charity MSF says 28 people have starved to death since December 1. "Actually, there was no starvation in Madaya," Jaafari told reporters at UN headquarters. "The Syrian government is not and will not exert any policy of starvation on its own people." The ambassador said his government had in October approved aid deliveries to Madaya that would have lasted for more than two months and accused "terrorists inside" the town of stealing the supplies. Jaafari charged that journalists reporting on the starvation from Qatari-owned Al-Jazeera and the Saudi-backed Al-Arabiya television networks were "mainly responsible for fabricating these allegations and lies." Syria has been at odds with Saudi Arabia and Qatar for arming rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad's forces in the nearly five-year war. The ambassador suggested that reports of starvation were aimed at "demonizing" the Assad regime and "torpedoing" peace talks planned for January 25 in Geneva. The UN Security Council was meeting behind closed doors to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Syria following the deliveries to Madaya and to two other towns besieged by the rebels: Fuaa and Kafraya. The United Nations says it is struggling to deliver aid to about 4.5 million Syrians who live in hard-to-reach areas, including nearly 400,000 people in 15 besieged areas. Britain and France are calling for an end to the sieges. More than 260,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government demonstrations. Sri Lanka's main opposition Tamilleader R Sampanthan today appealed to Mahinda Rajapaksa to back the new Constitution-making process, saying the former president's support is important. "I wish to make a special appeal to him to place the country's interests before anything else," he said. Addressing parliament today on the proposal to convert the House to a Constitutional Assembly, Sampanthan said Rajapaksa was a leader of national stature and his support was important in the constitution making process. He asked all political parties including Rajapaksa to contribute positively to the new Constitution making. The Tamil leader said, at the end of this process, the country will have a Constitution built with consensus not only within the parliament but outside of it among people. "That will be the day that all people will have a sense of belonging of a new Sri Lanka," Sampanthan said. The Rajapaksa backers within the opposition group is expected to resist the process with some of them saying the current government had no public mandate to change the 1978 Constitution which is currently in force. They have already proposed amendments to the proposed structure to draft the new Constitution. Their support would depend on the government willingness to accommodate them. The new Constitution needs two third approval, the support of 150 in the current parliament of 225 members. It will also have to be approved at a national referendum. Rajapaksa was dethroned from his 10-year long rule by his former aide Maithripala Sirisena after a bitter presidential poll on January 9. Tata ClassEdge, a technology-based learning solution for schools today launched its integrated product suite 'Cosmos' and also announced partnership with global adaptive learning company Knewton to help schools provide individualised learning paths for students. Cosmos includes a mobile-based app for parents, home access to students through Web/tablets and a value education curriculum, in addition to existing classroom, planning and assessment solutions. ****** PwC India sets up centre of excellence for forensics in Hyd * Consultancy firm PwC India has set up a centre of excellence for forensics in Hyderabad with an investment of USD 1.5 million. The facility will provide clients with solutions related to anti-money laundering compliance, third-party due diligence, e-mail and document review, and investigation support, PwC India said in a statement. The centre has a trained team of over 100 professionals in India. It plans to hire 150 more due diligence and anti-money laundering professionals in the next one year. ****** Tata Motors rolls out marketing campaign for Zica * Tata Motors today rolled out a marketing campaign for its upcoming entry-level hatchback Zica as part of its plans to give "a complete experience" of the car. The campaign -- Zica 7 Senses -- is designed to give the customer a complete experience of the car, Tata Motors said in a statement. "The campaign will unfold in a phased manner and will cover all seven senses - sight, smell, sound, taste, touch, intuition and equilibrium," it added. Tata Motors, President, Passenger Vehicles Business Unit Mayank Pareek, said: "With the #madeofgreat campaign, the company has charted a new course in its brand building and transformation journey." ****** GHIAL commissions 5-MW solar power plant at Hyderabad airport * GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) today said it has commissioned a 5-MW solar power plant for its captive consumption at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) here. It also announced plans to go for an additional 7-MW solar power plant. Situated close to the airport access road, the plant has started generating around 25,000 units/day of pollution-free energy and meeting the airport's peak power demand during day-time, according to a release. Manana Innovations launches mobile service for intl roaming * Telecom services company Manana Innovations today said it has launched a mobile service which would make international roaming cheaper. To avail the service, an international roaming customer would have to download the 'MananaTalk application', which is available on Google play and Apple Store. "This innovative fusion enables the International traveler to enjoy cheap calling rates," the company said in a statement. "We would be launching more services in the times to come," the company's founder Chandan Ghosh said. The launch of the application is a part of the company's plan to achieve a revenue of Rs 900 crore by the third quarter of 2017. ******** Simplilearn partners with MilitarytoCorporate * Professional online certification courses provider Simplilearn today said it has tied up with MilitarytoCorporate to facilitate the career transition of military veterans into the civilian workplace. This partnership between MilitarytoCorporate and Simplilearn will provide training certification opportunity to over 60,000 ex-service men and women who retire every year from active service thus aiding them to transition to civilian life. These training certifications, at discounted price points, will help veterans be better prepared for jobs in the civilian sector and also add skillsets that complement their military skills in industry recognised professional training courses. "This partnership with MilitarytoCorporate will help us reach all of these exceptional men and women and also help, in our own way, to give back to all of those who have dedicated their lives to our nations' and our safety," Simplilearn COO Gerald Jaideep said. Google pumps in USD 300,000 in 6 Indian startups * Tech giant Google will give USD 300,000 (about Rs 2 crore) to six Indian startups in equity-free funding under its Google Launchpad Accelerator programme. The six nominees -- Taskbob, Programming Hub, ShareChat, RedCarpet, PlaySimple Games and MagicPin -- have been chosen from India to join 18 other startups from Brazil, Indonesia and Mexico under the programme. The six-month long mentorship programme for mid to late stage startups will include USD 50,000 (over Rs 33 lakh each) in equity-free funding and a two-week all-expenses paid bootcamp at Google headquarters, Google said in a statement. * * * * * Mappr bags deal from Kendriya Vidyalaya * Social learning start-up Mappr has partnered Kendriya Vidyalaya chain of schools to connect teachers, parents and students with one another seamlessly on a common platform. While the company did not disclose the financial details, it said the partnership will see its platform being deployed across over 1,000 KV schools (KVS). "Mappr will help KVS reach, align, and engage teachers, students, and parents from all our schools on one secure network," lead investor at Mappr, Dheeraj Jain told SanDisk launches storage products for iPhones, iPads * Storage solutions major SanDisk today launched the new version of its iXpand, a storage device that will help iPhone and iPad users to free up space from their devices. "According to a recent report, about 70 per cent of iPhone users in India run out of memory every week and end up deleting files," SanDisk Country Manager India and SAARC Rajesh Gupta told reporters here. Using iXpand, they can straight away store photos and videos or move the content from their devices to the flash drive, he added. The product will be available in 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities, priced at Rs 3,990, Rs 4,990, Rs 6,990 and Rs 9,990, respectively. The product will initially be exclusively available at Amazon.In for 30 days and then extended to other channels in a phased manner. ****** LeEco sells content worth Rs 32 cr in a day * Smartphone maker LeEco today said it has sold content worth Rs 32 crore in one day as part of its first flash sale of 'Le 1s Eco' phone. The handset, priced at Rs 9,999, comes bundled with content like movies and storage worth about Rs 4,900. "Le 1s Eco is the first of its kind that comes integrated with our content ecosystem and this will change the way users consume content on the go," LeEco India COO Smart Electronics Business Atul Jain said. ****** Tata Steel gets award for industrial relations by AIOE * Tata Steel has been honored with the 'National Award for Outstanding Achievement in Industrial Relations' by the All India Organisation of Employers (AIOE). The award was presented at the Annual General Meeting of AIOE on May 9, 2016 in Federation House, Delhi, Tata Steel said in a press release. Suresh Dutt Tripathy, Vice President, Human Resource Management, Tata Steel, received the award from Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya. 2 civil exam qualifiers come from BSNL family * Two civil services qualifiers, including topper Tina Dabi, are wards of BSNL officers, while an employee of the state-owned telecom firm also cracked the examination. "Happy to note that Tina Dabi, the topper of civil services exam this year, is daughter of one of the senior members of BSNL family, Jaswant Dabi (General Manager,NTP, BSNL)," BSNL Chairman and Managing Director Anupam Shrivastava said in a statement. 22-year-old Tina, who graduated from Lady Shri Ram College, topped the 2015 Civil Services exam in her first attempt. "I am very happy to note that Ashish Tiwari, son of Shri PK Tiwari, SDE Panna, MP, again from BSNL has acquire 6th rank in civil services exam this year," Shrivastava said. He added a junior telecom officer Rehan Raza Rizvi, working in Haryana circle too has qualified civil service examinations. Shrivastava congratulated parents of qualifiers and said it is a moment of pride for BSNL. Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has also congratulated these candidates. ****** Edelweiss Asset Management launches new fund offer * Edelweiss Asset Management has launched the new fund offer opening of the third ETF of ETF-Nifty Quality 30. The index consists of 30 stocks selected on the basis of a quality score by IISL. The open-ended exchange traded fund (ETF) will close on May 20. Edelweiss ETF - Nifty Quality 30 will be listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and will re-open for subscriptions on or before June 1. The investment strategy adopted aims to cover companies, which have a financially strong track record, as evidenced through historical financial indicators such as return on equity, debt to equity, and average year-on-year growth in terms of profit after tax, over the past three years. ****** ICICI Bank launches co-branded credit card for SMEs with Jet * Private sector lender ICICI Bank today launched a contact-less credit card with Jet Airways for small businesses which offers reward both on spends and repayments. It is a co-branded credit card launched with Jet Airways and users will be getting reward in the form of JPMiles for spends and repayments on a select list of business expense categories including travel, dining, office stationary, online advertising and vendor payments. The card comes for a joining fee of Rs 2,500 to be paid by companies. It offers individual cardholders benefits like 5,000 JPMiles at joining and complimentary access to major airport lounges across India, while the company gets benefits discounts on base fares. Magma Fincorp net up 22 per cent to Rs 66 cr * Kolkata-based asset finance company Magma Fincorp today reported a net profit of Rs 66 crore for the March quarter, up 22 per cent on an income which inched up to Rs 633 crore from Rs 622 crore. The increase in net profit was led by a significant 109 bps improvement in net interest margin to 7.5 per cent, the company said in a statement, adding its loan book stood at Rs 18,183 crore. Shares of Magma Fincorp closed 0.17 per cent lower at Rs 90.55 apiece on BSE. ****** Manappuram Finance net up 30 per cent * The Thrissur-based Manappuram Finance today reported an over 30 per cent growht in net profit at Rs 353.36 crore for the March quarter despite a massive rise in provisions for income tax at Rs 193.23 crore Rs 142.19 crore. * * * * * Relaxation drinks maker TranQuini enters Indian market * Austria-based premium lifestyle brand TranQuini has forayed into the India market with its two relaxation drinks - TranQuini Original and and TranQuini Jade. The company has priced both TranQuini Original, boasting a fruity flavour and TranQuini Jade with a flavour containing green tea notes at Rs 95 for a 300ml can. The drink is composed of green tea extract, chamomile and lavender - natural ingredients that are scientifically proven to reduce stress and relieve anxiety - without causing drowsiness. * * * * * * HDFC Bank appoints K Balasubramanian as corp banking head HDFC Bank today appointed K Balasubramanian, who has worked with Citi for two decades, as the head of corporate banking. He will report to Kaizad Bharucha, executive director and head of wholesale banking business that contributes nearly half of the bank's (49 per cent) domestic loan portfolio. Ten people were killed and 15 wounded in a suspected terrorist attack today in the main tourist hub of Turkey's largest city Istanbul, officials said. A powerful blast rocked the Sultanahmet neighbourhood, which is home to Istanbul's biggest concentration of monuments and is visited by tens of thousands of tourists every day. Turkey is on edge after a series of deadly attacks blamed on the Islamic State jihadist group including a double suicide bombing in the capital Ankara in October that left 103 people dead. "Terrorist links are suspected," a Turkish official told AFP of today's blast, asking not to be named. Ambulances and police were despatched to Sultanahmet, the city's main tourist hub, which is home to world-famous monuments including the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. "Investigations into the cause of the explosion, the type of explosion and perpetrator or perpetrators are under way," the Istanbul governor's office said in a statement quoted by the Dogan news agency. It said 10 people were killed and 15 wounded. Images published by Dogan showed several apparently dead bodies lying on the ground. Media reports said the authorities were studying the possibility the blast was caused by a suicide bomber but there was no official confirmation. The explosion was powerful enough to be heard in adjacent neighbourhoods, witnesses told AFP. Police cordoned off the area to shocked passers-by and tourists and the nearby tram service has been halted. "The explosion was so loud, the ground shook. There was a very heavy smell that burned my nose," a German tourist named Caroline told AFP. "I started running away with my daughter. We went into a nearby building and stayed there for half an hour. It was really scary," she added. Media reports said the blast took place at 0820 GMT around the Obelisk of Theodosius, a monument from ancient Egypt which was re-erected by the Roman Emperor Theodosius and is one of the city's most eye-catching monuments. Turkey is on alert after 103 people were killed on October 10 when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a crowd of peace activists in Ankara, the bloodiest attack in the country's modern history. That attack was blamed on Islamic State (IS) jihadists, as were two other deadly bombings in the country's Kurdish-dominated southeast earlier in the year. Turkish authorities have in recent weeks detained several suspected IS members, with officials saying they were planning attacks in Istanbul. But Turkey is also waging an all-out assault on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has staged dozens of deadly attacks against members of the security forces in the southeast. Born under captivity in Patna Zoo, a young critically-endangered gharial, which was released into the wild has now lost her freedom once again after swimming 1000 kilometres into the neighbouring West Bengal. The nine-year-old sub-adult female gharial was released in the Gandak river near Valmiki Tiger Reserve last year along with 24 other crocodiles by the Bihar forest department as part of a conservation program. For reasons best known to nature, the gharial swam over 1000 km over the next few months to reach Mahananda river which flows in the northern part of West Bengal. Gandak and Mahananda are both interconnected through the river Ganga as its tributaries. In Malda district local fishermen raised an alarm after spotting the gharial as they felt threatened by the carnivorous mammal, which is rarely spotted in the river. West Bengal forest department officials then captured it and kept it at Rasik Bill in Cooch Behar last October. The release of the crococodile has now become complicated since it is a trans-state issue. "This is not good for the animal. It has survived so long in nature after being in captivity for eight years. Now it is a wild animal and if it is forced to return to captivity then you are spoiling its life. We had released it in the wild so that biodiversity increases in the river," Wildlife Trust of India (WTI)'s Samir Kumar Sinha told PTI. He is working along with the Bihar forest department to save the gharials from extinction as it is estimated that only about 200 breeding individuals of the species, listed as critically endangered, survive in the wild today. Born under captivity in Patna Zoo, a young critically-endangered gharial who was released into the wild has now lost her freedom once again after swimming 1000 kilometres into the neighbouring West Bengal. The nine-year-old sub-adult female gharial was released in the Gandak river near Valmiki Tiger Reserve last year along with 24 other crocodiles by the Bihar forest department as part of a conservation program. For reasons best known to nature, the gharial swam over 1000 km over the next few months to reach Mahananda river which flows in the northern part of West Bengal. Gandak and Mahananda are both interconnected through the river Ganga as its tributaries. In Malda district local fishermen raised an alarm after spotting the gharial as they felt threatened by the carnivorous mammal, which is rarely spotted in the river. West Bengal forest department officials then captured it and kept it at Rasik Bill in Cooch Behar last October. The release of the crococodile has now become complicated since it is a trans-state issue. "This is not good for the animal. It has survived so long in nature after being in captivity for eight years. Now it is a wild animal and if it is forced to return to captivity then you are spoiling its life. We had released it in the wild so that biodiversity increases in the river," Wildlife Trust of India (WTI)'s Samir Kumar Sinha told PTI. He is working along with the Bihar forest department to save the gharials from extinction as it is estimated that only about 200 breeding individuals of the species, listed as critically endangered, survive in the wild today. WTI has already appealed to the West Bengal forest department to release the gharial at a safe wild location. "We will take necessary action after we receive a letter from the Bihar forest department," Bengal's chief wildlife warden Pradip Shukla told Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinians during an attempted stabbing attack in the occupied West Bank today while a third was killed in unrelated clashes, officials said. Two young Palestinians were killed after one of them attempted to stab an Israeli soldier near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, the army said, the latest in more than three months of such attacks. "A Palestinian attacker, armed with a knife, attempted to stab a soldier securing the Beit Hanoun junction near Hebron," a statement said. "Responding to the imminent threat, forces at the scene fired towards the assailant, resulting in his death." A second man, who the army said had driven the attacker to the scene, was shot and injured as he fled. Palestinian security sources said he later died, with the health ministry identifying the two as 23-year-old Mohammed Kowazba and 17-year-old Adnan al-Mashti. Earlier a 21-year-old was shot and killed during protests near Bethlehem. "Young man killed after being shot in the chest by (Israeli) forces in Beit Jala," a Palestinian health ministry statement said, referring to a town south of Jerusalem in the West Bank. It identified him as 21-year-old Srur Ahmad Abu Srur from Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem. The Israeli army confirmed forces had fired on a "violent riot" in Beit Jala. "A hit was confirmed," a spokeswoman said. Hospital sources said a second person was shot in the leg during the clashes. Twenty-three Israelis and an American have been killed in Palestinian attacks including stabbings, car rammings and gunfire since October 1. An Eritrean was also killed. At the same time, 149 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most while carrying out attacks. The Palestinian Prisoners Club rights group says more than 3,000 Palestinians have been arrested since the start of the violence, with most of them minors. It says a total of more than 7,000 Palestinian prisoners are currently held by Israel. An Ashland man admitted he was driving drunk when he rolled his vehicle and injured his passenger near Lame Deer. Jeffrey John Brown, 29, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Tuesday to assault resulting in serious injury as charged in an indictment. There was no plea agreement. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Sullivan said in court records that Browns passenger, identified as D.A.W., suffered a significant scalp laceration and a traumatic brain injury in the March 26, 2015, crash. Brown was treated for minor injuries and had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.181 percent shortly after the wreck. The legal limit is 0.08 percent. The Northern Cheyenne dispatch received a report of a single-vehicle wreck on Highway 39 north of Lame Deer. A witness saw Brown, who was identified later, get out of the vehicle and run over a nearby hill before officers arrived, Sullivan said. Two officers arrested Brown nearby. Brown was treated in Lame Deer and then transferred to St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings, where he was treated and released. The passenger also was treated in Lame Deer and transferred to St. Vincent. He suffered multiple deep lacerations on his head, a concussion and a traumatic brain injury. He was admitted to the intensive care unit, spent five days in the hospital and eight days at a rehabilitation center. In an interview in June, the passenger said he remembered little of the wreck but recalled that Brown had picked him up for a ride. Brown, in an interview after the crash, admitted to investigators that he was driving drunk at the time of the rollover. He had left his job at the Chief Dull Knife College early that day so he could start drinking to celebrate his wifes birthday, the prosecutor said. He also had smoked marijuana on his lunch break. Brown faces a maximum 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. U.S. District Judge Susan Watters set sentencing for April 27 and continued Browns release. Facing heat from opposition, Road Transport Ministry today said all due processes in line with the Cabinet approval were followed in award of strategic Rs 10,050 crore Zojila pass tunnel contract to IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd. The statement comes a day after Congress demanded sacking of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, alleging that the award was a "clear case of corruption at the highest level". "Ministry of Road Transport & Highways follows due procedure while maintaining complete transparency in the award of any contracts. In the instant case also the contract was awarded after due diligence after the bid was found technically responsive. Financial bid was opened and the quoted Semi Annuity amount found in line with the approval of CCEA for award of the work," an official statement said. It said the award was granted to IRB Infrastructure only after initial three bids had to be cancelled due to receipt of only "single bid", while all norms right from detailed project report were adhered to for the strategic project in Jammu & Kashmir to provide all weather connectivity to Leh-Ladakh. "E-Tendering process was adopted for award of Zojila Tunnel contract with the mode of BOT and concession period of 22 years including 7 years construction period," it added. It said bids for the tunnel were invited first in April 2013 but had to be cancelled at technical stage only due to "single tender", and fresh tenders were floated but had to be cancelled in the financial stage due to single tender again. "Based on the experience, the government changed the system of calling bid from from two stage system to single stage and a fresh bid adopting single stage (two cover) system for wider participation by the Agencies was called," it said. "Considering the geographical & strategic location of the project, a wider publication through newspapers and through Ministry of External Affairs to foreign countries, Indian Road Congress, International Association of Bridge & Structural Engineers, Ministry of Railways was adopted," it said. However, the statement added that despite sufficient time of over 90 days from July 30 to November 2, 2015 only one bidder participated which had to be cancelled again as per the rule that single tender received in "first call shall be cancelled without opening the bid and the tender shall be re-invited". "Subsequently, tender was re-invited giving the last date for submission of the bid on December 10, 2015. In response only single bid was received from IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd. The bid was opened and evaluated. Found technically responsive and its financial bid was opened and found the quoted Semi Annuity amount in line with the approval of CCEA for award of the work," it said. Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh yesterday alleged that Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, violated the CVC guidelines while awarding the contract. Gadkari has rubbished the charges of corruption, saying that Singh's allegations were "completely false" as the ministry followed a transparent e-tender system. Two persons died today and another one was seriously injured after a car in which they were travelling collided head on with a truck on National Highway 2 near Galsi, the police said. Senior police officers said, the dead, a male and a female, both aged around 40-years were yet to be identified. A girl of around 18-years, who was in the car and was seriously injured in the accident, has been admitted to Burdwan Medical College and Hospital, the police said. Gunmen shot dead two Iraqi journalists today in Diyala, a province where Baghdad declared victory a year ago but which is still plagued by chronic violence. Iraq is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, especially those from the country, who are far more exposed to attacks than their foreign counterparts. The murders came as a suicide bomber killed four police and wounded a top intelligence officer elsewhere in the province, a day after other bombings claimed 20 lives. "Armed militias assassinated correspondent Saif Tallal and his cameraman Hassan al-Anbaki near Baquba," the capital of Diyala province, a Sharqiya presenter said on the air. The journalists were killed while returning to Baquba from a reporting trip with Staff Lieutenant General Mizher al-Azzawi, the head of security command responsible for the province, the channel said. Minas al-Suhail, a colleague from the channel, told AFP that the two journalists were driving some distance behind the commander's convoy on their way back from covering violence in the Muqdadiyah area. Masked militiamen in three SUVs stopped their vehicle in the village of Abu Saida, took the journalists out and shot them dead with Kalashnikov assault rifles, Suhail said. Shiite militia groups, some of which have been repeatedly accused of serious abuses, wield huge influence in the eastern province of Diyala. Sharqiya is a Sunni-owned TV channel viewed as sympathetic to the country's Sunni Arab minority. The murders took place within sight of a police checkpoint, but the police did not intervene, Suhail said. Reporters Without Borders said 11 journalists were killed in Iraq during 2015, the most of any country. The Committee to Protect Journalists put the death toll for those killed because of their work last year in Iraq at five, placing it in a tie for the fourth-deadliest country for the media. CPJ also lists Iraq as the deadliest single country for journalists from 1992 to 2015, with 171 killed because of their work, almost double the second, which is Syria. Muqdadiyah, the Diyala area from which the journalists were returning, was hit by deadly bombings and other unrest the night before. Twin blasts killed 20 people at a cafe, and attackers subsequently blew up multiple Sunni mosques and burned houses and shops, officers said. A suicide bomber also detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle near the convoy of the head of police intelligence in Diyala at a checkpoint in the province today. The blast in the Jdaidat al-Shatt area, south of Diyala capital Baquba, killed four policemen including a first lieutenant and wounded Colonel Qassem al-Anbaki and nine others, two officers said. Two youths, who allegedly tricked more than 100 people at ATM kiosks have been arrested from Karawal Nagar in northeast Delhi, police said today. The two youths, Parvez Khan (22) and Rashid (21), both residents of Gaziabab, mostly targeted elderly women and poor people, who usually do not have too much awareness about ATM transactions, said a senior police official. According to police, the duo followed people at ATM kiosks and read their secret PINs. Once the person after transaction, they would deliberately insert a reserve ATM card in the machine, to generate the message: "Sorry we were not able to read your card. Please insert your card again". Then they used to call back that person and convince them that they shall have to re-swipe their ATM card and press the clear button. When their targets left after doing so, they would recall the PIN and withdraw money from account. On Saturday, the police received a tip off that the accused would come to Mukhiya Market in Karawal Nagar, following which a trap was laid and they were arrested, police added. Travis Kalanick, the co-founder and CEO of taxi-hailing service Uber, the most valuable start-up, will be in the city next week to address students of IIT-Bombay and share his own success story. Kalanick, on his maiden trip to India, is among other top executives who will be in town to take part in the government's Start-up India event scheduled for January 16. He will be sharing the stage with over 40 CEOs and founders of start-ups, including SoftBank's Masayoshi Son, at IIT-B, one of the country's premier centres for start-up incubation. Kalanick will be addressing the students on January 19. Uber is also partnering with 'Invest India', an initiative under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, and has already launched 'UberExchnage', a start-up mentorship programme. The five-year-old US taxi aggregator, which is valued at USD 70 billion, had announced last year it would invest USD 1 billion to build its India business. At IIT-Bombay, Kalanick will speak to entrepreneur hopefuls on how to build a business, drawing parallels from his own entrepreneurial journey, and "what it takes to build the world's fastest-growing start-up". The session is expected to see an attendance of over 2,500 students, start-up enthusiasts and local entrepreneurs. Uber had a shaky start in the country after one of its drivers was arrested for raping a woman passenger in December 2014. The company is also under regulatory glare for alleged predatory pricing and business practices in many other countries. Following these developments, the company has been investing heavily in safety measures in all markets, including here, Uber India President Amit Jain had said earlier. Uber India has a driver base of over 1.5 lakh and is growing at about 40 per cent every month. The company is up against Ola, the country's top taxi aggregator. The Bhavish Aggarwal-led Ola has raised USD 1.3 billion of funds from major investors with a valuation of around USD 5 billion. Globally, Uber's rival Lyft announced last week that General Motors (GM) had partnered it to launch 'self-driving' cars. The American auto giant had invested USD 500 million in San Francisco-headquartered Lyft as part of a USD 1-billion round funding. The United Nation's top aid official in Syria warned today that "many more will die" unless government forces and rebels lift their sieges of towns across the country. "It must stop," said Yacoub El Hillo, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Syria. "Many more will die if the world does not move faster." The UN official spoke a day after aid convoys delivered the first supplies in three months to the besieged town of Madaya, where the medical charity MSF says 28 people have died of starvation since December 1. In Madaya, where government forces have been blocking access for six months, El Hillo said he saw "severely malnourished" residents, especially children who were "extremely thin, skeletal". "We have seen people who have gone without food for a long time," he told reporters, speaking by phone from Damascus. El Hillo appealed for UN action to end the sieges, describing the blockades as "the key culprit" for the suffering and a "tactic of war" being used by all sides in the nearly five-year conflict. The United Nations says it is struggling to deliver aid to about 4.5 million Syrians who live in hard-to-reach areas, including nearly 400,000 people in 15 besieged areas. The UN Security Council has adopted resolutions demanding an end to the sieges, but these have been largely ignored. Talks were under way to evacuate 400 Syrians, mostly women and children, from a hospital in Madaya and bring in mobile clinics to provide treatment, said El Hillo. The patients could be taken to hospitals in Damascus to receive urgent medical aid, he said. "I have every reason to believe this will happen", he added. After months of negotiations, the United Nations and its aid partners were able on Monday to send 65 truckloads of food, medical aid, blankets and winter clothing to the trapped residents of Madaya and two other towns. The deliveries came ahead of a new round of Syrian peace talks planned for January 25 in Geneva. More than 260,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government demonstrations. Real estate major Unitech Ltd top bosses, facing charges of alleged cheating, today walked out of Tihar Jail here after spending a night in prison despite succeeding to get an interim bail yesterday. They had to spend a night at Tihar Jail as they had yesterday failed to get the release warrant on time from the court. Unitech Ltd Chairman Ramesh Chandra, Managing Directors Sanjay Chandra and Ajay Chandra and Director Minoti Bahri were sent to judicial custody following a drama during which they succeeded in getting interim bail for three days by a sessions court, hours after being taken into custody by a trial court. Advocate Vijay Aggarwal, who represented the accused, said they have got the release warrants today from Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Rao after which they were released from the prison. Additional IG (Prison) Mukesh Prasad confirmed that the company officials were released in the evening after the release warrants were received from the court. Yesterday, the accused officials had managed to secure interim bail from the sessions court in a complaint case in which they were remanded to 14-day judicial custody. The bail order was passed at around 5.20 PM yesterday by the sessions judge and by the time sureties were prepared for the accused, duty magistrate Ankita Lal had left the court due to which the release warrants could not be prepared. The top officials of the company who had appeared in the magisterial court in pursuance to the Non Bailable Warrants against them were sent to judicial custody at around 2.30pm. The complaint case was filed by chartered accountant Sanjay Kalra and his business partner Devesh Wadhwa - who had booked a property in Habitat Apartments in Greater Noida developed by Unitech. The project was delayed and the company had promised to refund the amount along with simple interest of 11 percent per annum by October last year before the State Consumer Commission and sessions court last year. Advocate Kundan Mishra appearing for Kalra had argued that despite the court's earlier order, Unitech had not refunded them the complete payment. The company officials had claimed in the court that due to financial constraints and circumstances beyond their control, they were not able to make the payment to the complainants. Lectures, debates and exhibitions among other events today marked the celebrations of the 153rd birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda in various universities in the national capital. The University Grants Commission (UGC) had asked all the varsities to hold events at their respective campuses to commemorate Vivekananda's contribution to society. BJP MPs Meenakshi Lekhi and Ramesh Bidhuri participated in a discussion on the 'Applied Aspects of Swami Vivekananda's Philosophy' at Jawaharlal Nehru University. "Present problems in the country can be resolved only through active participation of youth and Vivekananda's philosophies can be a guiding light for the students," Lekhi said. Jamia Millia Islamia had organised an exhibition on the life and works of Swami Vivekananda. The exhibition depicted the contribution of Vivekananda to education, Indian Independence, unitarianism and rights of women. "Besides audio-visuals, the exhibition displayed a wide range of inspirational documents comprising photographs, speeches, famous quotes and a biographical sketch," according to an official release. While the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) paid floral tributes to Vivekandanda at a statue of the visionary located at the varsity's arts faculty, Zakir Hussain College organised a series of activities which included a documentary film screening. Urea imports increased by 10 per cent to 68.71 lakh tonnes in the first nine months of the current financial year. The country had imported 62.57 lakh tonnes of the fertiliser in the same period (April-December) of 2014-15, according to official data. The government imports urea through three agencies -- STC, MMTC and IPL. Besides, India also has an offtake agreement with Oman- based fertiliser firm OMIFCO, which is a joint venture between domestic cooperatives such as IFFCO, Kribhco and Oman Oil company SAOC. Urea is a controlled fertiliser and is sold at a fixed selling price of Rs 5,360 per tonne. The difference between cost of production and selling price is paid as subsidy to manufacturers. The country's annual urea demand is 30 million tonnes, while the production is stagnant at 22 million tonnes. The production is expected to rise to 24 million tonnes in the current financial year after the new energy norms framed by the government for fertiliser plants, Fertiliser Minister Ananth Kumar has said. In a setback for Pakistan, Republican-controlled US Congress has stalled sale of eight F-16 fighter jets to Islamabad, amid growing anti-Pakistan sentiments on Capitol Hill over its reluctance in taking action against terrorist groups. Citing diplomatic and congressional sources, the Dawn said US lawmakers had placed a "hold" on the proposed sale. "The hold reflects the growing anti-Pakistan sentiments on Capitol Hill where it is now a routine to see strong attacks on Pakistan and its policies during congressional hearings," the paper said. Quoting the diplomatic sources, the paper said the Obama administration "informally" notified Congress of its intention to sell eight F-16s to Pakistan during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's recent visit to Washington last October. But the lawmakers used clarification and information notices to delay the sale. "The administration also received a 'hold' notice from the Senate, using this legislative process to delay floor action on the proposed sale to Pakistan," the paper said. US officials had earlier said that it would become very difficult for the US Government to convince the Congress to approve the sale of F-16s to Pakistan if Islamabad is seen as reluctant in taking action against these terrorist groups. None of the officials in Pakistan was ready to comment on the reported hold on sale of the aircraft which forms the backbone of Pakistan Air Force. The hold, however, does not kill the measure and it can still go through if the Obama administration continues to push for the sale, the paper said. "Sources on the Hill say that since the Obama administration is keen on selling these aircraft to Pakistan, it may ultimately succeed in undoing the hold," it added. At recent congressional hearings, key US lawmakers raised a host of questions about the end use of the F-16 aircraft and about the US relationship with Pakistan. "I don't know how an F-16, with all of its hardware on there for combat can be used for humanitarian aid. If they were buying C-130s I could see those being used for humanitarian aid. But F-16! It's not really humanitarian aid," said Congressman Ted Poe. "Those F-16s and the military equipment that we are providing Pakistan are being used against their own people, just like they did against the people over there in Bangladesh," said Congressman Dan Rohrabacher. Both lawmakers belong to a growing lobby in Congress which not only oppose arms sales to Pakistan but often urge the US to sever its ties with the country, the paper added. US crude tumbled below $31 a barrel today, extending a sell-off that has sent the commodity to more than 12-year lows, hit by a global supply glut, a strong dollar and tepid demand. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in February slumped 45 cents, or 1.43%, to $30.96 per barrel and Brent tumbled 47 cents, 1.49%, to $31.08 at around 0830 IST. The last time prices were so low for WTI was in December 2003 and in April 2004 for Brent. WTI touched a low of $29.66 in December 2003 and Brent in April 2004 hit $29.95. Prices plummeted 10% last week as investors grow concerned about the global supply glut and weakness in key market Chinese, which is the world's biggest energy user. Potential geopolitical risks, including the escalating Saudi Arabia-Iran row are also keeping traders on edge. The rise in the greenback, which makes dollar-priced oil more expensive for holders of weaker currencies, was also a key factor in today's price decline, analysts said. "The drop mainly comes from the increasing dollar strength... That accounts for the bulk of the movement," Phillip Futures investment analyst Daniel Ang said. But Ang said he did not think prices would breach the $30 psychological support barrier. "We may see some bearishness in the short term where prices may continue falling a little bit but I think they will remain highly supported (at $30)," he said. The market is also bracing for new crude supplies from Iran once Western economic sanctions on the country are lifted under a deal struck last year to curb Tehran's nuclear programme. This could bring another one million barrels of oil per day on to the already saturated global market within months. "When you have a supply overhang, there's going to be continued downward pressure on prices," Ric Spooner, a chief analyst at CMC in Sydney, told Bloomberg News. "Investors are looking toward a difficult few months for oil, especially with Iran set to boost exports. We are likely to see production cuts at these prices, but they may take some months to come through. A Maryland man has been indicted on federal charges he provided material support to an al-Qaida offshoot that has claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks in East Africa. Authorities have said 31-year-old Maalik Alim Jones traveled to Somalia in 2011 to fight on behalf of the al-Shabab militant group. They say Jones learned how to fire an AK-47 and rocket-propelled grenade launcher, then used his training to attack the Kenyan government. Jones appeared in federal court in Manhattan on December 19 to face charges that include conspiracy to provide material support to al-Shabab and possessing, carrying, and using firearms during and in relation to a crime of violence. Information on his lawyer wasn't immediately available. If convicted, Jones faces up to life in prison. An American commercial airline pilot has been arrested for trying to smuggle in nearly USD 200,000 in undeclared currency at a US airport shortly after arriving as a passenger on a flight from Mumbai. Anthony Warner, 55, of Dallas, Texas, was arrested at the Newark Liberty International Airport by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations. He is charged by complaint with one count of bulk cash smuggling and one count of making false statements. Authorities did not give details of the flight he was on. He made his initial appearance before US Magistrate Judge Steven C Mannion and was released on USD 100,000 bond. The cash wrapped in currency was recovered from a laptop-style bag that he was carrying. He also had 10 rings, four sets of earrings, and other assorted jewelry of undetermined value. Warner's possession of currency was contrary to the statements in his customs declaration and verbal statements that he made to CBP, the Department of Justice said. Count One of the complaint carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years and a fine of USD 250,000. Count two of the complaint, bulk cash smuggling, carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years and forfeiture of all property involved in the offense. Former chairman of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) Vipul Chaudhary, disqualified by the state government from contesting cooperative societies elections, has approached the Gujarat High Court to set aside that order. He claimed that the state government's order was "illegal" and "unconstitutional". In the petition, filed yesterday, which came up for hearing before Justice C L Soni today, Chaudhary challenged the order passed by the state Registrar of Cooperative Societies in December last year. Through the order, Chaudhary has been barred from holding any position in any cooperative society as well as from contesting polls in such societies for a period of six years. In his petition, Chaudhary, who has been elected as the chairman of Mehsana-based Dudhsagar dairy a week back, also alleged that the order has been issued by the Registrar at the behest of Gujarat government out of grudge and malice, which is the violation of Article 14 of the Constitution. Since the order will come into effect after one month of issuance as per the Supreme Court directive, Chaudhary may have to step down as chairman of Dudhsagar dairy on January 16. During the hearing today, Chaudhary cited that the current order does not stand legal scrutiny as the matter is still pending in the Supreme Court and an interim order was also passed (by the apex court) in his favour in March last year. Chaudhary has further alleged that principles of natural justice was not followed by issuing the order as he was not given any chance to explain the charges for which he was disqualified and barred for six years. In reply, appearing for the state, Additional Advocate General Prakash Jani argued that the order is legal and valid. Government urged the court that his petition should be dismissed as the alternate remedy of filing an appeal with government is still available with him. Further hearing on the petition is expected to continue tomorrow. In 2014, Chaudhary has been first sacked as chairman of GCMMF, which markets its dairy products under Amul brand name. Later in March last year, he was sacked as chairman of Dudhsagar dairy on charges of irregularities. The recent H1B visa fee hike by the US is not a "big concern" and TCS will use its resource deployment model to mitigate the impact, the country's largest software services company said today. Talking to reporters, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) CEO and Managing Director N Chandrasekaran said the visa fee hike is more of a cost issue than a revenue issue. "We have an idea about what the impact will be, based on the trend, but we need to see going forward our resource deployment model to mitigate some of that. So, we have got multiple options, I would not overly write that as a big concern," he added. Chandrasekaran said while the hike has cost implications for companies of a certain size and scale, but its not a big issue. The US, under under the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, has imposed a special fee of USD 4,000 on certain categories of H-1B visas and USD 4,500 on L-1 visas. Almost all Indian IT companies would pay between USD 8,000 and USD 10,000 per H-1B visa from April 1, when the next annual H-1B visa filing session starts, thus making it quite economically unsustainable for them. A series of other fee has also been added in the H-1B visa application over the past one decade. Notably, the original H-1B visa application fee is USD 325. India has been in talks with the US in this regard. According to Indian IT body Nasscom, this is expected to have an impact of about USD 400 million annually on India's technology sector. Indian technology industry paid USD 22.5 billion in taxes during the financial years 2011-15, besides investing USD 2 billion in FY 2011-13 in the US as well as supported 4,11,000 jobs in FY2015 directly or indirectly, according to a Nasscom report. "I think fundamentally I have always maintained that till job growth happens in all markets, you will see certain protectionist tendencies in different markets," Chandrasekaran said. He further said: "The visa fee hike is more of a cost issue than a revenue issue and it depends on how many visas we use and how much work we do offshore etc. UN agency World Food Programme (WFP) today signed a 'letter of intent' with India for setting up of a centre of excellence on food in the national capital. This is the first centre WFP has proposed to establish in Asia. It has already set up one in Brazil. WFP's Executive Director Ertharin Cousin and Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan signed the letter of intent here today. The structure, mandate and budget for the centre will be finalised by October-end, a senior Food Ministry official said after the meeting. The main objective of the centre is that it will collate the best practices followed to ensure efficient procurement, distribution and storage, among others, within India, the official added. Currently, WFP is working in a few states like Odisha and Kerala to learn whether installation of point-of-sale devices at ration shops has benefited or not as part of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with the Agriculture Ministry. The White House has assured American-Sikhs of their safety and security in view of the increasing threats and hate crimes against the community members in the recent past. In a rare gesture, Melissa Rogers, Special Assistant to President Barack Obama and head of the Office of Faith Based and Neighbourhood Partnerships office of the White House, visited a Gurdwara in Maryland to deliver the message of reassurance from the President. Asserting that the US Government's stand with Sikhs in America, Rogers also expressed empathy with the Sikh community over the recent incidents of violence against Sikhs and a reported case of vandalism at Los Angeles Gurdwara, a media release said. "I want to offer our deepest condolences for some recent violence and attacks against Sikhs and Sikh institutions. These reports are of tremendous concern to us as we they are to you. We feel a deep sense of loss for victims of these crimes," Rogers said in her address to the community at the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation (GGSF) Gurdwara. "When these kinds of things happen there is kind of deep sense of violation and anxiety. We want you to know that we stand by with you during these challenging times," she said. Rogers said such incidents not only cause a great grief among the people who are being attacked and the communities mostly associated with it, but they also threaten all as America draws its strength from the diversity of its people. "We want you to know that we stand by you and we will continue to work until we stamp these incidents out. Like you we believe that attack on any faith is an attack is an attack on every faith," Rogers said. "It is essential that all faith communities here and all over the world stand against hate motivated violence. We will continue to stand with you and we will continue to work to ensure that security and your civil constitutional rights are protected," she added. "Sikh community has shown tremendous resilience in face of challenges and I am confident that you will triumph and we will be there with you to triumph over the current challenges that we face together," Rogers said in her remarks. She was presented with a 'siropa' and a book on the Sikh scriptures. The White House has said President Barack Obama would not meet with close ally King Abdullah of Jordan -- who is currently in Washington -- because of scheduling problems. "The president regrets that he is unable to meet with him personally on this visit due to scheduling conflicts, including the State of the Union address," a White House spokesperson said. Today, Obama will deliver his final annual address to a joint session of Congress, a set piece of the US political calendar. The White House and Jordanian officials said Abdullah would instead meet with Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday. He met with Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday. Kerry and Abdullah discussed the fight against the Islamic State and "efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations," a diplomat said. Abdullah also met with Defense Secretary Ash Carter, who expressed his "deep appreciation... For Jordan's continued contributions to regional counter-ISIL efforts," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said. He was referring to the self-proclaimed Islamic State group, which has seized large chunks of territory in Iraq and Syria and declared a caliphate ruled in accordance with Islamic law, or sharia. Obama "looks forward to the opportunity to meet with His Majesty in the near future," the White House official said. Obama and Abdullah last met in Washington almost a year ago. Since then, the fight against IS has intensified and efforts to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have ossified. Delhi Police have registered a case against a woman doctor who allegedly made a "hoax call" claiming presence of a person having "terrorist links" in a Dubai-bound aeroplane, delaying its departure from IGI Airport here yesterday. "It was a hoax call. A case has been registered under provisions of the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Civil Aviation Act. The caller is being questioned by the police," DCP (IGI Airport) D K Gupta said today. From preliminary investigation, it appears that the caller, a female doctor based in south Delhi, had some personal enmity with the Aligarh-based individual who she claimed had terror links. "We have asked for voice samples from the Mumbai call centre of the concerned airways, which had received the hoax call. The samples, along with the call records of the caller, will be used as evidence in the case," said an official privy to the investigation. Yesterday, security agencies deployed at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport here hauled up the authorities of a gulf carrier for an over three hours delay in informing them about a call that claimed a person travelling to Dubai had "terrorist" links. Following the incident, the security threat assessment committee, comprising authorities of the airport security, Delhi police, CISF, Intelligence Bureau, immigration and counter-terror forces, raised concerns over the confusion prevailing between various stakeholders for filing a police FIR in this case. Officials said that the security control room at the airport here received a call at about 9:00 AM from the Mumbai office of a gulf carrier that its staff has been informed by a lady that a person travelling to Dubai from Delhi in the said airline had "terrorist links". While the call centre of the said airline received the call at 5:30 AM, the agencies at IGIA were informed about it only after over three hours at 9:00 AM, officials said. A Delhi court has acquitted a man of charges of rape and intimidation of a married woman after it found that she had lodged a false complaint against him by giving a concocted version at the instance of her husband and parents. Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Virender Bhatt acquitted Haryana resident Balinder, his father Ramphal, his uncle Suresh Kumar and his maternal grandfather Veerbhan of the charges offences under section 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation), 109/34 (abetment with common intention) of IPC. "The evidence on record clearly reveals that the victim has lodged a false complaint against the accused giving a concocted version, probably at the instance of her husband and her parents. "What actually had happened is that she was not happy with her husband who used to beat her regularly, developed friendship with accused Balinder, eloped with him to Chandigarh where they solemnized marriage and she was staying happily with him," the ASJ said. Relying on the statements of witnesses, the court said that despite being brought from a village in Haryana where she had gone after eloping with Balinder, she did not lose her love and affection for the accused and wanted to stay with him and accordingly, eloped with him again in September, 2013. The court also took into account a village panchayat note in which it was stated that the woman was not willing to go back with her parents and husband and wanted to stay with the accused but was allowed to go after they submitted an undertaking to take her entire responsiblity. "Therefore, it is further evident that the prosecutrix was not happy with either her husband or her parents and did not want to go and stay with either of them. She wanted to stay with accused Balinder as she was living happily with him. This conduct of the prosecutrix completely trashes the prosecution case," the court said. According to prosecution, accused Balinder while residing in Delhi befriended the husband of the woman and one day he had visited her house and committed rape upon her and made an obscene video. The police in its charge sheet said Balinder had also taken her to Chandigarh where again he raped her after which she was taken to his native village in Haryana. She was later brought back from the village by her parents and husband. None of the post mortems of the Pathankot attack seem to agree with each other. Variously they blame the Army, the Air Force, the NSG commandos, and the National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. While allocation of blame is an important part of fixing the system, the problem in India usually is that blame fixing substitutes for concrete institutional fixes. It is important therefore to understand the tactical and strategic shortcomings that culminated in the Pathankot attack. The Tactical The first thing that becomes apparent is we do not have a well drilled reflexive response to major terror events. Consider how many of the shortcomings of Mumbai on 26/11/2008 have still not been overcome even 8 years later. Indias response to the Mumbai attacks was a clumsy mix of confused command chains, jurisdictional and territorial disputes, and multiple counter terrorism or law enforcement outfits unable to coordinate with each other, with different operating procedures, inadequate equipment and inadequate training. Indias response to the Pathankot attacks seem to have fixed some of these shortcomings but not all. Clearly in this particular case, the turf and jurisdictional rivalries that bogged down the Mumbai response do not seemed to have played out operationally seemingly because of a powerful NSA taking charge of the situation. Consequently, these turf battles had to be fought out in the press through anonymous sources blaming everyone else except themselves. However this still leaves us with the reality of a deeply dysfunctional system that was able to gather its wits and fight back purely because of one person at the top, rather than because it had morphed into a well-heeled, comprehensive and reflexive system that should have happened after Mumbai. The problem then in blaming the NSA for botching up the operation, assumes that it would have gone smoothly had it not been for his meddling, ignoring the fact that there seems to have been almost no improvement in equipment, training or coordination since 26/11. For example what exactly was the NSA meant to do or how was he responsible for Airbase security not getting its act together even when advance warning of the attack had been given, but not adequately absorbed? Blaming the NSA for not fixing that situation in the one and half years he has been in office, rests on more solid ground. The problem in India seems to be we do not follow the dictum of train as you fight and fight as you train. Consequently training exercises tend to be staged exercises with almost no variables - much like a mediaeval joust between horseback knights. These highly artificial and contrived scenarios have their utility further eroded when they are practiced as stand alones instead of being full-fledged multi agency exercises they should be. The second problem seems specific to the air force in that we have not seemed to have asked ourselves the difficult questions regarding Air Base security. The Americans learnt this at a very high cost during the Tet offensive in Vietnam where insurgent attacks inflicted heavy damage on air force attacks. The fact remains that to this day our Air Force has not conducted large scale simulation exercises of an insurgent attack on air bases and working out the multiple vulnerabilities. Further the fact that 3 high beam spotlights that should have focussed on the periphery of the air base were turned away from their target is an indication of the laxity with which such improbables are treated. This begs a far more serious question that of the security of our nuclear stockpile. Group think is that a terrorist attack on our nuclear assets are improbable leading to laxity, we have scant to no evidence of realistic simulated nuclear installation defence exercise, ample evidence of turf and jurisdictional battles on the periphery defence of these installations. The Pathankot attacks simply prove murphys law that if things can go wrong they will, and with our base defences be it air or nuclear there are more unanswered questions and disheartening evidence to prove that all is clearly not well. The Strategic The assumption that General Raheel Sharif was on board the peace process was the biggest intelligence failure that was exposed by the Pathankot operation. This was a combination of many factors including a) inadequate penetration of the Pakistan high command by our intelligence, b) internal reports being unduly influence by a self-reinforcing press that only saw the signs it wanted to and c) Deliberate disinformation. The last the campaign of disinformation wasnt just from Pakistan but also from the Americans. A few months back a senior US official on a visit to India talking to young security professionals stated unambiguously that Raheel wants peace, he is both Seedha (straight) and Sharif (decent). The signs if anyone bothered to see were writ large. Raheel Sharif visited DC in early 2015 he reportedly in private meetings equated normalisation with India to surrender on Kashmir. While this meeting and its contents are unverified, he made the exact same remarks to the UK Staff College in London in October 2015. The author has confirmed the contents of this speech through several sources present in the auditorium at the time an audience which included 3 Indian serving military officers who either did not understand or report the significance of such a statement. If they did, it was clearly lost in the system. To its credit it was again US scholars that saw and predicted signs of a JEM attack in August 2015. Dr Christine Fair writing in India today had explained that Pakistans operation Zarb-E-Azb was in effect the platform for a ghar wapsi of JEM cadres weaned back from the Pakistani Taliban. The effect of this was that stabilising Pakistans internal security, is fundamentally dependent on turning these Jihadis outwards and undermining the internal stability of Afghanistan or India. Sadly this is a zero sum equation one that our own intelligence failed to pick up on. Conclusion It is now imperative that we do not get bogged down in nit-picking and settling organisational scores. The Americans unlearnt the lessons of 1968 Vietnam and relearnt it at great cost in Afghanistan and Iraq in the 2000s. Indias imperatives have to be similarly clear the counter terrorism infrastructure has to be changed from a personality based system to a more institutionalised system. The dangerously contrived simulations our security services enact need to be replaced with a clear fight as you train and train as you fight philosophy. And finally we cannot have a self-reinforcing public opinion based approach to intelligence analysis. Abhijit Iyer-Mitra is an independent defence analyst. He has coordinated the National Security at the Observer Research Foundation & been visiting fellow at Sandia National Laboratories and the Stimson Centre. He writes about defence policy, technology & defence cooperation on his blog, Tarkash, a part of Business Standard's platform, Punditry. Abhijit tweets as @abhijit_iyer An unintended consequence of Delhis odd/even rule is that I finally have a good excuse to stay in and write a piece this even numbered day as my odd numbered car rests outside, exposed to the road dust. In fact, as it happens, this piece is about unintended consequences. In a display of the post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy, the Delhi CM and commentators in the media called the odd/even rule a success as there apparently was good compliance on Delhis roads on the first day itself, even as I was still in bed in the a.m. of the 1st of January. There was believably no congestion around that time. If you instead demand that the success of odd/even be measured by PM2.5 levels measured on Delhis streets, there was chatter of lower PM2.5 levels in the afternoon compared to the morning. Never mind the fact that particulate matter settles down in the cold, and the heat from the sun thins out the air as the day progresses. In the following days, particulate pollution levels remained critically high. When it did clear for a day on Saturday the 9th it was due to the prevailing wind conditions. As the theatrics of odd/even play out, we must look at the very heart of the issue: unrepresentative pricing of goods due to the unintended consequences of their use. The prices of goods are determined by supply and demand what it costs the producer to make that good, and what consumers are willing to pay for these goods. However, what if the use of these goods imposed costs or benefits on third parties which have no say in the transaction between the producer and consumer? These costs or benefits are the unintended consequences that are referred to as externalities. The textbook example of an externality is a steel factory releasing waste water into a lake while producing much needed steel, killing its fish and thereby impacting the local fishing industry. A more pertinent example in this case is the use of fossil fuels, the burning of which releases pollutants, both chemical compounds as well as a particulate matter. In particular, the price of diesel and indeed diesel vehicles may cover the costs of producing it as well as the value consumers are willing to pay to use it, but it does not reflect the health and climate change adaptation costs they impose on the society at large. While there are other theories and policy options* that deal with externalities, the preferred choice by several economists to overcome this problem of unrepresentative pricing are Pigouvian taxes. These taxes are named after English economist Arthur Cecil Pigou, who proposed taxes on goods to internalise costs imposed on third parties. A tax on carbon emissions is one such Pigouvian tax. Proponents of free markets need not despair: such taxes tackle market failures, which our economies are replete with at the moment. Pigouvian taxes can be more market friendly than imaginary small government utopias. You dont have to take my word for it: even the mothership of economic liberalism The Economist magazine has long advocated Pigouvian taxes on carbon. The result of such taxes would be the better organisation of the economy: for instance, people may perhaps locate themselves close to their places of work, solar electricity may become cheaper than coal, diesel gensets may be replaced by cleaner batteries, people may buy fewer SUVs for city use (which are as necessary as the ay in okay), manufacturing linkages would be more rational, those responsible for poor public health will pay for it, and so on. To its credit, the government has introduced a small Green Tax on coal, which it plans to increase over time. However, the tax is too little to account for the damages caused by the industry, as I discussed in a previous piece. While existing taxes on petroleum products also act as de facto carbon taxes, they simply tax the volume consumed and do not incorporate the intensities of emissions. In the United States, economist Greg Mankiw formed something called the Pigou Club, which includes prominent policymakers and influencers. The informal club doesnt really meet, but members are on board the idea that externalities must be internalised, that people must pay for the social costs they impose. The club includes Michael Bloomberg, Tyler Cowen, Thomas Friedman, Bill Gates, Al Gore, Paul Krugman, Elon Musk, Jeffery Sachs and Joseph Stiglitz. India also needs its own Pigou Club. Perhaps Raghuram Rajan, Chanda Kochhar, Kaushik Basu, Azim Premji, Piyush Goyal, Abhijit Banerjee, PB Mehta and others could meet and discuss the applicability of this in Indias context (possibly on Sunday to avoid being hassled by the odd/even rule). In particular, they will need consensus on one of the trickiest (and most criticised) aspect of Pigouvian taxes: the accounting of external costs and benefits. Externalities can be negative as well as positive, and measuring the extent and incidence of each can prove to be a fools errand. For this reason, a simplified tax (or subsidy) to discourage (or encourage) certain activities with obvious and grave externalities could be considered. In other words, target behavioural change rather than a complete accounting of all externalities. In the context of Delhis crisis, perhaps a mix of a tax on PM2.5 emissions, along with a subsidy to bury (instead of burn) agricultural waste could be pursued. Such accounting for externalities may not provide immediate relief, but it will contribute to the rationalisation of the economy that is necessary. In the meanwhile, we can keep experimenting with placebos like the even/odd rule. *The other popular solution comes from Ronald Coase, whose seminal work was built on a critique of older prescriptions for externalities including that by Pigou. He showed how market economics could tackle externalities, at least in theory, by assigning property rights to parties. However, in practice, cap and trade solutions based on Coases work are fraught with problems and have also not proven to be universally successful. Very interestingly, even the very creator of the cap and trade programme now prefers the Pigouvian solution over the Coasian one. Siddharth Singh is the Area Convenor of the Centre for Research on Energy Security at The Energy and Resources Institute, Delhi. Views are personal. He writes about Energy Security & Energy Economics on his blog, The Energy Factor, a part of Business Standards platform, Punditry. He tweets as @siddharth3 Email: s_singh@outlook.com (Reuters) - E-commerce startup ShopClues.com raised funds in a new round that values the company at more than $1.1 billion, propelling it into the growing ranks of Indian unicorns. ShopClues did not disclose the amount, but local media reports said the company had raised as much as $140 million. The company said it expects the funding will be the last round before it becomes profitable and an eventual initial public offering in 2017. ShopClues, founded in 2011, is targeting profitability in the first half of 2017. The Series E funding round is being led by Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC, while existing investors including Tiger Global Management and Nexus Venture Partners participated, the company said on Tuesday. The company's gross merchandise volumes (GMV), a measure of value of goods and services sold, has grown over four times since January 2015. The e-commerce market in India is expected to grow to $220 billion in the value of goods sold by 2025, up from an expected $11 billion in 2015, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said in a recent report. (Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila) By Catherine Ngai NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil slid to within pennies of $30 a barrel on Tuesday, extending a relentless selloff that has wiped almost 20 percent off prices this year amid deepening concerns about fragile Chinese demand and the absence of output restraint. With prices dropping another 4 percent for a seventh day of losses, traders have all but given up attempting to predict where the new-year rout will end, with momentum-driven dealing and overwhelmingly bearish sentiment engulfing the market. Some analysts warned of $20 a barrel; Standard Chartered said fund selling may not relent until it reaches $10. By Tuesday, the crash had become almost self-fulfilling, with speculators too afraid to buy for fear of being burnt by another false bottom in the latest leg of an 18-month slump. "The momentum is too strong to the bearish side, even if fundamentally nothing has changed," said Dominick Chirichella, a senior partner at Energy Management Institute. With prices now below break-even costs for many producers, particularly in the once-thriving U.S. shale patch, and the costly Canadian oil sands producers barely making $15 a barrel, an extended slump has caused financial pain to flare across the world, threatening corporate bankruptcies and fiscal strain. Benchmark Brent crude had fallen $1.06 to $30.49 a barrel, for a 3.4 percent loss, by 1:10PM EST (18:10 GMT) after hitting a low of $30.40. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude(WTI) fell $1.27 to $30.14 per barrel, a 4.0 percent loss, after touching a low of $30.06, which was last seen in December 2003. Prices firmed early in the day after a deadly suicide bombing rocked central Istanbul, and Nigeria's oil minister said a "couple" of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries members had requested an emergency meeting. But they then nosedived anew after the United Arab Emirates oil minister quashed talk of a possible meeting, saying the group strategy was working. OPEC has rejected calls by some of its members to curb output, opting instead to pump full throttle to defend market share rather than shore up prices. Oil has tumbled more than 18 percent this year alone, the worst seven-day run since the financial crisis. The long list of negative factors also includes the weakening economy and ailing stock market of No. 2 consumer China, the rising U.S. dollar, which makes oil more costly, and the surprising resilience of U.S. shale drillers in the face of the price slide. Adding to supply fears, Iraq, the second-biggest OPEC producer, plans to export a record of around 3.63 million barrels per day in February, said trade sources. (Additional reporting by Simon Falush in London, Henning Gloystein in Singapore and Aaron Sheldrick in Tokyo; editing by Jason Neely and Alden Bentley) By Himank Sharma MUMBAI (Reuters) - Tata Consultancy Services Ltd is eyeing acquisitions in Europe as well as healthcare technology companies in the U.S. to boost growth, its chief executive said on Tuesday, as India's largest IT services exporter post a 12-percent rise in quarterly profit. India's export-driven outsourcing firms are betting on U.S. healthcare reform to fire up revenue growth which is slowing as the $150 billion industry's key financial and manufacturing clients spend less on software services. The United States is the biggest market for the country's outsourcing industry, which is dominated by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys and Wipro. It also accounts for 90 percent of all healthcare related contracts for Indian IT outsourcing firms. "We've said U.S. healthcare is important to us and we've also said Europe as a market is important to us from an acquisition point of view," said TCS Chief Executive Officer N. Chandrasekaran. TCS has joined the bidding process for Perot Systems, an IT management business of Dell Inc, people familiar with the matter told last week. Perot Systems is major provider of IT consulting to hospitals and government departments. Chandrasekaran declined to comment on the matter on Tuesday. TCS, part of India's diversified Tata conglomerate, posted a net profit of 61.1 billion rupees ($914 million) in the quarter ended December, up from 54.4 billion rupees reported a year ago. Analysts were expecting a profit of 59.97 billion rupees in the three month period ended Dec. 31. In the December quarter, the company's revenue in dollars, a key indicator of demand as it makes more than half of its sales in the United States, fell 0.3 percent from the preceeding quarter to $4.1 billion, disappointing some investors. TCS said that the company faced some headwinds mainly due to U.S. holidays during the quarter worsened by heavy flooding in the southern Chennai city, where is employs 65,000 people, roughly a fifth of its total workforce. The U.S. Congress last month doubled the cost of sponsoring workers under short-term visas, and spurred concerns of future curbs on IT work sent overseas by U.S. companies. Indian outsourcing firms, which send thousands of staff every year to work at client locations overseas, are likely to raise client fees and process more work from their low-cost centres in India to cushion the impact of the increase. "We have an idea how much the impact would be based on trends, but we need to see going forward our resources deployment model," Chandrasekaran said. "We have multiple options, I wouldn't overly raise a big concern on that." ($1 = 66.8618 Indian rupees) (Reporting by Himank Sharma; Writing by Sumeet Chatterjee; Editing by Keith Weir) Oil fell briefly below the widely-watched $30-per-barrel level on Tuesday, extending a selloff that has sliced almost 20% off prices this year amid deepening concerns about fragile Chinese demand and the absence of output restraint. Prices settled down 3%, a seventh straight daily decline for oil. Traders have all but given up attempting to predict where the new-year rout will end, with momentum-driven dealing and overwhelmingly bearish sentiment engulfing the market. Some analysts warned of $20 a barrel; Standard Chartered said fund selling may not relent until it reaches $10. By Tuesday, the crash had become almost self-fulfilling, with speculators too afraid to buy for fear of being burned by another false bottom. The slide appeared to first accelerate when it broke below the $32 area around 9 a.m. US East Coast time. The $30 mark is both a psychological and financial threshold. In recent days, traders have poured money into $30 put options for expiration in February and March. Hedging activity usually picks up as oil prices near a big options level, as buyers and sellers defend their interests. More than 15,000 contracts traded on Tuesday and 18,000 contracts traded on Monday for the February contract, more than doubling Friday's volumes. US West Texas Intermediate crude(WTI) fell 97 cents to settle at $30.44 a barrel, a 3.1% loss, after touching a low of $29.93, which was last seen in December 2003. "The momentum is too strong to the bearish side, even if fundamentally nothing has changed," said Dominick Chirichella, a senior partner at Management Institute. With prices now below break-even costs for many producers, particularly in the once-thriving US shale patch, and the costly Canadian oil sands producers barely making $15 a barrel, an extended slump has caused financial pain to flare across the world, threatening corporate bankruptcies and fiscal strain. Benchmark Brent crude fell 69 cents settle at $30.86, after bottoming at $30.34. Prices firmed early in the day after a deadly suicide bombing rocked central Istanbul and Nigeria's oil minister said a couple of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries members had requested an emergency meeting. But they then nosedived anew after the United Arab Emirates oil minister quashed talk of a possible meeting, saying the group strategy was working. OPEC has rejected calls by some of its members to curb output, opting instead to pump full throttle to defend market share rather than shore up prices. Oil has tumbled more nearly 17% this year alone, the worst seven-day run since the financial crisis. The long list of negative factors also includes the weakening economy and ailing stock market of No. 2 consumer China, the rising U.S. dollar, which makes oil more costly, and the surprising resilience of US shale drillers in the face of the price slide. Adding to supply fears, Iraq, the second-biggest OPEC producer, plans to export a record of around 3.63 million barrels per day in February, trade sources said. International oil companies appear to be taking a hit from low prices. BP, which has seen its stock price fall by nearly 9 percent this year, announced plans on Tuesday to cut at least 4,000 jobs in the face of oil's sustained declines. Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil meanwhile have seen their stock decline by 11 and 4% respectively. After futures settled, data from the American Petroleum Institute showed US crude stocks unexpectedly fell 3.9 million barrels last week as Cushing, Oklahoma, stocks dropped by 302,000 barrels. Both Brent and US crude pared losses, rising some 30 cents in the few minutes on the release of the data. Companies operating in the power sector have made a strong case for the inclusion of power, coal and natural gas in the goods & services tax (GST) regime to subsume multiple taxes and thereby reduce the cost of power projects and the per-unit tariff. They say the power transmission & distribution (T&D) sector should be granted the infrastructure industry status and that all related tax benefits available to other infrastructure sectors be given to this sector as well.In the run-up to the Budget 2016-17, industry representatives said even though generation is exempt from CENVAT, excise and value-added tax, taxes on power generation equipment and other inputs remain embedded in the cost of power. The overall impact of present taxation regime at both Central and state levels leads to higher price of power.Ashok Khurana, director-general of Association of Power Producers, explained that taxes on domestic coal are at 27-28 per cent while on domestic natural gas it is at 19 per cent. This apart, service tax is levied at 14.5 per cent on input service availed such as engineering, procurement and construction; operation and maintenance services; and electricity duty is levied at one per cent of cost of generation and 17-20 per cent across states on consumption of power. "It is estimated that a GST rate of 18 per cent for the power sector could result in 15-20 per cent reduction in retail tariff. Further, a cut in power cost will also improve payment by end-consumers and reduce incentive for theft and losses. This will also help distribution utilities to reduce their problem of revenue deficit," said Khurana.According to Vimal Kejriwal, managing director and chief executive of KEC International, there will be no difference between inter and intra states with the launch of GST and the benefit of availing central sales tax will be done away with. This is expected to result in lesser movement of goods, thereby reducing logistics costs. The government should not put electricity in the exempted category of goods under GST regime so that the cascading impact and burden of tax will not be there on the ultimate consumers of electricity. In view of the depreciation of the yuan, Kejriwal observed that Chinese exports have become relatively cheaper, causing a lot of stress as they directly impact Indian exports. He suggested that the government should increase export incentives or reduce import duties on raw materials. Reliance Power spokesperson hoped that the inclusion of power and coal sectors in GST regime will result in lowering of bulk power, retail tariff and support the Make In India initiative. He suggested that the government should announce extension of e bid LNG scheme by another rive years on the back of lower crude prices, extend Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) scheme to private owned discoms. He said that the government should announce concrete steps to implement recommendations of the Kelkar Committee on PPPs and give momentum in infrastructure sector. Further, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India partner (consulting) Debasish Mishra said the government in the ensuing budget must ensure that there are no hindrances to the ambitious target of achieving 175 Gw of renewable energy (RE) capacity by 2022. Impact of GST should not increase in the capital costs in RE sector. "Government's focus in 2016 would remain on proper implementation of the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) scheme for a sustainable turnaround of the distribution utilities and hence the financial health of the power sector. All other initiatives in power sector depends upon the success of this," he noted. Novartis ties up with Surface Oncology to grow immuno-oncology pipeline Agreement gives Novartis access to four pre-clinical programs that target regulatory T cell populations, inhibitory cytokines, and immunosuppressive metabolites in the tumour microenvironment Agreement gives Novartis access to four pre-clinical programs that target regulatory T cell populations, inhibitory cytokines, and immunosuppressive metabolites in the tumour microenvironment Giving a boost to its diverse and deep immuno-oncology pipeline, Novartis has formed a strategic alliance and licensing agreement with Surface Oncology. The agreement gives Novartis access to four pre-clinical programs that target regulatory T cell populations, inhibitory cytokines, and immunosuppressive metabolites in the tumour microenvironment. These programs will be explored as monotherapies and in combination with other complementary therapies in Novartis' immuno-oncology and targeted therapy portfolios. We have several programs now in the clinic that aggressively address the complexities of the tumour microenvironment. This alliance with Surface Oncology is another building block in our strategy to develop a portfolio of programs that we believe will lead the next wave of immuno-oncology medicines, said Mark Fishman, president of the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research. At the start of 2015 Novartis launched a new immuno-oncology research team led by cancer vaccine pioneer Glenn Dranoff. In a short period of time, this team has rapidly built a broad portfolio of clinical and pre-clinical programs focused on stimulating the bodys immune system to combat cancers through targeting critical regulatory steps in the anti-tumour immune response. Today, the companys immuno-oncology portfolio includes novel checkpoint inhibitors, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CART) technology, myeloid cell targeting agents, the T cell stimulating factor IL-15, STING agonists that enhance immune recognition of cancers, and adenosine receptor antagonists and TGF-beta blocking antibodies that overcome immunosuppression in the tumour microenvironment. This rich immuno-oncology pipeline together with a deep targeted therapy portfolio provides Novartis with the opportunity to attack cancer in powerful and complementary ways: through enhancing immune-mediated tumour destruction and promoting direct tumour cell killing. Together, these synergistic approaches may accomplish more durable clinical benefits for a larger proportion of cancer patients. BS B2B Bureau The 'Make in India' campaign is attracting foreign investors, including mobile phone firms and aviation giants. Indian and Chinese mobile phone industry players, including Micromax and Foxconn, will participate in the 'Make in India' campaign and look for partnerships to set up mobile handset and component manufacturing facilities in the country. As many as 107 mobile phone industry players of India and China, including Micromax and Foxconn, will participate in the 'Make in India' campaign. Deliberations will take place at the first China-India Mobile Phone and Component Manufacturing Summit on January 13, Deki Electronics Limited managing director Vinod Sharma, also a representative of Electronic Industries Association of India, told reporters in Bengaluru on Monday. Major Chinese players like Techno, Gionee, Coolpad, Vivo, ZTE, Meizu and Huawei are expected to be part of the entourage, Sharma said. Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin said that it is encouraged about the recent liberalisation of India's foreign direct investment (FDI) policy in the sector and looking at increasing investment in the country. At the CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam, Phil Shaw, chief executive officer, Lockheed Martin India, said that the 'Make in India' initiative will help in boosting manufacturing in the country. Airbus Group has appointed Ashish Saraf as vice-president for industry development, strategic partnerships and offsets and he will drive the Group's existing 'Make in India' initiatives. Morgan McKinley have released their 2016 Irish Salary & Benefits Guide today. Life Science, Engineering, ICT and Financial Services sectors will be the professional talent most in-demand. Furthermore, supporting services such as Accounting, Human Resources and Customer Service & Sales with multilingual experience will continue to be sought after in 2016. The guide predicts that salary increases this year are likely to be in the region of 10% on average, rising to 15-20% for specialist positions where there is skills shortages. Morgan McKinley believe that more Irish emigrants are expected to return home in 2016, primarily from Australia, Canada and UAE. They indicate that the record jobs growth last year has increased the confidence of those considering a return, particularly those with young families. The strength of the regional jobs market is also driving interest from Irish considering a return, they are attracted by the lower living costs outside of the urban centres of Dublin and Cork. Chief Operations Officer with Morgan McKinley, Karen OFlaherty commented, "We are anticipating on average a 10% increase in salary levels this year and would caution restraint in this area. Inward investment is dependent on the ability to attract top talent and to be cost competitive. "Where demand for talent is high we continue to trend a much lower salary differential between Dublin and the regions, particularly in the areas of Life Science, Pharmaceutical, Engineering and ICT. "More generally, candidates with strong technical skills across all disciplines are becoming the norm as technology infiltrates all sectors." Source: www.businessworld.ie It was announced yesterday that the head of UTV Ireland, Mary Curtis, has stepped down after 18 months working for the station and only a year since it was launched in January 2015. Mary Curtis is the third high-profile departure from UTV Ireland in a troubled 12-month period in which the station is expected to lose 13m. In October, UTV Ireland Live presenter, Chris Donoghue, left his role as co-anchor of the programme and this was followed by the shock departure of Pat Kenny from the station after his series In the round was not renewed. UTV Ireland is part of the sale of UTV Television to ITV for 100m which is due to complete in the first quarter. It is understood that Michael Wilson, managing director of UTV Television, will oversee the management team after Curtis departs in early February. Source: www.businessworld.ie A 28 million investment in research equipment and facilities through Science Foundation Ireland was announced today. The announcement was made by the Minister for Jobs, Richard Burton, together with the Minister for Research, Innovation and Skills, Damien English. A total of 21 research projects will be supported in sectors including applied geo-sciences, pharmaceutical manufacturing, bio-banking, marine renewable energy, internet of things, astronomy, big data and additive manufacturing using nano-materials. The funding was awarded following an international review of research groups where the research equipment and facilities are required to address major research opportunities and challenges; including partnerships with industry and /or international funders. It is hoped that this new funding will ensure that Irish researchers continue to be internationally competitive, with access to modern equipment and facilities which will enable them to be successful in securing future funding from leading companies and Europe, including Horizon 2020. Director General Science Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of Ireland, Prof. Mark Ferguson commented, "Ireland is increasingly becoming the location of choice for multinational companies to develop and test tomorrows technologies and this investment demonstrates our commitment and expanded ability to engage, discover and collaborate at all levels. "Science Foundation Ireland is delighted to support and drive Irelands science strategy, Innovation 2020, with the addition of key infrastructure to propel important research projects. Ultimately, this is about providing Irish researchers in strategic areas with the tools to be world leading." Source: www.businessworld.ie It was announced today that Dine in Dublin will be running from Monday the 22nd of February through Sunday the 28th this year. Over 50 restaurants in Dublin will be taking part this year. The line-up includes Dublin hot spots Pichet, San Lorenzo's, Saba, The Church, Fallon & Byrne, Zaragoza, Red Torch Ginger, Le Bon Crubeen and Flanagans to name but a few. CEO of DublinTown, Richard Guiney commented, "Dine in Dublin has established itself as a key annual culinary event in the Dublin calendar. For many Dubliners, as well as our visitors, it is an opportunity to sample the best cuisine that the city has to offer while also welcoming in the approaching spring." Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe added, " Dine in Dublin is a fantastic event that allows us celebrate all that is good about the Dublin culinary scene. "It is particularly rewarding to see how well visitors and those living in the capital get behind the initiative and come out to experience new places or enjoy old favourites." Source: www.businessworld.ie Failte Irelands annual tourism industry review took place yesterday. Their latest Barometer Survey shows that business sentiment across the tourism sector is now at levels not seen since the Celtic Tiger and expectations for the 2016 season are very upbeat with strong growth projected across all parts of the industry. Failte Ireland will be investing over 100m in capital funding over the next five years to support ongoing campaigns. Chairman Michael Cawley commented, "In 2015, driven by benign external factors and competitiveness at home, we experienced a record year for overseas visitors. However, I believe that further growth is yet to come as we deploy our new brand offerings to greater effect in helping Ireland to become more compelling as a holiday destination within an intensely competitive marketplace. "The Wild Atlantic Way has been a great success locally but its impact internationally remains quite modest. If awareness levels across key markets are increased appreciably over the next few years, then the true potential of the Wild Atlantic Way as a driver of tourism growth to the West of Ireland will be realised." Source: www.businessworld.ie Feeding Irelands Future 2016 has been launched today by the Tanaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton. The initiative was set up by the Irish food and grocery industry body to help support young unemployed people and will run from 29th February to 4th March, 2016. Irish companies will provide a range of initiatives including free on-site skills workshops and site visits for young people at locations across Ireland. The focus will be on developing pre-employment skills and will include advice on CV writing, interview training and behind the scenes tours of factories, depots and offices. Speaking at the launch, the Tanaiste said, "The Feeding Irelands Future Initiative has proven to be a huge success over each of the past two years. It has provided a unique opportunity for many young people to experience work in the food and grocery industry. "It has enabled young people who left school early with few qualifications and other school leavers who had significant qualifications but with no work experience, to gain skills on the shop floor that started their career path." Source: www.businessworld.ie It was announced today that PhoneWatch is to expand its operations in Ireland. The Irish provider of Home Security Systems will now provide its Smart Security System to the SME sector targeting smaller businesses and sole traders. Sixteen new jobs will be created with the appointment of a team of Business Development Managers across Ireland bringing total employment in PhoneWatch to over 300 people. Managing Director at PhoneWatch, Eoin Dunne said, "Weve over 25 years experience in the Irish security market and were now bringing that expertise to small businesses and sole traders throughout the country, weve developed an affordable solution to protect business premises from break-ins. "The PhoneWatch Smart Security System gives small business customers a complete solution including 24 hour monitoring, alarm sensors with built in cameras and the PhoneWatch Alarm App for Alarm Remote Access." Source: www.businessworld.ie SIPTU have announced that they are seeking an urgent meeting with the management of drinks manufacturer, C&C Group, to discuss a report that it intends to close its water-bottling plant in Borrisoleigh, County Tipperary in July. SIPTU were referring to a report which appeared in the Irish Times this morning SIPTU Organiser, Terry Bryan commented, "We have contacted the management of the company seeking an urgent meeting to discuss the veracity of a report in The Irish Times this morning that the company intends to close its water-bottling plant in Borrisoleigh, County Tipperary, during the summer. "The report also states that the company intends to make a further investment in its operations in Clonmel. The company has made no comment on either of these issues and the report has come as shock to our members. "Later today the SIPTU workplace committees in both the Borrisoleigh and Clonmel plants will meet with local management to discuss the situation. We intend to engage with senior management at the company as soon as possible to confirm its intentions and to ensure the interests of our members are respected." Source: www.businessworld.ie It was announced today that four-star Talbot Hotel Collection will be adding the Stonebridge building on Pauls Quay in Wexford town to its hotel portfolio. The building features 73-luxury apartments located less than 100 metres from the four-star family owned Talbot Hotel on Wexfords quayside. It will, according to the new owners, become a Talbot Hotel Collection Aparthotel. The expansive modern building situated on just over two acres in the centre of Wexford town also includes over 4,000 square metres of retail space along with an exquisitely refurbished six-storey former grain store listed building. The new aparthotel features a mixture of one, two and three bedroom apartments set out over 5 floors above a ground floor retail space, which is currently leased to TK Maxx. All of the apartments command extensive floor space from 70 square metres right up to the vast 180 square metre Penthouses. Each apartment features an ultra modern Italian style kitchen with the living areas commanding floor to ceiling windows offering the most spectacular sea views along the Quayside, a sky-high view of Wexford town and panoramic vistas of Mount Leinster. Two further retail buildings are also included in the sale, a three-storey at 89 South Main Street and a further building at Pierce Court. Owner of the Talbot Hotel Collection Cormac Pettitt said, "We are delighted to have purchased this fantastic development in the heart of Wexford town, it is a very exciting opportunity for the company. Our plans are to invest a further 2.5million to complete these luxury apartments and welcome guests by the middle of this year. "This is a major acquisition for the company and we are very much looking forward to bringing life back to this amazing development; the views alone are enough to make guests fall in love with Wexford town." The Talbot Hotel Collection currently employs more than 600 people at their Wexford, Carlow, Dublin and Cork hotels. It is thought that 20 new fulltime positions will be created at the aparthotel in Wexford and an additional 40 contract positions will also be created during the renovation phase of the building until the official opening in early summer 2016. Source: www.businessworld.ie It was announced today that pupils and students across 16 schools, colleges and further education centres will benefit from a new digital approach to learning introduced to Ireland by the Dublin & Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB). iTunes U provides user-friendly technology with a wide choice of options to suit the needs of a class. Courses on the app can vary in length and format depending on the needs of the learner. It allows users to access courses and notes at any time, receive course updates directly onto their iPads and submit assignments to their teacher and get direct feedback. An initial group of over 70 teachers in 16 centres of learning have undertaken professional training in to create, edit and manage entire courses for the iTunes U platform. They are also sharing their ongoing course work with each other. Furthermore, a library of iPads has been made available for the teachers to use. With resource materials prepared specially by iTunes U skilled teachers, students will be taught using a mix of traditional and digital means. CEO of the DDLETB, Paddy Lavelle commented, "Its going to be really interesting to see how students react to the initiative and the long term results iTunes U will impact on teachers and students." Up to 20 courses are planned for delivery through the DDLETB iTunes U site and these will be accessible throughout Ireland and the world. iTunes U also enables anyone to download free video and audio lectures from the worlds leading universities, including many in Ireland. Source: www.businessworld.ie LOGAN A judge has refused to release three people, two women and a man, suspected of stealing almost $11,000 worth of baby formula from stores throughout the area. Selford Velcu, Iolandaa Velcu and Elisabeta Zatreanu appeared separately in 1st District Court Monday morning with their attorney, Kevin Vander Werff and a Romanian interpreter. Each of them have been charged with one count of theft, a second-degree felony and multiple misdemeanors. Vander Werff asked the court to schedule a joint preliminary hearing for the three defendants. He said, they are reportedly attempting to seek asylum into the United States and have an immigration hearing scheduled for June, in California. Police arrested the three people during a traffic stop December 28, when officers noticed a white van that matched a vehicle seen driving after surveillance cameras caught them stealing formula from Lees Marketplace, December 4. Vander Werff asked the court to release the three suspects on bail, noting that Zatreanu is three-months pregnant. State prosecutor Jacob Gordon opposed the release, telling the court the suspects are in the country illegally and have no ties to the community. He said if the court granted them bail, they would never been seen again. Judge Thomas Willmore agreed with Gordon and ordered the three to remain in jail on a no bail status. He ordered the three to appear again January 20 for a preliminary hearing. Investigators are still working on the case and have recovered 466 cans of the formula, stolen from stores in Logan, Heber City and Park City.

will@cvradio.com The North Dakota Industrial Commission voted Monday to seize 800 barrels of illegally produced oil in what Department of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms said is believed to be a first for the regulatory panel. The commission denied an application by Denver-based Gadeco LLC to authorize the sale of the oil produced in Williams County. Helms said the oil came from a neighboring spacing unit on which Gadeco didnt have a lease. In its request to sell the oil, Gadeco wrote that the horizontal well was initially drilled Oct. 9, 2011, and as a result of error, a portion of the production casing for the well was drilled in the wrong place. They were ordered by the commission to cement that part of the well bore off, and instead they fracked it, Helms said, noting the well bore has since been plugged and abandoned. The order approved 3-0 on Monday deems the 800 barrels as illegal oil and triggers the process of going through district court to seize the oil and sell it at a sheriffs sale, with the proceeds going into the states general fund, Helms said. The oil is currently sitting in two 400-gallon tanks at the site. Helms said this may be only the second time the commission has labeled something as illegal oil, the first time being a case in the 1980s when a company was trucking oil from a North Dakota location to a Montana site and selling it from there. However, in that case, the oil was already gone, he said. Gadeco probably spent $8 million or $9 million on the well and got nothing for it, and will also lose out on proceeds from sale of the oil, Helms said. So this is a pretty expensive lesson, said Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, who sits on the commission with Gov. Jack Dalrymple and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring. (Reach Mike Nowatzki at (701) 255-5607 or by email at mnowatzki@forumcomm.com.) Toto and His Sisters: Between shadow and light Published on January 8, 2016 en fr es it de pl Alexander Nanau's latest film, Toto and His Sisters, coming soon to French cinemas, proves to be one of the must-sees of the new year. A surprising documentary which follows a trio of exceptional protagonists: Roma children lacking everything apart from character and vitality. In an impoverished suburb of Bucharest, Totonel aka Toto, a nine-year-old Roma boy, climbs up a wall to pick an apple. This short opening scene, catching a moment of mischievousness and pure innocence, will soon be swept away by a very different reality. At the same moment, Toto's two older sisters, Andrea and Ana, are giving a rundown apartment a good clean in preparation for their mother's return, who has been doing time for drug trafficking. Barely tidied up, the flat is quickly taken over by their uncles, heroin addicts, who make a mess and get stoned under the helpless gaze of the children whom they barely notice. At the margin Straddling the border between documentary and fiction, Alexander Nanau is firmly placed at the core of direct cinema - a type of documentary cinema born in the post-war years thanks to the lighter technology spreading at the time, which made possible a completely revolutionary approach. Small filming teams were able to move about more easily, following up from up close the course of events while at the same time remaining "invisible" around their chosen subjects. In the history of cinema this filming tradition - often openly activist in nature - has become a kind of methodology, a stance involving both a discreet and an omnipresent gaze. It is with this gaze that Nanau approached and mixed with the Roma community in Bucharest in search of a film commissioned by Strada Film. The German director decided to follow at length the daily life of these children who find themselves on the margin of society. It is by turning into a narrative that their lives take on exceptional features in the eyes of the viewers, who are disconcerted by a reality which is so moving, dynamic and changing that it seems staged. "Film yourselves for a year and you'll get a story," says Nanau. During his film, with its close-ups searching faces at length, the viewer gradually learns about the vulnerability as well as the strength of the lives unfolding on the screen. The director does not intervene (with the exception of his aesthetic choices and final editing), the narrative continuity stemming only from chance and the energy of these children seeking to escape their environment. Their emotions are not guided, rather, they come out naturally from Toto's and Andrea's awareness of the dramatic situation and their determination to live without their family. In the middle of the chaos lies the sun Alexander Nanau's direction transforms reality's raw material into a narrative of learning typical of a childhood drama. Toto goes through the gloomy daily life with force and determination, fighting against the world's darkness in the hope, despite everything, of living happily with his family. It is an unadulterated innocence against the harsh human reality. We only see society in the form of hooded police and judges whose faces remain off-camera. Invisible, it appears like a dehumanised, repressive force which marginalises the most disadvantaged by relegating them to an extreme poverty from which there is no escape. The lack of hope, symbolised by drugs, is a constant threat that makes individuals hollow and strangers to one another. The irresponsible uncles shoot up in front of the children like vampires threatening to contaminate their blood. Exhausted, Ana too ends up getting involved in drug trafficking and becomes addicted, reaching rock bottom and leaving Andrea and Toto alone. The trailer for Toto and His Sisters And yet, Nanau never dwells on the sordid side of life and shows glimpses of possible exits: a snow fight in a courtyard becomes a break from this chaotic daily life. During a hip-hop dance competition where Toto shines on stage, a bridge may start being built. In the middle of the chaos lies the sun - still shining though hidden in the dark. How can one survive in life's disorder when utter poverty competes with the unravelling of family ties? How to move forward in spite of a family and society in dereliction of their duties? Finding one's place in the world comes at a price, that is the difficult observation of a powerful film which lies between shadow and light. It is a small miracle - similar to Ioanis Nuguet's Spartacus and Cassandra - in the middle of a world of minorities, particularly that of the Roma community, which is kept at bay and where permanent abandonment contrasts only with the both fragile and powerful love that can be given and received. Toto and His Sisters draws a tender and cruel portrait of three siblings left to their own devices, abandoned by their family and society, who try to fight with all their might for a better future. Nanau tells us that reality, just like fiction, can be made up of stages, challenges, trials and reversals of situation. It can be a tragedy, then veer into a fairy tale, while sticking with its choice of "characters". - See: "Toto and His Sisters" by Alexander Nanau (out on 6 February 2015). - This article was written by La Parisienne de cafebabel. All rights reserved. Translated from Toto et ses soeurs : entre les ombres et la lumiere Tuesday: At 5:30 AM ET, Panel Discussion with Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer, Monetary Policy, Financial Stability, and the Zero Lower Bound, At the Banque de France and Bank for International Settlements Farewell Symposium for Christian Noyer, Paris, France At 9:00 AM, NFIB Small Business Optimism Index for November. At 10:00 AM, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for November from the BLS. Job openings decreased in October to 5.383 million from 5.534 million in September. The number of job openings were up 11% year-over-year, and Quits were up slightly year-over-year. Some interesting information from Jody Kahn and Devyn Bachman at John Burns Real Estate Consulting 23,263 New Home Sales Last Year at Top 50 Masterplans, a 14% Increase over 2014 In 2015, the top 50 masterplans listed in the table below sold nearly 23,300 homes, representing: A 14% increase over 2014 Roughly 4.7% of all new home sales nationally The highest sales volume in the 6 years we have been compiling our list ... Texas continues to lead the country. The state boasts 17 of the top 50 best-selling master-planned communities, including 9 in Houston, the most of any metro area, 6 in Dallas, and one each in Austin and San Antonio. California contributed 11 top sellers, Florida had 7 communities, Las Vegas contributed 4, and Denver had 3. After getting shut out in 2014, 3 Phoenix communities joined the list ... emphasis added I expect sales in Houston to slow in 2016 (see: Lawler: "Yes, Houston will have a problem next year" , and Houston has been a major contributor to New Home sales - this is a reason I'm less optimistic than most housing analysts on new home sales this year. When is hurricane season? Here's what you need to know in South Texas GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES SHARE By Julie Garcia of the Caller-Times Police are searching for the thieves responsible for nabbing an egg roll machine, a dish washing container, a soda machine and a plastic mop bucket from behind a Southside business. The owner of a Chinese food restaurant in the 1200 block of Airline Road told police he left the items there about 10 a.m. Monday, according to a news release. When he returned a short time later, the items were gone. The total value of the missing items is estimated at $4,500. Senior Officer Marc Harrod said the egg roll machine alone will cost $2,000 to replace. No suspects have been identified, but police are working on obtaining camera surveillance footage from the area, Harrod said. Twitter: @Caller_Jules Facing mounting criticism over the lowering of fines for oil and saltwater spills, North Dakota regulators were directed Monday to start providing written explanations of what oil companies must do in exchange for reduced fines. The state Industrial Commission met for more than an hour and a half behind closed doors with Department of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms and legal counsel to review six outstanding spill cases with proposed fines totaling more than $600,000. After the meeting was reopened up to the public, Gov. Jack Dalrymple, who chairs the commission, said that going forward, we will have a written narrative on what is specifically to be done in exchange for any discounting of a fine. The commission has been under increasing fire for its common practice of reaching settlement agreements with oil companies and suspending 75 percent to 90 percent of the fine amounts. Last month, the Williams County Commission voted unanimously to send a letter to state regulators objecting to any reduction of a proposed record $2.4 million fine against Summit Midstream for a spill discovered about a year ago. A pipeline leaked an estimated 3 million gallons of saltwater, affecting Blacktail Creek and the Little Muddy and Missouri rivers, and the state alleges the pipeline was leaking for more than three months before it was discovered. Helms told reporters after Mondays closed-door session that part of the direction he received was, if a consent agreement is reached, to clearly spell out any work offending parties have done to correct the violation and prevent future ones, as well as anything that theyre doing or have done or (are) expected to do to receive any suspension of a penalty. In the past, that information has been shared orally with the commission and wasnt part of consent agreement documents, so it was never put out there in black-and-white, Helms said, though he noted they began summarizing the mitigating factors in a quarterly report around June. But this will now be spelled out in quite a bit of detail within any consent agreements, he said. Helms defended the practice of discounting fines to gain compliance from companies, saying, In my opinion, it has been working, and that there hasnt been a repeat offense of a very similar nature by the same company in more than four years. We havent had any recidivism, he said. Two of the cases discussed Monday involved Oasis Petroleum, which paid a reduced fine in May for a previous violation. But Helms said the root causes of the violations are very dissimilar. In May, Oasis paid $16,500 in fines and fees, with $60,000 suspended for one year, for a November 2014 mechanical failure that caused a well to release uncontrollably for three days in Williams County. The commission is now proposing a $100,000 fine for Oasis for violations related to an out-of-control well that spewed oil, gas and brine for four days near the White Earth River in Mountrail County in October. Also discussed Monday was an $87,500 fine proposed for Oasis for a May saltwater pipeline spill that affected a creek and Smishek Lake in Burke County. I think once you see the facts, youll see why the commission doesnt believe that that is a same or similar event, Helms said. Dalrymple said the commission took no action on the proposed fines Monday but gave its attorneys guidance on developing the final orders, which will be reported back to the commission as recommendations at a later date. (Reach Mike Nowatzki at (701) 255-5607 or by email at mnowatzki@forumcomm.com.) Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Lou Ann Zichefoose (left) and Brenda Truesdale joke around while judging senior cakes during the homemaking competition at the 81st annual Nueces County Junior Livestock Show on Monday at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds. SHARE Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Laura Davila (left) and Samantha Norskow make notes after tasting entries in the homemaking competition at the 81st annual Nueces County Junior Livestock Show on Monday at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds. Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Judges taste food in the homemaking competition at the 81st annual Nueces County Junior Livestock Show on Monday at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds. Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Michelle Berry (left) and Sue Gray taste muffins during the homemaking competition at the 81st annual Nueces County Junior Livestock Show on Monday at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds. By Natalia Contreras of the Caller-Times Early Monday, Rebecca Green, 17, stood proudly in line next to a dress she created. This wasn't a typical dress. The strapless, cocktail dress Green submitted at the 81st Nueces County Junior Livestock Show Homemaking competition was made out "Seventeen" magazines. Green said it took her about a month to put the dress together and about eight hours of cutting and gluing magazine pieces. "That's the magazine I typically pick up when I go to the store. I get ideas from it and I like how colorful it is," Green said. "The dress is wearable. It fits my best friend, it's a size four." Green presented two dresses and centerpieces and was one of about 6,350 contestants from third through 12th grades who checked in entries Thursday at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds in Robstown. The Homemaking categories included photography, arts and crafts, creative stitchery and food, and there are three divisions: juniors, intermediate and seniors. The contestants are judged against others in their age group. Green said she has competed in almost every category since she was in third grade. The Tuloso-Midway High School student said if she wins a scholarship this year, which is only offered to seniors, she hopes to use it to attend Texas A&M University and later open a sewing business. "Sewing, making quilts and baking is something I do with my mom and my grandma," Green said. "It's a family thing for us." Briley, 14, and Conner West, 11, waited in line to submit German cookies and key lime tarts. They said this was their second year baking for the competition. Conner baked a caramel cake last year and got third place. "I was really stressed this year," Conner said. "But I like to break the eggs and mix." Their mother, Stephanie West, said she encourages her children to participate because it is a learning experience. "Just yesterday when we were baking he learned to do measurements. The contest does encourage a lot of family time, too." The food and photography were judged Monday, and clothing, arts and crafts and creative stitchery will be judged Tuesday, photography superintendent Christine Kircher said. The winners will be announced at 6 p.m. Wednesday during an awards ceremony. After Saturday entries will be donated to local charities. "There is something here for everybody," Kircher said. "There's a chance to try and learn new things." Twitter: @CallerNatalia GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Mary Allen Rios checks her mail after water flooded her home at Cindy Park Subdivision Friday May 15, 2015 in Banquette. Rios and her family have been staying at a Red Cross Shelter in Banquette Junior High School. SHARE GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Linda Diaz looks at her home after water flooded the area at Cindy Park Subdivision Friday May 15, 2015 in Banquette. Diaz and her family have been staying at a Red Cross Shelter in Banquette Junior High School. By Julie Garcia of the Caller-Times After one of the wettest years in Nueces County's history, flood zones will change upon official approval of new maps released by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Since 1985, FEMA has been operating under the same maps which detail flood plains and flood ways in the country. With the new preliminary maps, major changes will be coming to rural areas of the Coastal Bend and areas of Corpus Christi. "Starting back in 2006, FEMA took it upon themselves to start studying the coastal counties in Texas," Sullivan said. "They are using the latest technologies to come up with the revised maps, and they refined their search analysis and new levee analysis." About 300 houses in rural subdivisions, including Tierra Verde I, Fiesta Ranch and others, have been added to the flood plain, while more than 40 will no longer be considered to be at high-risk for flooding, said Glenn Sullivan, public works director, at a recent Commissioners Court meeting. Most of Robstown, Banquete and Bishop are included in the preliminary maps. Those maps, released in November, are now open for public comment. There will be an appeals period for residents who may be affected in the future. The county will have a table set up at a FEMA public open house Thursday at the American Bank Center from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Officials will be available to talk through the preliminary maps, including what it means to live in a designated flood zone. "If you have a mortgage, your mortgage company will require to have flood insurance. Even if you don't have a mortgage, it might behoove you to have flood insurance," Sullivan said. "That's what the immediate effect is on property owners." Until the county approves the new maps, insurance companies will continue to make rates pursuant to the old map, Sullivan said. The county has six months to adopt new maps and put them into effect. After a series of destructive floods roared through the Coastal Bend last year, Nueces County received a large portion of funds from FEMA to recover and rebuild. About $2.5 million in grant funds was provided to Nueces County residents for expenses that were not covered by flood or homeowner insurance, according to a FEMA spokesperson. Only the city of Houston, and Hays and Hidalgo counties required more assistance from the agency. Not seeing Petronila indicated as a high-risk flood zone on the draft maps, Commissioner Joe A. Gonzalez voiced concern. "It was all pretty much under water," said Gonzalez, referring to the community of 115 people, which was extensively damaged in the spring floods. Commissioner Mike Pusley said the commissioners will hopefully approve a contract with Naismith Engineering at the Jan. 20 meeting for consultation and guidance regarding the new maps. Naismith Engineering conducted a $1 million countywide drainage study in 2008 which will be used as a comparison to the new FEMA maps, he said. "We're going to try to come up with a best guess scenario on how this will impact Nueces County and what our comments should be to FEMA in respect to their decision making process," Pusley said. "There may be some areas we disagree with FEMA, and we need good documentation to support why we wouldn't agree with them." Twitter: @Caller_Jules SHARE By Chris Ramirez of the Caller-Times Experts on real estate, architecture and other facets of development will meet this week to discuss setting up historic tax credits can benefit Corpus Christi's fast-evolving downtown area. The one-day Corpus Christi Historic Tax Credit Symposium, on Wednesday at the Downtown Marina Holiday Inn, bring together professionals with expertise in finance, law and other areas to look at the merits of redeveloping historic, many times vacant buildings to spur new growth. Terry Sweeney, executive director of Corpus Christi's Downtown Management District, said historic tax credits, though a new concept, are an important key to downtown's future revitalization. Conference speakers include Marcel Wisznia, principal of Wisznia Architecture + Development, Ben Dupuy, director of tax credit finance for Enhanced Capital, and Valerie Magolan, a tax credit program specialist for the Texas Historical Commission. "This is a new tool that can be used to revitalize historic buildings that need renovations and are vacant," Sweeney said. "We need our local market to understand how ... to utilize and redevelop these properties." The Texas Historic Preservation Tax Credit offers a tax credit of 25 percent of the rehab cost of a certified historic structure. Some supporters of the program it as a strategy to both lure more businesses and residents to downtown, while also making more use of some of downtown's oldest and more distinctive buildings. Discussions during the conference will touch on how historic tax credits can benefit the community and specific projects, qualifying buildings as historic structures and the strategies to creating historic preservation districts. Several major projects are in various stages of development in downtown, including new businesses and apartment complexes. Twitter: @Caller_ChrisRam IF YOU GO What: Corpus Christi Historic Tax Symposium When: 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday Where: Downtown Marina Holiday Inn, 707 N. Shoreline Blvd. Website: https://marinaarts.com/corpus-christi-historic-tax-credit-symposium/ Undoubtedly one of the UK's most recognisable and influential musicians, David Bowie rose to fame in the 60s with the launch of his second album, Space Oddity, which featured the hit single Major Tom. He created the alter-ego Ziggy Stardust and had international success with the albums The Man Who Sold the World, Hunky Dory, and then the post-Ziggy album, Aladdin Sane, and Let's Dance in 1983. He also built up an enviable record as a movie actor, having starred in The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), Just a Gigolo (1978), Labyrinth (1986), Zoolander (2001), The Prestige (2006). Bowies star power was often harnessed in marketing campaigns, as he appeared in ads spanning four decades for brands including Pepsi, Vittel and Louis Vuitton. 1967: Popsicles "ice cream dream" A fresh-faced Bowie promotes ice cream on a stick, in an ad directed by an up-and-coming director called Ridley Scott. 1987: Pepsi "creation" Bowie sings alongside Tina Turner to promote the sugary soft drink. 2001: XM Satellie Radio Bowie parodies the 1976 movie in which he starred, The Man Who Fell to Earth, by falling from the sky and crashing through the roof of a motel. He gets up and says, "Ill never get used to that". 2003: Vittel "a new life everyday" by Ogilvy & Mather Paris Nestle Waters Vittel brand produced an ad to come out at the same time as Bowies 2003 album Reality. Bowie walks through a house to the soundtrack of the song Never Get Old and interacts with different versions of his alter-ego, Ziggy Stardust. 2013: Louis Vuitton: "Linvitation au Voyage" The ad, to promote LVs Tambour watch and Vivienne bag, stars Bowie alongside Arizona Muse, showing the journey of the Vuitton woman. | BY Kim Shaw | The Asia-Pacific Tambuli Awards is now accepting entries. Entries are welcome from agencies and clients from throughout Australia, Asia and New Zealand. The APAC Tambuli Awards honors brands that do good and do well showing the seamless integration of creativity + human good + results. Case study entries must demonstrate how brands uplift society, create positive change, and correlate purpose with purchase. The APAC Tambuli Awards is not an award on charity, advocacy, pro bono, or CSR advertising, even if those campaigns are welcome and encouraged to enter. The award, however, focuses on mainstream brand campaigns that celebrate humanity, inspire purpose, and deliver results. The award began in Manila in 2005, and opened up to the Asia Pacific region in 2012. The Tambuli (a native Filipino horn) is organized by the School of Communication of the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) in collaboration with the industry, to create positive impact in society through marketing communications. Agency and client entrants to this award contribute to the development of future talent for the marketing communications industry in Asia Pacific, through the Tambuli Scholarship Fund of the Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) program at UA&P. | BY Ricki Green | AdFest has announced that Ben Welsh, one of M&C Saatchis most respected creative leaders, is joining AdFest 2016 as jury president overseeing the Film Lotus and Radio Lotus categories. Welsh is creative chairman of M&C Saatchi Asia, a role he was promoted to in October 2015. Previously, as executive creative director at M&C Saatchi Sydney, he helped the agency win countless clients, awards, accolades and Agency of the Year titles. In fact, M&C Saatchi Sydney won B&T magazines Agency of the Year Award in 2014 and 2015, and Campaign Asias Australia/NZ Creative Agency of the Year for 2015. This year, the agency also won 10 Lions in total at Cannes, including a Titanium Lion. Says Welsh: I am really excited about being part of AdFest again, its actually my favourite creative festival. Ive judged Cannes, D&AD, London International Awards and more but theres something unique about AdFest As jury president, Im really looking forward to discovering what this region is capable of producing. Welsh started his career as a copywriter and still loves writing today, although more often these days hes busy leading, nurturing, defending, advocating and guiding ideas, strategy, the way the region works you name it. He is based in Sydney but travels regularly to M&C Saatchi offices in Singapore, New Delhi, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai and Tokyo. Says Jimmy Lam, AdFest president: Ben has one of the sharpest creative minds in the industry, which makes him perfect to lead next years Film Lotus and Radio Lotus categories. Its been several years since Ben last joined ADFESTs jury panel, and we look forward to welcoming him back to Thailand in March. A small grass fire was also ignited but was quickly extinguished. "Although the individual was lucky not to suffer more serious injuries, the fact that the impact of the incident was contained quite quickly and no patrons or other individuals were at risk is a tribute to the procedures the event organisers had in place," Mr McCabe said. WorkSafe issued an improvement notice for a small change to the safety procedures, requiring workers to wear personal protective equipment at the refuelling station. High-quality farmland remains in demand in North Dakota, but uncertainty over grain prices is making producers choosy. Brian Mohr, area sales manager for Farmers National Co. in Garretson, S.D., said he sees more farmers buying only high-quality, high-producing land. Alan Butts, a Realtor with Pifer's Auction & Realty, agrees that there is still demand for high-quality land. He said lesser-quality property can be more of a struggle to sell and sales prices for pastureland have greatly reduced. Butts said farmers are no longer setting record-high sales prices as they did in 2012 through 2014: "2012 was a banner year in North Dakota." But he contends the land market is still relatively strong far above values seen four to five years ago. "Fifteen years ago if you had told farmers we would see land values as high as they've been, they would have laughed you right out of the room," he said. Prices of farmland sold by Farmers National Co., which mostly includes property in the eastern half of the state, came in around $6,000 per acre this month, down about $800 from the same time last year, the company said. Butts said the properties he lists are selling at 10 percent to 20 percent off the past high. Pastureland around Bismarck-Mandan goes for about $1,200 to $1,500 an acre on average, he said. Good producing cropland goes for $2,200 to $2,700 per acre. "They were as high as $3,000," he said. A survey conducted in January 2015 and funded by the North Dakota Department of Trust Lands put 2015 average value of rented, non-irrigated cropland in Burleigh County at about $1,775 per acre, more than $600 above the 2010-14 average. In Morton County, the average land value of rented, non-irrigated cropland was $1,623 in 2015. The McLean County average was $2,121, the Mercer County average was $1,319 and the Oliver County average was $1,814. Western county averages were less. For pastureland, the survey showed the average value of rented property in Burleigh County as $1,134 per acre in 2015, more than $400 above the 2010-14 average value. Pastureland values of rented land in Morton County averaged $1,146 per acre in 2015. The McLean County average was $850, the Mercer County average was $729 and the Oliver County average was $1,174. The averages in Dunn, Stark, Hettinger and Billings counties were in the same range as McLean County. Butts said, should crop prices remain low for several years, land prices would likely follow. The police figures showed 51 recorded crimes in the ACT involved a gun in 2015. Thirteen of those offences related to the possession or use of a firearm, nine were linked to a robbery and eight were connected to an assault or burglary. In December, a spokeswoman for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet said most of the furniture and soft furnishings have now been returned to The Lodge and artworks will be installed in the near future. Are you opposed to "common sense" gun laws? These are what liberals like Hillary Clinton are always proclaiming their support for. In their telling, expanding background checks, closing the "gun show loophole," and restricting Internet sales will, in the words of liberal columnist E.J. Dionne, "(limit) the carnage on our streets, in our schools and houses of worship, and at our movie theaters." That's not an argument it's moral grandstanding, and not a word of it holds up under scrutiny. As someone who doesn't love guns, and who believes that the Second Amendment does not forbid all regulation of gun ownership, I am open to the idea of gun control. The facts, though, are stubborn things. We've always had plentiful guns in this country, but we haven't always had the frequency of random, mass shootings in public places that have so disturbed us over the past couple of decades. As many critics, including the fact checker at the Washington Post, have observed, President Barack Obama's suggestion that "A violent felon can buy the exact same weapon over the Internet with no background check, no questions asked" is rubbish. "A gun dealer must comply with federal laws that require gun sellers to have licenses and perform background checks ... without regard for whether the sale is arranged on the Internet or in person," quoth The Washington Post. None of the reforms proposed by Obama would have prevented the awful mass shootings in Newtown or Roseburg or Aurora or San Bernardino. As the AP showed, the killers in those cases legally purchased their weapons and passed background checks; or used straw purchasers (already illegal); or used weapons owned by family members. The Charleston killer should not have passed the background check (he had a drug arrest on his record), but government bungling allowed the purchase to proceed. Are we in the grip of an epidemic of gun violence? Writing in Reason magazine, Brian Doherty notes that the gun homicide rate in 1993 (when there were approximately 192 million guns in circulation) was 7 per 100,000 Americans. In 2013, the gun murder rate had declined to 3.8 per 100,000, by which time there were approximately 300 million guns in private hands. More guns do not seem to equal more gun murders. If we're not awash in gun violence, we are certainly in the grip of bad journalism about gun violence. As a 2015 survey published in Preventive Medicine magazine showed, only a tiny percentage of criminals purchase their guns from shops. Most obtain them through informal networks or gangs. Is the "gun show loophole" responsible for lots of guns in the hands of bad actors? Doubtful. A 2001 survey of federal prisoners found that only 1 percent had purchased their weapons at gun shows, and as Charles C.W. Cooke has patiently explained, the "gun show loophole" is a misnomer in any case. FFLs (federal firearms licensed sellers) must perform background checks no matter where they transact business, and private sellers are under no obligation to perform checks whether they sell from their kitchen or at a gun show. About two-thirds of gun deaths in America are suicides. It's possible that one proposed reform, adopting so-called "smart guns" that could be fired only by the owner, might be useful in preventing some fraction of gun deaths. One thinks of teenagers who commit suicide with the gun belonging to their parents, or children who die in gun accidents. Smart guns might make it more difficult for criminals who steal guns to use them (though that Preventive Medicine survey suggests that only about 3 percent of criminals' guns are stolen). We can't be certain that the technology would work, and we know that many of the recent mass shootings have been carried out by legal gun owners. So, guarded optimism, maybe, but no magic bullet there. Showcasing one's feelings about mass shootings especially when you can ratchet up your indignation at the "gun lobby" and Republicans is emotionally satisfying. But the truth is that no one really knows why we've suffered mass shootings in such numbers in recent years. It may be partly the copycat effect; or the lure of the publicity shooters invariably receive in a culture that has trouble separating fame from infamy; the decline of character-building institutions like churches and families (the vast majority of mass shooters have been males raised in divorced or single-parent homes); or the failure of our mental-health system to provide treatment to those who need it most. But those explanations don't yield convenient villains. If you want to weep about something, it should be that. (Mona Charens syndicated column appears in the Tribune on Tuesdays.) [Your Business Name] Contact Info Phone: Fax: Email: Web: CAPITOLHILLCUBANS.COM Business Overview Geographic Area Line of Business Brands We Carry Products and Services Discounts Offered Additional Information Business Hours Timezone We Accept Modified On Jan 13, 2016 01:11 PM By Sumit Audi has reported sales of 11,192 units for the year 2015 in Indian market. This accounts for a moderate growth of 3.14%, when the german carmaker sold 10,201 units in 2014. The company locks horns with its German auto rival, Mercedes Benz, in terms of sales. While Audi acquired the top spot in luxury car space for 2014, this time Mercedes was able to steal the crown and outclassed it with a spectacular growth of 32%. Audi has been the preferred choice of luxury mobility for car enthusiasts in India. The year 2015 has seen another year of growth for us and we remained focused towards our aim to provide the best luxury car buying experience to our customers, said head of Audi India, Joe King while addressing media. The company is optimistic about its growth in 2016 and will like to gain back the top spot. We are committed towards bringing new products which are technologically advanced, smart, agile and comfortable.. We are very confident that we will continue our growth path in 2016 and beyond, Mr. King said. The carmaker launched a total of 10 products including R8 LMX and TT Coupe in 2015. Apart from this, Audi also launched S5 Sportback and the new Q7. Audi is also set to dazzle the automobile enthusiasts at Auto Expo 2016, where it is expected to come with a lineup of three cars. The most talked about car amongst them is the new R8, which previously was unveiled at 2015 Geneva Motor Show. Also Read: Audi to Display Three Cars at the Auto Expo 2016 PERHAM, Minn. -- Mitch Barthel helps his cattlemen customers peer through a marketing windshield that is not always clear. Seldom in his 17 years as a sale barn owner has the process been so important, or difficult. Prices have dropped about a third from last year's record highs. In high or low markets, Barthel's field work is always the same -- estimate the weight, and offer opinions about what the condition and price will bring in the sale ring. About 99 percent of his business goes through the Perham Stockyards that he owns. About 1 percent of Barthel's sales are "private treaty" sales. One regular customer is Gary Flatau, who farms and raises cattle near Perham, Minn., with sons Mike and Jon. The Flataus have 135 beef cows, and normally fatten them into slaughter cattle or put the replacement heifers in their own herd. The Flataus also raise corn and soybeans under irrigation, as well as hay and oats. As the calendar turned to 2016, the Flataus were pondering how to market 40 head of steers -- a "potload," or semi-trailer load. The animals were born in April 2014 and have been fed a high-grain, silage and hay ration. They're ready to be made into steaks. The Flataus considered a private bid to a packing house but instead decided to go the auction route in mid-January. Tough judging Gary, 68, said it's difficult to judge the market. Typically, the family sells at 1,350 to 1,400 pounds, but they might feed them until late January. That could add another 100 pounds to each animal. "When the price gets to where we feel we can sell, we'll let them go," Gary said. "Hopefully it won't go down." Mike, 36, isn't alarmed by declining prices, but hopes they "moderate" at a little higher rate than they are today. Jon, 29, notes that he's seen "a lot lower" cattle prices than he's seeing now, but he adds that today's input prices are higher. Corn prices have come down, but the Flataus market some of their corn through their cattle and the fertilizer and seed corn prices have come down only slightly. "Next year, it could be completely different," Jon said, shrugging and smiling. "I'd like to see (cattle) prices go up or input prices go down." Barthel told the Flataus he didn't expect any significant discounts on overweight cattle. They talked over the prospects that bad weather in southern Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas and Texas would reduce weight gain and would make for slower trucking marketings in those states. "You'll get a weather market, which makes it better," Barthel told the Flataus. In the past two years, cattle were as high as they've ever been. A year ago in January, Barthel hit his personal apex, selling a set of 500-pound Angus calves for $3 per pound. "That was a pretty good ticket," Barthel said. Several factors affected the soaring prices. There was a memory of previously high-priced corn, lingering droughts and a lower-valued U.S. dollar. All created demand interest in American beef, and beef exports. The same cattle today might bring $1.80 to $2 per pound. Intellectually, the correction was expected, but emotionally, it's hard to see the fall. "You go from a $1,500 calf to a $1,000 calf, and if you have 200 of them, that's a $100,000 (pay) cut," Barthel said. "That's pretty substantial." Mix of factors Reasons for the highs and lows are a mix of related factors. Corn prices declined, so farming cattlemen fed their cattle longer, rather than taking the grain to market. At the same time, the U.S. dollar increased in value, cutting exports and increasing imports. Also, the swine industry is no longer devastated by a porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, a disease that kills piglets. "In the last quarter of 2016, there's not enough kill plant space to kill all of the hogs that are coming," Barthel said. "A lot of that weighs on the (meat) market. There's a lot of protein on the market." Still, the calf crop sales are the second highest Barthel can remember. "I would suspect (cattlemen) would still raise calves for this money," Barthel said. "There'll probably still be expansion in the beef industry. In turn, that could drive prices down in the future." He said producers who put some money away in the good financial times, or upgraded equipment to carry them through, will survive and thrive. Steeped in the biz Barthel grew up in New York Mills, Minn., and is now the sole owner of a yard that handles about 50,000 head of cattle per year. He has placed as high as seventh in the world livestock auctioneers competition and draws cattle from as far as Minot and Superior, Wis., to northern Iowa. The company prides itself in marketing and creating catalogs for commercial breeding stock sales that some yards reserve only for purebred cattle. His family owned auction yards in Wadena, Minn. After it burned in 1987, they bought and sold cattle in the country. Mitch graduated high school in 1993 but first graduated from the Worldwide College of Auctioneering in Mason City, Iowa, in August 1992. When the Barthels bought the Perham Stockyards, it had been doing Thursday sales, selling feeder cattle, slaughter cattle and baby calves. After he and his father bought the place, they added a dairy sale and feeder sales. They hold monthly dairy sales and monthly cow sales throughout the year. Of course, they've added numerous capital improvements -- drive-through unloading, pen additions that have tripled holding capacity, five remote-controlled video cameras so Barthel can see what's happening in the yards at all times, controllable from a smartphone. In 2005, Barthel added a computerized clerking system, which allows sellers to get checks within 30 seconds of selling. All of the sales are video-recorded. It might take a fast camera to catch the volatility in the 2016 market. Someone is likely to make money in the cattle business, Barthel said. Lenders will hold sway if the producer wants to buy calves to background-feed or take to market weight. They'll have an opinion about whether the producer buys replacement females at $2,000 to $2,500 each. Timing will be everything. "Do you buy, do you sell or do you wait?" he asks. In the end, that decision is up to the producers. Three college students who first met while attending a Catholic high school in Florida have launched a scholarship fund to help others experience faithful Catholic education at a Newman Guide college. As we went off to different colleges, we kept in touch and found time to catch up whenever we returned [] 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. To mark the occasion of 153rd birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda Careerindia has collated few facts and quotes about the great personality. Born on Januray 12,1863 in Kolkata, Swami Vivekananda, named as Narendra Nath Datta inclined towards spirituality in his later years. Influenced by his guru, Ramakrishna Deva he learnt that all living beings were an embodiment of the divine self and developed a faith in service to God, which could be rendered by service to mankind. Vivekananda was a major force in the revival of Hinduism in India and also played a key role in introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world. After the death of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Vivekananda toured the Indian subcontinent extensively and conducted hundreds of public and private lectures and classes to disseminate Hindu philosophy. In order to pay tribute to patriotic monk his birthday is celebrated as National Youth Day in India. FARGO -- The Precision Ag Summit hovers into Jamestown for its fifth annual appearance, with topics ranging from unmanned aircraft systems to "big data" and the financial returns for precision agricultural investments. The event will be held Jan. 18 and 19. Like its predecessors, it is designed to share knowledge about precision agriculture, an expansive topic that involves the collection of data about soils, crops and climate, to help farmers make site-specific decisions to be more productive. Ryan Aasheim is an associate with the Praxis Strategy Group in Fargo, where he oversees activities of the Red River Valley Research Corridor, a nonprofit regional technology-based economic development initiative. Aasheim has worked to coordinate the event through its entire history. Most events again will be held at the North Dakota Farmers Union's high-tech headquarters convention center. Registration is $100 for two days, or $60 for the first day. Walk-ins are welcome, although most conference-goers typically pre-register. Last year's event drew in about 260 people, which was short of the 330 that came in 2014. Aasheim said the capacity of the NDFU venue has limits, so some of the events at the end of the first day will move to Quality Inn's ballroom. New this year will be breakout sessions that offer a choice based on skill levels, much as college courses would, ranging from novice to expert. There will be a "Real Farmers, Real Precision Ag -- Navigating Successes and Failures" segment from 8:45 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. on Jan. 19. Big topics likely to attract attention this year include: UAS: Jan. 18 from 2 p.m. to 2:50 p.m., focusing on managing data and imagery; Jan. 19, from 1 p.m. to 1:15 p.m., covering rules for using drones; and 1:15 to 2 p.m., UAS technology options available for farmers today. Big data: Jan. 18, 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., managing data and data strategies; Jan. 19, 9:45 a.m. to 10:15 a.m., Big Data on the Farm: Privacy and Sharing; and 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m., "Managing Your Most Elusive Farm Asset." The speaker will be Terry Griffin, an agricultural economist from Kansas State University in Manhattan. Return-on-investment: Jan. 19, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., Brian Watkins, Watkins Farm and Cropzilla; and 1 p.m. to 1:50 p.m., "Optimizing Your Equipment -- Getting the Most of Your investment." Aasheim said the manufacturer segment will allow producers to attend sessions for their particular supplier, whether John Deere, Trimble, Case-IH or others. "We wanted those sessions to be pretty interactive, as in, 'Here's what I'm doing on my operation; here's what I'm struggling with. What kind of guidance would you give me?'" Crop consultants helping with the event planning say some of their clients have purchased significant data-collection technology that goes unused because the equipment isn't calibrated or fully understood. The "Big Data" topic, in which data -- collected on the ground, in the air or from space -- allows farmers and others to overlay complex data sets on crops, weather, fertility, diseases, weeds and other issues. These can be knit together and analyzed or manipulated through computers and mobile devices. They allow farmers to make correlations that were unavailable in the past. For detailed information on the agenda, visit www.theresearchcorridor.com/precisionagsummit2016/agenda. FARGO -- North Dakota law is pretty accommodating when it comes to permitting children to operate snowmobiles, an issue in the spotlight following the weekend death of 10-year-old Mason Moen of Thompson in a snowmobile accident. North Dakota law allows a child 10 years old or younger to operate a snowmobile on private land. On public land, children must be at least 12 years old and have a driver's license or qualified safety certification for operating a snowmobile. Helmets are required for those 18 and under. It's common for children to operate snowmobiles on private land, law enforcement officers and snowmobile enthusiasts said Monday. "There's no age limit if you're on private property and you remain on private property," said Lt. Troy Hischer of the North Dakota Highway Patrol. "I think it's a common practice in rural areas," Lt. Gary Grove of the Grand Forks County Sheriff's Department said of children 10 or under operating snowmobiles. "On private property, it is legal." Moen was killed Sunday in the accident near Hatton, and 9-year-old Brody Johnson of Hatton was seriously injured. The accident is being investigated by the North Dakota Highway Patrol and the Grand Forks County Sheriff's Department. The brothers' snowmobile had been crossing a farm field, then entered a roadway, where the operator lost control and the snowmobile rolled, demolishing the sled, according to a report by the North Dakota Highway Patrol. Helmets were found at the scene and it appears the boys were wearing helmets when the accident occurred, Hischer said, though he noted the accident remains under investigation. Although state law allows children 10 and under to ride a snowmobile on private land, it is illegal for children that age to operate a snowmobile on public land or roads, he said. Nate Harms, general manager at U Motors in Fargo, which sells snowmobiles, agreed that it is common in rural areas for kids to operate motorized sleds. "Any farmer in the area probably has a kid driving a four-wheeler and a snowmobile," he said. Smaller snowmobiles with less-powerful engines are available for kids, but most ages 10 or 12 probably operate standard machines, Harms said. High-performance machines, however, are not suitable for children, he said. "You would hope they weren't on something like that," Harms said. In Minnesota, children under 14, with adult supervision, can operate snowmobiles on public or private land but can't cross roads, said Nancy Hanson of the Minnesota United Snowmobilers Association. The association promotes snowmobile safety training, which includes a driving test and teaches youthful drivers about laws and speed limits, she said. "I'm a very strong proponent of safety training," Hanson said. Hyundais desire to make a statement in the luxury, premium market has culminated with the launch of a standalone brand, called Genesis, as the Korean car maker follows the footsteps of Nissan, Honda and Toyota. But you, of course, know about Genesis and its good-looking, bang-for-buck offerings, with the G90 being the most promoted high-end product of the newly-born brand. Still, at the North American International Auto Show, the company brought the car that started everything as well; now rebadged under the G80 moniker. Dont let the name fool you, as it isnt a new model, but the old Hyundai Genesis sedan transformed into the G90s little sibling and given the Genesis label. But other than that, the model remains practically unchanged, sporting the same exterior style cues, the same interior comfort and the same price tag. So, governed by the lines that Hyundai sketched to give the German competition some nightmares, the car appears to be a recipe for success, as the car maker sold more than 100,000 units in just 18 months. So, if Hyundai convinced you with this interesting, discrete, somewhat German-looking machine, you should know that it has a $38,000 starting price in the U.S. if its mated with the 333hp 3.8L V6 powerplant. PHOTO GALLERY The popularity of high-end cars shows no signs of abating with Rolls-Royce announcing that 2015 was the second most successful year in its 112-year history. In the 12 months of last year, a total of 3,785 cars from the luxury British automaker were delivered to customers. Considering the dramatic slowdown in the Chinese luxury sector, the companys sales results are certainly impressive. The individual market which experienced the biggest boost in deliveries was South Korea recording a rather insane 73 per cent increase in sales over 2014. Elsewhere, figures jumped by 7 per cent in Japan, 21 per cent in Qatar, 2 per cent in the UK, 7 per cent in the U.S. and 1 per cent in Russia. More broadly, Asia Pacific sales increased by 13 per cent, 4 per cent in the Middle East and 6 per cent across North America. Beyond increasing its sales last year, Rolls-Royce opened five luxurious new dealerships around the world bringing the total network to 130. The marques best-selling dealership is found in Abu Dhabi. Also last year, the marque commenced construction work at its Goodwood home to cater for its next-generation range of models. A brand new Technology and Logistics Centre was also built last year and opened on the 4th of January. The key model launched by Rolls-Royce last year was of course the Dawn, a droptop variant of the Wraith. Discussing the results, chief executive Torsten Muller-Otvos said 2015 was a year of tremendous challenge for the entire luxury industry. I am very proud of our success which was achieved against a backdrop of considerable global uncertainty. We have proven that our long-term strategy of globally balanced, sustainable and profitable growth is delivering and we have maintained our position as the worlds leading luxury manufacturer. I am quietly confident of a strong year in 2016. PHOTO GALLERY Reborn as an even bigger threat to German premium automakers, Volvo managed to sell more than half a million cars in 2015. The exact number is 503,127 and it just so happens to be the first time that Volvo has sold this many cars in its 89 year history. This is also an endorsement of the companys new product strategy, which got a huge boost in the late stages of the year from the new XC90 SUV. However, the smaller XC60 was doing a great job in terms of sales even before that, and with strong modern products such as the S60, V60 and the V40, things are going to get even more interesting further down the road, where the S90 is expected to take on the mantle. All three of Volvos core global regions reported strong sales. In Europe, the numbers rose 10.6% for the year, while representing 53.5% of the total global volume not a surprise considering how the XC60 is the best selling car in its class in Europe. I am delighted to report that 2015 was a year of record sales, said Hakan Samuelsson, chief executive. Now, with a successful 2015 behind us, Volvo is about to enter the second phase of its global transformation. Once completed, Volvo will have ceased being a minor automotive player and taken its position as a truly global premium car company. More records will tumble in coming years. What is the second phase you may ask? Well, in the coming years, Volvo will continue to compete against top global premium rivals, while further developing their global manufacturing footprint. Theyll continue to grow in China and double their market share in Europe, thus increasing sales to 800,000 cars world-wide. As the larger 90-series and 60-series models will be built on the Scalable Product Architecture, Volvo will also implement a global small car strategy with quality and technical sophistication, before building a series of four and three cylinder hybrid engines. Soon after, the Swedish manufacturer will also develop and all-electric car for the first time they fully expect at least 10% of their annual sales to be EVs, mid term. PHOTO GALLERY The Thousand Miles will be not just different for its stylistic approach, but will mark the first time that Chomet has used dialogue extensively in an animated feature. The film, based on a treatment by Gregory and script by Chomet, will offer an as-yet-unannounced international celebrity voice cast including two iconic American actors with Italian roots in the leads. Inspired by the dream journals (and other unpublished materials) of iconic Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini, Chomets film is described as the metaphysical journey of a pair of aging brothers. Here is the official synopsis: Two brothers, separated by lifes events but reunited by an old dream of taking part of the world famous car race, The Thousand Miles. Adelmo is the talented and successful older brother. He used to be an acclaimed movie director chatty, flamboyant, and gregarious. He will remind many of Federico Fellini. Umberto, known fondly as Beppino as a child, is the quiet one. Hes a dreamer and stargazer. According to modern standards, his life has been less successful especially the last two decades, which he has spent in jail. As the duo heads towards the start line in Brescia in their old Amilcar, the audience re-lives some major episodes of their past through a series of flashback which visit key moments in their mutual journey, from their happy childhood, when life was sumptuous full of laughter and colors, to the wretched battlefields of World War II and through to the dolce vita of Rome in the nineteen sixties. The films graphic styles will range from 1920s black-and-white cartoon throwback to Seventies psychedelic pop art. Animation production will take place in southern France and Italy, while post production will take place in Canada. London-based Savoy & Gregory, which is co-owned by Prince Emanuele Filiberto Umberto Reza Ciro Rene Maria di Savoia, grandson of the last king of Italy, will produce the film. Chomets last film in 2013, Attila Marcel, marked his live-action feature debut. A Brazilian website has caught the Honda Fit Twist (SUV based on Jazz) testing around the Honda plant at Sumare. Local speculations have been raised that the model could probably be a new compact SUV below the HR-V. However, we believe it is the Honda Fit Twist; a compact SUV thats based on the current Honda Jazz and was exclusive to the Brazilian market in the earlier version (based on the previous Jazz). You can see the A-pillar quarter glass and agree with the similarities of the door mirror placement, unlike the HR-Vs design. Even the side panel creases towards the end of the car are more in tune with the current Jazz. Also, notice the front-end that sits higher than in the Jazz and the ground clearance is also a lot more. It is likely that the earlier Fit Twists engine could be used on this new model in a different state of tune for improved performance and efficiency. The Honda Fit Twist could begin pouring into showrooms from mid-2016 and will take on the likes of the Ford EcoSport and the upcoming Nissan Kicks in the Brazilian market. Honda has not revealed any plans to launch this version in India as of now. Photo: Jo Slade Irate Kelowna driver Angus McCurmudge Recent snowfalls have brought shock and disbelief to Okanagan residents. It was just snowing and snowing, snowing like crazy! reported one concerned citizen. Some locals say that snow should be expected in winter, as it happens every year in the Okanagan. Irate Kelowna driver Angus McCurmudge is appalled by the complaints. Buncha damn sissies. Why, when I was young, it snowed 10 feet in one hour, pretty much every day all day, and we drove around in it with summer tires on the car - and those tires were bald and sometimes flat, and we had the windows rolled down, and us only in our damned t-shirts, shouting yahoo when we went over cliffs. And by god in those days yahoo was what you shouted when you were driving around in snow with bald flat summer tires, it wasnt a namby-pamby way to search things on the interwebs thing. Others werent as confident about the safety of summer tires in snow. Irate Penticton driver Henry Slowdownish claims that people are really just safest behind closed doors. House doors, that is. It just isnt safe out there, everybody should stay home. Summer tires, thats just suicide! All-seasons, even worse! Snow tires, just a false sense of security, you think snow tires are going to work in the kind of snow we get here in the Okanagan? We get the real stuff, the bad stuff. Snow tires arent stopping anything in this kind of snow. Chains? Are you kidding? Chainsll just fall right off because they cant handle this Okanagan snow! Studs, too. Just fall right off. Some fingers have been pointed. Irate local resident Billy-Bob Bucky insists that Albertan drivers are the problem. Theyve never seen hills before, you see, and when you add snow to those hills, it gets them all confused and nervous. And they have those awful running boards on their Buicks, which is unsightly and distracting when youre trying to tailgate and honk at them to make them speed the hell up. The snow has also caused concern among residents over the lack of timely snow removal. We spoke with irate West Kelowna homeowner Harry Hank, who reports, We waited outside for the snow removal boys right after the first .005 inch of snow fell, but sure enough, they just didnt come. They just couldnt be bothered, the bastards. Many feel that Trudeau is behind the appalling snow situation. According to irate Vernon resident Jimmy I-Voted-For-Harper Jones, Why am I not surprised at all the snow and complete lack of snow removal? You all voted in Pretty-Hair Trudeau as your Prime Minister, and now you wonder why things are going to hell in a liberal hand basket. Just dont come crying to me when we become a third-world nation next week. I didnt vote for him. Others blamed the refugee situation. Irate Lower Mission resident Madge Murphy, shivering in pink robe and matching pink bunny slippers in front of her lakeshore mansion, reports, If we didnt have all those refugees running around living like millionaires while the rest of us starve and live on the streets, this wouldnt even be an issue. The snow removal crews would be out there after the first snowflake, not after it builds up to impossible levels of an inch and sometimes even more. While most residents were upset with the lack of snow removal, people who did have their streets cleared were upset with the quality of service. They just drove up here and shoved all the snow to the side of the street! They should have taken it with them. What is the point of snow removal if they just leave it shoved all over the side of the road? This is Christy Clarks fault, she is destroying our province with these serious snow removal issues! says irate Peachland resident Jean Plomp. As winter wears on, Okanagan residents continue to struggle with snow and each other, finding commonality only in one ardently shared belief: Albertans cant drive. This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet. Photo: Contributed To highlight the crisis of student debt, the Okanagan College Faculty Association is giving away 30 cheques for $1,000 to current and former OC students with the greatest student debt load. The Okanagan College Faculty Association (OCFA) is sponsoring the contest with union dues paid by 302 faculty members and in collaboration with its provincial affiliate the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators (FPSE). In a press release, the OCFA said it wishes to call attention to the real world effects of the BC Liberals continual reduction of support of our institution and the post-secondary education sector in general. This ongoing lack of commitment to post-secondary education has resulted, first and foremost in rapidly rising student debt. The average post-secondary student in B.C. now graduates with $32,000 in student loan debt. B.C. students also pay the highest interest rates in Canada on these loans, typically owing between $12,500 and $27,500 in interest charges. Since 2001, per-student funding in B.C. has declined by 20 per cent, despite BCs budgetary surpluses and the fact the economy has more than doubled in size in the past 25 years. This situation has worsened each year since Premier Christy Clark took office. Okanagan College has received reduced funding each year since her election, and as a result been forced into a situation where annually raising tuition fees seems like the only option. This situation will worsen considerably in the upcoming year, now that the Province has chosen to cut financial support to students pursuing ESL or ABE courses. Each year since Premier Clarks election, the governments Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services (comprised primarily of Liberal MLAs) has urged the government to restore funding to the post-secondary system. Every year Premier Clark has chosen not to make this a priority. Advanced Education is the only portfolio to have had its overall funding reduced since Clark has taken office. All current or former Okanagan College students (from any department) are eligible to enter the contest, as long as they have completed at least one course from any program at OC since Sept. 1, 2005. All applications must be received by mail, before noon Feb. 26. OCFA Contest: 30 Drops Out of the Bucket Attn: Deborah Warren Okanagan College Room E315 1000 KLO Road Kelowna , BC V1Y 4X8 The 30 students with the highest level of debt will each receive a cheque for $1,000 - thus 30 drops will be taken out of the bucket of student debt that currently exists in our province. The winners will be announced by March 1, and a spreadsheet will be published that gives a debt total for all who entered the contest. Photo: Contributed Police in Salmon Arm are on the lookout for a stolen black GMC Sierra pick-up truck. Staff Sgt. Scott West said the truck, with Alberta licence plate EKS 767, was stolen from a parking lot on Jan. 10 at 10 a.m. The vehicle was stolen in the 2400 block of the Trans Canada Highway, said West. If located, please do not approach the vehicle or attempt to apprehend the vehicle or its occupants. Please call 911 and report it to police. Anyone with information on the theft is urged to call police at 250-832-6044, or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477.) Photo: Contributed - Google Street View Kelowna RCMP are looking for a pair of thieves following a rash of break ins at a Kelowna hotel late Sunday night. Shortly after 11 p.m. police were called after several rooms at the hotel, on Harvey Avenue across from Orchard Park, were broken into. Police determined the suspects forced their way into three rooms within the hotel and stole several items. The two men were caught on hotel security exiting one of the rooms before fleeing in a waiting vehicle. The black, older model Dodge pickup was last seen headed south on Harvey Avenue. Police have called in the forensic identification unit to examine the rooms. If you were a witness and have not yet spoken with police, you are asked to contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300. Remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, leaving a tip online at www.crimestoppers.net or by texting your tip to CRIMES (274637) ktown. Photo: Contributed - Google Street View Two teenage men from Chilliwack have been identified as those killed in a single vehicle crash in the Fraser Valley early Sunday morning. Police say the crash occurred about 1 a.m. when the truck the two were travelling in left Ballam Road and ended up in the Fraser River. General Duty officers supported by the Chilliwack Fire Department and Chilliwack Search and Rescue immediately arrived at the address where two 18-year-old men from Chilliwack were found deceased inside of the vehicle. Police are continuing their investigation to determine the cause of the incident. Victim Services is engaged with the families of the two men. The tragic deaths of these young men has had an impact on the entire community, said Cpl. Mike Rail. Police are urging anyone who may have witnessed this incident to contact the Chilliwack RCMP at 604-792-4611 or, should you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS). Photo: Contributed - Twitter - @Sharmin_H Monday morning, NDP MLA, George Heyman urged the provincial government to enact stronger rules for party buses after a passenger died on a party bus in Vancouver on the weekend. In 2014, Heyman proposed several changes including chaperones for trips involving minors, safety training for operators, that all party bus passengers would receive instructions and sign acknowledgements about legal and safety requirements about not drinking in vehicles, safe drop-off provisions to end the practice of dumping sick or distressed passengers, and imposed penalties for advertising of illegal or prohibited activity. Should regulations be stiffened? Photo: Contributed - transmountain.com Trans Mountain says it is confident the work it has done, and will do, will satisfy the province's guidelines. The company issued a news release Monday afternoon after the province said the company did not meet its conditions and had not provided enough information pertaining to its pipeline expansion. "Trans Mountain has been working closely with the province of B.C. to discuss and demonstrate its commitment to meeting B.C.s five conditions, and believes much progress has been made," the company stated in its release. "Trans Mountain is confident that through continued discussions with the province, along with the final steps of the NEB process that already include 150 draft conditions that the company must meet, it will be able to satisfy B.C.s five conditions by the time the regulatory process is complete." The company said the five conditions include several conditions it cannot satisfy alone. "The conditions related to world-leading marine oil spill response, recovery and prevention, addressing Aboriginal treaty rights and B.C. receiving its fair share are all conditions that require multiple parties to come to the table and work together. "If approved by the NEB, Trans Mountain is confident that the construction and long-term operation of the Project will be done to the highest standards of environmental performance, support Aboriginal communities and provide lasting benefits for British Columbians, Albertans and Canadians." Trans Mountain said the project will provide $46.7 billion in government revenues and 802,000 person years of employment over more than 20 years. Photo: Carmen Weld A snowfall warning is now in effect for Coquihalla. Environment Canada is calling for snowfall amounts of 20 to 25 centimetres today on the highway from Hope to Merritt. A moist Pacific frontal system will bring about 20 cm of snow to the route through tonight, writes Environment Canada. The snow will begin this morning and then become heavy at times by this evening. The dump of snow should ease off by Wednesday morning as the frontal system moves out of the area. Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions. Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow. Weather in the mountains can and is expected to change suddenly resulting in hazardous driving conditions. For more information on driving in winter conditions, click here. For up to date details on highway conditions and road closures check DriveBC. You can also monitor Environment Canada for alerts, warnings and updated forecasts. For your local weather forecast click here. Photo: Contributed - volunteertoronto.ca The military is beginning to wind down its overseas involvement in the Liberal government's commitment to resettling thousands of Syrian refugees in a matter of months. Approximately 70 Canadian Armed Forces members have returned from Jordan and Lebanon, where they were part of a broader government effort to bring 25,000 Syrians to Canada by the end of next month. About 150 soldiers remain in those two countries helping process applications and conduct medical tests on the thousands of Syrians who are still passing through the screening process. The Defence Department says the decision to bring some personnel home was made in consultation with the Immigration Department in anticipation of the completion of the program. But while the military is drawing down overseas, on the home front things are expected to get busier in the coming days with the arrival of thousands of Syrians at military bases for short-term stays. Today is expected to be the day that the 10,000th Syrian refugee arrives in Canada, a milestone moment for a Liberal program that's changed shape and focus several times since a commitment to resettling 25,000 Syrians was first made by the party in March. Photo: The Canadian Press Employees of two British Columbia sawmills destroyed by fire in 2012 have launched a class-action lawsuit against the provincial agency responsible for workplace safety. The separate fires in Burns Lake and Prince George killed a total of four workers and injured 42 others. A notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court says combustible wood dust fuelled the January explosion at Babine Forest Products and an April explosion at Lakeland Mills Ltd. The employees and family members allege WorkSafeBC was negligent in its inspections and investigations of the mills, breached its fiduciary responsibilities to the workers, causing them physical and psychiatric injuries. The allegations have yet to be tested in court. The plaintiffs are seeking general, special and punitive damages, as well as declarations that the inspections and investigations were negligent and the agency infringed on their charter rights. "The class members trusted WorkSafe to take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of the mills and to competently investigate the explosions," says the statement of claim. "By failing in both respects, WorkSafe betrayed the class members' trust; denied them justice for their suffering and for the suffering and deaths of their loved ones; undermined their faith in government; and robbed them of the sense of security and safety that a trustworthy and competent system of prevention and deterrence provides." At Only Natural Pet, we believe products are only as good as the ingredients and care that go into them. Believe it or not, many pet products contain ingredients with known health risks in addition to unnecessary and inappropriate fillers. At Only Natural Pet, every product and ingredient are scrutinized for health and safety. If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,... The nomination list for the Bafta was announced at the Bafta's Central London headquarters in Piccadilly and includes the names of onscreen couple Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively. Redmayne and Vikander entered the nominees' list for their perfect portrayal of their roles in "The Danish Girl." If luck happens, this would be Redmayne's second Bafta trophy. After the radical stance achieved through his performance in "The Danish Girl," Redmayne is eyeing on grabbing another Bafta. This indeed would be a well-deserved reward for all his hard work; his innovative acting skills were exhibited quite well in the movie. Similar to last year's nomination that made him win the affluent title of Best Actor for "The Theory of Everything," this year the actor has been nominated once again for his outstanding performance in his first transgender role. But for budding actors like Redmayne, winning a trophy for his first heavy lead role and being nominated again in the same title the next year is already a mark of victory. Reports by Mirror UK states that the nominations are all confirmed. This year the competition is indeed tough, while the 34-year-old actor will have to face Leonardo DiCaprio for "The Revenant," along with Bryan Cranston for "Trumbo," Matt Damon for "The Martian," and Michael Fassbender, who played the lead in "Steve Jobs"--all up against one another for the cherry on top. The Bafta is scheduled to take place next month, February 14, at the London's Royal Opera House, calling in the most renowned stars of the country. "The Danish Girl" itself as a film faces a huge promise for a trophy too. Both of its leading actors would not get nominated at all if not for a great film of which they are a part. The Bafta has always played a vital role in deciding the future line-up at the Oscars. According to Independent news, Redmayne is a name that is already on the nomination list for the Oscars for his role as "Lili Elbe," the first-ever transgender woman who underwent a sex change surgery. The movie has also been nominated at several other award ceremonies, such as Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Amidst tight competition, the actor remains pretty optimistic about his nomination. Comparatively, this movie is both extremely different and inspiring and his work is obviously appreciated well in the industry by many. Fitch Affirms Cementos Pacasmayo at 'BBB-'; Outlook Stable 12 January 2016 Fitch Ratings has affirmed the ratings of Peruvian producer Cementos Pacasmayo at 'BBB-'. The Rating Outlook remains Stable. The ratings reflect the company's solid business position as the only cement producer in Peru's northern region. This position has resulted in high margins, low leverage and solid liquidity. The small size of the cement market in the north, as well as the logistical challenges found in this region, has limited the impact of imports and the probability a global company will enter the region in the near future. Further factored into the ratings is the completion of Pacasmayo's new cement plant in Piura and the favourable outlook for Peru's cement industry over the medium term driven by Peru's positive macroeconomic and business environment. Key rating's drivers Solid business position Pacasmayo is the dominant player in Peru's northern region, where it provides essentially all of the cement sold. In the 12 months ending September 2015 the company sold 2.3Mt, maintaining its historical market share of approximately 22 per cent. The market structure of the Peruvian cement industry has remained stable for more than a decade, which lowers business risk and provides sector stability. Pacasmayo's low-cost production and extensive distribution network, which is customised to the specificities of the Peruvian cement market, give the company strong competitive advantages and barriers to entry. Completion of the Piura cement plant Pacasmayo announced the completion of its new Piura cement plant, which began operating during the end of 3Q15. Total capacity is 1.6Mta and 1Mta of cement and clinker, respectively. Fitch notes that advantages of the new Piura plant include elimination of the need to import clinker for cement production, which should reduce cost of goods sold and improve EBITDA margins by approximately 300bps. Further, the location of the plant provides Pacasmayo with greater logistical flexibility in meeting the demands from different regions of northern Peru. The total cost of the project was US$365m and was approximately US$20m under budget. Weakened liquidity expected to rebound Pacasmayo's cash position declined to US$126m as of 30 September 2015 compared to US$192m at 31 December 2014 due to the funding of its new plant. Fitch expects Pacasmayo will end 2015 with a cash balance of around US$50m mainly due to dividends paid of approximately US$50m and stock repurchases of about US$32m during October 2015. Pacasmayo is expected to return to positive free cash flow (FCF) generation, replenishing its cash balances to approximately US$60m by 2016 and US$90m by 2017. The company has no short-term debt, with its US$300m notes not maturing until 2023. Expanding margins EBITDA margins improved to 32.6 per cent for the 12 months ending September 2015 compared to 27.3 per cent for the prior year period due to a reduction in imported clinker for its cement production coupled with a reduction in administrative expenses. Key factors in sustaining its high margins are access to low-cost energy, proximity of cement plants to limestone reserves, extensive and well-developed distribution network, and a favourable sales mix of bagged (89 per cent of sales) to bulk (11 per cent of sales) cement. Pacasmayo's new Piura plant is expected to drive an additional 300bps in EBITDA margin improvement as the new plant will eliminate the need for Pacasmayo to import clinker, coupled with the state of the art technology and production efficiencies. The kilns at the new plant will be able to work with different types of fuels (municipal solid waste, biomass, shredded tyres, etc.), has its own quarry, and will lower transportation costs for imported raw materials with its proximity to a port. Generation and improved leverage metrics Fitch expects Pacasmayo to return to positive FCF generation during 2016 due to steady growth in operating cash flow coupled with a significant reduction in capex. Favourable cement industry fundamentals Fitch projects Peruvian cement consumption will increase by 2.5 per cent in 2016 due to increased demand from self-construction and recovery in public/private sector markets. Peru has US$40bn of private investment projects expected to be developed during 2016-17, but they could be delayed by weaker investor confidence in the period before the upcoming presidential election. While a severe El Nino would temporarily delay new projects in northern Peru, cement volumes would benefit from potential reconstruction projects. 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The Democratic Party is the party of the four Ss: slavery, secession, segregation and socialism (Quote By Author Michael Scheuer). Lifer Locations Even if you may have only recently begun birding, if you have birded with anyone else you probably know what a lifer bird is. Non-birders usually look quizzically at you when you exult over a lifer, but birders know. Many of them are working on their life list, and some of them do most of their birding with the very single-minded goal of adding lifers to the list. While I definitely keep a list of birds seen, as an often big-year birder I am usually more focused on my year list and not my life list. When I give talks on my ABA big year and am asked how many lifers I got that year, I normally can only guess a number (unless I have recently reviewed my records from 2008). I certainly noted the fact each time I got a lifer that year but the details are on my computer and not in my head. I like the lifer concept. I like new things. I regularly extend the lifer designation to things other than birds. When I visit a new place, or drive a new road, or eat a new food, or meet someone new, I think of these (and sometimes mention it aloud) as lifer places, roads, foods, people. One of the wonderful things about doing a big year, especially a big year in an area where I have not lived and explored for very long (such as Alaska) is that there are a lot of lifer locations to add to my mental list (no, I do not actually have a written list of these). My 2016 Alaska big year has only been going for a little over a week now, and I have added some spectacular lifer locations to my list! You can get my bird list details at lynnbarber.com and each days birding story at lynnbarberblog.com. The purpose of this ABA blog post is to highlight some Alaska locations that are possibly less known to birders than the more popular birding locations where people go for spectacular views of cliff nesting birds (e.g., St. Paul Island), chances at straying Asian birds during migration (Gambell and St. Paul), and chances at seeing Rosss and Ivory Gulls (Barrow). My lifer locations so far this year, like many Alaska locations, are accessible only by air or by sea, but they do have roads that can be explored once you arrive there. Kodiak Island was my first lifer location of 2016. I had not intended to go there at all until I learned at the very end of 2015 that Rich MacIntosh had found a Common Pochard there. I had planned to spend the first two days of my big year in Anchorage, but quickly changed my plans and booked a last minute flight to Kodiak for the Pochard (certainly a US lifer, and possibly a world-lifer for me, but I havent had time to check on that). Kodiak is a beautiful place with excellent birding potential and active birders. Like the other lifer locations discussed here, Kodiak is blessed with spectacular mountains and waterways and all sorts of places for birds to be especially waterfowl and seabirds. My next birding trip was to Juneau. I visited Juneau last year as part of a Wilderness Birding Adventures Gulf of Alaska trip, so it was a lifer location then, and not now, but this is the first time I had a chance to take some time to explore and see many of the good birding sites. Not to be missed, the Mendenhall Wetlands area has yielded numerous rarities over the years. For me it produced a Northern Pygmy-Owl this year and about 7 Pacific Loons, and was the first place I saw Great Blue Herons. Various peoples feeders and backyards had an Annas Hummingbird and a Spotted Towhee, as well as more common birds. In addition to learning what winter birds were in Juneau, I learned more about other times of the year when I needed to visit to see birds that are not around now, such a Mountain Bluebirds. After a couple of days in Juneau, I flew to Ketchikan, another lifer location, with the goal of seeing as many as possible of the wintering rarities and area specialties. Ketchikan added Brandts Cormorant and grebes Pied and Western to my year list, as well as additional yard birds. The main road in Ketchikan closely follows the coastline, allowing easy scanning for cormorants, loons, ducks and other waterfowl along it. Amy Courtneys posts on eBird and Facebook late in 2015 caught my attention because she was regularly seeing a Brewers Blackbird in her yard in Hoonah, Alaska. This was a lifer mention of a possible lifer birding site, a place that I had never heard of. Brewers Blackbirds are very rare in Alaska. I kept track of whether she was still seeing the bird, and when it appeared that the bird was not leaving, I booked a 20-minute seaplane flight from Juneau to Hoonah on January 8th. Visiting her yard allowed me to add both Brewers and Rusty Blackbirds and Savannah and Golden-crowned Sparrow to my year list. There are also extensive wetland and forest habitats through which a lengthy road system wanders. I dont know what other lifer locations I will visit in 2016, but I think there will be at least two. One will be Hyder some time in June. Hyder is on the Alaskan mainland about as far south as one can go on a road in Alaska. To get there from Anchorage, you either drive for thousands of miles up to central Alaska, east to the border and down again, or you take a mail plane from Ketchikan. It will definitely be a lifer trip to a lifer location. The other planning-in-the-works lifer trip for 2016 will be a 4-day ferry trip from Homer to lifer location, Dutch Harbor, for Whiskered Auklet, among other birds. I hope there are more lifer locations on the horizon, because if there are that will mean that rare birds are being reported from places Ive never been. I will try to chase them, if Im not already elsewhere on a birding trip. If you are interested in learning more about any of these lifer locations, or about many, many more Alaskan lifer locations and the birds that can be found there, a must-read is Wests ABA Birdfinding Guide, A BIRDERS GUIDE TO ALASKA. PS. Although this post is not specifically about Malheur NWR in Oregon, about which there have been a number of recent ABA blog posts, I lived in Oregon for 5 years and visited there a couple of times. It is definitely a lifer location to be treasured! Washington Post Claims Staged Photo is News | Main | Palestinian Children Wear Suicide Belts to Celebrate Fatah's Anniversary January 11, 2016 Where's the Coverage? Bahrain Foils Terror Plot Authorities in Bahrain claimed on January 6, 2015 that they foiled an Iranian-sponsored plot to launch terror attacks in the country. Yet, many major U.S. news outletseven those reporting on tensions between Shiite Iran and Sunni-governed Bahrainfailed to note the announcement. According to The Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT), a non-profit organization that monitors and analyzes terrorist threats, Bahrains state news agency, BNA, claimed: A secret terrorist plot aided by the so-called Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the Hezbollah terrorist organization was foiled...It targeted the security of the kingdom of Bahrain by (plotting to) carry out a series of dangerous bombings.? BNA stated that Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, personally gave a man named Ali Ahmed Fakhwari $20,000 to assist the terror cell in Bahrain. Hezbollah is the Lebanese-based, Iranian-funded Party of God? movement. It is a U.S.-designated terrorist group. IPT reports that in November 2015, Bahrain arrested 47 people for allegedly planning to conduct attacks, saying they had links to terrorist elements in Iran.? According to Reuters (Bahrain says Iran-linked cell plotting attacks,? Jan. 6, 2015)one of the few media outlets to cover the plotBNA has said these individuals were about to carry out attacks in the coming days.? Bahrain arrested some suspected in planning terror plots as early as 2013. On April 7, 2013 the Bahraini government made what was then an unprecedented move for an Arab country and designated Hezbollah a terror group.Two individuals named by the government are listed as fugitives, one of whom is reportedly residing in Iran. Bahrain is a Shiite majority country that has been governed by Sunni rulers since it declared independence from Britain, under which it was a protectorate since the late nineteenth century. Tensions between the Bahraini government of Aal Khalifa and Shiite Iran have been increasing since 2007, when Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor of Kayhan (an Iranian daily newspaper with close ties to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) called for Shiites in Bahrain to overthrow their government. Shariatmadari called for renewed Iranian sovereignty over Bahrain, which was governed by the Safavid Dynasty of the Persian Empire from 1602 until 1783. According to a May 29, 2013 report by the Middle East Media Research Institute, a non-profit organization that monitors media in the region, Shariatmadari insisted that Bahrain is actually a province of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iranian officials, such as Natek Nouri who works in Khaemenis office, echoed Shariatmadaris claim. MEMRIs report concluded: An examination of statements by senior Iranian officials and actions by the Iranian regime on this issue shows that, while denying that it is interfering in Bahraini affairs, Iran is empathetically and enthusiastically supporting the Shiite protests there [occurring since 2011] and encouraging the Shiites there to continue their opposition to the Bahraini regime.? Many major U.S. outlets have failed to note the latest Iranian-inspired agitation in Bahrain. Recent Washington Post coverage of tensions between Iran and Sunni Gulf Arab states, while noting that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and others have recalled their ambassadors from Iran, still omitted any mention of Bahrains claims (for example Iran alleges Saudi airstrike on embassy in Yemen,? January 8). A Post blog by foreign affairs commentator Fareed Zakaria, while describing growing Iranian influence in the region, failed to detail the terror plot (The United States shouldnt take sides in the Sunni-Shiite struggle,? January 8). Both USA Today and The Baltimore Sun, among others, also failed to note Bahrains charges of an Iranian-backed bomb plot. In contrast, The Boston Globe did report the alleged terror planwhile noting that Bahrain, as home to the U.S. Navys Fifth Fleet, is of strategic importance to the United States (Iraq offers to mediate amid tensions,? January 7). Similarly, The New York Times also noted Irans recent activity in the recent Gulf kingdom (Iraq Offers to Mediate Irans Dispute with Saudis,? January 7). An Iranian-terror plot in a country that hosts U.S. servicemen and women, and yet most media outlets were MIA. Wheres the coverage? Posted by SD at January 11, 2016 03:21 PM The whole issue over Farsi Island draws a blank too. Why? What is Iran up to and what is Obama allowing to happen? Farsi Island is in disputable waters and perhaps what is under them is also disputable. Hussein invaded Kuwait because he claimed Kuwait was stealing oil that rightfully belonged to Iraq. Kuwaitis were taking from a large reserve most of which Iraq claimed was Iraq's. The ownership of shelves comes into play. Also Iran as far as I know has never given up its claim that Bahrain is Iranian territory. Russia is now the more important player not because of what it is doing but because of what Obama is loathe to do. Obama had a frantic meeting in the USA with the Jordanian King when it was disclosed Jordan was now entering into a military alliance that will directly impact on the anti-Assad/Daesh forces supported through Jordan by the USA. But failure and retreat is Obama's strong pints and what he does best applauded by his minions products of an intentionally broken public education system that is more and more resembling an indoctrination mill. Posted by: jeb at January 15, 2016 05:38 AM Guidelines for posting This is a moderated blog. We will not post comments that include racism, bigotry, threats, or factually inaccurate material. Post a comment Two Decatur, Ga., men are facing multiple charges after a Chattanooga pharmacist noticed that a prescription they presented was supposedly ordered by a local doctor who has long since retired. Arrested were Jonquel Dawson and Derrick Jennings, both 22. Their charges include criminal simulation fraud, prescription drug fraud, theft of property, fraud, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance and possession of a firearm while in the possession of legend drugs. There were three handguns found with them in their car. In the incident on Sunday, an officer responded to the Walgreen's on Highway 153 on a report of a black male with dreads wearing a brown leather jacket trying to pass a fraudulent prescription. Jennings told police he was trying to fill a prescription for an old friend who lives in Knoxville. He said he did not know the "friend's" name, but did this on a regular basis. He later said the "friend" was Robert Andrews - the name on the prescription. Police then noticed a passenger in the car bent over the center console. It was also noticed that Dawson had a black leather shoulder holster with a magazine in the pouch. Dawson said the gun that goes with the pouch was in the front passenger seat along with another weapon. Officers found a loaded silver Smith and Wesson revolver in the passenger side door, a loaded Sig Sauer under the passenger side front seat, a Glock 21 .45 caliber pistol under the front driver's seat and a loaded 26 round magazine in the center console. Officers also found fake IDs, marijuana, marijuana wax, a digital scale, a marijuana cigarette and a bottle of xanax and percocet pills. The investor group bidding for American Apparel Inc. is composed of three family offices that control a combined $2.4 billion and share a similar conviction: that the retailer's ousted founder was wronged. The coalition announced a $300 million bid for American Apparel on Monday, arguing that the bankrupt clothing chain would be better off if it brought back its former chief executive officer, Dov Charney. They see the allegations that got Charney fired from the company in 2014 as trumped-up and are willing to overlook his controversial past because he's vital to turning around the business. Advertisement "Dov is a manufacturing and fashion maven," said Chad Hagan, managing partner of one of the investors, Hagan Capital Group. "Any financier looking for a great opportunity would look to back him." Hagan Capital, located in the Atlanta area, is leading the takeover effort, with help from Greenwich, Connecticut-based Silver Creek Capital Partners. The third family office is a silent partner, Hagan said. The group's initial bid, which was first reported by Bloomberg last week, was valued at more than $200 million. That offer has now been sweetened to $300 million, according to a statement on Monday from Charney and the investors. Advertisement Dov Charney in downtown Los Angeles on April 3, 2012. (GARY FRIEDMAN, LOS ANGELES TIMES) "We are willing to be friendly and genteel, but the fact is we want this company and we want Dov back in," Hagan said in an interview. "We are deadly serious." Charney, 46, founded American Apparel in 1998 and built it into a brand known for domestic manufacturing and edgy advertising. But he was dogged by allegations about his behavior at the Los Angeles-based chain. When the board fired him in 2014, it accused him of misusing corporate funds and violating the sexual-harassment policy. His new backers say that the company's performance deteriorated because Charney was forced out. About 10 months after his dismissal, American Apparel filed for bankruptcy. It negotiated a prearranged exit plan that would hand ownership to bondholders, led by Monarch Alternative Capital. American Apparel's current management is pushing ahead with its prearranged bankruptcy plan. The company said on Monday that it has unanimous approval of all voting classes to accept that transaction. The plan also includes a commitment for $40 million more in capital, backed by a credit line. "American Apparel evaluates all bids consistently, and in the ordinary course," the retailer said. "The company remains focused on pursuing the completion of its financial restructuring following its planned bankruptcy court hearing at the end of this month." If the company and creditors refuse the proposal from Charney's backers, the investors would need to persuade the bankruptcy judge to reject the current reorganization plan, which is likely to reach him for a final decision on Jan. 20. Monarch declined to comment. The acquisition attempt is being managed by a private equity joint venture run by Hagan Capital and Silver Creek. Hagan Capital has invested in several bankrupt companies, mostly in the health-care industry, Hagan said. The offer for American Apparel would be one of its biggest deals to date. The investor group's idea is to realize the brand's untapped potential by continuing to make clothes in the U.S. and using that cachet to expand into more markets and distribution channels, Hagan said. Charney has crafted a business plan as part of the proposal. Advertisement While the investors see Charney as key to the takeover bid, they do plan to surround him with veteran executives -- both former employees and outsiders. One person they are in talks with is the current head of U.S. operations for a global retailer, Hagan said. The investors also have hired Martin Bienenstock, a well- known bankruptcy attorney for Proskauer Rose, to represent them. He's worked on high-profile cases such as General Motors and Enron Corp. Hagan Capital is so set on backing Charney that if it fails to buy the clothing chain out of bankruptcy, it would consider funding an apparel startup with him. The firm also would wait to see how the turnaround unfolds at American Apparel and possibly pursue another bid. "It's a multiyear plan," Hagan said. Charney has pushed for his return since the board suspended him in June of 2014 for alleged misconduct, including retaliating against a former employee who sued him for sexual harassment. He previously struck a deal with hedge fund Standard General, only to have a falling-out with that firm. He also worked with Irving Place Capital on a bid proposal, though that also stalled. He then waged battle in the courts with lawsuits brought by him and former employees. As bankruptcy court proceedings cruised along, Charney was running out of time to find a financial backer. He put out a press release on Dec. 4 that said he was working with a small investment bank on a possible bid. Soon after, Hagan Capital contacted Charney. It sent a letter of interest within days to tell the company it was considering an offer. The formal bid with committed financing came about three weeks later. Advertisement Charney took another key step last week when he filed an objection to the current reorganization plan. "We aren't going away," Hagan said. Bloomberg An alliance of Italian consumer groups is complaining that McDonald's mistreats its franchisees in Europe. (DAVID C. HOERLEIN / HANDOUT) Brussels A group of McDonald's critics urged the European Union to rein in alleged antitrust abuses by the world's largest restaurant chain in a complaint just weeks after regulators added the company to a growing list of U.S. firms facing a clampdown on tax loopholes. A coalition of Italian consumer organizations and European and U.S. trade unions accused McDonald's of abusing its market power to harm franchisees who run its burger restaurants as well as customers, workers and rivals. Advertisement "No company is more responsible for driving a global race to the bottom than the Golden Arches, which has pioneered and perfected a brand of cannibal capitalism," said Scott Courtney, an official at the Service Employees International Union, which backs the antitrust complaint filed with the European Commission on Monday. The accusation adds to an EU probe opened in December into suspicions the company unfairly exploited a pact with Luxembourg to avoid tax for more than half a decade. The trade unions helped throw McDonald's in the spotlight by producing a report claiming it dodged more than $1.09 billion (1 billion euros) in taxes across Europe. Advertisement McDonald's defended its practices, saying that the company is committed to working closely with franchisees "so that they have the support they need to operate their restaurants." "This approach, with the principle of sharing risk and reward, has been successful for many years and has helped create the best business opportunities for our franchisees and the best overall experience for our customers," the Oak Brook, Illinois- based company said in a statement. The EU said it received the filing and will look into it. The commission has to assess whether McDonald's abused its dominant position before deciding whether it should take up or reject the complaint. McDonald's exploited its position as a landlord by requiring franchisees to lease its property and charging rents in Europe about three to four times higher than market levels, according to the complaint by consumer associations Codacons, Movimento Difesa del Cittadino and Cittadinanzattiva. Two-thirds of McDonald's total revenue from franchisees in Europe comes from rents, according to the statement. McDonald's contract terms, such as one- or two-year noncompete clauses, severely limit the ability of franchisees to switch to other brands, preventing effective competition between chains, according to the coalition. Short-term profitability is the main rationale driving franchisees to enter into agreements with McDonald's, according to the coalition's lawyer, Raffaele Cavani. "But in the long- term it may prove to be a golden cage." Bloomberg As is too often the case, the factual bases for Kevin O'Brien's current anti-government rant ("Bullying bureaucrats have earned Oregon protest," Forum, Jan. 8) are selective, vague or questionable. As documented on their website, High Country News, (HCN), even some conservative supporters of Ammon Bundy question the accuracy of his statements. In 1994, HCN had reported Dwight Hammond made death threats against managers of the wildlife refuge in 1986, 1988 and 1991, long before the Hammonds were convicted of burning a total of 139 acres of public land in 2001 and 2006. Before jumping on the bandwagon to support the Oregon protesters, readers who take O'Brien's opinion seriously might wish to check out Char Miller's article on the history of the occupied land that appeared in the Washington Post on Jan. 7 and Tay Wiles' article "Malheur occupation, explained," published in HCN Jan. 4. Together, they provide a brief history of the land and of the rebellion movement from the 1970's to the present. Lisa Rein (Washington Post, Jan. 5) and Peter Cashwell (New York Times, Jan. 6) provide more detail on the refuge and its current occupation, both also online. O'Brien is unaware of, or chooses to ignore, most of this information. Norman Henderson, Oberlin Set in the titular small town which is half an hour south of Memphis this is the story of a struggling young working-class couple, Laurel and Jim. Laurel, played by Liz Sharpe, is pregnant with the couple's first child, and at the start of the play, we see her fending off the ministrations of a well-meaning but suffocating mother, Celeste (Cecelia Wingate). Jim (played by Linder) seems like a good guy. That's the setup. Before long, though, it becomes clear that Jim might not be the father of this baby. Perchance Laurel has had a relationship with an African-American man. Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield. Topspin It's Tuesday, Jan. 12, the day after Mayor Rahm Emanuel got some unsolicited political advice from Springfield Republicans. Advertisement While Gov. Bruce Rauner spent Monday doing a series of sit-down interviews with reporters in Springfield, his allies in the General Assembly were in Chicago to help press his case that Emanuel should help solve the state budget stalemate. In a speech to the City Club of Chicago, Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno seized on the controversies swirling around City Hall and delivered some unsolicited advice to the beleaguered mayor. Advertisement "Frankly, if I were the mayor, I'd try to change the narrative right now by sitting down and cutting a deal or 'cutting a deal' is a bad term trying to compromise with the Republicans in order to fix the Chicago public school problems, the city of Chicago problems and the problems of the state," Radogno said. "But candidly, the mayor has not asked me for my advice." Unable to win support from Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton for his union-weakening, pro-business legislative agenda, Rauner has spent months publicly calling on Emanuel to step in and pressure his fellow Democrats toward a deal. Rauner argues that Chicago's financial problems and Emanuel's requests for assistance from Springfield give urgency to solving the stalemate that's left state government operating without full spending authority since July. Emanuel has resisted and recently accused Rauner of holding schoolchildren hostage to his political agenda. The city wants hundreds of millions of dollars in relief from the state to prevent teacher layoffs. "The fact is, it is so disappointing that these other events have made Rahm far less of a participant in this than he could have been," Radogno said. "I would tell Rahm, you are whistling past the graveyard if you don't get to your Democratic brethren and get them into the room to negotiate some real, long-term solutions for the city and the state." House Republican leader Jim Durkin was also on hand to press the governor's case. "The fact is, the governor hasn't changed his position," Durkin said. "If we want to get a budget done, which is going to help the city of Chicago, the Democrats need to come to us and say what they're willing to work with us on, and they are not doing that." (Kim Geiger) What's on tap *Mayor Emanuel is scheduled to attend a meeting of the Public Building Commission in the afternoon. No reporters' questions, however. *Gov. Bruce Rauner has no public events. Advertisement *Chicago City Council Housing Committee meets at 9:30 a.m. On tap: intergovernmental agreement with City Colleges' new Malcom X facility. *Budget Committee meets at 10 a.m. On tap: an ordinance for a trial program for curbside cafes. This issue also comes up an hour later at a License Committee meeting. *The Public Safety Committee meets at 1 p.m. On tap: Emanuel's appointment of Sharon Fairley to lead the Independent Police Review Authority. *The Cook County Board Criminal Justice Committee will consider a resolution calling on Chief Judge Tim Evans to appoint a special prosecutor in the Laquan McDonald police shooting case and an ordinance calling for guidelines suggesting appointment of a special prosecutor in all Chicago Police Department shooting cases. *The Police Board holds a public hearing on the search for a new police superintendent at 6:30 p.m. at the Kennedy-King College auditorium, 740 W. 63rd St. The hearing is no longer being held at the Chicago Urban League headquarters as initially planned. From the notebook *Council ready for reform? An ordinance to allow city Inspector General Joseph Ferguson the authority to investigate the City Council touches many aldermen's deep-seated fears that political foes will indiscriminately attack them. Ald. Ameya Pawar, 47th, supports empowering Ferguson, but during debate Monday on the measure he talked about the mentality that makes many council members reluctant to back the proposal, which would allow people to anonymously file complaints against them. Advertisement "I think part of the problem is that we haven't taken enough aggressive action on what we do as a body in City Council," Pawar said. "But on the other side of that, the Internet, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, places like Everyblock, create a really insane environment. It allows people to say whatever they want. It's totally unchecked. "You used to have to put your name on a piece of paper, write out a letter, type it up, put it in an envelope, put a stamp on it and take responsibility for what you say. And then with social media, it doesn't even matter what you say. You have license to say whatever you want, no matter how crazy it is and no matter how libelous it is. So I understand, I get that. And there are a lot of people who want our jobs, and I think that creates a lot of incentive for people to say some of the craziest things, and quite frankly lie to get our jobs." (John Byrne) *Foxx wins endorsement: Kim Foxx, seeking the Democratic nomination for Cook County state's attorney, has won the endorsement of the Evanston Township Democrats. Foxx, in a three-way primary with Donna More and State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, touted receiving 90 percent of the township vote at a weekend endorsement session. "It's clear that she has the overwhelming backing of our most engaged grass-roots activists. We're fired up and ready to fight for Kim Foxx for state's attorney," Evanston Township Democratic Committeeman Eamon Kelly said in a statement. Foxx already had received the backing of several political leaders in the township, including U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky. (Rick Pearson) *Schneider gun ad: Former U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, seeking the Democratic nomination in the 10th Congressional District, launched his first TV ad aimed at promoting his efforts to combat gun violence. In the ad, an announcer calls Schneider, "principled, proven, progressive" and recounts his "F" rating from the National Rifle Association. The spot also notes that Schneider's very first speech in the House after winning the seat in 2012 called for action on background checks for gun purchases. Schneider, of Deerfield, and Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering are vying for the Democratic nomination in the North Shore district and the right to take on Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Dold of Kenilworth. Dold defeated Schneider in 2014. (Rick Pearson) *Dem chairmen ask Rauner to restart labor talks: The Illinois Democratic County Chairmen's Association is asking Republican Gov. Rauner's administration to return to the table to negotiate a labor deal with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31. Rauner's "declaration of an impasse with ASFCME Council 31 shows that, much like a child, it is either his way or no way at all. This is not the leadership that Illinois needs right now and it certainly is not a good-faith effort," said Doug House, who chairs the Democratic group. Neither Rauner's administration nor the union has declared an impasse in talks, however, though both sides did more posturing Friday as talks broke down. "Compromise and contract negotiations are not a zero-sum game. Proposing extremes that leave no room for the other side is not a strategy that works. It has not worked with the legislature, and it is not working for the state of Illinois," House said. (Rick Pearson) *Zopp to State of the Union: Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Andrea Zopp will attend President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address as a guest of Democratic Rep. Danny Davis. Davis has endorsed the candidacy of Zopp, the former Chicago Urban League president. Prior to the speech, Zopp also will join Davis at a breakfast of members of the Congressional Black Caucus and attend an open house in the office of Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. Zopp is seeking the nomination along with U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth of Hoffman Estates and state Sen. Napoleon Harris of Harvey. They are vying for the seat of re-election-seeking Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk. (Rick Pearson) Advertisement *Remap signature drive gaining: The effort to change the Illinois Constitution to take much of the politics out of the redrawing of legislative boundaries is gaining steam in gathering signatures. The Independent Map Amendment group says it ended the year with more than 483,000 signatures needed as part of the effort to get the proposal on this year's ballot in November. At least 290,216 valid signatures are needed and the group is aiming at 600,000. "We know volunteers have collected thousands more and continue to circulate petitions," the group said in an end-of-year report. The signature-gathering effort began in April. The Independent Map amendment would remove the legislature's direct involvement in drawing map lines usually creating heavily partisan districts favoring the mapmaking political party. Under its proposal, the state's auditor general would choose a three-member review panel at random from a pool of names. That panel would then select seven members at random from a different pool of 100 names to serve on a mapmaking board. Each of the four legislative leaders also would pick a member. The final 11-member board would be charged with drawing the maps, with seven votes needed for approval, including at least two members from each political party and three independents. (Rick Pearson) What we're writing *A key lesson Rauner learned in Year One. *Aldermen scale back Emanuel borrowing plan for now. *Chicago aldermen take step toward oversight they've been resisting. *Jury selection continues in red light camera bribery trial. Advertisement *Emanuel wants new tobacco taxes after last year's big series of tax hikes. *Lawmaker wants 30-day grace period on vehicle sticker renewals. What we're reading *David Bowie, one of the all-time greats. *U.S. Supreme Court could deal unions a big setback. Follow the money *Track campaign contribution reports in real time with this Tribune Twitter account: https://twitter.com/ILCampaignCash Beyond Chicago *Presidential race, Republican side: Bumped Paul plans to boycott undercard debate. Advertisement *Presidential race, Democratic side: Clinton pitches tax on the wealthy. *State of the Union address tonight. A look back at Obama's previous speeches. Coffins with the remains of victims of an explosion in the historic Sultanahmet district in Istanbul are laid out in a hangar of Berlin Tegel Airport in Germany on Jan. 16, 2016. (Axel Schmidt, AP) ISTANBUL A suicide bomber detonated a bomb in the heart of Istanbul's historic district on Tuesday, killing 10 foreigners most of them German tourists and wounding 15 other people in the latest in a string of attacks by the Islamic extremists targeting Westerners. The blast, just steps from the historic Blue Mosque and a former Byzantine church in the city's storied Sultanahmet district, was the first by IS to target Turkey's vital tourism sector, although IS militants have struck with deadly effect elsewhere in the country. Advertisement Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the bomber was a member of IS and pledged to battle the militant group until it no longer "remains a threat" to Turkey or the world. Davutoglu described the assailant as a "foreign national," and Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said he was a Syrian citizen born in 1988. However, the private Dogan news agency said the bomber was Saudi-born. Kurtulmus said the attacker was believed to have recently entered Turkey from Syria and was not among a list of potential bombers wanted by Turkey. Advertisement "Turkey won't backtrack in its struggle against Daesh by even one step," Davutoglu said, referring to IS by its Arabic acronym. "This terror organization, the assailants and all of their connections will be found and they will receive the punishments they deserve." Eight Germans were among the dead and nine others were wounded, some seriously, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters in Berlin. The nationalities of the two others killed in the blast were not immediately released, but both were foreigners. The wounded also included citizens of Norway, Peru, South Korea and Turkey. Turkey's state-run news agency said Davutoglu held a telephone conversation with German chancellor Angela Merkel to express his condolences. "I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Istanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Merkel pledged Germany would continue its fight against terrorism. "Today Istanbul was the target, before Paris, Copenhagen, Tunis, and so many other areas," she told reporters in Berlin. "International terror changes the places of its attacks but its goal is always the same it is our free life, in free society. The terrorists are the enemies of all free people, indeed, the enemies of all humanity, whether in Syria or Turkey, in France or Germany." The impact of Tuesday's attack, while not as deadly as two others last year, was particularly far-reaching because it struck at Turkey's $30 billion tourism industry, which has already suffered from a steep decline in Russian visitors since Turkey shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border in November. Its apparent links to Syria also threatened to have implications in a country that is already dealing with more than 2 million Syrian refugees and a wave of migrants from Syria and other countries pouring across Turkey to Europe. Advertisement "By striking in the heart of Istanbul's old city, which has many ... tourists, but few Turks, (IS) is targeting Turkey's lucrative tourism industry," said Soner Cagaptay, an expert on Turkey at the Washington Institute. Cagaptay said that by targeting Germans, Islamic extremists also seemed to be aiming to heighten an anti-refugee backlash in Europe and deepen the anti-Islam sentiment there. "This attack will, unfortunately, drive further backlash against German Chancellor Merkel's pro-Syrian refugee policy," Cagaptay said in e-mailed comments. The explosion, which could be heard in several neighborhoods, was at a park that is home to a landmark obelisk some 25 yards from the Blue Mosque. Nearby monuments include the Ottoman-era Topkapi Palace and the former Byzantine church of Haghia Sophia, now a museum. Berlin travel agent Lebenslust Touristik said that "many people" that it had booked on a tour were among the dead and wounded. Overall there were 33 people on the tour, the agency said, adding that it was working closely with the German Foreign Ministry to help the victims and their families. Among the wounded was Jostein Nielsen, a 59-year-old Salvation Army officer from Norway who was sightseeing with his wife when the bomb went off, striking him in the knee with shrapnel. Advertisement "I first heard a bang that I think is what detonated the bomb," Nielsen told Norway's TV2, speaking from his hospital bed. "After that came the real bang. ... There were human remains all over the place." Erdem Koroglu, who was working at a nearby office, told NTV television he saw several people on the ground following the blast. "It was difficult to say who was alive or dead," Koroglu said. "Buildings rattled from the force of the explosion." Halil Ibrahim Peltek, a shopkeeper near the area of the blast told The Associated Press it had "an earthquake effect." "There was panic because the explosion was violent," he said. The Islamic State group has repeatedly threatened Western targets, with its first major attacks claimed a year ago in Paris on the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper and a kosher supermarket. Advertisement Two attacks last year targeting a major museum and beach resort in Tunisia left scores dead, nearly all Western tourists. IS also claimed the downing of a Russian jetliner carrying Russian tourists from the Eygptian beach resort of Sharm el-Sheikh that killed all 224 on board. In the case of Tunisia and Egypt, the response of many Western governments was to issue safety warnings for citizens considering travel to the countries, which rely heavily on tourism revenues. Turkey is equally reliant on tourism, and Istanbul has been among the world's most visited cities. Last year, Turkey agreed to take a more active role in the U.S.-led battle against the IS group. It has opened it bases to U.S. aircraft to launch air raids on the extremist group in Syria and has carried out a limited number of strikes on the group itself. It has also moved to tighten security along its 900-kilometer (560-mile) border with Syria in a bid to stem the flow of militants. In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby condemned Tuesday's attack and pledged to work with Turkey to combat the Islamic State group. "The United States reaffirms our strong commitment to work with Turkey, a NATO ally and valued member" of the coalition fighting IS "to combat the shared threat of terrorism," Kirby said in a statement. The attack comes at a time of heightened violence between Turkey's security forces and militants linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in the country's mostly Kurdish southeast. Advertisement Turkey suffered two major bombing attacks last year, both blamed on the Islamic State group. More than 30 people were killed in a suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near Turkey's border with Syria, in July. In October, two suicide bombs exploded outside Ankara's main train station as people gathered for a peace rally, killing more than 100 in Turkey's deadliest-ever attack. . Last month, Turkish authorities arrested two suspected IS militants they said were planning suicide bombings during New Year's celebrations in the capital, Ankara. Associated Press I appreciate the column by Philip Morris that pointed out the unhinged editorial by the New York Times, which routinely substitutes platitudes or outright propaganda in place of reason and judgment ("The Stain of the Grey Lady comes to Cleveland," Forum, Jan. 6). I grew up in New York reading the Times and have witnessed its decline through the Jason Blair affair, Duke University coverage and other misreporting. The paper's board of directors finally required the irresponsible publisher to hire an independent public editor as a watchdog. I wince when I see the PD regularly reprints news from the New York Times. Moreover, you have enough liberals onboard the PD that you should not need Times opinion columns. I hope you will reconsider use of this source. Robert Shwab, Cleveland Heights He then "rehabilitated himself by shepherding the 1994 crime bill and other Clinton initiatives through Congress," wrote Jonathan Alter in a 2012 profile of Emanuel for The Atlantic. He "proved that he was one of only a handful of people in Washington who could actually get something done." tree meeting 001.JPG Ocean Springs Mayor Connie Moran (at right) addresses a group of Lovers Lane residents over the fate of a leaning live oak tree which city officials say is creating a safety problem. (Warren Kulo/Gulflive.com) OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- A handful of Lovers Lane residents once again came to Ocean Springs City Hall to voice their objections to the City's desire to remove a 60-80 year old live oak tree which officials say is creating a safety issue. Last week, the City released the findings of a report by a certified arborist the City hired to compile a report on the tree. In his report, the arborist said the tree had a weakened root system to its east side, compromising its stability, and was possibly hollow -- based on the fact he found insects on the tree. Unsatisfied with those findings, residents hired an independent arborist of their own out of Fairhope, Ala. That report differed greatly from the City report, finding that the tree is "healthy" and the root system "in very good shape," according to Lovers Lane resident Joanne Calhoun, who owns the property where the tree is located -- although there is some dispute as to whether the tree is on Calhoun's property or the City right-of-way. Mayor Connie Moran chaired the meeting, with both Building Official Hilliard Fountain and Fire Chief Jeff Ponson in attendance. None of the seven aldermen were present, although Moran told an audience member who asked that all of the aldermen had been notified of the meeting. Moran promised to forward the finding's of the residents' arborist report to the aldermen, along with questions and comments offered by those in attendance at Monday night's meeting. Both Ponson and school officials have complained for some time that because the tree leans about 70 degrees to the west, leaves a clearance of only 13 feet -- barely enough for a fire truck or school bus, both of which require a clearance of just under 13 feet. Because the margin for error is so slight, fire trucks must slow to nearly a stop to maneuver past the tree, causing a delay of 3-4 minutes, Ponson said. "In an emergency, minutes matter," Hilliard said. The issue was first brought to the City by a Lovers Lane resident who was concerned about the safety factor. Moran noted that if the board doesn't take action on the tree and it comes into play during an emergency with someone losing their life due to the delay, the City could be held liable. Moran said she had initially planned to bring the matter to the board of aldermen for a vote at its Jan. 19 meeting, but that vote might be delayed in the wake of the new report offered by the residents. If the new aborist's report indicates the tree is healthy, it "might sway the aldermen's decision," Moran said. She also said she would -- in the event the tree does come down -- "implore" the board to plant new trees along Lovers Lane to "mitigate" the loss of the leaning tree. DuPage County prosecutors have asked the College of DuPage to turn over records that could shed light on a contract extension given to former President Robert Breuder shortly before he began severance negotiations. In a letter sent Monday, Assistant State's Attorney Gregory Vaci, who heads the office's civil division, asked the college to turn over minutes and a "verbatim record" from closed-session board meetings in February and March 2014. Vaci wrote that he intended to review records to see whether the board complied with the state's open meetings act. Advertisement The letter comes after Breuder, in his wrongful termination lawsuit against the college, says he was informed March 7, 2014, by then-Chairwoman Erin Birt that a majority of the board had approved an extension of his contract until 2019. College records show the board had a special meeting March 6, 2014, and met in executive session for 21/2 hours to discuss personnel issues. Advertisement Breuder began negotiating a severance agreement with trustees the next month. The lawsuit's mention of the March discussion has become a flash point for Breuder critics, who have asked DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin to review whether there was an illegal closed-door vote. The decision could depend on the interpretation of a trigger clause in Breuder's contract that automatically extended his three-year employment deal for another year every April unless the board opted to fire him. According to the contract, the board did not have to vote on its decision in an open meeting a caveat that arguably violates the spirit of the state's open meetings law. Indeed, Berlin signaled his concern for the trigger clause earlier this year. In a letter to then-Chairwoman Katharine Hamilton, Berlin said if the board decided in a closed session to let Breuder's contract renew, it would have been a violation of state law because it is essentially the taking of a final action even though there was no official vote. But the legal remedy would be of little use, he said, because courts cannot reverse a nonaction. Berlin's earlier review looked into a 2011 contract extension, not the 2014 extension. "We received a request to look into it and that's what we're doing," Berlin spokesman Paul Darrah said. The board fired Breuder in October, rescinding his $763,000 severance deal. Breuder filed his lawsuit the next day. "Dr. Breuder was not present when his contract extension was discussed by the board and he relied on the board chair's communication pertaining to his extension," said his attorney, Martin Dolan. Berlin's renewed interest became public Tuesday amid prolonged infighting among college trustees. Advertisement Trustee Deanne Mazzochi has proposed a special meeting for Thursday with one agenda item for approval to address Berlin's request and vote on whether to release the closed-session recordings. But her meeting slated to start at 6:30 p.m. comes after the board's three longtime trustees called for a 7 p.m. meeting Thursday to address a variety of contentious issues, including the continued employment of several law firms and a vote on board leadership positions. Those three trustees have boycotted the two previous board meetings after saying Mazzochi wouldn't address or pre-empted their concerns, leaving the board without a quorum to conduct business. Mazzochi, the board's vice chairman who presides over meetings in the chair's absence, said she decided to post the longtime trustees' agenda without additions or revisions with the hope that they attend both meetings. Hamilton resigned in December and the board has not yet filled her vacancy. "I want to hear each trustee's position Thursday on whether they agree the college should comply with the state's attorney's office request," she said. Dianne McGuire, one of the trustees who has been boycotting the meetings, said Tuesday she is upset that Mazzochi posted the earlier agenda and is not sure whether she will attend the meetings. "A second special meeting, 30 minutes earlier, is completely unnecessary, especially for a single agenda item which could easily have been accommodated within our agenda," McGuire said. "Once again, political grandstanding at the expense of the college." Advertisement But Mazzochi says, and an email shows, that she did ask McGuire to put the item on the agenda. The 3-3 split on the board is increasingly frustrating college officials and the public. In an email exchange obtained by the Tribune, Mazzochi indicated that interim President Joseph Collins initially balked at adding her agenda, despite a state law that allows any three trustees to call a special meeting. "You fear the three (longtime) trustees ... will boycott it, and you believe the boycott is not in the best interest of the College," she wrote. She also hinted that Collins was violating school policy by pushing back against her agenda a suggestion that led Collins to call her behavior "unprofessional." "I remind you that you do not individually have the ability to discipline me," he wrote. "I work for the entire board, not you." Advertisement jscohen@tribpub.com sstclair@tribpub.com Twitter @higherednews Twitter @stacystclair Firefighters search through rubble and debris at the Woolworth fire Jan. 11, 1934 - the most destructive fire in Aurora's history. (Aurora Regional Fire Museum / Handout) Some 82 years later, memorializing the three firefighters who died in the Woolworth fire in downtown Aurora is still a family affair. Roger Reiss knows how important that is, which is why he and his wife stood in near-zero degree temperatures Monday morning to observe a moment of silence and the placing of a wreath to commemorate the 82nd anniversary of the big fire, which claimed the lives of Firefighter Charles Hoffman, Capt. John Petersohn, and Capt. Herbert L. Reiss of the Aurora Fire Department. Advertisement Herbert Reiss is Roger's grandfather, and Roger's middle name is Herbert, in his honor. He and his wife, who live in Somonauk, do not come to the memorial every year it has been an annual event for about 15 years but Reiss said someone from his family is always there. "Usually, at least one of my brothers and sisters shows up," he said. Advertisement Another regular attendee is Brian Petersohn, whose son, a firefighter in Oswego, also came. Capt. John Petersohn would have been Brian's great-uncle. Firefighters finish placing a wreath at the site of a plaque dedicated to three Aurora firefighters who died in the line of duty. Monday was the 82nd anniversary of what is known as the Woolworth fire on Broadway in downtown Aurora. (Steve Lord / The Beacon-News) In addition to those family members was the larger family of Aurora firefighters, some 30 strong or so, who came in work outfits, or dress blues, to form a brigade line and watch the placing of a wreath beneath the plaque embedded in the brick wall of an old building next door to 19-21 Broadway. It's the closest wall to where, on Jan. 11, 1934, what stated as an innocuous call from people observing smoke emanating from the Woolworth 5 and 10 store turned into the most destructive fire in the city's history. "At the time, there were only 15 firefighters on duty," said Aurora Fire Chief John Lehman. "It's something we need to make sure we remember annually." The fire started about 11 a.m., and not only brought the fire department down to the store, but a number of bystanders. Across the street was Art Steigleiter, a 13-year-old boy on his way to school. Steigleiter eventually became an Aurora fire captain himself, and at age 95, he still attends the memorial of the fire he actually watched. "I was standing across the street," he said Monday, pointing across Broadway. "Well, I never made it to school that day." Firefighters and other guests observe a moment of silence to honor three Aurora firemen who died in the line of duty 82 years ago Monday in Aurora. (Steve Lord / The Beacon-News) Firefighters actually thought they had the blaze under control at one point, as they were pouring water through skylights in the roof. But without warning, flames shot through the skylights, and the roof collapsed, followed by a muffled blast that blew out the entire front of the building. Firefighters were trapped under the burning debris and rubble. Some got out, but Hoffman, Petersohn and Reiss did not. Here's how The Beacon-News described what happened that day: Brian Petersohn, left, and Roger Reiss talk before a ceremony remembering the death of three Aurora firemen - two of whom were related to Petersohn and Reiss - in a downtown fire 82 years ago. (Steve Lord / The Beacon-News) "For over a half hour firefighters that had escaped the collapse feverishly searched for their fallen comrades despite the roaring blazes growing inside. Curious onlookers, which included off duty police and firefighters, rushed in clawing at the pile until their fingers were raw and bloody. The fire which was a well organized battle had now become a chaotic scene as the shriek of the dying and injured were mingled with the cries of suffering that could be heard of their brothers." Advertisement slord@tribpub.com HATTIESBURG, Mississippi -- Two of the nine people accused in the May shooting death of two Hattiesburg Police officers have been arraigned. WDAM-TV reports 22-year-old Joanie Calloway and 25-year-old Broderick Varnado Sr. were arraigned Monday before Judge Bob Helfrich in connection to the May 9 murder of Officers Benjamin J. Deen and Liquori Tate. Calloway was charged in a multi-count indictment for attempted accessory after the fact to capital murder and hindering prosecution. She pleaded not guilty and remained free on $35,000 bond. A trial date was set for May 10. Varndao was charged with accessory after the fact to capital murder and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. He also pleaded not guilty and remained free on $90,000 bond. His trial was set for May 12. The City Council signaled their willingness Monday to allow a local developer to build hundreds of residential units on the old St. Charles mall site. The land 28 acres north of Illinois Route 38, south of Prairie Street and east of Randall Road has been considered ripe for development since the mall closed in 1996. Shodeen Group first submitted a concept plan in 2007 for more than 700 residential units, parking decks and some retail, but after years of meetings and neighborhood hearings, the council denied the plan in 2010. Advertisement Aldermen said Monday that they are open to the idea of a planned unit development, which Shodeen representatives recently presented a plan for at a committee meeting. It included 609 units with underground parking, as well as retail and restaurants on the ground floor of some of the buildings. "We'll get something done here," said Ald. Todd Bancroft to the developers. Advertisement He stressed, though, that Shodeen will have to devise a way to make the development different than just a "homogenous bunch of buildings." Residents have consistently voiced opposition to a residential proposal, maintaining that the location lends itself to commercial and retail use. Donald McKay, with Nagle Hartray Architecture, who presented the plan for Shodeen, said Monday that Shodeen worked with three different firms to market the area for commercial use, but it didn't garner enough interest. "What is desired by many residents may not be economically feasible," McKay said, who added that not having frontage on Randall Road is a distinguishing factor. Shodeen's push for residential units is backed by regional studies that predict increasing demand for multi-family housing in coming years, representatives said. Still, residents and aldermen said that, if the development will be primarily residential, it will need something special to make it marketable to a wide range of ages from empty nesters to millennials returning to St. Charles. Tavia Tawney of St. Charles said that younger people can choose to live in apartments or condos in Wheaton with downtown shops and nearby running paths. This one, she said, will face a Salvation Army. "This one doesn't feel like it has a sense of community," she said. Advertisement Multiple aldermen agreed they would like the development to incorporate senior housing, and the representatives said they could designate an area for senior living. No action was taken Monday night. Because the council indicated a willingness to consider the plan, the developer has the green light to work on a more detailed proposal. Alexa Aguilar is a freelance reporter for Chicago Tribune. Caregiver Betty Papelleras, left, tends to Edna Lawler, who turns 112 Wednesday and is recognized as the oldest person in Illinois. (Patricia Trebe / Daily Southtown) Age is not just a number for Edna Lawler. At 112, Lawler's age makes her the oldest living person in Illinois. And she will be celebrating that milestone Wednesday at Waterford Estates Retirement Community in Hazel Crest, where her family will gather for her birthday. Advertisement "We won't be having a big party," said her daughter, Irma Pestlin, of Tinley Park. "She is past parties. We have had about 12 really big ones. This birthday will be a quiet one." Lawler is considered a supercentenarian, or a person who lives past the age of 110. According to the Gerontology Research Group, which regularly updates its World Supercentenarian Rankings List, Lawler is not only the oldest individual in Illinois, but she also ranks as the 11th-oldest in the United States and the 43rd-oldest person in the world. Advertisement To place her mother on the official supercentenarian list, Pestlin had to provide two forms of identification. But when a person is born in 1904 in the family home in a small Indiana farm town, finding a birth certificate can prove to be difficult, if not impossible. "Indiana didn't require birth certificates until years later, so I tracked down her certificate of baptism. She was baptized when she was 4 days old, so they accepted that," Pestlin said. That certificate, along with her marriage certificate, were enough to place her on the GRG list and officially on Table E, which is the go-to record for the listings of supercentenarians. Throughout her long life, Lawler has always expressed a fascination with the advances in transportation and computers fascinate her, her daughter said. "She was born a month before the Wright brothers flew their plane at Kitty Hawk. Everywhere she went when she was young was on a horse, or horse and wagon. Then zoom to 1969 and we are on the moon. That was thrilling to her," her daughter said. Her family said she has no secret to living a long life other than doing things in moderation and working hard. "She did everything in moderation. She ate everything she wanted, but in moderation. She walked a lot and she had faith in God which, I think, played a big part in her life. She turned a lot of her worries over to God." In June, Lawler suffered a stroke. She is hard of hearing, has vision loss and trouble speaking. But she continues to have a sweet disposition, according to her daughter, and her caregiver Betty Papelleras. Advertisement "She is very nice; (a) very wonderful woman," said Papelleras, who has cared for Lawler for five years. "She never gets mad, and she never raises her voice. And she is so polite to everyone. And, she has good genes." Born in Goodland, Ind., Lawler was the oldest of six children. Her father was a farmer, and the family moved from one rented farm to another until he bought his own farm in Beaverville, Ill. Lawler's education started in a one-room schoolhouse and stopped after the first year of high school so she could help out on the family farm. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > One day when Lawler was a teenager, she picked up the family phone and heard some big news shouted through the receiver. "I recall her saying when World War I ended she heard it on the party line, and she ran out to the farm to tell her parents," said Norm Pestlin, her son-in-law. "She was 14 at time, and she witnessed the end of World War I. That is incredible." She did everything in moderation. She ate everything she wanted, but in moderation. Irma Preslin Lawler left the family farm to work as a domestic in Kankakee until she met, through mutual friends, her husband, John, who lived in Harvey. The couple had a long-distance romance, her family said. Advertisement When she was 30, she married and set up her own house in Harvey, raised four daughters. She was active in Ascension Catholic Church in Harvey, where she remains a member. She moved to Waterford 12 years ago. She has outlived all her brothers and sisters, as well as one daughter. Today, Lawler has 13 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. "She was a good mother and dedicated to her family and her God, and that makes a pretty good person. We are proud of her because of that," her daughter said. Patricia Trebe is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. Steamer's Hot Dogs is open again under new ownership at 15761 S. Bell Road in Homer Glen. (Bob Bong / Daily Southtown) Steamer's Hot Dogs reopened in Homer Glen on Nov. 25 with a new look, new menu and new attitude, manager Jason Callahan said. Callahan runs the restaurant at 15761 S. Bell Road for its owner, his mother, Sherri Roppo. Advertisement "We spent three months remodeling," Callahan said. "The look has changed significantly. We donated the booths to Habitat for Humanity and replaced them with tables and chairs and it really opened up the space. People ask if we added on when they come in." Also new are the floor and a granite counter. And the menu. Advertisement "People would come in while we were remodeling because they didn't know Steamer's had closed," Callahan said. "I would ask them what was the one thing they would like to see changed. Everyone said the same thing: the quality of the food." Callahan and his mom decided to use vendors with better quality food, such as all-beef hot dogs and Angus hamburgers. "It was tough at first because we were using more expensive ingredients and it made the products more expensive," Callahan said. "That turned some people off. So we worked with our vendors to lower costs. "As of Jan. 1 we have a revamped menu with cheaper prices on everything." As for attitude, "I'm making this as good a place as can be," said Callahan, 36. "I'm hoping to retire from here." Toward that end, he recently introduced Home Run Inn pizza because people had asked about pizza. "We don't have the oven space to cook pizzas, but Home Run Inn comes in half-cooked and we can handle that," he said. Steamer's has seating for about 40 and has counter service. Callahan said he was working on delivery. Advertisement For more information, call Steamer's at 708-737-7477. There is no website but Steamer's has a Facebook page and is on Instagram. Tinley Chamber welcomes gift shop The Tinley Park Chamber of Commerce will welcome Mucci World gift shop to town with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and business after hours on Jan. 14 at 7913 W. 171st St. The event will run from 5 to 7 p.m. The store owner is Mary Mucci, who did not return calls. Jimmy Jazz store opens A new Jimmy Jazz store is open at Ford City Mall, 7601 S. Cicero Ave., on Chicago's Southwest Side. The clothing store is located off of Center Court. It features clothing and accessories for the whole family. Advertisement The Secaucus, N.J.-based chain also operates stores locally at River Oaks Center in Calumet City and Chicago Ridge Mall and a store in North Riverside. The chain was started 25 years ago in Manhattan by James Khezrie. There are more than 170 stores nationwide. Euberah opens in Joliet A new Euberah store has opened at Louis Joliet Mall in Joliet near Cinemark and Earthbound Trading Co. The store is the company's ninth in the Chicago area. There is also a location at Southlake Mall in northwest Indiana. Euberah features fashion jewelry and accessories. Steak N Egger opens in Summit Advertisement Steak N Egger, a locally owned restaurant chain, opened its sixth location last week at 5611 S. Archer Road in Summit. The building most recently had housed another restaurant called Simply the Best. The restaurant will be open 24 hours a day seven days a week, just like the other locations in McCook, Cicero and Chicago. It features the same menu as the other locations. Its owner is Terrance Carr Sr. The location will be managed by Joanne Cotillo. The chain was started in 1955 with a 20-seat counter restaurant in Chicago's Douglas Park neighborhood and is owned by the third generation of its founding family. The chain says it serves more than 1 million eggs each year along with more than 200,000 pounds of potatoes and grills more than 250,000 steaks. For information, call 708-546-0678 or visit its website at www.steaknegger.com. Advertisement Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > Another Tilted Kilt closes Just a few weeks after a Tilted Kilt pub closed without warning at Chicago Ridge Mall comes the abrupt closing of a Tilted Kilt at Southlake Mall in northwest Indiana. Tilted Kilt and a Jamba Juice both closed at the end of December at the mall. A sign taped to the door at the Jamba Juice urged customers to visit the nearest location at Orland Square Mall in Orland Park. The sign said the location was permanently closed. In a release, Tilted Kilt said the Southlake Mall location was owned by a franchisee who retired. The company didn't say whether it might reopen in the future. The Chicago Ridge location was torn down and is being replaced by a Miller's Ale House. Advertisement Bob Bong is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. Residents and some school board members raised questions about Anderson's residency, during which the case of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was cited by school board attorneys. Emanuel, who had served for years in Washington, D.C. as President Obama's chief of staff, returned to Chicago and said he was running for mayor. A legal challenge occurred, claiming Emanuel was no longer a resident of this state and could not run for office in Chicago. Emanuel maintained that he had never given up ownership of his home, having leased it to a tenant, and that his wife's wedding gown remained in the basement (proving his intention to return). Old electric meters like the one shown here will be replaced with new digital meters in Woodridge this summer. (Photo by Joseph Ruzich / Chicago Tribune) ComEd will install smart meters throughout Woodridge between July and November, according to village documents, but residents can refuse the devices for a price. The new digital meters, which have drawn opposition elsewhere, allow customers to view the amount of energy being consumed and seek to reduce it. The meters also send out radio frequencies to ComEd about power outages and the amount of electricity that customers use each month. The program costs ComEd about $2.6 billion, according to company officials. Advertisement At a workshop meeting last month, village attorney Thomas Good asked a ComEd representative about people who have complained to local elected officials about the smart meters. "They (some people) don't want the meters installed," Good said, but village officials added that no such calls have been received in Woodridge.. Advertisement Mike McMahon, vice president of AMI meter implementation with ComEd, told village board members that there are three main objections to the meters. They include data privacy concerns that information will be sold and/or viewed by a third party, fears about data security and hacking, and concerns that meters emit radio frequencies that can cause cancer. McMahon said ComEd will not share data information and that it is working with a security company to prevent hacking into the system. On the health concerns, studies indicate that the radio frequencies from the meters do not cause cancer, he said. "It operates on the same frequency as maybe a baby monitor or garage door opener," McMahon said. "Hundreds of studies have been done on this none of them draw a cause of linkage between radio frequencies at these levels and any sort of health (problems)." McMahon said residents can refuse to have a smart meter installed. "If they choose to refuse, they don't need a reason; they can just say they don't want it," McMahon said. Those who refuse will be required to pay a $21.53 smart meter refusal charge each month. It's needed, in part, to help pay for people to read the meter every month, he said.. ComEd officials plan to notify residents about the meter replacement 90 days before the work begins. Residents can view a map of installation dates on the village website at vil.woodridge.il.us/DocumentCenter/View/2171 Joseph Ruzich is a freelance reporter for Chicago Tribune. Participants in a work program at AID in Elgin pack goods recently. The social service agency was the only in the city to apply for to an emergency loan program Elgin has set up to help organizations left in the lurch by the state's budget crisis. (AID / handout) Only one social service agency in Elgin has applied for an emergency loan from the city to help cover its expenses as it waits for money due on contracts it has with the state. AID (the Association for Individual Development) has requested $200,000, said AID Vice President of Marketing and Development Kathy Hazelwood. "The money would keep us out of going into our line of credit." Advertisement According to the loan application form AID returned to the city Friday, the state owes the organization about $1.2 million on contracts for the 2015-16 fiscal year. State funding accounts for 78 percent of the AID budget, according to the document. The application states that AID provides services to more than 225 Elgin residents with developmental disabilities and mental illness, those who have suffered a trauma and those at risk, each year. AID also operates a 24-hour crisis hotline all area residents can call. Advertisement AID offers 20 programs while operating in 45 communities. In the 2014-15 fiscal year, "AID served 5,234 children and adults with disabilities in Kane, Kendall, DeKalb, DuPage, Will, and suburban Cook Counties. AID currently operates 7 day program/training centers in Elgin, Aurora, Batavia and Yorkville, a mental health center in Aurora and 42 home-based, supervised and supported living facilities throughout Kane and Kendall Counties," the application states. The application states, "AID is continuing efforts to plan community-based fundraisers to promote awareness of the needs of our clients and to raise funds for prolonged sustainability. In the next 12 months, without any other local funding source AID will be forced to continue to draw on the line of credit; incurring costly interest charges." The loan program came about after Elgin Mayor Dave Kaptain called for a social services summit in the fall to see how the city might be able to help agencies waiting on funds due on contracts they have with the state as the Illinois budget was and still is unsettled. That led to the Elgin City Council deciding to take a new direction with federal Community Development Block Grant money it annually receives and which had been allotted in past years to qualifying nonprofit applicants to use on capital projects. For 2016, the city intends to use the block grant money to fund street and neighborhood improvement projects of its own it feels will meet the grant's qualifications and standards. Ecker Center Executive Director Karen Beyer and Elgin Mayor Dave Kaptain talked last year about a social services summit, which led to a bridge loan program Elgin put in place for agencies left in the lurch by the state with its unresolved budget. (Mike Danahey / The Courier-News) At the same time, for the emergency loan program the City Council agreed to allot $775,000 from the city's general fund, with $150,000 of that earmarked for the Ride In Kane Program, which is run through Pace and which assists qualifying county residents. The summit came about in part from discussions Kaptain had with Ecker Center for Mental Health Executive Director Karen Beyer. Beyer said that after the summit, many involved with social services felt a loan program would be a good idea. Advertisement "But things have changed," Beyer said. "While the state has been slow to pay its contracts in the past, these are unusual circumstances, and we've never seen anything like this happen." Beyer said many people she's contacted that are involved in state politics feel that the state might go as far as until after the general election in November to do anything about the 2015-16 budget, which would put Illinois into another budget year. "At this point we believe we'd be asking for a loan we wouldn't be able to pay back, which would hurt the city and hurt us," Beyer said. As is, Beyer said that as of Dec. 30 the organization had provided its clients with $1,247,696 in uncompensated care. "The center has not received payment for its state grants or Medicaid for these services. If there is not a state budget this fiscal year the center may never be able to recover $460,395 of this amount," Beyer said. "We are grateful for all the donations we have received from individuals in our community who are helping us through this difficult time." A grant for psychiatry which covered about half the cost of a visit and a grant for services for people on a subsidized sliding fee scale were eliminated for all the state's community mental health centers, Beyer said, and last fiscal year Ecker had $613,752 for those two grants. The center had been using reserves to cover these costs, but stopped taking new clients in November and is referring such people to other agencies, Beyer said. Advertisement Elgin Senior Management Analyst Laura Valdez-Wilson oversaw putting the loan program together. She explained that it is intended to provide short-term financial assistance to human service agencies with state contracts who are now in jeopardy due to delayed or stopped state payments. Agencies that receive a zero-interest loan from the city are required to agree to repayment terms, which includes a repayment schedule within one year of entering into the loan agreement, she said. "The unpredictability at the state level makes it challenging to make long-term financial decisions. I think that what we see or don't see through this loan process is a reflection of that. Agencies are exercising caution and taking steps to reduce expenses while still serving some of our most vulnerable residents," Valdez-Wilson said. Councilman Rich Dunne said an issue he heard from some in the nonprofit community who felt that since the state has no budget passed, they didn't technically have contracts with the state and the loan program required proof of such contracts. "Whatever the reasons more didn't apply might be, it was not because that are not in need," Councilman Terry Gavin said. "It's clear that with the state's budget situation social service agencies have suffered. They weren't awash in money, and the state already had a history of being slow with its payments. Elgin Senior Management Analyst Laura Valdez-Wilson is overseeing an emergency loan program the city has set up for social service agencies. (Mike Danahey / The Courier-News) "It's important to note that this emergency loan program is an experiment and part of the larger conversation about the delivery and funding of human services in this new era," Valdez-Wilson said. "Attendees at the October summit identified three goals that are currently being discussed by many in the community rethink the funding approach; collaboration and efficiencies among agencies; and coordinating and align efforts among agencies. Specific strategies to help achieve the community's collective goals will be discussed at a followup summit anticipated in March." Kaptain said he recently met with a group of people who help fund local agencies seeking ideas on things the city could do that could benefit most if not all social services operating in Elgin. City staff also is investigating if block grant money can be used to fund the Ride In Kane program and for bus stop benches, he said. Advertisement Assuming the City Council approves the loan to AID, as for what will happen to the $425,000 left in the fund, Dunne suggested one idea could be to reopen the process and/or change some of the requirements. City Manager Sean Stegall said that money will be a topic of discussion at the Jan. 26 City Council meeting. With the state still not paying its bills, though, Beyer said that many agencies are getting close to an operational breaking point. If some fail, this will put stresses on city services and other social service agencies, she said. "If people can't get the care they need through social services like us, they might start calling paramedics," Beyer said. "As some fall through the cracks, they might wind up at homeless shelters or in jail." MDanahey@tribpub.com Greg Tropino is passionate about guns. He is also passionate about making sure that someone with a criminal background, or mental deficiencies, doesn't get hold of a firearm. Advertisement But Tropino, president at East Dundee's GAT Guns, said he doesn't believe President Barack Obama's recent executive order on gun show sales will change much for his business. What he has seen is an increase in gun sales a reaction from gun enthusiasts when new regulations are announced. Advertisement "Is it affecting our business? The media saying 'gun control' scares a lot of people," he said. "Business is up because people are afraid of what big government is going to do. They think they are passing better laws," Tropino said. But Obama admitted himself that his new executive order "will not address what has happened in the last few shootings," Tropino added. The president used his executive authority this month to clarify that anyone "in the business" of selling firearms must obtain a federal license and conduct background checks on prospective buyers, regardless of where the sales take place. Currently, many private sellers online and at gun shows do not bother to get licenses, and weapons sales over the Internet have become a booming business. The president also called for the hiring of more than 230 additional examiners and other staff to process the millions of background checks received annually. The White House did not set a threshold for the number of guns someone has to sell to be covered by the licensing and background check requirement. But it warned that people can be charged with a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison for selling as few as two firearms when there is evidence they are running a business, such as selling weapons in their original packaging and for a profit. GAT Guns does not sell or show at gun shows, Tropino noted. His business must keep records forever on gun sales and a buyer at a gun show might not know where that gun came from. "I don't display at gun shows, I don't go to gun shows. They are great for hobbyists, or for information, but would I buy a gun there? You don't know where it came from if you don't buy from a dealer," he said. Right now, he added, it is already illegal to sell guns over the Internet. "You cannot buy a gun across the Internet, it is felony. You can't advertise if you transport across state lines there are laws in the books," he said. If an uncle in one state wants to sell a gun to a nephew in another state, the transaction needs to be done through licensed dealers in both states, Tropino said. Advertisement If those laws are not being followed, those involved need to be prosecuted, he said. "There are laws on the books already. Just prosecute," he said. However, according to the ATF website, the Internet can be used to sell guns when the sale is from individual to individual. Neither, according to the website, is there a "specific threshold (for the) number of firearms purchased or sold that triggers the licensure requirement." What he does want the public to know is that the East Dundee store does offer courses to train owners on gun use. "We want to make sure they are safe, have a safe place to practice and have cutting edge instructors. We have some of the best instructors in northern Illinois, bar none," Tropino said. He also wants residents to know they care about the community. This year, GAT Guns, and Chicago area gun owners, helped to donate $31,697 to Toys for Tots. In addition to the cash donation, GAT Guns was a drop off-location, collecting over four boxes of toys. Advertisement In Elgin, many of those toys are distributed through the Elgin Community Crisis Center's Toy Giveaway, held annually at the Hemmens Cultural Arts Center. What he doesn't want is to see someone hurt because of a gun or any other potential weapon. "We are big on education and making everyone as safe as possible and enjoy the sport," Tropino said. The Associated Press contributed. Janelle Walker is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News. Ben Tapia has been general manager of Russell's Barbecue for the past 30 years. His business sits in the North Avenue and Harlem Avenue Business District, where the sales tax has gone from 9 to 11 percent this year. He hopes the recent tax increase will help his business draw in more customers in the long run. (David Pollard / Pioneer Press) Sales tax has risen 2 percentage points on the south end of Elmwood Park, and officials say half the proceeds from the increase will go toward improvements in the district. The increase, which took effect Jan. 1, is half from Cook County and half from the village of Elmwood Park. It brings the effective sales tax rate from 9 percent to 11 percent in part of the village. Advertisement Cook County's 1 percentage point sales tax increase effects the entire village and beyond. Elmwood Park's 1 percentage point increase affects the North Avenue and Harlem Business District. The business district runs the length of North Avenue in Elmwood Park, from Harlem Avenue to Thatcher Avenue. It also includes Thatcher Avenue from North Avenue to Bloomingdale Avenue, and Harlem Avenue from North Avenue to Palmer Avenue. Advertisement The business district and the accompanying sales tax hike were approved in July by the Elmwood Park Village Board. Most of the businesses in the district are restaurants, and for those restaurants, the tax applies to any food purchased for immediate consumption, according to Elmwood Park Village Manager Paul Volpe. In contrast, a person buying a loaf of bread would not be hit with the higher sales tax, Volpe said. With the twin increases from the village and the county, the sales tax rose from 9 percent to 11 percent in the North Avenue Business District. The rest of the village's sales tax is now 10 percent. Volpe said the village's revenue from the sales tax increase in the business district would be set aside for improvements to the business district and nothing else. "The [tax] money from the business district must stay in the business district," he said. Volpe said the money could be used on anything that would help to improve the businesses in that district in terms of making it more inviting to customers. Owners and managers of restaurants along North Avenue have mixed views on the tax increase. George Metaxes, manager of Trattoria Peppino, an Italian restaurant on the 7400 block of North Avenue, said he's in favor of the added tax if it's going to improve the area. Advertisement "The money has to come from somewhere," he said. Metaxes said the addition of an off-street parking lot and the resurfacing of the village's streets show the village is looking out for the businesses in the area. "They are doing a lot of positive things," he said. "I trust them on whatever they are doing." A few doors down at Cafe Cubano, owner Myra Fernandez, said everything is going up this year, and fears those looking for a good meal may consider going to Melrose Park versus Elmwood Park due to the increase. "I don't think it's the greatest idea," she said. "One percent is pretty steep. Everything has increased this year; the garbage collector, the window washer just sent me a note that he would be increasing his price by a dollar." She said "Restaurant Row," as some refer to the block of businesses where Cafe Cubano sits, has been neglected by the village already. She doesn't see how a tax increase is going to change that, and believes Conti Parkway has the village's attention in terms of highlighting businesses and restaurants. Advertisement "They need to bring more attention to Restaurant Row through advertising and promotion," she said. "It's easy to go down to Melrose Park to eat." Ben Tapia, general manager of Russell's Barbecue on the 1600 block of Thatcher Avenue, said he heard about the tax increase through his accountant and would have liked the information to have come from the village. "We never got any information from the village," he said. But he believes the business, which has been in the village since 1930, will keep bringing in people. Russell's has a strong brand, he believes, and good food will keep people coming to eat there. Tapia said he believes that's what helped them survive the closing of Thatcher Avenue for construction, which limited access to the business. While it's unfortunate that the tax increase will be passed along to customers, he believes it won't hurt their business. "They're not going to stop coming in, but they are going to question us about it," he said. Advertisement Once the village gets revenue from the tax, he would like the village to spend the money on highlighting businesses like his that aren't directly on North Avenue. "I think it's a good idea, personally, and I would like to see more lighting in the area," he said. "In the long run, I think it's a positive thing, but it should have been communicated a little better." Volpe said he had not heard complaints from residents or business owners about the increase, and the village had a public hearing last year to hear concerns before the increase took effect. Volpe believes most residents and business owners believe the village's move was all about trying to help the businesses in that area. "It's a pro-business kind of thing," he said. "We will use the money to make improvements in that area to keep it competitive." He said the tax increase has 23-year life span, but the Village Board could move to end the tax increase earlier if they chose to. Advertisement dpollard@pioneerlocal.com Twitter: @DavidDPollard (From left) Scott Patrick Sawa is Bob Neal and Joe Anderson is Edgar Hellum in Pride Films & Plays' production of Martha Meyer and Rick Kinnebrew's "Ten Dollar House" at Evanstons Piccolo Theater. (Paul Goyette) Playwriting and honeymooning: Generally speaking, they're two entirely separate activities. But for Evanston librarians Rick Kinnebrew and Martha Meyer, a post-wedding trip to Wisconsin sparked the creation of "Ten Dollar House," a true tale of love, architecture and the unlikely salvation of a dying town. Running through Jan. 31 at Piccolo Theatre, Pride Films & Plays' production of "Ten Dollar House," delves into the story of Robert Neal, Edgar Hellum and a partnership that turned Mineral Point, Wis. from a dead-end nowheresville into a thriving community. Advertisement "When you take the historical tour at Mineral Point, you hear all about Bob and Edgar and the work they did in the 1930s, when the town was basically dying," says Meyer. "They bought buildings, renovated them, opened a restaurant, and gave people jobs. Without them, the town probably would have just disappeared." "But a huge part of their story isn't really publicized that much," adds Kinnebrew. "Bob and Edgar were two gay men, living together at a time when gay marriage wasn't even an idea, much less legal. They were partners in a committed relationship who thrived in this tiny, conservative town. They were revolutionaries, hiding in plain sight." Advertisement Meyer and Kinnebrew had never heard of Hellum and Neal when they travelled to Spring Green, Wis. in 2009. The trip was to celebrate their wedding; their itinerary included tours of Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin estate and a production of "The Winter's Tale" at the acclaimed American Players Theatre. It was random intermission chit-chat that brought Mineral Point to their attention. "Someone mentioned that if we liked the Wright tour, we should check out Mineral Point, and look into the story there," recalls Meyer. A quick stop on the way home quickly morphed into hours holed up in the local library, poring over documents detailing the lives of Neal and Hellum and the restoration project that turned into the town's salvation. Neal was a native of Mineral Point who had made a career for himself as a designer in London. He returned to Wisconsin near the start of the Depression, keen to make his mark as a designer in his hometown. What he found was a hometown on the verge of extinction. "Bob was a born aesthete," says Kinnebrew. "Trouble was, he was born in a crummy, dying mining town." Mineral Point had been a successful Cornish mining community in the 19th century, but by the 1930s, the mines were long closed and the WPA was hiring men to tear down the miners' stone cottages that dotted the landscape. Neal bought one of the cottages for $10, and set about restoring it. With Hellum by his side, he christened the place Pendarvis after a lavish estate in Cornwall. By 1934, he and Hellum had saved numerous buildings from the wrecking ball and rehabilitated them. The couple opened a bakery and a restaurant in one in order to finance their ongoing restorations. According to the local historical society, the restaurant became internationally known for serving authentic Cornish dishes. The bakery turned into a communal town meeting place. Both venues catered to the townsfolk and provided employment until 1970 when Hellum and Neal finally retired. The Wisconsin Historical Society bought their buildings, which today form a sprawling museum campus. "We first saw their story as a movie," says Kinnebrew."So we wrote a screenplay. Lots of characters. Lots of locations. Very cinematic." But after failing twice to win the grand prize in a local screenwriting contest, Kinnebrew and Meyer decided to take a different tack, and adapt their screenplay into a stage play. Advertisement "We thought we'd have a better shot getting produced as a play," says Meyer. They were right. The piece premiered at Madison's Broom Street Theatre last year and had a sold-out reading at Evanston's Piven Theatre. It also got the attention of funders: To pay for the Piccolo run, Meyer and Kinnebrew got a grant from the Evanston Arts Council, raised just over $3,000 through an Indiegogo campaign and garnered another $6,000 through a meet-and-greet cocktail party in Rogers Park. "I'm hoping people who see this will understand how important it is to celebrate the stories of LGBTQ history," says Meyer. "This is a story of two amazing entrepreneurs. It's inspiring, no matter how you look at it." 'Ten Dollar House' When: Through Jan. 31 Where: Piccolo Theatre, 600 Main St., Evanston Advertisement Tickets: $17-$27 Contact: (800) 737-0984; www.pridefilmsandplays.com/ten-dollar-house Sisters Stefanie Sparks and Daniella Ball have always loved creativity and fashion. The pair opened Dazz Boutique in June 2013, and recently moved to their recent location, 3148 Calwagner St., Franklin Park, in June 2015. Advertisement Growing up in Leyden Township, Sparks attended West Leyden High School and then transferred to a private high school. When she was attending Triton College, Sparks was a business major. However, her love of creativity and fashion never left her. "I became interested in fashion in my early teens," Sparks said. "It was something that I had a passion for, and that's why I decided to go into fashion." Advertisement With a dream and vision in mind, both Ball and Sparks decided to open a boutique. "We wanted to share our creativity with the world," Sparks said. They felt Dazz, short for dazzle, was a perfect fit for the Franklin Park area. Since the girls grew up close to Franklin Park, it seemed fitting to bring fashion to their hometown. Sparks also noted that there isn't a women's fashion boutique in Franklin Park. Dazz is mostly an accessory boutique, selling purses, jewelry, and scarves. They also have some ponchos and dresses. "We go to fashion trade shows," Sparks said of purchasing the merchandise for their boutique. "Each piece is carefully hand picked by the ladies of Dazz, which makes them unique from other boutiques that use the bulk order system." When deciding to have only accessories in their boutique, Sparks felt like they could influence more women through jewelry. "We could reach out to every kind of woman through accessories," Sparks said. "With accessories, everybody and anybody can dazzle up an outfit." In the future, the women want to incorporate more clothing in their boutique. Within the next five years, they hope to open up two to three more locations. Their goals are to open a boutique somewhere further west and a store in Chicago. Advertisement "We allow women to capture their true essence and bring out the sexiness and sophistication of style and fashion," Sparks said. Store hours are 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. To learn more about Dazz, visit shopdazzboutique.com. Maryann Pisano is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. Mark Filler of Highland Park has been invited to attend the State of the Union address. (Handout, Getty Images) A Highland Park father who lost his 23-year-old son to a heroin overdose two years ago has been invited to attend President Barack Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday as the invited guest of U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk. Mark Filler has been working to prevent heroin deaths since his son, Jordan, overdosed in January 2014 after an eight-year battle with drug addiction. Coincidentally, Obama's address falls on the two-year anniversary of Jordan's death. Advertisement Filler said he met with Kirk last year in Washington, D.C., and discovered the senator was working to make naloxone more readily available to prevent heroin deaths. Naloxone, also known by the name narcan and the brand name Evzio, quickly reverses the effects of an opiate overdose. Filler, who planned a two-day trip around the State of the Union speech, is scheduled to make appearances with Kirk to call attention to the epidemic of heroin-related deaths in the Chicago suburbs. Advertisement "The statistics are showing this problem is getting worse," Filler said Monday. "It is a huge, huge killer." Kirk's press secretary, Britt Logan, said the senator also plans to call attention to a 2016 appropriations bill that increased funding for opioid overdose prevention. Logan said the $70 million appropriation represents a $38 million increase. Kirk has asked the Food and Drug Administration to fast-track the approval of a nasal-spray form of naloxone that is less expensive and easier for first responders without medical training to administer, Logan said. In a letter to the FDA, Kirk pointed out that if current trends continue, more than 1,000 residents of Chicago's suburbs could die from an opioid overdose during a more typical eight-year FDA approval process. Kirk also has advocated for medication-assisted therapy to treat opioid abuse and curb the side effects of withdrawal. Filler and his wife Julie brought their private family battle against heroin into the open after Jordan overdosed shortly after his release from a residential treatment facility in Arizona. They created the Jordan Michael Filler Foundation, which has helped launch a Text-a-Tip program for students in Highland Park, Deerfield and Bannockburn. The service allows young people an anonymous means to intervene in a friend's drug problem or seek help for themselves. Filler also is a founding member of Community: The Anti-Drug, a new task force working to combat drug abuse in the communities of Highland Park, Deerfield, Highwood and Bannockburn. Last week, U.S. Rep. Bob Dold, R-Ill., announced his guest to the State of the Union, but later withdrew his invitation after learning a Waukegan woman had accused the man of threatening to kill her in 2014 and obtained a restraining order against him. Advertisement Durrell McBride, 30, of Zion, served six years in state prison for armed robbery and was released in 2011, state records show. He was on parole until 2013. Dold said McBride "worked tirelessly to lift himself up" after his release from prison, but disinvited him after the Chicago Tribune pointed out a court-issued order of protection that detailed threatening remarks McBride allegedly made to his then-wife. On Monday, Dold announced his plan to bring Zion-Benton High School graduate Lavell Brown to highlight local and national anti-poverty efforts. Dold applauded Brown, a participant in YouthBuild Lake County, for leaving life "in the streets" to pursue a career and community service. "It's time to focus on the areas where we can agree and come up with some real, innovative solutions to reduce poverty," Dold said in a statement. "I'm committed to working with organizations that have deep roots in our community to tackle this issue head on at the local level, and during the State of the Union, I hope Lavell will hear President Obama articulate a new vision to reduce poverty nationally." kberkowitz@pioneerlocal.com Advertisement Twitter: @KarenABerkowitz College spring semester registration, performance and more. College of Lake County Advertisement Registration: There is still time to register for spring semester classes at the College of Lake County, which begin the week of Jan. 19. Staff from admissions, advising, financial aid and the bookstore can assist from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 16 at all 3 campuses: 19351 W. Washington St., Grayslake, 33 N. Genesee St., and 1120 S. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills. Regular office hours for the week through Jan. 15 are 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday. It lasts about an hour and includes an overview of the career field, salary, job outlook and educational requirements. No RSVP is required. View a schedule of information sessions by academic division at www.clcillinois.edu/infosessions. To complete short-term training to become a truck driver, real estate agent, pharmacy technician or veterinary technician, view a list of Continuing Professional Development programs and information sessions at www.clcillinois.edu/professional. Details, 847-543-2615. To complete a GED (high school equivalency), learn English as a Second Language or build basic competency in reading, writing and math, CLC's Adult Basic Education division offers free courses at all three campuses and other Lake County locations that also begin in January. To learn more, call 847-543-2021. Performance: "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" will be performed at 7 p.m. Jan. 17 at the James Lumber Center for Performing Arts, CLC, Grayslake. The clever and legendary Sherlock Holmes skillfully maneuvers the twisted web of London's most intriguing cases with split-second deductions and logical reasoning in this witty, fast-paced production. The acclaimed Aquila Theatre brings it's energetic and physical style to this new adaptation. Tickets are $37-45, and $15 for CLC students and teens. Details, 847-543-2300. Advertisement Emporia State University, Kan. Scholar: Kyle Corcoran of Fox Lake received the Mildred Fulhage Music Scholarship for the 2015-16 academic year at ESU. More than $2.53 million in scholarship funds are helping nearly 1,700 students from Kansas, 19 other states and 24 foreign countries realize their educational dreams during the 2015-16 academic year. Twitter @newssun Health events, support, screenings and more. EVENTS Advertisement MOBILE HEALTH: The Community Care Connection, a mobile health unit from Rosalind Franklin University, will offer free health screenings for blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, body mass index and more from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday at Antioch Senior Center, 817 Holbek Drive; from 9 a.m. to noon Jan. 19 at Mano a Mano Family Resource Center, 6 E Main St., Round Lake Park; from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 20 at The Chapel Community Care Center, 25270 W. Route 60, Grayslake; and from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Jan. 21 at St. Anastasia Food Pantry, 624 Douglas Ave., Waukegan. BLOOD DRIVES: In an effort to recognize and build awareness about National Blood Donor Month, State Rep. Carol Sente, D-Vernon Hill, is calling on local residents to donate blood during the month of January and throughout the year as well. Residents can help save lives by participating in America Red Cross blood drives at the following locations in Vernon Hills: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday at Kinzie Real Estate Services, 930 Woodlands Parkway, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 23 at Laschen Community Center, 294 Evergreen Drive. Details, 312-729-7522. Advertisement LIFE LINE SCREENING: Residents living in and around the Wadsworth community can be screened to reduce their risk of having a stroke or bone fracture. Cornerstone Community Church, 40413 N. Delany Road, will host Life Line Screening Jan. 20. Packages start at $149. All five screenings take 60-90 minutes to complete. Details, or to schedule an appointment, call 800-364-0457. Preregistration is required. WORKSHOP: Speaker Margie Taylor of Vista Health System will discuss arthritis and knee replacement at 1 p.m. Jan. 20 at Park Place Senior Center, 414 S. Lewis Ave., Waukegan. The workshop will answer questions and cover everything you need to know before surgery. Complimentary transportation is available for Waukegan Township residents age 55 and over by calling 847-599-2936, three days in advance. Details, 847-244-9242. SCREENINGS BLOOD PRESSURE: B 2 B A Blessing Home Care will provide complimentary blood pressure checkups from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Jan. 22 at Park Place Senior Center, 414 S. Lewis Ave,, Waukegan. Glucose and cholesterol screenings will also be available. Details, 847-244-9242. HIV COUNSELING: The Lake County Health Department's Sexually Transmitted Infections Program offers free HIV counseling and testing Monday through Friday at the Belvidere Medical Building, 2400 Belvidere Road, Waukegan. Information about viral hepatitis and screening for sexually transmitted infections is also available. Details, 847-377-8450. IMMUNIZATIONS: Child immunization clinic hours are by appointment at the health department's Immunizations Clinic, 2303 Dodge Ave., Waukegan, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays; 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays; 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays; and 9 to 11 a.m. the second and fourth Saturday of each month. Details, 847-377-8470. Flu and pneumonia vaccines to the general public by appointment only. Details, call 847-377-8470. SUPPORT BREAST CANCER: Latina support group for patients and survivors meets 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19 at YWCA Lake County, 1425 Tri-State Parkway, Gurnee. Details, 847-662-4247 ext. 117. Advertisement BREAST CANCER: Support group offering emotional support and networking for breast cancer survivors meets 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19 at Advocate Condell Medical Center, 801 S. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville. Details, 847-990-5275. BREAST CANCER: The Y-ME Barrington-area support group will meet at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21 at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, 450 W. Route 22, Lake Barrington. Details, 847-842-4858. CAREGIVER: Group for caregivers to receive support from others in the same situation meets 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21 at United Methodist Church, 848 Main St., Antioch. Details, 847-395-1259. CAREGIVER: Group for caregivers to have support of others in the same situation meets 2 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 21 at Antioch Senior Center, 817 Holbek Drive. Details, 847-903-5604. GRIEF: A grief and loss support group meets at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21 at United Methodist Church, 848 Main St., Antioch. Details, 847-395-1259. GRIEF SUPPORT AFTER THE LOSS OF A CHILD: Northern Lake County Illinois Compassionate Friends Chapter meets 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, at Holy Family Church, 450 Keller St., Waukegan. The mission of TCF is to assist families by providing support following the death of a child of any age. Details, 847-249-4776. Advertisement MENTAL ILLNESS: Support group for friends and family with a mentally ill loved one meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19 at Lake Villa Assessor's Office (Old Gavin North School), 37850 N. Route 59. Details, 815-388-9634. PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY: A support group for people with chronic pain meets at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20 at St. John's United Church of Christ, 1520 N. McAree Road, Waukegan. Details, 847-689-8045. R.T.S. (RESOLVE THROUGH SHARING) BEREAVEMENT: Support group for parents who have lost babies meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19 at Hunter Family Center for Women's Health, 660 N. Westmoreland Road, Lake Forest. Details, 847-535-6336. NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS OF LAKE COUNTY: The mission is to provide support, education, advocacy and resources to those who suffer from neurobiological brain disorders. Family members also welcome. The Healthy Living Group meets 11 a.m. Wednesdays at Lake County Health Department, 3002 Grand Ave., Waukegan. NAMI Connections Peer Support Group meets at 5:30 p.m. Thursdays at Zion Drop In Center, 1022 27th St. Details, www.namilake-il.org or call 847-689-0509. DEPRESSION AND BIPOLAR SUPPORT ALLIANCE OF ANTIOCH: Group meets at 6 p.m. Sundays. For locations and more information, call Judy at 847-245-3924 or email www.dbsa.antiochil@gmail.com. LOOKING UP: Support group for anyone experiencing a loss meets at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays at Advocate Condell Day Center, 700 Garfield Ave., Libertyville. Details, 847-990-5275. Advertisement MILITARY AND VETERANS: Cup-A-Joe, a drop-in support group for veterans and service members to gather for conversation, meets at 5 p.m. Wednesdays at Julie's Coffee, 216 N. Milwaukee Ave.; at 1 p.m. Thursdays at Veteran's Assistance Commission, 20 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.; and at 5 p.m. Thursdays at It's All Good Coffee and Espresso, 2780 Sheridan Road, Zion. Funded by Lake County Veterans and Family Services Foundation. Details, 847-377-8386. NORTH SHORE EATING DISORDER: Support Group meets 7:15 p.m. Tuesdays at Church of the Holy Spirit, 400 E. Westminster, Lake Forest. All eating disorder types welcome. Details, 847-668-5095. CHAT NIGHT: Chat Night is open to all those who are deaf or hard of hearing, audiologists, teachers, ASL interpreters and students from 8 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays at openchatnight.com CAREGIVER: A support group for caregivers of people 60 and older is at 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Warren Township Senior Center, 17801 W. Washington St., Gurnee. Details, 847-244-1101. MOST EXCELLENT WAY: Restoration program for those addicted to drugs, alcohol, tobacco, pornography, sex, gambling, food disorders, anger, behavior problems and other life-controlling problems meets at 7 p.m. Fridays at Calvary Chapel Church, 38451 N. Fairfield Road, Lake Villa. Also for family and friends. Details, 847-814-3911. PSYCHIC: The Chakra Psychic, 29 E. Grand Ave., Fox Lake, is a place where people can go for full spiritual enlightenment and possibly get answers and solutions. Details, 847-372-3618. Advertisement Twitter @newssun When armed militants commandeer government property, force businesses, schools and government agencies to close out of FEAR, we call that domestic terrorism. We call the armed perpetrators DOMESTIC TERRORISTS. The leader of this terrorist gang, Ammon Bundy, is the son of the notorious million dollar grazing fee scofflaw, Cliven Bundy of Nevada. Ammon Bundy brought the Bundy's strong multi-gereration connection to the Mormon faith into the illegal occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge when he invoked his Mormon god as the motivating and sanctioning source of his criminal enterprise.* It is unclear whether Bundy's Mormon god is the same god that blesses Muslim terrorists and motivates so many Republican candidates to run for public office especially President of the United States of America. Terrorists who are are also Muslim are defined by the Press, Politicos et. al. as Muslim terrorists because they hold an individual belief regardless of approval from any Imam or Mosque. Leading Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump calls for a complete embargo on all Muslims because he associates the terrorist acts of the few with the religion of the many. By employing these standards, calling Bundy's gang Mormon Terrorists can easily be justified by Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump, Republicans in general and many who call themselves journalists. Special Agent in Charge of the Oregon FBI, Gregory T. Bretzing, is a Mormon. Is that a factor in his refusal to stop the siege of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge by DOMESTIC TERRORISTS and bring them to justice? The jury is still out. Our governor, Kate Brown, along with most Oregonians, want these DOMESTIC TERRORISTS out of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, in jail and charged with as many crimes as they deserve. Governor Brown needs to declare a state of emergency, which it is, call the real militia, our Oregon National Guard, and roust the DOMESTIC TERRORISTS with all due speed. Many in our Oregon National Guard have had extensive experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. They can handle themselves and the Bundy bunch. Under orders from governor Brown our Oregon National Guard can and will shut down the power, the water, land line, cell phone and Internet communication. Under orders from governor Brown our Oregon National Guard can and will stop all access, especially the Press, to and from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Under orders from governor Brown our Oregon National Guard can and will arrest all of the DOMESTIC TERRORISTS who have violated the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and caused FEAR among our fellow Oregonians in Harney county. Richard Ellmyer Portland, Oregon * http://www.opb.org/news/series/burns-oregon-standoff-bundy-militia-news-updates/explainer-the-bundy-militias-particular-brand-of-mormonism/ Cody Vandenberg, who grew up in Lake Forest, poses with a Chewbacca imitator at Lucasfilm headquarters in San Francisco. (Cody Vandenberg / Handout) Cody Vandenberg has come full circle with "Star Wars," from watching the original movie as a child to being on the periphery of the newest installment, "The Force Awakens," as an adult. Vandenberg, 25, now is a project coordinator at Lucasfilm video production. Advertisement It's been a 15-year journey for Vandenberg who said he first became interested in making movies around age 10, while growing up in Lake Forest. "I was kind of obsessed with James Bond," said Vandenberg by phone from Los Angeles. "That and the DVD version of 'Star Wars.'" Advertisement He found his parents' old camcorder and set off to make movies with his friends "We would make sort of James Bond parodies," Vandenberg said. Things got even more high-tech once he arrived at Lake Forest High School. He took classes in a new media program taught by Steve Douglass, who helped hone Vandenberg's storytelling skills. "He worked extremely hard," Douglass said. "He would stay after school and work on his own at home. His ability to visually put together a story was pretty remarkable. He also collaborated well, which is really hard to do, especially with high school kids." By the time he graduated from Lake Forest High School in 2008, Vandenberg decided filmmaking was what he wanted for a career. He attended an honors program at Ohio University, where he mostly studied filmmaking. He graduated from Ohio University in 2012. Three weeks later, he said, he was living in Los Angeles. "My first job was production assistant on 'Kitchen Nightmares'" Vandenberg said. "Basically, it's the lowest rung on the totem pole. I was just there to lend a hand with the crew." Advertisement That job lasted a few weeks. "At first, it was challenging," Vandenberg said. "There really is no clear path to get where you want to go. I was working on a freelance basis. It was worrisome thinking what is my next job going to be, how am I going to pay Los Angeles rent?" The answer, he said, was building a network of contacts. Through two alums from Ohio University, Vandenberg gained a job at a company where he helped produce TV promos. He said he appreciated the experience and what he learned about the technical aspects of editing, but after 16 months, he moved on. "It just wasn't the content I wanted to be working on," Vandenberg said. "The reason I moved to Los Angeles was to work on film." About that time, another Ohio University alum Vandenberg knew was looking to hire an assistant for the president of Lucasfilm. In November 2013, Vandenberg began working in the president's office. For the next two years, he said, he scheduled appointments, listened in on calls and took notes. "It taught me a lot of what I know about the film industry, listening to seasoned professionals talk shop," Vandenberg said. Advertisement Lucasfilm was started by George Lucas, the creator of "Star Wars." The company put together the latest Star Wars movie, "The Force Awakens" currently in theaters. In November 2015, Vandenberg said he was transferred to the documentary unit of Lucasfilm in San Francisco. There, he said, he has worked on behind-the-scenes content for the DVD version of "The Force Awakens." Vandenberg said he is happy with his work and hopes to be at that for a long time. He's hesitant when asked about longer-term goals. "Maybe far, far down the line ... I've always had a dream of writing and directing," Vandenberg said. mlawton@pioneerlocal.com Twitter: @reporterdude Stay on top of the news all day with the Tribunes web notifications. Well let you know right in your web browser when theres big breaking news happening, and also share our editors top picks so you see the best of what the Tribune has to offer. A woman who allegedly placed her newborn son in a plastic bag and hid him under a pile of towels still wants to keep the baby, her lawyer said in court Monday. Police have called it a miracle that the baby survived because they said the woman, a Loyola University student from China, would not tell them where the child was when they were called to her home in Morton Grove last month. Because it was apparent she had just given birth, a Fire Department lieutenant started searching the house and found the boy blue and unresponsive in the plastic bag in a bathroom and rushed him to the hospital, officials said. Advertisement The mother, Xin Zeng, 21, is charged with attempted murder. But in Cook County court Monday, her attorney, James Shapiro, said Zeng always intended to keep the baby and had purchased clothes for the boy, who he said was born prematurely. Shapiro said Zeng's brother and sister-in-law, with whom she was living while in the country on a student visa, also would welcome the child. The brother had called 911 after hearing strange noises and discovering blood on the floor, officials said. Authorities said they believe the baby was born five to 15 minutes before paramedics arrived. "She did not intend to kill this baby," Shapiro said of Zeng in court. "She still wants the baby." Advertisement During the arraignment Monday, Zeng pleaded not guilty, and her bond was lowered from $10 million to $5 million, although Shapiro said her family would still be unable to raise the $500,000 needed to bail her out of jail. Officials said the baby is now in the care of the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services and that, although he had some problems eating while hospitalized, is in good condition. Authorities said the alleged crime was avoidable because Illinois' safe haven law allows parents to avoid prosecution if they drop off unharmed, unwanted babies at locations such as hospitals and police and fire stations within 30 days. Brian Cox is a freelance reporter. Commuters who leave their cars in the three parking lots managed by Naperville might be asked to pay more for parking permits. Naperville City Council members are looking at current permit fees for the lots adjacent to the Metra stations on Route 59 and east of Washington Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues on the north end of the downtown area. The rates were last increased in 2007, when they were doubled despite objections from numerous users of the coveted spaces along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail line. Advertisement Mayor Steve Chirico suggested last month that "capital needs going forward" might call for a re-examination of the fee structure. Payments for use of the lots go into the city's Burlington fund, which covers upkeep of the three lots. The city budget shows anticipated income for the fund at $2.15 million for this year. Chirico asked city staff members to compare parking fees collected by other communities along the BNSF route, Metra's busiest commuter line. Jennifer Louden, deputy director of the city's Transportation, Engineering and Development department, came back with a report that indicates Naperville commuters pay more for parking and face longer waits on permit lists. Advertisement The waiting list for a spot in the city's Burlington/Parkview lot, situated closest to the tracks at the downtown station, is 12 years. Each permit holder pays $120 per quarter for the parking space. With quarterly prices ranging from $110 for a resident to use the outlying downtown Kroehler lot to $145 for nonresident parking outside the Route 59 station, the city's fees are "among the highest" of the communities on the BNSF commuter rail line, Louden said. Only Riverside, Clarendon Hills and the three Hinsdale commuter lots charge more. The south lot in Clarendon Hills, located nearest the passenger platform, runs $130 per quarter for residents, according to Louden's memo, which shows the wait for an available spot in that location is 10 years. City Council member Kevin Coyne noted during the November workshop that Metra riders will begin paying more for their commuting beginning Feb. 1. Tickets are scheduled to go up $2.50 for the monthly pass and $1.75 for a 10-ride ticket. One-way tickets will go up by 25 cents. Noting that there could be peripheral consequences to an additional rate hike for parking, Coyne suggested his peers "tread very carefully" before making any changes. But City Councilman Kevin Gallaher speculated that a higher parking permit fee for Naperville commuters would not be a deal breaker. "I'm not an economics major, but it seems to me that we have a very limited supply and we have a tremendous demand," said Gallaher, an attorney, who shared that he pays $25 for an hour of downtown Chicago parking at least once a week. "If we doubled the parking rates, I don't think we'd lose a spot. There's just no other way to get down there." scarlman@tribpub.com Advertisement Twitter @scarlman Services are set for Thursday for an Aurora man who died of injuries he sustained early New Year's Day, when police said his van struck a moving freight train and then caught fire at a railroad crossing on the Naperville-Aurora border. Karl E. "Chuck" Slaughterbeck, 55, died Jan. 6 at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he was taken following the crash. Advertisement A release from the Will County Sheriff's Office in Joliet stated deputies were called at 12:03 a.m. Jan. 1 to 111th Street and Normantown Road, in an unincorporated area of Wheatland Township between Aurora and Naperville. Rescuers from the Naperville fire and police departments were the first to arrive on the scene, the release continued. Police told the deputies that, "prior to their arrival, witnesses to the crash were able to pull (Slaughterbeck) out" of his 2003 Dodge Caravan "before the fire began inside." Advertisement The van sustained extensive front-end and fire damage, according to the release. Deputies also found "the railroad crossing gate had been broken and there was a large debris field." Other motorists said the van had been traveling east on 111th Street when it "failed to stop for the crossing gate, and struck the side of a northbound train," according to the release. Canadian National railway police who subsequently inspected the train "failed to detect any signs of damage from the collision." Slaughterbeck was traveling alone at the time. Paramedics took him to Edward Hospital in Naperville, and he was flown by helicopter to Loyola University Medical Center. A spokeswoman for the Cook County medical examiner's office in Chicago on Monday said the cause of Slaughterbeck's death was listed as "accidental," and due to complications of injuries. Visitation for Slaughterbeck will be from 4 until 8 p.m. Thursday at Friedrich-Jones Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 44 S. Mill St., Naperville, according to an online notice. Interment will be private. Slaughterbeck is survived by his wife, Theresa Slaughterbeck, as well as two sons, three daughters and nine grandchildren, according to the notice. wbird@tribpub.com Preaching the gospel of evidence, experiment and reason since 2003. Shannon Finn stands beside her favorite portrait she says was painted by Park Ridge artist Kenneth Brown Ransley. A sample of Ransley's portraits will be on exhibit at Park Ridge's Iannelli Studios from Jan. 24 through Feb. 28. (Jennifer Johnson / Pioneer Press) While browsing a Park Ridge estate sale more than a decade ago, Shannon and Jim Finn stumbled upon a collection of painted portraits. These were paintings from another era: Men in dark, horn-rimmed glasses, an elegant young woman in a pink sleeveless dress with the flipped hair of the early 1960s. Advertisement Signatures on the back of some of the pieces indicated they were painted by Kenneth Brown Ransley, a Park Ridge-based artist who lived in the heart of the city's old artist colony just north of Uptown and was known for her commissioned portraits. The Finns bought up the stack of paintings ("It was a good deal," is all Shannon will say about the price), framing some of them for display in the front parlor of their century-old Park Ridge home. Beginning this month, the public will have a chance to see these paintings themselves and learn a little bit about the artist, who died in 1989 at the age of 96. Advertisement The Kalo Foundation will exhibit more than 20 of Kenneth Brown Ransley's portraits from Sunday, Jan. 24 through Sunday, Feb. 28 at Iannelli Studios, 225 N. Northwest Highway. The studio will be open for viewing of the pieces on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. "Park Ridge has always had such a rich artistic heritage and I want to preserve that," Finn said of her interest in having Ransley's portraits as part of a public exhibit inside what had been the home and studio of one of the artist's contemporaries, Alfonso Iannelli. For a large part of the 20th Century, Ransley was the artist Park Ridge residents knew to call on when they wanted a personal portrait, said Maria Hrycelak, co-president of the Kalo Foundation. "She was the go-to person for portraits and not just for families, but for organizations and institutions as well," Hrycelak said. A 1975 edition of the Park Ridge Art League newsletter said that Ransley's portraits "hang in City Hall, the Park Ridge Library, Scharringhausen's [Pharmacy] and in many Park Ridge homes." Another newsletter, from 1967, said one of her most well-known paintings was commissioned for Lutheran General Hospital, Hrycelak said. It's a piece she and Finn say they would love to track down. Debra Brehmer, art historian and director of Portrait Society Gallery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin held a Kenneth Brown Ransley exhibit in 2008 after finding a portfolio of the artist's drawings as well as pieces painted by her husband, Frank in an antique shop. Through research and interviews with Ransley's descendants, she pieced together a life story of "a woman artist with an unusual name" who "documented and chronicled life in Park Ridge" through art, as the exhibit's brochure read. Ransley, who grew up in Dawson, Georgia, was sent north to Chicago to study at the Art Institute of Chicago where she met her husband before settling in Park Ridge in 1915, Brehmer wrote. The second floor of the couple's home at 111 Clinton Street which still stands today was turned into a studio "big enough to hold 12 easels" and was where Ransley drew and painted her subjects, according to Brehmer. During World War II, Ransley turned to sketching portraits of military personnel before they left to fight overseas, Brehmer said. Advertisement "Twice a week she went to the Service Men's Center in Chicago and sketched the enlisted men using black and brown pencils on buff paper," Brehmer wrote. "Each of the 1,400 portraits she completed was given to the sitter or his family along with a free mailing tube." Clippings from newsletters of the Park Ridge Art League, of which Ransley was an original member in 1942, indicate that through the years she invited other artists into her studio as well, according to Hrycelak. "She used to have a Thursday painting class at her house," she said. "She would supply the paints and have live volunteer models from Park Ridge come in and the artists would paint them." Some of the pieces that the Finns purchased are signed by people other than Kenneth or Frank Ransley, leading them to believe these portraits may have come from the Clinton Street studio classes. Some contain the names of the person in the portrait as well. Janelle Marcuccilli, a longtime Park Ridge Art League member, recalled being recruited by Kenneth Ransley to be a live model for one of these studio sessions back in mid-1970s. "It was an experience of a lifetime," Marcuccilli recalled. "The artists see things in you that nobody else sees, such as the whites of your eyes, and they point out different features most people don't notice." Advertisement Lunch was served whenever a painting session took place and the model was always seated to the right of Ransley at the table, Marcuccilli said. "That was considered the chair of honor," she explained. About a year later, Ransley inquired if she and the artists could paint portraits of Marcuccilli's young daughter and son. An aunt also volunteered to be a model, Marcuccilli said. The family doesn't have the portraits Ransley painted of them, Marcuccilli said, as the artist was known to sell her work and that of her students during a summer show on her front lawn. Marcuccilli recalls Ransley as being a "feisty" character. "She was one of the founding members of the Park Ridge Art League and she said it was a feisty group," she said. "When they would get together to have their board meetings, they would sometimes argue, she said, but it didn't take away from the respect they had from one another. You could have differences of opinion and argue that opinion, but it didn't affect the relationship." Advertisement Members of the Art League "were in awe" of Ransley because of her talent and knowledge of art, Marcuccilli said. "She was in her 80s when I met her, and even though she had cataracts, she could still paint," Marcuccilli recalled. "She was doing watercolor portraits of the models with cataracts. The models were amazed how accurate she could paint." "She's a really unique woman," Hrycelak added. "To be a painter from about 22 until her late 90s is phenomenal." Brehmer says there is something "tender" about Ransley's portraits and that they transcend the notion that they are valued only by people who knew the subject. "It doesn't matter who the picture if of; they are just lovingly well-made images," she said. Shannon Finn says she will often joke that people in her own collection of Ransley paintings are actual relatives. Advertisement "I just enjoy having the art in my home," she said. jjohnson@pioneerlocal.com Twitter: @Jen_Pioneer A former Gary man who admitted he failed to get medical attention for his girlfriend's infant son after she handled the baby in an abusive manner was sentenced on Tuesday to four years. Melvin McNair, of Park Forest, Ill., will serve two years in Lake County Community Corrections, and the remaining two years will be suspended and served on probation, Lake Superior Court Judge Samuel Cappas said. Advertisement McNair must report on Wednesday, his 30th birthday, to community corrections' Kimbrough Work Program. In court, McNair admitted that between Aug. 7, 2013, and Oct. 22, 2013, he occasionally cared for Syrus Morgan, the son of Siarra Morgan, when they were living in Gary. During that time, McNair admitted he saw Morgan handle the baby in an abusive manner that frequently resulted in the baby's head shaking back and forth, unsupported, and forcibly hitting solid surfaces. Although McNair admitted he saw the baby's demeanor and behavior deteriorate, he did not obtain medical care for him. Advertisement The infant died on Oct. 25, 2013, at University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital after being removed from life support because he had no brain activity. He was 5 months old. Deputy prosecutor Michael Toth said McNair's cooperation made it possible for the state to prosecute Siarra Morgan, 21, who was sentenced Dec. 10 to 20 years in prison for neglect of a dependent resulting in death. Charges of murder and other felony counts against her were dismissed. Defense attorney Donald MacNeil said his client, while culpable in the situation, was not the baby's primary caregiver. "Mr. McNair did not protect the child," MacNeil said. MacNeil noted his client has had no issues since he was released on a GPS monitoring device in January 2015 after he submitted a plea agreement to a charge of neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury. McNair told the judge that since the incident, he's had time "to think and get his head together." Spending time around his family, McNair said, "made me realize I should have done more to help that little boy. I'm sorry." Cappas said the $1,215 extradition cost to return McNair from Texas to Lake County will be taken out of the bond he posted a year ago. Ruth Ann Krause is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Greater New York Region of the National Organization of Italian American Women (NOIAW) will honor three of New outstanding Italian-American women at its annual Epiphany Celebration in Manhattan. The event -- 6:30 p.m. Jan. 13 at Columbus Citizens Foundation, 8 E. 69th St. -- celebrates the achievements of "Three Wise Women" -- Dr. Donna Corrado of the NYC Department of Aging; Carin Guarasci of Wagner College; and Sue Matthews of Conquering Kidz Cancer. Carin Guarasci Donna Corrado, Sue Matthews "Each of NOIAW's honorees serves as a role model to young women and an inspiration to the Italian-American community," said Dr. MaryRose Barranco Morris, president of NOIAW's Greater New York Region and Founder of the Staten Island Network. "We are proud to recognize their accomplishments." Tickets for the Epiphany Celebration start at $125 at noiaw.org. More information: email noiaw@noiaw.org or call 212-642-2003. About NOIAW: The National Organization of Italian American Women is the only national 501c3 organization for women of Italian ancestry. We celebrate and preserve Italian heritage, culture and language. Through cultural programs, special events, networking opportunities, mentoring, scholarship and cultural exchange initiatives we seek to promote and support the achievements of women of Italian ancestry in the workplace and the community. Transfer Pricing in China, the latest report from Dezan Shira & Associates, is out now and available through the Asia Briefing Bookstore for complimentary download. When a business transaction occurs between businesses that are controlled by the same entity, the price is not determined by market forces, but by the entity controlling the two businesses. This is called transfer pricing. An example is a transaction between a parent and its subsidiary, or other intra-group transactions. These transactions can be used to shift funds and thereby profits. Such transactions can serve as a tool for finance and tax planning. Content: How Does Transfer Pricing Work? The Risks and Requirements of Transfer Pricing Transfer Pricing Services from Dezan Shira & Associates Chinas foreign currency control regulations only allow one dividend issuance to a foreign entity a year. Moving funds out of China by using inter-company transactions can then offer a solution. In this report on transfer pricing, we discuss what types of transactions foreign investors can use to shifts funds in this way. Double taxation agreements between countries play an important role in transfer pricing. These allow foreign investors considerable tax savings when using offshore holding companies under certain conditions. Intra-group transactions often serve a legitimate purpose, but tax authorities around the world are wary of their use in lowering corporate profits. China is no different. Like in other countries, the Chinese tax office sets standards as to what transactions are acceptable. Those that do not meet these standards are not recognized. If done properly, transfer pricing can save a foreign investor a substantial amount on their tax bill. However, careful planning is advised: transfer pricing transactions are under special scrutiny. In case of non-compliance, the back taxes and penalties can be severe. Dezan Shira & Associates can assist your company in planning transfer pricing transactions, and furnishing the required documentation. If you would like to learn more about transfer pricing and how we might assist you, please do not hesitate to contact us. About Us Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email china@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight. Transfer Pricing in China 2016 Transfer Pricing in China 2016, written by Sowmya Varadharajan in collaboration with Dezan Shira & Associates and Asia Briefing, explains how transfer pricing functions in China. It examines the various transfer pricing methods that are available to foreign companies operating in the country, highlights key compliance issues, and details transfer pricing problems that arise from intercompany services, intercompany royalties and intercompany financing. Annual Audit and Compliance in China 2016 In this issue of China Briefing, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the various annual compliance procedures that foreign invested enterprises in China will have to follow, including wholly-foreign owned enterprises, joint ventures, foreign-invested commercial enterprises, and representative offices. We include a step-by-step guide to these procedures, list out the annual compliance timeline, detail the latest changes to Chinas standards, and finally explain why Chinas audit should be started as early as possible. Managing Your Accounting and Bookkeeping in China In this issue of China Briefing, we discuss the difference between the International Financial Reporting Standards, and the accounting standards mandated by Chinas Ministry of Finance. We also pay special attention to the role of foreign currency in accounting, both in remitting funds, and conversion. In an interview with Jenny Liao, Dezan Shira & Associates Senior Manager of Corporate Accounting Services in Shanghai, we outline some of the pros and cons of outsourcing ones accounting function. Flash Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is ready to cooperate with the West over the fight against terrorism and other key issues without ceding Russia's national interests. Putin made the statement in an interview with Germany's Bild newspaper, the official transcript of which was published online by the Kremlin on Monday. Russia is ready to protect its interests in a non-confrontational manner, "to look for compromise but, of course, based on international laws that must be observed uniformly by all," Putin said. Describing Western anti-Russian sanctions as "a foolish and harmful decision", Putin called for using every nation's capabilities for mutual development and the settlement of common problems. "We are faced with common threats, and we still want all countries, both in Europe and worldwide to join efforts to combat these threats," Putin said. Putin noted he referred not only to terrorism, but also crimes like human trafficking, environmental protection and many other common challenges. The president added that Russia's willingness to cooperate "does not mean that it is us who should agree with everything that others decide over these or other matters." Meanwhile, Putin lamented that the European division has not been overcome since the end of the Cold War. "Invisible walls simply moved to the East. This created the foundation for mutual reproaches, misunderstandings and crises in the future," Putin said. He lashed out at the West for violating its repeated promises of not expanding NATO. "Apart from NATO expansion eastwards, the anti-ballistic system has become an issue in terms of security. And this is being developed in Europe under the pretext of the Iranian nuclear threat," he said. Putin said that in spite of the signing of an agreement with Iran, the prospect of lifting anti-Iran sanctions and the start of uranium shipments to Russia for processing, NATO is developing anti-ballistic missile systems further. The president also recalled that Moscow has strongly objected to Western military interference in Iraq, Libya and some other countries, while the West turned a deaf ear to these calls. After the Soviet Union collapsed, equally adverse problems emerged inside Russia, including industrial production decrease, social system collapse, as well as onslaught of separatism and terrorism, Putin said. He noted that there were attempts to use international terrorism as "a means of fighting against Russia", blaming those responsible for providing "political, information, financial or in some cases even armed support to terrorists fighting against the Russian state." You are here: Home Flash Gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram insurgents on Sunday night attacked a resident settlement at the outskirts of Madagali town in northern Nigeria's Adamawa State, killing five people and burning several houses. The attack is the first this year in the embattled Madagali area, which was last attacked on Dec. 28, 2015 by two suicide bombers who killed 17 people and injured 41 others. Abu Malik, a local resident told Xinhua on Monday that the attack took place around 11:00 p.m. Sunday. "They slaughtered five people and burnt several houses," Malik added. Adamu Kamale, who is representing Madagali/Michika Federal Constituency in National Assembly, condemned the attack and called for more security deployment in the area. "We have been calling for more security deployment in the this area to stop the killings. Federal government need to do more to check the frequent attacks in Madagali," he added. The attack came barely five days after local residents and officials called for more deployment of military men in Madagali. Ibrahim Maisule, the leader of the local security group, made the call following the latest suicide bomb attack in Madagali last month. Maisule said there were many bush parts leading into Madagali area, which is bordering Sambisa forest and needs more men for adequate patrol. He added that his men and the number of military personnel in Madagali at present were not enough to contain attacks by insurgents. Flash I harbor profound feelings for China's railway construction, since I have myself participated in building foreign railways," stated Xing Xiangyang, project manager of the Angola Office of China Railway International Group, a subsidiary of China Railway Group Limited (CREC). "When the People's Republic of China was first established in 1949, the total mileage of China's rails was a paltry 10,000 kilometers, while the average train speed was a mere 60km/h. Others had already phased out the technologies we were using. Nowadays, however, after several rounds of large-scale construction and acceleration of speed, our mileage currently tops 100,000 kilometers, even as speeds have risen to 350km/h. Furthermore, our light rail and high-speed rail technologies are becoming ever more sophisticated. We now lead the world in railway technologies." Since the completion of the 1,861-kilometer-long Tanzam Railway in the 1970s, the CREC and China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC) have constructed a deluge of railroads in Asia, Africa and South America. The Angolan railway project upon which Xing Xiangyang works is but one. Railways Linking China and Africa After his 2002 college graduation Xing Xiangyang became an assistant engineer at Transtech Engineering Corporation of CREC. Upon concluding a brief domestic internship, he transferred to the branch company in Angola, a country that had just ended a 27-year-long civil war. Virtually everything there needed re-doing. "Angola had built three trunk railways with the help of the Portuguese in the 1950s (during the Portuguese colonial era), to wit, the Luanda Railway, Benguela Railway and Mocamedes Railway," Xing recalled. "These low-speed narrow-gauge railways were essentially the same as 1950s railways in China, but the railway system was completely defunct after the devastation of the long civil war. Not one single line operated normally throughout the entire land." As a littoral nation, Angola is endowed with world famous ports, such as Luanda and Lobito. Xing described how goods and materials had needed transport from these ports to elsewhere after Angola's economy began its sluggish recovery. Railway renovation and construction thus became the government's unequivocal first priority. In August 2002, the Chinese government inked the framework credit agreement with its Angolan counterpart. China's first loan funds were spent on renovating railroads. "I worked for the Luanda Railway renovation project, the first of its kind in the wake of the civil war. It was also the first railway project undertaken within the aegis of the cooperation agreement between our two governments. It was moreover the first Angolan railway built to Chinese standards. In February 2009, the Bungo-Baia section of the railway came into service." Xing still remembered those days with great clarity. "Residents along the line were so happy that they sang and danced in rapture. Some even ran alongside the track for several miles." Xing told of how both the residents and local governments afforded them abundant assistance and many facilities in the course of construction. Thus far, all renovation projects for the three trunk railways in Angola have been undertaken by Chinese companies. Local governments and residents laud the quality and speed it delivers. The Luanda-Malanje Railway opened to traffic in 2009, and the Benguela Railway and Mocamedes Railway projects both wrapped up in 2013. A great easing of pressure on passenger and freight transport has been the result. "People are willing to travel by train because of cheap tickets. Transport of goods from the ports is now by train rather than truck, since costs and delivery times have both dropped dramatically," Xing said. Railway Building Overseas According to Xing Xiangyang, since the founding of the PRC in 1949, almost every railway in China has been built either by CREC or CRCC. "China Railway First Group, Second Group, and Third Group to 10th Group all belong to CREC, while the 11th Group to 20th Group are all under CRCC's umbrella." Transtech Engineering Corporation, which Xing joined after graduation, had formerly been the international division of China Railway Second Group. In 1979, in order to serve the needs of the overseas market, the international division morphed into Transtech Engineering Corp., a branch project company specialized in the international market. In 2008, to help Chinese railways go global, CREC founded China Railway International Group to explore the foreign market, Transtech Engineering Corporation being subsumed into this group. Thus did Xing become a staffer with the Angola Office of China Railway International Group. The group has offices and project departments in more than 60 countries and regions globally, with projects appearing in West Africa, Southern Africa, and Eastern Europe. It has logged a considerable number of projects, including the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway, Addis Ababa Light Railway, Nigerian Railway, Ankara-Istanbul High-speed Railway and the Northern Plain Railway in Venezuela. The year 2014 saw CREC reap RMB 27 billion (about US $4.2 billion) in operating revenue from its overseas business. As of the close of 2015, China's high-speed railway mileage had clocked up 19,000 kilometers, while China's high-speed railway also geared up its international exploration. Xing stated that CREC is currently undertaking light rail projects in Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia. High-speed rail lines linking China and Thailand and China and Laos are also under negotiation. Overseas Sacrifice "I often bemoaned my lot when I first landed in Angola. After three years' work, however, my mentality changed quite a bit," said Xing. "When I experienced the warmth and alacrity with which locals accepted and used the railroads, I felt so proud. All our hard work had truly paid off." Xing told us that if he had worked in China instead, he would now be a very ordinary engineer in railway construction, and each project would simply be another task. In Angola, he has witnessed the satisfaction and joyful smiles of the many who have seen a long-cherished dream come true. This suffuses him with an even greater sense of accomplishment. The spirit of China's Railway has also been a prop sustaining him throughout all the hardship over the last decade. Xing explained: "Among us, there is the 'first old-generation', the 'second old-generation', and the 'third old-generation.' The first refers to the pioneers of China's railway construction. The second and third consist mostly of engineers and workers who mainly worked during the 1970s and 1980s, and include the experts who helped build the Tanzam Railway. These three generations bear testament to the grand transformation of China's railroads from obsoleteness to advancement. They share deep feelings for this cause and great devotion to their work. I worked with some of these old gaffers in Angola, and they instilled a very deep impression: a manifestation of selfless sacrifice and respectful devotion. Under the gradual influence of their ilk, we began to feel right at home." "Once I brought a railway official from Angola to experience the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway. The realization that the train was traveling as fast as 300 k/ph astounded him. In the past, Africans equated the 'Made in China' label with low quality. Now, however, Chinese railways are recognized wherever we go, and this fills us with immense pride," Xing Xiangyang said. Flash When I graduated from college, I never thought a project like the TAZARA would ever be a phase of my career," said retired engineer Du Jian. The TAZARA Railway, also called the Tanzam Railway, runs 1,860.5 km between Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia. It was a capital-intensive aid project undertaken by China in East Africa in the 1960s and 70s, and to date remains one of the country's largest engineering projects completed abroad. Surveying and design kicked off in May 1968, and construction started in October 1970. The rail line was completed and handed over to local authorities in July 1976. Du Jian joined the Chinese team in Tanzania in 1969 as an interpreter, thereafter becoming ever more involved in the project. From 2000 to 2006, he served as head of the Chinese experts' panel for the TAZARA. Having witnessed the genesis and growth of the railway, including its recent management problems, Du believes that it will remain a monument to China-Africa friendship in the future. "But the host countries decide how it is to operate," he added. Construction Du Jian graduated from the Beijing Institute of Foreign Trade (predecessor to the University of International Business and Economics) in 1968, amid the chaos of the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976) that disrupted the country's normal functions and operations. "Few work units were hiring." This was the prospect he and his schoolfellows faced upon leaving campus. Normally, the Ministry of Foreign Trade would have taken in most of the institute's alumni, but it completely shelved new recruitment that year. Most fresh graduates, therefore, had no fallback other than laboring on farms. Luckily, Du and 47 other students were picked as candidates for English and Swahili interpreters for a railway planned between Tanzania and Zambia that China was to finance and build. These young people drove in trucks to the No. 4 Railway Engineering Bureau of the Railway Ministry in Beijing's western suburbs, where they received "reeducation" digging tunnels before being dispatched to Africa in batches. In June 1969, Du and another interpreter left for Tanzania. This was a real adventure for Chinese in those days, as few had the chance to go abroad, whether for tourism or business. Their trip to Dar es Salaam aboard Pakistan Airlines took two full days efficient by the standards then prevailing. Most Chinese workers who built the TAZARA had first to travel to Guangzhou before taking a ship to East Africa on a journey lasting more than 20 days. When Du arrived in Tanzania, surveying work stood at a critical juncture. Du's first assignment was to accompany a seismographic study team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences to survey the geological conditions along the projected rail route. This experience earned him firsthand knowledge of the work and living conditions Chinese workers endured in building the TAZARA. "It is no exaggeration to say that China exerted all its strength in terms of manpower, materials and funds to build this railway." The country was hard-up in those years, but still shouldered the whole cost of its construction, including transport of 50,000 technical personnel, accommodation for Chinese engineers and workers in Africa, and employment of 50,000 to 60,000 local laborers. The official report cited a RMB 988 million no-interest loan from China to the two African countries, but according to Du, the actual cost was much higher. "China shipped out more than 1.5 million tons of materials, including steel rail, cement and dynamite, and daily necessities, even though it suffered itself a dire shortage of all commodities. Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai nonetheless personally oversaw a nationwide mobilization to ensure that only the best-quality materials went to the project. Many factories such as Wuhan Iron and Steel Plant operated day and night to produce the stuff needed for the TAZARA," Du recalled. Over the ensuing six years of the rail line's construction, China deployed more than 50,000 engineers and technicians to East Africa, 16,000 of them working there at one point. China dispatched five ocean liners to ply between Guangzhou and Dar es Salaam to ferry them back and forth. Sacrifice Recognized Although hundreds of interpreters accompanied the Chinese engineers and technicians in the two African countries, they were nevertheless insufficient by far, and communication with local workers remained a challenge. When mentoring local workers on rail technologies, the Chinese resorted to simple Chinese, a smattering of the local language, and mime. A 150-km stretch of the TAZARA in Tanzania traverses treacherous terrain where the track has to be almost entirely elevated on bridges or routed through cuttings. The muggy local climate swelters in the summer heat. Temperatures top 40oC. Tight schedules left truck drivers with few breaks. Long periods of overwork, high stress and inclement weather engendered skin diseases in many that festered alarmingly. Moreover, provisioning of their food supply ran far from smoothly in the project's first years. "On bad-weather days, even providing workers with a proper meal became a problem," Du said. Later, Chinese staff at sites where construction looked set to be particularly prolonged sought self-sufficiency by growing vegetables and raising chickens and pigs. Of all the pangs suffered, however, the worst was homesickness. Chinese employees were granted home leave only every other year. There were few means of communication with family offered in the long intervals in-between. "Unlike today when e-mail and Wechat are very convenient, we had no access even to a telephone in those years. Work communication over long distance ensued solely via telegraph," Du said. To expedite correspondence between Chinese workers in Africa and their families, the Foreign Ministry opened a special post service for the TAZARA project. Workers' families directed letters to a special ministry post box. These were then sent and distributed to every construction site on the aid project in the two African countries. Each round-trip delivery cycle turned over every 28 days. Today, Du still vividly remembers how he and his colleagues anxiously awaited the arrival of missives from their loved ones. On days planes arrived with post from China, project headquarters sent trucks to the airport where dozens of sacks of letters were offloaded. These were then brought back to the headquarters canteen for distribution to each construction site. "No matter how late the letters might reach a construction site, its staff would be waiting there. Sometimes we would dine together in celebration of the messenger's visit," Du said. These letters might bring good or bad news, but whichever it was, they arrived months after being posted. Letters from rural areas often missed the departure cut-off date at the Foreign Ministry, and so their transmission had to be deferred to the next 28-day cycle. To compound their woes, malaria was also a lurking peril to Chinese staff in Africa. "It affected almost every one of us," Du said. "Artemisinin had not yet been discovered; the only medication available was Quinine, which badly compromises the liver." Of the 65 Chinese workers on the TAZARA who lost their lives in the line of duty, 30 percent succumbed to malaria. During his years in Africa, Du came into extensive contact with local officials and residents who were all friendly towards him and his Chinese colleagues. "Chinese construction teams were well disciplined and hardworking, so they received unimaginable hospitality from the local community," Du said. They were greeted by locals wherever they went, and allowed preferential treatment at customs upon entry and exit. Mission Completed From the inception of its construction the TAZARA greeted African and even some Western visitors who posed the same question: "Are the Chinese really capable of building a railway on this scale?" The Chinese team replied with a preliminary affirmative after completing a section that was technically highly demanding. Foreign experts extolled their work. "Only those who built the Great Wall have the capacity to build the TAZARA," a Swiss engineer enthused. According to Du, the TAZARA team was exacting in its execution of technical standards. The occurrence of the slightest nonconformity mandated a complete redoing blasting down an entire pier and rebuilding it in the case of bridge building, for instance. But this painstakingness paid off. A 1998 flood destroyed all the rail lines in one region of Tanzania with the exception of the TAZARA. At a special session of the United Nations General Assembly in 1974, Deng Xiaoping screened for those present a China-produced documentary film, TAZARA under Construction, which caused a sensation. "The role of this railway cannot be underestimated in the development of Sino-African relations at that time," Du said. In July 1976, the TAZARA was completed and handed over to the two African countries. In the fiscal year from July 1, 1977 to June 30, 1978, it transported 1.27 million tons of cargo, marking the peak in its history. "This aid project by China served two goals. First was boosting the economic development of regions along the rail line and hence that of the two host countries. Second was breaking the economic blockade imposed by racists in South Africa by opening up a safe route for cargo transport in Zambia as well as supporting the countries in the southern part of the continent that had not yet won independence to achieve it. The TAZARA accomplished its mission in both senses," Du said. By the end of 2013 the rail line had transported more than 28 million tons of goods and 46 million passengers. Du is frank about the deteriorating performance of the railway in recent years. According to him, since its hand-over, the Chinese side has sponsored 15 sessions of technical cooperation with Tanzania and Zambia. The number of Chinese technicians stationed in Africa exceeded 1,000 at its height, and is close to 10 at present. At the time of handover, the Chinese team submitted voluminous documentation detailing the rules for the railway's operation and personnel management, together with equipment manuals. China also provided training to numerous African technicians. Beijing Jiaotong University enrolled 100 students each from Tanzania and Zambia in a railway management program. Mobile and permanent training schools were also instituted in the two countries. On the African side, however, when local technicians retired, the number of candidates qualified to replace them proved insufficient. As equipment and infrastructure aged over time, the government of neither nation appropriated the funds requisite for upgrades. As a result, the line now sees less use than before. In the 2012-13 period, total freight stood at a mere 218,000 tons, just 17 percent of its peak volume. "The approach of having two countries jointly managing a railway on the back of cooperation with a third nation is simply not viable," Du concluded. "But specific issues over how to operate the TAZARA should never overshadow the railway's status as a monument to Sino-African friendship." Legal notices 1) The material on this blog has been created by W. Blake Gray, is protected under US copyright law and cannot be used without his permission. 2) To the FTC: In the course of my work, I accept free samples, meals and other considerations. I do not trade positive reviews or coverage for money or any financial considerations, unlike certain famous print publications which have for-profit wine clubs but, because they are not classified as "bloggers," are not required by the FTC to post a notice like this. China Aid Association (Guangzhou, GuangdongJune 30, 2014) Two house church Christians in Chinas southern Guangdong province were taken into custody by officers from the neighboring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Regions Liuzhou Domestic Security Protection Squad and charged with illegal business operations just after midnight on Tuesday. Additionally, a lawyer representing one of the believers was taken into custody after a mishap while trying to meet with his client at the Liuzhou Public Security Bureau. Between 11 p.m. on June 23 to after 12 a.m. on Tuesday, June 24, a group of then-unidentified police officers attempted to force their way into the Panyu District home of Liangren Church missionary Ma Jiawen, who was in Hong Kong at the time, and his wife, Li Jiatao. Li, home alone with the couples 8-year-old and 4-year-old children, refused to answer the door because of the late hour. After midnight, the officers smashed through the iron front door and entered the home without a search warrant. Officers took Li into custody and confiscated a computer and some religious materials. Sometime during the night, officers also detained Huang Quirui, a Liangren Church elder with whom Ma and Li are close. When Ma learned of his wifes detention, he called the police station in Nanpu Village, where the couple lives, and inquired about Lis whereabouts. Officers there told Ma that Li was taken by Liuzhou police. When Ma telephoned the Liuzhou Public Security Bureau, an officer told him that Li wasnt there. However, officials issued criminal detention notices for Li and Huang later that day. The notices stated that the two were being charged with illegal business operations. Theyve given me a detention order of illegal business operation, Ma said on Wednesday. When the lawyer comes tomorrow, I will know all the reasons for this They say its pursuant to Article 80 [of the Constitution of the Peoples Republic of China]. The placed Li Jiatao under criminal detention on June 24and she is currently detained at Liuzhou Municipal Detention Center. This action by the Liuzhou police had no previous [warning] signs, said Pastor Wang Joshua Dao, who led Liangren Church prior to immigrating to the United States. What makes it special is that they didnt take away the missionary, but the wife of the missionary. This is really unimaginable. Besides that, this is a trans-provincial action taken by Domestic Security Protection Squad agents This is obviously religious persecution. On Thursday, Huangs lawyer, Wen Yu, was the first to arrive and attempt to meet with his client. After officers refused to allow Wen to meet with Huang, Wen attempted to charge his cell phone at the station. He plugged his cell phone into [the officers] computer to recharge the batter, Mr. Du, a local believer, said. As a result, his phone was seized as they want to check it. Ive heard [about Wens detention], Fan Biaowen, Lis lawyer, said. This is because the Public Security Bureau may have some secrets in the computer. Fan said he thinks that the officers may have detained Wen because they are worried that he somehow gained access to their private information. Fan also said that he had originally planned to visit Li Thursday evening or Friday morning, but was worried about the success of the meeting after Wens failed attempt. Meanwhile, Ma asked the officials in Hong Kong to intervene on Lis as both are Hong Kong nationals, but officials there refused, saying the case had nothing to do with them. Liangren Church has also publicly protested the officers use of force to enter Ma and Lis home and their forcible detention of Li and Huang. Liangren Church has previously faced persecution from Liuzhou authorities. In February, China Aid reported that two women were detained and charged with illegal business operations. Cheng Jie and Mo Xiliu were taken from the Liangren Church-run Hualin Foreign Language Experimental Kindergarten, where the two were the schools director and a teacher, respectively. Police said that a textbook, made by the church and used for character building, was an illegal business operation. However, because neither the school nor the church sold the textbooks, students werent charged a fee to use the textbooks and because the textbooks were used only inside the school, lawyers for the two women claimed the charges were baseless (see https://chinaaid.org/2014/02/two-women-taken-into-custody-from.html and https://chinaaid.org/2014/02/update-lawyers-find-charges-against.html). Mo was eventually released on bail. Chengs case was sent to the procuratorate, but it was returned to the Liuzhou Public Security Bureau for reinvestigation in early June. At this time, it is unknown if charges against Li and Huang are related to those against Cheng and Mo. ChinaAid Contacts Rachel Ritchie, English Media Contact Tel: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985 Email: [email protected] Website: www.chinaaid.org | www.monitorchina.org A family portrait shows Cheng Jie with her husband, Du Hongbo, and the couples two sons. (Photo from Du Hongbo) China Aid Association (Liuzhou, GuangxiNov. 19, 2014) Four Christians from Chinas southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and neighboring Guangdong, who were detained in February and June, will soon go to court for their joint case, which was filed at the Liuzhou Municipal Peoples Court on Nov. 9. On Feb. 18, 2014, the Liuzhou Public Security Bureau went to the Hualin Foreign Language Experimental Kindergarten, founded by the Liangren House Church of Guangzhou, Guangdong, and detained two women: Cheng Jie, the kindergartens director, and Mo Xiliu, a teacher who was also responsible tracking logistics at the school. The two were placed under criminal detention the next day for engaging in illegal business operations. Mo was later released on bail. The lawyers representing the two women determined on Feb. 19, 2014, that the charges against them were baseless. Authorities claimed that the women were engaging in illegal business because of a textbook on character education that the school had compiled. Officials alleged that the women used the textbook for profit while, in reality, the textbook was used by students at the school who had to pay no extra fees for its use. Additionally, use of the textbook was approved and even desired by students parents. Then, on the night of June 23, 2014, officers from the Liuzhou Domestic Security Protection Squad forced their way into the homes of Li Jiatao, the wife of a Liangren Church missionary, and Huang Quirui, a Liangren Church elder, both of whom live in Guangdong. Both were charged with engaging in illegal business operations and have been criminally detained since. Another man, Fang Bin, who printed the books for the kindergarten, was also detained on June 23. The case has been transferred to the court, and the procuratorate has sent the indictment to the court, Cheng Jies lawyer, Ge Wenxiu, said. Normally, the court opens the case about one month after it is filed. We will certainly defend [Chengs] innocence. First, these books were not for public distribution. They are textbooks for internal use. Second, pursuant to Article 225 of the Criminal Law of China, people engaging in illegal business operations must have intent to profit. So far, there is no evidence whatsoever that Cheng Jie earned any profit, Ge said. Ge added that the case is actually one of religious persecution. The Liuzhou police accused Cheng Jie and others of selling illegal publications. The textbooks dont contain ideological content, and, therefore, are very popular. This made Liuzhou authorities very angry. The compiler of the textbooks is Sun Haiping, who is the wife of Pastor Wang Joshua Dao, who led Liangren Church [before moving to the United States], Li Jiataos lawyer, Sui Muqing, said. All four of the detainees cases with be handled together, according to Chengs husband, Du Hongbo, who leads the Liuzhou house church planted by Liangren Church. Additionally, Chengs case was sent back to the Liuzhou Public Security Bureau for reinvestigation twice due to insufficient evidence. The kindergarten received a notice, below, on Aug. 8, 2014, stating that those in charge were disqualified from running the kindergarten because the curriculum was based on religious principles. Preliminary Conclusion Statement by The Religious Affairs Bureau of the Yufeng District Peoples Government of Liuzhou on Violations of Regulation on Religious Affairs by Hualin Foreign Language Experimental Kindergarten in Yufeng District, Liuzhou 1. Violation of Article 7 of the State Councils Regulation on Religious Affairs: Article 7 of the Regulation on Religious Affairs states, Publications involving religious contents shall comply with the provisions of the Regulations on Publication Administration. Hualin Foreign Language Experimental Kindergarten in Yufeng District, Liuzhou, uses 47 types of teaching materials that involve Christian content, e.g. textbooks, cards and hanging diagrams. Upon examination by the Liuzhou Municipal Bureaus News Publication division, these materials are confirmed to be illegal publications. 2. Violation of Article 12 of the State Councils Regulation on Religious Affairs: Article 12 of the Regulation on Religious Affairs states, Collective religious activities of religious citizens shall, in general, be held at registered sites for religious activities, i.e., Buddhist monasteries, Taoist temples, mosques, churches and other fixed premises for religious activities, organized by the sites for religious activities or religious bodies, and presided over by religious personnel or other persons who are qualified under the prescriptions of the religion concerned, and the process of such activities shall be in compliance with religious doctrines and canons. However, the collective religious activities of religious people in Hualin Foreign Language Experimental Kindergarten in Yufeng District of Liuzhou were all held inside the kindergarten. 3. Violation of Article 39 of the State Councils Regulation on Religious Affairs: Article 39 of the Regulation on Religious Affairs states, Where anyone compels citizens to believe in, or not to believe in, any religion, or interferes with the normal religious activities conducted by a religious body or a site for religious activities, the religious affairs department shall order it to make corrections. If such act constitutes a violation of public security, it shall be given an administrative penalty by public security according to law. Where anyone infringes upon the lawful rights and interests of a religious body, a site for religious activities, or a religious citizen, it shall assume civil liability according to law; if a crime is constituted, it shall be investigated for criminal liability according to law. When Hualin Foreign Language Experimental Kindergarten in Yufeng District, Liuzhou, conducted Christian education on the children, they were compelling the citizens to believe in a religion. 4. Violation of Article 40 of the State Councils Regulation on Religious Affairs: Article 40 of the Regulation on Religious Affairs states, Where anyone makes use of religion to engage in illegal activities such as endangering state or public security, infringing upon citizens right of the person and democratic rights, obstructing the administration of public order, or encroaching upon public or private property, and a crime is thus constituted, it shall be investigated for criminal liability according to law. If no crime is constituted, the relevant competent department shall give an administrative penalty according to law. If any loss is caused to a citizen, legal person, or any other organization, [the offending party] shall assume civil liability according to law. According to our preliminary conclusion, the conduct of Hualin Foreign Language Experimental Kindergarten in Yufeng District, Liuzhou, was utilizing an educational site to conduct illegal proselytizing. Yufeng District Religious Affairs Bureau July 30, 2014 Seal: Religious Affairs Bureau of the Yufeng District Peoples Government China Aid Contacts Rachel Ritchie, English Media Contact Tel: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985 Email: [email protected] Website: www.chinaaid.org | www.monitorchina.org China Aid By Rachel Ritchie (Liuzhou, GuangxiFeb. 16, 2015) The wives of two defendants in the Hualin Kindergarten case, in which four are accused of illegal business operations for their involvement with character-improvement books compiled by the church that founded the school, wrote letters, recounting their experiences and feelings from the time their husbands were detained up to the opening of the trial last week Both Xin Xuemei, wife of Liangren Church elder Huang Quirui, and the wife of Fang Bin, a man contracted to print the textbooks, detailed the questionable actions by government personnel on many levels that have occurred since the detention of their husbands on June 23-24, 2014. Fangs wife chose to remain anonymous. Their letters can be read below: A Letter from Huang Quiruis Wife My name is Xin Xuemei, and Im a Christian. My husband is Huang Qiurui, an ordained elder at Panshi Church and Liangren House Church in Guangzhou. He has been a Christian for 37 years. Since he was young, my husband has been taking care of the worshippers at his church. All my family has been serving the Lord while working in our secular jobs, just like Paul who served the Lord while weaving tents because he didnt want to bring a burden to the church. Since we became Christians, our family has suffered the authorities suppression on numerous occasions. We were kicked out of Shenzhen so we went to Dongguan. Then we were again kicked out of Dongguan, and we went to Guangzhou. Our businesses and ministries were shut down and banned by the government several times. Wherever my family went, we never violated this thought from heaven: As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. First, we built a temple and a church to serve the Lord. Therefore, the local Domestic Security Protection Squad (DSPS) agents regarded us as a thorn in their side and would find various excuses to suppress us. In 1987, my father-in-law and my husband were arrested and imprisoned for smuggling Bibles on a ship from Hong Kong to Chongqing. In prison, my husband was once beaten so badly that three of his ribs were broken. In 1997, because we founded a church for migrant workers in Shenzhen and Dongguan, our family suffered suppression at the hands of the local police, who ordered us to shut down our store and leave Shenzhen and Dongguan within 24 hours. When we went back to our native home in Shantou, Guangdong, we immediately and completely committed ourselves to building churches and preaching the Gospel. In 2003, we came to Guangzhou again, where we did some business while participating in campus ministry in the university town in Guangzhou. Within 10 years, we organized five or six house church gathering places in Guangzhou and Dongguan. Approximately three years after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, my husband was sent as a relief worker by the church to teach at the Home of Lamb Children. Because of his relief work, the church in Guangzhou suffered great persecution. Guangzhou Nixi Bookstore, which was run by the church, was forcibly shut down by authorities. In the past 10-or-so years, the state security agents have never stopped stalking and suppressing us! In spite of all of this, God still gave us a firm confidence to serve and follow Him. On the evening of June 23, 2014, DSPS agents from Guangxi crossed the border between Guangxi and Guangdong into Guangzhou to arrest Christians. They framed my husband, charging him with the ambiguous crime of illegal business operations. This is the second time in his life that he has been imprisoned. The reason my husband was framed is because he helped another church member by shipping some character-development teaching materials compiled by the church to her at a kindergarten in Liuzhou. After my husband was taken into custody, Liangren Church and Panshi Church were suppressed on many occasions and were prohibited from gathering at their original meeting places. We were like a group of sheep who did not have a fixed place to live. However, we never succumbed to the tribulations we were suffering from, and we remain firm in our faith. We didnt stop our Sunday worship. I think this strength was bestowed to us by our heavenly father, by whom we stand firm in the storm. It has already been more than seven months since my husband was taken into custody. He has been detained on a long-term basis at the Liuzhou Municipal No. 1 Detention Center in Guangxi. Now, he isnt allowed to exchange letters with others. All the letters and the Bible sent to him by his relatives and church members were confiscated. In prison, he has been treated unfairly. Every day, he is forced to work 11 hours of hard labor. In the harsh winter, he has to drink cold water and wash himself in cold water. They decided to convict my husband and keep him from regaining his freedom so that he can never lead a church again. For this, I feel extremely pained at heart! I can only pray every day, in tears, and implore the Lord to be merciful and show His grace! I hope all of you who are far away from us know the true situation that Chinese house churches find themselves in and the truth about religious persecution in China so that you can become the ambassadors of God and the courageous fighters in prayers! Amen! Xin Xuemei The Christian Broadcasting Network CBN is a global ministry committed to preparing the nations of the world for the coming of Jesus Christ through mass media. Using television and the Internet, CBN is proclaiming the Good News in 149 countries and territories, with programs and content in 67 languages. If you have an immediate prayer need, please call our 24-hour prayer line at 800-700-7000. CBN's ministry is made possible by the support of our CBN Partners. The New York Times By Michael Forsythe Jan. 12, 2016 Hong Kong The Chinese police have formally arrested four human rights advocates in the past week on the charge of subverting state power, after detaining them for the past six months, according to one of their colleagues and rights groups. The families of two lawyers, Zhou Shifeng and Wang Quanzhang, both of the Fengrui Law Firm in Beijing, received letters on Tuesday that notified them of their relatives formal arrest, their colleague, Liu Xiaoyuan, said by telephone. Mr. Zhou is the director of the firm. Mr. Liu said that Li Shuyun, an intern lawyer at the firm, was also arrested under the charge, as was Zhao Wei, an assistant to another rights lawyer. The letters were dated Friday. Li Wenzu, who is married to Wang Quanzhang, and their son, Qiaoqiao, last week. Mr. Wang, a lawyer at the Fengrui Law Firm in Beijing, was formally arrested last week, a colleague said. Fred Dufour/Agence France-Presse Getty Images The four rights defenders were part of what was until last year a flourishing group of legal experts who represented prominent Chinese clients, including the artist Ai Weiwei, the blind activist Chen Guangcheng and the Uighur scholar Ilham Tohti, as well as ordinary people seeking justice through the Communist Party-controlled court system. In July, more than 200 of these experts were rounded up in a nationwide sweep and pilloried by the state-run news media as swindlers. Many were detained at an undisclosed location in the port city of Tianjin. The charge of subverting state power, which can carry a sentence of up to life in prison, is far more serious than several human rights advocates had expected in the four recent cases and suggests that the government believes that these people were seeking to undermine the state through their legal work. By way of comparison, the Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2009 on the charge of inciting subversion of state power, regarded by many as a slightly lesser offense. Cracking down on lawyers is one thing, said Joshua Rosenzweig, an independent human rights researcher based in Hong Kong who studies Chinas legal system. But this is now being presented as lawyers who are trying to overthrow the regime. The website of Chinas Ministry of Justice states that ringleaders who organize, plot or carry out subversion are given sentences ranging from 10 years to life in prison, while active participants are sentenced to three to 10 years. Other participants receive sentences of less than three years for subversion, which can include seeking to overthrow the socialist system. The crackdown on lawyers is part of a wide-ranging constriction of civil society under President Xi Jinping, who is intent on shoring up the Communist Party, which has ruled China since 1949. His government is enacting new limits on what people can say online, making it more difficult for foreign nongovernmental organizations to work in China, and restricting the use of Western textbooks at the countrys universities. In recent days, two other rights defenders, Xie Yang and Xie Yanyi, were formally charged with inciting subversion of state power, said Maya Wang, a researcher for Human Rights Watch in Hong Kong. The Chinese police can hold people for up to six months under a system called residential surveillance in a designated location, which can mean detention at some secure facility like a hotel run by the police. After that, they must be formally charged, released pending further investigation or released without charges, Mr. Rosenzweig said. Several of the most prominent rights lawyers detained in July, including Wang Yu of the Fengrui Law Firm, who defended Mr. Tohti, appear to still be in detention, and there has been no information about whether they have been charged. Wen Donghai, a lawyer for Wang Yu, said on Tuesday that the members of her family, who live in Inner Mongolia, had not yet received a formal arrest letter, but that he believed she would also be arrested on suspicion of subversion or inciting to subvert state power. Now they see these lawyers as a criminal group, Mr. Wen said. Subversion or inciting subversion these are all fancy charges we have never heard of. Its just ridiculous. Calls made to the Tianjin Public Security Bureau, which made the arrests, went unanswered. _______ Kiki Zhao and Yufan Huang contributed research from Beijing. China Aid Contacts Rachel Ritchie, English Media Director Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985 Email: [email protected] Website: www.chinaaid.org Hong Kong and Beijing took four of the world's top five expensive office markets with Hong Kong's Central, Beijing's Finance Street, Beijing's Central Business District, and Hong Kong's West Kowloon, according to the semi-annual Global Prime Office Occupancy Costs survey from CBRE, an international provider of commercial real estate services. In addition, Shanghai's Lujiazui Financial District moved into the top 10, rising two places to the ninth spot. London's West End topped the 'most expensive' list, with overall prime occupancy costs of $273 per sq ft per year. Prime occupancy costs reflect rent, local taxes and service charges. No 10 New York's Midtown Manhattan Occupancy cost: $127 per sq ft China Hongqiao Group Ltd, the world's biggest maker of aluminum, will raise nearly half a billion dollars from a rights offer underwritten by its founder, highlighting the difficulties of producers amid five-year-low commodities prices. The company's shares fell in Hong Kong. The Shandong province-based company aims to bring in HK$3.84 billion ($490 million) by offering seven shares for every 50 held by shareholders, the company said in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Friday. Chairman and founder Zhang Shiping, who has pledged to underwrite 99 percent of the issue, holds more than 78 percent of Hongqiao through a holding company, according to the statement. "Strategically, the rights issue will address working capital needs and highlights the challenging environment of aluminum markets at current prices," analyst Daniel Kang at JPMorgan Chase & Co said in a note on Monday. "While the parent's role may provide some confidence to the market, it could reduce the company's free float further." Many metals producers are cutting capacity and trying to reduce debt as commodities prices continue a slide that started in 2011. Hongqiao said last month it would reduce capacity while other top Chinese producers agreed to halt capacity increases. Elsewhere around the globe, Alcoa Inc, the biggest United States maker of the lightweight metal, said last week it will close its smelter in Indiana state, leaving it with just one operating US smelter. Proceeds from the rights offer will help Hongqiao "strengthen its financial position" with 20 percent going to repay loans, the statement said. The company's total debt-to-equity ratio rose to 133 percent in the first half of 2015, compared with 112 percent during the first half of 2014, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Hongqiao fell as much as 2.6 percent on Monday in Hong Kong trading to HK$4.20 a share. Hongqiao's net income rose 33 percent year-on-year to 2.72 billion yuan ($410 million) in the first half of 2015. A WeChat booth at an industry expo in Beijing.PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Be it mobile payment or e-commerce, WeChat, the most widely used instant messaging application in China, has successfully branched out into various industries with its advantage in user numbers. The messaging application from Tencent Holdings Ltd is looking to launch a new feature that will allow WeChat users to enjoy services without the need for downloading and installing applications. Zhang Xiaolong, senior vice-president of Tencent responsible for WeChat, said on Monday that the company is considering launching a subscription-based feature called Yingyonghao, which can be directly translated into application accounts. "As long as users subscribe to the accounts of certain applications in WeChat, they can access the services via functional HTML 5 sites rather than downloading separate applications," he said at a WeChat event in Guangzhou. Zhang said both WeChat users and startup companies can benefit from the new feature. "Applications that are not used frequently need not be downloaded any more. In addition, the service is beneficial for startups as it can significantly lower the cost of building up a business as launching an HTML 5 site is cheaper than launching a functional application," he said. Rather than replacing application developers or building itself into an app store, the move to launch application accounts is expected to help WeChat further establish itself as the super application in China and speed up its commercialization. Mi Yier, an analyst with the Beijing-based Internet consultancy Analysys International, said WeChat is already the most visited application in China's mobile Internet industry. "By launching the new feature, WeChat can monetize its huge traffic. Some of the applications with strong user loyalty may not need help from WeChat but for apps with low usage frequency, they can certainly use WeChat to reach more potential users," she said, adding some users are reluctant to download home remodeling applications because no one wants to remodel their home that often. WeChat had 650 million active monthly users by the end of the third quarter of 2015, which is almost equal to the size of China's Internet population by June 2015. But for now, WeChat mainly makes money by posting advertisements on its Moments timeline. Ren Bin, chief executive officer of Yaogeili, an application that offers door-to-door prescription drug delivery, said he will certainly use the new service once it is launched by WeChat. "I don't think the service will replace my app but it can be real help to make sure more users can find what we offer," he said. "Many of the potential users we find are reluctant to download our app when we do on-street promotions as it uses up their time and data. It is much more easier to persuade them to follow our WeChat account," he said. Meilishuo.com has joined forces with rival Mogujie.com, marking one of the country's most significant e-commerce marriages to date.[Photo/CFP] Combined business of female fashion shopping platforms could be worth $3 billion, say sources China's two biggest female fashion shopping sites have merged, creating a combined business worth an estimated $3 billion. Meilishuo.com has joined forces with rival Mogujie.com, marking one of the country's most significant e-commerce marriages to date. The deal will be completed via the exchange of shares, with Tencent Holdings LtdMeilishuo.com's main shareholderincreasing its stake in the new company, according to an e-mail statement to employees on Monday by Chen Qi, the Mogujie CEO, who will assume that position in the merged business. Xu Yirong, the CEO of Meilishuo, said he fully supported the tie-up. The Meilishuo and Mogujie brands will continue to operate independently and their original organizational structures and management will remain unchanged, they said. Wang Xiaoxing, an analyst at Analysys International, said the two sites made the decision under pressure from shareholders, and that the expanded scale and increased valuation would help it drive toward an eventual stock market listing. The merger, however, would do little, he said, to affect the ongoing e-commerce domination of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and JD.com Inc, as the combined market share of the merged company is still small. The online consolidation follows other similar recent moves, including by online travel agency Ctrip.com International Ltd and Qunar Cayman Islands Ltd, and group-buying sites Meituan.com and Dianping Holdings Ltd. Launched in 2009, Meilishuo focuses on fashion products including clothes, handbags, shoes and cosmetics and has more than 100 million registered users. In August 2014, it got funding from Tencent, Hillhouse Capital Management and other investors. Mogujie was founded two years later and is backed by IDG Capital Partners. It has 130 million registered users and raised more than $200 million in November in funding led by Ping An Ventures. Mo Daiqing, an analyst at China E-Commerce Research Center, said: "As well as Mogujie and Meilishuo, the Chinese online market for female shoppers includes leading names such as Vipshop Holdings Ltd and Jumei International Holding Ltdso it is becoming saturated. "Mogujie and Meilishuo's business models could be copied and it is difficult for them to stand out among so many e-commerce platforms," said Mo. "Having said that, this is still unlikely to usher in a market recovery in 2016, after the sector underwent a chilly time for raising capital last year. "A merger at this point is beneficial to both companies, and collaboration is their best choice." Statistics from iResearch Consulting Group, the Internet consultancy, estimates that online trading is expected to have reached 3.99 trillion yuan ($606 billion) in 2015, from 2.79 trillion yuan in 2014, a 43.1 percent growth. In the B2C market, the top three online shopping sites were Alibaba's Tmall (60.4 percent), JD (19.5) and Vipshop (3.0) in 2014, in terms of total online retail market share. Meng Jing contributed to this story. The China Orient Asset Management Corp stand at an industry expo in Beijing.PROVIDE TO CHINA DAILY State-owned asset management firm likely to bring in strategic investors China Orient Asset Management Corp, one of the four largest Chinese asset management companies, has unveiled restructuring plans that could see the addition of strategic investors and an eventual listing of the company. Wholly owned by the Ministry of Finance, China Orient has signed an agreement with the National Council for Social Security Fund to establish a joint-stock company China Orient Asset Management Co Ltd. The new company is expected to be registered formally after it gets the necessary regulatory approval, sources said. Liang Senlin, director of restructuring operations at China Orient, said the Ministry of Finance has contributed 98 percent of the registered capital for the to-be-formed company and the National Council for Social Security Fund the other 2 percent. "Once the company is officially established, we'll immediately start the process of inviting strategic investors that could either strengthen or complement our company in terms of development strategies, business structures and brand impact. Following that, we will go in for a public listing of our group either in or outside China," he said. Li Xin, vice-president of China Orient, said: "Our company is close to the end of a shareholding reform, which means it will transform from a policy-based financial institution into a market player that is an independent legal entity with sustainable development capabilities and sound corporate governance." The company will also complete the acquisition of a 50.29 percent stake in Bank of Dalian Co Ltd, a city commercial bank headquartered in Northeast China's Liaoning province. Li said: "Once the regulators approve the acquisition, China Orient will have a full set of financial business licenses and thus join the mainstream camp of financial institutions. After the group builds a full-cycle supply chain, it will reduce business cycle volatility and significantly improve overall anti-risk capability." Founded in 1999, the company developed its business structure as a financial service group during the past five years. The company's businesses have expanded from the disposal and restructuring of nonperforming assets to a wide range of areas, including insurance, securities, trust, investment banking and Internet finance. Li said China Orient will have strong prospects in supporting the development of the service sector with multiple types of financial business. Its subsidiaries are required to maintain growth at a level above the industry average. The group posted a net profit of 8.23 billion yuan ($1.25 billion) during the first nine months of 2015, rising 24.54 percent from the previous year. Its annualized return on assets was 3.64 percent and the nonperforming loan ratio of its commercialized business was 0.47 percent. By the end of 2014, its total assets had reached 316.5 billion yuan. Separately, China Great Wall Asset Management Corp, another leading asset management firm, is also making preparations for an initial public offering. Hu Jianzhong, its vice-president, said it will soon complete a shareholding reform and the management team is planning to launch a joint-stock company this month. The new company will begin inviting strategic investors in the second quarter of this year, selling about 20 percent of its stake. "We expect to meet the requirements of an IPO in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland in the first half of 2017. Then we'll pick the right time and place for the company to get listed," he said. Swiss finance giant shows confidence in country's economic prospects with plan to double its payroll Swiss bank UBS Group AG said on Monday that it plans to double its headcount in China, offering a vote of confidence when concerns about slowing economic growth have been unsettling both the domestic and global stock markets. Sergio Ermotti, chief executive officer of UBS, said that the bank will add about 600 staff in China, a significant proportion of which will be allocated to its wealth management business. "This decision is a natural evolution of forwarding our business in Asia, which is also in line with our expectation for our business to grow to the next level, in particular the wealth management business," Ermotti said in an interview with China Daily on the sidelines of the bank's annual China conference in Shanghai. China's long-term growth prospects and the rising wealth of Chinese citizens will continue to be a strong business engine for UBS as the nation is already a significant contributor to the bank's regional earnings, Ermotti said. Part of the employment increase will also go to core business segments including investment banking, asset management, fixed income and the "back offices" in China that offers technology and legal support to UBS' global operations, said Ermotti. The bullish comments came as China's volatile A-share market has triggered chain reactions in global markets amid growing investor concern about uncertainties associated with the depreciation of the yuan. While admitting that the coming year will be very challenging, Ermotti said that the bank tends to focus on China's medium- and long-term growth prospects. "If we assume a reasonable 5 percent growth for the next 14 years, then in that time China will add another $20 trillion to its economy. It is adding another whole China to the global economy," he said. UBS' plan to revamp its China business by doubling its payroll also came as many global financial institutions including Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank AG, Citi Bank and Barclays Plc have been slashing their employee numbers to reduce costs and weather tough market conditions. Cutting people to reduce costs is common practice by big banks when the market is difficult, said a financial analyst at a global investment bank on condition of anonymity. "UBS' decision may not be the response to any short-term market changes. It is much more about its long-term strategy in China," he said. Meanwhile, UBS is also seeking to double both the manpower and revenues of its equities business in China over the next five years. Fang Dongming, head of China equities at UBS, said that the bank will seek to diversify its equities business from the traditional commission revenues under the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors program to new business including margin trading, short selling, derivative business, and cross-border financing and investment business. "Doubling our revenues in the next five years means that we need to achieve at least double-digit growth each year," Fang said at a news conference in Shanghai. The gap between the tertiary and the secondary industry has widened further in the past 12 months, with the former accelerating its development pace. According to statistics provided by the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Taxation, the tertiary industry in Shanghai contributed total tax income of 666.56 billion yuan ($101 billion), up 16 percent year-on-year and accounted for about 67.4 percent of the city's total tax income. The secondary industry, on the other hand, grew at a slower pace of 2.6 percent year-on-year to contribute total tax income of 321.84 billion yuan. Financial companies and institutions accounted for most of the top 100 tertiary industry companies. As many as 47 of the nominated companies are financial, five of which are debutants. The top two positions are held by Bank of Communications Co Ltd and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Co Ltd, both of which have seen their tax incomes surpass 13 billion yuan. Ranked third on the list was Apple Computer (Trading) Co Ltd, with annual paid taxes reaching over 6.4 billion yuan, which is more than twice the amount paid by the State-owned Baoshan Iron & Steel Co Ltd in 2015. However, the biggest contributor of all still comes from the secondary industry. Shanghai Tobacco Group Co Ltd contributed more than 76.2 billion yuan in tax last year, taking up 43.7 percent of the total tax paid by the top 100 industrial companies. Among the top 100 industrial companies, strategic emerging industries have been growing at a faster pace. Pharmaceutical companies such as Shanghai Roche Pharmaceuticals Ltd and Bristol-Myers Squibb Shanghai as well as information companies represented by Huawei Technologies Shanghai and Shanghai Suoguang Image Co Ltd have become the new economic growth points for Shanghai. "With people's life quality improving, industrial companies will face huge challenges to boost energy efficiency in 2016," said Sara Yang Bosco, president of Emerson Asia Pacific. At a time when Shanghai is facing an economic slowdown, the city's local taxation department managed to receive more than 1.12 trillion in tax income in 2015, up 22 percent year-on-year. It is the first time that the tax income has exceeded 1 trillion yuan. Global ratings agency Fitch Ratings Inc has said that regional governments in the eastern and southern coastal regions of China which focus on the tertiary sector have a more diversified and wider tax base. This will make it easier for them to weather the current economic challenges. TIANJIN -- Volkswagen posted slightly weaker auto sales in China in 2015 compared with a year earlier, but demand for its luxury cars remained resilient. Sales of Volkswagen models dropped 4.6 percent in China to 2.63 million units in 2015. Audi sales edged down 1.4 percent to 570,000 units. However, its luxury cars continued to post strong growth. Porsche sales went up 23.6 percent to 58,000 units during the same period, while Lamborghini sold 17.8 percent more to 278 units. Total auto sales, including vehicles made by Volkswagen's two joint ventures with SAIC Motor and China FAW Group and those imported to China, stood at 3.55 million units for 2015, slightly down from 3.68 million a year ago. Jochem Heizmann, CEO of Volkswagen China, said that the automaker's future China business will focus on sport utility vehicles, electric cars and smart connectivity. The automaker also plans to offer 21 different models for the Chinese market. TIANJIN -- Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has opened a store in the north China port city of Tianjin to lure buyers craving for imported products. The company has set up its own brick-and mortar shop to bring overseas products, from snacks to cosmetics, closer to consumers at home. Alibaba and arch-rival JD.com both launched online marketplaces over the past two years selling only imported products to court savvy Chinese online shoppers who prize quality over price. The Alibaba store is part of a 20,000-square meter retail outlet, which consists of several shopping arcades, in Yujiapu financial district of Tianjin Free Trade Zone. To expand the brick-and-mortar store's outreach in the region, Alibaba has chartered two train rides during peak hours each day between Beijing and the Tianjin FTZ. Those who take the train can browse product catalogs and place orders during the trip. A growing number of foreign retailers and merchants have been signing up on Alibaba and JD.com's online marketplaces, which help them expand exposure to Chinese consumers without having to establish a physical foothold in the country. Alibaba said around 80 percent of its merchants on the online marketplace selling imported products that don't have a physical presence in China. Chinese tourists frequently go on shopping sprees when they travel to other countries. Authorities have been seeking ways to bring those buying binges back home to assist an ongoing economic rebalancing toward consumption. UPDATED Acting U.S. Secretary of Education John King and his team are going to spend much of their final year regulating on the Every Student Succeeds Act, the newest edition of the Elementary and Secondary Education act. To kick things off, the department is seeking input from a broad, broad range of advocates, educators, associations, and the general public. Theyre asking for written comments by Jan. 21, and theyre seeking in person input, too, through two public meetings. One will be in Los Angeles next week, and the other was held today at the U.S. Department of Educations headquarters in Washington, D.C. (More on the ins- and-outs of ESSA here .) So what do folks want from the regulatory process? Folks were largely on the same page when it came to the importance of having educators at the table for the purpose of crafting state, district, and school accountabilty plans. But there was a lot more disagreement over the question of how vigorous the department should be in enforcing the laws requirement that 95 percent of students participate in state English/language arts and math exams. (Civil rights organizations want to see the department hold states feet to the fire on that. But one teacher said its unfair for the department to punsih schools for parents choices.) Heres the CliffsNotes version of selected asks, in order of the speakers appearance: Bob Wise, the Alliance for Excellent Education: ESSA regulations should ensure schools dont mask graduation-rate gaps. And graduation rates should play a big enough part in the accountability picture to trigger interventions in schools where lots of students are dropping out. More here . Peter Zamora, the Council of Chief State School Officers: The Education Department should use the regulatory process to clarify the parts of ESSA that are confusing, such as how the transition from the previous version of the law, No Child Left Behind Act, and waivers will work. But generally, the department should take to heart the part of the law on regulation, which directs the department not to come up with regs that go outside the scope of the law. In other words, the department should use a light touch and let states be in the drivers seat on K-12. (See more here .) Liz King, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights: Make sure communities of color, low-income communities, tribes, and others have a seat at the table in the development of state accountability plans. Enforce ESSAs requirement that 95 percent of students participate in state tests. And dont allow states to go back to using so-called super subgroups of students, which allow states to combine different groups of students for accountability purposes because these mask gaps. (More here .) Tom Sheridan, National Head Start Association: Make sure Head Start programs and districts really collaborate and that districts understand how Title I funds can be used to support early learning. Brenda Calderon, National Council of La Raza: Make sure that states with a lot of English-language learners give serious weight to English-language proficiency in their accountability systems. And makes sure that parents understand state accountability systems, and are given a chance to meaningfully participate in school improvement. Christine Wolfe, National Alliance for Public Charter schools: Make sure states are primarily considering student achievement for school accountability, as opposed to softer factors. Charter school operators can help turn around low-performing schools, so states should be able to restart schools as new charters as a school improvement strategy, if they want. Lily Eskelsen Garcia, National Education Association: ESSA calls for collaboration at every level: state, district, and even school building level. Make sure the people who actually know the names of the kids"aka parents and teachersare at the table. Scott Sargrad, Center for American Progress: Help states move towards better and fewer tests. And go ahead and regulate on standards; spell out ways that states can ensure standards actually get students ready for college and career. Clarify key terms in the law on accountability. Make sure states actually follow through on that and require equitable distribution of teachers. (Lack of enforcement of that provision was a big problem with NCLB.) Julie Borst, New Jersey parent and representative of Save Our Schools: ESSA doesnt solve all our problems because special education students still have to take onerous tests. Please be careful with how you enforce the Pay for Success portion of the law. Jeff Simering, Council of Great City Schools: Our biggest questions from members are on transition from NCLB to ESSA. Please make it clear right away that districts dont have to set aside money for outdated interventionschoice and tutoringunder the law. Make sure peer reviewers are real practioners. And please recognize restraint in the regulation process. Lynn Tuttle, National Association for Music Education: Let states hold schools accountable for ensuring access to music and arts education. Also, music education can be really helpful for school climate. Dimple Patel, National Indian Education Association: Ensure that states have to meaningfully consult with Indian tribes. That means holding more in-person hearings. You cant get input from tribes by asking for folks to submit comments online because many tribal areas dont have to access to broadband. Jamy Brice-Hyde (an actual, honest-to-goodness classroom teacher from New York state): Was concerned that she was the only teacher who had spoken so far. Teachers dont trust the federal government and you obviously dont trust us, she told the group. Her school had an 18 percent opt-out rate on tests and she is concerned that the department is going to withhold funds from schools with high opt-out rates. Why would you punish me for a parents choice, she asked. Dan Weisberg, TNTP: ESSA regulations should continue waiver requirement that states use evaluations to meaningfully differentiate performance. Yes, he said, ESSA prohibits the department from putting parameters around evaluations, but the feds can still make sure evaluations happen. After all, if there are no evaluations, how will states make sure kids in low-income schools have equitable access to good teachers? Sandra Davis, Baltimore Teachers Union: Encourage states and districts to use Title I funds for community service coordinators. They really work. Zakiya Sankara-Janbar, Dignity in Schools Campaign: Make sure schools address equity in discipline practices. Hold schools accountable for any funds given to for-profits. Alice Cain, Teach Plus: Strictly enforce the 95 percent test-participation requirement. Our teachers want their kids to actually count for accountability. Also, test data needs to be used to help equitably distribute resources to schools that are struggling. Delia Pompa, Migration Policy Institute: Make sure that you include the full spectrum of English-language proficiency when drafting regulations on that issue. Make sure theres broad and deep dissemination of resources and research that will help states and districts educate ELLs. Heather Noonan, League of American Orchestras: Make sure low-income kids have access to arts education. Susan Saavedra, National Urban League: Accountability systems need to be driven by student-outcome indicators. So the department needs to clarify words that deal with indicators, including what substantial weight means with respect to indicators and what the law means when it says academic factors need to weigh much more than other factors that get at school quality. (Again, a GOP aide who worked on the bill wasnt so sure that would be allowable.) Mary Kingston Roche, Coalition for Community Schools: Were really glad that the legislation calls for at least one non-academic indicator. Community partners should be consulted in helping develop district accountability plans. UPDATE: Here are some additional comments from speakers at Mondays ESSA hearing: Curtis Decker, National Disability Rights Network: Asked the department to help states figure out how to define and calculate consistent underperformance when it comes to subgroups. Wants the department to think through n sizes, which set the number of students a school has to have in a particular subgroup for that group to be considered for accountability purposes. Wants more guidance on seclusion and restraint. Dan Domenech, AASA, the School Administrators Association: Expresses major support for ESSA, and suggests that the department not overstep its bounds in providing clarity on the new law. Dane Linn, Business Roundtable: Ensure opt out doesnt undermine the accountability systems. Including an asterisk next to a schools letter grade for not meeting participation requirement isnt enough. Failure to set a high bar will allow schools to mask low-performance. Dont let states use statistical techniques (such as big n sizes) to mask gaps. Provide guidance on much more. Stephen Parker, National Governors Association: Whenever possible, stick with guidance, not regulation. Make sure states are in the drivers seat on school improvement. Elizabeth Davis, Washington D.C. Teachers Union: Move quickly on helping states pare back tests, including those that right now are used for teacher evaluation. Set up the innovative assessment pilot quickly, and also move quickly when it comes to allowing high schools to use a nationally recognized test instead of the state assessments. Janel George, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund: Set a minimum n size. Encourage equitable discipline practices. Vito Borello, National Association for Family School, and Community Engagement: Raise standards and update guidance for family engagement. MaryLee Allen, Childrens Defense Fund: Help ensure equity in state accountability plans. And pay special attention to foster students, who are a priority under ESSA. Marlyn Tillman, Gwinnett STOPP: Consider steps to combat the school-to-prison pipeline, including improving school climate and addressing inequities in suspensions. Suggests the guidance make it easier for low-income students to get access to advanced coursework. Amanda Fenton, National Association of Charter School Authorizers: Make sure state dont put failing charter schools in school improvement. They should just close them. MenSa Ankh Maa, Teach for America, D.C. Region: Help protect LGBT students from bullying, use laws levers to move towards equity for vulnerable kids. Marla Kilfoyle, teacher: Worried that language on personalized learning could isolate students with disabilities. Wishes law would have done more to limit testing, particularly for students in special education and English-language learners. Thomas Gentzel, National School Boards Association: This law represents a new federalism. Wants guidance on how districts can transfer funds between programs. Yolanda Rondon, America-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee: Remember that not all ELLs are Spanish speakers, some speak other languages including Arabic. Please make sure that materials are provided to parents for multiple languages. Kelly Vaillancourt Strobach: One of a number of speakers to ask the department to clarify what the law means when it says that academic factors have to weigh much more as a group than school quality factors. Maura McInerney, the Education Law Center: Make sure that curriculum in juvenile justice centers is aligned to state standards. Tim Boals, WIDA at Wisconsin for Education Research: Worried that theres no requirements for English-language learners in the earliest grades and that accountability has shifted from districts to schools. That could be a problem if not many ELLs count for accountability. Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers: Teachers are worried that nothing will change and that the testing fixation will continue. We need to move beyond test and punish. Guidance and regulations need to be workable and reflect the perspectives of educators and parents, and states should be allowed to lead. Any regulation around interventions should allow for exciting interventions such as community schools. Joyce Parker, Citizens for a Better Greenville: The Education Department should give suggested models of accountability that states and districts could try out. Wants educator and parent voice to be a key piece in developing plans. Darren Cambridge, National Council of Teachers of English: Tests are useful, but portfolios can be even better when it comes to assessing English/language arts. And technology makes portfolios easier these days than they have been in the past. Kathy Lally, Communities in Schools: Make it clear that states and districts can use federal funds to offer integrated services. Melissa Tomlinson, teacher from New Jersey: Reiterated that teachers need to be at the table in helping to inform policy. Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . BEIJING -- China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) on Monday vowed to further detect and mitigate financial risks in key areas in 2016. The CBRC said in an online statement that it will try to contain debt risks of financing vehicles and properly deal with credit risks concerning cash-strapped housing developers. The commission will work to prevent a chain reaction following debt defaults and guard against the amplification of financial risks. The CBRC will ask banks to improve their ability to cope with non-performing assets in a market-based, diverse and comprehensive way. "It is a bottom line to ward off financial risks," said the CBRC statement. BEIJING -- The Chinese yuan's exchange rate will be determined with more reference to a basket of currencies, as it faces persistent depreciation pressure against the US dollar, according to a senior economist with the central bank on Monday. "Giving more consideration to a basket of currencies means the RMB's value will be kept basically stable against the whole basket," said Ma Jun, chief economist of the People's Bank of China's research bureau. "That will be the keynote of the yuan's exchange rate formation mechanism in the foreseeable future," he said. China will guide the market to form a yuan/dollar rate, so as to help stabilize the yuan's value against the currency basket, said Ma. "The central bank will ask market makers to consider the yuan's stability against the currency basket when reporting their central parity quotes to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System," he said. The yuan's value will be increasingly stable against the currency basket, while the yuan/dollar rate will fluctuate wider in a two-way manner, rather than in a single direction, Ma predicted. When investors understand the basket-based exchange rate formation mechanism, short selling of the yuan will decline, according to him. "The yuan's exchange rate is currently not pegged to the US dollar nor is it allowed to float in an unchecked way," he said. "We will introduce a mechanism to properly limit daily yuan/dollar rate fluctuation," said Ma. Giving stronger consideration to a basket of currencies will not hurt the Chinese government's autonomy in making monetary policies, he said, adding that the yuan's rate will not be strictly pegged to the basket. Ma's remarks came after the Chinese yuan, under persistent depreciation pressure, dipped to a five-year low against the greenback last week. A file illustration picture shows the logo of car-sharing service app Uber on a smartphone next to the picture of an official German taxi sign in Frankfurt, September 15, 2014. [Photo/Agencies] Uber Chief Executive Travis Kalanick announced late Monday that the US ride-hailing firm's Chinese division has secured new funding from a bunch of local investors, including Hainan Airlines (HNA) and China Life Insurance. He didn't reveal specifics of Uber China's latest funding round, but said CITIC Securities, China Taiping Insurance, and GAC Group are also on the funder list, according to Yicai.com. Uber China has been revalued at $7 billion, said Kalanick. The founder told media in September that Uber China had received $1.2 billion from Chinese investors, including from the country's search giant Baidu Inc, and will be raising funds as a standalone company. Uber and Hainan Airlines jointly announced cooperation on the same day to link ride-sharing services with flights as the US company vies for a bigger market share in China. HNA customers will enjoy Uber pick-up services at a discount and be able to complete their flight check-in en route to airports. Guests at the airliner's hotels can also take Uber cars at lower prices. Meanwhile, the two companies are mulling the inclusion of each other's products and services into their mobile apps, and a tie-up in the country's financial sector. According to Kalanick, the cooperation is of far-reaching significance for his company, which attaches great importance to the China market. Uber launched its services in China in 2013 and says it has a market share of 30-35 percent, and that this is growing rapidly, according to AllChinaTech.com. Didi Chuxing, formerly known as Didi Kuaidi, a homegrown ride-hailing app entity and Uber Chinas biggest rival in the country, secured $3 billion investment in its latest funding round in September. The company, now valued at $16 billion, announced on Monday that its overall ride-hailing deals hit 1.43 billion last year, overtaking Uber's accumulative deals of 1 billion in six years as of Dec 25. Xinhua contributed to the story. SYDNEY - The World Bank's analysis of growth in developed countries signed to the Trans-Pacific Partnership to be all but non-existent was expected, an expert told Xinhua on Tuesday. A comprehensive analysis by the World Bank, released on Monday, shows Australia will only obtain a 1 percent increase in GDP over the next 10 years from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the United States even less, if and when the agreement is to come into force. The World Bank's economic analysis is not surprising, director of the Institute of Global Finance at the University of New South Wales, Professor Fariborz Moshirian told Xinhua, given it is expected smaller economies will be the main beneficiaries. However over the 15-year outlook of the analysis there will be many other forces in the Asia-Pacific at play, Moshirian said, meaning the TPP may not be the only dynamic force driving economic prosperity. "We don't know the final outcome of this free trade agreement because another force which shouldn't be underestimated is Doha round of trade negotiations," Moshirian said, noting the protracted discussions show it is not easy to achieve multilateral trade agreements. "In the next 5-10 years this particular block may not necessarily be very relevant depending on how other forces will evolve in the Asia-Pacific and globally." A free trade zone encompassing the 21 APEC members, who currently account for 50 percent of global GDP, is also expected to be implemented if agreements can be reached. Economic modelling in 2014 shows the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) will be more effective for regional trade growth than the TPP, suggesting income gains will be eight times higher than the US-led treaty. Since sealing the TPP deal in October, Australia and US political leaders have described it as a foundation to building regional trade links and a boon for Asia-Pacific growth. Moshirian however says there are still a lot of uncertainties surrounding the actual economic impact as the full data has not yet been disclosed. "There's a lot of assumptions made in this process," Moshirian said. "The Australian government and maybe other countries, they haven't disclosed all the data, all the information and the detail of this FTA. It's very hard to quantify genuinely what are the real gains." A side view of Baidu's headquarter in Beijing, May 22, 2014. [Photo/IC] Baidu Inc said on Tuesday that it will stop monetizing all of its illness-related forums on Tieba, an online community-based group discussion service run by the Chinese search engine giant, after growing concern over the impact brought by commercialization. The United States-listed Baidu said in a statement that it will stop commercialized operation of all of its Tieba forums, which focus on discussing the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses. And it said it will invite non-profit organizations to run these online discussion groups, which could influence patients' recovery and wellbeing. Baidu's announcement came after some Tieba users accused the Internet giant of selling its hemophilia online community to some unqualified private hospitals, a move that could effectively help their reach to potential clients. A user with the nickname "Mayicai" said about 5,000 netizens use the online community to discuss and share effective treatments for hemophilia on Tieba. But selling the online community to unqualified hospitals could endanger the health of whose suffer from the disease. Dominating China's online search market means Baidu can easily help enterprises with marketing. And healthcare advertisements are one of the main powerhouses for Baidu's search business. Baidu didn't reveal how many illness-related online discussion groups it has. But the Beijing-based company said Tieba has about 19 million online communities discussing various subjects and more than 1 billion registered users. China is trying to build itself into an international destination for foreigners by introducing a favorable visa policy and offering tax refunds, Su Zhou reports. Tourists learn to make ciba, a traditional form of glutinous rice cake, during a Chinese snack food festival in Shanghai in November. ZHOU DONGCHAO/CHINA DAILY China's growing global importance and economic strength mean groups of Chinese visitors are now commonplace at the world's great tourist destinations. However, the feeling has not been reciprocated. The number of foreign tourists visiting China has been in decline for several years, prompting the authorities to consider new measures to attract them, including better standards of service, a raft of tax breaks and simplified visa requirements. Although there were signs of a rebound last year, the new measures failed to attract as many foreign visitors as expected, with many saying that along with the Forbidden City and the Terracotta Army, they want to see a more civilized, less polluted and less commercialized China. In 2010, Seth Griffin made his most memorable trip within China. Having chosen his destination at random, Griffin left Chongqing in the company of a Chinese traveler he met in a hostel and travelled to Xi'an, Shaanxi province, for a three-day visit. It was winter and the city was in the grip of frost. The 27-year-old from Juneau, Alaska, recalled that in the mornings steam from the breakfast stalls swirled in the air and everyone he met tried to keep warm by wrapping their frozen hands around bowls of hot soy milk. The trip was a simple but interesting one, and it allowed Griffin to experience "authentic China". He wandered around the city, saw the famous defensive walls, visited the ancient drum tower, the local museum and the Terracotta Army, of course. "The most interesting Chinese cities are the ones that make travelers feel like they are experiencing a new and different place. For me, Xi'an was one of those cities," said Griffin, speaking on the phone from Taiwan, where he works as a freelance translator. "So were Chongqing, Xiamen, and a handful of smaller towns and cities across the country." An open door Griffin was one of many foreign tourists attracted by China's long history and stunning landscapes, factors that helped the domestic tourism industry "make its fortune" after the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy in the late 1970s. China's modern tourism sector is a far cry from the days of the 1950s and '60s, when the sector was focused on providing services for overseas visitors. For a long time, inbound tourism was the largest part of the tourism sector in China. In 1995 alone, foreign visits surpassed 5.88 million. In the 1990s, a greater number of Chinese began to travel, not only internally, but also internationally. The country gradually became the world's largest market for domestic and outbound tourism, and the fourth-largest for inbound tourism. Last year, the number of outbound tourists was 120 million, more than one-third the population of the United States. However, the numbers are deceptive and in recent years, China has become less attractive to visitors from overseas. While outbound tourism is flourishing, inbound tourism has fallen short of the goals set in the nation's 12th Five-Year-Plan (2011-2015). From 2004, the number of inbound tourists grew rapidly, albeit with some fluctuations, to reach a high point in 2012, when more than 27 million foreigners visited the country. After that, the number stagnated at about 26 million. Last year, 23.85 million visitors arrived between January and November. If visits by residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are taken into account, the number of overseas visitors in the three years following 2011 recorded consecutive declines of as much as 2.51 percent. In the first 11 months of last year, the number of overseas visitors grew by 4.4 percent year on year, and a recent report by the China Tourism Academy concluded that the downward trend has been contained, if not reversed. However, compared with other countries, the situation is not encouraging. In 2014, inbound tourism to Japan rose 29.4 percent and South Korea saw a rise of 17 percent, according to the UN World Tourism Organization. President urges new agencies to improve PLA's combat capability and readiness Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), makes remarks during a meeting with the new heads of the reorganized organs of the CMC in Beijing, Jan 11, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] China has reshuffled its top armed forces agency, the Central Military Commission, as President Xi Jinping accelerates the massive, multilevel reform of the People's Liberation Army. The previous four military headquarters - staff, politics, logistics and armaments - were dismantled and their functions and duties are now shared by 15 new agencies under the Central Military Commission. When meeting leaders of these new agencies on Monday morning, Xi, also chairman of the Central Military Commission, said the rearrangement of the commission itself has basically concluded, describing the move as "a breakthrough" and "a crucial step" toward a stronger military. Military leaders need to sharpen their political alertness and become better at discerning right and wrong in political matters, Xi added. Xi urged military leaders to "frequently, actively and resolutely" align their direction with the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the CMC. Xi asked military leaders to always firmly support their authority and staunchly follow their command. He urged the new organs to focus on improving the PLA's combat capability and readiness so it can win modern warfare. CMC organs must measure their work by the only fundamental standard of whether troops' fighting abilities can be improved, said Xi. Commanders have been asked to spend more time studying and researching important military issues. The president said PLA leaders should solicit and take into consideration opinions from lower-level units and service members when they make decisions. He also ordered the military to reduce the number of meetings, events and paperwork, as well as awards. Colonel Wu Qian, a Defense Ministry spokesman, said at a news conference on Monday night that the reshuffle of the Central Military Commission will help it to improve management of the PLA, enable its organs to better carry out responsibilities, and facilitate with scrutiny and supervision how authorities execute powers. Li Dongsheng, then Vice-Minister of Public Security, listens during a meeting in Beijing, June 19, 2012. [Photo/IC] China's former vice public security minister Li Dongsheng was jailed for 15 years for corruption offences, China Central Television reported on its official microblog account on Tuesday. One million yuan ($152,200) worth of personal property was confiscated from Li, a former aide to ex-security chief Zhou Yongkang who was imprisoned for life for corruption in June. Li went on trial at a court in the northern city of Tianjin in October, charged with illegally accepting almost 22 million yuan ($3.5 million) worth of assets and abusing power in positions he held between 1996 and 2013, the official Xinhua news agency said at the time. Between 1996 and 2013, Li's positions also included deputy president of State broadcaster CCTV and member of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. Li was put under investigation in late 2013. In June 2014, Li had been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) for "serious disciplinary violations." An investigation into Li's case found that he took advantage of his position to seek benefits for others and extorted and received bribes. This is the latest in a series of sentences of former high-ranking officials netted in China's anti-corruption campaign. Jiang Jiemin, former head of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, was sentenced to 16 years in prison in October. Wang Yongchun, a senior energy executive, received 20 years in prison that month. Since November 2012, when the new leadership took office, fighting corruption has become the top priority for the Party and the country. Li Guiying is on a trip to hunt down the villagers accused of killing her husband. Provided to China Daily A long nightmare is finally over for a 59-year-old woman who spent 17 years hunting down the villagers accused of killing her husband during a surprise attack. "When I come to my husband's tomb, I tell him all the suspects have been caught," Li Guiying said. Li's saga dates back to Jan 30, 1998, when five villagers who suspected she had reported them for having extra children accosted her on her way home. She said they sought revenge, and cursed and beat her with bricks, clubs and spades. "I did not have enough time to react. I just found I had been stabbed and was bleeding in my stomach," she said. Hearing her screaming, Qi Yuande, her husband rushed out, but he was beaten unconscious. Qi Jinshan, one of the five villagers, stabbed her husband with a dagger, and he died from severe blood loss that day. Walking on a dirt path near her home at Qipo village of Nandun county, in Xiangcheng city, Henan province, Li said: "Here, it is the place where my husband was killed. I will never forget it." The couple had five children, a new house and a happy life, she said. When the police made no progress in catching the killers, who fled the village, she was determined to pursue them herself. From that day on, Li encouraged villagers to pay attention to any news they heard about the five men and report back to her or her family. Moved by her determination, they built a network to feed her information. President Barack Obama will give his very last State of the Union address Tuesday night. And its supposed to be a non-traditional version of the speech. Instead of making a whole bunch of asks to Congress to set the tone for the legislative year and budget process, hell highlight some of his administrations successes over the past seven years. For instance, he may tout the national graduation rate, which is at an all-time high of 82 percent , with gaps closing between historically underserved groups of students and their peers in many places. (He probably will not mention that scores on the National Assessment for Educational Progress fell on his watch for the first time in two decades . More here .) The president might also give some sort of a shout-out to computer science education , as well as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. (There are a couple of guests with connections to STEM sitting in Mrs. Obamas box, including Jennifer Bragdon, a community college student from Texas who wants to become a middle school math teacher and Lydia Doza, a college student and STEM advocate.) And he could take a victory lap on two major K-12 initiatives of the last two years: passage of a bipartisan reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (the Every Student Succeeds Act ) and the recent e-rate overhaul . After the speech, cabinet officials will head out to talk about broad themes the president touched on. Acting U.S. Secretary of Education John King, for instance, will go to El Paso, Texas, to talk about ESSA and equity. But we probably wont be dissecting and analyzing any new major policy proposals, as we have in past years. So, since were nearing the end of his tenure, what have Obamas past State of the Union asks been? And which ones actually came to fruition? (We looked at this a couple years ago too, here .) Heres the presidents latest State of Union scorecard: 2015 The Ask: Obama made his most high-profile pitch for a very costly initiative: Making the first two years of community college free for most students. And he called for tripling the child care tax credit. Meanwhile, he didnt say word one about a reauthorization of ESEA that was starting to move in Congress (and kicked off with a debate over standardized testing). Did it happen? Nope. The childcare proposal hasnt made it over the finish line. Neither has the community college plan, although we havent heard the last of the free college debate. All three Democratic presidential contenders want to seriously scale back college costs. If one of them wins and gets this done, Obama can take credit for helping to start the conversation. Meanwhile, ESEA reauthorization is now a reality. Obama scored a couple wins in ESSA, but there are also plenty of things about the new law that dont match the administrations initial vision . More on that below. 2014: The Ask: This was a rehash year. Obama reiterated his 2013 State of the Union proposals, calling on Congress to act on previously unveiled initiatives to expand preschool to more 4-year-olds, beef up job-training programs, and make post-secondary education more effective and accessible. Did it happen? Not really. Obama got a limited version of his preschool plan, $250 million in Preschool Development Grants to help states expand and improve early-childhood education. Thats been in a few different spending bills, plus its now enshrined in law through ESSA (even if it is missing some key quality requirements the administration liked ). The college access and job-training proposals havent come to fruition, although both topics have been hot on the presidential campaign. 2013 The Ask: Obama proposed a broad expansion of preschool but didnt explain how hed pay for it. (The answer, a new tax on tobacco products, came later, in the administrations budget proposal.) He also championed a Race to the Top-style competition for science and math at the high school level. Did it happen? Mixed bag here. The broad preschool proposal was never enacted, which was no surprise, given its $75 billion pricetag. But there was a consolation prize: The Preschool Development Grants mentioned above. And Congress refused to fund the new high school competition, so the administration went digging in its couch cushions and coughed up $100 million in U.S. Department of Labor funds for at least one round of the competition. 2012 The Ask: Obama urged Congress to tie federal college aid in part to student outcomes, such as graduation rates for at-risk student populations. And he proposed a big, undefined competitive-grant program to improve the teaching profession. Did it happen? Mixed bag again. Ensuring students get more bang for their buck has been a theme as lawmakers examine the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, but neither the House or Senate has considered a bill that would actually enact Obamas proposal. Plus, no one is expecting an HEA rewrite to get done on Obamas watch at this point. And Congress hasnt funded the competitive-grant program for teaching in exactly the way Obama wanted, but there is a reworked version of the Teacher Incentive Fund in ESSA . 2011 The Ask: Obama asked Congress to pass a bipartisan reauthorization of the ESEA that closely mirrored his blueprint for rewriting the law. He also announced an initiative to train 100,000 teachers in STEM subjects. Did it happen? Sorta. ESEA was finally reauthorized in late 2015. It does include some things the administration likes (including a requirement that states intervene in their lowest-performing schools), but big pieces of the administrations original blueprint are missing (including teacher evaluation through test scores and dramatic school turnarounds ). The legislation does, however, include some resources for STEM teachers . 2010 The Ask: Obama asked lawmakers to pass a bill that would reshape the student lending program by getting rid of subsidized lenders, in favor of having students borrow directly from the U.S. Treasury. The savings, he said, could be directed to the Pell Grant program, which faced a shortfall, as well as to new initiatives on community colleges and early-childhood education. The president also bragged about the success of his Race to the Top competitive-grant program and urged Congress to pass an ESEA bill that expanded the program to all 50 states. And he singled out education as a big potential winner in a year when domestic spending was supposed to stay level, proposing a $4 billion increase for the U.S. Department of Education, plus more money if lawmakers passed a reauthorization of ESEA. Did it happen? Kind of. Congress, did, indeed, make the major changes to the student lending program in 2010 that the president suggested, passing them as part of the landmark health-care overhaul bill. And some of the savings were directed to Pell Grants. But, by the time the bill made it through Congress, the early-childhood education program had been jettisoned, due to lack of funds. (It came back, sort of, as Preschool Development Grants and a Race to the Top for early learning.) Plus, the idea wasnt brand-new for the State of the Union addressit had come out in a previous budget proposal, and Congress was already working on it when Obama gave it a high-profile nod in his speech. What about that funding increase? The Education Departments budget actually went down in fiscal year 2011, in large part because Republicans took back the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2010 election. What about 2009? Obama gave a speech to Congress that year , which featured education prominently and included a pledge to curb the drop-out rate. But there no official state-of-the-union, since it was, after all, his first year in office. Art students from Chengdu decorate den walls with forests, mountains and rivers Two red-crowned cranes in their den, which is decorated with paintings on the walls, at the Chengdu Zoo. Photo by Huang Zhiling / China Daily As two rare red-crowned cranes feed in their den, a knot of sparrows flies in to share the food. Visitors take photos or stand quietly, observing the birds. It was just another day at Chengdu Zoo in Chengdu, Sichuan province, but the sight pleased Li Xiao, who was visiting with a friend from Austria. "We had been in a mood before we arrived at the den of the red-crowned cranes. The peaceful coexistence of the different birds has cheered us up," Li said. "We liked the painting on the den wall. The reed pond in the painting is so true-to-life and we almost mistook it for the cranes' natural habitat." The last time Li visited the zoo was 12 years ago, when all of the den walls were white and monotonous. "But now, they have beautiful paintings which resemble the animals' natural habitats," she said. The Chengdu Zoo, which opened to visitors in 1976, is the largest zoo in Southwest China. It has more than 300 types of rare animals, including giant pandas and Manchurian tigers. In the past decade, the zoo has invested nearly 100 million yuan ($15.2 million) to build larger dens and animal playgrounds. A massive forested habitat decorates the den walls for some 500 birds, deputy zoo chief Jing Shimin said. "Art students from Chengdu University of Technology and Chengdu University were invited to decorate the den walls with paintings," he said. Visitors also were impressed by the vivid paintings of mountains and rivers on the walls in the tiger dens, while paintings of grasslands were featured in the African lions' dens. "The animals' real living environments have been introduced through the paintings," said Wang Qiang, head of the zoo. "For example, the Changbai Mountains have been painted on the den wall of the Manchurian tigers." The efforts to improve the habitats have paid off as the zoo has been drawing an increasing number of visitors. About 2.8 million people visited the zoo in 2015, a rise of more than 100,000 over the previous year, Jing said. The Belt and Road Initiative will bring many opportunities for China's struggling inbound tourism sector, according to experts. Over the past few years, outbound tourism has flourished but China has struggled to stimulate inbound tourism. As a result, the government has adopted several measures designed to boost the sector, including easing visa restrictions and offering tax refunds for overseas shoppers. For example, a 144-hour visa-free entry policy has been launched to allow foreign tourists who arrive in Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang to have greater convenience and flexibility during their trips. However, tourism insiders agree that the policies have not boosted the number of inbound tourists as much as expected. Dai Bin, head of the China Tourism Academy, said it's not possible for one policy to change the whole game: "It's like we have only made a breakthrough in one section, and we need more support from tourism-related industries." Zhang Lingyun, dean of the College of Tourism at Beijing Union University, said the inbound tourism market could rank in the global top three in the next five or six years, but only if China can take full advantage of the opportunities brought about by the initiative. "The most-obvious opportunity provided by the Belt and Road Initiative is the chance to integrate the fragmented source market for inbound tourism," Zhang said. "Generally speaking, inbound tourists to China come from Japan, South Korea, the United States and a few other places. If we combined several fragmented source countries, we could make a huge difference. "For example, Germany, France and the United Kingdom account for no more than 7 percent of the inbound market, but the total market of Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand is more than 10 percent. Russia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan could surpass 13 percent of the inbound tourism market," he added. Zhong Linsheng, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said improvements to the infrastructure could boost visitor numbers. "The Belt and Road Initiative involves more than 4.4 billion people, accounting for 43 percent of the global population. That's a huge tourism market," he said. "A large part of the ($40 million) Silk Road Fund has been poured into tourism and related industries, such as the major tourist hub being built in Xinjiang. Land and air transportation will also be greatly improved in the coming years." However, China will still need better services and a "foreigner-friendly" environment to make it a more-attractive destination than its Asian competitors. Jiang Yanxia, an assistant research fellow at the China Tourism Academy, said more cities should either support tax-refunds for foreign visitors or open more duty-free stores. Guangdong police cracked 83 cases involving transactions through secret private banks between April and December, seven times more than all of 2014. Police uncovered 79 illegal sites and detained 231 suspects. "The private banks investigated have become a channel for online gambling, telephone fraud, moving suspected drug traffickers' money in and out of the mainland and domestic corrupt officials sending their bribes abroad," according to Huang Shouying, director of the economic crime investigation bureau under the Guangdong provincial Department of Public Security. Police seized 37.1 million yuan ($5.72 million) in cash and froze 3,491 accounts with total balances of 665 million yuan. Guangdong, one of the country's economic powerhouses, has been on the front line in the fight against illegal private banks. "Active underground private banks have damaged normal financial operations in the province," Huang said. Twenty of the cases involved at least 100 million yuan each. Police in the Shenzhen special economic zone cracked a case involving 44.2 billion yuan in August and another case involving 12 billion yuan in June. Police in Foshan busted a case valued at more than 20 billion yuan in June and police in Zhuhai had a case involving more than 3.8 billion yuan. Most of the cases involving illegal private banks were in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Foshan and other prosperous cities in the Pearl River Delta, Huang said. In Shenzhen alone, police busted 32 cases from April to December. In Foshan in June, two suspected corrupt officials from Jiangxi province were detained after they illegally sent more than 12.8 million yuan in bribes to a bank account in Macao via a local private bank. Police in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Dongguan also helped detain three suspected corrupt officials when they cracked down on the private banks. The suspected corrupt officials used the private banks to send their bribes abroad, said Huang, who did not provide details of the cases. The private banks usually charge their clients service fees, Huang added. Huang said the crackdown has dealt a heavy blow to the activities of the province's secret private banks and has helped ensure good financial order in Guangdong. But he admitted that fighting secret private banks is a long-term and tough task in Guangdong. Huang attributed the growing number of illegal private banks in Guangdong to the province's rapid economic growth, active financial activities and proximity to Hong Kong and Macao. Huang promised that more special operations in cooperation with People's Bank of China, the High People's Court and the High People's Procuratorate will be launched to fight private banks. Frequent global exchanges raise safety concerns Test tubes containing 800 black ants were seized by customs officials at the Shuangliu Airport in Chengdu, Sichuan province, in November. The tubes were sent from Hamburg, Germany. Huang Zhiling / China Daily China's gatekeepers will intensify inspections and quarantines of animals and plants for import and export this year to cope with increasing challenges of biological safety brought by increasing international exchanges. Inspection and quarantine authorities across China intercepted 5,788 harmful species in 980,000 batches and stopped them from entering the country last year, Zhi Shuping, minister of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, said on Monday. More than 800,000 batches of such species were intercepted in 2014, an increase of 30 percent over the previous year, according to the administration. Intensified economic globalization and frequent personnel and economic exchanges between different countries have posed increasing threats, such as infectious diseases and invasion of harmful biological species, Zhi said at a national conference on quality supervision. The number of harmful species intercepted at China's ports and borders in the past five years was three times more than the previous five years, Zhi said. "We must build a firm network at the gate to ensure domestic security," he said. The administration will provide improved devices for inspection of international mail and parcels, and launch special campaigns to crack down on illegal actions, such as tourists crossing the border carrying seeds or sprouts, according to Zhi. The administration will also improve cooperation with other departments such as agricultural, forestry and postal departments to improve management of the import and export of wildlife to prevent invasion of harmful species, he said. China bans a number of species from being carried or mailed to the country, including most live animals and fresh vegetables and fruits, to prevent invasion of harmful species and diseases. Some foreign species may have very strong survival and reproductive abilities and can cause great damage to the ecological system in another country where they lack natural enemies, said Li Weimin, an official for plant inspection and quarantine at the Shaanxi Provincial Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau. "Failure to inspect for harmful species may also bring great economic loss for a country in foreign trade," he said. "A country's entire crop of apples may be banned from being exported to another country if just one batch is found to contain a kind of mite." Various species, such as spiders, ants, frogs, plant seeds and reptiles have been intercepted by inspection bureaus at ports and borders in recent years, according to media reports. In September, Beijing's Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau said it intercepted a dendrobates leucomelas, a yellow-banded poison dart frog, through X-rays of a parcel sent from Hong Kong. The frog is one of the world's most toxic creatures and is normally found in South America, the bureau said. Chinese marine surveillance ship Haijian No. 46 (L) tries to approach towards Japanese fishing boats (2nd and 3rd from front) while a Japan Coast Guard boat sails (front), in the East China Sea, near Diaoyu islands, in this photo taken by Kyodo May 26, 2013. [Photo/Agencies] Beijing is determined to protect its territory, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday as Japan warned it would send naval patrols demanding Chinese naval vessels leave waters near the Diaoyu Islands. "China's stance on the Diaoyu Islands is consistent and clear," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said at a regular press briefing, adding the islands have been Chinese territory since "ancient times". "At the same time we do not want to see tensions escalate in the East China Sea and are willing to properly manage, control and settle the problems through dialogue and consultation." Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference on Tuesday that Tokyo had informed China that any foreign naval vessel that enters "Japanese territorial waters" for reasons other than "innocent passage" will be told to leave by a Japanese naval patrol. He said Japan informed China of its decision in November, after Chinese "navy ships" sailed near the islands. Late last year, a Chinese coastguard vessel, which Japan claimed had gun turrets, entered waters near the islands, Japan's coastguard said, adding that it was the first such "incursion" by an "armed Chinese vessel" in the area. Huo jiangang, an expert on Japanese studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said Japan's move is the latest in its collective self-defense strategy which expands the role of its armed forces. Xing Guangmei, a Beijing-based military expert, said he does not accept Japan's claim that China had sent armed warships to waters around the islands. "China is not sending warships there. Maybe Japan means that China's coastguard vessel carries guns, but Japanese ships also carry guns. That does not change the nature of the law enforcement vessels." He said if Japan sends its Self-Defense Force to waters near the islands, China should also send its navy. He said if Japan sends the SDF, it will be embarking on the first step in militarizing the region, as so far both countries had only sent law enforcement vessels there. Reuters contributed to this story. People buy lotteries at a sports lottery shop in Baoji city, Shaanxi province, on Nov 21.[Photo/CFP] An unclaimed lottery prize of more than 25 million yuan ($3.9 million) was put into the public Welfare Fund on Tuesday, marking the biggest lottery prize given up in China. Two tickets sold at a lottery agency in Dongguan, southern China's Guangdong province, matched the seven numbers announced for the 15,132nd double chromosphere, a branch of China's Welfare Lottery, winning the special first prizes. The local center of the Welfare Lottery has been looking for the winners, placing advertisements in media and banners near the agency, but without success. According to regulations published in July 2009, if winners don't show up within 60 days after the draw the result will be void and the prize money will go to the Welfare Fund, a director at the Welfare Lottery center in Dongguan said. The fund is used for public welfare, which is half used for local public welfare and half centrally, according to China's Ministry of Finance regulations. In the past two months, some people called saying they were winners, but couldn't provide the lottery tickets. Yuan Weiwen, the owner of the lottery agency where the tickets were bought, said a middle-aged couple was most likely the winners, telling when and how they came to the agency and bought tickets. The man said he was a truck driver, and was delivering to a market across the road from the agency when he decided to buy tickets. He said the numbers were randomly chosen by the computer, so he paid eight yuan for four lotteries in two separate tickets. A new UN development assistance framework will help China tackle three national development priorities including reducing poverty in the population of 70 million people over the next five years. The United Nations Development Assistance Framework 2016-2020 (UNDAF) provides a strategic direction for the UN system in China to support the country in three priority areas of poverty reduction and equitable development, improved and sustainable environment and enhanced global engagement. In each area, particular focus will be placed on key underlying challenges posed by inequality, rapid urbanization and demographic changes and environmental degradation, said Alain Noudehou, the UN Resident Coordinator. To address the first priority, aimed at helping more people particularly the vulnerable and disadvantaged to enjoy improved living conditions and increased opportunities for economic, social and cultural development, the UN's strategic guidance will aid the government on policy implementation, releasing pilot projects at all levels and through its global commitment enhance cooperation. China has lifted more than 600 million people out of poverty over 35 years through economic development and job creation, yet according to China's rural poverty line of 2,300 yuan, the total number of rural poor in 2014 was 70.17 million. The government set the goal to lift them out of poverty by 2020. There are millions more living just above this threshold and at risk of slipping back. "Even though China has made a tremendous achievement in past decade, it is still an ambitious goal to nearly diminish more than 10 million people of poor population every year," said Ruan Zongze, vice president of the China Institute of International Studies, at the panel of Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals in China, "it might be considered to build some resilience for the population in poverty." It is a good opportunity for China and UN to work together to tackle the issue, aligned with China's 13th Five-Year Plan and the first years of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by world leaders at the 70th General Assembly in September 2015, said Noudehou. "To lift all 70 million people out of poverty is a tough assignment as well as a significant part of the UN's SDGs by 2030," said Wang Shouwen, vice minister of the Ministry of Commerce, leading 27 Chinese ministries with the initiative of the new development assistance framework since last October. "China and UN have seen fruitful achievements and trusted partnership in the past 35 years. We look forward to more comprehensive cooperation with UN agencies and fundamentally new and innovative ways of thinking," Wang said. The sustainable environment as the second priority in the framework starting at the same time as the 2015 Paris Climate Conference in December implementing the climate change goal, which has been thought the essential step at the time of China's economic dynamics. As President Xi Jinping said at the UN Sustainable Development Summit, China will set up a fund, with an initial contribution of $2 billion, to support South-South Cooperation and assist developing countries in implementing their post-2015 development agenda adopted at the summit, the third priority focuses on China's global engagement in the next five years. UN's 25 agencies will take part in the cooperation with China in all relevant fields and levels on the priorities over the next five years. "China has been active and strong enough to help other nations as well as lift itself from poverty. Our experience of working with the South will be able to work with China to find a way to share the experience and identify the issues of those countries," said Noudehou. Liu Yuankun, second left, vice governor of Guizhou province, answers questions about poverty alleviation in Guiyang, Jan 12, 2016. [Photo by Yang Jie/chinadaily.com.cn] With the booming development of e-commerce and big data technology, a southwestern Chinese province aims to lift millions out of poverty as the nation is making its final five-year dash to make all of its 1.3 billion people live a comfortable life. In Guizhou province's five-year plan to develop society and the economy between 2016 and 2020, big data and big poverty alleviation are highlighted as two major strategies, according Liu Yuankun, the province's vice governor who is in charge of poverty alleviation. "This means we will make full use of big data technology to reduce poverty," said Liu. According to the province's schedule, more than 3 million of the remaining 6.23 million people living below poverty line will be lifted out of poverty by the end of 2017 and all will shake off poverty by 2010. With the help of big data technology, a "poverty alleviation cloud" has been built, an electronic platform that pools all updated information about residents living below the poverty line such as their location, the causes of their poverty, how much subsidies they get and by what kind of poverty alleviation project they are covered, said Liu. " By following the data stored in the 'poverty alleviation cloud', we are able to deliver more precise and targeted help to those in poverty," added Liu. Statistics show that Guizhou managed to lift 5.29 million people out of poverty from the beginning of 2011 to the end of 2014, which means that more than one million people in the province shook off poverty annually during the period. Weining, a gathering place for Yi, Hui and Miao nationalities, is one of Guizhou's poorest counties because although it has favorable natural conditions to grow apple trees it's very difficult for local residents to sell them due to poor marketing skills. However, now with the help of WeChat, the most widely used instant messaging and also one of the most influential e-commerce mobile app in China, local residents are able to sell ten tons of apples in a week, said Chris Nebe, CEO of Monarex Hollywood, who is currently shooting a documentary about Guizhou. Rough estimates reveal that the province lifted 1.3 million out of poverty in 2015. Nationwide, China was the first developing country to meet the Millennium Development Goals target of reducing the population living in poverty by half ahead of the 2015 deadline. Over the past three decades some 700 million rural residents across China have shaken off poverty. "The Chinese Internet has helped Chinese people overcome poverty and I think this is a great success," said Nebe. By the end of 2015, China still had 70.17 million people in the countryside living below its poverty line of 2,300 yuan ($376) in annual income by 2010 price standards. Chinese President Xi Jinping urged local governments and Party committees in November to place poverty alleviation at the top of their work agenda. But helping more than 70 million shake off poverty will be much harder than the lifting of 700 million out of their impoverished conditions that has been achieved in the past more than three decades, since those still living in destitution are either stranded in rural areas that are hard to reach or endure difficulties that they cannot overcome on their own. "Internet has become a tool for poor Chinese people to make a better life," said Nebe. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, addresses the 6th plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) in Beijing, Jan 12, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] BEIJING -- China is gaining ground to overcome corruption, President Xi Jinping said at an anti-graft meeting on Tuesday, urging confidence in the campaign. "Party members should maintain confidence in the Communist Party of China [CPC] Central Committee's anti-corruption volition, the campaign's achievements, the positive energy it brings and the prospects of our fight against corruption," Xi said at the start of the three-day sixth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). "To forge iron, one must be strong," Xi said, citing a traditional Chinese proverb to underline the Party's resolve to become corruption-free. Over the past three years, the CPC has been working hard to redress the problem of being too lenient in managing the Party, and has striven to build a system where officials "do not dare, are not able, and are unwilling to be corrupt." The efforts are paying off, according to the president. The deterrent effect has been fully exerted, and an atmosphere where officials are "unable and unwilling to engage in corruption" is coming into being. The CPC Central Committee remains determined to combat corruption, he said. "(Winning) the people's support is the top political priority," Xi said. He added the anti-corruption drive has boosted people's faith in and support for the Party, and people speak highly of the anti-corruption drive. Since the 18th CPC National Congress in late 2012, China has intensified its anti-corruption drive and punished a large number of corrupt officials in accordance with the law, including former senior leaders such as Zhou Yongkang, Xu Caihou, Guo Boxiong and Ling Jihua. On Tuesday, Li Dongsheng, former vice minister of Public Security, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for accepting bribes. Xi said that since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party has incorporated the task of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party into the "Four comprehensives," the strategic objectives outlined in the blueprint for China's future. The CPC has made building Party integrity, clean governance, and the fight against corruption integral to strictly governing the Party in an all around manner, Xi said. The CCDI, in implementing decisions of the CPC Central Committee, has propelled significant and new achievements in building Party integrity, clean governance and battling corruption, Xi said. The Party has continued to correct undesirable work styles including formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance. It has also strengthened intra-Party supervision, giving full play to inspection groups and exerting greater efforts in pursuing fugitives and recovering stolen assets, according to the president. The opening of the session was chaired by top graft buster Wang Qishan and attended by leaders including Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan and Zhang Gaoli. Ten influential Chinese are honored at an event for Chinese Culture Figures of 2015. They include Peking Opera performer Wang Peiyu (left) and artist Yan An (right).[Photo provided to China Daily] A Nobel laureate and a Peking Opera performer are among those honored for their roles in promoting Chinese culture at an annual program that is jointly hosted by a government body and a TV station. Ten influential Chinese, known for their achievements in promoting Chinese culture in 2015, were honored for their efforts recently. The winners include a Nobel laureate and a Peking Opera performer. The Chinese Culture Figures of 2015 event at which they were honored is an annual show organized by the Chinese Culture Promotion Society and Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV. The event, which was started in 2009, has feted nearly 100 celebrities in the past few years. The awards ceremony was held on Jan 6 in Xi'an city, the home of the world-famous Terracotta Warriors in Northwest China. Zhou Gongxin, the former curator of Taipei's Palace Museum, was recognized for her contributions in boosting joint exhibitions across the Taiwan Straits. She was behind two milestone showsthe 2009 Taipei Palace Museum's exhibition to showcase emperor Yongzheng (who reigned from 1723 to 1735) and the sensational 2011 reunion of the two halves of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) painting, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, after a 360-year separation. While the former event saw the lending of 37 treasured antiquesone-third of them until then to be publicly displayed on the Chinese mainlandfrom Beijing's Palace Museum, the latter led to the display of ancient China's most recognized landscape painting in full. The two halves of the painting are with Taipei's Palace Museum and the Zhejiang Provincial Museum. Zhou was the driving force behind the two landmark exhibitions. A series of other influential shows, besides the two big events, were also held during her tenure. "The value of the exhibitions is to let viewers gain complete knowledge of the history and culture of the time," Zhou tells China Daily. Zhou is now in charge of developing an online game to attract teenagers to learn about tradition and culture. Coincidently, a big name from the Palace Museum in Beijing also made it to the list of awardees. Shan Qixiang, the director of the museum, visited 32 departments of the museum and checked more than 9,000 rooms in the Forbidden City in a month after he took office in 2012. Young readers, their teachers, and other fans of literature for young people have new material to inform their reading lists: The American Library Association announced yesterday the winners of its 2016 awards for childrens media. The awards include the John Newbery Medal for distinguished contribution to childrens literature, awarded since 1922; the Randolph Caldecott Medal for illustration; and the Coretta Scott King Awards, which are given to African-American writers and illustrators. Matt de la Pena won the 2016 Newbery Medal for Last Stop on Market Street, a picture book that follows a young boy and his grandmother on a trip through the city. NPR interviewed de la Pena , who says his intention is to show the grace and dignity on the, quote, unquote, wrong side of the tracks. It is unusual for a picture book to take home the ALAs most prestigious award: Most previous winners have been novels , though several poetry books have taken the prize over the years. The Caldecott Medal went to Finding Winnie: The True Story of the Worlds Most Famous Bear, illustrated by Sophie Blackall. The book tells the origin story of Winnie the Pooh and the Canadian veterinarian who bonded with the bear. Rita Williams-Garcia won the Coretta Scott King award for Gone Crazy in Alabama, about a pair of sisters from Brooklyn who spend a summer in the South. The American Library Association has a full list of the winners of these and other prizes, including the award for nonfiction and for beginning readers. Previous Newbery Medal recipients include A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine LEngle and Lois Lowrys The Giver. Related stories: The kitchen takes quality ingredientsAustralian beef, jumbo king prawn and scallop, proscuitto, mussels and potato gratinand converts them into edible art.[Photo provided to China Daily] Recent visits to Tafelspitz have seen the Beijing restaurant's upscale aspirations ride the waves of recent holidays. Roast goose for St. Martin's Day in early November. Chicken Breast Cordon Bleu for Christmas. Grilled Angus beef sirloin with potato gratin and brandy sauce for New Year's. Such menu highlights, however, barely begin to explain the riddles of the capital's new Austrian temple of haute cuisine. For starters, what does the word tafelspitz mean? It actually sounds pretty ordinary: boiled beef. That may sound like grub for a pubsomething to whip up for the gang playing darts once they're too drunk to care. But saying Tafelspitz serves boiled beef is like saying Mozart wrote a few good tunes. The beef is tender and rich with flavor, top-dressed with shavings of carrot and leek, and underscored with a few notes of herbs and spicesa little symphony of simplicity. Pan-fried potatoes with bacon, bone marrow and a rich consomme complete the picture, flanked by tiny copper pots of addendums: pureed spinach, applesauce and some delicate but satisfying horseradish. How Austrian cuisine landed in the Spanish-flavored enclave of Nali Patio is another mystery. There are other non-Latin food venues here, however, and Tafelspitz fits right in with fine-dining standouts like Mosto and Agua without stooping to parody like the now shuttered Parnas. It's no cheap date, though lunch set menus offer a good sampling for those of us not on expense accounts. The final conference at the COP21, in Le Bourget, Paris, Dec 12, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua] The year 2015 was the warmest on record globally. In Asia, we saw the strongest El Nino ever recorded, which was linked to drought in Southeast Asia, wildfires in Indonesia and an unusually active cyclone season in the Pacific. We also saw the first ever "red alert" for smog in Beijing, driven in part by the burning of fossil fuels, which contribute to climate change. But we also saw real progress in tackling climate change with the historic agreement in Paris by 196 countries, including China, to try to limit the rise in global temperature to less than 2 degrees C. While talking about the impacts of climate change, however, we often overlook the world's middle-class population, which has swelled to 1 billion and is concentrated in rapidly growing, densely populated cities, mostly located in coastal areas of emerging markets where manufacturing and trade have flourished. The Paris agreement comes at a critical time for them: UBS's analysis of data for more than 200 cities around the world found that the middle class is highly exposed to weather hazards and underinsured. Our report, "Climate Change: A Risk to the Global Middle Classes", concludes Asia, China in particular, is high on the risk indicators given the rapid urbanization and economic progress of the region. These risks take several forms. High temperatures harm productivity in both agricultural and non-agricultural industries. When annual average temperatures reach between 20 C and 30 C, labour supply, productivity and crop yields all decline abruptly. Also, a city can be a dangerous place during heat waves. Large expanses of asphalt and limited green space contribute to a localized increase in temperature of up to 3 C during the day and by as much as 12 C in the evening. This exponentially increases the risk of heat-related mortalitymore than 50,000 Russians died in the heat wave of 2010. Air-conditioning helps, but ultimately creates a vicious cycle: increased energy demand leads to increased air pollution from fossil fuels and higher carbon dioxide emissions that drive up temperatures further. An HIV positive patient, not pictured, receives a blood pressure test in Weishi county, Central China's Henan province in this Nov 30, 2015 file photo. [Photo/Xinhua] A MAN is suing a hospital in Yongcheng, Central China's Henan province, after testing HIV-positive. He claims he was infected by his wife who was given a "normal" result by the hospital in a pre-marriage health test. China News on Monday comments: The man's wife was later reported to be registered as a carrier of the virus with the local center for disease prevention and control. As stated in the Regulation on the Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS, the privacy of people infected or carrying the virus should be protected. But carriers of the virus have a responsibility to inform their potential partners. If the woman knew she was infected with the virus, she should have told her husband before they got married. The health department, according to the regulations, should protect the privacy of those who are HIV-positive. But close relatives, especially spouses, and partners should be told the truth. Some places such as southwestern China's Yunnan province and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region have put in place local legislation that requires people who know they have AIDS or are HIV-positive to inform their spouses or those they have sexual relations with. Other provinces could learn some lesson. A boy with his younger brother. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] The timetable recently set by some employers for female staff to have children underscores the need for the authorities to take measures to protect women's rights. Following the adoption of the national policy to universally allow all couples to have a second child, some employers have tried to prescribe when their female employees wanting to have a child can do so. A company in Changchun, capital of Jilin province, Northeast China, for instance, recently told female job applicants that if hired they would have to submit an application a year in advance if they wanted to have children and they might have to be prepared to change their plans. It argued that it has no better way to prevent too many female employees from taking maternity leave at the same time. Such requirements are undoubtedly a gross violation of women's rights. It is up to these women employees themselves to decide whether they should have a child and when. This is a basic right women are entitled to and there is no excuse for anyone to interfere with it. To require female workers to get pregnant and have children according to a company schedule, like a mandatory instruction for workers manufacturing products on an assembly line, only testifies to employers' lack of respect for their workers and the country's laws. Every employer is motivated to cut labor costs and pursue profits, but this does not justify them making interventions into their female employees' plans to have children, which is completely within the scope of their personal affairs that can only be decided by the women themselves and their husbands. The authorities should take effective measures to stop such violations of female workers' rights by employers. A pedestrian uses his mobile phone in front of a logo of online travel search service Qunar in Jinan city, East China's Shandong province, February 15, 2015. [Photo/IC] FOUR MAJOR domestic airline companies recently announced they were canceling their cooperation with qunar.com, a domestic airline ticket booking website, because of customer complaints. That should be a lesson to all online platforms, says a comment on Guangming Daily: For a long time there have been complaints about qunar.com and similar companies, which range from being overcharged for tickets, bundling tickets with insurance without pre-notice, as well as canceling flights without telling passengers. The website failed to deal with these complaints properly, which finally led to the airlines deciding to end their cooperation with it. That reflects the difficulties facing domestic websites. Like all of them, qunar.com provides a platform for ticket agents to serve passengers, and it is this mode that helped the website win a third of the domestic market for flight bookings. However, this mode requires the website to well regulate the service providers on it and any neglect or failure to supervise them will ruin its reputation. Qunar.com is not the only website facing this dilemma. Taobao.com, China's largest online shopping platform, has also met problems as some of the retailers on it sell fake goods. A huge share of the market has been won by jd.com, which runs its own online store. However, Taobao.com has already made changes by founding a new website specially for those shops with good credit. And jd.com has started allowing external retailers to open online shops on its website, although that comes together with strict regulation of them. There is still hope for qunar.com and it lies in more strictly regulating its online shops and better serving clients. That's the essence of e-commerce: Serve your clients well and do not cheat them, because the truth will always be revealed. Chinese people pass by an entrance of Nanjing University in Nanjing city, east Chinas Jiangsu province. [Photo/IC] IT HAS BEEN reported that a young lecturer at the Liberal Arts College of Guangzhou-based Sun Yat-sen University is facing dismissal after he slapped the face of the dean at the college's annual meeting, because he thought the dean had intentionally delayed his promotion. Although he has been widely praised online, the lecturer was in the wrong, says Beijing News: After the incident, the college authorities blamed the lecturer and asked for him to be severely punished. However, on social media platforms, many people praised him for the deed and said that the dean, Gan Yang, deserved the slap for intentionally blocking the lecturer from applying for a professorship. But if Gan had committed any wrong, the young lecturer should have complained to his superiors or taken Gan to court. An impartial investigation would discover the truth. It was a rather bad decision by the young lecturer to slap Gan on the face, not only because the 60-year-old Gan, as a senior member of society, deserves courtesy, but resorting to violence won't help solve problems with colleagues. It only makes things worse. When Han Deqiang, a professor of Beijing-based Beihang University, slapped an 80-year-old person on the street in 2012 because the latter did not agree with his worship for Mao Zedong, Han was widely blamed for rude behavior even though did not receive any legal punishment. The fact that so many people are applauding the lecturer's slapping of Gan shows there is widespread discontent among young people, especially in colleges. It is time for authorities to better promote social justice and correct the wrongdoings of college bureaucrats, if there are any, because only by solving the problems will we prevent similar deeds from happening again. The European Union will take the first step on Wednesday to debate on whether to grant China "market economy status". The Clause 2 of Article 15 of the Protocol of China's Accession to the World Trade Organization says that when another WTO member launches an anti-dumping investigation into the products imported from China, it should not use the prices of products in China's domestic market but rather the prices of those products from a third (alternative) country as comparison. This discriminatory practice, to be maintained for 15 years that is, until the end of 2016 has forced Chinese enterprises to often face unfair anti-dumping investigations by other countries. The refusal to grant China rights similar to those enjoyed by other WTO countries has dealt heavy blows to Chinese companies. And it's time the WTO prevented other members to stop taking advantage of the discriminatory policy which in a way would also mean recognizing China as a market economy. China is now the world's largest trading country, and acknowledging it as a market economy would be conducive to promoting global trade. China has been urging other WTO members to recognize it as a market economy, and quite a few, including Russia, Brazil, New Zealand, Switzerland and Australia, have done so. But the United States, the European Union, Japan, Canada and some regional trade organizations have yet granted China market economy status. Within the EU, Germany and the United Kingdom have shown a positive attitude toward the move, but some other EU members seem intent on continuing their protectionist policies for fear of losing their advantages in the steel, ceramic, textile and solar power sectors. Some countries are also worried that recognizing China as a market economy will make it more difficult for them to impose anti-dumping charges on China. And some US officials have objected to the EU's move to recognize China as a market economy, arguing that the move would be unfavorable for the US and EU members. The Lujiazui area of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone in Shanghai's Pudong New District recently welcomed a new finance giant the China Insurance Investment Co which is expected to shore up its status as the city's financial hub, local media reported on Jan 6, adding that the company will set aside a 30-billion yuan ($4.5 billion) fund to help Pudong with its economy, construction and welfare. The newly-established company has 1.2 billion yuan in registered capital. Pudong has promised that it will give strong support for investment opportunities, hiring and policies to ensure the the new company can get started as soon as possible. According to the China Insurance Regulatory Commission, the company helps manage a national insurance investment fund that was approved by the State Council in July. The company says that the fund is expected to ultimately reach 300 billion yuan to back such projects as housing renovation, urban infrastructure, water conservation and the Belt and Road Initiative. It can also be used for emerging industries, logistics, healthcare, information technology, environmental protection, and small-to-mid sized enterprises. The company says it will help the China Merchants Steam Navigation Co with its overseas port projects and will support a liquefied natural gas project with Russia. Local authorities explain that the company was attracted by preferential policies and financial reforms in the free trade zone, which are also attracting other leading financial institutions, such as the Shanghai Insurance Exchange, which will help increase the district's global influence and help Shanghai reach its goal of becoming an international financial center. You can hear the jingling sound of the silver objects in Chen Zhenan's workshop as he immerses himself in his silver ornaments in the village of Jichang, Guizhou province, among the Shui ethnic group, carrying on the craft that has been handed down for generations and which he inherited from his father after dropping out of junior high school. Chen Zhenan concentrating on his silver work in his shop in Guizhou province [Photo/gog.cn] The 54-year-old Chens village, locals will tell you has a reputation as a "silver village" for its silver arts which brought in customers from outside, with the village head noting that one old tradition was to prepare a set of silver ornaments for new-born girls for their future wedding. In 1999, Chen's life took a sudden turn when a professor from the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, Tang Xuxiang, came to stay in the village to study silver production for a month and suggested that Chen come to teach at the institute to impart his ideas and the beauty of the Shui people. Yaling (elegant bells), one of the Chen's silver pieces in his collection. [Photo/ gog.cn] Chen taught there for three years, then, in 2007, Chen and Tang joined a cultural protection program that Tsinghua University started, and he taught there for four months as a guest lecturer. Chen then got the attention of the Chinese Academy of Art and became a guest lecturer there and, over time, students would visit Chen to study the Shui people's silver craft. He explains that he had to arrange better living conditions Because, "They can learn more in my home than in class," and he spends a tremendous amount of time imparting his skills to the next generation. Chen says that it's not easy to pass the craft on, so he made some rules for future generations of his family. One other villager, Chen Guiming, who shares Chen Zhenan's passion, says he fully understands the importance of culture and he too has been recognized as a culture inheritor. In today's trending, a man with 1,500 kg of coins cannot exchange them at a bank, lavish costumes at wedding mistaken for film shoot, and 2,150-year-old tea leaves found in royal tomb. Zhang counts his coins. [Photo/IC] Most people want to have a lot of money. But perhaps they should be careful what they wish for. A man, surnamed Zhang, in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan province, is troubled by his 300,000 yuan in coins that weigh more than 1,500 kilograms, as no bank is willing to exchange these coins into banknotes as it is just too large an amount, dfic.cn reported on Tuesday. Zhang said that he accumulated these coins in two months from coin-operated washing machines and coin-operated electric vehicle charging stations he runs. He used to exchange the coins with neighboring supermarkets in residential compounds and schools, but their demand for coins fell in recent months. Zhang counts his coins. [Photo/IC] In our next story, groom dressed as emperor goes viral for lavish wedding ceremony. A federal trial begins today in a lawsuit filed against the Ferguson-Florissant school district in Missouri by the American Civil Liberties Union, alleging that the process for electing school board members locks African-Americans out of the voting process. The lawsuit was filed in December 2014 , a few months after the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown sparked widespread protests about police and policing practices, particularly in African-American communities. The ACLU, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Missouri Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and three African-American residents, argues that the electoral process violates Section II of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The trial, before U.S. District Judge Rodney Sippel, is expected to last a week. School board trustees in Ferguson-Florissant are chosen on an at-large basis, a process that dilutes the African-American vote and makes it difficult for African-American candidates to be elected, the ACLU argues. The civil liberties group says that a system based on wards or sub-districts would ensure fairer representation on the board, according to the Associated Press. African-American students make up 77 percent of the school districts enrollment. The districts 12,000 students are drawn from parts of 11 municipalities in north St. Louis County. Despite large numbers of African-American students in the district, the school board has not reflected the makeup of the student body, the ACLU contends. (Although the population of the 11 municipalities is nearly evenly divided between blacks and whites, many white students attend private or parochial schools. African-Americans also make up a minority of the voting age population, according to the lawsuit.) There are currently two African-American trustees on the seven-member school board ; there was only one when the ACLU filed the lawsuit a little over a year ago. In a statement to the Associated Press, the school district rejected the argument that the Ferguson-Florissant school election process violated the Voting Rights Act. The district said that the board selection process was similar to that of other districts in the state. Board attorney Cindy Ormsby told the AP that the district had a long history of African-American representation on the school board and that elections by wards or districts would be a setback for black candidates, the news agency reported. Doctors say adopted Chinese boy with rare disorder will go blind by time he turns 20 Molly Sano wants to help Bennett, her 3-year-old adopted son, find his biological parents in China before he goes blind. CHINA DAILY A Seattle mother traveled more than 9,100 kilometers to Shanghai in hope of finding the biological parents of her adopted son before he goes blind. Molly Sano, who arrived in Shanghai on Monday, decided to make the journey after her 3-year-old son, Bennett, was diagnosed in December with Usher syndrome, a rare but incurable genetic disorder. Doctors in the United States say the illness will take away Bennett's eyesight by the age of 20. "We just hope that he can see his biological parents with his own eyes, creating special visual memories of them before he loses his vision," Sano said in a phone interview before her departure from Seattle, Washington. The 36-year-old has spent the past few weeks contacting authorities and hospitals in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, for leads. From Tuesday to Sunday she will visit Enmei Child Welfare Association, which runs the orphanage that formerly cared for Bennett, as well as surrounding communities. Ye Minjia, a Ningbo resident in his 30s who used to run an English school, will accompany Sano. They connected after Sano reached out through a mutual friend. "She knows it's a long shot, but she just wants to get the information out there, find some clues and increase her chances of success," Ye said. Bennett, whose Chinese name was Long Miao, was abandoned in a Ningbo neighborhood in May 2012. A note left by his side read: "We don't know what else to do. We're too poor to bring him up. We hope someone can help him." The child was born deaf, according to the note. He was taken to a home managed by Enmei Child Welfare Association, where he remained until Sano, a sign-language interpreter, and her husband, who is deaf, adopted him in February 2014. After two years in Seattle, Bennett can now communicate confidently using American sign language. "We just knew he was the son we'd been waiting foreven without looking at his file. He's the most beautiful boy I've ever seen," said Sano, who also has a daughter one month older than Bennett. While many parents may choose to wait until an adopted child is old enough to decide whether or not to meet biological parents, Sano said Bennett does not have the luxury of time. "If we wait for another 10 years, then all of the people who may remember when and where Bennett was found or born will be retired," she said. Japanese women wearing kimonos walk as they attend a Coming of Age Day celebration ceremony at an amusement park in Tokyo January 11, 2016. According to a government announcement, more than 1.2 million men and women who were born in 1995 marked the coming of age this year, a decrease of approximately 50,000 from last year. The population of new adult this year accounts for 0.95% of the total population. It is six consecutive years that a ratio was less than 1% of total population. [Photo/Agencies] NAY PYI TAW - Myanmar's union peace conference kicked off here Tuesday, ahead of the first round of national-level formal political dialogue between the government and eight ethnic armed groups. The conference, which runs through Saturday, is the biggest gathering of political forces in the country since its independence in 1948, said President U Thein Sein. For more than six decades, armed conflicts has been prevalent in the country, and the current government , since it took office in 2011, has made various efforts to bring the conflict to an end, which the president said has laid a good foundation for the next government to continue the peace process. The peace process plays an important part in the country's political transition, and the peace conference is also part of the power transfer process following the general election in November 2015, he told the opening ceremony. Attending the opening ceremony of the peace conference were also Vice President Sai Mauk Kham, Parliament Speakers U Shwe Mann and U khin Aung Myint, Chairperson of the Committee for Rule of Law and Tranquility of the House of Representatives Aung San Suu Kyi and Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Services Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing, among others. Hundreds of representatives from stakeholder groups of the government, parliament, military and the eight ethnic armed groups that signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Accord (NCA), as well as political parties and other players, are present at the conference. The peace conference, said to feature an inclusive participation of stakeholders, aims to end armed conflict through peace manner and build national reconciliation on the basis of the political dialogue framework approved by a tripartite Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee involving the government, ethnic armed groups and political parties. The five main topics set for discussions at the peace conference cover political, security, economic and social issues, as well as issues related to land and natural resources. There are dozens of ethnic armed groups in Myanmar. Prio to the peace conference, the government held talks with 15 major groups and signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Accord with eight of them. Although sporadic fightings are reported between government forces and some ethnic armed groups, sources said that the eight armed groups attending the peace conference have expressed hope that all the ethnic armed groups could signed the ceasefire accord and participate in national political dialogue so as to contribute to lasting peace in the country. WASHINGTON - A US citizen from the state of Maryland has been indicted on charges of supporting and receiving military training from the African terror group al-Shabaab, the Justice Department announced Monday. Maalik Alim Jones, 31, was indicted based on his alleged support of al-Shabaab, a designated foreign terrorist organization based in Somalia that is allied with al-Qaida, the Justice Department said in a news release. Specifically, Jones was charged with conspiracy to provide material support to al-Shabaab and receive military-type training from al-Shabaab, and possessing, carrying and using firearms in relation to a crime of violence, it said. Jones reportedly traveled to Somalia in July 2011 to fight on behalf of al-Shabaab, learned to fire an AK-47 and rocket-propelled grenade, and then used this training to attack the Kenyan government, New York city police chief William J. Bratton said. Recently Jones was reportedly caught trying to travel to Yemen. He was arraigned in a court in the Southern District of New York on Dec 19, 2015. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment on the charges. US President Barack Obama waves at the start of his State of the Union address to a joint session of the US Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington in this January 20, 2015 file photo. [Photo/Agencies] WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is expected to deliver his final State of the Union speech Tuesday evening. It is believed that he will sum up the legacy of his mandate and speak of the country's future. With one year remaining in Obama's second and final term, the president will not present a to-do list of what he'd like to accomplish in the year ahead, unlike in his previous speeches. Because it would be futile to present a meaningful agenda before a Republican-controlled Congress, Obama will instead set the tone for his successor. "What I want to focus on in this State of the Union address is not just the remarkable progress we've made, not just what I want to get done in the year ahead, but what we all need to do together in the years to come," said Obama in a video message sent to supporters last week. Nevertheless, the president's speech will cite achievements made during his mandate, according to Obama's chief of staff, Denis McDonough. The nuclear deal with Iran, resumed diplomatic relations with Cuba, contributions to the global climate pact and an Asia-Pacific trade deal will be touched upon. For the widely watched gun-control bids, many expect the president to give a share of his speech to the topic before a captive Congressional audience. "I think there will be a lot of demagoguery on guns and things like that," said House Speaker Paul Ryan in an interview with Wisconsin radio station WTMJ on Monday. However, the president doesn't expect his speech to impact his push for stronger firearms controls. "It won' t happen during this Congress. It won' t happen during my presidency," Obama said of comprehensive gun control legislation in a speech Tuesday. Analysts say that should Obama take executive action on gun control, it would simply be the beginning of what could be more comprehensive reform in the future. WASHINGTON - Four former US defense secretaries on Monday encouraged their country and China to boost military exchanges to enhance mutual trust. Chuck Hagel, William Cohen, William Perry, and Harold Brown voiced this view at an event held by National Committee on US-China Relations. Cohen, who served as the Pentagon chief from 1997 to 2001, said the two militaries could conduct more joint exercises as "a way of trying to build more trust" between the two sides. Hagel, who was secretary of defense from 2013 to 2015, noted that the US military is doing more military exercises with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) than before. In November, three Chinese naval ships made a port call at the United States' Naval Station Mayport during the PLA navy's first-ever goodwill visit to the US East Coast. The two navies also conducted a joint military exercise after the visit. Perry, who was the Pentagon chief from 1994 to 1997, encouraged the two militaries to continue to promote minister-level dialogue, which all four defense chiefs did during their tenure. At the event, all the four former officials agreed that US military academies should train PLA officers to boost mutual understanding. The National Committee on US-China Relations is a nonprofit organization that encourages citizens of China and the United States to understand the two countries. It is holding a series of events to celebrate its 50th anniversary of this year. Police secure the area after an explosion in central Istanbul, Turkey January 12, 2016.[Photo/Agencies] ISTANBUL - An explosion rocked a square in the heart of Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet tourist district on Tuesday, killing 10 people and injuring 15, according to a statement on the website of Istanbul governor's office. Ambulances rushed to the site in Sultanahmet square, close to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, in a major tourist area of Turkey's most populous city, ferrying away the wounded as police cordoned off streets. "We're taking precautions against a second explosion," the police officer said, ushering people out of the square. Turkey's AHaber television said the blast may have been caused by a suicide bomber but this was not independently confirmed. "The explosion was very loud. We shook a lot. We ran out and saw body parts," one woman who works at a nearby antiques store told a Reuters correspondent, declining to give her name. Kurdish, leftist and Islamist militants have all carried out attacks in Turkey in the past. Turkey has also become a target for Islamic State, with two bombings last year blamed on the radical Sunni Muslim group, in the town of Suruc near the Syrian border and in the capital Ankara, the latter killing more than 100 people. Chinas Law on Population and Family Planning () was recently amended to replace Chinas one-child policy with a two children one. The Chinese government is now officially encouraging Chinese families to have two children. To fully understand the impact this new policy will have on employers in China requires we look beyond the national legislation by analyzing local revisions. Guangdong appears to be the first province in China to have come up with its own amended population and family planning regulations. Guangdongs amended regulations delete special employment leave for late marriages and shorten regular marriage leave to three days. Guangdong has also amended maternity leave to 128 days (30 days longer than the basic maternity leave required under the Special Rules on the Labor Protection of Female Employees) and revoked the additional 35 days maternity leave granted to female employees with only one child. This is actually down from the maximum of 148 days of leave time previously available (98 days basic maternity leave plus 35 days for only having one child and 15 days for late marriage). Special leave for a spouse whose wife gives birth is now 15 days, a five day increase. Beijing is in the process of amending its regulations and it is currently seeking comments to its proposed draft population and family planning regulations. The Amendments on which it is seeking comment provide for 128 days maternity leave, regardless of whether the employee is giving birth to her first or her second child. They also would delete special leave for late marriage and late childbirth but create a new 15 days leave for a spouse whose wife gives birth. It also will delete the special requirements on bearing two children, including the requirement that the children must be four years apart or the woman must be 28 or over. This means couples in Beijing will likely soon be able to choose when to give birth to their second child, rather than having to wait four years or so. Also in the era of the two-children policy, there will be no rewards for couples that voluntarily have only one child. Shanghai announced that for couples who registered their marriage license after January 1, 2016, there will be no extended special leave for late marriage, and what remains is the legally mandated marriage leave of three days. Couples who registered before January 1, 2016 and who have not taken their leave for late marriage are entitled to take an additional seven days off. For female employees who give birth after January 1, 2016, there will be no special leave for late childbirth. Shanghai is currently working on amending its regulations and so I expect more clarification on its new childbirth leave regulations shortly. As a China employer, it is now going to be incumbent upon you to get up to date with Chinas new family and marital leave laws, particularly those local laws that apply to your China business. To the extent that new rules have not yet been published in your location, we suggest you monitor what is being proposed as that is likely what will be coming next. As always, we will write more as new information becomes available. When teaching about other culturesespecially in foreign language classesmusic is often a key part of the curriculum. Jennifer Patterson, Founder and President of California Music Studios shares the reason why music is a critical component of understanding other people. Connect with Jennifer and other educators on Twitter during #GlobalEdChat this Thursday, January 14 at 8pmET/5pmPT. We will be discussing how music can add a global dimension to classrooms. Did you know there are approximately 7,000 spoken languages in the world today? Although only 10 percent of those are spoken by more than 100,000 people, theres clearly a communication gap between cultures throughout the world. But theres one language that everybody understands no matter what tongue they speak: music. While we may not understand the lyrics of foreign songs, we all share the same emotions when we hear similar chords and melodies . Continue reading to learn more about the universal language of music. Facial Expressions Are Universal Before we can understand music as a language, we must understand emotion. Numerous studies have shown that there are six emotions everyone can identify by facial expression no matter what culture they come fromeven if theyve had little contact with the rest of the world. This suggests that these emotions are rooted in evolutionary aspects of the human body. These six emotions include: happiness, anger, fear, sadness, disgust, and surprise. This is evidenced in a study by Paul Ekman as reported by Psychology Today . In his study, Ekman showed photographs to individuals from 20 western cultures and 11 isolated groups in Africa. The study showed that 92 percent of African respondents and 96 percent of western culture respondents could identify happy faces. Ekmans research goes on to support that these six emotions are universal. Ekman also looked at how blind children react to certain situations compared to sighted children. What he found was that even though the blind children had not observed other facial expressions, they still showed the same expressions to the same emotions as sighted children did. Certain Sounds Are Also Consistent Across Cultures So we know that basic emotions are consistent across the world. But the cross-cultural similarities dont end there. Other studies show that sounds like crying and laughter are also consistent between cultures, even those that live in remote settlements with little interaction with the outside world. Dr. Disa Sauter studied over 20,000 individuals living on opposite ends of the worldBritain and Himba (northern Namibia)and found that not only are facial expressions of these six basic emotions recognizable, but the vocalizations associated with them are as well. Given that certain emotions and sounds are universal, wouldnt it make sense that music could be a universal language as well? Music as a Universal Language Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once said, Music is the universal language of all mankind. Turns out he may have been on to something. Pitch, Rhythm, and Tempo Are a Part of Language David Ludden, Ph. D., points out in Psychology Today that one reason music may be a universal language is that the same components that make up musicpitch, rhythm, and tempoare also present in everyday speech no matter what language youre speaking. For example, you can watch a foreign movie or witness an exchange in a foreign country, and although you may not understand exactly what the situation is about, you can typically tell how the people are feeling. At the very least, you can understand whether the situation is a happy or sad one. Ludden suggests that this is because we understand the pitch, rhythm, and tempo of speech because the same patterns are present in our own language and across all spoken languages. With these patterns present in spoken language, we can interpret emotions from music using the same cues. Musical Emotion Is Rooted in Chords Think about it. When you hear a major chord, you interpret the music as positive whereas if you hear a minor chord, the music feels negative. Tempo also impacts how you feel. A slow song in a minor key, for instance, makes you feel sad. A faster song in a minor key may make you feel scared or angry. When played in a major chord with higher pitches, more fluctuations in rhythm, and a faster tempo, listeners typically interpret the music as happy. This concept is supported by a 2015 study that showed that musical chords are the smallest building blocks of music that elicit emotion. According to researchers , The early stages of processing that are involved suggest that major and minor chords have deeply connected emotional meanings, rather than superficially attributed ones, indicating that minor triads possess negative emotional connotations and major triads possess positive emotional connotations. Music Elicits the Same Physiological Response Across Cultures A recent study from McGill University further illustrates this concept. Researchers gathered 40 Pygmy and 40 Canadian participants to listen to 19 short musical extracts11 of which were Western and 8 were Pygmy. Each piece was between 30 and 90 seconds long. The Canadian participants were all amateur or professional musicians while the Pygmies were all familiar with music because they sing regularly. After hearing the music, the researchers measured heart rate, respiration, and other physiological factors. What the researchers found was that the psychological responses from each group appeared the same, such as whether the music calmed or excited them. While we may not be able to understand exactly what people are saying across different languages, humans have evolved to share and express the same basic emotions in similar ways. This allows us to understand each others facial expressions even if we dont share the same spoken language. When speech is incorporated into the situation, we can still interpret emotions based on pitch, rhythm, and tempo. Because of these shared attributes across all cultures, music is one thing we can all agree upon and understand, making it the universal language of mankind. Try this out in your classroom by playing songs in other languages and prompt your students to tell you what emotion they feel when hearing those tunes. Do they agree music is a universal language? Follow California Music Studios , Heather , and Asia Society on Twitter. Photo credits: StockSnap.io In my last post I tried, ever so gently, to take two prominent presidential candidatesMarco Rubio and Hillary Clintonto task for the way theyre talking about education on the campaign trail. I stand by my comments. Rubio, in assailing Common Core as a federal takeover of education, is being disingenuous at best and willfully ignorant at worst. Clinton, for her part, demonstrated one of the worst habits of politiciansoversimplification of a complex issuewhen she suggested that the solution to the problem of underperforming schools is to shut them down. Neither impressed me enough to have confidence that the countrys education system would be better off if one of them became president. Then again, maybe it doesnt matter. The new Every Child Succeeds Act is supposed to herald a new day in education policy, one in which the power of the federal government to lead the states on issues related to education is greatly reduced. Well have to wait and see if or how that comes to pass, but even if the federal role is significantly reduced the next presidents administration will still have the ability to influence the shape and direction of education policy. And that begs the question: what are the candidates saying about educational issues? A look at their views on Common Core, in particular, is pretty revealing. Lets start on the Republican side. We know what Rubio thinks about Common Core, and we know that much of the rest of the field agrees with him. Rand Paul, the libertarian, predictably hates the standards. In an email he cleverly titled Rotten to the Core, Paul informed his supporters that the Common Core contains anti-American propaganda, revisionist history that ignores the faith of our Founders and data-tracking of students from kindergarten on. Ive looked myself for evidence in the standards of anti-American propaganda and how they ignore the faith of our Founders but havent had any luck yet. And data tracking? Thats scary stuff, but there isnt any evidence to support the claim Paul seems to be making. Unless sending home a report card counts as data tracking. Ben Carson doesnt like Common Core either. Promising to share Common Sense on Common Core in a Washington Times editorial, Carson wrote: While I think it is very important to have standards, putting such a task in the hands of the federal government is naive. I guess the people who wrote the Common Core standards would agree; thats probably why they didnt ask the federal government to write them. Trump hates Common Core. No surprise there; Trump hates everything, it seems, except himself. In an interview last year , Trump said I think that education should be local, absolutely, and added: I think that for people in Washington to be setting curriculum and to be setting all sorts of standards for people living in Iowa and other places is ridiculous. Wait; maybe that means hes in favor of Common Core, since Common Core doesnt do that. Ted Cruz not only thinks Common Core is a federal takeover of education; apparently he thinks its a federal law. He wants to repeal every word of Common Core . I dont even know where to start with that. Common Core has proven to be more popular among the Republican candidates who have actually run something. Jeb Bush and John Kasich, one a former governor and the other a current one, have both held fast to their support for Common Core in spite of the powerful political headwinds. Bushs candidacy looks like it might be on life support and his support for Common Core is often fingered as one of the culprits. (His last name doesnt help, either.) With his campaign flailing, Bush seems to be rethinking everything, in fact: in Iowa last August he said the phrase common core is so darn poisonous and added: I dont even know what it means. Okay then. Kasichs not dead yet but its hard to see how Common Core does anything for his candidacy. To his credit, Kasich has said that he isnt going to change his position on Common Core because theres four people in the front row yelling at me. It doesnt seem to be winning him any votes, anyway. And you should know, if youre a teacher, that Kasich wants to abolish teachers lounges those well known bastions of rebellion and critical thought where teachers commiserate about their jobs and hatch plans to enrich themselves by making life worse for the nations vulnerable children. This may just be the reform weve all been waiting for. Another governor, Chris Christie, has practically made hating on teachers his calling card , so we shouldnt surprised that hes flip-flopped his way to hating on something that teachers, by and large, seem to like more the more they know about it . (If you dont like that link, heres another one ; and another one ; and another one ; and yet another one .) No, not every teacher likes Common Core, and support for the standards has declined as endless criticism has taken hold, but that support remains suprisingly strong among teachers who have worked with the standards. Imagine that. At any rate, as Andrew Rotherham has pointed out , Christie, like a lot of his fellow candidates, is probably not as interested in Common Core as a policy choice as he is in using it as a proxy for other issues. In what may be the most succinctly correct sentence written on the political firestorm that Common Core has become, Rotherham wrote last year that Common Core is a Rorschach test for various grievances about educationtesting, accountability, controlor more general political views about the federal government or other national issues. In other words: when you hear politicians talking about Common Core, theyre probably not talking about Common Core. Remember that. Ill tackle the Democratic candidates in the next post. In the meantime, consider this: any candidate who says that Common Core is a federal takeover of education is either ignoring the truth or lying to you. Neither is a quality we ought to be looking for in a president. If these candidates are lying to you or wont do their homework on this issue, what reason do we have to think they wont cut corners on other issues as well? We should be wary of people who would distort the truth about an issue as important as how our children are educated just to win votes. People who lie for votes make a mockery of our democratic system. I continue to have my doubts about the effectiveness of Common Core as an educational policy change, and I certainly dont expect a revolution in student achievement to happen overnight because of it. I also dont disagree that the Department of Education, especially through Race to the Top and the NCLB waivers it granted, violated expected norms in an attempt to influence the direction of education policy. But this is not the same as letting mindless bureaucrats decide what our children get taught in schools. That isnt happening. What I dont doubt is the fact that outcomes for many students continue to be limited by an education system that doesnt even serve the well off as well as it could. I had a hard time knowing my own mind when it came to Common Core for the longest time, but the more the truth about the standards gets buried the easier it is to support them. Let me put it this way: if presidential candidates are scared enough of a policy change to lie about it for votes, then maybe it deserves a second look. And maybe we should start looking elsewhere for political candidates while were at it. (Photo : GETTY IMAGES) The suspects are believed to be involved in a larger ring of smugglers who have been operating in the country for a long time. Advertisement Customs officials seized more than 22,000 tons of smuggled frozen meat in South China on Thursday morning. Thirteen suspect, linked to the meat, were arrested in Guangdong province. The group was found to be transferring frozen chicken wings and pigs' feet that are not branded safe by the government. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The suspects are believed to be involved in a larger ring of smugglers who have been operating in the country for a long time. An initial investigation revealed that the ring has smuggled an estimated $42.5 million (280 million) worth of frozen meat since 2014. To avoid being tracked, the group reportedly buys the meat from overseas companies and transport it through different countries. The seized meat, in particular, were first transported to Hong Kong then to Vietnam before arriving in mainland China. China is the world's biggest consumer of meat. It often resorts to imported meat because of the lack of local markets to meet the demand. The Chinese government has intensified its crackdown on meat smugglers in 2014. "We will put all our strength into tracking the source and sale points of smuggled frozen meat, including those people facilitating the process from behind the scenes," the China Food and Drug Administration said. This has forced the illegal operation deeper underground and paved the way for more creative ways to transfer meat. Police have seized smuggled meat imported from Vietnam and India. Now, smugglers transfer the meat in small amounts to avoid suspicion from border officers. Advertisement Tagssmuggled meat, meat in China, frozen meat, smuggling rings in China, Vietnam (Photo : Getty Images/Spencer Platt) Members of the United Nations Security Council meet to discuss a previous weapons test conducted by North Korea in the above photo. The country sparked an international uproar last week after it detonated another nuclear weapon in a test blast that sent tremors all the way to China's border towns. Advertisement In yet another round of an increasingly tense debate over how to deal with Pyongyang, China has rejected the US government's claim that Beijing's policies toward North Korea have failed. Responding to Washington's recent criticisms of the Chinese government's policies toward Pyongyang, a Chinese official fired back with a stern reproach, suggesting that it is the US, not China, that is to blame for North Korea's provocative actions. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs, said on Friday last week that it is the responsibility of all countries -- not just China -- to convince Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons program. North Korea sparked an international uproar last week after it detonated a nuclear weapon in a test blast that sent tremors all the way to China's border towns. "The origin and crux of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula has never been China," Hua said during a press briefing in Beijing. "The key to solving the problem is not China." Hua made the statement in apparent reference to the assertion of many in China that US efforts to isolate and punish North Korea over the past ten years are to blame for Pyongyang's determination to maintain a stockpile of nuclear weapons in its arsenal. Officials in Washington have meanwhile said the US government is drafting a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution to further curtail international trade with North Korea. The draft resolution is said to include a partial ban on allowing the entry of North Korean ships into ports around the world. "What we want to see is better teeth in the enforcement," one US official, who declined to be named, told the New York Times. The US and its allies in the UNSC are said to be urging China to impose tough sanctions on North Korea for its latest nuclear test blast. China is North Korea's main ally and biggest trading partner, and US officials insist that Beijing is in a unique position to discourage North Korea's provocative actions by cutting off its oil supply or disrupting its financial transactions. But US secretary of state John Kerry said last Thursday that China's diplomatic efforts to bring North Korea under control have failed. "China had a particular approach that it wanted to make, and we agreed and respected to give them space to be able to implement that," Kerry told a press conference in Washington. "That has not worked." Advertisement TagsNorth Korea, US (Photo : Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) China is focusing on measures to deal with later-age pregnancies and risks associated with it. Advertisement With the two-child policy now officially in place, Chinese officials are adopting measures to improve maternal and child healthcare to deal with an anticipated surge in pregnancy rates, especially later-age pregnancies. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) estimates that 90 million Chinese women can now have second child. A majority of these women are expected to be aged between 35 to 40 years or above. This means the country is likely to see a rise in later-age pregnancies and health risks associated with that. "The new policy has increased the likelihood of later-age pregnancies, which are associated with risks including genetic abnormalities and labor problems," Wang Peian, deputy head of NHFPC, was quoted saying by Xinhua. In addition to training more doctors, the country is also adopting measures to "better allocate maternal and child health resources and train more doctors," he said. The Chinese government is also encouraging universities and medical schools to train more midwives and pediatricians, Yang Wenzhuang, head of the Department of Community Family Planning at NHFPC, said. Moreover, to make the profession of midwives and pediatricians more appealing, authorities are mulling a proposal to increase their salary package. China's 13th Five Year Development Plan (2016-2020) will see more hospitals being built in western China, which is considered to be a relatively impoverised region. China adopted the one-child policy in late 1970s to curb its rapid population growth rate. On Dec. 27, 2015, the standing committee of the National People's Congress abolished the one-child policy, allowing Chinese couples to have two children from January 2016. Advertisement TagsChina One Child Policy, later-age pregnancies, China maternal and child health, chinese couples The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to take up a case with implications for the legal protections for teachers, school administrators, and others required under state laws to report suspected child abuse to authorities. A coalition of education groups led by the National School Boards Association and its Ohio affiliate had urged the justices to review a federal appeals court opinion that denied qualified immunity to an administrator who had reported to state authorities her suspicions that a 17-year-old girl with an intellectual disability was being sexually abused at home. The administrator was sued by the girls parents, who alleged that the administrator was retaliating against them amid a dispute over the individualized education plan for the girl. Both a federal district court and a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, in Cincinnati, rejected qualified immunity for the administrator. The appeals court said the parents had established a facial case of First Amendment retaliation. The administrators appeal to the Supreme Court was supported in a friend-of-the-court brief filed by the NSBA, the Ohio School Boards Association, and 15 other education groups. The groups said the 6th Circuits decision makes mandatory reporters of child abuse vulnerable to lawsuits by potential abusers. The decision imposes a Hobsons choice for mandatory reporters: either fulfill their responsibility under state law to report suspected or known abuse and risk federal litigation and potential personal liability; or fail to report and invoke the possibility of civil and criminal penalties for that failure, says the brief in Schott v. Wenk (Case No. 15-54). The Supreme Court was giving the case a hard look, including requesting the parents to file a response to the administrators appeal. (The high court decided a criminal case last term, Ohio v. Clark , that touched on the states law requiring teachers and others to report suspected child abuse.) But late last year, the parties informed the high court that they had reached a confidential settlement of the lawsuit. The school administrator went on to ask the court to review the 6th Circuit decision anyway, but the court rarely takes up cases that no longer present a live legal dispute. The justices on Jan. 11 declined without comment to take up the administrators appeal. (Photo : ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images) While others look to money to solve their problems, a Zhengzhou man reportedly has money as his problem. Advertisement Apparently, having much money has its own problems. While most people think that being rich in money solves a lot of problems, a man from Zhengzhou is currently experiencing additional problems because he has a lot of it in coins. The man, surnamed Zhang, is having a problem looking for banks who will be willing to exchange his coins that amount to 300,000 yuan, reports China Daily. Apparently, this is because his coins weigh more than 1,500 kilograms in total, and banks consider this amount of coins too large. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Zhang said that the coins are from washing machines and electric vehicle charging stations that he operates, both of which are coin-operated. He used to have these coins exchanged in nearby supermarkets. However, their demand for coins fell, and the coins got accumulated over two months. In another odd news, a wedding held in the Sanxiang township of Guangdong province was mistaken for a film shooting due to the lavish and luxurious preparations that it had. The newlyweds were spotted wearing ancient costumes, a lot of gold accessories. Luxury cars were also found nearby, reports China Daily. The groom, coming from a rich Macao-based business family, donned the robes of an emperor while being followed by a group of groomsmen costumed as ancient soldiers. The bride, for her part, wore about a hundred gold bracelets hanging from several strings around her neck. She also had gold hairpins on her head. This extravagant wedding was mistaken for a filming by nearby residents. "At first I thought someone was shooting a film, said a bystander. In another, even more odd news, a gigantic motorized shoe was spotted running on the highways in Linyi city, Shandong province. The almost ten feet-long shoe, reports Weird Asia News, is made of genuine leather, the amount of which is believed to cost its maker about $6,000 USD. The shoe car, which has reportedly elicited various puns such as the car brand shoe-baru, has the capacity to run for a maximum of 250 miles on a single 4-hour charge. It can also reach speeds of up to 50 mph. Advertisement Tagstoo much money, yuan, too much coins, Zhengshou The People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank, has allowed the entry of seven more foreign institutions into the market. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images) Advertisement In a bid to promote China's inter-bank foreign exchange (forex) market, the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank, has allowed the entry of seven more foreign institutions into the market. According to a Xinhua report, the central bank allowed the Reserve Bank of India, the International Finance Corporation, Bank for International Settlement, Bank of Thailand, Bank of Indonesia, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and the Bank of Korea to enter the country's inter-bank forex market. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The seven newcomers have completed their registration with the China Foreign Exchange Trading System, bringing the number of central banks and similar institutions that have been allowed to enter the market to 14. According to the PBOC, the entry of more foreign players in the country's forex market will help steadily help promote the openness of the market. Opening the country's forex market forms part of the governments sweeping financial reforms aimed at strengthening the country's economy. With the approval from the central bank, the seven new institutions will now be able to participate in the inter-bank forex market as foreign members. They can also use their inter-bank forex market members as their agents, or allow the PBOC to be their official agent. The foreign institutions are permitted to conduct foreign exchange and renminbi trading of one or more traded forex products, the official Xinhua news agency has reported. It was in November 2015 when seven central banks and financial institutions were allowed to enter China's inter-bank forex market, the Xinhua report added. More financial markets in China will soon be opened to foreign investors as part of the country's opening up to global players. Advertisement Tagsforeign exchange, Forex Market, china market, China Foreign Exchange Chinese tourists take pictures at Wat Pra That Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai, Thailand. (Photo by Taylor Weidman/Getty Images) Advertisement What started as a fun-filled tour in the southern province of Phang Nga in Thailand ended up disastrous when the bus boarded by 18 Chinese tourists rolled over, injuring all those onboard, the official Xinhua news agency has reported. According to China's consular office in Thailand's Phuket province, the bus was on its way to the airport in the province of Krabi from Phuket when the accident occurred. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The bus, boarded by the 18 Chinese tourists, was trudging the road near Phang Nga Bay at about 9 p.m. Monday when it rolled over after reaching a corner at a high speed. The Chinese consular office added that all passengers, including the 18 Chinese tourists, sustained injuries in different degrees as a result of the accident. Six of the Chinese tourists sustained minor injuries and were allowed to fly back to China later in the day but the remaining Chinese tourists will have to stay in Thailand. The 12 injured Chinese tourists have been transferred to a hospital in Phuket for treatment, according to the Chinese consular office. Last month, three Chinese tourists were critically injured when the bus they were riding in collided with a car on a major tourist route in South Island, New Zealand. The three Chinese tourists were among the 16 tourists that were onboard the bus the figured in the accident. The three were flown from the crash scene to the hospital via a rescue helicopter, according to local authorities. More than 100 million Chinese tourists are expected to travel abroad this year and the Chinese government has long reminded its travelling citizens to take caution when in foreign countries. Advertisement TagsChina Accident, China tourists, China Bus Accident (Photo : Christianity Daily) Pastor Hyeon Soo Lim, the lead pastor of Light Presbyterian Church in Toronto, has been detained by the North Korean government, and he has not been in contact with family or friends since January 31. The condition of Reverend Hyeon Soo Lim, Korean Canadian pastor who was sentenced to hard labor for life in North Korea, was released to the public on January 10 through aninterview with CNN. Lim said he continues to pray everyday, and that he is at peace regardless of the outcome. "I pray for the country, and the people," Lim said in the interview. "I pray for North and South Korea to be unified so a situation like mine won't happen again." Lim, who used to head Light Presbyterian Church in Toronto, was found guilty of numerous charges by North Korea's Supreme Court, including criticizing North Korean leaders, trying to subvert the North Korean government using religion, spreading negative propaganda about the country to foreign countries, and helping North Koreans defect from the country. He is now laboring in the North Korean prison, alone, eight hours a day for six days each week by "digging holes" to plant apple trees, according to the interview. When asked by the CNN reporter how he is feeling, he says with a slight smile that he's "fine." The reporter notes that his condition "looks healthy enough," but adds, "though his loose fitting prison clothes make it hard to tell if he has lost weight." He receives three meals per day and medical care, the report says. Lim told the reporter that he has not been forced to any North Korean ideology. He also said that he doesn't need much, but did request for a Bible. He added he "really need[s] letters from [his] family." "I have realized so keenly how valuable my family is, how precious it is to me," Lim told CNN. "Family is a precious gift from God. I would like to tell my family I love them so much." Lim is known to have visited North Korea over 100 times on humanitarian trips. He was arrested during his last trip into the country on January 30, and since then, Korean communities in South Korea, Canada, and the U.S. have held numerous prayer meetings for his release. Lim's sentence to hard labor for life was announced through reports on December 16. Lisa Pak, who has been acting as the spokesperson for Lim's family and church, said soon after the announcement of Lim's sentence that Lim's supporters are hopeful that his sentence in prison will grant more leeway for diplomatic talks. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters that the Canadian government has "tremendous concern about it [his imprisonment]." "The issues of North Korea's governance and judicial system are well-known and we are very concerned about someone being sentenced to life in North Korea," he said. "We need to be able to meet with and ensure that Canadians are being properly treated everywhere around the world, including in North Korea and we will be continuing to press North Korean authorities to allow us access." Meanwhile, an online petition demanding Lim's release from prison has been ongoing, and has some 120,777 signatures as of January 11, 5:40 PM EST. press@cdaily.co.kr - Copyright , # # EXCLUSIVE: Even after joining Rubio's advisory group, Rick Warren won't endorse a candidate 09 January, 2016 by Tobin Perry , | LAKE FOREST, Calif. (Christian Examiner)Despite the recent announcement that Rick Warren has joined an advisory board for Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, the Southern California megachurch pastor and best-selling author of The Purpose Driven Life says he'll never endorse a political candidateand he's not endorsing Rubio. The Christian Examiner reported on Thursday that Warren had joined a number of prominent evangelicals on a religious liberty advisory board for Rubio, but his action should not be taken as an endorsement, he says. In this election cycle, I know most of the candidates on both sides who are running for president, and many have been friends for years, but they all know that I never endorse. "It is public knowledge that I never have endorsed a political candidate and never intend to," said Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, in an exclusive comment to the Christian Examiner. "It is not my job as a pastor to endorse candidates. But I do offer private counsel and perspective to any candidate who asks for it. I have done this with many candidates in the past. In this election cycle, I know most of the candidates on both sides who are running for president, and many have been friends for years, but they all know that I never endorse." Though Warren has counseled, advised and developed relationships with political figures across the political spectrumand spoken out on a number of specific political issues, he has avoided taking sides in elections. He famously talks about being neither "left-wing or right-wing" but instead being for the "whole bird." In 2008 both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates participated in a nationally televised public forum at Saddleback Church where Warren asked both of them questions about their spiritual backgrounds, abortion, the definition of marriage, education and a myriad of other issues. The following January Obama made Warren his controversial choice to pray at his first inauguration. Warren later became critical of the president's record on religious freedom, particularly as it related to Obama's controversial Affordable Care Act. During the 2012 election cycle, Warren planned on holding a similar public forum at Saddleback for the presidential candidates. He canceled the forum in August because of what he called a growing uncivility in the campaign. "We created the civil forums to promote civility and personal respect between people with major differences," Warren told the Orange County Register. "The forums are meant to be a place where people of goodwill can seriously disagree on significant issues without being disagreeable or resorting to personal attack and name-calling. But that is not the climate of today's campaign. I've never seen more irresponsible personal attacks, mean-spirited slander, and flat-out dishonest attack ads, and I don't expect that tone to change before the election. It would be hypocritical to pretend civility for one evening only to have the name-calling return the next day." He also wanted to focus his attention on a subsequent forum specifically on the issue of religious liberty. Warren interviewed former Republican president George W. Bush during a 2013 public forum on leadership at Saddleback. Warren has played a vocal role in a few political issues in recent years, most notably coming out in favor of California's Proposition 8 in 2008, which overturned a court decision earlier in the year that had legalized gay marriage. The proposition passed in November of that year. The state officially repealed the law in July of 2014. Before Warren's call into Christian ministry, he considered a career in politics according to Jeffery Sheler's 2009 biography "Prophet of Purpose." Sheller documents a protest he led while in high school after voters turned down a local bond that would have provided funds for a new high school building in his northern California community. Warren's leadership during the effort drew attention to some of his leadership skills and piqued his interest in a future political career. Sheler says he even began to fantasize about a future run for president. Eventually he began to realize that his desire to impact the world around him would be better served in ministry than politics. "I realized that you can't legislate a change of heart. You can't change society through laws if people want to break them," Warren said according to Sheler's book. "To really make a difference in the world you need to change people's hearts, and only Christ can do that. So that is what I began to care about." The condition of Reverend Hyeon Soo Lim, Korean Canadian pastor who was sentenced to hard labor for life in North Korea, was released to the public on January 10 through an interview with CNN. Lim said he continues to pray everyday, and that he is at peace regardless of the outcome. I pray for the country, and the people, Lim said in the interview. I pray for North and South Korea to be unified so a situation like mine wont happen again. Lim, who used to head Light Presbyterian Church in Toronto, was found guilty of numerous charges by North Koreas Supreme Court, including criticizing North Korean leaders, trying to subvert the North Korean government using religion, spreading negative propaganda about the country to foreign countries, and helping North Koreans defect from the country. He is now laboring in the North Korean prison, alone, eight hours a day for six days each week by digging holes to plant apple trees, according to the interview. When asked by the CNN reporter how he is feeling, he says with a slight smile that hes fine. The reporter notes that his condition looks healthy enough, but adds, though his loose fitting prison clothes make it hard to tell if he has lost weight. He receives three meals per day and medical care, the report says. Lim told the reporter that he has not been forced to any North Korean ideology. He also said that he doesnt need much, but did request for a Bible. He added he really need[s] letters from [his] family. I have realized so keenly how valuable my family is, how precious it is to me, Lim told CNN. Family is a precious gift from God. I would like to tell my family I love them so much. Lim is known to have visited North Korea over 100 times on humanitarian trips. He was arrested during his last trip into the country on January 30, and since then, Korean communities in South Korea, Canada, and the U.S. have held numerous prayer meetings for his release. Lims sentence to hard labor for life was announced through reports on December 16. Lisa Pak, who has been acting as the spokesperson for Lims family and church, said soon after the announcement of Lims sentence that Lims supporters are hopeful that his sentence in prison will grant more leeway for diplomatic talks. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters that the Canadian government has tremendous concern about it [his imprisonment]. The issues of North Koreas governance and judicial system are well-known and we are very concerned about someone being sentenced to life in North Korea, he said. We need to be able to meet with and ensure that Canadians are being properly treated everywhere around the world, including in North Korea and we will be continuing to press North Korean authorities to allow us access. Meanwhile, an online petition demanding Lims release from prison has been ongoing, and has some 120,777 signatures as of January 11, 5:40 PM EST. Filipino Christians are facing persecution like their brothers and sisters in Middle East, according to an Italian missionary priest. Father Sebastiano D'Ambra of Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, has been doing mission in Philippines for the last 50 years. According to D'Ambra, violence perpetrated against Christians in the southern island of Mindanao is almost the same as the persecution faced by Christians in Iraq. "The situation is a worrying one," he said. "It is difficult to establish for certain whether the violence was directed specifically against Christians, even though everything points to the fact that this was the case." On Christmas Day, nine Christians were shot down by militants, as about 200 gunmen from Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter group entered different villages in Mindanao and carried out eight separate attacks. A grenade was also reportedly thrown at a chapel during the service at Christmas Eve midnight service, in which the structure, made from bamboo, was completely destroyed by fire. Some of the men from the congregation sustained light burns when trying to salvage local language Bibles. Only five copies of tribal language Bibles were burnt, and the rest were safe. Some of the Bibles from common Cebauno language were partially burnt. "We learned that the BIFF had plans to attack civilians and our detachments so we went on heightened alert even before Christmas. That prevented the rebels from attacking villages and inflicting more casualties," Capt. Joan Petinglay, regional military spokeswoman, told The Christian Post. "The growth of radicalism throughout the world is making our mission more difficult and still more necessary than ever at the present time," Father D'Ambra told Christian Today. D'Ambra founded the Silsilah movement in 1984 to promote a peaceful dialogue between Christians and Muslims. The terrorist organization BIFF separated from Moro Islamic Liberation Front about eight years ago because they rejected peace talk proposals from the central government. The group pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2014. Steve Van Valkenburg of Christian Aid Mission told the Mission Network News that the persecuted Christians in Philippines do not intend to run away from persecution, but want to share gospel boldly. "I think when you ask them, those local native workers, they would say not to pray that there would be less persecution," he said. "[Instead] they would [ask you to] pray that the Gospel goes out and that they would have the boldness and the power of the Spirit to present the Gospel in a way that many of their friends and family become believers in Christ." After hearing the news that a Cleveland grand jury decided not to indict two police officers for the killing of 12-year old Tamir Rice, I thought of my own son. Hes five. He has bright brown eyes that can make me grin even when Im grumpy. His boisterous energy at once exhausts and amuses any adult who has the privilege of spending time with him. His favorite game is chase because he just loves to run. Perhaps Tamirs parents saw the same in their young child. The similarities between my own son and Rice and the fact that we shared the same color skin made his death and the grand jurys verdict painfully personal. But I felt uncertain about expressing my sorrow publicly. When Ive let my sadness show in the past, instead of sympathizing, people have questioned the validity of my feelings. Particularly when it comes to racial issues, theyve increased my grief with their disagreement and made me regret the choice to communicate my vulnerability. Nevertheless, several days later I shared my pain in an essay, focusing on the fear I had for my son. Ive been working for racial justice long enough to know there would be Christians who would disagree. But some comments still stung. "What are black fathers doing allowing their children to mess with guns, even fake ones? ... If you allow your kids to behave like gangsters, they are going to get killed, whatever color they are, one commenter wrote. Another dismissed my essay because I hadnt heard the testimony or evidence that the grand jury received. I would have hoped for more careful analysis from an [Reformed Theological Seminary] grad and staff member, the commenter wrote. As someone who has ... 1 Worship Leader Magazine Announces Partnership with Harvest America for March/April 2016 Issue NASHVILLE, Jan. 12, 2016 / This special issue will be filled with artist interviews (including Chris Tomlin and Bart Millard), articles from speakers and thinkers (including Greg Laurie and Switchfoot's Jon Foreman), devotionals, insights for new Christians, and additional engaging content with a focus on faith, music, and media for today's Christian. In addition to Worship Leader Magazine's regular readership, 40,000 copies of the March/April issue will be sent to Harvest America to be handed out (free for attendees) along with the event program. This March/April issue is an incredible opportunity to get your products, resources, and releases in front of 100k+ engaged Christians and key decision makers. Ad space for the March/April Harvest America issue closes on 1/20/16 and ad space is limited--creative is due on 2/1/16; please call Alissa Smith today to secure space in this special issue. 615.678.8958 / For more information about Harvest America and Greg Laurie: For more information about advertising opportunities with Worship Leader magazine: advertise.worshipleader.com Share Tweet Contact: Alissa Smith, 615-678-8958, alissa@wlmag.com NASHVILLE, Jan. 12, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- Worship Leader Magazine is excited to announce a special partnership with the next Harvest America held on March 6, 2016 at the AT&T Stadium in Texas. Along with the usual high-quality Worship Leader content, the March/April 2016 Harvest America issue will also offer a deeper engagement with the heart and vision of Greg Laurie and his overall mission to proclaim the gospel across the nation and impact a world in desperate need of the hope of Jesus Christ.This special issue will be filled with artist interviews (including Chris Tomlin and Bart Millard), articles from speakers and thinkers (including Greg Laurie and Switchfoot's Jon Foreman), devotionals, insights for new Christians, and additional engaging content with a focus on faith, music, and media for today's Christian.In addition to Worship Leader Magazine's regular readership, 40,000 copies of the March/April issue will be sent to Harvest America to be handed out (free for attendees) along with the event program. This March/April issue is an incredible opportunity to get your products, resources, and releases in front of 100k+ engaged Christians and key decision makers.Ad space for the March/April Harvest America issue closes on 1/20/16 and ad space is limited--creative is due on 2/1/16; please call Alissa Smith today to secure space in this special issue. 615.678.8958 / alissa@wlmag.com For more information about Harvest America and Greg Laurie: harvestamerica.com For more information about advertising opportunities with Worship Leader magazine: UNC excavation crew in Galilee region of Israel uncover first known depictions of biblical heroines An excavation team in Israel has discovered the first known depiction of two biblical heroines from the Old Testament. World to reach 8 billion people in November, India to unseat China as most populous in 2023: UN By Nov. 15, the worlds population is projected to reach 8 billion, and by 2023, India is projected to surpass China as the worlds most populous country, according to a new report from the United Nations. Single, non-religious young adults are most unhappy Americans post-COVID-19: report Young adults under 35 who are single and non-religious report the highest levels of unhappiness since the COVID-19 pandemic began and since 1972, when the General Social Survey began measuring levels of happiness among Americans, a new analysis from the Institute of Family Studies suggests. AZ Considers Police Filming Limits Despite Constitutional Right Arizona Senator John Kavanagh has proposed a law that will make it illegal to film police up close when they are working. The legislation would make it a crime punishable by up to six months in jail and a $300 fine to film police within 20 feet of their work, reports Ars Technica. But similar proposals have failed in others states and the law on filming police has been settled by courts around the country. We do have a First Amendment right to record police officers at work in public as long as it is not surreptitious or disruptive. The Senator Says Senator Kavanagh is aware of the Constitution and the First Amendment guarantee of free expression. But he does not see it as a problem for his proposal. He told the Associated Press, "Basically what this law says is if the officer is engaged in law enforcement activity, so he's making an arrest or he's questioning a suspicious person, you can film, but you've got to stay back 20 feet. The reason being when you get closer, you become a distraction, the officer doesn't know if you're a threat, and that jeopardizes everybody's safety, including the officer." Although courts have in recent years increasingly affirmed citizen rights to film police, Kavanagh believes his 20-foot radius does not limit constitutional rights. "The First Amendment is subject to reasonable restriction," he said. "And asking somebody to simply stay back 20 feet so you don't interject yourself into the scene and become a distraction to me seems reasonable." Reasonable Minds Differ But reasonable minds can and do differ and there are many who disagree with the Arizona Senator's position. Similar limitations on filming police in Texas were proposed and scrapped after opposition. Meanwhile, states like California and Colorado went the other way, passing laws that protect citizens from police retaliation for filming. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the legislation is just unnecessary as police can order people away from a crime scene. In Trouble? If you do find yourself in trouble with the law -- whether because you were filming police or for any other reason -- speak to a lawyer. Do not delay. Get help today. Related Resources: Christian MPs warn Sunday schools face ban on teaching traditional marriage Christian MPs have warned that Sunday schools could be banned from teaching that marriage is between a man and a woman in a letter sent to the Telegraph. The group of Conservative MPs said government proposals to subject Sunday schools and other out-of-school groups to Ofsted inspections "could have a seriously detrimental effect on the freedom of religious organisations." The letter from Sir Gerald Howarth, Gary Streeter, David Burrowes and Fiona Bruce follows an outcry from Christian campaign groups who claim the government's counter-extremism policy is "highly alarming" as it will also target church youth groups and Sunday schools. "The government's extremism proposals in current form pose a serious challenge to mainstream Christian views on a whole range of issues," Nola Leach, CEO of public policy charity CARE, told Christian Today. "We are talking about the State interfering in church life and the prospect of Ofsted Inspectors sitting at the back of churches across the UK is highly alarming to say the least." The proposals from the Department for Education came after the Prime Minister warned of a small number of Muslim groups where children have their "heads filled with poison and their hearts filled with hate." A six-week consultation on the government's plans closed yesterday and Christian pressure groups have urged the government to reconsider after it emerged any out-of-school group providing children with "tuition, training or instruction" could face inspections.This means youth groups could face sanctions "for the expression of traditional views on matters such as marriage," according to the MPs' letter. "This would be an intolerable but very real possibility given the clear desire of the Department for Education to investigate what it calls 'prohibitive activities', such as 'undesirable teaching... which undermines or is incompatible with fundamental British values'. This could challenge established Christian teaching," wrote the MPs. "Threats to British values originate overwhelmingly from certain strains of Islam. It is at least disproportionate, if not absurd, to impose intrusive burdens on all other religious groups under the pretence that attempts at radicalisation could be discovered in any organisation." The MPs join several Christian groups who have expressed their dismay at the plans. The Christian Institute said the plans, if not curtailed, represent an "unprecedented attack on freedom of religion in our country". However the government insisted it was not proposing to regulate Sunday schools as they only taught children "for a short period every week". "We are looking specifically at places where children receive intensive education, to ensure that the children there are in a safe environment, which does not subject them to intolerant and hateful views," said a spokeswoman from the Department for Education. "We recognise many out-of-school education settings do a great job in supporting children's education and our proposals are about making sure that in the small minority of cases where there are concerns raised by parents and others about issues of extremism, child cruelty or inappropriate teaching the government can take action to protect children." Cuba: Churches demolished and pastors arrested in latest government crackdown Two churches have been demolished and several church leaders arrested in the latest state crackdown in Cuba. Both churches were part of the Apostolic Movement which is unregistered by the Cuban government and were destroyed without warning on January 8, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW). "Just after 4am police and state security agents broke down the door and handcuffed Reverend Bernardo de Quesada Salomon and his wife Damaris, taking them to two separate prisons while the demolition took place," said a statement from the religious freedom charity. "Damaris was released at around 1pm while Rev de Quesada Salomon was dropped off by state security after 3pm, after the church had been destroyed. Their son was handcuffed and held in the house during the demolition of the open-air structure." The demolitions follow aborted attempts to destroy an Assemblies of God church in Santiago, Cuba, last November. Officials halted the planned destruction after church members held a sit-in at the church building. However this time a number of other church leaders in Cuba were "arbitrarily detained or confined to their homes by state security agents," CSW said, "presumably to stop them from going to support the churches being demolished". Church leaders in Cuba have pointed to the "worrying context" of these latest demolitions. Last year alone, 2,000 churches were declared illegal and over 100 were designated for demolition. Chief executive of CSW, Mervyn Thomas, said he was deeply concerned by the events and branded the treatment of the two pastors "unacceptable". "Contrary to the hopes of many that political dialogue with United States and the European Union would lead to more freedom in Cuba, over the past year we have seen a severe regression in terms of freedom of religion or belief and shrinking space for religious groups to operate," he said. "We call on the EU and the US to make freedom of religion or belief a central component of its dialogues with Cuba and to insist on improvement in this area." Demonstrations held in support for Norwegian Christian couple accused of 'indoctrinating' children Hundreds of Christians demonstrated outside Norwegian embassies across Europe last weekend in support of the Bodnariu family, whose children were removed by Norway's child protection services, the Barnevernet, before Christmas. However, one Norwegian government spokesman has said that the protests are based on a "misunderstanding". Marius Bodnariu is a Romanian married to Ruth, a Norwegian. Formerly members of the Philadelphia Pentecostal Church in Bucharest, they moved to Norway 10 years ago to start a family there and live in Naustdal on the west coast, north of Bergen. Their children were removed in November last year on suspicion of parental child abuse and religious indoctrination. Their case has been widely publicised on social media networks and has been cited as an example of the persecution of Christians in Norway. The Barnevernet has previously been criticised for removing children, particularly from immigrant and mixed families, with insufficient cause. A particular issue is physical correction, illegal in Norway but routine in other countries. Last weekend 18 demonstrations were held in Romania, Norway, Spain and other countries. The Norwegian authorities have been slow to comment on the case, citing privacy concerns. However, in an interview with Spanish website Protestante Digital, Lars Andersen, Minister Counselor of the Norwegian embassy in Spain, defended the Barnevernet. He said there had been "many imprecisions and wrong assumptions about child protection in Norway" and that children were removed only when there were "severe negligences, like violence and abuse, or when the childs health is in danger because the parents cannot take good care of him". He said: "Demonstrations are a legal way to protest in Norway and Spain, but it seems that these ones have their origin in a misunderstanding about the way Norway deals with child protection." While the case has become a rallying-point for conservative Christians, others have defended the Barnevernet. A Christian news outlet in Norway, Dagen, said that many claims made by international Christian media were "obviously erroneous" and that Norway was "not the Soviet Union". It said: "What we can categorically state is that vital information about the reasons for the resolution by Barnevernet has been omitted in the written articles. And in the campaigns against the Norwegian Barnevernet run in the social media. Hence the picture presented of the alleged Christian persecution becomes unjust." It concluded with a reference to the Roman persecutions of the early Church: "We know that the situation for Norwegian Christians is not on a catacomb level. Even if millions of Christians are now given that impression." Derick and Jill Dillard join ministry that seeks to boost marriages in Central America Derick and Jill Dillard have found a new calling while they fulfill their ministry in Central America. Aside from sharing the Gospel there, the two are now going to work with a ministry called Seekers of Souls (S.O.S.) and help people strengthen their marriages. S.O.S. has already conducted several trips to Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala to promote Christ-centred marriages. The S.O.S. workers warmly welcomed Derick and Jill, saying they would be perfect additions to their team. In a statement, S.O.S. shared its excitement to work with the couple who starred in the TLC documentary called "Jill and Jessa: Counting On." "It is SOS's privilege to introduce Derick and Jill Dillard to the Latin mission. They will come alongside Alex Lara, our Director of Missions for Latin America, to assist, preach, and engage the new regions. We have prepared, trained and now appointed them. Derick will focus on the men and young people, while Jill will focus on women and children ministry. Both of them will help with strengthening and encouraging married couples, which is mostly neglected in the Latin world, and they have already led a group from the church to a new region to preach the Gospel," it said. The Dillards moved to Central America last year with their son Israel David. The transition was not easy, and moving was extremely difficult especially for Jill who was used to being in close proximity with her family, the Duggars from the former "19 Kids and Counting." Because of her and her husband's ministry, Jill missed out on several family milestones such as the arrival of Ben and Jessa Seewald's first son Spurgeon Elliot. They also spent their first Christmas in Central America last year. The couple jokingly admitted it was unusual for them to welcome the holidays with sweat on their brows since the temperature there is much warmer than in their hometown in Arkansas, U.S.A. 'Gay people are children of God': Orthodox bishop urges tolerance after Greece allows civil unions We must remember that gay people are children of God, a Greek Orthodox bishop has urged in the aftermath of Greece allowing civil unions for same-sex couples. Chrysostomos Savvatos, the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Messinia made the comments in an interview with Tharros News where he encouraged Christians to be tolerant. "Homosexuals, like all humans, are a creation of God and they deserve the same respect and honor, and not violence and rejection," Metropolitan Chrysostomos said. "We shouldn't forget the way Christ responded to the sinful woman, according to the gospels, which became his word: 'he that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.' "That canon should be our guiding principle for the way in which we should handle every person and fellow human, regardless of their otherness or differences. The Church doesn't reject people." Chrysostomos' comments mark a sharp contrast to those of his fellow Orthodox bishop, Metropolitan Ambrosios of Kalavryta, who reacted to the law recognising same-sex couples by encouraging violence. "Spit on them, beat them up, they are not human," Metropolitan Ambrosios said in December. Later in a follow up article, Chrysostomos warned against "the moralistic approach to the ethics of relationships those who judge, criticize, blame and stigmatize everyone else except themselves." "They consider themselves as judges of the people and try to criminalize all forms of sin, to confirm the supposed "purity" of their lives and their own sinlessness, and forget that... we are all in one way or another people of sin and of the fall." He did however reiterate the Greek church's position on homosexuality and said he had a "pastoral obligation to indicate its opposition to any form of cohabitation which contradicts or weakens the standard of living and co-experiencing of the functionality of the family while alienating and tarnishing the sacramental character of marriage." Chrysostomos' remarks serve as a reminder of the division churches face around the world over the issue of human sexuality. This week, Anglican primates from around the world have gathered in Canterbury to discuss the future of the Communion in light of their vast disagreements on homosexuality. Justin Welby acknowledged that while "not a disaster," a split in the Anglican Communion would be a "failure". Hacking the human brain: Company unveils 'mind control' headband to help people with disabilities When we say the word "hack," the first thing that usually comes to mind is computers. But now the use of the word is not limited anymore to the manipulation of computer codes. Scientists have actually been trying to hack the human brain for various purposes, from offering new healthcare services to providing new ways to control technological devices. During the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the Boston-based start-up company BrainCo unveiled the so-called "mind control" headband. Developed by scientists from Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the device claims to be able to translate brainwaves into electric signals. In a report on Newsmax, BrainCo representative Zenchuan Lei said the "mind control" headband's technology can be tapped for several uses, including helping people with disabilities who use prosthetic hands. This means that the device has the potential to make life easier for those with paralysis and missing limbs. "These signals can be used to control objects like a prosthetic hand," Lei told NewsMax. "You can turn the lights on or off just by focusing on that." This promising new device employs what its developers call "neuro feedback," which allows users to control their brainwaves for purposeseffectively similar to hacking the brain. Lei further suggested that the high-tech headband could also be used to help patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. "It teaches you to enhance your focus and concentration," Lei explained. The "mind control" headband is expected to be available in the market later this year, for a price of less than $150. Also in the CES, South Korean startup Looxid Labs presented an impressive new headset that is able to track both brainwaves and eye movements, thereby providing more accurate insights into the mind. The headset, when attached to a computer, can scroll application by just using eye movement, and can click items by just blinking. "No other device that I'm aware of combines these things," Looxid chief business officer Alex Chang said, as quoted by NewsMax. ISIS advises members to disguise selves as Christians in carrying out terror attacks The Islamic State (ISIS) is now calling on its followers worldwide to disguise themselves as Christians to be able to launch mass casualty terrorist attacks on soft targets. According to The Express, a newly discovered 58-page terror manual published by the ISIS, called "Safety and Security Guidelines for Lone Wolf Mujahideen," advises its militants to make themselves appear like Christians in launching terrorist attacks abroad. For one, the booklet advises ISIS militants to use the sacred Christian symbol: the cross. "It is permissible for you to wear a necklace showing a Christian cross. As you know, Christiansor even atheist Westerners with Christian backgroundwear crosses on their necklaces," the ISIS book states, as quoted by The Express. ISIS members are also told to shave their beards and not to wear Muslim garments to attract less attention. "If you can avoid having a beard, wearing qamis, using miswak and having a booklet of dhikr with you, it's better," the terror manual says. "Your beard should be shaved off at least two weeks before you travel so the skin under your beard can be exposed to the sun. If you don't do that the fact that you removed your beard would be too easy to notice," it adds. The ISIS paper likewise urges its members to minimise the use of Muslim expressions and greetings. "No need to be using too much of the usual sentences that religious brothers use, like 'salam alaykum', 'barakallah feek' or 'jazakallah khayr' and so on," it says. The guidelines provided by the booklet also tackle the littlest details such as wearing watches, rings and perfumes, so as not to appear to be Muslims. "If you want to use perfume, don't use the oily, non-alcoholic perfume that Muslims use, instead use generic alcoholic perfume as everyone does, and if you are a man, use perfume for men," the document states. "If you are wearing a watch, don't wear it on your right hand, as this is a sign that you are religious. If you have an engagement ring or something like that, it's better to wear one in gold or better yet, don't wear any ring at all," it further says. The booklet even gives ISIS members tips on where to plan terrorist attacks. "A nightclub, because of the loud music, the drunk people and the crowd, could actually be a good location to secretly discuss the details of an operation," the paper says. U.S. 'Sniffer' Jets Seek to Detect North Korea Nuclear Detonations FindLaw columnist Eric Sinrod writes regularly in this section on legal developments surrounding technology and the Internet. There have been recent claims that North Korea successfully conducted a hydrogen bomb test. Plainly, if North Korea has this capability, there would be cause for concern. But, according to CNN, the White House is skeptical, and the Air Force may send a "sniffer" jet in the region of the Korean Peninsula to help ascertain whether North Korea's claims are accurate. CNN has been informed by a U.S. official that any type of nuclear detonation would cause certain distinctive elements to be present in the air, and collected air samples could find out what if anything occurred. The aircraft tasked would be a WC-135W jet, referred to as the "Constant Phoenix." The Air Force has two of these jets that operate from Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, according to CNN. (In addition, the US reportedly has ground stations that can help refute or verify the claimed detonation). The Constant Phoenix jet reportedly contains external devices with filter paper that collect radioactive particulates from the atmosphere. According to CNN, the Constant Phoenix program began long ago in 1947 with General Dwight D. Eisenhower; the Army Air Forces (the forerunner of the Air Force) started using certain bombers to try to detect nuclear tests by the Soviet Union. Constant Phoenix jets not only have been tasked to monitor compliance or not with nuclear weapons treaties, but they also reportedly have had broader application, like monitoring the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion in 1986 in the Soviet Union. The Constant Phoenix "sniffer" jets serve a valuable purpose. Let's just hope in this instance that if such a jet is employed, that it determines that North Korea in fact has not successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb test. The latest reports indicate that we won't know for certain at least for a few days. Eric Sinrod (@EricSinrod on Twitter) is a partner in the San Francisco office of Duane Morris LLP, where he focuses on litigation matters of various types, including information technology and intellectual property disputes. You can read his professional biography here. To receive a weekly email link to Mr. Sinrod's columns, please email him at ejsinrod@duanemorris.com with Subscribe in the Subject line. This column is prepared and published for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author's law firm or its individual partners. Related Resources: ISIS terror manual advises jihadis to 'pretend to be Christian' ISIS have advised would-be jihadists to pretend to be Christians to avoid detection in a disturbing guide on how to carry out terror attacks. The 64-page manual, entitled "Safety and Security Guidelines for Lone Wolf Mujahideen," has been translated into English and published online. It advises militants to trim their beards, wear western-style aftershave and pretend to be Christians so plans aren't thwarted by security officials. "No doubt that today, at the era of the lone wolves, brothers in the West need to know some important things about safety in order to ensure success in their operations," the document's introduction reads. "We thought a lot of non-Arabic speaking brothers would find it interesting and may apply it in their blessed operations." It isn't the first time ISIS militants have been encouraged to disguise themselves as Westerners or non-Muslims in order to avoid suspision. Taqiyya is an Islamic practice which permits a Muslim to deny his faith or live in an otherwise sinful way in order to avoid detection. "If you can avoid having a beard, wearing qamis [Islamic tunics], using miswak [teeth cleaning twigs] and having a booklet of dhikr [prayers and devotional acts] with you, it's better. It is permissible for you to wear a necklace showing a Christian cross," the manual reads. "As you know, Christians or even atheist Westerners with Christian background wear crosses on their necklaces. But don't wear a cross necklace if you have a Muslim name on your passport, as that may look strange," the guide adds. This particular manual was initially published by al-Qaeda but has been updated by ISIS to include advice on avoiding detection as well the suggestion of potential targets. The 12 chapters within the manual give instructions on which encrypted mobile apps to use and how to go online without being detected. It is one of several online ISIS terror guides. Others have included advice on how to make car bombs and how to cross into Syria via Turkey undetected. Korean-American detained in North Korea was a Christian pastor, defector claims A Korean-American man who says he is being held in North Korea was a Christian pastor in the US, according to a North Korean defector who met him and traveled with him in 2007. CNN reported on Monday from North Korea that it had been given access to a man claiming to be an American, who identified himself as Kim Dong Chul, and who said he had been arrested in North Korea on spying charges. He appealed for help from the United States or South Korea to rescue him. A US State Department official declined to comment on the report about Kim, saying that speaking publicly about specific cases of detained Americans can complicate efforts to get them released. If confirmed, Kim, who CNN said was 60 and formerly of Fairfax, Virginia, would be the second Western citizen known to be held in North Korea. The other is Korean-Canadian pastor Hyeon Soo Lim, sentenced last month to hard labour for life. CNN revealed that he spends up to eight hours a day digging holes and has no contact with other prisoners. CNN was given access to both men this week, just days after isolated North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test. A North Korean defector, Ma Young-ae, told Reuters on Tuesday that she had met Kim in the United States. "He told the churches that he was a missionary working on North Korea and sending stuff from China into the North to help poor North Koreans," Ma said, recalling Kim making speeches around California and Virginia in 2007 and seeking donations. 'Shocked' Ma, who is working as a missionary based in the New York area under what she said was security protection, described Kim as a Korean-American. "I was shocked to see his face on TV," she added. Kim had told her he was sending medical aid into North Korea and going in and out of Rason, a North Korean special economic zone bordering China, she said. A photograph from a small Korean-American online publication showed a man it said was Kim talking at an unidentified church in the Washington, DC area. Ma said Kim had once asked her and her husband to come to China to work with him but she had declined. A pastor named Park Simon, who also accompanied Ma and Kim to several church gatherings in the United States, told Voice of America that Kim visited North Korea and called him from Pyongyang about four years ago. Kim told CNN he had spied on behalf of "South Korean conservative elements" and had been arrested in October. The other foreigner known to be in detention in North Korea, and who CNN was also given access to, is Hyeon Soo Lim, a South Korean-born Canadian who was the head pastor at one of Canada's largest churches. Lim has been held by the North since February. Lim, who was 60 at the time of his arrest, was sentenced in December for attempting to overthrow the North's regime. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said after his sentencing: "The issues of North Korea's governance and judicial system are well known. We certainly hope to be able to engage with this individual and stand up for his rights." Francois Lasalle, a spokesman for Canada's Department of Global Affairs, said: "Canada is dismayed at the unduly harsh sentence given to Mr Lim by a North Korean court, particularly given his age and fragile health." Additional reporting by Reuters. Naghmeh Abedini: The US Church is pursuing fame, not God Naghmeh Abedini, the wife of imprisoned pastor Saeed Abedini, has warned the Church against pursuing fame and wealth. Having travelled across America for the last three years raising awareness of persecution, Abedini said she has observed "the condition of the body of Christ". "Pursuing fame, wealth and 'followers/numbers' has become normal in the Christian world. We are becoming like the world and we are totally OK with that. Yet the scripture has serious warnings even calling us ENEMIES OF GOD," Abedini wrote on Facebook on Sunday. Abedini has committed to a three week fast accompanied by daily Facebook updates which she began on Sunday. She has encouraged other Christians to join her fast. "May this time of prayer and fasting bring us to our knees. May it be a time of repentance and being raw before God admitting our adultery and enmity toward God. Revival starts with us admitting our true condition and turning back to God," she said. Abedini, a mother of two, has campaigned for her husband Saeed's release since his detention in Iran in 2012. Abedini shared that her Christian faith cost her dearly when, at the age of nine, she converted from Islam. "When I became a follower of Jesus at the age of nine, I had to let go of all I had been taught as a Muslim despite the cost and the rejection and persecution that came from my own family," she wrote. In a later post about her fast, she shared one of her biggest hopes for the New Year is that people would become passionate about their faith. "May this year be the year that we make the decision that being a mediocre Christian is not enough and may we enter into a greater intimacy with God," she said. Abedini's husband, Saeed, is being held in Iran's notorious Rajai Shahr prison on charges of undermining national security. He began developing home church communities for Christian converts, who are forbidden from gathering in Iran's public churches, more than a decade ago. He was first arrested in 2009, but was later released after pledging to stop formally organising house churches. He was arrested for a second time upon returning to Iran in 2012 to help build a state-run, secular orphanage and was held without charges until January 2013, when he received his eight-year sentence. New mosque in Wyoming draws protest; Facebook user says 'I don't want jihadis in my neighbourhood' A newly opened mosque in Gillette, Wyoming, is drawing protests from residents of the area, with one of them setting up an anti-Muslim page on Facebook. "Stop Islam in Gilette" Facebook page creator Bret Colvin said, "I don't want jihadis in my neighbourhood" in an interview with Wyoming Public Radio's Miles Bryan, Raw Story reported. The townsfolk also said they are afraid the federal government would put Syrian refugees in their community. "We don't want to take the chance of having a problem. Why let them all in and then see what happens when you can just nip it in the bud?" said Colvin. Bryan said in November, Colvin confronted the local mosque-goers. Members of his Facebook group even threatened to throw bacon at the mosque to show their displeasure. Aftab Khan, who said he's been living in Gilette for almost 16 years, said there are about 30 Khans living in the town and a couple of them bought an old house and turned it into the town's mosque. The family came from Pakistan. "The rhetoric has gotten so bad, so negative, so harsh that it's just stunning everybody. I mean, it's just unprecedented. It's never been that way for us, even after 9/11," said Khan. He said he went to the University of Wyoming. "I mean, you can't ask for anybody who's, basically, you know, been more of a Wyoming person than me. My whole life I've been here," said Khan, who runs a hotel in town. He said, "People have attacked my family and threatened us physically. I'm not going to sit here and deny the fact that I'm a little bit nervous and a little bit worried." The anti-Muslim Facebook page had the message: "Stop the Islam invasion sponsored by [Wyoming governor] Matt Mead and Barack Obama. Remove the mosque and Islam school from Gillette." It recently changed its name to "Stop Forced Syrian Immigration to Gillette." The group's focus is preventing Syrian refugees from settling in Gillette. Wyoming and Montana have not accepted any refugees since 2012. Palestinian Christians in Cremisan Valley 'have lost hope', US bishop says Palestinian Christians living in the Cremisan Valley whose land is being divided by the Israeli separation barrier "have lost hope", according to a US bishop visiting the West Bank. 13 bishops from North America, South Africa and Europe forming the Holy Land Coordination visited the Cremisan Valley on 10 January, an area of Palestine that is being torn apart by the construction of a security barrier. "It was very sad to see the present situation where individuals have their lands confiscated and trees uprooted," Bishop Oscar Cantu of Las Cruces, New Mexico told CNS. "This is a sign of something much larger. It seems to be a diminishing of the rights of Palestinians to be there and a lack of acknowledgement of their legitimate right to be present whether in the state of Israel or in Palestinian lands." The security barrier is being erected on land confiscated from Palestinians, including 55 Christians, in the agricultural valley adjacent to Beit Jala, despite years of legal protests. The same young people that were preciously attending Mass every Friday in order to bring attention to their plight have now resorted to throwing rocks at Israeli checkpoints, according to Xavier Abu Eid, a Palestinian Authority spokesman. The reality is that the situation is not "simply politics" but about "people's lives and about their dignity," Bishop Cantu said, having met with Nahleh Abu Eid, 76, who has lost free access to the diminished portion of his agricultural land that he still owns. "They had held out hope the land would be saved," Cantu said. "Getting their hopes up only to have them broken does no good." It is essential at this time that people continue to come and stand in solidarity with Palestinian Christians, he added, emphasising the importance of pilgrimage. "The violence has not hurt tourists and pilgrims. There are skirmishes here and there, but generally pilgrimages are very safe. It is most important to come on pilgrimage to support the Christian community here when tourists are staying away," he said. "Christians are effectively being squeezed out and understandably at any opportunity they can, they (leave)... because of the checkpoints, their inability to reach their jobs so they can make a living, in Gaza they can't get out to visit family," Cantu said. "Our job is to encourage them to stay here if they can and to advocate for them politically so they have the space and energy to work and live in peace and flourish." The Holy Land Coordination consists of Bishop Declan Lang of Bristol; Auxiliary Bishop William Kenney of Birmingham; Bishop Lionel Gendron of St. Jean-Longueuil, Quebec; Bishop John McAreavey of Dromore, Ireland; and Bishop William Nolan of Galloway, Scotland. Pope Francis: All true religion leads to peace People of God must be men and women of peace, and it's possible for followers of different faiths to co-exist peacefully, Pope Francis said yesterday. Speaking at a gathering of global diplomats during a New Year's address at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, the Pope said, "Every authentic practice of religion cannot fail to promote peace." In his address, the Pope tackled issues at the forefront of the international agenda, including the refugee crisis and religious extremism within the context of the Catholic Jubilee Year of Mercy. Using the examples of the legal ratification of the Catholic Church in Chad and Palestine, Francis insisted that "peaceful co-existence between the followers of different religions is possible when religious freedom is recognised and practical cooperation in the pursuit of the common good, in a spirit of respect for the cultural identity of all parties, is effectively guaranteed." The incarnation, he said, serves as a reminder of "the real face of God, for whom power does not mean force or destruction but love, and for whom justice is not vengeance but mercy." Pope Francis also reaffirmed, alongside the Muslim community of the Central African Republic, that "those who claim to believe in God must also be men and women of peace and consequently of mercy, for one may never kill in the name of God." He emphatically stated that "only a distorted ideological form of religion can think that justice is done in the name of the Almighty by deliberately slaughtering defenceless persons, as in the brutal terrorist attacks which occurred in recent months in Africa, Europe and the Middle East." Speaking of the migration and refugee crisis, he remarked that it is crucial not to overlook the cultural implications of seeking to integrate those from different cultures. Far from promoting the context for peace and tolerance, Francis warned that the relativism so present in the West provides the conditions for extremism to flourish. "Extremism and fundamentalism find fertile soil not only in the exploitation of religion for purposes of power, but also in the vacuum of ideals and the loss of identity including religious identity which dramatically marks the so-called West," he said. "This vacuum gives rise to the fear which leads to seeing the other as a threat and an enemy, to closed-mindedness and intransigence in defending preconceived notion." Denouncing the "individualistic spirit" of the West, he named the greatest challenge facing us as "that of overcoming indifference and working together for peace, which remains a good which must constantly be sought." "Persons are no longer seen as a paramount value to be cared for and respected," he said, "especially when poor or disabled, or 'not yet useful' like the unborn or 'no longer needed' like the elderly." Many of the issues that caused the migration crisis "could have been addressed some time ago" the Pope added, but it would have required "rethinking entrenched habits and practices" of the West, such as resource allocation and the arms trade. He then reaffirmed the Holy See's "commitment in the ecumenical and interreligious sectors to inaugurating a sincere and respectful dialogue which, by valuing the distinctness and identity of each individual, can foster a harmonious coexistence among all the members of society." Presidential polls updates 2016: Trump vs. Clinton 20 percent of Democrats likely to vote for Trump Donald Trump not only leads the Republican presidential race, but it appears that his presence is strong in the national poll. According to the Fox News poll conducted from Jan. 4 to Jan. 7, the real estate mogul is ahead of the former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, by three points at 47 percent vs. 44 percent. This is in contrast to Clinton's lead by one point in last December's poll by Rasmussen Reports. A separate survey conducted by Mercury Analytics also revealed that almost 20 percent of Democrats would switch sides and go for Trump. The Washington-based research firm found that, at the same time, 14 percent of Republicans would also give their support over to the opposing party and vote for Clinton. The poll conducted from Jan. 6 to 8 also asked voters how sure they are about switching parties. About 63 percent of Democrats cited that they are 100 percent sure of voting for Trump, compared to only 39 percent Republicans who said they are 100 percent sure about going for Clinton. The survey also asked voters how they feel about the recently released Trump campaign. About 25 percent of Democrats "agree completely" that Trump's ad had good points and only 14 percent "agree somewhat." In addition, 21 percent "agree completely" that Trump's ad represent how the respondents feel, and 11 percent only "agree somewhat." It appears that Clinton's support has dropped, but according to Breitbart, she still has an edge over other Republican candidates at least against Jeb Bush. The news outlet added that Bush is the only Republican candidate who doesn't stand a chance against Clinton. On the other hand, it doesn't mean that Trump won't face challenges. According to Mercury Analytics, Democrat voters are also strongly concerned about the business magnate's style. The survey revealed that 66 percent Democrats, 32 percent Republicans, and 41 percent of Independents are very concerned with Trump's style and temperament. "Mr. Trump's style today concerns and turns off many. However, the issues he raises are real to many voters, and if he gets the nomination, reduces his hyperbolic comments while remaining straight talking, and presents a smart problem-solving and successful business persona, he has the opportunity to reduce the Trump fear factor and raise his acceptability, while Hillary's negatives may be much harder to reduce," Ron Howard, the firm's CEO explained. Prince Charles donates to persecuted Christians after meeting Iraqi and Syrian refugees Prince Charles has donated money to persecuted Christians after meeting several Iraqi and Syrian refugees. The undisclosed gift was made from the Prince of Wales' charitable foundation to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), and follows a speech he made on persecuted Christians at an advent reception last month. The growing crisis of extremism could threaten "the very existence of Christianity in the land of its birth," he warned at the event where he also met Syrian and Iraqi Christians who had fled persecution. Neville Kyrke-Smith, UK national director of ACN, thanked the Prince for his gift and said it could have a far reaching impact. "Having met Iraqi and Syrian refugees recently in Lebanon, I know how much such help means and the fact that our brothers and sisters are not forgotten," he said. "The support of the Prince of Wales for the work of Aid to the Church in Need and other organisations encourages more people to do the same." It is not the first time the Prince has supported persecuted Christians. He has previously donated what was described as a "small token of assistance" to ACN and has regularly spoken of the threat Christianity faces in the Middle East, which he said is an "indescribable tragedy". ACN works with persecuted and oppressed Christians around the world and has recently announced a series of extra emergency aid for people in the Middle East. Last year, ACN UK paid over 1.5 million to support projects in the Middle East, including Iraq and Syria where the charity has 140 recent and current projects. Since the outbreak of conflict in the region in 2011, ACN has given more than 11 million for projects in Iraq and more than 7 million for Syria. Reviving worship of sun god? European architects plan to rebuild an even bigger Colossus of Rhodes Are European architects inadvertently reviving the ancient worship of Greek gods? A group of architects from Europe is planning to rebuild the Colossus of Rhodes, a gigantic monument erected in the 3rd century B.C to pay tribute to the Greek god of the sun, Helios. This huge undertaking, estimated to cost $283 million, involves the construction on the island of Rhodes of a 500-feet tall statue depicting the Greek deity, which will also serve as a lighthouse, a library, an exhibition hall and a cultural centre. The original Colossus of Rhodes, considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, only stood 100-feet tall. It was constructed in 280 B.C. after the Greek military successfully defended the island of Rhodes from forces sent by a leader from Cyprus, Antigonus I Monophthalmus. The enormous pagan statue, one of the tallest statues on Earth at that time, came crumbling down after a powerful earthquake in 226 B.C. To prevent the new Colossus of Rhodes from suffering the same fate as its predecessor, the project's engineering team is planning to use "intelligent systems to prevent the consequences of earthquakes and wind forces." This will be done by designing the enormous monument like a tripod, with three foundations touching the ground. Aside from the pagan deity's two legs, a third support from the sash draped over the titan's arm and touching the ground will also be built. In addition to these, a heavy steel support will be placed around the structure's base to serve as a counterbalance. The statue can also rock back and forth through the use of a suspension system. Solar panels will likewise be used to cover the monument's exterior so that renewable energy can power it. The people behind the project said they only have one mission, according to Popular Mechanics: to help boost Greece's tourism and put the island of Rhodes back on the map after the country experienced an economic crisis last year. Sin, corruption and Islam: Justin Welby on the threats facing the Anglican Communion The Archbishop of Canterbury yesterday painted a stark and gloomy picture of a Church struggling to survive in the face of sin, corruption, Islam and an increasingy secular, anti-Christian culture in the West. The Anglican voice is increasingly needed in a world where religious war is spreading, and the secular world has no answer to it and does not even understand the nature of religion, Archbishop Justin Welby said in his opening address to his 38 fellow Primates meeting in Canterbury. He also spoke frankly about Islam. "Islam is engaged in more and more violent activity in its civil war. Its violent arms subvert, attack, kill and destroy without mercy or conscience, as Christians did during the reformation. Islam's mainstream leaders, at peace but much menaced, look for friends, how do we respond?" Welby also said that climate change is another huge danger, noting that many of the 38 Anglican Communion provinces represented at the Primates Meeting at Canterbury are in parts of the world that "are literally drowning". The Archbishop's address was leaked from the private meeting. It was not published officially by the Primates 2016 website or the Archbishop's office. Although his office declined to comment, there was no denial that he had delivered the speech. The speech was, at times, almost desperate. He revealed that new figures to be published this week will show further numerical decline in the Church of Engand and admitted that the Church's success in gaining an exemption from same-sex marriage law had cost it dear, although he presented that success as a victory against the prevailing winds of secular culture. The feared walk-outs by some of the conservative Global South Primates had not materialised by the end of the first day. Archbishop Welby said there had always been tensions. "The first Lambeth Conference, boycotted by the Archbishop of York and many English Bishops, was over a question of heresy. Divorce, contraception, the ordination of women, all caused deep fractures, and were seen as doctrinal, not only moral, issues. The reality is that a Church such as the Anglican Communion is such a mixture of histories, and of theological difference, that inevitably there will be deep differences and from time to time these will lead to grave crises, such as the one faced in recent years." He also revealed his own faith was rooted in African Christianity, as an 18-year-old teaching at Kiburu Secondary school in Kenya. "That same 18-year-old then had the seed of the gospel sown into the ground prepared, when three Ugandan Bishops, led by Festo Kivengere came to England in 1975. And a few weeks later I gave my life to Christ. So for me it was indigenous Kenyan and Ugandan faith, through the Revival's legacy, that brought me salvation. I do not forget that." Noting that it is more than 1,000 years since the Great Schism separated Western and Eastern churches, Welby said divisions are not normal, but are "an obscenity" because they are "a denial of Christ's call". There is much reason for concern around the Anglican Communion," he added. India in particular needs "the truth of Christ" as wealth and poverty become more extreme, he said. "In the churches represented in this room there are a high proportion, perhaps half, who are deeply affected by conflict, persecution or both. Others are suffering from extremes of poverty and injustice, and others from climate change. "In some parts of the Communion decline in numbers has been a pattern for many years. In England our numbers have been falling at about one per cent every year since World War II. This week will see the publication of the figures for 2014, continuing that pattern, made to look a little worse by a change in the way we count people. The culture has becoming [sic] anti-Christian, whether it is on matters of sexual morality, or the care for people at the beginning or the end of life. It is easy to paint a very gloomy picture." In a particularly gloomy passage of his address, he said not one of the 38 provinces is without sin and each one has some form of "corruption" The Archbishop said: "There is litigation, the use of civil courts for church matters in some places. Sexual morality divides us over same-sex issues, where we are seen as either compromising or homophobic. The list can go on and on." For all that there is good news, however, and around the world the Church is growing, evangelising and leading people to life in Christ. The Church of England is itself "a major part of the glue that holds society together", Welby added, such as in education and tackling poverty. "A recent attempt to introduce assisted suicide was crushingly defeated in Parliament. We are exempted from the same-sex marriage act, showing that our voice is still heard against the prevailing wind of our society, and at much cost to ourselves, by the way." "The Church of England is still a primary source of leadership for communities, to the dismay of the secularists. It is a struggle, but we are not losing. And we are also in the middle of the biggest reform of the Church since the mid 19th century. We are planting churches. The Archbishop of York is on an evangelistic pilgrimage, I imagine the first Archbishop of York to do that in centuries, even perhaps over 1,000 years. And the Bench of Bishops is described by the longer standing members as the most orthodox since World War II. "Around the world it is Anglicans who serve Christ in every possible way, supporting one another in bringing peace, in defending the oppressed, in education and health, and who are active in evangelism, bringing salvation to the lost. Diocesan partnerships are often strong, and mutually beneficial. We must not despair, because for all our faults God is at work by His Spirit, and we are in the end those who are sent by Jesus as the Father sent Him." Welby concluded by pleading the case for unity. "Without each other we are deeply weakened, because we have a mission that is only sustainable when we conform to the image of Christ, which is first to love one another," he said. Jim, a 48 year old cop, went to his primary care doctor because he saw blood in his urine after a vigorous work-out. At the time of his visit his primary care doctor saw no blood in his urine on the dipstick and so told him dont worry, its probably from the exercise. His doctor was not concerned and said that some men just have blood in their urine, probably from their prostate and it shouldnt be a problem because theres no signs of infection. Two years later, Jim was talking to a new doctor when he mentioned that he had intermittent blood in his urine. Concerned, the doctor insisted that he see a urologist, a specialist in disorders of the male and female urinary tract as well as the male reproductive system. The urologist discovered that Jim had a fairly large and aggressive bladder cancer. The lesson is that some health problems require care that is beyond the scope and training of primary care physicians sometimes it takes a specialist to recognize a problem. But how do you know when you need to take the step of seeing a urologist? Here are just a few of the most common symptoms or conditions that should prompt you to make an appointment: If you have testicular pain or mass, you should have a urologist check you out to be sure it is not torsion (severe pain from twisting that must be surgically fixed immediately) or even a tumor. Sure, it might be just inflammation or an infection, but torsion or a cancer is not something you want to miss as they both require immediate action. Sadly, many men with testicular cancer go undiagnosed for months before they are referred to a urologist. Blood in the urine, called hematuria, is another reason to see a urologist yes, even if the blood is only seen once and never seen again. Hematuria can be blood that you see (gross hematuria) or even blood only seen in lab tests (microscopic hematuria). You should never assume that blood is nothing to worry about. Even though it may be nothing serious, it might be the only early warning sign of an underlying bladder or kidney cancer, where early detection can make the difference between an easy curative treatment or much more aggressive surgery if the cancer has time to grow unchecked. 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' season 8 episode 11: NeNe Leakes returns This week on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," Kenya Moore's hopes for a happy family reunion were dashed when her birth mother refused to attend and it appears that she didn't even want to see Kenya at all. Kenya made good on her promise to organize a family reunion in Detroit and a lot of her family members came, including her father, Ronald, and his wife, Kathy. While the former beauty pageant winner was happy that everyone was there, she was determined to speak to her mother as she got everyone to board a bus to go to her birth mother's house. Upon reaching the house, Kenya went to the door and knocked, announcing that she was there by herself. No one answered, but someone inside the house turned the deadbolt to lock the door. Kenya kept on knocking and calling out, but despite her persistence, the door remained closed. While things are still bad between Kenya and her mother, it appears that her relationship with her father has been healed after the two had a serious conversation about what happened in the past. On her Bravo blog, Kenya admitted that it was difficult to have a heart-to-heart talk with her father because in the past, whenever he got hurt, he would cover it up with anger and storm off and sometimes she wouldn't hear from him "for months, sometimes years." "He was 15 years old when he learned that he was going to be a father," said Kenya about her dad, adding that Ronald was a baby himself when he learned that he was going to have a baby back in the 70s. But despite their differences, Kenya said that she always knew that he loved her even if sometimes he didn't show it. "Even now as a woman in my forties, I still need my father," said Kenya. "He is not perfect, but he is my family and the only father that I have." Next week, the ladies are in for a surprise as NeNe Leakes returns to the show. Last year, the series star announced that she will not be returning for the Bravo show's eighth season as part of the main cast, but teased that she will still be around in some other capacity. The ladies will be going on another trip, and this time, the Housewives will be heading to Washington. "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" airs Sundays at 8/7c on Bravo. January 12, 1974: On this day, the Chronicle reported that a couple was suing Astroworld for $250,000. Why? In the lawsuit, the wife said, "the car in which she was riding on the Alpine Sleigh Ride stalled and was struck from the rear by another car". She sought damages for injuries to her neck and hand which resulted in medical bills and mental anguish. That wasn't the only accident in Astroworld's 37-year history. In 1972, the wife of a Mexican newspaper publisher was killed while boarding 'The Happening'. In 1969, seventeen people were sent to the hospital when one arm of the Astrowheel plunged ten feet to the ground. And, in 1968, in perhaps one of the most bizarre "accidents" at the park, a woman was treated for minor injuries when she was bitten by a non-poisonous snake on the Rub-A-Dub ride. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Houston offers an abundance of parades and events dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. The 20th annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition will begin at 10 a.m. Friday at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church of Christ, 500 Clay. Twelve fourth- and fifth-graders will deliver original speeches based on the question: "What would Dr. King say in his campaign speech if he were running for president this year?" The 12 finalists bested more than 200 students from 24 schools to advance. Information: gardere.com. "Still Dreaming: Black Lives Matter, Hip Hop and MLK's Legacy," a discussion of the intersection of music and civil rights, will be at 7 p.m. Friday at Rothko Chapel, 3900 Yupon. The evening will feature recording artists David Banner and Bernard "Bun B" Freeman, spoken word artist Toni Blackman and Rice University professor Anthony Pinn. Information: rothkochapel.org. The Black Heritage Society's MLK Children's March rolls at 10 a.m. Saturday on MLK Jr. Boulevard at MacGregor Park. Information: blackheritagesociety.org. Hip-hop artist Just Brittany will be the grand marshal for the 10th annual MLK Youth Parade, which begins at noon Saturday at the corner of San Jacinto and Elgin streets in Midtown. The parade will feature 10 floats and 20 marching bands including Washington-Marion High School band of Lake Charles, La. Information: mlkgrandeparade.org. Twenty high school marching bands from seven states will compete in the 15th annual MLK Battle of the Bands 4-8 p.m. Sunday at W.W. Thorne Stadium, 1865 Aldine Bender. Tickets are $10. Information: mlkgrandeparade.org. The Black Heritage Society's Community Health Festival/Health Fair will be 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at McGregor Park, 5225 Calhoun. Information: blackheritagesociety.org. Emmy-winning television producer Rushion McDonald will be the grand marshal for the 22nd annual MLK Grande Parade, which begins at 10 a.m. Monday at the corner of San Jacinto and Elgin streets in Midtown. The parade will include 15 floats, 30 marching bands, local celebrities and representatives from more than 150 organizations. Information: mlkgrandeparade.org. The 38th annual "Original" MLK Jr. Birthday Parade will roll through downtown Houston beginning at 10 a.m. Monday. The parade will start at the corner of Texas and Crawford. A post-parade concert will be 1-5 p.m. at Jones Plaza, 610 Louisiana. Information: blackheritagesociety.org. The Children's Museum of Houston will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a peace march, a performance of African-American spirituals and a reciting of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech. The festivities will be 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday at 1500 Binz. Tickets are $5. Information: cmhouston.org Hear recorded speeches delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Monday at the Rothko Chapel, 3900 Yupon. Outside the chapel is the 6,000 ton sculpture "Broken Obelisk," which honors MLK throughout the year. Information: rothkochapel.org. Office of the Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) The foundation of a Joint Monitoring Committee Union-level (JMC-U) was was one of the terms of the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) which was signed by the government and eight ethnic armed groups in October 2015. The NCA terms also called for the establishment of state and regional-level JMCs and talks were recently held to discuss how to best do this. MC-U Secretary-1 Dr. Shwe Khar said: "We have already founded the JMC-U, but we also have to set up not only the state-level JMC but also the regional-level JMCs. After founding these respective JMCs, we will then proceed with the monitoring activities in order for both sides to not engage in fighting. For this project, we need $21 million USD. The Myanmar Peace Centre (MPC) estimated that the cost of peace monitoring for three years will cost $7 to $8 million USD per year ($21 to $24 million USD in total). This would fund the establishment of monitoring committees and facilities in ceasefire areas, and prevent territorial conflicts and clashes between Tatmadaw troops and the eight EAOs who signed the NCA. the JMC-U discussed its projected budgetary needs for the monitoring process with more than 30 potential donors from the international community, including the UN, on 8 January at the MPC. In addition to budget negotiations with international donors the JMC also intends to approach the Hluttaw (Parliament) for state funding. Dr. Shwe Khar said that if fighting breaks out after the JMCs are established, the relevant JMC representatives would face penalties. In the event that crimes were committed in ceasefire monitoring areas, representatives would face criminal charges. The JMC was established within 30 days of the NCA signing in accordance with the NCA's terms. Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI RIDE ALONG 2: Ice Cube and Kevin Hart reunite for the further misadventures of two brothers-in-law. (PG-13) NORM OF THE NORTH: Rob Schneider provide a voice for this animated tale of a polar bear that travels to New York City. (PG) Restaurateur Benjy Levit's immediate focus is his new Local Foods set to open May 1 in Tanglewood, which will bring that brand to three Houston stores including Rice Village and River Oaks. But don't think for a minute that Levit hasn't thought beyond that. He has, and it's all about Downtown. Levit has purchased the former Georgia's Market at 420 Main at Prairie with plans to make it another Local Foods. The footprint of Georgia's, which closed in October 2014, includes the main floor, a mezzanine and a basement kitchen and bar. Levit's goal is to have his fourth Local Foods up and running by October. RELATED: The 100 best restaurants in Houston "It's a building I've always loved architecturally," he said of the Byrds Lofts building (the former Byrd's Department Store), a mixed use development that includes retail and loft condominiums. "I love the scale of the building. It's Art Deco. It's got history behind it." And potential for a lot of Local Foods customers ahead of it. Levit, whose concepts also include the original Benjy's in Rice Village and a second Benjy's on Upper Washington, said the Downtown building boom and the promise of Super Bowl crowds come 2017 had a lot to do with his decision to purchase the space. "There's no question. The building abuts the new Hines project. And it's a block from their new office building and two blocks from Market Square," he said. "I would have liked to have been one of the pioneers Downtown. Certainly other people have paved the way and I'm thankful for that. I believe in Downtown. Beyond the Super Bowl I believe in it as a place to work and live and have fun." FIRST LOOK: Revolver Bourbon Social on Washington Levit said he likes to customize each Local Foods to its neighborhood. For instance, the new Tanglewood location will feature an expanded, upgraded wine list as well as pizza and other roasted items from a wood-burning pizza oven. The Downtown Local Foods will feature a central seafood bar with about 25 seats, offering local raw bar and seafood items as well as beer and wine. The basement with its large catering kitchen will service downtown with broad catering capabilities; the subterranean bar will be used as private event space. Courtesy photo The Rienzi is teaming with Hunky Dory chef Richard Knight and beverage director Travis Hinkle for a wine dinner to be held at the house museum. "British Tastes and French Wine: A Pairing Dinner" will be 6:45 p.m. Feb. 2 at the River Oaks mansion that is the European decorative arts arm of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Guests will tour the museum prior to a four-course meal that will include British fare paired with Champagne, Bordeaux, port, sherry and Madeira. Police have released more details after the owner of a fast-food restaurant was shot to death during a robbery outside the eatery along Interstate 10 in east Houston. The shooting happened about 9:40 a.m. Monday outside a McDonald's at 5301 East Freeway near Lockwood, according to the Houston Police Department. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate It's two weeks into 2016 which means about 71 percent of Americans have managed to keep their New Year's resolutions so far. It also means people who resolved to get fit this year are looking for new ways to keep their weight loss goal interesting. RELATED: Best gyms in Houston, according to reviews Healthstatus.com examined both daily and workout routines to see how many calories people burn during common activities. From raking the yard to jogging to Zumba, the health site shows which activities burn the most calories. Some of the results were surprising. Who knew raking the leaves for an hour, which burns about 315 calories, would be comparable to playing doubles tennis for the same about time, which cuts about 336 calories? Click the slideshow above to see how many calories you're actually burning during different activities. Sure, you can see the census number growing in your city, but it's not until you're driving that you really feel it. With population growth, comes the great need for public transportation. But is it even working? Fivethirtyeight, a data journalism website, combed through the National Transit Database to find the most efficient public transit systems in the United States. The site compared the transit data with census numbers to determine the rides per capita. The Houston Chronicle narrowed the data further to examine metro cities with populations greater than 1.4 million. This fall, discipline emerged as a pressing issue at one of Fort Bend Independent School District's struggling campuses, Christa McAuliffe Middle School. District officials identified the campus' high number of in-school suspensions, out-of-school suspensions and referrals to an alternative education program as barriers to learning and a positive school atmosphere. But as the district presented ways to decrease discipline referrals, parents described the need for more control of behavior in classrooms, reporting unruliness that might not merit a suspension but that has harmed their children's academic performance. This left Fort Bend ISD administrators tasked with finding a balance between disciplining students and keeping classrooms conducive to learning. "We try to make sure that we're not punishing too many kids, but yet they're robbing the opportunities of kids who really want to be there," trustee Dave Rosenthal said. Campus improvement plan mandatory McAuliffe is a Title 1 campus, which means that it qualifies for additional funding to aid its low-income students. During the 2014-15 school year, 82 percent of the school's students were economically disadvantaged, and at the beginning of this school year, more than half of the teachers were new to the campus, both factors that district administrators referenced as contributing to the school's poor performance. McAuliffe and two other Fort Bend ISD Title 1 campuses, Ridgemont Elementary and Briargate Elementary, failed to meet Texas Education Agency standards last year. McAuliffe did not meet the TEA's requirements in student achievement and student progress. Though these standards are based off of student performance on standardized test scores, the campus' improvement plan listed McAuliffe's disproportionate rate of suspensions and referrals to a disciplinary alternative education program as one of four primary problems at the school. The other problems were high percentages of students failing to pass state reading, math and writing exams. During the 2014-15 school year, the campus, which had an enrollment of 855, had 257 in-school suspensions and 273 out-of-school suspensions, according to the TEA. Fort Bend ISD middle school students assigned to an in-school suspension, which can last for a half day to three days, are removed from their classroom but stay on campus and complete their assigned work. Middle school students assigned to an out-of-school suspension are removed from campus and placed in the care of their parents or guardian during school hours. An out-of-school suspension lasts up to three days. The only other Fort Bend ISD middle school campus with comparable numbers, Missouri City Middle School, had about 300 more students than McAuliffe that school year. Missouri City Middle School had 366 in-school suspensions and 228 out-of-school suspensions during the 2014-15 school year, according to the TEA. As of mid-December, McAuliffe has had 61 in-school suspensions and 142 out-of-school suspensions this school year, according to Fort Bend ISD. This makes up 13 percent of the 458 in-school suspensions and nearly a third of the 444 out-of-school suspensions of the total for all the district's 14 middle schools. Students can be placed in an in-school-suspension for any misconduct listed in the district's Student Code of Conduct. Its definitions of misconduct include horseplay that presents a reasonable risk of harm to other students, skipping classes, bullying, harassment, vandalism and violations of dress standards. Students can be placed in an out-of-school suspension for any of the same misconduct, but administrators must take into consideration factors that would make the violation more serious, such as the student's disciplinary history or intent while performing the action. Placement in an alternative education program occurs when a student engages in specific types of misconduct, including assault, drug possession and indecent exposure. The goal articulated in the district's campus improvement plan, which was approved by the board of trustees on Dec. 7, was to decrease discipline referrals to school administrators, thus cutting down on suspensions and placement into disciplinary alternative education programs. In the campus improvement plan, the district said it will do this by training McAuliffe's teachers to build positive relationships with students, including using techniques taught in a research-based program called Capturing Kids' Hearts. "One of the things I think makes a big impact is (teachers) meeting the kids at the doorway," Fort Bend ISD Chief Academic Officer Phillys Hill said. "How you meet the kids talking to them and observing them is just like inviting guests into your home." Should a student accrue 10 or more discipline referrals, the campus improvement plan requires the youth be paired with a campus or community mentor. In January, the district plans to hire an additional specialist in a program called Communities in Schools to help support the social and emotional needs of struggling students. Parent question lackof classroom discipline But as district officials planned how to decrease student referrals, parents raised concerns about a lack of discipline in classrooms at McAuliffe. Kerrilyn Tripp-Washington said students in her sixth-grade son's classes frequently act out in the classroom. "He's in a classroom where there's kids with behavior problems in front of him, behind him, on the side of him," Tripp-Washington said at a Dec. 7 school board meeting. "He can't concentrate, he can't learn." Tripp-Washington and another mother, Monique Henry, described the behavior as cursing, being disrespectful of teachers and talking out of turn. Tripp-Washington said disruptive students took a toll on her son's grades - his math grade as of December was at least a full letter grade lower than usual, and her son loves math. "I know he can do much better," Tripp-Washington said. The improvement plan partially addresses concerns of less-serious transgressions from students in its effort to cut down referrals to an administrator's office, but it does so with the ultimate goal of reducing suspensions and placement in an alternative education program by 200 by June. The plan wasn't changed after the parents voiced their concerns. District administrators said they had never seen behavior at McAuliffe described by the parents. Assistant superintendents Marla Sheppard and Xochitl Rodriguez visited McAuliffe in the fall with all other middle school principals and several curriculum specialists. Neither reported seeing disruptive behavior in classrooms. Henry and Tripp-Washington's children's experiences were real but not typical, Hill said. "You see more disruptive behavior during unstructured time," Sheppard said, citing passing periods between classes as an example. This month, the district will cluster classrooms not by subject but by grade level at McAuliffe so that students spend less time in the hallways, to cut down on disruptive behavior, Sheppard said. Tripp-Washington said her son will finish sixth grade at McAuliffe but may transfer to a different school for seventh grade, depending on whether his experience at McAuliffe improves. District will evaluateprogram effectiveness The district will continue to monitor suspensions and placements in disciplinary alternative education programs, Hill said. Fort Bend ISD uses an application called Skyward to track discipline. If parents continue to describe situations similar to those depicted by Tripp-Washington and Henry, the district needs to change its strategies for handling discipline, Rosenthal said. Trustee Kristin Tassin acknowledged parents' concerns and the need to address problems with discipline. "Our goal for every child is to be able to reach their full potential," Tassin said. "If we don't create an environment in which they can do that, then we are not doing our job." Next fall, the Fort Bend Independent School District school day may be 20 minutes longer, a proposition that's sparking mixed reactions among parents and staff members. "It's only 20 minutes, but it's still another 20 minutes every single day," said Meghan Scoggins, whose daughter is a Clements High School freshman who practices with the school's marching band for several hours after school and then does two to three hours of homework each night, even though she's not in AP courses yet. "She doesn't have enough time to begin with," Scoggins said. Scoggins isn't the only concerned parent. In an open-ended online survey on the district's website, 38 percent of respondents opposed adding minutes to the school day, Deputy Superintendent Christie Whitbeck said at a school board meeting on Monday. Supporting the idea were 39 percent of respondents, with 24 percent neutral on the idea. But keeping the district's current calendar for the 2016-17 school year isn't an option. The Legislature passed House Bill 2610 last summer, requiring school districts to report the amount of time students are in school not by days, as in past school years, but by minutes. Students will have to be at school for 75,600 minutes, including recesses, for a school year instead of the equivalent 180 days, as previously required. The bill's intent is to give districts more flexibility if they have to make up days canceled because of poor weather. District falls short But Fort Bend ISD students only attended school for 175 seven-hour days last year, for a total of 73,500 minutes. If the district were to use the same calendar as it did for the 2015-16 school year, it would be 2,100 minutes short of the state's requirement. This left Fort Bend ISD with the option of increasing the length of the school day from seven hours to seven hours and 20 minutes and adding one school day, or adding five additional seven-hour school days. Whitbeck on Monday presented trustees with the proposed calendar for the 2016-17 school year, which with the 20-minute increase in the school day, would require a total of 440 minutes per day and add one instructional day. Trustees will vote Jan. 19 on the proposal. A 20-person committee, chaired by Whitbeck, with members ranging from the district's fine arts director to elementary- and secondary-level teachers and principals, has met since November to develop the proposed calendar. Its primary goals were to keep the calendar as consistent as possible with both previous Fort Bend ISD calendars and those of surrounding districts. "Adding five additional days would be a radical change, and we were looking for something that would be a little more palatable, gradual," Whitbeck said. "We felt that it was the least invasive for our students and our families." Holidays stay the same School holidays, including a full week of vacation at Thanksgiving and a day off for the Fort Bend County Fair in September, which Lamar CISD and Needville ISD also have as a holiday, would stay consistent under the proposed calendar, as would the end date of the school year. Spring break would also be the same as in neighboring districts. Of the 38 percent of survey respondents who didn't like the proposed calendar, some of the vacation days weren't a priority. Instead of lengthening the school day, 33 percent of negative respondents said they would prefer Fair Day to be eliminated, and 30 percent proposed shortening Thanksgiving break. By law, the district can't start school before the fourth Monday in August, which it did under the 2015-16 calendar and would do under the proposed one. The additional instructional day would be added in April, during what in the current school year was a staff development day that doubled as a potential bad weather make-up day, Whitbeck said. The proposed calendar includes enough minutes for two bad weather make-up days, eliminating the need to schedule extra school days should classes be canceled because of weather. Adding five school days would cost the district $13.6 million more in teacher contracts and $350,000 for transportation, Whitbeck said. Teachers are paid by days worked, and since teachers are required to be on campus for eight hours, adding another 20 minutes of instruction time wouldn't require a pay increase, Whitbeck said. Regardless, half of district employees responded positively to the new calendar, Whitbeck said. Of the rest, 29 percent were neutral and 21 percent opposed. "We took the teacher perspective and really weighted that pretty heavily" especially when scheduling staff development days, said trustee Dave Rosenthal, who was on the calendar committee. The proposed calendar provides for 77,440 minutes in school, which is 1,840 more than the required 75,600. This still has Fort Bend ISD students in school for less time than students in most Houston-area school districts, many of which exceeded 75,600 minutes per school year before House Bill 2610 passed. For the 2015-16 school year, the average length of a public elementary school day among other Houston-area districts is 435 minutes. For both middle and high schools, it is 438 minutes, Whitbeck said. Fort Bend ISD students are only in school for 420 minutes daily. The Texas Education Agency has committed to granting Fort Bend ISD waivers for the 2016-17 school year for six half-days and three full days, dropping that amount of time that students will actually be in class to closer to 75,000 minutes. The TEA has given Fort Bend ISD waivers in past years. If the school board approves the proposed calendar, district stakeholders separate from the calendar committee will decide when those 20 minutes will be added on to the school day. Preliminary plans are to add the minutes on to the end of the day for high school students, and to add 10 minutes to both the beginning and the ends of the day for elementary and middle school students, Whitbeck said. District elementary school students attend school from 8:10 a.m. until 3:10 p.m., middle school students are at school from 8:55 a.m. until 3:55 p.m., and high school students attend from 7:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. How to use extra time? The district will also decide how the 20 extra minutes will be used. It doesn't have to be instructional time, and could be used for tutorial sessions or added onto lunch. How this time is used is parent Ana Molina's primary concern. She has a daughter who graduated from Fort Bend ISD schools, and twin daughters in kindergarten at Lexington Creek Elementary School. "I would rather have them with me, and make sure they eat sooner, they exercise, they do something that I consider good," Molina said of her twins. She favors adding five days to the end of the school year, but if the 20 minutes were to be added to the end of the day, she'd like to see it used at the elementary school level as time for the arts, such as dance or music. "There is no calendar that we can bring that will please everybody," Whitbeck said to trustees at Monday's meeting. "But we think it's the very best we can bring you." The Westlake Volunteer Fire Department has garnered national attention as the recipient of a first-place award for the design, innovation and safety of its new station. Firehouse Magazine honored Westlake with the gold award in the category of volunteer/combination stations as part of the publication's 2015 Station Design Awards. As part of the second annual awards program, a panel of five judges considered architecture and innovation of more than 40 fire stations across the country. Mark Palmer, Westlake fire chief, said he was surprised and thankful when he learned his station had won first place in the awards competition. "When I received word that we had won first place in our category, I had to pinch myself again and thank God," he said. "I picked Westlake Fire Department because of its innovation with the combination of full-time paid employees and volunteers - it has a very family-life atmosphere," said John Bergeron, one of the judges who works as deputy chief of the Harlem-Roscoe Fire Department in Illinois. "The station is a well-thought-out building that will allow for future growth within the community and includes the latest technologies." The second-place winner in that category was Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Station No. 10 in Virginia, and third place went to Qualicum Beach Firehall in Canada. Another Houston-area station, Houston Fire EMS Station No. 84 at 19006 Aldine Westfield, won first place in the satellite category. Architecture firms nominated stations that were divided into five categories including career departments, satellite stations, volunteer/combination departments, shared facilities and renovated fire stations. The judges were two fire chiefs, two architects and one fire protection engineer/architect with expertise in station designs. Firehouse Magazine covers fire services around the nation. After 18 months of construction and almost five years of planning, Westlake firefighters and staff moved into the 25,000-square-foot station in June 2014. Located at 19636 Saums Road, it is across the street from the department's previous station, which is being used as a training facility for firefighters and emergency medical technicians. Designed by College Station-based Brown Reynolds Watford Architects, the new station includes living quarters for up to 18 firefighters and/or emergency medical technicians as well as a large meeting room designed for the department's monthly meetings and community gatherings. Palmer said, "We currently have 27 employees and 106 volunteers and average 10 on duty during the weekdays and 14 at night and on weekends." In addition, the station is built with six bays for fire trucks, ambulances and emergency vehicles. The design of the $5.8 million station resulted after a Westlake committee visited more than 20 Texas fire stations and made recommendations. Construction funding was provided by Westlake's governing entity, Harris County Emergency Services District No. 47, which collects taxes from residents in Westlake's service area. Service area boundaries include parts of Mason Road to the west and Franz Road to the south and parts of Fry Road to the east and Clay Road to the north. In northwest Harris County there has not been a cost-free program to help victims of sexual assault. The closest nonprofit help for victims is in Humble or Montgomery County. Northwest Assistance Ministries is working to change that with a new state grant to implement such a program, said Sheryl Johnson, director of NAM's Family Violence Center, which will run the program when it launches March 1. The center currently receives calls from victims of sexual assault. However, based on its funding requirements, it can only help them if it is related to domestic violence. If it is not, NAM must refer them to one of the eight nonprofit sexual assault help centers in the region. More Information More details For more information about Northwest Assistance Ministries' Family Violence Center, visit namonline.org See More Collapse "The problem with services for victims of sexual assault is that they're extremely limited," Johnson said. "There's only eight in the region - between The Woodlands and Galveston, Waller and Humble. For a city the size of Houston, that's an extremely limited number of shelters and beds and services. We want to help fill that gap." And for some residents of northwest Harris County, traveling so far outside the area can be a huge obstacle. "That is a huge geographic distance for someone who has limited transportation or no transportation," Johnson said. "Not only for the initial level of intervention, but many are in need of support services such as a weekly counseling sessions." There is for-profit help for victims in northwest Harris County, but not any free option, Johnson said. "There are private practitioners, private therapists and, of course, law enforcement and medical facilities here, but in terms of those support services available without cost to the average citizen, there isn't any out here." With the state grant, which is just under $50,000, NAM will begin the program by hiring one staff member. The nonprofit will offer a graduated level of services as the program takes off, starting initially with community education and awareness and a hotline for victims. "The ultimate goal is to do hospital accompaniments - a certified individual who will be able to stay with them and assist them with that process," Johnson said. "And hopefully accompany them to court as well, assist them with the entire process." The program is much needed in the region, said Rebecca Landes, vice president of program services at NAM. "What we've realized is there's not a component in northwest Harris County that has services for victims of sexual assault," Landes said. "It's a very specialized service and important to support those individual needs. It's best to have a staff member who can meet someone at the hospital when going in for medical care and support them and guide them." NAM's service area, by ZIP code, is about the same size as the city of Austin. "If you think of the size of Austin not being able to provide sexual assault services, that is pretty amazing," Johnson said. "How many individuals have become victimized in this way and because of how far-flung the services are, maybe aren't seeking services at all? Or report it and then find out there's no place to go?" And many victims, if not helped, become victimized again, she said. "We have lots of clients who have been victimized on more than one occasion," Johnson said. "If there isn't some amount of physical healing and emotional healing that leaves them open to possibly more abuse. We feel very strongly that both victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault deserve to have help so they can start to heal." In July 2015, Freedom of the Press Foundation sued the Justice Department (DOJ) over the agency's secret rules governing how the FBI can target members of the media with due process-free National Security Letters, and we have just received documents back in the ongoing lawsuit. These secret rules matter because the DOJ recently released an updated version of their "media guidelines" after widespread public criticism stemming from the agency's surveillance of Associated Press and Fox News journalists in 2013. The media guidelines set a very high bar for when the DOJ and FBI could conduct surveillance on a journalist, and were portrayed at the time as a huge step forward for the rights of reporters. The only problem is thatburied in the fine print and ignored by almost everyone at the timethe new guidelines do not apply to national security surveillance tools. The DOJ allows the FBI to completely sidestep its own media guidelines and issue National Security Letters (possibly as well as FISA court orders) instead of subpoenas or warrantsentirely in secret. Perhaps worse, they consider the rules for when they can do this to be classified. Given that virtually every federal leak investigation involves national security, this could potentially allow investigators to circumvent the media guidelines whenever they wish. After we sued, a lawyer at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press found a redacted reference to these secret rules buried in an annex of the 2011 FBI Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide (DIOG), which as far as we can tell is the last version of that document the FBI has made publicly available. You can see here that if the FBI wants to issue an NSL targeting a reporter in a leak case, they follow another set of rules rather than the the DOJ media guidelines, which do not mention NSLs at all: We received two batches of documents through our lawsuit in the past two weeks and are publishing them here for the first time today. You can read all of the documents below, some of which contain interesting information and redactions about NSLs in general. And we've pulled out the relevant references to the media and have analyzed them here. First, the FBI documents state that the DOJ's media guidelines only apply to "law enforcement tools" like subpoenas and warrants, "not national security tools" like secret NSLs and FISA court orders. This is somewhat surprising given that the guidelines explicitly mention that they take into account "several vital interests" like "protecting national security," which one would think might implicate national security tools. In an email dated January 8, 2015, the DOJ references a classified annex to the DIOG that contains rules for using NSLs to seek information about the news media (we did not receive the classified annex): While the Justice Department also did not disclose to us the G.12 section of the 2011 DIOG, they did produce the part that it references, section 18.6.6.1.3, which contains the actual rules for approving NSLs, but the agency completely redacted it: Another part of that same document makes another reference to members of the news media but discloses no more information: While the last public version of the DIOG is dated 2011, it seems by the email below that the agency subsequently updated the section regarding national security letters targeting members of the media in 2014. As you can see from the reference to the "FISA portion," there are likely rules in there for conducting surveillance on journalists through the FISA court too. This is the first known reference we have ever seen to using the secretand highly-controversialForeign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) court to potentially target journalists. In the next email, a lawyer from the national security division explains that even if a "decision relating to the media" falls outside the scope of the media guidelines and to me that reads like they are talking about National Security Letters or FISA court orders that the agency needs to at least let the criminal division of the Justice Department about it before proceeding. Here, an unknown DOJ official is responding to the National Security Division lawyer complaining that a "broad reading" of the media guidelines is allegedly hindering leak investigations. (If that is true, good!) In addition, we received long PowerPoint presentations that appear to be training materials for FBI agents seeking to use NSLs in investigations, including various redacted hypothetical situations clarifying when NSLs supposedly can and cannot be used. Lawyers and journalists who are interested in NSLs more generally should look at the whole presentation, but this particular slide shows us once again that there are secret rules for targeting journalists: The same slide appears in a similar presentation in 2013. You can read the complete set of documents we received below. Our lawsuit remains ongoing and we don't plan on settling or stopping it until the secret rules for targeting journalists with National Security Letters are public. As always, we'd like to thank our amazing pro bono legal team, Victoria Baranetsky and Marcia Hofmann, who have done the hard work making this case happen. CyD PIG.PDF DIOG 18.6.6.pdf Media Guidelines DIOG Update.pdf NSL PowerPoint Presentation 1.pdf NSL PowerPoint Presentation 2.pdf Policy Emails Policy Emails.pdf NSL PowerPoint Presentation 3 (Part 1).pdf NSL PowerPoint Presentation 3 (Part 2).pdf News Media Guidelines December 2014 Draft.pdf News Media Guidelines January 2015 Draft.pdf Revised Media Guidelines.pdf Ted Cruz is the Schrodinger's cat of politicians. He is both eligible and not eligible to be president. There's no argument Ted Cruz is not eligible to be president because he was born in Canada. That's according to Mary Brigid McManamon, a constitutional law professor at Widener University's Delaware Law School. She makes her argument in the Opinions section of The Washington Post. The Constitution provides that "No person except a natural born Citizen . . . shall be eligible to the Office of President." The concept of "natural born" comes from common law, and it is that law the Supreme Court has said we must turn to for the concept's definition. On this subject, common law is clear and unambiguous. The 18th-century English jurist William Blackstone, the preeminent authority on it, declared natural-born citizens are "such as are born within the dominions of the crown of England," while aliens are "such as are born out of it." The key to this division is the assumption of allegiance to one's country of birth. The Americans who drafted the Constitution adopted this principle for the United States. James Madison, known as the "father of the Constitution," stated, "It is an established maxim that birth is a criterion of allegiance. . . . [And] place is the most certain criterion; it is what applies in the United States." On the flip side, Jonathan H. Adler, who teaches at the Case Western University School of Law, argues that Cruz is indeed a natural-born citizen, and therefore eligible to be president: Ted Cruz was born in Canada. His mother was a U.S. citizen. His father, a Cuban, was not. Under U.S. law, the fact that Cruz was born to a U.S. citizen mother makes him a citizen from birth. In other words, he is a "natural born citizen" (as opposed to a naturalized citizen) and is constitutionally eligible. To settle the matter, we don't need legal scholars. We need a beaker of poison, a radioactive source, and a sealed box. FORT WORTH - A woman who gained notoriety for accumulating the most violations on North Texas' toll roads has agreed to settle her account. A spokesman for the North Texas Tollway Authority told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that Amber Young, of Dallas, will pay $28,684 to settle her $182,598 tab. The amount covers $8,516 in unpaid tolls as well as fees and administrative costs. I finished listening to all six episodes from the first season of the new podcast, Home: Stories From L.A. It's reported, produced, hosted, and edited by Bill Barol, who has never done a podcast before, which is surprising because Home is so excellent. In the first six episodes, Bill told the stories about: Herman Stein, who composed the music for more than 200 films, including lots of 1950s monster movies: Creature From The Black Lagoon, This Island Earth, It Came From Outer Space, The Mole People, Tarantula and The Incredible Shrinking Man. He also wrote the theme music for Lost In Space. The creator of the Beach Boys memorial, built on the site of the Wilson family's demolished home in Hawthorne, California. Amboy, CA, a ghost town 30 miles from anywhere on the old Route 66, and the chicken magnate who's spent a fortune trying to keep it from collapsing into the desert sand. The winding road that led an ex-monk from Bristol to Venice Beach. p>Growing up in the San Fernando Valley in the 1960s, a place that managed to be both the iconic American suburb and an industrial powerhouse that cranked out everything from beer to cars, and moon rockets to The Brady Bunch. The sad fate of the Villa Carlotta, home to show business A-listers in the Golden Age, and later to a generation of young actors, writers and musicians [which now] sits, a hollowed-out shell, on Hollywood's Franklin Avenue. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexican actress Kate del Castillo has stepped out of the fictional drug trafficker roles she played on TV and finds herself involved in the real world of drug capos. The 43-year-old Del Castillo had her most memorable role in 2011 playing a drug kingpin in "The Queen of the South," a TV series based on a book written by Spanish writer Arturo Perez-Reverte. "It was every actress's dream," she said of the role in an interview with the Televisa network the following year. "She is a character who sleeps with married men, smokes marijuana, traffics drugs, kills people, she swears a lot and she is a big drunk." She also played a mobster in the U.S. television series "Weeds." Now Del Castillo is credited by U.S. actor Sean Penn with setting up a secret meeting with the world's most wanted drug boss, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, in the mountains of Mexico while he was on the run in October, three months before he was captured Friday. Del Castillo has long been fascinated with "El Chapo," to whom she wrote a public appeal in 2012, urging him to do good and saying, "Today I believe more in Chapo Guzman than in the governments that hide the truth from me." Del Castillo later told The Associated Press that "nobody understood the irony, the sarcasm and the joke I was making" in the letter that was posted to her Twitter account. But many saw it as fitting in with her on- and off-screen persona. "The Queen of the South set up an interview with El Chapo. I wouldn't expect any less of her," Perez-Reverte wrote in a blog. Apparently, the letter drew Guzman's attention. Penn wrote that Del Castillo was first contacted by the drug kingpin's lawyer in 2012 after she sent the public appeal, which included urging him to start "trafficking with love." Penn said Guzman sent her flowers, which she somehow missed. El Chapo's representatives contacted her again after his arrest in February 2014, when "gringos were scrambling to tell his story," Penn wrote. Del Castillo has the kind of connections in Mexico's movie and film industry to actually get a film made. She's the daughter of famed Mexican actor Eric del Castillo and has been a star herself for more than 20 years. But it was unclear how far along the planning for the movie actually was. Del Castillo had not publicly commented on the revelations as of Sunday. It was also unclear whether U.S. and Mexican authorities were investigating Del Castillo, who lives in Los Angeles and reportedly has U.S. citizenship. Penn described elaborate security measures disposable phones and encrypted communications that both he and Del Castillo took to keep the meeting secret. But apparently, Del Castillo's contacts with Chapo's lawyers weren't as closely guarded and were detected. "Another important lead that allowed us to locate him, was the discovery that Guzman intended to make a movie about his life," said Mexican Attorney General Arely Gomez said Friday. "To that end, he established communication with actresses and producers ... In fact, the surveillance allowed us to document the meetings between these people and his (Chapo's) lawyers." Married twice, Del Castillo also was linked romantically to actor Demian Bichir, who co-starred with her in the 2005 film "American Visa." Del Castillo is one of several Mexican actresses who have achieved some success with "cross-over" careers in the United States. She appeared in the 2002 PBS series "American Family," about a Latino family in Los Angeles. She has also appeared on The CW network's breakout 2014 comedy, Jane the Virgin. Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal said of the Chapo meeting, "as a Mexican, this is a very serious matter. It's not something I can laugh about." "There are a lot of deaths involved," said Garcia Bernal at the Golden Globe awards in Beverly Hills, California. "It is a very painful topic ... I cannot take it lightly." Chilean director Pablo Larrain said it appears Chapo's desire to make a biopic was responsible for his re-capture Friday, after he escaped a Mexican prison for the second time Last July. "What killed El Chapo was vanity. Pure vanity," Larrain said at the awards. Ana de la Reguera said she didn't want to comment on Del Castillo's actions. "I love Kate and she is the best and she is my friend," said Del la Reguera. "That's precisely why I don't want to comment." ___ Associated Press Writer E.J. Tamara contributed to this report from Beverly Hills. In 1977 radio astronomers at the Big Ear space telescope, searching for signs of extraterrestrial life, came across a signal that wasn't just odd, it was unbelievably strong! The signal, broadcast at at 1420.456 MHz, radiated from the direction of the constellation Sagittarius, and lasted just seventy-two seconds. When researcher Jerry R. Ehman came across the signal he wrote "Wow!" on the print out. Antonio Paris, a professor of astronomy at Florida's St. Petersburg College, thinks he's figured out the source a pair of recently discovered comets! Everything about the Wow! signal created huge interest. The frequency it was found on correlates strongly with the 'hydrogen line' and was believed to be a most-likely frequency to for Aliens to use when communicating with us. The intensity and sharp build-up/fall off of the signal led researchers to believe it came from a fixed point in the sky. Antonio Paris believes the signal was a sign of two comets, unidentified at the time of the recording, passing in front of the Big Ear. Via New Scientist: A convicted sex offender who escaped from a Houston halfway house in December is back behind bars, arrested two days after authorities alerted the public. Felix Rocha, who was convicted for possession of child pornography, escaped from the Ben Reid Center, a state facility, at 10950 Beaumont Hwy on Dec. 7. In Canada, as in the UK and many other countries (including the USA, until the mid-2000s), the big telcos are required to wholesale their lines to small, upstart competitors as payback for access to rights-of-way and municipal infrastructure. This results in more competition, faster connections, and cheaper service for residents. Bell Canada, the company that owes its fortune to nearly a century of public investment, is fighting that rule, saying that it and it alone should have the right to sell access to its new fiber networks. The CRTC, Canada's telcoms regulator, told them to pound sand, but they've appealed to the new Liberal government. John Tory, the mayor of Toronto and a former cable executive has taken up their cause, sending a letter to the federal government demanding that his city's electronic nervous system be owned by a single company that gets to enjoys billions in public subsidies in the form of rights-of-way and access to infrastructure, with no public duty and no competition. He was joined in this position by Ottawa mayor Jim Watson. By contrast, the amazing mayor of Calgary, Naheed Nenshi, submitted a 28-page letter to the feds saying that letting other companies use Bell's lines didn't go far enough: Calgary and other cities should build and operate their own electronic infrastructure. The Canadian government has received many duplicative comments in support of Bell, many using identical language to the letters sent by Bell's own top executives. The federal government decision on the appeal may be months away, but the competing submissions paint dramatically different pictures of how Canadian cities are addressing the critical need for affordable high-speed Internet services. It suggests that Toronto and Ottawa are seemingly content to wait for the large telecom companies to install new networks and have no problem with the higher consumer and business costs that reduced competition would bring. Calgary, meanwhile, is actively building competitive networks, monitoring municipal developments around the world, and promoting a more open, competitive environment. All the mayors claim their cities are working to become leading hubs of innovation, yet only one seems to be doing much about it. Why Mayors John Tory and Jim Watson Are Against Competition for Access to Affordable Fast Broadband [Michael Geist] (Image: John Tory, Ontario Chamber of Commmerce, CC-BY-ND) An honest essay has numerous characteristics: original thinking, a good structure, balanced arguments, and plenty more. But one aspect often overlooked is that an honest essay should be interesting. It should spark the readers curiosity, keep them absorbed, make them want to stay reading and learn more. An uneventful article risks losing the readers attention; whether or not the points you create are excellent, a flat style, or poor handling of a dry subject material can undermine the positive aspects of the essay. The matter is that a lot of students think that essays should be like this: they believe that a flat, dry style is suited to the needs of educational writing and dont even consider that the teacher reading their essay wants to search out the essay interesting. You might want to have online essay editor service to boost your confidence in writing with an error-free output. Academic writing doesnt need to be and shouldnt be bland. The excellent news is that there is much stuff you can do to create your essay more attractive, while youll be able only to do such a lot while remaining within the formal confines of educational writing. Lets study what theyre. Have an interest in what youre writing about Dont go overboard, but youll be able to let your passion for your subject show. If theres one thing bound to inject interest into your writing, its being fascinated by what youre writing about. Passion for a subject matter comes across naturally in your essay, typically making it more lively and fascinating and infusing an infectious enthusiasm into your words within the same way that its easy to talk knowledgeably to someone about something you discover fascinating. Include fascinating details Another factor that may make an essay boring maybe a dry material. Some topic areas are naturally dry, and it falls to you to form the article more interesting through your written style and by trying to seek out fascinating snippets of knowledge to incorporate, which will liven it up a small amount and make the data easier to relate to. A way of doing this with a dry subject is to create what youre talking about that seems relevant to the critical world, as this is often easier for the reader to relate to. Emulate the fashion of writers you discover interesting When you read lots, you subconsciously start emulating the fashion of the writers you have read. Reading benefits you a lot, as this exposes you to a spread of designs, and youll start to require the characteristics of these you discover interesting to read. Borrow some creative writing techniques Theres a limit to the quantity of actual story-telling youll do when youre writing an essay; in the end, essays should be objective, factual and balanced, which doesnt, initially glance, feel considerably like story-telling. However, youll apply a number of the principles of story-telling to create your writing more interesting. consider your own opinion Take the time to figure out what its that you think instead of regurgitating the opinions of others. Cut the waffle Rambling on and on is dull and almost bound to lose the interest of your reader. Youre in danger of waffling if youre not completely clear about what you wish to mention or havent thought carefully about how youre visiting structure your argument. Doing all your research correctly and writing an essay plan before you begin will help prevent this problem. Editing is a vital part of the essay-writing process, so edit the waffle once youve done a primary draft. Read through your essay objectively and eliminate the bits that arent relevant to the argument or labor the purpose. employing a thesaurus isnt always a decent thing Avoid using unfamiliar words in an essay; theres too great a likelihood that youre misusing them. You may think that employing a thesaurus to seek out more complicated words will make your writing more exciting or sound more academic, but using overly high-brow language can have the incorrect effect. Avoid repetitive phrasing Please avoid using the identical phrase structure again and again: its a recipe for dullness! Instead, use a variety of syntax that demonstrates your writing capabilities and makes your writing more interesting. Mix simple, compound, and complicated sentences to avoid your paper becoming predictable. Use some figurative language Using analogies with nature can often make concepts more accessible for readers to know. As weve already seen, its easy to finish up rambling when youre explaining complex concepts mainly after you dont know it yourself. One way of forcing yourself to think about a couple of pictures, present it more simply and engagingly is to form figurative language. This implies explaining something by comparing it with something else, as in an analogy. Employ rhetorical questions Anticipate the questions your reader might ask. One of the ways ancient orators held the eye of their audiences and increased the dramatic effect of their speeches was by using the statement. A decent place to use a statement is at the top of a paragraph, to steer into the following one, or at the start of a replacement section to introduce a brand new area for exploration. Proofread Finally, you may write the top interesting essay an instructor has ever read. Still, youll undermine your good work if its plagued by errors, which distract the reader from the particular content and can probably annoy them. Human traffickers used fiance and work visas to bring dozens of victims to the United States, benefiting from a lack of data sharing between two federal agencies within the immigration system, according to the Department of Homeland Security's internal watchdog. Between 2005 and 2014, 17 of 32 known human traffickers the agency examined used the visas to bring in victims who were exploited either for forced labor or prostitution, according to the report released Monday by the agency's Office of Inspector General. In addition, auditors found 274 subjects of human trafficking investigations obtained visas from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to bring 425 relatives and fiances into the country. The auditors couldn't confirm whether those cases also involved trafficking. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Houston school board voted 3-2 Monday to pay outgoing Superintendent Terry Grier a bonus of $75,420 on top of a $98,600 payout approved in November. The bonus approved Monday is based on his prior awards rather than on specific performance, the board attorney said. The November bonus was based on his job evaluation and on academic results from the 2014-2015 school year. The vote came as a surprise to at least one board member. The school board barely mustered a quorum for the agenda review meeting, which typically does not include action items. The board's attorney, David Thompson, said the latest payout was negotiated as part of Grier's separation agreement with the Houston Independent School District. Grier plans to step down Feb. 29 after six years leading the nation's seventh-largest district. The latest payout is based on the bonuses that Grier has earned over the past several years, Thompson said, noting that the district will not have student test score data for the current school year before the superintendent leaves. "It was really just a negotiated number between Terry and the board," Thompson said. The criteria used by the board to award bonuses to Grier became less specific in recent years. For the bonus approved in November, for example, Grier was eligible to earn money if certain test scores rose by any amount, even a fraction of a point. Grier's annual base salary is $300,000, plus $19,200 for car and technology allowances. He also is paid for unused leave time, which equates to tens of thousands of dollars annually. His contract guarantees him 65 leave days a year. When former Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra left in 2009, he was expected to receive about $1 million - about half for accumulated leave time, plus a year's salary and bonus. Trustee Anna Eastman said she voted against Grier's final payout because she was surprised the topic was being discussed, and four of nine board members were absent. The meeting posting allowed for a closed-door discussion of personnel that included "evaluations of the superintendent and internal auditor, consideration of compensation, and contractual provisions." It did not specifically mention a performance bonus or separation agreement with Grier. "I think it's really important when we are deciding on how large amounts of taxpayer money are being spent that the public's representatives are present at the meeting and have advance notice that that discussion is going to take place," Eastman said after the meeting. Trustee Mike Lunceford, who was absent for the payout vote Monday but will be present Thursday, took to Twitter to complain. "Why are they doing this on Monday and not on the regular board meeting date?" he asked. Trustees did not comment during the public meeting, nor did they verbally specify the amount Grier was being paid. They voted after meeting for less than an hour behind closed doors. Board president Rhonda Skillern-Jones also voted against the payout. Trustees Paula Harris, Harvin Moore and Manuel Rodriguez Jr. voted in favor. The vote came three days before two newly elected trustees are set to take office at the board's regular monthly meeting Thursday. The board typically takes major votes during those meetings, not at the Monday sessions, which are meant to discuss agenda items. After the vote on the payout, Skillern-Jones canceled the rest of the Monday meeting because trustees were on the verge of losing a quorum of board members, she said. A former teacher at Stratford High School will spend the next two years on probation after admitting Tuesday to a sexual relationship with a student. Michelle Lynn Strickland, 25, pleaded no contest to felony charge of improper relationship with a student, admitting that she had sex with an 18-year-old at his home. The assistant band director and the student began kissing and having oral sex in a storage room in the band hall during the 2014 spring semester, according to court records. The two also had sex at his home in March of that year. While the news of the day in federal court was a U.S. Magistrate Judge ruling that Jeff Pike, president of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, should be released on bond pending trial, there were plenty of interesting tidbits came up during a hearing that took a rare look at Pike's life and his secretive organization. Learn more about the FBI's efforts to send him to prison, perhaps for the rest of his life and why a judge said not so fast in Dane Schiller's detailed report on HoustonChronicle.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Bad campaign news for Rand Paul and Carly Fiorina came today. Both GOP presidential candidates have been booted off the main stage for Thursday's Republican primary debate, Politico announced Monday. Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Jeb Bush and John Kasich beat the two off the main stage in North Charleston, S.C. Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum will join Paul and Fiorina at the earlier, undercard debate. Paul told CNN Monday evening that his exclusion from the primary debate was "a mistake," and he won't attend the secondary debate. "We will not participate in anything that's not first-tier," Paul said. No comment yet from Fiorina. AUSTIN - The three Houston attorneys prosecuting Ken Paxton's securities case are about to get their first pay day. The Collin County Commissioners Court on Monday voted 3-2 to pay the prosecutors nearly $255,000 for their first several months of work on Paxton's case, which is looking at whether the first-term attorney general repeatedly violated state securities laws during his time in the state Legislature. The split vote shed light on the fierce disagreement between the commissioners court members, some of whom believe the price tag for the prosecution is far too high. County Judge Keith Self said the panel ultimately ended up voting the way it did because it has little say over issues of this kind. "I'm sure we'll cut the check in the next couple of days," Self, who has been vocally opposed to the price tag, told the Chronicle on Monday. "The court realized that state law really gives the commissioners court very little discretion." Self wanted to cap the prosecutors' fees at $100,000, the total amount the commissioners court previously budgeted for the case. He and others opposed to making the payments cited a county rule that usually requires fees in cases of this kind to be capped, but the judge presiding over Paxton's case ruled last week he was using his discretion to require the prosecutors be paid in full. But the commissioners court decision isn't stopping Jeffory Blackard, a local real estate developer who has sued Collin County to block payment to the prosecutors. On Friday, Blackard sued the special prosecutors as well, and his attorney Edward Greim said he will continue to fight to keep them unpaid in spite of the commissioners court vote. "We're going to forge ahead and attempt to get a hearing," said Greim. The case is current before Dallas County Court of Law Judge Mark Greenberg, who declined to grant Blackard a temporary restraining order on Friday. "We're also going to proceed with discovery." Meanwhile, Self cited Blackard's addition of the special prosecutors on his lawsuit to call for their recusal from the case. "That just makes it very, very confrontational, the entire system," said Self. "That raises the stakes in my mind, which is why I recommended that in order to decrease the show trial aspects of this, and to lower the temperature, that the two special prosecutors voluntarily resign." When asked if he believed the prosecutors acted improperly, or did anything untoward or unethical, during their time on the case, Self said no. He said it was simply a matter of cost. To that end, he suggested that a district attorney from another county be appointed to take the prosecutors' place. "I believe that the bills will continue to be astronomical," said Self. "I just think it's too much money." The special prosecutors declined comment on the court's vote or Self's comments on Monday. On being sued by Blackard, they pointed the Chronicle to their attorney David Feldman, who did not immediately return requests for comment. Collin County is on the hook to pay the cost of Paxton's prosecution, since that is the venue where the alleged criminal acts took place and also where any trial would be held. Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis recused himself from the case last summer, citing his long-time friendship and business relationship with Paxton. District Court Judge Scott Becker then assigned Brian Wice, Kent Schaffer and Nicole DeBorde - three Houston criminal defense attorneys - to represent the state against Paxton's bevy of high-powered lawyers. Paxton has repeatedly declined to make public how he is paying for his defense, but has said neither taxpayer nor campaign money is being used. Last month, presiding Judge George Gallagher shot down Paxton's many attempts to have his three indictments thrown out. His ruling last week said the county must pay the prosecutors in full according to a $300 an hour fee schedule agreed to by Becker. Paxton's is appealing Gallagher's decision to throw out his motions to quash to the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas. Paxton was elected in November 2014 and indicted in July. He is facing two first-degree felony charges for allegedly encouraging investors to buy stock in a company without disclosing he was being compensated by the firm, and one third-degree felony charge for funneling clients to a friend's investment firm without being registered as an investment advisor representative with the state. The first-degree charges each carry a sentence of five to 99 years in prison and a fine of not more than $10,000. The third-degree charge carries a sentence of two to 10 years in prison, as well as a $10,000 fine. AUSTIN -- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday he will travel to Israel and Switzerland next week on his third trip to promote business ties abroad. The Republican will visit Israeli businesses and hold meetings with officials in the Middle Eastern country before traveling to Davos to participate in the World Economic Forum, his office announced. The five-day trip will be paid for by TexasOne, a public-private partnership with the state's economic development corporation. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate AUSTIN -- A proposal by Texas GOP Chairman Tom Mechler to delay early voting from Iowa, South Carolina, Nevada and New Hampshire has been withdrawn -- after Sen. Ted Cruz objected. Mechler had wanted to discuss the possibility of changing the current four early-voting states on Tuesday, at the Republican National Committee's winter meeting in San Diego. Primaries for those four states begin up to a month before the others across the country, with Iowa's caucus beginning on Feb. 1. Texas' GOP primary is March 1. Mechler's proposed rule, supported by some GOP factions who thought the early primary states held too much sway, would have taken effect in coming years. Cruz is a front-runner in Texas for the GOP presidential nomination, as he is in Iowa, where caucuses in the presidential race for both Democrats and Republicans are scheduled Feb. 1. An an October town hall in Fort Dodge, Iowa, Cruz said changing this rule as "a terrible idea." He reiterated his sentiment on the issue to Mechler as soon as he heard about the proposal. "When Cruz found out about it, he called the chairman within five minutes and asked him to withdraw it," Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler told the Texas Tribune. Reports quoted Mechler as saying he withdrew the proposal because the topic is to be debated at the Republican National Convention in July, and having the discussion twice would be unproductive. The Iowa Caucus has been first on the voting schedule since 1972, a decision made to increase representation to a state that only chooses approximately one percent of the nation's delegates. The New Hampshire Caucus is held on Feb. 9, and the South Carolina and Nevada Caucuses begin on February 20. "He's been speaking to activists across the state who don't think it's fair that the first four get to go first, which is why he offered this amendment originally," said Michael Joyce, a spokesman for the Republican Party of Texas. "After speaking to the Cruz campaign, he generously accepted their recommendation to remove the proposal." Because the proposal was seconded in the RNC's rules committee, Mechler does not have the authority to withdraw it himself. He will request its withdrawal from the committee, Joyce said. THE LEAD: SOTU President Barack Obama is getting ready to deliver his final State of the Union address tonight, just two days before the Republican candidates vying to replace him meet for another debate and that fact is not lost on the White House. As the Associated Press reports this morning, Obama will strike an optimistic tone, taking direct aim at the doom and gloom stump speeches from Republicans this election season. "After six years of pitching ambitious proposals in his annual speech to Congress, Obama plans to take a rhetorical step back this year as he opens the final stretch of his presidency, in which he has less control over the nation's political agenda than ever before. By returning to the hopeful tenor of his two presidential campaigns, Obama also hopes to give voice to themes that Democrats can embrace in their campaigns to replace him and win back control of Congress. But the country Obama has led for the last seven years doesn't always see it the same way." Happy Tuesday, yall, and sorry for the delay. Tell us how youre getting ready for the presidents last State of the Union when you email me tips and treats at bobby.cervantes@chron.com or tweet me @BobbyCervantes. SIREN: Morgan Stanley sees oil bust as worst since at least 1970, by the Chronicles Collin Eaton. Oil prices dropped again Monday, extending 2016's unbroken losing streak and worsening a bust in Houston's key industry that is shaping up as the most severe in almost half a century. Morgan Stanley said the crash in crude markets has pushed prices down further and lasted longer than the five other major downturns since 1970 - even the one in the mid-1980s that left Texas' economy reeling. http://goo.gl/tM0Ckn The three Houston attorneys prosecuting Ken Paxton's securities case are about to get their first pay day. "The Collin County Commissioners Court on Monday voted 3-2 to pay the prosecutors nearly $250,000 for their first several months of work on Paxton's case, which is looking at whether the first-term attorney general repeatedly violated state securities laws during his time in the state Legislature. The split vote shed light on the fierce disagreement between the commissioners court members, some of whom believe the price tag for the prosecution is far too high. County Judge Keith Self said the panel ultimately ended up voting the way it did because it has little say over issues of this kind, by the Chronicles Lauren McGaughy.http://goo.gl/L99Nbv Abbott unleased: Why the governors call for a convention of states is worth considering, by Texas Monthlys Erica Grieder. For those of us in Texas, theres an additional upside to Abbotts proposal. Hes guaranteeing that the 85th Legislature spend some time debating his ideas about the Constitution, I suppose, but by the same token, hes effectively pre-empting the revival of the ones that were on offer last year. Personally, Id much rather see the Lege debate Greg Abbotts arguments about the Tenth Amendment than the constitutional carry movements claims about the Second, or Michael Quinn Sullivans preferences about the First.http://goo.gl/6BrTLm Ted Cruz is running a well-organized campaign. His super PACs not so much, by The Washington Posts Matea Gold and Katie Zezima. At least eight independent political groups are jockeying to support Cruz now that he has risen in the polls as perhaps the strongest challenger to frontrunner Donald Trump. The dynamic has confused wealthy donors and brought disarray to the otherwise orderly political operation that surrounds the freshman senator from Texas. https://goo.gl/S5gI3A The lineup for this weeks GOP debate, the first of the new year, by the APs Steve Peoples: Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and former technology executive Carly Fiorina will not appear on the primetime debate stage when the Republican Party's 2016 presidential class faces off later this week in South Carolina. Debate host Fox Business Network announced the debate lineup Monday evening, dealing a blow to both candidates three weeks before Iowa's leadoff presidential caucuses. Just seven candidates the smallest Republican group so far will be featured in Thursday's 9 p.m. ET main event, based on criteria established by the network that relied on recent polls. Paul and Fiorina were invited to participate in a 6 p.m. ET undercard debate, although Paul said he would skip the second-tier faceoff. http://goo.gl/mCZmrV SPEED READ Four Texans will be guests at Obamas last SOTU, The Dallas Morning News Texas Take: Finding a difference in CD-29, Houston Chronicle Senate Transpo leader says fingerprinting should be mandated statewide for Uber, Lyft, Quorum Report State seeks to halt civil suit in Sandra Bland case, Houston Chronicle Rangers forward McKinney poll party investigation to Collin County prosecutors, The Dallas Morning News Will Hurd took in $300,000 in Q4, Politico Former head of pro-Carson super PAC now supporting Cruz, Politico Julian Castro warns Latinos would suffer if GOP abandons health law, The New York Times Potential for new border crisis prompted immigrant raids, Associated Press Blue Bell says ice cream safe despite potential concern, Associated Press Administrator at UVA named UTs provost, Austin American-Statesman A look at the extradition process for El Chapo, Associated Press Trump jabs Cruz by playing Born in the USA at rallies, The Dallas Morning News The robo-calling white nationalist who hopes one issue will lead Iowa voters to Trump, Washington Post RACE TO 2016 Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) said Monday that the birthplace of Sen. Ted Cruz is 'fair game,' adding to a growing chorus questioning whether the Texas Republican's Canadian birth could affect his ability to secure the GOP presidential nomination, by WaPos Katie Zezima. https://goo.gl/6nuUlL Big-money outside groups have spent more than $143 million in the presidential race in the six months since any of them were required to reveal their donors, according to a POLITICO analysis of campaign and advertising records. The origins of some of that cash will never be revealed, while the rest of it wont become known until midnight on Jan. 31 meaning that voters wont know who funded the majority of the ads in the presidential race until just hours before Iowa voters head to their states pivotal caucuses, by Politicos Ken Vogel. http://goo.gl/TGGJyc Nobody questions Bernie Sanders' authenticity on issues related to income inequality, Vice President Joe Biden remarked in an interview. In weighing in on why he thought the Democratic race remained competitive nationally and in early voting states, Biden lavished Sanders with praise for his credibility while contrasting Clinton as a relative newcomer to the issues that the Vermont senator has devoted much of his public life to addressing, by Politicos Nick Gass. http://goo.gl/R62i9M Facing new pressure from Senator Bernie Sanders in Iowa, Hillary Clinton confronted him in direct terms on Monday, warning Iowans that if elected president, he would put their health insurance in the hands of Republican governors and raise taxes on the middle class. Sharpening her tone as new polling suggested that Mr. Sanders was closing in on her in the state, Mrs. Clinton assailed Mr. Sanders by name, telling 300 people on a frigid and snowy day here, I think its time for us to have the kind of spirited debate that you deserve for us to have, by NYTs Alan Rappeport. http://goo.gl/AqeCd5 Hillary Clinton races to close enthusiasm gap with Bernie Sanders in Iowa, by NYTs Patrick Healy and Yamiche Alcindor . Audiences for Mrs. Clinton have yet to grow to consistently match those for Mr. Sanders, and the typical reception for her was evident on Monday in Waterloo. About 300 people welcomed Mrs. Clinton enthusiastically and listened to her diligently, but many of them, still unsure, rebuffed Clinton aides trying to get them to sign commitment cards to caucus for her. http://goo.gl/OKYHRf The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p. As part of a recently announced legal settlement with representatives of the Muslim community, the NYPD has agreed to purge materials critical to understanding the threat to New York City from domestic Islamic terrorism. The plaintiffs in Raza v. City of New York and Handschu v. Special Services Division charged that the NYPD had targeted Muslims for surveillance solely because of their religious affiliation. Among other things, the settlement stipulates that the NYPD must remove from its website a comprehensive 2007 report authored by senior analysts Mitchell D. Silber and Arvin Bhatt. Radicalization in the West identified homegrown Islamic terrorism as the primary extremist threat to New York City. As then-police commissioner Ray Kelly noted in a preface, the reports aim was to assist policymakers and law enforcement officials around the country by providing a thorough understanding of the danger posed by domestic terrorists. It also sought to help intelligence and law enforcement agencies better understand the radicalization process. Based on a rigorous analysis of almost a dozen jihadist plots across the U.S. and Europe, the report identified the enemys ideology on its own terms. The report didnt say that jihadism had nothing to do with Islam; nor did it suggest that Islam was a religion of peace. Its sole concern was assessing the jihadist threat, not undertaking an Islamic exegesis. From the day the report was released, Muslim groups pounced. By afternoon, American-Muslim organizations had issued press releases criticizing the report, Time noted in 2007. The Council on American-Islamic Relations said it cast suspicion on all U.S. Muslims, even though the report repeatedly stresses that there is no obvious way to profile would-be terrorists. What did they find so objectionable? According to the complaint filed in Raza, the report provided the analytic underpinnings for the NYPDs Muslim Surveillance Program. The plaintiffs asserted that the program stigmatizes an entire faith community and invites discrimination. It specifically singles out Muslims for profiling and suspicionless surveillance because of their religious beliefs and practices. The Raza plaintiffs sought to have the program shut down, arguing that it operated on a false and unconstitutional premise: that Muslim religious belief and practices are a basis for law enforcement scrutiny. Now, the NYPD has agreed not only to remove Silber and Bhatts report from its website, but the terms of the settlement also require the NYPD to assert that it does not, has not, and will not rely upon the report to open or extend investigations. Within 24 hours of the settlement, however, events conspired to underscore the danger it potentially presents. In Philadelphia, a self-identified jihadist attempted to assassinate a policeman. Edward Archer fired 13 shots at Officer Jesse Hartnett, striking him with three. Archer reportedly told investigators while in custody that he follows Allah, and that is the reason he was called upon to do this. Further, according to Philadelphia police captain Richard Ross, Archer believed that the police defend laws that are contrary to the teachings of the Quran. In 2012, Archer allegedly traveled to and spent several months in Egypt. According to his mother, he was a devout Muslim who had practiced the faith for an extended period of time. Despite Archers words and actions, and the reports of Philadelphia law enforcement officers involved in the investigation, the citys mayor declared during a press conference, In no way, shape or form does anyone in this room believe that Islam or the teaching of Islam has anything to do with what youve seen on the screen. Tragic as it nearly was, the Philadelphia shooting couldnt have been timelier. Archer fits the exact profile that Silber and Bhatt sketched in their reportas do most examples in recent memory of American jihadists. Religious ideology is not incidental to jihad; its central. For Islamists, jihad is an intrinsic part of a pious Muslims religious duties. All Muslims are not jihadists, but all jihadists are self-identified Muslims. Yet, New York mayor Bill de Blasio appears willing to pursue the see-no-Islam policy preferred by Philadelphias mayor. And, according to a 2013 report from Judicial Watch, a similar purge of materials linking Islamic ideology to jihad has already occurred at the federal level, with apparently disastrous consequences, given the mushrooming domestic jihadist threat. More than any other area of government, national security and defense must be insulated from political correctness. To remove analyses that might give us insight into our enemies represents a dereliction of duty by our political representatives. Political correctness can and will get Americans killed. If we are to defeat the threat from Islamic terrorism, we must dispense with euphemisms, take off our blinders, and see our enemy clearly. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images Back in the mid-1990s, when Galapagos Arts Space opened in Brooklyn, the borough was just beginning its artist-led transformation. Twenty years later, glittering high-rises adorn the Williamsburg riverfront and tower over the neighborhoods clubs, galleries, studios, and bars. In 2013, Galapagos and its leader Robert Elmes wagered that artists could do for Detroit what they had done for Williamsburg. Now that bet is paying off, more dramatically than anyone could have expected. Galapagos purchased nine properties in the Motor City, including a 138,000-square-foot building in the Corktown neighborhood. The property was purchased for $500,000; today, it is back on the market with an astonishing asking price of $6.25 million. This is quite an achievement, and exactly what the city had in mind when it began aggressively courting writers and artists to relocate several years ago. Yet not everyone is happy with how things turned out. Vince Carducci, publisher of the Motown Review of Art blog, writes that he has mixed emotions about the sale because he fears the profit motive is overtaking the cultural motive. He cited community backlash, including a t-shirt that reads: I PAINT IN MY KITCHEN. AT NIGHT. F**K OFF. The slogan was a response to a statement on the Galapagos website that read: You cant paint at night in your kitchen and hope to be a great artist. Social media has also been alive with condemnation of the propertys sale. Some view Galapagos as guilty of a capitalist betrayal of artistic principles. The criticism is unfair. Art isand always has beena key component in the economic health of cities. Amenities such as galleries and theatersand the restaurants and bars that thrive alongside themare a big reason why people live and invest in cities. This month, the Washington Post described Detroit as an emerging food Mecca where young chefs are free to experiment because of low rents. This means jobs, increased income for the city, and, frankly, the chance for a revival of civic pride. So whats the catch? Why are so many in the art world troubled by a rare piece of good news in a city that has been down for so long? The answer is simple: fear of gentrification. The termteeming with implications about class and racehas become a boogeyman. It implies white hipsters invading minority neighborhoods, displacing the rightful residents with their crepes and modern adaptations of Moliere. The gentrification question has led to nasty artistic infighting in Williamsburgs next-door neighborhood, Bushwick. The trouble began when the Fuchs Projects gallery announced an event to celebrate Bushwicks 200 most innovative residents. When some longtime residents and activists accused the event of being a racist example of white colonization, another gallery owner fought back. Ethan Pettit, a longtime proponent of artists positive impact on decrepit neighborhoods, lashed out against the naysayers. He argued, as he did in a recent TED talk, that artists plant the seeds for growth in urban areas. This led Rafael Fuchs to distance himself and his gallery from Pettits sentiments and eventually to cancel his event out of fears that it was fostering racism. The legitimate root of this fear of artist-driven gentrification is that property valuesand rentsincrease when artists arrive in a neighborhood. Longtime residents get priced out (artists do too, eventually). But there is a key difference between Williamsburg and Bushwick. In Williamsburg, 40 percent of households own their housing, a number that was likely much higher when the gentrification began in the nineties. In Bushwickwhere gentrification has been slow to take holdonly 35 percent of households own their units. Obviously, rising property values help owners and hurt renters. One can easily see why there would be pushback against rising rents. In Detroit, 70 percent of households own their housing, so most residents stand to gain from dramatic rises in property values such as Galapagoss Corktown windfall. In addition, boosting property values will swell the citys tax base, creating new money for municipal services. Progressives and artists may see it as impure, but the artist-driven gentrification of Detroit is an objectively positive development for the beleaguered city. Its important to remember that Galapagos Art Space had no guarantee of such staggering profit when it relocated to Detroit. At a time when few businesses were willing to take a chance on the city, Galapagos did. It wasnt just a beneficiary of gentrification; it was an engine for it. Meanwhile, its reasonable to expect that much of the profit from the sale will go back into Galapagoss other eight arts spacesand its programming. Just as some look back with fondness to the crime-ridden New York City of the 1980s, there are those who prefer Detroits authentic blighted ghettos to a whitewashed urban future. This is a naive and dangerous attitude. There is nothing authentic about poverty and crime; they are conditions to be overcome, not celebrated. And if artists can help to overcome them, we should not blush if they also happen to make a few bucks. There is an important lesson in all of this for government as well. Far too much of government spending on the arts goes to supporting programming. Winners and losers are chosen among existing arts organizations by donors and direct government grants. Too little attention and funding is directed at infrastructure. Detroit made itself an attractive destination for artists; this should be used as a model across the country. Hipster artists are targets of mild derision across our culture, even among themselves. The white belts, beards, and bespoke brownies are easy to poke fun at. But behind all the laughter and parody lies an important truth. They are risk-takers and good citizens of their adopted communities. Like it or not, Detroit cant be reborn unless people with means want to go and spend money there. That includes a couple going out for dinner and a show, and developers dropping millions on property worth thousands only a few years ago. Galapagos Arts Space should be proud of what it has done. Anyone who cares about the future of Detroit should be grateful. Women in Online Work program pentru femeile care isi doresc sa munceasca in companii internationale, de la biroul de acasa Sean Penns career as a journalist is not without its achievements. Over the years, Penn has scored interviews with President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Raul Castro of Cuba. He has pushed up against authoritarian governments, like the time in 2005 when he had his camera confiscated by Iranian officials while on assignment in Tehran for The San Francisco Chronicle. Penns bon vivant approach rejects the rules of conventional journalism. He styles himself as more intrepid, more courageous, more resourceful, and more independent than mainstream reporters. His contempt for the media and its role is even more pronounced when he is the subject of its scrutiny. In 2010, he physically assaulted photographers who stalked him outside his Los Angeles home, an incident captured on video. Even journalists trying to cover his relief work in Haiti are kept at arms length. The irony is that Penns journalistic practiceshis focus on the big get, his softball questions, his overheated prose, pre-publication approvalbear the hallmarks of the celebrity journalism he claims to disdain. This paradox (to use Penns word) is evident in his most recent reporting foray into Mexico to interview Joaquin Guzman Loera, the leader of the Sinaloa cartel better known by his nickname, El Chapo, or Shorty. According to Penns account of his meeting with El Chapo, published in Rolling Stone, the interview came about through the intervention of Mexican actress Kate del Castillo. After playing a drug capo on a Mexican soap opera, del Castillo posted a message on Twitter urging El Chapo to traffic in love instead of drugs. Guzman responded through intermediaries, sending flowers to del Castillo. They began to correspond regularly. Guzman wanted to interest del Castillo in producing a movie based on his life. Penn arranged to accompany del Castillo to a meeting with Guzman to discuss a potential movie project. Before the trip, Penn secured an assignment to interview Guzman for Rolling Stone, seeing the glamorous actress as the gateway to exclusive access to the fugitive drug lord. Penns story, at an astonishing 11,000 words, is a mix of political rationalization, travelogue, atmospherics, and a short video interview with Guzman conducted when a deal for a face-to-face interview collapsed. What did we learn? We learn that El Chapo is a drug trafficker, and not just a simple farmer as he had previously claimed. We learn that the tunnel makers who helped Guzman escape from a high security prison received training in Germany. We learn that some of the lawyers who visited Guzman in prison were actually his lieutenants. Sign up for CJR 's daily email These new elements are interesting, if not exactly earth-shattering. But by his own admission, Penn did not show up at the interview with Guzman prepared to ask the tough questions. He didnt even have a pen. He speaks no Spanish. He spent seven hours with Guzman, but gave us very little idea what they spoke about. In the short follow up interview, conducted by video, Guzman is clearly in control, giving largely desultory answers to softball questions. This is the version of the story authorized by El Chapo, said Lydia Cacho, one of Mexicos leading investigative journalists, who has probed official corruption and complicity with the criminal underworld in books and articles. No self respecting journalist would negotiate an interview like this, certainly not those who have risked our lives in Mexico, she told me. With more than 50 journalists killed and disappeared in the last eight years, Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for the press. Through violence and intimidation, the drug cartels control much of what is reported and not reported in large swaths of the country. Those who defy the cartels system of information management do so at grave risk. Ive had many opportunities to interview the big bosses, their people have sought me out, continued Cacho. Ive declined, not because I doubt such interviews are journalistically pertinent, but because they have killed many colleagues, because they have thrown bombs in newspapers in which I publish. I know first hand the suffering that their cruelty has caused in my country and an interview of this nature implies a tactical agreement with mafiosos that my ethics prevent me from accepting. While fiercely defending Penns right to meet with El Chapo and to express his ideas, other leading reporters in Mexico with whom I consulted shared Cachos view. I dont consider Sean Penn to be a journalist, I consider him an excellent actor, said Adela Navarro, the courageous editor of Zeta, a weekly newspaper in Tijuana that has seen a number of its reporters gunned down by traffickers. Without the context of the streets, without being a journalist in our country, Penn limits himself to asking El Chapo personal questions, which are not newsworthy or interesting to most Mexicans. We want to know who did he pay to escape, who in the government and the big corporations are helping him launder money. How many has he ordered to be killed. Questions like these. If Sean Penn was a journalist, the first question he would have asked El Chapo is, How many Mexican journalists have been killed on your orders? added Alejandro Paez Varela, the editor of investigative website Sin Embargo. I come at the issue from a different perspective. While I wish that Penn had identified more with Mexican reporters who have suffered so tremendously while covering drug trafficking and the web of official corruption that protects it, I have no doubt that he was in Mexico as a journalist. After all, he was on assignment for Rolling Stone and he was there to get information that he intended to disseminate to the public. By exposing examples of casual complicitythe soldiers who wave El Chaps men through roadblocksPenns story helped counter the official narrative in Mexico. But in the end, what Penn produced was not an interview and certainly not a piece of investigative journalism. It fits more neatly into another journalistic genre: The celebrity profile. Penns story is an exercise in myth making that for the most part lets El Chapo tell his own story. Ironically, it was the mutually reinforcing hubris between Penn and his subject that appears to have led the Mexican authorities to El Chapos door. Surveillance photographs published in the the Mexico City daily El Universal show that Mexican intelligence was tracking Penn and del Castillo the moment they landed in Mexico from Los Angeles. Aside from apparently blowing El Chapos cover, Penn also committed another journalistic sin, which was to conflate the risk he took in reporting the story with the value of the information obtained. Sure, it takes plenty of guts to travel to Mexico and land an interview with El Chapo. It also takes some courage to stick a camera in Sean Penns face. While neither will necessarily produce great insights, celebrity journalism is part of the free speech package. If the Mexican authorities try to come after Pennas they have threatened to doIll be first to defend him. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Joel Simon is a fellow at Tow Center for Digital Journalism. His next book is The Infodemic: How Censorship Made the World Sicker and Less Free co-authored with Robert Mahoney. A county official says an elevation change on a Day County highway is partly responsible for the high accident rate along that stretch. Day County Emergency Management director Wes Williams calls the area going east from Andover to a curve along U.S. Highway 12 the devils triangle because of its danger. If theres ever snow or ice, it appears there first, Williams said.Im a retired Highway Patrol trooper, and over the years, theres been accidents there. The South Dakota Department of Transportation says that theres a 200-foot change in elevation over the course of 3 1/2 miles on that section of highway. Williams said he has responded to numerous reports of vehicles in the ditch by the Wheat Growers elevators. Ive been over there and been in a ditch myself in a patrol car, Williams said. Ive never had a crash or hit something, but I do know that its not a good area. Mark Christensen, who provides Day Countys ambulance services, said he has responded to more traffic accidents on that curve than any other roadway in the county. He spoke about the high rate of problems along the curve during the Day County Commission meeting last month after his ambulance service contract was renewed, The American News reported. In a phone interview, Christensen said a majority of contributing factors are alcohol or operator error. He said the curves are at a wide angle, and that he doesnt think people are paying attention. Even drivers who are attentive, he said, might not anticipate the sudden presence of snow and ice with the higher elevation. Its a nasty area, he said. You could be coming out of the Bristol area and it can be fine, then you hit the curves and its black ice, he said. You can run into snow, too. There is a definite change there at any given time that drivers are not aware of. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The government is falling short in ensuring airline pilots keep up their flying skills and get full training on how to monitor sophisticated automated control systems in cockpits, according to the Transportation Departments internal watchdog. Most airline flying today is done through automated systems that pilots closely monitor. Pilots typically use manual flying skills only briefly during takeoffs and landings. Studies and accident investigations have raised concern that pilots manual flying skills are becoming rusty and that pilots have a hard time staying focused on instrument screens for long periods. But the Federal Aviation Administration isnt making sure that airline training programs adequately address the ability of pilots to monitor the flight path, automated systems and actions of other crew members, the Transportation Departments Office of Inspector General found. Only five of 19 airline flight simulator training plans reviewed by investigators specifically mentioned pilot monitoring. The FAA also isnt well positioned to determine how often airline pilots get a chance to manually fly planes and hasnt ensured that airline training programs adequately focus on manual flying, according to the report, obtained by The Associated Press. It has not been released publicly. In January 2013, the agency issued a safety alert to airlines encouraging them to promote opportunities for pilots to practice manual flying in day-to-day operations and during pilot training. But the FAA hasnt followed up to determine whether airlines are following the recommendation, the report said. The FAA published new rules in 2013 requiring airlines to update their training programs to enhance pilot monitoring and manual flying skills, but the agency is still working on guidance to airlines on how to do that, the report said. Airlines arent required to comply with the rules until 2019, the report said. Because FAA hasnt determined how carriers should implement the new requirements or evaluated whether pilots manual flying time has increased, the agency is missing important opportunities to ensure that pilots maintain skills needed to safely fly and recover in the event of a failure with flight deck automation or an unexpected event, the report said. The rules on enhancing training were prompted in part by the 2009 crash of a regional airliner while approaching Buffalo, New York. The crash killed all 49 people on board and a man on the ground. An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that the pilots werent closely monitoring the planes airspeed, which began to decrease to dangerously slow levels. Thus the captain was startled when a safety system called a stick shaker automatically went on, violently rattling the control yoke. Instead of pointing the plane downward to pick up speed, the captain pulled back on the yoke to increase altitude. That slowed the plane even more, eventually leading to an aerodynamic stall. The plane fell from the sky and landed on a house. The board concluded that the monitoring errors by the flight crew demonstrated the need for more specific training on active monitoring skills. The U.S. and other countries are transitioning to satellite-based air traffic systems and reducing their reliance on radar. Among the advantages of satellite-based navigation is that planes can fly more direct routes, reducing flying time. But the precision of automation is needed to allow planes to safely fly closer together and to increase takeoffs and landing in order to reduce congestion and meet growing demands for air travel. As automation increases, pilots have fewer opportunities to use manual flying skills. Industry studies and committees have found that pilots who dont get to use their manual flying skills may not be prepared to handle unexpected events. Two of the nine airlines visited by investigators actively discouraged pilots from manual flying under normal conditions. The opportunities air carrier pilots have during live operations to maintain proficiency in manual flight are limited and likely to diminish, the report said. While the FAA has taken steps to emphasize the importance of pilots manual flying and monitoring skills, the agency can and should do more to ensure that carriers are sufficiently training their pilots on these skills. Clay Foushee, the FAAs director of audits and evaluations, said in comments submitted to the inspector general that the FAA is concerned about an overreliance on automation and the importance of training pilots to handle unexpected events and manually fly an aircraft. He said the FAA agrees with a recommendation about developing standards to determine whether pilots have enough opportunities to practice manual flying skills. The FAA hopes to provide guidance to airlines on pilot monitoring by Jan. 31, 2017, he said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. One of the most important players in the booming drone industry isnt a hardware manufacturer; its the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. So attendees at the Consumer Electronics Show last week flocked to hear a policy update from the FAA, which has begun to regulate drone use more aggressively. In the two weeks or so since the agency started requiring hobbyists to register drones larger than 0.55 pounds, 181,061 drones have been registered as of Wednesday morning, said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. The FAA is working to support third-party apps that would allow people to scan a code located on a drone to register it immediately, said Huerta, whos attending CES for the first time. The FAA previously said as many as a million consumer drones would be sold during the holiday season. Starting on Dec. 21, hobbyists who bought drones had to register on the FAAs website. Those who already owned the devices have until Feb. 19 to register. The FAA expects to finalize rules for commercial drones this spring, Huerta said. CES is buzzing with drones. The organizers of CES, the worlds largest annual technology conference, said the U.S. market reached $105 million in revenue, an increase of more than 50 percent from the year before. For the second consecutive year, a special corner of the exhibit hall was set aside for the flying robots, with 27 companies showing off unmanned aerial systems designed for police officers, real estate agents, and disaster relief professionals. But the proliferation of drones is raising increasing concerns over safety and privacy. No one wants a drunken drone operator to damage the White House or a device to fall from the sky and crush a competitive skier on live television. A study recently released by Bard College found that from December 2013 to September 2015, 158 incidents were reported of a drone coming within 200 feetf a manned aircraft. In 28 cases, a pilot had to maneuver to avoid colliding with a drone. Registration with the federal government is designed to hold drone operators accountable. To alleviate fears about people spying on areas they shouldnt be or putting planes at risk, the FAA maintains a list of do-not-fly zones for drones. The FAA said on Wednesday it released an app for Apple devices, along with a beta version for Android, called B4UFLY, which tells drone owners where its OK to fly. The U.S. restricts drone use near airports and other places. We are on the cusp of democratizing the airspace. David Vos, who works on drones at Google X, said on stage at the FAA event. In order to do that, theres a tremendous amount of responsibility to be built. Some drone companies and advocates grumble that the FAAs rules have gone too far, though they said it wont force them to change the way they do business. Henri Seydoux, the chief executive of French drone company Parrot, said he doesnt think the U.S. approach is particularly onerous. In the end, I dont believe regulations will be all that different in other countries, he said. Parrot has taken a slightly different approach at this years show from its main competitor, Chinese drone company DJI. Parrot revealed a new drone that relies heavily on autopilot to make it easy for a novice to control, while DJI played up new camera systems designed to appeal to professional photographers. Last month, DJI also announced several changes to the software it uses to keep drones from operating in restricted areas. The company is accessing the FAAs temporary flight restriction database to alert operators when they stray into unsafe areas. But it is also loosening restrictions that kept people from turning on their drones motors in such areas. Now people who have registered their devices with the company can override this prohibition. Brendan Schulman, vice president of policy and legal affairs at DJI, said the change accommodates people with a legitimate reason to operate. These moves are designed to dampen enthusiasm for a proposal by Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to require manufacturers to develop technology that would keep drones from operating in such areas. Critics of this approach say blanket restrictions go too far while also shifting liability away from drone operators themselves, which could encourage reckless behavior. We have a balanced approach that is far better than any legislation, said Schulman. One thing DJI and Parrot have in common is that many of their drones are heavy enough to require federal registration. Drones heavier than 0.55 pounds are the norm at CES this year, said Rich Hanson, the director of government and regulatory affairs for the Academy of Model Aeronautics, a hobbyist group that pushed unsuccessfully for a higher weight limit with the FAA. Most everything youll see there rightfully should be registered, he said. (With Alan Levin) Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. While South Carolina legislators pledge to address road funding and flood relief over the next six months, theres no consensus on what theyll do. A $1.3 billion windfall makes a compromise even harder. And in a year when every House and Senate seat is up for grabs, concern over attracting challengers could delay votes until after the March 30 filing deadline. But legislators do agree theres a bright side to Octobers catastrophic flooding, which caused roadways many of them already in bad shape to crumble. At the Oct. 5 peak, more than 500 roads and bridges were closed across the state, including a long stretch of Interstate 95 that forced a 168-mile detour. The flood highlights just how poor our roads and bridges are, Sen. Greg Hembree, R-North Myrtle Beach, said at a pre-session gathering of reporters Thursday. It brings a new sense of urgency thats necessary. Fixing South Carolinas roadways topped last years priority list, too. The House passed a plan last April that would raise an additional $400 million annually. A bill raising roughly twice that through increases in gas taxes, vehicle sales taxes and license fees reached the Senate floor. But a weekslong filibuster by Sen. Tom Davis blocked a vote. That bill is back up for debate when the legislative session resumes Tuesday. The focus has been on raising the gas tax instead of the need. Once people understand the need, well figure out a way to fund it, said Rep. Kenny Bingham, R-Cayce. The need is now obvious. But Davis, R-Beaufort, continues his call for reforms first. He said he believes more senators see the need to change the Department of Transportations governance structure. He can agree to a gas tax increase later, he said, if the moneys spent wisely and more is still needed. The $1.3 billion additional revenue available to spend much of it surpluses from previous years complicates the debate, said Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler. Agencies budget requests would gobble up all of that and much more. But that money makes it very difficult to go back home and explain to citizens how were raising their taxes, said Peeler, R-Gaffney. It cuts both ways people will vote against you if you vote for a gas tax and theyll vote against you if you dont fix their roads. Republican leaders say any gas tax increase will be accompanied by a tax cut elsewhere. They dont agree on how much. When you raise the gas tax, you have the benefit of those using the roads paying for the roads, but we have enough money to cut taxes at the same time, Hembree said. But Democrats say its folly to deal with income taxes inside a roads bill. Roughly $115 million of the extra revenue will cover the states match for federal money spent amid the disaster. Legislators of both parties say the state should also provide money to farmers who were devastated by flooding at harvest time. The Department of Agriculture estimates direct crop losses from the flooding at $376 million. Everyone Ive talked to is worried we may well lose many, many farmers in South Carolina if we dont provide them with aid, said House Speaker Jay Lucas, R-Hartsville. But the amount and how it would be distributed is unknown. Even less clear is whether legislators will help other property owners. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded more than $79 million for home repairs, temporary housing, and other disaster-related expenses. But thats an average of just $3,000 per approved household. And roughly 70 percent of the more than 83,000 people who applied for help were denied. If they need a roof, FEMA gives them enough money for a shingle, said House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford. He and other Democrats want the state to use surplus money to help restore homes. But no Republican at Thursdays gathering backed the idea. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bollywood Community Happy for Sanjay Dutt's Early Release? Bollywood is rallying around jailed actor Sanjay Dutt as he prepares for his release from jail February 27. Bollywood, as a whole, has long voiced its support for the actor and many have greeted the news of his early release wholeheartedly. Dutt, you may remember, was arrested in April 1993 for possessing two illegal firearms and he served time for that and was eventually granted bail. In 2007, the Indian Supreme court found him guilty of possessing arms relating to the 1993 Mumbai blast and they threw the book at him, sentencing the actor to five years hard labor. According to the Times of India, "Dutt is being given remission as per the jail manual after clearance from the Home department. Minister for State (Home) Ranjit Patil signed the file allowing Dutt's release, without penalising him for reporting late from his furlough in January 2015." Which is great news to such actors as Hrithik Roshan, Salman Khan Shah Rukh Khan amoong others. Legendary producer Boney Kapoor has already offered Dutt work for when he gets out. As has a powerful friend of Dutt's Salman Khan. But, before any of that can happen, the court has to decide on a petition filed by Pradeep Bhalekar to stop Dutt's release. Not connected to the case in any way (That's how the Indian justice system works) Bhalekar believes Dutt is getting undue special treatment just because he is famous and is alleging that Dutt used pay offs to selected officials as a means of gaining his release. According to a different article on the Times of India, "The petition also levels an allegation against a senior prison official that he favoured Dutt and demands an inquiry into the official's assets." A hearing is scheduled for next week. Can Dutt step back into acting and everyday life without much difficulty is the biggest question. What is for certain is that he has a big team, full of important Bollywood stars, in support of him. 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TagsSanjay Dutt Release From Prison, Sanjay Dutt Bollywood, Bollywood Actor Convicted of Illegal Gun Possession, Sanjay Dutt Early Release Jake Shimabukuro Debuts New Album & App? It looks like 39-year-old Hawaiian born Jake Shimabukuro is set to make 2016 his year. According to the latest gossip news updates, the ukulele virtuoso has just released his first App, followed by a new live album to be released next month. Shimabukuro's Live in Japan, is due for release late February and will include his super-popular covers of "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Dragon" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" as well as some of his own original songs -- all culled from the best of his 2015 tour of the country. If you are a fan of Jake Shimabukuro's mind blowing ukulele playing that you are in luck. According to a new press release, the Hawaiian virtuoso is on the verge of releasing a new live album that will not only include his latest original hits, but the jaw dropping that have become so popular on YouTube, as well: "The 2 CD collection features some of Shimabukuro's favorite songs from his 15-year career including a 10-minute classic reworking of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"... 9-minute medley including the War classic "Low Rider," and performances of "Dragon, "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Blue Roses Falling"...[but] also includes several original selections from his most recent studio album, Travels." For his fans that might have missed his tour of Japan and are determined never to do so again, Shimabukro has released a new App that will not only keep track of his latest tour dates but teach folks how to play like him as well (via JakeShimabukuro): "I am very excited about 2016. I want to let you know that I have this cool little thing -- [I'm] learning about it, you know I am just starting to learn about this stuff -- but, I actually have my own App! "On it you can check out my tour schedule, to see when I am playing. "But there is also going to be some fun stuff...some ukulele instructional videos and all that, so please check it out if you have a chance." What do you think about Jake's new live album? Are you excited to have a chance to own some of the covers that Shimabukuro has already made so famous? Or, would you rather Jake spent his time in the studio working on his own original work? Let us hear what you have to say about it in the comment field below. 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TagsJake Shimabukuro, New Album, App Brian Eno Reflects on David Bowie, Says Last E-Mail Was "Saying Goodbye" Musician Brian Eno attends The Kitchen Spring Gala Benefit 2013 at Capitale on May 7, 2013 in New York City. (Photo : Cindy Ord/Getty Images) With news of David Bowie's death dominating headlines, many artists posted their own thoughts and feelings on the passing of the legendary musician. Of the musical elite is Brian Eno, a longtime Bowie collaborator, who reflects on his peer and friend and says he has realized their last corrspondance was Bowie "saying goodbye." In his extremely private bout with cancer, Mr. Bowie continued to write and record music, releasing his last album Blackstar accompanied with music videos. Not just a musician, the fashion icon had a laundry list of artists he influenced and befriended, including Mick Jagger, Trent Reznor, Cher and more. Mr. Brian Eno penned more than just a quick Twitter eulogy, he described his last correspondence with David and how it wasn't until after that he realized "he was saying goodbye." The transcript reads: "David's death came as a complete surprise, as did nearly everything else about him. I feel a huge gap now. We knew each other for over 40 years, in a friendship that was always tinged by echoes of Pete and Dud. Over the last few years - with him living in New York and me in London - our connection was by email. We signed off with invented names: some of his were mr showbiz, milton keynes, rhoda borrocks and the duke of ear. About a year ago we started talking about Outside - the last album we worked on together. We both liked that album a lot and felt that it had fallen through the cracks. We talked about revisiting it, taking it somewhere new. I was looking forward to that. I received an email from him seven days ago. It was as funny as always, and as surreal, looping through word games and allusions and all the usual stuff we did. It ended with this sentence: 'Thank you for our good times, brian. they will never rot'. And it was signed 'Dawn'." Madonna, Paul McCartney, Kanye West, Iggy Pop, Kendrick Lamar, the list goes on of those influenced by Mr. Bowie's music and Brian Eno, too, felt the presence of such a massive star in his music, too. His last album, Blackstar, is a unique endeavor for Mr. Bowie as it marked his last musical venture (one he was probably aware of in his dwindling health). The album can be viewed as a farewell to planet Earth, and he will honored with a Carnegie Hall tribute later this year in March. Not just a musician, the entire sphere of art is diminished by the loss of David Bowie as a shining star in the unlit sky. 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TagsDavid Bowie, Brian Eno NORTHFIELD CENTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- What would cause a modern suburban home to explode into flames? It may take weeks or months for investigators to discern the cause of the explosion the killed a family of four in Northfield Center Monday night. Such fires leave little behind in the way of evidence. Winter presents a unique challenge for firefighters as cold weather keeps furnaces running overtime and people cozy up with electric blankets and space heaters. The risks for fire and explosion can be reduced, said Northfield Fire Captain Rick Huston, who heads up the department's fire safety program. Here are a few problem areas to look for. Natural gas leaks and home explosions Between 2007 and 2011, U.S. municipal fire departments responded to an average of 51,600 fires per year caused by flammable gas -- often either natural gas or propane. Flammable gas fires resulted in an estimated 168 deaths, 1,029 injuries, and $644 million in direct property damage per year, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Dominion Ohio has said it doesn't think there was a leak in any of the gas transmission lines near the Northfield house that was destroyed Monday, but firefighters haven't ruled out an internal gas leak as the cause. Natural gas, a euphemism for methane, is used to heat about half of American homes. About a fifth of house fires that started with a flammable gas involved a gas leak or break, the association reports. About two-fifths of them started in the kitchen. Kevin Zumwalt, associate director of the University of Missouri Fire and Rescue Training Institute told Discovery News: "When the gases leak and manage to ignite, natural gas tends to blow the roof off, while LP-gas blasts a house off its foundation." Gas companies add a smelly chemical, called mercaptan, to natural gas so that homeowners can easily detect leaks. That rotten egg smell should prompt extreme caution, Huston said. If you smell gas, don't touch anything. The spark created by a light switch could be enough to to detonate a gas pocket inside a home. Go outside and call 911. "It might be as simple as someone left a burner on in the stove with no flame, or it might be something more serious," Huston said. "It needs to be investigated." Propane and other fuel storage tanks Propane is different from natural gas. Propane, a derivative of petroleum/gasoline, is stored in a liquid form and released as a vapor. Propane tanks left unattended can slowly leak flammable vapor that is potentially explosive. It is tempting to bring propane tanks, often affixed to a gas grill or outdoor stove, inside during winter months for safe keeping. Huston says that is not a good idea. "Anything that contains a flammable gas, like a propane tank, has the potential to give off a flammable vapor," Huston said. Firefighters recommend leaving propane and gasoline tanks outside in the cold, or in a storage shed or garage that is detached from any living area. Storing volatile gasses in an attached garage, basement or attic is not a good idea, Huston said. Be careful with indoor heaters Portable heaters can help make a living room or bedroom extra cozy during cold winter nights, but mistakes can have big consequences. One of the most common fire starters during winter months are portable heaters, Huston said. "If they are used correctly these heaters are perfectly safe," Huston said. "But we often see people using them improperly and that creates an immediate risk of fire." Don't put damp clothes on or near a heater to dry, for example. Keep any flammable material -- paper, fabric or otherwise -- far away from portable heaters. Watch the furnace and water heater Be careful what you store near a furnace or a water heater. Cleaning supplies, paint thinner, even nail polish remover can emit flammable vapors. Huston advises keeping the area around any furnace or water heater clear of any type of chemical or flammable substance. A small leak in a plastic bottle could have devastating consequences. Brock Tipping court Brock Tipping, middle, with attorneys Noah Munyer, left, and Kirk Migdal. (Adam Ferrise, Northeast Ohio Media Group) AKRON, Ohio -- Brock Tipping will spend the rest of his life in prison for the murder of a woman and the rape of another. The 32-year-old Akron man stood stoic Tuesday in a Summit County courtroom with his eyes fixed straight ahead or toward the floor as the family of Crystal Palm and the woman who survived a rape and beating called him a "monster," an "animal" and "a coward." "You're evil. You took my sister from me," a tearful, sobbing Darleena Palm said. "She meant everything to me." Tipping pleaded guilty Nov. 23 to murder and rape. Summit County Common Pleas Judge Amy Corrigall Jones handed down the sentence, which prosecutors and defense attorneys recommended as part of the plea agreement. He will be eligible for parole in 18 years. Tipping was also classified as a Tier III sex offender, meaning he will be required to register his address with the county sheriff every three months for the rest of his life if he's paroled. Tipping apologized for killing Palm, 33. "I pay everyday for what happened to Crystal," he said. That was never meant to be that way. Drugs took me to a place I never wanted to go." The rape victim sobbed as Tipping was led into the courtroom. She and members of Palm's family embraced throughout the hearing. "You messed with the wrong women," Palm's friend Chyna Wilson said. "She fought for her life and you didn't like that." Tipping stabbed Palm eight times in the head and neck during the Nov. 15, 2014 attack at her apartment in the 200 block of East Emerling Avenue. The two met through her advertisement for sex on backpage.com. Tipping set fire to the apartment and left. Akron firefighters discovered Palm's body after they extinguishing the blaze. Investigators used surveillance footage from the nearby CJ's Auto Sales which has cameras that overlook the home. DNA also linked Tipping to the murder. Tipping fled to Indianapolis, Indiana where he was arrested December 2014. Investigators also matched his DNA to the October 2014 sexual assault of the woman who attended Tuesday's sentencing hearing. Tipping met up with the 35-year-old woman to smoke crack. He drove her back to his apartment and forced her to keep her head down during the drive so she wouldn't be able to see where they were going. He took the woman into a basement, raped her several times, choked her and threatened to kill her. He dropped her off where they met along West Tallmadge Avenue. The woman also suffered hemorrhaging in both eyes and had bruising on her neck. Tipping was accused in violent attacks against a different woman three times in the past six years. He was accused of abusing the mother of his child in incidents in December 2004, May 2006 and July 2008. In each instance, he was sentenced to probation and eventually served time in prison for violating his probation. Corrigall Jones during the hearing read Tippings criminal history, which dates to 1996 and includes more than a dozen arrests. "You have no regard for human life whatsoever," Corrigall Jones said. "If I had discretion (to issue a different sentence) I would make sure you never got out of prison." AVON, Ohio - After almost three decades of fighting fires, one would think Avon Assistant Fire Chief Tim Golay would be tired of the heat, but apparently that's not the case. Golay, who retired a few weeks ago from the Avon Fire Department, is spending his retirement in the warmer clime of North Carolina. He is having a log home built somewhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains outside Asheville, North Carolina, to take advantage of a weather phenomenon that keeps the area warmer than other parts of the state. "They could have four inches of snow in North Carolina, but up there we had nothing," he said of the mountains. "I don't understand the whole thing, but the mountains create a weather pattern that keeps the warm air in. It's because of the geography. I still have pain from a serious four-wheeler accident from years ago when my pelvis was broken in eight places, so the warm weather is a help." Golay was with the fire department since moving to Avon in 1988 from Lakewood, where he was a full-time firefighter with the Lakewood Fire Department while still volunteering in Avon for many years. He worked in Lakewood from 1985 to 2003. He retired Dec. 31 from the Avon department. He turns 56 on Saturday, Jan. 16. He recalls working with former Avon Mayor Jim Smith to change the fire department from a volunteer organization to a paid one with full staff. Retired Avon Assistant Fire Chief Tim Golay looks at his proclamation given to him by the current and former mayors of Avon. "We went out and knocked on every door in the city to convince people to vote for the tax increase to fund the fire department," Golay said. "We won and it took a couple years to finish the changeover." He was hired in 2003 as a lieutenant and made captain a year later. He was promoted to assistant fire chief in 2005. Golay helped the fire department grow as the city transformed from a rural farming community to the commercial hotbed it is today. "The one thing I regret about moving away is not being able to watch Avon continue to grow," he said. "Amazing things are happening and the city is just getting started." He said he is moving to Asheville because it is only an eight-hour drive from Avon. He plans plans to make frequent visits home to see his three children and two grandchildren. One of his daughters is buying Golay's house at a "daddy discount," he said. "I think I will be able to see the city grow easier with these visits," he said. "When you see things every day, you don't notice the change as much as you would if you see it every six months or so." Admitting he is "terrible with dates," Golay said he remembers fighting countless house and industrial fires over the years. But his fondest memories were shaping the growing city to make it safer. "Many of the homes in the city are relatively new construction," he said. "Many of the older buildings have been renovated, so we are in the enviable position of having buildings that are up to code. I worked with (former Mayor Jim) Smith and city council to build the department into one we could be proud of, one that would protect the growing city." Golay said the effort was so successful that the Insurance Service Offices, which assesses the safety of cities for insurance purposes, upgraded Avon from five to three in 2009, and again from three to two in 2014. "They look at firefighter training, the kind of equipment we have, the water supply and other factors to come up with a ranking," he said. "The lower the number the better. It's a big deal to companies thinking of moving here because it greatly affects the insurance rates they pay." Golay was particularly happy last month when Avon City Council gave him a proclamation for his retirement, which was presented by current Mayor Bryan Jensen and Smith. "I knew something was up when I saw Smith at the council meeting," Golay said. "He never attends meetings since he retired," Golay plans to move to North Carolina thus summer, along with his cat Myles, who always seem to be underfoot. He will continue to do freelance work for JGD Associates, a national engineering firm headquartered in Avon Lake, helping to work out fire codes and safety issues on new construction. He said it's hard to leave the city and home he loves, but he welcomes the new challenges he will face. And he loves the idea of leaving Avon winters in the rear-view mirror. Beachwood city hall - Copy.JPG Beachwood City Council elected Martin Horwitz its new president. (Jeff Piorkowski/Special to Sun News) Martin Horwitz BEACHWOOD, Ohio -- After meeting for an hour behind closed doors in executive session Monday evening, Beachwood City Council elected Martin Horwitz as its new president. After much discussion, the election of Horwitz was a unanimous choice. When asked about what council will tackle in the coming year, Horwitz said, "One of my goals is to have council sit down and do a real planning session and hear what they think. One of my top priorities is to work more in work sessions, set our priorities, then figure out how we're going to work on accomplishing them. Everybody has their own ideas. "It's a different council," he said. "We have three new people," he said. "We lost three senior members of council in Mark Wachter, Fred Goodman and Mark Mintz. That's a combined 57 years of experience. This is going to be a new, young council with a lot of ideas." Wachter was defeated in a re-election bid in November, while Mintz and Goodman, the latter the former council president, chose not to seek re-election. Council's senior member, Melvin Jacobs, said last week that he was interested in the position of council president. After the meeting came to a close, Jacobs said, "It's a whole new team with new people. We're looking to the future of the city and working with the mayor (Merle Gorden) and directors. "It was a unanimous choice. Really, we're all qualified to be president. We're all capable. We were all elected (to council)." Council did not choose a vice president of council, but will do so at an upcoming meeting. In Beachwood, the person serving as council president is second in line of succession to the mayor. Council's new members include Barbara Bellin Janovitz, and two men who served on council in the past, Brian Linick and Justin Berns. Janovitz, who a week ago said she would support Horwitz for president, said of the lengthy executive session, "We have to get to know each other. We're a new group." First term Councilman James Pasch, who also said a week ago he would support Horwitz, said of the executive session, "It was more of a passionate discussion about the future path of council, and then coming together afterward." Horwitz, 62, is starting his fifth year on council. A lawyer, Horwitz previously served 16 years on the Beachwood Board of Education, four of those years as its president. "I'm looking forward to working with the mayor," Horwitz said. "I've known him 25 years. And our directors have been with us for a long time and have run the city efficiently. "I look forward to bringing new opportunities and services to our businesses and residents." Beachwoodpl1.JPG Cuyahoga County Planning Commission Planner Patrick Hewitt discusses points of the proposed Beachwood master plan with residents at Monday night's open house. (Jeff Piorkowski/Special to Sun News) BEACHWOOD, Ohio -- The city's residents want to see more sidewalks constructed so that they can move about more safely. Residents, at least those who attended Monday night's master plan open house at city hall, would also like the city to consider tax abatements for residential improvements, and an expansion of Beachwood's tree canopy. The open house attracted about 40 residents who looked at a series of poster boards that presented ideas that could be part of the city's developing master plan, then placed stickers on the boards next to the ideas they liked most. Some of the above mentioned ideas received the most stickers, as did those that asked the city to invest more in stormwater infrastructure in order to limit the amount of rain water entering the city's sewer system; re-imagine Richmond Road as a multi-family dwelling corridor in an effort to reduce the number of individual driveways on the street and enhance traffic flow; and brand neighborhoods by creating unique, attractive elements in neighborhoods, such as lampposts. The city, in late 2014, began the process of putting together a master plan, contacting the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission to draw up plans. Before creating plans, the Commission sent surveys seeking ideas and comments to 900 Beachwood residences and 500 businesses. The city paid $60,000 for the plans, designed by planner Patrick Hewitt. "We'll go ahead and count the dots (yellow stickers affixed on boards by residents next to plan ideas) and then refine the plans to incorporate the things people liked," Hewitt said of the next step in the process. "There's just a lot of interest here." Hewitt devised ideas for enhancements in the areas of economic development, community imaging, parks and recreation, environment, housing and transportation. Hewitt said that there could be advantages to having the county work on the plans. "We do live here, too, in the county," he said, "and we know what agencies are at work here." Those other agencies can help with grants and other forms of funding that can make the plans come to life. In some cities, master plans, once completed, are often left to gather dust without any of the plans being carried out. Beachwood Economic Development Director Jim Doutt said he believes Beachwood can move forward with some of the ideas presented. "It's an ambitious plan," Doutt said. "It's a five-year plan, but does that mean it's all going to get done in five years? Certainly not. "But there are parts of it that can be done quicker than others and that don't cost a lot that we can get started with." One of those ideas, he said, under the category of economic development, is to create a community reinvestment area, or CRA. A CRA involves the city creating an area or areas within Beachwood in which businesses are attracted through real property tax abatements. The abatement can only be granted when new construction -- either new buildings, additions or improvements -- take place. The city has also already begun taking steps that fall within the community imaging category by informing local media, including radio, magazines and business papers and web sites, about positive stories taking place in Beachwood. Every resident has his, or her, idea of what can make Beachwood a better place. Some of those ideas weren't on the poster boards. Residents Martin and Barbara Flowerman said they would like to see something done about the heavy traffic in the Cedar-Richmond roads area, where Lyndhurst's Legacy Village and Beachwood Place mall are located in close proximity, as well as at the Chagrin-Richmond roads intersection. On the good side, Barbara Flowerman said of the city, "They're using green space better than they used to with the addition of some small parks." Monday's open house was the only event of its kind planned in Beachwood. Residents with questions about the master plan can call Beachwood City Hall at 216-464-1070. Those who wish to see the plans can visit the city's web site at beachwoodohio.com, or by clicking here. City Council must approve any portions of the master plan before they are carried out. Tom Coyne vows to veto a bill slashing administrators' pay. BROOK PARK, Ohio -- At a 6:15 p.m. special meeting today, the Finance Committee will consider a bill to slash the maximum pay of many elected officials, appointed administrators and other non-unionized workers. But the administrators don't necessarily need to refinance their homes just yet. Mayor Tom Coyne vows to veto that bill. Submitted by Jim Astorino, new council president, the bill would cut the safety director's maximum pay from $95,311 to 41,990. It would trim many other administrators by about $10,000 a year. It would make little or no change to the pay of low-level non-unionized workers, such as auxiliary police. The mayor's pay would fall from $110,905 to $100,000. Council members would drop from 15,325 to $13,200. The council president would sink from $16,693 to $14,400. The cuts for elected officials would take effect in the next terms. The other cuts would take effect April 1 if the bill passes as drafted in time. Coyne accused Astorino of a conflict of interest in the bill. Astorino, who is president of the Northern Ohio Fire Fighters which includes Brook Park's firefighters, said he'll step down when his term ends in April. Meanwhile, he sees no conflict in a bill that affects no unionized workers. But Coyne said Astorino is trying to free up city funds for union members. He said the bill essentially makes the safety director part time, a step that Astorino tried to take in 2012 through a proposed charter amendment. The job has been full time for decades. Said Coyne, "This is purely political. This is purely punitive." Astornio said the bill is just a draft for council to kick around. "I'm not looking to fast-track it." The 6:15 committee meeting will be followed by a 7 p.m. caucus of the full council. In recent years, caucuses have been scheduled right before regular council meetings. Finance Chairwoman Julie Ann McCormick said it's better to caucus without the pressure of another meeting to follow. Astorino has put many years-old bills on the caucus agenda. He wants council to eliminate most and reintroduce the worthiest ones. For the meeting notices and the bills, see cityofbrookpark.com/city-council. HOUSTON, Texas -- Dynegy, an independent power company with 10 Ohio power plants, is offering to supply electricity for the next eight years to FirstEnergy and American Electric Power customers for less money than either of them are asking. FirstEnergy and AEP each have unprecedented cases pending before state regulators for approval of special deals allowing them to charge customers extra money just to subsidize their old coal-burning, and in FirstEnergy's case, the Davis-Besse nuclear plant, to keep them operating for the next eight years. The cases have drawn national attention because Ohio's electric industry is no longer regulated and local distributing companies such as Ohio Edison and the Illuminating Co. buy their power through very competitive wholesale auctions open to all power generating companies. The special deals would short-circuit that practice. Opponents, including Dynegy and other independent companies, as well as the Ohio Consumers' Counsel and the Ohio Manufacturers' Association, have argued either that the special charges are unnecessary or that AEP and FirstEnergy have underestimated the true cost, and if the old plants are that inefficient they ought to be shut down. Dynegy, which already has 130,000 Ohio customers under retail contract, is now proposing wholesale contracts to sell its Ohio-generated electricity to the Illuminating Co., Ohio Edison, Toledo Edison and AEP's Ohio Power at a total cost of about $5 billion over the next eight years. That's about half of what American Electric Power and FirstEnergy opponents say the special deals would cost customers in extra fees. "Dynegy's first proposal saves Ohio consumers and businesses $5 billion by providing the same amount of power promised under the FirstEnergy and AEP power purchase agreements at lower prices, $2.5 billion each in the FirstEnergy and AEP territories, over the eight-year term of the proposed [contracts]," the company said in a statement released Tuesday morning. But if the Public Utilities Commission is determined to approve the extra charges, Dynegy is offering to use that extra money to expand its five Ohio gas-fired plants to generate enough extra power to replace FirstEnergy's David-Besse and coal-fired W.H. Sammis, as well as the portions of nine plants AEP thinks need extra subsidies to compete in wholesale markets now dominated by power companies with natural gas-fired power plants. The gas plant expansions would create new construction jobs and use Ohio's growing natural gas reserves, Dynegy argues. "Further, this investment would help Ohio meet its obligations under the [U.S.] Clean Power Plan and improve reliability rather than relying on assets staying around longer than their useful life," the company said. Dynegy intends to file a formal proposal with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio soon, said spokesman Micah Hirschfield. "The PUCO is tasked with approving or rejected the power purchase agreements, and our proposal gives commissioners additional reasons to reject them along with providing them alternatives . . . ," he said. FirstEnergy said Dynegy "misses the point about having a diverse set of fuels available to produce electricity in Ohio," which the company believes is important for price stability. "Dynegy's proposal offers few specifics and provides no assurances that its power plants in the region will continue operating over the long-term. Dynegy is a power marketer from Houston with an established track record of entering and exiting competitive markets," said Douglas Colafella, FirstEnergy spokesman, in an email. "While its brand of investors may be willing to tolerate its "boom and bust" approach to energy markets, this approach fails to deliver on two key policy goals in Ohio - energy stability and economic stability. American Electric Power dismissed the proposal both the proposal and Dynegy's viability. "There is no basis for Dynegy's claims of cost savings. They are suggesting that they can provide generation at a lower cost based on inflated assumptions that do not reflect current market realities. If approved as proposed, AEP Ohio's PPA and Electric Security Plan are going to immediately benefit residential customers by reducing their monthly bills," said spokeswoman Melissa McHenry in an email. "The viability of any long-term commitment from Dynegy for generation, investment or jobs in Ohio should be questioned. They've filed for bankruptcy twice before and continue to struggle financially." Dynegy's proposal follows a similar offer made a week ago by a competitor. Chicago-based Exelon, which operates 17 nuclear reactors, recently filed a proposal at the PUCO offering to supply the power generated by Davis-Besse and Sammis at a cost $2 billion under the FirstEnergy proposal. Exelon also guaranteed its electricity would be "emission free," meaning not generated by coal or gas. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The city of Cleveland paid police officers far less in overtime to patrol the streets during the Tamir Rice protests last month than in the aftermath of officer Michael Brelo's acquittal on manslaughter charges in May. According to a city spokesman, the city spent $490,000 on overtime during the last two-week pay period of the year, which included a grand jury's decision on Dec. 28 not to indict two officers in the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir. By contrast, the city paid nearly $1 million in each of two consecutive pay periods in the spring to monitor demonstrations following Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge John P. O'Donnell's acquittal of Brelo in connection to the 2012 police chase and fatal shooting of two unarmed suspects. The city initially had budgeted $396,000 per pay period for police overtime. That figure has since been increased to $425,000, after a particularly deadly summer in Cleveland neighborhoods that further taxed police resources. The cost of overtime remained higher than budgeted throughout summer and fall, averaging about $593,000 per pay period, according to city records. (See graphics below.) The city's Finance Director Sharon Dumas told members of City Council in November that police deployment remained high for several weeks before the Brelo verdict, as the city heard that protesters were arriving from out of town. Dumas said the police department deployed its resources as needed, without regard to the budget, during those weeks - a period rife with tension and unpredictability that, Dumas said, administrators now refer to as "the decision." Following the verdict, hundreds of protesters flooded the streets downtown, prompting officers to suit up in riot gear and leading to the arrests of 71 people. The protests, however, were deemed to have been generally peaceful. The grand jury's decision last month not to indict officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback in connection with Tamir's death drew, at its peak, about 150 protesters, who blocked traffic downtown, disrupted rush hour and marched to Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty's house. But over the course of the holiday week, and as temperatures plummeted, those crowds dwindled, demanding much less police attention than the Brelo verdict required. A rally planned for last Sunday at the Cudell Recreation Center, where Tamir was killed, was cancelled. City officials have said that, in anticipation of the grand jury's decision, police gathered strong intelligence on how many protesters and what kind of demonstrations to expect. "The plan was to have as many officers available as needed," Cleveland police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia wrote in an email Monday. "If what we had was not enough, we would have added officers/resources. We simply staffed for what was anticipated and had a plan in place to increase the number of officers or resources as necessary. We monitored the activity and responded accordingly." The city paid a total of $22.6 million in overtime last year to police, fire, emergency medical services, streets and waste collection workers. More than half of that -- about $12.7 million -- went to police. Scroll down to see a chart detailing the city's overtime expenses for 2015. The budgeted amounts for police reflect a $2.4 million transfer from the general fund in November to cover an overtime shortfall. CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- The city continues to make money through its building department, although full-time staffing has become an issue. This is due in large part to the ongoing state certifications that are now required for officials, along with retirements and the recent departure of a commissioner who left for Orange Village to assist with the $225 million Pinecrest mixed use development. "The last full-time person just took another position," City Manager Tanisha Briley told City Council Monday (Jan. 11). "All of the building departments are regulated by the state, and there aren't a lot of people out there (in the public sector) with certifications." With that in mind, Cleveland Heights will issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ's) this week, with a decision on going with a full-time outsourced building department coming possibly by the end of February. Currently, the city is left with only a residential inspector and an administrative assistant each working 28 hours a week, along with two building plan examiners who are paid hourly. This limits the number of hours that the acting Building Commissioner can be in City Hall, generally only two-to-three hours a day, an arrangement that does not sit well with developers and architects, noted Mayor Cheryl Stephens. "I know it used to be important for the development industry to have somebody available," Stephens said. "Even Dave's Markets need to go through the city (for numerous projects)." Stephens also brought up the fact that city inspections are needed at the nearly $80 million renovation now in full swing at Cleveland Heights High School. "While I would prefer to have employees of the city as opposed to shopping it out, we do need a continuum of service," Stephens said of the population of about 45,000 in Cleveland Heights. The city is looking at an expanded contract with SAFEbuilt, the company that recently acquired Municipal Building Inspection Solutions, based in Bedford Heights since 2013 and serving 19 communities in Ohio, including Cleveland Heights. Briley noted that Bay Village, with a population of about 15,000, is now fully contracted with Colorado-based SAFEbuilt, and has saved about $250,000 from when it operated with an in-house staff. While Cleveland Heights currently pays some of its inspectors around $42 an hour, Briley said SAFEbuilt would consider some kind of split on permits and fees with the city, as opposed to charging an hourly fee. City Finance Director Tom Raguz said the 2016 budget calls for spending about $400,000 on the building department, with revenues projected at $560,000. Briley believes the switch could have a positive impact on the General Fund, as well as improve the services provided. "I think it would bring an upgrade -- plus they have their own vehicles and tablets for field reporting," Briley said, adding that it will take about four weeks to gather the RFQ's with a decision after that. Meanwhile, Shaker Heights, with a population of about 28,000, contracts out some of its building department services, but still does much of it in-house, Mayor Earl Leiken noted. Shaker officials announced Jan. 11 that Kyle Krewson had been hired last month as the city's new Building Department Manager, coming over from Cleveland State University's Center for Instructional Technology. They noted that although Krewson is not a "Certified Building Official," he has extensive experience in project and construction management, which could prove handy on the redevelopment of the Van Aken business district. "He brings an ability to leverage technology to streamline business practices and considerable experience ensuring construction documents adhere to local, state, and federal building guidelines and zoning codes," a press release said of Krewson. He has also served as the vice-chairman of the Lakewood Board of Zoning Appeals, where he lives. Money.jpg A California atheist filed suit in federal court in Akron Monday to challenge the use of the phrase "In God We Trust" on U.S. currency. (Laura Johnston/cleveland.com) Michael Newdow CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The outspoken atheist who filed suit Monday in Akron to challenge the use of the phrase "In God We Trust" on U.S. currency said the lawsuit is just one of several he plans to file. Michael Newdow, an attorney and doctor in Sacramento, California, said he filed an identical lawsuit in Minnesota in December and has plans to do so in other states as well. He characterized the lawsuits as "pro equality," and not only about atheists. "The question is, 'are the judges are going to uphold the Constitution or worry about the backlash if they rule the way the Constitution commands?'" Newdow said in a phone interview with cleveland.com. Newdow's suit, filed Monday, contends that having the phrase on paper money and coins violates the constitutional rights of those who do not believe in an almighty being. The case was assigned Tuesday to U.S. District Judge Benita Pearson in Youngstown. She was appointed by President Barack Obama and took the bench in 2011. The Akron lawsuit lists 41 plaintiffs, including many unnamed parents and children, most of whom either are atheists or are being raised as atheists. Some are from Ohio, while others are from Michigan. The word "God" is used hundreds of times in the lawsuit, but each reference, save for those in the titles for publications, is styled as "G-d." Newdow explained that's because one of the plaintiffs, Adam Clayman, is a religious person who believes the printing of God's name or destruction of God's printed name is a sin. Newdow has made a name for himself in the past as an outspoken atheist. He has sued the government at least twice before about the use of "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, with courts ruling against him both times. He also previously filed suit in California over U.S. currency. A federal appeals court ruled against him in 2010. He said this new round of lawsuits should be successful and that it is "hypocritical" to print the phrase on U.S. currency. After all, he said, the first 10 words of the First Amendment are "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." But instead of focusing on civil-rights violations, Newdow said, the lawsuits rely more on what he sees as violations of the The Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The law, passed in 1993, "ensures that interests in religious freedom are protected," according to a U.S. Supreme Court opinion from 2014. Newdow said that "I don't think there's any question legally" that using "In God We Trust" violates that law. He said he also rejects arguments from those who may think the phrase is not a big deal to those who do not believe. "Can you tell Christians that you have to carry something in your pocket that says 'Jesus is a myth?'" Newdow said. justicecenter.jpg Cuyahoga County residents can learn about law enforcement by attending a Sheriff's Citizen's Academy. (Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer) CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department will begin offering free "citizen's academies" for residents interested in learning about law enforcement. The first eight-week academy, which will be limited to 25 people, is scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays, beginning March 9 at the downtown Justice Center. Applications are due by Feb. 27, and the first eligible applicants will be accepted. Applicants must be 21 or older with no felony convictions, and they must pass a background check. For more information or to download the application, please visit sheriff.cuyahogacounty.us/en-US/CC-Sheriffs-CitizensAcademy.aspx. Residents can expect to participate in hands-on demonstrations, lectures, and field trips that will cover the following topics: SWAT Corrections Firearm Safety Media Relations Active Shooter "If you've ever wanted to learn about law enforcement, this academy is a great opportunity for residents of Cuyahoga County to take part in," Sheriff Clifford Pinkney said in a news release. "Our goal is not only to educate the public on our duties, but use this as an opportunity to advance the relationship between the community and law enforcement." Lolita fire closes Michael Symon's Tremont restaurant A fire at Michael Symon's Lolita restaurant in Tremont started in the pizza oven, according to Cleveland Fire Department spokesman Larry Gray. He said it traveled up the walls and across the cockloft, destroying the restaurant offices upstairs and demolishing the roof. One firefighter was taken to the hospital with injuries. (Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Iron Chef Michael Symon says he's still awaiting a go-ahead by inspectors to return to his fire-ravaged restaurant, Lolita, in Cleveland's Tremont neighborhood. He expects his crew to be able to get back into the restaurant and begin planning their next moves on Wednesday. "We're really in limbo. We're still unable to touch anything yet, because they're still there doing the post-fire inspections, assessing the damage and where we are in the overall process," said Symon during a phone interview Tuesday morning. Today his business partners, Doug Petkovic and Symon's wife, Liz Symon, are meeting with staff members in a nearby restaurant that loaned a dining room for temporary meeting space. They'll begin charting their course for the future. "Right now our number one concern is the employees and making sure we have them covered," Symon said. In the short-term, they'll find employment at one of his other properties. "Then, once we've sorted thru the rubble, we'll come up with a plan as to how to proceed. Then we'll start rebuilding," he adds. Fire damage that apparently originated in or near a pizza oven played havoc with Lolita's kitchen, compounded by water damage to the dining room. "First of all, thank God nobody was hurt," Symon says. "Plus I guess you could say that if there was going to be a fire, it happened at the best time possible: no customers were in the building, and the staff members who were there were able to take really quick action without having to focus on getting others out of the building. "If this had happened at night, the entire building would be gone." The worst destruction was reserved for the building's upper floors. Fire shot upwards, largely destroying the second floor. At least one-third of the roof was destroyed. But equipment in the second-floor offices of Michael Symon Restaurants, control center for the more than dozen properties the organization operates, were spared at least a measure of the havoc. During a brief look at the building's interior ("we were slogging through ankle-deep water, just ugly, awful") Symon realized a bit of good fortune. "When the fire fighters saw the offices with all the computers and file cabinets and everything, they quickly dropped some tarps over the equipment - which spared us a huge amount of water damage and other harm," Symon says. "We don't know yet the extent of damage caused by smoke or other things, but I'm hoping we'll be OK. "I really had an angel on my shoulder," he added. Symon won't venture a guess as to when Lolita can reopen. "Not a clue," he says. "It's hard to tell what we need. And I'm a terrible guesser," he added, chuckling. "I'm off by 8 months on Mabel's [his barbecue restaurant, slated to open this winter on East Fourth Street in downtown Cleveland], so you could say I'm not a really good estimator as to when restaurants will open!" CLEVELAND, Ohio -- We recall turning points and ponder cultural shifts and see portent and depth. Well, you ain't gonna find none of that here, groooop. When Ernie Anderson hit the airwaves on a cold January night in 1963, he was the last guy in the world you'd imagine donning a lab coat, fright wig and weird beard to play some B-movie horror host. Anderson, of course, was the mastermind behind Ghoulardi. For three wild and woolly years in the 1960s, the late-night TV host notched unprecedented ratings, spawned a Ghoulardi-mania and warped the minds of generations of trash-culture enthusiasts. He also became a Cleveland legend. At the time, Anderson was just clocking in his time at WJW Channel 8. The 39-year-old radio and TV voice-over announcer dreamed of being an actor. Not some low-grade ghoul. He didn't even like those kind of movies. "Attack of the Crab Monsters"? Blech! "The station had Ernie under contract, and they had to pay him anyway," said "Big Chuck" Shodowski, who got his start working on Ghoulardi's show, which ran from 1963 to 1966 on WJW. "So they said, 'You gotta do this.' " Anderson tried to stick to the script when Ghoulardi's "Shock Theater" hit the airwaves on a cold Friday night -- 11:20 p.m. Jan. 11, 1963. That lasted about two weeks, until Ghoulardi blew up the script and a lot of other junk on the show. His irreverence toward the movies, props and his own persona became three legs on his lowbrow throne. His iconoclastic personality became the fourth and most important. He just didn't seem to care - about the movies, the show or who was watching - which made him a lone voice of authenticity in a TV land full of fakes. Anderson, who liked to get his drink on, would watch the opening of the show while nursing a martini in a bar next door called Seagram's. He'd run out at the last second, often slapping on his fake beard as he ran down the hallway of the station. "He did whatever he wanted," said Schodowski. "He didn't just play movies like the other hosts of his day." Ghoulardi even appeared in them, thanks to a camera trick that superimposed him over the film. He interrupted them with sound effects and firecrackers. And he punctuated them with off-kilter tunes such as "Desert Rat" and "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow." Anderson also developed his own lexicon of Beatnik babble that included phrases like "purple knif" or "cool it with da boom-booms." But more than that, he unleashed that attitude. "No one in their right mind would go on the air and tell you to turn off the TV," added Schodowski. "The program manager at the station couldn't stand him and openly worked against him so he wouldn't be successful." In three months, "Shock Theater" tripled ratings for the time slot, according to Tom Feran, co-author of "Ghoulardi: Inside Cleveland TV's Wildest Ride" and a reporter at The Plain Dealer. At the show's peak, Ghoulardi scored 70 percent of the late-night audience. Yes, this was pre-cable-niche America, but it remains an unheard-of feat in TV. The Cleveland Police Department even attributed a 35 percent decline in juvenile crime to the show. Of course, not all were happy. A letter that ran in The Plain Dealer on May 24, 1963, reflected the concerns of many parents: "I think Ghoulardi should be taken off the television and some worthwhile show put in its place. Some parents let their children watch him on television and then they wonder why their children go around pretending to be monsters. It makes you sick to see a grown man making such a fool of himself in front of hundreds of people." Ghoulardi hit amid a run of nuclear war B-movies and just before the Beatles and British Invasion, when irreverence was rare in pop culture. But Ghoulardi's irreverence was innocent, reflective of an America before the assassination of John F. Kennedy, racial unrest and Vietnam. Another bit of good timing: He went on in the middle of a snowstorm. "The show premiered amid the coldest winter we'd experienced," said Feran. "So you had people trapped in their homes watching Ghoulardi." (Of course, the always-irreverent Anderson saw that as the real reason for the drop in crime outside: "Nobody likes to steal the car in a blizzard," he said.) The area's 1970s music scene was tuned in. Bands such as Pere Ubu, the Dead Boys, Easter Monkeys, Devo, Rocket From the Tombs, Chrissie Hynde, Electric Eels, Tin Huey, Pagans and the Cramps all cite Ghoulardi as their spiritual guru. The Cramps "Stay Sick!" was named after a Ghoulardi line. The Black Keys chose another Ghoulardi line, "Turn Blue," for the title of their last album. Anderson loved the attention. He hosted softball games and charity events, which would draw thousands of fans. But he left it all behind when he was at the top of his game to pursue acting. Cleveland native Tim Conway, who had found success in TV, wanted Anderson to join him in Hollywood for a new show called "Rango." "My dad was looking for a change in career and a change in life," Anderson's son, Paul Thomas Anderson, once told The Plain Dealer by phone from Los Angeles. "He always wanted to be an actor, but it didn't work out, so he took a different path." Anderson went on to become the world's most famous and highest-paid announcer -- earning as much as $2 million a year as the smooth, baritone voice of ABC-TV through the 1970s and '80s. Cleveland seemed like a past life. He turned down requests by former assistant Ron Sweed to reprise Ghoulardi -- instead leaving the fright wig, lab coat and routine to his protege to use as "The Ghoul." "He talked about his time in Cleveland, but it was more of a distant, confusing thing," said Paul Thomas Anderson, director of such acclaimed films as "The Master," "There Will Be Blood" and "Boogie Nights." "I saw some of the clips he did, but I didn't latch onto it until I took a trip back to Cleveland with my dad. "Three steps after getting off the plane, he already had people coming up to him," added the younger Anderson. "He wasn't exaggerating -- it was madness how many people loved him." Yet, Ernie Anderson, who passed away in 1997 at the age of 73, never waxed nostalgic about his reign here. Cleveland, however, remains nostalgic, thanks to annual festivals, Facebook tributes and TV look-backs. And Ghoulardi lives on as the cool ghoul that mesmerized a city and continues to warp minds and live on from beyond the grave. SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Residents of the Lowden Road neighborhood plan to picket at tonight's South Euclid-Lyndhust school board meeting against the proposed Lowden Pointe senior apartment complex. Homeowners whose lots surround the site fear it will bring traffic, construction, bright lights, an unsightly 130-space parking lot and low-income renters to the quiet residential neighborhood. "Once the green space is gone, it's gone. I know it's not ours to sell, but it's ours to have to live with forever," said Bessie Rhoades, who lives across the street from the site. "We need something constructive, not something that will bring property values down further. Lowden residents were shocked when the school board submitted a proposal to the city on behalf of NRP to rezone the property from one- and two-family homes to multi-family, Rhoades said, and are angry they were left out of the process. "They're doing it too fast, they're doing it for a particular project they want, and the public has not been involved or informed in a way that would allow us to respond," Rhoades said. Rhoades said the neighbors have requested multiple meetings with board members since March last year, when the board authorized the sale, but they either declined or never responded. What will the new development entail? The NRP Group, a Cleveland firm that owns properties throughout the United States, hopes to build a two-story apartment complex for residents 55 and older on the former Lowden School site, according preliminary plans. The development would include a 130-space parking lot with entrances off Lowden Road and Greenvale Drive. The complex would also feature a clubhouse and courtyard, and house one- and two-bedroom apartments ranging from 723 to 910 square feet. The developer is also seeking a low-income housing tax credit from the federal government to help operate the apartment, South Euclid Community Services Director Keith Benjamin said. A low-income housing tax credit is different than housing vouchers or Section 8 housing, Benjamin said, because renter rates are assigned using a sliding scale based on income alone, rather than total assets. For seniors who are retired, that could mean the social security checks they receive or 401k payments. Why are neighbors upset? With property values down 3.1 percent overall in South Euclid and 5 percent in the Lowden neighborhood, Rhoades and her neighbors fear the new development will cause them to decline further. And more seniors could mean more ambulance calls, taxing the city's resources, Rhoades said. Why is the school board selling the property? Board President Cassandra Jones and Director of Business Affairs Dana Stearns could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Jones said last year that selling the property was in the best interest of the district financially, as it has been seeking a buyer for years and incurs maintenance costs to care for the property. "It's not my job to find out anything about them [the buyer]," she said. The site has not been used by the school district since 2007. The school was demolished after it was consolidated with another. After an unsuccessful public auction, the school board voted in March to sell the property to a holding company for $350,000. School board members and city officials have been discussing the potential for a senior living facility on the Lowden property for years. Like many east-side suburbs, South Euclid's senior population is growing, and the city does not currently have senior-specific housing. "We pride ourselves on having a diversity of housing, and at this time I think what we're lacking is the potential for South Euclid residents to be able to downsize," Benjamin said. How is the city involved? The rezoning request is currently in the hands of the city's planning and zoning commission. The commission held its first public hearing on the application Dec. 17 and will schedule another later this month. If the commission approves the application, council has to hold a public hearing of its own before voting on the rezoning. Then the final site plans have to go back to the planning commission and through the architectural review board. Despite residents' suspicions, Benjamin said the city did not solicit developers for the Lowden site, and was not aware of the plans until the rezoning request came in. "There's a lot of misunderstanding out there regarding what powers the city has regarding this project," he said. "This is very different from when we go out and actively seek developers or investors for property we own. "We were not involved in promoting anything on that site." MEDINA, Ohio -- A Medina County man has been sentenced to four years in prison for causing a crash that killed a woman and injured three others in Lafayette Township. Noah Silcox, 21, of Westfield Center, pleaded guilty last week in the Oct. 17, 2014 crash that killed 21-year-old Tara Green of Burbank. He was driving without a license. The crash also injured Green's mother and two men in a third car. Silcox pleaded guilty Jan. 4 to aggravated vehicular homicide and vehicular assault. Judge Christopher J. Collier sentenced him Monday in Medina County Common Pleas Court. Silcox apologized to Green's family in court, defense attorney Kristopher Aupperle said after the sentencing hearing. "This was a tragic case," Aupperle said. "Noah didn't set out that morning with the intent to harm anyone." Silcox was driving a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee at 3:43 p.m. when he tried to pass another car. He hit a 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan then crashed head-on into a 2000 Chevrolet Lumina, the State Highway Patrol said. Green, who was a passenger in the Chevrolet, died after being flown to MetroHealth Medical Center. Her mother, Teresa Green of Medina, was also flown to the hospital. Silcox was taken to Lodi Hospital for treatment. The Dodge's driver, a 23-year-old Lodi man, and a 59-year-old passenger were taken to Medina Hospital. Their injuries were not life-threatening. Green's estate filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Silcox on Dec. 17, 2014. Silcox's mother was named as a co-defendant because she entrusted her Jeep to him even though he did not have a license, according to court records. The two sides reached a settlement last month, but terms of the settlement were not disclosed. The Dodge's driver and passenger also sued Silcox on July 13, 2015. That lawsuit has not been settled but is scheduled for a second mediation hearing Jan. 22, according to court records. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- U.S. marshals captured a Cleveland man accused of robbing and pistol-whipping a priest in Little Italy. Marshals took Johnchez Phillips, 20, into custody about 2 p.m. Tuesday during a traffic stop on East 147th Street near Harvard Avenue in the Lee-Miles neighborhood, U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said. Phillips is accused in a string of December robberies in Little Italy. In one robbery, Phillips and his accomplices attacked a 61-year-old priest behind Holy Rosary Church, according to an arrest warrant. A tip from the community led investigators to Phillips, Elliott said. "It made a tremendous difference," he said. "We've been looking for this guy since day one." Police have not identified Phillips' accomplices. Major Howard Major Howard, 3, was shot Sept. 15, 2015 while sitting inside a car on East 113th Street near Union Avenue. A 23-year-old Warrensville Heights man was taken into custody Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, in connection to the drive-by shooting. (Family photo) Top stories: A Northfield Elementary School student was among a family of four killed Monday in a home explosion in Northfield Center Township reported around 8:45 p.m. (cleveland.com)(WAKR 1590-AM) A 23-year-old Warrensville Heights man was taken into custody in connection to the drive-by shooting that killed 3-year-old Major Howard. (cleveland.com)(WEWS Channel 5) A 22-year-old man died after he was shot multiple times in a vehicle Monday night in Cleveland's Central neighborhood. (cleveland.com)(WKYC Channel 3) Area crime news: The Cleveland man accused of killing a Canton police dog during a burglary will be held behind bars after he gets out of the hospital. (cleveland.com)(WAKR 1590-AM) Noah Silcox, 21, of Westfield Township in Medina County, has been sentenced to four years in prison for causing a crash that killed a woman and injured three others in Lafayette Township. (cleveland.com)(Medina Gazette) A 32-year-old Wellington man suspected of robbing two Elyria businesses and attempting to rob a third is in police custody. (cleveland.com)(Lorain Morning Journal) An Akron man convicted of shooting a family member was sentenced today to 14 years in prison. (WOIO Channel 19) Lawrence Stapleton, an Orrville man wanted on rape charges in Wayne and Cuyahoga counties, has been apprehended in California. (WQKT-104.5 FM) Police say a Canton man drove home from Cleveland in a stolen church van and he knew it. (Canton Repository) Local news - east: A major powerboat race is coming to Headlands Beach State Park in Lake County this summer. (News-Herald) The attorney for the estate of Jerome T. Osborne Sr. is arguing the state of Ohio is not justified in assessing the deceased Mentor developer's heirs more than $597,000 in fines because of pollution of the Chagrin River's east branch in Kirtland Hills. (News-Herald) It wasn't a fire or traffic accident that the Windsor Fire Department crew is usually called on, but Monday's rescue of a puppy from a ledge is one the group will remember for a long time. (WKBN Channel 27 Youngstown) Local news - west: Lorain diners could take glasses of beer and wine outside the bars and restaurants of Broadway under a new policy under consideration by City Council. (Lorain Morning Journal)(Elyria Chronicle-Telegram) A Lorain firefighter is facing criminal charges and possible disciplinary action after an incident Jan. 4 in the parking lot of University Hospitals Avon Health Center. (Lorain Morning Journal) Raises are under consideration for several of Avon Lake's top leadership positions. (Elyria Chronicle-Telegram) Akron-Canton area news Ben Suarez, the North Canton multimillionaire convicted of witness tampering in a campaign-finance case, has been released from federal prison and will serve the remainder of his sentence on home confinement, the federal Bureau of Prisons said today. (cleveland.com)(Akron Beacon Journal) The Knight Foundation has selected more than 150 finalists in the second annual Knight Cities Challenge -- including 10 ideas submitted in the Akron area. (WAKR 1590-AM) Medina will submit an application for a $1 million grant to help pay for what is being called the Medina City Historic District Parking Facility. (Medina Gazette) police line do not cross.jpg Cleveland police are investigating after a man was found shot to death in a vehicle on Monday night. (File photo) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A 22-year-old man died after he was shot multiple times in a vehicle in Cleveland's Central neighborhood. The man, whose name has not been released, was found about 9 p.m. Monday on Griswold Avenue near East 61st Street, Cleveland police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said. Officers found him unresponsive in the driver's seat with gunshot wounds to his chest and leg. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators said several unidentified males wearing dark clothing were involved in the shooting. Ciaccia did not provide additional descriptions of the people involved. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office is expected to release the man's identify once his family is notified. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Cleveland police homicide detectives at 216-623-5464. John Kasich Ohio Gov. John Kasich chats with a supporter after a Sunday campaign event in Council Bluffs, Iowa. (Jae C. Hong, The Associated Press) A New Hampshire boom lands John Kasich on the main debate stage once again. Ted Cruz lands some conservative Buckeyes. Read more in today's Ohio Politics Roundup. Happening tonight: President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address. Cleveland.com's Stephen Koff has a preview - and a trip down memory lane. Still a prime-time player: A fresh round of New Hampshire polling helped Ohio Gov. John Kasich qualify for main event during Thursday evening's Republican presidential debates in South Carolina. A Monmouth University survey showing Kasich tied for second with Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas appears to have sealed the deal. About that Monmouth poll ... The results suggest, for the first time in a long time, that Kasich might be the strongest establishment candidate in the first primary state. He's behind Donald Trump and tied with Cruz, two decidedly anti-establishment contenders. He's 2 points up on Marco Rubio and even further ahead of Chris Christie and Jeb Bush. Surprised about Kasich's strength in New Hampshire? You shouldn't be. He and his allies have been working the state hard since last April. An early sign of the inroads he was making came in July, during a busy 48 hours of campaigning. The scene from Kasich's New Hampshire HQ: "In a nice little colonial house bizarrely stationed between two gas stations on a narrow strip next to a highway, Ohio Gov. John Kasich's headquarters was a bit more bustling - and stuffed with lawn signs, a recent addition to the campaign's efforts," the Washington Post's Philip Bump writes. "If you were curious whether Kasich was embedded in the establishment: On the first floor I ran into the mayor of Somerset, Ohio, decked out in a New Hampshire hat. Upstairs, former New Hampshire senator Gordon Humphrey, showed off Kasich's iPhone app and told me that Marco Rubio 'has a bad case of lazy.'" Fellowship of the flip-floppers: The pro-Kasich super PAC New Day for America is blasting Christie for changing his mind on gun control. But Kasich also has distanced himself from his past support for an assault weapons ban. Here's my look at the similarities and differences in how the rivals have talked about the hot-button issue. Ohio conservatives for Cruz: "Some veteran conservative activists in Ohio said Monday they are backing ... Cruz for president, releasing a joint announcement just three days after the state's Republican Party endorsed ... Kasich," The Associated Press' Dan Sewell reports. "The three-dozen people for Cruz come from anti-abortion groups and other conservative causes, and include some GOP officials around the state." The pro-Cruz group includes anti-abortion activist Lori Viars, "Molly Smith, [a] Cleveland Right to Life leader, and Phil Burress, who leads the Citizens for Community Values and has campaigned against same-sex marriage and other gay rights issues." An odd mix: No Labels, the political group aimed at promoting bipartisanship, praised six White House hopefuls Monday for signing its Problem Solver Promise. It was no surprise to see Kasich on the list, as pragmatism is a calling card on his campaign. But was anyone expecting the list to include Trump, who is known for his slashing attacks? Democratic hopeful Martin O'Malley, who also signed the pledge, seemed to question No Labels for indulging Trump, reports the Post's David Weigel. Others who signed the pledge: Christie, Ben Carson and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. Pinch-hitter: Kasich made an annual tradition out of traveling to Detroit for North American International Auto Show. With the governor on the presidential campaign trail, Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor is stepping in. She'll tour the show this afternoon. Early veepstakes chatter: Might Sherrod Brown, Ohio's senior U.S. senator and a prominent Hillary Clinton backer, make an ideal running mate for the Democrat? "No interest," Brown told The Plain Dealer's Mike McIntyre on the Monday broadcast of "The Sound of Ideas." "I love this job. I want to keep doing this job. ... Secretary Clinton is going to carry Ohio whether I'm on the ticket or not so I choose not to be." Accounting errors cost Ohio GOP: "The Ohio Republican Party has agreed to pay a $3,000 fine for failing to disclose $70,723 in political receipts in 2014," cleveland.com's Koff reports. "The civil settlement, disclosed in a new Federal Election Commission filing, still may not end the ... troubles over its accounting methods, errors and bookkeeping discrepancies. This particular settlement concerns only the October 2014 report, commission authorities said. ... The FEC last month found a new discrepancy of $40,121 in a different Ohio Republican Party filing, records show." Coming soon: Medical marijuana debate. "Multiple polls have shown strong support for the concept of medical marijuana," the Toledo Blade's Jim Provance notes. "The Ohio Senate and House will announce as early as this week a series of bipartisan hearings across the state to gauge Ohioans' feelings on what that system might look like." School daze: "Recent unflattering reports regarding the state of education in Ohio have Senate Democrats calling for bipartisan action," the Columbus Dispatch's Jim Siegel reports. "Last week, new research highlighted a drop in ranking for Ohio's K-12 education system from fifth to 23rd in the nation over the past six years, based on an annual report by Education Week, an education trade newspaper." Squatters wrongs: "Picture this: A visitor to Cleveland, desperate for a place to stay during the Republican National Convention, books a hotel room days before the event begins, then refuses to leave when his reservation runs out. Can the hotel kick him out? "Absolutely, says Joe Savarise, executive director of the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association, which researched the issue at the request of several Cleveland-area hoteliers." Read more from The Plain Dealer's Susan Glaser. Tips or links? Send here. Follow along on Twitter: @henryjgomez. To subscribe to our Politics Newsletter: Sign up here. U.S. Supreme Court A California case the U.S. Supreme Court heard on Monday could curtail the power of public unions in Ohio and across the nation. (Sabrina Eaton, cleveland.com) WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court kicked off its new year by hearing a case Monday that could end public sector unions' power to force workers who don't join their organizations to pay a representation fee. The case filed by California school teacher Rebecca Friedrichs asks the court to overrule a 1977 Supreme Court decision called Abood v. Detroit Board of Education that lets unions levy such charges in states that permit it. Friedrichs' lawyers argue the First Amendment bars government agencies from requiring employees to fund public unions. What are the case's Ohio ramifications? If Friedrichs wins, more than 300,000 government workers represented by Ohio labor unions could leave their unions without being required to pay a monthly service fee (called "fair share") that is now required by the state's collective-bargaining law. Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper described the case, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, this way to cleveland.com: "It is part of an intense political effort to run down workers and destroy unions. And the victims would be middle-class workers under attack by the Koch brothers and interests like them. ... Would a ruling against labor affect the party? Possibly. Probably." A legal brief filed at the Supreme Court by the conservative Buckeye Institute in Columbus described the agency fees as garnered by "state coercion" and argued that unions in so-called "right-to-work" states are more conservative in their spending on overhead costs. "One econometric study found that union officials paid themselves an average of $20,000 more in union security states than in right-to-work states (even after controlling for broader economic conditions in each state)," the brief said, concluding that "unions are capable of standing on their own" without the help of the 1977 Abood decision. What are the case's political implications? Unions filed briefs with the Supreme Court that said fewer public employees would feel the need to pay union dues if Friedrichs prevails, providing less money for them to devote to collective bargaining. The reduced funding for public sector unions would also drain a significant source of campaign cash for the Democratic candidates those unions support. According to statistics compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, public sector unions focus many of their contributions on members of Congress from both parties who sit on committees that deal with federal budgets and agencies. During Monday's arguments, Friedrichs' lawyer, Michael A. Carvin, said that if the fees are upheld, "the state of California could say every public employee contributes 1 percent to the governor's reelection campaign unless they affirmatively opt out of doing so." "No one thinks, realistically, that's a voluntary decision to give money," Carvin continued. "There's only one purpose behind that kind of requirement, which is to inflate the governor's political war chest, just like the only purpose behind this is to, through inadvertence and neglect, inflate the union's war chest by people who really have not made a voluntary decision to do so." What did the Justices have to say? In his comments during the arguments, Justice Anthony Kennedy - who often provides the decisive swing vote between the court's liberal and conservative factions, seemed to favor rejecting the union's power to collect fees from non-members. "The union basically is making these teachers compelled riders for issues on which they strongly disagree," said Kennedy. "Many teachers think that they are devoted to the future of America, to the future of our young people, and that the union is equally devoted to that, but that the union is absolutely wrong in some of its positions. And agency fees require, as I understand it, correct me if I'm wrong, agency fees require that employees and teachers who disagree with those positions must nevertheless subsidize the union on those very points." California Solicitor General Edward C. Dumont replied that employees pick the union that represents them "and because it's a democratic process, it's almost guaranteed that not everyone will agree with all the positions that are taken by the union that represents the majority of employees." Dumont said that having a union allows employers to negotiate with one representative that can speak with one voice for disparate people A ruling in the case is expected by late June. Rand Paul In this Jan. 7, 2016, file photo, Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. speaks during a campaign stop in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Paul and former technology executive Carly Fiorina will not appear on the primetime debate stage when the Republican Party's 2016 presidential class faces off later this week in South Carolina. (Nati Harnik, Associated Press) Today's Rand Paul news: Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and former technology executive Carly Fiorina will not appear on the main prime time debate stage when the Republican Party's 2016 presidential class faces off later this week in South Carolina. Debate host Fox Business Network announced the debate lineup Monday evening, dealing a blow to both candidates just three weeks before Iowa's presidential caucuses kick off the state-by-state nominating contests. Just seven candidates -- the smallest Republican group so far -- will be featured in Thursday's 9 p.m. (ET) main event, based on criteria established by the network that relied on recent polls. Real estate mogul Donald Trump, the leader in most recent polls, will again appear centre stage in the debate. He'll be joined on stage by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich: Toronto Star Although Paul and Fiorina were invited to participate in a debate for candidates with lower poll numbers, Paul said he'd boycott it. "I won't participate in anything that's not first tier because we have a first tier campaign," the Kentucky senator told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. The undercard debate, meanwhile, will see no more than three candidates, given Paul's refusal to honor what he sees as "a mistake" by the debate's sponsor. "It's a mistake because the thing is we actually have been in the top five or six in most of the recent polls. In fact, last week in a national poll we were just one point out of fourth place. So I think it's a mistake to try to exclude me from the national debate," he told Blitzer. Following the interview, Paul's campaign released a statement in which it protested Paul's treatment by the media. "By any reasonable criteria Sen. Paul has a top tier campaign," the statement read. "He will not let the media decide the tiers of this race and will instead take his message directly to the voters of New Hampshire and Iowa:" CNN Under hypothetical President Rand Paul, the State of the Union address would be a much quieter - and probably much shorter - affair. Paul told ABC News today, that he would ban audible reactions of any sort during the annual joint meeting of Congress. "If I'm president we'll have a rule, no clapping throughout the whole speech," Paul said. "All that clapping takes up about 30 minutes. That speech goes on forever. So no clapping, everyone should sit quietly and politely, let's get it over with:" ABC Paul's sputtering presidential campaign has lost a top staffer: policy aide Elise Jordan. Jordan, a former Bush White House and State Department aide who had been advising Paul on foreign policy, has left the campaign to take a job at NBC News and MSNBC as a political analyst. "I think the world of Senator Paul and am so proud of how he changed the entire field's debate on criminal justice and foreign policy," Jordan wrote in an email. A Paul spokesman, Sergio Gor, did not respond to a request for comment. The departure comes amid widespread consternation in Paul world that his presidential bid may be nearing an end: Politico Matt Moore, manager of Savers in Rocky River, showing off the inventory. Lake-effect snow blankets northeast Ohio Snow caused some commuting headaches Tuesday morning in Northeast Ohio. (John Kuntz, cleveland.com file photo) ROCKY RIVER, Ohio -- It's illegal to park your car on Rocky River streets today, as the city has issued an emergency snow parking ban. And other cities may do the same as snow continues to fall throughout Northeast Ohio. There were no parking bans in Bay Village, Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Lakewood, Parma, Shaker Heights, South Euclid, or Westlake Tuesday morning. But that could change as the day goes on. Check with your cities to see if a ban is in effect in your area. A winter weather advisory is in effect until noon today and snow is falling this morning throughout Greater Cleveland. The area could see 1 to 3 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service. "Anytime there is snow accumulation over 2 inches, then the people should expect that the ban is in effect," Rocky River Police Chief Kelly Stillman said. "As soon as that event is over, the snow ban is removed." Rocky River City Council approved the parking ban in April to allow roadways to be plowed. Offenders will be charged with a minor misdemeanor and fined $150 for the first offense. A second offense within a year will carry a $250 fine, and violators will be slapped with a $500 fine for a third offense. Vehicles will be towed at the owner's expense. Snow during this morning's commute created slick surfaces and caused headaches for drivers in Northeast Ohio, with several crashes reported. The weather seemed to be having little effect on area schools, with few closings and delays being reported in Greater Cleveland. Cleveland city officials said 42 snow-removal crews will be on main and secondary thoroughfares until the snow stops. Temperatures were in the mid-20s early this morning, but will drop into the teens as the day progresses. It also will be windy, with gusts up to 44 mph, so drifting and whiteouts could be factors later today. Like Chanda Neely on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter: Screen Shot 2016-01-12 at 3.37.11 PM.png Former Mayor David Bentkowski filed an appeal on Jan. 26, 2015 but it was dismissed Dec. 10. SEVEN HILLS, Ohio - After nearly three years and more than $200,000 in attorney fees, the city of Seven Hills' legal battle with former Mayor David Bentkowski is likely over. Now the city is trying to get back its money. Seven Hills has paid more than $200,000 to the firm Squire Sanders -- now Squire Patton Boggs -- since the lawsuit was filed in March 2013. Last week, Seven Hills filed a motion to recoup some of the legal expenses, Councilman Tim Fraundorf said. Bentkowski filed the lawsuit against the city, city officials and residents in connection to the public release of a police investigation he initiated in 2009 to determine who was behind "personal, intense and menacing" comments made about him on cleveland.com. A Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court judge ruled last January that Bentkowski "failed to make a showing of the required malice, bad faith or wanton or reckless conduct required to remove the blanket of government immunity." Last month, the appeals court upheld the ruling. Mayor Richard Dell'Aquila, one of several people sued, in addition to the city, said there was "no surprise" the court affirmed the dismissal. "The internet has become a 21st century 'Wild West,' with people posting the most bizarre claims and vile slurs online," Dell'Aquila said. "In part, Bentkowski was seeking the identities of the parties who started this mess by posting a number of repulsive things online about him. In doing so, he made several claims that simply never happened and sued people who had nothing to do with any of this. But after wasting almost three years in litigation and about $200,000 in legal costs to the city, he nonetheless failed to expose his internet tormentors." Instead, Dell'Aquila said, Bentkowski embarrassed the city and continued to fuel a political feud that has plagued Seven Hills for decades. "The people he unfairly attacked, and the city as a whole, are now paying a steep price for his obstinate petulance," Dell'Aquila said. Fraundorf, who was also named in the lawsuit, said his attorney also filed a motion to recoup his legal fees. Fraundorf wasn't a city official when Bentkowski filed the lawsuit, so Seven Hills isn't paying for his legal fees. "So I'm just trying to get my money back and the city is attempting to get its money back," the councilman said. Bentkowski could bring his case to the Ohio Supreme Court, but Fraundorf said "that's a long shot." Brent English, Bentkowski's lawyer, wasn't available for comment. For more news, like me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter or Instagram @maurazee. DSCF2721.JPG Council met Jan. 11 to vote on ordinances and discuss residents' concerns. (Mark Holan/Special to Sun News) SEVEN HILLS, Ohio - During the regularly scheduled Jan. 11 council meeting, members of the planning commission complained about feeling threatened at a Jan. 7 meeting. They said they felt "intimidated" by resident Tom Jaros' remarks at the meeting and demanded that council do something about it. Council president Matt Trafis said that he doesn't want to stifle residents' comments with a view toward more transparency in the city's government. In fact, he wants to have the meetings videotaped and put up on the website sometime this year. He told the commission members that if they'd like to have an officer at future meetings they'd have to bring it up to Mayor Richard Dell'Aquila as the safety director. In other action Dell'Aquila announced that the recreation center showed a profit in 2015 for the first time since it opened in 2002. He said the $25,000 profit is the result of recreation director Jen Berger and her staff's efforts and thanked them. The mayor responded to a resident's question as to whether the proposed development at Crossview and Rockside will have rental property. Dell'Aquila reiterated that the "mixed use" development, still in the planning stages, will only have "owner-occupied housing," as he and the council have agreed upon since it was brought to them by the developers. Dell'Aquila also said that the development on 60-70 acres of land in the city's northeast quadrant will be "the dream that the city has been dreaming for the last 10 years." He said that no formal presentation has been made as of yet. Ward 2 Councilman Tim Fraundorf, who is the chairman of the finance committee, announced the 2016 Seven Hills Budget Review meetings will be held Jan. 23 and 30. The next council meeting will be at 7 p.m. Jan. 25. New Westlake school board members.jpg Westlake School board members Bob Stoll (from left), Carol Winter, and Joe Kraft take the oath of office. They ran for three seats in November. Winter, who was reelected to a third term, is the new board president. (Westlake City Schools) Barbara Leszynski WESTLAKE, Ohio -- Three-term school board member Carol Winter is the board's new president. Mayor Dennis Clough swore in Winter and new Vice President Barbara Leszynski, a second-term member and retired teacher, Monday. Both were chosen for the roles by their fellow board members. Winter replaces Tony Falcone, who left the board after serving one term. One of the longest serving members, Winter ran unopposed in November. City Councilwoman Lynda Appel Tweeted a photo of the mayor swearing in the new school board president, with a message that she was "so proud of my good friend." So proud of my good friend @cwinter2 elected @WestlakeSchools President of the School Board pic.twitter.com/psndFLb70E Lynda Appel (@LyndaAppelWard1) January 11, 2016 Winter, a former teacher and principal, takes over the reigns of the board at a tumultuous time. The district is searching for a new superintendent and is in heated contract negotiations with teachers. And bus drivers, teacher aides, cafeteria workers and other support staff voted down a three-year contract and pay increase in December. "The board and staff must reach agreements around contracts that will ensure the financial stability of our excellent school district and are fair to our students, staff, and community," Winter said. "Finalizing our superintendent search and strategic planning, that includes setting the district's direction for the coming five years, are also important goals for our entire board and are slated to be complete by this spring." Westlake teachers stopped tutoring students for outside pay in October after the district raised ethics questions. Outraged parents packed a school board meeting, and the district responded by offering tutoring through its Project LINK before- and after-school program. But only a handful of teachers signed up to tutor the dozens of students, and most had to be put on a waiting list. The district has turned to tutors outside the district to help. The district is also working with community members to solve its financial woes. The schools have lost about $15 million in state funding during the last decade. And voters in May rejected the district's third tax increase request since 2013. The tax would have generated $1.4 million to pay for school building improvements, bus repairs, security upgrades and technology updates. Most departmental budgets were cut 5-10 percent, and many capital improvements were deferred due to budgetary constraints. The district is projecting an $8 million deficit by 2020. To save money, the district moved its administrative offices into Parkside school on Hilliard Boulevard in December. And a finance committee has tossed out the idea of consolidating elementary schools or putting another tax increase on the ballot sometime this year. Like Chanda Neely on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter: Walsh mugs.jpg Thomas Walsh, 49, and Michelle Walsh, 45 of Garfield Heights. (Westlake Police) WESTLAKE, Ohio -- A married couple accused of stealing copper and tools from the future American Greetings headquarters in Westlake turned themselves in Tuesday, police said. Thomas Walsh, 49, and Michelle Walsh, 45, of Garfield Heights are charged with breaking and entering. Thomas Walsh works for a contractor hired to build the company's new headquarters located south of Westlake's Crocker Park mall. Construction is scheduled to be finished this summer, police said. The couple broke into an electrical room on July 24 and left with $2,300 in copper and tools, police said. Warrants were issued for their arrest after several people identified them using security photos released by Westlake police, a news release said. The couple's first court appearances have not been scheduled. The stolen copper and tools have not been recovered, Westlake police Capt. Guy Turner said. Turner said that investigators think the couple sold the stolen items to a scrap recycler. WHEN: Today, Monday, January 11th WHERE: CNBC's "Closing Bell" Following are excerpts from the unofficial transcript of a CNBC EXCLUSIVE interview with Alcoa CEO Klaus Kleinfeld on CNBC's "Closing Bell" (M-F, 3PM-5PM ET) today. Following is a link to the video on CNBC.com: http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000478732. All references must be sourced to CNBC. KLEINFELD ON BUSINESS If you look at the quarter, it's been really a solid quarter. We have substantially grown our aerospace business. Our customers have seen it and positively responded. And we've seen a string of large contracts overall in the last quarter. 4 billion of aerospace contracts. In the whole year 9 billion. Look at our midstream business. We are continuing to upgrade the profitability in there to go to a higher margin. Auto is one of those. We've increased our auto stocks. We've doubled the shipments compared to last year. This is good. KLEINFELD ON PROFIT We have seen a price decline over the course of the year in aluminum of almost 30 percent, in alumina of over 40 percent. We've basically did everything that's in our own control. We've reshaped the business and look where we are. We're still standing. We're still making a profit. So look at cash, look at productivity, all of this good. All that we have under our own control. KLEINFELD ON ARCHITECTURE OF BUSINESS We are taking all the actions into our hands. We changed the architecture of this business. We have five different businesses in there. We have alumina, we have an enviable position, by the way, in bauxite. We are building our bauxite business. We have a very strong position, first quarter position in alumina. We are improving our position on aluminum. We have an energy business in there and we have a casthouse business in there. All of these are businesses that can do very, very well. And also look at it like this. I mean today we're in a trough and we still are doing well in this trough. Look at the upside potential that this business has. KLEINFELD ON SEPARATION We will go through this once we go closer to into the first half of this year when we basically work through the structure and when we work through how we're going to arrange the balance sheet. So this is work that's still ahead of us. We're on track with a separation and as you can see through the numbers, all of this looks very positive in light also of the separation. KLEINFELD ON ALUMINUM DEMAND The aluminum side we're also putting out a new demand forecast for this year and we believe demand worldwide is going to increase in 2016 by six percent. This on top of the six and a half percent of last year, on top of the 9 percent the year before last. Aluminum is a very, very hot, hot metal. A lot of people want to have more of this. For us, it's most important that we focus on those things that we have under our own control. We're not dependent on China. I mean China has opportunities rather than threats for us. About CNBC: With CNBC in the U.S., CNBC in Asia Pacific, CNBC in Europe, Middle East and Africa, CNBC World and CNBC HD , CNBC is the recognized world leader in business news and provides real-time financial market coverage and business information to approximately 371 million homes worldwide, including more than 100 million households in the United States and Canada. CNBC also provides daily business updates to 400 million households across China. The network's 15 live hours a day of business programming in North America (weekdays from 4:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. ET) is produced at CNBC's global headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and includes reports from CNBC News bureaus worldwide. CNBC at night features a mix of new reality programming, CNBC's highly successful series produced exclusively for CNBC and a number of distinctive in-house documentaries. CNBC also has a vast portfolio of digital products which deliver real-time financial market news and information across a variety of platforms. These include CNBC.com, the online destination for global business; CNBC PRO, the premium, integrated desktop/mobile service that provides real-time global market data and live access to CNBC global programming; and a suite of CNBC Mobile products including the CNBC Real-Time iPhone and iPad Apps. Members of the media can receive more information about CNBC and its programming on the NBC Universal Media Village Web site at http://www.nbcumv.com/mediavillage/networks/cnbc/. If there is one thing that is clear to Jim Cramer these days, it is that the love for momentum stocks is quickly fading especially Under Armour . On Monday, the stock received the ultimate indignity when Morgan Stanley downgraded the stock to underweight, the absolute worst thing that could happen to a stock. Morgan Stanley's indictment cited a threat of declining share and average selling prices to its valuation. The analyst worried about near-term earnings uncertainty as Under Armour is losing apparel market share for the first time in three years and prices are being cut. Footwear is also down 20 percent since January 2013. Morgan Stanley implied that Under Armour now must compete on price. "My take? You can't beat Nike at their own game," the "Mad Money" host said. watch now Already weak oil prices extended declines on Monday, nearing $30 a barrel, as a stronger dollar and jitters over volatile Chinese markets weighed on sentiment. At 12:20 p.m. ET on Tuesday, WTI crude oil futures for February traded at around $30.20 per barrel. Brent crude oil futures traded at around $30.55/bbl. All about China? Oil markets are fixated on Chinese demand, as well as the stronger greenback, said Mizuho Bank's economist Vishnu Varathan. China's apparent oil and gas consumption is expected to rise 4.8 percent this year to about 750 million tons of oil equivalent, according to a China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation estimate on Tuesday. A supply glut, coupled with weak demand, have been the main factors behind oil's plunge since mid-2014, amid the rise of U.S. shale producers and the refusal by OPEC to shut off the spigots. "OPEC is producing flat-out into a market that is oversupplied by over 1 million barrels per day," Jason Gammel and Marc Kofler, two analysts at Jefferies said in a note Tuesday. "Already decelerating demand growth could further decay with slowing economic activity," they added. The investment bank lowered its Brent oil price assumptions to $43 a barrel from $61 a barrel for 2016 and said it was difficult to envisage a "fundamentally bullish scenario" this year. Oil prices are now about 17 percent lower year-to-date, just 12 days into 2016, and about 70 percent lower from July 2014 when prices began their sustained decline. According to data from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, managed short positions of WTI crude on January 5 increased almost 10 percent from a week ago to 182,562 a record high for the measure, which implies hedge fund expectations of further decline. The increase in bearishness from funds signals that they are moving money out of crude oil, Singapore-based Phillip Futures analyst Daniel Ang said. Short positions held by oil producers, however, are falling to a level that suggest there could be more cuts to production, as they start to feel the pinch of low prices, he added in a note Tuesday. Some analysts said at the close of 2015 that they expected further pain in oil markets in the first half of 2016, although some rebalancing may occur in the later part of the year as supply slows due to the low prices. Getty Images Pre-retirees in Indonesia can put their feet up, while Singaporeans should be a little more focused on preparing for their golden years, according to a DBS -Manulife survey. Of workers across six Asian countries, Indonesians were the best prepared for a comfortable retirement, the "Retirement Wellness Study" found. The study created an index based on three key retirement issues: health protection, wealth building, and the ability to have an enriched life after retiring, that was calculated on a 100-point scale. More than 6,000 respondents aged 40 to 60 years old, across Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, India and Indonesia, took part in the study. Indonesians scored the highest on the index, with 72 points, followed by Chinese, which was just 3 points below at 69. The study also found that both Indonesians and Chinese were most confident about their current health and that their healthcare needs would be met during retirement. But retirement is not looking like a bed of roses for Hong Kong workers (39 points), Singaporeans (46 points) and Taiwanese (47 points), whose scores revealed they were significantly less prepared for retirement. "Singaporeans hold high expectations for their retirement years but many are leaving it too late to make their hopes a reality," said Richard Vargo, regional head of bancassurance at DBS Bank. With a higher cost of living in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan, known as the Asian tigers, respondents could perhaps be less confident about retirement. A 2015 Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) survey found for the second consecutive year that Singapore was the world's most expensive city, based on price comparisons across a basket of goods and services. Hong Kong also made the Economist's top 10, coming in as the 9th most expensive city. In December, the Hong Kong administration launched a public consultation on a retirement protection scheme designed to help it cope with its aging population and ensure proper care for retirees, the South China Morning Post reported. watch now watch now Democratic presidential candidate has proposed a new 4 percent tax on the wealthiest Americans as part of her plan to finance new domestic spending initiatives. During a speech in Waterloo, Iowa, Clinton said the her "fair share surcharge" would apply to incomes above $5 million per year and raise an estimated $150 billion over 10 years. The campaign estimated the tax would apply to roughly 34,000 American households. The proposal is part of the former secretary of state's plan to implement the so-called Buffett Rule, a principle named for billionaire investor Warren Buffett that aims to ensure that wealthy Americans pay an effective tax rate of at least 30 percent. Because of various deductions and shelters in the tax code, many do not currently pay that much leading Buffett to lament that his secretary pays a higher tax rate than he does. Clinton, who faces competition from the left in Democratic primaries from Sen. Bernie Sanders, has proposed large new spending plans for such priorities as making college more affordable, expanding infrastructure, and bolstering access to child care and early childhood education. The Republican National Committee estimates the total cost of those proposals so far at $1.2 trillion over 10 years. Before she rolled out her new surcharge proposal Monday, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated that Clinton's planned tax increases so far would raise slightly more than $800 billion over 10 years. The surcharge plan would close slightly less than half of that $400 billion gap. Other elements of Clinton's tax plan haven't been made public yet. The Democratic front-runner has vowed to pay for her proposal without increasing taxes on Americans earning less than $250,000 a year. The campaign of Sanders, a self-described "democratic socialist" who has not yet specified his own tax plan, swiftly condemned Clinton's new plan as inadequate. "At a time of grotesque income and wealth inequality and when trillions of dollars have been transferred from the middle class to the top one-tenth of 1 percent over the last 30 years, Secretary Clinton's proposal is too little too late," Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs said in a statement. watch now Technology leaders like Facebook , Alphabet and Apple are down around 6 percent since the start of 2016 on fears over China's financial health. Add to that worry over a slowing American economy, and the picture for the sector doesn't look too great. But investors might want to hold off on selling the tech dip. Worries from Beijing and the sluggish 2 percent annual growth rate of the U.S. economy won't weigh too heavily on the largest tech companies, experts told CNBC's "Squawk Alley." "I think there is very good growth in tech," said Allianz Global Investors senior portfolio manager Walter Price. "Technology companies] may moderate in our slower-growth economy, but I think tech has still got good growth, much better growth than most sectors in the economy." New developments in cloud technology and video advertising on the Internet will be major tail wind factors for the industry, according to Price. "Those trends aren't going away," he said. A boost to tech companies is expected as many are reporting earnings near the end of January. Netflix is expected to release its results Jan. 19, kicking off the wave of highly anticipated announcements. With giants like Apple and Microsoft having done so well in 2015 up 37 and 24 percent, respectively, since the start of 2014 some investors are skeptical of whether these companies could continue to see success. Others still think the tech sell-off will hurt the sector. watch now Importing lion trophies to the United States just became a lot tougher, and activists are saying the new rules are likely to kill the growing business of shooting captive animals. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced in late December that it's adding two subspecies of lion to the endangered species list, making it far more difficult for American shooters to bring body parts back into the United States. The decision comes months after the shooting of a wild lion in Zimbabwe by an American dentist provoked international outrage. On the heels of the announcement, the Humane Society released a report saying the decision will be catastrophic for a new but growing industry: ranches that breed and raise lions for "canned" hunts in enclosed spaces. 'Guaranteed kill arrangement' So-called canned or captive hunts are not really "hunts," in the sense that there is no real chance of failure. During such a shooting, animals bred or raised on the ranch are released into an area typically enclosed before they are shot by the customer. The shooter forgoes the challenges of locating and tracking a wild animal as well as the prospect of leaving empty-handed. It turns out many would-be hunters like a sure thing and many or even most of those shooters are Americans. Such killings are especially attractive to customers looking to bag one of the Africa Big Five, which are lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and cape buffalo. There are about 200 ranches across South Africa where a customer can pay anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 to shoot one of the country's 6,000 captive lions. "This side industry developed by these guys in South Africa is basically setting up a private land area, fencing it, and then breeding lions and then releasing them to be shot in a guaranteed kill arrangement," said Humane Society Chief Executive Wayne Pacelle. "About 620 of the 720 lions imported into the U.S. in 2014 came out of South Africa," Pacelle told CNBC. "The preponderance of those have come from these facilities." watch now Supporters of such game ranches contend they take pressure off already vulnerable wild lion populations, contribute funds to conservation efforts and provide an economic benefit. Critics call the operations, the "factory-farming of lions," pointing to substandard conditions and inbreeding, and noting that shooting an animal in an enclosed space is far different from stalking one in the wild. Pacelle said the new rules could stamp out the industry, because a disproportionate number of captive hunt customers are American. About 85 percent of the 429 canned hunt lion trophies crossing international borders in 2014 came back to the United States, according to Humane Society information. watch now The Endangered Species Act has no authority beyond U.S. borders, but the government can regulate the import and export of trophies and body parts across U.S. borders. The Fish and Wildlife Service's Branch of Foreign Species has jurisdiction over species from outside the United States. Pacelle told CNBC the majority of canned hunts will not meet the new criteria that hunts be beneficial to the species, and he thinks that the number of lions coming into the U.S. annually will drop from 2014's 720 to around 20. The Fish and Wildlife Service provided information to CNBC saying that it is currently evaluating whether canned lion hunts will meet the criteria, and that in the meantime, all permits are issued on a case-by-case basis. watch now London, 12 January 2016 - CNBC International today announced the launch of a pan-European and Asia marketing campaign to promote its coverage of the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos next week (20th 23rd January 2016). The You're Invited campaign targets CNBC International's affluent and aspirational audience via print and digital advertising across a range of websites and platforms. Finola McDonnell, VP of Communications and Marketing at CNBC International said: "It's often the case that it's your boss that goes to Davos, but with CNBC's unrivalled access, everyone's invited. CNBC is the number one broadcaster on the ground at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting. Last year, 150 CEOs and political leaders spoke to us before anyone else. Looking ahead to this year's conference, our agenda is busier than ever." CNBC's coverage of the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos will commence with a special live programme on Tuesday 19th January, hosted by Julia Chatterley, which will preview the week's events. On January 20th, 21st and 22nd CNBC will be live from Davos between 5AM and 10AM and 3PM and 4PM daily. CNBC is also offering live updates via its daily Davos Live Blog which launches on January 20th. For more of CNBC's PR and marketing news, follow us on Twitter @CNBCiPR About CNBC: With CNBC in the U.S., CNBC in Asia Pacific, CNBC in Europe, Middle East and Africa, CNBC World and CNBC HD , CNBC is the recognized world leader in business news and provides real-time financial market coverage and business information to approximately 371 million homes worldwide, including more than 100 million households in the United States and Canada. CNBC also provides daily business updates to 400 million households across China. The network's 15 live hours a day of business programming in North America (weekdays from 4:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. ET) is produced at CNBC's global headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and includes reports from CNBC News bureaus worldwide. CNBC at night features a mix of new reality programming, CNBC's highly successful series produced exclusively for CNBC and a number of distinctive in-house documentaries. CNBC also has a vast portfolio of digital products which deliver real-time financial market news and information across a variety of platforms. These include CNBC.com, the online destination for global business; CNBC PRO, the premium, integrated desktop/mobile service that provides real-time global market data and live access to CNBC global programming; and a suite of CNBC Mobile products including the CNBC Real-Time iPhone and iPad Apps. Members of the media can receive more information about CNBC and its programming on the NBC Universal Media Village Web site at http://www.nbcumv.com/mediavillage/networks/cnbc/. "We really see Ten-X, the name, as a rallying cry," Morse said Monday on CNBC's "Squawk Alley." "We've got a lot of momentum, and really, the name of the company is changing because we're changing." The parent company of the online real-estate platform is re-branding as Ten-X, it said Monday, with a new non-auction feature coming in March to debut at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas. Ten-X Homes will have a national footprint, but will focus initially on four launch markets Dallas, Denver, Miami and Phoenix, the company said. Right now, the technology platform facilitates commercial and residential real estate transactions entirely online, and has seen double-digit growth in the transactions performed on the site. The vast majority of purchases and sales are still through the auction function, Morse said. But increasingly, people want to be able to do transactions of all kinds on the go. Ten-X would be the first full end-to-end platform for buying residential real estate online, he said. "We made a lot of progress last year," Morse said. "It was really a tremendous year ... strategically, we were able to launch the beta version of our retail-ready, consumer-ready housing site in August ...there's a lot of room to expand, and that's what we're focused on. European equities gained on Tuesday, despite continued wariness surrounding low oil prices and China's economic slowdown. European markets Oil edges towards $30 Morrisons, Tesco surges The retail sector was a bright spot for investors on Tuesday. British supermarket chain Morrisons came off session highs, but finished 8.7 percent up, after it said that like-for-like sales excluding fuel in the 9 weeks to Jan 3 were up 0.2 percent. Shares in rival supermarket chain Sainsbury were up over 3 percent, after market research firm Kantar said its sales rose over the holidays and its market share has risen to 17 percent in the U.K. Tesco ended over 6.5 percent higher, despite its market share and sales slipping in the 12 weeks to January 3, according to Kantar. Read More Only 1 big supermarket chain gets a Christmas bonus Meanwhile, Finnish retailer Kesko announced plans to buy building firm Onninen in an all-share deal worth 369 million euros ($401 million), sending shares to close over 7 percent higher. And German retailer Metro reported first quarter like-for-like sales were up 0.1 percent and reaffirmed its full-year guidance, sending shares over 3 percent. Carmakers drive higher The auto sector was the best-performing sector on Tuesday, up over 2 percent. Peugeot Citroen shares finished up 4.8 percent after it said global vehicle sales volumes rose 1.16 percent in 2015. Italy's Fiat Chrysler was almost 3 percent higher after chief executive Sergio Marchionne said the carmaker would end the year at the high end of its financial guidance. And embattled German carmaker Volkswagen said it was expanding its U.S. goodwill program to those affected by the emissions cheating scandal. Shares in Volkswagen were over 3 percent up. It's been a grim start to the year as far as equity markets are concerned, but one strategist has told CNBC that it's only a "nasty market correction" rather than the beginning of a bear market. It might not be time to buy quite yet, but Bob Parker, a senior advisor for investment strategy and research at Credit Suisse told CNBC Tuesday that investors should be poised for a rally in February, after equities find a base later this month. "Over the last 10 days we have had, as I call it, a confluence of many negative factors in markets, therefore the major correction we've had isn't that surprising," Parker said. "The key question is, is this a correction or the start of a major bear market? My argument is it's very similar replay to what we had last August and September. This is a major nasty correction, (but) we're now a large way through that correction," he added. So far, the strategy seems to be backfiring. "Basically their intent was to drown us (in oil), but they've not got that done," Continental Resources CEO Harold Hamm told CNBC on Tuesday. "It's been a monumental mistake for them I might add, a trillion-dollar mistake." Crude oil prices leveled off at about $32 per barrel on Tuesday, after falling close to a 12-year low. Read MoreTexas hunkers down for another oil bust Market watchers continue to slash their forecasts for oil prices. Closely followed market watcher Dennis Gartman told CNBC the price could drop to $15 a barrel, while Standard Chartered warned its clients that crude could fall to $10 this year. At the same time that production continues to grow, global consumption is softening in part due to an economic slowdown in China and much of the developing world. The firm's chief equity strategist told CNBC's " Squawk on the Street " he likes Alphabet , Starbucks , Visa , Amgen and Bristol-Myers Squibb because they could see margins increase by over 50 basis points this year and in 2017. Investors should consider buying into five companies across different industries as the earnings outlook remains weak, Goldman Sachs' David Kostin said Tuesday. "So, when I think about it, margins, energy and China, are your three big issues to be focusing on for this year and margins are the most fundamentally driven, in terms of stock selection," he said. "The reason this is so important is that margins have been flat across the market for five years, so it becomes more difficult to identify those companies." Kostin made his remarks four days after cutting his earnings per share forecast on the S&P 500 for 2015 by $3. In his note, he said the reduction was due to the collapse in energy profits. "Energy companies are now contributing $3 per share in S&P earnings," he told CNBC. "In 48 years, the energy sector has never lost money; it will post a loss in 2015." U.S. crude hit a fresh 12-year low on Tuesday as oversupply concerns persist. Earnings season unofficially kicked off on Monday, with Alcoa reporting mixed fourth-quarter results. DISCLOSURE: Starbucks and Amgen are banking clients of Goldman Sachs. Investors who backed a biotechnology company led by executive Martin Shkreli are suing to get back the $5.4 million they had invested just hours before his arrest, according to court papers. Shkreli took control of KaloBios Pharmaceuticals in November, saving the company from closing down. He became its chief executive on Nov. 20. As part of Shkreli's rescue, the company reached a deal with three individuals and two funds to invest $5.4 million in it under an agreement that KaloBios said was completed on Dec. 16. Martin Shkreli departs U.S. Federal Court after an arraignment and his being charged on a federal indictment filed in Brooklyn on Dec. 17, 2015. Lucas Jackson | Reuters On Dec. 17, Shkreli was arrested for allegedly engaging in a Ponzi-like scheme at his former hedge fund and Retrophin Inc, a pharmaceutical company he previously headed. KaloBios' outside counsel, Evan Greebel, was also arrested, and on Dec. 29 KaloBios filed for bankruptcy. The investors said KaloBios lied when it told them it and its officers were not subject to any pending investigation that could have a material impact on its business, according to documents filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware. According to court papers filed by the company on Monday, Shkreli owns about 47 percent of KaloBios stock and 26 percent is held by the investors suing the company: Gregory Rea, RTAT LLC, Edward Painter, Nancy Retzlaff and Armistice Capital Master Fund. "KaloBios, through Shkreli, its outside counsel and potentially others, knew or should have known about the FBI investigation, the gravity of the potential charges, and the fact that Shkreli's and its outside counsel's arrest was imminent," the investors said in court papers. Inside Columbia Care, one of New York City's first medicinal marijuana dispensaries. The Columbia Care shop is located on 14th Street right off Manhattan's Union Square. As the marijuana experiment unfolds in New York, the state's first patients are receiving medicinal cannabis from five companies that received state licenses last July. The dispensaries officially opened their doors Thursday. Details are now emerging about participation rates among physicians and patients. New York state's highly restrictive program had registered 174 doctors and 71 patients, according to an update Friday from the state Department of Health. "Governor [Andrew] Cuomo gave us an extremely ambitious timeline to get the Medical Marijuana Program up and running, and I am pleased that we have met his goals," state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said in a statement last week. "Our program ensures the availability of pharmaceutical-grade medical marijuana products for certified patients and establishes strict regulatory controls to protect public health and safety." To be clear, the bar to access medicinal marijuana is high. New York's program makes medicinal marijuana available to patients suffering from only 10 diseases including cancer, HIV or AIDS, ALS, Parkinson's and Huntington's Disease. Prescribing doctors also must be certified, including taking a four-hour course. Companies awarded licenses said a rush of initial patients was not expected for the program's launch. "This is a very sophisticated medical system, it's not a free-for-all," said Dr. Kyle Kingsley, chief executive of Vireo Health, the Minnesota-based parent company of Vireo Health New York, one of the medicinal license recipients in New York. Kingsley added he was pleasantly surprised at how many doctors were signed up so far given the quick timeline for certification. "It was also done on an unprecedented timeline, implementing the program in just five months," he said. As a physician, Kingsley has had experience opening a dispensary in Minnesota in July last year, and said initial patient numbers aren't a sign of future participation rates. In Minnesota, "we began on July 1, and so far the state has around 866 patients enrolled," Kingsley said. "In New York, I would have expected only 20 to 30 doctors" given the timeline, and New York already has more than 170 doctors participating, he added. Read MoreA look inside Manhattan's first medical marijuana dispensary watch now The United Arab Emirates moved to quash talk of a potential emergency meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) after Nigeria's oil minister said on Tuesday a "couple" of members had requested a gathering. Benchmark slipped towards $30 a barrel to a near 12-year low before rising slightly. They have shed almost three-quarters of their value since mid-2014 due to oversupply. Such market conditions supported an emergency meeting to review whether OPEC should change strategy, Nigerian Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu told reporters on the sidelines of an energy conference in Abu Dhabi. However, UAE Energy Minister Suhail bin Mohammed al-Mazroui later told the same conference the current OPEC strategy was working, adding that time was needed to allow this to happen -- perhaps between one and 1-1/2 years. Energy Futures "I'm not convinced OPEC alone can change or can solely unilaterally change this strategy just because we have seen a low in the market," Mazroui said. Mazroui added that while the first half of 2016 would be "tough" for the oil market, there would be a gradual recovery later in the year, aided by an expected drop in non-OPEC production. The Nigerian minister did not specify which OPEC members wanting a meeting and said any such gathering would be in February or March. OPEC's next scheduled meeting is not until June 2. But two OPEC delegates from outside the Gulf were sceptical an emergency conference would take place. "There won't be any meeting," said one of the OPEC delegates from an African OPEC country. OPEC's strategy of maintaining production levels, instead of reducing supply to allow prices to recover, has been aimed at defending market share at the expense of higher-cost producers such as those in the U.S. shale sector. The supply glut is likely to be exacerbated in 2016 by the return of Iranian supply to the market, once Western sanctions have been lifted. "I think all the members including Iran have the right to increase their production. I don't think we are going to restrict anyone," Mazroui said. Such prospects have led oil analysts to downgrade their forecasts in recent days, with Standard Chartered saying prices could drop to $10 a barrel. watch now watch now Only one of the U.K's biggest retailers gained market share in the ultra-competitive Christmas sales period with discount stores getting a big festive bonus, according to the latest industry figures. The figures, from Kantar Worldpanel for the 12 weeks ending January 3, showed no Christmas uplift for the British grocery market as a whole as consumer spending 0.2 percent on last year, thanks to falling prices. Discount retailers such as Lidl and Aldi, as well as premium brand Waitrose, the Co-operative and Sainsbury's "successfully grew ahead of the market and were the share winners over Christmas," the consumer data researcher said. Sainsbury's one of the "big four" U.K. supermarkets along with Tesco , Asda and William Morrison was the best performing of the traditional supermarkets, according to Kantar Worldpanel's figures. "Its premium Taste the Difference brand posted its biggest ever Christmas sales and promotional efforts were concentrated on simple price cuts rather than complicated multi-buy deals. This helped attract an additional 114,000 shoppers, with sales increasing by 0.8 percent on last year." In the same period, Tesco sales fell by 2.7 percent from the same period a year before. Asda's sales fell 3.5 percent and Morrisons' declined 2.6 percent, according to Kantar. Customers push shopping carts as they look for goods inside a Sainsbury's supermarket store. Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images However, it was the upstart discounters such as Aldi and Lidl that saw the biggest leap in sales over the 12 week period. Lidl was the fastest growing retailer overall, with sales up by 18.5 percent. An expanded product range, especially in its Deluxe premium line, has encouraged consumers to increase the size of their shop, with average basket sizes up by 7 percent to 17.20. Aldi followed with an increase in sales of 13.3 percent. Read More Christmas ads: Did they win over shoppers? Despite the figures, Tesco shares were up 5.6 percent on the London FTSE index. Morrisons shares were up 9.8 percent. U.S. retail giant Wal-mart owns Asda. shares of Sainsbury's were up 3 percent. Falling prices Consumers' demands for better pricing has not been lost on the more "traditional" market leaders. The U.K.'s "big four" have been engaged in a battle over consumers with the strategy largely one of cutting prices across the board as well as closing unprofitable stores. With the price war continuing apace, shoppers were the ultimate winners, Kantar Worldpanel's head of retail and consumer insight said on Tuesday. "Shoppers reaped the benefit of falling prices this Christmas, with groceries 1.8 percent cheaper than last year," Fraser McKevitt said. "The amount spent on a typical Christmas dinner fell even faster down by 2.2 percent mainly due to cheaper poultry and traditional vegetable trimmings. Alcohol sales increased thanks to a surge in popularity for sparkling wines including Champagne and Prosecco, which increased in value by 11 percent," he added. The good news was not confined to Sainsbury's alone, however. On Tuesday, Morrisons beat expectations for Christmas trading, reporting a 0.2 percent increase in same store sales, excluding fuel, in the nine weeks to January 3. That compares to analysts' average forecast of a decrease of 2 percent in the same period, according to analysts polled by Reuters. Morrisons, as the fourth largest supermarket in the U.K., has been feeling the pinch alongside its rivals and recently disposed of 140 of its smaller, local stores. It has also cut around 800 head office roles since the start of 2015/16 financial year. David Potts, Morrisons' chief executive, said the supermarket was pleased with its performance over the Christmas period. "While there is of course much more to do, we are making important progress in improving all aspects of the shopping trip, and our customers tell us they are pleased with the changes. In addition, we have made further progress in debt reduction, and our financial position is strong and getting stronger," he said, according to the company's earnings release. The bad news? Morrisons CEO might be optimistic but retail analysts were ready to pour cold water on the numbers. John Ibbotson, director at retail consultants, Retail Vision, said that "Morrisons entered the Christmas period in near critical condition but despite these surprise numbers it remains in intensive care." "Morrisons, like the rest of the Big Four, is facing food deflation, changing shopper habits, not to mention the startling growth of the low cost discounters, convenience stores and the internet. It lacks the size and profitability of Tesco, has lost its price perception to ASDA and can't compete with the quality and service standards of Sainsbury's," he said in a note on Tuesday. Another stalwart of the British high street, department store Debenhams, also posted higher-than-expected sales in the 19 weeks to January 9, driven in no small part by a strong performance in the run-up to Christmas when same store sales were up 1.8 percent. On the continent, things are even rosier. Germany's Metro, Europe's fourth-largest retailer, reported what it called "very good Christmas business in Germany" with like-for-like sales having increased by 2.1 percent. A further clue on the health of the U.K.'s largest retailers comes on Wednesday and Thursday when Sainsbury's and Tesco report their respective sales numbers. Private equity firm Apollo Global Management is in advanced talks to buy for-profit education provider Apollo Education, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday. The deal, which could be worth about $1 billion, was first reported by The Wall Street Journal on Monday. Shares of Apollo Education, valued at about $714 million as of Friday, rose 21 percent in extended trading on Monday after the WSJ report. A student walks to the main building of the University of Phoenix, part of Apollo Group Inc., in Phoenix, Arizona. Joshua Lott | Bloomberg | Getty Images Apollo Education, the owner of the University of Phoenix, said earlier Monday that it was considering selling itself after years of declining enrollments but provided no details. Apollo Global was not immediately available for comment. The company's shares spiked as much as 17 percent in regular trading before closing down 3 percent. Apollo Education had been in talks with a number of private equity firms since late last year, but Apollo Global Management is the only one still in the running, the Journal said, citing a person familiar with the matter. A deal between Apollo Global Management and Apollo Education could be reached in the next few weeks, the Journal reported. Apollo Education and rivals such as DeVry Education Group and ITT Educational Services have faced tougher regulation since a series of government investigations in 2010 revealed low graduation rates and poor job prospects for graduates, who were also burdened with high student debt. Stricter funding rules from the U.S. Department of Education have also squeezed federal tuition aid, which has been a major source of revenue for the for-profit education providers. The U.S. Department of Defense put the University of Phoenix on probation in October, barring it from recruiting students on military bases or using federal money to fund tuition. The decision followed investigations by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the state of California, which are ongoing. The FTC, in July, demanded information about the university's marketing and advertising techniques, which it said may have been deceptive. The California attorney general's office issued a subpoena in August, seeking information on recruiting of military and National Guard personnel and the use of military logos and emblems in marketing. watch now watch now watch now watch now watch now President Barack Obama called on the American people to "fix our politics" in his final State of the Union address. Laying out his vision for the country's economic and social future, the president who has often expressed frustration in his inability to work with a Republican-controlled Congress said Tuesday night that Americans would be able to achieve a more perfect union if only they could break through the rancor of partisan politics. "The future we want opportunity and security for our families; a rising standard of living and a sustainable, peaceful planet for our kids all that is within our reach. But it will only happen if we work together. It will only happen if we can have rational, constructive debates," the president said. "It will only happen if we fix our politics." In his address, a full copy of which was posted online about 10 minutes before he delivered it, the president recalled his original election promise of "change." "We live in a time of extraordinary change change that's reshaping the way we live, the way we work, our planet and our place in the world," Obama said. "It's change that promises amazing medical breakthroughs, but also economic disruptions that strain working families. It promises education for girls in the most remote villages, but also connects terrorists plotting an ocean away. It's change that can broaden opportunity, or widen inequality." "And whether we like it or not, the pace of this change will only accelerate," he added, recalling major national changes from wars, depressions, immigration waves and pushes for civil rights. These changes, Obama said, were made to "work for us" instead of being opposed outright. "Each time, there have been those who told us to fear the future; who claimed we could slam the brakes on change, promising to restore past glory if we just got some group or idea that was threatening America under control," he said. "And each time, we overcame those fears. We did not, in the words of Lincoln, adhere to the 'dogmas of the quiet past.' Instead we thought anew, and acted anew. We made change work for us, always extending America's promise outward, to the next frontier, to more and more people." "And because we did because we saw opportunity where others saw only peril we emerged stronger and better than before," Obama said. As for his vision for politics, Obama explained that he is not calling for Americans to agree on everything, but emphasized that "democracy does require basic bonds of trust between its citizens." He asked the citizenry not to give in to cynicism, to avoid thinking that "change isn't possible and politics is hopeless." If those feelings take over, he cautioned, the powerful and the wealthy will gain greater control over the country. "As frustration grows, there will be voices urging us to fall back into tribes, to scapegoat fellow citizens who don't look like us, or pray like us, or vote like we do, or share the same background," he said, potentially referencing the perceived rancor on the campaign trail. "We can't afford to go down that path. It won't deliver the economy we want, or the security we want, but most of all, it contradicts everything that makes us the envy of the world." On the economy Addressing the economy, Obama said there is one "basic fact," and it's that "the United States of America, right now, has the strongest, most durable economy in the world." The president highlighted the country's record streak for private-sector job growth, the strength of the auto industry, and the fact that manufacturing has created almost 900,000 new jobs over the past six years. "And we've done all this while cutting our deficits by almost three-quarters," he said. Obama criticized those doubting the strength of the U.S. suggesting "anyone claiming that America's economy is in decline is peddling fiction" and instead suggested that more changes were behind public unease. "What is true and the reason that a lot of Americans feel anxious is that the economy has been changing in profound ways, changes that started long before the Great Recession hit and haven't let up," he said. The president explained that his goal for the past seven years has been to grow the economy in a way that works better for every citizen, and he said his administration "made progress," but he charged that the country needs to do more. Read More Three things Obama should focus on in 2016 He pointed to technology replacing some jobs and companies increasingly able to locate anywhere in the world as reasons why workers have "less leverage for a raise." Part of this trend, he said, is that wealth and income are becoming more concentrated at the top. "All these trends have squeezed workers, even when they have jobs; even when the economy is growing. It's made it harder for a hardworking family to pull itself out of poverty, harder for young people to start on their careers, and tougher for workers to retire when they want to," he said, referencing a dominate theme on the campaign trail to replace him. "And although none of these trends are unique to America, they do offend our uniquely American belief that everybody who works hard should get a fair shot." Larry Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute, took issue with the president's assessment of the root causes in wage stagnation. Instead of blaming technological improvements, Mishel told CNBC, Obama would have done well to point to "policy choices over many decades that worked to lessen the ability of the typical workers to get a good deal from their employer: lowered minimum wage, rules that make it harder to collectively bargain, bad trade deals, excessive unemployment and failure to enforce wage standards." Touting the bipartisan reform of No Child Left Behind as "an important start," Obama said Americans can agree that increasing economic opportunity requires better education and training. He called on the country to "build on that progress" by providing pre-kindergarten for everyone, extending computer science classes and more. He also renewed his calls to make college more affordable "because no hardworking student should be stuck in the red." While saying that his administration has already reduced the burden of student loans, Obama said the country should seek to cut the cost of college, and he pledged to keep fighting for a free two years of community college for responsible students. Obama also called for "benefits and protections that provide a basic measure of security." President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Evan Vucci | AP "It's not much of a stretch to say that some of the only people in America who are going to work the same job, in the same place, with a health and retirement package, for 30 years, are sitting in this chamber," Obama said to the assemblage of government leaders, calling Social Security and Medicare "more important than ever." Henry Aaron, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution specializing in health care reform and social programs, said the president's comments on Social Security and Medicare stood out to him. In fact, he told CNBC, the angle of strengthening those programs (however unspecific Obama may have been) reflects a position that the Democrats will want to take on the campaign trail. "I think the Democrats are going to stick with that, and that's a winning position," Aaron said. "It's hard to find any group in the U.S. who doesn't overwhelmingly support both programs. That includes Bernie Sanders' left and the Tea Party's right." While calling for America to strengthen those programs, Obama also touted the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare). "Nearly eighteen million have gained coverage so far," he boasted. "Health care inflation has slowed. And our businesses have created jobs every single month since it became law." Although Obama admitted it was unlikely that lawmakers would agree on health care "anytime soon," he said that there should be other ways for bipartisan efforts to improve economic security. Even if a hardworking American struggles to hold down a job, he or she should still be able to save for retirement "that's the way we make the new economy work better for everyone," he said. Obama recognized House Speaker Paul Ryan's interest in tackling poverty, and he said he'd welcome a "serious discussion" about strategies like expanding tax cuts for low-income workers without kids. Whether conservatives will take up the president's offer to work together remains to be seen. "The president's description of the changes facing the American economy and their effect on workers was good and important. And I applaud the president for focusing so heavily on poverty," reflected Michael Strain, the deputy director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. "Whether the president's solutions are best will hopefully be the subject of much debate in this year's presidential election." Read MoreOpinion: Obama's 'big miss' on manufacturing Although he expressed his hopes for bipartisan efforts, the president acknowledged that there are areas where agreement is less likely, including the government's role in "making sure the system's not rigged in favor of the wealthiest and biggest corporations." Obama said he believes the private sector is the "lifeblood of our economy," adding that there are outdated regulations and red tape that should be cut, but he called for stricter regulations in some regards. "After years of record corporate profits, working families won't get more opportunity or bigger paychecks by letting big banks or big oil or hedge funds make their own rules at the expense of everyone else; or by allowing attacks on collective bargaining to go unanswered," he said. "Food stamp recipients didn't cause the financial crisis; recklessness on Wall Street did." Obama doubled down on his criticism of corporations and financial firms while also hinting at others' campaign talking points, saying "immigrants aren't the reason wages haven't gone up enough; those decisions are made in the boardrooms that too often put quarterly earnings over long-term returns." "It's sure not the average family watching tonight that avoids paying taxes through offshore accounts," he added. The president said he plans to "lift up" businesses who are "doing right by their workers" over the next year, spreading those practices across the country. Assessing the economic portion of Obama's speech, David Wessel, director at the Brookings Institution's Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy, said the president "raised the right issues." "He is referring to very tough challenges, the sort that aren't solved by a single new government program," Wessel said. "I thought his plea at the end for 'a better politics' was well put and inspiring: Obama at his best." Andy Green, managing director for economic policy at the Center for American Progress also applauded the president's speech, saying Obama "really captured the mood of the nation when he emphasized how far too many Americans feel that the system is rigged in favor of the wealthiest and large corporations." "Ultimately, whether it's the lack of accountability from the 2008 financial crisis, the almost daily attacks on collective bargaining rights, or the seemingly never-ending search for tax loopholes, giveaways, and offshore havens, the public's feeling that the system is rigged is a deep and serious threat to the trust so essential to the proper functioning of our democratic system," Green said, adding that the president was "absolutely right" in emphasizing that "recklessness" on Wall Street led to the financial crisis. "It's a problem that has been years in the making and will requires years to address, but accountability in the face of massive distortions of wealth and power must continue to be a priority for this president and whoever comes next," Green said. On the future There's growing evidence that Saudi Arabia's attempt to flood the crude market at a time of oversupply and concerns about weakening demand is not working, American oil billionaire Harold Hamm said Tuesday. "We're in a predatory pricing environment. That's what's happened. The Saudis turned 1.8 million barrels on, and basically their intent was to drown us. But they've not got that done. It's been a monumental mistake for them, I might add, a trillion- dollar mistake," the founder and chief of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources told CNBC's "Squawk Box." Read More This is the Saudi news that could move oil Hamm cited speculation that Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil giant, may sell at least part of its operations in an initial public offering. "They're having to sell part of their business to keep doing what they are doing," he said, referring to the refusal by the Saudis to cut production. "They're having to sustain a country. We're sustaining companies here. We cut capex and quit spending money. And ride it out." Pressure may be mounting on Saudi Arabia from fellow OPEC members, as crude prices continued to trade around 12-year lows Tuesday morning. Nigeria's oil minister said a couple members of OPEC have requested an emergency meeting. But other members said the group won't be gathering to talk about oil prices before their next scheduled meeting in June. Over the next 12 months, Hamm expects oil prices to nearly double to around the $50 to $60 per barrel range as output, at least in the U.S., abates. "The tipping point is getting back to equilibrium with supply and demand. We see that happening in the back part of the year." Read MoreOil prices stabilize after hitting multiyear lows But there's been some question about whether some of the U.S. oil companies can survive until the market stabilizes. Oppenheimer analyst Fadel Gheit told CNBC on Monday that half of the American shale producers could go bankrupt before crude eventually turns. Gheit also sees equilibrium at around $60 per barrel, but said it could take more than two years to get there. Hamm said the bankruptcy narrative has been vastly overstated. "It's a different situation than it was in the 1980s. Most of the companies out there [now] have long term money that's not coming due tomorrow," he said. "They're able to ride this out." "A lot of bankruptcies were predicted early. They're just not happening. We have some of them that have. The weaker companies are folding, maybe, but very few of them," he said. watch now Downtown Palo Alto, the heart and soul of Silicon Valley and former home to Google , Facebook and PayPal, is slowly turning into a scene out of "Lord of the Rings." Palantir Technologies, a highly secretive software developer whose name is derived from a magical crystal ball in J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novel, has been gobbling up real estate in the upscale home of Stanford University, and according to critics uprooting a vibrant start-up ecosystem in the process. Unlike its start-up predecessors, which outgrew the cramped streets of Palo Alto and moved to more traditional corporate campuses in nearby Menlo Park and Mountain View, Palantir is intent on staying put and expanding. The company controls about 250,000 square feet of office space, or 10 to 15 percent of the commercial inventory, spread over 23 or so buildings. Some of its leases are for a decade or longer. Palantir's logo featuring a circle above a wide lower-case v is everywhere. T-shirts sporting the company's motto "Save the Shire" (referring to the home of the hobbits in Tolkien's Middle-earth) can be seen in coffee shops, at parks and on treadmills. "There's more Palantir paraphernalia in downtown Palo Alto than there is Patagonia," said Peter Hebert, co-founder of venture firm Lux Capital, which left for Menlo Park late last year because there was nothing available in Palo Alto. "There's such scarcity that it's pushing everyone else out." Asking rents for commercial space are $121 per square foot annually, more than triple the national average, according to commercial real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle. Prices have about doubled in the past five years, and according to Jones Lang the vacancy rate sits at 1.5 percent. Palantir's rates vary because many of its leases were signed when prices were substantially lower. Not that it's strapped for cash the company has raised close to $2 billion and is valued at $20 billion. It also subleases some of the space to smaller start-ups. `Save the Shire' Palantir t-shirt. CNBC The Palo Alto residential market is equally tight, with the average four-bedroom, two-bath house listing for $2.1 million, making it the second most expensive city in the U.S., according to Coldwell Banker. Palantir CEO Alex Karp lives in the neighborhood. Meanwhile, fast-growing start-ups are leaving town and younger companies are choosing to set up shop elsewhere. Online financial services provider Wealthfront, unable to find suitable space to grow in Palo Alto, moved five miles north to Redwood City, as did smartwatch maker Pebble. "Spaces becoming available were requiring 10- to 15-year leases, which for a start-up is a tough nut to swallow," said Ashley Fieglein Johnson, Wealthfront's finance chief. In moving to Redwood City, Wealthfront upgraded from a 9,500 square foot office to one more than twice that size. While emerging companies bid adieu, Amazon.com , through its A9 search division, has become Palantir's principal competitor for space. The company recently won the bid for SurveyMonkey's 50,000-square-foot office, about the same size as A9's headquarters across the street. SurveyMonkey is relocating to a bigger facility in San Mateo. Read More Amazon's next catalyst Jeff Clavier, a prominent venture investor in early-stage start-ups, moved his main office from Palo Alto to San Francisco because of a lack of investment opportunities. His last Palo Alto-based start-up, marketing software developer Kahuna, left Palo Alto in late 2015 for a 42,000-square-foot space in Redwood City. "Start-ups cannot compete against Palantir and sign super long leases at top dollar," said Clavier, founder of SoftTech VC. "Now, you just have a bunch of Palantirians hanging out in P.A. There's nothing wrong with that except it once had a vibrant start-up community and that's gone." A Palantir spokesperson declined to comment for this story. Everything about Palantir is unique. Founded in 2004 by a group of ex-Stanford students including Karp, Joe Lonsdale and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, it's the most valuable venture-backed start-up focused on selling to enterprises. Inside Palantir Palantir is notorious for its secrecy, and for good reason. Its software allows customers to make sense of massive amounts of sensitive data to enable fraud detection, data security, rapid health care delivery and catastrophe response. Government agencies are big buyers of the technology. The FBI, CIA, Department of Defense and IRS have all been customers. Between 30 and 50 percent of Palantir's business is tied to the public sector, according to people familiar with its finances. In-Q-Tel, the CIA's venture arm, was an early investor. Annual revenue topped $1.5 billion in 2015, sources say, meaning Palantir is bigger than top publicly traded cloud software companies like Workday and ServiceNow . It has about 1,800 employees and is growing headcount 30 percent annually, said the sources, who asked not to be named because the numbers are private. Still, Palantir has no interest in opening a conventional campus. In late 2015, it signed a more than 10-year lease for about 37,000 square feet at 261 Hamilton, an 89-year old edifice that's listed in the National Register of Historical Buildings. Two blocks away is Palantir's headquarters at 100 Hamilton, where it moved in 2007. The company is also in Facebook's old principal office on University Avenue. And slightly offset from the center of downtown it has the lease on a 4,370-square-foot historical building known as the "jewel box" because of its fancy interior finishes. "They're a great company and we think they'll be here for a long time," said Chase Rapp of Rapp Development, which owns over two dozen Palo Alto properties, including 261 Hamilton and 167 Hamilton, another Palantir building. Rapp, whose dad, Roxy, founded the firm 25 years ago, said there are still plenty of opportunities for companies to get started in Palo Alto, but they have to be willing to pay the premium. "You're seeing other markets benefit from the low supply in Palo Alto cities like Redwood City, Los Altos and Mountain View," he said. Palantir-Stanford connection [[image#100732628]] Alex Karp [[image#102009004]] Peter Thiel [[image#100846093]] Joe Londsdale [[image#103291607]] Stephen Cohen Stanford JD BA, JD BS Computer Science BS Computer Science Palantir Co-founder, CEO Co-founder, board member Co-founder, adviser Co-founder, board member But those cities lack one essential element: Stanford. Given the heavy duty infrastructure challenges Palantir faces and the mission-critical nature of its business, access to top technical talent is imperative. There's no better place to be for recruiting than a few blocks from the Stanford campus. According to data from LinkedIn , Palantir is the most popular destination among private companies for Stanford computer science students. Read MoreTech's quest to revive San Francisco's Tenderloin Today's tech workers also prefer a more urban landscape over corporate remoteness. In San Francisco, Internet companies including Salesforce.com , Twitter , Dropbox, Airbnb, Uber and Pinterest established large downtown operations despite the exorbitantly high costs. "Workers want to be near that energy the food, coffee, train and want to have all these things they can do outside of work," said Jon Cannon, senior managing director at real estate firm Newmark Cornish & Carey in Palo Alto. (Cornish & Carey represents Palantir on most of its local real estate deals. Mike Courson, who manages those transactions, declined to comment for this story.) Palantir serves up free meals for employees at 542 High Street, home to its cafeteria. A red sign reading "Private Company Meal" is attached to the window, and a neon blue sign on the inside says "Hobbit House." Other perks, according to people with knowledge of the company's policies, include subsidized housing for employees who live in the neighborhood and help with monthly commuter Caltrain passes for those traveling down from San Francisco or up from San Jose. Employees who drive in get complimentary parking permits. "They're making a commitment here," said Cannon. The idea is that it's physically locked down and there's no way you can take information out. Avivah Litan Gartner analyst For Palantir to stay, it has no choice but to spread out. Only one building in downtown Palo Alto even tops 100,000 square feet, and last year city officials limited total annual development in the commercial districts to 50,000 square feet. There's another benefit to having a disparate campus. In doing highly classified work for government agencies, some contracts require the use of particular types of units called Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities, or SCIFs. In a 2009 blog post, Palantir described a SCIF as a "building which has been built to be resistant to attempts to access the information within, whether through active or passive measures." The network must be "`airgapped' from the public Internet to prevent information leakage." Read MoreSilicon Valley's cash party coming to an end Avivah Litan, a cybersecurity analyst with Gartner, says qualities of a SCIF building include advanced biometrics for security, walls that are impenetrable by radio waves and heavily protected storage of both physical items and digital data. "They have to make the walls so that no signals can be transmitted out of those walls," said Litan, who is based in Washington, D.C. "The idea is that it's physically locked down and there's no way you can take information out." Having entirely separate facilities makes it easier to clear that hurdle, but even so, the vast majority of Palantir's offices aren't SCIFs. Balancing act Historic building that Palantir is moving into this year Mark Neuling | CNBC For the city of Palo Alto, Palantir's expansion requires a balancing act. Business is soaring and Palantir is a stable company, which is great for the city's coffers. But there is reason for caution. Should Palantir decide to leave town in three, five or seven years, how much will it have changed the complexion of the city? And will the economy be able to quickly adapt? Jones Lang LaSalle addressed the issue in its third quarter report on Palo Alto: "Although the rise in rental rates has signaled economic recovery, it has also led to the closure of local retail who cannot afford to renew their lease or are forced to vacate to make way for new construction," the firm said. There's also the constant dearth of parking "creating animosity between local residents and the tech tenants." Comparisons are often made to Facebook, which spent its early years snapping up space in downtown Palo Alto. By the time the social-networking company left in 2009, it had about 700 local employees and occupied over a half dozen buildings. Small retailers struggled to deal with the departure. Read More Google, Facebook and then...? Hamid Ghaemmaghami, real estate manager for the city of Palo Alto, said in an e-mail that there's still ample diversity with "quite a few" start-ups in town and new ones arriving. He also said Palantir is typically leasing large premium office buildings, while "smaller companies are more agile and they move to locations that offer them a better lease rate structure." Local brokers, however, say Palantir is also in on the bidding for smaller spaces, such as 5,000-square-foot units that would typically be rented by 15- to 20-person teams. watch now Palantir is doing what it can to build up goodwill with the city and engagement with the community. Employees participate in DreamCatchers, an after-school tutoring program for low-income middle school students, and the company offers a coding class for local kids. Additionally, Palantir supports city charities, buys food from local restaurants to serve at its cafeteria and pays big bucks to nearby hotels by bringing in so many prospects. That can all help put a friendly face to the Palantir name, but it won't quell the critics, who miss the Palo Alto of old. Joe Beninato, an entrepreneur and investor, was fed up enough to publish a Medium post in October titled, "Dear Palantir, it's time to move out of downtown Palo Alto." He wrote that the company has "sucked the life out of the start-up ecosystem," by, for example, turning a building that would be a perfect shared working space for 10 start-ups into its dining room. In an interview, Beninato said he's working on a new company and is running into the same problem as many of his acquaintances. The combination of Palantir putting down large deposits, not caring much about price and offering to sign longer leases creates "a triple threat that start-ups cannot compete with," said Beninato, who sold his last Palo Alto-based company Tello to Urban Airship in 2012. International presence The members of Business Roundtable, whose companies generate more than $7 trillion in annual revenues and employ nearly 16 million workers, are resolved to help America achieve its greatest economic potential. We urge President Obama and Congressional leaders to spend 2016 focusing on crucial policies the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, tax reform and smarter regulations that can drive growth and opportunity to match Americans' dreams and ambitions. First, we can create jobs here at home and strengthen our economy through trade agreements that open up markets for U.S. companies. Ninety-six percent of the world's population lives outside the United States. Those are consumers and businesses that want to buy American products and services; limiting their choices only limits our growth. Passing Trade Promotion Authority was only a first step. The next is for Congress and the administration to quickly address the remaining issues and enact the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The TPP will eliminate or reduce about 18,000 foreign tariffs on American-made products and allow U.S. companies to sell more U.S. goods and services to 500 million people in Asia-Pacific markets, while also protecting workers, consumers and the environment. We only need to look at other successful U.S. trade agreements to see what growth TPP could bring. For example, trade with our free trade agreement (FTA) partner countries supports more than 17 million American jobs, and 47 percent of U.S. exports go to these FTA partners, according to studies by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable. After closing nearly 600 stores in a one-year period, presumably removing the weakest locations from its footprint, sales at Sears Holdings stores that were open at least a year nonetheless slipped 8.6 percent during the third quarter. This week, news of Kmart and Sears stores that will shuttered across the U.S. once again made headlines, as the department store chain aims to cut costs and focus on more profitable locations. And Macy's , already under pressure from an activist investor who wants the department store to unlock value from its real estate, is preparing to close 36 more stores in early 2016 as it tries to jump-start its comparable sales results, which slid 4.7 percent in the November to December period. Joseph Clemson | Getty Images These are the latest retailers in a long line of names to prune their store fleet over the past few years. Still, analysts question whether companies are moving fast enough in removing trouble locations from their footprint. At Aeropostale , for example, 84 locations were shuttered in a year's span. But same-store sales continued to tumble during the third quarter, dropping 10 percent. And though trends at J.C. Penney continue to improve, analysts said its comparable-sales growth should be more robust, particularly after it closed 40 stores in 2015. In addition to these names, the Gap brand, which has shuttered roughly 40 of its North America stores over the past 12 months, plans to close a total of 175 here over the next few years. And last week, Finish Line said that it would close 150 stores by 2020 in an effort to boost its profitability. Analysts expect more retailers to announce store closings throughout the first few months of the year, as they digest the results from their holiday and fourth-quarter sales. That's due, in part, to the fact that activist investors and others on Wall Street are growing increasingly impatient with retailers' reluctance to close unprofitable stores. But while closing a store can help pad retailers' bottom lines and appease investors in the process the decisions should not be taken lightly. Not only does closing a store result in lost sales and often, erosion of market share to a competitor it can be costly and complicated to exit a lease prematurely. It also removes a point of distribution for the brand, as consumers increasingly expect to be able to pick up online orders in the store. "It's a delicate balance," said Michael Burden, executive managing director at Excess Space Retail Services, an advisory firm that specializes in real estate disposition and lease restructuring. "I don't think any retailers are in real rushes to close their stores." For one thing, it can be extremely costly for retailers to break a lease early. In 2014, teen retailer Aeropostale acknowledged it took an after-tax charge of $5.5 million, or 7 cents per diluted share, over net lease costs. Similarly, Sears said in the third quarter that it took charges of $6 million related to store closures. Meanwhile, although underperforming stores may be operating at a loss, they're still contributing millions of dollars in sales each year. Macy's, for example, said the 40 stores it has closed or are on the chopping block account for roughly $375 million in annual sales. And at Finish Line, the stores it plans to close generate roughly $1 million in average annual sales. While both retailers are optimistic that some of these revenues will be picked up by nearby locations or online, Burden said in actuality, it never ends up translating dollar to dollar. What's more, retailers who close a location lose a chance to market their brand among that consumer base, and give up a point of distribution. Further complicating the store closing process, Burden said, is that landlords are no longer willing to accept a lump-sum payment from retailers to allow them to exit a space early, unless they already have a replacement tenant in hand. That's because such a move forces them to take on unnecessary market risk, as it could result in a vacant storefront. What's more, there's a "significant tax consequence" to accepting one of these buyouts, he said. "If the retailer finds a new tenant, the landlords, we've found, have been very cooperative," he said. watch now President Barack Obama delivers the State of the Union address on January 20, 2015 in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. President Barack Obama delivers his final State of the Union Address on Tuesday night and he is expected to blow up the mold and skip the usual laundry list of policy proposals. Instead, he is expected to present a vision of the nation very different from the one offered by the Republican candidates for president, especially billionaire Donald Trump. Expect the president to talk about a nation creating jobs at a remarkably consistent pace and on the cusp of faster growth, the recovery of the once-disastrous auto industry, progress in fighting climate change and enacting stronger gun controls while extending health coverage to more Americans and shutting down the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In short, Obama will be making a case for his own legacy as president and subtly urging Americans to continue the path he set by electing a Democratic successor, most likely former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Obama of course will not make a direct case for Clinton. He has pledged to stay out of the nominating fight and has also met with Clinton's left wing challenger, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. But Obama's goal will clearly be to convince voters that the scary picture painted by Trump and other Republican candidates of an America beset by terrorism, threatened by illegal immigration and stuck in an economic rut is not an accurate one. Obama directly confronted Trump in a lengthy appearance on NBC's "TODAY" show from the White House on Tuesday, dismissing the real estate mogul's chances and denigrating his policies. Asked if he felt responsible for Trump's rise, Obama demurred. "Talk to me if he wins," he said. "Then we'll have a conversation about how responsible I feel about it." Obama added that he did not believe Trump could draw broad national support. "I'm pretty confident that the overwhelming majority of Americans are looking for the kind of politics that does feed our hopes and not our fears," Obama said. He added that the only way he can imagine Trump delivering a State of the Union Address is in a "Saturday Night [Live] skit." Her health was at risk. But in Missouri, doctors could do nothing. ozarks Allegiant Air plans to offer new flights between Memphis and Jacksonville. By Wayne Risher of The Commercial Appeal Ultra-low-cost carrier Allegiant Air will begin flying from Memphis to Jacksonville, Florida, on April 15. It's the second new nonstop destination announced by Memphis International Airport this year. Las Vegas-based Allegiant and airport officials scheduled a news conference Tuesday to announce the addition. After snagging 12 new flights in 2015, Memphis announced Thursday that Frontier Airlines will offer three nonstops a week to Atlanta starting April 14. The added flights and destinations reflect progress in airport attempts to rebuild service. But an overall offering of about 80 flights a day is a third of what it was before Delta began dismantling its Memphis hub. Delta scratched its nonstop to Jacksonville in 2012. Allegiant will fly to Jacksonville twice a week, Monday and Friday, using MD-80 and Airbus A320 aircraft. Allegiant is marking the launch with a limited offering of one-way fares as low as $39 at allegiant.com. Jacksonville ranked among Memphis' top 10 unserved markets last year. Department of Transportation data showed about 29 passengers a day traveling each way between Memphis and Jacksonville last year. As recently as 2007, traffic on the route was about 60 passengers a day each way, according to an airport analysis of 14 years of DOT data. "We're excited to announce even more nonstop flights from Memphis, a city that has embraced Allegiant's unique brand of low-cost travel," said Jude Bricker, Allegiant senior vice president of planning. "We're sure that Memphis travelers will take advantage of these nonstop flights to Jacksonville to experience all the area has to offer." Allegiant began serving Memphis last May and flies to Las Vegas, Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, Austin, Phoenix/Mesa and Tampa/St. Petersburg. Airport president and chief executive Scott Brockman said, "We are thrilled that Allegiant continues to add to its number of destinations served out of (Memphis)." Airport board chairman Pace Cooper said, "The ultimate level of new low cost service at MEM will be solely determined by load factors and overall utilization by the Mid-South community. We believe there is still unmet demand and will continue our relentless pursuit of frequent and affordable air service." December 8, 2011 - Hnedak Bobo architects designed the award winning renovation of old Union Planters into Metro 67 apartments (Mike Maple/The Commercial Appeal) SHARE By Wayne Risher of The Commercial Appeal A Downtown board cleared the way Tuesday for an apartment development and a hotel to keep tax incentives after pending ownership changes. The Center City Revenue Finance Corp. (CCRFC) board also approved a $1.7 million bond issue for Memphis Cook Convention Center improvements. Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau president Kevin Kane, who did not attend the meeting, said the bonds would pay for some of the center's annual capital improvements and are not part of a proposed $55 million to $60 million refurbishing and modernization of the aging facility. The CCRFC, which grants property tax freezes for Downtown development, agreed to let tax freezes continue with new owners of Metro 67 apartments and the Marriott Residence Inn. The board's approval is needed when properties change owners so the new owners can continue to receive the tax benefits. LEDIC founder Scott Ledbetter leads a new ownership group for Metro 67 apartments at 67 Madison and a parking garage at 2 N. Front. Metro 67 owners EFO Residential Partners LP have a tax freeze through 2021 on the $27 million project, completed in 2006, and garage owners Madison Garage Partners LP have a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) on the $2.9 million garage project through 2019. Owners of the Residence Inn Memphis Downtown at 110 Monroe are selling to a unit of New York-based investment fund Garrison Investment Group. The former William Len Apartments were redeveloped with a 25-year PILOT in 1984 and converted to an extended stay hotel in 2004 by Wright Investment Properties. Larry Wright, representing current owner RI Downtown Hotel Partners LP, said Garrison Investment Group, which manages more than $4.6 billion in assets, will hold 95 percent in a new ownership entity. Wright will retain a 5 percent stake and continue to manage the hotel. January 5, 2016 - Blood stains the ground outside an apartment in the Corning Village apartments in Frayser where a 21-year-old died after being shot following the accidental shooting of a 13-year-old who also died. (Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal) By Stephanie Norton of The Commercial Appeal Memphis police have issued an arrest warrant for a man in connection with the Jan. 4 shooting death of Daniel Lusk at a Frayser apartment complex. Ovell Jones, 19, is wanted for voluntary manslaughter. According to police, two men were upstairs in a townhome-style apartment in the 1400 block of Briercrest Lane handling a gun when it accidentally discharged. The bullet traveled through the floor, striking 13-year-old LeTara Jones and grazing a 12-week-old boy. LeTara was taken to Le Bonheur Children's Hospital where she died from her injuries. After the children were hit by the bullet, another person went upstairs to investigate the shot and opened fire on Lusk as he tried to flee. There was no unusual activity inside the Probate Court clerk's office on Tuesday afternoon, but a notice on the door advised patrons that the office is no longer accepting passport applications and lists other locations in the county where they can be accepted. By Marc Perrusquia of The Commercial Appeal Shelby County Probate Court Clerk Paul Boyd's personal secretary has been relieved of duty and the court has stopped issuing passports as officials inspect financial records for possible missing funds. "All I can say on the record is there is a possible theft and the county is auditing,'' Probate Judge Kathleen Gomes said in a phone interview Tuesday. "There are a whole bunch of (investigators) down here right now.'' Gomes identified the suspended secretary as Tumeka Hicks. She could not be immediately reached for comment. Boyd confirmed that Hicks was relieved of duty Friday and that she faces an internal hearing Wednesday, but declined to discuss specifics. "I'd rather wait,'' said the Republican, who was first elected in 2010. Boyd also said that the court's ability to issue passports had been suspended. The county's website states that the court is "an approved passport acceptance agency" and directs people to call Hicks for more information. A notice taped to the door of the clerks office Tuesday advised patrons that the office is no longer accepting passport applications and listed other locations in the county where they can be accepted. Otherwise, there was no visible sign of unusual activity inside the office. County Chief Administrative Officer Harvey Kennedy confirmed an investigation was underway by county internal auditors. "When the potential for missing money was discovered, they called in the internal auditors,'' Kennedy said. Staff writer Linda A. Moore contributed. January 11, 2016 - Shelby County commissioner Heidi Shafer waves after fellow commissioners sang, "Happy Birthday," to her at the conclusion of the commission meeting at 160 N. Main Monday. (Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal) SHARE By Linda A. Moore of The Commercial Appeal The Shelby County Commission on Monday approved Alisa Haushalter as the new Health Department director. She succeeds Yvonne Madlock, who retired last summer after nearly 20 years of service. Haushalter was nominated by county Mayor Mark Luttrell after a nationwide search. She holds a master's degree in nursing, a doctorate in nursing practice and spent 30 years in public health including a leadership role in Davidson County. Haushalter most recently worked for nonprofit Nemours, which operates children's hospitals and outpatient services. She will be paid $132,248 annually. Health Dept. project to get more study The commission referred back to committee a resolution to enter into a $396,000 contract with brg3s for architectural and engineering work toward the construction of a new Health Department building at 814 Jefferson. The original building was constructed in 1950 with additions completed in 1967 and 1971. The county expects to spend about $19 million on a new, smaller facility at that same location. The cost to renovate the existing building was estimated at $31 million. The commission also sent back to committee a similar contract with ANF architects for preliminary work to renovate the former forensic science center at 1060 Madison. The county plans to move the Family Safety Center, the Rape Crisis Center, the Crime Victims Center and other county entities from rented space at 1750 Madison into the 1060 Madison building. Commissioner Steve Basar asked that the items be sent back to committee for further discussion on the Health Department's master plan. Commendations Commissioners also commended county Mayor Mark Luttrell, who will join first lady Michelle Obama Tuesday night for President Barack Obama's State of the Union address. Luttrell, a Republican, has been recognized by the Democratic administration for his work in criminal justice reform and has been invited to view the address from the first lady's guest box. The commission ended its meeting by singing "Happy Birthday" to Commissioner Heidi Shafer, who turned 50. SHARE John Morgan By Richard Locker of The Commercial Appeal NASHVILLE Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor John Morgan has removed, at least temporarily, the state's 13 community colleges and 27 colleges of applied technology from Gov. Bill Haslam's plan for the privatization of the management and operation of virtually all state-owned buildings, including college campuses. And given the governor's new plan to remove all six TBR state universities from the Board of Regents' control and create their own governing boards, Morgan is also asking that the governor's team running the outsourcing initiative work directly with the six universities to determine if it's in their bests interests to participate. The chancellor presented the Haslam administration with a broad list of concerns about the outsourcing plan in a letter obtained Monday, including unforeseen costs and protecting existing college and university employees whose jobs would be outsourced to private building management companies. The governor said repeatedly last year when the outsourcing plan became public that state colleges and universities would be able to "opt out" of the plan and retain control over their campuses and buildings. But it's unclear what impact Morgan's decision, announced last Thursday, to retire effective Jan. 31 a year earlier than he had planned will have on the institutions' ability to opt out. Morgan made it clear that he is resigning early in protest of the governor's plan to break up the Board of Regents system, which the chancellor called "unworkable." Nevertheless, his letter said TBR's community colleges and TCATs "will opt out of the FMO (facilities management outsourcing) process at this time." He said that existing staff must adapt to the possibility of the new higher education governance system and that continuing in the process "represents a risk to progress being made in a number of other initiatives" by the Board of Regents focused on student success and efficiency. The outsourcing letter, dated Jan. 6, was planned prior to his resignation decision. Among the foremost concerns expressed in Morgan's letter was employee protection. "Everyone involved appeared to agree on the necessity for strong employee protections to be part of any FMO arrangement, including guaranteed employment for existing employees for the term of the (outsourcing) agreement, including extension periods, subject to satisfactory job performance; and employee benefit protections at least equivalent to current benefits, including any that are unique to individual institutions," Morgan wrote. Morgan also said it's unclear if there is a consensus among the governor's outsourcing architects whether any outsourcing relationship "must closely align the vendor's financial interest" to the state's funding system for colleges and universities. "We believe a vendor must have a clear financial incentive aligned with the metrics on which institutional performance and funding is based." Other concerns and requests for more information raised by the outgoing TBR chief executive included: The need for "clear, undocumented guidance on the degree of authority" a college or university president will have in managing the relationship with a facilities outsourcing vendor. The need for "document specification of the vendor's obligation regarding non-routine maintenance." The need for "written agreement concerning whether a vendor would treat activities and services performed by current staff that are not strictly facilities related" such as helping students move in to their residence halls as covered by their contracts or as additional charges to the school. Morgan's letter noted that the governor's top aides who are running the plan want "to move forward as quickly as possible" with a procurement process to outsource facilities management with all the institutions that will be participating. But Morgan said that given the impending changes in higher education governance, he believes it is inappropriate for the Board of Regents system office to make a decision on behalf of six large universities that may soon be independent of the board. They include the University of Memphis, Middle Tennessee State, Tennessee State, Austin Peay State, Tennessee State and East Tennessee State universities. SHARE By Daniel Connolly of The Commercial Appeal In a split vote, the Collierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen rejected the nomination of Alderman Billy Patton for selection as vice mayor and picked Alderman Maureen Fraser to continue in the vice mayor's role for 2016. In the first round of voting, Tom Allen nominated Patton for the vice mayor's role and voted in favor of him. Patton abstained from voting on his own nomination. Voting no were John E. Stamps, Fraser, John Worley and Mayor Stan Joyner Jr. In the second round of voting, the board voted on the nomination of Fraser. Allen voted no. Fraser and Patton abstained. Worley, Stamps and Joyner voted yes, securing the win for Fraser. Among other things, the vice mayor steps into the mayor's role when the mayor is unavailable. SHARE By Daniel Connolly of The Commercial Appeal An application to create an indoor shooting range in Collierville has prompted town officials to consider setting special standards for such businesses. An ordinance setting new rules passed on the first of three readings Monday night as part of the consent agenda for the Collierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen. Property owner Mike Italiano is seeking to open a new shooting range at 177 Abbington Road in a commercial area near the intersection of West Poplar Avenue and U.S. 72. Italiano wrote in a letter that the business would be the first of its kind in the town. Noise will be one of the biggest concerns with the use, according to a report prepared by planning officials. The report says the applicant can use sound-dampening construction to reduce noise outside the building. The building code will address safety concerns related to stopping flying bullets, the report says. The proposed regulations must go before local authorities several times before the project and accompanying rules for similar businesses win final approval. By Daniel Connolly of The Commercial Appeal Two Collierville aldermen are questioning a request by FedEx for property tax breaks, saying the town should negotiate a better deal in exchange for keeping the company's massive information technology center in Collierville. Aldermen Billy Patton and Tom Allen said Monday they don't oppose tax breaks, but the town should seek a more balanced deal than the one FedEx has proposed. "Because a contract is something both parties benefit from. Not just one party," said Allen. Patton wrote about the issue in a lengthy Facebook posting that reads in part, "Everyone must pay their fair share." FedEx is currently under a 20-year tax abatement program known as payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT). The time period began in 1998 and expires in 2018. Supporters of FedEx point to the high wages at the information technology center as well as large number of people it employs 2,425 FedEx workers with a total annual payroll estimated at $233.8 million and an additional 400 contractors who work on site. The employee count makes FedEx the biggest employer in Collierville. FedEx is seeking an additional 20 years of town tax breaks as well as 15 years of Shelby County tax breaks. The two PILOTs would save the company $75.5 million, according to a work sheet distributed at a Collierville Industrial Development Board meeting last week. In general, a government can negotiate with the company over the length of the tax break, the amount of taxes forgiven each year, and the accountability standards for job creation. But companies can shop around for communities willing to agree to their terms. Maureen Fraser, another member of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, said she hasn't made up her mind how she'll vote but said, "For me, it's really I support FedEx and all the wonderful things that they have done in Collierville." She also raised the specter of FedEx leaving. "I'll tell you it's the talk of the community. People are concerned that FedEx will leave Collierville. And then what will Collierville become?" Aldermen John E. Stamps and John Worley said they didn't have enough information to take a position yet. "I want to be fair to FedEx but also want to be fair to the town of Collierville," Worley said. Mayor Stan Joyner Jr. also casts a vote on the six-member Board of Mayor and Aldermen. Efforts to reach him late Monday were unsuccessful. The town's IDB heard an initial presentation on the tax break deal last week and is scheduled to vote on the matter later this month. The matter would then go to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. SHARE By Jane Roberts of The Commercial Appeal Inland Waste Solutions, the besieged garbage collector in Germantown, filed suit against the city late last week for breach of contract. The sanitation company is seeking more than $459,000 in damages, plus interest. Under the terms of the contract, Inland says, the parties were to agree on performance metrics, how they would be measured and when penalties would apply. The federal lawsuit contends Germantown refused to meet regarding the requirements.. Robert Spence, who is representing Inland, had no comment Tuesday. Jef Feibelman, representing Germantown, said the city "believes the lawsuit is without any merit whatsoever, and we are instructed to assert a vigorous defense." The sides have battled over Inland's service in Germantown for more than a year. The Texas-based carrier, which also serves areas of Memphis, assumed the Germantown contract in October 2014 in a swap with BFI Waste Services. Under the original terms, Germantown allows 100 missed collections or complaints per month and assesses penalties, starting at $25 per complaint, for the first 25 over 100. After 200, the penalty per complaint rises to $100. The city has continued the penalty structure. Inland alleges the majority of complaints were not legitimate and should have been resolved in its favor. In November 2014, Inland's first full month of operation, Germantown withheld $103,475 in penalties, followed by $80,000 in December 2014 and lesser amounts for every month since. Through last November, the city had withheld $459,412.59 from Inland. The contract is worth $3.2 million a year; it expires June 30. Last month, the city took pre-emptive measures for the upcoming heavy yard-debris season by hiring outside contractors to pick up after Inland, which has until noon the next day to pick up stops missed from the previous day. The city approved $70,000 in contracts with two vendors, including $40,000 to Michael's Tree & Loader, hoping to get through April. Monday night, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved a second $40,000 contract with Michael's for yard debris. "I do see what a lot of people are talking about," said Alys Drake, administrator of the private Germantown Bulletin Board site on Facebook. "We put our garbage out in the way we have been instructed. If anything gets dropped when they pick it up, it is just dropped. They don't bother to pick it up. If we hadn't had previous people who could do that and did, maybe we wouldn't be this upset," she said. "I still see people complaining that they have been completely missed," Drake said. "If it's a tight cove and hard to turn around, it's almost like they say, 'it's too hard, so we are not going to do it.'" She also notices that yard debris sits at the curb longer than it used to. Michael's gets $65 an hour to inspect routes. When it finds streets where yard debris has been missed, the city pays the company an additional $250 an hour to pick it up. Cameron Ross, economic and community development director, said Michael's crews are averaging 50 pickups a day. Germantown intends to bill Inland for the expense. SHARE By Mark Green and G.A. Hardaway With Tennessee's 2016 legislative session coming up, lawmakers must resist the urge to retreat into their ideological camps and instead focus on what is best for our communities. Our legislature did that in 1999 when it passed a law concerning government-owned broadband networks (GONs). Today that bipartisan law is under threat from an unelected, five-member regulatory committee in our nation's capital. Last year, the Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 to overturn Tennessee's law, which sets limits on GONs within state boundaries. (The vote also overturned a similar law in North Carolina.) This law set reasonable limits on GONs to keep them from pushing out other providers, which would create a government monopoly, and from exposing taxpayers to too much financial risk. Two of the commissioners on the FCC, both Republicans, voiced strong objections to this ruling, as did Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery III a Republican and North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper a Democrat. Tennessee and North Carolina have both challenged the FCC's ruling in federal court. As members of different political parties, we also oppose this ruling and support this lawsuit. The two Republican FCC commissioners and AGs Slatery and Cooper argued the FCC's ruling is an infringement on state sovereignty. We agree. Washington doesn't have the right to overturn a bipartisan majority in our state. Even if you believe that better access to broadband is necessary to compete in a 21st century economy which we both do it is clear that there is a vibrant private-sector market for broadband. Tennessee is home to dozens of private broadband providers that have invested billions in our state. We must encourage these companies to invest even more, until every Tennessean, especially in inner-city and rural areas, has access to affordable, high-speed broadband. Allowing GONs to take over more ground would have the opposite effect. We should be on the side of the small businesses like locally owned Internet service providers (ISPs) that have said they won't expand service if Tennessee GONs like Chattanooga's Electric Power Board are allowed to move beyond their state-mandated limits. These small providers are better business models to sustain the necessary infrastructure and possess the ability and agility that are critical to innovate for tomorrow's technological needs. Our state is struggling with crumbling infrastructure, like in Memphis, while we have asked state agencies to cut spending by 3.5 percent. At a time of fiscal strain, we should not spend millions of taxpayer dollars on broadband systems the private sector can provide. The private sector is essential in closing the digital divide and opening the bridge to potential for millions of unserved Americans. We must promote diversity in broadband among both small Internet service providers and consumers by incentivizing educational and economic opportunities for women and minorities in the technology fields. The experiences of municipal networks in our state have shown lawmakers were right to protect taxpayers against these risks. For example, as the attorneys general of 12 states pointed out in their amicus brief supporting Tennessee and North Carolina's challenge to the FCC's February ruling, Memphis lost millions of taxpayer dollars in its GON, Memphis Networx. The AGs argued: "To this day, the failure of Networx and its $28 million loss to Memphis utility ratepayers serves as context when Tennesseans discuss broadband." Tennessee must fight to keep our state's municipal broadband law in place. Our elected, business and civic leadership must set the example by standing together in the best interest of the citizens of this state, regardless of political party affiliations. State Sen. Mark Green is a Clarksville Republican. State Rep. G.A. Hardaway is a Memphis Democrat. SHARE By Jackson Diehl Saudi Arabia's execution of a Shiite cleric produced a predictable explosion of sectarian enmity across the Middle East last week. Less noticed, and perhaps less excusable, was the narrow, partisan and more or less sectarian reactions it prompted in Washington. Republicans, led by their presidential candidates, rushed to excuse or even defend the Saudis' reckless and brutal killing of a sheik whose crime was speaking up for the country's oppressed Shiite minority. "Our response should be to stand with our allies," said Sen. Marco Rubio. "A strong relationship with Saudi Arabia would allow us to say you shouldn't be executing people for the types of crimes they committed," pronounced Jeb Bush. The Obama administration was meanwhile leaning toward Shiite Iran, which furiously denounced the execution and allowed militants to sack the Saudi Embassy in Tehran. The State Department carefully refrained from blaming the regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for the violence and adopted a neutral position on the bilateral dispute an extraordinary stance given the decades of U.S. alliance with Saudi Arabia and enmity with the Islamic Republic. It quickly became clear that the White House's overwhelming priority boiled down to avoiding any words or action that would disrupt the ongoing implementation of the Iranian nuclear deal. That was of a piece with its last-minute retreat Dec. 30 from imposing sanctions on Tehran for missile launches that violated a U.N. Security Council resolution and a promise to waive new congressional restrictions on visas for foreigners who visited Iran. In short, if Republicans were "swooning for Saudi Arabia," as columnist Peter Beinart put it for the Atlantic, then Obama and his foreign policy team were in a "tilt toward Tehran," as Josh Rogin and Eli Lake documented for Bloomberg. Both positions were stunningly blinkered. Republicans were encouraging a Saudi regime that has appeared to come almost unhinged since 80-year-old King Salman took the throne a year ago and installed his 30-year-old son, Mohammed, as defense minister. At the expense of the war against the Islamic State, from which it has withdrawn its warplanes, the Saudis have launched a bloody and unwinnable military adventure in Yemen and moved to suppress all domestic dissent especially that from liberal intellectuals and bloggers seeking modest political reforms. In an interview with the Economist last week, Mohammed bin Salman promised painful economic restructuring, but offered no prospect of political or religious change in a country where women still cannot drive and a blogger calling for fresh interpretations of Islam was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes. "Standing with" such allies could mean diving with them over a political cliff. The Obama administration, of course, has hardly abandoned the Saudi rulers; since the Iran deal, it has been heaping Riyadh with fresh weapons. But Republicans are probably right in arguing that Obama's feckless accommodation of Iran is spurring Saudi belligerence, thereby making the sectarian fight worse. The embarrassing retreat from imposing missile sanctions was particularly damaging. The administration first accused Tehran of violating a U.N. Security Council resolution linked to the nuclear deal by testing long-range missiles, then pulled back a relatively mild set of financial penalties on companies and individuals hours after notifying Congress they were coming. Officials called the delay "technical," but nearly two weeks later, the sanctions have still not been issued. The resulting message, true or not, is that Washington lacks the will to punish Iran for clear violations. What's missing from the Republican rhetoric and Obama's maneuvering is any sense of fundamental and long-term U.S. interests in the Middle East, or how they might be pursued amid the sectarian maelstrom. Rather than picking among Sunni or Shiite dictators, Americans should be asking what needs to change in the region for stabilization and modernization to be possible and what forces might advance it. If the bloodletting is to end, minorities whether Sunni or Shiite, Christian or Kurd must gain basic rights. That means supporting proponents of peaceful reform among Shiites in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and Sunnis in Iraq and demanding that their governments accommodate them before they receive more U.S. arms. It means abandoning the impractical and immoral position that reconstituting Iraq and Syria takes precedence over allowing a Kurdish homeland. And it means removing the vicious regime of Bashar al-Assad, whose crimes against humanity are responsible for much of the chaos. Like the Kurds, secular liberals across the region are natural U.S. allies, especially in Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and Morocco. Yet both the Obama administration and its Republican opponents often disregard them, while catering to strongmen like Cairo's Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, who imprisons and kills them. The tumult over the Saudi executions revealed a Middle East that desperately needs a steadying outside force. But the reaction in Washington suggested that American help is not on the way. Jackson Diehl is deputy editorial page editor for The Washington Post. Select Commodity All Ajwan Alasande Gram Almond(Badam) Alsandikai Amaranthus Ambada Seed Amla(Nelli Kai) Amphophalus Antawala Anthorium Apple Apricot(Jardalu/Khumani) Arecanut(Betelnut/Supari) Arecanut(Betelnut/Supari) Arhar (Tur/Red Gram)(Whole) Arhar (Tur/Red Gram)(Whole) Arhar Dal(Tur Dal) Ashgourd Astera Avare Dal Bajra(Pearl Millet/Cumbu) Bajra(Pearl Millet/Cumbu) Balekai Bamboo Banana Banana - Green Barley (Jau) Bay leaf (Tejpatta) Beans Beaten Rice Beetroot Bengal Gram Dal (Chana Dal) Bengal Gram(Gram)(Whole) Ber(Zizyphus/Borehannu) Betal Leaves Bhindi(Ladies Finger) Bitter gourd Black Gram (Urd Beans)(Whole) Black Gram Dal (Urd Dal) Black pepper BOP Bottle gourd Bran Brinjal Broken Rice Broomstick(Flower Broom) Bull Bunch Beans Cabbage Calf Capsicum Cardamoms Carnation Carrot Cashewnuts Castor Seed Cauliflower Chapparad Avare Chennangi Dal Cherry Chikoos(Sapota) Chili Red Chilly Capsicum Chow Chow Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum(Loose) Cinamon(Dalchini) Cloves Cluster beans Cock Cocoa Coconut Coconut Oil Coconut Seed Coffee Colacasia Copra Coriander(Leaves) Corriander seed Cotton Cotton Seed Cow Cowpea (Lobia/Karamani) Cowpea (Lobia/Karamani) Cowpea(Veg) Cucumbar(Kheera) Cummin Seed(Jeera) Custard Apple (Sharifa) Dalda Dhaincha Drumstick Dry Chillies Dry Fodder Dry Grapes Duck Duster Beans Egg Elephant Yam (Suran) Field Pea Firewood Fish Foxtail Millet(Navane) French Beans (Frasbean) Galgal(Lemon) Garlic Ghee Gingelly Oil Ginger(Dry) Ginger(Green) Gladiolus Cut Flower Goat Gram Raw(Chholia) Gramflour Grapes Green Avare (W) Green Chilli Green Fodder Green Gram (Moong)(Whole) Green Gram Dal (Moong Dal) Green Peas Ground Nut Oil Ground Nut Seed Groundnut Groundnut (Split) Groundnut pods (raw) Guar Guar Seed(Cluster Beans Seed) Guava Gur(Jaggery) He Buffalo Hen Hippe Seed Honge seed Hybrid Cumbu Indian Beans (Seam) Indian Colza(Sarson) Isabgul (Psyllium) Jack Fruit Jaffri Jamun(Narale Hannu) Jarbara Jasmine Jowar(Sorghum) Jute Kabuli Chana(Chickpeas-White) Kacholam Kakada Kankambra Karamani Karbuja(Musk Melon) Kartali (Kantola) Khoya Kinnow Knool Khol Kodo Millet(Varagu) Kulthi(Horse Gram) Lak(Teora) Leafy Vegetable Lemon Lentil (Masur)(Whole) Lilly Lime Linseed Lint Litchi Little gourd (Kundru) Long Melon(Kakri) Lotus Lotus Sticks Lukad Mahedi Mahua Mahua Seed(Hippe seed) Maida Atta Maize Mango Mango (Raw-Ripe) Marasebu Marget Marigold(Calcutta) Marigold(loose) Mashrooms Masur Dal Mataki Methi Seeds Methi(Leaves) Millets Mint(Pudina) Moath Dal Mousambi(Sweet Lime) Mustard Mustard Oil Myrobolan(Harad) Neem Seed Niger Seed (Ramtil) Nutmeg Onion Onion Green Orange Orchid Ox Paddy(Dhan)(Basmati) Paddy(Dhan)(Common) Papaya Papaya (Raw) Patti Calcutta Peach Pear(Marasebu) Peas cod Peas Wet Peas(Dry) Pegeon Pea (Arhar Fali) Pepper garbled Pepper ungarbled Persimon(Japani Fal) Pigs Pineapple Plum Pointed gourd (Parval) Pomegranate Potato Pumpkin Raddish Ragi (Finger Millet) Raibel Rajgir Ram Rat Tail Radish (Mogari) Raya Resinwood Rice Ridge gourd(Tori) Ridgeguard(Tori) Rose(Local) Rose(Loose) Rose(Loose)) Round gourd Rubber Sabu Dan Sabu Dana Safflower Sajje Same/Savi Season Leaves Seemebadnekai Seetafal Seetapal Sesamum(Sesame,Gingelly,Til) Sesamum(Sesame,Gingelly,Til) She Buffalo She Goat Sheep Snake gourd Snakeguard Soanf Soapnut(Antawala/Retha) Soji Soyabean Spinach Sponge gourd Squash(Chappal Kadoo) Sugar Sugarcane Sunflower Sunhemp Suram Surat Beans (Papadi) Suva (Dill Seed) Suvarna Gadde Sweet Potato Sweet Pumpkin T.V. Cumbu T.V. Cumbu Tamarind Fruit Tamarind Seed Tapioca Taramira Tender Coconut Thinai (Italian Millet) Thogrikai Thondekai Tinda Tobacco Tomato Toria Tube Rose(Double) Tube Rose(Loose) Tube Rose(Single) Turmeric Turmeric (raw) Turnip Walnut Water Melon Wheat Wheat Atta White Peas White Pumpkin Wood Yam Yam (Ratalu) Select State Select Market Google has let slip some details about this years I/O developers conference. Google CEO Sundar Pichai tweeted today that Google I/O 16 will be held May 18-20. The surprising part of Pichais announcement is that the annual developer conference wont be held at the Moscone Center in downtown San Francisco. This year I/O will be held at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., in the same city where Google has its headquarters. I/O'16 coming to neighborhood where it all started 10 yrs ago, Pichai tweeted. The Shoreline Amphitheatre is an outdoor venue with a capacity of 22,500 to 30,000, including seating and staging on the lawn and in the parking lot. The venue has hosted large concerts and festivals, including Lollapalooza and Ozzfest. "Exciting news: were only 18 weeks away from Google I/O! 2016 is going to be a special year for us -- we held our first developer day 10 years ago at the Googleplex," wrote Pichai in a blog post. "To celebrate our 10th anniversary of developer gatherings, well be hosting I/O in our backyard . . . Well have 3 full days together to dive deep into developer content, code labs, and more." Google didn't say why the conference was moved, but it could be that executives want an area where they can show off the company's self-driving cars or even its robots. Its never certain what Google executives will talk about at the conference, but some reasonable speculation for this year would include its cloud business, the next version of Android and a potential merging of Android and Chrome OS. Google has not yet released other conference information, such as tickets, registration or participating hotels. A Google spokesperson told Computerworld that developers should expect no major changes to the general format of the conference. DO YOU have a Boulevard Aristide-Briand near you? Or do you send your child to school in a Jules-Ferry or a lycee Emile Combes? If so, you are already familiar with key names in the construction of the French Republic. Between them, these three politicians were responsible for free state schooling, obligatory education for girls and the rock of state neutrality towards religion on which la Republique is built: the principle of laicite. The term is very much in the news, with a new laicite charter being introduced into schools this autumn alongside classes in morale laique. Presenting the charter, Minister for Education Vincent Peillon explained: Everyone is free to have his own opinions but no one has the right to contest teaching content or miss a class in the name of religious precepts. Public debate over the Muslim community in France pops up in the news regularly and is nearly always related in one way or another to perceived challenges to this element of the Constitution. Peillons remarks refer also to repeated evangelist pressure to alter class content, in particular regarding the theory of evolution. A recent example was the proposal to swap two Christian holidays with Jewish and Muslim ones: confusing whether France was secular or multi-religious. Left and Right politicians often unite to initiate laws to protect laicite. Once the source of conflict with the Catholic Right over private education funding, the principle, an important element in the integration process, regularly generates ill feeling these days among extremist sectors of the Muslim community. That is why, a century after the original 1905 law, several new laws have been passed to protect it. First, a few explanations. Laicite does not translate well. Secularity is close but confusing. Laicite is not easy to define either. It has evolved over two centuries and is evolving still. The concept was born of the Revolution, which guaranteed freedom of conscience to all and first separated State and Church. Napoleon backtracked, signing a concordat with the Vatican in 1801 that was to poison Church-State relations during the 19th century and put laicite on the back burner for much of it. (For historical reasons, this concordat still applies in Alsace and Moselle.) Having been suppressed by the Vichy regime (along with liberte, egalite, fraternite without which laicite could not function), the principle was cast in the constitution of the Fourth Republic in 1946 the State is indivisible, laic, democratic and social and remains firmly in that of todays Fifth. To understand the concept is to go a long way towards understanding the French. Maybe it could be defined as their permanent search for a delicate balance between sharing what they all hold in common, the Republic, and catering for diversity. It is the principle that protects both personal and collective liberty and, as such, is the responsibility of both State and citizen. The indivisibility of the State is the States refusal to recognise any religious or ethnic community. France is one. There are two major dates in the history of laicite: 1881 and 1905. In 1881-82, Minister of Education Jules Ferry decreed school to be publique, gratuite et laique state-run, free and non-clerical. Teaching in French to a national programme provided children, whatever their linguistic background or beliefs, with the theoretical possibility of equal opportunity. It created a framework in which adults could bring no pressure to bear on pupils to adhere to any philosophy, religion or political idea. That remains the basis of the French educational system today. The 1905 law, engineered by Emile Combes and Aristide Briand, enforced the neutrality of the State and State institutions through the separation of the Churches and the State. Since that date, the State recognises no religion and therefore cannot directly fund any either. If the same law grants the individual total liberty and privacy regarding beliefs, there is one condition: they must not disturb public order. Given the repeated trauma that religion has caused in Frances recent history from the Wars of Religion to the expulsion of the Huguenots and the Dreyfus affair this means no proselytising and nothing that could be remotely interpreted as such. It also explains why, in France, religious belief is far more than a private matter. Things spiritual belong to the realm of intimacy. It is extremely unusual to see anyone wearing any conspicuous religious symbol in public. To do so is perceived as a deliberate act, a message to others. It is unthinkable to ask someone what their religion is and most people will be frankly embarrassed by anyone saying what theirs is. When Nicolas Sarkozy publicly announced he had appointed Frances first Muslim prefect, he sent shockwaves throughout the land. Knowing this helps in understanding intense French reaction to young girls wearing veils. It is seen not only as an unacceptable way of bringing religion into the public sphere, but also a form of peer pressure on other girls to do the same. Which takes us back to Jules Ferry and neutrality in the classroom. This insistence on the privacy of beliefs was of course also reinforced after World War II by the fate of Frances Jews under the Vichy regime, and the obligation to publicly show their religion by wearing the yellow star. As a result of the trauma of State responsibility in their deportation and extermination, no statistics may be made regarding peoples religious beliefs, ethnic origin or colour. All citizens are not only equal, but remain neutral in the eyes of the State. The mosque debate The 1905 law was finally well accepted by both Catholic and Protestant churches in France, who benefited financially when the State handed existing buildings and their costly maintenance over to local authorities. But the State cannot fund new religious buildings. Hence the mosque-building debate and recent legislation allowing local authorities to contribute. For with generous donations from Saudi Arabia and Muslim foundations abroad pouring in, the inherent risk of encouraging fundamentalist movements to develop in France is obvious. Under the Nicolas Sarkozy government, the training of imams in France to Republican principles was considered. But the State cannot finance religious education either. The impasse has been paradoxically circumvented by the Catholic University offering courses, and Algerian imams due to work in France being trained in French and laicite at the government-funded Institut Francais in Algiers. Conspicuous symbols and full-face veils After a number of potentially inflammatory cases in which some schools were confronted with Muslim girls wearing Islamic headscarves, legislation was passed in 2004 banning the wearing of any conspicuous religious symbol or sign in state schools. Never specifically aimed at the Muslim community (kippas, large crosses and Sikh turbans fall under the same category), the new law, despite fears it would be perceived as discriminatory and arouse further reaction, had the almost immediate effect of calming the situation, though some veiled Muslim girls and turbaned Sikhs found their way to private schools. But this legislated solely for public schools, not privately run establishments. In March of this year, Fatima Afif, an employee dismissed in 2008 from the privately run Baby Loup creche in the Yvelines for refusing to remove her headscarf, won on appeal for wrongful dismissal on the grounds of religious discrimination. New legislation is now under consideration to cover pre-school structures and religious symbols in the workplace, none of which are currently covered by law. When, in late July, a police officer in the town of Trappes stopped a fully veiled young women for an ID check in the middle of Ramadan, he did not know he was unleashing days of rioting. But Cassandra, 22, was not infringing any law on laicite. This time it was the one against dissimulating the face in the public sphere, put into effect by the Sarkozy government in 2011. Introduced ostensibly as anti-terrorism legislation, many felt its real purpose was more anti-veil. In fact, the number of women in France wearing the niqab is extremely small, and the number of women fined likewise. Laicite with an adjective The latest solution of Frances politicians to calm the debate has been to add adjectives. Sarkozy invented laicite positive, in which the government took into account the existence of religious groups in France. He created a representative Muslim council, through which to address the Muslim community in France. Representative of only a portion of Frances Muslims, many of whom are non-practising, it has created more problems than it has solved. The Hollande government has coined laicite apaisee, a low-profile approach in which negotiation would replace legislation as the best way of winning over those who regard the principle with suspicion. True laicistes believe the principle cannot survive any moderating tags. It must exist alone. Universities oppose campus headscarf ban proposal In early August, Le Monde published a report signed by members of the Haut Comite de lIntegration (HCI), a body no longer briefed to deal with laicite since the creation of a separate mission last April. It called for a Muslim headscarf ban in universities. Government replies were swift but hardly in unison. Minister of the Interior Manuel Valls stated evasively that the subject needed to be considered, while Genevieve Fioraso, Minister for Higher Education, warned that we should avoid problems where there are none. For Gerard Blanchard, president of La Rochelle University, and vice-president of the national CPU, Conference des Presidents dUniversite, laicite is not an issue on his campus or anywhere in France. We have 14% foreign students in La Rochelle, mostly from South East Asia, and we only ask women students to take off their veils in science laboratories, for safety reasons. That has never posed a problem. The University Presidents Conference has issued a public statement against any specific university ban. For Blanchard, the over-mediatised debate that burst upon us mid-summer is without foundation. He is adamant that he has never had a complaint from a teacher. An environmentalist, he is far more concerned by pressure that could be brought on teachers to introduce non-scientific versions of the origins of the universe into the syllabus. No university teacher should ever have to submit to any pressure on the content of his teaching. Jean-Loup Salzmann, president of the CPU, and president of Paris XIII, in the heart of Seine- Saint-Denis, one of the most multi-cultural universities in France, firmly believes in laicite, but sees no need for new laws on the campus. His main concern is elsewhere. He is angered by the incongruity of the State promoting laicite on the one hand, while financing the Catholic universities on the other. Expressing a personal opinion, he said: The main issue for these young Muslim women, who have enough problems coping with family pressure, is to achieve independence and emancipation through their studies, whether they wear a veil or not. An anti-veil law would achieve the opposite of what we want. Many of these women would then not have access to university at all. How the principle of laicite is applied today NICOLAS Cadene, chairman of the Observatoire de la Laicite, a watchdog committee created last April by President Francois Hollande to report on how the principle of laicite is applied in France today, spoke to Connexion. Can you define this difficult concept for our readers? Laicite is a principle which allows us all to live together. It is not a ban on religion or religious practices. On the contrary, it guarantees believers and non-believers alike the freedom to express themselves, to practise or not to practise a religion as they choose, on condition that public order is not disturbed. The State adopts an attitude of total impartiality towards citizens, who are all equal in the eyes of the State. Do the current religious bank holidays not favour one religious group? Christian festivals have, for the majority, become traditional holidays with little religious significance. Still, the State does not want to be seen as favouring one religion over another. In 1905, there was no Muslim population. But I dont think this poses a real problem. Employees can use their RTT (recuperation of unpaid overtime in the form of days off) as they wish. The Stasi Commission (set up by President Jacques Chirac in 2003) went a long way towards identifying issues in the workplace. We shall build on that. The conspicuous religious symbols ban was seen as directed only at women. Is that not a form of discrimination? If people set out to present themselves in a way which is obviously a proselytising or a provocative attitude, that is not acceptable. It is not so much what people wear or their physical appearance, as the reason behind the choice. This is one of the subjects we shall be working on. Islam has no clerical hierarchy. Isnt the laicite legislation trying to apply to individuals a law aimed at an institution? Doesnt the 1905 law need to be adapted? Not at all. The principle enables us all to live together. But, of course, we must avoid situations in which one group feels stigmatised by the law. That is one of our major subjects of reflexion. But there is no question of adapting the principle to new circumstances. It is one of bringing people to understand that laicite is not a ban on religious practice but a system of personal freedom and helping them to adapt to the principle. There has been talk in the press over banning the Islamic headscarf at university. [The full-face veil is already banned anywhere in public]. The State has a duty to protect minors from any form of ideological persuasion, hence the headscarf ban in schools. University is a world of adults. But the Republic has a duty to protect its citizens against the dangers of extremism. Some people attribute to laicite powers it simply does not have. There is an urgent need for strong political action, at state and local level, in order to resolve the many problems the threat of extremism has brought to certain sectors of society. The Observatoire has published its first report, a history and background to the concept. What else has it achieved? We helped draw up two important documents: the laicite charter and the syllabus for non-religious morality for schools. Both take effect this year. In addition, our report has pinpointed situations needing close attention in public administrations and local authorities (non-Metropolitan France included), as well as in the private sector. How do you see your work developing? We need a better definition of laicite that reiterates the States position of neutrality and is more clearly understood by all, in France and at an international level. We are drawing up guidelines for the application of laicite and religious practice in the workplace, and in the wake of the Baby Loup issue [see main article], for pre-school structures. We must show people how to react to situations. Overreaction is one of the major problems we face, when so much could be achieved by negotiation and taking things calmly. MOTORISTS caught speeding within 10kph of the limit should not be fined, according to a senator. Alain Fouche, the senator for the Vienne, has put forward a law that would scrap fines for those caught driving up to and including 10kph higher than the speed limit. Mr Fouche believes the current system in which drivers lose a point off their licences as well as a fine constitutes a double penalty for motorists. The same penalty exists for those who break the law up to 20kph of the speed limit. Mr Fouche said that by removing the fine for small offences, it would help improve the reputation of speed cameras, which are seen as little more than cash pumps for the police. The offence of speeding would still be punished by losing a point. "While the government claims that warnings and penalties for speeding are necessary, not to enable the State to raise money, but to improve the security of road users, we propose that, for small speeding offences, those in breach should not pay a fine, said Mr Fouche. The measure has the backing of the motoring group 40 millions d'automobilistes whose president Daniel Quero said most offences of this type were committed involuntarily. Cllr Peter Golds is Leader of the Conservative Group on Tower Hamlets Council Arabella Weir, the actress, is a regular on the BBC. This is surprising, for in 2008 she said in The Guardian (where else) that in the event of Boris Johnson being elected Mayor, I will go on hunger strike and throw myself in front of the next horse at Ascot if he wins. Well he did win and she did neither. She also described Boris as loathsome upper class, which was a somewhat strange use of words for the daughter of a titled diplomat who commenced her education at Bedales. Needless to say, she is alive and resident in one of the areas of north London, where The Guardian is a major selling newspaper. This is an example of the personalised campaign that is the hallmark of the London Labour Party and exemplified by Ken Livingstone, whose many recent observations on his own party colleagues show that his invective has not modified with age. Between now and May 7th, we can expect extraordinary personalised attacks on Zac Goldsmith, allegations of a scorched earth London and parades of luvvies trying to justify their fees from BBC appearances by making anti-Tory attacks. Those of us who have met and campaigned with Zac Goldsmith know well that he has charm, ability and firmness that will make him an outstanding Mayor of London. He is not a career politician and how he made his once marginal parliamentary constituency into a safe seat in five years is the proof of this. Housing, transport and security are the prime concerns of Londoners. If there is one group, even more narcissistic than theatrical luvvies it is their equally out of touch supporters within the architectural community. Historians of the 50s and 60s fill pages of books about the prize winning monstrosities that were inflicted on towns and cities throughout this period. Ronan Point in Newham, Chalkhill in Brent and the Ferrier Estate in Greenwich, to give three random examples, have all been and gone. However, the memories remain of Labour councillors and fashionable architects who thought that brutalism was a good idea, and that those who actually ended up resident in these nightmares were simply wrong. Government policies to finally end these disasters are welcome. There are enough examples of failed estates remaining in the capital to show Londoners from east to west and north to south what can and will be done to improve their home environment. Three more tube strikes have been announced, coincidentally by a union extremely supportive of the Labour candidate, regarding the night tube. The night tube is a brilliant idea and union opposition is luddite and politically motivated. In addition, whilst reading through the Mayors budget, funds will be going to support the Metropolitan Police Service, whilst completing the promise for a year on reduction in the GLA precept on council tax. Labour, of course, will spin otherwise. This is a genuine record of achievement from Boris Johnson, so different from the policies of cronyism and division which marked the crumbling end of the Livingstone regime just eight years ago. Livingstones was an administration where the Mayor had paid more visits to Venezuela than several outer London boroughs. With a Labour candidate who nominated Jeremy Corbyn as leader and who has leading members of the Livingstone administration on his campaign team, a Labour victory in May will mean a future of division and distrust. It beggars belief that just as unreconstructed Labour are set to lose in Scotland and Wales that they should have any chance of winning the administration of the economic power house of this country, London. Zac should ignore the personal attacks which will come thick and fast from Labours outriders and concentrate on the policy successes of the past eight years and how this will be taken forward into 2020. There should be no no-go areas. Over the past weekend the campaign stretched across the capital including an excellent effort in Southwarks Faraday Ward. Zac is a Londoner relaxed and confident within himself and determined to be a relaxed and confident Chief Executive of the worlds greatest city. Chris Grayling is Leader of the House of Commons, and MP for Epsom and Ewell. While this Government is focusing on the priorities of millions of people across the country helping to create jobs, cut the deficit, improve schools and create a seven-day NHS we arrived back at Westminster last week to a Labour reshuffle that demonstrated yet again why Jeremy Corbyns party is now a threat to economic security, national security and the security of your family. Days passed. Sensible people were sacked. Inexperienced outliers were promoted. A Shadow Minister even resigned on live television. Labour MPs looked plain embarrassed. When I suggested to one senior Labour MP that the process was just bizarre, he looked at me and said pointedly: There is no process. It was like being at a four day long pantomime, or would have been if the situation was not actually so serious. This wasnt the Monster Raving Loony Party in action however much it might have looked like it. It was Her Majestys supposedly loyal opposition, a theoretical Government-in-waiting. Heaven help us. To me, the thing that brought home most clearly the threat that Labour now poses to Britain was the fact that on the same day that North Korea said it had developed a hydrogen bomb, Labour appointed a unilateral nuclear disarmer as its Shadow Defence Secretary. In what world is it sensible for Kim Jong-Un to have a nuclear arsenal, and for Britain to disarm and dismantle its own defences? But then in what world would a potential Prime Minister sack one of his front benchers for daring to ask the actual Prime Minister to reject the view that sees terrorist acts as always being a response or a reaction to what we in the West do and that terrorists are entirely responsible for their actions, that no one forces anyone to kill innocent people in Paris, blow up the London Underground, to behead innocent aid workers in Syria. As if the risk Labour now faces to our country wasnt grave enough the Head of their Defence Review, Ken Livingstone, underscored it further by suggesting that the Party would look into whether to advocate leaving NATO. At a time when the world is looking much less secure and stable than it has been, why would anyone even contemplate abandoning the alliance that has kept this country so well protected for the last 70 years? How utterly irresponsible. Of course, most Labour MPs know this full well. I see it every day from our side of the Commons. The body language when their leader is speaking in the Chamber is quite extraordinary. Apart from a handful of loyalists, most shift uncomfortably in their chairs, looking anywhere but at their front bench. Senior members of the Party are only too ready to express their fury and frustration in private to their political opponents or in public to national newspapers with only a fig leaf of anonymity. There is conversation after conversation in the Gents, or the Ladies, or the corridors. They all think that this is destroying their Party. Its also noticeable that some are bothering less and less. You regularly see Labour MPs drifting away even when serious issues are still being debated and voted on in the Commons. There can be no doubt that Jeremy Corbyn is unfit to govern, or to let anywhere near governing. He would destroy our national security, undermine our economy and dismantle all the progress we have made. There is a broader point though. The Labour Parliamentary Party as a whole know just how dire things are. The Prime Minister was absolutely right when he told them at Prime Ministers Questions last week that they are all collectively responsible for the mess on their benches. This is not just about the team around the Labour leader. It is about all of them. They are standing by while all of this happens. Many of them are still happy to serve in his Shadow Cabinet, while Labour slides towards the most left-wing agenda in this countrys modern history and victimises those who stand for normal common sense. So it is not just Jeremy Corbyn who is not fit to govern. If they cannot take big decisions in the face of this chaos, none of them are. And that is why whatever happens in Labour, we must make sure that we beat them resoundingly. Nick Timothy is Director of the New Schools Network and a former Chief of Staff to Theresa May. In Saturdays Times, Caitlin Moran wrote a typically angry, funny and brilliant column about sexism and the proprietorial attitudes towards women that continue to exist in Britain, even today. She was writing about the everyday behaviour of men towards women, the way women are described in the media, and ingrained social norms that, in her words, are achingly old. In the days before the publication of her column, however, a story emerged that shows that, far from becoming entrenched, womens rights in Europe are in danger. According to eye witness accounts, in Cologne on New Years Eve, an estimated thousand men, believed to mainly be migrants and asylum seekers, sexually abused, raped and robbed scores of women in a city square. The full facts are yet to be established such as the exact identities of the perpetrators and the extent to which the attacks were organised and coordinated but Colognes police chief described what happened as a completely new dimension of crime. A leaked police report said there was chaos beyond description, and explained that police officers were overwhelmed by the number of women and girls trying to report sexual assaults by male migrants or groups. But this was not the story the German authorities at first wanted to tell. On New Years Day, the police reported that as in the year before, the New Years Eve celebrations were peaceful, while their oblique references to minor acts of disorder appear to have been constructed to deliberately deceive the public. As recently as last Tuesday, the city police told a press conference that, at the moment we have no leads about the perpetrators. As the same event, Henriette Reker, the Mayor of Cologne, said: theres no evidence that were dealing here with people who are refugees, before telling reporters that any suggestion that the perpetrators might have been refugees were absolutely impermissible. And the deceit was not just limited to the police and politicians: following criticism on social media, Germanys public broadcaster, ZDF, was forced to apologise for failing to report the attacks until four days after they had taken place. What happened on New Years Eve in Cologne might seem like a strange one-off moment, but we know that similar events took place that night albeit on a smaller scale in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Munich and Stuttgart, a border town in Baden-Wurttemberg called Weil am Rhine, and in other countries including Austria, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland. We also know, according to womens organisations, that there is a culture of rape and violence in German refugee camps. Yet the official reaction has been striking for its lack of concern for the victims. In Cologne, the Mayor has proposed a code of conduct advising women and girls about how to behave, while she says there needs to be a better explanation for asylum seekers to prevent confusion about what constitutes happy behaviour as opposed to what she calls openness, especially in sexual behaviour. Why the Mayor thinks she needs to describe rape and sexual assault in such euphemistic language, only she knows. In Britain, left-wing feminists who feel conflicted between their opposition to sexual violence and their support for high immigration have also sought to justify their silence. One campaigner wrote: feminists are necessarily concerned with the protection of minorities and marginalised groups. If some of them are finding it difficult to speak up about the event [in Cologne] because of concerns it might be used to encourage aggression against refugees, I cant say I blame them. But in Britain, we know exactly where this head-in-the-sand attitude takes us. Of course, sexual violence can be perpetrated by people of all racial, religious and cultural backgrounds but that does not mean in specific, localised cases, race, religion and culture are not a factor. The independent inquiry into child sexual abuse in Rotherham, for example, concluded that in Rotherham, the majority of known perpetrators were of Pakistani heritage but state agencies had failed to take action because they had been inhibited by the fear of affecting community relations. In a similar case in Bristol, we know that the perpetrators were mainly Somali and their victims were vulnerable white girls, while in another case in Oxford, in which the victims were again white girls, the perpetrators were mainly of East African and Pakistani heritage. These are obviously incredibly sensitive matters and the majority of people in Britain who sexually abuse children are white men but it would be irresponsible to ignore race, religion and culture where they are relevant factors in sexual violence. Because there can surely be no doubt that when people are encouraged to believe that they are superior to others that a man is superior to a woman, that one race is superior to another, that belief in a particular religion makes one superior to those of other faiths or of none this has an effect on their propensity to commit certain crimes and the identities of their victims. There are countless examples from history of how prejudice, hatred and bigotry from the slave trade, to religious conflicts and civil wars can coincide with sexual violence. In Rotherham, for example, the murderer of Laura Wilson, who was groomed for sex with a number of men, called his victim a kaffir bitch. And yet for years in Britain we have let this kind of extremist bigotry to grow, unchallenged and unchecked. In this country, between 2010 and 2014, almost 12,000 incidences of so-called honour-based violence were recorded. In 2014, the Governments Forced Marriage Unit dealt with more than 1,250 cases, and in the same year it was estimated that 170,000 women in England and Wales were living with the consequences of Female Genital Mutilation. As part of the Trojan Horse plot in Birmingham, in which extremists sought to impose a hardline curriculum on nominally secular state schools, primary school pupils were told about the dangers of white prostitutes. It is well known that Sharia courts are providing a parallel legal system, which discriminates against women, traps them in abusive relationships and denies them access to justice in legitimate courts. The Sharia Council for the Midlands, for example, openly publishes advice about polygamous marriage on its website, even though it is supposed to be illegal in this country. For understandable reasons, the Governments Counter-Extremism Strategy has been seen as a way of tackling the threat we face from terrorism and of course it is but extremism must also be confronted because of the enormous social damage it causes. So it is welcome that the strategy targets not just ideological extremism but bigotry that is based on cultural values and social norms that have no place in a modern, liberal democracy like ours. We will soon see a review of the application of Sharia law in Britain, but we will also need to see the strategys proposals turned into a reality by the whole of Whitehall, the rest of the public sector and indeed all of us in civil society. Doing so will require difficult decisions about matters of great sensitivity. But this is not something that can be ducked in Britain, in Germany or anywhere else. In Rotherham, officials were so concerned about appearing racist, they let the organised child abuse of 1,400 vulnerable young people take place under their very noses. In Germany, the state has appeared to be more concerned about defending the principle of immigration than protecting and caring for the victims of the New Years Eve sex attacks. But if we turn a blind eye to this kind of violence, there will be little point in worrying about the gender pay gap, womens career progression, body image, the burden of childcare, or any other feminist cause. Because if a woman cant walk through a major European city without fear of attack, and without the confidence that she will be protected by the state or her fellow citizens, we will have turned the clock back on decades and possibly centuries of progress. So I am all for joining Caitlin Moran in tackling the achingly-old sexist social norms that have existed in Britain for centuries but feminists of right and left need to stand up to the achingly-old social norms that exist in minority communities too, however difficult that might prove to be. Daimler AG, parent company of Mercedes Benz, is putting its diesel emissions cheating allegations behind it with a $1.5 billion settlement with the U.S. government and the state of California. Two federal agencies and the California attorney generals office charged the German automaker with using a defeat device to make it appear that its diesel engines were in compliance with emissions standards when they were not. Another German carmaker, Volkswagen, was the first to face these charges when it was revealed the car employed software that reduced emissions only when the vehicle was being tested. As it turned out, the engines could not meet emissions requirements and deliver the promised fuel economy. In early 2017, Volkswagen agreed to pay $4.3 billion in penalties to the U.S. government and spent billions more buying back affected vehicles from consumers. According to the Daimler settlement, the company sold close to 250,000 diesel-powered vehicles in the United States with engines that failed to comply with state and federal laws. Officials say the settlement, which includes civil penalties, will also require the automaker to modify vehicles so that they meet emissions requirements. Payment to California The agreement will pay around $700 million to settle numerous lawsuits filed by consumers. It will also compensate the state of California with a $300 million payment that includes $17.5 million to the California Department of Justice for future environmental enforcement, monitoring, and investigation. Longterm, if you cheat, you're going to get caught, said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. Daimler is finding that out today. But theyre not the first nor likely the last to try. In a statement issued to news outlets, Daimler said it disputes allegations that it cheated and said the settlement does not reflect any admission of guilt on its part. It said the settlement resolves the civil proceedings without making any determination that Daimler vehicles used cheat devices. By resolving these proceedings, Daimler avoids lengthy court actions with respective legal and financial risks, the company said in its statement. SUBSCRIBE Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates straight in your inbox. Close Bolivia and Peru are pooling their efforts and political negotiations to restore Lake Titicaca, South America's largest freshwater lake. The plan spans for 10 years, and was arrived at after political negotiations through June 2015. The $500 million deal was signed in Bolivia's capital city of La Paz late last week, the Peruvian news agency Andina explains. "On June 23, we had a historic meeting in an expanded cabinet between Peru and Bolivia," Bolivian Environment Minister Alexandra Moreira said during the announcement of the deal, "[And] we are proud that the environmental sector is the first to give concrete, direct results and with the signing of this agreement that sets the guidelines of action for the recovery of Lake Titicaca." Situated at 12,470 feet above sea level, the lake is the highest in the world. While it is an important tourist destination, about 3 million in Bolivia and Peru are dependent on the lake's resources. First, the solid waste management and sewage systems around the lake will be addressed. Nearby mining and industrial operations have led to the contamination problems. "For the short term we have a limit of $117 million and for the long term $400 million (USD)," Moreira's advisor, Sergio Arispe, explained, according to GlobalPost. They are planning to look at improving the biodiversity in the lake, improving the waste and environmental management right till 2025. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare Close Philae, one of the most celebrated space efforts of recent times, failed to wake up despite desperate calls-to-action sent from Earth. The comet lander is getting farther away from Sun into the deep freezing depths of our solar system. The Washington Post recounted Philae's journey from its mothership Rosetta to the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The launch in November 2014 was smooth, but the landing tumultuous resulting in damage to some of Philae's components. That however did not deter the lander from doing its job when the comet came closer to the Sun; Philae beaconed home June last year to convey it was up and working. The joy of its operators at the European Space Agency was short-lived as the comet prepared to leave the warmth for the cold. Since its last contact, Earth had not received any word from the lander. Now, as the comet prepares to take a plunge into far space, Philae's operators are faced with the prospect of losing the lander for good, with all the data it had collected after its last contact. "Time is running out, so we want to explore all possibilities," says Stephan Ulamec, Philae lander manager, wrote in a blog. The team said it would continue making efforts, including a last-ditch wakeup call on January 10. The command would activate the lander's flywheel to help prop the lander into a better position to receive some sun. New Scientist reports that move has also failed. In its farewell note to Philae, NS quoted Ulamec saying that reality has to be faced. As part of continuing efforts to wake up Philae, the team will use Rosetta's cameras to look for lander activity, but chances of getting something out of the lander appear slim to none. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare Close Roman Empire has a history of over 2,000 years and they are known to have brought in some of the first attempts of real sanitation, back in the day. Romanization was all about bathing, using the toilets and their maintenance so that the feces could be kept away from the streets. However, as "sanitary" as it may seem, it may not have been the healthiest option for the public. According to a latest study published in the journal of Parasitology, Roman toilets, and rotting fish sauce, may have led to spread of parasites all across the continent of Europe, says NDTV. Piers Mitchell, a biological anthropologist at Cambridge University, who studied the evolution of diseases throughout history, was enthused by the idea that human health in the modern third-world countries are dependent a lot on clean water access and toilets. Before Romans began their era of conquests, there were no signs of sewers and baths anywhere else. While analyzing the archaeological evidence, Mitchell was expecting to see a fall in the spread of parasite due to poor sanitation, such as roundworm. "But surprisingly, they didn't drop," Mitchell told The Post. "They stayed roughly the same and then gradually increased." "It certainly didn't make things any worse," Mitchell said, in case of general public health. However, Mitchell adds that the persistence of Romans on keeping the streets clean of stray feces may have backfired. "The overall sanitation package they brought across Europe also included laws about taking all the waste from the street out of town," Mitchell explained. "This probably made the streets smell better, but it also led to the feces being used for soil." We now know that human feces must be composted for months before being used on food crops, lest the fertilizer spread parasite eggs. "The Romans didn't know anything about that, so they may have been re-infecting their population," he said, reported University of Cambridge News. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare Close A couple managed to escape death miraculously and their photo of affection after the crash has been going viral on Facebook. The two who did not even know how they came out of alive said that their car accident happened within three seconds of spotting a pole and crashing into it. Arika Stovall, a student of Lipscomb University and her boyfriend, Hunter Hanks, were coming back to Nashville, Tennessee from Florida on New Year's Day when the couple's pick-up truck swerved into a bridge support. The couple is still wondering how they managed to be alive even though Hanks' pick-up truck slammed into a concrete slab at 75-80mph. The truck, Toyota Tundra, and its mangled photos left many speechless. "I don't know how we lived through that," Stovall, a graphic design student, tells CNN affiliate WTVF. The couple revealed a photo of them on Facebook, wearing neck braces. "Three seconds. That's how long we had from the moment we drifted off the road until the truck hit the pillar at 85 mph," the post starts. Throughout her post, throughout this Facebook post, Stovall tells the people to believe in power of love and god. "We're so grateful for this wreck and all it will do in our lives," she writes, reported Fox6 News. A close mutual friend of the two, Savannah Gaines, clicked the photo that went viral when the couple saw each other hours after the accident at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "It was unbelievable when they saw each other. I know them so well, and they love each other so much. They were completely blessed to walk away from that," Gaines says. They didn't think that the photo will gain so much attention on social media. It has more than 71,000 shares on Facebook, so far. "We've gotten hundreds of messages just telling us that our story brought them out of a dark place in their life and changed their life," Stovall tells WTVF, as reported by Pop Herald. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare Close It is possible that the dinosaurs too wooed their sweethearts by doing a bird-like dance. Paleontologists may have evidence of the moves made by dinosaurs, they said in a study published Thursday in Scientific Reports. Four separate sites in Colorado show long fossilized grooves in the Earth that they think is a sign of dinosaurs performing a dance to impress their potential mates. "These are the first sites with evidence of dinosaur mating display rituals ever discovered, and the first physical evidence of courtship behavior," study co-author Martin Lockley of the University of Colorado at Denver said in a statement. "These huge scrape displays fill in a missing gap in our understanding of dinosaur behavior." The findings showed in scientific reports provided a peek into the courtship behavior of these animals that have been extinct for millions of years. There is physical evidence that may prove how these dinosaurs acted like birds, considered as their modern-day cousins. Dinosaurs perished millions of years 66 million years ago when an asteroid collided with the earth. Hence, the only way to understand their existence is through these fossils that have been preserved in time, most importantly their bones, reported LA Times. The researchers are able piece together what the dinosaurs looked like through their skeletal remains and even provide information about their possible behavior - what they ate, how they ate, how they walked the earth etc. However, there is very little information about their mating behavior. Many researchers realized that the mating rituals of these dinosaurs are similar to that of the birds. After all, birds are thought to be the descendants of dinosaurs. But there is very little evidence to prove that hypothesis. "Despite extensive phylogenetic and morphological support, behavioral evidence is mostly ambiguous and does not usually fossilize," Martin Lockley of the University of Colorado, Denver, and his co-authors wrote. "Thus, inferences that dinosaurs, especially theropods, displayed behavior analogous to modern birds are intriguing but speculative," as reported by Washington Post See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare Close Motivate yourself with a small prize after every meal to encourage adults and kids to make healthier food choices and consume smaller portions, said a new study that revealed how surprise incentives stimulate the same reward center of your brain as the food. Researchers from the University of Arizona and University of Southern California in US suggest that offering a small prize with a meal can inspire kids and adults to pick smaller portions. As per fMRI (Functional magnetic resonance imaging) studies, the brain responds to a gift, lottery ticket or a small toy the same way it does to mouthwatering pizza or a burger, reported Business Standard The researchers conducted series of experiments that revealed how majority of adults of children preferred to choose half-sized portion when it was linked to a monetary prize or a toy over a full-sized portion without a toy or a prize. The study findings suggested that people were much likelier to choose smaller meals if they had a chance to win USD 10 lottery, than to get a guaranteed reward. The premiums in the study included chance to win between $10 and $100. "The fact that participants were willing to substitute part of a tangible food item for the mere prospect of a relatively small monetary premium is intriguing," said Martin Reimann from the University of Arizona. The results of the study showed that when the non-food related premium was combined with half sized portion, the similar areas of the brain were activated as the one with a full-sized portion. People were more motivated to pick half a burger or pizza even if they were hungrier and didn't compensate for it by binge eating later, as reported by India Today. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare Close 184, a drone that will fly humans, is the first of its kind that was unveiled at the recent CES show in Las Vegas by a Chinese drone-maker company, Ehang. This machine looks like a helicopter and seats one person in the machine. Once the flier is inside the drone, it is a simple two button operation for take off and landing. Even though 184 is ready, it cannot fly until unless it gets all the government clearances to fly a drone. However, according to Ehang, the company is already in talks with the government agencies for the official launch of the technology. It does not require any sort of runways and take off vertically, the same is for landing the drone. When air-bound, it can travel at the speed of 62 miles per hour and fly up to 11,480 feet into the air. The battery pack in the drone allows for 23 minutes of flying time. The drone is small in size, 18-feet long but it can be smaller and weighs only 440 pounds, reported CNN Money In a company video, it appears like a helicopter with its four propellers that spin parallel to the ground. The drone can be charged fully within 2-hours and is equipped to handle 220lbs (110kgs) worth of load, said Ehang. The machine can fit a single person with a backpack and is designed to accommodate in a parking spot. Once the flight plan is set, passengers only need to give two commands, take off and land. The company also adds that it will be a lot safer than driving as the drivers are the main reason for the accidents to happen. The cost of the drone has not been revealed by the company yet but they will work towards improving the design and bringing down the costs, as reported by The Guardian. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare Close Illinois' medical marijuana program sets off a frenzied competition among companies vying for the sought-after state licenses to publicly sell medical weed to consumers. With the license comes a snowballing of enormous opportunities for dispensaries that are permitted by state health authorities to operate. Rising above its competitors is Windy City Cannabis Club- now touted as the undisputed medical pot company allowed by the state health authorities to operate in four Southland towns. The company is expected to open in these towns after complying the clearance requirements from regulatory officials: Homewood, Justice, Posen, and Worth. Details of the Windy City's operations aren't clear yet until the management knows what to expect from the regulators, the supply chain, and the market. The hiring of staff and pricing are still in the air as of the moment. For starters, what exactly is a medical dispensary? One thing's for sure, it sells medical weed under strict government regulation. But for Windy City CEO Steve Weisman, it's more of a hybrid mix of a pharmacy and a bank. "That's a really apt description. It will feel a little medical, but as far as security and the back end of it, it'll be more like a bank," described Weisman as quoted saying by the Chicago Tribune. In another note, the State of New York has approved the opening of marijuana dispensaries in 8 designated locations offering a various forms of cannabis specifically for medical use according to New York Times. New York now joins almost half of US states that permit medical pot. While many of these pro-marijuana states basically allow it for medical use only, recreational use of weed is now a flourishing enterprise in Colorado. In Minnesota, however, regulators are trying to understand the issues and challenges behind the state's faltering medical marijuana program. "Minnesota's program has faltered since the beginning, struggling with low enrollment. Only 844 patients have been certified to date and high costs that have forced some patients back to the black market," commented non-profit organization Sensible Minnesota in a statement as quoted by WDAZ 8 News. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare Close In an assertive policy tone, British Prime Minister David Cameron pledged a 'revolution' as he publicly announced his new mental health care plan that would cost taxpayers almost 1 billion (US$1.5 billion). The objective of his agenda is to provide the needed public health resources in helping teenagers overcome anorexia and mothers who suffer from post-natal depression. The Conservative leader said that such measures would end the insensitive and inhumane experience of 'shame and embarrassment' long suffered by mental health patients in the UK. In addition, he also called for a more candid and meaningful national discourse on the matter. "Mental illness isn't contagious. There's nothing to be frightened of. As a country, we need to be far more mature about this. Less hushed tones, less whispering; more frank and open discussion," said PM Cameron as quoted by The Guardian. According to BBC News, Cameron's mental health care plan is part of Tory-led government's 'all-out assault on poverty' with policy concentration on four main areas of reform: family life, education, equal opportunity, and treatable. A special task force created by National Health Service (NHS) in England recommended the mental health reforms to the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. The following measures are as follows: (1.) 290 million aid to mothers with mental health problems through support programs such as perinatal sessions, intervention by community teams, additional beds for mothers and babies; (2) 240 million worth of funding in the next five years for emergency mental health services in every hospital; (3) Expansion of mental health services to anorexic teens; (4) 400 million investment in 24/7 crisis resolution and home treatment teams as viable hospital alternatives. Mental health advocates are positively receptive to the measures outlined by Cameron. "This is a significant moment for mental health and we are pleased to see the Prime Minister giving it the attention it deserves...Children and young people, pregnant women and new mums, and those in crisis urgently need better services and support," commented NHS independent mental health taskforce chair Paul Farmer as mentioned by Huffington Post. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare Close The very first case of Zika, a virus carried by the Aedes mosquito, has been confirmed in the United States this year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported. The Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services released a statement revealing that the infected patient had traveled to Houston, Texas from Latin America where the virus has been affecting hundreds of thousands of people. The patient then developed symptoms, such as fever and rash, which pointed to the Zika virus. The Zika virus has affected an estimated 440,000 to 1.3 million people in Brazil since it was first detected last May. Along with the spike in cases, experts have noticed an increased rate of microcephaly, which is a birth defect characterized by an abnormally small head that can lead to mental retardation. In 2015, there were 2,700 infants born with the defect. In 2014, the rate was just 150. Due to this potential link, Brazilian officials have recommended women to delay any plans of getting pregnant until they know more about the risks involved. Some cases of Zika have also been confirmed in Mexico and Puerto Rico. Zika is typically a mild infection. However, in rare cases, it can lead to hospitalizations. Common symptoms aside from fever and rash are joint pain and conjunctivitis, which manifests as red eyes. There are no medical treatments for the virus, and infected people are recommended to rest and drink water. Since there is no vaccine for the virus, experts have stressed the importance of utilizing prevention methods, especially in areas where the virus is more common. "Prevention is key to reducing the risk of Zika virus infection," Dr. Umair A. Shah, executive director of Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services, commented reported by CBS News. "Zika virus infections occur throughout the world. We encourage individuals traveling to areas where the virus has been identified to protect themselves against mosquito bites, and to contact their healthcare provider immediately if they develop Zika virus-like symptoms." For more information on the Zika, visit the CDC page here. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare Close Many people probably have never heard of a bacterial disease known as meliodosis since the disease, which can be very deadly due to the fact that it is difficult to treat, has always been considered extremely rare. However, according to a new study, meliodosis, also known as Whitmore's disease, is more common than previously thought. The team led by researchers from Oxford University, the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU) in Bangkok and the University of Washington in Seattle, set out to analyze the prevalence rate of the disease, which is caused by a bacteria called burkholderia pseudomallei, in different regions of the world. They used a computer modeling system and data on outbreaks dating back to 1910 to map out the disease. Prior to the study, experts were aware of the fact that meliodosis is more common in certain areas of South and East Asia, the Pacific and northern parts of Australia. In this analysis, the team found that the disease could also be detected in areas in South America and sub-Saharan Africa. The team added that the disease was most likely present in areas in Central America, southern Africa and the Middle East. "Our estimates suggest that melioidosis is severely under-reported in the 45 countries in which it is known to be endemic and that melioidosis is probably endemic in a further 34 countries that have never reported the disease," the researchers wrote reported by Yahoo! News. The researchers noted that the disease is most likely under-reported due to the fact that it tends to manifest like other bacterial diseases, which can lead to many misdiagnoses. Unlike the other diseases, however, meliodosis can only be treated by a handful of antibiotics. Due to wrong diagnoses that lead to ineffective treatment plans, risk of death from meliodosis is pretty high. The death rate from the disease is around 70 percent. In 2015, the team estimated that 89,000 patients out of 165,000 died from the disease. "This is an under-appreciated and under-reported disease," study co-author Direk Limmathurotsakul, who is also the Head of Microbiology at MORU, said. "The bacteria is difficult to diagnose, difficult to treat and resistant to many antibiotics. We need more awareness and diagnostic tools." The bacteria can be found in soil. It infects people via direct contact with an open cut or through inhalation. The study's findings were published in the journal, Nature Microbiology. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare Close Rumors gravitational waves detection has sparked excitement in the scientific community. If true, the detection would be one of the greatest discoveries of all time. According to Discovery News, Albert Einstein proposed existence of gravitational waves about 100 years ago and experiments since confirmed their existence indirectly. A direct detection of such waves has proven elusive. Gravitational waves are associated with massive objects, like supernovae and black holes. Their detection could reveal information about these cosmic objects. The excitement on the Internet was first triggered last year when physicist Lawrence M. Krauss said gravitational waves could have been detected at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory or LIGO. He tweeted recently that his earlier rumor was confirmed. The announcement sent a wave of excitement as Krauss is a credible name in the profession. However not everybody was ready to buy it. The Independent reported other scientists wondering if it was false data. Scientists at LIGO were hoping that gravitational waves from a black hole taking shape would hit Earth and could hence be detected. The detection could have been triggered by test signals and not a gravitational wave. Krauss however seemed optimistic when he said that this time around the team was not testing. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare Sri Lanka: The Constitution Making And Brutal Police Murder At Embilipitiya By Asian Human Rights Commission 12 January, 2016 Countercurrents.org The Government has announced another attempt at constitution making in Sri Lanka which, this time is to begin, with the hope to complete the process, by the end of this year. A resolution to this effect has already been introduced in the Parliament and a Drafting Committee has been named. A valid question that begets asking is; what, does a constitution making in Sri Lanka imply? Some reflections of the alleged brutal murder in Embilipitiya, may provide some answers to this very important question about the purpose and direction of constitution making in Sri Lanka. The broad details of the incident as described in many reports, including many photographs and videos is quite simple. A party, was being held, at a residence in the Embilipitiya town and many people were attending this private celebration. During this party, two un-invited guests who were two policemen - arrived at the house to the surprise of all guests and the residents. They were there not for any particular police duty, but to ask for Arrack (a local liquor), for their own consumption. As this request was not heeded to by the owners and residents there began a quarrel which quickly turned aggressive. The two policemen had beaten up several people at the house, in particular a young man, Sumith Prasanna Jayawardana who was the owner of the house. The policemen had then called their colleagues at the local police station as reinforcements, and soon thereafter a large group of policemen had also arrived and they had severely beaten the people attending the party, including women. The people who were at the event, have later spoken to the media including London based Sinhala BBC service, and had given accounts of the cruel manner in which they were treated by the officers attached to the Embilipitiya police. As a result of the police beating, Sumith Prasanna Jayawardana, a young man, was killed. This naturally provoked reaction from the people of Embilipitiya, who in large numbers began to gather and also put up black flags in protest of the police action. They also signed a petition, addressed to the Government to complain about this action. Meanwhile, police sought the intervention of the Magistrate in the area, and later served the pregnant widow, of the deceased young man with a notice ordering her to ensure that there will be no protest against the police and in particular forbidding anyone to carry a coffin, while demonstrating. As the tensions were building large numbers of police were called to the streets including, as reports stated, around 500 STF personnel (Special Task Force), in order to prevent a mass protest by the people. This incident is the thus far the first killing to take place, due to police brutality in 2016. Going by the experiences of the previous years, this will certainly not be the last. A Constitution is the first law or the paramount law of a country, that lays down the rules that the government, all its institutions and the people should abide by, if they are to achieve the great goals that the nation has set out to achieve, such as development, prosperity, peace and harmony and orderly behaviour in every aspect of the nations life. The simple question that would arise is ask then, as to whether it would be possible for the new constitution, to provide for a legal arrangement within which, the police in Sri Lanka will cease to act brutally. Or will it be the case that even after promulgation of the new constitution, the police will be allowed to act as brutally as they do now. If later be the case, then the people, particularly the people of lower income groups in the country will inevitably question, what good will such a constitution bring about to the people and the nation. Will this constitution making be another failed attempt as the two previous constitution makings were? In no country is the maintenance of law and order possible, if the law enforcement agency of the country, the police itself, does not abide by the law. The Embilipitiya incident and many other similar incidents, only indicate that the Sri Lankan police do not consider it their duty, to abide by the law. A commonly held belief seems to be, that the police can break any law and get away with it. The Embilipitiya incident confirms this perception. Despite of a brutal murder taking place, about which there is a large body of evidence, eye witnesses, photographs, videos and the like, the murders have not yet been arrested. They have only been transferred. Looking at the scale of indiscipline in the Sri Lanka police, it can be assertedwithout hesitation, that the police hierarchy and even they Government fears to take action against the police. The fear is that the police will retaliate and withdraw cooperation, which in turn will create even more problems for the Government to tackle. What use would any constitution be, if this situation is allowed to be continued? Thus a test for the effectiveness of any new constitution,that promises to restore the rule of law and good governance, is that it will develop constitutional strategies, to create a law abiding police force. Given the conditions in Sri Lanka, this will not prove to be an easy task. To bring about such effective reforms would require considerable discussionwith the people about what has become of their police force, quite openly and frankly. If that cannot happen, Sri Lanka will continue to be a place of disorder, which is caused mainly by its main law enforcement agency. The President and the Prime Minister and even some ministers have spoken eloquently about the making of the new constitution and how it will make Sri Lanka a prosperous country. If they are serious about what they are talking, they should look into the state of policing in Sri Lanka and place before the people a perspective, as to how a policing that has turned wild, could be tamed and will become an instrument that generates an environment where law enforcement will become a civilised practice. An uncivilised policing and a good constitution are incompatible. One would hope that the President and the Prime Minister will demonstrate their wisdom and capacity to deal with this difficult problem. It was not so long ago that the National Police Commission and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) forthright, condemned the police attack on the NDTA Students. The HRCSL, also imposed fines on the culprits. However, that does not seem to have awakened the Inspector General of Police, to take firm action to restore discipline. Instead, the Police Headquarters have moved the Courts, to challenge the action of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka. The internal disciplinary process of the police has broken down to these extents. The Constitution Drafting Committee, when it starts its work therefore, should seriously ponder on these questions. If they cannot find a way to create a law abiding police force, their efforts towards making a new constitution will not bring any good tidings to Sri Lanka. Drafting of a constitution, is not a matter of engaging in some paperwork. A nice constitution can be written by anyone, who has an access the text of other good constitutions in other countries. A really good drafting process of a constitutions involves dealing with threats to liberty and equality that the people are faced with and deliberating solutions that should be incorporated into the law so as to overcome these issues. Thus the drafters must address the socio political situation of the country and be clear-headed about how to bring an enlightened approach to discipline within the government and amongst the people. If there is indiscipline in the government apparatus, the discipline among the people can be only brought about by repression. Then, what is required is not a constitution, but draconian national security laws. The period of rule under the last two constitutions (1972 and 1978) was a one that was carried out through such draconian national security laws. Naturally, Sri Lanka does not need a third one, to achieve the same purpose. At the heart of constitution making should be the idea of people security, as against the narrow idea of national security. It is the peoples security that is being threatened by actions such as the one that took place in Embilipitiya. Peoples security is also being threatened at almost every police station, every day, when the police brutally assault people under the guise of conducting criminal investigations. What has failed in Sri Lanka, is the law enforcement within the democratic and rule of law framework. This failure cannot be cured by adding another paper law, even if one calls it a constitution. There has to be an intellectual attempt to grasp the violence that is perpetrated on the people through the very apparatus of the Government. Having understood the causes of such violence, it is up to the Constituent Assembly to debate the ways by which such violence could be brought to an end. The task of the Drafting Committee should be to help bring about such a debate, so that through a genuine discussion on actual problems, solutions can be found which could be incorporated into the new constitution. Obama Offers Definition of Anti-Americanism By Robert Barsocchini 12 January, 2016 Countercurrents.org Obama has for approximately seven years censored thousands of pictures documenting US torture of Iraqis committed during the illegal US invasion of their country. The censored photos are supposedly worse than those leaked from the US torture/snuff facility at Abu Ghraib. The stated reason for censoring the images is that they would inflame anti-American opinion. Thus, by the presidents definition, pro-Americans are people who support or are apathetic towards torture and, presumably, the many other forms of imperio-terrorism, including aggression, while anti-Americans are people opposed to torture and other forms of imperio-terrorism. This inadvertent admission on the part of the White House the most revealing kind accurately captures what US government studies find is a prevailing motivation behind resistance to US and Western brutality: the brutality itself. If the US had not committed this torture, Obama admits, there would be less reason for anti-torture/anti-American opinion and action to be expressed. But since the US is a state that tortures, and always has been, the only available option is to try to censor from the world the images and evidence of US torture, and thereby attempt to reduce expression of anti-torture/anti-American opinion and action. Also see: Obama Tortures, Too Robert Barsocchini focuses on force dynamics, national and global, and also writes professionally for the film industry. Updates on Twitter. Authors review of the historical background to the Black Lives Matter movement. Sorry, We Could Not Quite Find The Time For Sexual Revolution! By Deniz Bozkurt 12 January, 2015 Countercurrents.org Last week Germany was shaken with the news arriving from Cologne about a spree of sexual assaults against women perpetrated by about 1,000 Middle-Eastern and North-African-looking, drunk men gathered around the main train station and the cathedral of Cologne on New Years Eve. Reportedly, of the 379 reports filed by women in Cologne almost 40% were sexual crimes, including two accounts of rape.Among the 32 suspects of the attacks, which were followed by the suspension of the police chief of Cologne, are 22 asylum seekers. The incident itself is terrifying enough, however the keywords that made the incident even more debated have been Middle Easterner, North African, andasylum seeker. Germany has already been witnessing strong anti-immigrant sentiment ever since late-2014 when the numbers of asylum applications to Germany rose by 60% due to the ongoing wars in Syria and Libya. The anti-immigrant sentiment has represented itself with the weeklysometimes even more oftenmarches held by the xenophobic (quoting Merkel) group called Pegida (Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the West), which demanded more restrictive immigration laws. The demonstrations of the group have so far been concentrated mostly in East German cities like Dresden, Berlin and Leipzig. However, after the attacks in Cologne the group organized a march in the city which took place on January, 9. Of course, Pegida and anti-immigrant sentiment is only one side of the country. There are popular pro-immigration groups, which beside holding counter-demonstrations against Pegida each week, have created projects like refugees-welcome. The German government, until now, has been very welcoming, as well. Both sides of the coalitionMerkels Christian Democratic CDU/CSU and Social Democrat SPD, agreed upon receiving asylum-seekers to the country despite some disagreements about limits, quotas and conditions. With her strong stance on the immigration crisis, Angela Merkel did not mind receiving harsh criticism and even hostility from other member countries of the European Union, especially after the Paris attacks. Yet,even her strong stance seems to have diminished: On Saturday January, 9, her party CDU announced their support forthe idea of tightening the law on refuges committing serious crimes, in response to the public outrage following the Cologne attacks. German extreme-right and anti-immigrant groups seem to gloat over the attacks as a confirmation of their xenophobic ideas against asylum-seekers arriving from Muslim countries. Their blogs and online newspapers are filled with articles and comments that tie the attacks to the inherent and inexorable evil in every Muslim. Yet this connection is not only found in the writings by extremists, xenophobic, and Islamophobic.An editor of Deutsche Welle, the state-run broadcasting service of Germany, clearly writes that many young men arriving from Muslim countries would consider German women, who can go out at night, dance and drink to be whores, and their integration to German society would require more than translating the constitution into Arabic. Furthermore, the events in Cologne appear to reveal the unspoken hesitancies in the minds of pro-refugee individuals with regard to newly-arriving Muslims to the country. Being a Turkish citizen, I am often met with the politically-corrected and nicely-polished rhetoric of my European friends and acquaintances in topics regarding the Middle East and Islam. But ever since the Cologne attacks, some, relying on the mutual trust and understanding we have developed, have expressed their frustration and concerns regarding the issue, which derives from their daily experiences, as well as from what they have been reading in the media about Islamic countries. The behavior of young male refugees in daily life, the lustful look in their eyes, the lack of refugee women in social life are all matters of discussions that eventually lead to the idea that Islam is essentially evil and sexist. I have no intention, whatsoever, to defend Islam against all these accusations. Personally, I am strongly convinced that Islam is sexist, its teachings are an insult to any woman. Arriving at this conclusion did not really take me too long, having spent almost a quarter of a century in a country which has become more and more radically Islamized confirmed my belief on a daily basis. But, I have to add that my antipathy towards Islam is not less than my antipathy towards any other religion and dogma: the fatwa of the head of Religious Affairs Administrations of Turkey claiming that being sexually aroused by your biological daughter is not a sin sickens me no less than the scandal of Domspatzen. And I have no desire to defend the guilty. Anyone who threatens, let alone abuses, people sexually should be severely punished with no exception. My aim is to demonstrate that neither rape culture nor radical Islam would be the destiny of Middle-Eastern and North-African countries, without Western intervention and support. Let me begin with brief recent histories of the relationship between the US and the countries that are most strongly associated with radical Islam in Western minds. Saudi Arabia, for example, has been one of the firmest allies of the US in the region since mid-1940s, when Saudi Arabia found itself vulnerable to attacks by Axis powers. By then, the vastness of Saudi Arabian oil resources had already been discovered, which whetted the appetite of the US. Eventually, Washington decided that it was for its own interest to provide Saudi Arabia with military protection in exchange for free access to Saudi oil. This scenario would also prevent the spread Soviet influence in Saudi Arabia, which was for the benefit of both parties. Although the countries have recently experienced some controversy over Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iraq war and after 9/11, the two countries have remained strong allies until today. It was only a year ago that Obama praised the late Saudi king Saudwho had over 30 wivesas a candid leader. It sounds like a normal example of international relations, forming alliances over economics and military, as long as one disregards the accounts claiming Saudi Arabia has been supporting ISIS, just like it was argued that the country was behind 9/11. But lets for a minute forget about supporting ISIS or 9/11 and remember that the official Saudi religion is Wahhabism, a very strict branch of Sunni Islam that both ISIS and Saudi Arabia follow. The atrocity of Wahhabi practices is well summarized by Kamel Daoud: Black Daesh [ISIS], white Daesh [Saudi Arabia]. The former slits throats, kills, stones, cuts off hands, destroys humanitys common heritage and despises archaeology, women and non-Muslims. The latter is better dressed and neater but does the same things. Well, Saudi Arabia is not the only example, of course. Probably the most striking history of Western support for radical Islam at the expense of secularism comes from Afghanistan. One may agree or disagree with the Saur Revolution, and claim that Soviet presence in the country was imperialistic or its support for the PDPA was too dangerousa claim that I would by no means support. No matter what ones stance on the issue is it should be acknowledged that the Saur Revolution overthrew a monarch and established a republic, where secularism and women rights were major, if not main, concerns of the government. What is still being called the communist oppression in Afghanistan back then was mostly the repression of reactionary political Islamists. But neither secularism nor women rights could be established in the country, since a civil war broke out between the government forceslater to be supported by the Soviet troopsand the US-aided reactionaries, namely the mujahedeen. Mujahedeen won the war against the Soviets, yet their armies soon turned their US provided arms against the dear ally of the US, Saudi Arabia, and then, the US itself. Oh, have I forgotten to mention that the mujahedeen of Afghanistan, led by Osama bin Laden, were the predecessors of the Islamist fundamentalist groups like al-Qaeda and Taliban? My mistake. One might, as well, wonder what American support for radical Islam has to do with Germany or any other European countryvery legitimate question, indeed. Though I believe that only pointing at their firm alliance with the US both during and after Cold War would be sufficient to create a link between them and the support for radical Islam simply by neglecting it; January, 15th, 1980 would demonstrate something greater than negligence, a real contribution to the US support to mujahedeen by England, France and West Germany. Many other instances, instances from current events, from the ongoing war in Syria to rapid Islamisation of Turkey may be explained in relation to Western support or negligence. It is not my intention to discuss each and every example, and come to a simple conclusion that says Western governments are to blame. The picture is a lot more complex than this. Yes, Islam is a religion that oppresses women, and Quran explicitly says that women are inferior to men. But so does the Bible. However, while traditionally Christian countries have found the democratic and peaceful environments to revision themselves in accordance with the novelties of modernity and achieve more or less a secular understanding, they have supported the crudest practitioners of Islam in other geographies to maintain their economic and political interests, which eventually prevented the emergence of secular understandings or continuity of the existing ones in those regions. Hence it came to a point where the prophecy of the colonizer fulfills itself: Neither Middle Easterners nor North Africans are essentially sexual oppressors, harassers or rapists. The dogmatic world view and the cruelty towards women are not the inevitable fate of these geographies. They are simply the results of a colonial history followed by the promotion of radical Islam against anything that goes against western interests. So is the refugee crisis we are facing now. Even though the attacks in Cologne and other cities are abysmal, they are the effect of a history which did not constitute a safe background and time for sexual revolution. Deniz Bozkurt is currently a student of the Masters program in American Studies at the University of Leipzig, Germany. Her previous publications include articles and translations from dissident voices for the Turkish newspaper Birgun. The Palestinians MUST Put Their Political Act Together If Their Cause Is To Be Kept Alive By Alan Hart 12 January, 2016 Alanhart.net For several years I have been wondering, sometimes on public platforms and in writing, if Palestine is a lost cause. I have now come to the conclusion that as things are it is and will remain so unless the Palestinians, the occupied and oppressed and the diaspora, put their political act together in order to give their cause new life with some real hope of justice eventually. In my view the most telling indicator of the political bankruptcy and irrelevance of the leadership provided by the Palestinian Authority (PA) was the recent statement by its president, Mahmoud Abbas, that its up to international community to bring about a peaceful resolution of the conflict. The reality Abbas chooses to ignore is that as things are there is absolutely no reason to believe that the American-led Western powers (or any others) will ever use the leverage they have to try to cause Israel to end its defiance of international law and denial of justice for the Palestinians. Western (and other) governments and their diplomats continue to pay lip-service to the two-state solution but they know its dead, killed by Israels on-going colonization of the occupied West Bank which, as I have previously noted, is a process best described as ethnic cleansing slowly and by stealth. (They also know that implementing a two-state solution would provoke a Jewish civil war and as Shimon Peres said to me in 1980 no Israeli leadership is ever going to do that). There is also no reason to believe that the regimes of a deeply divided, corrupt, authoritarian and repressive Arab Order will ever use the leverage they have to press the U.S and other Western powers to do whatever is necessary to oblige Israel to be serious about peace on terms the Palestinians could accept. (A truth of history is that when Israel closed the Palestine file with its victory on the battlefield in 1948, the Arab regimes, behind closed doors, shared the same unspeakable hope as Zionism and all the major powers that the file would remain closed. In other words, the Arab regimes hoped the Palestinians would accept their lot as the sacrificial lamb on the altar of political expediency. If there had been no Yasser Arafat to oversee the relighting of the fire of Palestinian resistance to Zionisms fait accompli, the file might well have remained closed for ever). In my analysis the realities summarised above invite only one conclusion. It is only the Palestinians who can change the dynamics of the conflict in a way that could generate real pressure for action by the governments of the international community. What action? Putting on Israel on notice that if it doesnt end its defiance of international law and denial of justice for the Palestinians, it will be isolated and sanctioned. (Yes, I know that governments wont go down this road unless they are pushed by public opinion, but changing the dynamics of the conflict could provide the understanding necessary to motivate more and more citizens to do the pushing). Changing the dynamics requires for starters the dissolution of the PA and handing back to Israel complete responsibility and full accountability for occupation. This would impose significant security, financial and other burdens on Israel. Its response would undoubtedly bemore and more brutal repression of all kinds, but this could (I think would) benefit the Palestinians because the true face of Zionism would be exposed, fully naked, like never before for all the world to see. And that in turn could lead to mounting public pressure on the American-led Western powers, perhaps at some point enough pressure to cause them to say to Israel, Enough is enough and put it on notice that it will be isolated and sanctioned if it does not end its defiance of international law and denial of justice for the Palestinians. The dissolution of the PA would open the door to rebuilding the institutions of the Palestinian national movement on the basis of unity which by definition would mean an end to factionalism and political tribalism. At top level, and to enable the Palestinians to determine policy and speak to power with one credible voice, this in my view would require bringing the Palestine National Council (PNC) back to life refreshed and reinvigorated by elections to it in every country where Palestinians live. Even if there are enough Palestinians in the diaspora who would be prepared to become engaged to make it happen, elections to refresh and re-invigorate the PNC would take time. So after the dissolution of the PA and handing back to Israel complete responsibility and full accountability for occupation, what would be the most effective resistance strategy for the occupied and oppressed Palestinians to adopt? Their incredible almost superhuman steadfastness in staying put is proof that Zionisms policy of making life hell for them in the hope that they will leave to make new lives elsewhere has failed to date and is unlikely ever to succeed. But thats not enough. The steadfastness of the occupied and oppressed Palestinians needs to be reinforced by peaceful, absolutely non-violent, demonstrations, preferably on a daily basis, across the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip, calling for peace with security and equal political, civil and human rights of every kind for all. This would be in effect a campaign for one state for all. Demonstrations of resistance would have to be peaceful, absolutely non-violent, because escalating Palestinian violence would play into the hands of those Israeli Jews, leaders and others, who would welcome a pretext for a final round of ethnic cleansing. In theory equal political, civil and human rights for all in one state would lead in time to the de-Zionization of Palestine; and its not unreasonable to assume that Israels leaders will never allow that to happen, In that light, and despite what I have written above, the question that has to be asked is this. Even if the Palestinians do put their political act together in the way I have suggested, is there any reason to entertain real hope that there can be in future in which they enjoy an acceptable amount of justice? In my view thats a question only the Jews of Israel can answer. If the Palestinians remain steadfast and do put their political act together to keep their cause alive, they will bring about the day when the Jews of Israel will have to address the question of what kind of future they want. Do they want to live in an obnoxious, apartheid state which has to resort to ever more brutal measures to maintain its domination of the Palestinians, with the very real danger that the ever more brutal measures will transform the rising global tide of Israelism into anti-Semitism, setting the stage at some point for Holocaust II (my shorthand for another great turning against Jews everywhere); or, do they want peace and security in one state with equal political, civil and human rights for all even though that that would mean the end of Zionisms colonial-like enterprise? If by putting their political act together in the way I have suggested the Palestinians can cause the Jews of Israel to make that choice, there will be some hope (perhaps not a lot but some) for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. I once said, and I think it bears repeating, that there is not and never has been a Palestine problem. There is only a Jewish problem. And only the Jews can solve it. Or not. Alan Hart is a former ITN and BBC Panorama foreign correspondent. He is author of Zionism: The Real Enemy of the Jews. He blogs at http://www.alanhart.net and tweets via http://twitter.com/alanauthor How European Are European Values? By Nagothu Naresh Kumar 12 January, 2016 Countercurrents.org As the refugee crisis simmers in Europe, politicians of all hues and media outlets of various persuasions debate on what comprises European values. In this discourse, the forms these values take might be hostage to debate and intense hand-wringing but not their source. There is a tacit understanding permeating all the camps involved that the values espoused/defended are decidedly Western in origin. This familiar trope of European values has had a life of its own that has gradually matured to gain unquestionable authority. In the prevailing discourse, the centrality of encounters and cross-fertilization of ideas in the very constitution of European/Western values and identities is given short shrift. This discourse is a serious blight to how coffee and tea got to be the native drinks of England and how more importantly at the ideational level notions of toleration and secularism were products of exchanges rather than emanating out of a particular geographical entity. Material Culture and the Making of Native Drinks Long before the West undertook the project of discovering new lands and treading uncharted territory through courage and risk-taking enterprises, traders traversed the Indian as well as Mediterranean seascapes establishing commercial as well as fiduciary networks complemented by a bevy of financial institutions and instruments that continue to be in use even today. These pre-established routes and mediums of exchange would prove to be the crucial blueprint for European traders to fan out across the globe from the 16th century onwards. The maritime routes that were purportedly discovered by the trading class from Britain were tread upon by Arab, Indian and Armenian merchants for centuries. In this new vortex of networks, Britain, and its merchants were neophytes. The reign of Elizabeth I saw an increase in the probability of an average English person meeting and conversing with a Muslim. It was also her reign that saw the establishment of a spirited relationship with the Islamic World on many fronts. The interdependencies these encounters choreographed led to Muslims petitioning the Queen seeking to fight on her behalf against the Spaniards. The material culture also saw remarkable changes, appropriations, and substitutions. Commodities that were imported from the Islamic lands such as tea, coffee and chocolate began to populate the houses and taverns of England gradually graduating to the status of native drinks. The equestrian culture of this period as well saw conspicuous changes. As hot-blooded horses from various parts were imported, it gradually signaled the emergence and evolution of equestrian culture that saw the rise of thoroughbreds leading to the forging of a national sport. The need for Indian textiles, which was fueled by better quality and inexpensive tags changed and influenced the English way of life. The centrality of textiles in quotidian life is evident from the debates around calico that animated many a decades from late 17th century to 18th. The belief in high profit and the manifest lucrativeness of this trade saw a quantum jump in the making of textile industries which eventually heralded the industrial revolution. The social and cultural lives of Europeans, as well as others, thus underwent significant changes due to these interactions. Asia thus came to be a lynchpin in the making of Europe and its myriad identities. More importantly, these influences and interactions were not confined to material aspects but evident at the ideational level too which would gradually come to define and constitute European values. The Forging of European Values.' For many Britons, Muslim lands were preferable to a Catholic Britain for they were tolerant. For writers of this period, Islam, and the lands it flourished in represented a vast canvas upon which the contingencies of time played out. For many, this represented an opportunity to pick and choose and write about the events in England. Many found similarities between the events that transpired in England in the 17th century and the Ottoman Empire. Thus, Henry Stubbes book written in 1671 makes favorable references to Islam through the lens of tolerance. Mary Montagus writings in the epistolary genre, Paul Rykauts take on Ottoman Empire present tolerance as the important panacea for an intolerant Catholic England. The bane of intolerance haunting England, they wrote, can be remedied by notions of tolerance taken from Islam in toto. This Islamic metaphor was widely deployed by writers, pamphleteers, and dramatists of various persuasion. George sale opined that the Prophet Mohammed had initiated reformation nine centuries before the advent of the same in Europe in trying to argue persuasively for the successful dissemination of Islam. By the end of the 17th century with England wracked by internecine conflict especially along religious lines, John Locke came up with his essay on toleration. Having studied Arabic at Oxford under Edward Pococke, Locke opined that Protestant Britain and Europe too should develop a tolerant attitude toward people of different faiths, mutatis mutandis, as Islam as done so in the case of non-Muslims. The emergence of this Islamic metaphor was instrumental in the development of the British national and Protestant identity, a narrative that gets blotted from conventional histories, textbooks, and popular discourse. The Canadian philosopher Charles Taylors magisterial work A Secular Age published in 2007 among other things looked at the trajectory of western secularism over the centuries. Taylor, however, does not take into account the notion that western secularisms development was deeply contingent on its colonies across the Middle East and other regions. It was in the management and control of colonies that the West came into contact with diverse belief systems. These interactions, in turn, helped forge western secularism. Politics of Cultural Authenticity The 19th century heralded an age of nationalism that was well supplemented by an irresistible urge to search and cement peoples origins and distinctiveness. The masking of the viscosity of past interactions stems from a desire to project identities and values as indigenously formed and untainted by any outside contact providing fodder for cultural authenticity that in turn acts as the axle in the wheel of nationalism. The pitfalls of exercises in cultural authenticity thus make it necessary to note that European values such as secularism, liberty, equality, etc. are forged out of interactions and encounters. In the European context, an appreciation of European values as products of a remarkable dialectic of ideas and material exchanges rather than singular social achievements means puncturing any essentialist conceptions about regions and embracing a topography of shared histories and future that can go a long way in tempering attitudes towards refugees in contemporary Europe. An understanding that follows from such a viewpoint does not search for or brag about stable, well-polished identities or ideas but appreciates fuzziness and fluidity of identities, as well as the forgotten amalgam of boundary-defying encounters that led to the constitution of European values. Nagothu Naresh Kumar is a Graduate Student at Central European University, Budapest.He holds an MPhil in West Asian Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and a Bachelors in English Literature from Loyola College, Chennai. Email- nagothunaresh@gmail.com The Refugee Tragedy And The European Union: The Balance Sheet For 2015 By Martin Kreickenbaum 12 January, 2016 WSWS.org The barbaric treatment meted out to refugees fleeing to Europe has revealed before the whole world the inhumane and barbaric nature of the European Union. The EU responded to the hundreds of thousands of desperate people trying to escape the war-ravaged regions of the Middle East and North Africa or the social misery of the Balkans by sealing off the EU's external borders, erecting barbed wire fences, locking up refugees in detention centres and carrying out mass deportations. The mistreatment of refugees has assumed proportions that would have been unthinkable for many people twelve months ago. In broad sections of the population, indignation and sympathy were aroused by the images of the bodies washed ashore after drowning in the Mediterranean; refugees living in inhuman hygienic conditions in makeshift tent camps; border guards and soldiers forcing refugees back with batons, rubber bullets and tear gas; refugees, like the prisoners of Nazi concentration camps, with numbers written on their forearms; and families who have had to travel hundreds of kilometres on foot with small children. In contrast to the humane sentiments of Europes workers and young people, the governments of European countries have engaged in a sordid competition to see who could most effectively deter refugees or push them into neighbouring countries as soon as possible. In the Schengen area, national barriers were re-imposed and border controls introduced to drive refugees away. The surge of nationalism and the debate about refugee quotas have brought the sharp conflicts of interest within the European Union to the fore and threaten to blow it apart. The utter hypocrisy of the European Union in dealing with refugees was put on display in October 2013, when a refugee boat capsized off the Italian island of Lampedusa and 366 people were sent to their deaths. The leaders of the European Union gathered by their coffins and the EU Commission President declared, We do not accept that thousands die at Europes borders. In the 27 months since then, according to official figures, more than 7,000 refugees have lost their lives at the gates of Europe. According to estimates by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 3,771 refugees drowned in the Mediterranean last year, up from 3,279 in 2014. Now, the Aegean has increasingly become a death trap for migrants. In 2014, only four drowned refugees were registered there, in 2015 it was 805. The Mediterranean was again the deadliest region in the world for refugees last year. Of 5,350 migrant deaths worldwide, 70 percent were in the Mediterranean. In addition, there were at least 138 deaths within the EU, refugees struck down by trains in Macedonia, asphyxiated in lorries on the transit route from the Balkans to Central Europe or killed in the Euro Tunnel between France and Britain. In total, the IOM counted 1,004,356 refugees who arrived in Europe by sea, almost five times as many as the 219,000 who arrived in 2014. While the 153,052 refugees who arrived via the central Mediterranean route from Libya to Italy was nearly the same as the previous year, the number of refugees arriving in Greece from Turkey via the Aegean rose tenfold to 847,084. But this was still only a fraction of the estimated 60 million people worldwide who were forced to flee from wars, persecution and hunger. Despite the fact that the one million refugees who arrived in 2015 constitute only 0.2 percent of the total population of the European Union, the European governments have steadily intensified the repression against refugees in the course of the year. Refugee deterrence The German government was the first to start, unceremoniously declaring the Balkans to be safe countries of origin, in the face of rising numbers of refugees from those countries. Initially in Bavaria and later throughout the country, special detention centres were set up in which refugees from the Balkans are detained. Their asylum applications are rejected in fast-track procedures. The perfidious idea of safe countries of origin, which makes an individual right to asylum an absurdity, is now aggressively promoted and applied throughout the European Union. In April last year, when within a few days more than 1,200 refugees drowned off the Italian islands of Lampedusa and Sicily, the EU did not step up rescue operations but instead established the EUNAVFOR Med military operation and sent a dozen warships into the Mediterranean. The aim of EUNAVFOR Med is to find refugee boats and sink them. In addition, EU soldiers are to march into Libyan coastal towns to take military action against suspected refugee smugglers there and destroy boats lying on the beach. In the second half of the year, the focus of refugee deterrence shifted increasingly to the so-called Balkan route. Refugees from Syria, who were starving in the camps in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan because neither the European Union nor the United States wanted to provide sufficient funds for basic services, and who were not allowed to work and whose children could not attend school, set out in desperation for Europe. They experienced a weeks-long ordeal on the miserable trek through the Greek islands, Macedonia, Serbia and Hungary towards central Europe. Along the entire route they were continuously rounded up and regularly abused by police officers. To date, there are neither fixed humanitarian camps nor an adequate supply of food, water or adequate sanitation on the Balkan route. European governments responded to the wave of the poor and starving as if it were a hostile invasion force. This was expressed most clearly by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. If we give them [the refugees] the impression that they are welcome, that would be a moral defeat. We must make it clear to them: Do not come, he said in Brussels in September. When thousands of refugees were stranded at Budapest train station and could not move backward or forward, German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed with her counterparts in Austria and Hungary, Werner Faymann and Viktor Orban, to allow them to continue in order to avert a complete destabilization of the Balkans and sharp tensions within the EU. But that did not change the fact that the refugees lives were made a living hell. Hungary erected a 3.5-metre-high barbed wire fence and declared illegal border crossings to be a criminal offence carrying one years imprisonment. Refugees were bombarded with tear gas grenades and beaten with batons. Since then, Germany and Austria, countries of destination for most of the refugees, have sought to deter them through unbearable conditions in the reception centres and accelerated deportation procedures, and by reducing benefits. In recent months other states have followed Hungarys example, erecting border fences and making illegal entry a criminal offence. Under pressure from the German and Austrian governments, the Balkans finally closed their borders for refugees who did not come from Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan. In addition, the European Union has put massive pressure on the Greek government to better secure the external borders and set up registration centres. These so-called hot spots are nothing more than concentration camps where refugees are detained and have their fingerprints taken like criminals, and are deported in summary asylum proceedings as soon as possible. The European border protection agency Frontex was tasked with carrying out mass deportations, and had its mandate especially extended to this end. In the future, Frontex is to be used to deter refugees, even against the will of an EU member state. States such as Greece, Italy or Bulgaria would thus become quasi-protectorates of the EU. In the last weeks of the year, the EU also pushed through the externalization of refugee deterrence, negotiating dirty deals with African dictatorships and the authoritarian regime in Turkey. While the government in Ankara has been offered three billion euros to keep refugees from entering Europe, the countries of Africa have been told that development aid will only be paid in return for cooperation in the deterrence of refugees. The EU also does not flinch from involving the dictatorship in Eritrea, which shoots down refugees, or in Sudan, against whose President Omar al-Bashir the International Criminal Court has an outstanding arrest warrant for genocide and war crimes. By contrast, the EU plan to redistribute 160,000 refugees from Greece and Italy, announced with enormous fanfare, has failed utterly. To date, there has been agreement to take just 4,027 refugees, with only 272 from Eritrea and Syria actually being accepted. Particularly in the Eastern European countries, there is fierce resistance to a redistribution quota of refugees. Like the Hungarian prime minister, the new Polish government has also categorically rejected any further intake of refugees. New repression The first week of the new year shows that the EU intends to intensify the repression against refugees. Since the icy temperatures have halted crossings over the Aegean, and some 2,000 refugees continue to reach the Greek islands every day, the Greek coast guard is deliberately pushing back refugee boats into Turkish waters, as the Suddeutsche Zeitung reported. When this resulted in a boat capsizing, 34 refugees drowned in the icy waters, their bodies washing up on the Turkish coast. In Germany, demands in the political establishment and media are growing louder for increased deportations, the closure of the border with Austria and a ceiling on the number of refugees admitted. At the same time, together with the United States and other European powers, Britain and France are also aggressively seeking the intensification of the bombing of Syria. Plans for a ground invasion are in preparation, which would enormously increase the number of refugees fleeing to Europe. In addition, according to a report by Tunisie Numerique, the US, along with Italy, France and Britain, wants to bomb positions of the Islamic State in western Libya, which would result in another massive wave of refugees. The NATO countries are planning to counter the disastrous consequences of their military action by preventing anyone fleeing from finding safety. The situation in Europe increasingly resembles the first half of the 20th century. In 1940, the Fourth International wrote in its manifesto against imperialist war: The world of decaying capitalism is overcrowded. The question of admitting a hundred extra refugees becomes a major problem for such a world power as the United States. The decaying capitalist society is striving to squeeze the Jewish people from all its pores, the manifesto continues, seventeen million individuals out of the two billion populating the globe, that is, less than 1 percent, can no longer find a place on our planet! Amid the vast expanses of land and the marvels of technology, which has also conquered the skies for man as well as the earth, the bourgeoisie has managed to convert our planet into a foul prison. The barbarous ill-treatment of refugees in democratic countries reveals the true face of capitalism. A society that spends hundreds of billions of euros overnight to rescue ailing banks, and in which the number of billionaires is constantly growing, is supposedly unable to take in refugees and provide them with decent conditions. The brutal treatment of refugees is an expression of the hostility of the ruling elite towards the working class and youth throughout Europe. Their barbaric attitude towards people who are fleeing war, poverty and oppression also finds expression in the austerity measures imposed on workers and young people in Greece and other EU states. The national and social tensions in Europe reached levels last year that can only be suppressed by authoritarian measures. The immediate targets of the border closures are refugees, but in the longer term, they are a declaration of war against the entire European working class. How Relevant Are Madrasas (Islamic Schools) In The Modern Age? By Moin Qazi 12 January, 2016 Countercurrents.org The recent decision of some of the provincial governments in India to derecognize madrasas (Islamic schools) for refusing to undergo reforms on the pattern mandated by the government has reignited the debate on their relevance. The debate has morphed into a full scale media and commentator war that endangers their very survival. The implacable media has continually targeted them with an avalanche of searing and strident critiques. The State has not only castigated them, but has attempted to wrest exclusive control ever them. While it is true that madrasas have in many cases outlived their role, they need not be decimated. What they need is essentially a makeover in a way that respects traditional sensibilities and attempts to synergize classical and modern learning so that they are viable educational institutions for modern society. There is certainly a need for a shift in paradigm. This has to be done in a gradual manner. As we have seen, huge changes can be brought about by surprisingly small steps. This has also been the stance of the Muslim religiopolitical elite. Any attempt at modernizing madrasas should ensure that their traditional cultural moorings are not uprooted. Harbingers of knowledge Madrasas serve parts of developing countries that governments never reach. Turn off any main highway in Pakistan, Bangladesh, or northern India, drive 15 miles down a poor-quality road, and more often than not you will find a small madrasa, funded by donations and occasionally fees, in the nearest village. Even in the cities, where there are many more government and other private schools, madrasas survive as providers of social services for Muslim orphans (many of whom are taken in and brought up there for free). Meanwhile, many Muslim parents choose to send their sons (it is usually sons) to madrasas because they consider the education they get there to be a respectable one. Madrasas offer a free education, room, and board to their students, and thus they appeal to impoverished families and individuals. On the whole, these religious schools are supported by private donations from Muslim believers through a process of alms-giving known in Arabic as zakat (obligatory social tax). The practice of zakat one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith prescribes that a fixed proportion of ones income be given to specified charitable causes, and traditionally a portion of zakat has endowed religious education. Almost all madrasas are intended for educating boys, although there are a small number of madrasas for girls. A nursery for education Madrasas, in most Muslim countries today, exist as part of a broader educational infrastructure. The private educational sector provides what is considered to be a quality western-style education for those students who can afford high tuition costs. Because of their relatively lower costs, many people turn to state schools, where they exist. However, in recent years and in more impoverished nations, the rising costs and shortages of public educational institutions have encouraged parents to send their children to madrasas. Supporters of a state educational system have argued that the improvement of existing schools or the building of new ones could offer a viable alternative to religious-based madrasas. Others maintain that reforms should be institutionalized primarily within Islamic madrasas in order to ensure a well-rounded curriculum at these popular institutions. . Madrasas cannot be substitutes for modern schools, but for those who cant afford to send their children to these schools, madrasas are the only option. In the absence of madrasas the threat of illiteracy looms large for this section of population. The parents on their part must realize that if they cant afford the financial means to nurture these children they must properly plan their families. Madrasas should not be seen as orphan homes or creches for children who are financially orphaned. The need for makeover Madrasas are far from being completely immune to change and reform. Likewise, few ulama could claim to be completely satisfied with the madrasas as they exist today. Indeed, leading ulama are themselves conscious of the need for change in the madrasa system. As their graduates go out and take up a range of new careers, in India and abroad, and as pressures from within the community as well as from the state and the media for reform grow, madrasas, too, are changing. Change is, however, gradual, emerging out of sharply contested notions of appropriate Islamic education. The traditionalists believe that the aim of the madrasa is different from that of a modern school. The only way to pass judgment on the madrasas is to see how far they have been able to achieve their own aims, such as inculcating piety, promoting religious knowledge, control over the base self (tahzib-i nafs) and service of others. Therefore, no suggestion for reform of the syllabus which goes against these aims is acceptable. Reformists argue that since Islam is all-embracing in its scope, providing guidance not only for worship and devotion but also rules for collective existence, ranging from personal affairs to matters of the state, Muslims must acquire knowledge of all aspects of the dunya [this world], in addition to that of the sharia. Since Muslims believe that Islam is valid for all times, the ulama must remain abreast with changing developments in the world to be able to express Islam anew in response to changing conditions. Besides reforms in the curriculum of the madrasas, reformists also argue for suitable changes in the methods of teaching. Many writers are critical of the current stress on parroting entire sections of books without exercising reason or critical thought, as a result of which few students are said to actually properly comprehend what they are taught. The students are mere autodidacts in religious matters. Education is extremely important for human welfare, progress and cultural accomplishments. Education becomes easily accessible when it is free, and free education in the present day context of Muslims in India is given only through madrasas. Governmental schemes have remained unsuccessful in bringing education to all, particularly to the poor and marginalized communities. But religious madrasas have made education a reality for all sections of Muslims in villages as well as towns. In this context, it is also necessary that the management of madrasas and reformist scholars come together to identify how much modern education can be made part of the madrasa system. It also needs to be discussed whether modern formal education should be introduced in conjunction with existing religious education in madrasas or should religious education itself be strengthened by modernizing it? .One truism which Muslims must accept is that the inclusion of English, mathematics and science in the curriculum of madrasas would enable students to better deal with the contemporary world and help them develop a proper mindset. Mere access to technology cannot help a person develop a progressive and liberal attitude. These subjects are only tools. It is the mindset that determines to what use these tools will be put to. In the absence of a catholic mindset and a spirit of cosmopolitanism these modern tools usually end up promoting a medieval agenda of hate and bigotry. When we live in a pluralist society it is equally important that we have a basic understanding of other faiths. Thus, apart from equipping madrasas with tools of modern education, we have to orient their mindset to attune it to social realities and sensitize madrasa students to the emerging socio-cultural paradigms. This must be the fundamental objective of the modernization process if we want madrasas to be relevant to our times. Madrasas need to keep pace with the imperatives of changing times. They should enlarge their worldview and should have enough resilience and malleability to respond to the fluid and changing world. We must remember that cultural isolation would only lead to stagnation. Let the students of these madrasas acquire a better perspective and a larger worldview and let their knowledge be tempered with liberal thought. We should build a culture which allows the two streams of learning to replenish each other in enabling Muslims to lead lives that are as true to their faith as they are attuned to modem need. Moin Qazi is a well known banker, author and Islamic researcher .He holds doctorates in Economics and English. He was Visiting Fellow at the University of Manchester. He has authored several books on religion, rural finance, culture and handicrafts. He is author of the bestselling book Village Diary of a Development Banker. He is also a recipient of UNESCO World Politics Essay Gold Medal and Rotary Internationals Vocational Excellence Award. He is based in Nagpur and can be reached at moinqazi123@gmail.com Mufti, The Schematic Collaborator By Abdul Majid Zargar 12 January, 2016 Countercurrents.org Mufti Mohammad Syed is no more. He is the 6th head of State & 3rd one to die in office. His daughter is likely to succeed him as the first woman chief Minster of State. Many articles & write-ups lavishing praise & encomium on him have appeared in press & news portals since his death. While it is an unwritten rule of our rich cultural ethos not to speak bad of deceased persons but a culturally required sweet tongue shouldnt be used as a brush to distort facts & obfuscate truth. Inspite of many who find fault with the role of Sheikh Abdullah in supporting accession of Kashmir to Indian domain in 1947,there can be no denying the fact that he conceptualized and eked out a semi sovereign status for J&K State. It were only his colleagues & successors- in-office who surrendered that status to their personal ambitions & lust for power. The hard earned autonomous status of the state was squandered by one & all but the person whose name appears on top of the list of abnegators ,undisputedly is late Gulam Mohd. Sadiq. As his deputy Minster & close aide , Mufti was privy & party to all his nefarious decisions & designs. Mufti in his early ambitious political career became eyes & ears of New-Delhi in Srinagar & he was soon assigned the task of establishing Congress party, hitherto looked down upon as a gang of few fifth columnists, as a credible party in Kashmir which he dutifully did. Muftis life long aspiration was to ascend to the highest chair in state and to achieve this he used every trick in the book. In 1977 ,following electoral debacle of Congress at national level, Mufti was instrumental in pulling down Govt. led by Sheikh Mohd. Abdullah who had ascended to throne barely two years earlier with congresss support. His plan was to seize power but fate had destined something else for him. Governor L.K.Jha accepted the advice of Sheikh Mohd. Abdullah to go for fresh elections in which Mufti had to eat a humble pie. Again In 1984 Mufti was pivotal in engineering a defection in National conference to bring down a duly elected Government led by Farooq Abdullah & his bring bete-noire brother-in-law G.M.Shah to power. This wicked move of Mufti inflicted a permanent scar on the body politic of Kashmir. Farooq Abdullah , weakened socially & politically, thereafter started believing that it was New-Delhi alone and not the people of Kashmir who mattered everything in Kashmir. It led him to mend ways with Rajiv Gandhi & go for power sharing arrangement with Congress. Mufti didnt like the new found equation of the duo & engineered communal riots in Anantnag to frustrate the move & dislodge G.M.Shah to seize power before Farooq would do it. An internal inquiry by Congress held Mufti solely responsible for riots following which he was moved to New-Delhi & made a Union Minster. In Kashmir, Rajiv-Farooq accord was considered yet another surrender by Abdullahs, the earlier one being senior Abdullahs accord with Indira in 1975. His political stock took a beating with the result he had to indulge in massive rigging in 1987 elections to remain in power. It was the beginning of the end of Farooq Abdullah. The rigging fully erased the remains of sheen around electoral politics in Kashmir. Having lost faith in Vote, the youth started an armed struggle with attendant blood bath & mayhem . Miffed at his sidelining from State Scene, Mufti soon deserted congress to Join VP Singhs Jan Morcha which came to power at New-Delhi following drubbing of congress at hustings & Mufti made the Union Home Minster . His first major decision was to send communal & allergic-to-Abdullahs, Jagmohan to Srinagar as Governor to dislodge Farooq . Under Jagmohans direct rule, supervision & direction many massacres were committed in Kashmir while the Union Home Minstry Under Mufti watched with a sadistic pleasure. In 1996 an idea was conceived by Indias Strategic thinkers & spin doctors to create a party in Srinagar with a two fold purpose of dividing the political strength of Kashmiri Muslims as also to beat the hard separatists with soft separatism. Peoples democratic party (PDP) took birth out of this conception and results are for all of us to see. Kashmiris today stand disempowered on all fronts. During his two tenures as Chief Minster of State, there have been grave violations of human rights. Details are available at www.jkccs.net under the caption Let truth prevail. Every well wishing politician of State knows the dangerous ramifications of Governors rule in State because of Governor assuming both legislative & executive powers during this period. J&K has been brought six times under Governors rule. It is ironic but true that Mufti had a hand or role in application of all these phases of Governors rule to state. Let us have a look. Governors rule was applied for the first time in 1975 due to Mufti withdrawing support to Sheikh Abdullah led Govt necessitating fresh elections & Governors rule during interregnum. It was applied second time in March 1986 when Congress headed by Mufti withdrew support to Govt. led by Ghulam Mohd. Shah. He was earlier put on throne courtesy a defection in NC planned & engineered by Mufti. It was during this phase that Article 249 of Indian Constitution was applied to State by Jagmohan manipulating the whole process of concurrence in a single day against the advice of then Law Secretary. In Jannuary 1990, Governors rule was again imposed when Mufti as Union Home Minster appointed Jagmohan as Governor of State despite Chief Minster Farooq Abdullahs known opposition to his appointment. Farooq resigned in protest leading to prolonged spell of Governors rule which eventually ended in 1996.Governor's rule was again imposed in the state for the fourth time in October 2002 when Mufti & Congress were in the process of stitching up a coalition. It was imposed in the state for the fifth time when PDP led by Mufti withdrew support to its coalition partner congress despite earlier having vowed to swim together for full six years. And finally Governor's rule was imposed again in the state for the sixth time when PDP led by Mufti took an extraordinary long time to cobble a coalition with BJP. It may sound more ironic if we consider that even his death has brought state under Governors rule . If Muftis schematic political career started with bringing Congress to State it ended with facilitating entry of RSS to Kashmir. It remains to be seen whether his daughter & likely successor does anything to reverse the process to bring a qualitative change & restore the constitutional sanctity of the State. Incidentally she has given a poor initial signal by giving preference to mourning over the more sacred duty of holding a public office. (The author is a practicing Chartered accountant.Email:abdulmajidzargar@gmail.com) How Corrupt The U.S. Is: An Extraordinary Example By Eric Zuesse 12 January, 2016 Strategic-culture.org Even if it might be the case that incarceration rates don't necessarily correlate with corruption, they do necessarily reflect the extent to which a given nation's government is (by means of its laws and its enforcement of those laws) at war against its own population; and, so, technically speaking, incarceration rates (the percentage of the population who are in prison) are supposed to reflect the prevalence of law-breaking within a given nation. After all: by definition, people are presumed to be in prison for law-breaking, irrespective of whether the given nation's laws are just and, if they're not just, then this fact reflects even more strongly that the nation itself is corrupt. So: a high incarceration-rate does strongly tend to go along with a nation's being highly corrupt, in more than merely a technical sense it's almost more like being the definitive measure of corruption. So, the correlation between incarceration rates and corruption must be assumed to be high, and any measure of corruption which fails to at least include countries' incarceration rates should be rejected. Thus, for imprisonments, the U.S. really does have no close second: it's the unquestionable global market-leader, for prisons and prisoners. And this brings us to the market-leader for prisons within America itself, and to the stunning corruption that stands behind it. So, here's that extraordinary example, and the story behind its corruption, which will provide a close-up view of America's general corruption, from the top (including the government itself) on down: It turns out that U.S. federal laws, passed mainly by the Republicans, but also with votes from corrupt Democrats, require (in H.R.3547 ) the U.S. government to pay for a level of not less than 34,000 detention beds for illegal immigrants.' (You can see that requirement being cited by the Republican interrogator of an Obama Administration official, Department of Homeland Security, at 1:03:00- in this video , where the Obama official is being criticized for not locking up enough people to meet the law's requirements.) (Republicans and other conservatives love to punish people, irrespective of justice; so, they want at least those 34,000 prisoners. To be concerned about justice, as the CCR is, is to be soft on crime,' as Republicans view it. Instead of justice, Republicans seek revenge; thus, for example, Republicans overwhelmingly support torture against terrorist' suspects; Democrats overwhelmingly oppose it . Torture greatly reduces the trustworthiness of a suspect's statements, but it always serves as a vent for revenge, even when the suspect actually had nothing to do with terrorism; so, Republicans strongly approve of torture. Similarly, the most-conservative Muslims approve of beheading infidels.' Conservatives everywhere, and in every faith, support harsh punishments; and the U.S. is a conservative country; so, sentences are long, and the conditions are harsh.) However, the Obama Administration itself, even as it locks up, on some days, just shy of the legally mandated minimum of 34,000 accused illegal immigrants' (which shortfall is here drawing the ire of that congressional Republican in the video), is also actively blocking CCR from access to the information about how the government and private corporations set rates for immigration detention beds and facilities. CCR argues that private profits are being given higher priority by the Administration than is the welfare of the public; and, thus, that the General Welfare Clause of the U.S. Constitution is being violated here. The Obama Administration says that it won't release the information, because to do so would harm corporations competitively. CCR claims , and the Obama Administration is opposing their claim, that "there is essentially no competitive market in government contracts that could be harmed by the release of information, that there should be nothing proprietary about the terms of a government contract, and that the public has a right to understand how Congress funds immigration detention and how that funding is influenced. However, CCR is concerned specifically about that profit-motive here that the revolving door between government service and the private sector might itself be a key part of the explanation for the government's requiring that at least 34,000 people will be in prison for, or awaiting trial on charges of, illegal immigration.' CCR contends that the only reason why people should be imprisoned in America is that they've actually broken laws for which the correct punishment is a prison term. But the position of the U.S. government is contrary: if the beneficiary of someone's imprisonment is a private corporation, the public shouldn't necessarily be allowed to know what's going on, nor why. And, so, that's the issue here. Does a private corporation's privacy-right exceed the public's right-to-know? The government says yes; CCR says no. CCR argues that to privatize is not to immunize: the government has the same obligations to the public, regardless of how it has chosen to carry out its obligations either directly, or else by contracting them out (such as here). The Obama Administration argues that a private corporation is private, protected from the public's scrutiny and that the corporation's only obligations are to the government, not to the public; thus, no such FOIA requests will be honored. not in dispute about the case: the man who, in the first Obama Administration, was the head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations, Here's what'sin dispute about the case: the man who, in the first Obama Administration, was the head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations, David Venturella , is now the top sales official at GEO Group, which is "the world's leading provider of correctional detention, and residential treatment services around the globe and that's also the first thing GEO says about itself, on its own Who We Are page. And Mr. Venturella is now being cited by the Obama Administration as an expert,' in order to deny CCA's FOIA request. everything should be privatized, and must be privatized, so ICE shouldn't run its own prisons.) And, he also is vaguely threatening there to abandon this market. He's actually suggesting that, if the government were to require this information about cost and profitability to be released to CCA, then GEO might no longer even bid on this business regardless of how profitable it is to them. And, he says, this would leave ICE with no viable detention service providers. As a GEO official, Venturella claims in his 22 December 2015 declaration in the court-case, that, the winning proposal in almost every Federal procurement competition is awarded to the lowest priced bidder, and that, The disclosure of GEO's proprietary bed-day rates and staffing plans would result in substantial competitive financial harm to GEO. He claims that, Even with access to their larger competitors' staffing plans, the smaller private companies do not have access to the capital needed to compete to win a large facility. In other words: he pretends that GEO is one of the smaller private companies. But then he goes on to say (just in case a reader might happen to consider GEO not to be one of the smaller private companies"): "The second stage would be acrimonious competition between the larger organizations, public and private, that will very likely lead to their withdrawal from the detention market as well, thereby leaving ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] with no viable detention service providers. Venturella assumes here that ICE cannot itself own and operate its prisons. (He doesn't say why; he merely assumes that it's the case perhaps thatshould be privatized, andbe privatized, so ICE shouldn't run its own prisons.) And, he also is vaguely threatening there to abandon this market. He's actually suggesting that, if the government were to require this information about cost and profitability to be released to CCA, then GEO might no longer even bid on this business regardless of how profitable it is to them. And, he says, this would leave ICE with no viable detention service providers. So: that (ridiculously and multiply false) argument is the reason why injustices to defendants in the U.S. immigration system must continue, Venturella, the salesman for GEO (his title is Senior Vice President), is here arguing. And, the U.S. government doesn't challenge it, but instead unquestioningly accepts it. Essentially, the Obama Administration is joining with GEO arguing that the profitability of private prison companies is more important than any injustices that might happen to be caused by Congress's establishment of an arbitrary fixed and stable minimum number of prisoners every day and, since the head of the top prison-company is saying that profits would be threatened by adhering to FOIA in this particular matter, the Freedom Of Information Act request in this case must be denied. The basic argument, in other words, is that privatization is more important than the U.S. Constitution and its General Welfare Clause. How close are these contractors to the government? Here are five of the seven members of the Board of Directors of GEO: One is Former Director, Federal Bureau of Prisons. Another is Former Under Secretary United States Air Force. Another is Executive Director, National League of Cities. Another is Chairman and CEO of ElectedFace Inc., which will connect people to their elected officials in every political district. Another is George C. Zoley, the company's Founder and CEO, who is also America's Highest Paid Corrections Officer.' In fact: "GEO Group's revenue in 2012 exceeded $1.4 billion and CMD [Center for Media and Democracy] estimates that 86% of this money came out of the pockets of taxpayers. CMD's investigation of GEO Group unearthed how the company's cost-cutting strategies lead to a vicious cycle where lower wages and benefits for workers, high employee turnover, insufficient training, and under-staffing results in poor oversight and mistreatment of detained persons, increased violence, and riots. (If so, then that would add to the misery that's produced by the improper imprisonments.) Privatization is very profitable. But not for everybody. Only for the well-connected. For everybody else, it's just more poor and abused workers, and unjustly imprisoned people. But virtually all Republicans, and also the Obama Administration and other corrupt Democrats (and Obama will get his enrichment after he leaves office), think that privatization is necessary even more necessary than is adherence to the U.S. Constitution, or than a justly ruled nation, and a prosperous public. This type of government fits with America's extraordinarily high incarceration rate. Looking under the hood of one dysfunctional car, one finds a dysfunctional motor. But a few U.S. officials do whatever they can to reduce the country's corruption. For example, the Immigration Detention Bed Quota Timeline shows that, in September 2015, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (who probably is the U.S. federal government's leading campaigner against corruption) introduces the Justice is Not for Sale Act of 2015 , which seeks to end the bed quota among other criminal justice and immigration detention reforms. The bill is the first effort in the U.S. Senate to eliminate the bed quota. In addition, Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Keith Ellison (D-MN), and Bobby Rush (D-IL) introduce the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. Those are the most progressive members of the U.S. Congress. Arrayed against them are the billions of dollars in political propaganda that cause the number of such progressives to be extremely few in the U.S. government. For that bill to pass in Congress, practically all conservatives would first have to become replaced by progressives, and by other supposed non-conservatives (called liberals'), in Congress. Sanders says that it would require a political revolution, and he's correct on that. But that's the least likely type of revolution the U.S. might have. Perhaps Sanders knows this but doesn't want to shock people, who are too indoctrinated to be able to accept the uncomfortably ugly truth, that things are probably already be too far gone for that type of revolution to be sufficient (even if feasible). SHARE By Susan Orr of the Courier and Press Evansville-based Old National Bank, which took a break from acquisitions in 2015, has jumped back into the game in a big way. On Tuesday, Old National announced that it plans to enter a brand-new state Wisconsin by acquiring Madison-based Anchor Bancorp. The partnership, which should close next quarter pending approvals, will represent the biggest partnership in Old National's 182-year history. Old National's 2011 takeover of Evansville-based Integra Bank had previously been its largest acquisition. "They represent just a great opportunity for us, particularly in the markets they're in," Old National President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Jones told analysts during a conference call Tuesday morning. Anchor Bancorp is a savings and loan holding company whose subsidiary, AnchorBank, operates 46 banking offices. All of AnchorBank's offices are in Wisconsin, and 21 of them are in Madison. Anchor has $2.2 billion in total assets. Old National currently has $11.9 billion in total assets and about 160 banking centers in Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois and Michigan. Over the last decade or so, Old National has worked to focus its business on markets with higher growth potential. To that end, it has entered or expanded its presence in several markets, made a number of acquisitions and sold or closed almost 200 branches. The bank has completed six acquisitions since 2012. This prompted Old National to take what it called a "pause" in acquisitions last year, to give the company time to fully integrate the new additions. Jones said Anchor represented a good opportunity to get back into acquisitions mode. Anchor was an attractive target for a couple of reasons, Jones said: It does business in strong markets that have a lot of similarities to the markets that Old National already serves. Madison, Jones said, shares a lot of similarities with Bloomington, Indiana, as well as the Michigan markets of Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids. Old National has made acquisitions to establish or expand a presence in all three of those markets over the past few years. The Milwaukee market is similar to the Indianapolis market, Jones said, and Old National has successfully grown its market position in Indianapolis over the years. Jones also said the community banking culture of the two businesses is very similar, which is something Old National looks for when evaluating acquisition targets. When leaders from the two banks met, Jones said, "it was like a hand going into a glove." Anchor also represents an opportunity to expand Old National's product offerings into new territory, Jones said. Small business services, trust services, wealth management and agricultural lending are all potential growth areas. "We look forward to using this platform for future opportunities," he said. Old National said it got interested in Anchor following a dramatic financial turnaround at the Wisconsin bank. Anchor was hit hard by the Great Recession. The bank lost more than $500 million between 2009-2013, mostly because of loan losses. The bank's capitalization levels fell below regulatory requirements, and in public filings the company warned that it was in danger of going into receivership. In 2013 Anchor filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and went through a $175 million recapitalization to regain its financial footing. Anchor returned to profitability in 2014, posting a full-year profit of $14.6 million. Anchor's President and Chief Executive Officer, Chris Bauer, said the bank's turnaround caught the eye of numerous suitors. Those included Old National, which Bauer said made it onto Anchor's "very short list of people we thought would make good partners." "We're very excited about this," Bauer told a reporter after Tuesday's conference call. "We're very impressed with your Evansville-based company. I think it's going to be a home run." Under the terms of the agreement, Anchor shareholders will receive either 3.5505 shares of Old National common stock or $48.50 in cash for each share of Anchor that they hold. Based on current Old National share prices, the transaction is valued at $461 million. Shares of Old National closed at $12.48 Tuesday on the Nasdaq market, down 4 cents from Monday's closing price. ___ More information about the Old National deal By Mark Wilson of the Courier and Press The joint trial of William Marver and Brenda Harris, accused of arson in a February 2015 fire at Inland Marina, was postponed from starting Monday so a judge could hear arguments on two last-minute motions to dismiss the charges. Defense attorneys have been unsuccessful in repeated attempts to get the charges dismissed. Marver, 57, of Evansville, and Harris, 49, of Hatfield, Indiana, are each charged with conspiracy to commit arson, conspiracy to commit arson for hire, and arson with intent to defraud. The longtime friends are accused of burning Marver's 66-foot houseboat for insurance money. Investigators said the fire caused $4.5 million in damage to five boats as well as the marina dock. Four of the boats capsized. On Monday, Vanderburgh Circuit Court Judge David Kiely rejected attorney Ivan Arnaez's argument that because the dock was floating, it could not definitively be known if it was in Indiana or Kentucky at the time of the fire. Arnaez represents Harris. Defense attorney John Brinson, representing Marver, joined in the motion to dismiss. "The structure the boat is moored to can be in Indiana or Kentucky at any given moment in time. I'd ask that the charges be dismissed because we may have an unprovable fact," Arnaez said. Brinson agreed, adding that because the state line comes within a few feet of the end of the pier, it may never be known where it truly was when the fire happened. Deputy Prosecutor Dennis Vowels argued that he had already submitted proof of where the state boundary line was and that it was a question that should be decided by a jury. "I think it's interesting, but I don't think it's well taken. Our state constitution says the jury should determine the facts and the law," Vowels said. Kiely took under advisement a motion to dismiss, filed by Brinson and joined by Arnaez, objecting to the prosecution's earlier amendment of the charges. Vowels attempted to amend the arson charges to include the wording "endangering a human life." The new trial date will be March 14. Defense attorneys had previously argued that the charges should be dismissed because a search warrant authorizing police to examine two months of private Facebook messages and posts was a violation of their clients' right against unreasonable search and seizure in the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. and Indiana constitutions. The attorneys argued that authorizing the extensive gathering of messages was a fishing expedition to look for evidence where police had no proof there might be any. The City Council meets on January 4, 2016. (Video capture) SHARE By Zach Evans of the Courier and Press The City Council will drop a challenge to a judicial ruling on a controversial ordinance that limited all city appointees to local boards and commissions to city residents. Connie Robinson, who sponsored the original ordinance, pushed for the council to move the vote to its next meeting to give the public an opportunity to speak on the issue. "Where's the transparency? ... This looks like another sneaky deal," Robinson said during the meeting. City Council President Missy Mosby, D-2nd Ward, said the resolution's inclusion on Monday's agenda was public last week. Anna Hargis, R-3rd Ward, said the issue was also prevalent on the campaign trail last year. "I heard this throughout the campaign pretty much everywhere I went that, while people recognize the importance of having individuals who are residents serving, they also wanted that area for business owners or people who are specialty, have some sort of expertise, to also serve," Hargis said in the meeting. Councilman Dan Adams, D-at large, said the ordinance was controversial when it first appeared and that the public should have a say on what the council does with the appeal. An attempt to move the vote on the resolution to a later meeting was voted down. The City Council voted 7-2 to approve the resolution. Robinson and Adams voted nay. "The intent of this ordinance was to allow those people who are constituents, people who voted us into office, people we are allowed to help allow them to have more control of the destiny of this city," Adams said. The resolution advises City Council attorney Josh Claybourn to ask the Indiana Court of Appeals to drop the challenge. While unlikely, Claybourn said, the court can choose to deny the City Council and proceed with ruling on the case. The City Council first passed the controversial ordinance in December 2014. Days later, Mayor Lloyd Winnecke vetoed the ordinance, his first and one of the rare uses of an executive veto in Evansville's history. The council overrode his veto. Winnecke challenged the ordinance in court, where it was heard before a panel of seven Vanderburgh County judges in May The judges ruled against the ordinance. Without a resolution or a vote, then-City Council attorney Scott Danks filed for appeal in June. At the time, Danks said the case should be heard in appeals court so a higher court's ruling could give guidance to local governments on the issue. Winnecke, despite his administration's legal challenge, has followed the ordinance, replacing non-city residents who had been serving with city residents. By Len Wells of the Courier and Press Ever since she was 14, Terri Woody of Grand Rapids, Michigan, has held on to a bracelet bearing a simple inscription: "Kenneth L. Cunningham 10-3-1969." As a teen, Woody and a friend sent off for the bracelets as a way to show their support for those left unaccounted for during the Vietnam War. Unknown to her at the time, the bracelet identified Sgt. Kenneth L. Cunningham, a 21-year-old airman from Edwards County, Illinois. The airplane he was in crashed on a mountaintop during a nighttime surveillance mission near the city of Kontum in South Vietnam. After several days of searching, Cunningham and the pilot were declared missing in action. The Department of Defense declared him dead in 1978. "Last week, I was cleaning out a drawer and found the bracelet," Woody said. "I put it on and wore it for a few days when my daughter asked me about it. She's a Navy veteran." Woody, now 58, told her daughter the story about how she had ordered the bracelet when she was only 14 and wondered what happened to the soldier. "Then I saw on Facebook a story about a soldier's remains being returned to his family in Illinois it was Sgt. Kenneth Cunningham!" Woody said. "I was freaking out. I mean I cried when I found out." While Terri knows nothing about Cunningham or the circumstances surrounding his disappearance in Vietnam, she believes the bracelet belongs to his family. "I feel really weird," she said. "I really want the family to have the bracelet, but I will feel really lost without it." Terri said she would like travel to Albion for Cunningham's funeral, but it's a seven-hour drive and she recently lost a leg to cancer. "Our entire family is patriotic," Woody said. "My grandpa, uncle, daughter, and cousins have all served in the military. I try to attend every veterans observance in our community and I try to instill in my grandchildren the importance of respecting the flag and those who have served in the military." Cunningham's remains will be returned to Albion on Tuesday. His flag-draped casket is scheduled to arrive at the airport in Louisville shortly before 11 a.m. that day. From there, the hearse will be escorted to Albion by members of the Patriot Guard. As part of the homecoming for Cunningham, Larry "The Flag Man" Eckhardt of Little York, Illinois, will bring his flag display to Albion. Eckhardt will arrive at the Edwards County Fairgrounds about 10 a.m. Tuesday with 2,400 full-size American flags. He is asking for volunteers to meet him there to help place the flags ahead of the arrival Cunningham's hearse. Funeral services for Cunningham will be 2 p.m. Jan. 21 at the Little Prairie Christian Church in Albion, with burial and full military honors at the Little Prairie Cemetery. SHARE By Zach Osowski INDIANAPOLIS -- Kevin Crum said he was one day away from taking his own life before he got the help he needed in the form of a therapy dog. Now, the Iraq veteran spends his days helping other veterans overcome their depression and struggles through the Soldier Dogs for Independence program. Crum and his therapy dog Phoebe, along with six other veterans and their dogs, joined Rep. Wendy McNamara on the Indiana House floor Monday for a resolution honoring their work. Soldier Dogs is a not-for profit organization based in the Evansville area that matches veterans with physical or mental injuries with rescue dogs and helps them train the dogs to assist the veterans. Crum said one of his biggest issues after coming home was the horrible nightmares he would have. "My nightmares were so bad, I couldn't go to sleep," Crum said. "So I was afraid to go to sleep, then I was afraid to be awake because I'm so anxious from not being able to sleep. She (Phoebe) makes it so I can go to sleep." Something as simple as being able to sleep soundly all night was life-changing for Crum, and he wanted to make sure he could pass that on to others. He has been able to do that through Solider Dogs. So far the program has matched about 60 dogs with local veterans and put them through the training program. There is no breed restrictions and Crum said all of the therapy dogs come from local shelters. Crum serves as the group's vice-president and said it was on honor to receive recognition by the House. "This just brings awareness to that big number we all talk about which is 22 (veteran suicides) a day," Crum said. "The more awareness we can bring to that number, the more we'll be able to lower it." McNamara said the group does outstanding work for veterans in Southwestern Indiana. "It is astounding to see how much (Soldier Dogs) has grown and how far their reach has gone to veterans in our community," McNamara said. "I am extremely proud of the way this organization gives hope to the veterans who have sacrificed so much." What to know about this year's Covered Bridge Festival in Parke County Continue Reading Below Advertisement "We double pinkie swore. That means something." What Would Have Made More Sense: Let's go along with the conceit that Xavier won't enter Mystique's mind and force her to step down. None of us are telepathic mutants and we can never fully understand their ways and customs. But ... couldn't he ignore Mystique and just go into the mind of Trask himself, then incept away all his mutant genocide thoughts? You're already in the comments typing this, but the plot tries to account for it by starting the movie with Xavier's powers being broken. Except they don't stay that way for long. A few minutes after, you know, trying, he's mind-controlling people like crazy. He could have gone right up to Trask, shook his hand, and made him devote his life to, say, breaking the dildo-sitting world record. And to make it harder, he could have scanned the world for the man with the most flexible colon and planted it in his mind as well. It wouldn't have to be exactly that, we guess. The point is he needed something else to do with his life. 20th Century Fox Continue Reading Below Advertisement "Just keep an open mind on this dildo idea; he already has the mustache for it." It's a movie about saving the world from hate, and they give the main character the one specific superpower that can do that directly. He works hard to make it complicated, but Professor X could do any number of clearly harmless, obviously beneficial things. In fact, once Xavier found out he was going to lose his hair, he could have planted an idea in some TV producer's brain to remake Star Trek, only with a bald Kirk so women in the future would find hairless men sexy. It sounds ridiculou- wait ... dear God ... are we, right now, living in the Days Of Future Past universe? Disclaimer As a papercrafter and in accordance with FTC16CFR (Part 255), please note that I do at times receive free products from companies or individuals to use in promoting my layouts and designs. Whereas I appreciate the generosity of product from these individuals or companies, I will always give my readers and followers an honest opinion of these products. Connie Mercer~ Generally speaking, legislatures can make reductions in punishments retroactive to old cases or not, as they choose. The Connecticut Legislature's repeal of the death penalty was unambiguously not retroactive, and politically it would not have passed without that savings clause. The ink was not dry on the bill before the anti-death-penalty crowd attacked that clause of their own bill. In a shocking act of judicial activism, the Connecticut Supreme Court inv.declared the death penalty unconstitutional despite having rejected that claim many times over the years and despite the established history of nonretroactive changes in sentencing law in that state.Last Thursday's News Scan noted the oral argument in the case ofv., in which the state asks the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision. Video of the argument is now available here The defense lawyer's argument is really painful to watch. He just keeps insisting over and over that thedecision must be respected as final. So why diditself not respect as final all the earlier cases rejecting constitutional attacks on the death penalty? The defense side seems to think that precedent is a ratchet. No decision favoring the prosecution is ever final. Every one is subject to constant attack. But once the defense wins a point, it becomes absolutely sacrosanct. This is utter nonsense.A decision should receive no more respect as precedent than it gave to precedent. In 1976, the U.S. Supreme Court reviewed and approved the Florida system of capital punishment inv.. In that system, the jury enters the verdict of guilt of first-degree murder and makes a recommendation on sentence, but the trial judge makes the final decision on sentence and makes the essential finding that at least one "aggravating circumstance" exists.The Florida Supreme Court added a gloss that the judge's "override" would, in practice, only work in one direction. A jury recommendation of life in prison was essentially final, while a jury's recommendation of death could be overridden. The Florida system is thus more favorable to the defendant than leaving the decision to the jury alone.Over the years, the Supreme Court more than once rejected claims that this system or the similar systems of other states violated anything in the Constitution. Then in the 2002 case ofv., the Supreme Court stabbed the states and the people in the back and simply changed its collective mind, accepting the argument it had previously, unequivocally rejected. Stare decisis, the principle of observing precedent, was thrown overboard, and the decision did not even mention the massive reliance of the states on the earlier decisions.Most of the states with similar systems went with jury verdicts on both the aggravating circumstance and the final sentencing decision, although Nebraska kept a hybrid system where the jury finds the circumstance and three judges find the sentence.The Florida Legislature stuck with its system, hoping that the courts would find it distinguishable from the Arizona system struck down in, a foolish and unnecessary risk. In most capital cases the existence of at least one aggravating circumstances is perfectly obvious, and there is virtually no cost in having the jury go ahead and make the finding. Today the U.S. Supreme Court decided 7-1-1 in Hurst v. Florida that the Florida system does indeed violateHow many of the existing judgments can be salvaged? The Supreme Court said it left harmless error analysis to the state courts. In many cases, a jury verdict on a concurrent or prior crime can establish an aggravating circumstance. Today's decision will be fully retroactive for cases on direct appeal, but its application to cases on collateral review is uncertain.The first thing the Florida Legislature needs to do is fix its system. And do it right this time. Telco and IT provider Inabox has hired former Telstra executive Chris Ford as its chief technology officer. Prior to joining Inabox, Ford was general manager for Telstra Digital for four years. According to his LinkedIn profile, Ford oversaw Telstra's $150 million digital transformation program aimed at improving sales and service delivery channels. Ford was also CTO of telecommunications company Lucent Technologies for three years, and founded his own technology and marketing consultancy firm in 2008. He replaces Michael Clarke, who joined Inabox as its first CTO in 2013. According to a media release, Clarke is leaving to follow a personal passion outside the industry. I am pleased to be joining Inabox at such an exciting time in its growth in the ICT industry, said Ford. My focus for 2016 is to build on the foundations Michael Clarke laid for the data and voice platforms and create a technology roadmap for the company that will deliver the best value for our combined voice, data, cloud and managed services brands. Inabox managing director Damien Kay said the hire was a strategic move to ramp up the companys presence in the digital space. The publicly listed ICT provider recently acquired the assets and customer base of AAPT wholesaler CloudXchange for $240,000 as another step towards Inaboxs consolidation of the wholesale aggregator market, said Kay. Inabox also recruited former SMS Management & Technology chief executive Tom Stianos as a non-executive director in December. Western Sydney University students will receive 5,000 Microsoft Surface 3 devices this year. According to the university, some newly enrolled students will receive the device as part of the universitys Connect and Collect Day held at its Parramatta campus. The devices will be given to students studying a range of courses from the School of Science and Health, Social Sciences and Psychology and School of Nursing and Midwifery. Western Sydney University acting vice-chancellor professor Denise Kirkpatrick said: Several years ago, [Western Sydney] became one of the first universities to provide devices to students as part of its flexible learning program. The 2016 program see the university working with industry technology partners such as Microsoft to determine the most suitable device for each of our courses. Microsoft Australias managing director, Pip Marlow, said: With the Surface 3 device students can do all of the things that they used to do on paper. Surface allows students to create, collaborate and analyse problems all with the device since it functions as a full PC, with touch, keyboard and a Surface pen. Marlow added that Microsoft had stationed its staff on campus during the enrolment process to offer demonstrations and advice on the usage of the Surface 3 to both staff and students. Adelaide-based networking distributor PCRange has entered into voluntary liquidation after being in business for the past 16 years. PCRange founder and chief executive Raaj Menon told CRN the main reason the company had gone under was due to the rise of the US dollar and the lack of new products from its main vendor, Taiwanese router manufacturer Billion. There is no hiding the fact that sales started plummeting from the middle of last year and it was a natural course of action to let go of a few people including Quentin [Smith, PCRanges network support manager] to cut expenses but we were still confident of pulling through, said Menon. But come New Year, Tarquin Raoul Koch of Anthony Matthews & Associates was appointed as liquidator on 8 January. The liquidation includes a number of PCRange subsidiaries, including telco provider SipTalk and iPhone accessory seller PADACS. Menon would not discuss the companys debts but he did say that all former staff had been paid out. He added that PCRange's South Australian office has closed, and that he expected another distributor to take over the accounts for primary vendors Billion and AVM, the German manufacturer of FritzBox home networking gear. Tarquin Raoul Koch, Matthews & Associates liquidator, told CRN: We are looking at selling PCRanges customers list within the next four to six weeks. Koch said he was still finalising the details on PCRanges debts and said such information would be ready by the next creditors meeting in a fortnights time. This will not be a quick process as there are overseas creditors involved, so it will take a bit of time, added Koch. Menon, a Malaysian-born IT entrepreneur, started PCRange by selling routers from his home in year 2000. Last year, it was reported that the company made an annual turnover of about $10 million. PCRange is not the only Australian distributor to have failed recently, with Altech also recently entering administration with millions of dollars of debts. SAP Australias Global Partner Operations vice president Greg Miller has stepped down. Miller, a former chief operating officer of SAP ANZ who took over the top channel position from Beth Ryan in May 2014, will walk out the of the North Sydney office for the last time on 31 January. The position will then be handed over to current COO Jim Fisher as a temporary measure until a permanent replacement is hired. Miller told CRN that he departs SAP with his next port of call not yet secured. Nothing locked down just yet, finishing things up end of January then taking some time with the family before the next adventure. One thing is for sure...it will be in Australia! said the US-born Miller, who came to Australia in 2001. [Related: Greg Miller showing SAP what partnering should be] The giant software vendor stated that Miller had led the Global Partner Operations unit through the most successful GPO year in recent history, establishing a General Business team thats specifically focused on the increasingly important small-to-medium enterprise market. SAP also paid tribute to Millers corporate social responsibility work, especially in the areas of youth unemployment and the digital skills shortage. Through his executive sponsorship of our CSR program and SAPs Young ICT Explorers program, he has brought many from across the industry, education, government and not-for-profit sectors together to elevate and advance these causes at the highest levels, announced the company. SAP ANZ head of corporate affairs Perry Manross will temporarily manage those programs before a new CSR sponsor can be found. Cloud News CRN Exclusive: Hot Startup Velostrata Has Its First Channel Chief Joseph Tsidulko Share this Velostrata, a startup that's attracted enormous attention since exiting stealth by touting its ability to decouple storage from cloud resources, has appointed its first channel chief. John Donnelly, previously senior vice president of sales at MobileIron and before that vice president of sales at Symantec, joined the Israeli-American startup last week. The new vice president of worldwide sales will lead Velostrata's efforts to develop a channel program as it prepares to formally introduce its software into the market. Donnelly told CRN he has set his sights on building a sales organization and figuring out a go-to-market strategy for a product that aims to break down a barrier to hybrid cloud adoption -- the sometimes-undesired interdependence of storage and compute -- and in so doing create new opportunities for the channel. [Related: Velostrata Exits Stealth Ready To Tear Down A Barrier To Cloud Adoption] Before he was officially hired, Donnelly spent a few months consulting for the Palo Alto, Calif.-based startup and with its R&D office in Tel Aviv. He said he considered all sales models before squarely deciding on a channel approach. "Is there an existing channel that we can join on? Do we have to build it from scratch? Do we go direct?" Donnelly said were the questions he asked himself and other Velostrata executives. "One thing that became really obvious early on is this is a great channel opportunity," Donnelly told CRN. The problem with hybrid cloud today is the difficulty in migrating workloads away from existing infrastructure, Donnelly said. Sure, there are "a bunch of big guys in that space that will charge you a lot of money, do yearlong projects, but it's not cost-effective." Those forklift migrations eliminate much of the value of using hybrid cloud, he said. Many organizations would prefer to keep their databases stored in their data center while bursting into the cloud to leverage compute and memory resources, Donnelly explained, and "the complexity of decoupling from the data center goes away with Velostrata." That makes Velostrata's technology an easy sell to potential partners, he added. "Partners are super excited about how they can make money in this space, and that's always the most important thing," he told CRN. Velostrata has hired sales managers who are intimately familiar with the channel model and the partner communities of various vendors, he said. They are getting a lot of traction with VMware's channel, he said, and also having productive talks with many Amazon Web Services-affiliated solution providers. Donnelly told CRN that when he left MobileIron, he looked at about 50 companies, most in the security space. He said that category felt "overdone" and it looked to him that both partners and customers were confused by the available technology. The nice thing about Velostrata's technology, he told CRN, is that it's easy to explain -- both to partners and customers. "Partners immediately got it. When I told them what it did, they said we need that," Donnelly said. And "customers have told me, if it does what you say, we need this tomorrow." Velostrata hasn't yet generally released its solution, however, and is still conducting a customer-evaluation period. Donnelly believes that as the major cloud providers battle for dominance in their ultracompetitive market, they will all seek out the capability Velostrata offers -- those providers don't want to shun customers who don't want to use their clouds for all their storage. Velostrata currently supports AWS, and will release Azure compatibility in the first half of the year. But it's VMware's channel that's critical to the company, said Donnelly. "They do a great job training and educating channel partners to provide class-A support. It's a world-class channel organization," Donnelly said of the virtualization leader. So far Velostrata has trained eight solution providers to start working with its software and sell add-on services. "We want to help accelerate the wave of hybrid computing, which in the next five years will be the way most companies do business," Donnelly told CRN. PUBLISHED JAN. 12, 2015 Storage News Hewlett Packard Enterprise Invests In Object Storage Developer Scality, Expands Global Relationship Joseph F. Kovar Share this Hewlett Packard Enterprise on Tuesday signified its commitment to object storage with an equity investment in Scality, and said it plans to work closely with the storage software vendor to develop and sell solutions including the Scality Ring software and HPE's Apollo server line. Hewlett-Packard has had a long reseller relationship with San Francisco-based Scality, and in late 2014 the two signed a formal global reseller agreement. The investment and the new reseller agreement came about because of a new commitment by Palo Alto, Calif.-based HPE to enhance its Scality partnership, said Patrick Osborne, senior director of product management for HPE storage. [Related: The 10 Coolest Flash Storage And SSD Products Of 2015] "We're moving to bring capacity-optimized object storage to customers," Osborne told CRN. "We're very enamored with the Scality technology, so we're taking a stake in the company. And we will do more to make Scality technology work better with our Apollo servers." Neither Osborne nor Erwan Menard, president and CEO of Scality, would disclose the amount HPE invested in Scality, or how big an equity stake HPE has in the company. However, Menard said, the HPE investment is part of a new D round of funding that brings total funding to $92 million. "HPE is our one and only storage investor," Menard told CRN. "We're really happy to have HPE for a number of reasons. We have close to 100 customers worldwide, and HPE is the largest server vendor we work with. We have several dozen petabytes out on HPE servers, and HPE is well-positioned with its high-density server offerings." HPE has had other object storage partners, including an OEM relationship with Cleversafe, a Chicago-based object storage technology developer. Cleversafe late last year was acquired by IBM. Osborne said HPE's focus now is on Scality. "We're providing the Scality solution on HPE's Apollo servers via both our storage channel and our server channel," he said. "These solutions are very large, and require tens of petabytes of capacity, and so they need a lot of storage expertise. We will offer the solution with the same channel mix as our storage business." Neither Osborne nor Menard would speculate about whether HPE's investment in Scality was a prelude to an outright acquisition of the company. Menard said Scality has a lot of business traction, and so is under no pressure to sell. "Now we're focusing on customer adoption," he said. "With our D round of funding, we're pressing our foot on the gas. HPE servers are the largest share in our market. But this investment does not mean we will see a drop in non-HPE-related business. Customers know we work with other server vendors. This is not an exclusive relationship." At least one HPE channel partner told CRN that he thinks a marriage could be in store between the two vendors. "Combining Scality Ring with HPE Apollo servers makes sense," said Dan Molina, chief technology officer at Nth Generation Computing, a San Diego-based solution provider and longtime HPE channel partner. "Who knows. Maybe in another year it becomes property of HPE." Molina said he is not surprised to see HPE invest in Scality. "I think object storage is a technology that is starting to gain traction," he said. "These kinds of technologies take years to mature and to get people trained. Services providers have been leveraging it." There is a growing need for object storage technology as things like big data, audio, picture and video files increase in size and number, Molina said. "Enterprise customers need the right architecture to store this data," he said. "And Scality is the right architecture." Nth Generation has been trained on Scality, but few of its customers have the scale to take advantage of it, Molina said. "But we have a lot of opportunities, and expect will have some business starting this year," he said. PUBLISHED JAN. 12, 2016 Big Brother watching you is bad enough. But Big Brother allowing hackers to watch you as well is worse. And that is increasingly the case, thanks to the indiscriminate, and insecure, collection of vehicle license plate data, according to recent reports from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the alt-weekly DigBoston. The technology at issue is Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) cameras mounted on patrol cars or stationary roadside structures like utility poles that record not just the plate number, but metadata including the date, time and location of the vehicle. EFF reported late last year that it had found, more than a hundred ALPR cameras were exposed online, often with totally open Web pages accessible by anyone with a browser. Those cameras were in several Louisiana communities; in Hialeah, Florida; and at the University of Southern California. DigBoston reported in September that until alerted by a reporter, anyone online was able to freely access a City of Boston ALPR system and to download dozens of sensitive files, including hundreds of thousands of motor vehicle records dating back to 2012. In both cases, public safety or transportation officials and the APLR vendors tightened security after being notified of the vulnerabilities, although EFF said it took, five months of engagement with these entities. The systems studied by EFF were made by a company called PIPS Technology, which was acquired by 3M in 2012. 3M, in a statement to EFF, said the cameras had good security features, but that they had to be enabled by customers. Jennifer Lynch, senior staff attorney at EFF, said the organization does not know how many ALPR systems are in use throughout the U.S. and what percentage of them might have security problems. But with the exploding popularity and use of such cameras, it is virtually guaranteed that there are both security and privacy issues that are not being addressed. A team of computer scientists at the University of Arizona issued a recent report saying they had found vulnerable cameras in Washington, California, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. DigBoston reported that the open online server it found, used for municipal parking enforcement, was owned by Affiliated Computer Services (ACS), a Xerox subsidiary. When notified about it, within two hours, the portal was removed from public view, wrote reporter Kenneth Lipp. [ ALSO ON CSO: 18 million targeted voter records exposed by database error ] Jody Westby, CEO of Global Cyber Risk and a privacy consultant, said that digital surveillance many times exceeds the expertise of guards, guns, and gates security teams. Eventually, big data will become the biggest privacy issue in the U.S. Jody Westby, CEO, Global Cyber Risk Those teams, she said, are often very reluctant to turn the maintenance of these systems over to the IT staff, which is a prime cause of security flaws. Those problems are almost inevitable, she said, with the, deployment of sophisticated surveillance technologies by departments without the expertise or resources to manage privacy and security risks. Even if security concerns are addressed, however, EFF argues that the current use of ALPRs amounts to a form of mass surveillance. The stated purpose of the camera systems is to aid law enforcement in investigations: If the plate matches a number on a so-called hot list where the owner is wanted for anything from an unpaid parking ticket to a probation violation to a felony, or is connected to an AMBER alert or any kind of a gang or terrorist watch list then the system notifies police or other agencies. But most ALPR systems collect and store data on every vehicle they scan they do not discard information on plates that dont match the hot list. And in many cases, the data is held for years. Depending on how much data has been collected, this information in aggregate can reveal all sorts of personal information, including what doctors you visit, what protests you attend, and where you work, shop, worship, and sleep at night, EFF said. And when EFF and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a public records request for ALPR data to the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriffs Office, the agencies refused to hand over the data, citing a provision in California law that allows them to withhold investigative records. Who are they investigating? The answer: all cars in California, the EFF said. The ACLU and EFF then sued to compel the release of the data, but lost at both the Superior Court and Appeals Court level, where the courts ruled that even though the large majority of the data collected by the camera systems was on innocent motorists, it still qualified as investigatory material, and therefore not subject to public disclosure. The case went before the California Supreme Court on Oct. 26. Lynch said the briefs from the city and county are due Jan. 25. But even if the privacy advocates win, the reality remains that there is little oversight or regulation of ALPR data collection. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, only 10 states have laws putting limits on the collection, storage and use of ALPR data Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Utah and Vermont. Most of those laws say the data may only be used for law enforcement purposes and limit the time it is stored to anywhere from 21 days to several years. But most also contain exceptions, such as the recording of plate information at automated tollbooths or for the security of specific bridges and approach structures. That leaves 40 states without regulation, and nothing pending at the federal level. Lynch did say that, there are many Congress members who are concerned about Americans privacy. But for now, the surveillance is both pervasive and vulnerable to hacks. It might be possible to mine the data and conduct predictive searches about what somebody might do. Nancy Libin, partner, Jenner & Block Nancy Libin, a partner at Jenner & Block and former chief privacy officer at the Department of Justice, said there hasnt been enough study of the data being collected about not only its current, but possible future, use. Law enforcement is often tempted to use data it has collected for one purpose or another purpose, she said. So its a big surveillance tool, to collect information that may one day become useful to them. And she said it could become, even more pernicious, considering the way technology is evolving. It might be possible to mine the data and conduct predictive searches about what somebody might do, which sounds like the dystopian future imagined in the movie Minority Report. Drew Mitnik, policy counsel at Access Now, expressed similar concerns. License plate information is sensitive on its own, he said, but it could also be combined with other information taken from cell phones and other smart devices, to provide the government a disturbingly detailed illustration of our lives. And given that there is no such thing as 100 percent security, Mitnik and other privacy advocates say the unfettered use of ALPRs and other digital surveillance continue to increase the risks that the daily routines of millions of Americans could be exposed, to anyone with an Internet connection. We haven't had a true, open conversation about what information the government is capturing, what they are doing with it, and whether the privacy risks are acceptable. Drew Mitnik, policy counsel at Access Now We haven't had a true, open conversation about what information the government is capturing, what they are doing with it, and whether the privacy risks are acceptable, Mitnik said. Lynch said she believes public awareness is the most effective way to regain a measure of control over government surveillance. There have been public protests about this at various city council meetings and activism at the state legislative level, she said. Thats how weve seen privacy-protective laws pass in several states. Westby said she thinks public awareness is growing that the collection of multiple data points leads to them being integrated and analyzed and used in a manner that violates privacy and potentially constitutional rights. Eventually, big data will become the biggest privacy issue in the U.S. I dont have to tell you about the latest data breach, its like the evening news we have become numb to all the carnage. Target, Home Depot, Sony, IRS, OPM, Anthem, Experian, Scott Trade, the breach list is endless. But what is the root cause of these data breaches? Is it people, processes or technology or all of the above? As we in Audit look at people, processes and technology, we must at some point be able to tell organizations that the IT director cant also be the chief security officer and the IT manager cant be the systems admin, security engineer and the security analyst. Also IT should not be procuring all audits, the board and the CEO must be leading this effort. Otherwise its not likely to be very balanced or meaningful. I have worked in IT departments where this was the case, and its always a poor performing organization when it comes to security and compliance. I also see it every day as an auditor, its the root cause of so many poor audits and eventual data breaches. The question is how to delicately tell the corporation without any strict regulation forcing the issue (thats not required to be SOX compliant) that this is in their best interest. How do we start a real dialog with boards and CEOs to make this point clear? Lets face it, many of these companies that we as auditors visit daily are world-class organizations, they are very good at what they do. Some have over time adopted the Internet and now suddenly find themselves in shark infested waters. They are bombarded with everything from endless data breach news to magic bullet technological solutions and yet audits for compliance. We need to put ourselves in their place and try to realize where they are. The biggest challenge in audit is to align with the company, its culture and specific people Im visiting. I easily get caught up in why is this organization performing so poorly on basic compliance? Its just the minimum, its the foundation for proactive and intelligent security. We as security and compliance professionals must seek to speak the language of the business. What is Information Security Governance? Information security governance is the responsibility of the board of directors and senior executives. It must be an integral and transparent part of enterprise governance and be aligned with the IT governance framework. For starters we know that we need to manage assets, threats and vulnerabilities, yet many times we start an audit and cant get a full up to date list of the assets that we are trying to protect. Then we find that patches are not being applied and vulnerabilities are not managed. Finally threats are not even considered, many organizations think that if they have antivirus and a firewall they are fine. They understand technology, yet simply dont understand the attack life cycle or kill chain or the need for threat intelligence. We always tell clients if youre not doing scans and PEN Test, (penetration testing), then just know that someone else is and they dont work for you. Too many clients dont know that Information Security Governance is a fundamental responsibility of senior management to protect the interests of the organizations stakeholders. This includes understanding risks to the business to ensure that they are adequately addressed from a governance perspective. The tone at the top must be conducive to effective security governance. It is unreasonable to expect lower-level personnel to abide by security policies if senior management does not. IT Governance Institute 2003 5 questions CEO's should ask about cyber risks If an organization has data governance and it's applying true top-down information security governance, then its likely that the CEO will have already asked the following questions. How is our executive leadership informed about the current level and business impact of cyber risks to our company? What is the current level and business impact of cyber risks to our company? How does our cyber security program apply industry standards and best practices? How many and what types of cyber incidents do we detect in a normal week? What is the threshold for notifying our executive leadership? How comprehensive is our cyber incident response plan? How often is it tested? So if Im auditing a mildly regulated entity, I normally see some good organizational structure, not perfect but good. I then see some separation of duties within IT even if the security staff is in IT they try to separate it. If there is not adequate separation between IT and the security staff you will have the fox guarding the chickens syndrome. This was pointed out in a KPMG global survey of general counsel when asked about cyber security. I truly believe this is the biggest contribution to poor audit performance and the resulting data breaches. Just look the the latest Verizon data breach investigations reports for more evidence. To reiterate the importance of IT not being over security the IT Governance institute says this well, To achieve effectiveness and sustainability in todays complex, interconnected world, information security must be addressed at the highest levels of the organization, not regarded as a technical specialty relegated to the IT department. The security of information, as with other critical organizational resources, must be addressed at the total enterprise level. Information security is not only a technical issue, but a business and governance challenge that involves adequate risk management, reporting and accountability. Effective security requires the active involvement of executives to assess emerging threats and the organizations response to them. IT Governance Institute 2003 Yet we keep going on audits and still to this day see IT departments in charge of security and compliance, to make matters worse sometimes the IT director is the person solely responsible for security. This does not work as IT and security are incompatible in function. IT delivers technology solutions and fixes problems with it. The very nature of security is proactive and risk based, IT is anything but that! I came from an IT background so I always start off with I understand your challenges especially as it relates to our current threat landscape. I really respect all our client IT departments, they are all too often being put in the position of security and compliance, when this is a business problem not and IT issue. IT needs to be recognized for all they do and that they can contribute significantly to securing the enterprise. But lets remember data governance is both the CEOs and the board's responsibility. "71 % of organizations were compromised by a successful cyber attack in 2014" 2015 cyberthreat Defense Report from CyberEdge Group In the end, we can spend all our time on processes and technology but as long as the organizational structure is flawed, clients will never achieve real data governance, or risk management. Preventing data breaches and achieving 100 percent compliance has to start with the board and the CEO. After all its a business problem, not an issue to be relegated to the IT department. George Grachis is a Senior Consultant with Maxis360, and MSL Technologies in Orlando Florida. He can be reached at Ggrachis@maxis360.net STRATFORD The Town Council received some good news Monday night on Stratfords $5.4 million-plus shortfall. A good chunk of that gap, caused by the failure of sewer plant sale referendum in November, can be made up by reducing payments to the Town Halls workers compensation fund, town officials said. Finance Director Susan Collier explained to the council during its four-hour meeting Monday that this fund used to pay for future worker compensation claims could sustain some reduction is funding, thus providing about $3 million. The new Town Council, meeting together for only the second time, sailed into office on the coattails of the sewer plant no votes. There are three Republicans and seven Democrats, and nearly all have has least some disdain for the way Mayor John Harkins has been running things. The mayor was needled at times Monday night; council members accusing him of not giving them enough information, for not reining in leased cars, for making recent hires. There were other banderillas. Finally, after nearly two hours of the this, Harkins decided that he had enough. I heard a lot of negative comments tonight about how things have been run in town, he said. Let me say this things have never been better in Stratford. Our parks are in better shape. Our services are being delivered more efficiently. Crime is down. Our pension fund is being funded ... They mayor said that these advancements were hard-fought gains. Its hard to build things. Its hard to have success. Its easy to criticize. Its easy to say, Lets change it, he said, raising his voice. Still, the mayor did receive some praise. Were all on the same team, and youre the team leader, 10th District Councilwoman Tina Manus said, approvingly, and we look up to you. Collier said that the workers compensation fund has sufficient funds to last through the end of the fiscal years. Its more than fully funded for our current liabilities, she said, adding that the fund itself is in very good shape. Harkins had pushed hard to sell the towns waste treatment system to the Greater New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority. This would have given the town more than $9 million in cash, money that Town Hall was counting on to balance its 2014-15 and 2015-16 budgets. The hit for the current fiscal yea is $5.4 million. But, almost counterintuitively, the town wont have to spend $580,000 in fees that it would have had to pay to the GNHWPCA because the sale never happened. Another $625,000, can be saved from municipal departments, the mayor said. More money can be saved, he said, with furlough days for non-union employees. These savings, Collier said, would bring the town close to bridging the $5.3 million gap. Late in the meeting, after most in the gallery had drifted off, council chairwoman Beth Daponte released the councils own ideas for savings, but she was quick to say that this plan was largely symbolic because it fell far short of closing the gap. The council, agreeing that it needed more time to consider the options, tabled the budget matter for the February meeting. Impediment The states hospital tax is prventing us from doing the work we know our community expects and deserves. Dr. John Murphy, president and CEO of Western Connecticut Health Network, in the wake of the Connecticut Hospital Association and 24 hospitals, including Dantury, Bridgeport, Norwalk, Stamford and Greenwich, filed paperwork claiming Connecticuts tax on hospitals violates state and federal law. The enemy Many in the Republican Congress feel as if the ATF is not their friend, but their enemy. Thumbs up to restoration of the tax benefit for rail commuters that is equal to what drivers can get for parking. Thanks to recently passed federal legislation, now those who take the train to work can set aside $255 monthly before taxes to help with transportation expenses. The new pre-tax option is permanent, unlike a 2009 bill that expired four years later and left rail commuters able to save only up to $130 a month before taxes. Not only is the new measure fair, but also it serves to encourage the use of mass transportation instead of putting more vehicles on already clogged highways. Thumbs up to Newtown Police Chief Michael Kehoe who retired on Wednesday after 37 years with the department, and as chief since 2001. He led the department through the darkest time in the towns history, the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School three years ago that killed 20 first graders and six educators and traumatized many of the police officers who responded to the scene, then had to keep the town as orderly as possible while thousands came to visit impromptu memorials or attend the funerals. Kehoes steady presence has helped the town in its long recovery. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BRIDGEPORT A young mother is dead and her 9-year-old son was fighting for his life after the pair were struck by a pickup truck late Monday afternoon on a downtown street. It was a grim scene Monday evening, as officers cordoned off the intersection of John Street and West Avenue while others searched the road for evidence. Right now, its just a matter of trying to figure out what happened and why, Bridgeport Police Capt. Brian McCarthy said. McCarthy said the mother, 40-year-old Carmen Martinez, of Fairfield Avenue, and her son, who was not immediately identified, were crossing John Street, about 20 feet from the intersection, at 4:12 p.m., when they were hit by a GMC pickup truck driven by 70-year-old Joseph Frazier, of Berkley, Mass. The driver of the pickup truck did stop and remained at the scene, said McCarthy. At this point, he has not been charged, pending further investigation. The boy was taken to Bridgeport Hospital in critical condition and later transferred to Yale-New Haven Hospital. Frazier was not injured, police said. Police were also questioning a city bus driver at the scene, but he declined to comment to a reporter. A number of people gathered at the intersection after the crash. One man, who wouldnt give his name, said he heard the woman had been killed as she shielded her son from the brunt of the crash. But police said they could not confirm that assertion. The incident was the first pedestrian death of the new year in Bridgeport. Hours later, the intersection was quiet, and police were gone. The lights from the signs of the two competing dollar stores on either side of the street reflecting off the wet pavement, near where the woman and her child had been hit. "Santeria": The new series to be filmed in Cuba by an American chain Submitted by: Juana Entertainment United States 01 / 11 / 2016 The US television network Starz announced that, as part of a strategy to diversify its programming and reach the Latino audience, it will produce the series Santeria, set in Cuba and its religious landscape. Although it is still unknown if Cuban actors will be hired for starring, Chris Albrecht, executive director of the broadcaster, announced yesterday at a press conference, that production will be under the baton of Cuban director and writer winner of the Goya for the film Juan of the Dead, Alejandro Brugues. Similarly, Americans Eduardo Sanchez (The Blair Witch Project, "From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series") and Gregg Hale (Exists, Lovely Molly, The Blair Witch Project), will serve as executive producers. Santeria deals with the story of two undercover agents who investigate a strange murder related to a war between opposing sects of the religion of African origin. source: www.cibercuba.com Double murder trial day 4: A star witness for the prosecution backed out in the courtroom The prosecution case in chief has to change its line up of witnesses when one decides not to take the stand when called to do so Tuesday morning. Rubio-Demings debate: They went at it ... inflation, abortion, guns In the only senatorial debate among the candidates, Marco Rubio and Val Demings go head to head at Palm Beach State College in Lake Worth Beach. Talking Points: Impact of g lobal commodities rout on earnings may vary Banks earnings eyed to gauge impact of China turmoil US D ollar may help domestic consumers , hurt exporters Losing Money Trading the US Dollar? This Might Be Why. Currency markets have mirrored volatility across global stock exchanges in the early days of 2016. This puts the spotlight on the fourth-quarter corporate earnings reporting season in the days ahead, with traders looking to share prices as a potentially formative driver for price action across the asset class spectrum. Since the last earnings season, familiar headwinds including the slowdown in China and a firming US Dollar remain in the spotlight. Indeed, the potential for negativity on both fronts has arguably firmed after the Federal Reserve issued its first post-QE rate hike in December and Beijing attempted further Yuan devaluation while battling equity market volatility, setting off aggressive risk aversion. While the latest developments are unlikely to appear in upcoming fourth-quarter earnings numbers, traders will size up the results through the prism of recent volatility. The drop in global commodity prices represents a telling intersection of the dominant themes at play. Most global commodities are priced in terms of US Dollars and China is the largest source of demand for raw materials. This makes the broad-based trend in commodities a useful bellwether for the bigger-picture forces shaping earnings trends. Weaker commodity prices have both positive and negative implications for US corporate earnings. For example, refined petroleum is the USs top export commodity, accounting for roughly 7.2% of cross-border sales (totaling $102 billion). This has meant that oil refineries and producers struggle to maintain profitability. On the other hand however, US car companies are seeing an increase in demand as cheaper fuel emboldens buyers. In a similar way, falling metals prices have hurt producers bottom line but fueled demand in advanced manufacturing industries, like aerospace. With these factors in mind, commodities impact on the US earnings season may yield a mixed bag of outcomes. China-linked volatility has become a strong theme driving markets in early 2016 and traders will look to earnings announcements to size up prior vulnerabilities as they gauge the likely fallout from the latest selloff. The impact of sentiment swings on banks and investment firms is likely to be of paramount interest. The selloff in China has spilled over into the wider markets. This may hurt a host of the major financial institutions activities, including credit provision, trading and portfolio management. The implications of US Dollar strength are likewise conflicting. While this may help global export growth, it may also have adverse effects on US-based exporters. However, it is important to note that US household consumption accounts for roughly 68.4% of GDP. A stronger USD boosts consumers purchasing power, which may ultimately prove supportive for US growth and that of the world at large. Needless to say, this could ultimately amount to be a positive narrative for earnings. Traders will look for evidence of such a scenario in earnings reports from companies delivering consumer staples as well as retail-oriented tech stocks. The great Labour hero Aneurin Bevan once denounced the British Medical Association as a small body of politically poisoned people. It was nearly 70 years ago and the doctors union was threatening a national strike in protest at the creation of the NHS, which it said would compromise its members independence, cut their income and reduce their status to that of mere civil servants. They eventually relented, but only after extracting huge bribes from the Labour government. Bevan then health minister said ruefully that he had had to stuff their mouths with gold to get the service off the ground. Fast forward to the current doctors dispute and there are distinct echoes of that acrimonious time. The union is still trying to hold the government to ransom and is again prepared to put patients at risk by calling a strike which is essentially over money (file image) Of course, the BMAs politics have lurched to the Left and its leaders now regard themselves as guardians rather than enemies of the NHS. But the union is still trying to hold the government to ransom and is again prepared to put patients at risk by calling a strike which is essentially over money. The BMA describes itself as apolitical but theres little doubt where its affiliations lie. Its deputy chairman a Labour Party member likens Tory policy statements to Nazi propaganda and a member of its junior doctors committee has called on other unions to picket hospitals on the three planned strike days to help make the first real crack in the entire edifice of austerity within the UK. Does that sound apolitical? What a deeply depressing state of affairs that anyone needing to go to hospital today will probably have to cross a picket line of doctors backed by rabble-rousers from Labours hard-Left. Thousands of patients will suffer as a result of this action. We can only pray nobody dies. Is this really what junior doctors want? True, many will work more weekends under Health Secretary Jeremy Hunts proposals for a seven-day NHS and some out-of-hours shift rates will be reduced. But no one will work longer and an 11 per cent pay rise should soften the blow. As for the remaining strike days, we urge doctors to defy their politically-driven union leaders and go to work (file image) No one is suggesting that Mr Hunts proposals are perfect but he is trying to rectify the appalling situation where patients are 15 per cent more likely to die if admitted to hospital on Saturday or Sunday than during the week. Isnt it in everyones interests that both sides should thrash out a mutually acceptable way of delivering a full seven-day service? What could be more important to any healer than the safety and comfort of the sick not just Monday to Friday but every hour of every day of every week? As for the remaining strike days, we urge doctors to defy their politically-driven union leaders and go to work. And about time too! After a long career presiding over chaos and ineptitude at a string of public bodies, Lin Homer announced her retirement yesterday. Not before time. There was the postal votes scandal when she was at Birmingham city council which a judge said would have disgraced a banana republic. On her watch at the Immigration Directorate, then Home Secretary John Reid said the department was not fit for purpose. And at HMRC she had to explain why millions of tax bills were miscalculated. For all this she was made a Dame and given a pension pot worth 2.2million. Also on his way is Environment Agency chief Sir Philip Dilley, accused of misleading MPs over why he was sunning himself in Barbados while much of northern Britain was under water because his flood defence systems had failed. Advertisement A photographer who spent five years capturing the euphoria of mums with their day-old babies in London has used her poignant project to highlight the plight of new parents in a country where they are forced to give birth in filthy and dangerous conditions. Jenny Lewis, 41, from Hackney, east London, went to rural Malawi to document the elation and overwhelming relief felt by new mothers whose babies have survived birth in the unsanitary health centre where they are forced to give birth. She took her One Day Young project, which saw her release a series of powerful images of UK mums with their newborns last year, to the African country after teaming up with international development charity WaterAid for their new Deliver Life appeal tackling the shocking fact that one baby a minute dies due to unclean environments. Jennifer Nkhoma, 20, with her baby boy Joseph at two days old in their home of Ndekawako Village. His arrival was all the more precious as Jennifer's first baby was delivered stillborn Liviness Banda, 19, with her baby boy at two days old, outside their home in Chileta village. The first-time mum lives in a large extended family with great maternal support from her mother and mother-in-law The result is an even more poignant collection of images, which not only show the joy of giving birth, but also the triumph in the face of adversity endured by the mums, most of whom had to walk hours while in labour to reach the germ-ridden Simulemba Health Centre. All the women featured in the photos gave birth at the centre which serves more than 70,000 people and delivers around 90 babies a month - but there is no running water, only four toilets, crumbling bathrooms and no sterilisation equipment. New mothers and their families have to source safe water and clean blood-ridden bathrooms themselves - and the highly unhygienic conditions mean both mums and their newborn babies are vulnerable to deadly infections like sepsis. Around 15 cases of maternal sepsis and up to 20 cases of neonatal sepsis are diagnosed every month at the centre - a disease which accounts for 11 per cent of maternal deaths around the world. It is, however, preventable through good hygiene and safe drinking water. But despite the squalid conditions, hope and happiness shines through in each of the shots by Jenny, who has been taking portraits of parents for some 15 years and travelled to the homes of the mothers to take the touching shots. Jenny, who released a book based on the project in London, said: 'Taking One Day Young to Malawi was a world away from my original project in Hackney. Without clean running water, the women I met were giving birth in the toughest conditions Ive ever seen. Mother Rita Shaba, 24, with her baby Ruth pictured at home in Mbale Village. She had to clean the blood-ridden bathroom herself in a bid to keep them both safe during her stay Madalitso Chirwa, 20, is pictured here with her little girl Linda in her home of Simon Village. The young mum was too scared to use the dirty toilets at the hospital and was relieved to be home 'Yet what struck me the most was seeing the triumphant victory that every new mother feels, even in this dangerous environment. 'Strength and joy were as ever present in my photographs here as they had been at home in London. While this series celebrates life, it also highlights the enormous challenges many women face to do the most natural thing in the world - give birth.' Among the mothers who form part of the poignant project is Jennifer Nkhoma, who is photographed with baby Joseph. The little boy is especially precious to her as her first baby was stillborn. Although overjoyed with her new arrival, Jennifer, who walked four hours to reach the centre, found the lack of water at the health centre a real struggle. 'There wasnt enough water,' she said. 'Several times I had to wear dirty clothes because there wasnt enough water. Its right to be pregnant and be wearing dirty clothes, or spend the day without bathing.' Efrida Phiri, 32, with her baby boy less than a day old in her home in Nelson. She is now a mum of five, but says 'you can never get used to giving birth' When at the centre, Jennifer's mother-in-law Margaret had to collect water for her to use from a nearby water pump - but fights often break out over supplies as the community it serves is unhappy about the hospital using it. Jennifer said: 'Nearby the bathing area people go and urinate outside, its the flow of urine that comes into the bathing area that makes it smell.' Conditions at home are also challenging for Jennifer, who has to climb down a muddy bank to collect water which is dark brown in colour and has leaves and insects floating in it. Jennifer said: 'I am worried as a mother. The water is not protected, the water is not clean so the likelihood of Joseph getting sick is very high.' But she dreams of a better future for her newborn son Joseph. And simply says: 'I want Joseph to do something better.' Esther Banda, 28, with her baby girl Joyce at less than 24 hours old. She had a dramatic delivery, as her baby was in the wrong position - but mother and baby are now doing well First-time mother Joyce Sibande, 21, proudly holds her baby girl less than a day old in the maternity ward of Simulemba Health Centre - she walked two hours to get there while in labour Like her mother Elizabeth - who was the first woman to give birth in the centre in 1979 - years before her, Rita Shaba experienced the horrific conditions at the centre and had to clean the blood-ridden bathroom herself in a bid to keep her new daughter Ruth safe. 'Theres a huge problem with water. I had to clean the bathroom myself for me to bathe. I couldnt have bathed in that bathroom, seeing somebody elses blood.' BIRTH IN MALAWI 2 million people have no access to safe water, while 10 million people dont have access to adequate sanitation. For every 1,000 births, 46 babies die before they reach their first birthday. More than 3,000 children die every year from preventable diarrhoeal deaths. The maternal mortality rate is high: 510 women out of every 100,000 women. In the UK, the equivalent figure is 8. Advertisement As there's no electricity and just one lightbulb in the delivery room that runs sporadically from two ill-functioning solar panels, Rita was forced to use torches to see. 'I dont want my daughter to go through the same thing', she added. When Joyce Sibande, 21, gave birth, her overwhelming happiness was tinged by anger, for there was not enough water to clean her precious baby. She had walked two hours to the health centre from their village while in labour. Her mother, Vestina, said: 'A hospital must be clean. A hospital must have water very close. How do you help patients when theres no water nearby? They didnt have enough water to clean the baby, clean my daughter. 'The bathroom is very dirty, very dirty. There is no hygiene, you can easily get diseases from there.' New mother to baby Caroline, Miriam Mvulaalso, spoke of the horror of using the dirty bathroom. 'I took a bath this morning. There was a lot of smell; I had to hold my nose. So it was difficult. And since theres no one who supervises the cleaning of the bathrooms, some people just leave dirt and blood all over the bathroom, so its not hygienic. 'Thats the main problem that I had to face while I was there. I was very scared, but that was all I had, so theres nothing that I could do, but just to use the bathroom,' she said. Miriam Mvula, 24, with her baby Caroline, one-day-old, in Mwenjezi Village. When Jenny visited her, was clutching a packet of Panadol as she was in pain following childbirth. The new mother said: 'I am happy, but not much, because Im in a lot of pain! But after the pain has gone, you will see how happy I will be' Justina Chirwa, 40, with baby boy Jonathan at one-day-old in Nkhambule Village. The mother had spent three-and-a-half weeks at the centre, because she was so overdue, and slept on a hard floor in a shelter Efrida Phiri, 32, also had to walk for more than an hour to get to the centre while in labour with her husband Richard and mother-in-law Chrissy. And when they reached the hospital, they were shocked by the conditions. Richard said: 'My plea is that the hospital will be helped, so that other people dont have to go through what we have gone through.' At home Efrida has to walk for about 30 minutes to collect water which isn't even clean - they are not able to boil the water and by washing their newborn baby boy, they will be forced to expose him to the risk of bacteria and infection. When Jenny photographed Justina Chirwa, 40, she has been at the health centre for three-and-a-half weeks, because she was so overdue. She was forced to stay in a shelter sleeping on a hard floor and bathing in a dirty bathroom during that time, having to fetch water herself. She said: 'I was drawing water from the borehole outside the hospital. It was difficult to carry, because I had problems with my legs. My legs would go numb when carrying the water.' Alinafe Phiri, 20, with baby boy Boyson, at two-and-a-half days old in Siliwuka Village. Alinafe was very ill in the early stages of pregnancy from drinking the water by her house Esther Banda's sister Joyce fetched water for her - but struggled to get it from the nearby borehole due to discontent among locals. Joyce said: 'I couldnt collect water from the borehole by the hospital because the communities there are so unruly. When we go here there say "no, you cant collect the water, the borehole belongs to the community, not the hospital." So instead of quarrelling, I just went to the school which is a distance from the hospital.' For Alinafe Phiri, 20, who is pictured with her baby boy Boyson, her ordeal started soon into her pregnancy. She became very ill through drinking the water near her house. She said: 'The water is dirty, even cows drink from there. When I was two months pregnant I thought I was going to die. I felt like maybe I would have a miscarriage.' Chris Wainwright, head of communications, WaterAid said: 'Despite the adversity these new mothers face, their hope still beams out of Jennys photos. This winter WaterAid wants to Deliver Life and bring safe water to mothers and their families around the world.' A lesbian couple who both got pregnant within weeks of each other gave birth their newborn sons just four days apart. Kate Elazegui, 41, and her wife Emily Kehe, 38, gave birth to sons Eddie and Reid, respectively, in December - nine months after their doctor Joo Kang told them that the chances of them both getting pregnant at the same time were slim. Kate was trying IVF at the time, which they were paying for out of pocket, when their doctor encouraged Emily to start insemination. 'I did not realize how many women have fertility issues,' Kate told New York Magazine. 'I mean, we don't necessarily have fertility issues, we're just gay. We just didn't have a penis. But seeing the same women there every day so many women in New York City are trying to get pregnant and struggling and its so hard to talk about. Its sad that we cant be open about it.' Beating the odds: Kate Elazegui (L) and her wife Emily Kehe (R) both got pregnant within weeks of each other even though their doctor told them that the chances of them conceiving at the same time were slim Special bond: Kate, 41, and Emily, 38, gave birth to their newborn sons Eddie and Reid, respectively, in December. There deliveries were just four days apart The couple, who wed in 2013, had spent over $10,000 on the donor sperm of a poet they named Keanu because they thought he looked like Keanu Reaves in his baby pictures. Kate spent six months of insemintations trying to get pregnant when she decided to try IVF as a last resort. When Dr. Kang suggested that Emily start insemination, they both wondered what would happen if they both got pregnant at the same time. But because they were both feeling impatient, they agreed. 'We didn't know how fertile she was,' Kate recalled. 'Emily is the poster girl for womanhood. Her body was like, boom!' We didn't know how fertile she was! Her body was like... Boom! Dr. Kang called them two weeks later to reveal that Emily was already pregnant. Kate, who was still in the midst of taking IVF drugs and giving herself hormone injections, admitted that she felt 'very sad inside' that her wife got pregnant on the first try. However, exactly three weeks after Emily learned she was pregnant, Kate called her at work to let her know that she was also expecting a child. 'It was so overwhelming. I mean obviously,' Emily said. 'I was so happy for her, but I was like, "Holy s**t, what are we going to do?"' Kat added: 'We were like, "Oh my God, we just overshot this. We can't live in a one-bedroom apartment with two babies!"' The two quickly decided that, in order to create a suitable home for their soon-to-be family-of-four, they would need to leave their city lifestyle behind and move to the suburbs. So they headed to Maplewood, New Jersey, where they made an offer on a house. And while Emily's pregnancy was as easy as her conception, Kate struggled with gestational diabetes and didn't enjoy being pregnant like her wife did. Double the luck: Kate was trying IVF when their doctor suggested that Emily start the insemination process. Emily became pregnant after the first round, and Kate learned she was expecting three weeks later Matching bumps: 'Just having someone understand exactly what you're going through was incredible,' Emily said of she and her wife being pregnant at the same time But Kate said they didn't complain to each other because neither of them had 'energy left to be sympathetic' to the other. 'There were moments where it would have been nice if one of us wasn't pregnant. But the camaraderie, just having someone understand exactly what you're going through was incredible,' Emily added, as she recalled wishing there was someone to move boxes or cook when they were exhausted. Emily was 10 days late when her water finally broke on December 9. After going 19 hours without an epidural, she finally requested one at 11pm, and the doctors estimated that she would give birth at 5am the next day, opting to send everyone - including their doula - home, until the following morning. However, when the doctor came back to check on her, she felt a head. Kate held her leg and pushed her son Reid out in nine pushes. Because she was still pregnant, Kate said no one gave her a hard time about staying over night, even though they didn't pay $900 for a private room. Emily said that after two days in the hospital the doctors let them go a bit early because Kate was sleeping upright in a chair. They were home for a day when Kate announced that her water had broke. Reid stayed in the waiting room with Kate's mom while Emily helped support her during her labor. 'I think it was harder for Kate because she had just watched it and then had to go through it,' Emily noted. She went on to say that Eddie was blue when he came out because the cord was pressed against his head. Emily said she was terrified, however, Kate said she was able to hold her son right after she heard him cry for the first time. Worth the investment: The couple, who wed in 2013 (pictured), spent over $10,000 on the donor sperm of a poet they named Keanu because they thought he looked like actor Keanu Reaves in his baby pictures After all of her pregnancy struggles, Kate is also having a more difficult time breastfeeding while Emily has no issue with it. In fact, Emily has even taken to breastfeeding Eddie when Kate can't. 'For her, shes able to bond with Eddie in a better way than I can with Reid,' Kate admitted. 'She has Eddie on her breast at least three or four times a day. Hes latching on to her. He knows her.' She also went on to say that is 'your maternal instinct is to take care of the baby you gave birth to'. It's definitely a challenge to bond with them both - we have to remind ourselves there is another baby 'Its definitely a challenge to bond with them both,' she noted. 'Intellectually, we have to remind ourselves that theres another baby. Of course I love Reid, but Im getting a lot more time with Eddie because Im breastfeeding him.' Kate explained that she has 'fight against the favoritism you start to feel' because she is partial to Eddie because she carried him for nine months. The couple both share the household responsibilities and pro-actively plan who should take a nap and when. Kate noted that the entire experience has made her sympathetic to other mothers whose partners go back to work and leave them along with their babies. 'Sure, two babies is a lot but we have four boobs, two moms, we have the same leave,' she explained. 'We both know we can help each other. I have my best friend doing it with me.' Emily explained that they are both on maternity leave until March and are actively looking for a nanny, and while their are moments where she thinks it would be easier to have only one child, she said she wouldn't give up their experience for anything. Terry Richardson is known for being one of the most controversial photographers in the fashion industry - and seems to delight in shocking the world at every opportunity with his over-the-top and very risque images. So it should come as no surprise that when it came to celebrating the impending birth of his twin babies with his assistant-turned-girlfriend Alexandra 'Skinny' Bolotow, the 50-year-old photographer chose to do things a bit differently than your average parent-to-be. Eschewing the traditional stork-themed decorations many might select for such a happy occasion, Terry instead opted for a variety of lewd and crude accessories and party favors that looked as though they would have been better suited to a wild bachelorette party than a baby shower. Celebrate good times! Controversial photographer Terry Richardson and his girlfriend Alexandra 'Skinny' Bolotow celebrated the upcoming birth of their twins with a risque baby shower on Sunday Quirky: As evidenced by this Christmas card, Terry, 50, and Alexandra, 32, are never ones to do things by halves - or how others would expect of them - preferring instead to break the mold Sharing images from the event, which took place on Sunday, on his Instagram account, Terry offered his fans a sneak peek into the different details that went in to ensuring that the couple's baby shower stood out as being the only one of its kind. Starting off with the table decorations, Terry posted an image of a party-themed spread, which was decorated with a variety of toys and games, many of which were shaped like a man's genitalia. Even the tablecloth came complete with a garish 'Let's Party' penis print. And then there was the cake, an element of the party which Terry seemed most happy about. But forget your traditional gender reveal cake, which some couples choose to cut open at their baby showers, because, just as with the rest of their party, Terry and Skinny chose instead to have something slightly more in your face. In celebration of their unborn baby twins, the cake saw a mini model of mother-to-be Skinny created in icing, with the naked figure leaning back on a red blanket, legs spread, while two small heads poke out from in between them. Lying alongside the figure is a small iced dog, presumably meant to represent the couple's puppy, which they are often seen out walking in New York City. The bizarre baked creation appears to be a tribute to an image posted on Terry's Instagram account just a few weeks ago, which saw Skinny lying naked on her side on a red tartan blanket, however in this image just her baby bump, ribs and legs were visible, as opposed to her entire body. That's quite a cake! In place of a traditional gender reveal dessert, Terry and Skinny served their guests this somewhat graphic creation, complete with an iced figuring of the mother-to-be Quite a spread! Terry and Skinny eschewed traditional decorations in favor of something much more lewd Party favors! Terry also revealed that the couple had special personalized condoms at the shower, which had been printed with sonogram images of their unborn babies And while some might have seen the cake creation as being somewhat out of place at a baby shower, photographer Terry appears to have been over-the-moon about the confectionery treat, proudly posting an image of it on his Instagram, while writing: 'Such a fun baby shower yesterday! We were so touched by all the love and good vibes (and this great cake!).' The final picture shared from the event revealed the rather ironic party favors which guests appear to have received on their way out: personalized condoms printed with a copy of Skinny's sonogram images, along with the incredibly graphic pun: 'Skinny's babies: c***ing soon.' Terry and Skinny's baby shower comes just a few weeks before the the photographer's former assistant is predicted to give birth, and marks the latest in a long line of unique ways the couple has chosen to celebrate their pregnancy. For example, when it came to celebrating Christmas, the couple went all out to create a comedy card that all their family members, friends, and fans would enjoy, dressing up as Joseph and the Virgin Mary, before posing in front of the iconic Bates Motel for a photograph. And throughout the pregnancy, Skinny's changing body shape has also been documented by Terry in a series of artistic nudes, the most of recent of which was posted just a few short weeks ago. True to form, Terry shared the silhouetted image, which was taken from the side, and focuses in on his girlfriend's swollen stomach and breasts, on his Instagram account, captioning the picture with one simple word: 'Momma.' Momma: Throughout Skinny's pregnancy, Terry has been documenting her changing body shape with a series of nude portraits, including this most recent one, which was captured in December Loving portrait: Terry took this intimate photo of Alexandra showing off her baby bump six weeks ago Don't worry, be happy! Terry shared this image of his assistant-turned-girlfriend at a doctors appointment with two ultrasound gel smiley faces to represent each of their twins He then added a double heart emoji, no doubt in celebration of the two babies that the couple are expecting in the spring. The image, which has received more than 14,000 likes since being posted, also shows the top of Skinny's bottom, as well as a trace of long underarm hair. And although the risque snap might seem shocking to some, for the proud parents, it has become something of a tradition during the two months since they confirmed that they are expecting. At the end of November, Terry shared a picture of Alexandra lying down on her side on a rug, totally naked, with an arm covering up her breasts. He captioned the picture: 'Party of three.' And two weeks before that, in early November, Terry shared his first image of Alexandra flaunting her baby bump, which saw his former assistant posing in a pair of tights and a lacy black bra, with her hands behind her back, sticking out her bump. 'Happy Hump Day,' Terry wrote as the caption. The pair certainly seem to be having fun documenting the various stages of their pregnancy - with almost all of the photos including a witty caption, or a fun-filled element. 'Hump day': Alexandra posed for this image not long after their confirmed that they are expecting Fall day: The couple are pictured walking around New York City's West Village in November, when Alexandra's bump was just beginning to show prominently Earlier this month, Terry posted an image of his assistant-turned-girlfriend at a doctors appointment, having had her exposed bump decorated with ultrasound gel which was used to draw two smiley faces - one for each of their twins. Terry captioned the photo: 'Don't worry be happy.' The photographer first confirmed his girlfriend's pregnancy this fall by posting a picture of the announcement featured in New York Post's Page Six on his Instagram page. 'Babies' first Page Six shout out!' he wrote. 'We weren't planning to make this news quite so public quite so soon, because we are very cautious after going through some very difficult and heartbreaking losses, and always afraid of jinxing it, but since the cat is out of the bag... 'Skinny and I are very excited to let you guys know that we are expecting TWINS in the spring!!! 'This has been a difficult journey and we are so thankful to be surrounded by so much love and support from our friends and family, and some incredibly smart doctors! 'I'm sure the kids will be excited to use this as a Throwback Thursday one of these days!' Alexandra has stood by Terry's side among many alleged scandal, starting as his intern before becoming his full-time employee. While she was an intern in 2004, she was photographed performing oral sex on the photographer while wearing a tiara labeled 'slut'. Celebration of success: The photographer, who is known for his sexually explicit images, has had 20 years of his work honored in a new photography book, Terry Richardson: Volumes 1 & 2: Portraits And Fashion Star-studded portraits: Terry photographed James Franco in drag for the cover of trans magazine Candy in 2010 (left), and he photographed Cindy Crawford getting a Champagne shower in December 2012 (right) Other explicit photos of her that were taken by Terry appear in his 2005 book, Kibosh. After the famed photographer received countless accusations of sexual misconduct by multiple models, for which he was never actually charged, Alexandra came to his defense. 'I think part of being a strong woman is owning the decisions that youve made in your life,' she told New York magazine for their cover story on the photographer in 2014. 'Trying to put the onus onto someone else for your own decisions is really cowardly and kind of dishonest.' Terry has photographed countless celebrities, including Beyonce and Miley Cyrus, however, the photographer, who is known to many as 'Uncle Terry', has been accused of pressuring models into posing for sexually explicit photoshoots and performing unwanted sexual acts with him on set. Terry has continued to deny the allegations, writing on his blog that he was 'really hurt by the recent and false allegations of insensitivity and misconduct'. It has long been all about keeping up with Kim, but whilst the new mother is nesting at home, her doppelganger little sister is dominating the headlines. Kylie Jenner, 18, bares an uncanny resemblance to her big sister as she showcases her assets in a sultry new photoshoot. In celebration of being named as a brand ambassador for skincare and body care line Nip + Fab, Kylie showcases her incredible body as she poses in a racy sheer top revealing her black bra. Scroll down for video Kylie Jenner, 18, looks sensational as she wears a completely sheer top and skin-tight trousers in celebration of her latest beauty campaign In another snap, she wears a figure-hugging peach dress, which highlights her enviable curves. Speaking to FEMAIL about her latest campaign, the reality TV star said: 'I am so excited to be working with NIP+FAB again, I love the products as they are really cute, effective and super easy to use. 'I first got introduced to [the brand] because the range was so popular and I kept hearing people talk about it, so I tried the Glycolic Pads and I was obsessed! 'In the morning I always use the Dragons Blood Serum as it is the amazing base for my make up and is really moisturising.' The reality TV star-turned-business guru bares an uncanny resemblance to her big sister Kim Kardashian as she showcases her assets in a sultry new photoshoot In celebration of the new beauty campaign - her second for the brand - Kylie showcases her incredible body as she poses in a racy sheer top revealing her black bra The brand's founder and CEO, Maria Hatzistefanis, who joins the star in the shoot, added: 'I love working with Kylie, we make it fun. We had a great day shooting and filming, sharing our beauty and fashion tips and laughing a lot. 'Kylie is a beauty icon and at the forefront of fashion and beauty trends, making her the perfect ambassador.' While supermodel Kendall Jenner is walking the runways of Paris and Milan, Kylie Jenner's penchant for wearing bold lashes and overlined lips has turned her into the beauty guru of the reality TV family. After a campaign early last year, this is the star's second campaign for the brand, and she's shared some of her best beauty tips and secrets to celebrate. In a video accompanying the campaign, Kylie took the opportunity to remind fans that she has always been blessed in the beauty department, growing up with clear skin - even when her now-20-year-old sister Kendall was struggling with terrible acne. Speaking about her latest campaign, Kylie, who displays her flawless skin in the shoot, said: 'I first got introduced to [the brand] because the range was so popular and I kept hearing people talk about it, so I tried the Glycolic Pads and I was obsessed' The brand's founder and CEO, Maria Hatzistefanis, left, who joins the star in the shoot, added: 'I love working with Kylie, we make it fun' Maria, who is an Instagram star in her own right, added: 'Kylie is a beauty icon and at the forefront of fashion and beauty trends, making her the perfect ambassador' 'I never have bad skin,' she tells Maria, who also goes by Mrs. Rodial, in the clip. 'But my sister had really bad skin growing up. And the only thing that really helped her was to find a good dermatologist.' Kendall has spoken out about her skin problems in the past, writing on her blog in October that her complexion woes started in eighth or ninth grade. 'I had such bad acne when I was younger,' she wrote. 'It completely ruined my self-esteem. I wouldnt even look at people when I talked to them. I felt like such an outcast; when I spoke, it was with my hand covering my face.' Kylie has been much more lucky, explaining in the video that she sticks to fairly simple skincare routine to maintain her clear face. In a video accompanying the campaign, Kylie said that her sister Kendall, 20, left, grew up with acne (pictured in October 2010), whilst Kylie (right, in 2010) was blessed with clear skin 'I still like to wash my face in the morning. Sometimes I'll have leftover mascara, so I like to just take everything off, start fresh. And then I'll usually be doing my make-up,' she says, detailing her mourning routine. When it comes to actual cosmetics, the star says she actually likes 'just a natural look for every day', preferring to go 'as light as possible' with items like mascara and bronzer. For nights out, though, it's a different story. Kylie has already revealed her drawers upon drawers of make-up in videos on her app, and she says that it's necessary to have a variety of products. 'The powders that you use are really important, especially when the camera hits you,' she says. 'I feel like your make-up looks completely different... in photos than it does in person.' Kylie also revealed that she washes her face every morning, but admitted that she doesn't always remove her mascara before going to bed She's a fan of Nip + Fab's skincare line - especially Dragon's Blood Fix Plumping Serum (left) Besides talking up Rodial bronzers and powders, she also says that she is 'obviously into Kylie Lip Kit'. 'I'm addicted. I wear it every day, I cant leave the house without it,' she says, but insists that she's now taking it a bit easier on the lip liner. 'I started not over-lining my lips as much.' When she comes home, she strips all the make-up off again - perhaps one of her secrets to having such good skin. 'Then sometimes I'll scrub my face,' she tells Maria, who has just launched her own documentary series on YouTube, The Mrs. Rodial Project, all about the day-to-day running of her successful skincare brand. As for where she gets her inspiration, Kylie implied that she's inspired by fans just as much as they are inspired by her. 'With new make-up looks, I'll probably, honestly, just see stuff on Instagram,' she shares. 'Like people will tag me in stuff and I'll get good make-up tips from that. Also I follow all my make-up artists and my family's make-up artists, so I see the looks that they do on other people.' But when it comes to her wigs and extensions, she's less about the do-it-yourself approach. Papa John's version of the margarita contains whopping 58 grams of fat Pizza giant Domino's is packing more calories and fat into its takeaways than the company states in its nutritional advice, an investigation by a Channel 4 programme has found. The research into high-street pizza chains, conducted for the Tricks of the Restaurant Trade show, tested medium-sized versions of the popular takeaway for fat and calorie content. Domino's cheese and tomato pizza was found to contain up to 13 per cent more calories and 11 per cent more fat than the official information released by the company. Channel 4 programme Tricks of the Restaurant Trade, which airs tonight at 8pm, found that Domino's pizzas contained more fat and calories than the company advertised A cheese and tomato pizza was found to contain 150 more calories and 4grams more fat than the company's nutritional information suggested The company told Femail that all their pizzas are made to order by hand...meaning there are 'naturally occurring differences in the average nutritional profile of each serving' Presenter Kate Quilton analysed a selection of pizzas from some of the UK's biggest chains including Pizza Express, Zizzi and Papa John's. The resulting fat contents may surprise takeaway fans. A medium-sized cheese and tomato pizza from Papa John's was found to contain nearly 58 grams of fat, with almost half of that saturated fat. A pulled pork Napoli pizza from Zizzi had 68 grams of fat, the same as six and a half bags of Walkers crisps. The programme also decided to test the accuracy of nutritional content given online by Domino's, one of the biggest pizza chains. The laboratory analysis of a Domino's medium original cheese and tomato with classic crust pizza showed a big variation in calorie and fat content when the levels measured were compared to the figures that are made available by the company. When it came to fat content, there was found to be 4 grams more in the pizza than the official information suggested, and it also contained around 150 more calories than stated. And when the show compared Domino's offering to a wood-fired traditional pizza made by an independent restaurant in Bedford, while the calories were roughly the same, the fat content was around double in the Domino's version. Inaccuracies were found with the company's nutritional content in other areas too. When it came to salt content, the pizzas tested had a gram less than advertised. Laboratory tests revealed listeria innocua was present in a medium rare burger bought from a Byron restaurant. Although a mild strain of bacteria, experts say it suggests more deadly strains could be present They found one of the medium rare burgers from restaurant chain Byron contained listeria innocua Channel 4's Tricks of the Restaurant trade sent burgers from three upmarket burger restaurants for tests Louise Butler, spokesperson at Dominos, defended the company's nutritional advice. She told Femail: 'As all our pizzas are freshly made to order by hand, there can be naturally occurring differences in the average nutritional profile of each serving. 'The variations are within the limits allowed by law but we recognise that giving our customers accurate information to make informed choices is important. 'Thats why weve taken this opportunity to remind our team members of the need to ensure the amount of cheese and toppings per pizza, are as close as possible to our guideline amounts.' Domino's aren't the only company to feel the heat of Channel 4's research. In last week's episode of the show, it was burger chains who were put to the test with the programme exposing just how easily deadly bacteria can be served up at popular high street chains. Minced beef bought from the upmarket burger restaurant Byron was found to contain listeria innocua. Although a mild strain which does not cause disease, experts warned the presence of it only served to show that other potentially lethal strains of bacteria - such as E.Coli - could easily be found there. Leading food poisoning expert Professor Hugh Pennington told Channel 4's Tricks of the Restaurant Trade they should be banned. While rare steak has long been served, the trend for rare burgers is more recent. But burgers are more of a health concern than steak because contamination on the outside of a cut of meat can be mixed into the middle of the patty where it gets less heat needed to kill the bacteria. Speaking to MailOnline, Professor Pennington said the trend of dishing up rare burgers is a 'serious public health issue.' A clever beauty blogger has demonstrated how you can achieve Kim Kardashian-worthy contouring in just 30 seconds using a roll of Sellotape. Huda Kuttan, a Dubai-based make-up artist who commands a 10 million-strong Instagram following, posted the timelapse tutorial on 6 January, and claimed it was the 'easiest way' to contour your face. Contouring has fallen firmly into the mainstream since Kim Kardashian posted a photo of herself with dramatic streaks of white highlighter and dark foundation. There are now thousands of products which claim to help you achieve the look. The technique uses two or more different shades of foundation to create a trick of the eye; darker hues give the illusion of naturally chiselled cheekbones and a more angular face, whereas the lighter shades highlight areas like the bridge of the nose and the forehead. In her DIY tutorial, Huda brandishes a roll of matte Sellotape before sticking pieces in parallel lines along her cheeks, nose and forehead. Huda Kuttan wowed fans with her 30-second guide to creating a more angular face and chiselled cheekbones Huda's timelapse tutorial involves sticking pieces of Sellotape to her cheeks (left), nose and forehead (right) When the 11 pieces are all secured, she begins applying dark foundation with a soft brush, using the tape as a stencil before removing it. She is then left with a series of neat dark lines, which she blends with a cream-coloured highlighter using a make-up sponge. The end result is a flawless complexion, and Huda's fans were clearly impressed, with 215,000 likes and more than 16,000 comments. The blogger used two different shades of foundation and a soft brush to create highlights and shadoes Huda showed fans how to use the Sellotape as a stencil and daub different shades of foundation onto the skin However, some fans were baffled by her claim that it was 'easy', with one commenting: 'imagine doing this every day lol' and one adding: 'It says the easiest way! Wtf?' Another said: 'This seems like it would take so long wtf' and one commented: 'U must be kidding'. One simply wrote: 'No thanks.' Huda keeps her fans updated with daily selfies and make-up how-tos. She is known for her unusual techniques, and her recent posts include a multicoloured 'rainbow' hair tutorial as well as a guide to highlighting using pink, green and yellow foundation. Kim Kardashian posted this selfie in 2012, giving her fans a behind-the-scenes peak into her beauty regime Huda removes the Sellotape (left) before blending the two colours with a make-up sponge (right) After visiting Downing Street on Friday to discuss the Syrian refugee crisis with David Cameron, Queen Rania continued her whirlwind tour of Europe today, touching down in Belgium. The Jordanian royal, 45, first met with the country's Prime Minister Charles Michel before heading to the Royal Palace for an audience with Queen Mathilde. This afternoon, Rania made her way to an EU meeting at the European Commission headquarters. European Commssion President Jean-Claude Juncker welcomes Queen Rania of Jordan ahead of a meeting at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels to try and find a resolution for the Syrian refugee crisis A very regal meeting: Queen Rania of Jordan, wearing a beige coat with pink trim arrived to meet Belgium's Queen Mathilde, who welcomed her guest in a blue lace top and knee-length A-line skirt First stop, Brussels: Queen Rania met up with Belgian PM Charles Michel to discuss the Syrian refugee crisis. The Jordanian royal, 45, wore a colourful purple dress for the meeting Queen Rania started the day off wearing a colourful purple and black dress with a fitted short-sleeved black cardigan. The mother-of-four arrived for the discussion with Charles Michel wearing her hair tousled and pinned back at the top and finished the look with towering black heels. After the meeting, PM Charles Michel took to Twitter to describe the discussion of the humanitarian crisis as 'interesting'. He wrote: 'Interesting meeting with @QueenRania on Syrian refugee crisis. I will represent Belgium at Syria Donors Conference.' Queen Rania then made a very quick outfit change; swapping her purple dress for a camel and pink-coloured coat with pink bag. Mr Junker meets the 45-year-old queen as she continues her quest to raise awareness about the plight of the Syrians displaced by Isis and President al-Assad's regime Common objective: Rania greets Mr Juncker; her third meeting of the day after she spoke with Prime Minister Charles Michel this morning and met with Queen Mathilde at lunchtime She looked relaxed as she met Queen Mathilde of Belgium, who welcomed her guest in a blue lace top and knee-length A-line skirt. The respective royals met to discuss encouraging international support for Jordan's education system, which has seen some 150,000 Syrian students enrolled into the country's schools. A final date this afternoon saw her greeted by EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker as Rania arrived for a meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels. It is thought Rania will continue her quest to encourage support for Jordan, which has seen thousands of Syrians enter the country. During her time in London and Brussels, she has highlighted how her country's resources, infrastructure, and education system has been affected by the arrival of refugees in recent months. Perfectly co-ordinated: Queen Rania then changed into a camel-coloured jacket with pink trim, pink scarf and and a pink handbag Royal reception: Queen Mathilde leads Queen Rania through the halls of the Royal Palace Smiles: the queens pose for gathering photographers at the Royal Palace Wearing her hair tousled and loose, Queen Rania looked relaxed and keen to convey her plea for support for the Syria's refugees PM Charles Michel took to Twitter to report on the 'interesting' meeting with the Jordanian queen Last week, Queen Rania arrived in Downing Street to urge David Cameron to find a 'new approach' in dealing with refugees running for their lives from ISIS and Bashar al-Assad's forces. The monarch said the Prime Minister and other leaders must take 'bolder measures' to deal with the crisis, which has seen displaced Syrians flee to neighbouring countries, including Jordan. Queen Rania of Jordan said European nations must 'address the needs of refugees' during talks in Downing Street. But she added: 'I would like to thank the British people for their generosity and support and compassion in dealing with this, what could be one of the worst humanitarian crises that we face in our time.' On February 4th, London will host the Syria Donors Conference. A cordial handshake: Queen Rania arrives in Brussels for the first of her meetings, with the Belgium PM, Charles Michel Welcome to Belgium: Rania continued her European tour this morning with a stop in Brussels There to greet the Jordanian queen was PM Charles Michel, who later tweeted about the discussion She's applauded for her effortlessly sophisticated style but Queen Letizia showcased her thrifty side today by stepping out in an old favourite. While attending an engagement in Madrid, the 43-year-old Spanish monarch donned a plum-coloured Jamayla blazer by Hugo Boss that she has worn a whopping six times before. Today, mother-of-two Letizia added a playful edge to the smart jacket by pairing it with the matching Valessima skirt and a collarless, candy pink coat. Thrifty queen: She's applauded for her effortlessly sophisticated style but Queen Letizia showcased her thrifty side today by stepping out in an old favourite Pretty in pink: While attending an engagement in Madrid, the 43-year-old Spanish monarch donned a plum-coloured Jamayla blazer by Hugo Boss that she has worn a whopping six times before Letizia first wore the aubergine blazer in January 2014 when she attended a meeting of the Spanish Federation of Blood Donors and then a couple weeks later when she visited the La Salle-college of Virgen del Mar in Almer. She donned it again in September 2014 during a visit to a school in New York and then to a fine arts award ceremony in February. She most recently stepped out in the autumnal-hued ensemble for a audience at Zarzuela Palace in October. Letizia completed the chic look with a pair of nude Prada pointed heels and a leather clutch bag. Chic: Today, mother-of-two Letizia added a playful edge to the smart jacket by pairing it with the matching Valessima skirt and a collarless, candy pink coat Paired back: Letizia blow-dried her glossy bob straight and kept make-up to a minimum for her daytime visit Simple accessories: Letizia completed the chic look with a pair of nude Prada pointed heels and a leather clutch bag Busy: Flying solo for her day of royal duties, Letizia visited the Foundation Against Drug Addiction in Madrid Braving the elements, she abandoned her black tights as well as blow-drying her glossy bob straight and keeping make-up to a minimum. Flying solo for her day of royal duties, Letizia visited the Foundation Against Drug Addiction (FAD) in Madrid. Her Majesty became the honorary president of FAD in September, taking on the role from Queen Sofia who served as patron for nearly 30 years. It is the second engagement of the year for Letizia who returned to public duty alongside her husband King Felipe VI on January 6. Looking elegant in an ankle-length black gown with lace detail and a cream fitted jacket, Letizia appeared relaxed at the traditional celebration of the Pascua Militar, a ceremony which is a long-standing tradition for the Spanish military, dating back to 1782. As Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Felipe, 47, donned his full military regalia for the event; only the second that he has attended as king. Patron: Her Majesty became the honorary president of FAD in September, taking on the role from Queen Sofia who served as patron for nearly 30 years Letizia is pictured walking into the Foundation for Help Against Drug Addiction meeting in Madrid A Spanish salute: King Felipe steps up to the podium and makes a royal salute with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to his right and Spanish Minister of Defense Pedro Morenes to his far left. Feliz ano nuevo! A relaxed-looking Letizia shakes the hand of some of Spain's most decorated military men, as King Felipe looks on It is tradition that the attending Queen wears a long dress and Letizia didn't veer from the dress code with her monochrome outfit. The parade, which was combined with a reception at the Palacio Real, was held to mark Epiphany - a national holiday in Spain. Considered almost as important as Christmas Day itself, Epiphany marks the moment when baby Jesus, at just a few days old, was seen for the first time by the Magi or Three Kings. Known in Spain as El Dia de los Reyes (Day of the Kings), it is celebrated with presents and colourful parades, the oldest of which takes place in Valencia. The biggest and most important, however, is Madrid's - thanks in no small part to the presence of a real king at the procession. It is only the second time the royal couple have attended the Epiphany celebrations as King and Queen after Felipe took the throne in 2014 A touch of the flamenco? Letizia's floor-length gown had pretty lace detail at the bottom It's a tradition that the attending Queen wears a dress that goes down to her feet for the Pascua Militar ceremony, which dates back to the 18th century Felipe chose the occasion to address the ongoing terror threat faced by European countries. He said in a speech: 'We have been through tough times, some of them with tragic outcomes, such as the violence the brutal onslaught of terrorism, which has brought death to so many cities, streets and squares across the world, and that has cruelly hit countries that are our friends, where citizens and fellow Spaniards have lost their lives.' The day will have proved a welcome distraction for the royals. The older sister of Felipe, Princess Cristina, is currently facing charges of tax fraud and will stand trial next week. Cristina, 50, is the first member of the Spanish royal family to face the courts since the Spanish monarchy was reinstated in 1975. The mother-of-three also dished about her upcoming 40th birthday and her clothing line Draper James When asked about what she likes to do in her downtime, Reese confessed that she loves organized her drawers and shelves Reese Witherspoon may be known for her Type A personality, but even her 'relaxing' hobbies are productive. The 39-year-old actress, producer, and budding lifestyle guru shows off her Southern charm as the cover star of the February issue of Harper's Bazaar, and during her interview with the magazine, she dished about what she likes to do in her downtime. 'I relax a lot. You know what I like to do?' she confessed. 'Reorganize bookshelves and my sock drawer.' Pretty in pink: Reese Witherspoon shows off her Southern charm as she models a ruffled Gucci gown and holds a parasol in new shoot for Harper's Bazaar Southern style: The 39-year-old actress, producer, and budding lifestyle guru also donned a dress and button down from her line Draper James, which is named after her grandparents However, the mother-of-three admitted that her husband, talent agent Jim Toth, finds her preoccupation with tidiness a bit baffling. 'Jim's like, "What have you been doing for four hours in your closet?" I'm like, "Um, reorganizing my underwear?"' she added. Inside the pages of the magazine, Reese looks every bit the Southern belle as she models a pink ruffled Gucci gown while holding a parasol. Another picture from the shoot sees her in a pale blue floral dress and striped button down from her clothing line Draper James, which she named after her grandparents. Reese, who opened her first brick and mortar store in Nashville in October, explained that she saw an 'empty space' in the lifestyle market that inspire her to start her brand. Always productive: The Harper's Bazaar cover star revealed to the magazine that she loves organizing her sock and underwear drawers in her downtime Film tycoon: Reese credits her husband Jim Toth (pictured) for encouraging her to use her love of reading to produce movies. Her company Pacific Standard produced Gone Girl and Wild, which premiered last year 'All these women in the South, they read fashion magazines, but nobody was telling the stories about their upbringingtheir mothers, their grandmothers who love getting dressed up,' she said. It's a feminine culture' Reese, who has a daughter Ava, 16, and son Deacon, 12, with her ex-husband Ryan Phillippe, and a three-year-old son Tennessee James with Jim, has also been taking on numerous film projects after her husband told her she should produce movies and create meaningful roles for women because she is such an avid reader. 'There was a point, around 2011, there were like five actresses that I admire very much and they all called me and said, "There's this role of this girlfriend in this movie", which was kind of just a terrible movie,' she recalled. 'And we're all kind of clamoring for this terrible part? We are so much better than this.' Novel idea: Reese is pictured on the set of her new HBO series Big Little Lies, which is based on the book of the same name by Liane Moriarty. The actress is the executive producer and one of the stars of the series Perfectly preppy: Reese posed with fashion guru Joe Zee while promoting her clothing line Draper James on the talk show FABLife With her production company Pacific Standard, Reese has adapted Gillian Flynn's thriller Gone Girl and Wild, Cheryl Strayed's memoir about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, into films, both of which received Oscar nominations last year. The actress, who starred in Wild, said Pacific Standard currently has 30 projects in development, including the HBO series Big Little Lies based on the book of the same name by Liane Moriarty. In addition to producing, Reese is co-starring in the series alongside Nicole Kidman and Shailene Woodley. 'My brain hurts sometimes,' she admitted of taking on so many projects. 'Sometimes I've been reading and watching movies for seven days, and I need a break.' Three generations: The mother-of-three is pictured with her lookalike daughter Ava, 16, and her mother Betty Reese. Ava is her child with her ex-husband Ryan Phillippe. The former couple also has a son Deacon, 12, Perfect match: Reese shared this precious photo of her with her eldest son to celebrate his 12th birthday Happy days: Reese and her husband Jim have a three-year-old son Tennessee James, who can be seen playing in a pool with his mom However, the multi-hyphenate, who said she was 'scared of everything' in her 20s, feels more confident than ever as she approaches her 40th birthday on March 22. 'I feel like a different person,' she said. 'It's a great thing getting older. You are who you are; you say what you mean. And if your face falls down a bit? I kind of enjoy that!' Reese revealed that she had planned on hiking Machu Picchu for her milestone birthday but will not most likely celebrate with her friends and family in Nashville. Princess Stephanie of Monaco packed her trunk and headed off to the circus today. The 50-year-old daughter of Grace Kelly and Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, visited the action-packed Big Top to help launch the 40th International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo. Mother-of-three Stephanie was all smiles at the photo call as she mingled with the star cast, which included flying Lycra-clad acrobats, mime artists and a clown duo. Princess Stephanie of Monaco packed her trunk and headed off to the 40th International Circus Festival in Monte-Carlo today The 50-year-old daughter of Grace Kelly and Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, pictured centre, visited the action-packed Big Top Mother-of-three Stephanie was all smiles at the photo call as she mingled with the star cast, which included flying Lycra-clad acrobats, mime artists and a clown duo Shunning a glittering dress, the princess dressed down for the occasion in a black hooded jacket, dark blue jeans. A grey t-shirt was just visible underneath her fleece. Meanwhile, Stephanie's brunette hair with a red tint was left loose around her shoulders while all make-up was kept to a minimum. During the visit, Stephanie, who eloped with an elephant trainer in 2000, was seen patting one of the circus' pachyderms, looking unruffled as it began waving its trunk. The royal is a huge supporter of the circus and first attended the event when she was just nine. Shunning a glittering dress, the princess dressed down for the occasion in a black hooded jacket, dark blue jeans. A grey t-shirt was just visible underneath her fleece Stephanie's brunette hair with a red tint was left loose around her shoulders while all make-up was kept to a minimum During the visit, Stephanie, who eloped with an elephant trainer in 2000, was seen patting one of the circus' pachyderms, looking unruffled as it began waving its trunk The royal is a huge supporter of the circus and first attended the event when she was just nine Stephanie, a patron of the awe-inspiring show, also helps to oversee the Circus Festival and is involved in everything from choosing the acts to the choreography Stephanie's father Prince Ranier was the brains behind the first festival, which now as then, specialises in traditional circus acts from clowns to acrobats Stephanie, a patron of the awe-inspiring show, also helps to oversee the Circus Festival and is involved in everything from choosing the acts to the choreography. Her father Prince Ranier was the brains behind the first festival, which now as then, specialises in traditional circus acts from clowns to acrobats. The festival is an annual event in the principality and has been running since 1974. Last year, Stephanie attended the event with her youngest daughter, Camille, and brother Prince Albert of Monaco. Controversy surrounded Camille's birth in 1998 as Stephanie neglected to name a father on her birth certificate. As such, Camille is not included in the line to the Monegasque throne, unlike her brother Louis Robert and her sister Pauline Grace. It was rumoured at the time that her father was Jean-Raymond Gottlieb who was Princess Stephanie's former body guard, but nothing has ever been confirmed. The festival is an annual event in the principality and has been running since 1974 Last year, Stephanie attended the event with her youngest daughter, Camille, and brother Prince Albert The newborn is Kody's 18th child with his wives Robyn, Meri, 44, Janelle, 45, and Christine, 42 Kody and Robyn also have a three-year-old son, Solomon, together Robyn, 37, gave birth to her daughter, who does not yet have a name, with the support of her husband, her midwife, and her parents The baby was born at the family's home at 10:10pm on Sunday Robyn Brown and her husband Kody have welcomed a baby girl into the world. The 37-year-old Sister Wives star gave birth to their second child together, a 9lbs 9oz, at home on Sunday night at 10:10pm. The newborn is Kody's 18th child with his wives Robyn, Meri, 44, Janelle, 45, and Christine, 42. The 46-year-old advertising salesman also has a three-year-old son, Solomon, with Robyn. 'Right now we haven't decided on a name,' Robyn told People. 'We have been searching for the right one for months, but nothing has felt right. We are just getting to know her now and waiting until she whispers it in our ear.' Scroll down for video Celebration: Sister Wives star Robyn Brown has given birth to a 9lb 9oz baby girl, her second child with her polygamist husband Kody Blessed: '"Baby Sister" is already opening her eyes and seems to love listening to all the voices of her big family talk around her,' Robyn, 37, said shortly after the birth The couple's midwife April Karmani and Robyn's parents Paul and Alice Sullivan were all there to support her during the birth. '"Baby Sister" is already opening her eyes and seems to love listening to all the voices of her big family talk around her,' Robyn added. Kody and Robyn revealed that the newest addition to their polygamist family would be a little girl in November during an episode of their TLC reality series. 'The whole family is so excited,' she said at the time. 'So many of them guessed ahead of time it was a girl.' Brood: Kody has four wives - (from left to right) Janelle, 45, Christine, 42, Meri, 44, and Robyn Kody has a daughter, Mariah, 19, with Meri; six children with Janelle, Logan, 21, Madison, 19, Hunter, 18, Garrison, 17, Gabriel, 15, and Savanah, 10, and then six more with Christine, Aspyn, 20, Mykelti, 19, Paedon, 16, Gwendlyn, 13, Ysabel, 12, and Truely, five. Meanwhile, Robyn has three children from a previous monogamous marriage - Dayton,15, Aurora, 13, and Breanna, nine. Kody's first wife Meri divorced him in September of 2014 so he could legally marry Robyn and adopt her kids. The two remaining 'spiritually' wed. Growing brood: The newborn baby will join Kody's 17 other children, three of whom are Robyn's children from another marriage, who Kody has since legally adopted Beliefs: 'We have chosen to live in a plural family for many reasons, above all we have a testimony that this is what God wants us to do, and that it will make us better people,' Kody has said of their family dynamic The TLC reality show, which has been running since 2010, documents the life of the polygamous family, which moved from Lehi, Utah, to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2011. Kody has defended their lifestyle against critics, explaining that his plural family has made him a better man. 'We have chosen to live in a plural family for many reasons, above all we have a testimony that this is what God wants us to do, and that it will make us better people,' Kody wrote on the family's website. 'We value family above all else.' Amy Schumer seems to be on a mission to give Taylor Swift's girl squad a run for its money, as the funny lady has added yet another beloved superstar to her mix of famous friends. On Tuesday, the 34-year-old shared an Instagram selfie taken with fellow blonde straight-talker Ronda Rousey, 28, with the duo seen hanging out in what appears to be a park. She simply captioned the snap with the word 'Ladies', leaving fans to wonder if they've become fast friends or are even working on an upcoming project together - since a wire can be seen peeking out from behind Ronda's ear. New friends: Amy Schumer posted a picture of herself hanging out with Ronda Rousey on Instagram Popular girls: Amy's growing girl squad also includes Jennifer Lawrence, whom she presented with at the Golden Globes on Sunday All's forgiven: Last year, people noted that Amy looks like UFC champ Holly Holm, who defeated Ronda in November This is the first recorded meeting of the stars, though they were brought together - in a way - on social media last year. After many fans remarked that Amy looks a lot like UFC Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm, the comedian took the opportunity to capitalize on their doppelganger status. 'I am so nervous to go head to head with @RondaRousey,' she tweeted back in August. When Holly then took the title from Ronda in November, Amy chimed back in: 'Thanks everyone for congratulating me on my win #ufc.' Ronda seems to have been able to take the joke well, despite describing the loss as 'really f***ing sad' in December. Stripping down: Ronda is set to pose naked in a painted-on swimsuit in the upcoming Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue - though she was fully clothed upon meeting Amy New additions? The duo also posed with America Ferrera and Eva Longoria at the award ceremony JLaw's outreach: Jennifer has also been seen hanging out with Emma Stone (back left) and Adele (right) So though Taylor's got the likes of Karlie Kloss, Hailee Steinfeld, Selena Gomez, Lily Aldridge, Jaime King, Martha Hunt, and Sarah Hyland in her group, Amy's circle of famous friends seems to be growing at a similar rate. On Sunday, she and fellow nominee Jennifer Lawrence sat next to each other - and even presented together - at the Golden Globes, with Amy joking that she was the A-Schu to Jennifer's JLaw. They also revealed last summer that they are working on a screenplay for a movie, in which they will both star as sisters. 'Amy and I were creatively made for each other,' Jennifer said, according to the New York Times. 'Its been the most fun experience of my life. We start the day off on the phone, laughing. And then we send each other pages. And we crack up.' Adding to the circle further, Jennifer was spotted out at New York City restaurant Cosme having dinner with Emma Stone and record-breaking songstress Adele in November. All the funny ladies: In December, Amy appeared in a Bad Blood parody on SNL while Amy Poehler and Tina Fey hosted Last f***able day: Tina joked that Amy owed her, since the Sisters star appeared in an episode of Inside Amy Schumer Amy has also buddied up with fellow comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, making an appearance during the duo's December Saturday Night Live hosting gig. The Trainwreck star came on during Tina and Amy's take of Taylor Swift's Bad Blood video, in which they parodied the idea of 'squads' - but still presented a pretty impressive one of their own. 'Our squad is veritable who's who. We hanging with Gayle King, Robert Downey, Sr., heard of Amy Schumer?' they sing in the hilarious clip before Tina says: 'Well I did her show, so she owes me one.' Took up chance to take part in trial that meant just 20 sessions of radiation 'Going to hospital nearly every day for two months seemed like a long time' When David, 73, was offered the chance to take part in the trial, he didn't hesitate After the initial shock of being diagnosed with prostate cancer, David Parker just wanted to get the treatment over and done with. 'Fortunately, the cancer was still confined to my prostate, but I was advised to have radiotherapy because it could otherwise spread,' says David, 73, a retired engineer from Surbiton, Surrey. 'The problem is that radiotherapy is usually done in 37 sessions; you have it five days a week for seven-and-a-half weeks. And going to hospital nearly every day for nearly two months seemed like a long time to me.' So when he was offered the chance to take part in a trial that meant just 20 sessions of radiation - at higher doses - he didn't hesitate. David was diagnosed with prostate cancer five years ago. He'd been going to the loo up to six times a night, which can be a symptom of the disease, but had initially dismissed this as a natural part of ageing. But when his younger brother, Barry, was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer at 63, doctors advised David to get tested, as the disease can run in families. 'Obviously I did so immediately and it was a good job I did, too, as I know that prostate cancer is very treatable in the early stages,' says David. A blood test revealed he had high levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in his blood; raised levels can be a sign of prostate cancer. A biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. Every year more than 41,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer; about 11,000 men die from it. The main treatments are surgery and radiotherapy; every year, about 15,800 prostate cancer patients have radiotherapy, often alongside hormone therapy, which works to shrink the cancer, delay its growth and reduce symptoms. Radiotherapy uses high-energy X-rays (usually delivered from outside the body) to destroy the DNA inside the cancer cells, causing them to die. The problem is that healthy cells can also be damaged, though modern techniques aim to target the dose very precisely in order to avoid this. Typical damage might be to the bowel, resulting in loose movements and a need to rush to the loo, and the bladder, causing more frequent and urgent urination. These problems usually resolve themselves within three to four weeks after treatment is completed. Before his radiotherapy, David underwent a month of hormone treatment - two fortnightly injections - to reduce the amount of testosterone (which can fuel prostate cancer) in his body, helping to shrink the cancer About half of prostate cancer patients suffer with temporary erectile dysfunction after radiotherapy. The standard treatment is to deliver the radiation over 37 days; the thinking has been that dividing it into many small doses (known as fractions) would better protect healthy tissue. But experts came to think that patients could be given larger doses over a shorter time as the more sophisticated technology available meant radiotherapy could be targeted precisely, so even with larger doses there would not be a greater risk to healthy tissue. This has been tested in a nine-year trial run by the Institute of Cancer Research and funded by Cancer Research UK and the Department of Health. Patients are given stronger doses of radiotherapy delivered over fewer sessions, cutting the standard treatment time in half. Apart from saving patients repeated hospital visits it could save the NHS tens of millions of pounds a year More than 3,200 patients were recruited between 2002 and 2011 - in all cases, the cancer had not spread outside the prostate gland. Results of the study, presented at the National Cancer Research Institute conference in Liverpool in November, showed the shorter, more intense treatment plan was as effective and did not worsen side-effects. As well as proving effective, the shorter courses of higher doses could also save the NHS millions of pounds a year, say the researchers. The findings echo previous results by researchers looking at radiation treatment in breast cancer. As well as reducing hospital visits for patients, this form of treatment is thought to have saved the NHS 50 million per year since 2009. The latest prostate cancer trial compared standard radiotherapy treatment with two higher-dose radiotherapy courses over a shorter duration - one group of patients had 20 doses (one a day, five days a week) in four weeks, the other had 19 doses in just under four weeks - but each session took ten minutes for all patients. In both higher-dose groups, the total overall dose was actually lower than with the standard treatment plan and the side-effects were similar in all three groups. All the men on the trial were treated with a radiotherapy technique called intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), which allows doctors to vary the intensity of the beams and shape them to the exact part of the prostate that needs to be treated. The latest prostate cancer trial compared standard radiotherapy treatment with two higher-dose radiotherapy courses over a shorter duration This means that a high dose of radiation can be directed at the prostate, without causing too much damage to the surrounding healthy tissue. Five years after the cancer treatment had finished, 88 per cent of the men who had been given the standard treatment were free from cancer, compared with 90 per cent in the group who had 20 rounds of higher-dose radiotherapy, and 86 per cent in the final group who had 19 doses. In addition, the researchers concluded that giving radiotherapy in high doses is safe and causes no more side-effects than standard, longer-term treatment. Before his radiotherapy, David underwent a month of hormone treatment - two fortnightly injections - to reduce the amount of testosterone (which can fuel prostate cancer) in his body, helping to shrink the cancer. Then followed the course of radiotherapy. 'For the first three months I had problems with my bowels,' he says. 'I had less control and I was going a couple of times a day. 'The doctors said the radiotherapy must have hit my bowel, which is why I suffered for the first few weeks, but it's now fine.' Five years on, he remains cancer free. Professor David Dearnaley, from the Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden Hospital in London, and the lead researcher in the trial, says: 'Our results make a compelling case to change practice within the NHS and move from a 37-day regimen to one that lasts 20 days. 'Apart from saving patients repeated hospital visits it could save the NHS tens of millions of pounds a year. 'The results apply to radiotherapy using high quality IMRT - these techniques are widely available across the NHS, which means implementation of the change could take place very quickly once the study results are published.' Professor Malcolm Mason, a prostate cancer expert at Cancer Research UK, adds: 'These results are great news for men. From a logistical and patient convenience point of view, being able to treat patients over a shorter period of time has been a goal for specialists, but the question has always been whether it was safe to do so. 'This study shows that it is safe and effective, and there should be no reason why this cannot be implemented immediately - it is saving NHS resources.' When you call an ambulance, you trust the paramedics who arrive to be trained professionals who know how to save a life. All paramedics should carry identification with the name of their employee - but in an emergency it is not what most people would think to ask to see. But perhaps we should do, for there's been a rise in the number of cases of people impersonating paramedics, even showing up at accidents to 'treat' patients. This can be done with alarming ease, as paramedic uniforms and vehicles can be bought online. It's not illegal, unlike impersonating a police officer. Tthere's been a rise in the number of cases of people impersonating paramedics or convicted of criminal offences while impersonating a paramedic. However, none has been convicted of impersonating a paramedic [FILE PHOTO] It is not even illegal to own an ambulance, though it is to drive one with the lights and sirens on, which is a road traffic offence. Take the case of Phillip Lemonheigh from Neath. Last May, a court in Swansea heard how Lemonheigh, then 59, wore a paramedic's uniform and disguised his car as an ambulance, with blue flashing light and stickers, to run errands. He was caught running a red light as well as doing 73 miles an hour in a 50 mph zone and giving a false name, and was jailed for 20 months and disqualified from driving for three years. At least eight people have been convicted of driving offences, as Lemonheigh was, in the past few years or convicted of criminal offences while impersonating a paramedic. However, none has been convicted of impersonating a paramedic. While there was no suggestion that Lemonheigh tried to treat anyone or take them to hospital in his car, others have. The paramedics' professional body, the Health and Care Professions Council, can pursue such impersonation through the courts, but has never done so. David Davis, a fellow of the British College of Paramedics, believes the number of paramedic fantasists is growing. 'It started about 15 years ago when the TV series Casualty began giving more prominence to paramedic characters,' he says. He believes the answer is to make it a criminal offence. At least eight people have been convicted of driving offences in the past few years [FILE PHOTO] One victim of bogus paramedics is Mrs Chic Hutchings, who is in her 80s. She was contacted by a family friend seeking temporary accommodation. The friend, Joshua Martyn, then 18, told Chic that he was a qualified paramedic. It seemed like a godsend; her husband Peter was dying of prostate cancer at their home in West Sussex and Joshua said he could help with Peter's care. 'He had a paramedic's car, so who was I to question that?' says Chic. In fact, Martyn didn't even have a driving licence. He had bought the car on eBay for 1,000, as well as medical equipment. He HAD already come to police attention in 2010 while pretending to be a paramedic to a 71-year-old woman in Crawley, West Sussex, but they could not take action as this was not in itself a criminal offence. He fooled everyone, including the GP who was visiting my husband. He pretended to help out by taking blood In September 2011, he was arrested and convicted of battery, as well as with using a vehicle while uninsured and untaxed and driving without a licence. He was banned from driving for six months and put on a six-month hospital treatment order. He was not convicted of pretending to be a paramedic. Two months later, he met Chic. 'He fooled everyone, including the GP who was visiting my husband,' she says. 'He pretended to help out by taking blood and doing blood pressure tests with the equipment he'd bought. 'When my husband needed a drip because he was dehydrated, Martyn pretended to fit one by taping the tube next to his leg and bandaging it over.' Chic's son, Tim, became suspicious after Martyn claimed to have put out a fire at Chic's house. When Tim checked with police, they said Martyn had never made an emergency call about the fire. 'But they knew about Martyn's crimes,' says Chic. 'They arrived at my house the next morning and took him away.' In March 2013, Martyn was convicted of fraud and assault on Chic's husband, through pretending to treat him, and was sentenced to five months' imprisonment at a youth offenders' institute. One victim of bogus paramedics is Mrs Chic Hutchings, who is in her 80s [FILE PHOTO] In 2014, he admitted further charges of fraud and theft. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison at Lewes Crown Court in August, but was released in September having served most of his sentence on remand. In October last year, he was recalled to prison to serve a further six months after being caught befriending vulnerable people again. 'Because of the legal position on impersonating a paramedic, it was difficult to deal with his activities,' says PC Jacqui Thornton, who has investigated several such cases. 'It took me three years to obtain the evidence required to put Martyn before the court.' She says another recent case presented similar difficulties. Liam Holohan, 22, was convicted in Kent in August 2014 for driving offences committed in his bogus paramedic car. Maidstone crown court heard that Holohan's wailing 'ambulance' led police on a 70 mph chase through a 30 mph zone. 'The court was powerless to do anything about his purporting to be a healthcare professional,' says PC Thornton. 'It could only deal with his driving issues.' Via her MP, PC Thornton has brought the issue to the attention of Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who said the Law Commission had examined the legal status of healthcare job titles and recommended the Government reviews how titles such as 'paramedic' can be better protected. But UK Government is now allowing one brand to be prescribed on NHS Are electronic cigarettes certified as safe to use? You might think so, given that the Government last week gave the green light for one brand to be prescribed on the NHS to help people to stop smoking. The drug safety watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare Product Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has awarded a prescription licence to British American Tobacco for its 'e-Voke' device. This could pave the way for further brands of the nicotine-vaporising gadgets to be prescribed to smokers. The drug safety watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare Product Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has awarded a prescription licence to British American Tobacco for its 'e-Voke' device [file photo] The decision comes in the wake of a review in August by NHS regulator, Public Health England, which declared e-cigarettes to be 95 per cent safer than tobacco and called for them to be prescribed as soon as possible. However, these positive moves mask growing scientific fears about the safety of the devices. Such concerns have already led to bans on their commercial importation by authorities in Australia, Hong Kong, Brazil and Argentina (though people can still buy them via the internet). In Britain, disagreements over e-cigarettes' safety have sparked fierce debate. On one side are scientists who believe the devices could save thousands of lives because they appear to offer a much better level of risk than cigarettes for current smokers. Supporters argue e-cigarettes help most smokers give up tobacco and it is rare for people who don't already smoke to take up vaping (as the practice of inhaling from e-cigarettes is known). However, on the other side are scientists who argue the devices should be shunned because their risks are unknown and they encourage non-smokers to become addicted to nicotine. E-cigarettes are designed to vaporise a liquid solution containing nicotine, to provide a smoker's high without tar and cancerous chemicals found in tobacco. Yet concerns have led to bans on commercial importation by Australia, Hong Kong, Brazil and Argentina The amount of nicotine they deliver varies. A test of 16 devices in 2012 by Queen Mary University of London found the top-performing e-cigarettes delivered 15.4mg of nicotine - three times as much as the lowest performers. But even 15 puffs from those at the top of the scale caused less nicotine to be inhaled than a conventional cigarette, the study in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research found. However, recent research indicates e-cigarettes may themselves bring risks of cancer and other smoking-related harms, such as cardiovascular disease. This month, for example, U.S. scientists claimed the vapour emitted by the devices damages DNA and could cause cancer, which they said could mean they are no safer than tobacco. The research by the University of San Diego in California was only on human cells in the lab. But the results are disturbing. [E-cigarettes] contain substances such as food colourings. While these chemicals have tested OK when swallowed, it may be different when you put them straight into your lungs The experiment continuously exposed normal cells from the human head and neck to strong e-cigarette vapours for up to eight weeks. Head and neck cancer is a significant risk from smoking conventional cigarettes. The exposed cells developed pre-cancerous DNA damage and died far sooner than similar cells not exposed to e-cigarette vapour, says the Journal of Oncology. In December, Spanish scientists warned in the journal Current Environmental Health Reports that a number of e-cigarette brands emit significant levels of a fine chemical soot, called PM2.5. This is known to cause death through cardiovascular disease. Meanwhile in September, research chemists from the University of California, Irvine, warned e-cigarettes produce the same amounts of the chemicals acrolein and acetaldehyde as conventional cigarettes. These irritants are known to cause lung damage that may lead to cancer or asthma-type breathing troubles, reported the journal Aerosol Science And Technology. Furthermore, the process of heating and vaporising the nicotine solution cooks up new chemicals including the carcinogen benzene and lung irritants such as n-butyraldehyde, also found in tobacco smoke, researchers warned in November in the journal Scientific Reports. Nicotine is increasingly coming under scrutiny. It's previously been considered biologically harmless, albeit addictive. But in August, experts at the authoritative U.S. Centres for Disease Control warned how lab experiments show that it can significantly impair the growth of brains and lungs in unborn babies, and affect the development of adolescents' brains. Professor McKee is concerned about the difficulty of ensuring the safety of all the e-cigarettes on the market In particular, exposure to nicotine can interfere with the normal growth of the hippocampus - an area of the brain that's associated with learning and memory - in teenagers. Similarly, Israeli scientists recently warned that nicotine and propylene glycol - a solvent in e-cigarette liquids - can inhibit the growth of nerves and tissues. This is especially concerning given the reported popularity of e-cigarettes among pregnant women and adolescents. Last April, a large British study at Liverpool John Moores University revealed one in five teenagers has bought or used e-cigarettes - including many who have never smoked cigarettes. The fear is that once teenagers get a taste for nicotine, they are likely to move on to real cigarettes. Meanwhile, e-cigarettes appear to backfire as a 'smoking cessation' tool for many adults, according to Martin McKee, a professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. 'E-cigarettes are commonly used by people who smoke cigarettes as well. Such people are called dual users,' he says. 'These devices enable them to maintain their addiction by not having to go outside every time they want a dose of nicotine.' 10m The number of adults in the UK who smoke Advertisement Professor McKee is concerned about the difficulty of ensuring the safety of all the e-cigarettes on the market. There are nearly 500 brands, in more than 7,000 flavours, and only one product - e-Voke - 'has gone through the rigorous process to be approved as a medicine'. 'We really have no idea of what is in many of these things,' he says of the other products. 'They also contain substances such as food colourings. While these chemicals have tested OK when swallowed, it may be different when you put them straight into your lungs.' Indeed, in December, U.S. safety experts warned that e-cigarette users could be at risk of developing a lethal disease, bronchiolitis obliterans, where tiny airways in the lungs become inflamed and scarred, reducing air flow. The only cure is a lung transplant. Scientists at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health lab-tested samples of smoke from 51 flavoured e-cigarettes and found diacetyl in 39. Often used in fruit, sweets and alcohol-flavoured e-cigarettes, diacetyl has been linked to bronchiolitis obliterans. Though safe when eaten, it may be hazardous when inhaled over time. In September, Professor McKee and Simon Capewell, a professor of public health and policy at Liverpool University, published a critique of the call by Public Health England that e-cigarettes should be prescribed on the NHS as soon as possible. The British Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners, are concerned They argued the committee had been influenced by tobacco companies and the advice was based on 'weak scientific evidence'. Professor Kevin Fenton, the director of health and wellbeing at Public Health England, disputed the accusations, arguing: 'Nearly 80,000 people a year die of a smoking-related illness and smoking costs the NHS 2 billion a year. 'By spelling out current evidence - that while e-cigarettes are not risk-free, they carry only a fraction of the harm caused by smoking - we're fulfilling our national remit.' Nevertheless, the British Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners, are concerned. Dr Ram Moorthy, deputy chair of the BMA's science board, acknowledged the health risks are likely to be 'significantly lower' than those associated with smoking tobacco. However, he told Good Health: 'There is still a lack of robust research and evidence on the long-term safety of e-cigarettes.' Dr Tim Ballard, vice-chair of the Royal College of GPs, adds: 'Potentially, there may be a place for the prescription of e-Voke, but GPs would be very wary of prescribing it until there is clear evidence of safety and efficacy.' British American Tobacco (BAT), whose product is the only one approved for prescription, acknowledges that 'no product is free from risk'. A spokesman adds: 'Questions are being asked about the possible long-term effects of inhaling substances in e-liquids, such as glycerol and propylene glycol. Advertisement This is the moment a furious taxpayer lost his temper at striking junior doctors when one smirked at him after he warned them they were playing God with peoples lives. Stephen Minister, 53, was driving past Lincoln County Hospital where 230 appointments were cancelled when he spotted hospital staff waving placards and decided to politely confront them over the strike. But after reminding them of their duty of care, he claimed he saw red when one smirked at him after he recalled how his sister died prematurely from brain cancer after doctors allegedly ignored her symptoms. In an outburst captured on camera, he bellowed: I think you should be disgusted with yourselves, you swore a Hippocratic Oath to protect peoples lives not to spit your dummy out and come out here. Scroll down for video In a heated exchange, Stephen Minister, 53, approached several junior doctors standing on the picket line outside Lincoln City Hospital and bellowed 'I've got no patience for you' after becoming exasperated by today's strike which has seen thousands of doctors walkout Mr Minister, 53, said he was driving past Lincoln County Hospital in Lincolnshire today where 230 appointments were cancelled when he noticed around 20 junior doctors waving placards and decided to politely confront them before becoming angry when one smirked In the tense footage, Mr Minister can be heard bellowing at two male junior doctors: Ive got no patience for you. He added that doctors were being egged on by Corbyns cronies and bullied by the trade unions who were bringing back the dark days of the Seventies. Speaking from his bungalow near Lincoln this afternoon, Mr Minister said: I told them that I did not think what they were doing was right, as all the appointments that had been cancelled for patients meant they would have to wait longer and possible interventions for life-threatening conditions such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease would take longer for those people. I told them they were playing God with peoples lives and that they had taken the Hippocratic Oath to heal people, and that I would hate for anything to happen to any of the patients whose appointments had been cancelled. I pointed to one of the TUC representatives who was there and told them they were not helping themselves by aligning themselves with Corbyns cronies as we cannot go back to the dark days of the 1970s. I told them they should be ashamed of themselves and explained that my sister, some years ago, went to see her local doctor who told her not to pester him because there was nothing wrong with her. A few months later she died from a terminal brain tumour at the age of 44. When I was telling the doctors this one of junior doctors moved forward and just smirked at me. I saw red and told him a few home truths. Around 20 junior doctors were protesting in the drizzle at 8am outside Lincoln County Hospital, with one wearing his white doctors coat with a stethoscope around his neck. Others wore orange high-visibility bibs and held BMA signs saying, We are one profession. We stand together. Stephen Minister, 53, said he lost his temper after a striking doctor 'smirked' at him when he told them about the death of his sister from cancer. He is pictured shouting at the striking doctors in Lincolnshire today, telling them they are letting themselves be 'bullied by unions' Around 20 junior doctors were protesting in the drizzle outside Lincoln County Hospital, with one wearing his white doctor's coat with a stethoscope around his neck. Others wore orange high-visibility bibs and held signs saying: 'We are one profession. We stand together' Mr Minister, who is unemployed, had been on his way to get his car serviced when he pulled up a short distance from the picket line and spoke to the strikers. Part of the tense exchange was posted on BBC Radio Lincolnshires Twitter page today. Speaking later, he added: They are putting peoples health and lives at risk. If you had been waiting three months for an appointment and it was cancer or diabetes or heart disease, if you are then told your appointments been cancelled and you have to wait another three months, that could mean the difference between something being treatable and being terminal. When they are striking they think they are having a go at the Government, but they arent they are having a go at every man, woman and child whose appointment is cancelled. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt leaving home this morning. He has been blamed by junior doctors for today's industrial action but insisted many training medics continued to work despite the strike I dont think people in the emergency services should be allowed to strike. United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust, which runs Lincoln County Hospital and three other hospitals, said 23 outpatient clinics were cancelled, resulting in more than 200 appointments being cancelled. A&E services were working as normal and all operations were due to go ahead as normal. Some 94 out of 470 junior doctors across the Trust were involved in the dispute. Andrew Prydderch, deputy director of operations, said: The hospital is open as normal for accident and emergency services. We have no impact there. Planned procedures and other elective surgery are going ahead as normal. The biggest impact will be on our outpatients services 23 clinics have been cancelled. Thats about 230 appointments. Any patient who has been affected by this strike has already been contacted. We are already starting to plan for future actions. We have to make sure that the services we provide are safe. The bigger issue is our outpatients capacity. We will have to plan. Lincoln County Hospital has been hit by an outbreak of the winter vomiting bug since mid-December, with 12 wards affected at its peak The outburst came as junior doctors today hit back at Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt after he claimed almost 40 per cent of them were working through the strike. Mr Hunt insisted that 'nearly 40 per cent of junior doctors' had turned up to work despite the industrial action over the terms of new contracts. But junior doctors and the British Medical Association (BMA), which is behind the strike, pointed out that the vast majority of those who worked had already agreed to go in to provide emergency care, and few would have been voluntarily breaking the strike. In response to a tweet setting out Mr Hunt's claims, Keil Shiels, a paediatric registrar from London, wrote: 'It wasn't a full walkout. That is how many of us it takes to cover emergency services.' And a Twitter account set up by medics at St George's hospital, south London, tweeted: 'Nearly 75% of junior docs didn't go into work today. The remainder provided emergency care.' A BMA spokesman said: 'Since we asked junior doctors who would be covering emergency care to go into work today it is hardly surprising that they have done so along with those who are not members of the BMA. 'The simple fact is that the government cannot ignore the thousands who have today made it quite clear what they think of the government's plans.' Mr Hunt had earlier praised medics who went to work despite the strikes, particularly those at Sandwell General Hospital in West Bromwich, which declared a state of an emergency shortly after the industrial action began. The Health Secretary told the BBC World at One programme: 'As I understand it in the latest update I had on the Sandwell situation, the doctors on the ground ignored the national BMA instructions and did go back to work. 'I think that shows the values of junior doctors in the end they want to do the right thing for patients and I salute them for it.'provide emergency care, and few of those would have been voluntarily breaking the strike.' Junior doctors are pictured demonstrating outside the Houses of Parliament in central London today in a dispute over new contracts A junior doctor holds a poster saying 'Protect our Contract' as he takes part in a picket outside Kings College Hospital, London, today Doctors took to Twitter today to explain Jeremy Hunt's claims that 40 per cent of doctors went into work despite the planned strike WHY ARE DOCTORS GOING ON STRIKE? What is the dispute about? The Government wants to introduce a new contract for doctors working up to consultant level to replace the current one which is 'outdated'. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt wants to introduce a 'truly seven-day NHS'. He plans to cut the number of hours on a weekend that junior doctors can claim extra pay. Under the most recent proposals, doctors will receive an 11 per cent rise in basic pay - but extra pay for 'unsocial' hours will be cut. What do junior doctors get paid? Trainee doctors currently have a starting salary of 22,636 in their Foundation Year 1 (F1).This rises to 30,000 within four years. Doctors in specialist training receive a starting salary of 30,002. Prior to becoming a consultant this can rise to 69,000. Under the present system shifts from 7pm to 7am Monday to Friday and the whole of Saturday and Sunday attract a premium rate of pay. Under the new plans, a higher rate would run from 10pm to 7am Monday to Friday, and from 7pm on Saturday evenings (a concession on the previous 10pm). Advertisement Mr Hunt today defended his handling of the strike, which is the first by junior doctors in 40 years. He told the BBC: 'This is a wholly unnecessary dispute. We want all NHS patients to have the confidence they will get the same high quality care every day of the week. 'At the moment, for example, if you have a stroke at the weekend you're 20 per cent more likely to die. That cannot be right. 'That's something every doctor wants to sort out as well so the right thing to do is to sit round the table and talk to the government about how we improve patient safety and patient care.' Mr Hunt said eight studies in five years has laid bare the different mortality rates and said as Health Secretary he was 'responsible for everything that happens in the NHS'. He continued: 'I can't in all conscience as health secretary sit and ignore those studies. 'We have to do something about this. People get ill every day of the week and all doctors want to have a service where we offer fantastic care.' Sandwell General Hospital in West Bromwich emailed its junior doctors at 8:15am telling them it had declared a so-called 'level 4' emergency and they should return to work. Dr Roger Stedman, Medical Director at Sandwell, told staff it would be 'unsafe' for patients if they went through with the industrial action. But many the strikers stayed on the picket line after the British Medical Association said the so-called emergency was not a 'major unpredictable incident'. Dr Steadman later released a statement saying: 'Over the last two days we have had very high numbers of patients come to hospital, and fewer than usual discharged. 'Because of that we decided to require trainee doctors allocated to ward work to attend Sandwell during today's strike.' The NHS defines an 'escalation level 4 incident' as one in which there is 'severe pressure' on the local health service, meaning it is 'unable to deliver comprehensive emergency care'. But junior doctors from Sandwell General who continued to strike despite the call to return insisted they were right to remain on the picket line. Dr Anne De Bray, who has worked at the hospital for a year, said: 'If there had been a major incident like a terrorist attack or road accident we would drop our placards and head in. 'We have all brought out stethoscopes and a change of clothes. But the BMA have said there's no danger to patients.' Junior doctors on the picket line outside Tunbridge Wells Hospital, Kent this morning after the 24-hour walkout over contracts began A junior doctor holds her baby and a handmade placard as she takes part in a picket at King's College Hospital, London Toby Lewis, the chief executive of the NHS trust in charge of Sandwell, later admitted that there had not been 'a major incident' at the hospital, but it has seen 'considerable and unusual pressure'. The row at Sandwell General came as more than 50,000 medics around the country took part in the 24-hour strike in a protest against changes to their pay and working conditions. Thousands of operations and appointments have been cancelled in preparation as people are warned to stay away from hospitals and only attend if absolutely necessary. Poll Do you think the junior doctors are right to go on strike? Yes No Do you think the junior doctors are right to go on strike? Yes 4095 votes No 3980 votes Now share your opinion Junior doctors will only provide 'emergency care only' until 8am tomorrow when the strike ends. This means some of them will still be on rota to work in Accident and Emergency departments and cover other emergency services in hospitals. NHS England claims that everything possible is being done to ensure the provision of safe emergency care and to minimise the impact on patients. Yesterday, it issued the following advice to the public stating: Urgent and emergency care services will be available as normal but hospitals are expected to be under additional pressure Where possible, people should contact their GP, seek advice from their local pharmacist, call NHS111 or consult the NHS Choices website Where it is an emergency, people should call 999 or go directly to A&E GP services will be available as normal and anyone who thinks they will need an appointment is encouraged to organise this before industrial action begins Any patients who have procedures or appointments affected by industrial action will be contacted by the providers if they need to be rearranged. People should be particularly attentive to their health over this period and look out for more vulnerable members of their families and communities. It emerged today that other hospitals, including those run by the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, have drawn up contingency plans for what to do if junior doctors were needed on wards, but have not felt the need to call back striking workers. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell and Labour MP Dennis Skinner were today pictured joining a BMA picket line at St Thomas' Hospital in London as thousands of junior doctors went on strike The Green Party's Caroline Lucas and Natalie Bennett also joined the picket at St Thomas' Hospital, London WHAT IMPACT IS THE STRIKE HAVING ON THE NHS? 3,960 operations, scans and tests cancelled and postponed until a later date 17,500 outpatients appointments cancelled and postponed Patients who are affected will have received letters through their door. Otherwise they should turn up as usual A&E units may be crowded patients advised to stay away unless they are seriously ill GP surgeries busier patients have been urged to avoid trying to make an appointment today as some surgery doctors are on strike Advertisement The British Medical Association's junior doctors' leader, Johann Malawana, said conditions for junior doctors need to change. In a video posted to the BMA's Twitter site, he said doctors have 'even been unable to get leave for their own weddings despite months - and even up to a year - of notification in advance', adding that the situation 'cannot continue'. Junior doctors have taken action after weeks of talks between the BMA and the Government failed to reach an agreement. Dr Kitty Mohan, from the BMA's junior doctors committee, told the Today programme: 'The assurances simply aren't good enough here. 'We really need proper contractual safeguards in order to keep junior doctors - and their patients - safe.' Asked if doctors are prepared to go through with two more planned strikes, she said: 'It is exceedingly difficult for junior doctors. This isn't the reason why we go into medicine and have a medical career. 'Even today is breaking the heart of many junior doctors and therefore we really urge the Government to negotiate with the BMA.' Extra consultants, doctors and nurses who are not protesting have been drafted in to provide cover for their striking colleagues while most outpatient clinics and non-essential treatments have been cancelled. Locums already scheduled to work today will be able to work as normal but a law prevents employers from using agency staff to cover striking workers. There are also 17,000 junior doctors who are not BMA members who are expected to work. Junior doctors on the picket line outside Maidstone Hospital in Kent as a doctors go on strike for 24 hours in a dispute with the government over new contracts Doctors from St Thomas' Hospital in London wore their medical scrubs as they protested opposite Parliament Doctors form a picket line outside the hospital in Portsmouth as people post pictures on Twitter of their protest Further walk outs are planned for 48 hours on Tuesday, 26 January as well as a full walk-out, which will include A&E junior doctors, from 8am to 5pm on Wednesday, 10 February. David Cameron begged junior doctors to call off their 'damaging' strike, saying it will cause 'real difficulties' for patients and 'potentially worse' scenarios. This is a wholly unnecessary dispute. We want all NHS patients to have the confidence they will get the same high quality care every day of the week. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt The planned industrial action was suspended last month hours before the first planned walk-out after union representatives and the Government agreed to get back around the negotiating table. But despite weeks of discussions on medics' proposed new contracts, the BMA last week announced its plans for disgruntled employees to walk out for the first time in 40 years. Officials said they were confident the contingency plans will provide safe and effective care to patients. 'We have tried and tested plans to deal with a range of disruptions including industrial action,' said Anne Rainsberry, the NHS England director overseeing preparations, said. 'As ever, the safety and care of patients is our top priority and the NHS has robust plans in place to ensure those who need emergency treatment will continue to receive it. 'We have been working with hospitals and other NHS providers across the country to ensure we can continue to protect the safety of our patients and provide the urgent services they need. 'We will monitor the situation across the country to ensure these plans are in place, and are ready to respond to any significant increases in pressure in any region over the course of this dispute.' About 100 pickets have formed in England. Pictured: Doctors outside Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, hold a handmade placard The BMA will be supporting around 100 picket lines across England, pictured here in blue, as an estimated 45,000 junior doctors strike It said 1,425 inpatient operations and procedures have been cancelled as a result of the strike alongside 2,535 outpatient ones. It said there were about 4,000 cancellations in total, of which 3,400 are on Tuesday. We really need proper contractual safeguards in order to keep junior doctors - and their patients - safe. Dr Kitty Mohan of the BMA The dispute centres around Jeremy Hunt's revised contracts for junior doctors. He claims the new contracts will make hospitals safer by ensuring more doctors work evenings and weekends when death rates are up to 16 per cent higher. But junior doctors fear the new rotas will leave them exhausted and prone to mistakes, and that their overall earnings will be slashed. Under the proposed contract changes, junior doctors in England will get an increase in their basic pay, but will have to work more weekends while guaranteed pay rises linked to time in the job will be axed and bonus pay for working unsociable hours will be curbed. Last week, the Health Secretary said the Government thought it was 'making very good progress' in talks and he was disappointed the BMA had called strikes. Striking doctors outside Sandwell General in West Bromwich, where bosses attempted to get staff to work by declaring an emergency hours before the industrial action was due to start He said that 'no government' wanted to cut doctors' pay but changes must be made to increase weekend staffing levels. The Government's plan to get rid of 'pay progression', or automatic annual salary increases, is reportedly one key sticking point of negotiations. It is also understood that another key point involves plans to scrap fines imposed on hospitals which force junior doctors to work beyond their maximum hours, as determined by the European Working Time Directive. The BMA opposes the planned change, which would see a new system overseen by the Care Quality Commission. Thousands of medical students have also voiced their support to junior doctors by signing a pledge on the BMA website. England's chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies said on Sunday the strike would 'lead to patients suffering'. This morning, Jeremy Corbyn told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: 'We should recognise that junior doctors are qualified, extremely hard-working, deserve to be treated properly and (Health Secretary) Jeremy Hunt should now come to an agreement with them.' He added: 'I hope that Jeremy Hunt realises the need to come to an agreement very quickly.' There was a large turnout of doctors outside Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, Essex, this morning - many armed with large placards Doctors picketing outside Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. A nearby hospital declared an emergency as the strike got underway Shadow Chancellor, left-winger John McDonnell, joined junior doctors on the picket line outside St Thomas' this morning. Mr McDonnell, MP for Hayes and Harlington and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's closest supporter, said: 'I am here to stand behind junior doctors and offer my support for their call for serious negotiations and I mean serious.' A total of 28,316 junior doctors took part in a ballot in November last year, of whom 99 per cent voted in favour of staging industrial action and 98 per cent for an all-out strike. Junior doctors were set to walk out on 1, 8 and 16 December 1, 8 and 16 but the action was called off at the 11th hour when Acas tried to broker a deal to avoid disrupting hospital services. Even though these strikes were eventually averted, the threat caused mass disruption to the NHS as thousands of patients had operations or appointments cancelled. Some 20,000 operations were postponed that had been scheduled for one of the three planned strike days earlier this month. HOW HAVE WE GOT HERE? THE ISSUES AND ARGUMENTS BEHIND THE FIRST JUNIOR DOCTORS STRIKE IN 40 YEARS The Government Call for seven day NHS Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt wants to change the junior doctor contract because he said it is important to create a 'seven day NHS'. Mr Hunt, pictured left, has argued the contract needs to change to ensure there is the same level of cover provided at the weekend as weekdays. He has pointed to mortality data indicating more people die if they are admitted to hospital at the weekend. The Government said no salaries will be reduced under the terms of the deal and insisted any doctor working a legal number of hours every week would have the same money as on the current deal. Ministers said this would work by increasing basic pay but cutting the number of shifts available at a 'premium' rate. When the strike was confirmed, Mr Hunt wrote to BMA chair Mark Porter to express his disappointment. He said: 'I was very disappointed to hear of the decision by the BMA to initiate strike action. 'In particular, it is extraordinary that you have done so without fully considering the revised offer that my negotiators presented to you this morning which you refused to talk about during negotiations today. 'I believe we made good progress in the negotiations and given the many areas of common ground it cannot be appropriate to put patient safety at risk with a series of potentially damaging strikes without seeing these negotiations through in full.' The doctors 'Patient safety is crucial' Junior doctors have said they are going on strike because after years of negotiations, they have not received assurances over patient safety or their own working hours. In a pamphlet produced for the public, the BMA, under chairman Mark Porter, right, said doctors were protesting Government proposals to remove rules limiting how many hours they can work each week. They said this would lead to the imposition of a contract that was bad for patients and bad for doctors. Doctors have said they want assurances the hours they will work are safe and properly paid. The BMA said it has proposed a 'safe, fair and cost-neutral pay structure' which it feels meets the Government's 'financial requirements'. While they are happy to work overnight and at weekends, the doctors have also sought an acknowledgement of their right to a family life. In its formal position statement when it announced today's strike, the BMA said there were 'serious and worrying omissions' relating to patient safety. And it 'fundamentally rejected' the idea Saturday should be treated as a normal working day under the new contract. The BMA said: 'In the context of the Government's desire to move to services across seven days, without committing to the necessary increase in resources, junior doctors are willing to work with Government to deliver this policy but only in a sustainable way that does not make a career in medical practice less attractive.' Advertisement Should junior doctors be striking? Yes, argues one consultant who fears the NHS will not survive the proposed changes - while others claim the walk-out is 'disgraceful' and unprofessional... Here, they both share their their passionate views on the first doctors' strike for 40 years ... Patricia Thomson worked as a nurse for 41 years between 1959 and 2000. Speaking to ITV News today she branded the striking junior doctors 'disgraceful.' Her planned cataract operation at Worthing Hospital in West Sussex was thrown into doubt by the walk-out. Speaking as she arrived at the hospital, she said she was 'totally against any form of industrial action by medical staff.' 'I don't think it's professional - what's happened to the Hippocratic Oath?' she said. Retired nurse Patricia Thomson said today's strike was 'disgraceful,' adding she often worked seven days a week and was proud to do so Ms Thomson made her comments to ITV news when she arrived a Worthing Hospital for cataract surgery 'Yes, doctors shouldn't be having to work enormously long hours but to me this is a political thing. It is not to do with the patients, it is not to do with the care of us. 'Who cares about us? Alright, a cataract is not life-threatening - but I think it's perfectly disgraceful. 'I was a nurse from 1959 to 2000 and I worked full-time and I worked seven days a week and sometimes more than that perfectly happily. 'It was a privilege, we were taught to look after patients.' Dr Rob Galloway is an Emergency Medicine consultant at Brighton and Sussex University NHS Trust. Here, writing for MailOnline, he explains why strike action is crucial for the future of the NHS... Dr Rob Galloway, a consultant at Brighton and Sussex University NHS Trust, supports the strike There are those who say that junior doctors should just get on with it and working conditions were worse in the old days. But back then young doctors were respected by politicians - and on salaries that meant they could afford a house. Most junior doctors are not afforded either luxury now. I didnt want there to be a strike today - despite being a passionate supporter of the NHS and the junior doctors in their fight for a fair and safe contract. Yes, the industrial action will have had an impact on patients and some will have had elective treatments delayed. But we need to look at the bigger picture. I support the strike 100 per cent because I want there to be an NHS in the future - and if this contract goes ahead, it will be under threat. And besides, patient care will have been as safe as any other day as only juniors doing non-emergency care took part in the strike. Industrial action was needed to force the government to have an urgent rethink. There are those who think that the governments handling of this self-created crisis has been due to incompetence and arrogance. Others feel it is an ideologically driven deliberate act to cause such harm to the NHS, that the only solution to the crisis is privatisation. My personal view is it is a bit of both. Either way, Quite frankly, if there was a Care Quality Commission inspection of the senior tier of NHS management/politicians, they would be put into special measures due to their inadequacies. There's no doubt that the junior doctors' contract needed reform. In A&E, where I work as a consultant, we were losing many trainees - in part because of the poor working terms and conditions. We also needed improvements to the whole issue of unscheduled care at the weekends, such as improving community services. So there was potential for great support if things were done in the correct way. But the Government failed this basic management task on an epic scale. The art of leadership is not what you say or what you do, but how you make people feel. And on this measurement, the Government has failed quite spectacularly. Speaking today, Dr Galloway told MailOnloine: 'I support the strike 100 per cent because I want there to be an NHS in the future - and if this contract goes ahead, it will be under threat' Politicians started by asking doctors to get real and questioning if they would want any of their loved ones to come to hospital at the weekend. They implied doctors were lazy and out for themselves. Nothing could be further from the truth. They then called those of us who support the strike 'militants'. In that case, 98 per cent of the junior doctors in this country are militant - which makes me worried about the ideology our medical schools are teaching. The worst case of how not to manage people was from a doctor himself. The new contract must be safe for patients and fair to staff, Dr Galloway said Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director of the NHS, asked for reassurance from the BMA that if there was a terror attack like Paris, then the doctors would break the picket line? How disgusting to even think we wouldn't. But it was for the future of Emergency Medicine that I felt most worried about. The contract was meant to help our A&E doctors - but it looks like it would do nothing of the sort. The Governments maths just didn't add up. An 11 per cent basic pay rise was offered - but pay for out-of-hours work would be cut. There would also be no increase in the pay envelope. As many doctors do no out-of-hours, the only way these sums would add up would be to cut the pay for those doing the most out of hours already including those who work in Emergency Medicine. Lets not forget that these people have studied for six years as a student, amassing thousands of pounds of debt. While working the next 10 years as junior doctor, they get paid an adequate wage but also have to work many nights and weekends and miss family events. All they want is for their work to be recognised and not have their pay cut. Crucially, however, what the Government doesn't get is that this battle is not just about pay. Most doctors would prefer time in lieu for their nights and weekends and not extra pay. But that has never been part of the negotiations. The new contract as it stands will make things worse and lead to a recruitment and retention crisis. How is working at 10pm on Saturday the same as working at 2pm on a Tuesday? The contract will affect the future viability of the NHS. Doctors will leave the NHS and we will struggle to keep services going. And argument about weekend care doesnt wash. If you want to improve weekend care, why on earth would you impose a pay cut for staff doing this vital weekend work, pushing them out of NHS. So where do we go from here? We need a contract which is safe for patients and fair to staff. And we need a proper debate about how we manage our NHS - while rewarding the vital role our juniors play. Otherwise they will leave and work elsewhere. Because if we lose a whole cohort of junior doctors, then we risk the whole future of the NHS. Our health service, which our grandfathers built in times of great austerity World War II may not survive for our children. They may never forgive us. So I support the strikes - but I urge Junior doctors not to leave the NHS. Stay and fight for it and fight for your colleagues. Australia may be tempting, but please don't go. We need you. Doctors called back to work after claims the NHS would try to 'thwart' the stoppage with rules on when medics should leave the picket line A letter to all hospitals outlining emergency circumstances where junior doctors should be called off the picket line has been seen as an attempt to 'thwart' today's strike, the BMA has said. Sandwell Hospital in West Bromwich became the first hospital in England to declare a level 4 incident and this morning told its junior doctors they must attend work - less than two hours after the strike began. BMA chairman Mark Porter said the letter - sent by Sir Bruce Keogh, the national medical director at NHS England last week - described circumstances which occur every day in some hospitals. But Sir Bruce hit back on the eve of the strike, insisting he was fulfilling his duty to keep patients safe during today's strike. Sandwell hospital in West Bromwich became the first to declare an emergency and tell doctors to return after the strike began this morning Mr Porter said some hospitals had placed all their striking doctors on a 'black alert' because of the letters - indicating to all medical staff their hospital is under very high pressure. He said this was serving to 'further undermine the level of trust' between doctors and the NHS. Sir Bruce's initial letter, on January 8, said hospital medical directors should consider calling junior doctors back to work in several circumstances - including sustained problems in accident and emergency departments which cannot be resolved by consultants. Major incidents should also trigger a suspension of the strike at either local or national level, Sir Bruce said. But Mr Porter insisted yesterday this did not meet the terms of an agreement reached in advance of the strike. NHS Medical Director Sir Bruce Keogh outlined the circumstances in which hospital should consider calling doctors back to work in a letter on January 8, pictured But in a reply yesterday, BMA chairman Mark Porter said the rules outlined by Sir Bruce had been perceived as a 'further attempt to thwart lawful industrial action' He said: 'Your letter to medical directors has been interpreted by many doctors as a further attempt to thwart lawful industrial action in favour of which junior doctors voted almost unanimously. 'I fully understand your statutory duties and your need to discharge them. This is, of course, your responsibility and that of managers within Trusts it is not the responsibility of junior doctors, while taking lawful industrial action to secure a contract that is safe for patients and fair for doctors.' Sir Bruce said this was a misunderstanding, adding: 'I wish to be very clear, it is not my intention to undermine the legitimacy of industrial action but rather to ensure arrangements are in place where local NHS organisations have plans agreed with the local BMA to ensure patients remain safe if circumstances change.' He said the NHS had to plan for a range of circumstances from 'catastrophic to rising tide events'. But in a further reply last night, Mr Porter said: 'While I'm grateful for your reassurance that your intention is not to undermine the legitimacy of industrial action, I am still unclear as to why the agreed, rigorous escalation process should now change. Sir Bruce said yesterday his original letter had been misunderstood and in a reply to Mr Porter said he was only trying to ensure safe care during the strike But Mr Porter insisted last night in a further reply Sir Bruce's letters would only further 'undermine the level of trust' doctors have in the government and NHS England Mr Porter continued: 'The instances to which you refer in your letter of 8th January amount, for some trusts, to routine circumstances which can occur almost daily and for which trust managers should have planned in advance, for example, by postponing elective procedures as referred to in NHS England's statement issued to the media at 4.09pm today. 'This was the BMA's purpose in giving as much notice as possible of planned industrial action. 'Your letter of 8th January has already given rise to widespread confusion, so that some trusts, without first postponing elective procedures, appear to be informing doctors that as they are already on black alert, junior doctors will be asked to be present on every ward tomorrow.' 'When we met in November we were in clear agreement that such incidents do not constitute major unpredictable incidents in which junior doctors would be encouraged to call off industrial action.' 'This latest move by NHS England only serves further to undermine the level of trust which doctors have in Government, NHS England and employers.' Jessica Dempsey was diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer last January A woman told she was three-months pregnant was horrified when doctors informed her she was actually suffering from advanced cervical cancer. Jessica Dempsey, 28, from Liverpool, claims she visited doctors 10 times with agonising lower back pain and blood clots but her symptoms were dismissed as a kidney infection. She was eventually diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer and has undergone months of gruelling treatment. But the tumour has not gone and she will need to continue her treatment for the rest of her life. She is now speaking out to encourage other women to go for regular smear tests - and her Facebook post detailing her ordeal has been shared more than 6,500 times since Thursday. Miss Dempsey said she started suffering from the pains in late 2014 but spent six months seeing different doctors at her local surgery, walk-in centre and A&E. She claims one doctor told her she was three months pregnant while others diagnosed period pain, urine and kidney infections and sent her away with antibiotics. The alarm was only raised in January last year when she saw a different GP - who immediately sent her for a blood transfusion. Miss Dempsey was rushed to Liverpool Women's Hospital, where she was given the devastating diagnosis of with stage four cervical cancer. Since then, she has undergone radiotherapy and chemotherapy - but the treatment has failed to shrink the tumour. She said: 'I knew something was wrong and that it was more serious than I was being told by the doctors. I wish I'd stood my ground. 'When I got my diagnosis my world was turned upside down, it was such a massive shock but I was relieved to finally have an answer. 'I don't want other people to have to go through everything that I have - so if my post saves one person I'll be happy.' She has had months of radiotherapy and chemotherapy but the tumour has failed to shrink so far She has now shared her experiences on Facebook to encourage women to attend regular smear tests Miss Dempsey has had five weeks of daily radiotherapy, 11 sessions of weekly chemotherapy and three doses of an advanced cancer treatment called brachytherapy - where radioactive material is inserted directly into the affected area, She has undergone seven blood transfusions. Miss Dempsey said she has received messages from people all over the UK who have gone to the doctors to be checked out after reading her story. 'I wrote the post to raise awareness of cervical cancer and to encourage people to get checked out - and not get misdiagnosed by doctors,' she said. 'The response to the post has been absolutely amazing, I never expected it to be shared so many times and I'm so grateful to everyone for spreading the word. Miss Demspey has lost her hair and been left unable to have children after the gruelling treatment Her Facebook post warning others to get tested has been shared more than 6,500 times since Thursday 'It took me six months to get a diagnosis which is awful, I'd given up hope by then and only went to see my mum's GP to get some more painkillers. 'It was so frustrating not having an answer. 'I want to encourage women to get regular check ups and if they think something's wrong to push for an examination. 'Also,without people donating blood I wouldn't be here today. I want to encourage people to give blood because it really does save lives.' A spokesman for NHS Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group said: 'We would urge any Liverpool patient with a concern about their treatment to speak to the organisation concerned, or contact us as the local commissioner of health services, so that it can be fully investigated.' Many of us worry about the germs lurking in our toilet. But we should turn our attention to the kitchen instead, new research suggests. A study has found we breathe in more bugs from our tap water than from our toilet. Bacteria gathers on objects and surfaces in the home and travels into the air, circulating around our houses. Californian researchers wanted to find out which objects or areas in our homes breed the most bacteria that is then released into the air that we breathe. And they were surprised to find that tap water is an overlooked source of microbes, releasing a significant amount of bugs into the air. More bacteria in the air in people's homes comes from their tap water (9 per cent) than their toilet (0.4 per cent), according to new research One theory is that germs can escape from tap water into the air more efficiently than they can from other surfaces, including the toilet, The researchers say studying how many microbes circulate around our homes is of 'critical importance' as we spend the majority of our time indoors. The team, from the University of California, Berkeley looked at bacteria in the air of 29 homes in the San Francisco Bay area. They took samples from kitchen surfaces, carpets, pets, bathroom tiles, shower heads, toilets and the people who lived there. This was to show which surfaces contributed to the most bacteria entering the air. Overall, the most common source of microbes was floors and carpets. This was where nearly 20 per cent of microbes in the home came from, probably because walking across the carpet or vacuuming stirs up the bacteria into the surrounding air, the researchers said. The next biggest source of bacteria was air from outside the home, Some 17 per cent of germs came into homes this way, as people in California keep their windows open in the heat. The study also found the number of bacteria increased significantly in homes that were ventilated frequently, as well as those with more family members, and where residents were more active. The biggest source of bacteria in the air in the home comes from the floor and carpet (19.5 per cent in total), while very few germs come from counter tops and refrigerators (1.6 per cent and 0.8 per cent). Pictured is a pie chart of the main sources of airborne bacteria in the home WHERE AIRBORNE BACTERIA IN THE HOME COMES FROM Only 0.04 per cent of bacteria in the air in people's homes came from the toilet, a study found Researchers listed the sources for indoor air bacteria in the homes: Outdoor air: 16.5 per cent Floor and carpet 19.5 per cent Tap water: 8.8 per cent Pets: 6.3 per cent Doorstep: 5.6 per cent Skin: 4.9 per cent Showerhead: 4.1 per cent Countertop: 1.6 per cent Bathtub tiles: 1.5 per cent Refrigerator: 0.8 per cent Saliva: 0.6 per cent Toilet: 0.6 per cent Source: Microbiome journal Advertisement But this is actually a good thing, the scientists said, as fresh air brings in a fresh crop of microbes, blowing away the potentially harmful bugs growing in our homes. The researchers had originally wondered whether flushing a toilet could spray bacteria from faeces into the air around the home - but they found only 0.04 per cent of microbes could be traced back to this source. Surprisingly, nearly 9 per cent of airborne bacteria came from tap water. There are a lot more bacteria in drinking water than people think Dr Amy Pruden, of Virginia Tech University Writing in the journal Microbiome, the researchers said: Interestingly, tap water was indicated to be the third most important source of bacteria in indoor air. They added that kitchen counter tops, bathtub tiles, refrigerators, saliva, and toilets contributed very little to the populations of microbes in the air. Bacteria seem to be able to escape from tap water into the air more efficiently than it can from other surfaces in the home, they concluded. Dr Amy Pruden, of Virginia Tech University, told New Scientist that tap water has been overlooked as a source of bacteria We drink a lot of it, we shower in it, and when we use a tap, water is aerosolised and we breathe it in. People fear dementia more than cancer yet it receives a tenth of the funding, according to Dame Gill Morgan, chair of NHS Providers Dementia research is lagging 25 years behind the progress made in cancer, a leading health chief warned today. People fear Alzheimers and other forms of dementia more than cancer yet dementia research receives only a tenth of the funding. Dame Gill Morgan, chair of NHS Providers, said yesterday: Dementia is, in my view, the cruellest disease. It is a cruel disease because your family watch you declining, and they lose the person, but they keep the body. Studies show that dementia is now the most feared disease, it is more feared than cancer. It is the thing that people do not want to get when they are older. One of the thing that makes it very difficult, is that we really are not fully clear what the biological causes are. If you compare it to cancer, and the knowledge that we have about the biology and genetics of the disease, cancer is probably 20 to 25 years ahead. Dame Gill, whose organisation represents most English NHS trusts, said that advances currently being made in dementia drug development will come too late to help the 850,000 people currently living with the disease in Britain. Speaking at the Royal Society in London, she said: It is really important that we have research on drugs. But those drugs are for tomorrow. What we need today is proper social care, better funding. We need a cure tomorrow but not at the cost of care today. Dame Gill, who is also chair of the Alzheimer's Society, said that relatives of patients often carry the weight of caring for their family. Dementia costs Britain 26billion a year about 11billion of which is spent by individuals caring for their relatives. One of the first things to go with the social care cuts around the country is the care for the carers, Dame Gill said. What we need to see is proper investment in social care, health care and to re-emphasise the importance of care for the carers. David Cameron last year pledged 300million additional funding of dementia research, lasting until 2020. Professor John Hardy, an award-winning neuroscientist at University College London, said this funding was welcome but would have been better if it had come five years earlier, when Mr Cameron first took power. Advances currently being made in dementia drug development will come too late to help the 850,000 people currently living with the disease in Britain, Dame Morgan said. Pictured, CT scan of sufferers' brains He said dementia research is currently in an era of great optimism but predicted that the first drugs to slow the progression of Alzheimers would not be available for another decade. Drugs to genuinely reverse the course of dementia which might be considered a cure would not be expected within his lifetime, Professor Hardy said. He said therapies which combat the build-up of amyloid beta protein concentrations in the brain offer the best chance of a breakthrough. Dementia is a cruel disease because your family watch you declining, and they lose the person, but they keep the body Dame Morgan, chair of NHS Providers Major trials are currently being conducted into two drugs which have shown promising signs of slowing the onset of Alzheimers using this method. The first, a drug called Solanezumab, manufactured by US pharma giant Eli Lilly, reduced the rate of mental decline in patients who took it by 34 per cent, according to the results of early trials published last year. Experts are awaiting the final trial results later this year before making a judgement as to whether the drug really works. A second drug, made by Bayer, is also in trials. Professor Hardy said: I think we are on target for some therapies for 2025. When the drug trial results come out - and if they're positive - we will know we are on the right road. When you are on the right road, you put your foot on the accelerator and you can go quicker, so those results are key. He added: In the coming year we will know if we are already at the start of a new era of better treatments for slowing or stopping the development of Alzheimer's disease and allied neurodegenerative disorders, or if current research strategies should be refocused. Dementia research lags 25 years behind progress made in cancer, Dame Morgan said (file photo) But Dr Simon Ridley, head of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, warned that major pharmaceutical firms may abandon their search for a dementia treatment altogether if the latest trials come back negative. The pharma industry has invested much and seen little return in this area. They are feeling a little bit risk averse and we are concerned that pharma could abandon this area. The Alzheimer's Society estimates one million people will have dementia in Britain by 2025, and two million by 2050. An estimated 2.5million people in Britain are living with cancer, a number expected to rise to 4million by 2030. According to a survey of over-50s, conducted last year by Saga, 68 per cent fear that they will develop dementia, while 9 per cent are frightened about getting cancer. Dr Doug Brown, director of research at the Alzheimers Society said: The development of treatments that can slow the rate of memory loss in Alzheimer's disease will, without a doubt, mark a turning point in the way dementia is managed, and be life-changing for people with the condition. Decades of underfunding have left dementia research lagging more than 20 years behind the progress seen in cancer research, but with recent commitments from the Government and charities like Alzheimer's Society, the tables are turning. Scientists have long searched for new, more effective treatments to tackle cancer. But, a new study suggests, the answer may have been lurking in dairy products the whole time. Nisin a naturally occurring food preservative that grows on daily products can wipe out cancer cells and it can also combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria, scientists said. University of Michigan researchers studied the effect of nisin on cancerous tumors and as an antimicrobial to fight diseases in the mouth. After nine weeks of treatment, they found that the tumors had shrunk significantly and were comparable to tumors at three weeks. Dr Yvonna Kapila, a professor at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, said: To date, nobody had found bacteria from humans or living animals that is resistant to nisin. Nisin is a naturally occurring food preservative that grows on dairy products. A new study revealed this 'magic mold' can wipe out cancer cells and antibiotic-resistant bacteria The scientists found feeding rats a nisin milkshake killed 70 to 80 per cent of head and neck tumor cells after nine weeks and extended survival rates. The team previously published positive results with less potent nisin. However, the highly purified nisin ZP used in the current study nearly doubled its effectiveness, they found. They gave a dosage of 800 mg/kg to mice which would translate to a pill larger than a third of an Advil per kilogram of body weight for humans. Nisin is a colorless, tasteless powder that is typically added to food at a rate of .25 to 37.5 mg/kg. While many foods contain nisin, none contain anywhere near the 800 mg/kg needed to kill cancer cells. Additionally, there are several consumer products that contain nisin such as creams and pharmaceuticals to combat infection and mastitis, as well as a sanitizer in lactating cows. The results are promising, but scientists stress that that its too early to say if nisin will act the same way in humans. In addition to their findings regarding cancer, the scientists found nisin fights deadly bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant MRSA. In a recent paper, they looked at experimental uses of nisin to treat 30 different types of cancer; infections of the skin, respiratory system and abdomen; and oral health. Nisin is lethal to bacteria for two reasons. First, it binds to a static area of bacteria. That gives nisin the chance to work before bacteria changes into an antibiotic-resistant superbug. Scientists found feeding rats a nisin milkshake killed 70-80 per cent of head and neck tumor cells after nine weeks. Also, nisin has been shown to fight deadly bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant MRSA (pictured) Secondly, it kills biofilms, which are colonies of bacteria that group together in a fortress that blocks antibiotics. The scientists noted that nisin has withstood the test of time'. Dr Kapila said: Mother Nature has done a lot of the research for us, its been tested for thousands of years. Next, the team hopes to test nisin in a clinical setting. Dr Kapila said: The application of nisin has advanced beyond its role as a food biopreservative. Current findings and other published data support nisins potential use to treat antibiotic resistant infections, periodontal disease and cancer. The study was published in Journal of Applied Microbiology. Were doctors right to strike? It's a question that has divided the nation and sparked fears that patient safety is at risk. Here, MailOnline presents two very different - and passionate - opinions on the first doctors' strike for 40 years ... Patricia Thomson worked as a nurse for 41 years between 1959 and 2000. Speaking to ITV News today she branded the striking junior doctors 'disgraceful.' Her planned cataract operation at Worthing Hospital in West Sussex was thrown into doubt by the walk-out. Speaking as she arrived at the hospital, she said she was 'totally against any form of industrial action by medical staff.' 'I don't think it's professional - what's happened to the Hippocratic Oath?' she said. Retired nurse Patricia Thomson said today's 24-hour strike was 'disgraceful,' adding she often worked seven days a week and was proud to do so Ms Thomson made her comments to ITV news when she arrived a Worthing Hospital for cataract surgery 'Yes, doctors shouldn't be having to work enormously long hours but to me this is a political thing. It is not to do with the patients, it is not to do with the care of us. 'Who cares about us? Alright, a cataract is not life-threatening - but I think it's perfectly disgraceful. 'I was a nurse from 1959 to 2000 and I worked full-time and I worked seven days a week and sometimes more than that perfectly happily. 'It was a privilege, we were taught to look after patients.' Dr Rob Galloway is an Emergency Medicine consultant at Brighton and Sussex University NHS Trust. Here, writing for MailOnline, he explains why strike action is crucial for the future of the NHS... Dr Rob Galloway, a consultant at Brighton and Sussex University NHS Trust, supports the strike There are those who say that junior doctors should just get on with it and working conditions were worse in the old days. But back then young doctors were respected by politicians - and on salaries that meant they could afford a house. Most junior doctors are not afforded either luxury now. I didnt want there to be a strike today - despite being a passionate supporter of the NHS and the junior doctors in their fight for a fair and safe contract. Yes, the industrial action will have had an impact on patients and some will have had elective treatments delayed. But we need to look at the bigger picture. I support the strike 100 per cent because I want there to be an NHS in the future - and if this contract goes ahead, it will be under threat. And besides, patient care will have been as safe as any other day as only juniors doing non-emergency care took part in the strike. Industrial action was needed to force the government to have an urgent rethink. There are those who think that the governments handling of this self-created crisis has been due to incompetence and arrogance. Others feel it is an ideologically driven deliberate act to cause such harm to the NHS, that the only solution to the crisis is privatisation. My personal view is it is a bit of both. Either way, Quite frankly, if there was a Care Quality Commission inspection of the senior tier of NHS management/politicians, they would be put into special measures due to their inadequacies. There's no doubt that the junior doctors' contract needed reform. Speaking today, Dr Galloway told MailOnloine: 'I support the strike 100 per cent because I want there to be an NHS in the future - and if this contract goes ahead, it will be under threat' In A&E, where I work as a consultant, we were losing many trainees - in part because of the poor working terms and conditions. We also needed improvements to the whole issue of unscheduled care at the weekends, such as improving community services. So there was potential for great support if things were done in the correct way. But the Government failed this basic management task on an epic scale. The art of leadership is not what you say or what you do, but how you make people feel. And on this measurement, the Government has failed quite spectacularly. Politicians started by asking doctors to get real and questioning if they would want any of their loved ones to come to hospital at the weekend. They implied doctors were lazy and out for themselves. Nothing could be further from the truth. The new contract must be safe for patients and fair to staff, Dr Galloway said They then called those of us who support the strike 'militants'. In that case, 98 per cent of the junior doctors in this country are militant - which makes me worried about the ideology our medical schools are teaching. The worst case of how not to manage people was from a doctor himself. Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director of the NHS, asked for reassurance from the BMA that if there was a terror attack like Paris, then the doctors would break the picket line? How disgusting to even think we wouldn't. But it was for the future of Emergency Medicine that I felt most worried about. The contract was meant to help our A&E doctors - but it looks like it would do nothing of the sort. The Governments maths just didn't add up. An 11 per cent basic pay rise was offered - but pay for out-of-hours work would be cut. There would also be no increase in the pay envelope. As many doctors do no out-of-hours, the only way these sums would add up would be to cut the pay for those doing the most out of hours already including those who work in Emergency Medicine. Lets not forget that these people have studied for six years as a student, amassing thousands of pounds of debt. While working the next 10 years as junior doctor, they get paid an adequate wage but also have to work many nights and weekends and miss family events. All they want is for their work to be recognised and not have their pay cut. Crucially, however, what the Government doesn't get is that this battle is not just about pay. Most doctors would prefer time in lieu for their nights and weekends and not extra pay. But that has never been part of the negotiations. Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director of the NHS, asked for reassurance from the BMA that if there was a terror attack like Paris, then the doctors would break the picket line - a comment which angered many medics The new contract as it stands will make things worse and lead to a recruitment and retention crisis. How is working at 10pm on Saturday the same as working at 2pm on a Tuesday? The contract will affect the future viability of the NHS. Doctors will leave the NHS and we will struggle to keep services going. And argument about weekend care doesnt wash. If you want to improve weekend care, why on earth would you impose a pay cut for staff doing this vital weekend work, pushing them out of NHS. So where do we go from here? We need a contract which is safe for patients and fair to staff. And we need a proper debate about how we manage our NHS - while rewarding the vital role our juniors play. Otherwise they will leave and work elsewhere. Because if we lose a whole cohort of junior doctors, then we risk the whole future of the NHS. Our health service, which our grandfathers built in times of great austerity after World War II may not survive for our children. They may never forgive us. So I support the strikes - but I urge Junior doctors not to leave the NHS. Stay and fight for it and fight for your colleagues. Having multiple siblings can often draw the jealousy of others. For many people grew up idolizing big families on television, such as The Brady Bunch' and '19 Kids And Counting'. But in real life, they often found themselves growing up with only one or two siblings. Yet, despite the allure of a big family, scientists reveal there are downsides to growing up with lots of brothers and sisters. Children in larger families are more likely to have behavioral problems and fall behind intellectually, according to a new study from the University of Houston. While many people grew up wishing they had many brothers and sisters, scientists caution that there are downsides to growing up in a big family. A new study found children in larger families are more likely to have behavioral problems or fall behind intellectually The study said: Families face a substantial quantity-quality trade-off: increases in family size decrease parental investment, decrease childhood performance on cognitive tests and measures of social behaviour. Importantly, we find that these negative effects are not merely temporary disruptions following a birth but in fact persist throughout childhood. The scientists found the persistence into early adulthood is consistent with other studies pointing to the importance of early childhood experiences. Co-author Dr Chinhui Juhn said: A lot of what happens in early childhood has lasting impacts. In many respects, this matters more than a lot of things that happen later in (a childs) life. By and large, previous research in the field is based on data collected after children reach adulthood. BUT... FOR MOTHERS THE MORE CHILDREN THEY HAVE 'THE LONGER THEY'LL LIVE' The more children a woman has, the less likely her body is to succumb to the effects of aging, scientists believe. Those who have more surviving offspring were found to have longer telomeres, a new study suggested. Telomeres are the protective tips found at the end of each strand of DNA, and they are indicative of cellular aging. Longer telomeres are integral to cell replication, and are associated with longevity. Researchers at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, assessed the number of children born to 75 women from two neighboring indigenous rural Guatemalan communities, and their telomere lengths. The participants' telomere lengths were measured at two points in time, 13 years apart, through saliva specimens and buccal swabs - a way of collecting DNA from inside the cheek. This is the first study to examine the direct association between the number of children and telomere shortening in humans over time. Health sciences professor Pablo Nepomnaschy, who led the study, said his team's findings contradicts the life history theory, which predicts that producing a higher number of offspring accelerates the pace of biological aging. He said: 'The slower pace of telomere shortening found in the study participants who have more children however, may be attributed to the dramatic increase in estrogen, a hormone produced during pregnancy. 'Estrogen functions as a potent antioxidant that protects cells against telomere shortening.' Advertisement However, in this study, a dataset was used that tracked outcomes throughout childhood. The data compared outcomes of older children before and after their younger sibling was born. Additional children were found to reduce parental investment which is defined as including time spent with children, affection, the safety of the home environment and resources, such as money, books and other material goods. Yet, the findings were not monolithic. The scientists found children in families where mothers had median scores on the Armed Force Qualification Test were less affected. Dr Juhn noted that the AFQT is a proxy for socioeconomic factors. Mothers who score low on the test are more likely to be poor. Meanwhile, those who score higher are likely to be better educated and wealthier. Furthermore, the data didnt include information about fathers though women with low AFQT scores are less likely to be married. The study builds on previous research and offers explanations for discrepancies in earlier studies. The scientists found there was one key inconsistency in previous research. While several earlier studies found a negative relationship between family size and childrens educational and labor market outcomes, a study using data from Norway in 2005 found no trade off. But, social supports and public policies in Norway could potentially lessen the impact of increased family size, according to the scientists. The study said: Parental investments may matter more in the US where a substantial fraction of young men and women, particularly from lower income backgrounds, are at risk of not finishing high school. Dr Juhn added: If you are in a well-resourced family, some of these things dont apply. When the second child comes along, there is less time and attention. But in an environment with more resources, its not as binding. The study was published by the National Bureau of Economic Research. The BJPs concern for preventing cow and bull slaughter was clearly not visible when the NDA government at the Centre lifted the ban on an age-old tradition in Tamil Nadu. The sport of Jallikattu, or bull taming, is a traditional event during the festival of Pongal - and the ban on it, citing cruelty to the animal, obviously became a politically sensitive issue. While a beef ban is a cause that the BJP feels very strongly about, keeping in mind Hindu sentiments, the Centre thought not lifting the ban on Jallikattu would be political suicide. Competitors try to tame a bull during "Jallikattu" as a part of Pongal celebrations What if the bulls which are subjected to cruelty happen to die following the ordeal, where their ears are mutilated and tail-bones fractured? But then there is another side to the argument. After all, Pongal is a Hindu festival which is celebrated with Jallikattu. So, does this mean there are different benchmarks for the Hindu right-wing when it comes to torture and killing of bulls and cows? It was the Congress-led Manmohan Singh government that banned the sport in 2011. The Supreme Court in May 2014 upheld the notification of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) banning the sport. Keeping in mind the political relevance of this, the NDA government lifted the ban just months ahead of the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. With the Supreme Court on Tuesday staying the notification lifting the ban, the sport cannot be part of Pongal festivities this time. The court, by rejecting the plea of the MoEF and the Tamil Nadu government that Jallikattu is part of the ancient tradition and culture, has taken the bull of populism by its horns. Noted Kannada writer and Kannada Book Authority Chairman Banjagere Jayaprakash has raised hackles once again by stating that Ramakrishna Paramahamsa ate meat, including beef. Various Hindu groups have condemned his statement for hurting their sentiments, but the litterateur has decided to stick to his words. I am not bothered by any of these... I stand by my statement regarding Paramahamsa. I spoke the truth as always, said Jayaprakash, who is known for making enemies by speaking out without fear of any organisation. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa 'ate beef' and smoked cigarettes, according to writer Jayaprakash Banjagere Jayaprakash's claims angered Hindus Last week, when Jayaprakash was in Mysuru to deliver a lecture on writer Khalil Gibrans book The Prophet, he stunned the audience by declaring that the 19th century mystic Paramahamsa was a meat-eater. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa worshipped Goddess Kali. Though a Brahmin, he ate meat at least once a week and that included beef, he said while speaking about the relationship between a teacher and a student. Jayaprakash went on to assert that Paramahamsa was even addicted to smoking. Though he smoked, he never imposed it on anyone, including his students. He did not ask his greatest follower Swami Vivekananda to smoke, rather, he was just the guiding light for his students, he noted. The writer wondered whether Paramahamsa really had imparted any knowledge to Swami Vivekananda. Paramahamsa played the role of an ideal teacher for Vivekananda as a facilitator. As a teacher, we can just show our students whats ahead of us. It is for the students to take up the right path. Likewise, Paramahamsa just showed Vivekananda the path towards enlightenment, he maintained. His statements have been criticised by various Hindu groups, which have sought an apology from Jayaprakash. However, the writer is in no mood to relent. I havent said anything wrong. I have spoken from the historical perspective with evidence. I am not afraid of any of these people. I will continue with my work, he added. This is not the first time that Jayaprakash has been targeted by Hindu groups. In 2007, he wrote a book on the caste origins of 12th century philosopher saint Basaveshwara, who fought against caste-based discrimination. However, Lingayats, the single largest community in Karnataka and bulk of the followers of Basaveshwara, objected to the book. The government had to eventually ban the book and the publisher withdrew it from the market. Now, the BJP is likely to take on Jayaprakash, who is heading the Kannada Book Authority, an autonomous body set up by the state government. Ten days after the Kaliachak violence in Malda during which the local police station was ransacked and set ablaze, the West Bengal Police said they have got specific leads on people who orchestrated the attack on the police barrack. We have already identified some people who are locals and involved in the police station massacre that day. They have criminal backgrounds. We have thoroughly examined the CCTV footage of the police station and got hold of these leads, West Bengal inspector general of police (law and order) Anuj Sharma told Mail Today on Tuesday. A mob recently went on the rampage in Maldas Kaliachak area, ransacking and torching the local police station, some houses and vehicles He added that the police have so far arrested 11 people in connection with the violence that took place on January 3, and more arrests are likely. It is a serious matter. Raids are on extensively. The local police are doing the investigation with the help of state agencies. This will continue, Sharma added. As per the 2011 Census, Muslims form 89.3 per cent of the population in Kaliachak Block-I where the rampage had occurred. Asked if there would be any joint flush-out operation by state and central agencies with the help of Bangladeshi counterparts, Sharma said: I have no such information. So, I cannot say anything. Earlier, the ruling Trinamool Congress chief national spokesperson Derek OBrien issued a statement, saying that the BJP delegation did not go to Malda for a fact-finding mission on Monday. He claimed the team was there to fuel communal tension. We hear the leaders were now stating this was opium/fake currency issue. We have been saying all along this is a sensitive issue in a border town and not a communal issue, OBrien said, adding that the Trinamool Congress believes in working for people irrespective of their community, caste or creed. Our track record of development across sectors in the last five years is there for all to see. Our focus is on development, the quizmaster-turned-Rajya Sabha MP said. Meanwhile, the violence-hit Kaliachak police station has undergone a thorough makeover with a fresh coat of blue-white paint adorning the fire-ravaged barracks. Several officers and constables of the police station were transferred to other police stations in the district after the violence. Sources said eight police inspectors and sub-inspectors, who had prior experience of working in Kaliachak, were brought back to the police station. Besides, nine constables were transferred from Kaliachak, a source at the police station said. BJP's Vivekananda plot for Bengal polls By Siddhartha Rai in New Delhi While the Sangh Parivar has always commemorated the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda with fervour, this time the day assumed political overtones in West Bengal with the upcoming elections and the clash between the BJP and the ruling TMC over the Malda violence. The BJP organised several welfare programmes in the state to mobilise people. The day is celebrated across the country as National Youth Day. Schoolkids dressed as Swami Vivekananada on his 153rd birth anniversary This is the 153rd birth anniversary of the spiritual leader. Another thing that has heightened the days political significance is the place that Swami Vivekananda occupies in the right-wing ideology of the RSS. The Sangh has always assumed Vivekananda as an ideological inspiration for its own ideas of cultural nationalism. Moreover, as Vivekananda belonged to the state, the BJP left no stone unturned to use his anniversary as a political tool. Though in the past the right-wing had celebrated the day only as what state party functionaries called a "token event", this year the BJP tried to convert the day into a fully-fledged mass contact campaign. Sources said BJP members went on a door-to-door contact and outreach exercise. Several events were organised at youth centres and colleges. We went with a specific message to the youth with Swami Vivekananda as the inspiration. He also inspired PM Narendra Modi. Our message was that we are working for the welfare and employment of the youth, said BJPs Bengal co-in-charge Siddharth Nath Singh. Rahul Gandhi wants to build the Congress leadership base in the long term In a sign of things to come, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is providing more space to younger faces as part of his plans to restructure the Grand Old Party in large states. The Congress recently did well in the local body elections in Gujarat, where it has been out of power for 20 years, and in Maharashtra, where it lost to BJP in 2014. Both the states are ruled by the BJP. On Monday, soon after he returned from his Europe tour, Rahul met with party leaders who won in the local elections to congratulate them and encouraged them to expand the partys base. There were many youngsters in these polls. Around 75 per cent of the winners are below 45, Gujarat Congress chief Bharat Sinh Solanki told Mail Today. According to Solanki, giving a chance to youngsters generates a feeling in them to do something for the party and the people. It also help creates a pool from where we can pick up candidates for Assembly polls in future, he said. The Congress, which has been out of power in Gujarat for 20 years, made a comeback in rural areas, winning 21 of the 31 district panchayats. In Maharashtra, Congress managers are feeling elated over the results of legislative council polls where it won three seats which came on the heels of the local polls where the party won 107 wards in the municipal council and by-polls for 345 wards across the state. Around 50 percent of the tickets were given to youngsters. The PM is expected to attend a programme hosted by the Ministry of Social Welfare and Justice in Varanasi Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to pay a visit to his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi and the UP capital Lucknow on January 22. He is expected to attend a programme hosted by the Ministry of Social Welfare and Justice in Varanasi. In Lucknow, he is likely to attend a university convocation. Earlier, Modi along with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe attended the Ganga Aarti at the Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi last month. Censor board revamp The I&B ministry may soon add more members, including actor-filmmaker Kamal Hassan, to the Shyam Bengal committee that has been set up to look holistically into the functioning of the Censor Board. This has been done to give representations to more regions of the country on the panel. Benegal and other members of the committee, including filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, ad-man Piyush Pandey and film journalist Bhawana Somayaa, met Information and Broadcasting minister Arun Jaitley in Mumbai last week, where Minister of State Rajyavardhan Rathore was also present. In good company Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda may be out of power but certainly not out of favour as far as the bigwigs of the Congress party are concerned. Many senior leaders including Moti Lal Vora, Janardan Dwivedi, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, and Congress communication chief Randeep Surjewala attended a get-together hosted by the Jat leader for the media at his Delhi residence. Celebration time Several union ministers, including Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, former Nepal President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, have given their consent to attend centenary celebrations of Prajapita Brahma Kumari Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya (PBKIVV). The Centenary celebrations of Rajyogini Dadi Janki, the head of the socio- spiritual Brahma Kumaris organisation, will begin January 29 in Rajasthan. Eight major social service projects will also be taken up during the three days of centenary celebrations including Swachch Bharat Abhiyan, yogic and meditation camps, and a project for differently-abled people. No smoking The smokers club at Delhi Police HQ is facing testing times with Police Commissioner BS Bassi asking his officers to avoid public smoking. Senior officers who are chain smokers have asked their staff to stock air fresheners and use it frequently so as to ensure that the smell does not linger. Under its strategy to strengthen the ground ahead of crucial UP polls, the saffron party has started micro-planning for the battle. Unlike the last assembly polls in the year 2012, the BJP has decided to spread focus on the maximum number of booths in the state to fortify the cadre. While the party will kick-start the campaign from next month, sources claimed that about 1.20 lakh booths out of a total 1.40 lakh have been selected under the strategy. The BJP will be looking to fortify its cadre by focusing on the maximum number of booths BJP chief Amit Shah and the team of BJP leaders for the UP polls believe that this time the fight is mainly with the BSP, and party sources said that the strategy has been planned accordingly. A party insider said that the first priority of the party is to strengthen the cadre at booth level and for this the maximum number of booths have been kept under focus. Only 20,000 those booths have been left out where there is heavy concentration of Dalit and Muslim voters. The strategy is to mobilise the cadre for the next polls scheduled in the year 2017, said the leader. During the last assembly polls, the party had targeted about 54,000 booths. The party leader said the BJP had fielded candidates in the recent gram panchayat polls and those candidates will also be used in the assembly polls. The party plans to inform voters about the success stories of the Narendra Modi government Moreover, the BJP has also added about two crore new primary members under the membership drive and out of them about 80,000 are active members. All these forces will be trained for the upcoming poll battle, added the leader. The next priority of the party will be strengthen the ground situation where people will be informed about the success stories of the Narendra Modi government by the cadre. Focus is on villages and initially small public meetings will be held across the state in villages. One public meeting will cover the population of about 10 villages, said the leader. About 60 per cent of the 22 crore population belong to rural areas, and the party has already started wooing farmers with various initiatives from the Centre. BJP leader Kishan Morcha organised a big meeting of farmers in Greater Noida, where senior leaders including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Radha Mohan Singh met representatives of farmers groups. Union home minister Rajnath Singh reached out to farmers on Tuesday saying that a crop insurance scheme is being planned by the Centre, and once out it would be welcomed by farmers all over the country. He was speaking at the closing ceremony of two-day BJP Kisan Morcha meet. He also appealed to BJP workers to make farmers aware of the BJP's farmer-friendly policies. He said it was the first time that 99 per cent of family accounts have been opened in which money worth over Rs 27,000 crores has been deposited under the Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojana. Only this week, the Centre approved financial assistance of around Rs 1,304.5 crore to drought-hit UP, Rs 753.3 crore less than the amount demanded by the state. India is preparing dossiers on terrorists based in Pakistan, including alleged mastermind of the Pathankot airbase attack Abdul Rauf, seeking a ban on the militants under the United Nations Security Council resolution. Other than Rauf, the names of members of the Indian Mujahideen who fled the country and are reportedly based in Pakistan could be part of the list. Rauf is the brother of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar, who had to be released by India after the hijack of Indian Airlines flight IC 814 from Kathmandu as terrorists took the flight to Kandahar, Afghanistan in 1999. JeM chief Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf reportedly remote-controlled the Pathankot airbase attack Indias earlier efforts to get Azhar in the UN sanctions list failed as China had opposed the move. Sources said the names of Bhatkal brothers Iqbal and Riyaz, who fled to Pakistan, are also expected to figure, along with other Indian Mujahideen members who have reportedly joined ISIS. Although reports suggest that IM members Sultan Armar Shah from Bhatkal, Karnataka and Mohammed Sajid also known as Bada Sajid died fighting for ISIS, their names are expected to be part of the list since there is no official information on their rumoured killings. There are about 10-12 individuals who have been put on the list and a detailed report is being prepared that will be sent to UN, said a senior government official. The proposal to ban them under United Nations Security Council resolution 1267, will be sent by the Ministry of External Affairs based on reports prepared by the Ministry of Home Affairs giving details of investigations establishing involvement of the individuals in terror cases. The resolution was adopted unanimously on 15 October 1999, as the Council designated Osama bin Laden and his associates as terrorists and established a sanctions regime to cover individuals and entities associated with Al- Qaeda, Osama bin Laden and/or the Taliban. The move is significant as Rauf and his brother JeM chief Masood Azhar have been identified as the handlers of the terrorists who entered India from Pakistan and attacked the airbase in Pathankot, killing seven security personnel. While the bodies of four terrorists were found, it is suspected that two other terrorists who were part of the attack were blown up as their bodies have not been found. Sources said the decision to seek a ban on Pakistan-based terrorists was taken to put pressure on Pakistan to act as intelligence reports indicate that more Pathankot-like attacks could be carried out by Pakistani terror outfits. Even as Pakistan is claiming to have begun cracking down on those who are responsible for the attack, intelligence inputs indicate that military installations in border areas are still a vulnerable target. Men in Army fatigues trigger panic By Manjeet Sehgal in Chandigarh Two telephone linesmen in Army fatigues were mistaken for terrorists. (Picture for representation only). A security scare gripped Punjabs Ferozepur after two unidentified men in Army fatigues were found cutting communication wires in cantonment area on Tuesday morning. Security personnel were on alert for hours and the cantonment area was cordoned off as the two men, who were later identified as telephone linesmen, were mistaken for terrorists. The unidentified men were in Army fatigue. They were noticed touching wires in the cantonment area near Dal Chand Public School around 11.15am. The Army and police authorities have retrieved the CCTV camera footage to verify the inputs, a source said. Already on alert, the police and Army authorities swung into action and cordoned off the area. The school employee who had informed the police about the incident was also taken for questioning. Quick Reaction Teams (QRT) were deployed and checking began. However, when the CCTV footage was checked, the duo turned out to be telephone linesmen from the Signals Regiment, who had come to repair the phone lines passing through the area. With the Pathankot attack still fresh in people's minds, the development triggered panic in the area and parents thronged schools to collect their children. Ferozepur Senior Superintendent of Police Hardyal Singh Mann said that the rumours regarding firing or infiltration by terrorists were all baseless and there was no need to panic. In a pre-dawn attack, a group of heavily-armed Pakistani terrorists, believed to be belonging to JeM, attacked the Pathankot airbase on January 2 killing seven security personnel. Six terrorists were also killed in the incident. Bollywood veteran and senior Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Patna Sahib Shatrughan Singh, currently in the news for his recently-published biography, Anything But Khamosh, said his life story was an inspiration for youngsters. I have been getting feedback from sections of people on my biography but it is the youngsters who seem to have liked it the most, he told Mail Today on Tuesday. I have been receiving calls from the students of different institutions. I have met many of them who told me that my biography has inspired them. Shatrughan Sinha's biography was recently released by BJP veteran LK Advani In his biography, written by noted film journalist Bharti S Pradhan and recently released by BJP veteran LK Advani in Delhi, Shatrughan talks at length about his early struggling days in Bollywood. I was the first student from Bihar to have enrolled in the acting course of the Film Institute of India (now Film and Television Institute of India), he said. I had no family background nor did I have any godfather in the industry, but I was the first actor from Bihar to make it big in Bollywood by virtue of my hard work and determination. This seems to have inspired the readers of the younger generation today. Shotgun, as he is popularly known, said the underlying message of his life story was that one should always follow ones heart and do things which one liked rather than following others. I was the least educated in my family of doctors and scientists but I chose to follow my heart and became an actor first and then the health minister of the country, he said. I would not have achieved anything big in life had I tried to pursue a career in keeping with the traditions of my family. The BJP MP said he had failed to leave his mark as a student at Patna Science College before he joined the film institute in Pune, but he was invited as the chief guest at its diamond jubilee ceremony in Bihar, 12 years after he had left the institution. Do you have a long-distance trek across the country coming up and can't decide between taking a train or driving? New figures this week may help you choose. Research by KwikFit Insurance said some journeys to the UK's major cities can cost as much as 158.70 more if you decide to go by rail instead of the car. A return trip from London to Newcastle showed the biggest discrepancy between rail fares and the average fuel costs for the same journey, which have expanded due to 1-a-litre petrol and diesel prices while train ticket costs have increased by 1.1 per cent. Train or tarmac? KwikFit Insurance says you make considerable cost savings by driving to UK destinations, though it will take a little longer than going by rail KwikFit made its calculations based on the cost of an open return ticket purchased from the country's most popular train stations in Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds and the capital. It then compared these figures with average fuel costs for three typical popular models the Ford Fiesta, Audi A3 Sportback and Nissan Qashqai 4x4 to complete the same distance by road, finding just one example of a rail journey ringing in cheaper than making the trip by car. After taking into account the 1.1 per cent rail-ticket rise on 2 January, a return trip from London to Newcastle had the most significant price difference between the two modes of transport. A return visit to Edinburgh and Leeds from London posted the second and third biggest price differences, 149.77 and 133,27 respectively. CAR VS TRAIN: THE JOURNEYS WITH THE BIGGEST COST DIFFERENCES 1. London-Newcastle 2. London- Edinburgh 3. London-Leeds 4. London-York 5. Leeds-London 6. Glasgow-Exeter 7. London- Sheffield 8. Glasgow-Bristol 9. Glasgow-Cardiff 10. Birmingham-Edinburgh 158.70 149.77 133.27 125.56 121.44 119.03 112.16 106 102.76 80.39 Only a return ticket from Glasgow to Carlise was cheaper by train, the study found, though the difference in costs was a measly 1.11. With many travelers still preferring the relaxation and convenience of a trip by train, the insurer made it difficult reading by reviewing the extra cash these passengers are spending in relation to how much time they saved by leaving the car at home. It found that journeys to Cardiff in particular represented extremely poor value for money for UK travellers a trip from Leeds to Cardiff will cost train passenger 71.67 extra to wipe just 10 minutes off the total journey time. The London to Cardiff route also offers particularly poor value, costing 66.76 to save only 22 minutes on the journey. Stewart Barnet, Marketing Director at Kwik Fit Insurance Services said: 'Though the price rise this year is one of the lowest in the last decade, this offers scant consolation to travellers who forked out huge amounts to get home over the holiday period and may continue to do so into 2016. You'll be paying almost 160 extra to take a train to Newcastle compared to driving a petrol car 'When you think about car sharing and family trips, the savings can be even more substantial as people arent paying out for a seat per person.' Of the stations reviewed, there were both long and short distance journeys that were actually quicker by car including journeys from Glasgow (to Leeds, York, Newcastle, Inverness and Norwich), Birmingham (to Norwich) and Leeds (to Sheffield and Carlisle). By train these journeys on average are 35 minutes slower than by car but incredibly also 47 more expensive on average than driving. The three cars used to calculate the average fuel costs were all petrol powered: the 1.0-litre Ford Fiesta with a claimed 65.7mpg return, a 1.2-litre Audi A3 Sportback with 57.6mpg official figures and the 1.6-litre Nissan Qashqai achieving 47.1mpg in tests. With these fuel efficiency figures difficult to replicate in real world driving, even by the admission of manufacturers who say the numbers are for comparative purposes only, it is difficult to image all motorists will achieve these savings. Few standing in the queue of the Sainsburys Local in North London last November would have realised who the man clutching a bag of croissants was. But even if they, or the staff on the tills, had twigged that this customer was David Tyler, chairman of Sainsburys, fewer still could have possibly realised the significance of his purchase. Tyler had popped down to the Sainsburys convenience store for provisions for a breakfast meeting with John Coombe, chairman of Argos owner Home Retail Group. These two old friends would sit down over coffee and pastries at Tylers North London flat to thrash out the details of a 1billion bid for from Sainsburys for HRG. But the trip to the Sainsburys Local wasnt just significant because of who was buying. It also highlights why this match could be the future of shopping. Households around the UK are making more frequent trips to smaller neighbourhood shops or buying their groceries online than heading out to giant out-of-town supermarkets Like Tyler, households around the UK are making more frequent trips to smaller neighbourhood shops or buying their groceries online than heading out to giant out-of-town supermarkets. The currency in the world of retail at the moment is convenience and speed, whether its deliveries to homes or the proximity of the closest store. These are behind two recent bold moves by Sainsburys. As well as having Argos on its radar it is almost doubling the size of its budget chain Netto in a fresh assault on High Street discounters Aldi and Lidl. It has put in ten planning applications for new Nettos in the North of England. This will take the number of Netto stores to 25 from the current 15. While not the full-scale push into discounting some had expected, the move is a step forward. This is about chief executive Mike Coupe making moves to prepare Sainsburys for the future. The Netto trial is as much to do with helping Sainsburys learn about the discount model as it attempts to defend its core business from Aldi and Lidl, as it is in growing a chain to rival them. The Argos move is equally insightful. It has 840 shops in the UK and with its fleet of trucks and state-of-the art technology is able to deliver items to customers within hours of taking an online order. This is quicker than most other retailers. Sainsburys thinks speed of delivery will become increasingly more important for shoppers as online rivals like Amazon launch one hour deliveries. If it is successful in its bid it is effectively buying this technology. Few grocers are able to offer same-day deliveries for online orders at the moment. If successful the takeover would see Sainsburys combine the power of its brand with the advanced delivery systems of Argos. It would also give the pair a bigger presence on the High Street and would also bring cost savings. The grocer plans to pull down the shutters on up to 200 Argos shops that are close to its supermarkets. Sainsburys would replace the shut shops with Argos counters inside its stores. The leases of as many as 40 per cent come up for renewal in the next four years which make closing them less financially painful. So the big question is why now? Insiders say Sainsburys has been working on these moves for the past two years as it prepares for the change in shopping habits. One source said: The consumer is changing and pretty fast. Once they have the experience of getting deliveries to their homes quickly and efficiently they gradually get to a state of mind where they expect everything to arrive now or in a few hours. Consumers want options whether it is delivered to their home, to click or collect or to browse in-store. Sainsburys is aware that unless it can offer that in every possible way the business will not be as attractive as it once was. One industry source said that the Argos deal was not about Sainsburys competing with Amazon but gaining an advantage by offering something different. The logic in bringing together two powerful brands selling food, clothing, electronics, and toys is that consumers will be able to get them delivered online within hours, said the source. While this is what Amazon can offer, a combination between Argos and Sainsburys would also mean those products would be available in shops, which Amazon cant match. It remains to be seen whether either Netto or an Argos/Sainsburys combo will succeed, but the scale of the problems facing the grocers will be laid bare this week. Today Morrisons is expected to report a 2 per cent fall in sales for the nine-week festive period compared to a year ago. Tesco is expected to show that it continues to battle falling sales. Analysts at broker Exane BNP Paribas expect the firm to post sales down by 2.5 per cent over its six-week festive period compared to a year ago. Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir Technologies, at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference in 2015. Palantir is accused of taking up too much space in the tech-hub Palo Alto, California The secretive software company Palantir Technologies, whose clients include the CIA, FBI, NSA and numerous other intelligence and defense agencies, is swallowing up prime real estate in California's tech-town Palo Alto. The big data-crunching startup's enormous resources allows it to secure office space in Palo Alto at a rate that few can compete with, according to an investigation by CNBC. Being able to put down large deposits, pay top dollars and sign long-term leases has made Palantir a "triple threat that start-ups cannot compete with," Joe Beninato, an entrepreneur who said he was priced out of Palo Alto, told CNBC. Palantir, which was valued at $20 billion last December, controls about 250,000 square feet of office space in Palo Alto, some of it on decade-long leases, according to the CNBC study. At $121 per square foot on average, commercial space is three times more expensive in Palo Alto than the national average, according to a real estate firm cited in the CNBC study. Palantir's initial funding came from PayPal-founder Peter Thiel, who is a chairman in the company and who invested $30 million after Palantir was founded in 2004. Another $2 million came in 2005 from CIA's venture arm In-Q-Tel, which uses Palantir's products to help the intelligence agency break down large amounts of data. A private 2013 document which was leaked on Monday by TechCrunch shows that Palantir's other clients include the FBI, NSA, DHS and at least nine other US government groups. A Palantir building in Palo Alto, California. Palantir has been said to control 250,000 square feet of space in the Silicon Valley town Palo Alto's location in the heart of Silicon Valley makes it an attractive spot for tech companies, and its proximity to the campus of Stanford University, whose graduates include Thiel and Palantir CEO Alexander Karp, should ensure that the company's recruiters don't have to walk far to scout for new employees. Anonymous sources cited in the CNBC investigation claimed that Palantir has around 1,800 employees and that that number is growing by 30 percent annually. Palantir was listed as number four on the business magazine Fortune's 2015 list of startup 'unicorns,' which is a term the publication uses to describe startup companies that are valued at $1 billion or higher. Advertisement The scrabble to get a copy of Mein Kampf - controversially released this month for the first time since the end of the Second World War - has sent prices soaring to 10,000 euro (7,521) a book. Just 4,000 were printed, but pre-orders alone topped 15,000 for the annotated addition of Hitler's inflammatory text, which outlined his political 'vision'. But it also told the story of his life - meaning one town which had hoped its part in the darkest part of history would be confined to the past may find itself back in the spotlight. 'It stands me in good stead today that fate should have chosen that Braunau am Inn be my birthplace,' Hitler wrote, sitting in a jail cell where he had been thrown for his political activities in 1923. 'That little town lies on the frontier between the two German States, the reunion of which we younger ones regard as a work worthy of accomplishment by all the means in our power.' Almost a century later the choice that 'fate' made still haunts this small town, stained by its close ties to Nazism and still stuck with one foot in the past thanks to an old inn, which looks almost the same today as it did when a baby was born in one of its rooms on a wet day in April 1889. Birthplace: Adolf Hitler (left as a baby) was born in a room in what would become the notorious Gasthof zum Pommer, a Nazi shrine Devoted: The Gasthof zum Pommer would become a focus point for Nazis in the 20s, 30s and 40s, with its owner Josef Pommer throwing his support behind the evil dictator, and even claiming to have know the family - although they left when Hitler was just three Number 15 Salzburger Vorstadt Street - then known as the Gasthof zum Pommer - was once the must-visit destination for any Nazi worth his salt. Pilgrimage: This is the room where Hitler was born, and Josef would later turn into a museum, preserved by his adoring followers Now, it is a bricks-and-mortar conundrum for authorities who wrestle with the legacy of its most notorious infant tenant, struggling to find a solution that preserves the historical meaning of this house without it ever falling into the hands of those who still worship at the shrine of Nazism. Yet, 127 years ago, it was just another guest house in Braunau-am-Inn, a town separated from Germany by a bridge across the river. It simply happened to be the place where a minor customs official called Alois Hitler had made his home with his young wife, Klara. Alois, who had been posted in the town of Braunau am Inn since 1885, had married Klara in January 1885. Their wedding was held at Hitler's rented rooms on the top floor of the Braunau inn, where Hitler would be born four years later. The Hitlers would live in the house for just three more years before moving on. They were long gone by the time Josef Pommer and his wife Maria purchased the house for 58,000 Austrian Kronen in 1912. At that point, Hitler was a penniless failed art student walking around the streets of Vienna. But things would have been quite different for the Pommers - not to mention the town and his descendants - had Hitler not decided to write those lines in Mein Kampf 11 years later. They would spark an outpouring of support in Braunau for Hitler's National Socialists - despite the party being banned in Austria. And it seems none were more supportive than Josef Pommer. By the 1930s the town was filled with fanatical youngsters. Brownshirts would march through the area are destroying left-wing symbols and attacking anyone regarded as opponents. In 1933 the town narrowly managed to fight off a proposal to give honorary citizenship to Hitler. The party remained banned, but Hitler's supporters met clandestinely - more often than not, at the Gasthaus zum Pommer. Members of the party would cross the river at night to attend them, and in October 1933 the Pommer's son had to answer for broadcasting Nazi propaganda. Josef was unlikely to be the source of the complaint: he regularly filled his bar with National Socialists - no one else was welcome. Six months after the radio broadcast the entire district was covered in Nazi propaganda, with posters demanding the 'demolition of the chains' of Engelbert Dollfuss, the Austrian leader who had banned the Nazi party. 'Only Hitler can save us,' said the posters. Dolfuss was assassinated soon afterwards, and Braunau enjoyed one huge party. By 1936, the swastika on a red flag had become a permanent feature hanging from the doors of the Gasthof zum Pommer, and a portrait of Hitler above the bar. The same year, Hitler's older half-sister Angela Hammitzsch visited. The Pommer family by now had turned the room where he was born on the second floor into a tiny museum to the Fuhrer. Parents: Hitler was born to Klara (left) and Alois (right) in April 1889. They had been married for four years, but he was their only child to survive. They remained at the inn, where they had married in 1885, for another three years after their son's birth Homecoming: Hitler begins Mein Kampf, his 1923 autobiography, by stating in the first paragraph that 'it stands me in good stead today that Fate should have chosen that Braunau am Inn be my birthplace'. Pictured: Hitler in Braunau after taking Austria In 1937, Josef was allowed to officially offer visits to the 'Fuehrerzimmer ' to German and other foreign tourists, although he was told Austrians had to be banned. In January 1938 he placed a plaque on the outside wall informing the world that here was the place of birth of 'German Fuehrer and Chancellor Adolf Hitler'. Dark history: Hitler (pictured as a child) did not spend most of his childhood in Braunau, but in Leonding, the Austrian town still has a black mark against its name The same year Hitler marched unopposed into Austria. Braunau celebrated with equal enthusiasm when, on March 12 that year, nearly fifty years after he was born there, Hitler returned in an open topped car. He visited the Gasthof zum Pommer briefly, apparently poked his head into the room where he came into the world, before motoring off to nearby Leonding, where he attended school and where his parents were buried. The Anschluss, or union, was the catalyst for his birth house to morph from dingy provincial pub to shrine. No self respecting Nazi could afford to blot his record by failing to make at least one odyssey there. Braunau thrived on this wave of 'brown tourism', so named from the shirts that the original stromtroopers of the movement wore. Martin Bormann, who had become the Fuehrer's personal secretary in 1935, saw the opportunity in this pilgrimage tourism to turn the Gasthof into the central place of worship for the party faithful. Bormann persuaded the Pommer family to part with their property for 150,000 Reichsmarks, four times the market value. In addition, the plot of land on which the house was located was allowed to remain the property of the Pommers. Local newspapers from the time reported that the negotiations went on for a long time because the Pommers wanted to drive it up as high as possible. The Nazis spent a further 150,000 Reichsmarks were on repairs, and managed to track down the former housekeeper, who had lived with the Hitlers when he was born, Rosalia Horl. With her help the original room in which Hitler was born was restored to its original appearance, and postcards showing the house, and in particular the bedroom, were distributed among the party faithful. It also boasted a Nazi culture centre and public library, while at the back of the property the Braunaer Gallery was created there, where authorised party-approved artists exhibited. Braunau, from 1938 until 1944, enjoyed a prosperity it had not achieved since the days of the salt trade. Restaurants boomed, souvenir shops proliferated. There were at least 10 photographic agencies in town. With the money that they had made from the sale of the property, the Pommers managed to buy another home and still had enough left over to live comfortably without working. They, too, cashed in on the Nazi tourism tsunami. Eager party members queued up to buy beers for the couple at the other pubs in town, lapping up fabricated stories about how they knew the Hitler family. There is nothing to indicate there was any truth in the claim. There were even claims the inn had healing powers, and it briefly became a magnet for sick people, who came to salute the house, touch it and hope for a rejuvenating cure. But towards the end of 1944, the tourism had dried up and the bedroom was locked up,while the natal bed removed to Berlin for safe storage. Legacy: Hitler's parents are buried in Leonding, which he visited after Braunau following the annexation of Austria. The inn where he had been born had been known as a meeting house for Nazi sympathisers long before he arrived, however Mania: The area had embraced its ties with Hitler, and Josef Pommer was no exception, only allowing Nazi supporters in his bar. His son was even arrested after Nazi propaganda was heard coming from the windows of his room Pride: Many in the town had been such fervent supporters of the then-chancellor they wanted to give him special citizenship In May 1945, as the Americans advanced, fanatical Nazi Gauleiter August Eigruber decided to destroy the Hitler house so it could not become a trophy of war for the Allies. But the Americans got there first, and it was a solider with Jewish roots who made it into the room first. He told local political leaders to promise that the property 'would be made into an eternal memory of what had happened here' - including not leaving it empty to become a shrine. They agreed. It eventually passed into the hands of the town - but there was a problem: the widow Pommer demanded the inn was returned, arguing neither she nor her husband had ever been Nazis. She said that the Nazis had declared them unworthy to continue to operate it, claiming Borrmann had told them to accept the price - or the matter would be sorted out 'in another way'. Maria died in 1948, but her daughter Kreszenzia won the battle, also claiming the theoretical amount of money that the family had lost by not being able to run the guesthouse any longer. She took back the house for the extremely low price of 150,000 shillings. In the 1950s the local council rented it for a class of schoolchildren, and then a bank. Should the Pommers fail to find a tenant, the council was always prepared to take over the lease, for obvious reasons. Every now and again plans would attract international attention - like a scheme to turn it into an art museum - with an exhibition dedicated to Nazism at its heart, complete with swastika flags, Hitler photos, and Nazi kitsch Christmas tree ornaments. They were shelved. For the last five years it's been empty because Gerlinde Pommer - Josef's granddaughter - refuses to refurbish or sell it, leaving it useless.But she does continue to receive 3,800 a month to keep the place empty. No one can do anything until Gerlinde relents - and as no one knows what motivates her, the impasse looks set to continue. Infatuation: In the late 1930s, Pommer created the museum, which only foreigners were allowed to visit originally, under Austrian law Boom town: When the war began, the entire town benefited from a boost in 'brown shirt' tourism, with Nazis flooding in to visit Links: Hitler's sister Angela Hammitzsch (centre) visited the museum, and was said to be 'proud' of what it showed Controversy: The inn was sold to the Nazis for an inflated price at the start of the war. It then passed back to the Austrian government, before the Pommers announced they wanted it back. They still own it today - but it stands empty as they can't agree on its future These chilling images show a paedophile beauty pageant of Filipino girls as young as 11 are lined up in a cybersex den for perverts to choose one to be abused on a webcam. The girls are forced to smile as they are raped on camera as voyeuristic paedophiles instruct abusers what to do with them. After watching the show some predators travel to dirt-poor slums of Iligan, in the Philippines, and pay to sexually abuse them. Scroll down for video Chilling: A pot-bellied paedophile poses with a 13-year-old girl he met and selected to have sex with. He watched her perform sex acts on a webcam and travelled to the Philippines to abuse her Paedophile pageant: Girls aged just 11, 17, 15, 14 and 12, all work in Ilican City's brothels. Most come from impoverished backgrounds and earn 2 a night from the abuse, which goes a long way in the Philippines In one photo, an overweight pervert leers at the camera as he grasps a 13-year-old girl in one hand and a shot glass in the other. And in another a suspected British paedophile is pictured sat bare-chested in front of his computer watching a Filipino girl aged 13 in a cybersex show. The sickening abuse was exposed in an undercover investigation by Belgian journalist Peter Bridge - whose name has been changed to protect his identity. Bridge spent two years investigating suppliers of online child sex abuse in the Philippines and identifying their clients for a documentary, Children of the Cam. Bridge worked with Women and Children Protection Centre of the Philippine National Police and US NGO the International Justice Mission, an American NGO to expose the sickening trade in child abuse. Posing as a paedophile, he established contact with ringleaders, gaining their trust, and was invited into the child cybersex dens. Vile: A suspected British paedophile chats over webcam. Journalist Peter Bridge - not his real name - came across many men like him in a two year investigation into the depraved multi-billion dollar industry Horror: Bridge's investigation has led to a number of girls being rescued - but he says it is just the tip of the iceberg, and has vowed to continue to fight the industry - despite receiving death threats Hotspot: The Philippines is the top destination for predators in search of webcam child sex tourism, with some even travelling to the country to pay between 8 and 30. Here, a cybersex supplier chats online Recounting in sickening detail how the investigation played out, he revealed how, after arriving in Iligan City, he was taken to a house where he was introduced to a group of girls. He told MailOnline: 'They gave me a selection of girls to choose from, between the ages of 11 and 17. 'I could choose any girls I wanted. I told them I was interested in having six girls, two every night - 15 and 17, 11, 13 and then younger. They agreed.' The girls were later delivered to his hotel room where investigators wired the room with hidden cameras. Over the next few hours he interviewed them to find out as much as he could about their conditions, families and treatment. What he discovered was shocking. 'I found out that some of the older girls were already recruiting younger girls into the industry, he said. 'Girls as young as 12 work independently recruiting friends. It is contact with the predators that turns them into really educated abusers. 'They learn how to receive the money, how to do these things unnoticed, how to make contacts. So they are really raised to abuse by the predators. They come from the US, Europe, Australia, Canada and Korea. 'There was a girl who was 15. She wants to become a school teacher. Her sister is 13. Children: Bridge met the girls who were sent to his room and interviewed them, collecting evidence against the pimps. Pictured: Underage girls in cybersex den just before police raid Poverty: Iligan City is so poor that parents will sometimes hand over their daughters willingly, while older girls will begin recruiting and teaching younger girls to enter the disgusting trade 'They called me and the sister was sitting there with an eight-year-old girl on her lap and she just asked me 'what do you want me to do with her?' 'Doing this sort of work is traumatising. But for these girls it's just normal. They have been raised in a sea of abuse. And they don't know that it is abuse anymore.' He added: 'I got access to the accounts of the group I had infiltrated. 'I could see the client list there, it was a group of about 200 people. 'I saw a British guy, he was a veteran, he knew the group very well. He was an instructor, giving instructions while the abuse was happening. 'There was a couple with a child, she was about 11 years old, and he was telling her what to do. Telling her she had to smile while she was doing it [sex acts], stuff like that. 'But this was just one group. There are many, many more.' Crackdown: Two female suppliers were arrested in a police raid (left and right), the victim, 14, is in the middle. The young girls are lined up and paedophiles direct abusers on a webcam Saved: A girl of seven wrapped in blanket is rescued form cybersex den. Journalist Bridge said some of the victims are even babies aged just one-year-old Online child abuse is the leading cyber-related crime in the Philippines. Poverty combined with the rise of cheap, high speed internet access has turned the country into the hub of a billion-dollar cyber sex industry with tens of thousands of girls being exposed to sexual abuse. Last year, 139 Brits alone were being investigated for paying to watch Filipino children online. Yet that number is just the tip of the iceberg. Interpol and the FBI estimate that over 750,000 paedophiles are online at any one time looking at child porn or live streaming. The girls who get lured, or forced, into performing cybersex come from impoverished backgrounds. And some families are so poor it is often the parents themselves who supply their children to the cybersex dens. Dens like the one Bridge was invited to. The journalist, who was forced into hiding and received death threats when he handed his dossier to police there in September. In November detectives raided an apartment in Iligan and rescued 11 girls, the youngest of which was just seven. Five suspects, three men and two women, were arrested in the raid in which they also found illegal drugs. Arrested: Lany Buco (left) and Jeffryl Aque (right) were both held in a raid where 11 girls were saved, the Women and Children Protection Centre, part of the Philippine National Police, confirmed Caught: Kissy Pepito (left )and Cindy Omisol (right) were also taken into custody. Police in the Philippines said the suspects were 'caught in the act of recruiting and using children for online trafficking, pornography and sexual exploitation' Fight: Jefford Dominguez was arrested in the same raid. All suspects remain under investigation by police, the statement said. But they face an uphill battle to stamp out the multi-billion dollar industry The Women and Children Protection Centre, part of the Philippine National Police, confirmed: 'The suspects, caught in the act of recruiting and using children for online trafficking, pornography and sexual exploitation, were later identified as Jeffryl Aque, Lany Buco, Jefford Dominguez, Kissy Pepito, and Cindy Omisol.' The suspects remain under investigation by police, the statement added. But Bridge said police face an uphill struggle to stamp out the multi-billion dollar trade in child sex abuse images. He told MailOnline: 'Law enforcement is not getting a grip on this problem because it is so difficult to find people, predators, who are using live streaming. And the sector is professionalising fast. 'Without doing what I've been doing, you can't actually find these people. You can track down payments through all these channels, and maybe you can find them on social media and adult websites, or whatever, but in order to get them in front of a judge you have to find evidence and that is very, very difficult.' He went on: 'The problem is huge and it's under reported. 'The Philippines is the number one country in what is called webcam child sex tourism. 'And the descent into this sexual hell, as I call it, is spreading. It's like a virus. It's not difficult for the suppliers to find children. Slavery: It is not just the cybersex industry young girls have to try and avoid - they can also be trafficked out of the country, but Bridge is determined to start fighting this appalling trade. Pictured: Iligan City after a flood 'Predators pay between 8 and 30 euros for the girls and boys as young as one. The child will get two euros. 'In a country where many people get paid less than 1 a day, even getting 2 means that they can eat more than one meal a day.' Peter said he wont stop until he has exposed the paedophiles and their suppliers to make children in the Philippines safe. President Barack Obama will follow-up his State of the Union speech for the second year by taking questions from a trio of YouTube stars at the White House. The lucky users this year are: Adande Thorne, a video game enthusiast known as 'sWooZie,' Destin Sandlin, who makes educational videos and Ingrid Nilsen, a 26-year-old fashionista known on YouTube as 'Missglamorazzi. They'll quiz Obama on Friday in the East Room, where replicas of the sets they use for their web videos are being constructed, for 10-12 minutes each. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO President Barack Obama will follow-up his State of the Union speech for the second year by taking questions from a trio of YouTube stars at the White House. The lucky users this year are: Adande Thorne, center, Destin Sandlin, left, and Ingrid Nilsen 'Essentially we're gonna to be representing team internet, and that is such a huge honor,' Nilsen said in a video on her channel announcing her participation. 'I am so excited, and nervous, and over the moon, and thrilled, and nervous and ecstatic, and also just filled with joy.' Women's issues, health care, unemployment and gay rights are all are her mind, she said. 'This is our chance to talk to the president about things that are important to us, this generation, right now, because you know what, we have voices, and this is a great chance for us to get our voice out there,' she told her 3.9 million subscribers. Nilsen, a California resident, makes beauty and lifestyle videos. A 19-minute video she released last summer in which she announced that she's gay has more than 13 million views, making it her most watched YouTube video by a factor of 10. As of last year, she had an estimated yearly income of $8,580 to $137,390 coming in from her channel. She also serves as a COVERGIRL Glambassador. Thorne, aka sWoozie, encouraged his 3.7 subscribers to participate in the Q and A process on Twitter via #YouTubeAsksObama. 'So whatever issues you want to ask the president about...which is his favorite Kardashian...what's his favorite video game,' the Floridian said, noting that he would mostly speak to Obama about serious issues. 'It's gonna be awesome. There's gonna be fireworks. I think they're gonna fly in some exotic tigers, from like Africa,' he said in a dead pan. Nilsen, a California resident, makes beauty and lifestyle videos. Women's issues, health care, unemployment and gay rights are all are her mind, she said Sandlin, who YouTube streams under the name SmarterEveryDay, has 3.6 million users. He's a full-time engineer who lives in Alabama and creates videos about science. In addition to scientific topics, Sandlin said he wants to ask Obama about what its like to be the president. 'There is no other country on earth where something like this could happen, and I'm extremely excited and honored to be taking part,' Sandlin said in his promo video. The White House is trying to offset dwindling viewership of the State of the Union by pushing Tuesday's address further into cyberspace, hoping to reach Americans increasingly glued to their smartphones and other digital devices. The interviews with the YouTube content creators 'continues our efforts to meet people where they are -- and make it possible for people around the country to watch and engage with the State of the Union in new ways,' it said in a blog on Monday. Name your favorite social media site, and chances are the White House is already plugged in. The latest innovation ahead of Obama's final State of the Union came by way of Snapchat, where users can share photos and short video clips. Thorne, aka sWoozie, encouraged his 3.7 subscribers to participate in the Q and A process on Twitter via #YouTubeAsksObama The White House debuted its own Snapchat account Monday to offer users a behind-the-scenes glimpse at preparations for the big speech, including shots from inside the Oval Office. In a bureaucratic twist for the see-it-before-it-disappears app, the White House worked out an arrangement with Snapchat to ensure Obama's posts won't truly disappear from the historical record, in line with the Presidential Records Act. And who was chosen to interview the president after the big address? Not a network news anchor or a big-name correspondent, but the YouTube users who have achieved celebrity status on the video-sharing site. The social media blitz continues Obama's campaign to reach Americans who don't watch the speech or follow politics through traditional channels especially millennials. Obama aides pride themselves on being the first White House to fully deploy online media to disseminate the president's message beyond what he can convey in an hour-long speech. 'We'll be reaching people where they are, and making it possible for them to engage, respond, and share the president's speech themselves in new and different ways,' said Jason Goldman, the White House's chief digital officer. Sandlin, who YouTube streams under the name SmarterEveryDay, has 3.6 million users. He's a full-time engineer who lives in Alabama and creates videos about science No longer must-watch television, the State of the Union has suffered a major drop-off in viewers amid the proliferation of cable channels and other tempting distractions on a Tuesday night. Last year, Obama's speech reached 31.7 million viewers, according to Nielson, down from 52 million for his first State of the Union and a whopping 62 million for George W. Bush in 2003. This year, the White House also plans to release an annotated version of the speech on the site Genius, featuring commentary from Obama's speechwriter and top aides along with Vice President Joe Biden. And expect a flurry of White House activity on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Vine, Tumblr and other sites bookmarked by social media addicts around the country. A New Mexico teenager who has pleaded guilty to killing his parents and three younger siblings was described Monday as 'detached' by a psychiatrist who said the teen's recent recounting of the shooting rampage three years ago seemed 'matter of fact.' Nehemiah Griego, 18, also shows signs of having a severe mixed-personality disorder, said Dr. Kris Mohandie, who testified on the first day of a hearing set to determine whether the teen should be sentenced as a juvenile or an adult. An attorney for Griego told the judge that the teen grew up in a chaotic environment and was abused by his father, who had been a pastor at one of Albuquerque's largest Christian churches. After the January 2013 shooting, a security official said Griego spent much of the day at his church, wandering the campus as dozens of Sunday school teachers were being trained on how to deal with a shooter. Nehemiah Griego is seen in an undated photo provided by the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Deptartment Griego pleaded guilty in state children's court in October to two counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of his parents and three counts of child abuse resulting in death for killing his siblings ages 9, 5 and 2 'We'll see through the evidence that the pattern of living the family was engaged in was very isolating except for when going to church,' Taylor said. 'We'll hear evidence that Nehemiah probably suffered a traumatic injury as a result of his father's beatings.' Griego was 15 when authorities say he killed five family members at their home south of Albuquerque. He pleaded guilty in state children's court in October to two counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of his parents and three counts of child abuse resulting in death for killing his siblings ages 9, 5 and 2. In an interview with Mohandie last year, Griego reportedly told the psychiatrist that after he killed his mother, he woke up his little brother to show him she had been shot and allegedly said to the boy, 'You're next.' 'I think I say in my report there was a strong flavor of sadism in that statement. It was terrible,' Mohandie said. 'There isn't any getting around the sense of what that was.' Defense attorneys say Griego was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder after his arrest Griego was 15 when authorities say he killed five family members at their home south of Albuquerque A bouquet of flowers adorns the entrance to the home where the five family members were found shot to death (January 2013 file photo) Defense attorneys argue Griego who they say was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder after his arrest can be rehabilitated and has made significant progress at a state psychiatric treatment center for juveniles in the past 18 months. Investigators, psychology experts and an older sister of Griego are expected to take the stand during the hearing that is scheduled through this week and set to resume in February. Griego's sentencing terms could range from probation to three life sentences plus 30 years if he is sentenced as an adult, attorneys have said. If he's sentenced as a juvenile, he would theoretically remain in the custody of the state Children, Youth and Families Department until he is 21. Prosecutors did not deliver opening statements, but some family members sent a letter to the judge and the Albuquerque Journal in support of sentencing Griego as an adult. They expressed concerns about their own safety and that of the public. The guerrilla video crew that exposed Obamaphone cheaters and shut down the left-wing advocacy group ACORN is at it again, this time hammering the 'Common Core' education standards as a scheme for publishers to sell more textbooks. The West Coast sales manager from one of the nation's biggest school book sellers, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, told an undercover muckraker with Project Veritas that 'I hate kids.' 'I'm in it to sell books,' Dianne Barrow said of her advocacy for Common Core. 'Don't even kid yourself for a heartbeat.' She added that 'it's all about the money. What are you, crazy? It's all about the money.' 'You don't think that the educational publishing companies are in it for education, do you? No, they're in it for the money.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEOS 'I HATE KIDS': A sales manager for one of the nation's largest school textbook publishers admitted on hidden camera that Common Core represents a windfall for her: 'I'm in it to sell books' OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF TEACHERS: 'This NYC educator says Common Core is a 'new f**king system that f**king sucks,' invented 'to sell more books' LIKE WILDFIRE: 42 states and the District of Columbia have adopted the Common Core program since the federal government introduced it Bianca Olson, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's senior vice president, confirmed Tuesday morning that Barrow 'has been terminated.' That followed a phone call in which DailyMail.com read BArrow's statements to her verbatim. Harsh words from educators also won't help the K-12 Common Core system's advocates. 'It's a joke,' a Brooklyn, New York teacher Project Veritas identified as Jodi Cohen said on the group's hidden camera. 'It's bulls**t and the thing is, what they do is they create some new f**king system, that f**king sucks to sell more books and then we have to learn something new with the students.' Cohen, like Barrow, believes that the Common Core system is a marketing bonanza for textbook publishers. WHAT IS 'COMMON CORE'? A new set of national academic standards, now adopted by 42 states and DC, is an attempt to increase the country's declining testing scores in Math and English compared with the rest of the world. Conservatives often argue against the K-12 system as a federal government takeover of public education, but the Obama administration insists states can set their own standards as long as they serve the same goals. Parents in some corners of the U.S. have become frustrated at test and homework questions in math that are graded not just on getting the right answer but on the necessity of following a strict system for determining it. The math methods often involve illustrations and other complex requirements that are foreign to parents and many teachers. Democratic presidential candidates have lined up behind the program but the Republican field is split, with conservatives opposing it as a top-down, one-size-fits-all approach to learning. Advertisement 'Oh my god, it's all a money game. It's all a money game,' the cynical educator said. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's CEO, Linda Zecher, told DailyMail.com on Tuesday morning that her company 'is as appalled by these comments as we expect readers will be.' 'These statements in no way reflect the views of HMH and the commitment of our over 4,000 employees who dedicate their lives to serving teachers and students every day.' 'The individual who made these comments is a former employee who was with HMH for less than a year,' she added, referring to Barrow's firing on Tuesday. Cohen couldn't be reached for comment. The new video threatens to blow open the national debate about the national standards, which have simmered on the back-burner of Republican debates but haven't taken hold as much as immigration or foreign policy. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has advocated in favor of Common Core, arguing that participating states aren't restricted from setting their own standards. Sen. Marco Rubio, his in-state rival, says on his website that 'Common Core has been used by the Obama administration to turn the Department of Education into a national school board. This effort to coerce states into adhering to national curriculum standards is not the best way to help our children attain the best education, and it must be stopped.' Donald Trump, the GOP's leading presidential candidate, said in July that 'Common Core has to be ended. It's a disaster. Its a way of taking care of the people in Washington that, frankly, I dont even think they give a damn about education, half of them..' But despite her cynical outlook on Common Core, Barrow says on the Project Veritas video that Trump is all wet. 'Who is listening to Donald Trump? I mean, come on!' she says. 'It's all old white men that are frustrated with their life. It's ... a mid life crisis campaign. And so, he doesn't know policy, he doesn't even has he ever read the Constitution?' PARENTS LEARN THE NEW 'NEW MATH': An elementary school principal in Westerly, Massachusetts has begun sit-downs with parents to teach them how to do math the Common Core way so they can help their grade-schoolers with their homework Project Veritas frontman James O'Keefe told DailyMail.com that more videos targeting textbook publishers are on the way, and he's licking his chops at the thought of his opposition insisting that he's merely caught a rare dissenter on tape. 'This video provides confirmation that Common Core is broken, rotten and corrupt including the textbook publishers, government education officials and the politicians who should be held accountable for enabling this system in the first place,' O'Keefe said. 'I hope and pray that "they" call this an isolated incident, as we are putting every textbook publisher on notice that we plan to continue to release these videos exposing Common Core.' For years, textbook publishers have complained about the need to serve 51 competing education standards including those enforced by the District of Columbia with bulked-up books that are seen as a mile wide and an inch deep. With Common Core adopted in 42 states plus DC, they will soon be able to produce and sell more streamlined books with a uniform focus. Those books will be the newest thing on offer, slated to replace everything on teachers' shelves in a single giant commercial ka-ching. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's website includes an entire section devoted to matching up educators with Common Core teaching resources, calling it 'a fresh opportunity' for teachers to adopt 'a wide range of content, curricula, and services.' 15 DOES NOT EQUAL 5+5+5: These Common Core problems have become symbols of what conservatives say is an untested system run amok in most states, and a ticking educational time bomb CAN YOUR THIRD-GRADER UNDERSTAND THIS? Eight-and nine-year-olds in comedian Louis C.K.'s children's school were asked: 'Draw a pictograph for the data given in the table' Few federal government programs have become as powerful a lightning rod as Common Core. Conservative groups have pilloried the concept as a Washington, D.C. takeover of education curricula, while the Obama administration has maintained that it's just a well-meaning effort to ensure that college-bound children in Montana are as well-prepared as those in California. The truth about the president's signature education proposal from his first term pushed as part of the Race to the Top initiative lies somewhere in between. The feds don't require states to teach the Common Core way, but makes $350 million in stimulus grants available to states that adopt 'college- and career-ready standards.' The initial version of Race to the Top required the Common Core standards, but it was later watered down to include most systems states were using before. And the program itself isn't a set of classroom demands but a list of guidelines about hat children should be able to do at each grade level. Tests are administered each year to keep school headed toward those benchmarks, however, and that means the teaching materials have to keep pace. One result in the program's chaotic early years has been a series of news cycles and viral stories highlighting what some parents see as ridiculous and unintelligible math problems. In the state of New York, some of them are organizing a movement aimed at a mass-boycott of the English and math tests. About 200,000 students statewide refused to take the tests last spring. ARCHAEOLOGY MEETS FOURTH-GRADE MATH: This question on New York's Common Core math test for nine- and ten-year-olds asks them to figure out the length of dinosaur skeletons by counting a fictional child's footsteps And textbook publishers have introduced a new monkey wrench into the works, signaling that states that don't teach those Common Core concepts may soon find it hard to find books focused on the classroom materials the teachers themselves learned in school. Barrow put it a different way, telling Project Veritas that 'the fact that they have to align the educational standards is what they have to do to sell the books.' She said booksellers 'didn't lobby for them to be put in place ... but now they go after the money.' 'They want to, you know, it's just like any business. If you're selling t-shirts you want your t-shirts to fit everybody, right? So you can sell it to everybody.' 'In my opinion, education shouldn't have a bottom line,' she says on the recording. 'I mean, seriously, it should not be it's one place that shouldn't be about the money. It really should be about the kids.' 'And you hear it all the time, it's all about the kids. No it's not. It's not about the kids.' Houghton Mifflin Harcourt posted a $576 million net sales number for the third quarter of 2015, up 4 per cent from the previous year. French National Front founder Jean-Marie Le Pen is taking Madonna's ex boyfriend to court - for taking an unflattering selfie of the pair which led to defeat in key elections. Mr Le Pen, now 87, was fast asleep on a plane when fellow Frenchman, Brahim Zaibat, 29, snapped him on the flight. Mr Zaibat, a professional dancer who dated the queen of pop for three years, then shared the snap on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Brahim Zaibat (left) is wearing headphones as he takes a selfie with Mr Le Pen who is suing him for taking the unflattering photo and posting it to social media Madonna arrives at Heathrow Airport with boyfriend Brahim and her sons Rocco and David Banda in 2011 It shows Mr Zaibat wearing a set of headphones and smiling broadly as he sits behind the politician, who has his eyes shut and mouth open. Mr Zaibat then urged voters not to back Mr Le Pen's far right National Front (NF) party in the second round of regional elections in December. 'Let's all vote tomorrow to give them a knock-out blow, to preserve our brotherly France' wrote Mr Zaibat, whose father comes from a North African immigrant background. Mr Le Pen's party, which is now led by his daughter, Marine Le Pen, constantly campaigns against immigration, especially from former French African colonies such as Algeria. Zaibat, 29, is a professional dancer who worked with Madonna. Zaibat, pictured on stage with her (left) and at a gala avent in New York (right) at the at dated the queen of pop Madonna, pictured above, for three years The next day the NF failed to win a single region in the elections, despite being ahead in six out of 13. Mr Le Pen said the photo harmed his public image, and contributed to the defeat of the party in the elections. According to France's Public magazine, Mr Le Pen is asking for a full written apology from Mr Zaibat, and around 40,000. According to France's Public magazine, Mr Le Pen will sue Mr Zaibat for an additional 8,000 for every day that goes by until he pays up If Mr Zaibat fails to comply, then Mr Le Pen will sue him for a further 8,000 for every day that goes by until he apologises and pays up. The court case will be heard in a civil court in Paris on January 22nd, with both men free to attend if they want to. Mr Le Pen is a convicted racist and anti-Semite who has often complained about the number of people with foreign backgrounds in France. A 3-year-old boy has died after accidentally shooting himself with a handgun he found behind the counter of his father's Lumberton, North Carolina, convenience store. Police Capt. Terry Parker told local media outlets that officers were called to the store around 11 a.m. Sunday. Parker said the boy was at the store with his father. The boy has been named locally as Munal Abdelaziz Jr. Scroll down for video 3-year-old Munal Abdelaziz Jr has died after accidentally shooting himself with a handgun he found behind the counter of his father's Lumberton, North Carolina, convenience store Police Capt. Terry Parker told local media outlets that officers were called to the store around 11 a.m. Sunday. Parker said the boy found the gun under the cash register. He said the father's attention had been diverted momentarily. The boy's father Manal Abdelaziz told WMBF: 'I was talking to [a male customer], business and different things. 'All we heard was something happening and I looked and, oh my god, my son is on the floor.' The father said: 'Always keep the gun away from here. Hide it under a t-shirt, put it in a higher place. 'At that time it wasnt there. It was in the wrong place.' A store employee named Adia Peguise told the news station it's her gun. Parker told WTVD: 'Dad was very upset as you can imagine. 'Being a father myself, I can't imagine what he's going through, and what he went through.' The youngster also went by 'Cash.' A sign in a window is seen mourning 'Cash Money' Police Capt. Terry Parker told local media outlets that officers were called to the store around 11 a.m. Sunday Parker told the ABC affiliate news station: 'Please, if you have weapons, keep them out of the hands of our little ones. 'Please render them safe if you've got kids, and please don't store them loaded. 'Make sure it's where the child cannot have access to it. 'Kids are going to be naturally curious about firearms. 'Kids, they need to learn gun safety but at the same time we as adults have got to protect the kids to the best of our ability.' The youngster also reportedly went by 'Cash.' Peguise told WMBF: 'I met Cash this summer when the store first opened and he ran up to me and jumped into my arms and wouldn't let me go and I fell in love with him.' The boy was taken to Southeastern Regional Medical Center in Lumberton where he was pronounced dead. Parker said the Robeson County District Attorney's Office will decide whether charges are filed. A Canadian man whom the Taliban seized in Afghanistan five years ago and accused of being a spy has been released with the aid of Qatar, Foreign Minister Stephane Dion said on Monday. Dion gave no more details about the operation to free Colin Rutherford, whose capture the Taliban announced in February 2011. In a video released in May that year, Rutherford - then 26 - said he was in Afghanistan as a tourist and denied working for the Canadian government. 'Canada is very pleased that efforts undertaken to secure the release of Colin Rutherford from captivity have been successful,' Dion said in a statement. Colin Rutherford, whom the Taliban seized in Afghanistan five years ago and accused of being a spy, has been released with the aid of Qatar, Foreign Minister Stephane Dion said on Monday 'We look forward to Mr. Rutherford being able to return to Canada and reunite with his family and loved ones,' he said, extending 'heartfelt thanks' to the government of Qatar for its help. Officials at the Qatari embassy in Ottawa were not immediately available for comment. Exactly when Rutherford was taken prisoner is unclear. Although the Taliban broke the news of his capture in early 2011, local media reports said he had gone missing in late 2010. This image from a video released by the Taliban purports to show Rutherford in captivity (2011 image) Canada maintained a military mission in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2011, during which 158 soldiers were killed. In November 2008, Canadian Broadcasting Corp reporter Mellissa Fung was freed after being kidnapped a month earlier near the Afghan capital Kabul. President Barack Obama will share his 'optimism' about the direction of the country in his final State of the Union address, the White House says, as he works to counter the 'avalanche of negativity' coming from GOP presidential candidates. Unlike GOP candidates whose messages center on 'fearing the future and being anxious and insecure about a changing world' Obama will argue that he United States 'is better positioned than any other nation in the world to capitalize on the opportunities that lie ahead for us.' 'Part of what I want to do in this last address is to remind people, you know what, we've got a lot of good things going for us, and if we can get our politics right, it turns out that we're not as divided on the ideological spectrum as people make us out to be,' Obama said this morning during an interview that aired on Today. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO President Barack Obama will share his 'optimism' about the direction of the country in his final State of the Union address, the White House says, as he works to counter the 'avalanche of negativity' coming from GOP presidential candidates 'Part of what I want to do in this last address is to remind people, you know what, we've got a lot of good things going for us, and if we can get our politics right, it turns out that we're not as divided on the ideological spectrum as people make us out to be,' Obama said this morning during an interview that aired on Today The Tuesday night speech is likely to be Obama's last joint address before Congress and his 'main focus will be on the opportunities and challenges that are facing the country,' White House Press Secretary Earnest told reporters Monday afternoon as he previewed the annual speech. 'He understands quite clearly that the kinds of decisions that he will make over the course of next year and that the next president will have to make during their tenure in office, will have a substantial impact.' Earnest said. Obama told NBC's Matt Lauer this morning, 'If we make some good choices now, whoever the next president is....there's no reason why we shouldn't own the 21st century.' The United States has overcome at least half a dozen major struggles in the past decade, Hurricane Katrina, the Iraq War, the financial crisis of 2009 and terrorist attacks as well as economic blows, Obama pointed out. 'It is sometimes important for us to step back and take measure of how far we've come,' he said. 'The economy right now is doing better than any other economy in the world by a significant margin. We remain the strongest nation on earth by far.' Obama's seen here, walking through the Colonnade outside the Oval Office, this afternoon as he takes a break from State of the Union prep White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said Sunday on Face the Nation that Obama would speak tonight about 'every American having a shot in this changing economy.' 'Youll hear him talk about using all the elements of our national power to protect and grow the influence of this country...you'll hear the president talk about making sure that every American has a chance to influence this democracy,' McDonough said. 'Not the select few, not the millionaires and the billionaires, but every American,' the White House official stated, then added, 'When we draw on the strength of every American, the sky is the limit for this country.' Traditionally the State of the Union serves as a verbal wish list of initiatives the president would like to accomplish in the coming year, but the White House says this year Obama is doing 'something different.' 'The President will do what is rarely done in Washington: Think beyond the next election,' McDonough said in an email last week sent out by the White House. A handful of presidential candidates will be seated in the House of Representatives for tonight's speech. Four U.S. Senators are competing for their party's nominations: Bernie Sanders, on the Democratic side, and Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul for the Republicans, though Cruz has said he won't be there tonight. The GOP front-runner, Donald Trump, won't be present as he is not an elected or appointed federal official, but his presence will be felt in the crowded legislative chamber as Obama attempts to steer the country in another direction. 'You'll hear him talk about every American having a shot in this changing economy. Youll hear him talk about using all the elements of our national power to protect and grow the influence of this country...you'll hear the president talk about making sure that every American has a chance to influence this democracy,' White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said Sunday on Face the Nation The Tuesday night speech is likely to be Obama's last joint address before Congress and his 'main focus will be on the opportunities and challenges that are facing the country.' Above he gives the address in 2014 Trump came out swinging over the summer against Obama's immigration policies and declared that as president, he'd deport all illegal immigrants, build a wall on the United States' southern border that he'll make Mexico pay for, then allow the 'good' migrants to come back to the country, legally. Continuing with that theme, he said last month that he'd block Muslim immigrants from coming to the U.S. until the country's security situation was under control. Several Democratic lawmakers are pushing back against Trump and what they called 'an alarming rise in hateful rhetoric' against followers of Islam tonight by bringing Muslims as their guests to the State of the Union. This morning Lauer told Obama that interest in Trump may be a reflection of the president's own failings as a leader. 'Talk to me if he wins,' Obama replied. 'Then we'll have a conversation about how responsible I feel about it.' Obama told Lauer he doesn't see Trump giving next year's State of the Union, unless it's on Saturday Night Live as a skit. 'I'm pretty confident that the overwhelming majority of Americans are looking for the kind of politics that does feed our hopes and not our fears, that does work together and doesn't try to divide, that isn't looking for simplistic solutions and scapegoating but looks for us buckling down and figuring out, "How do we make things work for the next generation," ' he said. The GOP front-runner, Donald Trump, seen here at a rally on Sunday, won't be present as he is not an elected or appointed federal official, but his presence will be felt in the crowded legislative chamber as Obama attempts to steer the country in another direction Obama said today that 'anything is possible' but he's pretty confident' That Trump won't be his successor. The president predicted 'that the overwhelming majority of Americans are looking for the kind of politics that does feed our hopes and not our fears, that does work together and doesn't try to divide, that isn't looking for simplistic solutions and scapegoating' The White House says tonight's speech will not be political in nature and has insisted that the president is not aiming to lay the groundwork for a Democratic president. 'The president is hopeful that he'll have an opportunity in his speech to not just talk about the kind of political rhetoric that is on display from Republicans leading up to the next election, but to actually talk about how these issues are going to effect the next generation of Americans,' his press secretary said yesterday. 'I think there will be ample opportunity for the President over the course of this year to deliver a political speech,' Earnest said in a briefing last week. 'But thats not what...Tuesday is about.' The White House official said, 'While certainly the next election is an important one, its important that we dont allow the decisions that we make today to be driven by short-term considerations related to the next election.' 'The vision that the President will lay out will be generally consistent with the kinds of priorities that you hear Democrats talking about on the campaign trail,' he acknowledged, but he reiterated that 'the Presidents message is mostly going to be focused on looking beyond the next election.' McDonough said Sunday, 'He wants to talk about the future of this country. He's a very optimistic about the future of the country.' Earnest told reporters on Monday afternoon that the president was still writing the speech. He's settled on a theme, though, and it's 'not about him. It is about the American people and about the future of our country.' Obama will focus on what the White House is billing as 'longer-term' issues, including his Pacific Rim trade deal, criminal justice reform, closing Guantanamo Bay and gun control. 'The stakes are high and frankly, the stakes are higher than any one president or any one Congress, but they will have a long-term impact,' Earnest said last week. A poll taken last month on behalf of NBC News found that 70 percent of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track and 73 percent want the next elected president to change course. 'I think part of that...is obviously attributable to the avalanche of negativity that we have seen from the Republican candidates for president,' Earnest said on Monday. And 'the willingness of those candidates to exploit people's fears and insecurities and anxieties has infected the political debate.' Continuing he said, it's 'perfectly reasonable' for Americans to be concerned about the economy and national security, particularly after the San Bernardino attack at the end of the year. 'It has sort of reawakened people's concerns about that.' 'The bottom line though, when it comes to the president's thinking about this, he's got a lot of confidence that betting on America is going to be a good threat.' HOUSE SPEAKER PAUL RYAN'S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS GUEST LIST Among the Speaker of the House's guests is Logan Barritt of Milton, Wisconsin, a four-year-old who helped raise more than $1,300 for service members in his community last Christmas. In this December photo four-year-old Logan Barritt is seen receiving a small American flag from Staff Sgt. Jordan Whitlow of Janesville, Wisconsin, during a thank you ceremony. Logan raised more than $1,300 for holiday care packages for soldiers stationed overseas. Logan will be one of Speaker Ryan's guests tomorrow night Barritt will be accompanied Tuesday evening by his parents, Nick and Becky. 'Kids can be heroes too,' Ryan said in a statement announcing his guests. 'Logan reminded us that a little pocket change goes a long way, especially when it comes to giving back to the men and women who give everything for us.' Robert Woodson, president and founder of the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, will also sit in the speaker's box. Woodson set up and accompanied Ryan on a 'listening tour' throughout 2013, where they met with faith-based community leaders throughout the country. The tour was sparked by a meeting in 2012, when Ryan was running for vice president on Mitt Romney's ticket, after the presidential candidate's '47 percent' slip-up. Ryan asked Woodson to set up additional meetings for him like it after the election was over in Washington, D.C., Cleveland, Indianapolis, New Jersey, Milwaukee and San Antonio. Sticking with the his theme this year of addressing poverty, an issue Ryan has championed as a member of Congress, he will also host two nuns from the Little Sisters of the Poor: Sister Loraine Marie Maguire and Sister Constance Veit. Robert Woodson, president and founder of the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, will also sit in the speaker's box The Little Sisters of the Poor are legally challenging the Obama administration's contraception mandate. They say it violates their religious freedom. The Supreme Court said in November that it would hear their case. Ryan and 204 other lawmakers have signed a friend of the court briefing supporting their case. 'All we ask is that our rights not be taken away,' Maguire said a statement included in Ryan's release. 'The government exempts large corporations, small businesses, and other religious ministries from what they are imposing on us we just want to keep serving the elderly poor as we have always done for 175 years.' Veit said, 'For us, this has nothing to do with politics. We just want to take care of the elderly poor without being forced to violate the faith that animates our work.' Advertisement Presented with unflattering numbers Sunday on State of the Union - nearly a quarter of Americans say they are unhappy with the way terror threat are being handle and 52 percent say they disapprove of the way President Obama is doing his job - McDonough told host Jake Tapper, 'We don't spend a lot of time looking at the numbers. 'I spend a lot of time looking at what we need to do to continue to keep this country safe and how we continue to grow the economy here.' McDonough said 'the numbers will sort themselves out. And that's what we're focused on.' Despite bad numbers and the legislative hurdles Obama faces now that Republicans are in control of both chambers of Congress, Earnest says there's 'a long list of things the President is looking forward to getting done next year.' President Obama campaigned on closing Gitmo, but never got it done. McDonough said the president plans to present a long-awaited plan to Congress 'Some of that is business that wed like to get done with Congress. Some of it is business that well get done using the Presidents executive authority,' Earnest said. 'And some of it is business that well get done by deepening our engagement with countries around the world and continuing to play the kind of leading role in the international community that has made the country safer and advanced our interests around the globe.' Even with Republicans in charge, Earnest said 'there's a lot that we've been able to get done' in just the last several months. The reauthorization of the Export-Import bank, a budget agreement, a transportation deal, No Child Left Behind reform legislation 'all of that was work that we were able to do by trying to find common ground' with House Speaker Paul Ryan, he said today. 'President Obama doesn't agree with him on every issue...I'm not even sure we agree on most issues. But there is common ground that can be found, and by seizing that common ground, we can do something good for the American people' So, the president is 'optimistic that we'll be able to continue to work constructively with Speaker Ryan...in the year that remains in the Obama presidency,' he said. A chair will be left empty in the first lady's box in honor of victims of gun violence. Obama got emotional last week at the White House when remembering the children who were killed in Newtown, Connecticut. He'll talk about gun control again tomorrow night A LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL OBAMA KNOWS REPUBLICANS WILL REJECT BUT HE'LL BRING UP ANYWAY: GUN CONTROL Obama has been trying to get Congress to approve legislation making background checks mandatory for all buyers since the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012. Frustrated and fed up with Republicans who have refused to bring forward a bill introducing universal checks, Obama directed his administration last week to issue updated guidance that would move the ball forward on the issue. 'The State of the Union is a large platform where the President is commanding the attention of both houses of Congress and any number of Supreme Court justices and members of the Cabinet,' Earnest said Friday while talking about the president's gun control initiatives. 'I would expect that this is an issue that hell bring to their attention, because hes surely focused on it.' He later indicated that the president could take additional executive actions to increase the number of sellers who must perform background checks on prospective buyers. 'The president has done as much as he can,' he said, based on the White House's recent assessment of the laws. 'That said, I wouldnt rule out that at some point over the next 12 months, that the Presidents team goes back to take another look to see if theres more that can be done.' 'Theres nothing that were keeping in reserve in terms of additional actions that the president could take,' he told reporters. The president's State of the Union address is Tuesday night at 9pm Eastern. It's Obama's eighth and final one WHO'S SITTING IN THE FIRST LADY'S BOX THIS YEAR? Sue Ellen Allen - criminal justice reform advocate Gloria Balenski - letter writer Jennifer Bragdon - community college student Edith Childs - creator of 'Fired up! Ready to go!' Then-Senator Obama is seen here in 2007 with Edith Childs of South Carolina, who came up with the 'Fired Up! Ready to go!' slogan that became a signature of his first campaign for president Cynthia 'Cindy' K. Dias - veterans homelessness advocate Mark Davis - solar panel entrepreneur Cary Dixon - opioid reform advocate Lydia Doza - student STEM advocate Refaii Hamo - Syrian refugee Lisa Jaster - first female Army Reserve Ranger School graduate Mark Luttrell - mayor of Shelby County, Tennessee Dannel P. Malloy - governor of Connecticut Obama is seen here hugging Jim Obergefell at the Democratic National Committee;s LGBT Gala in September. Obergefell was a plaintiff in the landmark gay marriage case Braeden Mannering - anti-hunger advocate and founder of Braes Brown Bags Satya Nadella - Microsoft CEO Jim Obergefell - plaintiff in the landmark marriage equality case Kathleen OToole - Seattle Police Department chief, community policing advocate Ryan Reyes - lost partner in San Bernardino shooting Ronna Rice - owner of Rice's Lucky Clover Honey Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, seen here in December, will also sit in the first lady's box tonight. Microsoft is pursuing a diversity effort and last month added two women to its board Cedric Rowland - Affordable Care Act navigator Naveed Shah - U.S. Army veteran Earl Smith - Vietnam veteran Spencer Stone - prevented terrorist attack on Paris-bond train Oscar Vazquez - Veteran, DREAMer and STEM advocate Left empty - a seat honoring the victims of gun violence Advertisement HE WON'T GET ANYWHERE WITH THIS ONE EITHER BUT HE MADE A CAMPAIGN PROMISE: CLOSING THE GUANTANAMO BAY PRISON Obama promised to close the terrorist-holding facility in 2008 but has been unable to due to external pressure from the Pentagon and Congress to keep it open. Working within the authority that he does have, Obama has reduced the prisoner population to 103 as of this week and has said the number of suspected terrorists being held there will decrease to fewer than 100 by the end of his term. 'As it relates to the Presidents executive authority in accomplishing that goal....his focus right now is getting Congress to remove the obstacles that they have put in place of closing the prison,' his press secretary said. 'I certainly wouldnt take any executive options that may or may not be available off the table.' Earnest told reporters today that he wasn't entirely sure how the president would talk about the prison in his State of the Union speech as it's not yet finished. 'But the president's view that closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay is in our national security interest is a view that is shared not just by Democratic foreign policy experts, but even by Republican foreign policy experts that served the previous president, and include the previous president,' he said. He added, 'This is something the president's going to keep fighting for over the course of the next year.' RATIFYING THE PRESIDENT'S PACIFIC RIM TRADE DEAL WITH 11 OTHER NATIONS: THE TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP Last year Republicans helped Obama push fast-track authorization through Congress for a 12-nation trade deal designed to make signatories' economies more competitive with China's. Earnest listed ratification of the agreement, which has been completed and now awaits the approval of Congress, as an area in which the White House believes it can constructively work with congressional Republicans in 2016. 'Months after poisoning the well, Democrats and Republicans in both the House and the Senate came together and passed Trade Promotion Authority. Were hopeful that theyll do that again this year,' he said. The document is undergoing a period of public comment, he noted, 'so we're not calling on Congress to vote for it now. 'But we are hopeful that they will move in a timely fashion to vote to approve that legislation.' REFORMING THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM TO MAKE IT MORE FAIR A series of shootings in 2014 and 2015 re-started conversations on Capitol Hill about criminal justice reforms. The Senate Judiciary committee approved a bipartisan bill at the end of October that would give criminals in prison drug charges the opportunity to apply to the courts for reductions in their sentences. The bill is still awaiting a vote in the full Senate body. 'The President is very interested in nurturing the bipartisan agreement that could lead to legislation that would make our communities safer and our criminal justice system more fair,' Earnest said last week. At his briefing with reporters on Monday he said, 'The White House has worked hard to try to nurture the bipartisan agreement that will be required to pass that legislation.' OTHER ISSUES NEAR AND DEAR TO THE PRESIDENT'S HEART: THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN AND COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM The president also promised to end the war in Afghanistan when he took office. He has had trouble meeting that obligation as terror threats in the region have persisted. In October the president committed to leaving 5,500 U.S. troops in the country beyond the end of his term. Obama in his 2012 campaign separately pushed to reform the nation's immigration system. The Senate fell short of passing a bipartisan agreement in 2013 that would have provided a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants living in the country. Asked about those unrealized campaign promises, as well as the Guantanamo Bay closure, Earnest said, 'Some of those things that you have mentioned are things that haven't happened, because they are specifically blocked by members of Congress.' 'And at least one of them was something that was blocked by Republicans in Congress,' he said, referring to Guantanamo Bay. 'So, I'm not sure the president can be held accountable for that.' The White House spokesman was about to provide a more detailed defense of the president's record before cutting himself off and telling his inquisitor, 'I'll let you watch the speech tomorrow and conclude for yourself.' Michelle Obama and Jill Biden always sit with a set of guests who move the president's political message forward. This year will be no exception. They're hosting 23 this year, and leaving a seat empty for the victims of gun violence To help promote the speech the White House launched a Snapchat account on Monday, where it is providing a behind-the-scenes look at speech preparation. The president will hit the road on Wednesday and Thursday to riff off his remarks in Nebraska and Louisiana. Back at the White House on Friday, he'll follow-up on a tradition he began after last year's State of the Union and take questions from three viral YouTube users. Adande Thorne, a gamer who goes by the nickname 'sWooZie,' Destin Sandlin, an engineer known for his educational videos, and Ingrid Nilsen, known on YouTube as 'Missglamorazzi' will interview the president on Friday in the East Room of the White House. On the presidential campaign trail, New Jersey Gov. and presidential hopeful Chris Christie slammed Obama ahead of the speech. 'All were going to hear about the big challenges that we face today as a nation is a lot of hot air from Congress and the White House,' Christie said. 'The State of the Union isnt a call to action, its a fantasy wish list by a President who has failed us. Its the world as he wishes it was; not the real world his failed leadership has left to all Americans.' Republicans will have a chance to respond to Obama's speech immediately afterward, and they've selected Confederate flag-banning, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley to represent them in remarks of her own that will be broadcast on the networks. Based on recommendations for Obama's speech that Ryan's office sent to reporters today, Haley is likely to speak about the threat posed by ISIS, Republicans' latest efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare, and the Obama administration's clean energy initiatives, among other topics. Republicans will have a chance to respond to Obama's speech immediately afterward, and they've selected Confederate flag-banning Governor Nikki Haley to represent them with a speech of her own. She's seen here over the weekend at a poverty forum in her home state of South Carolina Hours before the speech, top congressional leaders from both parties used statements and press appearances to put their own stamp on Obamas speech, Ryan used a Tuesday morning press conference to promote Haley, calling her an inclusive leader who has gotten things done, who has set a bold agenda. He also needled Obama for a perceived lack of a plan to defeat the Islamic State terror army. Americans are so anxious right now about their security, about whats going on around the world. Just look at what happened today in Istanbul, in a tourist district where at least 10 people were killed. Weve passed a law requiring the president to put forward a plan to defeat this threat, and I hope that he will deliver, Ryan said. The speaker also took the opportunity to predict a Republican victory in the November presidential election. This is a year where we are going to go on offense on ideas. This is a year where we are going to give the country a bold, pro-growth agenda so that they can choose the direction this country will head, Ryan said. That way, next year, when its a Republican president coming to address Congress, we will have a mandate to do the big things that we need to do to get the country back on track. House Speaker Paul Ryan will host the president in the chamber he took over to lead in October Across the Capitol, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said Republicans have failed in their own radical crusade' against Obama. He saluted Obama for addressing immigration reform, energy policy, and higher education costs. 'An election year places the state of our union under intense scrutiny. At this time, it is important to remember just how far we have come through the leadership of President Barack Obama. Its important to remember just how far weve come through his leadership, Reid said. President Obama inherited the worst recession since the Great Depression. He acted immediately to address the economic crisis and begin rebuilding our economy. Because of President Obama, our economy has fought back from the brink of destruction, millions of Americans now have health care, and Osama bin Laden has been killed.' 'His rescuing the nation from crisis, his bold legislative achievement, and his refusal to back down in the face of Republican obstruction have made him one of the best presidents of all time. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada says Obama has survived a 'radical crusade' from Republicans to become one of the best presidents in US history But Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell slammed Obama for seven years of what he perceived as his own failures. Americans are losing faith in the future. Theyre losing hope that their children can lead a better life. They watch as challenges continue to mount around the world like those from ISIL, Iran, Russia, Al Qaeda, an ever aggressive China, North Korea, and the Taliban while this Administration seems to have no plan to deal with it, McConnell said. This hurt in our country and the failing approach from the White House should be disheartening to all of us. Perhaps the worst part is, it didnt have to be like this. One of the few Republicans not to take a pot-shot at Obama was senior Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander, who pointed out that the Republican-led Senate last year passed bartisan legislation such as a reform of the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act. This record shows that if President Obama focuses on what he agrees on with Congress instead of what we disagree on, there's quite a bit we could get done in 2016,' Alexander said. A man has been jailed for having a violent and degrading sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl. The Queensland man, who can't be named for legal reasons, was aged 19 to 20 when he subjected the teen to humiliating and painful sex acts, introduced her to adult toys and anal intercourse, and asked her to have sex with a dog. Now 21, he pleaded guilty to 13 charges in the Brisbane District Court on Monday, including three counts of unlawful sodomy of a person under 18 and four counts of carnal knowledge of a child. He was sentenced to three-and-a-half years' imprisonment, with Judge David Reid labelling the behaviour 'appalling', 'unbelievably vile' and 'some of the worst conduct you can imagine'. A Queensland man, now 21, has been jailed for having a violent and degrading sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl (stock image) The court heard that the man would handcuff the teen and force her to have anal sex with him (stock image) The court heard the pair met at an alternative school for disadvantaged students in southeast Queensland and began a secret sexual relationship of several months in 2013. The man would handcuff the girl and force anal sex on her until she begged him to stop, Crown prosecutor Shauna Rankin said, according to the Courier-Mail. Ms Rankin said the young girl was told: 'Take it voluntarily or I'll slam it in hard.' The man also offered cigarettes in exchange for sex and asked her to send him explicit photos of herself. Ms Rankin said it seemed as if the girl had just 'gone along' with things. 'She clearly at that point in her life didn't understand the kind of relationship she was in,' she said. The man sent the young girl a bestiality video in which a different woman had sex with a German shepherd dog - then asked her to engage in the same vile act The man offered cigarettes in exchange for sex and asked her to send him explicit photos of herself But defence barrister Robert Glenday said he was told the pair had loved each other, that the teen girl had occasionally instigated the 'graphic talk', and that her mother had let the boyfriend sleep in her bed. 'They were both willing participants,' Mr Glenday said. The prosecution agreed the sex was mostly consensual. Nonetheless Judge Reid concluded the man must have foreseen the significant psychological impact his 'reprehensible' behaviour would have on the teen. 'I think your conduct was exploitative and degrading and you did not care for her to any significant extent,' he said. The man will be eligible for parole from March 10 next year. Crown prosecutor Shauna Rankin said it seemed as if the girl had just 'gone along' with things (stock image) Television presenter Rebecca Judd has urged parents not to leave their children in hot cars this summer even if it is to get 'a litre of milk or a loaf of bread' as temperatures can double within just minutes inside a vehicle. The mother-of-two, from Melbourne, warned mothers and fathers not to leave their kids unattended even for a short period of time, no matter how arduous it is to get them out. 'I know getting kids out of cars is not the most fun of times,' Judd told Channel Nine's Today. Scroll down for video Television presenter Rebecca Judd has used her celebrity status to urge parents not leave their children in hot cars this summer as revealed temperatures can double within just minutes 'It can be very awkward at times but the consequences can be fatal. 'Kids can get very sick, their little immune systems can't deal with the heat as well as adults. 'They can get very sick in a very short amount of time. 'It's just a risk we can't take for what - a litre of milk or a loaf of bread from the shop? It's not worth it.' A video demonstrating the dangers of hot cars shows the temperature inside a vehicle soaring by 12.7 degrees Celsius in nine minutes. Judd also cautioned parents to look behind them and check on their children to prevent forgetful moments that could end in tragedy. The warning coincides with a heatwave sweeping across the country this week, with most capital cities tipped to reach temperatures in the 30s. This video shows in just seven minutes, the temperature inside this car increased by 18.5 degrees Celsius Just nine minutes later, the temperature rises a further 12.7 degrees Celsius About 5,000 children are left unattended in cars each year in Australia. Kids are more at risk of illness as their body temperature can increase three to five times faster than adults. Just a month ago, celebrity chef Matt Moran demonstrated how harmful the oversight could be by cooking a lamb loin inside a car parked at Bondi Beach, in Sydney's east, for 90 minutes. Dubbing the project 'The Unconventional Oven', Moran invited a crowd of people to watch the experiment unfold. Celebrity chef Matt Moran cooked a loin of lamb inside a hot car (left is the meat raw and right it is cooked). The project was called 'The Unconventional Oven' and demonstrated the dangers of leaving children in hot cars Last month, Moran (above) cooked the lamb loin inside a car parked at Bondi Beach, in Sydney's east, for 90 minutes This graphic shows how hot the car got at Bondi Beach, showing temperatures of up to 63.8 degrees Celsius Little did they know they were getting a hard lesson about the dangers of leaving children in hot cars. After 90 minutes, Moran pulled out the loins and sliced into them, revealing they had not only cooked all the way through but were overdone. 'The real reason I've got you here today has nothing to do with launching an oven. It's to do with 5,000 kids who are left in cars every year,' the chef explained in the video. 'I think Australia needs to know it is not safe at any point in time to leave a kid in a car. It is like an oven.' Ben Carson Retired physician Age on Election Day: 65 Religion: Seventh-day Adventist Base: Evangelicals Resume: Famous pediatric neurosurgeon, youngest person to head a major Johns Hopkins Hospital division. Founder of the Carson Scholars Fund, which awards scholarships to children of good character. Education: B.A. Yale University. M.D. University of Michigan Medical School. Family: Married to Candy Carson (1975), with three adult sons. The Carsons live in Maryland with Ben's elderly mother Sonya, who was a seminal influence on his life and development. Claim to fame: Carson spoke at a National Prayer Breakfast in 2013, railing against political correctness and condemned Obamacare with President Obama sitting just a few feet away. Achilles heel: Carson is inflexibly conservative, opposing gay marriage and once saying gay attachments formed in prison provided evidence that sexual orientation is a choice. Ted Cruz Texas senator Age on Election Day: 45 Religion: Southern Baptist Base: Tea partiers Resume:U.S. senator. Former Texas solicitor general. Former U.S. Supreme Court clerk. Former associate deputy attorney general under President George W. Bush. Education: B.A. Princeton University. J.D. Harvard Law School. Family: Married to Heidi Nelson Cruz (2001), with two young daughters. His father is a preacher and he has two half-sisters. Claim to fame: Cruz spoke on the Senate floor for more than 21 hours in September 2013 to protest the inclusion of funding for Obamacare in a federal budget bill. (The bill moved forward as written.) He has called for the complete repeal of the medical insurance overhaul law, and also for a dismantling of the Internal Revenue Service. Cruz is also outspoken about border security. Achilles heel: Cruz's father Rafael, a Texas preacher, is a tea party firebrand who has said gay marriage is a government conspiracy and called President Barack Obama a Marxist who should 'go back to Kenya.' Cruz himself also has a reputation as a take-no-prisoners Christian evangelical, which might play well in South Carolina but won't win him points in the other early primary states and could cost him momentum if he should be the GOP's presidential nominee. Jim Gilmore Former Virginia governor Age on Election Day: 67 Religion: United Methodist Base: Conservatives Resume: Former governor and attorney general of Virginia. Former chairman of the Republican National Committee. Former U.S. Army intelligence agent. President and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation. Board member of the National Rifle Association Education: B.A. University of Virginia. Family: Married to Roxane Gatling Gilmore (1977), with two adult children. Mrs. GIlmore is a survivor of Hodgkin's lymphoma Claim to fame: Gilmore presided over Virginia when the 9/11 terrorists struck in 1991, guiding the state through a difficult economic downturn after one of the hijacked airliners crashed into the Pentagon. He is nest known in Virginia for eliminating most of a much-maligned personal property tax on automobiles, working with a Democratic-controlled state legislature to get it passed and enacted. Achilles heel: Gilmore is the only GOP or Democratic candidate for president who has been the chairman of his political party, giving him a rap as an 'establishment' candidate. A social-conservative crusader, he is loathed by the left for championing the state law that established 24-hour waiting periods for abortions. Gilmore also has a reputation as an indecisive campaigner, having dropped out of the 2008 presidential race in July 2007. John Kasich Ohio governor Age on Election Day: 64 Religion: Anglican Base: Centrists Resume: Governor of Ohio. Former chairman of the U.S. House Budget Committee. Former Ohio congressman. Former Ohio state senator. Education: B.A. The Ohio State University. Family: Married to Karen Waldbillig (1997). Divorced from Mary Lee Griffith (1975-1980). Claim to fame: Kasich was Ohio youngest-ever member of the state legislature at age 25. He's known for a compassionate and working-class sensibility that appeals to both ends of the political spectrum. In the 1990s when Newt Gingrich led a Republican revolution that took over Congress, Kasich became the chairman of the House Budget Committee a position for a wonk's wonk who understands the nuanced intricacies of how government runs. Achilles heel: Some of Kasich's political positions rankle conservatives, including his choice to expand Ohio's Medicare system under the Obamacare law, and his support for the much-derided 'Common Core' education standards program. Marco Rubio Florida senator Age on Election Day: 45 Religion: Catholic Base: Conservatives Resume: US senator, former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, former city commissioner of West Miami Education: B.A. University of Florida. J.D. University of Miami School of Law. Family: Married to Jeanette Dousdebes (1998), with two sons and two daughters. Jeanette is a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader who posed for the squads first swimsuit calendar. Claim to fame: Rubio's personal story as the son of Cuban emigres is a powerful narrative, and helped him win his Senate seat in 2010 against a well-funded governor whom he initially trailed by 20 points. Achilles heel: Rubio was part of a bipartisan 'gang of eight' senators who crafted an Obama-approved immigration reform bill in 2013 which never became law a move that angered conservative Republicans. And he was criticized in 2011 for publicly telling a version of his parents' flight from Cuba that turned out to appear embellished. Donald Trump Real estate developer Age on Election Day: 70 Religion: Presbyterian Base: Conservatives Resume: Chairman of The Trump Organization. Fixture on the Forbes 400 list of the world's richest people. Star of 'Celebrity Apprentice.' Education: B.Sci. Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Family: Married to Melania Trump (2005). Divorced from Ivana Zelnickova (1977-92) and Marla Maples(199399). Five grown children. Trump's father Fred Trump amassed a $400 million fortune developing real estate. Claim to fame: Trump's niche in the 2016 campaign stems from his celebrity as a reality-show host and his enormous wealth more than $10 billion, according to Trump. Because he can self-fund an entire presidential campaign, he is seen as less beholden to donors than other candidates. He has grabbed the attention of reporters and commentators by unapologetically staking out controversial positions and refusing to budge in the face of criticism. Former ministers must sign off new jobs for two years after leaving office No rules have officially been broken but news has prompted concerns Former energy secretary Sir Ed Davey (pictured) has taken four jobs with firms linked to the sector since he lost his seat in May A string of ex-Lib Dem ministers have secured plum jobs linked to their former government roles, it emerged last night. Former energy secretary Sir Ed Davey has taken four jobs with firms linked to the sector since he lost his seat in May. Meanwhile ex-Treasury secretary Sir Danny Alexander is expected to take up a role with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank within weeks. Former Lib Dem Foreign Office minister Jeremy Browne is now a senior representative in Europe for the City of London Corporation, earning 200,000. And Dan Rogerson, an ex-water minister, is the new chairman of Wessex Water on 20,000 a year for around six days work. Despite no rules being broken, the news has prompted concern about the revolving door between parliament and big business. Former ministers must apply to a Whitehall body, the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA), which signs off new jobs for two years after they leave office. It can tell them not to lobby government or use any special information they had access to as a minister. It is chaired by former Tory minister Angela Browning, now a life peer. Members include peers from other parties and civil servants. Ex-Treasury secretary Sir Danny Alexander (pictured left) is expected to take up a role with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank within weeks. The news of these appointments has prompted concern about the revolving door between parliament and big business But critics claim the committee lacks teeth. Since 2010 it has approved around 800 applications to take up positions with potential conflicts of interest. Last night Labour MP Paul Flynn said: It is wrong that anyone should be selling their inside knowledge and contacts. It used to be that a ministerial post was the pinnacle of any career. Now it seems to be a stepping stone to retirement riches. He described ACOBA as not a watchdog but a pussycat without teeth or claws. And Tory MP Bernard Jenkin, chairman of the constitutional affairs select committee, called for clear legal rules, saying the current system was effectively a voluntary arrangement. It is wrong that anyone should be selling their inside knowledge and contacts Labour MP Paul Flynn Sir Ed, who was knighted in the New Years honours, lost his Kingston and Surbiton seat to the Tories in May. After leaving the Department of Energy and Climate Change he set up his own consultancy. He is now chairman of Mongoose Energy and a senior adviser to MHP Communications, a lobbying and PR firm whose clients include EDF Energy although he will not be advising EDF. He worked briefly for the Australian Macquarie Bank, which invests in solar panels, and Herbert Smith Freehills a law firm which deals with the energy sector. Sir Danny said to be looking for a house in China ahead of his expected bank appointment was knighted in August, three months after losing his seat in the Scottish highlands. Any minister with self-respect will, on receiving David Camerons personal minute yesterday, have reached for a pearl-encrusted cigarette lighter, set light to the document with languid disdain and dropped it, flaming orange and blue, into the nearest WPB. Mind you, does any minister possess cigarette lighters these days? Or has Whitehall banned them? The letter two tightly typed A4 pages of mandarin control-freakery couched in language ostensibly civilised yet quietly creepy may have borne the Prime Ministers signature but it read like undiluted Heywoodese, ie from the corrosive pen of Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood. Home Secretary Theresa May likes to consider herself a semi-autonomous province in the kingdom of Cameron. She will not have enjoyed being told what to do by Sir Jeremys impersonal minute. Her face became twisted, as though by indigestion. She blinked, flinched, looked suddenly a bag of twitches The mention of Section 125 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 betrays that. Coaster Cameron, seldom a details man, would no more be acquainted with Section 125 of that Act than he would know how to fillet baked budgerigar. Anyway, sly Sir Jeremys involvement is admitted at the end of the first paragraph when Mr Cameron mentions his gel-quiffed Svengali. So let us be in no doubt. This was a personal minute from a mere civil servant to elected politicians. It was the System stamping its autocratic brogue. The document was published just before 4pm yesterday but we can assume ministers saw it earlier. If so, that explained a fidgety little moment in the Commons Chamber half an hour earlier from the Home Secretary, Theresa May. More of that in a moment. The letters second paragraph states that while Mr Camerons negotiation with the EU continues, ministers should say or do nothing that will undermine the Governments negotiating position. Okay. There is a certain administrative logic in that, for it might keep the PMs options officially open. But ministers including that dismal, vain, boring, sycophantic windsock Philip Hammond, the Foreign Secretary who was once supposedly a Eurosceptic have been rushing to say how marvellous the EU is. That is surely more damaging to the PMs negotiating position than sceptic ministers saying they have their doubts about Brussels. The latter might persuade the Eurocrats to give Mr Cameron a better deal. Have these pro-EU ministers been disciplined? Nope. The choicest passage of Civil Service-speak comes in the fourth paragraph. Ooh, its a beaut, a real collectors item of disingenuous megalomania. It says that EU-doubting ministers will not be expected directly to contradict Mr Cameron. Relish the subtlety. It sounds does it not? as though ministers will be expected not to contradict Cameron. This will be the message understood by ministers, most of whom live in terror of losing their jobs. Sly Sir Jeremys involvement is admitted at the end of the first paragraph when Mr Cameron mentions his gel-quiffed Svengali. This was a personal minute from a mere civil servant to elected politicians. It was the System stamping its autocratic brogue Yet cleverly it does not quite say that. It says direct contradiction of the PM will not be expected, ie will come as a surprise if it happens. Sir Jeremy can thus say, with an innocent face, that the minute was merely offering an opinion rather than laying down rules to elected politicians. In reality, a scheming Cabinet Secretary has persuaded a cocksure Prime Minister to issue a letter which reneges on the spirit of his promise last week to give Eurosceptic ministers freedom to speak their minds. The anti-parliamentary nature of this is remarkable and may account for that moment I mentioned from Mrs May. Home Secretary May likes to consider herself a semi-autonomous province in the kingdom of Cameron. She will not have enjoyed being told what to do by Sir Jeremys impersonal minute. In the House yesterday her Department was asked by Eurosceptic Tory MP Peter Bone (Wellingborough) what it might do with the billions of pounds we could save if we quit the EU. Mrs May, spoken of by some (probably wrongly) as a Eurosceptic, let one of her junior ministers cough up a non-answer. But while the matter was under discussion she twiddled frantically with her ballpoint pen. Her face became twisted, as though by indigestion. She blinked, flinched, looked suddenly a bag of twitches. New Yorkers may have experienced an unusually warm Christmas but winter has definitely arrived with a vengeance. And as temperatures plummeted quickly in Buffalo on Sunday night, waves from Lake Erie spilled over and froze along with a nearby car. WKBW reported that gusts of wind reaching speeds of up to 47mph produced massive waves on the lake, which then froze over parked cars. This car was frozen solid after being covered with a thick layer of ice near New York State Route 5 Gusts of wind reaching up to 47mph produced massive waves on the lake, which then froze over parked cars Reporter Matt Bove shared an incredible image of a car that was frozen solid after being covered with a thick layer of ice near New York State Route 5. I dont even know if pictures do it justice of just how insane this image is, Bove said. It seems like there are several inches of thick ice around the car. The station reported that despite the icy conditions, roads remained open. The arctic blast will continue to hit the Great Lakes this week, with up to three feet of snow falling over the coming week. According to Weather.com, up to 20 inches of lake-effect snow has fallen in southwest New York off of Lake Erie as of Monday afternoon. Reporter Matt Bove shared an incredible image of a car, adding: I dont even know if pictures do it justice' Meanwhile, up to 21 inches of snow have been recorded east of Lake Ontario in Lowville. And some of the heaviest snowfall will continue to hit areas southeast of Lake Erie and east of Lake Ontario throughout Monday evening. The National Weather Service has issued lake-effect snow warnings for parts of southwest New York, including Buffalo, far northwest Pennsylvania and areas east of Lake Ontario into the Tug Hill of northern New York. Although much of the snow streaming off of Lake Erie will stay south of Buffalo, it is possible the bands may move north through the metro area, potentially affecting the commute. The Archbishop of Canterbury yesterday denied the break-up of the 400-year-old worldwide network of Anglican churches over gay rights would be a disaster. But the Most Reverend Justin Welby admitted a permanent split among the Church of Englands historic sister churches over attitudes towards sex would be a failure. The Archbishop was speaking before a meeting of the most senior Anglican bishops in charge of 38 Anglican provinces around the world. It was aimed at securing a compromise meaning churches worldwide can continue to maintain links despite a deepening rift over attitudes to sex. He told BBC Radio Fours Today Programme at the outset of the meeting of bishops: A schism would not be a disaster. God is bigger than our failures, but it would be a failure. It would not be good if the Church is unable to set an example to the world of showing how we can love one another and disagree profoundly, because we are brought together by Jesus Christ, not by our own choice. The Anglican Communion, which includes churches in 160 countries and an estimated 80 million churchgoers, spread around the globe with the British Empire. But it has been in trouble since the rise of gay rights drove different churches into entrenched opposition to each other during the 1980s. In 1998, the Communions once-a-decade gathering of all its bishops at Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, agreed that active homosexual behaviour is contrary to Biblical teaching. Controversial: Gay cleric, Right Reverend Gene Robinson was appointed as Bishop of New Hampshire, in 2003. He has been divorced twice, once from his wife and then from his husband, has proved highly divisive But the liberal leaders of the American Episcopal Church responded by appointing a gay cleric, the Right Reverend Gene Robinson, as Bishop of New Hampshire, in 2003. The figure of Bishop Robinson, who has been divorced twice, once from his wife and then from his husband, has proved highly divisive. Archbishop Welby was forced to abandon plans to stage the next Lambeth Conference, due in 2018, and instead persuaded heads of Anglican churches to meet this week. The gathering, however, has been overshadowed from the start by a publicity drive by English clergy sympathetic to the gay cause which involved publishing a letter with 100 signatures calling for the Anglicans to repent for discriminating against gay Christians. In 1998, the Communions once-a-decade gathering of all its bishops at Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, (pictured above) agreed that active homosexual behaviour is contrary to Biblical teaching There has been speculation that traditionalist primates, many from Africa where Anglican churches are under pressure from Islam, may walk out of the meeting. Archbishop Welby told the BBC: Certainly I want reconciliation. Reconciliation doesnt always mean agreement, in fact it very seldom does. It means finding ways of disagreeing well and that is what we have got to do this week. The Church is a family and you remain a family even if you go your separate ways. That has always been the case and it always will be The Most Reverend Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury There is nothing I can do if people decide that they want to leave the room. It wont split the Communion there is a whole process to do with how a province leaves the Communion. But we want to stay together to listen to each other and to focus not only on the issue of sexuality but also the huge issues that are affecting people around the world: conflict, persecution, religious violence. The Church is a family and you remain a family even if you go your separate ways. That has always been the case and it always will be. The Anglican network was built on the premise that all its member churches are in communion with each other, which means they share the same beliefs and a worshipper from anywhere in the world is fully accepted at any other Anglican church. Supporters of Leave campaign claim it is not a level playing field' David Cameron last night slapped a ban on Eurosceptic ministers making the case to leave the EU from the Government frontbench. To the fury of Tory MPs, the Prime Minister said they would remain muzzled in the Commons chamber even after the referendum campaign is officially under way. Number Ten also dropped heavy hints that any minister who declares their support for the Leave campaign will be expected to show they have long- standing and sincerely held views. Scroll down for video David Cameron said Eurosceptic ministers would remain muzzled in the Commons chamber even after the referendum campaign is officially under way This will be seen as a warning shot to any minister who might be thinking of switching to the Out camp to boost their career prospects. By contrast, pro-Brussels Cabinet ministers will be free to use the full might of the Government machine to campaign to remain inside the EU both inside and outside of the Commons. The rules accompanied by a plea for both sides to treat each other with appropriate respect and courtesy - were laid down by Downing Street last night. Controversially, the edict was drawn up in consultation with Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood who is known as Sir Cover Up. It follows Mr Cameron making his strongest comments yet in favour of Britain remaining inside a reformed EU. Former Cabinet Minister Owen Paterson said: Its welcome that Ministers who want to campaign to take back control from the EU will be able to do so without resigning - but its increasingly clear that itll be one rule for those who want to stay in the EU at all costs, and another rule for the rest. Ministers who wish to extol the virtues of the EU have been given a green light to do so already, while those who want to take back control are currently gagged and will only be allowed to speak from the backbenches. It looks like the Government is focusing its energies on gearing up the full weight of the Whitehall machine to campaign to keep us in the EU rather than on bringing powers back from Brussels. Last week, Mr Cameron bowed to pressure by announcing that, once his renegotiation is complete in February or March, Cabinet ministers such as Iain Duncan Smith will be free to campaign to leave. But, in a letter sent to all ministers yesterday, the PM laid down strict ground rules which could leave them isolated on the frontbenches. Cameron's instruction means that the likes of Iain Duncan Smith (pictured) Chris Grayling and Theresa Villiers will have to make speeches at think-tanks outside of the Commons chamber to push the case for Brexi Mr Cameron wrote: In Parliament, the rules state that Ministers speak from the front bench, and when they do they support Government policy. It goes on: Since there will be a clear Government position on the outcome of the negotiation and hence on whether the UK should remain in or leave the EU, it will be the duty of the Civil Service to support that position in the normal way. It will not be appropriate or permissible for the Civil Service or individual civil servants to support ministers who oppose the Governments official position by providing briefings or speech material on this matter. Sir Jeremy will be issuing his own edict to the civil service, the PM said. In reality, the instruction means that the likes of Iain Duncan Smith, Chris Grayling and Theresa Villiers will have to make speeches at think-tanks outside of the Commons chamber to push the case for Brexit. They will also be able to write newspaper articles and give TV or radio interviews but only once the negotiation with Brussels is complete. Until then, speaking in favour of leaving will remain a sackable offence. Eurosceptics pointed out that, when the Lib Dems were in the Coalition, Chief Secretary Danny Alexander was allowed to give an alternative Budget from the frontbench. There is also anger that special advisers will be treated differently if they wish to campaign to quit. Eurosceptic ministers claim it is not a level playing field' and say Environment Secretary Liz Truss, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond (pictured) and Energy Secretary Amber Rudd all made pro-EU comments in recent days Until the final 28 days of the campaign, ministers who want to leave will be able to draw on personal help and advice from their SpAds but they will have no access to Government resources. They must also be working in their own time. The only significant concession to Eurosceptics is that, when answering questions in the Commons chamber during the referendum campaign, they will not have to take any position they do not support. The PM said: Ministers who choose to depart from the Governments recommendation because of long-standing and sincerely held views will not be expected directly to contradict such a position while otherwise defending government policy in Parliament. He added that the government had to remain a a united, harmonious, mutually respectful team. Number Ten denied the claims by Leave campaigners that it was trying to rig the campaign. But there remains anger among Eurosceptic ministers who claim it is not a level playing field'. They say they were given assurances by Ed Llewellyn, the PMs chief of staff, that ministers would not be allowed to make the case for remaining in the EU until the negotiations are complete. However, they say the rule is being observed by one side only with Environment Secretary Liz Truss, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and Energy Secretary Amber Rudd all making pro-EU comments in recent days. One source said: The danger is this turns into tit for tat. We do not want open warfare. A senior Cabinet source said: I believe everybody should take a self-denying ordinance. Defending QC: She is cuddling him after he has apparently raped her Alleged victim claims she was raped after night out when 'crazy drunk' Durham university student alleged that that Louis Richardson, 21, (pictured) raped her after a night out when she was crazy drunk A young woman who says a Durham University student raped her was accused yesterday of being the queen of mixed messages and of demeaning genuine rape victims. She has alleged that Louis Richardson, 21, raped her after a night out when she was crazy drunk. But Richardsons barrister said yesterday that her actions following the alleged attack defied common sense and were full of contradictions. The jury heard that the woman, a fellow undergraduate, went on a double date with him and another couple and even cuddled him in bed in the weeks after the incident. She also flirted with Richardson, the former secretary of Durhams debating society, in a series of text messages and sent him a picture of her breasts, a court heard. In a scathing speech, Philippa McAtasney, QC, defending, said the womans behaviour in the aftermath of the alleged rape was not that of someone who had been taken advantage of. She is the queen of mixed messages you may think, the queen of contradiction, she said. She demeans genuine rape victims by pretending to be a victim of rape. She is cuddling him after apparently he has raped and sexually assaulted her she went on a double date with him after he allegedly attacked her. In her closing statement to the jury, Miss McAtasney described the complainant as a highly manipulative, dishonest, dangerous young woman. Durham Crown Court (pictured) heard that she went on to send him a picture of herself in a short dress dancing like a lap dancer on a pole and offered to let him spank her She accused her of inventing the account to salve her cheating conscience because she had a boyfriend at the time of the alleged rape in March 2014. Durham Crown Court heard that she went on to send him a picture of herself in a short dress dancing like a lap dancer on a pole and offered to let him spank her. Richardson, from St Helier, Jersey, told the court last week that they had consensual sex on the night of the alleged rape. He said they slept together often and continued to do so very frequently after the alleged incident. Richardson, a history student, denies raping and sexually assaulting her by pulling down her dress to reveal her breasts to a friend. In a scathing speech, Philippa McAtasney, QC, defending (left) said the womans behaviour in the aftermath of the alleged rape was not that of someone who had been taken advantage of He also denies two counts of sexual assault on another student at a house party by groping her while she was asleep in bed feeling ill. Prosecutor Paul Cleasby yesterday told the jury that Richardson is a creepy opportunist who forced himself on two young women who were unable to defend themselves. She is cuddling him after apparently he has raped and sexually assaulted her she went on a double date with him after he allegedly attacked her Philippa McAtasney, QC It emerged that Richardson had sex with the alleged rape victim only ten days before the incident by persuading her to take her clothes off in a sex game. The woman told police she went back to his shared house in Durham after a night out after making it clear she did not want sex with him. She said he responded: Come on darling, come back with me and well just have a cup of tea. But once they were home she alleges he said: Why dont we just play a game where we see how naked we can get without having sex. She told police that on that occasion she agreed to sex: I probably did kind of consent, it was nice because he is very attractive. Mr Cleasby said her willingness to expose herself to the scrutiny of the court showed her honesty. He said: She has had her university exploits paraded before the court. She has told the police everything, even elements of her actions which if you were being morally judgmental you might hold against her. But she withheld nothing and she has made it very clear that what he did to her was wrong. The jury will begin its deliberations today. Tracey Ullmans Show Rating: Benidorm Rating: Ullman's take on German leader Angela Merkel as a bitchy, vain diva was amusing Should we expect a British-born comedienne who takes a 30-year break from our TV screens, much of it spent in the U.S., to be able to return with a funny, fresh and relevant offering? The answer, after watching, Tracey Ullmans Show (BBC1) is: why ever not? The new six-part series is a mixture of impressions and comedy sketches. A recurring problem with impressionists is that no matter how spot-on their impersonations are, they are so often let down by poor scripts, Alistair McGowan being a fine example. However, in Traceys case, it was the impressions of familiar faces that worked the best, while the skits featuring ordinary people were the weaker element. Last nights episode opened with a sketch featuring Dame Judi Dench shoplifting in her local Co-op. Because Im a national treasure I can get away with anything, she giggled. After pinching her weekly groceries, she kicked a bin over on the way out. Later she was seen vandalising Harry Potter star Rupert Grints iPad on a movie set. Theres no rhyme or reason for Dame Judi to be portrayed as a thieving thug, but it was very funny all the same. Equally as amusing was Ullmans take on German leader Angela Merkel as a bitchy, vain diva. She described herself as the white Beyonce and a sex kitten who drives men wild with lust. Later, in a jealous rage, she telephoned Nicola Sturgeon and screamed at her: Stop copying me! Youre like an Angela Merkel tribute act! NICOLE'S JOB OF THE DAY Is Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman broke? She seems to pop up in every ad break. Shes currently flogging vitamin pills and endorsing a Middle-Eastern airline as well as starring with the meerkats which to her credit is the most animated weve seen her in a long time. Advertisement However, the impression of our other best-known acting dame Maggie Smith didnt get there with Ullman failing to capture her fabulous voice and mannerisms. The character of Hayley, the obsessive zoo keeper who named ants, really shouldnt have made the cut. And the closing sequence featuring a singing, tap-dancing librarian called Dilys felt like something Victoria Wood was doing 20 years ago. In another sketch a psychopath called Barbara, accused of crimes against humanity following her part in a genocide, was being interviewed for a job. Sadly, the punchline in which she was declared the perfect candidate because the job was in banking could be seen from a mile off. But Karen, the drug mule returning to the UK after a 28-year stretch in a Thai jail, was a fabulously clever idea. Back home she had no idea what a flat white coffee was and was staggered to find Dolcis, Our Price and Woolies had all gone out of business. No doubt it was a nod to Ullmans own lengthy absence but, unlike Karen the drug mule, its good to have her back. Making a less welcome return was Benidorm (ITV) which seems to grow more ridiculous and unfunny with every series. Benidorm seems to grow more ridiculous and unfunny with every series Now in series eight we returned to the Spanish resort where Jacqueline was preparing to scatter the ashes of her husband Donald from the top of a hill. Tagging along were camp hairdressers Troy and Kenneth with a wind machine in tow. What could possibly go wrong? Why poor old Jacqueline ended up being knocked off her feet and smashing the urn in the process of course. What a surprise. When it first started nine years ago, the fact that Benidorm harked back to an old-fashioned type of sitcom was part of the appeal and what made it feel fresh. Now its become a predictable, slapstick old mess with more sexual innuendo than a box set of Carry On films. The Garvey family are no more and in their place are a new family called the Dawsons who feature a crude, pot-bellied grandad, a tattooed mum handy with her fists and her drip of a husband. They may have been new characters, but every line they uttered felt stale and tired. The only glimmer of amusement came courtesy of a couple of dim-witted young Essex lads called Tiger and Joey, who were clearly based on reality TV star Joey Essex. Other than that it was as funny as sunburn. 120116ACTING PRESIDENT PUNGHAU ACKNOWLEDGES KONNOU PEACE by Aloysius Laukai in Ugubakogu The acting President and member for Motunah Huyono Tokunutui constituency,ALBERT PUNGHAU today praised the people of KONNOU for maintaining Peace in their area since the signing of the KONNOU Peace at Mogoroi on 29th November, 2011. The minister made these remarks at the launching of the ten- days KONNOU Peace Games at the Ugubakogu Primary School at the foot of the Deuro mountains. MR.Punghau said that by maintaining peace in the area it shows the people's wish to create peace and also to sustain it. Funding for the KONNOU peace games were sponsored by the National member for South Bougainville, Steven Pirika with 50 Thousand kina and 32, thousand by the ABG member for KONNOU and Minister for Police Correctional Services and Law and justice , WILLIE MASIU and the ABG minister for Finance, planning and Treasury and acting president! ALBERT PUNGHAU who also contributed 5thousand kina. The acting President officially opened the KONNOU Peace games this afternoon. Ends A lawyer who represented the nephew of Making a Murderer's Steven Avery but was dismissed for mishandling the case has told Daily Mail Online how documentary fans have told him to 'die of cancer'. Len Kachinksy, who represented 16-year-old Brendan Dassey for six months after he confessed to the rape and murder of Teresa Halbach under his uncle's command, denies he was ever disloyal to his client. Mr Kachinsky, a married father of two who is battling leukemia, told Daily Mail Online that he has been flooded with nasty emails, voicemails, calls and tweets since the 10-part series was released in December. At the time, Mr Kachinsky was undergoing a seven-week hospital stay to treat his cancer which is now in remission. Speaking from his home in Wisconsin, the 62-year-old said: 'Most messages said things like, 'Shame on you, you should die of cancer, you've ruined a little boy's life. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Ordeal: Lawyer Len Kachinsky had represented Brendan Dassey for six months before being removed for the case for mishandling it. In recovery from leukemia, he has received messages saying he should 'die of cancer'. Convicted: Brendan Dassey was 17 (left) when he was found guilty of the murder of Teresa Halbach. He had been represented intially by Len Kachinsky. He will be behind bars until he is almost 60. Recently (right) he received his high-school diploma in prison Victim: Teresa Halbach, 25, was murdered after she went missing in Manitowoc County in October 2006, having last been seen by Steven Avery. Whether he murdered her is at the heart of the Netflix series 'The majority of communications have come from outside of Wisconsin, from foreign countries, the East and West coasts.' He added: 'I'm not terribly concerned about it. They wished ill upon me but no one's ever threatened to injure or kill me.' In March 2006, Dassey, the son of Steven Avery's sister Barbara Tadych, told police that he helped his uncle murder Teresa Halbach, 25, at his trailer on October 31, 2005. The photographer's last known whereabouts was at the Avery auto salvage yard where she had gone to take pictures of a minivan for Auto Trader magazine. In November 2005, Steven Avery was charged with the murder of Miss Halbach after her car and charred bones were found at the property. He was later found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. At the time of his arrest, Avery had a $36 million lawsuit against Manitowoc County for wrongful imprisonment after he spent 18 years in jail for a rape he didn't commit before being freed on DNA evidence. On March 1, 2006, Dassey, then 16, told police he had helped Avery rape, stab, shoot and dismember Miss Halbach on his uncle's orders. The confession, which Dassey made during a four-and-a-half hour interview with two seasoned police investigators, was made without a lawyer or his mother present. The teen has an IQ score of 70, which qualifies him as intellectually disabled. He later said his confession had been coerced. Both he and Avery claim they are innocent. No physical evidence or DNA was found linking Dassey to Halbach's murder or to support his claims. On March 2, Dassey was charged with being a party to first-degree intentional homicide, mutilation of a corpse, and first-degree sexual assault. On March 8, Len Kachinsky was drafted to represent the boy. Life without parole: Steven Avery on his way to be sentenced in June 2007 for the murder of Teresa Halabch. Two years later he said he believed his brothers Earl and Charles could have murdered her The 16-year-old's case was contracted out to Kachinsky's private practice by the state, a typical scenario when there is a conflict of interest for the public defender or there is an overwhelming caseload. Making a Murderer suggests that Dassey never had a chance at a fair trial because Kachinsky believed he was guilty from the outset, urging him to take a plea deal and testify against Avery. Kachinsky told Daily Mail Online that he had not watched Making a Murderer and had no plans to. However based on the messages he has received from disgruntled fans and reading news articles, he believes that his role in Dassey's case has been misunderstood. He said: 'I get tired of it after a while because so much of it's based on a misinterpretation and incomplete understanding of what exactly happened in the case, and my role in it regarding Dassey. 'What [viewers] are missing is on March 1, 2006, before he was charged or had an attorney, Dassey gave a four-and-half hour, videotaped confession to the police. This was used at Dassey's trial. 'When I got the case, I read the complaint and soon thereafter, I got the four-and-a-half hour video confession and watched it as quickly as I could. 'I was concerned about [Dassey's age and low IQ] so I made a motion to keep it out of evidence but that was denied.' On May 12, 2006, Manitowoc County Circuit Court Judge Jerome Fox ruled that the prosecution could use Dassey's March 1 statement as evidence despite Kachinsky's argument that the teen had been coerced. Following the hearing, Kachinsky said he would look at all his options with his client including making a deal with prosecutors. He said: 'This is an extremely important decision that a 16-year-old is going to have to make. I can give him advice, but ultimately it's his decision.' Kachinsky told Daily Mail Online that although he never said so publicly, he thought Dassey had a slim chance of getting off and was trying to do his best for him under the circumstances. 'I never explicitly told anybody what my strategy was but it was pretty obvious I think to some people, that I was trying to get a good deal for Brendan. I didn't think he had much of a chance at trial.' He added: 'But if Brendan wasn't going to admit to being involved in the murder, I'm not going to encourage him to take any type of plea deal.' The attorney told Daily Mail Online that he does not make a personal call on whether his client his guilty or innocent but focuses on finding the best option for their defense. Kachinsky said on Saturday: 'I never make a personal judgement on whether someone did something or not. 'But after I had seen Dassey's confession, the main question for me is to whether the state can prove beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury that somebody did it. 'I had the impression that this videotaped statement [from Dassey] would be extremely convincing and if a jury saw it, it didn't appear to be overly leading or anything else. 'Dassey's demeanor on the video tape... he appeared to understand what was going on, it looked that way to me. 'I thought a jury would come to that conclusion as well.' Regret: Len Kachinsky said he does wish he hadn't hired Bill O'Kelly (right) as an investigator. His conduct of this interview with Brendan Dassey led to Kachinsky being taken off the case Crime scene: The Avery scrap yard was searched for days by police after the discovery on it of Teresa Halbach's car. Eventually Brendan Dassey became part of the case too After it was clear the jury would see Dassey's confession, Kachinsky drafted in a private investigator, Michael O'Kelly, to try to figure out the truth about the teen's confession. Kachinsky said to this day he regrets bringing on Mr O'Kelly in the case. He told Daily Mail Online: 'I got in Michael O'Kelly because I couldn't get anyone else. I had never heard of the guy before, he was a wild card. 'He was from Chicago I think. He becomes my investigator, trying to figure out what's going on. 'After the motion was denied on the Friday, I told him to go talk to Brendan in the afternoon. 'Apparently he videotaped it but that tape was never released to the state or to anyone else. 'That was only for our internal use we wanted to find out whether Brendan's position was that he agreed with his March 1 statement or with his subsequent denials. 'O'Kelly's statement was never to be used in evidence. I realize he probably went overboard on some of the stuff he did. Kachinsky added: 'The guy had been to law school for a year or two and frankly I didn't think he needed close supervision but apparently he did. Looking back, I wouldn't have hired O'Kelly.' O'Kelly's interrogation of Dassey led to another confession to the murder, and the teen even provided him with a stick-person drawing of Miss Halbach apparently chained to Avery's bed. Kachinsky said: 'I got a call, at quarter to nine on the Friday night [from O'Kelly]. He said Brendan desperately wanted to give a statement to the police. 'I had Army Reserve drill in the morning so I couldn't be there. 'He [O'Kelly] was going to be there and if anything was to go awry, he'd call me right away and I had my phone with me the whole day. 'That interview didn't go too well for anybody. I saw the recording a week or two later. It wasn't used as evidence at Dassey's trial.' Mother: Brendan Dassey's mother Barb has been convinced of his innocence. But his first lawyer tells Daily Mail Online that the initial confession the teenager made damaged any chance of his acquittal Mother and grandmother: Dolores Avery is Steven Avery's mother and Brendan Dassey's grandmother. She has told Daily Mail Online she believes in both their innocence Kachinsky continued: 'I was personally criticized for not being there [for Dassey's second police interview]. 'Perhaps with 20/20 hindsight, that was a valid criticism, I should have postponed the interview. I couldn't postpone the army drill but I could have postponed the interview.' Kachinsky wanted to clarify what he said were any misconceptions that Making a Murderer may have given about Dassey's interview by O'Kelly. 'I don't know if the show made it clear but it seems a lot of people have the impression that the jury saw the interview that Brendan gave to Bill O'Kelly, and the second interview with police in May, and concluded that led to him being convicted. 'None of the Bill O'Kelly's interview or information was used at trial. None of Dassey's second interview with police investigators was used at trial. The March 1 interview was all that was used at trial.' Kachinsky added: 'The state's view of the whole thing was, we have this March 1 confession of four and a half hours, we've got him.' He was taken off Dassey's case in August 2006 for allowing the teen to be interviewed by police in May without an attorney. Kachinsky stands by his opinion that a plea deal would have been the best option for Dassey. Burn pit: This was the place where Brendan Dassey originally told police he had seen body parts being burned behind Steven Avery's trailer. Bones were found there. Current home: Dassey is in custody at the Green Bay Correctional Institution He believes there was pressure on the teen from the Dassey and Avery families not to testify at Steven Avery's murder trial. Kachinsky said: 'They were telling him not to cooperate with the state and drop the dime of Uncle Steve. 'It would have given Brendan the better deal, if he was going to testify truthfully against Uncle Steve. 'Helping the prosecution in their case against Avery would have been a by-product of that.' Kachinsky said he was convinced Dassey's confession would led the jury to find him guilty. 'In some cases you want to fight the state to the last juror. Some cases are damage control and given the strength of evidence against Dassey and the strength of the confession, this was damage control,' he said. When asked about the other evidence against Dassey, Kachinsky told Daily Mail Online: 'The confession was basically it. 'In some cases you want to fight the state to the last juror. Some cases are damage control and given the strength of evidence against Dassey and the strength of the confession, this was damage control 'There was some other evidence that he was home and in the area, he didn't have a good alibi. 'The March 1 confession was pretty detailed.' Kachinsky denies suggestions made by the documentary and Dassey's current defense team that he was disloyal to his client. He said: 'If you labelled a defense attorney disloyal every time the client says "I'm innocent" and the attorney says back, well I don't think the evidence is very helpful to us, then every attorney out there has been disloyal at some point. 'There is nothing that I did in the course of the case that made life any more difficult for his subsequent attorneys.' Kachinsky said that he followed Dassey's trial in the local newspapers. In April 2007, Dassey was found guilty of Teresa Halbach's murder and sexual assault, and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of early release in 2048. His former attorney said: 'I wasn't surprised by the verdict or the length of sentence. 'Part of the reason for the length of the sentence I'm sure was that the judge was aware that Dassey knew he had alternatives. 'That's why he got more time than he would have done otherwise had he been willing to testify against Steve. 'Testifying against Steven Avery would have taken a certain amount of personal bravery.' Had Dassey taken a plea deal, Kachinsky estimates that he could have been released sometime in the 2030s when he is in his early forties. With his current sentence Dassey will only be considered for parole at 58 years old. Now 26, he is serving his sentence at Green Bay Correctional Facility in Wisconsin. A lawsuit for Dassey has been taken to federal court in Wisconsin by Northwestern University's Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth. The suit claims that Dassey was illegally imprisoned in 2005 and asks that Dassey be granted a writ of Habeas corpus, meaning his case must be re-examined. A decision is likely to be made in the next year. Kachinsky said he had never considered whether Dassey may have been wrongfully imprisoned as Making a Murderer suggests. Parents should forego beach holidays and instead use their money to send their children on a foreign exchange, a leading headmistress has suggested. Caroline Jordan, the new president of the Girls Schools Association, said educational visits may be a better use of family finances as they enable children to be absorbed in a culture. She added that youngsters are likely to learn more by staying with a family in a city such as Madrid or Barcelona than they are sitting on a beach. Mrs Jordan, who is headmistress of 15,000-a-year Headington School, Oxford, added that more interaction with children in other countries could help address declining take-up of languages in schools. Figures show that last year, there was a drop in language GCSE entries, with French down 6.2 per cent in 2014, German down 9.8 per cent and Spanish down 2.4 per cent (file image) She said: Theres no real way of learning a language quite so effectively as being in that country, being absorbed in it. But actually there are cheaper ways of doing it, through links directly with a school. You can get a cheap airfare out to Spain. Its trying to convince the parents that thats good use of their finances as opposed to a foreign holiday to Majorca, where they may well be in a Spanish environment but theyre less likely to be experiencing Spanish as they would be if they were in somewhere like Madrid or Barcelona on exchange. Exchange is very important and we know that languages is a real area of concern in this country. The government is doing quite a lot about this by trying to encourage all children to take a language through the English Baccalaureate. Figures show that last year, there was a drop in language GCSE entries, with French down 6.2 per cent in 2014, German down 9.8 per cent and Spanish down 2.4 per cent. The UK does need more language teachers, Mrs Jordan said, adding: We need to make sure were not isolationist in the UK. We need to be encouraging our young people to learn a different language to be able to converse with each other. These days were living very much in a global village. Whereas when we were at school people would emigrate - emigrate is a word you dont hear very often any more. Our youngsters will think nothing about going to work for two years in Vancouver or a year in Singapore. So how do we give them those skills when theyre at school? Pupils can now study medicine, in English, in Prague or Milan, and some overseas universities can be cheaper than the UK, according to Mrs Jordan (file image) Mrs Jordan said that at Headington, a private girls school for four to 18-year-olds, pupils are given the chance to study for the International Baccalaureate in the sixth-form and there are exchanges and partnerships with schools in places like Australia and China. She also said it was important that modern teenagers are given the opportunity to consider studying at a university overseas, arguing that it can be beneficial to youngsters later on. The school puts on an overseas university fair, also open to state schools, to allow teenagers to find out more about studying abroad. Pupils can now study medicine, in English, in Prague or Milan, Mrs Jordan said, and some overseas universities can be cheaper than the UK. I think parents are thinking more selectively and children are thinking more selectively about where theyre going to go to university. And of course, if you come back to this country and you have been educated at a university abroad, that gives you an extra thing to put on your CV. One in three homeowners over-55 want to downsize but are being prevented by a lack of suitable housing, a report has warned. Older people hoped to move because smaller homes were easier to manage or because they wanted to release equity to boost savings or pension pots, researchers found. But a chronic under-supply of suitable properties for later life meant over-55s were trapped in homes often too large for their needs. The Generation Stuck report, by the International Longevity Centre and retirement housing specialists McCarthy & Stone, found a third of over-55s were actively considering downsizing or expecting to do so in future. Around a fifth of elderly people wanted to move for health reasons or to release equity. As many as 3.5million older people in the UK have considered moving to a retirement property More than half of those surveyed said their main motivation was to move to a property which was easier to maintain, while two in five wanted smaller energy bills or felt their home was too big now their children had left. Around a fifth wanted to move for health reasons or to release equity. It estimated as many as 3.5million older people in the UK have considered moving to a retirement property. Financial data from nearly 1,500 people who had moved to retirement housing found three in ten released 100,000 or more in equity from their home. The average amount released was 60,000. Movers had an average age of 81 years old and tended to relocate to property around four miles from their home. Downsizing by just one bedroom released an average of 41,000 in equity, the report revealed. Apart from a lack of alternatives, the main reason for choosing not to downsize was that over-55s felt they could manage perfectly well in their current home or that they could see no benefit in moving. Over 75s were particularly likely to cite being worried about the disruption or having a strong emotional attachment to their home as reasons not to move. Brian Beach, author of the report, said older people should consider moving as rightsizing to a property that better suited their needs, rather than as downsizing. He said: This report has identified substantial demand among older homeowners to consider rightsizing, which could have a significant impact on addressing the UKs housing shortage. But it is clear that there remains an inadequate supply of the kinds of properties that would serve older households. Clive Fenton, CEO of McCarthy & Stone, said: Millions of older people want to downsize to more suitable housing but there is currently little incentive or choice for them to move. As a result, housing chains are blocked at the top of the ladder. The report follows increasing concern over how the growing ageing population, combined with a poor supply of affordable homes, could be preventing younger people from getting onto the property ladder The report cited previous research which found more than half of people living in under occupied homes were aged over 55. It called for more Government incentives to stimulate housebuilding specifically for older people, as well as affordability measures such as cutting stamp duty for downsizers. The report follows increasing concern over how the growing ageing population, combined with a poor supply of affordable homes, could be preventing younger people from getting onto the property ladder. Last year, the Financial Conduct Authoritys mortgage sector manager Lynda Blackwell said Britain had a real problem with the last time buyer. She added: Does there need to be thought given to trying to encourage older persons to actually move away build proper housing for retired people in the right places? The CEO of Dick Smith has resigned after the electronics retailer went into voluntary administration a week ago. Nick Abboud, 45, took charge of the company in November 2012 when it was bought by private equity firm, Anchorage, and managed to float the company on the stock market for $520 million after paying Woolworths just $115 million. He will be replaced by former Dymocks chief executive Don Grover on an interim basis - who also worked with Fusion Retail Brands to relaunch the Colorado Group which flopped in 2011. Scroll down for video Nick Abboud, 45, the chief executive officer of broke retailer Dick Smith electronics, has resigned He will be replaced by former Dymocks chief executive Don Grover on an interim basis The struggling retailer announced to the stock exchange last Monday that it had appointed receivers The company's receivers, Ferrier Hodgson, have begun advertising Dick Smith for sale and say they have already received more than 40 initial expressions of interest. As the company faces restructuring under potential new creditors, it carries a baggage of roughly $390 million in debt - with secured creditors owed an approximate $140 million, and unsecured creditors a further $250 million. Federal Senator Nick Xenophon told Daily Mail Australia Nick Abboud should front a Senate inquiry. Senator Xenophon said he wanted to find out what had happened to the once venerable retailer, which was purchased from Woolworths by private equity group Anchorage Capital in 2012. 'Mr Abboud needs to look at those mums and dads who spent their $1,000 in the eye and tell them what he's going to do about it and do the right thing,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'He needs to look at these people in the eye and explain to them what went wrong in the rosy forecasts that left customers in the lurch.' Angry customers vented their rage after the company's receivers Ferrier Hodgson announced it would not honour gift cards and would not refund some deposits. Some customers have gift cards worth more than $1,000, but now they are basically worthless in store. Mr Abboud took charge of the company in 2012 and managed to float the company on the stock market for $520 million after paying Woolworths just $115 million Federal Senator Nick Xenophon (centre) told Daily Mail Australia Mr Abboud 'needs to look at these people in the eye and explain to them what went wrong' The company's Facebook page lit up with criticism as receivers Ferrier Hodgson announced they would not honour gift cards Interim CEO Don Grover has had some experience turning struggling companies around - relaunching flopped footwear brand Colorado Group in 2011 Mr Abboud was appointed CEO by the equity group and non-executive director Bill Wavish in November 2012. Both Anchorage Capital and Mr Wavish described the company in positive terms in early 2015. 'Myself, Nick Abboud and Anchorage Capital bought Dick Smith Electronics from Woolworths for a peppercorn and subsequently listed it on the ASX for $520 million,' Mr Wavish, who retired from the board in March, wrote. 'After reducing bloated costs and funds employed, increasing sales and reopening stores, it is now a vibrant and growing business.' Anchorage Capital said on its website it had 'implemented a rapid and highly successful turnaround program' before selling its stake in September. But after its share price sunk 80 per cent in a single year Dick Smith Holdings announced it had called in the receivers to the ASX last Monday. Receivership is a difficult development for Mr Abboud, who was listed at number 88 on BRW's 2015 Executive Rich List with $2,622,621 in salary and an estimated shareholding value of $30.2 million. Tens of thousands of patients face chaos today during the biggest doctors strike in NHS history. The mass walkout is expected to cause huge disruption at hospitals already struggling with a surge in winter illnesses. Up to 45,000 junior doctors are expected to stop work for 24 hours from 8am. Only emergency cases will be treated. A 48-hour strike is planned in a fortnight, followed by a total withdrawal of care one day in February. The picket line of the junior doctors strike at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London this morning David Cameron warned yesterday that the strikes would damage the Health Service and might put patients at risk. The level of disruption today is likely to outstrip that of the only two previous walkouts, in 2012 and 1975. With fewer medics on hand, A&E will be even busier than usual. Many casualty units have been struggling since Christmas and several are on black alert, diverting ambulances to other hospitals. With almost 4,000 operations and 17,500 outpatient appointments cancelled: Patients were told to be particularly attentive to their own health and look out for the elderly If ill, they are urged to seek help online, or dial 111 but avoid A&E unless absolutely necessary; A Labour shadow minister said he would be on the picket lines had he no parliamentary business; Doctors reluctant to strike were branded scabs by colleagues. Junior doctors are at loggerheads with the Health Secretary who wants to change their contracts to make them do more work on evenings and at weekends. Around 4,000 operations have been cancelled, with thousands more routine appointments also postponed To do this Jeremy Hunt has to slash the unsocial hours rates paid during these periods. Yesterday Mr Cameron intervened by stating it simply was not true that pay could be cut by up to 30 per cent. He issued a final plea to the British Medical Assocation for it to come back to the negotiating table. This strike is not necessary, it will be damaging, said the Prime Minister. We will do everything we can to mitigate its effects but you cannot have a strike on this scale in our NHS without real difficulties for patients and potentially worse. Katherine Murphy of the Patients Association warned the strike would distress those needing treatment. The emergency-only strike is set for January 26 with the total withdrawal of care on February 10. If the latter goes ahead, it will be the first time doctors have abandoned patients in the 67-year history of the NHS. The Government fears many A&E units will shut for lack of staff. The official advice to avoid A&E today was issued by NHS England. However, in theory, casualty units should run as normal. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt leave home this morning. He has been blamed by junior doctors for the action Labours City spokesman Richard Burgon told the BBC doctors had no option but to strike. He added: I believe Jeremy Hunt and the Conservatives have treated them appallingly, if I was in my constituency rather than having to be in Parliament tomorrow I would be on the picket line. WHAT WILL BE HIT? 3,960 operations, scans and tests postponed. 17,500 outpatient appointments postponed. All affected patients should have been informed by post. Casualty units may be crowded, with patients advised to stay away from them unless they are seriously ill. GP surgeries busier patients have been urged to avoid trying to make an appointment today as some surgery-based doctors are on strike. Advertisement Hard-left supporters of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have pledged to join doctors on the picket line. Doctors opposing the strikes have been branded scabs and insulted by colleagues on Facebook. A threatened wave of strikes in December was called off following a last minute, temporary agreement with the Government. A BMA spokesman said: No junior doctor takes the decision to take industrial action lightly, but the Governments proposals are bad for patient care as well as junior doctors, which is why thousands of junior doctors are taking this stand. The biggest threat to patient care is the Governments insistence on removing safeguards which prevent junior doctors from being forced to work dangerously long hours without breaks, with patients facing the prospect of being treated by exhausted doctors. Anne Rainsberry of NHS England said: As ever, the safety and care of patients is our top priority and the NHS has robust plans in place to ensure those who need emergency treatment will continue to receive it. We have been working with hospitals and other NHS providers across the country. The family of 25-year-old architecture student, Hassan Asif, were able to spend just eight days with their loved one before he lost his battle with cancer last week. Mr Asifs brother Rameez Asif and mother Shaheen were initially denied an Australian visa, which meant they would not be able to be with him in his final weeks. But after their case was made public, and the Australian people got behind them a new visa application was approved and they were able to enter the country. Mr Asif passed away on January 6, just eight days after seeing his mother and brother again. Hassan Asif passed away just eight days after his mother and brother arrived in the country His first words to his mother when she arrived on December 29 were 'come and give me a hug' His mum, Shaheen, has described his death as the saddest day of my life, the Herald Sun reported. His brother told the publication he was shocked at seeing his brother in such a frail condition. He looked at mum and said Come and give me a hug, but I just stood there at first, it was really hard to look at him. He was really happy we were here and I think he felt like he could give up then, and thought My times up now, Rameez Asif said. Rameez has described his brother as a super hero who always wanted to help everybody. He also expressed his thanks to the Australian people who helped the family have those precious last moments with their son and brother. We are so thankful for that, Australia is an awesome place. Melbourne City Mission treated him like family and he got the best care. Mr Asif's funeral was held in Melbourne on Thursday, his family are now preparing to go back home to Pakistan. Mr Asif's family were able to gain entry into the country after the student pleaded with the immigration department to reconsider their decision to refuse his mother and brother a visa. The student said he was 'so happy' Minister Peter Dutton finally granted them entry to Australia. Mr Asif told Daily Mail Australia that his brother called from Pakistan to tell him the good news. My brother just told me he had received a call from immigration about 15 minutes ago and they said they now have the visas for them. 'I'm so happy my mum will be here next to me,' he said. He wanted his family by his side by Christmas Day, they arrived days later on December 29. 'My mother is so happy as well and she was really excited to come and see me now, he said last month. Desiree Smit, Senior worker at the Melbourne City Mission refuge where Mr Asif was in care, spoke tearfully when she heard his family could visit. Look - we are just so overwhelmed and just so pleased for Hassan. Weve been in contact with his brother and they have been granted their visas. MR asid's mother has described her son's death as the hardest thing she has ever been through It means Hassans dying wish will be granted, we're so thankful for the Minister and the Immigration Department in coming to the right decision, she said. The City Mission had already helped Mr Asif tick some activities off his bucket list, 'We are going to take each day as it comes really - with Hassan's health the way it is, but there is a few things he will be able to do with his family,' said Ms Smit. The Melbourne City Mission financed the family's entire trip to Australia. He also received report from his doctors. Mr Asif's Melbourne oncologists also wrote a letter of support for his family to enter Australia, saying treatment had ceased and he would soon enter the 'terminal phase', reports the Herald Sun. Mr Asif was in Australia studying architecture, and was pleased when his family in Pakistan were eventually allowed into the country to say good-bye Medical oncology registrar Dr Kortnye Morris wrote in the letter that it would be very beneficial for Mr Asif to have his family's support as he was 'socially isolated'. Among the reasons for the Immigration Department's refused to grant Mr Asif's mother and brother a visa, was concerns they didn't have enough money for the three month trip. The trip was not as long as they had hoped, with the student passing away just eight days after they arrived. The Melbourne City Mission Refuge, where Mr Asif was in care, had committed to pay for the family's costs in their initial application.. 'We think it's really important that he has his mum there when he dies, money and support aren't what is holding them back,' Sherri Bruinhout, Melbourne City Mission's director of homelessness and justice, said on Tuesday. 'I think it's a very harsh decision and the minister could be showing his compassion this Christmas to a young man and his family at a critical time in there lives,' she said at the time. Mr Asif has pleaded to the Minister of Immigration and Border Patrol Peter Dutton (right) to allow his mother into Australia to be by his side A visa was granted after his health continued to deteriorate quickly The urgency of Mr Asif's request was ramped up after his health rapidly deteriorated over the past few weeks. 'It would be the compassionate thing to do if he could overturn the decision of his department,' said Ms Bruinhout. To donate to the Melbourne City Mission click here. Advertisement German Chancellor Angela Merkel has admitted Europe is 'vulnerable' because it does not have the 'order or control' it would like regarding the refugee crisis. Merkel said yesterday at an event in Mainz, near Frankfurt, that Europe was 'vulnerable' in the refugee crisis because it was not yet in control of the situation to the extent that it would like to be. She said: 'Now all of a sudden we are facing the challenge that refugees are coming to Europe and we are vulnerable, as we see, because we do not yet have the order, the control, that we would like to have.' Scroll down for video Merkel said yesterday at an event in Mainz, near Frankfurt, that Europe was 'vulnerable' in the refugee crisis because it was not yet in control of the situation to the extent that it would like to be (she is pictured yesterday) Protestors from the far-right PEGIDA movement (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident) march during a rally in Leipzig yesterday to protest at the increasing numbers of refugees entering Germany She also said the euro was 'directly linked' to freedom of movement in Europe, adding: 'Nobody should act as though you can have a common currency without being able to cross borders reasonably easily.' Merkel said that if countries did not allow their borders to be crossed without much difficulty, the European single market would 'suffer acutely' - meaning that Germany, at the centre of the European Union and its largest economy, should fight to defend freedom of movement. The EU has struggled to cope with a tide of refugees from war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa, most of whom have landed in Greece or Italy before heading for wealthier northern EU states. Germany has taken in the bulk of them, more than a million last year alone. Some EU countries have re-established border controls within the passport-free Schengen zone, where they had been abolished, while efforts to share out the asylum-seekers across EU member states have floundered. Merkel said that, to preserve the Schengen zone within the EU, it was necessary to make the bloc's external borders more secure. Yesterday thousands of protesters waved anti-migrant signs and flags in the eastern German city of Leipzig as they demonstrated against a refugee influx they blame for a number of incidents of sexual violence at New Year's Eve events in Cologne. The rally was organised by LEGIDA, the local chapter of xenophobic group PEGIDA, the Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident. A poster of Chancellor Merkel and one of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban reading 'Thank you' is held aloft by a PEGIDA protester Protesters chanted 'We are the people', 'Resistance!' and 'Deport them!', in reference to the refugees they accused of sexual violence at New Year's Eve events in Cologne A heavy police presence, with water canon at the ready, kept watch over the crowd at yesterday's protest march by the far-right movement Many chanted 'We are the people', 'Resistance!' and 'Deport them!'. Others vented their anger and frustration at Chancellor Merkel, who they accused of destroying Germany by letting in 1.1 million asylum seekers in 2015. 'Refugees not welcome!' read one sign, showing a silhouette of three men armed with knives pursuing a woman, while another declared 'Islam = terror'. A heavy police presence, with water canon at the ready, kept watch over the crowd and separated them from a group of counter-demonstrators. Waving a sign which said 'State of injustice', 44-year-old demonstrator Lukas Richter said: 'Merkel is breaching the constitution and must go,' and that 'the government must close the borders and return all illegal migrants'. He claimed that the New Year's Eve mob attacks in the western city of Cologne - where hundreds of women reported being groped and robbed by men described as being of Arabic or North African appearance - highlighted 'the violence of foreigners in Germany that has existed for years'. The rally came as it emerged vigilante mobs have been attacking people from Pakistan and Syria in Cologne, leaving at least two in hospital, following calls on social media for 'revenge' in the wake of the New Years Eve assaults. The attacks were carried out by groups of young men, allegedly targeting foreigners, after reports Cologne police are focusing their investigation on asylum seekers and migrants. German police say the number of criminal complaints filed after the events on New Year's Eve in Cologne has risen to 516 - 40 per cent relating to allegations of sexual assault. Attacks: Right-wing supporters attend a to protest against the New Year's Eve sex attacks in Cologne, as police reports that a number of Pakistani and Syrian men have been attacked by vigilante groups Two Pakistani nationals were admitted to hospital after six men were attacked by a mob of 20 people near the city's main train station - the scene of the New Years Eve attacks - on Sunday. It is unclear what their condition is although the police are looking to press charges of 'serious bodily harm' against their attackers who kicked, beat and abused them verbally. According to the Cologne Express newspaper, a group of 'hooligans, rockers and bouncers' joined up on Facebook in revenge. The Express said the Facebook vigilante groups had promised an 'orderly clean up' of the old town centre in their 'manhunt.' Police confirmed one Syrian man was also hurt in an attack on Sunday, which took place just 20 minutes after the first, but is believed to have been carried out by a separate group of five men. Two Pakistani nationals were admitted to hospital after six men were attacked by a mob of 20 people near Cologne's main train station(pictured) Racial tension: Supporters of Pegida, Hogesa (Hooligans against Salafists) and other right-wing populist groups protest against the New Year's Eve sex attacks in Cologne, Germany, this weekend Too little too late? Police presence has now been heightened in Cologne, but many criticise the force's actions on New Years Eve, saying not enough was done to stop the mob assaults on women The 39-year-old man was injured but did not require medical treatment. Police say they are still investigating whether the attacks were racially motivated and whether there was any link to the New Year assaults. Today, the minister for North Rhine-Westphalia, the German state where Cologne is located, admitted that people of foreign descent were responsible for virtually all of the violence on New Year's Eve in the city. 'Based on testimony from witnesses, the report from the Cologne police and descriptions by the federal police, it looks as if people with a migration background were almost exclusively responsible for the criminal acts,' Ralf Jaeger, interior minister from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia told a special commission on the Cologne violence. 'All signs point to these being north Africans and people from the Arab world,' he added. 'Based on what we know now from the investigation, asylum seekers who arrived in the past year are among the suspects.' Cologne has a significant first and second generation immigrant population and racial tension has heightened in the wake of New Years Eve. Mob violence: More than 500 criminal complains have now been filed over the events outside Cologne's famous cathedral on New Years Eve, where young women were sexually assaulted, raped and robbed The city, which has a population of just over one million, has more than 120,000 practicing Muslim residents and the largest Jewish communities in Germany. Just over 5.5 per cent are born in Turkey. Over the past week, the police presence in the city has been heightened, but many called the efforts 'too little too late', questioning why officers had not been able to stop the attacks. On Monday, a regional parliamentary commission in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia, whose largest city is Cologne, will question police and others about the events on New Year's Eve. David Cameron is deeply concerned about the hounding of British soldiers amid fears that it could damage morale and recruitment. The Prime Minister will chair a meeting of the National Security Council today to address the issue following a series of revelations by the Mail. The meeting will be attended by Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, who is leading the charge against spurious claims by ambulance-chasing law firms. Concerns: The Prime Minister will chair a meeting regarding a witch-hunt of our Iraq War veterans (file photo) Some British soldiers are facing multiple probes over incidents during the Iraq War that happened more than a decade ago. There are also fears that Islamic State could use any murder charges as propaganda to enlist more jihadists. No10 said yesterday that every false claim the Government spends time and money investigating diverts funds from the front line and efforts to protect Britain. It insisted that ministers were looking at how to stop fabricated and unjustified claims from law firms that were then scrutinised by taxpayer-funded investigators. Up to 280 soldiers who served in Iraq have been sent letters by investigators asking them about their role in incidents years ago. It is feared that dozens of war veterans could face murder charges. The Ministry of Defence has spent nearly 100million on the cases a figure that is set to spiral out of control over the next decade. The legal firm Public Interest Lawyers has indicated to the MoD that it will make 1,100 compensation claims on top of 1,154 it has already submitted. Troops face several legal probes over a single allegation. These include a military investigation and court martial; the Iraq Historic Allegations Team, which looks at cases brought by PIL or legal firm Leigh Day; Iraq Fatality Investigations, whose functions are similar to those of a coroners inquest; the International Criminal Court in the Hague; and civil claims in the High Court from bereaved families. Worried: Prime Minister David Cameron (left) is said to be 'deeply concerned' by an Iraq War witch-hunt, while Defence Secretary Michael Fallon (right) is leading the charge against spurious claims' by law firms Up to 280 soldiers have been sent letters by investigators asking them about their role in incidents years ago A senior Government source said concerns about the inquiries were justified, but limiting the Iraq Historical Allegations Teams powers, for example, could be challenged in court. He added: The Daily Mail is right to raise these concerns. We are aware these people have given great service to their country and we are very concerned about what is happening. 'We are urgently looking at what can be done. The problem is that it is a very difficult area. Labour set up the inquiry but, if we were to try to stop or limit it now, we could find ourselves judicially reviewed. The Iraq Historical Allegations Team was established in 2010 by Labour in response to allegations of murder, abuse and torture of Iraqis by British service personnel. The 57.2million inquiry is looking into more than 1,500 claims. And the International Criminal Court is conducting a preliminary probe of more than 1,000 cases submitted by PIL. Mr Camerons spokesman said yesterday: We are concerned about reports about people being solicited by lawyers to make allegations which can often be fabricated. We have made a clear commitment to make sure our Armed Forces are not subject to persistent legal claims, and we are carrying out the work to look at how we deliver that. Asked whether the Government was worried about soldiers being investigated up to five times, she said: We are deeply concerned. Its important the Government looks at what it can do to stop scenarios where the claims might be fabricated or not justified and looking at how you [can] deliver a better system in the future. A runaway puppy in Colorado is now recovering following a three-hour surgery after almost dying from an encounter with a porcupine. Canello the boxer-mix was found early on Friday morning lying on the porch of a stranger's house in Denver with hundreds of quills all over his body, particularly in and around his mouth. The man who found him, Sean Pace, called the police when he couldn't get to the dog's collar. 'I was trying to check his tag and he wasn't happy about that at first,' Pace told KWGN. Scroll down for video Close call: A dangerous encounter with a porcupine left one-year-old boxer-mix Canello with hundreds of quills all over his body. He is seen here before undergoing surgery Ouch: The barbs had punctured Canello in his mouth, tongue, nose, neck and his leg. He is now in recovery Attack: It is unclear when the dog encountered the porcupine, after he ran away from a foster home in Aurora, Colorado, on Christmas Eve Dangerous: One of the quills only narrowly missed Canello's right eye (pictured). There were hundreds more all over his body 'We managed to get him some food and wrapped up in a blanket finally,' Pace added. The couple took a photo of Canello on the porch attempting to eat some bacon. The one-year-old pup was reported missing on Christmas Eve after escaping from a foster home in Aurora. He was given up by his owners and taken to the Dumb Friends League shelter. The shelter said Canello had issues with fear. He was taken by Animal Control to the Castle Rock Buddy Center and underwent a three-hour surgery to remove all the quills. Found: This is a picture taken by Denver man Sean Pace after he found Canello on his porch and tried to help Rescuers: Sean and Jenn Pace give a TV interview about how they came to find Canello outside their home Scene: The dog was found on this porch in Denver on a cold morning last Friday. He is now recovering 'Many of them were inside his mouth, in his tongue, nose, and his neck and his leg,' Jeff Fankhauser, the chief veterinarian for the Dumb Friends League, told KWGN. 'Some of the quills had gone in one of his eyelids but had, fortunately, missed the eyeball itself. 'Unfortunately porcupine quills are barbed we were able to put Canello under anesthesia. 'At this point, he has recovered well from the procedure. He`s already eating. He`s stable.' Canello will be transferred back to the shelter as soon as he is well enough. Once he has fully healed, he will be put up for adoption. France moved the first migrants into a new 20m camp in Calais yesterday, the first to open in the port town since the closure of the notorious Sangatte. Metal transport containers have been converted into heated homes, complete with power sockets, heated towel rails, toilets and washing facilities for up to 1,500 migrants wanting to cross the Channel into Britain. The new facility is in the heart of the so-called Jungle a squalid illegal camp on the outskirts of port which is currently home to around 5,000 UK bound migrants. A migrant walks among the tents and huts of the makeshift camp called 'The Jungle' next to the fenced area made of containers recycled in rooms to host some 1,500 migrants in Calais A man and his son arrives in their new home - a room in a converted shipping container as the new section of the camp opened on Monday, January 11 This woman is a member of the first family of migrants to be homed inside the 130 shipping containers which will now house people who were previously living in wooden huts and tents This is the inside of one of the containers shortly after it was set into place. The long room is sparse but waiting at the end are mattresses which could provide a more comfortable way of life Members of the association La Vie Active prepare a dormitory in a shipping container soon to house migrants There is now a clear demarcation between the new official camp, and the unauthorised one An initial 150 migrants moved into the new camp yesterday but there are fears it could follow the path of the Sangatte refugee centre But it will be in an enclosed area, with access controlled by confidential code, and by palm readers linked to a computer. It means there is now a clear demarcation between the new official camp, and the unauthorised one. An initial 150 migrants moved into the new camp yesterday but there are fears it could follow the path of the Sangatte refugee centre that was originally designed to house a few hundred refugees from Kosovo. Numbers at Sangatte eventually swelled past 2,000 and became a magnet for thousands of migrants from around the world and a haven for people smugglers before it was closed under pressure from the UK in 2002. Fabienne Buccio, Prefect of the Pas de Calais yesterday said the new camp was a dignified solution to the problems at the jungle camp. Asked if it was likely to turn into another Sangatte she said: We can judge that in the long term, but migrants will not want to stay here forever. Attempts are also being made to set up a 1m camp in nearby Dunkirk that will cater for a further 3,000 people. The French authorities insist that those not given beds in the new shelters will be encouraged to claim asylum in other parts of France. A worker walks past converted containers, at the entrance of the Calais refugee camp A Pakistani migrant looks out of his shop set-up at the 'Jungle' There are fears that the camp will become a new Sangatte, where there was rioting between Kurds and Afghans in 2002 (pictured) and it was eventually closed Each new container has beds for 12 people, as well as toilets and washing facilities. A further 400 beds are already available for women and children in a centre adjoining the camp. British MPs have continually argued that France should look after migrants at the point of entry, not in towns like Calais that gives them easy access to Britain. Tory MP Tim Loughton, a member of the Commons home affairs select committee, said construction of the camp was a really unhelpful move by France on all fronts. Bowalley Road Rules The blogosphere tends to be a very noisy, and all-too-often a very abusive, place. I intend Bowalley Road to be a much quieter, and certainly a more respectful, place. So, if you wish your comments to survive the moderation process, you will have to follow the Bowalley Road Rules. These are based on two very simple principles: Courtesy and Respect. Comments which are defamatory, vituperative, snide or hurtful will be removed, and the commentators responsible permanently banned. Anonymous comments will not be published. Real names are preferred. If this is not possible, however, commentators are asked to use a consistent pseudonym. Comments which are thoughtful, witty, creative and stimulating will be most welcome, becoming a permanent part of the Bowalley Road discourse. However, I do add this warning. If the blog seems in danger of being over-run by the usual far-Right suspects, I reserve the right to simply disable the Comments function, and will keep it that way until the perpetrators find somewhere more appropriate to vent their collective spleen. The woman known as David Bowies China Girl has remembered the warm and engaging man with ordinary gestures that secured his reputation as more than just a talent. Auckland-born Chinese woman Geeling Ng, who now goes by the name Geeling Ching, was the title character in the 1983 film clip which she said 'changed my life forever'. After meeting in Sydney to film China Girl, it didn't take long for a relationship between the pair to blossom off-screen, with the then 23-year-old joining Bowie on his Serious Moonlight tour across Europe. 'It was so special. The time I spent with David I would never trade for anything,' the now 55-year-old told NZ Herald after the 69-year-old lost his battle to cancer on Sunday. It was such an odd dream. It was like someone elses dream, Ms Ching said. Scroll down for video Iconic: China Girl, released in 1983, was filmed in Sydney's Chinatown district, and featured Australian-based, New Zealand model Geeling Ng as David's on-screen love interest It didn't take long for a relationship between the pair to blossom off-screen, with the then 23-year-old joining Bowie on his Serious Moonlight tour across Europe Auckland-born Chinese woman Geeling Ng, who now goes by the name Geeling Ching, was the title character in the 1983 film clip which she said 'changed my life forever' Hearing of his death, Ms Ching was overcome with 'shock', because 'he was such a private person', she told Yahoo7's The Daily Edition. 'I sort of didnt believe it for a while but obviously its true.' She said she'd been a Bowie fan all her life. 'The first album I ever bought was Ziggy Stardust and Spiders from Mars so to actually meet the man in person I was totally star struck and for once I just couldnt get any words out. It was quite amazing. 'And then when I was told I got the part I just about fell over, it was so really exciting.' She said they had to have a relationship on screen for the film clip, and that he ensured she felt comfortable. 'You know we were supposed to be lovers [for the video], he worked really hard to make sure that I felt comfortable with him which was kind of odd because to feel comfortable with an icon and a hero of mine, he really made me feel comfortable and he was a pleasure to work with.' She said she thought he was 'terribly influential' and that she had no idea the 'political statement that he was making' in his film clips. She said she'd been a Bowie fan all her life. 'The first album I ever bought was Ziggy Stardust and Spiders from Mars so to actually meet the man in person I was totally star struck and for once I just couldnt get any words out. It was quite amazing' Im blessed to have been part of that incredible talent, with someone who has changed the world of music not just music, but the face of fashion, makeup, everything,' Ms Ching said 'You know I was just (A) Working with David Bowie, gosh!, and (B) Shooting a video and sort of all of the things that came along with that. Id never done anything like it before in my life. So it wasnt until much, much later that I discovered the message he was trying to tell in the video and then looking at the video afterwards I could see that that message was actually quite clear.' Ms Ching last saw Bowie when he toured New Zealand in 2004 and said it was 'an amazing concert' and that they went backstage to meet up with him. She said people from the record company were gathering around him backstage to have their photo taken with him while she and her friend stood off to the side. 'I was thinking: "I hope I get to say hi to him or at least get a smile in or something",' she said. But he looked up and smiled 'and came charging over and said: "Hey, how are you. It's great to see you". 'I was just blown away. It was just another example of how warm and friendly he really was.' After starring in China Girl, Ms Ching has since modelled in French Vogue and has featured in New Zealand and Australian films Mad Max 3, Illustrious Energy and Desperate Remedies. She moved back to New Zealand to star in television drama Gloss, and was a 2008 contestant in the country's Dancing with the Stars, but was knocked out in the first round. Ms Ching hosted the cooking segment for TV One's Asia Downunder before the program was axed. And in her online profile for the channel, she wrote that she's most likely to be seen 'listening to you-know-who'. Bowie described as a very simple, very direct statement against Asian female stereotypes. The clip was predominantly shot in Chinatown in central Sydney Role to remember: 'Acting opposite David was terrifying, because he had a long history as a performer and I was a model and waitress', said Geeling Asked who her favourite musician was, she answered: Well who do you think? Ms Ching has since worked as a restaurateur and focussed on her career in hospitality - leaving her 12-year position as Operations Manager at waterside Soul Bar and Bistro in 2014 before launching a new venue in trendy suburb Britomart. Ms Ching hosted the cooking segment for TV One's Asia Downunder. In her online profile for the channel, she wrote that she's most likely to be seen 'listening to you-know-who' 'Given the opportunity, I will always dabble in acting, but my real skill and love is hospitality,' she told Women's Weekly late last year. The last time she saw Bowie, he'd greeted her with a hug because he 'took the time to be with people', Ms Ching told NZ Herald. It had been years since she'd last seen him, but was mourning the world's loss with the news he'd passed. 'I'm really shocked, when you work with someone like David ... it's really sad,' she said. More than 30 years on, Ms Ching continues to be recognised for her role as China Girl, but is 'immensely' and 'utterly proud' to be remembered as such. 'I'll go to my grave with that,' she said. Im blessed to have been part of that incredible talent, with someone who has changed the world of music not just music, but the face of fashion, makeup, everything. A lifelong fan of Bowie, shed been hoping he would again tour Australia and New Zealand with the release of Blackstar just days before his death. I thought we might see him on tour again, but apparently we wont, she said. Thats really sad. The clip for China Girl, which Bowie described as a very simple, very direct statement against Asian female stereotypes had been predominantly shot in Chinatown in central Sydney. She was a 2008 contestant in New Zealand's Dancing with the Stars, but was knocked out in the first round She was cast in the role while working as a waitress shortly after moving to Sydney from Auckland, where she was born. Ms Ching had reportedly been lined up with 'china-doll looking girls' for the casting, where she was selected. In the video, the legendary crooner with different coloured blue and brown eyes is depicted lying naked on top of her writhing on the beach. The clip was banned in several countries for being sexually explicit but it later earned him an MTV award for Best Male Video in 1984. 'Acting opposite David was terrifying, because he had a long history as a performer and I was a model and waitress', Geeling had said in an interview with The Guardian in 2013. 'After the shoot, I got a call: 'Do you want to come to Europe with me?' I became a bit of a groupie for two weeks. I knew it was a passing phase, I was 23, we lived in different worlds, but he gave me an experience that I'll never forget,' mused Geeling. Bowie first visited Australia during his 1978 Heroes World Tour, but fell in love with the country when he returned in 1983 to film China Girl and Let's Dance. He went on to spend much of the 1980s living in Sydney. 'I would come over for a month or so at a time,' he told Sydney Morning Herald in 2004. 'It was really, really fabulous. I loved being there. It was just a great place to be.' Bowie passed away on Sunday after battling cancer for 18-months, a statement released by the family said A love for the land Down Under: Despite his British roots, David Bowie was determined to bring the Australian landscape to the forefront of pop-culture in the Eighties Bowie enjoyed a glittering career spanning six decades that saw him become one of the biggest recording artists of all time, pictured in December 2015 He bought a luxury waterfront apartment in Elizabeth Bay, staying for at least a month at a time as a base for outback adventures and trips to far north Queensland to visit rainforest. He lived in the Kincoppal apartment complex at the same time he was recording his second album with the band Tin Machine in 1989. He sold the apartment in 1992, around the same time that he married model Iman Abdulmajid. Speaking about the decision, he reportedly said: 'Mainly the reason being that I just wasn't getting there enough and it seems a waste of a really nice apartment. He only brought four of his world tours to Australia, the 1978 Low/Heroes tour, the 1983 Serious Moonlight tour, the 1987 Glass Spider tour and the 2004 A Reality Tour. The performer kept a relatively low profile over the past few years, giving no hint that he was gravely ill before the announcement of his death at the age of 69. He died in New York on Sunday, following an 18-month illness battle with cancer, according to his family. Bowie enjoyed a glittering career spanning six decades that saw him become one of the biggest recording artists of all time. He collected dozens of awards, including two Brits Awards, two Grammys and three MTV awards and transferred his artistry to film in 51 music videos. Daily Mail Australia is awaiting a response from Geeling Ching. Love affair: David Bowie lived in an apartment in Sydney for 10 years during which time he fell for a local waitress and immersed himself in Aboriginal culture, pictured in 2004 Legend: Bowie first fell in love with the country during his Australian concert tour in 1978, and went on to spend much of the 1980s living in Sydney, pictured in 2004 Home: The flamboyant rocker owned a luxury waterfront apartment in Elizabeth Bay for a decade up until 1992, arguably the height of his career Stunning views: During an interview with The Boston Globe, guitarist Reeves Gabrels reportedly leaned on Bowie's balcony, saying: 'I was thinking, if only my father, who died when I was 15, could see this' Idyllic: David lived in the Kincoppal apartment complex at the same time he was recording his second album with the band Tin Machine in 1989 He sold the apartment in 1992, around the same time that he married model Iman Abdulmajid Hit song: Let's Dance was filmed in a smoke-filled public bar at the Carinda Hotel (pictured) in a tiny town in western New South Wales Local issues: David also delved into Aboriginal rights in his film clip for the hit song Let's Dance, which was released in 1983 Political statement: The lyrics of his song Let's Dance were about Aboriginal rights, pictured is a still from the video Desert landscape: Shot using an unmistakably Australian cast, Let's Dance featured both rural and urban backdrops Iconic setting: The Carinda Hotel (pictured) has since become a pilgrimage for tourists and fans The land will now be included in a housing development and golf course She travelled an hour southwest of Sydney again last week before it is 'lost' There were overgrown empty buildings and the rides were abandoned A Spanish-inspired amusement park that once housed a thriving attraction for families now lies in ruins in Sydney's south-western outskirts. The El Caballo Blanco, which was famous for its dancing Andalusian horses, shut down after 20 years in 1999 and its empty performance halls, go-kart tracks and water slides were overtaken by unruly grass and wildlife. Sydneysider Gia Cattiva, 32, ventured to the abandoned field in Camden last week, about an hour southwest of Sydney, to see what was left of the amusement park she visited as a child in the 80s. Scroll down for video El Caballo Blanco was a south Sydney amusement park that was famous for its dancing Andalusia horses (pictured) and closed down in 1999 after 20 years Sydneysider Gia Cattiva, 32, visited the abandoned park in 2013 and photographed what was left of the once popular holiday spot (pictured) Many of the park's building had been partially knocked down or ruined from a fire in 2007 (pictured) The El Caballo hotel (pictured) that housed families during the 1980s and 1990s was partially covered by overgrown grass and falling apart in 2013 Its this space that used to be vibrant and full of people and have the buzz of an amusement park...you feel like youre in a place that youre not meant to be and that the site could tell so many stories, Ms Cattiva said Furniture has been scattered across the grounds and the walls are covered in graffiti (pictured) A paddle boat in 2013 (pictured) when Ms Cattiva visted the park for the first time since it closed Ms Cattiva visited the park (pictured) with her grandmother in its heyday in the 1980s When Ms Cattiva returned last week, the entire park was demolished. Some areas of the park were already demolished before crews began knocking it down for construction last year (pictured) During her first visit in 2013, Ms Cattiva saw that a 2007 fire had damaged a lot of the main structures and took photos of the remains. When she returned last week, there was hardly any evidence the park had ever existed except for a rusty paddle boat and pieces of Spanish tile, Ms Cattiva said. A looming start date for the construction of a housing development that will be built on top of El Caballo Blanco and her personal nostalgia for the colourful park led her back again, Ms Cattiva said. Ms Cattiva said there was a very unique feel to the former park (pictured) A looming start date for the construction of a housing development that will be built on top of El Caballo Blanco and her personal nostalgia for the colourful park led her back again, Ms Cattiva said What was left of the El Caballo Blanco water slide in 2013 (pictured) The train tracks remained in 2013 but were overgrown with grass and debris (pictured) I explored it because I knew that it would be redeveloped soon and it would be lost forever, she said. You would never know that anything was there. It may be lost it hasnt been forgotten. In Ms Cattivas video, old images of the amusement park in its heyday in the 80s and 90s are compared to how the area looks today. A fire in 2007 destroyed most of the amusement park and it was deserted (pictured) Many of the building remains were covered in graffiti and had been used as a rave party location (pictured) The unruly grass and weather has taken its toll on the buildings (pictured) It was also used as a carpet warehouse after the early 2000s (pictured) After it shut down in 1999 it was used for weddings and functions, as well as equestrian events The characteristic blue Spanish tile decorated the park's floors (pictured) I have these special memories of visiting there in the 80s when I was a little kid my grandma took me there. It was a bittersweet experience. I feel really lucky to have experienced the park as a little kid and get to see the performances. In a commercial from 1983, El Caballo Blanco was a 150 acre park that brought the European culture and colour to Australian families on holiday. An inner swimming pool was used for skateboarding (pictured) after it was abandoned It was the second El Caballo Blanco started by West Australian Ray Williams, following the original in Perth You would never know that anything was there. It may be lost it hasnt been forgotten, Ms Cattiva said The family friendly amusement park (pictured) offered horse rides, performances, water slides, go karting and paddle boarding from 1979 It has a miniature train, a go-kart track, waterslides, a hotel, restaurant, a just over 2km train track and a large stable and performance arena for the many horses. It was the second El Caballo Blanco started by West Australian Ray Williams, following the original in Perth. The park opened in 1979 and after it shut down in 1999 it was used for weddings and functions, as well as equestrian events. It was soon completely abandoned in the early 2000s and was used as a warehouse for carpets and occasional rave spot for teenagers until the fire in 2007. The horse trainers and performers were known to wear very bright costumes during performances (pictured) Children swimming in the pool (left) when the park was open and the train that travelled just a little over 2km around the park (right) In Ms Cattivas video, old images of the amusement park in its heyday in the 80s and 90s (pictured) are compared to how the area looks today The only remaining portion of the train tracks this year after above structure had been torn down (pictured) Ms Cattiva found a small piece of tile left after bulldozers tore the park down (pictured) The Perth park is still open and is a hotel and function centre. Ms Cattiva has travelled to several abandoned amusement parks and said there is always a very unique feel to them. Theyre known for being a bit creepy, she said. Its this space that used to be vibrant and full of people and have the buzz of an amusement park and when its abandoned, you feel like youre in a place that youre not meant to be and that the site could tell so many stories. Ms Cattiva said she hopes the housing development Hermitage Gledswood Hills estate will name a few of the streets after the once beloved El Caballo Blanco. The water slide in the 1980s (left) and a family barbecuing nearby during the summer (right) One of the only items left of the amusement park last week was a blue paddle boat (left) that family rode around a man-made lake (in the background left) in the 80s (right) An ad from 1983 shows The El Caballo Blanco in its former glory (pictured) The park held sheep sheering events (left) and visitors could rent horses to ride around the 150 acre plot (right) A British backpacker with a rare blood type who was seriously hurt in a road accident in Thailand is out of danger after an appeal for donors took the internet by storm. Scores of travellers queued for hours yesterday at the hospital where Lucy Hill, 21, was receiving emergency surgery, offering to give the A-negative blood she needs. Because fewer than 1 per cent of Thais have negative blood types, the hospital treating Miss Hill quickly ran out of stock and she was becoming anaemic, so her friends asked for Westerners to come forward to help. Lucy Hill, 21, is fighting for her life after suffering a brain haemorrhage and a broken pelvis when her moped was involved in an accident with a car Her friends' social media campaign to source donations was shared 40,000 times online within six hours Incredibly, the appeal was shared 40,000 times online within six hours. Miss Hill, from Bury, Greater Manchester, was left with head injuries and a broken pelvis after being knocked off her moped in Chiang Mai on Saturday. The PE graduate, who was six days into a gap year travelling the world, also had a brain haemorrhage and needed major surgery and three blood transfusions at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital. Surgeons have fitted titanium plates to her pelvis, and plan more surgery to her skull. Miss Hills travelling companion Lauren Hall, 19, appealed for help on Sunday, writing on Facebook: Yesterday Lucy suffered an accident. She is in intensive care and has had emergency surgery but is needing blood transfusions. The 21-year-old was rushed to the hospital on Saturday and has since had three blood transfusions, and was fitted with titanium plates in her pelvis Miss Hill's family and friends made an international appeal to help find the rare A-negative blood she needs Sourcing the blood is difficult. I understand it is your holiday but this is my friend. It doesnt take long and it will do a great thing. My friend wore a helmet and did nothing wrong. Everybody please share. Yesterday, another friend, Darren Burns, told how successful Miss Halls appeal had been. He wrote on Facebook: Compassionate people from all over the world came together over 24 hours for a girl from Bury!! Luces received the blood transfusion she needs, shes still in intensive care but is out off immediate danger!! Her brain injury and the failure to find A-negative blood locally is caused her family the greatest concern The young graduate from Leeds Beckett University was just a week into her gap year when her moped was hit A friend of the young graduate said she is in the Rajavej Chiang Mai hospital in a critical condition after suffering a brain haemorrhage Miss Hills holiday plans included travelling through Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Australia Patients who are A-negative need the same blood type, but in an emergency they can be given O-negative, which is a universal type, suitable for most blood groups. One donor, Thomas Stubley, 28, from Wakefield, said: I knew I was O-negative. There must have been about 60 people trying to donate Ive never seen anything like it. Traveller Liam Fenlon, from Kirkby in Merseyside, donated a pint of his O-negative blood. He said: We went to the hospital first thing to help. I really feel for her it could happen to any of us. Miss Hill is not thought to have taken out insurance for her trip. Her mother Alison, 50, has flown over to be at her bedside. Last night, her father Phil, 54, said: We were told a car collided with the moped. The driver was on the wrong side of the road. She is in a bit of a mess. I was nearly physically sick when I found out. They managed to get another six units of her blood type this morning. Apparently they were queuing outside the hospital. People have inundated us with offers of help. Miss Hill, who hopes to become a teacher, had planned to travel through Thailand, Australia, Vietnam and Cambodia after working at a restaurant for months to save up for her dream trip. Tragically Miss Hill (left) follows a large number of Britons who have come to grief in Thailand and neighbouring countries during the warm summer months of the southern hemisphere Her father, Phil Hill, 54, told the Manchester Evening News that the family had been told the driver of the car involved in the crash had been travelling on the wrong side of the road The family had been running around trying to find flights to Thailand, he said. It is my daughter. You would do anything for your own child. We want her to be well. As soon as she gets home, the better. Not knowing is hard. Tragically Miss Hill follows a large number of Britons who have come to grief in Thailand and neighbouring countries during the warm summer months of the southern hemisphere. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has issued warnings to British travellers to exercise great care in those countries - but it appears that in Miss Hills case taking care was no protection against an allegedly careless car driver. Lucy Hill is fighting for her life after her moped was hit by a car in Thailand. Here she is pictured (left) with her friend Lauren Hill The arrival of the Middletons with William and Kate at Sandringham church confirms Kates determination to prevent the isolation of her family the fate of many royal in-laws. After a quick sherry, the Middleton clan returned to Kate and Williams nearby home, Anmer Hall. Gossips say the presence of Sophie, Countess of Wessex, at Sandringham was overshadowed by Williams in-laws. Normally she would have driven to church with the monarch but, with the Cambridges present, Sophie had to walk with the rest of them while the Queen travelled with a lady-in-waiting. Fancy! Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge Royal family at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham, Britain ............................................................................................................................................................. When barrister Justine Thornton, 45, did not become a Queens Counsel last year, it was thought she was being held back because of her husband Ed Milibands position as Labour leader. The system was criticised when Cherie Booth was made a QC when her husband, Tony Blair, was leader of the Opposition. Now Ed has returned to the back benches, Justine appears on the list of new QCs. An earlier version of this item referred to Justine Thornton failing to become a QC. We have been asked to make it clear that Ms Thornton did not apply to become a QC last year. Her chambers say this year was her first time of applying and she was successful in her application. ............................................................................................................................................................. Can Hollywoods love affair with Ricky Gervais, pictured, be over? The New York Times expresses anger over his remarks while hosting the Golden Globes. His dig at Charlie Sheens fondness for prostitutes felt so stale, says the paper, the dry cleaner might have left it in his pocket after his last hosting gig. His jokes were slathered in vinegar, particularly his reference to Spotlight, a movie about Catholic clergy sexually abusing children, being Roman Polanskis best date movie ever. The New York Times expressed anger over Ricky Gervais' remarks while hosting the Golden Globes ............................................................................................................................................................. Mary Wilson, widow of former Labour PM Harold Wilson, celebrates her 100th birthday today. An accomplished poet, Mary once, unwittingly, played a part in a rare faux pas by the Queen. Entertaining Wilsons Cabinet colleague Denis Healey and his wife Edna to lunch at Buckingham Palace, the Queen tried to put them at ease. A mischievous Healey declined HMQs request to play the piano, saying he was only any good at Chopsticks he was actually a very accomplished pianist. Confused, the Queen then quoted poetry at Edna Healey, but that backfired too. Somewhere along the line the Queens researchers had mixed up writer and historian Edna Healey with Mrs Wilson. ............................................................................................................................................................. Radio 4s Today programme was heavy with David Bowie tributes, but I wonder if they grated among the non-fans likely to have made up a majority of its audience. Surely theyll have regretted that John Humphrys, the resident grown up, wasnt present to add a little dignity to proceedings. Did David Cameron have to add that Bowie was the genius responsible for the soundtrack of his life? And would the Thin White Duke have been impressed? He turned down the offer of a knighthood in 2003. David Bowie turned down the offer of a knighthood in 2003 ............................................................................................................................................................. Employers and workers must get over the stigma around part-time work available and there's few of suitable jobs Nearly two million highly-qualified workers are trapped in low-skilled jobs because employers refuse to offer flexible working, a report revealed. Parents, carers, older people and those with disabilities were stuck in minimum wage roles as quality part time work was rarely available, the study found. Researchers from flexibility specialists Timewise and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found a severe shortfall of good suitable jobs - rather than a lack of skills - was the biggest barrier to these people earning more. Women were more likely to be affected by the lack of good part-time work than men. Latest official figures show 4.6million women working part time did not want a full-time job Creating more flexible jobs would release a bottleneck which is currently preventing Britain from reaching full employment, the report said. It found there were around seven people without work seeking every quality flexible job, compared to just one for every quality fulltime job. Only around 6 per cent of vacancies current mention an option for flexible working a figure that would have to increase eight-fold to meet demand. Women were more likely to be affected than men. Latest official figures show 4.6million women working part time did not want a full-time job, compared to 1million men. Timewise co-CEO Emma Stewart said employers and workers needed to get over the stigma around part-time work. She said: Half the working population would like more flexibility but there is a stigma. Employers feel it means people who want to work part-time arent fully dedicated to the job. People get stuck and trapped by a lack of flexibility. Even if they do get a flexible job, they feel they cant go anywhere else as they wouldnt get the same deal elsewhere. (It means) there are millions of people whose skills arent being utilised who bosses really need. The report found there were 200,000 people in poverty who had the skills to lift their families off the breadline but the flexible jobs they needed were not available locally. Mrs Stewart added: The conversation (about raising living standards) has been about people working more hours to get more money but they could earn more money in better jobs, working the same hours. Parents, carers, the elderly and the disabled are stuck in minimum wage jobs as quality part-time work is rare She said there was an economic argument for providing more flexible work, as workers on higher salaries paid more tax and relied less on benefits. The report cited the case of an accounting graduate mother who had separated from the father of her 11-year-old daughter. She was stuck working two night shifts a week in a supermarket because she needed time off to look after her child, and was relying on tax credits and housing benefits to supplement her income. Timewise contacted employers on her behalf asking if full time roles they were advertising could be part-time. She has ended up in an accountancy role for 21 hours per week. She said: It was emotionally tiring because youre not spending that time with your kid and the whole reason why I was working so hard in the first place was for her. Having got a good job meant she was able to prove to her daughter that working hard does eventually pay off, she added. Julia Unwin, Joseph Rowntree Foundation chief executive, said: Locking people out of high quality work traps individuals in low pay and low living standards, and limits the wider economy. If we are to achieve a prosperous, poverty free UK, we need to develop a jobs market which allows workers to achieve their potential and progress at work. The report follows comments by Pensions Minister Baroness Ros Altmann last month, who called for businesses to give workers time off to care for relatives. Born in Brixton: David Bowie, whose great musical epiphany came when he was about eight, as a baby One day when David Jones was only three, his mother Peggy a glamorous cinema usherette who had dreams of stardom herself found him covered in her make-up; powder, paint and all. Long after he achieved fame, she recalled: When I found him, he looked for all the world like a clown. I told him, You shouldnt use make-up but he said, You do, Mummy. I agreed but pointed out that it wasnt for little boys. She could, of course, see the irony in having been the first person to tell David Bowie not to wear cosmetics. Born on January 8, 1947, at home in Stansfield Road, Brixton, South-West London, there was always something out of the ordinary about David Robert Jones. It is said the midwife who delivered him had a reputation as a clairvoyant, and told Peggy: This child has been on Earth before. His father was Haywood Stenton Jones, a mild-mannered Yorkshireman who worked as a promotions officer for the childrens charity Dr Barnardos and had served in North Africa during World War II. He only married Davids mother, Peggy Burns, nine months after the boy was born following his own divorce. Peggy, an extrovert who loved singing and dancing, had previously been engaged to a Frenchman who abandoned her when she got pregnant with a son named Terry, who had arrived in 1937. The London boy: Early exhibitionism from schoolboy David Jones, who was only three when his mother found him covered in her make-up; powder, paint and all London living: Bowie was born as David Jones on January 8, 1947, at this home in Stansfield Road, Brixton When David was six, the family relocated to suburban Plaistow Grove, Bromley, where the youngster joined the church choir and the Cub Scouts. Bowie recalled the great treat being a weekly roast, after which the family sat around a fire and listened to Two-Way Family Favourites, the radio request programme. Biographers, though, claim the emotional temperature in the house was sub zero, and argue this may have contributed to painfully shy Davids subsequent much-vaunted sense of alienation. His great musical epiphany came when he was about eight and his father bought a gramophone and a stack of 45s by artists such as The Platters and Fats Domino. David put on Tutti Frutti by Little Richard. My heart nearly burst with excitement, he later said. I had never heard anything resembling this. I had heard God. Now I wanted to see him. His interest in music and dance was noted at Burnt Ash Junior School. Reports reveal teachers astonishment at his vividly artistic music and movement. Education: His interest in music and dance was noted at Burnt Ash Junior School (above) in Bromley. Reports reveal teachers astonishment at his vividly artistic music and movement He took up saxophone and guitar, but was never more than a mediocre musician in technical terms. After failing his 11-plus, he was sent to Bromley Technical High School. Early days: Bowie, pictured in 1966 in Clapham, South London, released his first album the next year He left with a solitary O-level in art, and one distinctive darker eye, the result of a fight with friend George Underwood over a girl to whom David had lost his virginity. Despite four months in hospital, the pupil of the injured eye remained permanently dilated the reason he could appear to have different coloured eyes. By his early teens he was showing signs of eccentricity, writing to U.S. war hero President Eisenhower (quite why remains unclear). His family were worried he might have the Burns curse mental illness which ran through his mothers side of the family. One maternal aunt was schizophrenic and another was lobotomised for her nervous disposition. Bowie later said: Everyone says: Oh yes, my family is quite mad Mine really is. His half-brother, Terry, too, became schizophrenic. Once, after the boys had been to a Cream concert, Terry fell to his knees and started pawing the road, hallucinating. Sadly, he later killed himself slipping out of hospital to lie in front of a train. Bowie said he built Terry up into something more than a brother and used him almost as one of his alter egos. I invented this hero-worship to discharge my guilt and failure, and to set myself free from my own hang-ups, he later said. Moniker: The performer changed his name in 1965 to David Bowie because Davy Jones (above) was becoming famous in The Monkees, and it was felt Bowie, after the knife, was appropriately dangerous and transatlantic After leaving school, David worked as an office junior, and was in numerous local bands. Everyone says: 'Oh yes, my family is quite mad' Mine really is David Bowie The budding performer changed his name in 1965 to David Bowie because Davy Jones was becoming famous in The Monkees, and it was felt Bowie, after the knife, was appropriately dangerous and transatlantic. His first album, David Bowie, was released in June 1967 on the Deram label, but flopped. He left home that year. It was a dark period, full of rejections. This is the horrifying moment a mechanic was crushed underneath a car after the driver accidentally accelerated the vehicle forward while driving it into a ramp. The man was standing at the end of the hydraulic drive-on car ramp when the silver vehicle began to mount it at Histadrut Street garage in Israel. As the car drove onto the ramp, its front wheels could be seen spinning and the car gradually moved forward - as directed by the mechanic. The mechanic is said to have suffered 'serious internal injuries' after he was standing at the end of the hydraulic drive-on car ramp (pictured) and the silver vehicle drove into him at Histadrut Street garage in Israel As the car drove onto the ramp, its front wheels could be seen spinning and the car gradually moved forward - as directed by the mechanic. He can be seen just getting hit by the car at the end of the ramp (centre left) The man is said to have suffered 'serious internal injuries' after the car toppled onto him, knocking him over However, instead of stopping on the hydraulic ramp, the car appeared to lose control and veered forward - knocking the mechanic to the ground and trapping him underneath the vehicle. Workers can be seen in the footage, taken from surveillance cameras at the repair garage, rushing to the man's aid while the driver of the car attempts to reverse the vehicle. The mechanic is said to have suffered 'serious internal injuries' in the incident and was taken to Rambam Hospital in the Bat Galim neighborhood of Haifa, Israel, after being released from out underneath the car. The hospital said he suffered a number of potentially life-threatening internal injuries, as well as damage to his upper body and legs. A spokesman said: 'He has been hospitalised in intensive care in serious condition after sustaining severe internal injuries, liver, among other things. He also suffered a hip fracture.' Workers can be seen in the footage, taken from surveillance cameras at the repair garage in Israel, rushing to the man's aid while the driver of the car attempts to reverse the vehicle back onto the hydraulic drive-on ramp Neighbours say home has been troubled for years and 'aren't surprised' A man has passed away after getting into a 'scuffle' with his two brothers at a home on Sydney's northern beaches. Police were called to the Warriewood residence after neighbours heard yelling around 6.30pm on Monday and on arriving, found a group of men in a brawl down the side of the property. A 45-year-old man was unresponsive and although officers rushed him to Mona Vale Hospital in critical condition, he died on arrival. Police were called to a Warriewood residence on Monday by concerned neighbours and discovered three brothers in a brawl down the side of the property (stock image) Neighbours say the home had been troubled for years. 'It's not the first time there's trouble,' one neighbour, who did not wish to be named, told AAP on Tuesday. 'We aren't surprised something like this has happened here, but it's very sad.' Another neighbour said the home was noisy and one of the men, who suffers from a mental illness, could be heard yelling out to the street at times. 'He rails at the universe from his balcony,' the neighbour said, adding it had been this way for years. Two of the other men, aged 40 and 43, were arrested and taken to Manly Police Station following the incident. A 45-year-old man was unresponsive and although officers rushed him to Mona Vale Hospital (pictured) in critical condition, he died on arrival A NSW police spokesperson confirmed to Daily Mail Australia both men were released without charge. The 40-year-old man was taken to hospital for medical treatment and has since returned to Manly Police Station to further assist police. Officers are reportedly looking into whether the deceased man may have been drug affected or suffered from a medically-related attack during the brawl. Police remain at the crime scene as blue tape surrounds the messy home, which has broken furniture piled on the front yard, blankets covering the windows and a tattered teddy bear poking through the fence. Police are urging anyone with information in relation to this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. A Secret Service agent who was paralyzed while protecting Hillary Clinton has gotten married from his hospital bed. Garrett FitzGerald was part of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clintons protective detail when an unlicensed driver coming from the opposite direction tried to pass a car and smashed into FitzGerald's car. Four Secret Service agents were involved in the crash in New Hampshire on December 29. The driver of the other car died. 'There wasn't a dry eye in the ICU room' a friend said of the wedding of Garrett FitzGerald and Joan Lyall, who married in his hospital room at Massachusetts General on Saturday Agent FitzGerald was on security detail for presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton when a car slammed into his head-on - the other driver was killed FitzGerald suffered a severe spinal cord injury after being hit by a car during security detail for Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire in December FitzGerald, 30, has a spinal cord injury and at first couldn't feel anything from his shoulders down, reports CBS News. He has since regained a little movement in one arm. The agent and his fiancee, Joan Lyall, 28, who had been dating for nine years, had been in the midst of planning their March wedding when the accident happened. Given his intense therapy schedule, they decided to move the date up and were married on Saturday at Massachusetts General Hospital. The pair live in Boston. 'It's going to be my dream come true, it really is,' Lyall said of the wedding - which the couple were in the midst of planning when tragedy stuck A friend who had set up a GoFundMe page for the agent wrote: 'Yesterday, in the most beautiful, emotional and loving ceremony, Garrett and Joan were married in his ICU room surrounded by close family and friends.' 'There was not a dry eye in his ICU room as family from all over the world video streamed the ceremony live. Cheers to Garrett and Joan and a lifetime of memories, happiness and smiles together.' Agent Garrett FitzGerald (here with his dog) was paralyzed on December 29 - he has since gained a little use of one arm Lyall recalled the phone call that would change her life forever: 'It was Garrett telling me there had been an accident and I was the best thing that had ever happened to him and then he loved me... I knew that he couldn't feel his legs and I had to get to him, and I knew I needed to get there as fast as I could.' Lyall says that when she first walked into the hospital room, her determined fiance said, 'Hey babe!' and at that point she knew they would find a way to get through the tragedy. A Texas man was taken into custody at the weekend after allegedly stabbing both his parents to death before calling 911 to confess to the crimes, according to reports. Police at the scene in Denton, north-west of Dallas, described the murders as the bloodiest they had ever seen. Stephen Scott, 40, is said to have answered the door to his parents house on Lynhurst Avenue covered in blood after making the emergency phone call about 2.30pm Sunday. Inside, Marion Scott, 75, and Linda Scott, 70, were found dead. Both had been stabbed several times, according to NBC DFW. Capital murder: Stephen Scott, 40, is said to have answered the door to his parents house in Denton, Texas covered in blood after calling 911 about 2.30pm Sunday. He was arrested at the scene (right) Killed: Marion Scott, 75, and Linda Scott, 70, were found stabbed to death inside their Denton home on Sunday Scene: Linda and Marion Scott were retirees in their 70s who lived in Lynhurst Lane in Denton, Texas Investigators said the sight of the elderly couple lying side-by-side inside the home was one of the most gruesome scenes they have every seen WFAA reported that Scott was crying as he called 911, and said to the operator that 'there are two people' and 'it's my parents'. The website reported he eventually confessed to having 'stabbed them both'. Scott then met the responding officers at the front doors with blood on his hands. Police said there were signs of a struggle at the scene. Marion Scott was found with a knife on his back, according to the site. Scott was arrested at the scene without incident. He has been and charged with two counts of capital murder. 'As of right now we don't have a motive why,' police spokesman Orlando Hinojosa told CBS DFW. Stephen Scott, 40, is being held on a $250,000 bond after being charged with two counts of capital murder When officers arrived at the home on the 1300 block of Lynhurst Lane on Sunday afternoon, they found the bodies of Marion Scott, 75, and Linda Scott, 70, stabbed to death NBC reported that, despite the supposed 911 confession, Scott would not speak to detectives under interrogation. Officials say he clammed up and asked for a lawyer. Records show Scott - who recently turned 40 - had an apartment in Dallas, however neighbors said he would often stay with his parents. One of the officers who responded to the call says it was one of the bloodiest scenes he's ever to been to. 'When I walked in there and saw the people laying on the ground it took me back to 'wow, they're pretty close to my parents age,' Hinojosa told NBC. 'And that's the reason it hit home.' 'Just to see two people deceased, at the hands of a relative, their own son, it's just very sad to me. ''I've been to many scenes and that one was hard for me to deal with.' A Geelong mother pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle 0.3 grams of methamphetamine in her underwear to her boyfriend in prison. Tiffany Ferguson, 20, had felt pressured by her boyfriend to bring the drug ice into Marngoneet Correctional Facility in May last year. The 20-year-old pleaded guilty at the Geelong Magistrates' Court to possessing the methamphetamine and introducing contraband into prison, and was given a one year Community Corrections Order, reportedGeelong Advertiser. A Geelong mother pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle 0.3 grams of methamphetamine in her underwear to her boyfriend in prison Tiffany Ferguson, 20, had felt pressured by her boyfriend to bring the drug ice into Marngoneet Correctional Facility (pictured) May 16 last year The mother of two was taken aside by officers and checked by prison sniffer dogs, that detected a balloon 'containing four other small balloons' of the illegal substance concealed in her underwear. Initially Ferguson denied carrying the drugs but the prosecutor at court told the Geelong Advertiser: 'During a body search, officers found a small balloon concealed inside her underpants.' Magistrate Michael Coghlan told the court that she had gone to 'considerable efforts' to bring the drug into the prison system. The mother of two was taken aside by officers and checked by prison sniffer dogs (stock), that detected a balloon 'containing four other small balloons' of the illegal substance concealed in her underwear The young mother has reportedly since ended her relationship with the boyfriend who had allegedly pressured her into bringing in the drugs Ferguson was accompanied by her two children and was therefore not transported to the police station straight away. Police Prosecutor, Leading Senior Constable Jacki Davis said: 'Several attempts to contact her afterwards were unsuccessful.' The young mother has reportedly since ended her relationship with the boyfriend. Along with the corrections order, Ferguson will face 120 hours of unpaid community work. The young mother has reportedly since ended her relationship with the boyfriend. Along with the corrections order, Ferguson will face 120 hours of unpaid community work Multiple US states look set to see snow in the coming days. In Lowville, New York, snowfall reached 21 inches due to what's known as lake-effect snow, according to weather.com on Monday. During the night, more snowfall was 'to take aim on areas southeast of Lake Erie and east of Lake Ontario,' with the chance of 1 - 2 feet in some areas, the report said. Scroll down for video Let it snow: Snow was forecast to fall in a number of US cities Monday evening, including Chicago and Detroit Bundle up: It's been predicted that some snow is going to hit a number of states and cities, including Chicago and Boston, on Tuesday Lake-effect snow was predicted to hit Tuesday - Thursday, with some areas alongside the Great Lakes expecting more than two feet of snow into Thursday Students arrive at Eastbrook High School, east of Marion, Ind., after a two-hour delay on Monday. School was delayed because sub-freezing temperatures and blowing snow made roads icy and treacherous A work crew digs beside railroad tracks in Marion, Indiana, on Monday. Sub-freezing temperatures made working outdoors challenging Lake-effect snow occurs during cooler atmospheric conditions when a cold air mass moves across long expanses of warmer lake water, warming the lower layer of air, this then picks up water vapor from the lake, rises up through the colder air above, freezes and is blown in the wind. Weather.com said there will be a clipper on Monday on Tuesday. It also forecast that on Monday evening, snow would possibly fall in a number of cities, including Omaha, Minneapolis, Marquette, Green Bay, Chicago, Springfield, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo. In that report, temperatures were expected to hit negative six degrees in Minneapolis, and 21 degrees in both Indianapolis and Cincinnati. Weather.com predicted some snow is going to hit a number of states and cities Tuesday, including Chicago and Boston. A mix was predicted to hit New York City and other areas that same day. The website forecast the Tuesday temperature in Marquette, Michigan, to be 10 degrees, with New York hitting 44 degrees and Boston hitting 39 degrees. Lake-effect snow was predicted to hit Tuesday - Thursday, with some areas alongside the Great Lakes expecting two feet of snow through Thursday, according to a map from Weather.com. Icy danger: Josh Edwards, a driver for Thompson Towing, prepares to use cables to right an SUV after a rollover accident on Grant County, west of Marion, on Monday Authorities: A Grant County Sheriff's Deputy checks the scene of a non-injury rollover accident just north of Sims, Indiana, on Monday Being cautious: A truck lays down abrasives on a street in Marion on Monday Accuweather warned of the potential danger for drivers due to road conditions caused by the clipper system. Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski told the website: 'Most areas from New York City to Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., are unlikely to receive more than a light coating of snow and may only have non-accumulating flurries. 'However, as with any snow shower, there is the risk that some roads could turn slippery in a hurry and catch motorists off guard from late Tuesday afternoon into Tuesday evening.' Sosnowski also said that 'In portions of southern New England, such as Boston, the snow could last long enough to bring an inch or two accumulation.' On Monday, photos emerged showing rollover accidents in Indiana, where there had been dangerous driving conditions. Accuweather predicted there will dangerous road conditions through Tuesday night Ashley Olsen, the 35-year-old American woman found strangled to death in Florence, Italy, was last seen alive inside a seedy club known for drugs, sex and violence, Daily Mail Online can reveal. On Thursday night, after an evening of hard drinking in various bars in Oltre Arno one of Florence's trendiest districts Olsen headed to the Montecarla club, an insalubrious members-only establishment owned by Jovo Vukelic, a Serbian known for his long, dark hair and white jackets. The dimly-lit club, which spans two floors and is open only to members and those known to the proprietor, has reclining areas that are almost like beds, strewn with leopard-print cushions and velour drapes. Waitresses dress in provocative, leather costumes. Scroll down for video Ashley Olsen, 35, was found dead in her flat in Florence, Italy on Saturday by her boyfriend, an Italian artist The 35-year-old was last seen alive at the Montecarla club, an insalubrious members-only establishment On Thursday night, Olsen headed there after an evening of hard drinking in various bars in Oltre Arno The club has reclining areas that are almost like beds, strewn with leopard-print cushions and velour drapes Local people view the establishment which is open until seven in the morning warily. 'It's a place where you can find anything you are looking for, sex, drugs, transexuals,' said a woman in a nearby bar, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'It's known as a druggy place. When you're completely wasted, you end up there.' Vukelic, the proprietor, told Daily Mail Online that he had no idea who had killed Olsen. 'I was not here on the night she disappeared,' he said, 'and the CCTV camera at the entrance is not working.' One of his members of staff, a leather-clad barmaid, confirmed that she had given evidence to the police but said that she had been told by officers not to speak to journalists. The Monte Carla club has a long history of trouble with the law and has been investigated repeatedly by police, Daily Mail Online has learned. According to law enforcement officials, its regular clientele includes American students and Eastern European immigrants, particularly Albanians, as well as those looking to buy drugs. In January last year, the club was closed on the orders of Florence's chief of police for 15 days, following allegations that an Albanian drug gang was selling cocaine to clients on the premises. Traces of cocaine were detected on the sofas and plastic bags containing the drug were reportedly found in the floor, together with rolled-up bank notes. In November 2013, the club was closed for breaching health and safety regulations. Earlier that year, its licence was temporarily revoked after a mass brawl broke out and a girl reported being molested in the bathroom. The dimly-lit club, which spans two floors and is open only to members and those known to the proprietor The Montecarla club 'is a place where you can find anything you are looking for, sex, drugs, transexuals,' said a woman in a nearby bar In 2009, the owner's licence was again seized as part of a drugs investigation, when an Albanian national was apprehended on the premises in possession of a gram of cocaine. And in 2008, two people were arrested for dealing drugs inside the club, which was again closed for 15 days by the police. The head of police has said that he considers the establishment 'dangerous' due to its association with drug dealing, 'socially dangerous people' and those with criminal records. Police suspect that Olsen might have been killed by someone she met inside the club in the early hours of Friday morning and invited home for sex. There was no sign of forced entry at her apartment, and an autopsy confirmed that her naked body showed no indication that she had put up a fight. Bruises around her neck suggested that her murderer strangled her. Today at a press conference at the court in Florence, the prosecutor in charge of the case, Giuseppe Creazzo, revised information released by investigators to journalists yesterday stating that no weapon or implement was used. He confirmed, however, that there was nothing to suggest that she had put up a struggle with her killer before she was murdered. At this stage, he said, it was impossible to say what sort of object was used in the strangulation. Forensic scientists are awaiting chemical results from the autopsy to establish whether Olsen had sexual intercourse before she died, the prosecutor said. They are also awaiting results to determine whether there were drugs or alcohol in her system when she was killed. The victim's mobile telephone, which is thought to have been taken from the scene by the killer, has still not been found, he said. Police will return to the scene of the crime today to conduct further investigations while they await the full results of the autopsy. Jovo Vukelic, the proprietor of the club, told Daily Mail Online that he had no idea who had killed Olsen. Investigators said the woman's friends told them they were together with Olsen at the Florence nightspot Police suspect that Olsen might have been killed by someone she met inside the club in the early hours of Friday morning and invited home for sex There were no signs of forced entry to Olsen's apartment, he confirmed, and boyfriend, Federico Fiorentini, 42, did not have copies of the keys to the flat. The theory that Olsen met her killer at the Monte Carla club and invited him home for sex is still being considered, the prosecutor said, as it was the last place she was seen alive. One witness has reported seeing Olsen leaving the club alone, however. Police are also investigating he possibility that she met with a drug dealer on the night she disappeared. Olsen's naked body was found on Saturday, two days after she disappeared from the Monte Carlo club, in her bed, which is on a raised mezzanine inside her chic Florence apartment. Forensic teams have been searching for clues left by the killer in the club, along the streets that lead to her apartment, inside her home and on her body. Her boyfriend has told police that he had a recent argument with Olsen, but became alarmed when he didn't hear from her in several days. He and her landlady entered her apartment, where they found her dead with her beloved beagle, Scout, in 'a state of panic', surrounded by his own faeces and urine. Fiorentini lifted her body down from the bed, which was located on a mezzanine level, and attempted to revive her by applying CPR. 'I thought I might be able to save her,' he told friends. In the process, he sustained scratches to his hands, he told police. He was interrogated for 10 hours but has been ruled out as a suspect for the moment, the prosecutor said. La Stampa reported that Fiorentini told close friends: I loved Ashley and I will absolutely find who killed her. They will pay for what they did.' Among Olsen's close-knit group of friends, there is surprise that she could have left a club with a man who was not boyfriend, Federico Fiorentini, 42, an Italian-American artist. 'She would never have cheated on her boyfriend. I had a New Year's Eve party for 300 people and he came along,' said one, who did not want to be named.' He was known as being unemotional. 'The expression on his face was completely blank. I have never seen him smile, and I have known him for several years.' Forensic teams have been searching for clues left by the killer in the club, along the streets that lead to her apartment, inside her home and on her body A leather-clad barmaid confirmed that she had given evidence to the police but said that she had been told by officers not to speak to journalists An autopsy is being carried out, but medics have already established that Olsen was strangled Olsen's body showed no sign that she had engaged in a struggle before being killed, a source said Lorenzo Grassi, 28, the bartender at the Cafe Notte, one of Olsen's haunts, said that Fiorentini could appear strange. 'We all know that the boyfriend was weird and strange and a bit of a snob,' he told Daily Mail Online, but added that he drew no adverse conclusion from it. Everyone agrees, however, that Olsen was a party animal. She had a reputation for downing vodka shots, and it was 'no secret' that she was a regular drug user, with a particular fondness for cocaine. 'She was not a nun,' one of her friends told Daily Mail Online. 'She was getting wasted every day on alcohol, cocaine, mushrooms, and other stuff. She was part of this group of arty people who liked to experiment. 'But overall, she was just a really sweet girl.' An autopsy is being carried out, but medics have already established that Olsen was strangled, and that no implement was used in her death, a source told Daily Mail Online. The source also confirmed that Olsen's body showed no sign that she had engaged in a struggle before being killed. Olsen's body was discovered by her boyfriend, who asked her landlord to open her apartment door after he hadn't heard from his girlfriend in three days. Police have confirmed that he had scratches across both knuckles, but he said that these were sustained as he battled to save his girlfriend's life. Fiorentini was interrogated overnight by police and released without charge in the morning. Couple: Federico Fiorentini (left) and Ashley Olsen (right) were together for seven years but the exact status of their relationship in the days before her death is unclear Italian-American artist Federico Fiorentini, 42, was held overnight by police after the body of his girlfriend was found. He was freed to go after being questioned by officers The victim's beloved dog, Scout, was present when she was murdered and was found in great distress, surrounded by his own urine and feces, when the body was discovered Forensic officers were outside the scene of the murder today and found a black bra close to the apartment where Ashley Ann Olsen was found dead. It was placed in an evidence bag The office of the prosecutor in charge of the investigation, Giuseppe Creazzo, said that Olsen had apparently opened the door to her killer, as police did not find any sign of forced entry. The police also confirmed that the killer took Olsen's mobile phone, making the subsequent investigation more difficult. A black bra was found in the street outside the scene of the crime, and was removed by police. Italian prosecutors have opened a murder investigation. The detective in charge of the murder inquiry, Giancinto Profazio, is the same officer who led the investigation into the death of British exchange student Meredith Kercher. That has stoked fears among locals in Italy that the case could end up like a drawn-out legal saga like that of the high-profile murder case of Kercher. It resulted in the conviction, then ultimately acquittal of her housemate Amanda Knox, a student from Seattle, in a saga which divided opinion in Italy, the US, and the UK. Amanda Knox, left, and Knox's then-boyfriend were at first convicted of the Meredith Kercher's murder, acquitted, convicted again on appeal and finally acquitted. Kercher is pictured right The father who drove his car off a wharf after 'shooting himself and his two young sons' in a horrific murder-suicide had stopped at a McDonald's drive-thru earlier that morning. Damien Little and his sons, Koda, four, and nine-month-old Hunter, were found dead inside a submerged car at Brennan's Wharf in Port Lincoln, west of Adelaide, on January 4. But before the crime, the 34-year-old labourer and truck driver casually purchased a coffee at a nearby McDonald's,The Australian reported. Damien Little, who 'deliberately' drove his car off a wharf after shooting himself and his two young sons had stopped at a McDonald's drive thru earlier that morning (pictured together with the boys' mother Melissa) South Australia Police revealed on Friday that Mr Little, 34, and his two sons suffered gunshot wounds before they plunged off the end of the wharf. Family and friends earlier told Daily Mail Australia that Mr Little had become depressed over the past two years, but he did not seek treatment as he did not want to appear 'weak'. 'We're still in shock. People aren't really wanting to come to terms with it and with the fact that there are children involved,' Port Lincoln Mayor Bruce Green said. 'These are very private times for the family.' He had been living in a shed with his wife Melissa and their two sons as he struggled to build the house of his dreams on 2.5 acres of land overlooking Boston Bay. Mrs Little has released an emotional statement saying she hopes her husband, who murdered their two children, will be remembered as a well-respected and valued member of the family. 'My two precious boys have left this world too soon and my heart is broken,' she said. 'Damien was my childhood sweetheart who became my loving husband. He was also a father who loved his two children very much. 'Damian, I loved you so much you have left a huge hole in my heart, our memories I will cherish forever.' Four-year-old Koda (left) and nine-month-old Hunter are pictured together in this family photograph South Australia Police revealed on Friday that Mr Little, 34, and his two sons suffered gunshot wounds before they plunged off the end of Brennan's Wharf in Port Lincoln on Monday On Saturday, a mother whose four-year-old son was stabbed to death by his mentally ill father urged people to show 'compassion' rather than judgement over the Port Lincoln tragedy. Julia Trinne's young son, Luca, was killed by his father David Janzow in July 2014 - and Janzow was given a lifetime supervision order after a judge ruled he was 'mentally incompetent'. In a Facebook post, Ms Trinne said: 'My heart goes out to the recent family whose two little boys lives were taken only days ago by their father. I will keep sending love and prayers to these beautiful little boys and I will continue to be bewildered, without judgement, as to what on earth could make a previously acknowledged decent and loving person to carry out such a horrific act. 'Sometimes we will never know the answers to such questions.' The family were living in a small shed as they tried to build their 'dream home' on 2.5 acres of land overlooking Boston Bay A little girl is pictured leaving a floral tribute for the dead little brothers at Brennan's Wharf Family members were seen on Wednesday raising glasses of Jonnie Walker red label in tribute for Damien Little and his sons Koda and Hunter - but domestic violence campaigner Phil Cleary says it's 'unthinkable' Ms Trinne, from Adelaide, also spoke about how her world fell apart when her young son was killed by her husband 18 months ago. She claimed there was 'no warning' and said his mental illness spiralled out of control in a very short period. 'My little boys and I lived with a man who had always been kind, gentle and loving. Always. You won't find a person who says otherwise. 'A man who also suffered from a mental illness, who sought treatment and did all the things we thought were needed to keep him in the best space possible. 'For us, there was no warning. Some tiny little hints that only now could be looked back on as slight indicators, but besides that - absolutely no warning.' She argued that her husband should not just be remembered for the horrific act he committed in a 'moment of uncharacteristic madness' but fir the many 'wonderful things' he did prior to that. 'He shouldn't be known solely as this man who committed the most horrific act imaginable. He was many wonderful things to many people for all 36 years of his life prior to that morning,' she said. 'Dave became acutely unwell in a short period of time with absolutely tragic consequences. Next month, further information will be released with the findings of what contributed to this. Things that need to be said & which will be said.' Julia Trinne's young son, Luca, was killed by his father David Janzow in July 2014 (pictured together) and she has urged the public to 'show compassion' in the wake of the Port Lincoln tragedy Janzow (left) was given a lifetime supervision order after a judge ruled he was 'mentally incompetent', pictured (right) is Mr Little Former sportsman Phil Cleary (left) lost a loved one to violence on August 26, 1987, when his sister Vicki was stabbed to death outside her work Her post came after domestic violence campaigner and former MP Phil Cleary condemned a family tribute to the Port Lincoln father as simply 'unthinkable' 'Why are we expressing sympathy for a man who drove a car into the sea, deliberately killing his two children? 'In time, those people, I hope, will understand the absurdity of what they are doing,' said Mr Cleary, who lost his sister Vicki to domestic violence on August 26, 1987. In an interview with Daily Mail Australia, Mr Cleary expressed outrage over the fact people were treating Little like a 'victim', when it was Damien's wife Melissa dealing with the devastating aftermath. However Mr Cleary said he understands why Ms Little has made the 222-word statement: 'I understand why Melissa would make those comments, because it's nearly impossible for her to condemn the father of her children. 'To condemn the father of her children and to acknowledge what he's done is so soul-destroying that it is almost impossible to say faithfully and honestly what he's done. 'I understand why she has said that. I don't criticise her for it.' Point of view: Domestic violence campaigner Phil Cleary said: 'It's turning a killer into a victim.' Vice President Joe Biden said President Barack Obama offered to give him money to help with expenses while his son Beau was battling cancer and praised Bernie Sanders during a wide-ranging interview. On Monday, Biden told CNN that Obama had made the offer to help him financially during lunch after Biden told him he was considering selling his house to raise funds to help his son Beau. Biden said at the time of the lunch it appeared Beau, who was losing his ability to speak, might have to resign his position as Delaware's attorney general because of the illness. Scroll down for video Vice President Joe Biden said President Barack Obama offered to give him money to help with expenses while his son Beau was battling cancer and praises Bernie Sanders during wide-ranging interview with CNN During the interview on Monday, Biden disclosed that Obama made the offer to help him financially during lunch after Biden told him he was considering selling his house to raise funds to help his son Beau Biden said that Obama told him, 'I'll give you the money. Whatever you need, I'll give you the money' and asked Biden to promise that he would not sell his house Beau Biden died of brain cancer in May 2015 at age 46. 'My concern is if Beau resigns there is nothing to fall back on, his salary. But I said I worked it out, Jill and I will sell the house and we'll be in good shape,' Biden said. 'He [Obama] got up and said: "Don't sell that house. Promise me you won't sell the house,"' Biden said. 'He [Obama] said, "I'll give you the money. Whatever you need, I'll give you the money. Don't Joe, Promise me. Promise me."' 'His love of family and my family, and my love of his family... it's personal. It's family,' Biden said. Biden, 73, announced in October he would not run for president after wrestling with doubts about whether he and his family were ready for a grueling campaign while still mourning Beau's death. During the interview, Biden also spoke about Bernie Sanders who he described as more authentic on economic inequality than Hillary Clinton and defended Sanders' record on gun control. Biden said Sanders (pictured on Sunday during a rally in Iowa) speaks to 'a yearning that is deep and real' on issues of wealth disparity and people left out of the econom During the interview, Biden also spoke about Bernie Sanders who he described as more authentic on economic inequality than Hillary Clinton and defended Sanders' record on gun control. Weighing in on the Democratic race he almost joined, Biden said he never felt Clinton was the prohibitive favorite to win. Biden said Sanders speaks to 'a yearning that is deep and real' on issues of wealth disparity and people left out of the economy. He said Sanders had credibility on the issue, but that for Clinton, the issue was relatively new. 'Hillary's focus has been other things up to now, and that's been Bernie's no one questions Bernie's authenticity on those issues,' Biden said. He went on to say people question anybody who hasn't been talking about the issue that long. The vice president also said Clinton, who has coalesced much of the Democratic establishment's support, had a high bar to meet as the perceived favorite to win her party's nomination. Biden (pictured with Beau in 2008), 73, announced in October he would not run for president after wrestling with doubts about whether he and his family were ready for a grueling campaign while still mourning Beau's death 'His love of family and my family, and my love of his family... it's personal. It's family,' Biden said of Obama as the pair are picture hugging above during Beau's funeral in June 'I never thought she was a prohibitive favorite. I don't think she ever thought she was a prohibitive favorite,' said Biden, who praised Clinton at other points in the interview. Biden's remarks offered some of the first public insight into his machinations about the 2016 race and particularly the Democratic field. Biden and Obama have not endorsed, and Obama's chief of staff has said the president won't take sides in the primary. Biden's endorsement would be highly coveted by any of the Democratic candidates. But a campaign dispute erupted last week between Sanders and Clinton after Obama, aiming to ramp up political pressure on gun control, said he wouldn't endorse or campaign for any candidate who opposes what he described as common sense gun control, and he mentioned liability for gun-makers as a key issue. White House officials later noted that Sanders has said he's open to revisiting the liability issue. 'Bernie Sanders has said that he thought the president's approach is the correct approach. Bernie Sanders said that he thinks there should be liability now,' Biden said. A Maryland man has been charged with providing material support to al-Qaeda-linked terror group al-Shabaab that has claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks in East Africa. Maalik Alim Jones, 31, traveled to Somalia in 2011 to fight on behalf of the al-Shabaab militant group, the Department of Justice said in a statement on Monday. Jones, according to the DoJ, learned how to fire an AK-47 and rocket-propelled grenade launcher, then joined the group's specialized fighting unit Jaysh Ayman. It was with this specialized force that Jones helped al-Shabaab to attack the Kenyan government, the DoJ believes. Maalik Alim Jones, 31, allegedly traveled to Somalia in 2011 to fight on behalf of al-Shabaab (stock image) He appeared in federal court in Manhattan on December 19 to face charges that include conspiracy to provide material support to al-Shabaab and possessing, carrying, and using firearms during and in relation to a crime of violence. Information on his lawyer wasn't immediately available. If convicted, Jones faces up to life in prison. 'This case highlights the international nature of terrorism and the criminal actions taken in pursuit of attacks against others,' said the FBI's assistant director in charge for New York, Diego Rodriguez. 'As alleged herein, Maalik Alim Jones, from Maryland, joined a terrorist organization in Somalia, traveled from New York to Kenya, through Morocco and the UAE, where he was trained to kill and destroy communities. Recently he was caught trying to get to Yemen. 'We applaud the thorough investigation by the agents and task force officers on FBIs JTTF, who were able to identify his activities, stop his plans, and bring him here to face the U.S. justice system.' According to the charges, Jones traveled from New York to Kenya by plane via Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. Concerned churchgoers who reported a kitten caught in a drain were horrified when they discovered it was a new-born baby that had been dumped there in a plastic bag. The passers-by had returned from a local church service in the township of Bandar Baru Bangi, in the state of Selangor in Malaysia's West Coast peninsular when they heard the noise. Fearing that a kitten had got stuck in the drain, they tried to open it and were shocked to discover the crying noise was coming from a plastic bag nearby, containing a baby boy. People from a local church service in Bandar Baru Bangi, in the state of Selangor in Malaysia, heard a noise which they thought was a kitten, but it turned out to be a new-born baby The newborn was covered in his own faeces and wrapped in a grey shirt inside the bag. Local police spokesman, Willey Richard, said the man who had found the baby had initially thought the cries were coming from inside the drain. According to the spokesman, he had then seen something moving in a bag next to it and decided to opened the plastic bag and saw a baby inside. The baby still had its umbilical cord attached and a police patrol team arrived shortly after to take the baby to the Kajang Hospital. The Queensland Premier will earn a higher annual salary than notable leaders around the world, after she was given a $6445 (3,090) pay rise. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will now earn $385,605 (184,720), which is $78,232 (37,500) more than UK Prime Minister David Cameron $307,373 (147,320) and $191,125 (91,600) more than Russian President Vladimir Putin $194,480 (93,220). The pay rise was recommended by The Queensland Independent Remuneration Tribunal to keep MP salaries in line with other states. Queensland's premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, will earn a higher annual salary than notable leaders around the world, after she was given a $6445 pay rise taking her to $385,605 a year Premiere Palaszczuk will also earn a combined $310,869 (149,000) more than Chinese President Xi Jingping $31,391 (15,000) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi $43,345 (20,770) this year. Ms Palaszczuk salary remains lower than Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull $507,338 (243,160) and US President Barack Obama $571,955 (274,200) who remain in the top percentile. Other notable leaders such as Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong will earn a whopping $1.7 million (815,100) this year, while Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying will earn $823,902 (395,000). Ms Palaszczuk will earn $78, 232 more than UK Prime Minister David Cameron who has an annual salary of $307, 373 Russian President Vladimir Putin will earn $191,125 less than the Queensland Premier. His annual salary is $194,480 The tribunal is also set to raise the salaries of all Queensland MPs by $2,530 (1,200) taking their salaries to $151,425 (72,600). Taking into account a range of factors, the tribunal concludes that an increase in base salary is warranted, the Tribunal's written determination said. Pay rises have reportedly been backdated to September 2014. Ms Palaszczuk salary remains lower than Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (left) who earns $507,338 and US President Barack Obama (right) who earns $571,955 and remain in the top percentile The pay rise to Ms Palaszczuk was recommended by The Queensland Independent Remuneration Tribunal to keep MP salaries in line with other states Queensland politician pay came under fire in 2013 when the tribunal were seen to award generous pay rises to MPs in 2013. Protests in 2014 came after massive pay rises including $67,000 (32,100) was given to former Queensland premier Campbell Newman. Ms Palaszczuk has made a commitment that these salary increases stay proportionate to public sector workers with the new law passed May 2015. Premiere Palaszczuk will also earn a combined $310,869 more than Chinese President Xi Jingping ($31,391) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ($43,345) this year Islamic State fighters who lost a town to Iraqi forces were burned alive after they fled to the group's stronghold of Mosul, it has been reported. Residents claim the jihadists were set alight in the town's main square in a terrifying message to other militants who may be forced to defend Mosul from an attack. The fighters had been driven out of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, two weeks ago in a major setback for their aims of creating a caliphate across Iraq and Syria. ISIS supporters parade through the Iraqi city of Mosul after it was captured from government forces in 2014. Jihadis who fled to Mosul after losing Ramadi are reportedly being burned alive for not fighting to the death 'They were grouped together and made to stand in a circle. And set on fire to die,' a former Iraqi resident now living in the U.S. but remains in contact with family in the town told Fox News. Other Iraqis with relatives in Mosul said defeated ISIS militants were being punished for not martyring themselves in battle. Michael Pregent, a terrorism expert and former intelligence adviser to General David Petraeus in Iraq, said: 'There is no surprise on executing ISIS fighters from Ramadi.' He said the terror group exacted the same punishments to fighters who lost Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit last year. The jihadists were also murdering women and children accused of being spies as the terror group's grip on the town becomes increasingly fragile. Mr Pregent said: 'ISIS is fracturing, paranoid from within. They are using women and children executions to intimidate the harsher the tactic the more desperate the leadership is.' Iraqi forces secure an area in Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's Anbar province after retaking the city from ISIS It came as the U.S. military said its aircraft bombed an ISIS cash distribution site in the town as parts of coalition efforts to disrupt the group's financial activities. CNN, citing unnamed U.S. defense officials, said the building in Mosul was destroyed by two 2,000lb bombs The officials could not say exactly how much money was there or in what currency, but one described it as 'millions'. As many as 3,200 ISIS fighters are based in the town, more than three times the number that held Ramadi, according to the coalition. Officials said efforts to rebuild Ramadi were being hampered by boobytraps in streets and buildings. Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, was touted as the first major success for Iraq's army since it collapsed in the face of ISIS's lightning advance across the country's north and west 18 months ago. ISIS were driven out of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, two weeks ago by Iraqi troops (above) in a major setback for their aims of creating a caliphate across Iraq and Syria The militants have been pushed to Ramadi's eastern suburbs, but almost all of the city, which was battered by U.S.-led air strikes against ISIS, remains off-limits to its nearly half a million displaced residents, most of whom fled before the army advance. 'Most areas are now under the security forces' control,' Anbar governor Sohaib al-Rawi said on Saturday at a temporary government complex southeast of the city. 'Most of the streets in Ramadi are mined with explosives so it requires large efforts and expertise,' he said. Specialised bomb disposal teams from the police and civil defence force would begin work 'soon', he said. The counter-terrorism forces which spearheaded the city's recapture are securing only main streets and tactically important buildings, security sources said. Sgt Bowe Bergdahl has appeared in court for his pre-trial hearing. An Army judge is considering how to handle more than 300,000 pages of documents many of them classified that will be part of the case against the soldier who walked off an outpost in Afghanistan. Dressed in military attire, Bergdahl arrived at the courthouse in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on Tuesday morning. He faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy in the trial that is expected to start this summer. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Second pre-trial hearing: Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, right, arrives for a pretrial hearing at Fort Bragg, N.C., with his defense counsel Lt. Col. Franklin D. Rosenblatt, left, on Tuesday morning The 29-year-old has yet to enter a plea as he faces 25 years for desertion and misbehavior before the enemy He appeared stoic as he walked in to the courthouse as the judge considers 300,000 pages of evidence Bergdahl first appeared in court in late December after it was ruled that he would face a general court-martial Meanwhile, his own account of what happened continues to play out weekly on the podcast Serial Col. Jeffery Nance, an Army judge, is preparing an order that will shape how the defense can use classified information to prepare its case. Defense attorney Lt. Col. Frank Rosenblatt argued the prosecution's desired approach would place obstacles in front of Bergdahl's lawyers. Bergdahl first appeared in court on December 22, when he declined to enter a plea. It is not clear whether he plans to enter a plea today. Meanwhile, his own account of what happened continues to play out weekly on the podcast Serial. Through taped phone calls with a scriptwriter, Bergdahl described leaving his outpost and getting captured by the Taliban. The podcast has also heard from members of his squadron and members of the Taliban. His first attempt to escape the Taliban, he explained in an episode on Christmas Eve, came days after his abduction when during a water delivery he was able to free himself of his chains and open the door to his cell, managing to elude his captors for almost 15 minutes - running barefoot and using mud to try to disguise himself while he hid on a roof. He was beaten after the offense, blindfolded and taken to Pakistan - where United States forces could not search for the solider as the two countries were not at war with one another. His next attempt came at the end of his first year of captivity and after months of preparation when he used a rope he had constructed out of bits of cloth and chains to climb out the window of his cell while the guards were sleeping, planning to then flee to Afghanistan in what he himself described as a 'suicide mission'. This time he managed to hide for eight days before he was captured by the Taliban after an injury suffered just hours into his escape left him unable to walk. Serial host Sarah Koening described Bergdahl's two failed escape attempts as 's***ty bookends to a terrible year'. Plan: Bergdahl's (above in a Taliban video) second escape came a year into his captivity with the solider using a rope he had built from bits of cloth and chain to get out his cell window Firsthand account: Bowe Bergdahl (above) detailed his two attempts to escape the Taliban in Serial There is not much for Bergdahl to say about his first escape because it was so brief, but he goes into great detail about the second escape while speaking with Mark Boal, the Oscar-winning producer and writer of The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty. Bergdahl said he felt an instant sense of relief after his feet touched the ground following his descent down his makeshift rope, but that he soon ran into a major problem that ultimately led to his capture. The Taliban had been keeping Bergdahl in North Waziristan the solider came to believe after seeing the name of that mountainous region on a school blazer inside the fortress he was being held. The most western part of North Waziristan is where the border lies between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The proximity to Afghanistan meant that Bergdahl could very well get himself out of Pakistan, but to get himself out he was facing a walk over such extreme terrain that it would have been difficult for someone with even his training to navigate in the middle of the day, let alone under the cover of darkness while on the run. He fell off a cliff a few hours after he got out his cell window, severely injuring his left side and leaving him unable to walk or stand. Bergdahl did not give up however, dragging himself to a hillside where he spent the next eight days hiding under sticks and subsiding on grass and tainted water. After the first few days in hiding his injury had not improved, leaving him close to immobile, a cruel fate as most nights he could look in the sky and see American drones searching the area for any sign of where the Taliban might be keeping him. Running free: Bergdahl's (seen above before his capture) first escape came days after his capture when he got out of his chains and fled from his cell while his captors were distracted 'Id seen like six drones moving across the sky,' Bergdahl told Boal. 'Its not a nice feeling youre so close but things are so stacked against you, you cant do anything but keep going.' Bergdahl said he began to think at one point; 'It was like OK if Im going to die, either from exposure out there or being shot while I escape. 'Its better than having my head cut off because I saw enough of those movies or videos to know what that would be like.' He was not beaten by the Taliban when they finally located him, something he believes was a result of his captors being concerned that he had become so frail over the course of that week and looked close to death. Had they inflicted major harm on their 'golden ticket' and killed him in the process, the Taliban would lose their power over the United States while they decided on what they wanted in return for the solider. So as punishment, Bergdahl said they plucked out pieces of his beard and hair. This was far different from his first escape, where Bergdahl said he was punished for months even after the initial beating by being forced to spend almost all of his day chained to a bed spreadeagled while being struck with copper cables by his captors. Bergdahl noted that the final night of his second escape was the last time he saw the stars until he was rescued by Special Forces four years later. Vladimir Putin claims it is premature to discuss granting asylum to embattled Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad amid growing calls from global powers to broker an end to the conflict. The Russian president, who has been bolstering the regime with airstrikes since September, said there first needed to be an option for the Syrian people to democratically decide their government. But he also blamed the West for an escalation in the conflict - which he said was fueled from the beginning with 'a huge amount of money, weapons and fighters' from abroad. Russian President Vladimir Putin (pictured right with Bashar al-Assad in October last year) has said it is 'premature' to discuss if he is willing to grant the embattled Syrian leader asylum in Moscow Global powers are seeking to push the Syrian regime and opposition to the negotiating table in a bid to end the nearly five-year war that has killed 260,000 people. A UN-backed plan foresees talks between the different sides starting on January 25, the establishment of a transitional government within six months and elections within 18 months. In an interview with German daily Bild, he said it was 'premature' to discuss offering Assad asylum in Moscow. 'You know I believe that it is premature to discuss this,' he said. 'We gave asylum to Mr Snowden, it was more difficult than giving it to Assad. 'First one needs to give the Syrian people an opportunity to have their say. 'And I assure you that if this is done in a democratic way, then maybe he won't have to go anywhere. And it does not matter whether he is president or not.' Putin - who launched a bombing campaign in the war-torn country on September 30 - appeared to defend Assad, although he acknowledged the Syrian president had made 'many mistakes' since the conflict broke out in 2011. He added the unrest would not have escalated so quickly 'if from the very beginning it had not been fueled from abroad - with a huge amount of money, weapons and fighters'. Putin also blamed the West for the conflict, saying it was fueled from its outset by money, weapons and fighters from abroad 'Assad is not seeking to annihilate his own population. He's fighting those who have come to him with arms. 'And if the peaceful population suffers because of that then I think that it is primarily those who are fighting him with arms in their hands and who are helping the armed groups that are responsible for this.' The Kremlin strongman reiterated that the Russian military has also been helping the armed anti-Assad opposition. 'We are talking about hundreds, thousands of armed people who are fighting ISIL,' he said, using an alternative name for ISIS. Scenes of smashed windows in the city are reminiscent of the anti-Semitic Kristallnacht attacks in 1938 Advertisement The mayor of a German city has spoken of 'terror on the streets' of his city after far-right thugs ran riot in scenes reminiscent of the anti-Semitic Kristallnacht attacks in 1938. Burkhard Jung, mayor of Leipzig, has condemned the 'naked violence that took place' after doner kebab fast food restaurants were destroyed, cars were set ablaze and shop windows were smashed by around 250 hooligans of LEGIDA - the local branch of PEGIDA, an anti-migrant, anti-EU organization - on Monday night. The rampage in Leipzig evoked memories of the wave of violence against Jews that erupted across Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on November 9, 1938. Scroll down for video Riots: Fast food restaurants were destroyed, cars were set ablaze and shop windows were smashed in the German town of Leipzig Scenes of smashed windows are reminiscent of the anti-Semitic Kristallnacht attacks in Nazi Germany and parts of Austria in 1938 Hundreds of anti-refugee rioters went on the rampage in Leipzig after a demonstration where they called for asylum seekers to be deported Inside one of the doner kebab grills after some 250 masked hooligans attacked takeaway restaurants in Leipzig on Monday evening On Monday, hundreds of anti-refugee rioters caused chaos in Leipzig after a demonstration where they called for asylum seekers to be deported and their nation's borders closed. The right-wingers broke away from a largely peaceful march in the eastern city to trash the suburb of Connewitz. At one point the demonstrators, who threw fireworks at police, attempted to build a barricade in a main street with signs and torn up paving stones before they were dispersed. Firemen had to tackle a blaze in the attic of one building set alight by a wayward rocket fired by the rioters. A bus carrying leftist pro-asylum demonstrators was also attacked and seriously damaged. 'It was naked violence that took place here, nothing more,' Jung said. 'That has been established and there must be consequences.' Police said they have identified and arrested 211 of the crowd of right-wing hooligans, many of them with criminal records for violence. 'This was a serious breach of the peace,' said a police spokesman, confirming that several police officers were injured in the clashes triggered by simmering anger over the New Year's Eve mass sex attacks against women in Cologne and several other German cities. A man walks past the shattered windows of a launderette the day after anti-migrant rioters rocked the Germany town of Leipzig Windows at this bar were shattered when hundreds of anti-refugee rioters went on the rampage in Leipzig on Monday night Doner kebab fast food stalls were destroyed, cars set ablaze and shop windows smashed by around 250 hooligans of LEGIDA KRISTALLNACHT: THE NIGHT OF BROKEN GLASS On November 9. 1938, the Nazis began their campaign to destroy the Jewish race. The authorities watched on as Hitler's SA paramilitary force and non-Jewish civilians targeted Jewish businesses and homes. 91 Jews were killed in the attacks in Germany and Austria and more than 30,000 were arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps. A pedestrian looks at the wreckage of a Jewish shop in Berlin Jewish homes, hospitals and schools were ransacked and more than 1,000 synagogues were burned down, while thousands of Jewish businesses were destroyed. Historians have long pointed to the two-day campaign of terror as the start of Hitler's Final Solution - the dictator's comprehensive plan to exterminate the entire Jewish population in Nazi occupied Europe. The name of the wave of violence refers to the shards of glass left strewn across cities in the aftermath of the bloody pogroms. Advertisement 'Rape Refugees stay away' was one of the banners carried during the march, the wording above a silhouette of women running from knife-wielding attackers, one of whom resembled a caricature from Aladdin. When daylight broke in Leipzig, scenes were similar to those that followed Kristallnacht - the name referring to the shards of glass left strewn across cities in the aftermath of the bloody pogroms. In Leipzig, hundreds of families were persecuted and more than 500 men were taken to Buchenwald concentration camp. A Kristallnacht memorial in the city is now cleaned each year to make the Nazi crimes visible across Europe. The anniversary of the night in November was due to coincide with a weekly demonstration by LEGIDA and the right-wing movement had planned to walk past the site of a synagogue that was burned to the ground during Kristallnacht. However, the city ruled that until the end of the year, the LEGIDA could not march through the city, only rally. Yesterday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said; 'Now all of a sudden we are facing the challenge that refugees are coming to Europe and we are vulnerable, as we see, because we do not yet have the order, the control, that we would like to have.' She also said the euro was 'directly linked' to freedom of movement in Europe, adding: 'Nobody should act as though you can have a common currency without being able to cross borders reasonably easily.' Merkel said that if countries did not allow their borders to be crossed without much difficulty, the European single market would 'suffer acutely' - meaning that Germany, at the centre of the European Union and its largest economy, should fight to defend freedom of movement. And tonight, Germany feared a new march of the far right following the riots in Leipzig, which added to long-held concerns from German intelligence services that the far right groups are organising into terrorist cell structures. The EU has struggled to cope with a tide of refugees from war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa, most of whom have landed in Greece or Italy before heading for wealthier northern EU states. Germany has taken in the bulk of them, more than a million last year alone. Some EU countries have re-established border controls within the passport-free Schengen zone, where they had been abolished, while efforts to share out the asylum-seekers across EU member states have floundered. Merkel said that, to preserve the Schengen zone within the EU, it was necessary to make the bloc's external borders more secure. Police forces patrol a street in Leipzig after the peaceful protest turned nasty in Leipzig A poster of German Chancellor Angela Merkel (right) and one of the Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban (left), which reads 'Thank you', is held aloft by protestors from the PEGIDA movement in Leipzig At one point the demonstrators, who threw fireworks at police, attempted to build a barricade in a main street with signs and torn up paving stones before they were dispersed Around 250 hooligans from LEGIDA - the local branch of PEGIDA, the anti-migrant, anti-EU organization, targeted restaurants and takeaways last night after a peaceful demonstration turned nasty Hundreds of members of LEGIDA carried placards calling for the closure of Germany's borders and the deportation of migrants Members of LEGIDA hold a sit-in after being penned in by German police in the city of Leipzig Many of the placard criticised Chancellor Angela Merkel and blamed migrants for the New Year's Eve attacks The violence in Leipzig followed on from weekend attacks in Cologne by a vigiliante mob which used the social networking site Facebook to marshall young men - rockers, bodybuilders and club bouncers - to go on a 'manhunt' for immigrants. Two Pakistani men were hospitalized and a third Syrian man was lightly injured before a stiff police presence on the streets thwarted further attacks. It is unclear what their condition is although the police are looking to press charges of 'serious bodily harm' against their attackers who kicked, beat and abused them verbally. The Express said the Facebook vigilante groups had promised an 'orderly clean up' of the old town centre in their 'manhunt.' Police confirmed one Syrian man was also hurt in an attack on Sunday, which took place just 20 minutes after the first, but is believed to have been carried out by a separate group of five men. German police say the number of criminal complaints filed after the events on New Year's Eve in Cologne has risen to 516 - 40 per cent relating to allegations of sexual assault. The violence in Leipzig followed on from weekend attacks in Cologne by a vigiliante mob which used the social networking site Facebook to marshall young men to go on a 'manhunt' for immigrants The peaceful demonstration turned into a violent attack on local properties, thought to belong to alleged migrants, in Leipzig Protestors from the PEGIDA movement (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident) attend a rally in Leipzig A first aid team was on standby at the demonstration where PEGIDA supporters gathered to mark the first year of its local chapter LEGIDA in Cologne Lutz Bachmann,leader of the PEGIDA movement speaks to protestors during a rally in Leipzig Police officers dressed in riot gear standby as the large gathering descended into violence late into the night Germany's FBI, the Federal Criminal Office, said it had information that the surrounding and sexual molestation of women was a 'familiar phenomenon in some Arab countries.' Now it is liaising with police in all 16 states of Germany to formulate a strategy on how to combat it in future on German streets. The minister for North Rhine-Westphalia, the German state where Cologne is located, admitted that people of foreign descent were responsible for virtually all of the violence on New Year's Eve in the city. 'Based on testimony from witnesses, the report from the Cologne police and descriptions by the federal police, it looks as if people with a migration background were almost exclusively responsible for the criminal acts,' Ralf Jaeger, interior minister from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia told a special commission on the Cologne violence. 'All signs point to these being north Africans and people from the Arab world,' he added. 'Based on what we know now from the investigation, asylum seekers who arrived in the past year are among the suspects.' RISE IN MIGRANTS LEAVING GERMANY FOLLOWING COLOGNE SEX ATTACKS Germany has started sending a growing number of migrants back to Austria since the New Year's Eve sex attacks in Cologne shocked the country. Some of the departing migrants said they did not want asylum in Germany after the backlash on migrants following the attacks. Ten of the 19 men suspected of carrying out the attacks in Cologne are believed to be asylum seekers leading to anti-migrant demonstrations in Germany. Most of the migrants leaving Germany appear to be from Afghanistan and North Africa rather than from Syria, who are normally accepted for asylum. 'The daily number of migrants being turned back has risen from 60 in December to 200 since the start of the year, David Furtner, police spokesman in Upper Austria state, told AFP. Many of the departing migrants are wanting to go to Scandinavia. However entering countries like Sweden has become harder for migrants since Denmark changed its border policy. Germany's decision to send migrants back to Austria comes as the Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann pledged to take tougher action at its borders to turn away 'economic migrants' in order to reduce overall immigration. Around 90,000 of those sought asylum in Austria - a country of 8.5 million people - in 2015, around three times more than the previous year, ORF radio said, citing Interior Ministry statistics. 'One must transit to a Plan B. That means to intensify policies together with Germany to send back economic migrants and decrease overall numbers,' Social Democrat Faymann said in an interview with Austrian newspaper Krone published on Tuesday. He said Austria needed to explore the legal framework for differentiating between those fleeing war and those who migrate for economic reasons. 'One thing is certain in any case: shortly, we will be more active at our borders than today. The Germans will also do more,' Faymann said. Faymann has come under pressure from his conservative coalition partners and the far-right Freedom Party, which in recent opinion polls won the support of around a third of those surveyed. Last month, Faymann said Austria should step up deportations of people who do not qualify for asylum. Advertisement A young migrant waits with his possession at a temporary camp after German officials sent him back to Austria Some of the departing migrants said they did not want asylum in Germany after the backlash on migrants following the attacks A young mother holds on to her son as she prepares to leave Germany and re-enter Austria in the hope of finding asylum Several migrants prepare to pack their bags into the boot of a coach and head back to neighbouring Austria Around 90,000 migrants sought asylum in Austria last year, nearly three times more than the previous year, ORF radio said Cologne has a significant first and second generation immigrant population and racial tension has heightened in the wake of New Years Eve. The city, which has a population of just over one million, has more than 120,000 practicing Muslim residents and the largest Jewish communities in Germany. Just over 5.5 per cent are born in Turkey. Over the past week, the police presence in the city has been heightened, but many called the efforts 'too little too late', questioning why officers had not been able to stop the attacks. On Monday, a regional parliamentary commission in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia, whose largest city is Cologne, will question police and others about the events on New Year's Eve. The attacks on women in Cologne have also sparked a debate about tougher rules for migrants who break the law, faster deportation procedures and increased security measures such as more video surveillance in public areas and more police. Germany's FBI, the Federal Criminal Office, said it had information that the surrounding and sexual molestation of women was a 'familiar phenomenon in some Arab countries' Two Pakistani nationals were admitted to hospital after six men were attacked by a mob of 20 people near Cologne's main train station(pictured) A heavy police presence, with water canon at the ready, kept watch over the crowd at yesterday's protest march by the far-right movement Women shout slogans and hold up a placard that reads 'Against Sexism - Against Racism' as they march through the main railways station of Cologne last week following the sex attacks and robberies on New Year's Eve Government policy has exposed thousands of domestic workers to slavery, abuse and trafficking, a new report has claimed. It is part of a review into domestic workers visas, which have faced heavy criticism from human rights campaigners who claim that employees brought from other countries have no escape. The review accepts that the current conditions tying workers to their employers does nothing but 'increase the risk of abuse and therefore increases actual abuse'. Government policy has exposed thousands of domestic workers to slavery, abuse and trafficking, a new report has claimed, which recommended changing the domestic workers visa system. File picture It comes after Nigerian Ofonime Inuk told his shocking story of being forced to work 17 hours a day in the suburban home of an NHS doctor and his wife for 24 years. The orphan was just 14 when Emmanuel Edet, 61, and his wife, senior nursing sister Antan, lured him away from his home country with the promises of a better life in the UK. But once he set foot in their west London home in December 1989, Mr Inuk, now 40, had his passport taken away and realised they intended to subject him to a life of servitude. With no official paperwork, no money and nowhere else to go, Mr Inuk said he had no choice but to stay at the Edets' home in Perivale, West London. Last year, around 17,000 domestic workers visas were issued in the UK, more than half of them to Gulf nations Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. But many do not speak English and feel powerless to object to any conditions their employers impose, particularly as they have no right to stay in the UK if the relationship breaks down. Campaigners have argued that it creates a system of 'kafal' in the UK - which exists in Arab nations and prevents workers from leaving their jobs without permission. One worker, from the Philippines, told The Guardian how she was forced to go to the UK with her employee without being able to even read any documents - which were written in Arabic. Victim: Ofonime Inuk, pictured, was kept as a slave by an NHS doctor and his wife for more than 20 years The woman, known as Renera, said: 'My employer told me, "If anyone asks, you will earn 350 a week in London". I had to sign papers so that he could have a travel visa for me, but he wouldnt let me read them properly.' Kate Roberts, head of policy at Kalayaan, a domestic worker rights group, said that workers are often treated like 'an extra piece of luggage' when they are brought to the UK. But the new report has recommended changing the policy tying workers to their employers, and allowing them to stay in the UK for up to two-and-a-half year and move jobs when they please. It also urges the government to start collecting data on the number of people reporting abusive conditions while in the UK on a domestic workers visa. The recommendations are a departure from current policy, which campaigners say is vehemently enforced, with workers pressed to return to their home nation as soon as they leave their employer. Not known whether same factory was destroyed in Sunday's bombing raid U.S. now plans to bomb more 'financial targets' to A U.S. airstrike has destroyed an ISIS building which contained huge amounts of cash it used to pay its fighters, defense officials have said. They said 'millions' of the terror group's money was blown up on Sunday, without disclosing the exact amount or what currency it was. After the successful strike in the ISIS stronghold of Mosul, Iraq, the U.S. is now said to be planning to bomb more 'financial targets' to cut off its ability to function as a state. A U.S. airstrike has destroyed an ISIS building which contained huge amounts of cash (pictured, a gold coin featured in ISIS propaganda video) ISIS released a propaganda video in August which claimed the terror group had smelted its own gold coins to pay its fighters The U.S. considers Mosul, where ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made one of his few public statements to declare its so-called caliphate, as a very sensitive target because extremists mingle with civilians. Aircraft and drones were deployed to watch the site for days after they were tipped off about an ISIS 'cash collection and distribution point' to avoid civilian casualties, officials told CNN. A decision was made to strike the site at dawn on Sunday because ISIS fighters were working there overnight, and too many locals were nearby during the day. U.S. commanders are said to have been willing to risk 50 civilian casualties due to the importance of the target. Between five and seven people were killed in the attack, according to CNN, which did not disclose whether any civilians were harmed. The U.S. considers Mosul a very sensitive target because extremists mingle with civilians but was said to be prepared to risk collateral damage to hit Sunday's target (pictured, just outside Mosul) ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (pictured) made one of his few public statements from Mosul ISIS released an hour long propaganda video showing off its very own currency, in the form of small gold coins, in August. The video, thought to have been shot in Mosul, showed gold, silver and copper coins being smelted. It is not known whether that same factory was hit by U.S. warplanes this weekend. Despite glorifying their new currency, ISIS is still believed to use U.S. dollars and local currency to pay its fighters. In the same video, the terror group claimed its 21-carat gold coin would weigh 4.25g and be worth around $139. It also claimed the coin, which could never be used outside ISIS territory, would never lose its value. In reality, residents in Mosul, Iraq's second city, have routinely complained about food shortages since the arrival of ISIS in June 2014. Iraq vowed to use the recapture of the ISIS held city of Ramadi, just 60 miles west of Baghdad, as a launchpad to retake the Nineveh province. Iraq vowed to use the recapture of the ISIS held city of Ramadi (pictured), just 60 miles west of Baghdad, as a launchpad to retake the Nineveh province, home to Mosul Ramadi was finally 'liberated' by 10,000 Iraqi troops who wrestled it from 300 ISIS fighters on December 28 Nineveh is home to Mosul, which is said to be the biggest city under ISIS control in either Iraq or Syria. After a fresh operation to retake the city was launched six prior, Ramadi was finally 'liberated' by 10,000 Iraqi troops who wrestled it from 300 ISIS fighters on December 28. What do you get a man who has everything? Nothing, according to Hillary Clinton, who said she showed up to Donald Trump's 2005 wedding to Melania Knauss empty handed. During Fusion network's Brown & Black Democratic forum in Iowa, Clinton was asked what she gifted the property tycoon when he wedded his third wife. Hillary responded: 'Nothing, nothing. Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have faced questions over their seemingly close relationship. Hillary attended Donald's 2005 marriage to Melania (pictured left) and said she gave him 'nothing' 'He was basically a Democrat before he was a Republican. He was, you know, somebody we all knew in New York, and he was supportive of Democrats and supportive of a lot of causes I care about and people I knew cared about. 'Now he seems to have taken another road.' Both Hillary and the Donald have faced questions about their relationship. Hillary, who was New York senator in 2005, attended Trump's nuptials in Palm Beach, Florida while Bill turned up for the reception afterwards. When questioned about why she went, Hillary said she thought it would be 'entertaining'. Trump has previously said Hillary had 'no choice' but to attend because he donated to her foundation. The Politico reported that Hillary received donations from Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr., in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007, according to records. Trump also gave $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation. Are they acquaintances, close friends, or political enemies? Trump previously said Hillary had 'no choice' but to attend his 2005 wedding because he had donated to her foundation, then backtracked and said it was 'very nice' In a phone interview with the Today show in August, Trump backtracked and said: 'Well, she came to my wedding. They actually both came to my wedding and it was very nice. 'As a businessman, I would contribute. Like other businessmen, I would contribute to everybody. 'That's a real fault of this country, because, you contribute, and people, two years later, three years later, when you need help, they help you. You don't contribute, they don't help you.' The Republican presidential candidate raised eyebrows when he revealed he had a phone conversation with Bill Clinton before announcing his candidacy. Ivanka Trump and Chelsea Clinton are also reportedly close friends. Pictured, Ivanka Trump, left, and Chelsea Clinton, right, at the 2014 Glamour Women of the Year Awards in New York City HOW MANY TIMES HAS DONALD TRUMP BEEN MARRIED? Ivana Zelnickova, 1977-1991 The pair wedded at the Marble Collegiate Church in New York and went on to have their children, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric Marla Maples, 1993-1998 The couple had a daughter Tiffany in 1993 and then married two months later. The couple separated in 1997 and formally divorced two years later. Melania Knauss, 2005-present Trump met model Melania at a Fashion Week party in New York in 1998. They have a son named Barron William Trump. Advertisement Advertisement A magnificent rural mansion housed on its own private island in the Scottish Highlands is rumoured to have been snapped up by the Qatari royal family as a woodland holiday retreat. The vast estate on Eilean Aigas, set on more than 500 acres of land on the River Beauly, Inverness-shire, was put up for sale with a 15million price tag by Canadian telecoms tycoon Brendan Clouston in 2012. Despite including a majestic 28,000ft mansion, it failed to drum up any interest. Scroll down for video The vast estate on Eilean Aigas (pictured), set on more than 500 acres of land on the River Beauly, Inverness-shire, was sold at auction last September to a mystery buyer The most recent redevelopment of the four-storey house, modelled on the original hunting lodge, was completed in 2007 and sits on a high bank above a river on the eastern side of the island It was bought for a rumoured 7million, but the identity of the wealthy investor was never revealed. Locals now believe the family of Qatari Emir Sheik Tamim (pictured, meeting the Queen) are the buyers After languishing unsold for three years it went to auction in September for bids in excess of 3million. It was bought for a rumoured 7million, but the identity of the wealthy investor was never revealed. However, those living close to the island estate have now been given a strong indication as to the mansion's new owners by people close to the property. Steve Byford, of Kilmorack Community Council, said: 'I believe one of the Qatari royal family has bought it. 'I think the community would welcome them to the area and hopefully they will get involved within the community.' Eilean Aigas island, which is accessed by a bridge, features the mansion, a gate house and hunting lodge, which are surrounded by mature woodland and parkland. Eilean Aigas island, which is accessed by a bridge, features the mansion (pictured), a gate house and hunting lodge, which are surrounded by mature woodland and parkland One of the huge house's many bedrooms. The mansion - joined to the bank by a narrow white bridge - was for centuries in the possession of the Frasers of Lovat It comes with 546 acres of farmland and woodland on the 'mainland' to the east and north. The mansion on it at its north end - joined to the bank by a narrow white bridge - was for centuries in the possession of the Frasers of Lovat. Over the years it has played host to a number of dignitaries, including Sir Robert Peel, the Conservative Prime Minister, who used the island as his summer retreat. The most recent redevelopment of the four-storey house, modelled on the original hunting lodge, was completed in 2007 and sits on a high bank above a river on the eastern side of the island. Eilean Aigas island (left) is spread over 546 acres and features a mansion, a gate house and lodge. It has a majestic interior, featuring this snaking wooden staircase Over the years the mansion has played host to a number of dignitaries, including Sir Robert Peel, the Conservative Prime Minister, who used the island as his summer retreat. Pictured here is one of its lavish dining rooms It took six years to build and is spread over 28,000ft. Logs for open fires are brought in via service lifts to individual rooms with back stairs allowing staff and guests to move around without imposing on the principal reception rooms. Multi-millionaire Mr Clouston put Eilean Aigas on the market after losing a battle with an energy company who installed electricity pylons across the estate. Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) applied for a compulsory purchase order for a tiny slice of Mr Clouston's estate, which lies in a narrow strip between Eskadale and Hughton back in 2011. They needed the land to widen a road so it could accommodate traffic working on the controversial Beauly Denny overhead power line upgrade. Mr Clouston, a friend of Bill Gates, struggled with the development. New footage showing Paris terrorist Salah Abdelslam casually strolling into a petrol station near Belgium less than one day after the attack has been released, as the international manhunt for him continues. The CCTV images sees 26-year-old Abdeslam and his friend Hamza Attou, who later admitted that the pair had spent the morning smoking marijuana, in Trith-Saint-Leger, near the Belgian border. The video was recorded at around 9.45am on November 14th, just hours after the attacks in Paris where 130 people were killed by a group of ISIS-linked jihadists - including Abdeslam's brother. Casual trip: Paris shooting suspect, Salah Abdeslam, and suspected accomplice, Hamza Attou, are seen at a petrol station on a motorway between Paris and Brussels, in Trith-Saint-Leger, France, on November 14 The images were released on Monday by French channel BFM TV, and shows Abdeslam and Attou walking across the court of the service station before entering the attached shop. Despite the events of the previous night, the Belgian-born Moroccan-Frenchman appears relaxed, and the pair remain at the petrol station for some 15 minutes before continuing towards Belgium. Attou was later arrested alongside another friend of Abdeslam, Mohammed Amri, and charged with terrorist offences before being released. They admit to driving from Brussels to Paris to fetch Abdeslam hours after the terrorist attacks - slipping through three police checks - but deny any knowledge of what he had been doing in France. It is not known what role Abdeslam played in the attacks on November 13, when ISIS-linked jihadists murdered 130 people and injured 352 in a series of bombings and shootings. On the road: The pair were seen at the service station around 9.45am on November 14, after Attou had picked up Abdeslam in Paris with the promise to drive him to Brussels Looking relaxed: Despite just hours passing after the Paris attacks, the 26-year-old appears relaxed, and the pair remain at the petrol station for some 15 minutes before continuing towards Brussels Warning: The November 13 attacks in Paris saw ISIS jihadists kill 130 people and injure 352 in a series of shootings and bombings in the French capital Terrorist: Salah Abdelslam, 26, is the subject of an international manhunt It is believed he drove the three suicide bombers, including his own brother Ibrahim Abdeslam, to central Paris after which he appears to have planned to also blow himself up. However, the Belgian-born Moroccan-Frenchman appears to have changed his mind, and police later found his rental car dumped near the 18th arrondissement, and later his suicide belt at a separate location. Now the target of an international manhunt, Abdeslam's whereabouts remain unknown. "If we knew where he was, we'd catch him," said Belgian Federal Prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt. Last week Belgian police announced that they had found three suicide belts, explosives and a fingerprint of wanted Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam at a Brussels flat that may have served as a bomb factory. Prosecutors said Abdeslam might have hidden in the flat after the November 13 attacks and were also working on the theory the explosive devices used in the massacre could have been made there. The discovery was made on December 10 during a search of an apartment in the Schaerbeek area of the Belgian capital, but investigators would not say why they waited a month to announce it. Advertisement This is believed to be the moment a ISIS suicide bomber blew themselves up in the heart of Istanbul's main tourism district and killed ten travellers after entering the country from Syria. The massive explosion rocked the Sultanahmet neighbourhood where tens of thousands of tourists flock to see its world-famous monuments every day. A picture circulated online by Turkish media showed a giant fireball erupting next to an Egyptian obelisk where tourists had gathered, however the image has not been independently verified. At least nine German travellers and one man from Peru were killed. Six Germans, one Norwegian and a Peruvian were also wounded in the blast. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his deputy Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber was a 28-year-old Syrian national who had recently entered the country and was not on Turkey's terrorist watchlist. Various Turkish media outlets reported that the attacker had been identified as Nabil Fadli, a Saudi Arabian-born Syrian national. Witnesses said the blast shook buildings and could be heard across the city, while images showed corpses and body parts strewn across a square near iconic sites including the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia museum. Scroll down for videos This picture purportedly shows the moment a suspected Syrian suicide bomber blows themselves up neat to an Egyptian obelisk in the heart of Istanbul's tourism district, killing ten tourists and injuring 15 others Terror in Turkey: Ten people have died and 15 others were injured when an explosion from a suspected Syrian suicide bomber ripped through a tourism district in the centre of Istanbul near the Obelisk of Theodosius (top right), a monument from ancient Egypt Terror attack: Bodies litter a square after an explosion ripped through the Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, the city's main tourist hub Horror: The blast rocked the Sultanahmet neighbourhood in central Istabnul which is visited by tens of thousands of tourists every day A dead body lies on the ground after an explosion near by Blue Mosque in the Sultanahmet district of central Istanbul Chancellor Angela Merkel said members of a German tour group among the likely casualties and vowed to strike back against the 'cruel and inhuman face' of terrorism. Travellers were warned to stay away from tourist sites and crowds in the city as other European countries including Britain said they were working to establish if any of their citizens had been caught up in the attack. Earlier, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said both Turks and foreigners were among the dead, adding that the attack was carried out by a 'suicide bomber of Syrian origin'. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus added that the bomber was a 28-year-old Syrian national, while two senior Turkish security officials said there was a high probability ISIS were responsible. The blast struck at 8.20am GMT around the Obelisk of Theodosius, a monument from ancient Egypt which was re-erected by the Roman Emperor Theodosius and is one of the city's most eye-catching monuments. Police cordoned off the area to shocked passers-by and tourists and the nearby tram service has been halted amid fears of a second blast. A German tourist named Caroline said: 'The explosion was so loud, the ground shook. There was a very heavy smell that burned my nose. 'I started running away with my daughter. We went into a nearby building and stayed there for half an hour. It was really scary.' Erdem Koroglu, who was working at a nearby office, told NTV television he saw several people lying on the ground. 'It was difficult to say who was alive or dead,' he said. 'Buildings rattled from the force of the explosion.' Another witness said: 'The explosion was very loud. We shook a lot. We ran out and saw body parts.' Turkey's Dogan news agency reported that at least six Germans, one Norwegian and a Peruvian were among the wounded, while Seoul's Foreign Ministry said one South Korean had a finger injury. One of the injured tourists was a Norwegian tourist who says his knee was pierced by shrapnel from the explosion. Jostein Nielsen, a 59-year-old Salvation Army officer, told Norway's TV2 that he and his wife were sightseeing in the Turkish city when the bomb went off. 'I first heard a bang that I think is what detonated the bomb. After that came the real bang. I felt that my knee stopped working. There were human remains all over the place,' Nielsen said. Nielsen is currently in hospital with his knee heavily bandaged. He revealed that the doctors believed that he will be able to walk again. 'It was a great shock. One does not think that such things will happen when you are sightseeing,' ,' his uninjured wife Magna Vaaje Nielsen said. Police cordoned off the area to shocked passers-by and tourists and the nearby tram service has been halted amid fears of a second blast Paramedics carry a dead body after an explosion near the Blue Mosque in the Sultanahmet district of central Istanbul, Turkey Turkish police officers search the area after an explosion near the famous Blue Mosque in the Sultanahmet district of central Istanbul 'I condemn the terror incident in Istanbul assessed to be an attack by a suicide bomber with Syrian origin,' Erdogan told a lunch for Turkish ambassadors in Ankara in a speech broadcast live on television. 'Unfortunately we have 10 dead including foreigners and Turkish nationals,' Erdogan told a lunch for Turkish ambassadors in Ankara, in a speech broadcast live on television. 'This incident has once again showed that as a nation we should act as one heart, one body in the fight against terror. Turkey's determined and principled stance in the fight against terrorism will continue to the end.' Omer Celik, the spokesman for Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's ruling party, issued a statement condemning what he called 'a heinous attack.' Chancellor Angela Merkel said members of a German tour group were among the likely casualties and that German officials were working with their Turkish counterparts to determine the identities of the victims and offer assistance to their loved ones. She said: 'We don't have all the information yet... but we fear that German citizens could be and probably are also among the victims and injured.' Merkel said the latest attack would deepen German resolve to combat international terrorism. 'Today it hit Istanbul, it has hit Paris, it hit Tunisia, it had already hit Ankara,' she said at a press conference following talks with visiting Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal. 'International terrorism once again showed its cruel and inhuman face and along with the sorrow that we of course feel, it once again shows the necessity to act decisively against terrorism and ultimately overcome these atrocities.' On high alert: Police sealed off the area, barring people from approaching the scene in case of a second blast Turkey is on edge after a series of deadly attacks by ISIS including a double suicide bombing in Ankara in October that left 103 dead Turkish police officers search the area after an explosion near the Blue Mosque in the Sultanahmet district of central Istanbul Police forensic experts work on the scene of the explosion in central Istanbul which has killed at least ten people and injured 15 others A member of the Turkish SWAT stands guard by a building after an explosion near the Blue Mosque which killed 10 and injured 15 others Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose ministry set up a crisis team in the wake of the attacks, also condemned the blast as a 'barbaric' act of terrorism. 'We must assume that Germans were hurt and we cannot exclude that Germans were among the dead,' he said. Germany warned its nationals to avoid tourist sites in Istanbul, a city of about 14 million people that has been hit several times in the past by deadly attacks. 'Travellers in Istanbul are strongly urged to avoid for now large groups of people in public places as well as tourist attractions' and to stay informed via official travel advisories and the media, the foreign ministry said. The ministry warned of possible 'political tensions as well as violent clashes and terrorist attacks across the country', adding that tourists should avoid large demonstrations. Police move people on as they secure an area at the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul amid fears of a second explosion Tourism terror: The blast occurred next to the Obelisk of Theodosius, a monument from ancient Egypt, near world-famous sites including the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and the Hagia Sophia museum British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said officials are working to verify whether any Britons were killed. Mr Hammond said the Government knows tourists were 'involved' in the explosion and promised to update MPs during Foreign Office questions if any news about UK nationals emerges. Opening the Commons session, he said: 'I wonder if I might just take a few seconds to update the House on the breaking news coming in from Istanbul where an explosion has occurred in the Sultanahmet area, killing at least 10 people, with many more injured. 'This is a tourist area of the city and we already know that some tourists are involved in this incident. 'We are at the moment seeking to verify whether any British nationals are involved and if we get any news on that during the course of the next hour I will update the House accordingly. 'In the meantime, I offer my sympathies to the victims and their families and everyone else affected by the attack.' A spokeswoman for the Norwegian Foreign Ministry in Oslo said the office is working with the embassy in Turkey to check media reports of Norwegian citizens among the wounded. Turkey is on alert after 103 people were killed on October 10 when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a crowd of peace activists in Ankara, the bloodiest attack in the country's modern history. Police secure the area after an explosion near the Ottoman-era Sultanahmet mosque, known as the Blue mosque in Istanbul, Turkey The Sultanahmet neighbourhood is home to the city's biggest concentration of monuments and is visited by thousands of tourists a day Police cordoned off the area to shocked passers-by and tourists and the nearby tram service has been halted amid fears of a second blast That attack was blamed on ISIS, as were two other deadly bombings in the country's Kurdish-dominated southeast earlier in the year. Turkish authorities have in recent weeks detained several suspected ISIS members, with officials saying they were planning attacks in Istanbul. The country is also dealing with more than two million Syrian refugees and a wave of migrants from Syria and other countries pouring across Turkey to Europe. But Turkey is also waging an all-out assault on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has staged dozens of deadly attacks against members of the security forces in the southeast. The PKK launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984, initially fighting for Kurdish independence although now more for greater autonomy and rights for the country's largest ethnic minority. The conflict, which has left tens of thousands of people dead, looked like it could be nearing a resolution until an uneasy truce was shattered in July. A Kurdish splinter group, the Freedom Falcons of Kurdistan (TAK), claimed a mortar attack on Istanbul's second international airport on December 23 which killed a female cleaner and damaged several planes. Britain is facing a record number of girls and women fleeing to Syria to become jihadi brides. New figures have revealed that 56 females are thought to have fled to the war-torn country last year with counter-terrorism officers 'deeply concerned' about the sharp increase in numbers travelling to the war-zone. They follow in the footsteps of Grace 'Khadija' Dare, 24, from Lewisham, South-East , who had links to the killers of Lee Rigby and fled to Syria with her son three years ago. The four-year-old boy was used in ISIS's latest sick propaganda video, wearing military fatigues and being forced to declare: 'We are going to kill the kaffir (non-believers)'. It comes as Syrian mothers have issued a heartfelt woman-to-woman plea with their British counterparts not to make the dangerous journey to their home country. The women, named only as Faten, Esaaf, and Zakaa, have also written open letters urging British mothers to take steps to prevent their daughters travelling to the war-zone. Britain is facing a record number of girls and women fleeing to Syria to become jihadi brides. From left to right, Kadiza Sultana, 16, Shamima Begum, 15 and Amira Abase, 15 going through security at Gatwick airport In Zakaa's letter she reveals that she left Syria because she feared for her three sons lives after her husband was killed by a sniper and her youngest boy was diagnosed with leukaemia. She said: 'Ask your daughter to think about what she has here in the UK a country where she has safety and freedom of choice compared to Syria where, under ISIS control, she would have neither? 'ISIS is far from the views of Islam. They do not follow Islam and they are not Muslims . ISIS is more feared by Syrians than the Assad regime itself. 'Your daughter should ask herself ISIS came out of nowhere. How did this organisation suddenly appear with so much support in the blink of an eye? ISIS is not in any way helping Syrians their only achievements are killing and displacement. They have only damaged our country and caused more harm for innocent Syrian people.' The school friends, from Bethnal Green, left for Syria in February. Some are now thought to be married to Isis extremists. In latest figures, 56 girls and women reported missing by their families between January 1 2015 and December 31 2015 are 'all feared to have travelled to Syria', police said Isa Dare, (pictured) the son of notorious British jihadi bride Grace 'Khadijah' Dare. The four-year-old boy was used in ISIS's latest sick propaganda video, wearing military fatigues Figures released in July showed 43 females were thought to have fled from the UK to Syria in the previous 12 months. In latest figures, 56 girls and women reported missing by their families between January 1 2015 and December 31 2015 are 'all feared to have travelled to Syria', police said. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball said: 'We are deeply concerned about the numbers of girls, young women and also families who are taking the decision to go to Syria, unaware of the dangers they face when they arrive and the fact that they are unlikely to ever be able to return home to their devastated wider families. 'The personal accounts of the women in this film highlight the harsh reality of life for women and children living in a war torn country. I hope they will go some way to helping young women and mothers stop and think about the huge mistake they would be making if they travel.' Recent high profile cases have included school friends Shamima Begum and Amira Abase, both 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16, all from Bethnal Green, east London, who left for Syria in February. Some are now thought to be married to Isis extremists. Assistant Chief Constable Angela Williams said: 'It is important for everyone do everything they can to help stop people from travelling to Syria and other conflict zones. 'Children have been taken to dangerous places and are at great risk; vulnerable people have been brainwashed into travelling. 'My message to mothers across the region is to please come forward if you have any concerns about your loved ones who may be considering travel to Syria.' 'IT COULD BE THE LAST TIME YOU SEE HER FACE': A MOTHER'S PLEA TO BRITISH WOMEN TO STOP DAUGHTERS FROM TRAVELLING TO SYRIA My name is Faten, I came with my family to the UK from Syria because our lives were in danger, It is not safe in my country and the situation is getting worse every day that is why we took the hard decision to leave, to escape the war that is tearing Syria apart. The things that you take for granted everyday in this country are things we cannot do in Syria . The reality of life in my country means that just going out of the house brings danger people feel they have to disguise their roots, change the way they dress so that they are not treated badly just because of their religion. Faten fled Syria because her family's lives were in danger. Her son desperately needed medical treatment My husband and I were threatened just leaving our home to take our son to hospital for treatment he badly needed. My husbands brother got arrested for no reason. This was our reality. I would like to say to mothers here in the UK please dont take the risk that you might wake up one day and find your daughter has fled to Syria. It could be the last time you ever see her, talk to her or see her face. Talk to her about the reality of life in a country torn apart by war, how different it will be to the image that is being portrayed. Please help your daughter to understand that she may think she is helping the Syrian people by travelling to our country ,but this couldnt be further from the truth. She will just be making it harder for our friends, our families all the people we have had to leave behind. By Faten Advertisement 'ISIS ARE TAKING PEOPLE BACK HUNDREDS OF YEARS': TERROR CELL IS DESTROYING THE FUTURE OF SYRIA, MOTHER 'ESAAF' WARNS When I hear about young women who are travelling to Syria to join ISIS I am sad because I know that this will bring no benefit to my people and only unhappiness for the young women who wrongly believe they have a future in my country. I left Syria because because the truth is that there is no future for my country. That is why I came here to the UK as I wanted to know what it feels like to be safe again, to have security for myself and my children. What is happening in my country is very complicated and so many innocent men, women and children have been killed . Esaaf said: 'Rather than go to Syria and face arrest, torture, or even death the prospect of never being able to come home , build your future here where you have freedom and opportunity' Taking a gun to a fight does not solve a problem. The power required is far more than guns they are just prolonging the war that is destroying my homeland. If I could put myself in a young Muslim girls shoes I would say to myself I live in a peaceful, developed country. Why would I want to go to Syria where ISIS are taking people back hundreds of years. They are preventing people from educating themselves, making them illiterate. My sister told me of a family where all the women including a four year old girl were forced to wear full coverings. They were not allowed to walk by themselves, or do anything by themselves. This is not the Syria I know. I say to mothers , if your daughter wants to help please encourage her to do so here in the UK by supporting charities, and helping refugees people like us who have had to flee our country to a place of safety. Here is where, as a true Muslim, she can make a real, and practical difference. My message to young women is think about yourself , and your future. Rather than go to Syria and face arrest, torture, or even death the prospect of never being able to come home , build your future here where you have freedom and opportunity. By Esaaf Advertisement A 15-year-old boy has been arrested for sexually assaulting two 14-year-old girls a music festival in Stockholm last summer, as Swedish police scrambles to amend the shocking cover-up of attacks. Yesterday, Swedish police was accused of 'playing down' dozens of sexual assaults on teenage girls at the annual We Are Sthlm festival - because a majority of the suspects were underage refugees. It has now emerged that 63 per cent of the victims were under 15, and all but three of the reported sexual assaults and rapes involved girls under 18. Hushing up: Stockholm Police have admitted to playing down the fact that girls were sexually assaulted by 'male unaccompanied underage refugees' at the We Are Sthlm festival in August last year Police have now admitted to playing down the events at We Are Sthlm, as they feared the news that a 'large part' of those detained were from Afghanistan could be used by right-wing politicians. The 15-year-old, from west Stockholm, has been charged with sexual molestation and assault on two 14-year-old girls. He allegedly groped one of the victims after she was dragged into a ring of boys in front of the stage at We Are Sthlm, an annual festival exclusively aimed at 13-19-year-olds. He reportedly stood behind her and touched her breasts and bottom, and when he tried to put his hands underneath her trousers, she started screaming for help. The other boys in the ring did nothing to help, writes Dagens Nyheter, and when the second victim came to her aid, the boy allegedly punched her in the face. Teenage victims have spoken of being groped between the legs, while boys 'ran their hands' over their bodies in the crowds at the festival in August. 'You only had to move a few feet to get grabbed. They pushed you in, and then one hand came out of nowhere and grabbed your breasts - or for some of my friends who wore dresses, between the legs,' Molly, 17, who attended the youth festival with four of her friends, told Expressen. Horrific: Victims at the festival, which is aimed at teens from 13 to 19, has told of how they could not move in the crowd without being groped and assaulted, with one saying protests only 'egged them on' 'You locked eyes with other girls who were standing with a guy behind them, and they looked like they were panicking.' 'If you said no, they were their with the hand again, if you pushed them away it egged them on and they called their mates. It was impossible to get away on your own.' Roger Ticoalu, who heads Stockholm city government's events department, said Monday that a 'large part' of those detained were from Afghanistan, many carrying temporary ID-cards issued to asylum-seekers. He said about 20 teenage girls filed complaints of sexual assault and that about 200 suspects were detained and ejected from the festival for sexual assault and other offenses. It wasn't immediately clear whether any of them were arrested and charged. Ticoalu said organizers received reports already in 2014 of groups of young men and boys groping girls in a systematic manner. Efforts were put in place, including more security guards, to prevent a repeat in 2015 but instead the problem got worse, he said. 'We've always had individual cases' of sexual assault, he said. 'But here we have a larger group doing it almost in an organized way. It's a completely new level of obscenity.' 'You have a large group of boys surrounding the girls,' he said. 'They pretend to dance. They come closer and closer. Then they start touching their breasts and genitals. In some cases in combination with theft.' Of the 38 reported sexual assaults during We Are Sthlm 2014 and 2015, 24 involved a girl under the age of 15. Outraged: Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has called for an investigation into the potential police cover up of migrant sex attacks, calling it 'a problem for our entire nation' However, despite witness statements and dozens of reports, local police summarised the 2015 edition of the festival, aimed exclusively at teens from 13 to 19, as a quiet event. 'We had comparatively few crimes and few arrests considering the number of attendants,' a statement on Stockholm Police's website read. The police have now been accused of 'hushing up' internal reports of sexual assaults filed during the youth festival, attended by some 170,000 teenagers in 2015, because the suspects were refugees. Quoting sources within the force, Dagens Nyheter says Stockholm Police consciously avoids to report on phenomenons which can be tied to perpetrators of a foreign background, because they fear it may be used as propaganda by right-wing politicians. 'This is a sore point. Sometimes we dare not tell how it is because we think it plays into the hands of the [right wing populist party] Sweden Democrats,' Stockholm police chief Peter Agren, who was in charge of police at the event in 2014, told Dagens Nyheter. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has today expressed his outrage at a potential cover up by police, firing off some stern words in an official statement. 'Police should prosecute crime, and sue guilty people. And should not for any kind of reason try to hide something. This is a problem and we are going to bring it to light. 'I feel a very strong wrath over the fact that you women cant go to a music festival without being violated, sexually harassed and attacked. This is a huge problem for those who are affected and for our entire nation. We will not back down an inch, and we will not turn out gaze. Today, opposition leader Anna Kindberg-Batra has called interior minister Anders Ygeman to explain the alleged police cover up to the Parliamentary Committee of Justice. Police fear a gang-rape phenomenon known as 'taharrush gamea' in the Arab world and seen in attacks on women across German cities at the New Year has now spread to Europe. The name of the practice translates to 'collective harassment' and is carried out by large groups of men who sexually assault lone women, either by groping, or in some instances, raping them. The men first surround their victim in circles. Some then sexually assault her, while others not directly involved watch or divert outsiders' attention to what is occurring. CBS reporter Lara Logan, photographed in Cairo's Tahrir Square moments before she was assaulted in 2011. Her attack was one of the first known instances of 'taharrush' to be reported in Western media Sometimes the terrified victim - in a state of shock and unable to respond - is also robbed during the ordeal. And the attack usually goes unpunished because the large number of perpetrators and chaos of the attack means authorities are unable to identify those involved. There remains debate about what defines 'taharrush' - some still insist it is a reference to flirting - though scholars argue its definition changed after the attacks seen in Egypt from 2011 onwards. German authorities have stated this was the phenomenon seen in Cologne city centre on New Year, when hundreds of women reported they were sexually assaulted. The practice is only carried out in public and almost always at demonstrations or large public gatherings where the attackers find safety in numbers and disorder. The Arab phenomenon first came to the attention of the Western world when South African reporter Lara Logan, working for CBS, was set upon by a large group of men while reporting on celebrations in Tahrir Square, Egypt, in 2011. Logan recounted her ordeal in Egypt several months later on a 60 Minutes broadcast, describing how the baying crowd 'raped me with their hands'. The 44-year-old revealed terrifying details of the 40 minute-long February attack in Cairo's Tahrir Square, including how she became separated from members of her crew after someone in the frenzied 200-strong crowd shouted 'Let's take her pants off.' She said: 'Suddenly, before I even know what's happening, I feel hands grabbing my breasts, grabbing my crotch, grabbing me from behind. I mean, and its not one person and then it stops, it's like one person and another person and another person. 'And I know Ray is right there, and he's grabbing at me and screaming, "Lara hold onto me, hold onto me".' Scholars believe that sexual assaults against women during demonstrations in Cairo were widespread following the civil disorder that erupted in Egypt in 2011 Egyptian security forces arrest a protester during clashes with demonstrators in November 2012 in Cairo It was revealed that as she was pulled into the frenzy the camera recorded her shouting 'Stop.' It was revealed that someone in the crowd falsely shouted out that she was an Israeli Jew. Angie Abdelmonem, a doctoral candidate at Arizona State University, recently published a study into the instances of 'taharrush' seen during the Egyptian Revolution. She said the 'violent nature of sexual harassment and assault in Tahrir Square captured global attention', but many locally initially believed the state was hiring thugs to harass women and stem public protest. 'This [perception] shifted on February 11, the day Mubarak stepped down, with the mob assault and rape of CBS correspondent, Lara Logan,' she wrote. 'Between 2011 and 2013, sexual harassment became common at protests in Tahrir Square, exemplified by a number of highly publicized violent attacks that demonstrate how womens bodies became objectified and dehumanized during the uprising.' She goes on to conclude the lack of 'conceptual boundaries' of the term further blurred the lines of when acceptable flirtation became harassment. A teenager named only as Michelle (pictured), 18, described how the New Year's Eve celebrations in Cologne a fortnight ago turned into targeted and coordinated attacks on women The chaos outside the Cologne cathedral saw fireworks launched into the crowd and hordes of drunk Arab or North African men assaulting women, German police said Leaked police reports later emerged showing officers were unable to stop the disorder and they were swamped by upset women at the scene claiming they had been sexually assaulted A reveler lets off a firework in Cologne city centre during the chaotic celebrations on New Year's Eve German police believe it was 'taharrush' committed in Cologne and other cities at New Year by Arab and North African men that led to hundreds of police complaints in the following weeks. German federal police told Die Welt that crimes are committed by groups of young men during large gatherings of people, such as demonstrations, and range from sexual harassment to rape. It was the first instance of the phenomenon having reached Europe, and as the scale of the attacks in the city slowly emerged, other centres, such as Zurich and Salzburg, reported similar crimes. A report from the Interior Ministry in North Rhine-Wesphalia (NRW) state, where Cologne lies, said 516 criminal complaints had been registered, 237 of which were of a sexual nature. A separate report from the Cologne police gave graphic descriptions of the crimes, listing case after case of women surrounded by gangs of men who put their hands in the victims' pants and skirts, grabbed them between the legs, on the buttocks and the breasts, often while stealing their wallets and cell phones. Viktor Lakatos, 42, has been jailed for 14 years for a savage knuckle-duster attack on frail pensioner Colin Butlin, 89, in November 2014 A Slovakian thug who was allowed into Britain despite serving a six-year sentence in his home country for GBH has been jailed for 14 years for a savage knuckle-duster attack on a frail pensioner. Viktor Lakatos, 42, went on the run following the brutal attack on Colin Butlin, 89, in November 2014 but was eventually tracked down and imprisoned yesterday. The court heard the Slovakian national had carried out the violent attack on the defenceless pensioner as he was stripped for cash. Mr Butlin died a few days after his 90th birthday last summer, never knowing if his attacker would be jailed for his sickening act of violence. The court was told Mr Butlin travelled to Keighley, in West Yorkshire, on a daily basis to visit his jewellery store in the town. Mr Butlin, who had previously suffered two strokes and walked with a stick, regularly used a taxi to return to his home in Greetland near Halifax, but on the evening of the attack he was tailed by Lakatos. He followed the pensioner as he was carrying a small rucksack which he thought could have 'lots of money in it'. Chris Smith, for the prosecution, said: 'As [Mr Butlin] was unlocking his door to his kitchen he was attacked from behind and said he felt blows raining down upon him. 'He was, of course, defenceless. Knocked to the ground his bag of personal items was stolen. The robber ran away.' The victim suffered deep wounds to his forehead which had to be stitched, as well as extensive bruising and a fractured nose. Lakatos, a married father-of-two, went on the run after the cowardly attack. But DNA from the silver knuckle-duster left at the scene led police to search for the Slovakian. In March last year, police received an anonymous tip-off following an appeal for information on the BBC's Crimewatch show that resulting in them finding him cowering under a bed in Keighley. Lakatos only pleaded guilty to the robbery charge at the eleventh hour - as he initially claimed he had acted as the getaway driver. Mr Butlin suffered deep wounds to his forehead which had to be stitched, as well as extensive bruising and a fractured nose following the savage assault UK COULD GET EU CRIME DATABASE To prevent tragic cases such as this, police could be handed sweeping new powers to help catch foreign criminals and terrorists who commit offences in Britain. If Britain signs up to the Prum Convention, detectives will be able to search instantly through more than five million fingerprints, DNA samples and car registration records held across Europe, greatly speeding up the hunt for suspects. The move comes amid growing concern over crimes committed on Britain's streets by foreign offenders taking advantage of Europe's open borders and who are unknown to UK forces. In the most notorious case, Latvian builder Arnis Zalkalns was allowed into Britain despite serving seven years in jail in his home country for killing his wife. Police did not know about this conviction when he was later questioned about a sexual assault on a girl in London. He was not prosecuted and went on to murder schoolgirl Alice Gross last year. Advertisement Jailing Lakatos for 14 years with a four-year extended licence period, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC branded his version of events as incredible. Speaking through a Slovakian interpreter, he told Lakatos at Bradford Crown Court: 'As robberies go it is within the category that may be described as the worst examples of its kind. 'For you targeted, attacked at his front door, gratuitously and excessively beat with a knuckle-duster an 89-year-old gentleman. 'Not just cruel, not just wicked, not just gratuitous and uncivilised, certainly by our standards, it was cowardly in the extreme. It was barbaric.' The judge's 18-year extended sentence provoked angry scenes in the public gallery and family and friends of Lakatos had to be removed from the court by security staff. His devastated family said Mr Butlin had 'lost his sparkle' following the brutal assault and all the family had become victims. In a statement his daughter, Linda, said his hope and positive outlook on life had turned to despair and doubt after the thuggish attack. At the end of the hearing Judge Durham Hall commended the police work which had led to Lakatos' arrest and he also praised the role of Interpol and the Crimewatch programme. Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Ross Wadsworth of Calderdale CID said: 'This was a particularly appalling attack against a vulnerable, hardworking gentleman on his own doorstep. 'I hope that the significant sentence passed today will be of some comfort to the victim's family.' Others believe new weapons programme is 'unaffordable and unneeded' Former staff say smaller, more precise bombs make them tempting to use atom bomb can hit target within accuracy of just five metres President Barack Obama has come under fire for the United State's modern atomic arsenal which some fear make it too tempting to use the weapons. Last year, while North Korea was preparing for its first large scale nuclear test, a U.S. fighter jet was testing the latest weapon in its arsenal - the precision guided B61 Model 12 atom bomb. It is to be the first of five new atomic warheads planned as part of a new U.S. arsenal which is said to cost up to one trillion dollars over the next 30 years. Scroll down for video President Barack Obama has come under fire for the United State's new atomic arsenal, which included the precision guided B61 Model 12 atom bomb (pictured, being fired by a U.S. jet) The B61-12 (pictured) is to be the first of five new atomic warheads planned as part of a new U.S. arsenal which is said to cost up to one trillion dollars over the next 30 years Guided by a sophisticated radar and steered using four maneuverable fins, the B61-12 was created to destroy weapons bunker and test sites with an unnerving level of accuracy. The bomb's explosive strength can be increased or decreased, depending on the target and the risk of collateral damage. Obama, an advocate of a 'nuclear free world', has said this means the smart weapon is less likely to be used due to the sheer threat it poses to the enemy. But his opponents, including some of his former staff, have argued the bomb's smaller explosive yield and better targeting makes it more tempting to use, according to the New York Times. 'Its unaffordable and unneeded,' said Andrew Weber, a former assistant secretary of defense and former director of the Nuclear Weapons Council. The advanced B61-12 missile (pictured) has combined four existing versions of the B61 bomb into one Obama, an advocate of a 'nuclear free world', has said the new B61-12 is less likely to be used due to the sheer threat it poses to the enemy Obama's opponents, including some of his former staff, have argued the B61-12's (pictured) smaller explosive yield and better targeting makes it more tempting to use He was especially concerned about the $30billion it would have cost to produce around 1,000 advanced cruise missiles. But Brian McKeon, the principal deputy under secretary of defense for policy, has said Obama's plans herald progress towards a smaller nuclear force and a safer world. THE HISTORY OF THE B61 BOMB The B61, known before 1968 as the TX-61, was designed in 1963 by the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Total production of all versions was approximately 3,155, of which approximately 1,925 remain in service as of 2002, and some 1,265 are considered to be operational The warhead has changed little over the years, although early versions have been upgraded to improve the safety features. It is believed there are 200 B61 bombs actively in use by the United States. Of these 200 bombs, 180 are deployed with NATO allies in Europe according to the 26 October 2013 issue of 'The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.' The newest variant is the B61 Mod 11, deployed in 1997, which is a ground-penetrating bunker buster. As of 2013, the Pentagon is asking for an $11 billion life-extension program for the B61 bomb, which would be the most ambitious and expensive nuclear warhead refurbishment in history. In January 2014, former Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz confirmed that the B61-12 nuclear bomb upgrade would have enhanced accuracy and a lower yield with less fallout compared to previous versions of the weapon. Advertisement 'Weve cleaned up loose nuclear material around the globe, and gotten the Iran deal,' he said, referring to the decision made to reduce Iran's uranium stockpile 98 per cent. Foreign armies, especially those who have been historic enemies of America, have met its modern weapons with skepticism. Impact! Tests last year were the first time the missile has been tested in the air Russia called the B61-12 tests 'irresponsible' and 'openly provocative', while China said it was worried about plans for a nuclear tipped warhead. North Korea, who last week claimed to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, said its pursuit of dangerous weapons was justified due to the 'ever-growing nuclear threat' from the United States. North Korea last week claimed to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb (pictured, North Korean state TV announcing explosion with stock footage of atomic tests) The reclusive country (pictured, its leader Kim Jong-Un) said its pursuit of dangerous weapons was justified due to the 'ever-growing nuclear threat' from the United States The B61-12 has combined four existing versions of the B61 bomb into one, according to weapons experts at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). It said the precision missile would be developed by Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Boeing, who has already delivered more than 225,000 kits. At least 45 whales have died after mysteriously being washed up on to a beach off the coast of Tamil Nadu, India. Officials have confirmed that as many as 80 short-finned pilot whales had become stranded on the sand without any clear reason behind the spate of beached animals. Rescuers have managed to save 36 of the mammals, who appear to be struggling to find their way back in the sea. Scroll down for video: Tuticorin government official Ravi Kumar said today that the whales began to be washed up on beaches late last night Rescuers try to save one whale from drying out on the sand at Manapad beach in Tuticorin district Tuticorin government official Ravi Kumar said today that the whales began to be washed up on beaches late last night. Video footage has emerged of the animals lying on the sand, wriggling as they strength weakens without fresh water. Mr Kumar said that officials had rescued and taken at least 36 of the mammals back to sea, but that they appeared to be disoriented, with some finding their way back to the beach. Local records show that the last time whales washed up on the beaches of Tuticorin in large numbers was in 1973 when 147 whales died, Kumar said. Whale expert Kumaran Sathasivam told the BBC that it is difficult to rescue stranded whales because they need to be returned to the sea at the same time. 'Otherwise, they will return to be with the whale that is in distress. The whales emanate a sound that is not audible to human beings and that makes them return to the shore. 'Also, because of their weight they are not able to get back into the water and their bodies gets overheated, and they die on the shore. 'You need to constantly pour water on them because their bodies are covered in a layer of fat,' he said. Locals have been trying to save as many of the whales as they can but many of the animals have died At least 45 whales have died after they were washed up off the coast of Tamil Nadu, India Officials have confirmed that as many as 80 short-finned pilot whales and some dolphins had become stranded on the sand Short-finned pilot whales are well known for being sociable creatures, who rarely swim alone The drying out bodies of the whales litter the sands of Tuticorin in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu Local fishermen and rescue volunteers have managed to drag some of the whales back into the sea but the animals keep washing up on the beach. Mr Kumar said that short-finned pilot whales travel in groups or pods, and that the absence of a leader confuses the group. 'This is an unusual thing...an unusual mortality incident, we have to find out the reason,' Marine Scientist Velumani at the fisheries department told One India. Short-finned pilot whales are well known for being sociable creatures, who rarely swim alone. It is possible the whales are from one large pod, which became disoriented and ended up being unable to escape the shallows of the water. Several of the short-finned whales lie in the shallows of the water, desperately clinging on for life Local fishermen and rescue volunteers have managed to drag some of the whales back into the sea but the animals have keep washing up on the beach It is possible the whales are from one large pod, which became disoriented and ended up being unable to escape the shallows of the water The silk shirts Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman wore for his chat with Sean Penn were becoming a must-have today in another surreal twist to the fallout from his arrest. The revelation the Hollywood star unwittingly led authorities to the world's most wanted man after agreeing to meet him for a magazine interview, has already made headlines around the world. Now the clothing firm behind the shirts El Chapo donned for his audience with the American actor has taken advantage of their headline-making handshake to use the violent narco as a star salesman. Scroll down for video Most wanted: The silk shirts Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman wore for his chat with Sean Penn were becoming a must-have today in another surreal twist to the fallout from his arrest Los Angeles-based Barabas has published the photo of the pair meeting at the Mexican fugitive's jungle hideout on its website under the caption 'Most Wanted' Los Angeles-based Barabas has published the photo of the pair meeting at the Mexican fugitive's jungle hideout on its website under the caption 'Most Wanted' offering customers the chance of a free 'El Chapo' shirt for every Like on Facebook and Instagram. The picture of Penn and the drugs trafficker has been posted on the site alongside another of a male model wearing the same $128 'Fantasy' Men's button down shirt. It is also advertising the other shirt El Chapo used for his chat with the actor - a 'Crazy Paisley' - alongside a photo of the drugs lord wearing the garment. Observers who have taken to Twitter to comment on the bizarre promotion. At one point overnight the firm's website appeared to go down because of the number of people trying to access the page. It is also advertising another shirt El Chapo used for his chat with the actor - a 'Crazy Paisley' - alongside a photo of the drugs lord wearing the garment The shirt El Chapo wore for his handshake with Penn - which contrasted with the dirty vest he had on when he was arrested after escaping through sewers from a hideout attacked by marines last Friday - was receiving mixed reactions today. Mexican Eder Corona tweeted: 'El Chapo's style advisor should also go to jail.' A local in Los Mochis where the Mexican was held, tweeting under a pseudonym, added unsympathetically: 'I have a shirt like El Chapo's to cover my cat when he's cold.' But others went online to complain Barabas' website had crashed as they tried to buy the garment. And Monterrey-based Denisse Garza Elizondo messaged Barabas' Facebook page to ask: 'I want one. Do they have a female version?' Local journalist Alex Erazo, observing the bizarre race to take a leaf out of El Chapo's wardrobe, added: 'Has everyone bought their Barabas shirt so they can feel like a drugs trafficker?' In a message posted on its website under a section titled 'Barabas Philosophy of Fashion', the company states: 'At Barabas we bring philosophy and fashion together presenting our view of the world that we surround ourselves in while living out good words, good thoughts, good deeds.' El Chapo, now facing extradition to the States, has built an empire built on bloodshed and is regarded as the godfather of the drug world. El Chapo (pictured after his recapture), now facing extradition to the States, has built an empire built on bloodshed and is regarded as the godfather of the drug world Sean Penn has been branded deluded after meeting El Chapo for an interview for Rolling Stone magazine following the drug lord's July escape from a maximum-security prison. Mexican authorities have said they want to talk to the 55-year-old. The meeting was arranged through famous Mexican soap actress Kate del Castillo, who has faced a backlash after the deal she brokered emerged. Her father, actor Eric del Castillo, has insisted: 'We are calm. My daughter is calm. Former vice presidential candidate John Edwards is competing to lead private litigation against Volkswagen over its emissions cheating scandal. The former U.S. Senator, a Democrat, was a trial lawyer in North Carolina before his political career was felled by a sex scandal after it emerged he had an affair with actress Rielle Hunter - who then gave birth to their daughter. Last Friday, he sent a letter to U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer of San Francisco asking to be appointed to the powerful plaintiffs' steering committee. The case, which lumps together class action suits on behalf of more than 500,000 Volkswagen owners or lease-holders, is being touted as a 'goldmine' for lawyers. Last Friday, former vice presidential candidate John Edwards (pictured) sent a letter to U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer of San Francisco asking to be appointed to the powerful plaintiffs' steering committee Plaintiffs lawyers view the Volkswagen case as a potential goldmine. The litigation in San Francisco is a consolidation of hundreds of class actions for 500,000 owners of Volkswagen diesel vehicles 'This case has ingredients I've spent my life working on,' Edwards told Reuters in an interview on Monday. The litigation against Volkswagen, he said, requires trial expertise, regulatory know-how and a global perspective. In his letter, Edwards highlighted his acquaintance with foreign heads of state, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel. His work with international leaders, he said, gives him 'a deep understanding of the global impact' of cases like Volkswagen's. A Volkswagen representative did not immediately respond to an email request for comment. Edwards has attempted to keep a low profile since his political career was destroyed by his affair with actress Rielle Hunter, who gave birth to their daughter Frances Quinn in 2008. The scandal destroyed his marriage to wife Elizabeth, who then died in 2010 following a six-year illness. And months later, he was charged in connection with nearly $1 million in contributions that were allegedly intended to cover up an extramarital affair he conducted while he was running for president in 2008. He avoided jail after the jury could not reach a verdict on all charges at the 2012 trial, and the Justice Department dropped remaining counts. In 2014, his eldest daughter Cate, who has studied law at both Harvard and Princeton, told the Washington Post that she stands by her father despite his discrepancies. And last year, Rielle Hunter issued a public apology on the Huffington Post for exposing her affair with Edwards - as she promoted a new edition of her book What Really Happened: John Edwards, Our Daughter And Me. Plaintiffs lawyers view the Volkswagen case as a potential goldmine. The litigation in San Francisco is a consolidation of hundreds of class actions filed on behalf of more than 500,000 owners and lease-holders of Volkswagen diesel vehicles. Lawyers for individual car owners have said their clients expect the automaker to repurchase cars allegedly marketed with false claims about toxic emissions and fuel efficiency. They have also said they will seek punitive damages against Volkswagen, which has admitted that it installed software to allow 580,000 vehicles to emit up to 40 times legally allowable pollution. An appointment as lead counsel or as a member of the steering committee means the lawyer's firm will play a key strategic role in the case. Lead lawyers typically have a say in how court-awarded legal fees are divided among plaintiffs firms. Edwards returned to the practice of law in 2013 after a federal jury in North Carolina acquitted him of accepting illegal campaign contributions. Edwards' firm, Edwards Kirby, has offices in North Carolina, California and Washington, D.C., and handles mostly high-profile North Carolina wrongful death lawsuits, he said. He has been involved in a New York federal antitrust lawsuit over alleged manipulation of a benchmark for crude oil prices and was scheduled to try a 2015 bellwether case against C.R. Bard in the consolidated litigation over transvaginal mesh. That case settled before trial. His Volkswagen lead counsel application acknowledged his dearth of experience in running enormous class actions like this case, and noted that 'other applicants have significantly more.' Other well-known lawyers seeking to join the VW steering committee include David Boies, who has represented same-sex couples, Presidential candidate Al Gore and the now-defunct music file-sharing service Napster at the U.S. Supreme Court. Edwards (pictured, left, with late ex-wife Elizabeth in 2005) left politics after it emerged he had an affair with actress Rielle Hunter, who gave birth to their daughter Frances Quinn in 2008 (pictured together, right, in 2009) This is a shot of Edwards with his family in 2001 before the scandal emerged. He sits in the family home with wife Elizabeth, and daughters Cate (left), then 18, and Emma Claire (second right), then aged three Democratic Presidential hopeful, John Edwards, watches and listens as his wife Elizabeth introduces him at the start of a town hall gathering at Theodore Roosevelt High School Gymnasium in Des Moines, Iowa, in 2007 Obama stands with Edwards, who had been his challenger for the Democratic nomination, at a rally with supporters in the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in May 2008 Boies was appointed in 2015 to serve on the steering committee in litigation over General Motors' ignition switch defect and Takata Corp's allegedly defective airbags. Many of the lawyers who submitted applications to lead the Volkswagen litigation have previously run big-ticket cases. Among them are the chief plaintiffs' negotiator in BP PLC's $5 billion settlement of claims from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, lawyers who led a $1.1 billion case against Toyota Motor Corp over an alleged sudden acceleration defect, and plaintiffs' counsel in several antitrust class actions that have ended with settlements of hundreds of millions of dollars. If car owners eventually reach a global settlement with Volkswagen, the legal fees could be enormous. In litigation over Toyota's alleged sudden acceleration defect, for instance, lawyers were awarded $200 million in 2013, nearly 20 percent of the automaker's $1.1 billion settlement. Lawyers who negotiated a $5.7 billion antitrust settlement with Visa and MasterCard in 2012 are slated to receive $545 million in fees. This is a shot of the sprawling family home Edwards and his family shared in North Carolina Fees will be lower if Volkswagen resolves owners' claims outside of the consolidated U.S. litigation. The company has named victims compensation expert Kenneth Feinberg to create a settlement program that will operate independently from the court case. There is also a possibility that Volkswagen will try to settle claims of U.S. car owners through Dutch, German or British proceedings. Edwards said if he is chosen for the steering committee in the U.S. case he will fit right in, despite his celebrity. Last month, he attended the first pre-trial hearing in the case. 'I knew a big percentage of the people in the courtroom, from my legal practice and from running for president,' he said. 'It was a great chance to catch up.' A retired policeman claims to have captured a picture of a ghost carrying the body of a witch on a stretcher. Chris Halton, 55, was visiting one of Britain's most haunted houses - called the Cage - and took the picture on Coffin Alley which runs behind the property. It was there he claimed to see a hooded figure clutching a stretcher and two fainter figures following after him. Chris Halton took this picture along Coffin Alley in St Osyth, which he said showed a man carrying a stretcher The ex-policeman took this picture, which he claimed showed two figures following the man with the stretcher The Cage, in St Osyth village in Essex, served as a prison for those convicted of witchcraft in the Elizabethan era. Fourteen women were imprisoned while awaiting trial, including Ursula Kemp who was executed in 1582. She was reportedly the most powerful and notorious of all the women, making her living as a midwife and a healer. She had a reputation of removing spells from locals who thought they were being attacked by black magic and many would go to her for medicines. The building was still being used as a jail right up until the early 20th century. In light of this, Mr Halton - who retired as a police officer to investigate ghosts full-time - paid a visit to the house dubbed one of the 'UK's most haunted houses' by TV series Great British Ghosts. He left the property around midnight and walked down Coffin Alley, which was said to have been used to remove the bodies of witches who died while held at the cottage. The outline around the spooky figures appear to show the 'ghosts' carrying a stretcher The former policeman now investigates ghosts full-time and so paid a visit to The Cage in St Osyth The Cage carries a plaque on the wall stating how Ursula Kemp was imprisoned there before being 'hanged for being a witch in 1582'. It is believed 14 witches were kept in chains there in the 16th century Mr Halton said: 'I left just after midnight and visited the alley as I had heard stories about how the alley was used to carry away the bodies of these supposed witches in the dead of night so no one would notice. 'The alley was really dark and completely empty. It was very creepy, silent and still as there was no traffic or people about. 'I just took a couple of pictures with the flash on just to document it like I had throughout the house. As soon as I looked at one of them I saw there was some light distortion on it but I just thought it was something wrong on the picture. 'It was when I got home and looked at it properly that I saw the clear shape of a hooded figure wearing Elizabethan clothing and carrying a stretcher. 'Behind him were two other, much fainter, figures following after him, wearing what looked like late medieval peasant clothing, one carrying a stick or staff. 'I was shocked. I have seen a lot of ghost pictures but it is very rare that anything significant is caught on camera. This was quite extraordinary. There was definitely no one there when I took the picture. 'I think they are residual apparitions, replays of an event that happened a long time ago, which is why they didn't see or interact with me.' He added: 'The reaction I have had from people was mainly astonishment - though some were shocked and even terrified by it. 'It is a remarkable picture and a chance moment. The odds of capturing something like that are very slim.' Mr Halton took the picture while visiting the Cage, which has Coffin Alley running behind the property Author Micky Rawlings is currently staying in the Cage after owner Vanessa Mitchell, 37, moved out in 2012 amid claims she had encountered 12 ghosts at the two-bedroom cottage. She claimed the ghosts tried to hit her from behind, pull her hair and tried to shove visitors down the stairs. She said the final straw was when she spotted a shadowy figure lurking over the cot of her infant son, Jesse. Mr Rawlings, who is currently researching a documentary about the supernatural, said: 'I'm not a religious man and yet I go to bed every night clutching a crucifix for my own safety. 'After a few days, I got to learn the natural noises of the house. Now the non-natural noises keep my awake at night.' Sean Penn's meetings to discuss how to deal with the fallout after his secret meeting with Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman were heard by 'half of Hollywood', it has been reported. The actor is said to have turned the Beverly Hills Hotel's Polo Lounge, which was packed for the upcoming Golden Globes awards, into his 'war room' to figure out how to deal with the controversy after their liaison. Guzman was recaptured in an early morning raid in his home state of Sinaloa on Friday, six months after staging a daring escape from a maximum security prison in Mexico. Sean Penn (left) announced his plans to meet with recaptured drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman (right) to 'half of Hollywood', it has been reported Guzman (pictured last week) was recaptured in an early morning raid in his home state of Sinaloa on Friday, six months after staging a daring escape from a maximum security Mexican prison 'The place was packed for the Golden Globes. He was standing up while talking to them,' a 'spy' told American website Page Six. They said he was consulting with a crack team that included a former State Department staffer and a political consultant, but 'neglected to consider half of Hollywood could hear everything they were saying'. Even before the story of his meeting with Guzman emerged, he was said to be 'running around... the Washington Post, strategizing as much as possible'. 'They were loudly talking about El Chapo. Everyone was thinking, 'Is that his next project?' Then, the story hit,' Page Six quoted their 'spy' as saying. Sean Penn has said he has no regrets about his clandestine visit to interview the drug kingpin, telling AFP in a brief email exchange: 'I've got nothin' to hide.' 'The place (pictured, Beverly Hills Polo Lounge) was packed for the Golden Globes. He was standing up while talking to them,' a 'spy' is quoted as saying of Penn's meeting Penn (left, with Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez) has said he has no regrets about his clandestine visit to interview the drug kingpin He did not respond directly to questions on whether it was appropriate for him to submit his Rolling Stone story to Guzman for approval before publication. Extraordinary photos, said to be taken by Mexican intelligence services, showed Penn arriving in Mexico before flying to a jungle camp for the meeting with Guzman in October. The pictures, published by Mexican newspaper El Universal, appeared to have been taken with a telephoto lens from long distance. Intelligence sources said the Oscar nominated actor's meeting with Guzman helped the government catch the fugitive drug lord. Five Sinaloa cartel members were killed by the Mexican marines, and six arrested, after the raid on Guzman's compound at 4am on Friday. Graphic photographs taken inside the kingpin's compound showed bodies strewn across the blood stained floor following firefight. A video released by Mexico's presidential press office showed Mexican navy marines storming the compound where Guzman had been hiding Inside the room in the compund where five alleged gang members were killed in the military operation which resulted in Guzman's recapture Extraordinary photos, said to be taken by Mexican intelligence services, showed Penn arriving in Mexico before flying to a jungle camp for the meeting with Guzman Guzman made another of his infamous escapes, slipping out through a sewer system with his right hand man El Cholo Ivan. They were both arrested at a nearby motel in the town of Los Mochis a few hours later and El Chapo has been returned to the same maximum security Altiplano prison he escaped from six months ago. Mexican authorities are now working with the U.S. to extradite Guzman to America where he also faces drug-related charges. Guzman's prison break in July was his second, and authorities hope incarceration in the United States will insure he stays behind bars. The head of extradition for the Mexican Attorney General's Office says it probably will take at least a year to extradite Guzman. Officials had previously estimated a six-month minimum, but Jose Manuel Merino told local media that the extradition would probably take 'one year or longer'. While the Mexican government works on extraditing El Chapo, he has been housed in the same Altiplano prison he escaped from through a tunnel six months ago El Chapo will have limited access to visitors at the prison (pictured, a soldier patrolling outside yesterday), according to Mexico's National Security Minister, Renato Sales Heredia, who toured it yesterday Merino told Radio Formula that the length of the process would depend on how hard the defendant's lawyers fight each stage. Merino said the process had lasted as long as six years, in one case. The Attorney General's Office issued a statement Sunday it's started the extradition mechanism by notifying Guzman that two arrest warrants from the U.S. are being processed. The son of a Russian oligarch has been detained by police over allegations of raping and beating his model ex-girlfriend after she dumped him. Anna Lisovskaya, 22, a former boarding school student in England, claims he sexually abused her and kicked her before locking her in a laundry room in his luxury Moscow penthouse. 'I am in a hospital with my nose broken and concussion, under guard,' she said. 'I'm afraid for my life, because he promised to finish me off saying that he'll pay off the police.' Attack: Model Anna Lisovskaya (pictured), 22, has revealed the terror of waking up to find her ex-boyfriend, the son of a Russian oligarch, raping her Abuse: Ms Lisovskaya (pictured), 22, who went to boarding school in England, claimed he raped her, kicked her and then locked her up in a laundry room in his Moscow penthouse 'He beat me all over my body, kicking me, broke my nose,' Ms Lisovskaya (right) said of her former boyfriend, Alexander Sharygo (left), 21, who is the son of a reclusive Russian tycoon She showed MailOnline photos of the injuries she suffered as a result of the alleged rape and those of the man she claims attacked her. Her former boyfriend, Alexander Sharygo, 21, also educated in Britain, was this week detained in Moscow for two months on suspicion of rape and beating. Sharygo denies all the allegations. He gave himself up to police voluntarily and will now be interrogated by Russian police. His father is reclusive Russian tycoon Konstantin Sharygo, believed to be based in Monaco. Another young woman currently living in Britain has also claimed she was kicked and beaten by Sharygo in London when she was 16. Russian police are said to want her assistance in the investigation. It is unclear if any complaint to police was made in the UK. After giving two hours of testimony to police, Ms Lisovskaya said from her hospital bed: 'These are the bruises I can show. Injuries: Footage from after the alleged attacked showed a hysterical looking Ms Lisovskaya covered in bruises on her shoulder (pictured), legs and inner thighs Beaten: Ms Lisovskaya claims Sharygo's father threatened her after the attack (pictured, her bruises) and offered her $20,000 to withdraw her complaint Victim: Ms Lisovskaya (pictured) said the attack happened on January 7, a few months after they had split up, when he persuaded her to spend the Orthodox Christmas holiday with him Shocked: Ms Lisovskaya (pictured) said she was fully dressed when the two fell asleep after having dinner but when she woke at around 5am, he dragged her onto the floor and started beating her 'He beat me all over my body, kicking me, broke my nose, dragged me holding my hair. I was screaming. 'But in the apartment block where it happened there are almost no residents and no-one heard.' She said the attack happened after the couple spend time together on January 7 - Orthodox Christmas Day. He beat me all over my body, kicking me, broke my nose, dragged me holding my hair. I was screaming Anna Lisovskaya They had split several months earlier, but Sharygo persuaded her to spend this holiday with him. She added: 'We went to a store. He bought a bottle of whisky and started drinking. We made dinner at home. 'He was trying to to convince me to have sex but I told him nothing would happen.' She was fully dressed when they both fell asleep. 'About 5am, I woke up from acute pain,' she said. 'He dragged me on the floor and started beating me up. 'He was screaming that he wouldn't accept my refusal. He beat me all over my body. Then he raped me and after that locked me up in a storeroom, a laundry room.' A graduate of the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, she hopes to do a Masters Degree at the London School of Economics. Accused: Sharygo (pictured), who was also educated in Britain, was this week detained in Moscow for two months on suspicion of rape and beating Suspect: Ms Lisovskaya told MailOnline that Sharygo (pictured) tried to convince her to have sex on the night of the attack but she turned him down History: Another young woman currently living in Britain has also claimed she was kicked and beaten by Sharygo (pictured) in London when she was 16 Threat: Ms Lisovskaya (left) claims Sharygo (right) messaged her after the attack to tell her: 'Maybe tomorrow, week, month but I will see you... And when I see you I'll smash your f****** face' Alone: Ms Lisovskaya (right, with Sharygo) claimed he attacked her in a Moscow apartment block where there were no residents She also gave details of his social media postings to her soon after the attack, when she claims he threatened her further while also alleging his father has contacted her seeking to get her to drop her accusations. TRANSCRIPT OF FORMER COUPLE'S SOCIAL MEDIA CONVERSATION AFTER ALLEGED ATTACK 18.48 - Sharygo: I will find you, crud 18.49 - Sharygo: But next time I see you 18.49 - Sharygo: Maybe tomorrow, week, month but I will see you 18.49 - Sharygo: And when I see you I'll smash your f****** face 18.49 - Sharygo: So that it's easier for you 18.49 - Sharygo: ;-) 18.49 - Sharygo: Believe me, I will get off this 18.49 - Sharygo: Just wait and be scared Another conversation they had on WhatsApp: 20.07 - Sharygo: Why are you doing that to me? 20.07 - Sharygo: Why? 20.07 - Sharygo: Be a human 20.09 - Sharygo: Anna, reply 20.09 - Sharygo: What do you want me to do for you to cancel the complaint 20.15 - Sharygo: ??? 20.07 - Sharygo: Answer the question 20.20 - Lisovskaya: You jump on a 50-kg girl, beat her up all night with your feet and fists, locking her up in laundry room, so that I don't scream and no one can hear me - it's weird... I have a concussion and my nose is broken... I asked you to call the ambulance for me all night 20.20 - Lisovskaya: You said you wanted me to die 20.20 - Lisovskaya: You said you wanted to kill me and regret not killing me last night Advertisement She told MailOnline: 'We were introduced to each other two years ago in Monaco where I was on a family holiday but a lot of our mutual friends warned me that he was using drugs. 'So I decided to split from him. 'But Alexander belongs to the "golden youth" which knows no limits. 'He's living on his parents' money, doing nothing, at the moment he's not studying or working anywhere. 'Yesterday I was contacted by a young woman who doesn't want her name to be mentioned or her face shown. 'But she told me that he beat her a few years ago in London. 'She was a little girl at the time. 'Another girl told me he beat her up on December 31. 'She wanted to help me but she's afraid of him and his parents. 'That's why she refused to comment. She's afraid he'll get away with everything. 'She told me everything on the phone and asked me not to publish it. ' Ms Lisovskaya said: 'I'm not afraid and I want him to bear responsibility for his actions. 'I received threats from a member of his family calling from a hidden phone number. 'They also offered me $20,000 to recall my complaint. 'It hurts me so much that they think that if they have money, they can do anything. 'Without thinking they're doing something terribly wrong. 'No one has said even a word of apology to me.' She added: 'I studied in London in my childhood, in a boarding school. He also lived and studied there. And the other girl who says he beat her was also living in London.' Trouble: The former couple met in Monaco two years ago but Ms Lisovskaya said she dumped him after her friends said he was using drugs Educated: A graduate of the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Ms Lisovskaya (pictured) now hopes to do a Masters Degree at the London School of Economics Freeloader: 'He's living on his parents' money, doing nothing, at the moment he's not studying or working anywhere,' Ms Lisovskaya said of her former boyfriend The alleged rapist's father made his money from the international transportation business in Moscow, it is understood. He now lives permanently abroad, say reports in Russia. Yulia Ivanova, a representative of Moscow branch of the Russian Investigative Committee, equivalent of the FBI, said the authorities' filed a criminal case against a 21-year-old resident of Moscow based on signs of crime provisioned by part 1 article 131 of the Criminal Code of Russian Federation 'Rape'.' A former star of The Apprentice has revealed that she was sexually assaulted by a gang of men in Pakistan as she filmed a BBC documentary. Saira Khan, who was runner up in the first series of the show, was assaulted while filming in a square during a religious holiday in 2007. The TV presenter, whose parents were raised in Pakistan, claims she was surrounded by men who groped and pressed up against her 'grabbing her boobs, bum and legs' as she tried to shoot scenes for a piece during Prophet Mohammeds birthday. Saira Khan, who was runner-up in the first series of The Apprentice, was assaulted while filming for the BBC in a Pakistan square during a religious holiday in 2007 The TV presenter, whose parents were raised in Pakistan, claims she was surrounded by men who groped and pressed up against her 'grabbing her boobs, bum and legs' as she tried to shoot scenes for a piece to camera She opened up to ITV's Loose Women about the horrifying moment she was assaulted before she was eventually rescued by a member of her crew. In a column for the Mail On Sunday, she also accused the BBC of ignoring the attack and the issue that 'Asian, Arab and African men grow up in societies where misogyny is the cultural norm'. She wrote: 'In 2007, I was asked by the BBC to travel to Pakistan and make a documentary. 'One particular shoot was to take place on the day when the Prophet Mohammeds birthday was celebrated. My all-male British team were nervous because thousands of Pakistani men were to gather in a square and I was to report from the crowd. 'I was determined to do the piece and naively I thought: "Nothing will happen to me, its a spiritual day." She also opened up to ITV's Loose Women about the horrifying moment she was assaulted before she was eventually rescued by a member of her crew It comes after a spate of sexual attacks in Cologne, Germany where there have been 516 reports of women being attacked by a group of men described as North African 'I was dressed in the native shalwaar kameez long baggy trousers and a tunic to cover my body. I wore a scarf around my head to show respect. 'All that was visible were my hands and face. With much persuasion, my director David allowed me to walk by myself near a crowd of men. 'I realised within five minutes what an idiot I had been I was the only woman in this crowd. I was spotted and within minutes a group of men had circled me and hands were all over me while bodies pressed up against mine. I was rescued by our burly fixer who carried me out. 'I was shaking and shocked and I was angry at myself for being so naive after everything I had grown up with.' It comes after a spate of sexual attacks in Cologne, Germany where there have been 516 reports of women being attacked by a group of men described as North African. She said: 'Understanding how African and Asian men view and treat women in their own countries is crucial when dealing with the migrant crisis because only when we understand their cultural practices can we help them to integrate. They need to understand that women are deemed equal to men in Western societies. 'Here in the West, we need to stop burying our heads in the sand and accept that Asian, Arab and African men grow up in societies where misogyny is the cultural norm. We need to talk about it so we can change it. 'Ignoring it, like the BBC did, is just condoning it. If we are allowing people to come in, we must also make sure that we are not blinded by some truths which are hard to swallow. The group of men are shown swearing their allegiance to ISIS's leader Second fighter delivers the same message in Somali, appealing for help ISIS fighters in Libya have released a new video showing two fighters calling for al-Shabaab fighters to join ISIS's new franchise in Somalia. Speaking fluently in English, one of the fighters, most likely of Somali origin, urges people in his homeland to turn against al-Shabaab and join a small number of ISIS fighters who have rebelled against al-Shabaab and are now fighting for ISIS. The video is titled 'A message to our brothers in Somalia', with the scripted speech relayed by both an English fighter and another Somali speaker. English speaking ISIS fighter urges Somalis to leave al-Shabaab and join ISIS's new branch in Somalia A small group of African fighters in Libya deliver their message, possibly filmed near the city of Sirte Ten fighters are shown sitting under a small tree, located close to the ISIS-held city of Sirte in central Libya. The English speaking fighter, known only as Saif al-deen al-Somaal, urges Somalis to join the small ISIS franchise in Somalia, mainly made up of rebellious al-Shabaab fighters. 'O mujahideen (jihadis) in Somalia, o mujahideen who give bayah (allegiance) to the caliphate. Congratulations. We love you for the sake of Allah.' 'We call upon you to be steadfast, to be firm, to always be strong and know that Allah is with you. 'To the mujahideens in al-Shabaab, we call upon you to put aside your pride and arrogance and your blind following of your leaders who lack wisdom,' he says. He then threatens al-Shabaab fighters, asking them what they will say on the day of judgement when questioned by Allah. 'Fear Allah in dealing with the Muslims. Fear Allah for spilling the blood of the Muslims who have given Bayah (allegiance). 'Remember that fathers fought against the Crusaders. You are in the same ranks as the Crusaders, killing mujahideen who have given bayah. 'Fear Allah for spilling the blood of Muslims for it is the greatest injustice,' he claims. 'To the mujahideens in al-Shabaab, we call upon you to put aside your pride and arrogance and your blind following of some of leaders who lack wisdom,' he says The video appears to be slickly made and in high definition quality with subtitles in Arabic The two fighters wear scarfs over their face to hide their identity. It is likely they are both of Somali origin The jihadi group have previously tried to encourage al-Shabaab fighters to turn against al-Qaeda and join ISIS A small group of al-Shabaab fighters released a propaganda video several months ago, declaring they had defected to ISIS. The al-Qaeda affiliated group al-Shabaab reacted aggressively, hunting down the ISIS dissenters in a series of ambushes and attacks. Despite ISIS's territorial gains in Iraq, Syria and parts of Afghanistan and Libya, it holds no real territory in Somalia. It remains keen to expand in the Horn of Africa, looking to form a new franchise, made up of rebellious fighters formerly with al-Shabaab. In Libya ISIS have held the Libyan city of Sirte since May 2015 and has been attempting to gain ground near the oilfields of Ajdabiya. The jihadi group was pushed out of the eastern city of Dernah in mid June 2015 and has recently claimed to have captured the town of Bin Jawad, near Sirte. However ISIS in Libya have started to come under pressure from other militias and there remains talk of coalition airstrikes coming in to clean out the jihadi group from Libya. The Libyan National Army have claimed that fighter jets, reportedly belonging to France, carried out airstrikes on an ISIS convoy on Sunday near the Libyan city of Sirte. It is not the first time ISIS have released propaganda videos showing African fighters calling for jihadis to turn their back on al-Shabaab and join ISIS. The jihadi group have previously tried to encourage al-Shabaab fighters to turn against al-Qaeda and join ISIS with videos of Somali fighters in Syria and Iraq. The small battalion of men are shown swearing their allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ISIS have held the city of Sirte since May 2015 and has been attempting to gain ground near the oilfields of Ajdabiya The jihadi group was pushed out of the eastern city of Dernah in mid June 2015 and has recently claimed to have captured the town of Bin Jawad, near Sirte But admits video is a playful stab at cultural differences between countries He dons stereotypical costumes and performs the kiss in slap stick fashion reveals why traditional greeting is so difficult before ranting about it A cheeky Brit comedian has become an internet star across the English Channel after taking aim at the traditional French greeting and unleashing a hilarious rant. Paul Taylor, originally from Canterbury, Kent, moved to Paris six years ago to chase his stand up dream but has struggled with France's intimate cultural welcoming. The 29-year-old posted a video, which has been viewed more than 1.3 million times, that mocks 'Le Bise' and reveals exactly why it is so difficult. Dream big: Paul Taylor moved to Paris six years ago to chase a career in stand up but has struggled with the 'Le Bise' welcoming The clip shows the comic performing the traditional kiss on each cheek when making a continental greeting with an over-the-top barb. He kisses one friend five times in slapstick fashion before launching into a rant about having to repeat the trick every time someone arrives at a party. The comic later reveals his secret for avoiding the inevitable greeting - pretending to be sick. Paul also brings attention to awkward situations caused by regional differences - explaining the confusing variations of the greeting around the country. The suave Brit even adopts stereotypical outfits as he plays regional characters from different areas in order to poke fun. The comic describes and mocks the traditional French greeting of kissing a friend on either cheek The 29-year-old kisses one friend five times in slapstick fashion before launching into a rant about why 'Le Bise' is so difficult But Paul admits that the idea, which he has been working on for 18 months, is more of a playful stab at cultural differences between his native country and his adopted nation than a genuine grievance. 'I can't believe how well the video has done - I said beforehand that I would be happy with even 1,000 views,' said Paul. 'I started out with 15 second clips and have developed it into a full thing with my friend Robert Hoehn who produced and directed the video. 'I think it has been popular because of the UK's relations with the French. Paul brings attention to regional differences and explains that there are confusing variations of the greeting around the country The comic adopts various outfits and regional characters from different areas of the country and pokes fun 'We are always taking the mickey out of each other but at the same time people see that there are similarities themselves in their own lives. 'Some people have trouble with the greeting but I think the French see that it is an English man who speaks French extremely well making fun out of them and they enjoy that.' While there are no plans for a follow-up to the sketch, the viral success has delayed preparation for Paul's solo on-stage debut. The rookie comedian made his stand-up bow recently with his Franglaise show in Paris and the hyped-up gig has already sold out for four weeks. Paul admits that the idea is more of a playful stab at cultural differences between his native country and his adopted nation Paul says he thinks the video has been popular because of the UK's relations with the French Paul said: 'I was supposed to be focusing on the stand-up but the popularity of the video has really affected my preparations. 'The show will be half in English and half in French and so we will see how it does, I'm a bit worried that not enough French people speak English well enough. 'As for the video, there are no plans for a follow-up just yet but I'm definitely interested in doing something after the stand-up run.' More information is available on Paul Taylor and French Fried Comedy on their respective websites. On the rise: The rookie comedian made his stand-up bow recently with his Franglaise show in Paris Jeremy Corbyn has been urged to ignore the 'hard left political class who sit around in their 1million mansions, eating their croissants at breakfast' following a 'disastrous' week. Dave Watts, the former chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party, said Mr Corbyn had committed a string of unforced errors in last week's reshuffle. The remarks emerged as the Labour leader's reshuffled team met in Westminster for the first time - a week later than planed after the prolonged changes forced the cancellation of the new year gathering of Labour's top MPs. Scroll down for video Jeremy Corbyn's new shadow cabinet, pictured at its first meeting in Westminster today, gathered following claims from Lord Watts that the changes made last week had been 'disastrous' The reshuffle included the controversial appointment of Emily Thornberry, far left at today's meeting, to the shadow defence secretary post Four front benchers quit Mr Corbyn's team in protest at the reshuffle, which featured controversial sackings of Michael Dugher and Pat McFadden, and the appointment of Emily Thornberry as shadow defence secretary. Catherine McKinnell quit as shadow attorney general yesterday, blaming the negative direction of Labour under Mr Corbyn's leadership. She was replaced by Karl Turner, who also attended today's meeting. In his maiden speech to the House of Lords, during debate on the Trade Union Bill, Lord Watts said: 'I say to my own party leadership that last week was disastrous for us. 'When we should have been concentrating on holding the Government to account for the floods and for this Bill, we involved ourselves in an unnecessary reshuffle. 'We lost two of our best communicators, Michael Dugher and Kevan Jones.' Lord Watts continued: 'My advice to my own party leadership is that they should take less notice of the London-centric, hard-left political class who sit around in their 1million mansions, eating their croissants at breakfast and seeking to lay the foundations for a socialist revolution. 'It is not the job of the parliamentary Labour party to sit around developing ultra-left-wing policies that make it feel good. 'It is its job and responsibility to come forward with policies that will help us to win the next general election. Lord Watts, a new Labour peer pictured making his maiden speech last night, used his first appearance in the House of Lords to launch a stinging attack on Mr Corbyn's reshuffle 'For those who do not want to take on that task, can I suggest that they join a society in which they can enjoy sitting around having a philosophical debate about the meaning of socialism? 'Working people need a practical Labour party and trade union movement that will address their practical, day-to-day issues.' Mr Corbyn triggered fury yesterday with a radio interview which suggested he was keen to give party members a vote on Labour's Trident policy. Currently, the official party line is backing for four new submarines to renew Britain's nuclear deterrent. But Mr Corbyn, a life long believer in unilateral disarmament, is known to be keen to make a change. Speaking to the BBC Today programme he reinforced fears within Labour he would try to change the party's rules to make such a change easier. Mr Corbyn said: 'I want members to have a big say in it. Whether that comes as a vote of individual members or a vote of conference that will be decided, I haven't made up my mind.' But Paul Kenny, head of the GMB union, warned Mr Corbyn would not be allowed to abandon the policy without a fight. He told the BBC: 'If anybody thinks that unions like the GMB are going to go quietly into the night while tens of thousands of our members' jobs are literally swannied away by rhetoric then they've got another shock coming.' Mr Kenny said he would seek to convene a special conference of nuclear weapons industry workers to show how many jobs could be on the line were Mr Corbyn ever to implement a disarmament policy. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond today said Mr Corbyn's decision to sack a shadow minister for 'refusing to excuse the actions of terrorists' is a 'sad indictment' of Labour. The Foreign Secretary criticised the Labour leader's decision to remove Pat McFadden as shadow Europe minister - as he welcomed the replacement, Pat Glass, into the role. Mr McFadden lost his Opposition frontbench role for 'disloyalty', with the leadership said to have been infuriated by his thinly veiled criticism of Mr Corbyn's response to the Paris attacks and suggestion that security services should not 'shoot to kill' terrorists on the streets of London. Speaking in the Commons, Mr Hammond told Ms Glass: 'Let me first of all welcome you to your position on the frontbench - indeed, let me welcome all of the new frontbench team members across the Labour Party. All of them. 'Let me also pay tribute to the former shadow minister for Europe... it is a sad indictment of today's Labour Party that you get sacked for refusing to excuse the actions of terrorists who murder innocent people and threaten our way of life.' Mr Corbyn's revised team me for the first time today. From left, shadow defence secretary Emily Thornberry, Labour Party general secretary Ian McNicol, shadow chief secretary Seema Malhotra, Mr Corbyn, the Labour leader's PPS Steve Rotherham, deputy leader Tom Watson, shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander, shadow energy secretary Lisa Nandy, shadow Northern Ireland secretary Vernon Coaker, shadow Commons leader Chris Bryant and shadow transport secretary Lilian Greenwood. In the foreground is shadow chancellor John McDonnell, left, and shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn Also at today's meeting was, from left, shadow women and equalities minister Kate Green, shadow Scotland secretary Ian Murray, shadow mental health minister Luciana Berger and shadow young people and voter registration minister Gloria de Piero Sitting opposite Mr Corbyn was, from top left, chief whip Rosie Winterton, shadow justice secretary Lord Falconer, shadow home secretary Andy Burnham and shadow housing minister John Healey Bike ban: John Liddicoat, 47, (pictured) has been jailed for three-and-a-half-years and banned for life from riding a bike after a spate of bike thefts A prolific bicycle has become the first man in Britain to receive a life-time ban from riding a bike - or even venturing within four metres of one. John Liddicoat, 47, a heroin addict, has been jailed for three-and-half-years after his latest stealing spree. He will be hauled back to court after his release if he is spotted near a bike rack or on a bicycle - and faces five years in prison if he breaches the order. Plymouth Crown Court heard he has 48 convictions for 142 offences, including numerous thefts of bicycles and several burglaries. Judge Ian Lawrie said: 'He has a tendency to take anything which is not bolted down. You have an appalling record, you are incapable of behaving yourself and you have not learnt your lesson.' Liddicoat, of no fixed address, appeared over the videolink from Exeter Prison to admit his latest burglary on December 18. Piers Norsworthy, for the prosecution, said he targeted a garage attached to a house in Plymouth, Devon. Mr Norsworthy said the garage door was locked but someone used a tool to force the lock. The court heard a partial match to the defendant's DNA was found in the garage and he admitted the offence in police interview. He explained how the owner said Liddicoat had also stolen 20 bottles of wine she was saving for Christmas. Michael Green, acting for the defence, said the garage door had been left insecure. He also said Liddicoat had battled his heroin addiction for 28 years and had relapsed after the break-up of a relationship. The court heard Liddicoat faced a minimum of three years in jail, minus a discount for guilty plea, because he has at least three convictions for domestic burglary. Judge Lawrie said that courts had tried every alternative to prison, but each of those sentences had failed. He also passed an indefinite Criminal Behaviour Order which makes it an offence for Liddicoat to have a bicycle unless he can prove ownership of it. In addition to the bicycle ban, he was also barred from entering the University of Plymouth or any school or college, as these were the scenes of previous thefts. Liddicoat has been given a life-time ban from riding a bike or even going within four metres of one The 47-year-old has been banned from entering the University of Plymouth, the scene of many of his thefts Liddicoat is not the first thief to have been handed the unusual order, but is the first to receive a life-time ban. Last year, Graham Fox, 40, was banned for two years from riding bikes after he was convicted of numerous thefts in Oldham. He must also register a bike with police so they have an available description. A junior doctor has released a hilarious parody of Adele's Hello to publicise today's strikes over pay and working conditions. Mikey Warren recorded the video as the dispute over junior doctors' new contracts continued with thousands of medical staff joining picket lines from 8am. The Health Secretary has argued for changes including cutting the number of hours at weekends that workers can claim overtime for. Junior doctor Mikey Warren has released a hilarious parody of Adele's Hello to publicise today's strikes over pay The 24-year-old, who is named 'Guedel' - the medical name for airway - in the clip, used the video to address the reasons why he - and thousands of other staff - think the changes are inappropriate. He starts by asking: 'Hello Jeremy, I was wondering if after all these months you'd like to meet to go over the contract?' He then uses the spoof to argue Jeremy 'couldn't be more wrong' as the 'difference between 8pm on weekdays and weekends' is huge. Dr Warren also accuses Mr Hunt of 'lying' adding: 'The world needs to know that you lied about figures so say sorry and we can move on.' The black-and-white clip, which features Dr Warren looking forlornly out of a window and rolling on the floor, ends with a montage of photographs from previous strikes. It also states: 'Please support junior doctors. Protect your NHS.' Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, pictured today as thousands went on strike, has argued for changes to their pay and conditions including cutting the number of hours at weekends that workers can claim overtime for. Dr Warren, pictured (right) as Adele, disagrees Dr Warren told MailOnline he was currently working in a busy surgical department near Glasgow having trained for five years in Liverpool. He added: 'Junior doctor strike action is limited to English hospitals today but the video is a message of solidarity against what at least 98 per cent of junior doctors in England believe will be damaging contract changes by Jeremy Hunt and the Conservative Government. 'We are one NHS. The video itself may be silly, but the message is serious. The video itself may be silly, but the message is serious Mikey Warren 'We cannot let patients down by allowing these changes to go ahead. They are unsafe, they are unfair and they are not in best interests of the people who live, work and pay taxes in the UK.' It came as more than 50,000 medics started a 24-hour strike in a protest against changes. There are thought to be around 100 picket lines across England. The dispute is over Mr Hunt's desire to introduce a 'truly seven-day NHS'. His plans include cutting the number of hours on a weekend that junior doctors can claim extra pay. In the most recent proposals, doctors will receive an 11 per cent rise in basic pay - but extra pay for 'unsocial' hours will be cut. Under the present system shifts from 7pm to 7am Monday to Friday and the whole of Saturday and Sunday attract a premium rate of pay. But under the new plans, a higher rate would run from 10pm to 7am Monday to Friday and from 7pm on Saturday evenings (a concession on the previous 10pm). The strike has seen junior doctors - who earn around 22,600 in their first year as basic pay - halt everything but 'emergency care'. The video emerged as more than 50,000 medics started a 24-hour strike in a protest against changes. Above, junior doctors protest at Sandwell Hospital in the West Midlands Nursers and doctors on strike outside of St Thomas' Hospital, London. Junior doctors are only helping with 'emergency care' during the 24-hour strike Junior doctors on the picket line outside Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham held signs including 'not fair, not safe' and 'save our NHS' 'HELLO JEREMY, I WAS WONDERING IF AFTER ALL THESE MONTHS YOU'D LIKE TO MEET?' Mikey Warren has changed the lyrics to Adele's hit song, Hello, in a bid to tell Jeremy Hunt he is wrong about the new junior doctors' contracts. The singer is pictured (above) Mikey Warren has changed the lyrics to Adele's hit song Hello in a bid to tell Jeremy Hunt he is wrong about the new junior doctors' contracts. The original song, which focuses on nostalgia and regret, was the singer's second UK number one. Dr Warren's lyrics, which focus on the Health Secretary's decision and him not listening to doctors, are below. HELLO JEREMY - BY GUEDEL Verse 1 'Hello Jeremy, I was wondering if after all these months you'd like to meet to go over the contract? I know I said some things and I'm angry but I can't help the way I act. 'I'm in work Jeremy, I'm in A&E, people screaming and waiting ages to be seen and yet I'm hungry, need to pee. 'There's something I need to tell you before it all falls at our feet. There's such a difference between 8pm on weekdays and weekends.' Chorus 'So listen to the other side, we must have screamed 1,000 times to tell you we're sorry but you couldn't be more wrong and when we call you never seem to listen. 'It's time that you heard our side. The world needs to know that you lied about figures so say sorry and we can move on and we are the BMA so don't tear us apart.' Verse 2 'Hello Mr Smith I'm sorry to say your [operation's] postponed. 'We need to strike, yeah we have to fight this battle so we can win the war. It's no secret that most of us will be on the picket lines.' Chorus on repeat Advertisement It forced thousands of operations and appointments to be cancelled, with extra doctors, consultants and nurses drafted in in a bid to plug the gap. People have been warned to stay away from hospital and should only attend if absolutely necessary. The British Medical Association's junior doctors' leader, Johann Malawana, said conditions for junior doctors need to change. Dr Kitty Mohan, from the BMA's junior doctors committee, told the Today programme: 'The assurances simply aren't good enough here. 'We really need proper contractual safeguards in order to keep junior doctors - and their patients - safe.' Asked if doctors are prepared to go through with all planned strikes, she added: 'It is exceedingly difficult for junior doctors. This isn't the reason why we go into medicine and have a medical career. 'Even today is breaking the heart of many junior doctors and therefore we really urge the Government to negotiate with the BMA.' JK Rowling has revealed her house was broken into twice in a message of support to burglary victim and fellow writer Val McDermid. The best-selling crime author wrote a furious tweet on Monday blasting thieves who broke into her Stockport home over the weekend and stole her car. She said: 'If the gob*****s who burgled my house and stole my car at the weekend are on Twitter - I hope 2016 is as s****y as you deserve.' In response, Harry Potter author JK Rowling revealed she too had been burgled - twice. Crime author Val McDermid lashed out against the thieves who broke into her house and stole her car in a furious tweet, wishing them an unpleasant New Year JK Rowling replied with a compassionate tweet, asking if Ms McDermid was all right and revealing she had been robbed twice She said: 'You *were* being moderate! Really hope you're ok? It's happened to me twice and it's horrible.' Ms McDermid is currently on a book tour in the US and said her partner and son had been left to deal with the burglary. The thieves made off with her black Audi A6 estate, her son's Xbox and - according to another outraged tweet - her old Dyson vacuum cleaner. Ms Rowling previously had to deal with the theft of her mother's jewellery, just months after Anne Rowling died from multiple sclerosis in 1990. The author was 25 when burglars broke into her Manchester flat and stole the jewellery and her own charm bracelet. She later said she was left 'devastated' even though the items amounted to nothing next to the loss of her mother. Ms Rowling (left) was 'devastated' when thieves took the jewellery of her mother Anne, shortly after her death in 1990. She said burglaries like the one experienced by Ms McDermid (right) were 'horrible' The thieves took Ms McDermid's car, her son's Xbox and an old Dyson vacuum cleaner that the author kept under the stairs Ms McDermid explained in a series of Tweets that her house had been left with a broken window and 'nothing trashed'. She wrote: 'I'm fine, thanks. I'm actually on tour in the US so I got the "Darling, why isn't the car in the drive?" call... 'Luckily we seem to have had relatively neat burglars. One broken window, nothing trashed, just messy. 'It's cr*p all round. What's worst for me is that I'm away, partner and kid having to deal with it.' Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was one of many Twitter users who sent Ms McDermid, who grew up on the East Coast of Scotland, a message of support. She said: 'sorry to hear this. Hope everyone ok X' Ms McDermid responded: 'Thanks. Nobody hurt, nothing taken that can't be replaced. Just sorry I'm not there to deal with the crap myself.' Twitter users also sent out a plea for people to contact police if they spotted Ms McDermid's car. Officials in Hawaii are looking back to their roots- with lawmakers addressing the housing crisis by suggesting people live in traditional grass huts. Senator Suzanne Chun Oakland is introducing a bill to set aside land to build Native Hawaiian thatched homes, known as 'hale'. When detractors brought up whether these homes would include toilets, however, Chun Oakland didn't have a direct answer. Honolulu Democrat Suzanne Chun Oakland is introducing a bill to set aside land to build Native Hawaiian thatched homes. Pictured in April 2015, talking about a bill to help the homeless get their driver's licence The grass huts, known as 'hale', would be cheaper and more eco friendly than your average home. Critics, however, say they could pose safety hazards At a Housing and Homeless Task Force meeting on Monday, Chun Oakland said: 'There is an interest in recapturing some of the traditional ways of living among our people here in Hawaii.' The idea was originally proposed by cultural practitioner Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, who said: 'Officials creating housing solutions should take into account the culture of the people they're trying to help, including the fact that Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders have large extended families. 'We have a different culture other than what housing will allow. When you look at shelters, it's all based on the nuclear family, and that's not our culture.' Shannon Wood, co-founder of the Windward Ahupuaa Alliance, a nonprofit organization that advocates for smart growth solutions, said: 'This doesn't make any sense. This is 2016, not 1616.' Wood asked whether there would be toilets in the huts, and Chun Oakland said the details haven't been fully worked out. Other critics say the grass homes could pose safety hazards. The Legislature approved a law in 2007 pushing the idea of traditional Hawaiian architecture as a solutions to the state's housing and homelessness crisis. That bill required each of the state's counties to come up with their own permitting process within a year. But only Maui County complied with a building code for nonresidential structures. Kevin Burnham, who had served with Springfield Police Department in A retired Massachusetts police officer has been charged with stealing nearly $400,000 from the Springfield department's evidence locker over the course of five years. Kevin Burnham, a decorated and highly-respected officer who retired from the force in 2014 after 43 years, was released on personal recognizance after pleading not guilty Monday to seven larceny counts. Prosecutors say the 66-year-old former law enforcement official stole cash from evidence envelopes related to 170 drug investigations from 2009 until his retirement on July 25, 2014. Retired Massachusetts police officer Kevin Burnham, 66, arrives in court Monday to be arraigned on seven larceny counts stemming from allegations that he stole nearly $400,000 from the evidence room Something to smile about: Prosecutors say the 66-year-old former law enforcement official, pictured here posing with seized cash in 2012, stole money from evidence envelopes related to 170 drug investigations They allege Burnham - Springfield's longest-serving patrolman - took money when he recounted cash, and replaced money he stole with previously seized counterfeit banknotes or with newer bills put into circulation after the original seizure date. Burnham's attorney, Charles Dolan, says his client pleaded not guilty because the defense has no information about the nature and details of the allegations. The 66-year-old ex-cop was released on his own recognizance after he agreed to turn over his passport and guns, and notify a probation officer if he plans to travel out of state. He is due back in court January 19. Springfield's police commissioner and mayor expressed shock at the revelations concerning the decorated patrolman. 'Ive been a police officer in Springfield for 28 years. I cannot remember anything happening of this magnitude in this department,' Commissioner John Barbieri said at a press conference Monday, reported the station WWLP. Decorated cop: Burnham had served with the Springfield PD for 43 years, until his retirement in July 2014 Free man... for now: The ex-cop was released on his own recognizance after he pleaded not guilty and agreed to turn over his passport and guns, and notify a probation officer if he plans to travel out of state An article published by The Republican in July 2014 about Burnham's retirement quoted some of his colleagues as saying that the long-serving cop was a 'great guy' with an infectious laugh. Burnham told the paper at the time that he had the option of retiring a decade earlier but decided to stay on because he 'really enjoyed coming to work.' A photo published by the paper showed the ruddy, mustachioed cop posing proudly with thick stacks of $20 and $100 bills arranged on a table, alongside a semi-automatic handgun and ammunition seized in a drug raid in 2012. Allegations against Burnham first came to light in March 2015, just a few months after his pizza-and-cake retirement party, when an audit of all cash in the Springfield Police Department's evidence room found that $385,000 was unaccounted-for. A bikini barista who suffered horrific burns when her coffee kiosk in Washington state exploded last week has died from her injuries. Courtney Campbell, 25, the operator of Saints and Sinners Coffee in Everett, passed away Monday afternoon at Harborview Medical Center, according to hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg. Campbell sustained burns to 80 per cent of her body when her java kiosk was rocked by a blast at around 4.45pm on Thursday, turning the roadside cafe into a fireball. Scroll down for video Tragic death: Courtney Campbell (left and right), 25, a bikini barista from Washington state, passed away Monday, four days after suffering severe burns in a coffee stand explosion Fireball: A passerby captured a massive column of fire erupting from the java kiosk on January 7 Fire officials said a propane tank at the roadside cafe contributed to the deadly conflagration Inferno aftermath: Campbell's Saints and Sinners coffee stand in Everett was destroyed in the January 7 fire Burned to a crisp: The blaze also spread to a car in the nearby Shell gas station parking lot, destroying the vehicle An ambulance is seen leaving the scene of the devastating java kiosk blast last week The Everett Fire Department said in a statement the cause of the blaze remains under investigation, but officials believe a propane tank contributed to the fire. Photos and video taken by passersby at the scene show a column of orange flames shooting out from the small cafe Everett Mall Way next to a Shell gas station. Additional images posted on MyEverett.com depict the coffee stand fully engulfed in flames, and later scorched to a crisp. 'They were all the way up past the power lines there. They were pretty high,' an eyewitness described to KOMO-TV. The fire from Campbells stand also spread to a car parked nearby, destroying it. Campbell was able to escape the burning structure and was transported to the hospital, where she remained in critical condition in a medically induced coma throughout the weekend. Small business owner: Campbell bought the java kiosk (seen before the fire) on Everett Mall Way in March Doomed beauty: The 25-year-old blonde beauty, pictured in these images at work, was able to escape the burning kiosk and was taken to a hospital, where she remained in a medically induced coma for four days More than a barista: A friend described Campbell as a charitable person who was always willing to help her friends in need The 25-year-old entrepreneur is survived by two young daughters, ages 3 and 8. Campbell's friend Benn Scott, who is organizing a fundraising effort for her family, told KOMO-TV that the single mother-of-two bought the coffee kiosk in Everett last March and was working hard to turn it into a successful enterprise. According to the friend, she was looking to open a second location in the near future. I want to be able to wave a magic wand, make the burns go away, roll back the clock and get her out of the stand before the fire starts, Scott told the station KING5 while Campbell was still clinging to life. 'I can't do that, unfortunately.' Scott described Campbell as a kind and charitable person who was always willing to help her friends in need, including buying groceries for him and his roommate when they were strapped for cash. A benefit concert is being held on Saturday at Tony V's Garage in Everett to raise money for Campbell's two daughters. Courtneys sister, Jordan Campbell, also has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help her two orphaned nieces. Her family claim they have been told her medical bills could reach 400,000 But Thai doctors say she cannot be flown home for another 10 weeks She underwent emergency surgery to prevent infection and save her leg The 24-year-old lost her right kneecap and shattered her femur bone Tasha Hutchinson, from Wales, suffered horrific injuries when she was hit A young British backpacker is facing medical bills that could reach 400,000 after suffering horrific injuries to her right leg when she was hit by a taxi driver in Thailand. Accountancy graduate Tasha Hutchinson was on a six-month dream trip around Thailand when the moped she was travelling on was hit by the taxi driver who fell asleep at the wheel. She was left with terrible leg injuries and underwent emergency operations in a Phuket hospital to prevent infection and avoid an amputation. WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES Tasha Hutchinson (pictured), 24, is currently in a Thai hospital with her family facing mounting medical bills Pictured is Ms Hutchinson's leg after she lost her right kneecap and required skin grafts following the accident The accountancy graduate underwent emergency surgery (pictured) at a hospital in Phuket after a taxi driver fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into her The 24-year-old from Wales lost her right kneecap, shattered her femur and had muscle and skin removed. Tasha underwent emergency operations to save her limbs - and her father has been told by the Thai hospital her medical bills could reach 400,000. Her family are now battling to raise money to pay for several more weeks of medical treatment abroad before she is able to be flown home. Her father, Nigel Hutchinson, a driving instructor from Bridgend, South Wales, said: 'The injuries were horrifying. It was a horrible thing for a father to have see. 'She didn't have any insurance and so we've had to pay for all her treatment. Obviously money doesn't matter, but we've only got so much of it.' 'We're desperate to get her back home to have treatment in Britain but the doctors said she needs about another 10 weeks before she can be flown home. 'She's a strong girl, and she'll fight through it. She's very physical, loved going to the gym and was always going on long runs.' Her parents flew out from South Wales to Southeast Asia to pay for her treatment after her accident on December 28 - less than two months after she set off. She has so far undergone three surgical operations and several blood transfusions for her rare B negative blood type. Mr Hutchinson and his family are desperate to get her back home to Britain with their funds beginning to run out. Friends have taken to crowdfunding website Gofundme to help keep her treatment going. Ms Hutchinson's parents flew out from South Wales to Southeast Asia to pay for her treatment after her accident on December 28 - less than two months after she set off Her friends have now raised more than 4,000 on a crowdfunding page to help pay for her medical bills The page had raised just over 4,000 in 24 hours - but dad Mr Hutchinson says more would be needed to cover the cost of her ongoing care and get her back home to Wales. He said: 'It's fantastic so many people have helped out so far. We just hope we can get enough to make sure Tasha has the best chance of recovering.' Friend Kirsty Louise wrote on the crowd-funding page: 'Tasha's parents have been with her but have to leave her in the next two weeks as funds are running out quickly. 'Medical costs are rising well into the tens of thousands and she needs all the support she can get. 'Her body has undergone immense trauma and she is struggling to deal with the whole ordeal. Tasha's mother has to leave her on the 25th as her money has run out. A retired space scientist who died after being hit by a train as he saved the life of a family friend is to be honoured with a posthumous civilian gallantry award, an inquest has heard. Father-of-two Dr David Ashworth, 74, was desperately trying to rescue Ella Akehurst, 38, after she jumped off a railway bridge onto the line. He is now due to be recognised for putting the safety of another before that of his own. Dr David Ashworth (left) is to be given a posthumous civilian gallantry award. He was killed while desperately trying to save the life of family friend Ella Akehurst (right) after she jumped off a railway bridge onto the line The inquest into the retired academic's death heard how Dr Ashworth had taken Miss Akehurst to see her GP after she woke up feeling upset and tearful. When they returned to her family home she took off her shoes and said she 'ran full speed to the railway station'. In a statement, which was read out by assistant coroner James Dillon, Miss Akehurst said 'I had the urge to jump from a height.' She broke several bones and spent three months in hospital recovering from her injuries. Witnesses said they had seen Miss Akehurst, who had been suffering with bipolar for 20 years, run past them to the station, a third of a mile away from her home. The inquest heard she is also emotionally unstable and has a personality disorder which she monitors with medication, however she was given tranquillisers by her GP over the weekend. In her statement taken on October 13 Miss Akehurst said that after she jumped from the bridge 'I heard a train from behind me and it passed over me.' Desperate attempt: Train driver Martin Smithers slammed on the brakes when he saw someone on the tracks at Chartham station (pictured) near Canterbury, Kent on June 16 last year Train driver Martin Smithers slammed on the brakes when he saw someone on the tracks at Chartham station near Canterbury, Kent on June 16 last year. The Ramsgate to Charing Cross service was not due to stop at Chartham and was travelling at speed. In a statement read out in court by the assistant coroner, Mr Smithers said: 'I saw movement on the platform and I saw a person on the tracks in front of me. There has been the recommendation for a gallantry award for Dr Ashworth because he put his own safety behind the safety of another Assistant Coroner James Dillon 'I put on the brakes and sounded the horn in the hope they could get out of the way but this was not the case as I felt a bump.' Paul Luckhurst, a builder, was working on home improvements close to the station at the time. He said: 'At 10.45am I came outside to get to my van and saw a female run past me towards the railway station. 'I knew Ella but didn't think anything of it and just thought she needed to catch a train.' The level crossing to the tracks was closed and cars were sounding their horns after they saw Ella jump from the bridge. Norman and Thelma Vaughan-Cubitt were in the first car waiting for the crossing to be lifted. Mr Vaughan-Cubitt said: 'A young woman ran past the vehicle and she was not wearing any footwear. 'She ran straight into the platform and onto the footbridge and jumped off. I could not see how she landed but she had landed on the tracks. Floral tributes to Dr Ashworth were left at Chartham station, where he was killed trying to save a family friend 'I got out of the car and onto the platform and saw the train approaching and she was on the tracks and wasn't moving.' Mr Vaughan-Cubitt's wife remained at the car trying to get the signallers attention by sounding her horn and shouting and said she heard the train screeching as it tried to slow down. She said: 'I was shocked and horrified by what I had witnessed and we tried to get the signallers attention. 'The next thing I recall was a male stopping his car next to my vehicle and he ran off in the direction of the station. 'It seemed like two to four minutes when I saw a train approaching at speed.' Eyewitness Michael Kember (pictured leaving the inquest in Dr Ashworth's death) was on the platform at the time waiting for a train when he noticed someone walk past him and then jump on the tracks Michael Kember was on the platform at the time waiting for a train when he noticed someone walk past him and crouch beside the tracks before jumping down. He said: 'I then heard the train and the sound of the brakes and the horn. 'The train stopped and I saw a female lying on the tracks - I had not previously seen her or know how she got there, but it was in the same place where the person was crouching. 'I asked her if she was OK and she said she couldn't feel her legs. 'She told me her name was Ella and she had bipolar. She was asking how David was and that he had tried to help her. 'I could see a body with serious injuries but I told her not to worry and to focus on her own injuries. 'She appeared calm and rational but she could have been in shock.' He said he was talking to her for 15 to 20 Minutes until the ambulance arrived. When British Transport Police arrived at the scene they let the 41 passengers off the train and concealed the body under a tarpaulin. Sergeant Anthony Coyne said the body was then retrieved and the tracks were cleaned. Dr Ashworth was identified by fingerprints and his post mortem concluded that he died of multiple injuries. The retired academic was 'a family friend and the unofficial carer for Ella who suffered with mental problems' the assistant coroner said. He was born in Lancashire and was a retired space scientist who had also worked at the University of Kent. He was a widower and lived in Sturry, Kent, and is survived by his son Jonathan. Nan Akehurst, Miss Akehurst's mother, provided a statement to the coroner which said the family became friends with Dr Ashworth in the Eighties through his wife Patty, who later died. He would often come round for dinner and would go to the pub with Miss Akehurst every Wednesday for dinner. Ms Akehurst said: 'I was working in the local nursery that morning and was informed about what had happened by a shop keeper. 'She was lying on the rail lines and was asking if David was alright. Norman and Thelma Vaughan-Cubitt were in the car waiting for the crossing to be lifted when tragedy struck 'She had only wanted to jump from a height and not in front of a train.' The court also heard how Miss Akehurst had tried to take her own life four years previously by jumping from a balcony. Assistant Coroner James Dillon concluded that Dr Ashworth died of multiple injuries after trying to save Miss Akehurst. He said: 'She had tried to take her own life from running from her home address and jumping from the footbridge onto the tracks. 'He followed her to the station and when he arrived he found her lying on the tracks below the bridge. 'It's highly likely he died to position her so she would not suffer further injury but in doing so he made the sacrifice in not getting himself out of harms way and as a result he was hit and killed by the train. 'There has been the recommendation for a gallantry award for Dr Ashworth because he put his own safety behind the safety of another. 'He had saved his friend Ella Akehurst at the railway station and positioned his friend so she would not get more injured and in doing so he was struck by the train.' Her mother reacted in horror and refused to speak to her over the inking after it was done yesterday She described the Doncaster MP as 'such a hero and an inspiration to me' A teenage student who is a devoted fan of former Labour leader Ed Miliband has had a huge tattoo of his face inked on her thigh. Hannah Stock's mother refused to speak to her after she got the bizarre body art - but the 18-year-old insists she has 'done the right thing' in paying tribute to Mr Miliband. The incident is just the latest flare-up of the 'Milifandom', a cult of young Labour supporters who idolise the Doncaster North MP even after his humiliating defeat in last year's General Election. Good idea: Student Hannah Stock has had Ed Miliband's face tattooed on her thigh Miss Stock, who is originally from Bedfordshire but now studies in London, decided to get the tattoo while reflecting on the new direction of the party under Jeremy Corbyn. She missed Mr Miliband so much that yesterday she asked a tattoo artist to draw his face on her left thigh, along with the caption '2010-2015' to signify the time when he was Labour leader. 'I just think he's so great, and, like, I met him just before the election and it kind of all started there,' Miss Stock told BuzzFeed News. 'I've been a Labour member for two years but he's such a hero and he's just an inspiration to me. I miss his direction of the Labour party at the moment so I woke up yesterday and thought, why not?' The teenager, an optometry student at City University London, said that the South London tattooist she consulted was 'quite surprised' at the request, but ultimately 'seemed pleased with his work'. Fanatical: Miss Stock, a student in London, is a keen member of the Milifandom movement; other enthusiasts included a group of hen do revellers who bumped into the ex-leader in Chester last year However, Miss Stock's mother was less amused - she initially refused to talk to her daughter for several hours, saying 'Tell me that's not what I think it is,' and then paced around the family home crying. But the student is adamant that she does not regret her decision, telling BuzzFeed News: 'I'm pretty sure I've done the right thing. I like it, I think it's cool. 'I got some odd looks this morning but it does look good so that's the main thing.' She also suggested that this might not be the last political-themed tattoo she gets, saying that she would consider paying tribute to failed Labour leadership candidate Liz Kendall in a future piece of body art. Mark Joslin, the tattooist who carried out the job, sent Miss Stock a message after the inking came to light, saying: 'Sorry you got in trouble... glad you like it though.' Pioneer: Last year Kerrie Webb had Nigel Farage's face tattooed on her arm in support of Ukip Despite his failure to defeat David Cameron, Mr Miliband carved out a niche among youthful enthusiasts who insisted that he was both cool and sexy despite his geeky reputation. Milifandom - described by the man himself as 'the most unlikely cult of the 21st century' - was started during the Election campaign by teenager Abby Tomlinson, in an attempt to counter images such as the Labour leader awkwardly eating a bacon sandwich. He has not yet commented on the latest tribute to him. Miss Stock is not the first political enthusiast to get a permanent symbol of support for her favourite statesman. Last year Ukip supporter Kerrie Webb had Nigel Farage's face inked on her arm, saying that the Right-wing politician was her 'inspiration to fight'. A prisoner with a distinctive mullet hairstyle who spent two days on the run after he made a daring escape from prison has been captured at a woman's house. Jake Devenney-Gill was arrested at a home in Elizabeth Vale, a northern suburb of Adelaide, just after 7.30pm on Tuesday. Police have been desperately searching for the 26-year-old in the Northfield and Valley View areas after he allegedly escaped from the low security section of Yatala prison at around 8pm on Sunday. Jake Devenney-Gill, who escaped from Yatala prison, sports a distinctive mullet hairstyle A 22-year-old woman, from Sailsbury East, who was holed up with Devenney-Gill was also arrested and charged with assisting a prisoner to remain at large. Devenney-Gill was taken back into custody 'without incidence' and charged with escaping lawful custody. Both will appear at the Elizabeth Magistrates Court on Wednesday. The prison break took authorities by surprise as the 26-year-old prisoner was reportedly just shy of finishing his jail sentence. It is not known exactly what Devenney-Gill had been detained for as no details of his criminal history have been released. But it is believed to be a minor offence as he was being held in the low level security section of the prison. Police desperately searched for the 26-year-old in the Northfield and Valley View areas after he allegedly escaped from the low security section of Yatala prison on Sunday Devenney-Gill was taken back into custody 'without incidence' and charged with escaping lawful custody David Brown, Chief Executive, Department for Correctional Services said authorities will be investigating Sunday's escape from the Adelaide Pre-release Centre. 'APC provides low security prisoners with programs to facilitate their gradual release to the community, and prisoners are generally in the last 12-18 months of their sentence,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'In accordance with normal practice, DCS will conduct an investigation into the matter.' David Brown, Chief Executive, Department for Correctional Services said authorities will be investigating Sunday's escape from the Adelaide Pre-release Centre Police or prison authorities would not comment on how the prisoner was able to escape from the jail. He was last seen running north of the low security section of the prison just before 8:00pm on Sunday. A former Connecticut police officer who allegedly went on a vacation to Hawaii during two weeks paid leave he had been given to train with the Army reserves has denied criminal charges. Donald Chen was granted two weeks of paid leave from December 1 to 15 by the Stamford Police Department so he could report with his U.S. Army Reserves unit. But Chen took a vacation with his girlfriend, prosecutors have said. Donald Chen was granted two weeks of paid leave from December 1 to 15 by the Stamford Police Department so he could report with his U.S. Army Reserves unit. But Chen took a vacation with his girlfriend, prosecutors have said His commanding officer even notified police of his absence, and sparked a missing person investigation. When they pinged his phone, the locator said he was in Hawaii, The Stamford Advoacte reported. Then Chen contacted investigators assigned to the case, saying he was in Taiwan with his father, who he said had had a heart attack and was undergoing surgery. But officers contacted Chens family in Queens and learned from his mother that his father was alive, well and working in New York City. Confronted about the lie, police say Chen acknowledged finally acknowledged truth. According to the Advocate, he pleaded not guilty to a felony larceny charge at Stamford Criminal Court on Monday. Chen had only worked for the department for 20 months before resigning on December 14. He is expected to appear in court again on February 5. Chen left the court without his attorney on Tuesday without commenting. Chen's (mugshot left and in uniform right) commanding officer even notified police of his absence, and sparked a missing person investigation when he didn't turn up for training A crazed serial killer who shot three people as they stood in their doorways has attacked a slain TV reporter, Jews and gays in a bizarre letter written behind bars. Charles Severance, 55, who is waiting to be sentenced for viciously gunning down the prominent residents in Alexandria, Virginia, over a decade, penned the eight-page rant to Ian Shapira and Dana Priest of the Washington Post. In it the erratic Civil War enthusiast takes aim at the parents and boyfriend of Alison Parker - the reporter who was shot and killed on live TV in August - D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier and the newspaper's staff. There are also sickening attacks on Jews, homosexuals and women, combined with mentions of sadism. Crazed serial killer Charles Severance, 55, (pictured in court in March 2014) who shot three people as they stood in their doorways has attacked a slain TV reporter, Jews and gays in a bizarre letter written behind bars He also rambles in places before making references to the Taiping Rebellion in 19th century China and the 18th century British politician Sir Edmund Burke. Severance wrote: 'I figure the Misery Index for the Explaining Class was permanently elevated one degree of dangerousness since the hideous August 2015 Captain John Smith Mountain Lake Murder. Its the kind of story that will never go away despite the long Goodbye.' Severance was referring to the title of a series on hospice care that Roanoke's WDBJ7 did partly in Parkers honor. Parker and her cameraman Adam Ward, 27, were shot and killed by Vester Lee Flanagan II while shooting a live segment. '"Terror is passion", observed the great 18th century social thinker Sir Edmund Burke "that always produces delight when it does not press too close",' Severance adds. In it the Civil War enthusiast takes aim at the parents and boyfriend of Alison Parker - the reporter who was shot and killed on live TV in August - and the Washington Post's staff Severance killed Nancy Dunning (center), wife of then-Sheriff James Dunning, in 2003, then transportation planner Ron Kirby (left) in 2013, and music teacher Ruthanne Lodato (right) in 2014 'I am an internationally recognized expert witness on Mental Disorder. My highly esteemed credentials are prominently posted at mentaldisorder.com so Im not kidding. The murderer denounced the Alexandria Sheriff without going as far to say he was 'mentally ill', the Post reported. He also wrote the cities that suffered recent terrorist attacks: 'Paris, San Bernadino, and Beirut'. 'ISIS, ISIS, ISIS' was scribbled all over the lined paper. In November, Severance was given three life sentences for slaying teacher Ruthanne Lodato in 2014, transportation planner Ronald Kirby in 2013 and real estate agent Nancy Dunning in 2003. All three were killed in their homes or at their doorways during daylight hours - spreading fear in the city. Prosecutors said he targeted the city's elite after losing a child custody case. The letter to the Post reporters, written from the Alexandria Detention Center where he is being held, is not the first time Severance's bizarre writings have come to light. Throughout the trial, letters and notes found in his car were used during arguments about his mental capacity to face the murder charges. The murderer also rambles in places before making references to the Taiping Rebellion in 19th century China and the 18th century British politician Sir Edmund Burke. He is pictured in court on October 8, 2015 The letter to the Post reporters, written from the Alexandria Detention Center where he is being held, is not the first time Severance's bizarre writings have come to light. Throughout the trial, letters and notes (including the one pictured) were used during arguments about his mental capacity to face the murder charges He wrote a poem he called Parable of the Knocker that Lord called a description of Severance's mode of operation: Knock and the door will open. Knock. Talk. Enter. Kill. Exit. Murder. Wisdom. In another passage, he wrote received no satisfaction after revenge killing. The writings, prosecutors said, show that Severance harbored a hatred against those he considered to be the elite of Alexandria. It took an Orange County, California jury less than an hour to decide to sentence a 31-year-old man to death for murdering two acquaintances to pay for his wedding. Last month, former community theater actor Daniel Wozniak was found guilty of murdering Army veteran friend Sam Herr, 26, and Herr's 23-year-old friend Juri 'Julie' Kibuishi in May 2010. In the trial, prosecutors alleged that Wozniak killed Herr to steal the $60,000 he saved while serving in Afghanistan and then murdered Kibuishi, staging her death to look like Herr raped her to throw authorities off his trail. Scroll down for video Execution: Daniel Wozniak closes his eyes in disappointment as a Santa Ana, California jury announces their recommendation to sentence him to death in court on Monday Convicted: The 31-year-old former community theater actor (pictured Monday) was convicted last month of a double murder in May 2010 They say Wozniak needed the money because he was unemployed and close to eviction, with no money to pay for his upcoming wedding. A judge will formally sentence Wozniak on March 11. Speaking to press outside the courthouse on Monday, Herr's father Steve expressed his satisfaction with the jury's decision. 'It was so, so, so, so long overdue. But you know I can star healing,' Mr Herr said. June Kibuishi, mother of Julie, added: 'This is closure to our nightmare chapter'. Relief: Masa Kibuishi, father of victim Juri 'Julie' Kibuishi, and Raquel Herr, mother of victim Samuel Herr, hug after a jury recommended death for Daniel Wozniak on Monday Moving forward: Prosecutors say Wozniak murdered Herr and Kibuishi for money to pay for his wedding. The victims' family members pictured on Monday from left to right: Raquel Herr, Stephen Kerr and June Kibuishi Thanks: Deputy district attorney hugs June Kibuishi after the jury decision on Monday. Wozniak will be formally sentenced by a judge on March 11 In a cold-blooded plot, Wozniak had invited Herr to a theater at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base on May 21, 2010. When the veteran arrived, the convicted killer shot him twice in the head and left the body, taking the victim's ATM card, wallet and cell phone. Jurors saw video of a police interview in which Wozniak confessed to the double killing. Asked about motive, Wozniak replied: 'Money and insanity.' 'I don't know why I did it,' he added. 'Mainly it was the money, and it seemed so easy.' Victims: Wozniak shot military veteran 26-year-old Samuel Eliezer Herr (left) before killing Juri 'Julie' Kibuishi (right) Wozniak played the lead in a musical at that same theater the very next night after the murder. Murderer: Former actor Daniel Wozniak was arrested in 2010 for the murders of the two acquaintances It is believed that he used Herr's cell phone to text the deceased man's friend and college classmate, Julie Kibuishi, a 23-year-old student at Orange Coast College, to ask her to come to Herr's apartment. The messages sent indicated that Herr was experiencing 'family problems' and said that he 'just needed a girl's shoulder to cry on,' the victim's brother, Taka Kibuishi, told the media in 2010. Once she arrived at his apartment, in the Camden Martinique apartment complex in Costa Mesa, investigators say Wozniak allegedly shot her twice in the head and removed some of her clothing, to make it appear that she had been sexually assaulted. Her body was found then next day by Mr Herr's father. After killing Kibuishi, investigators say he returned to find Herr's body which he dismembered, leaving the torso at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base and scattering the limbs and head in El Dorado Park in Long Beach. Prosecutor Matt Murphy told jurors Wozniak had hoped to 'use his magical acting powers to trick the dumb police,' LA Times reported. 'The plan has now crashed into the rocks of reality.' Wozniak was arrested at the Camden Martinique apartment complex in Costa Mesa, where he lived near to his victim, the day before he was due to get married to his to fiancee Rachel Buffet. A 16-year-old boy testified that Wozniak hired him to use Herr's ATM card to withdraw money from the victim's bank account. Center of attention: Daniel Wozniak (center, starring in a community theater show in 2010) before his arrest for double homicide During the case Wozniak's attorney unsuccessfully tried to have the Orange County district attorney's office and the death penalty option removed. He argued that there was misconduct by the prosecution based on allegations that jail informants were improperly used to obtain confessions from defendants in dozens of cases. His father, Daryl, said his son was in a coma after trying to commit suicide. Daryl Wozniak said his son had never displayed any signs of violence or psychological problems. 'We are stunned,' he said. 'He was an ideal son, he went out of his way to help everybody.' Kibuishi's family affirmed that she did know Wozniak but intimated they were only casual acquaintances. Victorious: Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, left, and deputy district attorney Matt Murphy speak after the jury decision on Monday Police say a mother and two daughters were stabbed to death at their apartment in Columbus, Ohio early Tuesday morning, by the woman's ex-boyfriend. Officers were called to the residence on the north side of Columbus at about 1:30am on Tuesday. Officials say they suspect an ex-boyfriend of the mother broke into the apartment and fatally stabbed them. Scroll down for video Brutally murdered: A mother and her two daughters, ages seven and 10, were stabbed to death early Tuesday morning at their apartment in Columbus, Ohio In custody: The woman's ex-boyfriend is suspected of carrying out the triple murder. Police say he was arrested and will be charged later Tuesday Police say the woman's current boyfriend arrived at the home afterward, and both men scuffled. Both men were injured and have been hospitalized. The ex-boyfriend is expected to face charges for the triple murder. The children are believed to be ages seven and 10. Two of Robert Maxwell's sons face bankruptcy proceedings just weeks after their sister was also made insolvent. Businessmen Kevin and Ian, who are both in their 50s, have appeared in bankruptcy court lists for the second time in little over a year. The two brothers are said to owe money to a company called DCF (UK) Ltd. Ian (left) and Kevin (right) Maxwell, pictured after an earlier court case in 1996, have appeared in bankruptcy proceedings weeks after their sister, Isabel, was also made insolvent Ian and Kevin (right) Maxwell are embroiled in bankruptcy proceedings - nearly 25 years after their father died District Judge Janet Lambert adjourned the hearing until March 2 in order to give the Maxwell brothers time to pay the amount said to be owed. Kevin, 56, who arrived at court wearing a reflective jacket over his suit and carrying a cycle helmet, told the judge he and his older brother, 59, were happy for the case to be adjourned. It was not revealed how much money the men are said to owe. DCF (UK) Ltd is based in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, and offers 'financial intermediation', according to the Companies House website. The same company had claimed it was owed money by the brothers at a bankruptcy court hearing about 14 months ago. Neither Kevin nor Ian had appeared at a hearing in London in November 2014 - when a lawyer had told the judge a claim against them had been settled. The Maxwell story is one of a series of family breakdowns, with myriad financial and personal troubles. Isabel (right) was declared bankrupt in an order at the High Court last November Their father, Robert, plunged to his death in 1991, falling from his luxury yacht in the Canary Islands. Since his demise - after which it was found the media mogul had plundered millions from the pension fund of his Mirror Group newspaper business - some members of his family have lurched between controversy and financial disaster, while others have retreated into seclusion. The journalist Tom Bower, who wrote an unauthorised biography on the shamed newspaper baron described it as 'the tragic legacy of a crooked father. His children just inherited a dreadful pack of cards.' Robert, who died aged 68, had nine children, two of whom died in childhood. Kevin and Ian, who had both sat on the board of Maxwell Communications Corporation, were investigated after their father's death over an alleged conspiracy to defraud the company's pension fund. Both were cleared in 1996. Kevin, who followed in his father's footsteps in becoming chairman of Oxford United FC in 1991, had been made insolvent the following year after declaring debts of 400 million in what was Britain's biggest bankruptcy case. In 2011, he was banned from running a company for eight years. THE 'CURSE OF THE MAXWELLS': HOW MEDIA TYCOON'S CHILDREN FARED 1. ROBERT MAXWELL: Died in mysterious circumstances in 1991, aged 68, disappearing from his yacht off the Canary Islands. 2. IAN: Twice married and divorced. Once a regular London socialite, now aged 59 and seldom seen in public. Thought to live in Hackney, East London. 3. ISABEL: Former dotcom millionaire, 65, who has now been declared bankrupt. 4. KEVIN: Declared bankrupt after his fathers death, Kevin, 56, has struggled in a business career. In 2011, he was banned from running a company for eight years. 5. CHRISTINE: Now 65, married to an astrophysicist and living in France, she has written The Dictionary Of Perfect Spelling. 6. PHILIP: Won Oxford scholarship at 16 but later moved to Argentina to get as far away from my father as possible. Aged 67, divorced and thought to be pursuing a career as a writer. 7. BETTY: Died in 2013, aged 92. She had been married to press baron Robert for 45 years and remained publicly loyal to the end. 8. GHISLAINE: New York-based socialite, 53, accused of recruiting underage girls for convicted paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, a friend of Prince Andrew. She denies the claims. 9. ANNE: After Oxford, she trained as a Montessori teacher, then became a hypno-therapist. Aged 66, she lives in North London, married to an osteopath. Advertisement THE RISE AND FALL OF MAXWELL Robert Maxwell was born in Czechoslovakia and rose from poverty to build an extensive publishing empire. After spending six years as an MP during the 1960s, he bought Mirror Group Newspapers, among other publishing companies. He led an extremely flamboyant lifestyle and was also often embroiled in controversy. Maxwell was forced to sell some of his successful businesses in 1989 to cover his enormous debts. But it was only after his death two years later - after apparently falling overboard from his yacht - that the full picture of his financial mess was uncovered. With banks calling in huge loans, his publishing empire collapsed. But things became much worse when it emerged Maxwell had stolen hundreds of millions of pounds from his own companies' pension funds to save the firms from bankruptcy. Two of Maxwells sons most closely involved in the family firm, Kevin and Ian, stood trial accused of taking part in the fraud but were acquitted. Advertisement The brothers' latest difficulties comes just weeks after their older sister Isabel, a 65-year-old former dotcom millionaire, was declared bankrupt in an order at the High Court. This was a significant fall from grace for a woman who in the 1990s was estimated to be jointly worth 100million with her twin sister Christine. After emigrating to California, the siblings co-founded one of the earliest internet search engines, known as Magellan, later sold to rivals Excite in 1996. On selling, the sisters were given 850,000 shares which three years later rocketed in value when Excite was bought by another internet service provider called AtHome, giving the sisters their 100 million windfall. But the merged companies failed to perform as expected and in 2004 the Excite Network was acquired by Ask Jeeves. Twice-divorced Ms Maxwell, educated at Oxford, went on to have further success, following in her fearsome father's footsteps as the head of the communications company. However, more recently she has moved into the world of social entrepreneurship, as a member of the World Economic Forum and the director of a social entrepreneur programme in Israel. Another sister, Ghislaine, 53, Maxwell's youngest child, is accused of recruiting under-age girls for convicted paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein - a friend she shared with Prince Andrew. She strongly denies the claims. To escape the emerging scandal of her father's crimes, she escaped to New York. The couple's oldest child, Philip, 67, won a scholarship to join Oxford University but later moved to Argentina to get 'as far away from my father as possible'. Anne, 66, trained as a hypnotherapist after attending Oxford and now lives in North London, married to an osteopath. Christine is married to an astrophysicist and living in France, where she wrote The Dictionary Of Perfect Spelling. A newborn baby slowly dying in minus 16C temperatures has been rescued just minutes before death after its parents abandoned it in a drain. The child was left without so much as a rag as it became stiff and blue while enduring freezing temperatures overnight. The newborns gender was not identified in reports from Ordos, one of 12 major cities in Chinas Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, where the child was found lying in a pool of excrement. The baby, still covered in blood, is pulled from the drain in Ordos, northern China, by a policeman Bystanders then used a jacket to wrap up the freezing cold child, who was rushed to hospital Passers-by were reported to have discovered the child and initially thought it was dead before a brave policeman jumped in the drain to fish it out. The infant was covered in blood and had already turned blue from the extreme winter cold, and it was rushed to hospital with fading vital signs. A video of the moment when the policeman fishes the baby out of the cesspool shows how passers-by quickly wrap the hapless tot in a blanket to keep him warm. Fortunately the baby was found in the nick of time and doctors were able to stabilise the newborns condition. It is currently unclear why the parents decided to abandon their child, with police now searching for them in the neighbourhood, and appealing for help from the public. A government spinner tried to stop TV questions about where Jeremy Hunt was ahead of the first junior doctor strike in 40 years. Senior clinical adviser Professor Sir Norman Williams was put up for interview with Sky News last night to discuss the strike, which started at 8am this morning and is part of a long running dispute over a new junior doctor contract. Sky reporter Darren McCaffrey questioned Sir Norman on where Health Secretary Mr Hunt was on the eve of the strike. But as he asked a follow up an off camera aide intervened and tried to stop the questions. But off camera, to the left in the image above, someone intervened to insist the interviewer, Sky's Darren McCaffrey should not ask about 'nonsense' and stick to an agreed line of questioning Sir Norman initially answered the question by saying: 'He's in the department at his desk, working hard.' As Mr McCaffrey asked a follow up about whether doctors should hear from Mr Hunt ahead of the strike, an intervention is made off screen and an unidentified man insists: 'We're not dealing with this nonsense. We agreed a series of questions.' Mr McCaffrey said the cameras were rolling and he had not agreed to any questions - adding Mr Williams was who the Department of Health had offered for a TV interview. Sir Norman replied: 'I'm a senior clinical advisor.' Mr McCaffrey continued: 'In a democracy, I think we're allowed to ask questions.' Mr Hunt faced further criticism for not doing TV interviews this morning - before making a pooled TV appearance and doing a radio interview this lunchtime. He told the BBC the strike was 'very unnecessary' and praised the almost 40 per cent of junior doctors who had turned out for work. The health secretary was 'doorstepped' by waiting journalists this morning but he went straight to his car making only the briefest of remarks. Police are hunting for Jacob 'Jake' Malone, 33, a pastor accused of sexually assaulting and impregnating a teenage girl in his care Police are hunting for a 33-year-old pastor who allegedly sexually assaulted and impregnated a teenager girl who lived with him and went to his church. Jacob 'Jake' Malone is wanted on charges of rape and institutional sexual assault, among other related offenses. The girl told police the sexual assault began just months after she moved with Malone and his family to Exton, Pennsylvania for his new pastor job in 2014. Malone had first met the girl years ago when she was 12-years-old and attending a Mesa, Arizona church where he worked as a pastor, authorities said. He contacted the girl in June 2014, when she was 17-years-old, and invited her to come stay with him and his family in Minnesota. The following month she made the move with the family to Exton, where Malone began working at the nondenominational church Calvary Fellowship. Malone even registered the teenage girl at a local high school. Bill Bateman, a pastor at Calvary Fellowship, said Malone worked at the church for about 18 months, he told The Philadelphia Inquirer. He said Malone and his wife treated the girl like an adopted daughter. The teenager told police Malone began to sexually assault her in the fall of 2014. Malone is wanted on charges of rape and institutional sexual assault, among other related offenses The girl told police the sexual assault began just months after she moved with Malone (pictured with his wife) and his family to Exton, Pennsylvania for his new pastor job in 2014 She said he gave her alcohol twice after she turned 18, and in one of the instances molested her after she became highly intoxicated. Bateman said leaders at Calvary Fellowship learned of the girl's pregnancy in November 2015, as well as another alleged inappropriate relationship Malone was having in another state. Malone admitted to impregnating the teenager and resigned that same month, Bateman said. Police believe he is aware of the warrant for his arrest and may have fled the state, according to PhillyVoice. Bateman said the teenage girl temporarily moved in with another church member and has since left the state to be with her family. He said the church was told about the allegations against Malone over the weekend. 'Our church's goal in difficult moments like this is to protect the innocents, first of all,' he said. 'And, number two, we strive to bring about repentance and restoration of the offender.' Bill Bateman, a pastor at Calvary Fellowship, said Malone (pictured with his wife and children) worked at the church for about 18 months. He said Malone and his wife treated the girl like an adopted daughter The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Florida's system for sentencing people to death is unconstitutional because it gives too much power to judges - and not enough to juries - to decide capital sentences. The 8-1 ruling said that the state's sentencing procedure is flawed because juries play only an advisory role in recommending death while the judge can reach a different decision. The court sided with Timothy Lee Hurst, who was convicted of the 1998 murder of his manager at a Popeye's restaurant in Pensacola. A jury divided 7-5 in favor of death, but a judge imposed the sentence. Out of bounds: People wait in line to enter the US Supreme Court building on January 11, 2016 in Washington, DC. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court issued a ruling, fining Florida's death penalty system unconstitutional Florida's solicitor general argued that the system was acceptable because a jury first decides if the defendant is eligible for the death penalty. Writing for the court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said a jury's 'mere recommendation is not enough.' She said the court was overruling previous decisions upholding the state's sentencing process. 'The Sixth Amendment requires a jury, not a judge, to find each fact necessary to impose a sentence of death,' Sotomayor said. The justices sent the case back to the Florida Supreme Court to determine whether the error in sentencing Hurst was harmless, or whether he should get a new sentencing hearing. Justice Samuel Alito dissented, saying that the trial judge in Florida simply performs a reviewing function that duplicates what the jury has done. Under Florida law, the state requires juries in capital sentencing hearings to weigh factors for and against imposing a death sentence. But the judge is not bound by those findings and can reach a different conclusion. The judge can also weigh other factors independently. So a jury could base its decision on one particular aggravating factor, but a judge could then rely on a different factor the jury never considered. In Hurst's case, prosecutors asked the jury to consider two aggravating factors: the murder was committed during a robbery and it was 'especially heinous, atrocious or cruel.' But Florida law did not require the jury to say how it voted on each factor. Hurst's attorney argued that it was possible only four jurors agreed with one, while three agreed with the other. The Supreme Court ruled in 2002 that a defendant has the right to have a jury decide whether the circumstances of a crime warrant a sentence of death. Police in Illinois are searching for a 31-year-old Iraq War veteran and married mother-of-six who hasnt been seen or heard from in over a week. According to Park Forest Police, Brenda Jackson was reported missing by her husband and mother on January 5, and was last seen in the late evening on Sunday when she was dropped off at her home on Arcadia Street by her father. Jackson is described as a Hispanic female, about 5 feet tall and weighing 125lbs. She has a scar on her upper chest and star tattoos on both sides of her neck. Scroll down for video Where is Brenda? Brenda Jackson (left and right), a 31-year-old Iraq War veteran and married mother-of-six from Illinois, has not been seen or heard from since January 3. Her family reported her missing on January 5 She also has a heart inked on her ring finger and another tattoo that reads Michael on her left inner wrist. She is not known to have left in any particular vehicle. Jacksons family and friends spent the day Sunday braving freezing temperatures while scouring a snowy forest preserve in Park Forest in search of the missing woman. 'We love her. We want her home and we'll do whatever it takes. We are going to find her,' family friend Carol Lantz told the station WLS. Jackson's mother, Maria Gonzalez, said it was out of character for her daughter to disappear without telling anyone. Her youngest child is only 4 months old. She gave 100 per cent to everybody. She loves her children. This is not like her, Gonzalez said. Gonzalez revealed that she last spoke to her daughter on the phone at 10.30pm on January 3. She was due at work at 5.30am the following day but never showed up. Search party: Jackson's friends and family spent Sunday scouring a nature preserve in Park Forest in search of clues Worried family: Jackson's father, Joel Gonzales (far left), mother Maria Gonzales (center) and sister Victoria (right) said it was not like her to take off without telling anyone The mother added that her daughter left behind all of her personal belongings, including her purse, ID card, jacket and gloves. Deputy Chief Christopher Mannino, of the Park Forest Police Department, said investigators were following up on several leads, including a possible recent sighting of Jackson in Chicago, according to Chicago Tribune. So far, police have found no evidence of foul play in connection to Jacksons disappearance. The mother of 'affluenza' teen Ethan Couch has been released from prison after posting bond. A disheveled Tonya Couch was led out of the Tarrant County Jail in Texas early on Tuesday morning after a judge reduced her bail amount from $1million to $75,000. The 48-year-old, who was arrested two weeks ago after fleeing to Mexico, is now expected to stay with her eldest son, Steven McWilliams, while killer drunk driver Ethan is still fighting deportation back to the United States. After covering her face from the waiting crowd of TV cameras and reporters, she was taken to have a GPS ankle monitor fitted. It is part of the strict conditions she will be under until she goes to trial, including regular drug tests, the surrender her passport and regular visits to her probation officer. Scroll down for video A disheveled Tonya Couch, 48, was led out of the Tarrant County Jail in Texas early on Tuesday morning after a judge reduced her bail amount from $1million to $75,000 The 48-year-old (pictured leaving the jail), who was arrested two weeks ago after fleeing to Mexico, is now expected to stay with her eldest son, Steven McWilliams, while killer drunk driver Ethan is still fighting deportation back to the United States She was later seen walking out of the probation officer wearing her newly-fitted ankle monitor She kept her head down as she made her way through the waiting crowd of TV cameras and reporters before was taken to have a GPS ankle monitor fitted She was surrounded by corrections officers as she was freed. Her legal team asked for her bail to be dropped from $1million to $15,000. After hearing testimony, the judge agreed it should be reduced, but only to $75,000 She has also been banned from using social media and will not be able to drink alcohol. McWilliams, 29, who is Ethan's half-brother, said his mom had no way of paying the $1million bond fee as all her accounts have been frozen by the government. He also told the court his mom wasn't left any money by her ex-husband and was virtually broke. Couch's legal team asked for her bail to be dropped from $1million to $15,000. After hearing testimony, the judge agreed it should be reduced, but only to $75,000. Darren Gabbert, an investigator with the Tarrant County District Attorney, told the court on Tuesday that Tonya and Ethan and withdrawn large amounts before they fled to Mexico - potentially contradicting claims she is broke. He says they also fled to Mexico because they wanted to avoid meeting Ethan's probation officer. A video had emerged of the teenager partying and playing beer pong - a violation of his sentence. Couch refused to answer any questions as she was led out of the jail two weeks after she was arrested in Mexico after feeling with her son While she is out on bail, she will not be allowed to drink alcohol, has been banned from social media and will have to attend regular drug tests Couch will be forced to live under strict and restrictive conditions until she faces trial for hindering the apprehension of a felon Couch is expected to stay in this house in Fort Worth with her son Steven McWilliams until her trial Steven McWilliams, 29, who is 'affluenza' teen Ethan Couch's half-brother, told a court on Monday his mom had no way of paying the $1million bond fee as all her accounts have been frozen by the government Tonya Couch (pictured in court on Monday) is escorted to her defense team in Criminal District Court in Fort Worth, Texas, on January 11 Gabbert also said that a friend has given Ethan Couch an ID before he changed his appearance. There were reports the pair had a 'going-away party' before they escaped, but Gabbart said the group who showed up were actually discussing the plan. Ethan is detained in an immigration detention center in Mexico, fighting his deportation back to the United States. He killed four people while drunk behind the wheel of his car in 2010. A judge sentenced him to 10 years probation, a sentence branded by critics around the country as merely a slap on the wrist. Ethan is detained in an immigration detention center in Mexico, fighting his deportation back to the United States. He is pictured after his arrest south of the border Fred and Tonya Couch got married in 1996. They divorced 10 years later then remarried but then split again after their sons crash. Last week it was reported that Tonya Couch took $30,000 from a bank account and cut ties with the boy's father before fleeing. The bank withdrawal, and December 3 phone call telling her husband and Ethan Couch's father he'd never see them again, were documented in Tonya Couch's arrest warrant released last Friday. In her initial court appearance in Texas on Friday, Tonya Couch complained about her first night in jail. Tarrant County Judge Wayne Salvant advised Tonya Couch of the charge of hindering the apprehension of a felon at the hearing Friday. He is pictured here at Monday's hearing Tarrant County Judge Wayne Salvant advised Tonya Couch of the charge of hindering the apprehension of a felon at the hearing Friday. Sheriff Dee Anderson, who was in the courtroom Friday with several sheriff's deputies, said that Couch complained about her stay in the jail, according to The Dallas Morning News. Anderson said that she didn't sleep much. 'I explained to her that this was a jail, not a resort,' Anderson told reporters. Couch, was returned to Texas on Thursday from California to face the charge. Airport police officers escorted Tonya Couch, who was sporting a navy blue colored jacket and black pants, off of a flight after it landed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The mother was then escorted by police officers and shackled at the ankles to be taken to jail in Tarrant County. A 'truly Olympian' fraudster has been ordered to pay back a record 38.6 million after being convicted of swindling millionaire investors in one of the biggest private prosecutions in Britain. Former tycoon Ketan Somaia, 53, is serving eight years behind bars after being found guilty of conning two businessmen out of loans in 1999 and 2000, which were never repaid. He was convicted in a prosecution brought privately by the main victim Murli Mirchandani. Judge Richard Hone QC today made the biggest ever confiscation order of its kind, with 18.2 million to go to Mr Mirchandani and 20.4 million to go into the public purse. Ketan Somaia (left) has been ordered to pay back 38.6 million after being convicted of duping millionaire investors. His main victim, Murli Mirchandani (right), launched a private prosecution In his ruling, the judge said: 'Ketan Somaia has to be described as a formidable and serial fraudsman on a truly Olympian scale.' He added that it was 'quite clear that Somaia was in receipt of significant sums and his lifestyle continued to be lavish until he was imprisoned in July 2014'. He had spent 100,000 on his daughter's wedding, made a 40,000 loan to a family friend and was spending huge sums on luxury holidays, restaurants and hotels as well as making substantial transfers to his family and friends. Despite claiming in court that all the money had gone, the evidence showed Somaia owned two properties held in the names of third parties worth more than 1 million. Somaia, dubbed 'King Con', had no assets in his own name but would use family members, staff and advisers as fronts or nominees to evade tax and conceal his personal interests. He has been a resident in the UK since 2009 but never paid any tax in this country, claiming he was not sure of his status here. The trial heard how Somaia never invested or repaid the money he borrowed from investors Mr Mirchandani and Dilip Shah, but instead used it for his own purposes or to prop up his ailing business empire. The defendant, who was born in Kenya and lived in Bayswater, west London, had shown similar dishonest behaviour towards a third investor and tried to evade justice until he was brought to account in a British court. Following today's ruling, Mr Mirchandani said: 'The theft of 13.5 million by Ketan Somaia from me has had a devastating effect on my life, my health, my business, and regrettably, on my family. 'My entire family and I were left completely broken by this cruel fraud and for many years we believed that we would never see Mr Somaia brought to justice and pay for what he has done. 'It was heartbreaking to hear during these proceedings how Mr Somaia was spending a small fortune in luxury restaurants and hotels in London and distributing money that was the result of decades of hard work by my family business, to his own family and friends, who were living the life of royalty.' He added: 'I am now very much looking forward to closing this chapter of my life and look positively to the future.' If Somaia fails to pay the money ordered by Judge Hone, he faces an additional prison sentence of 16 years. Somaia was previously jailed for eight years at London's Old Bailey (pictured). Judge Richard Hone QC called him 'a formidable and serial fraudsman on a truly Olympian scale' as he made a confiscation order, with 18.2 million to go to Mr Mirchandani and 20.4 million to go into the public purse Louis Richardson, the former secretary of Durham University's prestigious Union Society, has been cleared of rape and three counts of sexual assault The mother of a Durham University student who was yesterday cleared of rape and sexual assault embraced her son outside court as she told him: 'I love you'. The family of 21-year-old Louis Richardson have described their 15 months of 'absolute hell' as they thanked the jury for 'justice'. Jurors took less than three hours to clear him of four charges against two different women following a six-day trial at Durham Crown Court. The history student and former secretary of the university's prestigious Union Society had been accused of raping one woman when she was 'crazy drunk' before sexually assaulting another as she lay ill in bed at a house party. During the trial, his parents Judy, 48, and bank manager Simon, 51, had held hands as intimate details of their son's sex life were revealed to the court. The students grandfather Edwin had also sat through the trial. Yesterday, a statement read on his parents' behalf said: 'It has been 15 months of absolute hell for the whole family. We are relieved that justice has been done and would like to thank the jury.' When Mr Richardson was asked to comment, he said: 'I would rather just let it sink in.' As the verdicts were announced yesterday, he remained motionless. Mr Richardson, from Jersey, was charged with raping one woman in March 2014 and allegedly assaulting her at a party two months later. He was also accused of two counts sexual assault on another woman in October 2014. After the allegations were made, he was suspended from his studies and also forced to step down from his Union Society position. During the trial, the prosecution presented Mr Richardson as a 'creepy' opportunist who forced himself on two young women who were unable to defend themselves. The first alleged victim had claimed Richardson raped her following a night out together at a club in Durham. She said he allegedly told her the next morning that she was 'bad in bed' because she was 'unresponsive'. Outside court after the verdicts were read out, the history student was embraced by his mother Judy (right) who sobbed as she told him: 'I love you'. Yesterday, his parents described their 15 months of 'absolute hell' The woman alleged that he went on to sexually assault her at a party by pulling down her dress to reveal her breasts to a friend. But Richardson, who was born in Truro and moved to St Helier when he was four, told the court that he had had consensual sex with the woman on the night of the alleged rape. He said they slept together often and continued to do so 'very frequently' after the alleged incident. In the closing statement to the jury, the woman was accused by Philippa McAtasney QC of being the 'queen of mixed messages' and of demeaning 'genuine rape victims'. The jury heard that the woman, a fellow undergraduate, went on a double date with him and another couple and even cuddled him in bed in the weeks after the incident. She also flirted with Richardson in a series of text messages, in which she called him a 'sexy menace' and sent him a picture of her breasts, before telling him: 'I'll let you spank me.' Defending, Ms McAtasney said the woman's behaviour in the aftermath of the alleged rape was not that of someone who had been taken advantage of. She described the complainant as a 'highly manipulative, dishonest, dangerous young woman' and accused her of inventing the account to 'salve her cheating conscience' because she had a boyfriend at the time of the alleged rape. Richardson told the court that his alleged victim's boyfriend had posed as her online to accuse him of the sexual assault. He said he received a Facebook message apparently from the woman saying they couldn't speak to each other any more because she didn't want to 'lose' her boyfriend. Richardson told a jury he was 'devastated', but replied 'fair enough' and decided it was best to 'take it on the chin'. However, a more serious message followed, saying: 'I have been doing some thinking. I consider our last time rape. I said no and you did it anyway. I ask you not to contact me again... active immediately.' Richardson said he then received a text from the woman saying that she had not sent the messages, and adding: 'He wrote it.' Asked what he made of the online conversation, he said it seemed as if the woman's boyfriend was 'intervening'. He told the court: 'I knew I had not raped her. I knew she knew I had not raped her. I thought it was seeming like a petty threat done by a boyfriend who was probably a bit over-paranoid.' Richardson said he was 'shocked and devastated' when he was arrested for rape. Several months later, two university newspapers revealed he had been arrested, and a second woman claimed to police that he had indecently assaulted by stroking her indecently as she lay in bed during a student party. When confronted about the incident by a friend of the woman in a Facebook exchange, Richardson wrote: 'I must apologise profusely to all parties concerned.' Richardson, who was debating politics with others in the room at the time, admitted to police he 'probably touched her on the breast', but said the woman a student at another university had moved his hand there. The first alleged victim claimed Richardson had raped her following a night out in Klute nightclub (pictured) Before the jury considered its verdict, the judge said they must weigh up who has been 'trying to tell you the truth'. Judge Simon Hickey addressed the jury before sending them out to consider their verdicts, telling them: 'You will have to decide who is telling the truth, or perhaps more accurately, who is trying to tell you the truth. 'Who has been trying to pull the wool over your eyes, or not. That's your assessment, nobody else's, not mine.' It has been 15 months of absolute hell for the whole family. We are relieved that justice has been done and would like to thank the jury Family of Louis Richardson The judge said they would have to decide whether the rape complainant was, as the defence described her, a 'highly manipulative, dangerous young woman' or as the prosecution said, was someone with difficulties 'trying to put on a persona she was not', and that 'she is telling the truth'. Judge Hickey said they must consider whether the second complainant who said she was groped was attempting to support a 'weak' rape allegation, or was a 'young woman who gave a straight-forward account of what happened to her'. Sending them out to start deliberating, he told the seven men and five women: 'There is no pressure of time on you. Take as long or as short as you wish.' James Conte from the website accused.me.uk, which supports victims of false allegations, said: Our hearts go out to Louis. Advertisement Britain is braced for its coldest night in a year which will turn Britain's roads into ice rinks for commuters this morning - and temperatures could dip as low as -15C this week. Forecasters have warned commuters to expect a chilly and difficult commute to work tomorrow with snow, sleet and black ice sweeping across the country. After weeks of unseasonably mild weather, communities in the North are braced for temperatures to dip as low as -15C by the weekend. Britain is braced for its coldest night in a year as temperatures plunge to -15C - following the warmest and wettest December ever recorded. A walker braves fresh snowfalls today near Nenthead, Cumbria Nenthead, Cumbria, where forestry operatives are working hard in wintry conditions - as the Arctic weather continues in the North of England The South will escape much the Arctic blast, but as the week progresses parts of the Midlands and southern counties are also expected to touch freezing. A band of wet weather will move southwards from Northern Scotland today, bringing a few centimetres of snow to the tops of hills before turning to sleet as it reaches Eastern England by evening, forecasters said. Tonight will be bitterly cold, as low as -10c (14f) in the Highlands, with a more widespread icy snap spreading to Northern and Eastern parts of England at the end of the week. This will see daytime temperatures of freezing or below and sharp overnight frosts. Tonight will be bitterly cold in the Highlands, with a more widespread icy snap spreading to Northern and Eastern parts of England at the end of the week 'After the mild weather we've been having, the cold, dry air that's starting to come down from the Arctic is going to be quite a shock for many of us,' said forecaster Nick Prebble of Meteogroup. 'Initially we will see temperatures around average for January, but by the end of the week it will feel bitterly cold and we could see wintry showers, particularly in coastal areas.' Met Office spokesman Lindsey Mears said today would see 'a sprinkling of snow' as far south as the Midlands, with tomorrow and Thursday cold but settled. He added: 'The end of the week may be a bit drier as an area of high pressure comes in, but temperatures will drop to 2C (35.6F) to 5C (41F) in the South and not rise above freezing further north, with widespread frosts overnight across the whole of the UK.' Dr Angie Bone of Public Health England (PHE) has issued a warning to look out for others, keep warm indoors and take care when out and about. Dr Bone said: 'Over the past few weeks we've had some very disruptive weather, but temperatures have been quite mild - now the weather will be colder over much of the country, which will be a significant change. 'It's so important to remember that cold does kill, even in places where the temperatures aren't at their lowest. Most of our advice at PHE on keeping warm in cold weather may seem like common sense but people should think about how the cold weather can affect them.' While Storms Desmond, Eva and Frank created devastating flooding which left thousands homeless and a bill estimated by insurers at 1.3billion, there is unlikely to be significant new rainfall this week. However swollen rivers and saturated rivers meant the Environment Agency still had 138 flood alerts and 25 more severe flood warnings in place last night. Yesterday saw more than an inch of rain fall over the South Coast, resulting in isolated flooding in Dorset, while residents in Plymouth were battered with hailstones the size of marbles. Sarah Gomery was walking on Dartmoor on Sunday when her group was 'pelted by massive hailstones'. 'We quickly ran back to the car and hid inside, but we could see people who didn't make it that far trying to hide under trees,' she added. 'It was really aggressive - the hailstones really hurt when they hit you, and were incredibly loud when they were battering the car.' But in a reminder of the mild weather of the past few weeks, retired teacher Margaret Mee, 66, yesterday told of her amazement at seeing her prized rhododendron bush flowering more than three months early at her home near Preston, Lancashire. Forecasters say the cold snap will continue into early next week, potentially providing a timely boost for clothing retailers who have blamed sluggish sales on the untimely weather. It is also set to be a busy time for gas engineers, with British Gas predicting a 23 per cent rise in call-outs to boiler breakdowns and appliance issues. The firm issued tips for householders to get prepared, including last-minute tips such as bleeding radiators and fitting draught excluders. Where is the UK? A satellite image from the Nasa Modis instruments Terra and Aqua shows widespread cloud cover over most of Britain Snow covered County Durham today. The South will escape much of the Arctic blast, but as the week progresses parts of the Midlands and southern counties are expected to touch freezing Drivers on Britain's highest motorway the M62 at Rippondon, West Yorkshire braved temperatures of 4C on their way home tonight Drivers are warned to be prepared before they set off on journeys and should have warm clothes, a torch and fully-charged mobile phone. Above: Drivers on the M62 in Rippondon, West Yorkshire RAC spokesman Simon Williams advised motorists to be prepared before setting off on journeys, ensuring they had warm clothing, a torch and a fully-charged mobile phone. TRAIN OPERATOR BLAMES 'TOO MUCH SUNSHINE' FOR DELAYS Rail passengers experienced long delays and rush hour train cancellations this morning - because it was too sunny for drivers. Services at Lewisham, south-east London, were disrupted because of the angle of the 'low winter' sun, train operator Southeastern said. The rail firm posted on Twitter: 'We had severe congestion through Lewisham due to dispatching issues as a result of strong sunlight.' It added: 'The low winter sun has been hitting the dispatch monitor which prevents the driver from being able to see.' Southeastern said 11 trains were delayed by up to ten minutes by the issue. Advertisement 'This winter has so far been all about coping with floods and driving in heavy rain and high winds, but it now looks as though motorists are about to get their first real taste of cold weather driving conditions,' he added. Police in North Wales said yesterday there had been 69 reports of road accidents after overnight ice. Drect Line Insurance Group said it expects the three storms that lashed the UK last month will cost it up to 140 million in customer claims. It said more than 200 claims advisers have so far inspected sites damaged by high winds and flooding caused by storms Desmond, Eva and Frank in December, which struck parts of Cumbria, Yorkshire and southern Scotland. The insurer said it estimates claims will range between 110 million and 140 million, hitting both its home and commercial divisions. Home claims from the storms are likely to be between 80 million and 100 million, compared with a normal annual level of claims from major weather events of about 80 million, the firm said. Claims in its commercial unit are expected to be between 30 million and 40 million, which is between 15 million and 25 million more than in an average year. One of the UK's oldest and most prestigious schools has been fined almost 30,000 after a lab technician blew off three of his fingers. The unnamed assistant was preparing highly-sensitive, dangerous explosives in a side room for a fireworks demonstration to a class at Bristol Cathedral Choir School. The worker lost the top joints of his left hand's index, middle and ring fingers in the explosion and ruptured his bowel, hospitalising him for 12 days. Pupils in morning lessons heard a 'loud bang' and classes were evacuated as a precaution. Blast: Bristol Cathedral Choir School, where the explosion took place, has been the most over-subscribed school in Bristol after becoming an academy in 2008 Representatives admitted failing to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of staff during a hearing at a magistrates' court. The school, in College Square, Bristol, also admitted that it failed to ensure its pupils were not exposed to risks to their health and safety. Bristol magistrates heard that the preparation of explosive substances had been carried out in the school several times a year since 2009. The mixture in question and other substances was used in fireworks demonstrations. Other explosive substances, namely flash powder and gunpowder, were also stored in the chemistry storeroom, the court heard. The school was fined 26,000 - 8,000 for the offence relating to employees, 18,000 for the second relating to pupils and another 12,176 in costs. The injured technician retired from his role at the school following the blast in October 2014. The incident could have been avoided if the risks posed by chemicals used in teaching had been controlled and reviewed, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), prosecuting, said. After the case inspector Susan Chivers said: 'Schools need to have clear health and safety arrangements in place for their staff and students. 'They should set up adequate control systems and ensure that these arrangements are clearly understood and adhered to.' She added that they should also follow recognised guidance regarding the control of risks to health and safety in practical science work. After the hearing, Bristol Cathedral Choir School principal Neil Blundell said: 'This was a highly regrettable incident, which was caused by chemicals being mixed in a preparation unit, which was away from the classroom and well away from any of our students. 'Until this event, we had had an exemplary health & safety record with no accidents at the school, but one such incident is of course one too many. 'The technician who was involved, who has since retired, was a highly valued member of staff and I was devastated to learn that he had been injured at work. 'We have worked closely with the HSE to assist in their investigations and we accept the conclusions of their report. See full news coverage on the European migrant crisis at www.dailymail.co.uk/migrantcrisis The plan is to bulldoze a third of the notorious Jungle camp in Calais, France, on Thursday 'Community leaders' in the Jungle released a statement 'respectfully declining' the local government's orders Advertisement France has given protesting Calais refugees two days before bulldozing a third of the notorious Jungle camp, after 1,500 refuse to move into new government-built housing. Jungle residents reject the new 20million camp, designed to accommodate 1,500 refugees in powered and heated converted shipping containers, complaining that it looks like 'a prison'. However, French police today served the protesting refugees with eviction orders, telling them they have until Wednesday night to vacate their tents before bulldozers level the camp on Thursday. A migrant walks among the tents and huts of the makeshift camp called 'The Jungle' next to the fenced area made of containers recycled in rooms to host some 1,500 migrants in Calais Some 125 metal transport containers have been converted into heated homes, complete with power sockets, heated towel rails, toilets and washing facilities for up to 1,500 people A worker walks past converted containers, complete with power sockets, heated towel rails, toilets and washing facilities A man and his son arrive at their new home - a room in a converted shipping container - but many refugees have refused to move in Despite the much improved living conditions in the new camp, Jungle residents have refused to move, claiming to want to stay put in their makeshift tents. 'Community leaders', in the Jungle released a statement earlier today, 'respectfully declining' the local government's orders to vacate a third of the camp. 'We, the united people of the Jungle, Calais, respectfully decline the demands of the French government with regards to reducing the size of the jungle. 'We have decided to remain where we are and will peacefully resist the government's plans to destroy our homes. 'We plead with the French authorities and the international communities that you understand our situation and respect our fundamental human rights.' Despite living conditions as seen in this image from last week, Jungle residents are refusing to move into the new homes Refugees and migrants living in a third of the camp have until Wednesday night to vacate their tents before bulldozers destroy the camp on Thursday Migrants walk over the muddy ground between made up restaurants and small shops in the makeshift camp called The Jungle A refugee walks past a giant puddle in the makeshift camp called The Jungle next to the containers which have been turned into housing According to volunteers working in the Jungle, residents are reluctant to move into the new camp because 'it looks like a detention centre'. The new camp consists of metal transport containers which have been converted into heated homes, complete with power sockets, heated towel rails, toilets and washing facilities, Yesterday, charity workers complained at the constrained time scale they had been given by French authorities to move more than 1,500 people into the new 20million camp. 'We had been given a Wednesday deadline, although this timeframe is now less certain, to move and relocate approximately 2,000 refugees, including over 300 women and 60 kids,' charity HelpRefugees UK wrote in a statement on Monday. 'We are doing our utmost to ensure the safe movement of the refugees. A particular concern is the large number of women and children. 'The refugees are not rejecting the new container camp. The new container camp can only accept a maximum of 55 new people per day and this is far below the numbers required. In the interim, refugees face what shelter they have being destroyed.' The Jungle camp was never properly planned and there is inadequate drainage, so heavy rainfall has turned large parts of it into a swamp A migrant pushes his bike among the tents and huts of the makeshift camp called The Jungle close to the new government-built housing The state has converted dozens of the metal transport containers into homes for 1,500 people that have been living in tents amid the mud The group added that they feared they would only be able to move some 200 of the people living in the area which will be destroyed come Thursday. In the wake of the refugees' refusal to move, HelpRefugees has now said that they will respect the wishes of the Jungle community, while assisting those who are still willing to move. The new facilities are located in the heart of the Jungle camp, which has ballooned in recent months and has evolved into a slum with shops, mosques and a church between the tarps and tents. Up to 6,000 people were reportedly staying there in the months leading up to Christmas, though the number has decreased recently. Former ISIS child soldiers have revealed how the jihadi group snatch young boys from their families and subject them to savage punishments if they refuse to become child soldiers. One 11-year-old boy, known only as Nouri, had one of his legs broken after he refused to become a 'cub of the caliphate.' The children who managed to escape describe how they were indoctrinated into the jihadi group's radical brand of Islam and taught that they should execute their 'unbeliever' parents. One former ISIS child soldier had his leg broken by a jihadi for refusing to attend a jihadi training camp Child soldiers at an ISIS training camp are taught how to use machine guns and practice close combat A Kurdish commander described the challenge his men face when fighting against ISIS. He said that ISIS frequently send children out on the frontline, wearing concealed explosive vests. Aziz Abdullah Hadur said that when fighting on the Gweyr frontline, his men had witnessed numerous child soldiers fighting for ISIS on the frontline. 'Many times when we are facing ISIS, we see the children at the front line and they're wearing explosive vests. They are brainwashed,' he told CNN. He explained how he was often faced with the challenge of helping children who have been freed by ISIS but who could be suicide bombers. A Kurdish commander described the challenge his men face when fighting against ISIS. The jihadi group frequently sent children out on the frontline, wearing concealed explosive vests One young child soldiers points his handgun at the camera for a ISIS propaganda video The repeated beatings and endless propaganda have meant that some of the escapees wake up in the night with nightmares while others suffer seizures Child soldiers have been videoed executing prisoners accused of carrying out acts of espionage 'When they make it through our lines they kill our fighters. It's an unbelievably hard decision.You don't know what to do because if you don't kill them they'll kill you,' he lamented. The growing trend for ISIS to use child soldiers as suicide bombers, particularly in Iraq, has been suggested as a sign of how stretched their resources are in the region. Pictures of teenage suicide bombers without even a hint of a beard have began to be a common sight on social media as ISIS repeatedly target younger recruits. One former child soldier revealed the emotional impact of being taken from his parents and being forced to become a soldier. 'We weren't allowed to cry but I would think about my mother, think about her worrying about me and I'd try and cry quietly,' he said. When we escaped and I saw my mother again, it was like coming back to life, the young boy said. Some children who managed to escape ISIS and are now living in the refugee camps in northern Iraq, have also been left badly psychologically scarred. The repeated beatings and endless propaganda have meant that some of the escapees wake up in the night with nightmares while others suffer seizures. The child soldiers are forced to learn the jihadi group's radical interpretation of Shariah law Far right protesters vandalised ethnic shops during hate spree last night It comes as concerns grow over the New Year mass assaults in Cologne One was arrested for rape and the other for assault, it has been reported Three Syrian teenagers have been arrested for an attack on a girl at a swimming pool in Germany, as the country grapples with growing concerns about sex crimes perpetrated by asylum seekers. The three boys are alleged to have surrounded the 17-year-old girl in the pool before one of them groped her underneath her swimming costume, in an offence deemed rape under local law. When the girl's sister, 14, tried to make them stop, she too was groped by the trio of teenagers, who were all aged under 15. The teenage girls were assaulted by the Syrian teenagers at a swimming pool in Munich (pictured). File image The girls managed to flee and raise the alarm with the lifeguard at the swimming pool, who called police. Because the asylum seekers were only 15, they were not remanded in custody and were released, and will be prosecuted under juvenile law. The main offender's two friends were arrested for assault for taking part in the attack. News of the arrest comes after more than two hundred women reported being sexually assaulted by groups of mostly Arab or North African men in Cologne during New Year celebrations. Police say 553 criminal complaints have been filed, with about 45 per cent involving allegations of sexual offences, and most of the suspects identified so far are foreign nationals. The attack have been seized by right-wing groups as evidence that chancellor Angela Merkel's open door policy is a failure. And more than 200 masked right-wing supporters, carrying placards with racist overtones, went on a rampage in the eastern city of Leipzig last night, breaking windows and vandalising buildings. Meanwhile, German police also claim to have solved another sex attack, this time concerning the rape and attempted murder of a 24-year-old woman on Christmas Eve after tracing DNA to a man in a nearby asylum home. The alleged attacker, aged 20 and from Morocco, had been previously arrested for theft in Dusseldorf where a sample had been taken that allowed him to be identified as the rapist who was short while later attacked the young woman outside a cemetery in Gelsenkirchen. Doner kebab fast food stalls were destroyed, cars set ablaze and shop windows smashed by around 250 hooligans of Legida Police forces patrol a street in Leipzig after the peaceful protest turned nasty last night Inside one of the doner kebab grills where some 250 masked hooligans attacked takeaway restaurants The attacker approached her from behind and beat her unconscious before dragging her into the cemetery to rape her. Local mayor Frank Baranowski said: 'Violence against women is always despicable and criminal, and it is a great shame that this has been shown to be a case where the alleged attacker is from the ranks of the asylum seekers, who only a short time before were welcomed into our community here in Gelsenkirchen. This is not only a gross disregard for hospitality but also inhumane. 'This person will not only face the consequences of his actions if convicted, but also he has done severe damage to all those others who have fled their homes and will now be tainted because of what he has done.' Police said that the man would also face attempted murder charges because the injuries the woman received were so severe that she almost died. Police also confirmed that they have solved another sex attack, this time on a 15-year-old girl involving an unregistered asylum seeker who had been given accommodation in Burghausen. Groups of men gather outside the Cologne main train station on New Year's Eve, where hundreds of women claim to have been sexually assaulted A group of young men let off a firework during the New Year celebrations, which descended into chaos A banking lobbyist turned tax adviser to George Osborne has made a grovelling apology to MPs for her role in the banking crisis. Anglea Knight, who was chief executive of the British Banking Association throughout the financial crisis, appeared before the Commons treasury committee to answer questions about her appointment as chairwoman of the Office of Tax Simplification. As one of the banking industry's top lobbyists between 2007 and 2012, Ms Knight spoke up for banks against allegations bad behaviour and launched a defence during the Libor rate rigging scandal. She insisted today she had been 'caught in the hurricane' of the financial crisis and repeatedly said 'sorry' for role after MPs suggested her past role gave her a 'credibility problem'. Scroll down for video Former Tory MP and lobbyist has repeatedly apologised to MPs for her work as chief executive of the British Banking Association during the financial crisis Following her time in banking, Ms Knight had a spell lobbying for energy companies. Mr Osborne created the Office of Tax Simplification when he became Chancellor in 2010 to advise him on the complexities of the British tax code. Ms Knight was appointed as its new chairwoman in December. When the appointment was made, Labour mocked the Government for handing a job to someone who had made a career out of 'defending the indefensible'. Ms Knight made the extraordinary apology to MPs today, insisting she did a 'good job' speaking up for the banks during the crisis and expressing regret and the job she held. But in a bid to persuade the cross party committee not to raise questions about her new appointment, the former Conservative MP said people who hold difficult jobs have to be able to continue their careers afterwards. DEFENDER OF THE INDEFENSIBLE? THE CAREER OF GEORGE OSBORNE'S TAX GURU Angela Knight first rose to prominence as a Tory MP in the 1990s, serving for two years as a Treasury minister in John Major's government. She lost her Commons seat in the 1997 Labour landslide, moving swiftly into private sector with nine years as chief executive of the Association of Private Client Investment Managers and Stockbrokers. In the 2007 new year honours list she was made an OBE, shortly followed by a new post running the British Banking Association. In this post she defended the banking industry through much of the financial crisis, including a defence of the rigged Libor rate - a benchmark interest rate set across several banks. The scandal which emerged eventually led to her resignation from the BBA in 2012. In May that year, she joined Energy UK as chief executive - a post she held for two years. Chancellor George Osborne made her the second chairman of the Office of Tax Simplification in December 2015 - prompting Labour claims he had handed a plum job to someone who had made a career out of 'defending the indefensible'. Advertisement Speaking to MPs today, Ms Knight said: 'I don't know whether I did a good job, a bad job, an indifferent job - that's in the eyes of others. 'But I certainly did what I could... I provided any information anybody wanted to authorities and so on. 'If somebody does a difficult job and finds themselves in a very tricky position does what they can and is thereafter told you can't do anything else, you will never get anybody to do a difficult job again. 'I tried my best. I was out there, I did what I could in explanation. 'I am so sorry I ended up at the BBA in the banking crisis. I'm so sorry it chose me to be its target. 'I'm so sorry it took a trade association into a different era. I'm so sorry I never persuaded the authorities to take on Libor early. 'And I am so sorry the banks brought about the financial disaster they did.' Labour MP Helen Goodman intervened to ask if Ms Knight was 'sorry' about her 'energetic' defence of the banks and whether she would apologise for endorsing the rigged Libor rate in 2008. Ms Knight replied: 'Of course I'm sorry. 'Yes, we did endorse it because as far as we were aware, that which we could see and do, and that which we could undertake looked like it was OK. 'Third party entities who had been able to do a different sort of looking at the rate had said the same thing, publicly. 'And we had spoken to the regulators, so we had not hidden anything. We had others asked to do that work which we couldn't go near. 'I do wish it had never happened and I'm sorry I was not able to do more.' The Treasury Committee said of Ms Knight's session: 'The Treasury Committee took evidence today from Angela Knight on her appointment as Chair of the Office of Tax Simplification. He also attempted to get a photo op with Marla she claims, trying to hug her while three cameras waited nearby in the hallway one day During the trial Ethan's father Fred approached both Marla and her mother asking for forgiveness She then began to look for her daughter, and eventually found her body, saying that 'her legs were gone' Marla saw at the scene was a drunk Ethan, who said; 'You dont want to go that way. Theres nothing good happening over there' The mother of one of affluenza teen Ethan Couch's victims is speaking out for the first time about the horror of finding her dead daughter's body, and the shocking behavior of the boy's father during the trial. Marla Mitchell lost her daughter Breanna on June 15, 2013 after her front tire blew out and her car crashed on her way home from a catering job. It was not that crash that killed the 24-year-old though, but rather the one that occurred minutes later while she was standing by the road waiting for help and Couch slammed into her and a group of people who had come to her aid. Her mother was on the phone with her when she was hit, and said when she arrived at the crash site she eventually found her daughter. 'When I found her she was outside of the fence up to the point of her legs,' said Marla. 'Her legs were gone.' Scroll down for video Tragedy: Breanna Mitchell (above) was one of the four people killed on June 15, 2013 when she was hit by 'affluenza' teen Ethan Couch Awful: Breanna (above) was on the phone with her mother Marla at the time who was close to the scene and heard the exact moment her daughter was hit and killed Scene: Breanna had just crashed her car (above) after her front tire blew out while she was driving home Marla broke her silence in an interview with The Daily Beast, revealing not just the horror and heartbreak of finding her daughter, but also her disgust with the Couch family. She said she first met Ethan's father Fred when she went to court and he ran up to her mother, saying; 'I just want you to know that I believe in God and Im begging your forgiveness.' Marla's mother replied to Fred; 'I forgive you, lets see if God does.' That was her only encounter with Fred until the day the coroner spoke on the stand during the trial which was too much for Marla, and she was forced to excuse herself from the courtroom - at which point she suddenly ran into Fred in the hallway. He went to shake her hand but she backed away, and he told her at one point; 'Well, were going to do everything to make sure this is fixed. And everything comes out right.' He then went to give her a hug, but she backed away from the man. On the way back into the courtroom though she claims that she saw something odd. 'I turn and look back at him before I walk back in and I see there are three cameras pointing at us,' said Marla. 'It was totally staged. Yeah, totally staged.' Marla still struggles with her daughter's death, especially since she was in her car on the way to the scene, arriving just minutes after the accident. The first person she encountered when she did arrive was a drunk and slurring Ethan, who told her; 'You dont want to go that way. Theres nothing good happening over there.' Grief: The first person Marla (above) saw at the scene was a drunk Ethan, who said; 'You dont want to go that way. Theres nothing good happening over there' She has no idea who he was at that point. 'I still second guess. If I had been there earlier, if I had seen it or heard it maybe I would have said "Hey yall get up in the yard!"' said Marla. 'You just you cant second guess. Theres no good in that.' Marla would bury her daughter, while the Couches and Ethan's legal team would somehow manage to get the teenager 10 years of probation and no jail time for four counts of intoxication manslaughter. He also killed Hollie Boyles, her daughter Shelby and Brian Jennings - Good Samaritans who had all been on the side of the road to help Breanna after noticing the crash. Marla filed a civil suit after the incident which was settled out-of-court in March 2014 and did not require Ethan to admit guilt. 'The justice system has failed the whole world,' said Marla. 'Look at Chicago, look at other peopleits not just us.' And so when Ethan fled to Mexico with his mother Tonya after he was possibly caught drinking and violating his probation, Marla did think about getting her own justice. 'I said its a good thing I didnt choose to go to Mexico because there would be hogtie and duct tape involved when they found me with these people,' said Marla. She then added; 'Thank God for the Christian woman in me. I cant execute those kind of orders because God holds me accountable and so does my daughter.' Now all she wants is for Ethan to stay in custody - for a long, long time. And while she may not have her daughter, she has her faith which keeps her going, something she said she almost lost throughout this ordeal. 'I felt like I experienced a lot of things in my lifetime, but this almost broke me,' said Marla. 'This almost broke my faith. And thats the only thing I had to hold onto.' Outrageour: Fred Couch (above in february 2014 with his ex-wife Tonya) attempted to get a photo op with Marla, trying to hug her while three cameras waited nearby in the hallway one day Trouble: Ethan (above on December 28) is currently in Mexico trying to fight extradition back to the United States after violating his probation Gruesome: He killed four people in the crash (his car above) but walked away almost unscathed Monster?: Ethan;'s mother Tonya (above on Tuesday after reciuving her ankle bracelet) is out on $75,000 bail after being charged with hindering apprehension of a felon Ethan, now 18, was sent to Newport Academy, a teen treatment center, for rehab after the judge's sentenced him to probation, and after completing his time there began working for his father at Cleburne Sheet Metal. Then, in early December, a video was posted on social media the purported to show Ethan playing beer pong. He and his mother fled to Mexico shortly after but on December 28 police found them in the resort town of Puerto Vallarta. Ethan is currently in Mexico trying to fight extradition back to the United States, while his mother Tonya, 48, is out on $75,000 bail after being charged with hindering apprehension of a felon. 'Put yourself in Tonya's shoes,' her lawyer Stephanie Patten told ABC News. 'What would you do if you were a parent with a son who is the most hated boy in America. What would you do to protect him?' Shirley Carson, 68, was found dead in her rural Iowa home last June. Her husband filed a lawsuit on January 5 accusing the couple's son of murder When the Marion County sheriff's office failed to make an arrest in the murder of a 68-year-old Iowa woman who was found dead last June, the woman's husband decided to take the matter into his own hands. After hiring a private investigator, the widower filed a wrongful death lawsuit on January 5. The defendant: the couple's youngest son. Shirley Carter, 68, was found dead from a gunshot wound at her home in rural Marion County, Iowa on June 19, 2015. Her husband Bill Carter told the local television station WHO-TV that he dropped his wife of 52 years off at their home on the morning of June 19 after getting coffee. 'I said, "Honey, I'll see you at 11-11.30." And she was standing there waving at me as I went out to drive. And that's the last time I've seen her alive,' Carter told WHO-TV. As the months went by and no arrest was made in connection with Shirley Carter's death, Bill Carter hired a private investigator who his attorney says found evidence that incriminates the couple's youngest son, Jason Carter. 'I still love my youngest son. I do love him, but I have to have justice for Shirley. I have to,' Bill Carter told WHO-TV. Growing frustrated with the slow pace of the official investigation into his wife's death, Bill Carter (pictured) launched is own The rural Iowa home where Shirley Carter was found dead from a gunshot wound in June Attorney Ron Danks say he has seen evidence that Jason Carter murdered his mother 'All of the evidence that we're aware of, that we've gathered independently, all of the evidence that is public record from law enforcement, unfortunately, just points to one conclusion that Jason Carter killed his mom,' Bill Carter's attorney Ron Danks told WHO-TV. 'We had hoped never to file it, but the circumstances of this case have dictated that we have.' Jason Carter's motive for killing his mom, Danks said, was to cover up an alleged affair that would have led his father to stop supplying him with money if he found out. 'Jason was having an affair. We know that his dad didn't know about the affair and his dad would have been very upset. We also believe that Jason was in financial difficulties and would need his dad to bail him out as he did in the past and his dad would not have bailed him out if he had known about the alleged affair,' Danks told WHO-TV. Shirley and Bill's two other children, Jana Lain and Billy Carter, are named as co-plaintiffs in the civil lawsuit. In an interview with KCCI on Monday, Bill Carter said his youngest son has told him he is innocent. Daily Mail Online was unable to reach the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation for a comment on the allegations. Officers from the Marion County sheriff's office at the scene A patchwork quilt that covered the dying British field marshal who ordered the charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War is to go under the hammer - 160 years on. The bedspread was used by Field Marshal Lord Raglan, Commander in Chief of British troops, who died of cholera in 1855. It is believed to have been made by injured soldiers during the war using fabrics from the uniforms of dead officers. The quilt, used by Field Marshal Lord Raglan, is believed to have been made out of the uniforms of dead officers and is now up for auction. It is expected to fetch between 1,500 to 2,000 The quilt, which is being sold with one other believed to have been used by Lord Raglan on his deathbed, is estimated to fetch between 1,500 to 2,000. It will go up for auction by Lawrences of Crewkerne auctioneers in Somerset on January 22. Lord Raglan, who was the eighth and last son of the 5th Duke of Beaufort, served at the Battle of Waterloo as a young officer. He was injured and had his right arm amputated, but went on to be aide-de-camp to the Prince Regent, a Tory MP for Truro, and secretary to the Duke of Wellington. Raglan was later appointed commander of British troops and sent to the Crimea in 1854 - aged 65. Field Marshal Lord Raglan (pictured left) was appointed commander of British troops and sent to the Crimea in 1854 - aged 65. He infamously ordered the fateful charge of the Light Brigade, 'into the jaws of death, into the mouth of hell' as poet Alfred Tennyson immortalised it Despite early successes in his final campaign, Lord Raglan's command was surrounded by controversy. He infamously ordered the fateful charge of the Light Brigade, 'into the jaws of death, into the mouth of hell' as poet Alfred Tennyson immortalised it. The command left 118 men dead, 127 injured, with 60 taken prisoner, out of a total of 670 soldiers. Lord Raglan, who suffered from clinical depression, died on June 29 1855, 11 days after a failed Ango-French assault on the Sevastapol port. His body was brought back to England and was buried at St Michael's and All Angels' Church in Badminton, South Gloucestershire. Stunt is believed to be linked with sometimes fatal Fire Challenge craze A teenage boy has been lucky to escape serious injury after he was doused in lighter fluid and set ablaze by his friend with a blowtorch. The 13-year-olds were filming the dangerous stunt with plans to post the footage online. It is believed to have been undertaken as part of the 'Fire Challenge' internet craze. One of the teens had agreed to be set alight by his friend at about 5pm on New Year's Day in Frankstown Township. Scroll down for video The 13-year-olds were filming the dangerous stunt with plans to post the footage online as part of the 'Fire Challenge' internet craze (file picture of a teenager taking part in the craze) State police say the boy poured lighter fluid over his own clothes and his friend used a blowtorch to ignite it while he recorded it. But the pair had struggled to put out the flames and were only able to narrowly avoid injury when they finally extinguished them. Both friends are now facing disorderly conduct charges. They were never able to post the footage online before police intervened. A state police press release warned that 'such incidents, regardless of their intentions and the end result, can be detrimental to the safety of persons and property and those involved must be aware that such actions could result in criminal charges.' The incident took place at about 5 p.m. on New Year's Day along the 1200 block of Route 22 in Frankstown Township, police said The Fire Challenge craze, which began in 2014, involves flammable liquid being poured over the body and lit. The person then has to dive into a bath or pool before the flames take hold. In October last year, Florida teenager Robert Seals, 15, had to be rushed to hospital in critical condition after being doused in a flammable liquid and set on fire by a friend who held a match to his clothes. Seals' aunt, Lisa Oliphant, told the Orlando Sentinel, she heard her nephew screaming for help. 'I see the little boy walk up and gush something on him and then flick. I see the little flick, and then my nephew's running down the street on fire. All his skin is off, arms peeled, hair burnt. His neckswelled up so bad.' Oliphant doused Seals to put out the flames but her had already suffered severe burns on his arms and back. In 2014, James Shores, 15, from Buffalo in New York was burned to death after his entire body was engulfed in flames. A boy sets himself on fire last year after dousing himself in accelerant as part of a online craze 'fire challenge' which has been fatal in some cases Twelve-year-old Daisy Schumer, of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, was injured the same year during the stunt and had to be taken to hospital with burns to her back, While the parents of two boys who escaped harm after setting themselves on fire last year have pleaded for videos promoting the dangerous stunt to be taken off the internet. Footage of youngsters taking part has spread across the internet, with the videos being shared widely across Facebook and YouTube. Felix is accused of taking the gun away and hiding it in Vladimir's house Gotlibovsky's gun went off at the hotel's lobby, grazing a woman's head Gotlibovsky, 43, was charged on criminal possession of a weapon, tampering with evidence and misdemeanor assault in December The man whose gun went off during his cousin's $750,000 wedding at Manhattan's Waldorf Astoria Hotel over the summer will have to pay most of the economic damages for the ruined celebration. But a New York judge ruled Monday that the hotel isn't completely off the hook - and may still have to pay the jilted bride and groom for the 'emotional distress' it caused by canceling their reception. Vladimir Gotlibovsky, 43, was carrying a semiautomatic pistol in his pocket during the June wedding when it went off in the lobby, injuring himself in the leg and grazing one female guest in the head. Gotlibovsky sued the Waldorf Astoria, claiming it was liable for the economic damages and emotional hardship, after he was sued by the newlyweds, Elan Stratiyevsky and Anna Goldshmidt. A judge ruled Vladimir Gotlibovsky (pictured front) can't hold the Waldorf Astoria accountable for economic damages caused by his 'own negligence' when his gun went off at the hotel during his cousin's wedding Gotlibovsky and his brother Felix, 52, (center) were both charged with one count of criminal possession of a weapon and tampering with physical evidence in December A New York judge ruled the Waldorf Astoria (pictured) still may have to contribute damages related to the couple's 'emotional distress' if the claim is supported during trial and the newlyweds win their case Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Cynthia Kern ruled that Gotlibovsky had no right to hold the Waldorf Astoria accountable for economic damages caused by his 'own negligence', according to the New York Daily News. But Kern said the hotel may have to contribute damages related to the couple's 'emotional distress' if the claim is supported during trial and the newlyweds win their case. Joel Simon, the attorney for the Waldorf Astoria, said the hotel does not plan to appeal the decision, he told The New York Post. Goldshmidt's attorney, David Jaroslawicz, said they were hoping for a settlement. 'As long as the Waldorf's in, maybe everyone can sit down in a room together and finally reimburse this couple for what happened,' he told the Post. Gotlibovsky and his brother Felix, 52, were both charged with one count of criminal possession of a weapon and tampering with physical evidence in December. Vladimir was also charged with an additional six counts of third-degree misdemeanor assault. Felix Gotlibovsky is accused of taking the gun from his brother and then hiding it in Vladimir's house. Vladimir was licensed to carry the gun. His attorney says he plans to contest the charges. The government is now prosecuting people who were involved in accidents, Arthur Gershfeld told the New York Times in December. The facts do not support any criminal acts. An attorney for Felix told the Times that his client did what he thought was lawful, and hes right. The incident occurred while the brothers were at the wedding of their cousin Elan Stratiyevsky to Anna Goldshmidt (pictured) on June 13 Bride Anna Goldshmidt (pictured) is said to have let out a 'blood-curdling scream' when the hotel informed her that her $750,000 reception had to be canceled According to court documents, Vladmir was carrying a 9mm Ruger semiautomatic pistol in his pants pocket for which he possessed a valid permit to carry. The gun discharged once at around 7.15pm, hit his right leg, ripped his pants and hit the floor. Maya Rafailovich, 55, was grazed in the head when the bullet ricocheted off the hotel lobby's floor. A man and two hotel workers were also injured from shrapnel. The brothers then allegedly went into a bathroom, where Vladimir gave the firearm to Felix, who was not licensed to carry it, and the pair began to leave. Later that evening, NYPD detectives recovered the gun from Vladimirs home, as well as ammunition, two empty gun boxes, a holster and his permit. The brothers were arrested that night, but prosecutors deferred bringing charges against them until they could properly investigate the circumstances of the incident. The couples reception was canceled by the hotel at the last minute due to safety concerns as the gun had not been recovered by the police at the time. Goldshmidt is said to have let out a 'blood-curdling scream' when the hotel informed her that her the reception would not be happening because her new husband's cousin 'accidentally shot a guest'. She had been in her bridal suite when the shooting occurred during the pre-ceremony cocktail hour in the posh New York hotel's lobby. Unaware of what had happened, she was married to Stratiyevsky in a traditional Jewish ceremony before hundreds of guests. After Goldschmidt had kissed her new husband and broken the ceremonial glass, hotel staff shattered her hopes of enjoying the expensive reception she had spent months planning. Maya Rafailovich (pictured) was grazed in the head when the bullet ricocheted off the hotel lobby's floor New York Police Commissioner William Bratton encouraged women to adopt the buddy system when taking cabs at night, drawing condemnation while the city has been rocked by a grisly gang rape case. During a radio interview on WNYC, he said: 'One of the areas of concern that we have is particularly young women coming out of clubs and bars. They're by themselves and intoxicated getting into a cab ... and we've seen an increase in assaults in those instances. So we're encouraging women to adopt the buddy system.' This came shortly before five assailants approached an 18-year-old girl who was walking in Osborne Playground, Brownsville, with her father. NY Police Commissioner William Bratton, pictured in front of Mayor Bill de Blasio, said young women coming out of clubs and bars are an 'area of concern' and urged them to adopt a 'buddy system'. Pictured, the two discussing crime statistics earlier this month They threatened the father with a gun and told him to leave, then allegedly proceeded to gang rape the girl. Four teens between the ages of 14 and 17 are currently in custody. NBC reported city council woman Laurie Cumbo said: 'When an 18-year-old girl can get raped while walking with her father in a park by five men in Brownsville, New York, we have hit an all-time moral low in the City of New York.' She described Bratton's suggestion as 'sexist', 'antiquated', and an 'insult'. Jamie Lopez also bristled at Bratton's victim-blaming suggestion. The 20-year-old who works in retail and often takes cabs late at night because she finds them safer than the subway, said: 'It's the idea that somehow we have a hand in this. It's not the victim's fault.' Newsday reported that Mayor Bill de Blasio stepped in to defend Bratton, clarifying: ' I think it falls under the broad rubric and I believe this is what the police commissioner was saying of people being vigilant, being careful in what they do. 'But again, I don't want there to be any mistake, we are responsible of the safety of the women in this city.' At a news conference on Monday, city politicians and women's rights advocates demanded more concrete measures to combat cabbie rapes. One proposal would require taxis and car services like Uber to have a back-seat panic button that could summon the police to a passenger in trouble. At a news conference on Monday, city politicians and women's rights advocates proposed a back-seat panic button in Uber cars to summon the police (file picture) The NYPD noted that the 14 reported rapes of women in cars for hire was out of 164 reported 'stranger rapes,' and among 1,439 total reported rapes last year. The figure is small, considering there are 440,000 yellow cab rides and up to 120,000 Uber rides in the city every day. But instances of attacks by drivers have grabbed international headlines in recent months. In India, an Uber driver was sentenced to life in prison for raping a passenger. 'When an 18-year-old girl can get raped while walking with her father in a park by five men in Brownsville, New York, we have hit an all-time moral low in the City of New York' Laurie Cumbo, NYC Council member A driver in London was sentenced to 8 months for sex assault. In New Orleans, a cab driver was sentenced to five years for rape. In one New York case, prosecutors said the driver of a taxi picked up a woman in an upscale Brooklyn neighborhood, locked the doors, pulled over, climbed into the back seat with her and raped her. The driver pleaded not guilty to rape and other charges. Another woman was attacked by a driver who displayed an Uber sign, only to discover he wasn't a member of the popular ride-hailing app. New York has by far the largest fleet of for-hire cabs in the country, with more than 86,000 licensed vehicles; including taxis, Uber vehicles and livery cabs. All for-hire vehicles must be licensed, and the rules are stricter for Uber drivers in New York than anywhere else in the country. Bhairavi Desai, president of the National Taxi Workers Alliance, a driver advocacy group, said a few attacks should not poison the profession. The former soldier facing five years in prison for trying to smuggle an Afghan girl out of 'The Jungle' fought back tears as he described the moment he decided to try and save her. Father-of-four Rob Lawrie, 49, was stopped in Calais in October by border guards who found four-year-old Bahar Ahmadi - known as Bru - in his van. Mr Lawrie, from Guiseley, Leeds, will appear before magistrates' on Thursday and said he expects a custodial sentence. Mr Lawrie fought back tears on This Morning when he recalled the time he decided to try and help Bru Fighting back tears, he said: 'She fell asleep and I thought you know...if you've been to the camps in Dunkirk and Calais, these children are living in hell' In an emotional interview on ITV's This Morning, he had to stop himself from breaking down twice, as he recalled the time he decided to try and smuggle Bru out the camp and then when he had to say goodbye to his family this week. The former Army physical training instructor explained how he was helping build shelters in The Jungle camp when he got to know Bru, and her father asked him to help get her to close family members living in Leeds. Remembering the first time he saw Bru, he said: 'When I was building my first shelter and banging some nails in, I got this little tug at the back of my shirt and I turned around. 'I'm 6ft 2in and this tiny dot was looking up and smiling, she's got big, brown eyes and her father said to an Afghan friend of mine that "I am a very privileged person, as she goes to nobody."' He went on: 'Her Dad asked me on many occasions [to bring her to the UK] but it's just a no-go. It was just never going to happen.' But after weeks of persuasion, he was sat round the camp fire in a group of 12 when Bru came up and jumped on his knee. Fighting back tears, he said: 'She fell asleep and I thought you know...if you've been to the camps in Dunkirk and Calais, these children are living in hell.' Mr Lawrie, a father-of-four, says he hopes magistrates will see he was 'just trying to help a little girl' Mr Lawrie was caught when British sniffer dogs at the Calais border found two Eritrean men who, unknown to him, had stowed in the back of his van He hid the young girl in a sleeping compartment in his van on October 24 and set off towards Britain. Border police stopped the van at the ferry port and discovered two Eritrean men in the back, who had hid there without his knowledge. Mr Lawrie was arrested by French police and Bahar was returned to her father in the migrant camp. The former Royal Corps of Transport soldier said he feels numb as he waits to hear his fate. He has lost three stone since October and has been told the maximum sentence he faces is five years in prison or a 30,000 euro (22,560) fine. He fought back tears as he recalled the moment he said goodbye to his family, as he prepares to return to France. He added: 'I am expecting a custodial sentence. I don't want to say what I think I will get but I have got to expect the worse. '[I did it] purely out of not wanting to leave one children sleeping on pallets in mud. It's ridiculous.' Mr Lawrie, from Guiseley, Leeds, could face a maximum sentence of five years in prison or a fine of up to 20k Thousands of people have signed a petition urging Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond to ask the French authorities for clemency. Mr Lawrie and supporters delivered the petition to the Foreign Office last week. He will appear before magistrates' in Boulogne-sur-Mer on Thursday. Pictured for the first time, this is the foster mother and child involved an international custody battle, with the infant's British mother claiming that New York authorities have 'kidnapped' her child. These exclusive pictures show foster mother Susan Sena, 44, taking baby Samuel Fielden to Diki Toddler and Pre-School at 9.20 this morning - a short walk from the Queens apartment in which the child is currently living. The pictures come just days before a key conference call between mother Louise Fielden's lawyers and New York's child protection services to discuss the British woman's plea to have her son returned to London. Fielden, a 42-year-old policewoman, plans to sue New York police for $43 million, arguing that her baby is being held 'hostage and kidnapped in a foreign country'. Daycare journey: Susan Sena takes Samuel Fielden to a New York toddler and pre-school daycare facility. She is the single foster mother to the 14-month-old who was taken from his British mother nine months ago Neglect: Susan Sena was given custody of the baby by New York authorities, who alleged that his mother Louise Fielden - a London police officer - neglected him as she stayed for two weeks at a New York hostel Dropped off: Susan Sena leaves the Queens, New York, pre-school facility where she dropped her foster child. Louise Fielden claims that Sena's work as a gay-rights advocate is out of step with her own Christian beliefs As well as blasting the decision to hold Samuel in care, Fielden has been vocally critical of the choice of foster mother, branding Susan Sena inappropriate and not in step with what she claims to be her own conservative Christian beliefs. Fielden is bringing up the child alone after it was fathered by an anonymous sperm donor. Sena has earned the moniker 'Queen Hag' as the founder of the charitable organization Straight Women for Homos [Swish] a foundation that aims to engage 'straight allies in the global LGBT rights movement. She also works as a consultant for charities and no-profit bodies. In legal papers filed in Brooklyn Federal Court Fielden also asserts that Sena is friends with a porn star and celebrated one birthday by playing 'porno bingo' at a gay men's club. The extraordinary legal battle between Fielden and the New York authorities began in April after baby Samuel, now 14 months old, was taken into care following reports that Fielden had left him alone in a hotel room and, on another occasion, in a hotel lobby for more than an hour. Court documents state: 'Defendant, while a guest at a Manhattan hotel, left her infant son unattended in the lobby, and alone in her hotel room, for periods exceeding one hour. She now stands charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and one count of resisting arrest. 'A post-arrest search of the defendant's luggage revealed a bottle of codeine pills in defendant's luggage. For this the defendant is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree.' The criminal charges against Fielden have since been dropped but she insists that, far from resisting arrest, she was manhandled by officers and called a 'limey bitch' when they swooped on her hotel room, placing her in cuffs and taking her child. Fielden, who returned to Britain on Tuesday, vehemently denies all the allegations made by a member of staff at the now defunct Chelsea Highline Hotel where she and son Samuel were staying during what she has described as a two week shopping trip to New York. Speaking out: Louise Fielden told the Daily Mail earlier this week how she will fight for custody of her son, who was taken from her during a two-week shopping trip to New York when he was six months old Toddler: Louise Fielden shared pictures of Samuel Fielden taken two weeks ago at a supervised visit in New York. A conference call involving her, New York authorities and lawyers may decide his fate this week She claims that she only left her child alone for a matter of moments to go down the three fights of stairs to the communal kitchen to sterilize water bottles for him because she felt unsafe carrying her child and the bottles and managing the doors and stairs. She flat out denies ever leaving him alone on the floor of the lobby as alleged. Fielden was on maternity leave from the Metropolitan Police during the New York trip that followed a three month trip to Antigua on which, perhaps surprisingly, Fielden chose to embark alone when her child was just three months old. The New York trip was supposed to be a final stop-off before returning back to the UK. The 'hotel' was in fact a hostel, which has now been closed and partially demolished to make way for new development. In court documents justifying her actions she explained: 'On January 10, 2015, when the weather in London is typically quite overcast and dark, with little natural sunlight, I and my son Samuel Fielden left London for Antigua of the British West Indies. 'We went to vacation for three months there by the Caribbean Sea, to take advantage of the natural sunlight, which is an excellent source of vitamin D for Samuel's natural development. 'On April 10, 2015, Samuel and I left Antigua for New York City, where I as going to do some shopping for clothes and other things for Samuel.' Samuel was, according to Fielden, a much longed for child for the police officer, who is estranged from her mother and brother. Her father died 15 years ago. Trouble: Louise Fielden had been staying at the Chelsea Highline Hotel in Manhattan - which was in fact a hostel - when she was first arrested after being accused of leaving her baby alone in her room Basic: One of the bedrooms at the now closed Chelsea Highline Hotel in Manhattan, where Louise Fielden had intended to stay for two weeks while in New York New mom: Foster carer Susan Sena (left and right, center, in her charity's float at a parade), who Ms Fielden says as a pro-gay rights campaigner is not suitable to look after her child due to her conservative upbringing in the Church of England MOTHER OBJECTS TO FOSTER CARER WHO HEADS A PRO-GAY RIGHTS GROUP As well as wanting her son returned to the UK, Ms Fielden also complained in court papers about the foster carer her child was placed with. The documents show that Samuel is being looked after by a carer named as Sue Sena, who lives in the Queens area of New York. But Ms Fielden objects to Ms Sena taking care of her child as the foster carer is a president and founding member of a group pro-gay rights group called Straight Women in Support of Homos (SWISH). In court documents, Ms Fielden - who does not name her child's father on his birth certificate - says: 'As a devout conservative member of the Church of England, my family values are totally on the other side of the spectrum to SWISH's and I do not wish my son to be cared for by any member of that organisation.' She also alleges that Ms Sena is often referred to as 'Queen Hag' and spent a birthday party playing 'porno bingo' at a gay man's club, which was a fundraiser. Ms Fielden adds: 'I presented this data last week to the Family Court last week in my pending neglect case but the court did nothing but permit Ms Sena to take my son to New Jersey for the weekend! Unbelievable!' Advertisement Single and desperate for a child Fielden, who owns several rental properties in London and south-east England, decided to take matters into her own hands and spent three years trying to conceive through IVF. She finally fell pregnant via an anonymous Danish sperm donor in early 2014 and gave birth to Samuel in October that year. Speaking to the Daily Mail earlier this week she explained: 'I couldn't find the man of my dreams and I wasn't prepared to go through my life childless. I was happy to be a single mum and afford to do so. 'Family is the most gorgeous thing you can possibly have.' Now Fielden has already run up legal bills in excess of $70,000 in her bid to restore her little family and return her child to the UK where he would be placed in the temporary care of her cousin in Bedfordshire. Speaking in her Daily Mail interview Fielden expressed the belief that she has fallen victim to the culture of 'helicopter parenting,' in New York where, she said, 'you have to have your child attached to you at all times.' She said she was speaking out to warn other mothers about the different approaches to parenting in the States as opposed to those she claimed were favored in the UK. 'I feel I need the public to know what I've been through,' she said, 'and how you can have the rug pulled completely from under you.' A depraved child serial killer has died in jail weeks before he was expected to be charged with the murder of a fifth schoolgirl. Robert Black serving 12 life sentences for murdering four girls in the 1980s died of natural causes in prison in Northern Ireland. The 68-year-old was strongly suspected of killing another 13 children, including Genette Tate who vanished in a country lane close to her Devon home in 1978. Serial killer Robert Black, 68, of Grangemouth, Falkirk, who abducted and abused young girls from across the UK before murdering them, has died of natural causes in Maghaberry prison Police fear he has taken numerous secrets to his grave, denying parents of the missing girls justice and the chance to bury their daughters. Black worked as a delivery driver and cruised the length of the UK looking for victims to abduct in the 1970s and 1980s. His reign of terror ended in 1990 when he was caught by police with a barely alive six-year-old girl. She was found hooded, bound, gagged and stuffed in a sleeping bag in the back of his van in the Scottish village of Stow. In 1994 he was found guilty of the murders of Susan Maxwell, 11, Caroline Hogg, five, and Sarah Harper, ten. Black was also found guilty in 2011 of abducting Jennifer Cardy, nine, in his van as she cycled to a friends house in 1981. He sexually abused and killed her before dumping her body in a nearby beauty spot. Only Moors Murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley whose five victims were aged ten to 17 killed more children in modern British criminal history. Thomas Hamilton killed 16 in the 1996 Dunblane massacre but is not considered a serial killer as this happened in one brutal day. As many as 40 cases were examined by police in the 1990s but 13 possible killings are understood to remain potentially linked to Black, including the Tate case. A source close to the investigation said Blacks death was a cruel blow for the Tate family as police had expected to charge him with her murder. Detectives have spent months preparing a case for the Crown Prosecution Service. No trace of the newspaper delivery girl, 13, has ever been found. All that remained were her bike and scattered papers in the lane. Victims: Susan Maxwell (pictured left) was 11 when she was killed by Black, Jennifer Cardy, was nine (right) Murdered: Sarah Harper (pictured left) was 10 when she was killed. Caroline Hogg (right) was just five Last night her father John said at his home in Manchester: I hoped that one day he might have made a deathbed confession. We have waited all these years for a breakthrough and it seems we have been denied again just as something major was about to happen. I would have liked to have seen Black go on trial charged with Genettes kidnap and murder but now that has been denied us. This is a major blow to our hopes of trying to discover the truth. Scottish-born Black never spoke about the killings but after his arrest, he admitted his depravity, telling police: Ive always liked young girls since I was a young kid. Police abroad have looked at links between Black and the killings of four girls near Paris in 1987 and a girl, seven, in Amsterdam in 1986. Black's reign of terror finally ended in 1990 when he was caught red-handed with a six-year-girl hooded, bound, gagged and stuffed in a sleeping bag in the back of his van in the Scottish village of Stow. SORDID CHILD KILLER ROBERT BLACK TAKES SECRETS TO THE GRAVE KEILIGH BAKER FOR MAIL ONLINE Robert Black, one of the UK's most notorious serial killers, has gone to the grave carrying many untold secrets from his murderous past. Convicted of four child murders and range of other sex crimes, the delivery driver who stalked the roads of Britain and Ireland for his young victims has long been suspected of involvement in other unsolved disappearances. Black was questioned by police about the disappearance of 13-year-old newspaper delivery girl Genette Tate He was born in 1947 near Falkirk in Scotland to single mother Jesse Hunter Black. The factory worker put her son up to be fostered within weeks. The couple that took him in - the Tulips - were in their 50s and lived in Kinlochleven in the West Highlands. Within 11 years both had died, and Black was placed in a children's home back in Falkirk. He claimed his desire to self-abuse and his fascination with young girls had already developed well before then. In Falkirk his proclivity for sexual violence emerged when, as a 12-year-old, he was accused of trying to rape a young girl. No charges came of it, but Black was moved to an all-boys' home in Musselburgh as a result. In that institution he claimed he was the victim of sexual abuse at the hands of a male staff member. When in Musselburgh he would walk the short distance to Portobello to swim and work as a lifeguard at the coastal resort's swimming pools. Black, pictured in 2010, after being found guilty of the murder of schoolgirl Jennifer Cardy at Armagh Court Twenty years later one of his victims, Caroline Hogg, would disappear close to those same pools. When he turned 15, Black left the home in Musselburgh and moved west again, to Greenock, outside Glasgow. A year later, in 1963, he faced the courts for the first time after molesting a seven-year-old girl in an abandoned air raid shelter. He had lured her from a swing park with the promise of showing her a box of kittens. Instead he choked her to within an inch of her life and then violated her. He left her in the darkness, lying unconscious. Yet he was not incarcerated for the crime, receiving only a caution for lewd and libidinous behaviour. Black relocated back to Falkirk where he started dating his one and only girlfriend. They stayed together for a while and Black even asked her to marry him. She said no, and the relationship ended acrimoniously. He harboured immense bitterness over the rejection from then on. The court heard he snatched nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy (pictured) as she cycled to a friend's house Three years after attacking the girl in Greenock, and now working as a builder back in Kinlochleven, he was not so lucky with authorities after being reported for abusing the daughter of a couple he was lodging with. In 1967 he was found guilty of three counts of indecent assault and sent to borstal in Polmont, outside Falkirk, for a year. Black moved to London on his release and soon became immersed in the sordid world of under-the-counter child pornography. Again he found work as a swimming pool attendant, where he could earn money while spying on young girls in their costumes. Swimsuits were one of the paedophile's particular fetishes and behind the locked door of his rented room in north London he would squeeze himself into young girls' costumes and act out sordid sex acts. In 2014 police launched a new bid to charge Black with the murder of 13-year-old schoolgirl Genette Tate (left) who disappeared 36 years ago. He was also suspected of abducting and killing Mary Boyle (right) A one-piece suit found in his van when he was finally captured in Stow in 1990 was sized to fit ages eight to 10. In the 1970s, his lust for hard-core child porn took him on shopping trips to Copenhagen and then to Amsterdam. Around this time he also obtained his driving licence, enabling him to secure a job with a London-based delivery firm in 1976. In retrospect, this job turned out to be his means to facilitate his murderous reign. Delivering posters throughout the UK for more than a decade, he was able to roam the country as an anonymous van driver. Black was suspected of being involved in the disappearances of April Fabb, 13, in 1969 (left) and Christine Markham (right) who was reported missing from her home in Scunthorpe, in May 1973 The back of his van became a lair where he would abuse himself and his victims with a vile stash of crudely-fashioned instruments. A delivery run took him past Coldstream in 1982 when he snatched Susan Maxwell, then back to Portobello a year later when he stole Caroline Hogg from the promenade, and through Leeds in 1986 when he abducted Sarah Harper. Robert Black would probably never have set foot in Northern Ireland in August 1981 if he had not been sent there to deliver posters for the start of new beer and cigarette campaigns. It was there, on a rural road in Co Antrim, he snatched nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy as she cycled to a friend's house. After being caught red-handed in Stow, with a barely conscious victim hooded and gagged in the back of his Ford Transit, he insisted that was his only 'slip' - the only time he ever kidnapped a young girl in his van. Of course, that was a lie. Four murder convictions followed. Detectives across the country have spent the last 25 years trying to find firm evidence to link Black to other unexplained disappearances. Police investigating the case of missing 13-year-old Genette Tate, who was last seen in a rural lane in Aylesbeare, Devon, in 1978, perhaps came closest to bringing another murder charge. Black died in jail, but many families will feel he never faced full justice. Police notes taken by officers at the New Year's Eve Cologne sex attacks reveal the full, horrific detail of how women were groped, sexually assaulted, robbed and raped at the hands of a vicious sex mob. Over 500 women were attacked by baying groups of immigrant men in a free-for-all of humiliation and degradation which overwhelmed officers and at a stroke undermined Germany's vaunted role as protector of refugees from war and terror. Disturbing reports are recorded in the terse argot of police officers - but leave no room for misinterpretation. Scroll down for video One of the first victim's to speak out, an 18-year-old named Michelle (pictured, in the square outside the main train station where she was attacked), described being surrounded by a group of 30 'angry' men who groped her and her friends then stole their belongings as they fled Assaults: More than 500 women were attacked by groups of immigrant men in a free-for-all of humiliation on New Year's Eve. Police in Germany have released notes taken from victims of that night The notes reveal how women complained they were surrounded by sexually frustrated men who tried to put their hands inside their tights and knickers and tried to put their fingers in their vaginas. One woman told police she was surrounded by 20 men of North African appearance before they attacked her intimate parts. A victim said she was pinched in the crotch, while another said hands were 'all over her breasts and buttocks'. Thieves rifled through a woman's handbag while others distracted her by shoving their hands underneath her clothes. In an appalling catalogue of complaints, the women who were attacked by up to 2,000 men during a fireworks display in the square by the cathedral in front of Cologne's train station told how they had mobile phones, bank cards and cash stolen. One reads: 'Several injured women. All suffered attempts to introduce fingers in vaginas, tights. All were touched on the chest and buttocks. Finger was introduced inside a victim.' Groping hands tugged and ripped at their clothes in what is a gang-rape phenomenon known as 'taharrush gamea' in the Arab community which happened on that fateful night in Cologne and has spread across other parts of Europe including Sweden, Finland and Austria. The name of the practice translates to 'collective harassment' and is carried out by large groups of men who sexually assault lone women, either by groping, or in some instances, raping them. The attacks in which women described having hands being pushed between their legs was part of an unprecedented attack and one in which Angela Merkel, who allowed 1.1 million migrants into Germany last year, was 'out of control'. 'Scarred for life': 'Jenny' was just one of the Cologne New Year's Eve victims. She was left with horrific burns on her shoulder after a firework was shoved into the hoodie she was wearing. Many more came forward to tell police what happened to them that night. The police log started with the first complaint at 10.30pm Police notes show the full scale of the horror of that happened to victims in Cologne. One note read: Female victims: two victims were surrounded at the entrance to the station by a group of people and assaulted in the genital area; two fingers inserted into the vagina'. Victim Michelle (pictured on German TV) said her and her friends were surrounded and hand their purses stolen Another distressed victim (right), who did not want to be named, told German TV how she was 'groped between the legs' after a gang of around 40 men surrounded her and her boyfriend during the harrowing attacks It made parts of Cologne a 'no go' zone for women. Cologne mayor Henriette Reker added to the controversy when she advised women to fend of potential sex attackers by keeping men at 'an arm's length'. Women like 18-year-old blonde Michelle who said she and a group of friends were sexually assaulted by marauding men. Michelle said they were chased, surrounded and had their purses stolen adding: The men were full of anger, and we had to make sure that none of us were pulled away by them. They were groping us and we were trying to get away as quickly as possible. We were fondled, I was groped between my legs. My friends were also fondled. There was quite a big group of people, maybe 30 or 40, said another victim. Here, the police notes from that night, which begin with the first complaint at 10.15pm and peak at around 1am, with the last statement made at 4.15am, catalogue the true scale of what happened to those women on December 31. Female victims: two victims were surrounded at the entrance to the station by a group of people and assaulted in the genital area; two fingers inserted into the vagina Cologne police sex attack records 10pm: 'Female victim: ass touched, mobile phone stolen.' 10.15pm: 'Female victim has been groped at the exit of the station, at the same time they tried to snatch the bag her husband.' 10.30pm: 'Female victims: two victims were surrounded at the entrance to the station by a group of people and assaulted in the genital area; two fingers inserted into the vagina.' 10.40pm: 'Male victims: victim was with two girlfriends. Women were groped and when he went to help his mobile phone was ripped away from him.' 10:55pm: Three female victims: one x handled in her pants and ass, one pulled the phone out of her bag. 10:55pm: 'Three female victims: one x handle pants + ass, pulled the phone out, one x handle in the pocket.' 10.55pm: 'The female victims; one with a hand down her pants and touched up on her behind, her mobile phone stolen, one was hit, one had her handbag snatched.' 10.55pm: 'Three female victims: one x handled in pants + ass, pulled the phone out, one x hands in the pockets.' Police notes, which catalogued in shocking detail the true scale of the attacks, began at 10pm, peaked at 1am with the final complaint from a woman at 4.15am. One note read: Female victim: on the station forecourt, the victim in the company of her friends was harassed and touched by a group in the genital area' Groups of men surrounded the women and groped under their clothes while stealing their possessions. A police note from 11.15pm said: 'Two female victims were encircled by crowd and groped. Handbag fell. From the bag was stolen mobile phone, cash, jewellery' 11pm: 'Female victims: two were surrounded and heavily touched. Mobile phone stolen.' 11pm: 'Female victim: on the station forecourt, the victim in the company of her friends was harassed and touched by a group in the genital area.' 11.15pm: 'Two female victims were groped by a group of 30-50 people.' 11.15pm: 'Two female victims were encircled by crowd and groped. Handbag fell. From the bag was stolen mobile phone, cash, jewellery.' 11.20pm: 'Female victim was groped at the exit from the station by a large group of men.' 11.30pm: 'Two female, two male victims: the victims were surrounded by a group of 'foreigners', the women were groped. The cell phone was stolen.' 11.30pm: 'Female victim: handbag snatched. Group of Arab men seen nearby.' 11.30pm: 'Two female victims touched multiply in an offensive manner and sexually harassed. Mobile phone stolen.' 11.40pm: 'Female victim: assaulted by two men attempting to hug her. Her purse was lost but later found.' 11.40pm: 'Female with her family was groped by a group of men of North African appearance of 18-40 years of age. From the jacket pocket her mobile was stolen.' 11:40pm: 'A female victim was harassed and robbed by a crowd with a migration background.' Midnight - 12.30 am: 'Victim was harassed by a group of persons. She and her mother were patted down and one person tried to kiss her while an accomplice stole the purse from a handbag.' 12.05am: 'Victims report being seized on the butt by a foreign-looking group of men who stole their mobile phones.' 12.15am: 'Female victim: person tried to take her away. Repelled. Mobile stolen.' 12.20am: 'Female victim: touched everywhere.' 12.20am: 'Female victim and girlfriend have been groped.' 12.30am: 'A nafri group of 20 men surrounded a young woman and put their hands down her pants. Her handbag was stolen.' 12.30am: 'Female and male victims: crowds, surrounded them, theft from handbag by southerners (appear to be Turkish.' 12.30am: 'Female victims: group of five attack them in the crotch and on their asses while a mobile phone was taken from jacket pocket.' 12.30am: 'Female victim and her sister complained of multiple indecent touching.' 12.30am: 'Female victim: the victim was surrounded by a group consisting of upwards of five suspects who tried to grab her under her skirt. She held her purse but they tore it from her hands.' 12.30am: 'Female and male victims: crowds surrounded them and theft from handbag by southerners.' Women have come out in protest in Cologne over the sex attacks as tension in the city has risen, councillors have said it's a'no-go' zone for females The message for Angela Merkel was loud and clear as Germany opened its doors to 1.1 million migrants last year as women held up signs that read: 'Mrs Merkel - where are you? What are you saying? This worries us!' 12.45am: 'Women grabbed on the butt and crotch, one x mobile phone snatched, the victim got it back.' 12.45am: 'Female victim: stolen purse out of backpack.' 12.45am: 'A male victim threatened at the entrance to the main station.' 12.45am: 'Female victim groped.' 12.55am: 'Female victim: attacked by a large group in the area of her vagina, behind and breasts. A short time later she noted the loss of her phone.' 12.57am: 'Five females and a male victim: they were on the station forecourt when the women were groped, a mobile phone was stolen from the man.' 1am: 'Female victim was surrounded by about 20 men with Mediterranean appearance, groped, and they tried to rob her.' Three female victims were surrounded by a group of North Africans. Then in stages they had hands on their bosoms and in their pants. Mobile phone stolen then. Attempted to steal purse. New Year's Eve Cologne police notes 1am: 'Female victim: mobile phone theft.' 1am: 'Four female victims reported being grabbed by several people. An accomplice stole a purse from a handbag.' 1am: 'Female victim attacked on her behind and vagina while attempt was made to snatch her bag.' 1am: 'A female victim: person handled her butt and vagina, trying to snatch handbag.' 1am: 'Female victim: person handles butt and vagina while trying to snatch handbag.' 1am: 'Four female victims. Groped all over and items stolen by various persons.' 1am: 'Three female victims were surrounded by a group of North Africans. Then in stages they had hands on their bosoms and in their pants. Mobile phone stolen then. Attempted to steal purse.' 1am: 'Female victim: group of 15 men surrounded her. A person grabbed her crotch. Mobile was stolen from coat pocket.' 1.30am: 'Woman reports hand stuck down her trousers. Her bottom was touched up. Her handbag was rifled and she was groped everywhere.' 1.30am: 'Woman reports going with a friend by a 50 strong crowd of men who touched her on the buttocks. Nothing stolen.' 1.30am: 'Female victim: the victim was separated from her boyfriend and touched all over. Also, they stole her purse including contents.' 2.15am: 'Two female victims have been groped from different groups of people.' 2.30am: 'Three female victims: in the station on platforms 10/11 they were surrounded and have been groped.' The attacks in the city where women don't feel safe prompted protesters in Cologne city centre to wave placards reading: 'Against sexism, against racism' Women told MailOnline the atmosphere in Cologne had changed as they no longer feel safe going out after dark, alone. Police in Germany released their notes of complaints from New Year's Eve tonight 3.15am: 'Female victim and girlfriend were groped, mobile phone stolen.' 3.40am: 'A group of 20 men of Nafri appearance (German police shorthand for being of North African appearance) held victims and attacked their intimate parts. Then purse was stolen. Lost items include cash and purses. A three-year-old refugee has allegedly been raped at an asylum centre in Norway's Stavanger, the country's third largest city. Local police is investigating reports that the boy, whose nationality has not been disclosed, was sexually abused in the common area of Forus Akuttinnkvartering centre. Authorities from the southwestern city were called to probe the incident on January 6 at around 10pm. Local police is investigating reports that the three-year-old refugee, whose nationality has not been disclosed, was sexually abused in the common area of Forus Akuttinnkvartering centre (stock picture) 'We have no suspects yet,' police superintendent Bjrn Kare Dahl told local newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad, as reported by The Local. 'We are investigating the case as if the worst thing has happened and that we are talking about the rape of a child'. Dahl did not rule out that there could be several perpetrators. 'We will investigate further to find out what happened. If it is what we fear a rape then this is very serious. But we do not know for certain yet,' he said. The boy, who has been taken to the rape crisis clinic with his mother and then to the children's ward at Stavanger University Hospital, has been questioned by authorities along with several other people. 'We also had crime technicians on the site. Material was sent to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health for analysis. There, they will look for DNA among other things,' he said. 'We had many people at work, both sanitation workers and security guards, but nobody saw anything. But we immediately took the case to the police, as is the routine, and they came out. We have had a good dialogue with them throughout,' he said. The Forus centre hosts some 800 asylum-seekers. A spokesman for the centre said they received a phone call about the incident but they did not see or hear anything. The alleged incident took place after Norway announced it was offering non-European asylum-seekers classes in Western sexual norms, in an attempt to prevent violence against women. Linda Hagen of Hero, a private company that runs 40 percent of Norway's reception centres for refugees, explained that the aim is to help asylum-seekers 'avoid mistakes as they discover Norwegian culture'. 'There's no single cultural code to say what is good or bad behaviour because we want a free society,' she said. 'There has to be tolerance for attitudes that may be seen as immoral by some traditional or religious norms.' The courses were launched after a 'wave of rapes', committed mostly by foreigners, took place in Stavanger between 2009 and 2011. The course, which Hero has tacked onto the immigration agency's broader, mandatory introduction programme to Norway, addresses the problem of sexual assault, using concrete examples for the participants to discuss. 'It could be an 18-year-old guy who says he's surprised by the interest some Norwegian girls are showing in him. He assumes they want to sleep with him,' Hagen said. A Los Angeles television reporter was nearly attacked by a man during a live broadcast, in a terrifying incident caught on camera. Popular KTLA reporter Mary Beth McDade was covering a story about fans mourning the death of David Bowie at his star on the Walk of Fame around 10.07pm on Monday night. At the start of her live report, a man wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt can be seen standing behind her smiling along with several other people. In the footage, you can see the man approaching her from behind, as she speaks to the anchors back in the studio on live television. KTLA reporter Mary Beth McDade (above) was covering a story about fans mourning the tragic death of rock star David Bowie at his star on the Walk of Fame around 10.07pm when she was nearly attacked At the start of her live report, a man wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt (above) can be seen standing behind her smiling along with several other people In the footage, you can see the man approaching her from behind, as she speaks to the anchors back in the studio on live television. McDade said the man brushed up against her while making a lewd, sexual remark 'Rick and Cher, you know, he was known for breaking down barriers, and...' McDade said seconds before belting out a scream as the camera man quickly panned the lens away pointing at KTLA's news van. A shaky image of the perpetrator running away was caught on camera for a few seconds before the station started airing McDade's pre-recorded news story about Bowie. McDade said the man brushed up against her while making a lewd, sexual remark. Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Officer Mike Lopez told the Los Angeles Times that the incident was not considered 'an attack' and that no one was injured. A shaky image of the perpetrator running away was caught on camera for a few seconds before the station started airing McDade's pre-recorded news story about Bowie Two officers from LAPD's Hollywood Division arrived on the scene moments after the startling incident. McDade later posted a photo to Instagram with the two officers and wrote: 'Hi!! Thank you all for your concern!! :) I am alright! 'And thank u #lapd for taking a report & trying to catch the guy.' Hundreds of users on Twitter and Instagram sent McDade messages of support after the shocking incident. Lopez said that police are investigating the incident as disturbing the peace and are still searching for the suspect. According to her biography on KTLA's website, McDade earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at Manhattan College in New York. Two officers from LAPD's Hollywood Division arrived on the scene moments after the startling incident. McDade later posted a photo (above) to Instagram with the two officers and wrote: 'Hi!! Thank you all for your concern!! :) I am alright!' Fox Business Network anchor Maria Bartiromo said Tuesday that Donald Trump would likely continue his all-Donald-all-the-time strategy with the news media if he were to win the White House. And despite Rand Paul's refusal to participate in Thursday's 'undercard' debate, she predicted that the Kentucky senator will ultimately change his mind. Bartiromo and Neil Cavuto spoke with DailyMail.com on Tuesday as they prepared for their second bite at the Republican primary debate apple. A Trump presidency 'is obviously going to be more transparent' that what Americans have seen in the Obama years, Bartiromo said in a phone interview, 'because frankly I think he likes it. There's a reason you see him on TV so much: He's obviously enjoying it!' 'You probably have to assume that if he were to gain the highest office, he's going to be out there regularly,' she explained. 'The American people have to say to themselves, "Is that what I want?" Do you want to see, and talk with and hear from the leader of the free world regularly?' 'I would think that you do want that kind of transparency in a president,' the financial broadcasting star concluded. THE FOX BIZ A-TEAM: 'Mornings with Maria' and 'Sunday Morning Futures' host Maria Bartiromo, and 'Cavuto Coast to Coast' and 'Your World' host Neil Cavuto will pair up to moderate the prime-time debate on Thursday featuring seven Republican presidential hopefuls THE OMNIPRESENT PRESIDENT? A President Trump, Bartiromo predicts, would dramatically change the idea of White House transparency by being a constant presence on TV as he has been during his campaign Cavuto had high praise for Trump, calling him 'an exhaustive worker. And you can tell he eats all this up.' 'There's an energy to him and a confidence, a self-confidence. You might agree or disagree with some of this positions, and certainly many are controversial. But they're unscripted, they're unedited.' Cavuto said that the off-the-cuff real estate tycoon 'has changed the dynamics for candidates who are very tightly controlled. And by comparison they just seem dull.' While 'the process is wide open,' he insisted, 'the one thing Trump's brought into the equation is, you know bringing in the heart with the head.' The billionaire's no-nonsense looseness can make it a challenge for debate moderators who aim to be ready for anything during a live broadcast that could attract more than 20 million pairs of eyeballs. FACEBOOK FRIEND: Fox Business reporter Jo Ling Kent will interview Cavuto and Bartiromo during some of the commercial breaks and livestream their comments to the network's Facebook page 'When you're in a live situation, anything can happen,' Bartiromo warned the candidates. 'Once you say something, you've said it. It's out there. It's live.' The same rule applies to her and Cavuto, she cautioned. 'It's really hard to prepare for the unknown,' she said of lobbing questions at Trump, adding that 'I anticipate where he might go with the answer. But I'm not going to anticipate him, you know, doing a freakout on me.' Cavuto described Trump as 'the big elephant in the room' and cited him as 'a big reason why there's so much interest in these debates.' 'He's a very shrewd guy. He waits for his moment and when it comes he drops his grenade,' he said. Trump told Cavuto Tuesday afternoon on the Fox News Channel that he plans to law low on Thursday and wait for the questions and attack to come his way. 'It's not my, really, job to go and interrupt everybody,' Trump said, adding: 'I feel that I should respond to questions. I shouldn't necessarily interrupt. We have a couple of people on the stage who are constantly interrupting, just butting in ... because I've become so diplomatic, I won't mention their names.' Both Fox Business Network anchors said they were surprised at Rand Paul's decision to steer clear of Charleston, South Carolina on Thursday night instead of accepting an invitation to appear in the network's 'undercard' debate, populated by low-polling White House hopefuls. Bartiromo predicted that the Kentuckian with a libertarian streak and a chip on his shoulder will ultimately relent and show up. 'I just don't believe it!' she said, laughing as she conceded that 'I don't know why.' 'But I just feel like, you know what? It just can't happen.' Paul is sticking to his guns, but using the episode as an opportunity to raise money with outraged emails 'Last night we learned I wont be featured on the mainstage at Thursday nights debate,' one fundraising message read on Tuesday. 'Why? Silly standards set by the mainstream media that have been endorsed by the establishment at the RNC. Should we even be shocked?' The email asked for between $25 and $100. SECOND GO-ROUND: Cavuto and Bartiromo, along with the Wall Street Journal's editor-in-chief Gerard Baker, conducted a November 10 Fox Business debate in Milwaukee I BELONG UP HERE! Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, shown in the November debate, says he won't show up on Thursday because he wasn't offered a spot in the prime-time contest but Bartiromo predicts he'll relent FBN picked its prime-time lineup at just seven candidates, the smallest so far in this Republican primary race by combining the top six candidates in the five most recent national polls with any top-five candidate in either Iowa or New Hampshire. Making the cut are Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, retired surgeon Ben Carson, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Paul was relegated to the early debate along with onetime Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. He told CNN on Monday that 'an artificial designation as being in the second tier is something we can't accept. I won't participate in anything that's not the first tier.' 'Maria Bartiromo has always been amazingly fair and pleasant to us and we enjoy appearing on her show regularly,' Paul's press secretary Sergio Gor told DailyMail.com on Tuesday. 'However at this time Senator Paul has made his decision.' That phrase 'at this time' could suggest some wiggle room, Bartiromo hinted. I would say "It ain't over 'til it's over," to quote Yogi Berra,' she predicted. 'I believe that he will recognize and he will be part of the debate, to be honest with you. That's just my gut. I just can't imagine any candidate giving up an opportunity to speak to the American people.' 'Rand Paul has made some really important and articulate points about the country, about where the country is, where it is going. And I think he's an important voice. And so you know, I think it would just surprise me if he would give up on this. Because why would anyone?' she asked. 'This is a spot that everybody wants,' she said. 'Whether you're in the 7 o'clock debate or the 9 o'clock debate, you're talking to millions of Americas at a time. People are really zeroing in and making their decisions.' November's Fox Business Network debate drew in 13.5 million viewers, the highest-rated show in the channel's history. READY FOR A FREAKOUT? Bartiromo said she can't prepare for everything, including a Trump outburst that comes out of left field BLACk-EYE BUCKEYE: During the November Fox Business debate, Cavuto and Bartiromo said, Ohio Gov. John Kasich complained during the commercial about his allotment of time on camera APPLE-POLISHING TEXAN: Sen. Ted Cruz went out of his way to curry favor with the debate moderators in November, praising them during commercial breaks in mid-debate for their 'thoughtful questions' Cavuto said passing on Thursdays' early 'pre-debate' would be 'a missed opportunity' for Paul, whom he said 'has a very compelling message.' 'I always think that getting your word out anytime, with anyone, anywhere, is good,' he said. 'If you can rally a crowd at a breakfast at Denny's, that's a good crowd.' 'I wouldn't even need a crowd to show up,' Cavuto joked. 'Just the buffet.' Fox Business Network is pulling out all the stops to make Thursday's debate as voter-friendly as possible, persuading Cox Communications and two other cable TV providers to 'unbundle' the channel from their premium lineups so all subscribers can watch the evening's fireworks. And the moderators will spend some of their precious down-time during commercial breaks interacting with the public on the FBN Facebook page. Tech reporter Jo Ling Kent will interview Cavuto and Bartiromo while commercials roll, and show behind-the-scenes footage of what happens in the debate hall when the 'ON AIR' light switches off. That can be a tense time, the two said, recalling what happened during November's FBN debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 'The commercial time is when candidates ... will make it known if they feel they haven't gotten enough time or if they feel like they've been robbed in one way or another,' Cavuto said Tuesday. He singled out Ohio Gov. John Kasich as a whiner. 'He was the most frustrated,' Cavuto recalled, 'feeling he wasn't given enough time. Ironically, he was getting more time than anyone!' Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, he noted in contrast, 'tends to get less time than other candidates, but he makes most of that. So sometimes it isn't quantity but quality.' ONE FEWER PODIUM AND TWO EXILES: Rand Paul (right) and Carly Fiorina (2nd right) were bumped from the first tier to the 'undercard' debate this time, while New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (not shown) has grown his support enough to earn a spot on the main stage Bartiromo also recalled Kasich approaching the moderator desk during a commercial break to complain about equal time. But she added that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz played the role of teacher's pet, currying favor with compliments. 'Cruz actually last time remarked and said, you know, "Thank you for the thoughtful questions." He felt that it was good that we were sticking to the issues,' she recalled. Once the cameras are on again, they have the unwelcome task of keeping candidates from running off the rails or speaking too long. 'We'll still have the same bell, the same dinger,' Cavuto said. 'And sometimes we have to do the Italian dinner-table thing and start stopping the debate.' Any topic will be fair game on Thursday. 'The world is our plate,' Cavuto pledged, while predicting that 'the president's State of the Union address tonight will be a big topic of conversation.' Bartiromo said she plans to ask the Republican White House hopefuls about jobs, economic growth and other pocketbook issues. 'Two words: big mistake,' she said of politicians who give the economy short shrift in their rush to talk more about headline-ready issues. 'This is what will resonate with the American people,' she forecasted. 'Viewers care about two things right now: the economy and national security. They want to make sure their family is safe but they also want to make sure they feel safe from an economic standpoint. They're worried about their jobs, they're worried about their wages, they're worried about their livelihood.' 'Here we are, early January, and we are experiencing the worst beginning of the year for the stock market of any year, ever! Okay? Ever!' she boomed. 'The big story right now is growth,' Bartiromo added. 'Where is it? And am I going to lose my job? Is my family member going to lose his or her job?' Despite robust raw jobs numbers from the federal government, she said, 'the average guy and gal out there they're not feeling it.' South Korea says video was edited with Scud missile footage from 2014 North Korea has released footage of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) that Pyongyang say it would allow the country to deliver a nuclear warhead - but nuclear experts claim the clip was faked. State television broadcasted footage of the latest test, said to have taken place in December, and boasted about the hermit nation's ballistic missile technology. However, the California-based Middlebury Institute's James Martin Centre for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS), a think tank, said the test 'failed catastrophically'. Scroll down for video State television broadcasted footage of the latest test, said to have taken place in December Footage shows a rocket ejected from a submarine beginning to light But a California-based think tank said the test 'failed catastrophically' North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un was pictured - clearly pleased - while looking at the launch from a warship Its analysis shows two frames of video from state media where flames engulf the missile after the ejection and small parts of its body break away. 'North Korea used heavy video editing to cover over this fact,' CNS' Melissa Hanham said in an email. 'They used different camera angles and editing to make it appear that the launch was several continuous launches, but played side by side you can see that it is the same event'. These claims mirror similar remarks made by South Korea's military who said Pyongyang appeared to have modified the video and edited it with Scud missile footage from 2014. North Korean propagandists used rudimentary editing techniques to crop and flip old video footage of an earlier SLBM test and Scud missile launch, the video analysis showed. South Korea said the Pyongyang modified the video and edited it with 2014 Scud missile footage Nuclear experts have cast doubts on Pyongyang's claims that it had detonated a hydrogen bomb The isolated country crowed on state TV that it had carried out a 'perfect' H-bomb test, an explosion that triggered a 5.1-magnitude earthquake But experts said the size of the blast was too small to have come from such a weapon Nuclear experts have cast doubts on Pyongyang's claims that it had detonated a hydrogen bomb, saying the resulting seismic activity suggested a far smaller device. The isolated country crowed on state TV that it had carried out a 'perfect' H-bomb test, an explosion that triggered a 5.1-magnitude earthquake. But scientists and intelligence agencies were quick to dismiss the report, saying the size of the blast was too small to have come from such a weapon and was likely disguised to appear like one. It is also unclear if North Korea has developed a nuclear device small enough to mount on a missile. California-based CNS said North Korea used heavy video editing to cover the fact that the parts of the missile broke away after the ejection and subsequent ignition Using different camera angles, Pyongyang made it appear that the launch was several continuous launches, but played side by side it seems to be from the same event Other congressional dignitaries are publicizing their guests - and their reasons Davis's appearance intended to stand for 'religious liberty,' says her attorney The county clerk in Kentucky who lost a one-woman war with the courts over the legality of same-sex marriage in the U.S. will attend Tuesday's night final State of the Union speech by President Barack Obama - to stand for 'religious liberty,' according to her attorney. Kim Davis, who was jailed by a Kentucky judge for several days refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses even after the U.S. Supreme Court declared them constitutional, will attend the speech along with her attorney. 'Kim Davis and I will be attending the State of the Union as a visible reminder that the president's accomplishments that he is going to extol are not so good for all parties, because it has not been helpful to people of faith. Religious liberty has been trashed under his administration,' Mat Staver said, according to a report in Politico. Scroll down for videos Rowan County, Kentucky clerk Kim Davis is shown here upon her release from jail in September House Speaker Paul Ryan has invited several anti-poverty advocates to Tuesday's State of the Union speech, as well as a four-year-old Wisconsin boy who organized a community fund-raising drive for US servicemen overseas However, Staver said Davis won't reveal with whom she is attending the speech. 'It's not about the member, per se, as it is about what the member wanted to represent,' he said. The Family Research Council, a religious conservative group, has helped arrange Davis's transportation. Staver is chairman of the Liberty Counsel, a conservative law firm. But Davis won't be the only notable guest in attendance Tuesday night. House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, whose chamber will host Obama's speech, has invited four anti-poverty advocates from around the country as well as a four-year-old Wisconsin boy, Logan Barritt, who organized a fund-raising drive in his community for U.S. servicemembers overseas at Christmas. 'Logan reminded us that a little pocket change goes a long way, especially when it comes to giving back to the men and women who give everything for us,' Ryan said in a statement. Two of the anti-poverty figures are from the Little Sisters of the Poor, a Washington convent which is legally fighting the Obama administration's contraception mandate in the 2010 Affordable Care Act. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case this year. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has invited a coal miner from Pikeville, Howard Abshire, who said he blames Obama for losing his job. 'Weve seen this Administration declare a war on coal families who just want to get ahead,' McConnell said in a floor speech Tuesday morning. 'He's watched as the Obama Administrations heartless approach has helped contribute to devastation in his community and to the loss of thousands of jobs in Kentucky, one of which was his own.' Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid plans to invite a state Senate leader from his home state of Nevada, as well as a Muslim-American student from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada has invited Nevada State Senate Minority Leader Aaron Ford and University of Nevada-Las Vegas student Tania Dawood as his guests. Ford is a 'tireless advocate for middle-class families,' Reid said, while Dawood is an American Muslim who serves on UNLV's Muslim Students Association. She had been able to continue working while HCPC built their case Ms Winter admitted buying and using the party drug with her colleague Final decision on her sanction is due next month She has been given an 18 month interim suspension order Helen Winter admitted to using the party drug MDMA but was allowed to carry on working until today, when the HCPC panel ruled that her fitness to practice is impaired A deplorable Kids Company psychologist was slapped with a practice ban today for taking MDMA with a vulnerable young client in a nightclub toilet cubicle. Dr Helen Winter took the powerful party drug with the woman at Hidden nightclub in Vauxhall, south London after offering her and colleague Nicci Shall a dab on January 24, 2014. Winter had admitted regularly using class A drugs, including cocaine and MDMA, while working at the now defunct charity. The psychologist also confessed to allowing youngsters to stay at her flat in January 2014 while working for Kids Company. But Winter claimed that it would have been impossible for her to have taken drugs with the youngster, who had a lifelong serious health issue in a toilet cubicle because of her size. She also insisted she would never offer or take drugs in front of a client, it would be a complete breach of professional boundaries, be totally inappropriate and illegal. The seedy affair was not reported to Kids Company CEO Camila Batmanghelidjh for four months after Ms Shalls mentor advised her not to take it further. But a Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) panel rejected Dr Winters account of the night, stating she was not being open, frank and honest about this allegation. After the incident came to Kids Company bosses attention on 14 May 2014, Dr Winter tested positive for cocaine two days later. She was immediately suspended, removed from working with young people and reported to the psychologists watchdog, according to the charity. Kids Company worked with children, young people and vulnerable adults who come from troubled backgrounds and have suffered drug addiction and abuse. Today, the HCPC panel ruled that Dr Winters fitness to practice is impaired and imposed an 18-month interim suspension order, pending a final decision on sanction next month. Panel chair Penny Griffith said: Dr Winters client group comprised young people with significant complex histories of trauma and abuse. The psychologist (pictured right) was suspended from working at the now-defunct Kids Company, ran by Camila Batmanghelidjh (pictured left), after the allegations came to light in May 2014 but continued to work for East London Foundation NHS Trust in Newham as a psychologist working with 14 to 16 year old children Protecting therapeutic boundaries was particularly important in the light of this vulnerable and fragile client group. Dr Winters behaviour set a deplorable example to clients C and D. It undermined the work of her profession and her then employer, particularly as Kids Company had a stated anti-drugs policy. There was a lack of recognition of the serious potential impact of her behaviour in taking a Class A illegal drug, taking it in the presence of a client, offering the drug to the client, and a week later inviting that client back to her home. Dr Winter took the powerful party drug with clients from Kids Company at Hidden nightclub in Vauxhall, south London after offering her and colleague Nicci Shall (pictured) a dab on January 24, 2014 Ms Griffith added: The panel has concluded that an interim suspension order is necessary on the grounds of protection for members of the public and is otherwise in the public interest. The 18 month ban prevents Dr Winter from working as a psychologist while she awaits sanction, which will now be delivered on February 10. Earlier Daniel Mansell, for the HCPC, told the hearing: Winter suggested purchasing some MDMA on their way to the night club and they met someone en route who facilitated this. Once at the club they took the drug and later saw Service User C and Service User D. Some time after this Ms Winter went to the toilets with Service User C where they entered a cubicle together. Ms Winter then offered the drug to the service user and they took it together. Dr Winter had sobbed as she admitted that her fitness to practice was impaired, and begged the panel to please, please, allow me the opportunity to maintain my commitment to helping others in the role of clinical psychologist. She had to take a break as she struggled to read through a statement telling of her shame over the drug-related charges. This version of me is not someone that I recognise, said Dr Winter. The anguish I have experienced over the last couple of years has been unrelenting and at times unbearable. She added: Im truly sorry for letting my profession down. Fighting back tears, she had told the panel: I accept that my fitness to practise is impaired. I also accept that a finding of misconduct is necessary. The case is the latest in a series of damaging allegations made against Kids Company. The charity folded on August 5 last year, just six days after receiving a 3million grant to keep it afloat. Pictured is the charity's offices in south London Since she admitted to the drug use, Dr Winter has been able to continue working as a psychologist without any restriction on her practice while the HCPC built their case against her. She is currently employed by the East London Foundation NHS Trust in Newham as a psychologist working with 14 to 16 year old children. Speaking of her hopes for the future, Dr Winter said: I just want to be able to get on and be the clinical psychologist I was on the path to being before life got in the way. But Ms Griffith said: The panel considers that the failings identified above were extremely serious, given the harm which is likely to have occurred to service users, in particular Client C who Dr Winter said had a lifelong serious health issue and was a highly vulnerable individual. Government and rebel bombardment killed up to 26 civilians and wounded dozens in the Syrian capital and a nearby opposition bastion on Wednesday, state media and a monitoring group said. Mortar rounds fired from the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta region onto residential areas of Damascus left eight civilians dead and 23 wounded, the official SANA news agency reported. The attack came after the regime fired rockets onto the Eastern Ghouta town of Douma earlier in the day, killing six civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitor. A father carries his ten-year-old daughter who was reportedly killed in air strikes that hit a kindergarten He carried her body before her funeral in the village of Deir al-Asafir in the rebel-held region of Eastern Ghouta, on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus The ten-year-old was laid to rest during her funeral days after she was killed by Syrian air strikes that hit a local school The monitor gave a slightly different toll of nine dead and 30 wounded, some critically, in the bombardment of Damascus. Ten other civilians, including a child, were later killed in government air strikes on the town of Hazzeh and one in Mesraba, east of the capital, the Observatory said. Eastern Ghouta, which is largely controlled by the Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) rebel group, is regularly bombarded by government forces. More than 260,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in 2011 with protests against President Bashar al-Assad's government. Eastern Ghouta, which is largely controlled by the Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) rebel group, is regularly bombarded by government forces The national president of the Bandidos biker gang, who faces life in prison if convicted on racketeering, drug distribution and other charges, has been freed on $250,000 bond. Jeffrey Pike, 60, was released Monday following a detention hearing in Houston. Pike and two other Bandidos leaders - national vice president John Portillo, 56, and national sergeant at arms Justin Forster, 31 - were arrested last week in an investigation into racketeering, extortion, drug trafficking, murder and other violent crimes. The indictment accuses them of sanctioning a three-year fight that included violent clashes with rival gangs and distribution of methamphetamine. Attorneys for Pike say he's no threat to the community. Several defense witnesses testified that they did not believe Pike would flee if granted bond. Federal authorities accuse the Bandidos of waging a deadly 'war' on the rival Cossacks biker gang. That rivalry entered the spotlight last May, when a shootout between police and bikers in Waco, Texas, left nine people dead. Scroll down for video Jeffrey Pike, 60, (pictured) was released Monday following a detention hearing in Houston Pike being escorted from the Bob Casey Federal Courthouse last Wednesday The Bandidos, one of the biggest motorcycle gangs in the country, with branches overseas, are suspected of being involved in a shootout last May in Waco, Texas, between rival gangs that left nine people dead. While none of the charges are directly connected to the Waco shootout, prosecutors said, many of the suspected crimes stemmed from a turf war starting in Texas in 2013 between the Bandidos and the Cossacks, another prominent motorcycle gang allegedly involved in the deadly fight. Authorities believe that the fatal confrontation began when members of the Cossacks crashed a meeting of a confederation of biker clubs that included the Bandidos at a Twin Peaks restaurant. The dispute ended in gunfire between the bikers and police standing nearby. The indictment charged that the three men were behind the shootings, stabbings and assaults of Cossack members. The federal indictment accuses Portillo of raising dues to pay legal expenses of its members days after the Waco shooting. National vice president John Portillo (left) and national sergeant at arms Justin Forster (right) are facing life in prison, prosecutors said 'This really is an all-out war we got going on,' Portillo was quoted as telling members in June 2015 after brawls across Texas fought with guns, knives and fists, according to the indictment. The indictment, stemming from a 23-month investigation, detailed several alleged incidents where Bandidos members appeared bristling with weapons and killed or assaulted members of rival gangs. Extensive drug transactions are also alleged. The alleged crimes occurred before and after the Waco incident, authorities said. If convicted on the most serious federal charges, the men could face a maximum sentence of life in prison. The indictment alleges that Bandidos bikers have harassed and attacked bikers across Texas as part of the 'war' that Portillo declared in 2013. Prosecutors allege the group also gained money and territory by extorting and intimidating other biker groups, and trafficking methamphetamines. It outlines several clashes between the Bandidos and rival clubs, including a December 2014 shooting at a bar in Fort Worth, Texas, where a biker from a different club was killed. Two suspected Bandidos were charged in that killing, according to prosecutors. The Bandidos, one of the biggest motorcycle gangs in the country, are suspected of being involved in a shootout last May in Waco, Texas, between rival gangs that left nine people dead. Pictured, authorities investigate the shooting in the parking lot of Twin Peaks restaurant in May last year Portillo took charge of the national organization for several months in 2015, when Pike was sidelined due to surgery, but both men at various times had ultimate decision-making authority over Bandidos criminal activities nationwide, according to the indictment. Forster is described as having control over Bandidos activities in Texas. The indictment alleges that in March 2015, Portillo ordered several Bandidos members to 'get a little aggressive' with Cossacks in West Texas, where Bandidos responded by striking a member of the rival group repeatedly in the head with a claw hammer. In April, Bandidos members from other parts of Texas and New Mexico arrived in Odessa, Texas, at Portillo's direction. They were stopped and found to be carrying firearms and ammunition, allegedly to use to confront Cossacks. Of course, the defendants will have their day in court, but today's arrests have struck a significant blow to the Bandidos' criminal enterprise U.S. Attorney Richard Durbin, Jr. Days after the May shootout in Waco, the Bandidos monthly dues were doubled to support legal fees for Bandidos in what Portillo later described as an 'all-out war' against the Cossacks. All three of the accused are based in Texas, where there are 42 Bandidos chapters, according to the indictment. The arrests are expected to send shock waves through the Bandidos considered an outlaw gang by U.S. authorities, who have about 1,500 to 2,000 members in the United States, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas said in a statement. 'Of course, the defendants will have their day in court, but today's arrests have struck a significant blow to the Bandidos' criminal enterprise,' U.S. Attorney Richard Durbin, Jr. said. The indictment characterizes the Bandidos as an international group with about 175 chapters and as many as 2,000 members. They 'do not fear authority and have a complete disdain for the rules of society,' it adds, yet adhere to an elaborate series of internal rules for record-keeping, information-gathering, meetings, and admission of new members. The group also maintains a formal taxation scheme that supports the criminal defense of members, the indictment says. The police officer who was first on the scene after reports of a patient holding a pair of scissors up against a female doctor's throat has been identified as Senior Constable Luke Warburton, who helped capture one of Australia's most wanted fugitives. Snr Const Warburton was shot in the left thigh at Nepean Hospital, in Sydney's west, as he grappled with the patient who then got hold of his gun and opened fire. It is still unclear how the man, who was out on bail for break and enter offences, was able to get his hands on the police officer's gun. Senior Constable Luke Warburton was the first officer to respond to a triple-zero call after reports of a man threatening a female doctor at Nepean Hospital in Sydney's west Snr Const Warburton, who works with the NSW Police Dog Squad, was called to the scene as he was the closest officer in the area after emergency services received the triple-zero call about 10.30pm on Tuesday, 9News reported. When he arrived, the 39-year-old man, who had just been transported to the hospital that night, was holding scissors against the throat of a paediatric doctor in the hospital's emergency department. The man was 'making threats and demands' and the doctor was 'hysterical', 7News reported. Snr Const Warburton and a security guard tried to calm the situation, but both were shot in the leg when the man got hold of the police officer's gun. Snr Const Warburton was on the front lines with his dog, Chuck, during the search for fugitive Malcolm Naden Here Snr Const Warburton appears on Channel Nine's Today with Chuck Snr Const Warburton was the closest officer to the scene. He tried to the diffuse the situation with a security guard It has now been revealed the injured police officer helped hunt down wanted fugitive Malcolm Naden back in 2012. He and his police dog, Chuck, were on the front lines when Naden was captured. At the time, Chuck brought Naden to heel, biting the murderer on the arm as he emerged from his Hunter Valley hideaway, north of Sydney, in the dead of night. Describing the operation to the Blue Mountains Gazette in 2012, Snr Constable Warburton said he, Chuck along with other police dogs and officers had scoured 4km of bushland to the shack that was tipped to be Naden's hide-out. 'We'd surrounded the hut, the other two police dogs were near the front and Naden came running out the back entrance where I was,' he said. 'Tactical Operations Unit officers were there and proceeded to capture and arrest him [Naden] and in the process Chuck was able to assist. He just came in and bit Naden on the leg to prevent any chance of him escaping.' For his efforts, Snr Const Warburton even gave him an extra bone as a reward for catching the hunted man. Naden was sentenced to life for murdering his cousin, Lateesha Nolan, and another cousin's partner, Kristy Scholes. Unfortunately the police officer and the guard were shot in the leg when the man, 39, got hold of Snr Const Warburton's gun In 2012, Chuck - under the instruction of Snr Const Warburton - brought Naden (pictured centre) to heel, biting the murderer on the arm as he emerged from his Hunter Valley hideaway, north of Sydney, in the dead of night Naden was sentenced to life for the murder of a young woman in 2013. Here he is after his capture in the Hunter Valley Pictured is a barefoot Naden being led from Manning Base Hospital with cuffs on his hands and feet in a blue forensics suit When police found him, Naden was hiding in the Hunter Valley after an extensive manhunt On Wednesday, Snr Const Warburton's colleagues flocked to his hospital bed with well wishes for his speedy recovery. The officer is in a 'critical but stable condition' according to NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn, while the security guard is stable, after being shot in the calf. 'My thoughts are definitely with the officer. He has a number of his colleagues at the hospital who are all waiting anxiously,' she told reporters outside the hospital. Now a nurse has accidentally cut off his baby toe while removing an IV A New Mexico hospital nurse has accidentally cut off the little toe of a seriously ill infant during a routine IV removal. Erica Hogue was distraught to discovered her eight-month-old baby's toe had been removed by a member of staff as they were cutting off the tape attaching the intravenous drip. Her twins, Davante and Delante, had been born premature at just 29 weeks at the University of New Mexico Hospital last summer, KOB 4 reports. After a tough start, Delante was finally able to return home with mother Erica but little Davante was not so lucky. Now eight months old, the baby has spent his entire life in hospital after suffering a devastating stage-2 brain bleed. Scroll down for video Now eight months old, Davante has spent his entire life in hospital after suffering a devastating stage-2 brain bleed Surgeons tried to save and reattach the toe but circulation could not be returned and in the end, medics could only sew up the wound The hemorrhage means that Davante may never been able to walk, talk, see or hear. Doctors also discovered a hole in his heart while the baby boy has also has been on continuous intubation since and has had to undergo a tracheotomy, g-tube surgery. Today, the twins' heartbroken mother says her son has been put through more unnecessary suffering after the nurse accidentally chopped off his little toe. 'He had an IV placed in his foot and the nurse that was taking care of him was cutting away the tape and cut off his toe,' Hogue told KOB 4. Erica Hogue says her sick son has been put through more unnecessary suffering after a nurse at the hospital accidentally cut off his little toe After suffering a series of severe medical issues, Davante's little toe was accidentally cut off by a nurse at the University of New Mexico Hospital (pictured) Surgeons tried to save and reattach the toe but circulation could not be returned and in the end, medics could only sew up the wound. 'I don't think that should have even happened,' said Hogue. 'It just makes me angry. University of New Mexico (UNM) Hospital are said to have investigated the incident and apologized to the mother. But Hogue claims she was told that all they could do was change the type of tape used in such procedures. 'For me, that is just not enough. I believe that my baby is worth so much more than that,' she said. Hogue said that she and her family are no considering legal action against the hospital but that their first concern is 'getting our son home where he belongs.' UNM Hospital would not comment on a specific cases. A trader who tried to sell body parts of endangered monkeys on eBay and owned dozens of images of animal pornography has avoided jail. George Bush, 63, of Erith, Kent, offered to sell bizarre objects such as leopard skulls, primate specimens, monkey heads, hands and a macaque skeleton. He admitted four charges related to the website - which included listing more than 130 specimens of endangered species - and possessing 71 bestiality images, at Woolwich Crown Court. Illegal trade: George Bush (left), 63, of Erith, Kent, offered to sell bizarre objects such as monkey heads (right) Monkey hands: Bush admitted four charges related to eBay which included listing more than 130 items Monkey body parts: Bush was arrested by officers from Scotland Yard's Wildlife Crime Unit in January 2014 Bush was arrested by officers from Scotland Yard's Wildlife Crime Unit in January last year on suspicion of selling illegal imported protected species on eBay. The species are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites). Yesterday, he was sentenced to 14 months in jail suspended for two years. Detective Constable Sarah Bailey said: This case shows that strong controls are in place to protect endangered species and the police will take action against anyone found to be trading illegally. Illegal trade threatens many species' survival. I would urge anyone who sees specimens from protected wildlife for sale to contact police. More monkey hands: Scotland Yard's Wildlife Crime Unit was able to identify the illegal supplier in Indonesia Bizarre: Bush also pleaded guilty to possession of 71 images of bestiality at Woolwich Crown Court We are committed to ensuring that anyone in London who is trading illegally in endangered animal parts is stopped. Illegal trade threatens many species' survival Detective Constable Sarah Bailey, Scotland Yard's Wildlife Crime Unit Grant Miller, of Border Force Cites, said: As the variety of species involved in this case shows, the illegal movement of endangered wildlife is part of an illicit and often cruel trade that Border Force, together with our partners in the UK and internationally, is determined to stop.' He added: Those illegally trading in wildlife products should be in no doubt - we will target you at the UK border and beyond. She is serving a 30-year-sentence and will testify for the prosecution Jury selection began for his trial on Monday in Little Rock Jury selection for the trial of Arron Lewis, who is accused of killing real estate agent Beverly Carter, began this week The trial for an Arkansas man accused of killing a 50-year-old real estate agent with his estranged wife began this week with jury selection. Aron Lewis has pleaded not guilty to the kidnapping and murder of Beverly Carter, 50, who disappeared in September 2014 after telling her husband she was going to show a house. Her body was found days later in a shallow grave at a concrete plant where Lewis had previously worked. Lewis' estranged wife, Crystal Lowery, was sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder and kidnapping charges in June. Prosecutors will be allowed to use her testimony about the alleged plan to target Carter, including the couple's plans to find a married real estate agent so they had someone to pay ransom. But most of the information investigators gathered while interviewing Lewis will be excluded from trial under a ruling in December by Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Herbert Wright. Wright said search warrants obtained by detectives were overly broad and ruled that evidence found in Lewis' trunk and home will not be allowed. The warrants found duct tape and Carter's hair in the trunk, and her phone and other items belong to her at his home. Wright said information from the interrogation also had to be omitted because Lewis had invoked his right to have an attorney present but was not provided one. Aaron Lewis has pleaded not guilty to the kidnapping and murder of Beverly Carter, 50, who disappeared in September 2014 after telling her husband she was going to show a house. Her body was found days later Lewis' attorney, Bill James, has said the judge's ruling would help him 'put on the best possible defense for Mr. Lewis.' James also said he expects to be able to find impartial jurors despite extensive media coverage of the case. 'I need people who are going to be honest and judge the case based on what's proven and make a fair decision. I think we can find that,' he said on Monday. Prosecutors will still be allowed to play a recording obtained from the voice memos on Lewis' phone where Carter can be heard telling her husband to follow ransom instructions. She is also heard telling Lewis that things could get bad if he were to call the police. Lewis played the recording during the interrogations. Prosecutors can also show jurors text exchanges between Lewis and Lowery in which they discuss looking at other houses for sale to find one that does not have a security system with cameras. Lewis' estranged wife, Crystal Lowery (pictured together), was sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder and kidnapping charges in June Lowery was initially charged with capital murder, but a deputy prosecutor says the count was reduced after she agreed to testify against her husband The judge also ruled that Lowery can testify about the alleged plan, despite the defense seeking exclusion for marital privilege. Lowery was initially charged with capital murder, but a deputy prosecutor says the count was reduced after she agreed to testify against her husband. According to court documents, the couple abducted the married mother of two 'for ransom or reward with the purpose of terrorizing her or another person'. Investigators focused their investigation on the couple after emails and phone records showed that Lewis and his wife set up a viewing for a property with the agent. Carter's body was found on September 30, 2014 at Argos Concrete Company, in a rural area about 25 miles northeast of Little Rock. She was buried in a shallow grave and bound with duct tape more than 20 miles away from Scott, where she had an appointment to show a house five days earlier. Investigators focused their investigation on the couple after emails and phone records showed that Lewis and his wife set up a viewing for a property with Carter Carter, pictured with her husband and two of her four grandchildren, was found buried in a shallow grave in September 2014 at the Argos Concrete Company, in a rural area about 25 miles northeast of Little Rock Her husband of 35 years, Carl Carter, said he received unusual texts from her number after she went missing. The sheriff's office revealed Lewis is an active parolee with a long criminal history, including charges of felony theft, accomplice to theft, unlawful removal of theft device and obstruction of government operations. Lewis also has rap sheets in Kansas City, Missouri, and in Utah. He was released on parole in Arkansas in August 2013. Lowery was arrested on October 30, 2014 at her home in Jacksonville, Arkansas. According to Lowery's divorce petition obtained by the station KATV last year, Lowery and Lewis separated in August 2014, just four months after their wedding. The court documents state that when Lowery married Lewis, she was not aware that he was a 'seven-time convicted felon'. According to court documents, Lewis and his estranged wife abducted the married mother of two 'for ransom' Former TOWIE star Maria Fowler was left furious after a photo of her looking bloody and distressed following a nightclub attack in 2014, was used to demonstrate sexual assault. The photo was used on the Facebook page of North West Infidels Fightback 31, a group that proclaim to make 'a stand against radical Islam, Zionism, Communism, Irish Republicanism and the militant left'. North West Infidels uploaded the photo of Ms Fowler along with a link to a Reuters story about the New Year's Eve attacks that happened in Cologne. Photos of Danielle Lloyd (left) and Maria Fowler (right) after they were attacked in nightclubs in 2009 and 2014 were used in a Facebook post to illustrate an article about sexual assaults involving refugees. The far-right group North West Infidels Fightback 31 proclaim to make 'a stand against radical Islam, Zionism, Communism, Irish Republicanism and the militant left' The post also features a photo of Danielle Lloyd collapsed on the floor with blood on her face taken in 2009, following an assault in a nightclub. Following the post, Ms Fowler took to Twitter on Monday in outrage and - along with a screen shot of the distasteful message - asked: 'Is this a joke? Some sick people saying I am a refugee who has been raped? How do I get this taken off?' Sixteen followers re-tweeted the message with many quickly showing support for the former glamour model. One user said: 'It's vile that they're using them for that post'. The Facebook post has since been taken down. Ms Fowler told MailOnline that a Twitter user had alerted her to the post. She said: 'I felt disgusted that my image was being used to incite hatred between races and countries and from what I have seen the page stands for some beliefs that are morally wrong.' She added: 'I was attacked in Britain by a British person so I was not pleased to see people calling refugees 'scum' for the 'attack'. 'It seems that whoever created this page wanted shocking images to cause uproar from 'British' people.' Ms Fowler said the Facebook group initially said it wasn't her in the picture, which she said was frustrating. She says she is now being trolled on Twitter by the owners of the 'vile' page. Ms Fowler took to Twitter following the post and expressed her outrage at having her photo used in association with an article about the New Year's Eve attacks that happened in Cologne. The post has since been taken down The distressing photo of Ms Fowler was taken following a brutal attack during a night out in Derby in December 2014. The former TOWIE beauty was punched in the face and left with a bloody nose and cuts all over her body during the incident. The redhead looks distraught in photos taken in the aftermath of the event, which show her with blood running down her chin and her legs. The photo of Danielle Lloyd collapsed on the floor with blood on her face - which was also used in the Facebook post - is featured more prominently than that of Ms Fowler, but surprisingly Ms Lloyd has not made any public comment about its use. The picture was taken after the model suffered a vicious attack in Crystal nightclub in Marylebone in May 2009. MailOnline have contacted Ms Lloyd's representatives for comment. The Jewish police officer who had anti-Semitic slurs hurled at him by Mel Gibson during the DUI arrest that shattered the actor's career is still under fire from his superiors nine years on. LAPD Deputy James Mee was verbally abused by the Braveheart star when he pulled him over in 2006, two years after his film The Passion Of The Christ was criticized for depicting Jews negatively. At the time the Gibson was reeling from the end of his 26-year marriage to wife Robyn, beginning a steady decline in his once glittering Hollywood career. LAPD Deputy James Mee was verbally abused by Mel Gibson when he pulled him over in 2006 (mugshot right). The cop has been under fire from his superiors almost 10 years on and is still under two police investigations Mee was accused of sending TMZ four pages of the police report that included quotes from Gibson about Jews being responsible for all the wars in the world. The department started disciplinary proceedings against Mee and he was eventually fired in 2012 after he reached a reported settlement. Since then he has been reinstated, but he is now facing two more investigations and has not been at work since, according to TMZ. In September, the Los Angeles County Civil Service Commission ruled Mee should not have been fired after a different incident. They decided he was wrongly dismissed after a suspected drunken driver he had tried to pull over sped off and crashed into a gas station in 2011. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department claimed Mee violated pursuit policy. Mee testified that he followed the car but wasn't in pursuit. The department started disciplinary proceedings against Mee and he was eventually fired in 2012 after he reached a reported settlement. Since then he has been reinstated, but has not been at work since because of the pending probes Mee's lawyers argued that Mee's managers falsely blamed him for leaking details of Gibson's arrest and anti-Semitic tirade. The lawyers alleged Mee was subsequently subjected to harassment and unfair discipline, then fired. Gibson had been pulled over on the Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu by officer Mee, who is Jewish. 'The arrest report revealed that Gibson asked Mee if he was Jewish, then said: 'F****** Jews... the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.' He was later said to have called a female officer at the police station 'sugartits.' Gibson apologized for his anti-Jewish rant with a series of TV interviews describing his behaviour as 'deplorable.' He was sentenced to three years probation and entered a rehab program as well as attending self help meetings for alcoholics. Seth Mazzaglia, 33, who murdered and raped his girlfriend's coworker before dumping her body in a river, is appealing against his conviction A convicted killer who murdered his girlfriend's coworker before raping her lifeless body is appealing against his conviction. Seth Mazzaglia, 33, strangled Lizzi Marriott, 19, to death in 2012 after she refused to take part in a threesome with him and his 20-year-old girlfriend Kathryn McDonough. Miss Marriott was lured to the couple's apartment by McDonough after Mazzaglia demanded his girlfriend bring him another woman because she had left him alone without a sexual partner for two weeks. But when Miss Marriott arrived she refused to take part in their sadomasochistic sex sessions. Mazzaglia flew into a rage and strangled Miss Marriott with a rope and raped her limp body, which he and his girlfriend later threw into a river. Her body was never found. The murderer is now appealing against his conviction, the Boston Herald reported. The 18-page court document was filed at New Hampshire Supreme Court by Mazzaglia's public defender. It was heavily redacted so it was not clear on what grounds the appeal was made. McDonough first told investigators that Marriott died during rough but consensual sex between the two women that involved restraints. After getting immunity from prosecution over the death, McDonough changed her story and said Mazzaglia strangled Miss Marriott and then raped her. In court, she testified that Mazzaglia was the sexually dominant partner in their relationship and became angry when she left for nearly two weeks at theater camp without recruiting a replacement sex partner for him. As what she called punishment, Mazzaglia told her to lure a woman - Miss Marriott - to the apartment in Dover, New Hampshire, on October 9, 2012. After a game of strip poker, which prosecutors said Miss Marriott willingly joined, Mazzaglia suggested she kiss McDonough. Mazzaglia strangled Lizzi Marriott (left, and right with her parents), 19, to death in 2012 after she refused to take part in a threesome with him and his 20-year-old girlfriend Kathryn McDonough McDonough lured Miss Marriott to their apartment and helped dispose of her body but was let off with an 18 months to three years sentence as part of an immunity deal Mazzaglia was found guilty of one count of first-degree murder that stated he strangled Marriott 'before, after or while' sexually assaulting her Miss Marriott said no, saying she was in a committed relationship. Mazzaglia then asked if she would watch as he and McDonough had sex. She again said no. Prosecutors said the domineering Mazzaglia was unaccustomed to being rejected so, as the two women watched a movie, he sneaked up behind Marriott and choked her with a rope. McDonough testified that she left the room briefly and returned to find Mazzaglia raping Marriott's limp body. The two of them threw her in a river that feeds into the Atlantic Ocean. Miss Marriott's body has never been found. Mazzaglia was found guilty of one count of first-degree murder that stated he strangled Marriott 'before, after or while' sexually assaulting her. He was also convicted of conspiracy to falsify evidence and conspiracy to tamper with witnesses. Mazzaglia was jailed for life last year and McDonough was given 18 months to three years in prison for lying to police. He told his mother before the sentencing that he did not want to attend it because he did not want to hear his victim's family 'b*** and whine'. However, he was eventually dragged to court, where Miss Marriott's mother, Melissa, told him: 'I unequivocally hate you.' Migrants are disguising themselves as waiters on cross-Channel ferries to sneak into Britain, it has been revealed. They are forking out 6,000 to people-smugglers for uniforms so they can pose as crew in a bid not to be rumbled while travelling from Belgium to the UK. Once the vessels dock, the refugee can simply walk down the gang-plank without raising suspicion and disappear, according to an investigation by ITV News. Migrants are forking out 6,000 to people-smugglers for uniforms so they can pose as crew on cross-Channel ferries in a bid not to be rumbled while travelling from Belgium to the UK (pictured: one of the smugglers It is the latest scam being used by traffickers who can earn huge sums. Smugglers also guaranteed illegal immigrants who paid to be carried in high-powered speedboats to small islands just off the coast of the UK, where they would be dropped off before making the journey to the mainland. The revelation came as an ex-border guard warned that Britain was vulnerable to smugglers on the East Coast because of multi-million-pound cuts to the UK Border Force. Former official Alan Dunn, who retired in December after 30 years service, said savings meant there were not enough staff and resources to check properly for people sneaking into the UK. One new tactic being deployed by determined people smugglers is to give asylum seekers the same type of uniform worn by waiters on ferries operating between the Belgian town of Ostend and Hull. A trafficker told an undercover reporter his gang had several methods of getting refugees to Britain. He said: One is sending people by containers which costs 1,500 and there is no guarantee. The second way is sending people by big ships [ferries] which costs 6,000. We give them waiters clothes then we take them to Hull and then it is up to them where they want to go. The third way is on the speed boats, which we charge 8,000 and its guaranteed... there is an island, well drop you there. Belgian prosecutors vowed to review evidence of new smuggling routes but claimed a security crackdown in Calais had pushed the problem along the coast of northern Europe, adding to pressure at Belgian ports. An investigation found once the vessels dock, the refugee can simply walk down the gang-plank without raising suspicion and disappear Bruges prosecutor Frank Demeester said: As a police officer I have to say the situation is serious. [The smugglers] are certainly ahead of us... We will try to cope with it but I think the international situation will not be solved in one or two years. Kurt Deseote, of the Belgian Federal Police, added: We have never heard about people working as staff, or getting over as staff but it is certainly a possibility... I think when you use that kind of modus it has to be very organised. The Mail has revealed that more than 30,000 illegal immigrants trying to sneak into Britain were caught at ports in France and Belgium between April and July last year almost as many as in the whole of 2014-15. Speaking to ITV News, ex-border official Mr Dunn said: We were running around trying to plug holes in a dyke and no-one was listening when we were saying that water was pouring in. We are deficient and the bad lads know this, they are not idiots. They dont even have to go into any great research to find out that there are places that are grossly undermanned, not manned at all, manned occasionally. In terms of border security, it [the East Coast] is porous, any group that was well financed, well organised, perhaps prepared to take a risk could bring in what they wanted, including people. A serving UK Border Force border official estimated that some ports were checking as few as 1 per cent of vehicles for smuggled goods and people. Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham said: This adds to the growing questions about border security at our sea-ports especially now we know extremists perceive the ferry border to be a weak link. Theresa May must conduct an urgent review of security at ferry terminals and provide urgent reassurance that passports are being properly checked on exit and arrival in the UK. A Home Office spokesman said: We will take all necessary steps to protect the security of our border and are working closely with both the Belgian and Dutch Governments to clamp down on illegal immigration. As part of this joint approach, the UK signed an agreement with Belgium and the Netherlands on 12 November to strengthen port security and tackle organised immigration crime. A woman who was due to have a hysterectomy after suffering severe pain for half her life was among patients whose operations were cancelled as a result of the strike. Michelle Jaundrell, 31, who has been in pain since she was 15, was devastated after undergoing months of uncomfortable hormone therapy in preparation for the procedure. She was one of an estimated 20,000 patients directly affected by the first walk-out by junior doctors in 40 years. Of those, 4,000 elective surgical procedures were cancelled along with 17,500 outpatients appointments. Michelle Jaundrell has been in pain since she was 15 and was due for a hysterectomy. She was devastated when the hospital told her that it would be up to a three-month wait to get booked back in Im really upset over it. We took quite a while for my hysterectomy to be approved and Ive gone through quite a few months of hell with injections and hormones and all the rest of it, she told the BBC. Mrs Jaundrell, from St Helens, Merseyside, was hoping to donate her womb after the procedure at Whiston Hospital in Prescot, Merseyside. She said she has suffered severe pain from the age of 15, adding: I just wish I could be in hospital at the moment. The hospital rang me at about three minutes to seven just as I was about to take my pre-load drink, obviously to prepare myself for the operation. And they just rang and told me it was cancelled and its up to a three-month wait to get booked back in. Im devastated to be honest, Im really upset over it. The digital PR executive from Folkestone, Kent, who suffers from arthritis, has been waiting more than a year to have the procedure which will relieve pain and discomfort. This is not the first time Miss Pope has had her surgery postponed. Her operation was previously cancelled in September due to there not being enough beds available. She has now been left in limbo wondering when she will get to have the operation and is hoping to receive a call from the hospital. However, Miss Pope said: Im a little bit annoyed but there are more important cases than mine which need to be seen more urgently. I fully support the doctors in their actions, it is Jeremy Hunt and the Tory government that I blame. As an in-patient, Jacqueline Naylor, 33, who is unemployed, said she was left in pain for more than an hour before she was seen to by a doctor due to industrial action. Miss Naylor, a patient on the cardiology ward at Leeds General Infirmary, said: I was in pain for an hour and a half before I could get a doctor to see me. Jacqueline Naylor was in pain for more than hour because there was no doctor to write a prescription due to the junior doctor strike I was waiting for medication for an hour because they didnt have a doctor to prescribe it. One of the nurses said it was because of the strikes - she said it was like a Saturday shift. Ive been here for five weeks and normally I dont have to wait at all if Im in pain as a doctor comes along straight away. Retired nurse Patricia Thomson branded striking junior doctors disgraceful saying they should feel privileged to work for the NHS. Her planned operation was in doubt because of the walkout. Ms Thomson worked as a nurse for more than four decades before she retired in 2000. Speaking at Worthing Hospital, West Sussex, Ms Thomson said she was totally against any form of industrial action by medical staff. I dont think its professional - whats happened to the Hippocratic Oath? she told ITV News. It was a privilege, we were taught, to look after patients - what on earth are the professionals doing? I think its disgraceful. Another patient told of his anger at missing a vital appointment at the Bristol Royal Infirmary during which he was to be tested for a life-threatening illness. Former lorry driver Matt, who declined to give his surname, told BBC Bristol: I was due for an appointment at the BRI at 11am and I got a text message yesterday afternoon saying it had been cancelled. I saw my GP six weeks ago and he said I think youve got a life-threatening illness and I should go to the BRI to confirm or deny. Ive waited six weeks for that appointment and it got cancelled yesterday you wait six weeks obviously on a knife edge and it just got cancelled by text message, not even a phone call. When you get told its life-threatening, I dont know if Im still going to be about in six weeks to take the appointment, you know. When asked if he supported the reasons behind the strikes, he said: I can understand it. I used to be a lorry driver, and we had rolling shifts, youd do five days on and three days off I dont see why they cant implement something like that. Tracey Sharpe, 47, was due to have a gynaecological surgery, which was cancelled as a result of the strikes. The mother-of-one from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, said she has been left in pain and discomfort not knowing when her operation will now be. The former cleaner said: Im upset as it is a problem for me and Im in pain at times. Miss Sharpe was told there is no date for her surgery yet, as the next available option is during the next wave of strikes in two weeks time. Prosecutors argued Creato killed the boy because he became an impediment to his love affair with a 17-year-old college student His father was arraigned Tuesday on charges of murder and child endangerment and was ordered held on $750,000 bail The boy was found dead in the nearby Cooper River Park in New Jersey David Creato Jr., 22, had called cops to file a missing person's report just three hours before Brendan's body was discovered in nearby woods A New Jersey father was arraigned Tuesday on charges of murder and endangering the welfare of a child in the death of his three-year-old son, whom prosecutors claimed the man killed because his teenage girlfriend disliked kids and threatened to leave him. Brendan Creato's body was found on October 13 in Cooper River Park about three hours after his father, 22-year-old David Creato Jr, reported him missing from his family's Haddon Township home on Cooper Street. In court Tuesday, prosecutor Christine Shah conceded that the case against Creato was largely circumstantial and came down to his intense relationship with 17-year-old Julia Spensky, who allegedly resented Brandon's presence in his father's home. David Creato Jr., 22, is led into Camden County Superior Court Tuesday, in Camden, N.J., today for an arraignment on charges in the death of his son David Creato Jr., pictured with Brendan, had called cops to file a missing person's report just three hours before his son's body was discovered in woods Samantha Denoto, Brendan's mother, leaves the Camden County Hall of Justice after an arraignment hearing today Shah told the court that Spensky allegedly told her boyfriend that she did not like kids and threatened to break up with him because Creato had custody of the toddler every other weekend, which interfered in their love affair, and continued being in contact with the boy's mother. The prosecutor stated that Brendan was a victim of 'homicidal violence' and may have been smothered, strangled or drowned, based on the fact that the child had bruising near his collarbone and his brain showed signs of oxygen deprivation before his death, reported NJ.com. Creato, pictured in court today, was arrested on Monday. A judge set his bail at $750,000 after prosecutors argued that he was a potential flight risk In this October 13 file photo, police and other officials gather near a small brick apartment building where Brendan went missing In this file photo from October 13, a police officer from the Camden County Prosecutor's Office loads an evidence bag into a van outside the apartment building According to a 911 call, David Creato told authorities he woke up on the morning of his son's disappearance and realized the toddler was gone. The boy was wearing only his pajamas, neon socks and Mickey Mouse slippers. 'I just woke up and he wasn't in my apartment,' the dad told the dispatcher on the call obtained by 6ABC. 'I don't know if he wandered out or what happened. I don't know where he is. 'The door was locked. I guess he unlocked it and left.' Creato was arrested on Monday. A judge set his bail at $750,000 this afternoon after prosecutors argued that he was a potential flight risk. Richard J. Fuschino Jr., an attorney representing Creato, said that his client would 'vigorously defend this case,' according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Brendan, three, is pictured with his mom Samantha. His father reported Brendan missing from his home. The boy was wearing only his pajamas, neon socks and Mickey Mouse slippers Brendan, pictured, split his time between his mother's and father's homes who had shared custody Brendan was found dead in Cooper River Park in New Jersey. Police are pictured at the scene back in October The Medical Examiner of Camden County has sought help from his state counterpart in trying to determine a cause of death. Officials are pictured where Brendan's body was found back in October Police found no sign of forced entry in Creato's apartment. Brendan is pictured above in a Facebook photo Fuschino said he worried that pressure from the public led to the arrest of Creato and that his indictment may be 'the result of just not having any other answers', according to the Inquirer. The Medical Examiner of Camden County has sought help from his state counterpart in trying to determine a cause of death. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Creato made a call to 911 to report his son's disappearance around 6am on October 13 and his body was found three hours later following a frantic search involving K-9 units and volunteers. Police found no sign of forced entry in Creato's apartment, according to the Inquirer. Brendan split his time between his mother's and father's homes who had shared custody. A GoFundMe account which was set up in the wake of Brendan's passing raised $19,407 towards his funeral costs. In a gushing tribute to David Bowie, Tony Blair has told how he went to a concert on the Ziggy Stardust tour while he was a student at Oxford. The performance was extraordinary and, above all, like nothing else we had ever seen, he said. He was there in heavy make-up, curiously (for the 1970s very curiously) with an androgynous look that was startling but at the same time very authentic, playing songs that were pop but not pop - something completely unique. In a gushing tribute to David Bowie, Tony Blair has told how he went to a concert on the Ziggy Stardust tour while he was a student at Oxford In the tribute, written for The Times newspaper on Tuesday, Blair said he went to many concerts at the time, but this was the only one that made me think. I remember discussing it for weeks afterwards with friends. It was unclear exactly when and where the former Prime Minister saw a concert on the 18-month tour, which began in the UK in February 1972, and took in the US and Japan before returning to the UK again. Blair was 19 when it first visited Oxford for concerts in May and June 1972 but would not have been at the university yet. He did not matriculate at St Johns College, where he read law, until later in the autumn that year, although it is, of course, possible he saw the lengthy tour elsewhere. The Ziggy tour also returned to Oxford in May and June 1973, according to Bowie fan websites chronicling it, when Blair would have been an undergraduate there. Bowie famously killed off his Ziggy character at the end of the last concert on the tour at Londons Hammersmith Odeon on July 3, 1973. Blairs office did not respond to a request from the Mail about if he could remember exactly where and when he saw the Ziggy tour, but a spokesman said: Mr Blair saw the concert, there is no doubt about that. Former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, as a student in 1975. Before taking up his place at Oxford, Blair spent a year managing student rock bands and putting on gigs and discos. At Oxford he briefly fronted a rock band, Ugly Rumours Despite Blairs high praise for Bowie, the pop legend was not always so reverential about Blair and his Cool Britannia, New Labours attempt to gain reflected glory from pop stars. Bowie is pictured as Ziggy in 1972 Despite Blairs high praise for Bowie, the pop legend was not always so reverential about Blair and his Cool Britannia, New Labours attempt to gain reflected glory from pop stars and actors. In fact, the Mail can reveal, Bowie thought Cool Britannia was cliched, silly and ineffective - and once wore a vicars dog collar and womens high heels in an apparent bid to shock him, but Blair did not even notice. Bowie reduced Jeremy Paxman to fits of laughter as he gave his opinions during an interview for the BBC in 1999, two years after Blair entered No 10 for the first time. Asked what he thought of Cool Britannia, Bowie said: Its so cliched and silly and ineffective, I think. I dont think its really changed I dont think anyone anywhere else believes it.' Paxman also asked him: When you see politicians embracing rock stars, personally I start reaching for my revolver, to which Bowie replied: At least I wear a pair of womens high heels when I meet our Prime Minister. I do my bit still. He didnt even notice, you know Im wearing womens stiletto shoes and a nice suit and tie. Thats the last time I wore a tie. No it wasnt - I wore a vicars dog collar. Nice black suit, black shirt with a dog collar and a pair of womens high heels and he didnt bat an eyelid. Mr Blair first told how he saw Bowie on the Ziggy tour in a statement issued on his offices website on Monday telling of his sorrow at the stars death. He said: I am so sorry to hear the news of David Bowies death. I was a huge fan. From the time I saw his Ziggy Stardust concert as a student I thought he was a brilliant artist and an exciting and interesting human being. It was a great privilege when I got to meet him later in life. My thoughts are with his family and friends. He will be deeply mourned. sleazy nightclub - which has no working CCTV - where she drank before death his girlfriend after breaking in to find her dead body Police say there was chaos in the apartment as Fiorentini desperately tried to The grief-stricken father of Ashley Olsen the 35-year-old American woman found strangled to death in Florence, Italy has spoken for the first time of his ordeal. Walter Olsen, an art professor in the same city who lives round the corner from his daughter's apartment, called her 'beautiful and creative' and said he had faith in the murder investigation. He spoke out as police sources said they were confident that the seedy nightclub where she was last seen by her friends was the key to finding her murderer, who an autopsy found used a belt or rope to kill her. There was no evidence of a struggle, prosecutors said. Detectives have also cleared entirely her boyfriend, Italian-American artist Federico Fiorentini, 42, has a watertight alibi, and confirmed that he is not a suspect. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Victim: Ashley Olsen, 35, was found dead in her flat in Florence, Italy on Saturday by her boyfriend, an Italian artist. He has been entirely cleared by police. Sources said he had a watertight alibi Speaking out: Walter Olsen, pictured in Florence, said: 'She was a beautiful and creative young woman with a happy, exuberant and generous soul. We are heartbroken that she was taken from us.' Couple: Federico Fiorentini (left) and Ashley Olsen (right) were together for seven years. Police say he is not a suspect. He found her body and tried to revive her with CPR. 'We are devastated that our precious Ashley has passed away resulting from a horrible and senseless crime,' he said. 'She was a beautiful and creative young woman with a happy, exuberant and generous soul, and she loved her life in Florence, in San Frediano. 'We are heartbroken that she was taken from us.' After making an appeal for his privacy to be respected, he added: 'We have faith that the perpetrator will be found and sentenced. We thank everyone for their loving thoughts and prayers.' Olsen - who is a professor of architecture, design and drawing at Bianca Cappello Art Academy in the city - has not been seen in public since Monday. That day he laid a bouquet of flowers outside his daughter's apartment flanked by police officers and officials from the American consulate in Florence. He bowed his head and stood for a few minutes in silence before placing the flowers on her doorstep. For the past few days he has been enduring an agonising wait for his daughter's autopsy to be over so that he can 'hug [his] daughter one last time'. The victim's mother, who is being supported by family and close friends in the United States, is delaying her flight to Florence until she is allowed to see her daughter's body. She too is beside herself with grief. The investigation into the murder is now firmly concentrated in one direction. Detectives have narrowed the investigation down to a single primary 'trail', a police source said tonight. According to investigators' leading hypothesis, Olsen met her killer after her friends left her alone at the notorious Monte Carla club. Officers are paying special attention to the club, the source said, taking into consideration the establishment's reputation and the clientele it attracts. The 35-year-old was last seen alive at the Montecarla club, an insalubrious members-only establishment On Thursday night, Olsen headed there after an evening of hard drinking in various bars in Oltre Arno The club has reclining areas that are almost like beds, strewn with leopard-print cushions and velour drapes The club has been shut down several times by police for drugs offences, and is a known hotbed of sex, substance abuse and violence. Police believe that Olsen left the club alone at dawn on Friday following an argument with her friends, and that she met her killer either at the club or on her way home. CCTV footage from cameras placed in a nearby piazza and around Olsen's apartment appear to support this theory, and it is being closely examined by investigators though a suspect has yet to emerge. Investigators described the scene of the crime as 'mayhem', but insisted that this did not indicate a struggle. A broken chair was found in the apartment, they said, but this was the result of Fiorentini's manic attempts to resuscitate his girlfriend rather than violence between Olsen and her killer. Tonight her best friends also released a moving tribute to the victim. 'We are bereft and numbed by what has happened,' the statement reads. 'This is horrific and unimaginable Our thoughts and love go to Ashley's father, mother, and sister, and to all of her family.' The victim's boyfriend is being comforted by his mother and sister, who both live in the city. According to a local cafe owner who has known Fiorentini since he was a child, this was his second relationship with an American woman. The first had ended amid so much heartache that Fiorentini had been left with emotional scars. 'He is a fragile person and suffers a lot inside,' the cafe owner told Daily Mail Online. 'The experience made the argument he had with Ashley much worse.' Friends of the couple describe Fiorentini as a withdrawn, introverted figure, devoted to his cat and to his art but uncomfortable in social situations. One woman who hosted a New Year's Eve party for 300 people which both Olsen and Fiorentini attended, described him as having 'a blank face'. 'I have known him for years and I've never seen him smile,' she said. On Saturday, concerned by the fact that Olsen had not been seen for days, Fiorentini persuaded her landlord to open the door to her chic apartment. There he found her dead on her bed which was raised on a mezzanine level wearing nothing but her socks. Her beloved pet dog, Scout, was in a state of great distress, surrounded by his own faeces and urine. Fiorentini panicked, lifting Olsen's body down onto the floor and desperately applying CPR. As he later explained to police, in the process he sustained scratches to his knuckles. He telephoned an ambulance, and police were alerted. 'I thought I might be able to save her,' he told friends. 'I loved Ashley and I will absolutely find who killed her. They will pay for what they did.' Today, the prosecutor in charge of the investigation, Giuseppe Creazzo, revealed that Olsen had been strangled with a cord-like implement. The victim's beloved dog, Scout, was present when she was murdered and was found in great distress, surrounded by his own urine and feces, when the body was discovered Key to investigation: The Montecarla club 'is a place where you can find anything you are looking for, sex, drugs, transexuals,' said a woman in a nearby bar The dimly-lit club, which spans two floors and is open only to members and those known to the proprietor Police removed both a USB cable and a chain necklace from the murder scene for examination. Fiorentini was interrogated for 10 hours overnight before being released without charge. He emerged from the police station accompanied by his mother, and has not been seen in public since. Some friends believe that the couple's heated argument may have prompted Olsen to go to Monte Carla, a notorious nightclub with a reputation for drug dealing, bar brawls and loose sex, in the small hours of Friday morning. It was here that she was last seen alive, and police suspect that it could have been here or on her way home that she met her killer. A 25-year-old local graphics designer, who did not want to be named, described the Monte Carla as 'not the sort of place you would go alone'. 'The unspoken rule is that you have to be in groups of five or six to be safe,' she told Daily Mail Online. 'It's the sort of place where you don't ask any questions. You just have vague, drugged-out conversions but you never go any further, as you never know what sort of person you'll get involved with. 'If you're looking for trouble, that's the place to find it.' The dimly-lit, all-night club, which is owned by Serbian Jovo Vukelic, is an insalubrious members-only establishment with leopard-print cushions, velour drapes and leather-clad waitresses. It is a known sex and drugs den where Albanian drug pushers have operated. The club has been closed by police at least three times, and investigated repeatedly by narcotics officers. Investigators said the woman's friends told them they were together with Olsen at the Florence nightspot Forensic teams have been searching for clues left by the killer in the club, along the streets that lead to her apartment, inside her home and on her body An autopsy is being carried out, but medics have already established that Olsen was strangled Police have found cocaine and rolled-up banknotes in the club, and have been called to deal with mass brawls and allegations of sexual abuse in the lavatory. It was in this seedy environment that Olsen who had a reputation as a party animal was last seen. She arrived at the club with a group of friends, but when they left she decided to stay behind. Two days later, her body was found at her apartment by her boyfriend. 'She would never normally have cheated on her boyfriend, but perhaps she decided to do it because of their argument, a friend told Daily Mail Online. Officers requested the CCTV footage from the camera at the entrance to the Monte Carla, but the Serbian owner said that it hadn't worked for years. The victim's mobile phone vanished and is thought to have been taken by the killer, and painstaking searches through CCTV of the area have so far proven fruitless. Much rides on the full results of the autopsy, expected in the next few days, which will establish whether Olsen had sex before she was killed, and whether she had alcohol and drugs in her system. The police investigation is being led by Domenico Giancinto Profazio, the same officer who led the long-running and controversial investigation into the murder of Meredith Kercher, the British exchange student killed in Perugia in 2007. That resulted in first the conviction, then ultimately, at the end of a long-running series of appeals, the acquittal of American student Amanda Knox. Amanda Knox, left, and Knox's then-boyfriend were at first convicted of the Meredith Kercher's murder, acquitted, convicted again on appeal and finally acquitted. Kercher is pictured right Domenico Giancinto Profazio lead the Meredith Kercher murder inquiry and is now in charge of the probe into the death of Ashley Ann Olsen She continues to protest her innocence, but the case divided opinion in Italy, the United States and the United Kingdom. The office of the prosecutor in charge of the investigation, Giuseppe Creazzo, said that Olsen had apparently opened the door to her killer, as police did not find any sign of forced entry. The police also confirmed that the killer took Olsen's mobile phone, making the subsequent investigation more difficult. A black bra was found in the street outside the scene of the crime, and was removed by police. Italian prosecutors have opened a murder investigation. The detective in charge of the murder inquiry, Giancinto Profazio, is the same officer who led the investigation into the death of British exchange student Meredith Kercher. That has stoked fears among locals in Italy that the case could end up like a drawn-out legal saga like that of the high-profile murder case of Kercher. Even Donald Trump needs to eat. But when he made a pit stop to grab a cheeseburger and fries at a diner in New Hampshire on Monday, one patron wasnt about to let him enjoy his meal in peace. Enjoy your burger, racist! heckled a young woman at the GOP presidential hopeful inside the popular Red Arrow Diner before walking out. Scroll down for video When Donald Trump made a pit stop to grab a cheeseburger and fries at a diner in New Hampshire on Tuesday, one patron wasnt about to let him enjoy his meal in peace Enjoy your burger, racist! heckled a young woman identified only as Jane (pictured) at the GOP presidential hopeful inside the popular Red Arrow Diner before walking out According to ABC News, he ordered a cheeseburger, fries and a deep-fried macaroni and cheese ball and a Diet Coke. Its my favorite food, he told the station. While the people sitting in the booth next to Trump told him he was welcome, a woman who identified herself only as Jane, was disgusted. She told ABC she just wanted to make sure people remembered that he is racist. Jane, who said she was visiting from South Carolina, said she did not know the real estate mogul would be stopping by for lunch. WATCH: Person who yelled "Enjoy your burger, racist!" at @realDonaldTrump in New Hampshire diner talks to @ABC: https://t.co/gQO8SLUg64 ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 11, 2016 She added: I did cry for a few seconds because its hard being that close to someone who can make such a difference, but know that I wasnt able to say anything that could impact him. Her outrage stems from Trumps controversial presidential campaign which started with a declaration to build a wall to crackdown on Mexicans illegally entering the United States. He also infamously proposed to ban all Muslims from entering the country in the wake of terror attacks in San Bernardino, California, and Paris sparking international condemnation. Most recently, the removal of a Muslim woman silently protesting at a recent rally sparked the Council on American-Islamic Relations to demand an apology. Donald Trump holds a Bible given to him by an audience member at a campaign rally in Windham, New Hampshire, on Monday Donald Trump appeared on the Tonight Show on Monday night and defended his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States to host Jimmy Fallon But Trump continues to defend his views on immigration. Were talking on a short-term basis, he told Jimmy Fallon on Monday nights Tonight show. Weve got to figure out whats going on. Trump is leading the polls in New Hampshire but he has slipped behind rival Ted Cruz in Iowa. The real estate mogul's stop at the Red Arrow Diner, where many presidential candidates are expected to stop by and greet customers, comes after it emerged that Trump's preference to sleep in his own bed could cost him votes. Other candidates are spending long days on the campaign trail and their nights in a succession of budget hotels, often in small towns. But after nearly every rally, Trump hops into one of his planes or helicopters and returns to New York so that he can sleep in his own bed in his marble-and-gold-furnished Trump Tower apartment in Manhattan. Trump, pictured in 2001 in the bedroom of his Manhattan penthouse triplex, a gold and marble lined mini-palace at the top of his eponymous tower Ted Cruz has spent weeks in Iowa and other states on the ground, sleeping in motels and moving between smaller-scale events such as visiting Penny's Diner, Missouri Valley, Iowa In November and December, Trump held six rallies in Iowa, visited a local production plant and held one town hall, flying home each night. His nearest rival for the Republican nomination, Cruz, has zigzagged around the state, holding around a dozen town halls and twice as many 'meet-and-greet' sessions, and bedding down between stops in hotels. Trump's determination to sleep at home every night raises eyebrows among election campaign veterans, who say it could cost him. It comes days after Army blasted over death of young recruit from stroke More than one in 20 deaths in the British military happens during training, damning new figures revealed. A shocking 131 military personnel have lost their lives during drills or on exercises in the past 15 years, according to the Ministry of Defence. Troops have been killed in tragedies including being shot during mock battles, being crushed by armoured vehicles, falling to their deaths while parachuting, or drowning during river crossings while weighed down by heavy backpacks. A Puma helicopter from the Joint Helicopter Force (JHF) hovers as troops from 51 Squadron Royal Air Force (RAF) Regiment march through the desert in 2003 The death toll equates to an average of nine servicemen or women each year - or one every six weeks - losing their lives while putting themselves through their paces for the Army, Royal Navy or RAF. The figures were released yesterday just days after the Army was heavily criticised by a coroner over the death of a young recruit who died from heatstroke. Alan Large, the assistant coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon, said the Army failed to notice the fundamental defects in the disciplinary and punishment system following an inquest into the death of Private Gavin Williams. The 22-year-old, of the Second Battalion the Royal Welsh Regiment, had been a soldier for just a year when he was subjected to a beasting on July 3, 2006, one of the hottest days of the year. Since 2000, 11 military personnel have been killed during live firing exercises and 28 have died in aircraft training accidents, according to the MoD figures. Nine deaths occurred during rock climbing, caving and mountaineering training, while six people were killed while diving or snorkelling. Seven people died while parachuting, and two deaths happened during paragliding or hand gliding exercises. Six military personnel died during water transport training, including kayaking, rafting, canoeing and yachting. Five soldiers died from heat injuries, two troops drowned and 18 people were killed as a result of land transport accidents. Last year military chiefs were severely criticised over the deaths of three Territorial Army soldiers during a gruelling Special Forces selection exercise in the Brecon Beacons in July 2013. Since 2000, 11 military personnel have been killed during live firing exercises and 28 have died in aircraft training accidents, according to the MoD figures A coroner blasted the SAS for neglect and delays that contributed to Corporal James Dunsby, 31, Lance Corporal Craig Roberts, 24, and Lance Corporal Edward Maher, 31, collapsing from heat stroke on a 16-mile march in searing 80F temperatures. The exercise was blighted by inadequate planning and training and a chaotic response once the soldiers who were carrying 49lbs of kit began to fall ill. If action had been taken immediately all three would have survived, the inquest found. Last night military injury lawyers, who have represented bereaved families, said the figures were shocking and demanded top brass take action to reduce the number of fatalities. The figures revealed the Army had the most fatalities during training or on exercise 88 out of the 131 total. The Royal Navy, including the Royal Marines, had 22 deaths and the RAF had 21. The statistics include deaths caused by accident or by natural causes, including disease-related conditions. The MoD also included those deaths for which the cause is yet unknown, of which there were nine. The frequency of deaths has fallen over the past 15 years. Between 2000 and 2008 there were typically 10 deaths each year during training or exercises compared to an average of seven a year between 2009 and 2014. Last year there were six deaths, four of them in the Army. Last year military chiefs were severely criticised over the deaths of three Territorial Army soldiers during a gruelling Special Forces selection exercise in the Brecon Beacons in July 2013 Of the 131 deaths, 13 were untrained personnel in the initial stages of training, and five of those were under the age of 18. Lawyer Philippa Tuckman, a military injuries specialist who has represented families, said: Just one death is one too many. It is a shock that it is in training that this happens and it shows something needs to be done. It is not good enough for the Ministry of Defence to say these things are inevitable because that just makes it more important that correct procedures are followed. Although it seems like a high number, it pails into significance when you look at all the injuries that have happened in the same way. A total of 2,387 military personnel died in the armed forces between 2000 and October last year. One Chinese couple did not hold back when commemorating their marriage as they lit up a quiet village with brightly-coloured outfits, exotic chauffeured supercars and plenty of gold jewelry. The festivities in idyllic Sanxiang town, curated by the couple from Macau, south China, were described by one onlooker as like 'something from a film set' according to People's Daily Online. The recent 'dynasty'-themed nuptials saw the groom dress up in a dashing emperor costume and his best men pretend to be ancient generals - while the invitations joked that guests would be 'beheaded' if they failed to attend the event without good cause. Flash mob: The extravagant couple staged their flashy 290,000 wedding in Sanxiang, south-east China Regal: The groom dressed as an emperor, with a large troop of best men following behind in military costume Under fire: The pair faced criticism when pictures of their happy day were posted online, and branded 'tuhao', which roughly translated as 'tasteless tycoons' It remains unclear when the wedding took place, but pictures of the celebrations, which reportedly cost a whopping 2.8 million yuan (290,000), quickly went viral on the social media networking platform WeChat. Many users criticised the opulent scenes as a chronic case of 'tuhao', which rougly translates as 'uncouth nouveau riche' or 'tasteless tycoons'. A fleet of expensive supercars, including a Lamborghini, Ferrari and Porsche, arrived at the ceremony bearing the bride and her family, before the happy couple were driven away in a top-of-the-range Rolls Royce. It is said that the groom handed over a red envelope to his bride's family - a traditional way to give monetary gifts in China - worth at least one million yuan (105,000) when he arrived to pick her up. Generous: Allegedly the groom gave his bride's family one million yuan (105,000) in a red envelope Big day: The celebrations were crowned with a lavish wedding banquet at Hengqin Chang Long Hotel Photographs taken at the ceremony posted on WeChat appear to show the bride decked out in hundreds of gold trinkets and items of jewelry, bringing the estimated total spent on the wedding to 2.8 million yuan (290,000). The celebrations were crowned with a lavish wedding banquet at Hengqin Chang Long Hotel to the south of Macau city, where the couple and their family pulled out all the stops. The wedding attracted a large crowd of onlookers along the way as the groom and his party trooped through the streets, with many struck by disbelief that it was an actual event and not something staged to be filmed. The mummified body of a Chinese monk was unveiled to the public during the weekend in a religious ceremony. Monk Fu Hou had been kept in a cylinder after he passed away three and a half years ago at the age of 94 at the Puzhou Temple in Quanzhou, south-east Chinas Fujian Procince. The cylinder was opened on January 10 at the temple and Fu Hou's remains were found perfectly preserved in a lotus position, reports the Peoples Daily Online. Scroll down for video Impressive: Monks gather around Fu Hou's mummified body during an unveiling ceremony in Puzhou Temple Well-kept: Fu Hou's remains had been kept in a cylinder after he passed away three and a half years ago Compassionate: Fu Hou was widely respected by his peers. Above is a picture of the monk before he died Dozens of fellow monks got together to participate in the ritual to show respect for Fu Hou's mummified body, which is also called a 'flesh Buddha' in China. According to tradition, his body will now be covered in a gold substance and made into a Buddhist statue. Fu Hou was born in Jinjiang - also in Fujian Province - in 1919, and became a monk at the age of 13. According to People's Daily, he was considered to be a wonderful monk by his disciples while preaching and was a quiet man who would always painstakingly practiced his belief. Fu Hou is said to have little contact with the outside world, a heart of compassion and was widely respected by the younger monks and his peers. Before he died, Fu Hou made the decision to have his body preserved. Perfect preservation: Facial hair on Fu Hou's chin and eyebrows could be seen after he was taken out After his death Fu Hou was placed in this cylinder (left). He was covered in charcoal and sandalwood (right) Opening ceremony: Experts removed the charcoal and sandalwood that was used to preserve his body When his body was revealed, Fu Hou was sitting in the lotus position, and his eyebrows and beard were still faintly visible. Fu Hous golden statue will be placed in the ancestral hall of shrines at the Dongdan inner chamber once it's completed. A video has been posted online showing experts removing the charcoal from his lifeless body to reveal his perfectly intact flesh. Fu Hous opening ceremony was described as a success by his fellow monks. Tradition: Buddhist monks have a sitting, sealing and opening ceremony for preservation after death Worshipped: Now that he has been unveiled, Fu Hou will be covered in a gold substance and placed in a temple Mummification dates back thousands of years and is a way to preserve a persons body after death, it is practiced in various places around the world including Egypt, China and the rest of Asia. At the beginning of 2015, mummified remains of a man apparently meditating were discovered in Mongolia with experts estimating the human relic was 200 years old. Mummified remains of a monk were also found encased in a Buddha statue the same year, dating back to the 11th or 12th century. One plucky businessman has been left with the difficulty of trying to convert the hundreds of thousands of coins he has accumulated into cash notes and bank credit. The laundry business owner surnamed Zhang, from Zhengzhou in central China's Henan province, revealed that he had piled up coins worth over 300,000 yuan (32,000) over a couple of months, according to a report by People's Daily Online. The coins, which weigh around 1.5 tonnes, have been stored at Mr Zhang's warehouse in plastic bags, with 500 one Yuan coins per bag. Desperate times: Mr Zhang from Zhengzhou, central China, struggles to deal with his 32,000 of coins Turned away: Multiple banks refused Mr Zhang's desire to convert all of the coins into banknotes in bulk Down and out: The businessman has been left unable to pay either his staff or his monthly mortgage bills However Mr Zhang, who also sells scooter-charging stands as part of his business was left unable to fund both his staff salaries and his mortgage payments this week after multiple banks he visited refused to convert his small change into more usable notes. After going round the Agricultural Bank of China, the Construction Bank of China and Minsheng Bank, he was told he could only convert 2,000-3,000 coins a day, amounting to an extremely slow and time wasting process. Mr Zhang called for help to local newspapers on January 11 saying he was in desperate need of changing these coins to banknotes so he can pay salary to his staff. He told assembled reporters: Im extremely concerned about my many coins. If any supermarkets need small change, please contact me. Out of options: Zhang called for help local newspapers on January 11 saying he didn't know what to now do Hearty: The entrepreneur has run a self-service laundry business in universities in central China since 2009 Nowhere to turn: He has a partnership with supermarkets to trade coins but their demand is strictly limited The entrepreneur has run a self-service laundry business in universities and villages in central China since 2009. He has a long term partnership to exchange notes into notes with supermarkets in the surrounding universities, but they have limited demand and the shutting of universities for the holidays has left Mr Zhang unable to complete his usual transactions. Because supermarkets have limited demands and university have already shut for holidays, I accumulated 300,000 Yuan worth of coins in less than three months, he confirmed. A Chinese businessman managed to cause anguish to the employees of a local car dealership by turning up with 80 stone worth of loose banknotes and attempting to pay for a new vehicle. Staff at the showroom in Zhanjian city, Guangdong Province, south China, were stunned yesterday when Mr Cai tried to buy his new car with huge boxes filled with rolled notes, according to Huanqiu.com, an affiliation to People's Daily. Mr Cai, as it turned out, is a food wholesaler at the city's Haitian market whose business is entirely cash-based - leaving him with thousands in cash and not so much in the bank. Big haul: Mr Cai shocked staff at the showroom in Zhanjian city, China with his seemingly endless cash notes Calculators at the ready: The market seller wanted to purchase the 8000 car purely with old banknotes Spender: Mr Cai said he earnt around 1000 in loose change every day and hundreds of thousands a month Gu Liyuan, manager at the depot, said he was tempted to turn away the customer after he refused to pay by card and credit and insisted he could only purchase the 8,000 car with 1 RMB (10p) and 10 cent RMB (1p) notes. He told reporters: 'I've never seen so much money in my life', adding that the depot 'smelt like money' after Mr Cai had dragged in his currency boxes. Meanwhile Mr Cai admitted that he had a problem in the past with banks not accepting his cash. He said: 'I receive loose change amounting up to 10,000 Yuan every day and hundreds of thousands of Yuan every month.' 'Because I have too much loose change, many banks refuse to exchange for me or they treated me very coldly. I think about how to spend this money every day.' Considerable load: The haul of money boxes came to an estimated 80 stone worth of crisp notes Only option: Mr Cai also confirmed that he often paid for meals in restaurants purely with cash to compensate Local reports did not confirm how long it took Mr Gu and his staff to count all of the cash boxes from Cai, which had to be carried in one by one and amounted to a total of 80 stone. Mr Cai continued telling reporters of his day-to-day problems: 'Sometimes I bring a lot of loose change to eat in restaurants. It looks powerful, but to me, I just hope people can accept them. In November a Chinese public transport operator was reported to have bought an entire home by paying with 50 cent RMB (5p) notes collected from her day job. The 'mindful' revolution rolls on and for its followers there seems to be no end to its soothing, restorative qualities. The evidence is compelling. Peace and harmony: Getting rid of clutter can help make your home into a calmer, more restful space Mindfulness-based meditation can reduce depression by 44 per cent, according to an Oxford University report, while the Mental Health Foundation estimates that 30 per cent of GPs send their stressed-out patients for mindfulness treatment of one kind or another. TV personality Ruby Wax swears by it and her recently published book, Sane New World, tells you why. So perhaps it's no wonder that the craving for all things mindful is now knocking on new doors in the form of The Mindful Home, written by two Australians, Craig and Deirdre Hassed, who believe that our houses are 'metaphors for finding ourselves finding the core of our being'. This might sound a little earnest for those of us who spend a frustrating amount of time looking not for ourselves, but for our missing car keys, reading glasses, unpaid bills and magazine cuttings about how to roast the perfect leg of lamb. But few of us would refute the notion that atmosphere is important. 'It is not that the physical attributes of the home don't matter, just that they arise from the subtle human qualities of the people living there,' say the authors. 'Get the subtle stuff right and the physical form will follow.' High on the list of mindful essentials in the home, according to the Hasseds, is a room suited for daily meditation, which can also double up as a quiet zone; a reflective space that is neat, clean and unthreatening. Serene green: Looking out onto green space or water all helps when it comes to mindful living 'Having a room that looks out to a view, green space or water can be conducive to meditation. If the outlook is not naturally beautiful, then you can decorate the room to make it greener or more appealing.' This space doesn't have to be empty of furniture but it 'helps if it is not cluttered,' say the authors. The clutter conundrum is as much about what's happening in our heads as in those brimming cupboards. The Hasseds believe that holding on to things that are no longer useful and are not especially beautiful leads to clutter. 'At its worst, this is called hoarding and can lead to the whole home environment becoming unusable,' they say. Mindfulness derives from the Buddhist tradition but in the West its roots go back to the American academic Jon Kabat-Zinn, whose teachings are used to help people cope with stress, anxiety, pain and illness. Using the senses to engage with the present is one hallmark; self-control, feelings and sensations is another; encouraging openness, curiosity, acceptance and being nonjudgmental is a third; stillness is a fourth. Beautifully balanced: The art of Feng Shui has bee used in the new development at Battersea Power Station in south-west London 'This can easily be applied to the home,' says Tamara Russell, director of the Mindfulness Centre of Excellence and author of Mindfulness In Motion. 'Rather than just thinking about the physical aesthetic, stop and ask yourself how a room makes you feel. Is it calming?' Russell suggests moving furniture around every now and again to change the atmosphere and then measure your responses. Interior designers are well aware of the mindfulness mania. 'Mindfulness must be tailored to the individual, but at the heart of any scheme is light and warmth,' said Natalia Miyar, design director of Helen Green Design. 'Natural light is the most important consideration in the home; bringing the outside in during summer and maximising the light in winter.' Miyar adds that surrounding yourself with familiar objects and photos which have meaning to you, or paintings of much loved places will bring peace of mind. 'But these should be used sparingly, otherwise they risk becoming clutter of the past,' she says. Feng Shui, which was all the rage a decade ago is, according to Jane Alexander, author of Spirit Of The Home, making a comeback in the touchy-feely 2010s. The development at London's Battersea Power Station has undergone the full Feng Shui treatment to make sure that energy flows freely and fruitfully. One common strand of mindfulness and Feng Shui is the pursuit of harmony. And, when it comes to the home, we could all do with a bit of that. how we may be able to 'cheat death' in the future This is the idea that in an 'infinite amount of time, anything is possible' and we could reappear back on Earth in the future as if we'd never been away It starts with cremation in 20,000 BC and ends with quantum r Since time immemorial, man has wondered what comes after death. Now there's a book that charts mysterious death rituals throughout history, from cremation, which was used 22,000 years ago, to quantum resurrection which could let us 'live' forever in the future. This is the idea that in an 'infinite amount of time, anything is possible' and that we could reappear back on Earth in the future as if we'd never been away. A book has been released that charts death rituals throughout history, from cremation, used 22,000 years ago, to quantum resurrection (illustration of space and time shown) which could let us 'live' forever in the future. This is the idea that in an 'infinite amount of time, anything is possible' and we could reappear back on Earth It is just one of the many examples of death rituals and beliefs in Clifford A Pickover's book, 'Death and the afterlife. A chronological journey from cremation to quantum resurrection.' Penned by science author Clifford A Pickover, who also works at the IBM Thomas J Watson Research Centre in New York, it also charts the evolution of theories about the afterlife throughout millennia. The idea of quantum resurrection is discussed in his book by physicist Katherine Freese. She believes quantum resurrection could await us all, and if it is possible it could take the form of Boltzmann brains self-aware brains floating through space. THE THEORY OF QUANTUM RESURRECTION The idea of quantum resurrection is suggested by physicist Katherine Freese. She believes quantum resurrection could await us all, and if it is possible it could take the form of Boltzmann brains self-aware brains floating through space. While this may be unlikely, and it's not thought to have happened in our universe's 13.7 billion-year existence, over an infinite length of time they may come into existence. 'Humans need to make sense of the world and will surely continue to use both logic and mystical thinking for the task. Advertisement While this may be unlikely, and it is not thought to have happened in our universe's 13.7 billion-year existence, over an infinite length of time they may come into existence. 'Humans need to make sense of the world and will surely continue to use both logic and mystical thinking for the task,' explained Freese. Pickover added: 'What patterns and connections will we see as the 21st century progresses? How will we continue to cope with death or elude death in the future? 'Our rituals and myths are, at minimum, fascinating models of human understanding and creativity and how we reach across cultures to understand one another and learn about what we hold sacred. 'Perhaps our brains and cultural evolution operate in a way that predisposes us to believe in the souls, spirits and the afterlife to foster community cohesion and create a sense of peace as the deaths of family members and of ourselves, approach. 'The reasons for our fascination with death and the rituals we use to make sense of death are buried deep in the essence of our nature. Below is a series of the rituals detailed in his book. It is just one of the many examples Clifford A Pickover's book, 'Death and the afterlife. A chronological journey from cremation to quantum resurrection.' An example of a cremation is pictured Penned by science author Clifford A Pickover, who also works at the IBM Thomas J Watson Research Centre in New York, the book also charts the evolution of theories about the afterlife throughout millennia NATUFIAN FUNERAL FLOWERS: 11,000BC The first ritual to be documented was cremation, which dates back to at least 20,000BC. The earliest example of the practice is the Mungo Lady - an early human inhabitant of Australia, but perhaps more interesting is the practice of leaving flowers on graves, which was first seen in 11,000 BC. The Natufians lived in the Levant region in 12,500 to 9,500BC and in 2013, archaeologists found remains of flowers in four Stone Age Natufian graves in Raqefet Cave. Daniel Nadal said: 'Rare preparation was a sophisticated planned process, embedded with social and spiritual meanings reflecting a complex pre-agricultural society.' The Natufians lived in the Levant region in 12,500 to 9,500BC and in 2013, archaeologists found remains of flowers in four Stone Age Natufian graves in Raqefet Cave. Researchers found sage, mint (pictured) and other plants buried with the skeletons REMEMBERING THE DEAD WITH FLOWERS Humans have been decorating graves with flowers for almost 14,000 years, archaeologists claimed in 2013. They discovered the first evidence the tradition of floral tributes in Israel where sage, mint and other plants were used in ceremonial burials. In modern times the tradition is used as a sign of respect or remembrance, but it is believed to have started thousands of years ago to disguise the stench of the rotting corpse. The discovery was unearthed at the bottom of 13,700 to 11,700 year-old graves (pictured) at a scenic prehistoric burial spot known as Raqefet Cave overlooking the Mediterranean coast. Prof Nadel believes that grave preparation was a sophisticated planned process, embedded with social and spiritual meanings reflecting a complex pre-agricultural society The floral remains were unearthed at bottom of 13,700 to 11,700 year-old graves at a scenic prehistoric burial spot known as Raqefet Cave overlooking the Mediterranean coast. Professor Dani Nadel, an archaelogist at Haifa University in Israel and his team used radiocarbon dating on the lining of tombs containing 29 skeletons, of children and adults, with four containing large plant impressions identified as the stems of sage, mint and figwort. 'Flowering plants possess mechanisms that stimulate positive emotional and social responses in humans. 'It's difficult to establish when people started to use flowers in public and ceremonial events because of the scarcity of relevant evidence in the archaeological record. 'We report on uniquely preserved 13,700-11,700-year-old grave linings made of flowers suggesting such use began much earlier than previously thought.' Advertisement CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: 1,772BC However, not all send-offs were so considerate. It is not known when capital punishment was first officially introduced but The Babylonian Code of Hammurabi, which dates back to 1,772BC, recommends the death penalty for 25 different crimes such as adultery. Curiously, very serious crimes such as murder or treason were omitted. Since Hammurabi, various cruel ways to execute people have been devised, but perhaps one of the strangest was used by the Romans for the crime of parricide murdering one's parents where the accused was put in a sack with a live dog, cock, viper and ape and drowned. It is not known when capital punishment was first introduced but The Babylonian Code of Hammurabi (illustrated by the tablet, left), which dates back to 1,772BC, recommends the death penalty for 25 different crimes. There are descriptions of people being killed in various ways, including hanging, in ancient texts OSSUARIES: 1,000BC The earliest known ossuaries, which are often rooms filled with human skeletons or bones, date back to 1,000BC. Usually bodies were buried elsewhere and the bones later exhumed and transferred to an ossuary, in some cases to prevent overcrowding of cemetaries. But some of the creepiest examples were made considerably later in Europe and were designed to force people to meditate on their own mortality by looking at the bones of others. For example, a plaque at Our Lady of the Conception of the Capuchins in Rome, reads: 'What you are now, we once were; what we are now, you shall be'. One of the most famous is the Sedlec Ossuary in the Czech Republic, in which the skeletons of around 50,000 people are arranged decoratively, to form a huge chandelier, for example. The earliest known ossuaries, which are often rooms filled with human skeletons or bones, date back to 1,000BC. A stock image of a pile of bones in Kutna Hora, Czech Republic is shown One of the most famous is the Sedlec Ossuary in the Czech Republic, in which the skeletons of around 50,000 people are arranged decoratively, to form a huge chandelier, (pictured) EPITATHS: 480BC Epitaths - short texts honouring the dead - are usually found on gravestones and plaques. The custom is thought to have originated in ancient Egypt. One of the most famous ancient Greek epitaphs penned in 480BC by poet Simonides, records the burial of Spartan warriors who fell at the battle of Thermopylae. It reads: O stranger, send the news home to the people of Sparta that here are laid to rest'. While some are poignant, others are humorous. For example, William Shakespeare's gravestone reads: 'Blessed be the man that spares these stones and cursed be he that moves my bones.' Sir Winston Churchill's epitaph says: I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.' In more recent times, Mel Blanc who provided the voices for over 3,000 cartoons chose: 'That's all folks!' Epitaths short texts honouring the dead are usually found on gravestones and plaques. The custom is thought to have aoriginated in Ancient Egypt almost 2,500 years ago. Shakespeare's epitaph is shown In recent times, Mel Blanc who provided the voices for over 3,000 cartoons chose: 'That's all folks!' (shown) SKY BURIALS: 1,328AD The ancient practice of Tibetan sky burials, where a corpse is exposed to birds such as vultures to be picked clean on a mountaintop, is still practiced today. It is considered a generous way of returning a body to local creatures but is also practical, seeing as it would be incredibly hard work to dig a burial in the mountainous region. Relatives seldom watch the part of the ritual known as jhator, in which a rogyapa monk cutes a body apart and pulverises bones before mixing them with flowers, tea and yak butter. The practice was first documented by Italian traveller Friar Odoric, who travelled to Tibet in 1328. Similar rituals where bodied were left exposed to the air and predators, are thought to have been practiced by Neolithic people living in parts of Britain. The ancient practice of Tibetan sky burials, where a corpse is exposed to birds such as vultures to be picked clean on a mountaintop, is still practiced today. A traditional tower of silence is shown CHILD SACRIFICES: 1,622AD Incan children being prepared for sacrifice, or capacocha, were drugged with coco leaves and given a corn-based beer called chichi to sedate them before the ordeal. It could invoked being strangled or knocked on the head, being entombed alive, or left to freeze to death. Such gruesome sacrifices were important to the Incas in Peru and were performed around sacred events such as during a famine, or after an earthquake or death of a leader. An entry in the diary of Spanish priest Rodrigo Hernandez Principe, penned in 1622, records the death of a 10-year-old called Tanta Carhua, who was led away to a mountain, never to return. In the 1990s, preserved bodies of Inca children were found on Mount Llullaillaco in Argentina. Other Native American cultures also practiced child sacrifices, with evidence pointing to the Maya removing the hearts of children when a new king ascended the throne, and the Aztecs killed children so their tears would soak the earth, sometimes even eating them. THE INCA SHRINE WHERE CHILDREN WERE SACRIFICED Ruins of a sanctuary used by the Inca civilisation to sacrifice children to their gods is believed to have been discovered in a remote mountain range in Peru. A team of Spanish explorers stumbled upon the religious complex in the Vilcabamba mountains, 93 miles (150km) north of the Peruvian city of Cusco in October. The researchers also found a system of caves near the ruins that had been used as necropolis to bury the victims of the sacrificial rituals. This system of caves is thought to date to the time of Tupaq Inca Yupanqui, the tenth ruler of the Inca civilisation between 1471 to 1493. Ruins of a sanctuary used by the Inca civilisation to sacrifice children to their gods was believed to have been discovered in a remote mountain range in Peru in October. A skull of a victim is pictured Under his rule, child sacrifices to the gods were carried out in times of drought and natural disasters in the hope good fortune would return. The discovery of 50 structures dedicated to worship was made by members of the Mars Gaming Expedition, led by brothers Miguel and Rafael Gutierrez Garitano. They also found caves used as a necropolis. 'I found it by chance. I was going down a hill when I saw a hole covered with branches. I thought it was not natural, I made my way and saw the skeleton of an Inca,' Rafael Garitano explained. The high platform and graves led the explorers to conclude it was a site for human sacrifice. Similar structures have been discovered throughout Peru and Argentina. The team hope to return next year to complete the expedition. The Inca used children aged around the age of eight for human sacrifices in a ritual called Capacocha. Historian Carmen Martin Rubio said: 'For the Incas, death was just a passage into another life and the chosen ones were always children because they were considered pure'. 'They were carefully chosen from good families.' However, she added that the children's death was often painless. 'They didn't feel anything because they were sedated with coca and when they were asleep they were exposed to temperatures of around -20C and they froze to death,' she said. Advertisement EMBALMING: 1,867AD Of course the ancient Egyptians are best known for embalming the dead, with the ancient inhabitants of Ecuador, Peru and the Canary islands also known to have preserved human remains to avoid decomposition. The ancient Scythians of central Eurasia disembowelled their rulers and filled their bodies with anise and frankincense before covering them with wax. Alexander the Great's body is thought to have been preserved using honey and wax. Embalming became more common in the US during the Civil War in order to return dead soldiers to their families. Even President Abraham was embalmed so his body could be viewed around the states. Embalmers used alcohol, poisonous mercury and arsenic to preserve remains before German chemist August Wilhelm von Hofmann synthesised formaldehyde, best known for preserving samples in chemistry labs. Religious scholar Gary Laderman noted 'embalming was the lifeblood of the American funeral industry from the beginning of the 20th century.' Embalming became more common in the US during the Civil War in order to return dead soldiers to their families. Even President Abraham was embalmed so his body could be viewed around the states. A photograph of a doctor using a hand pump to fill a dead Civil War soldier with formaldehyde is shown DEATH MASKS: 1,888AD Death masks - a 3D representation of a person's face after death, made from wax, plaster or another material have served many purposes, such as going on display at state funerals, or used for medical studies. The masks of executed criminal's foe example were examined for evidence of their psychopathic inclinations based on the structure of their face. Famous figures from Henry VIII to Alfred Hitchcock have had death masks made, but the most famous dates from 1,888AD. Known as 'L'Inconnue de la Seine,' or 'the unknown woman of the Seine' the mask of an anonymous 16-year-old girl who was found drowned in the Parisian river bears a slight smile. It has inspired numerous works of literature. Known as 'L'Inconnue de la Seine,' or 'the unknown woman of the Seine' the mask of an anonymous 16-year-old girl (pictured) who was found drowned in the Parisian river bears a slight smile. It's inspired numerous works of literature THE ELECTRIC CHAIR: 1890 On August 6, 1890, William Kremmler became the first person to be executed in an electric chair, an invention that was thought to be a humane alternative to hanging. He is s said to have risen early, dressed in a suit and tie, had breakfast and said his prayers before telling the executors he was going to a good place. However, he survived 1,000 volts for 17 seconds, before the power was turned up to 2,000 and 'an awful odour' filed the death chamber as the flesh started to singe. A reporter who witnessed the electrocution said it was 'an awful spectacle, far worse than hanging'. Other criminal's heads are said to have caught fire and another one was observed to be breathing once removed to an autopsy room. While the electric chair was once the most common execution method in the US, with 4,251 electrocutions between 1890 and 1972 an average of 51 a year the lethal injection has widely taken its place. On August 6, 1890, William Kremmler became the first person to be executed in an electric chair, an invention that was thought to be a humane alternative to hanging. The chair at Angola Penitentiary, Louisiana, is shown Researchers have uncovered a 1,500 year skeleton showing prosthetic feet were used in the 6th century. Experts found the remains of a middle-aged man who died in the 6th century, with his left foot and ankle replaced by a wooden prosthetic. Archaeologists from the Austrian Archaeological Institute found the 1,500 year old device while excavating at a site in Hemmaberg, Austria. During this time, hundreds of skeletons have been discovered but a recent discovery stands apart from the rest. Researchers have discovered remains of a middle-aged man who died in the 6th century, with his left foot and ankle replaced by a wooden prosthetic 'In 2013, a skeleton dating to the Frankish period (6th century AD) was excavated at the Hemmaberg in southern Austria,' they wrote in the journal International Journal of Paleopathology. 'The middle adult male was missing his left foot from above the ankle. 'In its place, an iron-ring and wooden remains were recovered and interpreted as a prosthesis replacing the lost foot. 'This represents one of the oldest examples of prosthetic limb replacement associated with the skeleton of its wearer in Europe to date.' 'Even though the earliest prosthetic devices date to the Ancient Egyptian Empire and iconographic sources attest their use in the Greco-Roman world, archaeological evidence for this practice prior to 2nd millennium AD is very scant,' they added. Archaeologists from the Austrian Archaeological Institute found the 1,500 year old device while excavating at a site in Hemmaberg, Austria. The man's remains were found in a group of small graves, mostly children, and was buried with a sword and brooch Michaela Binder, a bioarchaeologist with the Austrian Archaeological Institut, told Atlas Obscura: 'When I saw that they had this prosthesis, I thought, 'OK, this is something special,''It is always a surprise to find something like this simply because it was so rare.' The man's remains were found in a group of small graves, mostly children, and was buried with a sword and brooch. The wood of the prosthetic had deteriorated over the years and all that was left was an iron ring to keep the device in place, which was about three inches in diameter. The wood of the prosthetic had deteriorated over the years and all that was left was an iron ring to keep the device in place, which was about three inches in diameter. There was also a dark staining on the lower leg bones, which could have been from a pouch that was used to strap it to the man's leg There was also a dark staining on the lower leg bones, which could have been from a pouch that was used to strap it to the man's leg. One of the reasons it's rare to find a prosthetic among ancient remains is because, not many individuals survived that the process of removing the limb or after. This suggests that when the man lost his foot he didn't use a prosthetic right away. It hasn't been confirmed on why the man's foot was gone. Researchers speculate it could have been lost in an accident or removed in an act of violence, as amputation was a form of torture during the 6th century 'Losing a footand especially when it's not cut through the joint but through the bonewould have lacerated a lot of blood vessels and caused an extensive amount of bleeding,' Binder said. 'It would have very prone to infection.' 'This is probably another reason why we see so few prostheses or amputations.' Most people simply died quite quickly afterwards.' 'So, finding an injury like that healed and finding ways that allowed the person to function at that time period to me is always mind-blowing.' One of the reasons it's rare to find a prosthetic among ancient remains is because, not many individuals survived that the process of removing the limb or after. When Binder found the remains, he reported after performing a radiography and CT-scanning healing that the bones of both legs differed in density The first evidence was found on the foot of an Egyptian mummy, as researchers found a big toe had been removed an replace with a wooden one. The earliest evidence of a leg prosthetic was found in a Roman grave in Italy's Santa Maria di Capua from 300 BC. The first evidence was found on the foot of an Egyptian mummy, as researchers found a big toe had been removed an replace with a wooden one. The earliest evidence of a leg prosthetic was found in a Roman grave in Italy's Santa Maria di Capua from 300 BC (pictured) THE EARLIEST PROSTHETIC - THE MUMMY WITH AN ARTIFICIAL TOE Two artificial big toes - one found attached to the foot of an ancient Egyptian mummy - were the world's earliest functional prosthetic body parts, according to a study. A three-part wood and leather artefact housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, and the Greville Chester artificial toe on display in the British Museum, helped their toe-less owners walk like Egyptians. The toes date from before 600BC, pre-dating what was previously thought to be the earliest known practical prosthesis - the Roman Capula Leg - by several hundred years. Advertisement Some Egyptian mummies have been found with prosthetic toes made from wood or a strong plastic linen they used to make funeral masks with. When Binder found the remains last month, he reported after performing a radiography and CT-scanning healing that the bones of both legs differed in density. This suggests that when the man lost his foot he didn't use a prosthetic right away. It hasn't been confirmed on why the man's foot was removed. Researchers speculate it could have been lost in an accident or removed in an act of violence, as amputation was a form of torture during the 6th century. Binder explained the man was probably not punished for crimes as it seemed he held high status in the community, as his grave near a church and he was buried with a sword. Also, it would be very unlikely for a criminal to receive a prosthetic after losing his foot as punishment. Findings suggests that when the man lost his foot he didn't use a prosthetic right away. It hasn't been confirmed on why the man's foot was gone. Also, it would be very unlikely for a criminal to receive a prosthetic after losing his foot as punishment. Binder did find other clues that suggests blunt force trauma cause a large hematoma, which eventually healed, and in the osteoarthritis and evidence of overused muscles in his hips and spine, which suggest he may have ridden horseback. 'Several bioarchaeological studies of war-related trauma in Medieval cemeteries and mass graves,' Binder and colleagues noted to LiveLeak, 'have found the tibia to be a common site of sharp force trauma and have been interpreted as being inflicted by men on foot to mounted men.' Once only an experienced sales assistant armed with a tape-measure could ensure a woman found the perfect size bra. Now a smartphone app is claimed to be even more accurate as well as less embarrassing for those who might find undressing in front of a stranger a little uncomfortable. All users have to do is stand in front of a mirror wearing a tight-fitting top or in their bra and take two selfies. Holding the smartphone at belly-button height, they take one snap facing front, then turn 90 degrees and take the other from the side. They must take the photo themselves. Thirdlove has developed software that first calculates the distance between the mirror and the body using the smartphone as a unit of measurement and then works out the size of the woman's body as well as her bust size all within five minutes (file image) Software developed by San Francisco-based lingerie company Thirdlove first calculates the distance between the mirror and the body using the smartphone as a unit of measurement. From that it works out the size of the womans body as well as her bust size all within the space of five minutes, the makers claim. Afterwards customers can order Thirdlove bras online, many of which come in half-sizes. Heidi Zak, founder of the company, said: In essence what we are getting is a womans overbust, her underbust measurement and her body shape, which is the same thing a bra fitter gets in a store. We understand how far you are from the mirror based on the size of the phone. I can detect the size of her body in relation to the phone and then we infer a circumference and a body shape from that. 'In essence, when you think of a woman in the store getting out the measuring tape, we are doing that using a phone as a standard unit of measure. The founder of the company, Heidi Zak, said that the app is 'more accurate than a measuring tape' She conceded the app is not foolproof because inaccuracy can occur if the phone is not held at the right angle. Miss Zak told the Guardian: It is more accurate than a measuring tape assuming someone follows the directions properly. What about customers who worry that pictures of them in a state of undress might potentially stray into the wrong hands? Thirdlove insists that the photos are never sent over the internet, although the measurements derived from them are. The company states: Your photos are never stored. All of our sizing takes place on your phone. We never view, upload or share your photos. Women can customise the trim, colour and strap of the bra to ensure maximum comfort. And the company advises using its breast shape guide for example round or tear-shaped to choose the most appropriate styles for them. Prices for the bras range from 33 to 46, with a shipping fee of 17 for orders to the UK. Thirdlove is not the first lingerie company to use technology to measure customers. There are countless videos of four-legged robots being kicked and pushed by engineers to test their ability, but these quadrupeds could soon fight back. Roboticists in Italy have designed a protoype arm that fits to the front of their HyQ quadruped machine and swings from left to right, and up and down. It can be used to sweep obstacles out of the way as well as support the weight of the robot to steady itself as it tackles uneven terrain. Roboticists in Italy have designed a protoype arm that fits to the front of their HyQ quadruped machine (pictured) and swings from left to right and up and down. It can be used to sweep obstacles out of the way as well as support the weight of the robot to steady itself as it tackles uneven terrain The manouverability of advanced four-legged robots means they can navigate uneven terrain and could aid rescue efforts and disaster recovery scenarios. Until now, however, their role has traditionally been limited to load carrying or observation tasks. To solve this problem, and give the robots more manipulation skills, engineers from the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Genoa designed the arm to create a 'centaur-style' of robot. According to Claudio Semini, head of the Dynamic Legged Systems (DLS) lab, future quadruped robots operating in real-world applications will most likely need a degree of manual dexterity. 'For us, it was natural to start to design also an arm, and then the plan is to build two arms and have them both on the robot to create a 'centaur' style of robot,' Semini told Reuters. The hydraulically actuated arm (pictured) was designed by PhD student Bilal Ur Rehman from the Italian Institute of Technology who explained it not only adds dexterity to the robot, but can aid its manoeuverability. Eventually, the centaur-style robot will consist of four legs and a pair of arms 'And with the two arms the robot can be deployed to the real area where it needs to do any maintenance work or turn a valve in a rescue scenario or pick up a sample in a contaminated area or just clean up radioactive materials; there's a lot of potential future applications where manipulation is really important.' Eventually, the centaur-style robot will consist of four legs and a pair of arms. THE 'CENTAUR STYLE' ROBOT The manouverability of advanced four-legged robots means they can navigate uneven terrain and could aid rescue efforts and disaster recovery scenarios. Until now, however, their role has been limited to load carrying or observation tasks. To solve this problem, and give the robots more manipulation skills, engineers from the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Genoa designed the arm to create a 'centaur style' of robot. It can carry up to 22lbs (10kg) and to demonstrate how the HyQ-Centaur could operate, an obstacle is placed in its path with the robot arm being remotely controlled to knock it out of the way. Eventually, the centaur-style robot will consist of a quadruped locomotion platform and a pair of arms. Advertisement Currently, the team is testing one prototype arm attached to the front of the four-legged robot. To demonstrate how the HyQ-Centaur could operate, an obstacle is placed in its path with the robot arm being remotely controlled to knock it out of the way. The hydraulically actuated arm was designed by PhD student Bilal Ur Rehman who explained it not only adds dexterity to the robot, but can aid its manoeuverability. 'Right now this arm can carry 10 kg when it's fully extended,' he explained. 'It's total weight is 12.5 kg, so it can almost carry the same external load as its own weight. It's also pretty fast with the hydraulics speeds. 'You can use it as a counter force if you apply an external force on the body of the robot. You can use the arm as a tail as well to counter the external forces,' said Rehman. The additional weight of the arm and the forces exerted by its motion gave the roboticists an added hurdle to overcome. The HyQ robot was first presented as part of Semini's PhD thesis in 2010. It shares similarities with quadruped robots developed by other institutions, such as Spot the dog robot developed by Google's Boston Dynamics. Future quadruped robots could be used by emergency services and as part of disaster relief efforts, including search and rescue missions. It has been compared to the way the fictional Hulk (pictured) removes obstacles and smashes things in his way The HyQ robot (pictured) was first presented in 2010. It shares similarities with quadruped robots developed by other institutions, such as Spot the dog robot developed by Google's Boston Dynamics But Semini said that while seeing a robot running and balancing in a mainly reactive way looks impressive, the real test comes when such a robot has to cross very rough terrain where a carefully planned foot placement is vital. Much of his team's research is focused on developing algorithms that help HyQ decode its surroundings and plan the next footsteps. Getting yourself out of a bad mood could be as simple as making yourself sound happy. Researchers digitally manipulated peoples voices while they were talking to make them sound happier, sadder, or more fearful. They found that, when listening to their own altered voice, the participants emotional state changed in accordance with the new emotion. Getting yourself out of a bad mood could be as simple as making yourself sound happy, according to a study which suggests altering our voice can change how we feel. Stock image pictured This happened even though the men and women were not aware their voices had been manipulated, the researchers said. The findings suggest people listen to their own voice to lean how they are feeling, they said. MANIPULATING EMOTIONS Researchers from Lund University digitally manipulated peoples voices while to make them sound happier, sadder, or more fearful. They found that, when listening to their own altered voice, the participants emotional state changed in accordance with the new emotion. The effect was seen even when the participants were not aware that their voices had been manipulated, the researchers said. According to the researchers, the findings are the first evidence of direct audio-feedback effects on emotional experience and suggests people listen to their own voice to lean how they are feeling. Advertisement The relationship between the expression of emotions has been a long-standing topic of disagreement in the field of psychology, said Petter Johansson, one of the authors from Lund University in Sweden. This is the first evidence of direct-feedback effects on emotional experience in the auditory domain. For the study, which was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers created a new digital audio platform. They then used it to modify the pitch, inflection and the range of participants voices as they read a short story aloud while hearing their own altered voice through a headset. The new platform could potentially be used to treat people suffering from mood disorders, such as depression, the researchers suggested. Retelling emotional memories, or re-describing emotionally laden events in a modified tone of voice could induce positive attitude change they said. Researchers digitally manipulated peoples voices while they were talking to make them sound happier, sadder, or more fearful. Listening to the altered voice recordings elicited changes in the participants perceived emotional state, in accordance with the new emotion (figure from paper pictured) Voice recordings were modified by tweaking the pitch, inflection and range of participants voices as they read a short story aloud while hearing their own altered voice through a headset (figure from paper pictured). The new platform could potentially be used to treat people suffering from mood disorders, such as depression On a lighter note, it could also be used to enhance the emotional impact of karaoke or live singing performances, or maybe to alter the emotional atmosphere of conversations in online meetings and gaming, the academics said. Previously, this kind of emotion manipulation has not been done on running speech, only on recorded segments, said lead author Jean-Julien Aucouturier from the French National Centre for Scientific Research. We are making a version of the voice manipulation platform available as open-source on our website, and we invite anyone to download and experiment with the tools. The researchers have now made the digital audio software availableonline. Rumours claim the signals are the first evidence of gravitational waves Astronomers working on the observatory are apparently analysing the data Signals have apparently been detected by the Advanced Ligo detector They are said to be elusive ripples in the fabric of space and time created by every massive object in the universe, but despite decades of searching scientists have never seen them. That could be about to change. Rumours are spreading among physicists that researchers have detected gravitational waves for the very first time, a century after they were proposed by Albert Einstein. It is believed an experiment called the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (Ligo) has picked up signals from these waves just a few months after starting. Scroll down for video Gravitational waves are invisible ripples in the fabric of space and time caused by the movement of dense objects, like black holes. These waves spread out across the universe but have never been seen by scientists. Fresh rumours, however, suggest detectors in the US have picked up signals that may be gravitational waves If confirmed, the discovery promises to revolutionise physics and astronomy by providing an entirely new way of observing the universe. Gravitational waves are essentially ripples in space and time that spread outwards from objects with large amounts of gravity as they move through space. WHAT ARE GRAVITATIONAL WAVES Scientists view the the universe as being made up of a 'fabric of space-time'. This corresponds to Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, published in 1916. Objects in the universe bend this fabric, and more massive objects bend it more. Gravitational waves are considered ripples in this fabric. They can be produced, for instance, when black holes orbit each other or by the merging of galaxies. Gravitational waves are also thought to have been produced during the Big Bang. If found, they would not only confirm the Big Bang theory but also offer insights into fundamental physics. For instance, they could shed light on the idea that, at one point, most or all of the forces of nature were combined into a single force. In March 2014, a team operating the Bicep2 telescope, based near the South Pole, believed they had found gravitational waves, but their results were proven to be inaccurate. Advertisement Catastrophic events, such as a collision between two black holes, can create such large changes in the curvature of space-time, and these ripples can spread out across the universe. A passing wave essentially stretches space in one direction and causes it to shrink in another. Scientists hope that by detecting these waves, it may be possible to see parts of the universe that have remained hidden from conventional telescopes that use visible light, radio waves and X-rays. It may also allow them to see black holes directly for the first time and perhaps even unravel the mysteries of dark matter, which is the invisible material that makes up around 80 per cent of the universe. A number of physicists now claim the team working on Ligo is analysing signals it believes are proof of gravitational waves. Dr Lawrence Krauss, a theoretical physicist at Arizona State University, said he had received independent confirmation of the Ligo team's success. Writing on Twitter, he said: 'Stay tuned! Gravitational waves may have been discovered!! Exciting.' However, it is not the first time speculation about the discovery of gravitational waves has set tongues wagging. In September, Dr Krauss said he had heard rumours of a gravitational wave signal again being detected at Ligo, less than a week after it began making observations following an upgrade. My earlier rumor about LIGO has been confirmed by independent sources. Stay tuned! Gravitational waves may have been discovered!! Exciting. Lawrence M. Krauss (@LKrauss1) January 11, 2016 WHAT IS LIGO? It is believed an experiment called the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (Ligo) has picked up signals from these waves just a few months after starting. The Ligo detector uses lasers inside 5 mile-long (8km) concrete pipes that bounce back and forth to measure disturbances caused by gravitational waves coming from outer space. In 2014 the Bicep2 telescope at the south pole also sparked a flurry of excitement when astronomers were rumoured to have detected evidence for gravitational waves from the early universe. However, the astronomers later revealed the signal was caused by dust and the European Space Agency said analysis had found no conclusive evidence for gravitational waves. Speaking about the latest rumours from Ligo, Professor Gabriela Gonzalez, a physicist at Louisiana State University and spokesman for Ligo said: 'The Ligo instruments are still taking data today, and it takes us time to analyse, interpret and review results, so we don't have any results to share yet.' Advertisement At the time he gave it a '10-15 per cent' likelihood of being correct. However, a spokesman for Ligo, which uses detectors in Hanford, Washington, and Livingston, Louisiana, refused to confirm the rumours. The Ligo detector uses lasers inside 5 mile-long (8km) concrete pipes that bounce back and forth to measure disturbances caused by gravitational waves coming from outer space. Speaking about the latest rumours from Ligo, Professor Gabriela Gonzalez, a physicist at Louisiana State University and spokesman for Ligo told MailOnline: 'We are still taking data this week, and it takes months to analyze the data, interpret and review the results. 'We will share results when ready - we hope in a month or two from now, but of course we'll take the time we need to carefully review our results. 'The LIGO detectors have performed very well, with 3-4 times more sensitivity to binary neutron stars coalescences than we had in initial LIGO. 'The detectors have the the potential of being 10 times more sensitive than initial LIGO, and this year we expect the Virgo detector to join the network, so there are very exciting time ahead.' In 2014 the Bicep2 telescope at the south pole also sparked a flurry of excitement when astronomers were rumoured to have detected evidence for gravitational waves from the early universe. However, the astronomers later revealed the signal was caused by dust and the European Space Agency said analysis had found no conclusive evidence for gravitational waves. Last month, the latest experiment to join the search for gravitational waves was launched by the European Space Agency from Kourou in French Guiana. The Lisa Pathfinder spacecraft will use two free-floating gold platinum alloy cubes, held in a vacuum, to detect the tiny disturbances that may indicate a passing gravitational wave. The spacecraft is a test for a much more ambitious mission called the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, or Lisa. The Ligo detector uses lasers inside 5 mile-long (8km) concrete pipes (pictured) that bounce back and forth to measure disturbances caused by gravitational waves coming from outer space Einstein's Theory of General Relativity predicts gravitational waves (illustrated), that are ripples in the fabric of space-time. Despite the theory being 100 years old, they have not been found, mainly because they're so tiny. Hopes are high they will discovered this year by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory Three spacecraft flying three million miles apart will be launched to fire laser beams at each other across the emptiness of space. Due to the huge distances between the spacecraft, it will allow scientists to detect very low frequency gravitational waves. The detection of gravitational waves is expected to be one of the major scientific breakthroughs of 2016 under predictions by a number of scientists. However, many fear spreading rumours of discoveries before data has been properly analysed and reviewed, can lead to false expectations. Gravitational waves were predicted under Albert Einstein's (pictured) General Theory of Relativity in 1916, but have since remained elusive. Many have even questioned whether Einstein made a mistake in his theory Separate piece of WhatsApp malware is being spread in a phishing email Malware masquerading as a WhatsApp update has the ability to access the banking apps stored elsewhere on your phone, experts have warned. There have been several cases reported of unsuspecting Android users trying to update the popular messaging app, but instead they have accidentally installed sneaky software that steals data. This follows reports of a separate piece of malware, also targeting WhatsApp users, that is spread using emails sent from criminals pretending to be from the Californian company. Unsuspecting Android users trying to update WhatsApp have instead ended up accidentally installing software that steals their data. It follows reports of a separate piece of malware, also targeting WhatsApp users, that is spread using emails (pictured) sent from criminals pretending to be from the Californian firm The malicious emails are sent with subject lines such as 'an audio memo was missed' or 'You have a video announcement' in order to entice people to click on the message and spread the malware. However, all of these messages end in random characters - such as 'xgod' or 'Ydkpda' - that may be used to identify an unsuspecting recipient, according to security firm Comodo Labs. The messages themselves contain a compressed (zip) file harbouring the malicious software, which if clicked upon rapidly infects a computer's file system and could be used by criminals to control the machine. Fatih Orhan, director of technology for Comodo, warned: 'Cybercriminals are becoming more and more like marketers - trying to use creative subject lines to have unsuspecting emails be clicked and opened to spread malware'. BEWARE THE WHATSAPP MALWARE Security researchers are warning WhatsApp users to be on their guard about two separate pieces of malware targeting users of the popular messaging app. The banking malware was revealed by, and affects the customers of, The Association of Banks in Singapore. It has warned its mobile banking users about a bogus WhatsApp update. The malware takes the form of a pop-up advert, which encourages people to click on it to download the new version of WhatsApp, or risk losing access to the messaging app. This follows reports of a separate piece of malware, also targeting WhatsApp users, that is spread using emails sent from criminals pretending to be from the Californian company. The malicious emails are sent with subject lines such as 'an audio memo was missed' or 'You have a video announcement' in order to entice people to click on the message and spread the malware. The messages themselves contain a compressed (zip) file harbouring the malicious software, which if clicked upon rapidly infects a computer's file system and could be used by criminals to control the machine. Advertisement Dave Palmer, director of technology at Darktrace told MailOnline: 'Tricking people into visiting hostile websites or open malicious documents is still an extremely common and successful means of hacking companies. 'It is no surprise that attackers have moved from using email, Facebook and LinkedIn to popular messaging services like WhatsApp.' The banking malware was revealed by, and affects the customers of, The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS). It has warned its mobile banking users about a bogus WhatsApp update. The malware takes the form of a pop-up advert, which encourages people to click on it to download the new version of WhatsApp, or risk losing access to the messaging app. Of course the software has nothing to do with its Californian developers. Users who fall for the trick and download the fake 'update' are prompted to share confidential information with the devious cyber criminals behind it, such as their credit card details, which could be used to commit fraud. The malware also steals data and sends details of mobile banking transactions, according to ABS. There is no news about whether money has successfully been stolen from people's accounts using the scam yet. 'ABS would like to remind mobile banking customers that smartphones are as susceptible to malware as desktop computers or laptops,' Ong-Ang Ai Boon, director of ABS said. 'Consumers are reminded to download applications only from trusted sources.' The malicious emails are sent with subject lines such as 'an audio memo was missed' or 'You have a video announcement'. Elsewhere, the banking app malware takes the form of a pop-up advert, which encourages people to click on it to download the new version of WhatsApp (official icon shown), or risk losing access to it Users who download the fake 'update' are prompted to share confidential information with the devious cybercriminals behind it (illustrated), such as their credit card details, which could be used to commit fraud Craig Young, security researcher at Tripwire, told MailOnline that Android users in the UK and US should remain 'largely unaffected' by the malware as long as they don't install apps from outside of Google's Play Store. 'Users who are most at risk are those looking to download apps from the less regulated third-party markets which are very prevalent in some parts of the world,' he said. According to a 2014 malware report by Motive Security Labs mobile malware infections increased by 25 per cent in 2014, compared with 20 per cent for 2013 globally. The report estimated around 16 million mobile devices worldwide were infected by malware. ABS has advised people to be install anti-virus software on their smartphone and only to install apps from trusted sourced such as Google Play. 'Only click on hyperlinks from messages and emails if they are from a trusted source,' it said. Audi gave an excited audience the first views of its moon rover yesterday, as the German car manufacturer debuted the concept vehicle at an auto show in Detroit. The outing marks the first public appearance since the car firm revealed its plans to develop a lunar rover last July. The vehicle has been built with a German group of engineers, known as the Part-Time Scientists, as part of the Google Lunar XPrize contest. Scroll down for video Audi gave an excited audience the first views of its moon rover (pictured) at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this week. The outing marks the first public appearance since the car firm revealed its plans to develop a lunar rover last July Demonstrating its capabilities on a stand at the North American International Auto Show, the Audi Lunar Quattro uses the firms Quattro all-wheel-drive system. According to the engineering team behind the rover - one of only 16 remaining groups in the contest - Audi has helped it to perfect a 3D-printing process to manufacturer the vehicle from titanium and aluminium. AUDI'S ROVER SPECIFICATIONS The rover is powered by an adjustable solar panel that captures sunlight and directs it to a lithium-ion battery. It feeds four electric wheel hub motors. The theoretical maximum speed is 2.2mph (3.6 km/h). It carries two stereoscopic cameras at the front and a scientific camera to study the surface. Overall it has a total weight of 77lbs (35kg) and is built from high-strength aluminium, with other parts made from magnesium. Advertisement With a $30 million (20.8m) prize for the winners, the Lunar XPrize competition was set up to 'incentivise space entrepreneurs to create a new era of affordable access to the moon and beyond.' In order to scoop the prize, a privately-funded team has to place a robot on the moon's surface, explore at least 1,640ft (500 metres) and transmit high-definition video and images back to Earth. Speaking to The Verge, Robert Bohme, boss of Part Time Scientists, said: 'It's really hard to justify a lunar mission now, even if you get it down to $30 million. He added: We want to focus so much on science, we want to show that there is the value. There is value that you can take away from being on the surface of the moon. 'It's important to show what could be done.' A working party of ten Audi employees from different technical departments is assisting the Part-Time Scientists. Audi has its sights on the moon, and plans to send its Lunar-Quattro all-wheel-drive rover (picutred) to the moon as part of the $30 million (20.8m) Google Lunar XPrize The rover (pictured) is powered by an adjustable solar panel that captures sunlight and directs it to a lithium-ion battery. It feeds four electric wheel hub motors. A head at the front of the vehicle carries two stereoscopic cameras as well as a scientific camera that examines materials. Audi showing a lunar rover. Must be AWD. #NAIAS2016#NAIAS pic.twitter.com/ru5QULdQGn Kathy Renwald (@kathyrenwald) January 11, 2016 Audi has said that along with its knowledge of lightweight design, it has expertise about the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system and the electrical e-tron drive system. The manufacturer states the goal is to 'further enhance performance by making additional improvements to the electric motors, power electronics and battery.' As part of the competition, Audi plans to launch the rover in 2017 to the landing site of Apollo 17 - the last manned mission to make it to the moon. It will travel more than 236,100 miles (380,000 km) to the moon in a trip that will take around five days. The luxury car manufacturer added it will be able to provide experience with lightweight materials, electric mobility and piloted driving, ahead of the rover's launch. The rover is powered by an adjustable solar panel that captures sunlight and directs it to a lithium-ion battery. It feeds four electric wheel hub motors. The theoretical maximum speed is 2.2mph (3.6 km/h). It carries two stereoscopic cameras at the front and a scientific camera to study the surface. Overall it has a total weight of 77lbs (35kg) and is built from high-strength aluminium, with other parts made from magnesium Double wishbone suspensions are used at all four of the wheels that can each be rotated over 360 degrees. It also carries two stereoscopic cameras at the front and a scientific camera to study the lunar surface THE GOOGLE LUNAR X-PRIZE The $30 million prize to 'incentivise space entrepreneurs to create a new era of affordable access to the moon and beyond.' 'More than half of the world's population has never had the opportunity to view a live transmission from the lunar surface,' say the organisers. The prize aims to create a new 'Apollo' moment for this generation and to spur continuous lunar exploration. In order to win this money, a private company must land safely on the surface of the Moon, travel 1,640ft (500 metres) on its surface, and send two signals back to the Earth. The Google Lunar XPrize, which started off with more than 25 teams, is currently in its final round, and a decision on funding is due to be made in 2016. Advertisement The theoretical maximum speed is 2.2mph (3.6 km/h). However, more important on the rugged surface of the moon are the vehicle's off-road capabilities and ability for safe orientation. 'Double wishbone suspensions are used at all four of the wheels that can each be rotated over 360 degrees,' Audi said. 'Four wheel hub motors power the drive system - their interplay makes the rover an e-quattro.' It carries two stereoscopic cameras at the front and a scientific camera to study the lunar surface. Overall it has a total weight of 77lbs (35kg) and is built from high-strength aluminium, with other parts made from magnesium. Launching the idea in July, Audi design engineer Jorge Diez, said: 'We come from the Bauhaus tradition of functional forms and technical precision. 'We have core values that people can see in each of our designs, regardless of whether it is an airplane or a piece of furniture. 'This essence will also be visible in the rover, but it will be interpreted in a very unique way.' Comet 67p is moving away from the sun, the power Philae can get each day However they failed to get pick up any signal from the ill-fated lander They hoped it would knock off dust or help to re It was destined to be the first man-made object to touch down smoothly on the surface of a speeding comet, but in the end the Philae lander suffered a bumpy landing after bouncing off target. Resting in a hollow below a cliff, the tiny probe was left starved of the sunlight it needed to generate power, yet despite this managed to beam back data and images of its frozen home in two short bursts of contact. However, scientists may now finally have to declare the Philae lander dead after failing to rouse the spacecraft in a last-ditch effort to make contact with it after losing touch six months ago. Scroll down for video The Philae lander (pictured during its descent towards the comet in November 2014) which bounced to a halt on a comet speeding around the sun may finally be dead. A last ditch attempt to contact the probe has failed to produce a response and scientists fear the time to contact it is rapidly fading Mission managers last heard from Philae in July as its comet, 67p/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, came to its closest point to the sun, allowing the lander's solar panels to soak up enough sunlight to wake up. Sensors on board the European Space Agency's probe revealed it had endured temperatures as low as -238F (-150C) on the surface of the comet. PHILAE'S BUMPY LANDING Rosetta's Philae lander bounced three times on the surface of the comet 67p after its harpoon failed to tether it to the surface. After a four-billion-mile (6.4 billion km) journey from Earth, the lander successfully detached from the Rosetta spacecraft to travel at 3.3ft (one metre) a second relative to the comet. The probe initially touched down at a site now known as Agilkia before bouncing in what became a nine hour journey across the surface of the comet. The lander's first bounce saw it become airborne for seven hours before it bounced to become airborne for another two hours. It finally settled in a hollow beneath a cliff at its new location, called Abydos. Now, scientists have created an animation to visualize the data from the lander's journey from Agilkia to Abydos, two sites named for ancient Egyptian locations. Advertisement Before its brief emergence from hibernation, Philae had been silent since its bumpy landing in November 2014 after a 10-year journey on board the Rosetta space probe. A failure of the probe's harpoon system saw it bounce three times before settling at an angle in a dark ditch. It did manage to beam back a handful of pictures before its batteries ran out after 60 hours. Scientists are still pouring over the measurements taken by Philae during its landing, and its brief moment of wakefulness during comet 67p's perihelion. Now as the comet moves away from the sun, the temperature and the amount of sunlight it receives is decreasing, meaning the chances of waking Philae once more are decreasing. On Sunday, scientists at Germany's Aerospace Research Center and Space Agency (DLR) sent a command to Philae to spin its flywheel in the hope of knocking dust from its solar panels to see if they could rouse the lander once more. Their hopes had been raised after the Rosetta spacecraft appeared to receive a weak signal just before Christmas, but it later turned out not to be a transmission from the lander. Dr Stephan Ulamec, the Philae project leader at DLR, said: 'Unfortunately, Philae's silence does not bode well.' Philae's bumpy landing saw it come to rest at the base of a cliff. This image shows the probe's view of the comet and one of the lander's antennas shortly after landing. However, the probe's batteries only lasted for 60 hours before it ran out of power. The lander woke up briefly last summer but has not been heard from since The icy comet 67p/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is now moving further away from the sun, meaning the amount of sunlight that will reach the Philae lander will dwindle. Scientists expect it will become too cold on the comet for the lander to operate by the end of January, meaning all attempts to regain contact will have failed He said their attempts to contact Philae had been met with a deafening silence. Scientists now believe that one of the landers two transmitters, and one of its two receivers, have both failed and they fear the second transmitter and receiver are also no longer fully functional. Philae may also have tiled further over or become covered in dust, which would leave the probe unable to get enough power to communicate. There is likely to be only a short window of opportunity remaining to contact the probe because at the end of January the comet will be more than 186 million miles from the sun. This animation shows a close up of the final resting place where the Philae lander is thought to be (Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA) When temperatures fall below -58F (-50C) the lander will no longer be able to operate. According to New Scientist, Dr Ulamec said: 'We have to face reality, and chances get less and less every day as we are getting farther and farther away from the sun. 'At some point we have to accept we will not get signals from Philae anymore.' Researchers were hoping to get in touch with the lander to obtain more of the data stored in its memory. The Philae lander was due to touch down on comet 67p after being released from the Rosetta spacecraft (illustrated), which is still in orbit around the comet. However, the lander's harpoons failed, meaning it bounced off target and came to rest in a location where it was unable to get enough power This image obtained by Philae's CIVA camera 3 shows its view of its final landing site along with one of its feet. The lander is thought to be sitting at an angle that means its solar panels are unable to get enough light Members of the lander team are now scouring images taken by Rosetta of the landing zone to look for signs of any dust thrown up by the lander's flywheel moving. The flywheel was used to stablise Philae during its descent but scientists were hoping it might move the lander enough to enable it to transmit. Rosetta will continue to listen for a signal from Philae until the end of its mission in September 2016 when it is expected to crash land on the surface of the comet. Cinzia Fantianti, operations manager at the DLR control room, said: 'There is a small chance. We want to leave no stone unturned.' As comet 67p neared the sun, it became increasingly active, releasing huge jets into the air. Scientists had hoped to observe these from the surface itself with Philae, but have been unable to download the data held in its memory AI will help us understand the cause and effect of these challenges Artificial intelligence will let scientists solve some of the world's 'hard problems.' This is according to Google chairman, Eric Schmidt, who claims that super-intelligent robots will someday help use solve problems such as population growth and climate change. During a talk in New York, he said improvements in AI will help scientists better understand the cause and effect of these challenges to come up with sensible solutions. 'AI will play this role to navigate through this and help us,' he said, adding that he would like to see personalised AI systems help people in every day life. Artificial intelligence will let scientists solve some of the world's 'hard problems.' This is according to Google chairman, Eric Schmidt, who claims that super-intelligent robots will someday help use solve problems such as population growth and climate change He added that the field of AI was becoming so important that companies need to collaborate to develop standardised approaches, according to Bloomberg. 'Every single advance has occurred because smart people got in a room and eventually they standardised approaches' said Schmidt. 'The promise of this is so profound that we Alphabet, Google, whatever our name is at the moment are working incredibly hard to advance these platforms.' Schmidt also claims we will all see a day when AI will be used as a personal assistant at home. He says he hopes to one day have an 'Eric' and 'Not-Eric', with Eric being himself and 'Not-Eric' being 'this digital thing that helps me.' Last month, in a Time Magazine op-ed, he said that AI can help bring solutions to many of the world's problems. The Google boss, who is involved in the development of AI in applications such as self-driving cars (pictured), also says that the fear of robots stealing human jobs is unwarranted But he adds that the right approach will be necessary to ensure its integrity. The principles outlined by Schmidt aim to keep AI in check as the technology progresses, and avoid 'undesirable outcomes.' According to The Verge, Schmidt has been involved in Google's own AI ventures, including the self-driving car, and predictive search engines. As this technology continues to progress, Schmidt says that it will reflect the values of the people developing it. It's this that necessitates his three guidelines. 'AI should benefit the many, not the few,' Schmidt writes, and guarantee that it 'aims for the common good.' He also says that AI progress should be 'open, responsible, and socially engaged.' As fears about the power of AI continue to rise, Schmidt says that a verification system needs to be implemented to ensure that this advanced technology 'is doing what it was built to do.' Many people have expressed concerns that AI is replacing human jobs, and could even be taking over the world, The Verge writes. In the op-ed, Schmidt writes that this is not the case, as long as developers continue to act responsibly. If AI is designed as it is meant to, it should make life easier for humans while remaining under their control. Eric Schmidt's comments (right) following a warning by Professor Stephen Hawking (left) that humanity faces an uncertain future as technology learns to think for itself and adapt to its environment 'We are building tools that humans control. AI will reflect these values of those who build it,' Schmidt writes. 'Ultimately, our dream for AI is to give people more choices about how they live their lives. Under our control, it can take the drudgery out of work and free up many more hours for creative pursuits. And applied collaboratively, AI could help bring about solutions to the world's most complex problems.' STEPHEN HAWKING WARNS OF A ROBOTIC UPRISING Our desire to create helpful digital assistants and self-driving vehicles could bring about our demise. Professor Stephen Hawking has again warned that humanity faces an uncertain future as technology learns to think for itself and adapt to its environment. Speaking at event in London, the physicist told the BBC that: 'The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.' This echoes claims he made earlier in the year when he said success in creating AI 'would be the biggest event in human history, [but] unfortunately, it might also be the last.' He argues that developments in digital personal assistants Siri, Google Now and Cortana are merely symptoms of an IT arms race which 'pale against what the coming decades will bring.' But Professor Hawking noted that other potential benefits of this technology could also be significant, with the potential to eradicate, war, disease and poverty. 'Looking further ahead, there are no fundamental limits to what can be achieved,' continued Professor Hawking. 'There is no physical law precluding particles from being organised in ways that perform even more advanced computations than the arrangements of particles in human brains.' Advertisement If used in line with human integrity, Schmidt says AI will revolutionize human lives (even more than it already has). Last year, Schmidt argued that there is no need to fear AI, and it could even be the making of humanity. 'These concerns are normal,' he said onstage during the Financial Times Innovate America event in New York in December. 'They're also to some degree misguided.' The Google boss, who is involved in the development of AI in applications such as self-driving cars, also said that the fear of robots stealing human jobs is unwarranted. 'There's lots of evidence that when computers show up, wages go up,' he said, according to a report by Issie Lapowsky in Wired. 'There's lots of evidence that people who work with computers are paid more than people without.' He argues that machines are far more simplistic that people believe. He used the example of an experiment Google conducted a few years ago on a computer 'neural network'. During the test, company's scientists used and artificial neural network and inputted 11,000 hours of YouTube videos to see what it could learn, without any training. 'It discovered the concept of 'cat',' Schmidt said. 'I'm not quite sure what to say about that, except that that's where we are.' With Google at the forefront of AI development, Eric Schmidt has a lot to gain from public acceptance of the technology. Google's DeepMind start-up, which was bought for 255 million ($400 million) earlier this year, is currently attempting to mimic the properties of the human brain's short-term working memory. By combining the way ordinary computers work with the way the human brain works, the artificial intelligence researchers hope the machine will learn to program itself. Described as a 'Neural Turing Machine', it learns as it stores memories, and later retrieve them to perform logical tasks beyond those it has been trained to do. Last this year, Elon Musk likened artificial intelligence to 'summoning the demon'. The Tesla and founder previously warned that the technology could someday be more harmful than nuclear weapons The acquisition of DeepMind followed Google's recent purchase of seven robotics firms, including Meka, which makes humanoid robots, and Industrial Perception, which specialises in machines that can package goods, for example. In August, Google also revealed it had teamed up with two of Oxford University's artificial intelligence teams to help machines better understand users. 'It is a really exciting time for AI research these days, and progress is being made on many fronts including image recognition and natural language understanding,' wrote Demis Hassabis, co-founder of DeepMind and vice president of engineering at Google in a blog post. But despite these projects, and Schmidt's comments, Google is also aware of the dangers involved with AI and machine learning. So much so that in January last yearit set up an ethics board to oversee its work in these fields. In fact, one of the original founders of Google's DeepMind warned artificial intelligence is the 'number 1 risk for this century,' and believes it could play a part in human extinction. 'Eventually, I think human extinction will probably occur, and technology will likely play a part in this,' DeepMind's Shane Legg said in an interview earlier this year. The ethics board, revealed by web site The Information, is to ensure the projects are not abused. Earlier this year, Elon Musk likened artificial intelligence to 'summoning the demon'. The Tesla and Space X founder previously warned that the technology could someday be more harmful than nuclear weapons. California has been placed under a state of emergency after a massive gas leak erupted from an energy facility in Aliso Canyon. The leak, which has been releasing methane since October, is causing one of the biggest environmental disasters in US history. Now, a new online counter has revealed just how much of this deadly gas is pouring out into the atmosphere in real-time. At the time of writing, the leak has released 82,466.06 metric tons of methane into the air. Thats the same as 779,470,371 gallons of gasoline burned. Scroll down for video HOW CAN SOCAL PLUG THE LEAK? Michael Mizrahi, a spokesperson for SoGal Gas, said the company is drilling a relief well. This well is designed to intercept and plug the damaged well, and could be completed by late February or late March 'The relief well drilling process is expected to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week,' he said. 'A second relief well is being prepared as a backup operation, and drilling is expected to begin in January.' He added the possibility of pumping fluids directly down the affected well to stop the flow of gas was also under consideration. Motherboard notes that plugging the leak is tricky because the base of the well sits 8,000 feet underground. Workers have been' unable to establish a stable enough column of fluid to keep the force of gas coming up from the reservoir.' Advertisement Residents have reportedly fallen ill from the noxious fumes which have been spewing into the air at the rate of 110,000 pounds per hour. A video taken last month by an Earthworks ITC-certified thermographer shows a geyser of methane gas come out from the Earth. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), who released the footage, described it 'one of the biggest leaks we've ever seen reported' and 'absolutely uncontained'. Aerial images for the first time also reveal the damage at the location of the well, a site that has been heavily restricted due to safety concerns. Methane, the main ingredient in natural gas, can be flammable under high pressures and inflict immediate climate damage. 'Events of this size are rare, but major leakage across the oil and gas supply chain is not. There are plenty of mini -Aliso Canyons that add up to a big climate problem not just in California, but across the country,' said Tim O'Connor, Director of Environmental Defense Fund's California Oil and Gas Program. Current estimates indicate the near-term climate damage of the leak is the same as driving 7 million cars a year, or equal to all of the annual pollution from California's oil refineries combined. Nationally, the problem of industrial methane pollution is estimated to be over 7 million tons per year. Locals are now starting to file lawsuits against the company that owns the facility, Southern California Gas (SoCal Gas), and more than 2,000 families have been relocated. According to a report in Motherboard, SoCal Gas said that plugging the leak, would take at least three more months. The leak currently accounts for a quarter of the state's entire methane emissions A massive gas leak is erupting from an energy facility in Aliso Canyon, California, causing one of the biggest environmental disasters in US history. A video taken last week by an Earthworks ITC-certified thermographer shows a geyser of methane gas come out from the Earth 'Our efforts to stop the flow of gas by pumping fluids directly down the well have not yet been successful, so we have shifted our focus to stopping the leak through a relief well,' Anne Silva, a spokesperson for the Southern California Gas Company, told Motherboard. 'The relief well process is on schedule to be completed by late February or late March.' Motherboard notes that plugging the leak is tricky because the base of the well sits 8,000 feet underground. Pumping fluids into the well currently isn't working, SoCal Gas has said. Workers have been' unable to establish a stable enough column of fluid to keep the force of gas coming up from the reservoir.' The company is now building a relief well that will connect to the leaking well to reduce the pressure and block the leak. Many residents have reportedly fallen ill from the noxious fumes which have been spewing into the air at the rate of 110,000 pounds per hour since October. Pictured is the site of the leak in Aliso Canyon, LA This image shows the flow of electricity (figures 1 and 2) to SoCal Gas' natural gas storage facility in LA where the gas is stored deep underground. When needed, natural gas is withdrawn from the storage facility and deliver through their network of pipelines Under a court-ordered settlement reached last month between the gas company and Los Angeles city attorneys, SoCal Gas must find temporary housing within 72 hours for any residents of Porter Ranch who ask to be relocated. The gated community, located some 30 miles (48km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles, sits near one of the largest natural gas storage fields in the US, where a leak was detected on October 23. SoCal insists that it poses no danger to human health as methane dissipates quickly into the air. But many families report falling ill from the fumes - with symptoms including nose bleeds and nausea - and have filed a class action suit against the company and pulled their children from area schools. Locals are now starting to file lawsuits against the company that owns the facility, Southern California Gas (SoCal Gas), and more than 2,000 families have been relocated Trucks enter the gates of Southern California Gas Company property where Aliso Canyon Storage Field is located in the of the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California Residents also fear that property values in the area - described by the local council as an idyllic 'dream' community - will plummet because of the leak. The Los Angeles city attorney earlier this month filed suit against SoCal Gas saying that no community 'should have to endure what the residents of Porter Ranch have suffered from the gas company's continued failure to stop the leak.' 'It's not only the odor, it's the potential health consequences from the long-term exposure to chemicals like benzene,' attorney Mike Feuer added. According to the California Air Resources Board, the leak is releasing between 44,000 and 58,000 kilograms (97,000 and 127,000 pounds) of methane into the air per hour. HELIUM LEAKING FROM A FAULT IN LA COULD TRIGGER THE 'BIG ONE' Methane isn't the only gas threatening the well-being of residents in LA. Helium leaking from massive earthquake fault under Los Angeles reveals giant rift. A huge fault in the Earth's crust near Los Angeles is leaking helium, researchers have found. They say the unexpected find sheds new light on the Newport-Inglewood Fault Zone in the Los Angeles Basin. It reveals the fault is far deeper than previously thought, and a quake would be far more devastating. It follows a report from the U.S. Geological Survey has warned the risk of 'the big one' hitting California has increased dramatically. A geologic cross section of the Los Angeles Basin from the southwest to northeast. This profile intersects the Newport-Inglewood Fault Zone at Long Beach UC Santa Barbara geologist Jim Boles found evidence of helium leakage from the Earth's mantle along a 30-mile stretch of the Newport-Inglewood Fault Zone in the Los Angeles Basin. Using samples of casing gas from two dozen oil wells ranging from LA's Westside to Newport Beach in Orange County, Boles discovered that more than one-third of the sites show evidence of high levels of helium-3 (3He). 'The results are unexpected for the area, because the LA Basin is different from where most mantle helium anomalies occur,' said Boles, professor emeritus in UCSB's Department of Earth Science. 'The Newport-Inglewood fault appears to sit on a 30-million-year-old subduction zone, so it is surprising that it maintains a significant pathway through the crust.' 'Our findings indicate that the Newport-Inglewood fault is a lot more important than previously thought, but time will tell what the true importance of all this is.' Advertisement The board estimates that the leak is so large that it has increased the West Coast state's greenhouse gas output by 25 per cent - this in a state that prides itself on being an environmental leader nationwide. The Federal Aviation Administration has meanwhile banned aircraft flights over the area as a precaution. A spokesman for SoCal Gas said that the company's priority was to stop the leak while addressing the needs of the community and the environmental impact. The spokesperson, Michael Mizrahi said the relief well being drilled to intercept and plug the damaged well - at more than 8,000 feet underground - could be completed by late February or late March 'The relief well drilling process is expected to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week,' he said. SoCal Gas said that plugging the leak, would take at least three more months. The leak is spewing from their facility in Aliso Canyon. The source of the leak is a pipe in a 7-inch casing of well that is 8,750 feet deep 'A second relief well is being prepared as a backup operation, and drilling is expected to begin in January.' He added the possibility of pumping fluids directly down the affected well to stop the flow of gas was also under consideration. Attorney Matthew McNicholas, who has filed suit on behalf of several Porter Ranch families, said the gas company had acted recklessly by not informing the community immediately as to the nature and extent of the leak and by not implementing appropriate safety measures. 'SoCal Gas did not maintain their facility properly, leading to issues involving the health and safety of residents and the community at large,' he said in a statement. 'They created the conditions allowing the well to fail, causing children and families to suffer.' SoCal Gas has yet to respond to DailyMail.com for comment. Microsoft has begun killing off its Internet Explorer browser. From today, the firm will no longer support Internet Explorer versions 7, 8, 9 and 10 on most operating systems. Instead, it will push users towards Windows 10 and Edge, the new browser Microsoft created for the latest version of Windows. Scroll down for video Internet Explorer, which was first called Windows Internet Explorer, was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 in 1995, but since then it has gained a lacklustre reputation. A stock image showing the software package in 1998 is pictured 'Beginning January 12, 2016, only the most current version of Internet Explorer available for a supported operating system will receive technical supports and security updates,' Microsoft said. 'Internet Explorer 11 is the last version of Internet Explorer, and will continue to receive security updates, compatibility fixes, and technical support on Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10. 'Internet Explorer 11 offers improved security, increased performance, better backward compatibility, and support for the web standards that power todays websites and services. Microsoft encourages customers to upgrade and stay up-to-date on the latest browser for a faster, more secure browsing experience.' Microsoft has revealed over 200 million people are now using its Windows 10 software. The firm says it was 'humbled' by the update - but still aims to have the software on a billion devices. The firm said the software has now surpassed all previous versions for speed of adoption. A BRIEF HISTORY OF IE Internet Explorer, which was first called Windows Internet Explorer, was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 in 1995. Internet Explorer was one of the most widely used web browsers, attaining a peak of about 95 per cent during 2002 and 2003. However, it struggled in the face of competition, and in May 2012 it was announced that Google's Chrome overtook Internet Explorer as the most used browser worldwide. The brand has struggled to shake off the bad reputation of Internet Explorer 6, which was notoriously insecure. After Internet Explorer 6 was released in 2001, the browser hit its first real speed bump in its digital life. An alert from the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team warned users in 2004 that holes in Internet Explorer could lead to their passwords and other personal information falling into the hands of hackers. Microsoft rolled out a fix but security issues continued to grow - causing the firm to eventually decide to kill off the brand. Advertisement When it first announced the new browser, then condenamed spartan, Joe Belfiore of Microsoft said: 'It is fast, compatible, and built for the modern Web. 'Project Spartan is designed to work the way you do, with features enabling you to do cool things like write or type on a webpage. 'It's a browser that is made for easy sharing, reading, discovery and getting things done online.' EDGE: THE NEW INTERNET EXPLORER Microsoft has released an entirely new browser to replace Internet Explorer in Windows 10. some of its features include: Cortana in Edge is a personal assistant that helps make Web browsing easier for you, with whatever you're trying to get done. Inking and sharing so you can capture and communicate your thoughts: Enables you to write or type directly on the page, comment on what's interesting or clip what you want then easily share this 'Web Note' via mail, or a social network. The Spartan browser is designed to be faster, clearer and even let people wrote on web pages using a stylus Reading List and Reading View Thenew rendering engine is built around the idea that the Web 'just works,' while being fast, more secure and more reliable. Advertisement He also admitted the firm would still allow users to install Internet Explorer. 'At the same time, we recognize that for some of our enterprise customers, its important they have the support they need and can continue to use Internet Explorer when and where they need it. 'This is why we will continue to make it easy for our enterprise customers to make Internet Explorer 11 the default browser via group policy. 'Internet Explorer 11 is supported on Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 for all customers, also providing a consistent platform thats great for enterprise Web apps. ' Microsoft is hoping Windows 10 will help it rebuild loyalty among users who are increasingly relying on tablets, smartphones and other devices. A staff member of Microsoft Taiwan Corporation puts a sticker of Windows 10 on her face at a press conference in Taipei. PC sales have been shrinking in recent years and that trend is likely to continue, according to a new forecast from International Data Corp. Analysts at IDC predicted that 2016 will mark the fifth consecutive year of declining PC sales worldwide. Computer-makers are hoping to get a boost from consumer interest in Windows 10, which manufacturers are making available on new machines being sold this fall. But IDC noted in its report that Microsoft is also offering the new software as a free download for people who want to install it on their existing PCs. The free upgrades probably account for the bulk of the 75 million devices now using Windows 10, said analyst Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy, although he said more new models will likely be sold this fall. Windows 10, which is free when upgrading, had been installed on 75m computers by the end of August, accounting for 4.9% of desktop internet users according to data from web analytics firm StatCounter. Windows 7 still held a 48.1% share of global internet users. Some of the machines getting Windows 10 are quite old. Microsoft executive Yusuf Mehdi said in a Twitter post that, 'even some devices manufactured in 2007 have upgraded to Windows 10.' Along with new features, the Redmond, Washington, software giant designed Windows 10 to fix some unpopular elements of Windows 8, the operating system's last version. Windows 10 is designed to bring together all of Microsoft's different hardware, such as a the surface tablet (left) and the Xbox One (right) under the same software HOW POPULAR IS WINDOWS? Across desktop PCs as a whole, only 13.4 per cent currently run Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, according to research firm NetMarketshare. By contrast, it says 51.2 per cent are powered by Windows 7 and 23.9 per cent by Windows XP, a version that is no longer supported by Microsoft. Advertisement It's intended to work on PCs, tablets, smartphones and other devices, although the company released it for PCs and tablets first. Windows 10, the biggest update Microsoft has made to its computer software, finally launched after a massive beta test programme. The start menu in Windows 10 will appear similar to what's found in Windows 7, but tiles opening to the side will resemble what's found in Windows 8. Joe Belfiore, a Microsoft executive who oversees Windows design and evolution, said Windows 10 will offer 'the familiarity of Windows 7 with some of the benefits that exist in Windows 8' to help business users make the transition. Belfiore said that the company was going 'back to basics' with Windows 10, and confirmed that the famous Start menu, which was removed from Windows 8, would be returning. 'We're looking to find the balance, so that all the Windows 7 users get a familiar experience on the devices they already have,' he said. 'It gives the familiarity of Windows 7 with some of the elements of Windows 8.' He said that going from Windows 8 to Windows 10 is like going from a Prius to a Tesla. 'They don't have to learn any new way to drive.' Mr Belfiore also confirmed that Windows 10 would be compatible with both traditional and touch-based device users like tablets through a new task view with buttons scaled up so that they're more friendly to those on touchscreen devices. Users on hybrid devices like the Surface Pro tablet will be able to jump between and keyboard and touchscreen modes, with Microsoft demonstrating how the interface will change as you do. Advertisement Animal-lovers can now head out on a Kenyan safari from the comfort of their own home following the launch of a live broadcast from the territories of some of the world's most revered animals. The online #KenyaLive stream, which started last week, is a world first and allows people to log on and see live footage of lions, cheetahs and leopards hunting for food as well as gentler footage of rehabilitated turtles heading back into the ocean. Wildlife enthusiasts have already seen lots of dramatic footage, but it hasn't been for the faint-hearted. It's included clips of a stand off between two jackals, the birth of a topi calf and a herd of wildebeest being tracked down and killed by lions. Scroll down for video A lioness and sub-adult member of the Enkuyeni Pride of lions looks out through the surrounding bush in the Olare Motorgi Conservancy bordering tha Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya The Enkuyeni Pride of lions fix their stare on a nearby impala in a series of live web broadcasts using new state-of-the-art technology A female cheetah known as Amani and her three cubs walk past a safari vehicle in the early morning on one of the live broadcasts HerdTracker video cameraman Jacques van Tonder monitors a specialised night-vision camera while following the Enkuyeni Pride of lions as they hunt through long grass after dark Created by Make It Kenya in conjunction with HerdTracker, the online stream of a safari in Mara runs live throughout the day, and visitors can watch online clips of sights captured and uploaded the previous night. The first of the live big cat broadcasts, which are running until tomorrow, offered an unprecedented insight into the natural habitat of the lions in the Olare Motorogi and Naboisho Conservancies of the Maasai Mara. The live night broadcasts are the very first of their kind, as viewers follow lions hunting under the cover of darkness and roaming the conservancies. On Thursday, the second half of the live stream is set to launch and will see the broadcasting team in the coastal town of Watamu film the Local Turtle Trust project and the first ever live underwater broadcasts. Running until January 18, the stream will take a look at the turtles being sent back into their natural habitat and recovering from illness or injury. #KenyaLive gives people around the world unprecedented access to some of the most exciting and rare animal behaviours, with 50 live broadcasts over 11 days A female of a breeding herd of elephants feeds on long grass in the morning while she passes through the Olare Motorgi Conservancy First of the live big cat broadcasts offered an unprecedented insight into the natural habitat of the lion One special broadcast will even involve live footage captured via 'TurtleCam', using a GoPro strapped to a turtle's back. Najib Balala, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, Ministry of Kenya said: 'This campaign consisting of over 50 live broadcasts across 11 days has started with spectacular live night footage of the majestic lions in the Mara. 'We're proud to be working with HerdTracker to show a global audience the beauty of Kenya.' Safari hosts Carel Verhoef and Andre Van Kets of DiscoverAfrica.com and HerdTracker are leading the broadcast team using cutting edge technology including a new starlight camera to capture the exclusive content. New online stream enables people to witness the excitement of a night safari in the Mara as well as Kenya's coastal underwater treasures Make It Kenya has again partnered with HerdTracker to use a combination of the most innovative filming technology to get the clips #KENYALIVE BROADCAST SCHEDULE 12th January 9.30pm: Lunch and Mahali Mzuri welcome broadcast 12.30pm: Afternoon game drive - lion night interaction 5.30pm: Evening drive and lion interaction broadcast 13th January 3am: Drive and breakfast - Mahali Mzuri broadcast 9.30pm: Lunch and Mahali broadcast 12.30pm: Afternoon drive 5.30pm: Evening drive and lion interaction broadcast 14th January 3am: Drive and breakfast 9pm: Air Kenya broadcast from Wilson meetup with Watamu delegation 2pm: Afternoon gear check 15th January 4am: Breakfast and accommodation broadcast 6am: Turtle broadcast setup 7am: Turtle broadcast test 12.30pm: Activity broadcast 15th January (cont) 3pm: Sundowner broadcast 16th January 4am: Breakfast and accommodation broadcast 6am: Turtle broadcast 9.30pm: Lunch 12.30pm: Activity broadcast 3pm: Sundowner broadcast 17th January 4am: Breakfast and accommodation broadcast 6am: Turtle broadcast 12.30pm: Activity broadcast 3pm: Sundowner broadcast 18th January 4am: Breakfast and accommodation broadcast 6am: Turtle broadcast 11am: Last Watamu broadcast Source: #KenyaLive Advertisement Andre Van Kets said: 'Kenya is known worldwide for its greatest attraction - the great wildebeest migration - but the country also has so much more to offer that people aren't as aware of, like the lions and turtles. 'Operations such as #KenyaLive give us the opportunity to showcase these majestic animals to the world in a non-intrusive way. 'Whilst watching the animals in their natural environment, we can also monitor their movements, ensuring their safety and protection from illegal poaching.' Sir Richard Branson, who is allowing the broadcast team to stay at his Mahali Mzuri luxury safari camp while they film, said: 'I'm thrilled that Mahali Mzuri will be playing a part in the #KenyaLive campaign. This is a fantastic opportunity to see how the kings of the jungle interact, play, hunt and bond. 'The live evening broadcasts are the first of their kind and it's a true privilege to see these majestic creatures in their natural habitat. I'm certainly hoping to catch a glimpse of the action.' The Enkuyeni Pride of lions hunt through long grass after dark in the surrounding bush bordering the Masai Mara National Reserve Advertisement In a heartwarming tale, a daughter decided to give her dad, who had never walked along a beach let alone stayed in a hotel before, the trip of a lifetime to say thank you for all the sacrifices he had made over the years. Polish-born Iwona Pinkowicz, who lives in London, secretly booked the long haul adventure to Singapore, Bali, Lombok and the Gili Islands in Indonesia so her hard-working dad, Marian, could witness all of the places he had been talking about for years but had never been able to visit. Paying for his first long haul ticket, hotels, souvenirs and food, the digital marketer booked the 16-day trip for November last year and kept the whole thing as a total surprise for the 60-year-old who lives in a rural Polish village. One daughter decided to give her dad, who had never walked along a beach or stayed in a hotel before, the trip of a lifetime, to say thank you for all the sacrifices he had made over the years Polish-born Iwona Pinkowicz secretly booked the long haul adventure to Singapore, Bali, Lombok and the Gili Islands in Indonesia so her hard-working dad, Marian, could witness all of the places he had been talking about for years. Pictured is Marian cycling around Gili Trawangan After the plan was revealed to a shocked Marian, the factory worker, Iwona and her fiance set off for his first long haul expedition After the plan was revealed to a shocked Marian, the factory worker, Iwona and her fiance set off for his first long-haul expedition. 'My dad is very conservative and often doesn't show his emotions but when we told him about the trip he was overjoyed! I remember one of the first things he asked was 'why have you spent so much money on me?' which is typical of him!' Iwona told MailOnline Travel. 'After the initial shock he told me that, although he might not show much excitement on the surface, deep down he was overwhelmed and extremely thankful to my fiance and I for our generosity.' Daughter Iwona Pinkowicz (pictured) said her passion for travelling and desire to discover new places and cultures comes from her dad and treated him to an adventure he never thought was possible The trip saw him step on a long haul flight for the first time. The only other time he had been on a flight was for a quick flight to visit his daughters in London previously Being from a small rural village in south-east Poland, travelling was out of reach for many, but Iwona decided to help him realise his dreams. Pictured is Marian trying a motorbike in Lombok Apart from a quick flight to visit his daughters in London, this would be the first time Marian would set foot on a plane. 'He experienced his first long-haul flight, first night's sleep in a hotel and first bout of jet lag in the first 24 hours!' Iwona said. 'Everyone on board was able to watch movies and listen to music, but my dad couldn't do this as he doesn't understand English!' The trip started with a two-night stay in Singapore, before luckily managing to avoid the volcanic ash cloud from Mount Rinjani to reach Bali. For Marian, who worked full-time in an industrial sheet metal factory doing manual work and roof repairing, this would also be the first time he would experience spa treatments, walking along a beach and seeing sunsets over the sea. Iwona said Marian is great man who has worked hard throughout his life, sometimes holding down two jobs at the same time to provide for the family, and she felt she owed it to him to walk along a beach for the first time. Pictured is Marian walking along the beach for the first time in Gili Trawangan For Marian, who worked full-time in an industrial sheet metal factory doing manual work and roof repairing, this was the first time he experienced spa treatments, walking along a beach and sunsets over the sea. Pictured is Marian relaxing in their luxury Bali hotel The trip incorporated a trip to Bali, Lombok and the Gili Islands in Indonesia. Pictured is Marian stroking a cat in Gili Trawangan It would also be a break where the family man could get a much deserved relax in a paradisal setting, having spent most of his life working 5am to 10pm double shifts at work. And forget scrimping and watching the pennies, among Marian's first hotel experiences was five-star accommodation in Bali. 'I couldn't quite believe my eyes when I saw my dad sunbathing for the first time and his face was a picture as we were crashing through the waves on his first ever speedboat trip!' Iwona said. 'He also experienced his first rooftop cocktail at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, saw certain wildlife in the flesh for the first time (including wild monkeys blocking roads in Lombok) and absorbed a completely foreign culture strolling through temples in Bali. 'My dad had never really tried much Asian cuisine before the trip either, but he's a big fan of it now!' The whole trip came as a total surprise for the 60-year-old, who lives in a rural Polish village, and has never travelled beyond the country for a holiday. Pictured is Marian cooling himself down in the Bali heat Forget scrimping and watching the pennies, among Marian's first hotel experiences was five-star accommodation in Bali The trip provided Marian with the opportunity to witness first-hand the places he had dreamed of from watching TV After Bali the trio did a day trip from Gili T to Lombok, where they rented scooters and rode them around the island. Following this they headed back to Bali for one night before flying back to Singapore for a final night there before heading back to London. The trip provided Marian with the opportunity to witness first-hand the places he had dreamed of from watching the Discovery and National Geographic channels from the comfort of his small-town home in Przemysl in south-east Poland. 'My dad loves watching engineering, travel or wildlife programmes, he loves them all,' Iwona said. 'His memory is incredible and he has a great ability to absorb information and facts about various subjects from what he watches. He always seems to surprise me with interesting facts about something whenever we speak.' Iwona said it was an amazing feeling watching her dad seeing and doing things for the first time, as she had been lucky enough to travel to countries like Philippines, Japan, USA, Australia and Israel Simple things that many people take for granted like relaxing by the swimming pool were an incredible experience for the dedicated family man The 32-year-old marketing worker, who also does photography in her spare time, moved to London when she was 19 in hope of creating a better future for herself and her family. Iwona said: 'My dad is an easy going person and it was really special spending such precious time together in breathtaking locations. 'The trip was special not because of where it was but because of what it was, a treat for someone dear to me. 'I want the message to be that if anyone has the means and the opportunity to be able to treat their closest friends and family they should do it. 'It's one of the best feelings in the world. I hope our story will inspire others to do the same.' Passengers on a flight in the U.S. were given a shock when a turkey took a seat in the cabin. The incredible photo has been shared on the internet, and shows the bird sitting opened beaked, being hugged by its owner. It is believed the turkey was taken on board as an 'emotional support animal.' Many flights in the U.S. allow passengers to take animals on board to cure anxiety and fear of flying. You might have got a shock turning around on this plane to see a turkey staring back at you U.S. based airlines such as American Airlines, U.S. Airways, United Airlines and WestJet do allow customers to bring pets on board, but for an additional charge. There are also limits on routes and flight times. The photo was shared on Reddit by user biggestlittlepickle, who said that their flight attendant friend took the picture, and predictably, it drew lots of comments. SoberHaySeed wrote: 'Sometimes I think people are just trying to one up each other on how crazy their pick of emotional support animal can be. 'First dogs, then cats, guinea pigs, miniature horses, 500 pound pot bellied pigs, and now a god damned turkey.' And Durbee added: 'I have an intense fear of chickens. And seeing this picture made my heart rate shoot up, so I guess I'm afraid of turkeys, too. I would be incredibly uncomfortable on that flight.' A photo was also shared by the same user of the turkey being transported in a wheelchair. The turkey seems to get out and about with its owner, pictured here on a wheelchair In December it emerged that some plane passengers are lying about illness and disability so they can take their pets on board. In the U.S, under the terms of the Air Carrier Access Act, people are permitted to take animals on board a flight at no extra cost if they can't function without the support of the animal. However, in recent years, there have been a rise in applications from passengers to take animals into the cabin for 'emotional support'. In the UK, the rules on taking animals into the cabin is down to the individual airlines, with most allowing service or helping dogs on selected flights. Reddit user shinyhappypanda wrote on the posting: 'You don't even have to fill out paperwork or go to a doctor. You can just claim any animal is a service animal and then take it anywhere. 'My coworker's family member has a terribly behaved dog as a service animal and takes him everywhere.' EasyJet don't allow animals on any of their flights, either in the cabin or in the hold (with the aforementioned exception). On its website British Airways state that passengers can travel with a special assistance dog in the cabin, however 'all other pets, including emotional support animals, will need to travel in the hold as cargo'. A British tourist has been left so severely injured as a result of a horror quad bike crash in Australia that he is unable to recognise his own parents. Mark Middlehurst, from Billinge, near St Helens, Merseyside, crashed into a tree while riding in Perth, and plunged five metres down a ravine, leaving him with serious head injuries. The joiner lost control of the bike after hitting a tree branch which knocked off his helmet and left him unprotected. The 28-year-old, who had been working on a farm, suffered severe brain injuries in the accident on November 4, which cut short a dream year travelling the world with friends. Mark Middlehurst has been left so severely injured he does not recognise his own family and is trapped on the other side of the world Mark Middlehurst, from Billinge, near St Helens, Merseyside, crashed into a tree while riding in Perth He is trapped on the other side of the world because he was not fully insured. And now his parents are desperately trying to raise enough money to bring him home. On Friday, Australian medics at the Royal Perth Hospital will perform surgery to put a piece of his skull back into his head. But doctors have warned Mark's parents Julie and Malcolm, and brother David, who flew out to Australia to be by his side, that he may not survive his catastrophic injuries. Friends of the 28-year-old believe Mark could be in a nursing home for the rest of his life A fundraising campaign is under way to meet the 50,000 cost of flying Mark home from Australia - with a full medical team needed to accompany him on the long-haul flight. So far, friends and family have raised around 30,000. Mark's health is so precarious that any flight from Australia to Britain would have to be in two stages, with a break so he could be monitored in hospital for a few days. Mark does not respond to anybody, friends say, and is heartbreakingly expressionless when looking at his mum and dad. Photos have been shown to him while he is in bed but he shows no emotion. Mark )left) remains trapped in Australia because he forgot to get insured before his worldwide trip and was not properly covered for medical costs Julie, 58, a healthcare assistant at Wigan Infirmary, said: 'He is still not responding at the moment. If the nurse asks him to give them a thumbs-up he doesn't. He just doesn't seem to understand what people are asking him to do. 'It is heartbreaking. He is such an active, energetic and happy-go-lucky young man.' Friends believe he could be in a nursing home for the rest of his life. Friend Sue Darbyshire said: 'Miracles do happen, although it might be a million-to-one chance. 'But Mark can't stay in Australia forever.' His girlfriend Kara, a Dutch woman who Mark met when travelling and 'fell heads over heels in love with', had to recently leave him and return home because her visa ran out. A tourist was left with a 12-inch slash down her arm during a mugging while on holiday in Thailand. Mari Inkeri Ruohonen, from Finland, attempted to fight off the robbers but was slashed with a box-cutter as they cut her bag free. The attack happened in Phuket, a popular resort with tourists visiting the Far East. Mari Inkeri Ruohonen, from Finland, attempted to fight off the robbers, but when they got a box-cutter out to cut her bag free, her arm was cut The 31-year-old was walking back to her hotel with friend Otto Pertterli Finikaeheimonen at 10.45pm local time. Speaking to Thaivisa.com, Karon Police Superintendent Sompong Boonrat said: 'Two men drove by on a motorbike and attempted to swipe the bag off the shoulder of Mari Inkeri Ruohonen, 'However, when she resisted, they pulled a box cutter out and attempted to slice the strap of the bag. In the process they made an estimated 30cm cut along her arm.' Ms Ruohonen was taken to Bangkok Hospital Phuket after the incident, after she was robbed of 9,000 baht cash (175), a drivers licence and a credit card. 'Though CCTV caught the licence plate on the bike, it was a fake one, Boonrat told The Phuket Gazette. 'We are now following the path of escape. We have a great deal of information and expect to track the suspects down soon.' Australian author John Stapleton's book Thailand: Deadly Destination suggests that widespread police corruption, violence and crime are all blighting a country once commonly referred to as the Land of Smiles. Phuket may be idyllic - however Australian author John Stapleton believes crime abounds In his book, Mr Stapleton attempts to expose the reputation of Thailand as a welcoming country, claiming a boom in tourism since the 1960s has created a hatred of foreigners and a murderous indifference to the millions of tourists who flock to the countrys white-sand beaches, picturesque countryside and thriving nightlife each year. He also says that the death rate among tourists, which he claims often goes unrecorded, is the worst scandal in the annals of modern tourism. He says in the book: While many foreigners leave the country happy, there are equally thousands of travellers from Europe, America, Australia, India and the Middle East, both short-time tourists and long-term residents, leaving the country impoverished, distressed, frightened and unlikely to ever return. If, with the murder or accidental deaths of tourists a common event, they leave at all. Life in Thailand is cheap. And the deaths of foreigners often go unlamented; even unrecorded. Tourists are still given few warnings of the reality of the situation they are entering. Thailands carefully manufactured reputation for hospitality, as a land of palm trees and sun-drenched beaches, happy-hour bars, world class hotels and welcoming people, as paradise on Earth, is very different to the reality many tourists encounter. The rapid growth in Thai tourism has been a triumph of advertising and image creation - building the perception, firmly entrenched in the West, that Thais embrace strangers. Charlie Sheen says he was sober for 11 years until the day four years ago he was told he was HIV positive and then he fell off the wagon in spectacular fashion. The actor, 50, told TV's Dr. Mehmet Oz he had successfully mastered his addictions for more than a decade, People reported Monday. But when his diagnosis was made, he turned back to booze and drugs 'to suffocate the anxiety and what my life was going to become with this condition and getting so numb I didn't think about it.' Scroll down for video Charlie Sheen spoke to Dr. Mehmet Oz at his Los Angeles home and revealed he'd been sober for 11 years before turning back to alcohol and drugs after being diagnosed with HIV four years ago 'It was the only tool I had at the time, so I believed that would quell a lot of that angst. A lot of that fear. And it only made it worse,' Sheen said during an interview for The Dr. Oz Show broadcast Monday. The Two And A Half Men star revealed he had had an epiphany as he flew home to California after going public with his condition on the Today Show in November. It led to him to his latest stint in rehab which he described as 'a relief.' See more of the latest on Charlie Sheen as he reveals he was sober for 11 years Epiphany: Sheen said that as he flew back to California after his appearance on NBC's Today show in November, he realized he had to leave the past behind and embark on a new stage of his life 'It was on the flight back from New York,' he told Oz. 'The geography of it was very symbolic.' 'I was leaving something behind and starting a new part of the journey. That was what it was about.' Asked how he would describe his past self, Sheen responded: 'Hammered, fractured, crazy.' Asked how he would sum up his present self, Sheen said: "Focused, sober, hopeful.' House call: The interview with the Two And A Half Men star is airing in two parts on TV's The Dr. Oz Show, on Monday and Tuesday Shared his feelings: The actor, 50, explained he has gone from 'hammered, fractured, crazy, to 'focused, sober, hopeful' He also spoke about his treatment regimen saying he calls the the group of three medications he takes daily Seal team Six. 'When I take them I say, 'Okay guys, go to work. Go kill some bad guys,'' he joked. The troubled Hollywood actor revealed he has HIV, that can lead to AIDS, in a bid to stop being blackmailed by people who threatened to expose him. The father-of-five confirmed he'd settled some out-of-court agreements regarding his health condition and refused to disclose exactly how much it cost him. He also said he's not sure how exactly he contracted the virus. A second part of Sheen's interview with Oz is set to air on The Dr. Oz Show on Tuesday. They say all good things must come to an end. And that's certainly true for Game of Thrones actress Natalie Dormer, who touched down in London after a glamorous weekend in LA for the Golden Globes. The 33-year-old actress was spotted at Heathrow Airport on Tuesday with her fiance Anthony Byrne, where the pair cut a dash through the arrivals terminal. Scroll down for video She's back! Natalie Dormer was spotted at Heathrow Airport on Tuesday with her fiance Anthony Byrne, where the pair cut a dash through the arrivals terminal Keeping her cool as she emerged from her transatlantic flight, the blonde beauty was low-key and understated as she cruised through customs. Wearing a long black coat over a charcoal grey knit sweater, she paired the look with black leggings, matching Ugg-style boots and carried a black textured coat, heavier than the one she was already wearing. Dormer left her silky blonde locks fall in loose waves past her shoulders and went makeup-free for her trip to the friendly skies. With her man: Keeping her cool as she emerged from her transatlantic flight, the blonde beauty was low-key and understated as she cruised through customs Hats off to her! Natalie was returning from Los Angeles, where she attended the Golden Globe Awards The award-winning actress kept concealed with tortoise shell shades and a black trilby hat as she made her way through the busy terminal. Irish director/writer Anthony, 40, stood out with his ensemble in mustard corduroy trousers and a brown leather jeacket. With her career hotter than ever, the actress recently admitted her wedding plans to Byrne had taken a back seat. The couple have been engaged since 2011 but have been too busy to plan their nuptials. Flying high! Natalie Dormer, 33, took a flight out of Los Angeles with her fiance Anthony Byrne, 40, on Monday Goodbye LA: The Game of Thrones starlet took a flight out of Los Angeles the day after she attended the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Beautiful in black: The Game of Thrones starlet tried to remain low key as she wore a long black coat over a charcoal grey knit sweater Just 12 hours earlier the pair were seen jetting out of LAX. But international travel is surely something Dormer is accustomed to now. Shehas spent much of the past year shooting the supernatural horror film The Forest in Belgrade, Serbia. The Forest is set in the Aokigahara Forest in Japan, which is known as the Suicide Forest and follows Natalie's character, Sara who goes there in search of her missing twin sister. Warm and cosy: She paired her look with black leggings, matching Ugg-style boots and carried a black textured coat, heavier than the one she was already wearing Undercover! The award-winning actress kept concealed with tortoise shell shades and a black trilby hat as she made her way through the busy terminal Quite a contrast: Irish director/writer Anthony stood out with his ensemble in mustard corduroy trousers and a brown leather jeacket The film was released on Friday, just days ahead of Natalie's appearance at the 73rd annual Golden Globe awards on Sunday. Dormer lead the British glamour at the star-studded awards ceremony in Beverly Hills in a ruby red jewel-coloured gown. She has spent the last number of years hitting the books, but Snezana Markoski is finally a graduate. Having completed her degree in Molecular Genetics, last year's winner of The Bachelor Australia took to the beach in Perth to celebrate her newfound freedom. The 35-year-old went braless for a frolic in the shallows, sharing the snap to Instagram. Scroll down for video How liberating! The Bachelor's Snezana Markoski went braless on the beach to celebrate finishing her degree in Molecular Genetics Stepping out onto the sand in a burnt orange mini-dress by Perth-based designer Bruug, the reality star showed off her ample cleavage, thanks to the dress's V-neck cut and no bra. Her lean legs were also on display as the frock featured a high thigh split, with the bottom of her dress wet from the ocean spray. Her hair was majestically free-flowing and she wore little makeup if not for a slick of eyeliner and a brushing of mascara, which could be seen in a portrait snap she shared earlier. See more The Bachelor updates on star Snezana Markoski as she finishes her degree Bathing beauty: Her hair was majestically free-flowing and she wore little makeup if not for a slick of eyeliner and a brushing of mascara, which could be seen in a portrait snap she shared earlier Sculpted! Meanwhile, back in Melbourne, Sam Wood shared a workout snap to his Instagram, that showed off his burgeoning biceps 'That feeling of freedom when you finally finish your degree!' she wrote in the caption, which she accompanied with a mortar board and other academic-themed emojis. In a closer snap she also uploaded, the mother-of-one wrote: 'Even on a cloudy day WA beaches are incredible!!' She added: 'Don't worry guys, I made sure I took my precious @samanthawills jewels off before jumping in!' Meanwhile, back in Melbourne, her beau Sam, also 35, hit the gym in a low-cut grey tank top, which brought attention to his muscles that appear to be getting even larger. Relocating: Sam confirmed they had purchased a house together, with Snezana and her daughter Eve set to move to Melbourne in February Finding each other: The smitten couple found each other on season three of The Bachelor Australia Lifting barbells up to his protruding pectorals, the personal trainer's veins had begun to show, which is a result of him having very little body fat. The loved-up couple, who found each other on the third season of hit dating show, got engaged in December, and by the sounds of things wedding plans will not be too far down the track. 'I don't want to have a five-year engagement,' the gym owner told The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, adding it would be in the next two years. Sam confirmed the purchase of a family home in late December, with Snezana and her nine-year-old daughter Eve moving from Perth to join Sam in Melbourne in February. Danai Gurira has been cast as Tupac Skakur's mother in the upcoming biopic about the rapper, according to Deadline. The 37-year-old will play Afeni Shakur, who had a major influence on her son and his path to superstardom before his tragic death at just 25. The 69-year-old, who is a political activist and Black Panther, is an executive producer on the film, and controls her late son's estate. Killing it: The Walking Dead's Danai Gurira has been cast as Tupac's mom Afeni Shakur in rapper's upcoming biopic, All Eyez On Me Danai Gurira has most recently been seen battling her way through the zombie apocalypse on The Walking Dead. The film, entitled All Eyez on Me, will chronicle his move to the West Coast and his stint at Death Row Records, the bitter feud with Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records, right up to his murder in Las Vegas in 1996. It is named after the artist's groundbreaking 1996 album which sold more than 10 million copies in the US alone and is widely considered one of the greatest hip/hop records of all time. It will tell the story of the star - born Lesane Parish Crooks in 1971 in East Harlem, NY - and his rise from humble beginnings to one of rap's biggest selling artists. Tragic: It will tell the story of the star - born Lesane Parish Crooks in 1971 in East Harlem, NY - and his rise from humble beginnings to one of rap's biggest selling artists, to right up to his murder at the age of 25 Influence: The 69-year-old, who is a political activist and Black Panther, is an executive producer on the film, and controls her late son's estate (pictured 2005) The Walking Dead star is just the third name to be unveiled, joining newcomer Demetrius Shipp Jr who will play the rapper himself. Meanwhile fellow rapper Jamal 'Gravy' Woolard, who featured on 2Pac's song Untouchable, will play his friend turned rival, Christoper Wallace AKA The Notorious B.I.G. - a role he previously played in the 2009 film, Notorious. All three - Shakur, Wallace and Woolard - share the common misfortune of being shot, although only Woolard's wounds were not fatal. Tupac and Biggy's rivalry was the focal point of the East Coast / West Coast hip hop rivalry, which left both men dead and neither case solved. After a troubled start, production is currently underway on All Eyez On Me in Atlanta, Georgia, although it has yet to get a release date. As well as her recent impact on the small and soon-to-be big screens, Gurira is also killing it on stage as well: her award-winning play Eclipsed - starring Lupita NYongo - is moving to Broadway in March, while her follow up production Familiar opens off-Broadway that same month. She tweeted her delight at returning to the white sandy beaches of St Barts. And it seems Serinda Swan simply couldn't wait to get her feet wet, heading straight to the beach on Monday after touching down in the Caribbean. Stripping off to a grey snakeskin bikini, the Graceland star didn't waste a moment diving into the azure water. 'I said I'd be back!' Serinda Swan shows off her bikini body as she relaxes on the beach in St Barts Looking good: The Vancouver-born beauty has spoken about how she maintains her incredible physique 'LAX ---> ST BARTHS,' she had tweeted earlier. 'I said I'd be back.' The star ensured she exposed as much skin as possible to the sun in her teeny weeny bikini by Acacia. The 31-year-old wore her blonde hair swept back over her shoulders, and accessorised with a gold bangle on her arm. Serinda, who recently appeared on Chicago Fire, is quite the fan of a bikini break. Peachy: The 31-year-old wore a striking Acacia bikini and accessorised with a gold bangle on her arm Indeed this is her second vacation in recent weeks, with the Canadian star having only just returned from a trip to the Mexican resort of Tulum. On December 30 she posted a picture of her hand holding a champagne glass as she sat on a patio complete with hottub, overlooking the ocean. 'Cheers Tulum... I needed you,' she wrote. Her natural habitat: Serinda loves to show off her gym-toned body on a beach; she is seen here in St Barts 'On to the next one': The beauty is seen reading a book in a hammock during last month's trip to Tulum The Vancouver-born beauty has previously spoken about how she maintains her incredible physique. According to the star, she walks her pet dog at least two to three times a day, works out regularly with a personal trainer and trains so that she can perform all of her own stunts on Graceland. When asked specifically about her favourite exercises, she told LaVida: 'I like things that are different and keep me guessing.' Another break: Serinda, who recently appeared on Chicago Fire, only just returned from Tulum Onlookers probably wouldn't be surprised to know that before becoming an actress, Serinda was a successful model, starring in campaigns for brands such as Guess. However, during her interview with the fashion magazine, the flawless star said she could no longer relate to that world because of the pressures it comes with. Explaining herself, she revealed: 'It wasnt who I was, it was who I was told to be based on how I looked and weighed.' It is a milestone occasion that most parents just can't wait to celebrate. And Nicole Trunfio was one of them, as the doting mother took to Instagram on Tuesday to wish her adorable little boy Zion a happy first birthday. The image of Zion showcases his enviable features inherited from his genetically blessed parents, Nicole and her fiance Gary Clarke Jr. Scroll down for video Milestone occasion: Nicole Trunfio took to Instagram on Tuesday to wish her adorable little boy Zion a happy first birthday writing 'I thank God you were born!' As he willingly faces the camera while his 29-year-old mother snaps the precious moment, it is not hard to see how his pale blue eyes, puffy lips and cherubic cheeks have garnered him a legion of admirers. The model's heart melting snap of her toddler playing on a swing as he is clad in a beanie and overalls was accompanied by some touching words. 'Happy Birthday to the happiest, smartest and most beautiful soul,' she penned underneath the snap. 'I love getting to know you more and more every day. 'You blow me away with your charm. 'I thank God you were born, I'm so lucky to be able to nurture you and teach you and watch you grow. 'And most of all, to be your mother xox,' she gushed. Family: Nicole and her fiance Gary Clark Jnr with their son Zion at Falls Festival in Byron Bay 'You are the most dreamiest godson anyone could ever ask for': Zion's godmother model Jessica Gomes also posted a touching tribute to the child Nicole wasn't the only one to wish the angelic toddler a happy birthday, with his godmother, Australian model Jessica Gomes also posting a touching tribute to the child. Posting an image of Zion climbing over her as they lay down together, the Australian model made sure to express her endearment for him in the caption. 'Happy 1st Birthday angel! You are the most dreamiest godson anyone could ever ask for,' she wrote. 'I love and miss you bubba...Can't believe a year has flown by! Pinky buddies for life. Xo,' she added. Snooze time: Zion and Gemma Ward's two-year-old daughter Naia peacefully slept together when they caught up in Sydney on Wednesday Since the tot's birth, Nicole has been treating her social media followers to a steady stream of images of his progress. And on Wednesday model Nicole caught up with fellow Australian beauty Gemma Ward and her two-year-old daughter Naia and made sure to document the tender moment. The brunette stunner shared a snap of the two youngsters on social media peacefully sleeping head-to-head. 'Sleeping Angels So lovely to spend the day with you @gem.gems @letttsy,' Nicole wrote alongside the precious photo. Safety first: Zion made an appearance at the festival, snuggled up in his mum's arms and wore a pair of ear muffs almost as big as his face Priceless: Nicole lifted Zion in the air at Falls Festival in Bryon Bay over the New Year Nicole, Gary and their son Zion have had a busy few weeks, jetting from Los Angeles to Western Australia for Christmas with her family. Whilst Down Under Nicole and Zion will star in a campaign for Australian chain retailer Target. The brunette beauty told The Daily Telegraph: 'I'm excited to be working with Target on the Jean Paul Gaultier collection, and to be working alongside my son Zion in one of our first advertising shoots together.' Earlier this year it was revealed the French fashion house was to team up with Target Australia for its latest designer collection. The 100-piece Jean Paul Gaultier for Target collection will start from just $10 and also include shoes, lingerie and baby and nursery items. Cheers to that! Last week Nicole donned a figure hugging white dress as she cradled her son for a pose outside the Sydney Opera House, a glass of red wine in hand Taking after his mother! Whilst Down Under Nicole and Zion will star in a campaign for Australian chain retailer Target Photogenic: Since the tot's birth, the model has been treating her social media followers to a steady stream of images documenting his progress The Western Australian-born made headlines last year when she posed while breastfeeding on the cover of Elle Australia magazine. Nicole has walked for some of the biggest names in fashion, including Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Christian Dior, Gucci, Fendi, and Vivienne Westwood. The stunning Australian is currently engaged to Gary, Zion's father, who is an alternative blues and country musician. Cute as a button! The images of Zion showcase his enviable features inherited from his genetically blessed parents Seems like no one told Kevin Hart that two is company and three is a crowd. The comedian stripped naked for Monday night's episode of The Bachelor, highjacking Ben Higgins' date with Caila Quinn. Other drama erupted when Lace, a mercurial brunette, and Olivia, an overtly confident blonde, hogged Ben's time and badmouthed the other women. Three's company? Kevin Hart hijacked Ben Higgin's date with Caila Quinn on Monday night's episode of The Bachelor Ummm: The duo looked on awkwardly at the comedian as he soaked himself in the same tub during their trip to a hot tub shop Shy Lauren 'LB' dropped out voluntarily and three other women, including a very tearful Samantha, were axed. Caila, a 'bubbly' software sales rep, had been awarded the first one-on-one rendezvous, which involved a ride in a vintage car with Hart, 36, and the rapper/actor Ice Cube, 46. When they got to 'a hot tub store' Hart stripped naked to bathe with the smoochy couple. 'I'm thinking, 'hey, can we get a little alone time?' Giggled Caila, 24, from Ohio. Yeah! The 36-year-old actor let it all hang out before Ice Cube made him get out of the tub Ice Cube had made Ben prep for the date by purchasing hard liquor and condoms. 'I think Ice Cube and I might have different styles when it comes to first dates,' said the pious 26-year-old from Denver, Colorado. In the evening Ben, a business analyst, took the petite software sales rep to an empty restaurant for dinner. Surprise! The ladies were flabbergasted to see Kevin and Ice Cube show up for the date On the road: The first-daters went on a ride along with Kevin and Ice Cube Classy guy: Ice Cube made sure the group stopped by a liquor store 'Caila has depth and she's able to speak on that depth,' he cooed as he gave her a rose. They were then treated to a private performance from crooner Amos Lee. 'So many emotions are rushing through my heart right now,' she beamed. 'If I could live forever in this moment I would,' she said as they 'swayed in each other's arms'. Finally alone: In the evening Ben, a business analyst, took the petite software sales rep to an empty restaurant for dinner Special night: They were then treated to a private performance from crooner Amos Lee 'If I could live forever in this moment I would,' she said as they 'swayed in each other's arms' 'I can feel myself falling in love with Ben,' she swooned. The first group date of season 20 was awarded to Jackie, Lauren H, Becca, Amber, Mandi, 'LB', Jubilee, Joelle 'JoJo', Jennifer and Lace. Lace, an estate agent, admitted to getting 'a little too drunk' and 'a little too emotional' on the first night. 'I get to redeem myself real quick now,' said the tall brunette. 'I want the rose and the ring, I want it all,' she said greedily. Explosive: In science class the ladies mixed ingredients to build a love volcano Impressive: The women giggled as they watched their science experiments The date was in a high school. 'Ben is smoking, I've never been this turned on in a high school before,' said JoJo, a 24-year-old real estate agent from Texas. Host Chris Harrison dressed as the school principle to give instructions for their task. In science class they mixed ingredients to build a love volcano. Jackie, 23, who called Ben 'the handsomest man in the world' got distracted while apple bobbing. She was later eliminated Going at it: The girls fought over a red apple during the activity 'I will not murder Lace but she may very tactfully disappear,' joked Jubilee as Lace spoiled their chances for advancement. 'I hated school, I was not very good at it at all,' admitted Lace, 25. Jackie, 23, who called Ben 'the handsomest man in the world' got distracted while apple bobbing. She was later eliminated. Contestants were then asked to locate Indiana on a map of the United States 'I'm not asking them to locate Indonesia,' sighed Ben as they all placed the state in the wrong position Ready...set: The ladies then hit the running track for another contest Getting competitive: Long-legged Mandi, a 28-year-old dentist, won at a hurdles race against Amber Then the 'all-American' girls got stumped trying to identify Indiana on a map. 'I'm not asking them to locate Indonesia,' sighed Ben as they all placed the state in the wrong position. Long-legged Mandi, a 28-year-old dentist, won at a hurdles race against Amber. 'Mandi dominated today, really impressive,' said Ben, who later eliminated her. Ben and Becca, who was on last season's show, shot some hoops to catch up. 'Mandi dominated today, really impressive,' said Ben, who later eliminated her She's got this: Ben and Becca, who was on last season's show, shot some hoops to catch up 'I'm in this,' said 26-year-old San Diego native, as they held hands. His first real kiss of the season was with Jennifer, 25, a small business owner, from Florida. 'I just want to kiss his face all night,' she gushed. Kicking things off: His first real kiss of the season was with Jennifer, 25, a small business owner, from Florida 'That made me very aggravated,' fumed Lace 'That made me very aggravated,' fumed Lace. Olivia, 23, one of the most obsessed women, howled and squealed when the next date card came. 'Ben is the best freaking catch in the entire world, I looked at him on the first night and I saw my husband,' she exclaimed creepily, with a wide open mouth. But Olivia was left crestfallen when Caila got her one-on-one 'surprise date'. Pick me! Lace dragged Ben away from another girl to apologise for her past transgressions 'We're almost eye fu*king,' said Lace as she reflected on the time she had with Ben Lace dragged Ben away from another girl to apologise for her past transgressions. 'We're almost eye fu*king,' said Lace. Military girl Jubilee impressed Ben with her 'beautiful smile'. Jubilee, who was an orphan in Haiti before being adopted, was awed by Ben's charity work in the country. They kissed, aka 'connected on a deeper level', by the pool, which enraged Lace. 'Fu*k these bi*ches,' she said as she marched back to speak with Ben again. 'I'm getting that rose tonight,' she insisted. Romantic: Ben pulled JoJo from the crowd to have a rooftop date Special moment: The duo kissed under the starry sky 'I have never in my entire life felt this happy before, Ben makes me feel incredible,' she said after the kiss He then pulled JoJo from the crowd for a romantic view of the city. Proclaiming that he loved her 'bubbly-ness' before they shared a prolonged smooch. 'I have never in my entire life felt this happy before, Ben makes me feel incredible,' she raved as she gripped his neck like a limpet. Single mother Amanda, 25, was struggling to be away from her two little daughters. 'I want to know that it's worth it to be hereI haven't even told Ben that I have kids,' lamented the Californian blonde. The next group date was with Emily, Olivia, Sam, Hayley, Shushanna and Amanda. The giggling girls were greeted by a robot called 'Dr. Love', plus Ben in a white suit - which sent the twins Twins Emily and Haley, into a tizzy. Missing home: Single mother Amanda, 25, was struggling to be away from her two little daughters 'I want to know that it's worth it to be hereI haven't even told Ben that I have kids,' lamented the Californian blonde 'I'm not a science personI'm not very smart,' agreed the Vegas-based sisters, 22 'I'm not a science personI'm not very smart,' agreed the Vegas-based sisters, 22. The Bachelor then inhaled the women's sweat, to see if their scent was agreeable to him. Stripping to their underwear they tested their 'thermal energy' in pairs. 'I'm incredibly confident in our relationship,' said Olivia, whose odor was 'sweet' and pleasurable for Ben. Let's get physical: The ladies were told to work out so they could work up a sweat Up close and personal: Ben had a good to sniff of the ladies to see if he was attracted to their pheromones So much heat: In another test the ladies were paired off with Ben to do thermal tests The lowest 'science' score was Sam with 2.42 out of 10. The highest was 7.45 for Olivia. 'Your data was spectacular,' the Doc told Olivia. At the cocktail party Ben and Olivia kissed. 'It was magical, butterflies, heat in my stomach area,' she gaped afterwards. 'Olivia's the worst,' said Amanda. Anticipation! The girls lined up to get the results from the scientific compatibility tests Great results! Olivia was ecstatic to receive the highest score - 7.45 out of 10 What does this mean? Sam was bummed to get the lowest score of 2.42 When Amanda finally told Ben about her kids he was receptive. 'Kids don't scare me,' he said as they kissed. 'I am on cloud nine right now,' she grinned. So much chemistry: At the cocktail party Ben and Olivia kissed 'It was magical, butterflies, heat in my stomach area,' she gaped afterwards Secret: When Amanda finally told Ben about her kids he was receptive But he gave the rose to Olivia. 'It's mineOlivia Higgins, it's mine let's just end the show right now,' she boasted as Amanda sobbed in rejection. He later made it up to Amanda by providing the materials to construct home made hair barrettes for her daughters. 'I am on cloud nine right now,' Amanda said after chatting to Ben Winner: Olivia was given the rose at the end of the party and told cameras 'It's mineOlivia Higgins, it's mine let's just end the show right now' 'That's so thoughtful,' she breathed, welling up with tears. Ben wore a powder blue suit for the final cocktail party. Leah, who hiked a football at him on the first night, was rudely bumped by Olivia. 'Ben is my man at this pointI want to take him to a secret point and kiss him until his lips fall off, like 'hello wifey',' she wailed Connection: Olivia made the most of her time with the bachelor, gazing into his eyes and kissing him continuously 'Like what the fu*k? She had time,' Amber complained about Olivia 'Ben is my man at this pointI want to take him to a secret point and kiss him until his lips fall off, like 'hello wifey',' she wailed. Amber, 30, was disgruntled. 'Like what the fu*k? She had time,' she complained. 'What a selfish bi*ch,' agreed Jubilee. 'What a selfish bi*ch,' Jubilee said about Olivia 'I'm a lot to handleI was very dorky as a kid,' Lace tried to sell herself to the bachelor Making it worse: The brunette kept rambling on as it got more awkward but their date was soon interrupted by another girl Lace took Ben to the balcony to tell him about her 'bold personality'. 'I'm a lot to handleI was very dorky as a kid,' she rambled. 'I have a part of me that I'm working on' she trailed off, as he was stolen by another girl. 'I think I just ruined my chancesthe insecure Lace came outI feel so stupid,' she sobbed afterwards. Ben took Lauren B aside to give her a photo of their 'first time' together. Ruined it: Lace told the cameras that she thought Ben didn't like her Crunch time: The women looked anxious as they waited to find out if they would make it through to the next round Safe for now: Caila (who arleady had hers) and Olivia were seen holding their roses 'I was thinking about you a lot,' he told her. He finally gave roses to Amanda, Jubilee, Lauren B, Leah, Becca, Rachel, Lace, Emily, Jami, Lauren H, Shushanna, Hayley, Jennifer. LB dragged him off for a chat during the rose ceremony. Rejecting his rose: LB asked for a private moment with Ben to tell her that she wanted to leave the show 'I'm just a quiet girl from Oklahoma,' LB told cameras before quitting the show 'I'm just a quiet girl from Oklahoma,' she told him as she decided to quit the show. He gave her rose to Amber instead and the rest of the women were sent packing. The Bachelor will return next Monday on ABC. Shocked: After thinking she'd blown it Lace was happy to get a rose He returned to work in December after spending most of last year focused on raising his three-year-old daughter, Scout. And by the looks of it, James Stewart is feeling more confident than ever in his new role in Home And Away following his split from ex-fiancee Jessica Marais. The 40-year-old actor was filming new episodes for the long-running Channel Seven soap in Sydney on Tuesday alongside Penny McNamee, eight months after he and actress Jessica ended their five-year engagement. Scroll down for video Moving on: James Stewart, 40, looked comfortable filming scenes for Home and Away in Sydney on Tuesday - eight months after splitting from actress Jessica Marais, 30, with whom he shares daughter Scout, three James, who plays new character Justin Morgan, was spotted on-set wearing a breezy summer combo of white vest, cargo shorts and denim jacket with the sleeves rolled up. The Melbourne-born star appeared relaxed and happy in what is his first on-going TV role since taking time off to care for his young daughter following his separation. He was seen on the set of Summer Bay with new cast member Penny, who will play a doctor named Tori on the long-running series. Due to this latest career development, James is now going head-to-head with his ex-partner Jessica Marais, 30, who plays the lead role in upcoming comedy The Wrong Girl on Network Ten. See the latest Home and Away updates on James Stewart after his split with Jessica Marais Back to work: Melbourne-born James plays new character Justin Morgan in the long-running Channel Seven soap And... action! He was seen filming scenes in Summer Bay opposite new Summer Bay star Penny McNamee New recruit: Actress Penny will play a doctor named Tori on the long-running series The former couple met in 2009 while starring together in TV family comedy Packed To The Rafters and got engaged the following year. Their daughter Scout was born in May 2012. They announced their 'amicable split' May 2015 and revealed they would co-parent their toddler. However, in recent months it appears that James has been doing the lion's share of the parenting because of his ex Jessica's busy schedule. New Idea reported: 'With growing acting commitments and no fixed address, Jessica is seeing little of her three-year-old daughter.' Smiling again: James has returned to TV acting following a difficult year for the actor Back in December, it was revealed that James would be returning to the screen as one of the three Morgan brothers. He is joined by actors Jackson Heywood and Orpheus Pledger, who play Brody and Mason Morgan respectively. Ryan Coogler will direct Marvel's Black Panther. The comicbook studio confirmed on Monday night that the Creed director will helm its standalone T'Challa film slated for release in 2018. 'We are fortunate to have such an esteemed filmmaker join the Marvel family,' Marvel's uber-producer Kevin Feige said. Scroll down for video Knockout: Creed director Ryan Coogler confirmed for Marvel's Black Panther... one day after he was accidentally 'snubbed' in Sylvester Stallone's Golden Globes speech 'The talents Ryan showcased in his first two films easily made him our top choice to direct Black Panther'. Many fans have waited a long time to see Black Panther in his own film, and with Ryan we know weve found the perfect director to bring TChallas story to life.' Black Panther was the first black superhero in mainstream American comics. The leader of a tribe of the fictional African nation of Wakanda and eventual husband of the X-Men's Storm, he is endowed with enhanced strength, speed, agility, senses, intellect, and a rather awesome vibranium black costume. Praise from Caesar: Marvel's uber-producer Kevin Feige said Coogler was 'top choice' to direct Trailblazer: Black Panther was the first black superhero in mainstream American comics Portrayed by 42's Chadwick Boseman, he will make his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Captain America Civil War. He can be seen in the latest trailer, where he is glimpsed battling Bucky Barnes and fleeing from The Cap. Coogler burst onto the scene with his 2013 debut effort, the critically acclaimed Fruitville station, which told the story of the shooting of Oscar Grant by police, starring Michael B Jordan in the lead role. His second film once again cast Jordan in the lead as Adonis Creed, son of Apollo, in the seventh installment of Sylvester Stallone's Rocky saga. There was a mini controversy at Sunday night's Golden Globes when Sylvester Stallone thanked everybody - up to and including his 'imaginary friend' Rocky - for helping him to his Best Supporting Actor win for Creed, but appeared to forget to mention the movie's director or star Reaction: Stallone's apparent snub was the last straw for some, including Samuel L Jackson and Selma director Ava DuVernay, who tweeted their indignation During the break: However it later emerged that Stallone, having been played off by the orchestra, returned to the stage during the commercial break to apologise and specifically thank Jordan and Coogler, but didn't realise the cameras were no longer running All three men got caught up in a mini controversy at Sunday night's Golden Globes, when an emotional Stallone thanked everybody - up to and including his 'imaginary friend' Rocky - for helping him to his Best Supporting Actor win, but appeared to forget to mention the movie's director or star. Neither man was nominated on the night, and Stallone's apparent snub was the last straw for some, including Samuel L Jackson and Selma director Ava DuVernay, who tweeted their indignation. However it later emerged that Stallone, having been played off by the orchestra, returned to the stage during the commercial break to apologise and specifically thank Jordan and Coogler, but didn't realise the cameras were no longer running. 'You did it all, I just hung on for dear life,' he told them, adding Coogler was a 'brilliant, brilliant film-maker.' Enseble: Portrayed by 42's Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther will make his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Captain America Civil War Cat's away: He can be seen in the latest trailer, where he is glimpsed battling Bucky Barnes and fleeing from The Cap She showed off her impressive dance moves on Dancing With The Stars last year taking home the mirror ball trophy. And for the first time since taking part on the American version of the TV show, 17-year-old Bindi Irwin took to the stage again to perform a routine. On Tuesday at Australia Zoo, the wildlife warrior reunited with her former band The Jungle Girls, as they danced and sang on stage, before donning khakis to feed Monty the crocodile for the crowds. Scroll down for video Hitting the stage: Bindi Irwin on Tuesday reunited with The Jungle Girls at Australia Zoo, Queensland, in her first performance since winning Dancing With The Stars late last year The bubbly teenager showcased her dance moves as she hit the stage with the group she used to dance with when she was younger. Wearing black tights with a loose patterned singlet top, she put on an energetic performance. But unlike the glitz and glam of the Los Angeles studio of Dancing With The Stars, Bindi's latest performance was more laid back and she wore flats to get around comfortably. See the latest Dancing With The Stars updates on Bindi Irwin Loving it: Sharing a picture of herself with the group to Instagram, Bindi looked thrilled to be reunited with the girls Appearing to go make-up free, she had her long brown locks tied up off her face and into a neat ponytail. Sharing a picture of herself with the group to Instagram, Bindi looked thrilled to be doing what she does best. She captioned the snap: 'Missed these girls! I hope we get to see you at Australia Zoo during these next couple of weeks. 'Jungle Girl & croc shows, we can't wait to meet you.' Back to it: The 17-year-old before dressed in her signature khaki uniform to feed crocodile Monty Bindi and The Jungle Girls performed at the Crocoseum and afterwards she joined her little brother Robert, 12, to feed help feed Monty a dead rat. Bindi hopped into her beloved khaki shirt and shorts ensemble to feed the croc, and Bob also wore khaki for the appearance. The family are performing a string of shows over the school holiday period. Also last year, shortly after appearing on Dancing With The Stars, Bindi got back into her working routine at the zoo and fed crocodiles for punters. Crikey: Bindi and The Jungle Girls performed at the Crocoseum Like his late father! Bindi's little brother Robert, 12, helped feed Monty, with one of the items on a menu being a dead rat In November, Bindi was named the winner of Dancing With The Stars, alongside her dance partner Derek Hough. The late daughter of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin spent Christmas in Australia with her family including Robert and mother Terri, 51, and her wakeboarder boyfriend Chandler Powell, 19. Bindi then jetted to Hawaii for New Year's Eve, and is believed to have been joined by her beau. Sharing a picture of a Hawaiian sunset to Instagram earlier this week, she captioned the post saying she was looking forward to working back at Australia Zoo. 'Bringing in 2016 in Hawaii was perfect. Now back at Australia Zoo ready for some school holiday shows!' She earned it! In November, Bindi was named the winner of Dancing With The Stars alongside partner Derek Hough Party snacking! Bindi jetted to Hawaii for New Year's Eve, and is believed to have been joined by her beau Missing home: Sharing a picture of a Hawaiian sunset to Instagram earlier this week, she captioned the post saying she was looking forward to working back at Australia Zoo It was billed as the BBC's sure-fire hit. But the modern-day adaptation of War and Peace has already lost one million viewers since debuting, last week - after complaints of garbled dialogue. However, that didn't stop co-stars Gillian Anderson, Paul Dano and James Norton from partying up a storm at The London West Hollywood in Los Angeles on Monday. Scroll down for video Brushing of ratings disappointment: Gillian Anderson, Paul Dano and James Norton in LA on Monday Brushing off the ratings disappointment, the trio were special guests at The Weinstein Company's official screening at the six-part series - the latest serialisation of Tolstoy's classic novel. Taking place at The London in West Hollywood, they joined the eponymous producer and his LA pals in a fresh PR drive. Looking glam, Gillian - who rose to fame in The X Files - sported a black and purple floral dress, which was strapless to show off her slimline figure. See full news coverage on the BBC top shows including the War and Peace adaptation Dapper: The men were special guests at The Weinstein Company's official screening at the six-part series - the latest serialisation of Tolstoy's classic novel Sex factor: Opting for nude make-up and a natural glow, the 47 year-old was clearly keen to go for a natural look at the stateside screening Wearing her blonde hair in a classic side-parting, she oozed class as she clasped her synchronised clutch bag and wore flattering stilettos. Opting for nude make-up and a natural glow, the 47 year-old was clearly keen to go for a natural look at the stateside screening. Smiling through the loss of 1,000,000 TV fans, she was evidently in professional mode. Nevermind! Smiling through the loss of 1,000,000 TV fans, she was evidently in professional mode Looking good: Fresh from the Golden Globes, Zoe wore a bright pink jumper with embroidered flowers, while Paul opted for a metallic brown suit Following suit, Paul and Zoe Karzan also grinned through the proceedings in contrasting style. Fresh from the Golden Globes, Zoe wore a bright pink jumper with embroidered flowers, while Paul opted for a metallic brown suit. Meanwhile, James chose a slightly more casual look - in skinny jeans, an open-neck shirt and dapper tweed jacket. Relaxed: James chose a more casual look - in skinny jeans, an open-neck shirt and dapper tweed jacket Where's the floppy hair? The acclaimed actor sported a freshly-shaved head for the bash Showing a slump in audience figures, ratings for War and Peace fell from 6.7 million to 5.7 million within the space of just seven days. Yet, despite the drop, the drama was still the most-watched programme at 9pm on Sunday. It also continued to comfortably outperform BBC1s 4.5m (19.9%) slot average. In addition, audience figures will also probably rise as people catch up on the show. The first episode was viewed an extra 2.1million times after its initial broadcast. Along with Sherlock, War And Peace also helped the BBC achieve a near-clean sweep of the festive ratings. Nine of the 10 most-watched programmes over Christmas and the New Year were broadcast by BBC One, new figures published by Barb show. High drama, lowering figures: Austrian War Minister (William Brand and Prince Andrei (James Norton) Action scenes: Dolokhov (Tom Burke), Pierre Bezukhov (Dano) and Helene Kuragin (Tuppence Middleton) The complaints came after people struggled to understand many of the actors, who allegedly mumbled their lines and were drowned-out by loud music. According to some reports, many were forced to watch the show with subtitles on. Viewer Janice Mitchell vented her frustration on Twitter.She posted: 'Why on earth was the actor playing Pierre in War and Peace chosen as all he does is mumble? I can hardly understand a word he says.' Clair Woodward shared similar sentiments, asking: 'Is it just me that's having to watch War and Peace with the subtitles on? Can barely hear a flippin' word.' Siblings: Anatole Kuragin, played by Callum Turner, and Helene Kuragin, played by Tuppence Middleton Natural beauty: British actress Lily James plays Natasha Rostov in the TV series In April last year, 2,200 people complained about the spoken parts in drama Jamaica Inn being almost impossible to hear. A BBC spokesperson admitted there had been problems with the first issue but said they could not adjust sound levels due to 'technical reasons'. They made Sunday evening's Golden Globes one to remember after announcing the joyous news that they are expecting their first child together. Though it seemed Eddie Redmayne and wife Hannah Bagshawe were keen to return home to the UK following their action-packed weekend as the couple were spotted jetting out of LAX on Monday evening. The spouses looked ready to ditch the glitz and glam of Tinseltown as they sauntered through the airport in casual ensembles after dazzling at one of the most glamorous events on the Hollywood calendar. Scroll down for video They're outta here! Eddie Redmayne and his pregnant wife Hannah Bagshawe seemed keen to return home to the UK as they jetted out of LAX just a day after Sunday evening's Golden Globes While Hannah's ensemble was a lot more pared-back than her award ceremony attire, it too concealed her baby bump as she sported a loose=fitting navy top beneath a black duster jacket. She teamed the style with ripped skinny jeans, while her feet sat in a pair of comfortable white Converse. The 33-year-old publicist injected a pop of colour into the look by carrying her essentials in an oxblood handbag. Pared-back: The spouses looked ready to ditch the glitz and glam of Tinseltown as they sauntered through the airport in casual ensembles Her brunette locks were worn in elegant curls around her face, which looked to be modelling only minimal make-up. The mum-to-be was of course accompanied by her doting husband who maintained his stylish credentials in a navy checked shirt, which boasted contrasting brown panels across either shoulder. The Theory of Everything star finished the look with dark jeans and grey Converse, which looked as though they had seen better days. Keeping covered: While Hannah's ensemble was a lot more pared-back than her award ceremony attire, it too concealed her baby bump as she sported a loose=fitting navy top beneath a black duster jacket Dressed down: Eddie maintained his stylish credentials in a navy checked shirt, which boasted contrasting brown panels across either shoulde, while also toting a vintage leather suitcase Eddie, 34, maintained his quirky demeanor as he toted a vintage leather suitcase by Globetrotter and a pair of thick-rimmed black specs. While the couple's trip to Los Angeles may have been short, it was certainly sweet as the duo confirmed they were expecting their first child together during the Golden Globes. Arriving arm-in-arm at the prestigious awards ceremony earlier on in the evening, Eddie affirmed his pending fatherhood to veteran TV host Ryan Seacrest - who asked whether they were expecting. Natural beauty: Hannah's brunette locks were worn in elegant curls around her face, which looked to be modelling only minimal make-up Specs appeal! The Theory of Everything actor maintained his geek chic style with a pair of thick-rimmed black glasses Responding to Ryan's question, Eddie simply said: 'That is true.' The couple were then presented with baby shower gifts which included onesies saying 'You Should See My Crib' and 'Milking My 15 Minutes'. Laughing, Eddie responded: 'Im sweating now shes calm Im not.' It's believed the couple will welcome their new addition in the late spring. Congrats! While the couple's trip to Los Angeles may have been short, it was certainly sweet as the duo confirmed they were expecting their first child together during the Golden Globes She left fans worried for her welfare after posting a series of super-skinny bikini snaps. But Tara Reid was all-smiles as she prepared to fly back home from Puerto Rico on Monday, concealing her frame under a baggy blue tracksuit. The American Pie star, 40, seemed unconcerned with all the worry she'd caused, beaming broadly as she wheeled her case through San Juan's LMM airport. Scroll down for video Noughties throwback: Tara Reid was all smiles as she prepared to fly back home from Puerto Rico on Monday, concealing her tiny frame under a baggy blue tracksuit Donning a matching Adidas suit with chunky black embellished trainers, Tara seemed to be going for a noughties throwback theme with her outfit of choice. Loading up on accessories, she wore a delicate silver heart shaped necklace, as she nestled a small black bag in the crook of her arm and hung her various travel bags over her shoulder. Clearly prepared for the long flight, the star also carried a pink neck pillow on her backpack. Not a care in the world: The American Pie star, 40, seemed unconcerned with all the worry she'd caused, beaming broadly as she wheeled her case through LMM airport Vintage vibes: Donning a matching Adidas suit with chunky black embellished trainers, Tara seemed to be going for a noughties throwback theme with her outfit of choice She wore her platinum blonde locks loose and tousled for the flight, whilst sporting her trademark eyeliner and pink gloss on her pout. Seemingly struggling to withstand the heat in her conservative outfit, the star's skin was dewy, whilst her cheeks were aflush with a rosy glow. Despite her smile Tara was no doubt upset to be heading home after indulging in an idyllic break over the New Year. But after sharing a picture from her lovely getaway on Instagram last week, her super-slim frame caused concern among her social media followers. Flight-ready: Loading up on accessories, she wore a delicate silver heart shaped necklace, as she nestled a small black bag in the crook of her arm and hung her various travel bags over her shoulder Natural beauty: She wore her platinum blonde locks loose and tousled for the flight, whilst sporting her trademark eyeliner and pink gloss on her pout Jet set chic: Seemingly struggling to withstand the heat in her conservative outfit, the star's skin was dewy, whilst her cheeks were aflush with a rosy glow In the image, the actress looked happier than ever as she's joined by two hunky pals, including a shirtless gent with rippling muscles, whilst rocking a bikini. Showing off her famously slight frame - complete with a tiny, slim waistline, super-lean thighs and visible ribcage - and ample chest in a tropical printed green bikini, she looked as though she had not a care in the world. Along with the snap, she told her followers where she was enjoying her first week of 2016, writing: 'In the El Yunque rain forest Rico beautiful!' The blonde beauty flashed a huge smile while her locks tumbled over her bare shoulders in front of a waterfall in the El Yunque National Forest. Post-holiday blues: Despite her smile Tara was no doubt upset to be heading home after indulging in an idyllic break over the New Year, which she documented on her social media sites Despite her happy demeanour and apparent body confidence, fans of the actress were quick to comment on the picture on the social networking site, many of them remarking on her worryingly thin physique. One user, shawnhempstead, told Tara that '30lbs would do you good'. And elisa.santi added: 'This is not beautiful and should not considered so ... this is unfortunately sick.' 'What the f**k happen to your body,' an Instagram follower called akamajaff chided her. And triedby12carriedby6 commented on her chest - which she has had augmented: 'You were infinitely hotter before all the work you had done.' Another fan of Tara's, j26silly, simply commented: 'To skinny (sic).' Holiday time! Tara shared a snap of herself on holiday in Puerto Rico with pals on Wednesday, but fans have commented on her worryingly thin frame, clearly visible in the bikini shot However, it wasn't all negativity towards Tara, as some of her fans stuck up for her in light of the more damning comments. Duchess.diaz wrote: 'Oooof course the females are the ones hating but you're a stunner @tarareid.' And panicchick praised the Sharknado star, adding to the comments section: '@tarareid I like you, you're real & beautiful.' Concern: The 40-year-old is known for her slight frame and previous botched boob job, but is still receiving criticism over her figure Over the years, Tara has gained more column inches for her ever-changing figure than she has for her big-screen efforts. Back in 2004, she underwent liposuction and breast enlargement surgery, but it went horribly wrong, something she later spoke about. 'It looked like I got completely butchered up,' she confessed of her enlarged cleavage. Of her liposuction, the star added: 'I had body contouring, but it all went wrong. My stomach became the most ripply, bulgy thing.' Hitting back: Tara (pictured in 2015), previously hit back at her body critics, saying - 'I'm just what I am. So if you wanna get mad at me cause I'm skinny, go ahead. I am what I am..' She has also previously claimed that she is just naturally thin, in response to body criticism. 'I'm just a small boned girl, you see?' she told TMZ in late 2014. 'I eat, I eat, I eat, I eat. 'Some people eat too much you yell at them - they're fat,' Tara said, referring to any critics saying her body was too frail. 'I'm just what I am,' she said. 'So if you wanna get mad at me cause I'm skinny, go ahead. I am what I am.' Meanwhile, Tara has had a wonderful festive period, and recently shared snaps of herself with her sister enjoying a spa break, showing off her bikini-clad chest in a selfie. She's dropped a total of 66kgs since her stint on The Biggest Loser Australia in 2008. So it's little wonder that Alison Braun has shown off her new trim figure in a plunging bikini while on holiday on Nusa Lembongan, a small island just off the coast of Bali. The 42-year-old blonde took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a selfie in a bright orange bikini showing off her thin frame and surgically enhanced bust. Scroll down for video Fit and fabulous! Alison Braun has shown off her new trim figure in a plunging bikini while on holiday on Nusa Lembongan, a small island just off the coast of Bali Flaunting a golden holiday tan, the reality TV star smiles in the image shared witj her more than 4, 700 followers. Covering her locks with a black cap and sweeping her hair off her face, she wears a dusting of foundation and lashings of mascara. Her colourful bikini top is halter neck in style and she wears a plain pair of stud earrings to finish her look. Alison captioned the shot: 'Loving my little bit of sun kissing,' adding hash tags including 'grateful' and 'happiness.' She's also been taking in the sights of Seminyak, Bali, and is on holiday with her partner Joe Martincevic, who is celebrating his 50th birthday. Romantic: She's also been enjoying the sights of Seminyak, Bali, and is on holiday with her partner Joe Martincevic, who is celebrating his 50th birthday while there The mother-of-three has shared numerous loved-up snaps from the trip, including of them enjoying romantic dinners near the beach. Alison has kept up her training while in the idyllic tourist hotspot, and has shared shots online of herself working up a sweat poolside in yoga leggings and a singlet. The pair have been in Bali for the past week, and before that, Alison celebrated her son Jaydon's wedding. She and her boy enjoyed a touching mother and son dance and she later told Daily Mail Australia her 'heart was bursting' at the time. 'He chose the song my [late] husband and I had our final dance to at our wedding and the final song we played when saying goodbye at his funeral,' Alison said, talking about Hunters and Collectors son Throw Your Arms Around Me. Keeping in shape! Alison has kept up her training while in the idyllic tourist hotspot and has shared shots online of her working up a sweat poolside Relaxing: The pair have been in Bali for the past week, and before that, Alison celebrated her son Jaydon's wedding Alison signed up for The Biggest Loser Australia at 121kg and shed 55.2kg on the series and 10kg afterwards. After the series, she had a breast augmentation and last year she shared a bikini shot to Instagram writing that she was astonished that she found the courage to pose in swimwear. 'Never did I think I would ever take a pic of me in a bikini in Bali,' she said. 'I never wanted to come to Bali because at 122kg I never felt like I fitted in,' adding: 'I still can't believe just how much life I missed out on.' The past few weeks has seen their relationship step up several notches after they met each others families. And happy couple Dave Billsborrow and Sarah-Mae Amey were seen returning to Sydney airport on Tuesday after their successful festive visits. The Bachelor star Sarah-Mae showed off her shapely legs in a pair of cut-off denim shorts which she teamed with a white shirt. Scroll down for video Home sweet home: Happy couple Dave Billsborrow and Sarah-Mae Amey were seen returning to Sydney airport on Tuesday after their successful festive visits Styling her brunette locks into a simple up-do, she wore a light amount of make-up and appeared in good spirits as she made her way through the airport with her partner. The Bachelorette hunk was also dressed casually as he lugged their suitcases towards their waiting car. Sarah-Mae Amey had previously been seen relaxing in Noosa, Queensland, after taking to Instagram on Monday to share a carefree snap of herself looking sensational in a plunging black bikini by designer Sammy And T. Touchdown: The Bachelor star Sarah-Mae showed off her shapely legs in a pair of cut-off denim shorts which she teamed with a white shirt Looking good: Styling her brunette locks into a simple up-do, she wore a light amount of make-up and appeared in good spirits as she made her way through the airport with her partner Fans were quick to shower the florist with compliments, with one begging her to reveal the secrets behind her physique. Sarah-Mae responded obligingly, saying: 'I try to do as many 45min spin/cycle classes as I can, heaps of greens & fish/salmon, not too much dairy or bread.. Oh & lemon in hot water every morning for sure Xx.' Days earlier, she accompanied Dave in his first meeting with her brood, who are based in the Gold Coast suburb of Coolangatta. On Sunday, the brown-eyed stunner documented the momentous occasion, taking to Instagram with a photo of herself nestled into Dave's chest while holding her young goddaughter. All smiles: The Bachelorette hunk was also dressed casually in as he lugged their suitcases towards their waiting car Going strong: Sarah-Mae Amey had previously been seen relaxing in Noosa, Queensland after taking to Instagram on Monday to share a carefree snap of herself in a black bikini Full steam ahead: Days earlier, she accompanied Dave in his first meeting with her brood, who are based in the Gold Coast suburb of Coolangatta 'Loved being home with all my beautiful family and friends', she wrote in the caption, before adding: '#AmeliaMadelaine turns 2. Yesterday we celebrated my baby goddaughter's 2nd Birthday. 'Loved being home with all my beautiful family & friends, even if it was for only 24 hours. Back to Noosa we go,' she gushed. The enamoured duo's trip to the Gold Coast followed a trip to Darwin, in which Sarah-Mae met Dave's relatives over Christmas. Sarah-Mae recently told Daily Mail Australia about how 'excited' she was to have Dave meet her clan. Ticked off the list: The enamoured duo's trip to the Gold Coast followed a trip to Darwin, in which Sarah-Mae met Dave's relatives over Christmas Not holding back: Sarah-Mae recently told Daily Mail Australia about how 'excited' she was to have Dave meet her clan 'He's coming home to the Gold Coast meet my family and friends next week so I'm really excited,' Sarah-Mae said at the time. She also gushed about Dave's family, saying: 'His family are so, so beautiful.' The pair have been dating for two months and were first introduced through her best friend Sam Frost and her man Sasha Mielczarek. Meanwhile, Dave's fellow The Bachelorette star and BFF, Davey LLoyd, took to Instagram sharing a picture of himself, Dave and Sasha captioned: 'Wouldn't mind another trip with these two bone heads again @dave_billsborrow @sash1313'. Loved-up: The pair have been dating for two months and were first introduced through her best friend Sam Frost and her man Sasha Mielczarek Lamar Odom was spotted being driven around Los Angeles on Monday, as he continues his recovery three months after overdosing at a Nevada brothel. The 36-year-old was pictured in the passenger seat of a white car, with a black hoodie pulled up over his head. The outing came on the same day prosecutors ruled that they won't be charging Lamar with any drug counts relating to the bender that saw him collapse in October. Scroll down for video Road to recovery: Troubled Lamar Odom was spotted being driven around Los Angeles on Monday Although the former NBA star left Cedars-Sinai hospital on Wednesday and been moved to a rehab facility, he still has a long way to go with his recovery. Lamar's estranged wife Khloe Kardashian has been by his side since his overdose, throughout his time in hospital and during his move to the facility near her Calabasas home. But she appeared to be referring to the troubled basketball player with a cryptic Instagram post on Monday. On the mend: The former NBA star left Cedars-Sinai hospital on Wednesday and been moved to a rehab facility, but he still has a long way to go with his recovery By his side: Lamar's estranged wife Khloe Kardashian (pictured last week) has been supporting him over the past three months since his overdose at a Nevada brothel in October Khloe shared the following quote: 'A girl once told me to be careful when trying to fix a broken person, for you may cut yourself on their shattered pieces.' However the 31-year-old is delighted with Lamar's progress and told People on Wednesday: 'He's doing amazing and I'm so proud of the strength that he has had to fight that battle. 'There is a very long road ahead of [Lamar]. He has to walk that road by himself and most importantly, he has to want to walk that road.' Khloe added: 'I will be there supporting him every step of the way.' Former flames: Lamar and Khloe (seen here in June 2012) married in September 2009, a month after they met. Khloe filed for divorce in December 2013 amid claims of Lamar's drug abuse and after he admitted to cheating Thinly veiled: The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star appeared to be referring to the ex-basketball player when she posted this quote on Monday The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star married Lamar in September 2009, one month after they met. Khloe filed for divorce from the former Lakers player in December 2013 following months of speculation that Lamar had been using drugs, and after he admitted to cheating on the reality star. Lamar was found unconscious at a Nevada brothel on October 13 with cocaine in his system. However District Attorney Angela Bello said on Monday that evidence in the case did not prove he used the drug during his three days in Nye County, so he could not be charged with unlawful use of cocaine or being under the influence of a controlled substance the felony count recommended by the sheriff's office. 'He's doing amazing': The 31-year-old, seen here last week, has said she is delighted with Lamar's progress Bello added that Lamar wasn't in possession of any cocaine and the cocaine discovered in his system had already metabolised making it difficult to determine the time he had used it when he was hospitalised in extremely critical condition in Las Vegas. It's 'unlikely it could (be) established beyond a reasonable doubt he actually ingested, or was impaired by, the drug during the time he was within the jurisdiction of Nye County,' she said in a statement. Investigators have not directly contacted Lamar but worked with his attorney, Blair Berk, a prominent celebrity lawyer in California who declined to comment on the decision by prosecutors. Bello said no other recommended charges have been sent to her office involving the situation. They've spent the last couple of weeks in the United States covering Awards season. But while Sasha Mielczarek follows his girlfriend Sam Frost around Los Angles with her radio co-host Rove McManus, he's been lumped with intern duties. Appearing on Today on Wednesday morning, the 2DayFM hosts joked to Richard Wilkins that Sasha has been their 'bag handler' and fetches them coffees. Sasha the intern! Rove McManus joked on Wednesday that his co-host Sam Frost's boyfriend Sasha Mielczarek has been lumped with intern duties while the radio duo report from LA 'He's kind of been our bag handler since we got in [to LA],' said Rove. 'Everywhere we go, poor Sasha's having carry [our things]. "Can you go get us coffees?" or "Can you give us a lift here?"' he joked. The Bachelorette added fondly: 'He's been such a superstar,' while looking beyond the camera where Sasha was 'hiding' as the trio stood on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street. She also added that she's been thoroughly enjoying her time in the US, saying: 'I've never been to the US before, I feel like I'm in a movie!' 'He's been such a superstar': The Bachelorette spoke fondly of her 'big teddy bear' boyfriend Having a ball: The 2DayFM hosts have been in the US covering Awards season including the People's Choice Awards Indeed, the 26-year-old has been taking in all the sights of Tinseltown with her beau, visiting Disneyland and going to an LA Lakers basketball game. Documenting their trip to Instagram, the smitten pair shared photos in front of the fairytale castle in Disneyland, with Sam wearing a Goofy hat. 'Goofy and I on Day 1 of our America trip. Had an amazing day with @fro01 and ecstatic to be with my girl on her first time to Disneyland!' wrote Sasha in the caption of his photo. Tourists! Sam said she's never been to the US before, and is loving her time there Going out to the ball game: The smitten couple got to enjoy an LA Lakers basketball while in Tinseltown It hasn't been all fun and games for the couple however, as Sam was required to interview celebrities on the red carpet for the People's Choice Awards. The Sydney-based radio duo were placed next to OCTV network, no doubt giving Sam an opportunity to compare notes with experienced, international media outlets. 'I feel like your name in laminate is the same as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, right? @RoveAndSam,' Rove went on to caption a close-up photo of the pair's position on the red carpet. Obama, Jordan's king hold brief meeting President Barack Obama and Jordan's King Abdullah met for around five minutes at a military base near Washington on Wednesday, hoping to quash suggestions of a White House snub of the monarch. Before hitting the road to sell his State of the Union address in Nebraska, Obama met Abdullah in the VIP lounge of Joint Base Andrews. Abdullah had been in Washington for days without meeting Obama, raising questions about the health of a normally close relationship. US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter (L) stands alongside Jordan's King Abdullah II during an honor cordon upon his arrival for meetings at the Pentagon on January 11, 2016 Saul Loeb (AFP) White House aides denied there was any snub of the king, citing scheduling problems because of the Tuesday evening primetime address. "The president regrets that he is unable to meet with him personally on this visit due to scheduling conflicts, including the State of the Union address," a White House spokesperson said. Abdullah instead met with Vice President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Secretary of State John Kerry. Kerry and Abdullah discussed the fight against the Islamic State group and efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, a diplomat said. For his part, Carter expressed his "deep appreciation... for Jordan's continued contributions to regional counter-ISIL efforts," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said. Obama and Abdullah had last met in Washington almost a year ago. Since then, the fight against the Islamic State group has intensified and efforts to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have yielded nothing. US Supreme Court appears poised to rule against unions The US Supreme Court appeared likely Monday to deal a major blow to public employee unions that could see them lose millions of dollars in fees that state laws force non-union members to pay. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Anthony Kennedy, who often holds the balance between the court's progressive and conservative wings, both hinted they could side against the unions. The nine justices are weighing a challenge brought by a group of California public school teachers who say they should not be forced to pay dues to the state union that negotiates their collective contract. The US Supreme Court's nine justices are weighing a challenge brought by a group of California public school teachers who say they should not be forced to pay dues to the state union that negotiates their collective contract Jim Watson (AFP/File) Under California law, non-unionized teachers at public schools cannot go it alone, the government having decided that negotiating with a single interlocutor is in the best interest of all. The system, upheld in a 1977 Supreme Court decision, has been adopted by more than 20 US states and has been consistently reaffirmed by the courts. Union membership in the United States has dropped since the late 1950s, leaving public sector unions as one of the last bastions of the American labor movement. Education, police and firefighters are the most highly unionized sectors, with a workforce that is about 35 percent unionized, compared to about 11 percent for the rest of the country, according to 2014 data. - Millions of workers affected - Monday's hearing comes against the backdrop of a so-called "right to work" offensive led by conservatives in recent years. Both Roberts and Kennedy were skeptical of the California Teachers Association's claim that non-union members would be freeloading if they are no longer required to pay the union's fees because they would benefit from collective bargaining for free. Since most of the California teachers union's members appear to support collective bargaining, "it seems to me the free-rider concern that's been raised is really insignificant," said Roberts. Kennedy said the unions are "making these teachers 'compelled riders' for issues on which they strongly disagree." Justice Antonin Scalia also expressed sympathy with the teachers' argument that their free speech rights as guaranteed under the US Constitution are violated when they are forced to pay union dues. "The problem is that everything that is collectively bargained with the government is within the political sphere, almost by definition," he said. The court's progressive justices expressed a clear reluctance to overturn a system that has been shown to work over four decades. "These contracts affect millions of employees, maybe as high as 10 million employees," said Justice Elena Kagan. She warned that throwing the state laws out would create a "heavy burden." Labor unions and think tanks also raised alarm this week over the likely impact of overturning the state laws. "The intended effect is to essentially bankrupt public sector unions, including many nurse unions that advocate for patient safety," said Jean Ross, co-president of National Nurses United, the country's largest nurses' union. Ross said it would allow public employees to gain the advantage of union membership, including wage increases, health coverage and retirement benefits, "while avoiding any financial responsibility to help support the work done by their union on their behalf." Michele Jawando, of the Center for American Progress, said striking down the laws would make it harder for workers to organize. "While some may see this attack as only impacting unions, the reality is this is a direct strike at the middle class," she said. "If the court sides with right to work conservative advocates, employers will have an increasingly upper hand in negotiations." Renault-Nissan 'ready' to expand in Iran, with caution: Ghosn The Renault-Nissan alliance is ready to expand its manufacturing footprint in Iran once sanctions are lifted, but will be "extremely careful" about the execution, chief Carlos Ghosn said Monday. "Iran is a very promising market," Ghosn said on the sidelines of the Detroit auto show. "Today it's more than one million cars, it has the potential to go to 1.5 or 2 million." Carlos Ghosn, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Nissan Motor Company speaks to reporters during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, January 11, 2016 Geoff Robins (AFP) The rate of car ownership in Iran is just 100 per 1,000 people -- six times less than in Europe -- and consumers have had limited access to new vehicles since economic sanctions imposed by Europe and the United States prompted some automakers to leave the country. The historic accord reached in July over Tehran's nuclear program opens the door to lifting sanctions. US Secretary of State John Kerry said last week that the deal will be implemented in a matter of "days." "We're ready to go, but we want to go in a way which is sustainable," Ghosn told reporters. "You don't want to go too precipitously and create for ourselves a bigger problem than we need. So I think yes, lots of potential in Iran, but still the timing is going to need to be politically correct and completely clear from a legal point of view." An official with Pars Khodro told The Wall Street Journal in July that the Renault was negotiating taking a minority stake in the state-owned automaker. The official also said Renault was in talks to buy facilities like the auto factories of Pars Khodro parent Saipa. The Iranian sanctions strangled local production of Renault vehicles, which are assembled with imported parts. Meanwhile, French rival PSA Peugeot Citroen -- which left Iran in 2012 as a result of the sanctions -- is involved in "intense discussions" with its former partner Iran Khodro over creating a new joint enterprise. Guzman's US extradition could take a year: Mexico Mexican authorities signaled Monday that extraditing Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to the United States could take more than a year, while the slippery drug kingpin waits in the prison from which he previously escaped. While the government seeks to ship Guzman across the border, a military tank sits outside the Altiplano prison west of the capital and a cell's floors were reinforced with metal rods to prevent another tunnel. The extradition bid comes as new details about Guzman's surprise meeting with Sean Penn in October emerged, with a newspaper publishing pictures showing that the US actor was monitored by the authorities. Drug kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman is escorted into a helicopter at Mexico City's airport on January 8, 2016, following his recapture during an intense military operation in Los Mochis, Mexico's Sinaloa State Alfredo Estrella (AFP/File) The effort to extradite him marks a reversal from President Enrique Pena Nieto's refusal to send Guzman to the United States prior to his July escape from the maximum-security facility. Authorities launched the process on Sunday -- two days after his capture -- based on petitions from courts in California and Texas on charges that include drug trafficking and homicide. "The average (extradition) timeframe is one year but it could take up to five years," Attorney General Arely Gomez told Radio Formula. Guzman's lawyer, Juan Pablo Badillo, has vowed to launch a "tough" legal battle that could reach the Supreme Court. A judge granted Guzman a temporary injunction against extradition the day of his arrest and a court now has to rule on its validity. Gomez vowed to fight any injunction and some experts say the government could try a "fast-track" extradition maneuver to speed up the process. "They will try to extradite him as fast as possible," Raul Benitez Manaut, a security expert at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, told AFP. Previously arrested in February 2014, it took Guzman just 17 months to escape from the Altiplano penitentiary after his henchmen dug a 1.5-kilometer (one-mile) tunnel that led to a hole in his cell shower's floor. A dozen prison officials have been arrested over the escape. Officials defended the decision to put him back in the same prison, saying security was beefed up to avoid another escape. "I think it's safe to assume that they understand that the world is watching how this case moves forward and that this individual needs to stay behind bars," said US State Department spokesman John Kirby. Guzman's escape humiliated Pena Nieto, who had vowed to keep him behind bars and put him on trial in Mexico even though the drug lord had already fled from another prison in 2001. - Penn was monitored? - While Guzman could face US justice, Mexican authorities are investigating the clandestine meeting between Penn and Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, who brokered the interview. Authorities want to question the actors. The newspaper El Universal published pictures on Monday showing the two actors arriving at the airport in the western city of Guadalajara on October 2. Another picture shows the pair greeting a man before taking a car that took them to an airstrip in the neighboring state of Nayarit, the newspaper said. One of the two small planes they boarded is pictured, supposedly heading toward Guzman's hideout in northwestern Mexico. The images are part of a Mexican intelligence report obtained by the daily. Penn wrote in a Rolling Stone article published Saturday that he had received a "credible tip" that the US Drug Enforcement Administration "had indeed become aware of our journey to Mexico." The US rock magazine posted an October 2 picture showing Penn shaking Guzman's hand during the meeting in an undisclosed jungle clearing in Mexico. - Meeting led to capture - Gomez said the meeting was an "essential element" that led to Guzman's capture. On October 6, or four days after the meeting, Guzman was nearly nabbed in a military raid in the state of Durango, but troops didn't shoot because he was with two women and a girl. Guzman was finally captured on Friday in a raid that left five suspects dead in Los Mochis, a coastal city in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, six months after his prison break. A video of the operation shows marines firing their assault rifles and tossing grenades inside a room. One troop comforts a wounded colleague, telling him "stay calm, buddy." During the shootout, Guzman escaped through a tunnel that was hidden behind a mirror. It led to the city's storm drain system, but the drug lord and his security chief were caught later after they came out of a manhole and stole a car. Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman recaptured - (AFP Graphic) A Mexican marine keeps watch at the house where five alleged gang members were killed in the military operation which resulted in the recapture of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, in Los Mochis city, Sinaloa State, Mexico on January 11, 2016 Hector Guerrero (AFP) Navy marines enter a house during the operation to recapture Mexico's most wanted drug kingpin, Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, in Los Mochis, on January 8, 2016 - (Mexican Navy/AFP/File) Murderer on vocals: Malawi prison band vies for Grammy glory On vocals: convicted murderer Elias Chimenya, on bass guitar: burglar Stefano Nyerenda, and prison guard Thomas Binamo is one of the band's songwriters. Malawi's Zomba Prison Project band has a unique line-up that could grab global success at the recording industry's prestigious Grammy Awards next month. Their 20-track record "I Have No Everything Here" has been nominated in the Best World Music Album category, with the winner to be announced at a gala ceremony in Los Angeles. Malawi's Zomba Prison Project band member Thomasi Juma, an inmate, plays the drums during a rehearsal at the Central Prison's makeshift music studio in Zomba Amos Gumulira (AFP) Musical talent at the Zomba maximum-security prison was unearthed in 2013 when US producer Ian Brennan spent two weeks working with 60 inmates and guards to make the album. Six hours of recordings were edited down into the final selection of songs, featuring 16 of the prison's musicians, singing mainly in the local Chichewa language. Elias Chimenya, 46, who is serving a life term for killing a man in a quarrel in the 1980s, wrote and sang the haunting ballad "Jealous Neighbour", the album's fifth track. "I am a reformed person, and music has helped me to be cool and deal with the situation of being incarcerated for life," he told AFP at the decrepit prison in the poor southern African nation. "(But) I hope to not die in prison, and instead to be released to take up a music career outside." - 'Already made us famous' - More than two years after the recording sessions, news of the award nomination came as a surprise to inmates. "We are baffled because we didn't expect prisoners could be nominated," said Nyerenda, the 34-year-old guitarist, who expects to be freed next year after serving a 10-year sentence for house burglary. The prison already had an all-male band that tours local schools to spread HIV prevention messages. But the Grammy-nominated album includes other inmates -- and half the songs are by women prisoners living in a separate part of the jail where they have no instruments except hand drums, buckets and pieces of pipe. Among the songs on the album, which was recorded in a makeshift studio next to a noisy carpentry workshop, are tracks called "Last Wishes", "I Am Alone" and "Don't Hate Me". "The nomination alone has inspired us and already made us famous both in Malawi and abroad," said Binamo, the prison guard who wrote the lyrics for a song called "Please. Don't Kill My Child." "Winning an award will be the icing on the cake," he added, as band members wearing white prison uniforms rehearsed a new song in the bare studio under a single light bulb. "We teach vocals, keyboard, drums and guitar until they become musicians. Playing music can bring relief to them," Binawo said. "Many people have a negative attitude towards the prison authorities. They think we only punish convicts." Brennan, who has worked regularly in US prisons, said he was amazed by how music sessions in the Zomba jail "did not have any rigid boundary between guards and prisoners." "I was struck by how the voices are unique, unaffected and direct," he added. Brennan also defended the album, which was released last year, against accusations that it celebrated criminals. "This is not about glorifying anyone -- it is about humanising, and everyone should be humanised," he said. "Some of these prisoners have been proved innocent and released. Others are caught up in bureaucracy for years. But yes, some people are in for life, for murder." - 'What's a Grammy?' - Brennan said the prison, built in the 1930s, was in poor repair but that the prisoners appeared to be relatively well-treated. "Considering the tremendous shortage of resources, I would say prison officials do make an effort to rehabilitate prisoners and provide decent conditions," he told AFP. "It is an incredible thing that they were nominated." The prisoners were paid a small fee for the recording, and any profits will be shared among them -- including several who have since been released. "When I heard the news, I said, 'What is a Grammy?'" recalled Little Dinizulu Mtengano, acting chief commissioner of prisons in Malawi. "Straight from my lunch, I went to the prison to break it to them. They were surprised, but some knew what the Grammys were." No one from the jail is expected to attend the award ceremony on February 15. Also competing in their category are albums by South African choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Indian sitar musician Anoushka Shankar, the daughter of the late sitar maestro Ravi Shankar. Another of the prisoner performers, Chikondi Salanje, a convicted thief who sings the album's opening track, said the nomination led him to reflect on his time in jail. "This is the place where I discovered my potential," he said. "I always tell myself that if I were outside, I would have been killed or faced something terrible. "But I am glad to be part of the people that have put Malawi on the map." One of Malawi's Zomba Prison Project band vocalists, Correctional Services Sergeant Ines Kaunde, performs during a rehearsal at the Central Prison's makeshift music studio in Zomba Amos Gumulira (AFP) Cuban migrants aiming for US to fly out of Costa Rica A group of 180 Cuban migrants is to fly from Costa Rica to El Salvador on Tuesday, blazing a trail thousands of their compatriots stranded in Central America hope will see all of them securing new lives in the United States. The "pilot" scheme worked out between the governments of several countries in the region will see the 180 arriving in El Salvador to be put on buses to cross neighboring Guatemala to the Mexican border. They will then have a 20-day Mexican visa to find their own way to the border with America. A group of Cuban migrants rest at a shelter in La Cruz, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, near the border with Nicaragua Ezequiel Becerra (AFP/File) They are allowed to cross that frontier under a US law passed nearly 50 years ago, during the Cold War, that specifically welcomes refugees fleeing Communist-ruled Cuba. If no problems arise, a second flight with a similar number will leave Costa Rica a week later. "We are doing this in stages. We need to create experience, to build confidence. We need to guarantee that all goes well," said Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel Gonzalez. - Closed land borders - The hope for nearly 8,000 other Cubans stranded in Costa Rica is that the air bridge will continue afterwards. The main condition to get a place on the flights is that the migrants pay for plane-and-bus trip themselves: $535 each. That is a fortune for Cubans coming from a homeland where the monthly state wage is a meager $20. Most of the migrants sold everything they had to pay for flights to Ecuador and for "coyotes" -- slang for people smugglers -- to get them across Colombia and into Central America. That clandestine path got blocked in November, when Costa Rica busted a people-smuggling ring they had been depending on, then Nicaragua -- a Cuban ally -- steadfastly refused to let any of them cross its border. That bottleneck on the narrow Central American isthmus saw the thousands of Cubans pile into Costa Rica with no route north. A frustrated Costa Rica itself blocked the entry into its territory of any more Cubans from December 19, leading to Panama finding itself caring for 2,000 Cuban migrants unable to cross the border. Costa Rica pleaded with other Central American countries to accept an air bridge skipping over Nicaragua to allow the Cubans on its soil a way out. After multiple rejections -- including initially from El Salvador -- the nascent flight deal emerged two weeks ago, in coordination with the International Organization for Migration. - 'Joy' over flight - A plane owned by the Colombia-based airline Avianca has been chartered to fly the group of Cubans out of Costa Rica's northern city of Liberia late Tuesday, at 10:25 pm (0425 GMT). An hour later, it will disembark in El Salvador's capital. Buses will take the Cubans to the town of La Hachadura, on the border with Guatemala, then across that country to Tecun Uman, on the border with Mexico. Other Cubans stranded in Costa Rica believe the air-and-land experiment will eventually lead to them also making it to America. "It was a moment of great joy when they told us some of us will be able to get out. I wanted to be in the first group but I wasn't in charge of that decision," said Henry Roque, a 42-year-old Cuban doctor. Roque intends to get to Miami, where his brother is living. He found himself stuck in Costa Rica when Nicaragua closed its border and posted police and soldiers along it. Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel Gonzalez talks during a press conference at the Liberia International Airport, some 180 km north of San Jose, in December 2015 Carlos Gonzalez (AFP/File) Obama tells anxious US to embrace change President Barack Obama told Americans nervous about terror and a changing economy that they should not fear the future, in a farewell State of the Union address that drew sharp contrast with Republicans. In a primetime address that bubbled with 2016 election politics, Obama assailed Republicans for talking up the threat posed by the Islamic State group and talking down the American economy. A self-assured and optimistic Obama cast himself as the foil of foes who warn the country is going in the wrong direction because of his seven years in office. US President Barack Obama hailed a period of "extraordinary change" laden with both opportunity and the risk of wider inequality Saul Loeb (AFP) Hailing an epoch of "extraordinary change" laden with risk and opportunity, Obama called for a new "moonshot" to cure cancer, a shift away from dirty energy to power the world's biggest economy and for a thaw in the last remnants of the Cold War by ending the embargo on Cuba. Obama insisted "America has been through big changes before," as he took thinly veiled shots at Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and other leading Republican presidential candidates. "Each time, there have been those who told us to fear the future, who claimed we could slam the brakes on change, promising to restore past glory if we just got some group or idea that was threatening America under control. And each time, we overcame those fears." With less than three weeks until the Iowa caucuses -- the first votes cast in the process to replace him -- Obama berated Republican economic rhetoric, saying "anyone claiming that America's economy is in decline is peddling fiction." But some of his toughest words were for Republican statements over the rise of the Islamic State group. He painted the jihadists as "masses of fighters on the back of pickup trucks, twisted souls plotting in apartments or garages." He admitted that the extremists, who have overrun large areas of Syria and Iraq, pose an "enormous danger," but made clear: "They do not threaten our national existence." "Our answer needs to be more than tough talk or calls to carpet-bomb civilians. That may work as a TV sound bite, but it doesn't pass muster on the world's stage," he said pointedly. "Over-the-top claims that this is World War III just play into their hands." And in a volley clearly aimed at Trump, Obama warned that "when politicians insult Muslims... that's not telling it like it is. It's just wrong. It diminishes us in the eyes of the world." The Republican frontrunner Trump was not impressed, describing the speech on Twitter as "really boring, slow, lethargic - very hard to watch!" - Last chance? - Tuesday's address was arguably Obama's last big opportunity to sway a national audience and frame the 2016 White House race. Around 30 million viewers were expected to watch live, a nationwide audience that may only be matched in political terms during the Democratic nominating convention later this year. But it risked being overshadowed by news that 10 US Navy personnel had been taken to an Iranian naval base in the Gulf. Senior US officials said they had received assurances the crews would sail onwards come first light, but Republicans held up the crisis up as evidence that Obama was naive to engage Tehran. Overall, it was an unorthodox speech that eschewed the typical laundry list of legislative priorities as Obama tried to lift the country's gaze beyond the next year, and beyond his presidency. But he also tacitly, and explicitly, admitted mistakes. There was no mention of the racial tensions that have dogged the tenure of the first black president. There was only a fleeting reference, and a symbolic empty seat in the chamber, to gun control and the awful toll of American gun violence. - 'Angriest voices' - Obama did take some blame for Washington's hyperpartisan politics. "It's one of the few regrets of my presidency -- that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better," he said in a moment of personal candor. "There's no doubt a president with the gifts of Lincoln or Roosevelt might have better bridged the divide, and I guarantee I'll keep trying to be better so long as I hold this office." South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said in the traditional Republican rebuttal of Obama's address that "the president's record has often fallen far short of his soaring words." "As he enters his final year in office, many Americans are still feeling the squeeze of an economy too weak to raise income levels." She also cited "chaotic unrest in many of our cities" and "the most dangerous terrorist threat our nation has seen since September 11." But Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants, also jabbed at Trump over his views on immigration. "During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices," she said. "We must resist that temptation. No one who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws, and love our traditions should ever feel unwelcome in this country." While vowing to work to find a cure for cancer, accelerate the shift away from "dirty energy" and end the last remnants of the Cold War by engaging with Cuba, President Barack Obama said "America has been through big changes before" Evan Vucci (POOL/AFP) The primetime address was perhaps US President Barack Obama's last big opportunity to sway a national audience and frame the 2016 election race Saul Loeb (AFP) US First Lady Michelle Obama listens to the State of the Union address sitting next to a chair "left empty for the victims of gun violence who no longer have a voice," the White House said Nicholas Kamm (AFP) France's Orange snaps up Liberian mobile operator Cellcom French telecommunications group Orange said Tuesday it had reached an agreement to buy 100 percent of Cellcom, Liberia's number two mobile operator, for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition "will enable Orange to strengthen its positions in Africa, which is a strategic priority for the Group", it said in a statement. Orange noted that the Liberian market had room for expansion as only two-thirds of the population own a mobile phone, a lower rate than in other countries in West Africa. With a considerable number of subscribers already, "Cellcom has excellent potential for growth over the coming years", said Orange Denis Charlet (AFP/File) With a considerable number of subscribers already, "Cellcom has excellent potential for growth over the coming years", said Orange. Syria army 'seizes' key rebel stronghold in Latakia Syria's army and allied forces on Tuesday took full control from rebel groups of the strategic town of Salma, in the northwestern province of Latakia, state television reported. In a breaking news flash, the channel said the army, backed by the pro-government National Defence Forces militia, had also seized hilltops surrounding the town. Government forces were combing the area for mines and explosive devices "left behind by terrorist groups in the buildings, streets, and squares of the town," it said. Syrian rebels seized control of the town of Salma in the coastal province of Latakia in 2012 Miguel Medina (AFP/File) The town's recapture is a major boost for Syria's beleaguered army, which had been mostly locked in a stalemate with rebel factions in the province. Since 2012, Salma had been the main bastion for opposition groups in hilly Latakia, which remains largely controlled by government forces. - Assad thanks 'friendly nations' - Opposition forces in Latakia province -- including the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front -- are largely based in the northern and northeastern areas of Jabal Akrad and Jabal Turkman. Regime forces have fought fierce battles in recent months to retake those areas with help from Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters and from Russian air strikes. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Russia conducted more than 120 air strikes over 48 hours in support of the army's Salma offensive. Syrian troops have since September 30 been backed by an intense air campaign by Russia, a staunch ally of President Bashar al-Assad. On Tuesday, Russian strikes killed 35 civilians in the provinces of Idlib, in Syria's northwest, and Aleppo, in the north, the Observatory said. Twenty-one civilians were killed in Russian raids on Maaret al-Numan, an opposition-held town in Idlib province, it said. The toll included two paramedics, two media activists and one child. Another 14 civilians, including three children, were killed in Russian raids on Manbij, a town in Aleppo province held by the Islamic State jihadist group, the monitor said. Rights groups have condemned Russia for killing civilians in its air war, but Moscow insists it is fighting extremist groups. In comments carried by state news agency SANA on Tuesday, Assad said the support of "friendly nations" like Iran and Russia had allowed Syria to fight off "terrorism". Speaking after meeting with Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, Assad said he "appreciated the positions of Iran, which supported Syria in the face of terrorism". "Friendly nations, chiefly Iran and Russia, have played an important role in supporting Syrians over the past five years to score victories in their war against takfiri (extremist Sunni) terrorism," Assad said. Since the country's uprising broke out nearly five years ago, Syria's government has regularly referred to all its opponents as "terrorists". On Tuesday, Fazli said Iran had "robustly" supported the Syrian people, who are engaged "in a global war against terrorism and takfiri extremist ideas," SANA reported. He said on Monday that Iran was equipping and training Syrian government forces but not providing direct aid. Last year, a US official said as many as 2,000 fighters from Iran and its regional allies were supporting Syria's army in offensives against rebels. Iran denies having fighters on the ground in Syria. The conflict in Syria erupted in March 2011 with anti-regime protests, which spiralled into a full-fledged war that has left more than 260,000 people dead and forced millions from their homes. Map of Syria locating the rebel bastion of Salma in Latakia province Valentina Breschi (AFP) Evacuation talks under way for besieged Syria town Aid groups pressed on with talks to evacuate hundreds of people, many starving, from a besieged Syrian town, as the UN warned more would die unless blockades are lifted. Elsewhere in Syria, forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad scored a landmark victory against rebels by capturing the key town of Salma, in the country's northwest. The United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent held talks on Tuesday to evacuate around 400 people from the starvation-struck town of Madaya. Syrians are helped by members of the government forces on the outskirts of the besieged rebel-held town of Madaya, on January 11, 2016 Louai Beshara (AFP/File) More than two dozen people have reportedly starved to death there, crippled by a six-month government siege that has made even bread and water hard to find. The UN humanitarian coordinator for Syria, Yacoub El Hillo, warned that "many more will die" unless government forces and rebels lift sieges of towns across the country. El Hillo, who toured Madaya where he said he saw "severely malnourished people", described the blockades as the "tactic of war" being used by all sides in the nearly five-year conflict. "It must stop," he said. "Many more will die if the world does not move faster" to end the sieges, which he said were chiefly to blame for the suffering. On Monday, the first aid trucks in about four months entered Madaya, delivering desperately needed food and medicine. At least one more delivery is expected in the coming days, a UN official said. But hundreds of residents remain in need of urgent care, and aid groups are working on their evacuation, said ICRC spokesman Pawel Krzysiek. "It's a very complicated process that needs permission to realise this humanitarian operation. We are in negotiations with all parties," he told AFP, adding that it could take some time. - 'No comparison' - The level of suffering in Madaya has no precedent in Syria's war, the UN refugee agency's representative in Syria said. "There is no comparison in what we saw in Madaya," Sajjad Malik told reporters in Geneva. "There are people in Madaya, but no life. What we saw in Madaya should not happen in this century," said Malik, who travelled to Madaya on Monday. "We want to make sure the siege is lifted." The town is part of a six-month UN-brokered truce that also includes the nearby rebel-held town of Zabadani, and Fuaa and Kafraya, two government-controlled towns in Syria's northwest. The agreement, reached in September, foresaw an end to hostilities in the four towns in exchange for humanitarian aid and some evacuations. The situation in Fuaa and Kafraya also "remains very concerning," with little drinking water, food, or electricity, said Krzysiek. Syria's regime has championed localised ceasefires as a way to end the conflict, which has killed 260,000 people. But with the war approaching its sixth year, UN agencies on Tuesday appealed for $7.73 billion in funding to help 22.5 million people affected by the conflict. - Major regime victory - But government forces have also ramped up ground offensives against rebels across the country, with air support from Russia. On Tuesday, the army and National Defence Forces militia took full control from rebels of the strategic town of Salma, in the northwestern province of Latakia. State television said pro-government forces also seized surrounding hilltops and were combing them for landmines and explosive devices. The army's command described Salma as "the main operational centre for terrorist groups" in the area and its recapture was an "important accomplishment". Seizing Salma -- the main bastion of opposition forces since 2012 -- is a major boost for Syria's beleaguered army, which had been mostly locked in a stalemate with rebel factions in the province. Regime forces have fought fierce battles in recent months to retake rebel-controlled areas with help from Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters and from Russian air strikes. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Russia conducted more than 120 air strikes over 48 hours in support of the army's Salma offensive. And on Tuesday, suspected Russian strikes killed 57 civilians, including children and paramedics, in Idlib province, adjacent to Latakia, and in Aleppo in the north, the Observatory said. Rights groups have condemned Russia for killing civilians in its air war, but Moscow insists it is fighting extremist groups. Meanwhile the UN said its envoy to Syria would meet on Wednesday with ambassadors from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Staffan de Mistura is trying to shore up support for planned peace talks later this month between Damascus and the opposition. Map locating Madaya in Syria under siege by President Bashar al-Assad's forces for six months Syrians are evacuated from the besieged rebel-held town of Madaya, on January 11, 2016 Louai Beshara (AFP) Syrians wait for an aid convoy in the besieged town of Madaya, on January 11, 2016 Marwan Ibrahim (AFP) Aid vehicles wait on the outskirts of the besieged rebel-held Syrian town of Madaya, on January 11, 2016 Louai Beshara (AFP) Evacuation talks under way for besieged Syrian town Aid groups were in talks Tuesday to evacuate 400 people, many starving, from a besieged Syrian town where the UN said suffering was the worst seen in the nearly five-year-old war. More than two dozen people have reportedly starved to death in Madaya, crippled by a six-month government siege that has made even bread and water hard to find. On Monday, the first trucks of aid in about four months entered the town, delivering desperately needed food and medicine. Aid vehicles wait on the outskirts of the besieged rebel-held Syrian town of Madaya, on January 11, 2016 Louai Beshara (AFP) But hundreds of residents remain in need of urgent care, and humanitarian organisations were working on their evacuation, according to International Committee of the Red Cross spokesman Pawel Krzysiek. "It's a very complicated process that needs permission to realise this humanitarian operation. We are in negotiations with all parties," Krzysiek told AFP. He said the ICRC, the United Nations and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent were all "working on" the evacuation process. UN aid chief Stephen O'Brien on Monday called for Syria's government to allow the 400 people to leave the town to receive medical care. "They are in grave peril of losing their lives," O'Brien told reporters after a UN Security Council meeting. Permission for safe access must come from "all the parties who govern any of the routes that need to be deployed, either for the ambulances or for any kind of air rescue," said O'Brien. - 'No comparison' - The level of suffering in Madaya has no precedent in Syria's war, the UN refugee agency's representative in Syria said. "There is no comparison in what we saw in Madaya," Sajjad Malik told journalists in Geneva, when asked to compare the devastation in the town to other areas in Syria. He had travelled to Madaya on Monday along with the UN's aid convoy, and expressed shock at the devastation in the town. "There are people in Madaya, but no life. What we saw in Madaya should not happen in this century," Malik said. "We want to make sure the siege is lifted and this is not a one-off." Syria's envoy to the UN dismissed reports of civilians dying of hunger as fabricated, insisting that the Syrian government "is not and will not exert any policy of starvation on its own people". Ambassador Bashar Jaafari said the reports were aimed at "demonising" the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Madaya is part of a six-month UN-brokered truce reached in September that also includes the nearby rebel-held town of Zabadani, and Fuaa and Kafraya, two government-controlled towns in Syria's northwest. The agreement foresaw an end to hostilities in the four towns in exchange for humanitarian aid and some evacuations. A UN official said "one or two more aid deliveries" to the towns would be carried out in the coming days. Similar local ceasefires have been reached elsewhere in Syria, and typically require rebels to lay down their weapons in exchange for allowing in assistance to inhabitants living under siege. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) welcomed the calls for the evacuation of hundreds from Madaya but said a long-term solution was needed. "The medics in Madaya are not equipped for technical hospitalisation of really critical cases," it said in an emailed statement. Therefore, it was necessary to evacuate "critically malnourished and sick patients" from the town. But "MSF wants to know what will happen next week, or next month, for critically ill patients." "Will they have a medical evacuation option? A one-off humanitarian visit and then a return to siege-starvation will not be acceptable," the statement said. Elsewhere in Syria, government troops backed by pro-regime forces on Tuesday advanced into the main rebel bastion in the northwest province of Latakia, the coastal heartland of Assad's clan. The push into Salma, which has been held by rebel groups for more than three years, was reported by both the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor and state news agency SANA. Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the British-based monitor, said pro-government forces were locked in fierce fighting with rebels including Islamist hardliners Ahrar al-Sham and Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front. Map locating Madaya in Syria under siege by President Bashar al-Assad's forces for six months A Syrian girl crosses the road on the outskirts of the besieged rebel-held Syrian town of Madaya, as an aid convoy waits to enter the town on January 11, 2016 Louai Beshara (AFP) China denies access to detained Swedish rights worker: group China is preventing embassy officials from speaking to a Swedish human rights worker it is holding, the group he works for said Wednesday, adding that he requires regular medical care for a potentially life threatening illness. Peter Dahlin was detained last week on the way to Beijing's international airport on suspicion of endangering state security, the Chinese Urgent Action Working Group said in a statement sent to AFP. His girlfriend, a Chinese national, is also missing, it added. Peter Dahlin, who worked for the Chinese Urgent Action Working Group, was detained earlier this month as he prepared to board a flight in Beijing, colleague Michael Caster told AFP Goh Chai Hin (AFP/File) The group said it supports 'barefoot' lawyers who provide pro-bono legal aid to grassroots victims of rights violations, from demolition and eviction to arbitrary detention. "Despite constant requests by the Swedish Embassy, the Chinese authorities have denied direct contact with Peter and have not provided any communications from Peter to the embassy," the statement said. "Peter suffers from Addison's Disease, a rare defect of the adrenal gland, which is potentially life threatening unless properly medicated daily." The group cited Chinese authorities as saying Dahlin was detained on January 4 on suspicion of endangering state security. Sweden's embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the issue of access. In an email on Tuesday the embassy said that "a Swedish citizen, man in his mid-thirties, has been detained in China," adding it was "investigating". China's ruling Communist Party under President Xi Jinping has stepped up a campaign against outspoken academics, lawyers and human rights activists, which has seen hundreds detained and dozens jailed. It has also drafted a new law that would put overseas non-governmental organisations under close supervision by Chinese police while operating in the country. Chinese state-run media often accuse foreign NGOs of undermining national security and trying to foment "colour revolution" against the Communist Party. China also introduced a new "national security" law in July that was criticised by rights groups for the vague wording of its references to "security", which raised fears it could give police wide-ranging discretionary powers over civil society. Three Palestinians shot dead by Israelis during unrest Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinians during an attempted stabbing attack in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday while a third was killed in unrelated clashes, officials said. Two young Palestinians were killed after one of them attempted to stab an Israeli soldier near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, the army said, the latest in more than three months of such attacks. "A Palestinian attacker, armed with a knife, attempted to stab a soldier securing the Beit Hanoun junction near Hebron," a statement said. "Responding to the imminent threat, forces at the scene fired towards the assailant, resulting in his death." An soldier stands guard in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Menahem Kahana (AFP/File) A second man, who the army said had driven the attacker to the scene, was shot and injured as he fled. Palestinian security sources said he later died, with the health ministry identifying the two as 23-year-old Mohammed Kowazba and 17-year-old Adnan al-Mashti. Earlier a 21-year-old was shot and killed during protests near Bethlehem. "Young man killed after being shot in the chest by (Israeli) forces in Beit Jala," a Palestinian health ministry statement said, referring to a town south of Jerusalem in the West Bank. It identified him as 21-year-old Srur Ahmad Abu Srur from Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem. The Israeli army confirmed forces had fired on a "violent riot" in Beit Jala. "A hit was confirmed," a spokeswoman said. Hospital sources said a second person was shot in the leg during the clashes. Twenty-three Israelis and an American have been killed in Palestinian attacks including stabbings, car rammings and gunfire since October 1. An Eritrean was also killed. At the same time, 149 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most while carrying out attacks. Two Iraqi journalists shot dead, intel officer wounded Gunmen shot dead two Iraqi journalists on Tuesday in Diyala, a province where Baghdad declared victory a year ago but which is still plagued by chronic violence. Iraq is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, especially those from the country, who are far more exposed to attacks than their foreign counterparts. The murders came as a suicide bomber killed four police and wounded a top intelligence officer elsewhere in the province, a day after other bombings claimed 20 lives. A fighter scans an area outside a village on the southern outskirts of the Diyala provincial capital Baquba on January 28, 2008 "Armed militias assassinated correspondent Saif Tallal and his cameraman Hassan al-Anbaki near Baquba," the capital of Diyala province, a Sharqiya news presenter said on the air. The journalists were killed while returning to Baquba from a reporting trip with Staff Lieutenant General Mizher al-Azzawi, the head of security command responsible for the province, the channel said. Minas al-Suhail, a colleague from the channel, told AFP that the two journalists were driving some distance behind the commander's convoy on their way back from covering violence in the Muqdadiyah area. Masked militiamen in three SUVs stopped their vehicle in the village of Abu Saida, took the journalists out and shot them dead with Kalashnikov assault rifles, Suhail said. Shiite militia groups, some of which have been repeatedly accused of serious abuses, wield huge influence in the eastern province of Diyala. Sharqiya is a Sunni-owned TV channel viewed as sympathetic to the country's Sunni Arab minority. The murders took place within sight of a police checkpoint, but the police did not intervene, Suhail said. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), 11 journalists were killed in Iraq during 2015, the most of any country. "We deplore the murder of these two Iraqi journalists," Alexandra El Khazen, the head of RSF's Middle East bureau, said in a statement. "This shocking double murder must not go unpunished. Iraq is a minefield for journalists. We urge the authorities to conduct an independent investigation in order to solve this crime and bring those responsible to justice," El Khazen said. - Senior intelligence officer wounded - The Committee to Protect Journalists put the death toll for those killed because of their work last year in Iraq at five, placing it in a tie for the fourth-deadliest country for the media. CPJ also lists Iraq as the deadliest single country for journalists from 1992 to 2015, with 171 killed because of their work, almost double the second, which is Syria. Muqdadiyah, the Diyala area from which the journalists were returning, was hit by deadly bombings and other unrest the night before. Twin blasts killed 20 people at a cafe, and attackers subsequently blew up multiple Sunni mosques and burned houses and shops, officers said. The United Nations issued a statement condemning the mosque bombings. "Once again, places of worship are being attacked. The perpetrators want to incite sectarian violence, in a desperate attempt to take the country back into the dark days of sectarian strife," UN Iraq representative Jan Kubis said. A suicide bomber also detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle near the convoy of the head of police intelligence in Diyala at a checkpoint in the province on Tuesday. The blast in the Jdaidat al-Shatt area, south of Diyala capital Baquba, killed four policemen including a first lieutenant and wounded Colonel Qassem al-Anbaki and nine others, two officers said. A doctor at Baquba General Hospital confirmed the toll. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but suicide bombings are a tactic frequently used by the Islamic State jihadist group. Iraq declared victory over IS in Diyala early last year, but the persistent strife in the province paints a grim picture of the country's future even after defeating the jihadists. Diyala remains a hotbed of violence by both the jihadists and powerful Shiite militia forces that have played a major role in the fight against IS. IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in June 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes have since dealt the jihadists significant defeats. Map of Iraq locating Abu Saida, near Baquba, where two Iraqi journalists were shot dead by gunmen Iris de Vericourt (AFP) Rand Paul, Carly Fiorina miss Republican debate cut Senator Rand Paul and former business executive Carly Fiorina have been booted from the main stage in Thursday's Republican presidential debate. They did not meet the criteria for participation, relegating them to the undercard debate that occurs prior to the main showdown, the event's host, Fox Business Network, announced late Monday. Seven candidates will be on the big stage: celebrity billionaire Donald Trump; surging Senator Ted Cruz; Senator Marco Rubio; retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie; Florida ex-governor Jeb Bush, the son and brother of two presidents; and Ohio Governor John Kasich. Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul, pictured on December 15, 2015, will not be in the main stage debate hosted by the Fox Business Network Robyn Beck (AFP/File) Paul reacted angrily to the announcement, saying he will boycott the undercard debate. "He will not let the media decide the tiers of this race and will instead take his message directly to the voters of New Hampshire and Iowa," his campaign said in a statement. The main event, the sixth Republican showdown of the 2016 election cycle, kicks off at about 9 pm Thursday (0200 GMT Friday) in South Carolina, which votes third in the primary process after Iowa and New Hampshire. Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and former US senator Rick Santorum also failed to make the cut and are expected in the undercard debate, which begins at 6 pm (2300 GMT). The relegation likely is especially bitter for Fiorina, whose strong performance in the party's first undercard debate, in August, propelled her on to the main stage. Fox said participants in the upcoming main debate needed to place either among the top six in an average of the five most recent national polls, or among the top five in an average of recent Iowa or New Hampshire polls. Philadelphia newspapers donated to new nonprofit group Philadelphia's two daily newspapers are being donated to a newly created non-profit organization in a bid to keep the struggling news operations alive, the owner announced Tuesday. Under the plan, the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News will be operated by a tax-exempt public benefit corporation, in the latest upheaval at a news organization which has undergone several ownership changes and bankruptcy over the past decade. Gerry Lenfest, the sole owner and chairman of Philadelphia Media Network which owns the two dailies and its philly.com online operations, announced his plan for a newly created tax-exempt organization known as the Institute for Journalism in New Media, operated with the local Philadelphia Foundation. The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News hope to be operated by a tax-exempt public benefit corporation under a new plan to keep the news organizations alive William Thomas Cain (Getty/AFP/File) Lenfest said in a statement that he hopes the plan will allow the groups to maintain a tradition of independent public service journalism and investigative reporting. "My goal is to ensure that the journalism traditionally provided by the printed newspapers is given a new life and prolonged, while new media formats for its distribution are being developed," Lenfest said. "Of all of the ventures I have been involved with in my life, nothing is more important than preserving the journalism that has been delivered by these storied news organizations." The newsrooms will continue to operate under their current management team as a taxable subsidiary of the non-profit Institute. "While still running the news organizations as a for-profit business, the new ownership structure under the Institute allows journalism at The Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and philly.com to benefit more readily from philanthropic dollars, yet still be governed by those best equipped to manage and operate these news outlets," the statement said. Lenfest will donate $20 million in seed funding to the Institute, which will seek other philanthropic funding sources. He will be the initial chairman of a 10-member board for the Institute, which will also include prominent journalists, academics and members of the philanthropic community. The Inquirer had been among the largest and most prestigious US dailies but went into a downward spiral as it lost readers and advertising to online news operations. In 2006, local investor Brian Tierney bought the dailies for $515 million in cash. But the group filed for bankruptcy in 2009. That price declined to $139 million at a 2010 bankruptcy auction, and to $55 million when it was sold again in 2012. Lenfest and businessman Lewis Katz paid $88 million for the operations in 2014, and Lenfest became the sole owner when Katz died in a plane crash that year. Univision to air TV series on 'El Chapo' The US Spanish-language television network Univision announced Tuesday it will air a series later this year on the life of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, written by a former Colombian trafficker. "The Chapo Guzman story has been one of the most captivating stories this past year and we are thrilled to bring an inside look into his world to our audiences," Alberto Ciurana, Univision's programming chief said. Guzman, the leader of the Sinaloa cartel, was recaptured in a raid Friday nearly six months after breaking out of a maximum security prison in Mexico. Univision plans a television series on the live of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman from a script by Andres Lopez Lopez, a onetime member of Colombia's Norte del Valle cartel Alfredo Estrella (AFP/File) In a Hollywood twist, Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn and Mexican actress Kate del Castillo met clandestinely with Guzman while he was on the run, an encounter Penn chronicled in Rolling Stone magazine and published last weekend. The Univision series will begin airing in the fall of 2016 with a cast that has yet to be decided, the network said in a statement. The script is by Andres Lopez Lopez, a onetime member of Colombia's Norte del Valle cartel who has found success writing about his former occupation after several years in prison in the United States. "In addition to including the developments of his most recent escape and capture, this unauthorized look at his life will delve deep into the man beyond his drug empire," it said. Clinton, Democrats knock Obama over deportation raids Democratic lawmakers criticized President Barack Obama Tuesday over a wave of arrests of Central American undocumented migrants as part of the administration's stepped-up deportation efforts. US authorities announced last week they had arrested 121 adults and children, mainly in Texas, Georgia and North Carolina. These families started arriving in May 2014 and had been served with expulsion orders. Hillary Clinton also spoke out in opposition to the raids, disassociating herself from Obama policy as she seeks the White House in 2016. A protest outside the Immigration Court in New York City on January 8, 2016 in New York City Spencer Platt (Getty/AFP/File) "Our immigration enforcement efforts should be humane and conducted in accordance with due process, and that is why I believe we must stop the raids happening in immigrant communities," the former secretary of state and Democratic frontrunner said Monday. "We have laws and we must be guided by those laws, but we shouldn't have armed federal officers showing up at peoples' homes, taking women and children out of their beds in the middle of the night," Clinton said in a statement that was unusually critical of the president. In Congress, where Obama was to deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday evening, 135 Democrats including members of party leadership signed a letter calling for raids targeting immigrants to stop immediately. "We strongly condemn the Department of Homeland Security's recent enforcement operation targeting refugee mothers and children from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala," the letter reads. Those are the home countries of many undocumented immigrants who have arrived in recent years by crossing the Mexican border. In 2014, the arrival of thousands of unaccompanied minors, many sent north by relatives in a bid to escape brutal violence, triggered a political crisis in the United States. Republicans accused the White House of being lax on border security, and ruled out any attempt to legalize the status of the 11 million people living in the United States without proper residency papers. The Democratic lawmakers contrasted the reception given to refugees fleeing conflicts in the Middle East with the policy of "deterrence" they said the Obama administration was carrying out to counter arrivals of Central Americans. Several of the immigrants fleeing violence have sought refugee protection in the United States, the Democrats pointed out. "We are gravely concerned that DHS may have already removed mothers and children from the United States and returned them to violent and dangerous situations in their home countries," they said. The White House defended its policy of promoting legalization of those who had been here the longest, mainly those who came to the United States as children. However, it asked security forces to concentrate on expelling undocumented immigrants with criminal records or those who arrived recently. "And it was only after individuals had exhausted the legal remedies available to them to claim asylum or to be granted some other form of humanitarian relief -- only then -- you know, was a decision made to remove them," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. Supreme Court strikes down Florida death penalty law The US Supreme Court struck down Florida's death penalty law Tuesday, declaring it unconstitutional because it does not require that a jury make the life or death decision. The 8-1 ruling was the latest blow to the death penalty, which has lost ground in the United States in recent years in terms of both the number of sentences and actual executions. "The Sixth Amendment requires a jury, not a judge, to find each fact necessary to impose a sentence of death. A jury's mere recommendation is not enough," Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for the majority. Florida is one of a few US states that do not require a jury to reach a unanimous verdict when sentencing someone to death Nicholas Kamm (AFP/File) The case before the court was that of Timothy Hurst, a man who was sentenced to death for murdering the manager of the restaurant where he worked in 1998. The jury had recommended the death penalty in his case by a 7-5 vote, but it was the judge who ultimately ordered that Hurst be executed. Florida is one of a few US states that do not require a jury to reach a unanimous verdict when sentencing someone to death. Under Florida's system, the jury makes a recommendation to a judge on whether to impose the death sentence. The judge, however, is not obliged to follow the jury's advice in deciding whether the necessary aggravating circumstances are present in the murder to justify the death penalty. The Supreme Court ruled that this violates the Sixth Amendment's guarantee that all defendants have the right to an impartial jury. US hails Philippines alliance as defense deal approved The United States declared Tuesday that its commitment to defend the Philippines is "ironclad" as the country's supreme court cleared the decks for a new security deal. As the court in Manila voted to approve the 10-year Enhanced Defense Co-operation Agreement, Filipino ministers were already in Washington to celebrate. Under the accord, more US troops and warships will rotate through bases in the Philippines at a time of tension with China over control of the South China Sea. Philippine Secretary of Foreign Relations Albert Del Rosario (L) delivers remarks as US Secretary of State John Kerry (C)and US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter listen during meetings January 12, 2016 at the US Department of State in Washington, DC Paul J. Richards (AFP) US Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter met their counterparts Albert del Rosario and Voltaire Gazmin at the State Department. "Our strategic relationship begins with a very firm pledge that the United States has an ironclad commitment to the security of the Philippines," Kerry said. "We will continue to consult and cooperate on all issues affecting regional security, such as territorial and maritime disputes in the South China Sea," he added. The United States will not reopen its former military bases in the Philippines, officials said. But Kerry, welcoming the court decision, said the deal would see Washington help modernize Philippines forces to be better able to work alongside the US fleet. Pentagon spokesman Commander Bill Urban said the accord was "mutually beneficial" and would help the militaries to respond jointly to humanitarian crises. The deal was signed in 2014 but was challenged by groups opposed to US involvement in the Philippines, which was a US colony in the Pacific from 1898 to 1946. The Philippines hosted two of the largest overseas US military bases until 1992, when lawmakers voted to end the leases in the face of anti-American sentiment. Sweden wants inquiry into Palestinians killed by Israel Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom on Tuesday called for "thorough" investigations into the killing of Palestinians by the Israeli army in recent months. Wallstrom was responding to a question in parliament by an opposition member on the controversy raised in December by her statement on the need for Israel to avoid "extrajudicial executions". She was referring then to the more than 100 Palestinians killed in two months, most while committing or attempting to commit knife attacks in Israel and the Palestinian territories, and others in clashes or attacks. Israeli forensic police stand next to the body of a Palestinian assailant who was shot dead following a reported attack on December 26, 2015, near Jerusalem's Old City Ahmad Gharabli (AFP/File) Since then the Palestinian toll has reached 149, including an Israeli Arab. "It is essential that thorough and credible investigations be conducted concerning these deaths with the aim of providing clarity and bringing about possible accountability," Wallstrom said Tuesday. Israel's foreign ministry responded angrily. "In her irresponsible and delusional statements the foreign minister of Sweden gives support to terror and in so doing encourages violence," it said in a Hebrew-language statement. Ties between Israel and Sweden plummeted after Stockholm recognised the Palestinian state shortly after Wallstrom's centre-left Social Democrats won a parliamentary election in 2014. A day after the Paris attacks claimed by the Islamic State group, Wallstrom again attracted Israeli condemnation when she said the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was a factor in radicalisation. UN Syria envoy to meet Security Council powers The UN's Syria envoy will meet ambassadors from the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday in Geneva, ahead of planned talks to end the countrys civil war, a statement said. Envoy Staffan de Mistura has been trying to secure support for a fresh round of negotiations, which are provisionally scheduled to start on January 25, and are aimed at resolving the brutal conflict. His meeting with Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States will be "at the ambassadorial level," and will take place at the UN's European headquarters in Geneva, UN spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said. UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura in Moscow on November 4, 2015 Kirill Kudryavtsev (AFP/File) No details were given as to the agenda of the talks. Speaking to journalists earlier on Tuesday, Fawzi said De Mistura was going to spend this week trying to "nail down the timing and the framework" for the talks. Last week, Damascus pledged to take part in the negotiations, but key opposition groups have withheld such commitments. UN appeals for nearly $8 bn for Syria aid With the war in Syria headed for a sixth year, UN agencies on Tuesday appealed for $7.73 billion in funding to help 22.5 million people affected by the conflict. The appeal for funds from UN member-states covers help for 13.5 million Syrians displaced inside the war-wracked country and 4.7 million who have fled across the border to neighboring countries. The aid will also reach some four million people in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon who are hosting millions of Syrian refugees, said a UN statement. A Syrian man escorts his injured wife following reported air strikes by regime forces on the town of al-Nashabiyah in the eastern Ghouta region, on December 14, 2015 Amer Almohibany (AFP/File) International donors will be asked to come forward with large pledges at a conference on Syria's humanitarian crisis in London on February 4. "After nearly six years of brutal conflict and political paralysis, the Syrian people need our help more than ever," said UN aid chief Stephen O'Brien. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi stressed that Syria's neighbors were shouldering the biggest burden from the refugee crisis and said funding must be directed at them. More than a million refugees, many from Syria, crossed into Europe last year after conditions in camps deteriorated, with cuts to food rations and other aid. Last year, UN agencies asked for $8.4 billion from governments worldwide to fund the Syrian aid effort, but received only $3.3 billion of that amount. Auto industry's green push challenged by low gas prices Beneath the hoods of the cars showing in Detroit this week lie engines that are as powerful as ever, but are smaller and, helped by direct injection, guzzle less gas. Automakers have subbed out stainless steel for aluminum and other lighter-weight materials, and added more gears to let engines run in "sweet spot" mode more often, so that their cars and trucks can save money on fuel and emit less climate-harming pollutants. But with gasoline prices now nearly half of what they were just two years ago, the question is, do consumers care? The press preview of the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan on January 12, 2016 Jewel Samad (AFP) Or will a surge in sales of higher fuel-consuming cars and trucks, especially sport utility vehicles, erase recent efficiency gains on US roads? The improvements to gasoline-based internal combustion engines that automakers have made show how greater efficiency has been mainstreamed throughout the industry, and not just on the electric and hybrid cars that steal most of the glory. Under pressure from government regulation, fuel economy in US cars has risen 26 percent since 2004, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. - Signs progress is flagging - Yet there are signs of flagging progress. Fuel economy for the fleet overall was unchanged at 24.3 miles per gallon in 2014, the last year with full data, according to the EPA report. Data from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute suggest fuel economy fell in 2015, with a significant drop in the last months of the year. With gasoline prices so low, customers appear less pressured to buy more fuel-efficient cars, not to mention electrics and hybrids. Of the 17.5 million cars US automakers sold in 2015, less efficient pickup trucks and SUVs dominated the market and grew much faster in sales than other types. "You hear a lot of noise about demand for hybrids not being so big," Honda executive vice president John Mendel said at a launch Monday of its Ridgeline pickup truck. "When (gasoline) was four or five bucks a gallon, everybody was clamoring for anything -- a hybrid, ... something to take the sting out." - Focus shifts to SUVs, pickups - To boot, Bill Fay, group vice president and general manager at Toyota, said his company has lowered production of some fuel-efficient models, while taking steps to lift output of SUVs and pickups. Government pressure since the late 2000s to improve fuel consumption has spurred the gains. President Barack Obama has set the goal of cars getting 54.5 miles per gallon (4.36 liters per 100 km) in 2025, compared to about 29 miles per gallon in 2014. Compliance is determined on gains of individual models and also whether the average efficiency of an automaker's overall fleet is improving enough. Trucks and SUVs are not expected to get the same mileage as sedans and subcompacts, only to improve their mileage each year. The result has been not only an unprecedented number of hyper-efficient electric and hybrid vehicles in the US fleet, but also the significant improvements in gas-powered cars. But with trucks and SUVs now dominating sales, automakers have to keep improving the performance of those vehicles. Some industry officials gripe that many of the easiest and cheapest changes have already been made, and meeting the 2025 targets will be hard. Achieving gains has become more difficult now that the easiest changes -- the "low-hanging fruit" -- have been implemented, said Wade Newton, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. "You need more and more advanced technology to meet ever-increasing fuel economy standards," Newton said. Others say there is still lots of potential. "There's lots of room to get efficiency from these engines before we get rid of the internal-combustion engine," said General Motors executive vice president Mark Reuss Tuesday at a launch of the new GMC Acadia SUV Tuesday, which weighs 700 pounds (318 kg) less than the version it replaces. Still, automakers say they are not counting on the government to walk back the fuel targets. "It's a poor bet to base your business case on somebody changing the rules at the last minute," noted Honda executive vice president John Mendel. Toyota, which has enjoyed the profitable surge in truck and SUV sales, has also unveiled a revamped Prius and in October launched the Mirai, a fuel cell vehicle. "We're starting to get ready for a world that doesn't have any more gas engines by 2050," Fay told AFP. "Long way away ... but investing in that today." A model inserts the electric charger into the Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan on January 12, 2016 Jim Watson (AFP) The Honda Ridgeline is unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan on January 11, 2016 Jim Watson (AFP/File) The 2016 GMC Acadia is unveiled during the press preview of the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, on January 12, 2016 Jewel Samad (AFP) Long haul, night repairs for British, US spacewalkers The first-ever spacewalk on Friday for British astronaut Tim Peake will require a long journey outside the space station to replace a failed power unit while under cover of darkness, NASA said Tuesday. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin Friday at 7:55 am (1255 GMT) and end 6.5 hours later. Hoisting a rectangular voltage regulator that would weigh 200 pounds (90 kilograms) on Earth, Peake will have to maneuver more than 200 feet (60 meters) out of the International Space Station airlock to the worksite, the US space agency told reporters. Britain's astronaut Tim Peake, pictured on December 15, 2015, will make his first spacewalk under cover of darkness Kirill Kudryavtsev (AFP/File) "It's about as far at the space station as you can go from the airlock, which certainly raises the pucker factor for the crew," said Paul Dum, lead spacewalk officer, in a briefing with reporters. Then, along with American astronaut Tim Kopra, who will be making his third career spacewalk, the duo will have to remove the broken voltage regulator in the dark so that they don't get zapped by any electrical shorts from the solar-powered equipment. NASA isn't exactly sure why the power unit -- one of eight on the ISS -- failed, so they want the astronauts to avoid any danger from potential sparks by doing the work when the space station is doing a night pass. "We need to protect the crew from the power that would come from the array," said Dum. The space station orbits the Earth every 90 minutes, and spends 31 of those minutes out of the light of the Sun, according to ISS spacewalk flight director Royce Renfrew. The task should only take about 15 minutes. But the astronauts will have to squeeze into a small area to do their work while wearing bulky space suits and gloves. "Imagine going out with thick winter gloves on and trying to do anything that takes fine dexterity. That is going to be challenging," said Dum. He added that the team has practiced on Earth in a buoyancy lab, and using virtual reality equipment. The outage is similar to a power failure seen in October 2014 involving a sequential shunt unit at the orbiting outpost, said Kenneth Todd, ISS operations integration manager. "From a station perspective, we could live in this state for a while but the reality is if we were to have an additional failure in another channel, we would probably find ourselves a little more strapped," Todd said. "We think it is probably about time to go get this work behind us." Peake will be known as EV 2 (extravehicular spacewalker 2) and will be wearing a white spacesuit. His job is to carry the replacement unit out of the station and over to the work site, and tote the faulty unit back to the airlock. Kopra, wearing red stripes on his spacesuit, will carry the tools and do the removal and installation work. US astronaut Scott Kelly will help the two Tims get into and out of their spacesuits inside the ISS. Mission control on Earth will use the men's first and last names when addressing them during the outing to avoid confusion, Renfrew said. Cosby demands US prosecutors drop sexual assault charge Lawyers for Bill Cosby have demanded a Pennsylvania court drop the first criminal sexual assault charge filed against the disgraced comedian since dozens of women publicly accused him of abuse. His lawyers filed the petition in Montgomery County on Monday, asking the court to dismiss the charge that forced the megastar turned pariah to post bail for $1 million on December 30. He is next due in court on February 2. The petition demands the court throw out the charge because it violates a 2005 agreement that Cosby would never be prosecuted over allegations of assault made by Andrea Constand, a former employee of Temple University in Philadelphia. US comedian Bill Cosby is pictured December 30, 2015 at the courthouse in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania Kena Betancur (AFP) The newly elected district attorney "repudiated the agreement" and Cosby was "wrongfully charged," his lawyers wrote. They said an "inexcusable" 10-year delay since the alleged 2004 incident had also "greatly prejudiced Mr Cosby." The former TV legend has lost his eyesight and "with it his ability to identify the physical appearance of witnesses and accusers as well as review other pieces of evidence," the petition stated. "Justice requires that the court dismiss the charges at this stage." A stony-faced Cosby appeared in court in Elkins Park, in the Philadelphia area, on December 30 in connection with the aggravated indecent assault charge but did not enter a plea. Constand says Cosby assaulted her at his Philadelphia suburban home in 2004. If found guilty, the 78-year-old -- who has surrendered his passport to the court -- could face up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. More than 50 women have publicly claimed abuse by the pioneering black comedian, who attained his greatest fame for his role as a lovable obstetrician and pater familias in the hit 1980s sitcom "The Cosby Show." But his attorneys repeatedly deny any wrongdoing by the veteran TV actor whose career spanned four decades. Prosecutors say the charge stems from new evidence in the case that came to light in July, prompting the reopening of the investigation. Google expects partners for self-driving car project Google plans to partner with automakers on its self-driving car project, but is not yet ready to announce anything concrete, the head of the project said Tuesday. "We are going to be partnering more and more and more," Google self-driving project chief executive John Krafcik said at a conference held in the shadow of the Detroit Auto Show. As the project evolves, Google is going to need a "lot of help" expanding self-driving cars, said Krafcik, a longtime auto executive, most recently at Hyundai. Google's Self Driving Car Project CEO John Krafcik speaks at the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit, Michigan, January 12, 2016 Jim Watson (AFP) Major automakers will be able to help it produce "at scale," Krafcik said. Google has been testing self-driving cars in two US states, California and Texas. Other automakers, including Audi, BMW, Lexus, Mercedes and Tesla, have also been working on bringing self-driving capacities into vehicles. Krafcik was tight-lipped about details of the program, declining to tell a moderator how many Google staff work on the project or to estimate when self-driving cars might reach the general public. The chief motivation is to expand mobility to more people, including the elderly and disabled, Krafcik said. The tech giant also sees the technology as critical to addressing deadly car crashes. Justices won't hear appeal over rejection of pro-Israel ad WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a pro-Israel group that wants to put ads on Boston-area mass transit that authorities rejected as inflammatory. The justices on Monday let stand court rulings that upheld rejection of the ads by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The agency said ads from the American Freedom Defense Initiative using the word "savage" were "demeaning or disparaging" to Palestinians and Muslims. The group claimed the rejection violates its right to free speech and shows a double standard on the part of the transit agency because it allowed a pro-Palestinian group to run a subway ad. High court seems ready to scrap mandatory public union fees WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court appears ready to deliver a major setback to American unions as it considers scrapping a four-decade precedent that lets public-sector labor organizations collect fees from workers who decline to join. During more than an hour of oral arguments Monday, the high court's conservative justices seemed likely to side with a group of California teachers who say those mandatory fees violate the free-speech rights of workers who disagree with a union's positions. Labor officials fear unions' very existence could be threatened if workers are allowed to get all the benefits of representation without at least paying fees to cover the costs of collective bargaining. The case affects more than 5 million workers in 23 states and Washington, D.C. People participate in a rally at the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, as the court heard arguments in the 'Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association' case. The justices were to hear arguments in a case that challenges the right of public-employee unions to collect fees from teachers, firefighters and other state and local government workers who choose not to become members. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) But Justice Anthony Kennedy rejected arguments by lawyers for the state of California and the California Teachers Association that the current fee system is needed to prevent non-members from becoming "free riders" workers who reap the rewards of union bargaining and grievance procedures without paying for it. "The union basically is making these teachers compelled riders for issues on which they strongly disagree," Kennedy said, noting the political nature of bargaining issues like teacher salaries, merit promotions and class size. Even Justice Antonin Scalia, who in the past has expressed some sympathy for the free-rider argument, said all the items negotiated in a collective bargaining agreement "are necessarily political questions." Arguing in support of the union, California Solicitor General Edward DuMont said the state needs a reliable bargaining partner that is funded by all the workers it represents. He said the fees for collective bargaining typically apply to non-political issues such as mileage reimbursement, working hours and other mundane matters. Chief Justice John Roberts dismissed that reasoning, saying even routine matters can become politically charged if they involve how the state spends money. "That's always a public policy issue," Roberts said. The group of 10 teachers that filed the challenge wants the high court to overturn a 1977 case that allows public unions to collect money from members and non-members alike, as long as the funds aren't spent for political action. The court in that case, Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, said the arrangement was justified to prevent non-members from becoming free riders. The challengers argue that public-sector unions have become more political over time. They say even a push for higher salaries and pension benefits raises political questions about the best use of tax dollars for cash-strapped localities. A federal district court ruled against the teachers, saying the outcome was clear under Abood. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed. Half the states already have right-to-work laws banning mandatory fees, but about 80 percent of workers represented by public-employee unions are in states that don't, including California, New York and Illinois. Union advocates say the lawsuit is part of a conservative agenda to weaken unions, which are known for reliably supporting Democratic candidates and policies. The challengers are backed by the conservative Center for Individual Rights. Arguing for the group of teachers, Michael Carvin said mandatory fees serve to "inflate the union's war chest by people who really have not made a voluntary decision to do so." Some justices were more sympathetic to the unions. Elena Kagan warned that the challengers "come here with a heavy burden" to overturn a nearly 40-year-old case on which thousands of contracts and millions of employees rely. Justice Stephen Breyer said overturning Abood would require the court to overrule several related cases in which the high court has approved mandatory payments by lawyers to bar associations and mandatory student fees at public universities, calling that "quite a big deal." But Carvin said Abood's rationale is inconsistent with other free-speech cases, noting that the court twice in recent years has issued 5-4 opinions questioning the rationale of that earlier case, though it has stopped short of overruling it. Arguing for the California Teachers Association, lawyer David Frederick said the First Amendment applies differently to public employees. He said the state has a strong interest in promoting efficiency and avoiding costly workplace disruptions by designating the union as workers' exclusive bargaining representative. The Obama administration also weighed in to support the unions. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli told the justices that there has been no change in circumstances over the past 40 years to warrant overturning Abood. For decades, the growth of union workers in government has helped compensate for steep losses in manufacturing, construction and other private industries where unions once thrived. About half of all members are now in the public sector, which has a membership rate of 36 percent. That's more than five times the private sector, at 6.6 percent. Even if the court doesn't overturn settled precedent, it could still give the challengers a partial victory. The justices are also considering whether public employees should be required to "opt in" to paying the political portion of union dues. Currently, workers must "opt out" of the political fees by checking a box on a form. The "opt in" requirement could lead to more workers declining to pay the political portion of union dues, though it typically is a much smaller part of the overall payment. A decision in the case, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, 14-915, is expected by late June. Rosalind LaRocque of Upper Marlboro, Md., and who is a member of the American Teachers Union and is pro agency fees, rallies outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, as the court heard arguments in the 'Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association' case. The justices were to hear arguments in a case that challenges the right of public-employee unions to collect fees from teachers, firefighters and other state and local government workers who choose not to become members. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Lesa Curtis of Westchester, N.Y., right, who is pro agency fees and a former president of her union, rallies outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, as the court heard arguments in the 'Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association' case. The justices were to hear arguments in a case that challenges the right of public-employee unions to collect fees from teachers, firefighters and other state and local government workers who choose not to become members. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Rand Paul, Carly Fiorina cut from main GOP debate lineup DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and former technology executive Carly Fiorina will not appear on the primetime debate stage when the Republican Party's 2016 presidential class faces off later this week in South Carolina. Debate host Fox Business Network announced the debate lineup Monday evening, dealing a blow to both candidates three weeks before Iowa's leadoff presidential caucuses. Just seven candidates the smallest Republican group so far will be featured in Thursday's 9 p.m. ET main event, based on criteria established by the network that relied on recent polls. Real estate mogul Donald Trump, the leader in most recent polls, will again appear center stage in the debate. He'll be joined on stage by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. In this Jan. 7, 2016, file photo, Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. speaks during a campaign stop in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Paul and former technology executive Carly Fiorina will not appear on the primetime debate stage when the Republican Party's 2016 presidential class faces off later this week in South Carolina. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) Paul and Fiorina were invited to participate in a 6 p.m. ET "undercard" debate, although Paul said he would skip the second-tier faceoff. "An artificial designation as being in the second tier is something we can't accept," he told CNN on Monday. "I won't participate in anything that's not the first tier." Before the lineup was announced, Paul strategist Doug Stafford said: "This race is hitting its final stretch and Rand Paul is a serious contender for the nomination. He expects to be on the stage this week because he has qualified to do so and because he has a top-tier campaign." Stafford noted that Paul has qualified for primary ballots in every state, has more than 1,000 precinct captains in Iowa, and has a 500-person leadership team in New Hampshire. Fox Business Network said the primetime lineup would include the top six candidates in the five most recent national polls in addition to any candidate in the top five in either Iowa or New Hampshire. Rauner says he has plan to stop court-ordered spending SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) Gov. Bruce Rauner said Monday he will outline a plan to get out from under court-ordered spending that's plunging Illinois further into debt during a seven-month budget stalemate. Even without a budget, the state has been required to continue spending on things such as Medicaid and services for people with disabilities because of federal consent decrees and court orders. Rauner said in an interview with The Associated Press that getting out from under those will "be a big part of our plan going forward," but he declined to offer specifics on his idea, which one analyst said would require court approval. The new state legislative term begins Wednesday and the Republican governor is marking his first year in office Tuesday. It's been a tumultuous year for the wealthy businessman who has battled with Democrats over the state's spending plan. It should've taken effect July 1. Rauner has said a budget needs to include reforms he argues will help the state economy, such as curbing the power of unions and passing business-friendly laws. He also wants term limits and changes to how legislative districts are drawn every decade. Democrats, who hold supermajorities in the Legislature, say they won't cave to some of Rauner's demands because it would hurt the middle class. It's unclear how Rauner can get out of the court-mandated spending, which is running up a big tab on state expenditures. That's because the state is spending based on revenue levels from last year, when the individual Illinois income tax rate was at 5 percent, not the current rate of 3.75 percent. A recent report from the Governor's Office of Management and Budget says if the current spending levels continue without new taxes or the legislature cutting spending the deficit for the fiscal year ending in June will be $4.6 billion. To get out of the court-ordered spending requirements, Rauner would have to show that the state is complying with spending for services the federal government has deemed essential, like caring for people with developmental and physical disabilities. "He can't simply say we're not going to provide services people have a fundamental right to," said Ed Yohnka, director of communications and public policy for the American Civil Liberties Union in Illinois. Not having a budget will only make it harder for Rauner to show the state is complying with funding requirements, Yohnka said. "If the governor has a magic wand he could wave today for the state to become complaint, we welcome him to use it. It doesn't exist," he said. "These are hard, persistent problems. You actually have to do it." Rauner has said he's willing to discuss raising taxes, but only if lawmakers put some of his reforms in place. "I have to be able to say to you, you're getting value for your taxes before I would ever discuss with you taking more of your money," Rauner said. Rauner pinned the blame for the budget gridlock on Democrats who control the Legislature and said House Speaker Michael Madigan has been unwilling to compromise. Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, said it was too early tell how Democrats would react to Rauner's idea of ending court-ordered spending. He took exception to Rauner's comments and noted Madigan has compromised, including as recently as last month when lawmakers and Rauner agreed to spend $3 billion from special funds. Some of that went to emergency dispatch call centers and 52 domestic-violence shelters. "We have compromised. That's the point," Brown said. Rauner also bemoaned the volume of insignificant bills passed by the Legislature, referring to the lawmaking body as a "do-nothing General Assembly." He criticized them for focusing on bills that don't deal with the state's problems, including addressing the state's $111 billion pension debt. Lawmakers passed more than 500 bills last year, including one that Rauner signed into law making pumpkin pie the official state pie. "Virtually none of them dealt with our problems," Rauner said of the bills. "And I love pumpkin pie, and I'm glad, I'm glad it's the state pie. I love it. But you know what? We have a pension crisis. They pass a pie bill. They don't pass a pension bill. Come on." Brown also took issue with Rauner's comments, noting that some of the accomplishments the governor listed in a Sunday editorial in the (Springfield) State Journal-Register happened because of his collaboration with lawmakers. "He contradicts himself," he said. ___ Mexican drug lord's men put up fierce fight LOS MOCHIS, Mexico (AP) At 4:40 a.m. in a central neighborhood of the Pacific coast city of Los Mochis, 17 Mexican marines began their assault on a safe house thinking there was a good chance Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was inside. The operation was dubbed "black swan." One marine was wounded by gunfire almost immediately and remained outside the interior front door while his comrades slowly advanced inside behind lobbed grenades and heavy fire, according to video from the marines' helmet cameras released by Mexico's government on Monday. A marine involved in the assault who gave a tour of the house to a reporter from the Mexican network Televisa said there were more people inside than expected and they were more heavily armed, including with rocket-propelled grenades and .50 caliber sniper rifles. A tunnel sits under the home where marines searched for Mexican drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman in Los Mochis, Mexico, Monday, Jan. 11, 2016. The hatch door at the end opens into the city's storm sewer system. Guzman and his security chief traveled several blocks on Friday through the sewer before popping out in the middle of an intersection. Federal police eventually found them on a highway outside of town and Guzmans flight ended six months after his stunning escape from the same maximum security prison where he now sits. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo) On Monday, attorney general Arely Gomez told local radio that people in the house had ordered food for 13 people the night before the raid. One gunman was killed in the main room just inside a front door riddled with bullet holes. On a tour Monday by an Associated Press photographer, the interior of the house looked much the same with bullet holes pocking its white concrete walls. Clothing and food a wheel of cheese, lots of cans were scattered throughout, beds were tossed. Blood was smeared on the walls. The marines secured the downstairs rooms first. As they prepared to go upstairs a marine saw a man at the top of the stairs preparing to fire a rocket-propelled grenade. The marine hit the weapon with a couple shots causing the gunman to toss it, the marine guide said in the Televisa interview. The wall above the stairs was particularly damaged by gunfire as gunmen tried to keep the marines from advancing. Upstairs the marines found two women in a bathroom and two men in a room with a large television. The home had four bedrooms and five bathrooms. On one upstairs bed were four DVDs from the series La Reina del Sur, starring Kate del Castillo, the Mexican actress who put Guzman in contact with the American actor Sean Penn. On a roof patio marines found tossed weapons and a ladder leading to a higher roof. It took about 15 minutes to secure the house. Then the marines followed the attackers across rooftops. Four more gunmen were killed in this pursuit. There had been no sighting of Guzman. Knowing Guzman's predilection for tunnels, the marines began looking for an opening. Beside a ground floor bedroom littered with clothing, marines entered a walk-in closet and found an unusual panel behind a mirror. Guides showed the AP how a lever hidden behind a ceiling light operated a mechanism opening a door behind the mirror. It led to a set of descending stairs. A six-foot tall tunnel complete with lighting, wood-paneled walls and a concrete floor led to more stairs and then a metal hatch opened into the city's storm sewer. Guzman and his security chief traveled several blocks through the meter-tall storm sewer before popping out in the middle of an intersection. They stole a car, drove a bit, then stole another. Federal police eventually found them on a highway outside of town and Guzman's flight ended six months after his stunning escape from the same maximum security prison where he now sits. This frame-grab taken from Jan. 8, 2016 video released by Mexico's presidential press office, shows Mexican navy marines storming a home during the operation to recapture Mexico's most wanted drug kingpin, Joaquin "El Chapo Guzman" Guzman in Los Mochis, Mexico. Mexico has begun the process of extraditing Guzman to the United States, where he faces drug-trafficking charges, but that could take "a year or longer" because of legal challenges, said the head of Mexico's extradition office, Manuel Merino. He cited one extradition case that took six years. (Mexico's presidential press office via AP) Stairs lead to the second floor of the home where marines searched for Mexican drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman in Los Mochis, Mexico, Monday, Jan. 11, 2016. Guzman and his security chief on Friday traveled several blocks through the storm sewer system, accessed under the home, before popping out in the middle of an intersection. Federal police eventually found them on a highway outside of town and Guzmans flight ended six months after his stunning escape from the same maximum security prison where he now sits. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo) Bullet holes riddle the walls of the second floor of the home that marines raided in their search for Mexican drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman in Los Mochis, Mexico, Monday, Jan. 11, 2016. On Friday, Guzman and his security chief traveled several blocks through the city's storm sewer system, accessed under the home, before popping out in the middle of an intersection. Federal police eventually found them on a highway outside of town, ending Guzmans flight six months after his escape from the same maximum security prison where he now sits. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo) This frame-grab taken from Jan. 8, 2016 video released by Mexico's presidential press office, shows Mexican navy marines storming a home during the operation to recapture Mexico's most wanted drug kingpin, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in Los Mochis, Mexico. Mexico has begun the process of extraditing Guzman to the United States, where he faces drug-trafficking charges, but that could take "a year or longer" because of legal challenges, said the head of Mexico's extradition office, Manuel Merino. He cited one extradition case that took six years. (Mexico's presidential press office via AP) This frame-grab taken from Jan. 8, 2016 video released by Mexico's presidential press office, shows Mexican navy marines storming a home during the operation to recapture Mexico's most wanted drug kingpin, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in Los Mochis, Mexico. Mexico has begun the process of extraditing Guzman to the United States, where he faces drug-trafficking charges, but that could take "a year or longer" because of legal challenges, said the head of Mexico's extradition office, Manuel Merino. He cited one extradition case that took six years. (Mexico's presidential press office via AP) This frame-grab taken from Jan. 8, 2016 video released by Mexico's presidential press office, shows Mexican navy marines storming a home during the operation to recapture Mexico's most wanted drug kingpin, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in Los Mochis, Mexico. Mexico has begun the process of extraditing Guzman to the United States, where he faces drug-trafficking charges, but that could take "a year or longer" because of legal challenges, said the head of Mexico's extradition office, Manuel Merino. He cited one extradition case that took six years. (Mexico's presidential press office via AP) This frame-grab taken from Jan. 8, 2016 video released by Mexico's presidential press office, shows Mexican navy marines storming a home during the operation to recapture Mexico's most wanted drug kingpin, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in Los Mochis, Mexico. Mexico has begun the process of extraditing Guzman to the United States, where he faces drug-trafficking charges, but that could take "a year or longer" because of legal challenges, said the head of Mexico's extradition office, Manuel Merino. He cited one extradition case that took six years. (Mexico's presidential press office via AP) Several DVDs from the series La Reina del Sur lay on a bed, inside a second floor bedroom at the home marines raided in the search for Mexican drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman in Los Mochis, Mexico, Monday, Jan. 11, 2016. The series stars Kate del Castillo, the Mexican actress who put Guzman in contact with the American actor Sean Penn. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo) Outback pub toasts David Bowie, its most famous visitor CANBERRA, Australia (AP) Drinkers at a dusty Outback pub raised their beer glasses Tuesday to the pub's most famous visitor, David Bowie. More than three decades ago, the mercurial musician made the 650-kilometer (400-mile) drive from Sydney to the tiny outpost of Carinda in parched western New South Wales state to shoot the video for his 1983 hit "Let's Dance" at Carinda's only pub. The pub's current owner, Malcolm George, said the town of fewer than 200 people hadn't known that Bowie was coming. And they have never been allowed to forget the visit, which took their rustic watering hole to a global audience. Memorabilia and bouquets of flowers are left in honor of David Bowie outside his New York apartment, Monday, Jan. 11, 2016. Bowie, the other-worldly musician who broke pop and rock boundaries with his creative musicianship, nonconformity, striking visuals and a genre-spanning persona he christened Ziggy Stardust, died of cancer Sunday. He was 69. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) "People still come in asking, Is this is the pub where Bowie sang?" George said. George said that only one of the local extras who appeared in those smoky bar scenes still lives in the town. But news late Monday (Australian East Time) that Bowie had died immediately boosted business. "It's been nonstop," George said. He said that when he bought the pub a year ago, it was in disrepair. Many of the brown and green tiles had fallen from the wall that had formed a blond Bowie's backdrop as he sang and strummed his guitar. But George stripped tiles from elsewhere in the pub to restore that iconic surface. Marie Draper, who works behind the bar, said a week rarely goes by without a tourist gravitating to that wall. "We do get quite a few tourists who come through," Draper said. "They ask where the spot is and stand in front of the tiles and get their photos taken." Draper has lived in Carinda all her life, but wasn't around when Bowie visited. She couldn't comment on local legend that Bowie paid the local extras by offering to pay for everyone in the bar's drinks. Brazil's artisanal miners seek diamonds at abandoned mine AREINHA, Brazil (AP) Far into the heart of Brazil's Minas Gerais state, rural miners explore the massive craters left behind by giant mining companies in search of diamonds. Associated Press photographer Felipe Dana created a collection of images about the artisanal miners and their craft as a work project for the 2015 World Press Photo Latin America masterclass held in Mexico City in December. The area that Dana documented has been explored for the precious stone since the time of slavery. Up to a few years ago, multinational mining companies extracted the stone without concern for the land or the Jequitinhonha River crossing the region. In this Nov. 19, 2015 photo, an artisanal miner shows the diamonds he and his group found in an abandoned mine in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The area has been explored for the precious stone since the time of slavery, and up to a couple of years ago, multinational mining companies extracted the stone without care for the land or the Jequitinhonha river that crosses the region. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) Today the devastated area known as Areinha is a no man's land where small groups of rural miners try their luck with artisan techniques, using wooden knives, metal pans, large water pumps and no infrastructure. In hopes of sparing the river any more damage, men and women searching for diamonds work around the riverbed as they try to legalize their mining activities with authorities. Locals estimate there are hundreds of people across the region digging for diamonds in groups of 10 or less. They live in wooden huts without electricity and bathe with water in buckets, barely surviving without a stable income but on rare occasions enjoying a windfall of tens of thousands of dollars. During the weeks-long mining process, the group excavates the soil down to a layer of gravel of up to 50 meters (yards) deep. Rocks are extracted with the help of small pumps powered by old truck engines. The miners then use their hands to go through the rocks. If they're lucky, they'll find some diamonds. Diamond mining sounds like a thing of the past to many Brazilians. But here, in areas that are hard to access, thousands of these artisanal miners survive and feed their families. This Nov. 18, 2015 photo shows an area that was destroyed by diamond mining at an abandoned mine in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The devastated area known as Areinha is a no mans land where small groups of artisanal miners try their luck in the craters left behind by multinational mining companies. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) In this Nov. 15, 2015 photo, an artisanal miner weighs diamonds in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Diamond mining sounds like a thing of the past to many Brazilians. But here, in areas that are hard to access, thousands of rural miners still survive and feed their families. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) In this Nov. 15, 2015 photo, a man holding a flashlight searches for a cell signal atop a small hill in Areinha, Brazil. Far into the heart of Brazils Minas Gerais state, artisanal miners explore the massive craters left behind by giant mining companies in search of diamonds. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) In this Nov. 17, 2015 photo, artisanal diamond miner Rafael sits down to eat fish in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Locals estimate there are hundreds of people across the region digging for diamonds in groups of 10 or less. They live in wooden huts without electricity and bathe with water in buckets, barely surviving without a stable income. On rare occasions miners enjoy a windfall of tens of thousands of dollars. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) In this Nov. 17, 2015 photo, artisanal miners separate gravel with sieves as they search for diamonds at an abandoned mine in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. During the weeks-long mining process, the group excavates the soil down to a layer of gravel of up to 50 meters (yards) deep. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) In this Nov. 13, 2015 photo, an artisanal diamond miner chops firewood in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The area has been explored for the precious stone since the time of slavery. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) In this Nov. 15, 2015 photo, artisanal diamond miner Geraldo smokes in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Geraldo is one of hundreds of people across the region digging for diamonds, living in isolated wooden huts without electricity and with no stable income. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) In this Nov. 14, 2015 photo, an artisanal diamond miner separates large rocks from smaller ones at an abandoned mine in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The mining process can take weeks. First miners excavate the soil. Once the layer of gravel is reached which can be as deep as 50 meters, they extract the rocks with the help of small pumps powered by old truck engines and begin the manual separation process to filter the small rocks, and if lucky, the diamonds. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) In this Nov. 13, 2015 photo, Jose Vanderson prepares dinner inside his home in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Born and raised in Areinha, Vanderson says mining in part of the culture of this region, where the first diamond was found nearly 300 years ago. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) In this Nov. 19, 2015 photo, a dog eats under a table used to store dishes, mugs and pots in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The area known as Areinha is a no mans land where small groups of artisanal miners try their luck with artisan techniques, using wooden knives, metal pans, large water pumps and no infrastructure. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) In this Nov. 13, 2015 photo, handmade wooden knifes, used to move small rocks in search of diamonds, sit in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The identification of the diamonds is a hairsplitting task, and sometimes artisanal miners work for a month until they get to the final stage where the precious stones can be found. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) In this Nov. 15, 2015 photo, Jose Vanderson rests on his bed in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Born and raised in Areinha, Vanderson says diamond mining is part of the culture of this region, where the first stone was found nearly 300 years ago. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) In this Nov. 14, 2015 photo, artisanal diamond miners use a water pump to separate rocks at an abandoned mine in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The devastated area known as Areinha is a no mans land where small groups of rural miners try their luck in the craters left behind by multinational mining companies. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) In this Nov. 15, 2015 photo, Gleice da Conceicao feeds a cow in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Conceicao is one of hundreds of artisanal diamond miners living in wooden huts without electricity who bathe with water in buckets, barely surviving without a stable income. On rare occasions miners enjoy a windfall of tens of thousands of dollars. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) In this Nov. 13, 2015 photo, a picture hangs on the wall inside an artisanal diamond miner's home in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The devastated area abandoned by giant mining corporations is now a no man's land where small groups of rural workers try their luck with manual techniques and little to no infrastructure. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) In this Nov. 15, 2015 photo, Amadeu de Jesus, 39, left, and Gleice da Conceicao, 29, sit together after dinner in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Amadeu began diamond mining when he was only 14-years-old. He met Gleice in Areinha, where she works as a cook and searches for diamonds in her free time. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) In this Nov. 17, 2015 photo, an artisanal miner searches for diamonds at an abandoned mine in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The devastated area known as Areinha is a no mans land where small groups of rural miners try their luck with artisan techniques, using wooden knives, metal pans, large water pumps and no infrastructure. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) India sentences crew of US-owned ship to 5 years in jail NEW DELHI (AP) An Indian court has sentenced nearly three dozen crew members of an American-owned ship to five years in prison for illegally entering Indian waters while carrying weapons and ammunition, a court official said Tuesday. The 35 members of the MV Seaman Guard Ohio's crew can all seek bail, said Sivakumar, the additional public prosecutor. The sentences from the court in the southern port town of Tuticorin were handed down Monday. The crew includes six British, three Ukrainian and 14 Estonian nationals, as well as 12 Indians, said Sivakumar, who uses one name. The ship was intercepted in October 2013 by India's coast guard off the southern state of Tamil Nadu, and the crew was arrested after they failed to produce documents allowing them to carry the weapons. Apart from carrying arms illegally, the men were also charged with entering Indian waters without permission. Sivakukmar said the crew has been out on bail since March 2014. The ship's captain told investigators that the company provides armed escorts to merchant vessels traveling in pirate-infested waters in the Indian Ocean. The ship is owned by the Virginia-based security company AdvanFort, but is registered in Sierra Leone. AdvanFort denies the charges. India has been very sensitive about the presence of armed security guards on merchant ships since the shooting deaths of two fishermen by armed Italian marines in 2012. Bedouin coming-of-age drama vying for Oscar nod AL-SHAKRIYEH, Jordan (AP) A coming-of-age drama set among Bedouin tribesmen roaming the desert emerged as the first potential Oscar contender produced by Jordan's nascent film industry. "Theeb" (Wolf), set in 1916, tells the story of a playful 11-year-old Bedouin boy of the same name who gets caught up in his tribe's alliance with the British against Ottoman rulers during the era's Arab Revolt. Billed as a "Bedouin Western" and an authentic portrayal of Bedouin culture, Theeb is one of nine movies short-listed for best foreign language film nominations. The final five will be announced Thursday. In this Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016 photo, Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat, 15, poses for a photo in Wadi Rum, a scenic desert area of southern Jordan. Jacir and his cousin, both from a Bedouin clan, acted in the film "Theeb" (Wolf), a coming-of-age drama set in 1916, that has emerged as the first Oscar contender of Jordans nascent film industry. The final five will be announced Thursday. (AP Photo/ Raad Adayleh) For the amateur cast from a Bedouin clan and for two young Jordanians writing and directing their first feature film, making Theeb has already been a wild ride, climaxing in the 2014 world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. That marked the first time the actors left Jordan or saw the entire film. "They got a 10-minute standing ovation," said director Naji Abu Nowar, who won for best director in the "Orrizonti" (Horizons) category in Venice. "The Bedouins, it's a very macho culture, and you never see anyone cry, even the children ... and to see tears coming out of some of their eyes (during the premiere) was a really powerful moment," he said, speaking from the Palm Springs International Film Festival, a last pre-Oscar opportunity to promote foreign films. Theeb also won two nominations from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, or BAFTA, for its 2016 awards for best foreign language film and for outstanding directorial debut for Abu Nowar, who is also British. The actors have since resumed their lives in al-Shakriyeh, a small Bedouin village nestled among striking rock formations rising from the desert floor of Wadi Rum, a protected landscape just north of the Red Sea and one of Jordan's main tourist attractions. Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat, who played Theeb, is now 15, attends 10th grade and has revised his career plans, from police officer to actor. "I'm a celebrity among my friends now," said Jacir, who has morphed from a boy with a sweet smile into a guarded teen. His cousin, Hussein Salameh al-Sweilhiyeen, who played Theeb's brother Hussein, is back to racing camels and working as a tourist guide. Since Theeb, he has appeared in a German TV documentary about Wadi Rum and a Jordanian tourism commercial, and said he would like to do more acting. Al-Sweilhiyeen said being involved in Theeb made him aware of the need to protect traditions. Bedouin lifestyles in the area have changed dramatically in the last few decades, with nomads settling down, trading their camels for pickup trucks and living off tourists instead of goat herds. "Sometimes I say the old life was better," said al-Sweilhiyeen, sitting on the floor of the carpeted family diwan, or traditional reception area for guests. "The desert teaches you how to depend on yourself. Now we have good services, but we need to protect some old customs." Jacir's father, 42-year-old Eid, still remembers the old ways; he was born in a tent and as a boy rode camels over long distances as his family wandered the desert before settling down about 30 years ago. He dropped out of school as a 15-year-old, taught himself English, began guiding tourists and recently sold his last camels, saying he doesn't have the time and space to care for them properly. Al-Hwietat became the local point man for the filmmakers, Abu Nowar and Bassel Ghandour, who produced the film and co-wrote the script. The pair lived in al-Shakriyeh for most of 2012, soaking up Bedouin culture, rewriting the script and holding acting workshops for the local cast. Theeb was filmed over five weeks by veteran Austrian cinematographer Wolfgang Thaler, the most experienced crew member and praised by all involved as the bedrock of the production. Ghandour said Thaler used super-16mm film in part because it captures the desert's harsh sun and deep shadows more naturally. Theeb, also released commercially, was "definitely low-budget," Ghandour said, but wouldn't reveal how much it cost to make. Half a century before Theeb, scenes of the Oscar-winning epic "Lawrence of Arabia" about maverick British army officer T. E. Lawrence were filmed in Wadi Rum, just minutes from where Jacir and his family live. Jacir's grandfather was part of the local support staff for "Lawrence," also set during the Arab Revolt, and the tradition continues. Jacir's father, Eid, has worked on international productions, most recently as a location manager for "The Martian," a 2015 science fiction film starring Matt Damon, which just won a Golden Globe Award for Best Musical or Comedy Motion Picture. Damon was unpretentious during the shoot, greeting everyone at the start of each day, said al-Hwietat. Providing locations and crew for foreign films remains an important part of Jordan's film work, said George David, general manager of the Royal Film Commission. Major films shot in Jordan also include "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989) and "The Hurt Locker" (2008). At a time of growing conflict in the region, urban centers in Jordan, seen as relatively safe, are standing in for Baghdad or Beirut, he said, adding that "we have also become the go-to location for Mars and the moon." Meanwhile, the success of Theeb signals the development of domestic film production. Over the past decade, the commission has offered workshops on all aspects of film-making, including an annual screenwriters' lab in consultation with the Sundance Institute. However, budget cuts have forced the closure of a film school and the commission had to reduce training. "If we, as an industry, tackle the funding issue, I think we will be seeing more Theebs," said David. "Whether it wins or not, we are already very proud of what it has already achieved." Back in al-Shakriyeh, the Theeb cast members play it cool, despite what appears to be a mild case of Oscar fever. If Theeb is nominated, four of them plan to travel to the awards ceremony in Hollywood Jacir, his father Eid, cousin Hussein and the film's villain, played by local resident Hassan Mutlaq al-Maraiyeh. Like others in the film industry, they have already thought about what to wear for the big night black robes, the Bedouin version of formal attire, instead of the beige ones for every day, said Jacir's father. In this Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016 Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat, right, and his cousin, Hussein Salameh al-Sweilhiyeen, pose for a photo in Wadi Rum, a scenic desert area of southern Jordan. Jacir and al-Sweilhiyeen, both from a Bedouin clan, acted in the film "Theeb" (Wolf), a coming-of-age drama set in 1916, that has emerged as the first Oscar contender of Jordans nascent film industry. The final five will be announced Thursday. (AP Photo/ Raad Adayleh) In this Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016 photo, Hussein Salameh al-Sweilhiyeen? poses for a photo in Wadi Rum, a scenic desert area of southern Jordan. Al-Sweilhiyeen, from a Bedouin clan, acted in the film "Theeb" (Wolf), a coming-of-age drama set in 1916, that has emerged as the first Oscar contender of Jordans nascent film industry. The final five will be announced Thursday. (AP Photo/ Raad Adayleh) In this Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016 photo, Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat, 15, poses for a photo in Wadi Rum, a scenic desert area of southern Jordan. Jacir and his cousin, both from a Bedouin clan, acted in the film "Theeb" (Wolf), a coming-of-age drama set in 1916, that has emerged as the first Oscar contender of Jordans nascent film industry. The final five will be announced Thursday. (AP Photo/ Raad Adayleh) In this Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016 photo, George David, general manager of the Royal Film Commission, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Amman, Jordan. Providing locations and crew for foreign films remains an important part of Jordan's film work, said David. "Theeb" (Wolf), set in 1916, a coming-of-age drama set among Bedouin tribesmen roaming the desert emerged as the first potential Oscar contender produced by Jordan's nascent film industry. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh) In this Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016 photo, Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat, 15, poses for a photo in Wadi Rum, a scenic desert area of southern Jordan. Jacir and his cousin, both from a Bedouin clan, acted in the film "Theeb" (Wolf), a coming-of-age drama set in 1916, that has emerged as the first Oscar contender of Jordans nascent film industry. The final five will be announced Thursday. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh) In this Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016 photo, Bassel Ghandour, who produced the film and co-wrote the script of "Theeb" (Wolf) speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Amman, Jordan. Billed as a Bedouin Western and an authentic portrayal of Bedouin culture, Theeb is one of nine movies short-listed for best foreign language film nominations. The final five will be announced Thursday. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh) Nurses reunite, with roles switched, decades later MILWAUKEE (AP) Lynn Bartos always had a good feeling about the soft-spoken nurse who would greet her warmly at the Milwaukee-area infusion clinic where she got treatments for rheumatoid arthritis pain. It turned out the two had a far deeper connection. "I think somewhere inside of me there was something saying, 'There's something familiar about that young woman,'" said Bartos, a semi-retired nurse herself. That nurse, Nicole Krahn, was assigned to administer the IV this summer as Bartos settled in for one of the three-hour appointments at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin that come every five weeks. Nurse Nicole Krahn, left, gets rheumatoid arthritis medication ready for 66-year-old semi-retired nurse Lynn Bartos at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin Krahn thought Bartos' name sounded familiar but couldn't place it. In conversation, she discovered Bartos was working part-time at the hospital's neurology clinic. "I asked, 'Oh, is that where you spent your career?' She said, 'No ... I spent my early career at the GI clinic at Children's,'" Krahn said. Krahn, whose small intestines became twisted shortly after birth and were mostly removed, had to be fed intravenously for the first few years of her life. She visited the clinic regularly as a child to be weighed and checked over. The girl who called herself "NeeNee" liked going to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin four or five times a week because she got to see a nurse she called "Sweet Lynney." Rose Frye, Krahn's mother, remembers how her daughter would tell the nurse about her boo-boos. "She got attached to certain people," she said. The pair was even featured in the hospital's nursing magazine in a 1988 story about long-term care. This summer, Bartos took a second look at Krahn's name tag and the realization hit. "I said, 'You're NeeNee!' And she said, 'Yes, I am,' and we suddenly realized we had this connection that went way back to her being a toddler," said Bartos, now 66. "And I'm like, 'That toddler is now taking care of me.' And I think I spent the rest of the day crying during the infusion appointment." They hadn't seen each other in 25 years, since Bartos had changed jobs. Krahn, now 30, said she remembered Bartos and always wanted to be a nurse. She says Bartos' kindness influenced how she relates to patients. "I don't know if it's a small world, or it was meant for me to take care of her after all these years," Krahn said. Bartos said she often wondered about "NeeNee." "It was absolute gift to me to reconnect with Nicole," she said. "That's how I look at it, that I was given a gift to know that 44 years of nursing, I did make a difference." In this June 1988 photo provided by Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Nicole Frye, center, looks up at Lynn Bartos, pediatric nurse for Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Gastroenterology Clinic, left Krahn and Bartos were featured together in the hospital magazine in a piece about long-term care This summer, Bartos took a second look at Krahn's name tag and the realization hit. Krahn, now 30, said she remembered Bartos and always wanted to be a nurse. She says Bartos' kindness influenced how she relates to patients Putin: too early to speak about sheltering Assad in Russia MOSCOW (AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that it would be too early to speak about granting political asylum to Syrian President Bashar Assad, a Putin ally and arguably the main obstacle in the Syrian peace process. Russia began carrying out air strikes on the positions of Islamic State fighters in September in support of Assad's army which critics say are aimed against Assad's opponents. Russia, the United States, Middle East nations are promoting talks between the Syrian government and opposition, and Assad has been seen as a highly divisive figure. In this photo taken Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin attends an interview with the German daily Bild at the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia. Putin said on Tuesday, Jan. 12 that it would be too early to speak about granting political asylum to Syrian President Bashar Assad, a Putin ally and arguably the main obstacle in the Syrian peace process. (Alexei Nikolsky/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Putin said in an interview with the German daily Bild published on Tuesday that Moscow is advocating for a constitutional reform in Syria and if the next election is democratic, "Assad won't have to go anywhere, no matter if he is elected president or not." While Putin refused to speculate on a possible Moscow's role in helping to remove Assad, he indicated that it would not be too difficult for Moscow to do. Detroit mayor: Dead mouse, cold kids, bad floor in schools DETROIT (AP) Mayor Mike Duggan said he saw a dead mouse, children wearing coats in cold classrooms and a gym floor too warped for play during a tour of some Detroit public schools Tuesday, amid a teacher sick-out that has forced dozens of buildings to close. Duggan pledged to quickly come up with a plan to improve the condition of the buildings. The teachers' union has complained about mold, rodent infestations, too-large class sizes and other issues. Teachers upset about their pay, the district's financial condition and work environments called in sick Monday, forcing the cancellation of classes at 64 schools. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, left, leaves Fisher Magnet Lower Academy in Detroit, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, after talking with school administrators and Detroit Public Schools officials about the condition of the school. The visits occurred while two dozen schools were closed because of a sick-out by teachers who are upset about pay, class sizes, rodents and mold. (Jose Juarez/Detroit News via AP) DETROIT FREE PRESS OUT; HUFFINGTON POST OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT "Our children need our teachers in the classroom. ... But there's no question about the legitimacy of the issues that they're raising," Duggan said Tuesday, when about two dozen schools were closed because of the sick-out. More than 31,000 students stayed home Monday. School district spokeswoman Michelle Zdrodowski said the number of children affected Tuesday wasn't immediately known. Unlike some big-city mayors, Duggan has no control over schools. Detroit's debt-ridden district of 46,000 students has been under state oversight for nearly seven years. The 100-school district is run by an emergency manager appointed by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder. But the city can inspect the buildings to make sure they meet code requirements. Duggan said the condition of schools is a "mixed bag," with some in good shape. "We're still gathering information and we'll have a plan" Wednesday, he told reporters at Fisher school on the city's east side. "We've seen a couple of school buildings that are well-maintained and then saw some conditions that were deeply disturbing, including a school where the children have no gym class because the gym floor is buckled from roof leaks," Duggan said. He said it was "heartbreaking" to see some kids wearing coats in the morning until classrooms warm up by lunch. The governor has called for the state to commit $715 million over a decade to address the district's $500 million debt and relaunch the district under a new name. But his plan has yet to receive support in the legislature, which is controlled by fellow Republicans. During a visit to the Detroit auto show Tuesday, Snyder called the sick-out "really unfortunate." "There are other venues and ways if people have issues. ... They shouldn't be doing that at the expense of having kids not in class," the governor said. But Snyder understanding teachers' frustrations "isn't enough," Detroit Federation of Teachers interim President Ivy Bailey said Tuesday. "A sufficient response to the Detroit Public Schools' deplorable health, safety and learning conditions that are outraging educators and parents would be to address these issues and take action to mitigate the problems," Bailey said in a statement. "The mayor and the state school superintendent are working with us on these issues. We need the governor's help as well." The union is not part of the sick-out, but union officials have been vocal about school conditions. Zdrodowski said "there's no denying" that some schools need attention, adding that problems are investigated as soon as possible. Nonetheless, she said, the district is troubled by the wave of teacher absences. "We're investigating all of our options. Kids need to be in school," Zdrodowski said. The Detroit Parent Network, a nonprofit that aims to improve parental involvement in education, is surveying district parents about the school closings, chief executive Sharlonda Buckman told The Associated Press. It is also hosting a discussion with parents on Thursday. "We want to make sure parent voices don't get lost in the crossfire," Buckman said. ___ Associated Press reporter Jeff Karoub contributed to this report. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, center, talks with school officials officials about the conditions at Fisher Magnet Lower Academy Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, in Detroit. The visits occurred while two dozen schools were closed because of a sick-out by teachers who are upset about pay, class sizes, rodents and mold. (Jose Juarez/Detroit News via AP) DETROIT FREE PRESS OUT; HUFFINGTON POST OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan addresses the media, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, outside Fisher Magnet Lower Academy in Detroit, after talking with school administrators and Detroit Public Schools officials about the condition of the school. The visits occurred while two dozen schools were closed because of a sick-out by teachers who are upset about pay, class sizes, rodents and mold. (Jose Juarez/Detroit News via AP) DETROIT FREE PRESS OUT; HUFFINGTON POST OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT A group of about 200 teachers, joined by parents and children, protest, Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, outside the Detroit public schoolss Fisher Building headquarters in Detroit. At least two dozen Detroit public schools were closed Tuesday as teacher sick-outs forced officials to again keep students at home. (Kim Kozlowski/ The Detroit News) A group of over a hundred teachers, joined by parents and children, protest Monday Jan. 11, 2016, in Detroit. A wave of teacher absences described by an activist as "rolling strikes" shut down more than half of Detroit's 100 public schools Monday, keeping thousands of students at home as a so-called sick-out entered a second week. (Kim Kozlowski/Detroit News via AP) DETROIT FREE PRESS OUT; HUFFINGTON POST OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT Latest: Texas 'affluenza' teen's mom released from jail FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) The latest on Tonya Couch, the mother of a Texas teen who used an "affluenza" defense in a drunken wreck (all times local): 9:20 a.m. The mother of a fugitive teenager known for using an "affluenza" defense in a fatal drunken-driving wreck has been released from a Texas jail. Deputies escort Tonya Couch, front right, to the defense table before her bond reduction hearing Monday, Jan 11, 2016, in court in Fort Worth, Texas. Couch, the mother of a Texas teenager who used an "affluenza" defense for a deadly wreck, could soon leave jail after a judge on Monday sharply reduced her bond. (David Kent/Star-Telegram via AP, Pool) Tonya Couch was released on bond from the Tarrant County jail in Fort Worth shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday. She's charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon for allegedly helping her 18-year-old son flee to Mexico. Her son, Ethan Couch, is fighting extradition from Mexico. A judge on Monday lowered the mother's bond from $1 million to $75,000. She must wear an electronic ankle monitor and remain at the home of her 29-year-old son, Steven McWilliams, except for appointments with her doctor and lawyer. Authorities believe the pair fled as Texas prosecutors investigated whether Ethan Couch violated his probation in the 2013 wreck that killed four people. During the trial, a defense witnesses said the teen was coddled into a sense of irresponsibility by his wealthy parents, a condition the expert called "affluenza." ___ 1 a.m. The mother of a Texas teenager who used an "affluenza" defense after killing four people in a drunken wreck has posted a reduced bond and is expected to be released soon. In a tweet late Monday night, Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said Tonya Couch had posted $75,000 bond and was expected to be released Tuesday morning after being fitted with a GPS monitor, "barring any unseen delays." A judge decreased Couch's bond Monday from $1 million to $75,000. She was brought back to Texas last week after being caught with her son, 18-year-old Ethan Couch, in the Mexican resort town of Puerto Vallarta. She's now charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon. Tonya Couch, front right, heads to the defense table before her bond reduction hearing Monday, Jan 11, 2016, in court in Fort Worth, Texas. Couch, the mother of a Texas teenager who used an "affluenza" defense for a deadly wreck, could soon leave jail after a judge on Monday sharply reduced her bond. (David Kent/Star-Telegram via AP, Pool) Tonya Couch's son Steven McWilliams testifies at Couch's bond reduction hearing Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, in court in Fort Worth, Texas. Couch, the mother of a Texas teenager who used an "affluenza" defense for a deadly wreck, could soon leave jail after a judge on Monday sharply reduced her bond. (David Kent/Star-Telegram via AP, Pool) Judge Wayne Salvant issues his ruling at Tonya Couch's bond reduction hearing Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, in court in Fort Worth, Texas. Couch, the mother of a Texas teenager who used an "affluenza" defense for a deadly wreck, could soon leave jail after a judge on Monday sharply reduced her bond. (David Kent/Star-Telegram via AP, Pool) Germany to ease deportation rules after Cologne attacks BERLIN (AP) Germany will make it easier to deport criminal foreigners following public outrage over the New Year's Eve assaults in Cologne, officials said Tuesday. Authorities say 561 criminal complaints have been filed in connection with the assaults, with about 45 percent involving allegations of sexual offenses, and most of the suspects identified so far are foreign nationals. Many asylum-seekers who commit crimes currently avoid deportation because the danger they face in their home country is considered greater than the reason for deporting them. "With this proposal we are significantly lowering the hurdles for the possible expulsion of foreigners who have committed crimes in Germany," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told reporters in Berlin. German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, left, and Justice Minister Heiko Maas arrive for a statement on a planned reform of the laws on deportation and sexual offenses at the Reichstag Building, in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) The changes, which have to be approved by the Cabinet and Parliament, would mean that even a suspended prison sentence would be grounds for deportation if someone is found guilty of certain crimes. These include homicide, bodily harm, sexual assault, violent theft and serial shoplifting. Youth sentences would be covered too. A sentence of more than one year would further increase the likelihood of deportation, de Maiziere said. "That's a hard but right response by the state to those who are seeking protection here, but think they can commit crimes" without consequences for their right to remain in Germany, he said. Justice Minister Heiko Maas said that public pressure following the Cologne assaults had played a role in getting the plan agreed so quickly. "We owe this to the victims of these serious crimes," he said, adding that the measures were also necessary "to protect the overwhelming majority of innocent refugees in Germany. They don't deserve to be lumped together with criminal foreigners." Maas said that changes also would be made to Germany's sex crime laws to ensure that victims who are caught by surprise, or who fear greater physical harm if they resist assault, are better protected. "This too is the kind of situation we had in Cologne, where people were confronted with a horde of men," he said. Police say most of the suspects in Cologne are believed to be foreigners, including at least some asylum-seekers. Many were described as being of "Arab or North African origin." On Tuesday they appealed for anyone with photo or video material taken that night to upload it to them so that they could evaluate it as part of their investigation. The assaults have heightened tensions over Germany's migrant influx. Nearly 1.1 million asylum-seekers arrived last year. Cologne police say they have identified 23 possible suspects. Separately, federal police have identified 32 suspects, including nine Algerians. Algeria's prime minister, Abdelmalek Sellal, said during a visit to Berlin on Tuesday that "we as the Algerian state and people say that, if this is confirmed, it is unacceptable for us." Beyond the question of foreigners who commit crimes, Germany is keen to ensure that migrants who aren't granted asylum leave the country as quickly as possible. Chancellor Angela Merkel said she and Sellal discussed the increasing number of Algerians migrating illegally to Germany in recent months and agreed to step up police cooperation. She said that very few Algerians are granted asylum in Germany and so "in many cases, the question of sending them back is on the agenda." Sellal noted that the two countries have had an agreement to return Algerian nationals living illegally in Germany since 1997. He stressed, though, "that it must be proven that they are Algerians, and that can lengthen the matter." Separately on Tuesday, a top German police official said he doesn't believe the New Year's Eve assaults in Cologne and elsewhere were linked to organized crime. Holger Muench, the head of Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office, told RBB Inforadio that "the same conditions were in place at different locations," with crowds of people gathering to celebrate the new year. "I am not saying that there was no organization, but it is not organized crime," he said. "That would have a different quality for me. We would be talking about ... hierarchical groups." However, "what we see here is perpetrators communicating with each other and making arrangements ... and of course we must recognize better where they do this, how they do this," Muench said. ___ Geir Moulson and David Rising contributed to this report. German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, left, and Justice Minister Heiko Maas brief the media on a planned reform of the laws on deportation and sexual offenses at the Reichstag building, in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) Canadian held by Taliban released in remote Afghan district KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) An Afghan official described on Tuesday the dramatic scene surrounding the release the previous day of a Canadian hostage held by the Taliban for five years a scene that involved a helicopter landing to scoop the captive to freedom as fighter jets flew overhead in a remote district in Afghanistan. The hostage, Colin Rutherford, was released at 11 a.m. on Monday in Ghazni province's remote Giro district, local police chief Gen. Aminullah Amarkhil said. Rutherford was seized in November 2010 and accused of being a spy. At the time, Rutherford said that he was a tourist. FILE - This still file image from a video released by the Taliban on May 8, 2011, purports to show Canadian Colin Rutherford in captivity. Rutherford, who was captured by the Taliban in 2010, has been released, the Canadian government announced on Monday, Jan. 11, 2016. (Taliban video/The Canadian Press via AP) The Canadian Embassy in Kabul did not divulge his current whereabouts and it wasn't immediately clear if he had been flown out of Afghanistan. A Taliban statement said Rutherford's release was brokered by Qatar. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion in a statement late Monday thanked the Qatari authorities for their help. "Canada is very pleased that efforts undertaken to secure the release of Colin Rutherford from captivity have been successful," Dion said. "We look forward to Mr. Rutherford being able to return to Canada and reunite with his family and loved ones." The Taliban released a video of Rutherford in 2011 and accused him of being a spy. Rutherford, who was then 26, insisted he was not a spy and had travelled to Afghanistan to study historical sites and shrines. He said in the video that he was an auditor from Canada and that he came to Afghanistan as a tourist. Rutherford's brother, Brian, called the release incredible news and said he was deeply grateful to all those who aided in the release. "We're obviously overjoyed," he said. The Canadian Circulations Audit Board said in an email that Rutherford was working for them in Toronto when he went on vacation to Afghanistan. "This is great news," Tim Peel, the company's vice-president, said in an email. "We wish him a safe and speedy return and would like to thank all the parties involved in securing his freedom." ___ Underdog candidates keep powering along the campaign trail PARKERSBURG, Iowa (AP) Running as an underdog presidential candidate isn't always glamorous. You speak to half-filled halls and small rooms, low-key rallies. There may not be a bus emblazoned with your smiling face. And then there are the rally-goers who blatantly say they aren't quite convinced. But for the longshots sprinting across Iowa and New Hampshire before the Feb. 1 caucuses, one thing keeps them fired up: the prospect of a political upset. In this Jan. 6, 2016, photo, Republican presidential candidate, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee speaks with visitors during a campaign stop at Tony's La Pizzeria in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Running as an underdog presidential candidate isnt always glamorous. You speak to half-filled halls and small rooms, low-key rallies. Among those hoping for an Iowa winter miracle are Huckabee, 2008 winner of the caucuses, and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, winner in 2012. Also looking for political salvation in either first-to-vote Iowa or in the New Hampshire primary are Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and former technology executive Carly Fiorina. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) "Let's prove the New York media totally wrong," former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said to about 40 people gathered in a senior center dining room in Parkersburg, Iowa last week. At least half were residents finishing dinner, a couple of whom left in the middle of the town hall-style meeting. Among those hoping for an Iowa winter miracle are Huckabee, 2008 winner of the caucuses, and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, winner in 2012. Also looking for political salvation in either first-to-vote Iowa or in the New Hampshire primary are Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and former technology executive Carly Fiorina. Polls in both states show them all lagging in the low single digits. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and businessman Donald Trump are leading the recent polls in Iowa, followed by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson in third and fourth. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich are behind in Iowa, but running stronger in New Hampshire. Some other underdogs have left the race already. Remember former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and former New York Gov. George Pataki? The tricky thing for many of these candidates is that having fans in the early states doesn't necessarily translate into votes. John Stewart, a 64-year-old attorney who lives on Lake Panorama in Iowa, said he liked Huckabee and Santorum, but he didn't believe they had a chance at winning. "Their day has come and gone," he said at the Prime Time restaurant in Guthrie Center, Iowa before a Cruz event last week. "People still like and appreciate them. But Cruz and Rubio have some momentum. Cruz has more. It's Cruz's time." Huckabee, whose slipping poll numbers bumped him off the main stage event during the last Republican debate, noted that many people don't make up their minds until the final days. But he also called Iowa a "critical ground zero." "I don't want to say we have to be one, two, three, four. A lot of it depends on where the grouping is," Huckabee said. Upsets are a grand tradition of the Iowa caucuses. Huckabee and Santorum both came from behind to win. But this year, Trump and Cruz seem to have captured many of the conservative and evangelical voters that supported them previously. Of course, there are lots of reasons a candidate may stick around. Some want to advance their political philosophy or promote their brand for future book deals and TV appearances. And there's always the prospect of a cabinet role or the vice presidency. Still, second-time candidate Santorum, who wooed over 45 people gathered at a house party in suburban Des Moines Thursday, said he believes in the voters of Iowa. "Three and half weeks is a long time," Santorum said, as a group of friends and neighbors mingled and munched on Chex mix and cookies. "Four years ago, fifty percent of the people who voted didn't decide until the last week." Despite narrowly beating eventual nominee Mitt Romney in Iowa in 2012, Santorum has spent this entire race at the back of the pack. He's never polled well enough to make it on to the main debate stage and has focused largely on Iowa, spending so much time here that he had visited all 99 counties by September. The Republican debates have proven particularly frustrating for the lower-polling candidates. This week, Fiorina and Paul were cut from the main stage at the Republican debate in South Carolina Thursday. Debate host Fox Business Network announced the debate lineup Monday evening. Paul said last week before a birthday celebration in a Des Moines bar the race was still "wide open." He stressed his organization on college campuses and noted that he has volunteer captains in over 1,000 of Iowa's 1,681 precincts. "A thousand precinct chairs shows that we are a first tier campaign that's in it, not to mess around, not to get second, not to get third, not to get sixth," Paul said, addressing the crowded room standing on top of a chair. "We're in it to win it." Paul has said he will not participate in an undercard debate. Fiorina hit an optimistic tone in New Hampshire recently, where she has campaigned heavily. Fiorina moved up in the polls after a strong undercard performance in the first Republican debate, which propelled her to the main stage in the subsequent debates. But she has been unable to maintain the momentum. Still, while GOP voters in New Hampshire often mention Fiorina as an impressive candidate, few say she's their No. 1 choice. During an event before roughly 50 voters at a local Elks Lodge, Fiorina herself noted that an undecided voter told her that day he'd need to see her at least once more before making up his mind. "I get it, I accept it that you take your responsibility seriously," she joked. After the event, that voter, Ed DeClercq, still wasn't sold. He said: "I see them all and I take it all in and decide when I go to the booth." ___ Associated Press writers Kathleen Ronayne contributed from Salem, New Hampshire and Scott Bauer from Guthrie Center, Iowa. In this Jan. 6, 2016, photo, Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard chief executive, speaks during a campaign luncheon stop at an Irish pub in Dover, N.H. Running as an underdog presidential candidate isnt always glamorous. You speak to half-filled halls and small rooms, low-key rallies. Among those hoping for an Iowa winter miracle are Mike Huckabee, 2008 winner of the caucuses, and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, winner in 2012. Also looking for political salvation in either first-to-vote Iowa or in the New Hampshire primary are Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and former technology executive Fiorina.(AP Photo/Jim Cole) Immigrant raids divide Obama from Democrats and Clinton WASHINGTON (AP) Federal immigration raids have wrenched open new divides between President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies, including the woman who hopes to replace him, Hillary Clinton. On Tuesday, with the president due to arrive on Capitol Hill within hours to deliver his final State of the Union Address, House Democrats gathered at a press conference to denounce his policies and release a letter signed by nearly 150 lawmakers calling for deportation raids to stop. "It's just unacceptable," said Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois. "I've been 99.9 percent with this president of the United States but in this particular case, when his administration sows the seeds of terror throughout the immigrant community of the United States and millions of people are affected, that's what I'm going to concern myself with." Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., speaks during a news conference about immigration raids targeting Central American families with children, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) That came after Clinton broke with Obama on the issue at a forum in Iowa Monday night, also calling for the raids to end. "I do not think the raids are an appropriate tool to enforce the immigration laws. In fact, I think they are divisive, they are sowing discord and fear," she said. Fellow Democratic hopefuls Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former Gov. Martin O'Malley of Maryland have adopted similar stances. The Obama administration has defended the holiday-season raids that resulted in detentions of 121 people, many from Central America. They point to a spike in families and children arriving at the U.S. southern border from Central America, which has prompted fears of another border crisis like the one that dominated national news during the summer of 2014. This time it would come amid a presidential race where immigration is already a fraught topic, with Republican front-runner Donald Trump insisting he would deport everyone here illegally while Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida exchange barbs about who has the stronger record on this issue. Trump has praised the raids and taken credit for them. "Our desire to make clear that individuals should not embark on the dangerous journey from Central America to the Southwest border that's a case that we've tried to tell in a variety of ways," said White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest. "It was only after individuals had exhausted the legal remedies available to them ... was a decision made to remove them," he said. The administration has shown no sign of backing off its approach, though Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., created confusion on that question Tuesday when he told reporters he'd spoken with Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and "I think you're going to find a pause in these deportations." Aides later insisted Reid simply meant to suggest that he hoped there would be a pause. Earlier, the administration sent White House Counsel Neil Eggleston to meet privately with House Democrats, including Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. But despite what all involved described publicly as a cordial meeting, neither side seemed ready to budge. Democratic aides said Eggleston expressed concerns about the Democrats' approach and the potential impact it could have on the administration's hopes of defending Obama's deportation-relief policies before the Supreme Court. Administration officials have repeatedly emphasized that they have focused on people who have arrived in this country recently, in line with new deportation priorities announced in late 2014, at the same time Obama announced an expanded deportation relief program, promising to temporarily lift the threat of removal for millions. The goodwill from those deferment programs was fleeting, in part because they're tied up in court. The White House now finds itself making some of the same arguments it made earlier in Obama's administration, when activists labeled him "deporter in chief" for presiding over record deportations while failing to persuade Republicans to support immigration reform legislation. Officials say the administration has a responsibility to enforce the law and in this case there is a further responsibility not to encourage people to take a very dangerous journey. New figures Tuesday showed that arrivals of families and unaccompanied children from Central America from October to December shot up to well over double the amount from the same period the previous year. The numbers could go even higher beginning in February and early spring, when arrivals traditionally increase, potentially eclipsing the levels that produced the 2014 crisis. Many are fleeing brutal gang warfare in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, the same countries whose violence and instability forced women and kids to make the dangerous trip north two years ago, overwhelming U.S. facilities and producing disturbing images of frightened children huddling in Border Patrol facilities. Such images remain vivid to policymakers, and avoiding a repeat is a priority. Administration officials say they are better prepared than they were in 2014 for a new influx, including increased capacity to house children. But the administration has limited strategies to stem the tide. They have stepped up advertising in Central American countries to warn of the dangers of the trip and point to $750 million in a year-end spending bill to help those nations. ___ Associated Press writers Kathleen Hennessey, Josh Lederman, Alicia A. Caldwell and Ken Thomas contributed to this report. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., left, with Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Calif., speaks during a news conference regarding immigration raids of Central American families with children, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Suicide bomber kills 10, wounds 15 in Istanbul tourist area ISTANBUL (AP) A suicide bomber detonated a bomb in the heart of Istanbul's historic district on Tuesday, killing 10 foreigners most of them German tourists and wounding 15 other people in the latest in a string of attacks by the Islamic extremists targeting Westerners. The blast, just steps from the historic Blue Mosque and a former Byzantine church in the city's storied Sultanahmet district, was the first by IS to target Turkey's vital tourism sector, although IS militants have struck with deadly effect elsewhere in the country. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the bomber was a member of IS and pledged to battle the militant group until it no longer "remains a threat" to Turkey or the world. Tourists walk backdropped by the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, better known as the Blue Mosque, in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, following an explosion nearby, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The explosion killed several people and wounded 15 others Tuesday morning in the historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a Syria-linked suicide bomber is believed to be behind the attack.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Davutoglu described the assailant as a "foreign national," and Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said he was a Syrian citizen born in 1988. However, the private Dogan news agency said the bomber was Saudi-born. Kurtulmus said the attacker was believed to have recently entered Turkey from Syria and was not among a list of potential bombers wanted by Turkey. "Turkey won't backtrack in its struggle against Daesh by even one step," Davutoglu said, referring to IS by its Arabic acronym. "This terror organization, the assailants and all of their connections will be found and they will receive the punishments they deserve." Eight Germans were among the dead and nine others were wounded, some seriously, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters in Berlin. The nationalities of the two others killed in the blast were not immediately released, but both were foreigners. The wounded also included citizens of Norway, Peru, South Korea and Turkey. Turkey's state-run news agency said Davutoglu held a telephone conversation with German chancellor Angela Merkel to express his condolences. "I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Istanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Merkel pledged Germany would continue its fight against terrorism. "Today Istanbul was the target, before Paris, Copenhagen, Tunis, and so many other areas," she told reporters in Berlin. "International terror changes the places of its attacks but its goal is always the same it is our free life, in free society. The terrorists are the enemies of all free people, indeed, the enemies of all humanity, whether in Syria or Turkey, in France or Germany." The impact of Tuesday's attack, while not as deadly as two others last year, was particularly far-reaching because it struck at Turkey's $30 billion tourism industry, which has already suffered from a steep decline in Russian visitors since Turkey shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border in November. Its apparent links to Syria also threatened to have implications in a country that is already dealing with more than 2 million Syrian refugees and a wave of migrants from Syria and other countries pouring across Turkey to Europe. "By striking in the heart of Istanbul's old city, which has many ... tourists, but few Turks, (IS) is targeting Turkey's lucrative tourism industry," said Soner Cagaptay, an expert on Turkey at the Washington Institute. Cagaptay said that by targeting Germans, Islamic extremists also seemed to be aiming to heighten an anti-refugee backlash in Europe and deepen the anti-Islam sentiment there. "This attack will, unfortunately, drive further backlash against German Chancellor Merkel's pro-Syrian refugee policy," Cagaptay said in e-mailed comments. The explosion, which could be heard in several neighborhoods, was at a park that is home to a landmark obelisk some 25 yards (meters) from the Blue Mosque. Nearby monuments include the Ottoman-era Topkapi Palace and the former Byzantine church of Haghia Sophia, now a museum. Berlin travel agent Lebenslust Touristik said that "many people" that it had booked on a tour were among the dead and wounded. Overall there were 33 people on the tour, the agency said, adding that it was working closely with the German Foreign Ministry to help the victims and their families. Among the wounded was Jostein Nielsen, a 59-year-old Salvation Army officer from Norway who was sightseeing with his wife when the bomb went off, striking him in the knee with shrapnel. "I first heard a bang that I think is what detonated the bomb," Nielsen told Norway's TV2, speaking from his hospital bed. "After that came the real bang. ... There were human remains all over the place." Erdem Koroglu, who was working at a nearby office, told NTV television he saw several people on the ground following the blast. "It was difficult to say who was alive or dead," Koroglu said. "Buildings rattled from the force of the explosion." Halil Ibrahim Peltek, a shopkeeper near the area of the blast told The Associated Press it had "an earthquake effect." "There was panic because the explosion was violent," he said. The Islamic State group has repeatedly threatened Western targets, with its first major attacks claimed a year ago in Paris on the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper and a kosher supermarket. Two attacks last year targeting a major museum and beach resort in Tunisia left scores dead, nearly all Western tourists. IS also claimed the downing of a Russian jetliner carrying Russian tourists from the Eygptian beach resort of Sharm el-Sheikh that killed all 224 on board. In the case of Tunisia and Egypt, the response of many Western governments was to issue safety warnings for citizens considering travel to the countries, which rely heavily on tourism revenues. Turkey is equally reliant on tourism, and Istanbul has been among the world's most visited cities. Last year, Turkey agreed to take a more active role in the U.S.-led battle against the IS group. It has opened it bases to U.S. aircraft to launch air raids on the extremist group in Syria and has carried out a limited number of strikes on the group itself. It has also moved to tighten security along its 900-kilometer (560-mile) border with Syria in a bid to stem the flow of militants. In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby condemned Tuesday's attack and pledged to work with Turkey to combat the Islamic State group. "The United States reaffirms our strong commitment to work with Turkey, a NATO ally and valued member" of the coalition fighting IS "to combat the shared threat of terrorism," Kirby said in a statement. The attack comes at a time of heightened violence between Turkey's security forces and militants linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in the country's mostly Kurdish southeast. Turkey suffered two major bombing attacks last year, both blamed on the Islamic State group. More than 30 people were killed in a suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near Turkey's border with Syria, in July. In October, two suicide bombs exploded outside Ankara's main train station as people gathered for a peace rally, killing more than 100 in Turkey's deadliest-ever attack. . Last month, Turkish authorities arrested two suspected IS militants they said were planning suicide bombings during New Year's celebrations in the capital, Ankara. ___ Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Associated Press writers Lefteris Pitarakis in Istanbul, David Rising, Frank Jordans, Kirsten Grieshaber and Geir Moulson in Berlin, Lori Hinnant in Paris, and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report. A policeman guards in front of the Blue Mosque at the historic Sultanahmet district after an explosion in Istanbul, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. An explosion in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists killed 10 people and injured 15 others Tuesday morning, the Istanbul governor's office said. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Citizens leave carnations as they gather near the site of the explosion in the historic Sultanahmet district in Istanbul, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The explosion killed 10 people and wounded 15 others Tuesday morning in the historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists. Germany's foreign minister said Tuesday that eight Germans are among the dead in the bombing and nine others are wounded, some seriously.(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Ambulances and firefighters stationed near the city's landmark Sultan Ahmed Mosque or Blue Mosque after an explosion at Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district, which is popular with tourists, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The Istanbul governor's office says the explosion at the city's historic Sultanahmet district has killed least 10 people. A statement says 15 other people were injured in Tuesday's blast. The cause of the explosion is under investigation, but state-run TRT television says it was likely caused by a suicide bomber. The monument in the background is "German Fountain." (IHA via AP) TURKEY OUT A police helicopter patrols over the historic Sultanahmet district after an explosion in Istanbul, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. An explosion killed at least 10 people and injured 15 others Tuesday morning in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists, the Istanbul governor's office said. At least six Germans were among the wounded, a news agency reported. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) People believed to be German tourists that were targeted at an explosion in the historic Sultanahmet district are escorted back to their hotel in Istanbul, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. A suicide bomber affiliated with the Islamic State group detonated a bomb in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists Tuesday morning, killing at least 10 people nine of them German tourists and wounding 15 others, Turkish officials said. (AP Photo/Omer Kuscu) A policemen patrols at the Sultanahmet district after an explosion as the Blue Mosque is seen in the background in Istanbul, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The explosion in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists killed 10 people and injured 15 others Tuesday morning, the Istanbul governor's office said. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) This image from video shows medics and security members with injured people lying on the ground after an explosion at Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district, which is popular with tourists, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The cause of the explosion, which could be heard from several neighborhoods, was not immediately known but TRT said the blast was likely caused by a suicide bomber. (IHA via AP) TURKEY OUT Turkish security members stand near the city's landmark Sultan Ahmed Mosque or Blue Mosque after an explosion at Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district, which is popular with tourists, on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The cause of the explosion, which could be heard from several neighborhoods, was not immediately known but TRT said the blast was likely caused by a suicide bomber. Government officials immediately convened for a security meeting, the state-run station said. (IHA via AP) TURKEY OUT Policemen search for evidence at the historic Sultanahmet district after an explosion in Istanbul, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. An explosion in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists killed 10 people and injured 15 others Tuesday morning, the Istanbul governor's office said. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Policemen install security barriers at the historic Sultanahmet district, which is popular with tourists, after an explosion in Istanbul, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Turkish media reports say several people have been injured in the explosion. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Policemen secure an area at the historic Sultanahmet district, which is popular with tourists, after an explosion in Istanbul, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The private Dogan news agency says at least two people were hospitalized following an explosion in the historic center of Istanbul. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Policemen secure an area at the historic Sultanahmet district, which is popular with tourists, after an explosion in Istanbul, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The private Dogan news agency says at least two people were hospitalized following an explosion in the historic center of Istanbul. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Clashes occur at funeral of rebel commander in Kashmir SRINAGAR, India (AP) Clashes erupted in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Tuesday as police fired tear gas to stop thousands of people from marching in a funeral procession of a rebel commander killed in a clash with government forces. The militant, Sajad Ahmed Bhat, was killed Monday night on the outskirts of Srinagar, the main city in the disputed Himalayan region, said police Inspector-General Syed Javaid Mujtaba Gillani. Gillani said Bhat was a top rebel commander and had been active in the region for over a decade. An Indian policeman fires a teargas shell as a Kashmiri Muslim, center, ducks to avoid it during the funeral procession of Sajad Ahmed Bhat, a top rebel commander on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Clashes erupted in Indian-controlled Kashmir Tuesday as police fired tear gas to stop a march by thousands of people participating in a funeral procession of a local militant killed in a gunfight with government forces. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) Thousands of people chanting slogans against Indian rule assembled in the militant's home village on Tuesday and tried to march on a highway connecting the region with the rest of India while carrying his body for burial. Police fired tear gas to stop the march, triggering clashes as groups of young men hurled rocks at the troops. Witnesses said hundreds of people managed to take a different route to the graveyard and buried Bhat's body. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Thousands of people participate in militant funerals in Kashmir, where sentiment against Indian rule runs deep. Rebels have been fighting since 1989 for Kashmir's independence or merger with Pakistan, which controls another portion of Kashmir to the west. More than 68,000 people have been killed in the uprising and in a subsequent Indian military crackdown. The rebel groups have largely been suppressed by Indian troops in recent years, and resistance is now principally expressed through street protests. Kashmiri Muslims takes pictures with their mobile phones as they carry the body of Sajad Ahmed Bhat, a top rebel commander, during his funeral procession on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Clashes erupted in Indian-controlled Kashmir Tuesday as police fired tear gas to stop a march by thousands of people participating in a funeral procession of a local militant killed in a gunfight with government forces. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) Kashmiri Muslim run for cover as Indian policemen chase them during the funeral procession of Sajad Ahmed Bhat, a top rebel commander, on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Clashes erupted in Indian-controlled Kashmir Tuesday as police fired tear gas to stop a march by thousands of people participating in a funeral procession of a local militant killed in a gunfight with government forces. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) Kashmiri Muslims carry the body of Sajad Ahmed Bhat, a top rebel commander, during his funeral procession on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Clashes erupted in Indian-controlled Kashmir Tuesday as police fired tear gas to stop a march by thousands of people participating in a funeral procession of a local militant killed in a gunfight with government forces. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) Suu Kyi takes part in talks to boost Myanmar cease-fire NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) Aung San Suu Kyi, whose pro-democracy party will take over power in Myanmar from a pro-military government in coming months, on Tuesday participated for the first time in official talks to bring peace with the country's fractious ethnic minorities. Suu Kyi (pronounced "Suu-chee") spoke at the opening of a peace conference in the capital, Naypyitaw, that seeks to drive forward a cease-fire agreement signed last year between the government and ethnic guerrilla armies. Several major groups failed to sign the pact, and were also absent from Tuesday's event. Myanmar has been wracked by war for decades as ethnic minorities fight for greater autonomy from the central government. Leader of National League for Democracy party (NLD) Aung San Suu Kyi, left, arrives to deliver a speech in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Aung San Suu Kyi, whose pro-democracy party will take over power in Myanmar from a pro-military government in the next few months, has for the first time participated in official talks to bring peace with the country's fractious ethnic minorities.(AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo) Suu Kyi, who led her National League for Democracy to victory in November's historic election, said in her speech Tuesday that having all of the rebel groups take part would make the cease-fire talks more effective. President Thein Sein hoped the ceasefire deal, inked in October, would be the keynote achievement of his term of office, which will almost certainly end within the next few weeks. But the failure to be inclusive has thrown its effectiveness into grave doubt. The meeting that started on Tuesday is looking at political aspects of the agreement, such as giving more administrative powers to the regions. The head of the army, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, told the meeting the door remained open to the other groups though it isn't immediately clear how or why they will join if the agreement remains as it is. Suu Kyi had previously urged armed ethnic groups not to sign on to the current agreement. In her speech she said she believed the fighting could be stopped but she referred to the need to bring all the armies into the process. "It will be always more effective to have the inclusiveness of all ethnic groups than having a few," she said. "We all can reach the ethnic people's dream faster by cooperating with all ethnic groups." Among the groups staying outside the agreement are the United Wa State Army, whose numbers are put at around 20,000 and who control territory along the Chinese border, the Kachin Independence Army who are currently embroiled in fighting with government forces in jade-rich, mountainous northern Myanmar, and the smaller Ta'ang Liberation Army. Myanmar President Thein Sein arrives at a peace conference in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Aung San Suu Kyi, whose pro-democracy party will take over power in Myanmar from a pro-military government in the next few months, has for the first time participated in official talks to bring peace with the country's fractious ethnic minorities. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo) Leader of National League for Democracy party (NLD) Aung San Suu Kyi, left, greets unidentified lawmakers as she arrives to deliver a speech in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Aung San Suu Kyi, whose pro-democracy party will take over power in Myanmar from a pro-military government in the next few months, has for the first time participated in official talks to bring peace with the country's fractious ethnic minorities.(AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo) Leader of National League for Democracy party (NLD) Aung San Suu Kyi finishes her renarks in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Aung San Suu Kyi, whose pro-democracy party will take over power in Myanmar from a pro-military government in the next few months, has for the first time participated in official talks to bring peace with the country's fractious ethnic minorities.(AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo) Myanmar President Thein Sein arrives at a peace conference in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Aung San Suu Kyi, whose pro-democracy party will take over power in Myanmar from a pro-military government in the next few months, has for the first time participated in official talks to bring peace with the country's fractious ethnic minorities. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo) FIFA prosecutors to appeal for tougher Blatter, Platini bans ZURICH (AP) Already banished from soccer for eight years, former FIFA leaders Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini are again facing the threat of life bans. FIFA ethics prosecutors said Tuesday they will appeal to increase the bans, arguing they are too lenient. "The investigatory chamber intends to appeal against the decision against Mr. Blatter and Mr. Platini at the appeal committee of FIFA," the prosecution unit said in a statement. The counter-challenge revives the prospect of life bans, which both men revealed had been recommended by investigators before their ethics hearings last month. Blatter and Platini have said they will also appeal the eight-year sanctions handed down by four ethics judges who rejected charges of bribery and corruption. Instead, Blatter and Platini were banned for a range of lesser violations of the FIFA ethics code, including accepting or receiving gifts and conflicts of interest. They deny wrongdoing over Blatter approving a $2 million payment from FIFA to Platini in 2011 as backdated salary without a contract. Platini worked as a presidential adviser to Blatter from 1999-2002 but did not claim the money owed to him for more than eight years, when FIFA was no longer obliged by Swiss law to pay him. The case has ended Platini's bid to succeed his former mentor as FIFA president in an election on Feb. 26. Blatter wants to clear his name and host the election meeting in Zurich as a farewell to FIFA after more than 40 years. The FIFA appeals committee rarely cuts or annuls sanctions imposed by the governing body's ethics or disciplinary panels. Blatter and Platini have said they expect their cases will fail at FIFA before they pursue further appeals at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. FIFA's appeals committee has previously imposed a life ban after judge Joachim Eckert decided on an 8-year sanction. In 2013, then-FIFA executive committee member Vernon Manilal Fernando of Sri Lanka was expelled for bribery after then-prosecutor Michael Garcia appealed. Manilal Fernando was judged to have bribed Asian officials to vote for Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar in a 2009 election for a FIFA executive committee seat. The loser in that bitterly fought contest, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al Khalifa of Bahrain, is now a candidate for the FIFA presidency. German state launches new legal classes for refugees BERLIN (AP) A German state has launched a program to teach refugees the basics of law in their new host country, with about 800 judges, prosecutors and judicial officials as their teachers. The classes in the southern state of Bavaria were planned before the New Year's Eve assaults on women in Cologne, which is in western Germany. But the program comes amid growing tensions and increasing concerns in Germany about how it will integrate the 1.1 million asylum-seekers who arrived last year alone. The legal primer program was initiated by Bavaria's justice ministry. The classes include lessons about freedom of opinion, the separation of religion and state and the equality of men and women. In this picture taken Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, Bavarian Minister for Justice Winfried Bausback talks to migrants at a school in the Bavarian town of Ansbach, southern Germany. Some 800 German judges, prosecutors and judicial officers are beginning to teach newly arrived asylum seekers the basics of law in their new host country. The legal primer classes for refugees in the southern state of Bavaria include lessons about freedom of opinion, the separation of religion and state and the equality of men and women. (Daniel Karmann/dpa via AP) Attendance for asylum-seekers is voluntary and only those who are likely to receive refugee status are invited to attend, the Bavarian justice ministry said. Bavaria's justice minister, Winfried Bausback, who taught parts of the first legal education class in the town of Ansbach on Monday, said it's important to give newcomers an early "understanding of our basic values." "Many asylum seekers come from regions where justice doesn't function or is being abused by dictatorships," he said. A quote from an educational film they show newcomers is the essence of their message: "Germany is an attractive country because it respects the dignity of every human being and it is supposed to stay that way." Chancellor Angela Merkel's government is under increasing pressure over her open-door policy to asylum-seekers following the New Year's Eve attacks. Cologne police say 553 criminal complaints have been filed, about 45 percent of which involve allegations of sexual offenses. Police say most of the suspects are believed to be foreigners, including at least some asylum-seekers. Many were described as being of "Arab or North African origin." Merkel's government on Tuesday announced planned reforms of laws on deportation and sexual offenses that would make it significantly easier to expel immigrants who commit crimes. Gerhard Karl, the president of the Ansbach regional court, who organized the classes there, said about 60 mostly Syrian refugees participated in the first class and that 20 more classes are planned for the coming weeks. With the help of an Arabic translator, a judge lectured the students about Germany's basic laws and the equality of men and women in this country. "First the refugees were a bit shy, but after a while, they participated actively it was a very interactive lesson," Karl told The Associated Press. The refugees also received handouts at the end of the class with links so they can watch educational short films by the justice ministry on their smartphones. In one of the films, the makers use simple cartoons to explain how German law translates into everyday life. Gender equality takes a prominent place. "Perhaps you already had contact with female police officers, judges or doctors it's a common thing here in Germany," the short film explains, adding that "women and men are regarded as equals both in profession and family life. This means everyone is entitled to the same amount of respect and recognition." The film ends with an appeal to all new arrivals to integrate and adhere to this country's norms and traditions. "This only works if all of us you too from now on respect and actively imply these basic values each day." Migrants in Germany have for years have been offered so-called integration courses in Germany that include 600 hours of language training as well as 60 hours in an orientation class that teaches them about the country's history, culture, political and judicial system. While these classes are mostly taught by regular teachers, Bavaria's approach of bringing judicial professionals to the class room is new in Germany. The new classes and salaries for the professionals are paid for from the state's 700,000-euro (763,000 dollars) budget for integration measures for 2016. The classes are being taught with the help of translators and the educational films will be available in German and English, but also in Arabic, Urdu, Pashtu and Dari languages frequently spoken by many of the refugees from Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Bausback said the importance of the new legal primer classes couldn't be underestimated. "We should think of turning this into a mandatory thing," he said. ___ Follow Kirsten Grieshaber at http://www.twitter.com/kugrieshaber In this picture taken Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, migrants listen to Bavarian Minister for Justice Winfried Bausback at a school in the Bavarian town of Ansbach, southern Germany. Some 800 German judges, prosecutors and judicial officers are beginning to teach newly arrived asylum seekers the basics of law in their new host country. The legal primer classes for refugees in the southern state of Bavaria include lessons about freedom of opinion, the separation of religion and state and the equality of men and women. (Daniel Karmann/dpa via AP) BP to cut 4,000 jobs amid oil price plunge LONDON (AP) Oil company BP is cutting some 4,000 jobs in exploration and production over the next two years amid sharp drops in the price of crude. The cuts in BP's upstream business globally will include the loss of some 600 jobs in the North Sea. The cost-cutting announced Tuesday comes as the price of oil dropped to a 12 year-low near $31 a barrel. Part of the decline is due to concern over a drop in demand in China, which is depressing commodity prices worldwide. Company officials began notifying employees of the action in town hall meetings in Scotland. Classified documents prompt debate in Bowe Bergdahl case FORT BRAGG, North Carolina (AP) A U.S. Army judge is considering how to handle thousands of documents, many of them classified, that will be part of the case against a soldier who walked off an outpost in Afghanistan. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl appeared on Tuesday before an Army judge for the pretrial hearing at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. He faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. The judge is preparing an order that will shape how the defense can use classified information to prepare its case. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, right, arrives for a pretrial hearing at Fort Bragg, N.C., with his defense counsel Lt. Col. Franklin D. Rosenblatt, left, on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Bergdahl, who was held by the Taliban for five years after he walked off a base in Afghanistan, faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. (AP Photo/Ted Richardson) Prosecutor Capt. Michael Petrusic estimated the discovery process could involve more than 300,000 pages. Defense attorney Lt. Col. Frank Rosenblatt argued the prosecution's desired approach would place obstacles in front of Bergdahl's lawyers. Bergdahl's military trial is expected to start this summer. AP News Guide: A look at the record $1.5B Powerball drawing The world's largest lottery jackpot has grown to $1.5 billion because of continuing strong Powerball ticket sales. The odds of matching all six numbers to win the jackpot in Wednesday's drawing are one in 292.2 million. Forty-four U.S. states participate, as well as the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Here's what you need to know: A woman purchases Powerball lottery tickets in New York, Monday, Jan. 11, 2016. Lottery officials say the Powerball jackpot has grown to more than a billion dollars. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) ___ A RECORD JACKPOT The jackpot for the twice-weekly game started at $40 million on Nov. 4 and has been growing ever since. The jackpot estimate is reviewed daily. ___ THE PAYOFF: HUGE, EVEN AFTER TAXES A winner would have the option of being paid $1.5 billion through annual payments over 29 years or opting for one smaller cash payment. But 39.6 percent of the lump sum would go to federal income taxes. Plus, most states would take a chunk something winners in Florida, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming wouldn't have to worry about because those states have no income tax. California, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Tennessee also generally exempt lottery winnings from taxes. ___ LUCK OF THE DRAW Roughly 95 percent of Powerball tickets are computer-generated picks, so people's favorite numbers aren't really a factor. Officials don't track which numbers are most popular because so many are randomly generated. ___ A WORD OF CAUTION The executive director of the Texas Lottery urged those hoping to hit it big not to spend more than they can afford. "We're very concerned about people playing responsibly and not overspending," Gary Grief said. "It only takes one ticket to win." ___ Associated Press Writer Scott McFetridge in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report. People play various lottery games at a store in New York, Monday, Jan. 11, 2016. Lottery officials say the Powerball jackpot has grown to more than a billion dollars. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Iranian fighter jet crashes, killing 2 pilots TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iran's state TV says that an Iranian Phantom fighter jet has crashed close to the Pakistan border, killing two pilots. It reported that the crash took place on Tuesday morning some 45 miles west of Konarak Air Base, around 900 miles southeast of the Iranian capital, Tehran. The report said that the cause of the crash was unknown but investigations were ongoing. The pilots were on a training assignment. Iran's Air Force purchased the U.S.-manufactured Phantom warplanes before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. It also has Iranian and Russian-made fighters in service. Carson calls for investigation into Muslim civic group Republican presidential hopeful Ben Carson is criticizing President Barack Obama for allowing representatives of a Muslim civic group to attend the State of the Union address, saying their actions are "not pro-American." Democratic lawmakers have invited two members of the Council on American-Islamic Relations to attend Obama's final State of the Union address Tuesday night. Speaking to CNN Tuesday morning, Carson said he has called for an investigation of the group, accusing them of having "done things that are clearly not pro-American." New ICC courtroom opens for business with Kenya trial THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) The International Criminal Court held the first public hearing in its new permanent headquarters Tuesday, with prosecutors urging judges not to throw out a crimes against humanity case against Kenya's deputy president. The court's new home a series of six interconnected blocks hunkered down in the dunes along The Hague's North Sea coast may be new, but the challenges facing the world's first permanent international criminal tribunal remain unchanged tight budgets, problems securing reliable witnesses and uncooperative governments. Tuesday's hearing underscored the problems. It was called to discuss an application made by lawyers for Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto and a co-accused for the three-judge panel to dismiss the case. Ruto's defense team argues that the prosecution did not present sufficient evidence at trial to establish that he helped organize violence that left hundreds dead and forced thousands from their homes in the aftermath of disputed presidential elections in 2007. Exterior view of the new headquarters of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The International Court is holding the first public hearing in its new headquarters, with prosecutors arguing that judges should not throw out the crimes against humanity case against Kenya's deputy president for lack of evidence. The courtroom may be new, but the problems facing the world's first permanent international criminal tribunal remain unchanged, tight budgets, unreliable witnesses and uncooperative governments. (AP Photo/Mike Corder) A case against President Uhuru Kenyatta on similar charges collapsed just over a year ago amid prosecution claims of interference with witnesses and non-cooperation by authorities in Nairobi. Ruto's case also is on thin ice in part because key witnesses pulled out or recanted their testimony. The court, established in 2002, has never been busier as it begins 2016, with multiple trials and investigations underway and more in the pipeline. Later this month, the trial of former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo begins also on charges of involvement in postelection violence and key pretrial hearings are scheduled for a member of Joseph Kony's shadowy Ugandan militia, the Lord's Resistance Army, as well as for an Islamic extremist accused of destroying historic buildings in Timbuktu. While prosecutors have often been criticized for focusing solely on Africa, the court is now reaching out to tackle crises elsewhere, including preliminary investigations in the Palestinian territories and Ukraine. Judges are also considering a request from prosecutors to open a full-scale probe of the brief 2008 conflict in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. But carrying out so many investigations is costly and Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda didn't get all the funds she wanted for 2016 from the court's 123 member states. They rejected her request for 46 million euros ($50 million) and instead approved 43 million euros. "While the (prosecution) office did get some more funds, it is less that what it requested," said Elizabeth Evenson of Human Rights Watch. "It is also less than it really needs given a mounting workload and multiplying human rights crises around the world." Evenson warned that a shortage of funds could mean that key investigations are delayed or deferred. "ICC funders its member countries and the court need to find a better way forward to address its real resource needs," Evenson said. Longstanding problems for the court also remain it still has no police force to track down and arrest suspects and has to rely on cooperation from governments, some of which have been implicated in abuses. Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, wanted on allegations of genocide in his country's restive Darfur region, rejects the court's jurisdiction and has vowed never to surrender. In another worrying development, South Africa a member state of the court also refused to arrest Al-Bashir when he visited that country last year, even though the case was initiated by the U.N. Security Council. "The failure of the Security Council to take any action to enforce its referral of the Sudan situation has severely undermined the ICC," said Prof. Prof. Michael Scharf, Dean of the Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio. Scharf said crimes in Syria by the Islamic State group, particularly mass killings of the Yazidi and other minorities "may emerge as the ICC's highest profile case in 2016," but added that it, too, would require a Security Council referral as neither Syria nor Iraq is a member state. ____ This story has been corrected to reflect that the case against Kenya's president was dropped just over a year ago, not last year. People walk towards the new headquarters of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The International Court is holding the first public hearing in its new headquarters, with prosecutors arguing that judges should not throw out the crimes against humanity case against Kenya's deputy president for lack of evidence. The courtroom may be new, but the problems facing the world's first permanent international criminal tribunal remain unchanged, tight budgets, unreliable witnesses and uncooperative governments. (AP Photo/Mike Corder) People queue to enter the new headquarters of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The International Court is holding the first public hearing in its new headquarters, with prosecutors arguing that judges should not throw out the crimes against humanity case against Kenya's deputy president for lack of evidence. The courtroom may be new, but the problems facing the world's first permanent international criminal tribunal remain unchanged, tight budgets, unreliable witnesses and uncooperative governments. (AP Photo/Mike Corder) Exterior view of the new headquarters of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The International Court is holding the first public hearing in its new headquarters, with prosecutors arguing that judges should not throw out the crimes against humanity case against Kenya's deputy president for lack of evidence. The courtroom may be new, but the problems facing the world's first permanent international criminal tribunal remain unchanged, tight budgets, unreliable witnesses and uncooperative governments. (AP Photo/Mike Corder) Watching Obama speech? Check out political dynamics WASHINGTON (AP) The White House is promising a nontraditional address for President Barack Obama's final State of the Union. But, no, don't look for him to slow-jam Tuesday's speech or rap it. Nontraditional is more likely to simply mean a shorter list of policy proposals and more attention to the president's broader vision for the country. What else is there to watch for? Plenty. The president's speech promises all sorts of election-year dynamics, a new face, an empty chair and a dollop of nostalgia. FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2015, file photo, President Barack Obama gives his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington as Vice Presient Joe Biden and House Speaker John Boehner listen. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) Some things to watch: LONG LOOK AHEAD With time running out on his presidency, Obama knows it would be pointless to propose lots of new initiatives. Instead, look to see what sort of future the president sketches for the country well beyond his remaining year in office. Bill Clinton, in his 2000 valedictory, harked back to Theodore Roosevelt's talk of a "growing nation with a future that takes the long look ahead." LONG LOOK BACK Obama doesn't want to emphasize his lame duck status, so he's likely to go light on the nostalgia in his last State of the Union. But, with a rare audience of tens of millions of Americans, this is a prime opportunity for the president to begin shaping a summarizing vision of his presidency before people tune him out to focus on the 2016 campaign. How does he balance nostalgia with the speech's forward-looking elements? ALTERNATE REALITIES The Republican presidential candidates are painting a grim portrait of America, one downtrodden economically, culturally divided, cowed by terrorists that has lost its standing in the world. Obama is delivering his address earlier than usual this year to put his own, rosier stamp on things before the primary season is in full swing. How does he project a more optimistic view of America while still acknowledging the very real anxieties and worries that Republicans are tapping into? And will he call out the GOP candidates for divisive rhetoric? Don't expect him to scold the candidates directly, but he'll still make his displeasure clear. THE CANDIDATES The audience for Obama's address will include senators itching to replace him and some of them are even running. Expect the cameras to pan to the likes of Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermonter seeking the Democratic nomination. They may well have been giving some thought to their body language: when to clap, when to sit on their hands, when to scowl, when to smile. It also will be notable to take stock of who's not there. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, for one, will be holding his own "State of Our Union" town hall in New Hampshire. AN EMPTY CHAIR A big part of the State of the Union tableau is the guests whom the White House chooses to seat in the first lady's box and to highlight in the president's speech. This year, the White House hopes to give oomph to its push for tighter regulation of guns by leaving one seat in the first lady's box empty, to represent the victims of gun violence who no longer have a voice. Members of Congress will be sending their own messages through their invited guests, including a 9-year-old Syrian refugee, a Planned Parenthood official and a Muslim New York City police lieutenant. Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who refused to license same-sex marriages, planned to be there, too, at the invitation of the staff of Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Every lawmaker gets one guest ticket. THE SPEAKER Look for a new face behind Obama: House Speaker Paul Ryan, who replaced John Boehner. Ryan, who was Mitt Romney's running mate in 2012, will be seated next to Joe Biden, who got the veep job instead. Boehner was typically stone-faced during Obama's addresses. What will we see from Ryan, who's pledging to go on offense against Obama this year? His office popped out a "Get to Know Paul Ryan" video Tuesday just for the occasion. THE MAGIC NUMBER Every year, Obama's speechwriters vow to keep the address tight and every year things just don't quite work out that way. This year really will be different, the White House promises. The number to beat is 5,902 words: That was the length of Obama's first and shortest State of the Union, which ran about 52 minutes. His longest State of the Union ran about 69 minutes in 2010, still well-short of President Bill Clinton's 89-minute opus in 2000. ___ Texas 'affluenza' teen's mother is released from jail FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) The mother of a fugitive teenager known for using an "affluenza" defense in a fatal drunken-driving wreck has been released from a Texas jail. Tonya Couch was released on bond from the Tarrant County jail on Tuesday morning. She's charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon for allegedly helping her 18-year-old son flee to Mexico. Her son, Ethan Couch, is fighting extradition from Mexico. Tonya Couch, center, the mother of a Texas teen who used an "affluenza" defense in a drunken wreck, leaves Tarrant County Jail, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, in Fort Worth, Texas. She is to be fitted with a GPS monitor before release. A judge decreased Couch's bond Monday from $1 million to $75,000. Couch is charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon after she and her son, Ethan Couch, were caught in a Mexican resort city. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade) A judge on Monday lowered the mother's bond from $1 million to $75,000. She must wear an electronic ankle monitor and remain at the home of her 29-year-old son, Steven McWilliams, except for appointments with her doctor and lawyer. Authorities believe the pair fled as Texas prosecutors investigated whether Ethan Couch violated his probation in the 2013 wreck that killed four people. During the trial, a defense witnesses said the teen was coddled into a sense of irresponsibility by his wealthy parents, a condition the expert called "affluenza." Tonya Couch, center, the mother of a Texas teen who used an "affluenza" defense in a drunken wreck, leaves Tarrant County Jail, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, in Fort Worth, Texas. She is to be fitted with a GPS monitor before release. A judge decreased Couch's bond Monday from $1 million to $75,000. Couch is charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon after she and her son, Ethan Couch, were caught in a Mexican resort city. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade) 10 dead, 15 wounded in Istanbul tourist district explosion ISTANBUL (AP) A suicide bomber affiliated with the Islamic State group detonated a bomb in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists Tuesday morning, killing at least 10 people nine of them German tourists and wounding 15 others, Turkish officials said. The bomber who carried out the attack in Istanbul's Sultanahmet district was a 28-year-old Syrian national, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the perpetrator was a member of IS and pledged to battle the militant group until it no longer "remains a threat" to Turkey or the world. Ambulances and firefighters stationed near the city's landmark Sultan Ahmed Mosque or Blue Mosque after an explosion at Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district, which is popular with tourists, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The Istanbul governor's office says the explosion at the city's historic Sultanahmet district has killed least 10 people. A statement says 15 other people were injured in Tuesday's blast. The cause of the explosion is under investigation, but state-run TRT television says it was likely caused by a suicide bomber. The monument in the background is "German Fountain." (IHA via AP) TURKEY OUT Turkey's state-run news agency said Davutoglu held a telephone conversation with German chancellor Angela Merkel to express his condolences. A senior government official confirmed that most of the victims were German. Merkel had earlier said they were part of a German travel group. "I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Istanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. It was unclear whether the death toll of 10 included the alleged bomber. Merkel, speaking at a news conference in Berlin, decried the attack. "Today Istanbul was hit; Paris has been hit, Tunisia has been hit, Ankara has been hit before," she said. "International terrorism is once again showing its cruel and inhuman face today." The explosion, which could be heard from several neighborhoods, was at a park that is home to a landmark obelisk, some 25 meters (yards) from the historic Blue Mosque. Turkey's Dogan news agency reported that one Norwegian and one Peruvian were also among the wounded, and Seoul's Foreign Ministry told reporters via text message that a South Korean had a finger injury. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry told news agency NTB that the Norwegian tourist was slightly hurt and was being treated in a local hospital. Kurtulmus, the deputy premier, said two of the wounded were in serious condition. Germany and Denmark have warned their citizens to avoid crowds outside tourist attractions in Istanbul. Last year, Turkey agreed to take a more active role in the U.S.-led battle against the IS group. Turkey opened its bases to U.S. aircraft to launch air raids on the extremist group in Syria and has carried out a limited number of strikes on the group itself. It has also moved to tighten security along its 900-kilometer (560-mile) border with Syria in a bid to stem the flow of militants. The attack comes at a time of heightened violence between Turkey's security forces and militants linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in the country's mostly-Kurdish southeast. The country is also dealing with more than 2 million Syrian refugees and a wave of migrants from Syria and other countries pouring across Turkey to Europe. Police sealed the area, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion, and a police helicopter hovered overhead. The Sultanahmet neighborhood is Istanbul's main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and the former Byzantine church of Haghia Sophia, now a museum. Erdem Koroglu, who was working at a nearby office, told NTV television he saw several people on the ground following the blast. "It was difficult to say who was alive or dead," Koroglu said. "Buildings rattled from the force of the explosion." Davutoglu immediately convened a security meeting with the country's interior minister and other officials. As with previous attacks, authorities imposed a news blackout, barring media from showing images of the dead or injured or reporting any details of the investigation. Turkey suffered two major bombing attacks last year, both blamed on the Islamic State group. More than 30 people were killed in a suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near Turkey's border with Syria, in July. Two suicide bombs exploded in October outside Ankara's main train station as people gathered for a peace rally, killing more than 100 in Turkey's deadliest-ever attack. The prosecutor's office said that attack was carried out by a local IS cell. Last month, Turkish authorities arrested two suspected IS militants they said were planning suicide bombings during New Year's celebrations in the capital Ankara. __ Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Mehmet Guzel in Istanbul, Kirsten Grieshaber and Geir Moulson in Berlin and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark contributed. A police helicopter patrols over the historic Sultanahmet district after an explosion in Istanbul, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. An explosion killed at least 10 people and injured 15 others Tuesday morning in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists, the Istanbul governor's office said. At least six Germans were among the wounded, a news agency reported. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) A policeman guards in front of the Blue Mosque at the historic Sultanahmet district after an explosion in Istanbul, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. An explosion in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists killed 10 people and injured 15 others Tuesday morning, the Istanbul governor's office said. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) A policemen patrols at the Sultanahmet district after an explosion as the Blue Mosque is seen in the background in Istanbul, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The explosion in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists killed 10 people and injured 15 others Tuesday morning, the Istanbul governor's office said. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) This image from video shows medics and security members with injured people lying on the ground after an explosion at Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district, which is popular with tourists, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The cause of the explosion, which could be heard from several neighborhoods, was not immediately known but TRT said the blast was likely caused by a suicide bomber. (IHA via AP) TURKEY OUT Turkish security members stand near the city's landmark Sultan Ahmed Mosque or Blue Mosque after an explosion at Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district, which is popular with tourists, on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The cause of the explosion, which could be heard from several neighborhoods, was not immediately known but TRT said the blast was likely caused by a suicide bomber. Government officials immediately convened for a security meeting, the state-run station said. (IHA via AP) TURKEY OUT Policemen search for evidence at the historic Sultanahmet district after an explosion in Istanbul, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. An explosion in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists killed 10 people and injured 15 others Tuesday morning, the Istanbul governor's office said. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Policemen install security barriers at the historic Sultanahmet district, which is popular with tourists, after an explosion in Istanbul, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Turkish media reports say several people have been injured in the explosion. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Policemen secure an area at the historic Sultanahmet district, which is popular with tourists, after an explosion in Istanbul, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The private Dogan news agency says at least two people were hospitalized following an explosion in the historic center of Istanbul. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) High court: Florida death penalty system is unconstitutional WASHINGTON (AP) Florida's unique system for sentencing people to death is unconstitutional because it gives too much power to judges and not enough to juries to decide capital sentences, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The 8-1 ruling said that the state's sentencing procedure is flawed because juries play only an advisory role in recommending death while the judge can reach a different decision. The decision could trigger new sentencing appeals from some of the 390 inmates on the Florida's death row, a number second only to California. But legal experts said it may apply only to those whose initial appeals are not yet exhausted. The court sided with Timothy Lee Hurst, who was convicted of the 1998 murder of his manager at a Popeye's restaurant in Pensacola. A jury divided 7-5 in favor of death, but a judge imposed the sentence. Florida's solicitor general argued that the system was acceptable because a jury first decides if the defendant is eligible for the death penalty. Writing for the court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said a jury's "mere recommendation is not enough." She said the court was overruling previous decisions upholding the state's sentencing process. "The Sixth Amendment requires a jury, not a judge, to find each fact necessary to impose a sentence of death," Sotomayor said. The justices sent the case back to the Florida Supreme Court to determine whether the error in sentencing Hurst was harmless, or whether he should get a new sentencing hearing. Justice Samuel Alito dissented, saying that the trial judge in Florida simply performs a reviewing function that duplicates what the jury has done. Under Florida law, the state requires juries in capital sentencing hearings to weigh factors for and against imposing a death sentence. But the judge is not bound by those findings and can reach a different conclusion. The judge can also weigh other factors independently. So a jury could base its decision on one particular aggravating factor, but a judge could then rely on a different factor the jury never considered. In Hurst's case, prosecutors asked the jury to consider two aggravating factors: the murder was committed during a robbery and it was "especially heinous, atrocious or cruel." But Florida law did not require the jury to say how it voted on each factor. Hurst's attorney argued that it was possible only four jurors agreed with one, while three agreed with the other. Sotomayor said Florida's system is flawed because it allows a sentencing judge to find aggravating factors "independent of a jury's fact-finding." Three of Florida's current death row inmates were sentenced over the jury's life recommendation. But no judge had overridden a jury recommendation in a death penalty case since 1999, according to state officials. The Supreme Court ruled in 2002 that a defendant has the right to have a jury decide whether the circumstances of a crime warrant a sentence of death. Florida's American Civil Liberties Union is calling on state officials to re-examine the sentences of all death row inmates. But Stephen Harper, a law professor who runs the Death Penalty Clinic at Florida International University, said it's unlikely the Supreme Court ruling will open the door for most Florida death-row inmates to new sentencing hearings. He said the Florida decision is based on a previous Arizona ruling that was already found not to be retroactive. "In general, it will not be retroactively applied," Harper said. But he added that Florida inmates whose initial appeals have not been exhausted may be able to argue that the latest decision applies to them. And, he said, any capital cases that are awaiting trial would likely be delayed while state legislators and the Florida Supreme Court sort out the next steps. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an email statement Tuesday evening that the state will need to make changes to its death-sentencing statutes. "I will work with state lawmakers this legislative session to ensure that those changes comply with the Court's latest decision," Bondi said. "The impact of the Court's ruling on existing death sentences will need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis." News of the high court's decision stunned Florida legislators. Florida House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, who learned of the ruling while he was giving a speech to open the state's annual legislative session, said the Supreme Court had "impeccable timing." Crisafulli said House legal experts would begin to review the ruling. Rep. Matt Gaetz, an attorney who has dealt with capital punishment during his legislative career, predicted that Florida legislators would act swiftly to get the death penalty "right back on track." Alabama also allows judges to override a jury's findings in death penalty sentencing hearings, but it's not clear whether its system is affected by the case. Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange issued a statement saying the Florida ruling does not affect Alabama law. Bryan Stevenson, director of the Alabama legal advocacy group Equal Justice Initiative, said Alabama's system is identical to Florida's in most respects and could be affected. ___ Polish government, opposition aim to improve country's image WARSAW, Poland (AP) Poland's right-wing government and the opposition will work together to calm internal political conflict and to counter "unjustified" opinions about the country abroad, its prime minister said Tuesday. Beata Szydlo spoke following a meeting with leaders of the parties represented in parliament. They discussed the critical opinions about Poland's politics that were recently voiced by some German politicians and European Union leaders. Szydlo's conservative government took power in November from a pro-EU team and has embarked on swift reforms that critics say threaten democracy and free media. On Sunday, European Parliament President Martin Schulz likened Poland's current politics to those of Russian President Vladimir Putin. A member of Germany's conservative Christian Democrats Party, Volker Kauder, recently spoke in favor of introducing sanctions against Poland if the country continues, in his view, to ignore the principles of the rule of law. Poland's Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski met Monday with German Ambassador Rolf Nikel to protest against what he said were "anti-Polish" statements. The European Commission is to debate Poland's rule of law on Wednesday and the European Parliament will hold a discussion about the country on Jan. 19. Szydlo suggested she will be present at the European Parliament debate. She said the critical opinions were inspired by some "irresponsible groups" but didn't name them. "It is a bad thing that these issues were carried into the international arena, but we will do everything to calm the situation and to clarify the unjustified and untrue information about the situation in Poland," Szydlo said. Texas 'affluenza' teen's mom released from jail FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) The mother of a fugitive teenager known for using an "affluenza" defense in a fatal drunken-driving wreck was released from a Texas jail on Tuesday, a day after a judge sharply reduced her $1 million bond for allegedly helping her son flee to Mexico. Tonya Couch declined to speak with reporters when she was released from the Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth. She posted the $75,000 bond and was ordered to wear an electronic ankle GPS monitor and remain at the home of another son, 29-year-old Steven McWilliams, except for appointments with her doctor and lawyer. Her arrest affidavit alleges that she and her 18-year-old son, Ethan Couch, fled the state in December as Texas prosecutors investigated whether he had violated his probation in the 2013 wreck that killed four people. Both were taken into custody later that month in Puerto Vallarta, after a call for pizza delivery tipped off authorities to their whereabouts. Tonya Couch, center, the mother of a Texas teen who used an "affluenza" defense in a drunken wreck, leaves Tarrant County Jail, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, in Fort Worth, Texas. She is to be fitted with a GPS monitor before release. A judge decreased Couch's bond Monday from $1 million to $75,000. Couch is charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon after she and her son, Ethan Couch, were caught in a Mexican resort city. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade) Tonya Couch is charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon and could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Ethan Couch is still being held in Mexico as he fights deportation. During Ethan Couch's trial, a defense witness said the teen was coddled into a sense of irresponsibility by his wealthy parents, a condition the expert called "affluenza." The condition is not recognized as a medical diagnosis by the American Psychiatric Association, and its invocation drew widespread ridicule. Law enforcement officials said Tonya Couch, 48, and her son fled the U.S. after a video surfaced that appeared to show the teen at a party where people were drinking alcohol. If Ethan Couch was drinking, it would violate his probation and could lead to jail time. According to an arrest warrant, Tonya Couch is accused of telling her estranged husband, Fred Couch, that he would never see her or his son again before fleeing. The couple originally married in 1996, but divorced 10 years later. They remarried in April 2011, but court records show they are amid divorce proceedings and haven't been living together as husband and wife since at least August 2014. Law enforcement officials have said the mother and son had a going-away party shortly before driving across the border in her pickup truck. They were first tracked to a resort condominium after ordering pizza before police found them at an apartment in Puerto Vallarta's old town. When they were arrested, Ethan Couch appeared to have tried to disguise himself by dying his blond hair black and his beard brown, according to investigators. Wearing a GPS monitor on her left ankle, Tonya Couch, the mother of a Texas teen who used an "affluenza" defense in a drunken wreck, leaves Tarrant County Community Supervision and Corrections Department on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, in Fort Worth, Texas. A judge decreased Couch's bond Monday from $1 million to $75,000. Couch is charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon after she and her son, Ethan Couch, were caught in a Mexican resort city. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade) Tonya Couch, bottom center, the mother of a Texas teen who used an "affluenza" defense in a drunken wreck, leaves Tarrant County Jail, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, in Fort Worth, Texas. She is to be fitted with a GPS monitor before release. A judge decreased Couch's bond Monday from $1 million to $75,000. Couch is charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon after she and her son, Ethan Couch, were caught in a Mexican resort city. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade) Tonya Couch, center, the mother of a Texas teen who used an "affluenza" defense in a drunken wreck, leaves Tarrant County Jail, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, in Fort Worth, Texas. She is to be fitted with a GPS monitor before release. A judge decreased Couch's bond Monday from $1 million to $75,000. Couch is charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon after she and her son, Ethan Couch, were caught in a Mexican resort city. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade) Tonya Couch, front left, the mother of a Texas teen who used an "affluenza" defense in a drunken wreck, leaves Tarrant County jail, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, in Fort Worth, Texas. She is to be fitted with a GPS monitor before release. A judge decreased Couch's bond Monday from $1 million to $75,000. Couch is charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon after she and her son, Ethan Couch, were caught in a Mexican resort city. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade) Siege, starvation left Syrian town in 'grim' state, UN says BEIRUT (AP) Siege and starvation have left the rebel-held Syrian town of Madaya in a nightmarish state not seen elsewhere in the country, a U.N. official who traveled there said Tuesday, as some 300 residents fled and desperately needed humanitarian aid arrived. The former mountain resort, besieged since last summer by forces loyal to President Bashar Assad, came to international attention in recent weeks as reports of starvation emerged and activists shared images of emaciated children and old men widely on social media. Sajjad Malik, the U.N. refugee agency's chief in Damascus, told journalists that the "very grim" picture was the result of a blockade of food, medicine and other supplies that left the town in a "desperate situation." In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 photo, residents talk to reporters in the besieged town of Madaya, northwest of Damascus, Syria. Aid convoys reached three besieged villages on Monday Madaya, near Damascus, where U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said about 400 people need to be evacuated immediately to receive life-saving treatment for medical conditions, malnourishment and starvation, and the Shiite villages of Foua and Kfarya in northern Syria. Reports of starvation and images of emaciated children have raised global concerns and underscored the urgency for new peace talks that the U.N. is hoping to host in Geneva on Jan. 25. (AP Photo) "There is no comparison to what we saw in Madaya," he said from Damascus by telephone to Geneva. "It is a place where you could see there are people, but there is no life... What we saw is something that was pretty horrible." Malik described seeing shivering, malnourished children and young adults, saying "most of them had not had bread or rice or vegetables or fruit for months." He said a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of rice would sell there for $300, and noted one account of one person selling a motorcycle to buy 5 kilos of rice. A day earlier, the U.N. said that about 400 people in the town's hospital needed to be evacuated immediately for medical treatment as starvation and other factors had left them on the brink of death. Syrian authorities, rebels and aid groups have yet to respond. The U.N. goal was to obtain safe passage to evacuate the 400 later on Tuesday. U.N. officials said it was too early to determine whether anyone had died of hunger. But the aid group Doctors Without Borders has said that 23 people died of starvation at a health center it supports in Madaya since Dec. 1, including six infants and five adults over 60. Various U.N. officials have described how locals had been forced to forage for food, such as risking walks in minefields to collect grass or cooking up "leaf soup," and were burning cardboard to stay warm in their homes. Madaya is not the only place in Syria suffering from siege, an age-old tactic of war that belligerents continue to use despite international laws banning it. The U.N. says some 15 municipalities across Syria are currently blockaded, with no one able to get in or out. Two Shiite villages in the north, under siege by rebels, face similar circumstances, with food and medicine scarce. Residents are said to be eating grass to survive and undergoing surgery without anesthesia. On Monday, convoys carrying food, medical and other supplies reached Madaya around the same time as another convoy arrived in the twin Shiite villages called Foua and Kfarya which are far more remote and difficult for media to access. The operation marked a small, positive development in a bitter conflict now in its fifth year that has killed a quarter of a million people, displaced millions of others and left the country in ruins. Another tiny improvement in Madaya came with the evacuation of some 300 civilians, mostly women and children, who left the town near the Lebanese border on foot and were then transported to government-run temporary shelters. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition group that tracks both sides of the conflict, said the civilians had separately arranged with government forces to leave the city, with some heading to shelters set up in schools and similar places in the area and nearby capital, Damascus. The harshness of the recent starvation reports have underscored the urgency for new Syria peace talks that the U.N. is hoping to host in Geneva on Jan. 25. The U.N. says 4.5 million Syrians are living in besieged or hard-to-reach areas and desperately need humanitarian aid, with civilians prevented from leaving and aid workers blocked from bringing in food, medicine, fuel and other supplies. Elsewhere in Syria, the official state news agency SANA said the army has seized "full control" of a strategic rebel-held town in the northwestern province of Latakia, a stronghold of Assad's minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam. SANA said army units backed by pro-government militiamen from the National Defense Forces captured Salma on Tuesday. Salma is in the mountains of Latakia province and is predominantly inhabited by Alawites. The SANA report, which would mark a significant military victory, could not be immediately confirmed. Opposition activists earlier reported fierce clashes between Syrian pro-government troops and insurgents in and around Salma. The situation for over 1 million refugees in neighboring Lebanon meanwhile appears to be worsening because of new residency laws. Human Rights Watch said the Lebanese laws are putting the refugees in danger by preventing them from renewing their residency, arguing that the policies "set the stage for a potentially explosive situation." The regulations, adopted a year ago, have forced refugees to either return to Syria, where they are at risk of persecution, torture or death, or to stay in Lebanon illegally, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, the New York-based rights group said in a report published Tuesday. Of the 40 refugees interviewed for the report, only two have been able to renew their residencies since January 2015. Last week, Lebanon forcefully repatriated 407 Syrians after they were left stranded at Beirut airport. Amnesty International called the action "an outrageous breach of Lebanon's international obligations." ___ Keaten reported from Geneva FILE - In this Monday, Jan. 4, 2016, file photo, a Syrian refugee carries a baby on her back at a refugee camp in the town of Hosh Hareem, in the Bekaa valley, east Lebanon. In a report published Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, the New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch said Lebanese residency laws are putting Syrian refugees in danger. The regulations, adopted a year ago, have forced refugees to either return to Syria, where they are at risk of persecution, torture or death, or to stay in Lebanon illegally, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File) In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 photo, people wait to leave the besieged town of Madaya, northwest of Damascus, Syria. Aid convoys reached three besieged villages on Monday Madaya, near Damascus, where U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said about 400 people need to be evacuated immediately to receive life-saving treatment for medical conditions, malnourishment and starvation, and the Shiite villages of Foua and Kfarya in northern Syria. Reports of starvation and images of emaciated children have raised global concerns and underscored the urgency for new peace talks that the U.N. is hoping to host in Geneva on Jan. 25. (AP Photo) In this Monday, Jan. 4, 2016 photo, a Lebanese medical worker checks a Syrian refugee at a Doctors Without Borders clinic at the Shatila refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon. In a report published Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, the New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch said Lebanese residency laws are putting Syrian refugees in danger. The regulations, adopted a year ago, have forced refugees to either return to Syria, where they are at risk of persecution, torture or death, or to stay in Lebanon illegally, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 photo, people wait to leave the besieged town of Madaya, northwest of Damascus, Syria. Aid convoys reached three besieged villages on Monday Madaya, near Damascus, where U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said about 400 people need to be evacuated immediately to receive life-saving treatment for medical conditions, malnourishment and starvation, and the Shiite villages of Foua and Kfarya in northern Syria. Reports of starvation and images of emaciated children have raised global concerns and underscored the urgency for new peace talks that the U.N. is hoping to host in Geneva on Jan. 25. (AP Photo) FILE - In this Monday, Jan. 4, 2016 file photo, Syrian refugee children walk in mud after a heavy rain at a refugee camp in the town of Hosh Hareem, Bekaa valley, east Lebanon. In a report published Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, the New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch said Lebanese residency laws are putting Syrian refugees in danger. The regulations, adopted a year ago, have forced refugees to either return to Syria, where they are at risk of persecution, torture or death, or to stay in Lebanon illegally, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File) In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 photo, people wait to leave the besieged town of Madaya, northwest of Damascus, Syria. Aid convoys reached three besieged villages on Monday Madaya, near Damascus, where U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said about 400 people need to be evacuated immediately to receive life-saving treatment for medical conditions, malnourishment and starvation, and the Shiite villages of Foua and Kfarya in northern Syria. Reports of starvation and images of emaciated children have raised global concerns and underscored the urgency for new peace talks that the U.N. is hoping to host in Geneva on Jan. 25. (AP Photo) In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 photo, residents talk to a reporter after the arrival of an aid convoy, in the besieged town of Madaya, northwest of Damascus, Syria. Aid convoys reached three besieged villages on Monday Madaya, near Damascus, where U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said about 400 people need to be evacuated immediately to receive life-saving treatment for medical conditions, malnourishment and starvation, and the Shiite villages of Foua and Kfarya in northern Syria. Reports of starvation and images of emaciated children have raised global concerns and underscored the urgency for new peace talks that the U.N. is hoping to host in Geneva on Jan. 25. (AP Photo) In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 photo, a convoy of cars loaded with food and other supplies heads toward the besieged town of Madaya, northwest of Damascus, Syria. Aid convoys reached three besieged villages on Monday Madaya, near Damascus, where U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said about 400 people need to be evacuated immediately to receive life-saving treatment for medical conditions, malnourishment and starvation, and the Shiite villages of Foua and Kfarya in northern Syria. Reports of starvation and images of emaciated children have raised global concerns and underscored the urgency for new peace talks that the U.N. is hoping to host in Geneva on Jan. 25. (AP Photo) In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 photo, aid workers stand near a convoy of vehicles loaded with food and other supplies organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross, working alongside the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the United Nations, makes it's way to the besieged town of Madaya, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of Damascus, Syria. Madaya has been blockaded for months by government troops and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Opposition activists and aid groups have reported several deaths from starvation in recent weeks. (AP Photo) In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 photo, a woman crys as she waits to be evacuated from the besieged town of Madaya, northwest of Damascus, Syria. Aid convoys reached three besieged villages on Monday Madaya, near Damascus, where U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said about 400 people need to be evacuated immediately to receive life-saving treatment for medical conditions, malnourishment and starvation, and the Shiite villages of Foua and Kfarya in northern Syria. Reports of starvation and images of emaciated children have raised global concerns and underscored the urgency for new peace talks that the U.N. is hoping to host in Geneva on Jan. 25. (AP Photo) In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 photo, a young boy waits to be evacuated from the besieged town of Madaya, northwest of Damascus, Syria. Aid convoys reached three besieged villages on Monday Madaya, near Damascus, where U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said about 400 people need to be evacuated immediately to receive life-saving treatment for medical conditions, malnourishment and starvation, and the Shiite villages of Foua and Kfarya in northern Syria. Reports of starvation and images of emaciated children have raised global concerns and underscored the urgency for new peace talks that the U.N. is hoping to host in Geneva on Jan. 25. (AP Photo) In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 photo, a convoy of vehicles loaded with food and other supplies organized by The International Committee of the Red Cross, working alongside the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the United Nations makes its way to the besieged town of Madaya, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of Damascus, Syria. Madaya has been blockaded for months by Syrian government troops and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Opposition activists and aid groups have reported several deaths from starvation in recent weeks. (AP Photo) In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 photo, a convoy of vehicles loaded with food and other supplies organized by The International Committee of the Red Cross, working alongside the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the U.N. makes it's way to the besieged town of Madaya, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of Damascus, Syria. Madaya has been blockaded for months by government troops and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Opposition activists and aid groups have reported several deaths from starvation in recent weeks. (AP Photo) In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 photo, a convoy of vehicles loaded with food and other supplies organized by The International Committee of the Red Cross, working alongside the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the United Nations makes it's way to the besieged town of Madaya, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of Damascus, Syria. Madaya has been blockaded for months by government troops and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Opposition activists and aid groups have reported several deaths from starvation in recent weeks. (AP Photo) In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 photo, a convoy of cars loaded with food and other supplies heads to the besieged town of Madaya, northwest of Damascus, Syria. Aid convoys reached three besieged villages on Monday Madaya, near Damascus, where U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said about 400 people need to be evacuated immediately to receive life-saving treatment for medical conditions, malnourishment and starvation, and the Shiite villages of Foua and Kfarya in northern Syria. Reports of starvation and images of emaciated children have raised global concerns and underscored the urgency for new peace talks that the U.N. is hoping to host in Geneva on Jan. 25. (AP Photo) In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 photo, members of the Syrian Red Cross stand near aid vehicles loaded with food and other supplies that entered the besieged town of Madaya about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of Damascus, Syria. Madaya has been blockaded for months by government troops and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Opposition activists and aid groups have reported several deaths from starvation in recent weeks. (AP Photo) This picture provided by The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), working alongside the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the United Nations (UN), shows a convoy containing food, medical items, blankets and other materials being delivered to the town of Madaya in Syria, Monday, Jan. 11, 2016. The town, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of Damascus, has been blockaded for months by government troops and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Opposition activists and aid groups have reported several deaths from starvation in recent weeks. (ICRC via AP) This picture provided by The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), working alongside the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the United Nations (UN), shows a convoy containing food, medical items, blankets and other materials being delivered to the town of Madaya in Syria, Monday, Jan. 11, 2016. The town, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of Damascus, has been blockaded for months by government troops and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Opposition activists and aid groups have reported several deaths from starvation in recent weeks. (ICRC via AP) Israel receives fifth submarine with German help JERUSALEM (AP) Israel has marked the addition of a fifth German-made submarine to its fleet with a dedication ceremony attended by the prime minister. Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the new German-made Dolphin-class submarine at the ceremony on Tuesday in the northern port city of Haifa. He says Israel is "capable of striking in very great strength at all those who would harm it." The INS Rahav was built in Kiel, Germany, according to Israeli specifications. Israel already has four similar German-made submarines. According to a 2012 report in the German weekly Der Spiegel, all the submarines are capable of carrying nuclear-tipped cruise missiles. An Israeli navy sailors stand on a new submarine "Rahav" upon its arrival in to the military port in Haifa, Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The vessel, which was built in Germany, reached Israel Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) The ship cost nearly $500 million to build, with Berlin providing about a third of the funding. An Israeli navy sailors stand on a new submarine "Rahav" upon its arrival in to the military port in Haifa, Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The vessel, which was built in Germany, reached Israel Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) An Israeli navy sailors stand atop a new submarine "Rahav" upon its arrival in to the military port in Haifa, Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The vessel, which was built in Germany, reached Israel Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) An Israeli navy sailors work on the new submarine "Rahav" uopn its arrival in to the military port in Haifa, Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The vessel, which was built in Germany, reached Israel Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) An Israeli naval officer waves from the new submarine "Rahav" uopn its arrival in to the military port in Haifa, Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The vessel, which was built in Germany, reached Israel Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) Israeli naval officers watch as the new submarine "Rahav" arrives in to the military port in Haifa, Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The vessel, which was built in Germany, reached Israel Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) Israeli new navy submarine "Rahav" arrives into the military port in Haifa, Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The vessel, which was built in Germany, reached Israel Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) Cuba to attend security conference with US for first time MIAMI (AP) A delegation from Cuba will take part for the first time in an annual Caribbean regional security conference co-sponsored by the U.S. military's Southern Command, a senior official said Tuesday, portraying the participation as a significant step in the ongoing thaw between the long-hostile neighbors. The Cuban government's decision to accept an invitation to the Caribbean Nations Security Conference in Jamaica this month follows other relatively small but symbolic forms of military engagement between countries that normalized relations in December 2015, said Marine Corps Gen. John F. Kelly, the commander of Southern Command. "We've normalized now and, regardless of how we think of each other in terms of politics, we have very, very common challenges," Kelly said in an interview two days before he ends his tenure as commander of U.S. military operations in the Southern Hemisphere. Marine Corps Gen. John F. Kelly, Commander of the U.S. Southern Command, gestures as he speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, in Miami. Kelly says Cuba will attend an annual Caribbean security conference for the first time in another sign of normal relations between the long-hostile nations. The three-day event co-hosted by U.S. Southern Command will be this month in Jamaica. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) The conference takes place over three days starting Jan. 27 in Kingston, Jamaica. Senior military and other security officials are expected from 16 Caribbean countries as well as the U.S., Canada, France, the Netherlands and United Kingdom. Cuba has not yet said who it will send and its government had no immediate response to a request for comment by The Associated Press. Venezuela, which has a chilly relationship with Washington, won't be there, Kelly said. In the past, the conference has focused on cooperative efforts to combat drug trafficking as well as the smuggling of people and weapons. It is not clear if Cuba would take the opportunity to again raise its vehement objection to the presence of the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The administration of President Barack Obama has said it wants to close the Guantanamo detention center, where it holds 103 men, but has said discussion of the future of the base, which occupies 45 square miles (117 square kilometers) on the southeastern corner of the island, is not on the table. Kelly said he believes the facility remains strategically valuable, a deepwater port in the Caribbean, and he would like to see it remain open even if the detention center closes. He suggested it could be run jointly with the Cubans, offering employment to the local population as it once did. But the general says he hasn't discussed it with anyone in the Castro government. "It wouldn't be appropriate," he said. Working with the State Department, the military in September hosted a delegation of Cuban doctors on board the USS Comfort hospital ship during a humanitarian visit to in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, which Kelly pointed to as evidence of improved relations. Cuban military officials and the Navy commander of the base at Guantanamo have long held regular private meetings to discuss issues such as fire protection in the arid no-man's land around the base. The level of security between the base and the rest of Cuban territory has also changed. Kelly, who is retiring after a 45-year career, recalled being sent to Guantanamo in 1971 when he was a Marine Corps private first class. At the time, there was a battalion of 1,400 troops guarding the fence, reinforced with tanks, artillery and tens of thousands of mines, which have since been removed. "I don't even know if they man their side of the fence anymore. We have minimal security on our side," he said. Ex-Guantanamo detainees thank Ghana for taking them in ACCRA, Ghana (AP) Two former Guantanamo prisoners thanked Ghana for allowing them to settle in the country following their release, as the president of the West African nation sought to quell fears that the men posed any danger. The two Yemenis, Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby, were held at the U.S. base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as enemy combatants, accused of training with al-Qaida and fighting with the Taliban. They had been cleared for release in 2009, but the U.S. won't send Guantanamo prisoners to Yemen because of instability there and officials had to find another country to accept them. Ghana's president, John Mahama, on Tuesday urged residents to not be fearful nearly a week after the government announced it would allow the two Guantanamo Bay detainees to resettle in Ghana. Mahama said that the country took in the detainees after a direct request by the U.S. government, with whom he said Ghana has been partners in every sphere. He said "no monetary consideration was made to us" to accept them. Mahama reassured the public saying "I will not take any decision that will jeopardize the safety of the nation." Al-Dhuby and Bin Atef, who are in their 30s, are the first Guantanamo prisoners resettled in sub-Sahara Africa, and among the first wave of 17 expected to be released this month. Bin Atef told Ghana Broadcasting Corp. radio they are grateful to the people of Ghana for accepting them. "We have been wrongly arrested for 14 years without any charge against us and we have suffered," he said on an interview that aired Tuesday. "We are not looking for revenge because we are not bitter. We only want to live in Ghana because we couldn't go back to our country because of the current conflict situation." The foreign ministry said they would be able to leave after two years. Bin Atef said "We look forward to go back to our country." On Monday, the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, the Christian Council of Ghana and the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council all asked the government to reconsider the decision in separate statements that questioned the security risks. IOC: Newspaper refuses to provide emails in 'parcels' report LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) The IOC asked a British newspaper for copies of the emails quoted in a report linking the son of former IAAF president Lamine Diack to alleged "parcels" to be delivered to six IOC members. The Guardian refused to turn over the material, the International Olympic Committee said Tuesday. The newspaper reported Tuesday that it had seen leaked emails from Papa Masata Diack to a Qatari business executive in May 2008. The Qatari capital, Doha, was bidding for the 2016 Olympics at the time. The Guardian said the email suggests that six people, referred to by their initials which correspond with six IOC members at the time, requested "to have their parcels delivered through Special Adviser in Monaco." The paper said the "special adviser" was believed to be Lamine Diack, who was an IOC member at the time. The Guardian said it wasn't known whether any "parcels" were sent. In any case, a month after the email was sent, Doha failed to make the list of finalists in the 2016 bidding. "We have asked for any information that the Guardian may have so that we can send it to our independent ethics commission," the IOC said in an emailed statement to The Associated Press. "This has been refused. Without any access to this material it is hard to make any further comment." Last week, Papa Masata Diack was banned for life by the IAAF ethics commission for corruption and cover-up allegations linked to Russian doping. Lamine Diack is under criminal investigation in France on corruption and money-laundering charges involving doping cover-ups. Diack resigned as an honorary IOC member in November, a day after he was provisionally suspended by the IOC executive board. US welcomes court ruling on Philippine defense pact WASHINGTON (AP) The United States on Tuesday welcomed a court ruling on the constitutionality of a defense pact with the Philippines, saying it would allow the allies to strengthen their maritime cooperation amid tensions with China in the disputed South China Sea. The Philippines accused China of using flashing lights and flares to challenge Philippine military flights over the contested Spratly Islands and said it wanted to see more U.S. operations to uphold freedom of navigation and overflight in the region. The top diplomats and defense officials of the U.S. and the Philippines met at the State Department Tuesday, hours after the Philippine Supreme Court ruled that the enhanced defense cooperation agreement, signed by the two governments in 2014, is constitutional. The pact will allows American forces, warships and planes to temporarily base in local military camps. Philippines Foreign Relations Secretary Albert Del Rosario listens as left as Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during a meeting between the U.S. and the Philippines, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, in the Benjamin Franklin room of the State Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) Defense Secretary Ash Carter described the Philippines as a critical ally as the U.S. looks to boost its presence in the Asia-Pacific. He said the two sides were discussing how to use the defense pact "to strengthen our maritime security capabilities and our role in keeping a peaceful region, a region without divisions, without tensions, and a region where everyone has freedom to carry out their affairs, including commerce." Speaking to reporters after the talks, Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said they discussed locations where the Philippines can provide access to U.S. forces for "mutual benefit." The Philippines has increasingly testy relations with China over their territorial dispute in the South China Sea, where six Asian governments are vying for control of small islands and shoals in seas that a thoroughfare for about one-third of world trade. The U.S. is looking to support the ill-equipped Philippine military and counter assertive Chinese action. The Philippines has protested to China over recent test landings by aircrafts to one of several artificial islands Beijing has built in the Spratlys. Del Rosario said that China's "provocative" challenges to Philippine military flights amounted to China establishing a de facto air defense identification zone, as it did over the East China Sea. He said the Philippines was looking at the possibility of joint activities with the U.S. in the South China Sea, but stopped short of saying they were considering joint patrols. In October a U.S. Navy warship sailed within the supposed 12-nautical-mile (22-kilometer) territorial limit of Subi Reef, another of the features built up by China. Secretary of State John Kerry said the U.S. has an "ironclad commitment" to the security of the Philippines, and that they shared a commitment to democracy and human rights. Nearly a century of U.S. military presence in the Philippines ended in 1992 when Americans shut their bases, including the largest military facilities outside the U.S. mainland, after Filipino senators voted a year earlier not to renew the lease on the bases amid a tide of nationalism. But the Philippines territorial dispute has prompted Manila to reach out to Washington. FILE - In this Aug. 6, 2015 file-pool photo, Secretary of State John Kerry stands with Philippiness Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Del Rosario, the Philippines' top diplomat is welcoming a court decision that removes an obstacle to implementing a defense pact with the U.S. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool Photo via AP, File) Benigni on Pope Francis: A fountain, waterfall of mercy VATICAN CITY (AP) Oscar-winning actor and director Roberto Benigni gave Pope Francis two thumbs up Tuesday, delivering one of his rapid-fire monologues and praising the pope as a fountain of mercy who is "dragging the whole church toward Christianity." At perhaps the most unusual Vatican book launch ever, Benigni was joined by the Vatican secretary of state, the Vatican spokesman and the Vatican publisher, as well as a Chinese prison inmate, to premier "The Name of God is Mercy." Francis' book-length conversation with Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli is being released in 86 countries as part of the pope's Holy Year of Mercy. Benigni, whose 1999 "Life is Beautiful" won three Oscars, joked that he wanted to be a priest as a child but realized he had to become a comic instead after friends laughed when he said he wanted to be pope. In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 photo, Pope Francis shakes hands with Oscar-winning actor Roberto Benigni after receiving the Italian edition of his first book as pope ' The Name of God is Mercy ', at the Vatican. The Vatican officially launched the book Tuesday with a high-level panel discussion featuring Francis' secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and 'Life Is Beautiful' actor Roberto Benigni, signaling the importance Francis places on getting the message out. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP) In recent years, Benigni has entertained television audiences in Italy with poignant monologues spliced with dramatic readings of Dante, the Italian constitution, and most recently, the 10 Commandments. The performances, carried on RAI state television, have shown him to be a man of obvious humor but also one of deep faith. It was his Christmastime performance on the 10 Commandments that earned Benigni a phone call from the pope and an invitation to help launch the book. "As soon as they called me and said, 'the Holy Father would like...' 'YES!' I said without letting them finish. Whatever he needs: If he needs a Swiss Guard, a driver for the popemobile, anything at all for this pope, I am ready. I will never say no." Gesturing wildly, Benigni praised Francis for living the message of mercy, going to visit the "least of the least" in Lampedusa, ground zero in Europe's migration crisis, and launching his jubilee year of mercy with the "poorest of the poorest of the poor" in Central African Republic. "He's a fountain, a waterfall of mercy," Benigni said. "In such an unrecognizable world, that wants hatred and condemnation, Francis responds with mercy." Benigni, who delivered his memorable Oscar acceptance speech after clambering over the chairs of the audience, said Francis is clearly a pope on the move, "dragging the whole church toward Christianity." The high-profile book launch was a clear indication of the importance the Vatican places on the book and Francis' overall message of mercy. The event featured a Chinese man who converted to Catholicism last year while serving a 20-year prison sentence in Italy. Francis, who has made prison ministry a mainstay of his life's vocation, has directed the jubilee year in a special way to prison inmates, saying God's mercy extends to them as well. ___ Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 photo, Pope Francis greets Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli, center, as Marina Berlusconi, president of Mondadori publishing company, looks on, right, after receiving the Italian edition of his book ' The Name of God is Mercy ', at the Vatican. 'The Name of God Is Mercy ' is a 100-page conversation with Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP) Italian actor Roberto Benigni, right, and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Piero Parolin pose for photographers during the official launch of Pope Francis' first book 'The Name of God is Mercy ', in Rome, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The book, a 100-page conversation with Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli, is being published this week in 86 countries to help kick-start Francis' Holy Year of Mercy. Tuesday's official presentation with a high-level panel discussion featuring Parolin and Benigni signals the importance Francis places on getting the message out. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Cuban diplomat casts wary eye on US presidential contest HAVANA (AP) The lead negotiator in the Cuban government's talks with the U.S. said in an interview published Tuesday that the American presidential campaign has added some uncertainty into how she views her country's future relations with its northern neighbor. Josefina Vidal, director of the Cuban Foreign Ministry's United States Division, told the official Cuban News Agency that if President Barack Obama hurries to dismantle existing U.S. sanctions on the island while he's still in power, the ties will be less vulnerable after he leaves. "I will continue working with a high dose of momentum and optimism," she said. "But I'm beginning to feel a certain bit of realism as the electoral process in the United States approaches; we don't know what's going to happen." FILE - In this Feb. 27, 2015, file photo, Josefina Vidal, Director General of the U.S. division at Cuba's Foreign Ministry, gestures while speaking with reporters following the start of the Cuba talks at the State Department in Washington. Vidal said Tuesday, Jan 12, 2016, that the American presidential campaign has added some uncertainty into how she views her countrys future relations with the United States. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File) There are "variables outside of our control" in the presidential contest, she added. Supporters of rapprochement between the two countries worry that a new president may try to roll back advances made in the U.S.-Cuba relationship under Obama's leadership. Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced on Dec. 17, 2014, that they would work toward normalization, a move that led to the reopening of embassies in each other's capitals last year. Although only the U.S. Congress has the power to do away with the embargo against the island, Obama could do much more to ensure that relations between the two countries are less vulnerable before the next November's contest, the top Cuban diplomat said. Vidal said she had read many opinions by academics, intellectuals and even members of the U.S. Congress saying that the detente is "irreversible," but she insisted that "it isn't that absolute." Among things Obama could do before he leaves the presidency, she said, would be to allow the use of the American dollar in bilateral business and permit direct financial transactions between banks in the United States and Cuba. Vidal said Obama could also eliminate policies that he has power over as chief executive, such the so-called "Wet foot, dry foot" policy that allows Cubans who step on American soil to stay in the U.S. and apply for permanent residency. ___ A look at owner who turned newspapers over to nonprofit PHILADELPHIA (AP) The owner of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News and Philly.com announced Tuesday he's turning over the media company to a nonprofit institute. Local philanthropist H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest says he hopes that a new business model will help them survive. Here's a look at Lenfest: HOW DID HE MAKE HIS MONEY? In 1974, while working as a lawyer for media mogul Walter Annenberg, Lenfest borrowed money to pay $2.3 million for Suburban Cable, which then had 7,600 subscribers. It grew into the largest cable system in the Philadelphia area. Lenfest and his wife, Marguerite, made about $1.2 billion when they sold the company to Comcast Corp. in 2000. The Lenfests immediately set out to give away the fortune. By June 2014, Gerry Lenfest estimated he had given away $1.1 billion. H.F. Gerry Lenfest, owner and Chairman of Philadelphia Media Network (PMN), makes an announcement during a press conference at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pa., Tuesday Jan. 12, 2016. Lenfest announced that he will be donating PMN, the holding company for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and philly.com to a newly created nonprofit media institute. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz) ___ WHY IS HE GIVING EVERYTHING AWAY? His three children didn't need the money, because they were given stakes in Lenfest's cable company when it wasn't worth much. Lenfest has said he disliked the idea of a permanent foundation that, he thought, would be more interested in perpetuating itself than helping others. He said he wanted to control how his wealth was spent, so it could do the most good. ___ HOW DID HE COME TO OWN THESE NEWS OUTLETS? Lenfest, 85, unexpectedly became the sole owner of the two newspapers and the news website in June 2014 after his business partner, Lewis Katz, died in a plane crash. Lenfest actually bought the struggling newspapers twice. The first time came in 2012 as part of a six-person local ownership group. When feuding factions developed, he and Katz paid $88 million to outbid rival co-owner George Norcross in a May 2014 auction. Katz died five days later. ___ WHAT ELSE HAS LENFEST GIVEN MONEY TO? The Lenfests' philanthropy has touched arts organizations, schools, hospitals, museums and conservation groups. Recipients include the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Barnes Foundation, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and Lenfest's alma maters: Mercersburg Academy, Washington and Lee University and Columbia University. Wilson College, Marguerite's alma mater, also received funds. About $150 million went to a foundation named for the Lenfests, but it must give away every penny it has within 20 years of the last one's death. Kim Davis to attend Obama's final State of Union speech LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (AP) The Kentucky clerk who spent five days in jail for refusing to license same-sex marriages in defiance of federal court orders has been given tickets to President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address, an invite-only event for members of Congress. Davis' lawyer, Mat Staver, announced Tuesday morning that he and Davis would attend the speech. But he declined to say which member of Congress provided the tickets, fueling hours of speculation over who invited the divisive clerk. The mystery was solved Tuesday evening when Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio, who leads the conservative House Freedom Caucus, acknowledged that his staff gave Davis a ticket. FILE - In this Sept. 14, 2015 file photo, Rowan County, Ky., Clerk Kim Davis speaks in Morehead, Ky. Davis, the Kentucky clerk who spent five days in jail for defying federal court orders and refusing to license same-sex marriage, will have a seat at the president's final State of the Union. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File) First lady Michelle Obama, on the other hand, invited Jim Obergefell, the lead plaintiff in the case in which the U.S. Supreme Court effectively legalized gay marriage across the nation. He will sit in the box with the first lady. After the Supreme Court's decision, Davis cited "God's authority" and refused to issue marriage licenses. She quickly became a darling of the religious right. The Family Research Council, a conservative organization that opposes gay marriage, arranged the invitation, said spokesman J.P. Duffy. That group declined to identify the lawmakers who gave them passes. State Dept. to review 29,000 pages of Clinton aide's emails WASHINGTON (AP) The State Department has agreed to review 29,000 pages of emails from Huma Abedin, a close aide to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, from their days at the State Department for possible public release under a new legal agreement with a conservative legal group. But even as Clinton presses her campaign, many of the emails would not be publicly released until six months after the election. Under a schedule adopted Monday by U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, lawyers for the State Department and the conservative group Judicial Watch agreed that the agency will start in March a lengthy review and release of thousands of emails that Abedin sent or received on Clinton's private computer server between 2009 and 2013. Abedin was deputy chief of staff for Clinton during Clinton's four-year stint as secretary of state and is now vice chair of Clinton's 2016 campaign organization, traveling constantly with Clinton to Democratic Party caucus and primary states. Abedin's emails are at issue because Clinton's own emails, released publicly by the State Department in recent months, showed that Abedin served as an influential sounding board for Clinton. She acted as a key gatekeeper and was often emailed by others inside and outside by the department when they wanted to reach Clinton. The Clinton emails also showed that Abedin frequently communicated with her from her own account on the Clinton server. FILE - In this July 3, 2015, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, left, and her personal aide Huma Abedin approach a window to buy ice cream at Dairy Twirl in Lebanon, N.H. The State Department has agreed to review 29,000 pages of emails from Abedin from their days at the State Department for possible public release under a new legal agreement with a conservative legal group. But many of the emails from Abedin would not be publicly released until six months after the election. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, file) Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said his group sought the Abedin documents "given the intersection of Mrs. Clinton's private and public interests and the constant fundraising of the Clinton Foundation." Following her resignation from the State Department in 2013, Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, ran the foundation until she stepped down from that role when she announced her run for the presidency. The court agreement calls for the State Department to review for release 400 Abedin emails each month starting March 1, but the public production of documents will not be completed until April 30, 2017, six months after the November presidential election. Justice Department lawyers had initially tried to extend the process for three years, Fitton said. Fitton acknowledged frustration that as many as half of the Abedin emails might not be released until after the election, but he said he was "pleased we were able to get this group of records within a year. These records are not being produced voluntarily." In the Judicial Watch case and other legal actions filed in recent months against the State Department for Clinton-released records, government lawyers have pushed back repeatedly against media and political groups trying to gain broad access to Abedin's emails. The Associated Press has also sought a broad review of Abedin's emails, but lawyers for the State Department have sought to restrict the news organization's access to a limited period of time and to a sampling of the aide's communications. Fitton said his group would also push in coming months for similar email releases from other former key Clinton aides in the State Department. State Department officials declined to comment on the agreement, deferring to the court filing. ___ Associated Press writer Bradley Klapper contributed to this report. FILE - Int his Oct. 16, 2015, file photo, Huma Abedin, a longtime aide to Hillary Clinton, speaks to the media after testifying at a closed-door hearing of the House Benghazi Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington. The State Department has agreed to review 29,000 pages of emails from Abedin from their days at the State Department for possible public release under a new legal agreement with a conservative legal group. But many of the emails from Abedin would not be publicly released until six months after the election. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) Gaza journalist says he was tortured in Hamas jail GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) Palestinian journalist Ayman al-Aloul frequently writes about the hardships of life in the Gaza Strip, and is one of the few voices willing to publicly criticize the rule of the Islamic Hamas movement. But after nine days in jail, al-Aloul says he won't be writing about politics anymore. He said a painful experience that included beatings and being forced to sit uncomfortably in a tiny chair has made him a "new man" and that he will now focus on less controversial topics like sports, food, literature and fashion. "I've decided not to talk about the general situation anymore," al-Aloul said in an interview at his home Tuesday, a day after he was released. "The experience I went through was very difficult." In this Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016 photo, Palestinian journalist Ayman al-Aloul, 44, talks during an interview with the Associated Press, after being released from jail, at his family home in Gaza City. Al-Aloul frequently writes about the hardships engulfing the Gaza Strip, making him one of the few voices willing to publicly criticize the rule of the territorys Islamic Hamas movement. But after his nine-day stay in jail, al-Aloul says he wont be writing about politics anymore. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) Al-Aloul's experience is part of a crackdown by Hamas at a time when the continuing miseries of life in Gaza appear to be driving its population toward more open dissent. Critics have grown bolder on social media sites, and attempts by Hamas to impose new taxes have triggered rare public protests. Al-Aloul said his new reticence would not affect his work as a reporter for an Iraqi TV station, which he described as straight news reporting and not "opinion-making." It was his personal social media activity that drew attention. In recent months, he wrote under a popular hashtag urging Hamas to withdraw from the Rafah crossing point between Gaza and Egypt. Like many Palestinians, he believes that Egypt has shuttered Rafah because it doesn't want to deal with Hamas, and proposes letting the Western-backed Palestinian Authority manage the crossing. He also published pictures of people looking for leftover food in garbage containers, quoted business owners angry over increased taxes and blamed Gaza authorities for prolonged power blackouts. On Jan. 3, Hamas forces arrested him and another outspoken critic, Ramzi Herzallah, in their homes in Gaza City. During his detention, al-Aloul said he was repeatedly slapped on the face by his interrogators and twice sent to a room known euphemistically as "the bus." He described it as a room equipped with children's chairs, where detainees are blindfolded and forced to sit for an entire day. "They think that my posts on Facebook harm the Gaza government," he said. "They considered criticizing the government to be criticism of 'the resistance' and they accused me of harming the revolutionary unity," al-Aloul said. Herzallah, also released Monday, said he too experienced "the bus," but declined to comment further. Hamas' Interior Ministry declined comment. Hamas, an Islamist movement pledged to Israel's destruction, seized Gaza from the Palestinian Authority in 2007. Despite being branded a terrorist group by Israel and the West, and enduring three wars with Israel and an Israeli-Egyptian blockade, it has clung to power. The 2014 war, precipitated by a string of events that included heavy rocket fire into Israel, was especially devastating. More than 2,100 Gazans, including hundreds of civilians, were killed, and some 100,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. Seventy-two people, including six civilians, were killed on the Israeli side. Only a tiny fraction of affected homes have been rebuilt. Electricity is available for as little as three hours a day, and gas for heating and cooking is rationed. The power shortage stems from infighting between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, which coordinates fuel purchases from Israel. The World Bank estimates Gaza's unemployment at 43 percent. Gaza's 1.8 million people have few options at home or abroad since few people can leave. Egypt opened the Rafah crossing, the main exit point for Gazans traveling abroad, for just 21 days in 2015. Egypt's relationship with Hamas has worsened since the 2013 overthrow of then-Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas' ideological counterpart. Israel allows humanitarian cases to cross through its border, but this is a small fraction of the people waiting to leave. While Hamas seems still firmly in power, it has raised taxes recently to shore up shaky finances that have left it unable to pay its 40,000 employees. This has pushed up the price of cigarettes by about 10 percent, and brought a $1,000 annual licensing fee upon cafes, restaurants and hotels. The taxes have triggered unusual public anger. Last month, fruit and vegetable importers briefly suspended deliveries. Last week, dozens of residents of the Jabaliya refugee camp took to the streets to protest a lengthy power cut. And on Tuesday, dozens of merchants closed their shops and held a rare public demonstration in the Nusseirat refugee camp to protest a new 16 percent sales tax. "We tell the government and decision makers ... Feel the people who hardly live," said clothing store owner Mohammed Jahjouh, who predicts the protests will grow. A poll published last month found that 41 percent of Gazans want to emigrate, compared to 24 percent of Palestinians in the West Bank. The survey, conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, questioned 1,270 people and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points. Hamas officials brush off the criticism and accuse Israel, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority of conspiring to punish it. Ziad al-Zaza, a senior Hamas leader, said the turmoil shaking the Middle East will help his movement in the long run. "We are able to ... clear the way through our piercing vision and reading of the incidents," he said in a recent interview. Human rights groups have accused Hamas of intimidating or torturing critics and opponents in the past, a charge it denies. Akram Sourani, a local satirist, said the latest arrests might succeed in dampening the criticism. "Unfortunately, this right has become an issue of debate among the writers. 'Shall I write or not? Shall I express or not?'" said Sourani, who was himself summoned in December by Hamas police. "I think we must continue to speak out." In this Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016 photo, Palestinian journalists hold placards during a protest calling for the release of journalist Ayman al-Aloul, in front of the Hamas information ministry in Gaza City. After a nine-day stay in jail, al-Aloul says he wont be writing about politics anymore. He said a painful experience that included beatings and being forced to sit uncomfortably in a tiny chair has made him a new man and he will now focus on less controversial topics like sports, food, literature and fashion. Arabic on sign at left reads " no to attacking journalists, Freedom for Ayman al-Aloul." (AP Photo/Adel Hana) In this Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016 photo, a Palestinian worker carries a gas canister filled only by half, as other bottles wait to be filled at the main gas station in Jebaliya, Gaza Strip. Gas used for heating and cooking in Gaza is in short supply because of rationing. The power shortage stems from infighting between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, which coordinates fuel purchases from Israel. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) In this Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016 photo, a Palestinian worker carries a gas canister filled by only half, as other workers fill canisters at the main gas station in Jebaliya, Gaza Strip. Gas used for heating and cooking in Gaza is in short supply because of rationing. The power shortage stems from infighting between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, which coordinates fuel purchases from Israel. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016 photo, Palestinian men look at their mobiles during a power outage on the main street of Jebaliya refugee camp, Gaza Strip. Electricity is available for as little as three hours a day in Gaza, and gas used for heating and cooking is in short supply because of rationing. The power shortage stems from infighting between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, which coordinates fuel purchases from Israel. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 photo, sections of a damaged apartment block, which was partially destroyed during the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, are seen lit by LED lamps, during a power outage in Beit Lahiya, Gaza Strip. Electricity is available for as little as three hours a day in Gaza, and gas used for heating and cooking is in short supply because of rationing. The power shortage stems from infighting between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, which coordinates fuel purchases from Israel. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016 photo, a Palestinian cigarette vendor shows a tax stamp on a cigarette box in Jebaliya refugee camp, Gaza Strip. While Hamas appears to be remain firmly in power, it has attempted to impose new taxes recently to shore up its shaky finances that have left it unable to pay its 40,000 employees. They include a new tax equivalent to a half dollar on cigarettes, pushing up prices by about 10 percent. Arabic reads " the tax was paid, 2 shekels, in Dec. 2015." (AP Photo/Adel Hana) In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 photo, Palestinian youth prepare tea while gathering around a wood fire, during a power outage in Beit Lahiya, Gaza Strip. Electricity is available for as little as three hours a day in Gaza, and gas used for heating and cooking is in short supply because of rationing. The power shortage stems from infighting between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, which coordinates fuel purchases from Israel. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 photo, a Palestinian cigarette vendor shows a tax stamp on a cigarette box in Rafah refugee camp, Gaza Strip. While Hamas appears to be remain firmly in power, it has attempted to impose new taxes recently to shore up its shaky finances that have left it unable to pay its 40,000 employees. They include a new tax equivalent to a half dollar on cigarettes, pushing up prices by about 10 percent. Arabic reads " the tax was paid, 5 shekels, in Jan. 2016." (AP Photo/Adel Hana) In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016 photo, a Palestinian man smokes during a power outage on the main street in Jebaliya refugee camp, Gaza Strip. Electricity is available for as little as three hours a day in Gaza, and gas used for heating and cooking is in short supply because of rationing. The power shortage stems from infighting between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, which coordinates fuel purchases from Israel. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) Ruling is another setback to proposed Iowa wind energy line IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) The Iowa Utilities Board has dealt another procedural setback to a company proposing a $2 billion transmission line to ship Iowa wind energy to customers in Illinois. The board voted 3-0 on Monday to reject the third request by Clean Line Energy Partners to split the case into two separate hearings. The board stood by its earlier rulings stating that it will decide whether to approve the Rock Island Clean Line and whether to grant the use of eminent domain in a single hearing. The company has said that approach means it has to invest tens of millions of dollars acquiring land while running the risk that regulators could later reject the line as not in the public interest. Groups representing union workers and wind energy supporters backed its latest request to split up the case, saying they were not interested in the property rights issues and only on the need for the line. But the board again ruled that dividing the case would be inconvenient for landowners fighting the project, who would be forced to attend two hearings that would have some overlap. The board is the last regulatory agency needed to sign off on the line, which the company says would produce enough electricity to power 1.4 million homes in the Midwest. But many Iowa landowners say the company isn't offering enough compensation to build on their property and should not be granted eminent domain. The line would start in northwest Iowa and ship power produced by wind turbines 500 miles to a converter station near Chicago. The company has only obtained voluntary agreements with about 15 percent of the affected property owners and has put on hold plans to obtain access to more land as it works through the procedural issues. "We are reviewing the order handed down by the Iowa Utilities Board and are evaluating next steps to advance the project," said company executive Elizabeth Conley. Classified documents prompt wrangling in Bowe Bergdahl case FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) An Army judge is considering how classified information should be handled in the case against Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who walked off an outpost in Afghanistan in 2009. Bergdahl's attorneys argued at a hearing Tuesday for wider leeway in their ability to gather and use the classified information in his case. He faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, a relatively rare charge that carries a punishment of up to life in prison. Bergdahl, 29, walked into the courtroom briskly wearing a dress blue uniform and sat up straight and quietly for the 2 hour hearing. He spoke only to answer several "yes" or "no" questions from the judge, Col. Jeffery Nance. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, left, enters a courthouse at Fort Bragg, N.C., with his defense counsel Lt. Col. Franklin D. Rosenblatt, right, before a pretrial hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Bergdahl, who was held by the Taliban for five years after he walked off a base in Afghanistan, faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. (AP Photo/Ted Richardson) Defense attorney Lt. Col. Frank Rosenblatt argued that the prosecution wants to apply military rules on classified information in a way that would hinder the defense. Rosenblatt cited an example in which he said prosecutors put restrictions on what a potential witness could answer during an interview, hindering their evidence-gathering. The judge said "the big issue still left to be determined is whether the defense should have to go through trial counsel" or other military authorities to get access to classified information. Bergdahl, who was held by the Taliban for five years after he walked off a base, was arraigned in December. He has yet to enter a plea or decide whether he wants a trial before a jury or just the judge. Bergdahl, of Hailey, Idaho, walked off his post in eastern Afghanistan's Paktika province on June 30, 2009 and was released in late May 2014 as part of a prisoner swap, in exchange for five detainees in Guantanamo Bay. The move prompted harsh criticism, with some in Congress accusing President Barack Obama of jeopardizing the safety of the country. Rosenblatt also said Bergdahl should be awarded a Purple Heart, a Prisoner of War ribbon and two other awards, and it could be detrimental to his defense if he can't wear them at trial. "We urge the government to help us correct that," he said. The judge said both sides will return to court for another pretrial hearing at a date that hasn't been determined. Prosecutor Capt. Michael Petrusic estimated the discovery process could involve more than 300,000 pages and worried about how that would affect the case's schedule. The judge indicated that he'd be amenable to working with both sides to make sure the schedule works. The trial has been tentatively scheduled to start this summer. "You're not going to play games with that kind of stuff," Nance said. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, right, arrives for a pretrial hearing at Fort Bragg, N.C., with his defense counsel Lt. Col. Franklin D. Rosenblatt, left, on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Bergdahl, who was held by the Taliban for five years after he walked off a base in Afghanistan, faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. (AP Photo/Ted Richardson) Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, left, enters a courthouse at Fort Bragg, N.C., with his defense counsel Lt. Col. Franklin D. Rosenblatt, right, before a pretrial hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Bergdahl, who was held by the Taliban for five years after he walked off a base in Afghanistan, faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. (AP Photo/Ted Richardson) Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl exits a courthouse at Fort Bragg, N.C. after a pretrial hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Bergdahl, who was held by the Taliban for five years after he walked off a base in Afghanistan, faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. (AP Photo/Ted Richardson) Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, right, leaves a pretrial hearing at Fort Bragg, N.C. with his defense counsel Lt. Col. Franklin D. Rosenblatt, center, on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Bergdahl, who was held by the Taliban for five years after he walked off a base in Afghanistan, faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. (AP Photo/Ted Richardson) Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, right, arrives for a pretrial hearing at Fort Bragg, N.C., with his defense counsel Lt. Col. Franklin D. Rosenblatt, left, on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Bergdahl, who was held by the Taliban for five years after he walked off a base in Afghanistan, faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. (AP Photo/Ted Richardson) Jon Ritzheimer is a participant in the ongoing occupation of a wildlife refuge in Oregon The armed militants who are occupying a national wildlife refuge in Oregon showed frustration on Monday after receiving boxes stuffed with rubber penises. Meanwhile, mounting local opposition against the occupation led leaders of the gun-toting radical group to promise to present an exit strategy. Jon Ritzheimer, a participant in the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, published a video on his Facebook page on Monday in which he rants about receiving what he calls 'hate mail,' then proceeds to pull out a rubber dildo from a box. 'This one is really funny,' Ritzheimer says as he pulls up a small bag of penis-shaped candy from one of the packages that lay on a table in front of him. 'A bag of d***s!' Ritzheimer exclaims in the video before sweeping all the gifts off of the table in a dramatic gesture. 'We're not going to let all your junk and hate mail sidetrack us,' Ritzheimer vows before urging sympathetic 'patriots' to come join the illegal occupation. The activists are holed up in the wildlife refuge to oppose federal land-management policies. Jon Ritzheimer holds up a skin-colored dildo that was sent in the mail to his activist group, which is holed up at a wildlife refuge in Oregon 'A bag of d***s!' Ritzheimer says as he pulls out a small bag of penis-shaped candy from a box sent in the mail Ritzheimer expressed frustration over receiving box after box of what he calls 'hate mail' from pranksters around the country In a dramatic gesture, Ritzheimer sweeps the boxes, some of which included sex toys, off the table in a video posted on Monday After wiping the table clean of what he calls 'hate mail,' Ritzheimer urged supportive Americans to come join the illegal occupation The occupation of the national wildlife refuge, which has gone on since January 2, has met fierce opposition from local residents in the community of Burns, which lies 30 miles from the occupation site. At a community meeting that hundreds attended on Monday night, local residents repeatedly asked the group to leave. They included a Burns High School freshman, who got a standing ovation from the crowd. 'And I just want them to go home so I can feel safe and I can feel like it is home again,' 15-year-old Ashlie Presley said with tears in her eyes, referring to the armed men. 'I shouldn't have to be scared in my own hometown.' The morning after the meeting, Robert 'LaVoy' Finicum, a militia member, held a press conference where he promised to hold a community meeting at which the group will explain themselves and inform residents when they will leave, the Oregonian reported. The meeting will be held on Friday evening in Burns, Finicum said, although the exact location has yet to be determined. He said 'there should be a dialogue' but declined to give any specifics about the group's exit plans, according to the Oregonian. Ammon Bundy, the group's leader, has previously said the group would not leave until a plan was in place to turn over federal lands to local authorities. They also want the release of Dwight and Steven Hammond, father-and-son ranchers convicted of arson who returned to prison last week to serve longer sentences. The Hammonds' case set off the occupation, but they have distanced themselves from the activists. Federal, state and local law enforcement are monitoring the occupation but have not taken action. Occupation leader Ammon Bundy is seen in an office at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon Occupier Jon Ritzheimer (right) help supporters Joe Rigney (left) and his wife Amanda Rigney unload firewood at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge A yellow 'Dont Tread On Me' flag flies at the entrance of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon A member of the group occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge stands guard at the refuge on Sunday Jury in Bourbon St. shooting case set for opening arguments NEW ORLEANS (AP) The only man arrested after a deadly 2014 shooting spree left a tourist dead in New Orleans' French Quarter was either an aggressive gunman avenging the theft of marijuana from his friends or a potential victim who gamely protected himself and others from a "Bourbon Street terrorist." Jurors who will decide the fate of 22-year-old Trung Le heard the starkly different characterizations Tuesday morning during opening statements in Le's trial on charges of manslaughter and attempted second-degree murder. A young woman from Hammond, Louisiana, died in the melee that broke out early on the morning of June 29, 2014, as tourists milled about New Orleans' popular strip of nightspots. Nine other people were injured in an outbreak of violence that stunned the tourism-dependent city and prompted state police to help beef up the city's patrols in the Quarter. The second gunman has never been captured or identified. Assistant District Attorney Laura Rodrigue told jurors that a group of Le's friends had been robbed of some marijuana more than an hour before the shooting in a drug deal gone bad. They summoned Le, who, Rodrigue said, showed up to Bourbon Street armed. Gunfire broke out after the group spotted the mystery man at the corner of Bourbon and Orleans streets about 2:45 a.m. Defense attorney Martin Regan acknowledged that Le fired first, but said he shot only after the other man referred to by Regan at times as "the unknown terrorist" or "the Bourbon Street terrorist" produced a gun and threatened him and his friends. Rodrigue told jurors the shooting and aftermath were captured on videos of varying quality from 36 surveillance cameras. The case will hinge on the prosecution's and defense attorneys' widely differing interpretations of the video and on the credibility of key witnesses, including Le's friends. Rodrigue noted that Le disappeared after the shooting and refused to cooperate with police after he was captured days later in south Mississippi. His friends also were uncooperative, giving conflicting statements to police, she said. Regan acknowledged as much but said the video will support the claim that Le fired in self-defense. "They denied this, they denied that," he said. "But what no one can deny is what's on the screen." Killed in the shooting was Brittany Thomas, 21, who is believed to have been struck by a bullet by the still-at-large mystery gunman. Among the wounded was Nicholas Williams of Grenada, Mississippi, who pulled up his pant leg during testimony to show jurors where a screw protrudes from a leg surgically repaired following the shooting. Suburban NY mayor's brother pleaded guilty to gun charges MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (AP) The brother of a suburban New York mayor has resigned from his firefighter post after the unsealing of court documents showing he pleaded guilty to federal gun charges. Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas confirmed to the Journal News (http://lohud.us/1UMMSsC ) his half-brother, Henry-George Thomas, has stepped down from his job as a city firefighter. The Democratic mayor said his brother's resignation involved a "medical challenge." But the newspaper reports court documents unsealed Dec. 30 show Henry-George Thomas was charged in April with importing four guns and ammunition from outside New York state and then selling them to an FBI informant. Henry-George Thomas pleaded guilty in September to charges including unlawful transportation of firearms and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. He is to be sentenced March 24. ___ Cruz promises to defend gun rights in NH campaign swing HUDSON, N.H. (AP) Ted Cruz on Tuesday returned to New Hampshire for the first time in months, promising conservative voters he'll protect their gun rights and several times invoking the state's "Live Free or Die" motto. "It's not 'live coddled by a bunch of nanny-state liberals who want to control every aspect of your life, or die,'" he said to laughs and cheers outside a gun range. "It's not 'trust Hillary Clinton and her village to raise your kids and strip them of all their liberties or die.'" More moderate-leaning Republicans have typically fared better in New Hampshire than staunch conservatives like Cruz. But Donald Trump maintains a strong lead in New Hampshire, so a candidate could finish second or third by winning over a relatively small segment of the state's Republicans. Cruz is returning to the state Sunday for a five-day bus tour through all 10 counties. Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, during a campaign stop at Granite State Indoor Range in Hudson, N.H. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) The Texas senator's comments came on his first visit to New Hampshire since November. He's focused more of his energy on the first caucus state of Iowa, where he's now battling Trump for a first-place finish. While each of the Republican candidates strongly support gun rights, Cruz' focus on the issue is unusual. A pro-gun message in particular may be a way to win support with the GOP primary. New Hampshire is home to relatively lax gun laws, and the Republican-controlled state legislature voted twice last year to repeal the licensing requirement to carry concealed guns. The state's Democratic governor vetoed both. Cruz told reporters he expects his support in New Hampshire to keep growing. "Our support has been steadily, gradually increasing each and every day," he said. "And it's really followed the pattern we've seen nationwide." Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, during a campaign stop at Granite State Indoor Range in Hudson, N.H. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, meets with attendees Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, during a campaign stop at Granite State Indoor Range in Hudson, N.H. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, meets with attendees Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, during a campaign stop at Granite State Indoor Range in Hudson, N.H. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, during a campaign stop at Granite State Indoor Range in Hudson, N.H. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas speaks Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, during a campaign stop at Granite State Indoor Range in Hudson, N.H. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, during a campaign stop at Granite State Indoor Range in Hudson, N.H. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) With Democratic race narrowing, Clinton rips into Sanders AMES, Iowa (AP) Facing a narrowing primary contest, Hillary Clinton ripped into rival Bernie Sanders on Tuesday, saying the Vermont senator was offering unrealistic policies and overstating his anti-establishment credentials. For days, Clinton has cast Sanders as a less forceful advocate for gun control, honing in on a 2005 vote he cast that gave immunity to gun manufacturers. On Tuesday, she broadened her critique, arguing that if Sanders wouldn't combat the National Rifle Association, he can't be trusted to take on other special interests. "If you're going to go around saying you stand up to special interests, then stand up to that most powerful special interest stand up to the gun lobby," she said, as she accepted the backing of a major gun control advocacy group. The Iowa state flag is seen at right as Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign event at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Clinton added: "Don't talk to me about standing up to corporate interests and big powers. I've got the scars to show for it." Sanders campaign spokesman Michael Briggs said the senator had "spent a career standing up to powerful special interests whether they be Wall Street, big banks or Big Oil or the pharmaceutical industry, you name it." Briggs added, "He has also stood up to the National Rifle Association," noting that Sanders lost a 1988 congressional race in part because he supported a ban on assault weapons. The fresh critique marks an effort by Clinton to undermine the central argument of Sanders' campaign that the Vermont senator is an outsider offering liberals a "political revolution." At one point, she alluded to his mantra, telling supporters, "If that's the kind of 'revolution' he's talking about, I'm worried, folks." With a touch of sarcasm, Clinton derided Sanders' plans for a single-payer Medicare-for-all system and said President Barack Obama's work to pass an overhaul to the nation's health care system was a major accomplishment. "I wish that we could elect a Democrat who could wave a magic wand and say, 'We shall do this and we shall do that.' That ain't the real world we're living in," Clinton said. In Dubuque, Clinton said she hoped that Sanders "hurries up" and releases more details of his tax plan "because you deserve to see the comparisons side-by-side." In an emailed fundraising appeal, Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver dismissed Clinton's criticism and instead reiterated the senator's goal of guaranteeing health care for all Americans. "It is a national disgrace that the United States is the only major country in the world that does not offer health care as a right," Weaver said. "We need a president who will fight for the 29 million Americans without health care." Clinton also touted her foreign policy credentials, drawing another, more implicit, contrast with Sanders, who has made tackling economic inequality the focus of his campaign. "I'm prepared to do all parts to the job," she said, after offering voters a detailed account of her time in the Situation Room during the killing of Osama bin Laden. Though Clinton has the backing of Democratic leaders and top donors, polls show a tighter race in Iowa while Sanders has built a slight lead in New Hampshire, which borders his home state of Vermont. Losses in both early voting states could raise worries among Democrats about her strength against Sanders, who was relatively unknown when he started the campaign but has attracted big crowds to his rallies. A poll released on Wednesday by Quinnipiac University showed Sanders winning 49 percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers in Iowa, compared to 44 percent for Clinton. The same survey showed Clinton leading in a 51-40 percent match-up just a month ago. Clinton has long resisted directly targeting Sanders, fearing that such attacks would alienate his passionate supporters. Should she win the nomination, Clinton will need that kind of liberal enthusiasm to boost her to victory in a general election. Daughter Chelsea Clinton also got in the act, telling a New Hampshire audience that Sanders would open the door for Republican governors to undermine the health care law. "I never thought we'd be arguing about the Affordable Care Act in the Democratic primary," she said. "Sen. Sanders wants to dismantle Obamacare, dismantle the (Children's Health Insurance Program), dismantle Medicare, dismantle private insurance." Both candidates received dueling endorsements on the eve of Obama's State of the Union address. Clinton picked up the backing of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence an endorsement that came just a day after she won support from leading gun control advocate Gabby Giffords, the former Arizona congresswoman, and her husband, Mark Kelly. Dan Gross, president of the Brady Campaign, noted that the two candidates diverged on the landmark Brady handgun bill, which imposed a five-day waiting period for gun purchases. "Bernie Sanders actually voted against it. But there's only one candidate who fought for it and that candidate is Hillary," he said. Sanders has expressed his support for Obama's use of executive actions to curb gun violence and has said he would revisit his position on the liability issue. But in a Democratic forum on Monday night, he doubled down on his defense of his vote on the controversial bill. "It's not a mistake. Like many pieces of legislation, it is complicated," he said. "But on the issue of guns, let me be very clear I support the president." Clinton was also endorsed by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, a union of 1.3 million members. Sanders racked up his own endorsement on Tuesday, receiving the backing of MoveOn.org, a grassroots organization that has been at the forefront of liberal causes. He was supported by 78.6 percent of its membership in an online vote of more than 340,000 members, according to the group. Hillary Clinton received 14.6 percent and Martin O'Malley received 0.9 percent with the remaining members urging no endorsement. The group said it plans to mobilize thousands of its members in Iowa and New Hampshire on Sanders' behalf. ___ Thomas reported from Washington. Associated Press reporter Holly Ramer in Manchester, New Hampshire, and Catherine Lucey in Dubuque, Iowa, contributed to this report. ___ Follow Lisa Lerer and Ken Thomas on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/llerer and http://twitter.com/KThomasDC Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign event at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) A Kentucky man who served as a minister in his Amish church has confessed to fatally poisoning his wife nine years ago while working as a cabinetmaker in rural Missouri, authorities say. Samuel Borntreger, 39, of Summer Shade, Kentucky, was charged on Monday with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Anna Yoder Borntreger. Her body was exhumed on Tuesday from an Amish cemetery in Missouri. Court records allege Borntreger went to authorities in Barren County, Kentucky, on Sunday and told them he put antifreeze in her drinks and battery acid in her rectum before her death in late 2006. Samuel Borntreger (pictured), 39, of Summer Shade, Kentucky, was charged on Monday with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Anna Yoder Borntreger Authorities provided no further details. Borntreger is jailed without bond in Kentucky awaiting extradition to Missouri. No attorney is listed for him in online court records, and attempts to reach relatives for comment were not immediately successful. The charges were filed in northwest Missouri's Harrison County, where prosecutor Cristine Stallings said Borntreger was 'well known and liked.' She said cabinetry that he made adorns many homes in the area, as well as her office and that of a courtroom in the country. Investigators are looking into Anna Borntreger's medical records, Harrison County Sheriff Josh Eckerson said. It appears she was diagnosed with a liver problem, but the problem may have been caused by poisoning, he said. Eckerson said the couple had four children together, the youngest just 10 months old, when Anna Borntreger died at the age of 26. They were living on a farm in an Amish community northwest of the small town of Bethany. Stallings said Borntreger had a cabinetry shop and his parents also lived on the property where they ran an Amish store. 'He needed to get it off his conscience,' Eckerson said of the confession. 'That is why he has come forth.' Eckerson said Samuel Borntreger remarried within a year of his wife's death and had four more children. In confessing to Anna Borntreger's death, he told authorities he 'didn't love her anymore,' Eckerson said. Stallings recalled she was 'stunned' when his wife died. 'She was very young,' Stallings recalled. 'She was such a young woman and left such a young family behind.' She said Borntreger moved away from Missouri less than two years ago. Missouri authorities only began investigating when Kentucky authorities contacted them, although some family members recently said they had suspicions at the time of her death, Eckerson said. 'They felt that maybe it wasn't actually a liver problem and that she should get a second opinion,' said Eckerson, who wasn't sheriff in 2006. There are no phone numbers listed for the last name Yoder in the Bethany area. Eckerson said he was given a letter that Samuel Borntreger purportedly wrote to someone in Missouri before Sunday's confession, saying he had committed a crime. Eckerson said he couldn't comment further about the letter because the investigation is ongoing. 'It really took me by surprise,' Eckerson said of the allegations. Warning Pc David Rathband of Raoul Moat's threats was a 'no brainer', court told Pc David Rathband was left ignorant to the threats made by gunman Raoul Moat despite it being a "no brainer" that he should have been warned prior to being shot and blinded, a court has heard. The accusations against Northumbria Police were made on the first day of a High Court civil claim by his sister Debbie Essery and brother Darren. It will focus on the crucial minutes between Moat dialling 999 to say he was hunting for police and him shooting the unarmed traffic officer who was sitting in his patrol car on a prominent Newcastle roundabout above the A1. Debbie Essery, sister of Pc David Rathband, arrives at Newcastle Crown Court for a civil case against Northumbria Police The claim states that had he been warned about the specific threat by the force, Pc Rathband would have kept mobile. In the minutes after he was blasted twice by the ex-doorman in July 2010, senior officers ordered all unarmed police to return to their stations. Geoffrey Tattersall QC, representing Ms Essery and Mr Rathband, said they were "dealing with a very short space of time" but that David Rathband had been left ignorant to the threats that Moat had made against officers after he had shot his former partner and her new boyfriend, killing the latter. Addressing Mr Justice Males at Newcastle Crown Court, he said even though Moat had rung 999 and made threats to the police, "no warning of any kind was issued. David Rathband was shot at a time when he remained ignorant to the threats made by Raoul Moat to officers". He said: "Moat had said if the boyfriend had not been a police officer he would not have shot him. This fact is relevant in any assessment of the risk he posed. "A duty of care was owed and the force was negligent in failing to warn David Rathband that Raoul Moat had telephoned and made threats. "We say that an interim warning should have been given noting the threat to officers, to probably tell them to be vigilant and probably that they should keep on the move on the basis a mobile officer is far harder to shoot." He said that Northumbria Police went on to produce new guidelines in December 2010 for when threats were made against officers. These included the instruction that information concerning the threat is broadcast at the earliest opportunity, that officers must remain vigilant and that they should avoid static positions. "A plain reflection of what should have happened that night," he said. "It was a complete no brainier to warn of the potential risk and it should have been given from the outset. "I do criticise the police for failing to give that interim warning which we say would have made a difference." Speaking outside court before the case began, Ms Essery said she and David's twin Darren were entrusted by their brother to continue the litigation against Northumbria Police. She said: "David felt he was left out in harm's way by the organisation in which he served, the organisation which has continued to state that they did nothing wrong, however have since changed various practices and procedures to ensure it never happens again." She said should the claim be successful, neither she nor Darren will benefit financially, and the money will go to David's children Ash and Mia. And she paid tribute to Pc Rathband, who killed himself in February 2012, saying: "David was a much-loved son, brother and uncle whose passing has left a huge void in our lives and he will always be sadly and deeply missed by his family." Also in court was Mr Rathband's former wife Kath, who briefly answered questions in the witness box. She said that former Chief Constable Sue Sim had told David she would not hold it against him if he took action against the force for what happened. Japan's Asahi could swoop for Peroni and Grolsch brands Japanese brewer Asahi is reportedly considering bidding for lager brands Peroni and Grolsch being put up for sale as part of the takeover of SABMiller. Asahi, which is known for its Super Dry beer, confirmed it was looking at deals after reports at the weekend revealed it was eyeing the two brands for acquisition in a deal that is thought to be worth as much as 400 billion yen (2.3 billion). AB InBev said last month it was looking at offloading UK and European beer brands including Peroni, Grolsch and London's Meantime brewery to help ease regulatory concerns over its 71 billion takeover of SABMiller. The Peroni and Grolsch brands have attracted interest Buying Peroni and Grolsch would allow Asahi to tap into growth outside a declining Japanese lager market, where it has a 38% share. But it is understood that a number of other potential buyers are also in the frame, such as Heineken, US-based Molson Coors and Bulmers and Magners cider maker C&C Group. The SABMiller takeover was formally agreed in November after protracted talks. AB InBev is seeking to get the green light from authorities for the deal, which marks the largest takeover of a UK-based firm as well as the fourth biggest in global corporate history. To help overcome regulatory worries, AB InBev has been contacting potential buyers for the European brands, although any sale is conditional on its takeover of SAB going through. The brands being considered for sale include Peroni and Grolsch and their businesses in Italy, the Netherlands and the UK, as well as SAB's Meantime craft brewery in Greenwich, London. AB InBev has already announced the sale of SABMiller's US joint venture last month, with partner Molson Coors agreeing to buy the remaining 58% stake in MillerCoors for 12 billion US dollars (7.9 billion). SAB has invested heavily in Peroni in recent years, marketing the brand across Europe and America to help cement the lager as a global brand, alongside Grolsch. Foreign Office checking for British victims of Istanbul blast Officials are working to verify whether any Britons were killed in a suspected suicide bombing in an area of Istanbul popular with tourists, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has said. The blast in Sultanahmet, in which at least 10 people died and 15 others were injured, was described by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as "Syria-linked", while a local government official described it as "terror-linked". Mr Hammond said the Government knows tourists were "involved" in the explosion and promised to update MPs during Foreign Office questions if any news about UK nationals emerges. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the Government knows tourists were 'involved' in the explosion Opening the Commons session, he said: "I wonder if I might just take a few seconds to update the House on the breaking news coming in from Istanbul where an explosion has occurred in the Sultanahmet area, killing at least 10 people, with many more injured. "This is a tourist area of the city and we already know that some tourists are involved in this incident. "We are at the moment seeking to verify whether any British nationals are involved and if we get any news on that during the course of the next hour I will update the House accordingly. "In the meantime I offer my sympathies to the victims and their families and everyone else affected by the attack." Shadow Foreign Office minister Pat Glass said: "Our thoughts are with anyone caught up in this awful situation." The explosion in Istanbul's Old City hit a park which is home to a landmark obelisk just 30 yards from the Blue Mosque in the city's main sightseeing area, which also includes Topkapi Palace and the Hagia Sophia museum. Turkey's Dogan news agency reported that at least six Germans, one Norwegian and a Peruvian were among the wounded, while Seoul's Foreign Ministry said one South Korean had a finger injury. Family of student cleared of rape went through '15 months of absolute hell' The family of a student cleared of rape and sexual assault said they have been through 15 months of "absolute hell". Louis Richardson, the 21-year-old former secretary of Durham University's prestigious Union Society debating club, was suspended from his history studies after he was accused of raping and sexually assaulting one student and sexually assaulting another. A jury at Durham Crown Court took less than three hours to clear him of all four charges, following a trial which lasted six days. Louis Richardson denied the charges Outside court, he hugged his mother who has sat through the trial with his father and grandfather. For much of the hearings his parents held hands as intimate details of their son's sex life were revealed to the jury. Mr Richardson, who is from Jersey, clasped his hands tightly as the jury filed back in to court to return their verdicts. He remained motionless when the four "not guilty" verdicts were read out by the foreman. In a family statement outside court, they said: "It has been 15 months of absolute hell for the whole family. "We are relieved that justice has been done and would like to thank the jury." Mr Richardson, who was born in Truro and moved to Jersey when he was four, was accused of raping a woman at his student house when she was "crazy drunk" and unresponsive. Philippa McAtasney QC, defending, had said the complainant was a "highly manipulative, dishonest, dangerous young woman". The woman also alleged Mr Richardson sexually assaulted her at a party by lifting up her dress and exposing her bra, saying "Get your tits out ... everyone else has seen them". But the jury had been told by the barrister in her closing speech her client would not use that phrase, saying: "You may think he has a somewhat unique style for a young man of his age, a flowery style, verbose, quite posh you may think. He is not on trial for that." Miss McAtasney reminded the jury the complainant was still calling him "darling" in Facebook messages after the alleged rape and sexual assault occurred. He was also accused of sexually assaulting a different woman at a house party when she was ill in bed. Mr Richardson, who was debating politics with others in the room at the time, told the jury he had comforted her momentarily by placing a hand on her shoulder, and she had pulled it to her breast. It was unclear if he will return to Durham to complete his degree, having been doing voluntary work in Jersey. Hardline Islamists among Syria's moderate opposition, David Cameron concedes Hardline Islamists are among the so-called moderate opposition forces on the ground in Syria, David Cameron has conceded. Critics have questioned the number of non-extremist fighters after the Prime Minister claimed there were 70,000 in the country who could form the basis of the ground force against Bashar Assad's regime. Mr Cameron insisted he stood by his claim - based on the advice of the Joint Intelligence Committee - but told a committee of senior MPs there were not enough overall and admitted that some were "relatively hardline Islamists". Mr Cameron urged all sides to get round the table He told the Liaison committee: "Some of the opposition forces are Islamist. Some of them are relatively hardline Islamist." "They are not all the sort of people you would bump into at a Liberal Democrat party conference," he added. Mr Cameron said "d eep tensions" between Iran and Saudi Arabia mean peace talks to bring the Syrian civil war to an end will be "incredibly difficult". Britain will encourage moderate opposition groups to attend the next round of talks on January 25, when US Secretary of State John Kerry hopes rebels will sit round a table with representatives of Bashar Assad's regime in the hope of a ceasefire. But he acknowledged that opposition from Turkey means there may be no place at the table for Syrian Kurds, who have provided many of the most effective military forces fighting both Assad and the Islamic State terror group (IS) - also known as Daesh, Isil and Isis. He insisted that it was possible to find a "third way" solution that did not involve leaving the country in the hands of Assad or the hands of IS. "It is impossible in my view to really envisage a situation in which Assad stays in power and Syria isn't a threat to our national interest," he added. Mr Cameron told the committee he was unlikely to allow all the information surrounding the events that led to the drone strike that killed two British nationals fighting with IS to be released to MPs investigating the incident. Parliament's intelligence watchdog is looking into the decision to authorise the attack on 21-year-old Reyaad Khan from Cardiff, which also killed a second British fighter, Ruhul Amin. In terse exchanges, committee chairman Andrew Tyrie said the Prime Minister was not giving the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), the information it needs, claiming the premier had "excluded" details about the military circumstances around the strike. Mr Cameron said his "instinctive answer would be no" to demands for all information to be made available to the ISC and claimed such a move could risk the lives of intelligence sources. The premier also said he was "not inclined" to publish policy on the use of drones strikes to kill terrorists because he "could see some disadvantages" in such a move, including giving away intelligence information to terror groups. Mr Tyrie also criticised the Prime Minister for the response in Libya in the wake of the fall of the Gaddafi regime, claiming the "humanitarian balance sheet of this intervention doesn't look good". U.S. Democrats urge Obama to end roundup of Central American migrants By Richard Cowan and Fiona Ortiz WASHINGTON/CHICAGO, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. Congress, outraged over the Obama administration's pursuit of Central American migrant families for deportation, on Friday called for a halt and new protections for undocumented people from three crime-infested countries. Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus said they want "temporary protective status" for undocumented migrants from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. They argue high murder rates and gang violence in the three countries have pushed thousands, including families and children traveling alone, to seek U.S. refuge. The crackdown, by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, was an expansion from mostly targeting individuals to pursuing families with undocumented members. Some immigration groups viewed the new policy as sending a message to Central Americans, amid a spike in their arrivals at the southwestern U.S. border, not to make the journey. House Democrats angrily denounced Democratic President Barack Obama's policy at a press conference on Friday and urged him to protect, not deport, those immigrants. Representative Linda Sanchez, head of the Hispanic Caucus, described women being raped and murdered, buses being set afire and gangs controlling the streets of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. "CHC is here today to denounce the ICE raids ... deporting these refugees essentially means that we're sending them back to their home countries to face possible death," she said. Sanchez added that many families have children who are U.S. citizens. Several House Democratic lawmakers on Thursday met with administration officials to register their anger over the policy. Sanchez told reporters that they left the meeting not knowing whether DHS agents will continue targeting Central American families for deportation. They have asked to meet in person with Obama. DHS has confirmed authorities took 121 people into custody over the weekend. But more than 10,000 people could be subject to deportation under the DHS initiative, according to new figures from the Executive Office for Immigration Review. Nearly all are unaccompanied minors. Seventy-five percent of deportation orders were issued in absentia because the immigrant did not attend a hearing. Activists say that indicates many have not gotten adequate legal aid, as immigrants who attending hearings and fighting their cases in court have mostly avoided deportation. "Unfortunately there are removal orders for people who had bad legal representation or poor legal representation," said Claudia Valenzuela, director of Chicago's Detention Project at the National Immigrant Justice Center. Islamic State says it carried out attacks on Baghdad mall -statement BAGHDAD, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Islamic State said it was responsible for attacks on a shopping complex in eastern Baghdad on Monday that killed at least 18 people, a statement circulated online by supporters said. The hardline Sunni militant group that controls large swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq said four of its fighters had targeted a gathering of "rejectionist heathens", its derogatory term for Shi'ite Muslims. U.S. not in talks on restoring nuclear arms to South Korea -official WASHINGTON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Washington and Seoul are not discussing the restoration of nuclear weapons to South Korea after last week's atomic test by North Korea, a U.S. official said on Monday, saying this could spark a regional arms race. Newcastle sign Senegalese midfielder Saivet LONDON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Newcastle United have signed Senegal midfielder Henri Saivet on a five-and-a-half year deal from Ligue 1 side Bordeaux, the relegation-threatened Premier League club said on Monday. The 25-year-old, Newcastle's first signing of the January transfer window, has made 178 appearances and scored 23 goals for the French club in all competitions. While no fee was given, the Newcastle Chronicle website reported the player had cost the Magpies 4.5 million pounds ($6.55 million). Saivet also played against Newcastle in both legs of a Europa League tie in 2012/13 and represented Senegal at the 2015 African Nations Cup. "Henri is someone the club have been watching for a while, and he has developed into an excellent player at Bordeaux," manager Steve McClaren told the Newcastle website (www.nufc.com). "This is someone with a very good mentality, who is a tough player and a winner. Those are key qualities you need in the Premier League and we are looking forward to seeing him pulling on the Newcastle United shirt." Newcastle are third from bottom of the Premier League, having scored just 19 goals in 20 games. Their 1-0 FA Cup third round loss to Watford on Saturday condemned the Magpies to their fourth straight defeat in all competitions. Myanmar's Suu Kyi, ethnic armed groups gather for peace talks YANGON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi was set to address on Tuesday hundreds of representatives of ethnic armed groups, the military and lawmakers, gathered for talks over a ceasefire to end insurgencies that have plagued the country for decades. The Nobel peace prize laureate's National League for Democracy (NLD) won an historic election victory in November, but her party will not take power until March, with a presidential election expected to take place a month earlier. The outgoing semi-civilian government of President Thein Sein signed a ceasefire in October, but seven of 15 armed groups invited to participate declined to sign, including some of the most powerful. Suu Kyi had snubbed the government-led peace process, and the latest talks in the capital Naypyitaw are expected to yield little in the way of concrete deals, but could lay the groundwork for negotiations once the NLD takes power. Several armed groups, who have been fighting for greater rights and autonomy, are hoping that Suu Kyi's international standing and and mandate would help her succeed in bridging areas of disagreement with the country's powerful military. "We have high expectations for Aung San Suu Kyi and her government to negotiate with army chief - without the military's involvement it will be impossible to end the fighting across the country," said Padoh Saw Thamein Tun, one of the leaders of the Karen National Union, an ethnic armed organization. Since the October signing, fighting has flared in eastern parts of the country between the military, non-signatories and groups that did not take part in the negotiations. The gathering in Naypyitaw will also be attended by President Thein Sein and the powerful army chief Min Aung Hlaing, and their appearance along with Suu Kyi reflected how smoothly the transfer of power has gone so far. Myanmar's generals ran the country for 49 years, until 2011, when a hybrid civilian-military government was installed. Suu Kyi remains barred from becoming president under the military-drafted constitution, and the military remains a powerful political force. Romania - Factors to watch on Jan 12 BUCHAREST, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Tuesday. TRADE DATA Romania's trade deficit widened by more than a third to 7.19 billion euros ($7.85 billion) on the year in the first eleven months, the National Statistics Board said on Monday. DEBT TENDER Romania sold a more than planned 352 million lei ($84.84 million) worth of December 2022 treasury bonds on Monday, with the average accepted yield at 3.06 percent, central bank data showed. CEE MARKETS Central European currencies and stocks eased on Monday amid Poland's tensions with the European Commission and expectations Hungary's central bank will unveil more monetary easing measures on Tuesday. EBRD The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said on Monday it had lent Belgium-based aerospace company Sonaca $8.5 million to build an aircraft component plant in Romania. HIDROELECTRICA Romania's competition watchdog gave out fines worth a total 165.8 million lei to state-owned hydro power producer Hidroelectrica and ten of its clients, mostly energy traders, for signing bilateral contracts during 2003-2012 under which it sold the bulk of its output below market prices. The deals were behind Hidroelectrica getting pushed into insolvency in 2012. For the long-term Romanian diary, click on For emerging markets economic events, click on For an index of all diaries, click on El Nino and drought take a toll on Zimbabwe's cattle By Marko Phiri TSHOLOTSHO, Zimbabwe, Jan 12 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - J ustin Dlomo watches his small herd of emaciated cattle scrounge for bits of dry grass with a growing sense of dread. "I don't even know what to do anymore," he says. Worsening drought in Zimbabwe has dried up water holes, crops and pasture, leaving farmers like 56-year-old Dlomo, who lives about 120 kilometres north of Bulawayo, unable to feed their animals - and unable to sell them for much either. "We are all selling off our livestock. Better that than watch the cattle die," Dlomo told Thomson Reuters Foundation. But because so many desperate farmers now have animals on the market, a cow that used to sell for $500 now fetches just $150 - or in some places as little as $50 - from buyers in the cities. As climate change strengthens, drought is becoming more frequent and severe in southern Africa, and that - combined with this year's El Nino phenomenon - is taking a heavy toll on rural lives and economies, experts say. "Water sources have dried up and we are drinking from the same reservoirs with our cattle," Dlomo said. Zimbabwe is one of many countries feeling the strain of El Nino, which has dried up rainfall across southern Africa over the last year, killing crops, disrupting hydropower production and forcing local water authorities to enforce stringent water rationing in some areas. When facing drought in the past, Dlomo would have moved his cattle to another neighbouring region with more rainfall. But this time the drought is widespread, he said. "We cannot move our cattle anymore. There is no grass everywhere," Dlomo said. THOUSANDS DYING Livestock experts say parched pastures are causing the deaths of thousands of cattle across the country. Last year, the agriculture ministry's livestock department estimated that the national cattle herd stood at 5.3 million animals, down from over 6 million in 2014. In one district in Masvingo province last year, more than a thousand cattle died because of drought, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. Last week, the meteorological services department announced that the country should not expect any rain in the coming month, putting a further strain on livestock farmers. According to the agriculture ministry, Zimbabwe is experiencing its worst drought since one in 1991-1992 that killed more than one million cattle. However, while the World Food Programme said last month that millions of Zimbabweans will require food assistance this year, Dlomo said there is no assistance in sight for his dying livestock. "We have not seen anyone here coming to offer solutions to our plight. It's like a punishment from God," Dlomo said. Simangaliphi Ngwabi, the agriculture ministry's chief livestock specialist in Matebeleland South province, said there was little water or pasture for cattle in the region, as dry conditions continue across the country. The livestock department estimates that more than 350,000 cattle may face death due to drought in Matebeleland South. Last month, the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization said it would provide subsidised livestock feed to small-scale farmers in four districts of hard-hit Matebeleland South province as hundreds of cattle succumbed to El Nino-worsened drought. PLANNING AHEAD? Last year, amid another season of poor rainfall in the country's southwest, Paddy Zhanda, the deputy agriculture minister in charge of livestock told farmers to sell their livestock to avoid losses. By cutting herds, farmers would earn something from their cattle instead of losing them to drought, he said. However, Naboth Chuma, a livestock researcher at Chinhoyi University of Technology, said farmers facing more frequent drought need to make plans to prepare for it - including storing cattle feed - before animals start dying. "When a drought occurs it is never a sudden thing," Chuma said. "What is required is for government and aid agencies to work with these usually resource-challenged farmers to help them stock enough feed for their animals. The unfortunate part is that there are competing needs for both humans and livestock and it is cattle that suffer," he said. Deputy minister Zhanda has told farmers that they must find solutions to the livestock crisis and not wait for the cash-strapped government to intervene. Poland - Factors to Watch Jan 12 Following are news stories, press reports and events to watch that may affect Poland's financial markets on Tuesday. ALL TIMES GMT (Poland: GMT + 1 hour): CENTRAL BANK Polish parliament is to state its opinions on the new central bank rate-setters. Hearings start at 1100 GMT. WARSAW BOURSE The state-controlled bourse's extraordinary shareholder meeting is to choose GPW's new chief executive on Tuesday. EXPORT Poland plans to launch an Export Support Agency in the coming weeks to help promote Polish companies abroad, Puls Biznesu daily said. CCC The Polish shoe retailer considers issuing bonds worth up to 200 million zlotys ($50.06 million) to finance its operations in 2016, the company's CEO told Parkiet daily in an interview. T-MOBILE POLSKA Deutsche Telekom's Polish arm expects 2016 to be a year of stabilisation on the Polish mobile telecoms market, but without any growth, the unit's chief executive Adam Sawicki told daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna in an interview. ****Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.**** Philippine court allows military deal with U.S. as sides meet in Washington MANILA/WASHINGTON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - The Philippines Supreme Court on Tuesday declared constitutional a security deal with the United States allowing an increased U.S. military presence in the former U.S. colony as tension rises in the South China Sea. Dozens of anti-U.S. activists held protests outside the court denouncing the deal as a de facto basing agreement that would make the Philippines a launching pad for military intervention in the region. Manila has long been a staunch U.S. ally and the pact is widely seen as important for both sides, worried by China's increasingly assertive pursuit of territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea. The court voted 10-4 to deny a petition of some lawmakers and activists to declare the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) unconstitutional because it surrendered Philippine sovereignty to a foreign power. "EDCA is not constitutionally infirm," said Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te. "It remains consistent with existing laws and treaties that it purports to implement." In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Ash Carter welcomed the court's decision as they began talks with their Philippine counterparts on security and economic issues, including tensions in the South China Sea and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. "The United States has an iron-clad commitment to the security of the Philippines," Kerry said in opening remarks. "To that end we welcome the Philippines Supreme Court's decision ... (and) look forward to implementing this accord," he added. Philippine Defense Minister Voltaire Gazmin said security cooperation with the United States had become more intertwined amid increasing tensions over the South China Sea. "While we grapple with non-traditional security concerns and natural ... disasters, traditional security challenges, to include territorial and maritime disputes, remain ... fundamental concerns," he said. "Given this strategic context, we should be in a position to address such common concerns, as well as contribute to regional peace and stability." The pact, signed days before U.S. President Barack Obama visited the Philippines in 2014, will allow U.S. troops to build facilities to store equipment for maritime security and humanitarian and disaster response operations, in addition to giving broad access to Philippine military bases. U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain called it "a landmark agreement ... (that) will bring our alliance to a level of cooperation and integration that we have not witnessed in decades. "As Manila finds itself the target of Chinese coercion in the West Philippine Sea and is looking to Washington for leadership, this agreement will give us new tools to ... expand engagement with the Philippine Armed Forces, and enhance our presence in Southeast Asia," he said in a statement. McCain said he looked forward to implementation this year of a congressional Maritime Security Initiative he has championed that will provide resources to build the maritime capacity of the Philippines and other Southeast Asia countries. Philippine military officials say there has been an increase in U.S. exercises, training and ship and aircraft visits in the past year under Obama's "rebalance" of U.S. forces and diplomatic efforts to Asia in the face of China's rise, but the pact would take the relationship a step further. China claims almost all the South China Sea, which is believed to have huge deposits of oil and gas, and has been building up facilities on islands it controls. Direct Line sees claims of 110-140 mln stg from 3 UK storms Jan 12 (Reuters) - Direct Line Insurance Group said it estimated total claims of between 110 million pounds and 140 million pounds (about $160-$203 million) from the three storms that hit Britain in December. The company, Britain's largest motor insurer, said it expected claims in both its home and commercial divisions. Home claims from the storms Desmond, Eva and Frank are likely to be 80 million pounds to 100 million pounds. PRESS DIGEST - Bulgaria - Jan 12 SOFIA, Jan 12 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Tuesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. -- The supreme Court of Cassation put on hold the case against the insolvency of Corporate Commercial Bank and asked the Constitutional Court to rule articles of bank insolvency law that block the right of shareholders and executive directors to appeal against a central bank decision to revoke a bank licence as anti-constitutional. (Telegraph, Trud, Capital Daily, 24 Chasa, Sega) -- People living in a neighbourhood near a refugee centre in Sofia threatened with road blockades if the police did not take more measures to ensure their security. (Standart, Trud, Monitor) Japan sends China warning over incursions near disputed isles TOKYO, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Japan said on Tuesday it has told China that any foreign naval vessel that enters Japanese waters for reasons other than "innocent passage" will be told to leave by a Japanese naval patrol, signalling a potential escalation in a long-running dispute. Japan had informed China of its decision in November, after Chinese navy ships sailed near disputed isles in the East China Sea known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference. Japan's government, Suga said, had approved the course of action last May. "If a foreign naval vessel transits our waters for (purposes) other than 'innocent passage', we will order a sea patrol and take the step of having the Self-Defense Force unit order withdrawal," Suga told a news conference. Japan refers to its military as a Self-Defense Force. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei, asked about the remarks, said China was determined to protect its territory, repeating its standard line that the islands had been Chinese "since ancient times". "At the same time we do not want to see a rise in tensions in the East China Sea and are willing to appropriately manage, control and resolve the issue via dialogue and consultations," Hong told a daily news briefing in Beijing. Suga's comments followed a Yomiuri newspaper report that Japanese navy ships would be sent to urge Chinese naval ships to leave if they came within about 22 km (12 nautical miles) of the islands for reasons other than "innocent passage". The tiny islands are under Japan's control. The dispute over them has been a major sticking point in the countries' often contentious relations in recent years. Late last year, a Chinese coastguard vessel with what appeared to be gun turrets entered territorial waters claimed by Japan near the islands, Japan's coastguard said, adding that it was the first such incursion by an armed Chinese vessel in the area. The official China Daily reported on Tuesday China's coastguard was preparing to launch a new, large, armed vessel, which could be assigned to cover the South China Sea, where China has territorial disputes with several Southeast Asian neighbours. The 12,000 tonne ship will be armed with one 76-mm cannon and anti-aircraft guns, the newspaper said. Most Chinese coastguard ships are unarmed or only have water cannons. Lebanon accused of leaving Syrian refugees at risk of abuse By Emma Batha LONDON, Jan 12 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Lebanon is effectively barring many Syrian refugees from renewing their residency permits, putting them at risk of exploitation and "setting the stage for a potentially explosive situation", rights campaigners warned on Tuesday. Human Rights Watch said a $200 annual renewal fee introduced last year was prohibitive for most Syrian refugees in Lebanon where the great majority rely on aid. HRW's deputy Middle East director, Nadim Houry, warned that the residency rules were "making life impossible for refugees ... and pushing them underground". "The last thing Lebanon needs is a large, undocumented community living at the margins of society, at heightened risk of abuse." Lebanon is hosting more than 1 million refugees who have fled Syria since the start of civil war almost five years ago, the highest per capita concentration of refugees in the world. Only two of the 40 refugees interviewed for an HRW report said they had been able to renew their residencies. Obstacles included high fees, prohibitive paperwork requirements and arbitrary application of the regulations, according to the report entitled "I Just Wanted to be Treated like a Person". The lack of legal status leaves Syrians vulnerable to exploitation - including labour abuse and sexual abuse - and means they cannot turn to the authorities for protection, HRW said. It is not known how many refugees lack legal status in Lebanon, which is not party to the 1951 Refugee Convention. Officials at Lebanon's Ministry of Social Affairs could not immediately be reached for comment. "I FEEL LIKE A SLAVE" HRW said refugees applying to renew residency permits are split into two groups: those registered with the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) and those who must find a Lebanese sponsor to remain in the country. However many UNHCR-registered refugees reported that officials asked them to provide a sponsor, even though the rules do not require it. The need to find a sponsor raises the risk of corruption. One refugee is quoted as saying that sponsors were making a business out of the crisis, selling sponsorships to refugees for up to $1,000. Potential sponsors wait on the Syrian border or at the airport to sell sponsorships to new arrivals, he said. Another refugee, Amr, told HRW that the fact his sponsor was also his employer had locked him into a cycle of abuse. "My boss makes me work more than 12 hours a day at his shop. Sometimes I complain but then he threatens to cancel my sponsorship. What can I do? I have to do whatever he says. I feel like his slave," he was quoted as saying. Refugees who are working said employers often underpaid them, taking advantage of their inability to complain. Five women told HRW that sponsors and employers had attempted to sexually exploit them. Syrians without residency cannot move freely for fear of arrest, HRW said, meaning more families are relying on their children to work because minors are less likely to be stopped at checkpoints. Parents also said that some schools refused to enroll children without a valid residency even though this is not required for school registration. WIDER IMAGE-Decade-old tattoos tell of devotion, caste and defiance in India By Adnan Abidi ARJUNI, India, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Mahettar Ram Tandon is still proud of the indelible message he carries almost five decades after he had the name of the Hindu god Ram tattooed over his entire body. Dressed in a simple white lungi, a traditional Indian garment, and wearing a peacock feather hat called a "mukut", Tandon is part of the Ramnami Samaj religious movement in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, one of India's poorest regions. "It was my new birth the day I started having the tattoos," he says. "The old me had died." To see the photo story, click: http://reut.rs/1Znwo0E Denied entry to temples and forced to use separate wells, low-caste Hindus in the Chhattisgarh first tattooed their bodies and faces more than 100 years ago as an act of defiance and devotion. Ramnamis wrote Ram's name on their bodies as a message to higher-caste Indians that god was everywhere, regardless of a person's caste or social standing. Now 76, Tandon's purple tattoos have faded over decades under the harsh sun of his village of Jamgahan. In the nearby village of Gorba, Punai Bai, 75, spent more than two weeks aged 18 having her full body tattooed using dye made from mixing soot from a kerosene lamp with water. "God is for everybody, not just for one community," says Bai, who lives in a one-room house with her son, daughter-in law and two grandchildren. Nowadays the tattoos of Ramnamis, who number 100,000 or more and live in dozens of villages spread across at least four districts of Chhattisgarh state, are usually on a smaller scale. Since the banning of caste-based discrimination in India in 1955, the lives of many lower-caste Indians have improved, villagers said. As young Ramnamis today also travel to other regions to study and look for work, younger generations usually avoid full-body tattoos. "The young generation just don't feel good about having tattoos on their whole body," says Tandon, who has always lived in his village of small mud houses surrounded by fields of grazing cattle, wheat and rice. "That doesn't mean they don't follow the faith." Children born in the community are still required to be tattooed somewhere on their body, preferably on their chest, at least once by the age of two. According to their religious practices, Ramnamis do not drink or smoke, must chant the name "Ram" daily and are exhorted to treat everybody with equality and respect. Almost every Ramnami household owns a copy of the Ramayana epic, a book on Lord Rama's life and teachings, along with small statues of Indian deities. Most followers' homes in these villages have "Ram Ram" written in black on the outer and inner walls. Despite the 1955 legislation, centuries-old feudal attitudes persist in many parts of India and low-caste people, or Dalits, still face prejudice in every sector from education to employment. Tandon is optimistic about the Ramnamis' relative change in fortunes since he had his body tattooed all those years ago. PRESS DIGEST- Canada - Jan 12 Jan 12 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories from selected Canadian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. THE GLOBE AND MAIL ** British Columbia cannot support Kinder Morgan Canada's C$6.8 billion ($4.78 billion) Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project because the company is not offering sufficient details of its spill-response plans, the government says. (http://bit.ly/1PTQrvT) ** The Liberal government is facing increasing pressure to make public the most important deliberations on Canada's C$15 billion sale of combat vehicles to Saudi Arabia: precisely how the transaction is justified under this country's strict weapons export control regime. (http://bit.ly/1PTRk7B) ** A Toronto man has been freed more than five years after he was kidnapped in Afghanistan, where he said he had gone as a tourist. (http://bit.ly/1PTRFqX) NATIONAL POST ** Toronto-based Freshii Inc, which marks its 11th anniversary this month, has reaped benefits from being ahead of the healthy fast-food trend, doubling its global restaurant count last year to more than 200 franchised units, with plans to almost double in size again in 2016. (http://bit.ly/1PTTd4b) ** The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan has appointed a new chief investment officer to replace longtime CIO Neil Petroff, who retired in June. Bjarne Graven Larsen, who will also serve as executive vice president, takes the role on Feb. 1, and will report to Chief Executive Ron Mock. (http://bit.ly/1PTThkk) Syrian suicide bomber thought behind Istanbul blast - Turkey's Erdogan ANKARA, Jan 12 (Reuters) - A Syrian suicide bomber is thought to have been responsible for an explosion in the heart of Istanbul's historic tourist district on Tuesday which killed 10 people including Turks and foreigners, President Tayyip Erdogan said. "I condemn the terror incident in Istanbul assessed to be an attack by a suicide bomber with Syrian origin. Unfortunately we have 10 dead including foreigners and Turkish nationals... There are also 15 wounded," Erdogan told a lunch for Turkish ambassadors in Ankara, in a speech broadcast live on television. Over 160,000 sign petitions seeking leniency for British migrant smuggler By Alex Whiting LONDON, Jan 12 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - More than 166,000 people have signed online petitions pleading for leniency for a Briton facing trial in France this week for trying to smuggle a four-year-old Afghan girl into Britain from a migrants' camp on the French coast. Former soldier Rob Lawrie befriended the girl and her father while volunteering at the camp in northern France. When the father asked Lawrie to take the girl to her relatives in England, Lawrie said he initially refused, but then his paternal instinct kicked in and he could not bear to leave her in the "squalid" camp. Lawrie, a 49-year-old father of four, hid Bahar Ahmadi in his van on Oct. 24, but was caught by border police who also found two Eritrean men in the back of the van. Lawrie said they had stowed away without his knowledge. One online petition, on change.org, has more than 115,000 signatories, most of them based in France. The petition asks the French courts to drop the charges, and the British government to intervene in his case. More than 51,000 people have signed a separate online petition, on 38 Degrees, asking British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond to ask his French counterpart for clemency for Lawrie. "I do regret it because it has cost me everything," Lawrie told Reuters TV last week. "It has cost me my family and it's financially bankrupted me, but that's about me. It was done on the spur of the moment about compassion. Yes I was compassionately right, but it was illegal - end of. It was illegal." Lawrie is due to appear before a French court on Jan. 14, accused of helping illegal immigration, and could face a jail term of up to five years. "(Bahar) is a special little girl. She's become almost representative of child refugees. After all the months I spent with her, I never saw her without a smile," he said. Philippines funds for contraceptives adequate despite budget cut - senator By Alisa Tang BANGKOK, Jan 12 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The Philippines Department of Health has adequate funds for contraceptives despite the decision to eliminate contraception funds from the country's reproductive health programme, a lawmaker said on Tuesday. Infuriated legislators and advocacy groups said last week the legislature's decision to cut the $21 million contraceptive budget would fuel HIV infections, maternal deaths and teenage pregnancies, particularly among the poor. But Senator Loren Legarda, head of the Senate Committee on Finance, said the Department of Health (DOH) still had enough funds for contraceptives for 2016. "The 2016 budget for FHRP (Family Health and Responsible Parenting) was reduced by 1 billion pesos ($21 million), but the budget for the procurement of contraceptives is not zero. There remains 1.6 billion pesos ($34 million) that can be used for this," Legarda said in a statement. Enough contraceptives were bought in the last quarter of 2015 to last until mid-2016, and the DOH has budget funds left over from 2015 for its reproductive health programme, she added. "Also, historical data shows the DOH is unable to completely spend its budget every year. These unused obligations or savings can be realigned within the agency as long as approved by the president," she said. Reproductive rights advocates in the Philippines fought for more than a decade to pass the 2012 Reproductive Health Law, which guaranteed funds to provide contraceptives to the poor. The largely Catholic archipelago nation, home to about 100 million people, has struggled to manage its burgeoning population and seen skyrocketing HIV infection rates in recent years. The cheapest birth control pills cost $1 - enough to buy a kilogramme of rice and a can of sardines. Gabon presidential hopeful seeks to end Bongo rule, wants more accountability By Gerauds Wilfried Obangome LIBREVILLE, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Former African Union chairman Jean Ping, a leading critic of Gabon's President Ali Bongo, says he will run for president this year, hoping to break the ruling party's near 50-year grip on power. Ping also told Reuters in an interview he wants to make the presidency more accountable, institute term limits, and invest in health, education and infrastructure. Bongo, the son of long-ruling former president Omar Bongo, won a disputed election in 2009 after his father's death. He is currently favoured to win the August election and secure a second mandate to rule the Central African oil producer. But analysts say Ping, a leading critic of the Ali Bongo, might be able to capitalise on falling oil prices and broader frustration over wealth inequality, despite the ruling PDG party's traditional advantages such as a strong patronage network. "I am committed to defending the rights of the Gabonese and I will go all the way to victory," Ping told Reuters after a meeting with supporters this weekend, announcing plans The 73-year-old one-time ally of Omar Bongo has been at loggerheads with Ali Bongo since youths attacked his house with rocks a year ago. Ping accuses a Bongo presidential aide of organising the attack, although the government has vigorously denied this and a court has since ordered Ping to pay 650 million CFA francs ($1.07 million) in damages. If elected, Ping says he would reinstate a 1991 constitution shortening the presidential mandate from seven to five years, bring in term limits and implement a two-round election system. "It is broadly accepted today that you can't have more than two mandates," said Ping. "The [resident should not be a demigod." Gabon's current one-round system, an exception in the Francophone countries, is seen as favouring the ruling party since it requires strong unity among the opposition from the start rather than after a first-round when the numbers running have been cut to two. Members of the United Front of the Gabonese Opposition, an alliance of Bongo opponents, could in theory still reject Ping's candidacy and some have grumbled over whatr some see as efforts to muscle his way to the top. But Roddy Barclay, head of intelligence and analysis at London-based consultancy africapractice said that was unlikely. "He is the obvious figure with the right profile, networks and support to contest the elections effectively," he said. The small former French colony is one of Africa's richest countries, producing around 230,000 barrels per day of oil and classified as an upper middle-income nation by the World Bank. However, most of the wealth is concentrated among elites. G4S fires four workers at UK youth centre over allegations of mistreatment LONDON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - G4S, the world's largest security company, said on Tuesday it had fired four of its workers over allegations of unnecessary force and improper language at a British training centre for young offenders. Last week, the company said it had suspended seven members of staff at the Medway Secure Training Centre in Rochester, southeast England, and referred the allegations to British police, local authorities and the Ministry of Justice. G4S said it became aware of the allegations after receiving a letter from the BBC's current affairs programme Panorama, which had an undercover reporter working at the centre. The company, which runs the centre on behalf of the government, said on Tuesday the three other members of staff would remain on suspension pending further investigation. It had also identified an additional staff member, who has been removed from operational duty. Yemen peace talks postponed, U.N. says GENEVA, Jan 12 (Reuters) - A round of United Nations-brokered Yemen peace talks will not begin on Jan. 14 as planned but may take place a week or more later, U.N. spokesman Ahmad Fawzi told a regular U.N. briefing in Geneva on Tuesday. A coalition led by Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Muslim allies has been fighting the Shi'ite Houthi movement, which controls the capital, since March of last year. Nearly 6,000 people are known to have died. The warring parties agreed last month on a broad framework for ending their war but a temporary truce was widely violated and has since ended. Last week, former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has joined forces with the Houthis, said he would not negotiate with the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, throwing into doubt the fate of the peace talks. After the December round of talks, U.N. Yemen envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said he would bring the two sides together again on Jan. 14, with Switzerland and Ethiopia both mentioned as possible locations. But a meeting this week is no longer on the table. "He is looking at a date after Jan 20," Fawzi said. "It's taking him some time to get the parties to agree on a location." Portugal's public sector threatens Socialist government with strike LISBON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Portugal's public sector workers warned the minority Socialist government, in power for barely six weeks, that they will go on strike on Jan. 29 unless it cuts working hours to 35 per week. The ultimatum follows disagreements between the moderate Socialists and the far left parties backing them in parliament over how soon the government, elected on promises to roll back austerity, can cut the 40-hour working week. The Socialists have agreed to implement the cut in July, while the unions and the far left are pressing for it to come into effect this month. Portugal's previous centre-right government, ousted by the left in November, imposed the 40-hour week in the public sector in 2013 as part of its austerity drive under an international bailout which finished in 2014. The largest umbrella union, CGTP, said on its website on Monday that the National Federation of Public Sector Unions had called the strike before a Thursday meeting with government representatives, and will walk out unless their demand is met. Strikes and protests against steep tax hikes and deep wage cuts flared during the centre right's 2011-2015 term. Portugal's last public sector strike was in March 2015. The Socialists came to power promising to end austerity but still squeeze the budget deficit to meet commitments to the European Union. The government has yet to present this year's budget bill. It has already lifted the minimum wage to 530 euros ($575) a month from 505 and started to restore to public sector workers some of the salary cuts suffered during the bailout programme. Opposition sees ominous ethnic undercurrent in Burundi violence By Edmund Blair NAIROBI, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Lionel fled Burundi last month after a tip off from a friendly police officer that he was on a "list", which opponents of President Pierre Nkurunziza say the intelligence service compiles of people who are often arrested and sometimes killed. Lionel had attended protests and had spoken out against the government online, but he believes being a member of the Tutsi ethnic minority had put people like him more at risk of being targets. "The government has tried to turn this into an ethnic problem," he told Reuters, from the Rwandan capital Kigali. Eight months into a crisis that erupted when Nkurunziza announced he would run for a third term his opponents say is illegal, Burundi has been suffering from a worsening wave of violence. At least 400 people have been killed and 200,000, like Lionel, have fled the country. The authorities deny carrying out arbitrary arrests or killings. They say there is no "list" of government opponents and no ethnic component to the unrest. Such charges are "fabrications" stirred up to discredit them, they say. In a public phone-in last month, Nkurunziza said: "Burundi has neither political nor ethnic problems. It rather has insecurity problems." But increasingly, opposition figures openly say the authorities are disproportionately targeting Tutsis in their security crackdown, an ominous accusation in a country where an ethnic-fuelled civil war ended just a decade ago, in a region still scarred by the 1994 genocide in neighbouring Rwanda. Issa Ngendakumana, a member of the Hutu ethnic majority and spokesman of the opposition FRODEBU Nyakuri party, said: "The tendency is clear ... Those who are mostly worried by arbitrary arrests are most often Tutsi, although even Hutus are not spared." Rwanda and Burundi are nearly twins, with an almost identical population mix of roughly 85 percent Hutus and 15 percent Tutsis. In both countries, the two groups share Africa's most densely-populated agricultural land, amid the bountifully fertile soil of mist-shrouded hills. Both countries have endured recent histories of ethnic violence. In Rwanda, the killing burned fast: a Hutu-controlled government and allied militias killed 800,000 people in 100 days in an attempt to exterminate the Tutsis in 1994. In Burundi, it burned slower: a 12-year civil war between a mainly Tutsi controlled-army and Hutu rebels had killed 300,000 people by the time it ended with a power-sharing peace deal in 2005. Today, Rwanda is still controlled by the Tutsi leader who led the rebel force that ended the genocide two decades ago, while Burundi is led by Nkurunziza, a former leader of a Hutu rebel group during the civil war, who took office under the peace accord. "BLOODY MINDED" The government in Burundi's lakeside capital Bujumbura says there is no risk of return to the ethnic bloodletting of the past. Under the 2005 peace deal, 40 percent of government jobs are reserved for Tutsis, while the army is split 50-50. Opposition parties too are mainly ethnically mixed and emphasise that their quarrel with the authorities is political rather than ethnic. For now, the battle lines in the crisis have still mainly followed political, rather than ethnic, allegiances. Opposition figures - Hutus as well as Tutsis - say the president's third term violates the constitution and the 2005 peace deal. Loyalists cite a court ruling saying he could run. A foiled coup attempt in May was led by a Hutu commander who had been close to Nkurunziza. "I would be more worried about certain branches of the security sector being instrumentalised by the state than the general population being engaged in ethnic violence," said Yolande Bouka from Nairobi's Institute for Security Studies. But the ethnic wounds of the civil war are still so fresh that many Burundians feel they could be torn open again. The United States has condemned "incendiary language" by the government that incited division and violence. Bujumbura officials deny using inciteful speech: "There is no provocative language nor ethnic move from the government," said Willy Nyamitwe, presidential media adviser. But the opposition has noted what it describes as ominous examples. In October, the senate president, Reverien Ndikuriyo, a Hutu, told local officials there could be a time when people were given "the authorisation to 'work'". The word he used - "gukora" in the local Kirundi language - was the same word used by Rwandan Hutu extremists to promote genocide. After his comments provoked public criticism, he later said his remarks were misrepresented and he had been referring to employment in a job. Opponents dismissed the explanation. "WHERE IS KAGAME TO SAVE YOU?" So far, outside efforts to intervene to halt the violence have been thoroughly rejected by Bujumbura, which has shrugged off Western sanctions and aid cuts, and dismissed a plan for African peacekeepers as an "invasion". Regionally-backed peace talks have stumbled. Foreign governments say they are frustrated by Burundi's hostility to mediation efforts: "It is quite unusual for a country like this, that is reliant on donor funding, to be completely bloody minded," said a senior Western diplomat. "Really hard bush fighters" increasingly hold sway in the ruling party and government, the diplomat said. One worry is that ethnic violence, if unleashed, could spill across borders. Rwandan President Paul Kagame, a Tutsi whose rebel force halted the slaughter there, has in the past sent forces into neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo to pursue Hutu "genocidaires" behind the killing in Rwanda. Foreign powers believe Rwanda could do the same in Burundi if Tutsis become a target again. "If there is slaughter on the streets, they are not going to stand by," said one Western envoy to Rwanda. Claude, 33, a Tutsi from Bujumbura's Nyakabiga district who did not want his name used in full for fear of reprisals, described police raids there after rebels attacked army camps in the capital on Dec. 11. The government said the violence killed nearly 90 people. The police who swooped into the district - a hotbed of anti-government protest with a large Tutsi population - mentioned the Rwandan leader. Indonesian energy company plans to resume drilling near mud volcano By Fergus Jensen JAKARTA, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Indonesian energy company Lapindo Brantas plans to resume drilling for gas near the site of a mud volcano, its CEO said, referring to a disaster that some scientists say it helped to create around 10 years ago. The Sidoarjo mud volcano, which started erupting in May 2006 near Indonesia's second-biggest city of Surabaya, inundated 12 villages and has displaced around 60,000 people. It has now become a tourist attraction. The company, a unit of Energi Mega Persada, has paid off the vast majority of compensation claims it was ordered to pay, helped by a 786 billion rupiah ($56.5 million) government loan last year. Now, it needs to resume drilling partly to pay back its debts to the government, CEO Tri Setia Sutisna said on Tuesday. "This shouldn't be a problem because even the vice president of Indonesia has said Lapindo must drill," Sutisna told Reuters, referring to Vice President Jusuf Kalla. The new wells would be drilled around 4 kilometers from the site of the mud volcano and would go to a maximum depth of about 1,200 meters, around one-third as deep as the well Lapindo was drilling in 2006 which some scientists linked to the disaster. Lapindo has denied accusations of negligence, saying the mud disaster was triggered by tectonic activity. The company has not drilled any new wells since the mudflow began, and as a result its gas output has fallen around 90 percent from 2004 levels, Sutisna said. Lapindo wants to start drilling the two wells in early March, and it expects them to produce 5 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) of gas each, bringing average output to around 18 mmscfd. But Lapindo's latest plans may be held up by a temporary stoppage in preparations imposed by the government late last week amid public concerns. "The community response was quite negative," Energy Minister Sudirman Said told reporters, noting the company was still "quite a long way" from starting drilling. Said added the government's job was to ensure the company met technical as well as social and environmental requirements. "They may well say it is safe from a technical perspective, but companies must pay attention to other matters," he said. The government has not provided an estimate on when it might allow drilling to begin. The mud volcano has been a source of embarrassment for the government, since Lapindo is linked to the Bakrie Group, controlled by the family of Indonesia's former Chief Welfare Minister Aburizal Bakrie. Syrian opposition coordinator says U.S. clearly backtracked over Syria By John Irish and Marine Pennetier PARIS, Jan 12 (Reuters) - The United States has softened its stance on Syria including the future of President Bashar al-Assad to accommodate Russia, opposition coordinator Riad Hijab said, warning the opposition would face a hard choice on whether to attend peace talks this month. Hijab, who was chosen in December as coordinator of the opposition negotiating body to lead future Syria talks, said the opposition still had disagreements with the Syrian government and the United Nations over the talks' agenda. "Sadly, there is very clear backtracking, especially from the United States, with regard to the agenda of the negotiations," Hijab said on Tuesday. "They want the creation of a government whereby the regime would leave us - the opposition - a few ministries." He said this U.S. backtracking had enabled the December U.N. resolution, which had a great deal of "holes and ambiguities". The U.N. Security Council resolution adopted on Dec. 18 set out a two-year road map for peace talks, but failed to address the issue of Assad's future. "The Russians and Americans did not cite Assad (during the negotiations) and did not talk about his departure and that is clear backtracking," he said. "When (President Barack) Obama said he (Assad) had no legitimacy, Kerry was making concessions." It also called for an end to the bombing of civilians and on the parties to allow aid workers unhindered access throughout Syria, particularly in besieged and hard-to-reach areas. He took specific aim at the U.S. administration and President Obama over his policies, including proposals to create a no-fly zone to protect Syrians and his handling of Assad's chemical arsenal. "Obama didn't want (a no-fly zone) .. (and) with the red lines on chemical weapons, he took out the weapons, but not those who used them. I don't think history will forgive Obama." DIFFICULT CHOICE The peace talks are scheduled to be held under U.N. auspices in Geneva on Jan. 25. However, with the continued bombing of civilians, Syrian towns being besieged with some citizens starving to death, and differences on the agenda, the prospects of holding the talks to end the five-year-old war appear complicated. "The choice is extremely difficult," Hijab said when asked if the opposition would attend the talks. "If we don't go to the negotiations they will say we don't respect the U.N. resolutions, but our people are being bombed and starved. "If the negotiations are not well prepared they will fail," he said, warning that failure would mean more refugees heading to Europe and more moderates turning to extremism. "If we go and they fail, it would be catastrophe for Syrian society and it would be the world that pays the price." He said there were still disagreements with the United Nations and the Syrian government over the agenda of the talks, primarily the transitional governing body. A senior Western diplomat also said the differences among regional and international actors as well as rivalries among opposition groups was playing into Syrian government hands. Italian marine will not return to India for trial - senator ROME, Jan 12 (Reuters) - One of two Italian marines accused of murdering Indian fishermen off the coast of Kerala almost four years ago will not be returning to India to face trial after being allowed home temporarily for medical treatment, a senator said on Tuesday. India had granted Massimiliano Latorre, who suffered a stroke while in New Delhi in 2014, a period of leave in Italy for medical treatment, but he was supposed to return by Friday. It was not clear when or if Latorre would return to India. The second sailor on trial, Salvatore Girone, is being held in the Italian embassy in New Delhi. "Massimiliano Latorre will not return to India, and furthermore, the possibility of asking for Salvatore Girone's return is being explored," said Nicola Latorre, president of the Senate Defence Committee, according to Italian media. Latorre did not provide details and did not immediately respond to calls. When contacted, the prime minister's office and the foreign ministry did not confirm or deny Latorre's comments. The two men say they accidentally killed two fishermen when they mistook a fishing boat for a pirate ship and fired warning shots while protecting an Italian oil tanker in 2012. Italy and India have been at loggerheads over who has jurisdiction over the case, and Italy has sought international arbitration. The fallout from India's arrest of the marines has damaged wider relations between Italy and India, contributing to the collapse of a European Union-India summit last year. Briton seeks acquittal in France for trying to take migrant girl to UK -lawyer By Pauline Mevel PARIS, Jan 12 (Reuters) - A British ex-soldier hopes to be cleared of all charges in France after trying to smuggle a small Afghan girl into Britain at her father's request, since French law protects from punishment those who help people in danger, his lawyer said. Rob Lawrie, a 49-year-old father of four, goes on trial on Thursday in northern France on a charge of aiding illegal immigration at a time of bitter debate across Europe over how to tackle the continent's worst refugee crisis since World War Two. On Oct. 24, at her father's request, Lawrie hid four-year-old Bahar Ahmadi in his van and set from a French migrant camp for Britain. French border police stopped him, also finding two Eritrean men in the back of the van, and returned Bahar to her father. "Rob Lawrie has always said, 'I did it and I'm sorry I did it and I wish I hadn't'. Is he not guilty? Not quite," lawyer Lucie Abassade said in an interview on Tuesday. "But French law...says that if you help someone in danger and you're not being paid, by giving them food or shelter or safeguarding their physical integrity, you can't be charged with anything." "I'm going to say Mr Lawrie did exactly that. He wanted to rescue a little girl, he wanted to save her...by bringing her to her relatives in the UK. That will be our main point (in court) on Thursday." Lawrie, from Guiseley in northern England, was released after the incident and will return to France for the trial in Boulogne-sur-Mer on the Channel coast, Abassade said. Lawrie has told Reuters he had felt he must act to help refugees after pictures of drowned Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi stirred worldwide sympathy in September for Syrians and Afghans fleeing war and poverty. SHUTS BUSINESS TO EMBARK ON AID MISSION He closed his carpet-cleaning business and headed to migrant camps in northern France to deliver tents, aid and help build temporary structures for those living there. Among those he met were Bahar Ahmadi and her father Reza. The little girl followed him around the camp in Calais and he struck up a friendship with her. He refused several times to take the child with him to relatives in Britain until one day he felt he could no longer say no, his lawyer said. "The child was in a desperate situation, one of imminent danger, it was very cold at the end of October, he wanted to save her life," Abassade said. "It was in the evening, they were gathered around a fire. He thought: what do I do? Do I let her sleep in the cold or do I put her in my truck and bring her to her aunt (in Britain)?" Britain has declined to admit any migrants from Calais or anywhere else in Europe, saying this would only spur more to stream into the continent, instead taking only some from refugee camps in Middle East countries neighbouring Syria. If convicted, Lawrie risks as much as five years in jail and a 30,000-euro (22,544.17 or $32,538.00) fine. "All this story has been a nightmare for him, the consequences of it have been really hard for him," said Abassade. "So I am positive he is not going to do it again. He is willing to keep helping refugees in a legal way but he is never going to try to help this way ever again because the consequences have been too harsh." Prosecutors seek to salvage case against Kenya's vice president By Thomas Escritt THE HAGUE, Jan 12 (Reuters) - International prosecutors said on Tuesday they still had enough evidence to prove charges against Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto over post-election violence even though half a dozen witnesses have withdrawn their testimony. Ruto and his co-accused, broadcaster Joshua arap Sang, stand accused of stoking ethnic tensions to unleash an orgy of violence that drove their political opponents from their homes after a 2007 presidential election. Lawyers for the two men want judges to throw out the charges of crimes against humanity brought against them, saying the loss of the six witnesses who withdrew their testimony had fundamentally undermined the case. The case is seen as a test of the effectiveness of the International Criminal Court which, since being set up 13 years ago to end impunity for the gravest international crimes, has handed down just two convictions and struggled to put powerful leaders on trial. Asked by presiding judge Chile Eboe-Osuji whether the remaining evidence was sufficient to secure a conviction, prosecution lawyer Anton Steynberg said: "Your honour, my submission is: yes, it is." Steynberg said he would focus not on the "credibility, reliability and cogency" of the evidence but on the volume of available material. The lawyer said he had evidence of fighters being transported between settlements in Kenya's Rift Valley region to take part in fighting, and he read aloud from statements of witnesses who claimed to have witnessed the discussions of "elders" who had coordinated violence. "The elders were talking politics, how the results (of the elections) were rigged," he said, reading from a witness statement describing how they monitored attacks by ethnic Kalenjin fighters that drove ethnic Kikuyus away. Steynberg cited satellite images of alleged arson attacks in the town of Eldoret, which hit a high on January 1, 2008, at the peak of the unrest in which 1,200 people were killed. Ruto's high-powered legal team, headed by London barrister Karim Khan, scored a victory on Tuesday, persuading judges to allow evidence to be heard in public over the objections of prosecutors who worried it could endanger remaining witnesses. "We oppose the prosecution proposal that the public not be able to hear the quality of the evidence," Khan said. As economy crumbles, Sudan ditches Iran for Saudi patronage By Khalid Abdelaziz KHARTOUM, Jan 12 (Reuters) - When Saudi Arabia executed a leading Shi'ite cleric and protesters responded by torching the Saudi embassy in Tehran, Sudan was one of only three countries to sever ties with Iran in solidarity with Riyadh. The Jan. 4 move cemented a dramatic political shift: in the past two years, Sudan has turned its back on a quarter-century alliance with Iran in favour of the Saudis, who have proved more willing to provide the financial support it sorely needs. Saudi Arabia has already invested more than any other country in Sudan -- about $11 billion, mostly in agriculture. In the past year, it has deposited $1 billion in Sudan's central bank, signed deals to finance the construction of power-generating dams on the Nile, and pledged even more investment in farming. Such largesse explains why Sudan, struggling with a collapsing currency and soaring unemployment, has chosen to favour economic ties with Saudi Arabia over a relationship with Iran that was largely based on arms. "The government decided to distance itself from the alliance with Iran after it evaluated the relationship and found it economically and politically damaging," said Al Tayeb Zeinalaidine, politics professor at Khartoum University. "Iran didn't offer any economic aid to Sudan and this left the government thinking its relations... had become a burden". The swing toward Riyadh marks a new tack for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who has maintained power for over 25 years in a volatile neighbourhood by navigating shifting alliances. At different times he has drawn close to Osama bin Laden, the United States and Tehran. Last year he joined a Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen who are allied with Shi'ite Iran, showing Sunni Gulf Arab powers that he could be an asset in their fight to limit the influence of the Islamic Republic. Sudan's defence ministry says it has deployed three military jets as well as ground troops to secure facilities in the southern port of Aden and elsewhere, though they have been involved in little active combat so far. Sudan has also trained thousands of Yemeni troops. BUMPY ROAD For much of the period since Bashir seized power in 1989, ties with Saudi Arabia had been tense. Bashir backed Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, a Saudi neighbour, and protesters took to the streets of Sudan to support Iraq's Saddam Hussein and condemn the Saudi royals. As recently as 2013, relations reached a nadir when Saudi Arabia banned Bashir's plane from passing through its airspace to Iran. By contrast, Bashir fostered warm relations with Tehran, crowned with the 1991 visit of then-president Hashemi Rafsanjani. The two countries, both listed as state sponsors of terrorism and subjected to U.S. sanctions, saw mutual benefit in teaming up against Western attempts to isolate them. Sudan helped Iran project its influence by serving as the key entry point for Iranian weapons exports to Africa, according to sources who monitor the arms trade. Khartoum denies taking part in these activities. In exchange, Sudan benefited from Iranian military technology that has helped it become a major African weapons producer. But the calculus has shifted as Sudan's economic problems have mounted - especially since it lost three-quarters of its oil revenues when South Sudan seceded in 2011. Military spokesman Ahmed al-Khalifa al-Shami said the army backed the policy shift, and military cooperation with Iran had been more limited than media reports would suggest. "The army has not been harmed by the severing of relations with Iran because all the military production is being done with Sudanese labour and expertise," Shami said. Sudan has said its support for the Yemen campaign was a turning point in the Saudi relationship, but was not linked to more investment. Nor did it cut ties with Iran in return for Saudi aid. Ali al-Sadeq, Sudanese foreign ministry spokesman, said Sudan saw much more in the new relationship. Syria pro-government forces seize rebel-held town in Latakia province BEIRUT, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Syrian pro-government troops retook a front-line town in Latakia province from insurgents on Tuesday, a monitoring group and state media said, in a push by President Bashar al-Assad's forces to recover lost territory in the west. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government troops and fighters from Lebanon's allied Hezbollah movement have entered Salma, located northeast of Latakia's coastal capital along front lines between rebels and Assad's forces. Syria's state news agency SANA said its troops had taken control of Salma and nearby hills. Pro-government forces were supported by dozens of air strikes, the Observatory said, adding that Russian officers were overseeing the assault. Assad's forces have been focusing offensives in the western provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Homs in a campaign to recapture territory and cut rebel supply lines. The army and its allies have gained ground in Aleppo and Latakia provinces, but rebels have managed to advance in other regions including Hama province. Pro-government forces including Iranian troops and Hezbollah fighters are backed by Russian air support in Syria. Russian warplanes have bombed rebels in Latakia province, including in the Jabal Akrad and Jabal Turkman areas. "Why did it take you so long?" - hope and anger greet aid in Madaya LONDON, Jan 12 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Hope mixed with anger and disbelief greeted aid workers bringing the first food and medical supplies in months to the residents of a besieged Syrian town. "You could see a mixture of hope in people's eyes and disbelief that this thing was actually happening," Pawel Krzysiek of the International Committee of the Red Cross told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Tuesday. "Many people were coming cheering, shaking our hands, but some of them were shouting angrily 'why did it take you so long?'" he said, speaking by phone from Damascus. The aid convoy arrived on Monday, bringing the first food and medical supplies for months to the western town of Madaya, where 40,000 people are trapped by encircling government forces and local doctors say some residents have starved to death. "We didn't actually know what to expect," said Krzysiek, who was unloading the supplies brought by the ICRC and the United Nations until 5 a.m. on Tuesday. He said it was "heartbreaking" to see how many people were waiting, and for how long, for aid to reach the town. "Many people were telling us 'listen, we haven't had bread or a proper meal for a very long time ... we're dreaming about bread'," Krzysiek said. "One woman showed me a photo of a nice-looking dish that turned out to be leaves with spices and salt." Madaya residents told Krzysiek that whenever they cooked their food, they added extra salt because that made them drink more water so their stomachs felt a bit fuller. "This kind of thing is really heartbreaking, that this situation in besieged places, no matter where they are, is very cruel," Krzysiek said. Haiti six years after the quake - What's changed? By Anastasia Moloney BOGOTA, Jan 12 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010, killed more than 200,000 people, levelled much of the capital Port-au-Prince and left 1.5 million Haitians homeless. As Haitians commemorate the sixth anniversary of the disaster, long-standing political instability and delayed presidential elections continue to undermine reconstruction efforts in the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. "The path to recovery and long-term development is not an easy one," United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement this week. "Many Haitians continue to face multiple challenges, including displacement, food insecurity and lack of access to clean water and sanitation," he said. Below are some facts about what has changed six years after the disaster and the key challenges ahead. * Haiti has struggled to establish democratic rule after decades of dictatorship, military coups and election fraud. A decision last month by Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council to postpone a presidential run-off election between ruling party candidate Jovenel Moise and former government executive Jude Celestin amid accusations of fraud and irregularities exacerbates slow construction efforts. * While most of the rubble has been cleared, many government buildings have yet to be rebuilt. Haiti's parliament is still operating in temporary buildings, while the presidential palace and cathedral remain in ruins. * The sprawling tent cities where hundreds of thousands of Haitians made homeless by the quake were forced to live in have largely disappeared. But 45,000 Haitians still live in tents and make-shift shelters often assembled from bed sheets, tarpaulin, wooden sticks and string, with little or no access to water and sanitation. * An acute shortage of housing continues to be a key challenge and few new permanent brick homes have been built since the quake. * The government estimates Haiti needs up to 500,000 new homes to make up for the pre-earthquake housing shortage, those homes destroyed during the disaster, and demand resulting from urban growth in the densely populated capital. * A new National Emergency Operations Centre was built after the quake to coordinate future disaster response and numerous maps have been produced highlighting those communities most at risk from flooding and other disasters, along with a construction code to improve construction and ensure buildings can withstand future tremors. But experts say the 2010 code is not being enforced and thousands of Haitians in the capital continue to live in informal settlements perched on hilltops. * Even before the quake, land ownership and unclear land tenure was a thorny issue in Haiti, contributing to violence and poverty in a country where land is concentrated in the hands of a few big landowners. An incomplete national land registry system and unclear land tenure contributes to delays in the building of new homes. * While the government has pledged to make free and universal education a priority, primary school enrollment is still low - at 75 percent. On average, a Haitian aged 25 years or older has less than 5 years of schooling. * With half of Haiti's adult population illiterate, raising literacy rates remains a key priority. Roughly 75 percent of children at the end of first grade and nearly half of students finishing second grade could not read a single word, according to an assessment by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Sources: International Organization for Migration (IOM), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) In Taiwan's south, calls for independence from China entrenched as poll looms By James Pomfret TAINAN, Taiwan, Jan 13 (Reuters) - In a gritty suburb of Tainan in southern Taiwan, a city known for its fierce anti-China sentiment, Huang Hsien-ching was stacking election flyers and inspecting campaign trucks rigged up with megaphones before Saturday's islandwide elections. As a rookie candidate for the fledgling Free Taiwan Party - one of a number of smaller, radical groups advocating independence from China - Huang, a family doctor, says he's put $30,000 of his savings and his career on the line to try to fight back against what he sees as an increasingly assertive China. "More and more people want independence in Taiwan," said Huang, 61 with a buzz cut, in his campaign office fronted by a giant billboard of himself holding his arm aloft with the logo of a bird in flight. "China is suppressing Taiwan internationally and they don't treat us as equals. Independence is the only way for us to develop and move forward," added Huang, who grew up in Tainan, a trading port that in centuries past was ruled by a succession of powers including the Spanish, Dutch, Japanese and Chinese. Huang's rhetoric is exactly the kind of thing Beijing hates the most. China has warned repeatedly it will never tolerate independence for an island it considers a rebel province and has not ruled out the use of force to ensure eventual unification. In cities, townships and villages across the mountainous island of 23 million, deep-rooted ideological differences shaped by Taiwan's fraught history with China will once again play out at the ballot box. Nearly seven decades of historical enmity between China's Communist Party and the Nationalists (KMT), who escaped to Taiwan after the Chinese civil war, have made independence, or unification, a core issue. More radical, anti-China voices like Huang's persist even with the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) expected to sweep in a new president and parliamentary majority on Saturday, and potentially reshape relations with China. During a campaign rally through the streets of Tainan in the DPP's traditional stronghold of southern Taiwan, tens of thousands thronged the streets, set off firecrackers, waved flags and cheered as DPP presidential frontrunner Tsai Ing-wen, likely to become the island's first woman president, swept by in a motorcade. HISTORICAL IMPERATIVE "Taiwan and China, we're brothers for sure, but we've already divided into two families," said prominent Taiwanese rapper Dwagie, who turned up for a Tsai campaign pitstop at an ornate ancient temple in Tainan with a few friends. "Independence is an ambition for the future but it's not possible in the current situation. We should focus on the economy first," said Dwagie, who raps in Taiwanese Hokkien, a language highly symbolic of the island's distinctiveness, rather than Mandarin, the official language in both Taiwan and China. The DPP says only the people of Taiwan can decide its future. China takes that to mean it wants independence. But for Fu Chien-feng, another rookie Tainan parliamentary candidate on the other end of the political spectrum, engagement with China is a historical imperative. A 57-year-old former journalist now contesting a legislative seat for his China Unification Promotion Party, he concedes he has little chance, but feels his minority pro-China voice remains important. "If we can have a 'one country, two systems' arrangement like in Hong Kong and it is in Taiwan's interest, I think we should consider it," he said in his office in Anping district, close to the ruins of the historic Dutch-era Zeelandia Fort. The former British colony of Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under the so-called "one country, two systems" formula. China has held it out as a solution for Taiwan, but both the KMT and DPP have rejected the model. "If Tsai Ing-wen pushes for independence, we'll be punished by China economically," Fu said. "Look at the West and how it now engages and co-operates with China. How is it possible that Taiwan, with the same language and culture, doesn't do the same?" But back in Dr Huang's office, surrounded by rice and flax fields and fish farms, he says a democratic, free and open Taiwan can't accept rule by an authoritarian regime. "We must pay whatever price to achieve independence ... even if it means war with China," Huang said. "I don't trust China. Look at Tibet, Xinjiang, and now Hong Kong," he said, referring to the recent disappearances of five Hong Kong booksellers amid speculation they may have been abducted and detained by Chinese authorities. China has so far not commented on the possible fate of the men. Today is the 50th anniversary of the passing away of former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri - one of modern India's icons whose enduring popularity cuts through all divides. What really happened in the wee hours of January 11 in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) in 1966 remains shrouded in mystery, largely thanks to the gratuitous state secrecy resorted to by our government. Generations have gone by, but conspiracy theories about what caused Shastris death have not ceased. In some other country, the strange case of a prime ministers death would have been inquired into by a high-powered team long ago and all relevant documents placed in the public domain. After signing the Tashkent accord, around 4pm on January 10, prime minister Shastri reached the villa he was provided by his Russian hosts. Late in the evening, he had a light meal prepared by Jan Mohammad, the personal cook of TN Kaul, the Indian ambassador to Moscow. There were other Russian butlers at his service in the same villa. At 11.30pm, Shastri had a glass of milk brought by the ambassador's cook. When his personal staff took leave of him at that time, he was fine. But around 1.25am on January 11, Shastri woke up, coughing severely. The room he was in had no phone or intercom. So he walked out to another room to tell his staff to inform his personal doctor RN Chugh. By the time Dr Chugh arrived, Shastri was dying. The symptoms were of a heart attack. There was not much Dr Chugh could do now. He began to cry. "Babuji, you did not give me enough time." Shastri took Lord Ram's name and he was gone. What happened next had a ring of unusualness about it. Given here for your consideration are four reasons that make Shastris death suspicious: 1. The KGB suspected poisoning At 4am, Ahmed Sattarov, the Russian butler attached to Shastri, was rudely woken up by an officer of the Ninth Directorate of the KGB (responsible for the safety of VIPs). In Sattarov's own words, the KGB officer "said that they suspected the Indian prime minister had been poisoned". Sattarov was handcuffed and, along with three junior butlers, was rounded off to a location 30km away. Their harsh interrogation commenced in a dungeon. After some time, Jan Mohammad was brought in. In Sattarov's words again: "We thought that it must have been that man who poisoned Shastri." Decades after the harrowing interrogation he was subjected to, Sattarov continued to reel under its impact. "We were so nervous that the hair on the temple of one of my colleagues turned gray before our eyes, and ever since I stutter". 2. Shastris near and dear ones see a needle of suspicion pointing towards an insider's hand When Shastris body was brought to Delhi, no one had any clue about what the KGB was suspecting. But seeing strange blue patches on Shastris body, his mother screamed that someone had poisoned her son. Mere bitwa ko jahar de diya! The old womans wail continues to haunt the Shastri family till date. Shastris sons Anil and Sunil Shastri (one in Congress, another in BJP) and grandsons Sanjay and Siddharth Nath Singh have often spoken about their ongoing anguish and pain about what happened so long ago. Shastris wife Lalita died thinking that her husband had been poisoned. Other family members and near and dear ones, like childhood friend TN Singh and close follower Jagdish Kodesia, were not able to make sense of the cut marks on Shastri's stomach and back of the neck. The cut on his neck was pouring blood and the sheets, pillows and clothes used by him were all soaked in blood. A grandson of Shastri told me that he still has his nanajis blood-soaked cap. Back in 1966, the family sought clarification and action from the government. Whatever was done did not satisfy them. Kodesia, a former Delhi Congress chief, even began to think that Shastris death had some link to the Netaji mystery. Veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar, who was in Tashkent on that fateful day as Shastris advisor, opened up recently to state that his suspicions were aroused some time after the tragedy when a Member of Parliament raked up the charges of poisoning and TN Kaul, by then the foreign secretary, "rang me up to issue a statement" against it. "He badgered me literally four-five times." Jan Mohammed was employed in the Rashtrapati Bhavan after the Tashkent tragedy. Dr Chugh, his wife and two sons were run over by a truck in 1977. Only his daughter survived, but was crippled. 3. No post mortem was carried out on Shastris body The only sure-shot way to find out whether or not Shastriji was poisoned was to carry out a post-mortem on his body. The family demanded it. But the demand was not accepted. Interim prime minister Gulzarilal Nanda was to later on feign ignorance about Shastris family approaching him with the demand. 4. RTI responses muddied the water further In 2009, I tried to get some clarity on the issue by filing RTI applications. The prime minister's office (PMO) told me that it possessed only one classified document relating to the former prime ministers death, and that there was no record of any destruction or loss of any document related to the tragedy. The ministry of external affairs (MEA) informed me on July 1, 2009 that the division concerned had no information on the subject. It was quite strange because the sudden death of the prime minister must have thrown the Indian embassy in Moscow and the ministry in New Delhi into a tizzy. Ambassador Kaul must have scrambled to inform Delhi of the tragedy. The ministry would have gone on an overdrive to find out the circumstances leading to the prime ministers death. The ambassador must have been asked to send blow-by-blow reports, and he must have done that. The Russians too would have felt obliged to tell the Indians about their handling of the matter. And as the charges of foul play emerged, the government of India, through the ministry of external of affairs (and also the intellligence bureau, which was then responsible for foreign intelligence), must have tried to get to the bottom of the story. So how could the division in the ministry have no records? On July 21, I filed another application seeking copies of the entire correspondence between the MEA and the embassy and between the embassy and the Soviet foreign ministry over the issue. I requested the ministry to clearly state in case no such records were extant. In its belated response, the MEA refused to release the information, pleading that doing so would harm national interest. It was only after the intervention of chief information commissioner Satyananda Mishra that the MEA, in August 2011, supplied me copies of Dr Chughs medical report and a copy of the statement made by the external affairs minister in the Rajya Sabha. Neither of them was classified. There was no word about the secret documents. Mishra upheld the PMOs decision in withholding the single secret record with it. Later, I learned that this record contained a conspiracy theory that the Americans had spread rumours about foul play in Shastris death. I see nothing to back this mindless charge. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar often has his Donald Trump moment. He knows he has a mouth that must blabber. He punches in the air with no enemies in sight. He also knows he has a constituency that he must pander to. He forgets, though, that he is the defence minister of India who has to weigh his words before throwing them in vacuous torrents. Any "individual or organisation" harming the country "should also receive the pain of such activities" and "how, when and where should be your choice", Parrikar said at a seminar ahead of Army Day where the chief of army staff General Dalbir Singh was present. That's well said. Who will disagree with him on the idea to deliver a knockout blow to the country's enemy or enemies - individual or organisation? But how Mr Parrikar? You are sitting in a position to know that "how" and let the people know when you have inflicted pain on any individual or organisation harming the country. The tooth for a tooth idea sounds great on paper. In reality, shorn of action, it is an empty threat, a sign of cowardice. But having talked about tit-for-tit, Parrikar backtracked to save his skin. "I am of the opinion, it should not be taken as government thinking. I always believe that if anyone harms you, he understands the same language." How is what the defence minister says at an official function not the government's point of view is difficult to understand. And why shoot off the mouth if it's not the official position? Parrikar has every right to keep his own and the BJP's core constituencies happy. He also has a right to keep up the morale of the defence forces and the people. At the same time, raising the undue expectations of the people to a level that the government can't meet flies in the face of realism and pragmatism. Parrikar as defence minister is adding fuel to the popular - and often jingoistic - narrative which cries for taking tit-for-tit measures against Pakistan and its sponsored jihadi groups that test the patience of the people of India every time they carry out Pathankot-like attacks. But the government and its ministers have to be on top of this narrative and not get swayed by it. Of late, talks about covert operations to give Pakistan the taste of its own medicine too have increased. But which government or a minister in a responsible position in the world will brag about carrying out covert operations without actually doing it? Only Parrikar can. He has scored self goals in the past too theorising that "terrorists must be neutralised by terrorists only." Whoa! Pakistan got back screaming foul. We told you, India has been sending terrorists to Balochistan, was Pakistan predictable riposte! Does Pakistan admit sending terrorists across the border? Denial and doublespeak is their chosen diplomatic weapon in bleeding India from a thousand cuts. As part of the grand narrative calling for hitting terror camps inside Pakistan, some newspapers interpreted a recent statement by US state department spokesman John Kirby to imply that the US was suggesting India carry out surgical operations across the border against terrorists. "We obviously want to see all the perpetrators (of 26/11) to be brought to justice... We know that that can take a long time. It took an awful long time to bring Osama bin Laden to justice, but we did. So it can be hard," Kirby said. If the US was so concerned by terrorist attacks against India, it would have brought about real pressure on Pakistan to stop playing footsies with Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba. The US has its own strategic interests to guard in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They wouldn't suggest India carry out a risky Abbottabad-like operation because that would complicate US problems in the region, besides fuelling risks of a nuclear confrontation. Parrikar knows that the warning of "no talks without action against terrorists", that is diplomatic coercion, issued by the government to Pakistan is the official position. If it doesn't work, the Modi government, in the past, has let the guns do the talking on the border. Blabbermouths will not deter the terrorists coming from across the border in stealth operations. Had Mufti Mohammad Sayeed lived for five more days, we would have celebrated his 80th birthday today. Mufti Sahib died at 79, a poor man in the materialistic sense. For someone who had been a chief minister twice, tourism, civil aviation and home minister once each, and in spite of the clout associated with these positions, he made no millions. Imagine that. But if there is anything he left behind it is his unflinching commitment and never-ending pursuit to bring peace to the region - something that would remain an inspiration for all of us. Mufti Sahib would be an inspiration for believing in the unbelievable. For standing against the tide. For making possible a formidable opposition in Jammu and Kashmir. But above all, if there is anything, which he wanted and wished for most it was peace and friendly relations between India and Pakistan. Even during the last days of his exemplary life, Mufti Sahib would constantly ask his daughter and Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti about the progress of the India-Pakistan dialogue. Perhaps, from his experience, he had come to the conclusion that for the larger stability of his state and the dignity of its people, India and Pakistan had to sow the seeds of peace in the region which would ultimately realise his dream of stable and a prosperous Kashmir. He had described the dramatic thaw in the frosty relations between the two neighbouring countries as a victory of his people. He always hoped that the reconciliation process between the two nuclear-armed neighbours would have a positive result on the people of Jammu and Kashmir who have been yearning for peace for decades. His family members would tell you that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Pakistan to greet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on December 25, he had a smile on his face, despite his failing health. He believed that friendly relations between India and Pakistan was possible, and it is unbelievable how despite all odds he managed to convince the leadership in New Delhi to make an effort for dilaouge with Pakistan. Five days have passed since Mufti Sahib passed away and we are now trying to gather ourselves and trying to figure out what we have lost. The best tribute the Indian state and its people can possibly pay him is to commit themselves unflinchingly to India-Pakistan reconciliation, something he had envisaged throughout his life. His life, in fact, exemplified the forward movement that is slowly taking place in the resolution of the Kashmir issue as well as in India-Pakistan relations. Inspirational leaders leave a deep imprint on the minds of people and on societies in general. They know the value of peace and throughout their lives demonstrate a steadfast commitment to peace, not just with development but also with human dignity. That is what we would remember Mufti Sahib for. He knew if a place like Kashmir, convulsed by decades of political uncertainty and misplaced priorities, had to be developed; peace was imperative. That perhaps was the reason that when Prime Minister Modi visited Srinagar on November 7, Mufti Sahib emphasised that if India had to take a center stage in international politics, it has to take Pakistan along. He emphasised that the people of Jammu and Kashmir want that a hand of friendship should be extended to Pakistan. He knew it from his own experience with former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who surprised even his own colleagues by extending a hand of friendship towards Pakistan. And when he did so, hostilities between the two nations eased for ten years. It brought peace not just to the people living along the Line of Control and the international border, but also to the people inside Jammu and Kashmir. Even when Mufti Sahib become the chief minister of the state for the first time, he pushed tirelessly for an unconditional dialogue between the government of India and Kashmiris. With great effort he provided a healing touch to the people, demanded action against custodial deaths and human rights abuses. Peace is common good for societies which have often been deprived of it, and its value is only cherished by those who have been victims in its absence. Violence, doesnt matter by which party, has no place in modern societies. So dialogue between adversaries is a must. This is what Mufti Sahib's mission was and something which he believed in. In spite of working like a 22-year-old Mufti Sahib never complained to anyone. Anyone who has closely worked with him would tell you that even while struggling on the hospital bed he would often tell doctors treating him at the AIIMS to finish his treatment so that he could return to work. Bahut Sara Kaam Karna Hai Abhi, he would say. Leaders, they say, are not made but they are born with qualities. Mufti Sahib has left a void in the state politics, which may not be filled by anyone for a long time. KENT - England - Sir Winston Churchill, the man who was beloved by the British people for his role in World War II and the Islands he helped to save from the Nazis is now much removed from the land he knew. On the one hand, there are the Euro-sceptics, and on the other are the pro-EU people, so what did Churchill really want to happen in Europe post-war? Contrary to belief, Sir Winston Churchill was for a global government, and he specifically wanted a union between France and Britain in forming a European Union. However, what was envisaged as an Anglo-Franco union by Churchill in his speech at the Albert Hall in 1947, has never materialised. We instead have a Franco-Germanic union within the EU, for they are the core players with Germany at the head. To this end, these two entities have chosen to isolate Britain, to flood these islands with millions of people from inside and outside of Europe and cause the countrys essential services to buckle with the strain. Churchill would not have been happy to have seen the deterioration in Britain we are seeing today, caused mainly by the Franco-Germanic alliance working against Britain and trying to destroy its sovereignty and democracy. Nearing the time of his death, Churchill was sad about the decline of the British Empire, especially the loss of India, but the spectre of a Soviet threat was analogous to the desire to create a counterpoint to the threat from the East. Churchills political stance wavered many times, at one time joining the Liberal Democrats, and then returning to the Conservative party, and so his attitude towards the EU would have equally wavered if he was around today, and witnessed what union has done to modern day Britain. Europhiles within Britain will oft quote Churchill when espousing the positive points of the European Union, however they do not understand the man at all or the times we are in at this very point. Where do we stand? We are not members of the European Defence Community, nor do we intend to be merged in a Federal European system. We feel we have a special relation to both. This can be expressed by prepositions, by the preposition with but not ofwe are with them, but not of them. Sir Winston Churchill Commons speech 11 May 1953 The Middle East is in turmoil, millions of refugees are flooding to Europe and the threat from Russia has not dissipated despite the fall of the Soviet Union. We are in fact, in a state of (proxy) war, and Churchill, if he were alive would have addressed this issue with great volition. Instead, our current leaders are caught in the headlights, they are preoccupied with their project of union, when this project is being attacked daily from multiple angles. To have union, you must have peace, prosperity, of which we have none, the world is instead on the brink of economic collapse and war. If Churchill were alive today, he would abhor Camerons vapid, duplicitous misleading stance, and he would balk at the way the British citizens themselves are being treated, not only by the EU, but by their own politicians. To ignore the people is to ignore political office, and to ignore what is going on in the Middle East is a death sentence for all civilisation. Cameron is weak, he is not an International thinker but a man only concerned for his minor role in sealing his tenure as leader of the Conservative party and his reputation. The disingenuous workings of the pro-EU lobby in selling off Britain will backfire, the British people do not want this EU mess, simply because it is not what was sold to Britain. European union should mean prosperity, not poverty, Soviet collectivist doctrines, overcrowding, flooding of benefits seeking migrants, ludicrous diktats and a totalitarian expensive shambles ruled by unelected overpaid profligate technocrats. Britain will always embrace the open sea, but why should it embrace imprisonment in a union of disunion? That is what the EU is now, it is falling apart, an almighty clutter that has lost its vision, led by idiots, megalomaniacs and freeloaders. Did the real spirit of Britain die with Churchill? We shall find out soon enough.. An Afghanistan's National Army (ANA) soldier fires his weapon at the site of a clash between insurgents and security forces over Indian Consulate in Herat, Afghanistan (Photo: AP) Kabul: Pakistani military officers were involved in the attack on the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e- Sharif in which assailants attempted to storm the mission building, a senior Afghan police official said on Tuesday. "We saw with our own eyes and I can say 99 per cent that those attackers were from Pakistani military and used special tactics while conducting their operation," Sayed Kamal Sadat, police chief of the Balkh province, said of the attack that took place last week. Sadat said the attackers officers from across the border were well-trained military men who fought Afghan security forces in the 25-hour siege. "The attackers were military personnel. They were educated and well prepared and had intelligence. They fought us and only by Allah's grace were we able to control them and eliminate them," Sadat was quoted as saying by Tolo News. The police official said efforts were underway to track down, identify and detain those who assisted the attackers to gain access to the building that was opposite the Indian Consulate. "We are jointly working with the NDS director and have spoken about this, especially as they came here not able to speak in Dari or Pashtu but speaking in Urdu. It means obviously there is someone who guided those attackers and helped the attackers," Sadat said. An intense gun-battle between security forces and the attackers took place outside the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif after assailants attempted to storm the mission building on January 3. The standoff ended on the night of January 4 after the attackers who entered the building opposite the Indian Consulate were killed. One police solider also lost his life and nine others including three civilians were wounded in the incident. As the Consulate came under attack, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) guards deployed on the sentry post foiled their attempt by raining heavy fire on them. A strong contingent of over four-dozen ITBP commandos has been securing this facility from 2008 apart from three other missions in the country and the main Embassy in the capital, Kabul. The security of these sensitive facilities was recently heightened after the ITBP deployed over 35 commandos at Indian missions in Kabul, Jalalabad, Herat, Kandhar and Mazar-e-Sharif. India has provided Pakistan actionable intelligence regarding the attack on the Pathankot airbase and demands satisfactory follow-up action by Pakistan if the foreign secretary talks are to start. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has assured the Indian Prime Minister he will do the necessary. The US is urging India not to postpone dialogue. Reports suggest a number of Nato countries consider the intelligence supplied (including mobile phone conversations between the attackers and suspected handlers in Pakistan, a Jaish-e-Mohammad letter, DNA samples of the attackers, their voice record samples, etc) to be credible leads if not conclusive evidence. Pakistans international legal obligations require it to follow up on these leads to determine whether or not some elements based in Pakistan were involved in the attack. While suggesting Pakistan may need time to conduct its investigations, the US agrees with India that Pakistan must take the leads seriously. The US and Nato lean to the view that the attack probably was planned and supervised from Pakistan by elements with a history of association with the intelligence establishment, whether with or without its direct or indirect connivance. It is not yet clear what our militarys attitude was to Narendra Modis stopover in Lahore. We know that Kargil happened after Vajpayees visit to Lahore in 1999; Mumbai occurred after progress in the backchannel talks of the mid-2000s; and now Pathankot takes place after another Lahore yatra. Has Mr Sharif once again been reined in by the boys to let him know who is boss? The participation of the Pakistan Army chief in a meeting chaired by Mr Sharif to consider the information provided by India is to be welcomed. However, it does not necessarily mean the military appreciates the Mr Sharifs attempts to wrest exclusive control over Pakistans India policy. In Pakistan, the concept of civil-military relations is dubious. It excludes civil society. It provides cover for civilian political delinquency and military political ambition, whether working in tandem or at cross purposes. It has become the antithesis of democracy. It is a principal cause of incoherent, inconsistent and irrational policies on major domestic and external issues, including policy towards India. It provides a convenient context for unprincipled politicians, including leaders, to protest the reduction of political space for the discharge of their democratic responsibilities by unelected and undemocratic institutions. Likewise, it provides a convenient pretext for an ambitious security establishment to cite the corruption and venality of politicians as reasons for arrogating to itself a decisive role in matters that lie well beyond its competence and remit. The perfect vicious circle! How do we break out of it? More dangerous than the distortion of civil-military relations is the relentless waging of class warfare in Pakistan. This pits the entire range of political, economic, social and service elites against the mass of ordinary Pakistanis. It has many disguises. Patriotic and religious enthusiasms are among them. So are passionate, romantic and self-indulgent national narratives. These stratagems take shelter under the sacred. But the ends they serve are largely profane and dishonest. Among their offshoots is the narrative of the existential threat posed by Indian hostility and hegemony. This, of course, is rooted in history, fact and reality. But, more importantly, it is also part of the arsenal of our privileged and powerful against the aspirations and interests of our deprived and poor. If the responses of the rulers of Pakistan convey the message that they are unwilling or unable to control the cross-border activities of anti-Indian and anti-Kabul Jihadis until Kashmir is resolved and Kabul has a friendly government, they will do more harm to Pakistan. Nor will they help the Kashmiri freedom struggle one iota. None of this may bother them. How Pathankot and many other domestic and external issues of national importance are handled will determine whether or not their point remains regrettably valid. By arrangement with Dawn Security beefed up at Pathankot Air Force base during the visit of PM Narendra Modi (Photo: PTI) Islamabad: Pakistan has sought more information from India on the Pathankot attack after it sent an initial investigation report to New Delhi on Monday, officials in Islamabad said. An initial report has been sent to India. We have asked for more information so that we can get to the bottom of it. We are moving forward, said a senior government official. The official said the investigation into the cell phone numbers provided by India was complete and the investigators could not find any registration record. These numbers are not registered in Pakistan. We are keeping these numbers with us but will be moving on for other clues too. We will be waiting for more details from India, he said. Read: India should not 'overreact' to Pathankot attack: Pervez Musharraf Pathankot attack: Interpol called to identify terrorists India had given phone intercepts to Pakistan and believes that the Pathankot attackers used the numbers 03000597212 and 03017775253 before carrying out the act. India also linked the attackers to banned Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit.Pakistani authorities had carried out raids at different places as part of their probe in the Pathankot air base on Monday, leading to some arrests. Read: Encouraged by Pak's promise to investigate Pathankot attack: US Pathankot attack: NIA not satisfied with Gurdaspur SP's response, says MHA official Intelligence officials had said that the raids were carried out in Gujranwala, Jhelum and Bahawalpur districts and some suspects were arrested. After the arrests, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered the formation of a high-profile joint investigation team (JIT) to investigate the links of the Pathankot air base attackers with Pakistan. Sharif has assured leaders from India and the US that Pakistan will investigate the matter and make the results public. People gather in front of the mall in Baghdad. Gunmen stormed into a Baghdad mall on Monday after setting off a car bomb and launching a suicide attack at its entrance, killing at least a dozen people in the citys mainly Shiite east, Iraqi officials said. (Photo: AP) Baghdad: At least 18 people were killed and 40 others were injured when insurgents attacked a shopping mall in Iraq on Monday with hand grenades and at least two nearby bombs. Iraqi security forces opened fire on the insurgents, who initially tried to take a money exchange office in Baghdad Al-Jadeedah before entering the Al Jawhara shopping mall, a Baghdad police major and an Iraqi federal police master sergeant said. Seven people, including two policemen, were killed in the car bomb blast near the mall in the predominantly Shi'ite district of Baghdad Jadida, police and medical sources said. Five more people were shot dead by the gunmen storming the mall, and six others were killed when those same assailants detonated explosive vests, the sources said. Police said the attackers threw hand grenades at civilians inside the mall and held them hostage there. All six assailants were dead by the end of the standoff, police said. The Iraqi government said that four of the attackers were killed by Iraqi officers and that the two others blew themselves up. Shiite militia were deployed to the crowded district, and the interior minister and the commander of Baghdad operation command traveled to the area, the major said. The area was blocked from all directions, the major added. Separately on Monday evening, a car bomb in southeast Baghdad killed five people in a crowded market area and wounded 12 others, hospital and police officials told The Associated Press. "People started running into the shops to hide, but (the militants) followed them in and opened fire without mercy," said Hani Fikrat Abdel Hussein, a shop-owner standing amid shattered glass and rubble at the site of the blasts. ISIS appears to have claimed responsibility for the mall attack, according to a statement the terrorist group published online, said Laith Alkhouri of Flashpoint Intelligence, a global security firm and NBC News consultant. The statement claimed that the targets were from the Shiite militias known as Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi. A bloody past and centuries of mistrust between Shiite and Sunni Islam are threatening to derail Iraq's bid to crush the hard-line Sunni ISIS militants. Eight gunshots were fired during a failed robbery attempt by five masked men at a businessmans house in east Delhis Laxmi Nagar on Sunday. One of the accused was overpowered and thrashed before being handed over to police. A country-made pistol has been recovered, police said on Monday. The incident occurred at the house of 42-year-old Akhiruddin, who runs a factory manufacturing circuit breakers in east Delhis Ghazipur. He lives with his wife and four children -- a son and three daughters. On Sunday evening, Akhiruddin was alone at the house. Akhiruddins son Zeeshan told Deccan Herald that other family members had gone to his grandmothers house in the opposite building. Our relatives had come to visit my grandmother due to which we had gathered at her house, said Zeeshan, a BBA second year student of Jamia Millia Islamia. Akhiruddin told police that five men wearing monkey caps and armed with two pistols and three knives barged into the house at 9.15 pm. The main door of the house was not bolted. The robbers threatened to kill Akhiruddin if he refused to handover cash and other items, said a police officer. The gang planned to tie up Akhiruddin. They almost managed to succeed, but failed when Akhiruddins wife Amina saw them from the opposite building. Amina raised an alarm. Noticing the commotion, Akhiruddin also pushed the robbers which forced them to flee. They opened fire while fleeing. I confronted them outside the building on which they fired at me as well. I escaped unhurt and managed to overpower one of them, Zeeshan added. The arrested accused has been identified as Nisar. On the basis of Akhiruddins statement, a case under Indian Penal Code has been filed with Shakarpur police station. Akhiruddin told police that the robbers only managed to take his mobile phone and a folder containing some documents of his factory. The main door of the building is kept unlocked as we have given some rooms on rent, Zeeshan said. The family has denied personal enmity as a reason behind the attack. Currently, Police are questioning Nisar and analysing footage of CCTV cameras of the area. Five days after the Delhi government directed schools to scrap all quotas, including management quota, in nursery admissions, only a handful of schools have made the necessary changes on their websites. Most schools have not revised their websites which till Monday included 20 per cent reservation for management quota. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on Wednesday had scrapped management and all other quotas except for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) in private schools for nursery admissions, putting 75 per cent of total seats in the open. It also warned that institutions flouting the order would be taken over by the education department. However, with the school associations planning to go to court and appeal against the order, there is non-clarity on the future course of action. On Monday, only few schools had complied with the directive, including, the Dwarka branch of Indraprastha International School, Sachdeva Global School, and P P International. These schools, besides removing the management quota have also removed points allotted to criterions scrapped by the government like first born child. On the other hand, many sought after schools like Vasant Valley, Springdales, and the Paschim Vihar branch of Indraprastha School continue to have management or school discretionary quota. School associations said the representatives of the Action Committee for Unaided Private Schools will be meeting on Wednesday and any decision on the future course of action will be taken after that. Meanwhile, to add to the parents worries, the websites of some popular schools have been down since two days. The admission section of websites of Shri Ram Global School and two branches of Salwan School have been under maintenance or showing error since Saturday, leaving parents, who want to apply online, confused whether this is due to the governments decision of scrapping management quota. However, Principal of Shri Ram Global School Sonia Sobti said that the website is down due to some technical fault and the school is continuing with the offline admission process. A 33-year-old man has been arrested after in a probe into a SIM card used by operatives of Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence. The Vodafone card was found active on India-Pakistan border and used to contact agents in India, police said on Monday. The SIM card was investigated in connection with the espionage network in which five persons including a serving and a former Indian Army personnel and a serving Border Security Force personnel were arrested in the past one month for passing off confidential information to ISI. Technical surveillance had revealed that the SIM card was pre-activated on a fake ID, said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Yadav. Police had last month arrested Rohini-resident Ankush Khandelwal with 205 pre-activated SIM cards. Ankushs interrogation established that Mohit Gupta, proprietor of Connection Planet in east Delhis Shakarpur, was involved in creating fake IDs and using them for getting SIM cards. The fake IDs were prepared without any residence proof. A Delhi Police team led by Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) K P S Malhotra arrested Mohit in Shakarpur. Several fake IDs and blank customer acquisition forms were recovered from Mohit. During the screening of his laptop, over 1,000 fake IDs were found in a folder. Mohit was using these fake IDs for getting SIM cards activated and then selling the pre-activated SIM cards for Rs 500 to Rs 700 each without obtaining any identification documents from the purchaser, Yadav added. In this manner, customers bought pre-activated SIM cards without following the formality of filling up CAF or furnishing their ID. One such SIM card was used to contact a BSF constable and his cousin arrested in Jammu and Kashmir last month on charges of spying for ISI. Three other agents were nabbed in Kolkata. Police have confirmed that sensitive information related to deployment of Army and Air Force units in Jammu and Kashmir was shared over the SIM card. Such SIM cards pose a major threat to national security since they are used by criminals and persons involved in anti-national activities, Yadav said. The three mayors of the municipal corporations along with party councillors took out a march from Rajghat to the Delhi Secretariat demanding funds from the Aam Aadmi Party government and implementation of Fourth Finance Commissions recommendations on Monday. They were detained by police near Indira Gandhi stadium and later released. North Corporation Mayor Ravinder Gupta said that they were detained near the Delhi Secretariat and taken to IP Estate police station. Its not a secret that the municipal corporations dont have funds. The AAP government should stop playing politics over the issue and give corporations their due share of funds, said Gupta. The government should implement the recommendations of the Fourth Finance Commission which increase corporations share the city governments taxes, he added. South Delhi Municipal Corporations Mayor Subhash Arya and East Delhi Mayor Harshdeep Malhotra raised similar concerns. Due to lack of funds, corporations are not able to carry out their core functions, said Malhotra. Protesters gave a memorandum of demands at the Chief Ministers Office. The North and East Corporations are in the red. The East Delhi Municipal Corporation requires over Rs 100 crore to pay salaries and other benefits to its over 32,000 employees. Even the North Corporation is in the red and it requires Rs 171 crore to pay salaries and other benefits to its over 70,000 employees. Only the South Delhi Municipal Corporation is self-sufficient in financial matters. Even the Delhi BJP had attacked the AAP government for delay in issuing funds to MCDs. After the High Court order the city government should not delay giving funds to the three municipal corporations as recommended by the Fourth Finance Commission, it added. Employees of the North and East Corporations have decided to stage a protest at Civic Centre on Thursday demanding salaries, clearance of dues and regularisation of contractual employees. Workers unions said that unification of the three corporations is the only way out as all the sources of income has gone to the South Delhi Municipal Corporation. They added that workers have been sitting on relay hunger strike at Jantar Mantar for the past couple of weeks. Animal rights group, PETA India today termed as "partial victory" for bulls the Supreme's Court stay on the Centre's notification lifting ban on Jallikattu and said it will continue its fight to protect the animal. PETA India also said the stay, which comes as a birthday gift to the animal right's body on its 16th anniversary, will also spare the animal from cruelties and save countless people from being hurt or killed at such events this year. "The Supreme Court's stay, which comes as a birthday gift for PETA on our 16th anniversary, is a partial victory for sensitive bulls who will be spared cruelties such as being deliberately disoriented by being given substances like alcohol and having their tails painfully broken joint by joint and bitten for Jallikattu or races. "The Court's move will also spare countless people from being hurt or killed at such events this year. PETA will continue its fight to protect bulls from abuse until the Supreme Court confirms once again that spectacles such as Jallikatu and bull races have no place in civilised society," said PETA India Chief Executive Officer Poorva Joshipura. The Supreme Court today stayed the January 7 notification, issued by Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), lifting ban on controversial bull taming sport Jallikattu during the festival of Pongal in Tamil Nadu. The Centre's notification lifting ban on Jallikattu was challenged in the apex court yesterday by Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), PETA India and a Bangalore-based NGO. Noting that the stay meant that events such as Jallikattu and bull races cannot currently be held, the animal rights body said to celebrate, the PETA office will hand out vegan sweets and will be sending garlands to the 'Animal Rahat' sanctuary for rescued bulls. In 2014, the Supreme Court had ruled that cruelty is inherent in these events, as bulls are not anatomically suited for such activities and making them participate subjects them to unnecessary pain and suffering, so such events were outlawed. PETA India said the court also stated that when culture and tradition are at variance with the law enacted by Parliament, the law would take precedence. When Jallikattu was permitted in the past under regulations, hundreds of human participants were injured each year and many were killed, it said. Between 2010 and 2014, approximately 1,100 injuries to humans were reported by the media as a result of cruel and dangerous Jallikattu-type events and 17 people, including a child, died. Widening the probe in Pathankot terror attack case, NIA teams today visited Samba and Kathua areas of Jammu region where similar strikes had taken place last year and quizzed for the second day a Punjab police officer who was allegedly kidnapped by terrorists hours before the assault on the air base. NIA sources said a team of the agency today visited the army camp in Samba on the Jammu-Pathankot highway where two terrorists had opened fire on March 21 last year. Both the militants were shot dead by security forces, while three people including a major were injured in the gunbattle. Another team also visited Kathua where Rajbagh police station was attacked by a group of militants a day before. Three security personnel, two militants and as many civilans were killed in the ensuing exchange of fire. They said the agency could spot "glaring" similarities in the modus operandi of the terrorists, who attacked installations in Kathua and Samba and those who mounted the brazen assault on Pathankot IAF base on the intervening night of January one and two this year. In a related development, the NIA has asked mobile telephone service providers to submit details about the calls made using three particular towers which give coverage to the IAF base in Pathankot, after initial probe indicated that the terrorists had entered the restricted area in the morning of January one, sources said. They said officials of Defence Security Corps and others responsible for handling entry and exit at the base were being questioned to ascertain possible lapses that allowed the terrorists to enter the restricted areas without being noticed. Meanwhile, questioning of Salwinder Singh, a superintendent of police rank officer, continued for the second day today at the NIA headquarters, with the agency claiming he has been changing statements quite often. NIA has also summoned Somraj, caretaker of Panj Peer Dargah in Punjab, which Singh had claimed to have visited before he was kidnapped by terrorists, who attacked the Pathankot Air Force base hours later. The shrine is located a few kilometres from Bamiyal, the village from where the terrorists were suspected to have infiltrated India before mounting the attack. Somraj's statement that Salwinder Singh had came to the shrine for the first time before the attack and that his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and his cook Madan Gopal had visited the dargah twice the same day had raised eyebrows as the police officer had earlier claimed he was a regular visitor to the place. Singh continued to face tough questions from from interrogators who have been asking him about various "loop-holes" in his statement given to Punjab Police wherein he had claimed he had been blindfolded by the terrorists who spoke in Hindi, Urdu and Kashmiri languages. The NIA has already summoned Madan Gopal to its headquarters tomorrow for questioning. Sources said, if needed, he will be brought face to face with Singh, posted as Assistant Commandant of 75th battalion of Punjab Armed Police after he was removed as SP (headquarters) Gurdaspur. The terror probe agency has sent his mobile phone to Central Forensic Science Laboratory to ascertain details of calls made from it possibly by the terrorists involved in the 80-hour gun battle with security forces. The central agency had launched investigation immediately after terrorists struck inside the IAF base on the intervening night of January 1 and 2. NIA also recovered a magazine with seven live bullets from the scene of encounter at the IAF base today. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has sought to ally fears expressed by domestic and foreign defence firms that only big companies might get benefit from the proposed strategic parnership move of the government in critical segments like submarines, aircraft and missiles. Former DRDO chief V K Aatre is scheduled to submit this week a key report to the Defence Ministry recommending guidelines for selecting domestic private firms for strategic partnership. The feeling among the private industry players is that only the big firms will benefit out of this. However, even the large firms are not open to the idea since they feel that they would be restricted to just specific fields and, therefore, their overall investment and plans will get affected. However, Parrikar has said that the ministry will ensure that all projects are not cornered by strategic partners. Once the Aatre committee submits its report, the ministry will go in for a detailed review and see which points have to accepted and which kept aside, he said yesterday. He also said that the government will provide a level- playing field and that the medium and small-scale firms will not be left high and dry. An official of a defence firm, who did not want to be identified, said, "It creates the ground for nomination of a private sector business partner for award of defence contracts on an exclusive basis in each of the major categories in defence production." Aatre report will deal with strategic partnerships in sectors related to aircraft, helicopters, submarines, armoured vehicles in Group 1 and ammunition in Group 2. "The Aatre process could enable the big five of the Indian private sector defence industry to corner about 80 per cent of the business and create monopolies in all categories," industry sources said, adding that it may herald a return of "crony capitalism". Also, "restricting one group to one platform is unprecedented. Globally, every large defence firm has a land, air and naval segment," a defence company official said. Even the foreign firms are skeptical. "How can the government decide who our private sector partner will be? We will wait for a final decision before commenting," company sources said. The draft DPP 2015 report, submitted by the Dhirendra Singh committee, had recommended that for 'Make in India' initiative to become wider in the defence sector, the government should adopt a strategic partnership model, whereby a private firm is chosen for the development of a specific identified platform. A public notice by DU's Dayal Singh college about suspension of a girl student for allegedly stealing a mobile phone has triggered a row with a few teachers and the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) objecting to making public of the circular and the girl's name. The college principal, however, is maintaining that the girl has confessed to stealing the phone after a disciplinary committee found her guilty, and hence there should be no objection to making the notice public. The notice, which has been posted on the college's notice board as well as on the website, says, "The student has been suspended from college for her involvement in case of theft of a mobile phone on recommendation of discipline committee of the college." The girl has also been asked to give an explanation about why she should not be rusticated from the college. "If the college has found a student guilty of some act, he or she should be communicated in person about the action or proceedings. This name and shame campaign can have an impact on the girl's future not only professionally but also as an individual," a college teacher said. DCW Chief Swati Maliwal has also termed the act to be "unbecoming of the college". "As per my information, the inquiry has not been completed yet. If any student has been issued a show-cause notice to explain her position, what is the need to publicise it. It is unbecoming of the college to do so, " Maliwal told PTI. "Even if the girl is guilty, she should not be subjected to such public harassment for theft of a cell phone. The college can punish her but announcing it on its website is unethical," she added. However, college principal IS Bakshi defended the notice saying,"The girl was given a chance to explain her position before the disciplinary committee. It is not just an allegation, she has confessed it too." "There should be no objection to making public of the student's name as other students will refrain from indulging in such activities in fear of action," he added. India and Syria today held wide- ranging talks, focusing largely on the internal situation in the war-torn country and the UN-backed peace process aimed at ending the strife which has claimed lives of over 2.5 lakh people in the last five years. Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Walid Al Moualem, during the talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, appreciated India for its support to the people of Syria and its position in finding a solution to the civil war. Swaraj conveyed to Moualem, who is also Minister of Foreign Affairs, that India was sending medicines worth USD 1 million to Syria soon. India will announce further assistance to the country during a conference on Syria in London on February 4. She also sought Syria's help in ascertaining status of 39 Indians who were taken hostage by ISIS militants from Iraqi city of Mosul in June 2014. Moualem assured Swaraj that he will use his sources in Iraq to know whereabouts of the Indians. The Syrian Deputy Prime Minister met National Security Adviser Ajit Doval last evening during which challenge of combating terrorism, particularly to deal with ISIS, is understood to have figured. Moualem, who visited Russia and China before arriving here yesterday, gave a detailed exposition of how Russian air strikes have weakened the capabilities of ISIS in Syria as well as about the UN-backed peace initiative. "The Syrian Deputy Prime Minister appreciated India for its support to people of Syria," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. India has been consistently maintaining that a solution to the conflict must be found through a Syrian-led peace initiative. Russia has been carrying out air strikes in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad since September, targeting the terror outfit ISIS which has seized vast swathes of land in that country. India has been supportive of the Russian strikes maintaining that terror groups must be dealt with effectively. The peace talks are slated for later this month and Moualem has already said that Syria was ready to participate in it. The US, the UK and France are pressing for the ouster of the Syrian President to have a peaceful resolution of the conflict but Russia and China are against the move. During the talks, the Syrian side sought help from India in the form of supply of food and medicine. It also sought early completion of Tishreen power project being implemented by Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd (BEHL). As part of Line of Credit, India has already given USD 100 million out of USD 240 million for the plant. The Indian side said it was ready to complete the project if Syria can give assurance of security. BHEL and Syrian Ministry of Electricity are negotiating to resume the project. The Syrian side also requested India to complete remaining work at Hama Steel plant which is being set up by India at a cost of USD 25 million. 95 per cent of the work of the project has been completed. India conveyed to Syria that it will be happy to hand it over soon. India and Syria have friendly political relations. India's support for the Palestinian cause and for the return of the occupied Golan Heights to Syria is appreciated by Syrians. President Assad had visited India in June 2008 while then President Prathibha Patil had visited Syria in November 2010. Last month, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution endorsing a peace process in Syria to end the civil war through talks between the government and the opposition, but the draft is silent on the role of Assad in a political transition. It called for a Syrian-led political process facilitated by the UN to establish within six months "credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance", setting a schedule for drafting a new constitution, with free and fair elections to be held within 18 months under UN supervision with all Syrians, including members of the diaspora, eligible to vote. An Islamic State recruit from New Zealand has reportedly set up a LinkedIn account, describing himself as an "education management professional" working in the Syrian city of Raqqa for his employers -- ISIS. "Living in the heart of the Islamic State is a good experience and I encourage others to come and see for themselves," Muhammad Daniel, who is originally from New Zealand and has changed his name from Mark John Taylor, said in his profile. "There's no danger here and a great place to bring up the family. Except Western Jet fighters that always drop bombs on Civilians," he was quoted as saying in his profile by stuff.co.nz. According to his Linkedin profile, Daniel has been teaching English to children in Raqqa under Islamic State since October 2014. He claims to have been teaching English to children between the ages of 5 and 12, "teaching with a puppet and enjoyed having fun with the students". The profile lists Daniel's occupation as an "education management professional". He writes to potential employers, "I'm loyal, discipline, hardworking and have a large range of skillsets!" LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking service and is mainly used for professional networking. In the past, Daniel has used social media to announce he had burned his New Zealand passport and encourage others to wage jihad on Anzac Day, the report said. But his most notable social media faux pas came in 2014 when he outed the location of ISIS fighters to Western intelligence agencies, it said. Daniel failed to turn off the location service on his Twitter account, thereby identifying his whereabouts every time he tweeted. Massimiliano Latorre, one of the two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen in 2012 off the Kerala coast, will not return to India, according to the Head of Italian Senate's defence committee. Latorre was allowed by the Supreme Court in September 2014 to go to Italy initially for four months after he had suffered a brain stroke. His stay there was extended subsequently. "Massimiliano Latorre will not go back to India and work is being done on the possibility of requesting for Salvatore Girone to be able to return to Italy," Senator Nicola Latorre was quoted as saying by Italy's ANSA news agency today. Salvatore Girone, the other accused, is still here and Italy has been seeking his return as well. The Supreme Court on July 13 last year had allowed Latorre to stay in Italy for another six months on medical grounds, after the government did not object to his plea. The six- month period ends tomorrow. The matter may come up for hearing in the apex court tomorrow. The marines, who were on board ship 'Enrica Lexie', are accused of killing two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast on February 15, 2012 after mistaking them for pirates. The Supreme Court which was handling the case suspended the court proceedings relating to the trial of two marines in August last year following an order to this effect by International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) which was approached by Italy for international arbitration. High-speed internet connectivity, building large-scale infrastructure and taking India to the next level of development might be dominating the debate of our policy-makers. Sadly, there is no talk of issues as basic as sanitary pads for women. This focus on the social disconnect, as highlighted by Magsaysay Award winner and Goonj founder Anshu Gupta, was what made the opening day of the Changemaker Week 2016 stand out. The event was formally kicked off at the St Josephs College of Arts and Science here on Monday. Arranged by the Ashoka Innovators for Public, the Week is supported by Deccan Herald. Critiquing the system, Gupta said how, even to this day, a majority of women in rural areas used anything but sanitary napkins, simply because there was none available. There is absolutely no discussion about this in the country. Some of the things women use are dirty cloth, ash, used papers, rice husk and even cow dung. While there are primary health centres (PHC) in rural areas, we all know their condition, he said. In her address, Teach for India founder Shaheen Mistry talked about Indias youth, the ones set to take the reins of its future are still grossly uneducated. As much as four per cent of children never start their schooling and around 50 per cent never even complete their basic school education. Shaheens initiative, however, aims to change things. Already, there have a number of bright spots since they started nearly 10 years ago. Mistry drew attention to the inspiring journey of Jyothi Reddy, a slum dweller from Mumbai. Reddy was shown in a video, speaking in flawless English at the TEDx Nariman Point event in Mumbai in 2011, recounting her journey in her own words: I am a slum dweller but education sets me apart. I chose education over marriage and over dependency, she said. But Reddy is just one among many. Over a thousand Teach for India Fellows work in various remote corners of the country not as teachers but also as people trying to bring about equity in education, said Mistry. Inaugurating the Changemaker Week, Arghayam founder Rohini Nilekani said, If we want a society without inequalities where everyone contributes, we have to begin with ourselves. What binds us together is our ability to empathise. We are absolutely designed to be altruistic. But we have lost it somewhere. Responding to an audience query, she voiced her support for free access to the Internet, free of any big corporate positioning. In an indirect reference to the Free Basics initiative of Facebook, Nilekani said free Internet access was as basic as getting free drinking water. The government has no desire to create a conducive atmosphere in the district for investors, Mangaluru South legislator J R Lobo has said. No attempt is being made to provide the minimum infrastructure for companies to begin industrial work here. Under such circumstances, what good will one achieve by merely organising investors meets? he asked. The legislator spoke chairing the meet Invest Dakshina Kannada 2016, organised jointly by the Dakshina Kannada district administration, Department of Industries and Commerce and the District Industries Centre in the City on Tuesday. Neither the bureaucrats nor the government is making efforts to attract investors. Unless efforts are made to provide basic facilities to them, I do not believe that any investor meet will bear fruit, explained the legislator. Explaining the dismal condition of the region, Lobo said, On the one hand, it is true that the people of Dakshina Kannada are enterprising by nature. On the other hand, the investors too are not asking for more facilities other than good roads along with proper water and electricity supply. If such infrastructure is provided to the investors, industries will grow in the region. Unfortunately, the entrepreneurs are made to beg before the government for years for even the basic facilities. He also cited the example of the IT Park at Mudipu that does not have proper connection roads. In spite of requesting the officials of the Department of Commerce and Industry to visit the spot, no action has been initiated, he added. Lobo rued that even the IT sector has failed to grow in Mangaluru, In spite of having good potential. The Bharat Shipyard firm in Mangaluru is facing a lot of problems. They too have requested the concerned officials in Bengaluru to visit the yard in the City, there has been no response. Promotion of tourism was also a tale of failure in Dakshina Kannada which can give an interested person a lot of opportunities as the rules related to CRZ are posing problems at every step. Apart from this, there are rowdies indulging in moral policing, who are creating a lot of disinterest among tourists. No visitor would like to come to the port city of Mangaluru to enjoy his or her holidays, he said with disappointment. Expectations failed District In-charge Minister B Ramanath Rai, who inaugurated the convention, concurred that the district had failed to attract the expected number of investors in spite of the potential that it has. There is a need to attract greater investment while simultaneously maintaining communal harmony in the district. The people of the district should join hands with the government in creating a conducive atmosphere for the investment to set up firms, advised the minister. District In-charge Secretary Bharath Lal Meena too rued that Dakshina Kannada had enough opportunities for promotion of tourism. The district, however, needs to learn from Kerala and Goa, who have created brands in the field of tourism. Various government agencies, elected representatives and stake holders too should work in coordination with one another in order to attract investment in the district. In spite of Mangaluru having provision for connectivity through sea, road, rail and air, it has failed to become the true Gateway of Karnataka, lamented the secretary. Health tourism In his introductory speech, Deputy Commissioner A B Ibrahim said that, in spite of Dakshina Kannada having good health care system, health tourism had failed to take off in the district. Even allied and ancillary industries to petroleum and petrochemicals have failed to thrive in Dakshina Kannada. The Export Promotion Investment Park (EPIP) at Ganjimutt has failed to maintain high quantity of exports. The sites at the EPIP have all remained vacant, said the deputy commissioner, adding, There is a need to bridge the gap and attract investors to the district, so that the youth get employment and the region gets developed. A pall of gloom descended over Tamil Nadus southern districts as the Supreme Courts stay of the government notice allowing Jallikattu virtually ruled out the sport being conducted this year. Thousands of disappointed youths protested against Tuesdays stay, as the prospect of Pongal without Jallikattu loomed. With the Centre clearing the decks for Jallikattu, organisers began preparing for the sports grand return. Bulls were decorated and made ready to face the tamers, while organisers also collected applications from the participants. Chief Minister J Jayalalitha thanked the NDA government for allowing Jallikattu to be held as part of the Pongal festivities. The Madurai district administration was ready with supervisors and officials to oversee the safe conduct. Despite beginning in a festive fervour, Tuesday turned dismal as protests erupted with the news of the apex courts stay. Thousands blocked the roads and shouted slogans against the decision. Several groups, including organisers of Jallikattu events, demonstrated with bulls. Many in Palemedu and Alanganallur the most famous venues for Jallikattu eventswent on a hunger strike demanding withdrawal of the stay. Black flags were hoisted in these places and several adjoining villages to show solidarity. Preparations (to hold the sport) were almost over, Jallikattu Peravai Secretary Rajasekharan said. Moreover, several participants have also registered with us. Stopping everything at the last minute hurts us a lot. He also hoped that the state and Centre would approach the court to lift the stay. Jallikattu is organised each year from January to July, beginning with the world famous knear Madurai on January 15 and at Alanganallur the next day. Bull-taming events are also organised in Trichy, Pudukkottai, Dindigul, Theni, Thanjavur, Salem and Tirunelveli districts. The Gauhati High Court (HC) on Tuesday stayed its own order of allowing traditional bulbul fights at a historic temple in Assam during Magh Bihu (Makar Sankrantri). Hearing a petition by the Animal Welfare Board of India, the HC stayed the earlier order where a single judge bench in December last asked Assam government to keep in abeyance its notification ordering prohibition on bulbul fights. The government order was contested by the Shri Hayariba Madhav Temple committee of Hajo on traditional custom grounds which it said has been an annual ritual for about 400 years. The earlier order of the single judge bench of the HC allowing bulbul fights had made people enthusiastic since bulbul fights are very popular in Assam, and thousands gather to see the contest on the day of Makar Sankrantri in Kamrup (Rural) district. On Tuesday, another single bench of the HC stayed the earlier order till the next hearing on January 20. This has cast shadows on the possibility of organising bulbul fights. The temple committee, however, still have legal options including moving the Supreme Court, which had banned bull fights in 2014. We are grateful to the High Court at Guwahati for upholding the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCA), 1960. We hope that Shri Hayariba Madhav Temple at Hajo will implement this order and celebrate a cruelty-free Bihu. This day will go down in the history as the most victorious day for animal welfare said N G Jayasimha, member, Animal Welfare Board of India and managing director of Humane Society International. Bulbuls or songbirds as they are known, protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, are reportedly captured from the wild by villagers who then train them by intoxicating their food with marijuana and starve the bird a night before the fight, a Humane Society International press release added. The temple committee is of the opinion that no harm was caused to the birds and they were set free immediately after the fights. After taking a non-committal stance towards the professed alliance with the Congress, the CPM seems to have revealed its desperation by calling for the tie-up from a public rally. Party state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra urged the Congress to take a prompt decision regarding the alliance. They should decide whether its a yes or a no, Mishra said, while addressing a rally organsied by trade union wing CITU at Sankrail in Howrah. Even though senior party leaders appeared confused when posed with questions about the alliance during the recently-held CPM plenum in Kolkata, a fortnight later CPM explicitly spoke out about it for the first time. With Mishra urging the Congress to take prompt decision on whether they are ready for the understanding, it seemed like a sign of desperation on part of the Left party, pointed out analysts. Party insiders admitted that even though leaders are not keen to speak out, without the alliance, the CPM could be in trouble in the forthcoming Assembly elections. Sources said that without the tie-up, the CPM might not be able to deploy agents at nearly 57,000 of 77,000 polling booths between Malda in northern Bengal to Nadia down south. Congress leaders from Bengal, including state president Adhir Chowdhury, seemed to be welcome to the idea as they realise the need to move hand-in-hand with the Left if they want to pose some kind of threat to the ruling Trinamool Congress. Senior state Congress leader and MLA, Manas Bhunia, who openly opposed a tie-up with the Trinamool, seemed to have taken a different path. Ive never seen CPM so impoverished that the state secretary has to appeal to us from a public rally. Doesnt he know the process? Does he think saying such things from a rally in Bengal will reach ears of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul? he said. The Congress is reportedly sitting on the proposal for more than a month, particularly since Mamata met Sonia during a visit to Delhi in early December. She is believed to have assured Sonia that if the Congress refrains from shaking hands with the CPM, all 45 Trinamool MPs across both Houses of the Parliament will rally behind the Congress. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, national spokesperson of the Congress, said, We know the CPM has approached us with the proposal for an alliance but its not yet time to talk about that; its premature. Such discussions work out at the highest level but no such talk has taken place. In what is being seen as an admission to lapses and goof-ups in the 13-year-old alleged drunken-driving and hit-and-run case involving actor Salman Khan, the Mumbai Police has issued a 16-point circular to police stations. The force cited various aspects like the way evidence was collected and tendered, the alterations of FIR, chain of custody of blood samples and the way witnesses were handled. The circular was issued last week by Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) K M M Prasanna and it has become one of the most-discussed issues within the police force. Yes, a circular has been issued vis-a-vis the Salman Khan case and in general what guidelines needs to be followed in handling similar cases, a senior official attached to the Mumbai police commissionerate told Deccan Herald on Tuesday. On May 6 this year, Additional Sessions Judge D W Deshpande convicted Salman Khan under the grave charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and sentenced him to undergo a rigorous imprisonment of five years. However, on December 10, Justice A R Joshi reversed the order and has acquitted him of all charges. The Maharashtra government has decided to appeal in the Supreme Court. One of the things that has been pointed out is the way the police handled the issue of Kamaal Khan who was a friend of the actor and present in the car at the time of the accident. Kamaal was also listed as witness both before the Magistrate's Court at Bandra and at the Mumbai Sessions Court. Extensive focus was given in the circular on the way bills were collected from Rain Bar and Restaurant at Vile Parle and also collections of evidence like parking tag from the JW Marriott at Juhu. A senior Afghan Police officer on Tuesday stated that Pakistan Army personnel were responsible for the recent attack on Consulate General of India at Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan. Sayed Kamal Sadat, chief of police in Balkh province of Afghanistan, not only revealed that Pakistan Army personnel had been involved with the attack on the Consulate General of India in the provincial capital Mazar-e-Sharif, but also expressed his strong suspicion that the attackers themselves might belonged to the military establishment of the neighbouring country. The revelations by Sadat is likely to strengthen New Delhis case against Islamabad, as it brings to light the role of Pakistans state actors in attacks on Indian interests in Afghanistan. We saw with our own eyes and I can say (with) 99 per cent (certainty) that those attackers were from Pakistani military and used special tactics while conducting their operation (attack on Consulate General of India, Afghan media portal Tolo News quoted Sadat saying on Tuesday. The attackers were military personnel. They were educated and well prepared and had intelligence. They fought us and only by Allah's grace were we able to control them and eliminate them, added Sadat. Heavily-armed terrorists launched an attack on the Consulate General of India (CGI) at Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan late at night on January 3. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel, deployed to guard the CGI, secured the premises of the diplomatic mission. The terrorist took position in a nearby building and opened fire on the CGI. It took the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) soldiers 25 hours to gun down all the terrorists. One ANDSF soldier was killed during the operation, while nine others were injured. No official of the CGI was hurt. The terrorists scribbled Afzal Guru Ka Inteqam (Revenge for Afzal Guru) in Urdu on the wall of the kitchen on the fourth floor of the building they had taken position in. The words indicated that the attack was to avenge execution of 2001 Indian Parliament attack conspirator Afzal Guru. Even as uncertainty continued over proposed meeting between foreign secretaries of the two nations on January 15, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that India still had no reason to distrust Pakistan and should wait for the government of the neighbouring country to act against the plotters of the recent terror attack at Pathankot in Punjab. The Pakistan government has said it will take effective action. I think we should wait, Singh told journalists in Greater Noida near New Delhi. There is no reason to distrust them (Pakistan) so early, he added. He was replying to a question on Islamabads actions on the information New Delhi shared with Islamabad seeking actions against the Jaish-e-Mohammed operatives, who planned and coordinated the attack on the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot. The home ministers remark came just a day after Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar talked tough and said that any individual or organization causing harm to India should also be made to feel the pain. Islamabad constituted a joint investigation team, comprising officials of its three intelligence agencies, to probe into the alleged role of the JeM operatives in planning the attack on the IAF base at Pathankot in India. Pakistani media on Monday reported detention and arrest of some people suspected to have links with the recent terror attack in India, but neither Islamabad, nor New Delhi officially confirmed any such crackdown. New Delhi on Tuesday continued to remain non-committal on Foreign Secretary S Jaishankars proposed visit to Islamabad on Friday and Saturday for a meeting with his counterpart A A Chaudhry. The meeting between the two foreign secretaries was to mark resumption of the stalled dialogue between India and Pakistan. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is set to travel to Jerusalem early next week to start preparations for the proposed visit of Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, to New Delhi. Netanyahu is going to be the second Israeli prime minister to visit India. His visit to New Delhi is likely to be reciprocated by Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Israel later this year. Though Netanyahu himself announced a couple of months ago that he would soon travel to New Delhi, the dates for the visit are yet to be finalized. Officials told Deccan Herald on Tuesday that Swaraj would call on Netanyahu in Jerusalem and extend a formal invitation from Modi. Ariel Sharon, who travelled to New Delhi in 2003, was the first prime minister of Israel to visit India. No Indian prime minister has so far visited Israel. Pranab Mukherjee, who visited Israel in October 2014, was the first President to visit Israel. Ezer Weizmanns visit to New Delhi in 1997 was the first by a President of Israel. Noting that Israel and India shared a close and multifaceted relationship, the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday stated that Swaraj would hold discussions on entire gamut of bilateral relation with the leadership of the West Asian country. The two sides share firm belief in the values of democracy and free market economy. India and Israel also share close relation in the fields of agriculture, science & technology and education, stated the MEA. Swaraj will briefly visit Palestine before travelling to Israel. India has been steadfastly supporting the Palestinian peoples struggle for a sovereign, independent, viable and united state within secure and recognised borders, side by side at peace, with Israel, and with East Jerusalem as its capital. India was the first non-Arab country to recognize Palestine way back in 1988. Indias growing ties with Israel after the Bharatitya Janata Partys ascent to power, however, fuelled speculation about New Delhi reviewing its position on Palestine. Indias relations with Israel are part of its engagement with the broader West Asia region and are independent to its relations with any country in the region, the MEA stated on Tuesday. Swaraj will call on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other leaders during her stay in Ramallah, where she will also inaugurate a centre for digital learning and innovation a facility built by India as its development support to Palestine. The visit will also reaffirm Indias continued political, diplomatic and developmental support to Palestine, added the MEA. The Union government is planning to enact a separate legislation for protection of all dams in the country Central Water Commission Chairman Ghanshyam Jha has said. He was speaking at the inauguration of the second national dam safety conference in the City on Tuesday. He said that drafting of legislation was in preliminary stages and there will be uniformity in ensuring safety of dams once the legislation is enacted. Water Resource Minister M B Patil said that State government had taken steps to ensure security of dams in Karnataka as per the recommendations of former CWC chairman A K Bajaj. World Bank assistance He said that World Bank had given assistance of Rs 276.75 crore to the State for the development and rejuvenation of 27 large dams in November 2014. As Karnataka has performed well under the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project, he urged World Bank and CWC to enhance the assistance to Rs 483 crore by way of additional allocation to the State. Former CWC chairman A B Pandey said that an integrated database of all dams and reservoirs should be created and the information comes in handy in the event of natural calamity and disaster. A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team on Tuesday visited Samba and Kathua in Jammu & Kashmir where terrorists last year carried out attacks similar to the Pathankot terror strike. Investigators said the team visited the Army camp in Samba where two terrorists had opened fire on March 21 while another team visited Kathua where Rajbagh police station was attacked by a group of militants a day before. Official sources said there were glaring similarities in the modus operandi of terrorists, who launched attacks last year and those who struck the Pathankot air base on January 2 this year. Mobile service providers have also been asked to submit details about calls made using three towers near the Pathankot air base. Terrorists had made calls to their handlers in Pakistan. The call details would also help NIA establish whether terrorists got some help from insiders. Amid reports that locals living in the adjoining areas of the air base used to enter the premises after paying as low as Rs 20 to security guards to graze their cattle and even shop in CSD canteen, the NIA said such facts could not be ascertained yet. The much-delayed trial power generation at the unit I of the Yermarus Thermal Power Station (YTPS) is likely to begin in the last week of January. YTPS is an 800MW joint-venture project between the Karnataka Power Corporation and the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited. Work on the construction of the power plant began in 2010 and ended in March 2015. Power generation was also slated to begin the same month. The delay in the grant of permission by the Union ministries of coal and environment, besides some issues locally, had resulted in the delay of construction work. A few labourers had died at the construction site and protests over the construction of the compound wall for the plant had hit the pace of work. The agitating farmers said the wall was a hurdle in the path to reach their fields. They had demanded that the land between the airport and the YTPS be acquired for building the wall. Farmers from Eganur said one person from each of the families losing land should get a job at the power station. Also, the land acquisition delay held up the work on laying a new railway line for trains that would transport coal to the unit from the Yermarus station, six km away. Coal will be transported by road till that time. The coal stocked at the Raichur Thermal Power Station, around six lakh tonnes, will be shared with YTPS. Work on laying water pipelines from River Krishna had also been held up. The Yermarus plant has been sanctioned 1.56 tmc ft of water per year and the water pipeline work is nearing completion. The power plant, with two units, has been set up at a cost of Rs 9,000 crore. Only the initial trials for unit I will be undertaken using light diesel oil and heavy fuel oil. This is because the fuel oils are costlier than coal. Coal fuel will be used after rectifying the flaws, if any, Lakshman Kabade, the YTPS executive engineer, told Deccan Herald. Kabade said the YTPS was a state-of-the-art power plant that uses water and coal optimally and produces higher amount of electricity. This makes it an environmentally friendly project. He said the trials for the second unit would begin in a couple of months. The authorities will go ahead with the trials this month even if the elected representatives cannot make it. The model code of conduct will prevent them from attending the inauguration of the trials, if the elections to the zilla and taluk panchayat are announced by that time. The State government seems to be casual in posting officials to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Lokayukta, constituted to probe illegal mining. The government transferred K S R Charan Reddy, Inspector General of Police (IGP) and chief of SIT, and posted IGP Malini Krishnamurthy as the SIT chief. But, it transferred Malini within a week, leaving the SIT headless. The government did not consult the Lokayukta institution while executing two back-to-back transfers within seven days. In February 2014, the Lokayukta office proposed the name of Reddy to head the SIT. The government also appointed other officials to the SIT, in consultation with the Lokayukta. It has been a practice to consult the Lokayukta before appointing police officials to both the Lokayukta police and the SIT. On January 1, 2016, the government transferred Reddy and posted him as Additional Commissioner of Police (law and order), Bengaluru City. On January 8, the government issued another order transferring Malini as IGP (Internal Security Division). Personal reasons Sources said, Malini requested the transfer citing personal reasons. This apart, the post of SP (SIT) is vacant since Rohini Katoch Sepat, who was posted to SIT on January 1, is now transferred as SP of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). On Tuesday, Malini Krishnamurthy was relieved of the duty as IGP of SIT. In-charge registrar of the Lokayukta R S Patil said that there was no communication from the government on the recent transfers. The office of the registrar had got no communication as consultation from the government. I cannot comment as of now as to who relieved both the officials. There is no communication from the government as to who will be the next chief of the SIT, he said. The Upalokayuktas Justice N Ananda and Justice Subhash B Adi told Deccan Herald that they were not consulted before the transfers. Malini Krishnamurthy had come to see me. However, I was not consulted nor did I relieve her of the duty, Justice Adi said. Justice Ananda said that the appointments to SIT dont come under the purview of the Upalokayukta. I was not consulted while these appointments were made. The State government has constituted the SIT on the direction of the Supreme Court. Hence, they will take a decision on posting officials to the SIT, he said. Bengaluru-based Subhashini Vasanth has been chosen for this years Neerja Bhanot award for helping people in distress and for empowering widows of martyrs and their families across the country. Subhashini lost her husband Col Vasanth V, who was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra in 2008 for his selfless, supreme sacrifice while fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. Since then, she has been helping the families of martyrs. The award was constituted 24 years ago in memory of braveheart Neerja Bhanot, a flight attendant for Pan Am, who was killed while saving scores of passengers from terrorists onboard the hijacked Pan Am Flight 73 on September 5, 1986. Posthumously, she became the youngest recipient of Indias highest peacetime military award for bravery, the Ashok Chakra. Subhashini will receive the award in Chandigarh on Wednesday from actress Sonam Kapoor, who is playing a lead role in the upcoming biopic (Neerja) based on the life and death of Neerja Bhanot. Akhil Bhanot, the managing trustee of the Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust, said, This annual award comprises Rs 1,50,000 cash prize, a citation and a trophy. The awardee has to be an Indian woman with substance, with guts and grit, someone who makes a success of life by assisting other woman in similar social distress, he said. Subhashini, who started the Vasantharatna Foundation in memory of her husband Col Vasanth, said she had been deeply involved in empowering women, educating them and their children and providing emotional, legal, and financial counselling. The foundation, she said, provided education scholarships, conducted empowerment programmes and outbound learning programmes for women and children. Subhashini is a Bharatnatyam exponent known for her intense abhinaya and immaculate footwork. She and Veena Prasad have co-authored the biography of Col Vasanth. The book, Forever Forty, she says is a celebration of life and love. Two road accidents in different parts of the City have claimed the lives of a sales manager working at computer technology company Dell and a woman running a consultancy. Avinash Nayak, 32, the Dell staffer, was riding to Electronics City when a minibus rear-ended his motorcycle at Naganathapura junction around 7 pm on Monday. The collision was so powerful that Nayak was tossed up in air. He collapsed and sustained grievous head injuries. Passersby rushed him to a hospital but doctors declared him brought dead, the Electronics City traffic police said. The minibus driver jumped out and ran away. The police have seized the vehicle and are searching for him. Nayak hailed from Odisha and had moved to Bengaluru about 10 years ago. He was residing in Chikkatogur with wife and a two-year-old daughter. In the other accident, a 25-year-old woman from Kalaburagi was killed when a drunk man drove his Toyota Innova into her two-wheeler around 5.30 pm on January 10, the HSR Layout traffic police said. Mahalakshmi, a resident of Choodasandra, was riding to Somasandrapalya when the car rear-ended her motorcycle near Amrita School of Engineering on Hosapalya main road. The car driver, Jayasimha, was in an inebriated state. Mahalakshmi fell down and suffered serious injuries. She was rushed to a hospital where she succumbed to injuries later, added the police. Mahalakshmi was married to Nagaraj and the couple was running a consultancy. Jayasimha, a resident of Mangammanapalya, was arrested for reckless driving. A deputy manager of Axis Bank is one of the seven men arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for siphoning off Rs 1.8 lakh from the account of a former chairman and managing director of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) using a mobile wallet app. Narasimhan, a retired chief of the NHPC, lodged a complaint at the CIDs cyber crime police station that Rs 1.8 lakh was debited from his Axis Bank account through 17 fraudulent transactions on the intervening night of December 4 and 5, 2015. Just before that, his Vodafone mobile phone service was closed. Narasimhan also found his phone number changed from prepaid to postpaid. Investigation led the sleuths to G Gopikrishna, a deputy manager at Axis Banks Peddapalli branch in Karimnagar district, Telangana. The sleuths learnt that Gopikrishna had leaked the bank account details of people in Karnataka who maintained a large balance. Nageshwar Reddy, one of the main suspects, received these details. He, along with another suspect G Veerabrahman, zeroed in on bank accounts with large balance. The gang took the phone numbers of the account holders and obtained duplicate SIM cards by fabricating documents. Four others, N Ramesh, C S Kiran, C S Padmaja and C K Ramana, helped them get more than 100 duplicate SIM cards. The suspects changed Narasimhans phone service to postpaid. Then, using Axis Banks wallet app Lime, they transferred money to various phone numbers. They also withdrew Rs 1.8 lakh from Axis bank ATMs. Apart from this, they hacked the State Bank of Indias mobile wallet app Buddy and siphoned off money from several accounts, a senior police officer said. The CID suspects that the gang was involved in similar offences reported from across the country. The suspects have been booked in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and other states. We have shared the information with our counterparts in other states and are investigating if more people are involved in the racket. We are also considering taking action against telecom service providers for not verifying the documents before issuing duplicate SIM cards, the officer added. Axis Bank has stopped operating the Lime wallet after the matter was brought to its notice, the officer said. Few people riding pillion on motorcycles in Bengaluru cared to wear helmet on Tuesday, the first day of a rule which mandates that pillion riders wear the protective gear. But the traffic police were soft on the violators and didnt fine even a single offender. The police spent much part of the day spreading awareness on the new rule. Traffic police personnel in Electronics City and KR Puram handed over roses and chocolates to motorists who were not wearing helmet. None of the helmetless pillion rider was fined on Tuesday. We will continue the awareness drive till January 20 before we start enforcing the rule strictly and punish the offenders, M A Saleem, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), told Deccan Herald. A traffic inspector put the number of pillion riders wearing helmet at five in 500. He, however, hoped the percentage would go up at the end of the week-long awareness campaign on the rule. Among the obedient few was Punith Gowda, a businessman from Rajajinagar. He rode pillion on the two-wheeler of his business partner Able Devasia. Supriya S B, a student from Vasanthnagar, said that she spotted a policeman riding pillion without wearing a helmet. Ramesh Naidu, who runs Helmet Paradise store on Lalbagh Road, said the sale of the protective gear had gone up by just five per cent. But Padmanabhan T of Galaxy Helmets, Thippasandra, didnt see any such spike in demand. Critics of the rule said the State government was misleading the public by quoting the Supreme Court. K R Sheshu Prasad of Anti-Helmet Association said the government was lying. It was just a recommendation by the Supreme Courts road safety committee to all the states, which is advisory in nature. Many states havent enforced the rule since 95 per cent of the users are against it as it causes undue hardship to motorists. The rule applies only to 200cc motorcycles. This rule will only lead to corruption in the police, Seshu said, adding that many riders have died in road accidents despite wearing helmet. A panel comprising top officials of the State and the Central governments will work out the funding pattern for the ambitious Rs 11,000-crore Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) and the Rs 18,500-crore elevated corridor projects in Bengaluru. Bengaluru Development Minister K J George told reporters here on Tuesday that the Centre had given an assurance that it would partly fund the two projects. State Urban Development Additional Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar will work with top officials of the Transport and Highways Ministry to work out the pattern for funding the projects, George said. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Public Works Minister H C Mahadevappa and George had met Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi on Monday and had briefed him on the two projects. The corridor project will have three elevated roads the North-South corridor connecting the Central Silk Board with Hebbal; the East-West corridor-1 connecting KR Puram with Goraguntepalya; the East-West corridor-2 connecting Jnanabharathi with Varthur Kodi. In addition, there will be three connecting corridors of a total length of 82.7 km, estimated to cost Rs 18,500 crore. The 65-km eight-lane PRR around the Outer Ring Road will link Tumakuru Road and Hosur Road, intersecting Doddaballapur Road, Ballari Road, Old Madras Road and Sarjapur Road. Bidadi township George said the government was keen on reviving the Bidadi Integrated Township project. Preliminary notification had already been issued for acquiring10,000 acres for the project. However, the project has not moved forward since 2009, when real estate major DLF withdrew its bid. The Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) will now execute the project, George said. A decision to this effect was taken at the BMRDA Board meeting on December 30. He said the government was keen on adopting the Amaravathi land pooling model for the proposed Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR) project. Under the model, parcels of land belonging to various owners are assembled and utilised for the project. At the same time, developed land is given back to the original land owners adjacent to the STRR. The 383-km STRR will connect satellite towns Ramanagar, Dobbspet, Devanahalli, Hosakote, Attibele and Magadi. The British Council on Tuesday introduced an English course that aims to help students and professionals improve their communication skills. Speaking to Deccan Herald, Mei-kwei Barker, Director, British Council South India, said that the British Council has rolled out MyEnglish, a Blended Learning Course for people of all age groups and backgrounds. The course would be conducted at three levels. Aspiring professionals and college students could benefit from the course. It is open to any one interested in picking up the skills. The course commenced in Pune on pilot basis last year with 150 students. Vishal, a government employee in Pune, Maharashtra, used to hesitate to attend the PTA meetings in sons school as he could not talk to teachers in English. A year ago, he enrolled into the British Councils MyEnglish programme and today, even though he still makes grammatical errors, he is much more confident about himself. Vishal said he faced problems when it came to little things such as attending meetings. I knew I had valid points to make. But I was hesitant to talk because of the language barrier. Now, I am faring much better, even though I am aware that I continue to make some grammatical errors. Presentation problems Another student of MyEnglish, Ramachandra K, a Mathematics researcher at the University of Pune, said he that faced problems when it came to presentation. Ask me to talk about Thermodynamics, I can go on for hours. If I want to convey something about, say about the Syrian crisis for instance, I fumble. I am good at the technical aspect. This course has helped me communicate better and make better presentations. Since he was a member of the British Library, he got to know about the course and immediately joined, he added. The course is conducted in pre-intermediate, intermediate and upper intermediate levels with two parts for each level. The course fee is Rs 10,000 per level. After Bengaluru, the course will also be rolled out in Mumbai. For details log onto www.britishcouncil.in/myenglish. Do you know how much fine the Bengaluru traffic police collect every hour on average? Thats close to Rs one lakh and roughly about Rs 20 lakh a day. Surprised? Theres more in store. In the previous year, they received a windfall of Rs 70.44 crore by fining people for traffic violations. Thats the highest amount to have been collected as traffic fine in Bengalurus history and almost Rs five crore more than that collected (Rs 65.92 crore) in 2014. So, what explains this accomplishment? The reasons are several. M A Saleem, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), said that the police were acting tough on traffic violations in the last two years. They registered 40 per cent of the cases through the contact-less method. This refers to the police flagging down violations through CCTV surveillance. It helped to achieve transparency, he pointed out. Clamping down on jaywalkers also boosted police coffers. Besides, outsourcing towing away of vehicles parked at wrong place helped collect more fine. The private agency is paid Rs 100 for every vehicle towed. Now that helmet has been made mandatory for pillion riders, the traffic police hope to collect Rs 100 crore as fine in the coming years. The year 2015 also saw the police registering the highest number of traffic violations (76.26 lakh cases) ever. This figure is more than double that of 2010 (33.33 lakh cases). The police registered 73.43 lakh cases in 2014 and 53.48 lakh cases in 2013. (See table). Most common violations Wrong parking and riding without helmet were two of the most common traffic violations among 31 offences listed under the Motor Vehicles Act. These two accounted for 35 per cent of the total fine collected. In 2015, the police registered as many as 21 lakh cases of wrong parking and a little more than 17 lakh for riding without helmet. The police also cracked down on use of mobile phone while driving/riding (2.7 lakh cases), no entry (5 lakh cases), footpath riding (80,468 cases), lane indiscipline (4.6 lakh cases) and drunk-driving (62,576). There was almost a threefold increase in wheeling cases (399) over 2014 (167) and drag racing cases (758) over 2014 (319). On the brighter side, there were fewer road accidents in Bengaluru in 2015, though the decline was marginal. In the previous year, 740 people were killed in road accidents, down from 737 in 2014. The total number of accidents in 2015 stood at 4,828, down from 5,004 the year before. Statistics show that road accidents are decreasing over the last few years. In 2010, there were 6,483 accidents and 858 people had lost their lives. Saleem attributed the decrease in road accidents to improved policing. 5 January 2016 (NUS) Rice production in Myanmar and the rise of palm oil plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia could pose future threats to mangrove forests Southeast Asia has the greatest diversity of mangrove species in the world, and mangrove forests provide multiple ecosystem services upon which millions of people depend. Mangroves enhance fisheries by providing habitat for young fishes and offer coastal protection against storms and floods. They also store substantially higher densities of carbon, as compared to most other ecosystems globally, thus playing an important role in soaking up carbon dioxide emissions and mitigating climate change. Despite their benefits, mangrove forests in Southeast Asia have experienced extensive deforestation over the last few decades due to global demand for commodities. This phenomenon is likely to persist, given the continued increase in population and global affluence. Assistant Professor Daniel Friess from the Department of Geography at the National University of Singapore (NUS), and Dr Daniel Richards, who was formerly with the Department and is now with the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences at The University of Sheffield, recently concluded a study examining the factors leading to mangrove deforestation in Southeast Asia between 2000 and 2012. The researchers discovered that the mangrove deforestation rates in Southeast Asia were lower than previously thought. They also identified the rapid expansion of rice agriculture in Myanmar, and sustained conversion of mangroves to oil palm plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia, as increasing and under-recognised threats to the mangrove ecosystems. The findings were published in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, in December 2015. Factors influencing mangrove deforestation This is the first study to systematically quantify the conversion of mangroves to different land use types in Southeast Asia and identify the key drivers of mangrove deforestation over the last decade. While the available data potentially show encouraging signs of a slowdown in mangrove deforestation, it is important to note that mangrove loss in Southeast Asia still remains substantial. This not only results in negative impacts on the mangrove diversity, but also undermines the ecosystem services that mangrove forests provide, such as carbon storage, said Asst Prof Friess. The team found that around two per cent of Southeast Asias mangroves, amounting to over 100,000 hectares, were deforested from 2000 to 2012. While existing studies have primarily held the expansion of aquaculture responsible for mangrove deforestation in the region, the researchers found that the conversion of mangroves for alternative land uses to provide other commodities, including rice agriculture and oil palm plantations, also had an important role to play. The motivating factors and target commodity differs by country, and were influenced by the respective national economic policies. For instance, in Myanmar, rice production is considered critical for national food security, while palm oil production in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand is promoted to enhance the economy and improve national energy security. Future threats to mangrove forests Continued agricultural expansion for rice in Myanmar and conversion of mangroves into oil palm plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia, may spell danger for the mangrove ecosystems in Southeast Asia in the near future. This study has shown that rice expansion in Myanmar has accounted for more than a fifth of the total mangrove change in Southeast Asia over the study period, and these trends are likely to continue with the rapid economic transformation in the country, if environmental safeguards are not put in place. Currently, the development of oil palm plantations is already a major driver of terrestrial forest and peat swamp deforestation in Malaysia and Indonesia, contributing to regional issues such as haze. With palm oil production in Indonesia expected to increase steadily over the next few years, especially into frontier areas like Papua, Indonesias largest and easternmost province, this is also likely to pose severe threats to the mangroves forests there. Our study provides detailed information for evidence-based conservation of mangrove forests. Future research and policy interventions, at the national and subnational level, must consider the diversity of drivers of mangrove deforestation, said Dr Richards. 2016 might be the year that Big Data gets smaller and smarter, according to Tecnotrees Timo Ahomaki... Which developing or emerging markets (regions / countries) do you cover? Tecnotree helps more than 100 service providers in over 70 countries and our prepaid solutions support a total of 70 million subscribers across the world. With a large existing global footprint in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, we are now looking to continue to expand our presence in developing regions including Asia. What are your main hardware and/or services focus areas? Tecnotree is working on a strategic approach to enable telecom operators to enhance loyalty of subscribers and build sustainable competitive advantage with service innovation and proactive customer care using solutions such as Unified Product Catalogue, Customer Lifecycle Management and Social Media & Self-Care. Big Data disillusionment After a lot of hype over the past five years, and despite serious investment by many CSPs, the advertised benefits of Big Data have by and large failed to materialise. This is especially true when it comes to many prepaid driven markets, as the quality of data available for CSPs leaves a lot to be desired from the point of view of completeness and quality. This will lead to many CSPs returning to a more grounded approach to analytics. In 2016 there will be much more talk about either small data or smart data, which, In practice, means a greater concentration on the near-real-time behaviour of individual customers. Particularly for the high-churn, prepaid dominated markets, small data approaches provide a much more direct route to actionable insight compared to traditional big data methods, and hence are likely to gain popularity with a wide range of CSPs. Facebook will continue pushing Free Basics hard, despite pushback Clearly, a central part of Facebooks push for connecting the unconnected, Free Basic Services, will continue to receive focus and funding. Opening up the platform in the summer of 2015, while not resulting in a massive flow of developers initially, is a clear signal that the target is not just push to the Facebook app to the unconnected, but a wider attempt at control on how people experience the internet. With Free Basic Services currently available in 19 countries and counting, we are starting to see both CSPs and vendors taking the opportunity seriously. We also expect the other major Internet companies, most prominently Google, with their strong foothold in the emerging markets through Android, to enter this game as well. IoT hype reaches peak intensity At a time when the IoT hype is generally still rising, the relative lack of concrete success stories in the CSP environment will require a re-adjustment of approach. While the industrial players are concentrating on making their respective end-to-end ecosystems viable, especially from the point of view of smooth deployments, CSPs (with a few exceptions) have by and large been relegated to the role of providing access. In 2016, the global CSP players will continue forming partnerships and joint ventures with the major industrial players, while the smaller CSP will be looking more into the locally relevant areas such as connected homes and a host of other services requiring a local context. In areas lacking fixed connectivity and with patchy mobile networks, CSPs will naturally have a stronger hand to play in terms of what they can offer to their industrial partners and will be more eagerly sought out as partners rather than merely suppliers. SDN/NFV will become reality, at least partly After years of vendors talking up the opportunities around SDN/NFV, we are finally seeing some real-life deployments. While many things remain unclear around the actual deployment details, especially around the complexity of orchestration, many CSPs are now ready to push things into large-scale production. In 2016 we expect to see several major CSPs roll out systems for commercial production with virtualised network elements, mainly in order to cut costs from deployments and operations, not so much to create new revenue, which will remain elusive in terms of contribution by NFV/SDN. Initial steps will be taken to explore multi-vendor orchestration using various combinations of Openstack, MANO (Management and Orchestration) and other models of orchestration. However, given the complexity and conflicting interests in this area, 2016 will still be a year of exploration rather than mainstream deployments. Timo Ahomaki is CTO of Tecnotree. Orange has announced it has entered into an agreement with Cellcom Telecommunications Limited to acquire, through its subsidiary Orange Cote dIvoire, Cellcom Liberia, the leading mobile operator in the West African country. Orange said it will provide its marketing expertise and world-class technical capability to further strengthen Cellcom Liberia, with the companys existing founders and employees to remain involved in the business to ensure a smooth integration. The acquisition is part of the international development strategy of Orange, which aims to accelerate its growth by entering new emerging markets with high potential. With a mobile penetration rate of 66 per cent - lower than many neighbouring countries - Liberia is seen as a good opportunity for the company. With a national mobile license and its significant market share in the country in number of subscribers, Cellcom has excellent potential for growth over the coming years, Orange said. The completion of the transaction - the price of which is undisclosed - remains subject to approval by the competent authorities. Orange has been scaling back in Africa in recent months. In November the company announced it had signed an agreement with Helios Investment Partners for the sale of its entire 70 per cent stake in Telkom Kenya. This came after Orange also exited the Ugandan market, selling out to Africell. The company originally entered East Africa in 2008. The listing shows that the phone will have a 5.1-inch QHD display, Snapdragon 820, 4GB RAM and Android Marshmallow v6.0 A variant of the Samsung Galaxy S7 popped up on AnTuTu, and gives us a glimpse of some of the specifications of the upcoming smartphone. A screenshot of the listing on AnTuTu was posted on Weibo, and shows that the phone, with model name SM-G935A, will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820. Samsung has been tipped to power certain variants of the phone with that SoC, while remaining variants will come with the companys own Exynos 8890 processor. According to the listing, the phone will come with a 12MP primary camera, with an aperture of f/1.7, aiding low light photography. Last month, a report by the Wall Street Journal suggested that the upcoming flagship smartphone will come with a camera that does not protrude out the back, and will be optimised for low light photography. It has been stated that the company will use its new BRITECELL camera on the phone to improve low light photography. Another interesting thing is that the phone is listed to come with a 5.1-inch display, instead of the previously-rumoured 5.5-inch display. This could mean that Samsung is sticking to 5.1-inch displays, and the 5.5-inch screen may be reserved for the Plus variant which could be announced alongside the standard and Edge variants. The rest of the specifications of the upcoming phone seem to be in line with earlier leaks. As per the listing, the device comes with a Quad HD display and 4GB of RAM, along with Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy S7 during the World Mobile Congress event in Barcelona. It was rumoured that the phone could be the first to come with Qualcomms new flagship processor as Samsung had an exclusivity deal with the company. However, the LeTV Le Max Pro turned out to be the first smartphone to come with the new processor. Xiaomi may also beat Samsung in launching a Snapdragon 820-powered flagship phone. The companys co-founder and VP said on his personal Weibo account that the Xiaomi Mi 5 will be released after the Spring Festival, which is scheduled to be held on February 8. Oil markets faced up to another bearish session on Tuesday with Brent and WTI futures staying at 12-year lows and heading lower still, as oversupply concerns continued to dominate market chatter. At 1705 GMT, Brent was down 2.22% or 70 cents at $30.85 per barrel, while WTI was down 2.83% or 89 cents at $30.52 per barrel, heading towards another record intra-session decline in wake of the supply glut and continuing worries over lacklustre demand. Earlier in the session, the severity of the market decline led some OPEC members to call for an emergency meeting of the oil producers cartel to discuss a cut in crude production. OPEC president Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu said an extraordinary meeting could be held in early March. "We did say that if it the oil price hits the $35 per barrel, we will begin to look at an extraordinary meeting," he added. However, Saudi Arabia remains stubbornly resistant to calls for a production cut, claiming it does not wish to subsidise high cost non-OPEC oil production. Away from the oil markets, base metal futures also fell across the London Metal Exchange board following further declines in Asia. Three-month delivery contracts of copper (down 0.4%), nickel (down 1.9%), zinc (down 0.9%) and tin (down 3.7%) extended the previous sessions losses in late afternoon trading. However, primary aluminium (up 0.6%) and lead (up 0.5%) futures posted nominal upticks. Meanwhile, precious metals continued to slip lower. COMEX gold futures contract for February delivery fell 0.88% or $9.70 to $1,086.50 an ounce, while spot gold in Dubai was 0.74% or $8.09 lower at $1,086.11 an ounce. Spot platinum was also down 0.61% or $5.11 at $839.44 an ounce, while COMEX silver fell to $13.77 an ounce, down 0.73% or ten cents. Liz Grant, senior account executive at Sucden Financial, said, Oil prices headed lower as did LME metals and despite intervention from Chinese authorities to calm investor fears, local equity markets are still weak having made fresh lows overnight. The USD remained fairly steady which prevented commodities from gaining any real traction to the upside. Finally, agricultural commodity futures were largely in positive territory over early trading calls stateside. CBOT corn (up 1.42%), wheat (up 0.69%), ICE cotton (up 1.06%), and CME live cattle (up 0.05%) futures headed higher. However, ICE cocoa (down 1.17%) futures slipped lower to $2,868 per metric tonne, well below their 20 and 100-day moving averages on the prospect of slugging global demand. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the blast that killed 10 people and wounded 15 in Istanbuls historic Sultanahmet district was thought to have been triggered by a suicide bomber of Syrian origin. Turkish police have sealed off the square, which is close to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, in an area popular with tourists. Istanbuls governors office said in a statement: Investigations into the cause of the explosion, the type of explosion and perpetrator or perpetrators are under way. Erdogan said in a televised speech: I condemn the terror incident in Istanbul, assessed to be an attack by a suicide bomber with Syrian origin. Images have emerged showing bodies lying on the ground and according to local media reports, 10 German tourists were killed, while six German, one Norwegian and a Peruvian were wounded. 103 people were killed in Turkey in October when suicide bombers attacked a crowd of peace and democracy activists in the capital of Ankara. This marked the deadliest terror attack in Turkeys modern history and was blamed on Islamic State. Shires $32bn takeover of Baxalta caps the companys transformation from a specialist in pills for teenagers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder into a leading producer of treatments for rare diseases. Flemming Ornskov, Shires ambitious Danish chief executive, has made a series of acquisitions to support this overhaul since taking charge in 2013 but none as big as the one agreed on Monday. Financial Times Toyota will keep making cars at its plant in the English Midlands even if the UK votes to leave the European Union, chief executive Akio Toyoda said in a boost for campaigners wanting a Brexit. The comments by Mr Toyoda, the great-grandson of Toyotas founder, will offer reassurance to the thousands of staff at its assembly plant in Burnaston near Derby and its engine plant at Deeside in North Wales. Financial Times The Chinese authorities have resorted to nuclear strength weapons to deter an attack on the yuan by short sellers and convince sceptical investors that they are in control of the countrys spluttering financial system. Chinas central bank fixed the currency firmer again on Tuesday but traders were not persuaded and the currency slipped in early trade despite what dealers called aggressive intervention to support the currency. Guardian Peter Cruddas, the former Conservative party treasurer who is donating to the campaign to leave the EU, is set to make hundreds of millions of pounds by floating the online trading firm he founded. CMC Markets, which is likely to be valued at more than 1bn, is to announce as early as this week that it will float on the stock market. If it goes ahead, it will be the first major flotation in London in 2016. Sources said CMC was expecting to raise around 250m from the initial public offering (IPO) by selling shares. Guardian The number of first-time housebuyers in Britain has fallen over the past year, despite government-backed attempts to try to get more young people on to the housing ladder. Halifax estimates that 310,000 people became first-time buyers last year, down 0.5pc from 311,700 in 2014. Telegraph RBS has advised clients to brace for a cataclysmic year and a global deflationary crisis, warning that major stock markets could fall by a fifth and oil may plummet to $16 a barrel. The banks credit team said markets are flashing stress alerts akin to the turbulent months before the Lehman crisis in 2008. Sell everything except high quality bonds. This is about return of capital, not return on capital. In a crowded hall, exit doors are small, it said in a client note. - Telegraph The nuclear safety regulator is facing a leadership crisis and is ill-equipped to deal with a mounting workload linked to Chinas plans to invest 8 billion in the British industry, experts have warned. The Office for Nuclear Regulation is responsible for ensuring the safety and security of 15 nuclear reactors, hazardous sites such as Sellafield and the transport and disposal of high-level nuclear waste. The Times The FTSE 100 continued to recover some of its losses from the start of the year, rising 107.03 points (1.82%) to 5,978.86 by mid-afternoon Tuesday. Tesco led the risers ahead of its Christmas and third quarter trading update out on Thursday, following an unexpectedly solid Christmas trading update from Morrisons. Like-for-like (LFL) sales were up 0.2% in the nine weeks to 3 January, miles better than the 2% decline predicted by analysts, with LFL sales including fuel down 0.6% over the period. Revenues were helped by LFL transaction numbers in core supermarkets up 1.3% on the same period last year and online grocery sales nearly doubling. With deflation of 3.2% recorded, this implied same-store volume growth of nearly 3.5%, with the feeling that the stories are beginning to attract customers back. Interestingly, industry data from Kantar Worldpanel on Tuesday showed the effect on group sales of store closures, with a 2.6% decline in sales over a 12-week period to 3 January. That same survey claimed Tesco saw sales fall 2.7%, better than the 3.4% fall of a month ago, but its market share declined to 28.3%. Anglo American shares also surged after the company finally completed the exit from its Tarmac joint venture, with the sale of assets in the Middle East to a subsidiary of French engineering and construction group Bouygues. The lengthy sale process began after the miner sold off its 50% ownership interest in Lafarge Tarmac to Lafarge in July. The final joint venture operations were in the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar, while sale of another non-operating joint venture entity in Oman is also pending. Anglo's disposal plans are at the heart of its attempts to slash its workforce from 135,000 last year to less than 50,000 people. Shire rebounded from Mondays losses after Credit Suisse upped the stock to outperform from neutral, following the proposed merger with US peer Baxalta. The company announced on Monday that it had agreed a $32bn takeover of Baxalta, which saw shares tank. Credit Suisse said the deal provides a solid strategic fit and mitigates the significant generic risk at Shire from drugs such as Vyvanse, Lialda and Firazyr, at the end of the decade. It said the combined group will be a leader in rare diseases with strong positions in haematology, lysosomal storage diseases and immunology. In addition, it said Baxalta's position in haematology complements Shire's hereditary angioedema franchise and should provide cheaper manufacturing options for best-selling drug Cinryze over time. The bank believed the negative reaction to the deal on Monday reflects investor concerns on haemophilia completion, the integration of Baxaltas employees and Baxaltas $8bn IRS tax overhang from the spin-out of Baxter. Of the relatively few fallers of the day, BAE Systems flew a bit lower after Mondays surge when JP Morgan Cazenove upgraded it from neutral to overweight. The bank said it believes 2016 will be a big year for defence stocks, citing a major escalation in geo-political tensions as well as it being a safe haven as concerns grow about the global economy. It said there were four key positives for the sector, including the rise in US and European defence spending due to the Middle East, the related refugee crisis and Russias foreign policy when it comes to Ukraine and Syria. JP Morgan Cazenove also said the stronger US dollar is a positive to UK defence companies. FTSE 100 - Risers Tesco (TSCO) 155.65p 7.01% Anglo American (AAL) 245.00p 6.31% Shire Plc (SHP) 4,134.00p 5.32% GKN (GKN) 289.90p 4.02% Pearson (PSON) 709.50p 3.96% Sports Direct International (SPD) 418.00p 3.72% Old Mutual (OML) 161.10p 3.53% BT Group (BT.A) 478.55p 3.36% Berkeley Group Holdings (The) (BKG) 3,655.00p 3.31% Mondi (MNDI) 1,255.00p 3.12% FTSE 100 - Fallers BAE Systems (BA.) 523.00p -0.66% Travis Perkins (TPK) 1,925.00p -0.26% DCC (DCC) 5,340.00p -0.09% Inmarsat (ISAT) 1,106.00p -0.09% Aberdeen Asset Management (ADN) 249.80p -0.04% Reigning Circleville Pumpkin Show champ wins 2022 with 1,837.5-pounder Another year, another Circleville Pumpkin Show. This year we talk to the man behind the excavator who maneuvers the giant gourds during the weigh-in. Diverse groups split on public land issues Competition between different interests is emblematic of a much larger struggle in the West, playing out in federal courts, state legislatures and Congress. By KEITH RIDLER Associated Press BOISE, Idaho An armed group occupying the headquarters of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon wants the federal government to relinquish about 300 square miles to local control so it can be opened up for ranching, mining, logging and other uses. Birders covet the same land for its many migrating species that use refuge marshland as a key resting place. Anglers, hunters and wildlife watchers also are drawn to the high desert terrain. The competition between the different interests is emblematic of a much larger struggle in the West, playing out in federal courts, state legislatures and Congress. At its core, the dispute comes down to personal values: Recreationists' and environmentalists' views on open spaces clash with traditional uses that have sustained rural communities for generations. WHAT'S AT STAKE? About a million square miles of public land managed by the federal government, mostly in the West, according to the Congressional Research Service. WHAT DO BUSINESS INTERESTS SAY? Many of those who depend on the land for their livelihood argue that wildlife holds more weight than people. They sometimes frame their outlook in patriotic or religious terms and say federal land managers who impose limits are shutting down lumber mills, cutting off cattle grazing, preventing mining and destroying a way of life in the rural West. They say that could be solved by turning public lands over to locals who would be better caretakers than far-off bureaucrats. They do have some protections, including an 1872 mining law that still offers miners low-cost access to federal land. WHAT DO ENVIRONMENTALISTS SAY? Many environmental groups say mining, logging and ranching have run roughshod for decades on public land and left a legacy of pollution for taxpayers to clean up. They say the industries have wiped out old-growth forests and overgrazed landscapes made vulnerable to invasive species. Conservationists accuse federal officials of allowing the practices that have scarred the West and failing to enforce laws. The most widely recognized is the Endangered Species Act, famously used to limit logging in the Pacific Northwest to protect forests that are home to spotted owls and marbled murrelets. WHAT DO OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS SAY? The open spaces of the West have miles of streams to fish, trails to hike, mountains to climb and areas to traverse on snowmobiles. Among recreationists' biggest fears is being shut out. In northern Idaho, residents so far have torpedoed a proposed land swap between a timber company and the U.S. Forest Service over concerns about losing access to part of a national forest. WHAT DOES THE GOVERNMENT SAY? U.S. agencies manage most of the public land and try to balance the different interests, but they frequently become lightning rods with their decisions challenged in court. Employees of the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service tend to have an affinity for open spaces and a belief in public service, said John Freemuth, a Boise State University professor and public lands expert. WHO'S THE HEAVYWEIGHT? Congress. U.S. lawmakers could turn over federal lands to local control, but state efforts so far have failed. A strategy has emerged in recent years in which members of Congress slip land-use amendments into critical budget bills. For example, U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, and U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, attached a so-called rider in 2011 that stripped federal protections for gray wolves in their states. As a result, environmental groups have become increasingly watchful. But their push to weaken the 1872 mining law has failed, as have industry efforts to weaken the Endangered Species Act. IS COMPROMISE POSSIBLE? Yes. After more than a decade of effort, Simpson this summer shepherded through Congress a compromise bill that created a 430-square-mile federal wilderness in some of central Idaho's most pristine country. It limits development in some areas but opens it up in others. It got help passing after President Barack Obama signaled that the area would be designated a national monument if the bill stalled. In another compromise, federal land critics and ranchers supported an order by Interior Secretary Sally Jewell last year that aimed to stop wildfires. Republican Idaho Gov. C.L. Butch Otter, a critic of federal land policy, has praised the order. So have ranchers, who partnered with federal firefighters in a plan to respond quickly to blazes. Mormon Church's newest temple opens after major fire, restoration Temple construction has been steady in recent years, slowing a bit since the late 1990s-early 2000s when the church grew rapidly. By BRADY McCOMBS Associated Press Scott G Winterton/The Deseret News [enlarge] Built between 1883 and 1898, Provo City Temple was lifted on stilts during reconstruction. More than 600,000 people are expected for public tours. PROVO, Utah The Mormon Church unveiled its 150th temple Monday a renovated historical tabernacle in Provo that nearly burned down in 2010. The temple's red brick exterior and back story are unique, but the interior features the same staples that make such buildings deeply sacred places for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Walls throughout the latest three-story facility are lined with elaborate religious paintings displayed in golden frames. The marble baptismal font used to baptize deceased family members sits atop 12 oxen sculptures. A spire with a gold sculpture of the angel Moroni sits atop the structure the signature of all Mormon temples. The temple marks another milestone for the religion that considers itself a temple building people, said Kent Richards, executive director of the Mormon Church's temple department. In 1980, there were 19 temples worldwide. By 2005, that total had swelled to 122, church figures show. I remember as a little girl memorizing all 13 temples in the church then, said Rosemary Wixom, a high-ranking Mormon leader. Either I'm very old or this is happening very fast. I do believe the Lord is hastening his work. Temple construction has been steady in recent years, slowing a bit since the historic rates of the late 1990s and early 2000s, said Matt Martinich, a member of the LDS church who analyzes membership numbers with the nonprofit Cumorah Foundation. Rapid growth in membership during the late 1900s spurred then-Mormon President Gordon B. Hinckley to launch an aggressive temple construction schedule. The church also adopted a smaller, standard design for temples that expedited construction. There was such a backlog of new temples in the pipeline that church officials held off on announcing new projects for a few years until 2015. The opening of the Provo temple came on the heels of the December dedication of a temple in Tijuana, Mexico. In addition to Provo, there are 23 other temples in the pipeline. The sites include Philadelphia, Fort Collins, Colorado, Sapparo, Japan, and Paris. The church recently announced plans to build temples in Thailand, Haiti and Ivory Coast. The opening in Provo comes five years after the church nearly burned down in a fire that began in the attic and that investigators determined was largely caused by human error. Though the fire is still considered a tragedy, Richards said we turned it into a blessing. Public tours of this new temple begin later this week, with more than 600,000 visitors expected. The temple is scheduled to be dedicated on March 20. Once that happens, only church members in good will be allowed inside. Built between 1883 and 1898, the Provo Tabernacle had been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975 until it burned. Only the exterior brick and a small hand-carved piece of wood that is attached to a podium in a chapel inside remained from the original tabernacle. At one point during the reconstruction process, the building was lifted on stilts as crews dug out a giant hole that added 58,000 square feet to the 30,000 square feet in the two upper floors. Called houses of the lord, Mormon temples are places to receive sacred ordinances and get married in ceremonies that the religion believes seals families for eternity. They are not used for Sunday worship services. Each one has what is called a celestial room, designed to emulate a heavenly experience. The rooms serve as a place where members can seek guidance and contemplate quietly. We believe what we do here carries on into the next life, that's why we have these beautiful temples, Richards said. As he showed off the features of the temple, Richards remarked about temples in general, These are not inexpensive. He and church officials don't reveal the costs of temples. People sometimes have to travel many hours at great sacrifice to come to them, he said. So the goal is to provide temples for everyone worldwide. Alaska faces big housing challenges Many homes were quickly built during the oil boom. Today they are drafty, moldy and expensive to heat. Another huge problem is overcrowding. By RACHEL D'ORO Associated Press ANCHORAGE Experts from around Alaska recently participated in a daylong summit to address housing challenges in the vast state that's facing a growing shortage of homes amid prohibitive construction costs, particularly in rural areas far off the road system. The event was hosted by Gov. Bill Walker to come up with possible solutions that are budget neutral in Alaska's ongoing fiscal crisis. A report will be prepared on the ideas presented. Walker said increasing the state's housing stock will depend on finding financing and affordable land. He drew applause when he said the state has a lot of land and will look at ways to make it available for housing. I don't mean give it away, Walker said. I don't mean just sign it over to somebody, but make it available in such a way that ... housing can be developed. Many aging homes in the state were substandard when they were quickly built during the oil boom decades ago. They are now drafty or moldy and exorbitantly expensive to heat. Another huge problem is overcrowding, with available housing stock virtually at zero in some communities such as Kodiak, according to Alaska Housing Finance Corp. CEO Bryan Butcher. A 2014 housing needs assessment by that agency and others shows Alaska's rate of overcrowding is more than twice the national average, Butcher said. More than 15,000 homes in Alaska are considered overcrowded or severely overcrowded. That's just not a physical health issue, Butcher said. That's a mental health issue. Participants broke into small groups to look at problems and possible solutions from various angles, including housing in rural Alaska, financing options, homelessness and senior housing. Nowhere is the state's housing crunch as challenging as rural Alaska, according to many participants. Here are some of the barriers listed by the rural housing breakout group: Bureau of Indian Affairs trust land sitting idle because old structures have not been removed; federal income limits that are unrealistic for the state; a lack of master planning at individual villages; and the prohibitive cost of labor, supplies that have to be shipped or flown in; and logistics to develop housing in remote places. Some participants mentioned a lack of coordination between federal, state, regional and tribal governments. Brenda Akelkok, executive director of Bristol Bay Housing Authority, noted that an old state-owned airstrip is going unused in one village in her region, Manokotak, which got a new landing strip in recent years. She said freeing up that state land for housing would be a budget-neutral solution. Akelkok said no one in Manokotak has approached the state about such a transaction. It's a new idea that emerged during a community planning effort, according to Akelkok, who described the state site as having good quality gravel near existing water and sewer services. It seems like it would be a no-brainer, she said. 94th AES welcomes new commander Lt. Col. Michael Boles assumed command of the 94th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron Jan. 10 in the 22nd Air Force Media Center at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga. 28 years in the medical community: that is what we call a subject matter expert, said Col. James DeVere, 94th Operations Group commander, highlighting the new commanders extensive experience in the medical field. Boles comes to Dobbins from the Headquarters National Guard Bureau, Air National Guard Readiness Center at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Aeromedical Evacuation, in my opinion, is the most important job in the entire Air Force, said Boles. The fact that we get the privilege to bring home injured airmen, soldiers, and marines is a gift. Im very passionate about this mission, and I dont think theres another mission that can possibly ever compare to bringing these people home. Boles also extended a challenge to the airmen in his new squadron. I challenge all my squadron to stay current and stay ready, said Boles. So when we get the call, were ready to go. The MOE has revised the upper secondary social studies syllabus with the proclaimed objective of promoting "active citizenship and critical thinking". Part of the updated content include a case study of the Little India Riot in 2013. As the account conjured up by MOE goes, within minutes of the outbreak of the riot, the police was informed and the Civil Defence Force was activated. Subsequently, Special Ops Command was deployed and the crowd dispersed. The authorities' swift action, according to MOE, shows the importance the PAP Government places on maintaining internal order in Singapore. Anyone who has followed the COI in the aftermath of the riot would have noticed that a large chunk of the events is missing in MOE's account. This chain of events revolves around how the initial police response team had failed to act resolutely when it arrived at the scene despite threats among the onlookers to kill the timekeeper whom they blamed for causing the death of their fellow countrymen. Their lack of action emboldened the crowd causing it to spiral out of control with the scene of some of the officers fleeing the scene an indictment of the deficiencies of the Home Team. The result? 25 emergency vehicles damaged, 5 set on fire, 39 police, four civil defence and auxiliary officers injured. The above glaring gap in MOE's account begs the questions: is it more interested in brainwashing than encouraging active citizenry and critical thinking? If it is sincere about promoting critical thinking, shouldn't it lay out all the facts and let students question and think about what went wrong? This year, I planned to celebrate my birthday the way always do. Go away on my own and assess myself. Where I am now. Where I want to be. What is lacking in my life. How can I make most of what / who I have and where I am . Donate to a charity I believe in. Visit a church . Go to a quiet place and reconnect with my real self not the me others expect me to be. With that solo time I had realizations. (Move along to another blog or browse your social media if you are not interested, I am just typing my thoughts here, this was how my blog used to be, not so commercial). It was my first time to be at the Lady of Peace and Good Voyage . Looks like I arrived at the time of blessing of the dead. Hehe, about 5 coffins laying by the altar. Kinda morbid sight but hey its the circle of life, birth and deaths. Some of my birthday realizations: Expectation is diffrent from reality. Get detached. When you reach my age, your friends will be few. It will be hard to have a wingman by yourside to be your partner-in-crime. All my bestest friends in the whole wide universe are out-of-the-country. The near ones have a life of their own. It was not like highschool when you can drop everything and do what you want because you dont have that bigger responsibilities. In highschool your responsibility is to your parents to study well so you can live on your own and have a better future in college and beyond. The reality of life kicks in as an adult you have a lot of responsibilities, bills and more. You are responsible for people. You are responisbile for your own actions. Your family , the one you grew up with, will be the only one youll have when you get old. People come and go, but your family is the only ones that will stay forever until the end of your days. Love is something not to look for anymore. If it comes it will come if it doesnt so be it. Focus your energy on something else. Be creative. Travel. Make things happen. Its a leap year this year, theres this European tradition I think (Scottish I think, my Scottish friend who just past away recently was the one who told me about this) . He said women can make the proposals on a leap year, so if you plan to stay, be ready (lol) if not leave now or forever hold your peace. My alcohol tolerance is not like what it used to. Theres still lots of booze left the popcorn is gone. Haha! Today was alos the first time in my whole existence to have an injection on my face because of a stubborn pimple ! OMG! It was ouch (tolerable amount of pain daw) but really I am scared of needles! I can never trust anyone else unles its YSA because #YsaLovesMeBetter! Thank you to Facebook for being here because there are more friends who are able to send their birthday greetings easily. I think its one of the birthday realizations of everyone , because Facebook makes everyone feel special during their birthdays. I think it is the best feature of Facebook. I am grateful for the entire year of amazing people, places, events, projects that came my way. I am looking forward to another best year to come. #IamEarth I stay gorgeous! New homes in north Kent come to the market Leading housebuilder Countryside will bring hundreds of new homes to the property market in Kent in 2016. New phases are set to launch at its three major Kent developments over the coming year. Horsted Park, St Marys Island in Chatham and Springhead Park in Northfleet are all significant, award winning multi-phase schemes creating exciting new communities and delivering much needed new housing for North Kent. New collections of homes will be available at all three schemes from early spring. The properties will range from contemporary apartments to spacious family houses, and benefit from the government backed Help to Buy scheme. Help to Buy allows buyers to purchase with as little as a 5% deposit with a 20% loan for the first five years from Countryside to boost the overall deposit amount, giving first time buyers in Kent a better opportunity to climb onto the property ladder. Every property will feature the outstanding specification and architecture that Countryside is known for. Countryside prides itself on creating communities of lasting quality, characterised by excellent design, good transport links and amenities and high quality homes that suit the way people live their lives. Kent is an area of focused growth for Countrysides expanding Southern division - the company opened a new office in Sevenoaks during spring 2015 to support this growth. Countryside has been working with Medway Council for the past 20 years since the beginning of the redevelopment of St Marys Island in Chatham Maritime, Britains only strategically planned island community, which was once part of the Royal Dockyard. Now an established community thanks to its sensitive regeneration, the island offers a wide range of amenities, including a doctors surgery, community centre and primary school, as well as a network of cycle and footpaths. Launching in 2016, Azure will be the Countryside Maritimes final development at St Marys Island, comprising one, two and three bedroom apartments and three to five bedroom homes. The first phase, Parklands will be homes which benefit from green open spaces in an attractive setting adjacent to the River Medway. Occupying the former site of the Mid-Kent College, Horsted Park will offer a range of new homes set amid extensive public open space and landscaping including 6.5 acres of parkland. Architecturally the properties are designed to reflect the rural vernacular of the Kent farmsteads of the surrounding countryside. The second and final phase launching in early 2016 will offer a mix of one and two bedroom apartments and two, three and four bedroom houses in a variety of well thought out layouts. Springhead Park is part of the Ebbsfleet Valley redevelopment, where the area is fast evolving into a sustainable mixed-use community with enviable amenities and excellent transport links via Ebbsfleet international station. The new phase of contemporary homes will initially include two, three and four bedroom houses, with apartments available in late 2016. Guide prices at St Marys Island are expected to range from 345,000 to 450,000 for three, four and five bedroom houses. Visit: stmarysisland.uk.com Prices at Horsted Park are expected to range from 150,000 for a one bedroom apartment to 390,000 for a four bedroom home. Visit: horstedpark.co.uk Countryside will also be launching exciting new developments in the Kentish villages of Coxheath and Headcorn during 2016. For further information on Countrysides forthcoming developments in Kent, visit countryside-properties.com In 2000, Michigan voters overwhelmingly defeated a ballot proposal that would have introduced vouchers for public school education by a 69-31 margin. Voters rejected vouchers back in 1978, as well. And its no surprise. The voucher system virtually guarantees that struggling schools are closed instead of improved and would give charter schools, the vast majority of which are for-profit in Michigan, an unfair advantage. This hasnt stopped corporatist education reformers from trotting the idea out again and again. The now infamous Skunk Works project headed up by conservative corporatist Richard McLellan and staffed by people Gov. Snyders administration was secretly working behind the scenes in 2013 to promote an illegal voucher program. More recently Republican Rep. Tim Kelly floated the idea of an Education Opportunity Card, a voucher by another name. Today, conservative corporatist Republican Senator Patrick Colbeck is back at it again in an editorial in the Detroit New (of course.) He calls his plan an education savings account and it would allow third-parties to add to any individual students ESA. It is, of course, yet another voucher by another name program except that this one allows well-connected students to have more to spend than their less-well-connected, less fortunate classmates. Because, lets be honest, a wealthy kid in the northern Detroit burbs is WAY more likely to have a wealthy benefactor dropping some money in their ESA than a kid in Flint or Benton Harbor or Detroit. Why is Colbeck promoting something that our state constitution actually forbids? Because, according to him, it will allow us to fix Detroit schools without impacting the finances of other school districts in our state. Thats dog whistle code for making sure schools in wealthy areas dont have to take a hit. Its also an essential component of the Republican corporatist playbook which is to ensure that corporations get all of the benefit from a states economic situation but never have to have any risk or play any significant role in making sure our schools and infrastructure are sound. ESAs are the answer, Colbeck says in his final paragraph, because they will solve all of Detroit schools problems without raising taxes. And by this he means, of course, without repealing the massive tax giveaways he and his colleagues lavished on Michigan corporations as soon as they took control of our state government in 2010. Perhaps the most chilling sentence in his entire op-ed is this: Do you share my belief that the students in Detroit are infinitely more valuable than the DIA? Is Senator Colbeck seriously resurrecting the take the DIA hostage approach to solving our states financial crises? Its insanity. Colbeck starts his op-ed off by saying that the reasons for the financial crisis faced by Detroit schools are varied and complex. Several sentences later, however, he glibly suggests that the city of Detroits financial crisis was the result of decades of mismanagement by the city of Detroit. While there is no question there has been mismanagement in Detroit over the years including during the times Emergency Managers have been in charge of the city and its schools, by the way to suggest that is solely attributable to mismanagement displays a profound and Id say willful level of ignorance. As varied and complex the causes of DPSs problems are, the city of Detroits problems are even more varied and orders of magnitude more complex. Make no mistake; the proposal being promoted by Senator Colbeck is nothing more than a voucher program pig with different corporatist lipstick smeared on its mouth. Its illegal and its an insult to those who value public education. Chinese President Xi Jinping recently told an international delegation of cybersecurity and technology experts that governments must be allowed to exercise sovereign rights and decision making over Internet use within their own countries. Speaking earlier this month at the second annual World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, China, the president effectively called for a revised order in Internet governance. One nation should not be empowered to call all the shots, requiring less-advanced countries to abide by its rules, he maintained. The principle of sovereign equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations is one of the basic norms of contemporary international relations, Xi told attendees at the conference. It covers all aspects of state-to-state relations, which also include cyberspace. A Growing Internet Power China is beginning to flex its muscle as a powerful player in the global Internet discussion, as the country is considered the worlds biggest growth market in Internet commerce and has the single largest population of people on earth, with more than 1.3 billion. We should respect the right of individual countries to independently choose their own path of cyber development and model of cyber regulation and participate in international cyberspace governance on an equal footing Xi said, according to text released by the Xinhua news agency. Xi was communicating what China considers its right as a sovereign nation to exercise control over commerce and communications coming into and out of that country, said cybersecurity expert William Hagestad, who attended the conference. Xis mandate, which stems from a Politburo-approved national security law approved this summer, is more about ensuring the national security, stability and sovereignty of communist Chinas Internet, Hagestad told TechNewsWorld. However, the speech could be laying the groundwork for a more repressive regime that will monitor and regulate the Internet even more closely. It sounds like this is the first step towards creating a censored environment, at the very least, tech analyst Jeff Kagan told TechNewsWorld. Open Markets, Closed Expression While they do support a market freedom agenda and seem to be applying that to the Internet, the government still cracks down on freedom of expression of their citizens, said Carolina Rossini, vice president international relations at Public Knowledge. During the World Conference on International Telecommunications in 2012, for example, China, Russia and other countries tried to redefine the Net as a series of state-controlled and supervised networks, she told TechNewsWorld. In negotiations on the future of the knowledge society, which took place during the World Summit on the Information Society at the United Nations earlier this month, China attempted to water down human rights language, Rossini noted. So I do not feel this message [from Xi] represents any change or support of human rights. It actually expresses the hard reality that users face in China every day, and also a lack of willingness of China to accept the Internet as core public good for societal growth. Amnesty International put out a statement prior to the start of the Internet conference in China, urging technology companies to reject the governments policies on Internet use. The human rights organization called China one of the most repressive regimes in the world when it came to free speech and open use of the Internet. China recently tried to get technology companies to sign a pledge that would guarantee the storage of data within China, along with a promise not to harm Chinas national security, the group noted. Tech companies must not turn a blind eye to such repression, said Roseann Rife, East Asia research director at Amnesty International, or give credence to any notion of Internet sovereignty that is an attack on the rights to freedom of expression or privacy. Apple CEO Tim Cook brought the encryption battle between the high-tech industry and the nations law enforcement authorities to prime time TV Sunday in an interview on the CBS news program 60 Minutes. During the interview, Charlie Rose asked Cook about the need for law enforcement agencies to access data that has been encrypted on Apple phones. Theres all kinds of sensitive information on smartphones today, Cook noted. You should have the ability to protect it. The only way we know how to do that is to encrypt it. Apple will comply with any warrants served on it by law enforcement authorities as its required to do by law, Cook said, but in the case of encrypted communication, we dont have it to give. Going Dark That snag is whats frustrating law enforcement authorities. Unfortunately, the law hasnt kept pace with technology, and this disconnect has created a significant public safety problem, FBI Director James B. Comey said last year in an address at the Brookings Institute. We call it Going Dark, and what it means is this: Those charged with protecting our people arent always able to access the evidence we need to prosecute crime and prevent terrorism, even with lawful authority, he explained. We have the legal authority to intercept and access communications and information pursuant to court order, but we often lack the technical ability to do so, Comey added. Framing the encryption issue as one of either privacy or security is oversimplifying the issue, Cook told Rose. Were America, he said. We should have both. Banning Locks A proposal to protect our security by weakening our security is going in the wrong direction, said Cindy Cohn, exective director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. If the government were to suggest that no one put locks on their doors because if we were a terrorist it would be harder to get into our house, we would think that was a bad idea, she told TechNewsWorld. This is pretty much the digital equivalent of that, Cohn maintained. Binary Issue Although Director Comey has said in several public forums that a compromise is possible on the encryption issue, others are less sanguine about that prospect. I dont know what compromise means in this context, Cohn said. If compromise means compromising the security of your encryption, then thats not a compromise. There is no compromise in sight, said Berin Szoka, president of TechFreedom. This is really a binary issue. Are you going to allow end-to-end encyption by the operating system makers or not? he asked. Once you say no, Szoka told TechNewsWorld, you start down this road without stopping the really smart bad guys from continuing to use encryption on their devices. Resource Allocation If government law enforcement agencies are looking for an encryption compromise, maybe they should look outside the tech sector for it, suggested Yorgen Edholm, CEO of Accellion. Encryption can always be broken by people who have supercomputers the government has more supercomputers than anyone else, he told TechNewsWorld. So the government has the resources to decrypt anything. Its just that those resources have to be made available to local law enforcement, said Edholm. That compromise wouldnt make it easier to for the bad guys to get into my privacy just because the government wants to have the computer equivalent of a wiretap, he added. The Greed Card If the U.S. high-tech industry were forced to use weaker encryption, it could affect business abroad. Edward Snowdens revelations about U.S. government agencies vacuuming data on the Internet already has cost domestic companies millions in overseas business. Despite potential losses, high-tech companies should change their business model when it comes to encryption, FBI Director Comey recently told a U.S. Senate panel. Also, encryption isnt just a technical feature its a marketing pitch, he noted in his Brookingsspeech. What hes trying to do is distract from the fact that hes trying to ban a technology that secures Americans communications every day, sais TechFreedoms Szoka.Hes trying to reframe the issue as one of corporate greed, which is asinine. 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Last year refugees and migrants in Europe arrived in droves. Debate about those on the move in Europe, many of them fleeing war in places such as Syria and Afghanistan, is still on the boil in 2016 with Pope Francis underscoring their plight in an address at the Vatican. "Many of the causes of migration, "could have been addressed some time ago," the Pope noted during his Jan. 11 address to the diplomatic corps at the Holy See. Yet today he said much "could be done to end these tragedies and to build peace." The pontiff noted that this can be accomplished only if we have the courage to call into question "entrenched habits and practices." Francis cited "the arms trade, the provision of raw materials and energy, investment, policies of financing and sustainable development." In Leipzig, Germany a few hours after the pontiff spoke, more than 200 masked right-wing supporters, carrying placards with racist overtones, went on a rampage, hurling fireworks, breaking windows and vandalizing buildings, police said. Emotions are running high in German cities after gangs of young migrant men sexually assaulted women at New Year in mass attacks in Cologne and other towns, Reuters news agency reported. Migrant arrivals in Europe by sea averaged over 1,700 a day during the first 11 days of 2016, the International Organization for Migration said in Geneva. The period also saw the year's first fatalities in the Mediterranean between Libya and Italy, a route that took the lives of almost 3,000 migrants and refugees in 2015. In his address, Francis said the cry of migrants is "the cry of those who would readily return to their own country, if only there they could find adequate conditions of security and sustenance." NEW YEAR'S EVE INCIDENTS IN COLOGNE He did not refer to the New Year's Eve incidents of sexual harassment in Cologne, The Irish Times reported. He did, however, acknowledge that the migration issue poses serious cultural problems. "The massive number of arrivals on the shores of Europe appear to be overburdening the system of reception painstakingly built on the ashes of the Second World War." Pope Francis said this is "a system that is still an acknowledged beacon of humanity. "Given the immense influx and the inevitable problems it creates, a number of questions have to be raised about the real possibilities for accepting and accommodating people." The Pope said questions also need to be raised "about changes in the cultural and social structures of the receiving countries, and about the reshaping of certain regional geopolitical balances. (Photo: WCC / Marianne Ejdersten) Refugees who arrived in Greece seen in October 2015. "Equally significant are fears about security, further exacerbated by the growing threat of international terrorism," said the pontiff. "The present wave of migration seems to be undermining the foundations of that 'humanistic spirit' which Europe has always loved and defended." On migration, the Pope said that his thoughts continually turn to Middle Eastern Christians, "who desire to contribute fully as citizens to the spiritual and material wellbeing of their respective nations." Francis referred to the ongoing conflict in Syria and he also used his address to praise the efforts of neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan in offering shelter to hundreds of thousands of migrants. The Pope expressed particular gratitude to those countries, Italy among them, who have demonstrated generosity to refugees. "It is important", he stated, "that nations in the forefront of meeting the present emergency not be left alone." (Part Time Scientists website) Unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show is not anyone's typical four-wheel car. Audi Lunar Quattro, a prototype rover planned to be sent to the moon, made its first public appearance at the German automotive giant's booth on Jan. 11. Audi AG has given their support to Part Time Scientists, a Berlin-based team of scientists competing for Google Lunar XPrize. This competition, which Google (in partnership with the XPrize Foundation) announced in 2007, will award $30 million to a team that can send a privately-funded rover to the moon, drive 500 meters on its surface, and send high-definition images back to Earth. The moon's surface has very different conditions compared to the Earth's. For instance, the lunar soil, which is literally sand from rocks, is a thousand times finer than quartz sand found on the planet. Its gravity, which is much weaker than Earth's, is also a factor that must be largely considered. The main challenge for this four-wheeled rover is to withstand the harsh elements and be able to run through the potholes of the moon's surface. This drives the team to optimize Audi's quattro drivetrain, a technology the company is already using on its cars. With it, the Rover will be able to avoid deadlock situations, such as getting stuck in a pile of lunar sand. "When the Rover explores an area with slopes and a wheel's traction reaches its limit in moon dust, a sensor detects the threatening loss in traction. Software then regulates the drivetrain away from the wheel losing its grip and distributes it to the wheels on the axles which continue to deliver stable drive power," explains the company on its microsite solely dedicated for the moon mission. But this is just one of the many technologies they are working on for the Audi Lunar Quattro to do its mission successfully. 3D printing technology also comes into play. In fact, the prototype rover being shown at the Detroit Auto Show was constructed out of 3D printed aluminum and titanium. The team also envisions creating and sending a 3D printer. Since lunar soil is already rich in aluminum, titanium and magnesium, a 3D printer could easily create parts for other devices on the Moon itself. If this is successful, it could pave the way for easier and better exploration of other celestial bodies. The PT Scientists team is one of five teams favored by Google Lunar XPrize to land a rover on the moon in 2017. The other key competitors are Astrobotics (USA), Moon Express (USA), Hakuto (Japan) and Team Indus (India). (NASA Mars Exploration website)An artist's concept of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft approaching the planet. NASA is starting off the year 2016 with optimism as the Congress announced in December that they are rewarding the agency with a $1.3 billion fund increase. This brings NASA's total budget to roughly $19.3 billion. This is not without a catch, though. At least $55 million has been earmarked for developing a prototype model of a deep space habitat that will serve as a camp for astronauts who are going to explore Mars, as noted by SpaceNews. The fund is a small chunk of the whole $350 million set for Exploration Research and Development that is listed in the omnibus spending bill. Additionally, Congress wants the prototype to be done not later than 2018. Since Mars' atmospheric conditions differ from the Earth's, one of the major challenges in creating this habitat is how it can protect astronauts from space radiation as they stay on the red planet. No formal announcement has come from NASA yet on how they plan to execute the requirements Congress has laid out on the bill. As SpaceNews reported, Sam Scimemi, International Space Station director at NASA Headquarters, said no specific plans for the funding have been discussed at this point. However, this is not to say that the agency has not done anything at all. NASA is developing a habitation module that they want to test out in cislunar space (between Earth and the moon) by late 2020s and send it out for Mars missions in the 2030s. Scimemi refused to provide further details about this module, saying, "It's much too early for that. As soon as I put a picture up there, somebody is going to assume what the configuration is." NASA has been instructed to produce a status report of its advanced exploration systems program, in which the prototype deep space habitation module is a part of, within 180 days. A financial report detailing how the agency has spent its funds is also required. Considered to be the Ten Best UFO Photos Ever Taken I am sure that we could add more pictures to this list but these are considered ten o... The NSW Teachers Federation (NSWTF) recently warned that the Federal Governments refusal to fund the final two years of Gonski would create a digital divide that will worsen equity issues in the nations schools.However, according to one senior education consultant, this presents an opportunity for principals to engage with their communities and improve parents education about which device their child should be using and how these devices may be more affordable than they think.Pip Cleaves, owner of Design, Learn, Empower, a BYOD consultancy for schools, told The Educator that there are two main factors at play that are perpetuating a digital divide both of which have a solution.The first of those is that when the parents of today went to school we never had these devices, so if I wasnt an educator I wouldnt know what I need that device for. Parents dont have that experience to work on, Cleaves said.Secondly, when it comes to buying a device, there is a lack of focus on students individual learning styles.For example, if your child is a budding ICT geek, hes going to need some great hardware, whereas if youve got a creative kid, youll need to think about things like Photoshop and see whether the device supports it.Cleaves said that given the equity gap in some communities, principals should engage with their communities to work out options for parents who are struggling with BYOD options.As a school leader you should have a dialogue with your community and see where price points work with them. Talk with them about what theyre prepared to pay and work out an equity solution, Cleaves said.She added that many schools already possess great equity-levellers in terms of available software that can help students improve their digital skills. This, Cleaves, said, should be utilised as much as possible by schools located in low-income communities.The fact that schools have free software like Office 365 and the full Adobe suite is an awesome equity-leveller, she said.So I think that there are things in place to support families and, if parents are going to the devices for schools website, theyll see that there are price points for them which can help.There is an online community that is quite engaged with BYOD called www.byodhub.com which provides examples of how schools have moved forward in that area.Cleaves said schools can use the information on this website to support parents in making the right choice of device for their child.We need to give them the information they need to make the right purchase at the right time. Lets help parents know what options are available for different types of learners and then support those who cant afford to go down the BYOD track, she said. An elite Sydney girls school at the centre of controversy is preparing to put its troubled past behind it with the appointment of a new principal.On Thursday last week, embattled MLC principal, Denise Scala, resigned following an angry campaign by students and parents calling for her to be sacked.Scalas leadership was questioned after 30 of her schools 200 staff left at the end of 2015, including several senior staff from its world-renowned music department. She also faced criticism after a well-respected family who ran the schools canteen for 15 years had their contract scrapped.Following Scalas resignation, Louise Robert-Smith, former principal of North Sydney Girls High School, was appointed as MLCs interim principal. Robert-Smiths past experience in dealing with complex school issues made her a suitable candidate.Robert-Smith successfully handled staff resignations, parent revolt and student unrest at another Sydney private girls' school a decade ago. Ascham, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, was experiencing a parent revolt and a high turnover of principals when she began at the school in 2005.With Aschams declining academic results and a parents' vote of no confidence in the school's board, Robert-Smith sought to clean up the schools image."That was part of the brief when I came to [Ascham], we didn't want to be a part of the papers, we'd had enough of that. It was a conscious decision that I would keep a low profile," she said in an interview with the University of Sydney in 2012. With the new school year approaching, parents at MLC are hoping for a similar style of leadership.In a statement to news.com.au, Scala said she was very sad to be leaving MLC and described her time at the school as a period of rapid progress.It has been hurtful to read some of the comments posted in various online forums attacking MLC School about staff turnover particularly as it was based on a considerable amount of misinformation, she said.A period of rapid progress can have an effect on some people, which is understandable. However, the foundations that have been built during my term as principal are an investment in the future of MLC School.Robert-Smith assumes her post at MLC on January 21 The nations 5 million-plus English-language learners could receive significant civil rights protections under the Every Student Succeeds Act, but the new law is also fraught with potential pitfalls, some ELL advocates say. The bill will shift accountability for English-learners from Title IIIthe section of the federal law that previously authorized aid to states and local school districts for English-language-acquisition programsto Title I, the federal program under which the performance of all other student groups is scrutinized. That move is an indication that the law will do more to hold all schools, not just those with significant ELL enrollments, accountable for the education of non-native English-speaking students, some advocates said. It sends a signal that [ELLs] cannot be ignored, said Brenda Calderon, an education policy analyst with the National Council of La Raza. But La Raza and other groups have reservations about a number of provisions in the law, including the decision to scrub federal accountability targets for ELLs, granting more power to states in the process. Under the new law, states will develop their own ELL accountability systems that must measure progress in English-language development and the number of students who become English proficient. Many states may not have the wherewithal or staff to carry out the duties, said Gabriela Uro, the director of English-language-learner policy and research at the Council of the Great City Schools. Often considered a homogenous group, in part because at least 80 percent are Spanish-speaking, ELLs can arrive in U.S. schools with vastly different education experiences and circumstances. A refugee student with little or no formal education has different needs than a U.S.-born student with some exposure to English. How will the states make sure they are coming up with criteria that are reasonable and fair to these various groups? Uro asked. The law also allows states and districts to include former English-learners in the ELL subgroup accountability for up to four years, a move that could allow districts to mask the performance of current ELLs, said Delia Pompa, a senior fellow for education policy at the Migration Policy Institutes Center on Immigrant Integration Policy. Testing Changes Ahead Fearing the worst, advocates and civil rights organizations have already urged states to diligently monitor the progress of current ELLs and immediately address any downward trends in performance. The new federal law also requires districts and states to report additional data on ELLs with disabilities and long-term English-learners, those students who dont reach a sufficient level of English proficiency to be reclassified as fluent within a set period of time. Most research indicates that it takes students at least four years to become fluent in academic English, the language that allows students to retell a story or understand mathematical word problems. The longer students are identified as ELLs, the less likely they are to graduate. The law also requires states to establish consistent standards for determining when students require English-learner services and determining if students are ready to exit special programs. Researchers and advocates have expressed concern about the patchwork of entry and exit criteria for ELLs. Despite the change, some districts will still place a higher priority on ELLs and their education than others do, Uro said. This is not going to normalize the services students get, she said. What matters more for ELLs is what happens during instruction. The Council of Chief State School Officers released recommendations last fall advising states and districts on how to reclassify ELLs. The council has also offered guidance on how to identify ELLs. ESSA also allows states to exclude math and English/language arts test results for newly arrived English-learner students as part of their performance ratings. Students would need to take both exams in their first year of school, but states wouldnt be held accountable for their performance. In year two, the state would have to incorporate ELLs results for both reading and math, and measure their growth. By the third year, the proficiency scores of newly arrived ELLs are treated just like any other students. As public fears about terrorism hit their highest levels in a decade and anti-Islamic sentiment surges, schools should take extra steps to ensure that Muslim, immigrant, and refugee students feel safe and free from discrimination, the U.S. Department of Education said last week. Schools are always obligated under federal civil rights laws to respond to harassment and bullying of all students, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or national origin, the agency said in a Dear Colleague letter. But that obligation is especially important at this time when fear and anger are heightened, and when public debate sometimes results in the dissemination of misinformation, said the letter, signed by the departments former secretary, Arne Duncan, and its acting secretary, John King. That urging from federal officials comes as a recent Gallup poll shows that American concern about terrorism reached its highest point in 10 years after the mass shootings in Paris and in San Bernardino, Calif., which were both linked to Muslim extremism. In the wake of those shootings, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump proposed temporarily barring Muslims from traveling to the United States, and some lawmakers and political candidates supported a halt on the resettlement of refugees from Syria. Civil rights groups, meanwhile, have been reporting heightened concerns from students and parents about school-based harassment of Muslim students and Sikh students, who are often misidentified as Muslim and faced similar harassment after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Kids are asking things like, Is my friend Muhammad going to have to leave the country? Where do we get to go see him if hes made to leave? said Jennifer Wicks, a lawyer who handles civil rights complaints for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR. Kids are, unfortunately, hearing that. Thats something that families and schools need to have a discussion about. Singled Out Muslim and immigrant students may also feel singled out in classroom discussions about current events, Wicks said, or classmates may inadvertently put them in the position of defending all Muslims, which they may feel unprepared or unwilling to do. And Muslim students often feel targeted by more deliberate harassment, sometimes even by teachers and other staff members, she said. In a 2014 survey by CAIR California, the organizations largest state office, 52 percent of responding Muslim middle and high school students reported being verbally insulted or abused because of their religion. And 29 percent of responding girls who wore hijabs reported offensive touching or pulling of their head coverings by classmates. Students interviewed for the report said they dont report bullying or harassment because the behavior is sometimes presented in a joking tone, or because they fear adults wont take their concerns seriously. The Education Department urged schools not to ignore conduct that may range from abusive name-calling to defamatory graffiti to physical violence directed at a student because of a students actual or perceived race or ancestry, the country the students family comes from, or the students religion or cultural traditions. If ignored, this kind of conduct can jeopardize students ability to learn, undermine their physical and emotional well-being, provoke retaliatory acts, and exacerbate community conflicts, the letter said. The department called for schools to ensure that systems for reporting and responding to bullying and harassment are understood by all students and staff members. Claims of discrimination against Muslim students have made headlines in recent months, and some have drawn legal scrutiny. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating whether the Irving, Texas, police department violated 14-year-old Muslim student Ahmed Mohameds civil rights when officers arrested him after teachers thought a homemade clock he brought to school looked like a bomb. The family of a 13-year-old middle school student in Gwinnett County, Ga., threatened legal action after they said a teacher asked if the student was carrying a bomb in her backpack. A 7th grader in Vandalia, Ohio, faced potential expulsion after he threatened to kill a 6th grade Muslim student he had called a son of ISIS, referring to the Islamic terrorist group that controls territory in Syria and Iraq and whose adherents have been responsible for deadly attacks, including the mass shootings in Paris. And discussions of Islam can be a sensitive subject for schools. In December, a Virginia district closed due to security concerns after a teacher asked students to write the Islamic declaration of faith in traditional Arabic calligraphy as part of a class assignment. Diverse Points of View Schools must address discrimination swiftly, but they should avoid extinguishing sometimes difficult classroom conversations about current events, the Education Department said. To be very clear, working to maintain safe learning communities does not, and must not, mean chilling free expression about the issues of the daythis work is about taking thoughtful steps to create space for open and constructive dialogue, while dealing swiftly with actions that create an unlawful hostile environment, said the letter. Protecting free speech means protecting the ability of your students, faculty, staff, and members of the public to hold and express views that may be at odds with your institutions strongly held values, the letter continued. Schools should not ignore the dissonance that this creates, but should instead consciously use these moments as opportunities for reflection, discussion, and increased understanding. Wicks, of CAIR, said teachers may be more mindful of how such conversations affect their Muslim students if they have a basic understanding of Islam. The organization has offered training to schools to help them avoid and address classroom discrimination. Such efforts are not just a feel-good exercise, school climate experts have said. Research shows that students are likely to disengage at school if the actions of their peers or teachers communicate that they dont belong. And lower levels of engagement correspond with poorer academic performance. Efforts to include and support Muslim students dont look much different from those to support and nurture a healthy school climate for all students, school administrators said. That may mean calling teachers attention to situations that may be particularly stressful for certain students. In the case of Muslim students, conversations on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks or after international events may spark concerns, they said. CAIR applauded the actions taken by educators in the Columbia Heights, Minn., district, where teachers and administrators joined students in a school walkout to protest a school board member, who allegedly posted offensive comments about Muslim peoples hygiene on his Facebook page. The school board member, who denied posting the comments, later resigned. In Southern Californias Corona Norco school district, about 35 miles west of San Bernardino, administrators have not seen an uptick of bullying or discrimination complaints since the recent shootings, even among its Muslim students, said Reginald Thompkins, the districts administrative director of instructional support. He credited the districts ongoing school climate efforts. Every year, high school students in the district participate in a week called What If, holding daily assemblies about issues the students choose to highlight that allow them to ask questions like what if there was no poverty? and what if there were no divorces? Students almost always ask to discuss race, discrimination, and bullying, Thompkins said. And the conversations are worth their weight in gold for the way they help students relate to each other and understand each other throughout the year. It allows the kids to have a safe environment to have these discussions, Thompkins said. For some kids, this is the only place they can talk about it. School policyalready an underdog topic in the 2016 presidential campaigncould be further marginalized as an issue by recent developments in Washington, not the least of which is the newly minted Every Student Succeeds Act, which is expected to scale back the direct federal role in K-12 education. None of the 15 current candidates in either major party can claim personal credit for helping the No Child Left Behind Acts successor over the finish line late last year. And the new law resolves, at least for the next several years, some big questions about federal power over such issues as testing and teacher evaluations. If education was going to get any traction in presidential politics, it was going to be over reconsideration of what we had to do about NCLB, said William Howell, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago who has studied federal education policy. But that horse has left the barn. Also, unlike eight years ago, theres no ED in 08" in the works. That campaign was an 18-month, $25 million effort financed jointly by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation and designed to make education issues front and center during the 2008 presidential campaign. The ED in 08 effort didnt lead to a huge wave of K-12 policy discussion that year, but may have had an impact on subsequent school advocacy. Political Landscape This year, educations chance for prominence may also have been hurt by the fact that former Florida Gov. Jeb Busha Republican and the candidate with the most extensive (and perhaps controversial) record on K-12 among the contenders in either partyhas been beset by drooping poll numbers and questions about his political acumen. Bushs record includes significantly expanding school choice and emphasizing reading in the early grades in Florida, where he was governor from 1999 to 2007. After leaving office, he founded an influential advocacy group, the Foundation for Excellence in Education, which he led until late 2014, to push for such strategies as school choice and online education. Hes also been a big backer of the Common Core State Standards. Although hes recently stressed that states should control their own standards, he hasnt reversed his previous support for the common core, as have other GOP candidates, such as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. The rest of the crowded Republican field has in large part dealt with education by including the common core on a laundry list of policies to oppose. On the Democratic side, the frontrunner, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has made notable K-12 headlines during her presidential bid for her remarks critical of some charter schools and of teacher evaluations that use test scores. But its far from clear that she plans to make K-12 a priority in her campaign, or her presidency if elected. Her statement on charters represented something of a shift in her public position on the issue, while her comments on teacher evaluations did not. And Clintons signature plans for education are both outside the realm of K-12. For example, she wants to provide access to pre-K for all 4-year-olds over a 10-year period. She also has focused on higher education, and college affordability in particular. Clinton is not an exception on the higher education front. Other examples include the proposal from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, currently her main rival for the Democratic nomination, to make tuition free at public colleges and universities. Clinton did make waves last month during a campaign stop in Iowathe site of the first voting, in caucuses Feb. 1when she pushed for more K-12 funding but also said, I wouldnt keep any school open that wasnt doing a better-than-average job. Presidential administrations have no power to close schools on their own, however, and her campaign quickly clarified that Clinton has no interest in shuttering schools. During Democratic debates, former Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley, has talked up Marylands public school system during his tenure. But that hasnt elevated his candidacy or K-12 issues generally. Not the Default So far, in both the Republican and Democratic debates, only one direct question has been asked about K-12 policyit was directed at Bush regarding his support for the common core, which the rest of the GOP field, except for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, opposes. Aside from that brief reference on the national stage, the potential for common core to gain traction in the White House race, after its high-profile and tempestuous political history, has gone unfulfilled for the most part. Common core is not an animating issue for the general public. I think the testing issue is, said Patrick McGuinn, an associate professor of political science at Drew University. Howell, of the University of Chicago, noted that while education so far is receiving, at best, meager airtime during the White House race, that hasnt always been the case in previous election years. During an October 2000 debate between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore, for example, the two parties nominees had an extended exchange about vouchers, school funding, and teacher pay. Bush lobbied for a national reading initiative that focused on the early grades, and more flexibility in teacher-hiring decisions. Gore proposed a $10,000 hiring bonus for teachers, and giving states the power to close down schools and reopen them with new principals and a turnaround team of specialists who know what theyre doing. But while Bush, as president, took the chance to reauthorize the main federal K-12 law a year after taking officethe eventual makeover of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act known as NCLBthe next president wont have that chance until 2019, when ESSA is technically up for reauthorization. Theres not a whole lot left to talk about, Howell said, in terms of what the next president can claim he or she will change. Unusual Period Advocates like Marc Porter Magee, the founder of the 50-State Campaign for Achievement Now, or 50CAN, which supports changes to the teacher labor market and test-based accountability, says there hasnt been a high-quality conversation about education in the race on either side in the 2016 cycle. Yet Magee also acknowledges that states and districts, especially under ESSA, are likely to resume a greater role in setting K-12 policy in the coming years after the recent surge of federal activism under President Barack Obama. I think weve all kind of operated under the assumption that that was unusual and was unlikely to be sustained, said Magee, whose group hasnt endorsed any candidate for president. We shouldnt expect the next president to have the impact on the conversation that President Obama has had on the conversation. In the competitive Republican field, a complex set of factors has left Jeb Bush without much chance to leverage his extensive K-12 experience as a campaign strength. For one thing, Bushs poll numbers have shriveled. A recent survey of national polls by Real Clear Politics had Bush getting 4.3 percent, down from 15 percent in the summer, as GOP candidates who dont have a lot of history with K-12 issues, including the real estate developer Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, have prospered. And with Republican primary voters heavily focused on national security and immigration and distrustful of government on a broad sweep of issues, Bushs chance to talk about K-12 issues like accountability, as his brother George W. Bush did 16 years ago, hasnt materialized, said Howell. Im not sure there ever was an opening for him to push for those sorts of things, he said of Jeb Bush. Separately, in the GOP field, both Cruz and Trump, along with Huckabee and U.S. Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Marco Rubio of Florida, have at least floated the possibility of getting rid of the U.S. Department of Education. Its the price of admission for the Republican presidential primary, said McGuinn, of Drew University. Otherwise, the candidates for the most part havent spent significant time promoting traditional GOP K-12 positions like school choice. (Among sitting senators who are running for president, Rubio and Sanders did not vote on ESSA, while Cruz and Paul voted against it.) Light Footprint While theres no effort in the works for this year that mimics the ED in 08 initiative, education advocates of various stripes may not care too much about its absence, or about educations light footprint as an issue, Howell said. Jim Blew, the president of StudentsFirst, for one, said hell actually be happier if points of contention in public schooling stay clear of the presidential-campaign vortex and arent distorted by sound bites and backlash. Blew, whose organization lobbies in state capitals for charter schools and test-based school accountability, among other policies, also said states havent really lost as much power in recent years as some might think. It absolutely is cleaner when we can have these discussions state by state, Blew said. By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization has asked the Syrian government for permission to send mobile clinics and medical teams to the besieged town of Madaya to assess the extent of malnutrition and evacuate the worst cases, its representative said on Tuesday. An aid convoy on Monday brought the first food and medical supplies for months to the town, where thousands are trapped and local doctors say some have starved to death. Elizabeth Hoff, WHO representative in Damascus who went into Madaya on Monday in a U.N. convoy, said the agency needed to do a "door-to-door assessment" in the town of 42,000 people, where a Syrian doctor told her 300-400 needed "special medical care". "I am really alarmed," Hoff told Reuters, speaking by telephone from the Syrian capital where she has been based since July 2012. "People gathered in the market place. You could see many were malnourished, starving. They were skinny, tired, severely distressed. There was no smile on anybody's faces. It is not what you seen when you arrive with a convoy. The children I talked to said they had no strength to play." An international aid convoy entered the town of Madaya, besieged by government forces, where thousands had been trapped for months without supplies and people had been reported to have died of starvation. The WHO brought in 7.8 tonnes of medicines including trauma kits for wounds and medicines for treating both chronic and communicable diseases, including antibiotics and nutritional therapeutic supplies for children, Hoff said. "The female doctor said mothers had absolutely no milk for breast-feeding, the milk had dried up and the babies are not satisfied," Hoff said. Many malnourished people were too weak to leave their homes. "We need to go in with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent for a door-to-door basement, if there are these cases we need to verify and make sure they get urgent treatment," Hoff said. "I sent an immediate request to authorities for more supplies to be brought in. We are asking for mobile clinics and medical teams to be dispatched." She added: "We need unhindered, sustained access, the only thing that will help in the long term is lifting the siege." WHO simultaneously delivered 3.9 tonnes each to Foua and Kafraya, two villages in Idlib province encircled by rebels fighting the Syrian government. Hoff visited two medical sites in Madaya, one a private practice based in a home run by two doctors, and the other a makeshift field hospital in a basement. Neither had supplies. "The doctors at the private practice said they had run out of medicines they received in October and patients preferred to spend what little money they had on food and not health care," Hoff said. "They reported widespread malnutrition and serious problems with severe acute malnutrition, I cannot confirm what they reported." The two doctors lacked equipment for measuring wasting in a child, or even a scale to weigh patients, she said. The makeshift field hospital, down a dark flight of stairs, lacked hygienic conditions, Hoff said. "The room is often so crowded that they had to give a drip to a patient outdoors because there was no room in the clinic." The Syrian doctor there told her he had names of 300-400 people requiring immediate medical care. "The doctor in the clinic reported that he hadn't eaten for three days." "I spoke with a man who said he was 45 and severely malnourished, he could hardly talk. He said he had four children at home who are in a bad situation. He was totally dehydrated and had a yellow colour and was distressed." "A pregnant woman was there who came in regularly unconscious ... she was lying in front of me, with very low blood sugar and lacking food. The nurse had nothing to give." (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Giles Elgood) Detroit, Jan 11 (EFE).- The new chief executive of Germany's Volkswagen offered an apology to Americans for the scandal over emissions from diesel engines and announced a $900 million investment at VW's U.S. manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Matthias Muller offered the apology during a press conference prior to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. "We know we deeply disappointed our customers, the responsible government bodies, and the general public here in the U.S. I apologize for what went wrong at Volkswagen. We are totally committed to making things right," he said. The CEO said Volkswagen is hard at work on technical solutions for the roughly 600,000 U.S. customers affected by the scandal and that those solutions will be announced once they are approved by the relevant authorities. Muller also announced that VW will spend $900 million (827 million euros) to manufacture a mid-size four-wheel drive vehicle in Chattanooga, creating 2,000 new jobs. The CEO will travel to Washington this week for talks with the Environmental Protection Agency on VW's proposed fix for the emissions-test-cheating software in its diesel cars. "We will offer some solutions and then we will see what the reaction will be," he said in Detroit, where he made his first public appearance before the U.S. media since taking the helm of Europe's largest automaker. Though apologetic over the scandal, the VW boss denied the company engaged in criminal conduct. "We haven't been that (a criminal brand). We have made a huge default, technical default, but there was no intention against customers or authorities," Muller said. Human remains found near Ronaldsway Human remains have been found near to Ronaldsway Airport. Two incomplete adult skeletons were uncovered during archaeological fieldwork at Creggans Hill on December 11th. They're yet to be studied scientifically but it's believed they are historical and date back to medieval times or even earlier. Under Manx law the remains are now archaeological objects and have been excavated, removed from the site and transferred into the custody of Manx National Heritage. The Coroner of Inquests has been informed - police have also confirmed they have no further interest in the case. Looking to meet new people Hello! My name is Erin and I am new to Zurich and am looking to meet some new people. I am a 34 year old woman living in Zurich. My husband and I moved here about 5 months ago for his job. I am currently exploring new job opportunities (AKA I am unemployed) and I have a lot of free time ;-) Im not really interested in attending large social gatherings or meet-ups. However, would anyone be interested in meeting for a coffee or a glass of wine during the day to chat? Im really just looking for some friendly down-to-earth fellow ex-pats to share in this experience. Hope to meet some of you soon! Finally in Zurich and looking to meet people :) I wrote an introduction back in November about coming to Zurich in January. I am now here and working in Zurich! I don't really know anyone here except my boyfriend, I'm a 25 year old female from the UK. It would be great to meet some friends as I'm sure many of you will know that it can be a little daunting at first starting afresh in a new country with all you best friends back at home! I look forward to talking to and maybe meeting some of you! Sophie. Hello everyone,I wrote an introduction back in November about coming to Zurich in January. I am now here and working in Zurich!I don't really know anyone here except my boyfriend, I'm a 25 year old female from the UK. It would be great to meet some friends as I'm sure many of you will know that it can be a little daunting at first starting afresh in a new country with all you best friends back at home!I look forward to talking to and maybe meeting some of you!Sophie. City/Town: 3011 Bern Event Type: Dinner Meeting Point: El Mexicano, Spitalgasse 26, 3011 Bern Pictures of El Mexicano You can download the menu, it's listed as Speiserkarteelmexicano2013.pdf Getting there, take public transport to Barenplatz, or parking at Metro car park, and it's a short walk. http://map.search.ch/El-Mexicano,Bern,Spitalgasse-26 <- this is the Pfeiferbrunnen fountain When making your reservation please do not choose the "Maybe" option, I then spend the day before trying to contact you, to find out if you are indeed coming or not. There is a useful reminder function at top right on this page. I will close the reservation list at 4 pm on Tuesday 12th January 2016, and tell the restaurant how many EF members are coming. If you are having trouble, please call me on my handy, my number is below. I have restricted the number of guests you may bring to 3, as this is an EF event and not your private dinner party, I hope you are understanding. Thanks, looking forward to seeing you there. RSVP'd Yes: 11 (6 members and 5 guests) Starbug ForeverDelayed ftg888 TatianaLouise + 1 guest lola12 + 3 guests EmmaSheridan + 1 guest RSVP'd No: 2 skinner1979 - Will have to miss this one :( See you in February! 3Wishes - Sorry to cancel late, but I am sick. :( See you next month. For the first meal of 2016 we will be going to El Mexicano. We have been there before and enjoyed it. The restaurant is upstairs above the Muller's pharmacy, it is by the Pfeiferbrunnen, a big pretty fountain in the middle of the street. We try to visit restaurants large enough for 20 members, and offering reasonable prices for good food.Pictures of El Mexicano http://www.elmexicano.ch/advanced-stuff-2/lokal You can download the menu, it's listed as Speiserkarteelmexicano2013.pdfGetting there, take public transport to Barenplatz, or parking at Metro car park, and it's a short walk. A series of articles in the January/February issue of Annals examines alternatives to the headlong rush toward large vertically integrated, hospital-dominated systems. Three original research studies and two editorials demonstrate that amidst the movement toward increasing scale, which often requires complicated, explicit and unwieldy systems, it is important not to devalue small, local levels of scale in which simple, personal, implicit systems may function well and meet the particular needs of both clinicians and disadvantaged populations. In his introductory editorial, Annals editor, Kurt Stange, MD, PhD, suggests stakeholders broaden the ideology of reform to test the hypothesis that higher-value personalization, integration, and sustainability may be provided by horizontally integrated systems based on independent large and small primary care practices that are well linked with mental health care and public health, and that selectively purchase vertical integration from hospitals and specialists. Despite Consolidation Pressures, Most Family Physicians Still in Solo and Small Practices That Provide Vital Care in Rural Areas Despite market forces putting pressure on solo and small family practices to consolidate, researchers find that more than half of family physicians seeking board certification in 2013 worked in small and solo practices. Analysis of demographic survey data from 10,888 family physicians seeking certification through the American Board of Family Medicine in 2013 showed that 36 percent of respondents worked in small practices and 15 percent worked in solo practices. Notably, the researchers also found that small practices were the most likely to be located in a rural setting (20 percent). Moreover, small and solo practices were more common among African-American, Hispanic and experienced physicians who have been in practice more than 30 years. These findings, the authors conclude, raise concerns about the types of physicians and communities that are being disproportionately affected by practice consolidation. The authors point out that the likelihood of having a care coordinator and medical home certification increased with practice size, suggesting that smaller practices are likely missing out on new payment models that are dependent on medical home certification. They call for policies to help small practices continue to advance the Triple Aim and profit from economies of scale without sacrificing the benefits of being small. They conclude extension programs and community health teams have the potential to facilitate transformation within solo and small practices. Solo and Small Practices: A Vital, Diverse Part of Primary Care By Winston R. Liaw, MD, MPH, et al Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond Large Independent Primary Care Medical Groups Attractive Option for Physicians and Patients In the turbulent U.S. health care environment, large independent physician-owned primary care groups offer physicians an attractive employment alternative to hospital or large multispecialty medical groups and can also benefit patients and society. In the first peer-reviewed article on the topic, researchers studied five different primary care physician groups varying in size and location and identified their advantages and disadvantages, as well as the challenges they face. Triangulating survey and interview responses from group leaders, group physicians and external observers, the researchers found the scale of the groups makes it possible for them to develop laboratory and imaging services, health information technology and quality improvement infrastructure, while their multiple practice sites offer patients easy geographic access and the small practice environment that many patients and physicians prefer. The five groups studied had an average size of 148 physicians (range = 49 to 255) of whom an average of 87 percent (range = 69 to 100 percent) were primary care physicians. The authors found the groups differed in the extent to which they engaged in value-based contracting, though all were moving to increase the amount of financial risk they took on for their quality and cost performance. They note that unlike hospital-employed and multi-specialty groups, these independent groups can aim to reduce health care costs without conflicting incentives to fill hospital beds and keep specialist incomes high. Some, however, indicated they were under pressure to sell to organizations that could provide capital for additional infrastructure to engage in value-based contracting and provide substantial income to physicians from the sale. Of note, the groups' physicians reported only moderate satisfaction with their clinical workload and their work-life balance, suggesting that the groups have not fully resolved the difficulties of practicing primary care medicine. The authors conclude that large independent primary care physician groups have the potential to make primary care attractive to physicians and to improve patient care by combining human scale advantages of physician autonomy and the small practice setting with resources that are important to succeed in value-based contracting. Large Independent Primary Care Medical Groups By Lawrence P. Casalino, MD, PhD, et al Weill Cornell Medical College, New York Editorial: Policies and Partnerships Necessary to Help Small, Independent Primary Care Practices Thrive in a Value-Based System In an editorial, Farzad Mostashari, MD, CEO of Aledade Inc., asserts that preserving small, independent primary care practices, which account for about one-half of all family medicine physicians, is central to the future of health care, but he contends they must band together in order to thrive in a value-based system. Mostashari cites recent evidence demonstrating small practices have lower average cost per patient, fewer preventable hospital admissions and lower readmission rates than larger, independent- and hospital-owned practices. In contrast, the main effect of consolidation, he asserts, is not true clinical integration but market power used to extract higher prices from payers and to prevent any efficiencies from being passed on to payers and consumers. Mostashari calls for solo and small practices to link up with others who share a dedication to the mission of value-based care and the value of small practices. He lays out numerous benefits of this coupling: it provides a collaborative network of peers, allows for insights from population health models, provides scale needed to negotiate value-based contracts and spread risk, and enables practices to procure the necessary technologies and employ individuals who can use analytics to draw insights from data or have the regulatory and billing know-how for a practice to maximize revenue. Moreover, he calls on policymakers and stakeholders to facilitate the partnerships, technologies and policies necessary for small, independent practices to thrive in a value-based health care system. The Paradox of Size: How Small, Independent Practices Can Thrive in Value-Based Care By Farzad Mostashari, MD Aledade, Inc., Bethesda, Maryland Editorial: External Quality Programs Do Not Make Sense for High-Performing Small Primary Care Practices Despite the headlong rush of practices toward quality payment, two family physicians from a rural Colorado micro practice explain why their experience suggests it may not make sense for small rural practices. They detail how the practice's many quality improvement initiatives did not result in any improvement -- largely because the practice was already performing at a high level of cost savings and there was little room for improvement. The authors question the validity of current quality reimbursement models, asserting that the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative data does not conclusively show a practice-level improvement in the Triple Aim by movement to the Patient Centered Medical Home. Instead, they contend, these initiatives may be unwittingly driving already high-performing small practices to consolidate or forcing them into larger institutions. They conclude that until there is definitive proof that the surrogate measures of quality from divergent and competing entities, many of whom are seeking to control cost over quality, actually do what they say, practices should fully assess whether the PCMH will improve their practice. The appeal for family medicine and other primary care organizations to be drivers of quality measures that make sense, and rather than joining larger groups or participating in externally driven quality programs, they call for small practices to consider a return to a transparent, free market model such as direct primary care in which there is a direct financial relationship between patients and health care providers in which the consumer judges quality and cost directly. Achieving PCMH Status May Not be Meaningful for Small Practices By Kelley K. Glancey and James G. Kennedy Byers Peak Family Medicine, Winter Park, Colorado Study Finds No Primary Care Physician Panel Size Threshold Above Which Quality of Care Suffers Researchers in Canada examine the association of family physicians' panel size with quality of care and health service use. Analyzing quality data on 4,195 physicians in Ontario, Canada, with panel sizes between 1,200 and 3,900 patients, researchers found increasing panel size was associated with small decreases in cancer screening, continuity and comprehensiveness, but little difference in chronic disease management quality or access indicators. Specifically, they found the likelihood of patients' being up-to-date on cervical, colorectal and breast cancer screening showed relative decreases of 8 percent, 6 percent and 5 percent, respectively, with increasing panel size. Eight chronic care indicators showed no significant association with panel size, but increasing panel size was associated with an 11 percent relative increase in hospitalization rates for ambulatory-care-sensitive conditions and an 11 percent decrease in non-emergency department visits. Of note, data did show continuity was highest with medium panel sizes and comprehensiveness had a small decrease with increasing panel size. Because they found no panel size threshold above which quality of care suffered, these findings, they conclude, do not support policy measures such as thresholds or caps that reduce payments to physicians with large panel sizes. They postulate that physicians who take on larger patient panels may be able to do so without compromising care quality because personal or practice characteristics, such as communication style, organizational climate and systematic measures to optimize practice access, allow them to provide effective and efficient care. Primary Care Physician Panel Size and Quality of Care: A Population-Based Study in Ontario, Canada By Simone Dahrouge, PhD, et al University of Ottawa, Canada Long-Term Opioid Use Associated with Increased Risk of Depression With more than 200 million prescriptions for opioids written in the United States annually, researchers investigate the association between opioid use and the risk of depression and find opioid-related new onset of depression is associated with duration of use but not dose. Analyzing data on new adult opioid users from three separate health systems: Veterans Health Administration (70,997 patients), Baylor Scott & White Health (13,777 patients) and the Henry Ford Health System (22,981 patients), researchers found the risk of new-onset depression with 31 to 90 days of opioid analgesic use ranged from 1.18 in VHA to 1.33 in HFHS; and in opioid analgesic use more than 90 days, ranged from 1.35 in VHA to 2.05 in HFHS compared to patients who did not use more than 30 days. Dose was not significantly associated with a new onset of depression. The authors conclude that these findings, coupled with previous research, support the conclusion that opioids may cause short-term improvement in mood, but long-term use of more than 30 days is associated with new-onset depression. They speculate that long-term opioid use may cause changes in neuroanatomy, and they call on clinicians to consider the pain-independent contribution of opioid use when depressed mood develops in their patients. They call for further research to identify which patients are most vulnerable to opioid-related depression. Prescription Opioid Duration, Dose, and Increased Risk of Depression in 3 Large Patient Populations By Jeffrey F. Scherrer, PhD, et al Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Missouri Patients' Willingness to Exchange Different Types of Health Information via Mobile Devices With the rapid proliferation of mobile devices offering unprecedented opportunities for patients and health care professionals to share health information electronically, researchers examined patients' willingness to electronically exchange different types of health information. They found patients were less willing to exchange via mobile devices information that may be considered sensitive or complex, with age, socioeconomic factors and trust in provider information affecting willingness to participate in mobile health information exchange. Specifically, analyzing data on 3,165 patients, researchers found participants were very willing to exchange appointment reminders, general health tips, medication reminders, laboratory test results, vital signs, lifestyle behaviors and symptoms, as compared to diagnostic information. Although only 15 percent of those surveyed were not at all willing to exchange appointment reminders, overall, 44 percent and 40 percent of respondents were not at all willing to exchange diagnostic information or digital images, respectively. Regardless of the information type, older adults (aged 50 or older) had lower odds of being willing to exchange any type of information compared with younger adults (aged 18 to 34). Education, income and trust in provider information also correlated with greater willingness to exchange many types of information. The authors conclude that information type and demographic group should be considered when developing and tailoring mobile technologies for patient-provider communication. They call on physicians to inform patients of the benefits of mobile health information exchange and to partner with technologists to ensure mobile technologies take into account their patient population and patients' comfort level with such technologies. Willingness to Exchange Health Information via Mobile Devices: Findings From a Population-Based Survey By Katrina J. Serrano, PhD, et al National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland High Incidence of New Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Primary Care Patients Researchers find a high rate of new depressive symptoms in Chinese primary care patients seeking care from physicians in a Hong Kong practice-based research network. Monitoring a consecutive sample of 2,929 adult patients with no past history of physician-diagnosed depression, researchers find a 5 percent cumulative incidence of positive screening for depression, significantly higher than reported in a previous systematic review (3 percent). Predictors for a positive screening included being female, coming from a lower-income household, being a smoker, having at least two comorbidities, having a family history of depression, and having consulted a physician at least twice in the past month. Interestingly, the rate of incident depression was lower among patients seen by physicians with qualifications in both family medicine and psychological medicine, implying the possibility of a preventive benefit of seeing clinicians with joint training. The authors suggest that policies to enhance the training requirements of primary care physicians may help reduce the burden of depressive disorders in Hong Kong. The 12-Month Incidence and Predictors of PHQ-9-screened Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Primary Care Patients By Weng-Yee Chin, MBBS (UWA), FRACGP The University of Hong Kong Alarmingly High Rate of Uncontrolled Hypertension Among Homeless Adults Researchers at New York University Langone Medical Center find an alarmingly high rate of uncontrolled hypertension among homeless adults using New York City shelter-based clinics. A chart review of a random sample of 210 hypertensive patients found 40 percent of homeless patients had uncontrolled blood pressure, and 16 percent had stage two hypertension. The rates of uncontrolled blood pressure among U.S. hypertensive persons aged 40 to 59 years and 60 to 79 years who are under treatment are 20 percent and 25 percent, respectively. Lack of health insurance was a strong predictor of uncontrolled blood pressure among both homeless and non-homeless hypertensive adults using shelter-based clinics. Interestingly, those with multiple chronic conditions had better hypertension control. The authors assert that considering the significantly higher prevalence of other important risk factors for cardiovascular events among homeless people, effective treatment and better blood pressure control among hypertensive homeless patients is even more important. They propose comprehensive approaches to improve medical insurance, which complicates blood pressure control, and increased social support to improve adherence, targeted health education and lifestyle modifications using mobile health strategies for this transient population. Rates and Predictors of Uncontrolled Hypertension Among Hypertensive Homeless Adults Using New York City Shelter-Based Clinics By Ramin Asgary, MD, MPH, et al New York University School of Medicine Researchers Offer Pragmatic Alternative for Assessing Home Blood Pressure Control from Patient Diaries Researchers in Australia offer an empirically validated method for assessing a patient's home blood pressure beyond informally looking over a list of home blood pressure readings or laboriously calculating average blood pressure manually from patient records, which is impractical in busy clinical practice. They found that if three or more of the last 10 home systolic blood pressure readings were ?135 mm Hg (the threshold for elevated blood pressure based on HBP), there was propensity toward having uncontrolled blood pressure according to 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure, as well as greater risk of target organ disease associated with hypertension (increased aortic stiffness, left ventricular relative wall thickness, and left atrial area, but lower left ventricular ejection fraction). They conclude their findings suggest that in patients who do not use home blood pressure devices with storage memory, this pragmatic approach using a summary statistic is a valid aid for physicians to assess blood pressure control. The approach also has the potential to facilitate greater use of HBP monitoring, which has demonstrated superior prognostic utility and helps to reduce health system costs, improve adherence to therapy and achieve better blood pressure control. Pragmatic Method Using Blood Pressure Diaries to Assess Blood Pressure Control By James E. Sharman, BHMS (Hons), PhD, et al University of Tasmania, Menzies Institute for Medical Research, Australia Office-Based Split-Session Focus Group Interviews Effective for Collecting Data From Health Care Teams When recruiting health care professionals to participate in focus group interviews, investigators encounter many challenges, including busy clinic schedules, recruitment and getting candid responses from diverse participants. To address these challenges, researchers developed a novel split-session method for conducting focus groups in the practice setting, in which time is divided between sessions with the entire group and with subgroups. They assert the split-session model provides an efficient, effective way to elicit candid qualitative information from all members of a primary care practice in the office setting where they work, simultaneously accommodating the practice's workflow needs as much as possible. Split-Session Focus Group Interviews in the Naturalistic Setting of Family Medicine Offices By Michael D. Fetters, MD, MPH, MA, et al University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Reflection: Family Physician Shares His Personal Ethos of Healing A family physician shares his personal ethos of healing that is informed by seven supporting principles -- dignity, authenticity, integrity, transparency, solidarity, generosity and resiliency. The author invites students, residents and practicing physicians to reflect and discover their own ethos of healing and the principles that guide their professional growth, and he offers a short digital documentary to accompany the essay for use as a reflective prompt to encourage personal and professional development. Healing By William B. Ventres, MD, MA Oregon Health & Science University, Portland Reflection: Sleepless Nights Are an Expected Part of Being a Physician A family physician recounts her experience managing an extremely anxious patient, its influence on her and some of her reflections on the ensuing 'white' nights. She shares how she is often kept awake by the thought that she may have forgotten something for one of her patients and worries that she could have done something better. Any mistakes, or near-mistakes, she writes, lead to endless ruminations, sleepless nights and sudden awakenings, but she concludes that concern for patients and white nights are an expected part of being a physician. The day the terrified awakenings cease, she writes, is when it's time to find a different profession. White Nights By Michal Shani, MD, MPH Clalit Health Service, Rehovot, Israel ### Annals of Family Medicine is a peer-reviewed, indexed research journal that provides a cross-disciplinary forum for new, evidence-based information affecting the primary care disciplines. Launched in May 2003, Annals is sponsored by seven family medical organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Board of Family Medicine, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, the Association of Departments of Family Medicine, the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors, the North American Primary Care Research Group, and the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Annals is published six times each year and contains original research from the clinical, biomedical, social and health services areas, as well as contributions on methodology and theory, selected reviews, essays and editorials. Complete editorial content and interactive discussion groups for each published article can be accessed free of charge on the journal's website, http://www.annfammed.org. Annals of Family Medicine continues to be rated among the most influential journals in general and internal medicine. According to the recently released Thomson Reuters' 2015 Journal Citation Report, the journal's impact factor of 5.434, which measures the average number of citations to recent articles published in the journal, places it number one out of 19 journals in the primary healthcare category and number 16 among 153 journals in the larger category of general and internal medicine. Moreover, Annals' immediacy index rating, which measures the number of times an article is cited in the year it is published, places it at number seven of 153 in the general and internal medicine category. We are proud of these extremely high rankings, which suggest that Annals continues to address timely topics and is publishing articles that are highly relevant to the discipline and to a broad research community. Follow Us: Twitter: @annfammed Facebook: Annals of Family Medicine Boston--A team of local researchers have discovered a previously unknown cellular defect in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease, and identified a sequence of pathological events that can trigger or accelerate premature death of certain neurons in the brain seen in this disease. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, will provide a better understanding and further research towards a possible cure of Parkinson's disease, which is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement and other vital functions in nearly one million people in the United States. Despite advances in understanding the causes of familial forms of this disease, the most prevalent idiopathic form of Parkinson's disease remains a mystery. Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) researchers discovered that the cells of people with idiopathic Parkinson's disease have a previously unknown defect in the function of a specific PLA2g6 protein, causing dysfunction of calcium homeostasis that can determine whether some cells will live or die. "Idiopathic or genetic dysfunction of calcium signaling triggers a sequence of pathological events leading to autophagic dysfunction, progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons and age-dependent impairment of vital motor functions typical for Parkinson's disease," explained corresponding author Victoria Bolotina, PhD, professor of medicine at BUSM. "Discovery of this new mechanism associated with human Parkinson's disease and our ability to mimic this pathology in a novel genetic model opens new opportunities for finding a cure for this devastating neurodegenerative disease," she added. ### This work was partially supported by research grant awards from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, the US National Institutes of Health, SERVIER Research Institute and the Department of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. Chicago, Jan. 12, 2016 - Using statins before and after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery can help reduce cardiac complications, such as atrial fibrillation, following surgery and also can reduce the risk of death during and after surgery, according to a review article posted online today by The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. The article will appear in the February issue of the journal. Key Points: Using statins before and after CABG surgery can help reduce cardiac complications, such as atrial fibrillation, following surgery. Statin use also seemed to be associated with a reduced risk of death during and immediately after CABG surgery. More research is needed on optimal dose and duration of statin use, as well as its benefits in reducing the risk of stroke, heart attack, or kidney problems after surgery. The body often responds to CABG surgery and other major operations that involve prolonged anesthesia with an intense inflammatory reaction, which has been linked to postoperative complications. Statins are cholesterol-lowering drugs that also have anti-inflammatory properties. "Previous research has shown that discontinuation of the medication at the time of surgery is common practice," said Amr F. Barakat, MD, from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. "The results of our review call for proactive efforts to counsel patients and surgeons about the benefit of statins -- a benefit that definitely outweighs the risk of rare potential side effects." Dr. Barakat and colleagues, including Islam Y. Elgendy, MD, from the University of Florida in Gainesville, examined statin use both before and after surgery to evaluate the medication's impact on patient outcomes. They reviewed all related articles in the Medline database through July 2015. "It appears that taking statins prior to CABG surgery can help protect patients against developing atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat that is a common complication following heart surgery," said Dr. Elgendy. "Statin use also seems to be associated with a reduced risk of death during and immediately after surgery." The researchers also found that taking statins prior to surgery appeared to be well-tolerated by patients, and the risk of side effects was low compared to the potential benefits. They added that further research is needed on optimal statin dose and duration, as well as on the impact statins may have in other areas. "The current evidence suggested that the benefit of statin use in reducing the risk of stroke, heart attack, or kidney problems after surgery is not well established," said Dr. Barakat. "Further research is needed to study these associations to determine if the benefits of statins expand beyond cardiac complications." ### This news release is available in German. Underground heat islands in cities have an enormous geothermal potential. Warm groundwater can be used to produce sustainable energy for heating and cooling. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now developed a new method to find underground heat islands: They estimate groundwater temperature from surface temperatures and building densities measured by satellites. This is reported in the journal "Environmental Science & Technology". In bigger cities, temperatures usually are far higher than in the rural surroundings. These so-called urban heat islands result from various factors, such as population density, surface sealing, thermal radiation of buildings, industry, and transport as well as lacking vegetation. This phenomenon affects the atmosphere, surface, and subsurface of modern cities. Temperature anomalies may contribute to regional air pollution and an increased mortality during hot spells in summer. Increased groundwater temperatures influence underground ecosystems and may favor growth of pathogens in groundwater. But underground heat islands also have high potentials for energy supply and climate protection: Energy from close-to-surface groundwater aquifers may be used for heating in winter and cooling in summer with the help of geothermal or groundwater heat pumps. If this geothermal potential would be used, part of the growing energy consumption of cities might be covered. This would reduce emission of greenhouse gases and, thus, counteract global warming. Surface and underground heat islands are connected mainly by thermal conduction. So far, research has studied the individual heat islands separately from each other, such that little is known about interactions and relationships between above-ground and underground temperatures. A group of scientists of the Institute of Applied Geosciences (AGW) and the Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research - Atmospheric Trace Gases and Remote Sensing Division (IMK-ASF) of KIT as well as of ETH Zurich recently analyzed above-ground and underground heat islands in four big cities in Germany in relation to each other. The results are reported in the journal "Environmental Science & Technology". The scientists used satellite measurements of surface temperature to easily determine spatial and temporal parameters of above-ground heat islands. Description of underground heat islands is much more difficult. Interpolation of groundwater temperature measurements at existing monitoring stations is time-consuming and expensive. For this reason, other methods are required. The researchers of KIT and ETH compared above-ground and underground heat islands in the four cities of Berlin, Munich, Cologne, and Karlsruhe. They found a spatial correlation of up to 80%. Correlation in older cities, such as Cologne, exceeds that of relatively young cities like Karlsruhe. The older the city is, the more pronounced is underground warming. 95% of the areas studied were found to have a higher groundwater temperature than surface temperature. The scientists attributed this to additional underground anthropogenic heat sources, such as cellars of buildings, sewers, or points of reinjection of cooling water. Hence, satellite-measured surface temperature alone is not sufficient to reliably estimate groundwater temperature. For this reason, the scientists also considered population density and cellar temperature. They succeeded in estimating regional groundwater temperatures with a mean absolute error of 0.9 Kelvin. "This method can be applied for a first assessment of underground heat islands and, hence, of ecological conditions in the groundwater and of the geothermal potential. No complex groundwater temperature measurements and interpolations are required," Philipp Blum, Professor for Engineering Geology of AGW, KIT, explains. ### Susanne A. Benz, Peter Bayer, Frank M. Goettsche, Folke S. Olesen, and Philipp Blum: Linking Surface Urban Heat Islands with Groundwater Temperatures. Environmental Science & Technology, November 2015. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b03672 More about KIT Energy Center: http://www.energy.kit.edu For further information, please contact: Kosta Schinarakis, PKM - Science Scout, Phone: +49 721 608 41956, Fax: +49 721 608 43658 , E-mail: schinarakis@kit.edu KIT possesses extensive scientific competences for research into, development, and integrated planning of the city of the future in all major aspects. Scientists of five KIT Centers - Climate and Environment; Energy; Mobility Systems; Humans and Technology; Informations, Systems, Technologies - work on studies and the sustainable design of urban spaces from their disciplines' perspective and in an inter- and transdisciplinary manner. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) pools its three core tasks of research, higher education, and innovation in a mission. With about 9,400 employees and 2 4,500 students, KIT is one of the big institutions of research and higher education in natural sciences and engineering in Europe. KIT - The Research University in the Helmholtz Association Since 2010, the KIT has been certified as a family-friendly university. In African children, a 3-dose intramuscular (i.m.) artesunate regimen is non-inferior to the WHO-recommended regimen for the treatment of severe malaria, according to a trial published this week in PLOS Medicine. The trial, conducted by Peter Kremsner at Eberhard Karls Universitat Tubingen, Tubingen, Germany and Hopital Albert Schweitzer, Lambarene, Gabon, and colleagues, did not show non-inferiority of a similar 3-dose intravenous (i.v.) regimen. WHO recommends that patients with severe malaria be given a 5-dose i.m. or i.v. regimen of artesunate at the time of admission (0 hours) and at 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours. In resource-limited settings, administering five doses on schedule can be challenging. In this open-label, non-inferiority randomized controlled trial, the researchers investigated the efficacy of three-dose i.m. and i.v. artesunate at 0, 24, and 48 hours. Among the 1,002 children who received per-protocol regimens, 78% in the three-dose i.m. group had ?99% parasite clearance at 24 hours compared to 79% in the five-dose i.m. group, a result that met a preset criterion for non-inferiority. The three-dose i.v. regimen did not meet the non-inferiority criterion. Combined with the results of several secondary analyses, these findings provide evidence that a three-dose i.m. artesunate regimen may be used for treatment of severe malaria in African children. The study's open-label design may limit the accuracy of its findings. Due to practical constraints, the primary endpoint was parasite clearance at 24 hours rather than survival. Further studies are needed to clarify whether treatment with artesunate or the malaria infection itself was responsible for the delayed anemia observed in 22% of participants. The authors state, "Simplifying [artesunate] usage with a once daily i.m. regimen in severe malaria is supported by our results, but because delayed anemia is common, patients should be monitored for this complication." ### Trial registration: PACTR201102000277177 Research Article Funding: The study was funded by (http://www.edctp.org; CT.2004.31070.001) and Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF grant 01KA1011). Additional support was received by Central African Network on Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and Malaria; CANTAM, German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG; http://www.dfg.degrant; KE 1629/1-1) and Robert Bosch Stiftung (Stuttgart, Germany). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: GK, BM, CK, SB, and TE report grants from European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership and Bundesministerium fur Building und Forschung Deutschland for the conduct of the study. SK reports grants from European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership for the conduct of the study, personal fees from Merck Serono and shareholder at QuantuMDx. AAA, JFZ, ABH, TET, YC, AL, MK, MKBA, DPMM, TA, DA, JS, BRO, GAO, AW, KAB, UO, FSI, CRN, PN, MK, and SI report grant from European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership for the conduct of the study. MS, MG, and RK report grants from DFG and Robert Bosch Stiftung for the conduct of the study. TPV and CN report grant from Deutsche Forschungsgemieinschaft for the conduct of the study. SK is a member of the Editorial Board of PLOS Medicine. Citation: Kremsner PG, Adegnika AA, Hounkpatin AB, Zinsou JF, Taylor TE, Chimalizeni Y, et al. (2016) Intramuscular Artesunate for Severe Malaria in African Children: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial. PLoS Med 13(1): e1001938. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001938 Author Affiliations: Institut fur Tropenmedizin, Eberhard Karls Universitat Tubingen, Tubingen, Germany Centre de Recherches Medicales de Lambarene, Hopital Albert Schweitzer, Lambarene, Gabon Blantyre Malaria Project, University of Malawi College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi Department of Parasitology Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Universite des Sciences de la Sante, Libreville, Gabon Department of Physiology, University of Science and Technology, School of Medical Sciences, Kumasi, Ghana Departments of Child Health and Medicine, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana Centre for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya Medical Research Council Laboratories, Fajara, The Gambia Centre for Geographic Medicine Research-Coast, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kilifi, Kenya Dr. Margarete Fischer-Bosch-Institut fur Klinische Pharmakologie, Stuttgart, Germany Eberhard Karls Universitat Tubingen, Tubingen, Germany Abteilung Klinische Pharmakologie, Universitatsklinikum Tubingen, Tubingen, Germany Institute for Infection and Immunity, St George's, University of London, London, United Kingdom IN YOUR COVERAGE PLEASE USE THIS URL TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE FREELY AVAILABLE PAPER: http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1001938 Contact: Professor Sanjeev Krishna St. George's, University of London Institute of Infection and Immunity Cranmer Terrace London, London SW17 ORE UNITED KINGDOM +44 (020) 8725 5836 s.krishna@sgul.ac.uk http://www.tropmed.ac.uk nanomal.org Twitter: @ProfSKrishna As of January 1, 2016, Springer is expanding its business administration journal portfolio to include two renowned research journals: Schmalenbachs Zeitschrift fur betriebswirtschaftliche Forschung and its international counterpart, the Schmalenbach Business Review. Both journals are published on behalf of the German society Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft fur Betriebswirtschaft e.V. and were previously part of the publishing program of Handelsblatt Fachmedien GmbH. Schmalenbachs Zeitschrift fur betriebswirtschaftliche Forschung (ZfbF) is the oldest and most well-known German journal dealing with research in business administration. Founded by Eugen Schmalenbach in 1906 as the Zeitschrift fur handelswissenschaftliche Forschung, the ZfbF has been published under its current name since 1963. Its aim is to publish innovative research that is relevant for business practice in the main areas of business and to foster communication and knowledge transfer between research and business practice. By addressing current, practical issues, this journal has decisively influenced business management development and practice in German-speaking countries. "We are proud to add the ZfbF to our portfolio and, together with the society Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft, to further focus on the development of German business administration," said Andreas Funk, Editorial Director at Springer Gabler. Since 2000, the international journal Schmalenbach Business Review (SBR) has been published quarterly alongside the ZfbF. This journal is geared more strongly towards the global scientific community and addresses the diverse challenges presented by international business. By joining various business-administration disciplines and their respective methods, the SBR has earned a special position among business administration journals. "By publishing the Schmalenbach Business Review as part of the Springer portfolio, we look forward to advancing even further into the international spotlight the insights into business administration fostered by the Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft," explained Martina Bihn, Editorial Director at Springer. "The cooperation with Springer, a publisher with extensive experience in publishing scientific journals, offers us new opportunities to further increase the appeal of ZfbF and SBR for authors and readers," affirmed Alfred Wagenhofer, Managing Editor of ZfbF and SBR. Maria Engels, Managing Director of the Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft, added, "Both journals benefit from Springer's high level of professionalism, something that is of crucial importance to our society." ### The Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft fur Betriebswirtschaft e.V. is the oldest business management association in Germany and looks back on a long tradition. As a charitable organization, it is both non-profit oriented and politically independent. Following Eugen Schmalenbach's example, it initiates and coordinates an open dialogue between business research, teaching and practice. Springer is part of Springer Nature, one of the world's leading global research, educational and professional publishers, home to an array of respected and trusted brands providing quality content through a range of innovative products and services. Springer Nature is the world's largest academic book publisher, publisher of the world's most influential journals and a pioneer in the field of open research. The company numbers almost 13,000 staff in over 50 countries and has a turnover of approximately EUR 1.5 billion. Springer Nature was formed in 2015 through the merger of Nature Publishing Group, Palgrave Macmillan, Macmillan Education and Springer Science+Business Media. Find out more: http://www.springernature.com Los Angeles, CA (January 12, 2016) Game advocates are calling for a sweeping transformation of conventional education to replace traditional curricula with game-based instruction. But what do researchers have to say about this idea and what is the role of policymakers? A new study out today discourages an educational revolution based on gaming and encourages adding promising features to games in schools including heightened use of explanative feedback in games and relevant pregame activities. This article is part of a new issue of Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences (PIBBS), a Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences (FABBS) journal published by SAGE. Researcher Richard E. Mayer surveyed research on game features that improve learning. He found five game features that substantially improve student performance including: Putting words in conversational style rather than formal style Putting words in spoken form rather than printed form Adding prompts to explain key points in the game Adding advice or explanations at key points in the game Adding pregame activities that describe key components of the game Mayer also discussed the extent that gaming improves cognitive skills. He found two types of games that lead to substantial improvements in specific cognitive skills: first person shooter games and spatial puzzle games (such as Tetris). However, he did not find substantial evidence that any other games improve cognitive skills nor that any games improve reasoning or memory skills. "Overall, cognitive consequences research does not support claims for broad transfer of game playing to performance on cognitive skill tests," Mayer wrote. "That is, no sufficient evidence supports the claim that playing computer games can improve one's mind in general." However, Mayer did find that when teaching science, game can be more effective teaching tool than traditional media such as books and slideshow presentations. Mayer discussed the implications of this research for policymakers, claiming that there is a place for small games that focus on well-specified learning objectives, become more challenging as students learn, and fit within existing educational programs to supplement, complement, and/or extend traditional instruction rather than replace it. He also cautioned against supporting video games simply because students like them as liking does not necessarily translate into learning. "The major policy implication of this review of research on games for learning is that it is premature to call for a major overhaul of schools based on computer games: The research certainly does not warrant extensive replacement of current educational practices with practices based on computer games," Mayer concluded. ### Find out more by reading the full article, "What should be the role of computer games in education?" in Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences. For an embargoed copy of the full text, please email camille.gamboa@sagepub.com. Sara Miller McCune founded SAGE Publishing in 1965 to support the dissemination of usable knowledge and educate a global community. SAGE is a leading international provider of innovative, high-quality content publishing more than 900 journals and over 800 new books each year, spanning a wide range of subject areas. A growing selection of library products includes archives, data, case studies and video. SAGE remains majority owned by our founder and after her lifetime will become owned by a charitable trust that secures the company's continued independence. Principal offices are located in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, Washington DC and Melbourne. http://www.sagepublishing.com Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences is an annual publication of the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (FABBS) that presents original research and scientific reviews relevant to public policy. This annual will allow scientists to share research that can help build sound policies, allow policymakers to provide feedback to the scientific community regarding research that could address societal challenges, and encourage the scientific community to build models that seriously consider implementation to address the needs of society. http://bbs.sagepub.com/ Contact: (US) Camille Gamboa Camille.gamboa@sagepub.com / Tel: 805-410-7441 (UK) Katie Baker katie.baker@sagepub.co.uk / Tel: +44 (0)20 7324 8719 Bioengineers and cognitive scientists have developed the first portable, 64-channel wearable brain activity monitoring system that's comparable to state-of-the-art equipment found in research laboratories. The system is a better fit for real-world applications because it is equipped with dry EEG sensors that are easier to apply than wet sensors, while still providing high-density brain activity data. The system comprises a 64-channel dry-electrode wearable EEG headset and a sophisticated software suite for data interpretation and analysis. It has a wide range of applications, from research, to neuro-feedback, to clinical diagnostics. The researchers' goal is to get EEG out of the laboratory setting, where it is currently confined by wet EEG methods. In the future, scientists envision a world where neuroimaging systems work with mobile sensors and smart phones to track brain states throughout the day and augment the brain's capabilities. "This is going to take neuroimaging to the next level by deploying on a much larger scale," said Mike Yu Chi, a Jacobs School alumnus and CTO of Cognionics who led the team that developed the headset used in the study. "You will be able to work in subjects' homes. You can put this on someone driving." The researchers from the Jacobs School of Engineering and Institute for Neural Computation at UC San Diego detailed their findings in an article of the Special Issue on Wearable Technologies published recently in IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering. They also envision a future when neuroimaging can be used to bring about new therapies for neurological disorders. "We will be able to prompt the brain to fix its own problems," said Gert Cauwenberghs, a bioengineering professor at the Jacobs School and a principal investigator of the research supported in part by a five-year Emerging Frontiers of Research Innovation grant from the National Science Foundation. "We are trying to get away from invasive technologies, such as deep brain stimulation and prescription medications, and instead start up a repair process by using the brain's synaptic plasticity." In 10 years, using a brain-machine interface might become as natural as using your smartphone is today, said Tim Mullen, a UC San Diego alumnus, now CEO of Qusp and lead author on the study. Mullen, a former researcher at the Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience at UC San Diego, led the team that developed the software used in the study with partial funding from the Army Research Lab. For this vision of the future to become a reality, sensors will need to become not only wearable but also comfortable, and algorithms for data analysis will need to be able to cut through noise to extract meaningful data. The paper, titled "Real-time Neuroimaging and Cognitive Monitoring Using Wearable Dry EEG," outlines some significant first steps in that direction. EGG headset The EEG headset developed by Chi and his team has an octopus-like shape, in which each arm is elastic, so that it fits on many different kinds of head shapes. The sensors at the end of each arm are designed to make optimal contact with the scalp while adding as little noise in the signal as possible. Researchers spent four years perfecting the recipe for the sensors' materials. Sensors designed to work on a subject's hair are made of a mix of silver and carbon deposited on a flexible substrate. This material allows sensors to remain flexible and durable while still conducting high-quality signals--a silver/silver-chloride coating is key here. Sensors designed to work on bare skin are made from a hydrogel encased inside a conductive membrane. These sensors are mounted inside a pod equipped with an amplifier, which helps boost signal quality while shielding the sensors from interferences from electrical equipment and other electronics. Next steps include improving the headset's performance while subjects are moving. The device can reliably capture signals while subjects walk but less so during more strenuous activities such as running. Electronics also need improvement to function for longer time periods--days and even weeks instead of hours. Software and data analysis The data that the headset captured were analyzed with software developed by Mullen and Christian Kothe, another former researcher at the Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience and currently CTO of Qusp. First, brain signals needed to be separated from noise in the EEG data. The tiny electrical currents originating from the brain are often contaminated by high amplitude artifacts generated when subjects move, speak or even blink. The researchers designed an algorithm that separates the EEG data in real-time into different components that are statistically unrelated to one another. It then compared these elements with clean data obtained, for instance, when a subject is at rest. Abnormal data were labeled as noise and discarded. "The algorithm attempts to remove as much of the noise as possible while preserving as much of the brain signal as possible," said Mullen. But the analysis didn't stop there. Researchers used information about the brain's known anatomy and the data they collected to find out where the signals come from inside the brain. They also were able to track, in real time, how signals from different areas of the brain interact with one another, building an ever-changing network map of brain activity. They then used machine learning to connect specific network patterns in brain activity to cognition and behavior. "A Holy Grail in our field is to track meaningful changes in distributed brain networks at the 'speed of thought'," Mullen said. "We're closer to that goal, but we're not quite there yet." Start-ups Both Chi and Mullen have created start-ups focused on commercialization of brain technology, including some components featured in this study. Chi's company, Cognionics, sells the headset to research groups. The device also is popular with specialists in neuro-feedback, who map the brain to later influence behavior. The ultimate goal is to get the headset into the clinic to help diagnose a range of conditions, such as strokes and seizures. Mullen's start-up, Qusp, has developed NeuroScale, a cloud-based software platform that provides continuous real-time interpretation of brain and body signals through an Internet application program interface. The goal is to enable brain-computer interface and advanced signal processing methods to be easily integrated with various everyday applications and wearable devices. Under joint DARPA funding, Cognionics is creating an improved EEG system, while Qusp is developing an easy-to-use graphical software environment for rapid design and application of brain signal analysis pipelines. "These entrepreneurial efforts are integral to the success of the Jacobs School and the Institute for Neural Computation to help take neurotechnology from the lab to practical uses in cognitive and clinical applications," said Cauwenberghs, who is co-founder of Cognionics and serves on its Scientific Advisory Board. ### Mullen is also affiliated with the Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience at the Institute of Neural Computation at UC San Diego, as are co-authors Kothe, Alejandro Ojeda, Director Scott Makeig, and Co-director Tzyy-Ping Jung. Co-author Trevor Kerth is now pursuing industrial design at Kingston University, London. More info: http://tbme.embs.org/2015/10/22/real-time-neuroimaging-cognitive-monitoring-using-wearable-dry-eeg/ Full paper: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?arnumber=7274673 To the amazement of researchers in immunology and genetics, a previously unsuspected mechanism is activated in the presence of pathogens after only a few hours. "In the hours following an attack by bacteria, we observed the activation of thousand of genes in the cells of the innate immune system (the one we are born with) and the triggering of its immune defences," said Luis Barreiro, a researcher at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center (CHU Saint-Justine) and professor at the University of Montreal. "We were surprised that the bacterial infection caused thousands of changes in DNA methylation, while this epigenetic imprint was thought to be stable and non-reactive to environmental perturbations," he added. To reach this conclusion, the researcher and his team inoculated a live strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (the pathogen that causes tuberculosis in humans) to dendritic cells, which make up the innate immune system "In addition to observing thousands of DNA methylation changes very quickly after infection, there was a significant loss of methylation, which was strongly linked to the activation of neighbouring genes," said the principal investigator of the study. Another surprising fact was that the reaction took place in the dendritic cells, whereas the latter did not multiply. "Normally demethylation occurs during cell division. The rapid triggering of this epigenetic change in cells that did not divide surprised us," said Alain Pacis, a doctoral student and first author of the study. "We must further explore the mechanism that makes this process possible." Recent studies suggest that after first encountering a pathogen or other immune stimuli, innate immune cells keep the attack in memory to respond more effectively and more rapidly to future attacks, much like the adaptive immune system. According to Barreiro, the ability of these cells to remember past attacks can be explained by the lasting epigenetic changes that occur during the first infection. "Several clues lead us to believe that the innate immune system also has immunological memory, and the demethylation of DNA may play an important role in the acquisition of this memory. This is another avenue to verify." Much remains to be done to explain the mysteries surrounding DNA methylation and the mechanisms by which it regulates the innate immune system and gives it a certain memory. Nevertheless, the discovery of the researchers sheds new light on how to approach the development of vaccines, in particular, by further considering the role of various epigenetic perturbations in triggering the immune response. ### About the study The article "Bacterial infection remodels the DNA methylation landscape of human dendritic cells" was published in the journal Genome Research. Luis Barreiro, PhD, is a researcher at Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center (CHU Saint-Justine) and an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Montreal. He has received financial support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Human Frontiers Science Program, and the Canadian Research Chairs (CRC) program. Alain Pacis is a doctoral student in Bioinformatics at the University of Montreal. About the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center (CHU Sainte-Justine) The Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center is a leading institution in mother and child research. Focused on the discovery of novel means of prevention, less invasive and faster treatments, and promising avenues of personalized medicine, it brings together over 200 researchers, including more than 90 clinical researchers and 360 graduate and post-doctoral students. The center is an integral part of the Sainte-Justine University Hospital, the largest mother and child hospital in Canada and the second largest pediatric hospital in North America. Details: recherche.chusj.org MIAMI - A new study found that a major ocean current in the Gulf of Mexico plays an important role in sustaining Florida red tide blooms. The University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science research team suggest that the position of the Loop Current can serve as an indicator of whether the algal bloom will be sustained, and provide warning of possible hazardous red tide conditions in coastal areas. Florida red tide is a harmful algal bloom produced by the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis that causes respiratory impairment in humans and marine life, and is responsible for shellfish poisoning. The researchers collected data of Karenia brevis concentrations, river outflows, wind conditions, and sea surface heights to study the physical conditions during periods of large Karenia brevis blooms and periods of no bloom. This research looked at the continuation of a bloom and not the formation of a red tide bloom. They found that when the Loop Current is in a northern position, it allow a bloom to continue when other conditions were favorable, but when in a southern position a bloom could not be sustained. The Loop Current, which enters the Gulf of Mexico through the Yucatan Straits, is one of the most important features in the Gulf ocean circulation system. "Knowing the approximate position of the Loop Current can be an indicator if a bloom will be sustained, and provide a warning for possible hazardous conditions," said UM Rosenstiel School Ph.D. student Grace Maze, lead author of the study. ### The study, titled "Historical Analysis of Environmental Conditions During Florida Red Tide" was published in the Dec. 2015 issue of the journal Harmful Algae. The study's authors include: Maria J Olascoaga and Larry Brand of the UM Rosenstiel School. The Oceans and Human Health Center at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School supported the project through a National Science Foundation grant and Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative funds provided by the Consortium provided for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbon in the Environment (CARTHE). About the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School The University of Miami is one of the largest private research institutions in the southeastern United States. The University's mission is to provide quality education, attract and retain outstanding students, support the faculty and their research, and build an endowment for University initiatives. Founded in the 1940's, the Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science has grown into one of the world's premier marine and atmospheric research institutions. Offering dynamic interdisciplinary academics, the Rosenstiel School is dedicated to helping communities to better understand the planet, participating in the establishment of environmental policies, and aiding in the improvement of society and quality of life. For more information, visit: http://www.rsmas.miami.edu. MADISON, Wis. - An uncommon and little-studied type of cell in the lungs has been found to act like a sensor, linking the pulmonary and central nervous systems to regulate immune response in reaction to environmental cues. The cells, known as pulmonary neuroendocrine cells or PNECs, are implicated in a wide range of human lung diseases, including asthma, pulmonary hypertension, cystic fibrosis and sudden infant death syndrome, among others. Until now, their function in a live animal was unknown. A team led by University of Wisconsin-Madison medical geneticist Xin Sun reports in the current (Jan. 7) issue of the journal Science that PNECs are effective sensors seeded in the airway of many animals, including humans. "These cells make up less than one percent of the cells in the airway epithelium," the layer of cells that lines the respiratory tract, explains Sun. "Our conclusion is that they are capable of receiving, interpreting and responding to environmental stimuli such as allergens or chemicals mixed with the air we breathe." Discovering the function of the cells may provide new therapeutic avenues for a wide range of serious diseases of the pulmonary system. Sun and her group initially set out to find the underlying cause of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), a fairly common birth defect where a hole in a newborn's diaphragm, the muscle that controls breathing, lets organs from the abdomen slip into the chest. The deformed diaphragm can be repaired surgically, but many of the babies still die. Those that survive can have symptoms similar to asthma or pulmonary hypertension. The Wisconsin group homed in on a pair of genes known as ROBO1 and ROBO2. Mutations in the genes had previously been implicated in CDH. By knocking out ROBO genes in mice, Sun and her colleagues were able to mimic CDH. Unexpectedly, they also discovered that PNECs were disorganized in the ROBO mutants. In a healthy mouse, PNECs mostly form clusters of cells. "In the mutant, they don't cluster," says Sun. "They stay as solitary cells, and as single cells they are much more sensitive to the environment." The team went on to show that defects in the PNECs caused the hyperactive immune response in the ROBO mutant lungs. PNECs are the only known cells in the airway lining that are linked to the nervous system. It seems, explains Sun, that they are basically distributed sensors, gathering information from the air and relaying it to the brain. Interestingly, the same cells also receive processed signals back from the brain to amp up their secretion of neuropeptides, which are small protein molecules that are potent regulators of the immune response. Disorders of the immune system like asthma are associated with increased expression of neuropeptides. Showing that PNECs play a role in regulating host response through the release of neuropeptides suggests that it may be possible to devise ways of regulating them to prevent or ameliorate disease, Sun says. ### Sun is a professor of medical genetics in the Laboratory of Genetics of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. Contributing to the work were Kelsey Branchfield, Leah Nantie, Jamie Verheyden, Pengfei Sui and Mark Weinhold, all of UW-Madison. The new study was supported by awards from the American Heart Association, the National Institutes of Health and, at the campus level, by the Wisconsin Partnership Program and a Romnes Faculty Fellowship. Romnes Fellowships are awarded by the UW-Madison Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education with funding from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. CONTACT: Xin Sun, (608) 265-5405, xsun@wisc.edu DOWNLOAD PHOTOS: https://uwmadison.box.com/lung-cells Terry Devitt, (608) 262-8282, trdevitt@wisc.edu The Pacific Ocean along the West Coast serves as a model for how other areas of the ocean could respond in coming decades as the climate warms and emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide increases. This region -- the coastal ocean stretching from British Columbia to Mexico -- provides an early warning signal of what to expect as ocean acidification continues and as low-oxygen zones expand. Now, a panel of scientists from California, Oregon and Washington has examined the dual impacts of ocean acidification and low-oxygen conditions, or hypoxia, on the physiology of fish and invertebrates. The study, published in the January edition of the journal BioScience, takes an in-depth look at how the effects of these stressors can impact organisms such as shellfish and their larvae, as well as organisms that have received less attention so far, including commercially valuable fish and squid. The results show that ocean acidification and hypoxia combine with other factors, such as rising ocean temperatures, to create serious challenges for marine life. These multiple-stressor effects will likely only increase as ocean conditions worldwide begin resembling those off the West Coast, which naturally expose marine life to stronger low-oxygen and acidification stressors than most other regions of the seas. "Our research recognizes that these climate change stressors will co-occur, essentially piling on top of one another," said co-author Terrie Klinger, professor and director of the University of Washington's School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. "We know that along the West Coast temperature and acidity are increasing, and at the same time, hypoxia is spreading. Many organisms will be challenged to tolerate these simultaneous stressors, even though they might be able to tolerate individual stressors when they occur on their own." Oceans around the world are increasing in acidity as they absorb about a quarter of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere each year. This changes the chemistry of the seawater and causes physiological stress to organisms, especially those with calcium carbonate shells or skeletons, such as oysters, mussels and corals. Hypoxia, on the other hand, is a condition in which ocean waters have very low oxygen levels. At the extreme, hypoxia can result in "dead zones" where mass die-offs of fish and shellfish occur. The waters along the West Coast sometimes experience both ocean acidification and hypoxia simultaneously. "Along this coast, we have relatively intensified conditions of ocean acidification compared with other places. And at the same time we have hypoxic events that can further stress marine organisms," Klinger said. "Conditions observed along our coast now are forecast for the global ocean decades in the future. Along the West Coast, it's as if the future is here now." Klinger is co-director of the Washington Ocean Acidification Center based at the UW and served on the West Coast Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Science Panel, which was convened two years ago to promote coast-wide collaboration and cooperation on science and policy related to these issues. For this paper, the authors examined dozens of scientific publications that reported physiological responses among marine animals exposed to lower oxygen levels, elevated acidity and other stressors. The studies revealed how physiological changes in marine organisms can lead to changes in animal behavior, biogeography and ecosystem structure, all of which can contribute to broader-scale effects on the marine environment. The tri-state panel has completed this phase of its work and will wrap things up in the coming months. Among the products already published or planned are a number of scientific publications -- including this synthesis piece -- as well as resources for policymakers and the general public describing ocean research priorities, monitoring needs and management strategies to sustain marine ecosystems in the face of ocean acidification and hypoxia. The group's other papers and findings related to ocean acidification and hypoxia will soon be available on its website. ### Co-authors of this paper include George Somero, Jody Beers and Steve Litvin at Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station; Francis Chan of Oregon State University; and Tessa Hill of the University of California, Davis. The research was funded by the California Ocean Protection Council, the California Ocean Science Trust, the Institute for Natural Resources at Oregon State University and the National Science Foundation. For more information, contact Klinger at tklinger@uw.edu or 206-685-2499. NSF grant number: OCE-1220338 Sajid Javid: '[Being an investment banker] helped prepare me for a profession not well liked' As the UKs new business secretary Sajid Javid settles into his new office under the watchful gaze of his favourite portrait of Margaret Thatcher his days as an investment banker at Deutsche Bank must now feel like a distant memory. Javid has said that being an investment banker helped prepare me for a profession not well liked by the general public, but his past career at Chase Manhattan and the German lender has been useful as an imprimatur of economic competence. Javid joined Chase Manhattan Bank in New York after university and subsequently moved to Deutsche Bank in 2000. In October 2006, he was appointed head of global credit trading (GCT) Asia (ex Japan) and was responsible for all cash and derivative credit trading, collateralized debt obligation (CDOs), securitization, structured finance and convertibles and for the commodities business. He reported to Rajeev Misra, global head of GCT, and Loh Boon-Chye, head of global markets Asia. Javid is spinning his former career as a sober investment banker as opposed to a structured credit trader at the heart of the business that precipitated the global financial crisis Former Deutsche Bank colleague As anyone who bought a sub-prime ABS CDO will likely recall, 2006 was an interesting time in the global credit trading and structuring business. Speaking to Euromoney in July of that year, however, Javid brusquely dismissed any concerns about the riskiness of the broader asset class, and specifically emerging-market (EM) CDOs. As long as investors understand the risk/rewards of an emerging-market CDO, they are very appropriate, he told Euromoney, enthusing that with an EM CDO investors are getting a huge amount of leverage and they are comfortable taking the risk. Javid was speaking to Euromoney in his capacity as global head of EM structuring shortly after the close of a $500 million EM CLO called Craft EM CLO 2006-1. The deal was a replenishable synthetic balance-sheet CDO referencing a pool of highly illiquid loans on Deutsches loan exposure management groups balance sheet. It was subsequently upsized to $1 billion in the face of investor demand. However, the risks and rewards of this type of deal didn't turn out to be quite as appropriate as Javid claimed. By March 2009, losses on defaulted assets in the Craft EM CLO 2006-1 pool stood at $32 million, according to Moodys, which downgraded the ratings on four classes of notes in the deal. It said that there had been a substantial deterioration in the quality of the transactions reference portfolio. Defaults had effectively depleted more than 50% of the $60 million subordination available for the junior notes. Case dismissed Javids enthusiasm for the huge amount of leverage that investors were getting was presumably not shared by US private equity firm Arco Capital, which tried to take Deutsche Bank to court in September 2012 over the $37 million in losses it incurred by investing in the deal. The case was dismissed as it came after the expiration of the five-year statute of limitations. Arco claimed that Deutsche had stuffed the CDO with ineligible loans that resulted in the 14.28% loss rate in the pool. Deutsche claimed that the losses were due to the financial crisis and that Arco was aware of the risks it was taking on. One former Deutsche Bank colleague expressed amazement to Euromoney at how Javid is spinning his former career as a sober investment banker as opposed to a structured credit trader at the heart of the business that precipitated the global financial crisis. Javid left Deutsche Bank in 2009, just as the full extent of the firms credit-related losses were becoming apparent. In 2010, he ran for safe Conservative seat of Bromsgrove. In politics, as in banking, timing is everything. The market had long been preparing for the implementation of the BRRDs bail-in regulation on January 1. However, the Bank of Portugals decision to bail in a small number of senior bondholders in Novo Banco, the good bank created after the collapse of Banco Espirito Santo (BES) in 2014, just before this implementation took place ensured that the ushering in of bail-in legislation when it finally came was overshadowed by confusion and controversy. Many senior bond investors relaxing over their year-end break were rudely interrupted by the press release from the Bank of Portugal on December 29. It stated that, based on the deteriorating situation at Novo Banco, Banco de Portugal decided to confer again on BES the responsibility for certain issues of non-subordinated bonds issued by the latter and intended for institutional investors. (The affected bonds had been transferred from BES to Novo Banco when the latter was set up in August 2014). It then identified five tranches of fixed rate senior bonds maturing between July 2016 and June 2024 with a face value of 1.985 billion that would be retransferred to BES and, in effect, wiped out. The fact the bail-in took place on December 29 is widely seen as an attempt to complete the process before the bail-in regulations under BRRDcame into force on January 1 this year. However, as this was a transfer of bonds to a third party rather than a conversion to equity or write-off, the applicable regulation under BRRD was already in place when the retransfer took place. When Euromoney asked the Bank of Portugal about the authority under which the bonds were transferred, it confirmed that it was the right granted under the BES rescue in 2014. "The retransfer was made pursuant to a power provided for under the Portuguese Banking Act which was included in the original resolution decision for BES," Bruno Proenca, head of communication directorate at Bank of Portugal, tells Euromoney. Proenca maintains that the BRRD conditions for the retransfer were, nevertheless, met. "A similar power is provided for under BRRD and the conditions for the exercise of that power are similar," he states. "The conditions for the exercise of the retransfer power in the manner it was exercised were satisfied." He does not, however, elaborate on the basis upon which this conclusion has been reached. On Wednesday January 13 the ECB issued a statement declaring that: "The decision by Banco de Portugal to bail in some senior bond holders in Novo Banco was taken exclusively by BdP under its national resolution powers. The ECB neither requested nor approved a bail-in of senior bond holders in this case." Not exactly an unequivocal endorsement. Sonya Van de Graaff, Morrison & Foerster "One of the relevant provisions of the BRRD in this case is the transfer/retransfer of a liability to a third party (since this power was in effect on the date of the purported retransfer to BES)," explains Sonya Van de Graaff, partner in the business restructuring and insolvency group at law firm Morrison & Foerster. "Whilst this precise factual scenario has not previously been adjudicated on and there have been admittedly few cases testing the BRRD in court, it would be surprising if a retransfer of a liability was not, in itself, properly to be characterized as an exercise of a resolution power." She adds: "If this is correct, it means that the Portuguese authorities needed duly to consider whether the conditions imposed by the BRRD on the date of the retransfer were satisfied and duly invoked, and the authorities could not rely on the factual matrix or legal characterization as at the date of the original transfer in 2014." In other words, it is not sufficient to simply grant yourself the power of retransfer - as the Bank of Portugal did in August 2014 - and issue a press release. Certain provisos have to have been met for the transfer of liabilities under BRRD. The institution has to be about to fail, not just have breached its tier-one capital ratios. The prospect of a consensual deal with private investors has to have been explored and it has to have been considered whether the transfer is in the public interest. Although the BRRD is untested in this respect, it would be surprising if a failure to satisfy a tier 1 ratio of itself satisfied invoking the powers granted to authorities in the BRRD," says Van de Graaff. "The backdrop to the extraordinary powers given to authorities in the BRRD is the existence of extraordinary circumstances, and so we find that the first condition to invoking the BRRDs powers requires the institution in question to be at risk of failure." She continues: "BRRD was written into law to create a level playing field and is arguably a sensible solution to these problems. "However, if it is invoked in an arbitrary fashion and if institutions try to hang their hat on anything other than clearly enunciated authority for their actions, then investor confidence in Europe will be shaken." Stress test The bail-in provoked uproar in the market, with investors in the market claiming that their rights to be treated pari passu with all senior bondholders in Novo Banco had been violated. Five out of 52 bonds were chosen to be transferred to the bad bank; it should have been all, or a part of all, or none, says Mark Holman, CEO at Twenty Four Asset Management in London, which has a small position in the affected bonds. The Central Bank says it chose those five because they were firstly in Portuguese law (which they could rewrite) and secondly, these bonds were not intended to be sold to retail. The latter may seem very noble, but it is still not legal." Litigation by investors caught up in the furore is now widely expected. This controversial bail-in was triggered by a 1.4 billion capital shortfall at Novo Banco that was identified in Novembers European Central Bank (ECB) stress tests. It needs to be understood in the light of two preceding events. Firstly, the rescue of regional Portuguese bank Banco Internacional do Funchal (Banif) and its subsequent sale to Banco Santander. In a deal finalized in December, Spanish lender Santander will buy the majority of Banifs assets for 150 million while the Portuguese state will commit 2.26 billion to cover future contingencies. This follows a 1.1 billion injection of funds into Banif by the state in January 2013 and its 400 million participation in a contingent convertible bond issue by the failed bank. Secondly, the ability for legal claims against the Bank of Portugal by lenders to a Goldman Sachs-arranged loan to BES in 2014 to be heard in the UK Commercial Court seems to have reinforced the determination of the Bank of Portugal to limit the bail-in to domestic bonds only. The US bank had arranged the $835 million English law loan to BES which was to fund a Venezuelan refined oil project via special purpose vehicle Oak Finance just weeks before the Portuguese lender collapsed in mid-2014. The $835 million loan was initially transferred to Novo Banco in August, but in December 2014 the Bank of Portugal resolved that the transfer had not been authorized and the liability for the loan remained with BES. This would mean that lenders would inevitably be wiped out and, unsurprisingly, they made the decision to sue. However, because this loan had been written under English law, the lenders won the right to sue the Bank of Portugal in the UK Commercial Court. The English court ruled that regardless of the status that the Bank of Portugals decision with regard to the transfer of the loan might have in Portuguese law, it had no status under the BRRD and therefore no effect under English law. It is a situation the Bank of Portugal will not want to find itself in this time, although it has remained defiant in the face of the UK court decision. According to Bloomberg, on January 14 the Bank of Portugal announced that regardless of any court decision BESs debt to Oak Finance will remain at the bad bank, partly because Goldman has a 2% stake in BES. Bad timing When Novo Banco failed the ECB stress tests in November, the timing could not have been worse for the Bank of Portugal. After the fall of the countrys Conservative minority government in the same month after just 11 days, a new alliance between the Socialist, Communist, Green and Left Bloc parties took power with a rigorously anti-austerity agenda. The extent of state involvement in Banifs resolution meant any suggestion that further state funds could be used to plug Novo Bancos new capital shortfall was now out of the question. Newly appointed prime minister Antonio Costa had been highly critical of the previous administrations handling of the situation at Banif and the new government was under severe pressure from critical public opinion to avoid any more taxpayer money going towards bank restructurings. The decision to transfer the bonds on December 29 is completely connected with the change in government and the rescue of Banif, says one source in Lisbon. The current Socialist leadership almost lost support in parliament because of the quick decision to provide taxpayer funds to Banif, so there was no way that they could do it again with Novo Banco. Carlos da Silva Costa, Bank of Portugal This meant that Carlos da Silva Costa, governor of the Bank of Portugal, was left with two choices: tap the resolution fund which owns 100% of Novo Banco for the amount needed or to bail-in Novo Banco bondholders. The resolution fund was established in August 2014 on the collapse of BES and it injected 4.9 billion into the new good bank. All banks operating in Portugal contribute to the fund and for it to be hit again would raise questions of systemic risk for Portugals shaky banking sector. There will have been significant pressure from the banks for the resolution fund not to be tapped further, reckons one Portuguese banker. This would have hit the profitability of all other Portuguese banks and would translate into lower tax revenue for the new administration. Indeed, the fact that only fixed rate bonds were selected for retransfer seems to have been made in order to further limit the impact of the bail-in on Portugal's banks." Holman asks: "Why did [the Bank of Portugal] overlook the Portuguese law institutional targeted floating rate bonds? The answer is that these were sold to the Portuguese banks, who themselves would then incur losses and who coincidentally are co-owners of the resolution fund. The new bail-in directive would not allow for such selectivity. It seems clear that the bail-in was the best of a limited number of options for the Bank of Portugal. However, the decision to target such a narrow section of bondholders for the process shocked the market. [The bail-in of senior debt] is something we had contemplated but felt was unlikely given the states decision to sell the bank; however, in any event, given the senior debt stack of around 12 billion versus a capital shortfall of 1.4 billion, it should only be a small haircut of around 12c in the euro, observed John Magrath, partner at TwentyFour Asset Management on December 30. Pressure to sell The rapidly deteriorating situation at Novo Banco is behind the desire for a speedy sale of it to a third party a process that was halted in September after bids by three bidders (Anbang Insurance, Fosun International and Apollo Global) were all deemed too low. If the situation continues to deteriorate and the bank is not sold further bail-ins of senior bondholders cannot be completely ruled out. The bail-in has now plugged the capital hole, and the auction process is due to restart on January 15 but the treatment of bondholders in plugging that hole will have done nothing to improve investor confidence in the story. The Bank of Portugal has now hired Sergio Monteiro, the former secretary of state for public works, transport and communications in the previous administration of Pedro Passos Coelho, to manage the sale. The first auction was advised by BNP Paribas. The key issue is that the Bank of Portugal targeted these five tranches of bonds rather than apply a small haircut across the board to all senior bondholders. While the Bank of Portugal has responded to Euromoney's questions about retransfer authority, it did not address questions put to it over the basis upon which the bonds were selected for retransfer. The press release issued on December 29 states that: "The selection of the bonds was based on public interest and aimed to safeguard financial stability and ensure compliance with the purposes of the resolution measure applied to BES". Under BRRD there is discretion to differentiate between different types of creditor in bail-in, but certain conditions need to be met. They can be invoked if it is not possible to bail-in certain instruments within the required time frame (for example, derivatives); if certain classes need to be excluded from bail-in to ensure continuity of the business; to avoid widespread financial contagion, for example to eligible deposits not covered by deposit insurance, or certain classes of bonds can be excluded if it can be proved that the loss to creditors overall will be greater if they are included. If the Bank of Portugal has undertaken the bail-in on the basis that one or more of these criteria have been met then that has not been made clear to the market. The fact all five tranches of bond that were bailed in on December 29 were written under Portuguese law must be seen as significant. The belief is that the central bank would want to keep any litigation arising from the retransfer within its own domestic courts. Biggest hits In selecting these bonds for what is effectively a complete write-off, the Bank of Portugal is facing the worlds largest bond investors head-on. To quantify the potential damage at home, Portuguese buyers of the bailed-in bonds have now been asked by the authorities to identify domestic private clients and individuals to whom they might have sold them. The numbers are, however, likely to be small. Of the 1.9 billion bonds transferred, 1.5 billion were held by just 30 investors. The biggest hits were taken by BlackRock and Allianz (Pimco), which had 250 million and 230 million exposure respectively on December 30 according to Bloomberg. BlueBay Asset Management had a 40 million position and UBS is understood to have had exposure of 38 million. Upsetting these investors could have serious ramifications for Portugal both BlackRock and Allianz have investments totalling more than 2 billion in the country. The former is understood to hold roughly 770 million Portuguese sovereign debt. If investors in the retransferred bonds do decide to sue, the question will be whether the transfer by the Portuguese authorities of the bonds on December 29 was properly exercised under BRRD or whether they were relying on the right they granted themselves on the restructuring of BES in August 2014. It will also focus on whether the pari-passu treatment of bondholders enshrined in the documentation has been violated. News Rafa Cabrera Bello hoping to rediscover putting touch on Mallorca Rafa Cabrera Bello is remaining upbeat and eager to recapture his mojo on the greens as he aims to make an impression at the Mallorca Golf Open, the final event of the late-season Spanish swing. I've had a long held interest in cemeteries and so the Japanese cemetery park had been on my list of places I wanted to get to for a very long time. Although not on the doorstep of Kovan MRT I decided it was still a doable walk (in reality about a twenty to twenty-five minute, very pleasant walk at a steady pace) and decided to make that my next Red Dot Roaming stop. The Japanese cemetery park is the largest in South East Asia and contains within it the remains of Japanese prostitutes, civilians, soldiers and also convicted war criminals who were executed at Changi prison. It was established in 1891 to serve the burial needs of the Japanese living in Singapore. Three brothel keepers got the original government approval for a cemetery for the destitute Japanese prostitutes known as karayuki-san, who made up the biggest percentage of the Japanese population working in Singapore at that time, to have a final resting place here. The founders of the cemetery also owned rubber estates and so combined some of their own land with some public land to establish the graveyard. Gradually the cemetery was subsequently used to bury other members of the Japanese community from a whole variety of professions. At the end of the Japanese Occupation of Singapore a number of tombs and memorials were erected to commemorate the war dead. This includes a memorial for a number of Japanese war criminals who were executed at Changi prison for war time atrocities including the Sook Ching massacre, a military operation aimed at removing anti-Japanese elements from the Chinese community in Singapore. The cemetery was closed for burials in 1973 and named a memorial park in 1987. As you might expect there are also a few notable graves and memorials within the cemetery. These include one for Yamamoto Otokichi (also known as John Matthew Ottoson) who is recognised as the first Japanese resident of Singapore, living here from the late 1840s up to his death in 1867. He played a crucial role in opening up relations between Japan and the west and, from reading more about him since, seems to have led a fascinating life. This grave caught my attention as the inscription is written in English As I mentioned previously the walk from Kovan MRT to the cemetery park was very simple and takes you initially past a couple of condos and some shops and then through a number of quiet roads dotted with large houses. Although it's quite a twisty route through these residential streets it's easy enough to follow and in no time at all I was almost at my destination. The road that the cemetery park is on seems quiet and unassuming but the entrance is easy to find once you arrive. The park itself has a peacefulness that you'd expect from a cemetery and although surrounded by houses seems remote and distant from them once you enter inside. This gravestone had a photo of the deceased on it and reminded me of some of the graves I saw on my visit to Bukit Brown cemetery The cemetery park is the perfect size for a leisurely stroll and helpfully included close to the entrance are some information plaques about the history of the cemetery as well as a diagram highlighting the different areas of the cemetery, notable graves etc. Most of the graves are naturally inscribed with Japanese characters but a few (like the one in my photo above) have their inscription written in English. I also noticed a few graves with photos of the deceased on them. I remember seeing graves with photos like this in Bukit Brown cemetery and although I couldn't read the gravestone inscriptions there or here seeing their photos gave me a connection with the person who once lived and worked here too, albeit many years ago in a very different Singapore. Grave of Yamamoto Otokichi (John Matthew Ottoson) Tucked away down a residential street the cemetery seems almost forgotten by everyone, even those living on its doorstep. It gives an interesting insight into a part of Singapore's history and that of a particular community living here. It also touches in part on very difficult times in Singapore's history which are nonetheless very important. It's good to know that the graves here are safe from the threat of development and that those buried here can continue to rest in peace. Kovan MRT is on the North East line (NE13). If you missed any of my previous Red Dot Roaming posts, check them out here and, of course, let me know if you think there's anywhere else I should be visiting! ASHLAND, Ohio Multiple pipeline projects are in the planning stages in Ohio, and one of those is Kinder Morgans Utopia East, a 240-mile pipeline that would affect about 950 landowners. This intrastate line would transport ethane and ethane-propane mixtures from Harrison County (southeastern Ohio), to Fulton County (northwestern Ohio), where it would connect with the companys existing lines, and continue into Canada. Farm and Dairy met recently with Allen Fore, Kinder Morgans vice president of public affairs, for a project update. 1. Where does the Utopia East pipeline stand? Fore: Kinder Morgan has been working on the project for the last year or so. Work continues with various stakeholder groups, including landowners, and the company has met with regulatory agencies. Were looking at beginning the formal permitting process in the next couple of months and anticipating regulatory review of our permits this year. Pending regulatory approvals, the company hopes to have construction activity late this year and into next year, leading to an in-service line by first quarter of 2018. The major regulatory agencies are Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio EPA, Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (The project does not need Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval, because it does not cross state lines, and it does not transport natural gas.) 2. What are you doing to work with landowners? Fore: Five public meetings have been held, and each of the 950 landowners affected by the line has been contacted. About 200 of the land easements have been acquired. The company employs environmental and conservation experts to review each property and the type of impact and restoration required. The company has worked with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Ohio Farm Bureau Federation to develop an Agricultural Impact Mitigation Agreement, which defines the land features found on farmers land, and the proper restoration. This lays out all the various areas of responsibility that we have with restoring property. How we can make sure that the area is restored to avoid any short- or long-term impacts to crops. Our basic responsibility is to restore the land to as good or better conditions than we found it, as much as is practicable. If its ag land, thats very doable. 3. Is this the final route? Fore: It can still be adjusted, but as you get closer to that construction activity, it becomes more difficult to make adjustments, because you (already) surveyed. If you change that, youre potentially going into areas that havent been surveyed, or you potentially add on additional landowners. When the route is moved, it may relieve some landowners, but affect someone else. 4. What if someone holds out, what can be done? Fore: Our record in Ohio is over 99 percent agreeable resolution to our requests for easement, without any long-term issues. If an agreement cannot be made, the company can petition the courts, and assert its status as a common carrier pipeline. Its rarely used and we dont prefer that method, because when you establish a relationship with a landowner, its over the long-term. The pipeline is constructed and then its there we have operations for many, many years at these pipelines, so we want to be sure that those relationships are good and lasting, and for the vast majority of the time they are. 5. The plan today is for an ethane and ethane-propane mix line, but could the line be used to transport something different in the future? Fore: If we had any changes in that, there would be additional requirements/authorizations necessary for that. But its not out of the question that pipelines can be repurposed. Other pipelines have been repurposed in the past, based on demand and future circumstances. Kinder Morgan does not own the material being transported just the pipeline and bases its decisions on the interest of shippers and suppliers. 6. There are several other companies planning gas-related lines across Ohio. How do you interact with those and do you face similar challenges? Fore: Every company has to build its own projects, and theyre all subject to their own regulatory and permitting approvals. We know the folks, and theyre peers in the industry, but everyone has to do their own project and operate under the same regulatory scheme, but the companies arent all the same. One thing is the same across the board you need to be transparent, you need to be attentive, you need to be responsive. And if youre not, thats going to put your project in a backseat position from the outset. 7. What kind of job creation and economic impact do you foresee? Fore: The project is expected to generate about 1,000 temporary union construction jobs, and about five full-time permanent positions. There will also be economic growth related to consumer spending, and potential growth in the ethane market which is used for plastics. Plastics companies along the route can potentially tap into the system, to use its resources. Were a common carrier line, so if you want to reserve space on it, theres an opportunity to do it. Related: ASHTABULA, Ohio A group of landowners and their legal counsel will ask a common pleas judge not to dismiss their case against Ohios tax commissioner and governor, during a hearing Jan. 15 in Ashtabula County. Landowner Bruce Vance, of Jefferson, Ohio, and two other plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against Tax Commissioner Joseph Testa, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, in June 2015, over concerns that Current Agricultural Use Values were miscalculated, and cost landowners billions of dollars. Issue in question The basic argument is that the state-determined CAUV values are based on crop commodities like corn, soybeans and wheat and neglect to take into consideration acres that grow other crops such as grapes, woodlands or pastureland, or are not suited to grow crops. At least a half-dozen additional plaintiffs have joined the case, some who have seen two- and three-fold increases in their CAUV taxes. The group is hoping for more plaintiffs as they seek class action status. The CAUV program was established in 1975 as a means of taxing farmland on its agricultural use value and not its full market value. The calculation drew scrutiny following an update in 2014, that resulted in a 200-300 percent increase for some landowners. Implementing the law Kevin Roberts, attorney for the landowners, said the group is not arguing to change Ohios CAUV rule only how it is implemented. The rule is fine, Roberts said. The tax commissioner is failing to abide by the strict mandates of the rule. Roberts said the state basically used the recent rise in commodity prices as an excuse for changing other parts. Kate Hanson, public information officer for the Ohio Attorney General, said she couldnt comment on the case because its active litigation. Want it dismissed But court documents show the state has asked for the case to be dismissed. Under well-settled law, the state is immune from suit, unless the General Assembly has expressly waived the states immunity by statute, according to the states motion to dismiss. Attorneys for the state also argue that a court of common pleas, which is where this case has been filed, cannot suspend or stay an order of the tax commissioner, because of the states sovereignty over such matters. If the case is not dismissed, state attorneys ask that it at least be transferred to Franklin County, where state offices are located, and where the alleged miscalculations were made. Roberts said the state wants home territory to decide the case. He would rather see it decided in farm country where the farmers live and are being affected. Amended complaint The landowners are also hoping the court will grant them a second amended complaint, which would drop the governor as a defendant, drop the injunction, and presumably make the case more likely to stay in county court. Co-attorney Ben Calkins said the plaintiffs have also decided to focus on equitable relief for damages. If they were seeking legal relief, the case would be more likely to end up in a Columbus court. Other efforts Other efforts are also underway to change CAUV. A different group of landowners has filed an administrative appeal asking the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals to rule that the tax department did not allow sufficient deductions for woodland values, and to require the higher deductions to be used in the future. Separately, the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation has worked with landowners and state officials through a third approach to negotiate and amend the CAUV calculation so that its more closely tied to farm values. The Farm Bureaus effort resulted in an initial round of acceptance by the tax commissioner, and the introduction of new legislation late in 2015, calling for additional amendments. Farm Bureau is not involved with either legal action, and noted that both cases have uncertain outcomes that could take years to resolve. Shropshire A Full-Time position is available for an assistant herdsperson on a family dairy farm in mid Shropshire. We have a 250 dairy herd rearing own replacements together with a b... There is low confidence in the short term but future prospects for the industry look positive across all sectors, this was the reassuring message from NFU Economist, Anand Dossa, at the recent NFU Cymru Anglesey Annual Conference. Anand, who has worked in the economics team at NFU for four years, explained to members how the UK economy has recovered and how this is influencing the farming industry, he said, The UKs economy has on average been the fastest growing economy in the G7, matched only by the U.S. However the business cycles for farming have been less than satisfactory, the past 24 months especially have brought many challenges. Farmgate prices, across all sectors are markedly lower than they were two years ago. This is down to many factors, one being the strengthening Pound against the Euro, which has made imports into the UK from the EU cheaper and has reduced the competitiveness of UK exports. The Pound/Euro exchange rate has also had a substantial bearing on the value of direct payments through the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) this year, the lowest rate in eight years. All of these factors will lead to further pressure on cash flow over the coming months therefore it comes as no surprise that UK farm business borrowing has risen. Volatility in the market is the new norm. In terms of trade, overall volume of lamb exported from the UK in the first ten months of 2015 fell by 21% compared to 2014, while beef imports are up over 8% on the year. Although short term confidence in the industry is understandably low, there is a growing World demand, therefore the priority now should be in finding new export markets to benefit UK farming. Christine Jones, NFU Cymru Anglesey Chairman thanked Anand Dossa for his open and honest discussion with local farmers about the global economy and the influencing factors affecting the industry, she also thanked HSBC for sponsoring the conference. This was Christines last meeting as Chairman after three years in the position. She said, I would have liked to have handed over the chairmanship when the industry was in a better state. Every sector has suffered but, like Anand, I still remain convinced that in the long term Welsh farming has a positive and profitable future. McDonalds UK has become the first ever major retailer to enter into a partnership with the Nuffield Farming Trust. Announced at this years Oxford Farming Conference, the exclusive agreement is further testament of its support for the UK farming industry, in which the iconic brand relies heavily upon. The McDonalds Nuffield Farming Scholarship will mirror the traditional programme, with a Global Focus Tour included. McDonalds encourages enthusiastic individuals to consider a scholarship which will see a study into their own choice in agriculture, land management, horticulture or the food chain. Recognised for its dedication in developing leadership in farming and the rural industries, the first ever McDonalds scholar will embark on a programme that will identify new knowledge and apply practical knowledge, seeking profitable industry outputs. Speaking at Oxford Farming Conference, Connor McVeigh McDonalds UK Supply Chain Director said: We make no secret of our reliance on a thriving farming sector which underpins our UK business, currently in its 38th consecutive quarter of growth. That success is down to an industry which involves brilliant people and minds and being the first UK retailer to sponsor a scholar is something we are infinitely proud of. This partnership further demonstrates our support of the sector and finding talent within it, critical in securing the future of farming within our UK shores. Helen Woolley, Director General, CLA and Nuffield Scholar Trustee also spoke about the partnership: We were really impressed with the moves McDonalds has made in demonstrating its commitment to the British farming sector. Becoming the first major retailer to support a scholar is testament to this even further and we are delighted to have them on board. Nuffield Farming Scholars are the most progressive and committed the industry has to offer and having a sponsor who is like minded, with such scale is really exciting. It is brilliant to see someone like McDonalds supporting such a programme. Last year saw a series of big farming announcements from McDonalds UK, including its commitment towards sourcing 100% British potatoes for the iconic French Fries. This was followed by an extension of its Progressive Young Farmer programme, now in its fourth year. Offering a further year placement to one student in the arable sector, the training scheme offers young people a unique opportunity to experience the entire farming and food supply chain covering pork, beef and dairy. Each student is mentored by one of the UKs most progressive farmers and offered first-hand experience of practical farming and business management as they trace the supply chain of McDonalds ingredients, from farms and processors to the restaurant front counter. Producers still losing 18-20 per pig, new estimates show 7-Eleven may return to Fayetteville after a 40-year hiatus The convenience store brand that left Fayetteville in the1970s is returning with three locations and possibly more to come. Over the last year, we have reached several noteworthy milestones in the global fight against corruption. In the arena of fighting corruption in international development, two important milestones stand out as having paved the way for significant progress and in setting us on a course for our continued success in reducing the impact of corruption on the poor. It was ten years ago that the investigation into the UNs Oil for Food corruption scandal came to an end. This was perhaps the biggest, most complex, corruption investigation to date involving an international organization. The investigation was conducted under the leadership of an independent panel, including Paul Volcker (as Chair), Mark Pieth and Richard Goldstone, all of whom were and continue to be thought leaders for global integrity. An important consequence of the scandal and the ensuing investigation was in creating both the opportunity and a pressing mandate for international development agencies to take on corruption inside their own programs, and among their own staff. As a result of this investigation, most UN agencies and other international financial institutions now have their own independent integrity office charged with rooting out fraud and corruption in their activities. While many are still small, under-resourced and looking for support from their leadership, individually and collectively they have the ability to make a difference. I am proud to say the World Bank Group has remained a leader in setting a high bar for integrity standards and in international development financing. Within that framework, the 90 staff of the Integrity Vice Presidency (INT) dedicate themselves to investigating, sanctioning and ultimately preventing fraud and corruption in Bank Group-financed operations. INTs investigations are accomplished without any of the traditional law enforcement powers so critical to following the money and uncovering the hallmarks of a corrupt arrangement. In other words, with no access to banking records, no ability to compel witnesses, and no subpoenas, INTs successful investigations are the product of leg work and creativity, exercising audit rights, finding witnesses willing to help and, increasingly, the use of data, both big and small, open source, and in-house. However, a key enabler of success in our work is cooperation with other entities, with our development partners, the private sector and with national authorities. We recently celebrated another important milestone in the global fight against corruption: the five-year anniversary of the Cross Debarment Agreement among the five leading international organizations. This historic agreement was a game-changer by harmonizing the standards for applying sanctions or fraud and corruption, and granting mutual recognition of the sanctions imposed by each. This effort to join forces has become a cornerstone in the broader effort to prevent fraud and corruption, because it sends a signal to firms that there are global costs for engaging in corruption. As we all know, for prevention to succeed, the threat of enforcement must be credible, and the costs associated with sanctions must tip the balance in favor of integrity. Cross debarment raises the cost of corruption to a new high, sending a clear message of collective deterrence. Our work with national authorities is equally important. The World Bank has taken an important step in this direction by creating the International Corruption Hunters Alliance (ICHA); an alliance of heads and senior officials of corruption fighting bodies from around the world. ICHA members come together periodically to share innovations, push the policy envelope, and collaborate in solving cases. Improving informal cooperation across borders, and finding alternatives to the onerous steps involved in implementing mutual legal assistance treaties, may well prove to be a determining factor in advancing global enforcement against corruption. The next meeting of ICHA members will address the evolving challenges of global corruption. One of the solutions will need to be to find new and creative ways to collaborate informally and expeditiously across jurisdictions. The collective wealth of experience and dedication ICHA brings together underscores what an exciting time this is to be fighting corruption and gives us a window into the next generation of milestones we will soon be able to celebrate. It is all about Integrity with an impact. ____ Stephen Zimmermann, pictured above, is the Director of Operations for the World Banks Integrity Vice Presidency, the unit charged with detecting, investigating and sanctioning fraud and corruption in Bank-financed activities. He was previously the Chief of the Office of Institutional Integrity for the Inter-American Development Bank. He also has served as the interim Chief of Staff for the Independent Inquiry Committee into the United Nations Oil for Food Program, and from 1991 until 1999, was an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Maryland. He has led efforts to harmonize the integrity programs of the Multilateral Development Banks, including the creation of the groundbreaking cross-debarment agreement in 2010, and oversaw the creation of the World Banks International Corruption Hunters Alliance. Britain's Duchess of Cambridge thought Prince George was very "brave" on his first day of nursery. Britain's Duchess of Cambridge The 34-year-old royal told Arthur Coxon, whose father fought in the Gallipoli campaign, that she was incredibly proud of her two-year-old son, who had "thoroughly enjoyed" the day. He said: "They asked what my connection with the association was and I congratulated Kate on the lovely photos of Prince George. "She said he went off to school bravely as anything and thoroughly enjoyed it." Duchess Catherine and her husband Prince William - who also have eight-month-old daughter Charlotte together - met the retired Royal Navy lieutenant commander at a service at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham over the weekend. Meanwhile, the young Prince - who was photographed by his mother as they made their way to Westacre Montessori school in King's Lynn, Norfolk on Wednesday (06.01.16) - is reportedly going to be attending the school for a "handful of hours per day". A source said at the time: "He's going to be attending part time for a handful of hours per day. Both the Duke and Duchess dropped him off today and it seems all went well." Britain's Prince William has debuted a new hair do. Britain's Prince William The 33-year-old royal showed off a shorter haircut as he arrived at a service to honour those who had died in the Gallipoli campaign at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham over the weekend. It is not known who gave the Duke of Cambridge - who is second in line to the throne - the new hair cut but it is thought to be one of Kate's hair stylists Amanda Cook Tucker and Richard Ward. Amanda is known for visiting the Duchess of Cambridge at St. Mary's hospital in London, following the birth of her two children - two-year-old Prince George and eight-month-old Princess Charlotte - to make sure her hair looked perfect for the first photos of the young royals. Amanda has also been a hairdresser for the royal family since Prince William and his brother Prince Harry were young boys. Meanwhile, the Duchess recently debuted a new haircut when she attended ICAP's 23rd annual charity day at the company's London offices, where they raised money for a number of charities including Place2Be, which Kate is patron for. Canada Post have unveiled a new stamp honouring Britain's Queen Elizabeth. Britain's Queen Elizabeth A black and white portrait of the 89-year-old royal taken by British fashion photographer David Bailey has been used for the postal accessory, where he captured her with what he describes as "very kind eyes" and a "mischievous glint". In the picture, she is wearing a dress chosen specifically by her senior dresser, Angela Kelly. Canada Post also unveiled five other stamps of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country including the Rideau Canal in Ontario and Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump in Alberta. Meanwhile, the Queen recently held an audience for the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Buckingham Palace. During his time in London, he recalled his meetings with the Queen as a young boy when his father Pierre was the country's leader. He said: "She was always lovely and gracious. She was very tall, which points out how little I was at the time ... There were lunch hours where I wouldn't eat at school because we had to rush home to have lunch with the Queen." The 'Ellen DeGeneres Show' is set to air in the UK. Ellen DeGeneres The talk-variety programme, which has been on screens in the US for the past 12 years, will finally be screened across the nation from next week after ITV2 signed a deal following "decades" of campaigning to get a slot across the pond. Host Ellen, 57, said: "After what feels like decades of campaigning I'm so excited that my show is on ITV2. I can literally feel my crumpets tingling down in my cockles." The popular chat show, which incorporates comedy, celebrity as well as topical human-interest stories, will air new episodes, in line with the US air date, every weekday at 13:45. Angela Jain, ITV's Director of Digital Channels and Acquisitions, added: "We're over the moon Ellen DeGeneres is joining ITV2 - her daily mix of Hollywood guests, comedy and great conversation is a welcome addition to the channel." And, with the success of the show in the US, which has nabbed 55 Daytime Emmy awards and nine Outstanding Daytime Talk Show accolades, it's hardly surprising ITV2 is looking forward to welcoming the hit show to its channel. 'Ellen DeGeneres Show' will air in the UK from January 18. In a major decision, the BJP-led Maharashtra government has decided to provide subsidy to textile owners and it would not be linked to bank loans. This comes as a major reprieve for a majority of powerloom owners in the state, who are Muslims and could not avail the subsidy and modernise their units as they consider usury and bank loans as un Islamic.In a policy decision taken last week, the state government has decided to provide capital subsidy which would be delinked from bank loans. Spinning mills, cotton ginning, processing and printing units would be given 35 per cent capital subsidy; technical textiles and composite units 30 per cent; and power loom and other textile-related units 25 per cent. Power loom owners from the cotton belts of north Maharasthra, Marathwada and Vidarbha would be eligible for a further 10 per cent capital subsidy. In a major decision, the BJP-led Maharashtra government has decided to provide subsidy to textile owners and it would not be linked to bank loans.# Subsidy for the textile industry was earlier credit-linked and only those who availed a bank loan were eligible for getting the government largesse, according to a newspaper report Of the nearly 24 lakhs powerlooms in the country , nearly half are in Maharashtra with Bhiwandi (8 lakh), Malegaon (2 lakh) and Dhule (10,000), accounting for over 80 per cent of Maharashtra's share. Almost 90 per cent of their owners and workers are Muslims.Over the past 14 years, the Centre has spent a whopping Rs 75,000 crore under various phases of the Textile Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) to bring India's textile industry on par with global standards. The scheme was meant to provide subsidy for modernisation and technology upgradation of all sectors in this industry, including spinning, weaving and garments. The state also provides a certain component as subsidy, but almost all government aid is linked to the clause that a powerloom owner needs to take a bank loan. (SH) Fibre2Fashion News Desk - India The Korean International Co-operation Agency (KOICA) is looking forward to returning to Fiji and is pleased with the promised assistance of the Fijian Government in the opening of their office. KOICA Vice-President for Strategy and Planning, Mr Kim-In, expressed these sentiments when he met the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, at the Foreign Affairs headquarters in Suva today. Minister Kubuabola welcomed the return of KOICA after six years in the Solomon Islands and said Fiji looked forward to the opening of their office in Suva. He also welcomed proposals by KOICA to expand development co-operation with Fiji and the Pacific Islands with technical assistance and the Korean volunteer programme. Minister Kubuabola thanked Mr Kim-In for KOICAs continued commitment to providing scholarships for Fijian students. Mr Kim-In said they would continue this form of assistance based on the development needs of Fiji. Minister Kubuabola expressed concern over reports of a hydrogen bomb being detonated by North Korea last week and expressed his wish that political leaders would work towards a united Korean peninsula. KOICA is expected to send an advance team of health and sanitation specialists at the end of February with the new office opening by March. The Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is establishing a regional office in Suva set to open in March 2016 to promote development cooperation between Korea and Fiji, along with other Pacific Islands countries. The Vice President of KOICA, Mr Kim-In and other representatives of the group met with Attorney General, Mr. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum to discuss the new regional office and the expansion of collaboration between Fiji and Korea. Many international organisations have seen the value in creating regional offices in Fiji to service the Pacific region. The decision to open this KOICA regional office is a recognition not only of our effectiveness as the hub of the Pacific, but also of how much progress Fiji has made as a country, said Mr. Sayed-Khaiyum. Mr. Kim-In pointed to Fijis ideal location as a point of service to the region and looks forward to the opening of the new KOICA regional office. HON. PM BAINIMARAMA SPEECH AT THE OPENING OF A NEW CLASSROOM BLOCK AT DUAVATA SECONDARY When we allow the perpetrators to show their face in society after committing such atrocities, we allow evil to exist without repercussion. That is not who we are as a people, and that needs to be reflected in our attitudes towards those who abuse and mistreat our women and children. I have high hopes for all of our students at the Duavata School and I know you are capable of meeting them. Thank you for being here with me today to open these new buildings, and a new chapter for the Duavata Secondary School. Thank you. Vinaka Vakalevu Bula vinaka and a good morning to you all.It is a pleasure to be here with you all today at the opening of new buildings facilities at the Duavata Secondary School. Being with you all in Labasa has so far been the highlight of my tour of the Northern region -- because as I've said before, traveling throughout Fiji and spending time with the young people of our country is the best part of my job as Prime Minister.I say that over and over because I always see so much hope and promise in the faces of our children. They are the future of Fiji, and it is inspiring to be among them and share in their spirit of optimism for what we, together as the Fijian people, can achieve.My tour of the North was very nearly postponed due to the tropical cyclone and depression we experienced this past week. Luckily, Fiji was spared from widespread damage, but there are many repairs that need to be made and people who require assistance. And my Government is ready to provide full assistance to all Fijians who have been affected.This is a reminder that we need to remain prepared for these types of tropical storms, even when outside the traditional season. I was pleased that we made the necessary preparations quickly and were responsive to the advice and instructions of our emergency response authorities. And I wish to thank those agencies--DISMAC, the MET office and law enforcement agenciesfor their working around the clock to make sure that all Fijians are safe.Today I will be traveling to two other schools, the Vunivutu Primary School and the Valebasoga Secondary School to open new classroom blocks and provide students with new equipment. I'll also be in Ravuka village commissioning a new water purification project. So we have a busy day ahead of us in Vanua Levu, spreading the benefits of our growing economy to our deserving Fijian family here in the North.I believe it is our responsibility to leave behind a Fiji that is better than the one we received from past generations. It is the duty of our generation to lay out a path that leads to an even brighter future for Fiji and the new additions to the Duavata Secondary School are an essential part of forging that path for these children.I'm sure all the parents here can agree with me, that there is no better use of our resources than providing our children with better education and making sure education is available to everyone. Because by improving the educational experiences of our children, we make them more competitive and more qualified to find meaningful employment and help build an even better Fiji down the road.It takes a lot to create the right mix for a proper education, you need committed teachers, up-to-date materials, and modern facilities. However, none of these mean a thing if students can't make it to the classroom.In regions such as Duavata, there are unique challenges that can limit our children's access to our schools and rob them of the tremendous advantages education can provide. Our students energy and attention should be devoted to their studies, not on how they'll be able to get to school. No student should be set back because of where they call home in Fiji -- that is unacceptable -- and my Government remains committed to giving every Fijian child equal access to education and an equal shot at life.When my government started the free education program for all students in Fiji, it was because we wanted to create a country where familys finances did not dictate their children's futures. We envisioned a Fiji where ones circumstances were not barriers to educational achievement, and these upgrades to the Duavata School are a continuation of that vision.In a little over a decade, the Duavata Secondary School has become an established institution with an impressive academic record. Today, thanks to numerous infrastructure improvements, your school is barely recognisable from its humble beginnings in 2004. The school roll now stands at 87 students and 15 teachers, and these new buildings and equipment will help your school extend the reach and the quality of its education.In 2015, Duavata received a new boat with a 40 horse power engine that is now used to allow both teachers and students to get to school more safely and efficiently. Two new teachers quarters were constructed and two new dormitories, including washrooms for both genders, beds and other boarding facility equipment. The school also received a grant from the Ministry of Education that helped establish the new dining hall. All in all, these projects amounted to around $200,000 a worthy investment in a school that has consistently delivered for its teachers and students.By improving and upgrading the boarding facilities, we've given more students the chance to live comfortably on campus instead of traveling great distances to get to school. These upgrades and purchase have not only made that journey easier and safer they also make the Duavata School a home away from home for more children than ever before.To the students: I urge you all to make the most of these improvements. We will be with you every step of the way, but it is up to you to apply yourselves in the classroom. You are the future of our society -- one day you'll become our politicians, scientists, teachers and business leaders. Here at the Duavata Secondary School is where you can prepare yourselves for that enormous responsibility. I'm confident that when you work hard, you will fully meet that challenge.But building a better future for Fiji means more than succeeding in the classroom. It also means creating a society that we call be proud to call our own. Currently, Fiji suffers from a societal ill that is driving us apart and I would like to take some time to address that issue -- the plight of domestic violence.The students here today will not always be children. One day they will grow up, get married and start families of their own. It is up to us as a society to make sure that when that day comes, our women and children do not feel threatened by domestic violence and sexual assault. Our children at the Duavata School, and all throughout Fiji, deserve to live lives that arent endangered by violence in their homes and they should not have their potential limited by having to fend for their own safety instead of focusing on their schoolwork.The only way to keep our women and children safe is to take this issue head on. When we ignore this issue and leave it in the dark, domestic violence continues to exist in our homes and in our communities and that holds us back as a country. HON PM BAINIMARAMA SPEECH AT THE OPENING OF LABASA MARKET EXTENSION, ISSUANCE OF APPROVAL NOTICES FOR INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS AND ISSUANCE OF SME GRANT Bula Vinaka and a very good morning to you all.It is my pleasure to be with you here to kick off the third day of my tour of Vanua Levu and spend some time with our Fijian family here in Labasa.Im relieved that I have the chance be here today after Tropical Cyclone Ula postponed my trip to the North. I thank God that Fiji was spared serious damage but I assure you, we are doing our upmost to repair any damages and bring assistance to those who were affected. I want to thank you all for making your preparations and listening to the advice and instructions of our emergency response authorities. And I wish to thank those agencies responsible for emergency preparedness and responseand law enforcement agenciesfor working around the clock to make sure that all Fijians are safe.This week, I had the opportunity to open a number of initiatives and projects that have been implemented by my Government. These include the opening of the Nabouwalu to Dreketi 70km road extension, water purification projects, classroom buildings and handing out micro and small business grants to deserving entrepreneurs.My fellow Fijians,Today, we will be inaugurating this new First Floor Market Extension of Labasa Market. Something you have needed and waited for a long time. This new area of the market serves a commercial purpose and a social purpose. At last, we have a facility that provides a modern and orderly place for the people to conduct their most basic businessbuying and selling the necessities of life.But a market is far more than a place of buying and selling. A market is the centre of the community, a place where we meet neighbours and share news, a place that reinforces our beautiful Fijian culture every day through the foods we grow and eat and the things we make with our hands. It is a place where rural dwellers and urban dwellers come together.My Government has been deeply concerned for some time about the need for vendors to have proper places to await the opening of the market in the morning. There is also a need for enough market stalls so that vendors coming in from the countryside with produce from their farms will not have to sell on the streets near the market and behind the Macuata Provincial Building.This extension solves most of those problems. It has 110 vegetable stall spaces, 50 handicraft stalls, 20 sleeping spaces for women, and a training centre for 25 persons.We have solved the problem of overcrowding and uncomfortable spacing. Selling will be more comfortable and secure, and vendors can be more confident about leaving their produce and goods unattendedeven overnight. This marks a new experience and a new way of doing business for all the vendors here.The total project cost was $688,000, with $500,000 funded by my Government and the balance by Labasa Town Council. But I am very pleased that UN Women saw the economic and social value for the women of Vanua Levu and reimbursed the Council for 50% of the cost. That frees nearly $350,000 for the Council to use for other market projects.Most of the vendors are women who work long and hard every day. They know the hard economic lessons of buying and selling. They have to know their customers and their products. And, of course, they need to stay safe, to protect themselves from thieves and worse as they travel to and from their places of business.Ladies and Gentlemen,This is also a day of enormous importance for the people of Vanua Levu as my Government comes one step closer to guaranteeing a future of land security for those living in informal settlements on State land throughout Fiji.To truly call someplace home, there needs to be a sense of ownership, a sense of belonging and a sense of security. Many Fijians occupying State land with no legal status dont enjoy these comforts. They do not have the peace of mind of knowing that they and their children will have a place that they can call as their permanent home.Today, we are handing out 72 approval notices to people who have been living as squatters for years. The Ministry of Lands after today, will also work with other squatters on State land to issue approval notices through a transparent process.Ladies and Gentlemen, by having security of tenure, these squatters will no longer be squatters. They will have 99 year leases that will give them a sense of dignity and security that every Fijian deserves. It will also mean that these people will now build proper and permanent homes and they can now access funding from main stream banks and other financial institutions to help them build their homes. They will also have access to government housing grant initiative.In my vision of what we can become as a country, equal opportunity applies to every Fijian. Without secure access to land, that vision cant become a reality. So I hope you take advantage of this opportunity and build a strong future for yourself and your families.My fellow Fijians, today I am also here for another Micro and Small Grant disbursement in the Northern region.Ive already travelled all around Fiji, including Bua just on Monday, bringing this scheme to entrepreneurs who have outlined ways they plan to grow or begin their enterprises, and I know there are many of you in the Northern region who are equally deserving of this investment in your future.This program has done so well because it relies on the ability of the Fijian people to work hard, be innovative and strive for greatness. Our ability as a people to create industry and grow our economy is our most important natural resource, and this grant program taps that potential.This is not a handout. It is a grant that can only be used to purchase materials that you have identified as important to start or expand your businesses. Collectively, as your businesses grow, you will build wealth for yourselves and you will contribute to our economy.In December, two weeks before Christmas, I was in Nausori, where I was honoured to see 1096 recipients receive their grants. That was the biggest single grant disbursement carried out so far. This morning, an additional 252 recipients will benefit from this initiative through my Government.And todays event marks another significant milestone, because todays recipients bring the total number of entrepreneurs receiving these grants to 4,700. And when you count their family members, it means that we have helped improve the lives and prospects of 23,500 people total. After this event, I will move to Seaqaqa where another 245 entrepreneurs will receive grants.We have been so overwhelmed by the response to this initiative that we have increased the allocation for this year to $2.2 million. I was confident that our micro and small entrepreneurs were worthy of this scheme, but this programs popularity and success has gone beyond what we anticipated. We will continue to support the spirit of entrepreneurship in Fiji and foster an environment that allows small and micro businesses to develop.I would like to also take this opportunity to make mention of a number of people who will be benefitting from todays assistance here in Labasa: Miriama Tukana of Wailevu Village will utilise her grant to purchase her stock for canteen business. Mohammed Khan of Vunimoli will also utilise his grant for extension of his poultry business. Asenaca Natagane of Nakorowiri will purchase pineapple seedlings and utilise the funds for development costs.Ladies and Gentlemen,I would like to take this opportunity to discuss an important issue that is affecting the women and children of Fiji. I am talking about the very serious problem of domestic violence and sexual assault in our society.I am calling on all of us to take a stand against what I have called the ugly underbelly of Fijian culture. The home is a cherished and sacred place, and it is no place for violence. When we let violence into our homes, that violence spreads and infects every layer of society. The harm it does to women and children lasts a lifetime, and the harm it does to our society lasts generations. As a people, I know we are better than that.We have set strict laws in place to punish these crimes, but the law alone cannot change behaviour. The unfortunate reality is that these are crimes that thrive on fear and secrecy--and they continue because too many Fijians tolerate them. Too many people accept violence against women and children as inevitable. That is why it is our duty as a society to condemn these crimes wherever they arise, to shame and shun those who abuse or prey or even think of abusing or preying on our women and children. We need to do what we can to stop these crimes from happening, not be quiet about them.Ladies and Gentlemen,As I had stated earlier, my goal is to ignite the Fijian economy by empowering micro and small businesses- by developing good infrastructure,by getting behind the people.Ladies and Gentlemen,Given the recent prolonged drought and the hardships faced by our cane farmers, I am also pleased to announce today that this Friday; the Fiji Sugar Corporation will be making an advance payment of $2 per tonne to all cane farmers. This payment will be deducted from the 3rd and 4th quarter payments. What this means is that the tonnage that each farmer delivered to FSC last year multiplied by $2 is the amount that will be paid out this Friday. No deductions will be made from this advance payment.So as you can see Ladies and Gentlemen, My government is here to assist all Fijians irrespective of their background, of where they come from and irrespective of their socio-economic status. In fact my government has a number of initiatives such as the ones announced today, that is made to look after and assist ordinary Fijians. We understand your difficulties: -whether youre a market vendor. Whether youre a squatter on State land. Whether youre a woman seeking to sell your produce in the market or whether youre a cane farmer who has been affected by the drought. My government has been there for you and my government will continue to be there for you.We Fijians must all work together to harness the enormous potential that we have as a nation and together, create a brighter and better future for ourselves and our children.Thank you and vinaka vakalevu. HON PM BAINIMARAMA SPEECH AT THE OPENING OF NEW CLASSROOM BLOCK AT VALEBASOGA SECONDARY SCHOOL Unfortunately, Tropical Cyclone Ula ushered in the New Year for us, and although we will certainly have to repair some damage and help some people who were affected, Fiji was spared serious widespread damage, and I had to defer my trip to the North. Bula Vinaka and good afternoon to you all. And my best wishes for a happy 2016.We also need to always be prepared for these tropical storms, which now can happen even outside the traditional season. I want to thank you all for making your preparations and listening to the advice and instructions of our emergency response authorities. And I wish to thank those agencies- and law enforcement agenciesfor working around the clock to make sure that all Fijians are safe.Today I have visited three schools in Vanua Levu. I have opened new facilities at the Duavata Secondary School, the Vunivutu Primary School, and now here at the Valebasoga Primary School. I hope you are proud of this new facility. We are very busy here in Vanua Levu improving the quality of life and the quality of education. And there is a good reason why these schools are so special to me.My Governments philosophy is of One Fiji, where all citizens are equal. Your religion, your ethnicity, your occupation, your social status or whether you live in the capital or the most remote island should not matter.But we realised quickly that to have a truly equal society, we must commit ourselves to equal education. Education is the key to the future we want for ourselves. Fijians will never be truly free or equal if we dont guarantee a quality education to every child in Fiji. Education is the way we harness everyones potential. It is how we guarantee that a person can achieve anything he or she wants based on the character and drive and guts they have within them. All our efforts to create opportunities through a better economy and better infrastructure if our people arent prepared to take advantage of themand that requires education.When we made education truly free and ended the practice of schools requiring different kinds of payments from parents, we ensured that every child has equal access to quality education.Today I am happy to dedicate a new, two-storey block building to support the 110 students of this school and their dedicated teachers. The total cost of this project was just shy of $160,000, funded through my office. The building has wiring to provide proper lighting and accommodate the electronics that are becoming essential to education, new desks and equipment, and an environment that helps all our students here learn better. This is what they deserve. We owe them and ourselves as a nation a proper place for learning. And providing the right environment tells students and teachers alike that their fellow countrymen believe the work they are doing here is important.We have made good on our promise to replace the classrooms that were burned only a few years ago. Losing your schoolrooms was a tragedy for you. But today, you have a school that is bigger, better and more modern.We are investing in our school facilities throughout the country. We want to have the best possible teachers throughout the country to inspire our children, better facilities for our children to learn in, and better equipment and other educational materials for our children. So we are supporting our teachers with training and incentives, we are working in partnership with the schools and communities to give them what they need, and we are working with experts to improve the curriculum and the resources available to our children and teachers.Free education is what I am extremely proud of, because, as I have said, all our efforts at equality will come to nought if we dont give our children an equal chance in life by investing as a nation and as a people in their education.My Government has made equality a basic Fijian valueequality among us as people, equality no matter where we live or what we do, and equality between men and women.Now I would like to say a few words to the students here and their parents. You students are almost grown up, and you are all classmates and friendsboys and girls together. I want the boys to remember now and as you grow older that these girls are your sisters, your neighbours and your friends. You will get married someday and have a family, and then you will know what it is like to have a partner in lifeone who will share your burdens, one who will give you children and raise them with you, one who will build a life with you. And that will be a wonderful thing.Always respect each other. Always remember that boys and girlsand men and womenare equal. They are equally precious to God and equal under the laws of Fiji. We all deserve respect because we are all Gods creation, Gods children. God gave us all talent and intelligence, and we need to respect each other for that and learn from each other. And be kind to each other.I say this because there are people in this countryand in other countrieswho do not respect women and children. We must set the proper example for our sons and daughters. Teach them by example to be kind, to be gentle, and to be caring. Teach them to use their strength for good, and never, never to be violent toward the women and children in their lives. This is as much a part of education for life as anything you will learn in school.And children, you have a right to be respected, and you should insist on itto be respected in your person, to be respected for your intelligence and your talent, and to be respected in what you wish for yourself and your future.We have a problem in Fiji with domestic violence and violence against women and children, and we must face it if we are to stop it. We must teach our children the right way. And we must rain down shame on the abusers and rapists and those who even think of committing such crimes so that they know that we condemn what they do. That is part of what we as a people must teach ourselves.I am proud of the students I see before meyoung men and women, reallyand I am optimistic about what they will accomplish in life. And I am proud to declare this new classroom building open and ready for teaching and learning.Thank you and Vinaka Vakalevu. Dont overlook the basics of Social Security. Even rudimentary knowledge can turn advisors into instant superstars in their clients' eyes. Kasha Clark, a Raymond James financial advisor with First Tech Federal Credit Union in Beaverton, Oregon, wowed a client when she informed her that she could collect Social Security benefits on her deceased husband's work record. "I never even would have known that I was missing out on this benefit," the incredulous client told Clark. The widow, then 63, met with a Social Security agent and was able to begin taking her late husband's monthly benefit of approximately $1,800, which was about equal to what her benefit would be if she waited until her full retirement age at 66. The client, however, opted to defer her own benefit until she turned 70, at which point her benefit would be approximately $2,700 a month. The claiming strategy notably boosted the widow's retirement income. If she lives to 85, she will have received roughly $637,200 in benefits. Had she merely claimed her benefits at 66, she would have received only $410,400, leaving a considerable $226,800 on the table. "She had no idea," Clark said of her client. Clark estimates that about half of clients are unaware that they can claim spousal benefits before claiming their own benefit at their full-retirement age or later at 70. She said that the lack of awareness is prevalent among many of her clients but particularly among women who tend to abdicate the responsibility of working with an advisor to their husbands. Like most widows, Clark's client was initially unwilling to talk about her late husband, who died suddenly from cancer two years after he retired at 61. The long-married couple had traveled the country in a fifth-wheel travel trailer prior to the husband's unexpected death. "She was in shock after he died," Clark said. Still, Clark gently pushed her client to think about retirement planning and encouraged her to look into a widow's social security benefit. The client was glad that she did. "You are personally responsible for making my retirement more secure by this suggestion alone," she later thanked Clark in an email. Have you helped a client with a unique Social Security benefit claiming situation that you would like to share with readers? Please email me at margarida.correia@sourcemedia.com or call me at +1-212-803-8791. Read More: SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/11/16 -- BioIntegrator LLC (a ChemRar company) of Moscow, Russia announced that it has successfully launched Neskler -- the first generic of fingolimod in regulated pharmaceutical markets. Fingolimod, the blockbuster small molecule for remitting-relapsing multiple sclerosis treatment, is currently marketed as Gilenya by Novartis. Following Neskler registration in Russia in 2014 BioIntegrator prevailed over Novartis in a series of court hearings including the Appeal Committee of the Arbitrary tribunal for Intellectual Property of Moscow. In the most recent decision of December 17th, 2015 the court decided to reject all Novartis claims against Biointegrator LLC and the Russian Ministry of Health. In addition to expanding Neskler sales in Russia and several countries of EuroAsian Economic Union, BioIntegrator sought partnerships in development of new formulations and indications of fingolimod including market registration and sales in international markets including United States, European Union and other countries. After four years of development Neskler has proven to be safe and effective in comparative clinical trials. Russian Ministry of Health approved Neskler for marketing and sales in Russia in November 2014. Multiple sclerosis patient organizations and healthcare providers supported this decision, as BioIntegrator offered a significant advantage in access to drug for patients compared to Gilenya. BioIntegrator had to defend its right to manufacture and market Neskler after Novartis had accused it and the Russian Ministry of Health of breaching Novartis data exclusivity and violating WHO regulations. "This regulatory and marketing milestone is important for BioIntegrator and ChemRar as it establishes the precedent for other first generics, bio similars and me-better drugs that will appear on the Russian and other high growth markets soon. We believe it will bring a tremendous benefit to both patients and healthcare providers," said Nikolay Savchuk, Board member of ChemRar and Managing Partner of Torrey Pines Investment of San Diego CA. About Neskler: An oral medication for the treatment of relapsing forms of Multiple Sclerosis in adults. Used to reduce the frequency of flare-ups (clinical exacerbations) and delay physical disability. About Multiple Sclerosis: Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the central nervous systemand is one of the most common causes of nontraumatic disability among young and middle-aged adults. According to National Multiple Sclerosis Society, relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) is thought to affect 400,000 people in the US and more than 2.3 million people worldwide. MS-related healthcare costs are estimated to be more than $10 billion annually in the United States. About BioIntegrator: BioIntegrator LLC is a ChemRar company engaged in a development and manufacturing of first generics, biosimilars and protein and antibody conjugates for treatment of cancer, rare and autoimmune diseases. About ChemRar: ChemRar is Russia's premier pharma enterprise focused on innovation to deliver affordable health care solutions to patients, partners and health care systems across the globe. Selebrating its 25th anniversary ChemRar is committed to reduce therapy costs of chronic diseases such as HIV and viral hepatitis, diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases to provide access to affordable treatment to patients globally. ChemRar drug pipeline includes Elpida best in class ART for treatment of HIV, Aurixim antibody conjugate for treatment of hematological cancers, gosogliptin for treatment of diabetes, Neskler S1P1 agonist for treatment of Multiple Sclerosis. With a risk-balanced business model and product portfolio comprising small and large molecules, biosimilars and generics, branded formulations and research services, ChemRar Group is serving its patients and customers globally. www.chemrar.ru About Eurasian Economic Union: Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU or EEU) is an economic union of states located primarily in northern Eurasia. A treaty aiming for the establishment of the EEU was signed on 29 May 2014 by the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, and came into force on 1 January 2015. Treaties aiming for Armenia's and Kyrgyzstan's accession to the Eurasian Economic Union were signed on 9 October 2014 and 23 December, respectively. Armenia's accession treaty came into force on 2 January 2015. Contacts: Elena Surina ChemRar Group Email: Email Contact Phone: +1-495-995-4944 CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Australian dollar weakened against the other major currencies in the Asian session on Tuesday. The Australian dollar fell to 1.5596 against the euro and 81.95 against the yen, from yesterday's closing quotes of 1.5519 and 82.36, respectively. Against the U.S. and the New Zealand dollars, the aussie edged down to 0.6975 and 1.0636 from yesterday's closing quotes of 0.6994 and 1.0659, respectively. If the aussie extends its downtrend, it is likely to find support around 1.60 against the euro, 80.00 against the yen, 0.68 against the greenback and 1.05 against the kiwi. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. PHOENIX (dpa-AFX) - Private equity firm Apollo Global Management LLC (APO) is in advanced talks to buy for-profit education provider Apollo Education Group Inc. (APOL), the Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. Shares of Apollo Education gained more than 22 percent in extended trades following the report. According to the WSJ report, a deal between the two companies could be worth about $1 billion and may be reached in the next few weeks. Apollo Education was reportedly in talks with several private equity firms since late 2015, with Apollo Global Management the only company in the fray now. Apollo Education, the owner of the University of Phoenix, said on Monday that its board of directors has decided to explore strategic alternatives, while the company continues to execute its ongoing business transformation. The company added that its board is currently in talks that could potentially lead to a change of control of the company. Apollo Education has retained Barclays and Credit Suisse as its financial advisors, while Sullivan & Cromwell has been retained as its legal advisor. The company also reported its financial results for the first quarter on Monday. Net loss for the first quarter was $60.8 million or $0.56 per share, compared to net income of $33.8 million or $0.31 per share in the year-ago quarter. Excluding items, adjusted earnings were $0.29 per share for the quarter. Net revenue for the quarter declined 18 percent to $586.0 million from $714.5 million in the prior-year period. APOL closed Monday's regular trading at $6.38, down $0.21 or 3.19 percent on a volume of 6.57 million shares. In after-hours, the stock gained $1.42 or 22.26 percent to $7.80. APO closed Monday's trading at $14.02, up $0.02 or 0.14 percent on a volume of 2.43 million shares. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The Cabinet office is slated to release the Japan consumer confidence index for December at 12:00 am ET Tuesday. The index is seen at 42.4, compared to 42.6 in November. Ahead of the data, the yen showed mixed trading against its major rivals. While the yen rose against the pound, it held steady against the euro, the U.S. dollar and the Swiss franc. As of 11:55 pm ET in the Asian deals, the yen was trading at 127.84 against the euro, 170.66 against the pound, 117.58 against the Swiss franc and 117.47 against the U.S. dollar. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. JAKARTA, Indonesia, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Representatives of the Indonesian Pharma Industry declared that the government must offer incentives and widen the door to foreign direct investment in the country's pharmaceutical industry to reduce dependence on imported raw material for medicine. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151230/318436 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121014/HK92339LOGO-d Meanwhile, in a bid to encourage the industry, the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) gauged a plan to allow foreign investors to hold more shares in pharmacy companies, from currently a maximum of 85 percent, to 100 percent. The Indonesian Pharmaceutical Association (GP Farmasi) business development committee head Vincent Harijanto acknowledged that most raw material are imported to produce medicine. At the same time he is optimistic that the country can become a production base for such overseas manufacturers given its large market, including toll manufacturing. Tailored to suit this fast changing industry, the 5th edition of CPhI South East Asia taking place during 6-8 April 2016 in Jakarta provides the must-attend trade exhibition where the regional pharma industry meets to leverage connections, knowledge and insight to spur business. Sign up now to attend! Indonesian Health Ministry data show that the number of pharmacy companies stood at 239 last year, up from 206 in 2013. GP Farmasi projected investment in the pharmacy sector to reach Rp 215 trillion (US$15.34 billion) by 2025. The sector itself had potentials worth up to Rp 700 trillion, which consisted of Rp 450 trillion for the domestic market and Rp 250 trillion in exports, by 2025. The CPhI series of events drives growth and innovation in the global pharmaceutical industry, with leading exhibitions and online communities covering every step of the supply chain from drug discovery to finished dosage. More than 100,000 visitors meet over 6,000 exhibitors at events in Europe, China, India, Japan, South East Asia, Russia, Brazil, Istanbul and Korea every year to exchange ideas, form alliances and conduct business on an international scale. CPhI also provides an online buyer & supplier directory at CPhI-Online.com. Contact Person: Ivan Ferrari Phone Number: +62 21 2930 5959 ext 138 Email: Ivan.Ferrari@ubm.com MALMO, Sweden, January 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Rosti Group's Board of Directors has appointed Brendan Colgan as the new CEO of Rosti Group effective from March 1, 2016. He succeeds Borje Vernet, who has been CEO since 2007. Brendan Colgan comes most recently from the global engineering group imi as Divisional Managing Director for their Precision Engineering Division. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160111/320931LOGO ) (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160111/320932 ) Mats Heiman, Chairman of Directors of Rosti Board, comments: "Brendan Colgan has extensive international and operational experience from large global companies. With a strong communicative ability he has managed important change programs, successfully developed the business and improved profitability in the companies where he has worked. With his international background and rich knowledge of complex, large industries Brendan has the competencies to lead Rosti in its continued development and growth. I would like to thank Borje Vernet, Rosti's current CEO, that since 2007 successfully has increased turnover ten times with good profitability to 500 million Euro." Brendan Colgan commented, saying: "It will be a privilege to continue to build upon what has already been accomplished at Rosti with good profitability and well-anchored values internally. Rosti Group has a strong position in the European and Asian market and I look forward to leading the company towards its vision to double the turnover to 2019 - from the current 500 million to 1 billion Euro - both organically and through acquisitions." During 2015 Rosti Group's current Chief Executive, Borje Vernet, informed the Board of Directors of his intention to resign from his position as CEO of Rosti. In January, 2016 Borje will assume the position as CEO of Dacke Industri AB, a company within Nordstjernan, with the strategy to invest in technology companies oriented towards customer-specific system solutions and components. More information on Brendan Colgan Brendan Colgan was born in Northern Ireland. He has forged a successful career within Charter International Plc, an international engineering company comprising esab and Howden, where he has had various roles and functions, including several executive positions. He has operated across all continents, including significant periods of times abroad - such as in Mexico, Australia and the United States. When he returned to the UK he held the business development and strategy role for the group including responsibility for M&A, while retaining his seat on the Board of the US business. Later he assumed responsibility for esab's Asia Pacific, Middle East and African business and in 2011 he was appointed CEO of esab. The following year he was headhunted into imi Plc to run their Precision Engineering Division with 1 billion Euro turnover and 6000 employees. imi Precision Engineering is a world leader in motion and fluid control technologies supplying a range of markets. Rosti Group is a global plastics injection moulding company and subcontract manufacturer to the Automotive, Packaging, Consumer & Professional Appliances, Business Machines, and Life Sciences markets. Rosti has 12 manufacturing facilities in Europe and Asia, 4 000 employees and sales of 500 MEUR. Rosti is rapidly expanding, organically and through acquisitions. The head office in Malmo employs 12 persons. Rosti is owned by the Swedish investment group Nordstjernan. For further information, please visit http://www.rosti.com and http://www.nordstjernan.se Unique Security Model Brings Deeper, More Secure AWS Adoption to the Enterprise Datapipe, a leader in secure managed hosting and cloud solutions for the enterprise and government, today announced its Datapipe Access Control Model for Amazon Web Services (DACMA) was named a 2015 Storage, Virtualization, Cloud (SVC) Awards winner in the Security Product of the Year category. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160112005396/en/ 2015 SVC Awards Cloud Security Product of the Year (Photo: Business Wire) "Running key parts of an enterprise's IT infrastructure on the AWS public cloud is a cost-effective solution that allows for greater flexibility, scalability, and power," said Joel Friedman, Chief Technology Security Officer, Datapipe. "However, it requires a deep skill set to effectively, efficiently, and securely run an AWS system, one that enterprises often don't have. We developed DACMA, an AWS best practice methodology, to bring to market a deeper level of trust and security specifically focused on protecting and safeguarding an enterprise's virtual infrastructure." Originally announced at AWS re:Invent, DACMA lets enterprises take advantage of AWS managed services without requiring them to hand over administrator-level credentials. The model offers an enhanced level of security and control through role-based access and monitoring, clearly establishing and tracking the accountability and actions of all users. DACMA is seamless and requires no extra steps or oversight after initial deployment. It dramatically reduces the risk of disruption of service or data breach due to unauthorized access or activity of an AWS environment. More specifically, DACMA: Helps enterprises that struggle with implementing AWS security capabilities, required security policies, and process transformations. Brings together security and compliance best practices by providing role-based access, multi-factor authentication, accountability tracking and managed support without granting access to administrator/root-level credentials. Uses AWS best practices, security processes and software for a complete access control platform security solution. Dramatically reduces the risk of disruption of service or data breach due to unauthorized access. Is the ideal solution for enterprises wanting to take advantage of managed services for AWS, but want to maintain control over their credentials and security access points. "Traditionally, when working with a managed services provider (MSP), enterprises must hand over administrator level credentials or root level credentials and API keys to enable that MSP to run and manage the virtual environment," said Friedman. "DACMA removes this requirement, giving the business complete control over their virtual infrastructure and data with the ability to pull user privileges at will. This latest award is testament to Datapipe's deep understanding and experience in effectively planning, building and running highly secure and available AWS environments for clients across the globe." The annual SVC Awards celebrate the products, projects and services as well as honor companies and teams operating in the cloud, virtualization and storage sectors. Recipients are nominated by a committee and voted on by industry customers, partners, and peers. To learn more about DACMA or learn about additional Datapipe security best practices see: https://www.datapipe.com/security_compliance/. About Datapipe Datapipe is the managed hosting and cloud services provider with the most complete set of services, global locations, and industry leading partners. Datapipe delivers choice, control, and confidence in architecting, deploying, and managing multi-platform hybrid IT solutions tailored to individual customer needs. Optimizing mission-critical and day-to-day enterprise IT operations, Datapipe enables businesses to transform, innovate and scale. Backed by a global team of experienced professionals and next-generation data centers Datapipe provides comprehensive security, governance, orchestration, and analytics solutions. Analyst firm Gartner has named Datapipe a leader in the 2014 and 2015 Magic Quadrant for Cloud-Enabled Managed Hosting. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160112005396/en/ Contacts: INK PR for Datapipe Kris Johnston, 512-964-0398 Datapipe@ink-pr.com ARLINGTON, Virginia and PARIS, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Bloomberg BNA and Baker & McKenzie today announced that their fourth annual Global Transfer Pricing Conference, in association with the Tax Management Education Institute, will be held March 14-15 in Paris. The event brings together OECD and government officials from key OECD and non OECD countries, along with leading transfer pricing experts from the business community, to provide updates and insights on the implementation of the OECD's Base Erosion and Profit Sharing (BEPS) Final Reports, which were released on October 5, 2015.The conference takes place at the Westin Paris Vendome and event information and registration is available here. "Now that the OECD has issued the final BEPS Action Plan, attendees need to understand how countries are implementing these actions and how that will impact their companies," said Molly Moses, Transfer Pricing Editor for Bloomberg BNA Tax & Accounting. "We are excited to convene a distinguished group of national government officials, delegates from multilateral organizations, and industry experts to provide firsthand insight and actionable intelligence into this timely issue that will affect multinational corporations." "Companies are already experiencing transfer pricing challenges based on new concepts introduced by the October 2015 OECD-G20 reports," said Caroline Silberztein, Chair of Baker & McKenzie Global Transfer Pricing practice. "Some countries like China are revising their transfer pricing rules to implement what many perceive as a directional change in the global transfer pricing paradigm. Transfer pricing is becoming more complex, with more demanding OECD guidance and the increasing importance of the United Nations and the European Commission in this field. For companies, it is more than ever critical to stay abreast and anticipate likely evolutions." The conference will include sessions on key topics from the BEPS directives Final Reports, preparing attendees to deal with country-by-country reporting, the OECD's revised guidance on risk, and profit and assessment of technology intangibles, and research and development activities, sales and marketing activities, and profit split. The conference will open with an address by Pascal Saint-Amans, Director of the OECD's Centre for Tax Policy and Administration. Other confirmed speakers include: Marlies de Ruiter , Head of Tax Treaty, Transfer Pricing and Financial Transactions Division, OECD Center for Tax Policy and Administration , Head of Tax Treaty, Transfer Pricing and Financial Transactions Division, OECD Center for Tax Policy and Administration Melinda Brown , Transfer Pricing Adviser, OECD , Transfer Pricing Adviser, OECD Michael Lennard , Chief, International Tax Cooperation Section, United Nations, Department of Economics and Social Affairs , Chief, International Tax Cooperation Section, United Nations, Department of Economics and Social Affairs Michael McDonald , Financial Economist, Office of Tax Policy, United States Treasury , Financial Economist, Office of Tax Policy, United States Treasury Liu Ping , Director of Tariff and Trade Affairs, World Customs Organization , Director of Tariff and Trade Affairs, World Customs Organization Severine Gruber , Economist, Transfer Pricing/Bilateral Tax Issues, Swiss Federal Department of Finance , Economist, Transfer Pricing/Bilateral Tax Issues, Swiss Federal Department of Finance Carlos Perez-Gomez Serrano , Head of Transfer Pricing, Mexican Tax Administration Service , Head of Transfer Pricing, Mexican Tax Administration Service Ivonete Bezerra de Souza , Head of the International Taxation Division, Brazil , Head of the International Taxation Division, Holly McClellan , Global Transfer Pricing Leader, GE Capital Global Transfer Pricing Leader, Sandra Esteves , Director, Global Transfer Pricing, GEM, SABIC Capital B.V. Director, Global Transfer Pricing, GEM, SABIC Capital B.V. Massimo Di Cesare , Group Head of Tax, Richemont International SA Group Head of Tax, Richemont International SA Bas van der Goorbergh, Vice President, International Tax, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Vice President, International Tax, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Yuliya Logunova, European Tax Manager, Rakuten Europe European Tax Manager, Rakuten Europe Beatrice Deshayes, SeniorVice President, Tax, LVMH SeniorVice President, Tax, LVMH Matthew Frank , Senior Tax Counsel, Transfer Pricing, General Electric Company Senior Tax Counsel, Transfer Pricing, General Electric Company Mauricio Reyes , Head of Tax, Degremont Head of Tax, Degremont Massimiliano Guerra , Financial Special Projects Manager, Saipem Taking place concurrently with the Global Transfer Pricing Conference is the Bloomberg BNA Introduction to Transfer Pricing Seminar, a practical and interactive two-day course with extended workshop sessions that examine solutions to transfer pricing issues facing multinationals. Event information and registration for both events is available here. About Bloomberg BNA Bloomberg BNA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bloomberg, is a leading source of legal, regulatory, and business information for professionals. Its network of more than 2,500 reporters, correspondents, and leading practitioners delivers expert analysis, news, practice tools, and guidance - the information that matters most to professionals. Bloomberg BNA's authoritative coverage spans a full range of legal practice areas, including tax & accounting, labor & employment, intellectual property, banking & securities, employee benefits, health care, privacy & data security, human resources, and environment, health & safety. About Baker & McKenzie Founded in 1949, Baker & McKenzie is one of the world's largest law firms, advising many of the world's most dynamic and successful business organizations through our 12,000 staff in 77 offices in 47 countries. The Firm is known for its global perspective, deep understanding of the local language and culture of business, uncompromising commitment to excellence, and world-class fluency in its client service.Baker & McKenzie's Global Transfer Pricing practice includes over 200 lawyers and economists who deliver innovative and commercially pragmatic advice and assistance in design, implementation and defense across markets.(www.bakermckenzie.com) About Tax Management Educational Institute Tax Management Educational Institute (TMEI) is an independent educational organization founded by Tax Management, Inc., a subsidiary of The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.TMEI is devoted solely to the conduct of responsible, professional seminars and conferences of the highest quality dedicated to issues of tax policy and practice, and to the funding of related scholarly endeavors. Half of its 3,000 Tableau Online Customers are Located Outside the U.S. SEATTLE, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Tableau Software (NYSE: DATA), a global leader in rapid-fire business analytics software, announced that it has launched a new data centre in Dublin, Ireland. This marks Tableau's first European-based data centre and underscores its expanding cloud analytics capabilities, as well as its continued commitment to data users in Europe and around the world. Logo- http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130718/SF48964LOGO "With the opening of our European data centre, we are responding to a desire from customers to choose where they host their data," said James Eiloart, Vice President of Tableau's European Operations. "We take our mission to help people see and understand their data very seriously - and it's a global mission. We will continue to invest more into both our capabilities and infrastructure to put analytics into the hands of anyone with data questions." The new data centre is available to both existing and new Tableau Online customers, wherever they are located. Existing customers can choose to migrate to their data to the Dublin-based data centre, while new customers can select their preferred location - either North America or Europe - when setting up their Tableau Online site. Tableau has more than 35,000 customers in more than 150 countries. More than 3,000 active customer accounts are using Tableau's advanced cloud capabilities with Tableau Online. Fifty percent of these accounts are located outside the U.S. The launch of a European-based data centre is in response to its continued international growth and customer demand. "Ensuring flexibility has always been central to Tableau's mission," said Eiloart. "From data solutions and deployment options, to data discovery paths, we are now enabling customers to choose where they want their cloud analytics data stored.We've always been committed to empowering people in their data analytics journey and this is an important milestone in that journey." The new data centre is ISO27001 certified and provides a disaster recovery location in Munich, Germany to ensure the highest levels of security and quality. Download a free trial of Tableau Online at http://www.tableau.com/products/cloud-bi. About Tableau Tableau Software (NYSE: DATA) helps people see and understand data. Tableau helps anyone quickly analyze, visualize and share information. More than 35,000 customer accounts get rapid results with Tableau in the office and on-the-go. And tens of thousands of people use Tableau Public to share data in their blogs and websites. See how Tableau can help you by downloading the free trial at www.tableau.com/trial. Tableau and Tableau Software are trademarks of Tableau Software, Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. PUNE, India, January 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- RnRMarketResearch.com adds "China Ceramic Tile Industry Report, 2015-2018" and "Global and Chinese Ceramic Tile Industry, 2015 Market Research Report" reports with 2018 and 2020 forecasts data and information to its online business intelligence library. After thirty years of rapid development, China's economy has entered a new normal state, in which real estate investment and development slows down, construction area declines and the demand for decoration falls. As a result, the architectural ceramics industry witnesses a lower growth rate. In 2015, the full-year revenue of the industry will reach RMB447 billion, a year-on-year increase of 4.9%. Complete report of 95 pages is available at http://www.rnrmarketresearch.com/china-ceramic-tile-industry-report-2015-2018-market-report.html . China architectural ceramics industry has been booming nationwide through decades of development and several rounds of industrial transfer. There are now 1,452 ceramics enterprises and 3,621 production lines (including 181 Spanish tile production lines) in China except Beijing, Tianjin, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, with the daily ceramic tile capacity of 45.036 million square meters, according to statistics of China Building Ceramics & Sanitaryware Association. In terms of competition pattern, China building ceramics industry features a low market concentration rate. The top ten manufacturers have total annual capacity of 676 million square meters, only occupying 4.12% of the whole industry. With the implementation of new environmental protection laws, some of backward capacity will be phased out; meanwhile, the slow development of China's economy and real estate industry will lead to the fiercer market competition in the architectural ceramics industry, and mergers and acquisitions will be the mainstream of the industry. Companies involved in this research are Dong Peng, Marco Polo (Wonderful Ceramics Group), Hongyu, NewPearl (Guanzhu, Summit), New Zhongyuan, Oceano, Nabel, Bode, Eagle Ceramics, Monalisa, Shanghai Everjoy (Formerly Cimic), China Ceramics, Champion and Huida Sanitary Ware. Purchase a copy of China Ceramic Tile Industry Report, 2015-2018 at http://www.rnrmarketresearch.com/contacts/purchase?rname=448407 . As for manufacturers: China's largest architectural ceramics enterprise NewPearl Group is made up of Guangdong NewPearl Ceramics Group, Guangdong Summit Ceramics Group and Jiangxi NewPearl Ceramics Group, with the ceramic tile capacity of more than 200 million square meters. The second-ranked New Zhongyuan has nine production bases located in Foshan, Gao'an and other places, with the capacity of 100 million square meters. The third-ranked Nabel has set up its five production bases in Hangzhou, Jiujiang and Deqing, with the investment of more than USD 425 million and the capacity of over 78 million square meters. Currently, Wonderful has the capacity of 58 million square meters. It plans to invest RMB3 billion in a project with the capacity of 40 million square meters in Chongqing. Once the project is completed in 2018, Wonderful's capacity will hit 100 million square meters and rank among top three. China Ceramic Tile Industry Report, 2015-2018 studies the following: Overview of China ceramic tile industry, including product definition, classification, development process and major policies. ceramic tile industry, including product definition, classification, development process and major policies. Analysis of factors about China ceramic tile industry, such as real estate development and decoration industries. ceramic tile industry, such as real estate development and decoration industries. Overview of China ceramic tile industry, embracing market size, capacity, output, import and export, competitive landscape, etc. ceramic tile industry, embracing market size, capacity, output, import and export, competitive landscape, etc. Profile, financial condition, flagship products, capacity / output, R & D, distribution of production bases, technical characteristics and so on of 14 ceramic tile companies, namely Dong Peng , Wonderful, New Zhongyuan, NewPearl, Nabel, Eagle Ceramics, China Ceramics, Hongyu, Oceano, Bode, Monalisa, Shanghai Everjoy (formerly Cimic), Champion and Huida Sanitary Ware. On Similar lines, another research titled Global and Chinese Ceramic Tile Industry, 2010-2020 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global Ceramic Tile industry with a focus on the Chinese market. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Ceramic Tile manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry. Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including its definition, applications and manufacturing technology. Then, the report explores the international and Chinese major industry players in detail. In this part, the report presents the company profile, product specifications, capacity, production value, and 2010-2015 market shares for each company. Through the statistical analysis, the report depicts the global and Chinese total market of Ceramic Tile industry including capacity, production, production value, cost/profit, supply/demand and Chinese import/export. The total market is further divided by company, by country, and by application/type for the competitive landscape analysis. The report then estimates 2015-2020 market development trends of Ceramic Tile industry. Analysis of upstream raw materials, downstream demand, and current market dynamics is also carried out. In the end, the report makes some important proposals for a new project of Ceramic Tile Industry before evaluating its feasibility. Overall, the report provides an in-depth insight of 2010-2020 global and Chinese Ceramic Tile industry covering all important parameters. Read more at http://www.rnrmarketresearch.com/global-and-chinese-ceramic-tile-industry-2015-market-research-report-market-report.html . Explore more Construction Material market reports at http://www.rnrmarketresearch.com/reports/manufacturing-construction/construction/construction-material . About Us: RnRMarketResearch.com is your single source for all market research needs. Our database includes 500,000+ market research reports from over 100+ leading global publishers & in-depth market research studies of over 5000 micro markets. With comprehensive information about the publishers and the industries for which they publish market research reports, we help you in your purchase decision by mapping your information needs with our huge collection of reports. Connect with Us: G+ / Google Plus:https://plus.google.com/u/0/104156468549256253075/ Twitter:https://twitter.com/RnRMR Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pages/RnR-Market-Research/413488545356345 RSS / Feeds:http://www.rnrmarketresearch.com/feed Contact: Ritesh Tiwari UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ Magarpatta city, Hadapsar, Pune, Maharashtra 411013, India Tel: +1-888-391-5441 sales@rnrmarketresearch.com Aarno Kari (M.D., Docent) will receive the Pohjola and Suomi Mutual Medical Award worth EUR 20,000 at the Finnish Medical Convention for his pioneering life's work in quality assessment, especially in the field of intensive care. The award is a recognition of his significant national life's work. The recipient is chosen by the chairmen of the major Finnish physicians' organisations. "It is important to note that the purpose of intensive care is to help a patient in acute danger of dying. When I began my career as a young doctor in the early 1970s, intensive care was a very new field in Finland. There was a lot that had to be developed. I see this award as a tribute to the entire field of intensive care in Finland," says Aarno Kari. Aarno Kari was instrumental in the development of quality consortia for intensive care and anaesthesiology. A peer evaluation system in intensive care was introduced in 1994 and by the new millennium all intensive care units in Finland had subscribed to it. The processing of monitoring and patient data in intensive care has been automated throughout the country. Information produced by the system on the quality of intensive care has resulted in a steady improvement of quality and smaller differences in quality between ICUs. The quality consortium has proved what a massive resource peer evaluation can be if properly implemented. Aarno Kari has also led work to develop an information system that automatically collects data from monitoring and care equipment and laboratories. The system and its user interface form the basis for the information system currently offered by GE (Centricity Critical Care Clinisoft) that is used around the world in over 150 intensive care units in 17 countries and in ten language versions. Ageing population posing a challenge in the future Aarno Kari sees that the most obvious aspect affecting intensive care in the future is that there will be a wider spectrum of diseases to deal with as the population gets older, also resulting in a higher need for intensive care. On the other hand, developments in invasive cardiology and radiology will reduce the need for heavy surgery that requires post-operational intensive care. "The main point will continue to be careful patient selection and an optimistic and forward-looking attitude. We have seen many times that what was hopeless yesterday is treatable today," says Mr Kari. The Pohjola and Suomi Mutual Medical Award has been presented annually at the Finnish Medical Convention since 1981. The committee that chose the winner consisted of chairmen of the boards of the Finnish Medical Association, Finnish Medical Society Duodecim, Finska Lakaresallskapet and the Finnish Medical Foundation. The Award will be presented at the Finnish Medical Convention on 14 January 2016, with Mr Kari Aarno giving a speech titled "From information to quality in intensive care". For more information, please contact: M.D., Docent Aarno Kari, p. +358 40 5560920, aarno.kari@fimnet.fi Chief Physician Markus Torkki, Omasairaala Oy, tel. +358 10 2578051, markus.torkki@omasairaala.fi OP Financial Group is Finland's leading financial services group, providing a unique range of banking, investment and insurance services. OP's mission is to promote the prosperity, well-being and security of its owner-members, customers and operating regions through its local presence. Its objective is to offer the best and most versatile package of loyal customer benefits on the market. OP Financial Group is made up of some 180 member cooperative banks and OP Cooperative, the Group's central institution, including its subsidiaries and closely related companies. The Group has a staff of 12,000, and has 4.3 million customers. OP Financial Group expanded to the health and wellbeing services from the beginning of 2013 when it opened Omasairaala, its wholly owned hospital in Helsinki specialising in orthopaedics. The hospital network will be expanded to cover the entire country. The next hospital will be opened in Tampere in the summer of 2016, coinciding with the name change from Omasairaala to Pohjola Health. This will be followed by hospitals opening in Oulu, Kuopio and Turku. Suomi Mutual Life Assurance Company (Suomi Mutual) was established 125 years ago. It is responsible for the management of the insurance portfolio and related investments of over 40,000 pension insurance customers. The value of its investments is about EUR 3.2 billion. The company no longer underwrites new business. www.suomi-yhtio.fi Background information about the award winner: M.D. and Docent Aarno Kari Aarno Kari graduated as licentiate of medicine from the University of Turku in 1970. He specialised in anaesthesia in 1976, received his doctorate in medical science from the University of Kuopio in 1986 and became docent in anaesthesiology and intensive care at the University of Kuopio in 1991. He led a Finnish research group focusing on the development and validation of indicators used in the quality evaluation of intensive care; this group was part of an international research group. The quality consortium developed by the group has formed the base for several nationwide research programmes, published in the form of over 50 scientific articles and eight dissertations. Aarno Kari specialised in anaesthesiology at Turku University Hospital 1970-1975, then worked as assistant lecturer in anaesthesiology at the University of Turku 1975-76; then as physician in charge of Kuopio University Hospital's IC unit, and as Medical Specialist, Associate Chief Physician, Ward Chief and Chief Physician 1976-1994; temporary Anaesthesiology Professor at the University of Kuopio 1994-1995, anaesthesiology department's chief physician 1995-1999; before his retirement, Managing Director and Medical Director of Intensium Oy 1999-2006. Background information about Finnish intensive care: From novelty to standard part of acute care Intensive care is a relatively new specialty. It can be considered to have started globally in 1953 in Copenhagen following the polio epidemic and in Finland in 1964 when the first two intensive care units were opened. During Aarno Kari's significant career, intensive care has established itself into its current form in terms of its organisation and resources as a key part of acute patient care. During the past 40 years or so, intensive care has become a treatment method that everyone knows. Compared to the early days of intensive care, the overall resources have increased significantly, and IC units around the country have organised themselves to operate in a uniform way. Following the establishment of the quality consortium, intensive care quality is measured in Finland at three-month intervals. The matters that are monitored include the number of patients requiring heavy intensive care; any patients in the ICU who would not have needed it; number of extended intensive care periods ending in death; number of patients readmitted to intensive care during a single hospitalisation; daily number of staff per patient or total number of intensive care procedures. The results of intensive care are nowadays good - especially considering the poor condition of the patients when they arrive. Some 80 per cent of the patients survive thanks to intensive care, with reasonably good quality of life after the treatment period. And it is extremely rare for patients to become dependent on intensive care methods. This announcement is distributed by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions on behalf of NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions clients. The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: Pohjola Pankki Oyj via Globenewswire HUG#1973169 OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - There has been an increase in Hepatitis A cases in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, and health authorities, who are monitoring the situation, have declared an outbreak. Investigation is under way to identify the source of the infection. Hepatitis A, a virus that attacks the liver, is spread through fecal oral contact. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, dark urine, clay-coloured bowel movements, joint pain, and jaundice. Symptoms can last for several weeks and normally do not last more than two months. 'There is a vaccination available for Hepatitis A. Thorough hand washing after visits to the restroom, before touching food or drink, and after changing a baby's diaper can assist in mitigating spread', suggests Northern Health, the publicly funded healthcare provider for the northern two-thirds of the Canadian province of British Columbia. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Canadian dollar weakened against most major currencies in the late Asian session on Tuesday, as oil prices fell ahead of Chinese trade data due on Wednesday. Crude oil for February delivery are currently down $0.75 to $30.66 a barrel. Crude oil futures hit new 12-year lows Monday as the rout in equities continued unabated amid concerns about the global economy. Crude oil prices have collapsed due to a severe glut of supplies and OPEC's stubborn refusal to curb production. Monday, the Canadian dollar fell 0.47 percent against the U.S. dollar, 0.15 percent against the yen and 0.39 percent against the euro. Meanwhile, the loonie rose against the Australian dollar. In the Asian trading, the Canadian dollar fell to a 12-year low of 1.4258 against the U.S. dollar and a 3-year low of 82.23 against the yen, from yesterday's closing quotes of 1.4215 and 82.82, respectively. If the loonie extends its downtrend, it is likely to find support around 1.43 against the greenback and 81.00 against the yen. Against the euro, the loonie dropped to 1.5529 from yesterday's closing value of 1.5436. The loonie is likely to find support around the 1.56 area. Meanwhile, the loonie rose to 0.9896 against the Australian dollar, from an early low of 0.9951. The loonie may test resistance around the 0.97 region. Looking ahead, U.K. industrial output for November is due at 4:30 am ET. At 5:30 am ET, Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, European Central Bank Executive Board Member Peter Praet and Federal Reserve Governor Stanley Fischer will participate in a panel discussion titled 'Monetary Policy, Financial Stability, and the Zero Lower Bound' at the Farewell Symposium for Christian Noyer organised by Bank of France, in Paris. Later in the New York session, European Central Bank Governing Council member Jens Weidmann, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney and Bank of Mexico Governor Agustin Carstens participate in a panel discussion at Farewell Symposium for Christian Noyer event in Paris. At 2:00 pm ET, European Central Bank Executive Board Member Sabine Lautenschlaeger is expected to speak at Zonta Club, in Frankfurt. Subsequently, at 3:15 pm ET, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Jeffrey Lacker will speak on 'Economic Outlook January 2016' before the South Carolina Business and Industry Political Education Committee in Columbia annual meeting, in South Carolina. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de KFAR SABA, Israel, January 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Funds will support commercialization of its CE-marked cell-free, cartilage regeneration technology CartiHeal (2009) Ltd., developer of a cell-free, off-the-shelf cartilage and bone regeneration device, announced today the culmination of a $15M financing round. The funds will be used to promote ongoing manufacturing scale-up, plan for initial European commercialization in 2017 and expansion of clinical studies to new therapeutic areas. The investment was led by Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC Inc. together with CartiHeal's existing investors: Elron, Accelmed, Access Medical Ventures and Peregrine Ventures. CartiHeal's cell free and off-the shelf implant - Agili-C' - has been successfully implanted in nearly 200 patients throughout Europe and obtained CE approval. Agili-C' is indicated for the treatment of cartilage and osteochondral defects in degenerative and non-degenerative lesions. Results from procedures in the knee, ankle and great toe indicate regeneration of hyaline cartilage and its underlying subchondral bone, as well as significant improvement in pain levels and reduction of related symptoms. Uri Geiger, Managing partner of Accelmed and a board member with Cartiheal, stated that: "This round of funding is a testament to the investor's commitment and satisfaction with CartiHeal's progress, and its revolutionary paradigm change in the treatment of cartilage and osteoarthritis". "The Agili-C' implant has demonstrated outstanding ability to reproducibly regenerate hyaline cartilage", says Mr. Nir Altschuler, Founder & CEO of CartiHeal. "Agili-C' enables biological resurfacing of cartilage and its underlying subchondral bone through a tissue regeneration process. The device is suitable for a wide range of pathologies from focal traumatic lesions to moderate stages of osteoarthritis". Altschuler added "We believe that it will provide a good solution for a vast unmet need, especially for patients with osteoarthritis who do not respond to conservative treatment while their condition is not severe enough to justify full joint replacement. This investment will position CartiHeal as a significant player in the treatment of early osteoarthritis". About CartiHeal CartiHeal, a privately held medical device company headquartered in Israel, is a pioneer in the field of regenerative medicine, providing simple and effective solutions for both degenerative and non-degenerative articular cartilage lesions. The company was founded by Nir Altschuler and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Backed by extensive clinical evidence, its flagship product - Agili-C', has shown to promote regeneration of true hyaline cartilage and its underlying subchondral bone, simultaneously, without the use of cells, growth factors or other exogenous agents. The CE marked implant is a rigid bi-phasic scaffold composed of biocompatible and biodegradable materials. CartiHeal is an ISO 13485 & ISO 9001 certified company. For more information, please contact: Caty Pearl Caty@cartiheal.com +972-9-8810400 LONDON, January 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Annual Digital & Media Predictions outline the need to optimize video and mobile advertising, evaluate connected TV opportunities and develop inspiring branded content Millward Brown, the world's leading expert in helping businesses grow strong brands, today released its annual Digital and Media Predictions for the year ahead. For the eighth consecutive year the company is providing marketers with a clear guide on navigating the challenges and opportunities of the next 12 months. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151014/276726LOGO ) One prediction in the 2016 report identifies the opportunity for marketers to develop clearer consumer journey maps, from awareness to purchase, in order to better integrate sales and media touchpoints. This opportunity will become possible as digital platforms blur to an unprecedented degree the lines between these two previously separate disciplines, allowing marketers to optimize the consumer journey more than ever before. Three key trends drive this opportunity: the consumer journey becoming device and channel agnostic as people buy at the moment and in the way that best suits them; the transformation of e-commerce sites from pure sales channels into media touchpoints; and the transformation of ad creative that links directly to purchase opportunities on digital channels. Marketers who develop detailed consumer journey maps will be able to follow consumers along this new path to purchase, allowing them to identify the most powerful touchpoints from both sales and marketing along the way. This will give brand owners the power to deliver the seamless brand experience that consumers desire and drive brand, market share and sales outcomes, simultaneously and in harmony. "Sales and media touchpoints have traditionally been separate, but changes to the digital landscape and consumer behavior now allow marketers to unify them for the first time," said Duncan Southgate, Global Brand Director for Digital at Millward Brown. "In 2016 we expect advertisers to map marketing contexts to an integrated consumer journey so that sales and brand-building content complement rather than compete with each other." Millward Brown anticipates additional important changes in the world's media landscape and describes in the 2016 predictions how marketers can "get media right". These include: Brands will invest more heavily in online and particularly mobile video advertising in 2016, yet many will waste millions by neglecting to adapt content across formats. Smart marketers will involve digital considerations much earlier in the creative process and pre-test more assiduously. Connected TV (or Smart TV) will take over the television viewing experience, bringing profound changes to the way people consume content. Experimentation with workable addressable TV advertising models will begin, although live TV advertising will remain dominant for now. In a bid to overcome low digital advertising receptivity, more brands will become content creators. As marketing moves from disruption to attraction, inspiring content marketing will move up the corporate agenda. "The recent rise of ad blocking software means that consumer receptivity will be a big issue in 2016. Brands that fail to target consumers appropriately, adapt content across formats or rely solely on paid advertising content are unlikely to build engagement and drive sales. The ability to connect in digital platforms at a time when consumers are willing to do so, and with great content in a format that is not intrusive, will separate the successful marketers from those that simply annoy," said Southgate. For a full list of Millward Brown's 2016 Digital and Media Predictions please visit: http://www.millwardbrown.com/DigitalPredictions. Notes to editors: About Millward Brown Millward Brown, with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion, is a leading global research agency specializing in advertising effectiveness, strategic communication, media and brand equity research. Millward Brown helps clients grow great brands through comprehensive research-based qualitative and quantitative solutions. Specialist global practices include Millward Brown Digital (a leader in digital effectiveness and intelligence), Firefly Millward Brown (a global qualitative network), a neuroscience practice (using neuroscience to optimize the value of traditional research techniques), and Millward Brown Vermeer (a strategy consultancy helping companies maximize financial returns on brand and marketing investments). Millward Brown operates in more than 55 countries and is part of Kantar, WPP's data investment management division. Learn more at http://www.millwardbrown.com. For further information please contact: Teresa Horscroft Eureka Communications Email: teresa@eurekacomms.co.uk Tel: +44(0)1420-564346 Mobile: +44(0)7990-520390 DUBLIN, January 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c3tj2j/global) has announced the addition of the"Global Construction Equipment Rental Market 2015-2019"report to their offering. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130307/600769) The recent increase in infrastructure development is one of the primary factors that drive growth in this market and results in its healthy CAGR of more than 7% by 2019. According to the report, globally, the construction industry is witnessing high growth, which is driving demand for construction equipment. Sectors such as housing, transport, and power and energy infrastructure are currently attracting large-scale investment. Therefore, owing to such high levels of investment, construction companies are choosing to rent equipment. This enables the companies to reduce their project costs. Further, the report states that one of the major challenges facing construction companies is the availability of services to the contractors. This is more evident when the contractor is working in a remote area; some rental companies are unable to provide the necessary support to the contractor, thus hampering the productivity of the project. Upcoming trends such as the introduction of fleet management software service by leading OEMs are rapidly gaining popularity as they provide equipment related information to the end users. This software provides information pertaining to equipment wear out, preventive maintenance forecasting, commercial repair tracking, and accident tracking. This information helps to reduce the operating and maintenance cost of construction equipment and also provides real-time information on the replacement of any particular attachment. Key questions answered in the report include: What will the market size and the growth rate be in 2019? What are the key factors driving the global construction equipment rental market? What are the Key market trends impacting the growth of the global construction equipment rental market? What are the challenges to market growth? Who are the key vendors in the global construction equipment rental market? What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the global construction equipment rental market? Trending factors influencing the market shares of the Europe , North America , Asia , and others? , , , and others? What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the global construction equipment rental market? Companies Mentioned: Hertz Equipment Loxam group Neff Rental Sunbelt United Rentals ACCESS INDUSTRIE Ahern Equipment Rental American Equipment Company (Ameco) Finning Maxim Crane Works Sunstate Equipment Company Quippo Gemini Equipment and Rentals. Key Topics Covered: PART 01: Executive summary PART 02: Scope of the report PART 03: Market research methodology PART 04: Introduction PART 05: Market landscape PART 06: Geographical segmentation PART 07: Market drivers PART 08: Impact of drivers PART 09: Market challenges PART 10: Impact of drivers and challenges PART 11: Market trends PART 12: Vendor landscape PART 13: Key vendor analysis For more information visithttp://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c3tj2j/global About Research and Markets Research and Markets is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Laura Wood +353-1-481-1716 press@researchandmarkets.net BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Lithuania's producer prices continued to decline in December, though at a slower pace than in the previous month, figures from the Department of Statistics showed Tuesday. The producer price index fell 7.9 percent year-over-year in December, following a 9.9 percent decrease in November. The annual decline in December was largely caused by a 22.0 percent plunge in prices of refined petroleum products. On a monthly basis, producer prices dropped 2.2 percent in December, in contrast to a 0.2 percent rise in the preceding month. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. STUTTGART (dpa-AFX) - Porsche Automobil Holding SE (POAHY.PK, POAHF.PK) announced the Higher Regional Court of Braunschweig dismissed an appeal of a shareholder against a ruling of the Regional Court of Braunschweig. In the ruling, the Regional Court had dismissed a claim for damages on grounds of deliberate immoral damage against Porsche Porsche SE. Porsche SE said the plaintiffs have thus failed in court with their allegations against Porsche SE for a total of six times in a row. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Fujitsu Limited Public and Investor Relations Tel: +81-3-3215-5259 URL: www.fujitsu.com/global/news/contacts/ Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. ICT Systems Laboratories Server Technologies Lab E-mail: Retimer_ISSCC2015@ml.labs.fujitsu.com TOKYO, Jan 12, 2016 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Limited today announced that, in joint research with the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) and Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd., it has developed the world's largest magnetic-reversal simulator, using a mesh covering more than 300 million micro-regions. Based on the large-scale magnetic-reversal(1) simulation technology first developed in 2013(2), this new development offers a faster calculation algorithm and more efficient massive parallel processing. The simulations are run on the K computer(3).In addition, by utilizing this technology, Fujitsu conducted large-scale simulations to clarify the correlation between the fine structure of neodymium magnets(4), a type of permanent magnet, and magnetic strength, by examining the process of magnetic reversal in neodymium magnets. The results successfully demonstrated a way to develop high-strength neodymium magnets with more than twice the coercivity of previous magnets, without dysprosium(5). In conventional neodymium magnets, dysprosium alloying is indispensable for enhancing magnetic coercivity(6). These simulation techniques offer a clear design rule for high-performance neodymium magnets that do not rely on dysprosium.Fujitsu and NIMS will be making a joint presentation on these results at the 13th Joint MMM-Intermag Conference, running January 11-15, 2016, in San Diego, California.BackgroundIn recent years, the increasing momentum for energy conservation has brought attention to improving the efficiency of motors and generators that use magnetic materials. Currently, neodymium and dysprosium elements are indispensable to manufacture top performance iron-based permanent magnets for these applications. However, as a natural resource, dysprosium is only about 10% as common as that of neodymium, which may make for issues with regard to stable supply. This is why there is a high need to develop strong dysprosium-free neodymium magnets.About the SimulationIn 2013, Fujitsu and NIMS jointly developed the large-scale magnetic-reversal simulation technology that uses the finite-element method(7) and micromagnetics(8). Running these simulations on the K computer helped to clarify the mechanism of coercivity in neodymium magnets. Previously, dysprosium was used in neodymium magnets in order to increase the coercivity, the resistive force against a demagnetization field during operation of motors and generators. To develop a neodymium magnet that does not use dysprosium, simulations of the demagnetization processes under the presence of a reverse magnetic field is necessary. This, in turn, requires a massively complex simulation to represent the process of magnetization reversal, using a model of a neodymium magnet with a mesh divided into 1-nanometer sections. Toward that end, the research team refined the computational algorithm used in the simulation and increased parallelization(9) by a factor of roughly ten to more than 10,000, allowing for efficient massive parallel computations. This enabled the researchers to develop a magnetic-reversal simulator using a mesh with more than 300 million nodes, or roughly 60 times more than before.For this simulator, the research team created a polycrystalline model in which 27 neodymium-magnet crystals were magnetically bonded, and simulated the process of magnetic reversal while varying the strength of the magnetic couplings between the crystals. This led to the discovery that changes in the strength of the magnetic coupling between crystals in the lateral direction greatly affect the process of magnetic reversal, while the magnetic decoupling in the perpendicular direction is not so effective. The simulation showed for the first time that the magnetic decoupling of the crystals in the lateral directions double the coercivity of neodymium magnets, which could obviate the need for dysprosium.Previous experiments decoupled the magnetic grains in the perpendicular direction, which did not result in sufficiently high coercivity. This simulation clearly shows that even when crystals are bonded vertically, decoupling the grains in the horizontal direction results in a dramatic increase in coercivity. This work has clearly shown the direction toward the development of strong neodymium magnets without dysprosium.Future PlansThe Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's "Elements Strategy Initiative Project"(10), carried out at NIMS in the Elements Strategy Initiative Center for Magnetic Materials, aims at developing neodymium magnets that require no dysprosium by 2017. To achieve this target, Fujitsu and NIMS will work together, using the K computer to conduct massive, ongoing simulations that pave the way toward developing strong neodymium magnets that do not need dysprosium, contributing to Japanese industry as a whole.For More Information- National Institute for Materials Science- Elements Strategy Initiative Center for Magnetic Materials (ESICMM)- Joint MMM-Intermag Conference(1) Magnetic reversalThe reversal of magnetization caused by magnetic fields or electrical currents.(2) Large-scale magnetic-reversal simulation technology developed in 2013See September 5, 2013 press release, "Fujitsu Develops New Simulation Technology for Designing Magnetic Materials": http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/2013/0905-01.html(3) K computerThe K computer, which was jointly developed by RIKEN and Fujitsu, is part of the High-Performance Computing Infrastructure (HPCI) initiative led by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). The K computer's availability for shared use began in September 2012. The "K" in K computer comes from the Japanese Kanji character "Kei" which means ten peta or 10 to the 16th power. In its original sense, "Kei" expresses a large gateway, and it is hoped that the system will be a new gateway to computational science. This simulation was run using the K computer's commonly used problem set hp150014 (Yoshihiro Goda, Tokyo University).(4) Neodymium magnetA rare-earth magnet consisting of elemental neodymium (Nd), iron (Fe), and boron (B), it is the strongest type of permanent magnet. Although neodymium is classified as a rare-earth element, it is not a rare element on earth, and is present at levels similar to common metals such as cobalt, nickel, and copper.(5) DysprosiumA heavy rare-earth element that is truly rare. Like another heavy rare-earth element, terbium (Tb), this is an effective element for increasing the coercivity of neodymium magnets, but because it has only 10% the prevalence of neodymium, reducing the use of it is a high priority.(6) CoercivityThe strength with which a magnet can sustain its action as a magnet in the face of a magnetic field opposing its own magnetic force. The neodymium magnets used for electric-car motors need high coercivity, and use the rare dysprosium for that reason.(7) Finite-element methodA method of numerical analysis widely used in structural analysis and magnetic-field analysis.(8) MicromagneticsA method of analyzing the fine structure of a magnetic material. In a computer simulation, if the magnetic material is divided into regions the size of a few atoms, the computing time is enormous.(9) ParallelizationParallel processing is a computing technique in which multiple CPU cores are used in parallel to increase computing performance; this is a measure of the number of CPU cores being used in parallel.(10) Elements Strategy Initiative ProjectA project of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Founded to discover the properties and functions of materials, its goal is to develop high-performance materials without relying on rare or toxic elements. The Elements Strategy Initiative Center for Magnetic Materials was set up at NIMS as the center for researching magnetics under this project, and has pursued the development of advanced magnetic materials.About Fujitsu LtdFujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 159,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.8 trillion yen (US$40 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.Source: Fujitsu LtdContact:Copyright 2016 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. SALT LAKE CITY, UT--(Marketwired - January 12, 2016) - Davinci Virtual Office Solutions announced that the National Association of Professional Women (www.NAPW.com) has selected the company as the exclusive provider for virtual office solutions & conference room rentals to their members. Davinci's offerings include live receptionist services, live web chat services, virtual office addresses and on-demand workspaces and meeting rooms. "We are excited to announce our partnership with the National Association of Professional Women," said Martin Senn, COO of Davinci Virtual. "Female professionals represent a large segment of our current customer base and we are proud to offer Davinci's business tools and services to NAPW members," Senn added. "Many entrepreneurs who work out of their home struggle for credibility because they lack a professional office. Davinci Virtual Office Solutions is the answer. It puts entrepreneurs on the same level as their corporate peers and clients." -- Star Jones, President, NAPW Davinci Virtual Office Solutions was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Salt lake City, Utah. The company has provided virtual office solutions to over 40,000 companies and entrepreneurs throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Central America, Africa, Asia and Australia. Over the years, Davinci grew along with the hundreds of women owned businesses they have supported, and the new partnership with NAPW further outlines the company's dedication to supporting small business & women who are starting and growing their own businesses. The company now offers over 1,100 virtual office locations in most metropolitan areas throughout the world representing over 4,000 meeting spaces. Clients can obtain prime business addresses, live receptionist services, meeting spaces and business support -- instantly -- with the click of a button. For more information please visit www.davincivirtual.com or www.davincimeetingrooms.com contact 888-VOFFICE (888-863-3423). About Davinci Virtual: Davinci Virtual is the leading provider of turnkey virtual communications and virtual office solutions. Davinci's virtual offices and services include local or toll-free telephone and fax numbers, digital voicemail, electronic fax, email, online command center, unified messaging, voice and video conferencing, voicemail to email, fax to email, professional virtual receptionist services, virtual assistants, live call answering, live web chat, screening and forwarding, find me, follow me, surveys, outbound calling, customer service, appointment scheduling, order taking, and much more. Davinci offers virtual office space locations and virtual office services all over the U.S. as well as worldwide. With professional business addresses in over 1,100 prime office locations with mail forwarding, lobby and directory listings, access to conference rooms and day offices, catering, administrative services, virtual assistants, business support centers, resident agent services, license hanging and more, Davinci Virtual helps businesses maintain a global presence on a local budget. DavinciMeetingRooms.com is a comprehensive online reservation platform for business, providing access to over 4,000 conference rooms, day offices, meeting spaces and business support services in over 1,000 locations around the globe. Users can book professionally equipped meeting spaces, as well as critical add-on services such as LCD projectors, video conferencing, wireless Internet access, catering services and secretarial support. About the National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) The National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) is the most rapidly growing and recognized association for professional women in the United States. Their members range from women who are just starting out in their careers and are seeking better opportunities to those with established careers seeking greater advancement. NAPW is an exclusive network for like-minded women to come together and exchange ideas both professionally and socially on topics such as business, career development, family, philanthropy, economic and political issues. The NAPW provides members with a wealth of resources and services dedicated to the enhancement, empowerment, and promotion of their careers. They provide an interactive online networking forum, local chapters across the nation, access to seminars, teleconferences, webinars, podcasts, keynote speeches, and many educational tools. As an NAPW member, you have a venue to showcase your business, news, and events. NAPW members are offered more discounts than any other women's organization. Their cutting-edge NAPW Perks program provides thousands of exclusive discounts from hundreds of popular companies! NAPW MISSION: The NAPW mission is to provide the most exclusive and advanced forum for members to find like-minded professional women to create innovative social and business relationships. NAPW provides the tools needed to help their members achieve and maintain success within their professional and their personal lives. To learn more, please visit www.napw.com. Media Contact: Bill Grodnik Davinci Virtual, LLC 801-990-9200 Although 46 Percent of Global Organizations Received Customer Requests to Remove Data in Last 12 Months, 41 Percent Lack Defined Processes, Documentation & Technology, According to Blancco Technology Group Study ATLANTA andLONDON, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --To kick off the formal ratification of the EU General Data Protection Regulation by the European Council in early 2016, Blancco Technology Group today released its new data privacy study, EU GDPR: A Corporate Dilemma. Based on a survey of over 500 global IT professionals across more than 20 types of businesses, the study indicates that organizations lack defined processes, documentation and technology to adequately address the "right to be forgotten" and require major overhauls of their data collection and removal programs to ensure EU GDPR compliance. Although 46 percent of global IT professionals received customer requests to remove data in the last 12 months, 41 percent said they do not have defined processes, documentation and technology/tools for data removal. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130418/608188 "Because the EU GDPR negotiations stretched on for the last four years, many organizations held out hope that an agreement would be postponed, or if things went the way they hoped, the negotiating parties would never come to agreement," said Pat Clawson, CEO of Blancco Technology Group. "But now that the EU GDPR is a reality and the new privacy rules will be ratified by the European Council in early 2016, many organizations have a considerable amount of work ahead of them to align their IT governance and data protection programs with both regulatory and customer demands." Key corporate security trends that surfaced from the study include: While awareness of GDPR is high (48 percent) among global IT professionals, their level of preparation is much lower. 40 percent admit to being less than fully prepared - with 16 percent still needing to find the right data removal software, 9 percent uncertain of how and where to start, and finally, 15 percent not even knowing if they are prepared. Lack of documentation, processes and tools increases the likelihood of GDPR violations. 60 percent of the surveyed IT professionals stated that it would take their organization up to 12 months to implement the necessary IT processes and tools to pass a "right to be forgotten" audit, while 25 percent do not know how long it would take. Data erasure software (48 percent) tops the list of the most valuable type of technology to ensure GDPR compliance, followed by encryption key removal tools (26 percent) and malware removal tools (10 percent). IT professionals inside and outside of Europe (65 percent) are keen to implement data protection laws similar to the framework of EU GDPR. Clawson concluded, "If organizations want to be ready for GDPR compliance by 2018, they will need to assess their current weaknesses. Once they have done so, they will need to develop end-to-end data lifecycle management processes, create transparent processes and customer communications regarding their data removal methods/tools, and finally, improve their security posturing as a whole to include detection and response and the gathering and sharing of threat intelligence." Due to the stringent requirements and penalties imposed by the new law, companies are advised to follow a 12-step action plan to fully prepare for compliance by 2018. Survey Methodology: We surveyed 511 corporate IT professionals in the United States, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Germany, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia to understand their level of awareness, preparation and capacity to comply with the 'right to be forgotten' and the General Data Protection Regulation. The survey was fielded during Fall 2015 and targeted IT professionals across a variety of businesses (up to 10,000 employees) and represents 20 different business categories. About Blancco Technology Group Blancco Technology Group is a leading, global provider of mobile device diagnostics and secure data erasure solutions. We help our clients' customers test, diagnose, repair and repurpose IT devices with the most proven and certified software. Our clientele consists of equipment manufacturers, mobile network operators, retailers, financial institutions, healthcare providers and government organizations worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alpharetta, GA, United States, with a distributed workforce and customer base across the globe. Blancco, a division of Blancco Technology Group, is the global de facto standard in certified data erasure. We provide thousands of organizations with an absolute line of defense against costly security breaches, as well as verification of regulatory compliance through a 100% tamper-proof audit trail. SmartChk by Xcaliber Technologies, a division of Blancco Technology Group, is a global innovator in mobile asset diagnostics and business intelligence. We partner with our customers to improve their customers' experience by providing seamless solutions to test, diagnose and repair mobile assets. SmartChk (or Xcaliber Technologies) provides world-class support, pre and post implementation, allowing our customers to derive measurable business results. Media Contacts: SHIFT Communications for Blancco Technology Group (US) David Heffernan, Account Manager T: +1 (617) 779-1839 E: blancco@shiftcomm.com SAY Communications for Blancco Technology Group (Europe) Robert Hickling, Senior Account Manager T: 44 (0) 20 8971 6427 E: blancco@saycomms.co.uk Blancco Technology Group Ragini Bhalla, Senior Director of Global Communications T: +1 (678) 829-8465 E: ragini.bhalla@blanccotechgroup.com PUNE, India, January 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The report "Composite Decking & Railing Market by Type (Capped and Uncapped), by Resin Type (Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Polyvinylchloride, and Others), by Application (Residential and Non-Residential) & by Region Global Trends and Forecasts to 2020", The global Market is projected to grow from USD 1.70 Billion in 2015 to USD 3.09 Billion by 2020, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.60% from 2015 to 2020. Browse 76 market Tables and 46 Figures spread through 140 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Composite Decking & Railing Market". http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/composite-decking-and-railing-market-37952526.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. Composite decking & railing products are utilized in large volumes due its superior features as compared to natural wood decking & railing products. The increase in the demand of low maintenance building products, the recovery of the U.S. residential market and availability of new innovative products are the factors driving the composite decking & railing market. Substitution of traditional materials with uncapped and capped composites will drive the composite decking & railing market in residential application The major forces driving the composite decking & railing market are replacement of traditional materials with uncapped and capped composite decking & railing products. These products offer superior properties including resistance to rotting, color fading, mold and mildew growth formation. Uncapped composite decking & railing, being on a higher price range as compared to timber decking & railing, offers less maintenance with low cost in the long run. Capped composites are wood plastic composites which have a resin protective layer attached to the wooden core. This protective resin layer helps in prevention of rotting, splintering, mildew and mold growth formation. Non-Residential application: one of the key segments in the composite decking & railing market The non-residential application will be the fastest growing market segment during the forecast period in the composite decking & railing market. The non-residential application of composite decking & railing includes docks, marinas, public boardwalks, commercial establishment patios and flooring, among others. Capped composites are utilized in large volumes where the decking & railing is always in contact with water. For instance, dock and marina decks, which are always in contact with water, uses capped composites on a large scale. Capped composite, being water proof in nature due the presence of resin protective layer, prevents splintering, rotting, and mold and mildew growth formation. Ask for PDF: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=37952526 North America is the largest market for composite decking & railing The U.S. contributes a major market share in the Global as well as North American composite decking & railing market. The recovery of the U.S. residential market after the 2008 recession, and the increasing demand of low maintenance building products are some of the factors driving the composite decking & railing market in North America. The major players in the composite decking & railing market include: Trex Company, Inc. (U.S.) TimberTech (U.S.) Fiberon LLC (U.S.) Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies, Inc. (U.S.) UPM Biocomposites ( Finland ) MarketsandMarkets broadly segments the composite decking & railing market on the basis of type; resin type; and applications. The study covers more than 10 countries for the four main regions namely, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW. Browse Related Reports: Composites Market by Type (Carbon Composites, Glass Composites and Aramid Composites), by Manufacturing technology (Layup, Filament winding, Injection molding, Pultrusion, Compression Molding etc.) , by Resin Type (Thermoplastics Composites and Thermosets Composites), by Application (Automotive, Aerospace & Defense, Electronics & Semiconductor, Wind, Construction, Pipe & Tanks, Marine and others), and by Region - Global Trends and Forecasts to 2020. http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/composite-market-200051282.html Wood Plastic Composite Market by Type (Polyethylene, Polyvinylchloride, Propylene, and Others), Applications (Building & Construction Products, Automotive Components, Industrial & Consumer goods, and Others) and Region - Trends & Forecasts (2014 - 2019). http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/wood-plastic-composite-market-170450806.html About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is world's No. 2 firm in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers. We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository. Contact: Mr.Rohan Markets and Markets UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ Magarpatta city, Hadapsar Pune, Maharashtra 411013, India Tel: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Visit MarketsandMarkets Blog @http://www.marketsandmarketsblog.com/market-reports/chemical Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets Metsa Group Stock Exchange Release 12 January 2016 at 1.30 pm EET The Board of Directors of Metsa Group's parent company Metsaliitto Cooperative elected in its constituent meeting Martti Asunta, M.Sc. (Forestry), to continue as the Chairman of the Board of Directors. He has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2005 and Chairman since 2008. Metsa Group's President and CEO Kari Jordan acts as Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors. The compositions of Board of Directors' committees are the following: -- Audit Committee: Mikael Silvennoinen, Arto Hiltunen and Martti Asunta -- Compensation Committee: Arto Hiltunen, Martti Asunta and Antti Tukeva METSA GROUP Group Communications For further information, please contact: Miika Arola, General Counsel, Metsa Group, tel. +358 10 465 4205 www.metsagroup.com Metsa Group is a responsible forest industry group whose products' main raw material is renewable wood from sustainably managed northern forests. Metsa Group focuses on tissue and cooking papers, fresh forest fibre paperboards, pulp, wood products, and wood supply and forest services. Its high-quality products combine renewable raw materials, customer-orientation, sustainable development and innovation. Metsa Group's sales totalled EUR 5 billion in 2014, and it employs approximately 9,800 people. The Group operates in some 30 countries. Metsaliitto Cooperative is the parent company of Metsa Group, and it is owned by approximately 120,000 Finnish forest owners. Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. WESTPORT, CT -- (Marketwired) -- 01/12/16 -- Karie Willyerd, co-author of the new book "Stretch" and Workplace Futurist for SAP SuccessFactors, tells "Firing Line with Bill Kutik" that the biggest fear people have about their jobs is becoming obsolete. Willyerd shares her insights in the latest episode of the YouTube video series debuting today. In the first of a two-part series on the future of work, Willyerd tells Kutik that research for the book validated that people fear being made obsolete on the job by robots, automated systems, smarter software and other innovations, and that this digital disruption could cut up to 50 percent of existing jobs in the decade to come. Responding to a question by Kutik about a pervasive feeling in the workplace that people have a "sell-by" date stamped on their foreheads like a milk carton, Willyerd says that a study with Oxford University Economics yielded surprising results. People's biggest worry about their jobs is not about economic uncertainty or making progress in their pay -- it's the fear of becoming obsolete. In a sense this is a good fear to have, Willyerd explains, because technology is changing so much. Willyerd adds that Oxford University found nearly half of workers have jobs that are vulnerable to replacement by automation in the coming decade. And this is true all the way through the job spectrum, she notes, not just in low-level jobs. She adds it's a good fear for people to have. It is not being paranoid, there is a robot coming after them. Part Two of the "Firing Line" conversation, which will air in the spring, focuses on how people can stay relevant and advance their careers in the increasingly turbulent workplace of tomorrow. "The idea that we all have a 'sell-by' date is truly startling," Kutik said. "It's another example of the kind of hard insight that 'Firing Line' brings to its audience with every episode. I know people will be interested in hearing Karie Willyerd's prescription for extending their 'shelf lives,' which she'll share in the second part of our conversation." The monthly "Firing Line" series has received more than 30,000 views on YouTube since its debut last February. Watch the new episode at http://bit.ly/KutikFiringLine. Read more about "Stretch: How to Future-Proof Yourself for Tomorrow's Workplace" by Karie Willyerd and Barbara Mistick. SAP (NYSE: SAP) is the inaugural sponsor of "Firing Line with Bill Kutik," and other vendors will be sponsoring in the future. About Bill Kutik As the HR industry's leading independent analyst, Bill Kutik is considered one of the top four influencers in the HR technology marketplace. For 26 years, he has been Technology Columnist for "Human Resource Executive" and served as founding co-chair of the magazine's famous annual HR Technology Conference & Expo, since it began in 1998 through 2013. The Bill Kutik Radio Show, a biweekly online talk show with industry leaders, now has 183 programs in the archive available for listening on-demand at http://bit.ly/KutikRadio. Kutik has also created and moderated 107 industry panels. In 2012, Human Resource Executive named him one of the 10 "Most Powerful HR Technology Experts" and The Huffington Post in 2013 listed him in "Top 100 Social HR Experts on Twitter." Previously, he reported for "The New York Times" and "The New York Daily News." He has a BA degree from Harvard University. He can be reached at Bill@Kutik.com. Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2947967 Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2947975 Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2947978 VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/12/16 -- Elissa Resources Ltd. (TSX VENTURE: ELI)(FRANKFURT: E3O) ("Elissa") and Spectrum Optix Inc. of Calgary, Canada ("Spectrum" and together with Elissa, the "Companies") are pleased to provide an update on their goal of delivering a proof-of-concept prototype (POC) for imaging in the second quarter of 2016. Spectrum has engaged Ruda Cardinal Inc. ("Ruda") of Tucson, Arizona to help design, test and construct the lens stack for its first prototype for imaging. The planned POC prototype will be a digital telescope that utilizes Spectrum's patent pending Blade Optics technology, which contains flat lenses. As an internationally recognized industry leader in optical prototype construction and design, the Companies believe that Ruda is well qualified to deliver to Spectrum a high quality lens stack in a timely and cost effective manner. The planned digital telescope prototype will utilize Spectrum's Blade Optics patent pending technology, other optical elements and electronic components. The prototype is intended to demonstrate the marketable features of Spectrum's Blade Optics technology and its potential to serve as a platform to be used in various optical applications ranging from telescopes, cameras, surveillance equipment, mobile devices and other imaging verticals. Spectrum's POC prototype will be designed to be a fixed magnification digital telescope with a narrow field of view and will be similar in function to many conventional telescopes sold today. However, as a result of the application of Blade Optics, a unique distinction of Spectrum's lens design is anticipated to be its reduced lens stack depth to aperture ratio compared to traditional curved lens systems for fixed magnification imaging. This could set Spectrum's Blade Optics technology apart from existing lens technologies in the fixed magnification lens market, which includes products such as spotting scopes, telescopes, binoculars, certain camera lenses and other consumer and industrial imaging products. John Daugela, President and CEO of Spectrum, stated, "Throughout the design and engineering process thus far, we have identified inherent advantages with our technology when compared to most conventional curved lens designs with a fixed magnification. The optical software simulations conducted by Ruda demonstrate that our patent pending Blade Optics technology could enable a working fixed magnification lens system within a significantly compressed lens stack depth to aperture ratio. This was our primary objective when we began the process. We anticipate that, through further development and testing, we will begin to show the market the full potential of our technology." Ruda Cardinal recently informed Spectrum that the initial development phase of the lens stack for its POC prototype, known as the 'Trade Study', is nearing completion. This involved a highly complex design phase that resulted in an exceptionally compact form factor. Furthermore, Spectrum reports that simulated image results using Zemax ray tracing software exceeded its preliminary image quality target. Upon completion of the Trade Study, Spectrum, with the assistance of Ruda Cardinal, will then move onto the next stage in its POC prototype development which will test various tolerances for its lens stack, complete the design review, define and source suitable glass types and initiate the mechanical design for its lens stack. In conjunction with that phase of development, Spectrum intends to source and possibly modify suitable electronic and digital components for its POC prototype, which is anticipated to include image capture and processing pieces intended to enhance and refine image quality. Spectrum's Senior Systems Designer, Mr. Rob Cardinal, will be in charge of sourcing these components as he is an expert in image analysis and reconstruction and software development for massively parallel GPU computer systems. Mr. Cardinal holds a B.Sc. in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Victoria, Canada. As a member of the science team for NEOSSat, a Canadian planetary science microsatellite launched in 2013 for the Canadian Space Agency, he currently oversees the development of massively parallel software and high performance computer systems to search for asteroids in the data images returned from the satellite. The Trade Study phase nearing completion includes: Preliminary optical design used to define system specifications and certain performance metrics. This phase is also used to identify the design configuration and required levels of engineering effort, scope-of-work, feasibility, schedule and cost. The Companies look forward to providing subsequent updates in future joint news releases as Spectrum's POC prototype development process continues. About Ruda Cardinal Ruda's diverse customer base includes clients who require optical systems for market segments such as: space, aerospace, military, bio-medical, commercial, industrial, lithography and inspection. It provides its expertise and services to Fortune 500 companies, universities, government programs and start-ups. Ruda has been ISO 9001:2008 AS9100 certified since 2007 and is an ITAR registered company capable of building prototypes to MIL-Spec qualification standards required for air worthiness. About Spectrum Optix Spectrum Optix Inc. is developing technologies relating to imagery and light concentration applications. Utilizing its core technology, which contains flat lenses, Spectrum aims to disrupt conventional lens and image capture-based systems, which may include telescopes, cameras and mobile devices, by creating a lens system that reduces the depth (relative to aperture size) currently required in many traditional curved lens stacks. About Elissa Resources Elissa has an option to acquire, in the aggregate, 100% of Spectrum Optix, and is in the process of changing from a Mining Issuer to a Technology Issuer on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Change of Business" or the "COB). The COB is subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals and upon completion Elissa intends to change its name to Nexoptic Technology Corp. or such other name as the Elissa board of directors may determine. The Exchange will assign a new trading symbol at the time of the formal name change. The shares in the Company are halted and are expected to remain halted pending receipt by the TSX Venture Exchange of required documentation. On behalf of the Boards of Directors Elissa Resources Ltd. Paul McKenzie, President & CEO Spectrum Optix Inc. John Daugela, President & CEO Forward Looking Statements: This press release contains certain forward looking statements that reflect the current views and/or expectations of the Companies with respect to, among other things: expectations concerning the exercise of the options under the Investment Agreement and completion of the COB. The reader is cautioned that forward looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which are difficult to predict and that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are based on the then current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about the business and the industry and markets in which the Companies operate and are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations, including, among others, that: they may not have access to financing on acceptable terms or at all in order to exercise the options under the Elissa's formal agreement with Spectrum and its shareholders; it may not receive all necessary regulatory and shareholder approvals; or the conditions to Elissa's options to acquire Spectrum shares may not be otherwise satisfied; and other risks inherent with the patent process, transactions of this type and development of new technologies or the business of Spectrum and/or Elissa. Such forward looking statements should therefore be construed in light of such factors. Other than in accordance with its legal or regulatory obligations, Elissa is not under any obligation and it expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Completion of the COB is subject to a number of conditions, including Exchange acceptance and disinterested shareholder approval. The COB cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the COB will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the filing statement to be prepared in connection with the COB, any information released or received with respect to the Change of Business may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of Elissa should be considered highly speculative. The TSX Venture Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Contacts: Elissa Resources Ltd. Paul McKenzie President & CEO 1 (604) 669 7330 Look@nexoptic.com Spectrum Optix Inc. John Daugela President & CEO DUBLIN, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/hqj96x/technologies) has announced the addition of the "Technologies Enabling Biomass to Bioenergy (TechVision) " report to their offering. In a world which is continuously aspiring for greener alternatives to replace conventional fossil fuels, biomass to bioenergy technologies offer an optimal solution by producing energy and simultaneously reducing waste. The current study discusses the global scenario with respect to biomass to bioenergy technologies and provides a technology overview of the different types of bioenergy technologies available. Challenges and drivers for the industry have also been discussed in the study. Various industrial and academic players and their activities have been discussed. Opportunity Strategic Evaluation has been used to evaluate the status of various technologies in the market. The research service offers insights primarily on the following: - Various products from biomass-to-bioenergy conversion - Key innovators - Region wise technology adoption - Funding agencies Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary - Research Scope - Research Process and Methodology - Key Findings for Biomass-to-Bioenergy Technologies - Recipe for Successful Bioenergy Project - Opportunities for Biomass Financing 2. Technology Overview - Technology Snapshot - Biomass Conversion Processes - Product 1: Bioethanol - Product 2: Biogas - Product 3: Syngas - Product 4: Pyrolytic oil - Product 5: Pellets - Product 6: Jet Fuel 3. Region-wise Adoption and Technology Development - Biomass-to-Bioenergy Market - Region-wise Technology Adoption and Development: Bioethanol - Region-wise Technology Adoption and Development: Biogas - Region-wise Technology Adoption and Development: Pyrolytic Oil - Region-wise Technology Adoption and Development: Syngas - Region-wise Technology Adoption and Development: Biomass Pellets 4. Technology Drivers and Challenges 5. Industrial and Academic Stakeholders - Stakeholder Activities 6. Best Practices for Bioenergy Deployment - Best Practices-Germany - Best Practices-USA 7. Opportunity Strategy Evaluation - Opportunity Strategic Evaluation Criteria (1/2) - Opportunity Strategic Evaluation Criteria (2/2) - Technology Adoption Trends - Opportunity Strategy Evaluation - Legal Disclaimer 8. Appendix - Key Patents For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/hqj96x/technologies Media Contact: Laura Wood, +353-1-481-1716, press@researchandmarkets.net DUBLIN, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/8cqjfl/novel) has announced the addition of the "Novel Applications of Drug Delivery Technologies (TechVision)" report to their offering. The drug delivery market has witnessed immense growth in the last decade due to the penetration of drug delivery technologies in varied applications ranging from medicine to cosmetics. Increasing presence of technology manufacturers, rise in demand for novel products to deliver drugs and a diverse portfolio of technologies from key stakeholders combined with newer licensing agreements and partnerships has resulted in a steady growth of this market. The research study covers the market share assessment of the most common routes of drug administration that range from oral route of administration to most recent developments in transdermal drug delivery. Key market drivers and challenges section details the factors that are likely to hold key in the success of drug delivery systems across various industries apart from medicine. The research study further details the adoption of these technologies in regions of North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, explaining the likelihood of adoption of individual routes of administration in these regions. A number of medical and non-medical applications have been presented that also include key innovators in these segments. Finally, a number of technology management strategies and an emerging technology road map has been set forth to explore the opportunity evaluation in this market. Key Findings - Targeted delivery is crucial for drugs that target specific sites in the human body. Drugs used to target cancer can destroy adjoining cells and might also be destroyed by the body's self-action against the drugs. Hence, targeted delivery can ensure the drug reaches the diseased area intactto perform its intended action. - Smart delivery forms the basis for a range of cosmetic products that employ drug delivery formulations. With special emphasis on nanogels, nanoemulsions, and nano-sized particles, manufacturers are looking at formulations that can deliver the active ingredient through the skin with utmost ease and external support. - Versatility is a key focus for manufacturers and technology developers as most of them are aiming to develop formulations that can be utilized across industries. Developing an industry-specific formulation has seen a shift as developing cross-industry formulations is more cost-effective and stands a higher chance of getting commercialized. - Generations of technologies that have been employed in previous products are now being scaled up to maximize their utilization and employ them across industries such as veterinary medicine and cosmetics apart from the conventional medical applications of oncology and cardiovascular applications. - Cost is one of the major reasons for majority of the manufacturers to venture into novel drug delivery formulations that are convenient to develop, easy to employ, and most importantly, be utilized in specific applications due to their compact size. Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. Industry overview 3. Impact assessment and analysis - Impact Mapping of Drivers and Challenges - Market Impact - Drivers Explained - Market Impact - Challenges Explained 4. Diffusion of Innovations - Technology Landscape - Adoption: North America - Technology Landscape - Adoption: Europe - Technology Landscape - Adoption: Asia Pacific 5. Stakeholder, Industry Initiatives, and Applications Targeted - Ocular Applications - Cardiovascular Applications - Central Nervous System Applications - CNS Applications - Infectious Disease Applications - Cosmetics Applications - Animal Health Applications - Oncology Applications 6. Opportunity evaluation - Technology Management Strategies - Emerging Technology Roadmap 7. Key Contacts For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/8cqjfl/novel Media Contact: Laura Wood, +353-1-481-1716, press@researchandmarkets.net LONDON, January 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- KETTLE Chips buy 26% stake in the nation's most loved premium popcorn brand Metcalfe's skinny Ltd (Metcalfe's skinny) is delighted to announce a business partnership with KETTLE Chips UK. The 26% stake investment will help Metcalfe's skinny with strategic and financial infrastructure to maximise the growth potential of the brand in the UK and Europe. The newfound partnership will significantly shake up the snacking sector with delicious taste and top quality continuing to be at the heart of both businesses. The Metcalfe's skinny existing management team will continue to operate the company independently in partnership with the influential support of KETTLE Chips. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160112/321289 ) Popcorn is currently one of the biggest success stories in the UK snacking. Metcalfe's skinny has seen a growth of +67.4% YoY[1] and now has the highest share and widest national distribution amongst premium popcorn brands in the UK snacking market. Julian Metcalfe and Robert Jakobi Co-Owners of Metcalfe's skinny commented, "We are very excited about the opportunity to expand the Metcalfe's skinny brand with the support and expertise of the KETTLE organization. This is a positive step that we know will not only showcase the brand's potential but will benefit our customers in the long term too." "We are very excited to acquire an interest in Metcalfe's skinny, which is an incredibly innovative, dynamic, fast-growing, premium brand appealing to 'foodie' consumers looking for lighter great tasting snacks," said Ashley Hicks, Managing Director of KETTLE Chips UK. "We look forward to a long term working relationship with the management team to support their future growth ambitions in the on-trend, high growth popcorn snack category. " Notes to Editors About Metcalfe's skinny Popcorn As the Co Founder of Pret A Manger and itsu, Julian Metcalfe is obsessed with delicious and healthy food. Back in 2009 he was fed up of stodgy snacks and wanted to create something that was lighter yet still tasty to replace unhealthier snacks. Metcalfe's skinny was born and is now one of the most loved popcorn brands in the UK. The full range comprises Metcalfe's skinny Popcorn, Metcalfe's skinny Popcorn Crisps, Metcalfe's skinny Popcorn Thins and Metcalfe's skinny Ricecakes.http://www.metcalfesskinny.com About Diamond Foods Diamond Foods are a snack food and culinary nut company focused on making innovative, convenient and delicious snacks as well as culinary nuts true to our 100-year plus heritage. They sell their products under five different widely-recognized brand names: Diamond of California, Kettle Brand and KETTLE Chips, Emerald and Pop Secret. Their mission is to honour nature's ingredients by making food that people love. They are proud of their offerings, many of which are non-GMO Project verified and free of artificial flavors and preservatives and are committed to making great tasting products for their consumers. Diamond's products are distributed in a wide range of stores where snacks and culinary nuts are sold. For more information, visit the Company's corporate web site: http://www.diamondfoods.com -------------------------------------------------- 1. Source: AC Nielson MAT value sales to 26th Sept 2015 TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/12/16 -- (TSX: XUU)(TSX: XUH) - iShares, the industry-leading exchange-traded fund (ETF) business at BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited (BlackRock Canada)(1), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (BlackRock) today announced changes to its iShares Core suite. As part of these changes, the annual management fees of the iShares Core S&P U.S. Total Market Index ETF (XUU) and iShares Core S&P U.S. Total Market Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) (XUH) will now be offered at 0.07%, making these funds the lowest cost, and broadest way to access the U.S. Total Stock Market in Canada(2). The changes to both funds will be effective, as of market open on January 12, 2016. "As the world's largest economy, we know the U.S. market often holds an important role in an investors' portfolio. As part of our mandate to deliver easy-to-access, well-diversified, and cost effective solutions through our iShares Core funds, these product enhancements are another step towards delivering on that goal," said Warren Collier, Managing Director, Head of iShares, BlackRock Canada. Both XUU and XUH were launched in February of 2015, and provide investors with broad-based exposure to the total U.S. equity market, covering large, mid, small and micro capitalized companies. In addition to the fee reduction, both funds are expected to increase their respective exposure to over 3,700 individual securities, tracking the broadest U.S. market coverage index in Canada. "With the iShares Core, we've had tremendous success in delivering low-cost investment solutions to the long-term, buy-and-hold investor. Through our global iShares Core platform, we are able to further deliver on this, by leveraging the breadth and depth of the global offering to the Canadian investor, in a cost effective manner," added Collier. Continuing the momentum of the iShares Core The iShares Core has provided investors with a comprehensive suite of low-cost investment solutions designed for the long-term investor to hold in the core of their portfolio. Since launching in March 2014, the iShares Core has captured 32% of flows(3) across their respective asset classes. With only a handful of funds, the iShares Core covers the major asset classes used by Canadian investors in their portfolios today, including Canadian equities, dividends and bonds, as well as U.S. and international equities. Globally, the iShares Core has been customized and delivered to long-term investors in the U.S., European and Canadian marketplaces over the past three years, and has gathered US $231bn in AUM(4). "While the ETF universe continues to evolve, the iShares Core continues to make it easy for investors to access and identify their core portfolio holdings," said Collier. "Today's evolution, is part of our effort to ensure we are adapting to the market, and providing Canadians investors with competitively-priced, well diversified ETF solutions." Further information on the iShares Funds can be found at www.blackrock.com/ca; to learn more about the iShares Core visit www.ishares.ca/core About BlackRock BlackRock is a global leader in investment management, risk management and advisory services for institutional and retail clients. At September 30, 2015, BlackRock's AUM was US $4.506 trillion. BlackRock helps clients around the world meet their goals and overcome challenges with a range of products that include separate accounts, mutual funds, iShares (exchange-traded funds), and other pooled investment vehicles. BlackRock also offers risk management, advisory and enterprise investment system services to a broad base of institutional investors through BlackRock Solutions. As of September 30, 2015, the firm had approximately 12,900 employees in more than 30 countries and a major presence in key global markets, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East and Africa. For additional information, please visit the Company's website at www.blackrock.com/ca - Twitter: @BlackRockCA - Blog: www.blackrockblog.com/can About iShares iShares is a global leader in exchange-traded funds (ETFs), with more than a decade of expertise and commitment to individual and institutional investors of all sizes. With over 700 funds globally across multiple asset classes and strategies and more than US $1 trillion in assets under management as of September 30, 2015, iShares helps clients around the world build the core of their portfolios, meet specific investment goals and implement market views. iShares funds are powered by the expert portfolio and risk management of BlackRock, trusted to manage more money than any other investment firm(5). iShares Funds are managed by BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investing in iShares Funds. Please read the relevant prospectus before investing. The funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional. Commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investing in iShares Funds. Please read the relevant prospectus before investing. Fund securities are not covered by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation or by any other government deposit insurer. There can be no assurances that the fund will be able to maintain its net asset value per security at a constant amount or that the full amount of your investment in the fund will be returned to you. The fund is not guaranteed, its values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional. (1) Based on assets under management ("AUM") CAD $46.9bn, as of December 31, 2015. (2) Internal Research, BlackRock Canada, as of December 31, 2015. (3) Internal Research, BlackRock Canada, for the period of March 24, 2014 to September 30, 2015. (4) Based AUM, as of January 8, 2016. (5) Based on US $4.506 trillion in AUM as of 9/30/15. Contacts: Contact for Media: Maeve Hannigan T - 416-643-4058 C - 416-564-1540 Maeve.Hannigan@blackrock.com ARLINGTON, VA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/12/16 -- BTCS Inc. (OTCQB: BTCS) ("BTCS" or the "Company"), a blockchain technology focused company which secures the blockchain through its transaction verification services business, generated 1,797 bitcoins for the year ended December 31, 2015 from its transaction verification services, an increase of 3,389% over total bitcoins earned in 2014. "While we are pleased to report significant percentage growth in bitcoins earned during 2015, the real story of our success over the past year is the strong foundation we built for our business moving forward," stated Charles Allen, CEO of BTCS. "Our refined operational focus on blockchain technologies has led to a rapid build-out of capacity at our North Carolina facility, and with our definitive merger with Spondoolies-Tech Ltd. now in place, we are well-positioned for continued growth in 2016." The Company's recently completed round of financing has enabled it to grow its transaction verification business to approximately 1800 TH/s, an increase of more than 100% compared to the 891 TH/s in place through most of 2015. Operating at the increased hash rate the Company will use approximately 0.95 megawatts ("mw") of its 3mw capacity. Allen continued, "With the transaction verification servers we are running today, we believe we are on track to generate over 600 bitcoins in the first quarter of 2016. The remaining unused capacity we have in place provides ample room for planned growth with minimal added expense as we pursue a substantial financing with the goal of uplisting to a major exchange." The Company engaged Chardan Capital Markets, LLC, a privately held investment banking firm with a focus on small-cap and mid-cap markets, to advise the Company on potential transactions that could lead to an up listing on a major exchange. The additional capital expected to be raised from a future offering will enable BTCS to further capitalize on the significant opportunity within the growing blockchain technology space. Recently heralded in a cover story in The Economist for its potential to "transform how the economy works," blockchain technologies are forecasted to impact nearly every industry that relies on safe and secure transactions. About BTCS: www.btcs.com. About Spondoolies-Tech: Founded in 2013 by a group of Israeli high-tech veterans, Spondoolies is a transaction verification server manufacturer. Spondoolies raised ten million dollars in capital from leading Israeli venture capital firms and assembled a team of leaders in the Israeli Semiconductor industry, with the goal of building the infrastructure on which digital currencies will flourish. Building transaction-verifying servers from the bottom up, Spondoolies is producing machines that are designed for efficiency and performance. During 2014, Spondoolies successfully launched five different products. For more information visit www.spondoolies-tech.com Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements in this press release, including those related to an anticipated merger, constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward-looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, not limited to Risk Factors relating to its digital currency business contained therein. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. BTCS Investor Relations: Michal Handerhan BTCS Inc. (202) 430-6576 IR@btcs.com Michael Sullivan RedChip Companies, Inc. (407) 644-4256, ext. 115 michael@redchip.com *Addition of Key Personnel Added to Service Relevant Markets in Wealth Management and Investment Banking NEW YORK, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Laidlaw & Co. (LTD), a boutique investment bank recognized for providing wealth management and investment banking solutions worldwide, today announces the expansion of the London office with the addition of two team members; Richard Michalski, Senior Managing Director in Wealth Management and Bryan Kobel, Managing Director in Equity Capital Markets. The team will look to build on the current infrastructure and client base in the Wealth Management division and provide European healthcare companies and investors access to the US capital markets. "Laidlaw provides unique wealth management products and solutions to our clients globally, Richard's 14 years of experience as a wealth manager will be invaluable to current and future clients in this regard," commented CEO Matthew Eitner. "Traditionally, we have serviced a large client base in Europe and firmly believe our presence in London will only help our current clients and allow for continued growth in this division. We are excited to provide these clients with a higher touch experience and continue to provide custom products to European clients." "Laidlaw is pleased to broaden our capabilities into the European capital markets," said Managing Partner and Head of Capital Markets, James Ahern. "Bryan was an integral part of building Laidlaw's Capital Markets presence in the U.S. from the ground up, we look forward to him representing the firm in its effort to establish the same presence in Europe's Capital Markets. Mr. Richard Michalski joined Laidlaw & Co. (Ltd) as Senior Managing Director in November 2010 from Aegis Capital, where he was a Senior Vice President. Over a 14 year career, Richard has provided exemplary services to his high net worth clients and built long term relationships with his clientele. He has been a key member of Laidlaw & Co. and cultivating the wealth management division. Mr. Bryan Kobel joined Laidlaw & Co. ((Ltd) in March of 2012 from a small cap consulting company. The past decade he has built relationships with numerous institutional investors and issuers through various verticals. Most recently, he was instrumental in helping to develop the US capital markets presence of Laidlaw & Co. since joining. About Laidlaw & Company, LTD. Laidlaw & Company is a full service investment bank and securities brokerage firm with offices in New York, London, San Francisco and select additional locations. Its corporate finance efforts are focused on the healthcare, natural resource and social commerce sectors. In addition to capital raising, its investment banking arm provides M&A, restructuring and other financial advisory services for public and private small cap and middle market clients across a broad cross-section of industry sectors. Its brokerage arm provides wealth management services for domestic and international high-net-worth and institutional clients. Laidlaw is authorized by the FCA in the United Kingdom, and is regulated by FINRA in the United States. Contact: Leah Luciano Laidlaw & Co. (LTD) (212) 953-4900 LLuciano@laidlawltd.com Yabao Pharmaceutical Co, Inc. (Shanghai Stock Exchange 600351) and Sciecure Pharma Inc. today announced a strategic partnership to co-develop, manufacture and commercialize high technological barrier generics medicines for both the U.S. and China markets. Under the terms of the agreement, Yabao will exclusively own rights to commercialize certain Sciecure Pharma-developed products in China and to manufacture for both the U.S. and China markets, while Sciecure Pharma will retain rights to commercialize in U.S. and all other markets. Financial terms were not disclosed. "Yabao is pleased to collaborate with Sciecure Pharma, a dynamic company with extensive drug development expertise and know-how on high technological barrier controlled release formulation, to synergize with Yabao's cGMP manufacturing and leading commercialization capabilities in China," commented Dr. Peng Wang, President of R&D, Yabao Pharmaceutical Co. "Yabao is actively partnering with leading overseas companies to bring in and deliver high quality medicines with unmet needs in China. This partnership also demonstrates that Yabao's competitive R&D and manufacturing have expanded into developed markets." "We are pleased to work with a leading Chinese pharma company like Yabao," said Dr. Nuo (Nolan) Wang, CEO of Sciecure Pharma Inc. "With current stormy policy changes in the pharmaceutical sector in China, the demand for high quality pharmaceutical products is rapidly growing. Sciecure Pharma is uniquely positioned to meet such demand through strategic partnering. We trust that our collaboration with Yabao will be synergistic and successful in quickly bringing high quality pharma products to patients in China." About Yabao Pharmaceutical Co. Yabao Pharmaceutical Co. (Shanghai Stock Exchange 600351) is a leading China pharmaceutical company with fully integrated development, manufacturing, and commercialization capabilities. Yabao recently has been pursuing strategic development and commercialization partnerships to bring high quality innovative or generic medicines into China. In addition to strong clinical and regulatory capabilities, Yabao has extensive expertise in formulation and API production and meets current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) requirements with two manufacturing sites approved by U.S. FDA and a European agency, respectively. For more information about Yabao Pharmaceutical Co., please visit www.yabao.com.cn. About Sciecure Pharma Inc Sciecure Pharma, Inc. is an emerging U.S. based specialty pharmaceutical company with a focus on developing high barrier, technology based, bioequivalent generic and innovative drug products for regulated markets. Sciecure Pharma collaborates through strategic partnership with other pharmaceutical companies in the United States and China in product development, manufacturing, and sales. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160112005570/en/ Contacts: Yabao Contact Ms. Weina Liu, +86-10-5808-6285 liuweina@yabaoyaoye.com or Sciecure Contact Nuo (Nolan) Wang, +001-908-723-1209 nolan.wang@sciecurepharma.com DUBLIN, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/m4xtl5/amines_market_by) has announced the addition of the "Amines Market by Amine Type, & by Application - Global Trends and Forecast to 2020" report to their offering. The market size of amines is estimated to grow from USD 13.35 Billion in 2015 to USD 19.90 Billion by 2020, at an estimated CAGR of 8.3% between 2015 and 2020 Amines are used as a chelating agent, intermediate, formulator, neutralizing agent, activator, and corrosion inhibitors in various end use applications such as agricultural chemicals, cleaning products, gas treatment, personal care products, petroleum, water treatment, cement, paint & coatings, pharmaceuticals, textile, and wood treatment. Growth in end-use industries such as personal care, agriculture, water treatment, and petroleum is the driving the demand for amines. Various types of amines included in this report are ethyleneamine, alkylamines, fatty amines, specialty amines, and ethanol amines. In 2015, the ethanolamines segment account for the largest market share among all the types, in terms of volume, followed by alkylamines, fattyamines, ethyleneamines, and specialty amines. The specialty amines segment is estimated to register the highest CAGR between 2015 and 2020. Globally, the personal care products application is the largest segment in 2015. The growth is due to the rising population, change in lifestyle, and use of various beauty products, globally. The other applications is projected to register the highest CAGR followed by agriculture and personal care applications. Price and availability of raw materials is a key factor for amines manufacturers for determining the cost structure of their products. Raw materials used by the amines manufacturing are ammonia, ethylene oxide, ethanol, acetone, butyl alchol, and refined petroleum products. Most of these raw materials are petroleum-based derivatives and are vulnerable to the fluctuations in commodity prices. BASF SE (Germany), Huntsman Corporation (U.S.), Akzonobel (The Netherlands) are leading company and has an excellent foothold in the U.S. and China and is expected to hold a significant market share in the coming future. Entering into new industries and targeting new markets will enable these company to overcome the effects of volatile economy, leading to diversified business portfolio, and increase in its revenue. Other major manufacturers of amines are Clariant AG (Switzerland), Taminco (Belgium), Oxea GmbH (Germany), Delamine (Netherlands), and Tosoh Corporation (Japan) among other. Key Topics Covered: 1 Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Premium Insights 5 Market Overview 6 Industry Trends 7 Global Amines Market, By Type 8 Amines Market, By Application 9 Amines Market, By Region 10 Competitive Landscape 11 Company Profiles - Akzonobel N.V - Basf Se - Clariant Ag - Delamines B.V - Huntsman Corporation - Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company - Oxea Gmbh - Taminco - The Dow Chemical Company - Tosoh Corporation For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/m4xtl5/amines_market_by Media Contact: Laura Wood, +353-1-481-1716, press@researchandmarkets.net Integrating handwritten electronic signature capabilities with IGEL thin and zero clients increases efficiencies and cost-savings associated with printing, copying, faxing, scanning and archiving documents within centralized IT environments Further extending its workspace management capabilities,IGEL Technology,a world leader in the development of powerful remote management software, software-defined thin clients, and thin and zero client solutions, today announced support for signotec signature pads. "It is becoming increasingly important for businesses of all sizes to guarantee the secure collection, sharing and storage of electronic signatures within centralized IT environments," said Simon Richards, Managing Director, IGEL North America. "signotec's signature pads enable IT organizations leveraging IGEL thin and zero clients to quickly and easily capture handwritten electronic signatures, and ensure their safekeeping during the entire workflow process from production through document archiving." signotec signature pads help organizations optimize business processes by allowing them to digitally obtain handwritten signatures that can then be validated and authenticated by anyone, anywhere and at anytime, without requiring additional technical expertise. The use of electronic signatures promotes cost-savings by reducing paper usage, and through authentication enables organizations to quickly and easily produce legally valid documents, electronically. "Providing a signature through signotec is as easy and secure as ever," said Gary Sharp, Sales Director, IGEL North America. "From a simple receipt to a complex contract, organizations will soon discover signotec's electronic signature capabilities, when combined with IGEL's thin and zero clients, will improve efficiencies when it comes to printing, copying, faxing, scanning and archiving documents within centralized IT environments." Availability and Support Signotec's Sigma, Omega, Gamma and Alpha signature pads are supported by all IGEL Universal Desktop thin clients with IGEL Linux (LX), and IZ2 and IZ3 series zero clients. Electronic signature capabilities are also supported in Citrix XenDesktop, Citrix XenApp and RDP (Microsoft and VMware Horizon) sessions, when organizations have installed the latest IGEL Linux v5 firmware. Version 5.8.100 of IGEL Linux firmware is now available for download free of charge at www.myigel.biz. About IGEL Technology A world leader in thin and zero client solutions, IGEL Technology helps organizations improve the agility, efficiency, and security of their virtual desktop and application delivery systems. To learn more, visit www.igel.com/us or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/IGEL_Technology. About signotec signotec was founded in 2000 and is the market and technological leader when it comes to electronic signatures via a pen pad or tablet PC. With products from signotec, the user can sign in the familiar way, sign digitally, optimize business processes, avoid media discontinuities, authenticate people and produce legally valid documents. Electronic documents signed in this way can be checked with no technical outlay by anyone anywhere and at any time. With signature solutions from signotec, signing remains as easy and secure as ever. However, the signature is given in the electronic document itself. As a result, costly media discontinuities owing to the use of paper are avoided, while the electronic documents are protected by the digital signature and can be verified as genuine. signotec is managed by Managing Directors Arne Brandes and Gunther Hagner at the Ratingen and Rodewald sites. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160112005054/en/ Contacts: For IGEL Technology Sales Corp. Suzanne Collier, 714-469-0140 Suzanne@collierpr.com CUPERTINO (dpa-AFX) - VirnetX Holding Corp. (VHC), an Internet security software and technology company, announced that on January 11, 2016, in the Company's pending litigation against Apple Inc., in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Tyler Division, the court issued a comprehensive order with rulings on all of the pending Daubert and Dispositive motions, filed by both parties and pending before the court. 'We are pleased to have these extensive issues in the case resolved by the Court,' said Kendall Larsen, VirnetX CEO and President. 'We look forward to presenting our case to a jury on January 25th, 2016.' Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. BOCA RATON, FL -- (Marketwired) -- 01/12/16 -- Global Boatworks Holdings Inc., a Florida corporation announced today that the Company's registration statement on Form S-1 has been declared effective by the Securities Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). About Global Boatworks Holdings Inc. Global Boatworks builds and sells top of the line "Luxury Floating Vessels" to the southeastern United States. Global will market their vessels through real estate brokers, yacht brokers, International Boat Shows, trade shows, door-to-door and word of mouth. Global Boatworks will provide buyers with available docking, finance options, and insurance companies. Global will also offer the ability for purchasers to plan custom vessels to fit their lifestyle. "We are very pleased that our registration statement has been declared effective. We can now focus on constructing and marketing our luxury floating vessels. We can also begin the legwork for our ultimate goal of building neighborhoods of Marina front Luxury Floating Homes" said the Company's Chief Executive Officer, Robert Rowe. Brenda Hamilton, a securities attorney with Hamilton & Associates Law Group, P.A. of Boca Raton Florida assisted Global Boatworks as its going public attorney for its Form S-1 registration statement. Company Contact: Global Boatworks Holdings, Inc. Bob Rowe 2637 Atlantic Blvd. #134 Pompano Beach, FL 33062 Telephone 954-934-9400www.globalboatworks.globalHamilton & Associates Law Group, P.A.Brenda Hamilton, Attorney101 Plaza Real South, Suite 202 NBoca Raton, FL 33432Tel: (561) 416-8956Fax: (561) 416-2855www.securitieslawyer101.com NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Tissue World, the leading portfolio of events dedicated to the global tissue paper industry is pleased to announce the release of the full conference agenda for Tissue World New Orleans Conference, taking place at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Louisiana, USA from March 14 to 17, 2016. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160108/320268 Logo- http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121014/HK92339LOGO-d Across the four days, the conference topics will cover the complete industry chain starting with a Seminar on Yankee Operations, followed by the Senior Management Seminar tackling strategic market insights, and Technical Sessions over the last two days, which will explore a full spectrum of technological advancements.To help bring the wide range of issues impacting the tissue industry in North America into an even sharper focus, Tissue World has assembled an excellent panel of speakers, which will be held under the theme of: "Beyond sustainability- leading a culture of innovation and responsible production". In view of the increasingly competitive and resource-constrained market environment, the President of SCA AfH Professional Hygiene, Europe and North America, Don Lewis, will deliver the keynote presentation in the light of the conference theme, entitled: "New Directions at which Companies are looking at Sustainability across their Operations". To examine all aspects of the sustainability commitments, and the potential solutions that new technical developments may offer, Tissue World has gathered over 50 world-class speakers who will be sharing their knowledge and insight. Alongside the conference is a 3-day trade show, featuring exhibitors across the tissue paper value chain: from manufacturers and jumbo roll suppliers, to converters and machinery suppliers, including the exhaustive range of all the other suppliers to the tissue industry.As of January 2016, the exhibition floor is sold out with over 150 exhibiting companies having confirmed their participation. In conjunction with Tissue World New Orleans, Tissue World magazine- the official publication and independent news provider of Tissue World will produce a report on the North American tissue market. "The Tissue World North American Focus Report will look at multiple factors that are changing the dynamics of the industry, such as the impact of merger and acquisition activity, the challenging economic climate, private label and brands, changing consumer habits and new innovations," shared Helen Morris, the editor of the Tissue World magazine. For more information on Tissue World New Orleans, please visit www.tissueworld.com/NewOrleans/or email info@tissueworld.com. Tissue World is the leading global event series serving the tissue industry worldwide since 1993. With events in Shanghai, Istanbul, Milan, New Orleans and Sao Paulo, Tissue World offers an integrated and intertwined platform consisting of exhibitions, conferences and a magazine providing an unmatched offline and online meeting place to do business, exchange ideas and learn, all year round. For media enquiries and press registration, contact Yew Lei Ching at leiching.yew@ubm.com. Contact Person: Agnes Gehot Phone Number: +65-6592-0888 ext 886 Email: agnes.gehot@ubm.com SANTA CLARA, California, January 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CloudByte Announces That its Latest Product Release ElastiStor 1.4, Earned VMware SAN and NAS Certifications for vSphere 5.5 and 6.0 versions CloudByte ElastiStor, the first containerized enterprise storage solution is certified by VMware as VMware Ready. The iSCSI and NFS certifications enable cloud service providers and enterprises to confidently deploy ElastiStor for applications hosted on VMware vSphere environments and deliver guaranteed storage QoS to all applications. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160111/783783 ) After detailed and rigorous VMware Ready certification tests, ElastiStor 1.4 is now part of the VMware Compatibility Guide. The suite included tests for compatibility and support for the existing VMware deployment such as vMotion and DRS. "With these VMware Ready certifications, we have ensured our policy of maintaining compatibility among the latest releases of VMware vSphere and ElastiStor," said Umasankar Mukkara, Founder & VP of Engineering, CloudByte. Product Highlights and Capabilities Guarantee QoS to all applications Define granular-level IOPS per volume Increase storage utilization by 5X Single console storage management across data centers Metadata acceleration Data encryption Avoid vendor lock-ins In-line deduplication and compression Resources VMware Compatibility Guide CloudByte Hypervisor Certifications CloudByte Hardware Compatibility List About CloudByte CloudByte storage, engineered for cloud providers and large enterprises, is a containerized enterprise storage solution that solves storage level I/O contentions in the virtualized environment, delivering guaranteed performance for each workload, and up to a 5x increase in utilization. PR Contact for CloudByte Jyothi K R (+91)-80-2258-2804 jyothi.kr@cloudbyte.com PUNE, India, January 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market research report"Traffic Management Marketby Solutions (ELV, Full Pedestrian, Led Signals & Retrofit Solutions, Intersection Controllers Parking Space and Toll Management), Detection (AGPVD, Loop Detection & CCTV and ANPR), & by Region - Global forecast to 2020", published by MarketsandMarkets, Traffic Management Market to grow from USD 4.12 Billion in 2015 to USD 17.64 Billion by 2020, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 33.8% during the forecast period. Browse 68 market Tables and 55 Figures spread through 149 Pagesand in-depth TOC on"Traffic Management Market" http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/traffic-management-market-1036.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. Increasing environmental concerns, rapid urbanization and population explosion, and demand for real-time information are the main drivers driving the growth of the traffic management system market. The increasing need to access real-time information captured by sensors and cameras is one of the major reasons for the introduction of advanced traffic management system. Intermodal Transportation Planning System (ITPS) is the fastest-growing traffic management system It has become imperative for the traffic management department to understand the importance of strategic planning to control and manage traffic congestion. ITPS provides strategic simulation to intelligent transport management system, thereby helping to understand the roadway system, various events in the cities that could cause congestion, and emergency situations. Rapid urbanization, increased interest in smart cities, and the need for planning efficient transportation system drives the need for ITPS during the forecast period. CCTV and ANPR detection type has captured the largest market share in traffic management detection type market Increasing traffic security concerns has made customers focus more on detection solutions such as CCTV and ANPR detection to capture traffic activities. Moreover, various real-time data can be collected through these solutions which help in predictive analysis for making various decisions on traffic congestion, accidents, and emergency relief. North America to be the largest revenue generator of the traffic management system market in 2015 North America is contributing the maximum toward the traffic management system market through solutions, detections, displays, and systems. This is mainly due to the increased focus of the government, thus increasing the need for "Traffic Management" projects and various initiatives toward traffic management solutions and services. Europe and Asia-Pacific are the second and third-largest regions in terms of market size for traffic management. The figure below shows the market share of different regions in 2015 and 2020. The market is competitive due to the entry of new players with new and innovative offerings. Major vendors in the traffic management system market space include a large number of vendors such as Accenture, Cisco Systems, GE Transportation, IBM, Kapsch, LG CNS, Schneider Electric, and Siemens. Request Sample Pages@ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsample.asp?id=1036 The report provides a picture of growth of the Traffic Management Market in various regions. The report aims at estimating the market size and future growth potential of this market across segments such as system types, management types, and regions. Furthermore, the report also includes an in-depth competitive analysis of the key players in the traffic management system market, with their company profiles, SWOT analysis, recent developments, and key market strategies. Browse Related Reports Transportation Management System Market by Type (Traffic & Parking Management, Information Management, Inbound & Outbound Operations, and Route Management), Transportation Modes (Roadway, Railway, Airway, and Seaway), and by Service: Global Forecast to 2020 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/transportation-management-market-232446179.html Smart Transportation Market by Solutions (Ticketing Management, Parking Management, Traffic Management, Smart Signaling, Multimodal Information System, Passenger Information Systems, Cloud Services, and Business Services): Global Forecast to 2020 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/smart-transportation-market-692.html About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is world's No. 2 firm in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers. We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository. Contact: Mr.Rohan Markets and Markets UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ Magarpatta city, Hadapsar, Pune, Maharashtra 411013, India 1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Visit MarketsandMarkets Blog @http://www.marketsandmarketsblog.com/market-reports/telecom-it Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/12/16 -- Shuttle Computer Group and zSpace have teamed up to create a desktop virtual reality solution used in K-12 schools and universities. This is a union of the latest technology that enhances the school experience and makes learning interactive and fun. "Shuttle is known for working closely with its partners to create tailored products for specific applications, integration and OEM," said Marty Lash, director, sales and marketing, Shuttle Computer Group. "Our customization for zSpace is very specific for their application, including minor hardware tweaks, custom imaging, and tailored packaging. They can't buy off-the-shelf computers -- their requirements are very specific and they get exactly what they need with Shuttle." zSpace's immersive virtual reality environment offers over 250 STEM lesson plans and activities for educators to use with their students. Virtual-holographic images can be "lifted" from the screen and manipulated with the stylus. Some applications provide multi-sensory feedback; for example, students working with a virtual heart can see it pumping, hear it, and feel it beating. Due to the heavy graphic requirements of 3D applications, some zSpace displays need intensive computing power. Typically, they used large computers which took up a lot of desk space. With Shuttle, zSpace offers their customers a solution with a much smaller footprint without risking performance. Steve Kingsley-Jones, product manager, zSpace, says, "Shuttle is a solid hardware partner for us. Their computers are small, cool-running and reliable, which is vital in a classroom. And the customization is great -- they even glue the CD-ROM door shut because we don't need it. They deliver exactly what we want, on time, every time." About zSpace zSpace is a leading-edge technology provider that delivers a new way of learning with its flagship product, zSpace. Focused on STEM education, medical instruction, and corporate training, zSpace inspires and accelerates understanding through real world virtual reality. zSpace was named "Cool Vendor" by Gartner, Inc. and awarded "Best New Product" by Tech and Learning Magazine. zSpace is a privately held, venture backed company located in Sunnyvale, California, and has filed more than 30 patents for its innovative technologies. For more information, visit www.zspace.com, or follow on Twitter @zSpace. About Shuttle Computer Group Shuttle Computer is the North American subsidiary of Shuttle Inc., a publicly traded company established in 1983. Shuttle specializes in small form factor PC hardware for digital signage, point-of-sale (POS) and interactive kiosks in the retail, restaurant, food service and hospitality industries as well as motherboards and bare bones systems. For more information, visit http://us.shuttle.com or call 1-888-972-1818. zSpace is a registered trademark of zSpace, Inc. Contact: Nancy Napurski Lionheart Communications 585-967-3348 Email Contact LOS ANGELES, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/12/16 -- KosLo, an online vehicle broker service, today announced the launch of its online vehicle marketplace, giving consumers a new way to shop for new or used vehicles. Consumers now have an alternative to the auto-buying process with KosLo.com, providing another choice for car shoppers to eliminate the hassle of the sometimes-frustrating auto-buying process. The website allows consumers to narrow down their search by car, motorcycle or truck as well as details such as color, model, year, special features, and price. Plus, KosLo provides shipping services. The consumer simply indicates their preferences while dealers compete for their business by presenting offers within hours. Devin Koskan, founder and CEO of KosLo, developed this service with both the consumer and seller in mind. "Our system was designed to help dealers reduce the need for large marketing campaigns and match customers from all over the U.S. with dealer inventory." Here is how the process works: Enter the name of the desired vehicle/item into the search window, review the results and make a choice Refine the inquiry using the step-by-step wizard tool Select the year for the preferred make and model Select the desired price Indicate desired features, ranked by level of importance Enter personal information to create an account -- once the account is established, consumers can check the status of their search inquiry Select any additional service offerings such as shipping of the vehicle upon purchase. KosLo reaches out to all registered vendors with the buyer information, providing all of the specifics and desired price of the vehicle Dealers can simply decline the deal if there are no matches or respond with a price The KosLo system takes all bids and negotiates freight (if needed) for each offer Customers are presented with five choices based on their search criteria The dealer will receive a confirmation code indicating the buyer's acceptance of their deal, and works directly with the buyer to finalize the sale For more information and to register for KosLo, visit https://koslo.com/how-it-works. Contact: Lisa Brandli TallGrass PR Lisa.brandli@tallgrasspr.com 425-766-8736 PUNE, India, January 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ReportsnReports.com adds 2016 Global Wave Spring Industry Research with Global Wave Spring Reports to Chemicalssection of its online business intelligence library. Complete report on the Wave Spring market spread across 159 pages, profiling 21 companies and supported with 276 tables and figures is now available at http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/455878-global-wave-spring-industry-2016-market-research-report.html . The Global Wave Spring Industry 2016 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Wave Spring industry. Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Wave Spring market analysis is provided for the international market including development history, competitive landscape analysis, and major regions' development status. Secondly, development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. This report also states import/export, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin by regions (United States, EU, China and Japan), and other regions can be added. Few key manufacturers included in this report are Smalley, Borrelly, Lee Spring, Associated Spring, Scherdel, Tru Wave, Rohit Springforms, European Springs & Pressings, NHK Spring, Nippon Stainless Spring, Boker's, Tech Spring, Ningbo Vulcan Mechanical Seals, Sunzo Spring, Jiuguang, Trisunltd, Arbort, Micseal, Tianshi and Wavespring. Order a copy of Global Wave Spring Market Report 2015 research report at http://www.reportsnreports.com/purchase.aspx?name=455878 . The report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. What's more, the Wave Spring industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered. With 276 tables and figures to support the Wave Spring market analysis, this research provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market. 2016-2021 forecasts for Wave Spring market provided in this report include 2016-2021 Wave Spring capacity production overview, production market share, sales overview, supply sales and shortage, import export consumption and cost price production value gross margin. Some of the tables and figures provided in Global Wave Spring Market Report 2015 research report include: Figure Picture of Wave Spring Table Product Specifications of Wave Spring Table Classification of Wave Spring Figure Global Production Market Share of Wave Spring by Types in 2015 Table Applications of Wave Spring Figure Global Consumption Volume Market Share of Wave Spring by Applications in 2015 Figure Industry Chain Structure of Wave Spring Table Global Wave Spring Major Manufacturers Table Global Major Regions Wave Spring Development Status Table Industry Policy of Wave Spring Table Industry News List of Wave Spring Table Raw Material Suppliers and Price Analysis Table Equipment Suppliers and Price Analysis Table Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Wave Spring in 2015 Figure Manufacturing Process Analysis of Wave Spring Explore more reports on theManufacturing & Construction marketat http://www.reportsnreports.com/market-research/manufacturing/ . Another research titled "Global Wave Spring Sales 2015 Market Research Report" is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global Wave Spring Sales industry with a focus on the global market. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Wave Spring Sales manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry. The report provides a basic overview of the Wave Spring industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures are also analyzed. This report also states import/export consumption, supply and demand figures, cost, price, revenue and gross margins. The report then analyzes the global Wave Spring market size (volume and value), and the sales segment market is also discussed by product type, application and region. The major Wave Spring market (including USA, Europe, China, Japan, etc.) is analyzed, data including: market size, import and export, sale segment market by product type and application. Then we forecast the 2016-2021 market size of Wave Spring. The report focuses on global major leading companies providing information such as company profiles, sales, sales revenue, market share and contact information. Then the Wave Spring production market status is discussed. Finally the marketing, feasibility of new investment projects are assessed and overall research conclusions offered. With 166 tables and figures the report provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market. Companies profiled this research includes Smalley, Borrelly Profile, Lee Spring, Associated Spring, Tru Wave, Rohit Springforms, European Springs & Pressings, NHK Spring, Nippon Stainless Spring, Boker's, Tech Spring, Ningbo Vulcan Mechanical Seals, Sunzo Spring, Jiuguang, Trisun, Arbort, Micseal, Tianshi and Wavespring. Read more at http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/394112-global-wave-spring-sales-2015-market-research-report.html . About Us: ReportsnReports.com is an online market research reports library of 500,000+ in-depth studies of over 5000 micro markets. Not limited to any one industry, ReportsnReports.com offers research studies on agriculture, energy and power, chemicals, environment, medical devices, healthcare, food and beverages, water, advanced materials and much more. Connect With Us on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/ReportsnReports/191441427571689 LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/reportsnreports Twitter: https://twitter.com/marketsreports G+ / Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/111656568937629536321/posts Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/comeonseo/reportsnreports/ RSS/Feeds: http://www.reportsnreports.com/feed/l-latestreports.xml Contact: Ritesh Tiwari UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ Magarpatta city, Hadapsar Pune- 411013 Maharashtra,India. + 1 888 391 5441 sales@reportsandreports.com WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Controversial Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis will attend President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address Tuesday night, according to media reports. Davis, who was briefly jailed last year for defying a court order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, will reportedly attend the event after the conservative Family Research Council arranged for her to be in the audience. The Rowan County clerk's attorney Mat Staver will also be in the audience, according to reports from the Washington Examiner and The Hill. Davis also attended Family Research Council President Tony Perkins's 'State of the Family' address held on Monday. Meanwhile, the White House revealed that Jim Obergefell will attend the State of the Union as a guest of First Lady Michelle Obama. Obergefell was the lead plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court case that determined same-sex couples nationwide have the Constitutional right to marry. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Arkieva (www.arkieva.com), the designer and provider of the Arkieva suite of Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) software tools for manufacturing companies, announced today that ONTEX has selected the Arkieva supply chain software to manage the supply planning and S&OP process. ONTEX is a leading global producer of disposable personal hygiene solutions for babies, women and adults. Headquartered in Erembodegem, Belgium, ONTEX employs over 5,500 people around the globe. Their high-performance, best-value products are distributed through leading retail partner brands, as well as under own brands, across several distribution channels, such as retail trade, care institutions and pharmacies. ONTEX is also Europe's leading manufacturer of retailer branded hygienic disposable products. As part of an ambitious supply chain improvement program, ONTEX envisioned an integrated software platform for supply planning and S&OP reporting that could replace a very labor intensive spreadsheet based process which limited the capability to perform value adding analysis. "During the selection process we saw a strong fit between our functional requirements, the user friendliness of the Arkieva software and the pragmatic approach of the Solventure team," said Noel Vranckx, Senior Supply Chain Manager at ONTEX. "The Arkieva SAP connector will also allow for an easy and efficient interface with our current SAP ERP environment." To further streamline and integrate the S&OP process ONTEX will be working with Solventure, Arkieva's channel partner in Europe. "We're looking forward to working with Solventure," saysPhilippe Agostini, Chief Procurement Officer at ONTEX. "The Arkieva S&OP software will allow ONTEX to better balance supply and demand, allowing us to support the continued profitable growth while further increasing the profitability of the company." "We are very excited to have an industry leader like ONTEX place their confidence in Solventure and in the Arkieva tool," said Sujit Singh, Chief Operating Officer at Arkieva. "We look forward to supporting ONTEX and the Solventure team in a step change in balancing service, cost and cash. We believe in our software and know it will greatly benefit ONTEX's S&OP process to become even more efficient with the guidance of Solventure throughout the integration progression." The Arkieva Supply Planning and S&OP tool will help ONTEX to quickly react to changing market conditions, supply disruptions, and special events. Arkieva is a sophisticated tool for "what-if" scenario analysis across demand, sourcing patterns, capacity, and distribution. About ONTEX ONTEX is a leading global producer of disposable personal hygiene solutions for babies, women and adults. Their high-performance, best-value products are distributed through leading retail partner brands, as well as under our own brands, across several distribution channels, such as retail trade, care institutions and pharmacies. ONTEX is Europe's leading manufacturer of retailer branded hygienic disposable products. From their steady flow of innovation and world-class manufacturing facilities with unmatched footprint in their regions, to their deep technological product expertise and knowledge of our markets, they maintain their focus on best-value and high-performance. They know that this is what partners and consumers expect, which is why partnering with ONTEX is the smart solution. About Solventure Solventure turns your supply chain into a competitive advantage and engages in long-term improvement projects. Solventure adds value by providing actionable insights through a unique combination of tools and expert resources. The Arkieva software selected and distributed by Solventure is user friendly, scalable, and proven in optimization and quantitative techniques. Solventure is Arkieva's channel partner in Europe. For more information please visit www.solventure.eu. About Arkieva Supply Chain Software Arkieva, founded in 1993, is the developer of Arkieva software solutions for global manufacturing supply chains. With headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, USA, and offices in Antwerp, Belgium, and, Mangalore, India Arkieva is positioned to support multinational businesses around the world. Arkieva products enhance productivity and reduce operating costs in the supply chain, providing the full range of features necessary for effective Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP). Such major corporations as Datwyler, Linxens, Momentive and Sunsweet. Arkieva is recognized by Gartner Inc. in the first Magic Quadrant for Sales And Operations Planning Systems of Differentiation. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160112006265/en/ Contacts: Arkieva Alex Quinn, 302-861-2030 mquinn@arkieva.com SCHAUMBURG, IL -- (Marketwired) -- 01/12/16 -- According to board-certified dermatologists from the American Academy of Dermatology, nickel is one of the most common causes of allergic contact dermatitis: a skin rash or irritation caused by touching an allergen. In fact, it is estimated that more than 18 percent of people in North America are allergic to nickel, including 11 million children in the U.S., making it a widespread public health concern. "If you have a nickel allergy, the best way to avoid symptoms is to avoid objects containing nickel," said board-certified dermatologist Jenny Eileen Murase, MD, FAAD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology, University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center. "However, this can be challenging, since nickel is present in many common household items." To avoid exposure and reduce symptoms, Dr. Murase recommends the following tips: 1. Choose jewelry carefully. It's common for a nickel allergy to develop from wearing jewelry containing nickel. Earrings, earring backs and watches are some of the biggest culprits; however necklaces, rings and bracelets containing nickel can also trigger symptoms. To avoid exposure, only wear jewelry that is nickel-free, hypoallergenic, or made from metals such as surgical-grade stainless steel, 18-, 22-, or 24-karat yellow gold, pure sterling silver, or platinum. In addition, wear watchbands made of leather, cloth or plastic. 2. Check your clothing. It's also common for belt buckles, bra hooks, and metal buttons, zippers and snaps to contain nickel. If your clothing has these, replace them with ones that are plastic or plastic-coated. You can also create a barrier between these items and your skin by coating the items with clear nail polish. However, the nail polish will need to be re-applied often. 3. Cover electronics. Recent reports suggest that some electronic devices, including cell phones, laptops, and tablets, may contain nickel. To avoid exposure, always use a protective cover on your electronic devices. 4. Substitute household objects containing nickel with objects made of other materials. Examples include brass keys, titanium-coated or stainless steel razors, pots and pans with silicone handles, and titanium or plastic eyeglass frames. 5. Avoid foods containing nickel if you are extremely sensitive to nickel. Some foods that contain high amounts of nickel include soy products -- such as soybeans, soy sauce, and tofu -- licorice, buckwheat, cocoa powder, clams, cashews and figs. "Rashes caused by a nickel allergy are not life-threatening, but they can be uncomfortable," said Dr. Murase. "If you think you have an allergy, or if you have a rash that blisters, becomes infected, or comes and goes, see a board-certified dermatologist for the proper diagnosis." These tips are demonstrated in "Nickel Allergy: How to Avoid Exposure and Reduce Symptoms," a video posted to the AAD website and YouTube channel. This video is part of the AAD's "Video of the Month" series, which offers tips people can use to properly care for their skin, hair and nails. A new video in the series posts to the AAD website and YouTube channel each month. Headquartered in Schaumburg, Ill., the American Academy of Dermatology, founded in 1938, is the largest, most influential, and most representative of all dermatologic associations. With a membership of more than 18,000 physicians worldwide, the AAD is committed to: advancing the diagnosis and medical, surgical and cosmetic treatment of the skin, hair and nails; advocating high standards in clinical practice, education, and research in dermatology; and supporting and enhancing patient care for a lifetime of healthier skin, hair and nails. For more information, contact the AAD at 1-888-462-DERM (3376) or www.aad.org. Follow the AAD on Facebook (American Academy of Dermatology), Twitter (@AADskin), or YouTube (AcademyofDermatology). To view a media-rich version of this release, go to: http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/2016/aad/nickel_allergy/ Jennifer Allyn (847) 240-1730 Email Contact Nicole DiVito (847) 240-1746 Email Contact Amanda Jacobs (847) 240-1714 Email Contact Kara Jilek (847) 240-1701 Email Contact WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - As President Barack Obama prepares to delivery his final State of the Union address Tuesday night, the results of a new CBS News/New York Times poll showed that Americans are divided on the president's job performance. The poll found that 46 percent of Americans approve of the way Obama is handling his job as president, while 47 percent disapprove. The results show a significant partisan divide on Obama's job performance, as 81 percent of Democrats approve but 86 percent of Republicans disapprove. Independents are slightly more likely to say they disapprove of Obama's job performance. CBS News noted Obama's approval rating has hovered in the low to mid-40s for most of his second term, although a slim majority approved of the job he was doing at the onset. Obama's approval rating in the latest poll compares to just 29 percent that approved of President George W. Bush's job performance at the same time during his presidency. However, approval of Obama's job performance is below the ratings of former Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan, who were at 60 percent and 50 percent, respectively going into the final years in office. In an interview on NBC's 'Today' show ahead of his speech, Obama expressed regret about the current political divisiveness in the country. 'Part of what I want to do in this last address is remind people we have a lot of good things going for us,' Obama said. 'And if we can get our politics right it turns out we are not as divided on the ideological spectrum as people make us out to be.' Last month, White House officials said Obama will take a 'non-traditional' approach to his final State of the Union address. White House officials suggested Obama will take a broader view of the challenges and opportunities facing the country rather than providing a long list of policy proposals. The plan seems to reflect recognition Obama will have difficulty pushing much through a Republican-controlled Congress, especially during a presidential election year. The CBS/NYT survey of 1,276 adults was conducted January 7th through 10th and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN and SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/12/16 -- Heliospectra AB (OTCQB: HLSPY) (FIRSTNORTH: HELIO), a world leader in intelligent lighting technology for plant research and greenhouse cultivation, is pleased to announce that it has been invited to present at the Viridian Cannabis Investor Symposium in New York City on January 13, 2016. Entitled "Investing in the Emerging Cannabis Industry While Managing Risk" this invite-only event will provide information and insight for investors seeking to capitalize on growth in the cannabis market. Investors ranging from Private Equity firms to family offices will be attending the conference. The Viridian Cannabis Investor Symposium will include presentations from companies in the fastest growing sectors of the cannabis industry, followed by a series of smaller more intimate meetings with investors and the CEOs of presenting companies. For further information please click here or the link provided to view upcoming events: https://viridianca.com/upcomingevents/ Scott Greiper, President of Viridian Capital Advisors, commented, "As the legal cannabis industry evolves, the market is witnessing larger grow facilities as operators compete for efficiency and scale in a highly competitive market. Advanced agricultural technology providers, like Heliospectra, are enabling operators to achieve differentiation in quality, yields and cost efficiency. We are thrilled that Heliospectra will be the sole representative of the agricultural technology sector at our investor conference." The New York event is the first in an investor series hosted by Viridian Capital Advisors, a financial and strategic advisory firm dedicated to the cannabis market, and Equities.com, a leading news source and data portal designed to connect self-directed investors with emerging growth and innovative companies. About Heliospectra AB Heliospectra AB (OTCQB: HLSPY) (FIRSTNORTH: HELIO) (www.heliospectra.com) specializes in intelligent lighting technology for plant research and greenhouse cultivation. The Company's lighting system provides an effective and durable technology for cultivating greenhouse and indoor plants by combining several different groups of versatile light emitting diodes (LEDs) with optics, remote sensing techniques, and a robust heat dissipation solution. This proprietary setup gives growers the ability to control the intensity and wavelengths of the light emitted, creating a spectrum specifically adjusted to different plant species and growth stages to better facilitate photosynthesis. The complete, highly-engineered lamp produces crops that look better, taste better, and have a longer shelf-life than those grown under HID lamps. The technology not only reduces energy consumption by up to 50%, but also helps stimulate growth characteristics and improve plant quality. Other benefits include reduced light pollution, lower mercury use due to the avoidance of traditional HID/HPS bulbs, and less HVAC investment and monthly expense requirements. Heliospectra products are based on in-depth knowledge in plant physiology and photosynthesis along with a unique way to utilize modern LED technology. After six years of development in Sweden, the company has now begun to expand into the international market. The company has raised more than $21 million in capital and has received more than $2.6 million through academic scholarships and grants. It has also received numerous awards for its forward thinking technology. Principal owners: Weland Steel www.welandstal.se, Swedish Industrial Fund www.industrifonden.se, Midroc www.midroc.se, Avanza Pension www.avanza.se. Forward-Looking Statements The statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws. Such statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control. In addition, such forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions with respect to future business strategies and decisions that are subject to change. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, technical advances in the industry as well as political and economic conditions present within the industry. We do not take any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or developments after a forward-looking statement was made. Investor Relations: Michael Swartz Viridian Capital Advisors, LLC 212-333-0257 mswartz@viridianca.com Staffan Hillberg CEO of Heliospectra +46 (0)708 36 59 44 staffan.hillberg@heliospectra.com Technology Market Intelligence Firm Debunks IoT Adage in Recent Market Study SCOTTSDALE, Arizona, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --As the number of connected devices and sensors continues to grow, Internet of Things (IoT) manufacturers will need to differentiate their offerings by implementing innovations such as value-added services (VAS) to ease the IoT development process for customers. Hardware development kits (HDKs) are one such innovation. According to the latest market study by ABI Research, the leader in technology market intelligence, the HDK install base will nearly double from approximately 11 million units in 2014 to 21 million units in 2020 at a CAGR of about 12 percent. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151014/276887LOGO Read ABI Research's Application Development Services for IoT Hardware report: https://www.abiresearch.com/market-research/product/1023410-application-development-services-for-iot-h/. "When you look at revenues generated along the IoT value chain, the number of companies that offer hardware based solutions is roughly the same as those that offer value-added services," says Ryan Harbison, Research Analyst at ABI Research. "However, device-generated revenues only account for 10 percent of total IoT revenue, whereas value-added services revenue accounts for 70 percent of total IoT revenue." Of IoT companies surveyed, more than 90 percent of hardware companies operating in the IoT space also offered VAS to complement their physical offerings. Meanwhile, only 33 percent of VAS companies provided hardware components. This suggests that the IoT adage, which surmises that software companies will become hardware companies and vice-versa, is only partially true. "These findings are due to many factors," continues Harbison. "These complementary VAS help attract developers to specific kits and ecosystems by allowing hardware companies the ability to differentiate their hardware offerings. Additionally, there are greater barriers to entry for IoT VAS companies who lack the resources and infrastructure necessary to offer hardware components. As such, there is pressure on device manufacturers to differentiate their hardware by offering additional services." Additional services that device manufacturers can deploy to differentiate their hardware solutions include application development, analytics and device management tools. For instance, HDKs allow developers who may not have a strong background in hardware development the ability to create and prototype IoT solutions. "HDKs, which are becoming increasingly easier to obtain, help device manufacturers target IoT inventors by streamlining the IoT product development process," concludes Harbison. "Virtually every semiconductor company offers a handful of solutions targeting developers at different price points and experience levels. There is no shortage of open-source solutions through products like Arduino boards." These findings are part of ABI Research's M2M and IoT Platforms and Services (https://www.abiresearch.com/market-research/service/m2m-iot-platforms-services/), which includes research reports, market data, insights and competitive assessments. About ABI Research For more than 25 years, ABI Research has stood at the forefront of technology market intelligence, partnering with innovative business leaders to implement informed, transformative technology decisions. The company employs a global team of senior analysts to provide comprehensive research and consulting services through deep quantitative forecasts, qualitative analyses and teardown services. An industry pioneer, ABI Research is proactive in its approach, frequently uncovering ground-breaking business cycles ahead of the curve and publishing research 18 to 36 months in advance of other organizations. In all, the company covers more than 60 services, spanning 11 technology sectors. For more information, visit www.abiresearch.com. SARASOTA, FL -- (Marketwired) -- 01/12/16 -- Revcontent, the world's fastest growing content recommendation network, experienced a record-breaking 2015 and just recently announced their acquisition of the largest content recommendation network in Europe, ContentClick. Led by CEO and Founder John Lemp, Revcontent has emerged as a leading player in the fiercely competitive content recommendation market and experienced 900 percent growth in the last year, released multiple patent-pending technology tools, and has now expanded globally. Lemp's goal for Revcontent has always been to become the world's largest content recommendation network. To accomplish this goal and better serve partners, Lemp knew global expansion was a crucial factor. With the acquisition of ContentClick, Revcontent will now have a 24/7 U.K. presence with an office near London, providing partners innovative new technology, even better support, and the increased resources to scale their own brands worldwide. Revcontent and ContentClick saw incredible growth in 2015, and the merge of ContentClick into Revcontent's team, culture, and technology will send those benefits directly back to partners. Also in 2015, Revcontent released several industry-first technology tools including the Audience Targeting, Brand Targeting, Mobile Operating System Targeting, Language Targeting, as well as Widget Optimizer and Mobile Toaster. Revcontent's goal is to connect users around the world with content they love, and these targeting tools put partners in complete control. Revcontent's partners have exclusive access to the best tools that aren't available anywhere else in the content recommendation sphere, and the tools have the ability to scale the brands and connect partners with their target audiences around the world. With its staggering growth rate, continuous innovation, and global expansion, Revcontent is positioned for an impressive 2016. Sir Robin Miller, former chief of EMAP, the largest media company in the world, said, "Revcontent is at the forefront of a fundamental shift in digital publishing." Revcontent powers over 150 billion monthly content recommendations and is dedicated to serving its partners' needs by expanding globally and launching even more innovative technology designed to maximize their revenue. With existing partners continually entering exclusive content recommendation partnerships with new sites, Revcontent proves its dedication to serving partner needs first and foremost. QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 01/12/16 -- Atlas Medic, a company specializing in the manufacture and distribution of medical supplies and equipment, is relocating all its operations and head offices to the Francois-Leclerc industrial park in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, becoming the first company in the heath sector to establish itself in the area. The new 20,000 sq. ft. building, which is three times the size of its former premises located in the Jean-Talon industrial park, will become the central core of a company that every year distributes over 140,000 products - close to three quarters of which are imported from Europe, the United States and Asia - to some 4,000 customers across Canada. This move has required an overall investment of 3 million dollars. "We believe that the Saint-Augustin industrial park could become a focal point for the Quebec City economy. The time is right for the park's renewal and the City has set itself clear targets in order to increase the occupancy rate. We hope that our decision will be an incentive for other companies in the health and technology sectors to follow suit so that the sector opens up to new horizons," asserts Atlas Medic associate Philip Lacoste. REINFORCING TO BETTER GROW "The company has enjoyed strong growth since it was founded, especially over the past three years. Our existing facilities were being used to full capacity. The move will allow us to consolidate all our operations," Philip Lacoste explains. The new building will enable the company to centralize all its operations and improve the efficiency of handling and shipping. Its location, close to the highway network, will also facilitate transport and deliveries. "We want our new facilities to include a quality control centre and technical support laboratories as well as sufficient storage space for our entire inventory. This will enable us to increase the efficiency of our services and ensure that the products we deliver meet our very high quality standards," he adds. This relocation marks a turning point for Atlas Medic, which is also looking into the possibility of increasing its presence and influence in the rest of Canada over the next few years. Atlas Medic also manufactures six different products including dynamometers, gaseous cryotherapy units and carbon electrodes. "We identified certain needs in the industry and have therefore carried out all the necessary steps to introduce these medical instruments on the Canadian market and it's something we are very proud of," Mr. Lacoste points out. INVESTING IN ITS CUSTOMERS In addition to distributing medical supplies and instruments, Atlas Medic also offers a training program for health professionals called Medicvox, which features selective training courses provided by respected specialists that focus on specific topics such as mild brain injuries, neck pain, proprioception, musculoskeletal imaging and radiology. This tangible training approach enables professionals to modify their practice. The company's new premises will therefore house a multipurpose training room. "Centralizing these activities at our head offices will allow us to offer courses that are more focused on clinical application. It's an important branch of our company because it's our way of directly contributing to the development of knowledge among health professionals," says Mr. Lacoste. Over 12,000 people have been trained via Medicvox over the past fifteen years. Today, the program offers more than fifty training courses every year. ABOUT ATLAS MEDIC Founded in 2001, Atlas Medic is a leader in the manufacture, import and distribution of medical supplies, equipment and instruments. The company has more than 4,000 customers across Canada and twenty employees who work in Quebec City and Montreal. Atlas Medic is proud to promote high quality products and services and has achieved triple ISO certification, making it the only Canadian importer and distributor of medical instruments to have attained this level of certification (ISO 9001:2008, ISO 13485:2003 and ISO 13485 CMDCAS). Contacts: Source : Atlas Medic www.atlasmedic.com For information and interviews Marie-Pier Talbot (T) 418 704-1559, ext. 222 418 955-5897 mariepier@fernandezcom.ca SAN ANSELMO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/12/16 -- Market Rates Insight, Inc. (www.marketratesinsight.com), the leader in financial services pricing intelligence for deposits, personal loans, mortgages, and fees, today announced the release of TrendSpotter, a new research tool that captures quarterly retail fee trends for banks and credit unions nationwide. TrendSpotter provides financial institutions with key intelligence by monitoring trends for retail deposit fees, features, and requirements in the marketplace. When combined with internal key performance indicators, this historical fee data enables banks and credit unions to monitor fee trends and their impact on sales volume and revenue. TrendSpotter can provide valuable insight, and information to better predict the impact of fee changes. By using TrendSpotter for competitive benchmarking, financial institutions can overlay their own fee pricing to create a trend line that shows how the competition affects revenue, attrition, and volume for their own fee-based products. The tool provides an ability to configure a fee, feature, or requirement trend based on filters that allow the user to identify a specific institution by type or asset size. The tool's flexibility provides the end user the ability to effectively track the competitive environment and impact of fee changes. Samples of TrendSpotter data output include: ATM fees charged on foreign transactions (also includes waived and rebated fees) NSF/OD fees that can be filtered by market or size Minimum balance or combined balance requirements to waive monthly service charges Overdraft protection transfer fees TrendSpotter is a unique tool that gives bank and credit union executives an understanding of retail deposit fee trends in the US marketplace. Data is extracted from Market Rates Insight's FeeBuilder, the first database of live retail deposit fees on over 2,200 FIs that tracks live data on overdraft, non-sufficient funds, monthly service charges, ATM fees, wire transfer, on checking, money market, savings, and certificate of deposit. "Fees continue to be an essential source of banking revenue, and TrendSpotter now gives bank executives the data they need to gain a true portrait of the competitive landscape for deposit fees," said Rick Barham, founder and CEO of Market Rates Insight. "TrendSpotter not only tells you about specific competitors but gives you the bigger picture of market trends over time. Using TrendSpotter data, bankers can identify weaknesses in their pricing strategy and areas where they are overlooking potential fee revenues. There's no other research tool like it on the market." TrendSpotter makes its observations at the national level, and is issued quarterly on an annual subscription basis. For more information, visit http://www.marketratesinsight.com. About Market Rates Insight For over 30 years, Market Rates Insight has helped banking executives make better informed pricing decisions. The company serves banks and credit unions nationally with competitive information on deposits, consumer loans, mortgages, and fees. Market Rates Insight provides the most granular historical and refresh pricing data in the industry, helping financial decision makers plan and prepare for likely changes in rates and products. The company's cloud-based system provides timely and precise competitive data supported by usable graphs and charts. Market Rates Insight is located in San Anselmo, California. For more information, see www.marketratesinsight.com. Photos available upon request Contact: Tom Woolf Market Rates Insight (415) 259-5638 Email Contact WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Barack Obama must present a comprehensive plan to defeat the terrorist group known as ISIS during his State of the Union address, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., declared on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters ahead of the president's speech, Ryan claimed Americans are anxious about their security and said he hopes Obama delivers a plan to eliminate the threat. 'Not to pass the buck, but the commander in chief is the one who is supposed to execute foreign policy,' Ryan said. 'It's the commander in chief's job to come up with a plan.' 'We're not supposed to have 435 generals coming up with our strategy,' he added. 'We have opinions but that's his job.' Ryan also suggested Obama would tout signs of economic progress since he first took office but argued the economy remains very weak. 'I think if you look at wages, if you look at income growth, if you look at poverty, it's very weak,' Ryan said. 'He has basically practiced trickle-down economics.' He added, 'Big government, top down, loose money from the Fed, which helps those of you from New York, it helps the stock market really well, but it's not helping middle incomes.' Ryan also claimed Obama has failed to address the national debt and accused the president of ignoring entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security for ideological reasons. The president's speech Tuesday night will be Ryan's first as House Speaker after he took over from John Boehner, R-Ohio, last October. Ryan will be seated behind Obama during the address and told reporters he has been practicing his 'poker face' leading up to the event. 'I'm kind of an expressive person...I'm an Irish guy, that's just what we do,' said Ryan, who will be sitting alongside fellow Irishman Vice President Joe Biden. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. SURREY, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/12/16 -- Editor's Note: There are five photos and three videos associated with this release. After over five years of planning and development, Coast Capital Savings, Canada's largest credit union by membership, has moved into its innovative new headquarters in Surrey's city centre. Dubbed "Help Headquarters," which plays on Coast Capital's How can we help you? brand, the new building is the deliberate antithesis of a traditional corporate head office, with corporate brand, values and culture woven into every aspect, inside and out. Extensive research led to a marriage of office design, technology, and important work lifestyle features. Designed to appeal to the changing needs of today's workers, in particular those of Coast Capital's own employees and its growing percentage of younger workers, the new office space reflects their values of transparency and community, and fosters an environment of collaboration. Coast Capital, in partnership with the Applied Research and Consulting division of furniture supplier Steelcase, conducted numerous workplace studies when considering the interior design of the office space. The research indicated that Coast Capital employees primarily prefer a collaborative space where they can meet and act quickly to problem solve. As a result, each of the six Coast Capital open concept floors incorporate formal and informal community spaces, including several individual and smaller meeting rooms. In addition, "touch-down" zones are designated areas where staff can access the latest technology to file share and problem solve, and "collision zones" are where staff from different departments, who traditionally may not work together, can quickly collaborate and foster better working relationships. Every floor further takes into account employee needs - from themed cafes to recreational and reflective spaces - to support a corporate culture of wellness, creativity, and collaboration. Like other desirable, future-forward workplaces, Help Headquarters is also located closer to where its employees live. With 70 per cent of its Help Headquarters staff living south of the Fraser, locating its new head office at the crossroads of Surrey's new downtown centre at King George SkyTrain was a deliberate choice. The location not only provides excellent commuting options for current employees, but also acts as a desirable feature in attracting future workers. Surrey is the fastest growing city in British Columbia and the only Canadian city to be named to the 2015 Top 7 Intelligent Communities list by the international Intelligent Community Forum (ICF). Surrey Central is enjoying a growing reputation as Metro Vancouver's most desirable business and innovation hub. Help Headquarters adds to this status, bringing 700 full-time employees to the nine-story development, which also includes new retail and commercial businesses, plus an onsite day care centre and full service gym with yoga studio and lunchtime fitness classes. PCI Developments Corp constructed the 185,000 square foot facility, which is the first of four phases of a vibrant mixed-used and transit-oriented community. Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership Architects (MCM), the firm behind the eye-catching Vancouver Convention Centre West, are behind the design. Located at the crossroads of two major highways and the start of the Expo ALRT line, the building form was created to project motion and movement. Quotes: Don Coulter, CEO, Coast Capital Savings - "At Coast Capital, we pride ourselves in living our mission to bringing our members "simple financial help," and our promise to our employees, which is to change the way employees feel about work, forever. "We deliberately moved away from what is seen as a traditional head office, in every way. We chose a building with an unconventional design, not a monolithic skyscraper, because we felt it was very important to align our new corporate home with our brand. The guiding principles for this project included a creative and accessible work environment, community connection, and environmental sustainability. "Choosing Surrey, not downtown Vancouver, is also a strategic choice for us. First of all, our roots are here, where one of our founding credits unions, Surrey Metro Savings was established. We see Surrey as an economic engine for the province, and Surrey Central as a head office hub of the future. In addition, 70 per cent of our employees who work here live south of the river, and this is home to many of our credit union members. Being located in the heart of Surrey on a rapid transit line positions us to continue to attract commuter employees and those living in the local community." Matt Handford, Chief People Officer, Coast Capital Savings - "Help Headquarters exemplifies Coast Capital's commitment to the health and wellbeing of its employees on so many different levels. I think we have really created an example of best-practice when it comes to how a corporation should incorporate the mental and physical needs of its employees into the design of its flagship space." Linda Hepner, Mayor, City of Surrey - "Surrey is attracting an increasing number of head and regional offices. We are thrilled Coast Capital Savings has chosen to stay and grow in Surrey with its new Help Headquarters. A highly valued and steadfast corporate partner, Coast Capital Savings has signalled its confidence in this area by continuing to invest in Surrey's thriving economy. The wonderful building built by PCI and designed by MCMP lights up our cityscape and serves as a beacon for other companies looking for the space, the services, and the proximity to like-minded, future-focused businesses." Andrew Grant, President, PCI Developments Corp. - "Coast Capital Savings' new Help Headquarters is a significant project for us and one we are pleased to have collaboratively designed and built with the Coast Capital team. This iconic building is phase one of the four phase HUB mixed-use, transit-oriented community that will advance the rapidly evolving downtown core of Surrey. The HUB mixed-use community will feature retail, office and residential space focused around vibrant, walkable street fronts and public plazas. Importantly this location is at the nexus of rapid transit, with one existing and two proposed rapid transit lines and is also bounded by three major roads, connecting it throughout the Fraser Valley and Metro Vancouver. Coast Capital is an exciting company doing exciting things and now they are headquartered in a building and location that embodies such excitement. We are very proud to be a part of this." Mark Whitehead, MCM Architects - Coast Capital is not your typical financial institution. The PCI team knew this building had to reflect that. It couldn't be your standard monolithic skyscraper. It had to mirror the organization's innovative, irreverent, fun-loving brand. MCM designed a building that speaks to Coast Capital's values, and reflects the growing reputation of Surrey Central as a business, innovation and transit hub here in B.C. This building is progressive and sets the tone for the future with a dynamic form that engages movement and stands apart." Anne McMullin, President & CEO, Urban Development Institute - "Coast Capital decided to locate their new headquarters near the biggest transit hub in one of Canada's fastest growing cities. This will allow their employees to have the full range of transportation options for a quick and easy commute. Transit-oriented office developments such as this help alleviate traffic congestion and reduce commuter stress, which ultimately benefits everyone." About Coast Capital Savings: Coast Capital Savings is Canada's largest credit union by membership, owned by its 522,000 members. It has 50 branches in the Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island regions of British Columbia and has exciting plans to grow. Product innovations include Canada's first free chequing account from a full-service financial institution. Coast Capital is one of Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures and was named one of 2014's B.C. Top Employers. It is a member of Canada's Best Managed Companies Platinum Club and an Imagine Canada Caring Company. To learn more, visit www.coastcapitalsavings.com. For more information, video b-roll, and photography or to schedule a media tour contact Tom Leslie. To view the backgrounder, photos and videos, please visit the following links: PDF - Coast Capital HHQ Backgrounder Photo - Coast Capital HHQ Exterior Building Photo - Treadmill Workstation Photo - Interconnecting Stairwell Photo - Mediascape Meeting Pod Photo - Coast Capital HHQ Cafe Video - Help Headquarters - 90 second overview Video - Help Headquarters - Collaboration and Connection Video - Help Headquarters - Health and Fitness Video - Broadcast quality b-roll footage (download link) Contacts: Tom Leslie Edelman Vancouver O: 604.648.3430 C: 778.868.7991 tom.leslie@edelman.com Erin McKinley Manager, Communications and Media Relations Coast Capital Savings O: 604.517.7657 erin.mckinley@coastcapitalsavings.com LOS ANGELES, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/12/16 -- Cold Spring Advisory Group (http://www.coldspringadvisory.com) is pleased to announce two recent wins for victims of stockbroker abuse, resulting in the recovery of more than $480,000 collectively. Cold Spring Advisory Group relies on a very specific business model that enables them to offer their clients a comprehensive list of services. This includes: Forensic accounting analysis of their account(s). Writing the Statement of Claim for filing with FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority). Conducting discovery and participating in pre-hearing conferences. Evaluating arbitrators and engaging in settlement discussions As the leading stock loss recovery firm in the nation, Cold Spring Advisory Group currently has more than 200 cases open that are worth an estimated $30 million in claims. Cold Spring Advisory Group offers direct services to their clients, reviewing their cases and connecting them to their network of skilled and experienced attorneys. In regards to referred cases, the attorneys work on a full contingency basis with a 20% to 30% contingency fee. This past month, Cold Spring Advisory Group settled cases for two victims of stockbroker abuse, helping these clients find closure and recoup their losses. "A Cold Spring Advisory customer of ours, a farmer from Iowa settled his case for $450,000 of losses of $604,000," explained a spokesperson for Cold Spring Advisory Group. "Another customer, a cattle rancher, settled his case for $30,000 from $51,400 in losses from a broker dealer in NYC. These cases illustrate Cold Spring Advisory's ongoing commitment to our client base, and also serve to highlight our 80% overall success rate in reaching monetary awards or settlements for our clients, of which the majority are able to recoup 60% or more of their losses." Getting the ball rolling on a stockbroker abuse case can seem confounding. Cold Spring Advisory Group takes the time to carefully explain to each client what the process will be and what they can realistically expect. Whether the client is working directly with Cold Spring Advisory Group or with a referred attorney that's in their network, educating their clients and providing unwavering and ongoing support is the credence of their business model. Learn more by visiting: http://www.coldspringadvisory.com. Media Contact John Murphy Email Contact 212 566 6060 445 Park Avenue, 9th Floor New York, NY 10022 www.coldspringadvisory.com Proposed acquisition of industry-leading connected media playback supplier strengthens Visteon's infotainment software capabilities VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Michigan, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Global automotive cockpit electronics supplier Visteon Corporation (NYSE: VC) today announced it has signed an agreement to acquire AllGo Systems, a leading developer of embedded multimedia system solutions to global vehicle manufacturers. The agreement, which is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, is expected to close during the first quarter of 2016. Terms were not disclosed. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20001201/DEF008LOGO Headquartered in Bangalore, India, AllGo is a leading infotainment media playback supplier, bringing Linux and Android engineering expertise for automotive applications, including a comprehensive intellectual property (IP)-protected portfolio of in-vehicle-infotainment, media and connectivity solutions for the connected display audio market. "AllGo's strong position in multimedia and smartphone connectivity software adds greater scale and depth to Visteon's infotainment software capabilities," said Sachin Lawande, Visteon president and CEO. "AllGo's ready-to-use IP provides automotive manufacturers with a turnkey software-on-chip (SoC) solution to cost-effectively introduce smartphone and mobile applications from the vehicle's audio head unit." Employing approximately 140 people across India, the U.S., Asia and Europe, AllGo's infotainment solutions have been proven on a range of global vehicle platforms. "We are looking forward to joining Visteon at this exciting time in the company's growth in the connected technology space," said K. Srinivasan, director and CEO, AllGo Systems. "With our production-proven middleware and Visteon's expertise in automotive infotainment solutions, the two companies have a strong strategic fit that will enable us to expand our global market share in the connected display radio market." "The addition of AllGo's assets and talented workforce will enable Visteon to accelerate the innovation and penetration of affordable automotive infotainment solutions," Lawande said. "We're looking forward to working with the AllGo team and its customers." About AllGo Systems AllGo Systems, founded in 2005, is a leading product design company focused on providing multimedia solutions for automotive and computer vision markets. AllGo licenses Multimedia / Smartphone Connectivity software and multimedia codecs to automotive customers worldwide. AllGo's production proven media and connectivity middleware, along with BSP development and system integration capabilities, provide a one-stop solution for high quality infotainment software. AllGo has offices in India and U.S. with sales and support across the globe. About Visteon Visteon is a global company that designs, engineers and manufactures innovative cockpit electronics products and connected car solutions for most of the world's major vehicle manufacturers. Visteon is a leading provider of instrument clusters, head-up displays, information displays, infotainment, connected audio, and connectivity and telematics; its brands include Lightscape, OpenAir and SmartCore'. Headquartered in Van Buren Township, Michigan, Visteon has nearly 11,000 employees at 50 facilities in 19 countries. Visteon had $3.1 billion in electronics sales over the last 12 months. Learn more atwww.visteon.com. Follow Visteon: www.twitter.com/visteon www.youtube.com/visteon http://blog.visteon.com www.google.com/+visteon www.linkedin.com/company/visteon https://www.facebook.com/VisteonCorporation WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Senator Rand Paul's, R-Ken., proposal to subject the Federal Reserve to a comprehensive audit fell short of the votes needed to advance on Tuesday. The Senate voted 53 to 44 in favor of the Audit the Fed legislation, falling short of the 60 votes needed to move the bill forward. The bill would have allowed the Government Accountability Office to conduct a more expansive audit of the Fed that included the central bank's monetary policy deliberations. Paul, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, argued in a Time op-ed piece that the bill would bring an end to the Fed's unchecked power in the financial markets and the economy. 'Clearly, the country needs to understand fully the extent of the Fed's balance sheet: what it holds and from whom it was acquired, as well as all of the Fed's other activities and conceivably even more dangerous shenanigans afoot,' Paul wrote. 'We can't really know what we don't know until we look,' he added. 'We owe it to the 'swindled futurity' of the next generation to take a long, hard look through a full and independent audit of the Fed.' Paul has been a harsh critic of the Fed's role in the 2008 financial crisis and suggested the central bank is acting like a cartel. Meanwhile, lawmakers opposed to the bill argued it would negatively impact the Fed's independence and potentially subject the bank to political pressure. The White House threatened to veto a similar bill approved by the House last November, arguing that the Fed's independence is key to its credibility and its ability to act in the long-term interest of the nation's economic health. Most Democratic Senators voted against the legislation, although Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., voted in favor of advancing the bill. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de DETROIT, MICHIGAN -- (Marketwired) -- 01/12/16 -- Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada At the 2016 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Michigan, the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, took the opportunity to see and learn about emerging technologies that promise to shape the future of North America's automotive sector. The Minister met with senior executives and toured the show floor, seeing first-hand the impact Canadian automotive innovations are having on the industry. During his trip, Minister Bains met with the Honourable Brad Duguid, Ontario's Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure, and Mr. Jacques Daoust, Quebec's Minister of the Economy, Innovation and Exports. He will also meet with Canadian auto industry leaders at a meeting of the Canadian Automotive Partnership Council. During his visit, Minister Bains emphasized that Canadian companies are shaping the future of the automotive landscape. Through the development of new, innovative technologies, they continue to demonstrate that Canada is a natural home for designing and building the cars of the future. The NAIAS is North America's largest showcase of the latest automotive technology and new vehicles, and it features countless interactive displays. Over 35,000 automotive professionals and analysts representing over 2,000 companies from around the world were in attendance. Quick facts - Canada's automotive industry is a key driver of the economy, representing 10 percent of manufacturing GDP and 13 percent of total merchandise exports, and it employs 121,500 Canadians directly and another 390,700 indirectly. - Canada produces about 14 percent of vehicles assembled in North America. A vehicle rolls off a Canadian assembly line roughly every 13 seconds. - Canada is home to over 700 suppliers of traditional automotive components and to hundreds more suppliers from other industries, such as information and communications technologies. - The Automotive Innovation Fund supports strategic and innovative investments in Canada's automotive sector, building Canada's research and development capacity and increasing our ability to compete internationally. - The Automotive Supplier Innovation Program strengthens Canada's automotive supply base and creates a favourable environment for automotive research and development, while providing firms with new opportunities to enter global supply chains. Quotes "It's great to see first-hand the innovative and clean technologies that are being developed by the Canadian automotive sector. It is also great to see the diversity of Canadian suppliers' technologies that are being used in vehicles built in North America. These advancements are going to shape the future of the industry, while helping to build Canada's Innovation Agenda and ensuring a sustainable and profitable future for Canadian automotive makers." - The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development "Minister Bains and I held very productive meetings with industry executives during the auto show, and it was apparent that the Ontario/Canadian automotive sector is held in the highest regard for its innovation and quality. Ontario looks forward to working closely with the federal government to build on these strengths and attract new investments and product mandates in an increasingly competitive global marketplace." - The Honourable Brad Duguid, Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure "While in Detroit, I took the opportunity to highlight Quebec's expertise in electric vehicles, particularly that of our innovative and competitive suppliers of auto components. This international exhibition is a great venue for promoting their know-how. In addition, I met Minister Bains in person for the first time, which enabled me to advance various economic files of common interest to our two governments." - Jacques Daoust, Quebec Minister of the Economy, Innovation and Exports Follow Minister Bains on Twitter: @MinisterISED Contacts: Media Relations Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada 343-291-1777 ic.mediarelations-mediasrelations.ic@canada.ca AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Amazing.com, the leading online education platform for entrepreneurs, rolls out their new monthly membership program today, giving students access to multiple carefully crafted online courses teaching entrepreneurs how to build and grow profitable businesses at only $39 per month. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151006/274653LOGO The Amazing.com membership will include four courses to start, with new courses being added on a monthly basis. In addition to step-by-step, online video lessons, members get all the benefits of the Amazing.com Community, customer support, and more. The first week of the membership is completely free so that anyone can try it out. "We've done a lot of number crunching and have found a way to deliver the same step-by-step online business training at a price just about anyone can afford," said Matt Clark, co-founder and CEO of Amazing.com. "This changes everything. Not just for Amazing.com, but for the business education world and - most importantly - for you." As entrepreneurship and edtech continue to grow, Amazing.com is providing a convenient platform for almost anyone to be able to start or grow a business. The courses in the membership aim to help members increase sales, create additional profit streams, improve operations, secure funding, or even invest the profits from their business. Clark says the goal of this membership program is not only to educate students on business, but also to continually help them build profitable businesses and create lasting wealth that provides financial security for the long term. To kick off this exciting new initiative, Amazing.com is hosting webinars taught by the instructors whose courses are included in the membership subscription. Anyone can register here: http://amazing.com/membership-trial About Amazing.com Founded in 2013, Amazing.com is redefining entrepreneurship by helping people build their own businesses. Offering results-focused training, exceptional business tools, and a strong, supportive online community, the company empowers people from all walks of life to become successful business owners. Amazing.com offers a variety of courses to help every level of entrepreneur, from beginner to veteran, build or boost their business. They achieve this by partnering with proven entrepreneurial business leaders to develop and teach their courses. Amazing.com is headquartered in Austin, Texas where an abundance of technical talent, a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, and access to the world's best barbecue combine for the perfect conditions to drive company growth. For more information about how Amazing.com can help you, visit www.Amazing.com. VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/12/16 -- A British Columbia Securities Commission panel has sanctioned Rodney John Snider for illegally distributing securities. In October 2015, the panel found that Snider, a resident of Kelowna during the relevant period, assisted in the sale of promissory notes in Flag Resources (1985) Limited to four B.C. residents for proceeds of $21,000. Flag is an Alberta-incorporated mining company and reporting issuer in B.C. In 2005, the TSX Venture Exchange de-listed the company for failing to maintain exchange-listing requirements, and in 2006 the BCSC issued a cease trade order against Flag for failing to file financial records. The panel determined that Snider referred the investors to Murdo Campbell McLeod (now deceased), a director of Flag. The sale of securities to these investors were illegal distributions. In its sanctions decision, the panel wrote that Snider's conduct did not comply with Securities Act requirements: It is clear that the respondent was not diligent in determining whether the requirements of the exemptions were met with respect to any of the four investors with the result that those investors were denied the protections intended by the Act. The respondent's conduct was either careless or reckless or both with respect to compliance with securities laws. The panel ordered that Snider pay a fine of $5,000. The panel also ordered that Snider be prohibited from trading or purchasing securities, and from acting as a director or officer of any issuer for a period of three years. He is also prohibited, for the same period, from becoming or acting as a promoter or registrant, from engaging in investor relations activities, and from acting in a management or consultative capacity in connection with the securities market. You may view the sanctions decision on our website www.bcsc.bc.ca by Rodney John Snider or 2016 BCSECCOM 13 in the search box. Information regarding disciplinary proceedings can be found in the Enforcement section of the BCSC website. Please visit the Canadian Securities Administrators' Disciplined Persons List for information relating to persons disciplined by provincial securities regulators, the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) and the Mutual Fund Dealers Association (MFDA). About the British Columbia Securities Commission (www.bcsc.bc.ca) The British Columbia Securities Commission is the independent provincial government agency responsible for regulating capital markets in British Columbia through the administration of the Securities Act. Our mission is to protect and promote the public interest by fostering: -- A securities market that is fair and warrants public confidence -- A dynamic and competitive securities industry that provides investment opportunities and access to capital Learn how to protect yourself and become a more informed investor at www.investright.org Contacts: Media Contact: Richard Gilhooley Media Relations 604-899-6713 mediarelations@bcsc.bc.ca Public inquiries: 604-899-6854 or 1-800-373-6393 (toll free) inquiries@bcsc.bc.ca www.bcsc.bc.ca BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - China will on Wednesday release December numbers for imports, exports and trade balance, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. Imports are expected to fall 11.0 percent on year after losing 8.7 percent in November. Exports are called lower by 8.0 percent following the 6.8 percent decline in the previous month. The trade balance is expected to show a surplus of $51.3 billion, down from $54.1 billion a month earlier. Japan will release December figures for money stock, with the M2 money stock expected to hold steady at 3.3 percent on year and M3 is called unchanged at 2.7 percent. South Korea will see unemployment figures for December, with the jobless rate expected to hold steady at 3.4 percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/12/16 -- Itinerary for the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, for Wednesday, January 13, 2016: Toronto 8:45 a.m. The Prime Minister tours the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine with Ministers Freeland and Bains and will make an announcement. Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine, 100 College Street, Toronto, ON Notes for media: -- Photo opportunity only -- Media should arrive no later than 8:30 a.m. Toronto 12:10 p.m. The Prime Minister arrives at Toronto City Hall to meet with Toronto Mayor John Tory. Toronto City Hall 100 Queen St W, Toronto, ON Notes for media: -- Photo opportunity only Toronto 1:15 p.m. The Prime Minister holds a joint media availability with Toronto Mayor John Tory. Toronto City Hall Foyer 100 Queen St W, Toronto, ON Ottawa 4:00 p.m. The Prime Minister meets with the Premier of Nova Scotia, Stephen McNeil. Centre Block, Office of the Prime Minister Parliament Hill Ottawa, Ontario Notes for media: -- Photo opportunity only Contacts: PMO Media Relations: 613-957-5555 Vivino, a Copenhagen, Denmark-based large wine community and mobile wine app, raised $25m in Series B funding. The round, which brough total funding raised to date to $37m, was led by SCP Neptune International with participation from existing investors Balderton Capital, Creandum, SEED Capital Denmark and Iconical. In conjunction with the the investment, Christophe Navarre of SCP Neptune International will join the Board of Vivino as a non-executive Director to advise on Vivinos future growth. The company intends to use the funds to expand its presence in the worlds top wine consumption regions like the United States, Italy, France, Spain and Germany as well as to continue to build its wine marketplace. Founded in 2010 by Heini Zachariassen, CEO, and Theis Sndergaard, Vivino is an everyday resource for wine lovers to discover, enjoy and rate wines, while forming their own personal wine library. The mobile app, available on Android, Apple and Windows devices, allows 13 million global users to take photos of wine labels and restaurant wine lists and, using proprietary image recognition technology, match the images against a database of millions of wines. Vivino connects users via a network of posted reviews and allows users to share their experiences via Facebook, Twitter and email. In addition to the funding, the company has also announced that Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible, will serve as an editorial advisor to Vivino. She will provide real-time insights, intel and advice on wine trends and the greater wine industry and develop content for Vivino.com and the Vivino app. FinSMEs 12/01/2016 PLEASE REMEMBER TO ORDER FROM AMAZON THOUGH FMF.CLICK ON ANY BOOK WE LIST TO GET TO AMAZON, AND THEN ORDER WHATEVER. thanxxx &amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;gt; 2ND EDITION!!! I hope to have some news soon about the 2nd edition of hole in my heart. Sorry for the delay! THANK YOU AND LEGAL NOTICE As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. THANK YOU TO ALL THE READERS WHO REMEMBER TO GO TO AMAZON VIA FIRST MOTHER FORUM. IT MATTERS NOT WHAT YOU PURCHASE. From the New York Times "Lorraine Dusky, a writer who relinquished a daughter as a young single mother in New York State in 1966, supports opening the records. She reported in her 2015 memoir that in the handful of states that offered women the opportunity to remove their names from original birth certificates, only a small fraction of women fewer than 1 percent chose to do so." -- Dont Keep Adopted People in the Dark by Gabrielle Glaser, June 19, 2018 From the New York Times "On FirstMotherForum.com, a blog that discusses issues among women who had given children up for adoption, Lorraine Dusky, one of the sites authors, praised the series (ABC's 10-episode Find My Family): 'Maybe this will be heard by people who think it is unloyal somehow for a person to search out his or her roots, parents, family, when it is a most natural desire of consciousness.' --Two Reality Shows Stir Publicity and Anger"--Dec. 6, 2009. This blog takes cookies. "It shouldn't take a miracle to find people you are related to by blood."--Jenn Gentlesk EMAIL US AT forumfirstmother@gmail.com Oregon court records available Instructions and forms for accessing adoption records are on the Oregon Judicial Department's website. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Material from First Mother Forum may be quoted as long as FMF is credited and with a link to original source here. Over 350 words, contact for permission: forumfirstmother@gmail.com. A young Indian girl at a militant training camp proclaims, "We have learned to use guns and we'll use them if we have to. We will kill people if we need to". Another young child, attending a camp called Durga Vahini for the first time, is seen wearing jeans, a rebellious attitude and a mischievous grin. After ten days at Durga Vahini, she is ready to kill for her country. Durga Vahini is the female counterpart of the Bajrang Dal, a subsidiary of the Hindu nationalist organisation Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). Canadian filmmaker Nisha Pahujas documentary The World Before Her chronicles the workings of Durga Vahini to stunning effect. Hers was the first film crew to be allowed inside the camp. Four years in the making and extensively researched, The World Before Her goes back and forth between a Durga Vahini camp and Indias fashion industry two worlds that contrast, and surprisingly, even draw parallels at times. Pahuja's film follows the lives of Prachi, a twenty-year-old trainer at Durga Vahini, and a number of Miss India (2011) contestants. Its a classic nationalist point of view versus the Westernised. Prachi has no qualms about killing Gandhi or people of other religions who attack Hinduism, and manages to terrorise even her fellow Durga Vahini members. Ultimately, however, Pahuja is able to create empathy for Prachi, who comes across as a victim of a long-standing social campaign to brainwash women for political mileage. Pahuja, who divides her time between Mumbai and Toronto, eschews sensationalism in The World Before Her, making it a balanced, understated and powerful film. It won the award for Best Documentary at last years Tribeca Film Festival and Pahuja is currently in talks with distributors to release the film later this year in India. How and when did you find out about Durga Vahini? Nisha Pahuja: I found out about the Durga Vahini camps actually through Prachi. I met her in 2008 on my first research trip for this film. Just after five minutes of being around her, I knew I had found an exceptional documentary subject. She's hugely charismatic - funny, strong-willed and intelligent. I remember there were a number of activists from the Bajrang Dal and Durga Vahini that I was meeting, and the men were definitely trying to dominate and steer the conversation, but she was simply irrepressible. This is the first time cameras were allowed inside Durga Vahini. How long did it take you to convince the VHP/DV management to grant you permission to film them? What were their first reactions and what finally convinced them? NP: It took nearly two years to get access. I realised early on after meeting Prachi that I would only be allowed in if people felt they could trust me. So I decided I needed to divide my time between India and Toronto, primarily to make inroads into the movement and to give people the time to get to know me. It got to the point where I was almost a normal fixture at Hindutva rallies! I made it very clear to the organisation and the people I was meeting that I had real issues with their politics and their vision for the country. But I also emphasized that I had no intention of making a film that was sensationalist, demeaned them or judged them in any way. I simply wanted to present them as they see themselves and I wanted to try to understand them. After nearly two years of forging these relationships, they gave me permission. Are you prepared for controversies and consequences of a theatrical release for The World Before Her in India? NP: I don't think the film is going to be particularly controversial. Elections are coming up and the RSS will try to avoid any kind of agitations. It is in their best interests to be non-reactive, especially as you point out, the film is not sensationalist. That said, yes, I am aware that there is potential for controversy, but I believe in the film. We're coming up to one year since the Delhi Gang rape, and we have Narendra Modi poised to become an important force in National politics - that is terrifying to me. These are conversations that are important to continue. And the film was made with an intention to create a dialogue, not to further divide. A lot of people ask me which of the two sides the pageant world or the fundamentalists did I prefer, and I have to say that in the end, I had more respect and affection for the Hindutva activists I filmed with. They were struggling with big ideas: right vs wrong, the direction India should take, what was their responsibility to the nation? They refused to embrace without questioning this new India where consumerism means modernity. I liked them immensely. I just wish they didn't hate so strongly. Have you showed the film to Prachi and her family? Has anyone from the VHP seen it? What was their reaction? NP: Yes, the film was seen by Prachi and her family and they all really liked it. Prachi's dad is somewhat nervous still about the VHP response, but he was relieved that it was balanced and did not sensationalise. Interestingly, they all really liked, Ruhi the Miss India contestant I focus on, and they really wanted her to win! At the point in the film when the stories touch on female infanticide, Prachi's father cried. I had no idea he'd be that moved. That screening actually is what gave me hope. I felt perhaps the two sides could actually empathize with each other. Ruhi, the Miss India contestant had the same response she found Prachi fascinating. Which was the most disturbing discovery for you while filming? NP: You know, more than the physical training the girls at the Durga Vahini camp are given, its the brainwashing and the blood curdling chants they are taught that shocked and depressed me. On the bus ride they take en route to their parade, they learned a few phrases that I simply refused to include in the film. Those were the sorts of moments that were hugely trying for me and my crew as well. We saw how easy it was to manipulate young minds. As filmmakers we needed to be objective and not react, but as people we were torn between affection for the leaders of the camp and our rage and sadness at what they were teaching these young girls. How did you react to listening and recording to Prachi and her familys warped views on religion and culture? NP: There were definitely some heated discussions! It was hard to get past what to me, felt like their blind hatred toward Muslims and Christians. And there were certainly times when I was completely exasperated by Hemantji's (Prachi's father) assertions that Prachi had no rights other than what he gave her. But in the end, their prejudices made me realize one crucial thing: that all of us and our belief systems - whether they be democracy, fundamentalism, patriarchy all of them, like us, are constructs, products of time, place, and numerous other things beyond our control. Once I realized how fundamentally similar I was to them it became a lot easier to put their prejudices into context. That is not meant as an apology for the hatred or violence they espouse, but for me it became very important to see them through a different lens and to be free from malice. For the first time in India, the government is paying attention and giving the much-deserved recognition to the start-up sector. Prime minister Narendra Modi will unveil 'Start Up India, Stand Up India on 16 January. The challenge for the government is to ensure that the start-ups do not have to go through any of the government procedures and regulations. "We are pushing for that for a particular number of years or till they achieve a particular turnover. These start-ups do not have to go to the very complicated process of company registration or labour registration or going through income tax processes and they keep away from the government and that is something which we are trying to evolve," said Amitabh Kant, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. As part of the initiative, the government on January 16 is holding a day-long session on startups in which around 2,000 new age ventures, 40 CEOs, and venture capitalists would participate. The event will feature interactive talks with global leaders such as founder and CEO of SoftBank Masayoshi Son; founder of WeWork Adam Nuemann; and Uber founder Travis Kalanick, said a PTI report. Google will be conducting an innovative session titled 'Laucnhpad Accelerator' which will involve live pitches being made by early state startups to potential investors. Whosoever gets into the accelerator will get $50,000 from Google as equity funding into their startups. A question and answer session titled 'Face-to-face with Policy makers' is also being organized wherein secretaries of key departments will answer questions on how the government will be creating an enabling ecosystem for startups. The prime minister will also unveil an action plan for startups, which would help the sector penetrate tier-2 and tier-3 cities in sectors such as manufacturing and healthcare. The start-up industry has also made a strong pitch for a comprehensive plan from the government to lift the industry to the next level of growth, by resolving the bottlenecks on funding, easing up the doing business and changing regulations, top industry leaders have said. The government initiative comes at an opportune time. In 2014, start-ups employed over 65,000 people and this number is expected to rise to 250,000 in 2020. According to the Nasscom Startup Report 2015, India is among the five largest startup communities in the world with the number of start-ups crossing 4,200, registering a growth of 40 percent, by the end of 2015. At Firstpost, we are running a series of articles by experts in the industry on their outlook for the sector; the challenges of the ecosystem; and what they expect from the governments maiden initiative from the policy initiative on Start Up India, Stand Up India on January 16. We start the series today with N D Shashank, Founder and CEO, Practo. Ranchi: Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday reached out to the people of a Jharkhand village and informed them about the Centre's aim to provide food, employment and shelter to all in the coming years. Naqvi, the minister of state for parliamentary and minority affairs, said he would interact with the people to know their requirements and take the feedback ahead of the 2016-17 budget. "I have come to talk to you, connect with you and coordinate with people of all sections ahead of the next budget that will shape and change destiny of the people," he said. "The aim is to get to know the requirements of the people by meeting them in the villages and not preparing budgets sitting in the room of ministries," he told the people of Kute village, about 18 km from Ranchi. Naqvi said the ministers have been given the task to meet the people of two constituencies each and get back with feedback ahead of the Central budget, which would be prepared on the basis of their requirements. He said he had just returned with feedback from people of Palghar Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra and now have come to meet people of Ranchi LS constituency. "The Centre's aim is to provide 3Rs (Roti, Rozi and Residence) in the coming years," Naqvi said observing many of the people gathered at today's meeting were from the minority community, who needed education, development and respect. Alleging that the previous ten years of rule before the NDA took over had been corrupt, he claimed that the 18-month Narendra Modi government has strengthened the countrys economy. "The governments aim is to take progress to the last person... there are several schemes, which should benefit people straightway... the objective of Jan Dhan Yojana was to rid off middle persons and brokers... even now awareness about the scheme was necessary," Naqvi added. PTI By IndiaSpend Team A patent application takes, on average, six years to get approved in India, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of 68,000 patents granted over the past 10 years, a process that threatens the innovation required for the Prime Minister Narendra Modis industrialisation push. As many as 98 percent of patents granted in 2015 were for applications more than five years old. Compared to that, only 42 percent of patents granted in 2009 were for applications five years old or older. There was even a patent granted in 2015 for an application filed 19 years ago. The average approval time for patents in the US and UK is three years. PM Modis grand plans to bring more multinational corporations (MNCs) to India under the Make-In-India campaign could be undermined by such patent delays. (In the first part of the series, we looked at how companies needed to not just make in India, but invent in India too.) The graphic below is a reflection of how the workload of the patent office is changing and how its attention is being diverted to clearing the application backlog. Modi has called for an overhaul of the patent application filing process and a drastic reduction in the number of forms required. Why reducing delays matter What delays in granting patents do is prevent companies from commercialising products earlier. Patents allow companies with innovative products to benefit from their research and development by giving them exclusive right to make these products, usually for a period of 20 years. If patent grants are delayed, the entry of companies into the Indian market with their product is delayed too. This is why Modi is riled. For a government looking to encourage foreign companies to Make In India and invest in the country, reducing delays in decisions on patents may well be one of the first steps needed. The main factor behind the delays is the shortage of patent examiners, according to this Mint report. In June 2015, of 337 posts available for examiners, only 130, or 37 percent, were filled. What the government is doing about it As a sop to companies facing delays, the government is proposing amendments to Patents Rules 2003, allowing for an expedited examination. One of the conditions is that a company will have to commit to manufacturing in India within two years of granting the patent. This measure might benefit those willing to pay more and jump the queue, but it doesnt really address the shortage. Increasing manpower in the Indian Patent Offices has been a long-standing concern of the five-year plans. A scheme under the 12th Plan (2012-17) for the modernisation and strengthening of intellectual property offices hopes to increase the number of patent examiners, from 337 to 589, and have 263 examiners hired on temporary contracts, according to this report in the Indian Express.. In addition, the number of supervisory officers or controllers would be increased from 94 to 170. A draft version of a proposed National Intellectual Property Rights (NIPR) policy tries to do something about this, too, by calling for the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks to fix and adhere to timelines for grant of registrations but offers no further details. The NIPR policy could be announced by the government soon, according to this DNA report. This is the second of a two-part series. You can read the first part here. Indiaspend.org is a data-driven, public-interest journalism non-profit. The clear demaracation of roles between founding members Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal of Flipkart was only expected and it was just a matter of time before they exchanged roles or took on different mantles, say analysts who have been tracking the growth of the home-grown e-commerce giant. When Flipkart was founded in October 2007, did IIT Delhi alumni Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal, who worked with Amazon earlier and got together to start the behemoth ever think it would have leapt to the growth it has seen? The humongous growth of the company has necessitated changes in the way the executives have helmed the business. Investors in Flipkart have grown over the years, some have diluted their stakes and a few have exited it. With Amazon panting close to Flipkart, and the oft-reported IPO that has been 'coming soon' for some time now, it would have been prudent for the founders to have different roles to take on the new challenges the market and the ecosystem offer. Consider the target set by the company: a GVM of $8 billion, an addition of 100,000 sellers on its platform and annual sale of one billion goods by 2017. This ambitious target could only be achieved if someone is put solely in charge of strategy and another in the daily running of the company. The investor community welcomed the change in roles at Flipkart and felt it would bode well for the company. The Bansals' change in roles could be a transition on how they will look at each other and their business roles in the future. It shows mature thinking on the part of the founders, many believe. The change at Flipkart is not a path-breaking move in India Inc. Infosys has done this before and in their case it has been a well-thought out strategy where founders have helmed the CEOs role. "I dont see this change at Flipkart as an anomaly and the bonhomie between the partners will continue," says Ankur Bisen, Senior Vice President, Retail & Consumer Products, Teknopak Advisory Services, a management consultancy firm. The new role for Binny Bansal will mean he will have to be groomed into it. He has never been the CEO before. So a few rough edges will have to be smoothened out. Haresh Chawla, Partner, India Value Found and a start-up investor, says that the move will be significant only if Flipkart is trying to become larger than itself. He believes that with the change, one founder will be in charge of transactions to Flipkart's large customer base while the other will focus on consolidating business. "I think the company with millions of customers will follow what is happening in China where Alibaba, for instance, which uses its large consumer base to sell other products and services to the same consumers," he says, adding that he sees this change in roles at Flipkart as a precursor to that. Each founder has to change roles so that they get an experience of the other's role. That is one of the ways to grow. With Amazon catching up fast, it was inevitable that this change would have to take place, says Paula Mariwala, Executive Director, Seedfund. Mariwala believes that this could also be an investor-led decision with the investors becoming sensitive to team dynamics and also seeing a lot of changes in the ecosystem which is not quite healthy. Like the extreme case of Housing.com and the shifts in the ecosystem like layoffs, too, for instance. Mariwala says that with a lot of heavyweights from the Silicon Valley and others joining Flipkart, it was only time for Sachin to focus on strategy and Binny to focus on day-to-day business. "There is room now, with the phenomenal growth the company has seen over the years, to have an ex-chairman to be involved in strategy side of the business," says Mariwala. Founders have to change roles as the business grows. Flipkart is echoing that need with the change in roles. A start-up needs different individuals at various stages of its growth, says Sanchit Gogia CEO and chief analyst, Greyhound Research. The one who is in charge of strategising the business at the initial stages takes the company to one level, and then another kind of chief or head is required to operationally run the business on a daily basis. However, it would be too early to say how the change in leadership roles in Flipkart will impact its business. Bisen says that this change is a good first step and other things like executions, business plans among others have to fall in place. DETROIT Fiat Chrysler's (FCAU.N) (FCHA.MI) Jeep Chief Executive Mike Manley on Monday said the SUV brand will announce next month its first sales in India, where volumes will be low for the first few years. Manley had previously said the initial models to be sold to India will be the Grand Cherokee and Wrangler. Sales will start slow, and will reach 1,500 to 2,000 vehicles in 2017, Manley said. First sales will be in the end of the second quarter 2016, he said. Manely said a dealer network for Jeep in India needs to be developed. By the end of this year, he hopes that Jeeps will be sold from 15 to 30 existing Fiat dealerships in the 10 to 15 largest cities. "The real issue for us is we've got to get the brand established," said Manley, who said consumers in India are familiar with the Jeep name. He said that India is one of the countries where the SUV segment of the auto market is known as "Jeep", in the same way facial tissues are called by the brand Kleenex. "There are a lot of very low-cost SUVs ... so this whole year will be about showing the Indian market what the true SUV is, and what it is capable of." We are going to play at a very premium end of the (SUV) segment, said Manley. Although India always promises the markets going to develop,' most off that activity is in price ranges way, way below where we are going to be. We will be a very niche play to begin with and then were going to develop the business from there, Manley said. Jeeps global sales in 2015 totalled 1.24 million vehicles, up 22 percent from the previous year. It was the sixth consecutive year of increases for Jeep sales. In 2009, the year the former Fiat, now Fiat Chrysler, took management control of Jeep, sales were about 300,000, nearly all in the U.S. market. Last year, U.S. sales were 865,028, or about 70 percent of global sales. Manley would not comment on whether Jeep would exceed the 1.9 million vehicles sales target, part of Fiat Chryslers five-year plan to the end of 2018. Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne earlier on Monday said Jeep and other sales projections would be part of an update to the five-year plan to be announced on Jan. 27. (Reporting by Bernie Woodall; Editing by Bill Rigby and Meredith Mazzilli) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. ISLAMABAD A Pakistani paramilitary force raided the home of the New York Times' national correspondent on Tuesday in what officials called a routine search operation for a terrorism suspect. The search at the Islamabad home of Salman Masood came more than two years after Pakistan expelled the Times' bureau chief, Declan Walsh, during national elections. A team of the paramilitary Rangers force arrived at Masood's house at around 7:30 a.m. (0230 GMT), he said, adding that the officers said they needed to search the home for a "terror suspect." Pakistan's interior ministry said in statement that the raid was "in no way reasonable or acceptable", but did not elaborate why. "There will be an investigation into why, how and on whose authority this raid was carried out," it said. The Rangers force reports directly to the interior ministry, but because it is historically a border security force, the powerful army's top command is also involved in its management. The Rangers force and the army's media wing could not be reached for comment. Douglas Schorzman, a senior editor on the international desk of the New York Times, said the Pakistani interior ministry had said the visit was "part of a broader pattern of searches across his (Masood's) neighborhood this morning. "It's still unclear whether that's true, though, and given the pattern of targeted harassment of Times correspondents in Pakistan by the authorities, we're taking this matter very seriously." The newspaper will conduct its own inquiry, he said. Last July, the government gave Rangers special powers and put the force in charge of security in the capital, Islamabad, in case Pakistani Taliban militants tried to launch attacks in response to an army offensive in the country's northwest. The Rangers have also been given broad powers in an ongoing security crackdown in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, prompting criticism from opposition parties of a lack of oversight. Masood said he was never detained. He later saw the same officers outside another house in the street. (Additional reporting by Asad Hashim; Editing by Kay Johnson and Mike Collett-White) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Swagata Raha The last fortnight has been eventful for child protection. While adolescents between 16 and 18 years accused of heinous offences stand deprived of their rights in the juvenile justice system by the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2015, a judge of the Supreme Court urged Parliament to bring in more rigorous punishment for child rape. Protection and justice have never been more misunderstood. We cannot seem to look beyond enhancement of punishment even though its deterrent effect is negligible. The demand for new laws and barbaric punishments take the attention away from the systemic flaws of the criminal justice system and the traumatic experience of victims. Before mooting any change in law, the nature of child sexual abuse and the profile of victims and perpetrators must be studied. An analysis of 667 judgments of special courts in Delhi by the Centre for Child and the Law, NLSIU Bangalore revealed that the accused was known to the victim in 80% cases and was a stranger in 17%. Neighbours constituted the largest group (29%) followed by those related to the child by blood or through the mother (20%). Amongst the total number of victims, the 12 to 15 age group formed the largest group consisting of 30% of the cases (197 cases), while the 16 to 18 age group formed the second largest group consisting of 28% of the cases (186 cases). Children below 5 years constituted only 7% of the total victims. The highest percentage of cases in which the victim turned hostile were those in which she was married to the accused (99%), in a romantic relationship with the accused (96.07%), step-daughter (76.47%), daughter of the accused (76.34%) and related to the accused (73.58%). Considering the above, dehumanizing perpetrators of child sexual abuse and demanding that penalties be enhanced is more likely to deter the victim from participating in the criminal process. The remark of the Supreme Court Judge must also be examined in light of the existing legal framework. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO Act) was enacted to exclusively cover the ambit of child sexual abuse. The Statement of Objects and Reasons to the POCSO Act recognized that offences against children need to be defined and countered through commensurate penalties as an effective deterrence. The term child is defined to mean a person below the age of 18 years under Section 2(1)(d), POCSO Act). Penetrative sexual assault of a child below 12 years constitutes aggravated penetrative sexual assault under Section 5(m) of the POCSO Act. This offence is punishable with fine and rigorous imprisonment for a minimum term of 10 years that can extend to life imprisonment. The Criminal Law (Amendment)) Act, 2013 introduced several substantive sexual offences in the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Rape of a minor below the age of 16 years constitutes aggravated rape under Section 376(2)(i) of the IPC and is punishable with fine and rigorous imprisonment for a minimum term of 10 years, but which may extend to life imprisonment. Life imprisonment in this context implies imprisonment for the remainder of that persons natural life. The penalties prescribed under the POCSO Act and the IPC are adequate and leave enough room for judges to impose a term of imprisonment higher than the minimum sentence if the chid is very young. In Alister Anthony Pareira v. State of Maharashtra, AIR 2012 SC 3802, the Supreme Court held: One of the prime objectives of the criminal law is imposition of appropriate, adequate, just and proportionate sentence commensurate with the nature and gravity of crime and the manner in which the crime is done. To rob judges of this discretion by making penalties more rigorous would undermine the principle of proportionality that is central to criminal justice. Over-criminalization will also result in giving primacy to vengeance over rehabilitation of the offender and healing of the victim. Research on victims of criminal justice conducted in several jurisdictions outside India have revealed that victims of crimes want five basic things: information, participation, emotional restoration and apology, material reparation, and fairness and respect. These elements are barely respected during the criminal trial. Studies have also shown that the restorative justice process addresses these five needs much better than the criminal justice system and also helps in healing and closure. The higher judiciary needs to vigorously introspect about the functioning of criminal courts. It should also examine the extent to which the funds made available under the National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms for improvement of courtroom infrastructure have been utilized to make court complexes child-friendly. State departments of public prosecution and police need to collectively scrutinize the lapses in investigation that led to acquittals. There is a need for greater investment in scientific and evidence-based research on treatment models for sex offenders. State Governments need to put in place a support structure and service providers who can assist a child victim and her/his family cope with the trauma of sexual abuse and navigate the courtroom. The emphasis needs to shift from the brutality of the offence to the needs of the victims. The author is consulting senior legal researcher, Centre for Child and the Law, National Law School Bangalore New Delhi: Three operatives of banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), arrested in 2012 for conspiring to carry out blasts in the National Capital on the instructions of their Pakistan-based handlers, were on Tuesday sentenced to varying jail terms of up to seven years by a court in New Delhi. Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Reetesh Singh sentenced LeT operatives Ahtisham Farooq Malik and Shafaqat Ali Tuggu to seven years jail each, while another convict Tawseef Ahmed Peer was awarded four-year imprisonment by the court. The three convicts were held guilty of offences under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Malik and Shafaqat were also held guilty for offences under the Explosive Substances Act. Besides them, the court awarded three months jail term to Saijee Anwar who was convicted for offences punishable under the provisions of IPC only, including section 471 (using as genuine forged documents). Later, the court suspended Anwar's sentence and granted him bail for filing an appeal against his conviction. They were convicted in the case lodged by the Special Cell of Delhi Police in 2012 in which it was alleged that Malik, an LeT operative, had come to Delhi to carry out terror strikes here on the instructions of his Pak-based handlers. During the arguments on the quantum of sentence, advocate Akram Khan, appearing for the convicts, sought leniency for his clients saying they were arrested at the stage of planning itself and no terror incident had occurred. According to the police, they had received a tip-off about the arrival of Malik in Delhi on 26 February, 2012. It said the input was regarding LeT's plan to carry out terror strike here at the behest of their handlers. It had said that Malik and Shafaqat were arrested from Tughlakabad extension area in Delhi on 28 February, 2012 and during the search, a bag was recovered from Malik's possession which contained explosives and detonators. The police had claimed that Malik was an active member of LeT who had undergone training at Pakistan after which he had returned to India in January 2012 with a plan to carry out terror strike in Delhi. Regarding Shafaqat, the police had said that he was one of the associates of Malik and was involved in the conspiracy. It had said that Peer's name had cropped up as one of the conspirators during Malik's interrogation, following which he was also arrested in connection with the case. Regarding Anwar, the police had alleged that he had helped Malik in procuring a mobile number on a fake identity proof. In November 2013, the court had framed charges against Malik, Shafaqat and Peer under various sections of the IPC, including 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating), the Explosive Substances Act and under provisions of the UAPA. Anwar was put on trial by the court for alleged offences under various sections of the IPC including 120B, 420, 471 and 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating). PTI By Sukanta Chaudhuri Last November, West Bengals Education Minister Partha Chatterjee issued an advisory he was neither empowered to make nor compelled to by circumstance. He announced that elections to student unions in Bengals colleges and universities, normally held in January, would be deferred till June in view of major school-leaving exams in February, themselves advanced to accommodate the State Assembly elections in March or April. There seems no obvious justification for the move: the students elections would have ended before the public exams, let alone the Assembly polls (it is taken as axiomatic that these mega-events make such demands on the police and administration that only one can be held at a time). More crucially still, students elections are the responsibility of the institutions: the government does not have statutory authority to announce or withhold them. The cry has inevitably gone up that the minister has infringed on institutional autonomy. Chatterjee may have only himself to blame, as he has consistently maintained that the government can call the shots because it pays the salaries. The acts governing the states universities have been revised three times in four years to that end. The indispensable statutes that, with much else, govern the election of teachers representatives to university bodies were suspended soon after the present government took charge; new statutes are awaiting approval for periods ranging from one to nearly three years. The government has consistently pitted itself against a university community making a last-ditch stand to protect academic dignity and independence, principles that many states seem already to have surrendered. The most explosive outcome was the six-month Hokkalarab movement of 2014, when not only students and teachers but guardians and civil society contended successfully to free Jadavpur University of an unpopular and damaging regime. Despite their notoriously politicised image, Bengals leading universities keep up a notable record of teaching and research. In the recent Times Higher Education rankings, Jadavpur topped the list of Indian institutions formally called universities, outranked only by IISc Bengaluru and some (not all) IITs. Calcutta University was fourth. Particularly in the high-profile Calcutta, Jadavpur and Presidency Universities, campus activism is transmuting into a battle for freedom of thought and operation, breaking free of formal party politics. Not unexpectedly, the first outcry against the ban on elections has risen from Jadavpur. Mounting student protests climaxed in a 54-hour blockade of the administrative building, with the Vice-Chancellor, Executive Council and other officials inside. The last phase was a moral blockade, so to speak: the students declared that the Vice-Chancellor could leave but his departure would be read as a hostile gesture. By a decision as conciliatory as politic, he declined to do so till an understanding was reached. The authorities were also trapped metaphorically in an unenviable position. The students stand is entirely correct in constitutional terms: the University is an autonomous body that has every right to conduct its own elections. Despite its far from unsullied record at other times, the Jadavpur campus has been consistently free of violence during elections and is likely to remain so this time, unless trouble is introduced from outside. There seems no plausible ground not to conduct elections as usual. At the same time, to an extent the students do not realize, it is difficult if not impossible for a public university to function in defiance of a hostile government, and an impasse would harm the students the most. There is also the piquant complication that the Chancellor of the University is the Governor of the state: governmental edicts are issued in his name or even with his direct concurrence. In the circumstances, the adaptive and infinitely patient Vice-Chancellor Suranjan Das, with the broad support of the academic community, has entertained the students demands to an unprecedented extent, short of unilaterally announcing elections. He negotiated a joint meeting of the authorities and the students with the Chancellor-Governor. The latters decision is awaited: he too will be in an equivocal position if he takes his role as Chancellor seriously. The current situation is utterly different from that a year ago, when the whole campus united against the previous Vice-Chancellor, Abhijit Chakrabarti. Das, by contrast, is widely seen as trying to restore not only order but an academic resurgence. The most damaging outcome of the students blockade was that it scuttled an official visit to China to seal the deal for 10 exchange bursaries a year for Jadavpur students. Like many colleagues including this writer, the secretary of the Jadavpur Teachers Association professed herself pained at the language of the protests: one union spokesperson explained every sympathetic move to present the students case to the government by the authorities bowing down to student pressure. This is mild compared to the venom spouted habitually by student leaders in Bengal and elsewhere; but Jadavpur students had shown a more responsible, not to say creative line of campaigning during the much more vital Hokkalarab movement of 2014. The government will have the last laugh if the students paint themselves into a corner of the TV screen as an unruly crew on a notoriously volatile campus. It does no good to a student bodys image to have blockaded four successive vice-chancellors for 50+ hours, only once (in 2014) in a cause attracting much public support. In most places, student unions have taken the deferral of elections with almost uncanny calm, despite a record of far more appalling and mindless violence all through the recent past. Most of the unions are run (as under any regime) by the students wing of the ruling party: they will call the shots whether formally elected or not, most effectively during the forthcoming elections. Once again, the government will have got away with an attack on institutional autonomy. One fears it may lead to more such assaults in the future. Worse than student movements, Bengals universities have suffered much non-violent administrative rampage in the last few years, unlike the slow, astutely controlled bleeding inflicted by veteran leftists of the past. The latter, moreover, included some of the states genuinely academic-minded intelligentsia, thereby limiting the damage or, rarely, even advancing the cause of learning. Jadavpur was one of the chief success stories of that era. To maintain that position, even legitimate protest can hope to succeed only within a culture of order and cohesion, on a campus speaking with one voice. It is even more important that the various stake-holders within Jadavpur should make their peace with each other than with the government. The writer is Professor Emeritus, Jadavpur University. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday urged the central government to issue an ordinance to enable the conduct of Jallikattu after the Supreme Court stayed the bull taming sport. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jayalalithaa said, "I strongly reiterate my earlier request to the government to promulgate an ordinance forthwith to enable the conduct of Jallikattu." Jayalalithaas letter comes after the Supreme Court went against the Centre and stayed a notification that allowed the sport to be organized. The notification, in turn, was issued this year despite the fact that the SC had banned Jallikattu in May 2014. Animal activists challenged the petition in the SC which led to the court ruling in their favour on Tuesday. "As an interim measure, we direct that there shall be stay of notification dated 7 January, 2016 issued by Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF)," a bench comprising justices Dipak Misra and NV Ramana said. The bench also issued notice to the MoEF and Tamil Nadu on petitions filed by various bodies including Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) seeking striking down of the Centre's notification and sought their replies within four weeks. Jallikattu, also known as Eruthazhuvuthal, is a bull taming sport played in Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations on Mattu Pongal day. In 2016, it falls on 16 January. Earlier during the day, a bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur referred the petitions to the present bench as one of the judges Justice Banumathi, who hails from Tamil Nadu, recused from hearing the batch of petitions. The apex court order comes after petitions were filed by Animal Welfare Board and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) India demanding that the Centre's recent notification allowing Jallikattu and bullock cart races be "struck down". The four-year-old ban on holding of Jallikattu was lifted on 8 January by the Modi government in poll-bound Tamil Nadu with certain restrictions. The decision to allow Jallikattu along with bullock cart races in other parts of the country had come through a government notification despite strong objections by animal rights groups. In its notification, the Centre had said, "...Central Government, hereby specifies that following animals shall not be exhibited or trained as performing animals with effect from the date of publication of this notification, namely bears, monkeys, tigers, panthers, lions and bulls." "Provided that bulls may be continued to be exhibited or trained as a performing animal, at events such as Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu and bullock cart races in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana, Kerala and Gujarat in the manner by customs of any community or practiced traditionally," it had said. Peta India had said that the Environment Ministry's notification allowing Jallikattu and bull races had come despite a Supreme Court judgement which held that the Ministry cannot allow these races and cannot modify the notification dated 11 July, 2011 (which banned forcing bulls to perform) without consulting the AWBI. "Terrifying and injuring bulls is abuse, not sport, and this combined with the injuries and deaths of people common at Jallikattu events puts a bloody stain on India's reputation in the eyes of the world. "Laws and SC verdicts need to mean something and we look to the Supreme Court to confirm once again Jallikattu and bull races must not be allowed," Peta India Chief Functionary Poorva Joshipura had said. In just four years, from 2010 to 2014, approximately 1,100 injuries to humans were reported by the media as a result of cruel and dangerous Jallikattu-type events and 17 people died, including a child. With inputs from IANS and PTI Chennai: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday stayed its earlier order directing the Tamil Nadu government to enforce a dress code for devotees visiting temples under its control. The High Court issued an interim stay on an appeal filed by the Tamil Nadu government against the November 2015 single-judge order to implement the dress code. Justice Vaidyanathans order, which came into effect January 1 said: According to Christianity, a general lesson from the New Testament is that we should dress for public worship in a way that is generally considered appropriate, the controversial judgment had stated. Standards of dress are different from church to church and change over time, but we should avoid any style of dress that is offensive or sends a message opposing the church communitys values. Pants or skirts that are too revealing, clingy, or tight should not be worn and the dress permissible to men for worship is that they should wear long pants and plain shirts without messages or slogans when visiting mosques, the judgement said. Short-sleeved shirts are acceptable as long as the sleeves are not shorter than average. According to these orders, male devotees are to wear shirts, dhotis or trousers while females are expected to wear sarees and other traditional attire. Wearing of 'lungis' (wraparounds), bermudas, jeans and tight leggings was banned. Hindu temples in southern India began turning away devotees wearing western clothes from 1 January after a court order banning jeans and shorts as "inappropriate" for spiritual worship came into effect. In December the Madras High Court ordered temple authorities in Tamil Nadu state to refuse entry to anyone wearing jeans, bermuda shorts, skirts, short-sleeves or tight leggings to "enhance spiritual ambience" Hundreds of staff members in the coastal state's 6,000 temples, ranging from small shrines to major religious sites, remained on alert for people flouting the ban, which came into force on January 1. "We have enforced the court order from today. A few people were politely turned back for not wearing the prescribed dress," a superintendent at the Arulmigu Ramanatha Swami Temple in Rameswaram district told AFP on 1 January, asking not to be named. The dress code applies to both locals and foreigners visiting the temples, some of which are major tourist attractions. Arulmigu Ramanatha Swami temple alone receives more than four million visitors each year, the official said. Men are allowed to wear dhoti -- a traditional long lower garment -- or pyjamas with a cloth top or formal pants and shirts, while women are allowed to wear sarees or half sarees with a blouse. "We should dress for public worship in a way that is generally considered appropriate," the court said in the order. Several Hindu temples and other religious sites in India restrict devotees from entering the premises on pretext of dress, eating habits -- some do not allow non-vegetarians to enter -- as well gender. In Mumbai a women's rights group is fighting a legal battle to overturn a four-year ban on entry of women to Haji Ali Dargah, a Muslim shrine, where menstruation was cited as the reason for the restriction. While in urban centres such as New Delhi and Mumbai many people, especially men, wear western clothes, in the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala traditional garments are more popular. Agencies New Delhi: Punjab Police Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh was on Monday put to exhaustive questioning for eight hours by the NIA in connection with the Pathankot terror attack. Contradictions were apparent in his statements, investigators said. The agency is also concentrating to conclusively prove the identity of four terrorists, whose bodies were secured from the attack site as it got a Black Notice issued from Interpol. The international notice is issued for identification of unidentified bodies found in a country, an MHA spokesperson said. The NIA has also sent some body parts to CFSL to ascertain whether they belong to the remaining two terrorists who were involved in the 80-hour-long gun battle with security forces which left seven personnel dead, the sources said. Singh, who arrived at agency headquarters in New Delhi, was subjected to intense questioning between 11 am and 7 pm and asked to appear again for examination. An NIA official, on condition of anonymity, told IANS that the agency wanted to conduct a polygraph test to ascertain his statements made earlier during his questioning by the team over his abduction by the terrorists who attacked the Pathankot air base. The questioning will continue on Tuesday when his cook Madan Gopal will also be examined by the terror investigation agency. The sources claimed Gopal might be confronted with Singh who is still not giving clear answers to several key questions regarding his alleged abduction by attackers of the IAF base. The NIA has also summoned Gopal to the headquarters for questioning and if need be the two would be confronted, a Home Ministry spokesperson said. The central agency, which took over the case immediately after terrorists struck inside the IAF base during the intervening night of 1 and 2 January, had summoned Singh as he was kidnapped by terrorists during the New Year night before they entered into the air base. Singh, who is at present a Superintendent of Police-rank officer posted as Assistant Commandant of 75th battalion of Punjab Armed Police after he was removed as SP (headquarters) Gurdaspur, had allegedly given contradictory statements about his kidnapping and sequences of events preceding and succeeding the hostage event, official sources said. The NIA has recorded statement of the caretaker of the shrine which Singh had said that he had visited with Gopal and his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma, who was left bleeding with a cut below his throat by the terrorists after abducting the other two. The caretaker, who is related to the cook, had told the sleuths that Gopal and Verma had come in the morning of 31 December and again in the evening and he was not aware of the reason for his visit to the shrine twice, they said. NIA had recored Singh's statement in Pathankot but he has been asked to come on 13 January as his statements were also contradictory in nature, the sources said. A 10-member NIA team continuing search operation in Punjab has already recovered AK-47 magazine, mobile phone and binoculars from IAF base in Pathankot, the spokesperson said. NIA teams are working across Punjab and are examining witnesses and carrying out search operations at the encounter site as well as outside the base, he said. With inputs from agencies Islamabad: Pakistan on Monday submitted to India its initial findings on alleged Pakistani links to the Pathankot terror attack saying that the telephone numbers given by India were not registered in Pakistan, a news report here said. A Joint Investigation Team, formed following a directive of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, submitted the initial findings on the alleged Pakistani links to the terrorist attack on the Indian Air Force station in Punjab's Pathankot district earlier this month. "According to sources close to the development, the investigation report has been handed over to Indian authorities," The News International said. It said Indian authorities provided Pakistan details of telephonic conversations that terrorists, believed to be Pakistanis, had had with their handlers and family members from the air base. According to Indian authorities, the terrorists who sneaked into Punjab and attacked the IAF base on January 2 were affiliated to the notionally banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad. The report quoted unnamed sources as saying that the telephone numbers given by India were not registered in Pakistan. A media report on Monday said Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence is helping probe the suspected Pakistani link to the terror attack on the IAF base. The ISI, the Military Intelligence and the Intelligence Bureau are part of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed following a directive of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the Express Tribune reported. The decision to form the JIT was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Sharif "a few days ago", it said. Pakistani news reports on Friday had said that Sharif directed the Intelligence Bureau to probe the leads provided by New Delhi on the alleged Pakistani links to the January 2 terror attack in Punjab. The pre-dawn attack on the Indian Air Force (IAF) station killed seven security personnel. Security forces killed all six attackers. "Nawaz (Sharif) is taking an active role in getting to the bottom of the Pathankot incident," a source in the Prime Minister's House was quoted as saying. "He (Sharif) also discussed the issue with army chief Gen Raheel Sharif and took him on board about the decision to form a JIT," it added. India has provided Islamabad "actionable information" on the terrorists' alleged Pakistani links. New Delhi wants Sharif to crack down on those who planned the audacious terrorist attack. After the terror attack, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif promised his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi that his government will act on information provided by New Delhi on the terrorists' alleged Pakistani links. But Pakistani officials have told their media that the information given by India was not enough and may not stand scrutiny in a court of law. The News International quoted "highly placed diplomatic sources" as saying that the foreign secretary-level talks between Pakistan and India could be deferred by New Delhi as there was no information so far about the visit of the Indian foreign secretary for the January 15 talks in Islamabad. "It is likely that India would notify the postponement at the eleventh hour some time next week," the daily said. No communication has taken place between Islamabad and New Delhi on the foreign secretary-level talks since the Pathankot attack, it said. Pakistan does not want the foreign secretary-level talks to get derailed as they were expected to pave the way for a comprehensive composite dialogue covering all outstanding disputes, including Kashmir, The News International said. "What is the evidence given to Pakistan?" The Congress on Monday accused National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval of creating confusion over sensitive issues of national security. "The NSA is reported to have said in an interview that 'no peace talks now till Pakistan takes action against Pathankot terrorists and India is satisfied with Pakistan's efforts'. "Later, he denied having given an interview to the publication. This self-contradictory statement was in reference to the foreign secretary-level talks scheduled for January 15," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi told media persons here. "The NSA has further compounded and confounded the confusion that seems to have become this government's hallmark as far as dealing with extremely serious and sensitive issues of national security is concerned," he added. He also sought to know from the government whether the foreign secretary-level talks scheduled for January 15 were happening or not. Posing a few more questions to the government, Singhvi asked: "What are the 'actionable proofs and evidences' that they have given to Pakistan? "Has the government of Pakistan acted on these evidences and to what extent? "Is the government satisfied by Pakistan's actions on the actionable evidences?" "Are these actions sufficient enough to surmount the earlier stand of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj that entails 'talks and terror can't go ahead simultaneously? Can the nation expect a clear statement by the external affairs minister or its spokesperson on this issue?" Singhvi asked IANS Its silly season again as Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu draw closer and the bull is the centre of attention in the southern state. The traditional Tamil sport of Jallikattu (bull-taming), usually held around mid-January following the harvest festival of Pongal, is now under a cloud. Banned by the Supreme Court in 2014, Jallikattu made a brief comeback last week when the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests issued a notification citing culture and tradition to allow the sport, despite the bull being on the list of animals which are prohibited from being used as performing animals. The Animal Welfare Board of India, the original petitioners in the Supreme Court, challenged the Centres notification in the apex court on 11 January . A day later, the Supreme Court ordered an interim stay on the sport, issuing notices to the Centre and various state governments for their responses. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has written to Prime Minister Modi demanding an ordinance to allow Jallikattu to be held. "With the Pongal festivities commencing from 14.1.2016, the public in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu have made all arrangements and preparations and are eagerly looking forward to the conduct of Jallikattu as part of the traditional festivities ingrained in the hoary cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu, she wrote. It is very important that the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu, who have a deep attachment to the conduct of the traditional event of Jallikattu, are respected. Hence, considering the urgency of the issue, I strongly reiterate my earlier request to the Government of India to promulgate an Ordinance forthwith to enable the conduct of Jallikattu. On behalf of the people of Tamil Nadu I urge you to take immediate action in this regard, her letter stated. DMK chief Karunanidhi too has echoed arch rival Jayalalithaa's demand to the Centre for promulgating an ordinance. "The contents of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's letter to you are a reflection of all the political parties in Tamil Nadu," he said in a statement. "Hence the Centre, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi, must step in to bring in an Ordinance to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 and ensure that Jallikattu takes place in Tamil Nadu this year," he stated. It is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is facing most of the flak in this issue. After crowing about the Centres commitment and sensitivity to the people of Tamil Nadu in issuing the Jallikattu notification, the party in the state is now forced to eat crow. "We did it because Tamil Nadu people wanted it," state BJP President Tamilisai Soundararajan told Firstpost. "The Centre genuinely thought it must respect the sentiments of Tamils, so they did it. Now this block has come from the Supreme Court. It is a legal point and has to be tackled. We thought it will be valid because there is no cruelty to the bull in the sport. Centre cannot be blamed because we did it with good intention," she defended. Not having a role in the issue and yet not willing to be left out of the ring, opposition parties in the state too have jumped into the melee, pointing fingers at the state government and advising the Centre to go the legal way. The Congress party has seized upon the chance to make the BJP appear ill-prepared, reiterating the demand for an Ordinance. "It is not possible for the BJP not to have anticipated that this would happen," said state Congress President EVKS Elangovan in a statement about the stay imposed by the court. "What did the BJP government do for the past 18 months to ensure Jallikattu goes on? What efforts has the state BJP unit taken on this so far? At the last moment, the BJP is playing a double game by simply issuing an Executive order and allowing it to be stayed by the courts," he stated. Leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly and President of the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) Vijaykanth slammed the Chief Minister for only writing letters to the Centre on the issue. The courts stay on Jallikattu is deeply saddening, said Vijaykanth in a statement. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has written about this issue to the Prime Minister on the last day of Parliament and when he was out of the country. She has made it a habit to fool the people of Tamil Nadu in this manner in each issue. Jallikattu is not just part of the culture and tradition of Tamil Nadu it has turned into an emotion of the people of this state. I request the Centre and state governments to discuss together and come up with a solution on how to legally tackle this issue and ensure that the stay on Jallikattu is lifted at the earliest, he stated. Fierce campaigner for Jallikattu, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) chief Vaiko slammed the Centre and the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) for not doing enough. 48 MPs of the AIADMK have done nothing, fumed Vaiko. The Centre too approached it halfheartedly. Instead of amending the Act or promulgating an Ordinance, the Centre has betrayed Tamils, he said. Animal rights campaigners feel vindicated by the stay imposed by the court. I am thrilled, said Radha Rajan, one of the petitioners in the case. There are two angles primarily as an animal welfare issue. A beautifully argued judgement being overturned has caused a lot of concern and sorrow because it is very difficult to get animal rights recognised. The second angle is that the overturning of this 2014 judgement erodes the institution of the judiciary and the supremacy of the Supreme Court. It put the Executive on a collision course with the judiciary, which is not a good thing for democracy, she said. Meanwhile politics over the bull has been whipped up in the southern districts of the state. Two youngsters attempted self immolation in Alanganallur, the village where the Jallikattu is traditionally held annually. With every party lobbing the ball in the Centres court, the BJP finds itself between a rock and a hard place of its own creation. Panaji: The Goa government will form two rapid action police teams to crack down on foreigners working in violation of visa norms, Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar said on Tuesday. "The (state) government has proposed to constitute two rapid action police teams having police control room vehicles to check illegal touting and functioning of foreigners as tour and travel agents/guides/operators/interpreters/translators in violation of visa norms," Parulekar told the Goa assembly here. He was replying to a question by Congress legislator Mauvin Godinho. Parulekar said that 14 foreign nationals visiting India on tourist visas, mostly Russians and Ukrainians, have so far been fined for illegally working as guides. "The tourism department also imposes penalties on illegal touting and other malpractices by the foreign nationals," the minister said. Foreigners seeking jobs and running businesses while on tourist visas is a recurring problem for Goa, which attracts more than three million tourists annually. IANS The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the Centre's notification lifting ban on controversial bull taming sport Jallikattu during the festival of Pongal in Tamil Nadu. "As an interim measure, we direct that there shall be stay of notification dated January 7, 2016 issued by Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF)," a bench comprising justices Dipak Misra and NV Ramana said. The bench also issued notice to the MoEF and Tamil Nadu on petitions filed by various bodies including Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) seeking striking down of the Centre's notification and sought their replies within four weeks. Jallikattu, also known as Eruthazhuvuthal, is a bull taming sport played in Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations on Mattu Pongal day. Earlier during the day, a bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur referred the petitions to the present bench as one of the judges Justice Banumathi, who hails from Tamil Nadu, recused from hearing the batch of petitions. The apex court order comes after petitions were filed by Animal Welfare Board and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) India demanding that the Centre's recent notification allowing Jallikattu and bullock cart races be "struck down". The four-year-old ban on holding of Jallikattu was lifted on 8 January by the Modi government in poll-bound Tamil Nadu with certain restrictions. The decision to allow Jallikattu along with bullock cart races in other parts of the country had come through a government notification despite strong objections by animal rights groups. In its notification, the Centre had said, "...Central Government, hereby specifies that following animals shall not be exhibited or trained as performing animals with effect from the date of publication of this notification, namely bears, monkeys, tigers, panthers, lions and bulls." "Provided that bulls may be continued to be exhibited or trained as a performing animal, at events such as Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu and bullock cart races in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana, Kerala and Gujarat in the manner by customs of any community or practiced traditionally," it had said. However, the Centre had also put some conditions, saying bullock cart race shall be organised on a proper track, which shall not exceed two kilometres. In case of Jallikattu, the notification had said that the moment the bull leaves the enclosure, it shall be tamed within a radial distance of 15 metres and it should also be ensured that bulls are put to proper testing by authorities of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department to ensure that they are in good physical condition to participate in the event. Performance enhancement drugs are not to be administered to the bulls, the notification had said. Peta India had said that the Environment Ministry's notification allowing Jallikattu and bull races had come despite a Supreme Court judgement which held that the Ministry cannot allow these races and cannot modify the notification dated 11 July, 2011 (which banned forcing bulls to perform) without consulting the AWBI. "Terrifying and injuring bulls is abuse, not sport, and this combined with the injuries and deaths of people common at Jallikattu events puts a bloody stain on India's reputation in the eyes of the world. "Laws and SC verdicts need to mean something and we look to the Supreme Court to confirm once again Jallikattu and bull races must not be allowed," Peta India Chief Functionary Poorva Joshipura had said. In just four years, from 2010 to 2014, approximately 1,100 injuries to humans were reported by the media as a result of cruel and dangerous Jallikattu-type events and 17 people died, including a child. Peta India has documented in AWBI authorised inspections that during Jallikattu, terrified bulls are often deliberately disoriented by being given substances like alcohol, having their tails twisted and bitten, being stabbed and jabbed by sickles, spears, knives or sticks and being punched, jumped on and dragged to the ground. Three bulls even died during Jallikattu events in 2014. During races, bulls are often hit with nail-studded sticks and pushed beyond the point of exhaustion. In bullfights, which often occur in Goa, a round ends when one of the bulls manages to flee (or is killed), Peta India had said. (With inputs from PTI) by Urvashi Butalia These past few months Ive been watching an interesting serial on the Ramayana. Siya ke Ram tries to establish Sita as an independent, thinking, caring woman, loved and respected by men and women alike. Equally, Ram is shown as sensitive, intelligent, dutiful the shadow of what is to come in the shape of Sitas banishment is some distance away. While Sita engages in a tense dialogue as an equal with Ravans father, Ram fends off stiff opposition and frees Ahalya from the curse that has been cast on her by her husband for a presumed infidelity, one in which she had no hand at all. Not surprisingly, it is Ahalya who is targeted for this infidelity, even though it was the shape-shifting god Indra who disguised himself as her husband and came to her. The lesson is clear: no matter who the real culprit is, especially in matters of sex and sexuality, the blame will always come on the woman. I was powerfully reminded of this when the Supreme Court made its views known on the Sabrimala temples practice of not allowing women - post pubertal to pre menopausal - entry into the temple. The Court called the practice, claimed by the temple to be an age-old one, anti-Constitutional, something that went against the non-discrimination-on-the-basis-of-gender guarantee promised in the Constitution. How the final judgment due in a few weeks will pan out is anybodys guess. And how it will be received on the ground by devotees in their thousands is not known either. But here is a response from the internet: "The SC will be doing a great disservice to our society by entering a domain that is strewn with land minesthe SC now coming to the rescue of women not allowed in Sabrimala, appears completely ill advised. There are far more important issues that need the SCs attention" I may not agree with the writer that there are far more important issues, but in one respect he is right the domain is one that is strewn with landmines. The temples defense, in the words of its administrators, is disingenuous they claim they dont bar women from entry, that there are indeed hundreds of thousands who do come, but its only women in the menstruating age group who are barred. Menstruation is dirty, polluting, the journey up the hill at the temple takes 41 days, so menstruation is inbuilt. Some opponents of the menstrual argument have even gone so far as to say that if women are allowed, the path will be littered with sanitary napkins which will spread pollution although Im not sure how many women will just drop them by the road and move on! So theres the pollution argument, but theres also a more powerful sexual argument. Ayappa, the god of the temple, is a brahmachari, and women, especially young women, can be a temptation, therefore its best to keep them away. Fear of womens sexuality, and their fertility, are not new, and in many ways the argument that because of this, its best to keep them away, is merely the flip side of the argument that says that women should stay at home to avoid being raped. If over 80 percent of rapes take place in the home or in familiar environments and from known people, there is a high statistical likelihood that a large percentage of the men making the pilgrimage have, at some point in their lives, raped, assaulted, or forced themselves on women. Perhaps even menstruating women for here, as all intelligent people know is a natural contraceptive. What then does pollution mean? There is another tragedy in the argument, and several complications too. Temples all over our country and indeed also gurudwaras do their best to keep Dalits out. Sabrimala is one of the few places that is said to not discriminate where men are concerned: anyone can enter. Except women in the menstrual age group. And then theres the political argument. The courts are often called upon to pronounce on what are seen as religious issues, and faith, sometimes irrational belief, sometimes ahistorical and manufactured traditions (as in this case) are brought out to battle against laws and the Constitution. Even if the latter wins, as may happen, who will implement the law on the ground? Who will tackle the temple administration, which woman will take the first step? And further, we might ask, when all those hundreds of thousands of male devotees go home to their wives and families, how do they deal with menstruating women there? It would be hard to believe that they isolate their women, do not touch them, do not eat from their hands. So why the hypocrisy? Could it be that it is because they are in a state of Brahmacharya, forty one days of no sex? Which presumably leaves the self control so fragile that even the mere sight of a woman can destroy it. Indeed one might also ask if our gods are so weak and so fragile that their state of brahmacharya can be broken similarly. And last of all, theres the issue of exclusion a dangerous and fraught idea when used thus. All of us practice all kinds of exclusions: we form clubs and groups and leave out x or y. while much of this is for fun, and some of it may even be dangerous. Its when exclusion amounts to discrimination, and particularly discrimination based on birth, that we need to start thinking about it. And its not enough to explain one kind of exclusion by another. The temple authorities at Sabrimala routinely counter the criticism by saying there is another Sabrimala where only women go to offer pongal. But the question is: do the women exclude men? Or is it the temple authorities who decide? And if yes, which is likely, are these authorities men or women? Whatever the courts decide on the issue, the resolution of this fraught issue will not be a simple or easy one. Whats important though, is that there are protests, and discussions and debates and issues that have remained hidden or silenced such as womens very natural function of bleeding every month are at least being talked about. The author is a publisher, writers and co-founder of Kali for Women, Indias first feminist publisher Little did Jet Airways know they were entering a world of trouble when comedian and actor Vir Das on Monday missed his flight from Ahmedabad to Mumbai because of an alleged mistake made by the airline. Das was waiting in the lounge of the airport for his flight. He missed it when boarding announcements were allegedly not made in the lounge, according to Buzzfeed India. When the airline staff, instead of apologising to Das, allegedly misbehaved with him, Das posted about the entire incident on Twitter. He said he was pushed and yelled at for 15 minutes. Das even took videos of the incident and posted them on Twitter. On the other hand, Jet Airways posted a statement on Twitter, saying that announcements for his flight were made at the boarding gate and the lounge staff had also called out the flight to the guests in the lounge. The entire row finally ended when Das posted a tweet saying that Jet Airways staff met him at the gate of the airport in Mumbai and apologised to him for their alleged mistake. Das said that he was taking down the videos put up because of the apology. New Delhi: In a bid to end uncertainty over the implementation of Rs 1.65 lakh crore package for Bihar, the Centre has said that it is being implemented as it is for the people of the state and not for any particular government. The projects under the Bihar package are at different stages of implementation and they are being monitored on regular basis, it said. At a meeting on Monday, Union Ministers including Suresh Prabhu (Railways), Dharmendra Pradhan (Oil & Gas) and Piyush Goyal (Power) assured BJP state representatives including Sushil Kumar Modi, Prem Kumar and Mangal Pandey on the issue. The representatives met over half a dozen union ministers and asked them to monitor all these projects on monthly basis for speedy implementations. "The prime minister had announced a package of Rs 1.65 lakh crore for Bihar. We are meeting with different union ministers to assess the progress over the announced package. All of them have assured that this package is for Bihar and not for a particular government," Leader of Opposition, Bihar Legislative Council, Sushil Kumar Modi told PTI. BJP, which rules at the Centre, was unable to form the government in Bihar following the state elections, raising concerns in certain quarter over the package. "There was a confusion that if the government will not change in Bihar then what would happen (to the package). All ministers told us that the prime minister has given package for the people of Bihar. We are implementing this package. It at different stages in all ministries." Modi further said, "Two mega bridges are being constructed on the Ganga river. One is at Digha-Sonepur rail-cum-road bridge in Patna and second such bridge is in Munger. Prabhu has told us that these bridge would be ready in a month's time and would be opened by February end." Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had laid the foundation stone of these two bridges in 2003. But these could not be completed during the decade-long UPA regime. Another project is the Mahatama Gandhi Setu on the river Ganga, connecting North Bihar, and it is to be implemented properly. Modi said, "The Road Ministry has approved Rs 1,800 crore for repair of this bridge. Centre will allocate funds and the Bihar government will carry out repair work." The road projects are a big component in Bihar package. A new bridge on the Ganga costing Rs 5,000 crore will be built. It will be near Gandhi setu. "The project is at Detailed Project Report stage. Besides there will be another six lane bridge on Ganga river in Begusarai," Modi said. About the power sector in Bihar, he said that the second 660 MW unit of Phase-II of Barh project will be in operation in February; NTPC Ltd is in the final stage of finalising developer for first phase of the project. Modi said: "Power minister has told us the one Ultra Mega Power Project of 4,000 MW in Banka will soon be auctioned out of which 50 percent power will be given to Bihar. During NDA regime Bihar is getting additional 1,000 MW from Centre." He added, "Oil minister told us that the work is in progress on JagdishpurHaldia gas pipeline. Besides there are plans to increase refining capacity of Baruni refinery to nine million tonnes from existing six million tonnes. There is also a plan for a petrochemical complex there." PTI Bangalore: Former Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has repeated his demand for reinstatement as Chief Minister, with ten of his loyalist MPs scheduled to meet the BJP top leadership on Monday. Times Now reported that his loyalists were also scheduled to send a letter to party leadership, seeking state elections for a new Chief Minister. The party was plunged into crisis on Sunday when Yeddyurappa claimed support of over half of the party MLAs and demanded that the central leadership convene a legislature party meet within 48 hours. "Fifty-five legislators are here today. Fifteen more will join tomorrow. I am confident that the BJP central leadership will take note of all these developments and take an appropriate decision as soon as possible," said Yeddyurappa, who is making a renewed bid to get the party to reinstate him as chief minister. The BJP has a strength of 120 legislators, including the Speaker, in the 224-member Assembly. "Wait for 48 hours. It is not a deadline. I am sure the party leadership will take a decision", he said, apparently indicating that the BJP leadership will have to take a call on his demand for reinstating him as chief minister before his successor DV Sadananda Gowda presents his maiden budget in the state Assembly on 21 March. He was talking to reporters after holding a meeting with his supporters at his residence in Bangalore. At the meeting, Yeddyurappa loyalists decided to submit a memorandum to BJP president Nitin Gadkari seeking a legislature party meeting. Sources close to him said ministers V Somanna, Shobha Karandlaje and CM Udasi were at his Race Course residence. The BJP Karnataka strongman, who is keen on presenting the budget himself, has set the new deadline hoping to regain the lost chair, even as the state unit party president K S Eswarappa firmly ruled out change of guard. Amid the crisis, Chief Minister Gowda celebrated his 59th birthday on a low key and declared he would present the budget. Gowda, who called on Siddganga Mutt seer Shivakumara Swamy at Tumkur to seek his blessings on his birthday,however, ducked a query on the leadership change demand by Yeddyurappa faction, remarking "it will be decided by central leadership". Refusing to take note of the show of strength by Yeddyurappa, Gowda said he had seen several political crisis in the past and added "I am sure I will face the current political crisis successfully". Meanwhile, Minister for Municipal Administration Bhalachandra Jarkiholi expressed unhappiness over the dissidence activities in the party and threatened to quit Assembly membership along with 19 others. Sources in the Yeddyurappa camp said a majority of his loyalists favoured staying away from the budget session of the state legislature commencing from March 20 if the party high command did not respond by then. A prominent Yeddyurappa camp leader speaking to PTI on condition of anonymity said, "The decision on the future course planned by the group will be decided at the private resort tomorrow, but we are hopeful of high command responding to the demand." The sources say in the event of Yeddyurappa loyalist ministers and MLAs not attending the budget session, the opposition might seize the opportunity and move a non-confidence motion against the BJP government and defeat it on the floor of the House. However, some loyalists of the former chief minister expressed the hope that the central leadership will not push the situation to that far. The current developments might also cast a shadow on the the 30 March biennial election to four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka. BJP, which has 120 MLAs, is expected to field candidates for two seats. Eswarappa sought to play down the deadline threat issued by Yeddyurappa, but expressed dismay over 'resort politics'. "Yeddyurappa will not leave BJP as he has strived to build it," he said. "I am willing to resign my Assembly membership. There are at least 19 more MLAs who are ready to quit. Let the party dissolve the state Assembly after the budget. We can no longer tolerate the troubles created by Yeddyurappa," Jarkiholi said. Yeddyurappa, however, brushed aside reports of infighting in the party, claiming the BJP was "united". "There is no division in BJP. We are all united," he told reporters, when asked about factionalism within BJP. Yeddyurappa has been contending that the BJP central leadership should fulfil its promise to reinstate him as the chief minister as it had assured him the chair once the High Court quashes an FIR filed against him in an illegal mining case. On 8 March, the high court cleared him in the case. The BJP central leadership had forced Yeddyurappa to quit in July 2011 after he was indicted by the Lokyukta report on illegal mining that had caused a political storm in the state. After meeting his loyalists today, Yeddyurappa ferried them to a private resort, where they are likely to stay for two days and await the BJP central leadership's response to his demand, sources close to him said. This is the third deadline given by Yeddyurappa to the BJP central leadership to reinstate him as chief minister. Earlier he had set 14 January and 27 Februry as deadlines, which the BJP ignored. Yeddyurappa expressed confidence that he would be able to lead Karnataka to the number one spot in terms of development in the country if he is made the chief minister. "Even in the next one year, I can make Karnataka a number one state," he said. PTI Keen to reset terms of coalition, but will not overturn her late father's last biggest political decision, suspense surrounds government formation in Jammu and Kashmir after Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed away. Mehbooba Mufti, who has been almost unanimously picked to be the next chief minister, is in no hurry to form a government. Speaking to the NDTV, sources said that Mehbooba was hurt the way the BJP government at the Centre treated PDP in relation with the release of economic packages. Political circles were teeming with speculations that an alliance between the Congress and PDP could be in the offing after Congress chief Sonia Gandhi arrived at Mehbooba Mufti's residence, Fairview, in Srinagar. Even though Sonia was there to offer condolences to the late chief minister, the visit set off varied speculations, relating to a possible political cosiness between the Congress and the PDP. The terms of engagement between the PDP and the BJP is likely to remain the same as was formalised between the two parties around a year ago, but that will have to be reiterated once again as there is a formal change of guard, albeit in the most unfortunate of circumstances. A deliberation of that nature is yet to take place. While Ram Madhav and senior Union minister Nitin Gadkari (as official representative of the Narendra Modi government) have met her but any substantive discussion on coalition and formation of government has apparently not taken place yet. BJP leaders are waiting for that to happen and are giving the required time and space to Mehbooba to grieve and be prepared to take over the chief ministerial mantle of the state. The decision to appoint Mehbooba as the chief minister was not well-receieved across the table. There were murmurs of dissent within the PDP and the Jammu and Kashmir unit of BJP wasn't too happy about it either. As this article in The Hindu pointed out "her views on the role of the security forces and issues of human rights violations" have been problematic. On her part, Mehbooba, in the past, has voiced her disinterest in the post of the chief minister. Under the circumstances, Sonia's visit to Srinagar with Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ambika Soni becomes interesting. The PDP and Congress had been partners for six years from 2002 to 2008, but after the 2008 elections the Congress left PDP and chose to back National Conference's Omar Abdullah as the chief minister. By landing at Mehboobas residence in her hour of grief, Sonia has renewed her personal engagement with the chief minister-to-be. But it is highly unlikely that this brief visit will translate into any meaningful political engagement in the state, at least for now. The reason for that, if not anything else, lies in the composition of the state Assembly and the sort of mandate the people in the state gave the coalition in the winter of 2014: In and 87-member state Assembly, the PDP has 28 (one less due to the passing of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed). The BJP is the second-largest party with 25 seats. The JKNC has 15 seats, while the Congress has 12. Independent and Others hold seven. In that election, the BJP had swept Jammu region and PDP valley region. With the highest vote-share of 23 percent BJP had triumphantly registered its presence in the state Assembly. PDP closely followed with 22.7 percent votes but greater number of seats. The PDP and Congress cant form a government on their own even if they decide to come together. They will need support of either Farooq and Omar Abdullahs National conference or support of some Independents to form a government. To dump the BJP at this stage would be too big a decision for Mehbooba, as also to align with the Congress and some others. That would also defy the spirit of the mandate and negate the Jammu region. In the past two elections, Congress has been consistently losing its support base. For the moment, the speculation of a possible coming together of the PDP and Congress in Jammu and Kashmir has no legs on which to stand. "No one knows for sure what is on her mind. She (Mehbooba) did not speak to any leader for three days. No one dared to go inside the house. She only met Ram Madhav and did not discuss a thing about government formation a senior PDP party leader told Firstpost. However, senior PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Beg said that whatever happened in the past is history and it's time for new beginnings, which hinted at possible shift in tactics. "His (Muftis) presence around us was comforting and assuring but his death is a great challenge for all of us. His passing away, however, has provided us with an opportunity to make a fresh start, Beg told Firstpost. He said the alliance partners have to work hard to succeed, but he also hoped that Mehbooba will do better than her father. The BJP leaders are insisting that neither their party has asked for any change in rules of engagement nor has the PDP asked for any such thing. Its only a matter of time when Mehbooba takes over as the first woman chief minister of the state. Till such time governor's rule will remain in place. New Delhi: BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday said he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for moving the Supreme Court to seek day-to-day hearing of civil appeals in the Ram Janmabhoomi case. "I have written to the prime minister in this connection. The case regarding the Ram temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh should be heard on a day-to-day basis," Swamy told media persons here. The BJP leader sought early verdict in the issue and start of the Ram temple construction in Ayodhya by the year-end. "The moment the court verdict is out, we will start work on the Ram temple construction. We want to start the construction work before this year-end. We will talk to Muslim leaders and find an early solution," he said. Swamy also said he will convince leaders like Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, whose party is in power in the state, and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati for the temple construction. "I am confident that Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is a believer of Hanuman, and BSP leader Mayawati will both agree for an amicable solution," he said. Asked whether the BJP was on the same page with him on the issue, he said construction of the Ram temple was mentioned in the party's manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha election. "It was in the Lok Sabha election manifesto of our party. No one will go against the party manifesto. This is a full time work (Ram temple). The prime minister will run the nation and I will work towards the construction of the Ram temple," Swamy said. The BJP manifesto, in two brief lines on the last page under the heading 'cultural heritage', reiterated the party's stand on the construction of the Ram temple at the site of the demolished Babri mosque. "The BJP reiterates its stand to explore all possibilities within the framework of the constitution to facilitate the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya," the manifesto had said. As for a controversial seminar held at Delhi University on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue last week, Swamy said more such seminars should be held across the country. The two-day seminar on "Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple: Emerging Scenario" was organised at the arts faculty from January 9 by Arundhati Vashishtha Anusandhan Peeth. "Such a seminar should be organised in Jawaharlal Nehru University too," Swamy said. JNU in New Delhi is a reputed bastion of Left-leaning student outfits who strongly opposed the Delhi University decision to allow the seminar, alleging it will "communalise" the campus. The BJP leader said such seminars will be organised across India and he had already received offers from Gujarat and Tamil Nadu for the same. Acting on a bunch of appeals, the apex court stayed the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict that divided the 2.77-acre site into three parts. It also ordered status quo at the site but restrained any religious activity on the 67 acres of adjoining land taken over by the Centre. On the violence in Malda in West Bengal, Swamy said Home Minister Rajnath Singh should exercise his powers under Article 256 and give directions to the Mamata Banerjee government that it was not performing its duty as per the Constitution. Swamy also said there was no use talking to Pakistan as it was a "dumb government" and the real government there was of the ISI, Taliban and military. IANS Leipzig: Thousands of far-right protesters rallied in the eastern German city of Leipzig Monday against the record refugee influx they blamed for sexual violence against women at New Year's Eve festivities. The crowd loudly vented its anger at Chancellor Angela Merkel, whom they accuse of destroying their homeland by allowing in 1.1 million asylum seekers in 2015. "We are the people", "Resistance!" and "Deport them!", chanted the followers of LEGIDA, the local chapter of xenophobic group PEGIDA, the "Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident". A heavy police presence, with water canon at the ready, kept watch over the crowd of several thousand, and separated them from thousands of counter-demonstrators, as rain poured down. While the rally stayed peaceful, police said some 250 far-right hooligans had thrown rocks and smashed shop windows in a traditionally left-wing student district of the city, before police dispersed them. The key theme of the LEGIDA protest was the New Year's Eve attacks in the western city of Cologne, where hundreds of women reported being groped and robbed by men described as Arabs and North Africans, in scenes that have shocked the country. Justice Minister Heiko Maas earlier Monday warned that "those who now hound refugees on the Internet or on the streets have obviously just been waiting for the events of Cologne" and were now "shamelessly exploiting" the attacks. "Refugees not welcome!" read one sign, showing a silhouette of three men armed with knives pursuing a woman, while another declared "Islam = terror". "Since New Year's Eve, nothing is like it was," said one speaker, PEGIDA activist Tatjana Festerling, who decried the night's "sex jihad against women". "Asylum-Mummy Merkel had barely delivered her New Year's address to the people when in Cologne the first fireworks hit the cathedral and police," she said. "Then these Muslim refugees started their wholesale terror attack against German women, against blonde, white women," she said to loud boos from the crowd. Waving a sign declaring "State of injustice", 44-year-old demonstrator Lukas Richter said "Merkel is breaching the constitution and must go," and that "the government must close the borders and return all illegal migrants". He charged that the New Year's Eve attacks highlighted "the violence of foreigners in Germany that has existed for years". One sign mocked Merkel's "We can do it" motto on the refugee influx, saying "You can't even secure a train station". AFP Kuwait City, Kuwait: Kuwait on Tuesday sentenced two defendants to death, including an Iranian being tried in absentia, after they were convicted of "spying for Iran" and plotting attacks in the Gulf country. The Iranian, Abdulreda Hayder, was on trial along with a group of Kuwaiti Shiites on charges of spying for Iran and hiding large quantities of arms and ammunition in underground depots. The court sentenced another defendant to life in prison and 19 were jailed for between five and 15 years, two of them in absentia. Three were acquitted and one was fined 5,000 dinars ($16,500). The defendants were also convicted of spying for Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah, smuggling in and assembling explosives, and possessing firearms and ammunition. Kuwaiti authorities said in August they had dismantled an Iran-linked cell and seized large quantities of arms, explosives and ammunition. During the trial which began in September, all 23 defendants present in court denied the charges and alleged that confessions were extracted under torture. They told the court they were beaten and given electric shocks, with interrogators threatening to kill them if they did not sign prepared confessions. The verdicts come amid deep tensions between Tehran and Gulf Arab states after Iranian protesters on 2 January torched Saudi Arabian diplomatic missions in the Shiite-dominated Islamic republic. The attacks were in anger over Riyadh's execution of Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent cleric from the kingdom's Shiite minority. Riyadh cut diplomatic ties with Tehran the next day and a number of its Sunni Arab allies followed suit, including Bahrain and Sudan. Other Arab countries downgraded ties or recalled their envoys from Tehran. Kuwait recalled its ambassador from Iran to protest the attacks and summoned Tehran's ambassador to express its disapproval. Around a third of Kuwait's native population of 1.3 million is Shiite. Another Sunni-ruled Gulf state, Bahrain, said on Wednesday that it had dismantled an Iran-linked "terror" cell that was planning attacks in the kingdom. The hearing Tuesday was held amid tight security, with armoured vehicles with mounted machineguns stationed around the Palace of Justice in Kuwait City. Only close relatives of the defendants, lawyers and journalists were allowed to attend the hearing. Iran has denied any links to the group. AFP Washington: As the US again voiced its expectation that Pakistan would thoroughly probe the terrorist attack on an Indian Air Force base, an expert asked Washington to unequivocally pressure Pakistan to end support for terrorist groups. Alyssa Ayres, a senior fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations said in a commentary the US does not play a role in India-Pakistan bilateral talks. "But Washington can certainly take steps to help prevent spoilers from once again disrupting a dialogue process that deserves every chance to succeed," she wrote. "The single most useful thing the United States can do is to unequivocally pressure Pakistan to end support for terrorist groups - not just some, but all - that destabilize India and the region," Ayres wrote. The US was committed to peace between India and Pakistan and wanted them to continue talks to resolve issues between them bilaterally despite the attack on the Pathankot base, US State Department Spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Monday. "We're committed to that end (peace), to that goal, and we have been for a long time," he said. "These are tough issues, and these are some very complicated relationships." Secretary of State John Kerry had called Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday, Kirby said. "They talked a lot about this issue of the pressing need to stay focused on terrorism not just in Pakistan but in the region." Kerry, he said, also "stressed that it's obviously United States' interest that India and Pakistan continue to look for ways to work better work better together on terrorism concerns but to reduce the tensions between the two countries." Asked if Kerry had told Sharif that scheduled foreign secretary level talks between India and Pakistan should continue despite the attack, Kirby said they had talked about it. "He certainly, as I said, encouraged India and Pakistan to work bilaterally to continue discussions and to try to work through these problems." "Yes, this was a topic of discussion," he said. "It's one we're having at multiple levels here, as you might imagine, at the State Department diplomatically, not just at the Secretary's level." Asked if Kerry had any feedback about the state of investigation by Pakistan, Kerry repeated that the US was "encouraged by the fact that the Pakistani Government condemned the attack and said that they would investigate." "Our expectation is that investigation will be thorough and complete and as transparent as possible," he said. "But in terms of its progress and where they are, you'd have to talk to Pakistani authorities on it. IANS New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday met Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Walid Al Moualem and discussed issues of bilateral interest. External affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted: Emphasizing engagement. EAM @SushmaSwaraj meets Syrian Dy PM & FM, Walid Al Moualem for bilateral discussions pic.twitter.com/QcDgz5NLDj Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) January 12, 2016 Al Moualem, who arrived in India on Monday on a three-day visit, is also expected to meet other Indian leaders. The visit assumes importance in view of fresh initiatives taken by the UN to bring about peace in war-torn Syria, where more than 300,000 people have been killed in the past four years and seven million have fled to other countries. European nations have also witnessed a huge influx of Syrian refugees. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Moscow last month, held detailed talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the growing threat of the Islamic State terrorist group and the Syrian crisis. Since the Paris terror attack, many Western nations have directly or indirectly established contact with the Syrian government to counter the activities of the Islamic State. Buthina Shaban, special advisor to the Syrian president, had visited India in March 2013. IANS Colombo: A local court in Sri Lanka has said that it may summon the Army Chief Lieutenant General Crishantha de Silva if he does not cooperate with investigations into the abduction and disappearance of journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda. Colombo suburban court Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake made the comments on Monday when the senior State Attorney Dileepa Peiris complained that the Army had failed to respond to his request for information in late September. Eknaligoda, a cartoonist and a journalist, has been missing since January 24, 2010, from the time he backed the presidential campaign of the then opposition challenger Sarath Fonseka against incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa. His family members believe that he was kidnapped by pro-government supporters, which the government has denied. At least six army men attached to military intelligence were suspected in Ekneligodas alleged abduction and are currently in custody. The backers of the former President Rajapaksa are using the case to portray it as an act of political vengeance. PTI By Srinath Raghavan History repeats itself, Marx famously said, the first time as tragedy and the second time as farce. The history of India-Pakistan relations has repeated itself so often in the past 15 years that it no longer seems even farcical. The pattern is tiresomely familiar. Terror attacks lead India to suspend diplomatic engagement until Pakistan moves against the perpetrators, but after a period of disengagement it is India that initiates dialogue resulting in the resumption of comprehensive engagement. And so the pendulum continues to swing. This week New Delhi yet again confronts the decision of whether to take forward the engagement with Pakistan. Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modis avowed desire to put ties with Pakistan on an even keel, his governmentvery like its predecessorshas struggled to strike the right balance. The decision to draw a red line under the Hurriyat neutralised the early gains of reaching out to Nawaz Sharif just as the attempt to restrict the dialogue to terrorism floundered after the meeting in Ufa. The decision to resume a comprehensive dialogue was eminently sensible. And Modis visit to Lahore underscored his political will to move ahead with Pakistan. In the wake of the recent attacks in Pathankot, however, the government has yet again linked diplomatic engagement with action against terrorists by Pakistan. Sharif has reportedly constituted a joint investigation team to probe the attacks. New Delhis response has so far been guarded. Whether or not the foreign secretaries meet later this week, the government must be clear-eyed in its approach to Pakistan. The history of India-Pakistan relations in the last decade and a half suggests two related points. First, talking or not talking to Pakistan has no effect on terrorism. Attacks on India have occurred both during periods of engagement and disengagement. Nor is there any discernible difference in the scale and style of attacks between these periods. The variations that can be observed have had more to do with Indias own preparedness and the wider international context. Second, treating diplomacy as a reward for good behaviour by Pakistan is not an efficacious policy. By ostentatiously pulling out of diplomatic engagement, we may manage to soothe tempers at home or even direct some international pressure on Pakistan. Yet, invariably, the onus of resuming dialogue rests with us. Not only do the major powers prod us to talk to Pakistan but even our smaller neighbours do so. This was clearly one of the reasons why New Delhi decided to embark on comprehensive dialogue late last year. At this point, the great powersthe US, China and even Russianeed Pakistan to facilitate a dialogue between the Taliban and the Afghan government. It is unlikely, therefore, that they will lean too much on Pakistan. The response of the US as much as China to the Pathankot attacks indicates that any attempt by India to put Pakistan in the diplomatic dog-house will not succeed. The challenge for the government is to craft policies towards Pakistan that recognise both these realities. On the diplomatic front, we need to be clear about why we want to engage with Pakistan and how we wish to do this. Sharif has evidently staked his political capital on improving ties with India. Even if the Pakistan army and the ISI are not on board they do not seem inclined to openly oppose him. It is in Indias interest, then, to strengthen Sharif's positionso long as he proves to be a credible interlocutor. Instead of linking diplomatic contact with demand for action against perpetrators, India should use diplomacy to test his willingness and ability to move in the right direction. Instead of worrying too much about domestic opinion, New Delhi should downplay the symbolic importance of meetings with Pakistan and present diplomacy as a normal activity. Modis trip to Lahore was an important step in this direction. He must use the bully pulpit to make the case for continued engagement. If diplomacy cannot help tackle terror, then we need a set of strategic options for this purpose. The default tendency is to call for retaliatory options. The defence minister recently stated that individuals and organisations which strike India should also receive the pain of such activitiesif they dont realise what pain they inflict they inflict, then they dont change. To be sure, deterrence works by the threat of punishment. But deterrence also works by denialby making it rather more difficult for terrorists to target India. The attack in Pathankot underlined our weaknesses on this front. It also quashed the widely held belief that all terrorist attacks are due to intelligence failure. In fact, Pathankot is entirely continuous with most major attacks that we have seen: the problem is usually in our response to intelligence inputs rather than lack of intelligence. Upgrading our capacity for denial is as important in deterring terrorism as retaliatory punishment. In effect, we need a two-track policy towards Pakistanone that doesnt entangle our diplomatic and strategic choices. An optimal menu of positive and negative levers is indispensable to shaping the behaviour of various constituencies in Pakistan. It will also help the government lead, rather than follow, opinion at home. The author is a senior fellow at Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi Ten people were killed and 15 wounded in a suspected terror attack in Istanbul's tourist hub on Tuesday, officials said, with the country on edge after a wave of deadly jihadist bombings. The powerful blast rocked the Sultanahmet neighbourhood which is home to Istanbul's biggest concentration of monuments and is visited by tens of thousands of tourists every day. "Terrorist links are suspected," a Turkish official told AFP, asking not to be named. Ambulances and police were despatched to Sultanahmet, which is home to world-famous monuments including the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, while police helicopters hovered above. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu convened an emergency security meeting of key ministers and officials, including powerful Interior Minister Efkan Ala and spy chief Hakan Fidan. Turkey has been on high alert after a series of attacks blamed on the Islamic State jihadist group including a double suicide bombing in the capital Ankara in October that left 103 people dead. The Istanbul governor's office said in a statement quoted by the Dogan news agency that 10 people were killed and 15 wounded in Tuesday's blast. "Investigations into the cause of the explosion, the type of explosion and perpetrator or perpetrators are under way," the governor's office said. Images published by Dogan showed several apparently dead bodies lying on the ground. The identities of those killed and hurt were were not immediately clear although unconfirmed reports said the injured included two Germans and one Norwegian tourist. Germany warned its nationals to avoid tourist sites in Istanbul, a city of about 14 million people that has been hit several times in the past by deadly attacks. Media reports said the authorities were studying the possibility Tuesday's blast was caused by a suicide bomber but there was no official confirmation. 'Ball of fire' The explosion was powerful enough to be heard in adjacent neighbourhoods, witnesses told AFP. Police cordoned off the area to shocked passers-by and tourists and the nearby tram service has been halted. "The explosion was so loud, the ground shook. there was a very heavy smell that burned my nose," a German tourist named Caroline told AFP. "I started running away with my daughter. We went into a nearby building and stayed there for half an hour. It was really scary," she added. Media reports said the blast took place at 0820 GMT around the Obelisk of Theodosius, a monument from ancient Egypt which was re-erected by the Roman Emperor Theodosius and is one of the city's most eye-catching monuments. "I heard a very loud blast, then came the screams," a Turkish man who asked not to be named told AFP. "Then I saw a ball of fire, and started to run away. I saw about 10 people wounded, one of them was being helped by the tourists. I am 100 percent sure it wasn't just a bomb, but a suicide bomber," he added. The authorities imposed a broadcast ban on reporting of the attack, prompting television channels to halt live broadcasting from the scene although factual commentaries continued. Other attacks blamed on Islamic State Turkey is on alert after 103 people were killed on 10 October when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a crowd of peace activists in Ankara, the bloodiest attack in the country's modern history. That attack was blamed on Islamic State (IS) jihadists, as were two other deadly bombings in the country's Kurdish-dominated southeast earlier in the year. Turkish authorities have in recent weeks detained several suspected Islamic State members, with officials saying they were planning attacks in Istanbul. But Turkey is also waging an all-out assault on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has staged dozens of deadly attacks against members of the security forces in the southeast. A Kurdish splinter group, the Freedom Falcons of Kurdistan (TAK), claimed a mortar attack on Istanbul's second international airport on 23 December which killed a female cleaner and damaged several planes. Meanwhile the banned ultra-left Revolutionary People's Liberation PartyFront (DHKP-C) has also staged a string of usually small-scale attacks in Istanbul over the last few months. AFP UNITED NATIONS The U.N. Security Council was discussing the besieged towns of Syria on Monday after reports emerged that tens of thousands of civilians have been trapped for months without supplies and are starving to death. "New Zealand and Spain called for today's Security Council meeting on the situation in the Syrian town of Madaya following reports of people dying from starvation," New Zealand's United Nations ambassador, Gerard van Bohemen, told reporters. "The tactic of siege and starvation is one of the most appalling characteristics of the Syrian conflict," he said. Trucks carrying food and medical supplies reached Madaya near the Lebanese border and began to distribute aid as part of an agreement between warring sides, the United Nations and the Red Cross said on Monday. A U.N. spokesman said aid trucks were also en route to the Shi'ite villages of al Foua and Kefraya in the northwestern province of Idlib, two other areas where there is a desperate need for humanitarian assistance. U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power also had strong words about Madaya, slamming the "grotesque starve-or-surrender tactics the Syrian regime is using right now against its own people." "Look at the haunting pictures of civilians, including children, even babies, in Madaya," she said. "These are just the pictures we see. There are hundreds of thousands of people being deliberately besieged, deliberately starved, right now. And these images, they remind us of World War Two." Power was speaking at a special session of the 193-nation U.N. General Assembly on the 70th anniversary of the assembly's first meeting in London. British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said "starving civilians is an inhuman tactic used by the (President Bashar) al-Assad regime and their allies." "All sieges must be lifted to save civilian lives and to bring Syria closer to peace," he said in a statement, adding that there were 850 infants in urgent need of milk in Madaya. Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari told reporters his government was committed to "cooperate fully" on aid delivery but said much of what was said about Madaya was "based on false information." He labelled pictures of starving people as "fabrications." "There is no shortage of humanitarian assistance in Madaya," he said, adding that some aid has been "looted by armed terrorist groups." The Syrian civil war has been raging for nearly five years and has claimed more than a quarter million lives. A U.N. Security Council resolution adopted on Dec. 18 set out a road map for peace talks and called on the parties to allow aid workers unhindered access throughout Syria, particularly in besieged and hard-to-reach areas. The blockade of Madaya has become a focal issue for Syrian opposition leaders, who told a U.N. envoy last week they would not take part in talks with the government, slated for later this month, until it and other sieges are lifted. (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. It is fortunate that the Indian government has reacted with caution and maturity to the terrorist strike at the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot, the first grave crisis faced by the government led by Narendra Modi. While guesswork and accusations are being bandied around about the involvement of the Pakistan Army and the ISI in the gruesome act, the incident has presented the Indian government with an occasion to probe further into the flux and churning inside the Pakistani civil and army administration. At least outwardly, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has assured all cooperation in bringing the culprits to book and promised to take action in the leads provided by India. Sharif's posture and his promptness in speaking to the Indian prime minister clearly give out the tension between him and the the Pakistani Army establishment. As the situation stands today, Nawaz Sharif is more of a titular ruler of Pakistan and the actual epicenter of the administration has passed on to the army chief, General Raheel Sharif, in the name of the National Action Plan, a government programme to root out terrorism. But the Indian government should try to reach out to the Pakistani Army also, as in recent years, it has revised its military doctrine somewhat away from its Kashmir centric policy and incorporated into it a new chapter called sub-conventional warfare(SCW) - which is nothing but an admission of the internal fundamentalist threat. The main thrust of SCW is, no doubt, against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan(TTP). However, there is information that the TTP is tying its knots with other terrorist outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba et al. In that case, the army might be in a predicament over re-orienting its relations with terrorist organizations. A more uncomfortable development for the army has been the news that the TTP and other fundamentalist terrorist organizations have penetrated deep inside southern Punjab - the most important recruitment ground of the army. Although the army has achieved significant success in North Waziristan, there are reports that its Pashtun elements are still surrendering to the TTP while other non-state actors are receiving significant help as a result of the radicalization of the army and other security apparatus. But New Delhi should not expect much from Nawaz Sharif as he is known to enjoy good rapport with militant organizations like the Sipah-e-Sahaba (SS) and the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). During the last parliamentary election, the Pakistani establishment was rife with rumours that the Sharif family had come to an understanding with the SS by which it had guaranteed the security of the Sharif family in return for a good number of SS leaders and cadres being released from jail and accommodated in government jobs in the Punjab province, which is under the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). By a strange twist in fortune, Nawaz Sharif now needs to send positive signals to India to stand up to the overbearing shadow of the army. But the same man had appointed Lt. Gen. Javed Nasser, allegedly an infamous character, as the ISI chief. This man was allegedly the principal figure behind forging a link with and then providing shelter to Dawood Ibrahim in Pakistan. He had also airlifted arms to Bosnian Muslims when the European Union was desperately trying to keep Bosnia united. There is now a trenchant criticism, mostly from the Congress, about Narendra Modi's Pakistan policy. It now appears that Modi should have been more circumspect before meeting Nawaz Sharif in Lahore. On several occasions Sharif had held out promises of peace and justice, but that did not prevent the Pakistani establishment from releasing Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, the dreaded LeT terrorist with a hand in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Lakhvi has been put behind the bars again but that has not prevented him from carrying on his activities. During the 2013 general elections Nawaz Sharif had received at least moral support from the TTP. Moreover, he is known to enjoy a cozy relationship with the LeJ, a dreaded organization accused of carrying out murders of the Shias. The PML-N cannot deny the fact that it had given nominations to LeJ operatives like Abid Raja Gujjar, Sardar Ebad Dogar and Anjum Akeel Khan against whom charges of murdering innocent Shias are pending. Pictures of Nawaz Sharif with LeJ leaders praying for electoral success before the 2013 elections had gone viral in the internet. The close relations between the PML-N and the LeJ came to limelight when the PML-N government of Punjab province had extended a monthly stipend to Malik Ishaq, who was put behind bars on charges of killing of Shias. Rana Sanaullah, the provincial law minister, tried to softpedal the issue by saying that it was done on court orders. Opposition leaders averred that there was no such judicial order. Nawaz Sharif is putting to practice the Takfiri Deobandi ideology to which most of the terrorist outfits swear allegiance. So will he be really able to bring to book the masterminds of the Pathankot terror attack? IANS Ahead of its US release this Friday, the third trailer for director Michael Bays upcoming action thriller 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi has arrived online, and we have it for you below SEE ALSO: Five TV spots for Michael Bays 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi 13 HOURS presents, for the first time ever, the true account of the events of September 11, 2012, when terrorists attacked the US State Department Special Mission Compound and a nearby CIA station called the Annex in Benghazi, Libya. A team of six American security operators fought to repel the attackers and protect the Americans stationed there. Those men went beyond the call of duty, performing extraordinary acts of courage and heroism, to avert tragedy on a much larger scale. This is their personal account, never before told, of what happened during the thirteen hours of that now-infamous attack. 13 HOURS sets the record straight on what happened during a night that has been shrouded in mystery and controversy. Written by New York Times bestselling author Mitchell Zuckoff, this riveting book takes readers into the action-packed story of heroes who laid their lives on the line for one another, for their countrymen, and for their country. 13 HOURS is a stunning, eye-opening, and intense bookbut most importantly, it is the truth. The story of what happened to these menand what they accomplishedis unforgettable. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is set for release on January 15th in the States and on January 29th in the UK, with a cast that includes James Badge Dale, John Krasinski, Max Martini, Toby Stephens, Pablo Schreiber, David Denman, Dominic Fumusa, Freddie Stroma, David Costabile and Alexia Barlier. As on of the top fried chicken chains in the US and a company that is still growing rapidly over the years, Chick-fil-A has already achieved $5.8 billion in sales, making it larger than any pizza brand to date in the country. Chick-fil-A is the 8th largest fast food chain in the US by sales, generating enough revenue per restaurant than any other food chain across the country. To contribute to its success, Chick-fil-A has made improvements and has added innovating ideas to help feed its growth; here are the 8 major changes the company has done in a year: 1. Opened its doors to New York City Chick-fil-A opened its doors to Manhattan on October 3 2015 at the corner of West 37th Street and 6th Avenue. It is New York's first Chick-fil-A establishment and is one of the 88 restaurants opened across the country. It also opened in Long Island on October 7. 2. Chick-fil-A refurbished its coffee On August of 2014, a premium-coffee line was launched by the company through a partnership with Thrive Farmers Coffee, in which revenues from sales were given to a network of family farmers in Central America. One year after the coffee launched, the company doubled it sales. 3. Table service in its restaurants When someone eats at Chick-fil-A, they are given a plastic table marker to place on their tables after they order, an employee will then deliver the food to them, eliminating long lines in the counter. They've also added service that would refill customer's beverages or deliver items like condiments and napkins. 4. Chick-fil-A added new items to their menu. In some select restaurants, Chick-fil-A offers a smokehouse-barbecue bacon sandwich and side of baked potato. They also launched a frosted lemonade that is available nationwide and an ice cream they call the "ice dream". 5. The company got rid of cole slaw and replaced it with a kale and broccolini salad. The cole slaw has been in the menu for 49 years and Chick-fil-A thought it was time to change this siding. The kale and broccolini salad offers hand chopped kale and broccolini tossed in a maple-vinaigrette dressing and topped with dried sour cherries and nuts, pecans and almonds. 6. Chick-fil-A tested new sauces New sauces including a sweet and spicy Siracha, smokehouse barbecue, garlic and herb ranch and zesty buffalo were added to designated dishes. These sauces are available in select stores in South Georgia, Florida, South Mississippi and South Alabama. 7. Chick-fil-A offered a service called Mom's Valet at some restaurants Mom's Valet allows parents to order through the drive-thru service and at the same time dine inside the restaurant where an employee has a table ready and high chairs if needed. This is another clever idea by the company in hopes to gain more customers with young children. 8. The company supports criticized humanitarian organizations like gay-marriage In Iowa, a Chick-fil-A restaurant donated 200 sandwiches to the city's gay-pride picnic. The company also has sights in supporting the LGBT film festival on October. If you think you had too much to drink during the holidays, you're probably right, if the new UK alcohol guidelines are anything to go by. With its timing coinciding with most individuals' vow of healthier lifestyles, the UK government declared that there is "no safe level of alcohol consumption", and that no one should drink more than 14 units of alcohol per week. 14 units is the equivalent of approximately five pints of beer with 5% ABV strength, six small glasses of wineat 13 percent alcohol by volume, or 14 glasses of 80 proof spirits. Also noted is the government's suggestion that whatever amount of alcohol consumption a person has each week should be spread out. If you are pregnant, or are planning pregnancy, the safest option is not to drink alcohol at all. This is to keep the risks to your baby to a minimum. Compared to US guidelines, women should not exceed one standard drink per day and men should not go over two drinks. That roughly equates to 12 units a week for women and a little over 24 for men. The UK government website also states that although previous research has indicated that small doses of alcohol can help protect the heart, it is only applicable to women aged 55 and over. This translates to bad news for those who down a few glasses of red wine to keep their hearts healthy. The old unit guidelines have not been reviewed since 1995, and medical experts say they have been looking at evidences all over the world to come up with the new ones. New research suggests that overall health risks for men and women are practically the same. UK now joins Australia in being one of the few countries that have the same alcohol intake limit for men and women, along with Netherlands, Albania, Guyana and Grenada. What: Shares of Eldorado Gold Corp. (EGO -4.95%) have declined more than 19% as of noon today on the news that the company plans to suspend all mine construction and development in Greece. So what: For months now, Eldorado Gold and the Greek government have had a stare-down over some new mines under development. In August last year, the government revoked a mining permit for Eldorado based on environmental concerns that also sent the company's shares plummeting. Since the two couldn't come to an agreement about the Skouries mine, Eldorado plans to stop all work there for the foreseeable future. Another of Eldorado's mines, Olympias, could suffer the same fate if an environmental permit is not received by March. These two mines are such a big deal is that they were very lucrative prospects for Eldorado. Once both mines were on line, they would represent production of about 200,000 ounces of gold annually, about 30% of Eldorado's current production rate. Also, the two mines were expected to have lives of 25 years. If Eldorado were to lose both, it would put its future in jeopardy. Now what: The most important part of that statement is the word "if." There is still a lot of uncertainty when it comes to Eldorado and its operations in Greece. It's possible that it will lose the Olympia mine as well, but its relationship with the government could also warm and Eldorado could recommence operations at Skouries. Investors looking at this as a potential buying opportunity would be best served to hold off until the dust settles and either Eldorado gets to work in Greece or the company comes up with a plan B. Former President Ronald Reagan is back in the hearts and minds of GOP presidential candidates this election cycle. Reagan, who has been called The Great Communicator is an icon of the Republican Party. His name is now being invoked by 2016 contenders as part of how they define their campaigns. In an interview on Fox News in November, GOP frontrunner and billionaire businessman Donald Trump proclaimed his support: I was a big fan of Ronald Reagan. I thought a lot of him. And I would have to add the word Republican because I am. I'm a Republican. But I'm a Republican conservative. And we have to throw Reagan in there because, you know, I just -- I believed in him. During an interview on Fox News in the fall, Texas Senator Ted Cruz referenced Reagans 11th Commandment: Thou shalt not speak ill of other Republicans, vowing he would not engage in insulting other candidates even if they attacked him first. And during the last GOP debate of 2015, Senator Cruz also suggested he would follow in the 40th presidents footsteps: Ronald Reagan reignited the American economy, rebuilt the military, bankrupted the Soviet Union and defeated Soviet Communism. I will do the same thing. This is not the first time Reagans legacy is being utilized on the campaign trail. In 2011, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney frequently referenced Reagans policies and in 2006, GOP contender John McCain referred to himself as a conservative Republican that will remain in the school of Ronald Reagan. The biggest difference between Reagan and most of the Republican candidates this time around is that Reagan had a positive view of America. He didnt think that the country was going to hell in a hand basket." - Lou Cannon, Ronald Reagan biographer Jim Kuhn worked alongside President Ronald Reagan from his initial campaign in 1976 through his second term in the White House. Kuhn was considered to be Reagans right-hand man, working closely with the president as his executive assistant. He later penned the memoir, Ronald Reagan in Private. When I hear candidates making references to Ronald Reagan and drawing parallels to him, I find it very heart warming, Kuhn said. What they are doing is holding Reagan in high esteem and they are truly honoring him by saying this is who I want to be or this is what I believe because Reagan did it this way - its really saying this is the way the country needs to go again on domestic and foreign policy. President Reagan is credited with many accomplishments including ending the Cold War, achieving "peace through strength," creating a fairer tax code and reviving the nations confidence through optimism. Kuhn says besides his in-office victories, Reagan is an iconic president because he knew how to relate to everyone from world leaders to members of Congress. He said in this day and age that type of working together mentality doesnt exist in Washington. If you want to get back to emulating Reagan, you have to respect people. You have to know how to work on both sides of the aisle, said Kuhn. Reagan respected everyone no matter what people said about him or what he heard on TV or read in the paper, he never held any grudges. He kept a big mind, he knew he had to take it, he knew he had to lead and that meant getting along with people and respecting them - all that is gone now. James Humes, a speech writer for Ronald Reagan and author of The Wit and Wisdom of Ronald Reagan, says the former commander-in chief rightfully earned the title of The Great Communicator. Reagan said being president is 90% communication and he knew how to communicate his ideals, said Humes. He celebrated private enterprise in a way that no one did and explained how it could create society. In the past, no one knew how to make it a plus, but Reagan did. Humes says Reagan was very invested in his speeches and always wrote better than his speech writers could because he knew how to deliver a message effectively. Ronald Reagan would speak conversationally. He wouldnt lecture people, he would talk to them, said Humes. The candidates currently running speak so rapidly its not a conversational style. You have to speak as if you are talking to someone intimately -- that is what Reagan managed to do every time. In his 1984 nomination speech, Ronald Reagan said, Every promise, every opportunity is still golden in this land. He frequently used optimism as a vehicle for hope of a better tomorrow. In the 2016 race for the White House, hope has lost out to fear mongering in light of the recent terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino. The biggest difference between Reagan and most of the Republican candidates this time around is that Reagan had a positive view of America. He didnt think that the country was going to hell in a hand basket -- he said our greatest days lie ahead even under a leader he didnt agree with, said Lou Cannon, a Ronald Reagan biographer. Cannon covered all three of Reagans campaigns and tenure in the White House. He says times have changed since his presidency and candidates have a dramatically different approach that Reagan would never engage in. Ronald Reagan was an inspirational conservative, he followed the Constitution and believed in politics which meant getting things done, said Cannon. You wouldnt ever find Ronald Reagan making statements about building walls to prevent Mexicans from coming in, he signed into law which gave people coming here a chance to become citizens. He wouldnt have been trying to prevent Muslims from coming into America because Reagan was accommodating. After serving under Reagan for more than a decade, Kuhn says he learned there are two things you need to become president: you have to be electable and know how to govern. Thats why he says the Republicans have a problem. I think [New Jersey Governor] Chris Christie could be a good president because he can govern but unfortunately he doesnt appear to be electable, said Kuhn. The other guys out there, like Donald Trump, are very electable. I think more people will actually vote for him [Trump] than are showing up in the polls but its a big question of whether or not he can govern as president. Looking at the current Republican presidential hopefuls, both Kuhn and Cannon agree there isnt a contender out there that could match the campaign or presidency of Ronald Reagan. Reagan was truly one of a kind, the nicest human being you could ever know. If he had one negative its that his heart was too big, said Kuhn. The FOX Business Network has announced the candidate lineups for the two Republican primary debates it will host on Thursday, January 14. The 9 p.m. ET debate will feature real estate mogul Donald Trump; Texas Senator Ted Cruz; Florida Senator Marco Rubio; retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson; New Jersey Governor Chris Christie; former Florida Governor Jeb Bush; and Ohio Governor John Kasich. The 6 p.m. ET debate roster includes Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, former HP (NYSE:HPQ) CEO Carly Fiorina, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee; and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. Anchor/Managing Editor of Business News, Neil Cavuto and Anchor/Global Markets Editor, Maria Bartiromo will reprise their roles as moderators for the primetime debate, while the earlier debate will again be moderated by anchors Trish Regan and Sandra Smith. The debates, which have been sanctioned by the Republican National Committee, will take place at the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center in North Charleston, South Carolina. They will follow a similar format to the networks inaugural debate, focusing on economic, domestic and international policy issues. More On This... Where You Can Watch and Participate in the GOP Debate The debate lineups factored in both national polls, as well as those based in Iowa and New Hampshire conducted and released prior to Monday, January 11 at 6 p.m. ET. FBN will once again live stream its Republican presidential primary debates, for free without authentication. The live stream will be made available to all desktop and mobile devices by FOXBusiness.com. FOX Business Network is a financial news channel owned by 21st Century Fox (NASDAQ:FOXA). Headquartered in New York, FBN launched in October 2007 and is available in more than 80 million homes in major markets across the United States and on FOXBusiness.com. During an interview with the FOX Business Networks Dagen McDowell, GOP Presidential candidate Rand Paul says the first step to turning the markets and economy around is shedding light on the Fed and making them more accountable for their impact on the economy. Were going to have a vote on Audit the Fed [legislation] The Fed is one of the most incredibly powerful and secretive of government institutions I think the Fed bares a lot of responsibility for the boom and bust cycle -- particularly the real-estate boom in the early 2000s that culminated in a devastating recession in 2008, he said. Congress is scheduled to vote on Audit the Fed which could bring an end to the Feds lack of clarity on monetary policy decisions. We had one single audit, but we dont have the power to have an annual audit -- and the audit that we did have excluded the auditing of some of the most important activities of the Fed that involved trillions of dollars, he said. Paul also explained how auditing the Fed would impact the average American. What the Fed does, it provides billions of dollars to very large banks who get to use the money first but as the money trickles down into the system to regular people, by the time they get it, theyre getting no earnings on interest, but they are also seeing their prices rise -- so they are being squeezed. When asked whether he will attend FOX Business Networks Republican presidential primary debate in South Carolina on January 14, 2016 he said: We need all the criteria for the first debate, so if FOX Business goes by their own rules we will be in the first tier and we will be there. FOX Business Network will host its second Republican presidential primary debate on Thursday, January 14 at the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center in North Charleston, South Carolina. The debate, which has been sanctioned by the Republican National Committee, will be held two days after the State of the Union address. It may hail from China, but Buicks newest crossover for the U.S. market is positioned to give the luxury brand a bigger piece of a fast-growing segment. At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, General Motors (NYSE:GM) officially unveiled the American version of the 2016 Buick Envision, a China-made compact SUV that is key to boosting sales. Last year, compact crossovers overtook midsize sedans as the most popular vehicle segment in the U.S. The consumer shift has changed game plans for luxury brands like Buick that rely on sedans. The Envision fills an empty spot in Buick showrooms, which currently feature just two crossovers: the sub-compact Encore and midsize Enclave. Without a complete roster of crossovers, Buick has not fully capitalized on surging demand for crossovers. By introducing the Envision to U.S. customers, Buick is now jumping into the SUV market with both feet. The Envision should have little trouble gaining traction. The smaller Encore was Buicks top seller in 2015, and one of the Envisions main competitors, Fords (NYSE:F) Lincoln MKC, became the brands No. 2 seller in its first full year of sales. Crossovers are doing so well that the Envision will join Buicks crossover lineup largely without taking sales from the other two SUVs, according to IHS Automotive senior analyst Stephanie Brinley. Were bringing it to market at the right time, Rob Peterson, Buicks marketing manager for the Envision. Were having success with our current crossover lineup. With the Envision, we can grow the brand along with the needs of customers. The Envision will get a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged engine under the hood, coupled with all-wheel drive. Pricing will be announced at a later date. When the Envision arrives in the second quarter, GM will become the first Detroit automaker to sell China-made vehicles at home. Made-in-China Impact Peterson acknowledged that the Envisions origins may turn away some buyers, yet history is on Buicks side. Weve seen this in the auto industry going back to cars from Japan and Korea. Theres some initial reaction, but for the most part, people look at whether the brand Im buying it from has the reputation in performance, safety and other areas, Peterson said. I think Buick has that reputation. Analysts say importing the Envision is a natural evolution for Buick, the best-selling GM brand in China. Buick already ships the Encore to the U.S. from a plant in South Korea, while the Cascada will be imported from Europe. I doubt that it will make much of a difference for consumers, Brinley said. As the worlds largest auto market, China is also an important region for luxury automakers. Buick retail deliveries there were up 12% in 2015. GM and its joint-venture partners in China sold 3.61 million vehicles in all, a 5% increase. Chinas total auto sales are projected to post a 3% gain for 2015, a slower pace of growth compared to recent years. Looking ahead, some uncertainty has reappeared amid market turmoil in the country. GM CEO Mary Barra, who was in attendance at the Detroit Auto Show, told reporters that the Chinese auto market is going to be more volatile. However, GM believes China will show substantial growth over the long term, Barra added. Fresh Models At home, Buick plans to begin selling seven new or redesigned models over the next three years in hopes of banking on sales momentum in the industry. Buick was the only GM brand to report weaker sales in 2015, booking a 2.6% drop. Cadillac sales grew 2.6%. Just this year, Buick will launch three models, including the Envision. The 2016 Cascada, a convertible that GM sells under its European brand, Opel, will make its way to Buick dealers in about two weeks. The 2017 LaCrosse sedan is scheduled to launch early this summer following its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. Buick had a surprise at the Detroit Auto Show with a sporty coupe concept called the Avista. Company officials said there are no plans to produce the 400-horsepower Avista, but it does provide a glimpse at Buicks future. Peterson believes a younger crowd is considering Buick, saying the brands ad campaignThats not a Buick!is taking hold. A lot of designers [who worked on the Avista] are really young, and were seeing a lot of our younger employees at General Motors are gravitating over to Buick. I always look at that as a good bellwether for what the future looks like, Peterson said. The 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit rolled out the red carpet for new sports cars, luxury vehicles and pickup trucks from the industrys biggest players. It was a big show for high-end brands like Buick and Lexus, while Honda (NYSE:HMC) made a splash with a new midsize truck. Heres a breakdown of five show-stopping vehicles in Detroit: 1. Lexus LC 500 The Lexus LC 500 is a fast, powerful, rear-wheel drive sports coupe. It gets a 5.0-liter V8 engine that generates 467 horsepower, and Lexus says the LC 500 can go from zero to 60 miles per hour in less than 4.5 seconds. The LC 500 grabbed the spotlight during the second day of unveilings in Detroit. Toyota (NYSE:TM) created the LC 500 to sit atop the Lexus lineup, giving dealers a new halo car to attract high-end shoppers. A few years ago, we decided to guide the future of the brand with products that had more passion and distinction in the luxury market, said Akio Toyoda, Chief Branding Officer and Master Driver for Lexus. This flagship luxury coupes proportions, stunning design and performance make a strong statement about our brands emotional direction and will grow the Lexus luxury appeal globally. Fans will have to wait until the spring of 2017 to buy one, and it wont come cheap. Prices will start at just under $100,000. Lexus also plans on selling just 400 LC 500s per month in America. 2. Buick Avista An early star of the Detroit Auto Show was the Buick Avista, a sporty concept car that made its debut at a General Motors (NYSE:GM) event on Sunday. While Buick has no current plans to actually make it, the Avista is another car that teases Buicks future. The Avista is a low-slung coupe with 2+2 seating and rear-wheel drive. A 3.0-liter V6 engine gives the Avista plenty of muscle at 400 horsepower. Buick also turned heads for its styling, reminiscent of the premium brands Avenir concept at the 2015 show. Buick plans to launch seven new or redesigned models over the next three years. In 2016 alone, Buick will start selling the redesigned 2017 LaCrosse sedan, the 2016 Cascada convertible and the 2017 Envision crossover that GM will build at a plant in China. Buick hopes the new direction will reverse last years 2.6% sales decline. 3. GMC Acadia The all-new 2017 GMC Acadia will be the latest luxury crossover to hit the market when it arrives at dealers in the spring. GMC says it created a smaller Acadia to put more room between the midsize SUV and its larger sibling, the full-size Yukon. GMC shaved 700 pounds off the Acadia, which increased fuel efficiency. GM estimates the standard four-cylinder engine will get 28 miles per gallon on the highway. GMC also touts interior technology and storage. All three rows of seating have USB ports, and a new pull-out drawer in the rear of the center console can house electronic devices and small toys. A rear seat alert is standard, reminding drivers when a person or item is in the second- or third-row seats. The high-end Denali trim adds chrome accents and exclusive six-spoke wheels. The first-generation Acadia had a long run. GMC introduced the Acadia for the 2007 model year, and the SUV got a facelift for 2013. Even though it is one of the older vehicles in GMs portfolio, the popular Acadia recorded a sales record last year. 4. Volvo S90 The 2017 S90 brings another jolt of enthusiasm to Volvo, whose XC90 SUV was named North American Truck/Utility of the Year at the Detroit Auto Show. The S90 will be packed with semi-autonomous driving technology. Volvo says Pilot Assist, a standard feature, gives gentle steering inputs to keep the car inside its lane. Under the hood is a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, while an optional hybrid powertrain delivers 410 horsepower. Volvos newest premium sedan will go on sale in June, and prices are expected to start in the $40,000 range. It will compete with luxury heavyweights such as the BMW 5-series and Mercedes-Benz E-class. Volvo says the S90 highlights its commitment to the U.S. market. Company officials want the S90 to bring even more people to the Swedish brands showrooms after U.S. sales jumped 24% year-over-year in 2015. Volvo recently broke ground in Charleston, S.C., where it will build its first North American factory. 5. Honda Ridgeline Honda is bringing back the Ridgeline after revamping the midsize pickup truck. The 2017 version, which should go on sale later this year, will be powered by a V6 engine and offers all-wheel drive capability. The Ridgeline borrows the platform that Honda uses for its Odyssey minivan and Pilot crossover. Honda also created some new exterior features such as an in-bed audio systema first for pickup trucksand a dual-action tailgate that can be opened like a car door. The Ridgeline is re-entering a stronger midsize truck segment. Detroits Big Three all stopped making smaller trucks, but GM jumped back into the market with new Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon models in late 2014. Toyotas redesigned 2016 Tacoma, which was unveiled at last years Detroit Auto Show, just went on sale. Honda will build the Ridgeline at the Japanese companys plant in Alabama. The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas sets the table for the year in technology, encompassing the raw potential from innovation, major bets from industry titans, and the opportunity to see the future before it happens. Sometimes the most-hyped releases fall flat with consumers, but the show generally offers a valuable glimpse into the months ahead as early buzz translates into real dollars. Here are the three biggest takeaways from the show this year. Fitness wearables are a big playFitbit , the biggest player in wearables (by shipment volume), received a rather lackluster response for its advanced fitness tracker, the Blaze, which will retail at just under $200. The device, which looks like a smartwatch -- and a pretty familiar one at that -- is part of what was a hot category at CES. Fitbit Blaze. Source: Fitbit But it'snota smartwatch. TheBlaze doesn't check your email; it's not a phone replacement; and it's not an organizer. Instead, it's a hardcore physical fitness tracker that can handle a lot more than fitness. Offering this type of device makes sense, because while people theorize that full-function smartwatches may be the next big thing, the main category where success has been achieved is in the fitness wearables space. The launch of Blaze may have underwhelmed the industry, but Fitbit was not alone in pushing the category. Under Armour , an emerging player in consumer technology, showed off a $400 fit-tech package that includes a smart scale, a heart-rate tracking fitness band, and a heart-rate chest strap, CNET reported. Both companies entered a growing space where fitness trackers move beyond utilitarian looks and into the fashion statements many companies have tried to make with their smartwatches. "The show floor was filled with minimalist devices that looked more like jewelry than fitness trackers," wrote CNET's Dan Graziano and Scott Stein. "The Misfit Ray and Mira Opal, along with last year's Jawbone Up2, don't just look low-key but could live alongside a watch or smartwatch." Of course, we don't know yet what customer demand for these devices will be. The biggest wearable success has been the entry-level Fitbit, with its rubbery look and minimalist interface, but fancier fitness wearables are clearly something the industry thinks is coming next. Drones are here to stayDrones were a big part of the story at CES 2015, but their presence might have been even more pronounced this year after federal regulators have begun to lay out the parameters for how people and businesses can use the technology. Countless companies showed off drones this year, but the real story was what two major players in the space had to say. Both Alphabet and Amazon.com executives commented on how the government should regulate commercial drone traffic. This technology has the potential to revolutionize delivery and may affect people more broadly over the next few years, given the potential for hobbyists, commercial uses, and even personal travel. Of course, the two companies have different ideas on how drones should be tracked, as TechCrunch reported. Alphabet essentially wants drones to file a flight plan and then follow it. A centralized system would tell them when they can fly and when they must modify their plans. Amazon doesn't support pre-approved flight plans and instead wants to rely more on in-flight sense-and-avoid technology. But as much as the two companies seem at odds, both are working with the FAA on the Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management project. "The general idea here is to carve out a space of airspace between 200 and 500 feet that would allow for commercial drone usage and to build a system that would allow for managing that traffic," TechCrunch's Frederic Lardinois wrote. An Amazon drone. Source: Amazon.com Exactly how quickly the skies will be filled with consumer and commercial drones remains to be seen, but it's clear that something that once seemed like an Amazon pipe dream could become a reality. This was not a revolutionary yearCES always has its share of cool gadgets inspired by science fiction. Remember the smart fork? How about curved TVs? There were plenty of those devices in Vegas last week, but the real story is that this was an evolutionary year, not a revolutionary one. Wearables and drones have been in development for some time, as were the other notable stories, virtual reality and home automation. All of these technologies seem closer to realizing their potential, but they are far from new. "We're in an in-between phase, where categories like drones, virtual reality, and wearables are growing and advancing, but still have a long way to go," wrote MIT Tech Review's Rachel Metz. The BBC's Dave Lee echoed that sentiment, "[T]he big ideas -- like virtual reality, reinventing the car, or home robotics -- were promising but still half-baked, a bun in the metaphorical (smart) oven," he said. It was also similar to how The New York Times' Farhad Manjoo described CES 2016, calling it an "awkward adolescence" for emerging technologies. This show may not have revealed the "next big thing", but it told us a lot about where the next big things of years past are headed. So, where are we going?After attending CES 2015 and spending many hours learning about the event this year, I think it remains unclear whether wearables will ever be more than a niche product. The niche they currently serve is fitness, but it remains to be seen whether people will pay $200 or more for a fitness tracker. Similarly, home automation and virtual reality will have their place -- with the high-end housing market and gaming, respectively -- but whether they become everyday, mainstream technology is yet to be seen. Drones, however, are coming, because Amazon and Google have the resources to drive that technology. Their efforts might now show up in 2016 or even 2017, but by 2018, at least some packages will be delivered by drone, and by 2020, it could become commonplace. The article The 3 Most Important Takeaways From CES 2016 originally appeared on Fool.com. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fools board of directors. Daniel Kline has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), Amazon.com, and Under Armour. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Gunfire and explosions shook the Paris suburb of St. Denis early on Wednesday when French police raided an apartment where a Belgian Islamist militant suspected of masterminding last week's attacks in the French capital was possibly holed up. A woman died after detonating a bomb at the scene, the French prosecutors' office said, adding that three people in the apartment had been arrested and two others were seized nearby. A judicial source said a second person had died in the pre-dawn raid and two more suspects arrested in the operation to hunt down those responsible for coordinated suicide bombings and shootings that killed 129 people in Paris. Seven hours after the operation started, police announced it was over, but there was still no word on whether militant Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was initially thought to have orchestrated Friday's attacks from Syria, had been caught. Heavily armed police and soldiers filled the streets of St. Denis, schools and shops were shuttered and residents in the heart of the district were ordered to stay at home. Local residents spoke of their fear and panic as the shooting started just before 4.30 a.m. (2330 Tuesday ET). "We could see bullets flying and laser beams out of the window. There were explosions. You could feel the whole building shake," said Sabrine, a downstairs neighbor from the apartment where at least one gunman was still believed to be holed up. She told Europe 1 radio that she heard the people in the flat above talking to each other, running around and reloading their guns. "I tried to hide my son beneath me but each time there was shooting he was clawing at my skin," she said, adding that police eventually managed to get them to safety. Three police officers and a passerby were injured in the assault, which was close to the Stade de France stadium which was one of the targets of the Nov. 13 attacks. FLEEING RAQQA Police investigating the worst atrocity in France since World War Two soon linked the carnage to a militant cell in Belgium which was in contact with Islamic State in Syria. The group claimed responsibility for killings, saying they were in retaliation for French air raids in Syria and Iraq over the past year. France has called for a global coalition to defeat the radicals and has launched three large air strikes on Raqqa -- the de-facto Islamic State capital in northern Syria. Russia has also targeted the city in retribution for the downing of a Russian airliner last month that killed 224 people. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said on Wednesday the bombardments have killed at least 33 Islamic State militants over the past three days. Citing activists, the Observatory said Islamic State members and dozens of families of senior members had started fleeing Raqqa to relocate to Mosul in neighboring Iraq. French prosecutors have identified five of the seven dead assailants from Friday - four Frenchmen and a man who was fingerprinted in Greece last month after arriving in the country via Turkey with a boatload of refugees fleeing the Syria war. Police believe two men directly involved in the assault subsequently escaped, including Salah Abdeslam, 26, a Belgian-based Frenchman who is believed to have played a central role in both planning and executing the deadly mission. Until Wednesday morning, officials had said Abaaoud was in Syria. He grew up in Brussels, but media said he moved to Syria in 2014 to fight with Islamic State. Since then he has traveled back to Europe at least once and was involved in a series of planned attacks in Belgium foiled by the police last January. A man in St. Denis told reporters that he had rented out the besieged apartment to two people last week. "A friend asked me to take in two of his mates for a few days ... I didn't know them," the unidentified man told BFMTV. "I was asked for help. I gave them help. I didn't know they were terrorists." FALSE ALERT Late on Tuesday, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said two Paris-bound Air France flights were diverted following anonymous bomb threats, and hundreds of passengers and crew were safely removed. Authorities in the United States and Canada, where the planes landed, later said both aircraft had been searched and were safe. Paris and Moscow are not coordinating their air strikes, but French President Francois Hollande is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Nov. 26 to discuss how their countries' militaries might work together. Hollande is due to meet U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington on Nov. 24 also to push for a concerted drive against Islamic State, which controls large parts of Syria and Iraq. Obama said in Manila on Wednesday he wanted Moscow to shift its focus from propping up Syria's government to fighting Islamic State and would discuss that with Putin. Russia is allied to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The West says he must go if there is to be a political solution to Syria's prolonged civil war. By Antony Paone and Emmanuel Jarry Ten sailors aboard two U.S. Navy boats were seized by Iran in the Gulf on Tuesday, and Tehran told the United States the crew members would be promptly returned, U.S. officials said. "We have received assurances from the Iranians that our sailors are safe and that they will be allowed to continue their journey promptly," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told CNN. A senior U.S. defense official said the U.S. had lost contact earlier in the day with two small craft en route from Kuwait to Bahrain. U.S. officials told Reuters it was unclear how or if the boats became disabled. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif assured U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that the U.S. sailors would be allowed to continue their journey promptly, another U.S. official said. While both sides appeared eager not to let the incident escalate further, it came at a delicate time for U.S.-Iranian relations. Iran and six world powers forged a landmark nuclear accord last July. Formal implementation of the accord could begin in days following steps Iran agreed to take to curb its nuclear activities. Iran's semi-official Fars news agency said Iranian Revolutionary Guards had detained the vessels after they "illegally" entered Iranian territorial waters in the Gulf. The two boats were seized near Farsi Island 2 km (1.2 miles) inside Iranian territorial waters, it said. Officials from Iran and the United States are negotiating to free the crew, Fars reported. U.S. defense officials said nine men and one woman were aboard the two vessels seized. News of the incident broke as U.S. President Barack Obama prepared to make his final State of the Union address to the U.S. Congress. He is due to leave office in January 2017. They were on board two riverine patrol boats, one of the officials said. Riverine boats are 38-foot long, high-speed patrol boats used by the U.S. Navy and Marines to patrol rivers and littoral waters. It was the latest reported incident between U.S. and Iranian forces in the Gulf in recent weeks. The U.S. Navy said late last month that an Iranian Revolutionary Guards vessel fired unguided rockets on Dec. 26 near warships including the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran denied the vessel had done so. Previous Iranian seizures involved British sailors and marines. In June 2004, Iran arrested six Royal Marines and two naval personnel - part of a U.S.-led force in Iraq - for straying into its waters, stirring diplomatic tensions between the two. Following negotiations the eight were freed three days later. In March 2007, Iranian forces seized 15 British servicemen - eight Royal Navy sailors and seven marines - in the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab waterway that separates Iran and Iraq, triggering a diplomatic crisis at a time of heightened tensions over Tehran's nuclear ambitions. They were held for 13 days. In November 2009, Iranian naval vessels detained five Britons on a racing yacht en route from Bahrain to Dubai. They were released a week later. (Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed and Jonathan Landay in Washington and Parisa Hafezi and William Maclean in Dubai; Writing by Sam Wilkin and Tom Brown; Editing by David Alexander, Warren Strobel and Howard Goller) Life is nothing more than the sum of our choices and with the State of the Union on Tuesday there are few, if any, more important for the President to make than the security of our country and the integrity of our brand. The ugly truth is that the U.S. is in the embryonic stage of a holy war with faceless Islamic terrorists whose leaders have called upon all jihadists to Think Global and Act Local a fact our administration continues to vacillate on. We know that ISIS has taken to social media for the recruitment of new members, training existing jihadists and the planning of attacks. As this truth blatantly stares us in the face on a daily basis, we, as a country, are faced with a true life-changing choice; that being whether we are willing to sacrifice convenience of lifestyle and capitalistic agendas for a homeland safe from the invasion of terrorism. As a firm believer in the purest mantra of capitalism one can only applaud the corporate vison and successes of companies such as Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) and Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) but as an American who wakes each day with gratitude for the freedom I will get to enjoy, I am bound to my commitment toward the furtherance of our current way of life. Domestically, we have begun releasing convicted criminals for fear that the 14th Amendment will come back to bite public officials. As a strict constitutionalist, I find there no reason why we simply cant house inmates in tents provided they are properly fed, clothed and afforded access to all basic human needs. After all, if it is acceptable for our military it should be more than suitable for our convicted criminals. With the omnipresent threat of Islamic terrorism on American soil looming, police-community relations are at their worst since the 60s. We have a violence epidemic in our country occurring at our schools, workplaces, theaters and malls, and elected officials are insisting on blaming guns in lieu of mental illness. The Administration has brokered prisoners of war being released from Gitmo for accused traitors, convicted criminals are being placed back into our communities prior to serving their sentence and corporate leaders are crystallizing the actual net worth of our freedom by choosing the luster of profits over the security of our nation. Id say President Obamas dance card is full. Nonetheless, we must receive clear and decisive direction with expeditious implementation plans from the President as he addresses the nation. Further, it is these and many more national security-related concerns that our next President must swiftly provide realistic solutions for. In sum, the occupant of the Oval Office and his successor need to get it right and enact a national call to action to our communities, CEOs and perhaps most importantly, our elected officials for them to begin being more concerned with doing their job, than keeping it. Paul Viollis is Chief Executive of Viollis Group International, a global security consultancy firm. He has held multiple leadership roles including Managing Director for Citigate Global Intelligence & Security; and Vice President at Kroll, where he served on their post September 11th Threat Assessment Team. Paul is the author and lead editor for Jane's Publishing's book "Workplace Security and Contributing Editor for Jane's. He is co-author of "Silent Safety Best Practices for Protecting the Affluent. He appears regularly on the FOX Business Network as well as other national television and radio outlets. Paul holds the distinction of Honorary Assistant Attorney General for the State of Louisiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice, a Master of Public Administration, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy. With a new year underway and the Obama administration winding down we now focus on the 2016 election. Primaries are just around the corner and will set the tone for the New Year as the race for the White House heats up. This week FOX Business Network will host the sixth Republican presidential primary debate in North Charleston South Carolina just two days after President Obama delivers his final State of the Union address on Tuesday. While global terrorism has become a top priority in recent weeks, the economy will be critical to voters. After all, we just went through the longest and most expensive economic experiment in modern history, and it failed miserably. Let's take a look at some of the results of that experiment. Our national debt now exceeds $19 trillion; our current labor participation rate at 63 percent is the lowest its been in almost 40 years (not seen since the Carter administration), and when you take this into account our real unemployment rate (U6 unemployment) is hovering at about 10%; GDP (one of the primary indicators used to gauge the overall health of the economy) has grown at an anemic sub-3 percent rate for the 10th straight year, marking the slowest stretch of economic growth since the end of World War II; there are currently 47 million Americans living in poverty the highest percentage in two decades; the share of U.S. aggregate household income held by middle-income households has plunged by 12 percent; approximately one-half million Americans are homeless, one-fourth of them children; and businesses have pulled back investment as a result of sluggish exports, lower profits and cheap oil. Making this awful report card even more troubling all of this comes during a time when the Federal Reserve kept our short-term rate at nearly zero for seven straight years in an unprecedented effort to pump up the economy. It didnt have to be this way. This economic malaise was caused by the resurgence in Keynesian economics born out of a reaction to the 2008 financial crisis. The crisis gave control to liberal progressives who embraced Keynesian economics. Keynesian economics is based on the principle that the economic stress underlying recessions is insufficient consumer demand, and that by propping up demand with government stimulus, a greater utilization of economic infrastructure can create employment. Keynesian economics is named after British economist, John Maynard Keynes, who was a proponent of government spending and borrowing during economic downturns in order to artificially prop up demand. Keynes believed that we should borrow from future generations, because, as he famously said, "in the long run, we are all dead." Over the last eight years the Obama administration, if having accomplished nothing else, has proven that Keynesian economics doesnt work. Obamas economic policies have been the first true test of Keynes theories and they have failed. Obama's harshest critics shouldn't underestimate how much of an accomplishment that truly is. Keynesian economics has been the leading economic policy of liberalism for over 70 years. Despite the abysmal results of the worst economic experiment in modern history, the top two Democrat presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, have both proposed much of the same Keynesian economic policy -- spend more, borrow more, tax more and regulate more. It's as if they are tripling down on Obama's failed economic legacy. Conversely, all of the Republican presidential candidates have proposed supply-side tax-rate cuts to stimulate economic growth. They understand that the Obama-era spending has buried us in debt. After eight years of borrowing and spending trillions upon trillions of dollars Republicans have finally had enough. The question is whether voters have. The American people have certainly felt the devastating economic effects of Keynesian policies over the last eight years. Hopefully they recognize this election gives them the opportunity to vote in a new economic policy and finally bury Keynes (60 years after his death) not their childrens future. Millions of children in schools enjoy music each day by singing a song during circle time, learning to play an instrument, or singing a part in a chorus. This month, musicians and music educators celebrate Music in Our Schools Month sponsored by the National Association for Music Education. Music In Our Schools Month celebrates all the benefits of having quality music education programs in schools and encourages districts to maintain such programs at a time when many face tough budgetary constraints. Music education supporters advocate the importance of exposing young children to a variety of instruments, choral arrangements, and styles of music to enhance their educational experience and foster their academic, social, and emotional growth. These supporters insist that music is more than an enjoyable hobby and there is some science to back up these claims. A 2007 study published in the Journal for Research in Music Education tied quality music education instruction to improved academic performancespecifically, better scores on standardized tests. A 2005 article in The Midland Chemist found almost all of the past winners of the Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science, and Technology for high school students played one or more instruments, supporting a long-debated connection between success in music and science. Often times, teachers and parents themselves report that studying music teaches discipline, perseverance, and work ethic. Florida mother Kerissa Blue credits music with instilling a list of positive traits in her 12-year-old son, including patience, teamwork, discipline, and respect. She also observed an increase in his reading comprehension. Her son Krystopher added studying music has helped him with his reading fluency, creating mental images, and recognition of patterns. Krystopher previously learned to play clarinet and took private lessons four days a week for four years. He currently participates in his middle school band playing percussion. When asked what level of dedication is needed to be successful in music, he replied "A lot!" In New Jersey, River Edge's Teacher of the Year, music teacher Kelly Dent said she enjoys watching students express themselves in a cooperative setting. She called those moments "pure magic." "The experience can be as simple as performing a hand clapping game with a partner, or as complex as a four part canon, but the result is the same- an improvement in emotional well-being and enhanced sensitivity to the needs of others, Dent said. In this way, music programs, especially those focused on making music, play an essential role in the development of social skills and emotional awareness in students." In addition to the potential benefits of engaging in musical activities, exposing children to music at a young age may even open an avenue towards a career. Prior to entering the teaching profession, Dent herself played the French horn in a number of Broadway orchestras, including Wicked. "As a child, I benefited immensely from musical experiences in my community, Dent said. I was able to travel the world, participate in summer music festivals, and eventually come to New York City to study. All of this was possible because of my early exposure to music lessons and ensembles." Music therapy has proven to have some success among children with disabilities, as well. Children are drawn to the rhythm of the instruments and many find a way to communicate and open themselves up by singing or playing an instrument. Increasingly, schools and after-school programs for children with disabilities are incorporating music therapy and seeing great results. Music In Our Schools Month aims to highlight the many benefits quality music education programs can have on children in America's schools. Supporters are already out there, raising money and awareness to maintain these programs which they say is essential to a childs mental awareness and development. Do you agree? Jennifer Cerbasi teaches at a public school for children on the autism spectrum in New Jersey. As a coordinator of Applied Behavioral Analysis programs in the home, she works with parents to create and implement behavioral plans for their children in an environment that fosters both academic and social growth. In addition to her work both in the classroom and at home, she is also a member of the National Association of Special Education Teachers and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. On Monday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Texas confirmed a case of Zika virus, an untreatable mosquito-borne illness. Health officials in Brazil confirmed in November that the virus, which is common in Latin America and South Asia, is causing some babies in the country to be born with abnormally small heads. Zika can be transmitted to babies in utero. Fox 26 Houston reported that the Texas case in question is a woman who traveled to Latin America, but officials in the state arent concerned about local transmission of the virus and are actively tracking mosquitoes in the area. "Were monitoring," Dr. Umair Shah, executive director of Harris County Public Health, told the news station. "Were always going out to the field, were trapping, were collecting, and were checking. Were isolating the virus...so there shouldnt be any alarm right now." The infected woman, whom the news station didnt identify by name or age, reportedly went to her doctor for testing when she began exhibiting symptoms of Zika. According to the CDC, common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain or conjunctivitis. There is no medication to treat Zika, nor is there a vaccine to protect against the virus. Most cases are mild, with symptoms lasting for several days to a week. Severe cases that require hospitalization are less common, and according to the CDC, no deaths have been linked directly to Zika. The CDC recommends taking precautionary measures like wearing mosquito repellent and wearing long sleeves and pants to prevent mosquito bites when traveling to those areas where the virus is common. If you want to see a perfect example of a Democratic initiative thats blowing up in everyones face, look at what is going on with Britains state-funded National Health Service (NHS). Thousands of junior doctors referring to those with 10 years or less on the job throughout England have gone on strike today over government plans to change their contracts in ways they feel are detrimental. These doctors, according to the British Medical Association, routinely work over 100 hours per week because of staff shortages, on salaries of as little as $36,000 a year. Now, the NHS is planning cuts they say are necessary to cover tremendous deficits, and changes which would ultimately make Saturday a regular work day under in order to make medical services more readily available on weekends. For those of you unfamiliar with the NHS, it is a single-payer system much like the one presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) has proposed. Under a single-payer system, health care is funded by the government (meaning, you, the taxpayer) rather than private insurers. To me, its laughable that any serious governmental leader cannot clearly see these single-payer systems whether youre talking about England or Canada -- are falling apart. Now, the other choice that the Democrats believe in is ObamaCare, which has been showcased by the Clinton campaign as they attack Sanders over his health policy. One of the main proponents of this plan, as it pertains to her mothers campaign, is Chelsea Clinton who has directly attacked Sanders echoing Hillarys sentiments on the topic. Not only does Hillary Clinton want to keep Obamacare -- she wants to expand the Affordable Care along with other social programs. "Sen. Sanders wants to dismantle ObamaCare, dismantle the CHIP program, dismantle Medicare, and dismantle private insurance," Chelsea said at a campaign stop in New Hampshire. "I worry if we give Republicans democratic permission to do that, we'll go back to an era before we had the Affordable Care Act, that would strip millions and millions and millions of people off their health insurance." But what have we learned about ObamaCare over the last four years? Satisfaction rates are abysmal. Dropout rates continue to grow because people cannot afford the elevated premiums as well as the astronomical deductibles that they are expected to pay out of pocket. Uninsured patients continue to surface in many markets throughout the United States and emergency rooms continue to be serve central point of care for many people who continue to flood them knowing they will not be turned away, only to leave hospitals with mounting debts in unpaid bills. And on top of all these issues, access to doctors is still highly limited and people have to spend hours navigating the maze of coverage that is ObamaCare. Before you vote for our next president, I would encourage everyone to read about whats happening in England, because if we keep going down this road, it will be long before doctors are striking here. According to Friday's announcement by the Labor Department, the nations unemployment rate remains unchanged from the previous month at 9.7 percent. The number was generally greeted as good news by the media. The Wall Street Journal's headline reported Outlook Brightens for Jobless." The Los Angeles Times headline said: "Employment outlook brightens in U.S., state." But the cheeriness overlooks the fact that most of the new jobs are largely temporary, part-time jobs. And not the types of jobs workers held before the recession. 36,000 jobs were lost in February, according to the Labor Department's survey of businesses, up from the 26,000 lost in January. Nevertheless, the increase in job losses is viewed by some as good news because fewer jobs were lost than the 50,000 the 20 forecasters surveyed by Reuters had expected. Claims are made that jobs could very likely have been added if it wasn't for the snow storms on the East coast, but no empirical evidence is offered. Cutting down the number of work days may have delayed people being hired, but it might just as well delayed some employees from being laid off. While the unemployment rate held steady at 9.7 percent in February, the percent of the workforce "employed part time for economic reasons" rose from 5.3 to 5.7 percent. They work between 1 and 34 hours per week, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "because of an economic reason, such as their hours were cut back or they were unable to find full-time jobs." Other survey evidence suggests that the number of underemployed workers might be even higher than the government's survey. A Gallup survey of 20,000 indicated that 19.9 percent of US workers are working part-time even though they want a full-time job. The big area of job growth has been in "temporary help-services," adding 47,500 jobs in February. But many of these jobs are only part-time. They are hardly the great jobs most people are looking for, though these temporary jobs might eventually turn into full-time, permanent jobs. While the overall total number of jobs fell, The Wall Street Journal emphasized the rosy job numbers that increased this way: "The professional and business-services sector, a broad category that includes legal work and consulting, added 51,000 jobs. Another encouraging sign: The temporary-help services sector added 47,500 jobs and has added 284,000 since September 2009, a sign employers need workers and may eventually add permanent positions." Alas, there is some double-counting here -- "temporary-help service" jobs is part of the total that goes into "professional and business-service" jobs. Consider "professional and business-service" jobs that are not "temporary-help service" jobs and the increase is only 3,500. In contrast, Federal government jobs continue to grow, to the tune of 40,000 since September. All that said, there is still some bright news, though it comes from a different set of numbers than the Obama administration and media are citing. A big problem over the last year has been that about 3 million workers simply gave up looking for work and left the labor force, thus they are no longer counted as unemployed because they aren't looking for a job. Some of these discouraged workers are returning to the labor force, even if it frequently seems to be for part-time jobs. The positive news is that in February 176,000 workers rejoined the workforce, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Household survey, and that occurred without the unemployment rate rising. The average length of time people are unemployed also declined slightly from 30.2 to 29.7 weeks. Much has been made in The New York Times and other places about how the record number of weeks that people are remaining unemployed justifies the record unemployment insurance and other benefits. Unemployment insurance now lasts up to 99 weeks. Just a little over a year and a half ago it was a mere 26 weeks. But what is left out of the discussion is how the largest unemployment benefits ever provided unemployed workers has itself increased how long workers remain unemployed. Economic studies have confirmed over and over again that extending unemployment insurance benefits just means more unemployment. Possibly one-and-half or more percentage points of the unemployment rate are due to these record benefits. The economy is finally, if slowly, bottoming out, even if a lot of workers are moving from having dropped out of the labor force to taking part-time work. Having some job is better than no job. Still, had the stimulus not delayed the recovery, creating chaos by shifting around a trillion dollars and the jobs associated with that money, the unemployment rate would never have reached such a high rate in the first place. John R. Lott, Jr. is a FoxNews.com contributor. He is an economist and author of More Guns, Less Crime (University of Chicago Press). The book's third edition will be published in May. Within the next several weeks, students will close the book on their college careers and begin writing the next chapter of their lives. Some will turn to internships, co-op positions and graduate schools, while others will enter the workforce. For some, the professional workplace will be an easy adaptation. Unfortunately, others will learn tough lessons along the way. When tapped for advice by job-seeking students on securing employment after graduation, my response starts to sound like a broken record: be a professional. The Center for Professional Excellence at York College of Pennsylvania commissions annually a national survey on the state of professionalism among recent graduates from U.S. colleges. Last year was the second year of the study, and the results continue to be an unpleasant surprise. Many new college grads dont understand how to conduct themselves in the professional workplace. The results of this years survey show dangerous trends for new employees and reinforce some of the same things that career counselors have been saying for years. It is my hope that this years college graduates can use some of what we have found to locate and keep meaningful employment in this challenging job market. Here are my top five tips for job seekers: 1. Forget Facebook and Take a Texting Timeout Respondents told us last year that Internet technology (IT) abuses are beginning to get out of hand. New employees just cant help themselves from using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter when they should be working. Employers also reported that text messaging at inappropriate times has seen a spike. Seeing Suzy Qs status updates is not worth a pink slip. Get off of Facebook and Twitter during work hours. 2. Accept Responsibility for Your Actions We asked respondents to rank the important qualities that recent college graduates should possess. HR pros and business leaders said clearly that new employees should accept personal responsibility for decisions and actions. Why should an employer hire an individual who wont? Other qualities deemed important included competency in verbal and written communication, projecting a positive image, and thinking and acting independently. 3. Dont Worry About Promotion Right Away The most eye-opening results came when we asked which qualities were found in first-year, college-educated employees. Respondents ranked categories from one to five, with one being rare and five being common. The only quality that earned more than a four was employees concern for opportunities for advancement. While this is a valid worry for seasoned workers, it should not take first place among new hires. 4. Understand the 3 As of Professionalism: Articulation of Thoughts, Attitude and Appearance. According to the survey results, employers are assessing a candidates professionalism 96.3 percent of the time before making any hiring decisions. The top three ways employers judge professionalism are by examining ones ability to communicate; judging ones attitude or demeanor; and by evaluating ones appearance. Job seekers need to showcase these skills to the best of their ability during a job interview. For men, that means putting on a coat and a tie. For young women, it means understanding how to dress for the professional workplace. Plunging necklines and skimpy outfits degrade the credibility of the individual as well as the company. Employees should understand that there are no fashion awards at stake in the professional workplace. While personal style is applauded, it needs to be within the acceptable dress code. Ask yourself, would your grandmother approve of what you're wearing? 5. You Are Not Entitled We asked if newly employed, college-educated workers sense of entitlement had increased, decreased or stayed the same during the past five years. Entitlement, defined as expecting rewards without putting in the effort to merit them, is perceived to be on the rise. More than half of all respondents said they had seen an increase in workers sense of entitlement. Roughly a third of respondents said it remained the same. Only six percent said it had decreased. There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but many college students around the nation seem not to be getting that message. The job market is tough right now on job-seekers. With unemployment hovering around 10 percent, companies have the luxury of taking only the strongest, most professional candidates. To land a job in this economy youll need to suit up, show up on time, and do yourself a favor by turning off your cell phone. Good luck! Dr. George W. Waldner is president of York College of Pennsylvania. On the heels of a national holiday that celebrates the fortitude and endurance of the American laborer, President Obama will address the nation with yet another government plan to improve job creation and economic growth Thursday night. Meanwhile, small-business owners everywhere are breathing a collective sighnot one of relief, but one of frustration. Just what small business needs, another pep talkthis one likely punctuated by claims that the White Houses job-creating policies are working, thereby justifying the need to implement more. We flinch at those famous words: Im with the government, and Im here to help. Its true, not every small business is living out its worst-case scenario. There are some who have done the exceptional, creating jobs and expanding their businesses even as new taxes and mandates cause their costs to rise and an onslaught of new regulations threatens to stifle further growth. The National Federation of Independent Business celebrates those successes. Capstone Mechanical, a heating and air-conditioning company in Waco, Texas, is one such example. Co-owners Stefan LeRow and Rick Tullis have shepherded their firm through a recent wave of growth that has allowed them to hire 40 new workers in the last two-and-a-half years. From 2008-2010, their revenues have grown by an impressive 50 percent. Like so many small businesses around the country, they can attribute their growth to hard work, accountability and little bit of luck. Their success is laudable. It comes not as the result of new Washington policies but very much in spite of them. Even as it prospers, Capstone is unable to escape the many roadblocks left by the governments attempts to help. Their health-insurance premiums have soared, as much as 40 percent in recent yearshundreds of thousands more than they anticipateda trend that shows no sign of slowing or reversing since the passage of the new health-care law. Indeed, it will probably only get worse. And to comply with the thousands of new environmental, tax and labor rules, Capstone now retains two full-time employees whose sole duties are to ensure that the company is meeting every regulatory standard for their industry. As costs increase, they cant help but pass them on to the consumer, which is exactly what small-firm owners try to avoid. These decisions take a heavy toll on any small business, even those who are lucky enough to be growing. In Belington, West Virginia, business at Lifetite, Steve Koepsels small metal roofing firm, has been booming. Only a few years ago, a shop with only five people, Steve now employs close to 30 and his revenue has increased almost ten-fold, allowing him to open a second plant last year. But even Steve, who is devoted to customer service and to his employees, dwells on the uncertainty caused by the overreach of government. He finds himself frustrated by his inability to provide health insurance, which he believes is a huge incentive for hiring. As Lifetite grows closer to 50 employees, he will have to weigh the costs of offering insurance versus paying a penalty now mandated by the new health-care law. For now, he is watching and waiting, but he may soon reach a point when the government has made it too expensive for him to grow. These businesses and many others around the nation have survived and even succeeded in difficult times, not because of gimmicky rebates or massive government programs that offer short-term schemes to solve long-term problems, but because entrepreneurs always rise to the challenge. Americans become better in the face of adversity. It is what makes our nation so remarkable. If policymakers only understood how much more our businesses would be growing if the shackles of government were removed, the possibilities would be endless. One could write a book about what Washington says it can do for small businesses. If any small-business owner wrote that volume, it would contain only two words: Back off. Solutions lie in allowing our job-makers to do what they do bestexpand, build, hire, create. They do not lie in more spending, more taxes, more regulation and more government intervention. The president has not lost his opportunity to go big. On Thursday night, he can surprise us all by announcing a moratorium on new regulations or a full repeal of the health care law. Or he can offer us another languishing speech. Unless his intention is rein-in the past two-and-a-half years of damaging federal policy and prove that he finally understands the needs of Main Street, he should leave small business out altogether. Thats right, Mr. President. Please leave us alone. What we dont need are more mandates or more hand-outs, and we certainly dont want to be used as a hood-ornament for politicians in Washington. Small businesses need room to breathe. And quite frankly, Main Street will be crushed if it gets any more help. Susan Eckerly is the Senior Vice President of Federal Public Policy for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), a group representing 350,000 small-business owners around the nation. The terrorists war on the West continues, and the news from the front isnt good. Tuesday a terrorist bomb ripped through downtown Istanbul, killing more than 10. The massacre comes a day after a series of terrorist attacks killed more than 50 in and around Baghdad. This weeks attacks simply reinforce a point thats been evident for quite some time: the global jihad will continueeven if the West declines to fight. And declining to fight only quickens the tempo of the attacks. Sadly, President Obama doesnt seem to get it at all. Early last year, he expressed frustration that the media, rather than portraying what a great job he was doing to combat terrorism, was absolutely over-hyping the terrorist threat. And he holds that view still. The New York Times reports that, in a recent off-the-record meeting with columnists, Mr. Obama emphasized that the Islamic State did not threaten the United States in a fundamental way. But threats dont have to be existential to be deadly, and to suggest that there is no terrorist tsunami is like arguing that The Biggest Loser is a show about anorexia. The terrorist are back in a big wayand not just with high-profile attacks like Paris, San Bernardino, and now Istanbul. Numbers dont lie. You may never have heard of Emanuel Lutchman, an ex-con andmore importantlyan ISIS sympathizer. The FBI arrested him on Dec. 30 for plotting a New Years Eve attack on Rochester, N.Y. According to a data base maintained by Riley Walters at The Heritage Foundation, the 76th Islamist-inspired terror attack/plot on the United States since 9/11 and the 13th in 2015making 2015 the year with the greatest number of attacks or plots over the past 14 years. And it is not just a domestic phenomenon. Terrorist threats are up across the Greater Middle East and Western Europe. Still, most of us spent last year arguing over what the problem is not. The problem is not refugees, immigrants, visas, or anybody elses bugbear. The problem is the terrorists and the terrible ideas that inspire them. Why dont we get it? In 1999, an independent, bi-partisan commission warned Congress that transnational terrorism would be scourge of the post-Cold War world. Nobody really paid attention. Two years later, 9/11 got our attention. But as we succeeded in rolling back Al Qaeda, our sense of security strengthened and our determination to fight waned. America elected a president who vowed to end the war. It turned out that his strategy for dealing with the problem was to wish it away. Abroad, he withdrew troops according to a self-imposed timetable rather than what facts on the ground required. At home, his directives for the Department of Homeland Security were to make sure its top priorities were implementing amnesty and dealing with global warming. Without American leadership, global terrorism has come roaring back. The best example of that is the terrorists use of foreign fighter pipelines. Today, they can readily move recruits all over the worldpouring them into the fight in the Middle East or stashing them among the flood of refugees theyve helped to create. For the U.S. and the international community as a whole, shutting down the networks that terrorists use to funnel extremists around the world ought to be job one for the New Year. A House Republican appeared to open the door Thursday to the GOP caucus considering tax rate hikes, stepping away from the long-held party line on the eve of high-stakes talks over the so-called "fiscal cliff." At the same time, a group of Senate Democrats pressed a new set of fiscal cliff demands that would include significantly more taxes to pay for more stimulus as part of any budget deal. The developments underscored how the terms of the debate continue to shift, as pressure on lawmakers to make a deal only increases. They are facing an end-of-year deadline to strike a deficit-reduction deal -- or set the stage for one next year -- and in doing so, avert a potentially crippling combo of spending cuts and tax increases come January. The tax hikes alone would cost a family of four making roughly $75,000 another $3,200 next year, according to the Tax Foundation. Pressed on whether lawmakers can make a deal, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., strayed from the party line in an interview on FoxNews.com's "Power Play." She predicted a short-term deal to avoid the fiscal cliff and suggested tax rate hikes could be on the table next year. "What I think you will see is a retention of the tax rates as they are for a year, with the promise that we will get into looking at all revenues -- and that could include tax rates," she said. "We will look at all -- the tax code in itself, and we will also look at spending cuts and entitlements." Republican leaders -- those who will attend talks with President Obama and congressional Democrats on Friday -- have insisted that tax rates should not rise for anybody, though they're open to closing loopholes and deductions. Capito is among those who have voted against such tax increases in the past. Obama, meanwhile, has demanded that taxes go up for the top 2 percent of earners. But while Capito showed some wiggle room Thursday, a group of Senate Democrats began to simply add to their wish list. The senators, in a draft letter obtained by Fox News, urge Obama to do more than end the lower Bush-era tax rates for the top 2 percent of earners. They argued that for every dollar cut from the government's bloated budget, lawmakers should impose an additional dollar in tax hikes. "Any deal must include a one-to-one ratio of revenues to spending cuts," the senators write. But that's a heavy hit for taxpayers. For a deficit-reduction deal worth $4 trillion -- which is a number commonly cited by economists -- that would mean $2 trillion in new taxes over the next 10 years. Democrats would push for those increases to be directed toward the wealthy. But the proposal only served to underscore the massive, and perhaps growing, divide between the liberal and conservative wings on Capitol Hill ahead of talks. Obama is meeting with congressional leaders from both parties Friday morning. At a news conference Wednesday, he claimed he is open to compromise. "With respect to the tax rates, I just want to emphasize I am open to new ideas," he said. "If Republican counterparts or some Democrats have a great idea for us to raise revenue, maintain progressivity, make sure the middle class isn't getting hit, reduces our deficit, encourages growth, I'm not going to just slam the door in their face. I want to hear ideas from everybody." But the Senate Democrats' letter showed the kind of pressure Obama could face from the left not to budge in negotiations - and further, to extract concessions out of Republicans. The letter was signed by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and the authors were looking to attract a dozen signatures by the end of the day. Not only did they call for tax hikes to equal spending cuts, but they also called for a "jobs component" -- stimulus-style spending on infrastructure and jobless benefits. The senators also effectively called for Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security to be walled off from any "harmful cuts." "We urge you to reject changes to Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security that would cut benefits, shift costs to states, alter the structure of these critical programs, or force vulnerable populations to bear the burden of deficit reduction efforts," they wrote. Fox News' James Rosen and John Brandt contributed to this report. A Syrian refugee, a former illegal immigrant and a plaintiff in the Supreme Court case that legalized gay marriage are among the guests chosen to sit near first lady Michelle Obama during Tuesdays State of the Union Address, the White House announced. The White House sparked controversy last week with the announcement that one seat will be left open in memory of the victims of gun violence. President Obamas practice of referring to invited guests in the audience to make a political point or honor an act of heroism is a practice used by all modern presidents since Ronald Reagan, who began the practice in 1982. Such guests are often referred to as Skutniks in reference to the first guest highlighted by Reagan Lenny Skutnik, who dove into the icy Potomac River to save a drowning woman after an Air Florida Flight crashed into the water shortly after takeoff. The White House announced Sunday that a Syrian refugee scientist Refaai Hamo will be among 20 guests who will sit near the first lady. Hamo landed in the U.S. in December with his son and three daughters, having fled Syria after a missile attack killed his wife and another daughter. Others on the guest list were chosen to highlight Obamas achievements in office, the White House said. The individuals who will be seated in the guest box tell the story of the progress we have made since the President delivered his first address seven years ago from a terrible economic recession and two costly wars, to a revitalized and thriving economy and renewed American leadership abroad, the White House said on its website. Guests include Sue Ellen Allen, a former convict who now works for criminal justice reform, Lisa Jaster, who is the first female Army Reserve officer to graduate from the Army's elite Ranger School, and Jim Obergefell -- a plaintiff in the Supreme Court case that gave same-sex couples the right to marry. Also invited is Staff Sgt. Spencer Stone, one of the passengers aboard a crowded Paris-bound train who stopped an Islamic terrorist from opening fire. The presence of U.S. Army veteran Oscar Vazquez of Fort Worth Texas, who came to the U.S. illegally as a child from Mexico and now works as an advocate for Latino students, is an indicator that the question of immigration reform will be highlighted during Obamas address. Outside of the White House guest list, Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., announced Friday that one of the Black Lives Matter founders, Alicia Garza, will be her guest for Tuesdays address. Meanwhile, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., also announced his own guest list. Notably, his list includes representatives from the Little Sisters of the Poor, who have challenged the ObamaCare birth control mandate in the Supreme Court. Sister Loraine Marie Maguire, the organizations Mother Provincial, and Sister Constance Veit will represent the Little Sisters of the Poor in the Speakers box, the speakers office said in a statement. Ryan has also invited Logan Barritt, a 4-year-old Wisconsin boy who started an effort to send care packages to U.S. soldiers abroad after a lesson at school. Fox News Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Hillary Clinton is sharpening her attacks on Bernie Sanders and even her criticism of the Obama administration as polls show her losing ground to her closest primary rival in key states. Three weeks before the leadoff Iowa caucuses, Clinton appears to be changing up her strategy of looking past the Vermont senator, instead going after his record on gun control, taxes, health care and even the Wall Street regulations that have been the core of his insurgent campaign. Clinton, picking up the endorsement of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, cast Sanders Tuesday as weak on gun control. "If you're going to go around saying you stand up to special interests then stand up to that most powerful special interest -- stand up to the gun lobby," she said. That was after claiming Monday that Sanders would "rip up" ObamaCare and put power in the hands of states. She also came out against the Obama administrations raids targeting Central American immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally and ignored deportation orders. The toughened tone reflects fresh turbulence in the race for the Democratic front-runner, as she struggles to consolidate support among the various wings of the Democratic Party. While shes locked down endorsements from major groups like Planned Parenthood, Sanders won the backing Tuesday of the liberal MoveOn.org. Even Vice President Biden, who flirted with running before deciding against it last year, took an implicit swipe at Clinton by suggesting shes late to the cause on the issue of income inequality. "Hillary's focus has been other things up to now, and that's been Bernie's -- no one questions Bernie's authenticity on those issues," Biden said in a CNN interview. In the most recent Fox News poll, Sanders expanded his lead over Clinton in New Hampshire, building a 13-point advantage over the former secretary of state. New Hampshire is friendly territory for the senator from the neighboring state, but even in Iowa, polls have started to tighten. Speaking with Fox News, Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta acknowledged hes hearing some concerns among fellow Democrats about Sanders gaining ground in the two early-voting states. Podesta told Fox News that in Iowa, specifically, the race is tightening. But Podesta stressed the Clinton camp still feels the fundamentals of their campaign, including the ground game, are strong. Podesta added that he thinks if Clinton were to lose either or both of the first two states, there is a firewall for Clinton in March with a series of southern states where she appears to have an advantage with black voters. We feel good about the map, Podesta said. Indeed, Clinton has enjoyed a massive, roughly 40-point lead in South Carolina and in Florida in recent months together, those states provide far more delegates than Iowa and New Hampshire. Clinton holds a strong advantage among black and Latino voters who play a bigger role in the primaries in late February and March. However, Sanders told Fox News in an interview last week that he believes a win in Iowa, New Hampshire, or both would give him momentum and shake up the entire Democratic battle for the nomination. At a forum aimed at young and minority voters on Monday night, the candidates found themselves defending their positions on immigration, criminal justice, gun control and abortion. Sanders needled the race front-runner. "The inevitable candidate for the Democratic nomination may not be so inevitable today," said Sanders, when asked about his standing in Iowa. As for his health care plan, he said during a town hall meeting that large numbers of underinsured and sky-high deductibles demand a better health care system, which he would seek through his single-payer, Medicare-for-all system. Clinton also announced a new plan that would impose a 4 percent fee on taxpayers making more than $5 million -- an effort to match Sanders' focus on income inequality -- even as she charged him with plans to raise taxes on middle-class Americans. Fox News Ed Henry and The Associated Press contributed to this report. The Islamic States web of affiliates is growing faster than Al Qaedas ever did, a former top CIA official told Congress on Tuesday on the heels of yet another attack blamed on ISIS. Michael Morell, President Obamas former deputy and acting CIA director, issued the warning in testimony to the House Armed Services Committee. He said the number of militant groups now swearing allegiance to ISIS has grown to cover nearly 20 countries, from practically nothing a year ago. ISIS has gained affiliates faster than Al Qaeda ever did, Morell said. He testified after a suicide bomber, whom Turkish officials say was affiliated with ISIS, detonated a bomb in the tourist heart of historic Istanbul. The attack killed at least 10 people -- nine of them German tourists -- and wounded 15 others, Turkish officials said. German Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed to continue the fight against terror after the attack. "Today Istanbul was the target, before Paris, Copenhagen, Tunis, and so many other areas," she told reporters in Berlin, listing the networks recent roster of terror targets. In Washington, Morell said the group now poses a significant strategic and lethal threat to the United States, as well as Europe. Noting that the group has demonstrated the ability to attack targets in Europe, Morell said ISIS is almost certainly working to do the same in the United States. Unless they are degraded, he said, They will succeed. The groups affiliate network is growing as it continues to attract fighters from around the world to the belly of the beast in Syria. A U.S. intelligence official told Fox News that more than 36,000 foreign fighters at least 6,600 with Western passports have traveled to Syria from at least 120 countries. Thats up from an estimate of more than 20,000 foreign fighters last year. The numbers reflect that the group, despite suffering casualties, continues to weather the bombing campaign led by the U.S. and other countries and attract more recruits. President Obama, in his final State of the Union address Tuesday night, is expected to discuss his plans and strategy for confronting ISIS. Fox News Lucas Tomlinson and Catherine Herridge and The Associated Press contributed to this report. The White House on Tuesday strongly condemned the deadly terror attack in Istanbul that tore through a popular tourist area killing 10 people -- as Republican lawmakers cited the attack in renewing pressure on President Obama to crack down on ISIS. Americans are so anxious right now about their security, about what's going on around the world. Just look at what happened today in Istanbul in the tourist district where at least 10 people were killed, House Speaker Paul Ryan said. We've passed a law requiring the president to put forward a plan to defeat this threat and I hope that he will deliver. Though no group immediately claimed responsibility for the deadly attack in Istanbul, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu blamed ISIS. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Fox News that until the U.S. takes out the terror groups base in Raqqa, Syria, more attacks are likely. Its going to continue and the tragedy of all this is that as we celebrate the ... re-taking [of] Ramadi, the second-largest city in Iraq is still under ISIS control and there is no strategy whatsoever to take [on] ISIS, he told Fox News. As long as this administration is in power you will see this base of operations and propaganda and effective attacks throughout the world. Following news of the attack, the White House renewed its calls for a united campaign to defeat the terror organization. This heinous attack occurred in Istanbuls historic heart, and struck Turks and foreign tourists alike, National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a written statement. We stand together with Turkey, a NATO ally, a strong partner and a valued member of the Counter-ISIL coalition, in the face of this attack and pledge our ongoing cooperation and support in the fight against terrorism. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., echoed the sentiment. The continued slaughter of innocent civilians is savage and unjustified, and the United States stands firmly with our allies, including the governments of Turkey and Iraq, to defeat those who use terror to pursue their despicable objectives, Kaine said in a written statement. The Virginia lawmaker, who was in Istanbuls Sultanahmet Square last week, is part of an eight-member congressional delegation focused on regional security, including oversight of the war in Syria as well as U.S. efforts to combat ISIS. Tuesdays blast took place in Sultanahmet Square which is located in the citys Fatih district and is home to the historic Blue Mosque and Haghia Sophia museum. The United States will not [waver] in its pursuit of [ISIS] around the globe until it and its radical ideology is defeated, Kaine said. He added, That a bomber should attack an area representative of historical bridges between the East and West and Christian and Muslim only strengthens the resolve of our fight. "This incident has shown once again that we have to stand in full unity against terror," Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, according to the Hurriyet Daily News. "Turkey is resolute and its principled position will continue. It makes no difference to us what their names and abbreviations are. The first target of all terrorist organizations in this region is Turkey because Turkey is struggling against all of those with the same resolution." Turkish officials identified the alleged attacker as Nabil Fadli. Fadli was born in Saudi Arabia in 1988 and recently entered Turkey through Syria. Fadli was not on an official terrorism watch list, Turkeys Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton joined her rivals Monday in opposing the Obama administration's deportation raids targeting Central American immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally and ignored deportation orders. Speaking at a forum aimed at young and minority voters in Iowa, Clinton said the raids had "sown fear and division in immigrant communities across the country. People are afraid to go to work. They are afraid to send their kids to school. They are afraid to go to the hospital, or even the grocery store." Clinton had previously drawn criticism from pro-immigration groups in 2014 when she said that unaccompanied Central American minors who had crossed the southern border should be returned to their home countries. However, on Monday she called for government-funded counsel for unaccompanied minors in immigration court, as well as more funding for asylum officers, translators and immigration judges. "We have laws and we must be guided by those laws,' Clinton said earlier, "but we shouldnt have armed federal officers showing up at peoples homes, taking women and children out of their beds in the middle of the night." The comments marked Clinton's clearest break with Obama, whom she served as secretary of state during the president's first term. Clinton's rivals, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, had come out strongly against the raids when their planning was first reported last month. At the time, Sanders said he was "very distubed" by the reports, while O'Malley called the raids "mindless deportations" that were "at odds" with America's character. The first of the raids reportedly were conducted last week in Texas and Gerogia, with more expected across the country. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said the raids were designed to deter immigrants from illegally entering the U.S. "As I have said repeatedly, our borders are not open to illegal migration," Johnson said last week. "If you come here illegally, we will send you back consistent with our laws and values." Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, who spent five days in jail for defying federal court orders and refusing to license same-sex marriages, was given tickets to the president's final State of the Union, an invite-only event for members of Congress. But who invited her and her attorney remains a mystery. Every lawmaker gets one guest ticket to President Barack Obama's annual speech, though congressional leaders get extras. Davis' lawyer, Mat Staver, declined to identify the members of Congress who extended the invitations, saying only that it was not a lawmaker from her home state. He said he didn't want the identity of the person who extended the invitation to eclipse "Kim Davis and what she stands for." First lady Michelle Obama, on the other hand, invited Jim Obergefell, the lead plaintiff in the case in which the United States Supreme Court effectively legalized gay marriage across the nation. He will sit in the box with the first lady and Jill Biden, the vice president's wife. After the Supreme Court's decision, Davis, the clerk of Rowan County, cited "God's authority" and refused to issue marriage licenses, despite a series of federal court orders. She quickly became a darling of the religious right. Politicians, including presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee, flocked to a rally on the jailhouse lawn during her brief stint behind bars. Still, no one has claimed to have extended the invitation. The Family Research Council, a conservative organization that opposes gay marriage, arranged the invitation, said spokesman J.P. Duffy. That group also declined to identify the lawmakers who gave them passes. Staver said they would be sitting in the House chamber "to stand for religious freedom and to represent Judeo-Christian values." "I think when it became more clear that President Obama was going to tick off his so-called accomplishments in the last seven years, the decision was made to invite Kim Davis to be a visible reminder that his policies have not encompassed all of American citizens and, particularly, Kim Davis with respect to religious freedom and marriage," Staver told The Associated Press. "So she's there as a visible reminder of that, his policies have actually hurt religious freedom and marriage and to encourage people to stand for these values." Facing a divided country, an invigorated opposition in both houses of Congress and the prospect of his policies becoming unraveled if a Republican wins the White House in November, President Obama delivers his final State of the Union address Tuesday night with an eye toward evading the lame duck label and cementing his legacy. In excerpts of prepared remarks released ahead of time, Obama notes we live in a time of "extraordinary change," but adds The future we want opportunity and security for our families; a rising standard of living and a sustainable, peaceful planet for our kids all that is within our reach. CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF THE 2016 STATE OF THE UNION "But it will only happen if we work together. It will only happen if we can have rational, constructive debates. It will only happen if we fix our politics." White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest rejected the notion that Americans already are looking past the sitting president and insisted Obama is driving the debate on everything from immigration to gun control to the economy. Its actually the president whos putting forward more ideas than anybody else, Earnest told Fox News on Tuesday. Republicans dont quite see it that way. House Speaker Paul Ryan said Tuesday that we're not certainly expecting much new. But he did call on the president to outline in his address a comprehensive plan to defeat ISIS. The pressure to do so represents just one of the many challenges for Obama as he navigates his final year in office, and gives the American people a roadmap to that year Tuesday night. He took office in 2009 aiming to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the rise of ISIS has dragged the U.S. back into the fight in Iraq and security concerns hang over efforts to draw down troops in Afghanistan. On the campaign trail, GOP candidates have demanded the U.S. take a tougher approach and some have vowed to step up the anti-ISIS bombing campaign if elected. Theyve also threatened to unravel Obama policies ranging from the Iran nuclear deal to his signature health care law. The president just vetoed the first ObamaCare repeal bill to reach his desk, but he wont wield the veto pen for long. As he defends the policies hes put in place, Obama also is expected to touch on the major goals for his final year including on gun control, but also his intention to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp. Earnest reiterated Obamas intention to do so on Tuesday. This certainly is not a problem that he wants to pass on to the next president, Earnest said of the Guantanamo prison. He still faces congressional resistance. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday he hopes Obama will fail in his plan. At a breakfast with reporters, Speaker Ryan voiced concern that the president would effectively try to bait Republicans in the address and cast them as angry reactionaries. The president will have five or six straw men in the speech, Im sure, Ryan said. And hell present a very glossy rendition of the last seven years. Hell try to set some verbal traps along the way and it will be a very political and pointed speech, I would guess. As for the state of the economy, Ryan said, I think its a mess. While the president is sure to explain his final year agenda Tuesday night, this speech is expected to be less of a to-do list than past State of the Union addresses. The president will speak in broad strokes about what he feels the U.S. can and should aspire to in the future. And he will offer an implicit rebuttal to the sense of pessimism reflected in polls and in the media. As for the coming months, hell offer a renewed call for unfinished pieces of his agenda that already have a foothold in Congress, such as approval for his Asia-Pacific free trade pact and bipartisan efforts to overhaul the criminal justice system. Obama's chief of staff, Denis McDonough, argued Obama's more sanguine message would contrast with the "doom and gloom" attitude being peddled by Republicans this year on the campaign trail and in Congress. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Ten U.S. Navy sailors were detained on Tuesday by Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces when one of their boats apparently became disabled in the Persian Gulf. A senior military official tells Fox News he's hopeful about the sailors being transferred Wednesday morning. The offiicial also said that one of the sailors is female. Pentagon officials said the incident occurred near Farsi Island in the Gulf. They said one of their two small boats had mechanical trouble, causing one or both to run aground. The sailors were then picked up by Iran and taken to the island. But it is unclear where they are now. The boats were moving between Kuwait and Bahrain at the time, and the Pentagon briefly lost contact with the crews. A senior Obama administration official told Fox News that Iranian authorities have assured the United States of the sailors' safety and well-being and said they will promptly be allowed to continue their journey. The semi-official Iranian news agency, FARS, said the sailors were trespassing in Iranian waters. The defense official also told Fox that one of the Navy riverine vessels might have been disabled and drifted into Iranian territorial waters, and the other stayed nearby attempting to fix the problem. Our top priority is the safety and security of our service members detained by Iran," said House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. "I am closely monitoring the situation, and I hope the president will soon update the American people." President Obama reportedly will not address the incident in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night. The incident comes amid heightened tensions with Iran, and only hours before President Obama was set to deliver his final State of the Union address to Congress and the public. It set off a dramatic series of calls and meetings as U.S. officials tried to determine the exact status of the crew and reach out to Iranian leaders. Secretary of State John Kerry, who has forged a personal relationship with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif through three years of nuclear negotiations, called Zarif immediately on learning of the incident, according to a senior U.S. official. Kerry "personally engaged with Zarif on this issue to try to get to this outcome," the official said. Kerry learned of the incident around 12:30 p.m. EST as he and Defense Secretary Ash Carter were meeting their Filipino counterparts at the State Department, the official said. This comes on the heels of an incident in late December when Iran launched a rocket test near U.S. warships and boats passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The officials were not authorized to discuss the sensitive incident publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity. The incident also takes place just days before Iran is expected to satisfy the terms of last summer's nuclear deal. Once the U.N. nuclear agency confirms Iran's actions to roll back its program, the United States and other Western powers are obliged to suspend wide-ranging oil, trade and financial sanctions on Tehran. Kerry recently said the deal's implementation was days away. Iran is testing the boundaries of this administration's resolve and they know the boundaries are pretty wide that the administration is willing to let them get away with many things," GOP presidential candidate and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio told Fox New's "Special Report with Bret Baier." "You're only seeing this accelerate since the deal was signed." Fox News' Wes Barrett and Lucas Tomlinson and the Associated Press contributed to this report. The U.S. military is preparing a bulk transfer of 10 detainees on Thursday from its detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, two defense officials told Fox News. The transfer, amounting to about 10 percent of the remaining prisoners, marks the largest group of detainees to be shipped out of the camp since Defense Secretary Ash Carter informed Congress in December his department would transfer a wave of detainees at the beginning of 2016. The accelerated transfers reflect a renewed effort by the president who is likely to highlight the issue in the State of the Union address Tuesday night to shutter the controversial prison camp. But the moves have heightened security concerns, as some of the latest detainees being shipped out were deemed medium- or high-risk prisoners. All these guys are the hardcore type; if not, they would have been transferred earlier, said one official familiar with the list of those being transferred Thursday. The upcoming transfer would bring the number of detainees moved out of the camp this year to 14; the administration is looking to transfer a total of 17 in the coming weeks. Right, now, there are 103 detainees remaining at the camp, and all have ties to Al Qaeda or other terrorist groups. A Pentagon spokesman would not comment on the bulk transfer Thursday when reached by Fox News. The 10 detainees are expected to go to countries in the Middle East, but officials declined to outline which ones specifically. The transfers are part of an administration effort to bring down the prison camps population as much as possible. Fifty-nine prisoners, however, currently are not eligible for transfer abroad, and the administration is trying to figure out what to do with them. Though Congress has blocked transfers to the United States, the Pentagon nevertheless has conducted a series of site surveys of prisons in the U.S. in the past few months. Federal prisons in Colorado, Kansas and South Carolina were assessed by defense officials. The Pentagon was supposed to deliver a report to Congress with its findings and recommendations, but that report has not yet been delivered and is currently stalled, according to officials familiar with the matter. White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, on Fox News Sunday, vowed that President Obama will close the Guantanamo Bay detainee facility before his presidency ends. McDonough sidestepped the question of whether the president would use his executive powers to close the facility, if Congress continues to resist. The Pentagon announced the most recent transfer, Muhammed Abd Al Rahman Awn Al-Shamrani, on Monday the fourth so far this year. Al-Shamrani had been held in Cuba for 14 years and, according to his leaked prisoner file, was suspected of Al Qaeda ties. He was deemed a high threat to the United States, according to a U.S. military memo recommending continued detention in 2008. If released without close supervision, the memo warned, Shamrani will immediately seek out prior [Al Qaeda] associates and reengage in hostilities. He was transferred to his home country of Saudi Arabia. It is estimated that 30 percent of detainees transferred out of the prison re-engage or are suspected of re-engaging in hostile activities, according to the Department of Defense. Sens. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., sent a letter to the leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee Monday requesting a hearing as soon as possible regarding the Obama administration's transfers of terrorist detainees from Guantanamo. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, asked about the presidents Guantanamo plans Tuesday morning on Fox News, reiterated the goal of closing the camp before Obama leaves office. That is what we intend to do, he said. The walls might not be able to talk, but the foundation has spoken. And its good. Researchers digging on site at the Must Farm quarry in Cambridgeshire, England, recently uncovered debris that tell the story of a Bronze Age housing unit from around 3,000 years ago. Related: Big-eared statues reveal ancient Egyptian power couple The dwellers lived above water in circular wooden homes on stilts. It is believed that a fire destroyed the settlement and the debris that fell into the water was subsequently preserved in the river bed. In addition to portions of the structures themselves, researchers uncovered textiles, cups, bowls, jars with meals inside of them and exotic glass beads. On the projects website, David Gibson, Archaeological Manager at the Cambridge Archaeological Unit, said, "It's prehistoric archaeology in 3D with an unsurpassed finds assemblage both in terms of range and quantity. Must Farm, a clay quarry that is currently owned by building and products manufacturer Forterrra, has given up some of its secrets in the past. In 1969, metal work from the Bronze Age surfaced, and in 2011, nine log boats were discovered. Related: Otzi the Iceman may have suffered stomach bug Historic England is funding the project alongside Forterra. The Cambridge Archaeological Unit of the University of Cambridge is excavating the site and the project is halfway completed. Artifacts will eventually be displayed at the Peterborough Museum and other local venues. next Image 1 of 3 prev next Image 2 of 3 prev Image 3 of 3 The scene of neighbors hanging holiday decorations at their tidy Bronx apartment building was nothing remarkable, except to the people doing it. Like everyone else at Haven Apartments, they had been homeless and mentally ill. And now they have their own apartments, in a building offering on-site help with everything from handling finances to managing medical care to making friends. Facing a stubborn swell in homelessness, New York is embarking on what may be the biggest investment any city has made in places like Haven a $2.6 billion plan to create 15,000 "supportive housing" apartments. Advocates see the nation's fast-growing stock of supportive housing as a potent, cost-effective tool for getting people off the streets and into stable lives. And it has been that for Iris Soto, who moved into Haven from a homeless shelter in 2013. "I feel like this is my family that I got here," says Soto, 59. Staffers helped her cope with the depression that used to spur thoughts of hurting herself. Neighbors elected her president of a residents' council. And after years of bouncing between relatives' homes and shelters where she'd bathe at 4 a.m. because so many women jockeyed to wash up, she finally has a place of her own. Yet some communities have shunned supportive housing, and some experts caution that it has limitations. Dating to the 1980s, supportive housing has expanded from under 190,000 residents nationwide in 2007 to over 300,000 in 2014, federal statistics show. It's been credited with reducing chronic homelessness in Utah from 1,900 people to just 178 in a decade. Places from San Francisco to Massachusetts have major programs. "It's more than just getting people out of sight by giving them a home," says Mary Brosnahan, president of the Coalition for the Homeless advocacy group. "Because once they have that ... they can flip that switch from survival to working on thriving." New York is betting big on it at a time when homelessness has come front and center. About 58,000 people now rely on shelters 12 percent more than two years ago possibly thousands more live on the streets, and the city logged 60 percent more complaints about homelessness this year than last. Homelessness has declined nationwide in recent years while rising in some places Los Angeles and Hawaii recently declared it a state of emergency as rents climbed ahead of incomes, among other likely factors. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced his plan last month to nearly double the 32,000 existing supportive housing apartments citywide. The earlier ones were partly state-financed. The plan includes building 7,500 new apartments and designating 7,500 others scattered in various buildings, where social workers would visit regularly. While residents generally pay a portion of their disability or other benefits in rent, the city expects to spend about $30,000 per apartment per year on services. Still, studies have found supportive housing saves thousands of dollars a year in shelter, hospital and jail costs. Even as it's grown, supportive housing has faced pushback in places from Los Angeles to Dallas to the Chicago suburbs; prospective neighbors raised security fears or said they'd bear too much of their area's homelessness burden. De Blasio has said he's confident New York will find locations. Some homelessness experts note the arrangement doesn't work for everyone, or everything. "Just because you put someone behind a door doesn't mean you were successful," says Ralph Da Costa Nunez, a former New York City official who runs Homes for the Homeless, a family shelter and educational program. "You have social problems that need to be solved." Some residents end up getting evicted, going back to hospitals or simply abandoning their apartments about 6 percent in one year in San Francisco, according to a San Francisco city comptroller's office report that also urged helping residents become self-sufficient enough to move out. Haven Apartments is intended for two-to-five-year stays, but it's been 18 years and counting for Elaine Patterson. She says living there has made her "100 times stronger" and opened new possibilities. These days, she writes poetry and volunteers at a library. Robert Blake appreciates Haven, too, but he hopes his stay will be shorter. He used to live more independently in a "scattered" supportive apartment, until a medication problem spurred several hospitalizations. At Haven, he has gone three years without hospitalization. He's become more outgoing and even went to the state Capitol to lobby on social service issues with staffers from Haven's nonprofit operator, Unique People Services. A photo from the trip hangs in his small studio, alongside portraits of family. "I had to come here to readjust myself ... see what I could learn and do," says Blake, 43. "Now I've reached a different level, and I'm ready to move on my own again." ___ Reach Jennifer Peltz on Twitter @ jennpeltz. See some of her work at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/jennifer-peltz. A couple and their two daughters were killed late Monday in a house explosion that rocked a northeast Ohio neighborhood. The blast and subsequent fire happened at approximately 8:30 p.m. in Northfield Center Township in Summit County, approximately 20 miles south of Cleveland. Fire Chief Frank Risko said the bodies of a mother and her two daughters, aged 8 and 12, were found on the first floor near the front of the home. The father was found near the back of the house. Authorities did not immediately identify the victims. WJW reported that though firefighters were initially called to the home for reports of a gas explosion, investigators have not confirmed what caused the tragedy. Officials with the gas company do not believe the explosion was caused by a gas leak, but it has not been ruled out. Randy Nickschinski lives two doors down. He told Cleveland.com that he and his son, Nate, rushed to the house and kicked in the front door. The family's dog quickly escaped. Then he, his son and another neighbor went inside and yelled for the family, but no one answered. "There was a lot of fire, a lot of debris," Nickschinski said. "We were yelling and nothing. We were just looking everywhere." Nickschinski's daughter, Danielle, told the website that she had done babysitting for the family's two young girls. "They were very outgoing and nice," she said. "They always wanted to play." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Click for more from Fox8.com. An Oregon man convicted of attempted murder said he wanted to get married before he went to prison, so the judge who sentenced him agreed to preside over the courtroom wedding Friday, local media reported. A Portland jury had convicted 24-year-old Tyrone Allen on charges including attempted murder after police said he shot at a rival gang member in March of last year. The conviction carries a minimum prison sentence of 10 years. But before his sentencing, Allen told his defense attorney that he wanted to marry his longtime friend Trisha Romero that day, according to KOIN. They were happy, attorney Alicia Hercher told the news station. She reportedly asked Judge Gregory Silver if he could stick around for the wedding, and he said yes. Prosecutors didnt object, but they didnt stay for the ceremony. After the sentencing, the judge posed with the couple as they said I do. Allens hands and feet were shackled. Family and friends watched. Since Allen had been sentenced to prison, he and Romero couldnt kiss, or touch each other in any way. But after a quick, 5-minute ceremony, the husband was escorted out of the courtroom, and eventually, to prison. An Oregon sheriff accused members of a small, armed group occupying a national wildlife refuge of attempting to intimidate federal employees and law enforcement officers. Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward told a community meeting Monday night that officers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife employees have reported being followed to their homes and observed while inside and that self-identified "militia members" have tried to engage them in debates about their status as federal employees. Ward said law enforcement at every level "will not be intimidated from doing their jobs", telling community members, "there's an hour glass and it's running out," The Oregonian reported. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, which has been occupied since Jan. 2. Sixteen full time employees and one part time employee usually work at the refuge, spokesman Jason Holm told the Associated Press. Some who can't work away from the refuge have taken administrative leave, while others are working from home or another office. Also Monday, protest leader Ammon Bundy told reporters he and his followers are going through government documents stored inside refuge buildings. Bundy said the documents would "expose" how the government has discriminated against local ranchers who use federal land for cattle grazing. Bundy said the documents would also help secure the release of Steven and Dwight Hammond, two area ranchers convicted of arson who returned to prison last week to serve longer sentences. The Hammonds' case set off the protest that led to the occupation. Holm said because the documents and files at the refuge may have personally identifiable information, the agency "is taking necessary steps to ensure employee and family safety." Bundy said his group is not accessing government computers at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, including personnel files. After the news conference, the group drove in a convoy to a ranch near the refuge and tore down a stretch of government-erected fence. The goal, according to the armed men, was to give the rancher access to the range that had been blocked for years. It's not clear where the fence was located or which rancher sought the group's help. Fish and Wildlife strongly condemned the destruction of the fence and said the action undermines hard-earned conservation impacts achieved in the area. "Removing fences, damaging any Refuge property, or unauthorized use of equipment would be additional unlawful actions by the illegal occupiers," the agency said in a statement. "Any movement of cattle onto the Refuge or other activities that are not specifically authorized by USFWS constitutes trespassing." In Burns, about 30 miles from the refuge, schools reopened after being canceled for a week over safety concerns due to the refuge standoff. Government offices in the area remained closed, including those of the Bureau of Land Management. BLM spokesman Randy Eardley said about 60 BLM employees were working from home. "There is a very clear threat to BLM employees," Eardley said, but he did not cite any specific threats. Federal, state and local law enforcement officials are monitoring the occupation but have not taken any action. Ammon Bundy is a son of Cliven Bundy, a Nevada rancher who was at the center of a tense standoff with federal officials in 2014 over unpaid grazing fees. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The mother of the Texas teenager who famously used the "affluenza" defense while on trial in connection with a deadly car crash was set to leave prison Tuesday after posting a sharply reduced bond. Tarrant County Sheriff said late Monday that Tonya Couch would be released the following morning "barring any unseen delays." Earlier Monday, a judge had lowered Couch's bond from $1 million to $75,000. Couch will be required to wear an electronic ankle monitor and remain at the home of her 29-year-old son Steven McWilliams, except for appointments with her doctor and lawyer. "I want her at her son's home, and that's where I want her to stay," said State District Judge Wayne Salvant, who also ordered Couch to pay nearly $3,200 in restitution to the sheriff's office for the cost of transporting her back to Texas from Los Angeles. The 48-year-old woman is charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon after she and her son, Ethan Couch, were caught in a Mexican resort city. Ethan, 18, killed four people in a 2013 crash and was facing allegations that he violated his probation. Authorities say Tonya Couch took $30,000 and fled with Ethan to Mexico out of fear that her son would be put behind bars for violating his probation. The two were caught Dec. 28 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Tonya Couch was brought back to Texas last week after first being taken to Los Angeles. Ethan Couch remains in a Mexico City detention facility, where he is contesting his extradition. Salvant said he understood prosecutors' concerns that Couch might flee again, but that the charge against her, while a third-degree felony, wasn't serious enough to merit a $1 million bond. Ethan Couch was 16 and driving at three times the legal intoxication limit for adult drivers when he rammed a pickup truck into a crowd of people trying to help stranded motorists on the side of a North Texas road. Four people were killed in the June 2013 wreck. A juvenile court judge gave the teen 10 years' probation, outraging prosecutors who had called for him to face detention time. The case drew widespread derision after an expert called by Ethan Couch's lawyers argued he had been coddled into a sense of irresponsibility by his wealthy parents, a condition the expert called "affluenza." Despite all of the previous testimony about the teen's wealthy upbringing, his mother's attorneys argued she had few assets to her own name and couldn't pay the cost of a $1 million bond. McWilliams testified Monday that his mother's bank account had been frozen by a court order and he wasn't able to access it. He also told a prosecutor upon questioning that he wouldn't have been surprised to have seen $100,000 from the sale of a house in the account. Tonya Couch is separated from Fred Couch, Ethan's father, who owns a suburban Fort Worth business that does large-scale metal roofing. According to an arrest warrant, Tonya Couch is accused of telling Fred Couch that he would never see her or Ethan again before fleeing. McWilliams testified that Fred Couch was "fairly adamant" he wasn't going to give her money. Tarrant County criminal investigator Darran Gabbert testified Monday that Tonya and Ethan Couch had a "planning meeting" with several other people before leaving for Mexico. One person at that meeting was a teen who was in Ethan Couch's truck at the time of the crash, Gabbert said. Gabbert said that teen's attorney had contacted him to say the teen had Ethan Couch's driver's license and a credit card. The teen didn't have his own ID, however, Gabbert said. Tonya and Ethan Couch were found a few weeks after disappearing. Authorities say they were able to track them after the two ordered a pizza. A Texas magistrate on Friday signed an order to examine Tonya Couch for "mental illness and mental retardation." The order said the court determined there was reasonable cause to believe she "has a mental illness or is a person with a mental retardation." The Associated Press contributed to this report. A man wanted by authorities in Ohio who was unhappy with how his earlier mug shot made him appear sent police a selfie that he believed was more flattering, police said Tuesday. There is an active warrant for the arrest of Donald A "Chip" Pugh, age 45 of Lima, for Failure to Appear. Mr. Pugh is... Posted by Lima Police Department on Wednesday, January 6, 2016 Donald Chip Pugh, 45, who is wanted for Failure to Appear, told the Lima Police Department last week that he didnt like the photos police used on its Facebook page. Pugh took matters into his own hands and sent police a selfie taken from a drivers seat. He is wearing a beige polo shirt and sunglasses. Its a situation where hes making it worse than it needs to be, Lt. Andy Green, the police departments public relations officer, said. Green pointed out that Pugh faces a misdemeanor warrant and the mug shot posted on the police Facebook page would have been seen by 200 people. Now its gone viral, he said. Pugh has yet to talk with police about the arrest warrant, authorities said. We thank him for being helpful, but now we would appreciate it if he would come speak to us at the LPD about his charges, police said. Thailand's king has made a rare, brief appearance on television amid concerns about his ailing health. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who turned 88 earlier this month, was shown seated in a chair Monday presiding over the swearing in of a group of judges at a Bangkok hospital where he has spent most of the last six years. His last appearance before the general public was on Sept. 1. The deeply revered king is a constitutional monarch with no formal political role but has been regarded as a stabilizing figure for Thailand, which has experienced political turmoil in recent years. His most recent ailment was a lung infection that required him to be fed intravenously and use a machine to aid his breathing. A Canadian who was held by the Taliban in Afghanistan since 2010 has been released. Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion said in a statement Monday that efforts to secure the release of Colin Rutherford have been successful. Rutherford was a tourist in Afghanistan when he was seized by the Taliban in November 2010. The Taliban released a video of Rutherford in 2011 and accused him, then 26, of being a spy. Rutherford insisted he was not a spy and had travelled to Afghanistan to study historical sites and shrines. It was not immediately clear how he was released, but Dion thanked the government of Qatar for its assistance. An American woman whose naked body was found last week in her Italian apartment was strangled, possibly with a rope, an Italian official said Tuesday. Prosecutor Giuseppe Creazzo cautions more time is needed to establish the time of death for Ashley Olsen. The 35-year-old had been living in Florence for about three years. Autopsy findings so far indicate that she died in roughly a 36-hour-period between the morning of Friday and the early afternoon of Saturday. The corpse, with bruises and scratches on the neck, was discovered after her Italian boyfriend expressed alarm he hadn't heard from her in a few days and asked the landlady to open the door. Corriere della Sera newspaper quoted the boyfriend as saying the couple had quarreled over a minor matter three days before her corpse was found, and that he tried to call her but that Olsen didn't answer her phone. Olsen, originally from Florida, was last seen by friends early Friday at a popular Florence nightclub. Some friends told police she stayed behind at the club when they left. Investigators stressed that they haven't put anyone under investigation. Olsen had experienced a marriage that ended badly, and still had her ex-husbands name tattooed on her wrist, a friend told The Daily Telegraph. Laboratory results will also help determine whether Olsen had been sexually assaulted, Creazzo said, adding that there were no external signs of sexual attack. Investigators have said there were no signs of a break-in, indicating that Olsen likely knew her killer. Olsen's beagle, Scout, a frequent companion of the woman on strolls through Florence's historic center, was found unhurt in the apartment. The woman had lived in Florence for some three years and was known among the Renaissance art city's close-knit expatriate community. Her father, Walter Olsen, who teaches in Florence and is known in the design field, laid a floral bouquet and knelt for a few minutes in front of the apartment building, the Italian news agency ANSA said. He was accompanied by police and U.S. Consulate personnel, and didn't enter his daughter's apartment, which is officially under judicial seal because of the investigation, the report said. It was unclear when the body might be released for burial, as prosecutors won't give the go-ahead until they are sure more forensic medical testing isn't needed for the coroner's report. Some 72 hours' worth of video from two surveillance cameras in the street near OIsen's home were being scrutinized by police in hopes of catching a glimpse of whoever killed her arriving or leaving the small apartment building. The club where friends last saw Olsen is a popular stop on Florence's night scene. It has been temporarily closed more than once in recent years for problems with the law, including alleged sale of cocaine and overcrowding. With its fine museums and art-rich churches, Florence is a popular destination for Italian and foreign tourists, and draws many art students from around the world. `'Florence is safe," the city's police chief, Raffaele Micillo, was quoted by the Italian news agency ANSA as saying on Monday. Olsen's death is `'a very grave occurrence and we are giving it utmost attention and we are working in sync with the prosecutors' office, but it could have happened in any city," Micillo said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. With a flood of refugees streaming into Europe, Denmarks government said Tuesday it had enough support for a plan to seize migrants valuables in order to pay for their stays in asylum centers. "The government, the Social Democrats, the Danish People's Party, the Liberal Alliance and the Conservative People's Party have agreed to amend the bill concerning valuables," a government statement said, according to AFP. Wedding rings, engagement rings, family portraits, badges of honor and other sentimental items would be exempt from the measure. The proposed law would let authorities take away valuables worth about $1,500 or more in order to help bear the burden of housing costs. The value of eligible property was raised from an initial $437 in order to gain more widespread support for the measure. The proposal is just one part of a larger immigration package the Danish parliament is due to begin debating on Wednesday. A delay on some family reunifications is also part of the plan. A vote is set for Jan. 26. The U.N. refugee agency criticized the proposed move last week, saying it was a deeply concerning response to humanitarian needs and an affront to the dignity of refugees, according to Reuters. More than a million people have gushed into European countries, primarily fleeing war-torn Syria, but also other conflict zones in the Middle East and Africa. What was initially viewed as a primarily humanitarian issue has become increasingly focused on security and economics. Refugees have been accused of mass sexual assaults and Islamic terror attacks in numerous countries. A British man said he figured out something was wrong when he opened a FedEx package expecting an Amazon Kindle, but instead got a box marked Human Specimen. FedEx apologized for the delivery mistake, BBC reported Sunday. The box apparently contained a patients tumor. James Potten told the news agency FedEx had called him on Thursday claiming a worker had tried to make the delivery earlier in the day at his home in Bristol, west of London. Potten said hed returned home, so the worker came back with the package. The tracking code on the item had the same first five and last three numbers as my order but it wasn't my Kindle, Potten said. He told BBC he never opened the box. Londons Royal Free Hospital claimed it was supposed to be delivered there. A FedEx spokesman said the company "will consider future changes to our processes. Potten finally got his Kindle on Sunday. Escalating attacks on French Jews led a top leader in the community to urge other Jews against wearing skullcaps until better days, AFP reported Tuesday. The move is an exceptional decision, said Zvi Ammar, president of the Marseille Israelite Consistory. Life is more sacred than anything else, Ammar told AFP. We are now forced to hide a little bit. He said the move made him sick to the stomach. "We are now forced to hide a little bit." Zvi Ammar Unfortunately for us, we are targeted, Ammar said. As soon as we are identified as Jewish we can be assaulted and even risk death. France's chief rabbi, Haim Korsia, rejected the idea. "We should not give an inch," he told AFP. "We should continue wearing the kippa." The call to remove skullcaps comes a day after a Marseille teacher was attacked with a machete by a Kurdish teen who claimed to be acting in the name of ISIS. The teacher was hurt, but survived. Since the start of 2015, France has become a frequent target of ISIS terrorists, and Jews have been common targets. The same day as the Jan. 7, 2015 attack on the Charli Hebdo satirical newspaper, four Jews were slaughtered in a kosher supermarket in Paris. Smaller incidents have also occurred during the past few months, three of them in Marseille alone: In October, three Jews were assaulted near a synagogue; In November, a man shouting support for ISIS stabbed a Jewish teacher; and another teacher was attacked on Monday. Ammars plea also comes the same day a 73-year-old local French Jewish politician was found stabbed to death in his apartment, according to the Jerusalem Post, which cited foreign language press reports from France. No terror link has been established yet in that case. Alain Ghozland was found dead Tuesday morning. His brother called police when Ghozland did not show up to their synagogue and, though the death is thought to be a homicide, police have no leads in the investigation, the Post reported, citing LExpress. Authorities are awaiting the results of an autopsy. Police reportedly found Ghozlands home ransacked, but French Radio Station Europe 1 said his front door did not show signs of a break-in, according to the Times of Israel. Frances Jewish community numbers between 500,000 and 600,000 and is the largest in Europe, according to AFP. A spokesman for Israels immigration ministry told AFP about 8,000 French Jews had left France for Israel in the past year alone. An ISIS terrorist blew himself up in a popular tourist district of Istanbul Tuesday, killing at least 10 people all of whom were foreigners and nine of whom were German nationals and wounding at least 15 others. Perus foreign ministry said the attack killed one Peruvian man and wounded a Peruvian woman. At least six Germans were among the wounded, Turkish news agency Dogan reported, and Seoul's Foreign Ministry told reporters via text message that one South Korean had a finger injury. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry told Norway's news agency NTB that a Norwegian tourist was slightly hurt and was being treated in a local hospital. The bomber was a 28-year-old Syrian national who was not on Turkeys terror watch list, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus had previously said the perpetrator was born in 1988 and was a Syrian national, but Dogan claimed the bomber was Saudi-born. Turkey won't backtrack in its struggle against Daesh by even one step, Davutoglu said, referring to ISIS by its Arabic acronym. This terror organization, the assailants and all of their connections will be found and they will receive the punishments they deserve. Data curated by FindTheData Authorities in Germany and Denmark warned citizens visiting Turkey to avoid crowds outside tourist attractions in Istanbul. German officials said on a government website that further violent clashes and "terrorist attacks" are expected across Turkey. Germany also urged travelers to stay away from demonstrations and gatherings, particularly in large cities. The U.S. condemned the heinous attack in Istanbuls historic heart. We stand together with Turkey, a NATO ally, a strong partner and a valued member of the Counter-ISIL coalition, in the face of this attack and pledge our ongoing cooperation and support in the fight against terrorism, a statement from National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price said. The explosion, which could be heard from several neighborhoods, was at a park that is home to a landmark obelisk, some 25 yards from the historic Blue Mosque. Sultanahmet is Istanbul's main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and the Haghia Sophia museum. Omer Celik, the spokesman for Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's ruling party issued a statement condemning what he called "a heinous attack." Davutoglu convened a security meeting immediately following the explosion with the country's interior minister and other officials. As with previous attacks, authorities imposed a news blackout, barring media from showing images of the dead or injured or reporting any details of the investigation. Police sealed the area of the explosion, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion and a police helicopter hovered overhead The explosion was set off at approximately 10:20 a.m. local time, according to the Hurriyet newspaper. Erdem Koroglu, who was working at a nearby office at the time of the explosion, told NTV television he saw several people lying on the ground following the blast. "It was difficult to say who was alive or dead," Koroglu said. "Buildings rattled from the force of the explosion." Turkey suffered two major bombing attacks last year. More than 30 people were killed in an ISIS suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near Turkey's border with Syria, in July. Two suicide bombs in October outside Ankara's main train station as people gathered for a peace rally killed more than 100 people. It was Turkey's deadliest attack. The prosecutor's office said the attack was carried out by a local ISIS cell. Last month, Turkish authorities arrested two suspected ISIS militants they said were planning suicide bombings during New Year's celebrations in the capital. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Click for more from Sky News. United Nations officials have officially launched their biggest-ever appeal for humanitarian aid to cope with the spiraling Syrian refugee crisis amid growing donor fatigue and renewed Russian air attacks that are making the humanitarian disaster worse. The appeal asks global donors to ante up $9 billion for Syria and surrounding countries for 2016, a $600 million hike from the appeal goal last year -- a goal that came nowhere near being met. The U.S. donated $1.6 billion to the humanitarian cause for Syria and the region in 2015, bringing the total U.S. aid contribution for the overall crisis to some $4.5 billion since it began in 2011. A U.S. State Department official told Fox News the Obama administrations contribution this year is likely to be similar to the 2015 tally. No one else has been feeling anywhere near as generous, a fact that is much on the mind of world leaders as they prepare for a donors conference in London in early February to come up with the cash to start funding the appeal. They also hope to begin thinking of longer-term solutions to the swelling disaster, which has now spilled well beyond its regional origins onto European shores, and is unlikely to abate for years. At the moment, however, long-term realities have to face an ugly short-term fact: the cash for coping with the humanitarian black hole of Syrias disaster simply hasnt been there. Overall, last years Syria regional appeal, which also was unprecedented in size, was not even half-funded, a shortfall due in part to the limping state of many European economies, and also to a sudden hike in what the U.N. calls its most drastic Level 3 humanitarian disasters, in Iraq, South Sudan and Yemen, as well as the Syrian civil war. Together with a flood of lesser humanitarian crises, the U.N. is asking for some $20.1 billion to meet humanitarian needs around the world in 2016, more than double the $8.8 billion asked for worldwide in 2012. Last year, the U.N. asked for nearly as much on a global basis, $19.9 billion, and came up $9.6 billion short. Much of the huge escalation in demand for cash, and the resultant shortfall, has been due to the deadly environment of Syrian dictator Bashar Assads Russian- and Iranian-backed war against his own people, compounded by rising tides of Islamic extremism and the terrifying incursion of ISIS. Some 4.7 million people are now estimated to have fled the country, mostly to Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan -- including the tide of some 300,000 refugees that have reached Europe -- and they are not going home any time soon, as a State Department official put it. Internally, some 6.5 million more have been displaced. Overall, the U.N. estimates that some 13.5 million people still in Syria require humanitarian assistance and protection -- and, adds the State Department official, it could get worse. In fact, that already could be happening, according to military experts monitoring the violence inside the country. They note that after a brief slowdown, the tempo of air attacks by Russian warplanes dispatched to Syria in recent months to support the Assad regime is rising again in areas held by anti-Assad rebels. One of the aims, says Chris Kozak, a Syria expert at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, is to change the facts on the ground in advance of peace talks between the opposing sides that were announced over the weekend by U.N. special envoy Staffan de Mistura, which are supposed to begin in Geneva on January 25. Kozak noted that much of the recent air warfare has been aimed at stabilizing front lines for the Assad regime around Syrias biggest cities, Damascus and Aleppo. Most of the activity has been aimed, like previous waves of Russian air strikes, at regime opponents like the Free Syrian Army, which is backed by the U.S. and its regional allies, rather than at ISIS extremists that Russian President Vladimir Putin also claims to oppose. Other observers have noted that Russian air attacks have made use of anti-personnel weapons such as cluster bombs and dumb bombs that have significant margins of error in hitting targets. According to Kozak, the air strikes, which have hit civilian facilities including a hospital, at a minimum show Russian lack of concern with displacing civilians, and perhaps more. Part of the overall strategy of the Syrian regime has always been to depopulate rebel-held areas to deny them political legitimacy, Kozak observed. Part of the Russian calculation is that if you can turn up the military pressure, this is a direct pressure point as you come to the negotiating process. Saying that he had heard unconfirmed reports that refugee flows are increasing because of the Russian strikes, Kozak added: I am almost certain part of the calculation is that refugee outflows also apply pressure to other Russian adversaries, such as Turkey --which has taken in some 2 million Syrian refugees -- as well as weakening and dividing Europe. In other words, the rising bill for refugees may now be a factor in Russian military policy in Syria as well. John Bolton, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. under George W. Bush (and also a Fox News contributor), agrees that in part, what Putin is aiming to accomplish is to say to Europe, We can solve your refugee problem, too and he clearly sees that as connected to persuading Europe to relenting on sanctions in Ukraine, for example. Kozak suspects that the Russian military pressure could also be intended to further fracture the anti-Assad opposition and perhaps even prevent the promised peace talks from convening -- and that part of the solution to the ongoing disaster is that we really need to stand up to Russia. The U.S. really needs to take a side. Analysis of the power politics behind the still-metastasizing refugee crisis in the Middle East, however, does not form part of the ongoing U.N. discussions about the need for more cash to alleviate the disaster. What the future holds on that front is more meetings. Indeed, the upcoming international donor gathering in February is only the prelude to a series of high-level meetings that world leaders intend to hold in coming months to deal with the global refugee crisis, culminating in a long-planned U.N.-sponsored World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May. That gathering, in the sanitized language the U.N. favors for such occasions, intends to set a forward-looking agenda for humanitarian action to collectively address future humanitarian challenges, and to build a more inclusive and diverse humanitarian system committed to humanitarian principles. George Russell is Editor-at-Large of Fox News. He is reachable on Twitter at @GeorgeRussell and on Facebook at Facebook.com/George.Russell Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted he might grant asylum to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said America was not the chosen nation and even recited part of a German classic from the 1800s in its original language from memory during a far-ranging interview with German newspaper BILD. When asked if Russia would grant asylum to Assad should the Syrian leader be forced to leave his country, Putin responded by comparing the situation to that of American defector Edward Snowden. Snowden was granted asylum in Russia after leaking a trove of classified U.S. government documents. It is too early for that. But it was surely more difficult to grant Mr. Snowden asylum in Russia than it would be in the case of Assad, Putin said. But first the Syrian population has to be able to vote, and then we will see if Assad would have to leave his county if he loses the election. "Barack Obama also says America is the 'chosen nation.' I do not take that seriously, either." Russian President Vladimir Putin Putin and Russia have come to Assads aid in Syria, bombing both ISIS fighters inside the country as well as Assads opposition groups. Russia has been accused of killing civilians in the process, though Putin denied those charges. Our pilots do not bomb civil targets, except if you call the thousands of tanker trucks virtually a living pipeline a civil target, Putin said, after noting several times the U.S. was accused of bombing civilian targets. The Russian leader said his preferred outcome in Syria was modelled on recent events in Egypt. I can tell you what we do not want: we do not want Syria to end like Iraq or Libya, Putin said. Look at Egypt: one has to praise President Sisi for taking over the responsibility and power in an emergency situation, in order to stabilize the country. Therefore, one should try anything to support the legitimate rulers in Syria. Putin took several opportunities to criticize the U.S. and even swatted at President Obama, who has called Russia a regional power. To be honest, I did not take that seriously, Putin said. Of course, every head of state and government in the world is allowed to have his opinion and to voice it. Barack Obama also says America is the chosen nation. I do not take that seriously, either. Later in the interview, Putin needled the U.S. again during a broad discussion of what democracy means. There is no uniform, global model for democracy, he said. What you mean by democracy differs from county to country. This conception is different in India and in the USA and in Russia or Europe. In the USA, for example, twice in history a politician became President because he had more electoral votes, regardless of the fact that his competitor had more votes from the citizens. Putin continued, Does that mean the USA are not a democracy? Of course they are. Near the end of the interview, which was translated into English by Business Insider, Putin showed off by spontaneously recited the beginning of the 1824 classic Loreley in German. The German language is more precise, Putin said. But Russian is more versatile, colorful. Apple and Samsung have been in lawsuit and patent war ever since the two companies came to be and it looks like this won't end any time soon. There are patent infringement lawsuit that they dragged in from the past year and now both Apple and Samsung have added new lawsuits to the mix! Happy new year! According to Reuters, "Samsung Electronics Co Ltd urged a U.S. appeals court on Tuesday to find that a jury in 2014 should not have made the South Korean company pay nearly $120 million to Apple Inc for infringing three patents. Apple's "quick links" patent, which accounts for more than $98 million of the damages award, was the main focus in Samsung's latest effort to overturn major court victories by the U.S. technology company over the past two years." To those unfamiliar with the rivalry between Samsung and Apple, those two companies have been in headlock ever since the smartphone industry blew up the past decade. Of course, some might claim that their rivalry goes much further back, but the main lawsuit battles have been over the smartphone industry. As 2015 was ending, Apple accused Samsung of another patent infringement, hinting that it will not go for settlement too quickly. According to Bloomberg, "Apple Inc. asked a U.S. judge to award it about $180 million more in its long-running smartphone patent war with Samsung Electronics Co. The request follows a $548 million judgment that the Korean handset maker paid this month. Two weeks later, Samsung asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the bulk of the award in what would be the court's first case involving design patents in 120 years." With Apple poised to release the iPhone 7 and having Samsung Galaxy S6 flopped in the market, the market is watching both companies closely to see who will have the edge in today's smartphone industry. While Samsung has had a lead in Asian markets, Apple has had the Americas as the strong hold. Apple also has been reaching out towards the Chinese and other Asian markets, in hopes of also making Mac computers more popular in that region. Do you think the next patent infringement will come from Apple or Samsung? Who do you think will reach settlement first? Let me know in the comments below! Lo and behold - AT&T has resurrected its unlimited data plan! This is rather a change in circumstances for other companies like Verizon, Sprint and Tmobile that has gotten an edge in competition with their unlimited data plans. Looks like they will have to do a lot more to gain ground against AT&T! According to Wall Street Journal, "AT&T Inc. is bringing back its unlimited wireless data plan-a reversal after more than five years of moving customers away from such plans onto those that charge for data use. The change comes at a competitive time in the industry as carriers are looking for new ways to attract subscribers, and retain their existing ones, without simply cutting prices." All too good to be true? That's probably because it may be. According to the same article, "The new AT&T plan will be available starting Tuesday only to customers who subscribe to its recently acquired satellite-television service, DirecTV, or its older U-verse home television service." This means that the phone companies are now looking to link TV services with smartphone services, making sure that the former doesn't totally die out, thanks to companies like Netflix. "This is the first of many integrated video and mobile offers that we plan to announce in 2016," says Glenn Lurie, president and CEO of AT&T Mobility, according to USA Today. The popularity of unlimited data plan comes with smartphones becoming a commonplace and streaming services getting more and more popular. According to some reports, an average phone user uses more than 3 gigabytes of data per month, showing that video viewings have increased on wireless devices. Do you think Verizon, Sprint and Tmobile should feel threatened with this move made by AT&T? Let me know in the comments below! Google, the giant of tech world, has swallowed yet another small app - Songza. Thousands of Songza users are now migrating to Google Play Music services, in hopes of listening to music for free and also ad-free. At least Songza founders are now sitting on a good amount of money now! According to Tech Crunch, "Beginning [December 2, 2015], Songza users will be notified that the Songza website and mobile apps are being fully folded into Google Play Music as of January 31, 2016. Google bought Songza back in July of 2014 for an undisclosed sum and has continued to integrate pieces of the technology into Google Play." Google Play Music has the same kind of curated playlist that Songza boasted. The difference is that Google Play Music has more free albums by one artist that Songza could have never pulled off. At least there are some perks to this acquisition! According to the same article, "Google has been building Songza into Google Play Music for a while now. Most notably, Google introduced free Radio on Google Play in the U.S., entirely ad-free. Alongside the announcement of Songza's sunsetting future, Google is also announcing free Google Play Music Radio in Canada." Looks like Google is looking to get Songza curated playlist even more popular all over the world! The good thing in this acquisition and transfer is that data won't be lost. According to Forbes, "Those listeners still using Songza as their primary streaming platform will apparently be allowed to transfer important information (playlists and the like) over to Google Play." We all know that there is nothing more annoying than imputing the same information over and over again! Xiaomi new phone launch today and it was met with much excitement and shock all across the Chinese market as well as its competitors, Apple and Samsung. With Redmi 3 out, and the phone price at its all time low, it looks like Xiaomi might take some charge of at least the Chinese market! And as always, Xiaomi is shocking the world with Redmi 3 price. According to CNET, "The phone was released in China today for the bargain price of 699 yuan, which converts to around $105, 75 and AU$155. Unfortunately, China is where the phone is currently officially limited to, though we expect to eventually see it being sold throughout the rest of Asia and in emerging markets like Brazil, where Xiaomi currently has presence." The same article reports that "Xiaomi's latest budget-friendly phone drops plastic for beautiful metal and doesn't compromise too much on its specs. It comes packing a huge 4,100mAh battery, which Xiaomi claims improves upon the Redmi 2's talk time by 80 percent." With vast improvements, these new cheap phones by Xiaomi may appeal big to the consumers who are sick and tired of exorbitantly expensive Apple or Samsung phones. It also looks like the biggest thing that has been attracting people's attention is not Redmi 3 price, but its battery life. Also according to Tech Crunch, "The other major change in the Redmi is a larger battery - 4100 mAh - which Xiaomi claims gives the device an additional 80 percent of juice versus the previous version." The cheapness of Xiaomi's phones have always been the biggest selling point - but now with their products strengthened and improved, it might be time that Xiaomi will be launching products that are way cheaper and comparable to Apple and Samsung. Do you think Apple and Samsung have a lot to worry about with Xiaomi rising? Will you take part in Xiaomi new phone launch today? Let me know in the comments below! Arbys Completes New Development Agreement with Largest Franchisee, United States Beef Corporation January 12, 2016 // Franchising.com // Atlanta, GA - Arbys Restaurant Group, Inc. (ARG), parent company of the franchisor of the Arbys brand, today announced that it has reached a new development agreement with its largest franchisee, United States Beef Corporation (U.S. Beef), to open 70 new restaurants over the next seven years. This equates to an average of 10 new restaurants per year between 2016 and 2022. As an Arbys franchisee for nearly 50 years and the largest franchisee with 331 restaurants, U.S. Beef continues to exemplify the gold standard when representing our Brand, said Greg Vojnovic, Chief Development Officer, Arbys Restaurant Group, Inc. Along with U.S. Beefs incredible 12 new restaurants and five remodels in 2015, this new agreement will expand their footprint significantly and deliver a deli-inspired delicious Arbys experience to guests in many new areas. As part of the agreement, U.S. Beef will continue its aggressive expansion in markets that include Denver, Grand Junction and Colorado Springs, Colo., as well as Boise, Idaho. They have also extended their exclusive rights to develop in their long established markets in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and southwest Illinois. This development commitment reaffirms our strong belief in the long-term growth of the Arbys brand, said John Davis, CEO, U.S. Beef. We are thrilled to bring Arbys to several underpenetrated markets attracting many new guests as well as those who simply havent been to Arbys in quite some time. We are confident that guests will love our high quality, Fast Crafted menu items and the new Inspire design of the restaurants. Arbys remains on track with its goal to surpass $4 billion in total system-wide sales (SSS) by the end of 2018. Arbys produced an 8.9 percent increase in U.S. system SSS through the first three quarters of 2015 vs. one year ago. About U.S. Beef United States Beef Corporation, dba Arbys, headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the Arbys Restaurant Groups largest franchisee, now operating 331 restaurants serving Arbys famous slow roasted beef sandwiches and unique menu items to hungry guests throughout the Midwest and Western United States. It is a family owned and operated business that opened its first Arbys restaurant in 1969, and has now grown to over 7,000 employees. To learn more about United States Beef Corporation, visit www.usbeefcorp.com. About Arbys Arbys, founded in 1964, is the first nationally franchised sandwich restaurant brand, with more than 3,300 restaurants worldwide. The Arbys brand purpose is Inspiring Smiles Through Delicious Experiences. Arbys delivers on its purpose by celebrating the art of Meatcraft with a variety of high-quality proteins paired with crave-able sides, such as Curly Fries and Jamocha shakes. Arbys restaurants feature Fast Crafted service, a unique blend of quick-serve speed and value combined with the quality and made-for-you care of fast casual. Arbys Restaurant Group, Inc. is the parent company of the franchisor of the Arbys brand and is headquartered in Atlanta, Ga. Visit Arbys.com for more information or socially connect with Arbys at: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. SOURCE Arby's Media Contact: Jason C. Rollins APR 678-514-4219 jrollins@arbys.com ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Image One USA Launches First Ohio Franchise Location Rodney and Tara Hines bring top emerging commercial cleaning business to Cincinnati. CINCINNATI, OHIO (PRWEB) January 12, 2016 - Commercial cleaning franchise Image One USA is continuing its expansion campaign as it welcomes Rodney and Tara Hines to the franchise family. The Cincinnati-area husband and wife team launched in November Image Ones first franchise expansion in Cincinnati, and in that short time the Hines are already seeing the advantages of the location and the Chicagoland-based Image One Facility Solutions brand. It was incredible to walk into this business opportunity with several major accounts already lined up, Rodney said. Image One helped us get in touch with valuable clients, and really provided us the tools we needed to get the business running smoothly. We couldnt have done it without their help. After working more than two decades in the commercial cleaning industry, Rodney was frustrated by the lack of support and stability former companies gave him. When he discovered the Image One franchise, he knew it was the right fit and next progression in his professional journey. In a little more than one month, the Hines have taken their two-person operation and grown it to bring on a crew of more than a dozen employees working several large-scale accounts across the Cincinnati and Columbus regions. With nearly 100 franchise owners across the United States, and a newly launched franchise affiliate program, Image One continues to expand its name and affordable, franchise business model. Image One Director of Operations and co-founder Tim Conn is enthusiastic to have Rodney and Tara join the Image One family. Were so excited that Rodney and Tara are leading the charge as Image One expands in Cincinnati and across Ohio and Kentucky, Conn said. They are exactly the type of owner-operators were seeking. They share our values, passion and eagerness and will be a great addition to our franchise community. Additional owner-operated locations are available across Ohio, including in Cleveland, Columbus and other markets. Image One is also slated to open a franchise in Nashville in early 2016, while targeting franchise owner-operators across the Midwest and south into Texas, Florida and Georgia. About Image One USA Image One USA is a commercial cleaning services business. The Image One franchising model was formed on the principles of transparency, training, and top-notch financial and customer service support. In a 2015 Franchise Business Review survey measuring franchisee satisfaction, Image One received high ratings from franchisees, including a 4.3 out of a possible 5 rating in the Core Values category. Image One franchisees work for themselves in a unique relationship with Image One. Image One provides them with customer support for their business, ongoing training, along with assistance with billing, equipment and insurance coverage. Image One has more than 80 commercial cleaning franchise locations throughout the Midwest. Immediate franchise and affiliate expansion plans call for locations across Texas, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Iowa. For more information, visit imageonefranchise.com, call 1 (800) 223-1985 or email Director of Franchising Scott Kochanski at scott@imageoneusa.com. SOURCE Image One USA Contact: Bob Spoerl TopFire Media +1 708.249.1090 ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Jersey Mike's Subs Opens First Jensen Beach Location Operating Partner Celebrates With Fundraiser January 12, 2016 // Franchising.com // Jensen Beach, FL - Jersey Mikes Subs, known for its fresh sliced/fresh grilled subs, opened in Jensen Beach on January 6. Operating partner Mike McMenaman held a grand opening fundraiser from Wednesday, January 6 to Wednesday, January 14 to support Martin County Public Schools. The new restaurant, located at 3189 NW Federal Highway, circulated thousands of coupons throughout the community with various offers. With each offer redeemed Jersey Mikes will donate $2 to Martin County Public Schools. Ive been around and involved with the Jersey Mikes brand for a long time. Being born and raised in Pt. Pleasant Beach, N.J. by the original store it feels like the juice (olive oil and red wine vinegar blend) is in my blood, said McMenaman. Operating the location in Jensen Beach further excites me about the growth of Jersey Mikes in Florida. With each customer we are able to serve our authentic sub sandwiches that are freshly sliced right in front of them. With each grand opening we partner with a local organization and for us the Martin County Public School system was the best fit. We look forward to growing that partnership. McMenaman is an exemplary Jersey Mikes operating partner who shares the companys commitment to quality products and exceptional customer service, and who is dedicated to giving back to the local community. Since 2010, Jersey Mikes locations throughout the country have raised nearly $14 million for worthy local charities and have distributed more than 1.5 million free sub sandwiches to help numerous causes. In 2015, the companys 5th Annual Jersey Mikes Month of Giving in March raised more than $3 million for 150 local charities throughout the country. About Jersey Mikes Started in 1956, Jersey Mikes now has 1,500 restaurants open and under development nationwide. In 2015, for the second year in a row, the company was named the #1 fastest growing chain in the Nations Restaurant News Top 100, and continues to win best sub awards in virtually every market it enters. The growth is fueled by passionate Jersey Mikes fans who crave their subs made Mikes Way with the freshest vegetables onions, lettuce and tomatoes topped off with an exquisite zing of the juice red wine vinegar and olive oil blended to perfection. Jersey Mikes premium meats and cheeses are sliced on the spot, piled high on in-store baked bread and served up with a helping of neighborly banter from a dedicated and high-energy team. The restaurants hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week. You can contact this location directly at (772) 208-5145. SOURCE Jersey Mikes ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Jersey Mike's Subs Opens First Lewisburg Location Owners Celebrate With Free Sub Fundraiser January 12, 2016 // Franchising.com // Lewisburg, PA - Jersey Mikes Subs, known for its fresh sliced/fresh grilled subs, opened in Lewisburg on January 6. Franchise owners Matt and Kristie Patterson, along with operating partner Tim Miller, held a grand opening and free sub fundraiser from Wednesday, January 6 to Sunday, January 10 to support Evangelical Community Hospital. The new restaurant, located at 7431 West Branch Hwy., next to the Evangelical Hospital, is circulated 7,500 coupons throughout the community offering a free regular sub for a minimum $2 contribution to Evangelical Community Hospital. I started working for Matt and Kristie four years ago as a Penn State student, said Miller. I worked my way up to become a general manager and today I have earned the opportunity to become an operating partner. The Lewisburg community is the perfect fit to open Jersey Mikes and we look forward to introducing our customers to our authentic sub sandwiches. We also partnered up with the Evangelical Community Hospital to support an organization that continually supports the members of our community. The Pattersons and Miller are exemplary Jersey Mikes franchise owners who share the companys commitment to quality products and exceptional customer service, and who are dedicated to giving back to the local community. Since 2010, Jersey Mikes locations throughout the country have raised nearly $14 million for worthy local charities and have distributed more than 1.5 million free sub sandwiches to help numerous causes. In 2015, the companys 5th Annual Jersey Mikes Month of Giving in March raised more than $3 million for 150 local charities throughout the country. About Jersey Mikes Started in 1956, Jersey Mikes now has 1,500 restaurants open and under development nationwide. In 2015, for the second year in a row, the company was named the #1 fastest growing chain in the Nations Restaurant News Top 100, and continues to win best sub awards in virtually every market it enters. The growth is fueled by passionate Jersey Mikes fans who crave their subs made Mikes Way with the freshest vegetables onions, lettuce and tomatoes topped off with an exquisite zing of the juice red wine vinegar and olive oil blended to perfection. Jersey Mikes premium meats and cheeses are sliced on the spot, piled high on in-store baked bread and served up with a helping of neighborly banter from a dedicated and high-energy team. The restaurants hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week. You can contact this location directly at (570) 768-4062. SOURCE Jersey Mikes ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Pirtek USA Soars 185 Spots in Entrepreneur Magazines Prestigious "Franchise 500" for 2016 Leader in fluid transfer solutions now at No. 237 on annual list of top franchises January 12, 2016 // Franchising.com // Rockledge, FL, USA Pirtek USA, the leader in fluid transfer solutions, soared 185 spots from last years ranking to now occupy the 237th position on Entrepreneur magazines newly released "Franchise 500" for 2016. In its 37th year, the Franchise 500 recognizes and celebrates top franchises based on financial strength and stability, growth rate, and size of the franchise system. "Its always an honor to be recognized within the industry by such prestigious and high-profile business advocates as Entrepreneur," said Gwyn T. O'Kane, CFE, vice president of franchise development, Pirtek USA. "As we expand throughout the United States, were continuing to enhance the services, products and support we provide to our business owners. Its a successful strategy that has propelled our rank within the Franchise 500." The only franchise brand of its kind in the United States, Pirtek specializes in fluid transfer solutions through its Service & Supply Centers located throughout the country. Pirtek team members are also available 24/7 to provide onsite repairs to hydraulic and industrial hoses thanks to the companys specially equipped Mobile Service Vehicles. A sign of its success, Pirtek now boasts more than 400 Service & Supply Centers in 23 countries around the world. The fast-growing company recently launched a new location in Houston - its 57th location in the United States. Other U.S.-based launches are anticipated to be announced soon. Pirtek is a B2B franchise opportunity; however, business owners are not necessarily technicians with industrial equipment backgrounds, explained OKane. "Our most successful business owners are men, women and spousal teams that have experience in building relationships, marketing and sales, and understand the value of networking within their communities," he said. Coinciding with the companys growth is the release of new Pirtek-branded products, including spiral wrap hose protection lines, pressure gauges, and hydraulic oil and lubrication products. Pirtek USA is also introducing newly designed Service & Supply Centers and Mobile Service Vehicles to increase brand visibility and enhance the customer experience. About Pirtek Pirtek is the fluid transfer solutions leader and the only franchise brand of its kind in the United States. With more than 30 years of experience in the hydraulic and industrial hose replacement field, Pirtek now boasts more than 400 Service & Supply Centers in 23 countries around the world. Pirtek team members are also available 24/7 to provide onsite repairs to hydraulic and industrial hoses thanks to the companys specially equipped Mobile Service Vehicles. Pirtek is unmatched in its industry-leading approach to sales and service, and the support it provides to franchisees and their customers. For more information, visit http://www.Pirtekusa.com. SOURCE Pirtek Media Contact: Ken Zeszutko Zeszutko Corp. PR on behalf of Pirtek USA 321-213-1818 zeszutko@zcorp-pr.com ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus The Navy said the American crewmembers returned safely and there were no indications they had been harmed while in custody. The nine men and one woman were being held at an Iranian base on Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf after being detained nearby on Tuesday. The tiny outpost has been used as a base for Revolutionary Guard speedboats as far back as the 1980s. The sailors departed the island at 8:43 a.m. GMT aboard the boats they were detained with, the Navy said. They were picked up by Navy aircraft and other sailors took control of their boats for the return to Bahrain, where the U.S. 5th Fleet is based. "The Navy will investigate the circumstances that led to the sailors' presence in Iran," the U.S. statement said. The Revolutionary Guard's official website published images of the detained U.S. sailors before their release showing them sitting on the floor of a room. One was a woman with her hair covered by a brown cloth. The pictures also showed what appeared to be their two boats. "After determining that their entry into Iran's territorial waters was not intentional and their apology, the detained American sailors were released in international waters of the Persian Gulf," a statement posted online by the Guard said Wednesday. Gen. Ali Fadavi, the Navy chief of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard, was quoted earlier Wednesday by Iranian state TV as saying that an investigation had shown that the Americans entered Iranian territorial waters because of "mechanical problems in their navigation system." U.S. officials also blamed mechanical trouble for the incident. U.S. officials had said on Tuesday that Tehran assured them the crew and vessels would be returned safely and promptly. Fadavi said the American boats had shown "unprofessional acts" for 40 minutes before being picked up by Iranian forces after entering the country's territorial waters. He said Tehran did not consider the U.S. Navy boats violating Iranian territorial waters as "innocent passage." The sailors were nonetheless allowed to make contact with the U.S. military based on Iran's "responsibilities and Islamic mercy" late Tuesday, he said. Fadavi said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif "had a firm stance" during a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on their presence in Iran's territorial waters and "said they should not have come and should apologize." The Revolutionary Guard's 200,000-strong force is different from the regular Iranian military and is charged with protecting the ruling system. The Guard's naval forces are heavily dependent on fast-moving armed speedboats that can be used in teams to swarm much larger vessels. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told The Associated Press late Tuesday U.S. time that the Riverine boats were moving between Kuwait and Bahrain when the U.S. lost contact with them. The incident came amid heightened tensions with Iran, and only hours before President Barack Obama gave his final State of the Union address to Congress and the public. It set off a dramatic series of calls and meetings as U.S. officials tried to determine the exact status of the crew and reach out to Iranian leaders. Kerry, who forged a personal relationship with Zarif through three years of nuclear negotiations, called his Iranian counterpart immediately on learning of the incident, according to a senior U.S. official. Kerry "personally engaged with Zarif on this issue to try to get to this outcome," the official said. Kerry learned of the incident around 12:30 p.m. EST as he and Defense Secretary Ash Carter were meeting their Filipino counterparts at the State Department, the official said. Officials said the sailors were part of Riverine Squadron 1 based in San Diego and were deployed to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain. When the U.S. lost contact with the boats, ships attached to the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier strike group began searching the area, along with aircraft flying off the Truman. The Riverine boats were not part of the carrier strike group, and were on a training mission as they traveled between Kuwait and Bahrain, officials said. The craft are not considered high-tech and don't contain any sensitive equipment, so there were no concerns about the Iranians gaining access to them, they added. The officials were not authorized to discuss the sensitive incident publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity. The incident came on the heels of an incident in late December when Iran launched a rocket test near U.S. warships and boats passing through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, the route for about a fifth of the world's oil. Iran sank a replica of a U.S. aircraft carrier near the strait last February and has said it is testing "suicide drones" that could conduct kamikaze missions on naval ships. It has also challenged foreign cargo ships operating in the Gulf, opening fire on at least two in April and May. In one of those incidents, Iran temporarily seized a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship over what it said was a commercial dispute before releasing it with its crew more than a week later. Meanwhile, Iran was expected to satisfy the terms of last summer's nuclear deal in just days. Once the U.N. nuclear agency confirms Iran's actions to roll back its program, the United States and other Western powers are obliged to suspend wide-ranging oil, trade and financial sanctions on Tehran. Kerry recently said the deal's implementation was "days away." Bills submitted by Fredericksburg-area lawmakers seek to repeal the federal income tax, push Maryland to recognize Virginias concealed-handgun permits and add voter registration requirements. Those are just some of the measures proposed by local General Assembly members for the session that begins Wednesday. Del. Mark Cole, RSpotsylvania County, has put forward a resolution urging Congress to replace the personal income tax and others with a national retail sales tax. The resolution is based on the Fair Tax Act of 2013, which also called for abolishing the Internal Revenue Service. We need to just step back and throw out the current tax code and adopt something thats more simple and fair, Cole said. Cole also proposed a bill adding language to state law that says the right to bear arms is an individual right that is unconnected with militia service. The language references a 2008 case in which the Supreme Court struck down Washingtons ban on handgun possession. Cole said the bill would help protect the state from the whims of the court. Sen. Richard Stuart, RStafford County, weighed in on the gun debate with a proposal to penalize states such as Maryland that do not accept Virginias concealed-handgun permits. Under the bill, law-enforcement agencies from such states would be blocked from Virginias data on permit-holders. The same bill passed the House of Delegates and Senate last year, but was vetoed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat. Stuart said he hopes the bill will cause Maryland to honor Virginias concealed-carry permits. Virginians with valid permits can be thrown in jail under the neighboring states current laws, he said. I think its an important protection for the citizens of Virginia. But Stuarts stance is complicated by Attorney General Mark Herrings recent decision to no longer recognize gun permits from 25 states. Herring, a Democrat, said those states have looser gun laws than Virginia. Another proposal from Cole would require felons or people who have been judged mentally incompetent to provide information regarding the circumstances of the restoration of their voting rights on voter registration applications. Hope Amezquita, legislative counsel with the Virginia ACLU, said the proposed requirement is unnecessary and invasive. I just dont understand why the voter registration office needs that information, she said. Its good enough that their rights were restored. Virginia ACLU President Claire Guthrie Gastanaga called the bill part of the ongoing effort to make sure people cant vote. Cole said he proposed the requirement to give registrars some way to check documentation if need be. Currently, convicted felons have to list exactly when their voting rights were restored. The bill would also require registrars to deny any application that does not have a full name, gender, date of birth, Social Security number, citizenship status and other information. Amezquita said that information is already required. But the ACLU supports a bill from Cole that would ban a controversial practice allowing police to keep money and other assets seized from suspects who have never been convicted. The bill would, in most cases, require criminal convictions in a process known as asset forfeiture. Law-enforcement agencies could keep seized property without a conviction as part of a plea deal or if the property has been abandoned by the owner. Cole filed a similar bill last year, but it died in a committee. In addition, Fredericksburg-area commuters may be interested in a bill from Cole that aims to extend Interstate 95s High Occupancy Toll lanes from Garrisonville to U.S. 17 in Stafford by 2020. The proposal simply directs the state Department of Transportation to negotiate an agreement with the toll operator to build the lanes. Eventually, Cole said, the project will need to extend to Spotsylvania. Meanwhile, Stuart has drawn the ire of the Virginia Press Association with a bill to redact the names of any public officer, appointee or employee from publicly available salary databases. He said he submitted the bill at the request of a Department of Human Resource Management official, who told him the databases have led to identify thefts. As a policy matter, we should know what employees make and where our moneys going, said Stuart, the vice chair of the states Freedom of Information Advisory Counsel. Im really not sure we need to know exactly what an individual is making . . . as long as we know generally whats being paid for specific positions. The Richmond TimesDispatchs state employee salary database includes names, titles, work locations and hire dates for employees making $47,500 a yearthe state's median salaryand above. It is searchable by name. Stuarts bill also exempts from public disclosure the salaries of government employees who make $30,320twice the federal minimum wageor less. The current exemption is limited to employees who make $10,000 a year or less. Marisa Porto, president of the Virginia Press Association, said Stuarts legislation would be devastating to the publics right to understand how its tax dollars are spent. She noted that salaries are the largest expense in any government budget. At best, this bill appears to be overly broad and, at worst, it undermines the spirit of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, Porto said in a statement on the VPAs website. Other notable bills include: A proposal from Cole that would make it a misdemeanor to fraudulently represent a dog as a service animal in a public place. A bill from Cole that would allow residents to file invasion-of-privacy suits against people who fly drones over their property to take pictures. A proposal from Cole to prohibit businesses from receiving state tax deductions for the pay of specialized workers brought to Virginia on temporary work visas. Cole, explaining his reason for submitting the bill, said: I think we need to start trying to employ people who are already here first before we start importing workers. A bill from Sen. Bryce Reeves, RSpotsylvania, to increase the threshold for a felony grand larceny charge from $200 to $500. Virginia State Police arrested more people than ever in 2015 for illegally attempting to buy firearms at Virginia gun shows, but the percentage of customers denied approval through background checks who then were arrested slightly decreased, curbing a three-year upward trend. Troopers monitoring 75 gun shows across the state last year arrested 91 people, the most on record, for offenses related to being someone prohibited from possessing a firearm, newly released figures show. Thats a 54 percent increase over 2014 and the most since 71 people were arrested in 2013. The largest share of arrests, 26, were for people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence, followed closely by those convicted of felony offenses as an adult or juvenile 25. People prohibited from purchasing firearms for mental health reasons and those with misdemeanor warrants for their arrest ranked third, with 12 each. Although the number of arrests jumped, the percentage of people who were denied permission through a background check to buy firearms at Virginia gun shows who subsequently were arrested dipped from 35 percent in 2014 to 33 percent last year. That proportion had been rising steadily since state police began tracking gun show transactions in 2011. The number rose from 10.6 percent in 2011, to 12.4 percent in 2012, to 27 percent in 2013 and then 35 percent in 2014. Criminologist Thomas R. Baker, a former Virginia Commonwealth University assistant professor who recently took a job at the University of Central Florida in Orlando and who closely follows gun issues, said the arrest figures probably will be viewed favorably by gun control advocates but perhaps not so much by gun rights supporters. For the former, the numbers demonstrate the effectiveness of background checks, Baker said, and their ability to keep guns out of the wrong hands at least to some degree. Something else that it shows is that, at gun shows, theres a lot of people going through background checks, Baker said. If you just look at the gross number of background checks that occurred at gun shows last year, its actually higher although there were fewer gun shows than the year prior. Youre averaging (nearly) 500 background checks at each one of these gun shows. Thats a lot. So its not like everyone is buying guns at gun shows without background checks. But gun rights advocates who support stricter enforcement of existing laws rather than passage of additional ones may be less impressed, said Baker, who is a gun owner. This looks like (police) are arresting fewer people who were denied (purchasing a gun) than they did the previous year, Baker said. So I think gun rights advocates would say, Well, why arent 100 percent of people who were denied being arrested, or at least as many people as possible? If only 33 percent of people are being arrested, they might argue that thats not very many who attempted to illegally acquire a firearm. So the sheer number of arrests might be higher, but they are arresting a smaller proportion of individuals who have been denied. State police said the number of prospective gun buyers arrested after being denied approval to buy a firearm include only those arrested at the gun shows. Others could be arrested sometime after the show, after further investigation, but police do not track those numbers. *** Existing law requires only federally licensed dealers to conduct background checks for gun purchasers, but they constitute the large majority of sellers police estimate 90 percent or more at gun shows. State police said they do not track the number of private sellers or vendors at such events. President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced a series of gun control measures that he plans to implement by executive order. One would require anyone who is engaged in the business of selling firearms to obtain a federal license and conduct background checks, regardless of where the guns are sold. Obamas order does not specify a specific threshold number of firearms that triggers the licensure requirement, but U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch has been quoted in news accounts that it could be as few as one or two, depending upon the circumstances under which the person sells the gun. It wasnt immediately clear when that measure would go into effect and how it would be enforced at Virginia gun shows. State police Capt. Thomas Turner, commander of the agencys Criminal Justice Information Systems, which includes the Virginia Firearms Transaction Center, said the department has not yet analyzed Obamas directive or received orders on how to implement it. Turner said he personally interpreted the order to include vendors without a federal firearms license who are at every gun show and selling perhaps one or two firearms. The vendor is actually in the business and selling some type of firearm at just about every gun show, Turner said. Thats the way I interpreted it, but were going to have to wait and see. *** Turner believes the rise in arrests at gun shows can be attributed in part to changes in law that make more people prohibited from buying firearms and the active knowledge that police have nearly instantaneous access to through electronic records and databases. Weve (also) added some additional people in the Firearms Transactions Center who can review that stuff pretty quickly, he said. Turner said some of those denied approval but not charged simply may not meet the criteria for arrest, or could not be located at the event. The 91 people charged of the 278 who were denied approval last year were arrested on-site, he said. All 278 denials involved transactions that were initiated at the gun shows, but not all were necessarily denied during the event, Turner added. Transactions may be placed in a further research status and then denied after that research is completed, which could occur after the show. The total number of background checks being performed at Virginia gun shows through federally licensed firearm dealers has fluctuated over the years. It rose sharply in 2012, from 34,501 transactions in 2011 to 51,448 at 67 shows in 2012. The numbers fell to 43,497 transactions at 65 shows in 2013, declined to 33,484 transactions at 79 shows in 2014, then rose last year to 35,535 at 75 shows. Last years 35,535 gun show transactions represented 8 percent of Virginias 2015 annual total of 444,627 transactions involving all commercial sales, state police figures show. As gun rights advocates frequently point out, the number of denials and arrests continue to remain a minuscule fraction of those involved in total gun transactions at Virginia gun shows. Last year, for example, the 278 people who were denied and the 91 people arrested represented 0.08 and 0.025 percent, respectively, of the 35,535 transactions. But Baker questioned whether the tiny percentage could be indicative of people who are prohibited from buying a gun avoiding federally licensed dealers and instead making purchases without background checks from private vendors at the same gun show. If youre legally prohibited from buying a firearm, why would you go to a dealer that you know is going to run a background check and youre going to get denied and might get arrested for illegally trying to purchase a firearm? he asked. Heres a quick breakdown of the Task Forces finalized guidelines, published Monday: Women 50 to 74 years old should get mammograms every other year (the ACS suggests yearly exams for women ages 45-54 and exams every other year after that). If women want to start getting mammograms every other year at age 40, they are welcome to do so. The ACSs guidelines are cool with that, too, although they recommend mammograms every year for younger women. Again, both organizations acknowledge the importance of individual choice. Theres not enough evidence to know if mammograms after age 75 are more beneficial or more harmful overall. (The ACS suggests women continue to get mammograms as long as their health is good and they have a life expectancy of 10 years or longer.) Theres also not enough evidence to make a recommendation for the use of 3D tomosynthesis instead of regular 2D mammography for breast screening, or to make a recommendation about using additional screening like ultrasound, MRI, 3D tomosynthesis, etc., for women with dense breasts. The ACS didnt make any recommendations regarding 3D tomosynthesis or additional breast screening for dense breasts. In 2009, the Task Force first recommended that mammograms start at age 50 rather than 40, spurring a heated national debate and prompting Congress to pass legislation ensuring mammograms would still be covered by insurance if women got them starting at age 40. 'Tailored screening' Dr. Janie Lee, director of breast imaging at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, said the new Task Force guidelines are similar to the 2009 version, but take a more nuanced view of individual womens decisions, emphasizing the need for a more tailored breast cancer screening based on risk and patient values. This update brings the recent recommendations of the [Task Force] and of the American Cancer Society closer together than they were in 2009, she said. Its a tremendous step forward to recognize that the best screening option may be different from one woman to another. It reflects a shift away from a one size fits all approach. Lee said the new guidelines confirm that regular screening with mammography saves lives and also recognize that a womans values will influence what is the best decision for her. In 2009, the emphasis was on the greater benefit for women in their 50s and 60s, she said, compared to women in their 40s. Now the [Task Force] also recognizes that when women are making decisions about when to start screening, the women who focus most on receiving the benefits of screening will choose to start earlier, perhaps in their 40s, or to screen annually after they begin screening, she said. Generally speaking, breast cancers in premenopausal women tend to be more aggressive and faster growing, while those found in older women, past menopause, are slower-growing. So women, particularly those in their 40s and early 50s, have to weigh for themselves whats most important to them. Screen early and often and theres a better chance theyll catch a cancer early (the benefit); unfortunately, theyll also bump up their chance of false-positive biopsies and overtreatment (the harm). Dr. Julie Gralow, a clinical researcher with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and breast cancer oncologist at SCCA, the Hutchs treatment arm, emphasized that both sets of guidelines are designed for average-risk women. Theyre irrelevant for people with a strong family history of cancer, whove already had breast cancer, whove had biopsies that show something that could lead to breast cancer or whove had radiation to treat something like lymphoma, she said. Gralow, as well as SCCA, follows the American Cancer Societys approach of annual mammograms from age 45 to 54 with screening every other year after that. Dr. Christoph Lee, an SCCA radiologist and public health researcher with the Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research, said the new approach taken by the two sets of guidelines stems from a better understanding of both the benefits and harms of mammography. Everyone agrees that screening mammography saves lives but whats becoming more and more apparent is that for a minority of women, screening mammography also causes some harm, he said, citing false positives, biopsies, overtreatment, and increased radiation exposure from additional and unnecessary mammography. Another reason 'less is more' And according to a new modeling study published Monday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine by Lee and others, too many mammograms could put certain women at a slightly elevated risk for breast cancer. Researchers from SCCA, the University of California Davis School of Medicine, the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle and other institutions, used simulation models for breast cancer risk from radiation exposure to estimate how many women could get radiation-induced breast cancer from a variety of screening approaches including mammography. The bottom line? Digital mammograms posed a very small risk for most women, and the benefits of screening still outweigh the risks. Screening annually starting at age 40 as past guidelines had recommended prevents 968 breast cancer deaths for every 100,000 women and is projected to induce 16 deaths from radiation-induced cancer, their model found. Starting regular screening mammograms every other year at age 50, as the new Task Force guidelines recommend, would drop the risk for those extra cancers fivefold. Lee said it all had to do with the amount of radiation the women received. Think about it logically, he said. If you start having mammograms later or you screen less often, youre exposed to less radiation so theres less radiation-induced cancer. The risk of radiation-induced breast cancer was also slightly higher for women with larger breasts and those with breast implants. While most women get four images taken per mammogram, women with larger breasts may require more to cover the entire area. Although the research team didnt explicitly set up a modeling scenario for women with breast implants, Lee said these women receive double the amount of projections and views during mammograms as the average woman so were also at potential risk. However, he also emphasized the overall safety of the screening procedure. Mammography is a very safe technology, he said. Were well under the limit set by the government for maximum threshold for radiation exposure even with additional views. This should not be a large concern for women. Change in your breast? Get it checked out! Although safe, the experts agreed that mammography was imperfect. Its the best tool we have but its far from perfect, said Gralow. We do need better screening methods and we also need to figure out how to diagnose the aggressive breast cancers where it does matter and back off the quiet ones [such as some ductal carcinomas in situ, a noninvasive form of breast cancer] where its never going to be a problem. Gralow and Drs. Christoph and Janie Lee also stressed how crucial it was for women to discuss the various screening options with their health care providers. Equally important: being breast-aware. No one knows your breasts and your body better than yourself, said Gralow. So if you find anything worrisome a lump, a thickening of the skin, a spot where the skin looks a little puckered, anything weird in the armpit or the nipple get it checked out right away. That is one way to get early detection of breast cancer. Mammography isnt the only way. Public Sales Begin For Costa Rica Oceanview Community The Ridges of Portalon, a micro-community of the master planned development the Hills of Portalon, announced today the opening of sales to the public of their seven whitewater ocean-view lots ranging in size from just under an acre to 1.25 acres starting from just $85,000. -- The Ridges of Portalon, a micro-community of the master planned development the Hills of Portalon, announced today the upcoming sale to the public of their recently opened whitewater ocean-view lots. The Ridges of Portalon is located in Costa Rica between Dominical and Quepos/Manuel Antonio and is anticipated by many to become the premier private gated community in the region neighboring the Pacific Ocean. The community is slated to begin construction in January 2016 of the clubhouse and infinity pool for the exclusive use of the residents of the Ridges of Portalon. The official public offering of these properties and home packages is scheduled to begin January 6, 2016. "With Ridges [of Portalon] the goal was to provide potential buyers the opportunity to own a brand new oceanview home with all the amenities at an affordable price almost anyone can afford. We believe that we've met that goal and are excited to finally present the Ridges of Portalon to the public." said developer and seasoned real estate veteran Bob Klenz. Sprawling across 350 acres, of which 140 acres are protect reserve, are the rolling hills with vast white-water oceanviews of the Hills of Portalon. Ideally located just a 10 minute drive from Dominical beach and 15 minutes to the world renowned Manuel Antonio National Park. The location of the community is perfect for those looking to have activities and amenities readily available. The Quepos airport is a short 10 minute drive from the property making it easy to fly to San Jose or as a jumping point to visiting other amazing areas of the country. The areas surrounding the community are the most popular amongst tourists and therefore there is a high demand for vacation rentals. The Ridges of Portalon offers owners a vacation rental pool and property management to help subsidize their investment should they prefer that their home generates rental income when not in use. Currently there are eight existing homes at the community generating rental income. Potential buyers must register in advance to take the virtual tour of the Ridges of Portalon by one of our knowledgeable property specialists. Due to the extremely low prices on offer, Ridges of Portalon will be focused solely on direct sales to the public without any realtor involvement in order to pass these savings on to the buyers. UPDATE: during a recent early pre-screening of the Ridges of Portalon, a lot/home package was sold. This leaves just six remaining which will be available starting January 6, 2016 during the launch of sales to the public. If interested then please click the following link to find out more. Click here to view! For more information about us, please visit http://sales.hillsofportalon.com/rop-4a/ Contact Info: Name: Don Halbert Organization: Hills of Portalon Address: Portalon, Puntarenas, Costa Rica Phone: 506-8871-4540 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/public-sales-begin-for-costa-rica-oceanview-community/100026 Release ID: 100026 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Ultra Design Agency Earns 2015 Best Business Award San Diego, CA branding and web design firm Ultra Design Agency won the web design category award for the 2015 Best Businesses of Solana Beach Program. Ultra Design Agency offers a unique service process for branding, web, and print services. -- San Diego, CA branding and web design firm Ultra Design Agency won the web design category award for the 2015 Best Businesses of Solana Beach Program. Ultra Design Agency offers a unique service process for branding, web, and print services. Branding and web design firm Ultra Design Agency was announced this November as one of the honored recipients of the 2015 Best Businesses of Solana Beach Program awards. The small San Diego, CA based firm won the web design category of the 2015 Best Businesses of Solana Beach Program. The Best Businesses of Solana Beach Award Program pick their award recipients every year based on several factors including marketing performance in the local community. The companies selected for achievement honors by the program demonstrate the positive qualities of small business. Information for award recipient selection is gathered independently by the Best Businesses of Solana Beach Program in addition to business information donated by third parties. The Ultra Design Agency team features staff members with years of experience in development, directing, design and more. Web design, print, video and film are areas the firm's president, Jay Henry, has personal experience in. As a team, Ultra Design Firm is able to deliver branding and web design that set precedents in their industry. "Pixel perfect markup every time," says Ultra Design Agency Senior Developer Matt Troutman. Ultra Design Firm works with clients to incorporate branding into digital environments. The process of working with Ultra begins with any one of their services which include branding, web, and print. The unique service process at Ultra is designed to achieve client satisfaction with a results-oriented plan. "Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day," says Ultra Design Agency Project Manager Paula Lawrie. Once a service is started with Ultra, the company helps clients discover their direction. The direction and defined purpose of the service allows Ultra to execute the most effective design for their client. After a design has been created, development helps clients benefit from their Ultra services on all web and mobile platforms. The designs are tested and distributed by Ultra to wrap up the unique service process. About Ultra Design Agency Ultra Design Agency is client focused branding and web design agency based in San Diego, CA. The company offers branding, web, and print services. Team members set industry precedents by working to redefine the concept of branding to include digital channels and user experiences. About the Best Businesses of Solana Beach Award Program The Best Businesses of Solana Beach Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Solana Beach area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value. The Best Businesses of Solana Beach Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Their organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Their mission is to recognize the small business community's contributions to the U.S. economy. Contact Info: Name: Ultra Design Agency Email: jay@ultradesignagency.com Phone: 619-793-5799 Organization: Ultra Design Agency Source: http://www.prreach.com/pr/21875 Release ID: 100958 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Region Restaurants Launches Campaign to Protect Restaurants in Sacramento. Region Restaurants, a trade association of Region Business, is launching an aggressive campaign that is rallying local restaurants against the $15 per hour minimum wage initiative in Sacramento, CA. -- With cities like Seattle implementing a $15 minimum wage, other cities are looking to follow suit. In the Sacramento region, there is a push to make the minimum wage $15 per hour, which will have a devastating effect on the local economy and result in business failure for many local restaurants. Region Restaurants, a trade association of Region Business, is launching an aggressive campaign that is rallying local restaurants against the $15 per hour minimum wage initiative in Sacramento, CA. "A City-specific $15 per hour minimum wage is a reckless proposal that will force restaurants, retail stores, grocery stores, and other businesses to close". says Joshua Wood, Executive Director of Region Restaurants. "The proponents of this idea are intoxicated by a fringe ideology that could sink local cities into another recession while driving businesses to surrounding cities," The national debate and implementation of higher minimum wages is one that's being talked about across the nation. Region Restaurants is dedicated to protecting the local food service industry's interests in the greater Sacramento region. They are raising awareness about the damaging effects of this particular proposal and encouraging regional restaurants owners to get involved in the debate by joining the Region Restaurants coalition. Region Restaurants is a trade association of Region Business for restaurants and other firms related to the restaurant industry. As the Sacramento region's only local voice for the restaurant industry, it advocates for causes that help promote, protect and grow the industry. Region Restaurants successfully led the effort to get a $2 per hour Health Care Credit inserted into the City of Sacramento's minimum wage ordinance. Additionally, it is leading the fight against the City of Davis's soda tax and the fight at the ballot against the 'Raise the Wage' proposal to adopt a $15 per hour minimum wage in the City of Sacramento. To learn more visit the website http://regionbusiness.org/regionrestaurants/ For more information about us, please visit http://regionbusiness.org/regionrestaurants/ Contact Info: Name: Joshua Woods Organization: Region Business Address: 1717 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95811 Phone: (916) 397-4776 Release ID: 100948 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global Disposable Gloves Market Set for Explosive Growth, to Reach USD 8.0 Billion in 2020 Zion Research has published a new report titled "Global Disposable Gloves (Natural Rubber, Vinyl, Nitrile and Others) Industry for Medical and Non-Medical (Food, Clean room, Industrial and Other) Applications: Global Market Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 2014 2020." Deerfield Beach, FL, January 11, 2016 /GlobalMarketNews.us/ -- According to the report, the global disposable gloves market was valued at around USD 5.2 billion in 2014 and is expected to reach approximately USD 8.0 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of around 5.5% between 2014 and 2020. Demand for disposable gloves in healthcare industry is very high. Healthcare industry is expected to exhibit rapid growth rate due to alertness regarding hygiene among patients and medical professionals. It's useful to avoid infectivity between caregivers and patients medical examinations and procedures. Medical professionals commonly use disposable gloves during surgical operations. Disposable gloves find major applications in others industries such as food and automotive. These gloves are used in the food industry to handle fragile products as well as to protect the food from foreign contaminants. Disposable gloves are made of various products including natural rubber, neoprene, nitride, polyethylene and vinyl gloves. For the safety purpose use of gloves is high in different sectors like medical and food and beverage industry. Two commonly available types of disposable gloves in the market includes un-powdered and powdered. Mostly un-powdered gloves are being used in surgery. Request For Sample Research Report Here: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/global-disposable-glovers-market-2014-2023-21447#RequestSample Powdered disposable gloves demand is on the rise due to its better disposability and high sterility properties. Moreover, cost efficacy is also one of the factors driving demand for disposable gloves across the world. Natural rubber disposable gloves dominated the market with above 38% share of the total consumption volume in 2014. Natural rubber disposable gloves was followed by vinyl and nitrile disposable gloves respectively. Others accounted for the small volume share of the total market 2014. High demand for natural rubber disposable gloves is mainly driving the growth of this market. With over 80% shares in total volume consumption, medical applications accounted for a very large chunk of the total disposable gloves market in 2014. Non-medical applications for disposable gloves are mainly comprises of food, cleanroom and industrial applications. Browse the full Global Disposable Gloves Market (Natural Rubber, Vinyl, Nitrile and Others) for Medical and Non-Medical (Food, Clean room, Industrial and Other) Applications: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 2014 2020 report at http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/global-disposable-glovers-market-2014-2023-21447 North America is a leading regional market for disposable gloves which accounted for around 40% share of the total volume consumption in 2014. Strong demand from healthcare and food industry is driving demand for disposables gloves in North America. North America is followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. Latin America and rest of the world accounted for small share of the global market. However, demand for disposable gloves is expected to increase at rapid pace in Asia Pacific and Latin America as compare to North America and Europe. Some of the key players in the disposable gloves market include Top Glove Corp., Shield Scientific, Rubberex, MRK Healthcare, Supermax Corp., Ansell Healthcare, Adventa, Kossan Rubber Industries, Cardinal Health and Hartalega. This report segments the global disposable gloves market as follows: Disposable Gloves Market: Product Segment Analysis 1. Nitrile gloves 2. Vinyl gloves 3. Natural rubber gloves 4. Others (Neoprene, polyethylene, etc.) Disposable Gloves Market - Application Segment Analysis 1. Medical 2. Non-Medical 2.1. Food 2.2. Clean room 2.2.1. Industrial 2.2.2. Others Disposable Gloves Market - Regional Analysis 1. North America 1.1. U.S. 1.2. Canada 2. Europe 2.1. Germany 2.2. France 2.3. UK 3. Asia Pacific 3.1. China 3.2. Japan 3.3. India 4. Latin America 4.1. Brazil 5. Middle East and Africa 5.1. GCC 5.2. South Africa Do inquiry Before Purchasing Report: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/global-disposable-glovers-market-2014-2023-21447#InquiryForBuying About Us Zion Research is a market intelligence company providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Zion Research experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants uses proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge. Each Zion Research syndicated research report covers a different sector -- such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food and beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve the overall research requirement of clients. Contact US: Joel John 3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138 Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442 United States Toll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA) Tel: +1-386-310-3803 Email: sales@marketresearchstore.com Website: http://www.marketresearchstore.com The post Global Disposable Gloves Market Set for Explosive Growth, to Reach USD 8.0 Billion in 2020 appeared first on Global Market News. For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Global Retro-Reflective Sensors Market 2016 Industry Size, Trends, Demand Review & Forecast 2025 (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Research on Global Quatrz Oscillator Market 2016 Industry Analysis, Review & Forecast 2020 (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Global Private Branch Exchange(PBX) Market 2016 Industry Size, Trends, Research, Demand & Forecast (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Global Print Mark Sensor Market 2016 Industry Size, Research, Trends, Growth & Analysis 2022 (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Global OLED Lighting Device Market 2016 Industry Trends, Demand, Analysis & Review Forecast 2020 (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Global Network Card Market 2016 Industry Size, Research, Trends, Demand Review & Forecast 2020 (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Forbes Packaging Launches Brand New Website To Better Promote Packaging Services Online Forbes Packaging is one of New Zealands leading producers of cardboard packaging, and has created a new website to better showcase their products and services. Auckland, New Zealand -- January 12, 2016 (FPRC) -- Packaging is a massive issue in the modern world, primarily because most of it is plastic, and therefore not recyclable. Cardboard packaging has therefore made a huge return onto the public stage as people become more conscious of choosing products that are responsibly packaged. Forbes Packaging specializes in bespoke cardboard packaging in New Zealand, which promises to maximize brand potential via their packaging solutions. They have recently launched a brand new website to better promote the full spectrum of their services online. The new website has been launched with a comprehensive overhaul, seeing a responsive theme used to ensure ideal loading on all devices and screen sizes. The theme puts content at the heart of their site, with comprehensive information on their services, easily navigable menus and sub-menus, and high quality imagery. There is a strong brand presence running throughout every page. The result is a site that will enable the company to promote the full range of their services to everyone who could have a use for them, as well as providing information to existing clients to help them get the best from the services. A spokesperson for Forbes Packaging explained, "We are thrilled at the launch of our new website and we look forward to attracting new clients by creating new audiences. The website has been fully optimized for our New Zealand base, and will help people looking for these kinds of services to discover them organically online through search engines. What's more, it allows for greater functionality for existing clients, who can communicate and track orders through the site. As a result, we are looking forward to expanding our customer base in 2016, with a great deal of great products on offer for businesses of all kinds." About Forbes Packaging Forbes Packaging was established in 1959 by Colin Forbes and was purchased by Martin Farrand, a previous employee, in 1987. From this time to the present, the company has maintained its core business in the area of cardboard packaging, capable of specialising in high quality folding cartons and associated cardboard products. Forbes now employees around 50 staff, supplying packaging throughout New Zealand, and offshore. For more information please visit: http://forbespackaging.co.nz/ Send an email to Robyn of r 09 414 6690 Recent Press Releases By The Same User ShapeHost Launches New Spring Sale Offering Savings Of Up To 35% On VPS Packages (Tue 8th Mar 16) Paypro Finance Launches their Consumer Financing for Small Business Program (Mon 7th Mar 16) Kuber Ventures Publishes New Infographic To Show Difference Between EIS for Pensions and SIPP (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Pregnancy Exercise Publishes New Guide Into Training For Fitness While Pregnant (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Centex Hosting Launches Newly Redesigned Website To Herald Expansion Into VPS Hosting (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Royal Cliff Receives ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Certification (Wed 2nd Mar 16) UB Freight Launches Newly Redesigned Website To Showcase Import Export Freight Services UB Freight has become part of two major global freight networks and has redesigned its website to better represent them as a global player serving the New Zealand import export market. Auckland, New Zealand -- (January 12, 2016 (FPRC) -- Freight shipping is essential for the global distribution of goods, and nowhere feels that need more powerfully than New Zealand, thanks to its unique position on the globe. The import and export market in New Zealand is growing, and is being supported by companies like UB Freight Limited, who have gone from strength to strength over the years and are now a bona fide global shipping power based in New Zealand. Their new website has been designed to reflect this global focus. The new website is beautifully designed to reflect the UB Freight brand, and includes responsive elements that load perfectly on any screen for maximum functionality across any device. The website has also been fully optimized to organically attract individuals searching online for their services. The new website describes the full suite of services offered, for both personal and commercial shipments of all sizes, with truckload and less than truckload freight shipping options available, together with sea freight and air freight options for reliable delivery. The site gives a full accounting of schedules, their location and contact details, so clients can get in touch quickly and easily. A spokesperson for UB Freight Limited explained, "We still handle internal shipping of all scales, with our fleet of vehicles always on hand and ready to move items on behalf of customers both within and outside New Zealand to any part of the country. The new website has found the right balance between our national and international services, and makes it easy for anyone seeking either service to get the information they need easily and quickly. It will also help new clients discover our services, which will help make 2016 our best year yet." About UB Freight U.B. Freight Limited is a privately owned company based in Auckland, New Zealand, with branches in the Fiji Islands in the cities of Nadi, Lautoka and Suva. From small beginnings in 2001, the company has grown significantly to become a full service logistics provider Their diligence, dedication and commitment to upholding the highest standards of customer service, has helped them exceed expectations on behalf of customers, and join two major global networks to service overseas markets. For more information please visit: http://www.ubfreight.com/ Send an email to Arron Corbett of r 09 966 3850 Recent Press Releases By The Same User ShapeHost Launches New Spring Sale Offering Savings Of Up To 35% On VPS Packages (Tue 8th Mar 16) Paypro Finance Launches their Consumer Financing for Small Business Program (Mon 7th Mar 16) Kuber Ventures Publishes New Infographic To Show Difference Between EIS for Pensions and SIPP (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Pregnancy Exercise Publishes New Guide Into Training For Fitness While Pregnant (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Centex Hosting Launches Newly Redesigned Website To Herald Expansion Into VPS Hosting (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Royal Cliff Receives ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Certification (Wed 2nd Mar 16) Canadian Country Music Artist Jade Mya Embarks On A Canadian Tour With New Album On The Horizon Canadian Country Music Star Jade Mya is set to embark on a Canada-Wide Tour with her latest single Make Lightning available on iTunes. Jade plans to drop her new album full of original material once her radio tour concludes. San Francisco, CA -- January 12, 2016 (FPRC) -- Jade Mya has spent the past half-decade building a loyal following and producing a series of hits ranging from her original scores to a number of wildly popular covers of chart topping songs. 2016 is ramping up to be her biggest year to date. With a newly revamped website (jademya.com) updated with fresh content and information for her fans, and a number of exciting events planned, Jade is looking to carry the momentum she built in 2015, and make her mark on the international country music scene. Jade closed out December playing two huge shows. The first being the Canadian Country Music Association's private office performance, and the second was the sold-out Horseshoe Tavern show on the 16th. She also recorded her emotional cover of "Whiskey Lullaby" which is available on iTunes. Earlier that year she performed a seven song set at the MOD Club Toronto, and an electrifying show at the Painted Lady Toronto with Ben Pelchat on guitar. She has made appearances with Virgin Quebec's Jardin Danais, been on Playboy TV's comedy show, "The Man", and has had the opportunity to tour with Monet Media. Jade released 8 popular covers in 2015 including "Lies of The Lonely", "Mississippi Flood", "This Love Aint Big Enough", "Stronger Than Me", "Shotgun", "Used", "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", and the previously mentioned "Whiskey Lullaby". She has been blessed to have the opportunity to partner with Douglas Romanow from the award winning 2015 Studio of the Year CCMAS NOBLE STUDIOS. Romanow has produced all of Jade's live performances and is currently working to master her two upcoming original singles which will see release early in 2016. The first, entitled "Make Lightning" which was written in Nashville, Tennessee with Benita Hill and produced at Noble studios, will be live on iTunes January 4th accompanied by her video which will be available for her fans to view on YouTube. Starting January 23rd Jade plans to embark on a Canada-Wide tour with well-known Radio Tracker and Promoter, Andrea Davis. Her upcoming album of all-original material is loosely slated for release after the nation-wide tour draws to a close. Jade Mya is anything but the traditional "country girl". Channeling the unique fire and rebellion of Johnny Cash, and the power and seductive confidence of Dolly Parton, Jade has crafted a persona that is all her own. She has taken every aspect of her life and celebrated it in her music and presence. A Country Music sensation, an in-demand model, a popular fitness personality, and a dedicated philanthropist concerned with enacting change to better the lives of young people across the globe, Jade Mya is a star who breaks the conventional country mold. About Jade Mya Canadian Country Music Star Jade Mya is set to embark on a Canada-Wide Tour with well-known Radio Tracker and Promoter, Andrea Davis. She had a huge success with her Nashville TV cover songs and has now released her latest single "Make Lightning" on iTunes. Stay tuned to more original music being released in 2016. For more information please visit http://www.jademya.com/ Send an email to Joe Bragg of r (415) 632 1664 Recent Press Releases By The Same User ShapeHost Launches New Spring Sale Offering Savings Of Up To 35% On VPS Packages (Tue 8th Mar 16) Paypro Finance Launches their Consumer Financing for Small Business Program (Mon 7th Mar 16) Kuber Ventures Publishes New Infographic To Show Difference Between EIS for Pensions and SIPP (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Pregnancy Exercise Publishes New Guide Into Training For Fitness While Pregnant (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Centex Hosting Launches Newly Redesigned Website To Herald Expansion Into VPS Hosting (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Royal Cliff Receives ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Certification (Wed 2nd Mar 16) Stomp Realty Announces Erica Smith to be Featured On New W Network Show Buying the View Stomp Realty, a full-service boutique-style real estate brokerage, is excited about one of its brokers being featured on Buying the View, a new TV series to air on the W Network. -- Stomp Realty (www.StompRealty.com), a full-service boutique-style realty brokerage, is announcing that its Broker of Record, Erica Smith, will be featured on the new W Network series Buying the View. "I can't begin to express how excited I am to offer my expertise to such a unique show," Smith says. "This is not something you really expect to happen, but I'm happy to be a part of a tradition of strong programming coming from the W Network." Buying the View is a real estate series that focuses on the incredible views of properties as the main criterion of securing a purchase. The show visits what it contends are the hottest real estate markets in all of North America, including cities like Toronto, Ontario, Manhattan, New York, Vancouver, British Columbia, and Miami, Florida, "All of the cities to be featured have their own unique prestige," Smith says. "With Toronto and Manhattan you're looking at stunning skylines. In Miami you get the beach, of course. These cities all have much of their own thrill when it comes to views, but each of these cities is incredible and has something amazing to offer when it comes to real estate." Smith will be featured on the debut episode of Buying the View, which airs on January 12, 2016 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. She will represent Toronto and show three properties to prospective buyers. At the end of the viewings, the buyers must choose which property to invest in and what they're willing to compromise in order to get the property they want. Unlike several other real estate shows that focus on cost-affordable renovations or searching for properties while on a strict budget, Buying the View is showcasing high-end properties and clients with budgets up to the tens of millions. "It's just a fun concept. So many potential buyers put a lot of emphasis on finding a home with a stunning view, so it's great that this show is exploring that part of the real estate market," Smith explains. "Toronto has a lot to offer in terms of views, especially with the lake and skyline, so this is an opportunity to showcase the great work we do here at Stomp Realty." As an established real estate brokerage, Stomp Realty Inc. helps first-time and recurring Toronto homeowners buy, sell, or lease homes across the GTA. More information about Stomp Realty can be found at www.StompRealty.com. For more information about us, please visit http://www.stomprealty.com/ Contact Info: Name: Erica Mary Smith, Broker of Record and Co-Founder of Stomp Realty Inc., Brokerage Organization: Stomp Realty Inc., Brokerage Address: 163 Sterling Road, Unit #10 Toronto, ON M6K 2B2 Phone: 416-366-3033 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/stomp-realty-announces-erica-smith-to-be-featured-on-new-w-network-show-buying-the-view/100974 Release ID: 100974 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) The Used Car Guy has been nominated for the UK Blog Awards 2016 The Used Car Guy has been nominated for the UK Blog Awards 2016 event that will be held in London on 29th April 2016. -- The Used Car Guy is a blog website authored by Marcus Rockey that provides free, specialist information, advice and guidance for those buying or selling a used car in the UK. Marcus's blog has be nominated for this years UK Blog Awards that will provide further exposure for his blog that helps today's car buyers and sellers avoid the pitfalls of buying and selling here in the UK. Those interested in voting for The Used Car Guy can head over to his personal page to cast their vote. You can also check out all the nominees in each of this years categories. The awards take place on the 29th April 2016 in London. The UK Blog Awards is a prestigious event that acknowledges the best blogs throughout the UK in 2016 - This years categories include Automotive, Fashion, PR and Marketing, Dating, Arts and Culture, Education, Green and Eco, Travel, Vlogger and Weddings. The public votes end on Monday 25th January 2016 and the finalists will be announced on Friday 29th January 2016. All finalists will then be analyzed by this years judges during the month of February. Judges must consider a variety of elements when deciding who to put through to this years final. Apart from the overall design each judge must pay close attention to: Content, Marketing, Design and Style. Finally, the overall usability of each blog will help the judges conclude which are blogs are deemed the best of 2016. Full details on the event can be found on the company website at blogawardsuk.co.uk When asked about the reasons behind his nomination, the blog owner of The Used Car Guy said, "The blog was created to help car buyers and sellers avoid the scams and obstacles that come with buying or selling a car in the UK. With over 20 years of experience in the motor industry it seemed important to share everything learned from extensive experience in an industry that's tarnished with a bad name. Marcus feels that his 'Guide to Selling a Used Car Privately on Autotrader is the most compelling article on the entire Used Car Guy Blog. Visit that page here: theusedcarguy.co.uk/how-to-sell/selling-my-car-privately-autotrader This years event is sponsored by The Odeon, Debenhams and Hills Balfour and will help make this years awards as exciting and successful as ever. The Used Car Guy website has full details about this year's event For more information about us, please visit http://theusedcarguy.co.uk Contact Info: Name: Marcus Rockey Email: contact@theusedcarguy.co.uk Organization: The Used Car Guy Address: 2 Chester Way Banbury Oxford OX16 0NS Phone: 07576308853 Release ID: 100925 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cheapest Credit Card Processing Rates For Small Business Revealed On New Site Wholesale credit card company 99 Merchant Account, has launched a website offering small businesses amongst the cheapest card processing fees available. Company expert Robert Vines encourages businesses to shop around for the cheapest rates, knowing that card processing companies apply hidden fees to gain advantage. -- Wholesale merchant services expert, Robert Vines of 99 Merchant Account, encourages small businesses to seek better rates for credit card processing as they are potentially losing money on credit card transactions. His new website provides information on how to avoid paying hidden card processing fees unnecessarily. For detailed information on finding affordable and transparent credit card processing fees, visit the 99 Merchant Account website: http://99merchantaccount.com. Often small businesses end up paying too much for their credit card processing fees, because many card processing companies deliberately obscure the fee structure by adding hidden markups on top of the card merchants' fixed interchange fees, making it confusing to decipher. Instead, Vines advises that businesses seek out card processing firms, or Independent Sales Organisations (ISOs) that offer a transparent fee structure, preferably one that doesn't add any extra charges on top of the merchant fee, to maximise the profitability of each transaction. Tiered pricing structures by credit card processing companies are to be avoided at all costs, Vines stresses, because the card processing companies themselves determine how cards are categorised, whether qualified (lower rates), semi-qualified or unqualified (higher rates), and are at liberty to change the categories whenever they see fit. Typically, businesses that accept tiered pricing structures are lured by very low rates but end up paying much higher rates for most transactions. Another product to be wary of is credit card processing services by Intuit Quickbooks. A business can easily start using Intuit if it already uses Quickbooks for its accounting, due to the seamless integration and compatibility between the two products. However, with all the monthly fees including usage and software fees, transaction and swiped transaction fees, batch and PCI fees, small businesses can be up for almost $4,000 in extra fees per annum for the privilege, Vines reveals. He also warns of the Costco credit card processing product, explaining that, "The company has partnered with Elavon and promotes seemingly attractive rates, however in examining the fine print, not only are they using the tiered pricing structure to lure small businesses on board with the qualified (lowest rate) card tier, they also require that users sign up to three-year contracts that incur hefty cancellation fees if they decide to leave earlier, which many do". Also, he says beware the seemingly "free" card transaction terminals, as card processing companies seek to recoup the cost of the devices in a short timeframe via various means, such as hidden and tiered pricing fees and substantial cancellation fees. Businesses with a high volume of card transactions from foreign visitors have a profitable opportunity; if the business already accepts Discover cards, it is automatically compatible with one of the largest card products in the world, China's UnionPay card, which allows overseas travellers to conveniently use cards in their own local currency (the transactions are automatically converted at the time of payment). Card processing services by 99 Merchant Account provide only wholesale rates on both card transactions and equipment, offering full fee transparency with a $99 (or less) monthly membership fee plus 10 per transaction with no volume penalties. The company does not add extra rates to the card merchant interchange fee. The 99 Merchant Account website provides more information and tips. For more information about us, please visit http://99merchantaccount.com Contact Info: Name: Valerie Whitt Organization: 99merchantaccount.com Address: 99 Smith Street, Tampa Florida Phone: 800 209 2199 Release ID: 100995 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Quirk Kia of Manchester Launches New Lease and Finance Specials Quality, style and price help land Kia's on America's list of most popular vehicles, publishes quirkkianh.com -- Korean vehicle manufacturer Kia reached an unprecedented uptick in sales according to reports from August of last year. Up 7.7 percent from 2014, this automotive industry front-runner was listed in second place among top brands by J.D. Power and Associates in the company's recently released Initial Quality Study, surpassed only by Porsche. In light of this popularity surge, Quirk Kia of Manchester spokesperson Sean Western has launched the dealership's New Kia Lease and Finance Specials. Said Western, "We have the largest selection of Kia's in our area, and we've recently brought in our latest lineup. Quality, style and price are the main reasons these vehicles have become so highly sought after over the years, and our current specials are designed to make them even more affordable. We encourage the public to stop by and check out our inventory along with the exclusive deals we're offering, or let a member of our sales team help them decide which Kia best suits their needs." According to the Quirk Kia of Manchester NH website, these offers apply to a number of new 2015 and 2016 models. Qualified buyers are given a choice of zero-down or down payment-based lease options with distinctive pricing set aside for each. Specially priced models include the Optima, Soul and Sorento, three of the top six Korean automobiles on the American market, as well as a range of additional choices. The Optima has long been known as a leading seller for the Kia brand with conventional and hybrid versions available. In the crossover category, the seven-passenger Sorento is gaining ground among families, rapidly closing in on its rival, the Hyundai Santa Fe. With a unique exterior design and uncommon color schemes, the Soul appears to appeal to a younger demographic; however, the urban crossover is also attracting families trending away from the traditional sedan or minivan. Concluded Western, "Aside from our extensive inventory, we also provide maintenance and repair services. Potential customers can visit the 'Value your trade' portion of our website to quickly and easily determine the trade-in worth of their current vehicles. Staff members are available both online and on-site to answer any questions. We have always taken a great deal of pride in providing the best service and pricing; these new specials are simply the latest step in our efforts to ensure the highest possible level of customer satisfaction." About Quirk Kia of Manchester: Offering a vast lineup of new Kia's and certified pre-owned vehicles, the staff of Quirk Kia of Manchester strives to provide the highest level of customer service and affordable pricing. For more information about us, please visit http://www.quirkkianh.com/ Contact Info: Name: Sean Western Organization: Quirk Kia of Manchester Phone: (603) 836-7600 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/quirk-kia-of-manchester-launches-new-lease-and-finance-specials/100710 Release ID: 100710 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) A new year presents an opportune time to reflect on the past year and to think ahead towards the business prospects for the year to come. New sales volumes of individual protection policies have changed very little in the last ten years, with around 1.5m new term assurance policies sold, of which roughly one-third includes critical illness cover. It is easy to assume that 2016 will be another year where similar results are recorded, yet we are seeing further signs of a positive outlook which could lead us to deliver the protection cover people so desperately need.With half of the UK adult population having a protection gap for life cover alone, there is much to do. We have seen a number of product providers entering or re-entering the long-term protection market: surely a good sign that market confidence and prospects are growing. We are optimistic that in 2016 this will increase levels of protection cover rather than the market carrying on with similar business levels just spread further across more providers. With improved propositions for consumers who prefer to purchase cover directly without advice, the market is better-positioned to focus on helping those who, so far, have been happy to do nothing at all. We have also been pleased to see greater interest among intermediaries in arranging mortgage-related life and disability protection as part of the house purchase process. April 2016 will see a further drop in the Pension Lifetime Allowance, falling from 1.25m to 1m. As lump sum death in service benefits written through registered pension schemes count towards the Lifetime Allowance, there will be more interest in keeping lump sum life cover outside the pension tax environment. This should mean that sales of new Relevant Life Policies continue to increase as advisers seek tax-efficient ways of structuring life cover for their clients. At the same time, it is also likely that more employers will use Excepted Group Life policies to provide life cover for their workforce. We look forward to the governments response to consultation on pension taxation, expected on Budget Day. As most employer-sponsored life cover is still written under pension arrangements, this could lead to some restructuring of life cover depending on the taxation choices the government decides to adopt. As auto-enrolment staging extends to smaller employers, this could be a good time to begin discussions about the wider business need. Further workplace provision of death and disability cover for the workforce is one option but how many employers facing auto-enrolment staging have any protection in place if a key employee dies or becomes long-term disabled? In 2015, we published data showing that the UK has the largest shortfall in disability protection in Europe an annual amount of 200bn. With further cuts to welfare provision likely, this presents an opportunity for the industry to meet some of this shortfall and we may, at last, see the growth in self-provision through income protection policies which has eluded us for so long. The 7Families initiative has been received so well and we should build on this. Real life stories showing how people have been impacted and how we can help them are more powerful than statistics alone. BlackRock has launched a new exchange-traded fund (ETF) for euro-denominated sustainable corporate bonds. The index focus on short-term euro bonds issued by companies in Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific with an MSCI environmental, social and governance (ESG) rating of BBB or higher. It is an addition to BlackRocks ESG product line and comes in response to what the group said was a 61 per cent increase in global assets allocated to sustainable and ESG-focused investing. MSCI rates companies based on 37 ESG factors including carbon emissions and involvement in chemical, biological and other military weapons. The ETF is a physical replication of the index and has a total expense ratio of 25 basis points. Livestock farmers are being encouraged to apply for a newly launched health and welfare scholarship. The Moredun Foundation Award Scheme, available through the charity The Moredun Foundation, offers an individual up to 2,000 towards a short-term project to broaden their education and experience in areas relating to livestock health and welfare. The new award replaces the Moredun Foundation scholarships. Projects are open to individuals over the age of 18 living in the UK and may involve work experience, travel, or collaborations with science or the arts and must be completed by 31 March 2017. See also: Leader fund up for grabs in rural areas Professor Lee Innes, Moreduns director of communications, said: Moredun acknowledges the value of education, experience and travel to improve understanding of the farming and livestock industries and provide individuals with the opportunity to further their experiences and personal development. We are very excited about the scheme and look forward to enabling innovative individuals to develop their own project ideas. The closing date for applications is Monday 29 February 2016. Successful applicants will be notified in writing by Thursday 31 March 2016. Further information and an application forms are available to download from the Moredun website. The UK should follow the example set by the Republic of Ireland on tackling bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD), the NFU deputy president told the Semex Conference. During a question and answer session following her presentation at the event in Glasgow on Monday (11 January), Minette Batters, NFU deputy president, was told Britains struggle to address BVD and other non-statutory and statutory diseases has left it perceived as a dirty country. Responding, Ms Batters said the industry has to take control to eradicate BVD, adding that lessons can be learned from Ireland. We should not be trying to reinvent the wheel, she said. Animal Health Ireland followed Animal Health Australia for one very good reason they knew it had worked. See also: NI to introduce mandatory BVD testing for newborn calves Mandatory BVD virus testing is written into law in Ireland. Under the compulsory eradication programme, herd keepers are required to test all newborn calves for the BVD virus within the first 20 days of life. Animal Health Ireland, a partnership between the industry and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, oversees the scheme. Similar legislation is in place in Scotland, where herd keepers are required to test each year for BVD. Northern Ireland could join them as early as 1 March if proposed legislation is approved. In a recent online poll on bovine viral diarrhoea, Farmers Weekly readers voted in favour of introducing similar legislation in England and Wales. For the last 10 years, I can remember going to see the livestock board to talk about a national BVD eradication programme. Ten years ago. And where are we? said Ms Batters. The Irish will not keep quiet about this, the Scottish will not keep quiet about this, and we have to deliver on it. See also: Farmers pile on pressure for UK-wide mandatory BVD testing Bovine TB Ms Batters also branded bovine TB the biggest threat to our livestock industry. The UK government has a key role to play in dealing with bovine TB. She said we have a unique situation in the UK, in that our bovine TB vector the badger is protected. We cant continue with only part of the solution livestock controls being applied without also seeing effective solutions in wildlife too, including surveillance in badgers. We remain convinced that achieving a TB eradication board for England is crucial to bearing this disease. Farming families hit by floods this winter are receiving emergency funding worth almost 1,000/day from the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (Rabi), it has emerged. The 155-year-old farming welfare charity said it had paid out 31,000 since 7 December 2015 after a series of storms hit the north of England. Rabi said it expected the figure to rise considerably in the coming months as people took stock of damage to their livelihoods. Applications have been received from farming people affected by flooding or storm damage in counties that include Lancashire, Yorkshire and Northumberland as well as Cumbria. Rabi said claims were being fast-tracked using a simplified claims process and an emergency fund set up by the charity to specifically help people during a crisis. Rabi chief executive Paul Burrows said flooding had exacerbated other problems such as falling commodity prices and the wait for BPS payments. See also: Flood-stricken farmers offered more financial help At the moment, many people are still working every hour of the day to care for their livestock and families, rather than deal with the financial impact of the situation. These are certainly very challenging times for the farming industry, but we will continue to do what we have always done, which is support those in the farming world on low incomes with limited means. Georgina Lamb, who is also Rabis representative on the Cumbria Action Flood Group, said there was much to do to get flood-affected farmers back on their feet. The plight of many farmers in the region remained desperate, especially those who have suffered from repeated flooding, said Ms Lamb. Before Christmas, we held four surgeries at auction marts in Cumbria to engage face-to-face with those affected by Storm Desmond. We were approached by more than 60 people. Rabi said it was working closely with other organisations, including the Rural Payments Agency, the NFU, the Farming Community Network and the Princes Countryside Fund. Banks had also proved co-operative, said the charity, referring people in need of urgent assistance directly to Rabi representatives. Rabi can give emergency grants to help farmers, farmworkers and their families, with support provided on an ongoing, case-by-case basis. To apply for financial help from Rabi, call the freephone confidential helpline on 0808 281 9490 or email grants@rabi.org.uk. For information on how to make a donation, visit the Rabi website. Scotlands first minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced 12m of new funding to help areas affected by the devastating floods. An extra 5.8m will be made available to support households and business properties, including dozens of farms, affected by flooding in Scotland. The funding will be used by local authorities to provide every household, business premises or charity directly affected by floodwaters with a grant of 1,500. See also: Farming flood recovery fund area and deadline extended In addition, an Agricultural Floodbank Restoration Grant Scheme of up to 1m will also be made available to the farming community to seek financial support to restore damaged floodbanks. NFU Scotland president Allan Bowie visited three flood-ravaged farms in Perthshire on Friday (8 January) to see the devastation caused by the floods. He said: The damage seen on Scottish farms up and down the country has been extensive and the job of restoring flood banks and clearing up the debris will be costly and time consuming. The full picture will not be known until the waters recede but it goes without saying that, for a good number of farmers, the effects will be felt for much longer. Mr Bowie will hold talks with Scottish government and officials from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) in the coming days to discuss measures that can be taken to better protect houses, businesses and farmland from flooding in the future. Farmers are only able to apply once for the fund, so it is important when making a claim that all affected areas are included on the application and the form is filled in correctly Richard Taylor, Strutt & Parker In England, Defra has set up the Farming Recovery Fund to provide money to help farmers in Cumbria, Lancashire, Northumberland and Yorkshire whose agricultural land has been affected by floods. Grants of between 500 and a maximum of 20,000 are available to affected farmers. Richard Taylor, partner at Strutt & Parkers Northallerton Office, said: Farmers are only able to apply once for the fund, so it is important when making a claim that all affected areas are included on the application and the form is filled in correctly. The good news is that the government has issued good clear guidance and application forms, and the recovery fund sets out fair compensation payment rates for claimable costs to help those affected. However, the Rural Payments Agency has indicated that it wants to receive all applications by email and perhaps too much assumption has been made that those affected will be able to get online to access the forms or email. The application window is open until Friday 1 April 2016. Works need to be completed and the grant claimed for by the 30 December 2016. More information is available on the governments main website The Welsh government has already announced 1m funding for flood-ravaged businesses in north Wales. Since the floods first hit farms in December, the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution has paid out 31,000 to flood victims in Cumbria. Applications from farm businesses affected by flooding or storm damage in the north of England including regions such as Lancashire, Yorkshire and Northumberland as well as Cumbria are still being fast-tracked. Meanwhile, the Princes Countryside Fund grant programme has announced 718,000 of funding in 2016 for projects to help more than 1,000 farm businesses. This new funding comes in addition to the monies already distributed from The Princes Countryside Emergency Flood Appeal in December 2015. The Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs (SAYFC) has said it faces a difficult financial period following a decision by the Scottish government to withdraw financial support. Scotlands largest rural youth organisation said the loss of an annual grant of 66,000, paid by the department for children and young people, will reduce its annual income by 13%. It will be the first time in nearly 70 years that SAYFC will receive no financial support from the Scottish government. Chief executive Penny Montgomerie commented: We are disappointed that the Scottish government has taken this decision to no longer support SAYFC. The association offers a crucial network for many young people in rural Scotland as well as unique personal development opportunities. The association is currently growing from strength to strength with membership now higher than it has been since 1998. See also: Young farmers get wrapping in bale sculpture competition She added: Looking to the future we are optimistic that although there are tough financial times ahead, we will continue to focus on ensuring we can develop member services, and have a relevant organisation that youth in rural Scotland want to be part of. Speaking to Farmers Weekly, Ms Montgomerie said the organisation was hoping to generate extra income by continuing to increase membership numbers and by strengthening its relationships with its supporters. The loss of the funding meant SAYFC would operate at a loss for the next two years, but she hoped by year three the organisation would be back in the black, without the need to implement any significant increase in membership fees. The SAYFC has more than 3,500 members aged between 14 and 30 across Scotland. A spokesman from the Scottish government said: We value the work of the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs and are committed to helping to increase opportunities for young farmers. Ministers will be inviting SAYFC leaders to meet to discuss how the Scottish government can help support their good work in light of the panels decision in relation to their application for youth work funding. Story Highlights Percentage satisfied matches average for Obama's tenure Forty-four percent of Americans very dissatisfied Two in three Republicans say they are very dissatisfied WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As President Barack Obama prepares to deliver his final State of the Union address, 23% of Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S. This percentage is lower than the 32% who were satisfied in January 2015, but it matches the average for Obama's time in office so far. Obama took office at a time when Americans had a dismal view of the nation's direction, with 13% satisfied with the way things were going in January 2009. U.S adults' levels of satisfaction with the nation's direction improved considerably during Obama's first year as president, reaching 36% in August, the peak for his term to date. Historically speaking, satisfaction with the direction of the U.S. has been muted under Obama. The highest satisfaction rating during his administration of 36% nearly matches the historical average of 37% on this measure. Satisfaction ratings since Obama's first year have generally ranged between 15% and 30%, with a few exceptions. Satisfaction bottomed out in the fall of 2011, ranging from 11% to 14% amid the fallout of the debt ceiling crisis during which Standard & Poor's downgraded the U.S. credit rating, resulting in volatility in the stock market. It exceeded 30% on only two occasions: during the 2012 election and in the first few months of 2015. More broadly, the highest level of satisfaction Gallup has recorded since the inception of this measure in 1979 was 71% in February 1999. The lowest recorded was 7% in October 2008. The latest results come from a Jan. 6-10 Gallup poll, which included a follow-up question asking respondents about the degree of their satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Few Americans reported being "very satisfied" (3%) with the direction of the country, while 20% said they were "somewhat satisfied." Meanwhile, 32% of Americans said they were "somewhat dissatisfied," with 44% saying "very dissatisfied." Americans are about as likely now to say they are very satisfied or dissatisfied with the direction of the country as they have been in recent years. Since 2012, between 3% and 6% have said they were very satisfied, while 41% to 48% have said they were very dissatisfied. The percentage of very dissatisfied Americans peaked at 56% and 57% during the fall of 2011, coinciding with the percentage very satisfied dipping to 1% and 2%, respectively. Before 2008, Americans were less likely to rate their dissatisfaction with country's direction in such extreme terms. From 1995 to 2008, they were more tempered in their dissatisfaction, with 12% to 43% saying they were very dissatisfied. Two in Three Republicans Very Dissatisfied With U.S. Trajectory All demographic groups are more dissatisfied than satisfied with the direction of the nation, but the degree of dissatisfaction varies. The greatest differences are by political party. Two in three Republicans (67%) say they are very dissatisfied with the way things are going, compared with 44% of independents and 21% of Democrats. Democrats are more likely to be somewhat dissatisfied than very dissatisfied, while the opposite is true for independents and especially Republicans. More than half of Americans aged 55 and older are very dissatisfied (54%) with the direction of the U.S. -- almost twice the rate of those younger than 35. Meanwhile, half of whites say they are very dissatisfied, compared with 29% of nonwhites. These patterns likely reflect differences in political identification by age and race. Bottom Line As has been the case for his seven previous State of the Union addresses, Obama will deliver his final address to an American public that is mostly dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country. Though the current level of satisfaction is similar to where it was when President George W. Bush gave his final address, the measure had fallen quite drastically under the previous president, whereas it has been consistently muted under Obama. With only one year remaining in Obama's term and many of the structural problems that have restrained public contentment in recent years still in place -- slow economic recovery, political gridlock and global unrest -- Americans' satisfaction is unlikely to break the 36% barrier before he leaves the White House. His final initiatives -- which are expected to include expanding gun control, closing Guantanamo Bay and limiting carbon dioxide emissions -- and his degree of success in achieving them could prove effective in boosting Americans' contentment with the state of the country. But some of these initiatives are divisive and could prove to be more of the president's personal initiatives than ones that will satisfy large numbers of Americans. Historical data for this question are available in Gallup Analytics. Survey Methods Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Jan. 6-10, 2016, with a random sample of 1,012 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is 4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting. Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 60% cellphone respondents and 40% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods. View complete question responses and trends. Learn more about how Gallup Poll Social Series works. gamershell.com expired on 08/21/2022 and is pending renewal or deletion. Backorder Domain The investigation indicated Simone Dobos, 64, was driving south on Highway 101, on Jan. 04, when the vehicle veered off the road and struck two trees. Dobos was not wearing a seat belt and was partially ejected from the passenger side of the vehicle. The crash was heard from neighboring residents but was not reported until Jan. 5, according to a press release about the incident. Mid-valley fifth-year college programs have won a year's reprieve under a bill now headed for Gov. Kate Brown's signature but only for students currently in programs. A proposed amendment in Senate Bill 418 to phase out the programs never received a vote, but did promote numerous discussions on what to do instead. The end result was Senate Bill 898, written by Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, which will hold all programs at their current levels as of June 1 for one year. Gelser said the Senate Education Committee will spend the next few months working with school districts on defining fifth-year programs, getting a definitive handle on what they cost and suggesting ways to fund them. That information will be brought to the February legislative session. The senator said she will be turning to superintendents in Lebanon and Corvallis, among others, to be a part of that work group. The fifth-year programs affected by the bill don't include special needs programs or programs for students who need to stay in school longer than four years to achieve regular high school diplomas. They refer strictly to districts who offer students who would otherwise be able to graduate the option of putting their diploma on hold for a year and taking classes at local community colleges. Districts with such programs use state K-12 funds to pay for books and tuition. The partnership gives students, some of whom are first-generation college students, the support and direction they might otherwise miss. Albany, Central Linn, Corvallis, Lebanon, Scio and Sweet Home all have fifth-year programs in partnerships with Linn-Benton Community College. Philomath had just begun signing up students to start a program this fall. SB 898 ensures all students who were signed up by June 1 can continue with their program. That includes Philomath. However, students who want to join even long-existing programs after that deadline will not be allowed to sign up during the current moratorium, Gelser said. That wasn't a change she personally backs, she said, but it was her best option in making sure the programs could continue while the work group brainstorms financial solutions. One possible route might involve Senate Bill 81, which allocates $10 million to help cover the costs of community college for certain students. If money can be found for that, Gelser said, it's reasonable to think similar funding might be available. I do think that is an absolutely reasonable conversation that we can have," she said. It's also reasonable to spend the moratorium talking about funding in general, she said, including the actual costs, the number of students that might stand to benefit and whether K-12 dollars are the best resource. I dont care if its the fifth-year as long as people have a pathway to college," she said. "I just dont want to eliminate options from districts to serve their kids." The clock could be ticking for the innovative fifth-year programs offered by some mid-valley school districts, and thats a shame, especially since at least one of the proposals being touted as a replacement is missing a critical ingredient. These fifth-year programs allow high school students who have completed all the requirements for a diploma to put off graduation for a year or more and instead attend a community college. Tuition and books are paid for by state school funds because the student still is considered part of his or her home district. Thats the rub: Some lawmakers have complained about the arrangement, saying money meant for school districts shouldnt be stretched to cover higher education. They also point out, with some justification, that the price tag to run these fifth-year programs throughout the state would be huge. State Sen. Sara Gelser, who represents the mid-valley in the Legislature, was able to derail efforts in this years legislative session to phase out the programs. But Gelser pledged to form a work group on the programs and report back to the Legislature at its February session. To our eyes, Gelser is fighting an uphill battle. Chances seem good that the Legislature will pull the plug on the fifth-year programs and keep its eyes on a program it passed this session that offers free tuition to some community college students. That program, dubbed the Oregon Promise by supporters such as state Sen. Mark Hass, will give the aid to somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000 Oregonians beginning in the fall of 2016. (Hass, by the way, was one of the forces behind the effort to phase out the fifth-year programs.) The estimated cost of the free tuition program is set at $10 million a year. (Gelser said the cost of the fifth-year programs also is estimated at about $10 million a year, but she told a reporter that the figure could be high.) The Oregon Promise program is set up to encourage community college students to continue working toward completion of their studies, whether that end point is certification or an associate degree or a transfer to a four-year college. Thats important, seeing how community colleges throughout the state increasingly are emphasizing the idea of shepherding students toward completing their courses of study. But heres where the fifth-year programs have a clear-cut advantage over the Oregon Promise program: The fifth-year programs dont offer just the free tuition. They also offer counseling services to their participants, and those services can be critically important. Many of the students in the fifth-year programs are the first in their families to attend college, and theres little doubt that assistance from the counselors is particularly valuable to them. Already, the fifth-year programs are showing promising results, which leads us to make a modest suggestion to legislators when they meet in February: Keep funding the Oregon Promise program. But find some money to continue offering the fifth-year programs on a trial basis. Track the results. Lets see which program is most effective at generating graduates from the states community colleges. (mm) Correction An editorial Friday incorrectly reported that Umpqua Community College President Rita Cavin was on the Roseburg campus at the start of Friday's shooting incident. In fact, Cavin, the former president of Linn-Benton Community College, was driving to a meeting of state community college officials when she got word of the incident and returned as quickly as possible to campus. The city of Corvallis and Oregon State University have implemented numerous measures to tackle livability issues in the near-campus neighborhood. New hires, new tools, new laws. Property managers have been pitching in as well. Its not enough. Steve Clark, OSU vice president for marketing and university relations and Corvallis Police Chief Jon Sassaman made an unscheduled joint appearance Monday night before the Community Relations Advisory Group, which is continuing the livability work started by the Collaboration Corvallis project. Clark and Sassman called for increased, coordinated efforts to crack down on parties, noise, alcohol violations, particularly on days such as Halloween. On high-incident weekends we are seeing unacceptable levels of behavior, Clark said. We have to change that. We arent going to tolerate it. Its time for us to take the next step in improving community livability in Corvallis. Clark and Sassaman began meeting in November after a horrific Halloween weekend that resulted in more than 500 calls for service, a 25 percent increase from the 403 calls in 2014 (there were 373 calls in 2013). Dispatchers answered 60 percent more calls compared to an average weekend. In addition, the department issued 32 special response notices, up from 13 in 2014. Corvallis police made dozens of arrests on charges of loud noise, unlawful amplified sound, minor in possession of alcohol, disorderly conduct, interfering with a peace officer, open container, minor in possession of marijuana and DUII arrests. And its not just OSU students that are causing the problems, the officials said. There are people who come to Corvallis because they believe this there is a party here and they want to be here, Sassaman said. As the Gazette-Times has reported in recent years, overall calls for service on livability issues have declined amid new student conduct and Greek Life hires at OSU and the addition of three community livability officers by the CPD. But OSU and the city think they need to move the needle more. Sassaman said that the work of the city, OSU and the property managers has been a success, but we want to augment it and capitalize on it with a bit more resources. Clark and Sassaman will continue to meet, both with each other and the leadership of their respective institutions, and report back to CRAG with a plan in 90 days. Investing more money in the livability fight is definitely on the table, they said. Were looking at a program of enforcement, education and accountability, Clark said. If that requires more costs for law enforcement and the university then well have to look at that. The embattled fifth-year programs in which many mid-valley school districts use Oregon State School Fund dollars to pay for students to attend a year of community college after graduation may have a future if a new bill moves forwards. State Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, has drafted a bill for the February session of the state Legislature that would allow the programs to continue in a reduced capacity. The bill, which the Senate Education Committee will introduce, would require eligible kids to enter the new Oregon Promise program, which established a fund to provide grants to recent Oregon high school graduates attending state community colleges to cover costs not paid by their federal grants, if the student had a high school GPA of 2.5 or higher. However, Gelser told the Gazette-Times Monday that the GPA requirement may leave some of the most at-risk kids without support. If youre low-income or an English language learner and you graduate with a 2.2 youve worked hard, she said. Gelser said the bill would require having school counselor resources to support those students. She said this model works well with what Corvallis School District has been doing with its Running Start program, but in districts like Scio, where all students are required to have a 3.0 GPA to enter its fifth-year program, the match isnt perfect, because those students will now use the Oregon Promise. Gelser said the bill's challenge is that it represents a debate over whether State School Funds should be used to pay for college programs. I think were going to get there, she said. Gelser said the bill will be introduced in the session beginning Feb. 1, but the House Education Committee will hear a report on it Thursday. Since Gelser is slated to be speaking to another committee at that time, Erin Prince, Corvallis School Districts superintendent who has testified repeatedly about the benefits of fifth-year programs, will represent the bill for the committee. District 8 state Sen. Sara Gelser has drafted a pair of bills for this legislative session aimed at reforming what she describes as a badly broken child welfare system. Gelser, whose district includes Albany and Corvallis, has been conducting legislative hearings into allegations that the Oregon Department of Human Services failed to protect children in its care from abuse and neglect by care providers it was supposed to be supervising. In the case of a Portland-area provider called Give Us This Day, Gelser said, the state continued to place children with the agency for years despite allegations of serious mistreatment even though the organization didnt even have a state operating license. The director of Give Us This Day, Mary Holden, stands accused of misappropriating nearly $2 million in state funds, but Gelser said shes more concerned with the treatment experienced by children at the now-shuttered care provider. According to a former Give Us This Day employee who testified before Gelsers Senate Human Services Committee, Give Us This Day failed to provide adequate food or bedding, allowed unsanitary conditions and failed to protect kids from sexual abuse, among other things. Based on public records Gelser obtained from the Department of Human Services, the senator said high-ranking DHS officials were aware of these concerns for years and did nothing to address them. The director of the Department of Human Services knew all of these things and prohibited her people from taking action, Gelser said Monday in a meeting with the Gazette-Times editorial board. Erinn Kelley-Siel resigned as DHS director in June, saying she wanted to spend more time with her family. After the allegations surfaced, interim director Jerry Waybrant was removed from his post by Gov. Kate Brown, who said she would launch a review of the states child welfare system. Gelser said her bills, one sponsored by the Senate Human Services Committee and the other by the Senate Early Childhood Committee, would strengthen the authority of DHS to revoke the licenses of care providers, create new protections for whistleblowers and establish criminal penalties for state officials who fail to take appropriate action to protect children. I think its likely there could be good grounds for criminal penalties without this bill, Gelser said, but added that the legislation would make it easier to file charges in the future. I have hope we can turn the corner and become a leader in child welfare services, Gelser said. There are limits on how many bills each legislator or legislative committee can introduce in the short session that begins in February, but Gelser has taken a lead role in drafting six measures. Others on her to-do list have to do with improving the states handling of evidence kits in rape cases, ensuring that college student health service records are confidential, expanding the states Charitable Pharmacy Program and keeping alive so-called fifth-year programs that allow public school districts to cover the cost of one year of community college for certain students (see accompanying story). April 27, 1960 Jan. 6, 2016 Terria Phillpott McNamar was born and raised in Corvallis. After college at Concordia in Portland she taught a couple of years in California before returning to teach at Zion Lutheran in Corvallis. A generation of third-graders have all known that she loved them. Terria was passionate about inspiring her students to embrace and enjoy learning. She found time to teach an adult fitness class at LBCC and loved dancing in Zumba class. She enjoyed good food and wine shared with friends and family. She had a beautiful smile and an infectious laugh. She is survived by her husband, Dan McNamar; mother Margaret Phillpott; brother Tim Phillpott; and more friends than can be counted. She liked flowers but I believe she would rather have contributions to a scholarship fund. A page has been set up on gofundme.com/terria-mcnamar. A service will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15, at Zion Lutheran Church. Please leave your thoughts and memories at www.mchenryfuneralhome.com. Feb. 14, 1926 Jan. 9, 2016 Vivien Carlson Chrostowski came into this world as a true Valentine Girl on Feb. 14, 1926. She left this world to join her family in the Lord's care after struggles with Alzheimers in the early morning hours of Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016. She was born in Two Harbors, Minnesota. Her parents, Herman Carlson and Maria Johannson, immigrated to America from Sweden. They were proud of their Swedish Heritage and passed those feelings on to their children. Vivien traveled to Sweden on the ocean liner Gripsholm with her sister, Mayme, and later flew with her husband to connect with various branches of the family. In 1954 she traveled to Juneau, Alaska and found work as a secretary with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. There she met her future husband, Henry, who was with the same agency. They were married in her home town of Two Harbors, Minnesota, in 1957 and returned to Alaska to settle in Anchorage. Summer months were spent at Sand Point in the Shumagin Islands and the winter months in Anchorage. It was a big adventure for her to visit Glaciers Bay and see wildlife across the territory. With the advent of Alaska statehood, Hank was promoted and stationed to Washington, D.C., where they established their home in Fairfax, Virginia. It was there that Vivien and Henry raised their four children, Carol, Andrew, Karen and Steven, with loving care. The family moved to Orem, Utah, in 1970 when Hank was transferred to the U.S. Forest Service, and then again to the Siuslaw National Forest in Corvallis in 1977. Vivien loved her adventures in Alaska and its vastness and beauty. The family spent many summers in their rented cabin fishing, crabbing and boating in the San Juan Islands. She was a devoted mother to her family through the years. She will be sorely missed. She is survived by her husband, Henry; four children, Carol Sabin, Andrew Chrostowski, Karen Smolin and Steven Chrostowski; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She was preceded in death by her siblings, Harold, Gladys, Myrtle and Mayme. A visitation will be at noon followed by a service at 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15, at McHenry Funeral Home, 206 N.W. Fifth St., Corvallis. Interment will be at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland at a later date. Many thanks to the staff of Stoneybrook Assisted Living and Benton Hospice Service for the care during her final days. 1920 2016 Wilfred Pete Pierre Fournier died peacefully at the age of 95 in Corvallis on Jan. 5, 2016. Pete is survived by sons Steven, Thomas, Martin and Jon and daughter Paula Phares. Pete had 13 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and a great-great-granddaughter. His loving wife of 65 years, Flora Loss Fournier, preceded him in death in February 2012. He was born in 1920 in Oxnard, California, graduated from Oxnard High School, then attended Ventura College. He served in the Army during World War II. Pete spent time in the South Pacific as well as duty working in an Army hospital in India. He met his future wife, Flora Loss, at a dance in Ventura. Three months later, January 1947, they were married. Pete worked as a skilled carpenter where he later built custom homes in the Camarillo area. On Petes 43rd birthday he had a catastrophic accident that resulted in the loss of his right leg. Pete and Flora remained dedicated to maintaining a happy and loving home for their five children. The family would like to thank Dr. Rampton, Keith Seckel, RN, CHPN, and all the staff at Regent Court care center. Also special thanks to Kathryn and Jon Fournier for all their efforts through the past 10 difficult years assisting Mom and Dad. F.Y.I. is a community calendar. To accommodate demand for the print edition, we ask that items be brief and include time, date, place, address, admission cost and a contact number for publication. Inclusion of items is at the discretion of the Gazette-Times. Further information is available at 541-758-9524 or jane.stoltz@lee.net. Assistance TUESDAY Emergency food boxes, by appointment, North Corvallis Ministry Center, 5050 N.E. Elliott Circle. Appointments: 541-220-1040. Emergency food boxes, 1:30 to 4 p.m., St. Vincent de Paul Society Corvallis Conference Food Pantry, campus of St. Marys Catholic Church, 501 N.W. 25th St. No appointment needed. Information: 541-757-1988, ext. 317. Stone Soup dinner, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., McLean Hall, First Christian Church, 602 S.W. Madison Ave. Free meal for those in need. Classes TUESDAY Academy for Lifelong Learning, 9:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., First Congregational United Church of Christ, 4515 S.W. West Hills Road. At 9:30: Mark and Kim Thackray present "Ride to Second Breakfast." At 1:30: Mike Beilstein and Marge Stevens present "Hot Times in Cuba." Information: 541-737-9405 or admin@academyforlifelonglearning.org. "Personal Computer Essentials," 1 p.m. three Tuesdays, Linn-Benton Community College Benton Center, 757 N.W. Polk Ave. For those who have never touched a computer. Cost: $49. Registration: 541-757-8944, corvallis@linnbenton.edu or www.linnbenton.edu. Chair yoga, 3 p.m., Live Well Studio, 971 N.W. Spruce Ave. Suited to those with medical or physical limitations. By donation. Information: 541-224-6566 or www.livewellstudio.com. "Photoshop Elements," 5 p.m. six Tuesdays, Linn-Benton Community College Benton Center, 757 N.W. Polk Ave. Cost: $79. Registration: 541-757-8944, corvallis@linnbenton.edu or www.linnbenton.edu. Events TUESDAY Infant Story Time, 10 a.m., Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 N.W. Monroe Ave. For children from birth through age 1. Little Listeners Story Time, 10:30 a.m., Monroe Community Library, 380 N. Fifth St., Monroe. All ages. "Don't Worry, Be Happy," 3 to 5 p.m. or later, Old World Deli, 341 S.W. Second St. Join in games; bring your favorites or just show up at any point. Fragrance-free, please. Information: 541-752-0135. Government TUESDAY Benton County Board of Commissioners, 9 a.m., small meeting room, commissioners' office, 205 N.W. Fifth St. Goal session. Philomath Public Works Committee, 3 p.m., Kugler Hall, City Park, 299 S. 23rd St. Corvallis City Council Goals Task Force Chairs, 4 p.m., Madison Avenue Meeting Room, 500 S.W. Madison Ave. Corvallis King Legacy Advisory Board, 5:15 p.m., Osborn Aquatic Center, 1940 N.W. Highland Drive. Corvallis Historic Resources Commission, 6:30 p.m., downtown fire station, 400 N.W. Harrison Blvd. Corvallis Budget Commission, 7 p.m., Madison Avenue Meeting Room, 500 S.W. Madison Ave. Health TUESDAY Monroe Family Medicine, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., 610 Dragon Drive, Monroe. Insurance, Medicare, Medicaid accepted. Information: 541-847-5143. American Red Cross mobile blood drive, noon to 5 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 114 S.W. Eighth St. Rapid HIV testing, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m., First Christian Church, 602 S.W. Madison Ave. Free testing and counseling. Information: 541-740-0405. Organizations TUESDAY Running and walking group, 5:45 a.m., Corvallis High School track, 1400 N.W. Buchanan Ave. Information: 541-754-0441 or www.hotvrunners.com. Disabled American Veterans, 11 a.m., Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 584, 1469 Timber St. S.E., Albany. No-host lunch. Willamette Chapter 17 and auxiliary meeting, 12:30 p.m. Information: 541-259-5593. Philomath Rotary Club, noon, Peace Lutheran Church, 2540 Applegate St. Benton County Circuit Court Presiding Judge David Connell will present "The Benton County Drug Treatment Court Program." Cost: $10 for lunch; no charge for first-time guests. Corvallis Bridge Club, 1 p.m., 6:30 p.m., Heart of the Valley Bridge Center, 1931 N.W. Circle Blvd. Sign up 20 minutes before game. Partners/information: 541-740-1072 or www.corvallisbridge.org. Rotary Club of Corvallis After Five, 5:15 p.m., downstairs, Tommys 4th St. Bar & Grill, 350 S.W. Fourth St. Information: 503-559-0971. Corvallis Meditation Community, 5:30 p.m., 3311 N.W. Polk Ave. Information: 971-218-6798 or rasalila2@yahoo.com. League of Women Voters of Corvallis, 6 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis, 2945 N.W. Circle Blvd. Annual soup social; bring your bowl, plate, cup and utensils. The league's program for the next year will be planned. Corvallis Community Choir, 7 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis, 2945 N.W. Circle Blvd. Newcomers welcome; no audition; no experience necessary. Cost: $50 per term. Information: 541-740-6068 or nonandjay1@gmail.com. Gospel Choir, 7 p.m., social hall, College United Methodist Church, 1123 Main St., Philomath. Information: 541-929-2412. Society for Creative Anachronism, 7 p.m., Avery Park Boy Scout Lodge, Southwest Allen Avenue. Information: 541-754-2372 or rudesheim@juno.com. Support groups TUESDAY Support group for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Information: Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence hotline, 541-754-0110. Alcoholics Anonymous: 7 a.m., noon, Room 11, First Christian Church, 602 S.W. Madison Ave. 6:30 p.m. (open meeting), basement, New Life Fellowship, 1412 Applegate St., Philomath. 7 p.m., Alsea Community Library, 19192 Alsea Highway. 7 p.m., Crossroads Christian Fellowship, 2555 N.W. Highland Drive. Information (24 hours): 541-967-4252 or www.aa-oregon.org. Narcotics Anonymous, noon, 7:30 p.m., Room 11, First Christian Church, 602 S.W. Madison Ave. Information (24 hours) 877-233-4287 or www.lblna.org. Caregivers Support Group, 1:30 p.m, meeting room, Benton Hospice Service, 2350 N.W. Professional Drive. Information: 541-757-9616. Memory Loss Support Group, 1:30 p.m., Cline Room, Corvallis Senior Center, 2601 N.W. Tyler Ave. For caregivers and family members of those with memory loss. Inforamtion: 541-753-1342. Support Group for People with Memory Loss, 1:30 p.m., conference room, Corvallis Senior Center, 2601 N.W. Tyler Ave. Information: 541-757-7806. Family Support and Education Group for Children with Developmental Disabilities and Autism, 5:30 p.m., Grace Lutheran Church, 435 N.W. 21st St. Dinner and youth activities. Information: 541-740-6306. Grief Realization and Education Group, 6:30 p.m., conference room, Samaritan Evergreen Hospice House, 4600 Evergreen Place S.E., Albany. Peer support for parents who have experienced the death of a child of any age. Information: 541-829-9102. Alanon, 7:30 p.m., Room 12, Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan, 333 N.W. 35th St. Support group for families and friends of alcoholics. Message center: 541-967-6262. Mens Support Group, 7:30 p.m., 1975 S.E. Crystal Lake Drive, No. 131. Information: 541-752-6261. If Oregon lawmakers agree, fifth-year college programs will be available to all high schools next year, regardless of size and students won't have to wait for a diploma. Philomath is among those with a fifth-year program, in which students put off graduation for a year and take community college classes paid for by their districts. State school funds cover their books and tuition because they're still considered part of their home school. Portland-area legislators had argued that the college partnerships unfairly siphoned away K-12 dollars and couldn't be accessed by large districts such as Beaverton without breaking the state's educational bank. State Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, a member of the Senate Interim Committee on Education, formed a work group made up of representatives from various educational institutions statewide to figure out an answer. Now, Gelser said, that group's work has been formed into a plan that will become a bill in the February legislative session. Gelser said the first challenge was carving out a new term for students in the program. They aren't really "fifth-year" students who haven't been able to achieve the diploma requirements, so the new term is "post-graduate scholars." This should allow districts to properly categorize them to receive state funds. The next step was defining and limiting that category. Under Gelser's plan, the "post-graduate scholar" label will apply only to students who have earned a diploma; have filled out the federal financial aid form known as a FAFSA; have applied for and accepted all the grant-based aid for which they are eligible, such as a Pell Grant; and have applied for the new community college grant program known as Oregon Promise, which is open to recent Oregon graduates with at least a 2.5 grade-point average. If Oregon Promise accepts the student, the tuition problem is solved. If not, and all other factors apply, the district can tap state school funds for the student as a post-graduate scholar. The requirements should make more money available because they slim down the number of students vying for the cash, Gelser said. What districts are left with are those kids who would have fallen through the cracks," she said. Districts can still have students take college classes using other forms of revenue, Gelser said. The program also doesn't affect students studying there for, say, a General Educational Development certificate. Top 10 Chinese Smartphones You Can Buy in January 2016 Features oi -Vigneshwar In the current scenario, the smartphone market is changing drastically and witnessing a huge smartphone release day by day. Interestingly, the company like Xiaomi, OnePlus, Huawei and many others are releasing smartphones with 'worth the money' factor. India saw a record high 26.5 million smartphones shipped in the second quarter of the year, according to the latest data from IDC. As per, Kiran Kumar, research manager, IDC India mobile phone team says, "The growing usage of e-commerce - both by consumers and some phone brands - has helped push smartphones forward." Out of these, Lenovo and Xiaomi, are the two Chinese brands that have benefitted most from e-commerce in India. Today, let's have a look at the top 10 Chinese smartphones that you can buy right now. OnePlus 5-inch Full HD AMOLED display 2.3GHz Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor 3GB RAM 16GB inbuilt storage, expandable option up to 128GB 13MP/8MP camera Android 5.1.1 Lollipop on top of Oxygen OS 2.1 2525mAh built-in battery Meizu 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display 2.2 GHz MediaTek Helio X10 (MT6795T) Octa-Core 64-bit processor 3GB RAM 16GB inbuilt storage 20.7 MP/5MP camera Flyme OS 4.5 based on Android 5.0 Lollipop 3150mAh battery OnePlus 5.5-inch Full HD IPS In-Cell display Octa-Core Snapdragon 810 64-bit processor 3GB LPPDR4 RAM with 16GB internal storage / 4GB DDR4 RAM with 64GB internal memory Android 5.1 (Lollipop) based Oxygen OS 13MP/5MP camera 3300mAh battery Xiaomi 5-inch IPS display 2.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor 3GB RAM 16GB/64GB inbuilt memory MIUI V5 on top of Android 4.4 KitKat 13MP/8MP camera 3080 mAh battery Huawei 5.2-inch multi-touch In-cell touch display Octa-Core Huawei Kirin 935 processor 3GB RAM 16GB/64GB inbuilt memory, expandable up to 128GB 20MP/8MP camera Android 5.0 Lollipop on top of Emotion UI 3.1 3100 mAh battery Lenovno 5.5-inch IPS 178 degree wide-view display 1.3 GHz Octa-core MediaTek MT6753 processor 3GB DDR3 RAM 16GB inbuilt storage, expandable up to 128GB Android 5.1 Lollipop with Vibe UI 13MP/5MP camera 3300mAh (Rated) built-in battery / 3400mAh (Typical) Lenovo 5-inch Full HD display 1.7 GHz Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 (MSM8939) processor 3GB RAM 32GB inbuilt memory, expandable up to 128GB 16MP/8MP camera Android 5.1 Lollipop OS on top of Vibe UI 3000mAh battery Xiaomi 5-inch IPS fully display Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor 2GB RAM 16GB inbuilt storage 13MP/5MP camera MIUI 6 on top of Android 5.0 Lollipop 3120mAh battery ZTE 5.2-inch Full HD IPS display Octa-Core 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor 4GB/3GB LPDDR4 RAM 32GB/64GB inbuilt storage Android 5.0 Lollipop on top of nubia UI 3.0 16MP/8MP camera 2900 mAh battery Honor 5.5-inch in-cell LTPS display Octa-Core Hisilicon Kirin 925 processor 3GB RAM 16GB/32GB inbuilt memory, expandable up to 128GB Android 4.4 (KitKat) with Emotion UI 3.0 Dual 8MP camera rear cameras/8MP front camera 3600mAh battery Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications OPPO F1 with 5-inch HD, with 8MP front camera and 3GB RAM to launch in India News oi -Sudhiir OPPO recently announced that it will launch camera-centric 'F series' smartphones this year in India. The F1 will be the first of the smartphones in this series. The Oppo F1 has gone official in Vietnam and will be launched in India on January 28th. SEE ALSO: Moto phones in 2016 will sport fingerprint sensors and minimum of 5-inch Display: Lenovo SVP The highlight of the smartphone remains its 8MP front-facing camera with soft features such as Beautify 3.0 live color filters, and option to use the display as a flash-light to capture better images in low lighting conditions. This Nokia branded Prototype device isn't what most where hoping for News oi -Sayan Nokia, as you may already be aware is reported to bounce back with an entry into the smartphone space later this year. Numerous reports had emerged regarding the entry of Nokia in partnership with various brands including Alcatel Lucent, Foxconn etc. However very few circumstantial evidence have been unearthed. Nevertheless it seems that leaked images of a Nokia branded prototype device has emerged which probably gives a hint at what's in store. Or does it? SEE ALSO: Top 10 Smartphones with 4GB RAM to Buy in India This January The photos which recently cropped up on the web shows a mysterious Nokia branded device with a iPhone inspired rear shell. The back boasts of a rear camera equipped with LED flash and a pair of stripes which supposedly are a part of the antenna design. However a close look at the frontal aspect of the phone will spoil the high hopes of many you who were already jumping in joy by considering it to the next smartphone which would mark a comeback for the company. Incidentally it isn't as the frontal aspect of the smartphone boasts of a large T9 keypad and small non-touch display. So now the question arises, is Microsoft planning to launch a Nokia branded feature phone in near future? While that might be the obvious reason behind the existence of this prototype as the Redmond giant has the full legal right to use the Nokia branding in feature phones till 2024. SEE ALSO: Top 10 Smartphones, priced Under Rs 10,000 For those unaware the Redmond giants still use the Nokia branding in a number of feature phones including the recently launched Nokia 230 and Nokia 235 Dual SIM. Best Mobiles in India Xiaomi Mi 5 rumored to come in two variants News oi -Sudhiir The upcoming Xiaomi Mi 5 is yet to be officially announced and it is expected to be announced in February. The Xiaomi Mi 5 is all set to have two variants and this is particularly to do with the pixel density of the phones. SEE ALSO: OPPO F1 with 5-inch HD, with 8MP front camera and 3GB Ram to launch in Inda The leaked renderings of the Mi 5 show a well designed smart phone with glass at the front with 2.5D curved glass and glass at the back. This is probably the lower variant of the Mi 5 that will come with a 1080p screen and a metal frame. The screen size remains the same on both the variants of the Mi 5. While the lower variant of the phone has 3GB of Ram with 32GB of internal memory. The premium model of the Xiaomi Mi 5 has 4GB of RAM and with come with 64GB of storage.A primary differentiator of the phones will be their internal storage and RAM other than their pixel density. MTNL likely to make profit next fiscal: Ravi Shankar Prasad News oi -GizBot Bureau State-run telecom company MTNL is likely to make a turnaround and become profitable in the next fiscal, Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Sunday. "MTNL was in loss of Rs.2,900 crore loss in 2014. Today, their operating loss has come down from (Rs.) 140 crore to (Rs.) 70 crore in one year time," Prasad told reporters here. "They (MTNL) have promised me that in fiscal 2016-17 like BSNL they will also come into operating profits," he added. SEE ALSO: How To Remotely Locate And Erase Data on-Your Windows 10 Smartphone Prasad said the other state-run telecom firm, BSNL, had recorded a loss of Rs.8,000 crore when he took charge of the ministry. "But, today in five years BSNL has recorded operating profits of Rs.672 crore this year. BSNL revenue has risen by 4.1 percent," he said. The company was adding 15-16 lakh mobile customers every month, which is an increase from 6-7 lakh customers it was getting till March-April 2015, he added. The minister said MTNL plans to provide hi-speed broadband to one lakh homes in Mumbai and install 6,000 cameras at 1,800 locations in the western metropolis under the police city surveillance scheme. On call drops, Prasad said he appreciated the mobile companies for spreading mobile services across the country but "they need to do more". "For the service to be good, the government has to sometimes take a tough stand for all telecom operators including BSNL and MTNL. They have done some good work.. they need to do more," he said. SEE ALSO: Top 10 Smartphones with 4GB RAM to Buy in India This January He also said the government is encouraging investment electronics manufacturing in a big way. "About Rs.11,700 crore investments proposal were there when I became minister in June 2014, but till December-end about Rs 1.18 lakh crore have been invested in the sector," Prasad said. Source IANS Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Navy Installations to Conduct Exercise Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield 2016 Navy News Service Story Number: NNS160111-13 Release Date: 1/11/2016 4:31:00 PM From Navy Installations Command and U.S. Fleet Forces Command Public Affairs WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces (USFF) and Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) will conduct Exercise Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield 2016 (SC/CS16) Feb. 1-12 on Navy installations located in the continental United States. This annual anti-terrorism force protection (ATFP) exercise is designed to train Navy security forces to respond to threats to installations and units. 'Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield 2016 provides the means by which USFF and CNIC assess Navy anti-terrorism program command and control capabilities, and the readiness and effectiveness of fleet and region program execution throughout the U.S. Northern Command area of responsibility,' said William Clark, CNIC's exercise program manager. 'Exercise scenarios are based on our assessment of terrorist/homegrown violent extremist objectives, capabilities and current real-world events.' Exercise SC/CS16 is not in response to any specific threat, but is a regularly scheduled exercise. The exercise consists of approximately 300 field-training exercise events on and off Navy installations across the country, each designed to test different regional ATFP operations. The exercise's scenarios enable assessment of the Navy and civilian law enforcement's response to attacks both on installations and at soft targets off-installation. Exercise coordinators have taken measures to minimize disruptions to normal base operations, but there may be times when the exercise causes increased traffic around bases or delays in base access. Residents near bases may also see increased security activity associated with the exercise. Base personnel should register for the AtHoc wide-area alert network to stay up to date on force protection conditions and other emergency, environmental, or exercise-related impacts on the area. CNIC is responsible for providing support services for the Fleet, Fighter and Family with more than 52,000 military and civilian personnel under 11 Regions and 70 installations worldwide. USFF executes the Navy AT Program in the United States to prevent, deter and defend against terrorist attacks on Department of the Navy (DoN) personnel, their families, facilities, resources, installations, and infrastructure critical to DoN mission accomplishment. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Yemenis kill 3 Saudis in fresh reprisal attack Iran Press TV Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:24PM A number of Saudi soldiers have been killed in a fresh round of attacks launched by Yemen's Ansarullah Houthi fighters and allies in retaliation against the kingdom's deadly military aggression against the impoverished nation. The pro-Houthi Saba'net website said on Monday that the allied forces launched several rounds of artillery on the military positions in the al-Maosem district of the southern Saudi province of Jizan, killing at least three soldiers. A senior Ansarullah leader, identified as Yahya al-Qahum, said on his Twitter page that the target of the rockets and shelling was the al-Huthayrah military camp, confirming that a number of Saudis were killed in the attack. Yemen's al-Masirah TV said Yemenis also launched attacks on the Ayn al-Harrah district of Jizan, destroying a Saudi armored vehicle and inflicting losses on Saudi weaponry. Ansarullah says the attacks, which it says only targets Saudi military positions, are in retaliation for the kingdom's incessant bombardment of residential areas in Yemen. Over 7,500 people have been killed and millions have been displaced over more than nine months of air strikes by Saudi Arabia against Yemen. The deaths of Saudi soldiers came hours after Houthis claimed a "major Saudi mercenary" had been assassinated by unknown gunmen in the southern Yemeni city of Aden. Al-Masirah said Ali al-Houthari was targeted when he was driving his car in Aden's al-Mansourah district. Saudi Arabia has started military strikes against Yemen since March 2015, without a UN mandate, in a supposed bid to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement and to restore power to fugitive former Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, an ally of Riyadh. The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the country's facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools and factories. The Saudi military has also blocked the flow of relief aid into Yemen, creating an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Talks to revive Afghanistan peace process open in Islamabad Iran Press TV Mon Jan 11, 2016 8:4AM Pakistan is hosting four-way talks aimed at reviving dialog between Kabul and the Taliban militant group, and eventually ending years of bloodshed in war-torn Afghanistan. Senior officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, and the United States are taking part in the Monday talks in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Addressing the opening session, Pakistani Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said Islamabad wants to promote the reconciliation process in Afghanistan. Pakistan attaches great importance to neighboring countries and feels duty-bound to ensure peace in the region, he said, adding that the main purpose of the meeting is to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table. "It is therefore important that preconditions are not attached to the start of the negotiation process. This, we argue, will be counterproductive," he said. Renewed peace efforts come amid widespread Taliban militancy in Afghanistan. The militants have won territory in the southern province of Helmand; they briefly seized the northern city of Kunduz and have launched a series of attacks in the capital in recent months. The Monday meeting was agreed last month during Pakistani Army Chief General Raheel Sharif's visit to Kabul. On Saturday, the Afghan Foreign Ministry said the aim of the talks is to work out a "roadmap" for peace negotiations between Kabul and Taliban militants. Pakistan was among the three countries that officially recognized the Taliban's 1996-2001 regime, and Kabul has long accused Islamabad of continuing to covertly back the group. Last summer, Islamabad hosted a meeting between Afghan and Taliban representatives, but the talks collapsed after the announcement of the death of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. There have also been growing differences among Taliban elements over peace talks with the Afghan government, with some vowing to fight for power instead of taking part in negotiations. Afghanistan is gripped by violence and insecurity years after the US and its allies invaded the country in 2001 as part of Washington's so-called war on terror. The offensive overthrew the Taliban, but the militants are still continuing their militancy across the country. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Lacks Accurate Location Data for Many Afghan Health Facilities Sputnik News 21:11 11.01.2016 US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) found substantial inaccuracies in the geospatial coordinates of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), according to official organisation's statement. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The US Agency for International Development (USAID) lacks precise location information for a multitude of healthcare facilities in Afghanistan, US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said in a press release on Monday. 'SIGAR found substantial inaccuracies in the geospatial coordinates USAID provided for many of these 32 health facilities,' the release stated. Since 2014, according to the release, SIGAR has expressed concerns regarding USAID'S oversight of health facilities, including with respect to the consequences of lacking correct location data. 'Robust program oversight requires specific knowledge of the location where the service is provided, and accurate location-specific information is critical to ensure that the local population is receiving the intended services,' the release noted. Poor health facility information in Afghanistan has been a contentious issue since October after US airstrikes destroyed a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hospital in Kunduz, killing more than 40 staff and patients. US Department of Defense officials cited poor location data as one of the reasons for the incident while MSF said it had provided the US military with the hospital's coordinates. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Britain Reportedly Uses Brimstone Missiles Against Daesh in Syria Sputnik News 17:43 11.01.2016 Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) carried out several air strikes against Daesh militants in Syria on Sunday, deploying its Brimstone missiles for the first time there, according to a spokeswoman for Prime Minister David Cameron. 'We saw five new attacks by RAF forces in Syria, targeting a Daesh (ISIS/ISIL) vehicle near Raqqa, enemy tunnels also near Raqqa and the Omar oil field. As part of these strikes the Brimstone missiles were also deployed,' Reuters quotes the spokeswoman as telling reporters. Britain joined the US-led coalition in implementing air strikes against the jihadist group in Syria late last year but has been reportedly criticized for conducting few operations, which largely targeted oil fields. Britain says its Brimstone missiles, which are designed to hit fast-moving targets and have already been used by Britain's Tornado jets in Afghanistan, Libya and Iraq, should bolster the fight against Daesh by delivering so-called surgical strikes that minimize civilian casualties. Asked whether these latest missions indicated the UK was stepping up its fight against Daesh in Syria, Prime Minister's spokeswoman said: 'This is part of the ongoing operation and work we are doing with coalition partners to defeat Daesh in Iraq and Syria. We have always been clear that it is going to take time and require patience and persistence, but it reflects the fact that where we identify targets and an ability to strike them, we will do all we can to tackle Daesh.' Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Joint Press Release of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group on Afghan Peace and Reconciliation Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC January 11, 2016 The following statement was released by the Governments of Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, and the United States of America on the occasion of the first meeting of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) in Islamabad, Pakistan. Begin Text: The first meeting of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) of Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the United States on Afghan Peace and reconciliation process was held in Islamabad on 11 January 2016. The delegations were led by Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai, Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Aziz Ahmad Chaudhry, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador Richard G. Olson and China's Special Envoy for Afghanistan Ambassador Deng Xijun. The Group reiterated the commitment of their countries to the realization of objectives expressed in their statement from the quadrilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia Conference in Islamabad on 9 December 2015. Building on the outcome of December 9 trilateral and quadrilateral meetings, they considered mutual efforts to facilitate an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process with a view to achieving lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region. All four countries underscored the importance of bringing an end to the conflict in Afghanistan that continues to inflict senseless violence on the Afghan people and also breeds insecurity throughout the region. The participants emphasized the immediate need for direct talks between representatives of the Government of Afghanistan and representatives from Taliban groups in a peace process that aims to preserve Afghanistan's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The discussions focused on undertaking a clear and realistic assessment of the opportunities for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan, and anticipated obstacles and measures that would help create a conducive environment for commencement of peace talks with the shared goal of reducing violence and establishing lasting peace in Afghanistan. The meeting adopted terms for the work of the QCG and agreed to continue regular meetings to advance the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan. The group would hold discussion on a roadmap at its next meeting to be held on 18 January 2016 in Kabul. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Obama will keep promise to close Guantanamo: White House Iran Press TV Sun Jan 10, 2016 10:0PM US President Barack Obama will keep his promise to close the American military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, before his presidency ends in 11 months, according to the White House. Obama will first provide Congress with a long-awaited plan about how to close the detention facility, and seek its approval, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday. If Congress fails to act, the Obama administration will determine the next step, he said. 'He feels an obligation to the next president. He will fix this so that they don't have to be confronted with the same set of challenges,' McDonough said. Obama had promised to close the Guantanamo Bay prison during the 2008 presidential election campaign, citing its damage to the US reputation abroad. However, later on the president backed away on his campaign promise due to stiff opposition from Congress. As many as 775 detainees were brought to the prison, which was set up after the September 11, 2001 attacks. There are 104 detainees left at the prison. Washington says the prisoners are terror suspects, but has not pressed charges against most of them in any court. Many detainees have been on hunger strike for months to draw attention to their deteriorating conditions. The Obama administration has transferred most detainees to other countries, but there is a small number of detainees who the administration says it would like to detain in a US facility for national security reasons. Congress has explicitly banned the transfer of Guantanamo detainees from Cuba to US soil. McDonough declined to say whether Obama would close the prison using his own executive powers if Congress rejects his plan. 'I'm not an if-then guy,' he said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China a step closer to manned moon landing People's Daily Online (China Daily) 08:46, January 11, 2016 A part for the Long March 9 rocket was successfully developed in April 2015. China has developed the manufacturing techniques for a key part to be used on its super-heavy rocket that will fulfill the nation's manned missions to the moon. The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, working with other Chinese institutes, has developed a super-large interstage ring to be used to connect stages of the rocket, tentatively called the Long March 9. The development was announced in a news release by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the country's major space contractor. The release said an interstage ring is a key component in a multistage rocket, and that those used on China's current rockets were made in sections before being assembled. In contrast, the ring on the Long March 9 will be made through a casting method that produces it in one piece. The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology has begun preliminary research on the Long March 9. The work has been approved by the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, which is in charge of the nation's space programs. According to sources at the academy, it plans to take up to five years to design and develop a liquid oxygen/kerosene engine with 460 metric tons of thrust and a oxygen/liquid hydrogen engine with 220 tons of thrust. The rocket will have a launch weight of 3,000 tons and is scheduled to make its maiden flight around 2030, the sources said, adding that it will play a key role in helping to land astronauts on the moon. The Long March 9's technical specifications have still to be disclosed. But Li Tongyu, head of aerospace products at the academy, said its diameter and height will be much greater than those of the Long March 5, which is undergoing final tests and will make its first flight soon. The Long March 9's thrust will also be much stronger, Li said. 'Our current launch vehicles, including the Long March 5, will be able to undertake the country's space activities planned for the next 10 years, but they will not have the capacity to carry out the nation's long-term space programs,' according to Li. Li Jinghong, deputy chief designer of the Long March 3A at the academy, cited technical estimates stating that the Long March 5 will require four launches before fulfilling a manned mission to the moon, while the Long March 9 will need only one. The senior engineer also said that the Long March 9 will not be used solely for lunar missions, hinting that it will be required for other deep-space exploration projects. Tian Yulong, secretary-general of the China National Space Administration, said it has started preliminary research on a Mars exploration program. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address DPRK's Successful H-bomb Test Hailed in Each Province Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS) Pyongyang, January 11 (KCNA) -- Joint army-civilian meetings for welcoming Juche Korea's first successful H-bomb test respectively took place in South Hwanghae, Kangwon, North Hamgyong, and South Hamgyong provinces on Monday. Present there were officials of the local party and power bodies, working people's organizations, factories, enterprisers, farms and universities, service personnel of the Korean People's Army and the Korean People's Internal Security Forces, working people, youths and students. The statement of the DPRK government was read out and congratulatory speeches were made at the meetings. Speakers said that January 6, the day of the DPRK's successful H-bomb test, was the day of a great deed in history as great Kim Il Sung's, Kim Jong Il's and Kim Jong Un's Korea demonstrated the dignity of the greatest and strongest great Paektusan nation in the world. They went on: The successful H-bomb test brought about an exciting reality in which the whole world looks up to the nuclear power of Juche, socialist Korea and the great Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The DPRK's access to smaller H-bomb of justice to cope with the moves of the brigandish U.S. to provoke a war of aggression against the inviolable DPRK, while threatening it with nuclear weapons, is the legitimate right of a sovereign state for self-defense and a very just step no one can slander. The successful first H-bomb test conducted by Juche Korea with indigenous wisdom, unique technology and efforts constitutes the highest tribute and loyalty to President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il and reflection of the WPK's unshakable faith and will to steadfastly advance along the unchangeable orbit of independence, Songun and socialism. The speakers underscored the need to demonstrate the dignity and might of the nuclear power to the world, bearing in mind the national pride and honor of being led by Marshal Kim Jong Un. -0- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iranian Official Sacked Over Saudi Embassy Attack January 11, 2016 by RFE/RL Iran has dismissed a security official over the attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, which led Riyadh and several of its allies to cut or downgrade ties with the Islamic republic. The Interior Ministry said the incident was one of the reasons for the replacement of Safar Ali Baratlu as deputy for security affairs to Tehran's governor general. The Saudi Embassy in Tehran and its diplomatic mission in Mashhad were stormed on January 2 over Riyadh's execution of the prominent Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. In a statement issued on January 11, the Interior Ministry said 'a blind eye could not be turned' to what happened at the embassy. 'Based on primary investigations, the mistakes of Safa Ali Baratlu, Tehran Province's deputy governor for security affairs, were proved and the decision to replace him was promptly made due to sensitivity of the case,' the ministry said in the statement, published by Iranian news agencies. Baratlu's sacking was followed by the replacement of the head of police special forces in Tehran. It wasn't clear if his replacement was linked to the embassy attack. Iranian officials have condemned the attacks on the Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran. President Hassan Rohani has called on Iran's judiciary to urgently prosecute those who attacked the Saudi Embassy 'to put an end once and for all to such damage and insults to Iran's dignity and national security.' Writing in The New York Times, Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Tehran is determined to act against the attackers. "We took immediate measures to help restore order to the Saudi diplomatic compound and declared our determination to bring perpetrators to justice,' Zarif wrote in a January 10 opinion piece. More than 40 people have been arrested in connection with the attacks. Tehran Prosecutor-General Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said on January 11 that the attackers are still being identified, arrested, and interrogated. With reporting by IRNA, Fars, AFP, Reuters Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/iran-official- sacked-saudi-embassy-attack/27481670.html Copyright (c) 2016. 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 45 killed in Iraq terrorist attacks Iran Press TV Mon Jan 11, 2016 4:37PM At least 45 people are killed in a hostage-taking attack and a series of bombings in the violence-ridden country of Iraq. Some 20 people were killed and 50 others wounded after a bomber detonated his explosives-filled vest inside a cafe in Muqdadiya, 80 km northeast of Baghdad, on Monday, security and medical sources said. As medics and civilians gathered at the site of the first blast an explosive-laden car parked outside the cafe exploded. Earlier, a hostage taking attack was carried out by Daesh Takfiri terrorists in the Iraqi capital Baghdad. Security sources said gunmen opened fire in a crowded shopping mall in eastern Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 18, four of them police forces, and taking some others hostage. A police official said the gunmen had holed up in a mall in the al-Jadida area. 'When the security forces got too close, they killed three hostages,' a police official said. Iraqi state television said the rest of the hostages had been freed. Two of the hostage takers were killed while four were arrested. Iraqi media said that an initial car bombing in front of the mall caused some fatalities, adding that at least 50 people were injured in the attacks. They said police and security forces encircled the mall and shooting was heard from the place. An Interior Ministry source said gunmen opened fire in the street after a car bomb explosion and briefly clashed with members of the security forces before entering the mall, a building of four or five floors in a busy commercial area of Baghdad. Meanwhile, in a separate bombing in crowded marketplace in the Nahrawan district southeast Baghdad seven people were killed and 15 injured. The Takfiri group Daesh, which controls areas in northern and western Iraq, has carried numerous attacks in the country. Daesh has suffered back-to-back defeats over the past weeks to the Iraqi military and allied volunteer fighters, chief among the setbacks being the militants' loss of control of Anbar's provincial capital of Ramadi, around 100 kilometers west of Baghdad. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraq Warns of New Drop in Oil Prices Without Agreement to Cut Production Sputnik News 18:08 11.01.2016(updated 18:29 11.01.2016) Assem Jihad, a spokesman for the Iraqi Oil Ministry, said that Iraq was planning to cut oil production from 3.8 million barrels per day to 3.6 million in an attempt to prevent further price downfall as the country's oil revenues have diminished by 70 percent from $8 billion monthly to less than $3 billion due to the continuing global price drop. BAGHDAD (Sputnik) Iraq is expecting further reduction in global oil prices that will harm all oil producers if a general agreement to cut production is not reached soon, Assem Jihad, a spokesman for the Iraqi Oil Ministry, told Sputnik on Monday. 'Stubborn efforts by some countries to keep oil production at high levels are harming all oil producers. It is necessary to reach an agreement between countries-producers, withing the OPEC and other players outside the organization,' Jihad said. 'The United States entering the oil export market, the return of Iran, the economic slowdown in China, the global economic crisis, as well as shale oil these are all factors that would lead to a new drop in oil prices if an agreement to cut oil production is not reached,' he stressed. The official added that Iraq was planning to cut oil production from 3.8 million barrels per day to 3.6 million in an attempt to prevent further price downfall as the country's oil revenues have diminished by 70 percent from $8 billion monthly to less than $3 billion due to the continuing global price drop. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address IS Claims Responsibility for 4 Suicide Attacks in Baghdad Area by VOA News January 11, 2016 The Islamic State is claiming responsibility for four separate suicide attacks in Iraq on Monday, killing at least 47 people on one of the bloodiest days in and around Baghdad in months. Gunmen sprayed bullets at shoppers before blowing themselves up inside a Baghdad shopping mall, in a mainly Shi'ite neighborhood. A car bomb exploded on a Baghdad street not far from the mall. One distraught witness pointed to the body of a dead child and pleaded to know what sins the youngster committed to deserve this. A police colonel described the mall as a building of four or five floors in a busy commercial area of Baghdad al-Jadida, a populous Shi'ite-majority area on the eastern edge of the Iraqi capital. A large plume of black smoke could be seen billowing into the sky above the area where the mall is located. Iraqi police deny reports that the attackers are holding hostages in the mall. Also Monday, two other bombs blew up outside a cafe in the town of Muqdadiya, northeast of Baghdad. The death toll from all the terrorist attacks Monday is at least 47. The Islamic State claims 90 were killed, but the militants are notorious for exaggerating casualty numbers. The Islamic State controls large areas of northern and western Iraq and frequently targets Shi'ite districts. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US may deploy more strategic assets to South Korea Iran Press TV Mon Jan 11, 2016 4:28AM The United States may deploy further strategic assets to South Korea in the wake of the latest nuclear test by the North. Washington and Seoul are in talks towards sending further strategic US assets to the Korean peninsula, a day after a US B-52 bomber flew over South Korea. 'The United States and South Korea are continuously and closely having discussions on additional deployment of strategic assets,' Kim Min-seok, spokesman at the South Korean Defense Ministry said on Monday, declining to give specifics. South Korean media said strategic assets Washington may utilize in Korea included B-2 bombers, nuclear-powered submarines and F-22 stealth fighter jets. Seoul also said on Monday that it would restrict access to the jointly run Kaesong industrial complex just north of the heavily militarized inter-Korean border to the 'minimum necessary level' starting from Tuesday. North Korea says it exploded a hydrogen bomb last Wednesday, although the United States and other critics doubt this. In a show of force in the region, the United States on Sunday sent a nuclear-capable B-52 bomber based in Guam on a flight over South Korea. Separately, South Korea and Japan used their shared military hotline for the first time in the aftermath of North Korea's nuclear test, Seoul's Defense Ministry said, a sign the North's provocation is pushing the two longtime rivals, which are Washington's main allies in the region, closer together. South Korea has also resumed anti-North propaganda broadcasts using loudspeakers along the border, a tactic that the North considers insulting and resulted in an armed standoff that included an exchange of artillery fire the last time South Korea used the speakers in August. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia's Opposition Ponders Problem of Chechnya's Kadyrov by Danila Galperovich January 11, 2016 Ramzan Kadyrov, the 39-year-old strongman who has held the post of president of Russia's Chechen Republic for nine years, rang in the new year by lashing out at Chechen immigrants who took to the streets in Vienna, Austria, on Christmas Eve to protest against his rule. Declaring in a New Year's Eve address that 'it is our custom that a brother answers for a brother,' Kadyrov said he had given the order to find out whether the protesters 'have brothers and fathers, which clan they belong to, where they were born, and who they are.' The Chechen ruler added, every available resource would be used to ensure that the relatives of the protesters 'sort them out.' Kadyrov is known for publicly reprimanding fellow citizens who criticize the status quo in the republic. Last December, Chechen resident Aishat Inaeva complained in an Internet posting that officials were using violence to collect housing and utilities payments. Kadyrov forced her to appear on TV and recant. Human rights organizations say Kadyrov has established a regime of personal power in the republic. The work of human rights activists in Chechnya is extremely complicated. They are threatened with physical violence, threats which are sometimes acted on. In December 2014, the office of the Joint Mobile Group of Russian human rights defenders in the Chechen capital of Grozny was destroyed in an arson attack. The Russian opposition is currently preparing a report on Kadyrov. Ilya Yashin, deputy chairman of the opposition People's Freedom Party, or PARNAS, discussed it with VOA. Q: What were the main reasons behind the decision to prepare a report on the activities of Ramzan Kadyrov? A: The very existence of a regime like the one in Chechnya is a big reason for doing this and making the results public. Because this is a unique region; there is none other like it in Russia. It is a region where Russian laws are essentially not in force, where an autonomous political regime has been created. And it is a region that is not spoken about; the problems in this region are not discussed. Nevertheless, the problem grows bigger each year, like a cancerous tumor. And today, in my opinion, it threatens not only the stability and security of the North Caucasus, but the national security of the whole country. Thus, the working title of the report is: 'A Threat to National Security.' Q: What is the threat, as you define it in the report? What aspects of the phenomenon called 'Kadyrov's Chechnya' can penetrate beyond the republic's borders? A: The threat is that Kadyrov has become a fairly major political figure which nobody can manage or control. The absence of any control or countermeasures gives Kadyrov a feeling of absolute license and impunity. He has large financial resources; standing behind him are thousands of well-trained and well-armed fighters who are loyal to him personally, not to Russia's laws or constitution. Considering all these factors, the problem of Kadyrov personally and his political regime as a whole creates a threat not just in relations between Chechnya and the federal center: It poses a threat to the country's national security, by discrediting the entire legal framework. When the head of one of (Russia's) regions publicly orders his policemen to shoot at police or investigators from other regions, and does not experience any pushback, it is, of course, a challenge to the entire Russian state. [NOTE: Last April, after a Chechen man was killed in Grozny by police from the neighboring Stavropol region along with officers from the Russian Interior Ministry, Kadyrov told security forces under his control that they should shoot to kill any outside security officers 'whether from Moscow or Stavropol,' who appear on their territory without their knowledge.] Since the state does not counteract this, I believe that civil society and the political opposition should raise the issue. Because I think that this problem still can be solved. However, if the trend continues, at some point this problem will simply be impossible solve. Q: But Moscow does not just fail to criticize Ramzan Kadyrov and his associates; it actually shows them much consideration. Kadyrov and Mohammed Daudov, chairman of the Chechen parliament, have both been awarded the title 'Hero of Russia.' Another person close to Kadyrov, Adam Delimkhanov, sits in the State Duma (the lower house of Russia's parliament). Don't you think that the Kremlin, in general, likes the manner in which the Chechen leadership acts? A: I don't think that's the case. Indeed, Chechnya is covered in all manner of awards and medals. Even not-so-high-ranking law-enforcement and security officials have at least one state decoration. You don't have to go far to find examples: Zaur Dadaev has a state award, and this is the man who is now the prime suspect in the murder of (opposition leader) Boris Nemtsov: according to investigators, he pulled the trigger. Ruslan Geremeyev, with whom he (Dadaev) traveled to Moscow, and who is now hiding from investigators, also has a state decoration. I think the reason for this is not that the Kremlin considers Chechnya a kind of model: if all regions were like Chechnya, we just couldn't afford it, because money is piled into Chechnya every year. On the contrary, Kadyrov in large part copies the style of Putin with the addition of a certain religious and national features, which makes his regime even more odious than Putin's. I think the reason for the massive financial bailouts and endless awards to Kadyrov and his entourage, his officers, his fighters, is that this is now the Kremlin placates Kadyrov. Q: Why does the Kremlin placate him? A: The Kremlin is well aware that Kadyrov's regime is dangerous, and that Kadyrov himself is dangerous. Kadyrov, in fact, recognizes the power and authority of just one person in Russia Putin and will do so as long as it is to his advantage. Therefore, inside the Kremlin they are, of course, wary of Kadyrov. In the FSB (Federal Security Service) they are afraid of Kadyrov, in the Investigative Committee they are afraid of crossing Kadyrov. Behind Kadyrov is a huge army of many thousand fighters, armed to the teeth, who only yesterday fought against Russian soldiers, and know well the taste of blood. Today, they are legalized in the Russian power structures, but are subordinated and personally loyal to Kadyrov. Thus, fearing Kadyrov, they (the federal authorities) cajole and try not to provoke him, endlessly award him, and cede spheres of influence to him. But the problem is that Kadyrov's appetites grow with each year. If yesterday he was content with the role of leader of his region, today his interests have spread to neighboring areas. People with Chechen FSB identification cards organize illegal takeovers of businesses in other regions. Operating in Moscow are dozens of people formally associated with Chechnya who from time to time are detained in connection with various criminal activities. They specialize in hostile takeovers, kidnapping for ransom, fraud. So this is a problem that is growing. Q: You mentioned the murder of Boris Nemtsov. Do you think that Ramzan Kadyrov knew that this murder would be committed? A: The bloody footprints from the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky bridge (NOTE: the bridge near the Kremlin where Nemtsov was shot) lead directly to the highest-level Chechen offices. I do not believe for a second that people from Kadyrov's inner circle could organize such a high-profile, headline-making political murder without having received, in one form or another, Kadyrov's consent, nod, agreement. Were that not the case, then Kadyrov could see it (Nemtsov's murder) as an attempt to frame him, to discredit, to put him in conflict with the federal security forces. Therefore, the probability of this is extremely small: Organizing it without Kadyrov's knowledge would have been too great a risk. I don't believe it. So, from my point of view, Kadyrov should be one of the key suspects in this criminal case. And that's why lawyers for the family of Boris Nemtsov, and the PARNAS party, and I personally have been trying for the past several months to ensure that Kadyrov is, at the very least, questioned. The investigators should have many questions connected to the fact that people who are now behind bars, who are wanted (in connection with the case), are, in essence, subordinate to Kadyrov. These are people who serve in his security structures, people he knows personally, on whose chests he personally pinned medals, and who he publicly called patriots of Russia after the murder. So there really are a lot of questions for Kadyrov. And the fact that the investigators refuse to interrogate him, are even afraid to ask him questions, of course testifies to the fact that a political decision has been made not to touch Kadyrov under any scenario, not even to annoy him by formally calling him in for questioning. The investigation is not even willing to do that it would be seen as a kind of attack on Kadyrov, which is obviously not permitted at the highest political level of our country. Q: In preparing this report, you probably examined how much Chechnya costs Russia. Did you calculate approximately how much money goes there? A: Yes, we undertook some expert estimates, for which we enlisted economists. I will provide the figure when we present the report, but I am not ready to do so before then. But I have to say that there are certain difficulties. It is possible to calculate direct transfers from the federal budget, money which is directly transferred annually. But there are also funds that are difficult to assess: for example, the construction of some public facilities on the territory of Chechnya. In addition, the Chechen regime and Kadyrov have a huge number of additional sources of income. There is, for example, the Akhmad Kadyrov Fund (NOTE: named for Kadyrov's father, who ruled Chechnya from 2000 to May 2004, when he was assassinated), has an extensive network of business not only in Chechnya but also in other Russian regions. There are revenues that are associated with the international status of Grozny Airport, which the federal security forces are unable to control. And according to our sources in law enforcement, this airport may be a major transshipment point for international contraband. When Sergei Stepashin, former chairman of the (federal) Audit Chamber, was asked to explain the difference between Kadyrov's declared and actual income, Stepashin quite frankly said that Kadyrov owned the whole of Chechnya, therefore there was no need to worry about him. Q: Where is the red line that Ramzan Kadyrov can cross in order to become objectionable to the Kremlin? Will your report answer that question? A: The problem is that Kadyrov seems to have already crossed every possible red line, and the process of replacing him or removing him from power should have been started long ago. The fact that this has not happened suggests that the federal authorities, and Russian society as a whole, have in fact become hostages of the policy that Putin is conducting in the North Caucasus. Because Kadyrov and his political regime are the main result of Putin's policies in the North Caucasus, which have brought us to a dead end. And those in the Kremlin are obviously not proposing a way to solve this problem. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudi seeks to impose own will on other nations: Iran Iran Press TV Mon Jan 11, 2016 6:42AM Following the recent Arab League statement against the Islamic Republic, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari says Saudi Arabia seeks to impose its own will on other nations to give the impression that Riyadh is not isolated and alone in its policies. "Saudi Arabia's policy is based on imposing its unilateral policies on other nations and governments," Jaberi Ansari said during his weekly press conference on Monday. "Saudi Arabia is pursuing attempts within the framework of its unilateral policies both at the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC) and the Arab League to win allies and imply that it is not alone," Jaberi Ansari said. Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been strained in recent days following the Saudi execution of top opposition cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, which was announced on January 2. Nimr's execution was widely censured by Muslims and human rights activists around the globe as well as different governments. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran on January 3 following demonstrations held in front of the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in the northeastern city of Mashhad by angry protesters censuring the Al Saud family for the killing of Nimr. Some people mounted the walls of the consulate in Mashhad while incendiary devices were hurled at the embassy in Tehran. Some 60 people have been detained over the transgression. The Iranian government immediately condemned the move by the "rogue" group, whose members were arrested, further asserting that the incident does not diminish Riyadh's accountability in Nimr's execution. After a Sunday meeting of the Arab League, the 22-member body sufficed to issuing a joint statement backing Riyadh in the row with Tehran. Lebanon even refused to endorse that statement. Also in a statement on Saturday, foreign ministers of the ([P]GCC) went only so far as expressing their support for Saudi Arabia. Jeberi Ansari said that Riyadh had failed to convince the majority of Arab states to follow suit and cut diplomatic ties with Tehran. "Almost no government has definitively thrown its weight behind Saudi Arabia's unilateral policies with regard to severance of ties [with Iran] and [Riyadh's] tension-generating actions," he said. Jaberi Ansari said that Saudi Arabia heavily lobbied and pressured Arab bodies but they refused to do as Riyadh wanted them to. He said that the statements by the Arab League and the ([P]GCC) constituted 'some slogans' which were tantamount to a mere "declaration of stance." The Iranian official said that the international community has widely condemned Nimr's execution, which was carried out "in violation of international law on human rights." He said that the Islamic Republic adopts its policy "based on prudence and avoiding tension." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudi-Iran tensions will not hamper efforts to resolve Syria conflict - UN special envoy 10 January 2016 The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, concluded today his regional consultations with meetings in Tehran, where he received assurances from his interlocutors that regional current tensions would not affect Iran's engagement in facilitating the holding of upcoming Geneva talks on ending the crisis in Syria. According to a note issued by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Mr. de Mistura told a press conference in the Iranian capital that he had useful exchanges with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian. Mr. de Mistura updated his interlocutors on preparations for the upcoming Geneva talks on Syria. Like he had done when he visited Saudi Arabia on 5 January, he asked and obtained the assurance of his interlocutors that current tensions in the region would not affect the engagement of their Government in supporting the Vienna process and facilitating the holding of the Geneva talks. "That is my main message [] in Riyadh I got that type of assurance, and that reassures me and the Secretary General. In Tehran, I got the same assurance that tensions, which are unfortunately ongoing, are going to affect neither the Vienna momentum nor the Geneva talks," Mr. de Mistura told reporters. The Special Envoy is now going to debrief the Secretary-General and seek his guidance in view of the beginning of the talks. He looks forward to the International Syria Support Group and the Security Council continuing to provide serious and consistent engagement, in order to ensure the beginning, on 25 January, of genuine political discussions aimed at resolving the Syrian crisis. Mr. de Mistura's regional consultations follow the Security Council's adoption last month of its first resolution focused on the politics of ending Syria's five-year-long war. The measure gave the United Nations an enhanced role in shepherding the opposing sides to talks for a political transition, and endorsed a timetable for a ceasefire, a new constitution and elections, all under UN auspices. According to the resolution, the upcoming Intra-Syrian talks will be held in line with the 2012 Geneva Communique and consistent with the 14 November 2015 statement of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) on the issue. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Assad, Hezbollah Supporters Mock Starving Besieged by Jamie Dettmer January 11, 2016 The nearly five-year-long Syrian war has been one of the most violent conflicts of modern times with indiscriminate bombing of civilians, systematic rape, sectarian massacres, beheadings and enslavement. Each day brings a new story, the latest being with supporters of President Bashar al-Assad and Hezbollah, the radical Lebanese Shi'ite militia backing the Syrian regime, openly taunting on social media those starving in the besieged town of Madaya west of the capital, Damascus. Online social media campaign The level of sectarian and group hatred involving the various opposing sides in the conflict threatens United Nations-backed peace negotiations that Western diplomats hope will start this month. The online social media campaign ridiculing the starving adds to a sense of foreboding about the talks, which privately U.S. officials say they see as a long shot. Online supporters of the Assad regime and Hezbollah launched a social media campaign during the past few days to mock starving civilians in Madaya, which has been under siege by the Syrian army and Lebanese Shi'ite fighters since July. They posted photos of spreads of food and skeletons on Twitter (with the hashtag, which means solidarity with the siege of Madaya). The online campaign started hours after Hezbollah accused anti-Assad militants of precipitating the crisis in Madaya, a mountain village with a pre-war population of 40,000 that has been swollen by refugees from nearby villages, by withholding food from the locals and claiming there are no real victims of hunger in the town. Madaya under siege Hezbollah's Al Manar TV in neighboring Lebanon broadcast a report saying the pictures of the starving in Madaya posted by anti-Assad activists on networking sites are fabrications. Thousands of Hezbollah supporters took to Twitter to deride the claims of starvation in Madaya in response to another hashtag [Madaya starved to death] started by anti-Assad activists. Some of the tweets even took issue with the claim that Madaya is under siege, saying the photographs of the starving are forgeries. Others, however, appeared to be gloating at the suffering of the locals, prompting the outrage of anti-Assad groups that say it represents a new low in the war. Five residents died from starvation-related illnesses recently in Madaya as the town waited for promised U.N. aid. One of the dead was a 9-year-old boy, according to Dr. Ammar Ghanem, a Syrian-born doctor living in the United States who is in daily contact with family members in Madaya. Humanitarian aid Aid eventually arrived in Madaya Monday - the first delivery of food by U.N. agencies to the town since October. Residents, though, fear future aid may get blocked and the delivery has not stopped international outrage over the ridiculing of the starving in the town. Melissa Fleming, UNHCR's spokeswoman, said the aid delivery was planned to unfold in three stages over several days with food parcels delivered first, followed by flour, medicine and blankets. Ghanem, however, said people in Madaya worry U.N. aid won't be enough and will just be a one-time delivery. "That is what happened in October; food was delivered but it wasn't enough to go around and then the world forgot about the town," he told VOA. On the pro-Assad taunting of the dying, he said, "This is the 21st century and we have means of communication. We can see the pictures of emaciated children; we can talk to people there. I don't see how they can deny what is happening in Madaya and I really don't understand the strategy of denial." The medical charity Doctors Without Borders said Sunday that 10 people in the town are in need of immediate hospitalization. Another 250 will likely become critically ill within a week if food doesn't get through. It says 28 people have died due to starvation since December 1. Starvation, weapon of war International rights group Amnesty International has published accounts of people trying to survive on boiled water and leaves. In most wars, combatants wield aid as a weapon, circumscribing humanitarian access and impeding assistance to civilians in enemy-held territory, hoping hunger will starve resistance into submission or undermine the morale of foes. In no war has this been truer than in Syria, where the horror of a prolonged vicious conflict has been compounded by aid and food being held hostage to politics and combat, says Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa director for Amnesty International. He says Madaya is "the tip of an iceberg." 'Syrians are suffering and dying across the country because starvation is being used as a weapon of war by both the Syrian government and armed groups." What Madaya has endured highlights the crucial need to allow unimpeded humanitarian access to all civilians in need and lift all sieges on civilian populations across country, Luther said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkish Academics Call for End to Ankara's PKK Crackdown by Dorian Jones January 11, 2016 In Turkey, more than 1,000 professors and teachers are calling for an end to the government's current crackdown on the Kurdish rebel group, the PKK, in towns and cities across the predominantly Kurdish southeast. The academics are calling for a resumption of the peace process. In a short statement, the academics condemned the ongoing crackdown by Turkish security forces on the Kurdish rebel group, the PKK. They especially criticized the use of tanks in towns and city centers, calling it a deliberate massacre of Kurdish people. Their petition with more than 1,000 signatures calls for an immediate end to the use of curfews and a return to the peace process that broke down in July. According to national and international human rights groups, nearly 200 civilians have been killed, many of them the elderly and children. The government disputes the numbers, saying far fewer have been killed and all steps are being taken to minimize civilian causalities. Despite the crackdown being one of the most severe by security forces since the peak of the conflict in the 1990's, Professor Ayfer Bartu says there has been little public debate. 'I am very disturbed by this public silence about what's going on in southeast Turkey. I think people are scared to talk about this. Especially as academics I felt we have the responsibility to at least call attention nationally and internationally and holding the state accountable for the atrocities that are taking place in southeast. That is why I signed it,' said Bartu. Recently, a well-known television talk show host apologized for criticizing the crackdown after a telephone interview with a teacher from the conflict-strewn region. The television network and teacher are now under investigation for terrorist propaganda. Petition organizer Professor Esra Mungan says similar pressure is being exerted in universities. On Monday, the main opposition Republican People's Party said in 2015, there were nearly 500 criminal investigations into journalists and of that number, 156 were detained. Thirty-two remain in jail. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his government is determined to uphold human rights. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address CHATHAM A Pittsylvania County Sheriffs Office search warrant reveals that a 73-year-old man is suspected of having a sexual relationship with a teenager. William Allen Leopold Sr., of Danville was arrested and charged by the Pittsylvania County Sheriffs Office with knowingly possessing child pornography or soliciting from a 16-year-old child and use of communication system or other electronic means to procure or promote use of a minor, according to a news release sent by the sheriffs office. A search warrant indicates that the 16-year-old girl told a Pittsylvania County sheriffs deputy on Dec. 30 that she had sent nude pictures of herself to Leopold. The two talked on the phone to set up a time and place to have sexual intercourse. She told the deputy that, she had been seeing the suspect. How the victim and Leopold knew each other was not disclosed. A Pittsylvania County sheriffs deputy spoke with Leopold later that day, and Leopold told him that the relationship had been going on for the past month and [a] half to two months, the search warrant states. The court document also declares Leopold admitted to the deputy that he had consensual sex with the teenager, and that the last time he saw her was the morning of Dec. 30. Leopold said he deleted the nude pictures of the teenager from his cellphone, but police can retrieve said photos from electronic devices. Leopolds cellphone was seized by police, the search warrant states. The Pittsylvania County Sheriffs Office announced Leopolds arrest on Monday. His first court appearance was that same day in Pittsylvania County Juvenile and Domestic Court. His next court appearance is scheduled to be a bond appeal hearing in Pittsylvania County Circuit Court on Thursday afternoon. Leopold is the third man in the Dan River Region to have been charged and arrested for possession of child pornography in the past two months, and the second suspect arrested by the Pittsylvania County Sheriffs Office. This is the first incident of those three where the victim and the suspect acknowledged a sexual relationship. TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - January 11, 2016) - Kinross Gold Corp. (TSX: K) (NYSE: KGC) is pleased to announce that it has completed its acquisition of 100% of the Bald Mountain gold mine, which includes a large associated land package, and 50% of the Round Mountain gold mine in Nevada from Barrick Gold Corp. for $610 million in cash1 under the previously announced definitive asset purchase agreement. "The addition of these quality assets adds to our production profile, delivers free cash flow and is expected to lower costs while preserving our balance sheet strength," said J. Paul Rollinson, Kinross President and Chief Executive Officer. "The acquisition expands our existing portfolio in Nevada, one of the best mining jurisdictions in the world, and provides clear upside potential." The Bald Mountain property encompasses a 600 km2 prospective land package along the southern extension of the Carlin trend, the most prolific gold producing region in the United States. Kinross will leverage Barrick's area expertise to explore and develop 40% of the land package outside the current core mining area as part of a 50/50 exploration joint venture. About Kinross Gold Corporation Kinross is a Canadian-based senior gold mining company with mines and projects in the United States, Brazil, Chile, Ghana, Mauritania, and Russia. Kinross maintains listings on the Toronto Stock Exchange (symbol: K) and the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: KGC). Cautionary statement on forward-looking information All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained or incorporated by reference in this news release including, but not limited to, any information as to the future financial or operating performance of Kinross, constitute "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of certain securities laws, including the provisions of the Securities Act (Ontario) and the provisions for "safe harbor" under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as of the date of this news release. The words "deliver", "develop", "expect", "explore", "potential" or "upside", or variations of or similar such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, should or will be achieved, received or taken, or will occur or result and similar such expressions identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Kinross as of the date of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. The estimates and assumptions of Kinross contained in this news release, which may prove to be incorrect, include, but are not limited to, the various assumptions set forth herein as well as assumptions regarding the successful integration of the acquisition of 100% of Bald Mountain, 50% of Round Mountain and that there will be no operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining, exploration or development activities involving the acquired assets. These uncertainties and contingencies can affect, and could cause, Kinross' actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward looking statements made by, or on behalf of, Kinross. There can be no assurance that forward looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. All of the forward looking statements made in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements and those made in our filings with the securities regulators of Canada and the U.S, including but not limited to those cautionary statements made in the "Risk Factors" section of our most recently filed Annual Information Form. These factors are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect Kinross. Kinross disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law. Other information Where we say "we", "us", "our", the "Company", or "Kinross" in this news release, we mean Kinross Gold Corp. and/or one or more or all of its subsidiaries, as may be applicable. 1 The cash purchase price is subject to a customary working capital adjustment. Barrick will also receive a contingent 2% net smelter return royalty on future gold production from Kinross' 100%-owned Bald lands that comes into effect following the post-closing production of 10 million ounces from such lands. VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Jan. 11, 2016) - NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR RELEASE TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES Brixton Metals Corp. (TSX VENTURE:BBB) (the "Company" or "Brixton") announces a non-brokered private placement financing (the "Private Placement"). The Private Placement will provide for the issuance of up to 5,000,000 shares through any combination of units ("Units") and flow-through shares (the "FT Shares") for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $400,000. The Units will be priced at $0.08 per Unit and the price of the FT Shares will be determined in the context of the market. Each Unit will consist of one common share and one transferable common share purchase warrant ("Warrant") with each Warrant exercisable by the holder into one common share of the Company at a price of $0.15 per share for a period of 36 months from the closing date. All securities issued pursuant to this Private Placement will be subject to a four month and one day hold period. The Private Placement is subject to acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"). In the event that the Company's common shares trade at a closing price on the Exchange of greater than $0.25 per share for a period of 20 consecutive trading days at any time after the closing date, the Company may accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants by giving notice to the holders thereof and in such case the Warrants will expire on the 30th day after the date on which such notice is given by the Company. The closing date for the Private Placement is scheduled to occur on or about February 16, 2016. The Company expects to close its previously announced transaction to acquire the Langis property from Canagco Mining Corp. by January 15, 2016 and the proceeds from the Private Placement will be used to fund exploration activities at the Langis property and for general working capital. The Company may pay a finders' fee in respect of certain subscribers in accordance with the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. About Brixton Metals Corporation Brixton is an exploration company focused on the advancement of its projects toward feasibility. Brixton controls two exploration projects, the Langis Silver project and the Thorn project. About Langis The Langis project, including other lands in the Cobalt Camp is 2,520 hectare in size. The project is located 500 km north of Toronto, Canada. The high-grade silver mineralization occurs as steeply-dipping veins within any of the three main rock types; Archean volcanics, Coleman Member sediments and Nipissing diabase. The unmined Langis zone intersected by drilling: 2,115.04 g/t over 9.4 metres and 1,262.80 g/t Ag over 3.9 metres. This area will be the focus for follow up exploration work. According to historical Langis reports, the zone was traced to over 1,000 metres along strike and a vertical extent of 260 metres with true thickness being unknown. The Cobalt camp historically has produced over 420 million ounces of silver with some reported assays reaching 255,146 g/t Ag or 9,000 oz/t Ag over 0.36 metres. http://brixtonmetals.com/langis-mine/. About Thorn The 28,000 hectare Thorn Project is located in the Sutlahine River area of northwestern British Columbia, Canada, approximately 105 km ENE from Juneau, AK. The Thorn project hosts a district scale Triassic to Cretaceous volcanoplutonic complex with several styles of mineralization related to porphyry and epithermal environments. Targets include sediment hosted gold, high-grade Ag-Au-Pb-Zn bearing diatreme-breccia zones, high-grade Au-Ag-Cu veins and volcanic hosted structurally controlled gold-silver zones. Brixton has established a maiden inferred resource of 21.5Moz AgEq from 7.4 Mt at 89.75 g/t AgEq. Further information regarding the Thorn Project, including that relating to resource estimates, can be found in the Company's technical report prepared by SRK Consulting for the Thorn Project dated December 12, 2014 and filed on SEDAR. Read more at http://brixtonmetals.com/thorn-technical-reports/. Brixton Metals Corp. shares trade on the TSX-V under the ticker symbol BBB. For more information about Brixton please visit our website at www.brixtonmetals.com. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Mr. Gary R. Thompson, Chairman and CEO Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Information set forth in this news release may involve forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", and "intend", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should", or "will" be taken or occur, including statements that address potential quantity and/or grade of minerals, potential size and expansion of a mineralized zone, proposed timing of exploration and development plans, or other similar expressions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the completion of the Langis transaction, the anticipated closing of the Private Placement, TSXV approval, and the exploration potential of the Langis property based on historical information, resources estimates on the Thorn Project are forward looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the following risks: the need for additional financing; operational risks associated with mineral exploration; fluctuations in commodity prices; title matters; and the additional risks identified in the annual information form of the Company or other reports and filings with the TSXV and applicable Canadian securities regulators. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Jan. 12, 2016) - NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES Medgold Resources Corp. (TSX VENTURE:MED) announces that management has determined that it is in the best interests of the Company to extend the expiry date of certain previously issued private placement warrants. Accordingly, subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance, the Company intends to extend the expiry date of outstanding warrants to purchase up to 9,550,000 common shares at $0.15 per share by one year to February 4, 2017, and outstanding warrants to purchase up to 2,166,667 common shares at $0.1665 by one year to April 11, 2017. As well, in accordance with the Company's agreement to issue up to 435,520 common shares of the Company to Dan James in part consideration for his ongoing services as the Company's President (see Medgold news release February 19, 2015), the fourth installment of 108,880 shares has been issued to Mr. James for services rendered during the three months ended December 31, 2015. The shares have a resale restriction which expires on May 1, 2016. The securities referred to in this news release have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of such Act. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell, nor the solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities. Any public offering of securities in the United States must be made by means of a prospectus containing detailed information about the company and management, as well as financial statements. About Medgold Medgold is a European-focused TSX-V listed exploration and development company targeting gold properties in northwest Iberia and the under-explored gold provinces of southern Europe. Run by a highly experienced management team with a successful track record of building value in resource companies, Medgold is aiming to become a leading European gold company. Additional information on Medgold can be found on the Company's website at www.medgoldresources.com and by reviewing the Company's page on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Simon Ridgway, Chief Executive Officer Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-looking statements Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and include, without limitation, statements about the proposed warrant extension. Often, but not always, these forward looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "estimate", "estimates", "estimated", "potential", "open", "future", "assumed", "projected", "used", "detailed", "has been", "gain", "upgraded", "offset", "limited", "contained", "reflecting", "containing", "remaining", "to be", "periodically", or statements that events, "could" or "should" occur or be achieved and similar expressions, including negative variations. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Such uncertainties and factors include, among others, the completion of the warrant extension; changes in general economic conditions and financial markets; the Company or any joint venture partner not having the financial ability to meet its exploration and development goals; risks associated with the results of exploration and development activities, estimation of mineral resources and the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; unanticipated costs and expenses; and such other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's quarterly and annual filings with securities regulators and available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking statements contained herein are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management, including but not limited to: that the warrant extension will be completed; that the Company's stated goals and planned exploration and development activities will be achieved; that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its properties; and such other assumptions as set out herein. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. TSX:WDO TORONTO, Jan. 12, 2016 /CNW/ - Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. (TSX: WDO) today announces final results of its 2015 shallow definition drilling program designed to confirm extensions of its wholly-owned Mishi Mine and its 2016 exploration budget for the Eagle River and Mishi Mines, located 50 kilometres due west of Wawa, Ontario Drilling at 25 metre spacing along a 1.3 kilometre strike length confirms continuity both west and east of the Mishi Mine and provide the basis for new resource definition and mine planning. The 2015 program included 79 holes totalling 9,915 metres of drilling (see Figure 1). Initial highlights were released on August 18, 2015 and June 27, 2014 (press releases available at www.wesdome.com). NEW HIGHLIGHTS OF THE M6 EXTENSION: Hole MW15-14: 2.91 grams per tonne (gpt) over 8.13 metres true width Hole MW15-09: 2.96 gpt over 6.97 metres true width Hole MW15-03: 6.41 gpt over 7.87 metres true width Hole MW15-71: 3.40 gpt over 6.49 metres true width PREVIOUS 2015 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE M6 EXTENSION: Hole MW15-65A: 10.38 gpt over 18.44 metres true width Hole MW15-66: 2.50 gpt over 13.96 metres true width Hole MW15-74: 6.41 gpt over 7.35 metres true width Rolly Uloth, President, commented, "To date, Mishi drilling has focused on defining immediate pit extensions adjacent to current operations. In 2016, we will have two drills at Mishi and intend to stepout beyond the resources and assess the overall potential of this extensive mineralized system." GEOLOGICAL AND OPERATIONAL CONTEXT The Mishi gold deposit strikes east-west and dips 40 degrees north. It is situated in a broad regional deformation zone which follows a volcanic-sedimentary contact within the Mishibishu (Big Cat) Greenstone Belt, part of the Archean Wawa-Abitibi Subprovince. Gold mineralization occurs in a series of tabular ankerite-sericite alteration zones accompanied by fine-grained disseminated pyrite and commonly, a complex of subconformable, deformed smokey quartz veinlets. The Mishi Mine is an open pit operation located 2 kilometres west of the Company's mill. The mill has been in continuous operation for 20 years treating ore primarily from the nearby Eagle River Mine which to December 31, 2014, has produced 1.01 million ounces of gold from 3.4 million tonnes at a recovered grade of 9.2 gAu/tonne. Mishi was put into production to supplement Eagle River production and to improve regional operating efficiencies based on a Pre-Feasibility study released on January 12, 2011 (www.sedar.com). To December 31, 2014, the Mishi Mine has produced 27,280 ounces of gold from 290,000 tonnes milled at an average recovered grade of 2.9 gAu/tonne. The existing open pit is 400 metres in length from section 3425E to section 3825E. At year end, 2014, Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves stood at 1,786,000 tonnes at 2.1 gAu/tonne (112,000 contained ounces). Additional Indicated Open Pit Mineral Resources stood at 3,688,000 tonnes at 2.1 gAu/tonne or 248,000 contained ounces (see press release dated January 29, 2015). The Company is advancing its strategy to progressively increase milling capacity and efficiency building on recent drilling successes at both the Mishi and Eagle River Mines. 2016 EXPLORATION BUDGET In 2016, Wesdome plans a $6.3M exploration drilling program at the Eagle River Complex. At Mishi the Company intends to triple its exploration budget to ~$1.8M, (~$0.5M in 2015) with the purpose of exploring for resources at depth and assessing the potential of the mineralized system to the west and north where it remains open. At the Eagle River Mine, the exploration drilling budget will increase to ~$4.5M (~$1.0M in 2015) with three underground drills (up from two in 2015), and two surface drills. Underground drilling will target parallel gold zones (Zone 7 and 300 Zone) to the north where recent exploration results have indicated new potential (see press release dated November 30, 2015). Surface drilling will also target additional parallel zones to the north of Eagle River Mine which, to date, remains unexplored. TECHNICAL DISCLOSURE The technical disclosure in this press release has been compiled and reviewed by Daniel Lapointe, PGeo. and Mishi Mine Superintendent. Assaying is performed at the Eagle River Mine Assay Office by fire assay methods. QA/QC protocols involve independent lab duplicates, standards and blanks. ABOUT WESDOME Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. is in its 28th year of continuous gold mining operations in Canada. The Company is currently producing gold at the Eagle River Complex located near Wawa, Ontario from the Eagle River and Mishi gold mines. Wesdome's goal is to expand current operations at both mines over the next four years through mill expansion and exploration. Wesdome has significant upside through ownership of its two other properties, the Kiena Mine Complex in Val d'Or, Quebec and the Moss Lake gold deposit located 100 kilometres west of Thunder Bay, Ontario. These assets are being explored and evaluated to be developed in the appropriate gold price environment. The Company has approximately 118 million shares issued and outstanding and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "WDO." This news release contains "forward-looking information" which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the future financial or operating performance of the Company and its projects. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances, management's estimates or opinions should change, except as required by securities legislation. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company has included in this news release certain non-IFRS performance measures, including, but not limited to, mine operating profit, mining and processing costs and cash costs. Cash costs per ounce reflect actual mine operating costs incurred during the fiscal period divided by the number of ounces produced. These measures are not defined under IFRS and therefore should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to or more meaningful than, net income (loss) or cash flow from operating activities as determined in accordance with IFRS as an indicator of our financial performance or liquidity. The Company believes that, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance and ability to generate cash flow Table 1 MISHI EXPLORATION 2015 BEST RESULTS WESTERN EXTENSION Hole Id Section Zone from to CL HW TW Grade Grade cut * (m) (m) (m) (m) (m) g/t Au g/t Au MW15-37 2925E M6 122.50 131.00 8.50 13.18 8.47 1.98 1.98 Incl. 124.50 126.00 1.50 2.33 1.50 5.78 5.78 126.50 128.00 1.50 2.33 1.50 1.25 1.25 MW15-29 2950E M6 42.50 43.00 0.50 0.78 0.50 3.68 3.68 MW15-29 2950E M6 47.50 48.00 0.50 0.78 0.50 1.92 1.92 MW15-29 2950E M6 51.50 52.00 0.50 0.78 0.50 3.60 3.60 MW15-29 2950E M4 64.75 65.50 0.75 1.16 0.75 2.20 2.20 MW15-30 2950E M6 69.00 78.00 9.00 13.98 8.98 1.70 1.70 Incl. 69.00 74.50 5.50 8.54 5.49 1.99 1.99 76.50 78.00 1.50 2.33 1.50 2.43 2.43 MW15-31 2950E M6 100.50 104.50 4.00 6.21 3.99 4.52 4.52 Incl. 101.00 103.50 2.50 3.88 2.49 5.92 5.92 MW15-32 2950E M6 124.80 129.50 4.70 7.27 4.67 1.24 1.24 Incl. 124.80 127.00 2.20 3.40 2.19 1.37 1.37 129.00 129.50 0.50 0.77 0.50 3.48 3.48 MW15-22 2975E M2 40.50 42.25 1.75 2.46 1.74 1.54 1.54 MW15-23 2275E M6 63.50 64.25 0.75 1.16 0.75 1.00 1.00 MW15-25 2975E M6 45.75 54.00 8.25 12.71 8.17 1.22 1.22 Incl. 45.75 46.50 0.75 1.16 0.74 6.60 6.60 51.75 54.00 2.25 3.47 2.23 1.84 1.84 MW15-25 2975E M6 68.50 72.00 3.50 5.38 3.46 1.29 1.29 Incl. 68.50 69.50 1.00 1.54 0.99 2.52 2.52 71.00 72.00 1.00 1.54 0.99 1.64 1.64 MW15-26 2975E M6 84.50 85.50 1.00 1.55 1.00 5.02 5.02 MW15-27 2975E M6 112.00 116.00 4.00 6.19 3.98 6.96 6.96 MW15-27 2975E M4 128.75 132.50 3.75 5.80 3.73 2.41 2.41 MW15-16 3000E M4 25.50 26.50 1.00 1.55 1.00 1.78 1.78 MW15-16 3000E M2 94.00 94.50 0.50 0.71 0.50 2.36 2.36 MW15-18 3000E M6 52.50 54.50 2.00 3.10 1.99 14.39 14.39 MW15-19 3000E M6 81.50 83.00 1.50 2.33 1.49 2.99 2.99 MW15-19 3000E M4 100.50 101.00 0.50 0.78 0.50 2.24 2.24 MW15-20 3000E M6 108.00 114.50 6.50 10.05 6.46 1.66 1.66 Incl. 108.00 108.50 0.50 0.77 0.50 1.84 1.84 109.50 110.00 0.50 0.77 0.50 3.28 3.28 112.50 113.50 1.00 1.55 0.99 6.96 6.96 114.00 114.50 0.50 0.77 0.50 1.80 1.80 MW15-21 3000E M6 130.30 137.00 6.70 10.38 6.67 2.19 2.19 MW15-21 3000E M6 143.00 145.50 2.50 3.87 2.49 2.74 2.74 MW15-13 3025E M6 52.50 58.00 5.50 8.50 5.46 1.14 1.14 Incl. 52.50 53.00 0.50 0.77 0.50 6.16 6.16 57.50 58.00 0.50 0.77 0.50 5.68 5.68 MW15-13 3025E M2 153.00 154.00 1.00 1.41 1.00 1.20 1.20 MW15-14 3025E M6 82.50 90.70 8.20 12.65 8.13 2.91 2.91 Incl. 82.50 83.50 1.00 1.54 0.99 3.06 3.06 86.50 90.70 4.20 6.48 4.17 4.59 4.59 MW15-15 3025E M6 118.00 118.50 0.50 0.77 0.50 4.92 4.92 MW15-06 3050E M2 80.00 81.00 1.00 1.41 1.00 1.00 1.00 MW15-08 3050E M6 22.75 27.50 4.75 7.39 4.75 1.38 1.38 MW15-09 3050E M6 66.50 73.50 7.00 10.85 6.97 2.96 2.96 MW15-10 3050E M6 100.50 107.00 6.50 10.03 6.45 1.49 1.49 Incl. 103.50 107.00 3.50 5.40 3.47 2.17 2.17 MW15-11 3050E M6 135.50 139.50 4.00 6.18 3.97 3.91 3.91 MW15-02 3075E M6 27.25 36.70 9.45 14.64 9.41 1.10 1.10 Incl. 3075E M6 27.25 28.75 1.50 2.32 1.49 1.70 1.70 3075E M6 34.00 36.70 2.70 4.18 2.69 2.15 2.15 MW15-02 3075E M4 48.25 49.00 0.75 1.16 0.75 1.44 1.44 MW15-03 3075E M6 72.00 79.90 7.90 12.25 7.87 6.41 6.41 MW15-04 3075E M6 104.00 113.50 9.50 14.74 9.48 3.55 3.55 Incl. M6 104.00 107.50 3.50 5.43 3.49 3.87 3.87 M6 108.00 111.00 3.00 4.66 2.99 5.17 5.17 M6 112.75 113.50 0.75 1.16 0.75 1.80 1.80 MW15-05 3075E M6 133.50 138.50 5.00 7.74 4.98 3.72 3.72 Incl. 136.00 138.00 2.00 3.10 1.99 7.87 7.87 MW15-66 3125E M6 94.00 108.00 14.00 21.71 13.96 2.50 2.50 MW15-69A 3125E M6 120.30 128.40 8.10 12.56 8.08 1.93 1.93 Incl. 121.80 122.70 0.90 1.40 0.90 4.99 4.99 123.60 124.20 0.60 0.93 0.60 3.32 3.32 126.30 128.40 2.10 3.26 2.09 3.28 3.28 MW15-77 3137.5E M6 24.75 32.00 7.25 11.21 7.20 1.81 1.81 MW15-78 3137.5E M6 42.75 45.00 2.25 3.48 2.24 2.25 2.25 MW15-79 3137.5E M6 58.00 66.00 8.00 12.38 7.96 1.83 1.83 Incl. 58.00 59.50 1.50 2.32 1.49 6.12 6.12 63.00 66.00 3.00 4.64 2.98 1.25 1.25 MW`15-64 3150E M6 43.50 45.00 1.50 2.33 1.50 1.24 1.24 MW15-65A 3150E M6 96.00 114.60 18.60 28.68 18.44 10.38 1.83 3150E Incl. 96.00 97.00 1.00 1.54 0.99 1.44 1.44 3150E 100.00 101.00 1.00 1.54 0.99 2.12 2.12 3150E 105.30 108.00 2.70 4.16 2.68 65.18 6.27 3150E 110.70 111.90 1.20 1.85 1.19 7.63 7.63 3150E 113.40 114.60 1.20 1.85 1.19 1.34 1.34 MW15-68 3150E M6 129.50 130.50 1.00 1.55 1.00 5.02 5.02 MW15-73 3162.5E M6 22.50 29.25 6.75 10.47 6.73 1.93 1.93 Incl. 22.50 24.90 2.40 3.72 2.39 4.39 4.39 MW15-73 3162.5E M4 47.50 48.25 0.75 1.16 0.75 3.00 3.00 MW15-74 3162.5E M6 40.50 47.90 7.40 11.43 7.35 6.41 5.07 Incl. 40.50 44.50 4.00 6.18 3.97 2.94 2.94 46.50 47.90 1.40 2.16 1.39 25.11 18.05 MW15-75 3162.5E M6 60.25 68.50 8.25 12.75 8.20 2.41 2.41 Incl. 60.25 63.25 3.00 4.64 2.98 5.46 5.46 67.50 68.50 1.00 1.55 0.99 2.22 2.22 MW15-76 3162.5E M6 87.00 99.00 12.00 18.56 11.93 1.72 1.72 Incl. 87.00 88.50 1.50 2.32 1.49 3.04 3.04 94.50 99.00 4.50 6.97 4.48 3.28 3.28 MW15-61 3175E M2 22.00 23.50 1.50 2.11 1.49 4.79 4.79 MW15-62 3175E M2 57.50 59.00 1.50 2.12 1.50 1.07 1.07 MW15-63 3175E M6 105.00 112.20 7.20 11.11 7.14 2.26 2.26 Incl. 105.00 107.00 2.00 3.09 1.98 1.99 1.99 108.50 112.20 3.70 5.71 3.67 3.14 3.14 MW15-67 3175E M6 116.25 117.75 1.50 2.32 1.49 1.18 1.18 MW15-70 3187.5E M6 23.50 27.50 4.00 6.21 3.99 1.89 1.89 MW15-71 3187.5E M6 42.00 48.50 6.50 10.10 6.49 3.40 3.40 Incl. 42.00 44.00 2.00 3.11 2.00 5.28 5.28 45.50 47.00 1.50 2.33 1.50 5.27 5.27 MW15-72 3187.5E M6 65.75 70.50 4.75 7.37 4.74 1.74 1.74 MW15-60 3200E M6 102.50 110.00 7.50 11.59 7.45 1.69 1.69 MW15-55 3225E M2 19.70 20.30 0.60 0.93 0.60 1.72 1.72 MW15-56 3225E M2 43.50 47.50 4.00 5.63 3.98 1.65 1.65 MW15-57 3225E M6 58.50 59.25 0.75 1.16 0.74 1.04 1.04 MW15-58 3225E M6 117.00 118.00 1.00 1.55 0.99 2.48 2.48 MW15-54 3250E M6 94.00 95.00 1.00 1.55 1.00 3.16 3.16 MW15-51 3275W M4 40.00 43.50 3.50 5.42 3.49 1.80 1.80 MW15-51 3275W M2 56.30 56.60 0.30 0.42 0.30 1.92 1.92 MW15-52 3275W M4 43.00 43.90 0.90 1.40 0.90 2.67 2.67 MW15-52 3275W M2 84.50 85.00 0.50 0.70 0.50 1.12 1.12 MW15-53 3275W M6 79.90 80.80 0.90 1.39 0.90 2.72 2.72 MW15-53 3275W M4 89.00 89.50 0.50 0.77 0.50 1.36 1.36 MW15-48 3325E M2 21.00 22.00 1.00 1.40 0.99 1.22 1.22 MW15-49 3325E M4 20.50 22.00 1.50 2.33 1.49 3.30 3.30 MW15-49 3325E M2 48.25 51.00 2.75 3.87 2.74 0.56 0.56 MW15-50 3325E M8 38.75 39.50 0.75 1.17 0.75 3.84 3.84 MW15-50 3325E M6 80.00 81.50 1.50 2.33 1.50 2.60 2.60 MW15-46 3350E M6 69.50 70.25 0.75 1.06 0.75 6.08 6.08 MW15-47 3350E M6 96.25 97.00 0.75 1.17 0.75 7.52 7.52 * Cut to 45 gAu/tonne CL Corelength TW True Width HW Horizontal (bench) Width Table 2 MISHI EXPLORATION 2015 BEST RESULTS EASTERN EXTENSION Hole Id Section Zone from to CL HW TW Grade Grade cut * (m) (m) (m) (m) (m) g/t Au g/t Au ME15-01 4050E M8 16.50 23.00 6.50 9.78 6.29 2.27 2.27 ME15-01 4050E M6 82.00 96.00 14.00 19.16 13.55 1.73 1.73 ME15-01 4050E M4 123.00 130.00 7.00 9.64 6.82 1.32 1.32 ME15-01 4050E M2 169.00 170.00 1.00 1.38 0.98 1.20 1.20 ME15-02 4075E M8 24.00 27.00 3.00 4.65 2.99 8.98 8.98 ME15-02 4075E M6 76.00 77.00 1.00 1.55 1.00 1.00 1.00 ME15-02 4075E M4 103.30 106.00 2.70 3.79 2.68 1.23 1.23 ME15-02 4075E M2 155.00 158.00 3.00 4.23 2.99 0.84 0.84 ME15-04 4125E M4 53.70 57.30 3.60 5.09 3.60 1.48 1.48 ME15-04 4125E M2 65.00 77.00 12.00 16.96 11.99 0.80 0.80 Incl M2 65.00 65.50 0.50 0.71 0.50 1.36 1.36 M2 67.50 68.00 0.50 0.71 0.50 1.32 1.32 M2 70.50 71.50 1.00 1.41 1.00 1.46 1.46 M2 76.00 77.00 1.00 1.41 1.00 2.54 2.54 ME15-05 4125E M6 14.00 17.50 3.50 5.42 3.48 6.43 6.43 ME15-05 4125E M4 51.00 52.50 1.50 2.32 1.49 4.84 4.84 ME15-05 4125E M2 125.00 144.50 19.50 27.51 19.46 0.82 0.82 Incl M2 125.00 129.00 4.00 5.65 3.99 0.88 0.88 M2 130.50 131.00 0.50 0.71 0.50 1.44 1.44 M2 132.50 135.00 2.50 3.53 2.49 1.29 1.29 M2 136.75 137.75 1.00 1.41 1.00 1.47 1.47 M2 138.25 143.00 4.75 6.70 4.74 1.00 1.00 M2 144.00 145.00 1.00 1.41 1.00 1.03 1.03 ME15-06 4175E M4 4.00 6.50 2.50 3.88 2.49 1.50 1.50 ME15-06 4175E M2 30.75 34.00 3.25 4.58 3.24 1.04 1.04 ME15-06 4175E M2 37.75 39.00 1.25 1.76 1.24 1.28 1.28 ME15-07 4175E M6 28.00 28.50 0.50 0.77 0.50 3.96 3.96 ME15-07 4175E M4 64.00 64.60 0.60 0.93 0.60 1.56 1.56 ME15-07 4175E M2 95.00 102.00 7.00 9.88 6.98 1.38 1.38 Incl M2 98.00 101.50 3.50 4.94 3.49 2.05 2.05 ME15-08 4175E M8 2.50 7.00 4.50 6.98 4.48 1.90 1.90 ME15-08 4175E M4 111.75 112.50 0.75 1.06 0.75 2.92 2.92 ME15-08 4175E M2 149.50 161.50 12.00 16.91 11.96 0.76 0.76 Incl M2 149.50 150.00 0.50 0.70 0.50 2.28 2.28 M2 155.00 157.50 2.50 3.52 2.49 1.19 1.19 M2 160.00 161.50 1.50 2.11 1.49 1.31 1.31 ME15-22 4200E M2 40.00 41.00 1.00 1.41 1.00 1.40 1.40 ME15-09 4225E M4 11.00 20.00 9.00 13.90 8.94 1.12 1.12 ME15-09 4225E M2 31.00 33.50 2.50 3.53 2.49 1.69 1.69 ME15-10 4225E M6 53.00 53.50 0.50 0.78 0.50 1.76 1.76 ME15-10 4225E M4 71.00 73.50 2.50 3.53 2.50 2.55 2.55 ME15-10 4225E M2 90.00 90.50 0.50 0.71 0.50 1.36 1.36 ME15-11 4225E M4 97.00 97.50 0.50 0.78 0.50 2.08 2.08 ME15-11 4225E M2 126.50 135.00 8.50 12.00 8.49 1.29 1.29 ME15-12 4250E M4 36.00 37.00 1.00 1.55 1.00 1.40 1.40 ME15-12 4250E M2 54.00 59.00 5.00 7.05 4.99 1.55 1.55 ME15-13 4250E M6 59.50 60.50 1.00 1.54 0.99 7.46 7.46 ME15-13 4250E M4 93.00 94.50 1.50 2.31 1.49 2.80 2.80 ME15-13 4250E M2 116.30 117.50 1.20 1.69 1.20 6.05 6.05 ME15-20 4875E No significant assays ME15-21 4875E No significant assays ME15-14 5100E No significant assays ME15-15 5100E No significant assays ME15-18 5300E No significant assays * Cut to 45 gAu/tonne CL Corelength TW True Width HW Horizontal (bench) Width http://files.newswire.ca/1393/Jan2016Fig1.PNG SOURCE Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. Saskatoon, January 12, 2016 - Star Minerals Group Ltd. . ("Star" or the "Company") (CSE: SUV) is pleased to announce the signing of a Joint Venture Agreement (the "Agreement") between Star (the "Optionee") and a Canadian private company (the "Optionor"), to acquire a controlling interest of 60% ownership of the Hoidas Lake advanced rare earth project in northwestern Saskatchewan. This Venture will commence January 6th 2016 and continue in full force and effect (the "Term") until the occurrence of the following events:- Payment of $75,000, made up of $25,000 cash and 5,000,000 shares of Star Minerals Group Ltd. by July 31st, 2016 to the Optionor. Failure to make such payment on or before July 31st, 2016 will result in 100% ownership reverting to the Optionor. Upon payment of the said amount by Star they will own an undivided interest of 60% in the Venture and the Optionor will retain 40%.- Once the prefeasibility study has been completed (at Star's sole expense) and the Bankable Feasibility study has been provided (at Star's sole expense) all costs moving forward will be shared by each member's ownership prorata. Failure to participate will result in that member being diluted down by 10% for every $500,000 being spent on their behalf until they are diluted down to 10%, which is where they will remain.In addition, the Company is pleased to announce the addition of Scott Newman and James Rogers to the management team. Mr. Newman will join the Company's management team as Vice-President and Mr. Rogers will join the Company's management team as Chief Operating Officer.Mr. Newman is the president and founding partner of Axiom Exploration, a private oil and gas consulting firm based in Saskatoon. His 8 years of technical and management experience both in hard rock and soft rock brings a strong operational background to the team.Mr. Rogers has been directly involved in the resource exploration industry since 2007, bringing extensive corporate management and technical experience to the team. He has worked both in a management and technical capacity with private and public companies throughout North and South America, and equatorial Africa. Mr. Rogers is also the President and founder of Longford Exploration, a private hard-rock geological consulting company based in Vancouver, BC.Michael Burns, President and CEO, says "This Agreement represents a significant step towards obtaining a controlling ownership of the Hoidas Lake project, which remained a key goal of the company set by both the previous and current management. The addition of Mr. Newman and Mr. Rogers represents exciting change for the Company as they bring in new energy to Star's projects and team."The Company applied for and has been granted relief from the CSE's minimum price rule for issuance of shares in a share for debt restructuring enabling the Company to clean up the balance sheet.Star is a Saskatoon-based diversified exploration stage company positioned for growth in Canada through the acquisition and development of advanced and/or cash flow mining opportunities. Star is backed by an experienced and high-energy management team with diverse technical, market and finance strengths and expertise, and is supported by committed and sophisticated investors focused on building value for the long term.Star trades on the CSE (formerly CNSX) under the symbol "SUV".For more information, please visit our website at www.starminerals.ca.www.starminerals.caMichael Burns, President and CEOhone: +1 306-715-6802 orJames Rogers, COOPhone: +1 778-809-7009Facsimile: +1 306-244-0042Email: info@starminerals.caThis news release contains certain statements which constitute forward-looking statements or information ("forward-looking statements"), including statements regarding project plans for 2016.. Such forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond Star's control, including the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, volatility of commodity prices, currency fluctuations, competition from other industry participants, stock market volatility and the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources. Although Star believes that the expectations in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, they are based on factors and assumptions concerning future events which may prove to be inaccurate. Those factors and assumptions are based upon currently available information. Such statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence actual results or events and cause actual results or events to differ materially from those stated, anticipated or implied in the forward looking information. As such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward looking information, as no assurance can be provided as to future results, levels of activity or achievements. Other factors that could materially affect such forward-looking statements are described in the risk factors in the most recent management's discussion and analysis that is available on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are made as of the date of this document and, except as required by applicable law, Star does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Coldstream Hills Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2014 Yarra Valley, Victoria $26.60-$35 Points: 94 Nothing focuses the mind on a pinot like a good example of it. Three times over a period of more than 20 years, Coldstream Hills Reserve Pinot Noir 1992 did this: on its release in the early '90s, at a 2011 tasting hosted in Bernkastel, Germany, by winemaker Ernie Loosen, and in November 2015 at Coldstream's 13th anniversary tasting, chaired by founder James Halliday. Halliday handed over winemaking to Andrew Fleming and Greg Jarratt in 2001. The pair displayed their new vintages alongside Halliday's oldies at the tasting. The latest Reserves sit with the best of the variety in Australia. And the Amphitheatre 2013 ($150) is surely one of our most remarkable. But even the entry-level wine, combining fruit from the upper and lower Yarra, is a chip off the bigger, more expensive blocks. The supple wine starts with vibrant ripe-berry varietal flavours on a medium-bodied palate, with tang and savour derived from whole-bunch ferment and juicy, silky texture. Penfolds Koonunga Hill Chardonnay 2014 South Australia $13.30-$15 Points: 88 Penfolds chardonnay is produced in a combination of stainless-steel tanks and oak barrels. The tank-fermented component preserves fresh peach- and melon-like varietal flavours; and the barrel component gives a smooth, creamy texture, a touch of spice and nut an exotic yeast-derived "funky" note. It's a very fresh yet sophisticated chardonnay at the price, and a very good example of using multi-region grape sourcing to make high quality, affordable wine. Tahbilk Marsanne 2015 Tahbilk, Nagambie Lakes, Victoria $12.35-$18.85 Points: 90 The Purbrick family's beautiful Tahbilk property sits on an anabranch of Victoria's Goulburn River. The property holds one of the world's oldest and largest plantings of marsanne, a Rhone Valley white variety. The oldest vines, planted in 1927, make a separate, higher priced wine. While marsanne tends to be viscous and a little tough on the palate, Alister Purbrick finetuned the winemaking approach to maintain varietal character but reduce the viscosity and firmness. The result is a richly textured wine with pleasantly tart, savoury citrus-like flavours on a bone-dry palate. De Bortoli Windy Peak Shiraz 2014 Heathcote, Victoria $11.40-$15 Points: 90 Windy Peak provides a drink-now side of Heathcote shiraz. The region in general produces deep, dark, savoury shiraz. But de Bortoli tames the beast by presenting more of the ripe, juicy, red-berry varietal flavours, with less grunt and savour. Fine, drying tannins and a savoury undercurrent add interest to a lovely red made for immediate drinking pleasure. Tyrrell's Rufus Stone Shiraz Heathcote, Victoria $16.90-$25 Points: 90 Advertisement Tyrrell's provides a full-bore, albeit highly polished version of Heathcote shiraz. The very deep colour and vivid crimson rim point to the wine's power an impression confirmed by the intense, black-cherry-like aroma and big, juicy, mouthfilling flavour. While the wine's big, it's also harmonious and layered with fruit- and oak-derived tannins. The oak also injects spicy and vanilla-like characters that complement the cherry-like flavours, solid tannins and background savouriness. Holm Oak Riesling 2015 Holm Oak and Lipoto Springs vineyards, Tamar Valley, Tasmania $21.75-$25 Points: 94 Who can argue when winemaker Rebecca Duffy spruiks the virtues of Tasmanian riesling and oysters. Their unique crackling acidity seasons the briny tang of oysters as surely as a squeeze of lime or lemon juice. The steely acidity also accentuates a varietal flavour reminiscent of lime and tart green apples. Indeed, the acid is the frame that holds the wine together and also suggests good cellaring ability. chrisshanahan.com Hot packet: Annata combines small-bar buzz with big-time restaurant cooking. Photo: Dominic Lorrimer Address 69 Willoughby Rd Crows Nest, NSW 2065 View map Book online Opening hours Thu-Sat from noon, Sun from 11.30am; Tue-Sat from 6pm Features Accepts bookings, Bar, Gluten-free options, Late night, Licensed Prices Moderate (mains $20-$40) Chef Jimmy Richardson Payments eftpos, AMEX, Visa, Mastercard Phone 02 9437 3700 You know when the bloke behind the bar pours your wine into a large jigger before pouring it into a glass, that you're in more of a bar than a restaurant. And you know when the lightly seared scallops come topped with soft furls of melting guanciale (cured pig's jowl) and taste like warm sashimi, that you're in more of a restaurant than a bar. OK, Annata, you have my attention. This merging of boundaries between small-bar buzz and big-time restaurant cooking is the dream of first-time owner Christian Blair, who formerly managed Eau de Vie and was behind the bar at Rockpool Bar & Grill. Delivering the food side of things is head chef Jimmy Richardson, who has cooked with Ross Lusted at the Bridge Room and Pasi Petanen at Cafe Paci. The long, narrow, split-level space starts with outdoor tables on the street, then steps in to a stool-lined bar walled with gleaming bottles and glassware, and up to a bare-brick and dark-wood dining room that mixes high/low seating. Flathead in kataifi pastry, with nori seaweed, peas, and grapefruit and oyster mayonnaise. Photo: Dominic Lorrimer Floor staff are keen, charming, and ready to roll with either a cherry cobbler ($17) or a complex, spicy, 2014 Vinteloper pinot noir from the Adelaide Hills ($14/$75) from the 100-strong wine list, a tickle-your-fancy blend of the strange and familiar. The menu is more cryptic than a David Astle crossword; the listing of ingredients giving little away. An entree of prawns ($16) is a dramatic compilation of two lightly cooked king prawns, marinated in a fragrant curry oil and cooked sous-vide for three minutes until the proteins just set. Charry grilled corn and miso corn butter add sweet umami, and a tan crumble of popped corn and prawn head, dehydrated and blitzed, adds crunch. The textures really pop, and so do the flavours; terrific stuff. Early menu dishes are small, so you'll need one of the three mains-sized dishes on offer. Rangers Valley sirloin ($32) is trimmed, grilled and served with a dollop of smooth onion soubise, a dusting of porcini powder and a finger of dense rye bread compressed with the beef juices and topped with pistachios and pickled Spanish onion. Flavours pop: Prawns, char-grilled corn, miso corn butter and curry oil. Photo: Dominic Lorrimer It's fine, but the chef has such a good touch with seafood you'd be mad not to go for the flathead ($26). The fillet is rolled in nori seaweed and kataifi pastry like a slender spring roll, deep-fried until crisp and teamed with fresh peas, baby fennel and a rich, smooth grapefruit and oyster mayonnaise. Ironically, after all that work, it's the same simple pleasure you get from eating great fish and chips. Desserts are just as structured, including a pleasant puddle of macerated cherries in Pedro Ximenez ($14) with bitter chocolate sorbet and almond butter under a pavilion roof of chocolate crisp. Intrigued? You should be. But with a caveat. The "designed to be shared" dishes come out one after the other, possibly in an attempt to not overstretch the kitchen. Such a regime means an entreee and a main each here for two people is more like a shared four-course degustation that takes twice the time. For sharing: Scallops, hazelnuts, button mushrooms, chamomile. Photo: Dominic Lorrimer It's great to see such a hot packet of next-gen talent in a place like Crows Nest instead of Surry Hills or Chippendale. The fact is that Crowy is changing, attracting a younger crowd who like its big-city feel, public transport and buzzy cafe life. Hopefully, Annata is landing at the right moment with its inner-urban sensibility and high-detail, share-plate dining. Time, and Crows Nest, will tell. THE LOW-DOWN Best bit: Finessed food in a fun setting Worst bit: One dish at a time Go-to dish: Flathead, kataifi, seaweed, peas, pomelo, oyster mayonnaise, $26 Terry Durack is chief restaurant critic for The Sydney Morning Herald and senior reviewer for the Good Food Guide. This rating is based on the Good Food Guide scoring system. http://annatasydney.com SHARE Alex Rodriguez Jeffrey George Jonathan Matthews Ray Guevara 10 held for distribution of marijuana By Jennifer Rios Investigators were still searching for three suspects after arresting 10 people on charges alleging they participated in the distribution of hydroponic marijuana in San Angelo, local police said. Two women were also arrested on felony possession charges during the course of the investigation. Police said they believe members of the group grew and distributed several hundred pounds of the weed. Seven people were arrested March 23 after officers completed a four-month investigation that charged 13 men with engaging in organized criminal activity. Members of the narcotics unit and troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety were involved in the investigation. Narcotics Sgt. Bill Mabe said the police department's special operations section and K-9 division were also involved. Investigators believe the group has distributed drugs for months, Mabe said. The entire narcotics division has worked on the case. "There was surveillance on several of the members," Mabe said, "and we received information from other parties, some who were involved in it, and linked them through other evidence means." Mabe said the group likely moved several hundred pounds of hydroponic marijuana. One pound of the high quality marijuana is worth approximately $4,500, he said. Commercial-grade marijuana is about $450 a pound. Hydroponic marijuana is potent marijuana that is sold for approximately $4,500 per pound, police said. With roots partially suspended in water, the plants are grown without soil in a liquid solution infused with minerals and nutrients. Mabe said officers went to at least seven different locations during the first roundup last week. "A few of them worked," he said. "We went to both their residence and their places of employment to arrest them." People arrested during last Friday's roundup were: * Steven Bell, 21 * Brandon Cochran, 30 * Juan Constancio, 21 * Tanner Hayes, 20 * Jonathon Matthews, 21 * Alex Rodriguez, 29 * Jeffrey George, 26. Police said Cody Waldrop, 21, of San Angelo; Ray Guevara, 34, of Abilene and Ty Edward Murphy, 25, of Dublin were also picked up. Murphy was arrested in Erath County near his home in Dublin. He was booked into the Erath County Jail on March 30, and bonded out on a $15,000 bond the same day, jail officials said. According to police, Rafael Lopez, Jesse Beam and Shawn Manning were arrested on Jan. 28. Police allege they had approximately 11 pounds of hydroponic marijuana at that time. During the arrests, one residence in the 2000 block of Woodlawn was searched and approximately three-fourths of a pound of marijuana was seized, according to a police news release. Heather Cochran, 27, was arrested on a charge of felony possession of marijuana. A residence in the 2400 block of Lakeside also was searched and approximately 3.5 lbs of marijuana was seized, police said, and Monica Rodriquez, 25, was charged with felony possession of marijuana. Police are still searching for Jerod Davis. 25, of Dallas; Shawn Manning, 21, of Eureka, Calif., and Rafael Lopez, 25, of Scotia, Calif. Engaging in organized criminal activity, in this case, is a third-degree felony and punishable by two to 10 years of prison and a fine up to $10,000. SHARE 19th wife of 'prophet' explains records By Matthew Waller MIDLAND Former polygamist sect member Rebecca Musser said she was the 19th wife of the "prophet" Rulon Jeffs in 1995. That prophet would eventually have 65 wives, she said. Musser, once a member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, saw her own records of that marriage on the fourth day of the bigamy trial of former FLDS President Wendell Loy Nielsen on Monday. Nielsen, 71, faces three counts of third-degree bigamy, punishable by two to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000. Musser was there to authenticate FLDS documents. She described their importance. "Within the culture, it is required for them to have certain ordinances and blessings. They had to be recorded. If there was no record, then it would not be acknowledged in the heavens," Musser said. "Without that record you could not gain your eternal salvation." Musser described the marriage ceremony, and Special Prosecutor Eric Nichols had her focus on the verbiage of the ceremony calling the marriages "legal and lawful." Musser demonstrated a marriage handshake for jurors with a legal assistant, holding the index finger extended down the other person's forearm. She explained that marriage and complete submission to her husband were necessary for a woman's salvation. "Does that require physical submission?" Nichols asked. "Yes," she said. "Mental submission?" "Yes." "Emotional submission?" "Yes," Musser said. Musser said she knew the women Nielsen is accused of having married in bigamy, one from helping with musical numbers for children, another by being a "mother" to her, even though Musser was younger, because Musser was married to the woman's father, then-prophet Rulon Jeffs. Jurors have learned from documents that the three women whom Nielsen allegedly married were Ilene Jeffs, who would have been 43 at the time of the "marriage"; Margaret Lucille Jessop Johnson, who would have been 58; and Veda Barlow Johnson, who would have been 65. Linda Black, whom Nielsen married in 1965, was his legal wife. The state brought in family law expert Jack Sampson of the University of Texas School of Law to testify that the marriages would have been legal marriages, common law at least, if not for the previous marriage. Defense attorney David Botsford tried giving different scenarios to throw his conclusion in doubt. He pointed to secrecy not being allowed in a common law marriage, and brought up the secretive nature of FLDS plural marriages. Botsford also suggested a hypothetical in which two undercover police go through with a marriage to infiltrate a crime syndicate. "They should talk to the DA first about not getting prosecuted," Sampson said. He said he believed intent to actually marry wasn't necessary for an actual marriage to occur. He also said that secrecy might not apply when people are presenting themselves as married to their society. Ezra Draper, another former FLDS member, also gave testimony about what it means to be in a celestial marriage. He and his wife, to whom he is still married, received a marriage license and were then married with a celestial marriage later. "The civil marriage was a steppingstone to a higher vow," Draper said. Jurors also saw priesthood records, the dictations of FLDS leader Warren Jeffs, making a connection between "R17" and the FLDS Yearning for Zion Ranch where the crimes allegedly occurred. Nielsen stepped down as president of the FLDS when FLDS supreme leader Warren Jeffs assumed the position in early 2011. Warren Jeffs, who was convicted last year, is serving a prison sentence in Palestine of life plus 20 years for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl. Law enforcement authorities raided the YFZ Ranch in April 2008 after allegations of sexual abuse. Twelve men, including Warren Jeffs, were indicted and 10 have been convicted of crimes such as child sexual assault and bigamy. This is the first bigamy case to go to trial. Others have pleaded no contest and accepted sentences of seven to eight years. Nielsen also had pleaded no contest, but he later withdrew his plea because he didn't like the terms of his probation and because he wasn't able to transfer his probation to Colorado where he has family. According to documents from the state, Nielsen allegedly married 34 women in addition to his legal wife. Among those he allegedly married were sets of mothers and daughters and groups of sisters. The document also states that Nielsen performed the ceremonies in which Warren Jeffs married 16- and 12-year-old girls, that Nielsen has been named a witness in 258 allegedly bigamous marriages and that he has been involved in the marriage of 37 girls ages 12 through 16, 29 of them bigamous. If Nielsen is convicted, those alleged offenses could be presented to jurors in the potential punishment phase of the trial. photos by Michelle Gaitan/Standard-Times Angela Middlebrooks, doctor of audiology at the West Texas Rehabilitation Center, talks with patient Charles Beatty about how to work his processor ear piece. Beatty was the first San Angelo resident to undergo a cochlear implant at Community Hospital in December. SHARE Michelle Gaitan/Standard-Times San Angelo resident Charles Beatty learns how to place his hearing processor on his left ear during a follow-up visit at the West Texas Rehabilitation Center to activate his cochlear implant, which replaced his hearing aids. Beatty wears an ear processor after having it activated to adjust to a comfortable level of sound. Beatty received a cochlear implant, an electronic medical device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear. By Michelle Gaitan of the San Angelo Standard-Times It was almost a screaming match to have a conversation with Charles Beatty. His wife of 42 years improvised through their entire relationship working around his deteriorating hearing, co-workers frequently mistook his loud speaking voice for a an angry and forceful personality and mundane phone calls were nearly impossible to walk away from with full understanding. "A .30 caliber was fired near my head during a duck hunting trip, and since age 13 my hearing has given me trouble," said Beatty, who has had to wear hearing aids in both his ears. "It affected me pretty bad, I started to get headaches and then (my hearing) got worse and worse," he said. Since the hunting trip, Beatty has out worn three to four sets of hearing aids as his ability to hear declined. He was 18 years old when he got his first pair. In December, Beatty, now 63, became the first patient to undergo cochlear implant surgery in San Angelo. The popular procedure has been performed numerous times in other locations for people suffering from sensorineural hearing loss, but was not an option for patients in San Angelo. A cochlear implant is an electronic medical device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear. Unlike hearing aids, which make sounds louder and clearer, a cochlear implant does the work of damaged parts of the cochlea, or inner ear, to provide sound signals to the brain and enables a person to hear. "For me it took a lot of adjustments and a lot of patience with other people that couldn't hear me," he said. "I'll ask them very nicely what they said and if they don't want to cooperate I'll just walk off. Some people get really upset about it, but I learned to adapt to it pretty well." Beatty said sometimes misunderstandings at work would lead to arguments. "That's what I really hate about not hearing people correctly," he said. The in and out surgery was performed by William Hafner with the West Texas Medical Associates at San Angelo Community Medical Center. In collaboration with the West Texas Rehabilitation Center and the San Angelo Department of Rehabilitation office, Beatty's cochlear implant was activated last week, and for the first time in years he was able to clearly hear others, more importantly his wife, Alanda. "Well, I never did have any trouble hearing my grandkids anyway, but my wife said I can't make excuses the way I did when I couldn't hear," Beatty said after his activation. "Talking to somebody in a normal tone like this is amazing. This is something I am not used to." Angela Middlebrooks, audiologist with the WTRC, with the help of Jennifer Lake, clinical territory manager for North Texas with Cochlear Americas, helped program Beatty's speech processor and walked him through how to use the device's accessories. "We program the external device, which is basically like a computer that runs the whole implant that's in his head," Middlebrooks said. "Cochlear implant surgeries have been going on for decades now and there are thousands of people who have had this surgery. They are much more common nowadays, she said. "They are basically for people who cannot benefit from hearing aids. Their hearing loss is to the extent that hearing aids won't help them." The implant consists of a small electronic device, which is surgically implanted under the skin behind the ear and an external speech processor is worn on the ear. The entire surgery takes about two to three hours and is usually done on an outpatient basis. Middlebrooks said having the first surgery in San Angelo is "exciting" and will be much more convenient for local patients. "Currently, our patients have to go to the San Antonio area or Dallas-Fort Worth, sometimes Lubbock, and there are a number of appointments you have to attend when you're having surgery so this is great that we now have Dr. Jonathan Hafner with West Texas Medical Associates who is doing those surgeries," she said. Reportedly more than 300,000 people worldwide, ranging in age from 3 months to 90, have received cochlear implants, according to the WTRC. "The sound at first is very different because the brain is not used to an electrical sound, it's used to an acoustic signal and also we put an electrode array into the part of the cochlea where it hasn't been working," Lake said. "It's a whole new level of hearing again. And so over time the patient starts to acclimate to that stimulation and they start to understand what they're hearing and it turns into speech. It's like learning a foreign language." An added benefit the cochlear implant gives patients is its ability to adjust to different environments. "The processor itself has what we call scan feature where it automatically adjusts to whatever environment the patient is in, so if they're in quite a noisy (environment) the processor makes those calculations and adjusts automatically for them," Lake said. Beatty does wear a hearing aid in the left ear, and when he has the two on together it "creates what we call binaural hearing," which refers to being able to integrate information that the brain receives from the two ears, to create the best possible hearing. He does still have measurable hearing out of his left ear, she said. After years of missing out on sounds, Beatty said he's looking forward to the simply things like listening to music while eating out at Henry's Mexican Restaurant. "I don't get excited about a lot of things, but this was a change like when I got my first hearing aids," he said. "I could hear birds; before I couldn't." SHARE By Staff Report The San Angelo Police Officers Political Action Committee has chosen to throw its support behind candidates for local judicial offices, according to representatives of the candidates. The group announced its support for John Best, who is running for the Republican nomination for 119th District Attorney, and Brad Goodwin, who is seeking the nomination for 391st District Judge. Best currently serves as first assistant to the 51st District Attorney, where he has a record of 14 years of service. He was previously endorsed by 51st District Attorney Allison Palmer and by George McCrae, the current 119th District Attorney who announced last year he will not seek office again. "He has a proven track record as a public servant and as a prosecutor, and as the first assistant to the 51st District Attorney he has demonstrated the skills necessary to lead this office," the police group said in a letter to Best's campaign. The group pledged $4,000 to Best, according to his campaign. Goodwin, a San Angelo attorney, is seeking the Republican nomination for the 391st District Judge race. Judge Tom Gossett announced last year he would retire. "We believe Goodwin's experience as a prosecutor, and in civil litigation, along with his community involvements make him the best choice for this important position," a letter of support to Goodwin's campaign from the police officer group said. The group also committed $4,000 in support, according to the campaign. For the Republican nomination for 119th District Attorney, Best is being opposed by candidate Andrew Graves, a San Angelo attorney. For the 391st District Judge nomination, San Angelo attorney Carmen Symes Dusek is running against Goodwin. The primary election takes place March 1, with early voting scheduled for Feb. 16 to Feb. 26. Deadline for voter registration is Feb. 1. Graphic Illustration SHARE There was nothing surprising in the news that Ethan Couch sits in a Mexican detention facility while lawyers quarrel over his extradition. Few can forget the trail of devastation left by the Fort Worth teen who decided one evening in 2013, with a blood-alcohol level three times the adult legal limit, to go on a joyride in a truck piled full of friends. Couch killed four people that night and critically injured two others. He was 16. His youth was presumably a factor in Judge Jean Hudson Boyd's confounding decision to send him to treatment and put him on probation. But it was the testimony of a psychologist, who argued that Couch was himself a victim of wealthy parents that had "strongly enabled" his irresponsible acts and led him to feel "there was no rational link between behavior and consequences," that stretched the limits of credulity. Because authorities found Couch in Mexico with his mother, Tonya, one might conclude his suspected probation violation (a video emerged showing Couch at a drinking party) and subsequent flight across the border (where some reports suggest the now 18-year-old was seen "very drunk" at a strip club) were just the latest abuses by his mom. To call Couch a victim, particularly after what appears to be a brazen attempt to avoid further punishment, is insulting to those whose lives he destroyed. Still, it's hard to consider Couch's circumstances without regarding how similar albeit far more extreme he is to many in his generation. I refer specifically to the coddling by his mother. The helicopter parenting phenomenon the obsession with excessively protecting one's child from any physical or emotional harm, managing their every activity while seeking to ensure their success has been a subject of criticism and debate for some time, and for good reason. While many children suffer because they grow up in homes with one or absentee or indifferent parents, the opposite can also be damaging. Helicopter parenting is generally viewed as an "overparenting" problem. Children can become so dependent on their caregiver they never learn even the most basic elements of taking care of themselves. As they age, they become paralyzed when faced with major decisions or even moderate adversity. Others absorb their parents' obsession with success, fearing failure so desperately that any modest misstep could send them into an emotional tailspin. These children may never learn how to become adults, and they may never learn how to accept responsibility. On college campuses, the number of students with mental and emotional health problems has swelled. According to a September article in Psychology Today, university faculty and staff are overwhelmed with the increased fragility of students, many of whom "are increasingly seeking help for, and apparently having emotional crises over, problems of everyday life," such as a disagreement with a roommate or receiving a "C" on a term paper. In "Declining Student Resilience: A Serious Problem for Colleges," author Peter Gray describes how students also increasingly blame the faculty for low grades, for poor instruction or inadequate guidance, instead of internalizing lessons and learning from them. Without the crutch of a hovering guardian there to shield and protect, some young people enter adulthood lacking not only the skills to achieve but the ethics needed to resolve problems and the perspective obtained through failure alone. In extreme cases, they may arrive at adulthood with no work ethic or moral compass. But as one critic posits, helicopter parenting may not be the problem. It's "really a symptom of underparenting," writes Ashley Bateman in the online magazine The Federalist. Indeed, Bateman argues that parents who spend most of their waking hours separated from their children might overcompensate by increasing their parenting "intensity." It stands to reason that what parents cannot provide with regular engagement, they will seek to provide elsewhere, whether it be completing their child's homework, pulling strings to guarantee acceptance to their chosen college or driving them to Mexico to avoid arrest. Ethan Couch is no victim. He's an example, however extreme, of what failed parenting looks like. Cynthia M. Allen is a columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Contact her at cmallen@star-telegram.com. SHARE CHICAGO At the end of "The Special-Education Charade," a recent article in The Atlantic about why having a "special" child in public schools is "hell, or its equivalent," readers confront a pertinent phrase: "the dismal state of teacher training." This was only one of several factors noted in Tracy Thompson's emotional and spot-on, as I can attest as a former special education teacher 2,000-plus-word tirade about how educating special-needs kids in mainstream classrooms has become a labyrinth of pain and nonsense. But it's a factor worth illuminating. Not least because the special education trend in schools is increasingly to move away from separate special ed classrooms, catering to specific needs such as learning disabilities or emotional/behavioral disorders, in favor of putting students with sometimes-profound disabilities in general classes. This is called putting a student in the "least restrictive environment" so he or she can learn in the company of students who are roughly the same age, regardless of whether they have the same capacity for being able to perform the tasks expected of them, with or without assistance. This placement results in anything from an eighth-grader who reads at a first-grade level getting placed in a mainstream history course to a high school senior who can't readily compute simple mathematical problems but is placed in a regular biology class. Sometimes, but not always, such students are provided with a "one-on-one" assistant to facilitate their learning. More often these students simply show up in the classrooms of regular teachers who have no specialized training in the instruction of children with cognitive, behavioral or emotional disabilities. The teachers are likely, but not always, privy to the student's background and will have, at most, a few excerpts from a very long legal document called an "Individualized Education Program" that explains what accommodations the teacher is required to provide the student. These assistive methods usually fall within the realm of things like "preferred seating," "permission to leave class as needed," notes provided to the student ahead of class, the opportunity for longer times to take quizzes and tests or having them read aloud. Many of these teachers in middle school and high schools have more than 100 students spread across multiple classrooms per day. In some cases, six or seven students with IEPs wind up in a single class period. Setting aside whether this is good policy that is, whether both the special needs children and non-special needs students in a given classroom get the most benefit out of their educational experience you have to consider the extra burden on teachers who are already not as well equipped for such high-stakes teaching as one would hope. According to the National Council on Teacher Quality's 2015 State Teacher Policy Yearbook, a scant 26 states require all middle-school teachers to pass a test in every core subject they will teach. And just five states Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota and Tennessee require secondary school teachers to demonstrate their knowledge of the subjects they'll teach. And it's not as though teachers who do have special education expertise are so rigorously prepared, either. According to the council, "With just a few exceptions, state licensing policies for special education teachers are abysmal. Twenty-one states still allow special education teachers to earn a generic special education license to teach any special education students in any grade, K-12. ... Only 14 states require elementary special education candidates to demonstrate content knowledge on a subject-matter test similar to what would be expected of any other elementary school teacher." There are no quick and easy fixes for the many factors that lead public schools to perform poorly in educating our children regardless of whether individual students need special help. But the low standards for training teachers who are in charge of our nation's classrooms should be a no-brainer way to start remedying at least part of the problem. Teacher training is dismal and, unfortunately, not a headline-grabbing education issue that motivates parents and other advocates to demand change. But shouldn't it be? Esther Cepeda is a Washington Post columnist. Contact her at estherjcepeda@washpost.com. SHARE By Greg Mauz Of Christoval Is A Traffic Safety Researcher And Volunteer Activist With The Best Highway Safety Practices Institute. Why are gas prices in 2011 the highest on average ever? Is there a shortage? No. Are Middle East supplies in jeopardy? No. Truth is, we obtain most imported oil from Canada, Mexico and Venezuela. Are we buying more than usual supply and demand? No. Federal Highway Administration data shows that we are still driving billions fewer miles than pre-recession normal. Is domestic production lacking? No. It's up. Are oil prices even higher than expected? No. Oil prices actually are reasonable. For the record: Most excuses to raise oil or gas prices are based on phony speculation. As usual, the real reason gas prices are the highest ever is greed. Despite the longest recession, with millions out of work and losing their homes, the ultrarich show no compassion by continuing to exploit average Americans to further enhance their excessive wealth. Each greed attack gets worse for us. In 2008, greed by speculators, oil wholesalers and gas retailers almost killed our economy. Wall Street gamblers drove oil up to $147 a barrel, which caused gas to rise to more than $4 a gallon ($3.93 in San Angelo). Thankfully this was short-lived and prices returned to their mid-$2 normal. In 2010, we received a double jacking. First, our "representatives" sold us out to the ethanol lobby. We the people against our will pay a 45-cent-per-gallon subsidy (corporate welfare) for blending CO2-increasing, mileage-reducing ethanol into our gasoline. In May, a brief increase in oil prices (for about two weeks) mysteriously resulted in overcharging at the pump for more than two months. Now we are being jacked twice as much for twice as long, mostly by gas retailers. Unlike 2008, oil peaked at only $114 on April 29, yet about a dozen states increased gas prices to more than $4 per gallon. The San Angelo price topped off at $3.75, with the national average reaching $3.98. For no apparent reason, gas prices rose 24 cents from Jan. 1 to Feb. 18, and June-July saw a 12-cent increase. When oil prices rise, gas prices increase immediately 44 cents from Feb. 25 to March 4. However, when oil drops, gas retailers continue to exploit their customers at the inflated rate. Despite oil dropping from $100 on July 22 to $87 on Aug. 5 and $85 at the end of the month, gas dropped a microscopic 6 cents, from $3.61 to $355. By the end of September, oil decreased to $79, but the national average was $3.51 and prices were $3.38 in San Angelo. The national average should have been about $2.70. Comparing October-December 2010 versus August-September this year not including the 45-cent ethanol welfare we are paying about 80 cents per gallon than we should, or more than $10 a fill-up. Local residents are noticing cheaper gas prices over Texas, such as $2.99 in Houston and $3.11 in the Killeen area. Gas here finally fell to $3.28 on Oct. 16, but incredibly retailers jacked the price up 10 cents on Oct. 18. Oil was $88. The honest price should have been $2.78, not $3.38. Selfishness by most gas retail chains is killing the economic recovery our country so desperately needs. The American people have been overcharged more than $100 billion. The overpaid CEOs and other 1-percenters need to take a good, hard look in the mirror. When it comes time to be judged, how will they justify overcharging and oppressing the poor, putting people out of work and out of their homes, even jeopardizing their own country's future to enhance themselves with more money they don't even remotely need? The FBI, Attorney General Eric Holder and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott should investigate the big gas retail chains. We need more regulation and enforcement to curb improper corporate behavior. Special interest influence (money) needs to be abolished it's legalized bribery, not free speech. And, since oil and gas are the lifeblood of our nation, it should be banned from public trading. Greedy speculators should not be playing Russian roulette with our economic lives. Americans should demand justice. We the people want our country back, including honest prices for gas without special-interest ethanol. San Angelo VA clinic getting new name to honor late Powell couple Bill signed into law honors Vietnam War veteran and his wife, who worked in the offices of four U.S. congressmen Teachers whose organized sick-out shut down more than 60 Detroit schools today demanded that their voices be heard and that the district address what they've described as deplorable teaching conditions.Their pleas at a rally today received immediate responses.Mayor Mike Duggan said he would tour schools Tuesday to assess the condition of the buildings. And State Superintendent Brian Whiston called for health and safety issues in the district to be immediately addressed.Still, both men called on teachers to return to the classroom. And some lawmakers decried an action that had many students missing a day of learning.The closures affected 64 schools and 31,000 students, DPS officials said. And there were indications that more sickouts could be coming this week.The afternoon rally -- organized by a group within the Detroit Federation of Teachers called DPS Teachers Fight Back -- brought a crowd of teachers and supporters to the Fisher Building in Detroit."Detroit kids matter," they chanted. Many in the boisterous crowd carried signs that illustrated their displeasure with the district. "Thirty-five is the speed limit, not a class size," said one. "Students support DPS teachers," said another.Theresa Williams, a first-grade teacher at Burton International Academy, held a sign that said, "I have 39 first-graders in my classroom.""It's quite challenging," Williams said. "You want to meet the needs of all of the children. You have to do the best you can."The rally featured state lawmakers, members of the City Council and members of the Detroit Board of Education. Many said the conditions in the district wouldn't be tolerated in suburban communities."I stand with you," Councilwoman Mary Sheffield told the crowd through a bullhorn. "We can no longer be silent."The district closed the 64 schools because more than half of the teachers in those schools called in sick. The closures represented more than half the 97 buildings in the district.While health care and salary cuts and large class sizes are big issues for teachers, much of the attention today was on health and safety problems.Teachers --at the rally and during an earlier news conference -- described problems such as mold, leaky ceilings, busted windows, rodents, roaches, lack of heat and standing water.Duggan issued a statement hours after the rally saying he'll visit a number of schools Tuesday along with the heads of the city health department and the city department of buildings, safety, engineering and environment."Based on what we find, the City of Detroit will take whatever enforcement action is necessary to make sure all Detroit Public Schools are compliant with all health and building codes," Duggan said.At a news conference earlier in the day, officials from the DFT called on the district to hold public hearings so teachers can air their concerns."The situation in the Detroit Public Schools is far worse than we ever imagined," said Ivy Bailey, the interim president of the union, who likened the conditions to what you would see in a Third World country."We want the teachers voices to be heard," Bailey said. "We know there's an issue with money, but you know what? We need to do something. It's time for all of us to come together."Whiston called on the district's leadership to set up a meeting to respond to the health and safety issues teachers are raising."I care deeply about the safety and well-being of teachers in Detroit, just as I do the students," Whiston said. "They all still need to be in the classrooms teaching and learning, though. If buildings have health and safety issues, they need to be addressed immediately with the district administration and all appropriate agencies."DPS officials said in a statement this afternoon that the district works "every day to ensure that our school buildings are safe, clean and in good repair.""Our operations department works very closely with all regulatory agencies to ensure we meet their guidelines," said spokeswoman Michelle Zdrodowski. "When issues are brought to our attention, we investigate and take the appropriate actions to address them in as timely a manner as possible -- even in the face of the very serious budget constraints necessitated by the District's financial crisis."DPS emergency manager Darnell Earley said the district agreed with union leadership in December to allow DFT to send representatives into schools to have one-on-one conversations with members to understand their concerns. They also agreed to a series of joint meetings "where teachers will be given an update on the current state of DPS.""We expect these meetings to take place in the next two weeks," Earley said.Bailey said that while the union supports the teachers in their efforts to raise awareness of problems in the district, "I don't support the method."The teachers have the support of Jaime Diaz-Herrera, a parent with a child at Western International High."We're fighting for the kids. We're fighting for their dreams."A group of teachers called Detroit Strikes To Win met Sunday night to discuss the sick-outs and a possible district-wide strike. The group, led by ousted teacher union president Steve Conn, is upset with what they call the ruination of the school system by the state. They met again today, during which Conn described the widespread sickouts a "a huge victory.""It's taken our movement a huge leap forward," he told the group gathered for the meeting.Still, Conn said "full-blown strike" is needed.The group also was critical of the DFT leadership and said the focus on health and safety issues doesn't address all of the problems in the district. The Conn group has been highly critical of Gov. Rick Snyder's plan to splinter DPS into two -- one district to pay off the massive debt and the other to educate students."It's about saving the district. It's about saving jobs. It's about getting Earley out. It's about getting Steve his job back," said Shanta Driver of the group By Any Means Necessary. "This fight is about something." Bolstered by second-place ties in two New Hampshire polls released today, Ohio Gov. John Kasich qualified for the prime-time segment of Thursday's GOP presidential debate.The double-dose of good news for Kasich was sparked by his best performances yet in surveys of the state holding the nation's first presidential primary Feb. 9.He is tied in the American Research Poll at 14 percent with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio behind billionaire Donald Trump's 25 percent.And in the Monmouth University Poll, Kasich also is at 14 percent but tied with Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas behind Trump's 32 percent.The high finishes solidified Kasich's average from the five most recent New Hampshire polls accepted by Fox News in the top five, which was one of three ways a candidate could qualify for the 9 p.m. matchup. Kasich fell well short in the other two: national or Iowa polls."We have momentum and it's happening at just the right time before the Feb. 9 primary," he said in a fundraising solicitation minutes after the debate lineup became official.The prime-time debate will feature six others along with Kasich: Trump, Cruz, Rubio, retired Dr. Ben Carson, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.Relegated to the 6 p.m. undercard: Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky -- who apparently will boycott since he didn't make the main stage for the first time -- former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania. Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore did not even qualify for the early debate, which required getting at least 1 percent in the latest five national polls.Fox counted only polls "conducted by major nationally and state-recognized organizations that use standard methodological techniques (i.e., live interviewers, random digit-dial sampling techniques and include both landlines and cell phones)."With many conceding New Hampshire to Trump -- although some experts still want to see if his poll supporters will actually show up to cast a vote -- the focus of the battle has shifted to the fight to represent so-called establishment Republicans among Kasich, Rubio, Bush and Christie. Polls at this stage of the campaign are typically volatile, and likely will undergo more changes after the Feb. 1 caucuses in Iowa, where Kasich was getting just 2 percent in a poll unveiled Monday.Meanwhile, the super-PAC backing Kasich, New Day for America, released a study it commissioned and funded saying that Trump's immigration plan, including a wall on the Mexican border and deporting the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants, would cost up to $935 billion over two decades. The "independent" study was conducted by Mark McIntosh, former official with President George W. Bush, and Steven Bogden, who worked for the presidential campaign of Arizona Sen. John McCain.The study said Trump's proposals would result in a hit of at least 5.7 percent on the U.S. economically, which translates into a drop of $1.6 trillion.Connie Wehrkamp, spokeswoman for the super-PAC, said it made no attempt to calculate the cost of Kasich's proposal, which also includes a wall or stronger border protection. The governor opposes the deportation of the undocumented immigrants.The group also launched a digital ad showing Christie explaining his backing for an assault weapons ban and his support for some gun control measures in recent interviews and one from 2009. The piece says Christie is "wrong on guns" and "wrong for New Hampshire." The ad doesn't say that Kasich also supported an assault weapons ban while in Congress but, like Christie, has changed his mind since.A group of more than three dozen Ohio conservatives announced their support for Cruz, including Phil Burress of Citizens for Community Values, the group that successfully pushed the 2004 state constitutional amending defining marriage as solely between one man and one woman that was struck down by last year's Supreme Court gay marriage ruling.Lori Viars of the Conservative Republican Leadership Committee said in a release: "Ted Cruz doesn't just talk our talk. He walks our walk, on both social and fiscal issues." Nikki Haley, the governor of South Carolina, was selected to give the official Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union address this year -- the latest and perhaps clearest indication of the high regard in which she's held by the national GOP.But despite her popularity, she has frequently feuded with her fellow Republicans in the state and lacks a long record of accomplishments.It's clear why national Republicans have chosen to put Haley in the spotlight. She's a conservative in an early presidential primary state and, as a 43-year-old woman of Indian ancestry, she offers a counter to the GOP's primarily white and rapidly aging demographic. Last week,ran an article headlined, "Why Republicans Want Nikki Haley to Be the VP."Under her lead, though, past sessions in South Carolina have been plagued with vetoes and veto overrides, and it's not yet clear that she's any more likely to get her way in prominent policy fights this year."I don't think she's gaining that much ground in Columbia," said Dave Woodard, a Republican consultant and pollster who teaches at Clemson University. "She doesn't have a guiding philosophy that she can communicate behind what she does."Haley won re-election easily in 2014, prevailing by a 15 percentage point margin. Since then, she has faced one crisis after another. Last year, she was widely lauded for her handling of extensive flooding as well as the mass shooting at an African-American church in Charleston. After the shooting, she convinced legislators to remove the Confederate flag from the Capitol grounds -- putting to rest an issue that had divided South Carolina for decades."She's certainly been highly praised for how she handled all the difficulties the state faced in 2015," said Chip Felkel, a GOP consultant. "She's as popular as she's ever been."Haley can also point to big economic projects that her administration helped to foster. Last fall, for instance, Volvo broke ground on a $500 million plant, which is the Swedish carmaker's first facility in North America. The port of Charleston is thriving, and South Carolina has become the nation's leading tire manufacturer, with billions in investments from the likes of Michelin and Bridgestone.But hampering any wider sense of achievemement are her rocky relations with lawmakers.Even though Haley started in the legislature herself and her party has complete control over both chambers, she's never picked up many friends in the body. In fact, Haley is in the habit of calling out legislators she doesn't like on Facebook or other social media platforms. Last year, she turned her personal website into a "wall of shame," highlighting how legislators from both parties voted on key bills like legislative pay raises and an ethics package."She kind of came in bucking the establishment," said Gibbs Knotts, who chairs the College of Charleston political science department. "She still does that, to some extent."South Carolina's budget picture is looking bright, with revenues coming in more than a billion dollars ahead of estimates. That should do a lot to smooth relations this year between the branches. But they still can't seem to see eye to eye on issues like raising the gas tax to pay for roads.Haley opposes raising the gas tax unless it's offset by a cut to income taxes or other relief. She complains that legislators don't take a hard enough line on taxes and spending, but the legislature last year managed to override most of her 87 vetoes of items in the budget.A poll conducted in November by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic firm based in North Carolina, found that Haley is "one of the most popular governors in the country," with 56 percent of those surveyed approving of her job performance, compared with 28 percent who disapprove.Haley's stock is clearly trading high right now, but whether that will help her score more policy wins in the year ahead remains a big question."The legislature is going to know that she has support from the people," said Knotts, "and they might want to take what she's saying a little more seriously." Thousands of violations In 2013, one veteran opened his mail to discover a picture of the inside of another veterans colon, taken during the veterans colonoscopy at the St. Cloud VA. A nurse did not clear the camera to set up for the next patient and when the system printed the photos it included the veterans name, birth date, Social Security number and date of the procedure, along with the providers name. In 2014, a former VA supervisor in Minneapolis called a retired VA employee and claimed she knew about his health problems from another VA supervisor. In 2011, an employee of the Minneapolis VA snooped in the chart of a vet who had been in the news, even though it wasnt part of the employees official duties. The worker admitted looking in the chart out of curiosity and was written up for disciplinary action. The following year, a research contract worker accessed the chart of another high-profile patient who was in the news. In another 2011 case in Minneapolis, clerks in a clinic were overheard by a patient and his daughter discussing a veteran enrolled at the clinic who had been identified in the local news media after being charged with a crime. Punishment de-emphasized (TNS) -- With chronic pain in his neck and back and a brain injury from his days in the service, it wasnt a surprise that Air Force veteran Ben Kraus had a huge file at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs offices: more than a thousand pages of confidential and sensitive information dealing with medical issues, vocational rehab and disability compensation.What was a surprise is what happened when Kraus requested copies of his file last year. The VA sent them to someone else.The VA had used an outdated address. Kraus never found out who received his file, which contained medical information, his Social Security number and information about his daughter. After the VA was told about the problem, it offered Kraus a years worth of credit protection.With that, Kraus became a member of what appears to be a widening club: the number of veterans whose privacy has been breached by employees and contractors at VA hospitals, community clinics and benefit centers.They delivered them to somebody who was not me, who signed for it, then I never got them, and VAs response was, whoops,? Kraus said.Since 2011, there have been 240 cases of reported privacy violations at VA facilities in St. Paul, Minneapolis, St. Cloud and various clinics around the state. From 2011 to 2015, the number of violations has more than doubled.The violations include one veteran receiving a photo in the mail of another veterans colonoscopy, one provider discussing a patients diagnosis with the patients real estate agent, VA workers snooping into the records of patients whose names have appeared in the news, and some widows receiving discharge papers and awards belonging to unrelated vets.The disclosures are contained in a database built by the investigative journalism organization ProPublica and shared with the Star Tribune. Working with data obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, ProPublicas national investigation found that employees and contractors at VA medical centers, clinics, pharmacies and benefit centers commit thousands of privacy violations each year and have racked up more than 10,000 since 2011.The VA said the challenges it faces in keeping patient information secure are similar to those experienced by others in the private and public sectors. It said it takes its patients privacy seriously and its policies and guidelines go beyond what is required by law.Inappropriate access of patient health records, either during or post treatment, is absolutely unacceptable and in violation of privacy laws and regulations, VA policies and procedures, and our principles, the VA said in a prepared statement.But the disclosures indicate the VAs handling of its cases differs from those of other health care providers. The VA remains embroiled in scandals over manipulated appointment wait times and from revelations that the medical information of whistleblowers sometimes has been accessed by the VA in an apparent attempt to discredit them.Last year, the head of the office that investigates VA whistleblower complaints told a Senate committee that systematic changes were needed in how the VA keeps records.It is too easy right now for a mischief-minded employee to enter the medical record system and access information on his or her co-workers, Carolyn Lerner said in written testimony.The Minnesota cases run the gamut, from simple clerical errors to outright maliciousness:The 2011 to 2015 data provided to ProPublica for their investigation included the outcome of the breaches but does not indicate whether any employee was disciplined.Asked whether workers were disciplined in the Minnesota cases, officials from Minnesota VA facilities referred all questions to a VA spokesman in Washington and provided a fact sheet on the VAs response to protect the privacy of its patients. The VA spokesman in Washington did not respond to a request for information.While the VA has indicated it will pursue discipline, it said in its fact sheet that it relies heavily on workers admitting their own mistakes.Self-reporting is more consistent when punishment is de-emphasized over training and clear incident response, the VA said.When an individuals medical record is accessed, it generates a report, which shows who has accessed the information and when. Additional audit records for the electronic health record are reviewed for signs of any inappropriate or suspicious activity or suspected violations.The VA requires annual privacy and information security training of all employees and contractors. An Incident Response Team assesses any reported risk and arranges credit monitoring for the individual whose information is involved.The VA may have misplaced the wrong vets confidential information in the case of Ben Kraus.Kraus is also an attorney who often represents veterans in cases against the VA and has been a frequent critic of it in his blog, disabledveterans.org. Kraus says the use of third-party contractors appears to contribute to confusion, as does a system, much of it paper-generated, that is not coordinated or automatically updated. A failure to hold workers accountable also likely adds to problems, he said.While HIPAA violations can carry economic penalties, its virtually impossible to sue the VA over other privacy breaches because a prospective plaintiff would need to prove real economic damage, Kraus said.They dont have the same kind of fear of God like some normal Joe Schmo, where they are held personally accountable, Kraus said of the VA. These individuals in the federal government are above the law, and its the taxpayer that has to foot the bill every time there is a mistake. (TNS) -- The federal government is giving air travelers in Minnesota and a handful of other states a two-year reprieve from enforcement of a law that would have banned commercial air travelers who didn't have a new federally approved identification.The surprise announcement Friday came as a relief to Minnesota officials who had been racing to bring the state into compliance with a new federal law requiring newer, more-stringent IDs to fly on commercial airlines.Minnesota is among the few states that have not adopted the new IDs or been granted a waiver from the federal government. Gov. Mark Dayton and legislative leaders had been trying to broker an agreement Friday morning on a special legislative session, in part to deal with the Real ID issue."The state of Minnesota will continue its efforts to comply with the federal law, in accordance with the guidance provided today," said Matt Swenson, a spokesman for the governor.House Speaker Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, said Minnesotans should be relieved that "residents can travel using their licenses for the foreseeable future without any fear of being turned away."On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security said passengers could continue using their current IDs until Jan. 22, 2018. Some would have until Oct. 1, 2020.After those dates, passengers without the proper driver's licenses would have to use other federally approved forms of ID, such as a passport.As of Friday, 23 states and U.S. territories have complied with the act, while 27 states and territories have been granted an extension. Five states -- Minnesota, Illinois, New Mexico, Missouri and Washington -- and American Samoa have not complied and have not been granted an extension."Right now, no individual needs to adjust travel plans or rush out to get a new driver's license or a passport for domestic air travel," U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said.Johnson told leaders of states not yet compliant to adopt new IDs. "I urge state government leaders to take immediate action to comply with the Real ID Act, to ensure the continued ability of their residents to fly unimpeded."The Real ID Act, approved by Congress in 2005, set minimum standards for licenses in response to security concerns following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Enforcement of those requirements repeatedly has been delayed.For a license to be compliant with the Real ID Act, the state issuing it must, for example, incorporate anti-counterfeit technology into the card, verify the applicant's identity and conduct background checks for employees involved in issuing driver's licenses.Opponents were critical of requirements in the law that include storing images of documents that driver's license applicants present as proof of their identity, such as birth certificates. State officials say that information could be breached and could be used to track law-abiding U.S. citizens.Some politicians in many states, like Minnesota, said the new ID cards amounted to a national identification card, collecting and storing massive amounts of private data. The growing number of data breaches at companies and government institutions only emboldened the skeptics.By a nearly unanimous vote in 2009, the Minnesota Legislature prohibited the Department of Public Safety from taking any steps to comply.Many privacy advocates are also critical that the U.S. government is unilaterally setting standards in an area traditionally handled by the states.The 9/11 Commission, which formed to prevent future terrorist attacks, found that "[s]ources of identification are the last opportunity to ensure that people are who they say they are and to check whether they are terrorists."Real ID laws were crafted to prevent the fraudulent issuance and use of driver's licenses and identification cards, better ensuring the safety and security of the American public, Johnson said. "Given today's threat environment, this requirement is as relevant now as it was when the 9/11 Commission recommended it."Local travel agents and corporate travel managers said the new delay is a huge relief to everyday travelers who don't have passports.Renee Weiss, executive assistant and travel manager for Coldspring, a Minnesota granite and bronze material manufacturer, said she was "thrilled" to learn about the two-year reprieve."I have been following this Real ID issue really closely," she said. "Travelers have been on pins and needles," she said, noting that Coldspring employees travel only domestically. Some, she said, don't have passports."It's nice to be able to put travelers at ease now," she said.Phillip Gain, an airline travel specialist with the Wayzata-based Travel Beyond, said some clients had expressed concern over whether their Minnesota identification cards would be turned away for air travel.Once he learned that Homeland Security had issued a two-year reprieve for states, he said the news was "a relief to all of us, but especially for agencies who do a lot more domestic travel," he said. New classes: Bennett College offers financial exam prep courses GREENSBORO Bennett College is the first North Carolina school to offer a new for-credit course that prepares students for careers in the financial services industry. The new course readies students to take the Series 7 exam, which is required in order to work as a registered securities broker. Several financial services firms are sponsoring classes at universities across the country. The effort started in early 2015, when Edward Jones agreed to cover the cost of courses at eight universities. Materials and faculty training are provided by Securities Training Corp., a New York firm that has provided financial exam training since 1969. Since then, several other financial firms including Allstate, Scottrade and Charles Schwab have joined the effort, and the courses have spread to 27 campuses. The semester-long course at Bennett started Monday with 15 students. Bennett said that its the first historically black college to offer the exam-prep course. The companies involved say theyre bracing for a third of U.S. financial advisers to retire in the next decade. To keep up with demand, companies say theyll need to hire 20,000 new financial professionals. symbolism: NAACP, Confederate group meet to discuss flag NEWTON The NAACP in Catawba County met with the Sons of Confederate Veterans to discuss the Confederate flag and its use in an upcoming parade. The groups were unable to come to a common definition about the flags meaning. Bill Starnes with the Sons of Confederate Veterans denied that Confederate soldiers fought to preserve slavery. He said the flag represents courage, valor and honor as soldiers fought to protect their homes. New job: Former local politician joins Washington law firm RALEIGH Former U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan is now working for a high-powered Washington law firm about a year after she left Capitol Hill as an elected official. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld announced Monday the Greensboro Democrat has become a senior policy consultant. The firm says Hagan will focus on health and financial services advising. Some five months before graduation, Greenwich High School guidance counselors are encouraging seniors and their parents to start squaring away their college finances. The school has organized a financial aid workshop for parents of 12th-grade students, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday in the high schools media center. I think they should come because there are a lot of details to know, said Judy Nedell, the districts coordinator of guidance services in grades 6 through 12. I think its an efficient way to spend an hour to get a wide variety of information. Nedell said school officials organized the workshop because seniors have started to receive financial-aid award letters from colleges. The workshops speakers will include Nedell, who will discuss how to interpret award letters and accurately compare colleges costs, and representatives from the Greenwich Scholarship Association and the Greenwich High School Student Loan fund, who will discuss how students can apply for scholarships and loans from their respective organizations. Also on the agenda: Tom Aberle, a business teacher at the high school, who will talk about loans, 529 college savings plans and how parents can work with their children to manage their daily costs at college. More Information A workshop on college financial aid will be held 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Greenwich High School media center. See More Collapse In addition to talking with guidance counselors about financial aid, seniors and their parents should also reach out to college officials, Nedell said. Whenever they have very specific questions, any financial aid officer at any college could assist them, Nedell said. pschott@scni.com; 203-625-4439; twitter: @paulschott Police Blotter: Lavar Ferguson, 38, address unavailable, was charged Saturday afternoon with violating an order of protection. Police were called to the South New Street Byram section of town, where Ferguson was alleged to have entered a home where he was banned by a court order. He was attempting to remove a pet, according to authorities. Besides the violation of a protective order, he was charged with criminal trespass. Bail was set at $2,500. Late last year, he was charged with third-degree assault and disorderly conduct. A man who was recently arrested for walking around Greenwich with a knife and a machete is back in police custody. Eric Eddings, 35, of South Regent Street in Port Chester, N.Y., was charged with violating the terms of his probation on Saturday afternoon. Officers spotted him on North Water Street and were aware of an active warrant for his arrest. Bail was set at $25,000. Eddings was reported to have been holding a machete on Dec. 17 on lower Greenwich Avenue, heading toward the train station, according to police. He was also alleged to have been in possession of cocaine. Eddings was charged with breach of peace, possession of narcotics and carrying dangerous weapons in December. The violation of probation stems from charges of harassment and breach of peace in 2012. Greenwich police and fire units responded to the Burning Tree Country Club near Perkins Road after a car got stuck in a foot of water on Sunday afternoon following a downpour. A fire engine was able to push the car out of the puddle. No one was injured. An attempted burglary was reported at a residence on Meadow Lane near Pecksland Road Sunday morning. Police found that a rear door was damaged in an unsuccessful attempt to gain entry. Nothing was taken. The owner of a Mercedes-Benz SUV reported a larceny Friday afternoon. Expensive jewelry was stolen from the vehicle while it was parked on the 100 block of Greenwich Avenue. Police are continuing an investigation into the theft of merchandise from Staples on East Putnam Avenue last Wednesday. Several suspects were seen leaving the store, possibly in a vehicle with New Hampshire license plates. Investigators are reviewing video surveillance in connection with the theft. Photo: Bobby Doherty Chinese laborers who immigrated to Peru around the turn of the last century made a lasting mark on the cuisine, engendering Chinese-Peruvian, or chifa, dishes like lomo saltado, stir-fried beef mingled with French fries (in Peru, the potato is king). The venerable recipe has undergone a playful transformation at Williamsburgs new Llama Inn, where first-generation Peruvian-American chef Erik Ramirez reinterprets it as a sort of Peruvian fajitas. Ramirez still tops the stir-fried beef with fries, but instead of serving it with the customary rice, he pairs it with crepelike chive pancakes and multiple garnishes. Despite the DIY innovation, says Ramirez, Peruvians always ask for a side of rice. Hes more than happy to oblige. Mouse over or tap the image to read more. On the menu at Llama Inn; $48; 50 Withers St., at Lorimer St., Williamsburg; 718-387-3434. Photograph by Bobby Doherty *This article appears in the January 11, 2016 issue of New York Magazine. Prime real estate. Photo: Philippe Huguen/AFP/Getty Images Three consumer groups in Italy have found another new reason for Europeans to dislike McDonalds: Allegedly, the chain is charging franchisees as much as ten times the market rate for rent, in turn forcing them to jack up burger prices exorbitantly. The trio of consumer-rights organizations Codacons, Movimento Difesa del Cittadino, and Cittadinanzattiva filed their complaint Monday with the European Commission, accusing the chain of breaking EU antitrust laws with an unfair franchising system. Among the complaints are that the chain locks store owners into restrictive 20-year contracts (about double the norm), and that it actually requires European franchisees to pay above-market rent for their buildings and the land. The groups say the practices give McDonalds excessive and disproportionate control over store owners, and they cite research that shows the resulting cost disparity: 97 percent of menu items in Bologna are more expensive at franchises than at company-run restaurants, 68 percent are more expensive in Rome, and 71 percent are more expensive in Paris. A small fry at a French franchise location might be almost 75 percent more expensive. Not shockingly, the Service Employees International Union, the powerful U.S. group behind Fight for $15 thats slowly acquiring global clout, flew fast-food workers over to Brussels today to support the complaint. Its director says they strongly urge the European Commission to investigate the charges. For its part, McDonalds issued sort of a blanket denial of any wrongdoing, saying this business model has been successful for many years and has helped create the best business opportunities for our franchisees and the best overall experience for our customers. The European Commission, which has already launched an in-depth probe into McDonalds relatively light European tax burden, said its going to take a good look at this complaint as well. [Reuters, USAT] High Street on Markets Dutch-style stroopwafel. Photo: Jody Wissner It might snow in New York today which means, thankfully, its time to go hard on comfort foods! Fortunately, the citys restaurants and bakeries have recently introduced some excellent new cookies, made with ingredients like spicy Yuzukosho, anadama bread crumbs, and puffed-rice cereal. Theyre all certainly worth seeking out this season, to be taken home and enjoyed under a giant blanket, with a cup of tea. High Street on Markets Stroopwafel Price: $5 Pastry chef Sam Kincaid and chef-owner Eli Kulp drew inspiration from the latters Dutch family but this stroopwafel is far from traditional. In lieu of caramel filling, Kincaid uses spiced-milk jam and head baker Alex Boiss anadama bread crumbs for the wafel cookie, making this a true collaboration. Milk Bars Rice & Spice Price: $3.75 for one (in stores), $25 for a tin of six (online) Christina Tosi and model Karlie Kloss have collaborated on a range of cookies, which taste excellent despite their hyperhealthy profiles. Their latest is the Rice & Spice, which includes crunchy puffed-rice cereal, oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon like a cross between granola and a gingersnap cookie. It just so happens to contain no wheat, dairy, or nuts, if youre really committed to eating healthily in the New Year. Healthy-ish. Photo: Courtesy of Milk Bar Ovenlys Rosemary-Honey-Butter Cookie Price: $2.75 Greenpoint-based Ovenlys salted-chocolate-chip and peanut-butter cookies have become ubiquitous in New York coffee shops, and for good reason theyre fantastic. But while the bakery has a booming wholesale business, it reserves select treats for just its retail locations. This new cookie is one of them, and its made with a combination of almond and all-purpose flours. Like Ovenlys famed salted chocolate-chip cookie, it has both sweet and savory notes. Te Companys Pineapple Linzer Price: $3.25 This tiny new West Village tea shop specializes in oolongs, but chef Frederico Ribeiro (a Per Se alum) is making some next-level snacks. His pineapple linzer cookie, a riff on a traditional Taiwanese pineapple cake, is made with spicy Yuzukosho, a Japanese-pepper seasoning. Try to go early: There are only ten available per day. Pairs well with oolong tea. Photo: Melissa Hom Sadelles Oatmeal-Raisin Cookie Price: $3 This cookie actually disappeared from Sadelles menu for a while, but thanks to a plum shout-out from New York Times critic Pete Wells (one of the best oatmeal cookies in existence), it returned to the pastry case this week. Baker Melissa Weller says she aimed to create a cookie thats crispy at the edges, and thick, soft, and chewy in the middle, so you can get both textures in one bite. Weller actually ages the dough for four days before baking and uses Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats. Mah Ze Dahrs Chocolate Sable Price: $15 for a dozen, sold online Keep an eye out for a new treat from Umber Ahmad: Shes preparing to debut her rich chocolate-sable shortbread cookie, made with Valrhona cocoa, salted butter, brown sugar, bittersweet-chocolate chunks, and Maldon salt. I really love the balance that we strike between the sweetness of the sugar, the bitterness of the chocolate, and the hint of saltiness from the Maldon salt, she says. Plus: Once Ahmads brick-and-mortar bakery opens, shell sell her sables by the piece, too. Some Beijing baristas who may soon be paying a lot less for rent. Photo: Starbucks Many of Chinas 30,000 Starbucks employees the chains second-largest market are about to get a work perk thatll make their American counterparts envious. The coffee megachain announced it will help thousands of its workers pay rent in a country where the cost of living is rising fast. Its not uncommon for Chinese companies to offer some sort of centralized housing for employees, and Starbucks says a subsidy is something workers over there have been asking about for a while. It wouldnt put a dollar figure on the investment, other than promising its multimillion, but the company did say on average it expects to pay around 50 percent of the rent for workers who qualify. In order to be eligible, employees need to be full-time baristas or shift supervisors Starbucks says that means about 7,000 workers will be eligible immediately, and another 3,000 in the near future. Unlike the claustrophobic-dorm situation Chinese workers face elsewhere (one thats come under lots of fire), Starbucks will give out a monthly allowance that varies from city to city, and workers can apply it to the housing of their choice. Several major American chains have had trouble in China recently KFC and Pizza Huts parent company, Yum Brands, gave up earlier this year and spun off its China unit, for instance but Starbucks claims it hasnt experienced the slowdown. This housing announcement comes alongside bigger news that the company plans to crank out 500 more locations in China this year alone. Ambitiously, it expects to create 10,000 new jobs in the country every year through 2019. [Seattle Times] Despite basically pioneering the concept of a smartphone with a built-in fingerprint scanner with the Atrix 4G back in 2011, Motorola hasn't been quick to jump back on this train last year, when such sensors have been featured in pretty much every high-end Android device. That will change in 2016, however. Chen Xudong, SVP of Lenovo and president for Lenovo China and Asia Pacific, has revealed that all Moto-branded handsets launching this year will have fingerprint sensors. That's a 180-degree change from the Lenovo subsidiary's recent antics, and it will surely be welcomed by the brand's fans. The Lenovo exec has shared an additional detail about the Moto portfolio for 2016: there will be no more phones launching with screens smaller than 5 inches. So we assume there won't be a new Moto E this year. The Moto brand will mostly be used for higher-end offerings from this point forward, while the budget devices will generally bear Lenovo's Vibe moniker. In total, between the two brands, no more than 15 models will be launched in 2016. Finally, Chen Xudong stressed that Google services will "definitely" re-enter China before the end of the year. This means that the Play Store might finally battle it out over there with the dozens of local app stores for Android, while staple Google properties such as Gmail and Maps could once again be openly used by people living in the mainland. Source (in Chinese) | Via The Apple Watch - which launched in April 2015 - constituted more than 50% of the smartwatch shipments last year, according to new data from Juniper Research. On the other hand, sales of Tizen-powered Samsung Gear S2, which was launched in the month of November, weren't strong despite the smartwatch being largely well received. It was also revealed that the Android Wear-powered smartwatches had a market share (by shipments) of less than 10% in 2015. The market is being largely driven by cheaper and simpler products, the research noted, adding that aside from Apple, it's the smaller players like Martian and Razer whose smartwatches are selling well. "The smartwatch is now a category waiting for a market," said research author James Moar. "Newer devices have offered more polished looks and subtly different functions, but no large changes in device capabilities or usage. With smartwatch functions established, it is now up to consumers to decide if they want them, rather than technology companies providing more reasons." Titled Smartwatches: Clocking the Trend, the whitepaper can be access here (registration required). Source Just yesterday HTC officially announced the date on which it will finally start taking pre-orders for the Vive, its first ever VR headset. That will be February 29. However, the company has so far remained silent on the matter of the Vive's pricing. And while no one was expecting it to be cheap, you might be in for a surprise nevertheless. A report from HTC's native Taiwan claims the Vive could be priced as high as $1,500. That's a lot more than even the recently priced Oculus Rift, which goes for $599. The $1,500 number allegedly comes from "foreign brokerages", Taiwanese media reports. The Vive will be more expensive than its competitors because of its "advanced spatial recognition features", as well as its wireless controllers, which will bring a whole new level of immersion to the VR field. Alternatives for the HTC Vive include the very basic (and practically almost free) Google Cardboard, the new Samsung Gear VR (priced at around $100), the aforementioned Oculus Rift, but also the upcoming PlayStation VR (which will apparently cost $1,125). HTC is expected to sell no more than one million Vives by the end of 2016. The headset will become available in April. Source | Via Yet another Android feature is coming to iOS, just on iPads for now. This time around it's multi-user support, which is now official with the release of the first beta of iOS 9.3 for developers. However, there's a big catch - at the moment multi-user support is only available for schools. Yet if Apple took the time to implement this, it's probably safe to assume that a wider release should follow in the future (with iOS 10 perhaps). As the name implies, multi-user support (which Apple is calling Shared iPad) lets different people (or, in this case, students) use the same hardware, with all of their content being "ready to go" as soon as they log in. All their apps, books, and documents will just be there, thanks to "intelligent caching" - apparently there won't be a need to wait for anything to download. This is obviously meant to address the fact that not all schools can afford to buy one iPad for each student. But Apple's renewed education push also comes with tools for teachers, through which they can, for example, guide what students are looking at on their devices, using the new Classroom app. If you're a teacher, you can see what your students see, launch and lock apps on their iPads, share student work on a TV with Apple TV, as well as reset forgotten passwords. There are even more new things in iOS 9.3 beta. Night Shift is a feature that mimics apps such as f.lux or Twilight, automatically shifting the colors in your device's display to warmer ones after sunset. This will help you get a better night's sleep, according to research that shows that exposure to bright blue light in the evening can affect your circadian rhythms. You're now able to secure notes with your fingerprint or a password, News gets faster and contains even more personalized stories, and the Health app shows your move, exercise, and stand data from your Apple Watch. You can also see your goals in the same place. CarPlay receives a Nearby feature in Maps showing you gas stations, parking spaces, restaurants, coffee shops, and more with just one tap. The New and For You sections from Apple Music are now accessible in CarPlay too. In the past, the public beta of a new iOS version followed the developer release within a few days, so perhaps that will happen again this time. The last public beta was outed by Apple in December for iOS 9.2.1. Source 1 Source 2 These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales. Haiti - FLASH : 14 Senators were sworn in Tuesday, at the Senate of the Republic, the President of Age, Andris Riche, the President of the Upper House, delivered a speech in which he expressed regret that no woman was present in the new Senators stressing "while we're here, people outside criticize our presence in this room, but also the progress of all that happened to lead us here." The bureau of age as composed of Senator Andris Riche, the President and the two youngest Senators Antonio Cheramy and Jean Marie Solomon. Then were formed 2 Validation Commissions, composed of three senators each, responsible for studying the records of newly elected officials. After an suspension of the meeting to allow the Commissions to do the work entrusted to them, the Bureau has read the reports of the Commissions of Validation, followed by discussions and voting on the reports of said Commissions. Note that the Validation Commission had recommended to defer validation of Senators Youri Latortue and Jean Renel Senatus, until the CEP provides an explanation of the calculation method favoring the election of the latter and validate the powers of 12 other senators. After reactions of two Senators concerned and discussions, the Assembly finally decided to validate the powers of 14 new senators late in evening... "You are not here tonight just to receive the blessing to become leader. But it is a ceremony to lift you up to the challenges ahead," declared Andris Riche to the new senators "the country needs a Senate that can endorse its responsibility. I hope you come here in the spirit to assume your responsibility with the people. I welcome you in a space in difficulty." After this step the 14 newly elected received their scarf and sworn in "I swear to discharge my duty, of maintaining and safeguarding the rights of the People and to be faithful to the Constitution," declared successively each new senator. Note that 3 Senators in function, Steven Benoit, Jean baptiste Bien Aime and Wesner Polycarpe boycotted the session. These 14 new senators will later be joined by 6 others to be elected in by-elections on January 24, 2016. Newly elected Senators : KID :(3) Carl Murat Cantave, KID, Artibonite, Artibonite Dieupie Cherubin, KID, Sud'Est Onondieu Louis, KID, Nord'Ouest VERITE : (3) Ronald Lareche, VERITE, Nord'Est Antonio Cheramy, VERITE, Ouest Francenet Denius, VERITE, Nippes PHTK : (2) Richard Lenine Herve Fourcand, PHTK, Sud Jacques Sauveur Jean, PHTK, Nord'Est Various trends parties, having a single representative (6) : Youri Latortue, Ayiti An Aksyon (AAA), Artibonite Richard Pierre, Platfom Pitit Dessalines, Sud'Est Jean-Marie Junior Salomon, OPL, Sud Jean Renel Senatus, Ligue Dessalinienne, Ouest Evaliere Beauplan, PONT, Nord-Ouest Nenel Cassy, Fanmi Lavalas, Nippes 92 deputies were sworn in https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16288-haiti-flash-92-deputies-were-sworn-in.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Politic : Jude Celestin condemns the validation of Deputies Monday, Jude Celestin, the candidate for the Presidency under the banner of the "Alternative League for Progress and the Haitian Emancipation" (LAPEH) condemned the validation of powers of deputies to the Parliament https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16288-haiti-flash-92-deputies-were-sworn-in.html and reiterated its refusal to participate in the second round of presidential elections. He believes that the process lacks credibility and that conditions are not yet fulfilled to return to the polls, since neither the Government nor the Provisional Electoral Council have, according to him the intention to correct the "serious irregularities" found by the Independent Electoral Commission of Evaluation... For the candidate of LAPEH, the elections are "against democratic norms" and he calls on the Haitian people "to note of the enemies conspiring against the country with part of the international community," referring to the recent support of the United States for the second round of the presidential election, scheduled for 24 January. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16267-haiti-diplomacy-the-united-states-welcomed-the-announcement-of-the-2nd-round.html Speaking on behalf of the G8, Jude Celestin affirmed once again ""We are united more than ever to respect the popular vote, we will not abandon the people and we support all types of democratic movements to demand that democracy e the central pillar of the country [...]" adding "we are here to solve the problems that exist with the laws and not to create a crisis illegally and aggravate the state of poverty in which people live." See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16296-haiti-flash-14-senators-were-sworn-in.html https://www.haitilibre.com/article-16288-haiti-flash-92-deputes-ont-prete-serment.html SL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Electoral Zapping... Election of Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies Monday as the National Assembly session to open the 50th Legislature did not take place, the validation of powers of Senators have taken place late Monday evening, the deputies of the Lower House have nevertheless proceeded to the election of their first political bureau : Composition of the Bureau : President : Cholzer Chancy (Ayiti An Aksyon - AAA) ; Vice-president to the session : Michel Jacques St Louis, (PHTK) ; Vice-president for Administrative Affairs : Romial Smith (PALMIS) Questeur : Gary Bodeau (Reseau Bouclier National) Vice-questeur : Gracia Delva (PHTK) First secretary : Abel Descollines (PHTK) Second secretary : Exinor Hermano (Inite Patriyotik) The CEP will comply with all recommendations of the Commission Monday, Pierre Louis Opont, President of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) announced "we are able to say that we will honor all the Commission's recommendations, because these are recommendations that can effectively allow us either to correct things that happened during the 2nd round or to improve the process with innovations the 3rd round of the same way as we did on October 25 [...] the recommendation range from point 3 to point 9 regarding the CEP https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16231-haiti-elections-the-recommendations-of-the-commission-of-electoral-evaluation.html " He also gave assurances that elections will take place Sunday, January 24 and the results will be known no later than February 1. Validation of Parliament, a gratuitous act, according the G8 According to the Group of Eight presidential candidates (G8), the swearing in of part of the 50th Legislature (Deputies) is "a gratuitous act, likely to further complicate any search for solution to the crisis, born of the organization of the 2015 elections." In addition, the G8 says to be outraged by "the validation of powers and the swearing, to the wooden bell (Sunday https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16288-haiti-flash-92-deputies-were-sworn-in.html ) of part of the members of the 50th Legislature (92) "in violation of the Constitution, of law and the Electoral Decree." This act for the G8 is only another "additional complication" that a "provisional government, called to take in charge the destiny of the nation, after February 7, 2016, will have to bypass." Jovenel Moise doubt about the absence of campaign of Jude Celestin On Friday, in an interview with AFP, Jovenel Moise entrusted having doubts about the lack of electoral campaign for the second round of the presidential election of Jude Celestin, noting "A campaign is like an iceberg, with a submerged part. He [Jude] has his strategy, I have mine." HL/ HaitiLibre Patt Mesiti was one of Hillsong Church's major teaching pastor. He had shared the same platform as senior pastor Brian Houston, Bobbie Houston, Darlene Zschech, Christine Caine and others in bringing God's Word to the congregations Sunday after Sunday. However, ever since he has been caught sleeping with prostitutes, he was forced to leave the Australian mega church. On New Year's Eve, under the influence of alcohol, Mesiti was alleged to have hit his wife out of rage. According to 9news.com.au, the 56 year-old former pastor has been charged with two domestic violence offences, common assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, both of which were allegedly committed against his wife Andrea in the northwest suburb of Glenhaven between 10pm on December 30 and 10.35pm on December 31. He has entered a plea of not guilty on both counts. Mesiti is due back in court next month. In the meantime, the former Hillsong preacher is legally prevented from approaching his second Andrea Mesiti within 12 hours of consuming alcohol or illicit drugs. Fifteen years ago, Mesiti was not only one of the senior ministers at Hillsong Church, he even had his own television show and he was a national director of the Pentecostal church movement Australian Christian Churches. However, in 2001, the church leadership at Hillsong discovered he had been sleeping with prostitutes. He was stripped of his licence to minister. His first marriage fell apart. "I was basically struggling with a sexual addiction," he told the Christian magazine Sight in 2006. Two years later he told the New Zealand Herald he had "lost everything" following the revelations. "I was so depressed that I couldn't talk for two years. I struggled with my mental health." Currently, Mesiti is a prosperity speaker who speaks to business leaders about how to experience growth stretching their prosperity to its greatest potential. Mesiti has an ambition of making 10,000 millionaires in his life time. According to his website, Mesiti "has spoken for, and shared the platform globally with some of the world's most influential people including, Sir Richard Branson, Donald Trump, Denis Waitley, Robert Kiyosaki, Mark Victor Hansen, Jim Rohn, the late Charlie "Tremendous" Jones, Captain Jerry Coffee, Allan Pease, Bob Proctor, Willie Jolley, Morris Goodman "The Miracle Man", and many more..." "Pat Mesiti's enthusiasm combined with his great sense of humor gives him the ability to move an audience into action as well as give them practical resources to help them achieve their goals. He is a gifted communicator and will add tremendous value to the lives he touches. Pat is Dynamic - Entertaining - Unforgettable!" Tags : pat mesiti pat mesiti news pat mesiti arrested Hillsong hillsong church Brian Houston Darlene Zschech Hillsong United The Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center has been a hub of the Hamptons since 1998, with the building dating back even further. The building has been part of Westhampton Beach for over three generations, first opening as a movie theater before the building was later purchased by United Artists and changed to a single-theater movie house. Then, in the mid-1990s, a group of village residents and business owners purchased the theater and started the movement to create a performing arts space. Published on 2016/01/11 | Source The classic melodrama movie starring Jeon Do-yeon and Gong Yoo, "A Man and A Woman" has set the release date as sometime in February and has released their first poster. Advertisement The movie depicts a story about a man and a woman, who encounter in the snowy land of Finland and fall in love with each other by the inexplicable steamy appeals. The first poster released this time shows the two walking in the silent conifer tree forest covered in snow at the northern part of Finland, a country at the northern tip of the earth. The poster delivers the beginning of love and the emotions at the moment when a man and a woman start being drawn to each other irresistibly by presenting the two walking in the clean, cold beautiful snowy forest where no one has walked yet before the two. Jeon Do-yeon and Gong Yoo's classic melodrama will raise its curtain in February to meet the fans of love stories. Harlow is a former New Town in Essex with a population of 86,000. Located in the upper Stort Valley, it was built in the decades after the Second World War to ease overcrowding and London and provide homes for people bombed out during the Blitz. It includes Britain's first pedestrian precinct and first modern residential tower block, The Lawn. Old Harlow, the historic part of the town, was mentioned in the Domesday Book. David and Victoria Beckham's former home, Rowneybury House, nicknamed 'Beckingham Palace', is nearby. 13:46, 17 OCT 2022 We're a family of seven living in Georgia where Andrew's working as a professor at GSU. You can read more about us here The reception centres that are popping up across Finland start their integration efforts from the very basics, from the need to respect the integrity and right to self-determination of women. Common sense is enough to tell us that the predominantly male group of 30,000 asylum seekers poses a serious security risk, argues Sebastian Tynkkynen, the chairperson of the Finns Party Youth. The Finns Party Youth estimates in a press release that the proliferation of civilian street patrols is a welcome development for Finland. If you lack the common sense, you can read about the growing sense of insecurity and incidence of sexual harassment in public places from newspapers. Preventive voluntary activities are more than welcome, he states. The emergence of civilian street patrols has sparked considerable public debate over the past ten days, mainly because such patrols have been affiliated with far-right organisations. Petteri Orpo (NCP), the Minister of the Interior, has estimated that such patrols are associated with features that do not promote public safety. Outi Alanko-Kahiluoto, the chairperson of the Green Parliamentary Group, has similarly questioned the merits of the patrols. The Finns Party Youth considers it self-evident that men harassing women in cities are the problem rather than groups of adults patrolling in public places. The presence of civilian patrols in public places alone is a disincentive for potential perpetrators and guarantees that eye-witnesses are ready to alert law enforcement officers in the event of an offence, it states. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Petteri Paalasmaa / Uusi Suomi Source: Uusi Suomi Fans have reacted with shock at the news of David Bowie's death Fans of David Bowie last night gathered in their hundreds in a city pub to share their memories of their Starman idol. Tribute band Rebel Rebel took to the stage at the Grand Social which had just played host to a Bowie Festival. Dublin guitarist Gerry Leonard, who had worked extensively with Bowie and had flown home to attend the two-day event, said that it had been a celebration of Bowie's music - but had now taken on an extra poignancy. "What it feels like now is we had an Irish wake," he said. Fans A book of condolence was opened and candles were lit in the pub last night, with more than 200 fans in attendance. Lisa Lavelle, who had her face painted in Aladdin Sane style, said she has been left "absolutely gutted" by the death of the 69-year-old star. "I didn't expect it at all - and with the new album out and everything. He has always been around throughout my life, he's so pervasive in pop culture," she said. "I think he's the kind of artist that brings a lot of people together... People connect through his music," the Sligo woman added. John Brereton, who runs the venue, said people had travelled for the weekend's festival from as far afield as Germany, Poland and Lithuania. "I'm a Bowie fanatic, obviously, and once you get into that stuff it never leaves you - and that's why so many people were upset today," he said. Dublin-based Gwen Devita, originally from New York, said she used to steal her aunt's Bowie albums to listen to them. "I've been really upset about it all day long," she said. "I think he was an absolute star while he was here and he left like a gentleman, which is what he was - an absolute legend, and I loved him." She said she feels devastated at the news of Bowie's passing after an 18-month battle with cancer. A member of Bowie's inner circle, Gerry Leonard previously performed with him at the Point Theatre in November 2003 for the Reality Tour. "We're all in shock. I was just talking with my friends about it and it's fair to say he elevated music into an art form, and he was a leader for us all," he said. "He was part of our cultural fabric and it's a really sad loss for us. He was amazing, one of a kind, and a master at what he did." Clontarf native Gerry, who was also Bowie's musical director, said he got in touch with Bowie last Friday following the release of his Blackstar album on his 69th birthday. "I emailed him after the record came out and I complimented him on it, and I got a note back saying that he was very pleased with his work on it," he said. "For us, it was mostly about the work - but we were friends too. "We got along well and he's been to my home and met my daughter and my wife. We had dinner together and we had some good conversations - and I'll miss that." Special Having got to know him off-stage for so many years, he said that Bowie was also unique as a person, too. "He was so special. He changed my life and I'll be eternally grateful," he said. Gerry, who uses the alias Spooky Ghost for his solo projects, featured on Bowie's 2002 album Heathen, as well as his 2003 release, Reality. He was then called up for duty on his 'comeback' album, The Next Day (2013), on which he co-wrote some songs. "Can Gerry rock?" was the first question Bowie asked of him back in the early 2000s, when they started performing together. Taoiseach Enda Kenny has settled on the date of the General Election, saying that it will be revealed in a "very public fashion". The Fine Gael leader described the election as the "most crucial in many years". Mr Kenny said voters will choose to support a government that is focused on "making work pay" or else an alternative option that will take the country in a "different direction". He also confirmed that Fine Gael will cut the top rate of the Universal Social Charge (USC) by at least 1pc in the budget in a move that will save workers up to 500 per year. Mr Kenny said he has a date in mind for the election, but declined to reveal it when asked. "I have a date in my head, yes. I'll share that with you and everyone else when I decide to go to Aras an Uachtarain," he told reporters yesterday, adding that the date will be revealed in a "very public fashion". But he refused to say whether he would announce the date in the Dail chamber. Fine Gael strategists believe the most likely date for polling is Friday, February 26. It's anticipated that Mr Kenny will call the election in or around February 2 - paving the way for a campaign of just over three weeks. However, the same sources stressed that Mr Kenny has not discussed the date of the election, even with his key strategists. Meanwhile, Tanaiste Joan Burton yesterday launched a fresh attack on Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein, claiming that the two parties are "auditioning to beat each other" in order to lead the opposition. In an appeal to voters ahead of the General Election, Ms Burton warned against taking a "gamble" by voting for Fianna Fail. Risk And she said the country risked being plummeted back into a recession under a Sinn Fein-led government. "They have no interest in, or intention of, being in government. They are two parties auditioning to beat each other so that they can lead the opposition," Ms Burton said. "In doing so, they are putting party posturing ahead of the national interest. Nobody can accuse Labour of doing that," she added. The Labour leader made the comments at an event to mark the publication of the final annual report of the Programme for Government. Mr Kenny said the Coalition had delivered on or made significant progress on 93pc of the 714 commitments made over the past five years. But he said that many families are still struggling to "make ends meet". "For some families there is still too much anxiety, too much worry about making ends meet. "Unemployment, while falling, still remains too high. Our public finances are still not fully repaired. Our public services and infrastructure need more investment," Mr Kenny said. "But at the same time, because of the way our plan has worked, there is a new optimism," Mr Kenny said. Both Ms Burton and Mr Kenny also defended the Government following its failure to secure a deal from the EU on the country's bank debt. Both party leaders all but conceded that any prospect of a debt write-down is now off the table. Ms Burton said the promissory note deal in 2013 was the basis for the country's economic recovery, despite claims to the contrary made at the time by the Opposition. She was asked whether the Government will continue to pursue a debt deal. "I would say that in a certain sense the question is redundant because we're now out of the Troika process," she said. Opposition is mounting across Dublin to Government plans to build hundreds of modular homes for homeless families. Legal challenges have been threatened over at least two sites and a number of residents groups have pledged to blockade locations where the units are due to be built. At a public meeting last night, residents in Balbriggan pledged to fight proposals to place 40 units in the Pinewood Estate in the town which they argued is a "disproportionate" number of modular homes for the north Dublin town. They are urging residents to submit objections on the plans. They are just the latest community to voice their opposition to modular homes. On Sunday residents staged a rally in Finglas against a plan for another 40 units at St Helena's Drive. The Finglas Action Group is working to put together a legal challenge over the move. "We will block the sites if we need to, we don't want to do it, we have to do it," one of the organisers Sandra Devlin said. Meanwhile, in Drimnagh residents are also considering a legal challenge to plans for 29 prefabricated homes at a site on the Mourne Road. Senior They say the site is subject to a legal agreement that was signed when Dublin City Council purchased it, that stipulated it can only be used for housing for senior citizens. A member of the Curlew Road Residents association told the Herald that they will also blockade the site in a bid to stop the modular units being built. Residents believe that the site is unsuitable and should be used for housing elderly people. They also don't think that modular homes are suitable for the families who will live in them. "It will become a ghetto," a spokesperson claimed. The modular homes initiative, spearheaded by Environment Minister Alan Kelly, has suffered a number of setbacks. Plans to house 22 families in the prefab homes at Poppintree, Ballymun before Christmas were pushed back when separate protests on the site delayed work. Locals who wanted a refund of 5,000 they had paid almost a decade ago for co-op housing due to built on the land picketed the site. A separate group later allegedly threatened to burn out machinery on the site. The delays mean the houses are still not complete. Protesters occupying the historical 1916 site on Dublin's Moore Street have said they are "not extremists" following claims by Arts Minister Heather Humphreys Protesters have occupied 14-17 Moore Street since Thursday evening over concerns that the entire terrace is not being adequately protected from demolition and redevelopment. The Arts Minister described some of the activists as members of "extremist" groups, and raised concerns about their "questionable motivations". However, demonstrators have hit back at the claims by accusing the Government of "acting in an extreme way". A spokesman Damien Farrell - an Eirigi member and prominent anti-water charge activist - rejected the description of the protesters as extremists. "Our motivations are very clear. We are not extremists. We are here to protect an integral part of our history, which is at risk of being damaged or worse," Mr Farrell said. "It could, in fact, be said that it is the Government and Heather Humphreys who are acting in an extreme manner over the way they are attempting to carry out these works," he added. The Government last week said that the occupation of 14-17 Moore Street will cost 30,000 for each day restoration work is delayed. Rebellion Some of the buildings - including the location of the last council of war held by the 1916 rebellion leaders - are being converted into a new commemorative centre. Separately, the High Court heard yesterday that no buildings on Moore Street will be demolished pending an urgent hearing in relation to the matter. The dispute was sparked by concerns to preserve as national monuments buildings linked to the 1916 Rising. The State has agreed none of the buildings at issue will be demolished on condition the necessary steps are taken for a hearing of the case early next month. Colm Moore, a nominee of the 1916 Relatives Association has, in his proceedings, raised issues including whether some buildings earmarked for demolition, including No 18, are national monuments. Mr Moore, of Sandyford Road in Dundrum, brought judicial review proceedings against the Arts Minister in which he contends several of the buildings are national monuments which must be preserved. The minister has said the properties outside of the terrace at numbers 14 to 17 are of no historical significance. Mr Justice Seamus Noonan said the case had "a certain urgency" and fixed it for hearing on February 2. You speak to half-filled halls and small rooms, low-key rallies. There may not be a bus emblazoned with your smiling face. And then there are the rally-goers who blatantly say they aren't quite convinced. But for the longshots sprinting across Iowa and New Hampshire before the Feb. 1 caucuses, one thing keeps them fired up: the prospect of a political upset. "Let's prove the New York media totally wrong," former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said to about 40 people gathered in a senior center dining room in Parkersburg, Iowa last week. At least half were residents finishing dinner, a couple of whom left in the middle of the town hall-style meeting. Among those hoping for an Iowa winter miracle are Huckabee, 2008 winner of the caucuses, and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, winner in 2012. Also looking for political salvation in either first-to-vote Iowa or in the New Hampshire primary are Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and former technology executive Carly Fiorina. Polls in both states show them all lagging in the low single digits. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and businessman Donald Trump are leading the recent polls in Iowa, followed by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson in third and fourth. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich are behind in Iowa, but running stronger in New Hampshire. Some other underdogs have left the race already. Remember former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and former New York Gov. George Pataki? The tricky thing for many of these candidates is that having fans in the early states doesn't necessarily translate into votes. John Stewart, a 64-year-old attorney who lives on Lake Panorama in Iowa, said he liked Huckabee and Santorum, but he didn't believe they had a chance at winning. "Their day has come and gone," he said at the Prime Time restaurant in Guthrie Center, Iowa before a Cruz event last week. "People still like and appreciate them. But Cruz and Rubio have some momentum. Cruz has more. It's Cruz's time." Huckabee, whose slipping poll numbers bumped him off the main stage event during the last Republican debate, noted that many people don't make up their minds until the final days. But he also called Iowa a "critical ground zero." "I don't want to say we have to be one, two, three, four. A lot of it depends on where the grouping is," Huckabee said. Upsets are a grand tradition of the Iowa caucuses. Huckabee and Santorum both came from behind to win. But this year, Trump and Cruz seem to have captured many of the conservative and evangelical voters that supported them previously. Of course, there are lots of reasons a candidate may stick around. Some want to advance their political philosophy or promote their brand for future book deals and TV appearances. And there's always the prospect of a cabinet role or the vice presidency. Still, Santorum, who wooed over 45 people gathered at a house party in suburban Des Moines Thursday, said he believes in the voters of Iowa. "Three and half weeks is a long time," Santorum said, as a group of friends and neighbors mingled and munched on Chex mix and cookies. "Four years ago, fifty percent of the people who voted didn't decide until the last week." Despite narrowly beating eventual nominee Mitt Romney in Iowa in 2012, Santorum has spent this entire race at the back of the pack. He's never polled well enough to make it on to the main debate stage and has focused largely on Iowa, spending so much time here that he had visited all 99 counties by September. The Republican debates have proven particularly frustrating for the lower-polling candidates. This week, Fiorina and Paul were cut from the main stage at the Republican debate in South Carolina Thursday. Debate host Fox Business Network announced the debate lineup Monday evening. Paul said last week before a birthday celebration in a Des Moines bar the race was still "wide open." He stressed his organization on college campuses and noted that he has volunteer captains in over 1,000 of Iowa's 1,681 precincts. "A thousand precinct chairs shows that we are a first tier campaign that's in it, not to mess around, not to get second, not to get third, not to get sixth," Paul said, addressing the crowded room standing on top of a chair. "We're in it to win it." Paul has said he will not participate in an undercard debate. Fiorina hit an optimistic tone in New Hampshire recently, where she has campaigned heavily. Fiorina moved up in the polls after a strong undercard performance in the first Republican debate, which propelled her to the main stage in the subsequent debates. But she has been unable to maintain the momentum. Still, while GOP voters in New Hampshire often mention Fiorina as an impressive candidate, few say she's their No. 1 choice. During an event before roughly 50 voters at a local Elks Lodge, Fiorina herself noted that an undecided voter told her that day he'd need to see her at least once more before making up his mind. "I get it, I accept it that you take your responsibility seriously," she joked. After the event, that voter, Ed DeClercq, still wasn't sold. He said: "I see them all and I take it all in and decide when I go to the booth." ___ Associated Press writers Kathleen Ronayne contributed from Salem, New Hampshire and Scott Bauer from Guthrie Center, Iowa. I was so pleased to open the paper Dec. 30, 2015, and read the article regarding Sen. Bill Carrico introducing legislation concerning BVU. Recently, BVU has almost become a rogue authority given its power by the legislature of Virginia which reports to almost no one and does not have the interests of its constituents at heart. It is easy to see why things got out of hand when there are no controls whatsoever. Mayor Archie Hubbard of Bristol, Virginia, objects to the legislation because of the citys investment. If they wanted to keep control then why did they give it away? I do not agree with the proposed allocation of board seats and would suggest consideration be given to having Bristol, Virginia, have one seat appointed by the City Council and Washington County having one board seat appointed by the Board of Supervisors. I would also suggest five additional seats of business people who can effectively help operate this business to be appointed by the governor and approved by the Senate. I commend Sen. Carrico on this effort. BVU needs to be a more representative authority which responds to its constituents rather than the employees themselves. James W. McGlothlin | Bristol, Virginia Ceremony held for new baseball stadium, games months off A ceremony was held for a multi-use sports facility in Hagerstown on Tuesday, but the first pitch is still months away. Game on! IU to resume series with Kentucky starting in 2025-26. Kentucky coach John Calipari confirmed at SEC media day the two schools have agreed in principle to restart their annual regular-season series. The world economy is not passing through good times but the Indian economy is in a safe zone. This is the overall message from the Financial Stability Report of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that was released last month. But since then things have changed somewhat. China is in a spot of trouble. If you look at the risks ahead, identified in the report, then the foremost that hangs over the global scene is the volatility of financial markets. What will happen to it when the US Federal Reserve goes further ahead with its rate rise agenda is wide open, says the report, but there is immediacy in wondering how the Chinese troubles will pan out. To this has to be added the downside from the now long-standing slow pace at which global trade is moving. In comparison, the list of domestic risks outlined is longer. Foremost comes the uncertainty created by the monsoon whose waywardness for the second year running has resulted in considerable rural distress. But there is little that the government can do by way of distributing palliative largess because of fiscal tightness. You cant do much about the weather, but where policy intervention can produce faster results in the corporate and financial sectors the outlook is depressing. The corporate sector is in poor health, afflicted by low demand and capacity utilisation. This has put paid to investment plans. The adverse impact of all this on corporate earnings and the servicing of obligations to financial institutions have dealt a major blow to the institutions quality of assets. If there is any one issue that dominates the outlook for the financial sector, then it is the current poor state of the banking sector in general and public sector banks in particular. Unfortunately, not much solace can be derived from fall in the level of stressed assets formation of the banking sector in the first half of the current financial year (2016) to 3.3% compared to 5.6% in the corresponding part of financial 2015. The RBI has allowed some leeway to banks under the 5/25 scheme, which allows them to spread repayment obligations over a longer period, depending on the cash flow of the project. Plus, banks are allowed to reset the refinance scheme every five or seven years. But for this dispensation, banks stressed assets formation would have remained at a high of 5.5-6%, according to a computation by ICRA. What this means is that, yes, banks are in poor shape but the figures would have been worse if the RBI had not shifted the goalposts (not arbitrarily, of course) to their advantage. Two major points stand out when we look for a recovery path on which banks can be set. Recapitalisation is a must but will not help in the long run. What will work is changing the way banks are run and that is as big a systemic issue as any. Public sector banks should be run professionally, fending for themselves at the marketplace without any intervention from the government. But bank managements are steeped in the culture of seeking guidance. The second point is, how has China managed to achieve enough financial stability for its currency to be recognised as one of the select reserve currencies, when its financial sector has the long shadow of its shadow banking phenomenon looming over it? To this add the lack of global confidence implicit in the latest outflows. The answer lies, of course, in the strength of Chinas real economy, which has resulted in its current account surplus and high level of reserves. This surplus has derived from its trade surplus which captures its manufacturing competitiveness. India can improve its manufacturing competitiveness (it has prowess in services but that does not carry enough weight) by easing the hurdles in the way of doing business. But this is often crucially dependent on passing new legislation and the political logjam there is too well known. China, on the other hand, under its totalitarian setup, has been able to implement a consensus on domestic reforms, which has yielded it enormous dividends. But the willingness to intervene has been unable to keep financial turmoil at bay. For India, where financial regulation can make a difference, it has. Short-term external debt as a proportion of reserves has gone down in the last two years, after peaking in 2013. This has added to financial stability. It is almost a similar story with volatile capital flows as a percentage of reserves. These had risen sharply from the outbreak of the 2008 financial crisis till 2013 and then flattened out after falling slightly. But undue volatility continues to plague the stock markets (this affects overall sentiment, as also the prospects of disinvestment) from very small movements in foreign capital flows. Ending this should be an important agenda ahead, particularly in the current context. But for that the equity cult has to spread further in India, something the currently dim earnings prospects of the corporate sector does not help. The overall contradiction is that despite having a robust and well-regulated financial sector, compared to China, India faces the level of risk to its financial stability that it does. The risk to the banking sector has increased since the previous financial stability report in tandem with the decline in the quality of bank assets. Will the RBI see less risk next time around? (Subir Roy is a financial journalist and has also worked in the SBI. The views expressed are personal) Read More: Indias economic ambitions checked by 12-year low oil prices India bright spot amid weak global growth: World Bank The US and NATO members believe the Pathankot attack was probably supervised from Pakistan and a repeat of the standoff that followed the Mumbai attacks would expose Islamabad to ridicule and ignominy, a former Pakistani envoy has said. Though army chief Gen Raheel Sharif participated in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to consider information provided by India regarding the assault on Pathankot airbase, this does not mean the military appreciates the prime ministers attempts to wrest exclusive control over Pakistans India policy, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi wrote in an article in the Dawn newspaper on Tuesday. India has linked a planned meeting of the foreign secretaries on January 15 to prompt and decisive action by Pakistan on actionable intelligence provided regarding the terrorist assault that killed seven Indian security personnel. Indian authorities have blamed the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed for the attack. The Pathankot incident has cast a shadow on the fragile re-engagement between the two neighbours following back-to-back visits to Pakistan by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the article titled Pathnakot and power plays, Qazi wrote that a number of NATO countries consider the intelligence supplied (including mobile phone conversations between the attackers and suspected handlers in Pakistan, a Jaish-e-Mohammad letter, DNA samples of the attackers, their voice record samples, etc) to be credible leads if not conclusive evidence. A repeat of the Mumbai stand-off would expose Pakistan to ridicule and ignominy. Pakistan could come under immense international pressure, including the threat of sanctions, if it is seen not to be cooperating with India in the hunt for possible suspects, he wrote. Along with India, the US and NATO countries lean to the view that the attack probably was planned and supervised from Pakistan by elements with a history of association with the intelligence establishment, whether with or without its direct or indirect connivance, he added. Reports from Pakistan have suggested an unspecified number of suspects were detained after Prime Minister Sharif ordered the formation of a joint investigation team to probe the Pathankot attack. However, there is no clarity on whether these suspects are members of JeM or linked to the attack in any way. Pakistans international legal obligations require it to follow up on these leads to determine whether or not some elements based in Pakistan were involved in the attack, Qazi wrote. Otherwise, the worst assumptions about Pakistans international conduct will continue to be made by the international community. Qazi contended that Pakistan had lost control over crucial aspects of its foreign policy to violent non-state actors backed by the security establishment after the trial and execution of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1979. The bill for this incredible irresponsibility is still being paid, he said. He said the militarys attitude to Modis recent visit to Lahore is not yet clear, adding: We know that Kargil happened after (prime minister Atal Bihari) Vajpayees visit to Lahore in 1999; Mumbai occurred after progress in the backchannel talks of the mid-2000s; and now Pathankot takes place after another Lahore yatra. Has our prime minister once again been reined in by the boys to let him know who is boss? Qazi, who served as Pakistans envoy to India and the US, said it was also not known whether Prime Minister Sharif is interested in summoning the commitment and courage to face down challenges to his political authority and credibility. In Pakistan, the concept of civil-military relations is dubious. It excludes civil society. It provides cover for civilian political delinquency and military political ambition, whether working in tandem or at cross purposes, he wrote. This, he said, is a key reason for incoherent, inconsistent and irrational policies on major domestic and external issues, including policy towards India. Pakistans policy options will multiply, Qazi suggested, if it sets its ties with India in the context of peoples interests and dreams. But if it remains the preserve of elitist power plays without regard to the interests of the people it will continue to be arid and barren, he said. If the responses of the rulers of Pakistan convey the message that they are unwilling or unable to control the cross-border activities of anti-Indian and anti-Kabul jihadis until Kashmir is resolved and Kabul has a friendly government, they will do more harm to Pakistan than any enemy could wish for, he said. The number of landless people in Madhya Pradesh came down by more than 10% in the last two decades, a recent survey of the National Sample Survey Office has found. The report on Household ownership and operational holdings in India also found that the state has the second highest average of land owned by families in the country after Rajasthan. The percentage of landless families in the state came down from 15.2 in 1992 to 12.05 in 2003, and in 2013, it further declined to 5.56, the survey found. The downward trend in the state is higher when compared to the national figure. Across the country, the percentage of landless households decreased from 11.3 in 2003 to 7.4 in 2013, the survey shows. During the same period, the average land owned by a household (in hectares) came down from 1.7 in 1992 to 1.3 in 2003, the report found. In 2013, the average land owned per household in the state was 1.12, the survey has found. The change is low compared to the figure at the national level. Balram Chaudhary, a farmer from Dhana village in Sagar, said one the main reasons for the trend was that people have left farming and moved to urban areas for jobs. My father owned 10 hectares of land, and we are four brothers. One is working in Korba, another in the forest department while the third is in Sagar town. So my family is the only one left farming on the land, he said. Bhav Singh Ahirwar, another farmer, said that he and his brother inherited 12.5 acre land. My brother works in the horticulture department and has no time for farming. So I am the only one growing crops on the land, he said. PS Meena, commissioner agriculture production, told Hindustan Times that two factors have played a key role in the decrease in the number of landless families. Since 2006-07, the state government has given land rights to more than 2.3 lakh tribes people in the state under the Forest Rights Act...Between 1998 and 2003, the state government distributed charnoi or common grazing land to landless Dalits and tribes people, he said. EXPERTS SCEPTICAL Experts say the data is misleading. Devinder Sharma, an agriculture expert, said such a reduction in the number of landless families was something that needs to be studied as the trend in the country was that more farmers were becoming landless. There seems be some anomaly when you look at it from the national perspective, he said. PK Bisen, another expert , said that at a time when agriculture land was being converted for other purposes, the number of landless families should actually have gone up. This data needs to be studied in detail, he said. HOW VARIOUS STATES ARE PLACED Percentage of landless households in MP and other neighbouring states State 1992 2003 2013 Madhya Pradesh 15.2 12.05 5.56 Maharashtra 19.6 17.66 12.84 Gujarat 16.3 13.60 12.50 Rajasthan 6.4 5.65 3.89 Uttar Pradesh 4.9 3.82 3.32 India 11.3 10.04 7.41 Average area in hectares owned per household in MP and other states State 1992 2003 2013 Madhya Pradesh 1.74 1.3 1.1 Maharashtra 1.59 1.02 0.9 Gujarat 1.38 1.01 0.8 Rajasthan 2.55 2.07 1.48 Uttar Pradesh 0.83 0.61 0.49 India 1.01 0.72 0.59 (Landholdings less than or equal to 0.002 hectares is classified as landless category) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Seventeen villagers have lodged complaints of blurred vision more than a month after undergoing cataract surgeries at an eye camp in Madhya Pradeshs Sheopur. The incident comes after around 50 people had lost vision in one eye after contracting infection at a government-run camp in Barwani where 86 cataract surgeries were performed between November 16 and November 21. The Sheopur eye camp was held on November 27 last year by the state health department and 70 people treated for cataract. Nine women and eight have complained of blurry sight after the operation. If anybody had lost eye sight, there would have been a major hue and cry by now. On Tuesday, two senior ophthalmologists from the government medical college in Gwalior will check the eyesight of all the 70 patients, Dr Pradeep Kumar Mishra, chief medical and health officer (CMHO), Sheopur district, said. The vendors, hotels and shopkeepers have given up providing articles in polythene bags and plastic material to devotees at Gwarighat on the banks of Narmada river in Jabalpur. The vendors on the ghats have replaced the small plastic containers to sell flowers and puja articles with a biodegradable container like dona (traditional bowls made from leaves) for deep dan (lighting of lamps) ritual. Similarly, the vendors have replaced the plastic cup with small steel container to provide liquid items including milk and oil for the ritual. A devotee has to return back the steel container after performing ritual on the river bank. There are some 180 vendors, shopkeepers and hotels in Gwarighat. In April 2013, the state government declared Gwarighat a pavitra kshetra (sacred place). The maintenance of the Gwarighat is done by the Jabalpur Municipal Corporation. Laxmi Yadav, a vendor selling puja articles, said, I have replaced plastic cups with dona to sell milk to make environment clean on the ghat. The Narmada Dham Vyapari Sangh has taken lead in the green cause. The sangh has 120 members. Satish Upadhyay, a hotel owner and president of the Narmada Dham Vyapari Sangh said, Our (traders) concern is the devotees, who bring the polythene bags and plastic material to hold bhandaras (a traditional feast). Often the devotees after holding bhandaras scatter garbage on the ghat, he added. President of Narmada Tirth Samiti, a social organisation working for clean environment in the Gwarighat area, Manish Dubey hailed the traders decision. I am working for the cause of clean Narmada river for last over 15 years and the support of local traders will help to bring down the pollution on the ghat, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Lawyers in Madhya Pradesh will now be able to directly register fresh cases online on a multipurpose e-filing system on the high courts website. The high court on Tuesday activated user accounts of lawyers with an aim to reduce its staff. In the first phase of the e-filing system, lawyers are required to register their fresh cases personally on a pro forma (document) available on the website. Through their user accounts, lawyers will get regular updates on their pending cases for which the IT cell of the HC will soon create a case profile. A lawyers license registration number, e-mail address and mobile phone number mentioned on the vakalatnama (official document which lawyers submit in the court when they represent someone) filed with cases will be treated as authentic and accordingly the password of unique user account generated by the IT cell will be sent on the mobile number. User accounts of 20 lawyers were created on Tuesday and work is on to create more such user accounts. On filing a fresh case online, a lawyer will get an online registration slip and the same will have to be submitted with the original petition in the courts filing section for hearing. The new e-filing system will reduce the time of processing fresh cases, MP high court registrar (IT) Kuldeep Singh Kushwaha told Hindustan Times. In the second phase, lawyers will be permitted to file the entire petition and annexures online for which the process is going on. At present, 250-300 new cases are registered daily in the MP high court including the principal seat at Jabalpur, circuit benches at Indore and Gwalior. For pending cases, the IT cell is in the process to scan documents of replies, rejoinders and applications filed by the parties. The same will be uploaded on the case profile so that the lawyer can prepare the case in advance before receiving the original copy. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In his Bollywood career spanning over 25 years, Akshay Kumar will be seen in a Tamil film for the first time, something which the actor is very proud of. Akshay will be essay the villains role in Tamil film Robot 2, alongside superstar Rajinikanth. The Baby star will be playing the main antagonist in the Shankar-directed movie. I am very glad that I am the first (male) actor to go and do a Tamil film. I am very happy. And I am grateful to them to get me and put me there... Which other male actor has gone there? Akshay said. Read: Rajinikanth didnt want me to be the villain in Robot 2, says Big B You dont get it (the roles). Down south they take our heroines but...I am happy that I am doing it. I would love to break this myth and do a South Indian film. I have done a Marathi film, Punjabi film, I would love to do a Gujrati film, Bihari and Bengali film. Akshay Kumar promotes Airlift in Mumbai. (PTI) Read: Enthiran 2 to be Indias costliest film? Akshay, who has off late been part of socially relevant films like Baby, Special 26 and Airlift, said Robot 2 carries a message with it too. I liked the story of Robot 2... Let me just give you one little sneak peak. It teaches you something. There is a message in Robot 2. I loved the script. Read: Rocky S to design for Rajinikanth in Robot 2 The actor, however, said it is too early to comment if the film will be bilingual. Still one year is left (for release). Movie has started but we are still doing the work... Within a month Ill start shooting. There were reports that Amitabh Bachchan was offered the role of the antagonist in Robot but Rajinikanth advised the megastar not to do it as his fans will lot like him playing a negative character. When asked if there was any apprehension with regards to that, Akshay said, My fans are very intelligent. Read: Akshay Kumars Argo act is impressive The actor, known for his action and comedy, has received critical appreciation for his negative roles too in films like Ajnabee. When asked about this, Akshay quipped, Because villains kay awards may lobbing nahi hoti (there is no lobbying for awards amongst villains). This year will see many actors going behind the camera and donning the directors hat. While Sunny Deol has directed Ghayal Once Again that also stars Soha Ali Khan, Ajay Devgn will be acting and directing his ambitious project Shivaay. Konkona Sen Sharma will also be seen helming a film this year. Trade analyst Komal Nahta explains, They want to be in control, this is the reason many actors are also turning producers. Of course, this also adds to the buzz of the film. But at the end of the day, it is the content which matters. People want value for their money. Sunny Deol, Sonam Kapoor, Konkana Sen Sharma and Ranveer Singh are switching sides. (Agencies) Konkona, who was last seen in Vishal Bhardwajs Talwar (2014), is working on her directorial. I have written a film and I am getting ready to direct it soon, she told us earlier. Her estranged husband actor Ranvir Shorey will be acting in it. Ill be doing a film which Konkona is directing. The films name is A Death In The Ganj, he had said. Sunny, who made his directorial debut with his film Dillagi (1999), is happy to turn director once again. I was ready and thats why Ive decided to direct once again and I really loved and enjoyed it, he says. Read: People will always have an opinion of you, says Sonam Kapoor Ajay, who will be seen alongside debutante Sayyeshaa Saigal, has impressed his cast. Hes an actors director, Sayyeshaa once said. Meanwhile, actor Ranveer Singh had been quoted as saying, I want to be a director. I have a lot of admiration for people like Woody Allen, Clint Eastwood, Guru Dutt and Raj Kapoor. It takes a lot of courage to write and direct films. Actor Sonam Kapoor, too, had expressed a desire to direct. Filmmaker Onir says that while there is no harm in actors directing, they should refrain from acting in the same film. Some have the capability to direct and must direct. Its not a good idea when you are directing yourself and that should be avoided, he says. Directors come to the forefront Ever heard of the term acting ka keeda? Of late, Bollywood directors have been bitten by the acting bug. The latest to join this list is director Prakash Jha. Having previously directed films such as Apaharan (2005), Gangaajal (2003), and Raajneeti (2010), Jha will now be seen acting in his latest venture Jai Gangaajal. Speaking on the same, Jha says, Priyankas character, Abha Mathur is the hero of the film. I happen to be one of the subordinates working with her. It was a good experience; I was directly helped by my co-actors. It was a good challenge and I needed a challenge. Vikram Bhatt also took to acting last year in the film Bhaag Johnny where he played the role of a genie. Kunal Kohli acted in Phir Se. Karan Johar played the antagonist in Bombay Velvet last year. Amole Gupte, who has directed films such as Stanley Ka Dabba (2011), Hawaa Hawaai (2014) has also taken to acting in films such as Singham Returns in 2014. Its official: Sanjay Dutt will be out of Yerwada jail on February 25 after serving the five-year term after being convicted for his involvement in 1993 serial blasts. The actor has got the remission of more than eight months for his good conduct and the work hours he contributed to in the jail. A press statement issued by actors publicity agency has clarified the matter and confirmed the date of his release. HT was the first to report about the date of the actors release and him getting remission of 105 days. The statement stated, Dutt, who has been serving the remainder of his five-year term in Yerwada will finish his term on February 25th, contrary to the media reports that have been stating various dates of his release. Sanjay Dutt comes out of the jail on parole in this file photo. (HT Photo) Read: Petition in Bombay HC against Sanjay Dutts early release Sanjay Dutt got fullest remission despite controversy over misusing leaves on furlough and parole. There were reports of misuse of the exemption given under furlough and parole to the actor. But, according to us, he had taken the leaves he was entitled to, said a home department official. The actor has spent three-and-half years in jail, including the period spent as an undertrial. Dutt was convicted for illegal possession of an automatic assault rifle, a part of cache of arms and ammunition that landed ahead of 1993 Mumbai serial blasts in which 257 people were killed. Read: Rajkumar Hirani spends 40 days with Sanjay Dutt for biopic Meanwhile, a petition was filed in the Bombay High Court on January 7 seeking restrain Dutts early release. Pradeep Bhalekar, the petitioner, alleges that Dutt is getting a favour and there are 27,740 others prisoners in the state who deserve to be released on the same ground. The petition would come up for hearing next week, he said. Shortly after the prime minister made his now-famous trip to Lahore to hug Nawaz Sharif on his birthday, I wrote, on this page, that Narendra Modi was both bold and brave. The boldness lay in his willingness to overturn more than a decade of anti-Pakistan rhetoric and to risk the ire of his hardcore supporters who treated go to Pakistan as the ultimate insult. The bravery was demonstrated in his willingness to forge ahead with a peace initiative even though he knew that elements in the Pakistani establishment were hostile to any improvement in relations with India. Such elements, I suggested, could organise a terror attack on India, aimed at destabilising the peace process. For Modi, who must have known this, to go to Lahore anyway was risky, dangerous and, yes, brave. The terror strike in Pathankot which occurred the day after my article appeared proved my worst fears were correct. It is still not clear how the prime minister will respond to Pakistan (and to Washington, which encouraged Modi to reach out to Sharif) or whether his boldness and bravery, much hailed at the time, have now rebounded on him. But in the aftermath of Pathankot some things are, nevertheless, quite clear. First of all, Pathankot was as much our failure as it was a betrayal by Pakistan. When the attack was launched, the Indian security establishment (and the media) regarded it as an attempt by freelance jihadis to sabotage the peace process. It was inevitable, we said; just part of the script for every India-Pakistan initiative. So there was no hysteria and only a little anger. The response changed on the second day, after the triumphalism of the first evening when the Union home minister hailed our forces for successfully foiling the attack was exposed as premature. Most Indians were shocked to discover that not only had the terrorists not been neutralised (the word of the day), but that there were more of them than the security establishment had believed. As soldiers continued to die and gun battles raged, the mood of the country suddenly changed from we-stopped-the-inevitable-attack to vitriolic anger. Pakistan was now seen as two-faced and deserving of a forceful and fitting response. Unfortunately for Modi, that is still the mood and it deeply limits his room for manoeuvre. But ask yourself this: If the attack had been foiled on day one itself or if the government had not fanned public expectations by bragging about an easy victory, would the public mood have changed so dramatically? Would the peace process still be in such jeopardy? Second, part of the public anger with Pakistan stems from insecurity. Are we really such easy prey? Is it so simple for Pakistanis to breach Indias defences? Are those who are supposed to protect us so inept? We saw the same kind of response right after 26/11. And many of those who voted the BJP into power believed that the Modi regime would strengthen Indias security apparatus so that responses to terror were not as confused and disorganised as the Congress governments reactions to 26/11 were. No such luck. Instead, we have had the horrifying spectacle of nearly every agency involved in fighting the terrorists in Pathankot blaming the other. The military has blamed the national security adviser and chastised him for sending in the National Security Guard and not leaving the armed forces to protect their own base. The civilian security establishment has leaked to the media that the Air Force had enough warning but failed to protect its base. The Punjab government has blamed the BSF for letting the terrorists in. And everybody (with the possible exception of Sukhbir Singh Badal) has been united in condemnation of the Punjab police. It is a mess that inspires no confidence at all in our ability to fight the terrorism that we must accept will be the inevitable consequence of any peace initiative. Third, just as Modis room for manoeuvre is limited, so is Nawaz Sharifs. First of all, he cant even act against terrorism in Pakistan where thousands die in terror attacks so how is he going to stop the same terrorists from exporting their mayhem to India? Then, theres the army factor. Modi was, apparently, assured that the Pakistan army supported the peace initiative. Thats now open to question. What good is a deal with the fragile civilian establishment if the army is not on board? We also underestimate the power of Pakistani public opinion. Pakistanis may be happy with talk of peace but they are deeply uncomfortable with the idea of handing over jihadis and top militants to Indian authorities. So, in effect, there is very little that Sharif can do in response to Indian demands for action. That leaves a final factor: Washington. It is no secret that the United States has been urging India and Pakistan to make up so that it can get Pakistan to devote more troops to the Afghan frontier. The Pakistan army does not want to do this so it ensures that tensions with India remain high. That way it can refuse to shift troops from the border with India. It is time now for New Delhi to tell Washington that yes, India wants peace but only on the condition that the US pressures Pakistan to crack down on terrorists who target India. While we struggle to get Pakistan to act against the likes of Hafiz Saeed, Islamabad has routinely extraordinarily rendered hundreds of terrorists to Washington without ever bothering with the legal process. So yes, the peace process should continue. But only after we put our own security establishment in order. And after the US gets Pakistan to crack down on anti-Indian terrorists. Otherwise, just as Lahore I was followed by Kargil and Lahore II by Pathankot the same vicious cycle will continue. (The views expressed are personal) Read More: Peace talks only if Pak acts against Pathankot plotters: Doval Pathankot attack: Pakistan carries out raids, makes arrests When terror checked in: Reconstructing the Pathankot air base attack SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A 24-year-old man, picked up by the Ambedkar Nagar police for questioning in a mobile theft case, suffered fractures after he fell down from third floor of the police stations building in mysterious circumstances on Monday evening. The family of the victim, a shopkeeper, has alleged that he was mercilessly beaten up and then thrown down from the third floor window by two constables who had brought him to the police station for questioning. The police, on the other hand, have refuted the allegations saying the shopkeeper, identified as Pankaj Goel, accidentally fell off the window while attempting to escape from the police station. The two constables, the police said, had gone out to have food, leaving the suspect in the room, when the accident took place. Mandeep Singh Randhawa, deputy commissioner of police (southeast), told HT that they have placed the two constables Raj Kumar and Sonu under suspension and a probe has been ordered into the matter. If the negligence of the two constables is proven, they will be dismissed from their job, said Randhawa adding the victim suffered fractures in his backbone and is undergoing treatment at AIIMS Trauma Centre. In a video shot at the hospital by unidentified people, Pankaj purportedly can be heard saying, Constable Raj Kumar made me squat for a long time and hit me three-four times in my legs. He dragged me towards the window from where I jumped as I feared he him torture me the whole night. On Tuesday morning, Pankajs family members, relatives and neighbours gathered at the police station and raised slogans against Delhi Police. The protesters accused the local police of illegally detaining Pankaj in a mobile theft case and subjecting him to police torture. They also accused the two constables of allegedly harassing Pankaj to settle their scores. The Aam Aadmi Party governments radical road rationing plan will come to an end after a 15-day trial period on January 15 with Delhi transport minister Gopal Rai saying that the government has no intention to extend the odd-even scheme in the Capital. We will carry out a review after January 15. Currently, there is no plan to extend it further, Rai had said on January 9. The government had earlier told the Delhi high court that it may extend the odd-even scheme beyond the 15-day trial period, saying it has a definite positive effect against air pollution in the capital. HT special: Breathe Delhi For 15 days from January 1, private cars are being allowed on the citys roads every other day to try to reduce pollutant levels, which regularly hit 10 times the World Health Organizations safe limits. Cars with odd-numbered licence plates have been directed to ply on odd-numbered dates, and those with even-numbered plates on the other days. Do you want the Delhi government to extend this plan after January 15? Or do you want it to stop it after the trial period? Take part in a survey conducted by Hindustan Times and register your voice. Also Read | Real-time interactive map to track Delhis pollution levels Vice-president of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) has complained to the National Commission for Women (NCW) alleging that she has received a threatening letter following her protest against Baba Ramdevs visit to the campus. Shehla Rashid Shora on Monday said that she had opposed the invitation extended to Ramdev as a keynote speaker in an academic conference due to which she had to face abusive comments on social media. At the JNUSU office, I received a letter addressed to me without the senders name or return address. I am attaching the letter here and I seek a meaningful intervention from the NCW because such kind of threatening and abusive letters limit the already shrunken political space for women, she said in her complaint. Saying she feels unsure of her safety as a woman, Shora said she is the only female among JNUSU office-bearers. My fellow office-bearers dont have to face comments on their body, sexuality and parentage. But, I have to... only because I am a woman, she said. RSS pest sends me a letter full of abuse at JNUSU office. If it weren't for fund-cuts, Bhakts could be educated too! pic.twitter.com/hrLDkdBDFb Shehla Rashid (@Shehla_Rashid) January 10, 2016 In December last week Yoga guru Baba Ramdev was invited to address a keynote address at a seminar organised by the universitys Special Center for Sanskrit Studies. However, amid protests from a group of students, Ramdev said he wont be able to make it to the seminar. Ramdev had also said that he would love to talk to students and faculty at JNU whenever its possible in the near future. Have complained to the NCW about the abusive, threatening letter that I've received for opposing a keynote... https://t.co/JC0EX06sZg Shehla Rashid (@Shehla_Rashid) January 11, 2016 Terming the move a silent right-wing onslaught on the varsity, JNUSU had demanded that the authorities withdraw their invitation to Ramdev to attend the 22nd International Congress of Vedanta or face protests. It is not possible to complain against each one of these. However, after the recent controversy over Baba Ramdev, this abuse went a step further. I cant complain to the police because I do not know the person, she said. The Delhi chief minister on Monday promised that all medicines prescribed by doctors at Delhi government hospitals would be available free of cost at the pharmacies from February 1. The government will also ensure that all consumables such as gloves and gauze among others, apart from the chargeable consumables such as stents, are available free of cost. We do not want any patient to go out of the hospital because medicines are out of stock. This has been a problem and we are trying to streamline the processes so that medicines are always available in the hospital pharmacies, said Arvind Kejriwal. The CM has also requested all doctors in Delhi government hospitals to prescribe medicines only from the 406 essential medicines listed by the central procurement agency (CPA), plus, a few others suggested by the medical superintendant of the hospitals. If new medicines come into the market or the doctors need to prescribe medicines which have not been listed, they can get it included in the list, the CM said. A helpline would also be launched from February 1 which people can use to inform about shoratge of medicines at a hospital. We are also trying to develop a system where if patients are unable to get a medicine at a hospital, they would be able to click a photograph of the prescription and Whatsapp it, we will provide him the medicines, Kejriwal said. The hospitals have been asked to maintain a three-month stock of all medicines and the CPA will also have a reserve for three months. And, if there is still a sudden crisis, emergency purchases can be made by the CPA or the medical superintendent of the hospitals. The hospitals have been instructed to provide a list of all the medicines for which the stock is less than 21 days, Kejriwal said. The government is also planning to remove user charges, charges for the OPD prescriptions and for various tests. We will review all the costs and waiver certain user charges because the cost of collection is higher than the revenue earned, the CM said. A Delhi court has refused to remove bail conditions imposed on former Delhi law minister Somnath Bharti, accused in a domestic violence case filed against him by his wife, in which he is not allowed to travel outside the capital. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader had approached additional sessions judge Virender Bhat asking that his bail conditions be removed so that he could travel outside Delhi. However, the judge rejected the plea saying that there had been repeated delays in the case due to the fact that Bharti was always travelling. It is thus evident that the delay in completion of investigation in this case has only been on account of frequent visits of the applicant (Bharti) t out of Delhi, which in itself has frustrated the purpose of putting of such condition on the applicant, said ASJ Bhat while dismissing Bhartis plea. The court made it clear that the condition was to be put on the AAP leader till the filing of the chargesheet. Bhartis lawyer, Vijay Agarwal, told HT that his client would surely appeal the order in the high court. On September 10, last year, the 41-year-old MLA from Malviya Nagar was accused of domestic violence and attempt to murder by his wife Lipika Mitra at Dwarka North police station. An earlier complaint registered in October 2011 had been not pursued by her on an assurance given by the politician before the Crime Against Women cell. After a city court dismissed his plea for anticipatory bail, Bharti was absconding for several days before being arrested by Delhi Police in October last year. During his first bail hearing, the prosecutor had said Bharti was not cooperating. However, his lawyers had pointed out that as an accused it was his right to stay silent if he wished to. The lawyer had said to the court that it could impose any condition on his client that it felt comfortable with. Wont even travel out of Malviya Nagar (Bhartis assembly), if the court says, he had said. New Delhi has always struggled with competing policy aims when it comes to buying arms. Should the priority be to buy the best possible weapons for its men-in-arms, promote indigenous arms production, or avoid any charges of corruption? In theory, the answer should be: All of the above. In practice, these often contradict the other. Thus, direct government-to-government sales are the most transparent way to buy weapons. But they do not allow offsets and undermine indigenisation. The weakness of Indias industrial base has meant that a Make in India programme in the past has meant substandard weapons. It also fed a culture of delusion about the public sector defence firms who, effectively, imported knock-down kits from overseas, gave the assembled weapon a Sanskrit name and pretended they had been made in India. The best point of the latest defence policy reforms has been a recognition that Indian industry has minimal capacity for the precision machinery required for genuine indigenisation. This must be built up over time, especially within the private sector. This requires a less onerous offset policy. Another reform is recognising that awarding contracts to the lowest bidder is a poor way to buy weapons. It was common for companies to sell to India cheaply and then, once dependency was locked in, to price gouge on the spare parts. Given the complexity of modern weaponry it is dangerous to presume they can be bought in the same manner that the government procures teabags and chairs. There is also an expectation that New Delhi will also morph the existing policy of blacklisting arms makers guilty of corruption into fines and imprisonment. In an industry where there is often only one or two makers for a specific kind of weapon and where such arms could be crucial to the national defence, this policy was simply foolhardy. At the heart of all this is a recognition that to produce world-class weapons at home requires a policy of gradual change. It took decades for India to develop the ecosystem of component subcontractors to allow it to make automobiles. It will take even longer for something more complicated, like a fighter jet. As the policy becomes more nuanced, the government must also work out a system that opens the procurement and offset policy to greater public scrutiny. As the transactions become more complicated, false accusations of corruption will become easier to level. Even if they come as they are sure to do, the government must ensure it does not tie itself and defence procurement reforms into knots as a consequence and undo the good work that has been done so far. Read More: India ready to pay more for better defence equipment India rescuing western defence firms, not developing domestic ones Centre to clear Russian military purchases ahead of Modi-Putin meet The number of candidates scoring a perfect score in the Common Admission Test (CAT) the entrance test for management colleges has more than doubled, with 17 candidates correctly answering every question in the 2015 edition of the test, as compared to eight in the 2014 exam. Of the 1.79 lakh candidates who appeared, 16 boys and one girl have got perfect scores. Once again, the top scores have been bagged by engineering students. Five students also scored zero in the test this year. Mumbais Chirag Jha, one of the toppers, said he spent the last four months preparing for the test. I gave many mock tests towards the end and Im really happy with my score, he said. Jha has already bagged a job through campus placement. Im still in talks with my seniors before I take the final call on whether I want to continue studying or take up the job instead, the final-year chemical engineering student at IIT-Bombay said. According to data made available by the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIMA), which conducted the test, 2.18 lakh students had registered for CAT 2015. Of those who attempted the test, 1,21,291 were male while 58,270 were female. This year, 41 candidates also registered under the transgender category, none of whom managed to score above the 90th percentile. The highest number of candidates to appear for the CAT was from Pune, with 10,359 students taking the test. This time, the test was easier than the last two years, and the same has been reflected in the scores. Barring the data interpretation (DI) section, all the other sections were easy, said Prashanth Nair, an expert and mentor in this field. Read: Meet VK Giri, the 32-year-old who scored a perfect 100 in CAT 2015 SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Director David Ayer has shared a new picture of some of the Suicide Squad members on Twitter , all in their on-screen characters. Shared with just Ayers preferred hashtag for the superhero project #Skwad the new image features a somewhat desperate looking group shot of the cast, said The Hollywood Reporter. The photo includes a panicked Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), concerned Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) and Deadshot (Will Smith), while Karen Fukuharas Katana, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbajes Killer Croc and Margot Robbies Harley Quinn look far more ready for action. Read: What was Batman doing in Suicide Squad trailer? Also appearing in the movie are Cara Delevingne, Viola Davis and Jared Leto, who plays Batman villain The Joker; all three played big roles in the first footage released from the movie. Ben Afflecks Batman is also reported to make an appearance in the movie. Director David Ayer shared his enthusiasm for the day that Affleck came to set to film his brief role in the film as the Squads caped nemesis. We made him fight, Ayer said. Hes awesome (as Batman). You really sense that but for the grace of God he himself would be doing some really foul stuff out in the world. Written and directed by Ayer, Suicide Squad will be released August 5. Sunra Devi is 90 and bedridden due to asthma and cardio-vascular diseases but spends all her time in prayer. She, however, isnt worshipping the gods for her own health. Her last wish is to not let her 105-year-old husband, Chauthi Yadav, die in prison. Chauthi is Uttar Pradeshs oldest prisoner, currently behind bars serving a life term in Varanasi central jail after being convicted for murder in 2004 when he was 94 years old. Sunra Devi hasnt seen him for the last 12 years. I want to see my husband released from jail. I am not able to see or hear properly. I request the government to set him free on humanitarian grounds, she says. Chauthi, a resident a resident of Malaon Village in the Belipar area, hit the headlines in 2010 when the Varanasi jail administration made him the chief guest on Independence Day. (HT Photo) But with little indication of his release, three generations of the family are now running from pillar to post to fulfill Sunra Devis last wish. His family has already appealed to President Pranab Mukharjee, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, governor Ram Naik and minster of jail Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, seeking his release on humanitarian grounds. My aunt wants to meet her husband before dying. Since she is bed-ridden she has not been able to visit him in jail. The government must take immediate steps to release him on humanitarian grounds, said their nephew Gautam Yadav. At least 45 whales died after they washed ashore overnight on a beach in Tamil Nadus Tuticorin district, officials said on Tuesday, with experts attributing the deaths to a possible underwater disturbance like an earthquake or volcano. Helped by local fishermen, workers of the Tamil Nadu fisheries department, police and the administration managed to save 36 whales of the pod -- or group -- by towing them back to sea on Tuesday, officials said. While beaching of whales and other aquatic animals is common around the world, experts said it was rare to find such a large number of whales washing up ashore and hinted at the mammals being disoriented by underground activity. Officials said that the pod of 81 short-finned pilot whales had beached near Mandapu village since Monday evening. The area is around 600 km south of Chennai. It appears the whales are in shock. It mainly happened due to unusual activity deep inside the sea, said a scientist with the Chennai-based Central Marine Fisheries Institute. A team of experts have also rushed to the village for an on-the-spot assessment of the cause. Watch | More than 50 whales washed ashore on Tuticorin Beach Pilot whales known to be among some of the most social aquatic mammals -- are so named because they are led or piloted by a leader in their search for food or breeding grounds. A forest department official who had visited the beach said there were injury marks on the dead whales which indicated high intensity underwater activity. This may have happened hundreds of kilometres away and the whales may have been washed to the coast because of the tide, said the official who did not give his name. Rescue workers and fishermen worked through the day to pull the whales -- each weighing between 1 tonne to 1.5 tonne and measuring between 8 feet and 10 feet -- back into the sea. Fishermen try to drag a whale that washed ashore in Manapad in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin district. (AFP) Ten fishing boats and one mechanised fishing made several sorties, each ferrying one whale at a time to sea and returning for more on the shore. Local residents said that the last time they saw such a large number of whales beaching was way back in 1973 when 140 whales had washed ashore. Many of them had died. Police on Tuesday arrested another Border Security Force (BSF) personnel for allegedly helping cross-border drugs and arms smugglers, days after a constable from the force was arrested from Rajasthan on same charges. The crime investigating agency (CIA) of the SAS Nagar police arrested BSF head constable Prem Singh, who was on leave, from his native village in Tarn Taran district. SAS Nagar senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said Prem Singh, attached with BSFs 72 battalion and posted in Barmer, Rajasthan, was on regular payroll of smugglers who paid him Rs 30,000 per kilogram of contraband smuggled. According to CIA, Prem Singh used to help three drug smugglers Gurjant Singh, Sandeep Singh and Jatinder Singh who were arrested by police near Kharar on December 29 with a cache of arms and ammunition smuggled from Pakistan. The police had also recovered mobile phones and a Pakistan SIM card from their possession. The accused were in regular touch with the Pakistani drug suppliers over phone. Prem Singhs alleged involvement came to light following the questioning of Gurjant Singh who revealed that he had got drugs, arms and ammunitions smuggled from Pakistan with the help of Prem Singh when he posted at Fazilka in 2014. Prem Singh, a matriculate, had joined the BSF in 1993. He was primarily the contact of Gurjants brother Gurbir, who died in 2013. Gurbir introduced Gurjant to Prem Singh, who helped him smuggle two consignments in 2014, said the SSP. Prem Singh allegedly used to engage his colleagues, posted at the border, into talks in order to divert their attention and then secretly inform smugglers to pick up the consignment coming from the Pakistani side, the SSP said. The BSF man was given Rs 50,000, a mobile phone and two SIM cards by the smugglers. On January 9, Anil Kumar, a constable with 52 Battalion posted near Sriganganagar, was arrested by cops for helping smugglers. He is presently in judicial custody. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A construction company has sought a compensation of Rs 1 crore from the Bihar government for the families of two of its engineers who were murdered while supervising a state highway project in Darbhanga last year. A senior official of Chadha and Chadha Constructions Limited (C&C) has written a letter to the principal secretary of the state road construction department, saying their demand for the compensation was to instill confidence among its personnel engaged in road construction across Bihar. The letter was written on January 7. The company has already asked for adequate security for its workers on similar projects. Two project engineers, Brajesh Kumar and Mukesh Kumar, were killed while supervising construction on the Baruna-Rasiyari stretch of Darbhanga-Kusheshwarsthan highway in the last week of December. The construction company had bagged the Rs 770-crore project to build the 121-km Baruna-Rasiyari stretch of the state highway. The official of the Gurgaon-based company, who did not wish to be named, claimed that the district police had deployed their personnel at the construction site only after the engineers received a ransom call and held the state government accountable for the killings. But the policemen were removed from the spot on that fateful day on the plea of local elections, leaving ample space for marauders to execute their design, he told Hindustan Times. He said engineers and contractors are now reluctant to continue work on various other projects despite the security provided by the district and police administration. The murder of the engineers had offered ample ammunition to opposition parties to rake up the jungle raj issue, much to the discomfiture of the ruling grand alliance (GA). Deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and principal secretary of the road construction department, Sudhir Kumar, could not be contacted for their comments on the companys request. Bihar State Road Development Corporation Limiteds (BSRDC) chief general manager (CGM), Vijay Shankar, said he had not seen the letter yet. I could not spot any such letter in the corporation. It might have been sent to the government, Shankar said. Dismissing its compensation claims, the CGM said that there is a provision of insurance for personnel who are killed while working on projects in the contract documents. As such, the company has no right to claim for compensation, he said. The company official, however, disputed the CGMs logic, saying the engineers were killed owing to lapses on the part of the district police. Lives of the engineers could have been saved if the armed police personnel were withdrawn from the project site on the fateful day, he said. State police have deployed armed personnel at vital installations of all ongoing road project in different parts of the state. Patrolling on the sensitive stretch of roads has also been intensified in the aftermath of engineers killing, a BSRDC official said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A three-member BJP delegation on Tuesday met home minister Rajnath Singh and sought a high-level probe into violence in West Bengals Malda. Their meeting with Singh came a day after a fact-finding team of the party was not allowed by the state administration to visit violence-hit Kaliachak town, which falls in Malda district. Leaders linked with Trinamool Congress were also involved in it. It is not only a matter of state but that of national security. People who do illegal activities there were leading it, said Kailash Vijayvargiya, the BJP general secretary and also in-charge of the partys West Bengal affairs. He alleged that pro-Pakistan slogans were raised by the crowd which also targeted establishments of a particular community. The delegation led by Vijayvargiya included senior leader Siddharth Nath Singh as well. In a memorandum submitted to the home minister, the delegation said BJP demands that keeping in mind the regions sensitivity, the chief ministers allegation against a paramilitary force and infiltration and trade of narcotics and fake currency through it, an impartial action should be taken. The state government should be directed to take positive steps to restore peoples sense of security and confidence. But the ruling TMC in West Bengal has accused the BJP of working to communalise the atmosphere in the state. Meanwhile, the BJP has alleged that a police station was torched so as to burn the records of local criminals involved in a host of unlawful activities. Clashes erupted in the outskirts of Kashmirs summer capital Srinagar after police lobbed teargas shells on the funeral procession of slain Lashkar-e-Toiba militant commander Sajad Ahmad Bhat. Police said Bhat, a resident of Zewan, was killed in an encounter in Zakura area of the city on Monday. On Tuesday, a few thousand people marched along with the body of Bhat in Zewan and tried to take his body to the graveyard through the highway from southern side of the city. Police stopped the protesters by lobbing tear-gas shells prompting youth to throw stones at the security forces. The procession, then, reached the local graveyard through inner areas where Bhat was laid to rest amid pro-freedom slogans. Eyewitnesses said that police again resorted to teargas shelling after the militants body was laid to rest. The police thought that the youth will pelt stones after the funeral so they dispersed them by using force, an eyewitness said. Meanwhile, the Hardline as well as moderate separatists paid tributes to the slain militant. However, chairperson of women separatist group Dukhtaran-e-Millat, Syeda Asiya Andrabi alleged that Sajad Ahmad was killed in a fake encounter in Zakura. She said Sajad was arrested last week and was held at Cargo detention centre. On Monday, he was taken to Zakura and was killed there in a staged gunfight. She added that the Indian forces have restarted the tactics of custodial killing of Mujahideen. Three months after the Supreme Court struck down the NDA governments panel to appoint judges to the higher judiciary, the chief justice-led collegium will fill up more than 400 vacancies in high courts and five in the apex court. No appointments to the higher judiciary have taken place since the later part of 2014 after the BJP-led NDA government notified the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), which was struck down by the apex court on October 16, 2015. The Centre had brought in the NJAC with the aim of giving a greater say to the executive in the selection and appointment of judges. However, the top court held the new law was unconstitutional because it curtailed the judiciarys independence. In a meeting convened last week, the five-member collegium also comprising justices AR Dave, JS Kehar, Dipak Misra and J Chelameswar besides chief justice TS Thakur in principle agreed to start the process without necessarily waiting for the Centre to prepare a fresh memorandum of procedure (MoP) for fixing the eligibility and other criteria for the judges. MoP is an administrative mechanism set-up after a 1998 verdict that upheld the collegium system for appointing judges. On December 16, a constitution bench headed by Justice Kehar directed the Centre to evolve a new mechanism to usher in transparency in the appointment procedure. Sources said the MoP is likely to take time because the law ministry is still in the process of eliciting views of different state governments, bar councils and other stake holders on the issue. Also, the government has not set any deadline for itself to complete the task. During the meeting, collegium members felt that the disposal of cases had suffered due to the stalemate in the appointments. There are just 599 judges working in 24 HCs as against a sanctioned strength of 1044. At present 45 lakh cases are awaiting a final decision in these HCs. The top court, which has a sanctioned strength of 31, is itself short of five judges. This year 6 judges are due for retirement. And if appointments are not made the actual strength might come down to just 20. The collegium is likely to meet this week to consider the names and take a final decision on the appointments for the SC and chief justices to different HCs. Transfers of some HC judges are also likely to be recommended. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Centre has stepped up its back channel negotiations with the Opposition parties to push the long-pending Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill in the budget session of Parliament. The NDA managers have already spoken to parties like AIADMK, Trinamool and Biju Janata Dal apart from holding the highly-publicised meeting with the Congress. Sources in the government told HT that finance minister Arun Jaitley had reached out to Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee during his recent visit to Kolkata. In the last three months, many Union ministers had also rushed to meet Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa. While the discussions were primarily on the flood situation in the state, sources did not rule out possibilities of talks on the GST bill during those meetings. The Congress, on Tuesday, however, made it clear that the government is yet to give a formal, written reply to their key demands. The government has not replied to us. So, for us, the stalemate continues as far as the GST is concerned, former UPA minister Jairam Ramesh told HT. Parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu had met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and former PM Manmohan Singh last Friday to break the logjam. While Gandhi maintained that she will get back after talking to party colleagues, Naidu had announced the governments readiness to advance the budget session if the Opposition parties agree to pass the GST bill, the real estate bill and other key legislative agenda. Sources added that the tentative calendar for the session is from February 23 to March 22 and then the two Houses would reassemble from April 25. Sources, however, added that the government is also keeping its plan B ready to wrap up the budget session in March itself in case the roadblock continues on the passage of key bills. In 2011, the UPA government had scrapped the second leg of the session as assembly elections were due in April. This year too, we have the same option as elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Assam are scheduled in April-May, coinciding with the second leg of the budget session, said a senior minister. Volunteers will play the role of digital vigilantes to check social media hate posts designed to disrupt peace in Uttar Pradesh, a communally-sensitive state that has witnessed clashes between religious groups over inflammatory online material in the past. The digital volunteers, to be appointed by the state police, will check for objectionable posts on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram, Google Plus and other social networking sites of the kind, and make sure people do not get carried away by such provocations. Contradicting hate posts with facts from reports in newspapers, TV and Internet news portals, they will work alongside special police officers and peace committee members to defuse communal flare-ups. Action will be taken against those posting hate messages. Internet-savvy people who are active on social networking sites will be appointed as digital volunteers. A policeman using the Internet will also be able to become a volunteer, inspector general of police (law and order) A Satish Ganesh said. He said policemen would also be trained to counter hate posts. The idea was floated to pre-empt a repeat of the communal violence triggered by a hate post in Bareilly, Firozabad and Moradabad districts recently. A month ago, a similar post on WhatsApp sparked tension in Saharanpur. Likewise, messages on the Dadri incident where a Muslim man was lynched on suspicion of cow slaughter led to anxiety in the Gautam Buddh Nagar district. Other than sensitive posts, the volunteers will look for fundamentalist propaganda pushed by the Islamic State terror group and other jihadi organisations. The home ministry had recently directed the state government to block radical material posted by the Islamic State on social networking sites. Police have set up two laboratories Social Media Command and Research Center at the DIG office in Meerut and the STF office in Lucknow to handle such cases. These measures have been taken because many people, even those in rural areas, possess Internet connections and are active on the social media. A police officer said they were aware that disruptive elements have been trying to create communal tension by taking advantage of the Internets reach and impact. The police technical wing has set up a WhatsApp Surveillance cell (9454401002), through which people can inform authorities about provocative posts whenever they come across one. The CBI on Tuesday claimed in the Delhi high court that it has the jurisdiction to register and investigate a disproportionate assets case against Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife. It, however, sought modification of the Himachal Pradesh high courts October 1, 2015 order restraining the agency from arresting, interrogating or filing a chargesheet against Singh, saying the direction has tied our hands completely. The agency also sought dismissal of Singhs plea to quash the FIR against him, saying his prayer was frivolous and not maintainable. CBI has all power to register a case and it has not violated any law nor has exceeded its jurisdiction by lodging a case against the accused persons (Singh and his wife), the agency submitted before Justice Pratibha Rani. The agency was replying to Singhs claim that CBI had overstepped its jurisdiction in filing the case. He also questioned how CBI could raid his premises when the case was already pending in Delhi high court, as also before the Income Tax tribunal and other tax authorities, where all documents relating to his returns had been submitted. The agency, represented by Additional Solicitor General P S Patwalia and CBI standing counsel Sanjeev Bhandari, told the court that it has the locus standi to probe the matter as some of the properties under question were also located in Delhi. After hearing the brief arguments, Justice Pratibha Rani sought written legal submissions from both sides and listed the matter on February 25. On November 5, the Supreme Court had transfered Singhs plea from Himachal Pradesh high court to Delhi high court, saying it was not expressing any opinion on the merits of the case but simply transferring the petition in the interest of justice and to save the institution (judiciary) from any embarrassment. India and China are discussing the opening of a sixth meeting point for military personnel along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to strengthen communication and confidence-building measures between troops. The search for the sixth point where military officials from the two sides will hold meetings on border management and border patrol incursions received fresh impetus following the setting up of two new points in the western and eastern sectors last year. Outgoing Indian Ambassador AK Kantha told Hindustan Times the new meeting point will be in the middle sector, possible in the Himachal Pradesh-Uttarakhand region on the Indian side. Currently, we are looking at possible locations, a location that is convenient for both countries, Kantha said, adding the initiative will improve border management. In 2015, two new meeting points were opened at Daulat Beg Oldie in Ladakh and Kibithoo in Arunachal Pradesh. The other three points are Spanngur Gap in Ladakh, Bum-La in Arunachal Pradesh and Nathu-La in Sikkim. Officials from both countries are looking at sites that would be logistically convenient for meetings between the military personnel. Incursions by Chinese troops along the ill-defined 4,057-km with India have emerged as a key irritant in recent years. Incursions also triggered a standoff between troops of the two sides in 2013 and 2014. During Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Beijing in May 2015, he and his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang decided to increase the number of border meeting points for military personnel from the existing four even as they agreed that peace and tranquillity on the frontiers was an important guarantor for development. Kantha said improving bilateral defence relations is a key thrust area. It is a key subset of overall relations, he said, adding this will contribute to addressing the issue of trust deficit between the two sides. Cooperation between the two countries in counter-terrorism is gradually deepening and is likely to be a thrust area in the coming months. The desire is to step up functional cooperation in counter-terrorism, Kantha said. Pragmatic cooperation with India is what the Chinese are looking at. The last couple of years have seen intensive and highest-level exchanges between the two countries. From India, besides Prime Minister Narendra Modi, all top ministers visited China in 2015. From China, three members of the Politburo and senior military officials went to India, he added. The desire is to broad-base ties and expand cooperation, said the diplomat who has lived in or focussed on China for 16 years. Kantha said new consulates were being set up in Chengdu and Chennai and were likely to be operational in the first half of 2016. He added that India can use Chinas strengths to enhance its own development, and cited Make in India and Skill India as initiatives that could benefit from Chinese strengths in technology. Read More: India, China military drill promotes ties: Chinese daily With eye on China, India seeks armed drones from US worth $2 billion China willing to expand military ties with India: PLA general An Italy senator said on Tuesday Massimiliano Latorre, one of the two Italian marines accused of killing two Kerala fishermen in 2012, will not return to India after being allowed to go home temporarily for medical treatment. Latorres deadline to return to India expires on Friday. Latorre and Salvatore Girone, part of a military security team protecting a privately owned cargo ship, say they mistook Indian fishermen for pirates and fired warning shots into the water during the incident. Massimiliano Latorre will not go back to India and work is being done on the possibility of requesting for Salvatore Girone to be able to return to Italy, Nicola Latorre, who is the head of the Italian Senates defence committee, was quoted by news agency ANSA as saying. India had allowed Latorre to return to Italy after he suffered a stroke in 2014. Girone is being held in the Italian Embassy in New Delhi, forbidden by the Indian authorities from leaving the country. The marines arrest triggered a diplomatic rift between Rome and New Delhi as they presented different versions of the attack. Italy has argued that the men shot the two fishermen in self-defence and that the marines should be tried in their own country because the incident occurred in international waters. In April 2012, Rome paid $190,000 to each of the victims families as compensation. In return, the families dropped their cases against the marines, but the states case has yet to come to trial. (With inputs from agencies) PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti is giving some anxious moments to the BJP over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, a state that slipped into a state of political uncertainty following the death of its chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. Currently mourning her fathers demise, Mehbooba is yet to communicate to the BJP her decision whether she will continue with the alliance that the senior Mufti stitched 10 months back to provide a stable government to the state. It was coming together of two unnatural allies and its fate has been a matter of speculation since then. So where do things stand in J-K as of now? The only thing that is clear in the present state of confusion is Mehboobas reluctance to be in a hurry to become the chief minister. That is raising suspicion within the BJP camp that there could be more to Mehboobas silence than what meets the eye. On the face of it, she wants to continue with the alliance on her terms. BJP leaders suspect that she may be laying the grounds for a hard negotiation when the two sides actually sit together to discuss government formation. A swapping of portfolios held by the two sides in the previous government could be something that Mehbooba may be looking for. Read | Mehboobas silence adds to political uncertainty in Jammu and Kashmir Another reason, sources say, that is holding Mehbooba at the moment is the grudge that neither the Prime Minister nor BJP chief Amit Shah went to see her ailing father when he was admitted in AIIMS in New Delhi. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, on the other hand, visited Mufti twice. The PDP also believe that the BJP did not walk the talk on the package for Jammu and Kashmir, one of the key elements of the common minimum programme that the two sides had agreed to while forming the government. For some leaders in the BJP, Muftis death also came with the opportunity to explore the possibility of having rotation chief minister for three years each, a proposition that did not cut much ice with the PDP under Mufti. In the previous regime, the BJP was also trying to get some additional portfolios but it could not see the light of the day. BJP general secretary Ram Madhav, who was instrumental in bringing together the two parties in Kashmir, however, rejects the contention that they have set any condition for government formation. We would like the engagement to continue. We came together for the welfare of all three regions of Kashmir. The first steps towards the government formation exercise has to be taken by the PDP, Madhav said in Delhi. The BJP also tried to contain possible damage to the alliance by sending senior minister Nitin Gadkari to Kashmir on Sunday. He met Mehbooba and assured BJP support to her. But, Mehbooba has remained quiet. On his return, Gadkari briefed the Prime Minister about the deliberations. As things stands, J-K governor is yet to hear from the two parties on government formation. The exercise to have a new government will start only when Mehbooba gives the governor the letter of support from the required number of MLAs. She does not have majority on her own and will have to get support either from the BJP or the Congress and other independent MLAs to reach the half way mark. Until then, the state will continue to be placed under governors rule. Read| Mehbooba Mufti, the firebrand is set to be J-Ks first woman CM SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Supreme Court stayed on Tuesday a central government notification that paved the way for a return of the banned bull taming sport Jallikattu, effectively scuttling plans of staging the event during Pongal celebrations in Tamil Nadu later this week. The top court also issued notices to the Centre, Tamil Nadu and other states where the controversial sport is played, days after the environment ministry issued new guidelines that permitted the popular event to go ahead, overriding protests from animal rights activists and the law ministry. The sport that has been an integral part of Pongal festivities was banned by the Supreme Court in 2014, following demands from rights groups who pointed to animal cruelty and human deaths during the event. The new norms triggered howls of protests and animal welfare organisations -- including the animal welfare board filed a clutch of petitions in the court. But the Centre objected to the pleas, saying no fundamental right of the petitioners were violated and questioned the maintainability of the petitions. The court also issued a notice on whether the petitions could be heard or not. Both the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government assured the court that the new notification underlined safety measures and precautions to be taken during the festival. Under the rules, permission has to be given by the district collector or magistrate and bullock cart races must be held on a proper track. Bulls, once they leave the enclosure, have to be tamed within a radial distance of 15 metres, the government order said. The new norms came after a concerted political push by parties in the poll-bound Tamil Nadu, where the banned sport has a strong connection with thousands of people who view it as a part of their culture. Chief minister J Jayalalithaa had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, backing the sport, which wasnt held last year for the first time in decades. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON RJD chief Lalu Prasad, father of Bihar health minister Tej Pratap Yadav, gave the Opposition some fodder for controversy when he instructed a health official in Darbhanga to reinstate a group of workers sacked two years ago. The MNCHN workers, or Mamtas, focus on issues of maternal, newborn and child health as well as nutrition and also act as a bridge between the most marginalised communities and government health facilities. Opposition leaders were quick to seize the opportunity, as BJP leader and former health minister Nand Kishore Yadav termed Prasads action as that of a super chief minister. Prasad scripted a stunning win for an avowedly secular alliance led by JD(U) leader and chief minister Nitish Kumar in last years assembly elections with the RJD emerging as the single-largest party, but the state government and the former CM himself have been targeted by rivals over his chequered past. Yes, I did talk to the officials, said Prasad. Why not? Thousands of people come to me for redressal of their grievances. So, what if I helped someone? I am not the one to be ruffled by the Oppositions charges. The rules of executive business do not allow the leader of a political party, or any public representative, to issue directions to a government official, say experts. They can, at best, deliver an advisory. Referring to Prasads telephonic instructions, Darbhanga civil surgeon Dr Sriram Singh wrote to the medical superintendent, Darbhanga Medical College Hospital (DMCH), advising him to take necessary action. A copy of the letter, available with Hindustan Times, has also been marked to Prasad in his capacity as the RJD president. Dr Singh refused to comment when HT approached him. DMCH superintendent, Dr Santosh Mishra, however, accepted having received the civil surgeons letter on Monday. The civil surgeon is the appointing and relieving authority of the Mamtas. Even their payment of remuneration was initially done through the civil surgeon. He has to take a call on them. I have no role in it. I will clarify my position to him, Dr Mishra said. The superintendent has forwarded a copy of the letter to the principal secretary, health, RK Mahajan. HTs effort to contact Mahajan proved futile, as he did not respond to calls or a text message. The health administration had sacked 15-20 Mamtas deputed at the DMCH over two years ago. The BJP reacted sharply. Clearly there are two power centres in Bihar one of chief minister Nitish Kumar and another of Lalu Prasad. It is high time Kumar clarifies his position, said party leader Nand Kishore Yadav. Prasad had on January 3 inspected the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences and issued verbal directions to its officials after going around the super-specialty centre and talking to some patients admitted there. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A police station up in flames, a thousand-strong violent mob and widespread vandalisation in West Bengals Malda district earlier this month has ignited a new political controversy in the state that is due to go to the polls in a few months. The scenes of destruction and ransacking in Maldas Kaliachak have led to allegations that fake currency, fundamentalism and even terror networks are festering in the state, triggering communal polarisation. All of these are giving BJP a political space in the state. The Left Front which is tying for resurgence will lose some opposition vote share to BJP. This in turn will help Mamata Banerjee in the polls, said Shibaji Pratim Basu, a political analyst. Read more: Red signal from Bengal, BJP looks for private rally grounds in Malda The party also returned into the limelight during the recent statewide law violation programmes when its leaders, including national ones, were injured in clashes with the police, added Basu. The BJP has sensed the opportunity and is repeatedly attacking the Trinamool Congress. This is an instance of the CMs vote bank politics. The police station was set on fire to destroy records of miscreants dealing with fake currency and narcotics, said Sidharth Nath Singh, BJP national secretary. On Monday, a central BJP delegation on its way to Kaliachak was stopped at the Malda railway station by police and forced to board a train back to Kolkata. Union road transport and shipping minister, Nitin Gadkari, is also likely to visit the area around 350 km from Kolkata -- on January 18 to address a rally. Read more: Malda violence: Yechury trashes Mamata Banerjees version as lies Experts feel the Kaliachak incident is part of a string of at least six communal clashes in the state that have gone unnoticed in the past two years. In May, three Dalit people lost their lives in a clash in Nadia district. It is a dangerous game being played out before the polls by Mamata Banerjee and BJP leaders. Trinamool Congress is allowing fundamentalists to gain ground in Bengal. While the RSS and BJP are stoking communal fire, the latter is hoping for polarisation, Md Salim, a CPI-M politburo member and Lok Sabha MP, told HT from Harishchandrapur, Malda. Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has already dubbed the Kaliachak incident as a confrontation between villagers and the BSF, denying the incident had any communal colour. She also said the situation in Bengal is under control. However, opposition parties beg to differ. This is the tip of an iceberg. The poison has spread not only in bordering areas but also deep inside Bengal, said Manas Bhuniya, former state Congress president. The chief minister, IGs and DIGs are sitting quiet. They are waiting for such incidents to happen. Why is the CM not working with government agencies like NIA and crack down on the mischievous elements? asked Bhuniya, the six-time MLA. Trinamool Congress, on the other hand, has blamed the BJP-RSS combine for trying to fan communal tensions. This was a criminal issue but the BJP/RSS, as is their strategy, tried to turn it into a communal issue. They did this by trending hashtags on Twitter, sharing year-old photographs and posting irresponsible tweets with the help of their social media army, said Derek O Brien, Trinamool spokesperson. A mobile phone, an AK-47 magazine and a binocular were recovered on Monday from the IAF base in Pathankot even as authorities said the questioning of Punjab Police officer Salwinder Singh by the NIA will continue on Tuesday. A 10-member team of the National Investigation Agency, led by an officer of deputy inspector general of police-rank, continued the search operation in the area where the gun battle with the terrorists took place. One AK-47 magazine, a mobile phone and a binocular were recovered from the scene, a home ministry statement said here. Salwinder Singh will again be questioned on Tuesday as the process could not be completed on Monday, the statement added. The NIA on Monday questioned Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh who is suspected of helping the terrorists who struck at the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot in Punjab in the early hours of January 2. The central agency said a Black Corner notice will be issued for the identification of the bodies of four terrorists killed in the counter-offensive by security forces at the base. A Black Corner notice is being issued to the Interpol for the identification of the bodies of the four slain terrorists, it said. The home ministry statement said Salwinders jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal have also been questioned and would be called again for questioning, if needed. The NIA teams have continued to question SP Salwinder Singhs friend Rajesh Verma as well as his cook Madan Gopal in Punjab. Madan Gopal will be called for questioning at the NIA headquarters in Delhi and the date of his questioning will be intimated in due course, it added. Seven security personnel were killed in the attack at the IAF base in Pathankot, located 250 km from Chandigarh, by terrorists suspected from Pakistan. All six terrorists were killed in the counter-offensive. Pakistan will soon be seeking more material and undeniable evidence from India on the Pathankot air base attack, including finger prints and audio recordings, to carry out an investigation against terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), believed to be behind the strike. India says it has shared actionable intelligence with its neighbour but a Pakistani government official told HT that their national security adviser Naseer Janjua has already told his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval, that the mobile numbers India shared are not registered in Pakistan. We want India to give us the finger prints of the terrorists and the audio recordings of the intercepted phone calls, the official told HT, adding It is very difficult for us to go after Jaish without these. The two NSAs have spoken thrice since the attack on the air base in Punjabs Pathankot on January 2 left seven soldiers and six extremists dead. Doval gave the mobile numbers to Janjua when they first spoke on January 2, HT has learnt. Pakistan now says the finger prints will help them as they can try and verify them through their biometric system. The voice samples will also help us in our investigation and we can also play out the recording to the mother who purportedly received a call from her son, an official said. The process of seeking more evidence from India will likely mean a rescheduling of the foreign-secretary level dialogue slated for January 15. New Delhi has made it clear the talks can only take place if Pakistan takes prompt and decisive action against the JeM. India, however, has also indicated it is willing to give Pakistan more time, as stated by Union home minister Rajnath Singh. There is no reason to distrust them so early, the minister said, adding, We should all wait (for Pakistani action). Indian officials are not sure if Pakistan is seeking to buy time or is indeed serious about taking action against the JeM based on the leads it is sharing. India, on its part, is keeping up the heat on Pakistan. The press conference by the ministry of external affairs spokesperson, in which the government tied the future of the dialogue to action by Pakistan, was held after Janjua conveyed to India that the Pakistani numbers provided by them were not registered. What stops Pakistan from going through the call records of the numbers? an Indian official asked. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Investigations into the Pathankot airbase attack have revealed that the terrorists called up phones located in Bahawalpur, Lahore and Karachi, speaking to handlers linked to the top leadership of the Jaish-e-Mohammed. The five Pakistan numbers that were contacted by terrorists during the attack have been conveyed by New Delhi to Islamabad for further investigation even though these numbers fell silent the day after the attackers were neutralised. India has also handed over to Pakistan concrete evidence regarding the terrorists being moved from Sialkot to the Indo-Pak border on December 31. The terrorists were dropped in a Mitsubishi Pajero and Toyota Land Cruiser, and were accompanied to the drop zone by a senior Jaish leader whose identity is known. Read | Terror calling: Pak militant groups role in Pathankot attack decoded Top government sources said technical analysis reveals that three out of five numbers have been identified. One is linked to the Jaish-operated Al-Rahmat Trust, another to the top Jaish leadership and one to Dera Ismail Khan in Bahawalpur. One of the terrorists was in touch with a senior Jaish leader in Karachi, while the Bahawalpur number was used by one of the terrorists named Nasir to communicate with his mother Nusrat at 9.22am on January 1. The owners of the two mobile numbers have also been identified. Help has now been sought from Pakistan through back channels to identify the remaining two numbers. Read | When terror checked in: Reconstructing the Pathankot air base attack Analysis of mobiles phones of Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singhs friend Rajesh Verma has revealed that three Pakistani numbers were contacted between 3am and 9.22am on January 1, with one of these numbers also present in the mobile phone of dead taxi driver Ikagar Singh. The taxi drivers phone reveals contacts of two other Pakistani mobile numbers. Material recovery from the bodies of terrorists clearly shows the Islamabad link with pain-killer injections and chocolate wrappers all manufactured in Pakistan. While three of the recovered AK-47 guns are normal assault rifles, one has an attachment for launching grenades. There has been no recovery of any global positioning device or mobile phone from the encounter site. Read | Pakistan seeks harder evidence from India on Pathankot attack SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the power of the countrys youth, reiterating his earlier stand that the guarantee for growth and progress could be ascertained only through peace, unity and harmony. If there is no unity, no respect for each others traditions, beliefs and thoughts, the country may face hurdles in the path of development. Without peace, unity and harmony, the assets, growth and prosperity will neither enhance the glory of the nation nor be worthwhile for the future of our next generation, he said. Addressing the inaugural function of the 20th National Youth Festival organised at Naya Raipur in Chhattisgarh through video conferencing on Tuesday, the Prime Minister said the entire world was looking at India with hopes and expectations since it was the worlds youngest country with immense scope and possibilities. The five-day youth festival, hosted by Chhattisgarh on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, has the theme Indian youth for skill, development and harmony. While appreciating the youth across India who are blossoming with innovative ideas, the PM advocated the dignity of labour. All forms of work manual or intellectual deserve respect and dignity with equality, he said. He also asked the youth to come up with concrete solutions and a realistic roadmap for 2019 that will mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, and for 2022 when the nation celebrates its 75th year of Independence. The PM took the occasion to ask the gathering to download the Narendra Modi mobile application. You may connect with me thorough this app with ideas and suggestions in the interest of our country, he said. Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari, Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh and other state ministers attended the ceremony. India has denied visas to 74 Pakistani pilgrims who wanted to visit a shrine near Agra, on the advice of local administration and procedural issues. Seventy-four Pakistan pilgrims have been denied visa by the Indian authorities. These pilgrims belonging to various parts of Pakistan have expressed resentment on rejection of their visas, a spokesperson for the Pakistan High Commission said on Monday. He said the pilgrims wanted to attend an annual gathering at the Hafiz Abdullah Shah shrine near Agra from January 11-18. This is inconsistent with the 1974 pilgrim protocol between the two countries. Pakistan has been issuing visas to Indian pilgrims in accordance with the protocol, the spokesperson said. When asked for a comment, Vikas Swarup, spokesperson in the ministry of external affairs, said the visa applications of the group were rejected on the ground of procedural issues. He said that under the protocol on visits to religious shrines, an organising committee or local authorities were required to extend logistical support to the visa applicants. But in this case, there was no organising committee to take care of the pilgrims. Nor were local authorities ready to extend support to the group. The Supreme Courts observation on Monday questioning the practice of barring women between 10 to 50 years of age in Sabarimalas Ayyappa temple has triggered a debate in the state. While the state government played safe and favoured status quo, the opposition Left Democratic Front which gave an affidavit seven years ago supporting the entry of women of all ages -- said it wanted a healthy discussion and not an immediate solution to the vexed issue. The BJP that is trying hard to get a foothold in the state downplayed the development, saying it was a mere observation and not an order from the court. The supreme priest of the temple (tantri), who is considered the last word on temple rituals, said age-old customs and rituals cant be changed overnight. The Travancore Devasom Board (TDB), which manages the temple affairs, said it would oppose the idea of permitting women of all ages to the shrine. And many women devotees also echoed the same, saying it cant be treated as a mere gender issue. The state government wants status quo to be maintained. We dont want to interfere with the age-old custom of the temple, said temple affairs minister V S Sivakumar. Complying with the ongoing practice of the each temple is a must for healthy survival of religious places, agreed supreme priest of the temple Kandararu Rajivaru. As the presiding deity Lord Ayyappa is celibate, women of menstruating age (10-50 age group) are barred from time immemorial, he added. However the petitioner (Young lawyers association of India) argued it was a social malady perpetuated by the state government through its statutory board (TDB) and it couldnt be given a legal entity. There is no basis in the argument that no women in 10-50 age group ever visited the temple. There is enough proof that women members of erstwhile Travancore royal family visited the temple, said former Devasom Minister G Sudhakaran. It is pity to say that the Lord cant keep his brahmacharya if women entered the temple, said a woman activist, adding that priests and authorities often find excuses in coincidences to buttress their point. Pilgrimage to Sabarimala is unique in many ways. A devotee has to take 41 days fast (vrat) abstaining from all worldly pleasures followed by a rigorous trek through forests (1600 feet above sea level) In black attire, the journey is a ritual for the pilgrim to cleanse his body and mind. Once he dons black attire hes known as swami. Since the presiding deity is a nitya brahmachari (celibate), women of menstruating age are barred but unlike Guruvayur Sree Krishna temple, non-Hindus are allowed here. Interestingly, the restriction on women came into the limelight in 2006 when Kannada actor Jaimala claimed she had entered the sanctum sanctorum of the temple while she was young (28 years ago). Later the temple had filed a case against her saying she hurt religious belief of millions of devotees. Many women activists came to her rescue and in 2006 Young Lawyers Association moved the apex court questioning the decision of the temple. Situated in the Western Ghat mountain ranges of Pathanamthitta district , Sabarimala is considered second largest seasonal pilgrimage after Mecca. Last year more than 3.2 crore pilgrims visited the hill shrine during the three-month season (November to January); most the pilgrims are from neighboring states Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. In 60 years, the shrine also witnessed three major mishaps. In 1952, 65 pilgrims were charred to death after a cracker unit caught fire. In 1999, 54 people were trampled to death when a pathway caved in and 2011, 110 were killed in a similar stampede in Pullumedu. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A fierce tussle within the Congress in Chhattisgarh grew murkier on Monday after an audio tape surfaced with state unit chief Bhupesh Baghel purportedly promising a plum party post to former chief minister Ajit Jogis ex-loyalist in exchange for his cooperation. In the tape, Baghel is allegedly heard assuring Firoze Siddiqui Jogis aide -- that he would be made a party general secretary that will make him safe. HT couldnt independently verify the veracity of the tapes. The conversation appeared to have occurred before the release of another recording in December last year that led to allegations that chief minister Raman Singhs son-in-law Puneet Gupta financially induced a Congress candidate to withdraw from an assembly bypoll in 2014. The tape had purported conversation between Ajit Jogis son Amit Jogi, Gupta, Antagarh bypoll candidate Manturam Pawar, Siddiqui and former Jogi aide Ameen Memon. The alleged conversations triggered a massive controversy with the Congress expelling Amit Jogi for six years a huge embarrassment to Ajit Jogi who is fighting Baghel for control of the state Congress. Everyone featured in the first tape initially denied all charges but Jogis ex-loyalist made a U-turn a week later, saying he couldnt verify if it was indeed his voice in the recording. He had earlier identified his voice in the tape. Read: Chhattisgarh leaked tapes: Cong demands Raman Singhs resignation The latest clip has Baghel purportedly appreciating Siddiqui for the decision and asking him to reach the office of the Indian Express that first carried the story -- December 16 at 2 pm. You may give it there. Things have been discussed. And then it will come in the national media, Baghel is purportedly heard in the tape. Siddiqui is then allegedly heard saying he told the Express that the episode was an internal tussle and Pawars withdrawal was a ploy to hurt Baghels position in the party. The Congress appeared to defend Baghel with state spokesperson Shailesh Nitin Trivedi saying there was nothing wrong or objectionable in Baghels purported statements. Offering any post within the party is well within the rights of the PCC chief. And whats the harm if he decides to offer any whistle blower the party position in order to safeguard his life, Trivedi told HT. The Indian Express mentioned in its first report on December 30 that it received tapes of phone conversations about the Antagarh byelection. The Indian Express contacted each person whose voice is purportedly heard in the tape and published their versions in the report, Indian Express editor Unni Rajen Shanker told HT. The tape row shows intense infighting in the Congress that was already struggling to stage a comeback in a state where it has been out of power for over a decade now. The Congress has already expelled Amit Jogi and its top state panel has recommended that Ajit Jogi also be suspended, but the latest tape shows that the infighting is far from over. In September 2014, Pawar had abruptly pulled out of the election contest a day before the final date of withdrawal of names. The Antagarh election was won by the BJP. Pawar was expelled from the Congress and he joined the BJP in March. Tamil Nadu erupted in protests on Tuesday over the Supreme Courts decision, staying permission given to Jallikattu, two days ahead of Pongal. If protesters at Palamedu near Tiruchi tonsured their heads in protest against the Supreme Court order staying the Union government notification, people hoisted black flags atop their houses to register their resentment. The scene was played out in several parts of rural southern Tamil Nadu where the bull-taming sport is organised in a big way to mark Pongal, the harvest festival. Vociferous protests and strong statements to defy the court orders came from Jallikattu organisers in villages. Four people tried to immolate themselves in a village in Tiruvannamlai district while several women rolled on the streets to express their anger. People express their disappointments at Avaniyapuram in Madurai as Jallikattu preparations were stopped after Supreme Court order banning Jallikattu on Tuesday. (PTI) Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa led the political class in expressing strong disappointment and the deficiency of the Centre in handling the situation. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jayalalithaa reiterated her earlier request to the Centre to promulgate an ordinance to enable Jallikattu, which she said was a part of traditional festivities ingrained in the cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu. I had written to you on December 22, 2015, requesting you to arrange for the promulgation of an ordinance to enable the holding of Jallikattu, Jayalalithaa said, adding the Centre instead issued a notification that now has been stayed by the Supreme Court. She urged Modi to ensure that sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu are respected. PMK chief S Ramadoss held both the Centre and the state government responsible for the ban. However, animal rights activists welcomed the decision as a step in the right direction. Ban on Bulbul fight in Assam The Gauhati high court on Tuesday issued a ban on conducting the Bulbul bird fight at the Hayagrib Madhab temple in Kamrup district of the state. The sport is held every year during the Magh Bihu festival. On Makar Sankranti, devotees gather in the temple premises to see the popular sport. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj will visit Palestine and Israel from January 17, months ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis trip to the crucial West Asia region later this year. The first stop in Swarajs itinerary is Palestine, where she will review bilateral relations with the Palestinian leadership on January 17. She will then head to Israel later the same day. India has traditionally struck a balance in its ties with Palestine and Israel. The relationship with Israel has become important in recent years, underpinned by growing cooperation in defence and security. This is Swarajs first visit to West Asia and Palestine is the first destination in the region, which in itself reflects the importance India holds for Palestine in its engagement with the countries of the region, said a statement from the external affairs ministry. India shares traditionally close relations with Palestine and is actively contributing through capacity-building and human resource development initiatives. The visit will also reaffirm Indias continued political, diplomatic and developmental support to Palestine, the statement said. Indias relations with Israel are part of its engagement with the broader West Asia region and are independent to its relations with any country in the region, the external affairs ministry said in a separate statement announcing Swarajs visit to Israel. In Palestine, Swaraj will also inaugurate a digital learning and innovation centre in Ramallah. During her two-day trip to Israel, Swaraj will hold discussions with the Israeli leadership and review the gamut of bilateral relations. She will also interact with the Indian community in Israel. The visit will augment Indias bilateral relations with Israel and further strengthen the linkages between the two sides, the external affairs ministry said in a statement. Swarajs visit to the two countries follows trips in October by President Pranab Mukherjee, who became the first Indian head of state to visit Israel. She will be accompanied by the Secretary (East) and other officials from the ministry. The visit comes against the backdrop of the influence of the Islamic State terror group spreading beyond the borders of Iraq and Syria. India is expected to host Israel President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before Modi heads to Jerusalem. Jharkhand is set to get the worlds largest Tricolour flying atop the countrys tallest flagpole at the Pahari temple in Ranchi, beating a record held by a flag in Haryanas Faridabad by several feet. Standing tall at 293 feet, and measuring 99 by 66 feet, the Ranchi Tricolour will be up for a trial run this week, a Pahari temple management official disclosed. The flag post has been built while lighting work began two days ago. We are expecting everything to be ready within a week, said Hari Jalan, treasurer of the Pahari Mandir Vikas Samiti. Close to 120 workers have been working in two shifts to build the flagpole while the entire project cost is estimated to be about Rs 1.25 crore. The work took 40 days. We will add aviation light and a lightening arrester on top of the flag post, said Deepak Bhardwaj, the CMD of Urmila RCP Projects Limited, the Jharkhand-based company contracted to build the flag post. The temple committee has written to chief minister Raghubar Das to try to get Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the flag. The Pahari temple has had an illustrious history of flag hoisting since 1947. The Indian flag has been hoisted on every Republic Day since Independence on the temple premises. Now, to have the worlds largest flag is an honour, Jalan said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Three operatives of banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), arrested in 2012 for conspiring to carry out blasts in national capital on the instructions of their Pakistan-based handlers, were today sentenced to varying jail term of up to seven years by a Delhi court. Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Reetesh Singh sentenced LeT operatives Ahtisham Farooq Malik and Shafaqat Ali Tuggu to seven years jail each, while another convict Tawseef Ahmed Peer was awarded four-year imprisonment by the court. The three convicts were held guilty of offences under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Malik and Shafaqat were also held guilty for offences under the Explosive Substances Act. Besides them, the court awarded three months jail term to Saijee Anwar who was convicted for offences punishable under the provisions of IPC only, including section 471 (using as genuine forged documents). During the arguments on the quantum of sentence, advocate Akram Khan, appearing for the convicts, sought leniency for his clients saying they were arrested at the stage of planning itself and no terror incident had occured. Later, the court suspended Anwars sentence and granted him bail for filing an appeal against his conviction. They were convicted in the case lodged by the Special Cell of Delhi Police in 2012 in which it was alleged that Malik, an LeT operative, had come to Delhi to carry out terror strikes here on the instructions of his Pak-based handlers. According to the police, they had received a tip-off about the arrival of Malik in Delhi on February 26, 2012. It said the input was regarding LeTs plan to carry out terror strike here at the behest of their handlers. It had said that Malik and Shafaqat were arrested from Tughlakabad extension area here on February 28, 2012 and during the search, a bag was recovered from Maliks possession which contained explosives and detonators. Pakistani military officers were behind an attack on the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif last week, a top Afghan police official said on Tuesday. One Afghan policeman was killed and nine others, including three civilians, were wounded in the attack on January 4 that coincided with an assault by militants on an Indian airbase in Pathankot. Sayed Kamal Sadat, the police chief of Balkh province, said the attackers in Mazar-e-Sharif were well-trained military men from across the border who fought Afghan security forces during a 25-hour siege. All three attackers were killed by the Afghan troops. We saw with our own eyes and I can say 99% that those attackers were from Pakistani military and used special tactics while conducting their operation, Sadat was quoted as saying by Tolo News channel. Read: Revenge for Afzal: Messages in blood link Mazar-e-Sharif to Pathankot The attackers were military personnel. They were educated and well prepared and had intelligence. They fought us and only by Allahs grace were we able to control them and eliminate them. Sadat said efforts are underway to track down, identify and detain those who assisted the attackers to gain access to a building located opposite the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of Balkh. We are jointly working with the NDS (National Directorate of Security) director and have spoken about this especially as they came here not able to speak in Dari or Pashtu but speaking in Urdu. It means obviously there is someone who guided those attackers and helped the attackers, he said. The attackers stormed a multi-storey building and began firing at the Indian consulate with automatic weapons and rocket launchers. Afghan forces eventually gunned down the attackers, who had holed up on the fourth floor. The attackers scribbled a message in blood on the walls of a room that said the assault was carried out to avenge Afzal Guru, who was hanged for his role in the 2001 attack on the Indian parliament. The attackers in Pathankot too spoke of attacking the airbase as revenge for the execution of Afzal Guru. Indian authorities have blamed the Pathankot attack on Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed. A woman in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh has been arrested on charges of attempt to murder after a shocking video, uploaded by a social activist went viral on Monday, which showed her brutally beating up and torturing her elderly mother-in-law. The video was uploaded by social activist Kundan Srivastava on his Facebook page and was supported by an appeal to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to take action against the woman named Sangeeta Jain. The video, captured on January 5, shows Sangeeta brutally assaulting 70-year-old Rajrani Jain, with a brick and trying to strangle her with a rope. Watch | Woman brutally assaults mother-in-law, arrested The footage, just over a minute long, shows Sangeeta first beating her sick and helpless 70-year-old mother-in-law with bare hands and then with a brick on her head, repeatedly. She then used a cloth to make a noose around her neck in an attempt to kill her. She even tries to pull the old woman down from her bed. The police,have registered a case under section 307 of the Indian Penal Code against Sangeeta, Subhash Singh Baghel,SP told ANI. Sangeetas husband Sandip Kumar Jain installed a CTV camera in their home to catch her red-handed as she had been assaulting his parents for quite some time. This has been happening for quite some time now. She used to assault and abuse my parents very often. I complained about her but no one used to listen to me. Then after waiting for two years, I installed a CCTV camera expecting that she will fix her ways, but she didnt. That day she crossed all the limits. I installed the camera to unmask her since the law is on the womans side when these types of cases are concerned, said Sandip. Recalling the incident, the victim said that her daughter-in-law attacked her mercilessly. My daughter in law attacked me, she slapped me again and again. She hit with me a hard stone, she is quoted as saying by ANI. Sangeeta and her husband Sandeep Jain have been married for 7 years and a divorce case is going on, CNN IBN reported. Sangeeta also allegedly filed a false report against her husband. Ram Navami or Rams birthday on April 15 is going to be extra special this year, courtesy the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). Motor-driven and bullock-pulled chariots will carry a model of the proposed Ram temple at Ayodhya to let people pledge their commitment to the cause of building a shrine. Also, there will be events to encourage mass chanting of the gods name in rural India. The Hindu outfit plans to use all these and more on Ram Navami to revive passion for the temple, similar to the frenzy witnessed during the 90s. Significantly, the Ujjain Kumbh, when saints are expected to review the temple plan, will also be held in April, providing what many consider a perfect saffron build-up for the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. Central to the Ram Mahotsav the birthday celebrations from March-end to Ram Navami will be small and big temples dedicated to the Hindu god in rural areas where chants, kirtans and mass pledges for the Ayodhya shrine are likely to be held. Along with celebrations that would include devotional songs and Shobha yatras, we would get people to take the temple pledge. This is surely a first, confirms VHP leader Surendra Jain on phone. Saffron foot soldiers have been asked to look for villages without a Ram temple. We would like to worship and rededicate ourselves to the lord on the auspicious occasion. So we will definitely like to keep big or small idols of the lord in such villages where there are no Ram temples, says Sharad Sharma, VHPs Ayodhya-based veteran. Once the idols are placed, volunteers could then push for a makeshift structure. Since most villages have a temple with a Ram idol, the idea to identify those without one could be ploy to polarize people on religious lines, observers felt. Ram is everywhere. Its up to the cadre and Ram bhakts (followers) to take a call on how they want to hold the lords birthday celebrations in such places, Sharma said. Overall, the grand plan drafted by the RSS-affiliate VHP is to get nearly 100,000 villages across the country to join the lords birthday bash. This essentially would be the launch of the second phase of the Ayodhya temple movement, according to Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas chief Nritya Gopal Das. The temple issue is sub judice but there is no dearth of leaders posturing over the issue. If required, saints wont hesitate to lay down their lives for the great cause, said Mahant Kanhaiya Das of the Ayodhya Sant Samiti. To showcase their renewed thrust in the post-Ashok Singhal phase, the VHP got two truckloads of stones for temple construction to drive into Ayodhya on December 20, igniting a major debate. The arrival of stones happened barely 14 days after the 23rd anniversary of the demolition of the Babri mosque at Ayodhya on December 6. VHP leaders were worried at the rather thin turnout to their Hindu Pride Day on that day. Closer to the elections more such trucks are likely to head for Ayodhya. The VHP is talking of employing more stone carvers at workshops in the temple town in an apparent attempt to lend credibility to its temple-talk which has been losing steam since the court-imposed deadlock over the Ram Janmabhoomi issue. A campaign to rally lawmakers from across all parties to the temple cause is also on the table. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Famed encounter specialist Daya Nayak, who has 83 encounter killings to his credit, was reinstated by the Maharashtra government on Monday. Nayak was suspended in July 2015 for not reporting to duty and being on sick leave for a very long time. He was posted in Nagpur area at that time. The 1995 batch police officer had been suspended before in January 2006 after a Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court ordered the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) to conduct an inquiry into his wealth. Heres all you need to know about Nayak and four other encounter specialists of Mumbai Police: Daya Nayak: 1995 batch Age: 48 Encounters: 83, including that of Chhota Rajans gang members Current status: Reinstated Allegations against Nayaks disproportionate assets had started as early as January 2002 when he inaugurated his Radhabhai Nayak School in Yennehole village at Karkala in Karnataka. A departmental inquiry, however, cleared Nayak of all allegations. A disproportionate assets case was filed against Nayak in January 2003. He was investigated by the MCOCA court for links with the underworld but was given clean chit after several inquiries in 2004. In 2006, Nayak was arrested by the anti-corruption bureau after a sessions court issued a non-bailable warrant against him for amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income. After his arrest and interrogation, the list of properties that Nayak allegedly owned came to light. It included, among others, a swank penthouse in Yug Dharma apartments in Mumbais Malad. He was suspended as well. The ACB inquiry in 2006 led to Nayaks arrest after a court rejected his anticipatory bail. But, in October 2009, the then DGP, SS Virk, denied permission to prosecute Nayak, citing insufficient grounds. The Supreme Court quashed all the charges against him under the MCOCA in 2010 and he was reinstated only in 2012 at the additional commissioner of police (west) control room. After being out of the force for nearly six-and-a-half years, Nayak was reinstated and transferred to the west region (Bandra to Andheri) of the city which is considered as a high-profile zone in the police department. Since then, Nayak maintained a low profile. Nana Patekar and Rana Daggubati have portrayed him in Ab Tak Chhappan and Department respectively. Read: Suspension revoked, encounter cop Daya Nayak back in service Pradeep Sharma: 1983 batch Age: 54 Encounters: 113, including top crime bosses and three LeT suspects Current status: Dismissed from service Sharmas name has cropped up in several cases including encounter killings. He was accsued in the 2003 custodial death of bomb blast accused Khwaja Yunus and said to have a nexus with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. Sharma was also allegedly involved in grabbing land in Malad and the November 2006 alleged fake encounter of former gangster Ram Narain Gupta alias Lakhan Bhaiyya, a suspected aide of gangster Chhota Rajan. In January 2010, Sharma was arrested along with 21 others for their involvement in the encounter of Lakhan Bhaiyya. A Mumbai court acquitted Sharma of all the charges in the case in July 2013. Sanjay Dutt played Sharma in Ram Gopal Varmas Department. Vijay Salaskar: 1983 batch Encounters: 83, including key members of the Arun Gawli gang Current status: Martyred in 26/11 terrorist attack Salaskar was killed in action during the 2008 Mumbai attacks. He was 50. He was honoured with the Ashoka Chakra in 2009. Before his death, Salaskar was head of the anti-extortion cell of Mumbai Police. After an encounter in 2004 when Salaskar killed two of gangster Gawlis aides, allegations had surfaced that the killings were fake. Sachin Waze: 1990 batch Age: 43 Encounters: 63, including key members of Chhota Rajan and Dawood Ibrahims gangs Current status: Resigned from the force Waze joined Maharashtra police in 1990 and resigned in November 2007. Media reports suggest that Waze had special skills in tackling cyber crimes and reportedly carried modern gadgets and gizmos. A case of the custodial death of software engineer Khwaja Yunus was filed against him in 2003. It was alleged that Waze punched Yunus in the stomach and poured a bucket of cold water on him, which led to his death. Ravindranath Angre: 1983 batch Age: 55 Encounters: 52, including famous underworld don Suresh Machekar and members of gangster Amar Naiks gang Current status: Suspended from service In 2008, Thane-based builder, Ganesh Wagh filed a complaint of threatening, extortion and robbery against Angre, following which the officer was arrested and suspended. He spent months in prison and was released in May 2009. In 2010, Angre was again arrested on charges of attempt to murder Waghs brother Mahesh. The cop was granted conditional bail after spending 49 days in jail. Angre was acquitted by a sessions court for lack of circumstantial evidence or eyewitness in 2011. He was later reinstated into the force and transferred to Gadchiroli. Angre refused to accept his transfer, following which he was dismissed from service in June 2014. Angre, who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2015, is now being considered as the man to take on Shiv Sena and the NCP in the Thane municipal elections to be held in 2017. Read: Rise of the 83 encounter batch Some anniversaries pass by without a fuss. The completion of 2015 marked 20 years of the citys slum redevelopment programme that was supposed to make Mumbai slum-free. During the year, the government led by CM Devendra Fadnavis proposed a new housing policy in which one of the stated aims was, ironically, to achieve slum-free Mumbai by 2022. The government that set up the original programme and the Slum Redevelopment Authority (SRA) was a variant of the present one. In it, the Shiv Sena called the shots while THE has ensured that he, more than the BJP, is in command now. Indeed, previous governments of the Congress and NCP had been content to speak politically correct language on making Mumbai slum-free by prioritising affordable housing. They never did. The conviction which a bevy of successive chief ministers, who have been urban development ministers too by convention, showed in their words never really translated into concrete policy or action on the ground. Affordable housing remained a dream. Urban development experts, independent think-tanks, corporate-funded policy groups that have had the ears of successive chief ministers, all unfailingly stressed on the importance of affordable housing if Mumbai must be made free of slums. But homes in Mumbai continue to be unaffordable. In the last 20 years that SRA has been at work, only about 10% of the citys slums were redeveloped, according to official data. Moreover, the SRA itself became a contentious body often appearing to take the side of powerful builders against slum dwellers, and was charged with corrupt practices. So it was hardly a surprise that the government allowed the twentieth anniversary of slum redevelopment programme to pass by quietly. Just how imbalanced the citys housing market is can be seen in these data sets. Nearly half of Mumbais 12.4 million people lived in slums while about a lakh of flats lay unsold in end-2015. But an astounding 70% of this inventory was priced at Rs1 cr or above when the average annual household income of a Mumbaiite was approximately Rs7.5L, according to real estate consulting firms. The fundamental flaw, of course, is that the housing market and relevant policies have been determined not by governments but by a clutch of powerful real estate developers. Their aim was never to make Mumbai slum-free or offer affordable housing to millions. It was the governments responsibility to do so or force developers to fall in line. Successive governments did not show the nerve required. Fadnavis had raised hopes of going beyond the rhetoric on affordable housing. He was young and ambitious, he had marked out Mumbai as his karmabhoomi, he seemed willing to take on entrenched interests and, most of all, he appeared capable of staving off pressures from the real estate lobby. In his 15 months in office, Fadnavis has got major and difficult infrastructure projects off the ground, even constituting a war room a year ago with handpicked bureaucrats and technocrats to facilitate these projects. But in these, housing, especially mass and affordable housing, has not been a priority. The ill-advised coastal road that will serve a fraction of the citys population has received far more attention than the affordable housing project that could take millions out of badly-serviced and unhygienic slums, and lakhs of others off the citys streets. The High Court had rapped the government last year for not even providing night shelters, let alone proper inexpensive houses. Indeed, Fadnavis has not shown the courage to change the contours of Mumbais real estate equation. The bitter truth is that housing is not likely to be affordable anytime soon nor will Mumbai be slum-free. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON From his adopted home in New York to his birthplace in London, David Bowie fans around the world gathered Monday to mourn a star who many said had shaped their lives. A crowd of more than 2,000 people spent the evening to the colourful south London district of Brixton where he was born -- some clutching beers, others wearing Bowie t-shirts -- to lay flowers beneath a giant mural of his face. I dont think there is another musician in the world that can bring this crowd with so many generations at the same time, said Dan Hunt, 28, his voice wavering with emotion. This is the sort of thing that happens only once in any of our lives. It would have been stupid to miss it. Lines of Bowies hit song Space Oddity rang through the chill winter air as fans played guitar and others sang along, several wearing the lightning bolt face makeup or shocking red mullet of Aladdin Sane, one of Bowies many stage personas. From a building nearby a speaker blasted Bowies 1983 hit Lets Dance, while Brixton bars dedicated their playlists to the artist. RIP David, a starman gone to heaven, love his old friend, read one bouquet at the mural, a portrait of Bowies 1973 Aladdin Sane incarnation. David Bowie: The space-invading starman was an unforgettable oddity A fan of David Bowie joins other revellers to celebrate the life of the musician and singer, after the announcement of his death at Brixton in London, January 11, 2016. (REUTERS) In New York, mourners gathered in tears outside Bowies building in the citys exclusive Soho neighbourhood, I feel devastated, said Penelope Bagieu, a 33-year-old French cartoonist in New York, crying as she left a bunch of flowers outside Bowies former home. Michelle Lynn, who stopped off on her way to work carrying photographs of the pop icon, in her handbag, said she had been a fan forever. Others placed flowers and candles on Bowies star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. Just freedom in your sexuality, your identity, everything pretty much, said a tearful Danielle Houde. He helped me grow up to not give a shit about anything. A leading light Berliners left pictures and candles outside the building where Bowie lived during the 1970s as he was trying to kick drink and drug addictions in Cold War-era West Berlin -- one of his most creative periods. The citys Hansa Studios, where Bowie recorded songs, including the hit Heroes, said it would hold a memorial for Bowie Friday, possibly with a public party for city residents featuring live music. I think he would have liked that, organiser Thilo Schmied told DPA news agency. Many spoke of Bowie as an artist who had an extraordinary impact on both their own lives and times. I share a birthday with him. Hes so young. He was such an amazing person. He means my youth, the challenge to gender stereotypes, said Charlie Rice, a 66-year-old charity worker in London. For gay people, he was a leading light to give us hope. A man prays at a memorial outside of the residence of British music legend David Bowie in New York on January 11, 2016. (AFP) Bowie announced he was gay in an interview in 1972, but was married twice and remained coy about his sexuality in later life. He had lived in Brixton until he was six years old with his waitress mother and his father, who worked for a childrens charity. I discovered him when I was about 12 or 13 and we all think were freaks at 12 or 13, said 35-year-old Claire Ronai, describing him as a great inspiration. A woman with a painted face stands outside the Ritzy cinema in south London to pay homage to British singer David Bowie following the announcement of Bowie's death on January 11, 2016. (AFP) He helped us through that period. He meant a lot to me. As the Brixton crowd swelled, police blocked off a street as revellers climbed telephone booths and raised their glasses to the sky. Nearby, the districts century-old Ritzy cinema had replaced the films displayed on its main hoarding with a single message: David Bowie Our Brixton Boy RIP. Around 250 jhuggis were gutted in a major fire that broke out in Chabbewal village on the Chandigarh road on Tuesday. Though no one was hurt, the slumdwellers lost all their belongings and were rendered homeless. As most of the slumdwellers were away to work, passers-by were the ones to spot the fire and sounded the fire brigade that reached the spot and managed to douse the flames after two hours. The exact cause of the fire could not be ascertained, but it seemed to have spread from the hearth of one of the hutments. Eyewitnesses said the fire spread quickly due to strong wind. There were loud explosions, probably of LPG cylinder blasts, which frightened the people all the more. Children were running out of the shanties to save their lives. For an hour or so, nothing was visible due to the fire and dense smoke, said Ram Kishan, who was sitting at a nearby shop when the fire broke out. The slumdwellers were inconsolable. Our cash, clothes, food, tents, beds, TV sets, inverters, solar lights, everything has been destroyed, said Narinder. We are left with nothing to survive on. Luckily our daughter, who was sleeping in the jhuggi, was saved by a neighbour, said Sharda, who was away to work at the time of the mishap. Another victim Mukhiya revealed that most of the slumdwellers were migrants from Uttar Pardesh, who had arrived in the city around 20 years ago and worked in nearby areas. Chabbewal MLA and jail minister Sohan Singh Thandal visited the ravaged site and asked the administration to speed up relief operation. He asked for temporary lodging arrangements to be made for the victims at the local grain market. He also promised financial help to the affected families. Meanwhile, the district Red Cross Society and certain NGOs came forward for the rehabilitation of those rendered homeless by the fire. Tents, blankets and food had started pouring in by the evening. We are enlisting the affected families. They will be provided with every possible help, said Red Cross honorary secretary Naresh Gupta. He appealed to residents to drop relief material for the victims at the Red Cross office. However, all civil and police officials were tight-lipped about the mushrooming of the illegal colony. Villagers said a major fire had devastated the habitation 8-10 years ago, but the migrant population was allowed to set base again at the same place by the politicians and the administration. Punjab revenue and public relations minister Bikram Singh Majithia on Tuesday filed a defamation suit against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh, who had accused him of running drug racket in the state. The minister filed the criminal suit under Sections 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the court of judicial magistrate Bikramjit Singh through his lawyer Bharat Bir Singh Sobti. The next hearing is on Friday (January 15). Talking to the media, Majithia said Sanjay Singh had called him a drug lord without evidence, which was derogatory. During the Jor Mela political conference at Fatehgarh Sahib, the AAP in-charge of state affairs had also said that if his party came to power, it would put Majithia behind bars. In court, Majithias lawyer will produce the December 28 newspaper clippings carrying Sanjays statement. Not I but Sanjay Singh now will go to jail, said Majithia, adding: On what basis has he called me a drug lord? Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders are involved in mudslinging. I will ensure that this AAP leader (Sanjay Singh), parachuted in Punjab from Uttar Pradesh, gets punished, the minister said, adding that court and investigators had given him clean chit in the Jagdish Bhola drug case. Will say it a thousand times: AAP leader Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh on Tuesday said that he was unfazed by the defamation suit filed against him by Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia. I will repeat what I have said about Majithia a thousand times. If I come from Uttar Pradesh, how does it matter to him? Sanjay Singh said in a written statement issued here. Majithia might consider himself very powerful but he cannot suppress my voice with a defamation suit. Drug trade in the state flourished in the past almost nine years of the Akali rule, stated Sanjay Singh. He said Majithia, who had now alleged defamation, was the same man who had used foul language in the state assembly. How can a man who used filthy language in the august House claim that his dignity is hurt? he added. The Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission in association with the industries and commerce department has started preparations for a first ever Dalit NRI Sammelan in the state, being scheduled in the last week of February. The commission chairman Rajesh Bagha on Tuesday met industries minister Madan Mohan Mittal, seeking support for facilitating dalit NRIs who will converge for the event as aspiring investors. Bagha said the idea behind holding a Dalit NRI Sammellan was to motivate the dalits from Punjab to invest back in their home state. The sammellan will also act as a catalyst in providing jobs to the dalits and guide them in starting their own business ventures, Bagha said adding that the NRIs from the US, the UK, France, Italy, Australia and the gulf countries will take part in the event. Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday said the India-Pakistan talks must continue and the two countries must not walk into the trap of vested interests and rogue elements who are bent upon sabotaging the peace process. We cannot keep watching our soldiers getting killed every time, Amarinder said, adding, Peace between the two countries has no alternative and it is not possible without talks. The former Punjab chief minister observed that whenever there was a peace initiative, it was sabotaged by the rogue elements by engineering a terror attack in India. It had repeatedly happened in the past and was being repeated, he said. Amarinder said the Jaish-e-Mohammed that was responsible for the attack was under the direct control of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan, which in turn was controlled by the Pakistani army. The Pakistani army fears that once peace prevails between India and Pakistan, it may lose it relevance. Hence, they will always try to sabotage any move aimed at building confidence and peace between the two nations, Amarinder said. He said majority of Pakistanis wanted peace and it was only a small minority like the army and ISI that did not want peace between the two countries. We must be wary of these elements and defeat their designs, he said, adding, for the people of Punjab and other border states peace was all the more important as they were the worst sufferers during hostilities between the two countries. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal began his two-day visit in Punjab by paying a visit to the families of Pathankot martyrs. Kejriwal promised to give Rs 2 lakh each to the families of Capt Fateh Singh and Havaldar Kulwant Singh who died in the recent terror attack on Pathankot air base. His visit is seen as his first call for the partys 2017 assembly poll campaign in the state. He will address his first public rally in the state on the occasion of Maghi Mela on Thursday. Ahead of the Muktsar rally, where the party is expected to sound the bugle for the 2017 assembly elections, a video was released where he greets listeners with the traditional Sikh salute, Sat Sri Akal, before inviting people to the event in chaste Punjabi. Please do come, I want to talk to you, bring rewris as I love them. We will sit together to talk and enjoy the rewri, Kejriwal says in the video. The Maghi Mela conference, where the AAP is expecting a good turnout, will allow the party to spell out its poll agenda for the people of Punjab. AAP leaders are aiming to repeat the historic win of Delhi polls in Punjab which will help the party expand its footprint beyond the national capital. The party performed well in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Punjab, winning four of the 13 seats. Political circles were already buzzing with speculations of re-alignments and new partnerships ahead of the 2017 polls. Reports suggested that Peoples Party of Punjab leader Manpreet Singh Badal, the estranged nephew of chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, could be holding talks with the AAP leadership to dethrone the Shiromani Akali Dal in the state. (with agency inputs) Even the return of Captain Amarinder Singh to the helm of Punjab Congress could not save it the blushes of a string of desertions. The announcement of the Khadoor Sahib bypoll will be the first litmus test for Amarinders leadership in the run-up to the 2017 assembly polls. Though the state Congress president has chosen to dismiss the deserters as deadwood, the party is no more seems to be on the sure footing it was a month ago when Amarinder put up an impressive show at Bathinda. That the bypoll has been thrust upon by his loyalist --- former Khadoor Sahib MLA Ramanjit Sikki resigned to protest against sacrilege incidents --- makes winning it a job Amarinder would have to oversee to the finish. In all likelihood, Captain would re-nominate Sikki, who may have won more sympathisers in his largely Panthic constituency by resigning over an emotive issue. That is also the Congress best bet to clinch the bypoll against the might of ruling Akalis who will pull out all stops to be seen on a winning track after recent setbacks. Huge stakes for both parties Both parties have huge stakes in this predominantly rural constituency. The Congress needs to reclaim its turf lest it is seen as losing even winning seats to the Akalis. As for the ruling Badals, the verdict will be a barometer of the partys popularity graph which had nosedived following the sacrilege incidents of Guru Granth Sahib and backlash from Sikh radicals after firing on protesters. Luckily for both SAD and Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party has decided not to contest. However, its breakaway leader Bhai Baldeep Singh, who unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Khadoor Sahib as AAP candidate, has the potential to turn it into a three-corner contest. SAD stalwart Ranjit Singh Brahmpura was defeated by Congress debutant Ramanjit Singh Sikki in the 2012 assembly polls. Brahmpura was resurrected in the Lok Sabha elections when the AAP played a spoiler for the Congress. A confidant of chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, Brahmpura is likely to get the ticket for his adopted son Ravinder Brahmpura. The importance of the bypoll for the Akalis can be gauged from the fact that the chief minister did not lose time in preparing a favourable ground by holding a series of sangat darshans in the constituency soon after it was announced as vacant by the election commission. The Akalis even made Khadoor Sahib the venue for their last Sadbhawna rally merging it with the Amritsar rally to ensure an impressive show. In the perception game, Khadoor Sahib will be the semi-finals for both SAD and Congress to the grand finale in 2017. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Even as the Punjab agriculture department has been tainted by the cotton pesticide scam, irregularities have surfaced in the purchase of water distillation apparatus installed in laboratories of the department in the 2014-15 financial year. In all, 48 units of distillation apparatus were purchased at a total cost of Rs 74 lakh for installation in 23 labs across the state. Each lab needs an average of 2 litres of distilled water daily to test farm soil samples. The running cost of each distillation apparatus works out to be Rs 12,000 per year, whereas the distilled water required annually (600 litres) is available for Rs 6,000 in the open market. One of the labs, located in Rupnagar, is getting a 40-litre can of distilled water free of cost every month from the nearby National Fertiliser Limited (NFL) plant, an agriculture officer deputed there said on the condition of anonymity. Punjab additional chief secretary-cum financial commissioner, development, Suresh Kumar confirmed that he had assigned the probe into the matter to secretary, agriculture, KS Pannu. We are looking into the matter, let us see what comes out, Kumar told Hindustan Times. Pannu has already initiated the inquiry, which led to an inspection of the apparatus that was delivered at all 23 labs within three days in March-end last year, as part of the purchases made in 2014-15 from a single supplier, the HT investigation revealed. On Tuesday, a one-member inspection team comprising Dr HS Thind, a retired scientist of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, inspected the apparatus installed at the Rupnagar lab. The HT team found that the distillation apparatus could not distil 10 litres of water per hour as only one of its three key elements was functional. When asked, staff members said the lab was not equipped with the three-phase power connection that was mandatory to run the apparatus. A closer look revealed that even the normal 240-volt electricity connection could not bear the load of the running apparatus that had to be switched off every 10 minutes. Dr Thind remained tight-lipped about the probe, saying that this was an internal and confidential matter of the department. The lab at Morinda did not even have a water connection, while the distillation apparatus was kept unused. Last week, a team that inspected the Morinda lab found that the staffers had bought a 30-ft pipe with their own money to draw water from a toilet tap. The sanitary ware of the lab was rusty and non-functional. Industries dept under scanner Surprisingly, the distillation apparatus was included in the rate contract list of glassware items such as burettes, beakers and slides by the industries department, the nodal wing for such purchases by all government departments. Things went in favour of a single supplier of all glassware items and distillation apparatus to different departments as certain officials of the industries department introduced a clause a mandatory chemical composition test report of the glassware to be supplied under the rate contract. The lone supplier had then procured a chemical composition test report from a Panchkula-based laboratory. The same lab later denied any such test conducted by it. Glassware scam: VB probe in limbo HT had highlighted the glassware scam in July 2014, exposing the purchase of equipment such as capillary tubes, burettes and micro slides by the health department. The capillary tubes were then procured at a cost of Rs 23 lakh, with the listed rate being Rs 95 per piece against the earlier approved rate of 68 paise in the previous rate contract list of the industries department. The inquiry was then assigned to special secretary, health, Vikas Garg, who said he had already submitted his probe report to principal secretary health Vini Mahajan. Action is still awaited. The Punjab vigilance bureau (VB) had registered a complaint for a probe into the purchase of entire glassware on behalf of the industries department in August 2014. Till date, the only reply, dated December 31, 2015, that the complainant has got from the VB is that a report in this regard is awaited from the industries department. The VB had responded with the similar reply to the complainant in July 2015 also. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Security forces in Ferozepur were on toes on Tuesday after the residents mistook two men repairing telephone lines in army fatigues for terrorists. Panic spread through the entire town and the army was informed. The army cordoned off the entire cantonment area and a quick reactions team (QRT) team was deployed to search for the suspected terrorists. However, when the CCTV camera, installed near the spot where the two men were repairing the cable, was checked, the suspected terrorists turned out to be telephone linesmen from Signals Regiment, who had come to repair the telephone lines passing through the area. DIG Ferozepur range, Amar Singh Chahal, said that after going through CCTV footage, the two men were identified to be personnel of the Indian Army working to lay cable. Panicked parents, recalling the recent Pathankot attacks when six terrorists sporting army fatigues found their way inside the Pathankot Air Force Station and killed seven army personnel, thronged schools to collect their children. Ferozepur senior superintendent of police Hardyal SinghMann said, The rumors regarding firing or infiltration by terrorists are all baseless and there is no need to panic. (With inputs from Agency) Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Captain Amarinder Singh termed the joint investigation team (JIT) formed by Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif to look into the terror attack on the Pathankot airbase an eyewash. Its ironic that the Pakistan spy agency ISI that controls the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed that is believed to behind the deadly strike is a part of the JIT, Amarinder told reporters at former PPCC chief Partap Singh Bajwas house in Qadian in Gurdaspur district. The riverine border near Pathankot is porous. The ultras seemed to have taken advantage of it. The Shagarhgarh tehsil in Pakistan that was a part of Gurdaspur district before Partition provided Pakistani intruders an easy way to sneak into India, he claimed. Replying to a query, the PPCC chief said Punjab Police had given information to the Centre about the presence of Pakistani ultras in the area 48 hours before they launched the attack. On the alleged abduction of the Gurdaspur superintendent of police (headquarters) Salwinder Singh by the terrorists before the attack, Amarinder said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was already looking into the matter. Amarinder claimed that the Congress was enjoying a good position and was sure of returning to power in Punjab. The Congress is open to an alliance with the like-minded, secular parties such as the Peoples Party of Punjab, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Left, he added. Amarinder said the Congress had lost the last Assembly elections by a margin of 0.8% votes only.Now, we have emerged much stronger while the SAD-BJP alliance is feeling the heat, said Captain, adding that the Aam Aadmi Party wont matter much in the upcoming elections. Cong leaders attend martyrs bhog Amarinder attended the bhog ceremonies of Gurdaspur martyrs Fateh Singh and Kulwant Singh, who laid down their lives fighting terrorists during the Pathankot attack. Amarinder was accompanied by Punjab Congress campaign committee chairperson Ambika Soni, general secretary and in-charge of Punjab affairs Shakeel Ahmad, AICC secretary Harish Chaudhary, Congress Legislative Party leader Charanjit Singh Channi, former PCC president Partap Singh Bajwa and other senior leaders. In his tribute, Amarinder said soldiers from Gurdaspur are known for their gallantry. He also promised the families of the two martyrs all help. A 40-year-old petrol pump worker was allegedly shot dead by a customer when he asked the latter to settle his payment dues of Rs 57,000 at Dhaki Saidan village, some 15 km from Pathankot. Umesh Sharma, a native of Bhatoli village, Himachal Pradesh was working as a salesman in a local petrol pump on Pathankot-Jalandhar national highway, was shot dead by one Rupinder Singh on January 9, SHO Gurwinder Singh said. The entire incident was recorded in a CCTV camera installed at the fuel pump, he said. As per the footage, the accused was showing his .30 bore pistol to Umesh in the presence of another petrol pump employee, when the victim asked Rupinder to settle his outstanding dues amounting to Rs 57,000. The victim also refused to fill the petrol tank of Rupinders vehicle, police said. In a fit of rage, Rupinder, a regular at the petrol pump shot dead the victim, they said. After the crime, Rupinder took out the body from the petrol pumps cabin and dumped it about 150 feet away in nearby bushes and fled from the spot, Singh said. Rupinder has been arrested in the case, police said, adding that further investigations were on. Bringing a relief to Panjab University (PU), the University Grants Commission (UGC) finally ordered the release of Rs 150 crore grant to the university on Monday. After facing financial crisis for a year and witnessing several protests from students and teachers associations against inordinate delay in the release of grant, the PU issued a statement saying that the sanction order for the current financial year had been received. The statement read that the university had decided to release arrears of dearness allowance (DA) of the employees and pensioners. Panjab University Teachers Association president Prof Akshaya Kumar said: Receiving the grant after such a long wait does not call for any celebration. Its good that the Union ministry of human resource development sensed our struggle that we undertook to get the funds released. The PU was waiting for the grant for the past eight months and the authorities had to shuffle the funds to pay salaries to all the employees, that too without arrears and DA. Now the university needs to make sure that the process of release of the grants is regularised from now onwards as salary payment is the primary concern. An instalment of Rs 50 crore is also pending with the ministry, said Kumar. PU vice-chancellor (V-C) Prof Arun Kumar Grover said the amount would be spent on disbursement of salaries and pension. Due to the lack of funds, the university couldnt pay the DA since January last year. As per officials, grants from the Centre were required to meet the budget deficit of the university. The salary bills of around 3,000 employees working on the campus are around Rs 25 crore per month. Officials say salary constitutes 87% of the non-planned budget expenditure of the university. The issue had started after Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had alleged misappropriation of funds on the campus and had written to the MHRD regarding the same, resulting in the delay. With the political connections of Gurdaspur superintendent of police Salwinder Singh under scanner after the recent Pakistani terrorist attack on the Pathankot airbase, deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has denied that any senior Akali leader from Majha or for that matter anyone from his party is to blame for the intrusion. National Investigation Agency (NIA) is questioning the SP, who is said to be close to former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) minister Sucha Singh Langah, who owns a 100-acre farmhouse in the border belt. Both have been photographed together on several occasions. Speaking with HT on the sidelines of his Talwandi Sabo tour on Tuesday, Sukhbir said it was strange how anybody could imagine any Akali leader to be involved in the Pathankot incident. Earlier, they linked the partys name to the drug issue for no reason, and now this totally baseless charge, said the deputy CM. What is wrong if Langah was photographed with the SP posted in his area? he added. AAP eating into Cong vote bank Replying to queries about the Punjab visit of Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal during the Maghi Mela on January 12, the Deputy CM said the AAP was no threat to Shiromani Akali Dal, as it was eating into only the Congress vote bank. The Congress is dying in the state and the AAP is trying to grab the space it has left. Both are nowadays involved in catfight, said Sukhbir. Taking jibe at new leaders in the AAP, the deputy CM said they were the SAD and Congress discards. Strange that the AAP finds them capable, he remarked. Sukhbir said though the AAP had made tall claims of being sympathetic to the common masses but it had lost its moral high ground after failing to deliver on any of the election promises in Delhi, so far. It owes an explanation to people. Punjabs people should ask it about its plans for the state, he said. Earlier at Kailey Bandar, Nangla and Behman Jassa villages in Bathinda district, the Deputy CM laid the foundation stones of underground irrigation water projects, besides stadiums at Raman village and Talwandi Sabo, worth Rs 3 crore and Rs 4 crore, respectively. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A 16-year-old girl died on the spot after unidentified assailants threw her off a running train in Latehar region. The incident took place on Monday night between Kechaki and Mangara railway stations on the Coal India Chord section of Dhanbad railway division (ECR) when the victim was travelling to Barwadih with a relative on the Chopan-Chunar-Barwadih down passenger train. The victim has been identified as Shayada Khatun from Mahuatikar in Bhandaria block of Garhwa district. She was travelling with her relative Mansoor, 22, at the time of the incident. Following a family dispute, the victims family had fled from their native village recently. After testifying in a court in Ranka, we boarded the train at Garhwa at 9.20 pm and were to get down at Barwadih, Mansoor said. No sooner had the train left Kechaki railway station around 10.20 pm than 10-12 armed people came to us (and) snatched away our mobile and Rs 700... They tried to drag away Shayada with them. When I resisted, they attacked me with a knife. Later they pushed her out of the door of the running train, he recalled. The reason for the incident could not immediately be ascertained. I dont know the assailants identity... They (did not) loot any other passengers travelling with us, he added. Mansoor said the assailants got off before the train reached Mangra and disappeared in the dark. He too disembarked to look for Shayada. I found her dead when I reached there, he said, adding that his pleas for help from residents of a nearby village fell on deaf ears. Officials at the Kechaki railway station were informed of the incident on Tuesday morning, following which they directed Mansoor to go to the Railway Protection Force post in Barwadih and then to the Government Railway Police (GRP) in Daltonganj. We are looking into the matter. A team has been dispatched to the spot. More details are awaited, GRP sub inspector Sugriv Ram said. The year 2015 has proved to be a good year for the corporate real estate sector in India. With the gradual revival in the US economy, a large number of business segments including the IT/ITeS (Information Technology/Enabled services), banking, financial services, consulting and research, saw growth in the country. Of particular importance for India was the growth of shared services firms and e-commerce companies, which expanded their corporate space requirements across the countrys leading cities. While demand from corporate occupiers remained strong, the supply of investment-grade office space remained a challenge. Demand for corporate office space in Indias leading cities firmed up in 2015, while market sentiments improved to a large extent. A number of leading corporate occupiers moved into quality office developments across leading cities throughout the year; and a key development remained a spurt in office space leasing by online retail firms, particularly in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Bengaluru. Major trends of 2015 Pre-commitments in under-construction space and built-to-suit: The paucity of available, quality developments saw corporate occupiers increasingly pre-commit to spaces in under-construction projects across leading cities. The quality space crunch in prime markets saw occupiers even considering built-to-suit options in 2015. These trends are likely to continue and grow in forthcoming months. IT/ITeS drove demand, e-commerce contributed significantly: The IT/ITeS, banking and financial services, and engineering sectors continued to drive demand for corporate office space across leading cities in 2015. However, the e-commerce segment also accounted for significant corporate office space take-up during the year. Suburban/peripheral micro-markets attracted occupiers: Corporate occupier leasing remained strong in the suburban/peripheral micro-markets of leading cities during the year, owing to the availability of large, investment-grade office spaces in these locations. These districts would include Gurgaon and Noida in Delhi NCR; Whitefield and Outer Ring Road in Bengaluru; Raidurga in Hyderabad, OMR in Chennai, Thane and Navi Mumbai in Mumbai; and Rajarhat in Kolkata, among others. Office space purchases: The year saw large occupiers in the IT/ITeS, financial and pharmaceutical sectors purchasing their own office spaces, instead of leasing them. This has been a good indicator of multi-national corporations reiterating their faith in the Indian economy. Rental values witnessed an increase: Rental values of corporate real estate across key micro-markets in the leading cities saw a significant y-o-y increase due to non- availability of quality ready-to-move-in office spaces. Market Outlook: 2016 With the recent relaxation in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) guidelines for Indias real estate sector, the government has now permitted 100% FDI under the automatic route in completed projects for the operation and management of business centres. This easing of investment restrictions will now, hopefully, help in the monetisation of completed commercial assets, increasing liquidity for most development firms in the country. This is a tremendous opportunity for foreign investors, and in the long run can significantly boost the share of foreign capital in Indias real estate sector. Once investments begin to flow into the sector, the supply of new, quality office space would still take some time to come into the market. Given the sustained demand for investment-grade spaces from corporate occupiers, this would keep up the pressure on rentals across key office districts in leading cities through forthcoming quarters. Another major challenge that will need to be tackled in the coming year will be the creation of large scale, sustainable infrastructure across our leading cities. The growth and development of transit hubs will also be important for the long-term growth of commercial realty in the country. It will become imperative for development firms, moreover, to enter into strategic public-private partnerships with the state for attracting overseas investments into Indias urban centres. Going forward, corporate occupiers will evaluate cities on the basis of sustainable infrastructure and state government policies. The India office market has witnessed a recovery on the back of an improving domestic and US economy; and the countrys real estate has remained the preferred destination for the corporate occupiers in the IT-business process management industry and the growing e-commerce segment. For most global corporate office occupiers setting up a business base in the country, space take-up strategies will be tied in with their overall corporate strategies, as they continue to off-shore and send knowledge/product based work to India. India will continue to attract multi-national corporate firms owing to its talent pool, scalability and cost effectiveness. The author is the chairman and MD at CBRE South Asia Pvt Ltd Much like the rice gruel in the earthen pot on fire that boils and brims over to the chant of Pongolo Pongal on the morning of January 15, Tamil Nadu theatres will be overflowing with films. There are four Tamil releases that day, and as if this was not enough, the extensively written about English movies, Quentin Tarantinos The Hateful Eight and Tom Hoopers The Danish Girl, will also be jostling for the very limited screen space available in the state. The four Tamil films are Sivakarthikeyans Ponram-directed Rajini Murugan, Pandiraj-helmed Vishal starrer Kathakali, Udhayanidhi Stalins Gethu (directed by Thirukumaran) and Balas Tharai Thappattai. These happen to be some of the biggest names in Tamil cinema. Yes, of course, you do not have a Rajinikanth or Kamal Haasan movie. Not even one with Suriya. 2015 in retrospect: Tamil films with unique storylines, formats These films will also be battling not just for cinemas but also patronage. Not many are willing to spend money and time watching multiple Tamil pictures in the course of the few days during Pongal, with the result that two or three of the four releases may disappear into the sunset. In fact, Tamil Nadu does not have too many screens -- just about 1600-odd of which less 1000 are capable of handling fresh releases. Also, in the current scenario, almost 90 per cent of the revenue a movie makes come during the first weekend, which is Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This is one important reason why producers, distributors, exhibitors and even directors/actors in Tamil Nadu are almost paranoid about film reviews appearing on a Friday. They would prefer them to be published on a Sunday, when the movie has made its money. And so, often press shows are held only on the day a film opens, which is normally a Friday afternoon or evening. Read: How Tamil cinema will fare in the era of Netflix Now, lets us take a look at what the cinema offers this week. Rajini Murugan is a comedy by Ponram, who debuted with Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam in 2013 -- also a witty take on life, albeit of a romantic kind. Rajini Murugan stars Sivakarthikeyan and Keerthi Suresh in lead roles with Soori Samuthirakani and Rajkiran as support cast. (RajiniMurugan2015/Facebook) Kathakali is a thriller with Catherine Tresa by Pandiraj -- who has given us movies like Pasanga, about the steel and determination of a child who wants to be district collector. Kathakali stars Vishal and Catherine Tresa. (Nikkilcinema) Thirukumarans Gethu is also a thriller, a crime mystery, made by a man who wove a fantasy called Maan Karate in 2014. Thirukumarans Gethu stars Udhayanidhi Stalin and Amy Jackson. (Nikkilcinema) Finally, we have Tharai Thappattai, a musical drama (probably most suited for the festive mood). Director Bala is credited with revolutionising Tamil cinema with his dark and forbidding take on the states downtrodden working class. Works like Sethu and Naan Kadavul are classic examples. His latest outing on Pongal Day may well be a pleasant departure from all this. Balas Tharai Thappattai stars M Sasikumar and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar. (Nikkilcinema ) And, yes, if the audiences are not quite in the mood for Tamil fare, there is always The Danish Girl, screened at Venice last year. A pseudo-biographical drama loosely inspired by the lives of Danish painters, Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili was one of the first to have undergone sex-change therapy in the early 19th century. Much has been written about The Hateful Eight, whose impressive star cast of Tim Roth, Kurt Russell, Samuel L Jackson and Jennifer Jason Leigh among others narrates, in a kind of Western, a story set a few years after the American Civil War. The characters find themselves trapped in a log house as a blizzard rages on. ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop Irrfan Khan has found a new in US TV actor Mindy Kaling! Kaling took to Twitter to announce her love for the The Lunchbox star Irrfan Khan. You are my favourite actor in the world. Everyone follow the great @irrfan_k, she wrote on Monday. Mindy was replying to Irrfans tweet where he where he thanked her for sharing his picture on Instagram. You are my favorite actor in the world. Everyone follow the great @irrfan_k. https://t.co/487yTX1UzK Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) January 10, 2016 Replying to the creator of The Mindy Project, Irrfan tweeted: @mindykaling thank you so much... Those words from you, mean a lot. You should come to India soon ... Die hard fans waiting for you. @mindykaling thanks so much.... Those words from you, mean a lot. You should come to India soon ... Die hard fans waiting for u :-) irrfan (@irrfan_k) January 11, 2016 After Tom Hanks, Mindy Kaling is another actor from Hollywood who has praised the 49-year-old. Read: My journey to stardom was challenging, says Irrfan US President Barack Obama voiced regret for failing to unite Washington since taking office on a wave of hope in 2009, as he prepared to give a State of the Union speech on Tuesday to launch his final year in the White House. Asked about his inability to heal Americas political divisions, Obama told NBCs Today show, Its a regret. The president planned to speak optimistically about Americas future in his speech in Congress, one of his few remaining chances to capture and hold the attention of millions of Americans before the Nov. 8 election of a new president who will take office next January. The Democratic president will give his final State of the Union address as campaign rhetoric for Novembers presidential election intensifies with candidates fighting over illegal immigrants, wage inequality and violence. In a reflective mood, Obama said in the NBC interview that he could have done a better job talking to the country during his presidency so he could communicate constantly and with confidence. Particularly during times of stress, the American people need to hear from their president in terms of what it is exactly that were trying to do. Things that Ive done well during the campaign Ive not always done well as president. he said. Aides said Obama will try to generate support for issues he has been unable to resolve such as a Pacific trade pact, tighter gun laws and closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison. Scheduled for 9 p.m. ET (0200 GMT on Wednesday), Obamas speech is expected to stick to themes he hopes will define his legacy. Obama is likely to tout last years Iran nuclear deal and improved U.S.-Cuba relations as achievements, while urging Congress to back criminal justice reform, support the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact and close the U.S military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Islamic State He will also likely discuss the US fight against Islamic State, which has generated criticism from Republicans as being too meagre. There is one thing that we hope to hear from the president, and that is a comprehensive plan to defeat ISIS, House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters, using an acronym for the militant group that has taken over large areas of Syria and Iraq. Americans are so anxious right now about their security, about whats going on around the world, said Ryan, a Republican. Aides say Obama plans in his last year in office to make good on a 2008 election campaign promise to close Guantanamo prison, which has housed foreign terrorism suspects after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. Obama took a swipe at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trumps rhetoric on the campaign trail where the billionaire real-estate tycoon has derided illegal immigrants. Im pretty confident that the overwhelming majority of Americans are looking for the kind of politics that does feed our hopes and not our fears, that does work together and doesnt try to divide us, that isnt looking for simplistic solutions and scapegoating, Obama said in answer to a question about Trump. Asked whether he could imagine Trump as president giving his own State of the Union address, Obama said: I can imagine it in a Saturday Night skit, referring to the late-night Saturday Night Live television comedy show. But he added that anythings possible. And I think, you know, we shouldnt be complacent. First lady Michelle Obama will host people in her seating area during the speech who reflect the presidents priorities. This years guests include Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella and a Syrian refugee who lives in Michigan. Watch | Highlights of Obamas State of the Union address Some 400 Syrians on the brink of death must be urgently evacuated from Madaya to receive medical treatment, the United Nations said Monday after the first deliveries of aid in months arrived in the besieged town. Aid workers found the 400 Syrians suffering from starvation, malnourishment and other illnesses during a visit to a hospital in Madaya, said UN aid chief Stephen OBrien. Around 400 are in need of being evacuated for life-saving medical attention, OBrien told reporters following a closed-door UN Security Council meeting. They are in grave peril of losing their lives. The United Nations has asked the Syrian government and armed groups controlling access the town to allow the 400 Syrians to be transported out of Madaya, he said. Hours earlier, a convoy of 44 trucks loaded with food, baby formula, blankets and other supplies entered Madaya, which has been under siege by President Bashar al- Assads forces for six months. An additional 21 trucks delivered supplies to two other towns besieged by the rebels: Fuaa and Kafraya. The council met to discuss the situation in Madaya where residents told AFP they had resorted to eating grass and killing cats for meat to survive. The medical charity MSF says 28 people have starved to death since December 1. US Ambassador Samantha Power said over 400 people are on the brink of death in need of immediate medical evacuation from Madaya. UN officials are hoping to carry out the evacuation on Tuesday. Permission for secure access must come from all the parties who govern any of the routes that need to be deployed, either for the ambulances or for any kind of air rescue, said OBrien. Syrias UN envoy Bashar Jaafari dismissed reports of starvation in Madaya as fabrications and accused terrorists inside the town of stealing the supplies. End the sieges Britain and France are calling for an end to the sieges. Starving civilians is an inhuman tactic used by the Assad regime and their allies, said British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft. All sieges must be lifted to save civilian lives and to bring Syria closer to peace, he said in a statement. The United Nations says it is struggling to deliver aid to about 4.5 million Syrians who live in hard-to-reach areas, including nearly 400,000 people in 15 besieged areas. Madaya is tragically far from being unique, said OBrien. French Ambassador Francois Delattre said lifting the sieges was key ahead of a new round of peace talks between Assads government and the opposition planned for January 25 in Geneva. The intra-Syrian negotiations will not resume unless there is an improvement of the civilians plight, he said. More than 260,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government demonstrations. British MPs and campaigners have described an Indian courts judgement sentencing 35 seafarers - including six Britons - to five years rigorous imprisonment as a miscarriage of justice, while their families have expressed shock and dismay. On Monday, the district principal sessions court at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu pronounced the judgement under the Arms Act against the personnel who were on the anti-piracy vessel MV Seaman Guard Ohio. The ship was intercepted by Indias Coast Guard with arms and ammunition on October 12, 2013. Prime Minister David Cameron had taken up the issue with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi before the latters visit in November, while MPs too raised it in parliament. A petition on the issue was signed by over 300,000 people. The six Britons are Billy Irving from Connel, Argyllshire, Nick Dunn from Northumberland, Ray Tindall of Chester, John Armstrong from Cumbria and Paul Towers and Nicholas Simpson, both from North Yorkshire. They have been jailed for arms and smuggling offences. As MPs promised to keep working for their release and relatives of the jailed men criticised authorities for not doing enough, the Foreign Office said: Our staff in India and the UK have been in close contact with all six men since their arrest to provide support to them and their families, including attending court. It added: We recognise what a difficult time this is for those involved. There is now a 90-day window to appeal and we will continue to provide consular assistance. However, we cannot interfere in another countrys judicial process. Campaigners responded strongly to the judgement. David Hammond, CEO of Human Rights at Sea, said: (Noting) the case narrative to date and the competing and vested interests within India to be seen to take actionthis appears to be a travesty of justice for the ordinary crew-members who we understand were not aware of instructions being passed down from the employer, and who were otherwise simply doing their job. Ken Peters of the Mission to Seafarers said: These men are seafarers but it seems the court did not accept the basic fact that the ship was and is an anti-piracy vessel. The men carried arms in accordance with international maritime law for the purpose of ensuring the merchant fleet was protected properly from the very real risk of pirate attacks and hijack. Yvonne MacHugh, Billy Irvings fiancee, who launched the petition on the issue, said: I want to know what David Cameron is going to do - will he get these boys home or let these six ex-British soldiers, who gave so much to our country, spend five years in an Indian prison for something they didnt do? SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Islamic State group is claiming responsibility for the Baghdad mall attack that killed 18 people on Monday. Gunmen stormed into the Jawhara Mall after setting off a car bomb and launching a suicide attack at its entrance. Iraqi officials say the attack which lasted over an hour, killed at least 18 people and wounded 50 in the citys mainly Shiite east. The IS statement, posted online shortly after the attack, said a car bomb and four IS fighters carried out the attack, targeting an area where many Shiite Muslims are known to gather and warned of worse to come. Iraqi officials say the attack was carried out by seven men, one of whom died when he detonated his explosive vest at the start of the attack. The conflicting accounts could not immediately be reconciled. Iraqi officials initially described the attack as a hostage situation, estimating that 50 people were trapped inside the complex. But Iraqi forces soon surrounded the building and landed troops on the roof. They clashed with the attackers inside, killing two of them, and arresting the other four. At least four police officers were among those killed in the assault, which lasted around an hour and a half, according to police and medical officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters. Following the attack, authorities shut down the citys highly fortified Green Zone, home to a number of foreign embassies and most of the countrys political elite. A number of major roads, shopping malls and bridges around the Iraqi capital were also closed for fear of follow-up attacks. Also on Monday evening, a car bomb in southeast Baghdad in a crowded market area killed five and wounded 12, according to hospital and police officials. Another deadly attack was carried out in the town of Muqdadiyah, about 60 miles (90 kilometers) north of Baghdad in Diyala province. A double suicide bombing at a cafe killed 24 and wounded 52, according to hospital and police officials. Police officials say the cafe was frequented by militia fighters under the government-sanctioned Popular Mobilization Forces and many fighters are among the dead. The Islamic State group suffered a major defeat last month when Iraqi forces drove the extremists out of the western city of Ramadi, capital of the sprawling Anbar province. The group still controls much of northern and western Iraq. The IS rampage across Iraq in the summer of 2014 was halted several miles away from Baghdad, but the group has claimed a number of attacks in the heavily guarded capital since then. A Fortune magazine cover of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos resembling Hindu god Vishnu has drawn outrage from the community in the US over trivialisation of their venerated deity. The January issue of the magazines international edition features a story about Amazons expansion in India. The cover piece, titled Amazon Invades India, talks about how Bezos aims to conquer the next trillion-dollar market. An illustration of the Amazon CEO striking a customary form of Vishnu can be seen on the cover. Lord Vishnu is a highly revered major deity in Hinduism meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to be used indecorously or thrown around loosely in reimagined versions for dramatic effects, Nevada-based Hindu statesman Rajan Zed wrote in a statement emailed to Hindustan Times. The outrage against the cover also spilled onto social media soon after the latest edition of the magazine hit newsstands. Ok, cool @FortuneMagazine now do one with Bezos as Jesus in honor of Black Friday? American technologist and blogger Anil Dash tweeted. Also, many Indian people (like my dad) were born under colonial rule. So a headline discussing a corporate invasion is probably not ideal, he said in another tweet. Cant tell whats worse: the text, the visual, or the fact that it must have passed multiple layers of approval, a Twitter user named Manu tweeted in response to Dashs post. Fortune Editor-In-Chief Alan Murray, however, was quick to apologise over the controversial cover. Fair point, Anil. Apologies to those offended, he tweeted. CEO of technology firm Stripe, Patrick Collison, said Fortune wasnt the only publication that had used the image of a CEO with shades of a religious figure. I think these magazines *are* totally willing to be sacrilegious with Christian imagery too, he tweeted with the image of a cover by The Economist that shows Steve Jobs as Moses, presenting the iPad. inappropriate usage of Hinduism concepts and symbols for pushing selfish agenda or mercantile greed was not okay, Zed said. He pointed out that Hindus understood the purpose of Fortune in this case apparently was not to denigrate Hinduism, but casual flirting like this sometimes resulted in pillaging serious spiritual doctrine. Humour is a part and parcel of Hindu society, but there were certain convictions in every tradition, which were venerable and not meant to be taken lightly, he added. The Fortune cover page has been created by Sydney-based illustrator Nigel Buchanan. His clients include The Wall Street Journal, MTV, The New York Times, etc. Fortune Magazine, launched in 1930 and published from New York by Time Inc., claims to be a global leader in business journalism with a worldwide circulation of more than 1 million and a readership of nearly 5 million. It is published 18 times a year. The demand of campaigners that domestic workers from India and other non-EU countries be allowed to change employment instead of being tied to employers who sponsored their UK visa has been endorsed by an influential independent review. Campaign groups such as Kalayaan, Liberty and Southall Black Sisters have highlighted instances of non-EU domestic workers who suffer abuse from their employers but are unable to change employment since a change to rules in April 2012 tied their visa to their employer. The Independent Review of the Overseas Domestic Workers Visa has recommended to the Home Office in its latest report that to prevent abuse, domestic workers should be granted the right to change employment. The domestic workers visa is used by Indians and others moving to Britain, including diplomats. Such workers can work in the UK for a maximum period of two-and-a-half years; the visa does not lead to permanent settlement. This review has found no evidence that a tie to a single employer does anything other than increase the risk of abuse and therefore increases actual abuse, the reviewer, James Ewins, said in his report. He added: On the balance of the evidence currently available, this review finds that the existence of a tie to a specific employer and the absence of a universal right to change employer and apply for extensions of the visa are incompatible with the reasonable protection of overseas domestic workers while in the UK. The Home Office has not responded to the recommendations, but a spokesman said: This government is committed to stopping modern slavery in all its forms. We are working to ensure we provide all victims of modern slavery and trafficking with the protection and support they need. Welcoming the reviews findings and recommendations, Kalayaan recalled the David Cameron governments stated intention to implement them. The House of Lords successfully voted to insert a clause in the Modern Slavery Bill in February last to allow domestic workers a change of employment. However, it was overturned when the bill returned to the House of Commons, and the bill received royal assent in March, dismaying campaigners who wanted domestic workers to be given the right to change employment. India is among the top 5 source countries for domestic workers in the United Kingdom. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Heavily armed troopers searched the home of The New York Times Pakistan correspondent in Islamabad on Tuesday as part of what they said was an anti-terror operation, triggering speculation that it was an attempt to intimidate the journalist. Salman Masood, who is also the resident editor of the Islamabad edition of The Nation daily, tweeted pictures of the Pakistan Rangers personnel, wearing bulletproof vests and carrying assault rifles, going through cupboards in his home. Rangers have shown up at my house, saying they want to search the premises but have no documents or warrants#islamabad Salman Masood (@salmanmasood) January 12, 2016 In a series of tweets, Masood said the paramilitary troopers arrived at his home early on Tuesday and wanted to search the premises even though they had no documents or warrants. They were accompanied by a man in plain clothes who said he was an intelligence operative. Masood quoted a senior Islamabad Police official as telling him that a terrorist search operation was being conducted. (The Pakistan) Rangers even searched the drawers of my study table and asked if I had any illegal weapons hidden in the house, he tweeted. Rangers troops back,along with a senior officer. Hope they find the terrorist pic.twitter.com/ZiAk8tTFZ8 Salman Masood (@salmanmasood) January 12, 2016 A report on the website of The Nation quoted Masood as saying a few other houses in the neighbourhood were searched but the possibility that it was a cover up cannot be precluded. He said it was hard to escape the conclusion the whole incident was a case of harassment. When Masood protested, the security personnel said they would not leave without searching the house. The personnel, whom Masood described as aggressive, left after searching his home. Rangers say it's a "routine search operation" pic.twitter.com/ItZQAi7mjG Salman Masood (@salmanmasood) January 12, 2016 Many Twitter users, including top Pakistani journalists, condemned the search. Journalists walked out of the National Assembly, the lower house of Pakistans parliament, to protest against the incident. Interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ordered an inquiry to ascertain who had ordered the raid. He also sought an explanation from police and security agencies, saying, Such operations and raids are not acceptable at any cost. Masood is the second New York Times journalist targeted in recent times. Declan Walsh, the former bureau chief of the newspaper, was thrown out of Pakistan in 2013. In the latest attack targeting remote communities, seven people were killed in a Boko Haram gunmen raid in Northeast Nigeria, a local official and the police told AFP on Tuesday. The attack happened on Sunday evening in the town of Madagali, in the north of Adamawa state, which has been repeatedly targeted despite a military counter-offensive against the Islamist rebels. They killed seven people and burnt 10 houses, said the former chairman of the Madagali local government area, Maina Ularamu, who said soldiers pursued the attackers into the bush. We are calling on the security agencies to launch a mission... to flush out the insurgents because they use the bush as their operational base from where they attack Madagali and its environs. Adamawa police spokesperson Abubakar Othman confirmed Ularamus account and said two people were injured. Madagali and nearby towns and villages have been repeatedly hit by Boko Haram raids in recent months, as they are pushed out of their Sambisa Forest stronghold just across the border in Borno state. On December 28, two female suicide bombers struck a market in Madagali, killing at least 30 people -- one of seven attacks last month that largely targeted hard-to-reach locations. Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari had four days earlier declared the Islamic State group affiliate as technically defeated as a result of a months-long counter-offensive by troops. But security analysts believe the insurgents could be lying low until the military lowers its guard, as happened in 2013, when a state of emergency was declared in three northeastern states. Boko Haram increased the frequency and intensity of its campaign to create a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria in 2014, seizing swathes of territory in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. To underline the persistent threat, seven people were killed in a raid in the Gwoza area of Borno last week, while security fears remain after cross-border attacks in Niger, Chad and Cameroon. The suicide bomber who killed at least 10 foreigners in the heart of Istanbuls historic tourist district on Tuesday, most of them German, was a foreign member of the Islamic State group, Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced in a television broadcast. Davutoglu said all of those killed in the attack were foreigners and that he had spoken with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to express condolences. Most of those wounded were also German, he said. Speaking in Ankara in comment broadcast on television, Davutoglu vowed that Turkey would find those linked to the bomber and punish them and said that its fight against Islamic State would continue. At least 10 people were killed and 15 injured after an explosion rocked a central Istanbul square on Tuesday, Turkeys Haberturk television said. The blast, which took place in Istanbuls historic Sultanahmet square, a major tourist attraction in Turkeys most populous city, may have been caused by a suicide bomber, Haberturk said, without citing its sources. There was, however, no official word on the cause of the blast. Foreign tourists from Germany and Norway are among the wounded in Istanbul blast, says CNN Turk. Turkish authorities suspect a terror attack was the cause of the blast, a government official said. Terrorist links are suspected, the officicial told AFP, asking not to be named, after the explosion. Turkish police sealed off the Sultanahmet square after the blast, a Reuters witness said. Ambulances rushed to the scene of the explosion, close to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. The state-run Anadolu Agency said several police and medics were sent to the area. Police secure the area after an explosion in central Istanbul in Turkey. (REUTERS) Turkey witnessed two major bomb attacks last year. More than 30 people were killed in an Islamic State suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near Turkeys border with Syria, in July. Turkish police sealed off a central Istanbul square in the historic Sultanahmet district on Tuesday after a large explosion. (REUTERS) Two suicide bombs in October killed more than 100 people outside Ankaras main train station as people gathered for a peace rally. The prosecutors office said Turkeys deadliest attack was carried out by a local Islamic State cell. Prospects of a first Indian American in the White House died a few weeks ago with Bobby Jindal bowing out of the race but another member of the community is quietly seeing her hopes of breaking into the top echelons of US politics rise. Not for the White House but the corner office whose occupant is just a heartbeat away from the Oval Office. Speculation about 43-year-old Nikki Haley as Republican vice-presidential candidate has started. Fuelling it is her selection to deliver the opposition partys customary rejoinder to President Barack Obamas State of the Union address on Tuesday. It seems she is going to be doing much more this week, which has added to the speculation that the party was positioning her as a vice-presidential pick thats still weeks down the road. The Republican South Carolina governor is scheduled to speak to the partys national committee leaders at their winter meeting this week in her state, on a ship. And the day after, Haley is expected to hold a quiet meeting with fellow governor and presidential candidate Chris Christie, who has begun surging in polls after an insipid start. Politico, a news site that first reported these meetings on Monday, said Haley has forged close ties with two other presidential candidates, former governor Jeb Bush and senator Marco Rubio. Indeed, the chatter about Haleys national prospects has only increased, Politico said in the report. It could have added her rise tracks inversely with Jindals meteoric crash. Jindal, the first Indian American governor, courted international celebrity status by becoming the first Asian to ever run for the White House. His campaign never really took off, though. He tried to obscure his beginnings in an attempt widely slammed as a blunder to broaden his appeal, insisting he was tired of hyphenated Americans, such as Indian-Americans. He was one of them, Jindal seemed to say, arguing he was not seeking votes for that reason. That was a legitimate case to make, politically, but was not enough. He failed to explain an indifferent-to-poor record as governor of Louisiana, whose finances will take a long time to recover from his doctrinaire conservative experiments. Haley, whose parents came from Punjab and whose name is Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Haley and is only the second Indian American governor of any US state ever, was different. She turned around the economy of the state, which was a reason the party chose her for the State of the Union rejoinder, and her healing touch after the Charleston massacre. Haley signed a legislation to remove a Confederate-era flag that had come to symbolize the states racist history blamed for the killing of nine blacks by a white supremacist last June. We are not going to allow this symbol to divide us any longer, Haley said in a nationally televised address, flanked by Republicans and Democrats from the state legislature. The governor had resisted the removal of the flag earlier but quickly embraced the countrywide call for its removal after the massacre, winning rare praise even from liberals. Haley was seen as a healer, uniter and, comparisons being a necessary part of politics, decidedly better than the divisive Jindal who once called his own party stupid. And the Indian American community is proud of her despite its overwhelmingly Democratic affiliation. Jindal, on the other hand, is a hash-tagged off-colour Twitter joke. Atlanta Police detained the rapper Blac Youngsta as he was walking out of a Wells Fargo on Friday after he withdrew $200,000 in cash in order to purchase a new car. The incident occurred after the Wells Fargo bank manager requested police to come due to suspicion that someone had cashed a forged check, reported CNN. Upon arriving at the scene, they arrested 25-year-old Blac Youngsta, whose real name is Sam Benson, and his entourage who were inside his vehicle. However it soon became apparent that the rapper was not the person police were looking for, who blamed the entire incident on mistaken identity. "It was quickly discovered that the person providing the description to police had provided the wrong description of the suspect," said Atlanta police spokeswoman Officer Kim Jones. "This incident did not directly involve Blac Youngsta, nor was he accused of committing a crime," Jones added, according to the New York Daily News. "The [911] caller identified Mr. Charles Darnell Edward (the person who actually committed forgery and later charged with felony forgery)," authorities said. "The rapper, who identified himself as 'Blac Youngsta,' by coincidence happened to be at the bank at the same time." Youngsta described the incident to local media: "They come bum rushing me at the car, put me on the ground, putting guns to my head, so I'm like 'What I'd do.' A lady was like I'm not supposed to have...$200,000 on me. I'm like, 'I'm a millionaire. How can I not have $200,000 on me?'" So why did he have $200,000 on him? He says the bank withdrawal was to fulfill his dream of paying for a new car in cash, according to NBC's Atlanta affiliate WXIA-TV. "My dream I always dreamed about was going to the bank, getting a half a million...and putting the half-million on the dish, like 'Give me that Ghost right there,'" he revealed. In the meantime, a spokesperson for Wells Fargo issued a statement, saying the bank will investigate the situation. "As part of our Vision and Values, we are dedicated to ensuring that our customers have a positive experience in every interaction with us," the spokesperson said. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. On Monday morning, Reuters ran a story claiming that airstrikes killed at least 12 children in the rebel-held town of Aleppo in Syria, blaming Russia for the attack. Reuters claims to have received the information from The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. As of 9:47 a.m., however, no such story had appeared on the U.K.-based monitor's site. "Social media footage released by activists showed large scale destruction of a building with a classroom with destroyed benches and textbooks lying on the floor stained with blood," Reuters reports. "The footage could not be independently verified by Reuters." The Agence France-Presse and The Telegraph also ran stories citing the same "report." No agencies have provided a hyperlink or a direct quote from the report. The city of Aleppo has seen harsh violence in recent weeks. A battle took place on Saturday between Syrian regime forces and the IS in the al-Najara area, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The monitor also reported Hezbollah and Jabhat al-Nusra presence in the area. While the report's origin is dubious, Russia has shown a chronically poor and non-transparent record of successful airstrikes. Amnesty International reported in December that Russian airstrikes have killed hundreds of civilians and wreaked havoc in residential areas. "Some Russian air strikes appear to have directly attacked civilians or civilian objects by striking residential areas with no evident military target and even medical facilities, resulting in deaths and injuries to civilians," said Philip Luther, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International, according to AI. "Such attacks may amount to war crimes." Despite these reports, Russia has maintained its righteousness. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman stated, "Russia is conducting its operation in strict conformity with principles and norms of the international law," according to the AP. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Arch Coal Inc., the holder of the second-largest reserve of coal in the U.S., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday, becoming the latest coal producer to be hit by the U.S.'s shift toward cheaper, cleaner-burning natural gas. The Missouri-based company has been saddled with debt ever since its $3.4 billion acquisition of International Coal Group in 2011. Though the purchase came at the peak of coal prices, a subsequent drop in demand from China, competition from Australian exports and cheap gas has left Arch hemorrhaging money ever since, according to Bloomberg. In it's filing, the company said it reached a deal with a majority of its lenders to erase $4.5 billion of it's $6.5 billion debt. Filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection allows companies to continue operating while working to reorganize their debt. In accordance with that, the company said its mines will remain open and workers will continue getting paid and even retain benefits such as health care and retirement plants, according to ABC News. Monday's filing followed unsuccessful efforts to avert bankruptcy through a debt exchange designed to postpone the maturity of Arch bonds. The effort would have had the coal producer exchange its outstanding debt notes for ones with longer maturity and lower coupon rate. However senior creditors didn't support the move, which would have had to assume greater risks and lower returns. This failure prompted warnings from Arch in November that it could be forced to file for Chapter 11 Protection. "Given how hard it has been to negotiate any deal, especially with senior lenders who seem to want control of the company, it is not surprising that Arch will have to file for Chapter 11 soon," an analyst said at the time, according to Reuters. Arch Coal is the latest in the coal industry to declare bankruptcy. Patriot Coal Corp., Walter Energy Inc., and Alpha Natural Resources Inc., all went into bankruptcy in 2015, and the largest U.S. coal producer, Peabody Energy Corp., hit a record low on Monday and is still down 19.64 percent in afternoon trading. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A flea market find may prove to be extremely valuable for a man who paid $10 for what may be a genuine photograph of the infamous Billy the Kid, according to USA Today. Frank Abrams, a lawyer from North Carolina, purchased the tinytype back in 2012 as part of a set of photos from Smiley's Flea Market in Fletcher, N.C., according to USA Today. After seeing a National Geographic documentary, he began to believe that the image shows Billy the Kid sitting with a number of cowboys, including Pat Garrett, the sheriff who allegedly killed Billy the Kid in 1881, according to the Citizen-Times. "After I Googled Billy the Kid, I said 'oh my gosh, he looks like Pat Garrett!" Abrams told KRQE News. "That's what got it started." Abrams then headed to New Mexico, which is historically linked to Billy the Kid, in the hopes of tracking down experts and authenticating his find, according to USA Today. The recent National Geographic documentary about the newly discovered picture of the outlaw that sold for $5 million led to a series of claims like Abrams', but the fact that there is only one currently undisputed genuine photograph of Billy the Kid makes those claims difficult to verify. Paul Hutton, professor of history at the University of New Mexico, said that many people have presented him with potential Billy the Kid and Jesse James photos, but that there is still only one "real Billy photo," according to the Albuquerque Journal. "Abrams has a very interesting photograph, but only as a historic photograph of cowboys," Hutton told the Albuquerque Journal. "Provenance is the key in these situations, and that is usually difficult to establish." Abrams claims not to be "advocating a position" regarding the authenticity of the tinytype and uninterested in the money that it could bring if found and is instead just interested in the historical significance of the photograph if it turns out to be real, according to the Albuquerque Journal. "This is obviously something that would belong in a museum," Abrams said, according to USA Today. "It is so incredible to have a picture of these cowboys.... This would be an American treasure." @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A beloved police dog named Jethro has passed away after being shot during a grocery store burglary in Ohio, according to the Huffington Post. Jethro was a K-9 with Canton police. Jethro and his officer, Ryan Davis, were responding to an early morning burglary alarm on Saturday morning when they were shot at upon entering the store. Jethro was shot three times and was expected to recover from his injuries but passed away Sunday morning, according to the Guardian. The Police K-9 Association Facebook page made a number of posts following Jethro's progress, informing followers that while the bullets missed any bones or vital organs, brain swelling caused by head trauma unfortunately led to his death. The Police K-9 Association Page posted a photo of Jethro covered by the American flag to share the news and commiserate his death. RIP Jethro. We will post funeral service details later tonight or tomorrow Posted by Police K-9 Association on Sunday, January 10, 2016 "K-9 Jethro #60 you will never be forgotten. We miss you already" reads an Instagram post from the organization, with details of Jethro's memorial service outlined in the following post. Jethro had been with Davis since he was a puppy, according to NY Daily News. K-9 Jethro #60 you will never be forgotten. We miss you already. #policek9 #policek9association #k9jethro #eow A photo posted by Police K-9 Association Inc (@policek9association) on Jan 10, 2016 at 5:19pm PST "There's not a doubt in my mind that that dog saved officers' lives today", Canton police chief Bruce Lawver told the Canton Repository, "They reacted just how they were trained. They were very smart... The officers did a tremendous job." Since Jethro was shot, a GoFundMe page was set up by sympathetic observers to help with medical costs and to provide new bulletproof vests for "all of the Canton PD dogs." At the time of writing, the total amount raised is more than $25,000, twice as much as the stated goal. The alleged shooter is Kelontre Barefield, 22, who has since been charged with aggravated burglary and assaulting a police dog, according to the Beacon Journal. He will be held in jail on bond after being released from the hospital. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Mexico's tax on soft drinks is one of the world's highest, and it appears to be working. Since its implementation in 2014, the consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks in the country has fallen by 12 percent, indicates a new joint study by Mexico's National Institute of Public Health and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Obesity rates among Mexicans of all ages is high, the study notes, at more than 33 percent for young people (2-18 years) and around 70 percent for adults. The prevalence of diabetes in Mexico is also the highest among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. The study found that the average city-dwelling Mexican bought 4.2 fewer liters of taxed soft drinks in 2014, compared with consumption patterns from the previous two years, outlines the Wall Street Journal. In contrast, the same consumers bought 12.8 more liters of untaxed beverages like milk and plain water. Importantly, the study also reveals that the main decline in soft drink consumption has been among those of low socioeconomic status, who are least able to afford health care. Along these lines, however, the tax has critics who claim that it unfairly restricts the purchasing power of lower-income families, as WSJ reports. For many Mexican families living on an average wage, cheap fried food is the most affordable option. "Buying a family combo with fried chicken, fries and a drink feeds me and my three children at a price which I am able to pay," Paola Flores, an office secretary, told the Latin Correspondent. The study recognized that the effect of the soft drink tax has been moderate, stating that in order for it to achieve more impactful results on the nation's health, it should be raised to a 20 percent price increase from its current standing at 10 percent. Overall, the Mexican government's response to obesity is also being praised as a pioneering global example that other nations would do well to emulate at a federal level, including the United States, as the Chicago Tribune suggests. Mexico's obesity rate is the second highest in the developed world, just behind that of the U.S. Mexico also has taken other measures to combat obesity, including incentives for workers to get more active in exchange for public transportation fares, curbing the sale of calorie-heavy foods in schools, taxing packaged snacks, and restricting the number of junk food commercials during TV programs for children, according to the Wall Street Journal. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Republican presidential candidates Rand Paul and Carly Fiorina will not appear on the main stage for the next GOP debate on Thursday. Fox Business, the media outlet broadcasting the debate, announced on Monday that the two fell short of the network's criteria for the first Republican debate of the year and just three weeks before the Iowa caucuses. Fox announced how the stage will be set via Twitter: The candidate lineup for the 9p ET @FoxBusiness #GOPDebate on Thursday, January 14th: pic.twitter.com/mKHykPBzdm Fox News (@FoxNews) January 12, 2016 With just seven candidates on the stage - Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Jeb Bush and John Kasich - Thursday's debate will be the smallest for the GOP yet, The Wall Street Journal noted. Based on the network's criteria, candidates had to either have placed in the top six in national polls, based on an average of the five most recent national polls recognized by Fox News, or have placed within the top five based on the average of the five most recent state polls in Iowa or New Hampshire. In November, Fiorina said that she'll debate on either stage, saying, according to CNN, "We've had no trouble negotiating with networks and my policy remains what it's always been: I'll debate anyone, anytime, anywhere. We need to understand that the media is not going to be fair." Rand Paul, however, is taking a very different stance, saying he'll skip the debate. "I'll be taking my campaign directly to New Hampshire and Iowa. I'm not going to be in South Carolina," Paul told CNN Monday evening, according to Time. "It's a mistake because the thing is we actually have been in the top five or six in most of the recent polls. In fact, last week in a national poll we were just one point out of fourth place. So I think it's a mistake to try to exclude me from the national debate." With that statement, Paul is making good on a promise he has frequently made. Last week he told Politico, "I'm not sure where the purpose is anymore [of the undercard debate], if there ever was one." He added: "I think if you have a national campaign, you've raised a significant amount of money, you're on the ballot, you've employed staff and you're actively campaigning, you've got to be in the debate." Paul has repeatedly criticized the debate formats, saying last month that he would flat out refuse to participate in any of the undercard debates. "I won't participate in any kind of second-tier debate," the Kentucky senator said on Fox Business, BuzzFeed reported. "We've got a first-tier campaign. I've got 800 precinct chairman in Iowa. I've got a 100 people on the ground working for me. I've raised 25 million dollars. I'm not gonna let any network or anybody tell me we're not a first-tier campaign. If you tell a campaign with three weeks to go that they're in the second-tier, you destroy the campaign. This isn't the job of the media to pick who wins. The voters ought to get a chance." @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. At least 10 people were killed and 15 other injured in a suspected suicide bombing at Istanbul's popular Sultanahmet tourist square on Tuesday morning, Turkish media reported. Istanbul's governor's office announced that the explosion occurred at 10:20 a.m. local time near popular tourist spots Sultan Ahmet Camii (Blue Mosque) and Ayasofya (Hagia Sofia). "I've never heard such a loud explosion in my life. It was very violent. Just after the incident I saw shocked tourists falling to the ground," an eyewitness told Anadolu Agency. Explosion in Istanbul's district of Sultanahmet, popular with tourists, and reports of several injured https://t.co/xwzk9xTaTE BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) January 12, 2016 The suicide bomber reportedly blew himself up near a group of tourists, local media said. He allegedly targeted a group of foreign tourists. Security agencies suspect involvement of the Islamic State, ISIS/ISIL or Daesh. However, there was no official confirmation regarding ISIS's role. Turkish President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the deadly blast, noting that the attack was carried out by a Syrian suicide bomber, according to BBC. Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) leader Selahattin Demirtas described the terror attack a brutal massacre. "We condemn the massacre in Sultanahmet. We will not stop following [the blast] so as not to let it be left in the dark and to reveal the ones responsible," he said in his condolence message, according to Dogan news agency. Terrible blast in Istanbul's busy tourist area near Blue Mosque. Ten innocent people already dead. God save us from these long wars w no end SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) January 12, 2016 I condemn the brutal terrorist attack in #Istanbul today. My thoughts are with the victims. Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) January 12, 2016 sad quote from a Turkish friend in Istanbul: "God knows. There are so many groups who could do something like this right now." Mike Giglio (@mike_giglio) January 12, 2016 From a rooftop: ambulances, police, crime scene units at the Blue Mosque #istanbul pic.twitter.com/goe8xXV55Y Zia Weise (@ZiaWeise) January 12, 2016 @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Senior medics in England have warned that the controversial new contract for junior doctors that have been proposed by the government would discriminate strongly against female medical practitioners, according to The Independent. Currently, more than one in 10 junior doctors across England are not working full-time, with most of them being women who are returning from maternity leave. Under the new contract, however, part-time junior doctors would be penalized by a slower career progression. Dr. Andrew Hartle, president of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland, also stated that the proposed removal of some safeguards around shift breaks would be especially disadvantageous for female junior doctors who are working during their pregnancies. Since talks broke down between junior doctors and the government in 2014, the issue has escalated further, culminating in a mass walkout across England on Tuesday. With the 24-hour strike ongoing, about 4,000 routine treatments are set to be postponed, reports BBC News. Though the effects of the strike are quite significant to the health care of patients across medical facilities in England, doctors who participated in the strike feel that the government simply is not providing them with any other choice. "We would not be striking if we felt we had any other alternative. We already work tons of weekends as junior doctors. All we're asking is not to work more of them for less pay. Anyone in their right mind would fight this. We're not asking for perks, just for recognition on how hard we really do work, and not taking a pay cut is part of this," Dr. Nina Beck of Bristol said, according to The Guardian. For more World News, click here. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz slammed Republican party leaders on Monday for putting forth South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to deliver the GOP's response to President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address on Tuesday, saying she was the party's choice because of its "diversity problem." "It's pretty clear that Nikki Haley is being chosen because the Republican Party has a diversity problem," Wasserman Schultz said on a conference call, Politico reported. "Haley's failed record gives her no credibility whatsoever. In fact it exemplifies exactly why the last thing we need is a Republican to make the same mistakes at the national level." Republican National Committee spokesman Michael Short shot back: "Like most things Debbie Wasserman Schultz says, that's just ridiculous. No one disputes the fact Republicans have the most diverse presidential field in the history of either party, though the Democrats do have us beat when it comes to fielding self-described socialists and candidates under FBI investigation," The Hill reported. Haley, who was elected in 2010, has developed a national profile in serving as the youngest governor in the country and the first woman in South Carolina's history elected to the post. She was boosted in the national spotlight in July for successfully removing the Confederate flag from the grounds of the South Carolina statehouse. That, along with her strong approval ratings and staunch conservatism, have all earned her a spot on the short list for potential vice president candidates in Republican circles, according to National Review. "I'm really excited about this," Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan said of Haley's response in an interview on Monday, CNN reported. "If you want to hear an inclusive leader who's visionary, who's got a path for the future, who's brought people together, who's unified, it's Nikki Haley." Last week, when Ryan announced Haley would deliver the party's response, he lauded her record as a leader for South Carolina and the Republican party. "Nikki Haley has led an economic turnaround and set a bold agenda for her state, getting things done and becoming one of the most popular governors in America," Ryan said in a statement, according to USA Today. "In a year when the country is crying out for a positive vision and alternative to the status quo, Governor Haley is the exact right choice to deliver the Republican Address to the Nation." @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand made a rare public appearance on Sunday, leaving a Bangkok hospital to visit his palace in Bangkok, marking the first time he has left the hospital since he was admitted last year. His trip to the Chitralada Palace comes after an announcement from the Royal Household Bureau revealed Sunday that he had been undergoing treatment recently for a fever, lung infection and knee problem, according to the International Business Times. "Currently, the king's fever has eased but his breathing is occasionally faster than normal, while his pulse and blood pressure are normal," the statement read. King Bhumibol, the world's longest-serving monarch, was admitted to Sirriaj Hospital in October and had surgery to remove his gallblader. Prior to his reemergence from the hospital, he was last seen in September and missed his Dec. 5 speech marking his birthday celebration for the second year in a row. His public outing was brief, however, and he returned the same day, according to Reuters. "His Majesty will go to the Chitralada Palace for a change of atmosphere and will return today," said a palace official speaking on the condition of anonymity. The King is still a highly revered figure in Thailand despite his lack of presence. Though he has no formal political role, he is regarded as a stabilizing figure for Thailand, with many citizens saying they'd be lost without him, according to the Associated Press. "I don't know what to think," banker Thaweewat Chongsuanoiy. "He has been the person that holds the people together; without him, people would be lost." His declining health and in recent years has been a consistent source of political instability in Thailand, where the military took power in a coup in May 2014. Adding to these problems are fears over King Bhumibol's succession. The heir apparent, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, is widely unpopular. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Sweden has launched a criminal investigation against German automaker Volkswagen related to the emissions scandal which has affected up to 11 million vehicles worldwide, a prosecutor announced Tuesday. Volkswagen faces billions of dollars in claims after it admitted to using software to cheat on diesel emissions tests in the U.S. The software was included in more than 11 million vehicles sold since the 2009 model year, as well as some recent diesel models sold by Audi and Porsche brands. Among those, it's believed 225,000 such cars were imported to Sweden, according to the AFP. Sweden's National Unit Against Corruption indicated that the investigation was regarding preliminary charges of fraud and false documents, Volkswagen could face corporate fines if found guilty. "The investigation will also address the conditions for the imposition of a corporate fine," it said in a press release, according to Reuters. Sweden was one of the few countries where the automaker did well last year. While sales volumes fell worldwide, marking the first time it had done so since 2002, Volkswagen beat its previous sales records in Sweden. Volkswagen's Swedish branch said it will cooperate with the investigation, reported the Associated Press. However, it has denied being guilty of the accusations. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul has fanned the birther flames against 2016 rival Ted Cruz, calling into question his birthplace and, therefore, his eligibility for the White House by saying the Texas senator is a "natural-born Canadian." "I think without question, everybody would accept that, you know, Cruz is a natural-born Canadian, that he was naturally born there," Paul said in an interview on Fox News on Monday, according to The Hill. "The question is can you be a natural-born Canadian and a natural-born American at the same time, maybe, but I think the courts will have to decide it, because it's never really been decided." Paul insisted that he was not instigating a court battle but rather just stating the facts that Democrats will do so. "Democrats have already threatened. There is one Democratic congressman who said he will file a lawsuit over this," Paul said, referring to Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), according to CNN. "It is not me, it's whether or not Democrats pursue it - and I think they will." Paul said that while there is no question Cruz is a U.S. citizen, there is a question as to what the Constitution requires for presidential eligibility and that the Supreme Court will likely have to weigh in. "For traditional citizenship it always has been (your parent), but the only part of the Constitution that says 'natural-born' is with regard to the president. So it appears to be a unique qualification and most people have interpreted they had to be born in the U.S. until recently," Paul said, according to TPM. "So I think eventually the Supreme Court will probably have to decide it." Questions about Cruz's eligibility for the White House have been in circulation for some time. However, it was when Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump raised the issue that it gained steam. "Republicans are going to have to ask themselves the question: 'Do we want a candidate who could be tied up in court for two years?' That'd be a big problem," Trump told The Washington Post, referring to the Texas senator. "It'd be a very precarious one for Republicans because he'd be running and the courts may take a long time to make a decision. You don't want to be running and have that kind of thing over your head." For his part, Cruz on Sunday said that although he was born in Canada, he is eligible by virtue of his mother's citizenship. "The Internet has all sorts of fevered swamp theories, but the facts are simple," Cruz responded, according to CNN. "My mom was born in Wilmington, Delaware. She was an American citizen by birth. She's been an American citizen all 81 years of her life. She's never been a citizen of any other place." @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said on Sunday that President Barack Obama will make good on his promise to close the Guantanamo Bay detainee facility in Cuba before the end of his presidency, saying Obama said he feels an obligation to his successor to do so. "He feels an obligation to his successor to close that, and that's why we're going to do it," the chief of staff said on "Fox News Sunday." Obama pledged during his 2008 presidential election campaign that he would close the military prison which was used in the aftermath of 9/11 to get suspected terrorists off the battlefield. That vow has been a feature of his annual State of the Union addresses ever since. The president says the facility has long since outlived its usefulness and is at times counterproductive, being used by terrorist groups like al-Qaeda as propaganda for recruitment drives. Another issue is that the prison is too expensive, with the costing the U.S. an estimated $400-450 million per year, reported the New York Daily News. In an effort to combat this, Obama has whittled away the Guantanamo Bay population throughout his presidency, leaving the prison with only 104 detainees. There is a small number of detainees whom the administration would like to detain in a U.S. facility due to fears that they would return to terrorism should they be sent to the Middle East. However, Congress has explicitly banned the transfer of detainees to the United States, making his task that much harder. McDonough said the president will present Congress with a detailed plan to close the prison but declined to confirm whether Obama will use executive orders to close the facility like he had tried to do with immigration and gun control issues when Congress blocked his efforts in the past. "I'm not an 'if when' guy," McDonough said, according to Time. "The president just said he's going to present a plan to Congress and work with Congress and then we'll make some final determination." @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Donald Trump made his second appearance as a presidential candidate Monday night on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." Four months after his first appearance in September, the GOP hopeful and the late night host discussed a number of topics including Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders before Fallon gave Trump a mock job interview. Fallon asked the Republican front-runner how he felt about the Democratic competition of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. "How do you think she's doing?" Fallon asked Trump of Clinton. "Well it's tough," Trump replied. "I think she's having a tough time. She's got some guy [Bernie Sanders] who should be easy to beat, I mean how can you lose like this, he really isn't even a Democratic. He said he's a socialist and I think he may be a step beyond a socialist and she's not doing well. She's about tied in Iowa, she's losing New Hampshire and I think she's got a race that's a little but tougher - I think she'll win - I guess." Trump then told Fallon that if Clinton and he both win their primary elections, that it could be the biggest voter turnout in history. Fallon asked Trump about the conspiracy theory that said he was actually hired by the Democratic Party so that Clinton would win the overall election. "I'll set the record straight right now" Trump said. "The newest poll just came out today where I'm beating [Hillary] easily and substantially. I'm winning against Hillary one-on-one, and I haven't even started on her yet." After all the talk about Clinton was concluded, Fallon gave Trump a mock interview in which he tested the candidate's qualifications to become president. Check out the mock interview with Fallon and Trump below: @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In a recent interview with German media outlet Bild, Vladimir Putin was asked whether or not Crimea was worth annexing. Putin responded: "What do you mean by Crimea?" Russia has been enduring severe economic sanctions imposed by the EU and the U.S. for more than a year. The West seeks to punish Russia for its violent annexation of Crimea during the populist Ukrainian coup in early 2014. Also known as the Euromaidan Revolution, Russia, Ukraine and the West came to an cease-fire agreement last February. The Minsk Protocol stipulated, among 11 mandates, an immediate ceasefire and the gradual demilitarization of both sides. Violence continued erupting into the summer of 2015 and, so far, neither side has backed down. Despite this conflict, Putin has no regrets. "For me, [Crimea] means human beings ... The nationalists' coup in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev in February 2014 has hugely scared 2.5 million Russian people living on Crimea. So what did we do? We have not gone to war, we have not fired, not a single person was killed. Our soldiers have merely prevented the Ukrainian troops on Crimea from impeding the freedom of expression of the people." A report from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in December said 9,098 people, including combatants and civilians, have died since April 2014, according to The Guardian. More than 20,000 have been injured. "The Russian population is absolutely clear about the situation. Napoleon once said that justice is the incarnation of God on Earth. I'm telling you: the reunification of Crimea and Russia is just," said Putin. He continued, "In the referendum - which was still decided to take place by the [sic] Crimea's old parliament - the majority of citizens voted for belonging to Russia. This is democracy, the people's will." While two regions in eastern Ukraine, including Crimea, did vote for independence from Kiev, doubts have been cast on the methods of the referendum. Replete with vague wording, making it difficult for voters to determine what they were voting for, the Ukrainian government called it a "criminal farce" organized by a "gang of Russian terrorists," according to the Washington Post. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A recall for children's cold medicine has been issued by nine retailers, including Rite Aid and CVS, due to a potential overdose risk, officials said. Perrigo Company, maker of the medicine, said in a press release posted on its website that the company issued a voluntary recall for two batches of children's guaifenesin grape liquid and three batches of children's guaifenesin DM cherry liquid. Though the medicine was made by a single company, it is sold under different store brand names, all of which come in 4-ounce bottles. Perrigo revealed the dose cups have incorrect measurement markings, which could lead to an overdose. Side effects of an overdose include hyper excitability, rapid eye movements, changes in muscle reflexes, ataxia, dystonia, hallucinations, stupor, coma, nausea, vomiting, irregular heartbeat and death. "There have been no reports of adverse events to Perrigo as a result of the incorrect dosage markings," said Perrigo Chairman and CEO Joseph C. Papa, according to CBS Boston. "Perrigo is taking this action to maintain the highest possible product quality standards for our retail customers and consumers. We are taking this action because it is the right thing to do." Giant and Stop & Shop were the first to catch wind of the recall and removed the medicine last week. Sunmark, Rite Aid, Topcar, Kroger, Goodsense, Dollar General, Care One and CVS have since pulled the medicine from shelves as well, according to PIX 11. Recalled lots, along with the corresponding branded labels are listed below: GUAIFENESIN GRAPE LIQ 4 OZ Label Lot number Expiry H.E.B 5LK0592 08/2017 CVS 5MK0340 08/2017 --- GUAIFENESIN DM CHRY LIQ 4 OZ Label Lot number Expiry Sunmark 5LK0528, 5LK0630 03/2017 Rite-Aid 5LK0528, 5LK0630 03/2017 Topcare 5LK0528, 5LK0630, 5LK0779 03/2017 Kroger 5LK0528, 5LK0630 03/2017 GoodSense 5LK0528 03/2017 Dollar General 5LK0630 03/2017 Care One 5LK0630 03/2017 CVS 5LK0630 03/2017 Customers who find they are in possession of one of the recalled products are urged to discard the dosing cups and product. Anyone with questions or concerns are encouraged to call 1-888-345-0479 or visit MucusReliefRecall.com. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Washington, D.C. -- The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) along with the Maryland Hotel & Lodging Association, Asian American Hotel Owners Association, and several of America's leading hotel companies are urging Maryland lawmakers to override a decision by the governor and close an important tax loophole. In a letter addressed to Maryland Senators and Delegates, the hotel industry called on them to override Governor Hogan's veto of SB 190, which closes a tax loophole and ensures online travel companies pay the state's existing occupancy sales taxes. "Maryland hotels are an important part of the state's economy, generating more than $1.2 billion in tax revenue for the state of Maryland alone," said Katherine Lugar, AH&LA president and CEO. "We urge Maryland's policy leaders to close the loophole that benefits online travel companies at the expense of in-state hotels employing thousands of Marylanders. Our industry prides itself on being a partner with local communities, and closing this loophole will protect the state's jobs as well as add new revenue to the state. Now is the time to level the playing field and we encourage the Maryland delegation to do the right thing for the people of Maryland." "As Governor Hogan recognized, even as he vetoed the bill, this legislation would not create a new tax, it simply ensures that all companies in the business of booking hotel rooms remit existing sales tax in the same way," the letter states. "As in many states, consumers in Maryland are required to pay certain sales and occupancy taxes when they stay in a hotel. These taxes support infrastructure and tourism promotion, generate funding for event venue construction, as well as provide general revenue for the state and its counties. Hotels collect sales and occupancy taxes from guests based on the rate charged for use of a room, regardless of the method of booking, and remit that sum to tax authorities. "In contrast, online travel companies like Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity remit sales and occupancy taxes based on just the portion of their charges they turn over to hotels not the final price they charge consumers. This means a hotel ends up paying more in sales taxes than an online travel company when selling the same room to a guest at the same rate. Online travel companies have taken this unorthodox approach in order to pad their bottom lines, resulting in a loss of revenue for the state while placing brick-and-mortar hotels at a competitive disadvantage." To view the hotel industry's contributions to economic growth and job creation in Maryland, please click here. About the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) is the sole national association representing all segments of the U.S. lodging industry. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AHLA focuses on strategic advocacy, communications support, and workforce development programs to move the industry forward. Learn more at www.ahla.com. Katie Longo AH&LA It looks like you've reached a page that doesnt exist (anymore). Please use the navigation or search above to find content on Hospitality Net. Go back to home Not Just Heads In Beds Cybersecurity for Hotel Owners What part do hotel owners play in preventing a cyberattack and the resulting data breach? The hospitality industry relies on its reputation for confidence, and that confidence can be shattered when guests learn that their private information has been compromised. What can hotel owners do and how should they work with brands and management to prevent a cyberattack? What part do hotel owners play in preventing a cyberattack and the resulting data breach? The hospitality industry relies on its reputation for confidence, and that confidence can be shattered when guests learn that their private information has been compromised. What can hotel owners do and how should they work with brands and management to prevent a cyberattack? In the article below, my partner, Bob Braun reminds hotel owners that because they are generally required to indemnify brands and managers for costs the managers and brands incur which could include a costly data breach it is in the owners best interests to have a comprehensive plan in place. This article first appeared in Hotel Business Review in December 2015, and is reprinted with permission from www.hotelexecutive.com. Not Just Heads in Beds Cybersecurity for Hotel Owners - ByBob Braun, Hotel Lawyer and Data Security Advisor The basics of the hotel business have traditionally been simple: good location, fair prices, appropriate amenities and good service were the keys to success. While those factors are important today, hotels are no longer simply a heads in beds business; hotels are increasingly brand-oriented. Brands focus not only on the services and products they sell, but on developing the perception and recognition of the brand associated with those goods and services. That means that hotels, like all brands, need to focus more and more on understanding their customers and how to reach them, whether through loyalty programs, advertising, social media or otherwise. The upshot of the focus on branding in the hospitality business is that hotels gather lots of information about their guests, ranging from credit card data to addresses, phone numbers, travel plans and preferences, birthdays, and more all of which are valuable not just to the hotel brands and operators, but to cyberthieves. While hotel companies have understood this for years, they are, along with other customer-intensive industries, learning that collecting that information comes with responsibilities and, possibly, liability. Cybercrime is big business. In 2014, there were 42.8 million detected security incidents (and, most likely, many more that were never discovered). Estimates of annual cost of cybercrime to the global economy ranges from $375 billion to as much as $575 billion as companies face increased vulnerability, ranging from greater technology available to cybercriminals and new types of cybercrime, like crypto-ransom. Cybercriminals began targeting hotels years ago. In a 2010, a Forbes magazine article quoted Nicholas Percoco, who said that The hospitality industry was the flavor of the year for cybercrime. These companies have a lot of data, there are easy ways in and the intrusions can take a very long time to detect. The lesson for hotel owners is that they cannot stand idly by hotel owners must be proactive by instituting best practices in their own operations, requiring the same from managers, and obtaining insurance coverage to fund the inevitable costs of a breach. The Wyndham Case The threat to the hospitality industry became particularly evident in the recent federal court case brought by the Federal Trade Commission (the FTC) against Wyndham Hotels. On August 24, 2015, the Third Circuit United States Court of Appeals issued its ruling in the case FTC v. Wyndham Worldwide Corporation. The case was highly anticipated by the data security community generally for its expected ruling on the authority of the Federal Trade Commission to regulate data security standards, but nowhere was the anticipation more keen than in the hospitality industry. After all, this decision didnt deal with retailers, banks or dating sites it addressed a major hotel player and, by implication, all operators, brands and owners in the industry. The decision should be a wake-up call to hotel owners because, as described below, hotel owners may ultimately bear the cost of data breaches involving their hotels. Owners should look at the Wyndham decision as an opportunity to consider whether their brands and managers have taken the steps necessary to protect guests and, ultimately, the hotel owner. The case arose out of a suit brought by the FTC against Wyndham, a global hotel company, for failing to adequately safeguard its computer network, allowing hackers to access customer information, resulting in the compromise of more than 600,000 credit card records and financial losses in excess of $10 million. Wyndham argued that, among other things, the FTC lacks authority to regulate data security standards of commercial entities. The lower court ruled in the FTCs favor, and Wyndham appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. On August 24, 2015, the Third Circuit affirmed the district court, upholding the FTCs data protection authority. The result is that for the first time, the United States has what amounts to a data security regulator. Advertisement The FTC claimed that Wyndham made some mistakes. First, Wyndhams privacy statement on its website claimed that Wyndham had made claims that it knew were untrue that it maintained systems that were safe, while Wyndham already was aware that it had been hacked multiple times. The FTC has brought claims against website operators and by website operators, we mean businesses for the same thing as a violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits unfair and deceptive trade practices. Essentially, the FTC took the position that Wyndham had engaged in false advertising. But the Wyndham decision is particularly helpful because it identifies clearly what Wyndham did or did not do that violates the FTCs standards for data security, and not just for advertising. Specifically, the FTC claimed that Wyndham: failed to use readily available security measures, such as firewalls stored credit card information in clear text failed to implement reasonable information security procedures prior to connecting local computer networks to corporate-level networks failed to address known security vulnerabilities on servers used default user names and passwords for access to servers failed to require employees to use complex user IDs and passwords to access company servers failed to inventory computers to appropriately manage the network failed to maintain reasonable security measures to monitor unauthorized computer access failed to conduct security investigations failed to reasonably limit third-party access to company networks and computers Security professionals recognize that this list is a fair representation of minimum security requirements for any information system. Any company that does not address these requirements is likely to experience a breach. While this list does not identify every possible shortcoming, it makes it clear that any firm that collects and maintains data and is guilty of these failures will be seen as engaging in unfair or deceptive trade practices, and can expect that they, too, will be subject to action by the FTC, as well as private plaintiffs. What Should Hotel Owners Do? Many hotel owners dont consider the impact of data security because they dont directly collect, store or utilize personal information; they engage managers and brands to do that through reservation systems, loyalty programs and marketing. But hotel owners should be concerned, because they are generally required to indemnify brands and managers for costs the managers and brands incur. To put it simply, if there is a breach, and if the brand or manager has to pay money to manage the breach, the owner will likely have to pay the bill, or at least have a significant struggle over the issue. To be clear, most hotel franchise agreements provide that the hotel will be responsible for defending the franchisor and holding them harmless, even where the data breach came from within the franchisors reservation system. And independent properties that use third party reservations systems will almost always hold the user the owner responsible for a breach. The cost of a data breach can be high, and not just in the direct costs of notifying guests, remediating a system and dealing with regulatory reactions all of which are likely to be a direct or indirect cost to hotel owners. The lasting cost is the damage to the reputation of the company that suffered the breach. And while that might seem to be the hotel brand and not the hotel owner, a brand that is known to be insecure will inevitably lose clientele, and the resulting drop in business will be borne, in the end, by the owner. The list also has a potential benefit to hotel owners, because it allows owners to express their expectations of hotel brands and managers. Owners can, and should require their managers and licensors to follow the standards set by the FTC as part of their duties, and bear the cost if they do not. At the same time, hotel owners should be aware that they, too, are subject to this regime. Hotel owners have to consider that they own, hold and maintain sensitive personal information, such as employment records, health information, financial data and business secrets. As a result, they have a legal obligation to protect that information. Hotel owners must both protect their information, and require their business associates to do the same. Owners should also consider one additional factor that isnt addressed in the Wyndham decision, but permeates almost every data breach: The human factor. At least 95% of reported data breaches can be traced to an intentional or unintentional act by a person within or associated with the affected organization. The fact is that a company can comply with all of the deficiencies noted by the FTC and still be subject to a breach, because an individual employee or contractor can, effectively, bypass all technological protections, simply by responding to the wrong email or clicking on the wrong website. Hotel companies are, as we know, focused on individuals, whether it is serving guests or cultivating employees and associates. Hotel owners should demand of their brands and a manager that they focus on the importance of individuals in thwarting these attacks and creating an industry that engenders the publics trust. Pre-breach Planning Hotel owners should take steps to plan for a data breach. Like other businesses, they should have a comprehensive plan in place, ready to be implemented, when there is a data breach involving one of their hotels. This means having a protocol for addressing the breach, and most importantly, identifying, by name, a response team, including attorneys, security experts, C-level executives, public relations professionals and others who can act immediately to identify the scope of a breach, the proper response and make executive decisions to limit damage. Cybersecurity Insurance In particular, cybersecurity insurance should be a special emphasis for hotel owners. First, owners should realize that many, if not most, general liability insurance policies exclude claims based on a data breach while, in the past these claims might have been covered under existing insurance, they are now generally excluded. Instead, owners need to obtain a special endorsement covering cyberclaims. Insurers offer both first- and third-party insurance for cyber losses. First-party coverage insures for losses to the hotels data or lost income or for other harm to the business resulting from a cyberattack. Third-party coverage insures for the liability to third parties, both guests and governmental or regulatory agencies that arise from a data breach or cyberattack. First-party coverage can include: Coverage for loss of data; Legal and technical services to assess whether a breach has occurred, and to analyze the impact of the attack; Business interruption coverage where the hotel might not be able to conduct business due to a cyberattack or data loss. Coverage for investigating threats to commit attacks against the hotel systems and payments to extortionists who threaten to disclose sensitive information, or to hold it ransom an increasingly common practice among cybercriminals; and Data loss and restoration, including the retrieving and restoring data, hardware, software or other information destroyed or damaged as the result of a cyberattack. Third-party coverages address: Legal, technical and forensic services necessary to respond to governmental inquiries and fines, penalties, investigations or other regulatory actions; Costs to notify customers, employees or other victims affected by a breach (although care should be taken to ensure that both voluntary notices and notices required by law are covered); Crisis management and public relations expenses; Credit and fraud monitoring services to the guests and others affected by a breach; and Costs associated with lawsuits, judgments, settlements or penalties resulting from a breach. Owners should be aware that there are wide differences, both in the coverage and costs, of policies. As a result, owners should take care in evaluating and comparing different policies and, consider engaging an expert to evaluate the scope and cost of coverage. Finally, hotel owners should consider requiring their brands and managers to maintain this coverage and to apply it to a claim before seeking indemnification or reimbursement from an owner. No business is safe from privacy breaches and cyberattacks, and hackers grow more sophisticated each day. This issue is particularly important in the hospitality industry, which relies heavily on its reputation for confidence, something that can be shattered when guests learn that their private information has been compromised. The answer is not, however, just a shifting of liability or allocation or risk; it requires an effort by all involved ownership, branding and management to reduce the risk, and hotel owners play a key role in that effort. This is Jim Butler, author of www.HotelLawBlog.com and hotel lawyer, signing off. Weve done more than $71 billion of hotel transactions and have developed innovative solutions to unlock value from hotels. Whos your hotel lawyer? Bonke will oversee the strategic growth of the Loews family of brands, including Loews Hotels & Resorts, Loews Regency and the OE Collection, in addition to taking ownership of Sales, Marketing, Guest-Facing Technology and Public Affairs. Loews Hotels & Resorts announces the appointment of Oliver Bonke as the company's first Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), effective Monday, January 11, 2016. Bonke will oversee the strategic growth of the Loews family of brands, including Loews Hotels & Resorts, Loews Regency and the OE Collection, in addition to taking ownership of Sales, Marketing, Guest-Facing Technology and Public Affairs. "The newly created positon of a Chief Commercial Officer is vital as Loews experiences a significant growth period. Oliver's three decades of experience operating luxury brands, and deep knowledge and insights into both U.S. and international markets, are critical assets for our successful brand expansion both domestically and abroad," said Kirk Kinsell, President & CEO, Loews Hotels & Resorts. "As someone who has worked closely with Oliver, I know his tremendous impact on performance and people, and am delighted that Oliver has chosen to join Loews Hotels." "I have admired the quality of this company for years. With growth on the upswing not only of Loews Hotels & Resorts, but also of the Loews Regency and OE Collection, now is the perfect time to leverage my background and help meet the expected business goals of the brands," adds Bonke. "This is an incredible opportunity for me to join a stellar team and help expand Loews Hotels as a premium competitor for the future." A seasoned hotelier with an entrepreneurial spirit, Bonke believes that leadership is a shared experience, that mobile devices shape the entire travel experience of the future and that brands succeed when they have purpose, character and create an emotional bond with its consumers. He is energized by the immense potential Loews Hotels & Resorts represents. Bonke is joining Loews Hotels & Resorts from InterContinental Hotel Group where he served as Chief Commercial Officer of the Americas. At IHG he led the Americas Commercial Team across all top-line drivers of Brand, Loyalty, Distribution, Sales, Revenue Management and Digital & Partner Marketing and also served as the strategy and integration leader for IHG's acquisition of Kimpton Hotels & Resorts. Prior to IHG, Bonke spent 24 years with Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc., holding several sales, marketing and operations leadership positions across the globe, before departing the company as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University School of Business, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration & Sociology from Loyola University. Bonke credits his first summer job as a Page Boy at a hotel in his hometown of Hamburg, Germany, for his penchant to explore the world, ultimately sparking his illustrious hospitality career. M&R Hotel Management, operator of 13 New York hotels, today announced the appointment of Kevin Chang as general manager of the 201-room, full-service Holiday Inn New York JFK Airport Area, just east of John F. Kennedy International Airport in Jamaica. Chang, a 24-year hospitality industry veteran, joined M&R as general manager of the 128-room Holiday Inn Express New York JFK Airport Area in October 2014. In his new role, he will oversee all aspects of the Holiday Inns management, including operations, sales, marketing, security, maintenance, housekeeping and accounting. He also will serve as liaison with the operator of the hotels three-meal-a-day restaurant, Brookville Restaurant & Bar. Prior to joining M&R, Chang was general manager of The Parc Hotel in Flushing, New York, front office director of the Petit Ermitage Hotel in West Hollywood, California, operations manager of the Hotel Erwin in Venice Beach, California, assistant general manager of the La Quinta Hotel at LAX Airport in Los Angeles and general manager of the Hotel 41 at Times Square in New York. Kevins broad experience as a general manager in the hotel industry, including most recently at the Holiday Inn Express New York JFK Airport Area, makes him an excellent choice to lead the team at the Holiday Inn New York JFK Airport Area, said Brian M. McSherry, M&R Hotel Management chief operating officer. Chang earned a bachelors degree in business administration at California State University, Long Beach. He holds certification in training from the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association and in fire safety fitness from the New York City Fire Department. He is fluent in English and Cantonese. The Holiday Inn New York JFK Airport Area at 154-71 Brookville Blvd. conforms to the latest design and amenity standards of the Holiday Inn brand, franchised by InterContinental Hotels Group. The hotel features a flexible meeting and event space that can host groups of up to 70, a fitness center, grab-and-go lobby market, guest laundry, complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the building, complimentary shuttle service to the airport and complimentary daily newspaper. Guest rooms a mix of king and double-double rooms are designed in a style that is both contemporary and comfortable. Guest Link centers in each room provide access to the Internet, a port for connecting personal computers to the television and outlets for charging computers, phones and tablet devices. The building has been engineered to minimize energy use through the use of low-wattage lighting and high-efficiency heating, cooling and ventilation units in each room. In addition to the Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, M&R operates two other hotels near JFK: the 75-room Days Inn Jamaica JFK Airport and the 88-room Best Western JFK Airport Hotel. M&R Hotel Management, based in Great Neck, also operates two other hotels in Queens, four hotels in Manhattan, three in Staten Island, a hotel in the Boston suburb of Braintree, Massachusetts, and a hotel on the Caribbean island of Dominica. M&R also operates hotels under the brands of Choice Hotels International, Wyndham Hotel Group and Best Western International. Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide have also certified M&R to manage selected brands. M&Rs business plan calls for the expansion of its portfolio in the New York metropolitan area and beyond through third-party management contracts. With more than a decade of success to its credit, M&R also provides consulting services in hotel site and contractor selection, feasibility analysis, permitting, financing, franchising, human resources support, sales and marketing, revenue management, food & beverage management, brand management, account and risk management audits, e-commerce, design, procurement, accounting and engineering. Click HERE to download a high-resolution image of Kevin Chang CONTACT: Rich Roberts RDR PR LLC 717-685-4142 rich@rdrpr.com Yesterday, we learned that Kendrick Lamar fulfilled a wish hes had ever since the Bitch Dont Kill My Vibe remix (In the White House with a mink/Running through that bitch like its my house, although he didnt seem to be wearing any fur at the time), paying a visit to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave as a guest of one of his biggest fans, President Obama. He and his crew were given a tour, hitting a rap squat along the way, and making for a pretty historic moment. Knowing the Obama familys love for hip hop, though, hes far from the first MC to earn an invite to their home. Here are ten other rappers whove been in and around the White House at some point or another, most at the behest of Barak, but (more shockingly) some thanks to other former presidents. Diddy Back in early 2004, Sean Combs gave rousing speech at the Rock The Vote Awards, during which he urged young voters to get George Bushs ass out of office. The crazy part is that, four months later, Dubya and his wife would give the rap mogul a personal tour of the White House. Diddy was apparently in town for the Kennedy Center Honors, and after requesting a visit, was surprised to learn that his guides would be none other than the First Family themselves. According to reports (who knows how true this is), he told the Bushes nice house before leaving. If you had to guess one current MC whod be on this list, politically active RTJ member Killer Mike would be your safest bet. The Dungeon Family veteran has talked politics everywhere from CNN to Comedy Central, and more recently, interviewed presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Last April, Mike was invited to the White Houses prestigious Correspondents Dinner by Huffington Post founder Ariana Huffington, and we got a window into the high class event via his hilarious commentary on social media. Shoutout to him for at least contemplating becoming the second known person to blaze up in the White House (all props due to Willie Nelson). Somewhat surprisingly, Commons presence at the White House in 2011 drew the most controversy of anyone on this list. Invited by Michelle Obama for a poetry showcase, the Chicago rapper was criticized by Fox News, Sarah Palin and others for a political line he rapped in a 2007 episode of Def Poetry (Burn a Bush cause for peace he no push no button), as well as his close friendship with the controversial Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Reading the outraged opinion pieces that appeared on Republican blogs in the wake of the announcement is still very entertaining. Queen Latifah In 2013, the Obamas hosted a tribute to Memphis soul music in the White House, bringing a ton of musicians in to cover tracks by Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Booker T. and the MGs, and others. Justin Timberlake, Alabama Shakes, Ben Harper, and Cyndi Lauper were among the performers, as well as onetime rapper Queen Latifah, who performed Ann Peebles I Cant Stand The Rain. Unfortunately, unlike the Missy Elliott song that quotes Peebles words, the classic hit doesnt feature any rapping. Ludacris Despite drawing Baraks ire for lyrics from his song Politics As Usual, (sample: Hillary hated on you, so that bitch is irrelevant), Luda is a repeat White House visitor in the Obama administration. In 2009, he was at Correspondents Dinner, and just a few months ago, he was back for a tour. According to the man himself on Instagram, as soon as Obama saw him, he yelled LUDA! Doug E. Fresh Human Beat Box Doug E. Fresh has become pretty good friends with Michelle Obama as a key player in her Lets Move! youth health initiative, even helping her out with some music for the campaign. Last year, he was invited to something called the White House Easter Egg Roll, which judging by the video below is a pretty odd event. Wale Almost half of the rappers on this list showed up at 1600 Penn at the behest of Michelle, who rivals her husband in her love for hip hop. The last one is Wale, who showed up last year to speak at the FLOTUS Beating The Odds education summit, which hosted 130 teens for a discussion of the transition from high school to college. The President apparently told Folarin, My rapping skills are terrible. Thats one thing I cant do is rap. I like rap but I cannot rap. Other than Killer Mike, Jays your other safe bet on this list. After all, dude got permission to go to Cuba. Hes now visited the White House on four separate occasions, the first time coming in 2009 as part of a group visit that also included athletes Grant Hill and Emmitt Smith. Beyonces accompanied him on the latter three visits, the most recent of which came last year for the First Ladys fiftieth birthday party. Big Sean Sean Don holds a unique honor on this list: hes the only person we know of whos actually performed a rap song at the White House. For the annual Easter Egg Roll of 2014, him and future boo Ariana Grande got onstage to perform their duet Right There, and Sean made history in the process (and also got a chance to chat with Jim Carrey). Wholl be the next to drop bars in such close proximity to the oval office? Eazy-E Yes, believe it or not, N.W.A.s Eric Wright got a chance to step into the White House before his death in 1995. Whats even more surprising is the event he attended: a Republican Senatorial Inner Circle luncheon. According to an LA Times article announcing the stunning news, Wright was invited by Senator Bob Dole after contributing $2,490 to the Republican Party at the urging of Sen. Phil Gramm. Its kind of crazy to think that a member of one of the most controversial rap groups of all time was a Republican supporter, but he might have donated the money just to be the first rapper to visit the White House. Either that, or all of money Jerry Heller cheated from him turned him into a fiscal conservative. Watch some entertaining news coverage of Eazys visit below. Bobby Shmurda (real name Ackquille Pollard) is still awaiting trial for 2014 charges of conspiracy, weapons, and narcotics, appearing for a pre-trial hearing today. The rapper was joined by Rowdy Rebel (real name Chad Marshall), Santino Broderick, Alex Crandon, and Rashid Derrisant in court, and was represented by recently hired lawyer Alex Spiro. According to a report from FADER, Spiro secured a new bail hearing for the rapper (scheduled for January 19th), as well as asking for a file of incident reports and arrests on Pollards record. He also requested background on the officers involved in each run-in, alleging that the officers may have burdensome files. Pollards trial is set to begin February 22nd, but if his bail hearing goes well, there is still the possibility he could be released from his incarceration beforehand. Bobby Shmurda When Fat Trel travelled from his native DC to Chicago back in August for a music video with ManeMane, we wondered if there was more to the visit than met the eye. Indeed, Trels trip to Chicago produced a new collaborative mixtape called Finesse Gang. Young Chop, DP Beats, ZonaMan and King100James are just a few of the several artist making guest appearances on the 10-track project. Between summer tape Georgetown and Christmas tape Muva Russia, Fat Trels 2015 was a triumph. How does Finesse Gang stack up? Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments. Mr. Flynn might like to consider this fact-based evidence about medically supervised injecting centres Last night's Claire Byrne Live on RTE One found the Minister with Responsibility for Drugs, Aodhan O Riordain, clashing with Mannix Flynn over the expected introduction this year of medically supervised injecting rooms in Dublin, and subsequently in other parts of Ireland. Citing fact-based evidence from Australia, the Minister said they will save lives and reduce HIV and other infection rates, while Flynn, with his trademark bluster, dismissed the initiative as political smoke and mirrors in the run-up to the next election. Mr. Flynn wasn't too keen on fact-based evidence either when he debated injecting rooms before Christmas with Anna Liffey Project Director, Tony Duffin, and our man Stuart Clark on Today FM's The Last Word. We suspect that Mannix hasn't read our 'Injecting Rooms On The Horizon' article, in which Tony Duffin states: In the 15 years the Sydney centres been open, theyve never had a death and have intervened in 4,500 overdoses. One of the stats that stands out is that theyve seen an 80% reduction in ambulance call- outs. Drug abusers are often referred to as super utilisers of A&E theres an average one overdose a day in Ireland which is an expensive service. If there are less intravenous drug users presenting to A&E youre obviously saving money. "While I was in Sydney I met with police officers, politicians and business owners and without fail everyone said it was better having medically supervised injection centres and even talk about it being their medically supervised injection centre. The fear is of a honey pot effect and being overrun by addicts, but theres very strong evidence to prove that isnt the case." The story was very much the same when we spoke recently to one of the team behind the InSite medically supervised injecting centre in Vancouver. Previously, people would go into, say, a clinic and go, I want to get off drugs, I want to detox and be given an appointment that invariably theyd fail to keep because their lives are so chaotic," we were told. "Here, when theyre ready to go and detox, they just walk upstairs. "Case studies show that nothing else has worked for these people in the past, they continued. Slowly they gain confidence and are able to start making constructive decisions in relation to their drug use. Weve gone from almost Third World levels of HIV transmission to having one of the lowest rates in Canada. Sometimes therell be a bad batch of heroin and the police will tell people, Go to InSite because if you get into difficulty theyll be able to help. From a purely monetary point of view, the city is saving hundreds of thousands of dollars a year from police, ambulance, firefighter and other first responder crews not having to attend to people whove overdosed down alleys. The local community benefits because theyre no longer injecting in public, and theres a reduced strain on hospital emergency departments. Supervised injecting centres work on every front. [link]hotpress.com/archive/15004973.html[/link] [link]hotpress.com/archive/15608384.html[/link] A member of the studio audience, who'd tragically lost a son to addiction, referred to the in-depth report on heroin that Hot Press ran in 2010. There's little reason to think that the situation around the country has got any better since. [link]hotpress.com/archive/6593989.html[/link] Advertisement Finally, you can do your bit to furnish Mannix Flynn with the facts by taking part in this year's Global Drug Survey, the biggest of its kind ever conducted at [link]globaldrugsurvey.com[/link] A full track - along with a taste of the others - is here for your listening pleasure We've been waiting a little while, but Toby Kaar is finally set to release his debut EP in March. The electronic whizz has that Gumbrielle will land on March 18, through Dublin label Music Is For Losers. With live favourite Snapdragon leading the way - and streaming in full below - it should see the talented producer channel his exhilarating live energy onto record. Below, you can give a digital spin to lead track 'Snapdragon', as well as a brief taster of the whole release. Gumbrielle EP by Toby Kaar Joey Earl Sillyman, son of the late Earl Theodore and Faye Gertrude (Collins) Sillyman, was born Sept. 17, 1954, in Houston, Mo., where he grew up and graduated from Houston High School in 1972. After graduating from high school, Joey continued his education at the University of Missouri Rolla and graduated in 1977 with a degree in engineering technology. Joey was united in marriage to Carol Alexander and they were blessed with two children: Bryce Sillyman and Emily Sillyman. In 2015, Joey was united in marriage to Myong Hui Hamilton. Joey entered the United States Army in 1977 and served his country faithfully. He earned several awards and commendations; some of which include: Meritorious Service Medal 1st Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Expert Marksmanship Badge Pistol .45 Cal and Parachutist Badge. He served until his honorable discharge in August 1988. In 1989, he joined the Army National Guard in 1989 and served until 2001. Joey also served his country by working as a federal civil service employee from 1990 until 2001 when he had to retire due to health issues. Joey loved to help other people and did so by serving as a Disabled American Veterans and American Legion Chaplain. He enjoyed volunteering with the organizations and doing whatever needed to be done. He was also a member of the Officers Club and the Houston Alumni Association. In his spare time, Joey enjoyed playing board games and traveling. At an early age, Joey made a profession of faith and was currently attending Westside Baptist Church of Waynesville. Joey passed away Monday, Dec. 28, 2015, in the General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital of Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., having attained the age of 61 years. He will be sadly missed, but fondly remembered by all those that knew and loved him. Joey leaves to cherish his memory his wife, Myong Hui Sillyman of Jefferson City, Mo.; two children, Emily Sillyman of Wichita, Kan., and Bryce Sillyman of Knoxville, Tenn.; two brothers, Jerry Sillyman of Houston, Mo., and Jim Sillyman of Crowley, Texas; six grandchildren, Gwen and Elly Sillyman both of Wichita, Kan., and Abby, Grant, Jacob and Nathan Sillyman all of Knoxville, Tenn.; other relatives and friends. Funeral services were held 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, in the Memorial Chapels and Crematory of Waynesville/St. Robert with Pastor John Shaw officiating. The songs Amazing Grace and Ill Fly Away were played. Serving as escorts were the United States Army. Burial with military honors followed in the Dykes Cemetery of Houston, Mo. Military honors were provided by the United States Army of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Online condolences can be sent at www.memorialchapelsandcrematory.com. PAID Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. 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. 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Posted by Press Releases on Tuesday, 01-12-2016 3:09 am Currently 0.0/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 0.0 from 0 votes BETHESDA, MD (PRWEB) JANUARY 08, 2016Abt Associates has named Bob Fryatt, a public health and health financing policy expert, as director of the Abt-led Health Finance and Governance Project (HFG), a five-year, $209 million global health project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). HFG is designed to improve health finance and health governance systems in partner countries, leading to expanded access to health care and improved health outcomesBob has more than 25 years of experience working in low- middle- and high- income countries in Asia, Africa and Europe. His areas of expertise include: public health strategy, institutional development, health systems, governance, health economics, and service delivery reforms.Prior to joining Abt, he worked with USAID, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the World Bank. He also served as an adviser to the South African Ministry of Health and was the coordinator of the International Health Pa... Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web. If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator. Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile Charleston, SC Law Firm, Charleston, SC law firm, Rosen Hagood, represented a group of former and current employees of South Carolina based ArborGen, Inc., who have been awarded damages of $53.5 million against ArborGen, Inc., its founding and current mem Posted by Press Releases on Tuesday, 01-12-2016 4:06 am Currently 0.0/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 0.0 from 0 votes CHARLESTON, SC (PRWEB) JANUARY 11, 2016Rosen Hagood lawyers obtain $53.5 million award for current and former employees of biotech company related to employee incentive plan. A group of former and current employees of South Carolina based ArborGen, Inc., have been awarded damages of $53,508,288.00 against ArborGen, Inc., and its founding and current members, MeadWestVaco Corporation (MWV) now Westrock, International Paper Company and New Zealand- based Rubicon, Ltd.The judgment also imposes liability on former and current ArborGen, Inc. board members Bruce Burton, Luke Moriarty, Mike Andrews, Kenneth Munson, George OBrien, Mark Watkins, Scott Wallinger and Wayne Barfield. Board member David Liebetreu, former board member William Baughman, and former CEO Barbara Wells were also named in the suit and found liable to the employees in varying amounts.ArborGen was formed in February 2000 by combining all of the biotechnology forestry research and development programs of... Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web. If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator. Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile The Newport Group Opens New Office in Wichita Falls, Texas Executive Search & Consulting Enterprise expands services through new office opening in Wichita Falls, TX Posted by Press Releases on Tuesday, 01-12-2016 2:27 am Currently 0.0/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 0.0 from 0 votes SAN DIEGO, CA (PRWEB) JANUARY 08, 2016The Newport Group, a leading enterprise in executive search and consulting services, today announced they have opened an office in the city of Wichita Falls, Texas, effective Monday, January 4th. This location will serve to augment the executive search and consulting efforts of the firms Texas operations, while providing additional resources to the companys offices across the country.The new office is located at 900 8th Street, Suite 1230, and began operations with four new employees working from the 1800 SQFT site, located on the 12th floor of the historic Hamilton Building in the downtown Energy Sector of Wichita Falls. Recently promoted Vice President Brad Ellis will be charged with managing the day-to-day operations of the new location. Brad joined Newport as a seasoned executive search professional, with over 15 years experience in recruiting for the healthcare and oil & gas industries, among others. To leverage region... Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web. If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator. Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile Training Orchestra Surpasses Million User Milestone for Training Management Software Enhanced features to be demonstrated at the ATD TechKnowlege Conference. Posted by Press Releases on Tuesday, 01-12-2016 2:15 am Currently 0.0/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 0.0 from 0 votes JANUARY 6, 2016 - UNITED STATES (PRWEB) JANUARY 08, 2016Training Orchestra, a leader in innovative Training Management Systems, significantly expanded its global client base and total number of users in 2015. The growth was made possible by market demand for enhanced features based on training industry best practices. The capabilities of the training management software will be demonstrated at ATDs TechKnowledge conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 12-14 at Caesars Palace, booth 603.The training logistics module for instructor led training optimizes training resources including the ability to easily find which instructors are available at a given location and have the appropriate skills set, qualifications, and language. Not only can one see who are the best available instructors but also their associated costs and what other resources are available such as classrooms, catering, simulators, and more.Training Orchestra has become an integral part of our business provid... Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web. If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator. Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile Great leaders identify, measure, recognize, and reward meaningful efforts and achievementsand celebrate often with the people involved. Why should managers and leaders celebrate more? Creating a feeling of celebration helps meet peoples needs for inclusion, innovation, appreciation, and collaboration. Our brains are designed to be social and the need for human contact is greater than the need for safety. The research by Matt Lieberman and Naomi Eisenberger, scientists at UCLA, has shown that feeling socially excluded activates some of the same neural regions that are activated in response to physical pain, suggesting that social rejection may indeed be painful. Those companies practicing celebrations as part of their conversational rituals open up their employees to make them feel part of the companys common success, enable them to have the confidence to challenge the status quo, take ambitious initiatives, and share their creative ideas with others. How might the disciplined practice of celebration change the culture of a company? From my study of The Neuroscience of WE, and my work with executives, I know that celebration has a big impact on individuals, teams and companies. It literally works wonders in the brain. Scientists are learning that our brain is more changeable than we ever imaginedour brains exhibit neuroplasticity. Our brain neurons can change their physiological properties in resp... Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-01-12 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at CONTENTS [01] Tsakalotos says talks with Finland's Stubb were 'constructive' [02] Alt. FM Xydakis starts European tour to brief counterparts on refugee crisis [01] Tsakalotos says talks with Finland's Stubb were 'constructive' Talks with Finnish Finance Minister Alexander Stubb in Helsinki were constructive, Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said on Monday after the meeting. "We discussed the Greek road map for exiting the crisis which started with the successful recapitalization of the banks and now continues with the successful conclusion of the first program review," Tsakalotos said. Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Stubb said there's no "Grexit" issue. "I hear good things about Greece everywhere and from other countries and in the Eurogroup," he said. [02] Alt. FM Xydakis starts European tour to brief counterparts on refugee crisis Alternate Foreign Minister for European Affairs Nikos Xydakis, will visit three European capitals in the coming days to meet with his counterparts and brief them on Greece's positions on matters of European interest, such as the migration and refugee crisis. On Tuesday, 12 January, Xydakis will travel to Amsterdam, on Wednesday, 13 January, the minister will be in Berlin and finally, on Thursday, 14 January, he will be in Brussels, where he will meet with the Greek MEPs. Onn Monday, Xydakis, met at the Foreign Ministry today with the Netherlands Ambassador to Greece, Caspar Veldkamp, ahead of his meeting with the Dutch Foreign Minister on Tuesday. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-01-12 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at CONTENTS [01] Eldorado Gold suspends much of its mine construction in Greece [02] ND newly elected leader Mitsotakis' first moves [03] Foreign investors raise participation Greek stock market's capitalization [01] Eldorado Gold suspends much of its mine construction in Greece Canadian miner Eldorado Gold Corp on Monday said it will suspend much of its mine construction and development in Greece after a year of confrontations with the Greek government that included permits being revoked and delayed by the state, according to Reuters news agency. Eldorado said it will suspend construction at its Skouries project and warned that it would do the same at its Olympias project if it did not receive a permit by the end of March, Reuters said. [02] ND newly elected leader Mitsotakis' first moves New Democracy (ND) parliamentary group will probably convene on Thursday, its newly elected leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis said to journalists. Mitsotakis also said he will have a meeting with former party leader Evangelos Meimarakis and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. He underlined that his priority is the restructuring of the party. [03] Foreign investors raise participation Greek stock market's capitalization Foreign investors raised their participation in the capitalization of the Greek stock market in December to 60.3 pct (including the participation of Hellenic Financial Stability Fund) and to 64.2 pct (excluding the participation of HRDAF), from 59.2 pct in November. Greek investors held 32.5 pct of the market's capitalization in the last month of 2015. Foreign investors were net buyers in December, with capital inflows amounting to 997.58 million euros, while Greek investors were net sellers with capital outflows totaling 997.11 million euros. Foreign investors accounted for 65.1 pct of market transactions (up from 58.2 pct in November but down from 65.1 pct in December 2014). The value of transactions totaled 3.942 billion euros in December, up 331.5 pct from November and up 92 pct from December 2014. Average daily turnover was 187.73 million euros, up from 43.51 million in November and 102.68 million in December 2014. The number of active investor codes totaled 26,322 in December from 25,151 in November. The market's capitalization amounted to 39.2 billion euros in December, up 13.8 pct from a month earlier, but down 14.2 pct from December 2014. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-01-12 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at CONTENTS [01] Eldorado Gold to cut workforce if installation license not granted by end-March [02] President Pavlopoulos to visit Moscow on January14-15 [03] New terminal at Sitia airport to be inaugurated on Wednesday [01] Eldorado Gold to cut workforce if installation license not granted by end-March Eldorado Gold is cutting 600 jobs from its goldmine in Skouries in the next three months, while another 500 jobs in the Olympiada project were under threat if the company failed to receive the necessary installation license by the end of March, Paul Wright, chairman of the multinational company said on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters, announcing the decisions to suspend investments in Skouries and of a possible suspension in Olympiada, Wright said that investments in the Stratonio mine, while the Perama and Sapes project in Thrace will be put under maintenance. The Skouries projects has a workforce of 682, of which 600 work for contractors. [02] President Pavlopoulos to visit Moscow on January14-15 President of Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos will visit Moscow on January 14-15 following an invitation by the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration that will be grant him an honorary degree. During his visit to the Russian capital, Pavlopoulos will meet on January 15 with the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. [03] New terminal at Sitia airport to be inaugurated on Wednesday The new terminal of the Sitia airport "Vitsentzos Kornaros" on Crete will be inaugurated on Wednesday. Infrastructures, Transport and Networks Minister Christos Spirtzis will be present at the inauguration ceremony scheduled for 12:00 that will be also attended by representatives of the Lasithi region. The terminal is located 1km off the city center and the port of Sitia and has the capacity to host two to three middle size aircrafts per hour, specifically up to 250 passenger-seats airplanes. "Sitia airport is in position to serve domestic and international flights and is expected to upgrade the tourist development of the region and to play a significant role as entrance gate to eastern Crete" said Sitia municipality in an announcement. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article former president of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU) is calling for an official inquiry into the treatment of farm workers, claiming their pay may be slipping below minimum wage.They work them until they are exhausted, so many are injured and there is no regulation, alleged Helen Kelly, who has continued campaigning despite stepping down from her leadership role in October of last year.Kelly, who is battling lung cancer, regularly uses social media to voice her concerns, often citing advertisements that require staff to work 60 hours a week.Dairy Industry Group chairman Andrew Hoggard said the problem is caused by a common misconception."What's happened in the past is that people have viewed it as low hours during winter, high in spring so everything balances out sweet as. But you can't do that legally, he told Stuff. Someone might only work for you in spring.Hoggard also acknowledged the discrepancies between urban work and rural work."The challenge on the farm as opposed to in town, if you were in a factory in town the swipe card that gets you through the door clocks you in and out. On farm there is no door, in some cases it's several hundred hectares of land. You might start the day at the cowsheds, or getting the cows in, every day is different. Some days are easier than others." things can cause problems for day-to-day business operations like a line manager who doesnt have a high opinion of HR.Sadly, this scenario is commonplace, Andrew How, managing director in Singapore for Korn Ferry Hay Group, told HRD.There are three possible causes for this type of behaviour, he added.It could be based on actual experiences of ineffective or incompetent support from HR and therefore fully justifiable, How said.If this is the case, HR needs to focus on personal upskilling & development, listening more, and aligning better to the needs of the managers running the business.In this scenario, a line manager may have a mismatched expectation of what HR is and the value it can deliver.Sometimes, an unreasonable request that could not be fulfilled is at the root of the misunderstanding, How notes.In this case, HR needs to engage managers more and learn to communicate the rationale and value of certain initiatives in a language that managers can understand using business terms and jargon-free explanations.Explaining and showing how HR can impact a line managers unit performance and personal success is also recommended as this means they will more likely approach HR with greater openness.Developing an articulated HR and line partnership will help clarify roles and enable other support mechanisms to be put in place as well, How added.A poor HR experience from a previous workplace can also result in a line manager with little respect for HR in general, How said.In scenarios that involve deeply personal experiences, HR should take a more individual approach spending time to unravel the specifics and assure the manager that these issues would be dealt with differently in this organisation.In order to win back the trust of that individual, HR can co-develop solutions with the line manager and help implement policies which are typically the bug bear of managers, How added. ing can be hard at the best of times but when youre facing a highly unique employer brand things become even trickier or do they? HRM spoke to one talent acquisition expert who says companies with a distinctive identity may actually be at an advantage.If you want to attract like-minded people then being vocal about your brand values is definitely a benefit, stresses LUSHs retail support manager Elisia Gray. The biggest one would probably be to do with engagement.Gray, who recruits for head office roles and retail managers across New Zealand and Australia, says the companys overt and individualist identity actually serves as a tool for attracting talent.A lot of the head office staff started in the retail stores and were attracted to our brand because the brand values align with their personal values, explains Gray. They feel they dont have to leave some of their personal values at home when they go to work and do business.When employees can relate on a personal level to their employer, she says, theyre far more likely to go the extra mile.When thats there, the amount of discretionary effort is so much higher, says Gray. So when it comes to those mega days where you wake up at 6am and you dont finish until 10pm, it doesnt matter as much because you really care about the brand and the way the brand is perceived.While the cosmetic company is known world-over for its outspoken activism, environmental awareness and ethical business approach its also attracted its fair share of controversies.Last year, the big brand caused a stir in Australia when its window displays, intended to promote body positivity, were deemed pornographic by the Advertising Standards Bureau.We are very strong on the activism, admits Gray, who also supports manager training and career development. Its not necessarily to be confrontational but we do want to draw attention to the issues were passionate about.She concedes that this business approach isnt always for everyone.Someone described LUSH once as a big of a Vegemite company and were completely comfortable that, laughs Gray. Some people dont like it but its those people who do like it that we want to relate and appeal to.This, she says, is why recruitment plays a critical role.I think its always important to as much as possible have the customers perspective in that corporate side of the company, she stresses. It keeps us relevant and part of the conversation. The Internet is abuzz after photos of a dead mountain lion with a very odd deformity surfaced online. The young, male cat had fully-formed teeth and whiskers growing out of the left side of its forehead, according to Idaho's Department of Fish and Game. Advertisement There was something extra, department spokeswoman Jennifer Jackson told East Idaho News. We havent seen anything like this in our region. A new photo showing the deformed mountain lion. Latest info here: http://www.eastidahonews.com/2016/01/idfg-releases-more-information-about-deformed-mountain-lion/ Posted by East Idaho News.com on Saturday, January 9, 2016 In a news release, the department said that the teeth could be from a conjoined twin that died in utero. It could also be caused by a rare tumour called a teratoma, made up of tissue from which teeth, hair, fingers, or toes can grow. Hunters killed the mountain lion on Dec. 30 near Weston, Id. after it attacked a dog and was seen near homes, reported Fox13. Advertisement Tyler Olson, the dogs owner, told the outlet the hunters showed him the cat after it died. "I did see that weird feature on top of its head ... It was pretty strange." Canadian businessman and former "Dragon's Den" host Kevin O'Leary is begging for Alberta Premier Rachel Notley to step down, for the sake of Canada's economy. I mean no disrespect when I say this but heres my offer: Ill invest $1 million in Canadian energy companies if out of grace and for the absolute good of Canada the premier of Alberta resigns, O'Leary said on Toronto radio station Newstalk 1010 on Monday. Advertisement "She's gotta go." The entrepreneur said that Alberta's economy is "in free fall" and blamed the premier for both Canada's low dollar and the province's layoffs in the oil patch. O'Leary also provided a reason why he won't invest in Canadian oil right now. I wouldnt touch them now because she doesnt know what shes doing. 'Socialist bog' It's not the first time O'Leary has publicly criticized Alberta's NDP government. Shortly after Notley was elected in May 2015, O'Leary predicted in an interview with Business News Network that the new government would be a "disaster." "Alberta was the shining light of capitalism in North America. Now it's fallen off the cliff into a socialist bog." At the time, he advised all international financial institutions to pull out of the province, because Alberta's economy could best be described as "a horror movie unfolding, O'Leary told the Financial Post. Advertisement Mounting job losses There have been over 40,000 job losses in Alberta's energy sector since oil prices began dropping in 2014. Notley has said that while she sympathizes with the plight of energy companies and their employees, the situation is beyond the scope of Alberta's government. "Quite frankly the energy industry is addressing and succumbing to pressures that are international in scale," Notley told The Canadian Press in October. "And as much as I would like to be able to inject some mechanism of ameliorating the price of oil, it's quite frankly something that's beyond the capacity of this government." Also on HuffPost: London Collections: Men (LCM) kicked off international fashion month on Jan. 8, featuring the autumn-winter 2016 collections of over 70 British and international designers. The four-day bi-annual showcase, which ran until January 11, has become a favourite among menswear enthusiasts smitten with its distinctive combination of streetwear-inspired experimentalism juxtaposed Savile Row tailoring. While British culture may be stereotyped as traditional outside the Isles, LCM is anything but. Crisp wool suits and plaid are all but forgotten at the four-year-old event. In place of convention, a new generation of radical British menswear designers have taken centre stage including most notably JW Anderson, Craig Green and duo Agi & Sam. Advertisement These contemporary creatives are more than just trendsetters they are thought of as leaders. Through applications of technology, social media and a liberal sense of fearlessness, they are helping redefine the very parameters of menswear and its role in the fashion industry at-large. Case in point, JW Anderson, menswear designer of the year from 2014s British Fashion Awards, streamed his gender-bending collection of cropped jackets, bustiers and satin pyjamas live via gay dating app Grindr on LCMs opening day. "Were reaching seven million people [the number of Grindr users] at one time," Anderson tells The Guardian. "Fashion is at the speed it should be; media drives that so we have to keep pace." Beyond its famous progeny, LCM has grown to be reflective of the city of London itself a place that is historically, culturally and geographically central in the world. From the African-meets-70s-inspired designs of Wales Bonner to Jeremy Scotts shameless American pop cultural consumerism at Moschino, the event is an swirling eddy of British and international talent that beautifully mirrors every day life in the Capital. Check out the biggest trends and moments from London Collections: Men below. London Collection: Men Autumn/Winter 2016 Highlights See Gallery Advertisement Facebook The parents lost their one-month-old son to the disease in March 2015. Australian parents who lost their baby to whooping cough have shared a video of their sons last days in an attempt to promote vaccinations against the contagious infection. Riley Hughes, from Perth, was just one month old when he died from whooping cough in March last year. In a Facebook post, his mother Catherine shared a heartbreaking video showing the infant as his cough worsened. In the caption, she sent a warning to new parents everywhere. Advertisement In the beginning, Riley didn't have a whoop sound in his cough, but it certainly developed once he was in hospital, she wrote. If your newborn baby has a cough, and is too young to be vaccinated, please get them checked out by a doctor! Early intervention CAN help. While the 30-second clip is distressing, Catherine said she hopes that it will convince just one more pregnant mom to protect their baby from this disease. The cough that killed Riley Hughes *Warning - contains content that some may find distressing*These are the final videos of our beautiful son Riley who passed away from whooping cough on the 17th of March, 2015.I have always kept these videos to myself, as it makes my blood run cold listening to my beautiful boy cough like that. But we are sharing this in the hopes that it will convince just one more pregnant Mum to protect their baby from this disease. I wish I had known about pregnancy vaccination when I was pregnant with Riley.In the beginning, Riley didn't have a "whoop" sound in his cough, but it certainly developed once he was in hospital. If your newborn baby has a cough, and is too young to be vaccinated, please get them checked out by a doctor! Early intervention CAN help.I loved being Riley's Mum for those four weeks. I wish it were longer. Please share to help ensure no more babies die from this disease, which I hope one day will be relegated to the history books.- Riley's Mum x Posted by Light for Riley on Wednesday, January 6, 2016 Whooping cough is a contagious respiratory infection that is caused by the pertussis bacteria. The disease is most harmful to young babies, as there is no vaccine for infants under two months old, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Advertisement The first booster is generally given at six weeks or older. Therefore, pregnant women are advised to get a whooping cough vaccine in their third trimester to help protect their newborns. Unfortunately, Catherine didnt know about the vaccination for pregnant moms, according to her Facebook post. Since her sons death, the mom lobbied the Australian government to make the vaccine free for all expectant mothers and was successful. She is now trying to raise awareness of its existence and importance. Speaking to Guardian Australia, the mom said: I really want people to know that pregnancy vaccination means we now have the power to minimize if not completely stop deaths from whooping cough. Its so amazing that we can now protect our babies before they are even born. Immunity is such an important gift we can give our children. In Canada, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) "does not recommend a universal program for vaccination of pregnant women given the current epidemiology in Canada." Advertisement In the case of an outbreak, however, immunizations may be offered to women who are more than 26 weeks pregnant whether they have been vaccinated before or not. In its 2014 statement, NACI goes on to say: "Every effort should be made to administer one dose of pertussis containing vaccine in adulthood. Therefore, one dose of combined diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis containing vaccine (Tdap) can be offered to pregnant women (more than 26 weeks of gestation) who have not been previously vaccinated against pertussis in adulthood." In November 2015, CBC reported whooping cough outbreaks in several provinces and at least one territory in Canada. As a result, public health officials began encouraging all Canadians to make sure their vaccinations are up-to-date. Visit the Public Health Agency of Canada for more information about whooping cough vaccines. It's usually Kate Middleton's hair that has us all squealing with delight, but for once, it's Prince William's 'do that is getting our attention. It seems as though after years and years of sporting the same hairstyle, the Duke of Cambridge has finally chopped his locks. Advertisement *GASP!* Okay, so it's not entirely dramatic, but it's still a different look nonetheless. The eldest son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, debuted the clean and dapper chop at a wreath-laying ceremony at the Sandringham War Memorial Cross in Norfolk, England on Sunday, which also saw the Duchess of Cambridge and Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, in attendance. Deemed the "dad haircut" by Twitter, the father-of-two definitely rocked the fresh style beside wife, Kate, who donned a black turtleneck and Michael Kors Collection suit. Advertisement First Kate, now Wills. Prince William got a dad haircut. https://t.co/tlQjdvrdSr Alyssa Ashton (@AlyssaJAshton) January 10, 2016 And we're sure brother, Harry, had something to say about the new 'do. Because in classic sibling rivalry form, William's hair has always served as a punchline for the younger prince's jokes. Finally, William is embracing his baldness. And hey, we love him for that! Follow Huffington Post Canada Style on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter! Also on HuffPost Alberta Premier Rachel Notley had a snappy comeback for entrepreneur Kevin O'Leary after he offered to invest $1 million in Canadian oil if she stepped down. "The last time a group of wealthy businessmen tried to tell Alberta voters how to vote, I ended up becoming premier. So if now weve got a Toronto wealthy businessman who wants to tell Alberta voters how to vote, I say, bring it on," Notley said in a press conference on Tuesday. Advertisement She was referring to five Alberta corporate leaders with ties to the Progressive Conservatives who held a news conference just before May's provincial election. The five, whom Notley nicknamed "The Monopoly Men,'' warned against voting for the Alberta NDP and complained that businesses always get the short end of the tax stick. 'She's gotta go' O'Leary was interviewed on Toronto radio station Newstalk 1010 on Monday, where he argued that Canada's weak dollar and Alberta's oil patch woes should be blamed on Notley's government. I mean no disrespect when I say this but heres my offer: Ill invest $1 million in Canadian energy companies, if out of grace and for the absolute good of Canada, the premier of Alberta resigns, O'Leary said. Advertisement "She's gotta go." Drop in the bucket According to University of Alberta business professor Andrew Leach, O'Leary "needs to start reviewing his 'knee-jerk' investment offers." In response to the business mogul's comments, Leach posted two graphs to Twitter. The first makes the case that O'Leary's donation wouldn't have any impact on Alberta's oil expenditures which number in the billions, not millions. The second shows that Notley's election had no effect on the price difference between West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Western Canada Select (WCS), which are benchmark crude oil prices. Curious about the impact of O'Leary's $1 million offer on forecast capital investment? I made you a graph #ablegpic.twitter.com/IFQDVIULfw Andrew Leach (@andrew_leach) January 12, 2016 Advertisement Alberta has seen over 40,000 job losses in the energy sector since oil prices began dropping in 2014. Notley has said that her government can only do so much, and pointed out the oil crisis' impact is being felt beyond just Alberta. With files from The Canadian Press Also on HuffPost Timeline: Oilpatch Layoffs Of 2015 See Gallery A former Conservative cabinet minister is urging the Liberal government to share information related to a controversial arms deal with Saudi Arabia that the past Tory government kept to itself. Tony Clement, now his party's foreign affairs critic, told The Globe and Mail this week that Liberals should release details of internal federal assessments on the Arab state's human rights record. Advertisement Tony Clement speaks to media on Parliament Hill. (Photo: Matthew Usherwood/CP) He conceded to reporter Steven Chase that the past government of former prime minister Stephen Harper ruled out such a step, but noted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has pledged a new era of transparency. "So don't take the signal from the last government," Clement said. "If you want to be true to your principles and values, which the Conservative Party under new leadership shares, let's move forward." Though Clement's words sparked calls of hypocrisy on social media, the veteran MP suggested a "rapidly changing" situation in the Middle East could be behind the push. The Huffington Post Canada has reached out to Clement for comment. "So don't take the signal from the last government. If you want to be true to your principles and values, which the Conservative Party under new leadership shares, let's move forward." Forty-seven prisoners, including a prominent Shiite cleric, were executed in Saudi Arabia last weekend. Clement released a statement at the time, saying the killing of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and other dissidents was "contrary to political and basic human rights." The executions spurred more calls for Trudeau's government to cancel an Ontario company's deal brokered by the Harper government in 2014 to sell $15-billion worth of light-armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia. The vehicles are to be manufactured by General Dynamics Land System in London, Ont. and the contract is expected to create 3,000 jobs in southern Ontario. Human rights groups, however, fear the Saudi regime could one day use such vehicles against its own people. Trudeau ruled out cancelling the deal in September and Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion has confirmed that position hasn't changed. "What is done is done and the contract is not something that we'll revisit," Dion told Rosemary Barton of CBC's "Power and Politics" last week. Advertisement Dion announced Monday that he aims to make public a redacted version of the government's classified assessment on Saudi human rights. A report from 2011 is being updated. The minister said he was concerned about protecting sources sharing details about abuse from potential retaliation and was seeking advice from federal officials. "The documents are intended for internal use and are classified. I would be pleased to release, upon request, unclassified versions," he said in a statement. "I want to ensure that we respect the safety and security of identified sources." Clement told The Globe releasing a redacted version of the report was "not even a half measure." Bloc Quebecois pushed issue on campaign trail The Saudi arms deal surfaced during the French-language leaders' debate during the fall election amid reports a Saudi teenager was set to be beheaded and crucified for protesting against the regime. Advertisement Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe mocked Harper for saying Saudi Arabia was an "ally." The Conservative leader said that while his government has stood up for human rights, he would not "punish workers in a factory in London." Harper later told a crowd in Quebec that "notwithstanding its human rights violations," Saudi Arabia is a partner in the fight against the Islamic State. "We express our outrage, our disagreement from time to time with the government of Saudi Arabia for their treatment of human rights, but I don't think it makes any sense to pull a contract in a way that would only punish Canadian workers," Harper said. With files from The Canadian Press Advertisement Also on HuffPost Steve Russell via Getty Images BRAMPTON, ON- AUGUST 25 - Federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau campaigns with former Prime Minister Paul Martin during the Canadian Federal Election at the Embassy Grand Convention Centre in Brampton. August 25, 2015. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images) In the Speech from the Throne and since, the new Liberal government has clearly said it is ready to re-engage with the provinces and territories on health care. This is a welcome development. For most of the past decade, the Harper government was distinctly unwilling to provide any leadership or even play a secondary role in health care reform. Advertisement The fact that the new Trudeau Liberal government is ready to work with the provinces and do so quickly is a big step forward. But the prospect has likely raised many expectations of what new arrangements might emerge. First, many players will be looking for more money to flow from Ottawa to the provinces. But the Harper government, even as it withdrew from active participation, committed to adequate transfers to the provinces until 2024. There may be legitimate debates about the distribution of those transfers across the provinces, and there may be some new funding called for to support new initiatives in areas such as pharmacare or mental health, but the federal money now on the table in support of the range of health care services is more or less adequate. The health care problems we face are not the result of insufficient spending. In fact, more money may be counterproductive. The primary focus of any new accord needs to be on the structure of the federal-provincial arrangements. The most commonly visualized instrument seems to be a return to something like the Health Accords of 2003 and 2004. Advertisement Indeed, the minister of health referred to a promised re-engagement in these terms. What these accords did was to identify a number of problem areas -- most notably, wait times -- where provinces pledged remedial actions to remedy them, and Ottawa committed to increasing cash transfers to be used at the discretion of provincial governments. The expression at the time was that the cash transfers would "buy change" necessary in the health care system. But the link between the provincial actions and the federal money was tenuous at best in 2003 -- and all but absent in 2004. While the accords did initiate significant flows of new money to the provinces and territories, they were not successful in spurring necessary health system reforms. They were not sufficiently specific to generate sustained efforts or sustainable change. In fact, the extra money Ottawa provided probably did more to hinder health reform across the country than promote it. Rather than "buying change," the extra money bought peace and serenity (at least temporarily). Throwing additional money at problems was a lot easier than tackling structural change. The accords were weak because to some extent the provinces and territories have different needs and priorities. To reach consensus on a single agreement it was necessary to be vague and general in terms of what each province and territory would do by way of reform. Advertisement A better alternative going forward might be to more directly address particular regional concerns with a distinct contract between Ottawa and each province rather than a single accord. For a model for this we could look to the Paul Martin Liberal government's arrangement for funding in two other areas. The first was the transfer of gas tax revenue to municipalities via the provinces for infrastructure investments. Ottawa signed one-to-one agreements with every province and territory. While the broad goals and structures were the same across all provinces, the individual contracts included variations that permitted some provinces to pursue regional goals within the national framework. A significant amount of much-needed municipal infrastructure investment resulted from these agreements, and continues today. The same general model was used by the Martin government to conclude childcare agreements with the provinces, but before they could be implemented, the Harper government was elected and chose not to proceed. This model of federal-provincial fiscal arrangements can more effectively promote health care renewal and should be considered by minister Philpott going forward. Advertisement A set of pharmacare agreements might be concluded that would create nationally universal and portable coverage while recognizing that provinces are starting from different positions and may have different specific needs and administrative arrangements in mind. Other issues such as home care and long-term care facilities might be addressed at the same time or in a separate set of contracts. The federal government would retain the capacity to represent national goals and interests, and the provincial governments would have the flexibility to pursue their respective regional objectives within the national framework. A stronger link between national objectives and each province's priorities offers a better chance of sustainable health care reform. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook MORE ON HUFFPOST: VANDAL Photography via Getty Images Hands playing with red lentils Does your worldview include a deep respect for animals and their rights? Do you choose to opt out of using and consuming animal products for ethical reasons? Are you vegetarian or vegan for ethical reasons? If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, your ethical beliefs are now one step closer to being protected under Ontario human rights law as a form of "creed," thanks to years of work by Animal Justice. Ontario's Human Rights Code protects people from discrimination based on characteristics like race, age, gender identity, and sex in situations like the provision of services, housing, and employment. Advertisement People are also protected from discrimination based on their creed. The term "creed" isn't defined in the legislation, but until recently, it was thought to mean the same thing as religion. But not anymore. The Ontario Human Rights Commission -- which plays a critical role in promoting and advancing human rights in Ontario -- began consultations in 2011 on updating its official policy on creed. One of the key questions considered by the Commission was whether creed should be expanded to include secular, moral, or ethical belief systems that are non-religious in nature. After all, strongly-held secular beliefs like an animal rights ethic can be more important to a person than a religion. And religion is on the decline, with fewer and fewer people saying they hold religious beliefs. If the purpose of human rights law is to protect human dignity, then why shouldn't the law protect important secular beliefs along with religious ones? Representatives of Animal Justice mobilized during the consultation process, telling the Commission that secular beliefs like ethical veganism also deserved legal protections as a form of creed. The Commission listened. In December, it finally issued the much-awaited updated policy on preventing discrimination based on creed. Unlike the previous policy, which excluded non-religious belief systems, the new policy states that creed is not limited to religion: Advertisement "Creed may also include non-religious belief systems that, like religion, substantially influence a person's identity, worldview and way of life." This would include a belief system that seeks to avoid causing harm to animals, like ethical veganism. So, what does this all mean? The Commission policy is designed to provide guidance to employers, housing providers, and other service providers on how they can respect human rights and accommodate people who have requirements based on their creed. For example, the policy recommends that a person in a hospital facility who has a creed-based need for vegetarian food be provided with appropriate food by the facility. Other examples include: A university or school would have an obligation to accommodate a biology student who refuses to perform an animal dissection because of her creed. An employer would have an obligation to accommodate an employee who cannot wear an animal-based component of a uniform, like leather or fur, based on his creed. Advertisement An employer must ensure corporate culture does not exclude a vegetarian or vegan employee, such as holding regular company networking events at a steakhouse, instead of providing additional, inclusive opportunities. The final word on interpreting creed rests with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, which hears and adjudicates human rights claims. But Commission policies are persuasive, if not binding, on the Tribunal. Already, the Tribunal has said it is possible that a "political perspective... made up of a recognizable cohesive belief system or structure" may amount to a creed, which bodes well. The Tribunal has also recognized Falun Gong as a creed, despite its practitioners describing it as a "spiritual cultivation practice" as opposed to a religion. In 2011, a claim was filed by a Ryerson student who felt the university discriminated against her in her academic studies because of her beliefs about animals and their rights. Although the case was dismissed on other grounds, it's likely only a matter of time before the Tribunal will be asked to give a final and definitive ruling that ethical veganism is protected by human rights law. David Dodge, GreenEnergyFutures.ca All Carl Lauren wanted to do was promote the construction of energy efficient homes. It sounded easy enough. So a few years ago he called up the mayor of Kimberly, B.C. and suggested his hometown make constructing homes to the Built Green standard mandatory. The mayor at the time told him he was nuts. Cities can't do things like that! That didn't deter Lauren. The 37-year-old owner of Tyee Custom Homes and a board member of Built Green Canada persisted. Advertisement "A lot of the stuff we talk about is encouraging local municipalities to push forward with energy efficient procedures to the best of their ability," says Lauren. "[But] we're bound by the bureaucracy of our own government not allowing local municipalities to override the building code." In B.C and elsewhere this is true. The exception is Vancouver, the so-called "charter city," that can write its own building laws. Several years later, with a more sympathetic mayor in office, they realized something. The city can control its own building permit fees. Together, they crafted a program whereby a rebate on building permits is earned for achieving a minimum EnerGuide rating. Kimberley's scale starts at a low of EnerGuide 78 and maxes out at EnerGuide 91, which is a super energy efficient home. Up to 80 per cent rebate for EnerGuide 91 "At EnerGuide 78 or 79, you get 10 per cent, and anything over 91 you actually get 80 per cent of your building permit fee back, says Lauren. "Our homes typically range... between 83 and 90, so on average, we're getting $1,500 to $2,000 back on every single house." Advertisement The city is interested in having quality homes built, and like most towns and cities in B.C. they have also pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. "Our buildings are a significant contributor to our overall greenhouse gas emissions, and we're committed to reducing those," says Troy Pollock, manager of planning services for Kimberley B.C. "We set up this simple and easy program to encourage builders and building owners to build more efficient buildings." The city also created a similar program for retrofits providing a one per cent reduction in building permit fees for every single point reduction of EnerGuide. EnerGuide is widely recognized in Canada and "we can rely on local certified energy advisors to do that test and provide us the results," says Pollock. Lauren says the beauty of the Kimberley program is it can be used anywhere: "In its simplicity, they can just mimic what the City of Kimberly has done and implement it within a week." Advertisement Building energy efficient homes Carl Lauren's company Tyee Custom Homes builds about 12 homes a year and about six of those are in Kimberley. Lauren says making homes energy efficient today is important because homes are going to last 50 years or more. The better the home, the more energy saved, and those lower emissions are going to be way into the future. Tyee Custom Homes focuses most of their attention on insulation and sealing their homes to limit thermal bridging. They also install a sophisticated HRV system with a heat pump, on-demand hot water and a 98 per cent efficient furnace. "Right now, we're consistently getting 1.6 or 1.5 air changes per hour," says Lauren. "Our goal next year is to get under one." Homes with a rate of less than one air exchange per hour are among the best energy efficient homes on the market and candidates for reaching net-zero. Log Homes Too Lauren's other company is Tyee Log and Timber. This company makes hand-crafted log homes out of Western Red Cedar right in Kimberley. Advertisement "It's prefabrication, and it's all done by hand," says Lauren of the amazing log homes they build, reminiscent of the ones you see on the Timber Kings television series. "It's all hand scribed, hand cut, hand chiseled. Then we take it down, and ship it wherever it's going." Lauren says he is super passionate about building log homes and making them energy efficient. "We had to take that log home product full of gaps, and seal it so well that it would achieve the EnerGuide 86, which we did. I don't know any other log home companies who are doing that." We saw one of these homes being built in Kimberley and getting one of these log homes to EnerGuide 86 is a remarkable achievement. Lauren is a small custom builder in the Kootenay's of B.C., but his commitment to constant improvement and his efforts to create energy efficiency policy are helping raise the bar in the City of Kimberley, B.C. Advertisement Danita Delimont via Getty Images Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is a Canadian national park reserve in British Columbia made up of parks of three separate regions: Long Beach, the Broken Group Islands, and the West Coast Trail. The entire park encompasses 511 km2 (197 sq mi) of land and ocean. The park is characterized by rugged coasts and lush temperate rainforests. The coming year looks bright with the promise of change after a difficult decade for environmentalists and our issues. But even with a new government that quickly moved to gender equity in cabinet, expanded the Ministry of the Environment to include climate change, and offered a bravura performance at the climate talks in Paris, can Canada's environmentalists close up shop and stop worrying? Of course not. The nature of politics includes constant trade-offs, compromises, and disagreements. Even with a government sympathetic to environmental issues, we won't act deeply and quickly enough or prevent new problems because we haven't addressed the root of our environmental devastation. The ultimate cause isn't economic, technological, scientific or even social. It's psychological. We see and interact with the world through perceptual lenses, shaped from the moment of conception. Our notions of gender, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status, and the environment we grow up in all limit and create our priorities. Advertisement If we were to examine the anatomy of human brains, the circuitry and chemistry of neurons or the structure of our sense organs, nothing would permit us to distinguish gender, ethnicity or religion because we all belong to a single species. But if you were to ask a man and a woman about love, sex or family, answers could be quite disparate. A Jew and Muslim living in Israel might respond differently to questions about Gaza, the West Bank, or Jerusalem. A Catholic and Protestant living in Northern Ireland might hold radically different outlooks about their country's history. We can't just look at the world as a source of resources to exploit with little or no regard for the consequences. We learn how to see the world. That, in turn, determines our priorities and actions. The world has been overwhelmed by the belief that our species stands at the pinnacle of evolution, endowed with impressive intelligence and able to exploit our surroundings as we see fit. We feel fundamentally disconnected from nature and therefore not responsible for the ecological consequences of our actions. Even at the 2015 Paris climate conference, the sense of urgency about climate change was dampened by the perceived equal need to protect jobs and to consider the economic costs of aiding vulnerable nations and even ways to continue exploiting fossil fuels, the very agents of the crisis. We can't just look at the world as a source of resources to exploit with little or no regard for the consequences. When many indigenous people refer to the planet as "Mother Earth", they are not speaking romantically, poetically or metaphorically. They mean it literally. We are of the Earth, every cell in our bodies formed by molecules derived from plants and animals, inflated by water, energized by sunlight captured through photosynthesis and ignited by atmospheric oxygen. Advertisement Years ago, I visited a village perched on the side of an Andean mountain in Peru. People there are taught from childhood that the mountain is an apu, a god, and that as long as that apu casts its shadow on the village, it will determine the destiny of its inhabitants. Compare the way those people will treat that mountain with the way someone in Trail, B.C., will after being told for years the surrounding mountains are rich in gold and silver. Is a forest a sacred grove or merely lumber and pulp? Are rivers the veins of the land or sources of power and irrigation? Is soil a community of organisms or simply dirt? Is another species our biological relative or a resource? Is our house a home or just real estate? Once we learn that our very being, essence, health and happiness depend on Mother Earth, we have no choice but to radically shift the way we treat her. When we spew our toxic wastes and pesticides into the air, water and soil, we poison our mother and ourselves. When we frack our wells, we contaminate the air and water on which we depend. When we clear-cut forests, dump mine tailings into rivers and lakes and convert wilderness into farms or suburbs, we undermine the ability of the biosphere to provide the necessities of life. Is this how we treat our source of survival? Until all of society understands this and then acts on that understanding, we will not be able to act fully to protect a future for ourselves. Patrick Aventurier via Getty Images PARIS, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 30: Justin Trudeau (2nd-R) prime minister of Canada speaks during a press conference at the 21st session of the conference COP21 on climate change on November 30, 2015 in Paris, France. More than 150 world leaders are meeting for the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21/CMP11, from November 30 to December 11. (Photo by Patrick Aventurier/Getty Images) By Stephanie McDonald and John van Mossel Canada's greatest contribution to the climate change negotiations in Paris last month may have actually come three days before official talks began, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $2.65 billion in funding over five years for developing countries. "Canada is back and ready to play its part in combating climate change, and this includes helping the poorest and most vulnerable countries in the world adapt," Trudeau said. It was welcome news. Yet, there will be three particular things we must watch to ensure these funds are indeed reaching the most vulnerable and having the most effect. Advertisement So far we've heard where $575 million of the contribution will go, including to renewable energy in Africa, climate risk insurance and to the Least Developed Countries Fund. We haven't heard what percentage of the funds will go to adaptation efforts. This needs early clarification, and there need to be transparent discussions on the disbursement of the over $2 billion that is yet to be allocated. Adaptation could include rehabilitating a local watershed in the region of Amhara, Ethiopia, which faces chronic food insecurity, to reverse the trend of soil erosion, land degradation and loss of biodiversity. Or experimenting with conservation agriculture practices in northwestern Nicaragua to trap what little precipitation does fall in this increasingly arid region. There are currently hundreds of practical and strategic adaptation projects requiring finance to help people adapt locally to short and long-term climate change effects, working within national adaptation policies. The Paris Agreement calls for climate finance to be balanced between adaptation and mitigation efforts. An analysis of Canada's contribution to Fast Start Financing between 2010 and 2012 -- meant to kick start the mobilization of $100 billion annually by 2020 to support developing countries address the impacts of climate change -- found that only 18 per cent of the funding went to adaptation projects. The first thing to watch will be whether Canada is responding to identified global needs and providing equal funding for adaptation and mitigation work. While mitigation efforts are essential, there are people who are vulnerable now to the effects of climate change and already must adapt. Advertisement Second, we need to monitor the adaptation funds to ensure they are provided as grants and not loans that would increase debt for poor people and poor countries. Of the funds Canada provided as its share of Fast Start Financing, a staggering 74 per cent was allocated as loans, which ultimately must be repaid. With its new funding, Canada should demonstrate that it is serious about truly helping those who are already dealing with more frequent flooding, sea level rise, drought, severe storms and their effects on farm families and poor urban households. We should not expect repayment. Finally, it is vital that the announced $2.65 billion from Canada be money that is new and additional to our existing international development funding. This is crucial, as climate change finance should not take away from other development work. The principles of the Paris Agreement are clear on this. It is unfortunate that no new targets on climate finance were included in the Paris Agreement. There are already concerns that the goal of $100 billion annually by 2020 will not be reached, and we know that the need for climate finance will only increase over time. Canada's $2.65 billion contribution is commendable. It's a first step. What's important now is that Canada's contribution be transparent and achieves good results. Canadian civil society has a role to play both in assisting with the delivery of these funds to local partners and with monitoring the funds to ensure they reach those most affected by our changing climate. Advertisement Stephanie McDonald is a senior policy advisor with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. John van Mossel is an independent environmental consultant. Both are based in Ottawa. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook MORE ON HUFFPOST: Bernard Weil via Getty Images TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 27: A Syrian refugee family, sponsored by a local group called Ripple Refugee Project, pose for photos. Lots are: Reemas Al Abdullah, 5 (little girl), Sawsan Al Samman (red coat), Nahla Al Abdullah (older lady), Aya Al Abdullah, 8 (girl), Anais Al Abdullah (brown coat), Mohamad Al Abdullah (white shirt), Oais Al Abdullah (orange sweater) and Abdullah Al Abdullah (black coat). Friends of Syria hosted a dinner for refugees at the Toronto Port Authority. (Bernard Weil/Toronto Star via Getty Images) To my newest neighbours and soon-to-be Canadians, Many of us are working hard to welcome you and hope that you will find peace and safety in our country. Good people are organizing across the country in homes, community centers and places of worship to do our best to respond to this humanitarian crisis half the world away. On Friday night in Vancouver, some of you faced a horrifying assault during your first days here. As you were being welcomed and celebrated, a man in a white hoodie doused you in pepper spray in an incident that the Vancouver Police are investigating as a hate-motivated crime. Advertisement You are surely weary from your long journey and grieving from the losses you suffered in Syria. It is truly unfortunate that in these early days you were introduced to an awful truth about your new country. Canada has a problem with racism and intolerance. We are a young nation that is still working on re-writing our history books to fully include and understand the dark parts of our past. We are a country that was founded on principles of white, Christian supremacy. Unfortunately, there are still those among us that hold on to this view of Canada. You may hear from people that this act does not reflect who we are as a nation. But you must know that this has not always been true. "No one can promise that you will not face discrimination again. But there will be many of us that will stand with you when it happens." The truth is that the unidentified man in the white hoodie has been with us since the beginning. During our worst times, he was controlling government. During our best times, he was openly shunned. Sometimes, he was just quiet. But lately, he has been empowered and emboldened by fear and political rhetoric aimed at galvanizing our worst selves. Maybe he is still with us because he strikes a chord with enough Canadians to keep him relevant through the years. As a nation, we continually struggle to find the courage to challenge intolerance directly. To move beyond our famous politeness where we handle hate crimes by removing comments from online news stories and evoking myths of a pluralistic and tolerant country. You must be prepared. After this incident, we heard from the Vancouver police that they investigate approximately 50 hate crimes a year. I am sorry to say that no one can promise that you will not face discrimination again as you re-establish yourself in this country. But I know that there will be many of us that will stand with you when it happens. You will be among those fighting to ensure our handling of this humanitarian crisis does not seed future shame and add to the list of times that fear and intolerance guided our actions. Advertisement Please surround yourself in the welcome and support of the majority of Canadians that want to help you make our country home. And be assured that this time the man in the white hoodie will not have the final word. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook MORE ON HUFFPOST: Thomas_EyeDesign via Getty Images A modern working woman is visited by her daughter at work Horizontal shot. It is hard to be a working mother. There are days you just don't think you can manage everything on your to-do list. You may be tempted to confide in a colleague or you boss at work and unburden yourself, but here's a word of advice: Don't. Instead, call a friend, your sister or your mother. Why? There is already a prejudice in the workplace against working mothers. Studies have shown that 60 per cent of Americans think that children would be better off with one parent at home. Admitting to someone you work with (or for) that you are overwhelmed is just reinforcing that bias -- and could hurt your career. Advertisement You may think your company is a strong supporter of working mothers. Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. One mother I know worked for a famously family-friendly company. But when she returned from maternity leave, she was shocked at how differently she was treated. In her words, "I felt like I was being accommodated right off the fast track." Everyone thought they were helping her, when in fact she found herself being given assignments that had "mothers' hours." As a major contributor to her family's income, that was not what she was looking for. She let her company know she wanted to be treated just as before. I have been in the position of having many career discussions with senior people evaluating their teams, so I've seen this from both sides. In some cases, women with children are viewed differently than men with children. Bosses worry that any challenging new job might overload a working mother, causing the valuable employee to leave. When discussing an up-and-coming woman who also happened to be a working mother, one senior manager actually said, "I expect her to go part-time at some point. My wife can tell anyone that it only gets harder when the children are older." I did not let that statement go unchallenged. Advertisement When your children are young, you might be considering the entire work-family equation. You may not want the heavy travel job. Or the projects that demand frequent weekend work. Careers go through phases, and that is natural. When you first enter the workforce, often as a single person, you may be looking for a job with great training and advancement opportunities. Travel can be more appealing than an empty apartment, and long hours with young colleagues may seem fun. However, once you have a partner and children, you might reassess your time commitments. The important thing is that the decision about your career trajectory should be your decision -- not someone else's. All parents (and this goes for men as well as women) should ask themselves two important questions: What personal sacrifices am I willing to make to achieve my career goals? What career sacrifices am I willing to make to achieve my personal goals? Once you understand what career path you want to be on right now, let your manager know. This could be the fast track, being in a steady state or even cutting back your hours while remaining with the organization. You do not need to share too many details of how you will integrate your personal and professional life. But do let them know that you have childcare to cover whatever option you choose. Present your professional side at work, and save the crazy moments for your friends. One mother with two young children sent out an email at 1 a.m. about an upcoming meeting. I asked her what she was doing up at that hour, and she replied, "We are 24/7 at my house." I don't know exactly how she manages it all, but she does -- and I am proud to work with her. Advertisement Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook MORE ON HUFFPOST: MCT via Getty Images Every day we receive calls on our Access Line from people across the country seeking to terminate a pregnancy. They have a lot of questions and very often want to know where to get the abortion pill or, in other words, where they can get a medical abortion. No doubt the thirst for this information is based in part in the stark and surprising realities of poor abortion access in this country. Only 1 in 6 hospitals provide abortion services in Canada, the majority of which, like free standing sexual health clinics, are disproportionately dispersed across Canada, with most located in urban areas. Even the Minister of Health recognizes that "abortion services remain patchy in parts of the country, and that rural women in particular face barriers to access." And limited availability is compounded by other barriers like wait times, age, financial resources, migration status, and physicians refusing to provide referrals on moral and religious grounds. Advertisement People across Canada and globally choose to end pregnancies for many different reasons. What's important is that they have options to safely carry out the decision they have made. While there are still major barriers, in Canada at last, these options are expanding. After an almost three-year long review, the gold-standard of medical abortion was finally approved. Already available in 60 countries worldwide, Mifepristone was approved for use in Canada last July and will be available this spring. The drug will be packaged in combination with Misoprostol and sold under the name Mifegymiso. While medical abortion has been available for some time in Canada, the method used involved the off-label use of a cancer and arthritis medication called methotrexate along with misoprostol. The low-level of knowledge among health care providers in Canada regarding medical abortion and the previous regimens off-label use, however, meant that few physicians were trained or comfortable providing it, contributing to low availability and demand. This reality has left the potential of medical abortion in Canada completely untapped. Medical abortion is an important way to expand choices when it comes to terminating a pregnancy. It can be offered earlier than a surgical abortion, it could reduce wait times for surgical abortion procedures and wait times overall, it could potentially increase access to abortion in more remote and rural areas, and it can be offered to people who have a strong desire to avoid a surgical procedure for whatever their reason. And studies do show that those who prefer a particular method and obtain it are most satisfied with their healthcare experience overall, which can have enormous implications for their overall well-being and health. Advertisement This speaks to the importance of Health Canada's decision to approve Mifepristone. In countries where Mifepristone is already available, like France, the take-up of medical abortion services is much greater than in Canada. 60% of people seeking abortions opt for medical abortion in France, compared to Canada, where access to existing medical abortion services has been limited, offered in few hospitals and clinics and representing only about 4% of all abortions. Now that Mifepristone, which is on the World Health Organization list of essential drugs, will be available in Canada, we could expect the landscape to change. Mifepristone has the potential to become a solution to the many barriers to abortion that exist in Canada and could address the new federal government's priority to "better equalize access for all Canadian women." Unfortunately, the regulatory decision by Health Canada, which granted approval of Mifegymiso and outlined its roll-out in Canada, suggests little will actually change when it comes to access to medical abortion in Canada. Here's why: only physicians will be permitted to prescribe the drug. And Health Canada has mandated onerous training requirements for physicians and pharmacists to prescribe and dispense the drug, rather than making appropriate information available and allowing the use of professional judgment. Such requirements will likely mean poor take-up amongst a wide swath of physicians and pharmacists. Advertisement Limiting the ability to prescribe Mifegymiso to physicians especially restricts access to the service in communities where it is most needed, in rural and remote areas where physicians are lacking and abortion services are far and few between. So what's the solution? The Government needs to ask Health Canada to examine ways to ensure appropriate task-shifting in the provision of medical abortion that allows and trains other qualified health professionals (such as nurse practitioners and midwives) to provide these services. But there are other concerns too. For one, the private registry, which will prevent those seeking the service, or those wishing to refer clients to the service, from knowing which physicians in their area are trained to provide it and which pharmacists are trained to dispense it. What's a solution here? This one is easy. Make publically available a version of the registry listing those providers who have consented to being identified in this way. And finally: Mifegymiso is expected to cost a whopping $270.00 per package. The cost is significantly more expensive than the previous regimen and is cause for concern over accessibility if medication costs are not covered. While the physician fee will likely be covered across Canada, the Minister of Health could work with the provinces and territories to ensure that the medication cost is also covered and move a national drug plan forward that guarantees access to a comprehensive range of medication, medical devices and appropriate supports. These concerns aren't complicated, but political will at the provincial, territorial and federal level is needed if we are serious about equalizing access and providing safe abortion services for all people from coast to coast to coast. For more information about Mifepristone and its use in Canada visit www.sexualhealthandrights.ca/mifegymiso Advertisement KeithBishop via Getty Images The start of a new year marks another's passing and a new beginning. It's a chance to evaluate past accomplishments and deficiencies and set new goals and priorities. Conservatives are pleased to see 2015 come to a close. A fresh start begins with a refreshed agenda and here's where conservatives ought to focus their attention in 2016. A good place to start is a restoration of Canadian civil society. It's a big idea that can form part of the basis of a substantive, thoughtful conservative agenda for the future. Advertisement The role of civil society is too often ignored or undermined by public policy. The expansion of the state in the second half of the 20th century came largely at the expense of civil society. Leviathan grew and civil society contracted. There's some evidence that the pendulum between the state and civil society has slowly begun to swing back. This is a positive development that will produce better outcomes than state intervention and create the conditions for stronger and more dynamic communities. Supporting this trend ought to be a key conservative project. Civil society can play a critical role in addressing key societal challenges ranging from poverty to education to employment training. What do we mean when we talk about civil society? We refer to intermediary or mediating institutions that assume a highly personal character and operate according to a different logic than that which informs the marketplace. Key among them are the family and the neighbourhood, as well as religious, cultural, social, and fraternal associations. These "little platoons," as Burke famously called them, formed the backbone of the system of reciprocal aid that predated the modern welfare state. Advertisement Conservatives understand that overreliance on government over community-based responses often produces poorer results. Consider, for instance, refugee resettlement. The Department of Citizenship and Immigration has found that privately sponsored refugees tend to integrate better, more quickly, and ultimately more successfully than government-assisted ones. One example: privately sponsored refugees over a 15-year period were generally earning about 40 per cent more. It begs the question then: why are we focused on resettling government-assisted refugees and not focused on enabling more privately sponsored ones? And the superiority of local, civil society based solutions over top-down, government ones is hardly limited to refugee resettlement. Civil society can play a critical role in addressing key societal challenges ranging from poverty to education to employment training. It's decentralized and localized and thus much more capable of on-the-ground experimentation and direct support to those in need. A bureaucrat in Ottawa won't help a new refugee figure out public transit in Regina but a private sponsor will. The importance of a strong civil society is not just limited to utilitarianism. The decline of the mediating institutions between the individual and the state under the weight of big government has deeper cultural and spiritual effects. These institutions are what U.S. scholar Yuval Levin has called "the essential pillars of our moral life." Their decline leaves a void the state is unequipped to fill. The result can be a disconnected and unrooted society. So how can we bolster Canada's civil society? The solutions for reversing a shrinking civil society are complex. In the 1990s the state/civil society pendulum did swing towards civil society in part as Canadian governments brought their fiscal houses in order. But this swing of the pendulum was mostly a by-product of fiscal retrenchment and not a deliberate end in itself. The outgoing Harper government was committed to a strengthened civil society. It championed voluntarism and civic engagement through awards and sponsorships. It successfully partnered with civil society groups on a wide range of issues including child and maternal health, First Nations education, neurological research, and homelessness. It expanded tax incentives to encourage charitable giving. It also tested out new models such as funding "challenges" and matching funds initiatives to support new, local ideas. These are necessary but probably not quite sufficient conditions to "nudge" forward the revival of Canadian civil society. Advertisement Bigger thinking is needed. The goal should be to put forward an agenda in the coming years that establishes a political axiom that conservatives are in favour of a smaller government and a bigger civil society and progressives support a bigger state and a smaller civil society. This is a positive vision that conservatives inherit from Mr. Harper and should continue to cultivate. Now is the time for big thinking. The little platoons -- the basic building blocks of a vibrant, dynamic, and compassionate society -- are a good place to start. Ken Boessenkool and Sean Speer are former senior advisers to the Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper and co-authors, along with James Wielgosz, of A Plan to Revive Civil Society in Canada available here. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook ALSO ON HUFFPOST: Hundreds of anti-refugee rioters rampaged through the German city of Leipzig on Monday calling for asylum seekers to be deported and their nation's borders closed following the New Year's Eve sex attacks in Cologne. Hours after German Chancellor Angela Merkel conceded Europe may have lost control of the crisis, admitting "we are vulnerable, as we see, because we do not yet have the order, the control, that we would like to have", hardline right-wingers broke away from a rally in the eastern city to trash the suburb of Connewitz. Advertisement Around 250 members of Legida, a local branch of anti-migrant group Pegida, attacked doner kebab fast food stalls, set cars ablaze and smashed windows. Demonstrators threw fireworks at police, and attempted to build a barricade with signs and torn up paving stones. A bus carrying leftist demonstrators was also attacked. The violence came after German police said the number of criminal complaints filed after the events on New Year's Eve had risen to 516 40 percent concern sexual assaults. A man walks past a destroyed shopping window in Leipzig on Monday Several police officers were injured in the clashes, with more than 200 protesters identified as right-wing hooligans with criminal records for violence, the MailOnline reported. The uprising is linked to simmering tensions following the coordinated Cologne attacks, which were blamed on gangs of men of Arab and North African appearance. Pegida held a march against refugees earlier on Monday. The same day, Pegida UK coordinator, and former English Defence League leader, Tommy Robinson, spoke in Cologne. Advertisement Rape Refugees stay away, read one banner at the rally. The inside of a doner kebab shop attacked by the mob The vandalism in Leipzig followed a weekend of attacks in Cologne by a vigilante mob bent on meting out retribution on immigrants. Two Pakistani men were hospitalised and a third Syrian man was injured before police increased their street presence to prevent further incidents. A Syrian man was also hurt in an attack on Sunday, which took place just 20 minutes later. A policeman next to burning bins during an anti-Pegida demonstration According to MailOnline, Germany's FBI, the Federal Criminal Office, said it had information that the surrounding and sexual molestation of women was a familiar phenomenon in some Arab countries. The agency is currently liaising with police in all 16 German states to formulate a strategy on how to combat it in the future. Prime Minister David Cameron answers questions in front of the Liaison Select Committee at the House of Commons, London on the subject of Syria and climate change. PA/PA Wire David Cameron has said the 70,000 ground forces in Syria are not all the sort of people you bump into at Liberal Democrat party conference as his strategy to crush ISIL was questioned in a tetchy session with senior MPs. The Prime Minister was today quizzed by the liaison committee of MPs - a panel of chairmen and women of the influential select committees that scrutinise Parliament. Advertisement Mr Cameron was grilled on a series of vulnerable areas, including flood defences, drone attacks and climate change, but came under scrutiny in particular for the case for bombing extremists in Syria, which was sanctioned by MPs in December. The PM before the liaison committee of MPs in Parliament today Ahead of the vote, MPs questioned the make-up of the 70,000-strong moderate rebel force that the Government said would bring down ISIL in the aftermath of the bombing. The UK has made clear it will not send British ground troops to the war-torn country. The PM renewed the argument that the figure was generated by the security services and not invented, but conceded some of their number were relatively hardline Islamist groups. Advertisement He told them: Are all of these people impeccable democrats who would share the view of democracy that you and I have? No, some of them do belong to Islamist groups and some of them belong to relatively hardline Islamist groups but nonetheless thats the best estimate of the people that we have potentially to work with. The reason for not breaking down in huge amounts of granular detail exactly who they are is simply this: wed be effectively be giving President Assad a sort of list of the groups of the people and potentially the areas that he should be targeting and thats not my approach. He added: If people want to say there arent enough opposition ground troops ... I totally agree, theyre not all in the right places. I couldnt agree more. Theyre not all the sort of people you bump into at Liberal Democrat party conference ... correct. I would agree with all those assessments. MP's vote on Syria airstrikes See gallery The Prime Minister was responding to questions from Defence Committee Chairman and Tory MP, Julian Lewis, who queried whether there was a third way between defeating Isil and supporting Syrias brutal dictator, President Assad. Mr Cameron suggested only a council of despair would believe backing Assad was the only option. Elsewhere in the session, he was probed by Andrew Tyrie, the chairman of the committee, and gave the Conservative MP short shrift when he suggested the PM was holding back information over the RAF drone strike which killed three jihadis in Syria in September. Advertisement Mr Cameron responded the UK is engaged in an operation to defeat a terrorist organisation that is intending to blow up, kill and maim our citizens, adding: If you dont think theres a terrorist cell in Raqqa trying to do harm to this country you dont know what you are talking about. SNP MPs are not happy. Parliamentary rules were introduced last year to bar Scottish members from voting on English matters the so-called EVEL, or English Votes for English Laws. Those rules were enforced for the first time on Tuesday, sparking a backlash from members whose constituencies are north of the border. Advertisement SNP MP Pete Wishart laid out a forceful rebuke after Scottish MPs were barred from voting on English sections of the Housing Bill, noting,nothing has infuriated the Scottish people more than the measures around English Votes for English Law. This is document that may hasten the end of the union. Unionists will rue the day they implemented ham-fisted #EVELpic.twitter.com/fJZA5ANZ7i Gavin Newlands MP (@GavinNewlandsMP) January 12, 2016 The Member of Parliament for Perth and North Perthshire warned that the new rules were driving Scotland out of the door. "This is a remarkable day and I think it is worth noting the significance, how historical this is because for the first time in the history of this House, of this parliament, members of parliament will be banned from participating in divisions of this House based on nationality and geographic location of constituency, Wishart told the Chamber. Advertisement "I was elected on the same basis as you where," he added. "My constituents expect me to participate in all debates, in all legislation in this House. I am now denied that." Welcome to historic split in this UK parliament as I become now a second class citizen in this chamber #EVEL@theSNPpic.twitter.com/R6mNPTjmly Chris Law MP (SNP) (@ChrisLawSNP) January 12, 2016 However, Tory MPs responded by praising the new rules as the righting of an historic injustice towards English members. After Wishart proposed the creation of and English parliament to solve these matters, Tory MP Anne Main asked if he expected the taxpayers to pay for this other parliament you wish to suggest to create simply because your feelings are somehow assaulted? "I don't know how you can explain that extra layer of bureaucracy and cost to the British taxpayer, but maybe that's how they like to do it in Scotland and spend other people's money?" she added. Advertisement Labour MP Ian Murray MP condemned both the EVEL rules, introduced by the Tory government, and the SNP for "making things worse." "This is just the latest example of the SNP hypocrisy," said the Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland. "Everyone agrees that EVEL is a ramshackle mess, and now the SNP are making things worse by disrupting the chamber to preach and posture," he added. After the main housing debate, a second debate was held on the areas that apply only to England. Signs hung in the lobby made clear the division. German-born American political theorist and author Hannah Arendt, who will appear on the new A-Level Fred Stein Archive via Getty Images Feminism is to be brought back on to the curriculum after a Government U-turn forced by an outcry from campaigners and students. Schools minister Nick Gibb told MPs last night that the new politics A-Level will give all students the opportunity to study the core ideas of feminism. Advertisement The Government prompted fury in November after a section on feminism in the revised version of the course was removed. Just one woman, Mary Wollstonecraft, was included among seven political thinkers in a draft consultation. Ministers now say exam boards are already making changes to the final content to include feminism, and say it was never the intention for the subject to be excised. Advertisement Labour MP Rupa Huq said the "mooted rewriting of history" was "nothing short of sinister its deleting women" Mr Gibb cited Simone de Beauvoir, Hannah Arendt and Rosa Luxemburg as but a few who would feature in the new post-16 syllabus. Details of the change emerged during a House of Commons debate brought by Labour MP, Rupa Huq. While she praised A-level student June Eric-Udorie, a constituent who launched a petition signed by around 50,000 protesting against the decision, the MP told The Huffington Post UK she found the minister's response "a bit thin". It is the second re-think of the curriculum forced on the Government. Fellow student, Jessy McCabe, succeeded in her campaign to have female composers included on an A-level music syllabus after discovering there were no women among the 63 compositions selected. She added: "Teenage girls shouldn't be having to re-write the curriculum for them. There seems to be a pattern here. The risk is they are trying to wipe out 50 per cent of the population." Advertisement Still question marks over detail but minister admits government mistakes in ditching feminism from A level politics https://t.co/NiBdIIzNE1 Rupa Huq MP (@RupaHuq) January 12, 2016 I'm really pleased about this outcome. And a huge thank you to my local MP @RupaHuq for calling the debate. https://t.co/imsSXEafm5 june eric-udorie (@juneericudorie) January 12, 2016 Ms Huq said in the debate: This mooted rewriting of history is nothing short of sinister its deleting women. She added: This proposed syllabus implies that women do not belong in politics and that their contributions are not significant. Its a toxic message and its been condemned roundly by loads of people, including the Girl Guides you wouldnt think that they are a radical dangerous group usually. Advertisement In the draft proposal, three core political ideologies socialism, liberalism and conservatism remained but feminism was dropped as a named topic. In the debate, Mr Gibb said: The final content will set out clearly those female political thinkers whose work should be studied. Suggestions have included Simone de Beauvoir, Hannah Arendt, Rosa Luxemburg, to name but a few. Feminism is an optional area of study in current specifications. It was never our intention to exclude the study of feminism from the reformed A-level and we said we would listen to the consultation which opened on 3 November and closed on 14 December. A Syrian suicide bomber was responsible for the Istanbul blast which killed 10 and injured a further 15 people, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said. The explosion, which officials initially said was "terror linked", took place at 10.30am local time in the Sultanahmet neighborhood, a tourist hotspot that includes the Topkapi Palace and the Haghia Sophia museum. Advertisement The Telegraph said early reports had claimed the attack was carried out by a lone female. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber was a 28-year-old Syrian national whose "connections" were being investigated. He said most of the people who died were foreigners. It was unclear whether the death toll of 10 included the alleged bomber. Officers search for evidence at Sultanahmet Square after an explosion killed 10 people At least nine of the wounded were German nationals. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking at a news conference in Berlin, said Germans from a group traveling together could also be among the dead. "Today Istanbul was hit; Paris has been hit, Tunisia has been hit, Ankara has been hit before," Merkel said. "International terrorism is once again showing its cruel and inhuman face today." Advertisement The explosion, which could be heard from several neighborhoods, was at a park that is home to a landmark obelisk, some 25 meters (yards) from the historic Blue Mosque. Turkey's Dogan news agency reported that one Norwegian and one Peruvian were also among the wounded, and Seoul's Foreign Ministry told reporters via text message that a South Korean had a finger injury. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry told Norway's news agency NTB that the Norwegian tourist was slightly hurt and was being treated in a local hospital. The blast tore through the Sultanahmet Square, next to the city's famous Blue Mosque landmark, which was said to be swarming with security forces and ambulances in the aftermath of the explosion. Police have sealed off the area and are barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion. No one is yet to claim responsibility for the attack, though Turkish officials have told reporters that Islamic State militants are behind the attack. Two senior Turkish security officials say high probability that Islamic State militants responsible for explosion in Istanbul's #Sultanahmet Ece Toksabay (@ecetoksabay) January 12, 2016 Advertisement A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the explosion was believed to be "terror-linked", but declined to provide further details. Istanbul's governor Vasip Sahin told CNN: "Investigations continue about the explosion's cause, the explosive's types, the perpetrator/perpetrators of the event." Philip Hammond has told the Commons the British government is "seeking to verify" whether any British nationals are involved in the bombing in Istanbul. Sajjan Gohel, the international security director at the Asia Pacific Foundation, told the broadcaster that Turkey had been on a "higher alert" for some time, having feared an imminent attack. In recent months there has been sporadic attacks by a far-left group, while violence is also said to have increased between Turkish forces and PKK Kurdish militants, mainly in southeast Turkey, after a ceasefire broke down, the BBC reported. Story continues below Istanbul Explosion See gallery Advertisement Private NTV television said the explosion, which could be heard from several neighbourhoods, was close to a park that is home to a landmark obelisk. Police sealed the area, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion, the Associated Press reported. The Sultanahmet neighborhood is Istanbul's main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque. Erdem Koroglu, who was working at a nearby office, told NTV television he saw several people on the ground following the blast. "It was difficult to say who was alive or dead," Koroglu said. "Buildings rattled from the force of the explosion." Turkey has also been hit by bomb attacks prosecutors have blamed on the Islamic State. Junior doctors and medical students demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament in London as part of a nationwide one day strike in a dispute with the government over new contracts. Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire The Tory Government has stepped up its war of words with junior doctors, by highlighting stroke and newborn baby deaths are higher at the weekends when fewer NHS staff are on duty. Downing Street said stroke mortality rates were 20% higher and baby deaths 7% higher than during the week and declared the public should know that the strike was about delivering 24 hour, seven day care across the NHS. Advertisement But the statistics were swiftly challenged by the BMA, which told HuffPost UK it would generally not be junior doctors who would be likely to be involved in these procedures. And healthcare economists claimed that there was insufficient evidence to link stroke or newborn death rates to junior doctor staffing levels. John McDonnell, Shadow Chancellor, outside St Thomas's Hospital The fresh row came as Labour suggested that medics had no choice but to take industrial action, a form of words that some in the party believed was the first official endorsement of any strike for more than 80 years. Advertisement Shadow junior health spokesman Justin Madders said: Jeremy Hunt choose to pick a fight with the very people who keep our NHS running, and he has left them with no choice but to take this action. Shadow Health Secretary Heidi Alexander also blamed Mr Hunt, but was more careful with her language, preferring to say that we can understand why they [doctors] feel they've got no other option to get their point across". Heidi Alexander: we blame Hunt for strike not junior doctors https://t.co/VWDOB6gEEj Zoe Catchpole (@mazoe) January 12, 2016 Several moderates in Labour were determined not to be seen to back the strike explicitly, amid fears of the political fall-out if any patients are severely hit by the action, especially when A&E cover is pulled next month. But Corbyn allies believe that supporting the strike is a key test of the party's new direction. Jeremy Corbyn used his Facebook page to call on ministers to apologise for causing the action, while Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell was among a string of Labour MPs who joined doctors on the picket line outside hospitals across the country. Advertisement Govnt must apologise to junior doctors & negotiate a fair deal that gets our #NHS working again #JuniorDoctorsStrikepic.twitter.com/wJpxjK6Ze7 Jeremy Corbyn MP (@jeremycorbyn) January 12, 2016 The Prime Ministers official spokeswoman said doctors "clearly had a choice over whether to strike. And she said there was clear evidence of higher mortality at the weekends. "You just need to look at the facts - If you have a stroke at weekend mortality is 20% higher than if you have that stroke in the week, newborn deaths are 7% more likely, so this is why we need to find a way through on this and we continue to urge the BMA to work with us to resolve it. Yet when asked if those statistics included any causal link between staffing levels and death rates, the spokeswoman replied: "The fact is that this happens at the weekend as opposed to in the week. It's what the statistics are and we know that clearly there are differing staffing levels when staff are on duty at weekends." No.10 also suggested that the BMA was not being clear about the reasons for the strike. "I think its important that we are clear, that the BMA is clear and junior doctors are clear with the public and patients affected by todays strike what it is about, she said. Advertisement We are clear that it is about delivering a fair deal for doctors while delivering 24 hour, seven day care across the NHS. Jeremy Hunt, Health Secretary Doctors have accused the Health Secretary of abusing the statistics on 11,000 excess weekend deaths, pointing out that there are lots of non-staffing reasons for higher rates, including the severity of strokes being higher at the weekend. One study found a link to staffing on stroke deaths, but pointed to nursing rather than doctor rotas. On neonatal deaths, some doctors believe that at most there may be a link to a shortage of consultants on weekend duty, rather than junior doctors, though other factors come into play. One research study this year found more generally: There is as yet no clear evidence that 7-day services will reduce weekend deaths or can be achieved without increasing weekday deaths. Advertisement The Editor of the British Medical Journal last year accused Mr Hunt of misrepresenting a study to back his 7-day policy. Dr Fiona Godlee complained because the report stated its not possible to determine the extent to which these excess deaths may be preventable and that i would be rash and misleading to assume they were. Former Health Secretary Stephen Dorrell said last weekend that he was not using the 11,000 deaths figure but that weekend staffing had to be increased. Health Minister Ben Gummer said last year: "Significant independent clinical evidence shows increased mortality in our hospitals at weekends linked to reduced clinical cover. Mr Corbyn condemned the Government for its appalling treatment of the medics and for smearing them in the media. Advertisement Everybody in Britain recognises and is grateful for the hard work and long hours put in by junior doctors, he began in a Facebook post. A woman was compelled to share the moving story of how a junior doctor, working at 3am on a Saturday, saved her child's life, after a picture of her son holding a sign went viral. Thousands of junior doctors are on strike over proposals put forward by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. Medics say the new contracts will result in overworked staff who are in danger of making mistakes and putting patients' lives at risk. Advertisement A picture was taken at Manchester Royal Infirmary on Tuesday of a woman standing with her son holding a sign that reads: "A junior doctor saved my life and my mummy's too." Toddler stands with his mother at a picket line outside Manchester Royal Infirmary The image has been shared widely on social media. Using the name Geralt of Rivia on Twitter, the mother detailed her incredible story of how a junior doctor saved her child's - and probably her own - life when she went into labour on a Friday night. She explains how, hours after being admitted, she was told by the midwife that they could not find her baby's heartbeat. Advertisement A junior doctor was alerted and the child was born at 3am on a Saturday. She writes that her child would most likely not be alive if the doctor had worked a "dangerously long" shift. Okay, so this picture of my bairn is doing the rounds and I think the story that goes with it is probably important. pic.twitter.com/0wPMrCD1WO geralt of rivia (@thewildestsea) January 12, 2016 In a series of tweets she writes: "Okay, so this picture of my bairn is doing the rounds and I think the story that goes with it is probably important. "I went into labour on a Friday. Having had a very blase day of minor contractions, we went into the ward at 8pm. I was triaged. "After saying I didn't want to go home, even only being a few cm dilated, I met the first of three junior doctors. She moved me to antenatal. Advertisement "I wasn't the intended use of the antenatal ward, and despite not having my notes, that doctor evaluated my situation and found me a bed. I was on antenatal for less than an hour (it felt like forever, let me tell you), when they found another junior doctor." The mother explains that her son would not be alive if it weren't for a junior doctor She continues: "The second junior doctor agreed to move me to the labour ward the moment I was dilated enough, and made sure I was given adequate meds. "I had an epidural, then slept til around 3am. The staff made every effort to accommodate me. They turned down the lights so I could sleep. "They found Jos a blanket so she could sleep too. At 3am, the midwife woke me gently without taking the lights up, and said that they had lost #stripelet's heartbeat. She was calm and soothing and said he'd probably just moved from the monitor and that she'd attach another. Advertisement "Within 30 seconds, the room was bright and full of staff. A man I had seen on my way in, sat in the room/cupboard labelled 'junior doctors', was suddenly in front of me, explaining quickly and as clearly as he could that he was going to save my child. I wasn't given time to fear. "It took three minutes exactly from this point to when #stripelet was born. He let me touch him before taking him to the resuscitator. "This junior doctor, working at 3am on an otherwise vacant ward on a Saturday talked me through patching me up, and gave me more anaesthetic. "I cannot imagine being that alert at 3am on a Saturday, and being that fast and clear and caring. But that doctor who saved #stripelet was. "If he had worked a dangerously long shift in the run up to that 3am emergency, #stripelet probably wouldn't be alive. Neither would I. Advertisement "That calmness, precision, and alertness, which takes a huge amount of discipline already, is under attack. #notsafenotfair "I do not want to imagine what could have happened to #stripelet and to other babies like him if it had taken more than 3 minutes. "Please remember that the people on strike today are people, and they are heroes, but they are not magical, or untiring, or infallible. "If you want to be treated by heroes rather than fallible people, then you need to give them space to be people outside of work." People were moved by the mother's testimony and thanked her for sharing her story. @thewildestsea Thank you for sharing that. I really hope most of #stripelet's life will take place in a kinder, safer world. Charles (@charleswrites) January 12, 2016 Advertisement @thewildestsea You just made me cry. Best wishes to you both. X Kat Ellis (@KatEllis37) January 12, 2016 @_TweeterPan@thewildestsea you seem like really fantastic parents doing a great job shit face (@pipsuxx) January 12, 2016 Thousands of doctors took to picket lines across the country in their fight for fairer terms and conditions as part of revisions to their employment contracts. Junior doctors explained last month how their strike was the "last roll of the dice" as they set out their messages for Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. Adorned in knitwear of every variety, junior doctors spent the day picketing outside London's University College Hospital near Euston for the first time in 40 years, to protest the government's controversial new contracts. Advertisement A member of staff holds a placard as she takes part in a picket outside St Thomas' Hospital on January 12, 2016 A woman paced the pavement with a placard that reads: "We are one profession, we stand together." The words were echoed by the variety of people at the picket. The mood here was as clear as the cold January air - they are calling for Hunt to spend a day in their shoes. Advertisement Catherine Houlihan, 35, tells us that she's been at the scene since 7:30am and that she wont be leaving until 6pm, and that she's already had three coffees this morning. "How many are you advised to have a day?" we ask, "I don't even know," she giggles. Catherine Houlihan, 35, paces the streets with a placard Houlihan speaks with passion when she tells us what she would say to change Hunt's mind. "Jeremy Hunt needs to recognise that we are an intelligent bunch of people, we have thought about what has been offered to us and its not safe for our patients," she said, also urging her patients to "attend hospital if you need it, because you will get excellent care." Standing behind a make-shift desk adorned with badges and stickers is a paediatrician with a flair for fluorescent knitwear. Advertisement Dr Najette Ayadi O'Donnell, 34, has a clear message for the health secretary: "The one thing Id say to Jeremy Hunt is come and live in our shoes for a shift and come and see what we put up with," she said in a tempered tone. "We routinely work over our hours and we dont moan about it, we just do it. If a child comes in at 5pm none of us look at our watch and leave the hospital," she added. A group of junior doctors gather around a makeshift desk Later in the morning we met Tim Yates, 36, who is chair of the BMA north Thames committee. He tells me that they have organised strike action across 50 sites today. He tells us that he would "remind Jeremy of the excellent care that we provide 365 days of the year," if he had the opportunity to talk to him. Advertisement Yates also discusses the atmosphere of the picket. "The strength of feeling is incredible you know, its an unsafe and unfair contract thats about to be imposed on us. "Id tell the patients were incredibly sorry were doing this, this is absolutely the last roll of the dice. "If youre inconvenienced today because of the action that we have taken, please know that if we are successful then the NHS will be more sustainable." Beside him is Adam Clare, 30, he is visibly shaking in the cold and about to run into the Hospital to collect something. He tells me he's a physician and his message for Hunt today is for him to listen. "We feel that he talks a lot but doesnt really listen. He repeats the same rhetoric the same spin, and its getting very tiresome in all honesty," he says. Advertisement Across the board many junior doctors are arguing that, if imposed, the new conditions will drive many doctors to look abroad for employment. The first strike, which will last for 24 hours from 8am on 12 January, will affect nearly 4,000 operations, according to NHS England. NHS England said 1,425 inpatient operations and procedures were being cancelled as a result of the strike along with 2,535 outpatient ones. Some 654 cancellations - 192 inpatients and 462 day cases - are in London. There are more than 55,000 junior doctors in England - a position covering people who have just graduated from medical school through to those with more than a decade of experience. They represent a third of the medical workforce, and just over 37,000 are members of the British Medical Association (BMA), which called the strike. Advertisement Hunt told the BBC Radio 4's World at One Tuesday afternoon that he wanted to "thank everyone in the NHS whos worked really hard today to keep patients safe." "Nearly 40% of junior doctors have gone to work today but alongside consultants, nursing staff, other staff they have worked really, really hard to make sure that patients dont come to harm and I want to thank them for that," Hunt said. He went on to accuse striking doctors of putting patients at risk. He said: "We have tried really hard to make the case for a seven-day NHS; weve been arguing this with the BMA now for over three years. "And in the end this was in our manifesto, it was endorsed by the British people and I think every doctor knows that its not acceptable to have mortality rates at the weekend that are 11% to 15% higher, and we want the NHS to offer the safest and best care in the world and we all have that in common. "So the right thing to do is to talk, not do what were seeing today which is putting patients at risk." Advertisement In advice to patients, NHS England said: "Urgent and emergency care services will be available as normal but hospitals are expected to be under additional pressure. "Where possible, people should contact their GP, seek advice from their local pharmacist, call NHS 111 or consult the NHS Choices website." It added: "People should be particularly attentive to their health over this period and look out for more vulnerable members of their families and communities." Talks aimed at resolving the dispute over a new contract failed on Friday, although further talks will continue. As junior doctors took to their picket lines over Jeremy Hunts proposed new contract, there were a number of striking placards - and even this amazing tattoo - on display in support. In one particularly striking image, a doctor showed off a huge freshly-inked NHS tattoo on his bicep. Advertisement The inking featured the words "The new National Health Service" and "with careful poison and sharpest blade", surrounded by flowers and a stethoscope. When asked by Rex photographer Guy Bell whether it was real or not, the unnamed doctor joked: "You think you can get a transfer that big?" Junior Doctors Strike List See gallery A people tweeted their support for the junior doctors' strike with tales of their own experience of the NHS... I cannot imagine being that alert at 3am on a Saturday, and being that fast and clear and caring. But that doctor who saved #stripelet was. geralt of rivia (@thewildestsea) January 12, 2016 Advertisement 4 years ago today, St Thomas Hospital saved my life. Thank you #NHS. Ahuman (@Briesias) January 7, 2016 #timetolisten My daughter's life was saved many times by "junior doctors" at weekends eg when the ECMO keeping her alive malfunctioned! Jo Wilson (@JoWilsonEcho) January 12, 2016 I am here 2day, healthy, vibrant, & strong, bcos 8yrs ago Junior Doctors & our wonderful #NHS saved my life. I stand w #JuniorDoctorsStrike NINA (@nina_mrs_mummy) January 12, 2016 Thousands of doctors took to picket lines across the country in their fight for better terms and conditions as part of revisions to their employment contracts. Earlier, dozens of medics were recalled to work by an NHS hospital in West Bromwich amid a "level 4 alert". Advertisement About 4,000 hospital operations and other medical procedures were to be cancelled across England as a result of the 24-hour strike which began at 8am this morning. Some 3,400 cancellations were to take place today alone. Jeremy Hunt told the BBC Radio 4's World at One on Tuesday: "I would like to thank everyone in the NHS whos worked really hard today to keep patients safe. "Nearly 40% of junior doctors have gone to work today but alongside consultants, nursing staff, other staff they have worked really, really hard to make sure that patients dont come to harm and I want to thank them for that." He went on to accuse striking doctors of putting patients at risk. He said: "We have tried really hard to make the case for a seven-day NHS; weve been arguing this with the BMA now for over three years. Advertisement "And in the end this was in our manifesto, it was endorsed by the British people and I think every doctor knows that its not acceptable to have mortality rates at the weekend that are 11% to 15% higher, and we want the NHS to offer the safest and best care in the world and we all have that in common. "So the right thing to do is to talk, not do what were seeing today which is putting patients at risk." But junior doctors argue that the contracts, which the government says are needed to provide more seven-day services, will result in overworked staff who are in danger of making mistakes and putting patients' lives at risk. Many also argue that, if imposed, the new conditions will drive many doctors to look abroad for employment. The BMA said that the unfair deals could force young doctors to speak with their feet. A student who was seriously injured following a road collision in Thailand is "out of immediate danger" after social media appeals to find blood donors saw thousands queueing to donate. Lucy Hill, a recent Leeds Beckett graduate, was admitted to intensive care in Chiang Mai hospital after the moped she was riding collided with a car. The situation was made worse by Hill's A negative blood type, which is extremely rare in Thailand, and so her family and friends took to social media to urge Western travellers and ex-pats to donate so that Hill could receive the blood transfusion she desperately needed. Advertisement Lucy Hill was on a trip of a lifetime in Thailand when the crash occurred The campaign went viral and brought queues of donors to Chiang Mai hospital looking to help Hill. She has now received the transfusion, and Hill's aunt has told the BBC that her niece is in a "critical but stable" condition. Hill's close friend Darren Burns, who has been highly involved in the social media campaigns, reported in a Facebook post on Tuesday morning that a Just Giving page, which he had created with the aim of raising funds to cover his friend's medical costs, had been reported by an unknown user and removed from the Just Giving website. PLEASE CAN EVERYONE RE-SHARE Unfortunately there are people in the world that don't like to see good deeds being done,... Posted by Darren Burns on Tuesday, 12 January 2016 The issue has now been resolved, and his donation page is back up and running, currently having raised 2,927 of the 25,000 target. Advertisement Times columnist Melanie Phillips said on Tuesday she reaches "for the sick bag" when she hears people say they "don't want a gender blind curriculum". Appearing on the BBCs Daily Politics, the writer reacted to a Government U-turn over the removal of feminism from the politics A-Level. Advertisement Schools minister Nick Gibb confirmed last night that the course will now give all students the opportunity to study the core ideas of feminism. Melanie Phillips (left) and MP Rupa Huq (right) Arguing against the U-turn, Phillips said the decision to include the subject was a "category error," and that the change was prompted by the notion that "there aren't enough women being mentioned," which she said, "is the worst sort of tokenism." "One can say I don't want a curriculum that is blind to all kinds of people," Phillips added. Details of the shift emerged during a House of Commons debate brought by Labour MP Rupa Huq, who debated Phillips on the show. Advertisement Huq praised A-level student June Eric-Udorie, a constituent who launched a petition signed by around 50,000 protesting against the decision. During the parliamentary debate, the MP said: This mooted rewriting of history is nothing short of sinister its deleting women. Huq added: This proposed syllabus implies that women do not belong in politics and that their contributions are not significant. Its a toxic message and its been condemned roundly by loads of people, including the Girl Guides you wouldnt think that they are a radical dangerous group usually. In the draft proposal for the subject three core political ideologies socialism, liberalism and conservatism remained but feminism was dropped as a named topic. In the debate, schools minister Nick Gibb said: The final content will set out clearly those female political thinkers whose work should be studied. Suggestions have included Simone de Beauvoir, Hannah Arendt, Rosa Luxemburg, to name but a few. Feminism is an optional area of study in current specifications. It was never our intention to exclude the study of feminism from the reformed A-level and we said we would listen to the consultation which opened on 3 November and closed on 14 December. More than 7,000 medical students have pledged their support to junior doctors as the first round of strikes get underway, according to the British Medical Association. The BMA is hosting a pledge on its site encouraging student medics to back its striking members, who voted to take industrial action in November. The pledge reads: "As a medical student and a junior doctor of tomorrow, I pledge my support for the BMAs campaign for a junior doctors contract that has quality, safety and fairness at its heart." Advertisement Protestors show banners and shout during a junior doctor's strike in England in front of the St Mary's Hospital in London, Tuesday Junior doctors are set to strike on two further dates - 26 January and 10 February - in protest at health secretary Jeremy Hunt's new contract. Hunt wants to decrease the number of hours during the working week which are classed as "unsociable" by 25%, meaning doctors will receive lower pay for working outside their traditional "normal" hours of nine to five. Advertisement Medics are likely to find themselves working more weekends, which, under the new contract, will no longer mean extra pay. As a result, many junior doctors are planning to strike. Previous research revealed 37% of prospective medicine students have been put off the subject due to the government's treatment of junior doctors. Dr Aaron Borbora, deputy chair of the BMA Junior Doctors' Committee, said the figures could be disastrous if young people are deterred from pursuing a career in medicine. "These figures reveal a worrying trend and should serve as a serious wake-up call to government," he said. Two student medics from Oxford University have filmed their peers expressing their views on Hunt's proposed contract changes for junior doctors. Advertisement Massimo, a third third year medic at Oxford, said: "Jeremy Hunt is trying to push for a seven day NHS, but he's forgetting the fact that doctors work seven days a week, 24 hours a day." Second year student Akila added: "We're going to be overtired and overworked. We have patients' lives in our hands and it's a lot more dangerous." In a recent statement addressing the strikes, Hunt said: "Our absolute priority is patient safety and making sure that the NHS delivers high-quality care seven days a week and we know that's what doctors want too, so it is extremely disappointing that the BMA have chosen to take industrial action which helps no one. "We had made good progress in talks, resolving 15 of the 16 issues put forward by the union everything apart from weekend pay. "We have now asked Acas to reconvene talks in the hope the BMA will return to sensible negotiations." Advertisement A journalist has shut down an attempt to censor his questions during an interview with a government spokesperson on the NHSjunior doctors strike Sky News' Darren McCaffrey was reporting for all the main broadcasters when he responded to an attempt to curtail the questioning of Professor Norman Williams, a respected clinician put up to defend the government. Advertisement McCaffrey is interrupted and accused of straying from previously agreed questioning by an aide during the interview, above. Williams appeared in the absence of Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. Prof Norman Williams is a respected clinician chosen to represent the government The clip, filmed on Monday evening and pooled between the main broadcasters, begins with McCaffrey asking Professor Williams: Where is Jeremy Hunt tonight? To which Williams responds: Hes in the department, at his desk, working hard. The political correspondent then asks: And do you feel its good that doctors on the eve of a strike and indeed the people that use the NHS arent able to hear from the Secretary of State? Advertisement Prompting one aide to rapidly intervene, saying: Hang on a second were not doing this nonsense like The aide continued: We agreed a series of questions McCaffrey quickly responded: I didnt agree to any question, but anyway, were here in an interview, and youre the person the Department of Health put up, in a democracy, were allowed to ask questions Hunted: the Health Secretary has thus far evaded the media Norman Smith, the BBC's deputy political editor, referenced McCaffrey's interview during his report on the strike on Tuesday, mentioning the difficulty reporters have had in seeking comment from the health secretary. The absence of Hunt has prompted an online search and fervent criticism of his treatment of the strike, the first among medics for four decades. Advertisement Where is our arrogant health secretary? A strike he has caused is not available for comment. #JuniorDoctorsStrike#whereisjeremyhunt Ed Coats (@edcoats) January 12, 2016 Hunt subsequently agreed to give one broadcast interview to the BBC Radio 4's World at One on Tuesday. He told the programme: "I would like to thank everyone in the NHS whos worked really hard today to keep patients safe. "Nearly 40% of junior doctors have gone to work today but alongside consultants, nursing staff, other staff they have worked really, really hard to make sure that patients dont come to harm and I want to thank them for that." Advertisement He went on to accuse striking doctors of putting patients at risk. He said: "We have tried really hard to make the case for a seven-day NHS; weve been arguing this with the BMA now for over three years. "And in the end this was in our manifesto, it was endorsed by the British people and I think every doctor knows that its not acceptable to have mortality rates at the weekend that are 11% to 15% higher, and we want the NHS to offer the safest and best care in the world and we all have that in common. "So the right thing to do is to talk, not do what were seeing today which is putting patients at risk." Thousands of doctors took to picket lines across the country in their fight for fairer terms and conditions as part of revisions to their employment contracts. Striking junior doctors at a West Midlands hospital are in a stand-off with their NHS after being ordered back to work because of a "level 4" incident. Sandwell Hospital in West Bromwich wrote to junior doctors telling those rostered on they were "required to report for duty". However the BMA said junior doctors should continue with industrial action until NHS England has confirmed, and the British Medical Association has agreed, that a "major unpredictable incident is taking place for a specific trust". Advertisement Picket line remains at Sandwell General Hospital - despite order to go back to work #JuniorDoctorsStrikepic.twitter.com/a3Mpda32vF Emily Chan (@em_chan) January 12, 2016 A spokesman from the union said: Junior doctors should continue with industrial action until NHS England has confirmed and the BMA has agreed via the agreed escalation process that a major unpredictable incident is taking place for a specific trust. The BMA will notify members as soon as such an incident is in place. No such agreement has yet taken place. It was reported that some doctors briefly left the picket line but returned shortly afterwards. .@robmayor on @bbcwm - some junior doctors briefly left the picket line at Sandwell Hospital to check the situ inside but returned to strike Alex Homer (@alexhomer) January 12, 2016 A copy of the letter sent to junior doctors at the hospital appeared on Twitter today: Here's what Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals told its #juniordoctors. Interested to hear your thoughts pic.twitter.com/w9MqnOaK90 rachel younger (@rachyoungeritv) January 12, 2016 Advertisement Anne Rainsberry, National Incident Director for NHS England said: Sandwell Hospital has reported that it has been experiencing exceptional and sustained pressure. In line with the local agreement between the Trust and the BMA, their medical director has asked junior doctors to return until such a time as the pressure is relieved. "The local NHS is actively reviewing the situation to support the Trust. Nationally, we are continuing to work closely with our BMA colleagues to ensure patient safety. About 4,000 hospital operations and other medical procedures were to be cancelled across England as a result of a 24-hour strike by junior doctors which began at 8am Tuesday. Some 3,400 cancellations were to take place today alone. Picket Line at Sandwell General #JuniorDoctorsStrike - level 4 incident declared & theyve been asked to come in pic.twitter.com/AWSaJHTbjW Phil Mackie (@philmackie) January 12, 2016 While the trust has not yet provided a definition of what constitutes a level 4 incident, a document featured by the Mirror explained that it meant that all actions have failed to contain services pressures and the local health system is unable to deliver comprehensive emergency care. Further action and investigation required. Advertisement NHS England told HuffPost UK that hospitals are able to use their own alert level systems which may vary locally. What is a "level 4" incident? NHS England's definition of a level 4 incident on their emergency prevention, preparedness and response (EPPR) system is "an incident that requires NHS England National Command and Control to support the NHS response. NHS England to coordinate the NHS response in collaboration with local commissioners at the tactical level". However, hospitals are able to use their own alert level systems which may vary locally, rather than the EPPR definition. It seems that this is what Sandwell may have done. One medic claimed that the hospital had needed support with admin to discharge patients: @PrinjaPaarul@itvnews picket at Sandwell back on, apparently they needed admin support to discharge patients, not due to medical emergency! Sebastian Lugg (@seblugg) January 12, 2016 The news comes after Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS medical director, wrote to hospitals on Monday evening to instruct them to call junior doctors back to work if they feel patient safety is at risk. The trust itself tweeted: We want 2 ensure safe discharges 2day 2 be able 2 manage demand 2night/2tmrw: Only Sandwell ward drs have been asked 2 attend by med. dir. SWBH NHS Trust (@SWBHnhs) January 12, 2016 Advertisement A number of medics slammed the decision to order junior doctors back to work despite the strike action SANDWELL HOSPITAL CALLING DRS BACK FROM STRIKE WAS DISINGENUOUS, BMA HAVE TO DRS TO CONTINUE PICKET https://t.co/vKXqbFbyHA Roshana Mehdian (@RoshanaMN) January 12, 2016 Sandwell Hospital is full. This is not a "major incident" just poor planning and a system running at 110% capacity #JuniorDoctorsStrike Georges Junior Docs (@georgesjuniors) January 12, 2016 That letter was dated yesterday- level 4 for a while- that's just bad management @ShaunLintern@RoshanaMN DrSKarrar (@karrar_sarah) January 12, 2016 Shame on you Sandwell #Isupportthestrike AJ (@pigatatatty) January 12, 2016 Advertisement Junior doctors are set to provide emergency care only for 24 hours, with the action being followed by a 48-hour stoppage and the provision of emergency care only from 8am on January 26. On February 10, there will be a full withdrawal of labour from 8am to 5pm. Sandwell Hospital in West Bromwich has orders its junior doctors to work after declaring a level 4 incident Outpatient clinics are also likely to be disrupted on Tuesday as 38,000 members of the British Medical Association take action over threats by the Government to impose a new contract. NHS England said 1,425 inpatient operations and procedures were being cancelled as a result of the strike along with 2,535 outpatient ones. Some 654 cancellations - 192 inpatients and 462 day cases - are in London. Advertisement Despite this Anne Rainsberry of NHS England said patients can be confident they will receive safe care. She said: "The NHS has procedures for dealing with a range of disruptions including industrial action." What Patients Need To Know Ahead Of The Junior Doctors Strike With 30,000 operations and over 150,000 appointments each day, NHS hospitals are bracing for considerable disruption ahead of the planned walkouts by junior doctors this week. Ongoing talks aiming to avert strike action failed last week, as the British Medical Association, which represents junior medics, announced three spells of strike action in England after its negotiations with the Government ended. Advertisement But for hundreds of thousands of patients, even the threat of strike action can provide inconvenience. Here's what you need to know about potential disruption during the planned walkout... NHS Strike: Advice For Patients See gallery Your hospital will be in touch to re-arrange any operations or appointments affected by the strike - and they'll propose amended dates and times should these be immediately available. . The British government should be dropping bread" not "bombs in Syria, a senior SNP MP has said against calls for the RAF to deliver food parcels to crisis-hit Madaya. Brendan OHara, the partys defence spokesman, told the House of Commons there was a terrible irony that children would starve to death in the besieged northern Syrian town while the UK government launched its Brimstone missile at ISIL terrorists in Raqqa. Advertisement Syrian President Bashar al Assad has kept the town under siege since July last year and global outrage over images of malnourished children and adults has forced the regime to allow the first UN aid convoy to arrive in the town. International Development Secretary Justine Greening yesterday condemned the atrocious situation as deliberate and man-made. The aid convoy carrying food, medicine and hygiene kits has begun to offer assistance to an estimated 40,000 inhabitants. But some MPs are pushing for air drops delivered by the British military. In the House of Commons, Mr OHara drew comparisons with the targeted bombing raids on terrorists, principally in Raqqa in the north of the Syria. On Monday, the Ministry of Defence confirmed four 100,000 Brimstone missiles - hailed for their accuracy - were used for the first time. Mr OHara asked: If we have the ability to drop bombs, then surely we have the ability to drop bread? Advertisement SNP MP Brendan O'Hara Speaking to the Huffington Post UK today, he dismissed the response from Ms Greening who suggested the fighter jets carry out an entirely different RAF operation. I wouldnt have thought you would have fighter jets dropping food, he said. The RAF has a lot more in its locker. He went on: There is an irony that at the same time as we are dropping bombs that supposedly minimise civilian casualties, children are starving to death. I appreciate we are trying to get the convoys through. But if the convoys dont get through, then if we have the ability to drop bombs then surely we have the ability to drop bread? Ms Greening signalled she was cool on the idea because of the risk of parcels ending up in the wrong hands. But Mr OHara said: If that does happen, so be it when people are dying. I just dont accept that argument. I accept that this should be used as a last resort - but surely we are at that stage. If people are starving to death then surely you do everything you can. Advertisement Fellow SNP MPs - Patrick Grady, the partys international development spokesman, and trade and investment spokeswoman Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh - made the same argument. Tory MP Jason McCartney and Labour MP Jo Cox, who secured the urgent question on Madaya in the Commons, also backed calls for aid to be dropped by air into Madaya. Ms Cox called for contingency planning for RAF food drops, adding: It has worked before - we have seen it happen. I was an aid worker for more than a decade and I have seen the difference that air drops can make. Ms Greening said the UK needs to ensure that we use the most effective route so that we get the help to the people who are starving on the ground. Labour MP John Woodcock told MPs the SNP were asking the minister to "waste time explaining to the SNP what would happen to a food parcel if you were to try to deliver it via Brimstone supersonic missile". The emotional moment a sperm donor met four of his biological children for the first time and introduced them to their half-siblings was captured on film. Todd Whitehurst, 49, who donated sperm in 1998, was contacted by 20-year-old Sarah Malley through an online database called the Donor Sibling Registry. The pair then arranged a family gathering with seven other children who Whitehurst was biologically related to. Advertisement Whitehurst had previously met four of them and was meeting four for the first time. "This is so awesome," Malley said and she hugged Whitehurst as soon as he got out of the car. Malley hugging her dad and a half sibling she was meeting for the first time The heartwarming moment was caught on video as part of a TV programme Family Ties. Whitehurst, who now has two children of his own, said he was a university graduate in 1998 when he noticed something in the paper about young men being needed for sperm donation. He told CBS News: "I guess my feeling on it was, the folks who end up going to a sperm bank really want children quite badly. "Why wouldn't you want to help those people out?" At the time, the dad had to sign an agreement to remain anonymous and the families were only given basic background information about the donor. Advertisement However it was his unique donor ID number that enabled Malley to eventually find her dad through the online database: Donor Sibling Registry. The site was set up by Wendy Kramer, the mother of a donor son, who soon realised how much her son wanted to know who his biological dad was. The networking site allows children to match the donor IDs to their biological dads. Whitehurst with eight of his children - four of whom he'd never met During the meeting Malley - who is a twin - was speechless as she met her father, and six other half siblings. "I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do," she said in the video. "I was worried it would be just like a 'hello, it's nice to meet you' handshake. We hugged. And that was like a whole big thing." Advertisement Another one of Whitehurst's donor children, Carey Phelps, said she had wanted to know her biological father since she was a teenager. She found him through the site when she was 14 years old after spending two weeks searching for him online with the little information she had. "That moment when I saw his face for the first time, it's just, it's incredible," Phelps told CBS. During the interview, Whitehurst said he donated to the same clinic about 400 times and he has 22 donor children that he knows of. Shadow Housing Minister John Healey speaks during the third day of the Labour Party conference at the Brighton Centre in Brighton, Sussex. Jonathan Brady/PA Wire The Conservative government is sounding the "death knell for social housing," the Labour Party has warned. On Tuesday MPs will debate the Housing Bill. Shadow housing minister John Healey said the legislation showed the government had "washed its hands of fixing our housing crisis". Advertisement Writing for The Huffington Post UK, he said: "It's the most extreme and extraordinary assault on affordable homes in a generation. Shelter predict the Bill will lead to 180,000 fewer affordable homes to rent and to buy over five years. "Housing is fast becoming the starkest example of David Cameron's unbalanced Britain. Where families of ordinary means increasingly find that a decent home is out of their reach, and with a yawning gap between the haves and the have-nots." He added: "The Bill sounds the death knell for social housing. "Housing is fast becoming the starkest example of David Cameron's unbalanced Britain. Where families of ordinary means increasingly find that a decent home is out of their reach, and with a yawning gap between the haves and the have-nots." On Sunday, David Cameron announced around a hundred of the UK's worst sink estates could be bulldozed to make way for better homes as part of a blitz on poverty. Advertisement The prime minister pledged that "brutal high-rise towers" and "bleak" housing will be "torn down" in an effort to tackle drug abuse and gang culture. Making a bid for the political centre ground Tories believe has been abandoned by Jeremy Corbyn, Cameron said decades of neglect of estates were behind the riots that swept Britain in 2011. Monday, another Monday. It seemed another normal day at work for me. I didn't deviate a jot from my usual routine. I checked my Outlook, I arranged meetings, I prepared some documents. I chatted with my workmates, grabbed lunch. Yet, as I gathered my things and prepared to come home, the House of Lords prepared for a second reading of the Trade Union Bill that will erode my freedoms as a worker. It will crush my civic ties as a member of a union and an individual within a collective as well as the freedoms of my workmates. So despite its mundane and familiar rhythm, Monday was anything but a normal day. I, and 6.5 million others, may end this week one step closer to losing the rights that protect us, all as part of a symptom of the disease of a tyrannical Tory government that fears scrutiny far more than it fears injustice. The Bill, sponsored by Sajid Javid and Baroness Neville-Rolfe, makes an excellent pretence of merely clarifying the relationship of employer and striking worker and championing transparency in employer-union relations. The Bill is certainly clear and transparent in motives. It defiantly and needlessly seeks to redress a perceived inefficiency in industrial relations by removing one of the last lines of defence from workers who have been sustainedly and unremittingly assaulted by the ineffective Tory austerity experiment. Advertisement Provisions of the Trade Union Bill include the introduction of a 50% threshold on union strike ballots before strike action can take place alongside a requirement that 40% of those entitled must vote in favour of striking from the essential public services which includes teachers, NHS workers, the fire service and transport workers. At the moment, a strike may proceed if the majority votes for action to take place. Contrary to the bile espoused by proponents of the Bill, no union proposes that strike action is a free for all and easily undertaken, the need for a mandate is well understood by an assortment of leaders, delegates and members. Nor does any worker in this insecure job market naturally undertake to go on strike lightly. The concept of a job for life for the British working public has been thoroughly skewered by the financial crisis, the growth of low-hours contracts, the stagnation of wages and decreases in the real value of pensions. 60% of the jobs created by the Coalition government have been in low-paid sectors of the economy and there are at least 1.4 million people employed on a zero-hours contract with many more potentially not reflected in the figures. Therefore, withdrawing labour is not an easy decision or a flippant tool to be waived, which this Bill does nothing to credit the strained working families of Britain in understanding and particularly not young workers who have had their housing and unemployment security nets torn from under their feet. The Bill imposes a 14-day notice period on informing employers of impending strike action and also lifts the ban on recruiting agency staff to cover for staff members out on strike. This move has been criticised by unions and temping agencies alike. This not only removes the economic pressure put on employers by missing staff members but it opens up agency staff to vitriol and discomfort in their working environment. This shows the Government's intention to make even strike action that has been legitimated by meeting their draconian standards effectively toothless, despite being an assured right under the Human Rights Act and the European Convention on Human Rights, by denying the full impact of the economic imperative to enter negotiations and make changes. Excessive new powers granted to the regulating Certification Officer (CO) affords them the right of investigation of trade union activity without due cause or a requirement to meet an administrative standard for intrusion. Frances O'Grady, general secretary of the TUC, in an interview with Guardian suggested that the CO will become "investigator, judge and jury of trade union activity" whilst the unions themselves pick up the tab for their investigative activity, further crippling them financially even before the other resource-sapping terms of the Bill are applied. Advertisement Even where these measures have failed to tie the union into a bureaucratic knot worthy of Houdini's attention (and trade union secretaries have warned that these measures could cause splintering of groups and sidestepping of the traditional process, causing greater industrial unrest), the Trade Union Bill still continues on its cogent strategy of dividing and conquering the grassroots union members. As a grassroots level, protests will require an appointed "picket supervisors" expected to wear armbands showing that they have been given permission to go on strike. If the CO decides a trade union has breached these new rules the union can be fined up to 20,000 a time. Who exactly will volunteer to stand up as one of these supervisors and assume responsibility for the actions of the entire assembly? Most will simply shy away from this sort of spotlight and risk, thus impressing fear on the collective and creating a psychological barrier for those who wish to participate in their legally enshrined rights. This kind of needless sowing of discord and alarm into honest, hard-working people seems to betray the Conservative's lack of trust in the populous and rampant disdain for the civil rights of the many where they contradict the personal gain of the elite. This ceaseless kowtowing to business goals barely masks the end goal; to siphon money away from ordinary families and more into the pockets of shareholders and profiteers as research by Wilkinson & Pickett (2014) shows how the decline of collective bargaining coverage over the last few decades has coincided with the dramatic decrease in the proportion of GDP that goes to workers' pay. Let's not forget, unionised workers in the private sector earn on average 39% more than their non-unionised colleagues with colleagues in the public sector earning on average 21% more than their non-unionised counterparts. This is particularly important to women who have disproportionately borne the brunt of George Osborne's ideological austerity agenda. Women make up 55% of trade union members and unionised women earn on average 30% more than non-unionised female workers which is immensely important given the women's increased likelihood of occupying lower paid sectors of the economy offering the fewest hours. This little known statistic goes towards dispelling the myth that those who benefit the most from union clout are the male and pale among us - especially since black workers are the most likely to be unionised. The Tories have already restricted access to employment tribunals by ensuring that workers who began employment after the 6th April 2012 must have 2 years of continuous service before they can meet the qualification for unfair dismissal, regardless of the treatment they must suffer in the intervening period - and pay 250 for the privilege of just registering a case to be heard. Workers in more dangerous sectors of the economy have had legal aid access restricted for personal injury claims whilst workplace visits by health inspectors have been severely reduced by cuts, further endangering workers and placing hundreds of thousands at the mercy of bosses whose primary motivation is profit. This is merely a bureaucratic exercise in asserting the social contract is just another contract, like that of junior doctors and retiring women, to be torn up and misrepresented by a Conservative elite utterly detached from the concerns of ordinary working people. Advertisement This provision also overlooks that there may be many minority interests within a larger union. There are several generalist trade unions in Britain such as the GMB, for whom a single profession deciding to walk out may not spark a rush to the ballot box to meet that demanding target. If the recent success of the Picturehouse staff who collectively bargained for a living wage had been part of a much larger amorphous union, would millions of people across the country have necessarily stirred to their aid to meet that 50% target? Perhaps not. Yet was walking out and demonstrating their collective bargaining power the right thing to do? Absolutely. In fact, this provision almost certainly discourages voices within the trade union movement from engaging in democracy as by encouraging abstentions, dissenters can defeat motions by sheer lack of turnout. Any provision which dissuades collective voices from sharing their personal views is toxic to cohesion between workers as well as poisonous to the entire mission of the trade union movement to facilitate discussion in bargaining with employers. The government could be said to be attempting to reach a fair compromise so that business is not unnecessarily disrupted by frequent and unpredictable strikes caused by a tiny minority. However, that becomes obviously false when the Trade Union Bill is examined, revealing provisions that ensure that unions are utterly hampered in the means by which they can legitimately ballot their members. There is to be no electronic or phone balloting for instance, despite both of those methods of communication being deemed secure enough to conduct our everyday banking and medical practice, an onerous and unreasonable double standard to apply and one which would almost certainly facilitate the higher turnout required by the Trade Union Bill. This particularly precludes greater engagement by young workers for whom these media are an ingrained part of their daily lives and who, after a vampiric austerity program which saw the loss of housing and employment protections, require the protection and advocacy of trade unions the most. Finally, the changing of union financing to be an opt-in every five years rather than an opt-out model depletes the separate political fund which trade unions utilise for their campaigning activities which in turn informs and improves the advocacy they offer to their members. Nor is this the first time the Government has launched a cynical attack on those who seek to scrutinise and challenge their activities in the public eye and the courts. Chris Grayling's incursion on the right to judicial review sought to create a stranglehold by which charities and campaigning organisations were restricted from taking on cases on behalf of members and affected parties. By restricting lobbying, campaigning and legal activities of unions further, the Government is using finance to drown out dissent, rendering those capable of justifiable confrontation for the powerless of society as ineffectual and paralysed. That high-pitched spinning sound you can hear is the rotation of Aneurin Bevan, Clement Atlee, Tony Benn and other humanitarian extolers of the social contract in their graves. Even more sinisterly authoritarian, this is a direct attack on the Labour Party who receives up to 6 million from affiliated unions, undermining Parliamentary Opposition in the donation boxes as well as through their earlier curtailing of "short money", the money specifically set aside in the Budget to facilitate the activities of the official Opposition. A less effective Opposition with less resource for fact-finding, canvassing, polling and lobbying is a disaster for democracy and especially for minority groups who find it difficult to get their issues heard in Parliament. With the relations between Cuba and the United States improving, now it's your last chance to visit this country as a land not yet corrupted by technology and consumerism. That said, we aren't all Spanish speakers or experts in the Cuban way of living - which is exactly what most people pointed out when I mentioned I was travelling to this remote spot in the Caribbean by myself and with little more than "Hasta la victoria, siempre!" in my Spanish vocabulary. Here's how I made it. 1) Don't get weirded out by people hitting on you Many Cubans want to leave Cuba to live and work in countries with more opportunities. It shouldn't then come as a surprise that, just like it happens to many other people, their first options is marriage. As a solo girl traveller I understood pretty quickly that no matter how dishevelled I looked, I would hear men make kissing sounds, honk the horn at me, call me "nina", "mami", "mamasita" and "linda" or propose to me for the whole trip. Advertisement The first thing my host, a lovely Cuban lady, told me was: "Guys will start following you and talking to you asking if you have a boyfriend or if you want to go to dinner with them. Say: 'Yo necessito de nada. Yo estudio medicina a Cuba.' They probably just want to get free food from you or see if you can get them out of Cuba." Sure, a girl with an Hawaiian shirt and a bikini walking towards a tourist bus might not look like your typical medicine student, but my host's advice helped me learn what to expect and showed me I had no reasons to get weirded out by the locals. The guys I've spoken to confirmed it's the same for them, so either buy people lunches or pretend to study medicine. Up to you. 2) Learn the multiples of 5 - and how to use them Cubans - and especially Habaneros - essentially live off tourism: restaurants, accommodation, cabs, guides... And commissions. Advertisement With the average monthly Cuban salary equalling to a little more than 10, the locals can only get some extra money by helping each other out and securing business for each other. Business is secured through referrals - and referrals cost money. So if I get you a taxi from the airport for 25 cuban dollars (CUC), I might ask you to pay 30 CUC so I can get an extra 5 CUC of commission from the driver for giving him more work. This doesn't mean Cubans are trying to rip you off - in fact, they are amongst the most heart-warming, kindest people you'll ever meet. It's simply their way of getting by. So your job in Cuba is being able to trade in multiples of five not to pay any extra money - essentially make sure some dude's commission doesn't impact on what you're paying. 3) Take a holiday from the web In Cuba the Internet is a luxury, so be prepared to pay if you want WiFi. In Havana you can find it in hotels like the Hotel Nacional (for 5 CUC per hour) or in Calle 23. Here you can join the Habaneros who bought a card from nearby stalls or locals (for 2 o 3 CUC per hour respectively). If you're looking for an Internet-free holiday, Cuba's the place for you! 4) Stay in a Casa particular The cheapest accommodation in Cuba is renting a room in a casa particular, the pillar of the Cuban economy. Owners of casas particulares (mostly women as far as I've seen) rent rooms in their houses for 25-35 cuban dollars per night. Advertisement Look at your casa particular host like your referral point in Cuba. A good casa particular is safe enough for you to leave cards and extra money (in a locked suitcase) and a great dining spot, too: with about 15 CUC per day you'll manage to have great breakfasts and dinners in a clean place. A good host will ask for your passport and visa as soon as you get there... And will also be able to sell you discounted Cuban cigars. Now you know more than I knew before landing in Cuba. Good luck! This morning I joined Junior Doctors on their picket line outside of St Thomas' Hospital - just across the river from the Houses of Parliament. Like thousands of their colleagues across the country these men and women had taken the difficult decision to go on strike for the first time because the Government has continued to treat them with contempt. Doctors take the Hippocratic Oath extremely seriously - and will always do all they can to avoid putting patients at risk. They've been forced to strike because they are not being heard. They have been telling Jeremy Hunt that this contract change is not just unfair on them but potentially unsafe for patients too. But the Government has refused to listen - instead they've reverted to bully boy tactics and a campaign of misinformation to try and impose this contract. The strike is happening today not because the Doctors aren't willing to negotiate but because the Government has failed to address doctors' serious concerns surrounding safe working conditions, and aren't offering proper recognition for those working unsocial hours. Advertisement The Government's proposed changes to the contracts are part of the drive for a so called '7 day NHS'. On paper the concept is a good one, but junior doctors do already work seven days a week (and indeed 24 hours a day) and there is no ability for junior doctors to opt out of weekend services. It is, surely, entirely fair that they should be paid for working antisocial hours. As I stood with the doctors in the cold morning air by the river today, the public support was palpable. Passers-by wished them well, people delivered pastries for breakfast and a bicycle convoy called 'Bikers for Strikers' were there to show their solidarity. It's clear, not just from today's displays of solidarity but from the polls too; the public back this strike. If only the Government treated the doctors with the same respect that the public do. I'm deeply concerned that if Ministers continue to mistreat our demoralised doctors then we run the very serious risk of losing them to other countries who will treat them better. In a recent survey 2,949 (71.4%) of the 4,129 junior doctors polled said they would move abroad, become a locum or give up medicine altogether if the contract is forced on them next year. I regularly hear from doctors referring to colleagues who have left for Australia. Advertisement And sadly it's not just junior doctors who are under assault by a Government intent on breaking up our health service. A quarter of a century of marketisation has left our health service fragmented and increasingly vulnerable to being picked off by private providers - only for the process to be turbocharged by Cameron's Government. Only last weekend we saw thousands of student nurses protest in London against Government plans to plunge them further into debt by taking away their grants. A move that beggars belief in the midst of a staffing crisis. The Government must rethink the way they're treating our NHS. As a start they should negotiate with the doctors in good faith, and put forward the offer of a contract that is fair and works for staff and patients alike. Until then then I'll continue to stand in solidarity with the junior doctors as they fight for what's right. Prime Minister Questions last week saw Conservative MP Philip Davies argue (sadly echoing the comments of an MP from our own benches over the Christmas break) that money should be taken from the international development budget to pay for the much needed extra resources to deal with the consequences of the recent flooding. This is a false choice - however, it is not the only threat to Britain's international development budget. Since 2002 successive British governments have committed to spending 0.7% of national output on development and aid. The budget for the Department for International Development (DfID) should be precisely used to fund development. But there are growing concerns that this Tory government is using that budget for a different 'security' agenda, not solely for international development. Occasionally some examples of this come to light, such as the proposed repatriation of Jamaican prisoners to a new prison paid for by DfID. Advertisement Yet this is only one example of a wider trend. The driving force behind this regressive agenda is the UK Treasury making cuts to other departments whilst being formally committed to the 0.7%. In November it published a strategy document setting out a new framework for the aid budget. In this, Chancellor George Osborne and International Development Secretary Justine Greening state, "We want to meet our promises to the world's poor and also put international development at the heart of our national security and foreign policy." Without any hint of irony it lists a series of past achievements, on provision of healthcare, education, alleviating poverty and so on, and declares that the basis on which these successes have been made will be fundamentally altered, putting in doubt the principle that the distribution of aid must be primarily based on the interests of those who need. The document mentions security thirty two times but fails to mention inequality. Global Justice Now have argued that "Never since DfID was first created as an independent department in 1997 has a government strategy so clearly linked aid with the UK's defence and foreign policy objectives." The effect is twofold. The aims of international development are to be explicitly linked to the Government's 'security-based' foreign policy. Whilst, of course, international development funding can undoubtedly help in peace-making efforts, if more spending goes on areas where the UK militarily involved, there is a risk of aid being used to support UK military activities. Advertisement And at the same time, the method for reaching development aims are increasingly driven by the Tories' neo-liberal ideological agenda. So, for example, DfID has channelled millions of pounds into the harnessing non-state actors for better health for the poor (Hanshep) scheme, which promotes private sector investment in the health sectors of poor countries. There will be a new cross-government approach to the DfID budget with "more aid will be administrated by other government departments", meaning other departments could increasingly be accessing its funds to soften the blow of spending cuts, despite the 0.7% of Gross National Income formally being maintained. Then there is the "Joint Security Fund" where DfID will be funding the priorities of the Foreign Office, MI5 and GCHQ. A new 1.3billion Prosperity Fund will be overseen by the Foreign Office, and will meet its objectives. A genuine international development budget would prioritise sustainable economic development and help to tackle the crises that prevent it, such as HIV/AIDs and other diseases, climate change and the disastrous and continuing refugee crisis. It would benefit the rest of the world and thereby also boost British prosperity. But the current Tory government is subordinating these aims to an ideologically-driven agenda. We must stand firmly behind the achievement of the 0.7% commitment and for its correct use to improve the lives of millions around the world. A medical career is special. It is a privilege. This is not due to monetary incentives or corporate benefits, but because the opportunity to alleviate suffering and strive for excellence makes for a rewarding and exciting job. However, in the words of the 19th Century Physician Dr Humphrey Rolleston, "Medicine is a noble profession but a damn bad business." Every day thousands of well-trained, highly skilled junior doctors carry out their duties with enthusiasm, integrity and respect. This is reflected in numerous patient satisfaction surveys as well as a 2014 IPSOS MORI poll that demonstrated 90% of people trusted their doctor (by contrast, only 16% trusted politicians). Doctors seek to serve their patients in the best way they can. In fact it is the trust and appreciation of patients that motivates them through a long nightshift or a weekend away from loved ones. However, this does not mean that the needs and aspirations of doctors differ from those of anybody else. They too have relationships and families. They too aspire to own a home, travel and spend time with their family. Whilst it is inevitable that sacrifices will be required, it is also perfectly reasonable to appropriately remunerate for missed bedtime stories, birthdays and Christmas lunches. Advertisement Maslow's "Hierarchy of Needs" proposes that the motivations that drive us as a species can be grouped into basic needs and those for growth and development. According to this model, when basic needs such as food or shelter are unfulfilled a person is unable to step up to the higher levels. Undermining and undervaluing an individual impacts on self-esteem and precludes any chance of acquiring "self-actualisation," the ultimate stage where an individual is able to reach their full potential and develop characteristics such as concern for community and a strong moral and ethical standard - characteristics that are pre-requisites for good medical practice. Research by Truman Bewley from Yale University showed that employers were reluctant to reduce salary because they believed this would hurt employee morale, reduce productivity and negatively impact recruitment. Ultimately they concluded that these costs outweighed any gains from salary reduction. Conversely, a study from Harvard Business School showed that raising salary above expected levels led to increased productivity, whilst studies by Shapiro and Stiglitz showed that increasing salary improved discipline and reduced labour monitoring costs. Advertisement A potential 22% pay cut would have a significant impact on a junior doctor salary, which currently stands at just over 22,000 for newly qualified doctors and approximately 50,000 for those with several years of experience. Moreover, in the era of top-up fees, medical students could now leave university with a debt burden of 70,000 over a six-year training programme. In The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith, wrote "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of their advantages." The reciprocal of Smith's statement would suggest that a pay cut with worsened working conditions could dis-incentivise doctors. Doctors have academic fortitude and a skillset that can be applied to a variety of careers. Any further deterioration in working conditions may force doctors to seek options outside of medicine. Alternatively, some may emigrate to locations such as Canada or Australia where they can earn better remuneration and working conditions; this year almost 7,500 doctors have applied for Certificates of Good standing from the General Medical Council allowing them to work abroad. In his blog on the Conservative Party website, Dr Hugh Byrne asserts that that if doctors migrate, "ready replacement will come from UK medical schools whose places are completely oversubscribed." Given that there are only just over 6,200 medical students qualifying every year, the impact on the workforce is likely to have a greater impact than suggested by Dr Byrne. His further assumption that the shortfall could be filled by doctors "from abroad" is also ambitious given that only 37% of the current doctor workforce are foreign-trained . The general scepticism over immigration coupled with Theresa May's concerns over loss of "community cohesion" secondary to it will hinder any attempts to increase that number. Advertisement The people of Britain deserve a well-paid, highly skilled healthcare workforce because they pay well for it. According to the Office of National Statistics, an annual income of 30,000 attracts a tax bill of 6,781, of which 1,257 is spent on healthcare. The repercussions of junior doctor pay reforms are serious and affect us all; the potential exodus that could result would undoubtedly negatively impact on the quality of healthcare. The objection to the junior doctor pay deal on offer is not childish petulance, avariciousness or political gaming. Nor is it an attempt to align junior doctor remuneration with financial sector packages. But it IS about money and being paid a fair wage for a demanding job. One of the few countries in the world that does not have babies in prison is Norway. Internationally the existence of babies in prison is a phenomenon which allows children to remain with their mother in their early years. Across the world there are variations with policy and practices. For example some countries such as India require prisons to offer nurseries and day care for their mothers and children. In Chile, babies born in prison begin state run educational programmes at 6 months of age. In Mexico babies can grow and stay with their mothers in prison until they are 6 years. The existence of babies in prison can be traced to the earliest types of prison. There is evidence of a baby born in a prison in the 18th century in England and Wales. Across the world prisons included nurseries in the early 20th century, however over the past few years there has been a more punitive approach. Prisons have begun to question both the costs of imprisoning babies and the effects on children. Research within mother and baby units is very rarely conducted and when these studies do appear, they are narrowly focused using academic priorities. This blog post will outline the results of a unique study that has been carried out in Ireland as well as the current situation for charities which are supporting mother and babies in prison. Advertisement Maintaining the mother-child relationship: Unlike other studies that have either focused generally on the work of special mother and baby units or the experiences of mothers in prison, a recent study considers the work of practitioners. This study outlines that in the context of a small study, the results were not necessarily representative of all practitioners who work with women prisoners. Despite this, the study by O'Malley and Devaney (2015) called 'maintaining the mother-child relationship within the Irish prison system: the practitioner perspective', provides a detailed insight into how babies are looked after by prisons. Within Ireland, babies are allowed to be with their mothers until 12 months of age. The view from practitioners was that allowing children to stay with their mothers benefits the rehabilitative process of mothers. Despite this, the study highlights that caring for babies in prison is stressful and mothers can have unease about other prisoners touching their babies, visits are challenging and extra contact with the outside world need to be arranged. The study by O'Mally (2015) does not only explore the work within mother and baby units in Ireland but also this research has focused on issues relating to the support for practitioners working in mother and baby units. This study found that practitioners want to support the mother-child bond however there are paradoxes. For example, this study found that practitioners within the prison liaise with social workers on all issues concerning the mother-child relationship. The main examples of good practice were found through individual practices of workers in the prison and like so many other studies there was found to be a need for more research to identify the appropriate response to the needs of mothers and babies in prison. Mothers in prison: There have been many studies about issues relating to mothers in prison. Despite this, prisons are known to be designed by men. Within England and Wales, current politicians have made commitments to reduce the amount of women in prison. Campaigners and academics have applauded attempts to divert women away from the prison system and it is generally agreed that this will result in less babies in prison. A recent study has found that within England and Wales not only are mother and baby units under-used but also there is a high rejection of mother and baby unit applications (O'Keefe et al, 2015). While some research has suggested that the under use of mother and baby units is linked to issues for women prior to imprisonment such as mental health or substance misuse others in the United States have linked cost issues to the under-use of mother and baby units. Advertisement Consequences of less mother and baby units: Many reformers and academics are campaigning for changes to the sentencing arrangements of mothers. These campaigns are recognising that issues lie with the attitudes of practitioners in the criminal justice system who are responsible indirectly for arresting, charging and then sentencing women to custodial sentences. These arguments are complex, however it is not difficult to see that the effects of imprisonment of mothers can be devastating for children. It is claimed that despite a lack of accurate statistics it is estimated that only 5% of children remain in their family home when their mother is imprisoned. Despite the need for campaigns to reform the sentencing of mothers, conditions of mother and baby units as well as the work of practitioners within prisons, there has been a lack of attention about babies in prison. The only charity in England and Wales that is associated with babies in prison has seen its funds dramatically drop. Babies in prison is a charity that was established in 1992 and raises money to visit as well as support mothers in prison. Changes within the female prison estate in England and Wales have focused on closing down the mother and baby units first. Following the recent closure of the mother and baby unit at HMP Holloway, special sensory equipment bought by babies in prison has been transferred to HMP Styal. This raises many questions about why small charities, with few resources are providing the equipment in the first place? Last November the junior doctors strike was called off. Apparently it was a 'victory for common sense' via Jeremy Hunts twitter page. Insultingly, Hunt appears to be in the eyes of the public, the saving grace of this doctors strike epidemic. The irony of using the words common sense in the same conversation as the desired contract changes Hunt has proposed for junior doctors is laughable. Common sense would not have proposed an average working week of 90 hours. Common sense would not have scared the nation into believing that doctors do not work on the weekends. The word common and sense poignantly have taken no part in Jeremy Hunt's proposed ideals for our junior doctors and our next generation of health care professionals. The ironic thing is that there has been no real news coverage about the strikes, apart from the BBC declaring that the imminent strike would kill off patients left right and centre. If the TFL plan a strike because of hours and pay you never hear the end of it from news coverage and social media. Most people will not have noticed [due to this lack of media exposure] that the doctors are going on strike again today. My sister will not be able to attend the strike do to the fact that she is working a 12-hour night shift. The fact is that doctors would not strike if there was a threat to any of their patients and that is the truth. There was no threat of death with this strike, just as there was not on the last one. Just because the junior doctors are striking [with the support from their consultant peers] does not mean the hospital floors will be an empty post-apocalyptic nightmare. Advertisement My sister is a junior doctor. She is caring, selfless, hilarious and completely professional. She has entered her career to help people and not because she is money grabbing and power hungry. She loves the NHS. Ask any doctor and they will probably say the same thing. To prepare for the strike, her peers and their BMA representatives worked extra unpaid hours to make sure that their patients were in the best hand over care and spent time re-scheduling non-urgent patient appointments. Four hours of her time were spent [unpaid] making sure that her patients got the best care while her colleagues go on strike. The news flash that you will not see with this strike is that ALL patients are still being looked after by the emergency care junior doctor team, just like they would on the weekend - i.e. there is going to be no threat of impending death and empty hospital corridors. What is disgusting is that my sister is 25-years-old and many days she runs a ward by herself with a registrar or consultant to contact if she needs help with particularly unwell people. That is an enormous amount of stress to put onto a young person and an enormous amount of responsibility. She literally has life and death on her watch. Who else can say the same about their jobs? What Jeremy Hunt is doing is stretching out whatever resources is left of the NHS and is flushing them down the toilet. If you were applying for a job would the occupation attributes of a 90-hour week, with no protection from your employers to prevent them imposing unsafe working hours on you and unsociable weekly and weekend hours' sound appealing to you? Would erratic rotas with fixed leave and holiday so that you can't actually see your family or holiday like a regular person and cuts to your pay, especially if [god forbid] you want to have a family be tempting to you in any way? I didn't think so. What Jeremy Hunt needs to realise is that doctors hardly have any time for themselves as it is. A day off on Tuesday. Brilliant. That is hardly enough time to re-charge or do anything productive. Doctors who are parents usually have two to three weekends a month to see their children under the current contract, and sometimes even a weekday evening before they go to bed on the rare occasion they finish work on time. With this new contract, there will be no bedtime stories or goodnight kisses, with only one day a week that will guarantee them the privilege of spending time with their children. Despite the fact all they'll probably want to do is sleep, as they may have already worked up to 90 hours in the preceding days. There is no consideration for the fact that this is already an overstretched and overworked workforce. Advertisement Last Tuesday night MPs were kept in the House of Commons until 2am, as the government forced through their Housing and Planning Bill in the early hours. Tory Ministers had snuck in more than 60 pages of new legislation at the last minute, including redefining 'affordable housing' to include homes for sale costing up to 450,000, and handing local planning over to private companies. No wonder Ministers are scared of debate on this bad Bill. This Housing Bill will be written up in the history books as evidence of a government that washed its hands of fixing our housing crisis. Advertisement The Bill fails to get to grips with crisis of home-ownership for young people and families on ordinary incomes. So-called 'starter homes' are simply out of reach in those areas where people most need help buying a home of their own. Last week, Tory MPs voted against Labour proposals to make these homes more affordable. And the Bill sounds the death knell for social housing. Starter homes will be built in place of new affordable council or housing association homes, and for the first time since the second world war there is no national investment programme to build such housing. It's the most extreme and extraordinary assault on affordable homes in a generation. Shelter predict the Bill will lead to 180,000 fewer affordable homes to rent and to buy over five years Today, as the Bill is debated again in the Commons, the Tories are set to vote against Labour plans to halt this mass loss of genuinely affordable homes, including our attempt to stop the forced sale of council homes, and ensure the full one-for-one replacement of homes sold under the right-to-buy. Labour will continue to lead the fight against this legislation through Parliament as the Bill then passes to the House of Lords. Advertisement Our fight is for the young people and families on low and middle incomes who are locked out of a decent home at the moment. It's they who have been hit hardest by the last five years of failure on housing - with home-ownership down every year to the lowest level in a generation, public investment slashed and the lowest peacetime level of homebuilding by any government in almost a century. Housing is fast becoming the starkest example of David Cameron's unbalanced Britain. Where families of ordinary means increasingly find that a decent home is out of their reach, and with a yawning gap between the haves and the have-nots. Government Ministers can try to dodge proper scrutiny in the Commons, but they can't hide from the judgement of a country. People know it's getting much harder to get a secure home of their own, and see a government that isn't up to the job of fixing it. Today Labour MPs will vote against the government's Housing Bill. But we'll also make the case for a better plan on housing, with more good homes to own and rent - and for the Labour government that we need to tackle England's housing crisis. Advertisement How entrepreneurial was the UK in 2015? Thanks to new figures analysed by StartUp Britain and the Centre for Entrepreneurs, we know the answer: more than ever. Using official data from Companies House on the number of businesses incorporated in 2015, we were able to both produce a figure for total start-ups over the past year as well as start-up rates for each and every UK local authority (see our interactive map). Let us first take a look at the total figure: 608,110 businesses were started in the UK in 2015, a new record compared to 2014's 581,173 start-ups and 526,447 in 2013 - fulfilling Startup Britain's prediction of over 600,000 start-ups. Advertisement Despite a strong economic recovery driven by net job creation and earnings growth, more people than ever are deciding to strike out on their own, suggesting that we are witnessing a sustained cultural shift towards entrepreneurialism rather than a short-term response to the financial crisis and a poor job market. The reasons for this shift are manifold. Attitudinal changes towards work in many advanced economies mean that autonomy and creativity are increasingly valued above stability and a linear career trajectory. Transformations in working practices, such as the growing popularity of remote and flexible working, are making it easier for budding entrepreneurs to manage their ventures alongside other commitments. Finally, the UK's regulatory and policy environment is particularly hospitable towards entrepreneurs, with flexible labour markets, a favourable tax regime and a whole host of government start-up support schemes (e.g. Start Up Loans and the New Enterprise Allowance) all incentivising business activity. Research compiled by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), an annual measure of entrepreneurial activity in over 100 countries, also helps explain the UK's start-up boom. According to GEM, when it comes to total early-stage entrepreneurial activity (TEA) - the number of nascent entrepreneurs and owner-managers of new businesses - the UK performs better than its European counterparts and is only below the US. Advertisement While the percentage of the 18-64 population engaged in TEA was around 6% between 2003 and 2010, over the last few years it has fluctuated between 8% and 10%, coinciding with the record start-up numbers tracked by StartUp Britain over the same period. GEM also finds a high level of regard for entrepreneurs in the UK, and optimism about start-up opportunities that has recovered to pre-2008 levels. So in many ways it's no surprise that 2015 has broken records. Regionally the picture is more nuanced. London continues to outperform the rest of the country (with over 200,000 company formations), thanks to its high quality entrepreneurial support structures, talent and access to finance. Many London boroughs feature as top areas for company formation on a per capita basis - occupying 15 of the top 20 local authorities. But other areas are also thriving. For similar reasons to the capital, cities such as Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bristol and Birmingham are among the top performers, while local authorities in proximity to large cities (also known as exurbs) such as Watford, Warrington and Luton have very high start-up rates relative to their small populations, suggesting they are successfully drawing on the nearby cities' dynanism. Look north, when statistics are combined for the individual local authorities that make up the Greater Manchester combined authority (GMCA), it outguns all other conurbations beyond London in total start-ups (though not on a per capita basis). This suggests there is some credence behind the government's notion of a "Northern Powerhouse" focused on Greater Manchester. Seaside towns Brighton, Poole and Southend-on-Sea also make the top 20 on a per capita basis, confirming a trend identified in a recent Centre for Entrepreneurs publication on the rising entrepreneurial tide lifting up British seaside towns. Advertisement However, many remote coastal and rural areas are amongst the poorest performers, highlighting the difficulties isolation poses for businesses. More surprisingly, celebrated university towns such as Oxford and Cambridge underperformed last year, with Cambridge startups per 1,000 people dropping from 15.9 in 2014 to 9 in 2015 and 6.8 startups per 1,000 people in Oxford. We should be concerned that universities are failing to capitalise on their entrepreneurial potential. Improving national start-up figures means addressing the factors holding back under performing areas, while ensuring that the strongest performers do not slip up. These factors include the usual suspects such as access to finance, recruitment and broadband speeds, but also more intangible issues such as fear of failure. Indeed, GEM identifies fear of failure as a significant barrier to entreprise in the UK, with 43% of the population affected compared to 40% in Germany and 30% in the US. This reluctance to take the gamble that starting a business always is can be measured in the gap between entrepreneurial intentions and entrepreneurial activity. The RBS Enterprise Tracker has consistently found that while around a third of UK adults surveyed would like to start their own business, only around 6% are doing so at any single time. Since declaring a caliphate in summer 2014, ISIS has experienced a seemingly meteoric rise in public attention, stealing daily headlines across the globe. They have taken focus and attention away from Al-Qa'eda, whose name has widely disappeared from the public sphere(1). This is a mistake. Less noticed and considered less dangerous by some, Al-Qa'eda actually represents a far greater threat. Historically intertwined with common roots ISIS and Al-Qa'eda became bitter rivals following a violent divergence in 2013. But both groups are highly dangerous and ideologically committed to the founding of a global Islamic caliphate and destruction of anybody that disagrees with them. They differ only on when the Caliphate should be founded: Al-Qa'eda believing that (not unlike Russia's Mensheviks) an Islamic Caliphate can only come about through organic revolution of all Muslim peoples. ISIS meanwhile argues (like the Bolsheviks) revolutionary state-building can create the Caliphate now. This crucial disagreement led the groups to split. Advertisement Since then, both have increasingly sought to establish themselves in Syria. And here Jabhat Al-Nusra (the Syrian Al-Qa'eda affiliate) is winning. As Charles Lister has demonstrated, al-Nusra holds widespread popularity amongst the Syrian people. With deep roots and a strong track record, al-Nusra is able to recruit freely, hide amongst the public, and even enjoy not inconsiderable support from parts of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) - who will be key to defeating regional jihadists. ISIS by contrast is widely reviled, under attack from just about everybody, and even witnessing defections of its own soldiers to al-Nusra. ISIS faces a considerable challenge to its existence in Syria in a way that Al-Qa'eda simply does not. And this challenge is starting to show. Although it controls swathes of oil-producing Syria and Iraq; accesses secure tax revenues from Mosul, Raqqa, and elsewhere; and still draws foreign fighters from ever more diverse locations, ISIS is starting to be on the back foot. Despite significant gains in the population-rich, predominantly Sunni areas of Western Syria during 2015, the loss of Ramadi marks the latest in a string of setbacks for the group. Economically ISIS is under pressure. While structuring itself as a bureaucratic state gives ISIS the ability to finance a hefty military budget via taxes, this structure also makes the group dependent upon its economy and necessitates the group has features of a state such as a permanent physical presence that is not easily concealed. This requires ISIS to fight like a conventional army; a dangerous tactic in the face of better-armed enemy states. Advertisement Al-Qa'eda on the other hand faces no such problems. With little prospect of a popular uprising, attack from few sides, and low operating costs, its modus operandi makes them far harder to eradicate. In contrast to ISIS, Al-Qa'eda adopts the structure of a somewhat diffuse guerrilla insurgency: allowing its fighters to melt into the civilian population at will; make them far harder to locate; and significantly less dependent on finance. The result is that it is much harder to go after al-Nusra. Members are difficult to identify and there are no easy targets for economic strangulation. Al-Nusra is much harder to attack, and it can survive a protracted conflict in a way that ISIS cannot. The only way to attack Al-Qa'eda will be for the Syrian people to root them out; as happened in the Iraqi Sah'wa (awakening) of 2006/7. This is not likely to happen soon. Unlike Al-Qa'eda's then presence in Iraq (the so-called Islamic State in Iraq), the local people do not revile al-Nusra, and the group has learnt from the mistakes of other Al-Qa'eda affiliates. It will not risk alienating the local population through excessive brutality any time soon. So long as this does not change Al-Qa'eda will be very difficult to defeat. All this shows that, despite lacking the media spotlight, Al-Qa'eda is significantly more dangerous than ISIS. Facing little resistance, broad support, and a structure optimised for combatting enemy states, Al-Qa'eda is growing and will long outlast ISIS. Throughout this time they will continue in the same ambition as ISIS to destroy anything perceived as an enemy of Islam - be it Assad or Western governments and people. The international community must not make the grave error of failing to address the on-going threat posed by Al-Qa'eda. When a junior shadow minister resigned on Monday (mainly for family reasons), much was made of her claim that Labour are following a 'negative path.' Everyone agrees it was obvious from day one what Jeremy Corbyn stands for. So why suddenly become concerned about the 'path' he's taking now in a series of revenge resignations designed to maximise damage? When Westminster-bubble politicians say Corbyn is unelectable, what they mean is that they intend to make him unelectable -often in an unprincipled way. Take the claim that Pat McFadden, shadow Europe minister, was sacked because he said terrorists were responsible for their actions. This is both absurd and untrue - McFadden visibly failed to integrate into his Europe portfolio a tough defence of workers' rights. Advertisement The left, with years out of power, is a little rusty at spin. But delays aside, the reshuffle shows Corbyn learning on the job. He has a duty to the 60% that voted for him to deliver on his promises - and that means assembling a team more focussed on attacking the Tories than their leader. He has delivered that duty diplomatically - the vice-chair of Blairite faction Progress, a Labour Friends of Israel supporter and a former armed forces lawyer are now in the shadow cabinet to assuage any fears that Corbyn might fill his inner circle with people who share all his ideas. His new politics remains untarnished. I wrote about the reshuffle here, and my main point was the importance of clarity. Blair took a landslide majority in 1997 and had sunk it to winning on fewer votes than Labour used to lose on by 2005. Both Blair and Miliband's projects were ultimately compromised by pursuing short-term popularity over long term change - Labour tried and failed to be everything to everyone. That meant confusion - Miliband marched against austerity, was buffeted by pressure groups and meanwhile a year ago Labour's press office aggressively asserted their support for cuts. In 2011, Labour overtook the Tories in the polls. That remained mostly unchanged until 2015 - and Labour lost regardless. Those cringing at some poor polling (in spite of an upward trend, a by-election win and a 10-point lead in London) should remember that polls rarely paint a full picture. Corbyn has taken a more difficult road (earning the respect of Miliband in the process.) Carried to power by a broad mass of supporters - disaffected working-class former Labour voters, people struggling under cuts, social media-savvy students and young workers, and even middle-class professionals - he has set out to transform. He's in it for the soul of his party and the future of our country. Advertisement His project is both noble and necessary. While modern poverty is widespread, those reliant on foodbanks, unable to find jobs and blocked from accessing welfare are often invisible. The 1980s slammed down barriers between classes, partly by selling off social housing which has led to lower homeownership, social segregation, higher prices and more rogue landlords. Alongside the Tory stranglehold on development (restricted for the rich in deprived areas, none at all in Tory strongholds) the social housing sale has created a crippling housing crisis - in turn fuelling poverty, which has hit minorities the hardest. While we're told that junior doctors, nurses and teachers are a drain on the public purse, we pour billions in taxes and bills into keeping afloat overseas private companies running transport, infrastructure and energy. Even Tory councillors say vital services are being cut beyond the limit - and all for paltry deficit reduction figures. Education is harder to access and schools sold off to crooked academy chains. Trade union rights are slashed and access to justice blocked. We are steaming ever further towards an economy of insecure jobs and poverty pay. Blairites complaining about Corbyn have few ideas of their own. Their response to these challenges seems to consist of a sticking plaster over the Tories' worst injustices and calling that 'electability.' Corbyn's call for a participatory politics could not be more timely; in an age where most of us feel excluded the opportunity to play more of a role in decision-making in our political institutions, councils, workplaces and places of study is vital. (Labour's right don't even want Labour members to have a serious role in decision-making.) McDonnell's call for an entrepreneurial state that embraces the sharing economy, education, skills and new technology, and investing in prosperity, could also not be timelier. A kinder society and stronger economy is not going to come overnight, but is well worth the work. With a difficult week behind us and the worst cynics out of the shadow cabinet, perhaps we can have a Labour party that brings back pavement politics and mass participation rather than telling us that politics is just for the professionals (the undertone to most sniping about 'Corbynite mobs.') We can build a Labour party that tells us national pride does not lie in engraving 'controls on immigration' in stone or mugs or spending billions on bombs, but in working together to build a more compassionate future. We can put public services in the hands of those who use them. After years of Tory mismanagement, we can say to voters: it's not about spending more, it's about spending better. Like most everyone else in the British Isles, I was disappointed to discover last week that booze really is bad for us... at least, that's the latest line from the Government, as they promoted the updated guidelines on low-risk drinking for the UK. The new Department of Health limits state that men, like women, should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, or face a significantly increased risk of cancer and heart disease. I cannot help but feel that this kind of 'definitive new position' should come with a caveat, that these guidelines are subject to change, alteration or complete U-turn, depending on the discovery of new scientific evidence. I mean isn't that what science is all about? If we knew everything, then we would all live forever, right? Maybe I'm clutching at straws. The fact is my spirits have been well and truly crushed in the last few months, as the medical fraternity has warned us off some of life's most simple, wonderful culinary treasures. Bacon sarnies, Iberico ham, hamburgers were first, and now even the old reassuring adage about a bit of red wine being good for us has been discredited by the medical establishment. What is the world coming to? All this depressing news is enough to drive you to drink. Oh, the irony. Advertisement In another strange twist of fate, this January is the first year, ever, that I took it upon myself to go teetotal for the whole month. Not for charity or anything like that, just to see if I could do it. It occurred to me that since I turned 18, some 20 years ago, I've probably not been through an entire month without a single drink. Not that I'm an alcoholic or anything. However, like most people in this country, I do like a few pints now and then... or a glass of wine or two... or both and a few shorts if I'm really getting stuck in... which is rare these days... honest guv. Anyway, now that the powers-that-be have decided that drinking is just plain bad for us, it got me thinking that this self-imposed booze ban is a little more important than it might have been, had they not come out with this new set of findings. This wasn't simply about personal will power anymore, but actually my health was at stake. This kind of extended, self-imposed prohibition may now have to become the norm, rather than the exception. If we are to believe the latest position on alcohol consumption, we all need to drink less and take long periods with no boozing whatsoever if we are to live well into our golden years. There is, though, other evidence to consider before we all usher in this new world order. Enter the 'French paradox'... Yes, those lovely, long lunch loving neighbours of ours are here to save our taste-buds once again. Advertisement For those of you that aren't familiar, the French paradox is based on other 'scientific evidence' that, despite consuming higher than average amounts of saturated fat, replete with plenty of cheese, red meat and red wine, the French have comparatively low levels of heart disease, amongst the lowest in Europe in fact. There's hope there then, for those of you who enjoy the finer things in life. However, unfortunately this 'paradox' has also been the subject of further counter-research which suggest that it is, in fact, a 'statistical illusion' based on an inaccurate interpretation of the evidence. Oh well, it was good while it lasted. But just who are we supposed to believe? I guess the point is that even though we shouldn't ignore the dangers of drinking, it's important to keep a bit of perspective about our perception of this type of news when it comes out. Clearly, as a nation, we probably drink too much, and we should cut down. However, that doesn't mean we need to start feeling massively guilty about a having a few drinks now and then. That should go for eating bacon, ham and hamburgers too. What doesn't help is that by getting bombarded with a constant flow of mixed messages from all manner of sources we naturally become suspicious of any new 'official stance' about the implications of our lifestyle choices on our health. This inevitably dilutes the impact of any sensible advice that comes out and many simply ignore it. It's January again, and in many ways it doesn't feel like a year has gone by since the previous January. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was making my New Year's resolutions to get fit, watching fireworks on New Year's eve and then nursing my monster of a hangover the next day. But when it comes to London Collections: Men, it feels like a lifetime ago. LCM January 2015 was the first public showcase of my work from my label, Rachel JAMES, and I exhibited an extended version of my graduate collection. I graduated from BA Fashion Design in July 2014: I showed my graduate collection at the Westminster show - a 70s inspired collection of floral printed leather, long shirt dresses and huge floral crocheted knitwear. After the show, us graduates all start applying for jobs, but I really wanted to launch my own label. I discussed this with lots of people close to me and the overwhelming reaction from them was to not do it: go and get more experience. In retrospect, I see this as very sensible and caring advice. However, I ignored them and with my boyfriend Tom agreeing to be a co-founder and director, we set up the label and business out of the spare room in our flat. We decided to get PR representation straight away to ride off the press of my graduate collection and help get the ball rolling, but otherwise it was a slow and unglamorous start. Advertisement Making the transition from fashion student to fashion designer didn't involve much fashion or design at all. The first problem was we didn't have a plan. I felt too inexperienced to apply to fashion platforms, showcases and stores: I felt I should do it alone and learn it all slowly - make things and sell them online. Next problem was we didn't have any money. It became apparent immediately that we were going to need a lot of money to get anywhere at all. I made enquiries about building a basic website - and that cost money. Registered the company, hired a sewing machine, bought some supplies, photographed a look book: it all cost a lot. I got a part time job to pay the bills and Tom and I spent a month researching and writing a business plan. Things were predictably slow and definitely not the glamorous explosion onto the fashion scene I had secretly hoped for. It wasn't until I received an email in the middle of October 2015 that things dramatically changed: I had been invited by the British Fashion Council to show my graduate collection at LCM in January! I was so amazed and honoured to be discovered and invited to join the many much more experienced designers and to have their support. We shared our excitement with our friends and family alongside our now half decent business plan, received some investment from those close to us, I quit my job and worked full time to refine my collection into an exciting yet professional industry-ready exhibition. So January 2015 arrived, and I was terrified. I was the youngest designer in the building, seemed to be the only one without an MA/previous experience or award, and my collection of vibrant colourful flowers stood in the middle of the room surrounded by professional, slick, black collections. Incredibly intimidated, I had no idea how to behave, talk or what was expected. But to my relief, the other menswear designers took me under their wing and made me feel so welcome. The BFC were not a scary organisation but so encouraging and proud to support me and introduce me to the industry. Within the days of LCM there I changed from a shy, scared creative to a bubbly, inspired designer. And now, it seems laughable that it's only been a year. My first collection was shot by Vogue Italia. I was interviewed by Wonderland. I had the film crew from Crane TV cram into my tiny flat. We took on shareholders and secured a business loan. We moved into a large studio in east London. I found some great people to make up my team and support me. I equally found people I need to avoid like the plague. I showed my second collection again at LCM in July and this time, also in Paris at Capsule. I collaborated with artists and film makers to create a fashion film. We held a pop-up store. I learnt how to work with factories. We took on three stockists. Advertisement Now I am in January, at LCM again with my new collection to show. I still feel nervous, shy and I still have so much to learn. I still intend to work out more and still haven't avoided hangovers. But now I am buzzing with pride and excitement. We have plans in place and plans going forward. A year ago I stood here thinking 'How the hell am I going to do this?' and really had next to no clue. Now I'm standing in almost the same spot and I think 'I'm ready. What's next? 2016? Bring it on.' London's Tory housing crisis is worsening by the month. More and more people are finding it increasingly difficult to buy or rent somewhere truly affordable. The impact on the city is enormous - Londoners forced to live further and further away from their family, friends and jobs and businesses struggling to recruit and retain skilled workers. In the face of this worsening crisis we have the Tory Government's Housing and Planning Bill. You'd think it'd be the perfect opportunity to get to grips with the crisis and do something to help the thousands of Londoners unable to put an affordable roof over their heads. Instead what we have is a bill that risks making even worse the crisis in London's housing. It's been widely criticised by charities and experts, particularly their plan to sell off affordable housing association properties without any concrete guarantees the homes will be replaced in the local area. And councils will be forced to sell off family homes to pay for this. This could see many areas of London lose precious affordable family homes. Advertisement That's why I am seeking to amend the Bill to protect Londoners from the worst excesses of Tory policies. Today the House of Commons will debate one of these amendments, which would say to housing associations, if you're going ahead with selling off homes, you have to spend the money that generates on replacement affordable housing in the local area. But I'd warn readers to beware of imitations. My Tory opponent for Mayor of London is claiming that another amendment does something very similar for London's affordable homes. But it's baloney. This amendment which I will call the Goldsmith-Cameron amendment, as it has rather cosily been accepted by the Government, is weak and does not go anywhere near far enough to protect London's affordable homes. It's just a cynical attempt to trick Londoners. It's a con. When the Tories' bill first appeared in the autumn, London's Evening Standard editorial rightly warned the Government: - "Don't lose social houses to fund right to buy". They laid out three tests to judge the impact of the Government's housing bill. These tests are a handy measure of which of the amendments - mine, or the Goldsmith - Cameron amendment - will truly help with London's housing crisis. The first test says: - "It is absolutely necessary to keep money raised by the sale of London council houses in London". On this, the Goldsmith-Cameron amendment clearly falls short, as it fails to ring-fence the money for London. This means money raised by selling off London's council homes will still flood out of the capital to subsidise the Government's national right-to-buy scheme. Contrast this to my amendment that would ring-fence all the money from London housing association homes being sold under the right-to-buy in London for the construction of new affordable housing. Advertisement The second test said "it could be a mixed blessing if some central London boroughs lost most of their housing association stock even if it meant more council houses being built in outer London". I'm afraid the Goldsmith-Cameron amendment fails on this front too as it opens the door for homes to be replaced outside the borough where they have been sold off. And if there was any doubt this was the case, Zac Goldsmith admitted to the Camden New Journal just last week the truth about his own amendment. He owned up that inner London would be hollowed out under his amendment and he described replacing social housing locally as "a mathematical obstacle" under the plans he has cooked up with the Government! Compare that to my amendment, which does exactly as it says on the tin. It guarantees a like-for-like replacement in the borough where the original home is sold before the rest of money is spent on more affordable housing across the capital. In their third test of the Government's proposals, the Evening Standard said: - "A healthy housing sector is a mix of private ownership, private rentals and social housing: the Government, in its attempt to promote homeownership, should not forget the rest". Yet under the Goldsmith-Cameron amendment, the so-called 'affordable homes' they promise to build could all be homes for sale at 450,000. That Zac Goldsmith thinks homes at nearly half a million pounds are affordable shows how out of touch he is with the needs of Londoners. Unbelievably, the Prime Minister even claimed last week that "the definition of affordable housing is a house that someone can afford to buy or afford to rent". Under his measure homes such as a 26.5million Holland Park mansion sold last year are "affordable" because someone was able to buy them. Advertisement What we've seen with the Housing and Planning Bill is a Government devoid of solutions to the city's housing crisis prepared to play games with the lives of Londoners. And Zac Goldsmith simply doesn't understand the housing crisis in London, is bereft of any real solutions to fix this and is going along with an amendment drafted by Number 10. Don't let the Conservatives pull the wool over your eyes - their amendments are far too weak to help London. Any MP who really wants to do something to help fix the Tory housing crisis will be walking through the voting lobby to support my proposals today. Tonight is President Obamas final State of the Union; next year, after he declares himself socialist dictator for life, hell just send House Speaker Sean Penn a brief note. Iran says it will safely return ten American sailors whose boats drifted into their waters -- its unclear if its too late to get the sailors symbolically empty State of the Union seats. And on that note, if any member of Congress seated in front of a symbolically empty seat pretends to sensually sculpt clay with a ghost, well endorse them, sight unseen. Looking at you, Steny Hoyer. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Tuesday, January 12th, 2016: WHAT TO WATCH FOR TONIGHT: SELF-IMMOLATION - Sam Stein: "Barack Obama's gifts as an orator were central to his rise as a politician. But as he prepares for the final State of the Union address of his presidency -- one of his last big speeches as a public servant -- both he and his advisers have come to believe that the speech's format doesn't play to his rhetorical strengths. Over the course of seven years, Obama's team reached the conclusion that the State of the Union is old and stale, a speech that often fails to increase the president's popularity or produce policy wins. That Obama will deliver what his administration is advertising as an unconventional address on Tuesday is no surprise to confidants. They think the traditional approach doesn't work. 'The bully pulpit is Balkanized now,' said David Axelrod, Obama's longtime adviser. 'You do get a large audience for the State of the Union, and that's worth something. But in a country that is very polarized, speaking before an institution that is very polarized, there are limits to what you can achieve and that's been an emerging realization since the beginning.' . Obama began to find the process grating. Following his 2012 address, he scanned his iPad to read the commentary on the speech. And as Axelrod wrote in his book, Believer, the indifferent reviews confounded him. 'They just want me to light myself on fire,' Obama exclaimed." [HuffPost] Advertisement RUT ROH: Lolita C. Baldor: "Iran was holding 10 U.S. Navy sailors and their two small Navy boats after the boats had mechanical problems and drifted into Iranian waters, but American officials have received assurances from Tehran that they will be returned safely and promptly. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told The Associated Press that the riverine boats were moving between Kuwait and Bahrain when the U.S. lost contact with them." HuffPost] CONGRESSIONAL DEMS, WHITE HOUSE AT LOGGERHEADS OVER DEPORTATIONS Elise Foley: "A number of Democrats on the Hill are outraged with the administration's recent deportation raids on women and children, and drew the White House's attention enough for a visit from one his advisers the day of the big speech...Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters in an afternoon press conference Tuesday that he had spoken to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson at 12:30 p.m., and 'he understands the concern we have and I think we're moving forward to a resolution of this.'... Earlier Tuesday, when White House Counsel Neil Eggleston came to the Capitol to talk to House Democrats, he made no mention of a change in policy, according to members who attended...More than three-quarters of the House Democratic caucus -- 146 of the 188 total -- signed onto a letter Tuesday condemning recent efforts to expel certain mothers and children. Legislators, led Democratic Reps. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois and Zoe Lofgren and Lucille Roybal-Allard of California, argued in the letter that the raids "should be immediately suspended until we can ensure no mother or child will be sent back to a country where they would face persecution, torture or death.'" [HuffPost] STATE OF THE UNION DRINKING GAME, LAME DUCK-ISH EDITION - The "Finish the Bottle" prompts, via Jason Linkins: "Obama says, 'Oh, man, who am I kidding, y'all are about to elect a president who openly declares his fondness for Vladimir Putin, aren't you? Aren't you? See, I knew it.' ... Obama admits that he's 'just way, way into SoulCycle right now.' ... 'I didn't become president to see the middle class lose ground, and I surely didn't become president to see every new restaurant trot out another tired 'small plates' menu.' ... Oregon's wildlife refuges have gotten a lot more edgy and exciting ... 'Actually ... how about O'Malley?'" [HuffPost] Advertisement DELANEY DOWNER - Local public officials have called on the federal government to intervene in Flint's water crisis, but it turns out the federal government was already deeply involved. It took the efforts of private citizens to expose the threat to public health, as it had in Washington, D.C., when that city suffered a major water lead crisis a decade ago. "This experience has really shattered my trust in government," said Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a Flint pediatrician whose research showed a spike in lead poisoning among children after the city switched its water supply in 2014. "It's not that I was naive to start with, but you'd expect that utilities, states, federal agencies would take their jobs seriously and try to protect people rather than deliberately mislead, lie and make up excuses not to protect public health." [HuffPost] Does somebody keep forwarding you this newsletter? Get your own copy. It's free! Sign up here. Send tips/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to huffposthill@huffingtonpost.com. Follow us on Twitter - @HuffPostHill STEVE KING REMEMBERS THE INNOCENT UNBORN WITH CLINT EASTWOOD-STYLE THEATRICS - Actually, it's amazing that we have yet to reach the phase where opposition parties outright boycott the State of the Union. Igor Bobic: "Reserving an empty seat in lieu of inviting an actual guest seems all the rage for this year's State of the Union address, which President Barack Obama will deliver before Congress Tuesday evening. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) announced Tuesday he was dedicating a seat in the House gallery to 'the lives of more than 55 million aborted babies' in protest against what he called the 'most pro-abortion president ever.' 'President Obama's first official act, immediately upon his inauguration was to sign an executive order to accelerate abortions world-wide,' King said in a statement, referring to Obama reversing a policy that banned the U.S. from funding international family-planning providers that provided abortions or abortion counseling. 'The first tears we have seen him shed in seven years were for the victims of the tragic Sandy Hook School shooting. As far as we know, Obama has never shed a single tear for even one of the more than 9 million babies aborted under his watch.'" [HuffPost] Empty seat battle: "Blasting President Barack Obama's 'feckless' foreign policy, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) says the president should leave an empty seat at his State of the Union address for '250,000 Syrians that have been slaughtered ... thanks to his failed policy.' The jab, made on Tuesday's episode of 'Morning Joe,' was apparently the senator's way of demanding that Obama discuss terrorism, the Middle East and worldwide confidence in America's armies, according to an NBC Universal press release. Obama has come under criticism from the GOP for his refusal to take military action against Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime or to arm part of Assad's opposition, the Free Syrian Army. Critics say this has emboldened our enemies in the Middle East." [HuffPost] SANDERS GOING STRONG IN LATEST POLLS Janie Velencia: "New polls show that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is ahead of Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire and gaining on her in Iowa, with early voting in both states less than a month away. Sanders now stands 14 percentage points ahead of Clinton in New Hampshire, according to a Monmouth University poll of likely Democratic primary voters released Tuesday. Sanders' position has improved across all demographics since Monmouth last surveyed voters about two months ago, and he even has overtaken Clinton's lead among women. Fifty-two percent of those polled said they are firm in their decision at this point in the race -- but it's important to keep in mind that polls are still volatile. A Fox News poll conducted just days before the Monmouth poll shows Sanders with a 13-point lead over Clinton ahead of the primary but two others show him with a considerably smaller lead: An ARG poll finds him just 3 points ahead of the former secretary of state, while a NBC/WSJ/Marist poll has him leading her by 4 points." [HuffPost] HILLARY MAD - Samantha Lachman: "Hillary Clinton used to avoid uttering the name of her main rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt). But that phase of the race has definitively ended, with Clinton and her team staging a multi-pronged attack on Sanders in the first weeks of the new year. Clinton herself has laid into Sanders in the last two weeks, unspooling a new tactic of directly attacking her competitor. Her campaign staff began criticizing Sanders in earnest last autumn, but until recently, the candidate herself had mostly focused on introducing her own policies and criticizing those of the Republican contenders." [HuffPost] BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR - Here's a rude toddler. FINALLY, SOMEONE TARGETING THE REAL CULPRITS - A anti-campus diversity office / anti-voter fraud ticket could go depressingly far in this country.Tyler Kingkade: "Republican lawmakers in Tennessee want to launch an investigation into the diversity office at the University of Tennessee and other public colleges in the state. A group of 10 GOP state senators and representatives, led by state Rep. Eddie Smith, sent a letter Monday to Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell and Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, both Republicans, requesting they establish a special joint committee to look into diversity efforts at public colleges and universities in the state. A spokeswoman for Harwell said the speaker will back the creation of a joint House-Senate committee to investigate how the universities promote diversity. Ramsey has not yet decided if he will support it." [HuffPost] Advertisement COMFORT FOOD - Every word in "The Wizard of Oz," alphabatized. - A very strange song, courtesy of Bad Lip Reading and "Star Wars." - The vocals from "Under Pressure" sound like the most talented college a cappella group in history TWITTERAMA @elisefoley: Nothing horrifies me more than the typo wait a sex instead of wait a sec. @katlamcglynn: Why is there no "red flag" emoji @morninggloria: Truly baffling that bringing local Iowa favorite Lena Dunham on the campaign trail hasn't boosted Hillary Clinton in polls. A supporter of Turkish Prime Minister and leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), Ahmet Davutoglu, waves her national and AKP flags during a rally to welcome Davutoglu at Ataturk airport, in Istanbul, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. The ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, secured a stunning victory in Sunday's snap parliamentary election, sweeping back into single-party rule only five months after losing it. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) Why is Muslim political discourse stuck within the framework of Islamist ideologies? In a world dominated by the conservative discourse and actions of Muslim Brotherhoods, AKPs, ISISes, and Talibans, we'd be hard-pressed to find progressive Muslim political parties. Even the moderate parties of the Islamist ilk are on the conservative end of the political spectrum. The conspicuous absence of such progressive religious parties in the Muslim world becomes even more striking when we consider the existence and success of such parties in the rest of the world. Parties that build on Latin American liberation theology such as Citizen Left Party of Chile and Christian Democratic Party of Uruguay, representatives of the Christian left such as Italy's Christian Democracy and Margherita (which later joined to form the Democratic Party), Christian Social Party of Switzerland; Buddhist socialism; and Meimad in Israel are some of the examples of such combination between religion and leftist discourse. Advertisement As these examples elucidate, the problem is not necessarily a fundamental incompatibility between progressive values and religion. With the exception of two instances, however, this is a pervasive problem throughout the Muslim world. The two exceptions are Ali Shariati's "Islamic left" ideology coined in the 1970s (which failed to achieve much success) and the voting patterns of Muslims who live in the West. Western Muslims overwhelmingly choose to support more liberal and progressive parties as a reflection of their minority status. For example, Muslim voters in France, Britain, and the United States vote for center-left, leftist, and socialist parties anywhere between 60% and 90%. What is a progressive Muslim party? The notion of a progressive Muslim political ideology may sound oxymoronic; that need not be the case. What I refer to when I say "progressive Muslim political movements" are those political movements in the Muslim world that are strong proponents of social justice, workers' rights, women's rights, and environmental protection in a pluralistic framework while remaining committed to a Muslim frame of reference. Their commitment to democracy is not an instrument of obtaining power as many Islamist parties do but an extension of their commitment to human rights and pluralism. Progressive Muslim parties differ from Islamist parties in that the latter conceives a worldview in which religion is utilized dogmatically to justify restrictions on rights and liberties while the former takes the individual to its center and underscores equality, rights, and pluralism in the Islamic tradition. Islamist parties' anti-labor stance is a case in point even when the emphasis on worker rights and equality in Islam call for a much more progressive position on this issue. The calls of prominent contemporary Muslim intellectuals like Khaled Abou El Fadl and Tariq Ramadan for a progressive transformation in the Muslim world on issues such as pluralism, gender issues, and the environment whilst relying on Islamic sources point to the feasibility of this stance and distinguish it from Islamist discourse. Advertisement Progressive Muslim parties also differ from secular leftist parties in regards to the role religion plays in their discourse, despite their common interest in social justice, women's and workers' issues, and the environment. Think about a two-dimensional political space. The X-axis represents the traditional left-right political spectrum. The Y-axis corresponds to the religion-secularism divide (with religion at the top of the axis and secularism at the bottom). Conventionally, political parties in the Muslim world locate themselves along the secular-leftist and religious-right nexus. The religious-leftist quadrant is left virtually uninhabited in the Muslim political space; Progressive Muslim political parties and movements are, theoretically, located in this isolated corner. I choose to refer to such parties as progressive Muslim parties in order to adhere to the widespread use of the term in the academic literature. We could also call them liberal Muslim parties or even the Muslim left but the main point remains the same; such parties and political movements combine a progressive stance on key issues that deal with equality, gender, and the environment while drawing inspiration from Muslim values. Why are there no progressive Muslim parties? On a global scale, Muslim societies stand out from the rest by the fact that religion still occupies a central role in the lives of its citizens. According to a Pew Research Center survey of the Muslim world, in an overwhelming majority of Muslim-majority countries, the percentage of respondents who indicate that religion is "very important" in their lives hovers around 80-90%. Progressive Muslim parties offer two possible benefits in this context. On one hand, they present an alternative to the conservative and regressive outlook of Islamist parties; in so doing, progressive Muslim parties can converse in the familiar Muslim terminology with which an overwhelming majority of the population identifies. Advertisement On the other hand, they can spearhead efforts to make real progress on the issues in which the Muslim world records greatest deficits, such as pluralism, women's issues, labor rights, and environmental protection. Moreover, if we were to adopt Amartya Sen's perspective into development, we could also suggest that, in addition to being valuable in themselves, progress on these issues might lead to material development, as well. But the real question is, especially if progressive Muslim parties may, in principle, offer tangible benefits, why are there no progressive religious political movements in the Muslim world? There are three primary reasons why that is the case. First, the Muslim world, by and large, lacks a genuine leftist/socialist/workers' movement. The fact that a proletariat class never developed (due to the limited reach of industrialization) and that a class conflict did not materialize (thanks to a conscious effort on the part of political leadership to prevent class conflicts from arising, partly due to rentierism) accounts for the poverty of leftist politics in the Muslim world. The extent of paternalism in the political arena (among both seculars and Islamists) hinders the organic development of a leftist political movement. The traditional representatives of the left in the Muslim world are merely poor imitations of their Western counterparts with the added heavy baggage of statism and authoritarian tendencies. Secondly, the political left has a very strong association with an anti-religion (or, assertive secularist) attitude that owes to the post-independence ideological orientation of many new regimes in the Muslim world. As a legacy of early modernization ideas, post-independence regimes adhered to a religion-less modernization project, thereby creating an association with "godlessness" and severely undermining the potential success of leftist parties in the Muslim world with this stigma. Advertisement When we consider the fact that many Muslim-majority countries are underdeveloped, the weakness of leftist parties amid pervasive poverty becomes all the more clear. Hence, the association between a Muslim discourse and a leftist one appears to be a contradiction in terms for many largely due to this historical legacy. Finally, the ideological dominance of Islamist discourse, which masquerades to represent the sole true understanding or interpretation of Islam, stifles the development of alternative Muslim political discourses. Such dominance partly emanates from how Islamists pitch their discourse as one that "defends" the honor of Islam against the "godless" politics of (leftist) seculars. On a different level, Islamist ideology also feeds from a heavy dose of anti-Westernism. An obtrusive ideological tool that Islamists utilize is blaming the West for the ills of Muslim societies, which conveniently relieves Muslims of responsibility. Progress for Islamists lies not in the future but in the past; it is about re-enacting the praxis of the past, consequently ignoring adjustment to the demands of the modern age as "westernization." Indeed, many of these "liberal" ideas that Islamists oppose such as environmentalism, feminism, and the labor rights are typically conceived as "Western" ideas. The solution for Islamists, hence, is to energetically avoid these ideas and purge the society of non-Islamic and "Western" ideas as an extension of this dichotomous view of "us vs. them." Because this is an easy and simple "fix," Islamist discourse quickly captures the imagination of many Muslims; it conforms to what many in the Muslim world might already be thinking, particularly facilitated by the Islamic language employed in this process. It is critical to note that, for the most part, Islam lends itself to fairly progressive interpretations to achieve progress on issues like women's rights, labor, and the environment. In fact, the positions of conservative Islamist parties today and their monopolistic claim on the "correct" understanding of Islam simply contradict the pluralistic history of the Muslim world. Advertisement Can such progressive Muslim political movements ever emerge and become popular? This is the question that strikes at the heart of the question of democracy and democratization in the Muslim world. The answer to this question rests on two key observations. As many public opinion surveys indicate, religion is and will continue to occupy a very central role in the lives of a significant majority in the Muslim world. Unlike the secularization at the individual level that accompanied the movement toward democratization in the West, religion will remain a significant part of the conversation in the Muslim world's drive to democracy. Any genuine move toward democracy must accommodate religion as part of the process. I must clarify, however, that such incorporation cannot be in the Islamist fashion; decades of experience have shown that Islamism's relation with democracy cannot go beyond polemical exchanges. Rather, religion must be an ally of democratization efforts; recent research also indicates that religiosity does not prevent individual level support for democracy. Arak, IRAN: Iranian employees pose for a picture at the newly opened heavy water plant in Arak, 320 kms south of Tehran, 26 August 2006. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad opened a heavy water plant today that will feed a new research reactor, just five days before a UN Security Council deadline to suspend sensitive nuclear fuel cycle work. Inaugurating the facility along with the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, Gholam Reza Aghazadeh, and his deputy, Mohammad Saeedi, Ahmadinejad vowed the Iranian people would defend their rights to nuclear technology 'with force'. AFP PHOTO/ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images) Opponents of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and six world powers to deal with Iran's nuclear program mounted a massive campaign last summer, spending tens of millions of dollars to sabotage the agreement. They failed -- but they have not quit. Days after reports that Iran has dismantled one of the most dangerous parts of its program by removing the core of its heavy-water reactor in Arak and filling it with cement, Republicans in the House of Representatives are mounting a new attempt to kill the agreement that has already made the world much safer. Advertisement The "Iran Terror Finance Transparency Act" would prevent the President from lifting sanctions imposed on Iranian individuals and entities unless the Administration can "certify the entity is not a terror financier, human rights abuser or involved in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction." President Obama has already vowed to veto the bill, should it reach his desk, for the simple reason that it tangles up an agreement on Iran's nuclear program with other issues that have nothing to do with it. The new bill is simply a poison pill, designed to kill the nuclear deal. The deal was designed to do one very important thing -- make the world safe from the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran. It does not aim to tackle Iran's role in regional conflicts, or its sponsorship of terrorist groups or its domestic human rights abuses. There are separate sanctions imposed on Iran to confront those issues, all of which will remain in place. And the United States and its partners should remain vigilant and take appropriate action when faced with Iranian provocations -- like the ballistic missile test they conducted last October which violated UN Security Council resolutions. But none of these factors have anything to do with the nuclear deal. Advertisement If the latest bill passed, the White House warned, the legislation "could result in the collapse of a comprehensive diplomatic arrangement that peacefully and verifiably prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon." That would lead to the end of international inspections and monitoring of Iranian nuclear facilities and leave Iran free to restart its program. It would "lead to the unraveling of the international sanctions regime against Iran, and deal a devastating blow to America's credibility as a leader of international diplomacy," the White House said. Republicans have the votes to pass this bill in the House. It will be more interesting to see how it fares in the Senate, where prominent Republicans expected to face strong Democratic challengers this year, like Mark Kirk of Illinois and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, have been strong backers of previous efforts to sabotage the agreement. What opponents don't get is that the nuclear deal is already proving itself. The Iranians have moved faster than most experts believed would happen to fulfill their part of the agreement. Notably, they shipped 25,000 pounds of low-enriched uranium to Russia, leaving them without enough material for a bomb. "This step is vital because it is irreversible, since the low-enriched uranium is never coming back and would instead need to be produced again," said Ilan Goldenberg, who directs the Middle East security program at the Center for a New American Security, writing in The National Interest. Advertisement The Iranians have also removed centrifuges as required and allowed intrusive inspections of its facilities, as laid down by the JCPOA. And now they are rendering the Arak plant harmless. It will soon be time for the United States and its partners to live up to their side of the agreement. Once the designated international authorities confirm that Iran has met its obligations, the international community must begin to lift sanctions originally imposed because of Iran's nuclear program. U.S. Army First Lt. Shaye Haver, right, stands in formation during an Army Ranger school graduation ceremony Friday, Aug. 21, 2015, at Fort Benning, Ga. Haver and Capt. Kristen Griest became the first female soldiers to complete the Army's rigorous school, putting a spotlight on the debate over women in combat. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) On Thursday December 3rd, 2015 Secretary of Defense Ash Carter rescinded the explicit policy banning military women from serving in combat roles. This change in policy represents a significant departure from traditional military policy. Many people will view this as the final solution to gender inequality in the military. We share enthusiasm for this momentous change but are tempered by the difficult reality of achieving cultural change within the military. Policy change is the first step towards full gender integration, but implementing this policy will require an ongoing focus on organizational culture aimed at shaping daily practices. Over the past two years, with funding from The Army Research Institute and the Women's Foundation of Greater Kansas City we have explored the potential benefits and barriers of gender integration of Special Forces (commonly known at the Green Berets). In addition to studying explicit policies that officially structure gender inequality, we also center our work on investigating the unofficial everyday activities that continue to exclude women from ascending to leadership roles. Advertisement Overall, we found a great deal of resistance to gender integration in the military. To give you an idea of the scope, 84 percent of Special Forces Operators in our study disagree that women should be allowed to serve in all combat jobs in Special Forces. Through our research, we discovered that most of the resistance to integration is rooted in traditional gender stereotypes that are often invisible to military personnel in their daily routines. We refer to this invisibility as gender oblivion. Gender oblivion describes the covert ways that gender stereotypes influence everyday practices of the individual and organization. Most of the time, gender oblivion is not malicious or done to actively exclude or harm women. But the end result is that it does both. For example, in our study, Susan, an active soldier in the Army, explained that men are often seen as having greater expertise in jobs, despite receiving the same training as women for the position. "My [co-worker] was a mechanic. That was her job. She had exactly the same training as a male mechanic in the Army. But any time anything on the base mechanical would happen they'd always go to the male mechanic first. Even after another civilian mechanic told the team leader, 'Hey she knows what she's talking about. She's been doing this a little bit longer than him.' The team leader was like, 'Get out.'" This story illustrates gender oblivion. Susan's co-worker was viewed as having less expertise because she performed a job traditionally associated with men. Gender oblivion frames not only policy, but also routine practices within the organization, like women being passed over for work experiences such as Susan's colleague. Without examining gender stereotypes, efforts to eliminate gender inequality (and fully integrate women) will not succeed through policy change alone. Our research points to three steps the military must take in order to successfully repeal the combat exclusion policy. First, the invisible barriers to gender equality must be identified by leaders in the organization. Engaging in a constructive dialogue about how gender oblivion shapes workplace experiences is necessary for identifying consistent barriers to gender equality. We can change the paradigm through which we understand the gendered challenges facing the workplace only after we aware of them. Second, strategies for organizational change must include training on gender stereotypes and norms because they underscore most obstacles to gender integration. Women working in the military often view career limitations as individual problems arising from individual deficiencies. However, the reality is that organizational culture, including many daily practices, reinforces gender inequality in the military. Finally, in order to maintain any positive change in the organization, mentorship and support networks for women need to be cultivated and reinforced. Men often take it for granted that they have traditionally received mentorship and support. Leaders must be intentional about cultivating these resources for women. In the workplace we often talk about mentoring as a resource that comes from people who have shared our work and life experiences, but in reality it is the focus on career skills that is important with mentorship. Men can make great mentors to women, but often employees don't have the explicit conversations about what we need and want from mentoring relationships. These networks also provide a way for the organization and its leaders to continue to identify, and work to improve ongoing issues. Advertisement Gender inequality is a structural and organizational problem. Policy change alone cannot fix it. Military leaders must improve the organizational culture that shapes people's experiences working inside the organization. As Carmen, an active soldier in the Army, reminds us: "It's not just women's minds that we need to change about how we're worth something and we need to project ourselves professionally and confidently. There are two pieces to the puzzle here." New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a press conference, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in at Madison Square Garden in New York where he announced that plans for a long-sough overhaul of Pennsylvania Station, the nation's busiest train station, have been restarted. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens) On Sunday, Governor Andrew Cuomo reintroduced his proposal for New York State to fund college for prisoners. Two years ago he bravely tried to convince people that prisoners should be afforded the opportunity to receive a college education while in prison. But critics shot the idea down quickly arguing that prison is a place for punishment and prisoners should not be allowed to get a free college education while families struggled to put their kids through school. This was said despite several studies that showed the more education a prisoner would acquire the less probability he or she would return to prison. Now according to the New York Times Governor Cuomo introduced his new plan using $7.5 million criminal forfeiture funds from Cyrus Vance Jr, the Manhattan district attorney, along with matching funds from private donors. I applaud the governor for his actions because I know how important receiving an education while in prison is. Advertisement While serving a 15 to Life sentence for a non-violent drug crime under the Rockefeller drug laws I received three college degrees while imprisoned including a master's degree from NY Theological Seminary which was paid for from private donations. When I was released from prison after serving 12 years when I received executive clemency by then Governor George Pataki I easily found gainful employment with a law firm and became litigation paralegal for Fish & Neave. The job helped me maintain my humanity and kept me walking on a straight and narrow road. It has been 19 years now and I know from personal experience that a college education offered to someone in prison is not only lifesaving it is life changing. Many studies, even one conducted by the New York State Department of Correctional Services, have demonstrated empirically that people who earn college degrees are far less likely to return to a life of crime upon release. According to research conducted by the Department, of the inmates who earned a college degree in 1986, 26% had returned to state prison, whereas 45% of inmates who did not earn a degree were returned to custody. For many prisoners, gaining an education signals an end to personal failure and a ladder out of poverty and crime. As the former Chief Justice Warren Burger stated: "To confine offenders without trying to rehabilitate them is expensive folly." When I was released from prison after receiving executive clemency for Governor George Pataki in 1997 my reentry into society was eased because of my college education. But it was not an easy deal. When some people found out about where I got my college education they were not too happy. I remember going on a few television shows and talking about my college education. Instead of being happy for me they talked about how I got a free college education instead of being punished. My response was that I did not get a free education, I paid dearly for it serving 12 years in prison and I did everything I could to make a bad situation good. This time of year, the interwebs are flooded with resolutions. Everyone wants to lose weight, save money and TRAVEL MORE, which is obviously my personal favorite. However, most people (mistakenly) think they don't have the money to travel. It's not a question of money, its a question of priorities. Don't worry, this isn't another article about skipping your daily latte or never eating out again. I would never. But I do think establishing priorities is important. You have to decide where your dollars go. Ask yourself: "Would I rather have a house full of stuff or a passport full of stamps? Would I rather have a new iPhone or a round trip ticket to Europe? Do I really need to eat out or could I save that money for a meal on the beach?" Advertisement From me to you, here are my own tried-and-true favorite ways to budget for travel. 1. Have a Plan: This one comes straight from my financial advisor, Katie Waters at Stable Waters Financial. Each year, I decide which trips I want to take and how much they will cost. I take that total amount, then divide by 24 (the number of paychecks I get each year). Each pay period, I automatically transfer that amount to a separate travel checking account. The funds are there when I see a good sale or want to place a deposit on a trip. Easy, automatic, simple. 2. Automate Your Savings: In addition to the savings above, trick yourself into saving more! To do this, I use an app called Digit. Every few days, Digit automatically transfers a few dollars into that same travel account. It happens automatically and I don't even miss it. You can direct the app to save more or save less based on your preferences. This year, I saved over $500 with Digit alone. That's a round trip plane ticket! 3. Save Your Singles: I have a weird little rule for myself: I never spend single dollar bills. All of my one dollar bills go into a piggy bank on my bookshelf. This year, those singles were tip money during our Bahamas Cruise. Happy Bartenders = Happy Travelers. 4. Save "Found" Money: For 15 years, advertising has been my 'day job,' mostly on the buying side. This means I negotiate pricing for my clients every single day. If you take one thing from this post, take this: Every single thing in life is negotiable. Advertisement Think you're paying too much for cable/cell phone/internet? Call them up and ask for a better deal. Once or twice a year, I spend 15 minutes on the phone and ask them to lower my rate. Nine times out of ten, it works. That "savings" is now found money that I redirect to my travel account. It can take a little bit of work, but it can also pay off big! 5. Play "This or That:" For every purchase, I consider what I could buy with that money instead. A $50 dinner could be several days of street food in the Caribbean. A $200 purse is a hotel room. A new $1,000 TV is a cruise! If your priority is to travel, you probably have the money, it's just sitting in STUFF. Living in New York taught me that stuff and space drag us down. I have aimed to simplify my life, redirecting those dollars into things and places that really matter to me. There is an often repeated quote amongst those in the travel industry. It says "Travel is the only thing you can buy that will make you richer." Prioritizing your dollars for experiences -- not things-- can help you earn dividends in memories. A version of this post first appeared on Alpaca Your Bags Travel Blog Also on HuffPost: 'A young man reading the Koran. Photo taken in Al-Azhar Mosque (Cairo, Egypt)More of my images from Egypt:' On Sept. 29, 2015, President Obama addressed the United Nations summit on violent extremism. He stated that part of the international effort to stamp out terrorism "must be a continued rejection by Muslims of those who distort Islam to preach intolerance and promote violence, and it must also be a rejection by non-Muslims of the ignorance that equates Islam with terror." The president expressed similar sentiments in a televised speech immediately after the tragic killings in San Bernardino, California on Dec. 2, 2015. The president was right on the mark. Despite the fact that "Islam" and "Muslims" often make the headlines in our major media outlets, there is still considerable ignorance about both. "Islam" is often presented in Western sources as a frozen, monolithic tradition that incites violence and that remains hopelessly at odds with modernity. Advertisement There are also a number of Muslims today of a particular stripe -- often termed "jihadist Salafist" -- who similarly emphasize an unchanging essence within the Islamic tradition; more dangerously, they understand Islamic doctrine to require Muslims to resort to unending violence against non-Muslims. As a professor of Islamic studies, I very rarely come up against this latter mindset personally; the deleterious effect of such a worldview, particularly on vulnerable Muslim youth, was however brought home to me in a forceful way recently. A couple of years ago, I had an undergraduate student in my class "War and Peace in the Islamic Tradition" who stood out in a couple of respects. He was an American-born young man who had converted to Islam and had then proceeded to acquire an Islamic education in Saudi Arabia, where he was exposed to Wahhabi ideology. For most of the semester, this young man -- whom I will call Fulan -- became my sparring partner on most of the issues we discussed in class, especially concerning the meanings of jihad in different historical contexts. Jihad in its basic meaning signifies 'struggle' or 'striving,' which can be carried out in different ways. Unusually for an undergraduate, his acquired Arabic was very good, and he had used that linguistic training to study medieval Arabic texts in Saudi Arabia. Fulan's favorite authority was a well-known Muslim scholar by the name of Ibn Kathir, who lived in the 14th century during a tumultuous period. Ibn Kathir wrote fiery tracts on the military jihad, which he urged the population in Syria to undertake against the Crusaders who were ravaging the Lebanese coast at the time. Advertisement It was during this period that Ibn Kathir highlighted a verse from the Quran (9:5), which states, "When the sacred months have passed, then slay the polytheists wherever you may encounter them." The verse was directed specifically at the Meccan polytheists who had attacked the Prophet Muhammad and his small community of Muslims in the seventh century. Seven centuries later, Ibn Kathir dubbed it the "sword verse" so as to create a general religious mandate to fight the new invaders of his time. Ibn Kathir had studied with a famous theologian, Ibn Taymiyyah, who belonged to the Hanbali school of law from which Wahhabism emerged in the Arabian peninsula in the 18th century. Ibn Taymiyyah had been traumatized in his youth by the attack of the Mongols on his native city of Harran in the 13th century, causing his family to flee from there and settle in Damascus. In some of his legal opinions, Ibn Taymiyyah forcefully called upon his fellow Muslims to fight the Mongols and rout them from Islamic lands as a religious obligation. Not surprisingly, Ibn Kathir and Ibn Taymiyyah are quite popular with ultraconservative revivalist Muslim groups today, and their writings exhorting Muslims to carry out military jihad, stripped from their historical context, are often cited by militant ideologues. Fulan was very enamored of these two theologians. He was convinced that other scholars who held diametrically opposed views on jihad were clearly wrong. Fulan would sometimes vociferously complain that I did not accord Ibn Kathir the prominence he deserved in my class. Other scholars emphasize spiritual and intellectual striving as important components of jihad. Instead, we read translated excerpts from the writings of many different scholars, some much earlier than Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Kathir, living in very different times. Many of these earlier scholars paid scant attention to Quran 9:5 and did not refer to it as the "sword verse." In fact, a number of them had maintained that the verse only applied to the Meccan Arabs in the seventh century who had attacked Muhammad and his followers. The verse therefore allowed defensive fighting specifically for the first generation of Muslims against their hostile enemies who had persecuted them for their faith. Since it was their violent persecution that was the reason for going to war, the verse did not apply in a general way to non-Muslims who were peaceful. We also read texts by other scholars who emphasized spiritual and intellectual striving as important components of jihad. After all, jihad in its basic meaning signifies "struggle" or "striving," which can be carried out in different ways. Unlike contemporary militants who sneer at the concept of spiritual jihad as an undesirable innovation not supported by early texts, scholars throughout Islamic history in fact have stressed the importance of "the struggle of the soul" (in Arabic: jihad al-nafs). This internal, spiritual struggle is the further development of the Quranic concept of patient forbearance, which manifests itself in non-violent resistance to wrongdoing and in the constant struggle to do good. Advertisement Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, a Hanbali jurist from the 14th century, whose name is often invoked by Wahhabi scholars, wrote a beautiful moving treatise describing the inner spiritual struggle as a continuous feature of jihad. Needless to say, this particular work is ignored by militants and apparently was not part of the texts that my student had been exposed to in Saudi Arabia. Fulan was very perturbed by these "alternate" views. How could other good Muslims not have the same views as Ibn Kathir and Ibn Taymiyyah? Wasn't there but one true "orthodox" conceptualization of jihad because there could be only one true interpretation of the Quran? For the last half of the semester, Fulan quietly mulled over the texts that challenged his deeply held convictions. Faced with the textual evidence, he could start to entertain the possibility that there were other views worthy of consideration. Perhaps the contexts for some of these varied interpretations were important after all. Interpretations of law, whether religious or secular, are always influenced by specific historical and cultural contexts. One could conclude that Ibn Kathir and Ibn Taymiyyah's views were as strident as they were because of the dangerous times they lived in. The Islamic world was under siege during their period by foreign aggressors who could only be effectively repelled by a military counterattack. These two scholars were not speaking for all Muslims everywhere for all time. Interpretations of law, whether religious or secular, are always influenced by specific historical and cultural contexts. To drive this point home, I asked my students to reflect on the mindset that has developed in America after Sept. 11, which is comparable to the one during the Mamluk period. In such crisis-ridden circumstances, ordinarily peace-loving people will clamor for military retaliation against a ruthless violent enemy that threatens to annihilate them. Advertisement Towards the end of the semester, I held a debate in the class between two opposite camps -- one that espoused mainstream views of jihad as a principled response to prior aggression and the other that championed the scorched-earth version of never-ending militancy. Fulan was placed in the camp of mainstream scholars -- to my surprise, he entered his role with great enthusiasm, advocating forcefully for his side. The transformation in him was quite dramatic but perhaps not unpredictable. This young impressionable student had been exposed to an array of credible, reasoned views on a very fraught topic and developed an appreciation for the diversity of perspectives within the Islamic tradition. He had discovered -- to his chagrin -- that there was no monolithic Islam. I like to think that the next time Fulan is fed a line by militants about how jihad means violence directed against non-Muslims en masse or against Muslims who reject their views, he will stand up to them and challenge their dangerous fanaticism on good scholarly and moral grounds. To a considerable extent, the war with the so-called Islamic State and other terror groups today is one of ideas, especially when it comes to the recruitment of gullible youth into their ranks. The American classroom that fosters candid and dispassionate exchange of diverse perspectives on the thorniest of issues today can be a valuable ally in this battle of ideas. This was published in partnership with the Berggruen Philosophy and Culture Center. He's unconscious as we pull him up from the floor, too much G apparently; his body is cold and limp. I'm not sure how long he was passed out on the balcony; I passed by a few times and figured that someone else would take care of him, but no one did. His boyfriend is downstairs getting fucked; apparently this sort of thing happens all the time, one of them was always overdosing. Today it didn't matter because, well, it is Pride. There are no consequences, no mornings after, no doctor's visits, no what-ifs, because everything you desire is readily available for the taking; one didn't even need to ask, just indulge, and never look back. Someone helped me carry him over to a bench where we laid him on his back; his eyelids fluttered open as he slurred something unintelligible. I cannot help but laugh as the boy raises his legs into the air and spreads his ass open. His eyes roll back into his head, but his legs stay up. An insatiable urge, an unrelenting desire that he could not comprehend, which he did not even understand; yet his body, his mind, his mutated soul commanded that it should be done. Some splashes of cold water, a few soothing words, within fifteen minutes he's back on his feet, stumbling from room to room in search of cock. He isn't seeking love or acceptance; rather he lusts, thirsts for something that is so deeply rooted in male desire that it is nearly impossible to explain to someone who is unfamiliar with the urges that it brings. Of course the drugs always help. Advertisement Dawn breaks over Tel Aviv as I gaze across the skyline from the balcony of an apartment on Avenue Rothschild. The clouds burn orange against a backdrop of red and purple; the streets are desolate, the only sound is of the crows inhabiting the tree-lined boulevard. Next to me, a Canadian flight attendant, whose degree of beauty is so near perfection it is painful, is being spit-roasted between a porn star from San Francisco and a hairy Israeli. His cries of pleasure mingle with those coming from the bedroom, just beyond the glass doors behind me. Half a dozen guys are intertwined with one another on the red latex covered bed, a jar of Crisco off to the side, surrounded by discarded bottles of poppers. Downstairs, the kitchen counter is strewn with vials containing GHB, cocaine, and meth--which it is assumed that New York boys always carry--the cornucopia of drugs builds with the arrival of each new guest. An endless loop of porn plays on the television in the living room; two air mattresses are thrown on the floor, but the old leather sofa proves to be more popular. The mood is jovial, carefree, and without pretense. If I were in New York, the guys would have attitude, and there would be a lingering tension of self-involved judgment. Here however, conversation (though far from stimulating) is free flowing with smiles, combined with bouts of laughter, giving the appearance that all is well, everyone is clean, and there are no consequences to the actions of thirty young men swapping loads with one another and eating out cum-filled asses. No one asks for status, no one cares about your past, and there is not a condom in sight. This is new norm of international gay sex, where the ghosts of thirty-years ago have long-since been forgotten: everyone is on PrEP, everyone is undetectable, and STIs are a mere nuisance that will be dealt at a later time. Welcome to the circuit party axis of evil: Berlin, Brussels, Barcelona, Mykonos, and Tel Aviv, cheap airfare seamlessly allowing transfers among these getaways in less than two of hours. An intermingling of nationalities blossoms under the radiant sun and azure waters as men scamper along the sand in swim briefs; gym honed bodies that are such fine specimens of masculinity they would make Hadrian proud. International duos, quartets, and sextuplets scamper across the Mediterranean in an endless blitzkrieg of Instagram posts of smiling tanned faces and washboard abs. These are not merely entertaining weekends, but meticulously planned events that occur every year, without fail. To be called a circuit queen is reductive and curt; rather, the men who participate in these endless festivities of music, drugs, and, above all, sex, are no different than their heathen heterosexual counterparts who happily skip across nearly the same axis of EDM parties from Rotterdam to Ibiza. They gather to dream, to dance, and to love without judgment, but to what end? Advertisement Pride in Tel Aviv is among the largest in the world, and the only of its kind in the region. During the weeklong celebration the windows of City Hall light up at night with the colors of the rainbow flag; the streets are lined with the fluttering international symbol of Western sexual liberation, hardly an Israeli flag in sight. The weeklong celebration of parties--which flow in such endless succession that drugs become nourishment--culminates with a parade along the beach boulevard, attracting nearly 200,000 youths; finally ending late in the afternoon with a massive concert where all are welcomed. The atmosphere is festive from the moment you leave Ben Gurion Airport; the endless succession of flights from across Europe, and non-stops from New York, continually excrete exquisitely buff tank top-clad thirty-something men whose fresh faces will soon be a sun-kissed pink. If you haven't had sex within the first twelve hours something is horribly wrong, regardless of your hierarchy in the pyramid of masculine beauty, which is so freakishly skewed here that everyone is intimidated, fearful even, that they are not-quite-hot-enough. Opening Grindr here I think it must be an ad as the screen fills with perfectly sculpted torsos, but never mind using an app, there is no need. Simply cruise along the streets, or, better yet, head to the gay beach behind the Hilton where, by four o'clock, it has become so crowded that latecomers are relegated to the adjacent, inhospitable dog-friendly section. I hope you have tirelessly worked out every day for the past six months, ingested your body weight in protein grams daily, and manscaped your body hair into a soft tuft. If so, welcome to gay summer camp, where there are no rules, just an abundance of activities tailored to your liking: Dead Sea, Petra, Haifa; simple day trips in air-conditioned comfort with a buffet lunch and back in time for a power nap before heading out into the night. Just ignore that five-story concrete wall you drive out of Jerusalem. Night is where everything truly begins. Allow yourself to be led along an uncertain path. The line outside Lima Lima might be nearly an hour long, but the group of four guys who all follow you back to your apartment at dawn is worth the wait. A late night snack and latte with a porn star leads you to an orgy. Finally, come Thursday, there is Tel-A-Beef, an event worthy of Black Party (before its post-Roseland incarnation) debauchery and fame. The free for all buffet of cock, drugs, and ready to be filled holes is as liberating as it is disturbing. As Tel-A-Beef carries on into late morning, the second floor, an entire darkroom, is still going strong, with lubricated bodies tumbling over one another. I wander up to the third floor and out on to the roof, encountering the sad remains of those who can no longer keep their eyes open. Couches of comatose shirtless bodies are surrounded by mounds of garbage, empty vials, and discarded bags of white powder. I realize it is time to move on, to the sex party that is happening down the street; the one that will last for 14 hours, with dudes slamming, smoking, and above all, fucking. All strangers, dozens of them throughout the day, swapping loads, tasting each other, using each other, spreading traces of each other with free abandoned. Come what may. It does not matter, only the here and now, thanks to a little blue pill that is destined to save all of us from extinction. Bringing back the Dead: Why Pakistan Used the Jaish-e-Mohammad to Attack an Indian AirbaseC. Christine Fair January 7, 2015Most analysts contend that the recent Jaish-e-Mohammad attack on an Indian military base in Pathankot was primarily aimed to derail a nascent peace process between India and Pakistan following Prime Prime Minister Narenda Modi's surprise visit to Lahore, in Pakistan's Punjab, last month. While in the tactical sense this is true; there can never be any meaningful peace process with Pakistan because Pakistan's military cannot abandon its baseless claims on Kashmir or accept India as the dominant power in the region. This interpretation of the attack as "peace spoiler" misses the strategic element of the ISI's revival of Jaish-e-Mohammad (usually referred to as "Jaish"), which has been long dormant following a split in the organization in 2001 when the rump of the outfit decided to focus their weapons on the Pakistani state. As I have argued elsewhere, Pakistan's refurbishing of this outfit is not only about prosecuting Pakistan's regional strategies, but it is also a critical component of Pakistan's domestic security strategy. Jaish-e-Mohammad is a Deobandi Islamist terrorist group with close ties to the Deobandi Afghan Taliban, the Pakistani Taliban, anti-Shia groups such as the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi/Sipah-e-Sahaba-e-Pakistan, and al Qaeda. Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence Directorate (ISI) created Jaish by working with several Deobandi terrorists associated with Harkat-ul-Mujahideen to hijack Delhi-bound Indian Airlines flight 814 after it departed Kathmandu in late 1999. The aircraft eventually landed in Kandahar, the base of Afghanistan's Taliban, where terrorists agreed to free the surviving passengers upon the release of three Pakistani terrorists incarcerated in India: Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and Maulana Masood Azhar. Advertisement Indian officials delivered these terrorists to Kandahar from which they traveled to Pakistan reportedly ISI escort. After the ISI paraded them about Pakistan as celebrities, Azhar resurfaced in Karachi in January 2000 when he announced the formation of the Jaish from the remnants of other Deobandi terrorist groups. Pakistan's ISI the Jaish to up the ante in Kashmir and to serve as a competitor to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which the ISI also raised and deployed to Kashmir in the early 1990s to escalate the violence in the state. While LeT pioneered the "high risk mission," the Jaish pioneered the use of suicide attacks in Kashmir in April 2000 in Badami Bagh. Unlike the Lashkar-e-Taiba which has remained largely intact over the years, the Jaish split in late 2001 when its leadership disagreed on whether the organization should stay loyal to the Pakistani state under President and General Musharraf or begin attacking it in retaliation for Musharraf's aiding the Americans to oust the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. After all, the Afghan Taliban shared the Jaish's Deobandi ideological orientations and represented the only regime that enforced the version of sharia they all espoused. Moreover, many Jaish members previously fought alongside the Taliban when they served in other Deobandi militant groups. Jaish confederates were not alone in their outrage. In fact, numerous Deobandi militants that the ISI had nurtured were furious that Pakistan's military had seemingly turned their back on the Afghan Taliban and were assisting the American kufars to oust their confederates from Kabul. Despite the pressure from Jaish commanders and members alike to defect, Masood Azhar remained loyal to the state and reported the developments to the ISI. In doing so, he demonstrated his value to the ISI. The rump of the organization he founded launched attacks under the name of Jamaat ul Furqan and initiated a series of deadly suicide attacks against military targets, including Musharraf himself. This was the opening salvo in a realignment of militant groups that would produce Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (TTP or Pakistani Taliban) in 2007. Advertisement Even though the Jaish and its leader Masood Azhar are explicitly proscribed by the United States and the United Nations Security Council, among other entities, Pakistan adamantly continued protecting the organization. Azhar freely operated in his home town of Bahawalpur in Southern Punjab. Despite being technically proscribed even in Pakistan, the organization actually expanded in recent years. Since at least 2011 if not earlier, Pakistan's ISI has been resurrecting the Jaish under Azhar's leadership as a part of its strategy to rehabilitate those assets who defected to the Pakistani Taliban. By 2013, I learned during fieldwork in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, that Pakistan had resolved to take the Pakistani Taliban seriously partly due to international pressure and partly due to domestic imperatives. After numerous months of incessant warning, Pakistan's military formally commenced a selective campaign against those militants in the tribal areas attacking it in June 2014 under the operational name of Zarb-e-Azb. Prior to the onset of these operations, Pakistan's military and intelligence agencies sought to persuade elements of the TTP to abandon the fight against Pakistan by either rejoining the fight in Afghanistan to help the Taliban or to rejoin the JeM to kill Indians. Those members of the TTP who could not be so reformed to fight the external enemies and remained committed to fighting Pakistan were deemed enemy combatants who must be eliminated. Envervating the Jaish is a cornerstone of Pakistan's strategy of managing its own internal security challenges as well as a cornerstone of its policy of nuclear blackmail to achieve ideological objectives in Kashmir. Individuals from international organizations tasked with monitoring these groups told me over a year ago that Jaish activists have long been poised for infiltration into India , along the so-called Line of Control in Kashmir. Given that the Jaish is Pakistan's program for bringing errant terrorists back into the fold of "good terrorists," the only thing surprising about this Jaish assault is that it did not happen sooner. The India and the United States must understand the strategic imperatives that motivate Pakistan to keep organizations like the Jaish in its vast stable of terrorists. Pakistan does so not merely to "disrupt peace" with India; rather, to prosecute the Pakistan army's endless war on India within its borders and across South Asia. There is no denying that 2015 was a great year for Viktor Orban, the illiberal Prime Minister of Hungary, who made the most of Europe's tragedies to transform himself from political pariah to ideological leader. While Time chose his nemesis German Chancellor Angela Merkel as "Person of the Year," driven by convention and wishful thinking it seems, Politico declared "the conservative subversive" as the most influential person in the European Union. Although Merkel remains much more powerful than Orban within Europe, I would still argue that 2015 went to the Mighty Magyar. While Merkel was at the center of both major crises last year, i.e. the Greek economic crisis and the refugees crisis, she was only partially successful in pushing through her position; both times being abandoned by several EU leaders and being undermined from within the Union, particularly by her increasingly (far) right Bavarian 'ally,' the Christian Social Union (CSU). In contrast, Orban started the year in the margins, being increasingly criticized, though never sanctioned, for his illiberal policies in Hungary. When he used the terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo, in January 2015, to start an ideological attack on multiculturalism in Europe, he was scolded. Similarly, his authoritarian stand against refugees in Hungary initially received more critique than support, particularly when he started to build a fence, but this changed quickly. In October he received applause at the Madrid Congress of the European People's Party, the most powerful political group within the EU, and after the traumatic terrorist attacks in Paris the next month politicians from across the continent joined his campaign against refugees, linking them to the terrorist attacks. Advertisement "The success of the PiS in Poland could turn out to be a poisoned chalice for Orban." However, Orban's biggest win seemed to be the return to power of the right-wing populist Law and Justice (PiS) in Poland. Its (real) leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, was one of the first official fans of Orban, declaring his "Budapest Model" the inspiration of PiS as far back as 2011. However, just like Fidesz had done in 2010, when it returned to power with a constitutional majority, PiS had run a fairly moderate and vague campaign, merely attacking the liberal governmental party Civic Platform (PO) and promising a lot to as many Poles as possible. It had even moved Kaczynski into the background, running the presidential elections with (now president) Andrzej Duda and the parliamentary elections with (now Prime Minister) Beata Szydo. Since coming to power, PiS threw off its moderate sheep's clothing and went full force into radical right mode. It appointed controversial politicians, despite promising not to do so, cancelled the appointment of Constitutional Court judges, and has pushed for a complete politicization of the state media. In short, PiS tries to do in six months what Orban has achieved in six years. However, Poland is not Hungary, and the authoritarian moves have led to strong push-back from both domestic and foreign actors, which could threaten the "Budapest Model" not just in Poland but also in Hungary. The most important difference between the situations in Poland and Hungary is that PiS does not have a constitutional majority. Although Orban introduced illiberal measures in the 2010-2014 period, he did so with a democratic mandate, i.e. a constitutional majority in the unicameral parliament. Although the PiS can at times rely on support of the idiosyncratic, right-wing Kukiz'15 party, its democratic mandate is much weaker than that of Fidesz. A second important difference is that Poland does have a strong opposition party, the liberal PO, which has also a strong voice in Europe -- its former leader Donald Tusk, is the current EU President. Where Orban has faced a weakly organized opposition, frustrated by petty infighting within the broader social democratic camp, Kaczynski is confronted with a broad coalition of oppositional forces, as was demonstrated in the large demonstrations against the new media law across Poland this weekend. Importantly, this opposition has a voice in the Sejm and Senate, most notably through PO. Advertisement The third major difference is that Poland is too big to ignore for the EU and US. Whereas Hungary is a small country, slightly isolated by its complex and unique language, Poland is often seen as the bellwether of Central and Eastern Europe. What happens in Poland today, will happen in the rest of the region in a few years. Consequently, both the EU and the US responded fiercely against similar, though much less far-reaching, authoritarian trends during the first PiS government, between 2005 and 2007. A fourth and final major difference is that PiS is a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), a soft Eurosceptic transnational federation that has little political cloud in Brussels. This is in sharp contrast to Fidesz, which is a member of the powerful European People's Party (EPP), which has successfully shielded Orban from EU sanctions in the past years. The recent developments in Poland are creating a dilemma for the EPP, as the main opposition party in that country, the PO, is also an EPP member. How to criticize the Budapest Model in Warsaw but not in Budapest itself? Bright rainbow coloured isometric city. EPS10 using transparencies. This year in Davos, world leaders and major global businesses will come together to exchange ideas and best practices on strengthening economies and workplaces through the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. As the leader of the United States' largest LGBT civil rights organization, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), I have witnessed the strength that private sector leaders can have in advancing equality. In advance of last year's U.S. Supreme Court ruling establishing nationwide marriage equality for America's same-sex couples, hundreds of businesses signed and submitted amicus, or friend of the court, briefs affirming their support for marriage equality. Advertisement But outside of the United States, businesses are speaking up too. Leading up to Ireland's historic vote for marriage equality, tech titans such as Google and eBay released videos of their employees voicing support for equality. In addition, in late 2013, when homosexuality was recriminalized by India's high court, we saw prominent private sector businesses throughout the country immediately take to social media to express their opposition to the decision and their support of the LGBT community. When Businesses Outpace Lawmakers Major corporations such as Delta and Marriott are partnering with local LGBT chambers of commerce and advocacy groups in growing economies like Colombia and Argentina to host summits raising the profile of LGBT-owned businesses, as well as generating more LGBT tourism dollars to these countries. Even financial hubs such as Shanghai have now seen their first LGBT summits, with dozens in attendance from international companies to discuss why equality is good for business. Around the world, businesses have far outpaced lawmakers in embracing the basic premise that the hard work and talents of all their employees -- regardless of who they are or whom they love -- are rewarded fairly in their workplaces. In 2002, HRC launched the Corporate Equality Index, a survey and report assessing major businesses' LGBT-inclusive policies, benefits and practices in the United States, which we have published every year since. In 2002, only 13 businesses scored 100 percent; today, 407 businesses achieved this top rating, representing virtually every industry and investment throughout the world. In addition, the number of rated businesses affording specific protections for transgender employees has soared from 5 percent to 87 percent. Even transgender medical coverage has gone from a rarity to common - with 40 percent of Fortune 500 businesses now offering these crucial benefits. Advertisement The progress has been staggering. After years of a focused and successful dialogue with businesses on their U.S. operations, last year we expanded the report's scope and evaluation to include global non-discrimination policies. The results show that major businesses are not merely ensuring basic workplace fairness to LGBT employees in select locales, but are increasingly upholding LGBT-inclusive policies of non-discrimination wherever they do business: 95 percent of global CEI businesses have fully inclusive, globally applicable non-discrimination policies and/or codes of conduct that include both sexual orientation and gender identity. At the Clinton Global Initiative's Annual Meeting last fall, HRC launched a first-of-its kind coalition of major global businesses committed to not only publicly standing in support of LGBT equality, but rolling up their sleeves to tackle hard questions about upholding these principles in hostile environments and other challenges ahead. Weeks later, our team travelled to Mexico City, a jurisdiction of over 20 million people that has seen incredible progress for the LGBT community -- bolstered by private sector support -- to release the first global edition of the Corporate Equality Index. As we move forward in the new, rapid economy of tomorrow, it is increasingly apparent that equality is more than "good" for business -- it is absolutely essential. Our research has found that employee engagement suffers approximately 30 percent when workplace environments shun difference and people feel compelled to stay in the closet. The impact is felt beyond just the LGBT population. Millennials swelling the ranks of jobs from Shanghai to Sao Paolo are more embracing of difference than any other generation. And they are looking for these values when deciding where to work and where to shop. In the U.S. alone, the LGBT consumer market is worth nearly 900 billion dollars, with billions more in the hands of other fair-minded consumers. Later this month, the World Economic Forum will lead a conversation on "Bridging the Diversity Divide," looking at how its members can create LGBT-inclusive workplaces. And that conversation will extend as we join our partners at SkyBridge Capital and Microsoft to celebrate a historic year for equality as well as addressing how we can work together to make the world a more equal place. Businesses and global leaders who ignore LGBT equality do so at their own peril. No executive wants to lose the next brilliant employee to a competitor simply because the business has not caught up with the times in terms of inclusive policies. No executive wants to have to ask, "What if?" when assessing the loss of talent. Advertisement I came out at thirteen years old because it was essential to me for my own life. I knew that coming out was my only way to really hold on to who I was because it was something of value that I knew I had. I didn't understand what it was but I knew it was there. My entire life, I'm now 58, has been fighting for LGBTI rights, not just here in the United States but around the planet. My life's dedication is to every single country there is and finding our people, particularly going to non-American, non-Capitalistic, non-Christian places and seeing how LGBTI people live there and of course we have. I've been to 91 countries now and I've never failed to find us. But what's important in that is in our society there's still the understanding in some rightwing quarters that we are not proper and that AIDS was God's revenge and a variety of other crazy things. When you go to non-American, non-Capitalistic, non-Christian places you see that we exist there. So those arguments fundamentally are false and the empirical evidence is inequitable. To me my entire life has been spent fighting for but not just us as a people, to be clear with you, but for me as a person. I deserve to know who I am before I die and that is what I extend to everyone. Startups in 2016 have an immense opportunity and calling for disruption. There has been quite a bit of talk about disruption in economies such as the sharing economy, delivery, and even wearable's. But, there are still so many industries that are still untouched, and can be impacted on a large scale. Here are three areas that many entrepreneurs should be focusing on for the biggest disruption in 2016. 1. Student Loans In this day of age, more and more students are graduating with college debt. In fact, according to Lendedu, 7 out of 10 colleges are graduating with some form of student debt. In fact, a majority of students in the U.S. graduate with $27,000 to $35,000, which is a global high in comparison to most universities globally. Advertisement Many universities are trying to implement programs such as Purdue, a top engineering college in Indiana, coming out with a model to allow private investors to invest in students. Instead of getting government involved with student loan crisis, getting money from businesses seems to be a common approach to fixing this nationally issue. 2. Restaurants A major concern for restaurants in 2016 stems from high labor costs, turnover, and delivery programs such as UberEats, and Favor crushing distribution. Especially with strong distribution like Chipotle, it becomes difficult for a mom and pop Mexican restaurant to beat a high performing business. In 2016, a uniqueness that comes with a towns locality, or specialty is what will make a mom and pop shop stick out from large chains. For example, David Burke's Primehouse in Chicago has top tier ice cream like "Grasshopper" and "Blueberry Muffin." 3. Public Education Similar to student loans, public education, from k-12, to college is becoming a concern for students, but parents as well. In short, public education is being scrutinized for lagging behind in the STEM areas, which include science, technology, engineering, and math on a global scale. Advertisement Unique programs such as the CAPS program are changing the way that students learn. As an alumni of the program, I had the opportunity to dive deep into many areas of not only business, but technology, and even life sciences. A student may want to take the technology they have built in the lab and take it to a business wing to create their business plan, have the legal department look over and file their patents, and get students building startups, all in high school! Conclusion Many startups are changing the way we do what otherwise would be arduous tasks on a daily basis. They are transforming student loans, the restaurant industry, and even traditional education! Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton pauses for a moment while speaking at a rally Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, in Waterloo, Iowa. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Hillary Clinton is not the inevitable Democratic presidential nominee. Clinton was not the inevitable nominee in 2008, and she is not inevitable in 2016 either. Of course, this really isn't new or surprising, because nothing in politics is ever inevitable, really. Elections are always about as "evitable" as one can imagine. The reason I'm starting this article out with such a basic truth is that two new polls appeared this weekend that said pretty much what a bunch of other polls have been saying for a while now. The pundit world, as a result, finally woke up to the reality that Bernie Sanders is not some sort of gadfly candidate. Sanders, the polls show, has a solid chance at winning New Hampshire and at least a decent chance of winning Iowa. If Clinton were to lose both states then the Democratic race's dynamics would shift in a major way. Advertisement This has been the dream scenario for Sanders supporters all along, and it's not looking like such an outside chance anymore. Clinton has long considered New Hampshire to be mostly irrelevant this time around, since Bernie winning there wouldn't be all that big a deal (since he hails from next-door Vermont). But if Clinton lost Iowa it would show stronger Sanders support than anyone predicted when he first entered the race. Iowa's caucuses are a test of voters' endurance. Only the truly committed show up. Clinton has some very enthusiastic supporters (many excited that we could elect the first woman president), but then so does Bernie. His rallies are already legendary for their level of crowd excitement, and he's gotten more small donations than Hillary has managed (although Hillary, to be fair, has raised more money overall). If the caucuses turn out to be a measure of the depth or breadth of the excitement of their supporters, Sanders could indeed emerge the victor. Hillary Clinton is obviously getting a little nervous about Bernie's chances, as she's pivoting from exclusively attacking Donald Trump (and the rest of the GOP field), to now trying to position herself to the left of Sanders on gun control. She wouldn't be bothering to attempt this strategy if she were wholly unconcerned about Bernie's chances, to state the obvious. Team Clinton insists that they're not really worried, since after New Hampshire and Iowa Clinton has a much stronger advantage heading into South Carolina and Nevada. But momentum can shift abruptly, and Sanders winning the first two contests might significantly erode Clinton's advantage in the next two states to vote. The media will be filled with stories of Sanders gaining support and Clinton losing it, most likely. Even if Clinton does retain her edge by winning both Nevada and South Carolina, the two candidates will head into Super Tuesday tied at two states apiece. That's pretty even footing, although if this does come to pass Clinton will be getting the "comeback" stories written about her just before the first of March, when the next fourteen states will vote. Advertisement Examining Clinton's past record shows (to what extent is debatable, I fully concede in advance) weakness in the roster of these states -- something few have noticed, at this point. In 2008, Clinton won two of the traditional first four states (New Hampshire and Nevada) while Obama picked up two (Iowa and South Carolina). But back then Michigan and Florida jumped the line and voted early (this was a bone of contention in the Democratic world) and Hillary fought for and won both states (Obama did not fight for them, in protest over their jumping the line). Then a whopping 22 states participated in 2008's Super Tuesday, and Clinton only won seven of them (although she did win New York and California, which gave her a lot of delegates due to their population size). This time around, out of the fourteen states voting, Clinton has only previously won five of them (Arkansas, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas). The nine other states voting in Super Tuesday (or "SEC Tuesday," as some are calling it) all went to Barack Obama (Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Georgia, Minnesota, North Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming). Past performance may not be the best indicator of what's going to happen this time around, of course. Bernie Sanders is not Barack Obama, and 2016 is not 2008. Hillary Clinton learned a hard lesson from how she lost last time around, and it's fair to assume she won't be making the same mistakes this time (such as virtually ignoring all the caucus states). Still, her record shows that back in 2008 -- when she was also considered the inevitable nominee -- she lost a lot of the states she's going to need on this year's Super Tuesday. She lost some of these states by wide margins, too. In 2008, the biggest momentum shift was among African-American voters. Up until Obama started winning states, African-American support leaned heavily towards Clinton. Bill Clinton had always enjoyed strong support among this demographic, and electing a black man president was seen by many African-American voters as an unachievable dream. Right up until he started winning other states. Could Hillary's strong advantage with the African-American and Latino community also be subject to such erosion this time around? It's impossible to tell at this point, but it does remain a distinct possibility. The split among the Democratic Party in 2008 left some deep wounds in the rank-and-file Democratic electorate. There was a very vocal community of Hillary Clinton supporters who felt so badly treated by the Obama campaign that they pledged never to support Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee. They had the charming label "PUMA," which stood for: "Party unity, my ass!" But although they were prominent online, a PUMA walkout at the convention never actually materialized. Most Democratic voters (obviously) followed the plea from Hillary Clinton to support Barack Obama in the general election. Advertisement There is a danger of such a rift happening this year as well, no matter who wins the party's nomination. If Bernie Sanders wins, there are going to be a lot of very frustrated and angry women out there, to put it mildly. Twice the party chooses a man instead of their favorite? That's going to cause some seething resentment. But party division may be more of a danger if Hillary Clinton wins the nomination, because Bernie Sanders supporters consider Clinton no more than "Republican-lite" or a DINO (Democrat In Name Only). Her ties to Wall Street are going to be a bridge too far for a lot of fervent Sanders supporters. Some of them are already proclaiming publicly that they'll never vote for Clinton, if Sanders doesn't win. They sound pretty committed, although it remains to be seen how many of Bernie's legions of fans feel this strongly about Clinton. Many of the "Bernie or nobody" crowd may be faced with a terrifying choice come November: vote for Hillary Clinton or (by staying home) help elect either Donald Trump or Ted Cruz. The split in the Democratic Party may heal (as intra-party splits often do) by hatred and/or fear of the other team's candidate. Whoever wins, whether Sanders or Clinton, will woo Democrats back to the fold by pointing out that the next president could get to name as many as four Supreme Court justices, which could shift the balance of power on the court for a generation to come. Those are pretty high stakes, and this will be enough for many Democratic voters to vote for the candidate with the "D" next to their name, however unenthusiastically. There is no guarantee, of course, that the name on that ballot will be Hillary Clinton. She's already vulnerable in at least two of the first four states to vote, and if she loses both Iowa and New Hampshire then the rest of the country (including the media) will start paying a lot more attention to Bernie Sanders's campaign. Democratic voters in South Carolina and Nevada might start "feeling the Bern," so to speak. Then Clinton has to win on Super Tuesday in a whole lot of states that didn't vote for her the last time around. Right now, even with the polling news from Iowa and New Hampshire, Hillary Clinton still has to be seen as the favorite to win the Democratic nomination. Bernie Sanders still has a long way to go before he becomes competitive with Clinton nationwide. But such a swelling of support has happened before, so it could happen this time too. Even though Clinton holds the advantage now, she is a long way from being inevitable. Chris Weigant blogs at: The "prevailing orthodoxy" has occasionally been submitted to tests beyond the record of history. Lars Schoultz, the leading academic specialist on human rights in Latin America, found that U.S. aid "has tended to flow disproportionately to Latin American governments which torture their citizens, ... to the hemisphere's relatively egregious violators of fundamental human rights." That includes military aid, is independent of need, and runs through the Carter period. More wide-ranging studies by economist Edward Herman found a similar correlation world-wide, also suggesting a plausible reason: aid is correlated with improvement in the investment climate, often achieved by murdering priests and union leaders, massacring peasants trying to organize, blowing up the independent press, and so on. The result is a secondary correlation between aid and egregious violation of human rights. It is not that U.S. leaders prefer torture; rather, it has little weight in comparison with more important values. Last November Haaretz reported that Israel plans to open a rather unconventional mission in Abu Dhabi, which will mark Israel's first diplomatic presence in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The move is symbolic of the ongoing metamorphosis in the Middle East's political landscape. Israel's extended olive branch to the UAE occurs within a complicated geopolitical context, in which some traditional alliances are strained, several states are exploring new partnerships and various actors are seizing upon newly generated opportunities in the region. The report did not surprise analysts monitoring Tel Aviv's recent overtures to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). In 2009 Israel supported the UAE's bid to become the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which is now an Abu Dhabi-based international agency established to help countries use renewable energy. In 2014 Israel's Infrastructure Minister declared his goal of establishing a permanent Israeli mission to IRENA. Presumably, this was due to Tel Aviv's interest in establishing a diplomatic foothold in the GCC. Despite Abu Dhabi's support for Palestinian statehood and refusal to recognize the Jewish State, Israel and the UAE have in recent years found themselves aligned on several regional issues. Their common concerns generally stem from expanding Iranian influence in the Arab world and the rise of Sunni fundamentalist groups in the region, as well as the Obama Administration's handling of both of these developments. Within this context, Israel sees itself as having a vested interest in making a diplomatic overture to the Emirates. Advertisement As the mission will be under the auspices of IRENA, the UAE will not need to formally recognize Israel. Emirati officials were quick to emphasize this point. Shortly after the Israeli daily reported the opening of this diplomatic mission, the UAE Foreign Ministry's communications director stated that "any agreement between IRENA and Israel does not represent any change in the position of the UAE or its relations with Israel". She added that missions accredited through IRENA are "limited to affairs related to their communications and dealings with the agency. They do not, under any circumstances, cover any other activities and do not involve any obligation upon the host country with regards to its diplomatic relations or any other relations".Common Interests and Common Challenges Regardless of what this diplomatic mission leads to in terms of Israeli-GCC relations, its mere establishment underscores how the Middle East's geopolitical landscape is shifting. In 2013 Benjamin Netanyahu declared before the UN that "the dangers of a nuclear-armed Iran and the emergence of other threats in our region have led many of our Arab neighbors to recognize, finally recognize, that Israel is not their enemy. And this affords us the opportunity to overcome the historic animosities and build new relationships, new friendships, new hopes... Israel welcomes engagement with the wider Arab world. We hope that our common interests and common challenges will help us forge a more peaceful future." As Israel and the Gulf Arab sheikdoms have maintained economic ties and flirted with diplomatic overtures in the past, this mission's opening in Abu Dhabi marks an important step in improved relations between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi. Although the UAE's 'pro-Palestinian' stance and public opinion in the Arabian Peninsula (which remains staunchly anti-Israel) limit the extent to which the Emirates can engage Israel diplomatically until there is a fundamental change in Israeli foreign policy, there is indeed common cause that tacitly unites Washington's allies in Israel and the GCC. Bearing in mind the adage that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Israel has been reaching out to 'moderate' Arab states in an attempt to find common ground, not only in the security and political arenas, but also in terms of the broader and longer-term geostrategic landscape. Iran's expanding influence throughout the region and the growth of extremist groups such as Daesh, have prompted a variety of states in the greater Middle East to reassess their position on Israel, as well as their alliances.Complicated Relationships Advertisement Although Israel and the GCC do not have full diplomatic relations, the Gulf Arab monarchies have maintained informal relations with the Jewish State for decades. Saudi Arabia and Israel established back-channel communications during Sheikh Kamal Adham's tenure as Saudi Arabia's General Intelligence Directorate (1965-1979). In 1994 Yitzhak Rabin visited Oman to meet Sultan Qaboos one year before Muscat's Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi travelled to Jerusalem to pay a visit to Shimon Peres several days after Rabin's assassination. In 1996 Israel signed agreements with Oman and Qatar to open representative trade offices in both Gulf Arab nations. Muscat and Doha subsequently shut down the offices in 2000 and 2009, respectively, in response to events concerning the Palestinians. In 2010 the Mossad assassinated Hamas military Commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh at the Al Bustan Rotana airport hotel in Dubai, which infuriated UAE officials. More recently, however, the UAE and Israel's shared concerns about the geopolitical consequences of the Iranian nuclear agreement seem to have somewhat sidelined Mabhouh's assassination and Abu Dhabi's 'pro-Palestinian' stance. In light of Qatar's growing ties with Hamas (which has angered Israeli officials) and Oman's deepening partnership with Iran, it appears that of all GCC nations, the UAE is where Israel has the most potential to capitalize on common ground. At the same time, economic relations between some GCC states and Israel grown -- in the UAE's case, significantly so. Furthermore, the UAE's anti-Islamist position has reportedly led the Gulf Arab nation to collaborate with both Israel and Egypt to weaken Hamas. According to Israel's Channel 2, in 2014 the UAE's Foreign Minister met with his Israeli counterpart in France and offered to finance Israel's war on Gaza. (The UAE and Hamas officials vehemently denied this report's accuracy). When the Saudi-led coalition waged Operation Decisive Storm in Yemen last March, the Gulf Arab states received support from some Israeli politicians. Sharing Riyadh and Abu Dhabi's perception of Yemen's Houthi rebel movement as an extension of Iranian influence, it was not surprising that Israel's tacit alliance with Saudi Arabia and the UAE became more pronounced when all three nations viewed similarly the threat of a militia (which had received arms from Iran and incorporated anti-Saudi and anti-Zionist rhetoric into its battle cries) establishing a proto-state near the strategically-prized Bab al-Mandab passage. Advertisement For years, U.S. officials have made no secret of their intention to see Israel and the GCC nations recognize each other diplomatically. In 2002 Saudi Arabia's then-Crown Prince Abdullah put forward the Arab Peace Initiative. This proposal was aimed at resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on the establishment of a sovereign independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, in exchange for "full diplomatic relations, normalized trade and security guarantees" with all 22 Arab League members. Since the late King Abdullah put forward this brave initiative, the Israelis and Palestinians have moved farther away from a peaceful solution. At this juncture, many analysts dismiss the concept of a two-state solution as unrealistic. Although under Netanyahu's leadership there is no reason to imagine Israel ending its nearly half century occupation of Palestinian land, the Israeli government should be asking itself whether maintaining its occupation of 22 percent of historically Palestinian land outweighs the potential benefit of normalized relations with all of the Arab states. This is not a new question, of course, but the stakes appear to be higher than before because of the potential opportunity cost implied in not arriving at a solution at this juncture. In 1967 many Israelis believed that their control of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza could effectively buffer the Jewish State from neighboring Arab militaries. However, the days in which the Arab regimes seek to destroy Israel are over. Non-state actors with extremist ideologies, such as Daesh and its regional affiliates in Egypt and Libya, appear to pose a far graver threat to Israel's long-term security. Officials in Abu Dhabi, Amman and Cairo share this view as they have indicated their preference for the survival of Syria's Ba'athist regime over a Takfiri takeover of Damascus. As the rise of Daesh and other extremist groups have created a plethora of serious problems throughout the MENA region, it has also created opportunities, which Israel and the GCC states appear to recognize. Both Israel and the GCC states should therefore take advantage of these opportunities by pursuing policies that transcend their historical antagonism and create an environment conducive to these seven nations' long-term interests. It is possible that the opening of Israel's diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi can generate serious consideration of normalized relations between Israel and all Arab League members. The UAE is an excellent place to start.*Giorgio Cafiero is the co-founder of Gulf State Analytics. Daniel Wagner is CEO of Country Risk Solutions and author of the forthcoming book "Global Risk Agility and Decision Making" (to be published by Macmillan in the second quarter of 2016). WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 07: Speaker of the House Paul Ryan holds his weekly news conference at the U.S. Capitol January 7, 2016 in Washington, DC. Calling 2016 a 'year of ideas,' Ryan said that the House of Representatives will thing big but may not accomplish its key agenda with President Barack Obama in the White House. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) As Paul Ryan tries to extend the bipartisan honeymoon that accompanied his inauguration as Speaker of the House into 2016, passing the much-lauded criminal justice compromise that a group of senators unveiled last fall looks awfully tempting as a next act. But as a lawmaker who prides himself on his wonkishness, the speaker might want to think twice before going for the easy win. The Senate bill does some good, but it's a messy proposal that gives with one hand and takes with the other. Meanwhile, Ryan has a carefully researched alternative on his desk -- a bill authored by his fellow Wisconsin Republican and friend Jim Sensenbrenner, together with Virginia Democrat Bobby Scott. The Sensenbrenner and Scott bill, known as the SAFE Justice Reinvestment Act, is backed by some of the chamber's most conservative Republicans. And there is more to come: A bipartisan task force that Congress created two years ago to examine the federal prison system will soon issue recommendations that could shake up the debate. Advertisement "They aspired to be bold," said Nancy La Vigne, the lead staffer for the Charles Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections. The group operated on the principle that public safety was more important than hitting any particular target for cutting the prison population, La Vigne said. Even so, she expects the Colson reform proposals will go further than any legislation now on the table. Of course, the question is whether anything that goes beyond the Senate compromise has a chance of passing. (Some advocates have nicknamed that bill Sriracha, catchier than its official title, the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act). The two gatekeepers of justice legislation, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and his House counterpart Bob Goodlatte, are both reform skeptics. Grassley negotiated Sriracha, and Goodlatte is sponsoring a trimmed-down version of it in the House. Pushing them further will be hard. What's more, Sriracha boosters fret that there is not much time to act before 2016 election fever takes over, and after that, the momentum for justice reform might unravel. That's where Paul Ryan comes in. The Speaker himself has previously co-sponsored a sweeping proposal to cut drug-related mandatory minimum sentences in half, and he included criminal-justice reforms in his 2014 anti-poverty plan. If Ryan now proves willing to lean on Goodlatte, and by extension Grassley, reform might take longer to achieve -- but it could also turn out much better. Ryan need not worry that such a move would expose him on his tender right flank. Some of the House's most right-wing members have signed on to Sensenbrenner and Scott's SAFE Justice bill. The legislation had 57 co-sponsors as of early January, including 28 Republicans. Among them are Freedom Caucus members Raul Labrador of Idaho and Ted Yoho of Florida, and other right-wing diehards such as Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Mia Love of Utah. The Colson Task Force also has strong conservative bona fides. Its namesake was a conservative folk hero, a Watergate villain-turned-prison evangelist. It was created in 2014 at the urging of former Republican Congressman Frank Wolf of Virginia, and the chairman is J.C. Watts, a former GOP Congressman from Oklahoma. Advertisement As Scott wrote in a November memo pleading with reform advocates to fight for his bill with Sensenbrenner, "It is false to act as though the appetite for significant and wide-ranging reform does not exist." Nor should reformers fear that the opportunity for criminal justice reform will be fleeting. If the House and Senate pass rival bills this year and fail to reconcile them, the issue will stick out as a major agenda item to come back to in the new Congress -- especially if Democrats win control of the Senate, pushing Grassley out of his veto role on the Judiciary Committee. Media interest in the many injustices of our prison system remains insatiable. Liberal activists are pushing the issue harder than ever, and they are now matched by a robust conservative reform movement. The Colson report will be important because it will provide projections about the impact that various policy options would actually have on the federal prison population. Neither Sriracha nor the SAFE Justice legislation offers anything like that. We do have some numbers on the Senate bill, but they are incomplete and not particularly impressive. Consider: The U.S. Sentencing Commission estimated in October that under Sriracha, 4,300 out of the roughly 75,000 people who are sentenced to federal prison per year would receive shorter sentences each year. That's equal to about 6 percent. The biggest chunk of these beneficiaries - some 3,300 - would see their sentences cut thanks to an expansion of the so-called "safety valve," which allows defendants in drug cases to sidestep the mandatory-minimum sentence. The overall impact will be tiny, however. Within five years, the Sentencing Commission projects the Senate bill's safety-valve relief would save close to 1,600 prison beds. That's less than 1 percent of today's federal inmate population, which stands at 196,000. The Sentencing Commission also estimated that about 7 percent of current federal prisoners could have their sentences shortened under Sriracha. Nearly half of those 7 percent would benefit from a clause that simply gives crack-cocaine offenders already in prison a chance to get their sentences reduced to the new, more-reasonable levels authorized in a 2010 reform. The issue has been controversial, but it should be considered a patch on a prior policy choice, not a major new decision. Advertisement The upshot, Molly Gill of Families Against Mandatory Minimums told HuffPost, is that Sriracha is "a very modest bill with a very modest impact." This minimalism is a result of the fact that many of the merciful provisions in the bill contain exemptions or end up extending punishments to new groups of people. As Human Rights Watch's Antonio Ginatta wrote, "The bill resembles an accordion -- it shrinks and then expands." What makes the Scott and Sensenbrenner legislation better? The authors have not gotten access to the Sentencing Commission data that would have allowed them to create projections. But their legislation does many of the good things the Senate bill does, and a bunch more that the Senate bill leaves out, such as requiring that eligibility for drug-trafficking mandatory minimums be based not on the quantity of drugs involved but on the offender's role in the conspiracy. What's more, Scott and Sensenbrenner have none of the caveats that burden the Senate bill. The Senate's Sriracha bill and its House companion have both cleared their respective judiciary committees. Meanwhile, the SAFE Justice bill never got a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee, and in fact, it seems Goodlatte has been doing his best to preempt the legislation. So the Speaker might want to think twice before rushing Sriracha to the floor. This year's 9th annual awards will take place at the renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium in California where sea otters can often be seen rafting together just offshore. There, on the evening of May 20, 2016 the winners will receive their Mantas award statues designed by the acclaimed marine artist Wyland. This year's winners are: For Excellence in National Stewardship - President Tommy Remengesau Jr. of the Republic of Palau Having helped establish a shark sanctuary, in October 2015 President Tommy Remengesau signed into law legislation protecting 80 percent of his Pacific island nation's territorial waters from any extractive activities including fishing, drilling and mining--an area larger than California. Palau's remaining waters will be open to fishing by locals and a limited number of commercial operators. "Creating this sanctuary is a bold move that the people of Palau recognize as essential to our survival," he announced. In December 2015 President Remengesau also signed an international treaty targeting Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) pirate fishing. "Palau will not tolerate poachers in our ocean. We are getting tough on illegal fishing at home, and today we are signing up for the global fight," he stated. Palau's government proved its seriousness when it burned four foreign vessels caught illegally fishing in its waters. Along with these initiatives President Remengasau has also been outspoken on the need for global action to address climate change that threatens many island nations such as Palau. For Excellence in Science - Dr. Barbara Block Marine biologist and Stanford professor Dr. Barbara Block is renowned for her studies of tunas, billfish, sharks, and other migratory marine animals. Her research has expanded knowledge of highly migratory fish behavior, physiology, ecology and their interactions in the ocean using satellite tagging and tracking techniques or tags on a global scale. She established the Tuna Research and Conservation Center with the Monterey Bay Aquarium and also was the leader of the decade-long project for the Census of Marine Life called TOPP "Tagging Of Pacific Predators." One of the outcomes of the TOPP program was the recognition of the California animal-rich current that runs off the western shores of North America--dubbed the "Blue Serengeti." Her Lab at Stanford's Hopkins Marine Station also conducts studies on the physiology, biomechanics and molecular genomics of tunas. For Excellence in Policy- David Wilmot and Ocean Champions Dr. David Wilmot has over 30 years of experience in ocean science and policy. After receiving his Ph.D. in Marine Biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, he went on to work as a policy fellow and advocate in Washington D.C. In 2003 Dr. Wilmot helped author a report, 'Turning the Tide' that examined why marine conservation efforts were not having a larger policy impact. Shortly thereafter he and Attorney Jack Sterne co-founded Ocean Champions, which identifies itself as, "the only political voice for the oceans." Ocean Champions is a conservation organization that includes a Political Action Committee (PAC) aimed solely at making the health of our public seas a nonpartisan national government priority. It does this by endorsing and raising money for Congressional "ocean champions" and opposing "ocean enemies," of both parties. It also works directly to support legislation on overfishing, trash-free seas, and a bill to study harmful algae blooms that law in 2014. Since its founding Ocean Champions has worked on over 200 Congressional campaigns with its "champions" winning elections 86% of the time. For Excellence in Media - Ian Urbina Ian Urbina is an investigative journalist for the New York Times, based out of the paper's Washington bureau. His writings have ranged from domestic and foreign policy to commentary on everyday life. In July 2015 the newspaper published his highly acclaimed series called The Outlaw Ocean that took an in-depth look at the current lawless state of the world's ocean including piracy, illegal fishing, environmental damage, rampant murder, the use of unregulated private security forces, even the use of slave crews on pirate and high seas fishing vessels. Urbina's compelling series generated a high-level of public interest, a Times editorial call for action and discussion of new regulatory and law-enforcement approaches at the national and international policy-making levels. He continues reporting on the outlaw ocean. For Excellence in Solutions - Dr. Chris Costello Environmental economist Dr. Chris Costello is a co-founder of the Sustainable Fisheries Group that combines economics and marine science to implement effective strategies for restoring the world's depleted fisheries. Working with academic and advocacy partners he's developed ways to align marine reserves and sustainable local fishing in tropical coastal nations including Indonesia, the Philippines, Belize, Brazil and Mozambique. He's also worked with the World Bank and others to promote "50 in 10," a bold initiative to restore half of the world's commercial fisheries to ecologically sustainable levels over the next decade. This effort is part of Costello's practical vision that includes healthy wild fisheries, a healthy ocean, coasts and the communities whose economies and environment depend on them. For Excellence in Exploration- Tara Expeditions For more than 12 years Tara Expeditions -- a French, ship-based non-profit marine conservation organization -- has traveled the world's seas aboard its namesake, a 36-meter, aluminum-hulled research schooner. Tara's explorations have ranged from Arctic and Antarctic ice to tropical and temperate seas to the Mediterranean and most recently up the Seine for the December 2015 Paris Climate Summit. Along with carrying out educational and art projects for the ocean, its' scientific researchers have uncovered groundbreaking new information that was published in the prestigious journal 'Science in 2015' about plankton -- organisms that are as important for Earth's ecosystem as the rainforests in terms of generating oxygen and as the base of marine food webs. Tara supported a multinational, multidisciplinary team in sampling plankton ecosystems and DNA from around the world at 210 sites and depths up to 2000 meters in all the major oceanic regions between 2009 and 2013. Thousands of samples were collected, revealing plankton life and marine viruses far more diverse and abundant than previously suspected and helping scientists learn more about how plankton potentially influences ocean food webs and climate change. Science ran five reports on Tara's findings (including a cover story) based on the expeditions' initial results. Tara Expeditions continues its unique mission of combining ocean science, conservation, education, and exploration around the globe. Christopher Benchley Youth Award - Daniela Fernandez Twenty-one-year-old Daniela Fernandez, a government major now in her junior year at Georgetown University, is the founder and president of the Georgetown Sustainable Oceans Alliance (SOA), "a student-led organization that empowers Millennials to become leaders in preserving the health and sustainability of our oceans." After a chance trip to the United Nations in 2013 where she learned that the oceans' fish could be gone by 2050 affecting the global economy, food chains, and tourism, Fernandez decided to she had to take action. "I was honestly terrified of the repercussion of what's happening to the oceans and the impact this would have on my life," she said. She returned to start the first chapter of SOA to educate and empower the Georgetown community and Millennials to do something about ocean sustainability in their careers. Fernandez and SOA also launched the first annual Sustainable Oceans Summit with more than 30 colleges and universities participating to learn from ocean luminaries and leaders in government, science, business, and policy. Along with Fernandez' work on the Alliance and her course work, she also sits on the University's Licensing and Oversight Committee, Environmental Committee, Board of Governors and is a student leader of the Georgetown Global Social Enterprise Initiative. Hero of the Seas - Serge Dedina Serge Dedina is the mayor of Imperial Beach California and the executive director and co-founder of Wildcoast/COSTASALVAjE, an international organization based in his border town that set out to protect some of the most beautiful and biologically significant coastal areas in southern California and Mexico. Since 2000, Wildcoast has worked to conserve coastal and marine ecosystems and wildlife on both sides of the U.S./Mexican border. Mayor Dedina has been instrumental in the development of two national parks along Baja's Sea of Cortez and a research and educational center in Magdalena Bay. Dedina is the author of 'Wild Sea: Eco-Wars and Surf Stories from the Coast of the California' and 'Surfing the Border' and has initiated an international campaign that successfully stopped a multinational corporation from destroying the San Ignacio Lagoon - the world's last undeveloped gray whale lagoon. In addition, he launched a 'Clean Water Now' campaign along the border that led to the construction of a new sewage treatment plant on the U.S. side of the border in the Tijuana River Valley. He is currently leading an effort to preserve Baja's central Pacific coastline, a project that has resulted in the conservation of close to 20 miles (32 km) of pristine coastline to date. A strong supporter of ongoing bilateral dialogues between US and Mexican state, federal, and local governments, the mayor believes that communicating values -- and not just facts -- is critical to reaching broader audiences that are necessary for lasting ocean conservation victories. Mayor Dedina has a Ph.D. in geography from the University of Texas. He was elected to office in 2014. Norbert Leo Butz half-jokes that he couldn't resist joining the new PBS drama Mercy Street "because it's Grey's Anatomy with historical integrity." PBS describes Mercy Street, which launches Sunday at 9 p.m., in somewhat more traditional terms. It's a multilayered story starting in the early months of the Civil War and revolving around the Mansion House Hospital in Alexandria, Va. Alexandria, while part of a state that has seceded from the Union, is occupied by the Union forces who operate Mansion House. It cares for the wounded from both sides, reflecting the fact that under the strained circumstances of war, Union and Confederate sympathizers all over Alexandria must routinely interact in the course of their daily business - with widely varying degrees of ease. Advertisement Following the tradition of other quality period dramas in the PBS "Masterpiece" series, Mercy Street has a lush look and a rich texture. But unlike almost all its predecessors over the past decade, from Mr. Selfridge to Downton Abbey, Mercy Street is a home-grown American production, with a sparkling cast that includes Butz, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Josh Radnor (above, with Winstead), Gary Cole, Hannah James and Tara Summers. "This is an American story," says Lisa Wolfinger, who co-created Mercy Street with David Zabel. "When you see a period piece about World War I, you have no idea what the issues are. Who's right or who's wrong. Here the town of Alexandria is occupied by fellow Americans. That's so unique to American history. We're telling it not only as a Civil War story, but as a saga of how it affected so many American families." PBS devoutly hopes viewers grasp and share that fascination. With the network's all-time biggest hit Downton Abbey ending in March, PBS would love a new marquee hit to keep some of those Downton viewers, and it's no accident Mercy Street will have Downton as a lead-in for its whole six-episode first season. The actors say they signed up mostly because they smelled a good drama. Radnor, who plays spotlight doctor Jed Foster, calls Mercy Street "a way into the Civil War that hasn't been taken before and a story that hasn't been told before." Advertisement "You have Union and Confederate characters together," says Winstead, who plays Mary Phinney, a high-minded abolitionist nurse from Boston. "Mary wants to help people. But she immediately falls into a great sense of confusion by what she finds in this hospital. She's thrown off her game." For one thing, Mary thinks the hospital should treat rebel soldiers only after it has tended to all the Union soldiers. This brings her into immediate conflict with, among others, Foster. "Jed feels there's only one type of patient," says Radnor. "Sick. He feels that the hospital should treat everyone." Unlike his old-school military boss Dr. Byron Hale (Butz, above with Winstead), Foster also sees the war as a chance to up medicine's game, since unfortunately there are so many subjects to work on and learn from. "Modern medicine was invented in the Civil War," says Radnor. "Starting with the way you deal with trauma. Foster is looking for ways to raise survival rates, and that means sometimes not following traditional military protocol. It leads to some conflict." Advertisement "Hale is trying to hold onto what he knows," says Butz, and that includes resisting the new-fangled notions Foster is borrowing from European doctors. Hale probably would have won, too, says Wolfinger, if it weren't for the sheer scope of the carnage. "These were casualties on an unprecedented scale," she says. "No one had ever seen anything like it before. The Union Army medical department was struggling just to keep up." Business as usual was impossible, in other words, leaving an opening and an opportunity for a doctor like Foster who was willing to take risks. Meanwhile, outside the hospital doors, Cole (above, right) plays James Green Sr., head of a prominent Alexandria family that must unhappily share its luxurious house with Union soldiers. Advertisement James Green tries to convince the family to ride it out. "Like most of his neighbors, and other characters, he thinks this will all be over in a few weeks or months," says Cole. "He thinks that if he bobs and weaves for long enough, everything will soon be back to normal." Cole laughingly notes "this may be naive," an understatement whose ramifications spread through the whole show. Had the war only lasted a few weeks, Mary Phinney might have been able to coexist with Anne Hastings (Summers), a veteran nurse who served with Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War and resents this opinionated newcomer. As the battlefield war escalates, so do the wars at Mansion House. This being the Civil War, Mercy Street also reflects the great grey area of race. Samuel Diggs (McKinley Belcher III, above) plays a free black man who isn't allowed to use his medical skills because his "side," the Union, isn't quite as enlightened on this equality business as superficial history might suggest. And naturally all the subplots don't deal with professional matters. Hastings has a long-standing affair with Dr. Hale, creating an alliance that doesn't always bode well for Dr. Foster and Mary. Advertisement But Butz says those minidramas just put a human face on the larger historical truths of Mercy Street. "I love historical fiction," he says. "This show leans into a story that people think they know and tells it in a different way, through characters they've never seen before. UNITED STATES - DECEMBER 17: Republican Presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during his rally at the Life Church in Mechanicsville, Va., on Friday, Dec. 17, 2015. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) The Republicans have a religion problem of a kind neither major party has ever had before. The GOP has become the preferred choice of the intensely religious, and that is seriously affecting how Republicans choose their 2016 presidential nominee. In Iowa, the first place where delegates to the 2016 GOP national convention will be chosen, surveys suggest that most participants in the GOP caucuses will be evangelical Christians for whom religion is the central thing in their lives, not just one source of values. Of course, not every state is like Iowa, but enough of them now are to give those kinds of Republicans a disproportionate share of influence within the GOP. And that is a problem for the Republicans this year precisely because intensely religious voters are putting pressure on the party to choose a nominee outside the mainstream of the nation's general electorate when it comes to matters of religion. Advertisement Of course, parties have had problems with religion and religious groups in the past, but not like this one. Historically, the major cleavages over religion in American politics were denominational, with Catholics and Jews more oriented toward the Democrats and white Protestants more oriented toward the GOP. And then there was the era of the 1970s and '80s, when the Democrats struggled with a different kind of religion problem. At that time, the national Democratic party took stands on social - cultural questions such as abortion, the ERA and homosexuality that turned off many religious people. The Democrats then were seen more as the party of urban seculars than suburban churchgoers. While still a problem for Democrats, it has lessened in recent years, mostly because attitudes toward social - cultural issues among younger voters have changed in the Democrats' favor. The Democrats have also narrowed that gap somewhat by moving back toward the center during the years of Bill Clinton's presidency, as part of a conscious effort to reconnect with middle-class white suburbanites. The Democratic Party still remains, to be sure, somewhat alien to traditionally religious people, but less so than during the polarizing years of the '70s and '80s. The roots of the Republicans' religion problem can be found in that era, because GOP leaders decided then that one of the best ways to build a Republican majority nationally was to embrace the rapidly growing evangelical Christian community, which was strongest in the Sunbelt. This marked a major change for the GOP, because in the past most such voters had been Democrats, during the era when the South was dominated by them. The GOP magnified the power of that constituency by granting to the most reliably Republican states in presidential elections a disproportionate share of delegates to the party's nominating conventions. And so the "reddest" states, to use contemporary terminology, have more delegates than their populations alone would ordinarily entitle them to. While those factors have been in play for a while, what is truly new in the last decade is the decline in participation in some GOP primaries and caucuses as a result of the unpopularity of the George W. Bush administration during its second term. By 2008, Bush's last full year in office, the Republican "brand" had been so damaged as to drive down turnout in some caucuses and primaries, most notably Iowa. Turnout there in 2012 was similarly depressed. Only the most intensely committed conservatives, many of them Christian evangelicals, have continued to participate, and 2016 may well continue that pattern. Given Iowa's outsized importance to the presidential nominating process, the net result has been to skew the GOP presidential nominating process in a way that distances the party from religious moderates. Advertisement This same process has also played out at the state government level, most notably in Virginia, which has moved from reliably red to purple in the last ten years precisely because GOP candidates for statewide office there have leaned so heavily in the direction of the social and cultural views of the intensely religious. Other factors peculiar to Virginia (such as the state's heavy dependence on federal military spending and the influx of more moderate Yankees into rapidly growing northern Virginia) have contributed to that partisan shift, of course, but the disproportionate influence of evangelical Christians on the state's GOP has been the most important. The clearest sign of the adverse results brought by that situation has been among suburban women, who have been pushed away from the GOP in recent years, in Virginia and elsewhere, by its edgy, traditional family values message, which seems too old-fashioned to modern suburban women, including many upper middle class ones who might otherwise be inclined to vote Republican. With Donald Graham yielding to his son-in-law the CEO spot at his company, which owns for-profit Kaplan University, and with and the University of Phoenix this week putting itself up for sale, perhaps to private equity investors closely tied to President Obama (see below), where is the stability in the leadership of America's large predatory for-profit colleges? On that score, there's news. You can decide whether the news is good. On New Year's Eve, as you were preparing to celebrate with loved ones -- and not looking at news -- lawyers for for-profit ITT Tech were filing papers with the Securities and Exchange Commission disclosing, as the law requires disclosure of such things, that the company's CEO, Kevin Modany, who had announced in 2014 that he would resign in 2015, had that day "informed the Company of the rescission of his notice to resign." ITT's board of directors, in turn, decided to keep Modany in charge "on an at-will basis," which was the same basis on which Modany was running the company before he announced his plan to leave. In fact, Modany gets a better at-will situation than you probably have, because his new arrangement provides that if ITT fires Modany or if Modany quits for "Good Reason," he walks away with two more years of salary. Advertisement Even with revenues and enrollments at big for-profit colleges in free fall, as they have been for a couple of years -- ITT stock trades at $2.96, down from $92.30 in July 2011 -- it's still pretty lucrative to run one of these operations, and you can still find guys to take the jobs. Just look at Todd Nelson, who has been the CEO of Apollo / University of Phoenix, Education Management Corp., and Career Education Corp. -- three of the five biggest for-profit college companies -- all since 2007. Modany took a little over $3 million in compensation last year, and has in the past received as much as $7 million in a single year as ITT's CEO. Since ITT has been getting as much as $1.1 billion per year from federal aid, about two-thirds of its revenues, you're paying most of Modany's salary. Is Modany, who became ITT's CEO in 2007, the right guy to keep running a company that takes billions from taxpayers and is entrusted with training Americans -- veterans, single parents, and others struggling to get ahead -- for technical careers? Last May 12, the Securities and Exchange Commission sued ITT, Modany, and ITT's former CFO, charging that the company "made various false and misleading statements and omissions to defraud ITT's investors by concealing the extraordinary failure" of its student loan programs. Advertisement The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also has sued ITT, charging in a 2014 complaint that "ITT subjected consumers to undue influence or coerced them into taking out ITT Private Loans through a variety of unfair acts and practices designed to interfere with the consumers' ability to make informed, uncoerced choices." The Justice Department is investigating ITT for possible fraud in obtaining federal aid. The attorney general of New Mexico has sued ITT for alleged "unfair, deceptive, and unconscionable acts and practices ... in connection with the advertising, marketing, and selling of educational services" to prospective students. At least thirteen more state attorneys general -- from Arkansas, Arizona, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington - are probing ITT. ITT denies it has done anything wrong and is contesting the pending charges. But the company is also in precarious financial condition, beyond its collapsed market value. In October the U.S. Department of Education put delays and new restrictions on the delivery of student aid to ITT, after the Department concluded that ITT had failed to properly account for federal aid money since at least 2009 and failed to comply with prior Department orders to strengthen financial controls. The Department had already, in 2014, placed ITT on a probationary "heightened cash monitoring" status and required the company to post an $80 million letter of credit. As to the biggest for-profit college owner, Apollo Education Group, owner of the troubled University of Phoenix, Reuters reports today that private equity firm Apollo Global Management (no relation) has now partnered with another private equity fund, Vistria Group, "with deep Washington connections" as it seeks to buy the company. How deep are Vistria's connections? Vistria Group [is] a middle-market fund founded by Marty Nesbitt. He is known for starting airport parking firm Parking Spot with U.S. billionaire businesswoman and current U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker as well as for his longstanding friendship with President Barack Obama. Vistria, a Chicago private equity firm, also includes Tony Miller, who served as Obama's deputy secretary in the U.S. Department of Education from 2009 to 2013. Reuters quotes a source explaining that "Bringing in Vistria was a strategic decision for Apollo Global Management, ... as the buyout firm hopes to smooth relations with government regulators once a deal is completed that could value Apollo Education at more than $1 billion." Maybe buying connected friends will make a difference; certainly that has been the consistent MO of this taxpayer-dependent industry. But I hope and expect that federal officials will evaluate the future of federal aid for the University of Phoenix without regard to whose friends own the company. My adventures with Bernie began in January 1989, when I received a letter from Bernard Sanders, the socialist mayor of Burlington Vermont, directed to the "Chairperson, Sociology Department, Hamilton College." Sanders, then completing his fourth and final term as mayor, wrote that he'd like to teach at Hamilton during the coming academic year. "I believe," he wrote, "that I could offer your students an unusual academic perspective." Hamilton hired Sanders to teach courses on cities and democratic socialism in the spring of 1990. Over many lunches that semester, I got to know and admire Bernie. And when he decided to make a second run for Vermont's Congressional seat, I, like some kid who runs away with the circus, followed him back to Vermont and became a full-time campaign worker. The 1990 Congressional campaign would involve many of the same national issues and political problems that surround his current campaign for the presidency. Advertisement I had dual responsibilities in the campaign: polling and issue research. We found that we could do reliable polls using volunteers to call people randomly selected out of the phone book (a method I don't think would work in 2016). I would design the questionnaires and analyze the results. Our last poll, conducted shortly before the election, predicted the outcome within 1 percent. Issue research was another matter. I enjoyed researching issues from taxation to U.S. policy in the Middle East, and would produce well-supported, tightly written, three-page white papers reflecting Bernie's views on the topic of the week, issued under his name. Then Bernie would read what I'd done and insert some line where it didn't belong and messed up my graceful prose. The paper would be distributed at a press conference on the issue. Of course, the line he inserted was consistently the one quoted in the morning newspapers. Bernie had two advantages over his opponent Peter Smith, an establishment Republican, who had narrowly beaten him in the 1988 contest for the same seat. As the very successful former mayor of Burlington, the state's largest city and major media market, Bernie was well known to most Vermonters. That matters because Vermont has just one Congressional seat and candidates must compete statewide. I saw this advantage early in the campaign. At the Franklin County Diary Fair, a big woman came out from behind her counter to give Bernie a hug. A local Democratic leader pressed $10 into his hand - "gas money," he said. In town, small kids jumped up and down screaming "Bernie! Bernie!" when he approached. Perhaps his unruly white hair reminded them of Santa Claus. People felt they knew Bernie because they saw him so often on TV. At a public forum, I heard Congressman Smith complain that it was " hard to run against a celebrity." Advertisement THE GUN ISSUE His other advantage over Smith had to do with the issue of gun control, whose influence on the 1990 campaign is poorly understood by national reporters writing on Bernie today. In 1988, Smith had taken money from the National Rife Association and signed a pledge to oppose gun control legislation. Then he went to Washington and did just what he promised not to do. The gun guys were outraged and many of them probably voted for Bernie. But our polling showed that gun control, pro or con, was a minor issue to most Vermonters in 1990. Besides, there was no difference in the two candidates' current positions on gun policy. Nonetheless, the issue played to Bernie's great strength, according to our polls. People saw Bernie as someone who meant what he said, in contrast to Smith, whom they described as a "flip flopper," someone who couldn't be trusted, apparently because of his switch on guns. OUR BIG BREAK Despite these advantages, the campaign was stuck in a dead heat for months. Through the summer and into the early fall, according to our polls and the occasional media poll, the difference between Smith and Bernie fluctuated but seldom exceeded the statistical margin of error. Our big break came in early October. High level negotiations in Washington had produced a bipartisan budget proposal that was, as I noted in my campaign diary, "regressive beyond what I would have imagined possible. Its victims are the old, the sick, the farmer and the middle class; the rich are untouched." Smith immediately announced his support for the measure. We were thrilled. Here was our chance. The biggest issue was cuts to Medicare, which Bernie had been describing for weeks as endangered. Though he avoided personal attacks on his opponent, for the rest of the campaign Bernie was relentless in denouncing Smith's regressive budget votes. On October 14, we did a statewide poll and found to our amazement that we were ten points ahead, a result we kept to ourselves, but that Smith would inevitably soon discover. Now the campaign jumped into a new orbit. The TV-radio air war had begun. An early Smith ad showed ordinary Vermonters explaining why they were not voting for Bernie. Smith warned Vermonters that Bernie would bring Swedish style socialism to the U.S. and noted that the price of bread in Sweden was $4 a loaf, which wasn't quite true. I wasted a day on the phone with the Swedish embassy and the head of Hamilton College's Swedish program, collecting information on prices and public policy in Sweden. But the price of bread in Sweden proved to be a weak issue - in fact, a laughable one in some quarters. One old lady told The Burlington Free Press that she was more concerned with the price of medical care in the U.S. and trusted Bernie to deal with that. Advertisement BERNIE AND FIDEL CASTRO The Smith campaign was growing desperate. They released a red-baiting ad, full of distortions, that associated Bernie with Fidel Castro. The Vermont papers quoted negative reactions to the ad from around the state. Bernie faced a critical decision: how to respond. A media strategy meeting split along gender lines, with the women, including Bernie's wife Jane, favoring a soft approach and the men urging a hard counterattack. One participant later described the first position as the "estrogen tendency" and the second as the "testosterone tendency." Estrogen won. Bernie made a subdued ad in which he said that the country was facing serious problems and "it saddens me that my opponent chooses to attack me in a way that is deceptive and misleading," instead of focusing on the issues. This was exactly right. Our last poll included an item that asked respondents if they had recently learned anything about either candidate that would affect their opinions. The answers revealed a powerful rejection of Smith's tactics, which Vermonters described as "smut," "a smear campaign - pretty disgusting," and "mudslinging." On the other hand, Bernie's measured response evoked admiration. "Not his usual, loudmouth self," ventured a middle-aged woman who said she'd be voting for Bernie. What struck me talking to people was an attitude both admirable and self-righteous: Here in Vermont we don't do things like that. We don't like sleazy campaign ads. Bernie beat Smith by 16 points, exactly as that last poll predicted. We carried every county in the state but one, which we lost by a hair. We took the most urban and the most rural parts of the state. We carried trailer parks, urban slums, and the wealthiest suburbs. Advertisement THE MORNING AFTER IN NEW HAMPSHIRE One morning several days after the election and after the victory celebrations and after the many media post-mortems on the campaign, I woke up in an apartment littered with dirty clothes, old newspapers, and gigantic dustballs. There was nothing in the refrigerator and for the first time in many weeks, nothing about us in the morning paper or on TV. It was like looking in the mirror and seeing no one there. I realized that for five months we'd lived a life bigger than life. We'd won, with an unorthodox candidate, who was anxious to talk about issues like national health care, progressive taxation and radical cuts to the defense budget, backed by a campaign staff of amateurs and volunteers, who sometimes seemed like the gang that couldn't shoot straight. maasai mara kenya november... The power of one- one person can make a difference. One person can lead social change. Dr. Wangari Maathai's leadership legacy demonstrates the power of one woman's unwavering commitment to advance social change. The late Dr. Maathai was a global leader who organized the Green Belt Movement with the hopes of reforesting her home country, Kenya. She sought to restore the beauty of nature and uplift the close knit community which served as cherished childhood memories. She began by organizing everyday women (mothers, daughters, grandmothers) to take action by planting one tree at a time and subsequently led to over 20 million trees planted. What initially started as a plan to plant more trees soon became a movement focused on planting hope in the hearts and minds of people around the globe. Dr. Maathai fueled this broad-based grassroots movement by planting seeds of hope for a brighter future and empowering everyday people to discover the leader within. Advertisement On Social Justice 1. Planting trees is Planting hope. 2. Until you dig a hole, you plant a tree, you water it and make it survive, you haven't done a thing. You are just talking. 3. We owe it to ourselves and to the next generation to conserve the environment so that we can bequeath our children a sustainable world that benefits all. 4. We cannot tire or give up. We owe it to the present and future generations of all species to rise up and walk. Leaders are indebted to future generations not yet born. Each day, leaders have the challenge of preparing the way for the future. How will your action or inaction impact the next generation? Your choice does not simply impact you personally but sets into motion a ripple effect that influences the lives of many. This is due to the interconnectedness of the human experience. Dr. Maathai chose to take action by educating people about the importance of building a sustainable world and continuing to weave the social fabric of the global village. With the founding of the Green Belt movement, she ignited the hope needed to bring forth lasting social change. Advertisement On Strategic Problem Solving 5. For me, one of the major reasons to move beyond just the planting of trees was that I have tendency to look at the causes of a problem. We often preoccupy ourselves with the symptoms, whereas if we went to the root cause of the problems, we would be able to overcome the problems once and for all. Social justice issues are multifaceted in nature. Take deforestation for example. Is it simply about trees, air quality, wildlife preservation, climate change, food insecurity or one's quality of life? All of these issues are key considerations. However, Dr. Maathai recognized that deforestation was a symptom of a larger social challenge. The challenge was multifaceted in nature including a myriad of social issues like the need for community mobilization, civic engagement, democratic processes, and women's empowerment. These issues also inspired Dr. Maathai to cultivate leadership skills in the domain of the political sphere. She was elected to Kenya's Parliament and later was appointed to the role of Assistant Minister for Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife. On Servant Leadership 6. What my experiences have taught me is that service to others has its own special rewards. The foundation of servant leadership is one's commitment to serve others and promote the betterment of society. A servant leader seeks to inspire others to serve and lead. Dr. Maathai inspired community members to lead change in the arena of environmental justice. Once they began to plant trees, they developed a sense of collective efficacy and participatory leadership. The type of power needed to eradicate injustice on a broader scale. On Taking Action 7. If you understand and you are disturbed, then you are moved to action. That's exactly what happened to me. 8. It is the people who must save the environment. It is the people who must make their leaders change. And we cannot be intimidated so we must stand up for what we believe in. Advertisement Leaders seek opportunities to tap into their power and challenge others to do the same. Change requires action and action is an exercise of power. Power is often viewed as a one-dimensional, linear function: power over another. This definition is limited in nature since it assumes that power can only be used as a mechanism of control. Power can then be construed as oppressive in nature. Imagine if power was used as a tool for the promotion of collective engagement and participatory leadership. Power would then be characterized as the creative, energy force which can foster meaningful change. Dr. Maathai cultivated power by planting seeds in the lives of others. She planted seeds of empowerment which moved everyday people from silent observers to full participants on the full court of justice. The people soon became social change agents who shaped their destiny and changed the course of the future. On Promoting the Common Good 9. When you have a vision, when you know that what you are doing is good for the people, then you cannot be stopped. Leaders have modeled the way for future generations to achieve a vision of justice and freedom for all. We can learn from Dr. Maathai's example how to take a stand in the face of injustice and chart a new course for the future. Her leadership demonstrates how to be courageous despite the obstacles set before us. The work of the Green Belt Movement reminds us that we must lead social change since we are indebted to future generations to leave the world a better place than how we found it. On Stewardship 10. Today we are faced with a challenge that calls for a shift in our thinking, so that humanity stops threatening its life-support system. We are called to assist the Earth to heal her wounds and in the process heal our own - indeed, to embrace the whole creation in all its diversity, beauty and wonder. A leader is a planter--a planter of ideas, seeds of change, and a vision for justice. Dr. Maathai recognized this process begins with planting people. This is an organic process, which yields a great harvest over time. It starts from the ground up as a seed is planted until it takes root. The seed represents resistance against marginalization and oppression in order to further the cause of social justice. The seed also signifies a partnership between lawyers and community stakeholders. Together, they are able to build a shared vision of a just society and engage in community-building. As the seed begins to germinate, community members start to view themselves as leaders with the capacity to address their own challenges and realize their power to resist oppression. This is an ongoing process of collective engagement, perseverance, teamwork, and diligence. The ultimate result is creating social change which equates to reaping a harvest of justice, fairness, and equity. Advertisement Growing Justice is the materialization of planting people. Collectively, community members across the world are applying these principles to promote justice and the common good. This process of social change can be envisioned through the continual growth of the Banyan tree. The Banyan tree as a metaphor illuminates the image of the partnership between lawyers and community partners working together in solidarity to eradicate marginalization. Unique to this tree is its ability to grow upwards since new roots are formed from the branches. Each community member represents a branch as their leadership voice begins to emerge. These branches grow upward together and are intertwined as they exercise their united power and utilize their voices to advocate for social change. Collectively, the stakeholders are able to build a shared vision of community-building and establish the key steps for making this vision a reality. The branches are connecting, growing together and supporting one another. They in turn create new roots that establish a firm foundation for the tree and extend to new growth. The process of social change, like the growth of the Banyan tree, symbolizes power and unity. Dr. Maathai's ability to plant people is evidenced by her leadership legacy. The Green Belt Movement is still in operation and proactively advancing social change. Each day, the Green Belt movement is growing justice by building "a values-driven society of people who consciously work for continued improvement of their livelihoods and a greener, cleaner world." This year, as we celebrate the 12th anniversary of Dr. Maathai's receipt of the 2004 Nobel Prize, we are each challenged to plant hope. This is a call to leadership. We can plant hope by: Advertisement Developing a vision for the future Engaging in strategic problem solving Serving in the global community Moving from Inaction to Action Promoting the Common Good Being a Wise Steward higher education savings... In 2014, I wrote that the "currents of change have propelled the sector toward, or onto, one rock after another." Two years later, higher education continues to evolve. The following includes the top issues and trends impacting higher education in 2016. 1. Presidential politics will keep higher education in the national spotlight this year. This won't necessarily be a good thing for the sector as the focus will be on cost and affordability. Advertisement 2. Higher Education Act (HEA) reauthorization has become the topic that refuses to go away. Now three years since its last "reauthorization," the Act, with its great impact on higher education broadly appears more likely to pass thanks to Republican control of both houses of Congress. 3. Quality assurance will become an overarching concern of both state and federal regulators as the role of accreditors is forced more in the direction of regulatory compliance. What constitutes "quality" will be the subject of much debate. 4. Online education will resume its growth as back-at-work learners see continued need for credentials. While not returning to the double-digit levels fueled by proprietary school marketing, a solid 6 to 8 percent can be expected as the stigma of online study recedes. 5. Competency-Based Education (CBE) is no flash-in-the-pan and will regain momentum after the cold water delivered by the Department of Ed's IG last fall (in its criticism of the Higher Learning Commission's oversight of such programs). Clouds will remain, however, as institutions continue to wrestle with lack of a common vocabulary and standards. Advertisement 6. Employer-College partnerships can be expected to increase in 2016. While the Arizona State-Starbuck's agreement attracted the media's attention, such relationships have existed for years. What's new is the importance being given to degree completion by a growing number of employers, including the federal government. 7. Cybersecurity will be the hottest emerging field for new programs in 2016. The broad and growing threat of cyberattacks has all sectors concerned, while higher education has struggled to provide the credentialed expertise needed. 8. Price stabilization. Thanks to an improving economy, public and government attention and a variety of innovations, the cost of degree attainment is stabilizing, if not falling. Never as high as media would have us believe, declines in costs are foreseen, along with reductions in student debt and default rates. Nothing says passe quite like an issue's emergence on political radars. 9. New models of learning will emerge in 2016. Like the "boot camp" phenomena, many of these will come from outside the academy. Text publishers, will soon offer "bundled" online media and credit-by-exam resources that will allow for learning and assessment outside of a classroom. Direct assessment, competency-based education (CBE) and credit for prior learning (PLA) are all gaining respectability and acceptance, especially for adult learners. The Director of Windows Business Group Vineet Durani speaks during the launch of the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 tablet in the Indian capital New Delhi on January 7, 2016. AFP PHOTO / CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP / Chandan Khanna (Photo credit should read CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP/Getty Images) Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will be sitting in the House gallery as an honored guest at the State of the Union (SOTU) address tonight. By all rights, he be should sitting before a Congressional committee instead, answering for his company's blatant tax avoidance. Microsoft is playing a game called "Global Tax Dodge." But don't look for it on the company's Xbox video system. It's only available to Microsoft's accountants and high-priced lawyers. Even though the rest of us can't play, we all foot the company's $34 billion price tag. Advertisement That's about the amount of tax revenue Microsoft is not paying because it has stashed $108 billion in profits offshore. As revealed in a Seattle Times report last month, Microsoft uses a web of overseas subsidiaries to dodge U.S. taxes, knocking its tax rate down to a minuscule 4.5 per cent on its offshore profits. That's lower than most working families pay. The money you fork over for that Xbox or Office suite at the local mall takes a circuitous route to Microsoft's bottom line, stopping in tax havens (Bermuda twice) just long enough to shake off tax liability. Microsoft began building this tax avoidance maze more than 20 years ago when it shifted software royalty rights to a dummy corporation in Nevada to avoid a levy in its home state of Washington. That first domestic dodge eventually grew into the company's current system of tax avoidance based in tax havens around the world. Microsoft is one of the biggest offshore tax dodgers, but a handful of other huge companies play the same game. American corporations have more than $2 trillion in untaxed earnings packed away overseas. Altogether, they owe us some $600 billion. Advertisement Imagine the items we could check off our list of public needs if we collected all those unpaid corporate taxes: shortening commutes by improving highways and transit systems; easing overcrowding in schools; finding the next big medical cure. President Obama may well outline plans to address some of those public challenges in his SOTU speech. The audience, including the Congressional leadership and Microsoft CEO Nadella, will doubtless applaud. But if Nadella really wanted to show his support, he'd stop his company's tax dodging. And Congressional leaders would make true corporate tax reform a priority, forcing big corporations to finally start paying their fair share. Unfortunately, most tax reform talk these days focuses on the supposed need to lower America's official corporate tax rate of 35 per cent. But as the example of Microsoft proves, that rate is easily sidestepped. Numerous studies have found that, after all their deductions, credits and other breaks, corporations actually pay only about half the official rate. And all those profits stashed offshore have only been taxed at 6 per cent, because they are mostly in tax havens. A huge loophole lets U.S. corporations avoid income taxes on those profits until they are brought home--which may never happen. Some companies zero out their tax obligation altogether. Boeing, General Electric and PriceLine.com are among two dozen profitable U.S. firms that went five years without paying a nickel in federal income taxes, according to Citizens for Tax Justice. Advertisement And yet big corporations like Microsoft still want more. They are fighting for legislation in Congress that would exempt all of their offshore profits from any U.S. taxes. Known as a territorial tax system, this will create even more incentives to shift profits--and jobs -offshore. Instead, U.S. corporations should pay the same tax rate on profits no matter where they are earned. If Nadella ever does take that seat at a committee witness table, he'd be following the Microsoft tax executive who testified about the company's offshore tax dodging before the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations three years ago. That panel outlined Microsoft's offshore tax dodging maze back in 2012; the recent newspaper report added important details, but the basic structure was already known. The Subcommittee, using Microsoft as Exhibit 1 of corporate tax abuse, called for real reforms. But nothing happened because corporate lobbyists control the agenda. Reform that makes corporations pay their fair share might get a needed boost if President Obama endorsed it in his speech--even if one of the invited guests doesn't clap. By, Siraj Hashmi In an effort to curb gun violence in the United States, President Obama unveiled his new executive action that will expand criminal background checks for potential gun buyers as well as implement further restrictions on private gun dealers that require them to get a commercial license. It was a tearful announcement in the East Room of the White House that marked the beginning of Obama's final year in office. And while his address was filled with emotion, the national debate over what to do about reducing gun violence has been reignited between gun control and pro-2nd amendment activists. Advertisement On Thursday, the White House along with CNN held a town hall titled "Guns in America" at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, where the president addressed some of those concerned in the pro-2nd amendment crowd that his executive action is not a step towards the federal government seizing all firearms. "Our position is consistently mischaracterized ... If you listen to the rhetoric, it is so over-the-top, it is so overheated," Obama told CNN's Anderson Cooper. 58 percent of Americans oppose Obama's executive order on gun control, according to a recent Rasmussen poll. Just outside the Johnson Center on campus where the town hall took place, groups of supporters and protesters converged to voice either their support for or disapproval with the president's executive action. Advertisement Yet, for some of the protesters, their criticism of the president's executive action wasn't the conspiracy that the government was going to take away everyone's guns. Their issue was in the way that Obama was circumventing Congress to change the law. However, many supporters of gun control views Obama's executive action as a last ditch effort that is necessary to reduce mass shootings, terrorist attacks and daily gun violence, even if a good portion of mass shootings occurred because the shooter obtained a firearm illegally (i.e. theft, etc.). In addition, many of the president's critics, specifically George Mason students, were perplexed that CNN and the White House dubbed the event as a "town hall," which are generally open to the public rather than by special invite, as portrayed in this tweet. This evening, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley will give the Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union address. Haley, elected in 2010 as the state's first female and first non-white governor (Haley is Indian-American), was reelected by an impressive 56-41 percent margin in 2014. More recently, she gained national attention for her leadership in the aftermath of the June 17th mass shooting at Charleston's Emanuel AME church. She showed considerable empathy, attending funerals, comforting victims, and bringing together South Carolina residents in the aftermath of one of the worst tragedies in the state's history. She also displayed adept political skills, using her bully pulpit to lobby the state legislature to remove the Confederate flag from the State House grounds in Columbia. The Confederate flag was taken down less than one month later, on July 10th. While some view Haley's speech as an audition for a vice-presidential slot, or perhaps a cabinet post, it is also an opportunity to broaden the GOP base and reach out to minority voters. The lack of support among minority voters, coupled with the country's increasing diversity, continues to trouble the party's political establishment. As South Carolina's Senior U.S. Senator, Lindsey Graham recently noted, Republicans face a "demographic death spiral" if they don't find ways to broaden their political base. Haley's speech represents a key symbolic moment in the party's continued efforts in this area. Advertisement Haley's success in South Carolina, along with the state's highly popular junior U.S. Senator, Tim Scott, provides a unique opportunity to study the real-time appeal of minority Republican candidates. I've collaborated with Winthrop University's Scott Huffmon and Texas Tech University's Seth McKee to investigate the political appeal and electoral coalitions of Haley and Scott. While South Carolina is one of the most conservative places in the country, Haley and Scott have emerged as the state's two most popular political figures. Using data from The Winthrop Poll, we found convincing evidence that Republicans have wholeheartedly embraced Haley and Scott. Not surprisingly, they had the strongest backing from whites, ideological conservatives, and Tea Party supporters. We also looked closely to determine whether racial attitudes affected support for Haley and Scott. We wondered whether racial conservatives would be less likely to support a minority Republican candidate than racial moderates. However, we found no evidence of a drop-off in support for Haley and Scott among racial conservatives. However, our research found very little evidence that minority voters have supported minority Republican candidates. According to the October 2015 Winthrop Poll, conducted just before the 2014 General Election, only 12 percent of African-American voters planned to cast a ballot for Scott and just 10 percent said they would vote for Haley. These percentages mirror national trends and continue to present considerable electoral challenges for Republican candidates. Advertisement Haley's speech is symbolically important and represents an important step in the GOP's efforts to break the so-called demographic death spiral. However, a true sign of success will occur when Republican candidates embrace policies that appeal to minority voters and no longer rely solely on the support of whites to win elections. The latest Federal Reserve press releases--firstly, the minutes of last FOMC meeting, and also its reduced projections of expected inflation--tell us the Fed is still in austerity mode, due to a fear of non-existent inflation. And it is that unjustified fear that puts the brake on growth, since even the fear that the Fed will tighten credit conditions via its control of short term interest rates affects business investment. The just released FOMC minutes reveals there was hardly a consensus in raising the Fed Funds rate to 0.5 percent from 0.25 percent. Why? Because many of the Fed Governors don't believe inflation will rise at all this year from the present 1.3 percent annual Personal Consumption Expenditure index rate it favors. Nobelist Joseph Stiglitz has been loudest among economists in decrying the inflation hawks that see inflation around the corner even though we have had such a slow recovery from the Great Recession. (Lest we forget is in terms of GDP growth even worse than the Great Depression.) Advertisement "In early 2010, I warned in my book Freefall, which describes the events leading up to the Great Recession, that without the appropriate responses, the world risked sliding into what I called a Great Malaise," said Stiglitz. "Unfortunately, I was right: We didn't do what was needed, and we have ended up precisely where I feared we would." We needed another New Deal, in other words, but there was neither a Roosevelt with the experience and political savvy to push through the job creation programs of the 1930s, nor such a loss of faith in capitalism that prevailed then. Let's not forget that Herbert Hoover lost his job precisely because private industry ran for the exits, refusing to create jobs, so government job programs such as the CCC, and WPA employed those millions left jobless and became the bulwark that saved the US economy during that time. Why the Great Malaise? "The economics of this inertia is easy to understand," continues Stiglitz, "and there are readily available remedies. The world faces a deficiency of aggregate demand, brought on by a combination of growing inequality and a mindless wave of fiscal austerity. Those at the top spend far less than those at the bottom, so that as money moves up, demand goes down. And countries like Germany that consistently maintain external surpluses are contributing significantly to the key problem of insufficient global demand." In fact, the history of the Great Depression has repeated itself in several ways. Income inequality was this high in 1929, as well as a stock market bubble. A six-year drought in the Midwest created the Dust Bowl, thus creating millions of homeless. And credit was too easy then as well while consumers overspent, believing that stock values would never fall. Advertisement John Steinbeck described those times the best in his famous A Primer on the '30s' by John Steinbeck, 1960, pgs. 17-31: "I remember the Nineteen Thirties, the terrible, troubled, triumphant, surging Thirties. ... I remember '29 very well ... the drugged and happy faces of people who built paper fortunes on stocks they couldn't possibly have paid for. ... In our little town bank presidents and track workers rushed to pay phones to call brokers. Everyone was a broker, more or less. At lunch hour, store clerks and stenographers munched sandwiches while they watched stock boards and calculated their pyramiding fortunes. Their eyes had the look you see around a roulette wheel ..." Why is it important that we remember those times? Why is it so important to learn from history, you say? Because the Great Depression led to WWII in direct ways. Hitler rose out of a Germany shamed by its failed economy, and so chose dictatorship. "[I]n the Thirties when Hitler was successful," continued Steinbeck, "when Mussolini made the trains run on time, a spate of would-be Czars began to rise. Gerald L.K. Smith, Father Coughlin, Huey Long, Townsend -- each one with plans to use the unrest and confusion and hatred as the material for personal power." And today we have blatantly racist Republican presidential candidates like Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz doing the same. Advertisement Professor Stiglitz says we know what to do: "...some of the world's most important problems will require government investment. Such outlays are needed in infrastructure, education, technology, the environment, and facilitating the structural transformations that are needed in every corner of the earth. Therefore, "The obstacles the global economy faces are not rooted in economics, but in politics and ideology. The private sector created the inequality and environmental degradation with which we must now reckon. Markets won't be able to solve these and other critical problems that they have created, or restore prosperity, on their own. Active government policies are needed." But what can duplicate the conditions that led to President Roosevelt and the New Deal programs (which were created by a woman, Labor Secretary Francis Perkins, by the way) that protected workers and trade unions so they could ultimately negotiate for a living wage and working conditions? We are paying a price for ignoring the lessons of history, in other words. Visit all the great New York sights such as the Empire State building, Rockefeller Center, and the South Street Seaport. But, be sure to stop into these exceptional stores. You'll get to play a game of chess, see magic tricks, get acting tips or take a language lesson. Pick up some unique New York souvenirs and go home saying, "Only in New York!" 1) Where Gaming Is Serious Fun War games (photo: huttclub) The Compleat Strategist (11 East 33rd St.; Tel: 212-685-3880; www.thecompleatstrategist.com) Open: Mon-Wed & Fri-Sat, 10:30am-6pm; Thurs, 10:30am-9pm; Cost: Free gaming. If you come into town with your "army," head straight to 33rd Street for maneuvers. This store is a haven for aficionados of war-gaming, board- gaming, and role-playing. There are no video games here! This is a place for folks who actually like to get off the couch and get together with other people to play games. On Thursday nights (5-9pm), it's miniature gaming for fans of War Hammer, War Machine, Hordes, etc. On Saturdays, there's all-day gaming. 1st Sat of each month: role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons; 3rd Sat: war-gaming and board-gaming. Advertisement 2) Travel The World (photo: Idlewild Bks) Idlewild Books (12 West 19th St.; Tel: 212-414-8888; www.idlewildbooks.com) Open: Mon-Thurs, 12-7:30pm; Fri-Sat, 12-6pm; Sun, 12-5pm. Cost: Language classes: $240-$300, 8 weeks. This cozy bookstore specializes in world literature and travel guides, with an extensive selection of books in French and Spanish. All this reading might inspire you to travel abroad. Before leaving, learn to chat with the locals. The bookstore offers language lessons in French, Spanish, Italian, and German, focusing on vocabulary useful for travelers. There are also free readings and other events (and a branch in Brooklyn). 3) Get Ready for Your Close-Up Alan Cumming (photo: Drama Bkstore) The Drama Book Shop (250 West 40th St.; Tel: 212-944-0595; dramabookshop.com) Open: Mon-Sat, 10am-7pm; Thurs until 8pm; Sun, 12-6pm; Cost: Free events. This store is a hotbed of theatrical activity. Aspiring thespians can pick up scripts for everything from Greek tragedies to current Broadway hits. There are also tons of books, magazines, and periodicals relating to the performing arts as well as sheet music and librettos. In addition, the store has free weekly events such as well-known playwrights reading from their latest work, occasional staged readings and acting workshops taught by veteran actors and directors. Advertisement 4) A Little Bit of Magic Goes a Long Way Abracadabra (19 West 21st St.; Tel: 212-627-5194; www.abracadabrasuperstore.com) Open: Mon-Sat, 11am-7pm; Sun, 12-5pm. Cost: Free tricks. It's hard to keep kids amused, but this huge store is so filled with interesting oddities, they'll be kept busy for hours. Even better, just ask and one of the magicians in the store will do a few tricks and free magic demonstrations. 5) A Chess Challenge in the Village (photo: mabunpo) Chess Forum (219 Thompson St., at 3rd St.; Tel: 212-475-2369; www.chessforum.com) Open: Daily, 11am-midnight; Cost: $5@hour Admire and/or buy lovely chess sets and chess pieces up front; in the back, play a match. Beverages available. Village Chess (Zinc, 82 West 3rd St., btw Thompson & Sullivan; Tel: 212-475-8130; www.chessnyc.com) Open: Daily, 10am-5pm; Cost: Free Advertisement "The Unravelling: High Hopes and Missed Opportunities in Iraq" - Emma Sky (Atlantic Books, 2015) Coming some years after the glut of writing that accompanied the US-led Occupation of Iraq is this unusual and unlikely story of 'a British woman, advising the top leadership of the US military' (p.4). That woman is Emma Sky who was a 35 year old working for the British Council when the American tanks rolled into Baghdad. Sky had spent time already working abroad and in the Middle East, although her only experience of Iraq was her previous opposition to conflicts in the country and she'd signed up to be a human shield in 1991. Suddenly she found herself on a military transport plane out to the region in response to a FCO advert. Sky can be described as a romantic liberal of sorts whose subsequent experience with the US military opened her mind to a very different culture of working. She warns herself that 'Mesopotamia will always get the better of those who come to love her' (p.89) and the book is a very honest appraisal from someone who clearly cares deeply for the country and the people she has spent time working with. It also is that of a wanderer, an only child whose time at boarding school seemed to give a drive and direction that found its calling in Iraq. Sky describes how 'I had felt so alive in Iraq, with such a strong sense of purpose. The best times of my life - and the hardest times - were in Iraq' (p.362). Her enthralling, readable and fascinating account is simultaneously 'an Iraqi story. It is an American story. It is my story' (p.341) Advertisement The account is far more than that of a liberal leaning British woman working in the heart of a US male-dominated military machine at war. Sky's political acumen and ability to gain the trust of senior figures placed her in the cockpit of US efforts in Iraq. She was no ordinary advisory and this book is not only a tale of observations but rather of influence in practice whether that was around high level efforts on sectarian reconciliation, the SOFA discussions that would determine the nature of the US presence in the country or important prisoner swaps. Sky also tells of her education in the ways of the 'American tribe' that is the military at war. Learning about rank, customs, culture and getting to grips with frequent helicopter rides. Sky explains that 'I studied it (the US military), found shared values and objectives, and learnt how to work with it' (p.41). In turn Sky's honest advice within a 'can do' culture would prove invaluable for the military figures she worked with and particular the looming figure of General Odierno, or 'General O', to whom the book is dedicated to. The 'British babe', as some US soldiers described her, also seemed to use her sense of humour to connect with an American bureaucracy that often appeared to take itself too seriously, although by contrast the British General Lamb comes across as a madman, albeit a highly intelligent and effective one. The chaos and ineptitude or the early days of the Occupation are well told. Sky didn't meet a single Iraqi for first week but would eventually come to know the country and its people well. This ranged from nuggets such as the fact that 'Iraq was the only country where hello meant goodbye' (p.121) or more important observations of the defining challenges of 'land, water, oil, minority rights, citizenship, identity and allegiance. No group recognised the grievances of the others' (p.32). Sky was initially based up in Kirkuk and learnt from the Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani that the 'Shi'a have a complex about the past. Sunnis are afraid of the future...Kurds feared both the past and the future' (p.159). Kirkuk provided a microcosm of manner of the issues that challenged Iraq as a whole, the battle of the past and correcting grievances, seeking revenge whilst trying to chart a course ahead for the future. Sky then found herself in Coalition Provisional Authority chief Paul Bremer's outer circle and witnessed the nominal transfer of sovereignty back to the Iraqis. Advertisement The conclusion as to the balance of success and failure is never quite clear. At one point Sky tells General O that 'this is the greatest strategic failure since the foundation of the United States' (p.147) and paints an accurate picture of how the invasion collapsed the state and the new formed entity struggled to include everyone into a new landscape dominated by sectarian politics. On the other hand Sky talks to success where she personally saw it and makes the important point that to get Iraq on right track "just required huge amounts of effort - and the right people with the necessary relationships to push everything in the right direction" (p.225). Perhaps the most important lesson to be learnt from Sky's account is that whilst she was there for the long term the constant turnover of senior diplomatic or military leaders lost the essence of personal relationships that were key to building such a delicate political consensus. The Obama administration is portrayed as disinterested in saving Iraq and whilst talking a good game around focusing support on institutions not individuals makes a bad mistake in doubling down on Maliki as Prime Minister at a time where he'd lost the trust of many. Vice-President Biden made the point in Sky's company that "Iraq was Bush's war" (p.272). Where the book is lacking is perhaps in a bit more critical reflection on some of the aspects of organisation and reliance of the military as a key driver of Occupation politics. Aspects of sectarianism are left open and it is not clear whether the levels of religious identity were underestimated or artificially manipulated to fill the post-2003 political space. What is more the role of Iran is poorly explored and comes across as shadowy, unknown yet constantly the source of much of the problems the US-faced. The U.S. Capitol Building stands past the natural gas and coal fueled Capitol Power Plant, which provides heating and cooling throughout the 23 facilities on Capitol Hill including House and Senate Office Buildings, in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Sunday, June 1, 2014. President Barack Obama will propose cutting greenhouse-gas emissions from the nation's power plants by an average of 30 percent from 2005 levels, a key part of his plan to fight climate change that also carries political risks. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images As President Obama gears up for his final State of the Union address tonight, it's worth revisiting another speech he gave back in March of 2012 in Cushing, Oklahoma. The President traveled to Cushing during one of the inflection points in the fight against the Keystone XL pipeline. In November 2011, after a wave of protests, the State Department had delayed the project over concerns about the pipeline's route in Nebraska. That December, Congress tried to force the President's hand by passing a bill that would order him to make a final decision on whether to approve the pipeline within 60 days. In January, Obama rejected the bill, saying the timeline didn't give enough time for a proper review, and invited TransCanada, the company attempting to build the project, to submit another permit application. In February, TransCanada announced that they'd be going ahead and building the southern leg of Keystone XL, which didn't require a Presidential permit, while they waited on the rest of the pipeline to get approved. The pipeline would run from Cushing to the Gulf Coast. Advertisement A month later, under election year pressure to prove his subservience to the fossil fuel industry, Obama traveled to a windswept pipeline yard in Cushing to give what will be remembered as the worst environmental speech of his presidency. "Now, under my administration, America is producing more oil today than at any time in the last eight years," the President declared. "That's important to know. Over the last three years, I've directed my administration to open up millions of acres for gas and oil exploration across 23 different states. We're opening up more than 75 percent of our potential oil resources offshore. We've quadrupled the number of operating rigs to a record high. We've added enough new oil and gas pipeline to encircle the Earth and then some." Encircle the Earth, the same planet that was reeling from climate related extreme weather events around the globe. That March ended up being the warmest on record in the continental United States, with every state breaking previous temperature records. Temperatures that August in Oklahoma, where the President spoke, would surge to 112, with more than half of the state topping 110, making it the hottest day in recorded history since 1936. As the President continued to campaign throughout the country that summer, wildfires raged across the West as the nation experienced its worst drought since the Dust Bowl. In November, when Obama surged past his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, to retake the presidency, it wasn't because of the "drill, baby, drill" philosophy he'd espoused in Cushing, but in part because of yet another climate disaster. That October, Hurricane Sandy had slammed into the Eastern Seaboard, putting New York City underwater and upending the Presidential election. Republican Governor Chris Christie put his arm around Obama, Bloomberg News published a magazine cover with the words "It's Global Warming, Stupid," and the President's handling of the disaster helped convince voters to put him back in the White House. Advertisement Meanwhile, gaining traction was a new idea that would help define climate policy for years to come. As President Obama prepared for his second term, scientists and economists were increasingly talking about a concept known as the "carbon bubble." First described by a group of researchers with Carbon Tracker in London, and then popularized by a piece by Bill McKibben in Rolling Stone, the idea of the carbon bubble stemmed from some simple math. In order to keep global warming below 2C, the world could only emit roughly 565 gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The fossil fuel industry, however, had more than 2795 gigatons of CO2 in their known reserves, five times too much, and every day were out searching for more. What this "terrifying math" showed was that the industry's business plan--and by extension the Obama administration's energy policy--was fundamentally at odds with a livable planet. For the industry, this meant that they were creating a bubble: their value as companies depended on digging up and selling five times more coal, oil and gas then we could burn without resulting in complete catastrophe. Once climate policy caught up, and these reserves were put off limits, the stock price of the companies would plummet, leaving investors in the lurch. For the White House, it meant that an "all of the above" energy strategy was no longer compatible with solving the climate crisis: it didn't matter how many solar panels you installed, if you "encircled the Earth" with pipelines and used up the carbon budget, the planet was toast. During the President's second term, the contradictions between an "all of the above" energy policy and administration's professed desire to combat climate change continued to reveal themselves. The White House would tout a new green technology one day, and then give Shell a green light to drill in the Arctic the next. The President would speak about the ability of the Clean Power Plan to reduce our dependence on coal, and then give mining companies greater access to the Powder River Basin, the nation's largest coal deposit. As the months went by, this Jeckyll-and-Hyde approach continued to help elevate Keystone XL as a crucial test of the President's climate legacy. Would he go the "pipe, baby, pipe" route celebrated in his speech in Cushing or accept the carbon math and become the first sitting President to reject a project because of its impact on the climate? As 2014 and 2015 ticked by, the scientific and political case for choosing the latter grew even stronger. In September of 2014, more than 400,000 people took to the streets of New York City for the People's Climate March to demand action. A fossil fuel divestment campaign surged across college campuses and foundation board rooms, scoring major victories and further popularizing the carbon math. Across the country, polls registered that as Americans witnessed the impacts of global warming in their backyards, more of them were looking for politicians to finally do something about it. Finally, just weeks before world leaders would gather in Paris to craft a new climate agreement, President Obama stood in the West Wing and announced that he would reject the Keystone XL pipeline because of its impact on the climate. It was a remarkable turnaround from the speech he'd given in Cushing just three and a half years earlier. Gone was the bragging about "drilling all over the place," in was a deep concern about future generations and his climate legacy. The decision would help keep hundreds of thousands of barrels of tar sands oil in the ground, and hand climate activists a major victory to build on. Now, as the President gives his final State of the Union and prepares for his last year in office, the question remains: which path will he take? Will he continue to act in the way he did on Keystone XL, standing up to Big Oil and turning down projects that endanger the climate and our communities? Or will the President backslide to the Obama we saw in Cushing and continue to promote fossil fuel development, leaving a legacy full of contradictions and half-measures? The tests ahead are clear. In the coming months, the President will issue a new five year plan that will dictate how much offshore oil and gas reserves will be put up for auction to the fossil fuel industry. A bad deal could open up new parts of the Atlantic and Arctic to offshore drilling, a good one would put large chunks of the nation's oil and gas off limits to future development. Smaller federal auctions will continue to be a flash points across the country, as climate activists join with indigenous leaders, farmers, ranchers, students and youth to try and stop the government from selling off our public lands to an industry intent on exploiting them to wreck our common future. With a new bill in Congress and large coalitions coming together, the fight to keep fossil fuels underneath public lands in the ground is very much on. The President will also be judged by the vigor in which he goes after fossil fuel criminals like ExxonMobil. New revelations show that the company has known about global warming for decades, but continued to fund front groups that spread denial and misinformation, and supported politicians intent on blocking any sort of action to address the crisis. If Exxon is found guilty of conspiring with other oil companies to lie to the public, their shareholders, and the government about the impact climate change would have on the planet and their business, they could face the same sorts of lawsuits that helped bring down Big Tobacco. The New York state Attorney General has already launched an investigation into the matter. Activists are now calling on President Obama to instruct the Department of Justice to do the same. Other tests will come outside of the traditional environmental policy realm. In his State of the Union, the President is expected to promote the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), a new trade deal that, among other problems, would give fossil fuel companies the right to sue governments that try and keep fossil fuel reserves off limits. Ironically, the Obama Administration itself is facing a lawsuit brought by TransCanada under a similar trade agreement, NAFTA, in which the company is looking for $15 billion worth of damages after the administration's "unfair" decision to block Keystone XL. There couldn't be a clearer example of how corporations are looking to use these agreements to push back on climate policies and regulations, or a stronger case for why the TPP needs to be tossed in the dustbin. Consistency is the most important thing to a brand. But for large companies (with hundreds or even thousands of employees) brand consistency is a difficult task, especially when those employees are expressing the brand via PowerPoint presentations on PCs. It is important that everyone working with some aspect of the brand, and presenting the finished product to others, stay on the same page (so to speak) in their use of typography. The Key Question Most business folks who use computers have limited access to anything other than the default fonts available on typical Windows and Mac OS machines. These fonts are simple, basic, and usually not beautiful; while easy to read on screens, they lack nuance and character. In that way, they are like washable polyester: very practical, but not something you want to wear to every type of occasion. Font by Default Nonetheless, employees will likely end up wearing those "polyester" fonts for a good amount of time. That is because people use PowerPoint ubiquitously. They might love it, they might hate it, but they rely on it to build everything from boardroom presentations to quarterly business reviews. PowerPoint is so tightly woven into the daily workflow--and so easy to use, for those trained on it--it would prove extremely difficult to abandon entirely. Everybody viewing the presentation, even if they are in a satellite office on the other side of the globe, will need the same typefaces installed in order to view the work in its full glory. Advertisement From a creative perspective, PowerPoint has some serious drawbacks as a brand and design tool. Even if you use a fresh typeface for a set of master slides, everybody contributing to the deck might not have that typeface installed; unless the typeface in question is one of those defaults, the likely result will be mismatched, sloppy text. In a small company you have more control because it is a "closed system". Everybody is connected (and thus have access to the same font assets), and you can still have finely nuanced presentations that look great. When you scale to a large company it can be a challenge. The Plot Thickens Microsoft Word documents confront a similar font issue. Shouldn't the fonts in those documents match the corresponding PowerPoints? Whoever is writing the Word document must default to a common font in order to match PowerPoint decks. Rather than settle for the lowest-common denominator of default fonts, some companies opt for two tiers of fonts and creative assets: One for PowerPoint and Microsoft Word use, the other for high-end creative work. If a company wants all of its employees on the same page, design-wise, it must ensure that everybody has access to the same special fonts; and the bigger the organization, the harder it becomes to ensure compatibility across all teams and offices. Some brand guidelines specify two fonts: the default or commonly accessible font for everyone, and the special brand font for print or anything controlled by the designers. The latter must be a compatible font to the default font, albeit better designed. In situations with multiple designers or creative professionals, you must purchase an enterprise-wide license to most special fonts. This can prove costly, depending on the number of users. Loading special fonts onto every employee's computer is a task, and depends too much on employees' willingness to comply with the instructions. When it comes to building websites, it is more economical and easy for a designer to purchase a special brand font for the web, because the designer controls the project. The Trap Given the current trend in creating less printed materials, most brands have begun using a default font for just about everything. That is a trap for a new brand, which may start out with lofty intentions only to find itself tainted from the outset by compromise over its typography. What Is the Solution? Bringing up the issue internally may stimulate some collective willingness to open up to upgraded font options on computers (Mac platforms tend to include a more robust font library, but they also have limits). I hope that the world of PowerPoint and Word users becomes more aware of this issue, which could help bring about the change (and choice) we deserve. With thousands of wonderful fonts out there, we should not have to settle. Advertisement Illinois' huge prison population is a problem Governor Rauner wants to solve. His first step--setting up a commission to find ways the legislature can change state laws to reduce the number of prisoners--was a good start. That commission is expected to release its final report in early 2016. But the Governor can, and should, do more. He can single-handedly reduce the state's prison population with a stroke of his pen, using a power that belongs only to him, as the state's chief executive: clemency. On February 11, 2015, the newly-inaugurated Governor acted boldly, issuing an executive order taking on the costly problem of mass incarceration. Rauner's Executive Order 15-14 laid out that problem: in the past 40 years, the State's crime rate has gone down 20% but its prison population has soared 700%. Advertisement Rauner's order established a Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform whose job includes recommending "amendments to state laws that will reduce the State's prison population by 25% by 2025." Asking his commission to find ways for lawmakers to cut the State's number of prisoners was one step toward reducing the state's prison population by a quarter in 10 years. But Rauner shouldn't rely on legislators alone to reach that goal. He could achieve it himself with an act he can carry out which no court can overturn, no legislature can undo: commuting the sentences of some state prisoners. Commutations don't pardon criminals for their crimes. They don't say to a prisoner, "We are letting you go; it's as if you never committed the crime for which you are incarcerated." Commutations mean that the prisoner is guilty of the crime for which he or she was convicted. The prisoner's conviction remains on his or her record. The sentence is merely shortened, to something less than the original amount of time given. Advertisement Governor Rauner alone has the power to commute sentences in Illinois. It's there in Article V, Section 12 of the Illinois Constitution: "The Governor may grant reprieves, commutations and pardons, after conviction, for all offenses on such terms as he thinks proper." That's it. No limits on what type of crimes or which prisoners can be considered for clemency. The Governor even has a body in place whose job includes recommending candidates for clemency to him: the Illinois Prisoner Review Board (PRB). The PRB could screen applicants seeking clemency--looking for documented criteria such as rehabilitation, good behavior while in prison, a solid plan for re-entry into society, an absence of gang ties--and recommend those applicants to the Governor for consideration. A similar effort is now underway on the federal level, for federal prisoners seeking commutation of their sentences from President Obama. The President, who has also expressed concern about mass incarceration, has been steadily granting increasing numbers of petitions for clemency in his second term in office. Why would the Governor not do this? Political risk, for one. Governors have sometimes been loathe to let people out of prison early, for fear that a released prisoner will commit a new crime. (Remember Willie Horton?) But that political risk is spread when recommendations come from another source which stringently reviews prisoner petitions. Too, it would be unfair for Rauner to place all the political risk of letting prisoners out early on legislators; he should bear some himself. To do his own part in reducing the state's prison population would also be to act with the boldness he has shown on other issues. Gov. Rauner could proudly claim he is no Rod Blagojevich, who, in his six years as Governor of Illinois largely shirked his constitutional duty to act on clemency petitions. Advertisement Commuting sentences and issuing pardons has, in our modern era, become something Governors and Presidents often do only on the way out the door as they leave office, as if they are skulking and ashamed. The mercy of clemency is something enshrined in our most precious founding document: our Constitution. The exercise of clemency should be robust, unashamed and regular. "We thought it was going to be fighting, fighting until all of us died," recalls Mary, a widow and mother of five who lost her husband and other family members during the Second Sudanese Civil War that ended 11 years ago this week. When Mary shared her story with Women for Women International (WfWI) in mid-2012, she told us how peace had given her new hope for the future in South Sudan. "Now we realize we have a life, so my first hope is that I'm going to live longer," she said. "My second hope is that people will not fight again." Advertisement Mary's dreams of peace did not come true. A year and a half later, violence broke out in South Sudan again, and today the country continues to struggle with a conflict that has forced more than 2.3 million people to flee. What If Women Were at the Peace Table? There are numerous drivers of conflict in South Sudan, and the world's newest country has faced serious challenges since its independence from Sudan in 2011. However, there is one overlooked factor that perhaps could have prevented a resurgence of violence: a peace table that included women. Recent research has found that enabling local women to participate in peace processes increases the probability of violence ending within a year by 24 percent, and that institutionalizing gender equality can help build peaceful societies. In South Sudan, women come together to celebrate International Women's Day and advocate for women's roles as peace-makers. Photo credit: Brian Sokol, 2012 Advertisement Yet no women were included as lead mediators or signatories to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement ending Sudan's civil war. Just nine percent of witnesses to the signing were women. Promoting Women's Roles as Local Peace-builders "The community is not living together as one people," says Anna, a 50-year-old widow and mother of six in Yamba, Mugwo Payam, Yei River County. While the violence that has surged in other parts of South Sudan has not yet touched her own community, she worries that it may and sees signs of smaller-scale violence happening. Years of war had prevented her children from getting an education, and Anna was forced to leave school after 5th grade. As a women leader of her church in Yamba, Anna says, "I always talk about [the importance] of harmony and peace in the family and community." Determined to do more, Anna joined 19 other women in a three-day training last year to learn how they could take action to build peace in their own communities supported by Women for Women International through funding by Cordaid. Understanding the Causes of Conflict and Violence Challenging the widespread exclusion of women from peace-building efforts around the world, Anna and 19 other WfWI graduates from Yamba, Wadupe, and Sanjasiri came together to develop a deeper understanding of the dynamics of conflict and skills in leadership and advocacy that would help them raise their voices in their communities. They discussed causes and different forms of conflict and violence in their communities, and learned how they could mediate and address interpersonal and intergroup conflicts to prevent them from becoming violent. Advertisement In South Sudan, a woman participates in WfWI's yearlong training program. Learn more. Photo credit: Women for Women International, 2013 For Anna, understanding how she can intervene has helped her serve as a mediator in her community. Recently, a woman came to Anna for help, after her husband threatened to divorce her for giving birth to a girl, rather than a boy. Anna met with the woman's husband, and counselled him on how his actions were harming his family, and mediated a discussion between the husband and wife. "There is now peace in the family," says Anna. Raising Their Voices and Advocating Change During the three-day training, the women also learned leadership, communication, and advocacy skills to help them advance women's roles in peace-building in their community and raise issues of concern to them. Inspired by what they learned, the women drew up plans for peace-building activities in their communities and arranged meetings with their local chiefs to discuss how they could work together to promote peace and encourage their community-wide participation. For many of these women, it was their first time meeting and speaking with the chiefs, and an important moment for their voices to be heard. After the peace-building training, WfWI participants join hands to promise they will continue to advocate for peace in their communities. Photo credit: Women for Women International, 2015 Advertisement Taking Action for Peace In Sanjasiri, Mary A. is leading up her community's first peace-building campaign. She's bringing together local leaders and others to implement the plan of action she and other women designed during their peace-building training. A 35-year-old mother of five, Mary organized an awareness-raising session with 20 community members, where they talked about women's rights issues - such as marriage decisions - through the lens of conflict resolution. Together, they participated in role-plays on how to reconcile cases of conflict in the family and community and to bring about a peaceful resolution. Women leaders in Yamba held a similar awareness-raising session with women and men in their village, focusing on how violation of women's rights and other negative norms and actions can promote conflict within families and communities. Through public conversations and campaigns that address local issues and focus on how to come together to resolve differences, women like Anna and Mary A. are playing a critical role as mediators and proponents of peace in their communities. Recognizing how violations of women's rights are sources of conflict and violence, they are raising their voices to advocate for greater respect for the rights of all community members, and building a foundation for more inclusive, peaceful communities. Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, listens to a question during a campaign event, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, in Webster City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Texas Senator Ted Cruz's presidential bid has been gaining momentum in the all-important Iowa Caucus scheduled to take place February 1. But now Donald Trump has focused his attention on Cruz's Canadian birth in an effort to undercut the senator's campaign. "Ted Cruz has a problem," Trump told a rally Monday in Windham, New Hampshire. "I mean, he's got a problem." Trump, in an effort to win in Iowa, is now hammering away at whether Cruz qualifies to be U.S. president under the Constitution. Article II of the Constitution specifies, "No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President." Central to the question of Cruz's eligibility is the definition of a "natural born citizen." Advertisement Up to now Cruz has dismissed the issue as "settled law." The senator admits he was born in Canada to his father, Rafael Cruz, who was a Canadian citizen at the time of his son's birth in 1970, and to his mother, who was born in Delaware. Cruz, a lawyer, says he qualifies because his mother was an American and that he is therefore a natural born citizen. But Harvard's Laurence Tribe, a leading Constitutional scholar, says the matter is not settled. "There's a huge irony about the way Cruz interprets the Constitution," Tribe said in an email to The Huffington Post. "When it wouldn't hurt him or things he cares deeply about, he insists on interpreting it the way he believes the Founding Generation intended it -- as what people call an 'originalist.' But to a true originalist, as the best scholarship on this topic has shown, a 'natural born citizen' would exclude someone like Ted Cruz because of his Canadian birth." In an opinion piece in Monday's Boston Globe, Tribe wrote, "When Cruz was my constitutional law student at Harvard, he aced the course after making a big point of opposing my views in class -- arguing stridently for sticking with the 'original meaning' against the idea of a more elastic 'living Constitution' whenever such ideas came up." Tribe pointed out, "In truth, the constitutional definition of a 'natural born citizen' is completely unsettled, as the most careful scholarship on the question has concluded. Needless to say, Cruz would never take Donald Trump's advice to ask a court whether the Cruz definition is correct, because that would in effect confess doubt where Cruz claims there is certainty." Cruz's strongest supporter in Iowa, conservative Congressman Steve King, has been a leading voice in the birther movement that claims President Barack Obama is not a citizen, even though the president's mother was an American. In 2012, Cruz's father was quoted as saying on a video, "We need to send Barack Obama back to Chicago. I'd like to send him back to Kenya, back to Indonesia." Advertisement Senator John McCain was born in Panama. To avoid any questions about his citizenship when he ran for president in 2008, the Senate passed "A resolution recognizing that John Sydney McCain, III, is a natural born citizen." Members of the Senate were clearly concerned questions could arise about McCain's qualifications, even though he was born on a U.S. military base to an American father and mother. And, given how Cruz's colleagues view him, it is not likely the Senate will do him the same favor. In fact, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a man Cruz has called a liar on the floor of the Senate, has said he does not want to talk about the issue. Trump told the New Hampshire rally, "Whether you like it or not, Ted has to figure it out. Because we can't be having a nominee -- if he got the nod, I think I'm going to win very solidly, if you want to know the truth -- but, if you get the nomination, you can't have the person who gets the nomination be sued." Sure enough, Florida Representative Alan Grayson told The Huffington Post last week he would sue if officials certified Cruz's eligibility. "All that Cruz has done is wave his hands in the air and claimed that it's settled law when it's not," Grayson said. This morning, I got the terrible news about the attacks in Istanbul, which killed a number of tourists. Just a few short months ago, my wife and I were standing right at that spot. It could have been us. It could have been among the many tourists who visit Turkey every year who perished. That's because the Erdogan regime seems more interested in locking up political rivals, instead of tackling terrorism. It doesn't have to be that way. When we got back from Turkey, we told everyone we could about what a great country it was. The sites right by the bombing, from Hagia Sophia and the Topkapi Palace to the Blue Mosque in the Sultanahmet district, are among the best in the world. The people warmly greeted us, whether it was in Istanbul, or even far out in the countryside. And it wasn't about tourist dollars, because my wife and I didn't have that much on the trip. It was about making friendships. We met with people in schools, and even ate with them in their homes. We consider it our greatest trip ever. Turkey's Blue Mosque. Photo taken by the author in 2015. But what would I say to people now, after several bombing attacks on political opposition rallies, and now the killings of tourists? If Turkey had a leader more concerned with ISIS and stopping terrorism, I'd recommend risking it. But Erdogan has responded to these attacks by cracking down on political rivals instead. That, coupled with a disproportionate number of bombings at Kurdish rallies and other parties makes you wonder what's really going on. Advertisement This week, the stories coming out of Turkey have focused on how a self-exiled cleric and his supporters are being prosecuted for uncovering government corruption. This cleric and his allies are labeled "terrorists" by the media, as the government puts more resources toward bringing down this group, instead of solving these terror attacks, or stopping new ones. We've also learned this week that Turkish planes are buzzing Greek areas in the Aegean Sea, and Erdogan is attempting to secure an aircraft carrier for his navy. I'm not sure Greeks are the real threat, or that an aircraft carrier is the best anti-terror weapon Turkey can deploy. This isn't to blame his political party, the AKP. I met strong supporters of Erdogan's party, and even some folks in the police, and had a positive experience. But it seems to be different at the top, for those holding the levers of power. Even when given the green light to attack ISIS, the world watched with dismay as Erdogan's regime used the opportunity to target Kurds, instead of ISIS, in Syria. Imagine how things might have been different if a Turkish warplane had hit the Istanbul bomber (a Syrian) at the ISIS base, instead of striking a Kurdish village, or a Russian plane. Or what would have happened if Turkey hadn't bombed YPG, the Syrian Kurds, just as they had ISIS on the run? How many Turks and tourists will die because of that decision to hurt those who hurt ISIS is yet unclear. Advertisement The reason this hurts isn't just about mourning the dead German tourists, and others wounded who could die in the future. It's about knowing that a country like Turkey, which has people that can be so friendly and welcoming, putting on the best face a Middle Eastern nation can, in an area rich with the best of world civilizations, is now a terror target. It's sad to know that this country, where different faiths can peacefully intersect, where there is so much for us to learn, will become the next war zone for terrorism, thanks to a ruthless ISIS and a governing regime more interested in locking up people who disagree with the country's leadership. Ammon Bundy and his assault-rifle-packing militia took over the Malheur National Refuge in eastern Oregon to kick off the New Year. Their gripe appears to be the Federal Government's pesky grazing regulations interfering with their "right" to earn a profit off government land. [1] Gonna' be a showdown at the last chance corral I guess. Now I imagine Bundy and the boys don't take a liken' to Wall Street bankers any more than they do to the Feds. But in this instance, the bankers could help Bundy a lot, and maybe save his life. TransCanada, sponsor of the now dead Keystone XL Pipeline and like Bundy no doubt, also dependent on preferred contractual access to public lands, shows the way. President Obama lobbed a final nail in the coffin by vetoing the pipeline and more recently by formally rejecting the project. But the deed was already done by the Saudis who killed it by unleashing a torrent of oil supply on the market, collapsing oil prices, and ending the economic viability of Canada's grotesque Tar Sands and the need for the pipeline in the first place. In fact TransCanada had already withdrawn the plan from consideration. Advertisement However, that didn't stop TransCanada from now suing the United States of America for $15 billion in damages over Obama's decision that the XL Pipeline was not in the interest of the United States, including our "security, safety, and environment." "TransCanada has been unjustly deprived of the value of its multibillion-dollar investment by the U.S. administration's action," the company said in a statement after Obama formally rejected the planned pipeline prior to the Paris Climate meeting, timed to bolster what he hopes will be his legacy as a leader on climate. The XL Pipeline decision was effected through a time-honored democratic process enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Some agree with the decision, some don't. But that's not the point. The question is, on what basis can a foreign company sue the U.S. government over a policy decision, putting American taxpayers at risk for $15 billion in this case? The answer: by invoking the North American Free Trade Agreement and its Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) clause. This clause, as I previously explained here and here, about the contentious Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement now awaiting approval by Congress, amounts to a veritable "trading away of our sovereignty." The TransCanada suit proves the point, and it's not the first such suit challenging a nation's sovereignty. TPP will open up this insanity to 13 countries and economic activity representing 40% of world GDP. Advertisement My advice to Bundy and his buddies holed up in Eastern Oregon facing a cold winter? Buy a ranch in Canada. Hire Goldman Sachs or JPMorgan to advise on a "tax inversion" in which using a legal slight of hand the Canadian ranch buys the Bundy ranch but Bundy remains in control of the combined operations (see the recent Pfizer inversion for details). Then sue the United States Government for $15 billion under the ISDS mechanism of NAFTA claiming the BLM grazing regulations interfere with their right to make a profit on their investment. This gets the issue away from the annoying U.S. government and into the hands of a three-person extrajudicial tribunal to determine the outcome of the case. Sweet. In the meantime, stand down, holster your guns, and thus, stay alive to fight another day. You can always ammo up later if the tribunal lets you down. Oh, and if Bundy doesn't have the cash to buy the Canadian ranch, no problem. There are a number of tougher than Bundy (no guns required) hedge funds that will be all too happy to lend money into a lawsuit and then corrupt the judicial process by bribing the lawmakers (sorry exercising their rights to free speech under Citizens United) to make a buck. For details, see the current battle in Puerto Rico where these hedge funds are using their campaign contribution derived power to influence legislators over the decision to refuse Puerto Rico access to the normal and civilized protections afforded other borrowers including Donald Trump - but not our children if they take out a student loan - under the bankruptcy code. No doubt these hedge funds will have some crafty ideas for how to swing a simple three-person tribunal. For a mere twenty percent of the profits plus expenses, it's a deal! Insanity is the new normal in America. --- [1] The Bureau of Land Management ("BLM") policies have issues worthy of debate, but turning land over to folks like Bundy to manage without restrictions is not the solution. Las Vegas emerges like a shimmering dream right out of the desert. Or perhaps it's more of a nightmare. It all depends upon your perspective and predilections. But no matter your point of view, this is a city that is neon-bright, brash and ballsy. After all, it's Vegas, baby. Early each January, to add to the assault on the senses, CES drops into Vegas like some huge alien spaceship full of goodies from the near future. (Side note: if a spacecraft did drop in, I don't think anyone would take much notice amongst the other attractions, such as a giant pyramid-shaped hotel and a replica of the Eiffel Tower.) CES is the International Consumer Electronics Show, a celebration of all things electronic. And it is humongous. This year, 170,000 people attended. To put the number into context, that's about the population of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. - all at one show, in one place, at one time. Those 170,000 people ogled 2.47 million square feet of displays, from 3,800 exhibitors. And that's before you got to the associated conference, which was equally mega. Advertisement Because of its size, if you're not careful, CES can seem to exist in a constant state of gridlock. Cabs are insanely hard to come by (thank God for Uber, which rolled into town officially 18 days prior to the event). Venues are sprawling (I certainly "got my steps up" just walking through the casinos and expo halls to each event). And you have to like the close proximity of crowds. But for all that, CES was not just an incredible experience, but also an invaluable one. To get an inside look at what's hot and what's to come, I took part in a private tour of the CES show floor hosted by Irwin Gotlieb, the chairman of media powerhouse GroupM*. Reflecting on the tour, and my whole CES visit, I summarized what I saw into three 'I's' - Immersion, Interaction and Innovation. Immersion - besides the ubiquitous IoT (Internet of Things), I think immersion is the key tech trend from the show. Whether it's higher definition screens (forget 4K, here comes 8K and 16K), Virtual Reality or 3D Audio, everything about tech is being designed to be as immersive as possible. Realer than real. In terms of immersive screen quality (and screens are, of course, everywhere at CES), Gotlieb is skeptical about the real reason for screen improvement. "They (the tech companies) need an excuse to put the prices up." No matter - we saw a gorgeous 100-inch set that Gotlieb says will be the norm in three years. In five years, it will be 120-inches. Screen resolution will continue to escalate - the Tokyo Olympics this year will be broadcast in native 8K. Screen technology is also changing. Besides Organic LED, we witnessed Quantum Dot and Backlight Master Drive - all with blacker blacks, brighter colors and imperceptible pixels. Gotlieb showed us one Quantum Dot screen that he warned us not to look at too long. "You won't be able to go back to your regular TV," he joked. Virtual Reality was also all over the show. This made for some humorous scenes, such as a stadium full of VR participants with headsets on, absorbed in their virtual worlds. VR content is improving dramatically, and it is becoming far more accessible. One smart innovation I noted was the Figment VR mobile phone case, which instantly turns your phone into a VR viewer. Sennheiser* demonstrated 3D audio. This makes stereo sound feel, well, tinny and two-dimensional by comparison. Via an $80,000 black box and strategically placed speakers, you feel like you are in the middle of a concert performance, right there along with the artists on the stage. The sound is rich, expressive and immersive. Sennheiser also demonstrated "venue mapping" - where the specific audio qualities of a venue can be reproduced. So you can hear a track as if it is being performed in, for example, the Albert Hall. Interaction - increasingly, tech is about human interaction between man and machine. The Amazon Echo smart speaker is one example. Just like Siri, you talk to the Echo - most people use the code word "Alexa" - and she responds; answering your questions, giving you details about the weather, dimming your lights or opening your garage. Alexa technology was built into several of the devices featured at CES this year. (In fact, as Geekwire wrote, "Amazon was huge at CES 2016, and they weren't even there.") One example of Amazon Echo integration is the Samsung Smart Hub fridge. To some this was a "fridge flashback" - we all remember the internet-connected fridge of some years ago. But the Samsung Smart Hub steps up the game. Using Amazon Echo, you can ask the Smart Hub to add items to your shopping list. You can upload photos from your phone to use it like a 21st Century fridge magnet. And most interesting of all, the fridge has cameras on the inside that take a shot of its contents each time you open or close the door. These are automatically uploaded to an app, so that when you are at the grocery store, you can instantly see what's in your fridge, and which items may need replenishing. Gotlieb told us that all manufacturers are angling for their particular device to become the "hub of the home." "It won't happen," said Gotlieb. "The phone will be the smart hub." We also saw multiple robots on the floor of CES, often intended to become your personal butler. As Fortune Magazine noted, "companies from Segway to Ford jumped into the butler business." And in terms of autonomous interaction, sensors loomed large at the show. When it came to healthcare, Gotlieb commented that it was all "sensors, sensors, sensors." And this trend is only beginning. "We are going to have sensors that are implantable," he said. "The potential here is just remarkable." Innovation - CES is ultimately all about invention and innovation, and there were some super-cool new tech ideas on show, such as the SCIO Food Scanner, which allows you to scan your food to instantly judge its nutritional value - e.g. fat content, carbs and calories. (More from Mashable on the "Best of CES 2016"). There were also some more mundane but still clever concepts such as the Twin Wash - two zones in a washing machine to wash two different types of loads at the same time. But the invention that most captured my imagination was one yet to come. Remember Google Glass? Gotlieb was dismissive of the technology as it has been developed to date, but he forecast the time in the near future when you will have micro projectors implanted under your eyelids, which will beam images directly onto your retina. By doing this, you will be able to instantly activate a heads-up display of relevant information streamed from the Internet. Imagine Google Glass without the glasses. "Ambient devices are the future," commented Gotlieb. There is a fourth 'I', which I referenced but didn't include in my list of three - the Internet of Things. It almost goes without saying now that we are careering towards a connected future, where all devices will have an IP address, send data out constantly, and exchange information with other pieces of tech. As Gotlieb told us, "the value in data comes from conjoinment." One change at CES was the proliferation of new brands. Traditionally, three brands anchored the show - Intel, Microsoft and Sony. Intel was still pre-eminent this year, and Microsoft is "coming back big-time," says Gotlieb. But Sony has "lost its way." Samsung has taken Sony's mantle at CES, and the Koreans generally are dominant. Right behind them though, are the new Chinese brands - like Changhong, which showcased a prototype 100-inch television. Advertisement While they haven't got it 100% right as yet, Chinese electronics brands are definitely ones to watch. There were two other interesting categories of brands on display. There were the "back from the dead" brands such as Kodak, Polaroid, and RCA - dug up and repurposed for a contemporary era. Gotlieb scoffed somewhat at these. And there were the car brands - both old (e.g. Ford) and new (e.g. Tesla and Faraday Future). There is good reason for this - Gotlieb believes that the automobile will be "your most powerful mobile device." Post-tour, Gotlieb gave us his take on what all this tech means for the communications business. "Data is enabling us to identify every aspect of the marketing funnel," said Gotlieb. "But in this new world, top-of-the-funnel awareness and inspiration is vital. Media in fact becomes virtual shelf-space as the physical store declines in importance." Coming back from CES feels like coming out of a dream. To some extent, it's good to get back to reality. And to do so with an expanded view of what's to come, and what may impact our personal and professional lives in the not-too-distant future. The prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, established himself as a youthful orator when he joined with the emerging political elite of his society in a mass rally in 1990 that chased the Soviet occupiers from his native land. Fascinating, is it not, that this young activist could become elected repeatedly to the highest office in his land, and now exercises power that might shape his country and, indeed, his region, in vital and progressive ways? But no, Orban at 52 now follows Vladimir Putin as a mentor, speaks of protecting Europe from the Muslim hordes in the name of Christianity, encloses his country in barbed wire to keep out the threat of a migrant invasion, and enriches himself, his friends and family with financial perquisites of power that flow from a money stream provided by a feckless European Union. Law professor and political scientist Mate Szabo, in his essay "From Anticommunist Dissident Movement to Governing Party," powerfully shows how the young Orban learned the lessons he now practices in power from the regime he sought to overthrow in the 1980s. When I first arrived in Hungary as a Fulbright Specialist, and then came to reside there as a co-located American citizen, I thought of Orban as a strayed democrat--one who would surely come to see the light of serving his fellow citizens from the powerful post he had been provided. But more recently, I have come to see him as just another political boss. Living under Orban differs most from living under the Democratic Party machine in Camden County (New Jersey) by dint of the more overt venality of the Hungarian leadership and the more visible allegiance it demands. Both the Camden I knew and the Hungary I experience exhibit corruption, electoral manipulation, and the granting (or denial) of employment conditional upon the pleasure of the boss. Advertisement My recent co-edited book, The Hungarian Patient: Social Opposition to an Illiberal Democracy, describes the many third sector movements that have sought to speak truth to Orban's power. Such efforts, however, tend to be trumped by the Orban regime in a simple and yet powerful way--they are simply not given recognition. As communications theory notes right up front, a healthy process requires both senders and receivers. In Hungary, only those senders who deliver messages (usually involving large economic ventures) that directly challenge the power of the regime are recognized, but this reception comes at the cost of losing privileged place in the regime, and being entered onto blacklists for future contracts and employment. Opposition political parties are widely seen as loafing through their paces, their leaders securely tucked into the pockets of the regime's soft practices of control. There's no need in Hungary to oppress or jail the opposition; ignoring most of them, while coaxing those who can be bribed into acquiescence, more than suffices for the task. When the Hungarian regime moves excessively to control or repress the advocacy that is exercised by Hungarian civil society, it exposes itself to the opposition from beyond its borders, as the police raid of the Okotars organization showed in 2014. Not only did this action threaten the further reception of philanthropic funds from outside the country, but it also inspired the usually somnolent judicial system of the country to refrain from further insult to civil organization autonomy. Orban seems committed to reducing pluralism within the Hungarian polity, society, and economy to a minimum, and to controlling as many organizations as remains to perform the bidding of himself and his key associates. Hungary's resultant social structure thereby increasingly takes the form of Kornhauser's "mass society", its power centralized and its social relations largely confined to the extended family and the cafe. Advertisement The massive flow of migrants and refugees through Hungary in 2015 further illustrated the split between the Hungarian government and the civil society organizations of the country. The government treated the influx of late-summer migrants as an illegal annoyance, often hindering the efforts of individual volunteers and civil society organizations from providing assistance to persons in dire need. But the response of the Hungarian third sector was substantial, as businessman and blogger Richard Field notes in a powerful article on Fear and Loathing in Hungary. Most striking in this case was the ability of the Hungarian prime minister, and former third sector activist, to turn his back toward, and indeed attack quite frontally with his troops, fellow beings in quite desperate need. The American experience may not be entirely different from that of authoritarian Hungary. Political attacks such as those on the nonprofit Planned Parenthood organization or various gay rights initiatives indicate the perilous state of third sector advocacy. Campaigns of billionaires like Donald Trump and a variety of wealth-backed candidates provide Robert Kuttner's "Everything for Sale" hypothesis a significant test in their effort to purchase the presidency of the United States. Preoccupied with the global challenges of depression, terrorism, migration, and war--President Obama has struggled to hold the ground of participation and a fair distribution of income, much less wealth and power, during the first seven years of his administration. Throughout his term in office, Obama, through his State Department, did assert his role by standing up for civil society independence in countries like Hungary and Ukraine. Earlier in his term, the American charge d'affaires in Budapest, Andre Goodfriend, won widespread admiration among democracy supporters. His abrupt return to Washington for "personal reasons" coincided with the appointment of Ambassador Colleen Bell, and was marked by a video featuring his memorable meeting with the Hungarian tax chief--an event set up by one of Orban's television networks only to backfire upon the regime. Goodfriend's candor and willingness to observe, and interact with, oppositional forces in the country was both remarkable and salutary for participants in these movements. Bell remained largely silent during her initial months, but spoke out forcefully in a speech delivered at Corvinus University in Budapest in October, 2015. Criticizing a number of flaws in Hungarian democracy and governance, Bell noted that "wherever governments introduce restrictions on civil society organizations, to restrict the space for voices that might differ, we do not see a truly free society." The Ambassador's observation was underlined by the release of the 2015 Legatum Prosperity index, which gave Hungary low marks on both "social capital" and "individual freedom". Orban responded to the Ambassador without addressing the content of her criticism of his society: "This is already realpolitik. This is already naked national or imperial interest." Hers was one statement he could not afford simply to ignore, but neither did he choose to engage her on the content of her critique. Advertisement The Orban experience suggests that politics is not all that different when the supreme leader emerges from a background in third sector leadership. The temptations and demands of power assume, inexorably and probably inevitably, their precedence over any particular values or experiences associated with prior third sector lives. So small victories must be celebrated: To friends of Hungarian democracy, the expression of active interest on the part of the American government, however limited its impact, can only be welcomed as a sign that the President, through his State Department appointees, recalls his roots in civic participation and action. A third sector capable of speaking truth to power requires a base in a vibrant philanthropic tradition, a strong and active civil society, a pluralist organizational world, a modicum of respect for differences in opinion and lifestyle, and the confidence to speak from a truly independent base. (See the books cited below.) Within such a third sector, organizations may not only give voice to public issues, but can also take the space to explore a wide range of solutions that address, ameliorate, and (hopefully) even resolve pressing social problems and issues. REFERENCES FOR FURTHER READING BOOKS ON THE ROLE OF THE THIRD SECTOR Habermas, Jurgen (1984). Theory of communicative action, trans. Thomas McCarthy, Boston: Beacon Press. Szabo, Mate, "From Anticommunist Dissident Movement to Governing Party." in Klandermans, Bert, and Cornelis J. van Stralen (2015). Movements in times of democratic transition. Temple University Press. Kornhauser, William (1959). The politics of mass society. Glencoe, IL: Free Press. Parsons, T. M. (1966). On the concept of political power. In R. Bendix & S. M. Lipset (Eds.), Class, status, and power (2nd ed., pp. 240-265). New York: Free Press. Van Til, Jon. (1988). Mapping the third sector. New York: Foundation Center, 1988. BLOGS THAT ADDRESS THE POWER OF THE HUNGARIAN REGIME (in English) Hungarian Spectrum, a monumental daily blog by Yale's Eva Balogh Congress of Baboons, a new effort seeking to rekindle Central European traditions of satirical commentary ON-LINE NEWSPAPERS THAT ADDRESS THE HUNGARIAN REGIME (in English) Budapest Beacon Contains special section on civil society. Budapest Sentinel President Obama has said that his final State of the Union address on Tuesday, Jan. 12 will be framed around "the big things" he sees as being priorities in the years to come, rather than taking a policy-centric approach to the speech. He has said that there is more work that needs to be done, and we agree. In the run-up to the president's address, we at the Anti-Defamation League asked members of our staff and some of our offices across the country for some insights on which issues deserve priority treatment during the president's address. Our completed list follows. ADL's priorities for the president include: 1) Fighting prejudice and discrimination 2) welcoming asylum seekers and refugees while protecting national security 3) safeguarding religious freedom 4) Reinforcing a commitment to Iran sanctions, and 5) Supporting a strengthened Israel-U.S. relationship. One caveat: I should note that while we have numbered these, they are each separate and distinct issues and not ordered by importance. We believe each of these issues deserves priority treatment by the administration at this unique time in American history when we are faced with myriad challenges and opportunities. Advertisement Let's hope the president takes on some of these issues as he heads into his final year in office. As thousands of men, woman, and children have fled horrific realities of brutal violence and extreme poverty and hunger in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, we also have serious concerns about the Administration's recent campaign of home raids to round up and deport these families and adult asylum-seekers. We hope to hear President Obama speak out and direct the Department of Homeland Security to stop these raids and deportations. Moreover, children and families fleeing for their lives must be protected and have access to legal counsel so that they can apply for asylum and protection in the United States. The President should also use the SOTU to encourage Congress to recommit to advancing comprehensive immigration reform that provides for a pathway to citizenship for immigrants, sound border security, safeguards against bias and discrimination, and family reunification. Advertisement Protecting Religious Freedom, LGBT Equality and Reproductive RightsThe President should commit to continuing his administration's support for vigorous religious freedom advocacy on the federal, state and local levels, including opposing organized prayer. At the same time, the administration should continue to demonstrate leadership on issues of importance to the LGBT community - which have resulted in positive, systemic changes in protections and equal rights for LGBT people - by making it clear that measures couched as supporting religious freedom that permit businesses to evade anti-discrimination laws and refuse service to people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity are not acceptable. On the issue of reproductive rights, we understand that all eyes will be on the United States Supreme Court this year as it considers restrictions on Texas women's clinics that we think are unnecessary and unconstitutional, but we hope the President will underscore his opposition to the Texas legislation and other similar initiatives. Reinforcing America's Commitment to Enforcement of Iran SanctionsIran continues to take actions promoting policies and human right violations that profoundly conflict with core American values. As we move closer to "implementation day," when the IAEA would certify that Iran has met the requirements under the nuclear agreement to lift international sanctions, Iran's ongoing human rights violations and its external aggressions must be taken into account when considering the prospect of normalized relations. The United States cannot look away from the institutionalized discrimination facing ethnic and religious minorities in Iran, including Baha'is, Christians, Jews, and Sunni Arabs. Their treatment ranges from quiet intimidation to systematic imprisonment. LGBT citizens fare far worse. The Iranian regime continues its decades-long support of terrorism against Israel and other countries, and routinely promotes fantastical anti-Israel and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, including mocking the Holocaust and accusing Israel of creating ISIS. It also has lent financial and military support to the murderous campaign of the Syrian government. The U.S. should be vigilant in using existing sanctions targeting these practices and explore new tools that might be needed to target both human rights violations and JCPOA violations. Advertisement We hope the President will send a strong message Tuesday night to Tehran that there will be consequences to testing both the boundaries of the nuclear agreement and continuing its nefarious behavior in the region, and repressive policies toward its own people. Supporting a Renewed U.S.-Israel RelationshipCongress and the Administration recognize the unique security threats and challenges facing Israel and the President should reaffirm the unshakeable U.S. commitment to Israel and its security in the SOTU. Negotiations between the U.S. and Israel are underway for a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to ensure Israel is able to maintain its qualitative military edge over its adversaries. The current MOU provides $30 billion in assistance to Israel over a 10-year period and is set to expire in 2017. As he enters his last full year in office, President Obama clearly has a full plate. He also has the opportunity to work with Congress to institutionalize changes, altering the landscape - domestically and internationally - in ways that will endure well beyond his presidency. We and the nation will be paying close attention. Winter is at its peak and trends and styles follow suit. Royal blues are making their mark this season while more stationary and jewelry trends appear. Snacks and sweets make the winter even better and new gadgets prove to be some of the most innovative pieces of technology yet. Banana Republic's crepe shirtdress in dreamy royal and monogram gold dress are two of the most iconic pieces one can wear this winter. With their rich hues, classy look, and silky fabrics, the wearer feels like true royalty. Pair the dresses with a city necklace from the Samantha Faye Collection (I recommend San Francisco or New York) and a pair of simple heels or flats to get the complete look. Top it all off with Tory Burch's roll-on perfume in holiday cracker packaging. Ban.do makes a return this season as well with the I Did My Best notebook, Los Angeles patch (by Tuesday Bassen), and California Love (art by Ann Shen). The notebook is perfect for documenting a stroke of inspiration, while the patch and art print are reminders of the warm California sun. IceyDesigns (created by Hafsah Faizal) boasts a wide range of designs that are perfect for any writer or bibliophile. With colorful covers and eye catching designs, notebooks and pencils prove to be a key factor of motivation for the writer and reader this winter. And while writing, make sure to light one of Diptyque's unique candles. Advertisement On the technology side appears the Rowkin Mini, a single wireless earbud operated via Bluetooth. When connected to a device, the earbud plays high quality audio, allowing the wearer to go about their daily routine without worrying about the messiness caused by wires. Once the power is drained, the user can plug it back into the little charging port and use it again when it's back at one hundred percent. If you have a sweet-tooth, Treatsie and Sugarfina provide delectable sweets in a vast variety. With Treatsie's monthly subscription box, one can try gourmet and artisan sweets and chocolates--surely, a sweets lover will find their favorite new treat is from the company. Treatsie is also perfect as a gift if the recipient is always looking for something sweet to eat. Sugarfina, on the other hand, carries a variety of candies and chocolates from all around the world. Sent to the customer in a beautifully packaged box, the sweets from this company prove to be both diverse and worldly. The OwlCrate and Appraising Pages' Bookish Box are both perfect for book-lovers. Also subscription boxes, both come with a variety of products that bibliophiles will enjoy. OwlCrate's box contains one book and various bookish items that fit the monthly theme, while The Bookish Box contains 3-5 bookish items such as jewelry, candle wax, hand-crafted bookmarks, and a tee-shirt suitable for the month's theme. On the other hand, Jordan Jones' Packed Party boxes are a match for those who want to celebrate a little. For the birthday girl comes the Birthday Beb box, complete with a little note reminding the recipient that it only takes one to party. Additional boxes include Yay, You! and Thanks (x Million) boxes, among others, beanies, and jewelry. ISTANBUL, TURKEY - JANUARY 12: Turkish police secure the area after an explosion in the central Istanbul Sultanahmet district on January 12, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. At least 10 people have been killed and 15 wounded in a suicide bombing near tourists in the central Istanbul historic Sultanahmet district, which is home to world-famous monuments including the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. Turkish President Erdogan has stated that the suicide bomber was of Syrian origin. (Photo by Can Erok/Getty Images) ISTANBUL -- Watching the footage of the aftermath of the suicide attack in Istanbul's Sultanahmet Square this morning brought back memories of three years ago. While researching for my book, "An Istanbul Anthology: Travel Writing Through the Centuries," I had found myself divided between reading rooms of libraries and Istanbul's touristic heart, which I visited frequently in the summer of 2013 when Istanbul's Taksim neighborhood had become a stage of violent conflict between protesters and police officers. I remember taking notes near the spot where the reported Saudi-born bomber detonated his suicide vest amidst a group of German tourists and others on Tuesday. It was once known as the "Horse Square," having being used as a hippodrome in Byzantine times. That the Istanbul represented by Horse Square -- a city of a huge wealth of ancient monuments -- has turned into a Conrad-esque stage of political terror during the past three years, must be surprising to those who had visited Istanbul during its more peaceful times. Advertisement It would certainly have shocked the famous 19th century decadent writer Theophile Gautier, whom I quote numerous times in my book. A favorite writer of Oscar Wilde, Gautier visited Horse Square in which "were collected the spoils of antiquity; a population of statues, numerous enough to fill a city, rose on the attics and the pedestals -- everywhere marbles and bronzes. The horses of Lysippus, the statues of the Emperor Augustus and the other emperors, of Diana, Juno, Pallas, Helen, Paris, Hercules, supreme in majesty, superhuman in beauty -- all the great art of Greece and Rome seemed to have sought a final refuge there." As security personnel cordoned off the area where lay the bodies of the 10 dead and 15 wounded this morning, the square had turned into something else: a political stage. As security personnel cordoned off the area where lay the bodies of the 10 dead and 15 wounded this morning, the square had turned into something else: a political stage. It was difficult to think that this had, in Byzantine times, been a place for chariot racing. Nor was it possible to remember how the Ottoman sultan and caliph of all Muslims on Earth, Ahmed III, had picked here as the place to commemorate the circumcision ceremony of his four sons in the early 18th century. The exquisite miniatures of the Ottoman book of festivities, "Surname-i Vehbi," depict the square in vivid colors; this is the real heart of ancient Istanbul. The transformation of that Istanbul to this one has been the legacy of modernity. On July 21, 1905, a carriage filled with explosives was detonated near Istanbul's Yldz Hamidiye Mosque, leaving 26 dead and 58 wounded. The attack had been planned by Armenian nationalists and carried out by the famous Belgian anarchist Edward Joris, who had been specially commissioned for this mission and transported inside the city. His mission: carrying out the assassination of Sultan Abdul Hamid II, who escaped the attack unscathed. Advertisement People walk in Istanbul's Sultanahmet district on Jan. 12. (OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images). Istanbul has always been a city of fires and earthquakes -- there was a big hotel fire at the other side of the city, and Istanbul locals had been waiting for a major earthquake during the past decade -- but terrorism had been mostly a rarity during the 20th century. I remember the death of Turkish author Onat Kutlar and the archeologist Yasemin Cebenoyan in 1995 in a bomb attack at the Marmara Hotel in Taksim. I remember, too, hearing the sound of explosives from my bedroom in 2003 when the HSBC headquarters and the British Consulate were hit by two truck bombs that killed at least 27 people and left hundreds wounded. What has changed in the noughties and 2010s is the increased frequency of such attacks. On Dec. 23 last year, mortar rounds were fired from a forest to Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport, killing the 30-year-old airport cleaner Zehra Yamac, who suffered a fatal head injury. A few months earlier, on Aug. 19, Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace was attacked with guns and explosives by militants. 'Everything here is breaking up, as with us.' What would Gautier, or other decadents and European orientalists who visited Istanbul, make of such events? "Everything here is breaking up, as with us," wrote Gustave Flaubert, who came to Istanbul in 1850. It was Flaubert's ominous but characteristically precise prediction that came to my mind as I watched the shocked faces of locals wandering Horse Square this morning. Earlier on WorldPost: Twelve words in a Bill Bryson book changed my friend Ann's life. Ann was 34, living in her native England, and bored by her job as an office manager for a government contractor. Then she read Bryson's book on the origins of the universe, A Short History of Nearly Everything. On page two of the introduction, Bryson makes a startling statement: "Even a long human life," he writes, "adds up to only about 650,000 hours." That number shook her. And she had a workplace epiphany. She was in a meeting, she looked around the room, and she thought...Why am I giving you lot one of my hours? So she went back to school, she studied ecology and wildlife conservation, and she traveled to South America, romping around the rainforest with a university research team (see photo above) -- all because of that number: 650,000 hours. We don't get much time on this lovely planet. And the older I get, the more I realize it. I've become more conscious of squandered hours -- of frittering away minutes like pennies, spending them without thought. Recently I caught myself slumped in the Barcalounger watching Match Game on a retro TV channel. That's right: I was watching a game show from 1978. And as an ascot-clad Charles Nelson Reilly puffed his pipe and harrumphed double-entendres onscreen I thought ... Is this really the best use of my time? Advertisement "Living life to the fullest" can seem daunting. We think a life of passion means plummeting from planes or scaling Mount Everest or piercing body parts that shouldn't be pierced. But relishing our 650,000 hours is as simple as savoring the planet's many gifts. So my advice for you -- for all of us -- in 2016 is this: Stare less at your phone and gaze more at the world. I've seen pedestrians so phone-focused they don't check traffic -- and nearly become hood ornaments on FedEx trucks. Let's lose our electronic self-absorption and take time to marvel at the Earthly goodies around us: to dog watch, people watch, cloud watch, star watch. In a vast, expanding universe, this is the only planet we know that has pizza. And babies. And cocker spaniels. And foosball. In the words of the great American philosopher -- Ferris Bueller -- "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." Live better by giving. Over the course of three comfort-zone-busting years, I volunteered in six countries, from a Costa Rican school to a scientific project in Ecuador (which is where I met Ann). In my travels, the most content, most centered, most satisfied people I met were those who'd dedicated their lives to others. Generosity can lower your blood pressure and heart rate, reduce stress levels, and even boost your longevity, studies have found. So give to family, to friends, to strangers, to enemies. To quote my father, success comes from helping others succeed. Follow your passion, even if it scares you. No one wants their life defined by the things they didn't do. The best way to learn about yourself -- and about others -- is to escape your bubble of familiarity. "My advice to anyone thinking about a career or lifestyle change is to make sure you are passionate about what you want to do," says Ann. "That excitement will carry you through the emotional and financial tough times. Without it, you can't possibly take the terrifying first steps." Advertisement After a "decade of transformation," as she calls it, Ann, now 44, is pursuing her PhD at Bournemouth University and conducting research at Poole Harbour in Southern England, studying the impact of "green macro-algal mats on the invertebrate community in intertidal mudflats and whether it's affecting the wintering wading bird population." And yes, she loves it. "Over the last three years I've been stuck in mud up to my waist, collected samples in howling wind and rain, sieved mud, picked out worms, counted the number of times a bird swallows, and filled my freezer with seaweed," she says. Here's hoping we find mudflats of joy in our own lives. "Ultimately those 650,000 hours -- or however many you are given -- are yours," says Ann. Let's make them count. Ken Budd is the host of 650,000 Hours, a web series launching in 2016. He is the author of the award-winning memoir The Voluntourist and his writing credits include The New York Times, National Geographic, Smithsonian, The Washington Post, and The Chicago Tribune. This post also appears on 650,000Hours.com. Here's Ann conducting research in the Poole Harbour mudflats. Earlier on Huff/Post50: On February 1, 2016 voters in Iowa will vote in the 2016 Democratic Caucuses. Iowa is one of ten states that still use the Caucuses to elect delegates and decide the state's preference for Democratic Presidential nominee. Since 1996, the Democratic candidate that won the Iowa Caucuses has gone on to win the presidential nomination. The importance of winning Iowa this year cannot be overstated. Most recent polls have shown a marginal lead for Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders with the margin of error making the polls a veritable tie. Sanders, long portrayed by mainstream media as being on the sidelines of the presidential race has indubitably become a front-runner both by the measure of his presence on the internet as well as his showings in hypothetical general election mashups in which he is the front-runner in Iowa among all voters. With such a small margin of difference in the polls, a victory in Iowa is likely to provide the momentum needed to sway voters in other states and win a presidential nomination. In the lead up to February 1, campaigning will intensify as will the rhetoric from the candidates. Voters in Iowa will be the focus of campaign workers both within the state as well as from all over the country pitching their candidate through telephone calls and postings in online forums. Political experts on television and in news journals will be analyzing polls and making predictions. The stakes, therefore, are high for the presidential hopefuls. Advertisement More importantly, the stakes are high for America. Incompetence and vested interest have been polluting the political system to the point that many have lost faith in Government. Movements such as Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party on either side of the spectrum have gained popularity through their rejection of the current political dispensation. While one sees the nation having become an oligarchy subject to the whims of the rich and powerful, the other blames a bloated and intrusive Federal Government. Ultimately, what most Americans desire in the here and now, regardless of their vision of what it should look like, is change; tangible and distinct from the status quo. Change is indeed both called for and necessary to fix America's problems and restore public faith in Government. The question is who out of all the candidates is most likely to create change? Let's start with who is unlikely to do so. It is not going to be the candidate who voted for the Iraq War and oversaw as Foreign Secretary the transfer of arms to Syrian Rebels that ended up in the hands of ISIS. Who has ties with the Financial Sector going back 41 years. Who along with her husband has received $69 million in contributions from Wall Street. Who has since running for Senate in 2000, taken $1 million from pharmaceutical and biotechnology giants and more than $2.7 million from health insurance companies. Who first as a powerful first lady and then as Foreign Secretary presided over an unprecedented intrusion of lobbyists in American politics, the housing bubble that led to the recession of 2007-2008 and an undeserving bailout of the banks that through their short-sighted and corrupt practices caused so much harm to the economy. Advertisement No, Hillary Clinton is not the candidate of change but the candidate of the establishment. Electing her is the equivalent of "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." Now try the candidate who passionately opposed and voted against the 2003 Iraq Invasion. Whose largest campaign finance contributors are workers unions and the bulk of whose campaign money comes from small personal contributions. Who has from his induction into the political field championed the poor and the Middle Class and campaigned against lobbying. Who has promised, without mincing words, to take on Corporate America, make the super-rich pay their fair share of income and estate tax and bring back the Public Option to Healthcare. Bernie Sanders is the only candidate who is not polluted by the corruption of the establishment. He is the only candidate that qualifies as the candidate of change. There are many who fear that the office of president is fast becoming a figurehead for an oligarchic dispensation that has taken power away from the people. Voting for Bernie Sanders will give us a chance of reversing this trend and putting political power back where it belongs -- with the people. TEHRAN, IRAN - JANUARY 08: Worshippers attend a rally to protest the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr January 8, 2016 in Tehran, Iran. Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent opposition Saudi Shiite cleric, was executed in Saudi Arabia on January 2nd, along with 47 other men. Thousands of worshippers who took part in Friday prayers joined a rally to protest the execution, carrying pictures of al-Nimr and chanting 'Death to Al Saud,' referencing the kingdom's royal family. According to local state media, similar protests took place in other Iranian cities and towns. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images) Iran and Saudi Arabia have been embroiled in a bitter diplomatic spat over the past days. The face-off was triggered when the kingdom executed 47 people in a day, including a prominent Shiite Muslim cleric, who is claimed to have incited unrest by taking up arms and calling for foreign intervention in the country. The claim is refuted by many journalists and commentators who have reported that Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was a non-violent preacher and simply advocated greater freedoms for the suppressed Shiite minority of Saudi Arabia. In the wake of the provocative execution, a mob of angry protesters -- totally unduly and unjustifiably -- attacked the diplomatic compounds of Saudi Arabia in the Iranian capital Tehran and the northeastern city of Mashhad, ransacked the buildings and caused damage to the Saudi properties. Advertisement Even though 40 people were arrested on site and despite the quick condemnation by President Hassan Rouhani who called the embassy attackers a group of "extremist individuals" who will be brought to justice, the Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir rushed to announce the severing of diplomatic relations with Iran and the expulsion of Iranian diplomats from Riyadh and Jeddah. However, the Saudi government didn't content itself with unilaterally cutting off ties with Iran, and prompted a full-fledged standoff between the Arab world and Iran by prodding other countries into taking similar action. Bahrain, Sudan, Somalia and Djibouti followed the Saudi pattern of breaking off their diplomatic relations with Iran while UAE recalled its ambassador from Tehran to be simply represented by a charge d'affaires and Kuwait reportedly downgraded its relations as well, even though the Tehran officials denied it. In the days to come, the officials of Iran and Saudi Arabia continued to exchange fire and embarrassed each other with verbal threats and torrents of accusation. Saudis' infuriation was understandable, as their embassy and consulate in Iran had been assaulted and vandalized; however, it seems that the officials in Riyadh were not willing to understand the public anger they had caused not only in the Shiite Iran, but across the Muslim world, by killing a noted cleric who apparently didn't have a record of setting off violence or armed conflict. The unchecked frustration of Iranians was aggravated by the astounding silence of the U.S. government and the EU member states, which are conventionally agile and quick in speaking out to condemn every instance of human rights violation in Iran, including the detention of journalists or activists, but remained unusually quiet on the mass executions in Saudi Arabia. Advertisement Saudi Arabia's human rights recordThe hardliners who assaulted the Saudi embassy and consulate gave the best gift to the Riyadh officials -- as noted by the New York Times correspondent in Tehran Thomas Erdbrink -- by diverting global attention from the execution of Sheikh Nimr, which was genuinely a humiliation for the Saudis and a testimony to their deplorable human rights record. However, the Saudis need to keep in mind that they cannot maintain the status quo and have to seriously revise their human rights policies. Just a few statements from the Human Rights Watch 2015 report on Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia continued in 2014 to try, convict, and imprison political dissidents and human rights activists solely on account of their peaceful activities. Systematic discrimination against women and religious minorities continued. Authorities failed to enact systematic measures to protect the rights of 9 million foreign workers. World Report 2015: Saudi Arabia, Human Rights Watch By violating the rights of its Shiite citizens and subjugating them, Saudi Arabia has made its Eastern Province -- the predominantly Shiite region in the kingdom -- a keg of gunpowder that's readily prone to explosion. Abdullah Ibn Jibreen, a member of the Higher Council of Ulama, had once said that Shiites are heretics, apostates and the most vicious enemy of Muslims who "should be boycotted and expelled so that Muslims spared their evil." This kind of approach towards the Shiite Muslims simply fans the flames of sectarianism and creates destructive divisions within the Islamic world, imparting the message to the international community that Muslims are unable to live together cooperatively and cohesively, and that this Sunni-Shiite rivalry is insurmountable. This is while the differences in the convictions and rituals of Sunnis and Shiites are far less significant than what they have in common. They're simply two denominations of a religion, just like there are several branches of Christian faith, and are normally expected to live by each other cooperatively and with civility. Advertisement The reasons why they're pitted against each other are so elaborate that require an entire book of reportage and investigation. But the reasons why they remain at odds and sometimes declare the killing of the other side permissible and even recommendable should be sought in the shortsighted, parochial thinking of the leaders of the Muslim world -- not simply in Saudi Arabia -- who have been unable, after several decades of holding solidarity conferences and gatherings, to forge a consistent strategy to bridge this gap. Iran's problem with the hardlinersUnquestionably, Iran has a problem with the autonomous, self-directed hardliners who obviously don't take orders from the government, but are always prepared to complicate the efforts of those who work for peace and moderation. After eight years of hardliner rule under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hassan Rouhani won the hearts of Iranians in 2013 by promising constructive engagement with the international community. He made up for the mess that the hardliners had created in 2011 by similarly attacking the British embassy in Tehran, resulting in the breakdown of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and ties with Britain were restored last year. Rouhani met David Cameron two times in New York, an unprecedented gesture and an important sign of rapprochement after some 12 years. He embraced the verbal attacks and defamatory propaganda of the fanatics at home and responded to a phone call by President Obama, the highest-ranking contact between the leaders of the two nations in some four decades. He turned the impossibility of signing a nuclear deal with the six world powers into a reality and undercut the taboo of direct negotiations with the United States. President Rouhani demonstrated that he is able to resist the radicals and make the life easier for his people who've been suffering from redundant hostilities. However, the recent diplomatic rupture with Saudi Arabia was simply an outcome of the intransigence of ready-to-rally mobs - who seem to be defiant even with a moderate president in power - and the opportunism of the Saudi officials who long anticipated such a juncture to push away their much-loathed rival, especially now that it's bypassing isolation with the imminent implementation of the nuclear deal. Advertisement A deplorable blame gameA blame game is the worst thing Iran and Saudi Arabia can play these days. To exchange accusations and call each other the root cause of the chaos that plagues the Middle East is to deflect responsibility for the despair that is inundating the crisis-stricken region. Keeping up incendiary rhetoric and brandishing "additional measures" demonstrate imprudence and naivete. Both Iran and Saudi Arabia need to understand that they have a role to play in extinguishing sectarian tensions in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and elsewhere. They need to understand that both of them are pivotal actors in the Muslim world and their spiraling animosity undermines unity among the Muslims that direly need camaraderie and togetherness more than anytime, to counter the growing menace of Islamophobia -- a threat that is haunting the ordinary Muslim citizens worldwide, and would be intensified if the major Islamic nations continue their pointless infighting. Child holding stack of books with mortar board chalk drawing on blackboard concept for university education and future aspirations My granddaughter had a wonderful opportunity. She was invited to participate in Orchestra Day at the local high school. It was an inspiring event, culminating in almost 300 students in the high school and middle school orchestras performing together. It was also a perfect example of how a child's ability can come into direct conflict with her emotional development. My granddaughter, who is in fourth grade, plays violin well enough to participate in the 7th and 8th-grade middle school orchestra. But at age nine, she is not physically or emotionally ready to handle the demands of spending an entire day in high school. Advertisement I happened to be driving her home after the day and she was silent. That is so unusual for her that I asked if she had a good time at Orchestra Day. "Sort of." What was the problem? Were the high school students nice to her? "Yes." Was it cool to see how well they played? "Yes, but I'm super tired from having to sit all day and just work." Of course she was. She's nine years old. Parents often ask me why am troubled by a recent study by the American Education Research Association, that kindergarten is the new first grade. Haven't we learned that children are much more capable of learning at a younger age? Haven't most kids been to some kind of preschool or daycare? Well, no and no. Some kids have had more exposure to learning at a younger age and we know more about the brain, but that doesn't mean the developmental trajectory of children has changed. And according to the National Center for Education Statistics, "The percentage of 3- to 5-year-olds enrolled in pre-primary programs increased from 59 to 64 percent between 1990 and 2000, but there has been no measurable increase since then." OK, so for 64 percent of kids in kindergarten, shouldn't they be learning what children used to learn in first grade? My answer is that they should not. Even if some (more than half at some schools and very few at others) are intellectually capable of learning a first-grade curriculum, most five-year-olds are not developmentally ready to be drilled on reading and math. Like my granddaughter, they would come home exhausted. Depleted. Dispirited. Drained. Except for my granddaughter, it was one day. For children pushed beyond their social and emotional capacity, it's day in and day out. Advertisement My son was intellectually precocious. He taught himself to read before he was three. But that didn't mean he should have been reading books with mature content in kindergarten. Just because he could read and understand the words did not mean he could grasp the subject matter or that the ideas were appropriate for a child so young. Similarly, because he was also a math wiz, the school suggested sending him to middle school for math when he was in fourth grade. Yes, he could have done the work, but socially, emotionally, and chronologically he was younger than many in his peer group. The prospect of attending classes every day with seventh graders was frightening to him. So I said no way, and his wonderful elementary school teacher gave him work to do at his own level and let him work on his own during group math instruction. And he went on to be a math major in college and to use those skills as a professor of environmental health. I tell my son's story as an example of allowing time for children's social and emotional sides to grow to be in sync with their abilities. Another story I often share is that of a precocious little girl who skated with my daughters. She was a pretty good figure skater for a child who was not even three. But her mother insisted she be included in ice shows in which she could do the moves but not remember the choreography. I saw her backstage nursing with skates dangling from her feet. There was something wrong with that picture. She was still a very young child developmentally, and not respecting that led to a very short-lived skating career. NOTE: This post originally appeared in Sightings, an online publication of the Martin Marty Center for the Advanced Study of Religion, University of Chicago Divinity School. Those [of us] who are expected to monitor religious trends have reason to find talk of blasphemy a complex challenge to commentators and responsible citizens. Islam is an international supplier of reasons for pondering and arguing themes associated with blasphemy. Most terrorism by factions in or at the edges of the Islamic world(s) is usually occasioned by fanatics who act in defense of Allah against heretics, the religious "other," and "infidels" who are seen or claimed to be blasphemers. Advertisement Is it time to rethink blasphemy? The dictionary can be succinct: blasphemy is radical irreverence or disrespect shown to that which is sacred, holy--especially when deity is involved. But the borderline between hard-core blasphemy and mere irreverence is blurry, and often seen by "the eyes of the beholder." This week's New Yorker prompted reflection on the borderline. Was it crossed or only tip-toed-toward in Simon Rich's piece, "Day of Judgment" (January 8), illustrated by a Jesus-looking figure gesturing past a score of microphones to an unseen audience. Irreverent to the core, yes: but was it blasphemous? The star of the article is named "the Messiah," a proper name in Judaism and Christianity alike. Regulars on the scene know that there have been and are "false Messiahs" in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. They can be found by the dozens, of course, in Wikipedia. But Simon Rich's "Messiah" is a befuddled "real" Messiah who confuses Al Sharpton with Al Roker, and can't keep apart the biographies of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. This Messiah came from heaven to announce and effect "salvation" and other good things, but the crowd goes silent and embarrassed cherubs pull him back to heaven. The piece was well-aimed satire but was it blasphemous? Did the New Yorker get any critical letters? Advertisement Wasn't the Vatican doing its job by protesting a violently demeaning and profane "God" on the cover of the notorious Charlie Hebdo? Was Saudi Arabia's censorious government weirdly out of line by banning the naming of boys "Benjamin" by Saudi parents, no doubt because it has been corrupted by "Benyamin," as in Netanyahu? Etc. Etc. We confess to having sometimes enjoyed borderline blasphemies on late-night television and in other media. Taking on sacred cows can in some ways be good for "the sacred" and, for that matter, for figurative "cows." In another column we might speak of the values of "sacred irreverence" in a culture where Culture War partisans are too sure of what is blasphemous. And yet. . .and yet? In today's column let's at least entertain the idea that the New Yorker and satirical magazines like Charlie Hebdo, if and when they cross the line with profane depictions of the Deity--as conceived by devout, ethical people in the great faith communities--help breed cynicism, relativism, or pseudo-tolerance to the point that being in awe of the "Sacred Other" is forgotten. What if reverence toward God and standards of respectful human communication are irretrievably lost? And what if awe and reverence are lost at a time when some sense of the Holy in the religions, toward nature and in human interactions, merits retrieval? Here's to "awe" in an often aw-ful civilization. Advertisement Saul, Heather. "Is your name now 'banned' in Saudi Arabia?" Independent, March 14, 2014, Middle East. Image: A gathering in Brussels held in solidarity for the attack in Paris on Charlie Hebdo, Jan. 7, 2015. Pictured is Charb (Stephane Charbonnier), cartoonist, columnist, and editor-in-chief of Charlie Hebdo, who was killed during the attack. Credit: Valentina Cala / flickr creative commons. Today, the Earth got a little hotter, and a little more crowded. One More Reason To Save Forests: The David Bowie Hunter, a spider newly discovered in the Malaysian highlands in 2015. Forests house fascinating forms of life. Credit Oskar87jk at flickr Forests: the cheapest way to store carbon ** The Dying Trees of Pinnacles National Monument, CA: Laser-imaged aerial map of the tree health of California's forests after four years of drought. Color code: Red trees are severely depleted of water and at risk of dying if drought recurs.; yellow trees show drought stress. Source Greg Asner OO California Drought Could Kill 58 Million Trees, Greatly Reducing Future Water Supplies - says a new study. Advertisement Their deaths will release stored carbon into the air, further fueling climate change. Forest ecosystems will be destroyed, and so will a vital aspect of California's water system: the mass storage of water by forests and their soils. By threatening the world's forests, humans ultimately harm themselves. Related Headline: What Drought Stricken Trees Looks Like, at Ground Level - drying and dying in California, along with the forests that store a vital part of the state's water supply. Credit Leah Millis at www.sfchronicle.com OO Study: 58 Million Dry California Trees Threatened By Drought - beneath the canopy of snow that recently blanketed California's mountainsides are vast swaths of forest struggling to survive the drought. * * NATURAL REPERCUSSIONS Advertisement @@ Climate Change 101: Why Care? What You Need to Know - Bill Nye tells it all in five minutes What Happens When You Add a Lot of Heat to the Planet's Air and Water? Not So Merry Christmas, Texas as a tornado wreaked destruction on December 26, 2015. Source www.usnews.com OO Climate Chaos, Across The Map: Ends 2015, Continues In 2016 2015 closed with: tornado outbreaks in the US south, and high northeast Christmas temperatures floods drowning cities in England a string of weather anomalies worldwide Get Ready for More of This, California! Source www.esassoc.com 2016 will continue the chaos as: heavy central US rain fuels major floods along the Mississippi heavy rains start California flooding South Africa's drought threatens hunger for millions ** 2015 Was Hotter And Wilder By Far than previous record hot years. NASA While the weather chaos is due both to accelerating climate change and the latest El Nino weather cycle, 2015 was warmer, by far, than the next warmest year on record, likely due to global warming resulting climate change makes extreme weather, such as heavy rain and heat waves, more frequent. globally warmed oceans are sending extra water into the air, in combo with the El Nino cycle. this extra water likely fueled the record number of 2015 Pacific typhoons and influenced heavy US southeast rains. ** All types of extreme weather are occurring worldwide simultaneously: droughts, heavy storms, floods, heat waves. Expect more, with continuing climate change. Polar Cyclone: This storm in the far North Atlantic is the same one that caused two tornado outbreaks and widespread flooding in the US. Now, it's pushing North Pole temperatures well above average. Source earth.nullschool.net OO Freak Storm Pushes North Pole 50 Degrees Above Normal To Melting Point - a powerful winter cyclone -- the same storm that led to two tornado outbreaks in the United States and disastrous river flooding -- has driven the North Pole to the freezing point this week, 50 degrees above average for this time of year. OO Record-Breaking US Christmas Heat: A Record Hot December For Hundreds Of Cities - December's second long and record-shattering mild spell, which peaked during Christmas Week, helped numerous cities shatter their record warmest December. ** Imagine All Of Humanity Jumping Into The Sea and not getting out: that's how much water is being added to the ocean from Greenland ... every day! Sea rise in action. Advertisement OO Greenlandic Tipping Point: Formerly Retained Melt Water Now Gushes Into the Sea - at the rate of 8,000 tons per second. The new ice that formed in the wake of a mass surface melt in 2012 is different: it can't absorb meltwater like the previous old ice. ** Seashell Paradise: Sanibel Island, FL, renown for its beautiful shells, is a barrier island., many of which will be under water in 50 years because of climate change, says a University of Miami professor and expert on sea-level rise. OO US Barrier Islands Could Be Unlivable In 50 Years as a rising sea drowns them, says a sea rise expert. OO UK Record Flooding: The Latest Symptom Of Both El Nino And Climate Change - a report from its national meteorological agency concludes. ** Pretty Puffins are now at risk of extinction as climate change and fishing reduces its food sources. Credit Felicia Wert at www.feelgrafix.com Advertisement OO UK National Trust Survey: Atlantic Puffins Threatened and More, In Year Of Climate Confusion showing how sunny winter, and wet and windy summer affected British flora and fauna in 2015. Extinction now threatens Atlantic puffins and turtle doves, says the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Frogs and toads in southern England suffered as many pools dried up over the spring. there was a noticeable shortage of ladybugs, an important predator of crop pests. jellyfish flourished. When The Amazon Goes, so will the Blue Macaw. OO Amazon To Transition To Savannah Under Climate Change, As World Loses "Air Conditioner" says a new model that captures the diversity of responses of the Amazon to climate change. The giant forest recycles vast amounts of water into the air, as it stores a vast, slowly increasing amount of carbon. Those vast amounts of carbon will be released as this forest is lost. * * CLIMATE CHANGE COSTS Source www.kshb.com OO US 2015 Wintertime Floods Among Costliest Ever Related Headline: OO Rain Didn't Cause the Recent Deadly Mississippi Flooding. We Did. OO Balmy Winter Hits French Ski Workers With Unemployment OO Alpine Ski Resorts Hope Petting Zoos Will Make Up For Lack Of Snow - There's almost no snow on sunny slopes in the northern Alps below 2,000 meters (6,570 feet); farther south the snow has melted at as high as 3,000 meters. * * FOSSIL FUEL FOLLIES Advertisement "...in terms of environmental impact [of the Aliso Valley methane leak] on the daily lives of thousands of people and cost, we're talking about many, many, many billions, perhaps hundreds of billions of dollars when all is said and done here." -- Cornell University professor of Engineering Anthony Ingraffea at Living On Earth OO 2016: California's 'Staggering' Leak Could Spew Methane For Months A leaking natural gas storage field continues to belch thousands of tons of methane into the air every week, causing health and climate concerns. OO $2 Gas Is Not Having the Economic Impact Everyone Thought It Would The 2015 drop in oil prices has been like a $290 billion tax cut, roughly equal to a 1-2% across-the-board cut in federal income and payroll taxes. But the economy has not snapped back. ** The Forked Tongue of Big Oil: as it publicly claimed that climate science was too uncertain to guide public policy, it engineered its infrastructure to withstand future climate change. In the 1990s. Advertisement OO Big Oil Braced For Global Warming While It Fought Regulations OO Magnitude 4.2 Earthquake Near Oklahoma City Prods Call For More Fracking Restrictions ** Fluffy SF Fog: So Beautiful, So Toxic Source bluxomestreetpost.com OO The Toxic Chemical In San Francisco's Fog: Mercury - from burning fossil fuel burning, mining and metal refining. It's not a toxic hazard - yet: mercury accumulates in humans over time. How long do you plan to live in SF? OO 58 Workers Laid Off At Montana Mine As Coal Industry Slumps in the largest US coal-producing region. OO Poland: Government Chokes On Coal - as it tries to figure out how to save jobs as coal spirals towards bankruptcy. China's Pollution Should Concern US - since the US receives it 10 days after China produces it via winds. Lucky for us, China is starting to address it. Here is some headed our way. Source NASA Advertisement OO China To Suspend New Coal Mine Approvals Amid Pollution Fight and will continue to trim production capacity. The world's biggest energy consumer struggles to shift away from coal as it grapples with pollution. OO China Cracks Down On Coal Producers As Pollution Worsens mandating that domestic coal producers must cut output by 60 million tonnes in a bid to reduce oversupply and help fix the worsening pollution crisis. OO End Of Fossil Fuels Won't Come Too Soon For Millions Breathing Toxic Air OO Toxic Air Forces Delhi To Sideline Millions Of Cars and use more public transit. Delhi's particulate matter 2.5 levels have averaged 153 in 2014, over 7x that of Los Angeles and over 3x that of Beijing. OO As Drought Dries Up Hydropower, Zimbabwe Turns To Fossil Energy - let's hope they develop clean energy soon, for everyone's sake. * * GOOD CLEAN NEWS OO Wind, Solar Power Soar Worldwide, Despite Bargain Prices For Fossil Fuels Related Headlines: OO Our Worldwide Energy Transformation in 2015 OO The Outlook for Wind and Solar After the Paris Climate Talks - wind and solar capacity could triple over the next 15 years. Advertisement OO Coal Glut, Renewables Make EU Power Cheapest in Decade - Record-low coal prices and increased wind and solar generation that pushed European power prices to their lowest in a decade may cause further declines in 2016. OO Major Offshore Wind Operator Plans $9 Billion UK Investment by 2020 OO North Dakota: Utility Doubles Wind Generation Capacity in Power Portfolio OO Electric Car Subsidies Are Hated by Economists because the cars are only as clean as the electricity that runs them. If the goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, policy ought to seek out the cheapest reductions firs -- like a carbon tax. GOOD IDEAS Source abcnews.go.com OO 5 Ways To Be A Climate-Friendly Eater In 2016 eat foods that require little energy to produce eat less meat eat less food choose organic if vegetarian, try veganism OO Oregon Program Aims To Push Clean Fuels To Cut Global Warming - aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by promoting cleaner fuels is a new step in a regional partnership. * * If we do not grow sustainably, Our children will die inhumanely. Advertisement @@ Myth vs Truth: The Huge Value of Contraception is an incisive, heartfelt recognition of the value of contraception by Sarah Brown, CEO, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy Unintended Pregnancy Costs US Taxpayers: Unintended Pregnancies Cost US Taxypayers Nearly $11 Billion Yearly -the Guttmacher Institute Teen Childbearing Alone Cost US Taxpayers $9+ Billion In 2010 And the costs of raising a child usually ensures decades, if not a life, of poverty for its mother. - US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention WHAT YOU CAN DO Help prevent unintended pregnancies in your community: publicize where women can access affordable contraception. They can go here to find locations: And there are many more actions you can do, right here. * * * SOLAR KEEPS RISING Source sandiegofreepress.org 2015 Headlines: Thanks for the Memories! OO Solar Is Cheaper Than the Grid in 42 of the 50 Largest US Cities (80+%) And a Better Investment Than the Stock Market OO Cheapest Solar Ever: Austin Energy Gets 1.2 Gigawatts of Solar Bids for Less Than 5 Cents per KW-Hr Advertisement OO UK: Solar-Plus-Storage Systems To Be Tested in London *** Solar Visions *** Solar Dragon Stadium in Japan designed by Toyo Ito. Its dragon-scale roof of 8,000 panels, is said to be enough to power up to 80% of the surrounding neighborhood. Source motherboard.vice.com OO In the Future Your House Will be a Solar Panel with a solar photovoltaic thermal energy system on the roof and thin power-generating film on the windows. OO Australia: Developer Aims To Put Entire Community Off-Grid - A sign of things to come for communities in Down Under? OO Bad News For Australian Coal: India's Solar Surge May Slash Coal Imports - Dramatic cost declines in solar power tenders in India have shaken up expectations on pricing for the renewable fuel. OO India's Solar Power Capacity to Quadruple by March 2017 says its Energy Minister. The government is focusing on speed, skill and scale rather than subsidies to drive reforms and progress in the energy sector. Advertisement OO A Big Boost For Solar Rooftops In India: Subsidies OO Electrifying India, With The Sun And Small Loans Check it out here, right now! * * * WHY WE SHOULD ACT NOW: RISING RISKS Daily Climate Change: Global Map of Unusual Temperatures, Jan 11, 2016 How unusual has the weather been? No one event is "caused" by climate change, but global warming, which is predicted to increase unusual, extreme weather, is having a daily effect on weather, worldwide. Looking above at recent temperature anomalies, much of the US is colder than normal - except Alaska! - but the waters surrounding it are experiencing warmer than normal temperatures: El Nino fueled rains continue to reach California but not enough the relieve the drought, nor protect nearly 60 million trees threatened by it, as noted earlier in this column. Much of the areas surrounding the North Pole are experiencing much warmer than normal temperatures - not good news for our Arctic thermal shield of ice. Hotter than usual temperatures continue to dominate human habitats. * * * There is, of course, much more news on the consequences and solutions to climate change. To get it, check out this annotated resource list I've compiled, "Climate Change News Resources," at Wordpress.com here. For more information on the science of climate change, its consequences and solutions you can view my annotated list of online information resources here. To help you understand just what science does and does NOT do, check this out! Every day is Earth Day, folks, as I was reminded by this Melaleuca flower I photographed one fall in California. Making the U.S. a global clean energy leader will ensure a heck of a lot more jobs, and a clean, safe future. If you'd like to join the increasing numbers of people who want to TELL Congress that they will vote for clean energy candidates you can do so here. It's our way of letting Congress know there's a strong clean energy voting bloc out there. For more detailed summaries of the above and other climate change items, audio podcasts and texts are freely available. This post was jointly written by Nikhil Bumb, Neal Daftary, Parth Savla, Priti Shah, and Sonali Vakharia. Last October, almost three months ago now, roughly 10,000 people from over 70 countries and 30 religious and spiritual traditions attended the sixth Parliament of the World's Religions in Salt Lake City, Utah - a five-day interfaith conference including 7 plenaries and over 1,000 smaller workshops and panels. The Parliament, founded in 1893 in Chicago, is an attempt to create a global dialogue of faiths. The theme for this year's conference was "Reclaiming the Heart of Our Humanity" and it featured a long lineup of renowned scholars including Dr. Jane Goodall, Dr. Karen Armstrong, and Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire. The participants included 60+ members of the Jain faith, including the five of us - Nikhil Bumb, Neal Daftary, Parth Savla, Priti Shah, and Sonali Vakharia. As young adult ambassadors of Jainism, we were deeply humbled and enlightened by the experience. Coming into the Parliament, we had no expectations, but we left feeling enriched and empowered. Advertisement The stated mission of the Council of the Parliament of the World's Religions is "to cultivate harmony among the world's religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world." With so much hate and violence around the world, particularly in light of the recent events in San Bernardino, Paris, Mali, and Beirut (to name just a few), it was refreshing to attend and see the collaborative efforts to protect the interests of mankind. Collectively, we have never seen so much compassion, love, and genuine openness for one another's faith. Here are some of our takeaways from our collective Parliament experience as Jain youth: Participation is about more than awareness. It needs action through involvement. As members of a minority faith that most people have never heard of, Jains often feel that our role at these forums should be focused on building awareness. Jain sessions are mostly technical, communicating the detailed principles, history, and scriptures of Jainism, with few references to applying those aspects in our routine lives. The Parliament wasn't just about bringing people of different faiths and backgrounds together and learning. The real power of such a platform is about doing something with that collaboration. The challenge for any minority faith is the ability to participate on both levels - creating awareness of one's faith and energizing members in the values of the faith to, in turn, express those values through projects which can benefit the world around them. The Parliament highlighted five major social themes - gender inequality and women's empowerment; income inequality and the wealth gap; climate change; war, violence, and hate crimes; and nurturing the generation of emerging young leaders. At its core, the Jain philosophy is inherently integrated with these issues and can contribute immense learnings and solutions on a broader scale. Advertisement Broadening awareness is a first and important step at these events. In order to make meaningful impact while reinforcing Jain ideals, we would like to see Jains actively engaging and participating in the discussion on these social issues. As advocates of non-violence (ahimsa) and believers of equality and respect for all viewpoints (anekantvad), while being mindful of the impact of our personal consumption in the world around us (aparigraha), it is our social responsibility to advance these issues and to be more engaged and connected in mainstream outlets. As (future) leaders, we need to set aside our emotions and address problems objectively. In his address at the "War, Violence, and Hate" plenary, Dr. Tariq Ramadan, European Union advisor and Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford University, emphasized that if we really want to make headway against issues such as hate crimes, religious discrimination, violence, and war, we must remove emotions from the equation. Being emotionally connected enables an empathy for others. On the other hand, emotions cloud our judgment and stunt possibilities of getting to real, deeper solutions. Dr. Ramadan's philosophy applies not just to issues like hate and violence, but across problems at the individual- and community-levels as well. It is more constructive to understand the history of the systemic issues which breed violence rather than judging agents of violence or "victims" of such systems. Jainism is both a scientific and practical philosophy that adapts to social and cultural shifts while preserving its core values and practices. Anekantvad teaches us that everyone has a voice and something valuable to contribute. We should remember and stress that objectivity. Activism starts at the grassroots level, with you. Focus on small steps. Parliament speakers addressed critical topics like climate change, income inequality, discrimination, wasteful consumption, war and terrorism. Hearing these speakers was inspiring and electrifying, and at the same time intimidating and daunting. As young people, how can we change the world for the better and contribute positively towards these movements? Advertisement Start with yourself. Mahatma Gandhi's motto was: "Be the change you wish to see in the world." In a panel on "What Would Gandhi Do? Moral Strategies for Sustainability, Peace, and Justice," Fresno State Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Veena Howard noted that "the champion of non-violence and self-discipline put his faith in the common human being rather than the power of an empire." Change begins with us, not just by talking but by doing and actively making changes in our own life. We can then be the change locally, stepping up at the community level to help lead change in a slightly broader audience, and eventually working our way up to larger scales. We (young Jains) need to show up. Let's be on the field, not on the stands. It's easy for us to to sit back and complain about issues, to find fault in others, and to feel resigned. At the Parliament, we heard fellow Jains comment that many of the sessions did not really apply to "us" or that we need "better representation" of our faith. At similar conventions within the Jain community, we often hear fellow young people express frustration that sessions are too technical and don't provide relevance of how values can be relayed to our lives and our every changing world - a challenge that many faith-based communities are experiencing. The responsibility is also ours. If we don't vocalize our opinions and perspectives, we can't expect for them to be known or for action to be taken. Often we assume someone else will raise the issue, that it isn't "our place," or that we won't be heard. Part of the problem may also be a misunderstanding on how to interpret Jainism and apply our principles to issues in our daily lives, or even broader social issues. Our challenge, as young people, is to avoid this complacency. It's likely that if you are thinking about these topics, someone else is as well. Use the resources presently available to you to express how Jainism impacts your daily life. Your actions will create a new paradigm that will engage and generate interest amongst others that can then stimulate wider action and change. Jainism has valuable scientific and practical teachings to give to society and it would be disheartening to lose these contributions. After five days immersed in a swirl of speakers, music, art and dance from religious traditions across the world, we emerged relaxed and rejuvenated. It renewed our spirits and sparked a fire, deep within our souls, to take a stand against these very issues that promote injustice and inequality. Sharing our learnings from the Parliament was the first step. Advertisement Ultimately, the Parliament taught us that religion can be an incredibly positive force in promoting change and bringing peace to the world. We live in a global village and we should strive to stay open-minded and to live with mutual respect, harmony, and optimism. At the same time, we have a personal and social responsibility to take an active stance in applying the principles of our own faith and embracing the value and practice of interfaith education and dialogue to create meaningful spaces for activism. Let us practice values in action. Earlier last month, Cisco Systems was ranked 31st by the Boston Consulting Group's Top 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2015. Although it may not be a surprise to see Cisco on the list, it is rare to see how Cisco nurtures innovation. Innovate verb innovate \i-n-vat\ Innovation is strongly associated with gadgets and gizmos, but the term's origin is in the latin verb, innovare - to make change. Innovation requires human intervention to plan, build, and manage its chaotic forces. At Cisco, the innovation engine is driven by five pistons: Within this innovation machine is a little known jewel called, Cisco Hyper-Innovation Living Labs (CHILL). True to its name, CHILL provokes disruption by emulsifying solutions from non-competing companies in various industries. This involves mustering senior executives from Fortune 500 companies at undisclosed locations around the globe for 48 hours. Advertisement The locations of these conclaves are trivial; it's the ideas and solutions, which are most intriguing. After several several attempts, I was fortunate to meet with the oracle of CHILL, Kate O'Keeffe. The Alchemist Kate is originally from Melbourne, Australia, and has traversed the globe to fulfill her Personal Legend. It would seem like an overnight success for anyone to go from the owner for a bridal shoe store in Australia to commandeer one of the largest tech companies in the world. However, her journey through the precarious forest of innovation can be characterized by one word - persistence. One of Kate's initiatives was creating Cisco's Services Excellence Innovation Center (SEIC), which fosters ingenuity within Cisco. Instilling change within a Fortune 100 company is not easy, let alone a successful implementation. But her tenacity had achieved results: 1 in 40 internal ideas became fully implemented within the company, which was 3 times higher than the industry benchmark. We met inside Building 10 at Cisco headquarters in San Jose. We are surrounded by toys - Legos, trains, 3D printed sculptures, and a curious dollar bill mounted on the wall. They are not presents for the twins Kate's expecting; it is for the engineers to build low fidelity solutions. Advertisement Innovation vs. Hyper-Innovation Innovation at a large organization is traditionally nurtured and deployed internally. As a result, solutions are insular and focus on acute pain. Unfortunately, 70-90% of these projects fail. CHILL has a peculiar business model because it creates solutions for its partners with its partner's partners. The fundamental difference between innovation and hyper-innovation is the aggregation of multiple organizations, working together to alleviate chronic and systemic problems. Kate explains that every CHILL involves a multi party dialogue between 5-6 corporate partners. This cross pollination of ideas and resources lead to breakthroughs that would not normally occur in isolation. Living Labs Large corporations are notorious for being lumbering giants that are conservative in planning, slow to build, and hierarchal in management. CHILL disrupts this notion by giving teams autonomy and access to technical talent, strategic partners, and seed capital. All under one roof, within 48 hours. A Living Lab occurs once a quarter. 12-16 weeks before a lab occurs, an anchor partner approaches CHILL with problems to solve. Based on the use cases, four to five partners are curated and invited to join the lab. These partners are selected based on mutually symbiotic traits. For example, Nike, Lowe's, and Costco wanted to create a frictionless shopping experience. Consequently, Visa was invited to provide domain expertise in payments. During this pre-lab stage, code libraries are built, letter of intents are forged, and teams are wrangled. The actual lab is an intense 48 hours of co-creation with all participating partners present. The collective group of over a hundred individuals is then mixed into 4-6 teams. Each team includes a dozen Cisco engineers, business units, and most importantly, the end user. Together, they tussle over 8-12 rounds of customer feedback, distilling concepts with each iteration. "Tailored short-term teams with radically diverse yet relevant skills help identify opportunity areas quickly." - Harvard Business Review CHILL is a bootcamp for innovation. The Minimum Viable Products (MVP) are raw prototypes born from sheer brute force. Kate emphasizes that the innovation process is rarely linear. Three of Five Teams have scrapped their MVP in favor of a new concept, hours before presenting their efforts to senior executives. This places incredible pressure on the engineers tasked with spawning butterflies from caterpillars within the final 24 hours. The ownership of Intellectual Property (IP) can also be ambiguous when it is co-created by multiple companies. CHILL resolves this hurdle by having all parties agreeing to equally split the IP rights created in the lab. Should a spin off company occur, the IP is likely transferred to the company, in exchange for shares. This asset transfer model has a similar structure with University Technology Transfer Offices. Bippity Boppity Boo Within 48 hours, projects are vetted by a senior executive investment team. In this Shark Tank setting, projects are evaluated and investment secured on the spot based on the value at stake and the presence of a joint investor. Investments are accelerator sized ($10K - $200K per project) with additional funding available in tranches. At the time of publication, only strategic partners are involved in financing CHILL's spin offs. However, investment from private venture capital firms are in the works for 2016. After the circus rolls through, the real work begins. Funded teams are expected to develop consumer grade products within 60 days of the lab. Since the inception of CHILL, a third to two thirds of projects have been progressed to further stages. Kate explains that success is measured by growth, both in terms of operational excellence and on the balance sheet. Advertisement Kissing Frogs Innovators understand that commercial success is statistically improbable. The motivation is in the opportunity to develop a breakthrough that becomes a sustainable and scalable competitive advantage. It becomes less about the number of frogs kissed, than it is about the number of princes that appear. NATO Flag (Vector) Huffington Post readers can be deeply skeptical of NATO, and it's not hard to understand why. It's not the kind of place that inspires awe. The antiquated Headquarters in Belgium resemble less a political-military nerve center than a high-end trailer park. A British observer is said to have called it a 'Soviet discotheque'. A hideous sculpture in front has long been compared to the Death Star. Indeed, the overall impression is not that it's a redoubt for the Rebel Alliance, but a lair for Darth Maul. But this isn't just a problem of perception. Since the Bosnian War, NATO has been an instrument for controversial Western interventions and their unintended consequences. In Libya, the Alliance rushed to help revolting civilians topple a dictator, only to be left impotent and aghast when those same insurrectionists turned on each other. Those on the left smear the Alliance as militarism gone wild; those on the right, as Europeans free-riding on American-provided security. Advertisement In this confusion, people can be forgiven for thinking that the Alliance's main reason for existing is its continuing existence, like a zombie institution stumbling forward on stiff, dead legs. In fact, as a speechwriter for the NATO Secretary General, I would lecture visiting student groups about the Alliance's history. At the start, I'd gesture across the road at the long-delayed, over-budget new Headquarters under construction. "Why do we need NATO?" I'd ask. "Because we've got a new building for it!" Joking aside, I'm deeply convinced of the Alliance's necessity. Without NATO, our security would be far more precarious than it is. For example, NATO bombs probably killed some 500 civilians in Kosovo, a tragic fact that no one can ignore. But let's suppose the Alliance had declined to intervene. It's possible that Slobodan Milosevic and rebellious Albanians would have settled their differences and embraced a fraternal peace. It's more likely that Milosevic's ethnic cleansing would have created an enraged and radicalized population of refugees in Europe's most unstable region, leading to far greater carnage. But there's a deeper reason I believe in NATO, and it can be summed up in two words: collective defense. It's the simple notion that if you have Allies, you're less likely to go to war for the wrong reasons. And when you go to war together, after a transparent discussion of the alternatives, you'll have greater power. Advertisement You'll also have greater legitimacy under international law, derived in part from NATO's status as a 'regional arrangement' under Article 52 of the United Nations Charter. We sometimes forget that NATO's founding document, the North Atlantic Treaty, refers to the Charter five times. We all know that when our leaders spurn such legitimacy, we can get ourselves into big problems. Muscular multilateralism is far preferable to unilateralism, or even 'coalitions of the willing'. The latter is a bit like the Dark Side: quicker, easier, more seductive...and much, much more expensive. As a speechwriter, I often sat in on the biweekly meetings of the North Atlantic Council, the table where NATO's 28 Ambassadors gather to discuss issues of common concern. There was something wonderful about countries as diverse as Denmark and Turkey working things out through dialogue and respect. A few times, the Russian Ambassador visited the Council to hector the Allies about Ukraine, but talking is always better than fighting. As global power flows eastwards and a multipolar world becomes a reality, we're going to need NATO's combination of power and legitimacy more, not less. But while a powerful case for NATO can be made, the Alliance has a hard time making it, at least in an appealing way. The main reason is that while NATO talks about a lot about reform, it's still at heart the same organization it was during the Cold War. Advertisement Yes, it's eliminated 'agencies,' it's streamlined the command structure and it's cut costs. In practical terms, this has only meant smashing a few deck chairs on the Titanic. The Alliance's bureaucracy hasn't changed the way it does business. Its decisions are still opaque, its internal incentives perverse, and its finances far too nebulous. Where I worked -- in NATO's Public Diplomacy Division -- 'reform' meant savage budget cuts that seemed divorced from balanced considerations about what worked, and what didn't. Insulated insiders tended to protect themselves, while a poisonous work environment drove away talented people. The result was, and remains, a pervasive institutional fear within the Alliance's corridors that strangles any real innovation, risk-taking or creativity. You can see this fear in the way NATO talks. Often the Alliance's words are both dreadfully boring and unconsciously conceited. Instead of raising its problems forthrightly, the Alliance is stuck in a frozen Smiley mode that brooks no talk of weakness -- an inflexible narrative that insists everything's perfect, and getting more perfect all the time. Russian propaganda benefits from NATO's stilted tone. Slick and supple, it feeds on the idea of an isolated and humiliated Russia surrounded by an arrogant and overbearing Alliance that cannot talk with Russia, but only down to it. NATO's not going to convince this guy of its good intentions. A subtler and more elegant strategy would be to speak past him, directly to the Russian public, to convince ordinary Russians that the Alliance isn't a threat. In today's NATO, such subtlety is almost impossible, although the occasional valiant staffer can attempt it. Advertisement Dear New York Times Travel Section: I hope things are going well there, what with deadlines and the usual grind. I just wanted to pass along my thanks for selecting Providence, Rhode Island as #33 of your eagerly-anticipated, often-discussed "52 Places to Go in 2016." Having grown up in Manhattan, and gotten lost in many a monumental edition of the Sunday Times, I understand and sympathize with the fact that, well, it's not always easy to see smaller cities for the humble but pleasant places that they (sometimes) are. Still, after scratching my head over the text of No. 33, I'd be remiss not to point out that Rachel Levin, the writer you assigned, has most likely not been north of New Haven in some time. Advertisement You see, I've actually visited Providence. Well, that's not quite fair. I live there. Let's just skip over the fact that the photo you used with the online version of #33 isn't a shot of Providence at all. It's a picture of Watch Hill, Rhode Island, down near the Connecticut border. We won't discuss that, even though -- as far as Providence is concerned -- Watch Hill might as well be on the moon. Instead let's take a tiny peek at the article and see if there's some stuff we residents might recognize. Is Providence "The East Coast's answer to Portland, Oregon?" as the subhead suggests? If Portland were a question, perhaps we might be. But, in all seriousness, Oregon? Portland, Maine, and Providence share similarities, so maybe this was a simple typo. Advertisement No hard feelings, I say. "This cobblestone-lined capital," continues the little piece, "has the sort of bearded liberalness and ever-rising food scene..." Wait. Just hold it. I'm going to have to pause us here. We are the state capital, without a doubt. Providence is chock full of liberals, quite proudly so, and the city's food scene is, indeed on the perpetual up-and-up. One small problem. We don't have "cobblestones." They do not line our streets. They do not line our boulevards and avenues. They do not line our driveways. We do not have them at all. Moving on, I much enjoyed the reference to my adopted city's "sculpture-studded Creative Mile." It sounds extremely pleasant. I would like to walk there on a sunny day. I am afraid, though, I would need directions. No one I have talked to here in Providence has ever heard of the thing. Sure, we've got a riverfront of an unmeasured distance, and there may be some art school students roaming around down there at this very moment. As for "sculpture-studded," I am worried about this phrase. Locals know the Irish famine memorial, the Holocaust memorial, and our riverfront war memorials, as well. Is this what the Times is referring to? Advertisement I am worried, I say. Extremely concerned. Particularly when #33 trumpets our upcoming "8-acre riverfront park" and "footbridge." We wish. They would be wonderful to have. All of us here are keeping fingers crossed on these things, but I am sorry to report that, as of this writing, both are completely up in the air. No. 33 concludes with a bang by whizzing far, far out of the town of Providence and all the way down to Watch Hill, which is part of Westerly. If a Providence person decides to visit that town we tend to take out a hotel room for the night. But, not, as the article suggests, at the "oceanside Ocean House [inn] with its 'competitive-style' cooking classes." Frankly, we can't afford it. The Ocean House is a place for people from Connecticut. It's a place for visitors from Darien, from Simsbury, from Greenwich. It is a place for New Yorkers. It's a perfect beachside hotel, as a matter of fact, for The New York Times. Not that there's anything wrong with this. Advertisement The Ocean House may be worth a look -- if you can't make it all the way to Providence. If you see any cobblestones there, could you let me know? REPRINTED WITH PERMISION THE NATIONAL INTEREST Question: Which scenario is most likely to trigger a new Korean War? 1. Internal collapse of the North Korean regime 2. (Yet) another North Korean provocation such as renewed artillery shelling of South Korea 3. A US preemptive strike on North Korea's nuclear weapons facilities 4. A North Korean nuclear missile strike 5. Invasion of South Korea An intelligent speculator would probably assign the highest probabilities to the Internal Collapse and Provocation Scenarios - at least based on history. That same speculator would likely assign the lowest probability to the Nuclear Missile Strike Scenario - which would be tantamount to North Korean suicide by counterstrike. However, any intelligent speculation must assume rationality to properly handicap outcomes; and once you cross the 38th parallel into the hermitic and Stalinist kingdom of North Korea, all bets are off on a police state run by a young, erratic megalomaniac. This absence of rationality means all of the above scenarios are on the table so let's examine how each might lead to war. #1: Internal Collapse Suppose that despite massive Chinese aid, the North Korean economy finally does fall of its own weight, millions of North Korean refugees begin streaming into South Korea and north across the Yalu River into China. With the North Korean army suddenly in a rogue, and perhaps fugue, state and North Korea's nuclear weapons in the hands of God knows who, South Korea and the US decide it is in the best interests of peace to send troops into North Korea to find and secure those nuclear weapons and bring about a rapprochement between the two countries. Of course, China will likely send in troops as well; and the only question becomes: What happens when Chinese, North Korean, South Korean, and American troops meet? It is far too easy to see how things might quickly escalate. Advertisement #2: Provocation Here, history might easily repeat itself. The North Koreans have shot down a US plane, sunk a South Korean ship, felled a civilian airline, and, most recently, lobbed artillery shells and rockets at defenseless South Korean citizens. However, South Korea appears to have reached it breaking point on such provocations. After defeating a far more liberal opponent in 2012, South Korean President Park Geun-hye vowed in 2013 to respond to any new North Korean provocation "swiftly and decisively" and without any regard for "political considerations." She also promised that North Korea would be "erased from the earth" if it ever launched a nuclear attack. #3: Preemptive Strike Might the US preemptively bomb North Korea's nuclear facilities as a means of denying it the capability to produce additional nuclear weapons? The US and Israel have had this very same debate over whether to preemptively bomb Iran's nuclear centrifuges so this scenario is hardly far-fetched. An additional fear here is that North Korea might sell fissionable material to some of the most dangerous actors on the world stage - from Iran itself and Pakistan to terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda and ISIS. The only reason this Preemptive Strike Scenario may be improbable is that North Korea's nuclear genie is already out of the bottle. In 2003, while President George Bush's national security team was preparing to invade Iraq, North Korea used this distraction to clandestinely move from its civilian nuclear reactor facility more than 8,000 spent fuel rods for reprocessing. It now has enough weapons-grade plutonium squirreled away in unknown locations out of reach of US bombs to qualify as a legitimate nuclear power. #4: Nuclear Missile Strike If North Korea launched one or more nuclear-tipped missiles aimed at South Korea, Japan, or the United States, one likely US response might be a retaliatory nuclear strike that would fulfill President Park Geun-hye's promise of "erasing" Pyongyang from the face of the earth. While it would be difficult for China to disagree with the righteousness of such an American response, there is still the matter of US nuclear-tipped missiles being launched at least in the direction of China. If China were to fear some of those missiles might be coming its way, anything might happen. #5: Invasion The most unsettling aspect of the "North Invades the South Scenario," is its "tyranny of proximity." While the capitol of North Korea, Pyongyang, is almost 100 miles from the 38th parallel dividing North and South, the South Korean capitol of Seoul is a mere 30 miles from advancing North Korean troops and tanks. If nothing else, this strategic advantage provides a perennial enticement to a North Korean military perhaps eager for a fight. Of course, it is unlikely that the United States would ever allow itself to be drawn into another land war in Korea should such an invasion occur. Instead, America would use its air and naval power to help the South Koreans repel any invasion and then quickly neutralize the North. As former Marine fighter pilot and Pentagon insider Ed Timperlake has bluntly described what must be done: First and foremost, you have to kill and cripple the command structure of the dear leader because he can press a button and launch a nuke. He's proven he has them. So you have to attack immediately. It's going to be horrible. But if you resort to a symmetric fight, a ground fight, with North Korea, you've lost the battle before you've begun. You have to take him out and take him out brutally and quickly But again, once North and South engage "brutally and quickly" with America in the mix - either on land or in the skies - China would be hard-pressed to remain on the sidelines. It is because of these five possible triggers for war that the US and its Asian allies must have clearer contingency plans - and why the 2016 presidential candidates each need to have a detailed plan indicating their solutions. ___________ Peter Navarro is a professor at the University of California-Irvine. He is the author of Crouching Tiger: What China's Militarism Means for the World (Prometheus Books) and director of the companion Crouching Tiger documentary film series. For more information and to access film interview clips, visit www.crouchingtiger.net I lately came across an excellent article by Muslim reformist Maajid Nawaz on the recent mass sexual attacks in Cologne Germany allegedly committed by some Arab immigrants. In the article, Maajid has criticized the liberal quarters which subsequently tried to cover up the sexual assaults and has stressed upon them to be vocal against such attacks with candor and courage. He has argued that there is also a cultural element behind these rape attacks and rather than avoiding the topic, it is important to acknowledge the problem and give it due attention. The central argument is that the male refugees are coming from a different culture and their way of looking at women is different from the deeply entrenched values in the Western societies. So when such young men come into contact with the Western women, their behavior due to their own cultural conditioning may result in transgressions and even rape. He has not suggested, that culture is causing rapes but that cultural factors mediate the way individuals take their action. Maajid's another major argument is that liberal left's inability to speak has resulted in a void which has enabled the far right to take over the discourse. Therefore the liberals should speak, so that the radical right is not able to use these incidences to whip up mass level xenophobia and racism. Advertisement By and large, I agree with Maajid. Trying to evade the issue by being politically correct is not going to solve the problem. The fact is that many on the liberal left side of the spectrum, at times end up giving up some of their own professed principles like women's right for the sake of being politically correct and not offending some groups. Yes, there is also no denying the fact that refugees are coming from a different culture, and their way of looking at women is different from the West. Does culture influence a rapist decision to conduct a sexual assault? This is eventually an empirical as well as a theoretical question, though extremely difficult to prove. Let's not forget that rape occurs in even advanced societies and is in no way exclusive to some societies. However, what is easier to observe is that in Middle Eastern societies the treatment meted out to women is unfortunately not admirable by any standards. According to Global Gender Gap Index 2015- which ranks countries on the basis of gender parity- Middle Eastern countries are at the bottom, with Syria at 143rd position out of a total of 145 countries included in the ranking. The entrenched patriarchy and gender imbalance in such societies in all likelihood has strong bearing on the way their young men view the opposite sex. This is by no way to suggest that every person is influenced by cultural factors in the same way. it is merely saying that probability of having misogynist attitude is more when you come from conservative societies. While we acknowledge the importance of culture, we should avoid stereotyping and painting everyone with the same brush as that would be synonymous to racism. Advertisement Moreover, the way these societies respond to harassment and rape, is very different from the West. Although victim blaming is common all across the world, but it is more entrenched in such societies. It is a reality which cannot be simply brushed aside or swept under the carpet. Yes, racial sensitivities are important but even more important is ensuring liberty and equal rights of women. As one of my female Facebook friends noted in a very powerful post "I find it disturbing that again, race is getting privileged over gender." At the same time one has to also understand the dilemma which the liberal left faces. To accuse of it being overly politically correct is to also not understand the complexity of the situation. Liberals face conflicting choices here and it is important to recognize this. One of the major dilemmas is that ultra-right wing is raising this issue and has made it a subpart of its broader campaign against the refugees. It is obvious that liberals do not want to be bracketed with them as their stance is different with respect to refugees. Generally liberals and far right are at the opposing end of the political and social spectrum but in this case, the liberals fear sounding like far right despite that the objectives of the two are way different. In reality it is a very slippery slope because you always fear that such arguments will be used by the extreme right for their rather different purposes. The liberals fear, with some justification, that this kind of argument will actually feed in the narrative weaved by the far right and enable them to whip up across the board hatred for political gains. Another risk which the liberal left fears is that if cultural arguments are accepted as one of the major determinant of harassment and rape, then potentially every man from a particular culture is more likely to appear a rapist in the public imagination. If that happens, then it starts affecting the individual level interactions and also collective attitude of one type of group towards other. This is also not something which liberals would want. Advertisement The reality is that even if culture is an important variable it still does not affect every person in the same way. Two different people belonging to the same culture often end up behaving differently even if their basic way of looking at things is the same. Let us not forget that sexual transgression eventually is a personal decision and men committing it have to be held responsible for that in individual capacity. However, this reality is likely to be overlooked or trivialized during these charged up times and may lead to excessive generalization and broad brushing. In fact at the extreme it may lead towards demands for separate areas, ghettos and outright forced indiscriminate deportation. Clearly these are not the things liberal left or for that matter even moderate right wants. If Syrian refugees end up staying for a long time then they have to be assimilated which requires extra efforts. Shunning them or hating them will make this task extremely difficult. And frankly hatred is not a liberal value. In recent years, Illinois has come under fire for a legal and regulatory environment that critics say is hostile to business. But the state's top business group is lauding the arrival of a handful of new Illinois laws for 2016 it says will improve the state's business climate. "These laws will help businesses rather than hurt them, meaning improvement in the business climate," said Illinois Chamber of Commerce President Todd Maisch. Here's a look at some of the laws the Chamber is welcoming in 2016. Unemployment insurance The new law allows the state to deny unemployment insurance to people who were fired under circumstances like lying on job applications, destroying company property, endangering the safety of co-workers and using drugs or alcohol and on the job. The law also ends a Social Security offset which could have lowered an unemployed person's benefit by 50 percent. Advertisement Clean Air Act Permits This new law amends the Environmental Protection Act, requiring the Pollution Control Board to set up a state program for issuing Permits of Significant Deterioration. New plants and those looking to expand need to get these to start construction, and this will allow them to go through the state instead of the federal government. Bio-similar medications Pharmacists will now be allowed to substitute "bio-similar" drugs for which could mean lower costs. Republican Presidential front-runner Donald Trump harbors an aversion to military interventions. This is out-of-step with contemporary mainstream thinking in the Republican Party. Yet non-interventionism in foreign conflicts was once the predominant view in the Republican Party. Contrariwise, Democrat front-runner Hillary Clinton has exhibited support for a muscular foreign policy. Her interventionist proclivities in the foreign sphere were once the preponderant creed of the Democratic Party. Today, the Democratic Party is far less interventionist. When Russia annexed the Republic of Crimea from the Ukraine, Trump argued: "This is Europe's problem much more than ours." In addition, Trump excoriates the Obama administration for dislodging Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi and fears that a successful effort to liquidate Syria's autocratic President, Bashar al-Assad, could result in a successor state, which "could be worse." On the campaign trail, Trump is a harsh critic of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. Trump maintains the invasion was: "one of the worst decisions ever made" and bemoans that it "destabilized the Middle East." Advertisement In sharp contrast, Hillary Clinton condemned Russia's action in the Crimea. As U.S. Secretary of State, she spearheaded efforts to oust Gaddafi from the reins of power in Libya. Though she now calls her vote on the Iraq War authorization "a mistake," at the time, Clinton admonished that "left unchecked ... he (Iraqi President Saddam Hussein) will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons." In addition, Clinton supported the Iraq Liberation Act signed by her husband Bill Clinton in 1998, declaring: "that it should be the policy of the United States to seek to remove the Saddam Hussein regime from power in Iraq and to replace it with a democratic government." Furthermore, during the Obama administration Clinton sided with the hawks in the administration in supporting a surge of 40,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan as part of a counterinsurgency approach. Other members of the administration, led by Vice President Joe Biden, called for limiting the mission in Afghanistan to training security forces fighting terrorism. Obama ultimately ordered 30,000 troops into Afghanistan. Ironically, in 2016 it may appear unconventional for a Republican nominee to lean toward the non-interventionist camp and for the Democrat nominee to favor an assertive foreign policy. This represents a trip back to the future, in that the GOP once had a redoubtable non-interventionist wing while the Democrats were known for their activist approach to foreign affairs. Democratic President Woodrow Wilson flexed American military muscle by invading the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, and Nicaragua, and led the country through WWl. In 1920, the war-weary electorate selected Republican nominee Warren G. Harding, who declared: America "can be a party to no permanent military alliance. It can enter into no political commitments, nor assume any economic obligations which will subject our decisions to any other than our own authority." Advertisement Harding's Republican successor, Calvin Coolidge, was a signatory to the Kellogg-Briand Pact which renounced war "as an instrument of national policy." His Secretary of State, Frank B. Kellogg, won a Noble Peace Prize for his role in the writing of this treaty. Coolidge was followed by Republican Herbert Hoover who instituted the "Good Neighbor Policy" of non-intervention in the internal affairs of Latin America, and withdrew U.S. forces stationed in Nicaragua. In 1940 the Republican Party's platform stated: "The Republican Party is firmly opposed to involving this Nation in foreign war." One of the face cards for the Republican Party in the 1940's and early 1950's was U.S. Senator Robert A. Taft (R-OH). In fact, his moniker was: "Mr. Republican." The conservative Taft was an unreserved non-interventionist, calling his views "the policy of the free hand." Taft opposed the internationalist Democrat President Harry S. Truman in his effort to institute a peacetime military draft, form NATO, and send U.S. forces to protect South Korea. Taft lost the Republican Presidential nomination to General Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952. Eisenhower ran for president as a Cold War interventionist. However, while he supported the anti-communist South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Dem, he refused calls to send ground forces into the conflict, exclaiming: "I cannot conceive of a greater tragedy for America than to get heavily involved now in an all-out war in any of those regions." On exiting the White House, Eisenhower warned of "unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex." Moreover, he advised his Democratic successor, John F. Kennedy, to begin withdrawing U.S. forces from Europe, warning: "America is carrying far more than her share of the free world defense." Kennedy was an avowed interventionist and Cold Warrior. He did not heed Eisenhower's admonishment. In fact, Kennedy increased U.S. Defense expenditures and sent more than 15,000 military "advisors" into Vietnam. Kennedy's Democratic successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, became enveloped in the conflict, gradually escalating U.S. forces to the point that 543,000 troops were in that nation. Advertisement The intervention in Vietnam resulted in an attendant backlash from many younger members of the Democratic Party who were not tethered to the party's interventionist history. "The new left" now challenged the Party regulars. Unlike the party establishmentarians who prided themselves on supporting a munificent social safety net, labor unions, and an interventionist brawny foreign policy, the new left's flagship issue was ending the War in Vietnam. They consolidated around the Presidential candidacy of U.S. Senator Eugene McCarthy (D-MN) who branded the war, "morally wrong" and "diplomatically indefensible." McCarthy lost the Democratic nomination to Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Many in the new left refused to vote for Humphrey. McCarthy offered a tepid endorsement of Humphrey, telling his supporters: "I'm voting for Humphrey, and I think you should suffer with me." By 1972 there was an internecine conflict in the Democratic Party between the ascendant new left and the party establishment. U.S. Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson (D-WA), an interventionist in the mold of past Democratic Presidents and a former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, failed in his bid to capture the nomination. Jackson denounced claims that he was too conservative for the party, claiming: "I am the liberal. The other people have lost their way." Jackson railed against the new left, branding them "an absolute radical left fringe that is attempting to steal the Democratic Party from the people." However, The Jackson wing was now on the decline in the Democratic Party. The ascendant "new left" succeeded in nominating vociferous anti-Vietnam War opponent U.S. Senator George McGovern (D-SD), whose campaign slogan was: "Come Home America." Accordingly, the party once known for its bellicosity in foreign affairs was now seen as the party of non-interventionism. Concomitantly, the Republican Party was becoming more interventionist, as Republican President Richard M. Nixon had been slow to egress U.S. troops from Vietnam. His Republican successor was Gerald R. Ford, who had once been a lonely interventionist voice in a party of non-interventionists. He assured European leaders that the U.S. would not attenuate its foreign commitments and called NATO: "the cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy." Ford maintained: "resistance to Soviet expansion by military means must be a fundamental element of U.S. foreign policy." Advertisement By 1980, the Republican Party had become associated with a hawkish interventionist foreign policy. The Democratic Party had become associated with a dovish, less interventionist foreign policy. In 1984, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Jean Kirkpatrick, a disillusioned Democrat, accrued rapturous applause at the Republican National Convention by declaring that the Democrats: "treat foreign affairs as an afterthought, as they did, they behaved less like a dove or a hawk than like an ostrich -- convinced it would shut out the world by hiding its head in the sand." MARSHALLTOWN, IA - JANUARY 10: Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) drew an overflow crowd to a campaign event in the 600 person capacity meeting room of the Best Western Regency Inn on January 10, 2016 in Marshalltown, Iowa. Both Republican and Democratic presidential candidates have been making appearances at events across Iowa to build support in advance of the 2016 Iowa Caucuses. (Photo by Charles Ledford/Getty Images) If you haven't yet seen The Big Short - directed and co-written by Adam McKay, based on the non-fiction prize-winning book by Michael Lewis about the housing and credit bubble that triggered the Great Recession -- I recommend you do so. Not only is the movie an enjoyable (if that's the right word) way to understand how the big banks screwed millions of Americans out of their homes, savings, and jobs -- and then got bailed out by taxpayers. It's also a lesson in why they're on the way to doing all this again -- and how their political power continues to erode laws designed to prevent another crisis and to shield their executives from any accountability. Advertisement Most importantly, the movie shows why Bernie Sanders's plan to break up the biggest banks and reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act (separating investment from commercial banking) is necessary -- and why Hillary Clinton's more modest plan is inadequate. I'll get back to Bernie and Hillary in a moment, but first you need to know why Wall Street wants us to forget what really happened. The movie gets the story essentially right: Traders on the Street pushed highly-risky mortgage loans, bundled them together into investments that hid the risks, got the major credit-rating agencies to give the bundles Triple-A ratings, and then sold them to unwary investors. It was a fraudulent Ponzi scheme that had to end badly -- and it did. Yet since then, Wall Street and its hired guns (including most current Republican candidates for president) have tried to rewrite this history. Advertisement They want us to believe the banks and investment houses were innocent victims of misguided government policies that gave mortgages to poor people who shouldn't have got them. That's pure baloney. The boom in subprime mortgages was concentrated in the private market, not in government. Wall Street itself created the risky mortgage market. It sliced and diced junk mortgages into bundles that hid how bad they were. And it invented the derivatives and CDOs that financed them. The fact is, more than 84 percent of the subprime mortgages in 2006 were issued by private institutions, and nearly 83 percentof the subprime loans that went to low- and moderate-income borrowers that year. Why has Wall Street been pushing its lie, blaming the government for what happened? And why has the Street (along with its right-wing apologists, and its outlets such as Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal) so viciously attacked the movie The Big Short? So we won't demand tougher laws to prevent another crisis followed by another "too-big-to-fail" bailout. Advertisement Which brings us back to Bernie and Hillary. Hillary Clinton doesn't want to break up the big banks or resurrect the Glass-Steagall Act, as Bernie does Instead, she'd charge the big banks a bit more for carrying lots of debt and to oversee them more carefully. She'd also give bank regulators more power to break up any particular bank that theyconsider too risky. And she wants more oversight of so-called "shadow banks" such as hedge funds and insurance companies like the infamous AIG. In a world where the giant Wall Street banks didn't have huge political power, these measures might be enough. But, if you hadn't noticed, Wall Street wields extraordinary power. Which helps explain why no Wall Street executive has been indicted for the fraudulent behavior that led up to the 2008 crash. Or for the criminal price-fixing scheme settled last May. And why even the fines imposed on the banks have been only a fraction of the banks' gains. And also why Dodd-Frank is being watered down into vapidity. For example, the law requires major banks to prepare "living wills" describing how they'd unwind their operations if they get into serious trouble. But no big bank has come up with one that passes muster. Federal investigators have found them all "unrealistic." Advertisement Most of Hillary's proposals could already have been put into effect by the Fed and the Securities and Exchange Commission, but they haven't been -- presumably because of the Street's muscle. As a practical matter, then, her proposals are invitations to more dilution and finagle. The only way to contain the Street's excesses is by taking on its economic and political power directly -- with reforms so big, bold, and public they can't be watered down. Starting with busting up the biggest banks, as Bernie Sanders proposes. More than a century ago, Teddy Roosevelt broke up the Standard Oil Trust because it posed a danger to the U.S. economy. Today, Wall Street's biggest banks pose an even greater danger. They're far larger than they were before the crash of 2008. Unless they're broken up and Glass-Steagall resurrected, we face substantial risk of another near-meltdown -- once again threatening the incomes, jobs, savings, and homes of millions of Americans. To paraphrase philosopher George Santayana, those who cannot remember they were screwed by Wall Street are condemned to be screwed again. We want to be clear, we neither support nor are we predicting that Donald Trump will win the Republican nomination and then be elected president in 2016 - but this possibility can no longer be easily dismissed. If American political history teaches anything, it is that opinion polls can be turned upside down in the weeks leading up to the first actual caucusing in Iowa and voting in New Hampshire. But if political insiders of both parties spent most of 2015 predicting a Trump collapse, it is now becoming increasingly clear that Donald Trump, more than any other candidate except perhaps his nearest rival for the GOP nomination, the equally unacceptable to political insiders, Senator Ted Cruz, has tapped into the feelings, fears, and frustrations of a broad swath of potential Republican primary voters. Democrats who view Trump as likely to be a weaker general election candidate than the more experienced, moderate and temperate politician he would have defeated, may want to ask themselves if they too have been underestimating the talents of this political novice. The older we get the more frequently we see similarities between the current presidential cycle and past elections we have lived through. Right now, 2016 is feeling a lot like 1980, with a Democrat in the White House and large numbers of Americans perceiving weakness in the US economy and foreign policy. Having served two terms as Governor of California and run a significant bid for the GOP nomination in 1976, Ronald Reagan was far less of a political outsider than is Donald Trump today, but the star of Knute Rockne All American and Bedtime for Bonzo was viewed by Democrats as unlikely to be a strong general election threat. Of course, Ronald Reagan won the 1980 and 1984 general elections by landslide proportions. Advertisement What the polls are really telling us: Pollsters caution that polls are very volatile, even those taken within weeks of the first ballots being cast in the early states, but this is only true for people (especially the political press) who put all their attention on the least stable and insightful part of the public opinion poll: the horse race question. The question that asks voters which candidate they currently support does indeed shift quite a lot, but questions that ask voters about their concerns, priorities and values are much more stable. For many months voters have been expressing their economic concerns, with wages continuing to be stagnant, and since the Paris and San Bernardino attacks, terrorism has become the leading fear. But the emotions driving the Republican primaries have been anger at Washington and the political stalemate, and broken promises that Republicans have made to their disillusioned base (slashing spending and taxes, ending abortion and Obamacare, etc.). It would be unsurprising if the candidates that have been most able to define themselves as outsiders have the most success when the votes start being counted. Trump's strategy of finding ever more outrageous ways to get the Washington press corps to cry fowl not only keeps him at the center of each week's news cycle, it also establishes him as the biggest outsider. The politically incorrect racism, sexism, and bullying tactics are hardly the ravings of a lunatic that they have seemed to be to many. Instead, this is an effective political communications strategy that again and again has proven successful in delivering the message in nearly every newscast that Trump is outside the political mainstream, and willing to express ideas not typically expressed in polite society. It is the "politics of disgust." Mexican rapists, Megyn Kelly's "wherever," Jeb Bush's energy, Carly Fiorina's face, Dr. Ben Carson's "pathological disease," Muslim immigrants, Ted Cruz's citizenship, or Monica Lewinsky -- what will we be talking about next week? The answer is likely to be something Donald Trump tweets in the next three days. Advertisement The rudeness, bullying, and bravado also serve to build Trump's persona as the toughest, most self-assured, masculine, alpha-male in the contest. Among Republican-leaning voters, this is a very advantaged position to be in. On an anthropological/psychological level, Team Trump (and part of the persona is to have us believing that he is his own strategist and communications guru) has positioned him as the most macho, testosterone driven candidate in the race. He is America's Silvio Berlusconi, Marine Le Pen and Vladimir Putin rolled into one. The biggest problem for Republican insiders is that they view the leading threat to defeat Trump, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), as little different from Trump and no less challenging to the Republican establishment. Cruz and Trump are using similar issue positions to the same rogue base of the Republican Party. Their combined strength underscores how badly rank-and-file Republican voters have grown antagonistic to the party's establishment. Indeed, business-oriented Republican insiders view Cruz as a greater threat to their interests due to his past willingness to criticize Republican Party leaders, shut down the federal government, and threaten a U.S. debt default. We do not know what the coming month will bring but we suspect those who believe the establishment will find a candidate other than Cruz to stop Donald Trump, may already be too late. And those who believe the Democratic nominee will glide to victory, if Trump is the Republican nominee, will have to work much harder than they expect to defeat a candidate who has been underestimated by the party whose plans he has disrupted. I first met Pablo Rochat when he joined Humin as Brand Director in mid-2015. His humorous works have taken the internet by storm. I also learnt a great deal from this guy. His creative streak is known the world over, so let's get to know more about the man himself. S: What's your background? P: Thanks, Sriram. I graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 2011 and was a designer at Microsoft, Matador Records and Vogue. I then transitioned to advertising work at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners . Currently I'm a Brand Director at Humin. I also advise brands and technology startups on marketing and brand development. Outside of client work I've been doing a lot of side projects for fun. S: You've had a productive year with a mix of marketing campaigns and independent projects. What's your favorite project? Advertisement P: It has to be the Also Shot on iPhone 6 stunt i did with my friend Fabio Benedetto. Apple had just launched their global "Shot on iPhone 6" campaign using beautiful photographs taken with the iPhone 6. The ads were all over San Francisco. We decided to put up additional poster ads that used the most common photos iPhone users take: unflattering selfies. We printed a few posters, put them up, and within 24 hours the project received global media coverage. This project was special because it got the attention of millions without a big budget or time-intensive production. The Also Shot on iPhone 6 project cost us close to $0 (we paid the poster printer with a 6-pack of beer!) and the project was completed in two days. All we did were to put up several posters up around San Francisco and posted pictures of them on Tumblr without knowing how much attention they would get. Fabio Benedetto and Pablo Rochat in front of one of their posters in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco. S: How did Apple react? P: I can't talk about this. S: This year you also helped launch Knock Knock app with a marketing stunt. Can you tell us about that? Advertisement P: The launch strategy for Knock Knock App was to target college students first. Our approach was to get college students engaged with the Knock Knock product and brand with on-campus events. In order for the app to gain traction, we had to surprise the college students with a fun event that didn't feel like the brand sponsored events they were accustomed to. That's how we came up with the Netflix and Chill event idea. We created a public facebook event called "1st Annual Netflix and Chill Festival" sponsored by Knock Knock. Within a couple days, thousands of people started to RSVP and share the event organically. What we thought might be a small "Netflix and Chill" themed party at one college turned into a +30K RSVPed event that was held across multiple college campuses spreading Knock Knock brand awareness. This is the Facebook event page that attracted more than 30,000 RSVPs. S: Netflix and Chill? That's hilarious. How did you come up with the idea? P: Each idea comes from a different place, but usually from casually joking around with friends. The Netflix and Chill Festival came out of a joke I played on a friend. I had texted her asking to Netflix and chill at my place but she responded with a quick "Haha no". I then jokingly spammed her with a Facebook event inviting her to Netflix and chill at my place. After another rejection, I figured I might as will invite multiple people to Netflix and chill at my place and give it a funny cover photo and catchy title, "The 1st Annual Netflix and Chill Festival". Everyone thought this was funny so I thought it would work well as a Knock Knock sponsored event on college campuses. 30,000 RSVPs later, the event was a hit. Instagram celebrity Elliot Tebele (L), also known as @FuckJerry, hosted the 1st Annual Netflix and Chill festival with Pablo Rochat (R) S: You've also created a few hilarious apps that have gotten serious attention. P: I'm always interested in finding new technologies and giving them unexpected applications. It turns out that the press likes talking about silly products just as much as seriously useful ones. There's a lot of innovation in the tech industry and I love finding ways it can be used to make people smile. S: The Lick App was a crazy idea that a lot of people got a kick out of. It even appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers and the Bill Maher show. P: That was a wild project. My friend, Chris Allick, and I made Lick App the day before Valentine's day. We had recently discovered that you can actually navigate your phone by licking the screen with your tongue. We thought this was hilarious and knew was had to make an app that takes advantage of the licking interaction. We created the Lick app, a series of exercises that help you practice the basic tongue movements of oral sex. The perfect app to release before Valentine's day. This app was covered by the likes of Real Time with Bill Maher. S: How would you define what you do? P: That's a tough question because what I do is constantly changing. A boring way of saying it is "Communication Design". I think i'm a designer/artist at heart that's obsessed with giving people an idea, experience, or message that sticks with them. Advertisement In general, my job is to create something compelling enough for people to want to share it with their friends. S: What's your ideation process? P: For businesses, starting with a brief that defines the marketing goals is key. Once I understand the objective, I'll starting researching and sketching out ideas. I like putting a lot of ideas on paper and presenting them to my friends or the client to get a better sense of what direction works best. S: What made you decide to leave your advertising agency and work directly with a technology startup? P: 99% of advertising is boring noise that people would rather ignore. This leaves a huge opportunity to make advertising that stands out, creates value, and makes people to tell their friends about it. Advertising agencies have the opportunity to create amazing work but their creativity is often limited by clients who are risk averse. There are many products with tremendous growth potential that are not introduced to the world in ways that makes people stand up and pay attention. Advertisement Unfortunately, tech startups can't access the creative talent within advertising agencies because of prohibitively high agency costs. So, I left the agency world and started working directly with technology startups. At Humin, I had the opportunity to work with a stellar team and innovative product to take it to the next level. Broadly speaking, the tech startup space allows people like me to experiment with technology and marketing. We all constantly want to try new things. I find this environment conducive to produce great work. S: Tell us about some of the other stunts and experiments you've done. How have they changed how you see the media? What lessons have you taken from them as a marketer? Pablo: In between big projects I've recently put out a lot of small pieces of content, mostly videos with my friend Fabio Benedetto. We never really know what content will be popular or not. Sometimes we'll make a video and think "this could be big" but noone will share it. Here are a few videos that we made that people thought were funny, but didn't go viral. Advertisement The Blue Angels came to town during Fleet Week, and Fabio and Pablo decided to make a fake remote control that flew the planes. Pablo, Fabio and friends organized a fake TED Talk at the 420 festival in San Francisco. Everyone was stoned during the talks. Advertisement Fabio and Pablo's stunt with the Apple monitors at the San Francisco Apple Store. This video got some traction on Reddit as well. What I've learned is that its best to be constantly putting out new work, even when you're marketing for a business. Don't rely on one piece of content to go "viral". Brands should find their voice and delight their audience with a constant flow of engaging content and experiences. You can't abandon your audience. Brands need to continuously nurture the relationship with their customers. Feeding the relationship will in-turn feed your business. S: What inspires you to create these things? P: I just love making things. The process of making is what makes me happy. I don't want to repeat myself in the work that I do. I'm driven by the need to make something new. With each project, I want to surprise not only the audience, but also myself. Most recently, Pablo and his friends released Flappy Khaled, a DJ Khaled and Flappy Bird mash-up S: What's next for you? P: To continue finding exciting ways to introduce Knock Knock and Humin to world as well as finish a couple independent projects I'm currently working on. Advertisement I've made a lot of digital things recently so I'm interested in producing something physical in the next year: perhaps a clothing line, a book, or something people can hang on their wall... or maybe a toy. That would be cool. I'll also continue to independently advise startups and companies on their marketing and branding. -- On April 24, 2013, Rana Plaza, an eight-story commercial building on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, collapsed, killing 1,129 garment workers. The world watched in horror as thousands were pulled from the rubble. While the disaster marked the deadliest garment-factory accident in history, the greater tragedy was that much of the devastation was preventable. Cracks had been discovered in the building, but workers were ordered to stay; and managers constantly employed dangerous and unsafe practices. The structure itself was never approved to be built. For a brief moment, Western consumers got to see the dark underbelly of the supply chains that make the products they use each day. The factories onsite at Rana Plaza were manufacturing apparel for household names such as Benetton, the Children's Place, Mango, Primark, and Walmart. With so much attention focused on what happened, the general public expected this event to be a turning point for the industry. But over two years later, the problems that caused the destruction still remain. To Dr. Richard Appelbaum, this is no surprise - the continued failure of multinational companies to guarantee fair working conditions in their supply chain is a byproduct of their focus on "corporate social responsibility" (CSR) programs. As Research Professor and MacArthur Chair in Global and International Studies and Sociology at the University of California at Santa Barbara, he has spent decades inspecting conditions, studying the industry, and working to advance the rights of workers around the world. Globalization has only exacerbated the problems by creating a situation where retailers and brands source from supply chains that are globally distributed--and are constantly "moving production from factory to factory in search of the lowest possible costs." In this new model, brand-name firms focus on "product development, design, and marketing" while contracting out to manufacturing to poorer nations to compete on "lowest possible per-unit price, highest possible quality, and fastest possible delivery times." Advertisement Since the 1990s, CSR has been put forth as a form of private governance, where companies would take it upon themselves to monitor, investigate, and audit for labor standards enforcement. Even when they are created with the best of intentions, the reality is these efforts can only capture some of the abuses that workers face. The programs are ineffective in protecting unionization and free speech rights and are unable to exercise meaningful control over day-to-day managerial behavior. To proponents, CSR is a way to spread best practices and standardize quality; to critics, it's a public relations effort that weakens regulation. But as Dr. Appelbaum explains, the problem is more obvious than that. "The whole structure of inspections is a fox guarding the hen houses," every building in Bangladesh that collapsed was inspected in the weeks and months before. The incident at Rana Plaza resulted in the creation of two contested agreements between activists and corporations, but neither appears to be particularly effective. Instead, the industry should focus their efforts on building the next-generation of solutions that focus on continuous monitoring and automatic feedback systems. Advertisement A manual inspection process will always be susceptible to deception and incompetence, especially when the parties involved are not working to aggressively root out problems. Scott Nova, executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium, points out that "inspections are completed by people the companies hire, not by independent bodies." The advantage of using technology is that can be addressed; if properly installed, it can allow for inspections remotely, at random, and by anybody allowed access to the data - without needing to physically be present. Take for example the work done by LaborVoices, a California-based software-as-a-service company that is developing feedback systems for garment workers. According to COO Ari Olmos, the company is building a "Glassdoor for retail workers in developing countries" by allowing them to see ratings on factories and farms using basic mobile phones. The company partners with multinational corporations who want to start collecting data on their subcontractors. Their product creates an early warning system for problems, a grievance management system, and a way to benchmark working conditions. In participating factories, workers have a phone number they can call to anonymously report whether they are being paid on time and if they are being treated fairly. The company can follow up on complaints and track progress over time. They can also help to answer specific questions, such as "are fire exits unlocked at all times?" What LaborVoices does is allow measurement of what could not be previously measured by creating data where data didn't exist before. By building a functional feedback loop, it makes it significantly harder to ignore practices and history. Olmos explains that their vision is to "give workers free access to a platform they can use to identify the best workplaces, while selling detailed analytics to companies that want more visibility into their supply chains and facilities." He sees future versions of the software as being able to handle photos and videos, deliver improved quality of survey questions with A/B testing, and offer more built-in options to customize based on need. These might be temporary, stop-gap solutions to a deeply entrenched problem, but LaborVoices is not the only group working on the issue. Certain companies are taking this a step further, by using technology to assist workers in their day-to-day activities - for example, BMW is creating bespoke thermoplastic polyurethane thumb protectors for their factory workers. Others are working on ways of incentivizing behavior on top of these systems. Levi's is piloting a program where they offer cheaper short-term credit to companies that meet their safety levels. Advertisement While it's true that this would result in an initial upfront cost, the whole reason CSR programs were created to begin with was to obtain legitimacy and the appearance of good corporate citizenship. If consumers wanted fair supply chains to be a priority, they could let their shopping habits speak louder than their words. Technologically speaking, we are not far off from a point where price tags could also include a QR code that has a geotagged history of all the places the item has been. But shoppers are working with limited budget, attention span, and information. As Dr. Appelbaum rightly points out, "Most people around the world do not have the privilege of studying the deep-seated structural processes that shape their lives." It's best then to treat this as an issue of regulation and business practices. In a world blanketed by surveillance cameras, there's no reason we should allow for sweatshops to go unnoticed. Any factory that makes something sold in nations that value human rights should be blanketed with sensors that assist in making working conditions better. The next major agreement on this issue should be focused on setting a minimum technological standard of conduct, as well as robust rules that allow NGOs and civic society to inspect, challenge, and contribute to the information being collected. If corporations are serious about making a positive contribution than they are in a much better position than governments to implement these tools to accomplish what they profess to believe in. This article originally appeared on Forbes. Check out my upcoming book, Identified. The Tamil People's Council was incepted in the presence of religious dignitaries and the Honourable Chief Minister for the Northern Province, to look into the Tamil people's wellbeing, safety and integrity. The Tamil People's Council (TPC) will be Co-chaired by Honourable C V Wigneswaran, Dr P Lakshman, Consultant Cardiologist at the Teaching Hospital, Jaffna and Mr. T Vasantharajah, the secretary of the Batticaloa Civil Society. A thirty five member council is formed with representations from experts from all areas including religious leaders, professionals, civil societies and political parties. There will be several subcommittees which will look into all the problems faced by the Tamil People. The subcommittees will work in a particular time frame towards a common goal and depending on the issues raised, the number of experts and advisers representing the committees can expand. The subcommittees will meet regularly for discussions and the Office of Convening Committee(OCC) will call the council meeting as and when the need arises to make major decisions. The number of the council will not be limited to thirty five people. This will expand further as there are discussions in progress regarding the membership between the OCC and some political parties as well as with civil societies. With the inception on 19.12.2015, the Tamil People's Council pledges to function with truthfulness, righteousness and with no ulterior motive so that a conducive situation is established for the Tamil people. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security rang in the New Year by casting a nationwide dragnet targeting Central American asylum seekers for deportation to their home countries. In addition to the raids, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson likewise announced an "expanded messaging campaign" that would "educate those considering the journey north... about the dangerous realities of that journey." He makes it sound as though they have a choice. The truth is that asylum seekers hailing from the Northern Triangle of Central America are fleeing circumstances far more atrocious -- and more hopeless -- than a perilous north-bound journey to the U.S. As the poet Warsan Shire said of another group of refugees, "no one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land." Advertisement According to the State Department's own assessments, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras have a crime rating of "critical," which their hapless, corrupt, under-resourced and underfunded police forces are helpless to remedy. Transnational criminal gang violence is epidemic. Indeed, Honduras and El Salvador are in a macabre competition to see which is the most murderous nation in the world. But the data don't portray the true horror of these families' plight. Many of the women fleeing Central America aren't trying to save their children. They are trying to save their remaining children. Women like July Perez, for example, whose 14-year-old son Anthony was beaten, burned, tortured and suffocated to death for refusing to join a Honduran gang. (Perez had already lost a brother, whose dismembered body had been left to rot in a ditch.) The "unaccompanied minors" are fleeing a similar fate. Remaining in their home countries means facing circumstances in which they are quite literally required to kill or be killed. Those who refuse to join a gang risk sharing the fate of eleven year-old David, a promising student who was stabbed to death, dismembered, and buried in a shallow grave in an abandoned field. Advertisement And while gang violence is Central America's worst problem, it is far from its only problem. The women of the Northern Triangle suffer from an epidemic of extreme domestic violence that goes unpunished, if not unnoticed, by local authorities. Araceli Bonilla, for example, still bears the burn scars of a cast-iron grill on her arm and the knife scars on the finger her husband attempted to sever. To think that people living in such circumstances might be swayed to remain by an "expanded messaging campaign" is naive and unrealistic -- in fact, it's absurd. These are abused mothers and frightened children who are knocking at our door and need our help. Forcing them to return to their countries is in many cases tantamount to a death sentence. It was clear to the judge in the ACLU's case RILR v. Johnson that these families have "escaped violence and persecution in these countries to seek asylum in the United States." That's why they deserve competent appointed counsel to help defend their asylum claims. Instead: Coercion and scare tactics as a propagandist weapon against people who are simply trying to survive. Advertisement The federal government should cease its use of raids as tactics to deter mothers and children fleeing violence in Central America from coming to the United States--and stop depriving families who are already here from fair immigration hearings. As the likes of both President Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney laud the hit Broadway show Hamilton--which celebrates the life of an orphan born in the West Indies who came to the United States as a teenager and grew up to be one of our founding fathers and chief architects of our Constitution--we should take a moment to remember where we came from and reflect on who we are: A nation born of immigrants who took risky journeys to start new lives. A nation that values liberty, equality, and democracy. WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: U.S. President Barack Obama delivers the State of the Union address on January 20, 2015 in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. Obama was expected to lay out a broad agenda to address income inequality, making it easier for Americans to afford college education, and child care. (Photo by Mandel Ngan-Pool/Getty Images) THE STORY President Obama's giving his final State of the Union address tonight at 9pm ET. Make some noooooiiiiiseeee. WHO'S GOING? Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) have box seats behind Obama. Prepare for uncoordinated facial expressions. Also on the invite list: the Cabinet, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Supreme Court, and members of Congress. First Lady Michelle Obama's invited some VIPs to sit with her. Advertisement WHO'S NOT GOING? One lucky Cabinet member gets to hang back with all the important passwords in case something bad happens. This is supposed to comfort you. CAN I GET A CHEAT SHEET? But of course. Obama's advisers have been dropping hints about what he'll talk about. Spoiler alert... "The economy"...as in the US unemployment rate is better than it was before the recession, and the Fed recently decided to back off the last of its post-crisis hand-holding. Obama will say that's because his policies are paying off. The GOP presidential candidates beg to differ. "The migrant and refugee crisis"...as in it's still a crisis. Since last year's Paris attacks, there's been a debate about whether to halt or slow the number of Syrian refugees coming to the US. Obama's very much on the welcome committee, and will shout out to one of MObama's guests -- a Syrian refugee who recently moved to the US. Advertisement "National security"...as in ISIS is still on everybody's sh*t list. Obama's leading the international coalition against the group in Syria and Iraq. But the group spent the last year recruiting supporters to carry out attacks on western countries, so he may have to address what the Carrie Mathisons are doing to keep the homeland safe. "Immigration"...as in GOP candidates have been swinging more to the right on immigration proposals in recent months, with phrases like 'big, beautiful wall' coming up a lot. Mr. Prez will say that's not what 'Murica's about. "Gun control"...as in the First Lady's guest box will also include an empty chair for victims of gun violence. In the wake of Newtown, and more recent shootings in places like San Bernardino, tightening gun control laws has been on the top of the president's to-do list. ANYTHING ELSE? There's a post-game party. Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) will give a rebuttal for the GOP. She's the one who pushed for the Confederate flag to come down on SC gov. grounds after last year's Charleston shooting. PS -- many are saying she could show up on the GOP ticket as Veep later this year. Stay tuned. theSKIMM This speech will be less of a to-do list and more of a greatest hits tour of Obama's presidency. But it's still an election year. And the president would really like to pass the torch to a Democrat. So if it feels kinda like a campaign speech, that's because it is. Last year I had the fortunate experience to go to Sedona, Arizona for the first time. After going to the many vortexes, including the Amitabha Stupa, I wrote a post called "What The Buddha Told me in Sedona." Well, I returned to Sedona about two weeks ago and returned to the Amitabha Stupa. This time I went up to the Buddha Statue and said, "Okay, what have you got for me this time?" This is what I heard: "Silence. I'm meditating and you should be too. Go inside yourself to find the answer. I don't have any wisdom for you. You have it for you. Everything you need is inside of you." Advertisement As people started to come around to where I was, I wandered off on the path, but felt a magnetic pull to return because I felt like there was more to hear. I wandered close by until the area emptied a little more and returned to where the Buddha statue was. I continued to listen: "I have messages for you, but you need to be silent first. And even the silence you seek is inside of you. Everything you've ever wanted exists inside of you. I don't have anything for you that you don't have." Again, as a crew of people started wandering over to where I was I left and walked about some trails, but I felt that magnetic pull to return. I did a few circles about the area, and then I returned when the coast was clear. I went back up to where the Buddha was to listen: "I want you to listen to your inner voice. I want you to trust yourself. I want you to know who you are... You can go now. There's nothing more I have for you because you already have it all." Advertisement And then a final word: "Also, stop looking at me -- turn around -- look at the mountains!" I smiled and laughed when I heard that! You see, there I was looking at the Buddha, but turning around to the view that the Buddha was looking at were the majestic mountains of Sedona. As a final message I was reminded to embrace the beauty around me, and not get distracted by some Buddha statue -- a work of art created by another human. Rather all around me was the magical mysterious creations of nature. All of these messages were the perfect messages. And likely messages I would have accessed in any meditation, but being back at The Stupa and hearing these precise messages at the moment I went up close to the Buddha carried potency. So often we look to others for answers. We want other people to reassure us, tell us what to do, let us know that we're OK. Self-doubt is heavy, common, yet often goes unacknowledged. Instead we search all over the place looking for answers. And most of the time the places we search are outside ourselves. Advertisement Yet the best answers are always within. As the Buddha said, you need to get quiet first, meditate -- get quiet enough to be able to hear the wisdom waiting for you. If all you ever do is ask, panic, and pray for answers, you'll never have the space to feel and hear an answer. This is why meditation is the medicine to clarity. Create space for the answers to be heard, and remember to be present to the moment, and to be awake for the magic around you. Meditation helps us hear the voice within which is connected to the universal voice of clarity. This is our intuition and connection with the universe. Through consciously taking time to be quiet -- we can hear more, feel more, intuit more, and make better decisions. Advertisement This is also how we squash self-doubt, and trust ourselves deeper. This is the seed to confidence. With confidence and self-trust you'll be more attuned to the synchronicities, opportunities, and beauty that's right in front of you. All we need to do is be silent, listen, and dare to turn around and see the magic that's right in front of us. "Hmm, when I grow up, I would like to be free," the 11-year-old boy hummed before he answered me. The answer, for that ordinary question usually asked children at this age, was astonishing as much as shocking. In normal free societies, a young boy's answer to that question would be: When I grow up, I would like to be a doctor, engineer, teacher and so forth but not to be FREE. I repeat, in normal democratic countries, freedom is a given. However, in un-democratic countries like Egypt, freedom remains to be a great idea but has nothing to do with reality. Some, as millions of simple people living under dictatorships and are brain washed by them, may think that freedom is a luxury and that food, shelter and employment are more worthy of being sought. For those deceived, here is the reality: Those basic needs are never guaranteed without being free in a free country. On the fifth anniversary of the Arab spring that first sparked in Tunisia in January 2011 and caught Egypt on the same month before reaching Yemen, Libya and Syria within weeks, it's important to recall that it was the youth in all these countries who started those revolutions in search of freedom, one that would guarantee their the basic rights including food, shelter and more basically their right of life and physical safety against ruthless military dictatorships they have been living under. Advertisement When youth spend the most wonderful years in life looking over their shoulders fearing the security apparatuses, and with little hope for making a living, it results in a lethal cocktail: hopelessness mixed with indignity. Years before the Arab Spring revolutions, most Egyptians could see the oncoming revolt; you could almost smell it in the air. With poverty reaching unprecedented levels of 70%, it was common to see people up to their waist in garbage dumpsters, seeking anything edible. Most felt it would be a revolution of the hungry, one so destructive that nothing would be spared. Weeks before January 25, 2011, many youth flared social media with calls for revolution. Nobody expected much, especially not the ruling regime. Former president Hosni Mubarak mocked the youth in a public speech addressing a rally of his corrupt National Democratic Party saying:" Let them entertain themselves a bit." The filthy rich corrupt rally exploded into laughter putting down the misery and agonies of the nation. Come January 25th, it looked just like any other day. On the way to my office, I could see the usual traffic chaos on the streets and despair on the faces of the passers-by. It was almost 8 p.m. when I finished my work at the newspaper where I heard colleagues talking about a gathering of some youth in Tahrir Square which is a 10 minute walk from my office. That night I was to appear on a late night program on National T.V. Instead of staying at the office until the time of the show, I walked to Tahrir Square to check out what was going on. Unlike the expectations of the majority of the people, that the lower strata of society would be the ones would revolt, I was immediately struck by two obvious things: Advertisement All demonstrators were youth in their 20's and a limited number in their 30's. The other obvious fact was that the majority of demonstrators came from the elite upper class, youth who attended the most prestigious universities and drove the nicest cars. It was astonishing to see them fearlessly confront the 30 year old dictatorship. How did they get such conviction to give up their comforts, and risk their own lives? After spending hours over the next few days talking with them, I finally got the answers to my questions: "It's true we belong to wealthy families and have many comforts, and with the opportunity to attend the most expensive universities both here, in Egypt and abroad. However, we still feel the needs of the poor and unprivileged," replied a graduate from an American University in Cairo. "Morally and ethically we must fight for those who have less, yet that is not the only reason. Pragmatically speaking, if we turned a blind eye to our fellow Egyptians being victimized by a corrupt and tyrannical regime it will put our own lives at jeopardy sooner or later. If we turn our faces away from the agonies of the poor, those who represent the majority, it would not only be selfish but also self-destructive for when they explode, it will be hell," another young well-dressed young man confirmed. It was impressive how hundreds of youth had similar attitudes, and way more mature than the veteran politicians, most with corrupt and shortsighted views. These same youth were besieged by thousands of soldiers and intimidated by the security and intelligence apparatuses. I feared for them, and expected they would yield within a few hours, yet to my astonishment they never did; they were willing to die for the sake of the poor. By midnight, the security forces had inflicted severe injuries to scores of demonstrators. Again, I expected them to disperse but they never did. Instead, they held out flowers and roses to soldiers who were beating them mercilessly. As the night wore on, they never attempted to defend themselves, but rather reassured the soldiers that their aim was to defend them and their own poor families. Two days later, after several demonstrators were murdered, they began defending themselves by throwing stones at the attacking forces. Advertisement After struggling for two days, other groups began pouring into the square, in defense of their fellow youth and the noble values they stood for. Within two days, tens of thousands joined them in Tahrir Square. Soon after, both the police and the army began attacking every couple of hours. On February 3, when the regime felt embarrassed before the whole world, it started reaching out to negotiate with representatives of those youth. Unlike the common story that the first encounter between the regime and youth was with former late head of intelligence General Omar Soliman, the first meeting was between Ahmed Shafik, former Prime Minister and close protege of former President Mubarak. Representative of the revolutionary youth were both stormy and feisty in the face of the Prime Minister's demands to end their sit-in. They were firm and united to carry on with their sit-in until Mubarak stepped down, along with forced resignation of all corrupt officials. Later, there were two other sessions of talks that resulted in nothing. Yet, I have to admit, through all that time, the former Prime Minister was very polite and never lost his temper. After 18 days, the army had to give in and force the President's resignation. Although deliberately and viciously abated by dictatorships, it is worthy to say that the Arab Spring revolutions have proven that the youth never lost hope in changing their present in order to own the future. However, besides being sparked and led by youth from the elite upper class for the benefit of the poor, Egypt's revolution was astonishing on several counts: Advertisement The amazing peacefulness of the youth which surprisingly contradicted their firmness and determination to bring down a dictator, one who had ruled by corruption and deception for three decades. While the police, army forces and thugs hired by the former dictator's cronies murdered thousands and maimed tens of thousands, the youth never gave up their revolution, nor did they abandon peacefulness. On the contrary they threatened to march from Tahrir Square and other squares across the country in tidal waves until they reached the Presidential palace, a threat that accelerated bringing down the dictator. The nobility, romanticism and idealism of revolutionaries, the youth on top of them, in their attempt to fulfill their legitimate aspiration of reshaping not only their future but also the future of their country. The cross-country massive campaign they launched to clean up and decorate the streets with their own limited resources was a mere example of many they set to tell the nation that Egypt belonged to them, all of them. Yet in thinking they had defeated the dictatorship machine, the youth were soon proven wrong! They had confused the person, the Dictator himself, with the system, the military dictatorship, thinking they were one. Within months, the dictatorship machine began rolling once again, demonizing the revolution and resulting in not only dashed hopes of the youth but tragic massacres, including assassinations, kidnappings, forced disappearances and eventual indictments convicting thousands of youth, some with death penalties, on false charges in sham trials. Four years after the revolution, more than 44,000 people have been jailed, most on phony charges, and more prisons are being built for newcomers who are wronged charged. Well, freedom is a matter of choice. So far it seems that the older generations of Egyptians, those who grew old under dictatorship, have lost the wonderful taste of freedom to fight for it. However, whenever I remember that young boy telling me that he would like to grow up to be a free man, I become more and more confident that millions of youth and children behind them have made a determined choice of freeing themselves, along with their country, of tyranny. It will come! Advertisement Parveen Panwar is passionate about online advertising and ad technology. He has created digital strategies for various video branding campaigns and made them successful through various distribution strategies in digital landscape. Learn more about what he does through his company, Vidaptiv. While relatively new, interactive video advertising is changing the way video ads are perceived. Now, there needs to be more content than ad. Video becomes interactive through overlays on the video player. This can be done through images, text, buttons; the possibilities limited only by the advertiser's imagination. Interactive video advertising is still finding its footing in online advertising (an environment fraught with changing threats and opportunities), and like any nascent technology, a great deal of customization is required. But this also allows brands to engage with consumers in unprecedented ways. Advertisement As the CEO of an interactive video advertising company, I'm passionate about online advertising and ad technology. My job is to create digital strategies for video branding campaigns and make them successful through careful distribution in the digital landscape. Through this work I've seen two main forces shaping the development of video advertising, which advertisers need to understand in order to see success. Ad Blocking With an increasing number of users installing ad-blocking software on their browsers, it's becoming difficult for companies to get their ads noticed, much less viewed. Ad blocking works by identifying scripts associated with known ad servers and preventing ads from loading altogether. This makes video a 'must have' for every content marketing plan, as they can be embedded directly into a website as content. This way the video is guaranteed to load, regardless of ad blocking. This applies to both advertisers and publishers, and for them to work together to keep users engaged. Advertisers should keep in mind that ads served as content should follow the rules of content; in other words, be interesting and compelling. As many native advertisers are now learning, the more your ads look and act like ads, the more likely they are going to be blocked. Essentially, anything delivered programmatically from external servers can be identified as an ad and blocked. Conversely, the more your ad looks and acts like desirable content, the less likely it will be blocked. New/Custom Ad Types New ad standards, based on changing demands of browsers across PCs and mobile devices, are pushing old tools to the wayside. HTML 5 ads are replacing Flash, which increases the complexity of interactive design while allowing the same ad to run across all devices. Custom ad types are also in vogue in 2015, especially in-content formats such as Teads' inRead and Virool's InLine -- both of which appear in the content area of a website where the viewer is already looking. Advertisement In many ways, new technologies allow advertisers to mix and match for best results. Want to add an HTML 5 interactive video to a native advertorial post? Go for it. Can I run this interactive banner tag on PC and Mobile devices? Sure. What about adding view-ability measurement to an interactive video ad? Yep, it's all integrated. For example, my company Vidaptiv ran a long-format interactive video campaign for a liquor brand via native placement on women's interest websites. In many ways, this campaign represents the evolution of advertising in the face of new challenges. Long-format video requires a targeted, home-grown audience, so each impression is valuable to the advertiser. By integrating interactive overlays to the video, brand goals of social sharing and product discovery were integrated into the video. The native-content article written for the video provided recipes for mixed drinks using the liquor brand. Changing the client's long-form video content into an interactive video resulted in a more engaged audience who received value from the interaction. It also added a brand experience that avoided ad blocking, and improved view-ability compared to some more traditional ad types. Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - FEBRUARY 10: BJP Delhi Chief Ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi addressing the media personnel after losing Krishana Nagar assembly seat from at her Uday Park residence on February 10, 2015 in New Delhi, India. Prime Minister Narendra Modis party BJP suffers its first major election defeat since coming to power last May as anti-corruption campaigner Arvind Kejriwal wins a landslide victory in Delhi state polls. AAP won in 67 seats while BJP managed to win only in 3 seats. (Photo by Vipin Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) NEW DELHI -- Former IPS officer and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kiran Bedi on Friday slammed the Centre's decision to permit the controversial sport of 'Jallikattu' in Tamil Nadu saying that the 'abhorrent' and 'brutish' tradition did not encourage a civilised society. .#JALLKATU is brutal.Why should a society in need of promoting civility and harmony even allow this?Howsoever socially demanding it be.. Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) January 8, 2016 "It's abhorrent and this kind of brutish brutality is not meant to be shown on television. We are trying to encourage a civilised society which is moving towards peace and harmony. These games do not encourage that," Bedi told ANI. Hitting out the decision of reviving the bull-taming sport, she questioned the reason behind going against the Supreme Court's decision of banning it in the first place. Such brutality can't be a part of civilized society.Also,why should we go against SC order?-Kiran Bedi #jallikattupic.twitter.com/qswJgM9gag ANI (@ANI_news) January 8, 2016 "The Supreme Court had shown great wisdom by banning it. Why should we go against the SC order? How is this benefitting our society? What does our next generation see? Provoking a bull to be mad, and then tease it and hurt the bull is against life, "Bedi added. Advertisement Earlier today, Union Minister of State for Road Transport, Highways and shipping Pon Radhakrishnan welcomed the Environment Ministry's nod to the Tamil Nadu Government to conduct 'Jallikattu' and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the same. "Thank our honourable Prime Minister for giving permission for conducting Jallikattu this year. There was a situation that there will not be any chance of conducting this more than 200-year-old tradition. Due to some reasons this event was facings a crisis, but our Prime Minister has made all the arrangement now," Radhakrishnan told ANI. The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change issued a notification today saying that 'bulls may be continue to be exhibited or trained as a performing animal, at events such as Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu and bullock cart races in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana, Kerala and Gujarat in the manner by the customs of any community or practiced traditionally under the customs or as part of culture'. However, there were certain provisions that such races will be organised on a 'proper track' and bulls are put to proper testing by the authorities of the Animal Husbandry. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: STRDEL via Getty Images Indian youth attempt to catch a bull during a bull-taming festival known as Jallikattu at Palamedu Village near Madurai, some 500 kms south of Chennai, on January 16, 2011. The event was held as part of Tamil New Year 'Ponggal' celebrations. AFP/STR (Photo credit should read STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images) NEW DELHI -- The Centre's notification lifting ban on bull taming sport Jallikattu during the festival of Pongal in Tamil Nadu was today challenged in the Supreme Court. The petitions seeking urgent hearing on the issue were mentioned before a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur which agreed to hear it tomorrow. Advertisement The pleas were filed by Animal Welfare Board of India, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India and a Bangalore-based NGO. The four-year-old ban on holding of Jallikattu was lifted on 8 January by the Modi government in poll-bound Tamil Nadu with certain restrictions. The decision to allow Jallikattu, days before traditional harvest festival Pongal begins along with bullock cart races in other parts of the country, had come through a government notification despite strong objections by animal rights groups. Jallikattu also known Eruthazhuvuthal is a bull taming sport played in Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations on Mattu Pongal day. Advertisement "...Central Government, hereby specifies that following animals shall not be exhibited or trained as performing animals with effect from the date of publication of this notification, namely bears, monkeys, tigers, panthers, lions and bulls. Provided that bulls may be continued to be exhibited or trained as a performing animal, at events such as Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu and bullock cart races in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana, Kerala and Gujarat in the manner by customs of any community or practiced traditionally," the notification had said. Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: "India has always been known for its tolerance. We've always tried to keep peace but when attacks like the one at Pathankot happen, you realise that the time has come to retaliate. Going by what you read in the social media, our youngsters are angry, they have taken this personally, and want India to attack too." Adam Berry via Getty Images BERLIN, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 12: A visitor uses a mobile phone in front of the Facebook logo at the #CDUdigital conference on September 12, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. The world's largest social media network was launched by Mark Zuckerberg and his Harvard College roommates in 2004, and had its initial public offering in February 2012. (Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images) NEW DELHI -- Amid a debate over net neutrality principles, Facebook has become the only Internet firm to side with telecom operators over the issue of differential pricing of data services. The social media giant has favoured allowing differential pricing of data services -- a key issue under net neutrality principles, in India specially zero rating platforms like its own controversy-ridden Free Basics. Advertisement "The short answer is yes. Differential pricing, as the term is used in the consultation paper, should generally continue to be allowed," Facebook said in its comments submitted to telecom regulator Trai. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is holding consultation before framing up of recommendations for net neutrality rules. The telecom operators too have favoured differential pricing for data services. Facebook's Free Basics, a zero rating platform, allows access to content or application hosted on it for free in partnership with telecom operator. The Indian IT Industry through Nasscom, Internet firms though IAMAI and many Internet forums have opposed differential pricing of data or zero rating platforms. IAMAI members include Google, Facebook, LinkedIn etc. Advertisement As per people opposing differential pricing regime, zero rating platforms locks the freedom of user in accessing content over Internet and limits their access to application or content that are offered for free on discretion of the company owning it. At the end of first round of comments, Trai has received about 24 lakh comments of which close to 80 per cent are through campaign launched by Facebook to defend its free Internet platform Free Basics. The regulator could upload comments it received from people in phases. Facebook said that zero rating plans can lead to increase in Internet adoption at no cost to the government, the content provider or the consumers. The firm said that it supports core principle of net neutrality. "Facebook supports strong net neutrality rules, including prohibitions on blocking, throttling and paid prioritization," it said. Facebook has said zero rating is permitted in the vast majority of jurisdictions around the world and these plans should be evaluated case by case, based on a number of criteria. Advertisement "Those jurisdictions that have engaged in extensive deliberation over zero rating, including the EU and the US, have concluded that adoption of net neutrality rules does not require banning zero rating," it added. The social media major said that providing free Internet services without content restrictions is likely to have limited benefits because telecom operators will need to impose limit in terms of data consumed or download speed or time till when it will be free. "Consumers watching video can quickly consume an extraordinary amount of bandwidth--leading to the necessity of some kind of limitation...This would not show someone the full power of the Internet, so people would be unlikely to become full time Internet users," Facebook said. It said that free data programme, capped at a certain megabyte threshold, has greater potential for consumer confusion -particularly for those who are new to the Internet. The social media firm cited Trai's 1999 Tariff Order and said non-discrimination requirement reaches only discrimination between subscribers of the same class". Advertisement "Thus that prohibition would not appear to reach zero rating or sponsored data programmes, since all subscribers pay the same price (zero) are subject to the same terms, for the same class of service," Facebook said. A debate on net neutrality stirred across the country after Airtel decided to charge separately for Internet-based calls in December 2014 but withdrew it later after people protested. The debate heated up after Airtel launched free Internet platform Airtel Zero and later Facebook also launched its Internet.Org platform, renamed as Free Basics. Facebook said that with a track record of increasing Internet access and use, differential pricing programmes should be recognised as tools for economic development and encouraged within a flexible regulatory environment. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also On HuffPost: Betwa Sharma AYODHYA -- The Ram Mandir is back in national politics. The arrival of stones for the temple construction in Ayodhya in December, the first in more than seven years, has sparked off a fresh round of speculation about the imminent future of this temple town. While local administration is closely monitoring the situation and Muslim groups have protested, Sangh Parivar leaders elsewhere and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in Delhi have started speaking about reviving the Mandir project, which has been declining in importance in the BJP's election manifesto. The revival of the project, at the site where Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992, in one of independent India's most contentious episodes, is bound to stir up communal passions. Particularly in Uttar Pradesh, where elections once pivoted around the issue and are scheduled to be held early next year. Advertisement Artisans have been chipping away at slabs of stones in the workshop of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in Ayodhya since 1990, until operations closed in 2008 for four years. A 2010 Allahabad high court order splitting the disputed site three ways--Hindus, Muslims and the Nirmohi Akhara sect--has been stayed by the Supreme Court. As per the High Court order, Hindus have control over the contentious area where the masjid was pulled down in 1992. Speaking to HuffPost India, VHP spokesperson Sharad Sharma said saints have predicted that a temple would soon be built on the site where the Babri Masjid once stood. If the Supreme Court refused to give the disputed site in its entirety for the temple, Sharma said that the parliament should legislate in favour of Lord Ram. Advertisement "If law can be made and changed for one Muslim woman, then why not Lord Ram, revered by crores of Hindus?" he said, referring to the 1985 Shah Bano verdict, in which the Supreme Court ruled that her ex-husband had to pay maintenance, every month, under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Sharma said that if the Rajiv Gandhi government could then overturn the Supreme Court decision by enacting the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act to appease orthodox Muslims, why could parliament not consider the feelings of crores of Hindus who revere Lord Ram. In a conversation with HuffPost India, VHP's Sharma discussed the Ram Mandir movement's plans. If law can be made and changed for a Muslim woman, then why not for Lord Ram, revered by crores of Hindus? Model of the Ram Temple at the Vishwa Hindu Parishad office in Ayodhya. The Babri Masjid was destroyed in 1992. How can you claim that the Mandir construction work started in 1990? Advertisement The workshop was going on from before because in 1989, saints of the Ramjanmabhoomi Trust decided that we would make this kind of temple. They put its model before the public at the Prayag (Allahabad) Kumbh. And so the carving work started. Now almost 65 percent of the work is done in the workshop. The 35 percent work, which is left, will continue. So why did the arrival of stones cause tension, this time? The reason for tension is vote bank. People seem to get a stomach ache when you take Ram's name. You are worried that you might lose your Muslim vote. That is why they get a pain and start making noise by not allowing parliament to function, making noise in Rajya Sabha. There is concern that the VHP is trying to ignite the Ram Mandir issue before the 2017 UP election for political gains of the BJP. Our objective is not to make noise, but to find a resolution. Since 1949, when Lord Ram appeared there (on site of the Babri Masjid), Hindus have been waiting for justice. It took sixty years for the matter to go from the local court to the High Court and for them to say that this is the seat of Ram. Now, this has been with the Supreme Court for the past four years. What is your problem in accepting the three way split of the disputed site by the Allahabad High Court? Advertisement The problem is that this is the birthplace of Ram. One can never accept that someone's birthplace is divided. If a Muslim is told that give one part to Ram, the other part to the church, and keep the bit in the middle. Would they accept it? The second thing is that it is a matter of 80 x 40 feet, and you are dividing it into three parts. We cannot accept this. One can never accept that someone's birthplace is divided. Let me ask this again. How do you respond to the charge that this issue is being drummed up now with the assembly election in view? There have been a lot of elections. Whenever we talk about Ram, they make noise. Here you have the Samajvadi Party government with BJP and BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) in opposition. BSP is doing it to get votes, and SP is doing it to retain votes so it doesn't go to Congress or BSP. We have nothing to do with all this. We don't want this to be an election issue. But there is a history of polarisation before elections and that ends up benefitting the BJP. So the assumption is that Ram Temple could be one such trigger. When the matter started in 1949, Congress was in power and stayed in power for 60 years. Congress ruled and its people raised the issue. Dau Dayal Khanna, a VHP leader, was a cabinet minister who raised the issue. This matter will continue until a temple isn't built on that spot. Advertisement In the context of these elections, to say that we are dividing people isn't true. That is not our objective. Those who are raising the issue of Ram Mandir don't want to make Muslims afraid that they are now invoking Ram, and then they will start killing. Where is any of this happening? We want Hindus and Muslims to live well. But to take someone's birthplace by force, make a structure on it, we won't allow it. You keep talking about other parties. But after the religious violence in Muzaffarnagar, the balance tilted in favour of the BJP. Our objective is, in this country, cow is our mother, Hindu culture should be protected, we should talk about Ram. If Ram is taken out of here then we will feel that we are not getting our religious freedom. This is Ram's country so we will talk about Ram, about Gods and Goddesses, we will talk about the cow, and about the Ganga. There is no fear. Cow is our mother, Hindu culture should be protected, we should talk about Ram. What if the Supreme Court does not allow a temple to be built in the entirety of the disputed site? We won't be able to accept that. When it is proved that it is the birthplace of Ram Lalla then why would the court not accept this. But a law can also be made in parliament. People should attempt to do this. Whether it is the government or opposition, everyone should get together and resolve this issue. Parliament should legislate on this, the saints have demanded it for a long time. Advertisement What has the Modi government said about the Ram Temple? We have made request to previous governments. We have the same request for the present government to respect the feelings of the saints. They should resolve the issue taking into account the struggle which Hindu society has gone through. Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, head of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, in Ayodhya. Mahant Nritya Gopal Das has told the media that, "We have signals from Modi Government that Mandir construction would be done now." He never said that. The reports were incorrect and we refuted them. He was asked whether he has got an indication from the top, he didn't mean the government, but from the place where saints get their faith. But he is quoted as saying "Modi." They published the wrong thing. There is no indication from Modi. God, sadhu, saints gives signs and then movements are carried out. When Rama Lalla gave a sign then Vishwa Hindu Parishad took the movement in its hands in 1984 and the structure fell in 1992. Advertisement Our God is bearing sun, heat and rain, sitting inside a tent. But should you not wait for the Supreme Court order before constructing the temple? We are constructing in our house. Our faith is in Lord Rama. Whether it is a court decision or how the matter is resolved comes later. So many stones cannot be carved so quickly. If the court gives its decision to construct the temple then we must have something to build it with. That is why we have made all the preparations. The Supreme Court should make a special bench and decide this matter at the earliest. Our God is bearing sun, heat and rain, sitting inside a tent. It took 60 years for the matter to reach the High Court--what can be more unfortunate for Hindu society. We sit in rooms but our God is sitting in a tent. Also On HuffPost: daboost via Getty Images Mixed India and Pakistan flag, three dimensional render, illustration NEW DELHI -- The Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary- level talks appear to be unlikely this week with India taking the stand that Pakistan has to act on the leads given to it about the terror attack on the Pathankot air base. Sartaj Aziz, Foreign Policy Adviser to Pakistan Prime Minister, has said that the foreign secretary talks would be held on January 15 but National Security Adviser Ajit Doval was quoted as having said said that talks can be held only after action, a stand from which he has distanced himself later. Advertisement Reports from Pakistan today claimed that law enforcement agencies have picked up "some suspects" connected to Pathankot airbase attack from Bahwalapur district, the hometown of Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed. Pakistani news channel ARY News reported today that "some arrests" have been made in this regard but police did not confirm any arrest related to the Pathankot attack. However, nothing officially has been said about it. It is unlikely that Foreign Secretary Jaishankar would travel to Islamabad as planned this Thursday for talks with his Pakistan counterpart for the comprehensive bilateral dialogue agreed to between the two countries when External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Pakistan last month. Swaraj today went to Home Minister Rajnath Singh's residence and is understood to have discussed the issue during a meeting that lasted about 20 minutes. But there was no official word on the meeting. Advertisement Meanwhile, Congress attacked the government over the uncertainty" on the FS-level talks, saying foreign policy is not conducted in such a way. Party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said no less a person than Doval has "further compounded and confounded the confusion" that seems to have become this government's "hall mark" as far as dealing with extremely serious and sensitive issues of national security are concerned. He said the NSA was reported to have told a newspaper in an interview that there would be "no peace talks now till Pakistan takes action against Pathankot terrorists and India is satisfied with Pakistan s efforts" and then denied the entire interview. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: Looks Best in Large!Press L to see in Large & BlackPress F to Fave :)Jallikattu finally qualifies for a sport with many regulations in place. It is more disciplined now.It is no longer free-for-all in the playing arena. Only players with uniforms are allowed in the ring and those found violating rules - like pulling the bullas tail - are sent out of the field immediately. Ambulances with doctors are in standby to rush injured players for treatment and veterinarians check if the animals are drugged.The playing arena is barricaded. There are separate spectator galleries, so that spectators cannot come anywhere close to the bulls. In fact, the event has become a major tourist attraction during the Pongal season. Foreign tourists I have spoken to have praised the sport and compared it to the Spanish bullfight, which they felt was gory.Unlike in the past, the participating bulls are examined thoroughly by veterinarians before they are let into the playing arena. Follow me @ Google+ | Twitter | Facebook" data-caption="Looks Best in Large!Press L to see in Large & BlackPress F to Fave :)Jallikattu finally qualifies for a sport with many regulations in place. It is more disciplined now.It is no longer free-for-all in the playing arena. Only players with uniforms are allowed in the ring and those found violating rules - like pulling the bullas tail - are sent out of the field immediately. Ambulances with doctors are in standby to rush injured players for treatment and veterinarians check if the animals are drugged.The playing arena is barricaded. There are separate spectator galleries, so that spectators cannot come anywhere close to the bulls. In fact, the event has become a major tourist attraction during the Pongal season. Foreign tourists I have spoken to have praised the sport and compared it to the Spanish bullfight, which they felt was gory.Unlike in the past, the participating bulls are examined thoroughly by veterinarians before they are let into the playing arena. Follow me @ Google+ | Twitter | Facebook" data-credit="VinothChandar/Flickr"> NOORULLAH SHIRZADA via Getty Images An Afghan man is seen through the shards of a broken window after a blast near the Indian consulate in Jalalabad on January 5, 2016. A small bomb exploded near the Indian consulate in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on January 5, authorities said, after a series of attacks on Indian installations in the region. The blast was some 200 metres from the consulate in Jalalabad, an Indian diplomatic source there told AFP. There were no reported injuries at the scene. AFP PHOTO / Noorullah Shirzada / AFP / Noorullah Shirzada (Photo credit should read NOORULLAH SHIRZADA/AFP/Getty Images) KABUL -- Pakistani military officers were involved in the attack on the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e- Sharif in which assailants attempted to storm the mission building, a senior Afghan police official said today. "We saw with our own eyes and I can say 99 per cent that those attackers were from Pakistani military and used special tactics while conducting their operation," Sayed Kamal Sadat, police chief of the Balkh province, said of the attack that took place last week. Advertisement Sadat said the attackers -- officers from across the border -- were well-trained military men who fought Afghan security forces in the 25-hour siege. "The attackers were military personnel. They were educated and well prepared and had intelligence. They fought us and only by Allah's grace were we able to control them and eliminate them," Sadat was quoted as saying by Tolo News. The police official said efforts were underway to track down, identify and detain those who assisted the attackers to gain access to the building that was opposite the Indian Consulate. "We are jointly working with the NDS director and have spoken about this - especially as they came here not able to speak in Dari or Pashtu but speaking in Urdu. It means obviously there is someone who guided those attackers and helped the attackers," Sadat said. Advertisement An intense gun-battle between security forces and the attackers took place outside the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif after assailants attempted to storm the mission building on January 3. The standoff ended on the night of January 4 after the attackers who entered the building opposite the Indian Consulate were killed. One police solider also lost his life and nine others including three civilians were wounded in the incident. As the Consulate came under attack, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) guards deployed on the sentry post foiled their attempt by raining heavy fire on them. A strong contingent of over four-dozen ITBP commandos has been securing this facility from 2008 apart from three other missions in the country and the main Embassy in the capital, Kabul. The security of these sensitive facilities was recently heightened after the ITBP deployed over 35 commandos at Indian missions in Kabul, Jalalabad, Herat, Kandhar and Mazar-e-Sharif. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also on HuffPost: ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE - In this Monday, April 15, 2013 file photo, Pakistan's former President and military ruler Pervez Musharraf addresses his party supporters at his house in Islamabad, Pakistan. Pakistan's main federal investigative agency has airrefutable proofa that former military ruler Musharraf illegally declared a state of emergency in 2007, according to a report it released Wednesday, May 14, 2014, as the one-time leader now faces a high treason trial over the declaration. (B.K. Bangash, File) NEW DELHI -- Former Pakistan President General (retired) Pervez Musharraf has called on India to not 'overreact' to the terror strike on the Pathankot IAF base saying that both nations were victims of extremism and also accused New Delhi of creating pressure on Islamabad over terrorism. Speaking in an interview to a Pakistani news channel, Musharraf said that terrorism was prevalent in both India and Pakistan due to which incidents like Pathankot would keep happening. Advertisement "Terrorism is prevalent in both India and Pakistan. We are also victims of the same so we should not over react to what happened in Pathankot. Yes, of course we want to control such incidents, but one should get hyper over such incidents," Musharraf said. "India's first reaction to every terrorist attack is Pakistan but India is not free of terrorism or extremism themselves," he added. Accusing New Delhi of creating pressure on Islamabad when it came to terror attacks, the former President alleged that terrorism and extremism was quite prevalent in India as well. "India simply can't create pressure on Pakistan when it comes to terrorism. We may be a small country but we have honour of our own. There are lots of areas in India where extremism is rampant. India always treats terrorism as a one-sided issue and that infuriates me. They can't just bulldoze us when something happens there," Musharraf said. Advertisement He also said that there was a lot of 'disgruntlement' among the Muslim community in India since Prime Minister Modi came to power. Comparing the Prime Minister's leadership with that of his former counterpart Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he added that ties between India and Pakistan had flourished under the latter as he was more 'sincere' in his approach. "I interacted with Vajpayee sahab and at the time we had very good ties with India. It all comes down to leadership in the end. We were moving forward with him and Manmohan sahab. Unfortunately, it's not working under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. His popularity has dampened post his loss in Delhi and Bihar," Musharraf said. "Vajapayee and Manmohan were more sincere when it came to resolving dispute. A good leader is always flexible. Things can't work out if you are hell-bent on your own stand," he added. Downplaying Prime Minister Modi's recent visit to Islamabad, he added that it was just a case of 'showmanship' and there was nothing substantial about his visit. Advertisement "I know what he said in Afghanistan. He arrived here after badmouthing Pakistan there. What kind of attitude is that? Badmouthing us when it comes to something substantial and then showing off by coming here? So I don't place much importance to his visit. I simply look at the substance, which is missing," the former President said. Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: Hindustan Times via Getty Images MUMBAI, INDIA - JANUARY 8: Sand artist Laxmi paying a tribute to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives at Pathankhot, through her art, at Juhu, on January 8, 2016 in Mumbai, India. Seven security personnel were killed in the attack on the Pathankot Indian Air Force Station by six terrorists who, according to officials, crossed over from Pakistan. All the six terrorists were killed by security forces later. (Photo by Vidya Subramanian/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) GREATER NOIDA, Uttar Pradesh -- India has no reason to distrust Pakistan's assurance that it will take effective action on inputs given about the perpetrators of the Pathankot terror attack, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today. "Pakistan government has said it will take effective action. I think we should wait," Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a function here. Advertisement Singh said since Pakistan has given the assurance to the Indian government, there should be no reason to disbelieve them so early. "There is no reason to distrust (avishvaas) them (Pakistan) so early," he said. After the attack, India had said it has provided to Pakistan actionable intelligence to act upon the perpetrators of the terrorist act. During a post-attack telephonic conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, the government had said that "our Prime Minister very strongly urged the Prime Minister of Pakistan to take action. "Actionable intelligence in regard to the terrorist attack and the links with the perpetrators in Pakistan were provided to the Pakistani side. The Pakistan Prime Minister promised us prompt and decisive action. We now wait that prompt and decisive action," it had said. Advertisement Reports from Pakistan yesterday said law enforcement agencies have picked up "some suspects" connected to Pathankot airbase attack from Bahwalapur district, the hometown of Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed. India has identified Masood Azhar as mastermind of the attack. It also blamed his brother Rauf and five others for carrying out the attack that left all six terrorists and seven Indian soldiers dead on January 2. It has provided telephone number in Pakistan contacted by the airbase attackers and given other inputs. India has called on Islamabad to act on the information if the Foreign Secretary-level talks are to take place as scheduled on 15 January. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: ASSOCIATED PRESS Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan gestures during a press conference on his birthday in Mumbai, India, Monday, Nov. 2,2015. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) KOLKATA -- Following controversies over his comment on intolerance, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan today said he won't answer any question on political and religious matters. "Unfortunately because of the reactions I get when I answer something political or religious, I don't think I will answer this question," Khan told reporters here when asked to comment on cancellation of Pakistani ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali's concert in Mumbai. Advertisement Ali is now scheduled to perform in Kolkata tomorrow. Khan had earlier said there is "extreme intolerance" in India, creating a furore. He had later apologised. He had said the controversy also affected the collections of his latest film 'Dilwale'. During a programme to launch the 'Shades of Bengal' book by Nerolac Paints, he also avoided answering the question related to reduction of his security cover by the Mumbai Police. Khan quipped saying he missed the constables as they used to bring food for him. "I miss them. Sometimes I give them a call to ask about their well-being. They used to take food for me and we used to eat 'puri' and rice together," he added. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: Screenshot of CCTV footage In a disturbing CCTV footage from a home in Uttar Pradesh, an elderly woman is seen cowering in her bed as she is slapped, kicked, beaten with a brick and strangled with a rope, allegedly by her daughter-in-law. Sangeeta Jain, who assaulted 70-year-old Rajrani Jain, was arrested this morning and booked under IPC Section 307 -- attempt to murder -- after the CCTV footage of the incident went viral on social media. Advertisement Watch the video here: WATCH: Husband installs CCTV, wife caught beating up mother in law in Uttar Pradesh's Bijnor (Jan 5) https://t.co/4bo7oAv8N0 ANI (@ANI_news) January 12, 2016 The video, captured on 5 January, was uploaded by social activist Kundan Srivastava on his Facebook page, in which he has appealed chief minister Akhilesh Yadav to take action against the 'cruel woman' who had allegedly filed dowry harassment and marital rape cases against Sandeep and his family. Srivastava, in his Facebook page, says that he had advised Sangeeta's husband Sandip Kumar Jain to install CCTV cameras in the house as he wanted to catch her red-handed. "This has been happening for quite some time now. She used to assault and abuse my parents very often. I complained about her but no one used to listen to me. Then after waiting for two years, I installed a CCTV camera expecting that she will fix her ways, but she didn't. That day she crossed all the limits. I installed the camera to unmask her since the law is on the woman's side when these types of cases are concerned," Sandip told ANI. Advertisement Senior police officer Daljit Chowdhury said, "It is very sad that she behaved like that. We have the footage. We will definitely take action. A case has been registered." Saying that this is the first time he is fighting against a woman for a woman, Srivastava, in his FB post has appealed for help. "Strong laws were created for women but some women are misusing the laws. I would urge the Government of India to action against such women. I promise will help you into this cruelty and I also believe Crime has no Gender," he writes. This is his FB post: Sangeeta Jain has tried several time to kill her 70 years mother-in-law. You can see the video that I'm revealing today.... Posted by Kundan Srivastava on Monday, 11 January 2016 Meanwhile, the attacked mother-in-law said that she doesn't even know why Sangeeta behaved that way. "That day she came from kitchen and started slapping me. She almost strangled me to death. She even hit my head with brick. I don't know why she did this. I never interfered in anything happening in the family," she told reporters. Advertisement My daughter in law tried to strangle me, hit me with stones on my head-Woman who was beaten up by daughter in law pic.twitter.com/79j7RZeaCq ANI (@ANI_news) January 12, 2016 However, Sangeeta has denied beating up her mother-in-law. She said that the family has made a 'fake video' to ruin her life. They've made a fake video clip to ruin my life-Woman who has been arrested for beating up Mother-in law in Bijnor pic.twitter.com/MLCygmboFi ANI (@ANI_news) January 12, 2016 Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also On HuffPost: Boo at the Zoo is back Boo at the Zoo will take place from 2-5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, throughout the grounds of the zoo, and is free to the public. Blockchain Music, And Benji Rogers 75% Superb Idea [ANDREW DUBBER] Here Andrew Dubber responds to Benji Rogers' recent piece discussing how the Blockchain and VR could be implemented to better organize and protect music moving forward. In this article, Dubber suggests a few tweaks to Rogers' vision which would make the future of music technology more friendly to society as a whole. _______________________________ Guest Post by Andrew Dubber on AndrewDubber.com Pledge Musics CEO Benji Rogers wrote a blog post that has been doing the rounds recently. Its called How the Blockchain and VR Can Change the Music Industry. Its worth a read and particularly since many of the people commenting on it seem to have only read the headline. Ive had some interesting conversations about it since I mentioned it online yesterday (after a half-hour Skype chat with Benji), and the usual concerns come up. Someone compared it to a return to the bad old days of the Sony rootkit debacle (which was about technical copy protection and not about rights in any meaningful sense) and of course, it brings up the usual philosophical discussions between copyright maximalists and copyright abolitionists (Im neither). The Manifesto for the Future of Music Technology Research guides us here: Ask of any music technology: For whom will this make things better? How? Is it open or closed to creativity and innovation it has not yet anticipated? and We call for technologies to be created with an eye for the long-term. Musical objects should last as long as the materials out of which they are made or they should be modular, recyclable, or transformable. They should be forward-compatible whenever possible. Data must be portable and not bound to a particular company or platform. At the same time, standards must not become coercive. Music is not standard. We must cultivate the freedom to build and use nonstandard tools. Thats my starting point. Heres Benjis: the music industry on the whole is in turmoil and has halved in size financially in the last 15 years even as consumption and demand skyrocket. An industry that has made poor to no use of its most valuable and actionable data. An industry that when faced with a new technology, has historically been more likely to run from than embrace it. The recording industry is plagued with bad metadata and this is a major problem for music in the digital age and particularly for artists and rightsholders being fairly compensated for uses of their work. So Benjis idea, in a nutshell, is that using Blockchain technology (and the onset of Virtual Reality as an emergent platform in search of standards that can be used as a Trojan Horse for widespread adoption) its possible to create a digital file format that carries the necessary minimum viable metadata for a piece of music that allows the creators of that work to be paid correctly and fairly in the proportions that have been agreed. The rights are built into the file. Using that music in a way that should generate revenue for the rightsholder (streaming or licensing for use in a video, for instance) will ensure that revenue is correctly apportioned. In other words, establishing a blockchain codec (a .bc file format) that includes the necessary rights information and having that as the basis of making music available on emergent platforms is the way forward in terms of a technological solution to a data management problem. It makes the rights transparent and the apportioning of revenues automatic. Now, I dont agree with Benji 100%, but I do agree with him around 75% which is exactly why Im interested in getting involved in the project. Transparency and correct apportioning of revenues is at least as big a problem for artists and creators as infringing uses. Almost certainly much bigger. So having a hand in the creation of the .bc format for music would be the best way to try and shape how it works so that it genuinely meets its goal of being fair trade because right now, it wouldnt be. At least, not for everyone. For understandable reasons, this proposal only considers commercially-released music and so creates a system that would exclude anything outside of that. In fact, most music is not commercially released music and platforms need to allow for human expression that is not purely for commercial gain. Locking out anything that doesnt have commercial ownership metadata is counterproductive. The world is not neatly divided into creators and audiences. Songwriters and publishers of commercially-released recordings are considered here to be the owners of music which is fine of course in many important senses, but this doesnt factor in any ownership rights that might be accorded to the people who may have actually bought it. Most things I buy become mine. In this model, if I buy a song, that copy of the song is not mine to do with as I please. Are there likely to be non-commercial uses that might be authorised that are fundamentally indistinguishable from unauthorised commercial uses as far as the rights tracking algorithm is concerned? Almost certainly. In other words, this is conceived as a (streaming-based) rental model where payments are by use and prevents the establishment of a model where a piece of music can be purchased outright and then subsequent plays are free (as with records and CDs, for instance). It also seems to have completely ruled out the idea that any transformative works might also be tacitly authorised by the creator under certain circumstances (for instance, DJ sets or fan remixes may actually be welcomed) and defaults to an all rights reserved model rather than a far more flexible some rights reserved option. Not everybody insists on asserting their rights in all circumstances in a uniform manner and not all practices or intentions should be assumed of all creators equally. Blanket application of copyright law is an electric-age solution that creates more than its fair share of problems and we have the opportunity to solve those here. Because this proposal insists on Technical Protection Measures that prevent anything that doesnt stand up to the Minimum Viable Data fair trade criteria needed to be encoded in the .bc format, a massive amount of music becomes entirely unplayable whether its authorised or not. For everything that gets to participate, this is closer to fair trade than what we have now. But much is excluded and not just the stuff that is wilfully infringing. So as it stands, this is a mostly good system with good intentions, but that is broken because it doesnt acknowledge complexity, and doesnt properly recognise musics cultural value outside of its commercial value. The methodology is fundamentally correct (and the simplicity of the minimum viable metadata and solution of the Day Zero problem is entirely smart) but the failsafes that have been built in to protect artists and creators entirely break it for culture and society. As the proposal stands now, this isnt fair trade but protectionism. But this same system with fairly minor tweaks and amendments could be employed to make things that track all of the plays and make all the correct payments for all the people hes worried about (and rightly so), and also be genuinely reforming in a positive way for society in the area of copyright. Because you dont only need to change the way in which rights are tracked and enforced, you need to go back to first principles and question what those rights should be and how copyright should now work in the interests of artists, creators, audiences, institutions, culture and society at large. All of those things, not just some of them. Now we have the capacity to build a system that implements the agreed policy, we need to agree the policy. This is not just the moment for technological reform but also for policy reform. The two need to go hand in hand. For instance, you could build in an opt-in rights roll-over extension period for works that are active, and ensure that works that do not opt in will default to public domain after a shorter period than currently exists, because you know that the parties involved have been contacted and notified and have been given the option to extend if they wish. See my 2008 article in which I argue that the term of copyright should be 5 years, but indefinitely extendable. Benjis proposed system makes my thought experiment possible. The technology makes the policy proposal implementable. The blockchain codec, if designed somewhat differently and with the right kind of brains working on the problem (I have a few in mind), could both ensure fair payments for rights holders and at the same time succeed in contributing more works to the public domain than at any time in history. The great thing about it is the fact that the codec will itself contain the necessary information to ensure that composers are fairly and accurately rewarded for public performance, broadcast, sync in games, videos and immersive media experiences. As long as its not about tracking the user and instead about ensuring that only those tracks that are fairly used can be used for these kinds of products by media companies, then I think were onto something incredibly significant. It could also ultimately solve the hopelessly complex metadata problem for record labels, fix the outmoded sample-based best guess approach taken by Performing Rights Societies by exactly tracking plays across all broadcast media and in public venues, and even allow composers to change their mind about the rights they wish to assert and those they wish to waive in the interests of fan engagement. This, in concert with fundamental copyright reform, could ultimately make things better for musicians and record labels as well as for archivists, scholars and amateur music producers not to mention to society at large. The number and nature of music industry people who have been enthusiastic about this proposal should both raise a red flag and be interpreted as very encouraging. This has the potential to be a site of resolution between two sides that have somewhat contradictory notions of what fair would mean in a fair trade music economy. If implemented as is (and without change to law), this proposal would be problematic to say the least. But its 75% of a great idea, its definitely getting there and heading in the right direction. The last 25% needs some thinking but I genuinely believe this is absolutely worth working on. It needs software engineers, cryptographers, musicians, hackers, VR developers and others to all get involved. I can think of a good platform for that sort of experimental development. This is one of those things that if it affects you, or you have some strong (and preferably informed) opinions about it, then its probably something you want to be involved in while its being created, rather than have it be something that happens to you. Share on: You see where employees or individuals are traveling, what they are doing, what their occupations are, Mohabir said. Most people would never realize that we have so many Canadians and US citizens traveling and working in all of these politically volatile countries. A growing number of these globe-trotters are at risk of being abducted and held for ransom. Fueled by war, terrorism, economic crisis and political unrest, kidnapping occurs around the globe with unnerving frequency. Its the stark reality of doing business abroad, Mohabir said. Anywhere where there is political or civil unrest, these workers can get caught up in the middle. Often, as the saying goes, its simply a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Top targeted business classes for abduction include aid organizations, journalists, and mining and gas companies in highly volatile countries. Mohabir helps brokers and agents to help their clients (companies and individuals) mitigate the risk of these emotionally and financially devastating events by underwriting highly customized kidnap and ransom (K&R), accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) Disability and Medical insurance policies. Coverage ranges from $500,000 to $20 million and can last from two days to two or more years. A Unique Background... Mohabir immigrated from Guyana to Canada as a young adult with her parents and nine siblings. Coming from a poor, politically volatile Caribbean country where ethnically based parties frequently clash made her appreciate from an early age how important it is to be aware of what is going on around you at all times. This awareness has enhanced her skill as an underwriter and helped her appreciate the value of K&R, AD&D, Disability and Medical coverage. She has made it her mission to share this appreciation with others. K&R is an undervalued, underestimated insurance coverage, Mohabir explained. Even high net worth individuals frequently fall prey to the It cant happen to me syndrome. Unfortunately, she said, this mindset leads to many individuals, organizations and companies not taking the proper precautions, making them natural targets for terrorists and criminal enterprises, while exposing themselves to the financial and political repercussions of an uncovered K&R event or accident. It baffles me how many people are out there clients and even some brokers who still do not fully comprehend the importance and value of the K&R insurance coverage, Mohabir said. This attitude is beginning to change, however, as the threat of kidnapping, extortion and detention has dramatically increased at home and abroad. The resolution of a kidnap incident is rife with danger and conflicting interests. When a covered individual is abducted, the family or employer of the victim calls a hotline to activate the response. A crisis response team behind the policy then assists with the entire negotiation. These consultants know the languages and customs of kidnapping hotspots and have substantial experience negotiating demands in order to get the victim out of a dangerous situation. As an underwriter, Mohabir is not part of any crisis negotiation, but is kept abreast of its conclusion. In all of the cases that Mohabir has covered, the outcomes were positively resolved and the K&R policy reimbursed the policyholder. It takes a special calling to do this type of work. When you do K&R, AD&D, Disability and Medical insurance, you have to ask all of the right questions, Mohabir said. I like to make sure I have all relevant information including travel advisories and up-to-date knowledge of what is going on in the world. It is what I enjoy doing and I cant see myself doing any other kind of insurance. I dont consider it a job. I get to do what I love every single day. SIDEBAR: In September alone, according to a monthly kidnap digest published by Unity Resources Group, significant K&R events included: Insurance agents in the personal auto space will need to navigate two divergent trends as some Americans embrace telematics offerings and a separate, growing number are more concerned with maintaining privacy from their insurance companies.One on hand, the vast majority of young drivers (72%) prefer telematics and usage-based insurance to traditional auto insurance and a large percentage (51%) also expressed an interest in using an app or device to check for a telematics discount before buying a policy, according to a 2015 survey from Towers Watson.Agents, too, are embracing the trend. According to the 2015 Vertafore Agency Sentiment Survey, independent insurance agents reported a 56% increase in inquiries for usage-based policies and 62% say they anticipate an even greater rise in interest in the next 12 months.While UBI or telematics programs caused concern when they were first introduced and still continue to be viewed as a disruptor to the agency model the number of agents that feel this will be a helpful development has increased.Roughly 50% of respondents told Vertafore they expect UBI policies to have a positive impact on the way property/casualty agents conduct their business and another 35% anticipate no change.Not everyone is on board, however. As major auto insurance carriers ask consumers to sign off on sensors in their cars that track more and more personal data, a number of people are viewing these programs with greater skepticism.Progressive reports that while 80% of its customers could benefit from its telematics device, Snapshot, only about 25% participate. Similarly, the rate of adoption of Allstate s new, smartphone-based tracker is just 30%.I know some people say, What do you have to hide, but I dont want big business or Big Brother involved in my personal life, San Diego driver Shauna Aiken told the Wall Street Journal. It just creeps me out.Another concern is the potential to be penalized with higher insurance rates if driver behavior indicates higher risk. Progressive, for example, charges as much as 10% more in some states for customers who demonstrate risky behavior.Altogether, the insurance industry has a way to go if it wants to convince its customers that telematics programs will be worth the sacrifice.Insurance is not something where people say, I trust you, Progressive Chief Executive Glenn Renwick admitted to the Journal. Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung reported that Zurich Insurance would appoint Generali s chief executive, Mario Greco, as its new CEOboth insurers, however, declined to comment on the report, saying that they do not comment on speculation.SonntagsZeitung did not identify its sources for its report. According to the paper, Greco was the only name on Zurichs shortlist of candidates.The Swiss newspaper additionally stated that Zurich would make an official announcement regarding the appointment by Feb. 9. The same report also suspected that Grecos appointment had not been formally approved due to several unexpected developments.Previously, Greco served as Zurichs chief of the general insurance unit, from 2010 to 2012, and as CEO, between 2008 and 2010.Zurichs previous CEO, Martin Senn, stepped down last Dec. 1 during a tumultuous period for the insurer. At that time, the companys declining profit prevented it from acquiring RSA Insurance Group Plc. Zurich was also undergoing a major management and business overhaul that saw job cuts and business withdrawals from the companys non-life insurance unit. T20 World Cup: I'm Concerned About India Making it to The Top Four - Kapil Dev 'PCB Can't Take Any Objection as BCCI is The Richest Board': Kaneria on India's Decision of Not Travel to Pakistan T20 WC: 'Lockie Ferguson Has Ability to Break The Game Open' - Tim Southee Opens up on New Zealand's Pace Attack T20 World Cup 2022: India's Second Warm Up Match Against New Zealand Washed Out in Brisbane The content you are trying to view is exclusive to our subscribers. To unlock this article: New Laws Assist Veterans Sacramento, California - Seven laws took effect on January 1, 2016, with the goal of improving the lives of California's Veterans, service members, and their families. "I thank our Governor and Legislature for collaborating with CalVet on behalf of our 1.8 million Veterans living in California." said Dr. Vito Imbasciani, Secretary, California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet). Assembly Bill 413 by Assemblymember Rocky Chavez (R Oceanside), assists surviving family members with continuing the operations of a Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) after the death or permanent medical disability of a Veteran. The new law allows survivors to fully operate the DVBE for up to three years after the disabled Veteran's death or certification of permanent medical disability. The law allows survivor-owned DVBEs to enter into new contracts under the DVBE certification if the contracts can be completed within those three years. This gives survivors the time and flexibility to manage the business in a way that best suits their needs. CalVet holds the position of statewide DVBE advocate, and works in tandem with Department of General Services (DGS) to supply outreach, recruitment, and support to DVBEs. Senate Bill 221 authored by Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D - Santa Barbara), assists disabled Veterans who are new state employees. The law benefits new state employees who are Veterans with a service-connected disability certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The law allows up to 96 hours of sick leave during the Veteran's first year in the state workforce to attend medical appointments during work hours without having to take unpaid leave. Assembly Bill 388, authored by Assemblymember Ling Ling Chang (R - Diamond Bar), requires the evaluation of programs relating to the Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Act to include information relating to the effectiveness in helping Veterans occupying supportive housing or transitional housing developments. Assembly Bill 778, authored by Assemblymember Brian Maienschein (R - San Diego), allows Veterans to request military documents from the county recorder's office with a digital request to promote easier access to Veteran's services. Assembly Bill 1401 authored by Assemblymember Catherine Baker (R - San Ramon), provides Veterans of the California National Guard, the State Military Reserve, and the Naval Militia with greater access to student financial aid services. Senate Bill 386, authored by Senator Benjamin Allen (D - Santa Monica), protects Veterans from pension scams and makes illegal the act of advertising the pension poaching scams. Senate Bill 685, authored by Senator Mike McGuire (D - Healdsburg), authorizes licensed Veterans' clubs to sell and serve alcoholic beverages to members of other veterans' organizations, active duty or reserve service members, veterans, and to members of their own organization and their guests. Imperial County Supervisors Reorganiza, Appoint New Chair and Vice-Chair El Centro, California - Today, the Imperial County Board of Supervisors held elections for a new chairman and vice-chairman during the Boards regular meeting. In addition to the elections, each board member reflected on outgoing Chairman Ryan Kelleys accomplishments during his leadership the previous year. The Board elected Supervisors Jack Terrazas and Michael Kelley to serve as the chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, for 2016. I look forward to serving as Chairman of the Board for the upcoming year, said District 2 Supervisor Jack Terrazas. I am committed to continuing the current momentum we have with the Salton Sea and other plans that weve started with our strategic plan. I would also like to commend Supervisor Ryan Kelley who, during his leadership, took the lead on many issues, but specifically the Salton Sea. After attending last weeks Water Board Workshop, I feel that it is one of the first times that the State and others throughout the state are actually listening to us. We have a very devoted board that works very hard for the County of Imperial, said District 3 Supervisor Michael Kelley. We dont always agree, but we always have open minds in our conversations to be able to work with each other. I also want to extend congratulations to Mr. Terrazas, our incoming chairman, who will do an outstanding job as chair. Its a pleasure serving on this board and Im proud to be a part of this board to do what is right for the County of Imperial." During the meeting, Supervisor Ryan Kelley reflected and shared some closing remarks with the public. Its been an honor and pleasure to serve as the Chairman of the Imperial County Board of Supervisors, said District 4 Supervisor Ryan Kelley. I had a good board to work with who encouraged me to continue moving forward. We were able to work together to make a better county, represent ourselves in a better fashion and were in a better position today." Additionally, each of the board members took time to make remarks and commend Supervisor Ryan Kelley, on the leadership he provided during his chairmanship. He did a commendable job in 2015, said District 5 Supervisor Raymond Castillo. Its the little things that matter, like the county display in Sacramento and the county flag that will symbolize our community. So much has been accomplished during his chairmanship and I want to thank him for his leadership. Look at what weve accomplished and the groundwork that was set last year for years to come, said District 1 Supervisor John Renison. This board has demonstrated through his leadership how we can reach out there and work with other agencies to achieve our goals. After remarks were made by each of the board members, outgoing Chairman, Supervisor Ryan Kelley was presented with certificates of recognition by representatives from the offices of Congressman Juan Vargas, Senator Ben Hueso, and Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia. If you wish to listen to the audio recording of the board meeting, visit the Imperial County Board of Supervisors audio archive from their website. Gilberto Acuna captured in Mexicali Imperial, California - Yesterday, Imperial County Sheriffs Office Investigators located 30 year old Gilberto Acuna in Mexicali with the assistance of Agents from the PGJBC (Procuraduria General de Justicia del Estado de Baja California) Ministerio Publico. Gilberto Acuna escaped from the Imperial County Sheriffs Office Minimum Security facility on June 12, 2015. The six month investigation that led to the recapture of Gilberto Acuna was conducted in collaboration with members of the United States Marshals Service, United States Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau Investigations. Gilberto Acuna was detained by Mexican authorities in Mexicali on January 11, 2016 at about 6:00 p.m. and turned over to the custody of Imperial County Sheriffs Investigators today at 9:30 a.m. Gilberto Acuna was booked into the Imperial County Jail and is being held with no bail. Ambassador Shannon's Participation in a Meeting on Foreign Terrorist Fighters Washington, DC - Ambassador Thomas Shannon will lead the U.S. delegation at a joint meeting in The Hague of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL and Foreign Terrorist Fighters Working Group of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF). The meeting will focus on measures that are being taken in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2178 to address foreign terrorist fighters and elaborate on the related work plans of the GCTF and the Coalition. Meeting topics include information sharing, travel routes, countering terrorist financing, countering violent extremism (CVE), and measures to facilitate the reintegration and de-radicalization of foreign terrorist fighters. Ambassador Shannon will be joined by Under Secretary Francis X. Taylor of the Department of Homeland Security; as well as Ambassador Tina Kaidanow, State Department Coordinator for Counterterrorism; and LTG (ret) Terry Wolff, Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL. Under Secretary Sewall Travel to India Washington, DC - Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Sarah Sewall will travel to India, January 1115. She will be accompanied in New Delhi by Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Biswal. While in India, Under Secretary Sewall will lead U.S. participation in the U.S.India Global Issues Forumthe first since 2012to review and expand areas of regional and global cooperation. She will meet with civil society representatives to strengthen cooperation around common interests, including countering violent extremism, religious freedom, trafficking in persons, and transparency and governance. She will also deliver a speech, Democratic Values and Violent Extremism, at the Vivekananda International Foundation in New Delhi. As the U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, Under Secretary Sewall will also travel to Dharamsala, India, to discuss issues of importance to the Tibetan refugee community. As predicted, HIQA has recommended a change from a universal to a selective national neonatal BCG vaccination strategy, but has provided a lot more detail on strengthening TB prevention measures in its latest report, following a public consultation on the issue. Dara Gantly reports. The Irish Thoracic Society (ITS) believes that the switch from universal to selective BCG vaccinations presents an opportunity to re-direct vaccine resources to improve the Irish TB service. Specifically, targeted testing for latent TB infection (LTBI) which is detailed in the Irish TB guidelines, but which the Society says has not been implemented could now be meaningfully effected. The Society also believes that Irelands TB programme would be immediately enhanced by the appointment of a TB controller for the country. In an undistractible manner, this person would be dedicated to TB elimination, and take ownership of our TB elimination efforts, the ITS suggested in its submission to HIQAs recent draft health technology assessment (HTA) on the BCG vaccination programme. The HTA evaluated the clinical- and cost-effectiveness of a proposed change from universal to selective vaccination, as well as the organisational and ethical issues involved in such a significant move. A total of 16 submissions were received through the public consultation on the HTA, which lasted for six weeks and ran until October 21. Ten of these submissions were submitted on behalf of healthcare organisations (the other six were submitted in a personal capacity). The list of organisations that made submissions included: the Irish Thoracic Society, the IMO, the TB Contact Tracing service in the HSE East, and the Departments of Public Health in the HSE Midlands, Mid-West and South East, together with Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre, among others. According to the Irish Thoracic Society, Irelands TB programme would also be enhanced by the universal application of directly observed therapy (DOT) to all cases of tuberculosis. With under 400 cases per year, this is not a huge undertaking. Using outreach workers to achieve this, we can expect near immediate benefit by ensuring treatment completion and therefore no repeat disease in TB cases. The Society also wants to see the stepping up of LTBI diagnosis and treatment after targeted testing as outlined but not implemented in the national guidelines. In response to the submission to its draft HTA, HIQA has added in a number of elements to the reports organisational chapter, by including more detail on how Ireland should go about implementing a selective scheme and what needs to be considered to strengthen the existing TB control programmes. Section 6.1.10 on Preparing for a vaccination policy change, a completely new section in the report stresses that a reduction in the level of protection resulting from a move from universal to selective vaccination must be balanced by an appropriate level of prevention, as provided through a variety of TB control measures. TB outbreaks Deficiencies in the implementation of existing TB control measures have been discussed in a recent review of TB control in Ireland by the HSE TB Control Subcommittee (HSE, 2015). The authors had highlighted a lack of consistent provision and inadequate resourcing as common issues. For example, it was noted that there was a loss of surge capacity for contact tracing, which could have serious implications in the context of TB outbreaks. Inadequacies in existing TB control measures could have serious consequences for the successful transition from universal to selective neonatal BCG vaccination. HIQA warns that a failure to address gaps in the existing service could have major implications in the context of reduced protection in the child population. A change to the neonatal BCG vaccination policy should also be supported by a detailed implementation plan that outlines how changes to TB control will be operationalised, HIQA adds. The processes and procedures for individual elements of the BCG vaccination programme, such as identification of high-risk infants, must be defined. The associated training requirements for healthcare staff must be outlined with a plan for how training will be delivered. According to Dr Mairin Ryan, HIQAs Director of HTA, the final report has also been strengthened as a result of input from Pavee Point, by emphasising that those representing high-risk groups should be consulted on the most efficient and acceptable way to identify high-risk patients and also on the design of the programmes, in order to maximise uptake. HIQA noted that the facilities required to identify high-risk infants eligible for vaccination in a selective programme must be clearly described and tested. The criteria that define high-risk status must be clearly stated and unambiguous, and an implementation plan should outline who will be responsible for high-risk identification, how it will be done, what administrative support will be provided, and how infants will be followed up. A move from universal to selective vaccination would obviously greatly reduce the number of vaccinated infants, from approximately 61,000 to 8,000 per annum. Initially, HIQA said that the high-risk population in Ireland comprised children born to parents from a high TB incidence country and Irish Traveller children. These two groups constitute approximately 13.4 per cent of births in Ireland annually. Homeless and prisoners However, feedback from the consultation suggested that there was a need for a more inclusive high-risk category, that would include not only children from countries of high endemicity, or from the Travelling community, but would also include the children of prisoners, homeless persons etc. In Ireland we have had an ongoing outbreak in prison populations over the past few years with some cases of severe destructive disease. Irish figures for TB in children 15 years and under show that 40 per cent occur in those in the risk groups identified for selective vaccination, indicating that 60 per cent occur in those outside of these risk groups. Failing to offer BCG to these other vulnerable groups would put these groups at risk of TB infection, one unidentified submission noted. In an interview with Irish Medical Times, Dr Ryan noted that while HIQA considered that the majority of children would be covered by the two risk groups initially mentioned, it realised that those born into a homeless family or to a parent who is, or has recently been in prison, could potentially be at risk as well, and should potentially be considered for selective vaccination. Dr Ryan added children of parents that have come from a high incidence area within an otherwise low incidence country (for example, London in UK) may also be considered as high-risk. National guidelines Consideration should be given to the development of a National Clinical Guideline on the control of TB in line with National Clinical Effectiveness Committee (NCEC) Standards for Clinical Practice Guidance. Resources would have to be made available to support the development of such a guideline, the Authority notes in the report. Dr Ryan explained to IMT that the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) had already done a lot of work in this area and published recommendations for strengthening the TB programme, to bring Ireland in line with the WHO strategy for TB elimination, published approximately four years ago. We are suggesting that they consider developing a national clinical guideline in line with the NCEC criteria, because if they submit that as a national guideline and if it is prioritised by the NCEC and mandated subsequently by the Minister, it gives it a certain weight in terms of implementation they must be implemented. A number of the recommendations in the HPSC guidelines have yet to be implemented, added Dr Ryan. For example, there is a specific guideline around targeted testing and treating the idea of effectively screening the high-risk populations and any cases, either active or latent, particularly latent cases of TB if you treat them early, it can have benefits for the patients themselves but also with regard to onward transmission. That is a recommendation within the HPSC guidelines, but which has yet to be implemented. So we are recommending that that should be considered now, in terms of how to check the TB control programme before we switch. Earlier this year, the Department of Healths Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan requested Dr Stephanie OKeefe, HSE Director of Health and Wellbeing, to undertake a full and comprehensive report on the TB prevention and control programme reflecting the HSEs performance and encompassing all aspects of the programme. A multidisciplinary committee comprising respiratory consultants, infectious disease consultants, consultants and senior medical officers in public health, consultants in microbiology, and surveillance scientist was convened to undertake this task. The committee was requested to assess whether Irelands TB programme complied with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Controls (ECDC) report entitled Progressing towards TB elimination and to identify any possible gaps in the TB control programme in Ireland. One unidentified submission to the draft HTA noted that many deficits were identified both with surveillance systems for TB (incomplete and missing data), laboratory facilities and TB control programmes (lack of contact tracing in high-risk situations such as migrant screening, prisons, healthcare workers etc). We are of the opinion that there is not an effective TB control programme in Ireland and this requires to be urgently augmented to support the World Health Organization goal of TB elimination by 2050. This would equate to a TB incidence rate of 1/1,000,000 population and a rate in Ireland of four-to-five cases per year, the submission added. Another deficit noted was that currently second-line testing was not available in Ireland and isolates had to be referred to the Scottish National Reference Laboratory in Edinburgh. Dedicated TB clinics should also be available in all HSE regions (TB guidelines recommendations 5.2-5.5). However, currently there were dedicated TB outpatient clinics only in St Vincents Hospital, Dublin, St Jamess, the Mater, GUH, Limerick, and the Mercy University Hospital in Cork leaving large gaps around the country. According to HIQA, the potential budget impact saving from moving from a universal to a selective programme is approximately 1 million, but it is unlikely that that 1 million would be realised because of the need for investment in other aspects of TB control. But we havent costed [the TB control element] because we were not evaluating it, added Dr Ryan. But at the time point when TB control is being strengthened prior to moving from universal to selective, there would be a period where an overall budget increase would be required. In this final report, HIQA suggested that the selective programme needed to be designed in such a way that it was as effective as possible, but also that it was done as efficiently as possible. Some of the evidence from other countries would suggest that administering the vaccine in the post-natal ward is probably a very efficient way of maximising uptake. But that needs to be looked at in terms of what the costing would be. The cost of delivering a BCG vaccination programme can vary greatly. A Japanese study used costs of US$15 (13.07) for vaccination and $10,500 (9,147) for treatment. In the Dutch study, vaccination costs were 5.86 (6.81) and treatment costs were 5,033 (5,851), while the costs in the Finnish study were $2.45 (2.73) for universal vaccination and $5.71 (6.37) for selective vaccination, and $3,000 (3,345) for TB treatment. Repeating figures outlined in the draft HTA, various international economic evaluations found studies reporting costs of 13.37 and 2.97 per vaccination for universal vaccination. Costs of 7.27 and 6.93 were also reported for selective vaccination. The estimated equivalent cost per vaccination in Ireland was 28.76 for the universal programme and estimated to be 59.81 for the selective programme. This study estimated an approximate doubling of cost of vaccination in moving from a universal to a selective programme, HIQA noted. Reducing the cost of administration, however, could reduce the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) in Ireland, which is about 2.5 million per quality adjusted life year (QALY). To achieve an ICER of 45,000 per QALY, the administration cost for a selective vaccination programme would have to be reduced to 27.50 per child. To achieve an ICER of 20,000 per QALY, the administration cost would have to be reduced to 21 per child. The HTA was approved by the HIQA Board on November 25 and has gone to the Minister for Health for consideration. Selective vaccination would continue to protect those at higher risk while avoiding unnecessary side-effects in those with a limited capacity to benefit from vaccination, commented Dr Ryan. Notwithstanding ongoing issues with the supply of the BCG vaccine, it is important that parents continue to get their children vaccinated until such time that the policy is changed and an enhanced programme of preventative measures is in place, she added. Watch: Viral Video Of Glass Octopus Leaves Internet In Wonder Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The house utilised as the location of serial killer Buffalo Bill's lair in The Silence of the Lambs is failing to sell. Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb (Ted Levine)'s imprisonment and torture of a U.S senator's daughter forms the central spark point which spurs FBI agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) to seek the aid of the notorious, imprisoned killer Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins). She's eventually discovered in Gumb's spacious basement, trapped in a dry well underneath the house; held there as a future, unwilling participant to his plans to build a suit from the skin of his female victims. Disturbing stuff. Which may explain why the otherwise beautiful Pennsylvania home of Scott and Barbara Lloyd just won't sell; their exterior, hall, and dining room were all used as filming locations for the thriller. (Keith Srakocic/AP) Indeed, though the property is listed as "oozing with charm", it jokingly references that the property is "complete with the pit and Precious [Bill's dog]. too!". Don't worry, there's no torture basement lurking underneath the stairs. The entire sequence was, in fact, shot on a sound stage and the property's real basement was left unused. You'd think the chance to own a piece of Hollywood history would attract its fair share of interest, and it's no surprise the property was the second-most viewed on realtor.com in the past year. (Keith Srakocic/AP) Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} New details of Ben Affleck's Batman cameo in Suicide Squad have been revealed. Following leaked footage revealing a car chase involving the Batmobile and the Joker's car, both Affleck and director David Ayer have spoken on Batfleck's involvement in the upcoming film. Ayer told USAToday, "We made him fight. He's awesome [as Batman]... you really sense that but for the grace of God he himself would be doing some really foul stuff out in the world. Though Affleck continues to be "bound by nondisclosure clauses a mile long"; the actor did express his thrill at being involved in Suicide Squad's in-universe storyline, It felt like I have such a cool cousin. This thing that is so awesome is somehow related to me, and that was really exciting because it started to feel like a constellation of things, and Ive never had that feeling. Alongside new details, Ayer also tweeted out a fresh image of the team. Though not everyone's here, with the Enchantress (Cara Delevingne)'s missing presence especially noted considering she's been rumoured as the film's Big Bad, it does put Katana (Karen Fukuhara) front and centre. A nice change for a character who has largely been sidelined in promotional material released so far. Hopefully, this is an indicator she won't be playing an entirely minor role in unfolding events. Clockwise from the top left, we're looking at Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) Rick Flagg (Joel Kinnaman), Deadshot (Will Smith), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Katana, and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie). Suicide Squad hits UK theatres 5 August. Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Across the hills and valleys of Yorkshire you will see the vast viaducts, testimony to the industry and invention of the Victorian engineers who were tasked with connecting the nation's burgeoning rail network across this beautiful yet unforgiving landscape. But these huge stone structures with their distinctive arches didn't spring whole from the architect's drawings; they were the result of years of back-breaking labour in harsh conditions that claimed many lives. Now the ITV period drama is casting a light on the people who built the viaducts in the post-Industrial Revolution years, and the astonishing temporary towns that sprang up to accommodate them. Jericho, of course, is drama, centred on the community that will live, thrive and die in the shadow of the viaduct they've been brought together to build, with a cast of characters including Hans Matheson's handsome and enigmatic navvy, Jessica Raine as a widowed and penniless woman shunned by society, and Clarke Peters as an experienced African-American railwayman. But it is quite faithful to an almost forgotten slice of history that saw, for a few years in the 1870s, the breathtaking scenery of the Yorkshire Dales transformed into a series of what were, essentially, frontier towns as harsh, tough and sometimes lawless as anything in the Wild West. There were several shanty towns that built up around viaduct construction projects at that time, given evocative names such as Sebastopol and Inkerman, in reference to the Crimean War, biblical appellations such as Jerusalem and Jordan, and even Belgravia which is thought to have housed some of the more affluent of the workers who had to spend time near the build sites. And there was indeed a Jericho, though it is thought the TV series is based more on the shanty town that built up around the Ribblehead Viaduct in reality given the name Batty Wife Hole, after a stream that emerged from the limestone landscape, in which, so one story goes, a man named Batty drowned his wife following a drunken row. The spot became more widely known as Batty Green. And while we might draw a direct lineage between those settlements and the portable cabins that line motorways for months at a time to house maintenance workers today, they were for all intents and purposes proper working towns. Consider this from Frederick Smeeton Williams's 1888 book The Midland Railway, Its Rise and Progress, A Narrative of Modern Enterprise: There were also the shops of various tradespeople, the inevitable public-houses, a neat-looking hospital, with a covered walk for convalescents, a post office, a public library, a mission house, and day and Sunday schools. Sounds almost idyllic. Williams goes on: But, despite all these conventionalities, the spot was frequently most desolate and bleak. Though many of the men had been engaged in railway-making in rough and foreign countries, they seemed to agree that they were in 'one of the wildest, windiest, coldest, and dearest localities' in the world. Robert White is the senior historic environment officer at the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and he says that, thanks to the 1871 census which occurred in the early days of the construction of the Ribblehead Viaduct, we can glean a lot about life in the Batty Green shanty town. We know there were 74 buildings there, and a population of 342, he says. Workers and their families came from all parts of the country there are 34 different counties of origin listed in the 1871 census. Construction took around six years, during which time children were born and people died. There would have been the usual accidents and injuries, says White. But there was also a smallpox outbreak there as well. And with a growing population said to be at around 2,000 at its peak there was inevitably going to be trouble. The nearest established towns were Ingleton and Settle, which were probably far enough away not to be bothered by Batty Green, but there were certainly letters written to newspapers by residents who were shocked at the shanty towns. Indeed, the towns provided fodder for the press at the time. A reporter from the Daily News found Batty Green to be dispiriting, shiftless, unhomely, ramshackle, makeshift. The 1871 census records the presence there of a policeman, 26-year-old Scottish bobby Archie Cameron, seconded to Batty Green to keep a semblance of law and order. Construction of the Ribblehead Viaduct by the Midland Railway began in 1869 and it was opened in 1875; then the pre-fabricated buildings provided by the railway company were removed, and Batty Green melted away. White says: The site is now a scheduled monument. You can see some earthworks and some of the brick-built structures to remind us of this fascinating period, but the town itself is gone. ITV's Jericho might be bringing the old viaduct shanty towns back to life, but the on-screen travails can probably barely compare to the bleakness and drama of the reality of those who worked to connect Britain's railways. 'Jericho' is on Thursdays on ITV at 9pm Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyEats email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Tell a French chef, begins Patrik Johansson, that the French didn't invent butter, and he won't be very happy. But they didn't! The Vikings showed them how to do it. Johansson and his partner Maria Hakansson style themselves as the Butter Vikings, a small and merry band of butter lovers and makers. Johansson has been churning butter in his native Sweden for eight years, and is known for selling his virgin butter to the famous Noma restaurant in Copenhagen. Now he's setting up a dairy on the Isle of Wight. We are experiencing something of a butter revival in the UK, and sales have increased steadily over the past decade, but most of it is mass produced and homogeneous in flavour. In fact not very flavoursome at all. The Butter Vikings' butter tastes quite different to what we think of as butter, because the way it's produced brings more of a sour, fresh, live taste something you'd expect to find in yoghurt or creme fraiche over a sweet, creamy, butter. This is how butter used to taste, and now it's back in the UK. Recommended Six things you need to know about butter There are over 150 taste components in cultured butter, enthuses Johansson, and most of them come from the buttermilk, or cultured cream, which we make ourselves. Thanks to the amount of cultured buttermilk in the butter we get the big pure buttery butter taste as well as a nice acidity. The butter taste is in the buttermilk. Whether the French like it or not, Sweden does have an impressive butter legacy. It was the world's largest butter exporter until 1885, and as recently as 1960 there were around 6,000 small dairies around the country producing it the traditional way. Johansson's grandmother owned one of these dairies, and he's carrying one of her large silver pails when we meet on the Isle of Wight to discuss the Butter Vikings' new venture a dairy here on this sheltered, fertile isle in the English Channel, where cows graze on the hills in view of the sea. Crucially, the many chefs working in the UK's booming restaurant trade are within easy reach. There are more people living in London than in the whole of Sweden, points out Johansson. After people heard about Rene [Redzepi] using our butter at Noma, we had requests for samples from all over the world. They have found a spot in the island's Rew Valley, near their new home by the sea in Ventnor, and are raising money on Crowdfunder to kit it out and start getting their butter on to restaurant tables. Once they tasted the local cream they knew this was the place for them. Theirs will come from a mixed herd, the welfare of the cows being more important to them than the breed, as the unique flavour is brought to the butter by the way the cream is cultured. Virgin butter has a creamy and somewhat acidic taste with a slightly grainy texture, and the Vikings describe eating their super smooth angel butter as like hovering over a field on the Isle of Wight on an early summer's morning. Another popular product, pearl butter, is made by suspending many small drops of melted butter the pearls in a cloak of thick, salted cultured cream. This butter was made for the King of Sweden. He had warned them he wasn't a big fan of butter, but ended up going in for second, third, fourth and fifth helpings. Chef Bruno Loubet of London's Grain Store loves Johansson's butter. His knowledge and interest in butter is second to none, says the French chef. I love how he cultures cream to make creme fraiche and then churns that into butter. It creates a wonderfully full-flavoured butter with many layers. Butter is made by churning cream until the fat clumps together into butter and the remaining liquid, buttermilk, can be drained off. The Butter Vikings culture cream by adding lactic acid bacteria and leaving it for around three days before churning. Most butter makers churn cream at 12C, but Johansson won't divulge his temperature secrets, which vary with different recipes. This traditional method of fermenting milk has been used for 8,000 years and is thought to have come to Europe from Mongolia. As industrial food processing techniques developed in the post-war era, this practice was largely lost in developed countries. Hand-churning, like most pre-industrial activities, was laborious. It was done with a paddle in a tall barrel until mechanised options became available such as a barrel on its side supported by a stand, with a lever to turn the barrel. Johansson uses a similar piece of kit today, but large-scale butter production was made possible with the invention, in the first half of the 20th century, of the Willy Wonka-sounding continuous butter-making machine. These machines couldn't handle cultured cream because it is very thick, so thinner, sweet cream was churned (and sometimes artificial butter flavour was added). Most butters are still made that way. Butter is quite unusual among dairy products in that it keeps for a long time and freezes and defrosts without losing its structure or all of its flavour. But this only applies to butter made with sweet cream, which lacks the sour notes provided by the lactic acid bacteria. Bacteria cannot thrive in fat, so Johansson's butter contains less fat than other butters 40 per cent versus around 82 per cent and more of the cultured buttermilk solids in which the complex flavours are preserved. The Butter Vikings will only sell to top restaurants, but a few British dairies are bringing back another rare butter: whey cream or farmhouse butter. This is made from the whey produced during cheese-making and is said to have a slightly cheesy, nutty and acidic taste. Booths supermarket stocks a whey cream butter made by Dewlay Cheesemakers in Garstang, Lancashire, and Somerset and Devon are also known for making it. It gives you a 'taste' of the cheese-making process, explains Alan Kirby, Booths' dairy buyer, while at the same time being simply ideal for cooking with as it's slightly sweeter and typically not as hard as standard butter. The Vikings may have shown the French how to make butter, but France has maintained its butter culture better than Sweden, where there are only around 100 small dairies left compared with 8,000 in France. Decades ago, the food conglomerate Arla began buying up the little dairies, often shutting them down. Arla is the largest dairy company in many countries, including the UK, and owns Lurpak, the best-selling brand here. As a swell of scientists, doctors and consumers question the notion that fat is inherently bad for us, more of us are buying butter. As well as falling back in love with baking, thanks in part to The Great British Bake Off, butter is being promoted as a natural, and therefore healthier, alternative to margarine, which is made with processed vegetable oils and often contains lots of additives. According to a Kantar Worldpanel report from March 2015, margarine sales fell 7.5 per cent the previous year while butter sales were up by 8.2 per cent. Stork, a popular margarine brand for baking, launched Stork with Butter last year to tap into this market. A Credit Suisse Research Institute report from September 2015 found that our global demand for fat will increase by 43 per cent come 2030, when fat will account for 31 per cent of our calorie intake compared with 26 per cent today. But we're so used to choosing other fats, often oils, in the kitchen. How should we use butter? Bruno Loubet recommends using good butter as you would a high-quality oil, to round off dishes add it to a risotto after cooking to add shine and richness, use it to lend a sheen to sauces, or create a beurre noisette by heating it to a light brown colour to bring out its nutty flavour. I also enjoy putting thin slices of room temperature butter that isn't too soft on sourdough bread and treating it like a good cheese, he says. Now this is real Butter Vikings territory. They too treat their butter as you might a fine cheese, usually eating it on its own, in chunks, without even a slice of bread. To help fund Butter Vikings, go to crowdfunder.co.uk/buttervikings Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} E-cigarettes could now be prescribed by doctors as a way of giving up smoking, after regulators granted one such product a drug licence for the first time. This marks a significant point in the growing popularity of vaping, which has created a global market for e-cigarettes now worth over US$6 billion. Yet the technology remains highly controversial. Proponents of e-cigarettes argue that they have helped increase the rate at which people are quitting smoking. But sceptics fear that vaping might make smoking a more socially acceptable habit again, that it could become popular among children who may then move on to conventional cigarettes, and that it even poses a possible direct health risk due to the chemicals it involves. One important area identified for further research by academics, organisations and government is the nature and impact of the dual-use of electronic and conventional cigarettes. Instead of simply assuming that vaping is a way for all people to cut down on smoking for health reasons, we should consider that they may be complementary activities for some. Regular smokers are often subject to regulation and social pressure. For example, they may no longer be able to smoke in their workplace or in places where they meet with friends or family. Substituters vs complementers E-cigarette use, on the other hand, is often unregulated and provides both the nicotine fix associated with cigarette use and some of the social element. So smokers now have the option to smoke regular cigarettes where they can and complement this with the use of e-cigarettes where it is not possible or appropriate to smoke tobacco. If e-cigarettes were only adopted as substitutes and helped more people to quit smoking, they could increase the associated health and financial benefits that come with this by cutting tobacco use. But where e-cigarettes act as a complementary product, they could instead blunt regular anti-smoking regulation and keep more people smoking for longer. We conducted an online survey of 2,406 people in the US and found that 37 per cent of smokers who use e-cigarettes view them primarily as a complementary product to traditional cigarettes, rather than a substitute. We also found that while 55 per cent of substituters were trying to quit, only 40% of complementers were. Together with publicly available data from US and UK sources, this research allowed us to calculate a new measure of how financially beneficial e-cigarettes are in terms of public health savings. If 37 per cent of dual-users are taken to be complementers, the estimated benefits of e-cigarettes drop by as much as 57 per cent in the US the equivalent of US$3.3 billion to US$4.9 billion a year in health-cost savings. We also found that this problem is likely not to receive the attention it deserves because non-smokers underestimate the extent to which e-cigarettes act as a complementary product. While 37 per cent of dual-users in our sample viewed vaping primarily as a complementary activity, only 27 per cent of non-smokers thought e-cigarettes would be used in this way rather than as a substitute. This perception gap suggests some people overestimate the benefits of e-cigarettes. This is especially worrying because non-smokers make up the majority of the general population, which likely includes many policy-makers and health experts. The difference in perceptions may be due to the early success stories of those smokers who used e-cigarettes to quit smoking. In line with this, our research found that ex-smokers who successfully quit were the least likely to have used e-cigarettes primarily as complements (20 per cent). This was followed by dual-users who were trying to quit (30 per cent), and finally by those with no intention of quitting (44 per cent). Health news in pictures Show all 40 1 /40 Health news in pictures Health news in pictures Coronavirus outbreak The coronavirus Covid-19 has hit the UK leading to the deaths of two people so far and prompting warnings from the Department of Health AFP via Getty Health news in pictures Thousands of emergency patients told to take taxi to hospital Thousands of 999 patients in England are being told to get a taxi to hospital, figures have showed. The number of patients outside London who were refused an ambulance rose by 83 per cent in the past year as demand for services grows Getty Health news in pictures Vape related deaths spike A vaping-related lung disease has claimed the lives of 11 people in the US in recent weeks. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has more than 100 officials investigating the cause of the mystery illness, and has warned citizens against smoking e-cigarette products until more is known, particularly if modified or bought off the street Getty Health news in pictures Baldness cure looks to be a step closer Researchers in the US claim to have overcome one of the major hurdles to cultivating human follicles from stem cells. The new system allows cells to grow in a structured tuft and emerge from the skin Sanford Burnham Preybs Health news in pictures Two hours a week spent in nature can improve health A study in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that a dose of nature of just two hours a week is associated with better health and psychological wellbeing Shutterstock Health news in pictures Air pollution linked to fertility issues in women Exposure to air from traffic-clogged streets could leave women with fewer years to have children, a study has found. Italian researchers found women living in the most polluted areas were three times more likely to show signs they were running low on eggs than those who lived in cleaner surroundings, potentially triggering an earlier menopause Getty/iStock Health news in pictures Junk food ads could be banned before watershed Junk food adverts on TV and online could be banned before 9pm as part of Government plans to fight the "epidemic" of childhood obesity. Plans for the new watershed have been put out for public consultation in a bid to combat the growing crisis, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said PA Health news in pictures Breeding with neanderthals helped humans fight diseases On migrating from Africa around 70,000 years ago, humans bumped into the neanderthals of Eurasia. While humans were weak to the diseases of the new lands, breeding with the resident neanderthals made for a better equipped immune system PA Health news in pictures Cancer breath test to be trialled in Britain The breath biopsy device is designed to detect cancer hallmarks in molecules exhaled by patients Getty Health news in pictures Average 10 year old has consumed the recommended amount of sugar for an adult By their 10th birthdy, children have on average already eaten more sugar than the recommended amount for an 18 year old. The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended PA Health news in pictures Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep Getty Health news in pictures Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail Getty Health news in pictures Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds A study by the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users Reuters Health news in pictures More children are obese and diabetic There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. Obesity is a leading cause Reuters Health news in pictures Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide Getty Health news in pictures Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk of heart disease, study claims Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controllable heart health and found these minority groups were particularly likely to be smokers and to have poorly controlled blood sugar iStock Health news in pictures Breakfast cereals targeted at children contain 'steadily high' sugar levels since 1992 despite producer claims A major pressure group has issued a fresh warning about perilously high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, specifically those designed for children, and has said that levels have barely been cut at all in the last two and a half decades Getty Health news in pictures Potholes are making us fat, NHS watchdog warns New guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body which determines what treatment the NHS should fund, said lax road repairs and car-dominated streets were contributing to the obesity epidemic by preventing members of the public from keeping active PA Health news in pictures New menopause drugs offer women relief from 'debilitating' hot flushes A new class of treatments for women going through the menopause is able to reduce numbers of debilitating hot flushes by as much as three quarters in a matter of days, a trial has found. The drug used in the trial belongs to a group known as NKB antagonists (blockers), which were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but have been sitting on a shelf unused, according to Professor Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism REX Health news in pictures Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, study finds Research from Oxford University found that more than one million extra people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from being prescribed drugs and criticised ideological reasons doctors use to avoid doing so. Getty Health news in pictures Student dies of flu after NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A&E The family of a teenager who died from flu has urged people not to delay going to A&E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old engineering student from Hanford in Stoke-on-Trent, fell ill at Christmas and died in hospital a month later. Just Giving Health news in pictures Government to review thousands of harmful vaginal mesh implants The Government has pledged to review tens of thousands of cases where women have been given harmful vaginal mesh implants. Getty Health news in pictures Jeremy Hunt announces 'zero suicides ambition' for the NHS The NHS will be asked to go further to prevent the deaths of patients in its care as part of a zero suicide ambition being launched today Getty Health news in pictures Human trials start with cancer treatment that primes immune system to kill off tumours Human trials have begun with a new cancer therapy that can prime the immune system to eradicate tumours. The treatment, that works similarly to a vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which tiny amounts are injected into the solid bulk of a tumour. Nephron Health news in pictures Babies' health suffers from being born near fracking sites, finds major study Mothers living within a kilometre of a fracking site were 25 per cent more likely to have a child born at low birth weight, which increase their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues Getty Health news in pictures NHS reviewing thousands of cervical cancer smear tests after women wrongly given all-clear Thousands of cervical cancer screening results are under review after failings at a laboratory meant some women were incorrectly given the all-clear. A number of women have already been told to contact their doctors following the identification of procedural issues in the service provided by Pathology First Laboratory. Rex Health news in pictures Potential key to halting breast cancer's spread discovered by scientists Most breast cancer patients do not die from their initial tumour, but from secondary malignant growths (metastases), where cancer cells are able to enter the blood and survive to invade new sites. Asparagine, a molecule named after asparagus where it was first identified in high quantities, has now been shown to be an essential ingredient for tumour cells to gain these migratory properties. Getty Health news in pictures NHS nursing vacancies at record high with more than 34,000 roles advertised A record number of nursing and midwifery positions are currently being advertised by the NHS, with more than 34,000 positions currently vacant, according to the latest data. Demand for nurses was 19 per cent higher between July and September 2017 than the same period two years ago. REX Health news in pictures Cannabis extract could provide new class of treatment for psychosis CBD has a broadly opposite effect to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component in cannabis and the substance that causes paranoia and anxiety. Getty Health news in pictures Over 75,000 sign petition calling for Richard Branson's Virgin Care to hand settlement money back to NHS Mr Bransons company sued the NHS last year after it lost out on an 82m contract to provide childrens health services across Surrey, citing concerns over serious flaws in the way the contract was awarded PA Health news in pictures More than 700 fewer nurses training in England in first year after NHS bursary scrapped The numbers of people accepted to study nursing in England fell 3 per cent in 2017, while the numbers accepted in Wales and Scotland, where the bursaries were kept, increased 8.4 per cent and 8 per cent respectively Getty Health news in pictures Landmark study links Tory austerity to 120,000 deaths The paper found that there were 45,000 more deaths in the first four years of Tory-led efficiencies than would have been expected if funding had stayed at pre-election levels. On this trajectory that could rise to nearly 200,000 excess deaths by the end of 2020, even with the extra funding that has been earmarked for public sector services this year. Reuters Health news in pictures Long commutes carry health risks Hours of commuting may be mind-numbingly dull, but new research shows that it might also be having an adverse effect on both your health and performance at work. Longer commutes also appear to have a significant impact on mental wellbeing, with those commuting longer 33 per cent more likely to suffer from depression Shutterstock Health news in pictures You cannot be fit and fat It is not possible to be overweight and healthy, a major new study has concluded. The study of 3.5 million Britons found that even metabolically healthy obese people are still at a higher risk of heart disease or a stroke than those with a normal weight range Getty Health news in pictures Sleep deprivation When you feel particularly exhausted, it can definitely feel like you are also lacking in brain capacity. Now, a new study has suggested this could be because chronic sleep deprivation can actually cause the brain to eat itself Shutterstock Health news in pictures Exercise classes offering 45 minute naps launch David Lloyd Gyms have launched a new health and fitness class which is essentially a bunch of people taking a nap for 45 minutes. The fitness group was spurred to launch the napercise class after research revealed 86 per cent of parents said they were fatigued. The class is therefore predominantly aimed at parents but you actually do not have to have children to take part Getty Health news in pictures 'Fundamental right to health' to be axed after Brexit, lawyers warn Tobacco and alcohol companies could win more easily in court cases such as the recent battle over plain cigarette packaging if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, a barrister and public health professor have said Getty Health news in pictures 'Thousands dying' due to fear over non-existent statin side-effects A major new study into the side effects of the cholesterol-lowering medicine suggests common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness are not caused by the drugs themselves Getty Health news in pictures Babies born to fathers aged under 25 have higher risk of autism New research has found that babies born to fathers under the age of 25 or over 51 are at higher risk of developing autism and other social disorders. The study, conducted by the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, found that these children are actually more advanced than their peers as infants, but then fall behind by the time they hit their teenage years Getty Health news in pictures Cycling to work could halve risk of cancer and heart disease Commuters who swap their car or bus pass for a bike could cut their risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, new research suggests but campaigners have warned there is still an urgent need to improve road conditions for cyclists. Cycling to work is linked to a lower risk of developing cancer by 45 per cent and cardiovascular disease by 46 per cent, according to a study of a quarter of a million people. Walking to work also brought health benefits, the University of Glasgow researchers found, but not to the same degree as cycling. Getty Bigger than you think If the public is focused on the success stories of those who have used e-cigarettes and ceased smoking, they will underestimate the extent of complementary vaping. It is likely that the early years of e-cigarette use will have been dominated by those wanting to substitute them for tobacco in order to quit. But as those quitters succeed, the proportion of complementary users will rise. However, just because some people use e-cigarettes as a complement to tobacco doesnt mean they dont want to quit. Our research actually found that complementary users were more likely to be using another quitting method or product, such as nicotine gum or patches, in addition to e-cigarettes. This suggests that for some trying to quit, their progress may be hindered by e-cigarettes. But because complementary use can significantly dampen the health benefits of cigarettes and may make some smokers worse off if they prolong their habit, the product could undermine regulation that aims to help reduce smoking. Whats more, increasing regulation of regular cigarettes will have a knock-on effect on cigarette use but also could encourage more people to take up complementary vaping, increasing the impact of the problem. Health authorities such as the NHS should take the issue of complementary use into consideration when designing policy. Making e-cigarettes available on prescription, for example, may well help some smokers, but harm others. David Ronayne, Teaching Fellow and PhD Candidate in Economics, University of Warwick; Chris Doyle, Principal Teaching Fellow, University of Warwick, and Daniel Sgroi, Associate professor, University of Warwick This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A huge sense of relief washed over Brad Chesivoir when a Maryland emergency room doctor told him the good news: He had not suffered a heart attack or a stroke, as he had feared. Instead he was being discharged with a diagnosis of headache, although doctors werent sure of its cause. Several hours earlier, on the day after Thanksgiving 2013, Chesivoirs family had summoned an ambulance to their Montgomery County home after he became suddenly weak and unable to walk. But by the time he got to a hospital, the 60-year-old commercial property manager was feeling much better, walking and talking without difficulty. After undergoing CT and MRI brain scans as well as numerous blood tests, doctors sent Chesivoir home and advised him to follow up with his internist. Less than five weeks later, Chesivoir was back in a hospital, his life measured in hours. He was teetering on the edge, recalled Edward Aulisi, the chairman of neurosurgery at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, who treated him there. The emergency room doctors had been partly right but Chesivoirs problem turned out to be every bit as life-threatening as a stroke or a heart attack. And in the intervening weeks two specialists who saw him had missed it. You know, youre lucky, Aulisi recalled telling Chesivoir shortly after they met. Without emergency surgery, the neurosurgeon said, patients with his condition are the people who go to sleep one night and dont wake up. Splitting headaches A few weeks before the Thanksgiving episode, Chesivoir had suddenly begun experiencing lightheadedness and tingling on his left side. I felt as if I might not be able to walk or might collapse, he recalled. When an episode occurred in a grocery store parking lot, Chesivoirs first thought was that he was having a stroke. He got back in his car and examined his face in the mirror, unable to detect a facial droop that is a characteristic sign of stroke. The odd feeling passed quickly and Chesivoir, who had no underlying health problems that could predispose him to a stroke, felt reassured. Hed had similar episodes a few years earlier, but doctors had found nothing. This time his shakiness seemed more pronounced when he stood up after sitting. Chesivoir also began suffering from headaches. The doctors who reviewed his tests at the emergency room said the only thing of significance was evidence of a possible old brain bleed. Had he fallen or hit his head? Chesivoir told them that he had banged his head on the mantel putting wood in his fireplace and while roughhousing with his teenage sons but never hard enough to see stars or lose consciousness. They didnt seem too concerned about it, Chesivoir recalled. Doctors told him they suspected his head pain was caused by either migraines or cluster headaches. After conferring with his internist, Chesivoir consulted a neurologist. Looking at the images Chesivoir had brought with him from his ER visit, he recalled that she seemed concerned that something on his spine might be causing the tingling. She ordered more tests and scheduled a follow-up appointment for Jan. 21. But over the next few weeks, Chesivoirs headaches worsened. Id go to bed and wake up in the middle of the night feeling like flaming railroad spikes were thrusting into my skull, he said. But at that point I wasnt too concerned, because so many tests had been done and there was nothing awful found. I figured it was some kind of headache that could be treated with medication. On New Years Eve, while watching a movie at home, Chesivoir stood up, complained that his head hurt and pitched face forward onto a coffee table, briefly losing consciousness. His wife, Carole Klein, called an ambulance; by the time it arrived Chesivoir seemed to be functioning normally. He walked out of the house, met the crew in the driveway and sent them away saying he was okay. Klein, an intellectual-property lawyer, had grown increasingly worried about her husband. The scariest thing was that it seemed like his personality was changing, she recalls. He just wasnt right. Brad is very gregarious and outgoing. He became cautious and would look like he was on edge and afraid. By Jan. 2, 2014, the headaches were worse. Chesivoir called the neurologists office and saw a second specialist the first was out of town who told him that his problem was most likely an atypical migraine, which is not preceded by the aura many migraine patients describe. I thought, Finally I have a diagnosis, Chesivoir recalled. The neurologist prescribed amitriptyline, an antidepressant frequently used to prevent migraines. Chesivoir began taking the drug. A few days later, he telephoned the new neurologist after developing double vision in his right eye. We see this with this medication, Chesivoir remembers the doctor saying. Cut the dose in half. On Friday, Jan. 11, Chesivoir called the doctor again, minutes after his office opened. His double vision was worse and accompanied by zigzag lines; he was terrified that he was going blind. I stressed to the doctors assistant who took the call that this was very serious, said Chesivoir, adding that he was assured that the doctor would call him back. Chesivoir said he never heard from the neurologist. Dont stop anywhere On Monday morning Chesivoir called his wifes ophthalmologist, who agreed to see him; she had an opening in her schedule that morning. Klein drove her husband to the office. Minutes after the doctor peered into Chesivoirs dilated eyes, she issued terse instructions to Klein: Drive straight to the emergency room at Washington Hospital Center, where she was on staff. Dont go home first or stop anywhere en route. Chesivoir had papilledema, a badly swollen optic nerve caused by excess pressure on his brain, and needed immediate attention. When they arrived, Chesivoir said, the ER was a zoo. (The ophthalmologist later told Chesivoir she regretted not calling an ambulance, which would have expedited his admission.) He and Klein were sent to a bay to wait for a doctor. On the other side of the curtain was a family whose members began loudly playing cellphone ring tones. I lost it and started screaming at them that my head was about to explode and to please keep it down. Chesivoir was admitted several hours later, after undergoing MRI and CT scans. He was told he would be meeting with Aulisi, the neurosurgeon on call. Aulisi minced no words. Chesivoir had suffered a brain bleed, an acute subdural hematoma, which had grown so large it was now the size of an adults palm. Without brain surgery, which Aulisi planned to perform first thing the next morning, Chesivoir would probably die. Scans, including those performed on Thanksgiving weekend six weeks earlier, showed evidence of multiple bleeds, some old and some recent. Blood was pressing on brain tissue, causing his visual disturbances, weakness and searing headaches. Brain scanner on trial A subdural hematoma occurs when blood pools in the space between the dura, which covers the brain, and the surface of the brain. It frequently results from a head injury that can occur during a fall; in some cases the bump is so minor patients dont remember it. In other cases there is no bump at all. Aulisi remembers one patient who developed a serious brain bleed after a violent sneeze. Its a closed space, like a pressure cooker, Aulisi said. A buildup of pressure in a confined space can cause the brain to herniate, or shift from its proper position, which is often fatal. They basically missed it, said Aulisi of the brain bleeds, adding that diagnosis is easier in retrospect. One reason for the error, he speculated, is that a neurosurgeon did not read the original scans. A radiologist who read Chesivoirs CT scan raised the possibility of old bleeds, but other doctors did not pursue that. By the time Aulisi saw Chesivoir, there was no choice other than surgery. Klein said he told the couple that Chesivoir probably had less than 24 hours to live when he reached the ER. I just sort of felt like I was waiting for the inevitable, Chesivoir recalls of the night before his operation. Klein remembers feeling terrified and trying to calm their children, who were then 16 and 20. The surgery went well. In the recovery room, Chesivoir said, he felt so much better that I hadnt realized how bad I had felt. Recovery was arduous and involved lying flat on his back for two days. At one point Chesivoir suddenly became confused, triggering fears that he might have suffered cognitive damage, a known complication of the surgery, or another bleed. But the confusion resolved within hours and was chalked up to postoperative swelling. That was the scariest part of the whole episode, Chesivoir said. I wasnt that afraid of dying, but I didnt want to be a burden on my family. Several weeks after he was sent home, Chesivoir, whose hobbies include photography, was taking pictures again, his vision dramatically improved. After three months he had fully recovered. The ordeal was life-changing, he said. When things bother me now I just have to remind myself that in the continuum of problems, this is very small. Klein said that her husbands experience has shaken her faith in doctors. In retrospect, she said, shes not sure what else they could have done. There was nothing different to do, she said. We had gone to an ER and seen two neurologists. I felt like we covered the bases. There were so many misses. Washington Post Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Dr Naomi Wright didnt exactly look like your hard-line striking picketer. Yet here she was, standing in front of the Socialist Worker seller, outside St Thomas Hospital in London: a junior doctor without a donkey jacket or bovver boots, but with a stethoscope and a record of voting Tory. I voted Tory for the first time last year, she said, apologetically. I thought they might help the country as a whole. Not a view the 32-year-old paediatric surgical registrar holds now. On Tuesday she was among a crowd of about 150 striking doctors demonstrating outside the hospital, just across Westminster Bridge from the Houses of Parliament. And if, with their polite smiles and obstetrics-based small talk, they didnt really act like hardened industrial malcontents, perhaps thats because they werent. The last time junior doctors initiated a major strike over pay and conditions was in 1975. Dr Wright did at least have a placard. It read: Save our NHS. Not fair, not safe. Junior doctors message to Jeremy Hunt She began with the not safe part. She regularly worked 25-hour shifts, foregoing breaks because of the nature of the job, eating while walking and catching two seconds to go to the loo. There were few complaints about that. What she feared, however, was that the new contract would remove the safeguards that prevent managers from making us work unsafe hours. Under the current system, hospital trusts can be fined if hours logged by doctors show they were made to work excessively exhausting lengths of time although in practice many, like Dr Wright, voluntarily ignore their break periods. Under the new system, the junior doctors claim, there would be a more unwieldy system of reporting exhausting hours to a guardian and the fines money would be kept within the trust, merely being shifted to such allegedly nebulous purposes as improving junior doctors conditions and training. Junior doctors defy work order A straightforward loss of cash, the strongest incentive for trusts to avoid dangerously overworking their doctors, would, Dr Wright argued, be lost. You could end up working unsafe hours. And although called junior doctors, it wasnt as if they were fresh out of medical school and just doing simple stuff. Were operating on children and babies. Were about four years from being made consultants. Jeremy Hunt on doctors' strike And yes, she did think the pay proposals were unfair. Jeremy Hunts offer of an 11 per cent rise in basic pay, she said, came with a significant contraction of what were considered antisocial hours attracting higher pay rates. Anything up to 10pm, even on a Saturday, might be considered normal working time. The out of hours banding normally represents up to 50 per cent of your pay. So if you add 11 per cent to basic pay, but remove much of the 50 per cent, you get a significant overall pay cut. And to the mother of a two-year-old daughter, that would be very damaging. After bills have been paid, I have 200 a month to live on. I dont have a car, because I cant afford it. We dont have extravagant holidays. I am strapped for cash. She was, she admitted, contemplating avoiding some of the impact by completing some of her advanced training in New Zealand. BMA: Strike was last resort And that was symptomatic of what worried Dr Tom Sanctuary, 36, a respiratory registrar working 13-hour intensive care night shifts. We all understand we have to work these hours, he said, But it needs to be recognised with a bit of remuneration. If you end up being paid less per hour, for a trust that has no disincentive to make you work a more exhausting timetable, there is a real danger of an exodus of the best doctors. There is a real danger to the next generation of the NHS. We are working in an NHS system we believe in, he said, And fighting to save it. I think the public understands that they see it is as much about them as it is about us. Almost on cue, a delighted whoop went up, from a crocodile of primary school children a novel addition to the occasional supportive hoots from passing ambulances and white vans. Theyre fighting to save the NHS, said the teacher to one of her charges. Among patients supposedly most affected by the strike it was also hard to find much anger at least not towards junior doctors. In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK 20,000 Junior Doctors marched through central London in protest at the new contract changes the government is trying to impose which they say will be unfair and unsafe In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors protest in London In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK 4 year old Cassius takes part in a demonstration in Westminster, in support of junior doctors over changes to NHS contracts, London In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Protest over proposed changes to junior doctors' contracts, Leeds In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors and NHS staff protesting against the health service cuts and the proposed contract changes offered by the government outside Parliament In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors and NHS staff protesting against the health service cuts and the proposed contract changes offered by the government outside Parliament In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Over 5000 junior doctors rallied in Waterloo place, before marching through Whitehall and onto Parliament Square, in opposition to Jeremy Hunt's new working conditions for doctors In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Demonstrators listen to speeches in Waterloo Place during the 'Let's Save the NHS' rally and protest march by junior doctors In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors marched in London to highlight their plight In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK A protester at a demonstration in support of junior doctors in London Emerging from a course of radiotherapy, Daniel Stroud, 68, a retired floor layer, offered the wisdom of a resident of the Old Kent Road: The Government are taking the piss. Because they dont want to pay em what theyre worth. And theyre already worth a hell of a lot more than they get. Views echoed by Makala Burnett, 42, as she emerged from the hospital in a wheelchair. The doctors and nurses do amazing work, she said, And get paid a pittance. She cast a contemptuous eye across the river, at the Houses of Parliament. Its the politicians youve got to blame for this. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Several readers got in touch following my Saturday column about National Savings & Investments Pensioner Bonds. I pointed out that the one-year Bonds, launched by the Chancellor ahead of last years election, are coming to an end and if you dont do anything, youll end up with the amount of interest you get slashed in half. To start with, let me put at rest the minds of those with three year NS&I pensioner bonds who may have been alarmed by my article. I can confirm that the three year fixed rate bonds - which pay a very attractive 4 per cent - will, indeed, continue for their full three year term so you need do nothing at the moment. But anyone with a one year bond needs to act fast as they mature on Friday this week. The market-leading 2.8 per cent paid out - which may have attracted you to invest in the government-backed savings scheme in the first place, will end and youll simply be switched to a fairly desultory 1.45 per cent rate. I think this stinks and suggested that George Osborne may have deliberately launched the accounts to attract extra votes ahead of last Mays general election, but some readers disagreed. The one year bond is no more than the name suggests and surely its no surprise that it has been cut, said Bruce Hicks. Malcolm Butcher went further. I cant believe that if you signed up for a 12 month term that you would expect it to continue at the same rate of interest after that period, he said. So, I dont think that George Osborne was trying to con anybody, for a change. Hes right that you may not expect to the same rate after a fixed rate deal lasting a year comes to an end, but given that Osborne had claimed the bonds were designed to offer older people some certainty, I would have expected a similarly competitive rate to that which was offered ahead of the election. The fact that the rate has been slashed in half is the kind of sneaky tactic you expect from a profit-hungry bank not a government-backed savings institution. What are your options? If you want another one-year fix, Anna Bowes of SavingsChampion.co.uk says the best account at the moment is RCI Bank's one-year fixed-term savings account, which pays 2.06 per cent. But for those who are really safety conscious and want an account protected by the UK's Financial Services Compensation Scheme (RCI is French), the next best is Paragon Bank's one-year fixed-rate bond, which pays 2.01 per cent but can only be opened online. If you're looking for a two-year fix paying more than the 1.7 per cent gross/AER offered on NS&I's two-year guaranteed growth bond (issue 51), there are also lots of options, says Ms Bowes. Al Rayan Bank pays 2.75 per cent, while RCI's two-year fixed-term savings account offers 2.35 per cent. If you want the extra comfort of a UK-regulated institution, Axis Bank's two-year fixed deposit pays 2.27 per cent, while United Trust Bank's two-year tracker bond currently offers 2.25 per cent and guarantees to be 1.75 per cent above the Bank of England base rate. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Heathrow reported a surprise dip in the number of passengers passing through its terminals last month, as rival London airports such as Gatwick and Stansted unveiled yet another month of record traffic, fuelled by long-haul travellers. Europes busiest airport blamed the 0.4 per cent drop on airline network changes, and noted it has nevertheless had a record year, with traffic up 2.2 per cent as nearly 75 million passengers passed through its terminals. Gatwick meanwhile toasted its biggest December in history, with 2.7 million passengers, up 4.7 per cent on December 2014; Stansted had a 9.2 per cent rise, to 1.7 million. Edinburgh also reported a record festive month, up 9.1 per cent to 11.1 million. John Holland-Kaye, Heathrows chief executive, said the whole of 2015 was a banner year, highlighting its case to build a third runway at the airport. Heathrow was helped by a surge of customers flying to China, Latin America and the Middle East. The update came a day after the airport was put under the spotlight by reports it had paid only 24m in corporation tax in almost a decade, but handed its owners 2.1bn in dividends over the past four years. The tax bill is so low because the airport has been able to offset the interest payments it makes on its massive debt against its annual operating profits of about 840m. Its 12.5bn debt was amassed after investors bought BAA in 2006, and Heathrow only restarted paying UK tax last year. A spokesman said that the airport operates not only within the tax laws but also within the spirit of them. He added that the new owners have invested some 11bn to transform the airport hub. Corporate tax has been low to date because the Government offers tax breaks to companies to attract investment in building or upgrading infrastructure We have around 1bn of deferred tax on our balance sheet, which will go to HMRC in the coming years. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Some 35 multinational companies will be forced to hand back 700m (524m) in tax that they failed to pay under an outlawed Belgian excess profit tax scheme. The European Commission ruled yesterday that selective tax advantages granted by Belgium are illegal under EU state aid rules. The commission didnt name any of the mainly European companies hit by the ruling, but reports suggested they included global brewer AB Inbev and British American Tobacco. Other companies linked to the scandal included Atlas Copco, BP, BASF, Belgacom (now known as Proximus Group), Celio and Wabco. Margrethe Vestager, the commissioner in charge of competition policy, said: Belgium has given a select number of multinationals substantial tax advantages that break EU state aid rules. It distorts competition by putting smaller competitors who are not multinational on an unequal footing. She pointed out there are many legal ways for EU countries to subsidise investment, but if a country gives multinationals illegal tax benefits that allow them to avoid paying taxes on the majority of their actual profits, it seriously harms fair competition, ultimately at the expense of EU citizens. AB Inbev, still awaiting regulatory approval on its proposed merger with SABMiller, confirmed that it benefits from the type of tax ruling judged illegal by regulators. It said it was disappointed by the EUs decision: We will consider our options, taking into account the reactions by the Belgian authorities. That was believed to suggest that it may appeal against the decision with the EUs top courts in Luxembourg. The ruling is the latest in the EUs crackdown on global tax avoidance. In October the EU ruled that Starbucks in the Netherlands and Fiat in Luxembourg had benefited from illegal tax deals and ordered the governments to reclaim up to 30m from each company. However, both decisions are expected to go to appeal. The latest investigation centred on the Belgian excess profit tax scheme, in force since 2005, which allowed multinational companies to pay substantially less tax in Belgium. The scheme cut the corporate tax base of the companies by up to 90 per cent. The EC ruled that the scheme diverged from normal practice under Belgian company tax rules, which is illegal under EU state aid rules. Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year. The ruling is just the tip of the iceberg, claimed Anders Dahlbeck, the tax justice policy adviser at ActionAid. The scheme is one of many unfair corporate tax giveaways that have allowed companies to duck paying their fair share of tax in the EU and in the poorest countries in the world, he said. The international charity reckons that developing countries lose $138bn (95bn) a year to similar corporate tax breaks. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Radiohead have set up a new company, fuelling rumours that a new album could be on the cards. Dawn Chorus was actually set up in October 2015, but only came to light last week. Fans are excited because Radiohead have a history of setting up a company in the months before an album is released. Before the King of Limbs was released in 2011, Radiohead set up Ticker Tape Limited (originally called Make Bread Limited). Even earlier, there was Xurbia Xendless Limited, which was incorporated in July 2007, before the release of In Rainbows. Nigel Godrich, Radiohead's "sixth member" and long-time producer, has also posted a cryptic gif on Twitter. The Independent has contacted Radiohead for comment. Chris Panayi, an accountant whose clients have included Disclosure, Emile Sande and Foals, said that it is not unusual for a band to form a new company for each project, just as its not usual for corporations to do the same. By doing so, that particular project is ring-fenced both in terms of its financial and business activity. It also makes for a more identifiable and independent project especially if there are other businesses that are simultaneously being operated by that band/corporation, Panayi said. In other words, a limited company like the ones Radiohead set up protects the investor by shielding them from the fallout from any other activities the artist is involved in. It also protects Radiohead if they album is a flop, by stopping investors from going after their gains from other projects. Dawn Chorus is actually a limited liability partnership, which means that if one member of the band disappears half way through the project, the other members arent financially liable. Its not unlike Radiohead to seek out innovative ways of distributing their work. Some thought Radiohead had confirmed the death of the music business when the band decided to let people pay whatever they wanted for its seventh album In Rainbows. Radiohead top 25-year album chart Show all 17 1 /17 Radiohead top 25-year album chart Radiohead top 25-year album chart 95721.bin Jim Dyson/Getty Images Radiohead top 25-year album chart 401227.bin Getty Images Radiohead top 25-year album chart 319055.bin GETTY IMAGES Radiohead top 25-year album chart 18965.bin GETTY IMAGES Radiohead top 25-year album chart 339533.bin Getty Images Radiohead top 25-year album chart 454758.bin Radiohead top 25-year album chart 12906.bin Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images Radiohead top 25-year album chart 115865.bin GETTY IMAGES Radiohead top 25-year album chart 12110.bin Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images Radiohead top 25-year album chart 42276.bin EPA Radiohead top 25-year album chart 40199.bin PA Radiohead top 25-year album chart 39829.bin Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images Radiohead top 25-year album chart 40034.bin EPA Radiohead top 25-year album chart 34722.bin PA Radiohead top 25-year album chart 39078.bin Getty Radiohead top 25-year album chart 297765.bin 2009 Simone Joyner Radiohead top 25-year album chart 22519.bin GETTY IMAGES Thom told Wired magazine that the pay-what-you-want model made the band more money than they had for any other album. Thats not to say it was necessarily the highest grossing album, just that the band got to keep the proceeds from digital sales which, according to Thom, wasnt the case during their six-album deal with EMI. As for the company name: a song called Dawn Chorus was first mentioned by Thom Yorke in an interview with Chilean TV network TVN way back in 2009. When asked what his favourite Radiohead song was, Thom replied: Whatever Im finishing at the moment. Um, theres one called Dawn Chorus Im trying to finish at the moment: thats really great I think. If Thoms to be believed, we could be about to hear his favourite Radiohead song yet. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Telegraph newspaper has removed sensors monitoring whether journalists were sitting at their desks amid outrage among staff. The devices sold by OccupEye are triggered by heat and motion to measure workspace utilisation and feed back a range of statistics to managers, according to the companys website. There was uproar on Monday after journalists questioning the mystery gadgets that had appeared on the underside of their desks were told they were part of a month-long trial to make the office as energy efficient as possible. Complaints were made to HR and the National Union of Journalists as news of the sensors spread through the British media, Press Gazette reported. Hours later, the Telegraph appeared to backtrack on the installation. A spokesperson for the newspaper told The Independent employees were sent the following memo on Monday evening. In the light of feedback we have received from staff today, it has been decided to withdraw the under-desk sensors immediately," it said. "We will be looking at alternative ways to gather the environmental sustainability data we need, and will keep staff in touch with any new proposals. A spokesperson for OccupEye said its technology had been used around the world since 2012, including in the NHS and local authorities, and monitors the presence of people within space rather than individuals. (OccupEye) Telegraph Media Groups short-term deployment of OccupEye as part of their green initiative should be welcomed and understood by all as a forward-thinking and positive step by the organisations facilities managers, the statement said. We regret if any staff within any of our client workspaces have not received communication in advance of an OccupEye deployment and thus had unfounded concerns we can only reassure those people that they have nothing to fear from our system. Neil Steele, a client account manager with the company, told The Independent the Telegraph had drawn up a document informing staff how OccupEye was going to be used to track peak demand in the office to re-programme building management systems, but it was not sent out. Saying the firm was disappointed at the removal on Tuesday, he added: There are tens of thousands of OccupEye systems in place and this is the first example of a client not being able to deploy the system or having to take it out because of staff feedback. We fully understand that staff arriving into work to find a device under their desk would be suspicious and fear the worst but the system is completely benign and it doesnt track individuals...we are not Big Brother. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Officials in Canada have revealed that a Canadian man held by the Taliban since 2010 has been released. Canadian Minister Stephane Dion said in a statement that Colin Rutherford was a tourist in Afghanistan when he was seized by the Taliban in November 2010. The Taliban released a video of Mr Rutherford in 2011 and accused him of being a spy, according to the Associated Press. The Taliban released a video clip of Colin Rutherford in 2011. (YouTube) Mr Rutherford had insisted he was not a spy and had travelled to Afghanistan to study historical sites and shrines. It was not immediately clear how his release came about, but Mr Dion thanked the government of Qatar for its assistance. Canada is very pleased that efforts undertaken to secure the release of Colin Rutherford from captivity have been successful, Mr Dion said. We look forward to Mr. Rutherford being able to return to Canada and reunite with his family and loved ones. Canadian Minister Stephane Dion said the Canadian authorities were still working to return Mr Rutherford to Canada (AP) The minister said that the government continued to provide consular support for Mr Rutherford, and will help him return home safely. Mr Rutherfords brother, Brian Rutherford, told Global News that the family is obviously overjoyed at the news, but dont have much else to add at this point. Last year, in testimony before a US Senate hearing, Lt-Col Jason Amerine testified that while trying to secure the release of another hostage in 2013, he received information that indicated Mr Rutherford had been moved to Pakistan. But infighting and a lack of co-ordination between US government departments allegedly hampered Americas efforts to free Mr Rutherford and other captives. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} After impromptu shrines to David Bowie appeared on both sides of the Atlantic, fans have called for more permanent memorials to the legendary musician. Initial plans to honour him include renaming the historic bandstand in Beckenham, South London, where Bowie performed in 1969, as a permanent memory of his genius. Some devotees have called for streets and venues to be named after the musician, who will be given a tribute at next months Brit Awards, after his death was confirmed on Monday morning at the age of 69 following an 18-month battle with cancer. Several have even suggested honouring him at Westminster Abbeys Poets Corner and a petition has been launched to put up a statue of the musician on the fourth plinth in Londons Trafalgar Square. I started the petition as there have been many sculptures on the fourth plinth that maybe didnt touch people culturally in a way that David Bowie did, said Ronnie Joice, the man who set it up. Im hopeful it can happen. If not the Fourth Plinth, then maybe Brixton would be fitting. Brixton's David Bowie memorial street party Show all 7 1 /7 Brixton's David Bowie memorial street party Brixton's David Bowie memorial street party (Picture: Alan Schaller) Alan Schaller Brixton's David Bowie memorial street party (Picture: Alan Schaller) Alan Schaller Brixton's David Bowie memorial street party (Picture: Alan Schaller) Alan Schaller Brixton's David Bowie memorial street party (Picture: Alan Schaller) Alan Schaller Brixton's David Bowie memorial street party (Picture: Alan Schaller) (Pic: Alan Schaller) Brixton's David Bowie memorial street party (Picture: Alan Schaller) Alan Schaller Brixton's David Bowie memorial street party (Picture: Alan Schaller) Alan Schaller The south London district, Bowies birthplace, falls within Lambeth, where the local council has called for fans to suggest appropriate memorials. The council would like to commemorate Bowie and welcomes suggestions, it said in a statement, adding it would talk to the family at an appropriate time. One council source said it could memorialise the artist in a range of ways, from its own version of the blue plaque outside the house where he was born, to a statue or even renaming a street after him. Bowie already features on the 10 note of the Brixton Pound, the areas local currency scheme, and a mural of him was painted there in 2013 inspired by the album cover of his 1973 album Aladdin Sane. Fans organised a street party in Brixton in his honour on Monday night. Organist plays David Bowie's Life On Mars in touching tribute Chris Charlesworth, editor of Omnibus Press who knew Bowie during the 1970s and early 1980s, said: His work will be his legacy. Someone who turned down a knighthood probably wouldnt want a statue. He continued: Renaming a venue or a theatre after him would get my vote. It would show a great deal of respect. Liverpool named its airport after former Beatle John Lennon, but Mr Charlesworth said: You cant do that with Bowie, he absolutely hated flying. Bowie moved to Beckenham in 1953 when he was six. Bromley Council is raising money to restore the nearby Croydon Road Recreation Ground bandstand, where Bowie played in 1969. Colin Smith, the councils deputy leader, said: I believe it would be an extremely fitting tribute to rename the historic bandstand after Bowie as a permanent memorial of his genius. The council will consult with the group Friends of Beck Rec, which is working on the restoration project, before taking a final decision. A tribute concert called The Music of David Bowie with Tony Visconti, Bowies longtime collaborator, had been announced just hours before his death in New Yorks Carnegie Hall. Following the news it was changed from a tribute to a memorial concert. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} "It is indeed true," said someone from his management office when I spoke to them early this morning. We found out about an hour ago, and were finding it very difficult to function. He really is gone. Im not sure if I woke them up, but I know I wasnt the first person to call. Oddly, I heard myself through that by-now rather old fashioned form of communication, email, as various friends and colleagues sent messages from the US. A few minutes later, requests to write obituaries followed. All of which obviously swirled around the shocking news itself. When people die, especially significant people, others can busy themselves, expressing false emotion, and offering professional consolation. With Bowie, it has been different, as I know so few people whose lives have been unaffacted by him. For me and members of my generation, the Bowie generation, his death is more momentous than John Lennons. Of course it would be invidious to compare the two, but it is still difficult even now for me to grasp just how much he meant to me. I was a teenager when he emerged, and was one of the many people who saw his performance of Starman on Top Of The Pops in the summer of 1972 (I had just turned 12), one of the many millions whose lives were altered at such an impressionable age. David Bowie in Numbers For my generation, it is almost impossible to overemphasise just how important David Bowie was to us, not just in terms of music and fashion, but also in terms of how we carried and continue to carry ourselves in the world. I remember exactly where I was when I heard about John Lennons death, but Bowies passing will stay with me in a different, more permanent way. Recommended Read more The artists who credit David Bowie with influencing their work I knew Bowie a little, and unlike many famous people who can have a little sheen rubbed off them when you meet them, Bowie became even more intriguing when I did, because his curiosity, his obsession for the new appeared to be innate. He was as important to the Seventies as the Beatles were to the Sixties, and yet his reach and his influence continues today in a way that we have yet to quantify, try as we might. I knew he had been ill many did but I had no idea he had been critically ill. Having been in touch for several decades, when he became ill around a decade ago caused initially by a series of minor heart attacks he disappeared from view. I knew he had bought a huge apartment complex in Downtown New York, I knew the people who sold him his house in upstate New York, in Woodstock, and I knew his personal publicist and management company extremely well. Yet recently every communication had been through a third party, almost as though he was pushing himself away from the world. The first time I met Bowie, he asked me for a light for his Marlboro. I was an extra on the dreadful vampire movie The Hunger, in which Bowie was starring with Catherine Deneuve. It was my job to walk up and down the metal stairs in Heaven, the gay nightclub underneath the arches in the Strand, as Bela Lugosis Dead by Bauhaus blared out of the speakers. For a 20-year-old Bowie obsessive this was a dream come true, a day that turned into an anecdote that would eventually kick start a very odd relationship, one that continued for over 30 years. Like everyone who grew up with the man, Bowie would confound, annoy, and occasionally disappoint me, but I never, ever found him less than fascinating. He was my own personal fascination. David Bowie: Life in pictures Show all 30 1 /30 David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie in 1960s Dezo Hoffman/Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures Davy Jones; life before David Bowie Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie in 1964 Dezo Hoffman/Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie 'In Mime' at the Middle Earth Club, London, 1968 Ray Stevenson/Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie in 1969 I T N/Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie performing his final concert as Ziggy Stardust at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, 1973 Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie in 1973 PA David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie, with his wife Angela (Angie) and his son Zowie, after receiving an award for his latest record "Ziggy stardust" in Amsterdam, 1974 AFP David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie in the 1970s Sunshine/Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie poses with a pig David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie's son, Duncan Jones, confirmed his death on Twitter Duncan Jones/Twitter David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie in the 1980s Everett Collection/Rex David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie gives a press conference presenting the Japanese movie 'Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence' directed by Nagisa Oshima, during the 36th International Film Festival in Cannes, 1983 AFP via Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie performs on stage during a concert in La Courneuve, 1987 AFP David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie during his concert in West Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany, 1987 EPA David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie shakes hands with Princess Diana, 1993 PA David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie autographs copies of his newest album 'Outside' at the grand opening of a Herald Square music store 26 September 1995 in New York AFP/Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie performs at the Panathinaikos stadium in Athens during a rock festival, 1996 Reuters David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie and his wife, supermodel Iman smile as they pose for photos after Bowie received a star on the world famous Walk of Fame 12 February in Hollywood, 1997 Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie getting ready to perform 'Earthling' at the Phoenix Music Festival in 1997 Pat Pope/Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie on stage performing during the Tibet House Benefit Concert in New York City, 2001 Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie Meltdown concert at the Royal Festival Hall, London, June 2002 Rex David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie performing during his concert at the Stravinski hall stage of the Montreux Jazz Festival, in Montreux, Switzerland, 2002 EPA David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie in 'Last Call with Carson Daly' TV programme taping in New York, 2003 Startraks/Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie walks with his with wife Iman and daughter Alexandria (2) in New York, 2003 Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie performs on stage on the third and final day of 'The Nokia Isle of Wight Festival 2004' at Seaclose Park, in Newport, UK Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie and Kate Moss at the 2005 CFDA Awards dinner party at the New York Public Library in New York City, 2005 Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie and model Iman arrive to the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala, Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, 2008 Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie anf Tilda Swinton at the MoMA's 6th Annual Film Benefit in New York, 2013 BFANYC.COM/Rex David Bowie: Life in pictures Flowers are left below a mural of David Bowie on the wall of a Morley's store in Brixton on 11 January 2016 Getty When he become ill, he pushed himself away from others, too, although he kept an almost obsessive eye on those in his orbit, especially if they were writing about him. A few years ago I wrote a book about Bowies performance on Top Of The Pops in 1972, an extended essay that tried to form an opinion about the Seventies from those four short minutes on a television programme. I needed various permissions from Bowie to use various photographs in the book, and over a period of a few weeks he eventually agreed to me using them. However I also included several facts in the book that I knew to be wrong some descriptions of the BBC dressing room, some quotes, and some outfit changes that I knew to be inventions (as I had actually invented them). I did this as I hoped he might contradict me, and actually give me some more material for the book. But Bowie remained mute: even though he had tacitly endorsed the book, he would rather I print the myth. That was Bowie all over. In fact his entire professional career was one of myth, legend and invention. Brilliantly so. When I was writing my Bowie book, as I was writing the final chapters, I went to visit my father in Cheltenham (this turned out to be the last time I saw him before he died). He asked me what I was working on, and I told him that was writing a book about Bowies extraordinary performance on TOTP, and how he influenced an entire generation of music and fashion obsessives. When he asked me why I reeled off the various elements of his performance that had been so challenging, so inspiring, and so transgressive. I described the way in which Bowie had toyed sexually with his guitarist Mick Ronson, the way in which he had dressed like a pansexual spaceman, the way in which he looked, the way in which he sashayed across the screen like a 1920s film star, and, saliently, the way in which his flame-red hair, his dayglo jumpsuit and the general glam colour fest had almost colonised the programme. I explained that this was the moment when the 1970s finally outgrew the 1960s, when the monochrome world of boring, boring south-east England had exploded in a fiesta of colour. My father looked at the floor, took a moment, and then said, very quietly: You know we had a black and white television, dont you? For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A former child star who appeared on the Disney Channel in the 90s has died in Los Angeles, according to a statement from his family. He was 31-years-old. Michael Galeota is most widely known for his role as Nick Lighter in the Disney series The Jersey. He also had roles in ER and Ally McBeal as a teenager, appearing on screen for the final time in The Nightmare Room. Recommended Read more Ghostbusters actor David Margulies dies aged 78 Galeota died peacefully at his home on 10 January, according to a statement from his family on a Go Fund Me Page set up to pay for his funeral. The cause of death has not yet been officially established, although the Los Angeles County Coroner's office reportedly told E!News Galeota suffered from a number of health problems. These included stomach pain, hypertension and high cholesterol. Galeota visited a hospital with stomach pains on Wednesday and was found by a friend in his LA apartment on Sunday, according to a report by TMZ. An autopsy is due to take place. Notable deaths in 2015 Show all 28 1 /28 Notable deaths in 2015 Notable deaths in 2015 Lemmy The Motorhead lead singer and bass player (real name Ian Kilmister) died at home in Los Angeles on 28 December, age 70. He had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer only two days before. Notable deaths in 2015 Wayne Rogers Actor and comedy performer best known for his portrayal as Trapper John McIntyre in the TV spin-off of Robert Altmans Korean war black comedy M*A*S*H. He died on New Years Eve, age 82, from complications due to pneumonia. Associated Press Notable deaths in 2015 Czech goalkeeper who played for Newcastle United between 1991 and 1998. He died on 29 December, aged 47, after suffering a cardiac arrest nine days earlier while jogging in Ostrava. Getty Images Notable deaths in 2015 Brooke McCarter American actor, best known for the role of Paul in the 1987 vampire film The Lost Boys, died on 22 December in Tampa, Florida from a respiratory condition. He was 52. REX Features Notable deaths in 2015 Shirley Stelfox English actress, best known as Emmerdales village gossip Edna Birch. Died on 7 December from cancer. She was 74. REX Notable deaths in 2015 Holly Woodlawn Puerto Rican-born transgender actress and cabaret artiste most famous for being name checked in the opening lines of Lou Reeds 1972 classic Walk on the Wild Side. Died on 6 December from cancer. She was 69. REX Notable deaths in 2015 Scott Weiland American former Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver lead singer. Died on his tour bus from an accidental drug overdose on 3 December, aged 48. AP Notable deaths in 2015 Nathaniel Marston Nathaniel Marston, an American actor best known for his role in the soap opera One Life to Live, has died on 11 November, days after being involved in a serious car crash. He was 40 years old. Notable deaths in 2015 Helmut Schmidt Helmut Schmidt, the former West German chancellor, passed away on 10 November at the age of 96. He served as Chancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982. Notable deaths in 2015 Andy White Glasgow-born session drummer who sat in for Beatles drummer Ringo Starr on the Fab Fours debut single Love Me Do. Also played on Tom Joness Its Not Unusual and Lulus Shout. Died in New Jersey of a stroke. He was 85. Notable deaths in 2015 Sam Sarpong British model and presenter jumped to his death on 6 October from a bridge near his home in Pasadena, California. He was 40. AP Notable deaths in 2015 Howard Kendall British former footballer and manager widely regarded as the most successful boss in the history of Everton Football Club. He died on 17 October, age 69. Getty Images Notable deaths in 2015 Sue Lloyd Roberts died of cancer on 13 October, aged 63. She was a British television journalist who contributed reports to BBC programmes and, earlier in her career, worked for ITN Rex Notable deaths in 2015 Carey Lander Carey Lander, the musician and member of the Scottish indie pop band Camera Obscura, died of cancer on 11 October, aged 33. Notable deaths in 2015 Lord Geoffrey Howe The former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lord Geoffrey Howe died aged 88 following a suspected heart attack on 9 October. Howe was Margaret Thatcher's longest-serving Cabinet minister, successively holding the posts of Chancellor of the Exchequer, Foreign Secretary, and finally Leader of the House of Commons, Deputy Prime Minister and Lord President of the Council Getty Images Notable deaths in 2015 Gordon Honeycombe Broadcaster Gordon Honeycombe died aged 79. His death was announced on 9 October. Along with being a newscaster, he was also an author, playwright and stage actor PA Notable deaths in 2015 Jim Diamond Glasgow-born singer Jim Diamond died on 8 October, aged 63. The songwriter was best known for his hits 'I Won't Let You Down', 'I Should Have Known Better', 'Hi Ho Silver' Notable deaths in 2015 Brian Friel Brian Friel, the celebrated Irish playwright, died on 2 October, after a long illness aged 86 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2015 Jackie Collins Jackie Collins, the best-selling author, died from breast cancer on 19 September, aged 77. She wrote 32 books, all of which were best-sellers. Reuters Notable deaths in 2015 Brian Close Brian Close, the former England, Yorkshire and Somerset cricket captain, passed away on 13 September, aged 84 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2015 Oliver Sacks Oliver Sacks, the British-born neurologist and acclaimed writer, died on 30 August at the age of 82 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2015 Ralph Milne Ralph Milne, the former Dundee United and Manchester United player died on 6 September, aged 54 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2015 Wes Craven Wes Craven, the king of low-budget horror films, director, writer, producer, and actor, died on 30 August, aged 76 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2015 Colin Fry The TV medium and spiritualist, who appeared on Most Haunted, Psychic Private Eyes and 6ixth Sense With Colin Fry, died of lung cancer on 25 August, aged 53 PA Notable deaths in 2015 Yvonne Craig, The actress, who played Batgirl in Batman TV series, died on 17 August, aged 78 Rex Notable deaths in 2015 Justin Wilson, The former Formula One driver Justin Wilson died on 24 August a day after suffering serious head injuries when struck by debris during an IndyCar race. He was 37. AP Notable deaths in 2015 Kitty McGeever The Emmerdale actress passed away on 16 August, aged 48 Rex Notable deaths in 2015 EDena Hines The actress and granddaughter to Morgan Freeman, was stabbed to death on 16 August. She was 33 One post under the name Lev L. Spiro, a producer and director who has worked on programmes such as Modern Family, paid tribute to Galeota as a good soul and donated $250. I directed the pilot and first couple episodes of The Jersey, they wrote. Mike was a bright, funny nice guy. A good soul. I'm very sorry for your loss. Five thousand dollars has also been donated by Shia L, but it has not been confirmed if this is Shia LaBeouf. More than $17,000 has already been donated to the fund. He was a precious gift loving, giving, compassionate, joyful and intelligent," his family said in a statement. "A great inspiration for anyone that heard his genuine, humble, witty and joyful voice, or experienced his smile, laughter and love for just a moment. To know him was to love him. His humble nature hid a great compassionate and loving human being, with a huge heart. He cared profoundly for his family and friends. Mike was a great giver, always ready and able to care for others. Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Extraordinary discoveries in East Anglia are giving archaeologists an unprecedentedly detailed glimpse of life in prehistoric Britain 3,000 years ago. Excavations near Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire are yielding some of the best preserved Bronze Age artefacts ever found anywhere in northern Europe including beautifully woven textiles, wooden bowls, fine pottery and bronze tools. Not only have the archaeologists found literally hundreds of everyday objects but they have also unearthed some of the houses they were used in. The remarkable state of preservation of one of the houses is giving prehistorians an unparalleled idea of what domestic architecture was like in Bronze Age Britain. Recommended Read more Site of ancient massacre yields the secrets of a lost Greek city It is simply the most complete Bronze Age wooden building ever found in this country, said David Gibson, the excavations project manager. Almost half the nine metre diameter house has been fully preserved including much of its roof, walls and floor. The building was part of a small palisaded settlement built on stilts The extraordinary level of preservation of the building is because it collapsed into a river, sunk to the bottom and was fairly rapidly then covered in silt. It then remained waterlogged for some 30 centuries before being discovered by the archaeologists. The building was part of a small palisaded settlement built on stilts in the middle of what was, back in the Bronze Age, a 50 metre wide river probably a former course of the River Nene. In total the settlement probably had up to six large roundhouses with a total population of between 30 and 50 people. So far the archaeologists from the University of Cambridges archaeological unit have found 30 fragments of textile from up to a dozen garments (probably capes and loose shirts). Often decorated with tasseled fringes, all the clothes seem to have been made of plant fibres especially lime baste, the fibrous material immediately beneath the bark of the lime tree. Its the largest collection of Bronze Age textiles ever found in Britain. Pottery found at the site includes the remains of 60 cm tall storage jars and delicate 5 cm high burnished drinking beakers They have also unearthed at least 20 bronze woodworking tools including axes, awls and gauges. The archaeologists at the site known as Must Farm believe that the extended family that built and lived in the stilted river settlement was very wealthy. Pottery found at the site includes the remains of 60 cm tall storage jars and delicate 5 cm high burnished drinking beakers manufactured in northern French style. Ten very fine blue and green glass beads (the largest collection of late Bronze Age beads ever found in Britain) are chemically very similar to beads from the Balkans, made in the same period. The inhabitants of the settlement also seem to have eaten very well. Food debris, found by the archaeologists, includes lots of cattle, sheep and pig bones and nearby they have unearthed well-preserved eel and fish traps. They have also found the remains of pike, smelt and perch - and some of the pots still have food remains in them. In the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland, late Bronze Age people sometimes lived in stilted villages on lakes but the Must Farm site is an ultra-rare example of a stilted river settlement. It is likely that it was built on the water for defensive reasons but perhaps also in order to control and potentially even tax river traffic. The four year 1.1 million excavation is being funded by Historic England and a leading UK brick manufacturer, Forterra. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Northern Irish woman is to stand trial accused of attempting to bring about an abortion, it has been reported. A 21-year-old woman from County Down, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faces two charges; one of attempting to terminate her own pregnancy and one of aiding someone else to "miscarry", The Irish Times reports. The offences are alleged to have taken place during June and July 2014. The woman appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court yesterday for a preliminary enquiry. The judge confirmed that she has a case to answer and released the defendant on bail. Unlike the rest of the United Kingdom, abortion is illegal in Northern Ireland unless a womans life is in imminent danger. Under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, the defendant stands accused of unlawfully administering to herself noxious substances, namely the drugs Mifepristone and Misoprostol, with the intent to procure miscarriage and to a second party. On 30 November 2015, Belfast High Court ruled that the abortion ban was incompatible with human rights. However the devolved parliament Stormont has so far declined to amend the law. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A 21-year-old Durham University undergraduate has been cleared of raping a student and sexually assaulting another. Louis Richardson, from Jersey, was cleared of all charges following a trial at Durham Crown Court. The history student and former secretary of the universitys prestigious Union Society, declined to comment outside court, instead stating: I would rather let it sink in. Richardson had been accused of raping one student at his home and sexually assaulting her at a party. He had also been accused of two counts of sexual assault on another woman in 2014. He denied all charges. Mr Richardsons mother hugged him outside the court following the jurys decision, which had taken less than three hours to return following a six day trial. Mr Richardson had been suspended from his history studies after he was accused of the crimes, and his family said they have been through 15 months of absolute hell. His mother, father and grandfather had sat through the trial, with his parents seen holding hands as details of their sons sex life were described to the jury. Mr Richardson sat motionless as the jurys four not guilty verdicts were read out. In a statement read outside court, Mr Richardsons family said: It has been 15 months of absolute hell for the whole family. Student news in pictures Show all 34 1 /34 Student news in pictures Student news in pictures South Korean policemen detain a student demonstrator during a protest against South Korean President Park Geun-Hye EPA Student news in pictures South Korean policemen detain student protestors during a protest against South Korean President Park Geun-Hye outside the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea. The protesters demanded that the parliament takes steps to impeach President Park Geun-Hye EPA Student news in pictures Filipino demonstrators face off with anti-riot police during a protest near the US Embassy in Manila, Philippine EPA Student news in pictures Hundreds of protesters including Indigenous People, students and militant groups marched towards the US Embassy to protest against the presence of US military troops and condemning the violent dispersal which left at least forty people hurt including twenty police officers and three people who were run over by a police van EPA Student news in pictures A federal judge in Mexico has ordered that a once-fugitive police chief be held on charges of kidnapping in the disappearance of 43 students Student news in pictures A man holds up a photograph of a missing student with a caption reading 'We are missing 43,' during a meeting marking the 25-month anniversary of the disappearances of 43 students in the southern state of Guerrero, in Mexico City. A federal judge in Mexico has ordered that a once-fugitive police chief be held on charges of kidnapping in the disappearance of 43 students AP Student news in pictures Miguel Perez, an intern student from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, puts away his cell phone before walking into the operating room at the Dr. Isaac Gonzalez MartInez Oncological Hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Once they complete their general surgery training, many residents are moving to the United States in search of better wages, one of the main factors linked to the current shortage of specialists in the Island Student news in pictures Fewer EU students have applied to start university courses in the UK next autumn. There was a 9% fall in the numbers who had applied for courses, according to admissions service UCAS. PA wire Student news in pictures University students protest against President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela. Masses of protesters jammed the streets of Venezuela's capital on the heels of a move by congress to open a political trial against Maduro, whose allies have blocked moves for a recall election AP Student news in pictures University students protest against President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela AP Student news in pictures Thousands, most of them high school students, march during a demonstration in Madrid, Spain, on a one day strike to protest about the country's education law that increases the number of annual exams AP Student news in pictures Students gather on the west mall to confront the Young Conservatives of Texas student organization over a controversial bake sale on The University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas. The Young Conservatives of Texas chapter at the University of Texas-Austin sparked the protest with an affirmative action bake sale. The club encouraged students to buy a cookie and talk about the disastrous policy that is affirmative action Student news in pictures Donald Parish Jr, right, confronts Electrical and Computer Engineering senior Dewayne Perry over a controversial bake sale on The University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas. The Young Conservatives of Texas chapter at the University of Texas-Austin sparked the protest with an affirmative action bake sale. The club encouraged students to buy a cookie and talk about the disastrous policy that is affirmative action AP Student news in pictures Brigham Young University announced that students who report sexual assault will no longer be investigated for possible violations of the Mormon-owned school's strict honor code that bans such things as alcohol use AP Student news in pictures Students of secondary education march to protest against the final examinations and LOMCE (The Improvement Quality Education Law) law, after a call by trade unions, in Murcia, Spain EPA Student news in pictures South African police have used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of protesters who had marched to the parliament building to call for free university education, where the finance minister was giving a budget speech AP Student news in pictures Police break up student protests outside the parliament in Cape Town, South Africa Reuters Student news in pictures South African Policemen fire rubber bullets at student protestors in Cape Town, South Africa AP Student news in pictures A student protestor is hit by a rubber bullet in Cape Town, South Africa AP Student news in pictures An injured student is helped by colleagues during protest outside the parliament during South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's medium term budget speech in Cape Town, South Africa Reuters Student news in pictures Plaintiffs and bereaved families of elementary school students killed in the tsunami that followed a major earthquake in northeastern Japan in 2011, show banners that say 'victory in a suit filed with the Sendai District Court' in Sendai. A Japanese court ordered municipalities to pay $13.7 million dollars to families of school children who were swept away to their deaths by the 2011 tsunami Getty Student news in pictures A group of student at Ewha Womans University calls for a thorough investigation into those involved in years of engagement with state affairs backstage by Choi Soon-sil, a personal confidante of South Korean President Park Geun-hye, at the school's front gate in Seoul, South Korea EPA Student news in pictures Students raise placards during a strike action called by the student union, in Madrid against university entry exams Getty Student news in pictures Libyans throw a newly graduated student into a fountain as they celebrate during the graduation ceremony for students from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Al-Arab University in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi Getty Student news in pictures Libyans celebrate as they attend the graduation ceremony for students from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Al-Arab University in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi Getty Student news in pictures Libyans celebrate as they attend the graduation ceremony for students from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Al-Arab University in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi Getty Student news in pictures Thousands of Thai Catholic students take part in mourning tributes and in singing the Thai Royal Anthem to honour late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at Saint Dominic School in Bangkok, Thailand EPA Student news in pictures Students of Silpakorn University paint portraits of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the university campus in Bangkok Getty Student news in pictures A student of Silpakorn University paints a portrait of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the university campus in Bangkok Getty Student news in pictures St Andrews University students take part in a foam fight known as Raisin Monday in the Lower College Lawn behind St Salvator's Quadrangle following the Raisin Weekend PA wire Student news in pictures St Andrews University students take part in a foam fight known as Raisin Monday in the Lower College Lawn behind St Salvator's Quadrangle following the Raisin Weekend, an annual tradition where student 'parents' inflict tasks on the unfortunate first-years they have adopted as 'children' as part of a mentoring scheme PA wire Student news in pictures Students at the Cuba's National Ballet School (ENB) in Havana, Cuba Reuters Student news in pictures Students at the Cuba's National Ballet School (ENB) take part in a practice in Havana, Cuba Reuters Student news in pictures Students at the Cuba's National Ballet School (ENB) wait in line to enter a classroom in Havana, Cuba Reuters We are relieved that justice has been done and would like to thank the jury. Mr Richardson had been accused of raping a woman at his student house while she was crazy drunk and unresponsive in March 2014. The woman, who gave evidence via a videolink, said she had been very, very intoxicated on the night of the alleged attack, claiming the next thing she could remember after seeing Mr Richardson in the Klute nightclub was waking up next to him the next morning and being told she was really bad in bed because she had been unresponsive. The woman also alleged Mr Richardson sexually assaulted her at a party by lifting up her dress and exposing her bra, saying "Get your tits out ... everyone else has seen them". Mr Richardsons defence lawyer, Philippa McAtasney QC, had called the alleged victim a highly manipulative, dishonest, dangerous young woman. She also said Mr Richardson would not have used the phrase quoted by the woman, saying: You may think he has a somewhat unique style for a young man of his age, a flowery style, verbose, quite posh you may think. He is not on trial for that. The second alleged victim said she had been groped by Mr Richardson while she lay in bed ill. Her boyfriend had later confronted Mr Richardson in a Facebook message, and the history student had said his recollections of the evening were hazy at best but to please send on any such apologies in advance of me doing so. Mr Richardson said he had been in the room where the woman lay ill debating politics with others. He told the jury had had momentarily comforted her by placing his hand on her shoulder and she that she had pulled it to her breast. The student has been doing voluntary work in Jersey during his suspension from Durham University. It is unclear whether he will return to complete his degree. Additional reporting by PA More follows Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The UKs human rights watchdog is examining allegations that Butlins and Pontins are keeping secret blacklists of Irish Traveller families, allowing staff to refuse them entry to their holiday camps. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has been informed of two cases involving families from a Traveller background whose attempts to book holidays through the companies were rejected, The Independent understands. One involves John OLeary, from Camden, in north London, who booked and paid for a holiday at Butlins over Christmas for himself, his wife and children and other family members. Six days before they were due to leave, he received a letter informing him that his holiday had been cancelled because he was not on the electoral roll. We are on the electoral register we have lived in the same house in Camden for 20 years, Mr OLeary told the Travellers Times magazine. In an attempt to salvage his holiday, Mr OLeary says he telephoned the manager of the holiday camp and offered to bring along identification documents but was told that police would be called. They threatened to get me arrested if I showed up with my documents. They said I was not welcome in any of their camps, he added. When he contacted Pontins, a rival holiday camp operator, Mr OLeary claims he was told his name had been flagged up on the computer and that he would be unable to book through it either. He says that when he asked why he had been rejected, the operator told him he was not obliged to say. The Butlins resort in Bognor Regis Mr OLeary, who is currently taking legal advice on the matter, described the two firms actions as discrimination and said he believed they were consulting some kind of Traveller blacklist. As Travellers are officially recognised as an ethnic minority in the UK, discrimination against them is illegal. The second case involves Margaret Doran, from St Albans, who also tried to book a Christmas break at Butlins for her family but claims she was refused as she did not appear on the electoral register. All of us were devastated, my children were so looking forward to going there. The first thing I thought was that it must be discrimination it has to be, she said. The Traveller Movement charity, which made the complaint to the EHRC on behalf of Mr OLeary and Ms Doran, said it had serious concerns about both cases. The EHRC confirmed that it had received a complaint about potential discrimination against Travellers and was looking into the matter. Pontins did not respond to a request for a comment, but a spokesman for Butlins said: As with all large party sizes for breaks around the festive period, our terms state that all UK-based adults in the party must appear on the electoral register It is essential that we can be certain who our guests are. The safety and security of all those who visit a Butlins resort is our primary concern. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A damning report which revealed the full extent of the harm done by funding cuts to childrens centres was among more than 400 statements, documents and reports quietly released by the Government just before Christmas. A six-year study by Oxford University researchers highlighted how childrens centres known as Sure Start were making a difference in some of the poorest areas of the country, but have suffered acutely from cuts or restructuring. The final report was agreed in August, but the Department for Education (DfE), which commissioned it, held back publication for months before quietly slipping it out on 17 December, along with hundreds of other statements, documents and reports. The DfE indicated that the delay was caused by the large volume of work associated with the Chancellors Autumn Statement. The study is the most detailed ever conducted into the impact of childrens centres on the families who use them. The researchers examined 117 childrens centres in 2011 and 2013 many of which may have been hit by further cuts since and analysed interviews with more than 2,600 parents who used them, in order to calculate the impact the centres were having on families using different types of service. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2022 Crowds cheer as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough Castle Getty UK news in pictures 12 September 2022 Crowds line the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, as King Charles III joins a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral following the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS UK news in pictures 11 September 2022 Members of the Public pay their respects as the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, is driven through Ballater AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 10 September 2022 Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wave at well-wishers on the Long walk at Windsor Castle AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 9 September 2022 King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort wave after viewing floral tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth II outside Buckingham Palace Getty UK news in pictures 8 September 2022 A screen commemorating Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in Piccadilly Circus, London Britain EPA UK news in pictures 7 September 2022 Police officers stand guard after Animal Rebellion activists threw paint on the walls and road outside the Houses of Parliament in protest, in London, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 6 September 2022 Queen Elizabeth II welcomes Liz Truss during an audience at Balmoral, Scotland, where she invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2022 Visitors at the PoliNations garden in Victoria Square, Birmingham, which is made up of five 40ft high tree installations and over 6,000 plants. The PoliNations programme aims to explore how migration and cross-pollination have shaped the UKs gardens and culture PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2022 Undergraduates at the University of St Andrews take part in the traditional Pier Walk along the harbour walls of St Andrews before the start of the new academic year PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2022 The Massed Pipes and Drums parade during the Braemar Highland Gathering at the Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2022 Number 12 Company Irish Guards at Wellington Barracks, central London, before commencing their first Guard Mount at Buckingham Palace PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2022 A salmon leaps up the weir at Hexham in Northumberland, despite the drought warnings and low water levels, the River Tyne is still flowing well allowing the salmon and sea trout to head up river to spawn. Every year tens of thousands of salmon make the once-in-a-lifetime journey along the Tyne to spawn, having been out a sea PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2022 Flowers are placed at the gates outside Kensington Palace, London, the former home of Diana, Princess of Wales, on the 25th anniversary of her death PA UK news in pictures 30 August 2022 Edinburghs waste workers clearing mountains of rubbish at Forrest Road as they return to work following their 11 days of industrial action PA UK news in pictures 29 August 2022 Competitors take part in the World Gravy Wrestling Championships at the Rose 'N' Bowl, in Rossendale, Lancashire PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2022 People from the Emancipated Run Crew who are running the carnival parade all in green to remember the 72 people that died in the Grenfell fire during the Family Day at the Notting Hill Carnival in London, which returned to the streets for the first time on two years, after it was thwarted by the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 27 August 2022 Competitors in the bog section during Rude Health Bog Triathlon at Llanwrtyd Wells, in Wales PA UK news in pictures 26 August 2022 Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson meets patient Rita Thomson after she had a complete hip replacement during a visit to South West London Orthopaedic Centre Getty UK news in pictures 25 August 2022 Finney Harrod receiving his GCSE results at Norwich School, in Norwich, Norfolk PA The report identified various benefits for mothers and families who regularly attended childrens centres in poorer areas: improved mental health for mothers, better relations between parents and children, a less chaotic home life and enhanced home learning environments. In all cases, the impact was greater in centres with improved funding than in those with budget cuts. Parents who did not engage with childrens centres showed the fewest positive outcomes. Childrens centres were successful in improving parents confidence and childrens social skills, particularly among the very poorest families. Professor Pam Sammons, who led the research, told The Independent: Its sad that as findings emerge of the way in which childrens centres can have positive effects to help ameliorate some of the impact of social disadvantage, the services are being cut across the country. Childrens centres, which were introduced under the last Labour governments Sure Start programme, are among the highest-profile victims of austerity measures. They provide a range of services for parents and young children, such as Stay and Play sessions and baby massage classes, but are funded by hard-hit councils that have borne the brunt of funding cuts since 2010. The shadow Education Secretary, Lucy Powell, said: Weve had nothing but broken promises from this Government on Sure Start. There are now 763 fewer centres since 2010 and services are withering on the vine in many areas, so its no wonder that ministers hid this report by releasing it with so many others just before Christmas. A DfE spokesperson said: We want to see strong childrens centres across the country, offering a wide range of local, flexible services, tackling disadvantage, and helping all children fulfil their potential. That is why we invested more than 2bn in early intervention last year. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Junior doctors walked out on Tuesday morning in an act of defiance that has not been seen in 40 years. This was the first stage in a rolling programme of three planned strikes in protest against attempted Government changes to contracts. Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Health, told Radio 4 that the strikes were wholly and unnecessary and disappointing. But, junior doctors at over 100 picket lines nationwide today would disagree, including those which attended the strike outside the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. Their message to Jeremy Hunt was clear. Yusuf, a foundation doctor at the Royal London Hospital, believes the Health Secretary is peddling statistics which arent necessarily true and making the public feel the doctors are against them and really want more money which isnt the case at all. You cant just pick on one profession doctors themselves, there has to be an exponential increase the statistics say you need 1.5-2% increase in all financials for the hospitals to make that happen [a seven day health service]. He needs to come to his senses. Georgina, a registrar in London, believes that weve hit a crisis point as the proposed contract will negatively impact patients, the NHS and its workers. She also thinks that recent media coverage of the topic has not helped. There has been a lot of negative press about junior doctors and the Moet medics included in that none of us live that high lifestyle, thats not what were in this game for, were here to look after our patients for their lives and their health. The deadlock is not just affecting junior doctors but also those still studying, unsure on whether to stay on a career path which might not be financially sustainable. Clara, 22, is disappointed with the government's attitude to public servants. Clara, a fourth year medical student at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, is reconsidering her options. Being villainised in the media and making it appear its a fight about money is very disheartening and it makes you wonder if your government doesnt have any trust in you it makes you think if all your sacrifices are worth it. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Jeremy Hunt has accused junior doctors of putting patients at risk by going ahead with their wholly unnecessary strike against Government plans for a new contract. The Health Secretary urged the British Medical Association the trade union for trade unions to return to the negotiating table to discuss the terms of the new contract. The right thing to do is to talk, not do what were seeing today which is putting patients at risk, Mr Hunt said. He also repeated contentious claims that the new contract was necessary in order to reduce the higher-than-normal mortality rates in NHS hospitals at weekends. It has yet to be proven whether lower staffing levels causes more deaths at the weekend or whether other factors are to blame. Mr Hunt praised junior doctors who ignored the BMAs advice not to return to a hospital in the West Midlands that had ordered them to back to work due to a level 4 incident. This is a wholly unnecessary dispute, he told BBC Radio 4. We want all NHS patients to have the confidence that they will get the same high quality care every day of the week. At the moment, for example, if you have a stroke at the weekends you are 20 per cent more likely to die and that cannot be right. And thats something every doctor wants to sort out as well. In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK 20,000 Junior Doctors marched through central London in protest at the new contract changes the government is trying to impose which they say will be unfair and unsafe In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors protest in London In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK 4 year old Cassius takes part in a demonstration in Westminster, in support of junior doctors over changes to NHS contracts, London In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Protest over proposed changes to junior doctors' contracts, Leeds In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors and NHS staff protesting against the health service cuts and the proposed contract changes offered by the government outside Parliament In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors and NHS staff protesting against the health service cuts and the proposed contract changes offered by the government outside Parliament In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Over 5000 junior doctors rallied in Waterloo place, before marching through Whitehall and onto Parliament Square, in opposition to Jeremy Hunt's new working conditions for doctors In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Demonstrators listen to speeches in Waterloo Place during the 'Let's Save the NHS' rally and protest march by junior doctors In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors marched in London to highlight their plight In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK A protester at a demonstration in support of junior doctors in London So the right thing to do is sit round the table and talk to the Government about how we improve patient safety and patient care; not these very unnecessary strikes. He insisted he took ultimate responsibility for the strikes but also said he could not sit and ignore studies that pointed to higher mortality rates. I take responsibility for everything that happens in the NHS, but when youve had eight studies in the last five years and its not just strokes, the mortality rate for new-borns is seven per cent higher at or around weekends, the mortality rate for emergency surgery is 11 per cent higher I cant in all consciousness as Health Secretary sit and ignore those studies. The statistics by Mr Hunt were questioned by Britains leading medical journal, with its editor, Dr Fiona Godlee, accusing him of misrepresenting the facts that lower staffing levels at weekends caused higher mortality rates at the weekend. Dr Godlee asked whether the Health Secretary fully understands the issues involved. Shadow Health Secretary Heidi Alexander hit straight back at Mr Hunt's accusations that junior doctors had put patient safety at risk, saying he and no one else was to blame for cancelled operations and appointments today. "Nobody wanted to see industrial action least of all the junior doctors, but we can understand why they feel theyve got no other option to get their point across," she said. "But anyone who has an operation cancelled today or an outpatient appointment delayed should be under no illusions that the person to blame for all of this is Jeremy Hunt and not the junior doctors. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Junior doctors walked out on strike at 8am on Tuesday morning as a poll showed strong public support for their stoppage. Junior doctors at one hospital ordered back to work Jeremy Hunt accuses junior doctors of 'putting patients at risk' Two-thirds of public back action as walkout begins Why the strike probably won't increase patient deaths How the junior doctors' strike affects you 66 per cent of the public told Ipsos MORI/Newsnight/HSJ that they supported the non-emergency strike action, with only 16 per cent against. The medics, who left work at 8am, will not return for 24 hours. This is the first stage in a rolling programme of three planned strikes in protest against attempted Government changes to contracts. A dispute has also arisen at Sandwell hospital after managers declared a 'level 4' emergency and told doctors to return to work. The trust that runs the hospital later dropped the request after doctors remained defiant, however. The British Medical Association said it would notify doctors if they should return to work. They have remained on picket lines so far. Doctors say the changes will put patients' safety and risk and penalise those working anti-social hours, while the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says the changes are necessary to improve care on the weekends. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} David Cameron has admitted that there arent enough moderate Syrian fighters to defeat Isis yet and conceded some of the rebels belong to relatively hardline Islamist groups. He insisted however that the Governments strategy of relying on 70,000 on-the-ground rebel fighters to seize Isis-held territory following Western air strikes was the right way to defeat the Isis, also known as Daesh and rejected the idea that the only way of beating it was by supporting President Assads forces. Faced with criticism over his claim that 70,000 moderate fighters existed in Syria, Mr Cameron said it wasnt a figure I invented but was provided by the security services and was a best estimate. He accepted that not all of the rebel fighters were the sort of people you bump into at Liberal Democrat party conference but refused a request to publish the names of groups British intelligence services had identified as part of the 70,000 figure. Doing so would boost President Assads chances of winning the civil war in Syria, Mr Cameron said as he insisted a third way between Isis and President Assad was achievable for the future of Syria. Challenged over the 70,000 figure during his appearance before the Liaison Committee the group of 32 Select Committee chairs Mr Cameron said: Are all of these people impeccable democrats who would share the view of democracy that you and I have? No, some of them do belong to Islamist groups and some of them belong to relatively hardline Islamist groups but nonetheless thats the best estimate of the people that we have potentially to work with. The reason for not breaking down in huge amounts of granular detail exactly who they are is simply this: wed be effectively be giving President Assad a sort of list of the groups of the people and potentially the areas that he should be targeting and thats not my approach. People want to say there arent enough opposition ground troops I totally agree, theyre not all in the right places, I couldnt agree more, theyre not all the sort of people you bump into at Liberal Democrat party conference correct. British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria Show all 10 1 /10 British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A Tornado jet takes off from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, as RAF Tornado jets carried out the first British bombing runs over Syria British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria Pilots and ground crew prepare combat aircraft Panavia Tornados at RAF Marham at RAF Marham, UK Getty British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A Eurofighter Typhoon jet takes off from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, as RAF Tornado jets carried out the first British bombing runs over Syria British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A RAF Tornado arrives at RAF Akrotiri to begin operations in Akrotiri British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A Tornado jet ahead of taking off from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, as RAF Tornado jets carried out the first British bombing runs over Syria, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed. The air strikes were carried out within hours of a vote by MPs in the Commons to back extending operations against Isis from neighbouring Iraq British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria Personnel work on a British Tornado after it returned from a mission at RAF Akrotiri in southern Cyprus British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria Two RAF Tornado GR4's, both with remaining weapons ordnance, approach RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, as they return to the base after carrying out some of the first British bombing runs over Syria British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A RAF Tornado takes off from RAF Akrotiri, on the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A Tornado jet leaving RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria AKA RAF Tornado arrives at RAF Akrotiri to begin operations in Akrotiri, Cyprus. The RAF has sent two further Tornado aircraft and six Typhoons to bolster aircraft now flying sorties to both Iraq and Syria He added: I would agree with all those assessments but the point I would make is: Is there a third way between a Daesh-style state and President Assad the butcher remaining in charge of his country? My answer is there has to be a third way, we have to find a third way, it should involve, of course, people [like] Alawites, perhaps even whove taken part in the state run by Assad we dont want to dismantle that. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Tories have been accused of failing bullying victims after nine of the partys activists refused to give evidence to its official inquiry. Alleged victims at the heart of the bullying scandal that has engulfed the Conservative party following the death of Elliott Johnson said they had lost confidence in the probe. The law firm Clifford Chance, which is managing the inquiry, told witnesses it could not guarantee their anonymity. Labour said the Tories had got everything wrong with the inquiry. It took weeks of pressure for the Tories to establish an independent review about bullying allegations, Jon Asworth, a Shadow Cabinet minister, said. Now it seems that 'independent' review has lost the confidence of victims. So far they seem to have got everything wrong. The inquiry was set up to investigate allegations of bullying in its youth campaigning organisation RoadTrip, which was run by Mark Clarke. Mr Johnson, 21, claimed in his suicide note that he had been bullied by Mr Clarke and since his death in September a number of other Tory activists have made similar bullying claims. Mr Clarke, who has been expelled from the Conservative party for life, denies all the allegations against him. According to the BBC, one of the alleged bullying victims said she was afraid to give evidence to the inquiry. She reportedly told Newsnight: I am worried that Mark Clarke and his associates will find out who I am, put my ID concretely with what I have said, find out where I live, who I am, where I work - and that he and his associates will come after me and try to use force and intimidation to try to get me retract what I said." A spokesman for the Conservative party said it was not appropriate to comment until we can establish the facts. A Clifford Chance spokesperson said: "We take issues of confidentiality extremely seriously. The Conservative party has no say in who we speak to or how we conduct our investigation. "They have not asked, and we have not told them who we are meeting. Where witnesses previously gave evidence to the Conservative party and were told that their evidence would be kept confidential, or where they request that our discussions with them remain confidential, we will not use that information in our report without their consent. "We will also observe the relevant legal restrictions on identifying any victims of alleged sexual offences." The firm also said their investigation had made "significant progress to date." Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A three-year-old boy has died in the US after accidentally shooting himself with a loaded gun he found under the counter at his fathers shop. The incident happened in Lumberton, North Carolina on Sunday, with the as-yet-unnamed child pronounced dead after being rushed to a nearby hospital. Officers were called to the shop at around 11am following reports of a shooting. Police Captain Terry Parker said the boy had been at the store with his father, Manal Abdelziz, who lives in nearby Laurinburg, when the shopkeepers attention was briefly distracted. Moments later the boy found the fully loaded weapon under the cash register and accidentally pulled the trigger, causing fatal injuries. Mr Abdelziz called for an ambulance and he was taken to Southeastern Regional Medical Center but his son was declared dead on arrival. Robeson County District Attorney's Office will now decide whether the shopkeeper will face charges over the incident, according to ITV News. It is illegal to have an unsecured gun in the presence of a child in the state of North Carolina, the news website added. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The father of billionaire right-wing industrialists Charles and David Koch, who have come to personify the unchecked power of private money in US politics, helped to build an oil refinery for the Nazis, a new book has claimed. With a net worth of more than $40bn (28bn) apiece, the Koch Brothers Charles, 80, and David, 75 are Americas wealthiest and most influential private political donors. They have long backed efforts to deregulate campaign financing, and have said their network of conservative contributors will spend close to $900m on the 2016 US presidential race. In her new book, Dark Money, journalist Jane Mayer claims their father, Fred Koch, the founder of their firm Koch Industries, helped to build the third-largest oil refinery in Nazi Germany in the run-up to World War Two. Mr Koch was hired for the project by William Rhodes Davis, an American oil-man and Nazi sympathiser, and its construction was personally signed-off by Adolf Hitler. Recommended Read more Koch brothers to team up with liberal groups to tackle prison reform Work on the vast refinery near Hamburg began in 1934, Ms Mayer writes, reporting that Fred Koch was so impressed by the discipline of German workers that he hired a Nazi governess for his children. The refinery would later be vital to the Third Reichs military endeavours, supplying fuel for the planes of the German Luftwaffe. It was eventually destroyed by the US military in 1944. Ms Mayer was not granted interviews with Charles or David Koch for the book. A spokesman for Koch Industries said in a statement that the brothers and their employees had yet to read it, adding: If the content of the book is reflective of Ms Mayers previous reporting of the Koch family, Koch Industries or Charless and Davids political involvement, then we expect to have deep disagreements and strong objections to her interpretation of the facts and their sourcing. 15 Facts You Didn't Know About Hitler Show all 15 1 /15 15 Facts You Didn't Know About Hitler 15 Facts You Didn't Know About Hitler 1. Little-known facts about Adolf Hitler When he was young, he dreamed of becoming an artist. He applied twice to the Vienna Academy of Art (once in 1907 and again in 1908) but was denied entrance both times. Hitler left school at 16 with no qualifications. 15 Facts You Didn't Know About Hitler 2. Little-known facts about Adolf Hitler He fought in the German army for four years in the World War I and was awarded two Iron Crosses for bravery. 15 Facts You Didn't Know About Hitler 3. Little-known facts about Adolf Hitler He was once homeless and spent four years living on the streets of Vienna, selling postcards of his artwork to make money. It has been reported that his anti-Semitism stems from his time spent Vienna, which was known for its negative views against Jews. 15 Facts You Didn't Know About Hitler 4. Little-known facts about Adolf Hitler He had a sweet tooth and staff at Berghof would bake a Fuhrer cake incorporating apples, nuts and raisins daily, which he would eat while the household slept. He was also reportedly a vegetarian. 15 Facts You Didn't Know About Hitler 5. Little-known facts about Adolf Hitler His fathers name was Alois Schicklgruber, but he changed it to Alois Hitler in 1876. 15 Facts You Didn't Know About Hitler 6. Little-known facts about Adolf Hitler He suffered from extreme flatulence and took 28 different drugs to cure it. 15 Facts You Didn't Know About Hitler 7. Little-known facts about Adolf Hitler The inspiration for his moustache was thought to be Charlie Chaplin. In 1923, his press secretary, Dr Sedgwick, advised him to lose it. He responded: If it is not the fashion now, it will be later because I wear it! 15 Facts You Didn't Know About Hitler 8. Little-known facts about Adolf Hitler His long-term partner and eventual wife, Eva Braun, attempted suicide twice, in an alleged bid to get his attention. 15 Facts You Didn't Know About Hitler 9. Little-known facts about Adolf Hitler He didnt like early morning starts, and would often not rise until 2pm. 15 Facts You Didn't Know About Hitler 10. Little-known facts about Adolf Hitler He had a portrait of Henry Ford, the founder of Ford cars, behind his desk, who he described as his inspiration. 15 Facts You Didn't Know About Hitler 11. Little-known facts about Adolf Hitler He loved film and particularly liked the Austrian-German actress Marika Roekk, who he was spellbound by. 15 Facts You Didn't Know About Hitler 12. Little-known facts about Adolf Hitler He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1939. 15 Facts You Didn't Know About Hitler Little-known facts about Adolf Hitler The Heil Hitler salute was inspired by cheerleaders, according to documents created by the Office of Strategic Services. 15 Facts You Didn't Know About Hitler 14. Little-known facts about Adolf Hitler He hated the dentist and apparently suffered from bad breath, abscesses and gum disease. 15 Facts You Didn't Know About Hitler 15. Little-known facts about Adolf Hitler His first crush was on a Jewish girl called Stefanie Isak, whom he wrote countless poems for. Dark Money traces the history of those wealthy Americans whose funding fuelled the rise of the modern conservative movement, among them Richard Mellon Scaife, a banking heir said to have donated more than $1bn to conservative causes before his death in 2014. Details of Ms Mayers book, which is due to be published on 19 January, were first reported by the New York Times. In building a network of conservative donors to filter campaign cash not only to national candidates, but also to state and local politics, the Kochs have driven an anti-government, anti-tax agenda that bolsters their business interests while purporting to be in the public interest, Ms Mayer suggests. During the Obama administration, the brothers and their allies have used their political weight to block climate change legislation, badmouth Obamacare and back the rise of the Tea Party movement. Yet in an interview with the Financial Times last week, Charles Koch said he had been disappointed by the candidates being fielded for this years Republican presidential nomination. Dark Money also details the battle behind the scenes of Koch Industries, between Charles and David Koch and their siblings Frederick, 82, and William, who is Davids twin. In the book Ms Mayer reportedly describes a sealed deposition from 1982, in which William Koch recalled having joined Charles and David in a blackmail plan to wrest any control of the business from their eldest brother, by threatening to tell their father that he was gay, before Fred Koch Srs death in 1967. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A mountain lion, killed in the US, has been found with a set of teeth growing from the top of its head, according to wildlife officials. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game said the teeth may have been part of a conjoined twin, which died in the womb. They have also suggested the unusual feature could be a type of tumour. Biologists in the area said the lion, which was shot legally by a hunter on 30 December, is the first they are aware of to have a deformity of this kind. The lion was hunted and killed after it attacked a dog near the town of Weston, Idaho. The dog is believed to have survived the attack. A conservation officer who checked the lion's body found the set of teeth and what was seemingly a set of whiskers on the left side of the cat's forehead. Mountain lions, a species of big cat native to the US, are fairly common in Idaho. According to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the predators have large home ranges of between 50 to 150 square miles and pray on animals such as deer, elk, moose, mountain goats, and sheep. They are also known to eat raccoons, rabbits, and other small mammals. Occasionally, they will prey on domesticated pets and livestock. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Part of the Trans-Canada highway has been closed indefinitely after a bridge has split apart, severing east and west Canada. The bridge has been closed for an indefinite time due to mechanical issues, according to the Ontario Provincial Police, reported CBC news. The newly constructed Nipigon River Bridge in Ontario is the only road connecting the two areas in Canada. After officers arrived, they found the west side of the bridge to be jutting about 60 centimetres above the road, according to CTV News. No vehicles were damaged and no one was injured in the incident. The bridge has remained open to pedestrians. The incident happened in the middle of a $106 million (52 million) project to replace the old bridge with two identical, two-lane expanses. The west bound lanes were opened in November. In pictures: Canada whale-watching boat sinks Show all 5 1 /5 In pictures: Canada whale-watching boat sinks In pictures: Canada whale-watching boat sinks Rescue personnel mounting a search for victims of a capsized whale watching boat park on a wharf in Tofino, British Columbia Reuters In pictures: Canada whale-watching boat sinks A woman pays her condolences from the First St. dock to passengers of a capsized whale watching boat in Tofino AP In pictures: Canada whale-watching boat sinks A candle burns on the First St. Dock in memory of those who lost their lives on a whale watching boat that capsized, in Tofino AP In pictures: Canada whale-watching boat sinks Canadian Coast Guard crew arrive at a dock in Tofino AP In pictures: Canada whale-watching boat sinks Rescue personnel mounting a search for victims of a capsized whale-watching boat park on a wharf in Tofino Reuters Steven Del Duca, minster of transportation for Ontario said in a statement the ministry will do everything the can do to restore the bridge quickly, while also making sure that the safety of the travelling public remains of paramount importance. The mayor of Nipigon, Richard Harvey told CBC News: Its not just us. Its all of Canada that has a problem right now. This is the one place in Canada where there is only one road, one bridge across the country. Community centres are being opened for anyone who has been stranded due to the bridge failing, which experts are still unsure as to how it happened, but are determined to find the cause. Police stopped people heading out on the Trans-Canada Highway, instructing people to turn back or use an alternative route and Greenstone, in the Ontario municipality, northeast of Nipigon, had declared a state of emergency as a result. It is unclear when the bridge is likely to open yet, but the main alternative is a long detour through the US. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Two of Americas most celebrated circus troupes are to end their use of live elephants - bowing to pressure from animal activists and local authorities which have increasingly passed anti-circus laws. The parent company of the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus, said they would be ending all its elephant acts in May, 18 months earlier than it had vowed to do. The company had announced last March that it would retire the herd of elephants by 2018. But officials last the company told the Associated Press that as they examined the issue, the discovered that building new structures for the retired animals would take less time than anticipated. It currently costs $65,000 yearly to care for each elephant, 11 of which tour with the circus troupes. Theyll be joining the rest of the herd, said Alana Feld, Ringlings executive vice president, referring to the companys collection of Asian elephants, the largest in North America. Animal rights groups on Monday applauded Ringlings commitment to getting rid of the elephants early. Like the elephants themselves, it had outsized importance because of the symbolic value of the enterprise, wrote Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. Ringling had been one of the biggest defenders of this kind of archaic animal exploitation, and the imminent end of its traveling elephant acts signaled that even one of the most tough-minded and hardened animal-use companies now recognised that the world is changing and it had to adapt. The company has said its remaining elephants will be retired by May 2016 (AP) Elephant acts have been showcased by Ringling for more than a century and have often been featured on its posters, the AP said. But because so many cities and counties have passed anti-circus and anti-elephant ordinances, it became difficult to organize tours of three traveling circuses to 115 cities each year. Los Angeles and Oakland prohibited the use of bull-hooks by elephant trainers and handlers last April. The city of Asheville, North Carolina, also ruled out wild or exotic animals from performing in the municipally owned, 7,600-seat US Cellular Center. Ringlings new show will begin in July, albeit without their former star performers. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Thousands of starving and dead seabirds have been shored up along the coast of Alaska, prompting scientists to investigate the unusually high mortality rate of one of the Arctics most abundant birds. Around 8,000 dead common murres were found last week on a one-mile stretch of beach, 60 miles south of Anchorage. The common murres have been found starving, too weak to fly, and have come inland to forage nearer the coast. After examining around 100 carcasses, scientists said there has been no evidence of pollution or disease, but rather the birds were emaciated - they had no stomach contents or body fat. Higher than usual mortality rates have also affected fish, sea otters and whales. Dead birds have been found across the country from California to Alaska since March last year. A press release from the USFWS Alaska Migratory Bird Management said that the die-off is unusually large and is likely to be related to the warmer than usual sea temperatures and El Nino weather phenomena, which affects the distribution of cold-water prey species. David Irons, a former biologist for the USFWS, told the Alaska Dispatch News: It's a regular part of their life history, but I would say this is the most extreme I have ever seen or heard of. There are about 2.8 million breeding common murres in 230 Alaska colonies, with a worldwide population of 13 to 20.7 million birds, according to the Associated Press. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Ten American sailors were released from Iranian custody on Wednesday after two small US Navy ships were detained in the Persian Gulf. A senior US Defense Department official told The Independent two small US Navy ships went missing for some time on Tuesday but said that Iranian officials had ensured the crews' safety. "Earlier today, we lost contact with two small US naval craft en route from Kuwait to Bahrain," the official said. "We subsequently have been in communication with Iranian authorities, who have informed us of the safety and well-being of our personnel." The official added that: "We have received assurances the ten sailors will promptly be allowed to continue their journey." The Fars News Agency in Iran reports that the boats illegally entered Iranian waters and the US sailors were arrested. Members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Navy confiscated GPS equipment and accused the servicemen of snooping. White House officials said that they are aware of the situation and are working to return the sailors home safely. Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters that the administration was optimistic about the situation, according to Reuters. Two US officials told the news agency that is was unlikely that the sailors nine men and one woman would be released overnight. The incident comes just hours before President Barack Obama is scheduled to address the nation in his eighth and final State of the Union Address. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said Europe is "vulnerable" in the refugee crisis because it is not yet in control of the situation to the extent that it would like to be. "Now all of a sudden we are facing the challenge that refugees are coming to Europe and we are vulnerable, as we see, because we do not yet have the order, the control, that we would like to have," Ms Merkel said at a business event in Mainz, near Frankfurt. She also said the euro was "directly linked" to freedom of movement in Europe, adding: "Nobody should act as though you can have a common currency without being able to cross borders reasonably easily." Ms Merkel said that if countries did not allow their borders to be crossed without much difficulty, the European single market would "suffer acutely" - meaning that Germany, at the center of the European Union and its largest economy, should fight to defend freedom of movement. The EU has struggled to cope with a tide of refugees from war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa, most of whom have landed in Greece or Italy before heading for wealthier northern EU states. Germany has taken in the bulk of them: more than a million last year alone. Some EU countries have re-established border controls within the passport-free Schengen zone, where they had been abolished, while efforts to share out the asylum-seekers across EU member states have floundered. Ms Merkel said that, to preserve the Schengen zone within the EU, it was necessary to make the bloc's external borders more secure. Reuters For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Up to 2,000 refugees living at the Jungle camp in Calais are to be evicted this week ahead of large sections of the site being bulldozed, aid workers in the area have claimed. More than 300 women and 60 children are understood to be among those facing eviction from the site amid claims the French government wants to dismantle up to a third of the camp. As many as 500 shelters are at risk, according to a Facebook post by the Help Refugees organisation, who said that those living in the affected sections of the camp were yesterday given three days to leave. Help Refugees said the three-day limit falls makes it almost impossible for them to provide assistance to those at risk of being left without food, water and shelter, adding that they anticipate being able to move one of 10 of the people, tents and shelters at risk with the rest being destroyed by bulldozers. More than 300 women and 60 children are understood to be among those facing eviction from the site (Getty Images) We are devastated to find out we have less than three days to relocate the residents, having been promised much longer by the authorities, Philli Boyle, Help Refugees' Calais manager said. Our focus will be on safely moving the women and children, but we will do everything we can to help as many of the people as possible in the limited time we have, he added. We had really hoped to be able to move people (many of whom are already so traumatised by their experiences in the countries they have fled from) in a way that would maintain as much dignity as possible, and reduce stress, however this has now been taken out of our hands given the incredibly limited time we now have, Mr Boyle went on to say. Negotiations to grant an extension to the three-day eviction notice are understood to be ongoing, with aid charities hopeful they will given more time to clear the affected areas. Community leaders inside the camp told French president Francois Hollande that they had no plans to leave the site. "We, the United people of the jungle, Calais, respectfully decline the demands of the French government with regards to reducing the size of the jungle," they said in a statement. "We have decided to remain where we are and will peacefully resist the government plans to destroy our homes.We plead with the French authorities and the international communities that you understand our situation and respect our fundamental human rights," they added. Refugee crisis - in pictures Show all 27 1 /27 Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugee crisis - in pictures A child looks through the fence at the Moria detention camp for migrants and refugees at the island of Lesbos on May 24, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Ahmad Zarour, 32, from Syria, reacts after his rescue by MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) while attempting to reach the Greek island of Agathonisi, Dodecanese, southeastern Agean Sea Refugee crisis - in pictures Syrian migrants holding life vests gather onto a pebble beach in the Yesil liman district of Canakkale, northwestern Turkey, after being stopped by Turkish police in their attempt to reach the Greek island of Lesbos on 29 January 2016. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees flash the 'V for victory' sign during a demonstration as they block the Greek-Macedonian border Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants have been braving sub zero temperatures as they cross the border from Macedonia into Serbia. Refugee crisis - in pictures A sinking boat is seen behind a Turkish gendarme off the coast of Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016. At least 33 migrants drowned on January 30 when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A general view of a shelter for migrants inside a hangar of the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, Germany Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees protest behind a fence against restrictions limiting passage at the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Since last week, Macedonia has restricted passage to northern Europe to only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans who are considered war refugees. All other nationalities are deemed economic migrants and told to turn back. Macedonia has finished building a fence on its frontier with Greece becoming the latest country in Europe to build a border barrier aimed at checking the flow of refugees Refugee crisis - in pictures A father and his child wait after being caught by Turkish gendarme on 27 January 2016 at Canakkale's Kucukkuyu district Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants make hand signals as they arrive into the southern Spanish port of Malaga on 27 January, 2016 after an inflatable boat carrying 55 Africans, seven of them women and six chidren, was rescued by the Spanish coast guard off the Spanish coast. Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee holds two children as dozens arrive on an overcrowded boat on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures A child, covered by emergency blankets, reacts as she arrives, with other refugees and migrants, on the Greek island of Lesbos, At least five migrants including three children, died after four boats sank between Turkey and Greece, as rescue workers searched the sea for dozens more, the Greek coastguard said Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants wait under outside the Moria registration camp on the Lesbos. Over 400,000 people have landed on Greek islands from neighbouring Turkey since the beginning of the year Refugee crisis - in pictures The bodies of Christian refugees are buried separately from Muslim refugees at the Agios Panteleimonas cemetery in Mytilene, Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures Macedonian police officers control a crowd of refugees as they prepare to enter a camp after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee tries to force the entry to a camp as Macedonian police officers control a crowd after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees are seen aboard a Turkish fishing boat as they arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coast to Lesbos Reuters Refugee crisis - in pictures An elderly woman sings a lullaby to baby on a beach after arriving with other refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A man collapses as refugees make land from an overloaded rubber dinghy after crossing the Aegean see from Turkey, at the island of Lesbos EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures A girl reacts as refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees make a show of hands as they queue after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures People help a wheelchair user board a train with others, heading towards Serbia, at the transit camp for refugees near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija AP Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees board a train, after crossing the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Macedonia is a key transit country in the Balkans migration route into the EU, with thousands of asylum seekers - many of them from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia - entering the country every day Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures An aerial picture shows the "New Jungle" refugee camp where some 3,500 people live while they attempt to enter Britain, near the port of Calais, northern France Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A Syrian girl reacts as she helped by a volunteer upon her arrival from Turkey on the Greek island of Lesbos, after having crossed the Aegean Sea EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Beds ready for use for migrants and refugees are prepared at a processing center on January 27, 2016 in Passau, Germany. The flow of migrants arriving in Passau has dropped to between 500 and 1,000 per day, down significantly from last November, when in the same region up to 6,000 migrants were arriving daily. The camp, which is situated on the outskirts of Calais, has grown in recent months and is now home to thousands of migrants. Earlier this week it was reported that a final decision is due over whether to build a new 1.1million centre in Dunkirk that could house up to 3,000 migrants. Many campaigners fear the plan will be rejected, however, as it has been met with fierce local opposition. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The suicide bomber who killed at least 10 people in Istanbul was a Syrian man born in 1988, Turkish authorities have said. Numan Kurtulmus, the Deputy Prime Minister, said most of the victims are foreigners and that the perpetrator had been identified using his body parts. The explosion struck Sultanahmet Square, metres from the famous Blue Mosque, at around 10.20am local time on Tuesday. Police secure the area after an explosion near the Ottoman-era Sultanahmet mosque, known as Blue mosque in Istanbul Erdem Koroglu, who was working at a nearby office, told NTV television he saw several people on the ground following the blast. It was difficult to say who was alive or dead, he said. Buildings rattled from the force of the explosion. The Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, immediately convened a security meeting with the country's interior minister and other officials. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Isis was suspected of orchestrating the attack that appeared to target tourists. Recent attacks by Kurdish and far-left militant groups in Istanbul have been aimed at police and the military, rather than civilians. Police secure the area after an explosion in central Istanbul Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish President, said: I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Istanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber. Omer Celik, the spokesman for Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's ruling party, also issued a statement condemning what he called a heinous attack. Turkey's Dogan news agency reported that at least six Germans, one Norwegian and one Peruvian were among the wounded, and Seoul's Foreign Ministry told reporters via text message that one South Korean had a minor injury. As with previous attacks, authorities imposed a partial news blackout, barring media from showing images of the dead or injured or reporting any details of the investigation. Two major bombing attacks have been attributed to Isis in Turkey over the past year. More than 30 people were killed in a suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near the Syrian border, in July, while the countrys deadliest ever terror attack came in October. In pictures: Istanbul explosion Show all 9 1 /9 In pictures: Istanbul explosion In pictures: Istanbul explosion A carnation is left at the site of the explosion in the historic Sultanahmet district in Istanbul AP In pictures: Istanbul explosion A screen shot of the explosion from a tourist camera, Sultanahmet Square, Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Rescue teams gather at the scene after an explosion in central Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Policemen secure an area at the historic Sultanahmet district, which is popular with tourists, after an explosion in Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Police secure the area after an explosion near the Ottoman-era Sultanahmet mosque, known as Blue mosque in Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Police investigate the area after an explosion in central Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Turkish police sealed off a central Istanbul square in the historic Sultanahmet district after a large explosion Reuters In pictures: Istanbul explosion Police secure the area after an explosion in central Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Policemen secure an area at the historic Sultanahmet district, after an explosion in Istanbul It killed more than 100 people at a pro-Kurdish peace rally outside Ankaras main railway station. Last month, Turkish authorities also two suspected Isis militants accused of planning further suicide bombings during New Year celebrations in the capital. Turkey has allowed US aircraft to launch air strikes on Isis in Syria and has also bombed parts of the neighbouring country and Iraq itself. Security is being tightened along its 560-mile border with Syria in a bid to stem the flow of militants going to join the so-called Islamic State, as well as the alleged smuggling of oil from Isis territory. Tuesdays attack also came at a time of heightened tensions between Turkey's security forces and militants linked to the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the south-east. Additional reporting by agencies For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The suspected bombing that killed at least 10 people in Istanbul on Tuesday is not the first explosion to have targeted the city in recent years. The cause of the blast in Sultanahmet Square, near the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque, has not been confirmed and there was no immediate claim of responsibility. Here is a list of other recent explosions in Istanbul: 23 December 2015 A blast that killed a cleaner in the early hours of the morning at Istanbuls Sabiha Gokcen International Airport was claimed by terror group the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), who said they bombed the airport with mortar shells in response to the Turkeys continuing operations against Kurdish militants in the south-east. Turkish police search around Sabiha Gokcen Airport after an explosion left one dead and extensive damage to planes on 23 Decenber 2015. (EPA) 1 December 2015 A device identified by British authorities as a parcel bomb was planted near Bayrampasa Metro station. It injured five people when it exploded in an overpass leading to the station at the height of the evening rush hour. Forensic officers work at the site of an explosion on December 1 , 2015 at Bayrampasa district in Istanbul. (AFP/Getty Images) 10 August 2015 Five police officers and two civilians were injured in a bombing attack on a police station on the Sultanbeyli district of Istanbul, Al Jazeera reported. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. People look at a police station which was damaged during an attack in Istanbul, Turkey August 10, 2015. 6 January 2015 A female suicide bomber detonated her vest at a police station in Sultanahmet, killing herself and two police officers. The far-left Revolutionary People's Liberation PartyFront (DHKP/C) claimed responsibility for the attack and said it was revenge for the death of a 15-year-old boy killed by a tear gas canister. Five days before, the group had attacked police guarding Istanbuls Dolmabahce Palace but grenades failed to explode. A police officer stands guard along a street leading to a police station where a suicide bomb attack took place on January 6, 2015 (AFP) 31 October 2010 A suicide bomber targeted police in Taksim Square, injuring 32 people but only killing the perpetrator. Suspicion turned to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as it coincided with Republic Day celebrations but the group denied responsibility. Another militant group, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), later claimed responsibility. Police forensic experts work at the scene after an explosion in Istanbul's central Taksim Square on October 31, 2010 (AFP/Getty Images) 21 June 2010 The TAK were also suspected of being behind the bombing of a military bus in Istanbul that killed three soldiers and a 17-year-old girl. 27 July 2008 Five children were among the 17 people killed by twin explosions in a busy shopping area in Istanbuls Gungoren district. The first bomb detonated around 10 minutes before the second, which hit crowds gathering to help the initial victims. There was no claim of responsibility but prosecutors blamed the PKK. People carry Turkish flags at the blast scene, July 28, 2008 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Getty Images) 15/20 November 2003 On the 15 November, two truck bombs hit Istanbuls Bet Israel and Neve Shalom Synagogues, killing 23 people and injuring 300 others. Five days later, two suicide vehicle bombs detonated at HSBC offices at the British Consulate, killing 30 and injuring 400. Members of an al-Qaeda cell were convicted for the attack. The gatepost to the Britsh Consulate General in Istanbul stands amongst the rubble 20 November 2003 after a bomb killed ten people (AFP/Getty Images) Turkeys deadliest ever terrorist attack came in Ankara in October, when two suicide bombs exploded near the citys main railway station as people gathered for a pro-Kurdish peace rally. Despite politicians immediate casting of suspicion on the Kurdistan Workers Party, prosecutors later said a local Isis cell was responsible for killing 102 people. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) warns of a high threat from terrorism in Turkey, saying that attacks could be indiscriminate or target tourists, particularly British nationals. Its travel advice states that Isis has previously targeted border crossings near Syria, including a suicide bombing that killed 33 people in July, but could also be planning more attacks on Ankara and Istanbul. In pictures: Istanbul explosion Show all 9 1 /9 In pictures: Istanbul explosion In pictures: Istanbul explosion A carnation is left at the site of the explosion in the historic Sultanahmet district in Istanbul AP In pictures: Istanbul explosion A screen shot of the explosion from a tourist camera, Sultanahmet Square, Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Rescue teams gather at the scene after an explosion in central Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Policemen secure an area at the historic Sultanahmet district, which is popular with tourists, after an explosion in Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Police secure the area after an explosion near the Ottoman-era Sultanahmet mosque, known as Blue mosque in Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Police investigate the area after an explosion in central Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Turkish police sealed off a central Istanbul square in the historic Sultanahmet district after a large explosion Reuters In pictures: Istanbul explosion Police secure the area after an explosion in central Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Policemen secure an area at the historic Sultanahmet district, after an explosion in Istanbul A continuing insurgency by Kurdish militant groups in south-eastern parts of Turkey has seen numerous attacks on Turkish security forces and infrastructure, leading to Turkish airstrikes on Kurdish militants in Iraq and Syria. Anti-western terror group THKP/C-Acilciler (Turkish Peoples Liberation Party/Front) and the linked DHKP/C (Revolutionary Peoples Liberation Front) also remain active. In March 2013, two of its militants and a hostage were killed during a gunfight with police at a court in Istanbul and the group was also responsible for shooting attacks on a police station and US Consulate in the city. Additional reporting by agencies For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Vladimir Putin has partially blamed Western nations for the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians at the hands of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad during the countrys five-year-old civil war. The Russian president said he does not believe Assad fights against his own population, adding that civilians were only killed during fighting instigated by rebel groups and their foreign supporters. Estimates vary but approximately 250,000 people are believed to have died in the Syrian conflict so far. Many of those killed were innocent civilians who died at the hands of Assads forces. Vladimir Putin says he does not believe Assad purposely fights against his own population despite Syrian warplanes continually bombarding civilian neighbourhoods in rebel-held areas during the five-year conflict in the country Assad does not fight against his own population but against those who take armed action against the government. If the civil population is then also harmed, it is not Assad's fault, but primarily the fault of the insurgents and their foreign supporters, Putin told Bild magazine in an exclusive interview that was published in full today after extracts were released yesterday. Once again, this is not supposed to mean that everything is fine in Syria or that Assad is doing everything right, he added. Elsewhere Putin said Russia supports both the Assad regime and rebel forces within Syria and that he would be happy for his troops to work alongside rebel militias - but only in operations against Isis in territory the quasi state controls. His comments counter claims that he in more concerned with defending Assad than defeating ISIS. Putin, who has thrown Russia's support behind Assad with air strikes, also said that the crisis in relations between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran would complicate the search for peace in Syria. I believe it's necessary to move towards constitutional reform [in Syria]. It's a complicated process, of course. And after that, on the basis of the new constitution, [Syria should] hold early presidential and parliamentary elections, he said. Putin said he would be happy for his troops to work alongside rebel militias in Syria - but only in operations against Isis in territory the quasi state controls (AP) Putin went to say that although he considered the idea premature, he would be happy to offer Assad asylum in his country should he decide to step down. He added, however, that if Syrias transition to democracy goes to plan he Assad probably wouldnt need to leave the country at all. But if Assad did end up fleeing to Russia, Putin said he feels granting the Syrian leader asylum would be a much easier process than offering asylum to CIA surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden, who won the right to live in Russia for three more years in 2014 - extending a one-year asylum deal that ended his 39-day stay in the transit area of Moscows Sheremetyevo airport. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Germany is sending hundreds of refugees and migrants back to Austria every day as pressure grows on Angela Merkel to fulfil her pledge to drastically decrease the number of people arriving. The Chancellor made that promise last month and pressure has mounted further in Germany since police said asylum seekers were involved in the New Years Eve attacks on women in Cologne and other cities. There was widespread praise for Ms Merkels opening of the border to all Syrians in August but border controls with Austria were reintroduced in mid-September and the arrival of 1.1 asylum seekers by the end of the year raised concerns about housing and infrastructure. Growing fury in Germany over New Years Eve assaults on women in Cologne Germany remains the destination for the bulk of migrants still crossing the Aegean to Greece and making their way along the long Western Balkan Route. Police in Austria, which is the last point of transit before Germany, say its neighbour has been turning back hundreds of would-be refugees every day. Many of those rejected at the border have no valid documents or refuse to apply for asylum in Germany, arguing they want to travel further north to countries such as Sweden, police in the province of Upper Austria said. Since the New Year, it's been about 200 a day, and getting higher, a spokesperson said. German politicians seem to have decided to act with more firmness. The difficult thing (for us) is to explain if a migrant asks: Why can't I travel further now if my friend could still do it last week? German far-right supporters demonstrate at Cologne`s train station (Reuters) A spokesperson for police in Munich confirmed that Germany has been sending back up to 100 or so migrants a day, depending on individual cases, but did not confirm any recent increase. We apply the valid legal rules. They haven't changed, she said. Any asylum seekers who do not apply in Austria face a fine for illegally crossing the border but can attempt to cross to Germany once again once they have paid the fee. Syrian refugees are still mainly accepted because of their high chance of being granted asylum in Germany but Afghans, who make up around a fifth of the people reaching Europe to flee war and persecution, and Iraqis making up almost a tenth and other nationalities are less likely to be let through. Sweden, the Netherlands and UK are among the other countries favoured as a final destination. Police struggle to maintain order as refugees attempt to leave the border crossing in Nickelsdorf, Austria (Reuters) But the journey is becoming ever more difficult as the welcoming attitude towards refugees seen across Europe early last year fades and nations tightened control. Austria has itself returned asylum seekers back to neighbouring Slovenia for lying about their nationalities in an attempt to gain international protection. Around 90,000 asylum applications were received in Austria last year, three times the figure in 2014. The Interior Minister, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, said the Dublin regulations that allow migrants to be returned to the EU state they first arrived in had to be applied more rigorously. She classified those who initially fled war but passed through several European safe countries to reach a more affluent destination as economic migrants. Refugees settle in Germany Show all 12 1 /12 Refugees settle in Germany Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat, a refugee from Syria, plays with his daughter Ranim, who is nearly 3, in the one room they and Mohamed's wife Laloosh call home at an asylum-seekers' shelter in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The Zayats arrived approximately two months ago after trekking through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans and are now waiting for local authorities to process their asylum application, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany A refugee child Amnat Musayeva points to a star with her photo and name that decorates the door to her classroom as teacher Martina Fischer looks on at the local kindergarten Amnat and her siblings attend on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The children live with their family at an asylum-seekers' shelter in nearby Vossberg village and are waiting for local authorities to process their asylum applications. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Kurdish Syrian asylum-applicant Mohamed Ali Hussein (R), 19, and fellow applicant Autur, from Latvia, load benches onto a truckbed while performing community service, for which they receive a small allowance, in Wilhelmsaue village on October 9, 2015 near Letschin, Germany. Mohamed and Autur live at an asylum-applicants' shelter in nearby Vossberg village. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Ali Hussein ((L), 19, and his cousin Sinjar Hussein, 34, sweep leaves at a cemetery in Gieshof village, for which they receive a small allowance, near Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat, a refugee from Syria, looks among donated clothing in the basement of the asylum-seekers' shelter that is home to Mohamed, his wife Laloosh and their daughter Ranim as residents' laundry dries behind in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The Zayats arrived approximately two months ago after trekking through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans and are now waiting for local authorities to process their asylum application, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Asya Sugaipova (L), Mohza Mukayeva and Khadra Zhukova prepare food in the communal kitchen at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is their home in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Efrah Abdullahi Ahmed looks down from the communal kitchen window at her daughter Sumaya, 10, who had just returned from school, at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is their home in Vossberg Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Asylum-applicants, including Syrians Mohamed Ali Hussein (C-R, in black jacket) and Fadi Almasalmeh (C), return from grocery shopping with other refugees to the asylum-applicants' shelter that is their home in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat (2nd from L), a refugee from Syria, smokes a cigarette after shopping for groceries with his daughter Ranim, who is nearly 3, and fellow-Syrian refugees Mohamed Ali Hussein (C) and Fadi Almasalmeh (L) at a local supermarket on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. All of them live at an asylum-seekers' shelter in nearby Vossberg village and are waiting for local authorities to process their asylum applications, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Kurdish Syrian refugees Leila, 9, carries her sister Avin, 1, in the backyard at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is home to them and their family in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Somali refugees and husband and wife Said Ahmed Gure (R) and Ayaan Gure pose with their infant son Muzammili, who was born in Germany, in the room they share at an asylum-seekers' shelter in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity, and are waiting for authorities to process their application for asylum 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany German Chancellor Angela Merkel pauses for a selfie with a refugee after she visited the AWO Refugium Askanierring shelter for refugees in Berlin Getty Images Chancellor Werner Faymann echoed her comments on the need to reduce the number of arrivals, calling for a Plan B in an interview with Austrias Kronen Zeitung. That means to intensify policies together with Germany to send back economic migrants and decrease overall numbers, he said. We will be more active at our borders than today. The Germans will also do more. The German Interior Ministry said the rejected asylum seekers had said that they did not want to seek protection in Germany were heading elsewhere and that such people had been turned away since the start of border controls. Additional reporting by agencies For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Seven Somalian refugees trying to leave the country by boat are thought to have died after the were reportedly thrown overboard by human traffickers in Italy. The seven, who were understood to be among a group of more than 40 people, were saud to be en route from Greece. A 10-year-old boy and 21 women were on board, with one woman's body reportedly found washed up near where the incident had taken place off Puglias Salento coast, The Local reported. Traffickers then abandoned the boat in the early hours of Monday, said survivors. The body of a woman was later found near rocks near Capo di Leuca. Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Show all 8 1 /8 Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Heavy rainfall has turned the camp into a 'swamp' The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Heavy rainfall has turned the camp into a 'swamp' The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Heavy rainfall has turned the camp into a 'swamp' The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' People gather outside the Eritrean church at the camp The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Heavy rainfall has turned the camp into a 'swamp' The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Heavy rainfall has turned the camp into a 'swamp' The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' A fire at the camp destroyed shelters for 180 people The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' A fire at the camp destroyed shelters for 180 people The Hummingbird Project About 320,000 boat migrants have been accepted into Italy since the start of 2014. More than a million migrants arrived in Europe in 2015, most of them refugees fleeing war and violence in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, according to the United Nations refugee agency. In Somalia, a civil war has been ongoing since 2009 with government forces, backed by African Union peacekeeping troops and US drone strikes, fighting Islamist militants al-Shabaab. At least 3,692 migrants and refugees from across the Middle East and north Africa have died attempting to make the crossing, according to a count by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). Germany has welcomed at least 800,000 refugees throughout 2015 and Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the country could accept another 500,000 a year for the next few years. The UK is accepting Syrian 4,000 refugees every year for five years, David Cameron has said - amounting to 20,000 in total. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} In a display worthy of the wedding scenes in The Godfather, an elderly Sicilian mafia boss has infuriated the local mayor by throwing a lavish 100th birthday in his hometown. Notorious criminal Procopio Di Maggio spared no expense with the 6 January celebrations, inviting scores of family and friends to a banquet hall and organising a public fireworks display in the mafia-infested town of Cinisi, near the Sicilian capital Palermo. Sul web le immagini della cerimonia per il compleanno centenario di Procopio di Maggio a Cinisi. Il fratello di Peppino: "Provo tanta amarezza" Posted by la Repubblica on Monday, 11 January 2016 As well as hosting his extravagant party, Di Maggio who is described by local media as sprightly despite his age - also spent a large part of his birthday receiving guests at his home, with dozens of people waiting to pay their respects to the mafia don. So overstated were the celebrations that the fireworks display could be seen as far away as Palermos Falcone-Borsellino Airport which, ironically, is named after two famous prosecutors brutally murdered by Di Maggios mafia allies in the early 1990s. Di Maggio's lavish birthday celebrations come just months after anti-Mafia campaigners demanded the Catholic Church and Romes police chiefs explain how and why the city honoured a notorious mob boss with a Hollywood-style funeral. (AP) The celebrations angered Cinisi mayor Giangiacomo Palazzolo not just because of the embarrassment of having a notorious mafioso flaunting his freedom, but also because the party broke a strict ban on fireworks imposed across Italy over the festive period to limit air pollution. Today Di Maggio is harmless, but this story bothers me and I will take action, Mr Palazzolo told Italys La Repubblica newspaper after photographs of the party were widely shared on social media. Although he is believed to have retired from criminal activities and handed over the reins of Cinisi to a younger don, Di Maggio was once one of the most feared mafia bosses in Sicily. The coffin of mobster Vittorio Casamonica, 65, was paraded in a gothic horse-draw carriage on Thursday afternoon, while a hovering helicopter scattered rose petals from above and an orchestra played the theme music of The Godfather (EPA) He was close to the notorious Toto Shorty Riina whose Corleone-based family declared war on the Italian state through a series of car bombings, kidnappings and bloody murders in the 1970s, 80s and early 1990s. Although the rest of jailed Riinas closest allies are either dead, in prison or turned government witness, Di Maggio remains the only member of the feared Corleonesi alliance to remain on the streets after being cleared of ordering 12 murders during the famous mafia Maxi Trial in the 1980s. His lavish celebrations come just months after anti-Mafia campaigners demanded the Catholic Church and Romes police chiefs explain how and why the city honoured a notorious mob boss with a Hollywood-style funeral. Sicilian photojournalist Letizia Battaglia's images of southern Italy's Mafia wars Show all 9 1 /9 Sicilian photojournalist Letizia Battaglia's images of southern Italy's Mafia wars Sicilian photojournalist Letizia Battaglia's images of southern Italy's Mafia wars Palermo, 1980 The capture of Mafia godfather Leoluca Bagarella Letizia Battaglia Sicilian photojournalist Letizia Battaglia's images of southern Italy's Mafia wars Palermo, 1976 A man assassinated on the way to the car park Sicilian photojournalist Letizia Battaglia's images of southern Italy's Mafia wars Palermo, 1982 Children play the 'Killer Game' Sicilian photojournalist Letizia Battaglia's images of southern Italy's Mafia wars Palermo, 1988 A man is found dead slumped next to his car Sicilian photojournalist Letizia Battaglia's images of southern Italy's Mafia wars Palermo, 1982 Nerino worked as a prostitute and was drug-dealing. She was killed by the Mafia because she did not respect the rules Sicilian photojournalist Letizia Battaglia's images of southern Italy's Mafia wars Palermo, 1975 Lorenzo La Cortes assassination. Flying Squad Head Officer, Boris Giuliano, next to the victims mother and the corpse Sicilian photojournalist Letizia Battaglia's images of southern Italy's Mafia wars Palermo, 1986 An improvised banquet table on the beach with hen Sicilian photojournalist Letizia Battaglia's images of southern Italy's Mafia wars Palermo, 1992 Rosaria Schifani, the widow of police agent Vito, killed together with judge Giovanni Falcone, Francesca Morvillo and his colleagues Di Cillo and Antonio Montinaro Sicilian photojournalist Letizia Battaglia's images of southern Italy's Mafia wars Palermo, 1979 Judge Cesare Terranova, Italian Communist Party MP and member of the Antimafia Commission, killed together with his friend and bodyguard, police marshal Lenin Manc The coffin of mobster Vittorio Casamonica, 65, was paraded in a gothic horse-draw carriage on Thursday afternoon, while a hovering helicopter scattered rose petals from above and an orchestra played the theme music of The Godfather. Outraged anti-Mafia campaigners noted that the dead man was no hero but a prominent member of the Casamonica clan, which is mired in drug trafficking, racketeering and prostitution in the southeast of the Italian capital. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Isis has published a video purporting to show the destruction from an air strike on a bank in Mosul, which the U.S.-led coalition said had been aimed at disrupting the group's financing activities. Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the footage posted by a news agency that supports the militant group, but two residents of the terror group's northern Iraqi stronghold confirmed the location of al-Zuhour bank in an eastern district of the city. Targeting Isis's finances is a key part of the coalition's strategy to defeat the group. Iraq's finance minister last year said the militants had looted nearly half a billion dollars from banks in Mosul and the other northern cities of Tikrit and Baiji after its lightning dash across the Syrian border in 2014. Recommended Read more British jets use Brimstone missiles against isis for the first time Papers and burnt furniture littered the concrete and steel rubble of several buildings that appeared to have been destroyed by the bombing, the video showed. Debris hung from dust-covered tree limbs, and rescuers pulled an old man's bloodied body from the remains. Footage from inside a damaged apartment building suggested civilian areas had also been hit. A military spokesman said earlier on Monday that a U.S. aircraft had bombed an Isis cash distribution site which was distributing money to fund "terrorist" activities. In pictures: The rise of Isis Show all 74 1 /74 In pictures: The rise of Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters of the Islamic State wave the group's flag from a damaged display of a government fighter jet following the battle for the Tabqa air base, in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from Islamic State group sit on their tank during a parade in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from the Islamic State group pray at the Tabqa air base after capturing it from the Syrian government in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from extremist Islamic State group parade in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping A video uploaded to social networks shows men in underwear being marched barefoot along a desert road before being allegedly executed by Isis Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping Haruna Yukawa after his capture by Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping Khalinda Sharaf Ajour, a Yazidi, says two of her daughters were captured by Isis militants Washington Post In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Spokesperson for Isis Vice News via Youtube In pictures: The rise of Isis A pro-Isis leaflet A pro-Isis leaflet handed out on Oxford Street In London Ghaffar Hussain In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Isis Jihadists burn their passports In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid A man collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid A woman collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid Local civilians queue for aid administered by Isis. Since it declared a caliphate the group has increasingly been delivering services such as healthcare, and distributing aid and free fuel In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces detain men suspected of being militants of the Isis group in Diyala province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Mourners carry the coffin of a Shi'ite volunteer from the brigades of peace, who joined the Iraqi army and was killed during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Samarra, during his funeral in Najaf In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Shiite Turkmen family fleeing the violence in the Iraqi city of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, arrives at a refugee camp on the outskirts of Arbil, in Iraq's Kurdistan region In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi A photograph made from a video by the jihadist affiliated group Furqan Media via their twitter account allegedly showing Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi delivering a sermon during Friday prayers at a mosque in Mosul. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared an Islamist caliphate in the territory under the group's control in Iraq and Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Smoke and debris go up in the air as Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul. Images posted online show that Islamic extremists have destroyed at least 10 ancient shrines and Shiite mosques in territory - the city of Mosul and the town of Tal Afar - they have seized in northern Iraq in recent weeks In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq A bulldozer destroys Sunni's Ahmed al-Rifai shrine and tomb in Mahlabiya district outside of Tal Afar In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces celebrate after clashes with followers of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi, in front of his home in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi at his home after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis A vehicle burns in front of a home of a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman holds her exhausted son as over 1000 Iraqis who have fled fighting in and around the city of Mosul and Tal Afar wait at a Kurdish checkpoint in the hopes of entering a temporary displacement camp in Khazair In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees Displaced Iraqi women hold pots as they queue to receive food during the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, at an encampment for displaced Iraqis who fled from Mosul and other towns, in the Khazer area outside Irbil, north Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria A militant Islamist fighter waving a flag, cheers as he takes part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa. The fighters held the parade to celebrate their declaration of an Islamic "caliphate" after the group captured territory in neighbouring Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters wave flags as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province Reuters In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters travel in a vehicle as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade with a missile in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from an al-Qaida splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from the splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters hold a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria A member loyal to the Isis waves an Isis flag in Raqqa In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi anti-government gunmen from Sunni tribes in the western Anbar province march during a protest in Ramadi, west of Baghdad. The United Nations warned that Iraq is at a "crossroads" and appealed for restraint, as a bloody four-day wave of violence killed 195 people. The violence is the deadliest so far linked to demonstrations that broke out in Sunni areas of the Shiite-majority country more than four months ago, raising fears of a return to all-out sectarian conflict In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces hold up a flag of the Isis group they captured during an operation to regain control of Dallah Abbas north of Baqouba, the capital of Iraq's Diyala province, 35 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq Isis fighters parade in the northern city of Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Volunteers, who have joined the Iraqi army to fight against the predominantly Sunni militants from the radical Isis group, demonstrate their skills during a graduation ceremony after completing their field training in Najaf In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Kurdish Peshmerga troops fire a cannon during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Jalawla, Diyala province In pictures: The rise of Isis Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference Iraqi Prime Minister's security spokesman, Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference about the latest military development in Iraq, in the capital Baghdad. Iraqi forces pressed a campaign to retake militant-held Tikrit, clashing with jihadist-led Sunni militants nearby and pounding positions inside the city with air strikes in their biggest counter-offensive so far In pictures: The rise of Isis A police station building destroyed by Isis fighters An exterior view of a police station building destroyed by gunmen in Mosul city, northern Iraq. Iraq's new parliament is expected to convene to start the process of setting up a new government, despite deepening political rifts and an ongoing Islamist-led insurgency. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani issued a decree inviting the new House of Representatives to meet and form a new government In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq Smoke billows from an area controlled by the Isis between the Iraqi towns of Naojul and Tuz Khurmatu, both located north of the capital Baghdad, as Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces take part in an operation to repel the Sunni militants In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An elderly Iraqi woman is helped into a temporary displacement camp for Iraqis caught-up in the fighting in and around the city of Mosul in Khazair In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Christian woman fleeing the violence in the village of Qaraqush, about 30 kms east of the northern province of Nineveh, cries upon her arrival at a community center in the Kurdish city of Arbil in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman, who fled with her family from the northern city of Mosul, prays with a copy of the Quran AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq The body of an Isis militant killed during clashes with Iraqi security forces on the outskirts of the city of Samarra Reuters In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi civilians inspect the damage at a market after an air strike by the Iraqi army in central Mosul EPA In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Members of the Al-Abbas brigades, who volunteered to protect the Shiite Muslim holy sites in Karbala against Sunni militants fighting the Baghdad government, parade in the streets of the city AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Shia tribesmen gather in Baghdad to take up arms against Sunni insurgents marching on the capital. Thousands have volunteered to bolster defences AFP/Getty In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis A van carrying volunteers joining Iraqi security forces against Jihadist militants. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced the Iraqi government would arm and equip civilians who volunteered to fight AFP/Getty In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters of the Isis group parade in a commandeered Iraqi security forces armored vehicle down a main road at the northern city of Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq An Islamist fighter, identified as Abu Muthanna al-Yemeni from Britain (R), speaks in this still image taken undated video shot at an unknown location and uploaded to a social media website. Five Islamist fighters identified as Australian and British nationals have called on Muslims to join the wars in Syria and Iraq, in the new video released by the Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Al-Qaida inspired militants stand with captured Iraqi Army Humvee at a checkpoint belonging to Iraqi Army outside Beiji refinery some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad. The fighting at Beiji comes as Iraq has asked the U.S. for airstrikes targeting the militants from the Isis group. While U.S. President Barack Obama has not fully ruled out the possibility of launching airstrikes, such action is not imminent in part because intelligence agencies have been unable to identify clear targets on the ground, officials said In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants attacked Iraq's main oil refinein Baiji as they pressed an offensive that has seen them capture swathes of territory, a manager and a refinery employee said In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants from the Isis group parading with their weapons in the northern city of Baiji in the in Salaheddin province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq A smoke rises after an attack by Isis militants on the country's largest oil refinery in Beiji, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the capital, Baghdad. Iraqi security forces battled insurgents targeting the country's main oil refinery and said they regained partial control of a city near the Syrian border, trying to blunt an offensive by Sunni militants who diplomats fear may have also seized some 100 foreign workers In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group stand next to captured vehicles left behind by Iraqi security forces at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province. For militant groups, the fight over public perception can be even more important than actual combat, turning military losses into propaganda victories and battlefield successes into powerful tools to build support for the cause In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq An injured fighter (C) from the Isis group after a battle with Iraqi soldiers at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis aiming at advancing Iraqi troops at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis group taking position at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis group inspecting vehicles of the Iraqi army after they were seized at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq One Iraqi captive, a corporal, is reluctant to say the slogan, and has to be shouted at repeatedly before he obeys Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group force captured Iraqi security forces members to the transport In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group transporting dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members to an unknown location in the Salaheddin province ahead of executing them In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq A major offensive spearheaded by Isis but also involving supporters of executed dictator Saddam Hussein has overrun all of one province and chunks of three others In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group executing dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis militants taking position at a Iraqi border post on the Syrian-Iraqi border between the Iraqi Nineveh province and the Syrian town of Al-Hasakah In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis rebels show their flag after seizing an army post AFP/Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis militants waving an Islamist flag after the seizure of an Iraqi army checkpoint in Salahuddin Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Demonstrators chant slogans as they carry al-Qaida flags in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad. In the week since it captured Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, a Muslim extremist group has tried to win over residents and has stopped short of widely enforcing its strict brand of Islamic law, residents say. Churches remain unharmed and street cleaners are back at work CNN, citing unnamed U.S. defence officials, had said the building was destroyed by two 2,000-pound bombs. The officials could not say exactly how much money was there or in what currency, but one described it as "millions," CNN reported. Isis, which split off from al Qaeda, has also financed its operations through oil smuggling, racketeering, kidnapping and taxing the millions of people living in areas it controls in Syria and Iraq. Reuters For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Turkey is becoming a more dangerous place, but then so is the Middle East and North Africa and anywhere Isis can send its suicide squads. The Turkish authorities say that the bomber who killed at least 10 people, mostly German tourists, near the obelisk of Theodosius, not far from Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, was a 28-year-old Saudi making it likely though not certain that Isis ordered the attack. If Isis was behind the bombing it is important to know if this is a one-off or the start of a new campaign. In July its suicide bombers killed 30 Turks going to help rebuild the Syrian Kurdish city of Kobani and in October they killed a further 100 peace demonstrators outside Ankara railway station. By doing so, Isis succeeded in setting the political agenda by provoking a resumption of hostilities between Turks and Kurds and setting the scene for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan success in the parliamentary election on 1 November. In pictures: Istanbul explosion Show all 9 1 /9 In pictures: Istanbul explosion In pictures: Istanbul explosion A carnation is left at the site of the explosion in the historic Sultanahmet district in Istanbul AP In pictures: Istanbul explosion A screen shot of the explosion from a tourist camera, Sultanahmet Square, Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Rescue teams gather at the scene after an explosion in central Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Policemen secure an area at the historic Sultanahmet district, which is popular with tourists, after an explosion in Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Police secure the area after an explosion near the Ottoman-era Sultanahmet mosque, known as Blue mosque in Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Police investigate the area after an explosion in central Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Turkish police sealed off a central Istanbul square in the historic Sultanahmet district after a large explosion Reuters In pictures: Istanbul explosion Police secure the area after an explosion in central Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Policemen secure an area at the historic Sultanahmet district, after an explosion in Istanbul Isis targets civilian targets with such frequency that it is possible to read too much into a single explosion. It was presumably aimed at Turkeys $21 billion income from tourism with an implied threat of more to come. Turkey has been unenthusiastically sending planes to bomb Isis targets in Syria, under pressure from the US, and has arrested members of Isis cells inside Turkey. The government may not have done very much, but this is very different from the years when Isis volunteers were able to cross unimpeded the Turkish-Syrian border to reach the Islamic State. Much of this border has been closed on the Syrian side by the advances of the Syrian Kurdish forces that now control half the 550-mile-long frontier. The Turkish government has insisted that it will not allow Kurdish forces to advance west of the Euphrates, to close off the last 60-mile long stretch of territory which is Isiss last access and exit point with Turkey. Video shows aftermath of Istanbul explosion The US has been forcefully demanding that Turkey seal this border by stationing 30,000 soldiers on the Turkish side of the frontier, west of Jarabulus. This pressure has been growing since the Paris massacre on 13 November, in the light of evidence that the master-mind of the plot had been able to reach France from the territory controlled by Isis, by crossing easily into Turkey. A possible motive for yesterdays bombing could be a warning that Isis will retaliate for any measures taken against it by the Turkish state. It certainly has the means to do so, because 1,000 or more of its fighters are Turks and it has pockets of committed support inside Turkey. The violence emanating from the civil wars in Syria and Iraq has already affected Turkey. Low level guerrilla warfare between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Turkish army is spreading across Kurdish areas of south east Turkey. President Erdogan reinforced his power at home when his party won the parliamentary election. Turkeys influence in Syria is under threat, however, both from the Syrian Kurds backed by US air strikes and from Russias extreme hostility to Turkey after Turkish jets shot down a one of its aircraft in November, in what looks like a carefully-prepared ambush. Russian military engagement in Syria makes it more difficult for Turkey to threaten to act against the Kurds there. Isis may be concluding that Turkey is no longer a place where it need tread carefully in order to preserve official tolerance of its activities. With no sign of the war in Syria ending, the latest Istanbul bomb could be the precursor of far worse carnage. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Far from the long and porous border he is said to have crossed to enter Turkey, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in the ancient heart of Istanbul yesterday. Near the Blue Mosque in Sultanahmet Square, the historic tourist centre of the Bosphorus city, flames engulfed one side of the ancient Egyptian obelisk of Theodosius as a man later identified by Turkey as Saudi-born Nabil al-Fadli, 28, triggered his device near a group of German tourists. Recommended Read more Isis may be concluding it need no longer tread carefully in Turkey Body parts littered the pavement, many victims rendered unrecognisable by the blast at close quarters. At least 10 people were instantly killed, among them eight Germans and a Peruvian. Ten Germans were among those wounded, including a married couple who were said to have life-threatening injuries. Authorities in Istanbul had long feared that it was only a matter of time until the city was attacked by Isis. According to Turkish officials, a major terror plot planned for the same day as the Paris attacks in November was foiled. The German tourists killed yesterday are thought to have been in Istanbul on a package tour organised by Lebenslust Touristik, a Berlin travel agency. The group of 33 travellers was due to fly next to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Among the injured at hospitals across the city last night, Jostein Nielsen, a 59-year-old Salvation Army officer from Norway, said: There were human remains all over the place. His wife, Magna Vaaje Nielsen, added: One does not think that such things will happen when you are sightseeing. In pictures: Istanbul explosion Show all 9 1 /9 In pictures: Istanbul explosion In pictures: Istanbul explosion A carnation is left at the site of the explosion in the historic Sultanahmet district in Istanbul AP In pictures: Istanbul explosion A screen shot of the explosion from a tourist camera, Sultanahmet Square, Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Rescue teams gather at the scene after an explosion in central Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Policemen secure an area at the historic Sultanahmet district, which is popular with tourists, after an explosion in Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Police secure the area after an explosion near the Ottoman-era Sultanahmet mosque, known as Blue mosque in Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Police investigate the area after an explosion in central Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Turkish police sealed off a central Istanbul square in the historic Sultanahmet district after a large explosion Reuters In pictures: Istanbul explosion Police secure the area after an explosion in central Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Policemen secure an area at the historic Sultanahmet district, after an explosion in Istanbul After attacks by Isis in the capital, Ankara, and the border town of Suruc last year, the bombing in Istanbul yesterday triggered fears that the Islamists are expanding their campaign in Turkey. Ankara has long been accused of failing to take adequate action against jihadists crossing back and forth from Turkey into Syria. Critics say that the government has been, at best, negligent and, at worst, has turned a blind eye to such movements or even that deep state elements were co-operating with Isis. Government officials counter that the whole world was slow to wake up to the danger posed by the group, and say that Western nations unfairly blamed Turkey for their own failures to stop foreign jihadists heading to Syria. After severe criticism of police and intelligence failures over a bombing in the Turkish capital in October that left 103 dead, Turkish police have also carried out large numbers of raids on suspected terror cells. At least 22 people with alleged links to the group were detained in the past two weeks. Kursat Yilmaz, who has run tours in Sultanahmet Square for 25 years, told Reuters: Were not surprised this happened here; this has always been a possible target. Video shows aftermath of Istanbul explosion President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to continue a determined and principled stance in the fight against terrorism. The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, said that terrorism had again showed its cruel and inhuman face in Istanbul. She said: Today Istanbul was hit; Paris has been hit, Tunisia has been hit, Ankara has been hit before. Fadli, a 28-year-old who was born in Saudi Arabia but spent time in Syria, had recently crossed from Syria to Turkey, authorities said. He was not on any watch list of suspected Isis fighters. The Saudi was identified, with a swiftness that surprised some, by body parts found at the scene in Sultanahmet. Officials told The Independent that he was not well known in international security circles. The Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the bomber was an Isis member and a foreign national. He said: Turkey wont backtrack in its struggle against Daesh [Isis] by even one step. This terror organisation, the assailants and all of their connections will be found and they will receive the punishments they deserve. Members of Turkish medical association leave carnations near the site of the blast (AP) Turkey, a Nato member, is part of the US-led coalition fighting against Isis. Ankara is also battling an uprising in the mainly Kurdish south-east between the state and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been fighting for three decades for Kurdish autonomy. Some analysts say that Turkish authorities are overstretched due to the demands of battling on several fronts simultaneously. Mr Yilmaz, the tour operator in Sultanahmet Square, said he had sold a package to a tourist from Colombia just an hour after the blast. The reality is the world has grown accustomed to terrorism. Its unfortunate, and I wish it werent true, but terrorism now happens everywhere, he said. The agenda changes quickly in this age. If tourism is affected by this, it will be temporary. These things pass. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} When aid workers finally reached the besieged Syrian town of Madaya they described malnourished, starving crowds of people desperately in need of medical help. The convoy entered on Monday to bring the first food and medical relief for months to 40,000 residents trapped by the Syrian regime and Hezbollah. But Madaya was not the only town receiving aid - Bashar al-Assads regime lifted the blockade to give the United Nations and other agencies access on the condition that other areas besieged by Islamist rebels would also receive help. Aid reaches starving Madaya A pact also allowed aid into two villages where 20,000 people have been facing starvation largely unnoticed by the international community. Foua and Kefraya have been surrounded by Jaysh al-Fatah (Army of Conquest), led by al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Musra and Islamists Ahrar ash-Sham since March last year. That was when the rebel coalition captured Idlib city from regime forces and continued its offensive through the surrounding countryside. The Sunni rebels swiftly targeted Foua and Kefraya predominantly loyalist Shia villages lying less than a mile apart. A series of suicide bombings, kidnappings and shelling started, with government troops being forced to retreat from the surrounding area. Smoke billowing following a reported attack on a tunnel used by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in the village of Foua, in the northwestern province of Idlib, on August 10, 2015 (AFP/Getty Images) The fall of a nearby regime air base in September, where helicopters had been landing with food supplies, saw the situation worsen dramatically and stories emerged of people eating grass to survive. The humanitarian crisis, running parallel with that of the government-surrounded Madaya and Zabadani, forced a deal known as the four towns truce to be struck allowing a shipment of aid in October and a following evacuation of more than 400 injured and sick civilians in December. But until Monday, that was the last international aid to reach the areas. Abu Yusuf, a student from Kefraya, told The Independent that although the Syrian government has helicopters at its disposal to make food drops it has not been enough. Helicopters dropped some provisions but in very small quantities and it wasnt enough for the residents, he said. Some aid came from the Red Crescent but it was a very small quantity and it was intercepted by the [armed] groups which stole from it before it reached Kefraya. The predominantly Shia and loyalist villages of Kefraya and Foua, in Idlib province, have been besieged by Islamist rebels since March 2015 (Google Maps) A spokesperson for the World Food Programme told The Independent 21 lorries reached the two Sunni villages on Monday with supplies intended to last 20,000 people for a month. We hope to follow up the food deliveries with further deliveries of medical supplies and blankets later this week as part of a coordinated operation into the besieged areas, he added. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC), which was working the UN and Red Cross carried out the delivery, which it said contained 4,000 food packages, baby formula, specialist nutrition for pregnant women, high energy food, medical supplies and blankets. In Madaya, which has an estimated population of double the size, 44 lorries arrived with 7,800 food parcels including rice and lentils and corresponding levels of other supplies. The UN said it had received credible reports of people dying from starvation and being killed or injured while trying to leave the town, lying in mountains near the Lebanese border. In pictures: Syria conflict Show all 40 1 /40 In pictures: Syria conflict In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrians carry children amid debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian man carries a girl on a street covered with dust following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrians react as they stand amid debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian man carries a girl amid debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis An injured Syrian man walks out from the rubble of a destroyed building following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian woman makes her way through debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis People stand on the rubble of collapsed buildings at a site hit by what activists said was a barrel bomb dropped by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, in the Al-Fardous neighbourhood of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrian residents stand amid the rubble of destroyed buildings In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian resident grasps a mattress amid rubble in the al-Firdous neighborhood of the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A view taken from Tel al-Sawadi shows a large explosion allegedly at the Wadi Deif Syrian army base in northwestern Idlib on May 14, 2014, which opposition fighters have been trying to capture for more than a year. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Islamist rebels detonated explosives planted in a tunnel under the army base killing or injuring dozens. AFP In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A bullet-riddled parking sign stands amid debris in a deserted street leading into the old city of Homs In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A general view shows abandoned buildings on a deserted square in the old city of Homs after Syrian government forces regained control of rebel-controlled areas In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A military vehicle that belongs to the Free Syrian Army is seen in Al-Amariya district in Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A mosque is pictured through shattered glass in the old city of Homs, as rebel fighters withdrew from the city centre in line with a negotiated withdrawal deal with the government after having held out under tight siege for nearly two years In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Buses carrying Free Syrian Army fighters leaving Homs. Exhausted and worn out from a year-long siege, hundreds of Syrian rebels left their last remaining bastions in the heart of the central city of Homs under a cease-fire deal with government forces. The exit of some 1,200 fighters and civilians will mark a de facto end of the rebellion in the battered city, which was one of the first places to rise up against President Bashar Assad's rule, earning it the nickname of "capital of the revolution" In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrian government forces hold up a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad (L) while others raise the national flag on top of a pole in the old city of Homs In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad run through Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr crossing after their release by rebels. They were freed as part of a larger deal which saw the last remaining Syrian rebels in central Homs city evacuate their positions and free captives in several locations in northern Syria In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian woman and two children walk past heavily damaged buildings in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A man carries a wounded girl following a reported bombardment with explosive-packed "barrel bombs" by Syrian government forces in the al-Mowasalat neighborhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A wounded man sits as he is treated at a makeshift hospital following a reported bombardment with explosive-packed "barrel bombs" by Syrian government forces in the al-Sakhour district of the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Debris rises in what Free Syrian Army fighters and Islamic rebels said was an operation to strike Al-Sahaba checkpoint, which is considered a gateway to Al-Dayf valley, and remove forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad in Maarat Al-Nouman, Idlib province In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Men try to put out fire at a site hit by what activists said was an air strike by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Azaz, north of Aleppo, near the border with Turkey In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Civil Defence members try to put out fire In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Survivors react at a site hit by what activists said was an air strike by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Azaz, north of Aleppo, near the border with Turkey In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Residents queue as they wait to receive food aid distributed by the UNRWA at the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk, south of Damascus In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Belongings of Syrian rebels inside a chapel at Crac des Chevaliers, the world's best preserved medieval Crusader castle in Syria. The village was destroyed in fighting between the government and rebel forces while the castle, listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, also has been damaged over the past two years In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Hosen Sabah, a 16-year-old student is comforted by his mother at a hospital in Damascus. Nosen was wounded by a mortar outside his school, while 14 other students were killed and over 80 wounded In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Free Syrian Army fighter works on a locally made launcher before firing it towards forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad in Mork town In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrian policemen and citizens inspecting the site of a car bomb at the entrance of Moadhamiyet al-Sham neighborhood in rural Damascus. According to Syria's Arab News Agency (SANA), a car bomb explosion has gone off in the countryside of Damascus and initial information say there are casualties, where a car rigged with explosions was remotely detonated at the entrance of Moadhamiyet al-Sham neighborhood in rural Damascus during engineering units it was trying to dismantled it In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Opposition fighters carrying a rocket launcher during clashes against government forces in the Sheikh Lutfi area, west of the airport in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian man helps a woman to make her way through debris following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian man reacts as he carries the body of injured boy following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 33 civilians were killed in the attack In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrian rescue workers carry the body of a woman following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian woman walks past the burning wreckage of a car following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A man and two children run to a safer place following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A man holds an injured child after, according to activists, two barrel bombs were thrown by forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad in Hullok neighbourhood of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis An injured man talks on a walkie-talkie after, according to activists, two barrel bombs were thrown by forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad in Hellok neighbourhood of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A man walks inside a mosque damaged by, according to activists, a barrel bomb thrown by forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad in Old Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrians gather at the site of reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Rebel fighters carry their weapons as they run to avoid snipers loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Morek in Hama province Accounts of at least 23 deaths, images of emaciated children and reports of people resorting to eating cats, dogs, leaves and grass to survive have shocked the world. Some Assad supporters and politicians have said the photos were faked, while others alleged the anti-government rebels controlling Madaya were withholding food from residents. The UN has long denounced the use of starvation by all sides in the Syrian conflict as a weapon of war, which could eventually be pursued as a war crime or a crime against humanity. At least 15 sieges continue across Syria, with an estimated 400,000 people trapped in worsening conditions. Only 10 per cent of all requests to access those areas have been approved and delivered in the past year and humanitarian agencies and international governments have called for Mondays deliveries to be the start of many more. The issue is expected to be one of many key points in upcoming peace talks scheduled to be brokered by the UN in Geneva on 25 January. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Hundreds of people in the besieged village of Madaya have been told they need to leave or they will starve to death. The UN humanitarian chief, Stephen OBrien, said about 400 people in the hospital, near Damascus in Syria, must be evacuated immediately to receive life-saving medical attention or they are in grave peril of losing their lives. Recommended Read more Pact aims to help Syrians on both sides dying from hunger After briefing the UN Security Council, he said people in the area needed treatment for medical complications, severe malnourishment and starvation. Ambulances are expected to get to the village on Tuesday, if a safe passage can be assured. Nearly 42,000 people in Madaya are at risk from hunger, according to Yacoub El Hillo, the UN's resident and humanitarian co-ordinator in Syria. Aid reaches starved Madaya and other besieged Syria towns The scale of the problem facing the UN and aid workers was illustrated by the comments of Syria's UN Ambassador, Bashar Ja'afari, who has denied anyone is starving. He blamed Arab television especially for fabricating these allegations and lies. In pictures: Syria conflict Show all 40 1 /40 In pictures: Syria conflict In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrians carry children amid debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian man carries a girl on a street covered with dust following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrians react as they stand amid debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian man carries a girl amid debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis An injured Syrian man walks out from the rubble of a destroyed building following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian woman makes her way through debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis People stand on the rubble of collapsed buildings at a site hit by what activists said was a barrel bomb dropped by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, in the Al-Fardous neighbourhood of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrian residents stand amid the rubble of destroyed buildings In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian resident grasps a mattress amid rubble in the al-Firdous neighborhood of the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A view taken from Tel al-Sawadi shows a large explosion allegedly at the Wadi Deif Syrian army base in northwestern Idlib on May 14, 2014, which opposition fighters have been trying to capture for more than a year. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Islamist rebels detonated explosives planted in a tunnel under the army base killing or injuring dozens. AFP In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A bullet-riddled parking sign stands amid debris in a deserted street leading into the old city of Homs In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A general view shows abandoned buildings on a deserted square in the old city of Homs after Syrian government forces regained control of rebel-controlled areas In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A military vehicle that belongs to the Free Syrian Army is seen in Al-Amariya district in Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A mosque is pictured through shattered glass in the old city of Homs, as rebel fighters withdrew from the city centre in line with a negotiated withdrawal deal with the government after having held out under tight siege for nearly two years In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Buses carrying Free Syrian Army fighters leaving Homs. Exhausted and worn out from a year-long siege, hundreds of Syrian rebels left their last remaining bastions in the heart of the central city of Homs under a cease-fire deal with government forces. The exit of some 1,200 fighters and civilians will mark a de facto end of the rebellion in the battered city, which was one of the first places to rise up against President Bashar Assad's rule, earning it the nickname of "capital of the revolution" In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrian government forces hold up a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad (L) while others raise the national flag on top of a pole in the old city of Homs In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad run through Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr crossing after their release by rebels. They were freed as part of a larger deal which saw the last remaining Syrian rebels in central Homs city evacuate their positions and free captives in several locations in northern Syria In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian woman and two children walk past heavily damaged buildings in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A man carries a wounded girl following a reported bombardment with explosive-packed "barrel bombs" by Syrian government forces in the al-Mowasalat neighborhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A wounded man sits as he is treated at a makeshift hospital following a reported bombardment with explosive-packed "barrel bombs" by Syrian government forces in the al-Sakhour district of the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Debris rises in what Free Syrian Army fighters and Islamic rebels said was an operation to strike Al-Sahaba checkpoint, which is considered a gateway to Al-Dayf valley, and remove forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad in Maarat Al-Nouman, Idlib province In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Men try to put out fire at a site hit by what activists said was an air strike by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Azaz, north of Aleppo, near the border with Turkey In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Civil Defence members try to put out fire In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Survivors react at a site hit by what activists said was an air strike by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Azaz, north of Aleppo, near the border with Turkey In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Residents queue as they wait to receive food aid distributed by the UNRWA at the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk, south of Damascus In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Belongings of Syrian rebels inside a chapel at Crac des Chevaliers, the world's best preserved medieval Crusader castle in Syria. The village was destroyed in fighting between the government and rebel forces while the castle, listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, also has been damaged over the past two years In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Hosen Sabah, a 16-year-old student is comforted by his mother at a hospital in Damascus. Nosen was wounded by a mortar outside his school, while 14 other students were killed and over 80 wounded In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Free Syrian Army fighter works on a locally made launcher before firing it towards forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad in Mork town In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrian policemen and citizens inspecting the site of a car bomb at the entrance of Moadhamiyet al-Sham neighborhood in rural Damascus. According to Syria's Arab News Agency (SANA), a car bomb explosion has gone off in the countryside of Damascus and initial information say there are casualties, where a car rigged with explosions was remotely detonated at the entrance of Moadhamiyet al-Sham neighborhood in rural Damascus during engineering units it was trying to dismantled it In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Opposition fighters carrying a rocket launcher during clashes against government forces in the Sheikh Lutfi area, west of the airport in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian man helps a woman to make her way through debris following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian man reacts as he carries the body of injured boy following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 33 civilians were killed in the attack In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrian rescue workers carry the body of a woman following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian woman walks past the burning wreckage of a car following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A man and two children run to a safer place following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A man holds an injured child after, according to activists, two barrel bombs were thrown by forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad in Hullok neighbourhood of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis An injured man talks on a walkie-talkie after, according to activists, two barrel bombs were thrown by forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad in Hellok neighbourhood of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A man walks inside a mosque damaged by, according to activists, a barrel bomb thrown by forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad in Old Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrians gather at the site of reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Rebel fighters carry their weapons as they run to avoid snipers loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Morek in Hama province The Syrian government is not and will not exert any policy of starvation against its own people, Ja'afari said. Some Assad supporters also said the photos were faked, and others alleged the rebels were withholding food from residents. Residents of the town of Madaya wait for the UN aid convey after a six-month siege left them short of food (AFP) Aid conveys that entered the settlement on Monday confirmed reports that people are starving and have had to eat stray cats and dogs and grass after receiving no aid since October. The images of people starving and emaciated children have raised global concern after the area has been cut off for months by fighting. The aid group, Doctors Without Borders have said 23 people have died of starvation at a health care centre it supports in Madaya, since December 1, which included six infants and five people over the age of 60. Peter Wilson, Britain's deputy UN ambassador, said it was good news that those convoys are getting through, although it's little and it's late. It's important to remember that Madaya represents only 10 per cent of those who are under siege and 1 per cent of those who need aid in Syria, he added. Madaya Simultaneously, trucks began entering Foua and Kfarya, which are both under siege by rebel groups hundreds of miles to the north. It will take several days to distribute the aid in the areas that need it most, and supplies are probably enough to last for a month, aid agencies say. A group of eight major international aid groups, including Oxfam and Save the Children warned that a one-time delivery would not save starving people. Only a complete end to the six-month-old siege and guarantees for sustained aid deliveries alongside humanitarian services will alleviate the crisis in these areas, a statement by the group said. The UN says 4.5 million Syrians are living in besieged or hard-to-reach areas and desperately need humanitarian aid, with civilians prevented from leaving and aid workers blocked from bringing in food, medicine, fuel and other essentials. Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Nadine White Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter The Race Report Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Race Report email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A woman dubbed the Rosa Parks of Saudi Arabia says she will defy her critics by continuing to be an outspoken advocate of tolerance and diversity, despite receiving death threats. Nawal al-Hawsawi has shot to fame in the country for her passionate work against racism and sexism. The outspoken marriage therapist, mental health counselor and qualified pilot refuses to conform to conservative expectations of what a black woman can do and has become something of a social media phenomenon, accruing 50,000 followers on Twitter. Al-Hawsawi grew up in Mecca, before travelling to the US and marrying a white American man. She told the BBC that it was upon returning to Saudia Arabia that she first began to experience social tensions due to her inter-racial marriage. She says that she was called an offensive racial slur by a woman whilst at an event celebrating Saudis National Day. She took criminal action, eventually dropping the case when she received an apology from her abuser. She says she and the woman are now firm friends. The case made headlines around Saudi Arabia and al-Hawsawi became a national icon speaking out against racism and harassment after local press compared her to US civil-rights activist Rosa Parks. She subsequently launched an anti-racism campaign on Twitter, which was greeted with yet more racial slurs, sexism and even death threats. She told the BBC that she would not bow to the backlash and that she has only love for her trolls. They didnt like my tweets about marriage, equality and unity. They started a campaign publishing a picture of my husband and children and asked others to retweet it. It was very shocking. 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Show all 10 1 /10 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In October 2014, three lawyers, Dr Abdulrahman al-Subaihi, Bander al-Nogaithan and Abdulrahman al-Rumaih , were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for using Twitter to criticize the Ministry of Justice. AFP/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2015, Yemens Sunni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was forced into exile after a Shia-led insurgency. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition has responded with air strikes in order to reinstate Mr Hadi. It has since been accused of committing war crimes in the country. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Women who supported the Women2Drive campaign, launched in 2011 to challenge the ban on women driving vehicles, faced harassment and intimidation by the authorities. The government warned that women drivers would face arrest. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Members of the Kingdoms Shia minority, most of whom live in the oil-rich Eastern Province, continue to face discrimination that limits their access to government services and employment. Activists have received death sentences or long prison terms for their alleged participation in protests in 2011 and 2012. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses All public gatherings are prohibited under an order issued by the Interior Ministry in 2011. Those defy the ban face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges such as inciting people against the authorities. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2014, the Interior Ministry stated that authorities had deported over 370,000 foreign migrants and that 18,000 others were in detention. Thousands of workers were returned to Somalia and other states where they were at risk of human rights abuses, with large numbers also returned to Yemen, in order to open more jobs to Saudi Arabians. Many migrants reported that prior to their deportation they had been packed into overcrowded makeshift detention facilities where they received little food and water and were abused by guards. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses The Saudi Arabian authorities continue to deny access to independent human rights organisations like Amnesty International, and they have been known to take punitive action, including through the courts, against activists and family members of victims who contact Amnesty. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison for using his liberal blog to criticise Saudi Arabias clerics. He has already received 50 lashes, which have reportedly left him in poor health. Carsten Koall/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Dawood al-Marhoon was arrested aged 17 for participating in an anti-government protest. After refusing to spy on his fellow protestors, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his confession. At Dawoods trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested in 2012 aged either 16 or 17 for participating in protests during the Arab spring. His sentence includes beheading and crucifixion. The international community has spoken out against the punishment and has called on Saudi Arabia to stop. He is the nephew of a prominent government dissident. Getty I represent everything that they hate, everything that they stand against. Im a Saudi woman who married a foreigner. Theyre anti-American. My husband is white, Im black. They condemn interracial marriages. They say women shouldnt have jobs, so to see a woman who cant drive a car but who has a pilots license is unacceptable. And they dont like that my message resonates with a lot of followers. She said of the abuse: I learned a lot form Mandela, Martin Luther King and Gandhi. You dont fight with hate. You can light a candle and stay positive. It just makes you stronger. Saudi Arabia is a very socially conservative country. Last month, women were allowed to vote for the first time ever when they took part in the countrys municipal elections. Women cannot leave home without a chaperone, drive cars or open a bank account without their husbands permission. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged the Syrian government to allow further urgent medical aid to be sent to the besieged town of Madaya, after aid workers described the heartbreaking conditions endured by its starving residents. Doctors said 300 to 400 people needed urgent special medical care, according to Elizabeth Hoff, the WHO representative in Damascus, who went into Madaya with the first aid convoy allowed in for months. I am really alarmed, she said later by telephone from Damascus. People gathered in the market place. You could see many were malnourished, starving. They were skinny, tired, severely distressed. There was no smile on anybodys face. It is not what you expect to see when you arrive with a convoy. The children I talked to said they had no strength to play. Some 40,000 people are trapped by encircling government forces and some residents have starved to death. Its really heartbreaking to see the situation of the people, said Pawel Krzysiek of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The WHO said it had asked the Syrian government to allow it to send mobile clinics and medical teams to Madaya to assess the extent of malnutrition and evacuate the worst cases. Ms Hoff said medical staff had told her that mothers had no milk for breast feeding and many malnourished people were too weak to leave their homes. Rice was on sale, she said, but at $200 or $300 a kilogram. An elderly lady had not eaten for 20 days. She was picked up unconscious on the street and brought in, she said. Aid reaches starving Madaya The US ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, accused the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of grotesque starve-or-surrender tactics. The difficulties in getting aid into Madaya and other besieged places could also set back efforts to hold new peace talks on the five-year-old war in Syria, scheduled to take place under UN auspices in Geneva on 25 January. A United Nations road map for the talks calls on the parties to allow aid agencies unhindered access throughout Syria, particularly in besieged and hard-to-reach areas. An opposition grouping has told the UN that this must happen before the talks can begin. Negotiations to get into Madaya and two villages in the north of the country, also besieged by rebels, were lengthy and difficult. There are up to 15 such sieges across Syria, where 450,000 people are trapped, the UN says. The main Syrian opposition coordinator, Riad Hijab, said the United States had backtracked over the departure of President Assad as part of any settlement and this meant the opposition would face hard choices on whether to attend the talks. A lucky child tucks into some fruit in Madaya (Getty Images) He added that the continued Russian bombing of opposition targets was putting peace talks at risk. We cannot negotiate with the regime while there are foreign forces bombing the Syrian people, he said. In an interview with the German newspaper Bild, President Vladimir Putin maintained that the Russian army was militarily supporting both the Syrian army and opposition forces that combats Isis, adding: We support both the Assad army and the armed opposition. Some of them have publicly declared this, others prefer to remain silent. Mr Putin also said Russia could grant asylum to Mr Assad if he were forced to flee his country. He said that granting asylum to the Syrian leader would be easier than it was to give refuge to fugitive NSA contractor Edward Snowden, though he added that at present any such plan was premature. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty He urged constitutional reform in Syria and said that the president should have no need to leave the country at all if democratic presidential elections were held, whether or not he remained in power. On the basis of the new constitution, early presidential and parliamentary elections should be held [in Syria], he told Bild. Its the Syrian people themselves who must decide how their country should be run, and by whom. Lisa Barrington reported for Reuters For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} 2015 saw a number of cases of tourists being killed or injured while overseas. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) issued advice at the time detailing the countries which should be partially or entirely avoided. While the new year has seen relations increase in places unlikely to become tourist traps - such as Iran and Saudi Arabia - countries such as Turkey often draw thousands of visitors. You will find more statistics at Statista The below are four key tourist destinations where dangerous incidents have occured with the current Foreign Office advice for those countries: 1. Turkey The current FCO advice for Turkey showing in orange where not to travel unless essential, and in red where not to travel at all (Foreign Office) On January 12, a bomb exploded near the Blue Mosque in Turkey's capital, Istanbul. At least 10 people are reported to have died, with citizens and foreign tourists among the injured. The incident followed two suicide blasts in nearby Ankara in October which killed more than 100 people. The Foreign Office says there is a high threat from terrorism in Turkey, and demonstrations are also frequent. It advises against all travel to the 10km border with Syria. It adds, however, that most trips by the 2.5 million British nationals who visit the country every year are trouble-free. 2. Egypt Much are the non-coastal areas of Egypt are advised against travelling to by the FCO (Foreign Office) In January this year, a knife attack near pyramids on the country's Red Sea coast injured three foreign nationals who were on holiday. And on 31 October 2015, all 224 civilians aboard a flight from Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg in Russia were killed when it crashed in north Sinai, seemingly because of an explosive device on board. The Foreign Office again advises travellers to be aware of a high threat from terrorism, advising against all travel to north Sinai because of ongoing attacks on police and security forces in that area. It also warns against anything but essential travel to the governorate of south Sinai, and a significant swathe of Egypt's inner land. Around 900,000 Britons make the trip to the Egyptian sunshine each year. 3. Tunisia All of Tunisia is advised against for all but essential travel, the FCO says (Foreign Office) All of this hospitality-reliant nation is advised as off limits except for essential travel by the Foreign Office. This is following serious unrest in the country, and a massacre of predominantly British nationals at a hotel at the beach resort of Sousse in June 2015. Unlike Egypt and Turkey, the advice states that more attacks are very likely, including against foreigners. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Students get a tough time of it: theyre untidy, loud, spend all their loan money on Jagerbombs - then complain theyre skint and cant afford food for the rest of the month - and can't get themselves out of bed in the morning for class. (Sorry, students. Youre not that bad). However, if you do tend to tar students with the same brush, youre being urged to think again as this one young man from Singapore may just restore your faith in our young scholars. Marine and offshore technology student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Tony Wang, has been praised for finding $30,000 (14,482) in cash - and returning it to its rightful owner. The 22-year-old, originally from China and now living in the residential district of Toa Payoh in central Singapore, visited a public toilet where he found an envelope stuffed with $1,000 (482) notes, reported The New Paper Online. Not one to keep the mountain of cash for himself, the young man handed the money into his local police station where it was reunited with its terrified owner, 50-year-old Mohamed Rafeeq, manager of a currency exchange service. Turns out one of Mr Rafeeqs 73-year-old employees absent-mindedly left the envelope (as you do) in the restroom, for which he was chided. As a token of appreciation, Mr Rafeeq told the site he gave Mr Wang a reward of $500 (241) which he hoped the student would spend on his education. The shop owner told how he had to force the student to take - and he even tried to return that back to Mr Rafeeq only ten minutes later. Mr Rafeeq described Mr Wang as being a really kind and sincere boy and said he really appreciated the students actions. Ngee Ann Polytechnic said on its Facebook page it was very proud of [Tonys] kind deed, adding: A round of applause, please! So, what did Mr Wang spend his reward on? Nothing. In fact, its been sitting in a drawer, untouched. He told The New Paper: I dont have anything I need to spend [it] on, so I just kept his token of goodwill. What a guy. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Flights from the UK to Istanbul and other Turkish airports are continuing as normal, following the suicide bombing in the Sultanahmet district of Turkeys largest city. Hundreds of thousands of British holidaymakers travel to or through Istanbul each year, and around two million more visit resorts on the nations Mediterranean coast. Here, The Independent's Travel Correspondent assesses the impact of the attack - and the options for people with future bookings to the country who are concerned about their safety: Q| Besides the tragic loss of life in Sultanahmet, how significant is the bombing? A| Bomb attacks by Kurdish, leftist and Islamist militants are common in Turkey. In Istanbul alone, there were four bombings last summer, and just before Christmas a mortar attack on the citys second airport killed an aircraft cleaner and caused serious damage. But what is different about this attack is that it appears intended squarely to harm tourists. To give you a sense of what this area is like: Sultanahmet Square is vast, and flanked by two ancient and monumental places of worship: the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofia, the former Byzantine Church of the Divine Wisdom. Its also at the heart of the tourist area, with many hotels and restaurants within a few minutes walk - including the Pudding Shop, the legendary cafe that was the starting point for the Hippie Trail across Asia in the Seventies. Its an area that tourists keep returning to, and presumably the people behind the attack knew that they would be able to murder foreign visitors as well as local people. The timing, though, is curious: although Sultanahmet is tourist-central, visitor numbers on a Tuesday in the second week of January are as low as they ever get. Some experts speculate that this suggests an element of desperation by the bombers. Video shows aftermath of Istanbul explosion Q| What is the Foreign Office saying? A| Within hours of the blast, it told British travellers: If you're in the affected area you should follow the instructions of the local security authorities. More generally, the FCO warns - as it has done for years: There is a high threat from terrorism. QI have organised a city break to Istanbul. Will I now be able to cancel or change destination? A| Not without paying a penalty. You will have booked the trip while that high threat from terrorism prevails. Unless the Foreign Office warns against travel to Turkeys biggest city - and experience suggests that it would take a very serious atrocity aimed at tourists to do that - then flights and holidays will go ahead as normal. If you want to change then you are likely to lose some or all of your money. Disinclination to travel is not an insurable risk. In pictures: Istanbul explosion Show all 9 1 /9 In pictures: Istanbul explosion In pictures: Istanbul explosion A carnation is left at the site of the explosion in the historic Sultanahmet district in Istanbul AP In pictures: Istanbul explosion A screen shot of the explosion from a tourist camera, Sultanahmet Square, Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Rescue teams gather at the scene after an explosion in central Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Policemen secure an area at the historic Sultanahmet district, which is popular with tourists, after an explosion in Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Police secure the area after an explosion near the Ottoman-era Sultanahmet mosque, known as Blue mosque in Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Police investigate the area after an explosion in central Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Turkish police sealed off a central Istanbul square in the historic Sultanahmet district after a large explosion Reuters In pictures: Istanbul explosion Police secure the area after an explosion in central Istanbul In pictures: Istanbul explosion Policemen secure an area at the historic Sultanahmet district, after an explosion in Istanbul Q| I was tempted to book a family summer holiday on Turkeys Mediterranean coast this summer, but now we want to cancel. What are my rights? A| If you decide to cancel you will lose the deposit you have paid. It is possible that some holiday companies will allow anxious travellers to switch destinations for little or no penalty, but there is no obligation for them to do so. Q| I have a trip to Africa booked with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul. Should I be worried? A| Istanbul is becoming one of the worlds great aviation hubs, with flights to more destinations than any other airport. Turkish Airlines, the main carrier, is stepping up flights from a number of UK airports this summer, and offers connections from its Ataturk airport hub to a wide range of destinations - most recently adding Madagascar and Mauritius to the route network. Following the attack at Sabiha Gokcen airport on 23 December, security around airports has been intensified. The risks remain extremely low. Recommended Read more A timeline of bombings in Istanbul Q| What will the longer-term effect of the Sultanahmet atrocity be? A| Istanbuls tourist industry will suffer. The city is immensely popular, not just with British and other Western European visitors, but also with tourists from the Arab world - especially the Gulf area. Experience suggests that will trigger discounting in an effort to lure travellers back. The attack will undoubtedly have an impact on holidaymakers summer plans, and again prices may be cut to fill plane seats and hotel beds. Cruise lines may also adjust their schedules to cut down on time in the city. Demand for Mediterranean holidays is strong, and some of this is likely to switch to destinations seen as safer, particularly Greece, Spain and Portugal. But one effect of this move is to trigger price rises for both flights and accommodation in those countries. You are unlikely to find the same value in, say, Tenerife or the Costa del Sol as in Bodrum and Antalya. Sadly, one likely effect if the attack is viewed as a success by the perpetrators is that further assaults aimed at tourists could be carried out. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Today's Independent has a 16-page tribute to David Bowie, with this photograph on the front. It includes articles by Dylan Jones (read to the end), Janet Street-Porter and David Thomas. The main newspaper even has an editorial about "Star man". Elsewhere, "What David Bowie Meant to Me" by Martin Fitzgerald of the Ram Album Club was the best "What David Bowie Meant to Me". This from Thomas Jones in the London Review of Books in 2012 is one of the best long articles on Bowie's life. And I found this, by the organist at Kelvingrove art gallery in Glasgow (via Gordon Wilson), the most unexpected and moving of the tribute on the day. I tallied the state of play in the battle to change Labour policy on Trident yesterday. Paul Kenny, the outgoing general secretary of the GMB, obviously intends to make a fight of it: If anybody thinks that unions like the GMB are going to go quietly into the night while tens of thousands of our members' jobs are literally Swaneed away by rhetoric, then they've got another shock coming. A source with some experience of managing Labour-union politics sees this as a struggle between Jeremy Corbyn and Tom Watson. The deputy leader has his networks, and Corbyn has access to the hard-left networks run by people including Jon Lansman, who has been operating them since working on Tony Benn's deputy leadership campaign in 1981. My source thinks that the unions will be "sensible" on Trident: They are annoyed with Corbyn for even putting it on the table, as it makes their life very difficult. Also, they will want to assert their authority, and give Corbyn a slap. Those who see the unions as simply being hard left (and therefore Corbynite) are missing the point. For them this is about power, and at present they control the party. The idea that they would choose to hand over that power to Jon Lansman and his mates is just daft. And for all their idiocy, the unions want a Labour government. If the party can be saved, ultimately it will have to be the unions doing the saving. I have written about the Blair rage phenomenon for Politico, asking once again why Labour's most successful leader is so hated by his own party. Finally, worth noting this fine post on Labour's "unfinished revolution" by Nora Mulready. If you dont hone your thinking, it will fade, and it did. Even many supporters of a progressive Labour approach came to see it more as a means of achieving power than a worthy political philosophy in its own right. So now we have to start again. We need to put everything back on the table and start talking honestly. Lets not just accept that someone shouting "privatisation!" is a check-mate end to a debate. One of the few contributions from the non-Corbyn mainstream of what used to be the Labour Party that shows any understanding of the intellectual task of winning it back. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} On Monday, David Cameron became the first Prime Minister in history to address mental health in a public speech. Alongside an almost 1billion investment in mental health services across the UK, he also claimed that he wanted to foster a more open and mature approach to mental health. Credit where credits due: its unquestionably positive that mental health is finally on the parliamentary agenda. But, if David Cameron really wants to help tackle the countrys mental health crisis, he first needs to take a look at the deeply damaging effect of his austerity politics on the emotional state of the nation. Under the last two Conservative-majority governments, we have witnessed increasing inequality and outright poverty, families being uprooted and forced to move against their wishes and drastic cuts to social security. Earlier this year, austerity policies were described as profoundly disturbing to the nations mental health in a letter signed by hundreds of psychiatrists, psychotherapists and other experts in the field. Its hardly surprising, then, that demand for mental health services has risen by a staggering 20 per cent over the last five years - while mental health service budgets were cut by 8 per cent in real terms. The Tories have created a much bigger mental health crisis than they can make up for with 1billion of funding. Experts from the Universities of Liverpool and Oxford recently found that the introduction of Iain Duncan Smiths tougher fit-to-work tests for sick and disabled people have coincided with 590 additional suicides, 279,000 cases of mental illness and 725,000 more prescriptions for antidepressants and research from 1,000 GPs undertaken by mental health charity ReThink found that a staggering 21 per cent of their patients had experienced suicidal ideation due to the stress of the Work Capability Assessments. Additionally, recent cuts to support services have left an estimated 10,000 victims of sexual abuse waiting over a year for access to counselling services. Mental health services currently receive just 13 per cent of NHS funding, despite accounting for more than a fifth (23 per cent) of the disease burden in the UK. Over 11billion worth of funding would be required to bridge this gap. Whilst the 1billion injection is certainly a welcome relief, continued commitment and spending on mental health services is vital for a country almost at breaking point. Mental health services for children and young people in England were cut by 35million last year, whilst mental health beds have been reduced by 8 per cent since 2010. Although these cuts are somewhat offset by Mondays cash injection (which includes waiting time targets for teenagers with eating disorders) we must not forget that in May, David Cameron pledged to shrink social security spending by additional 12billion, on top of the billions they had already cut in their last term. Recommended Read more The creative applications of Tinder and Grindr are endless The 1billion pledged might patch up a few holes in the service, but problems in the UKs provision of mental health treatment run much deeper. The cumulative effect of cuts to social services and the NHS has left the countrys mental health services in a dire state: in simple terms, there are too many patients, and not enough money to treat them all. At one point in 2014, there were no mental health beds available for adults in the whole of England, while an NSPCC survey published in October 2015 found that more than a fifth of children referred to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in England were refused treatment. The Conservative Government have spent the last six years pushing the nations most vulnerable to the brink with cuts to vital services. Although certainly a step in the right direction, it seems unlikely that 1billion will be enough to pull them back. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} It was February 19th 2009, 3:30 PM. My mobile phone rang as I was stuck in Tehrans heavy traffic. Mr. Madadzadeh? the caller asked. After I replied positively, the anonymous caller said my sister had been arrested for mal-veiling [failing to cover her hair properly with a headscarf] and I had to go to the police station to get her released. As I arrived at the police station and parked my car, I was surrounded by a number of individuals who I did not know and dragged against me into a car against my will. Who are you? I asked. One of them, who showed his hidden pistol, yelled: None of your business. I immediately realised that the call about my sister was a trap, and I was being arrested by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence. I was blindfolded and taken immediately to the notorious Evin Prison in northern Tehran. My odyssey as a political prisoner had just begun. Recommended Read more Why I find it hard to believe Cameron cares about mental health I was an activist for the Peoples Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI or MEK), the principal Iranian opposition movement comprising moderates who want to see the Islamic Republic overthrown. We organised domestic activists and disseminated information about abuses taking place in Iran. I spent five years as a prisoner of conscience, with a jail term that began during the Ahmadinejad presidency and ended during Hassan Rouhanis tenure. I suffered physical and psychological torture of all kinds, designed to maximise suffering and strip me of my dignity. The torture included six months of solitary confinement, totally sealed off from the rest of the world. During that period, I was made to believe that any day could be my last day. Constant anxiety never abandoned me. Relatively speaking, I was one of the lucky ones. During that five years, several of my prison mates, activists of MEK as well as ethnic minorities including Kurds, were executed. Their crime? Standing up and speaking out for basic human rights in their country. During my five years of isolation, anguish and torture, one of my sisters and one of my brothers were slain at Camp Ashraf. I was released in February 2014 but was under constant surveillance. In August 2015, I succeeded in reaching Europe after defying a travel ban imposed on me by the Iranian regime. Over the past few months that I have been in exile in Europe, I have grown increasingly aware that support for democratic causes in my country is eclipsed by the immediate economic interests of some of the regimes counterparts in Europe. This short-sighted business-first policy, cloaked in the pretext of reaching out to moderates in Iran, has a price paid in innocent human lives. As Hassan Rouhani is scheduled to visit Italy and France later this month, the first diplomatic trip of its kind in the past decade, I wonder: where are the signs of moderation? In freedom of speech, or the release of political prisoners? In the manifestation of womens rights? And if the mullahs conduct at home is of secondary concern, where are the signs of moderation in Tehrans regional conduct? In full-fledged support for Bashar Assad and the massacre of Syrian people, or the ransacking of the Saudi embassy and consulate in Tehran and Mashhad? Or has there been a let-up in sponsoring extremist and terrorist groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon? The fact is that while European governments are eager to cozy up with Iranian heads of state, those officials consistently prove themselves to be at least as anti-democratic and inhumane as their predecessors. Almost three years into Rouhanis presidency, the human rights situation in Iran remains dire. There have been at least 2,000 executions (highest per capita the world, a threefold increase compared to the same period under Ahmadinejad), and the crackdown on activism and dissent has only intensified. I ask Europes leaders: how much longer must this go on before you abandon the notion that the Iranian government is on the path to moderation and is a suitable partner on the diplomatic stage? How many more unelected Iranian leaders will walk the red carpet into Europe before the West realizes that none of them will end the bloodshed in their own country and bloodletting in the regime so long as they come from within the regime itself? I am not a politician but I have learned a simple lesson over the years: good policy begins with a correct understanding of the situation. And when it comes to Iran, the starting point is this: a moderate mullah is a mirage and a fantasy. And a fantasy is a poor substitute for government. Farzad Madadzadeh is a 30-year-old former Iranian political prisoner who was released from prison in 2014 and escaped Iran in mid-2015 Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Ive never owned a Bowie single or LP. Yet for all of nearly four decades he has been there, that figure you see in the corner of your eye every day, making up part of my unaware life, like water or electricity or oxygen things you notice only when they suddenly go. For me Bowie wasnt just a source of music he was part of my background for 40 years, always exciting, always rejecting the past, always changing, always something new, beautiful to look at, writing tunes that the entire world loved. I shall miss him. More than I could have imagined. Allan Friswell Cowling, North Yorkshire Thank you, Independent, for your excellent testimonial to the highly intelligent and innovative David Bowie. I was lucky enough to see him in concert in 1973, in his Ziggy Stardust phase, and I have never forgotten his performance. Susan Rowberry Saxmundham, Suffolk In terms of his contribution to what has made this country great David Bowie outstrips many of those who have merited a state funeral, and interment in Westminster Abbey. He truly deserves such posthumous honours; the state would be remiss not to confer them, and any cost would be offset by the massive influx of mourners from overseas who would travel to London for the event. Paul Dunwell Bedford There are many reasons for admiring David Bowie, but I cant help but admire him for turning down both a knighthood and a CBE. He would have been much diminished by accepting an award from our tainted honours system. Dr Peter WH Smith Hertford Radio 4s Today programme on Monday broke the news of David Bowies death and throughout the programme followed it up at length with numerous eulogies. Weighty political interviews and reporting from the front lines were squeezed between the various accolades of how great an artist David Bowie was. It culminated in Nick Robinson cutting Vickie Hawkins of Medecins Sans Frontieres short, when she explained about the conditions faced by 4000 migrants in the jungle camp in Calais: ...youll understand, with this extraordinary news about David Bowie this morning there is lots else to talk about. Is this symptomatic of our times? A pop artists death trumps the human suffering of thousands and how to deal with it. Christine Fuchs Chigwell, Essex Im obviously missing out on an event of international importance. Id heard of Major Tom but thought that he was Sergeant Peppers brother-in-law. Full front page picture, first leader, two pages, three page obituary, substantial pull-out supplement. Will you rise as highly to the occasion when Placido Domingo dies? Peter Forster London N4 Hunts hidden agenda: privatising the NHS Steve Richards continues the myth that the junior doctors dispute is primarily about seven-day working (Its the miners strike all over again. With all the same mistakes, 12 January). It is not: rather, it is a devious move to make the job so unpleasant that no one wishes to do it any more on the Governments terms. Once this is achieved, the Government will then have every excuse to invite its private medical cronies in to rape what remains of the NHS and reduce it to the American model. If you want to know more details, ask any dentist of a certain age practising in England. Prepare for private medicine, including GP services believe me, its coming. Roger King St Ives, Cambridgeshire Steve Richards argues correctly that seven-day working is now the norm. However the issue for junior doctors is not working seven days, which they already do, but rather the cover available and the payment structure for the work. This clearly applies to others. For example Sir Philip Dilley, Chair of the Environment Agency, has resigned as he is unable to deliver a requirement to be available at short notice throughout the year. He was on a salary of 100,000 for three days a week; junior doctors, working full-time, start at 23,000. Perhaps it is time for a review of all salaries and working arrangements, at the top as well as at the bottom, of public services? Peter Marsh Emeritus Professor of Child and Family Welfare University of Sheffield I dont buy the story that junior doctors will be better off, with fewer hours and more money. The truth is that we are struggling to provide sufficient doctor cover now. What this government is proposing is to remove an overtime payment for weekend working, knowing full well that doctors will continue to deliver weekend cover but for less money. This Government is trying to do it on the cheap. The end result: doctors will become demoralised, make mistakes through being overworked and will leave the health service. Privatisation via the back door. Stop this madness now. Richard Weston Netheravon, Wiltshire On 26 December I was admitted to Barnet Hospital with acute pancreatitis. The doctor ordered an endoscopy. But it was the weekend so there were no technicians available for giving me treatment. All gone home. Then it was New Years Eve and New Year, so again, nobody. It was only on the Monday that I had the endoscopy, where they found a gallstone as well as pancreatitis. This was dissolved and I could go home on Tuesday supplied with painkillers. If the technicians had been required to work on those days, I could have gone home on Friday. I was costing NHS for those extra unnecessary days and needlessly taking up a hospital bed. Lorna Roberts London N2 Hamas, not just an ideology The Independents editorial (11 January) claims Israel is using Hamas anti-Israeli ideology as an excuse to keep Gaza as an open-air prison. First, it should be clarified that Hamas proscribed as a terror group in the United States, the European Union and the UK does not merely have an anti-Israel ideology, but more importantly, a vast military infrastructure, which it uses to indiscriminately attack Israeli towns and cities. Second, attempting to link the persecution of Christians across the Middle East to the situation in Gaza misses a vital point: while the Christian population across the region is being decimated at the hands of Islamist extremists, Israel is the only country in the Middle East where Christians are thriving. Yiftah Curiel Spokesperson, Embassy of Israel London W8 The logic behind top salaries It simply does not make sense to compare the rate of growth in CEO pay and firm value, as Ben Chu does (Think the market is always right when it comes to top pay? Think again, 11 January). A CEO on an annual salary of 1m could be given an extra 1m pay rise after raising her firms value by 1bn, from 100bn to 101bn. Comparing the 100 per cent growth rate in her salary with the 1 per cent growth rate in the firms value will not tell us anything useful about whether she is being paid fairly. Sam Bowman Executive Director Adam Smith Institute London SW1 Rochdale deserves better MPs I fully concur with Brandon Ashworths view (letter, 8 January) on the subject of what Rochdale and its people have done to deserve Simon Danczuk, namely that many of the people have left the town. I can testify that it did not stop in the 1970s but carried on to the noughties. I would however add that Rochdale and its people have been poorly served by all its MPs for more than 40 years. I wish Rochdale all the best, but it needs a leader who cares for the best of the town, its wonderful people, and not his/her own interests. Nicolas Andrews-Gauvain Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire Religious holidays for all, please Fantastic idea to organise school examinations around religious holidays. Im assuming as well as Ramadan this will include the holidays of Christians, Jews, Sikhs, Hindus, Taoists, Jainists, Zen Buddhists, devotees of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and atheists? Mark Piggott London N19 Cometh the hour, cometh the man How did they make an 11th-hour deal with just 30 hours to go (Catalonian parties agree on regional president, 11 January)? Did the two parties work in different time zones? Or did the reporter mean just 30 hours to go to the next cliche? Fabian Acker London SE22 Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} David Cameron delivered one of his most important speeches on Monday, but, understandably, much of the coverage was lost amid news of the death of David Bowie. This was the sequel to his 2015 party conference speech, and both were written with his departure from Downing Street in mind. He wants to be remembered more for his compassionate, modernising conservatism than whatever the outcome of the EU referendum will be. Good luck with that, as they say. But he should be applauded for his bucket list of things to do before he leaves No 10, which has social justice written through it: alleviating poverty, increasing social mobility, tackling extremism and promoting home ownership. I know he means well when he says that he wants all children to have tiger mothers, the ferocious disciplinarian form of parenting described by Amy Chua in her 2011 book, but that is as generous as I can be. First, I just dont believe that Samantha Cameron, the most liberal person to inhabit Downing Street since Gladstone, is a tiger mother. Second, when he says this ethos of high expectations is the antidote to what he calls the all must have prizes culture in state education, he is simply wrong. I have no experience of private schools, but a lifetimes of the state sector. My parents were teachers in two of the most disadvantaged areas in the country Toxteth and Knowsley. I went to state schools in Liverpool; now my five-year-old is at a state primary in south London. There is not, as the Prime Minister claims, an all must have prizes culture in state education. There are rewards for success, punishment for bad behaviour and, yes, high expectations. But the battle hymn of the tiger mother is more than just work, try hard, believe you can succeed, get up and try again, as the PM put it. There is a corollary for the child who fails: he or she is punished, or threatened with punishment. In my opinion, this is simple cruelty. If you punish or threaten to punish a child not for being naughty but for failing to get a piano piece right (as Chua detailed in her book), or for struggling to learn the eight times table, it may work in a top public school where pupils already have confidence and entitlement sewn into them like name labels in their blazers. It may also work in high-flying households like those of Chua, whose two children are reportedly happy, well-rounded individuals. But deducting points or removing privileges from a child for getting something wrong or not trying hard enough will result in unhappiness and low self-esteem. Chua herself, in any event, acknowledges that you have to know your child and adjust expectations accordingly. Recommended Read more The one David Bowie song that changed my life I would make a hopeless tiger mother I am more a pussy cat parent. When my daughter slumps on to her Year One homework book because its 6pm and its the fourth night of homework in a row and she cant think of any more words that begin with s-sound c apart from ceiling, I do not keep her there until 9pm unless she can summon up cenotaph. I help her, and then say, Thats enough. And I know that her teacher wont punish her for incomplete homework, but give her words of encouragement. This is not all must have prizes but nurturing children and giving them the confidence to excel. A child will shine and work hard if he or she is told that what they have done is brilliant. It is one of the great myths of Camerons leadership that the previous Labour government was responsible for all must have prizes, which in turn somehow triggered a national problem with standards. There is still, as figures showed yesterday, geographical disparity in education, but that is a long-term issue with many causes. State education in this country is generally excellent. That is not only because of this Governments policies, but because there has been a gradual improvement since Tony Blair introduced academies. Whats more, Camerons suggestion that parents will see it as aspirational to go to parenting classes is strange. Most parents believe they are doing right for their child, and the bad parents who, lets be clear, will be from all social classes, from the neglectful earl who barely speaks to his daughter to the mother who repeatedly lets her son skip school are unlikely to sign up. Children succeed when they are loved and encouraged, or at least thats what this pussy cat parent believes. The European Commission says a Belgian tax scheme for multinationals was illegal, but has not yet concluded the longer running probe into tax paid by Apple in Ireland. EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager announced yesterday that Belgium had granted "selective tax advantages" to at least 35 multinationals, the majority of them European, allowing them to underestimate their profits and save an estimated 700m on their tax bills over the last decade. She refused to name the companies, but ordered the Belgian authorities to recover the money. The ruling is significant because it targets an entire tax scheme rather than an individual company. The Commission says the scheme was "marketed" to multinationals, giving them an unfair advantage over smaller companies. The Belgian finance ministry said that it suspended the scheme, sold under the banner 'Only in Belgium', in February last year. Belgian finance minister, Johan Van Overtveldt, said in a statement that the scheme "has had its day" but that he doesn't rule out appealing the decision. Meanwhile, the Commission has confirmed that a year-and-a-half long probe into Apple's tax affairs in Ireland is still ongoing and that a decision will be published "if and when" it is ready. Margrethe Vestager denied any problems with the Apple investigation, but admitted it is taking longer than anticipated. "No, there is not a problem with the investigation, the investigation takes time," Ms Vestager told reporters at a press conference in Brussels yesterday. "Sometimes you think that a case is just on track and you can foresee a decision within a foreseeable amount of time, and then something happens - maybe more information is being given to you and you will have to assess that, maybe you yourself will have to ask more questions," she added. "Sometimes it takes longer than you may have wanted things to take." Minister for Finance Michael Noonan said last week that the decision was likely to come after the elections, rather than beforehand. The Government has said that it will challenge the Commission in court if it rules that Ireland gave Apple an unfair tax advantage. The Commission opened an investigation into Apple's tax affairs in Ireland in June 2014, alongside probes into Fiat in Luxembourg and Starbucks in The Netherlands. The Revenue Commissioners will pay experts almost 1,000 a day each to help assess whether companies that apply for research and development tax credits are entitled to them. A new panel is being assembled that can be called upon by the taxman, and members have to be qualified to PhD level. Qualifying research and development undertaken here by a company with an Irish tax liability is eligible for a 25pc tax credit that can be offset against a company's corporation tax liability, or returned as cash where no tax liability has arisen. The qualifying R&D can also have been carried out by the company in European Economic Area, which includes EU member states, plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. R&D tax credits cost the exchequer 421m in 2013. The R&D that qualifies for the tax credit must be focused on the natural sciences, engineering and technology, medical sciences, or agricultural sciences and also fulfil other criteria. Companies also have to agree to allow the qualifying R&D to be examined by an independent assessor appointed by the Revenue Commissioners. The new panel of experts being drafted will be in place for 2016. They're tasked with reviewing technical information provided by a claimant company in relation to a claim; accompanying a Revenue auditor on a site visit; conducting their own site visits; submitting reports; evaluating the amount due under a claim; and giving evidence where a claim is appealed. When they're actively engaged by the Revenue, the experts will be paid 920 a day. They also have no sign confidentiality agreements. Before an expert is engaged by the Revenue to assist in a particular claim, the Revenue Commissioners notify the claimant company as to the identity of the expert and the information that expert will receive. "A claimant company may object to the use of a particular expert where it has reason to believe there would be a genuine conflict of interests," the Revenue notes. "In any case of dispute the claimant company will have the right of appeal to the Appeal Commissioners against the use of a particular expert." For the accounting period from 1 January 2015, there is no minimum threshold for R&D spending that can qualify for the tax credit. The total R&D spend in Ireland amounted to just under 2.9bn in 2014, according to Eurostat. That equated to 1.55pc of GDP. The figure still lags the EU average of 2.03pc. One of the European Union's aims is to increase the total R&D spend across the trading block to 3pc of GDP by 2020. An Irish woman has been captured on camera going through the photos of her secondary school love's new girlfriend. The funny clip shows the woman going through the photographs of the girl, who she says is now dating a boy she used to be in love with. Writer Marian Bull has gone viral for the clip, in which she can be seen going through the girl's photographs on Facebook and coming to terms with their differences. Through giggles, Bull explains "I was so in love with him!" She discovers everything about the girl, from her passions - "she makes really mediocre watercolour paintings!" - to her profession. "She's a model and I'm here, sitting in my sh*tty apartment!". Her refreshingly honest clip has resonated with over 38,000 viewers online in less than 24 hours. Women from around the world are expressing solidarity with Bull. One woman wrote "I feel like I've gone through this with every guy I've liked... but sometimes, I'm the mediocre artist!" while another wrote "I actually relate to this so much!" DSPCA Rescue Centre helper Jenny Cremin holds some of the 18 pups siezed at Dublin Port by customs and the Department of Agriculture. Photo: Tony Gavin 12/1/2016 DSPCA Rescue Centre helpers Mandy Byrne, Lorna Swift and Jenny Cremin hold some of the 18 pups siezed at Dublin Port by customs and the Department of Agriculture. Photo: Tony Gavin 12/1/2016 Some of the 18 pups siezed at Dublin Port by customs and the Department of Agriculture at the DSPCA Rescue Centre in Rathfarnham. These pups are not yet available fro adoption. Photo: Tony Gavin 12/1/2016 DSPCA Rescue Centre helper Jenny Cremin holds some of the 18 pups siezed at Dublin Port by customs and the Department of Agriculture. Photo: Tony Gavin 12/1/2016 DSPCA Rescue Centre helpers Aoife Gillen, Niamh Upton, Linda McCarthy, Mandy Byrne, Lorna Swift and Jenny Cremin hold some of the 18 pups siezed at Dublin Port by customs and the Department of Agriculture. Photo: Tony Gavin 12/1/2016 DSPCA Rescue Centre helper Jenny Cremin holds some of the 18 pups siezed at Dublin Port by customs and the Department of Agriculture. Photo: Tony Gavin 12/1/2016 Some of the 18 pups siezed at Dublin Port by customs and the Department of Agriculture at the DSPCA Rescue Centre in Rathfarnham. These pups are not yet available fro adoption. Photo: Tony Gavin 12/1/2016 Eighteen puppies were discovered in the boot of car during a routine search at Dublin Port yesterday, a representative from the DSPCA has said. A customs search dog discovered the undocumented puppies that were found to be in very poor condition after being transported to Ireland in the boot of a car with poor ventilation. The dog Meg checks for drugs and checks for cash and was doing a routine search as happens every day. The handler noted that the dog had detected other dogs in the boot of the car, said DSPCA spokesperson Brian Gillen speaking to Morning Ireland. The issues are really that there are a lot of minor issues going on like worms and fleas and that kind of stuff. There are three of them which are quite poorly. One of them is on a drip fighting for its life. Mr Gillen revealed that the puppies are designer breeds including Shih Tzus and Pomeranians. Theyre all designer breeds. Theyre all Shih Tztus and Pomeranians and things. A lot of smaller and quite valuable dogs. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close DSPCA Rescue Centre helper Jenny Cremin holds some of the 18 pups siezed at Dublin Port by customs and the Department of Agriculture. Photo: Tony Gavin 12/1/2016 DSPCA Rescue Centre helpers Aoife Gillen, Niamh Upton, Linda McCarthy, Mandy Byrne, Lorna Swift and Jenny Cremin hold some of the 18 pups siezed at Dublin Port by customs and the Department of Agriculture. Photo: Tony Gavin 12/1/2016 DSPCA Rescue Centre helper Jenny Cremin holds some of the 18 pups siezed at Dublin Port by customs and the Department of Agriculture. Photo: Tony Gavin 12/1/2016 Some of the 18 pups siezed at Dublin Port by customs and the Department of Agriculture at the DSPCA Rescue Centre in Rathfarnham. These pups are not yet available fro adoption. Photo: Tony Gavin 12/1/2016 DSPCA Rescue Centre helpers Mandy Byrne, Lorna Swift and Jenny Cremin hold some of the 18 pups siezed at Dublin Port by customs and the Department of Agriculture. Photo: Tony Gavin 12/1/2016 DSPCA Rescue Centre helper Jenny Cremin holds some of the 18 pups siezed at Dublin Port by customs and the Department of Agriculture. Photo: Tony Gavin 12/1/2016 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp DSPCA Rescue Centre helper Jenny Cremin holds some of the 18 pups siezed at Dublin Port by customs and the Department of Agriculture. Photo: Tony Gavin 12/1/2016 Our primary concern is the health of these animals and then we can think about re-homing them, she said. The DSPCA spokesperson revealed that this is a growing problem in Ireland as the country has developed into the puppy farm capital of Europe. Its all about the money. Ireland is the puppy farm capital of Europe in terms of the number of pups we export to Britain. The English market is, give or take, 7000 or 8000 pups a year which are sold in Britain and we estimate that the Irish puppy industry generates 10pc of that. They are much more valuable in England and they are sold in the UK as UK Origin pups because the Irish Puppy has a bad name and a bad brand in England, he said. Mr Gillen revealed that breeders are bypassing important regulations which insure the safe and legal transport and sale of animals in order to cash in. The European Union regulations state that all animals leaving a country myst be accompanied by a pet passport, which confirms that they have been micro-chipped. All animals must have been vaccinated for rabies and documents which state that they have come from a business or trader recognised by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Travelling dogs must also have seen their vet in the 48 hours prior to travelling. Businessman Jim Mansfield Jnr was warned by Gardai that his life is in danger for a second time in less than a year, the Herald can reveal. Mansfield brushed off the first warning his life was under threat claiming he couldn't see why anyone would want to harm him. However, just months later Gardai told him again that he was in danger. It is believed associates of slain 'Fat' Andy Connors, who led Ireland's most prolific burglary gang, are behind the threats on Mansfield (49). It emerged at the weekend that a gun permit for Mansfield's legally held firearm was revoked over Christmas. Expand Close Jim Mansfield Jr / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jim Mansfield Jr It was reported that the businessman is said to have told gardai his reason for possessing the Walther .22 handgun was to protect himself. However, the firearm was seized during a series of Criminal Assets Bureau raids in January 2015 during which 31 different sites were searched as part of an organised crime probe. Mansfield, the son of the late Citywest tycoon Jim Mansfield Snr, has denied any involvement in crime. Detectives from Clondalkin Garda Station first formally warned Mansfield there was a threat to his life in October 2014. Mansfield later denied that his life was in any danger or that gardai had told him so. "I wouldn't see any reason why anyone would want to harm me," he told the Herald. He was issued with the second Garda Information Message (GIM) - a document given to a person when gardai have reason to believe that there are threats against their life - in late July 2015. Sources say Mansfield has since upped his personal security. Mansfield was photographed just weeks later at a meeting with Ballymun criminal Thomas 'Nicky' McConnell in the capital. McConnell was jailed in 2013 after admitting threatening to kill a woman and put her in the boot of his car as she collected her son from school. Attempts to contact Mansfield at the Dublin hotel he manages, Finnstown Castle Hotel, were unsuccessful last night. The hotel was the scene of an armed robbery last October, during which a 27-year-old night porter was tied up and threatened at gunpoint before two masked men made off with more than 6,000 in cash. Separately, in May 2014 a large bomb was discovered at the hotel, which forced the evacuation of a wedding. Former banker David Drumm has failed in a second bid to be released on bail pending the outcome of proceedings to extradite him from the US to face fraud and false accounting charges. However, a judge has signalled there will be a review of his security in prison after his lawyers argued he was being held in "intolerable and inhumane" conditions that have impacted his ability to confer with his legal team and subjected him to "safety risks". Boston District Court Judge Richard Stearns last night affirmed an earlier decision by a lower court to deny the former Anglo Irish Bank chief executive's initial application for bail pending the hearing, which is scheduled for March 1. But he asked a magistrate judge to re-examine the issue of Mr Drumm's safety and make any orders which would help him work with his lawyers, as long as they were consistent with jail security. Mr Drumm (49) has been held at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility, a maximum security jail south of Boston. The exact nature of Mr Drumm's security fears have not been disclosed. The court has kept these "under seal", so they cannot be publicly revealed. "I will not discuss the specifics," said Judge Stearns. In his ruling, he rejected several arguments put forward by Mr Drumm's legal team in favour of his release. Among these was a claim that Mr Drumm's wife Lorraine and their two daughters were utterly dependent on his income. He said the lower court's rejection of this ground was not callous, but "an accurate observation that this circumstance is not special [and] one that applies to most incarcerated defendants". He also found the lower court was right not to be swayed by claims there was a seven-year delay by authorities in Ireland in seeking Mr Drumm's extradition. "That may well stem from his implicit recognition that the length of the investigation by the demanding State is not a matter of concern for the receiving state," said Judge Stearns. He said Mr Drumm's relocation to the United States, "at least in part" forestalled the bringing of charges against him. The judge said it would be up to the courts in Ireland to decide whether any statute of limitations or other rights had been breached. Mr Drumm has been in custody since his arrest in October. Former banker David Drumm has failed in a second bid to be released on bail pending the outcome of proceedings to extradite him from the US to face fraud and false accounting charges. However, a judge has signalled there will be a review of his security in prison after his lawyers argued he was being held in intolerable and inhumane conditions that have impacted his ability to confer with his legal team and subjected him tosafety risks". Boston District Court Judge Richard Stearns last night affirmed an earlier decision by a lower court to deny the former Anglo Irish Bank chief executive's initial application for bail pending the hearing, which is scheduled for March 1. But he asked a magistrate judge to re-examine the issue of Mr Drumm's safety and make any orders which would help him work with his lawyers, as long as they were consistent with jail security. Mr Drumm (49) has been held at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility, a maximum security jail south of Boston. The exact nature of Mr Drumm's security fears have not been disclosed. The court has kept these "under seal", so they cannot be publicly revealed. "I will not discuss the specifics," said Judge Stearns. In his ruling, he rejected several arguments put forward by Mr Drumm's legal team in favour of his release. Among these was a claim that Mr Drumm's wife Lorraine and their two daughters were utterly dependent on his income. He said the lower court's rejection of this ground was not callous, but "an accurate observation that this circumstance is not special [and] one that applies to most incarcerated defendants". He also found the lower court was right not to be swayed by claims there was a seven-year delay by authorities in Ireland in seeking Mr Drumm's extradition. "That may well stem from his implicit recognition that the length of the investigation by the demanding State is not a matter of concern for the receiving state," said Judge Stearns. He said that Mr Drumms relocation to the United States, at least in part forestalled the bringing of charges against him. The judge said it would be up to the courts in Ireland to decide whether any statute of limitations or other rights had been breached. He also rejected a claim by Mr Drumm's lawyers that there was a lack of diplomatic necessity for his extradition. The ruling also explained that there was no presumption of bail being issued in extradition cases in the US. The position in Ireland is the opposite, with bail being granted in most instances. Mr Drumm has been in custody since his arrest by US Marshals at his 1.75m home on the outskirts of Boston on October 10. A man has been jailed for three years for having sex with a 15-year-old girl he met after grooming her using a fake social media profile. Conor O'Keefe (26) set up a profile as a teenage girl called Julie on the website Tagged.com and started chatting with the victim. He later claimed he was Julie's older brother Adam and persuaded the girl to get a taxi to his house in the early hours of the morning where they had sex. Judge Sarah Berkeley called it a sinister offence which highlights the dangers of social media and the opportunity it creates. She noted that there was no threat, force or coercion used against the girl and that she was a willing participant. However she said O'Keefe put pressure on her by expressing disappointment when she was reluctant to perform sexual acts. I do not attribute any blame to her in any way, Judge Berkeley said. She was a child at the time and is entitled to the protection of the courts. The judge noted that O'Keefe knew she was a virgin and that he told her she had to select one of three options: sexual intercourse, oral sex or masturbation. The court heard he set up the profile out of loneliness and isolation and that he had a somewhat difficult childhood. O'Keefe of Oakdale Close, Ballycullen pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to sex with a child in July 2011. He was found guilty of a further count of sexual exploitation of a child by a jury last month following a three day trial. He was to be sentenced last November but the case was adjourned as O'Keefe's partner had given birth to their first child the day before. O'Keefe, an apprentice plumber, has no previous convictions and is now on the sex offenders register. He was 22-year-old at the time of the offences. The court heard he is taking part in therapy and the Safer Lives programme which is run by the Probation Service. Defence counsel, Damien Colgan SC, handed in a probation report and a psychological report and asked the court to consider non-custodial options. O'Keefe faced a maximum possible sentence of 14 years imprisonment. Calling it a grave and serious offence, Judge Berkeley imposed a five year sentence with the final two years suspended for two years. During the trial the court heard Tagged.com was a social media site where users created personal profiles and chatted to each other. The site allowed children to set up profiles but featured a security feature which made them invisible to adult users. O'Keefe admitted to gardai that he set up a profile called Julie so he could view the under 18s version of that site. Garda Lisa Duffy told Fiona Murphy BL, prosecuting, that Julie added the girl as a friend in July 2011 and later Julie's 22 year old brother called Adam messaged the girl using her account. The victim's profile said she was 15-years-old and she had told Julie she was 15. Early on the morning of July 30 2011 Adam asked her if they could meet up. She initially said she had no way to get to his house but later took a taxi with Adam giving directions on the phone and paying the taxi driver 45 when she arrived. They went to O'Keefe's bedroom and talked. She said he was bugging her about performing a sex act on him but she refused. She later agreed to have sex. O'Keefe stopped having sex with her after asking if it was hurting her. Afterwards he fell asleep and drove her home the next morning. Gda Duffy said the girl later spoke to a relative and gardai were alerted. The girl gave a description of where O'Keefe lived and he was arrested. O'Keefe accepted he was the person involved and was fully co-operative, answering all questions. Ms Murphy handed in a victim impact statement prepared by the girl into court. The girl did not wish to give evidence and the report was not read in open court. Mr Colgan submitted this was a once off event. He said O'Keefe had found he could not interact with his peers and found himself depressed and isolated leading to him creating the false profile. He said it was of significance that nothing of a sexual or exploitative nature was spoken between the parties prior to them meeting. He said O'Keefe was continuing to engage with a psychologist. Mr Colgan noted that the trial had been unusual in that the details had been given by Gda Duffy and the injured party had not been required to give evidence. O'Keefe did not give evidence during the trial either. During the trial all of the factual evidence was agreed between the prosecution and defence and the sole issue for the jury was if O'Keefe intended having sex with the girl when he communicated with her. The Sexual Offences Amendment Act 2007 states that a person is guilty of an offence if they communicate with a child on two or more occasions with the intention of meeting them for sexual exploitation. Cliodhna Sadlier from the Rape Crisis Network said the case highlights the issue of grooming and the vulnerability of teenagers. She said groomers essentially work to set up the victim to being blameworthy and culpable and the vulnerability of teenagers has been exacerbated by the whole online area. She said there is a raft of legislation in the pipeline which will be critical in keeping up to date with new methods of predators online. The Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) is to ballot its 33,000 members on industrial action in response to the ban on promotions and increasing workloads in primary schools. Next month's ballot will ask teachers to stop all involvement with the Department of Education's on-going programme of school self-evaluation, which forms part of the inspection process. The moratorium on promotions, introduced as a cost-cutting measure in the wake of the 2008 economic crash, has led to the loss of thousands of career opportunities in primary schools. INTO general secretary Sheila Nunan said it had severely hit the career prospects of un-promoted teachers, increased the work burden on those in promoted posts and was compromising the running of schools. "In modern schools, leadership must be shared. There is more administration and bureaucracy than ever. Meeting increased demand from parents, pupils and the Department cannot be done without the necessary resources such as a leadership team of promoted teachers," she said. She said that recent research by the union showed significantly increased workload stress in primary schools as a result of demands by inspectors, increased paperwork requirements and the continued moratorium on promotion. Meanwhile, third-level student leaders are calling on politicians to reject any proposal to increase college fees linked to an income-contingent loan scheme. With a report being prepared for the Government on higher education funding, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has put the issue firmly on the agenda for the general election. "USI wants an education system that is free of both financial and societal barriers. Failure to adequately invest in education is a failure to invest in society," said USI president Kevin Donoghue. The USI election manifesto, launched yesterday, also sets out a range of measures that it says are needed to address the student accommodation shortfall, including the use of Nama-owned properties on a temporary basis. The manifesto calls on the next Government to commit to a referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment and allow legal access to abortion, at a minimum, in cases of rape, incest, risk to health or severe and fatal foetal impairment. Taoiseach Enda Kenny has settled on the date of the general election, saying it will be revealed in a "very public fashion". Fine Gael strategists believe the most likely date for polling is Friday, February 26. It is anticipated that Mr Kenny will call the election in or around February 2 - paving the way for a campaign of just over three weeks. However, the same sources stressed Mr Kenny has not discussed the date of the election, even with his key strategists. Mr Kenny toyed with a November poll after the Budget. The Fine Gael leader described the election as the "most crucial in many years". Mr Kenny said voters will choose to support a government that is focussed on "making work pay" or else an alternative option that will take the country in a "different direction". He also confirmed that Fine Gael will cut the top rate of USC by at least 1pc in the Budget in a move that will save workers up to 500 per year. Mr Kenny said he has a date in mind for the election but declined to reveal it when asked. "I have a date in my head, yes. I'll share that with you and everyone else when I decide to go to Aras an Uachtarain," he told reporters yesterday, adding that the date will be revealed in a "very public fashion". Meanwhile, Tanaiste Joan Burton yesterday launched a fresh attack on Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein, claiming the two parties are "auditioning to beat each other" in order to lead the Opposition. In an appeal to voters ahead of the general election, Ms Burton warned against taking a "gamble" by voting for Fianna Fail. And she said the country risked being plummeted back into a recession under a Sinn Fein-led government. "They have no interest in, or intention of, being in government. They are two parties auditioning to beat each other so that they can lead the Opposition," Ms Burton said. "In doing so, they are putting party posturing ahead of the national interest. Nobody can accuse Labour of doing that," she added. The Labour leader made the comments at an event to mark the publication of the final annual report of the Programme for Government. Mr Kenny claimed the Coalition has delivered on or made significant progress on 93pc of the 714 commitments made over the past five years. But he said many families are still struggling to "make ends meet". "For some families, there is still too much anxiety, too much worry about making ends meet. "Unemployment, while falling, still remains too high. Our public finances are still not fully repaired. Our public services and infrastructure need more investment," Mr Kenny said. "But at the same time, because of the way our plan has worked, there is a new optimism," he said. Both Ms Burton and Mr Kenny defended the Government following its failure to secure a deal with the EU on the country's bank debt. Both party leaders all but conceded that any prospect of a debt write-down is now off the table, adding that the Government expects to sell part of its shares in AIB. Ms Burton said the promissory note deal in 2013 was the basis for the country's economic recovery, despite claims to the contrary made at the time by the Opposition. Asked whether the Government will continue to pursue a debt deal, Ms Burton replied: "I would say that in a certain sense the question is redundant because we're now out of the Troika process." GARDAI are investigating five complaints that a stunning East European woman used a honey trap on social media in an attempt to blackmail besotted Irish men. The revelation came as a young man who issued a public warning over the attempted sex scam by video chat on a social media site confirmed he had lodged a formal complaint to Gardai in Cork. Detectives indicated that four other similar complaints had been lodged over recent months by men who were the victims of similar blackmail attempts. The same woman is believed to be involved in all the blackmail scams and gardai are now liaising with police in two other countries over the matter. I went to the gardai and I was told: You are probably the fifth person I have dealt with in a similar situation. He took some details from me. The garda said he was in contact via mutual assistance with an international police force probing such cases. "But when they went looking for her online there was no trace of her, he added. The woman, described as tall and striking looking, was apparently living in both Dublin and Cork over recent months. The young man warned Internet users to be wary of blackmail traps after he was the focus of an attempted 10,000 sex scam. The young man, who does not want to be identified, was threatened by an East European woman after she had sent him a video call viewing of her naked and performing sex acts. The woman, who was in her 20s, later contacted the young man and said that if he did not pay 10,000 to a specific account she would trace and contact his family and friends about the performance. After refusing to pay, the young man contacted Cork radio station RedFm to highlight the scam. He later lodged a formal complaint with gardai and submitted details of all e-mail correspondence he had with the woman. "I didn't care what she did - I told her point blank that I wasn't paying anything," he said. But the single man decided to go public because he became convinced the woman had attempted such scams before. The duo came in contact via a social media site last November after he received a friend request from the woman which she later claimed was sent by mistake. "I was in town (Cork city centre) getting something to eat. I checked into a restaurant Wifi and got (social media) message from her saying you are in the city centre - I am too, would you like to meet." "I said: 'Yes, come along.' She came over and we were chatting away. I thought she was sound out , a lovely girl. She said she was from Poland originally and had a broken accent. We went off together and two pints turned into about 18." "She said would you like to come back to my friends house. We went back there. I won't say what happened." "She came across as the soundest girl I ever met in a very long time." "(The woman) said she was studying to be nurse. I was not very interested in what she was doing because she was stunning looking. I was just in awe of her." "She was grand after that night. I totally forgot about it until (Sunday) when she sent me a message." "She asked was I on (video calls) and I said 'No, I am not into it.' She said she would ring me through (social media) messenger. I wasn't in the form as I was half asleep." "Then I got a message video call coming through and I just hung up. She kept ringing, ringing and ringing. I kept hanging up. "Then I answered a (video) call and as I was looking at phone I said 'what the hell is going on here'. There she was starkers lying on a bed." "She started going to town on herself if you get me and I was 'right okay'. I watched and it went on for two or three minutes. She was asking me to do stuff. I was reluctant and said 'no I am not into this at all.' She kept going on for another few minutes. Next thing she just stopped and the camera went off." A short time later, the young man received a lengthy social media message which he interpreted as very threatening. "She was saying 'do not end this call, you are under great threat and all this kind of stuff.' She played a video of me watching her and said I will release this video to all your family members and the people of Cork." "She named most of my family members that she must have got on (social media) and sent me a long list of names." "Then she demanded 5,000 or she was going to release the video and let it go viral. She never gave me an account number but kept asking have you paid yet? She then demanded 10,000." The young man refused to pay and she threatened him again. "She told me I could go to the police, she didn't care what I did." "She definitely has done this with other people and she will catch someone. She was professional and I think there was more than her involved. You could see she had done this before as she caught me hook, line and sinker." "I believe she was very threatening towards me and tried to intimidate me." The young man lodged a complaint with the social media service provider and said he is now also considering going to the Gardai. "I am in shock over being blackmailed. I just want to warn others to be careful who they friend on (sites) and to be aware of the dangers that are out there". The young man said he shuddered to think what would have happened if a married man had answered the video call and been filmed watching the woman's sex act. SIGA Hydro managing director Darren Quinn at the site of the planned hydroelectric plant in Silvermines, Co Tipperary. Photo: Sean Curtin/Fusionshooters A disused mine site could be used to house a 650m hydro-electric power station. The plant would use renewable energy at night time to pump water from an existing reservoir to a new storage facility. The water would be released during the day to drive turbines and produce up to 360MW of power, sufficient for 200,000 homes. A joint venture between Irish and Austrian companies will seek planning permission within two years for the facility, at the abandoned Silvermines site in Co Tipperary. Austrian technology companies Strabag and Andritz Hydro and Irish construction firm Roadbridge are among the backers of the project, which will result in 400 jobs being created over the four-year construction phase and up to 50 full-time posts thereafter. The consortium says the project will not only produce renewable electricity, it will also help clean up the site, with water in the existing reservoir to be decontaminated, ending the seepage of harmful minerals into local water tables. The plans were announced by Environment Minister Alan Kelly, who said it was a "pivotal" moment for north Tipperary and the country. "For Silvermines, it will transform the mining legacy here from an environmentally hazardous to a positive one, as well as trigger very significant and sustainable investment and employment in the local community," he said. "From a national perspective, it will significantly advance Ireland's transition to a low-carbon economy." Project director Darren Quinn said the existing reservoir was some 70 metres deep and 400 metres across, and was filled with contaminated water. A new reservoir would be built on the upper mountain, around 300 metres above the existing one, and the power generated would be transmitted to the national grid by way of underground cables, meaning no pylons would be required. "The 370 acres of land is already secured for the project, it will be leased and purchased subject to planning," he said. "There's more detailed feasibility work to be done on the project, and consultation with the local community over the next 12 months. We would hope to seek permission within two years." The turbine generators would be located below the water in the lower reservoir, meaning that little or no noise would be generated during the electricity production process. The site was previously owned by Macgobar before closing in the early 1990s. A similar pumped storage hydro facility is already operated by the ESB at Turlough Hill in the Wicklow Mountains, which produces 292MW at peak. The project would also allow wind energy to be deployed at night time during periods of less demand. Ms Foster insisted that it is a 'moral imperative' that she works for the entire community of Northern Ireland and she wants to see 'a new way of doing business' at Stormont with an end to 'bickering and not getting things done'. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said he is looking forward to working with the North's new First Minister, Arlene Foster, as she was elected to the role at an important time for Northern Ireland ahead of elections in May. Ms Foster, an MLA for Fermanagh, is the first woman to hold the post and, at 45, is also the youngest. Congratulating her on her election, Mr Kenny said he is looking forward to continuing to work with Ms Foster to meet challenges and to develop opportunities to benefit all communities across the island of Ireland. Speaking as she took office, Ms Foster insisted that it is a "moral imperative" that she works for the entire community of Northern Ireland and she wants to see "a new way of doing business" at Stormont with an end to "bickering and not getting things done". Her power-sharing partner in office, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, said he had been asked repeatedly in recent weeks how he expected to work with Mrs Foster. "If I can work with Ian Paisley and Peter Robinson I can work with anybody," Mr McGuinness said. Mrs Foster responded: "I did laugh at that...maybe he thinks I am a softer touch than Ian or Peter." In her acceptance speech to MLAs following her election yesterday, Ms Foster said: "It is time for a new generation to step forward, to build on all that has been achieved and to move our country forward. "I want us to live in a more harmonious society, where we seek accommodation with one another, not conflict. Those in positions of responsibility in government cannot do everything, but we can act as an example to others. If only we believe in ourselves, all things are possible. "I make no apology for being a unionist, but my role as First Minister calls on me to serve the whole community. I see that not just as a legal duty but as a moral imperative." Speaking later, Ms Foster revealed that the DUP, of which she became leader before Christmas, was prepared to consider allowing a free vote to MLAs on the issue of same -sex marriage - after the party used the Assembly's petition of concern to block a simple overall majority in favour of new legislation last year. She also said she will consider any invitations she receives on their merits, including from the GAA. The Taoiseach said he wants insurers to address 'the contradiction' between their claims that they are insuring homes where flood defences are put in place, and the stories he is hearing from people on the ground. Brian Lawless/PA Wire Insurance companies will come under further pressure over their refusal to cover homes, farms and businesses in areas where the State has built flood defences. The issue will dominate a crunch meeting between Taoiseach Enda Kenny and the heads of six of the largest insurance companies today. Insurers are refusing cover to families, farmers and firms in towns which have already had flood defence schemes put in place under the auspices of the Office of Public Works. Towns like Fermoy and Mallow, in Cork, and Clonmel in Tipperary, have had millions of euro spent on flood defences, but insurers will not cover properties in these areas. Taoiseach Enda Kenny said he wants insurers to address "the contradiction" between their claims that they are insuring homes where flood defences are put in place, and the stories he is hearing from people on the ground. "If a premises is insurable then it should be re-insurable. So we need to tease that out first of all with the insurance companies. "We want to see a situation where people, for their homes, are entitled to have flood cover. Insofar as it is practical, the flood defences that are in place now and the defences that will be put in place need to be the focus of the insurance companies," Mr Kenny said. An estimated 50,000 property owners are unable to get cover, with most of this figure made up of homeowners, according to former president of the Irish Brokers' Association Paul Kavanagh. He said insurers are now querying cover for anyone situated within 500 metres of water. Cover is also being refused to property owners in towns like Fermoy, Clonmel and Mallow because the flood defences were moveable and not fixed in place, he said. Mr Kavanagh called on the Government to force insurers to cover all forms of flood defences, including areas with demountable barriers. Mr Kavanagh suggested the 3pc levy on all general insurance policies should be used to pay for the cost of building flood defences and compensating those impacted. The 3pc levy was originally put in place to bail out PMPA, but it is still being deducted even though that firm's liabilities were paid off decades ago. Chief executives from Aviva, Axa, FBD, RSA, AIG and Zurich are to meet Mr Kenny. A spokesman for Insurance Ireland defended the stance of insurers refusing to cover properties in areas where removable flood barriers had been built. Unwilling Cover could only be provided where fixed flood defences are in place, which is in line with international standards, he said. "Where fixed defences are in place, cover will be provided," the spokesman said. Some 70,000 homes have been identified as being at risk of flooding by rivers or the sea, according to OPW studies. However, at least 30,000 of these homes would not be covered under the Government's 430m flood defence plan. Insurers are unwilling to insure properties in areas that have already been subject to flooding, maintaining that homes and businesses in these areas are no longer an "insurable risk". They say it is inevitable these properties will flood again. The insurers are set to tell the Government that more money must be invested in new flood defences and on updating existing ones before it would agree to any scheme to help those suffering from flood damage. They will argue that if a national levy was imposed to assist those without flood cover, all policyholders would see an increase in their premiums. Insurance Ireland is to question planning decisions to allow development on flood plains, and may call for legislation to ensure this does not happen in future. Environment Minister Alan Kelly said he may issue a directive to stop construction on flood plains. The insurance industry is adamant that insurers are struggling to make profits at the moment because of higher levels of claims, low investment returns and regulatory rule changes. This contradicts recent statements from the Taoiseach who has insisted that insurers are making big profits, and should do more to help flooded homeowners and businesses. Any levy on policies would end up being imposed on households, the insurance bosses are set to tell Mr Kenny. Carol Reddy Locke suffered from shingles after her immune system took a 'battering'. Photo: Dylan Vaughan. Blisters, itching, pain, fatigue, headaches - plus an overwhelming fear that she could lose her sight - tormented Carol Reddy Locke for weeks and forced her to wear gloves to stop her tearing her skin. The mother-of-two had a condition that most of us recognise, but, according to the latest research, few understand - shingles, a viral disease affecting the nerves and surrounding skin. According to research published today, most Irish adults aged over 50 are aware of the condition but know little about it - yet two out of three cases occur in people over 50, and cases tend to be more severe in older adults. Like many others, Carol had heard about shingles but knew nothing about the condition until she started to experience symptoms which, the 46-year-old Co Carlow woman recalls, were a nightmare: "My body almost broke down. The pain, fatigue, blisters, itching, headaches and fear that the rash would travel to my eyes just simply overwhelmed me. It must have lasted a month," says Carol, who, like 95pc of adults, had chickenpox as a child. If you've ever had chickenpox, you face a one-in-four chance of developing shingles, because the condition is caused by the reactivation of the same virus that causes chickenpox. "The most common cause of that reactivation is an age-related drop in the strength of the immune system, which is why it tends to be more common in the over 50s," explains Limerick GP Dr John Loughnane. Carol battled the condition, which doctors believed, resulted from her "shattered" immune system, which had received a heavy battering from a hectic few months at work, major surgery and an already difficult medical history. "I kept my eating and cleaning utensils separate and washed everything with boiling water. "My husband, God love him, was sent to the spare room. "Around the end of July I was itching all over. It was so bad I wore gloves so I wouldn't draw blood." Desperate for relief, she made a paste of baking soda and water which she rubbed over her body. The trouble started in July 2014, about four months after she underwent weight-loss surgery. However Carol, the manager of Bagenalstown Credit Union in Carlow, suffers from a variety of ailments including fibromyalgia, a disorder which is believed to cause the brain to perceive pain at an amplified rate, resulting in widespread pain and fatigue. She also suffers from severe back pain and trigeminal neuralgia, a chronic condition which causes severe facial pain. Over the years, as she battled these health problems, she put on weight, eventually reaching 25 stone, which is why she opted for the gastric band surgery. When she contracted shingles following the operation, Carol presumed the pain was both a response to the weight-loss surgery, and linked to her existing health problems. "I knew my medical conditions would affect my recovery and my immune system would be compromised, but I never expected shingles," she says. She consulted her GP and was prescribed a morphine patch for the pain which she had used in the past. However this time the patch didn't work - she was back to the doctor within 48 hours. "A very small blister on my ear had spread to the side of my face and my body was itching and the pain was very different." Carol felt deeply unwell, and was experiencing an overwhelming sense of fatigue. Suspecting shingles, her doctor sent her to hospital where medical staff confirmed the diagnosis. Carol was put on antibiotics and prescribed a viral cream and pain relief, and improved quickly within a few days. Afterwards, medical staff explained that the shingles was more than likely caused by her severely compromised immune system. Carol had, she admits, a hectic time at work in the run up to Christmas 2013. Then in January 2014 she had flown to Arizona to attend her son's wedding. During the return journey to Ireland, she contracted a very serious bout of food poisoning and became extremely ill. In February she had a flare up of her fibromyalgia, and, following gastric band surgery in March, it was, she recalls, a case of "Bang; I hit a brick wall." Even now, says Carol, who has lost nearly 11 stone since the weight-loss surgery, her earlobe still goes bright red and itches when she gets over-tired. According to a study carried out on more than 500 people around Ireland and which is published today, the majority of people aged 50 and over in this country know little about the condition. The survey results, which are published as part of the 'Have You Heard About Shingles?' campaign, show that women are more than twice as likely to know a lot more about shingles than males, at 25pc compared to just 12pc. Two-out-of-three cases of shingles occur in people over 50 years of age, and the disease also tends to be more severe in older adults. "The big message is that as we get older, the immune system does not hold the virus down as much as it should, and it reactivates - the consequences are more severe for elderly people because the rash is more severe, as is the pain, which is caused by nerve damage inflicted by the virus as it travels down the nerve," explains Dr Loughnane, who added that a vaccine is now available to protect against the condition, although costs are not covered by the HSE. The research shows "a worryingly low level of awareness among those who are at risk," added Dr Loughnane. Shingles can cause extreme pain, warned John Lindsay, chairman of Chronic Pain Ireland. "Shingles can lead to a condition known as post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) which is an extremely painful condition and difficult to treat. "To avoid this, we urge people to talk to their healthcare professional about shingles prevention, treatment or long-term care." * Have You Heard About Shingles? awareness campaign is supported by Sanofi Pasteur MSD, Age Action, Chronic Pain Ireland and the Patients' Association of Ireland The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has seen a dramatic 33pc rise in the number of sexual assaults and rape reported to the service in the first eight months of 2015, Online dating apps such as Tinder facilitate sexual predators and should be avoided, according to a spokesperson from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. CEO Ellen OMalley revealed the organisation has seen a dramatic 33pc rise in the number of sexual assaults and rape reported to the service in the first eight months of 2015, which could be related to the rise in popularity of online dating apps in Ireland. I think its really important for people to know how dangerous it can be because you have perpetrators who are out there seeking vulnerable people and that site is an extremely dangerous, or can be, an extremely dangerous site for people to access another person just to have sex, said Ms OMalley speaking to RTE Radio Ones Sean ORourke. You can have perpetrators who are seeking to abuse another. While the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre can not identify whether online dating apps are directly related to the increase, Ms OMalley revealed that victims are unlikely to reveal whether or not they met their attacker online. People are going on the Tinder website specifically to have a sexual relationship with another outside the realms of any other type of relationship and that is very concerning. You can imagine if someone is ringing our helpline for support, theyre not going to say to us that theyve been raped by somebody theyve met on Tinder because they would be very ashamed about that. The last thing you would want to get into is victim blaming no matter what the situation is, Ms OMalley said. When asked whether she would advise Irish people against using the online dating apps and websites, Ms OMalley said: I would. The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre representative stressed that sexual awareness and the topic of consent should be included in SPHE programmes in secondary schools throughout the country. We know from research that young boys are accessing pornography from the age of 9 and before they have a relationship theyre about 16, she said. You have seven years where theyre at a very crucial developmental stage and this is the kind of thing theyre watching. Theyre becoming desensitised. They dont see the other person as a person. We would say to secondary schools in particular that the SPHE programmes around the country should get young people together to talk about these things. Its so important that young people talk about what could happen when they access these sites. Its important to talk to children about their developing bodies in a way thats educational and that will help them be prepared for these types of situations, she said. Icelandic carrier WOW air has unveiled the lead-in fares for its forthcoming routes from Dublin to San Francisco and LA. The transatlantic routes will operate via Reykjavik, where a one hour and 20-minute stopover will lead to an estimated total journey time of 13.5 hours. One-way fares are now available from 199pp, it says. WOW already flies direct from Dublin to Reykjavik. The Reykjavik to LA and San Francisco routes begin on June 9 and June 15 respectively. "This is a game-changer for WOW air, and arguably the travel industry, making travel to the US and Iceland both easy and affordable from Ireland," said Skuli Mogensen, founder and CEO of the low-cost airline. On the face of it, WOW's lead-in rates are considerably cheaper than the 329 each-way fares quoted by Aer Lingus ahead of its new service to LA, set to launch this May. The new Aer Lingus route is a direct service, however. Ethiopian Airlines also flies direct from Dublin to LA, with return fares quoted on its website (ethiopianairlines.com) from 495 as we publish. Furthermore, while Aer Lingus and Ethiopian offer 23kg checked bags as part of their direct service, WOW allows just one cabin bag of less than 5kg for free. It charges from 31 to 38 per leg for checked bags of 12-20kg, depending on flight length, leading to a potential cost of 138 for a single checked bag for a four-leg return trip from Dublin to either LA or San Francisco. Fees for bags weighing 7-12kg range from 15-31 per flight. Baggage fees are, of course, optional charges. WOW became the first airline to operate direct scheduled flights from Dublin to Iceland when it launched its Reykjavik service last June. It currently offers Dublin-Reykjavik from 95 each-way, and plans to increase the twice-weekly service to three flights weekly in February. Passenger numbers will double to over 1.8 million this year, WOW says. Online publications and social media have hit traditional travel publishing hard, but they haven't killed it off... yet. In 1957, Arthur Frommer published 'Europe on 5 Dollars a Day'. A format was born. In the decades that followed, travel guides by Frommers, Lonely Planet, Rough Guides et al. sold by the truckload, combining with a boom in tourism to create a genre without which no backpack was complete. We all know what happened next. Online and mobile technologies hit travel publishing like a tornado. A new generation of digital natives latched onto social media, to Google, TripAdvisor, Skyscanner and a wave of apps to research, plan and share their adventures. Between 2005 and 2012, combined sales at the seven largest travel publishers in the UK dropped by 46pc, according to a report for Nielsen BookScan. Lonely Planet was sold and re-sold. In 2012, Google purchased Frommer's. But then came a curved ball. In 2014, Arthur Frommer and his daughter Pauline bought their brand back. They updated 30 'EasyGuides' in print that year - lighter, more focused titles - and recently published an 800-page guide to Europe. At the same time, Rough Guides has come up with Colour The World, a travel book that features outlines of iconic sights for travellers to colour in. The future of print guides will always be niche, but it's a niche we may have underestimated. Many of us still yearn for a slower kind of travel - the scratch of pen on paper, the engagement required to compose a sketch or notes, rather than snap a selfie and move on. The age of Europe on $5 a day is definitely over, but the death of the guidebook may have been exaggerated. Save Expand Close Rome, Italy / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Rome, Italy You'd be hard-pushed to do Europe on $5 a day now, but there are huge savings to be made on city breaks. Cheaper oil has led to cheaper airfares, which have led to cheaper dynamically packaged holidays (i.e. combinations of accommodation and scheduled flights). Cassidy Travel (cassidytravel.ie) has two nights in Amsterdam from 103pp in February, for instance. Budget Travel (budgettravel.ie) has flights plus three nights at a four-star hotel in Rome from 159pp in April. Gohop.ie, ClickandGo.com and lowcostholidays.ie also have deals. Splash Expand Close St Lucia / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp St Lucia Planning a honeymoon in 2016? Classic Resorts (classicresorts.ie) has several long-haul, bucket-list-style trips on special this month, including 11 nights in Kenya from 2,099pp - with four nights on safari and seven at a beach resort in Mombasa (travel in May). It also has seven nights all-inclusive at the four-star Rendezvous resort in St Lucia (pictured) from 2,479pp (travel in June) and a 10-night, twin-centre, Mexico and Las Vegas trip including three nights at the five-star Aria Resort in Sin City from 1,699pp. NB: Prices subject to availability. Premium Colette Browne Opinion Every effort must be made to retrieve oral histories of mother and baby home survivors With three days to go until the Mother and Baby Homes Commission ceases to exist as a legal entity, we are being told that audio recordings of hundreds of witnesses which were deleted may not actually be gone forever. It is another usual twist in a most emotional saga. For decades, survivors of mother and baby homes have been denied a voice and denied autonomy. When they fell pregnant, many through rape and abuse, they were marched to the doors of religious institutions. Prior to the last general election, such had been the catastrophic failure of our political system, the civil service and vital State institutions, every party manifesto promised radical political and administrative reform. Sensing the public outrage at the incompetence and betrayal of trust by senior officials and politicians, there were elaborate commitments to "a new way of doing politics", "scorecards" to hold ministers to account, and, in the Coalition's Programme for Government, a pledge to close the "huge accountability gap" in our systems of governance. As early evidence of its resolve to implement the needed reforms, the Government removed responsibility for reform from the Department of Finance, itself needing root-and-branch reform, and assigned the task to the newly created Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER). This administrative innovation has been successful in controlling costs and implementing many reforms but, for all the progress made, the job is far from finished. It is imperative, therefore, that a senior ministry focused on reform be retained when a new government is being formed. The most crucial piece of unfinished business has been the failure to crack the "huge accountability gap", defined in his own inimitable style by Pat Rabbitte at the Burren Law School in 2010: "The system of accountability we pretend to have is grounded in a lie, enabling civil servants to hide behind the skirts of ministers and ministers to avoid responsibility." The eminent political scientist, Francis Fukuyama, says that the three pillars of a functioning democracy are technocratic competence, the rule of law and accountability. Deficiencies in all three explain how things went so badly wrong, with "catastrophic consequences for many thousands of our people" (Taoiseach Enda Kenny), but none was more destructive than the "huge accountability gap", our dysfunctional systems of governance. Despite sustained effort by the DPER since 2011 to effectively tackle this absolutely core issue, for example with an Independent Expert Panel on Accountability and several attempts to install a grown-up system of performance management, resistance to these efforts has left us where we started, with a largely unaccountable civil service and political system. Just one indicator of the scale of the challenge is the recent revelation that the performance of a mere 1pc of 30,000 assessed civil servants was deemed "unsatisfactory". The other 99pc-plus received an automatic pay increment, as did another 40pc of officials who were not even assessed. Now that the relatively boring topic of political and public service reform has been driven off the front pages by promises of "more money in people's pockets" and all kinds of other goodies, it cannot be assumed that the next government will continue the work of the DPER, most especially in tackling the enduring accountability gap and associated culture of impunity. Should the new government be up for it, the steps that need to be taken include: 1: Replace the 1924 Ministers and Secretaries Act, the target of Mr Rabbitte's withering criticism, which conflates the respective responsibilities of Ministers and Secretaries General, such that neither can be held personally accountable for anything. 2. Establish a credible Accountability Board. The Board established last year to hold Secretaries General to account, which in the DPER's own terms ought to involve "external scrutiny with the requirement to justify and explain with the implication of consequences arising", is composed of the Taoiseach, the Tanaiste, the Minister for the DPER, their respective Secretaries General, a fourth Secretary General, and the Chairman of the Revenue Commissioners - that is a total of eight insiders, plus four external people. 3. Provide external boards for each department, the kind of body, for example, that is in place to oversee implementation of the recommendations of the devastating Toland Review of the Department of Justice and Equality. Such a structure is badly needed in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, to name but one. 4. Starting at the very top, assign an "unsatisfactory" rating to managers, right down the chain of command, who either don't carry out staff performance reviews or who rate 100pc of their staff as wonderful. People manage others as they are managed. 5. Establish proper strategic management disciplines. Good governance starts with a long-range vision and associated strategic and operational goals; only then is it clear what you are accountable for. Recent crises in housing, flood management and health ("There is no vision for the health service" - HSE CEO, Tony O'Brien) reveal once again the lack of strategic planning. Both these and other chronic problems, like the glaring deficiencies in An Garda Siochana set out in the recent Inspectorate's report, highlight pervasive failures in strategy implementation. Earlier reports were not implemented. 6. Delegate to all regulators - of policing, spatial planning, waste management, financial institutions, etc - the powers of "invasive scrutiny and effective sanctions", as it was expressed by the former finance regulator Matthew Elderfield. The problem is that in most sectors the underpinning legislation enables the government to determine what should, and should not, be investigated or pursued through the courts. This power is open to abuse by ministers if they are intent on covering up politically awkward issues. 7. Use the probationary period for the large intake of new public servants to weed out those who don't meet tough-minded criteria for securing permanent, pensionable jobs. Otherwise they will learn from the 'hidden curriculum' how to 'work the system'. Unless the "huge accountability gap", which was a root cause of the disastrous economic collapse and its terrible, continuing social consequences, is adequately addressed by the next government, then, as sure as night follows day, we are destined to suffer the same fate again. Eddie Molloy is a management consultant I was interested to read in your paper (January 7) Taoiseach Enda Kenny's claims that border controls would be introduced between the UK and the Republic of Ireland if the UK votes to leave the EU. The freedom of movement across Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands pre-dates not only the EU in all its forms but also the second and first world wars, and the invention of passports and the internal combustion engine. It was formally codified in a memorandum of understanding regarding a Common Travel Area between the two governments in 2011, and is completely independent of either country's ongoing membership of the EU. No political grouping in Britain is proposing to introduce such controls should the UK vote to leave the EU. Ukip's former Director of Communications Patrick O'Flynn, current Head of Policy Mark Reckless and party leader Nigel Farage are all on the record as backing continued freedom of movement between Britain and Ireland in the event of a Brexit. Even the now defunct British National Party did not oppose it. As such, when Mr Kenny says "we would be looking at border controls in Ireland", by "we" does he mean Fine Gael themselves, the authorities in Brussels, or some combination thereof? Daragh Gerald Patrick Cahalane St Albans, UK Alcohol and our A&Es My teenage kids often tell me that denial is not a just a river in Egypt. In yesterday's Letters to the Editor, an emergency physician wrote: "More worrying is Dr de Brun's assertion that 30-40pc of emergency presentations are simply 'a medicalised form of anxiety, depression or a dependence of some kind'." In 2012, a briefing document for the 'Joint Committee on Health in Relation to Alcohol' presented a report entitled 'Alcohol in the Emergency Department'. The report was compiled by the Irish College of Psychiatrists (December 2011). It states: "The burden of alcohol abuse in the EDs of Irish hospitals is high and at least consistent with international figures. The statistics in relation to EDs are well known with 30pc of ED costs attributable to alcohol (Chief Medical Officer 2010)". My letter attributes 30-40pc of A&E presentations to depression, anxiety and drug dependence. This figure is likely to be even worse than I suggest, with alcohol alone accounting for at least 30pc of the costs of A&E. It is very likely that alcohol in conjunction with depression, anxiety and other forms of drug dependence may well count for most of the burden on A&E, in which case most of the overcrowding at A&E is a consequence of the pathologies of individual unhappiness and social dis-ease: rather than not enough money being spent on A&E departments. "The middle-aged man with chest pain who had serial electrocardiograms, blood tests and a stress test but was safely let home, absolutely needed to be in ED. The young child with gastroenteritis who was rehydrated over a period of hours with intravenous fluids but not admitted, needed to be in the ED," the doctor wrote. Having worked in New Zealand for several years, I would suggest that in more sensible jurisdictions all of the above are safely and efficiently conducted within the community. Emergency departments are not needed to give IV fluids, do simple blood tests or perform cardiac stress tests. If someone needs to be put on a treadmill to elicit their symptoms, this is not an emergency. Rehydrating patients with a bag of fluids or doing blood tests are performed in nursing homes every day of the week. In other jurisdictions, uncomplicated fractures are indeed X-rayed and back-slabbed (casted) in the community and then offered appointments in fracture clinics the following day without attending A&E. Dr Menzies is no doubt aware that there are more X-ray facilities within the Dublin community than one could shake a stick at, and like me, they are all sound asleep at 11pm. I reiterate that what is lacking in Irish healthcare is not a lack of medicine or resource, simply common sense. The remaining statistics quoted in my letter might be confirmed by a very brief internet search. Dr Marcus de Brun Rush Family Practice Rush, Co Dublin Ban trawlers close to shore What is the point of Minister Coveney going to Brussels to seek fishery conservation regulation while, back in Dublin, trawlers are allowed to fish within a few yards of shore, scooping up sprat within Dun Laoghaire Harbour? On January 8, people interested either in fish conservation, or the preservation of Dun Laoghaire Harbour as an amenity for the people, safe from either the ravages of the current scheme to attract huge liners or from trawlers, were horrified to see two trawlers slaughtering sprat within a few feet of the lifeboat station and the national yacht club. According to onlookers, it took a large articulated truck to ferry away the hundreds of boxes which were subsequently landed at the Coal Quay in Dun Laoghaire. The Harbour Police say the trawlers had received permission to do this from the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Authority. This is the body which sanctioned the putting-up of notices warning the public not to fish from the piers, an inexpensive and much appreciated pastime enjoyed by Dun Laoghaire residents, both young and old, for generations. The minister should immediately intervene by signing an exclusion order banning trawlers from the shore line for at least three miles. Tim Pat Coogan Glenageary Co Dublin Fighting the floods The Government speaks of levies, when what's needed are levees. Conan Doyle Kilkenny Sinn Fein and the Rising It comes as a big surprise to me that the political parties opposed to Sinn Fein don't take out major newspaper ads declaring that Sinn Fein were never involved in the 1916 rising. We do have an election due soon. Don't we? Sinn Fein has created the illusion of being involved. So who did the revolutionaries represent? "Let's not let the truth get in the way of a good story." Damien Carroll Kingswood, Dublin 24 Comedian Bill Cosby's lawyer says the star was not in Los Angeles on the day he was accused of molesting a model (Invision/AP) Bill Cosby's lawyers have filed a motion to dismiss criminal sexual assault charges against the embattled comedian, on grounds the prosecutor broke a promise not to press charges over Cosby's alleged 2004 encounter with Andrea Constand. The Cosby Show star has been fighting off decades-old accusations from more than 50 women, who have come forward with claims of inappropriate behaviour, drugging and rape against the actor in the past year. Among them is former Temple University employee Constand, who filed a civil lawsuit against Cosby in 2005, alleging the funnyman of attacking her at his mansion in Pennsylvania in 2004. She eventually settled with Cosby in 2006, but his deposition was made public in July, and in the documents, the 78 year old confessed to obtaining sedatives called Quaaludes to give to women he wanted to have sex with. Pennsylvania authorities reopened the criminal investigation into her claims, and in late December, Cosby was arrested and charged with aggravated indecent assault stemming from Constand's allegations. He turned himself in to police and was arraigned in a Montgomery County courthouse before being released on $1 million (918,834) bail. And while Cosby awaits a preliminary hearing in the case set for Thursday, his defence team filed a motion in Philadelphia on Monday, arguing that the prosecutor filed the new sexual assault charges against Cosby partly because of the statements he made in that deposition. His lawyers say the agreement not to file the charges prompted Cosby to testify without invoking his Fifth Amendment rights. Cosby's team is asking for Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele's office to be removed from the case if the charges aren't dropped. Police search for evidence in the Sultanahmet district after an explosion in Istanbul (AP) Policemen secure an area at Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district after an explosion (AP) An Islamic State suicide bomber has detonated a bomb in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists, killing 10 people - at least nine of them German - and wounding 15 others, Turkish officials said. Prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu said IS was behind the suicide attack, adding that Turkey is determined to battle the militant group until it no longer "remains a threat" to the country or the world. Turkey's state-run news agency said Mr Davutoglu held a telephone conversation with German chancellor Angela Merkel to express his condolences. A senior government official confirmed that most of the victims were German. Ms Merkel had earlier said they were part of a German travel group. "I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Istanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber," president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber was a 28-year-old Syrian national whose "connections" were being investigated. It was unclear whether the death toll of 10 included the bomber. Ms Merkel, speaking at a news conference in Berlin, condemned the attack: "Today Istanbul was hit, Paris has been hit, Tunisia has been hit, Ankara has been hit before. International terrorism is once again showing its cruel and inhuman face today." The explosion, which could be heard over a wide area, hit a park that is home to a landmark obelisk, 30 yards from the historic Blue Mosque. Turkey's Dogan news agency said one Norwegian and a Peruvian were also among the wounded, and Seoul's Foreign Ministry said a South Korean had a finger injury. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry told Norway's news agency NTB that the Norwegian tourist was slightly hurt and was being treated in a local hospital. Mr Kurtulmus said two of the wounded were in serious condition. Germany and Denmark have warned their citizens to avoid crowds outside tourist attractions in Istanbul. Last year, Turkey agreed to take a more active role in the US-led battle against IS. Turkey opened its bases to US aircraft to launch air raids on the extremist group in Syria and has carried out a limited number of strikes itself. It has also moved to tighten security along its 560-mile border with Syria in a bid to stem the flow of militants. Police sealed off the Sultanahmet area, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion, and a police helicopter hovered overhead. Sultanahmet is Istanbul's main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and the former Byzantine church of Haghia Sophia, now a museum. Mr Davutoglu immediately convened a security meeting with the country's interior minister and other officials. As with previous attacks, authorities imposed a news blackout, barring media from showing images of the dead or injured or reporting any details of the investigation. Turkey suffered two major bombing attacks last year, both blamed on Islamic State. More than 30 people were killed in a suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near the border with Syria, in July. Two suicide bombs exploded in October outside Ankara's main train station as people gathered for a peace rally, killing more than 100 in Turkey's deadliest attack. The prosecutor's office said that attack was carried out by a local IS cell. Trump has said that conflict with North Korea is possible Donald Trump has praised the leadership style of North Korea's dictator Kim Jong-un, for the "amazing" way he murders political rivals. During a Republican political rally in Iowa at the weekend, he repeated his assertion that Muslims should not be allowed to enter the US before turning his attention to the North Korean despot, who has carried out frequent purges of officials. "You've got to give him credit. How many young guys - he was like 26 or 25 when his father died - take over these tough generals, and all of a sudden... he goes in, he takes over, he's the boss," said Mr Trump. "It's incredible. He wiped out the uncle, he wiped out this one, that one. This guy doesn't play games." His comments appear to be a reference to the disappearance of Jang Song Taek, who married the sister of Kim's father and predecessor as supreme leader, Kim Jong-Il. Execution He was accused of being a counter-revolutionary, was stripped abruptly of all his posts and his image digitally removed from regime photographs. North Korea announced his execution following conviction by a special military tribunal. Mr Trump's comments came days after Pyongyang claimed it had detonated a hydrogen bomb for the first time - a claim treated with scepticism by many analysts. The nuclear test was followed by celebrations in North Korea. The US responded by sending a nuclear-capable B-52 long-range bomber on a low-level flight over South Korea in a show of strength. This was not the first time Mr Trump has been complimentary about an enemy of the US. He recently accepted praise from Vladimir Putin, returning the sentiment by saying it was a "great honour to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond". On the home front, Trump has been raising doubts about rival Ted Cruz's eligibility for the presidency, saying Republicans will risk losing a lawsuit - and potentially the nation's highest office - if they nominate Cruz as their candidate. With Cruz edging Trump in polls in Iowa, which will hold the first-in-the-nation caucuses next month, the billionaire real-estate developer spent much of an hour-long speech in Reno, Nevada, on Sunday questioning whether Cruz's birth in Canada could disqualify him from being president. Born in Calgary to a US-born mother, Cruz has said he meets the constitutional requirement that a president be a natural-born US citizen. Trump, who earlier raised doubts about President Obama's birthplace and eligibility for office, intimated last week that Cruz may not meet the legal standard and has not backed off since. "Ted has to solve this problem," Trump told more than 5,000 cheering supporters at the Reno Events Center. "He's got a big problem. If he were lucky enough to win and be your candidate, he's going to be sued by the Democrats." Cruz himself said on CNN's 'State of the Union' that his mother was born in Delaware and has "never been a citizen of any other place". "The Internet has all sorts of fevered swamp theories," he said. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll released earlier showed that Cruz leads Trump in Iowa - by a margin of 28pc to 24pc. Rail passengers have expressed their anger after being told trains were delayed due to "strong sunlight". Services at Lewisham, south-east London were disrupted because of the angle of the sun, train operator Southeastern said. The rail firm posted on Twitter: "W e had severe congestion through Lewisham due to dispatching issues as a result of strong sunlight." It added: " The low winter sun has been hitting the dispatch monitor which prevents the driver from being able to see." But some travellers were unimpressed by the explanation. Julie Clarke asked Southeastern: "How do they go on in hot countries where they have sunshine all the time?" Paul Malyon described it as "the weakest excuse ever" while Brian Barnett wrote: "Leaves on the line. Wrong snow. Now sunshine! Let's think of next excuse?" A spokesman for Southeastern said: " We know that sometimes it seems that if it is not leaves on the line or snow on the track then it is some other weather issue. "But actually glare this morning made it impossible for some drivers to see the full length of their train in their mirrors before leaving stations. "When this happens they have to get out and check to ensure everybody has got on or off the train safely before they can move. This can take a little more time but thankfully for all it doesn't happen very often." Meanwhile, all services between Lewisham and Dartford via Bexleyheath were cancelled for the rest of the day following a landslip at Barnehurst. A limited replacement bus service was in operation although passengers were advised to use alternative routes. There were also problems on the Southern network as a sinkhole caused trains between Redhill in Surrey and Tonbridge in Kent to be suspended. Oscar Pistorius is under house arrest while the Constitutional Court decides if it will hear the case Oscar Pistorius's lawyer says the South African Supreme Court of Appeal ignored the double-amputee's vulnerability when it overturned a manslaughter conviction, declaring him guilty of murder for killing his girlfriend. In a request to South Africa's Constitutional Court to hear an appeal over the murder conviction, lawyer Andrew Fawcett said Pistorius was on his stumps, which made him anxious, when he shot and killed Reeva Steenkamp in 2013. He said the appeal court ignored the trial court's finding that Pistorius believed his life was in danger. Mr Fawcett also challenged the appeal court's conclusion that the athlete knew he would kill someone when he fired into a toilet cubicle. Pistorius is under house arrest while the Constitutional Court decides if it will hear the case. Sentencing is scheduled for April 18. A woman holds up a sign saying 'No Violence Against Women' as protesters gather in front of Hauptbahnhof main railway station to protest against the New Year's Eve sex attacks on January 9, 2016 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Sascha Schuermann/Getty Images) The German government plans to ease the rules for deporting foreign criminals after the New Year's Eve assaults in Cologne. Two senior ministers said the planned reform of laws on deportation and sexual offences will lower the legal hurdles to expel foreigners who commit serious crimes. Justice minister Heiko Maas and interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said any custodial sentence for crimes against another person's bodily integrity, including sexual assaults, as well as serious property damage, will be grounds for deportation. Cologne police said 553 criminal complaints have been filed in connection to the New Year's Eve attacks. Most of the suspects are believed to be foreigners, including at least some asylum-seekers. Authorities are looking into whether the robberies and sexual assaults by groups of men were co-ordinated or linked to smaller-scale incidents in other cities. Holger Muench, head of the Federal Criminal Police Office, said "the same conditions were in place at different locations", with crowds of people gathering to celebrate the new year. But he added: "I am not saying that there was no organisation, but it is not organised crime - that would have a different quality for me, we would be talking about... hierarchical groups." Germany plans to make it easier to deport criminal foreigners following public outrage over New Year's Eve assaults in Cologne. Police say 553 criminal complaints have been filed in connection with the assaults, with about 45% involving allegations of sexual offences, and most of the suspects identified so far are foreign nationals. Many asylum-seekers who commit crimes currently avoid deportation because the danger they face in their home country is considered greater than the reason for deporting them. Interior minister Thomas de Maiziere told reporters in Berlin: "With this proposal we are significantly lowering the hurdles for the possible expulsion of foreigners who have committed crimes in Germany." The changes, which have to be approved by the cabinet and parliament, would mean that even a suspended prison sentence would be grounds for deportation if someone is found guilty of certain crimes. These include homicide, bodily harm, sexual assault, violent theft and serial shoplifting. Youth sentences would be covered. A sentence of more than one year would further increase the likelihood of deportation, Mr de Maiziere said. "That's a hard but right response by the state to those who are seeking protection here, but think they can commit crimes" without consequences for their right to remain in Germany, he said. Justice minister Heiko Maas said public pressure after the Cologne assaults played a role in getting the plan agreed so quickly. "We owe this to the victims of these serious crimes," he said, adding that the measures were also necessary "to protect the overwhelming majority of innocent refugees in Germany. They don't deserve to be lumped together with criminal foreigners". Mr Maas said changes would be made to Germany's sex crime laws to ensure that victims who are caught by surprise, or who fear greater physical harm if they resist assault, are better protected. "This too is the kind of situation we had in Cologne, where people were confronted with a horde of men," he said. Police say most of the suspects in Cologne are believed to be foreigners, including at least some asylum-seekers. Many were described as being of "Arab or North African origin". The assaults have heightened tensions over Germany's migrant influx. Nearly 1.1 million asylum-seekers arrived last year. Cologne police say they have identified 23 possible suspects. Separately, federal police have identified 32 suspects, including nine Algerians. Germany is also keen to ensure that migrants who are not granted asylum leave the country as quickly as possible. Separately on Tuesday, a senior German police official said he does not believe the New Year's Eve assaults in Cologne and elsewhere were linked to organised crime. Holger Muench, head of the Federal Criminal Police Office, said "the same conditions were in place at different locations", with crowds of people gathering to celebrate the new year. "I am not saying that there was no organisation, but it is not organised crime," he said. "That would have a different quality for me. We would be talking about ... hierarchical groups." However, "what we see here is perpetrators communicating with each other and making arrangements... and of course we must recognise better where they do this, how they do this". Supporters say Jallikattu is a deep-rooted part of Tamil Nadu's celebration of the harvest festival (AP) India's Supreme Court has banned this year's bullfighting ritual at a harvest festival in the south after protests from activists who say the sport amounts to animal torture. The court also asked the Environment Ministry to respond to petitions from several animal rights groups that have campaigned to have the sport of Jallikattu permanently outlawed. Jallikattu takes place in Tamil Nadu state during the harvest festival of Pongal, which falls this year on Friday. Thousands of men chase the bulls to get prizes tied to their horns. Animal rights groups say the animals are terrified and are often deliberately disoriented with alcohol, and are wounded with knives and sticks as they are dragged to the ground. The Supreme Court banned the sport in 2014 but the Environment Ministry issued an order allowing it this year. Activists say the government tried to subvert the court ban because the sport evokes deep emotions in Tamil Nadu and the state is holding elections this year. Any political group seen as opposed to the sport is likely to face an electoral backlash. Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) welcomed the court order and called it "a partial victory". Supporters say Jallikattu is more than 2,000 years old and is a deep-rooted part of Tamil Nadu's celebration of the harvest festival. "A part of my heritage has been taken away from me," said Khusboo Sunder, a former actress and a member of the Congress party. She denied claims that the bulls are tortured. Residents talk to reporters in the besieged town of Madaya, northwest of Damascus, Syria. (AP Photo) Aid convoys reached three besieged villages on Monday Madaya, near Damascus, where U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said about 400 people need to be evacuated immediately to receive life-saving treatment for medical conditions, malnourishment and starvation, and the Shiite villages of Foua and Kfarya in northern Syria. (AP Photo) This picture provided by The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), working alongside the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the United Nations (UN), shows a convoy containing food, medical items, blankets and other materials being delivered to the town of Madaya in Syria (ICRC via AP) This picture provided by The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), working alongside the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the United Nations (UN), shows a convoy containing food, medical items, blankets and other materials on its way to the towns of Foua and Kfarya in northern Syria. (ICRC via AP) Aid convoys have delivered long-awaited food, medicine and other supplies to three besieged Syrian communities cut off for months by fighting amid reports that hundreds are on the brink of death. Reports of starvation and images of emaciated children have raised global concerns and underscored the urgency for new peace talks that the United Nations is hoping to host in Geneva on January 25. UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said about 400 people in the hospital in the besieged mountain village of Madaya, near Damascus, must be evacuated immediately to receive life-saving medical attention. After briefing the UN Security Council he said they needed treatment for medical complications, severe malnourishment and starvation. This must be done as soon as possible "or they are in grave peril of losing their lives", Mr O'Brien said, adding that efforts would be made to get ambulances to Madaya on Tuesday to evacuate the 400 people if safe passage could be assured. The UN says 4.5 million Syrians are living in besieged or hard-to-reach areas and desperately need humanitarian aid, with civilians prevented from leaving and aid workers blocked from bringing in food, medicine, fuel and other essentials. It will take several days to distribute the aid in Madaya and the Shiite villages of Foua and Kfarya in northern Syria. The supplies are probably enough to last for a month, aid agencies say. "It's really heartbreaking to see the situation of the people," said Red Cross spokesman Pawel Krzysiek, who oversaw the distribution in Madaya. "A while ago I was just approached by a little girl and her first question was, 'Did you bring food?'." Mr Krzysiek said he saw a lot of people on the street, "some of them smiling to us and waving to us, but many just simply too weak". Sajjad Malik, a representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, who took part in the aid operation, said: "It's cold and raining but there is excitement because we are here with some food and blankets." Peter Wilson, Britain's deputy UN ambassador, said it was "good news that those convoys are getting through, although it's little and it's late". "It's important to remember that Madaya represents only 10% of those who are under siege and 1% of those who need aid in Syria," he added. The mercy mission marked a small, positive development in a bitter conflict now in its fifth year that has killed a quarter of a million people, displaced millions of others and left the country in ruins. "This has to be just a start," said New Zealand's UN ambassador Gerard van Bohemen, who, along with Spain, called for the security council meeting. "It can't be just a one-off situation. Humanitarian access cannot be held hostage to politics." Rebels opposed to President Bashar Assad are in control of Madaya and government troops and fighters from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have surrounded the town. Opposition activists and aid groups have reported several deaths from starvation in recent weeks. But Syria's UN ambassador Bashar Ja'afari denied anyone was starving in Madaya and blamed Arab television especially "for fabricating these allegations and lies". Speaking at the UN's headquarters in New York, he blamed "armed terrorist groups" for stealing humanitarian aid and reselling it at prohibitive prices. "The Syrian government is not and will not exert any policy of starvation against its own people," Mr Ja'afari said. But Mr O'Brien said all the evidence showed there had been very severe malnourishment, severe food shortages, and reports of people "who are either starving or indeed have starved and died". An Associated Press crew saw the first three trucks cross into Madaya, although journalists were not allowed to accompany the aid workers. At the town's entrance, several civilians - including five children shivering against the cold - said they were waiting to be taken out. "I want out. There is nothing in Madaya, no water, no electricity, no fuel and no food," said teacher Safiya Ghosn. Simultaneously, convoys began entering Foua and Kfarya, which are both under siege by rebel groups hundreds of miles to the north. Tales of hunger and hardship have emerged from those inside all three communities. Pro-government fighters recently evacuated from inside Foua and Kfarya have said some people are eating grass to survive and Madaya residents have reported living off soup made of leaves and salt water. Madaya has attracted particular attention in recent days because of reports of deaths and images in social media of severely malnourished residents. The aid operation, which is being facilitated by the UN, was agreed last week. The aid group Doctors Without Borders said 23 people had died of starvation at a health centre it supports in Madaya since December 1, including six infants and five people over 60. Nearly 42,000 people in the town were at risk from hunger, said Yacoub El Hillo, the UN's resident and humanitarian co-ordinator in Syria. Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV channel showed a group of people waiting for the convoys at Madaya's main entrance. In interviews, they accused rebel fighters inside of hoarding humanitarian assistance that entered the town in October and selling the supplies to people at exorbitant prices. Ms Ghosn also blamed rebels in Madaya, saying: "Their depots are full while we go hungry. We have to humiliate ourselves to go to them and beg for food." A group of eight major international aid groups, including CARE International, Oxfam, and Save the Children, welcomed the aid convoy but warned that a one-time delivery would not save starving people. "Only a complete end to the six-month-old siege and guarantees for sustained aid deliveries alongside humanitarian services will alleviate the crisis in these areas," a statement by the group said. An Isil fighter waves a flag on a street in the city of Mosul, Iraq. Photo: Reuters Isil militants' ongoing campaign against Christians in parts of Iraq and Syria constitutes a "genocide", according to the former 'Vicar of Baghdad' as he appealed to Western governments to do more to help this persecuted minority. Canon Andrew White met political representatives in Dublin yesterday to outline his concerns over the ongoing crisis in the Middle East and to appeal to the Irish Government to include persecuted Christians among the refugees they take in from Syria and Iraq. Speaking to the Irish Independent, the Church of England vicar - who was forced out of his Baghdad parish, St George's, in November 2014 as Isil militants edged closer to the Iraqi capital - said "Christians are the forgotten minority." "We had this terrible onslaught of Islamic jihadism. I lost 1,760 members of my congregation." Some of these were decapitated by the militants for refusing to renounce their faith, including one family of five young children. He warned that Iraq and Syria are being ethnically cleansed of their Christian communities. Christians who have escaped Isil are ending up in refugee camps in neighbouring countries like Jordan "living in tents in terrible conditions" with no provision for schooling and a lack of essential amenities. Up to two years ago, Ninevah "was all Christian; now there isn't one Christian left. They were massacred and their businesses were destroyed," the vicar said. In 2014, Canon White's efforts to continue to minister to the beleaguered parish of St George's just outside Baghdad's Green Zone, and the dwindling Christian community of Iraq, was documented as a three -part television series, 'The Vicar Of Baghdad'. The vicar, who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis, continues to secretly travel into Iraq and was there recently but declined to give further details for security concerns. The 52-year-old described the situation as "horrendous". News / Africa by Staff Reporter HIS late father was a strict man who never approved of any wrongdoing in the house.After the old man died, Bongani Makhaye tried to follow in his father's footsteps by keeping the rules of the house.Daily Sun reported that but now the 50-year-old from KwaMashu, north of Durban is nursing serious burn wounds after chasing away his niece's boyfriend!He said his niece was determined to do as she pleased and was angry when he told her she could not bring her boyfriend home.She allegedly boiled water, added curry powder and salt, and then poured it over her uncle!He spent a week in hospital and his niece is now on the run.According to Bongani, his niece started doing as she pleased after his father died two years ago."She brought her boyfriend home and did not listen when I told her to stop. She told me that the house belonged to her gogo, therefore I had no right to stop her from doing what she wanted. I thought she would eventually listen and stop her behaviour," said Bongani.He said things got worse last month when she brought her boyfriend home for the holidays."I shouted at her and chased the boyfriend away. The next day she woke up and went to her friend's house. She then returned and started boiling water in the kitchen. I didn't think she was still angry," said Bongani.He said his niece then left the house again and went back to her friend."When I saw the water boiling I thought she was going to cook meat. But a short while later, as I was busy fixing the radio in my room, she poured the boiling water over me and ran away. She hasn't returned since," he said."Police told me to call them if I see her. This has caused tension in our family. Some relatives want me to drop the case I've opened with the police. They even locked my house and left with the key, and I now cannot get into the main house. I have started cooking in an outside room," he said.Lieutenant Nqobile Gwala confirmed that a case of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm is being investigated by KwaMashu police. Gilstrap SHARE Gravely By Frances Parrish of the Independent Mail Just when Jared Haynie had nearly given up hope of finding his deceased father's antique car, his mother received a call early one morning with the location of the car. "I'm feeling relieved about having it back," Haynie said with a laugh. The 1932 Ford was Haynie's most treasured possession after losing his father in 2014. The vehicle was recovered and returned to Haynie Thursday, and the Pickens County Sheriff's Office has charged 32-year-old Jeffery Michael Gilstrap with third- degree burglary, petit larceny and grand larceny, according to Chief Deputy Creed Hashe in a news release. The Sheriff's Office also has charged 34-year-old Jennifer Gravely with third-degree burglary and grand larceny. The vehicle was stolen Dec. 29 from a storage unit in Easley. The Sheriff's Office asked the community for help in locating the car, putting the picture of the antique automobile on social media. The car was found last week at a vacant residence in Pickens. In addition to the theft of the antique car, Gilstrap was charged in relation to three other storage unit thefts in December on Walhalla Highway and Bethlehem Ridge Road. Gilstrap and Gravely are being held at the Pickens County Detention Center. Gilstrap is being held on a $70,000 bond, and Gravely on a $10,000 bond, according to the news release. The car was returned to Haynie in relatively good condition with a missing hood, a dent in the trunk and a broken ignition. "It could have been a lot worse," Haynie said. Follow Frances Parrish on Twitter @frances_AIM SHARE ODell McGill White By Mike Eads of the Independent Mail Billy O'Dell was remembered Monday for his efforts as a public servant and family man. Several hundred mourners, led by a large contingent of state legislators and other public servants, attended funeral services at First Presbyterian Church of Greenwood for O'Dell, 77. He died last week at his Greenwood County home from an apparent heart condition. "No finer person has ever served as a servant in public life than Billy O'Dell," said Yancey McGill, the former lieutenant governor and state senator who went into the Legislature with the Ware Shoals native in 1989. The duo's friendship and working relationship wasn't affected by O'Dell's defection to the Republican Party in 2003. They roomed at the same Columbia hotel during legislative sessions and often rode together to different political and social functions around the state. "He loved my family and he loved all the families in this state," said McGill, who served out Lt. Gov. Glenn McConnell's term when the latter took over the College of Charleston in 2014. "We were all extended family members to Billy." O'Dell took over his family's cleaning products business in the early 1960s and remained CEO of the O'Dell Corporation until his death. He married wife, Gayle, in 1965 and the couple had two children and three grandchildren. One of those grandchildren, Clemson junior Hannah Harrison, told mourners O'Dell was a loving, dignified grandparent. She credited him with teaching her how to ride a bike and drive a tractor, and gave up his car to her for an entire day so she could practice for her driver's license. "We drove all over Ware Shoals, Honea Path, Greenwood," Harrison recounted. "When we were done, he just smiled and said, 'You did a good job' Little did I know that there were little dents all over his car. And he would have done it all over again just to spend the day with his grandchild." McGill and O'Dell were both graduates of the Citadel, and the lieutenant governor recounted the late senator's work on behalf of their alma mater. He also recounted for mourners O'Dell's extensive Senate record and his being named Senator and Legislator of the Year on several different occasions. After the ceremony, others remembered O'Dell for his personal attention to his district and its constituents despite his family and business obligations. "Anything we needed, we could always count on Billy O'Dell," said House Ways and Means Chairman Brian White, who served with O'Dell in the Anderson County legislative delegation. "Folks like Billy O'Dell are statesmen and they're all about giving back." Anderson County Administrator Rusty Burns called O'Dell a friend and confidant for more than three decades, and a strong ally to the towns and counties in District 4. "Billy had a personal relationship with every mayor in his district," Burns recounted. "He would go by those towns unannounced and just visit. He did the same with (county) councils in Abbeville, Anderson and Greenwood. Whenever you needed something, he was there." The family held a private burial ceremony at Oakwood Memorial Park in Greenwood after Monday afternoon's funeral service. Memorials may be made to Gesthsemane Church, Attn: Donna Young, 104 Burns Bridge Road, Ware Shoals, South Carolina, 29692, or to the Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758517, Topeka, Kansas, 66675, www.woundedwarriorproject.org, in Memory of William "Billy" O'Dell. Follow Michael Eads on Twitter @MikeEads_AIM DCB Bank , private sector scheduled commercial bank with 157 branches, reported standalone net profit at Rs. 41.20 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, registering decline of 3.05% yoy. The banks Net Interest Income (NII) stood at Rs. 160.46 crore, up by 31.63% yoy. DCB Banks Q3FY16 earnings were mixed bag . The banks top-line broadly was in line with IIFL estimates, though bottom line missed the estimates by significant margin of 13%. Disappointing growth in other income for the quarter (which staged a de-growth) was mainly responsible for the poor show of bottom-line. The bank's provision for bad loans stood at Rs. 20.96 crore witnessing rise of 13.78% yoy. Meanwhile, asset quality though remained stable at 1.98% on sequential basis, it deteriorated by 11 bps yoy. The banks Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) was at 13.04% with Tier I at 12.33% and Tier II at 0.71% as per Basel III norms. CASA ratio stood at 23% as against 24% as on December 31, 2014. Result Reported IIFL Estimates Variance % Standalone NII 160 163 (1.84) Standalone Net Profit 41 47 (12.76) DCB Bank Ltd ended at Rs. 75.1, down by Rs. 0.9 or 1.18% from its previous closing of Rs. 76 on the BSE. The scrip opened at Rs. 76.8 and touched a high and low of Rs. 78.3 and Rs. 74.1 respectively. A total of 2186001(NSE+BSE) shares were traded on the counter. The current market cap of the company is Rs. 2157.55 crore. The BSE group 'A' stock of face value Rs. 10 touched a 52 week high of Rs. 150.9 on 14-Jul-2015 and a 52 week low of Rs. 75.2 on 15-Dec-2015. Last one week high and low of the scrip stood at Rs. 81.1 and Rs. 75.25 respectively. The promoters holding in the company stood at 16.3 % while Institutions and Non-Institutions held 41.11 % and 42.59 % respectively. The stock traded above its 200 DMA. Gross Non-Performing Assets (NPA) for the quarter at 1.98%, expanded 11 bps yoy, but contracted 1 bps qoq. Provisions for bad loans stood at Rs. 20.96 crore, up by 13.78% yoy, but declined 3.27% qoq.For the nine months ended December 31, 2015, the bank reported net profit of Rs. 124.99 crore, down by 2.53% yoy. Meanwhile, the banks standalone NII during the period stood at Rs. 450.80 crore, clocking growth of 19.08% yoy.Standalone EPS for the quarter stood at Rs. 1.45. The Korean mutual fund industry has been sluggish for years, but things may be looking up at last. The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) is moving to try to lift the industry. In October, it said it would introduce new measures to boost retail mutual fund assets in the country.Cerulli Associates thinks FSS's initiatives to revive the industry cannot come sooner. In recent years, authorities in Korea have typically left mutual fund investors to their own devices. Now, it appears that the FSS is becoming more proactive. Among several initiatives, it plans to introduce a set of new rules aimed at tightening controls over fund products sold to the elderly in order to protect their interests.In Cerulli's view, the most promising development is the planned tax exemption on overseas equities funds that is expected to come into effect beginning January 1, 2016.The Ministry of Strategy and Finance announced in June that it would temporarily waive a 15.4% capital gains tax on newly launched fund products that invest more than 60% of their assets in overseas stocks with a 10-year fixed tenure. Then, in August, it said it would extend the tax waiver to existing funds if the investment is done through a special investment account."The tax burden has long been argued as one of the biggest deterrents to the sales of overseas-invested funds in Korea, and such funds are likely to interest investors if tax incentives are put in place," says Shu Mei Chua, an associate director with Cerulli.However, she cautioned the strong flows enjoyed by foreign managers during 2007 to 2008 when a similar tax-exemption scheme was introduced previously, quickly reversed when the tax waiver was removed.Still, both foreign and domestic fund firms in the country are gearing up for the change, with the hope of drawing more investors into the market. Some managers have said that they are specifically holding back their planned product launches until the tax waiver kicks in."Once implemented, this could be one of the key drivers of retail-driven AUM growth in 2016 and beyond. The Korean mutual fund industry could make a comeback, but the caveat is that the proposed tax waiver has to happen," Chua adds. Celebrating the 153rd birth anniversary of Swami Viveknand, the various Ministries under the Government of India came together to address the National Industry Conclave on Skills to bring together all stakeholders in one common mission mode on the skills agenda. The conclave had the biggest of industry captains present, making their commitment towards skill development.This maiden edition of the Conclave was steered by Venkaiah Naidu, Minister of Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs along with Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge) and Parliamentary Affairs, towards constructive outcome and clear direction to increase participation of the industry in skill development.Giving clear directions to the industry, Venkaiah Naidu said, Youth are the future of our country, they have aspirations and we have to come together to fulfil these aspirations. We need to have one skill development centre each, across all districts by 2017 which means we need to at least have 630 centres. These need to be done by the industry and the Government will handhold you in the best possible way.The industry has to look beyond the areas where they operate and have invested. There needs to be a strong effort towards creating self-employment as well. The government will give the industry the ease to work towards skill development in every possible way. But we have to make this happen at the earliest. I will personally monitor every corporate who has made a commitment today to skill India, he further added.Re-iterating on the ground work that has been done for the skills landscape, Rajiv Pratap Rudy said, We have in the last one year tried to streamline various schemes, state government and departments within one skill ecosystem. The base is set and it is about time we start seeing results.He said that the industry needs to align to the National Skill Qualification Framework, to the 3500 unique national occupational standards which have been created and also to the certification process that is in place through National Skill Development Corporation and the Sector Skill Councils.90% of the CSR is focused till now towards healthcare and education. There can be serious contribution that can be made to skill development as well through this CSR funding. This is an investment in the country future which will certainly reap results, Rudy added.The industry was directed towards different modules in which it can invest into Skill Development. A few of them were - contribution through companys CAPEX/OPEX or through extending infrastructure support; or by contributing to the National Skill Development Fund where NSDC can give them direction in which areas they can spend their funds.The day-long meeting was aimed at encouraging the industry to come forward to play a major role in skill ecosystem by providing their knowledge and expertise in guiding, training and raising funds for initiatives in skill development. Industry leaders pledged to partner with government in skill development by contributing via CSR (corporate social responsibility) and developing their own skill oriented programmes etc. which will make the entire skilling ecosystem more effective and productive, for the nation and the industry as well.The conclave also saw the presence of Manohar Parrikar Minister of Defence, Shri Birender Singh, Union Minister of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Sanitation and Drinking Water, Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum and Natural Gas.The event was also graced by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis.Commenting on his Ministrys commitment to skill, Parrikar said, The Defense sector in the next 10 years will create opportunities worth 7 lakh crore of manufacturing so there is obviously a huge need for a skilled workforce in the sector. In our Defense offset policy, skills is an important part.Industry captains like Sunil Bharti Mittal, Adi Godrej, Cyrus Mistry, Ajit Gulabchand, Prashant Ruia, Dr. Naresh Trehan, Sachin Jindal, Nikhil Meswani, GM Rao, Naina Lal Kidwai, S Lakshminarayan were also present at the conclave and assured the government about their contribution.CII has committed a minimum 100 skill development centres through its members in the next one year. Mr S Lakshminarayan from Shriram Transport Finance Company (STFC) made a commitment of setting up a driving school in any place in India where the government can provide 3-4 acres of land. The organisation has already set large number of institutes for skill development in the sector. The industry also gave a view on the up-gradation of ITIs to meet the demand and supply gap. CM Maharashtra also committed to train 2 lakh people with the help of the industry in his state.India has a huge youth demographic with 65% of its population is below the age of 35, and half the country's population of 1.25 billion people is under 25 years of age. Therefore developing countries like India with largest youth populations could help the economies soar, provided our Industry invest heavily in their skill development. These young people can become the innovators, creators, builders and leaders who can transform the future only if our industry comes forward to help them acquire right skills to make them job-ready as per industry requirements. The steel ministry is proposing to increase the peak customs duty on the alloy to 25% in the Budget for next fiscal from 15% now, according to reports. Report says that if implemented, this would be two successive increases in the limit in as many years. JSW Steel Ltd is currently trading at Rs. 1016.1, down by Rs. 3.45 or 0.34% from its previous closing of Rs. 1019.55 on the BSE. The scrip opened at Rs. 1024 and has touched a high and low of Rs. 1030 and Rs. 1012.8 respectively. So far 294822(NSE+BSE) shares were traded on the counter. The current market cap of the company is Rs. 24644.56 crore. The BSE group 'A' stock of face value Rs. 10 has touched a 52 week high of Rs. 1096 on 06-Jan-2016 and a 52 week low of Rs. 801 on 28-Jul-2015. Last one week high and low of the scrip stood at Rs. 1096 and Rs. 1008.6 respectively. The promoters holding in the company stood at 41.45 % while Institutions and Non-Institutions held 22.34 % and 36.21 % respectively. Tata Steel Ltd is currently trading at Rs. 248.6, down by Rs. 3.4 or 1.35% from its previous closing of Rs. 252 on the BSE. The scrip opened at Rs. 253.6 and has touched a high and low of Rs. 255.3 and Rs. 248.55 respectively. So far 2595116(NSE+BSE) shares were traded on the counter. The current market cap of the company is Rs. 24474.63 crore. The BSE group 'A' stock of face value Rs. 10 has touched a 52 week high of Rs. 411.4 on 23-Jan-2015 and a 52 week low of Rs. 200 on 29-Sep-2015. Last one week high and low of the scrip stood at Rs. 276.2 and Rs. 244.6 respectively. The promoters holding in the company stood at 31.35 % while Institutions and Non-Institutions held 37.73 % and 28.94 % respectively. The stock is currently trading below its 200 DMA. The stock is currently trading below its 50 DMA. The finance ministry had raised the peak custom duty for steel to 15% from 10% earlier in the last Budget. tomorrow On the day of an important conference on Market Economy Status for China (MES) in the European Parliament (EP), the European Steel Association (EUROFER) called for policy makers to more rigorously, transparently and comprehensively assess what granting this designation to China would do to the EUs jobs, growth and investment prospects.The EU has set out five criteria establishing how China could be considered to be a market economy. Presently, the country meets just one of these conditions. China is simply not yet a market economy. There is still too much state involvement, said Axel Eggert, Director General of EUROFER.Todays EP conference is being organised by three S&D party Members of Parliament, and will focus on the potential effects of MES on European industry. This EP conference is being held a day before a scheduled orientation debate in the College of Commissioners on how to proceed on MES for China.Mr Eggert continued, China is placing political pressure on national and EU policy makers to prematurely grant it the status of a market economy. The country is arguing that its WTO protocol assures it MES by the end of 2016. However, the WTO protocol was established under the presumption that China would make sufficient progress towards becoming a market economy; progress that it has studiously failed to implement.Were MES to be granted, the anti-dumping measures that safeguard hundreds thousands of EU jobs against Chinas unfair competition across a range of strategic EU industries would become ineffective. The EUs other trade defence measures are either inoperative or simply insufficient to defend against the rising tide of dumped Chinese products, particularly steel.China has an overcapacity of perhaps 400 million tonnes more than twice the EUs total steel production of around 170 million tonnes. Import volumes of steel from China into the EU have doubled in the past 18 months, with prices collapsing by about 40%. MES would worsen already dire market conditions caused by Chinas dumping of steel in the EU, and would threaten the entirety of the 330,000 jobs in the European steel sector.Mr Eggert concluded, Despite those that believe the EU must give China favourable terms, the fact remains that China already has a favourable commercial position: the EUs total goods trade deficit with China was around 137 billion in 2014, a figure expected to grow 30% larger for 2015. With the College of Commissioners due to discuss MES, EUROFER insists that policy makers think long and hard about the political direction of the EUs trade relations with China, or else face the potential demise of the sector on which Europe was built. News / Local by Noleen Makhurane A BULAWAYO woman got the shock of her life at the maintenance court when her ex-boyfriend revealed that his twin brother was the father of her child.Tendai Zimunye told the court that his twin brother Trust Zimunye was the ex-boyfriend to Shylet Dungeni and the father to her son.Dungeni was claiming $190 child support from Trust but Tendai showed up in court saying he had been served with summons in place of his twin brother.The woman was surprised by the turn of events as she was not aware that her ex-lover had a twin brother.She told Magistrate Adelaide Mbeure that Trust is the one who had signed the summons."I didn't know that Trust has a twin. I know that this man is Trust and I can tell from the mark on his ear. When we were outside the court room he asked if I still loved him and why I ran away from him to go to South Africa but now he is saying he isn't Trust," she said.Tendai told the court that he had never met Dungeni in his life.He produced his national identity card that confirmed he was Tendai Zimunye."My twin brother is a soldier and is deployed in Nyanga. This child isn't mine. I only signed the summons on behalf of my brother and I told the police officers that Trust is my brother," he said.Dungeni said that if Trust had a twin, he must have connived with his brother to give him his national identity card."When police officers phoned him he confirmed that he was Trust but after the police officers told him he was being summoned to the maintenance court he then denied that he was Trust and informed them that he was the twin brother," said Dungeni.Magistrate Mbeure postponed the matter to January 18.She ordered Tendai to serve his twin brother with the summons. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) will release its financial results for the quarter ending December 2015 on Tuesday, January 12. Here are 5 things to look out for:TCS' revenue growth had been a disappointment during the last quarter, as it failed to meet analysts' expectations. However, the operating margin in Q2 improved by 78 basis points sequentially to 27.1%. IIFL estimates a 2.2% revenue growth in Q3 quarter-on-quarter.Incessant Chennai floods impacted the routine operations of the company for almost a week. It had to shut down its offices for more than three days and had to initiate the Business Continuity Plan in order to keep up with the critical operations. This resulted in the company issuing pre-results warning for the quarter ending December 2015. As per earlier estimates, IIFL had seen overall revenue of TCS to be impacted by 1 percent due to the Chennai floods.At the Q2 earnings conference, N Chandrasekaran expressed concern over its Japan and Diligenta business stressing that Diligenta may decline further. Moreover the companys inability get more business from big banks, as clients in banking, insurance and financial services is a matter to watch out for in this quarter.: The company earlier said that it has built and deployed a new Learning Platform to enable Digital training for 100,000 employees for FY16. In the first quarter of this financial year, the company generated about 12.5% of revenue from client spending in the digital space. Last month, TCS signed close to $4 billion deal with Dell Inc for Perot Systems. Digital Space is expected to uplift TCSs numbers in the last quarter.The attrition rate (LTM) was at 16.2% including BPS. The company expects the attrition rate to come down in Q3. Tata Consultancy Services: The IT company will announced its Q3 results today. IIFL estimates the net revenue of the company to be Rs. 27,766 for Q3 FY16, a 13.3 % growth y-o-y and a 2.2 % growth on q-o-q basis. The EBIDTA margin is expected at 28.6 bps, a 0.2 % change on both y-o-y and q-o-q basis.IDFC Bank: The Bank has acquired 10% stake in ASA International India Microfinance for about Rs. 8.5 crore, according to reports. ASA International India is a division of Dhaka-headquartered ASA, which operates in over 12 countries.Tata Motors: Tata Motors, part of conglomerate Tata Group, declared its sales volumes for the month of December 2015. The Group, which owns brands like Jaguar and Land Rover, witnessed Global sales at 91,762 units, a growth of 7% YoY. Cumulative wholesales for the fiscal were at 7,54,307 units, a surge of 6% YoY.Omax Autos: Omax Autos has sold its remaining 51% stake in its subsidiary Company Gmax Auto Ltd.PI Industries Limited: PI Industries Limited has commenced the Commercial Production at its 3rd Unit located at Sterling SEZ facility, Jambusar in State of Gujarat w.e.f. January 11, 2016.Indian Bank: Indian Bank has announced that pursuant to the Bank's Strategic Plan discussed by its Board on October 26, 2015, the Bank is proposing to seek the approval of its Board in the ensuing Board Meeting to be held on January 19, 2016 to permit the Bank to raise Basel III compliant Tier II Bonds for Rs. 1100 crore in one or more tranches in the current or subsequent years based on the requirement.Aurobindo Pharma: The pharma company has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to manufacture and market generic Norethindrone Acetate tablets in the American market.Bharti Airtel Limited: Bharti Airtel Limited announced the commercial launch of its high speed 4G services (also called LTE) in Hosur.Vivimed Labs: Vivimed Labs Ltd has announced that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on January 11, 2016, approved the sub division proposal of Company's Equity Shares from the existing face value of Rs. 10/- per Equity Share to Rs. 2/- per Equity Share subject to the approval of Company's shareholders, which is proposed to be obtained through Postal Ballot & E-Voting.Aurobindo Pharma: The pharma company has received final approval from the US Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) to manufacture and market Norethindrone Acetate Tablets USP, 5mg.Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited: The company has achieved one more significant milestone in the capacity addition programme of the country by successfully commissioning a 520 MW coal-based thermal generating unit in Andhra Pradesh.Tata Steel: The company registered Hot Metal and Crude Steel production of 2.69 million tonnes (up by 13.1% y-o-y) and 2.55 million tonnes (up by 11.3% y-o-y) respectively for Q3 FY16. Saleable Steel production was higher by 13.1% y-o-y (to 2.51 million tonnes), and Sales increased by 10.3% yo-y to 2.35 million tonnes in Q3 FY16.Suzlon Energy: The company has signed a binding term sheet and received advance payment for execution of 197.40 MW from a renewable energy Independent Power Producer.Reliance Power: The company said electricity regulator CERC (Central Electricity Regulatory Commission) has approved an increase of 9 paise per unit, or 7 per cent, in tariff over its 25-year power purchase agreement for the 3,960 MW Sasan ultra mega power project (UMPP) that translates into a compensation of over Rs 300 crore per annum.NIIT Technologies: The company has entered into an over Rs 226 crore pact with UK communications regulator Ofcom for providing information and communications technology (ICT) services.Gayatri Projects Ltd: The company is considering the corporate restructure of its road assets, which may mean hiving of its roads business as a separate entity. Jan 11: Despite the strict government policies, keeping wine in the same category as liquor and heavy taxation that work against wine producers, wineries like GranMonte have not only been successful in making quality wines but have been recognised internationally during the short period of 15 years, bringing Thailand on the world map and also giving a fillip to the Thai Tourism, writes Subhash Arora who recently visited this and a couple of other wineries in the hilly Khao Yai area in the north-east Thailand vs. India Thailand is a small country with less than 20 wineries and a history of wine production of only 20 years. Chateau de Loei, started by the late hotelier and construction tycoon, owner of Italthai, the Late Dr. Chaijudh Karnasuta started producing Thai wine in 1995 at the 240 acre property, about 500 km north of Bangkok. However, it's a small operation compared to the attractive and well-managed wineries around Khao Yai and after his death in 2004, his daughter-in-law who is running the winery is reportedly not as enthusiastic and the winery has lost its leadership position. Thailand has tropical climate, even more difficult than India due to rains. Calling itself a New Latitude country (similar to India), it won 36 medals two months ago at HKIWSC where I have been invited to judge since inception and have participated on 6 occasions continuously! One single winery GranMonte won 25 medals including 2 Golds, 7 Silver and 16 Bronze medals; it also won 2 Trophies. Judges, who blind-tasted their wines were so impressed that a group of about 12 of us decided to visit this winery and the Khao Yai region, during the recent Christmas holidays. http://www.hkiwsc.com GranMonte Family Vineyards Named as a big mountain in Italy, GranMonte Family Vineyard was founded in 1999 by Visooth Lohitnavy who had a long experience in working with MNCs. Emboldened by the fact that he grew up in the Khao Yai hilly region, he believed it would be excellent for grape cultivation and bought land 20 years ago when it was only cornfields. The villagers know how to work with tapioca, corn and sugar cane and had to be trained to tend to grapevines, he says. The winery is about 2 hours away from Bangkok, in the north-eastern part, close to Khao Yai National Park which is a natural destination for tourism. The area came up as Asoke Valley (even though there are no Appellation laws in place yet but the name seems to have struck a chord). The vineyards blend beautifully with the surroundings and the picturesque Khao Yai hills (known as mountains here!). The 36 acre Vineyard has planted international grapes like Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Verdelho, Durif (Petite Sirah) and Grenache. An experimental section one sees at one corner of the vineyard tour has a few other varieties planted, which are under study with the help of a Japanese university. Visooths daughter Nikki Lohitnavy studied Viticulture and Oenology at the Adelaide University and joined the business in 2008 as the winemaker; 2009 was her first harvest. Visooth has been using consultation from Hubert de Bouard de Laforest, winemaker and owner of Premier Grand Cru Class A Chateau Angelus in St. Emilion, with whom Nikki works closely . Only the estate-grown grapes are used for the vinification, of course. Besides beautiful landscape, a wine shop selling wine and other local products like honey and wine accessories, you can enjoy dinning at Vinocotto, their 120-cover restaurant, offering fine dining with wine in charming settings. GranMonte maintains a record of the number of visitors and Visooth tells me that about 35,000 eat at the restaurant every year-half of them being expats. In fact, the Menu at the restaurant used to be only European but these tourists preferred local Thai cuisine which has been now added. He also shares the fact that the restaurant and the wine shop have been profitable on their own for many years. Based on his estimates, about 80,000 to 100,000 tourists visit their winery and vineyards. For more information visit www.granmonte.com. There are regular visits to the vineyards on a tractor-run buggy that can carry over 25 people. Visit to the winery followed by tasting costs only 300 B ($8). There is a 7- room guest house within the estate that offers a beautiful opportunity to enjoy the vineyard and its surroundings. But we stayed at a 1-year old resort and hotel called Escape which was extremely comfortable and has several facilities within the compound to make for a relaxing wine holiday too that would include visiting wineries like GranMonte at leisure. Village Farm Winery The Khao Yai mountain range is around 100 km long and while on the western edge you have wineries like GranMonte, on the eastern edge you have Village Farm Winery (VFW), our first stop in the morning. It is a smaller winery built around wine tourism. VFW is about 300 kms from Bangkok and takes around 3 to 3.5 hours to reach. Vineyards were planted about 20 years ago (it used to be a fruit farm earlier) but the first wine was released in 2001, according to the manager, a charming lady who spoke English in a nice measured way and was mistaken by most as the owner of the property because of the passion, knowledge and care she showed for the guests - a nice, warm welcome to the world of Thai wines. The small winery with about 40,000- bottle production annually has a French winemaker who comes every 2 months. Wines produced are sold mostly in the domestic market with a small portion exported to Japan. The winery has been designed to attract tourists, with an excellent panorama, nature and environment friendly venue, with provision for winery visits, stay, restaurant and a wine and souvenir shop. They hold wine classes regularly and also produce and sell grape- seed oil (I could not help but remember Sula back home!). Tourists from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Philippines- all non-wine producing countries - are drawn to the farm/winery as visitors though she could not confirm the total tourist traffic- but estimated at around 5000 a month. It was quite busy when we were there despite it being a working day-but Christmas holiday season nevertheless. A fabulous lunch was laid out with two of their red wines (unfortunately, I had been taken sick so I could not enjoy my first Thai cuisine of the trip but I did hear orgasmic praises. The nimbu-soda I requested was really delicious and helped stabilise my system and return to normal later). VFW has experimented with a few varietals including cabernet sauvignon but only 2 varietals, made from the two most successful varietals of the region, Chenin Blanc and Syrah, are popular. The Village Thai label sells for 1750 Bahts (about $50), and the more premium Chateau des Brumes (Thais seem to be quite enamoured by the fancy French names just like the Chinese and even a few Indian wine producers) the 2006 vintage of which was served with the Thai lunch, was delicious till I was told about the price - an incredible 3950 B ($110!). That sounded crazy but apparently it is all sold out primarily at the winery itself, we were told. In fact, we could not taste the Chenin Blanc as it was already sold out. We were met here by Visooth Lohitnavy, who is also the President of the Thai Wine Association that has currently 7 wineries as its members, including 6 from the Khao Yai region. That explains the importance and popularity of the region in which the future of premium Thai wines seem to lie. As Nikki had later explained, further North it is cooler but humid and is not ideal for wine grapes. www.villagefarm.co.th J J Vineyards Our next short stop was JJ Vineyards, on the way to GranMonte, about an hour away. If vineyards at VFW are impressive, being at 450-500 m high, these vineyards are even higher and have different soil than GranMonte( at 350 m a.s.l.) which is managing the vineyards and plans to make wines for the owner who is a friend and also use half for their own labels. As Nikki says, the quality and characteristics of those vineyards is totally different and we shall have wines of different character under the label when we release. Alcidini On the way to GranMonte, we stopped at a very small boutique winery Alcidini, where we are welcomed by beautiful sheep from New Zealand playing in a separate area, very healthy looking avocado trees with fruit hanging from them, waiting to ripen. The vineyards on the slopes to our left are reminiscent of European vineyards on the slopes to garner sun rays. The fruit, Muscat Blue was covered with white nylon nets. Birds, animals (and humans who are tempted to break bunches of ripening grapes as they pass by) are the enemies for ripening grapes,' says Supot Krijpipudh, owner and winemaker of the Alcidini winery. He says he is retired but still comes to the boutique winery regularly. His love as a winemaker is infectious. He is also the Secretary of the Thai Wine Association. Supot has been growing vines since 2001 in 20 acres of land and had the first commercial release in 2005. The prices of wines vary from 490-790 Bahts, though it doesnt pose a competitive threat to GranMonte. Most of the wines are sold at the property. We tasted 5 wines- Rose (Low-in-tannic Muscat Blue and Syrah blend), Syrah, Syrah-Muscat Blue blend, another Syrah and a Recioto. The Syrah Muscat red blend was an interesting wine made with Solera method. The Solera was started in 2005 and the last one to go in the blend has been 2011. Jammy on the nose, it was a very pleasant wine, priced at 670 B ($18). http://www.alcidini.com Wine Laws and Thai Wine Association Just like in India there are no wine laws in Thailand; in fact its worse. Imported wines can also be mixed with the local wines. Self-restraint and reputation of the producer is important. In order to ensure quality improvements, seven producers have formed the Thai Wine Association in which six are from Khao Yai, including the three we visited. The members meet at each others wineries in turn and exchange information and discuss relevant issues regularly. To be a member they have to meet the requirement of the Charter which includes correct declaration on the label. For instance, as Visooth explains 15% of grapes/must/bulk wine can be imported ingredients but it must be declared on the back of the label. How can they ensure that the producers are honest about what they declare? As Visooth smiles widely, Nikki takes over, explaining, we meet regularly and have inspection of each others properties and records. We know the grapes crushed and the wine produced. If the production figure is significantly out of line, it means something is not right. Right?! I wondered if this type of self-governance was feasible in India. But these producers seemed to be satisfied. Other wineries worth a visit Another winery we didnt visit but which is the oldest in the region (founded in 1997 though the website claims it was established in 1989) and well-known in the Khao Yai region, is PB Valley Estate with a total vineyard area of around 1250 acres within the huge 6250- acre property. 80% of grapes grown are wine grapes. Situated 150 kms northeast of Bangkok on the edge of the Khao Yai National Park, it can be reached in 2 hours from Bangkok and is quite close to GranMonte. It claims to be the largest and most technologically advanced winery in South East Asia and the birthplace of Khao Yai as a wine region which is increasingly attracting wine tourists-both domestic and international. Siam Winery, whose Monsoon Valley labels won the other 11 medals (1 Gold, 3 Silver and 7 Bronze) at the HKIWSC 2015 in Hong Kong, is located southwest of Bangkok, an hour away from the city. It started wine production in 2004 and makes about 30,000 cases half of which are exported to Europe and Japan. Grapes are sourced from their vineyard in Hua Hin Hills. It also claims to be South East Asias largest winery with an incredible 30 million liters annual capacity (that is over 3.5 times the current production of Sula, the largest wine company in India!). Certainly worth a visit, especially if time is a constraint to visit the Khao Yai region.www.siamwinery.com Dichotomy that is Thailand There seems to be a dichotomy in Thailand which excels in tourism as a pillar of its economic growth and even the wineries exploit the potential and help tourism. Because of the fast-improved quality, they attract expats-GranMonte has about half the visitors who are expats visiting Thailand. However, cast in a mould similar to that in India, the government continues to take an anti-alcohol stand, clubs wine with liquor, and has restrictive policies and high taxes that prevent the industry from growing and reaching its potential. In any case, best time to visit is November to March when it is dry and less humid. Single Harvest a year Most westerners err when they assume that due to the tropical climate, Thailand (and India) harvests two crops a year for wine grapes. Due to prolonged rainy season, it is not practical to have two quality crops and therefore, Thailand also takes out a single crop (like India) for wine grapes but eating grapes have a different story- 2 crops or more are possible and practical and are par for the course. Wineries of Thailand have a lesson for the Indian wine industry. They pursue the business model of building wineries with facilities like restaurants, wine tours, stay facilities in or around the property with several other related activities and appear to be profitable. Although Sula has become very successful over the past few years in India, and there are wineries like York, Grover, Vallonne who are stepping up their wine tourism efforts, the progress appears tardy due to financial constraints. Perhaps a visit to Thailand and a couple of these wineries might help them change gears faster. Subhash Arora Gandalf, a 2-year-old Siberian cat is taking over the internet with his enviable travelling pictures. The cool cat has visited 2 countries and 8 states and is planning to go on more adventures. Meanwhile, here are other pets whose vacation pictures will make you both jealous, and set your travel plans this year. 1. Gandalf, who is literally chilling at Sierra Nevada Mountains Image Credit: gandyygram/instagram 2. Goldie is busy pondering over his life at a beach house, like a boss Image Credit: nortonandco/instagram 3. This service dog gets to meet his favourite cartoon in Disneyland and we don't! Image Credit: imgur 4. This pup has earned his vacation Image Credit: imgur 5. And this fella is doing something some of us might actually want to do Image Credit: imgur 6. Lily is sailing smoothly Image Credit: debgauthier1/instagram 7. Coconut is having a great time at the Cove Image Credit: akl5056/instagram 8. This cat is making the most of her Paris trip Image Credit: acatinparis/instagram 9. Mia is reaching new heights at the beach Image Credit: jankakiabova/instagram 10. Ready, steady, go Image Credit: dogbrando/instagram 11. Monte Cristo is like a pro traveller with must-have shot at the Eiffel Tower Image Credit: montecristo/instagram 12. Gandalf the Sphynx cat is having a ball in Egypt Image Credit: gandalf_the_sphynx/instagram 13. Ricochet takes on the tide in California Image Credit: nbcnews.com 14. Even this little birdie takes time off for a vacation. So should you! Image Credit: dame1481/instagram It'll be an honor to be punched by Rajini Sir, Says Akshay Kumar, who's all excited about playing the baddie in 'Robot 2'; the actor who explodes on screen on Republic Day has his own take on Incredible India and intolerance. GQ India 1. Akshay is surely hell excited to share the screen space with Rajinikanth and calling it a 'dream come true', he said: Twitter Akshay Kumar remembers watching T Rama Rao's 1983 Bollywood drama, Andha Kanoon, and being mesmerised by Rajinikanth's kicks and jumps. "Today, the action may seem a little funny, but at that time I would be gaping at the screen, wondering how Rajini sir did what he did. It was a marvel in technique and technology!" the actor reminisces, still in awe of the South supremo he will be challenging as the adversary in the Robot sequel. Ask him if working with the Thalaiva is a dream come true and he laughs, "These things don't come to you even in a dream. He's a wonderful actor and even more, a wonderful human being. It will be an honour to be punched by Rajini sir. It's going be a different world for me -- the graphics, the action and the adulation that he commands." Buzz is, The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was in the running for the role. "I have no idea, I just know that Shankar (director) and some of the others called me and told me they had a film for me," he shrugs. 2. Here is what Bollywood's Khiladi Kumar said about his upcoming film 'Airlift' Twitter/Akshay Kumar However, before Robot 2, Akshay will bring in the Republic Day with his coproduction Airlift. He insists it gave him gooseflesh when it was narrated to him. "I was shocked to know that in 1990 not Air Force pilots but commercial pilots of Air India flew into a war zone and rescued one lakh 70 thousand Indians trapped in Kuwait. We can make another film on these pilots alone. They were the real heroes," he exults. Bring up the intolerance debate and he retorts, "India has always been known for its tolerance. We've always tried to keep peace but when attacks like the one at Pathankot happen, you realise that the time has come to retaliate. Going by what you read in the social media, our youngsters are angry, they have taken this personally, and want India to attack too." 4. With Aamir Khan's exit India needs a new brand ambassador, interested? "I don't know if I'm fit for it but if I get a chance, it would be an honour. India is truly incredible!" he exults. Meanwhile, a new season of the reality show he has hosted is coming up but the Khiladi doesn't have anything to do with the dangerous stunts this time around. "I wasn't approached this time," he says shortly, pointing out that there's nothing on television for now but lots on the big screen, including Houseful 3, the "relief film" and "fun franchise". However, he's clueless about Dhadkan 2 and Hera Pheri 3 but Namaste England will definitely roll this year and so will Rustom, in which he plays a naval officer and which is set for the Independence Day weekend release. He'd be happy if Sanjay Leela Bhansali were to helm the Rowdy Rathore sequel. "He's a great director, and I'm a huge fan. I've just seen his film (Bajirao Mastani), Ranveer (Singh) has so much energy," he asserts. 5. His wife Twinkle is now a published author and Akshay is a proud man. "It's great the way she made a name for herself, first as an actress, then a designer, a columnist and now an author. She has a wonderful sense of humour which is very different from mine and that is the best part about our household. It's like East meets West," he laughs. Does he harbour ambitions of writing too, maybe his biography some day ? "No, I know my limitations. There are bigger legends to write about, I'm still a struggler," he says modestly. (Originally published in Mumbai Mirror) Einstein's mass-energy equation (E=mc2) is inadequate as it has not been completely studied and is only valid under special conditions, an Indian researcher has claimed in an international paper. Einstein considered just two light waves of equal energy emitted in opposite directions with uniform relative velocity, Ajay Sharma, a Shimla-based researcher who challenged Albert Einstein's derivation mass-energy equation, said on Sunday. The equation was given by Einstein in 1905. itimes.com His technical paper -- "The mathematical derivation or speculation of E=mc2, in Einstein's September 1905 paper, and some peculiar experiments" -- was published by Bauman Moscow State Technical University in Moscow last month. E=mc2 means energy is equal to mass multiplied by the speed of light squared. Sharma, an assistant director for education with the Himachal Pradesh government, told IANS that Einstein's theory has not been studied completely. "It's only valid under special conditions of the parameters involved, e.g. number of light waves, magnitude of light energy, angles at which waves are emitted and relative velocity," he said. Einstein considered just two light waves of equal energy, emitted in opposite directions and the relative velocity uniform. There are numerous possibilities for the parameters which were not considered in Einstein's 1905 derivation, said Sharma's paper. This equation expresses the fact that mass and energy are the same physical entity and can be changed into each other, the paper said. It said E=mc2 is obtained from Lmc2 by simply replacing L by E (all energy) without derivation by Einstein. "It's illogical," he said. The paper said Fadner correctly pointed out that Einstein did not mention E in the derivation. yaplakal.com Sharma's book, 'Beyond Einstein and E=mc2' published by the Cambridge International Science Publishers, says Einstein was not the original proponent of the theory of relativity -- rather he took work from existing literature and published it in 1905 in German journal 'Annalen de Physik'. "Many people will be surprised that Einstein's work was not peer reviewed before publication. The first postulate of relativity was given by Galileo in 1632 in his book 'Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems'," the 51-year-old Sharma said. According to him, Einstein took this opportunity to publish the work of Galileo (1632, Principle of Relativity), Poincare (1898, Constancy of Velocity of Light), Lorentz (1892, Variation of Mass etc), Larmer (1897, Time Dilation), and Fitzegerald (1889, Length Contraction) in his own name. Although Einstein's theory is well established, it has to be critically analysed and the new results would definitely emerge, a beaming Sharma added. The Gujarat governments plan to celebrate this Republic Day is unique and inspiring. On this iconic day, they plan to honor daughters. On 26th January, the most educated girl in each village with hoist the national flag at the nearby government school. techicy The state government has sent a circular to all the government schools to follow this order. The DPEOs (District Primary Education officer) of private schools have been informed too. As a part of this initiative, the government will honour parents of daughters who were born in 2016. And each government school in the state will be given Rs 300 from the state for holding this particular programme. The theme for this Republic Day school programme is "Beti ko Salam, Desh ke naam". (With inputs from Times of India/Pictures for representational purpose only) In a first, a clothing brand has signed acid attack survivor Laxmi as its new face. By making her its brand ambassador, fashion label Viva N Diva has risen as a shining example of how beauty runs much deeper than just on the outside. Operating in an industry that places hard emphasis on aesthetics that please the eye, Viva N Diva leapfrogs into a future that will set new definitions for what we perceive as attractive. Rahul Saharan As a part of the initiative started by Viva N Diva, more brands are expected to sign survivors as their representatives. "Such initiatives change mindset. I have personally experienced it when I got my first anchoring assignment. When we walked the ramp during a programme organised by Hindustan Times in Lucknow, people supported us. I am sure this initiative will also bring about a positive change," said Laxmi while speaking to The Hindustan Times. Campaigns such as these will strip off the 'victim' tag and portray survivors like Laxmi in an inspiring light. "For a moment, we saw beauty in a very different way and all that we could think of was to capture it in a way that gave it meaning, said Ayushi Rastogi of Viva N Diva. Rahul Saharan Rastogi also added how in terms of payment and profit sharing, the brand will work with Laxmi in the same way they work with regular models. Laxmi was 15 when the unfortunate incident happened. Since then, Laxmi has undergone a number of reconstructive surgeries. With a fighter's spirit, she didn't bow down under the crushing weight of her circumstances. Happily married with a beautiful daughter, Laxmi turned her life around. Laxmi Saa/Facebook, Acid Attack Fighter Laxmi/Facebook While applauding such initiatives, Laxmi added, "People often laugh at our looks. Children get scared and call us ghosts. When such initiatives are undertaken, they make people understand that we, too, are like regular women. Although our faces have been ruined, beauty still lies within us." A 22-year-old Indian girl who married her Pakistani lover is now facing deportation after Pakistan government reportedly turned down her application for a visa extension. Shaadibazaar/ Representative Image Mehrunissa had reached Pakistan two months ago on a proper visa, married 24-year-old Ijaz Khan, whom she met through Facebook. The couple announced their marriage last week, with just three days left for Mehrunissa's visa to expire. Representative Image Mehrunissa said she fled from her home in India and married Ijaz Khan out of her own wish and if she was deported back to her country, she would be facing threats to her life from the anti-Pakistani organisations. She has requested the Pakistan government to extend her visa on humanitarian grounds as she was happy with her husband in Pakistan. However, PTI, citing credible sources said that her request for visa-extension has been turned down. News / Local by Stephen Jakes A Gwanda Businessman identified as Siziba has been swindled of $150 through a fake fifty dollar notes cash in in which the money was discovered as fake when he wanted to use it to order some goods at a wholesale in Gwanda town.According to sources a giant man driving a blue car went to the businessman's general dealer shop where he also operates an EcoCash service and cashed in $150 in $50 notes.The cashier did not realise that the money was fake until one of the workers was sent to Gwanda to use the money to buy some goods only to be told that his money was fake. Police were called and they arrested the worker.The businessman and his two workers were taken to court where they were fined. But reports states that another shop in Gwanda town was swindled of $500 through Cash in of fake money and cash out of real currency.The suspect is still on the run and according sources most of the fake US dollars are reportedly coming with the Zimbabweans based in South Africa which they use to get money to return back to South Africa after the festive season holidays.The emergence of fake notes at the mining town has prompted most shop operators and individuals to buy currency testing devices which they use in any transactions they conduct. Popular among her colleagues as 'Lady Dabang,' Archana Singh, of the 1996 batch, has been appointed as the first woman station house officer (SHO) of the Government Railway Police (GRP). dainikbhaskar Singh has been given charge of the busy Agra Fort station that sees a footfall of both tourists and locals in thousands every day. "This is a great honour for me, for my 20 year-long service in Uttar Pradesh police. I will not let down my seniors who have shown confidence in me," said an elated Singh. "She is the first woman SHO of GRP in the country. Singh is the best candidate we had in mind while deciding on the appointment of an SHO at Agra Fort station. She is competent in tackling criminals as well as dangerous situations," SSP Khanna said. dainikbhaskar Wife of late sub-inspector Brijendra Bahadur Singh, who was killed in Hamirpur in a crossfire during an encounter, she has a simple mantra for success. "It is simple. Be punctual, reach the station at 10 am sharp and be alert and vigilant. As a woman cop, my priority will be to zero down on women harassment cases in the Railways." Besides being a tough cop, Singh also keeps busy taking care of her three children. She was earlier leading the anti-eve teaser squad of GRP Agra division. Indiarailinfo "Woman harassment is a bigger menace in our country. Even women police officers feel unsafe in many circumstances. As a team leader my job is to boost confidence in them and help other women passengers too," she said. In June, last year, three women constables patrolling in Parashnath Express were harassed by a gang of four men. Singh had come to their rescue and managed to nab all four of them. Islamic State terrorists have reportedly lost a fortune on Sunday after one of its banks was hit by an American air-strike, US defence and military officials have claimed. Reuters According to NBC News the attack was launched just before dawn on Sunday over the ISIS-held Iraqi city of Mosul. As per reports the terror outfit has lost at least ten million dollars in the two strikes carried out by US. US have been carrying out air strikes in Syria targeting the ISIS for sometime. But Sunday's bombing is significant as the lost fortune could affect the terror group's capability to procure arms. NBC ISIS which controls large areas of Iraq and Syria is considered the richest terror out fit in the world. They make most of the money by smuggling oil from areas under its control, which they sell in the international market as Turkish oil. Al-Arabia According to the Pentagon, ISIS is making huge amounts by selling smuggled oil which it also uses to pay its fighters monthly salaries and provide stipends to their families. Follow us on bend it like baba ramdev giving fmcg majors a run for their money The surging popularity of Baba Ramdev-promoted Patanjali products has been no hidden secret. It has disrupted the market and taken the FMCG sector by a storm, literally. Having gained strong credibility within a short span of time, there is an increasing number of customers who are opting for the company's natural' and pure' products. Patanjali is surely making a niche for itself. With several reports pointing to the herbal company's growing influence in India's FMCG market, consumer goods giants should fear a run for their money. The latest in this series is a report by leading global financial services company Credit Suisse. The Zurich-based brokerage has downgraded the decade-old Colgate Palmolive brand to neutral' and also reduced its target price at the stock market to Rs. 1,000 per share. The significance of this downgrade can be gauged by the fact that it led to a fall of 2 per cent in the shares of the company. At 09:31 hrs, Colgate Palmolive (India) was quoting at Rs 910.00, down Rs 16.80, or 1.81 per cent on the Bombay Stock Exchange. While perceptions matter a lot in the share market, it is the numbers that dictate ratings. Consumer confidence has been low for a few years now, partly due to increased competition, and earnings have been dull for all consumer goods companies. The downgrade for Colgate, which has been a household name in its category for decades now, should not have caused much pain for the consumer giant had it not been for the observations in the report. The brokerage thinks that Patanjali poses a potential threat to Colgate's growth. Besides the downgrade in the company's share price, it also slashed Colgate's FY17-18 earnings estimates by 3-7 per cent. Colgate's volume growth has seen a significant drop in FY16, which is divergent from peers who are seeing steady volume growth. The key reason in our view is the strong traction that Patanjali has gained in the category, the Credit Suisse report says. According to Credit Suisse, Colgate is facing a stiff competition in the dental cream category by Patanjali as the herbal brand enjoys a 4-5 percent market share despite fairly limited distribution. It expects Patanjali's share to cross double digits in the toothpaste category over the next few years after it expands distribution in 2016. There are other reports too that attest Patanjali's strong growth prospects in the Indian market. An IIFL Institutional Equities report says the company was targeting a 2.5 times rise in sales in FY16 over a year ago. The report further estimates that Patanjali's sales will increase to Rs.20,000 crore by FY20. In contrast, ITC's FMCG business sales was Rs.9,028 crore in revenue in FY15, compared with Rs.1,014 crore in FY06. Such ripples being caused by a new entrant have not been new to the Indian consumer goods segment. ITC's foray across categories had created quite a fluster. Nirma's entry with a low-cost washing detergent had also created similar waves. The difference with Patanjali lies in its strategy. The company has so far concentrated on a direct distribution approach with an exclusive store network. Moreover, the approach of the company has been to concentrate on its quality and let word-of-mouth do the rest. This has certainly worked for Patanjali, until now. Patanjali's ambitious future plans, however, will require the company to jostle with other companies for shelf space. The challenge will also lie in setting up a national distribution network, managing supply chain and moving from a word-of-mouth approach to conventional advertising. This will require a significant shift in its costing as well as investments, which could impact the company's earnings. However, the bigger challenge for Patanjali will come from other companies who are by no means going to sit quietly. Foreign companies, whom Patanjali has castigated their loot' and vowed to send them packing, are watching the growing market for herbal products in India's FMCG sector very closely. True, Patanjali has been a disruptor; but it has also brought new consumers into the branded category and created a bigger market. Indian companies too will be keeping a close watch on the happenings. The future may see similar or even new launches to explore the market. That will be the true test for Patanjali. For now, the going is good. Baba Ramdev should be hoping that it is he who is laughing his way to the bank in the end. Latest Business News Follow us on bizarre but true world s first smartphone that lets you smoke New York: Bored of calls, emails, chats and endless Facebook posts with your smartphone? Now offer your friend an electronic puff with this unique magical device that also works like an e-cigarette. Call it bizarre or clever, but a US-based company Vaporcade is offering a smartphone that will allow you to make calls and text as well as smoke your favourite e-flavours - even help you quit smoking - tech website The Verge reported on Sunday. The Jupiter IO 3 is reportedly the world's first smokeable smartphone with a vape. A 3G smartphone that costs $299, it runs on Android KitKat 4.4 operating system. The smartphone has two batteries - one to power the phone and one to power the vape. The battery life is shared so if you do not vape much, you will get a longer battery life. The smartphone has an opening under a little plastic cover off the top. Attach a flavoured liquid cartridge and a mouthpiece to that and smoke right out of your smartphone. It comes with a button to regulate the heat and get a stronger pull. The liquid cartridges cost $15 and come in flavours like mint, peach and coffee and each one provides about 800 puffs, or four packs of cigarettes. Moreover, the Vaporcade app on the phone lets the user track battery life, how much liquid is left, what flavour has been loaded in the cartridge, and how many puffs the user has taken over time. It also helps in quitting smoking or cut down on your vaping by setting a goal. The app alerts when the user crosses the number of puffs. Claimed to be approved by the US Federal Communications Commission, the information on health effects and the impact of vaping from the device, when compared to traditional cigarettes, is still not known. The company, that makes e-cigarettes, cigars, and coffee beans, plans to release a 4G model for $499 in the next few months. Latest Business News Follow us on will act fast on any report of suspected terrorists dig Chandigarh: Security forces will not take any claim about sighting of suspected terrorists lightly and act fast to verify the information, a senior Punjab police official said today. "We will take information (about suspected terrorists) very seriously and act fast on the same to verify the claims," DIG, Border Range, Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh said today. The effort is to either authenticate the presence of militants or completely rule it out, the DIG added. However, police did not receive any information about sighting of suspected terrorists today, Gurdaspur SSP Gurpreet Singh Toor said, adding "We will continue to remain alert." Notably, Punjab police came under severe criticism after reports emerged that police, initially, did not take seriously information provided by SP Salwinder Singh about abduction of his and two associates by terrorists. However, state police has denied it. After six terrorists striking at Air Force base station at Pathankot, security forces have been on their toes as many locals in and around Gurdaspur district claimed to see terrorists, promoting the security officials to launch extensive search operation to authenticate their claims. The first information about presence of two terrorists emerged in Gurdaspur district on January 6 when a farmer, Satnam Singh, of Pandher village claimed to have seen two men in army fatigues moving in suspicious manner when he was working in the fields. Not taking any chances, area around Tibri cantonment area was cordoned off and security officials in a joint operation of Punjab Police, BSF, SWAT team and Army launched extensive search operation in Pandher village in Gurdaspur. During this operation, drone, chopper, dog squad and bullet proof vehicles were pressed into service to trace the location of suspects. As security officials were busy in conducting their search operations, another witness identified as Lovepreet Singh claimed that two suspects in army fatigues had inquired about Tibri cantonment area. However, security forces had to call off their extensive search operation yesterday after they found no suspected terrorist. A day before yesterday, Punjab police launched a major combing operation at a house near the Tibri cantonment area after it got information of two suspects. However, security officials did not find anything suspicious during six-hour long operation. Yesterday, another villager claimed that he had seen "two suspects" in army fatigues at sensitive Tash Pattan area near the Indo-Pak border. Security officials immediately swung into action but again nothing suspicious was found. Notably, Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab directed the cops to augment night time deployment of the police in the state in the wake of terrorists attack at the Pathankot Air base. Latest India News Follow us on india syria hold talks on situation in the war torn country New Delhi: India and Syria today held wide- ranging talks, focusing largely on the internal situation in the war-torn country and the UN-backed peace process aimed at ending the strife which has claimed lives of over 2.5 lakh people in the last five years. Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Walid Al Moualem, during the talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, appreciated India for its support to the people of Syria and its position in finding a solution to the civil war. Swaraj conveyed to Moualem, who is also Minister of Foreign Affairs, that India was sending medicines worth USD 1 million to Syria soon. India will announce further assistance to the country during a conference on Syria in London on February 4. She also sought Syria's help in ascertaining status of 39 Indians who were taken hostage by ISIS militants from Iraqi city of Mosul in June 2014. Moualem assured Swaraj that he will use his sources in Iraq to know whereabouts of the Indians. The Syrian Deputy Prime Minister met National Security Adviser Ajit Doval last evening during which challenge of combating terrorism, particularly to deal with ISIS, is understood to have figured. Moualem, who visited Russia and China before arriving here yesterday, gave a detailed exposition of how Russian air strikes have weakened the capabilities of ISIS in Syria as well as about the UN-backed peace initiative. "The Syrian Deputy Prime Minister appreciated India for its support to people of Syria," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. India has been consistently maintaining that a solution to the conflict must be found through a Syrian-led peace initiative. Russia has been carrying out air strikes in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad since September, targeting the terror outfit ISIS which has seized vast swathes of land in that country. India has been supportive of the Russian strikes maintaining that terror groups must be dealt with effectively. The peace talks are slated for later this month and Moualem has already said that Syria was ready to participate in it. The US, the UK and France are pressing for the ouster of the Syrian President to have a peaceful resolution of the conflict but Russia and China are against the move. Latest India News Follow us on new defence procurement procedure to focus on make in india New Delhi: The Defence Acquisition Council on Monday finalised parts of the new Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) which focuses on higher level of indigenisation, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said. At a briefing following the council meeting, the minister said the DPP was finalised, but some changes were to be made. This, however, does not include the chapter on 'strategic partners', which will lay the guidelines on identifying partners from the private sector for key strategic manufacturing, or the policy on blacklisting. A chapter on ship-building also remains pending for approval. The revised DPP envisages providing a boost to the 'Make in India' initiative, enhanced role for private sector, and promoting medium and small scale industries. The new DPP introduces a new category of Buy Indian - Indigenous Design Development and Manufacturing (IDDM), under which indigenously designed equipment with 40 percent content will be procured. In case where it is difficult to prove if the product was developed in India, those with 60 percent indigenisation will be taken under this category. This category will get first preference in all buying. Parrikar said a preamble will also be there in the DPP, which will define the "logic of procurement" and stress on 'Make in India'. The minister said the process of finalising and notifying the new DPP will take at least two months. The chapter on strategic partners will, however, take a few more months as the report of a committee led by former DRDO chief V.K. Aatre is likely to give its report by January 15. Under the new DPP, the RFP (request for proposal) will have a provision for 'enhanced performance parameters' wherein vendors additional credits will be given to a product's performance, giving it an edge over pricing. However, the enhancement in price cannot exceed 10 percent of the cost. The offset clause, which has been creating hiccups in deals, have been limited, with the new procedure saying only deals worth over Rs.2,000 crore will include an offset clause. So far, the limit was Rs.300 crore for the offset clause, which is a provision that makes it mandatory for foreign companies to invest a certain percentage of the cost in Indian partners. "We have offsets worth Rs.5 million signed, and more offsets worth Rs.8-10 million are in pipeline. It will take us 10-15 years to absorb that," Parrikar said, adding that offsets take up the prices of a deal. Asked about the policy on blacklisting, the minister said it will be a separate document and not a part of the DPP. Promoting private sector, this policy document will have provisions to involve private industry as production agencies and technology transfer partners. The 'Make' category has been divided into three sub categories, with the first one, Make-I involving 90 percent government funding for development cost, and provision to reimburse remaining 10 percent. The Make-II category will be industry funded, but with the rider that 100 percent refund will be given to successful developers if there is no procurement in two years. The Make-III category is for the MSMEs, and will be reserved for projects worth less than Rs.3 crore, with provisions same as the Make-II category. Only firms with majority stake and controlled by resident Indians will come under Make categories. Latest India News Follow us on over 100 whales wash ashore in tamil nadu s tuticorin New Delhi: More than 100 whales were found washed ashore in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin this morning. While 20 were found dead, others were battling for their lives with local fishermen trying pulling them back into the sea. Reports say that more than 100 whales were found on the 16km stretch from Alanthalai to Kallamozhi coastal hamlets. The whales started reaching the shore in groups yesterday evening. Fishermen remained awake the whole night to keep pulling whales back into the sea. Local administration informed that this is for the 'first time when these small fin whales have beached'. "This is an unusual thing...an unusual mortality incident, we have to find out the reason," Marine Scientist Velumani at the fisheries department, said. Few days ago, people along the shores of Kallamozhi had alerted the forest department officials about several adult dolphins moving close to the coast. Before this, fishermen say, in 1973 they had witnessed the same phenomenon. District administration officials informed that Gulf of Mannar marine park and forest department have been asked to look into the matter. "We have to study the health of the stranded whales and also the eco-system. The study would require the help of oceanographic experts also," Velumani said. "There could be many reasons...navy sonars could have caused it...or pollution...the reason is not immediately known and we don't want to speculate," Assistant Director of Tuticorin fisheries department, Amal Xavier, said. In August last year, carcass of a 33-feet-long whale washed up on a beach in Nagapattinam district. Before this in June, a 42-feet-long blue whale was washed ashore near Alibaug in Maharashtra and later died of its injuries. Latest India News Follow us on amid growing indian caucus us congress stalls f 16 sale to pak report Islamabad: Amid growing anti-Pakistan sentiments on Capitol Hill, US Congress has stalled a planned sale of eight new F-16 fighter jets to Islamabad. Now it has become a routine see strong attacks on Pakistan and its policies during congressional hearings, The Dawn reported. However, the Obama administration is keen on selling these aircraft and it is pushing for undoing the hold. There is growing lobby of lawmakers in Congress who not only oppose arms sales to Pakistan but often urge the US administration to sever its ties with the country. Usually, such lawmakers are also active in the Indian caucus on Capitol Hill, the report said. Pakistan does have a caucus on the Hill but it is small and ineffective. The Indian caucus, however, has grown gradually in size and influence and is now the second most effective lobby after Israel's, the report added. I don't know how an F-16, with all of its hardware on there for combat can be used for humanitarian aid. If they were buying C-130s I could see those being used for humanitarian aid. But F-16! It's not really humanitarian aid, the Pakistani daily quoted Congressman Ted Poe as saying. I want to be very specific in what I am concerned about, and that is, the sale of American fighter jets to Pakistan or the giving of American fighter jets to Pakistan through military aid. That military aid is then used in the United States to buy those jets, Poe said Those F-16s and the military equipment that we are providing Pakistan are being used against their own people, just like they did against the people over there in Bangladesh, the daily quoted another Congressman Dan Rohrabacher. Latest World News Follow us on foreign secretary level talks may be deferred hints pak media Islamabad: The Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary-level talks appear to be unlikely this week, Pakistani media reported quoting 'highly placed diplomatic sources'. This follows the January 2 terrorist attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot in Punjab which left seven security personnel dead. Security forces killed six terrorists who were believed to be from Pakistan. The News International yesterday quoted 'highly placed diplomatic sources' as saying there had been no information thus far about the visit of the Indian Foreign Secretary for the January 15 talks in Islamabad. "It is likely that India would notify the postponement at the eleventh hour some time next week," the daily said. No communication has taken place between Islamabad and New Delhi on the Foreign Secretary talks since the Pathankot attack, it said. Pakistan does not want the Foreign Secretary level talks to get derailed as they were expected to pave the way for a comprehensive composite dialogue covering all outstanding disputes including Kashmir, it added. Meanwhile, there are reports that Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will be spending the next couple of days in Maldives and Sri Lanka, with concerned officials saying that events of the next few days will be the determining factor. There are also reports that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval may secretly meet his Pakistani counterpart Nasser Khan Janjua in a third country in the next few days as Islamabad has been sending mixed signals to new Delhi regarding what action it was willing to take against the perpetrators of Pathankot airbase terror attack. Yesterday, Pakistani officials have said that phone numbers of six attackers called in the hours before the attack are not registered in their country even as Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered formation of a high-profile joint investigation team (JIT) to investigate the links of the attackers with Pakistan. With Agency Inputs Latest World News News / Local by Staff Reporter A 24-year-old Speciss College Student in Harare was arrested for allegedly engaging in sex with his landlord's daughter aged 14.Christopher Patana appeared before Chitungwiza magistrate Tafadzwa Miti who sentenced him to six months in jail. Three months of the sentence were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour. The other three months were suspended on condition he performed 210 hours of community service.He had not pleaded guilty to the charge claiming that he was not even at the house on the day in question.Patana was said to have on November 2 2015 called the minor to his room after she asked him to help in solving a mathematics problem.When she was about to leave Patana closed the door and pulled her close to him before kissing and caresing her and asking her is she liked what he was doing.The two later had sex and the girl later confessed to her parents leading to Patana's arrest. Follow us on iraq caf blasts kill 20 is claims responsibility Baghdad: A double blast at a cafe in the Iraqi town of Muqdadiyah northeast of Baghdad on Monday claimed 20 lives and wounded dozens. A bomb exploded at the cafe and a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle after people gathered at the scene, a police captain and an army colonel said. The security officers said that Shiites set alight several Sunni homes and a mosque following the attack. A top Iraqi army officer declared that Diyala province, where Muqdadiyah is located, had been "liberated" from IS in late January 2015, but that has not brought an end to attacks by the jihadists. IS claimed the Muqdadiyah attack and named the suicide bomber as Abu Abdallah, an Iraqi. The Islamic State group is also claiming responsibility for the Baghdad mall attack that killed 18 people on Monday. Gunmen stormed into a Baghdad mall after setting off a car bomb and launching a suicide attack at its entrance. Monday's combined attacks made for one of the worst days of violence in months in areas that are not active frontlines. IS has suffered a number of military setbacks across Iraq in the past year. Security officials say fierce battles and relentless air strikes have depleted its manpower Latest World News Follow us on pak military officers behind mazar e sharif attack afghan police Kabul: Afghanistan's police today said that Pakistani military officers were behind the January 3 terror attack on the Indian consulate in Afghanistan's Mazar-e-Sharif. Sayed Kamal Sadat, police chief of Afghanistan's northern Balkh province, the attackers, officers from across the border, were well-trained military men who fought Afghan security forces in the 25-hour siege, Tolo News reported. "We saw with our own eyes and I can say 99 per cent that those attackers were from Pakistani military and used special tactics while conducting their operation," Sadat was quoted as saying. "The attackers were military personnel. They were educated and well prepared and had intelligence. They fought us and only by Allah's grace were we able to control them and eliminate them." On the night of January 3, terrorists attacked the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif. Among the weapons carried by the attackers were rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), Indian External Affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup confirmed at a media briefing in New Delhi on Thursday. After being kept at bay by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel posted at the consulate, all the four terrorists were later killed by the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF). One Afghan security personnel lost his life and nine others, including three civilians, were wounded in the incident. Sadat on Tuesday said efforts were on to track down, identify and detain those who assisted the attackers to gain access to the building that was opposite the consulate. "We are jointly working with the NDS (National Directorate of Security) director and have spoken about this -- especially as they came here not able to speak in Dari or Pashtu but speaking in Urdu. It means obviously there is someone who guided those attackers and helped the attackers," the Tolo News report quoted Sadat as saying. (With IANS inputs) Latest World News Follow us on trim beard pretend to be a christian isis manual tells would be terrorists from west London: A 58-page manual by terror group Islamic State has emerged online which outlines how would-be terrorists from the West can avoid detection by security services while plotting terror attacks. The English-language document titled 'Safety and Security Guidelines for Lone Wolf Mujahideen' advises jihadis to blend in with the western way and avoid 'looking like a Muslim'. The document urges militants to wear a Christian cross, trim their beards, wear western-style clothes and even shun prayer meetings and mosques to avoid being identified by security services. The document reads: "No doubt that today, at the era of the lone wolves, brothers in the West need to know some important things about safety in order to ensure success in their operations. We thought a lot of non-Arabic speaking brothers would find it interesting and may apply it in their blessed operations. If you can avoid having a beard, wearing qamis (kurta), using miswak (traditional toothbrush) and having a booklet of dhikr (Islamic worship) with you, it's better." "It is permissible for you to wear a necklace showing a Christian cross. As you know, Christians - or even atheist Westerners with Christian background - wear crosses on their necklaces. But do not wear a cross necklace if you have a Muslim name on your passport, as that may look strange." The advice goes on: "If you want to use perfume, don't use the oily, non-alcoholic perfume that Muslims use, instead use generic alcoholic perfume as everyone does, and if you are a man, use perfume for men." The booklet includes suggestions for where to stash fake passports and to use nightclubs with loud music as the best place to "secretly discuss the details of an operation". The booklet, believed to be created by an ISIS instructor, is being shared on social media. Meanwhile, the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group has said that the militants have lost 30 percent of the territory they once held in Iraq and Syria. Since the US-led coalition began launching airstrikes in 2014, Kurdish forces have pushed ISIS out of parts of northern Iraq, including the town of Sinjar, and driven the extremists out of a band of Syrian territory along the Turkish border. Further south, Iraqi forces and Shiite militias recaptured the Iraqi city of Tikrit last year. With PTI Inputs Latest World News Follow us on pm modi s tolerance to terror should end says shiv sena Mumbai: Advocating a strong response to the Pathankot terror strike, Shiv Sena today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "tolerance" to such attacks should end. "Our tolerance to terror attacks is commendable. But there is a limit. We pray that the tolerance of Modi to such attacks should end," an editorial in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said. "The US has pressurised Pakistan on Pathankot issue, and as usual, our ball is in Pakistan's court. Waiting for what happens next is the only thing in our hands," Sena said. "Terror outfit JeM has added salt to our injury by claiming that only six terrorists were no match for the Indian army," the Sena said. Such attacks won't stop till such evils are given a befitting reply, the editorial said. It will be difficult if India's rulers don't abide by the "Kshatriya dharma" and tackle the enemies in time, the Sena said. "Why should there be compulsions in case of India only? Countries like Russia, France, America and England give a strong response to their enemies and do not push the ball in their enemy's court," it said. Follow us on ultimate goal of nda government is to empower villages poor rajnath singh Vijaywada: The NDA government is concentrating on improving rural economy and the overall condition of poor people, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today as he termed 'gram swarajya', or village self-rule, as the ultimate goal of the Narendra Modi-led dispensation. "Empowerment of villages as well as the poor in the country is the primary objective of the NDA government. Seventy-five per cent of our population is still residing in villages and unless we strengthen these people economically, the overall growth of the national economy cannot be achieved as expected. The ultimate goal of the NDA government is to achieve 'gram swarajya'," Singh said addressing a function at Atkur village near here. Singh inaugurated the Vijayawada chapter of 'Swarna Bharat Trust' (SBT) which is run by Deepa Venkat, daughter of Union minister and senior BJP leader M Venkaia .. The first chapter of SBT is at Venkatachalam in Nellore district. On the occasion, Singh listed out various welfare schemes launched by the Modi government for the development of villages and upliftment of the poor. "Though many developed countries faced recession (in 2008), India withstood it only due to strong economic base of our villages," he said. Like now, the NDA government in its previous rule had underscored the importance of rural economy and had introduced many schemes, the minister said. He said the best scheme launched by the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was the 'Pradhana Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana', which envisaged to connect villages by all-weather roads. "Widening of national highways into four lanes has improved the connectivity to rural areas," he added. Singh said the PM's ambitious 'Jan Dhan Yojana' has allowed the poor to open bank accounts with zero balance and with an overdraft facility. "Deposits to the tune of Rs 26,891 crore came into the banking system due to 'Jan Dhan Yojana'. The account-holders now directly receive their subsidies which eliminates the middlemen," Singh said. He said the poor are getting their LPG subsidy through banks thanks to the Direct Benefit Transfer scheme. Rajnath said the villagers who did not have electricity connection so far are now getting it under the 'Deendayal Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana'. He said the poor and budding entrepreneurs are getting loan without any collateral under MUDRA scheme. "So far around 66 lakh small businessmen are benefited with total Rs 46,000 crore under the scheme," the minister said. "The historical nationalisation of banks in 1969 was praised by many, but we did not achieve its primary objective of eradicating poverty and upliftment of the poor," he added. He said the NDA government was planning to transform 300 selected villages as "smart villages" by providing all amenities and infrastructure on a pilot basis and later some more villages would be taken up. He said dreams of Mahatma Gandhi can be fulfilled only with the development of villages. Rajnath also appealed to other social organisations and Trusts to take up the activities on the lines of SBT to serve the villages and the poor. Naidu said the Trust has no political affiliation. It only serves people by providing them quality education and youths the training on skills development. It also runs health camps," he said. The function was attended by many politicians. Follow us on whoever gives india pain should be paid in same coin manohar parrikar New Delhi: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today asserted that any individual or organisation causing pain to India should be paid back in the same coin but how, when and where "should be of our choice", remarks which come in the backdrop of the Pathankot terror attack. Addressing an audience which consisted of top brass of the Army, including its chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, the Minister said that history tells us that until those who inflict damage on others experience the same pain, they don't change. "I am of the opinion, it should not be taken as a government thinking, I always believe that if anyone harms you, he understands the same language. How, when and place should be of your choice but if someone is harming this country, then that particular individual or organisation, I purposely used the words individual and organisation, should also receive the pain of such activities," he said at a seminar organised by the Army here. Asked to elaborate, Parrikar later said, "Basic principle is that until we give them pain, whoever they may be, until then, such incidents will not reduce". Without referring to the Pathankot attack, the Minister said the country was proud of its seven soldiers who laid down their lives but he is pained by the loss. "I don't appreciate it. I have said that it is time we tell our soldiers that it is inevitable that we will lose some soldiers, and in this incident we lost one person in actual combat. We should tell them to think of the concept of taking life of your enemy, enemy of the country, instead of giving your life. This is an important aspect," he said. He said that while sacrifice is respected, what nation needs is to neutralise the enemy. Asked if that means there is a change in policy from the previous UPA government, Parrikar retorted, "If someone comes and hammers you, you should keep quite? Was that the policy? What I am saying is basically that history tells you that those who damage you, if they don't realise what pain they inflict, then they don't change". Were excited to announce that indmin.com is now part of fastmarkets.com. A new look and an improved experience means you can still stay ahead of this fast-moving market with price data, news and market intelligence right here on Fastmarkets. Discover more than 2000 prices, news and analysis in primary and secondary metals markets. We cover base metals, industrial minerals, ores and alloys, steel, scrap and steel raw materials. If you already have a Fastmarkets account, youll still have uninterrupted access to your markets by logging in with your current details. The Great Forgetting By Chris Hedges January 11, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Truth Dig " - Americas refusal to fund and sustain its intellectual and cultural heritage means it has lost touch with its past, obliterated its understanding of the present, crushed its capacity to transform itself through self-reflection and self-criticism, and descended into a deadening provincialism. Ignorance and illiteracy come with a cost. The obsequious worship of technology, hedonism and power comes with a cost. The primacy of emotion and spectacle over wisdom and rational thought comes with a cost. And we are paying the bill. The decades-long assault on the arts, the humanities, journalism and civic literacy is largely complete. All the disciplines that once helped us interpret who we were as a people and our place in the worldhistory, theater, the study of foreign languages, music, journalism, philosophy, literature, religion and the artshave been corrupted or relegated to the margins. We have surrendered judgment for prejudice. We have created a binary universe of good and evil. And our colossal capacity for violence is unleashed around the globe, as well as on city streets in poor communities, with no more discernment than that of the blinded giant Polyphemus. The marriage of ignorance and force always generates unfathomable evil, an evil that is unseen by perpetrators who mistake their own stupidity and blindness for innocence. We are in danger of forgetting, and such an oblivionquite apart from the contents themselves that could be lostwould mean that, humanly speaking, we would deprive ourselves of one dimension, the dimension of depth in human existence, Hannah Arendt wrote. For memory and depth are the same, or rather, depth cannot be reached by man except through remembrance. Those few who acknowledge the death of our democracy, the needless suffering inflicted on the poor and the working class in the name of austerity, and the crimes of empirein short those who name our present and past realityare whitewashed out of the public sphere. If you pay homage to the fiction of the democratic state and the supposed virtues of the nation, including its right to wage endless imperial war, you get huge fees, tenure, a television perch, book, film or recording contracts, grants and prizes, investors for your theater project or praise as an pundit, artist or public intellectual. The pseudo-politicians, pseudo-intellectuals and pseudo-artists know what to say and what not to say. They offer the veneer of criticismcomedians such as Stephen Colbert do thiswithout naming the cause of our malaise. And they are used by the elites as attack dogs to discredit and destroy genuine dissent. This is not, as James Madison warned, the prologue to a farce or a tragedy; we are living both farce and tragedy. The withdrawal of intellectuals from political concerns is itself a political act, sociologist C. Wright Mills wrote. Which is to say that it is at best a pseudo-withdrawal. To withdraw from politics today can only mean in intent; it cannot mean in effect. For its effect is to serve whatever powers prevail, even if only by distracting public attention from them. Such attempts may be the result of fear or fashion; or of sincere convictioninduced by success. Regardless of the motive, the attempted withdrawal means to become subservient to prevailing authorities and to allow the meaning of ones own work to be determined, in effect, by other men. Amid the swelling disparity between reality and reality as the corporate state seeks to have it portrayed, the idiocy and mendacity of the elites and their courtiers grow more ludicrous. The institutions that educated the public and fostered the common good are even more fiercely attacked, defunded and rendered anemic. The dumbing down of the countryfed by the crippling of the safe spaces where ideas, dissent and creativity could be expressed, where structures and assumptions could be questionedaccelerates. Presidential candidate Donald Trump may be boorish, narcissistic, stupid, racist and elitist, but he does not have Hillary Clintons carefully honed and chilling amoral artifice. It was she, and an ethically bankrupt liberal establishment, that created the fertile ground for Trump by fleecing the citizens on behalf of corporations and imposing the neoliberal project. If she is elected, Trump may disappear, but another Trump-like figure, probably even more frightening, will be vomited up from our cultural and political sewer. Trump and Clinton, along with fellow candidate Bernie Sanders, refuse to admit what they know: Our most basic civil and political rights have been taken from us, the corporate oligarchy will remain entrenched in power no matter who wins the presidency, and elections are a carnival act. The downward spiral of lost jobs and declining incomes, of shredded civil liberties, of endless war, is unstoppable as long as we use the traditional mechanisms of reform, including elections, to try to cope with the existential threat we face. A vote for Clinton, in essence, is a vote for Trump or someone as bad as Trump. Right-wing populism, here and in Europe, is not the product of an individual but the disenfranchisement, rage and despair stemming from the damage caused by globalization. And until we wrest back control of our destiny by breaking corporate power, demagogues like Trump, and his repugnant doppelgangers in Europe, will proliferate. The institutions that make possible wisdom, knowledge, self-criticism and transcendence are in ruins. Public radio and public television, created to give a voice to those not beholden to the elites, are now echo chambers for the privileged and the powerful. The arts, like public broadcasting a victim of massive cuts by government, have descended to the lowest common denominator. Symphony orchestras are closing along with libraries. Music and art have been removed from school curriculums. Theater, along with the film industry, has been taken over by corporations such as Disney. Audiences on Broadway and in movie houses participate in exorbitantly priced forms of escapism that, at their core, celebrate American power and narcissism. There was a time, a few decades ago, when the work and thought of intellectuals and artists mattered. Writers and social critics such as Mills, Dwight Macdonald, James Baldwin, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Noam Chomsky, Susan Sontag, Mary McCarthy, Ralph Nader, Howard Zinn and Jane Jacobs wrote for and spoke to a broad audience. Authors William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, Flannery OConnor, Gore Vidal, Toni Morrison, Ken Kesey, Russell Banks and Norman Mailer, along with playwrights such as Eugene ONeill, Arthur Miller, Lorraine Hansberry, Tennessee Williams, August Wilson, David Mamet, Ntozake Shange, Sam Shepard, Marsha Norman, Edward Albee and Tony Kushner, held up a mirror to the nation. And it was not a reflection many people wanted to see. Orson Welles and Stanley Kubrick in film, Allen Ginsberg and Amiri Baraka in poetry, Bob Dylan, Curtis Mayfield, Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith in music shook the social, cultural and political landscape. These artists and intellectuals, who did not cater to the herd, were nationally known figures. They altered our perceptions. They were taken seriously. They sparked contentious debate, and the elites attempted, sometimes successfully, to censor their work. It is not that new independent, brilliant and creative minds are not out there; it is that nearly all of themTupac Shakur and Lupe Fiasco having been two exceptionsare locked out. And this has turned our artistic, cultural and intellectual terrain into a commercialized wasteland. I doubt that a young Bruce Springsteen or a young Patti Smith, or even a young Chomsky, all of whom exhibit the rare quality of never having sold out the marginalized, the working class and the poor, and who are not afraid of speaking truths about our nation that others will not utter, could today break into the corporatized music industry or the corporatized university. Sales, branding and marketing, even in academia, overpower content. T.S. Eliot, seven decades ago, warned of a condition that now enmeshes us. In his What Is a Classic? address to the Virgil Society in 1944 he argued that a civilization that did not engage with its greatest artists and intellectual traditions, that did not protect and nurture its artistic and intellectual patrimony, committed suicide. In our age, Eliot said, when men seem more than ever prone to confuse wisdom with knowledge, and knowledge with information, and to try to solve problems of life, in terms of engineering, there is coming into existence a new kind of provincialism, not of space, but of time; one for which history is merely the chronicle of human devices which have served their turn and been scrapped, one for which the world is the property solely of the living, a property in which the dead hold no shares. The menace of this kind of provincialism is, that we can all, all the peoples on the globe, be provincials together: and those who are not content to be provincials, can only become hermits. Chris Hedges, spent nearly two decades as a foreign correspondent in Central America, the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. He has reported from more than 50 countries and has worked for The Christian Science Monitor, National Public Radio, The Dallas Morning News and The New York Times, for which he was a foreign correspondent for 15 years. 2016 Truthdig, LLC. All rights reserved. Ted Cruzs Stone-Age Brain and Yours Why Collateral Damage Elicits So Little Empathy Among Americans By Rick Shenkman January 11, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Tom Dispatch " - After Senator Ted Cruz suggested that the United States begin carpet bombing Islamic State (IS) forces in Syria, the reaction was swift. Hillary Clinton mocked candidates who use bluster and bigotry. Jeb Bush insisted the idea was foolish. Rich Lowry, the editor of National Review, tweeted: You can't carpet bomb an insurgency out of existence. This is just silly. When CNNs Wolf Blitzer objected that Cruzs proposal would lead to lots of civilian casualties, the senator retorted somewhat incoherently: "You would carpet bomb where ISIS is -- not a city, but the location of the troops. You use air power directed -- and you have embedded special forces to direction the air power. But the object isn't to level a city. The object is to kill the ISIS terrorists." PolitiFact drily noted that Cruz apparently didnt understand what the process of carpet (or saturation) bombing entails. By definition, it means bombing a wide area regardless of the human cost. By almost any standard Cruzs proposal was laughable and his rivals and the media called him on it. What happened next? By all rights after such a mixture of inanity and ruthlessness, not to say bloody-mindedness against civilian populations, his poll numbers should have begun to sag. After all, hed just flunked the commander-in-chief test and what might have seemed like a test of his humanity as well. In fact, his poll numbers actually crept up. The week before the imbroglio, an ABC opinion poll had registered him at 15% nationally. By the following week, he was up to 18% and one poll even had him at a resounding 24%. How to explain this? While many factors can affect a candidates polling numbers, one uncomfortable conclusion cant be overlooked when it comes to reactions to Cruzs comments: by and large, Americans dont think or care much about the real-world consequences of the unleashing of American air power or that of our allies. The other day, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that, in September and October, a Saudi Arabian coalition backed by the United States carried out at least six apparently unlawful airstrikes in residential areas of the [Yemeni] capital, Sanaa. The attacks resulted in the deaths of 60 civilians. Just about no one in the United States took notice, nor was it given significant media coverage. More than likely, this is the first time youve heard about the HRW findings. You might think that this is because the conflict in Yemen is off our national radar screen. But how much attention have Americans paid to U.S. air strikes and bombing runs in Iraq? Washington has literally been bombing Iraq on and off for twelve years and yet few have taken much notice. That helps explain why bombing is such an attractive option for Washington any time trouble breaks out in the world. Americans dont seem to care much what goes on when our bombs or missiles hit the ground. As pollsters found recently, a surprising number of Americans even want to bomb places that cant be found on a map. When Public Policy Polling asked GOP voters in mid-December if they favored bombing Agrabah, 30% said they did (as did 19% of Democrats), while only 13% opposed the idea. Agrabah is the fictional city featured in the Disney movie Aladdin. Would you support or oppose bombing Agrabah? Support bombing Agrabah.. 30% Oppose bombing Agrabah 13% Not sure 57% That 57% were not sure might be considered at least modestly (but not wildly) reassuring. Why Cruzs Numbers Went Up History suggests that this blanket bloodthirstiness or at least lack of empathy for those on the other end of Americas bombing campaigns isnt new. In March 1951, nine months into the Korean War, Freda Kirchwey, a crusading liberal journalist at the Nation, expressed bewilderment at American indifference to the fate of Korean civilians killed by our bombs. The destruction was awful. Little was left standing, structurally speaking, in North Korea. Nothing, she complained in a column, excuses the terrible shambles created up and down the Korean peninsula by the American-led forces, by American planes raining down napalm and fire bombs, and by heavy land and naval artillery. And yet few seemed bothered by it. Because she was an optimist Kirchwey expressed the hope that Americans would eventually come to share her own moral anguish at what was being done in their name. They never did. If anything, the longer the war ground on, the less Americans seemed interested in the fate of the victims of our bombing. Why did they show so little empathy? Science helps provide us with an answer and its a disturbing one: empathy grows harder as distances -- whether of status, geography, or both -- increase. Think of it as a matter of our Stone Age brains. Its hard because in many circumstances an empathic response is, in fact, an unnatural act. It is not natural, it turns out, for us to feel empathy for those who look different and speak a different language. It is not natural for us to empathize with those who are invisible to us, as most bombing victims were and are. Nor is it natural for us to feel empathy for people who have what social scientists call low status in our eyes, as did the Korean peasants we were killing. Recent studies show that, faced with a choice of killing a single individual to save the lives of several people, we are far more apt to consider doing it if the individual we are sacrificing is of such low status. When subjects in an experiment are told that high-status people are being saved, the number willing to let the low-status victim die actually increases. Another social science finding helps us understand why empathy is often in short supply and why Ted Cruz is capable of cavalierly recommending we carpet bomb Syrians living under the control of the Islamic State. Once we have convinced ourselves of the necessity and correctness of bombing the hell out of a country -- as Americans did during the Korean War and as we are now doing in our war against IS -- the wiring in our Stone Age brain helps us overcome any hint of guilt we might be inclined to feel over the ensuing loss of life. It quite naturally acts to dehumanize the distant victims of our air strikes. This is a classic case of cognitive dissonance. Our brain hates to feel torn between conflicting emotions. Instead it rationalizes doing what we want to do by discounting any feeling that gives rise to negative emotions, in this case, guilt. An extreme example of this was what happened when the Nazis decided to stigmatize Jews and later wipe them out. From the moment they began their ruthless anti-Semitic campaigns, they used hideous imagery to convince other Germans that Jews were not, like them, human at all, but little different than rats. It is, of course, far easier to kill someone, or to sit by while others do the same, if you dehumanize them first. Rather than feeling empathy for the downtrodden Jews, many Germans felt contempt and disgust, strong emotions that swamped whatever other feelings they might have had. In a study a few years ago, researchers measured the activity in the brains of subjects looking at pictures of homeless people. The finding was shocking. Brain activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, the region of the brain where empathy is often registered, was significantly lower than normal. Put another way, the subjects in this experiment literally paid the homeless no (or at least less) mind. This may sound cruel and uncaring, but as far as biology is concerned it makes sense. Our genes, as the biologist Richard Dawkins has taught us, are selfish; they are, that is, built to enhance their own replication, which is, in effect, their biological imperative. Caring for people who are low in status, particularly those who belong to another tribe, doesnt serve this imperative. Indeed, it may interfere with it by diverting the attention of the host -- thats you and me -- from activities that will enhance our survival. Think of this as our Stone-Age brains in action. Its not that we necessarily make a conscious decision to ignore the fate of people who are low in status. Our brain does this automatically and seamlessly for us. Out of conscious awareness it decides if someone is useful to us. If that person is, our brain quickly achieves a state of hyper-attentiveness: our nostrils flare, our eyes widen, and our ears tune in relevant sounds. Think of what happens when youre in the presence of somebody important and youll know what I mean. If someone is deemed useless to us? Unless were worried that they hyperpose a threat, our brain tells our body to relax. Because it is in our biological interest to feel empathy for people from our own tribe and family -- those, that is, in a position to either enhance our survival or perpetuate our genes -- we come equipped with mechanisms to help us distinguish our people from outsiders. From the moment were born, we focus on those around us and bond with them. A mother and child know each other through smell. Brother and sister recognize each others familiar facial features. When we hear someone speaking a foreign language, we instinctively discount their humanity. This was shown in a 2014 experiment designed to determine if human beings were more willing to sacrifice someone who spoke a different language in order to save the lives of several others. The findings were clear-cut. Only 18% of the subjects in the experiment were willing to make the cold calculation that saving the lives of several people at the cost of one life was fair when the intended victim shared their native language. However, that percent more than doubled when it was revealed that the person to be sacrificed spoke a foreign language. The experiments results remained the same whether that language was Korean, Hebrew, Japanese, English, or Spanish. Why Stories Matter When It Comes to American War You may be beginning to wonder if we arent doomed to eternal indifference to the human beings who suffer when we loose our Air Force on them, but science offers us a modicum of hope on the subject. In recent years, one of the strongest findings is that storytelling can break through our indifference and foster empathy even for distant peoples who might otherwise seem alien to us. This more than anything else gives us the ability to empathize with those with whom we dont identify demographically or otherwise. Stories hold our attention, while feeding the strong urge to find meaningful patterns in human behavior. As scientists have now demonstrated in experiments, the brain is a natural pattern finder. It wants one and one to equal two. Mysterious may be the will of God, but here on Earth we expect behavior to be explicable. Stories are designed to establish cause and effect, and once we understand what motivates people we can usually find a way to empathize with them. Stories connect us to people in a way nothing else can. Its the reason politicians regularly tell stories on the campaign trail. Years ago, Harvard social scientist Howard Gardner set out to discover what highly successful leaders have in common. After reviewing the lives of 11 luminaries, from Margaret Thatcher to Martin Luther King, Jr., he concluded that their success depended to a remarkable extent on their ability to communicate a compelling story or, as he put it, narratives that help individuals think about and feel who they are, where they come from, and where they are headed. These stories, he found, constitute the single most powerful weapon in the leaders literary arsenal. When people are reduced to numbers -- as were the civilian victims of air power during the Korean War and as are the civilians who become collateral damage in American air strikes in Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere -- we dont feel their pain, nor do we automatically put ourselves in their shoes, which is by definition what you do when you are feeling empathic. We have the bomber pilots syndrome. We dont feel anything for the victims below. This is one reason why antiwar movements matter. They tell stories about the victims of war. It was striking in the Vietnam years, for instance, how many Americans came to care for, say, a small naked Vietnamese girl napalmed near her village, or so many other Vietnamese civilians who suffered under a rain of American bombs, rockets, napalm, and artillery shells. The stories that the massive antiwar movement regularly told here about the distant world being decimated by the U.S. war machine created a powerful sense of empathy among many, including active-duty American soldiers and veterans of the war, for the plight of the Vietnamese. (It helped that few Americans believed that North Vietnam posed an existential threat to the United States. Fear brings out the worst in us.) Storytelling happens to be in every humans toolkit. We are all born storytellers and attentive listeners. Biology may incline us to turn a cold eye on the suffering of people we cant see and dont know, but stories can liberate us. Ted Cruz may be able to build up his poll numbers by promising to carpet bomb foreigners in the Middle East of whom we are fearful, but at least we know that biology doesnt have to dictate our response. Our brains dont have to stay in the Stone Age. Stories can change us, if we start telling them. Rick Shenkman is the editor and founder of the History News Network and the author most recently of Political Animals: How Our Stone-Age Brain Gets in the Way of Smart Politics (Basic Books, January 2016). Follow TomDispatch on Twitter and join us on Facebook. Check out the newest Dispatch Book, Nick Turses Tomorrows Battlefield: U.S. Proxy Wars and Secret Ops in Africa, and Tom Engelhardt's latest book, Shadow Government: Surveillance, Secret Wars, and a Global Security State in a Single-Superpower World . Copyright 2016 Rick Shenkman Clinton Email Shows that Oil and Gold Were Behind Regime Change In Libya By Washington's Blog January 11, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Zero Hedge " - On New Years Eve, 3,000 emails from Hillary Clintons private email server were released. One of them confirms an email dated April 2, 2011 to Clinton from her close confidante Sidney Blumenthal that: Qaddafis government holds 143 tons of gold, and a similar amount in silver. *** This gold was accumulated prior to the current rebellion and was intended to be used to establish a pan-African currency based on the Libyan golden Dinar. This plan was designed to provide the Francophone African Countries with an alternative to the French. franc (CFA). (Source Comment [This is in the original declassified email, and is not a comment added by us]: According to knowledgeable individuals this quantity of gold and silver is valued at more than $7 billion. French intelligence officers discovered this plan shortly after the current rebellion began, and this was one of the factors that influenced President Nicolas Sarkozys decision to commit France to the attack on Libya. According to these individuals Sarkozys plans are driven by the following issues: A desire to gain a greater share of Libya oil production, Increase French influence in North Africa, Improve his internal political situation in France, Provide the French military with an opportunity to reassert its position in the world, Address the concern of his advisors over Qaddafis long term plans to supplant France as the dominant power in Francophone Africa) This may confirm what some of us have been saying for years. While the Sunnis and Shias have been competing for more than a thousand years, they have largely co-existed peacefully until recently. Why are they involved in an open war across multiple countries now? Much of modern geopolitics is driven by hydrocarbons i.e. oil and gas. Is this true of the Sunnis-Shia war? Yes, the U.S. and its allies are backing the Sunnis against the Shias in order to wage war for oil. And it turns out that the lions share of oil in the Middle East happens to be located in Shia countries and in the Shia-minority sections of Sunni-majority countries. Specifically, as Jon Schwartz reports this week at the Intercept: Much of the conflict can be explained by a fascinating map created by M.R. Izady, a cartographer and adjunct master professor at the U.S. Air Force Special Operations School/Joint Special Operations University in Florida. What the map shows is that, due to a peculiar correlation of religious history and anaerobic decomposition of plankton, almost all the Persian Gulfs fossil fuels are located underneath Shiites. This is true even in Sunni Saudi Arabia, where the major oil fields are in the Eastern Province, which has a majority Shiite population. As a result, one of the Saudi royal familys deepest fears is that one day Saudi Shiites will secede, with their oil, and ally with Shiite Iran. This fear has only grown since the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq overturned Saddam Husseins minority Sunni regime, and empowered the pro-Iranian Shiite majority. Nimr himself said in 2009 that Saudi Shiites would call for secession if the Saudi government didnt improve its treatment of them. Source: Dr. Michael Izady at Columbia University, Gulf2000, New York As Izadys map so strikingly demonstrates, essentially all of the Saudi oil wealth is located in a small sliver of its territory whose occupants are predominantly Shiite. (Nimr, for instance, lived in Awamiyya, in the heart of the Saudi oil region just northwest of Bahrain.) If this section of eastern Saudi Arabia were to break away, the Saudi royals would just be some broke 80-year-olds with nothing left but a lot of beard dye and Viagra prescriptions. Nimrs execution can be partly explained by the Saudis desperation to stamp out any sign of independent thinking among the countrys Shiites. The same tension explains why Saudi Arabia helped Bahrain, an oil-rich, majority-Shiite country ruled by a Sunni monarchy, crush its version of the Arab Spring in 2011. Similar calculations were behind George H.W. Bushs decision to stand by while Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons in 1991 to put down an insurrection by Iraqi Shiites at the end of the Gulf War. As New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman explained at the time, Saddam had held Iraq together, much to the satisfaction of the American allies Turkey and Saudi Arabia. West Media Starves Truth in Syria By Finian Cunningham January 11, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Sputnik " - The Western news media are at it again telling barefaced lies and half-truths about starving towns in Syria being liberated from sieges. Fake images of emaciated children are also being published to shore up their fraudulent narrative. Take the image of the malnourished little girl whom the BBC and the British Independent newspaper claimed was from the Syrian town of Madaya. Turns out the girl is from south Lebanon. Her name is Marianna Mazeh. The photo published widely this week by Western media is from three years ago, yet the same media are claiming that she is one of the residents of the Syrian town of Madaya, which the Western media also say is being blockaded by the governments forces of President Bashar al-Assad. Turns out too that Marianna's family are infuriated that her forlorn image is being circulated for propaganda purposes. "I live in Tayr Filsey [south Lebanon], not Madaya, and I am fine," the little girl told Al Manar news agency. She is now aged seven and apparently has made a full recovery from her earlier emaciated condition. The reason for her previous illness is not clear. A toddler is held up to the camera in this still image taken from video said to be shot in Madaya on January 5, 2016 But what is clear is that Western media have been caught once again falsifying reality about the siege towns in Syria now being liberated. British state-owned broadcaster BBC tells us that there are up to 400,000 people being held in some 15 besieged towns across Syria. The BBC and other Western media refer to these places as "rebel-held", and by a process of outright lies or half-truths, it is inferred that the locations are being besieged by the Syrian army, supported by Hezbollah militia and Russian air power. Occasionally, the Western media let slip, like when the New York Times reported this week on "people being shot as they try to escape" the captive towns. The people are being shot by the so-called rebels holding the residents as hostages, but the NY Times omitted that fact. The half-truth that the Western media don't tell is that many towns in Syria have been, and are still, taken over by foreign-backed mercenary militia. They are terrorists, not "rebels", belonging to such groups as the so-called Islamic State (or Daesh), al Nusra Front and Jaish al-Islam. All of them espouse a twisted, corrupted version of Islam, which ordains that anyone opposed to them can be beheaded or their children gang-raped. The Western media portray the "Syrian regime" forces as having blockaded the towns and using starvation as a weapon against the residents. Nothing could be further from the truth. The populations have been held hostage by the terror groups and used as "human shields" to prevent the Syrian army advancing to liberate those being held against their will. This week, the siege towns being reported in the news are Madaya near the capital Damascus, as well as the northern locations of Kefraya and Foua. But the same siege situations and eventual liberation were repeated previously in many other towns and villages, such as Zabadani, Kessab, Adra, Homs and Maloula. In all cases, the residents have welcomed the Syrian army with open arms as "liberators" grateful to have been freed from the nightmare of captivity under the foreign-backed mercenaries. Their conditions of starvation and general brutality were not due to alleged blockade by the Syrian state forces, as the Western media claim, but rather as a direct result of being kidnapped en masse by the mercenaries. Irish peace activist, Dr Declan Hayes, told this author how he witnessed the liberation of Maloula near the border with Lebanon back in 2014. "It was Easter Sunday, April 24, when we entered the town with Syrian army forces. It had been held captive by the mercenaries for several months. We were greeted by cheering, flag-waving children, by young and old, by Christians and Muslims. The atmosphere was euphoric," recounted Hayes. "You had to see the destruction of Maloula to believe it. Everything had been destroyed by the occupying mercenaries. People were still in a state of shock from the brutality they had been subjected to. Beheadings, shootings, kidnappings, rape. There was graffiti on walls written by the so-called jihadists which said, We get closer to God by cutting the heads off our enemies'." These are the same mercenaries that Western governments and their media refer to as "rebels". As with the siege of Madaya and other towns being ended this week, the Western media contrived a narrative that Maloula was similarly under siege from the Syrian army. Of course, the reason why the West refers to "rebels" and not "terrorists" is because the terrorists are supported by Western governments and their regional allies in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. Half-truths are invented because the full truth is a shocking revelation of the real, criminal nature of Western governments and how they have sponsored a covert war in Syria for their illicit scheme of regime change against the Assad administration. Dr Hayes says there is a clinical method in the madness that Syrian towns and communities have been plunged into. The objective is to destroy the rich pluralist fabric of Syrian society and culture. "Maloula is one of the earliest Christian dwellings in the world. People there speak Aramaic dating back to the time of Jesus," explained Hayes. "But the community there also include Muslims, Sunni, Shia, Alawite, Druze and other faiths. They have been living peacefully together for centuries. Maloula is an epitome of larger Syrian society. It is pluralist, peacefully coexisting." What the foreign-backed mercenaries have tried to do since the conflict erupted in March 2011 is to destroy the tapestry of Syrian society by brutalizing communities and trying to hack open sectarian schisms. Hayes believes that the mercenary brigades running amok in Syria for the past five years have been directed by Western military intelligence, the American CIA and British MI6, along with Turk intelligence. "The command and control of these terrorists is outside Syria. The terrorists are following a demonic, but deliberate, plan to destroy the society." The Western news media are the propaganda arm of the state-sponsored terrorist assault on Syria. A country has been brought to within a breath of being demolished totally, of being turned into failed state like so many other countries where Western powers have illegally interfered "to bring democracy". Russia's military intervention at the end of September pulled Syria back from the brink. And it is Russia's air power, along with the ground forces of the Syrian army, Hezbollah and Iran, that is now forcing the terrorists to capitulate. Hence the rapid ending of so many sieges. Spinning with ever-more lies, Western media are now trying to tell their public that the "evil Assad regime" is (inexplicably) having a change of heart and allowing in aid convoys to the stricken, starving populations. The plain truth is that people in Syria are being held siege by Western-orchestrated terrorists. A siege of another kind is also being forced on the minds of the Western public by the Western media; it involves starving them of the truth. Finian Cunningham has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. He is a Masters graduate in Agricultural Chemistry and worked as a scientific editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, England, before pursuing a career in newspaper journalism. He is also a musician and songwriter. For nearly 20 years, he worked as an editor and writer in major news media organisations, including The Mirror, Irish Times and Independent. Welcome to Israels Version of Apartheid, as Passengers Evict Palestinians from Plane By Jonathan Cook Nazareth January 11, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - A small scene from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict unfolded last week on a Greek airport runway. Moments before an Aegean Airlines flight was due to take off, three Israeli passengers took security into their own hands and demanded that two fellow passengers, from Israels Palestinian minority, be removed from the plane. By the end of a 90-minute stand-off, dozens more Israeli Jews had joined the protest, refusing to take their seats. Like a parable illustrating Europes bottomless indulgence of Israel, Aegean staff caved in to the pressure and persuaded the two Palestinian men to disembark. The lack of outcry from Israeli officials should be no surprise. Shortly before the Athens incident, Israel banned a Hebrew novel, Borderlife, from the schools curriculum because it features a romance between an Israeli Jew and a Palestinian. The education ministry said it feared the book would undermine Jewish pupils national-ethnic identity and encourage miscegenation. As an Israeli columnist observed: Discouraging assimilation is an inseparable part of the Jewish state. Strict separation operates in the key areas of life, from residence to schooling. As a result, marriages between Israeli Jews and Palestinian citizens, a fifth of the population, are rare indeed. It was therefore difficult not to see the paradox in Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahus comments following a shooting by Nashat Melhem that killed three Israelis in Tel Aviv on New Years Day. Attacks of this kind by a Palestinian citizen on Israeli Jews are uncommon and it elicited instant condemnation from the Palestinian leadership. Nonetheless, Netanyahu seized the chance to label as criminals the countrys 1.6 million Palestinians. In a sequel to his notorious election eve statement last year, when he warned that Palestinian voters threatened the result by coming to the polls in droves, Netanyahu pledged extra police funds to crack down on the lawless minority. I will not accept two states within Israel. Whoever wants to be Israeli must be Israeli all the way, he said. But in reality there have always been two classes of Israeli, by design. The search for Melhem ended on Friday with police shooting him dead. In the meantime, his immediate family had been either arrested as accomplices or interrogated at length. Presumably in an effort to pressure Melhem, the police told his mother they would demolish the family home unless he turned himself in only Palestinians, not Jews, face house demolitions. Earlier, when police suspected Melhem was hiding in Tel Aviv, the lodgings of dozens of Palestinian students were raided by officers with weapons drawn, though no search warrants. At the weekend, Netanyahu conditioned a promised rise in the paltry budgets received by the Palestinian minority on an end to the lawlessness in their communities, as though the lack of effective policing of those communities was the responsibility of Palestinian citizens, not the government. The week-long hysteria contrasted with the handling of another terrible crime, this one committed by Israeli Jews. In late July, a gang of extremist settlers torched a Palestinian home in the West Bank village of Duma. Three members of the Dawabsheh family, including an 18-month-old baby, burnt to death. For weeks, in a familiar pattern following settler violence, the investigation made no progress. Then in September, defence minister Moshe Yaalon conceded that the culprits had been identified but the police would make no arrests to avoid exposing their informers. Only after an international outcry, and Arab legislators threatened to petition the supreme court, did the wheels of law enforcement start to grind. The attorney general approved the first-ever use of torture a staple interrogation technique for Palestinians in Israel and the occupied territories on the Jewish suspects. Prominent Israeli commentators and government ministers have agonised ever since about the abuses faced by these Jewish detainees. Bezalel Smotrich, an MP, publicly rejected treating the Dawabshehs killers as terrorists. Asked in parliament to repudiate Smotrichs remarks, Netanyahu stepped down from the podium in silence. No one, of course, has suggested arresting the Jewish suspects parents in one case a settlement rabbi or demolishing their homes. Settlement seminaries have not been raided, or their students questioned at gun point. Budgets for the settlements have been rising, with settlers receiving far more government money than Israelis inside Israels recognised borders. Their long record of violence and lawlessness has made no difference to their funding. Legal experts now warn that the courts will likely free the main suspects in the Duma killings because their confessions were forced. Meanwhile, the settler communities from which the men came are unrepentant. A recent wedding video showed guests celebrating the Dawabshehs deaths, including a reveller who repeatedly stabbed a photo of the toddler. Although both settlers and Palestinian citizens face inadequate policing, they do so for very different reasons. Depriving Palestinian citizens of law enforcement except when repressing dissent has left their communities weak and oppressed by crime and guns. For years Netanyahu has ignored pleas from Palestinian leaders for increased gun control until now, when one of those weapons targeted Jews. Settlers have also been policed lightly, so long as their violence was directed at Palestinians, whether in the occupied territories or Israel. More than a decade of settler violence labelled price-tag attacks has gone largely uninvestigated. The truth is that most Israeli Jews have long supported two Israels: one for them and another for the Palestinian minority, with further, even more deprived ghettos for Palestinians under occupation. The inhabitants of one Israel remain hostile towards, and abusive of, those in the other, who refuse to accept Jewish privilege as the natural order just like the mob that insisted that their fellow citizens had no right to share a plane. Jonathan Cook won the Martha Gellhorn Special Prize for Journalism. His latest books are Israel and the Clash of Civilisations: Iraq, Iran and the Plan to Remake the Middle East (Pluto Press) and Disappearing Palestine: Israels Experiments in Human Despair (Zed Books). He contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com. Visit: www.jonathan-cook.net. Britain and Saudi Arabia: Collusion in Barbarism By Felicity Arbuthnot Human rights is a cause that runs deep in the British heart and long in British history. (Britain is) Driven by a belief in fundamental human rights and a passion to advance them. (Prime Minister David Cameron, Speech on the European Court of Human Rights, 25th January 2012.) January 11, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - The British government under Prime Minister David Camerons leadership can claim absolute consistency in just one policy: towering, jaw dropping hypocrisy. They follow Tony Blair and his tantrum prone, nail biting successor, Gordon Browns bombing, year zero inducing, orphan-creating footsteps as they attempt to market potential war crimes and illegal assaults, dressed as democracy bringing, despot vanquishing acts of mercy. Recent events have again highlighted their contempt for human life, human rights and international law. On Saturday, 3rd January Saudi Arabia announced it had executed forty seven people. Last September, Saudi was elected Chair of the UN Human Rights Council with Britains collusion due to its conducting: secret vote-trading deals with Saudis to ensure both states were elected to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), according to leaked diplomatic cables. (1) This was: after Riyadh (had) sanctioned more than a hundred beheadings so far this year more, it is claimed, than Islamic State. So much for the integrity of the UK and UN Institutions. According to international human rights organization Reprieve (reprieve.org.uk) the: executions took place in twelve cities in Saudi Arabia, four prisons using firing squads and the others beheading. The bodies were then hanged from gibbets in the most severe form of punishment available in the Kingdoms law. Amnesty International is specific: The death penalty breaches two essential human rights: the right to life and the right to live free from torture. Both rights are protected under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN in 1948. As this is written, Reprieve has updated executions in Saudi Arabia for 2015 to at least one hundred and fifty eight people. Another 2015 highlight of the justice system of the Chair of the Human Rights Council include a nineteen year old woman gang raped by seven men, subjected to two hundred lashes and jailed for six months. Yes, you read that correctly, the nineteen year old victim horrifically penalised, not the rapists. Moreover: The victims lawyer Abdul Rahman al-Lahem, who appealed to the Court was banned and his license was confiscated.(2) The response to this barbarism from Britain which has enjoined in the destruction of the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria in the last two decades over one country every five years in the name of freeing citizens from regimes who kill their own people, was expressed by Foreign Office Minister Tobias Elwood as: disappointment. Invited on the BBCs morning news Today programme (8th January) to condemn the primitive inhumanity of the executions, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond declined, faithfully echoing Saudis Deputy Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, stating that those shot, beheaded and hung from gibbets were terrorists. As Reprieve has pointed out (3): of those facing execution in Saudi Arabia in 2015, the vast majority 72 per cent were convicted of non-lethal offenses while torture and forced confessions were frequently reported. Further: Far from being terrorists, at least four of those killed were arrested after protests calling for reform and were convicted in shockingly unfair trials. The Saudi government is clearly using the death penalty, alongside torture and secret courts, to punish political dissent. By refusing to condemn these executions and parroting the Saudis propaganda, labeling those killed as terrorists, Mr. Hammond is coming dangerously close to condoning Saudi Arabias approach. He was not alone. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was merely dismayed, however on the day of the mass murders, when the Saudi Embassy in Tehran was attacked by protestors enraged at the killing of respected cleric Nimr Baqir al Nimri, Ban deplored the violence. Masonry clearly has far higher value than mortality on UN Plaza. Four days later when the Saudis were accused of an attempt to bomb the Iranian Embassy in Yemen and dropping (US made) cluster munitions in a populated area, Ban ignored the Embassy attack and was merely troubled and expressed concern about the latter, in spite of saying that: use of cluster munitions in populated areas may amount to a war crime due to their indiscriminate nature. Britain was blind, deaf and mute. President Nobel Obamas spokesman referred to a list of concerns regarding Saudis shooting and head chopping rampage, confirming gently that: mass executions would rate highly in that list of concerns For most in the real world it would rate highly in horror, outrage, unequivocal condemnation with immediate imposition of draconian trade and travel sanctions and withdrawal of diplomatic missions as has been meted out to countries for considerably lesser outrages, indeed even imagined ones, think Iraq and weapons of mass destruction. The White House was though, also very exercised by the violent attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran. (4) Well it would be. Forget concerns about tyrants who kill their own people. Last November alone the US Administration: approved a $1.29 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia, despite widespread mounting evidence of the countrys mass atrocities and possible war crimes in neighboring Yemen. The U.S. State Department approved the sale of over 10,000 bombs, munitions, and weapons parts produced by Boeing and Raytheon. This includes 5,200 Paveway II laser guided and 12,000 general purpose bombs. Bunker Busters, also included in the deal, are designed to destroy concrete structures. (5) Raed Jarrar, government relations manager for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) points out that it is: illegal under U.S. and international law to transfer weapons to human rights abusers, or to forces that will likely use it to commit gross violations of human rights, moreover: There is documented evidence that such abuses have been committed by almost all of U.S. allies in the region. As for Britain, according to the Campaign Against the Arms Trade: David Cameron has overseen 5.6 Billion of military licences to Saudi they state, demanding that due to the mass executions and (illegal) bombing of Yemen the UK must sop arming Saudi Arabia, which say CAAT is by far the largest buyer of UK arms licences included fighter jets, tear gas, military vehicles and targeting equipment. 62% of UK adults oppose the sales. It should be to Britains and other suppliers shame, as Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade states: The Saudi regime has a history of locking up bloggers, executing critics and cracking down on dissent. Despite this they can always rely on getting almost uncritical support from countries like the UK that prioritize arms company profits over human rights. Smith emphasizes that : UK bombs and fighter jets have been central to the destruction of Yemen. As long as Saudi enjoys the political and military support of the most powerful Western nations, then it will continue oppressing its own population and those of neighbouring states. The British government may though at least finally be held to account, hopefully setting a precedent. As this was concluded the following statement arrived: 10 January 2016 Letter before action sent as threat of legal action over arms export licences to Saudi Arabia increases. Law firm Leigh Day, representing Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), has issued a pre-action protocol letter for judicial review challenging the governments decision to export arms to Saudi Arabia despite increasing evidence that Saudi forces are violating international humanitarian law (IHL) in Yemen. As set out in the letter, a range of international organizations including the European Parliament and many humanitarian NGOs, have condemned the ongoing Saudi air strikes against Yemen as unlawful Leigh Day has asked the government to confirm if it now accepts there is credible evidence Saudi Arabia has violated (international human rights law) in its conduct in Yemen. The letter before action has asked the government to confirm within 14 days whether the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills, Sajid Javid will: 1. Agree to suspend extant licences for the export of military equipment and technology to Saudi Arabia for possible use in Yemen pending the outcome of a full review as to whether the export of military equipment is compatible with EU arms control legislation. 2. Agree not to grant further licences for the export of military equipment to Saudi Arabia pending the completion of such a review. 3. Agree not to grant further licences (and to suspend existing licences) until the government is in possession of sufficiently clear information to enable a proper assessment as to whether such licences can be granted lawfully. (Emphasis mine.) Rosa Curling of Leigh Day, representing CAAT, said: The UK government is under a clear legal obligation to ensure any military equipment and/or technology exported from this country to another, is not being used in breach of international humanitarian law. Given the widespread and credible evidence that the Saudi authorities are breaching their international obligations in Yemen, we can see no credible basis upon which the UK government can lawfully continue to export arms to them. We hope our clients letter will cause the government to reconsider its position and suspend all licences with immediate effect, pending a proper investigation into the issue. Andrew Smith adds: UK weapons have been central to a bombing campaign that has killed thousands of people, destroyed vital infrastructure and inflamed tensions in the region. The UK has been complicit in the destruction by continuing to support air strikes and provide arms, despite strong and increasing evidence that war crimes are being committed. These arms sales should never have been approved The Saudi regime has an appalling human rights record How many more people will be tortured and killed before the government finally says it will stop arming one of the most oppressive regimes in the world? Should there be any doubt of the abhorrence of actions of the Saudi regime and those that aid and abet them, read this statement from the Ministry of the Interior: The recompense of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and do mischief in the land is only that they shall be killed or crucified or their hands and their feet be cut off from opposite sides That is their disgrace in this world and a great torment is theirs in the Hereafter. The executed and currently threatened with death in Saudi jails, were not of course waging war against Allah, some were simply availing of the human right to write, blog, protest in the country of a Western ally a West, with the UN, which shames all in its selective attitude to humanity and human rights. Notes: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/sep/29/uk-and-saudi-arabia-in-secret-deal-over-human-rights-council-place http://themillenniumreport.com/2016/01/gang-raped-saudi-woman-sentenced-to-200-lashes-and-jail-term/ http://www.reprieve.org.uk/press/foreign-secretary-refuses-to-condemn-saudi-mass-execution/ http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/01/05/u_s_officials_try_really_hard_not_to_condemn_saudi_arabia_s_mass_executions.html http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/despite_atrocities_us_approves_129_billion_deal_20151117 Copyright Felicity Arbuthnot, Global Research, 2016 News / National by Auxilia Katongomara JUDGE president Justice George Chiweshe has criticised judges over their failure to conduct periodic visits to the country's prisons to meet inmates.Officially opening the 2016 legal year in Bulawayo, Justice Chiweshe cited lack of prison visits as well as the conduct of officials from the Prosecutor General's office as some of the general matters affecting the justice delivery system."There hasn't been much activity by way of prison visits by judges. This must be addressed. Prison visits are important as they afford the prisoners an opportunity to present their complaints to a visiting judge who ordinarily wields sufficient power and influence to direct appropriate action on the part of the prisons, police, prosecutors and other court officials," he said. Justice Chiweshe took a swipe at the Prosecutor General Office, state and pro-deo lawyers for contributing to the court backlog."The prosecutor general is responsible for setting down cases. In doing so, it's important that reasonable time be allocated to specific cases bearing in mind the estimated length of trial. In many instances some trials with multi accused persons charged jointly have been allocated a period of two days when it's clear that the trials can't be concluded within that time frame," he said.Justice Chiweshe said as a result the courts were clogged with partially heard matters."Pro-deo legal practitioners often pitch up ill prepared and unable to commence trial. Postponements arise a lot as a result. The standard of preparation and effort is often below expected levels," he said.Justice Chiweshe said the state also caused unnecessary delays and inconveniences by failing to secure the attendance of witnesses and accused persons in court.He said the Registrar of the High Court had completed an audit of all High Court matters filed over a 10-year period from 2002 to 2012 at the Harare Station.Justice Chiweshe said a similar exercise is underway at the Bulawayo station and the outcome would be known by April.He said there are plans to decentralise operations of the High Court to other provinces."The present circuit court centres namely Gweru, Hwange-Lupane, Masvingo and Mutare will be upgraded to the status of fully fledged High Court stations."This development is long overdue and owing to budgetary and other constraints, it is not feasible to decentralise in the short term," Justice Chiweshe said.He said the decentralisation would begin with the upgrade of Masvingo circuit centre as work was already in progress.The station would operate as a regional rather than provincial court covering neighbouring provinces of Midlands, Matabeleland South and Manicaland."A report produced by the Chief Registrar indicates that there are 46,889 inactive files that clog the (Harare) High Court civil registry. These comprise of summons and applications filed for the 10 year period between 2002 and 2012," revealed Justice Chiweshe.He said the actual backlog statistics have been inflated by the inclusion of dormant files in the backlog statistics."Of the above figures more than 20,000 are idle summons and applications which were never served upon the defendants or respondents. The remainder are cases where summons or applications were served but for some reason the proceedings were never pursued," Justice Chiweshe said."We estimate, based on the current figures, that the true backlog figures would not amount to anything further than a term's workload".He said although it was not possible to eradicate all forms of backlog as there are new cases filed on a daily basis, the High Court was adopting a number of interventions to clear the backlog.These include the immediate separation in the statistics of dormant or inactive files from the active files and rules being amended to include a provision deeming all matters inactive for a period of at least three months from the date of filing or most six months from such date to have been abandoned and therefore archievable. So The DEA Sent Sean Penn To Get Al Chapo? By Moon Of Alabama January 11, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Moon Of Alabama " - The Rolling Stones story in which actor Sean Penn meets and interviews the Mexican drug lord El Chapo is weird. Some of the details do not make sense. It smells. El Chapo was recently (re-)captured in an large operation by Mexican marines together with U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency agents. Even more suspect than the Sean Penn piece itself is the fact that the NYT published a large front page piece on the the Rolling Stone story some minutes before the Rolling Stone story itself was published. Who gave it to the NYT and when? The NYT repeats essentials parts of the Penn piece but in a more polished version. It also adds this to the overall story: A Mexican government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe confidential matters, said the authorities were aware of the meeting with Mr. Penn. An AP reporter seems to have talked to the same anonymous Mexican official who suggests: [A] Mexican official said security forces at one point located the world's most-wanted trafficker thanks to a secret interview with U.S. actor Sean Penn. Hmm .. The NYT piece also has says this about the story: In a disclosure that ran with the story, Rolling Stone said it had changed some names and withheld some locations. An understanding was reached with Mr. Guzman, it said, that the story would be submitted for his approval, but he did not request any changes. The magazine declined to comment further Saturday. But that is wrong. This is the actual Rolling Stones lawyerish wording: Disclosure: Some names have had to be changed, locations not named, and an understanding was brokered with the subject that this piece would be submitted for the subjects approval before publication. The subject did not ask for any changes. How come "the subject" has no name? Is it really El Chapo aka Mr. Guzman or is it some three letter agency? Marcy Wheeler aka Emptywheel also thinks that the story has a smell and that it seems that Penn was used, likely knowingly, by some agency to get El Chapo. That is why the story has some of the weird angels Marcy finds. That the NYT hangs this piece of another magazine so high is part of the cover up of the DEA's Penn operation. Divide et Impera The Imperialist Violence in Syria, Part 3 of 7 - Part 1 By Kim Petersen and B. J. Sabri From The WikiLeaks Files : A December 13, 2006 cable, "Influencing the SARG [Syrian government] in the End of 2006," indicates that, as far back as 2006 - five years before "Arab Spring" protests in Syria - destabilizing the Syrian government was a central motivation of US policy. The author of the cable was William Roebuck, at the time charge d'affaires at the US embassy in Damascus. The cable outlines strategies for destabilizing the Syrian government. In his summary of the cable, Roebuck wrote: We believe Bashar's weaknesses are in how he chooses to react to looming issues, both perceived and real, such as the conflict between economic reform steps (however limited) and entrenched, corrupt forces, the Kurdish question, and the potential threat to the regime from the increasing presence of transiting Islamist extremists. This cable summarizes our assessment of these vulnerabilities and suggests that there may be actions, statements, and signals that the USG can send that will improve the likelihood of such opportunities arising. This cable suggests that the US goal in December 2006 was to undermine the Syrian government by any available means, and that what mattered was whether US action would help destabilize the government, not what other impacts the action might have. In public the US was in favor of economic reform, but in private the US saw conflict between economic reform and "entrenched, corrupt forces" as an "opportunity." In public, the US was opposed to "Islamist extremists" everywhere; but in private it saw the "potential threat to the regime from the increasing presence of transiting Islamist extremists" as an "opportunity" that the US should take action to try to increase. Roebuck lists Syria's relationship with Iran as a "vulnerability" that the US should try to "exploit." His suggested means of doing so are instructive: Possible action: PLAY ON SUNNI FEARS OF IRANIAN INFLUENCE: There are fears in Syria that the Iranians are active in both Shia proselytizing and conversion of, mostly poor, Sunnis. Though often exaggerated, such fears reflect an element of the Sunni community in Syria that is increasingly upset by and focused on the spread of Iranian influence in their country through activities ranging from mosque construction to business.... Roebuck thus argued that the US should try to destabilize the Syrian government by coordinating more closely with Egypt and Saudi Arabia to fan sectarian tensions between Sunni and Shia, including by the promotion of "exaggerated" fears of Shia proselytizing of Sunnis, and of concern about "the spread of Iranian influence" in Syria in the form of mosque construction and business activity. By 2014, the sectarian Sunni-Shia character of the civil war in Syria was bemoaned in the United States as an unfortunate development. But in December 2006, the man heading the US embassy in Syria advocated in a cable to the secretary of state and the White House that the US government collaborate with Saudi Arabia and Egypt to promote sectarian conflict in Syria between Sunni and Shia as a means of destabilizing the Syrian government. At that time, no one in the US government could credibly have claimed innocence of the possible implications of such a policy... It was easy to predict then that, while a strategy of promoting sectarian conflict in Syria might indeed help undermine the Syrian government, it could also help destroy Syrian society. But this consideration does not appear in Roebuck's memo at all, as he recommends that the US government cooperate with Saudi Arabia and Egypt to promote sectarian tensions. 1 From the US Congress The US path to destroy Syria is long. On 12 April 2003, twenty-four days after the US invasion of Iraq, a Zionist representative from New York, Eliot T. Engle, sponsored the Syria Accountability Act (SAA). The charge was Syria's involvement of terrorism, aiding Saddam Hussein (meaning Iraq) escaping sanctions, helping the insurgency against the US invasion of Iraq, supporting of Hezbollah, chemical weapons, and so on. (We have to go on record on an important issue. Saying "a Zionist representative" is not a vacuous namedroppingit is a political statement indicative of how Israel passes its policy aims in Syria and the Arab world through the American legislative system.) The Act was passed in December 2003. Invoking the omnipresent pretext of American national security and pretending "constitutional" presidential privileges on foreign policy, George Bush essentially turned the Israeli policy toward Syria into a policy of the United States. (For reading: Statement by the President on H.R. 1828 ) In his article, The Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003: Two Years On , David Schenker, from the Zionist-imperialist think tank, the Washington Institute, recalled his experience in testifying before the House of Representatives (7 June 2006). He wrote, Syria has proven a tough nut to crack. The SAA has helped, although the Legislation itself is not sufficient to compel a change in Syrian behavior. The Bush Administration has adopted some steps, but the challenge is how to leverage the SAA in conjunction with other tools at the Administrations disposalmultilateral efforts in particularto ratchet up the pressure on Syria to force behavioral change. Ratchet up pressure is the key phrase as to what US neocons/Zionists believe they must do in Syria, not only in connection to Lebanon, but also, obviously, in relation what Syria represents for Israela rejectionist state of Israel that must be destroyed. The Assassination of Rafiq Hariri The assassination of Rafiq Hariri (a billionaire, dual citizen of Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, and a former prime minister of Lebanon) on 14 February 2005 is the paramount example of how the United States, Western Europe, and Israel plan their subversion against the Arab states that do not obey US diktat, or resist US-backed Israeli colonialist-imperialism. The assassination offers a very interesting angle with regard how pretexts are developed and used. Let us see why Hariri was killed. On 2 September 2004, the UNSC issued resolution 1559 calling on Syria to withdraw its remaining forces from Lebanon. Syria complied but only partially and slowly. The ruse to get Syria out of Lebanonwhich was a part of Greater Syria in history until France, using its Sykes-Picot mandate over Syria, severed it and made it an independent state in 1943had, therefore, to be achieved by other means. The assassination of Hariri was that specific means. With the accusation that Syria was behind the assassination, the stage was set to force Syria's complete withdrawal from Lebanon under the threat of enforcing resolution 1559 by military means. Forty-five days after the assassination (5 April 2005), Syria began its withdrawal from Lebanon and completed it by the end of that month. Who ordered the assassination of Hariri? Since neither Syria nor Hezbollah had stakes in the assassination of Hariri, who benefited from it? Our logical answer is Israel and the United States. [2] Considering the long list of objectives of these two states in the situation of all Arab states, proving this assertion is a matter of deductive reasoning. Having briefly described the path the United States took in the quest to destabilize Syria, it is important to see its current methods of war. If the US plans in Syria were insufficient to raise alarm, we have to deal with other features applied on the Syrian theater of death (and before that in Afghanistan and Iraq). We are talking about an imperialist instrument of war: vocabulary as a weapon of mass confusion. Many terms and phrases had been coined to make people conform to Washington's indoctrination. But do terms such as "moderate," "extremist," "moderate Arab stateswho are they?", "Islamic," Islamist," "dictator," "democracy," "no role for Assad in the future of Syria," "Sunni," "Alawite," "Shiite," "ISIS," "stop the Iranian occupation of Syria," "IS," "DAESH," "U.S. hitting ISIS," etc., have any tangible meaning outside the world of imperialist propaganda? Let us examine some of these terms. Does the diction "a future for Syria without Assad" have any meaning? Would that be a re-made Syria with a bankrupt sectarian system similar to the one a criminal named George W. Bush and his Zionist neocons installed in Iraq? Would the US bring Noah Feldman or others to write a "constitution" for Syria? (Feldman is a Zionist lawyer from New York and a theoretician on "Islamic terrorism," "Jihad," and on so-called Islamic democracy. He authored the sectarian constitution for Iraq while this was under active US military occupation led by Paul Bremer. Bremer's constitution, as the Iraqis call it, has become the cornerstone and foundation for the partition of Iraq on approximate confessional and ethnic lines. 3 Or, would it be a so-called Islamic state swearing allegiance to US imperialism, to Al Saud, and to the British-installed al-Thani ruling family of Qatar? What is the implication of saying that Assad is the problem, yet names behind state policies such as Obama, Erdogan, Hollande, Merkel, Turki al-Faisal, or Bandar Bin Sultan go unmentioned in this context? What does the Syrian "moderate opposition" mean in the US imperialist lexicon, if not groups financed and supported by Washington? And for clarity's sake, we ask, moderate in what? Again, what is the US game in Syria? Let us cite Condoleezza Rice. Rice is the quintessential dual-face American hypocrite when the issue is US interventions. Although the first quotation we cite below is about Iraq, its philosophy and intent applies to US policy in Syria. Rice, describing in petty melodramatic terms (similar to those one can find in a cheap romance novel) how she confronted her master criminal boss on the sectarian violence that the United States designed and implemented in Iraq, wrote the following [Italics are ours]: "So what's your plan, Condi?" The president was suddenly edgy and annoyed. "We'll just let them kill each other, and we'll standby and try to pick the pieces?" I was furious at the implication ."No, Mr. President," I said, trying to stay calm. "We just can't win by putting our forces in the middle of their blood feud. If they want to have a civil war we're going to have to let them." 4 Comment: 1) Rice is shameful. She made her criminal boss look caring. 2) Rice, daughter of a Presbyterian minister who presumably taught her not to lie, lied big. First, calling sectarian infighting "civil war" is deception because these are two different entities. Sectarian strife within a nation pits a community against another with dissimilar beliefs or ethnic origins. Civil conflict is between political factions within a nation regardless of sectarian or confessional beliefs. The US uses both terms interchangeably to obfuscate the nature of its interference in the pursuit of specific policy objectives. Besides, there never was any sectarian infighting between Arab Sunni and Shiite Muslims in Iraq until the US invasion and occupation fomented it to preempt resistance to its occupation. 3) Rice and her neocon masters thrive when sectors of a nation they occupy engage in violent infightingit provides them easier means of control. This happened in the Philippines, Korea, Viet Nam, Iraq, and it is now happening in Libya and Syria through mercenaries and proxies. That is why we often hear US imperialists and Arab stooges talking about things like "Assad wants to make an Alawite state," "ISIS is a fact," "Kurds want their own state and so do the Assyrians and the Armenians," and so on. Regardless of terminology or concepts, the US strategy is unexceptionalit is an ancient Roman imperial and military strategy: Divide et Impera. With regard to how US duality works in the Syrian example, let us consider the exchange she had with Syrian Foreign Minister, Walid Muollem: "... I delivered my point about Syria's interference in Lebanon, and its failure to stop terrorists in their country from crossing their borders into Iraq." "it's hard to stop them," he said, but I was having none of it. "They're coming through Damascus airport," I countered. 5 Comment: We know what US exceptionalism means: it is okay for the US to interfere in the affairs of every country in the world, but others are not permitted to do so except with US approval. It is not okay that volunteers cross Syria into Iraq to fight the US invasion force, but it is okay for America's stooges to allow weapons and mercenaries to Syria through Turkish and Jordanian airports. In recalling the documented history of US interference in the affairs of myriad countries including its staunchest ally Britain (read, Harold Wilson, Lyndon Johnson and the Vietnam War, 1964-68 ), the present authors state the following: The violence in Syria is not an accidental product of uncontrolled events, is not a result of a civil war, is not because the Syrian state is ruled by despotic elitesbut it is a result of a combined American-Israeli geopolitical strategy to install a new Syrian regime at the order of Tel Aviv and Washington. Syria, therefore, is not but another linkafter Iraq, Libya, and Yemen in the US and Israeli quest to dismantle the Arab system of nation, and to end the Palestinian Question permanently. Let us now examine what was cooking in the US pot against Syria 60 years ago. In his outstanding research on the CIA plotting and machinations against the Arab nations including Syria during the 1950s, California State University history professor, Hugh Wilford, wrote the following: On August 21, 1956, Foster Dulles convened GAMMA, a top-secret task force with representatives from State, Defense, and the CIA ... GAMMA's main contribution was to agree to a proposal to send the eminent foreign service veteran Loy Henderson on a tour of the Middle East that seemed intended to incite military aggression against Syria by its Arab neighbors.... Henderson told a meeting in the White House that he had discovered a deep sense of anxiety about Syria in the region, yet little concerted will to act; only Turkey, a NATO ally, showed much appetite for intervention...." 6 Let us fast forward to the US occupation of Iraq. On page 473 of his book, The Twilight War (Penguin Press, New York, 2012), David Crist (a historian from the US imperialist establishment) writes, 'Recock' became the word of the day at CENTCOM. The United States would get out of Iraq and prepare for the next war in the global fight against terrorism, with rumors circulating that Syria was next. The U.S. military concurred. Why Syria "was next" on the US list of priorities? Has Syria ever harmed or threatened the national security of the United States? No. But because Israel strongly influences US foreign policy (read, John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy ) toward the Arab states, and because Syria is the last Arab state resisting Israeli imperialism there are two concrete answers. 7 First, Israel wants to weaken Syria and dismember it, as it wanted done to Iraq by American neocon Zionists. Dismembering Syria should expose the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah that depends on Syria for support. The second is more complex. First, controlling Syria enters in the logic of American quest of global hegemony. Second, to carve out a Kurdish autonomous region to be joined with the areas controlled by Iraqi Kurds creating a Kurdish State potentially at the service of US imperialism and Israel.8 , 9 Third, Syria's eastern regions and Israeli-occupied Golan Heights have sizeable oil deposits. (Read, World powers must recognize Israeli annexation of Golan Heights ; Huge oil discovery in Golan Heights - Israeli media ). 4) From an imperialist perspective, the geopolitical re-design of the region would help expand plans for the strategic control of world resources and distribution. Crist's revelation impels us to reflect on the motives and ideologies that underlie all anti-Arab actions taken by the United States. What we have today in Syria (and Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, and Palestine) is an accurate reproduction of age-old tested policies by the West at the expense of nations targeted for reasons rooted in the politics of imperialism, colonialism, Zionism, and piracy of resources. In Syria, however, the situation is a little bit more intricate due to the presence of a long list of operators never seen before in a single regional war, not even in Afghanistan. Kim Petersen is a former editor of the Dissident Voice newsletter. He can be reached at kimohp@inbox.com B. J. Sabri is an observer of the politics of modern colonialism, imperialism, Zionism, and of contemporary Arab issues. He can be reached at b.j.sabri@aol.com Next: Part 4 of 7 NOTES Robert Naiman , WikiLeaks Reveals How the US Aggressively Pursued Regime Change in Syria, Igniting a Bloodbath , Truth-out, 9 October 2015 See Kim Petersen, Syria in the Imperialist Crosshairs , Dissident Voice, 26 October 2005. Note: since the dawn of Islam in Iraq (early 7th century) until the US invasion (2003), and regardless what administrative geopolitical form distinguished it, there have never been confessional lines in all Arab regions of Iraq or ethnic lines separating the various communities. However, historically, and during the rule of the Ottoman Turks, Arab Shiite Muslims formed a relative majority in the South of Iraq and Sunnis in the rest. After WWII, the lines between Arab Shiite and Sunni Muslims became integrated due to internal migrations and economic development. The US deliberately created the lines when it imposed a No-Fly Zone on specific regions of Iraq in 1991 after the war for Kuwait. As for the Kurdish regions, with the exception of Sulaymaniya and Erbil with a Kurdish Majority, most of the north of Iraq was inhabited by a mixture of ethnic Groups including Arabs, Assyrians, Armenians, Turkoman, Kurds, and Yezidis. The US arbitrarily delineated Kurdish areas when it imposed the non-fly Zone on the north of Iraq in 1991. Condoleezza Rice, No Higher Honor, Crown Publishers, New York, 2011, p. 544, 561 Rice, 561 Hugh Wilford, America's Great Game: The CIA's Secret Arabists and the Shaping of the Modern Middle East, Basic Books, New York, 2013, p. 273 Note: Lebanon cannot be described as a resister state. Resistance to Israel in Lebanon follows confessional lines. 1) The Saudi-controlled faction led by Saad Hariri is in line with the policy of accommodation adapted by Al Saud vs. Israel. 2) Christians are divided in two camps: the Faranjia and Aoun camp that opposes Israel; and the Geagea and Jmail (supported by Saudi Arabia) that seeks accommodation and had very close relations with Ariel Sharon and Menachem Begin during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon). The Jumblatt Druze faction (supported by Al Saud) has been known for continuous zigzagging on the issue of the resistance to Israel. This leaves only Hezbollah as the real opponent of Israeli settler-imperialism. Outside the Arab world, Iran is the only other remaining state that opposes Israel. The Kurdish Question in Iraq goes beyond the scope of this work. Succinctly, there is a US-Kurdish connection in the context of imperialism, dependency; Iraqi Kurdish politician Masoud Barzani has collaborated in turning a potential Kurdish state into a tool at the service of US imperialism and Israel. In his article, To defeat ISIS, Create a Sunni State , John Bolton stated, "The Kurds still face enormous challenges, with dangerously uncertain borders, especially with Turkey. But an independent Kurdistan that has international recognition could work in Americas favor." [Italics added] Talks aimed at kickstarting negotiations for a final peace settlement in Afghanistan have taken place in Pakistan, emphasising the need for a dialogue between the government and the Taliban. Mondays meeting which also included the governments of the US and China sought to revive the process that collapsed last summer after Afghanistan announced that Mullah Mohammad Omar, founder and leader of the Taliban, had died in a Pakistani hospital more than two years ago. The announcement led the Taliban to pull out of the talks after just one meeting hosted by Islamabad. The meeting in Islamabad emphasised the immediate need for direct talks between representatives of the Afghanistan government and representatives from Taliban groups in a peace process that aims to preserve Afghanistans unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, said a joint statement released after the discussions. The Quadrilateral Coordination Group comprising representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the US is scheduled to meet in Kabul on January 18 to hold discussions on a roadmap, the statement added. Meanwhile, a former Taliban senior official said that military confrontation is not the solution and that a political solution was needed to end the war in Afghanistan. The motivation for peace talks was very weak in the past, Mohammad Hassan Haqyar said. But now the situation has changed and the Afghan government, America and Pakistan seem to have a readiness for dialogue. America has realised that a military confrontation is not the solution. Aljazeera. Aid convoys arranged by local and international organisations have reached three besieged towns in Syria, where thousands are trapped and some have died of starvation. The convoys are part of a deal between the government and rebels to let supplies into besieged areas. Trucks first arrived to the rebel-held town of Madaya, located west of Damascus and near the Lebanese border. It has been under siege by government forces and Hezbollah fighters since July. Aid convoys later reached two towns besieged by rebels in Idlib province, Fouaa and Kefraya. The World Food Programme said the aid carried on the Madaya convoy will meet the needs of 40,000 people for one month. Abou Ammar, a media activist in the town, said local aid organisations had been waiting since early morning for supplies to arrive. We have all been eagerly waiting since 5am. The situation here is getting worse and its about time this operation goes through, he told Al Jazeera over the phone. One person died due to starvation hours before the convoys arrived, he said, adding to reports of dozens of deaths related to hunger. Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has reacted to the report submitted by the Army panel set up to look into allegations of unprofessional conduct against soldiers during the Ekiti, Osun, Rivers and Akwa Ibom State governorship elections, saying For all intent and purposes, the report can only be useful to the army and one is not surprised because the panel must do the bidding of those who set it up. Fayose, who insisted that he won the June 21, 2014 election fair and square, said Nigerians should also ask questions as to whether it was the military that assisted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to win the Presidential, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections last year. According to a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said: reacting to the panel report was just to put the records straight as all legal avenues regarding election into the office of a state governor had been explored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and judgements entered against the party by the Tribunal, Appeal Court and the Supreme Court, which is the final court on governorship election matters. As at today, dispute on the governorship election has become functus officio because as a general rule, once a tribunal has reached a final decision in respect to the matter that is before it in accordance with its enabling statute, that decision cannot be revisited because the tribunal has changed its mind, made an error within jurisdiction or because there has been a change of circumstances. The governor reminded Nigerians that the US Department of State and other International Observers, which observed the election, noted in their report that the process was credible and efficient, and that security forces collaborated effectively in providing a safe environment free of major incidents. He pointed out that the International Observers could be said to be the only organizations whose position on the election cannot be said to have been influenced by partisanship or monetary benefits because they have observed elections in other countries of the world and provided credible reports. Governor Fayose said if foreign observers could commend the military men that participated in the election for providing a safe environment free of major incidents, it remained to be seen the rationale behind the same institution that was hailed by credible foreign observers, indicting itself just to satisfy the present political expediency. Now that the military has indicted itself, goodluck to them. Meanwhile, we await whatever hidden agenda behind this self-indictment, he said. Concluding part of Army vs Shiites: When Lawlessness Becomes The New Law By Ayodele Daniel (1) Why was this so? Back then, like about 20 years ago or there about, whenever crisis was to break out in Zaria, it was always after the prayers and if memory serves me right, most of these crises that always started as a spillover from the Mosques, was due to the activities of the leader of the Shiite sect in Nigeria, El-Zakzaky. Back then, I didnt know what they were called. I just knew El-Zakzaky meant terror. So notorious was he and his followers or maybe the other Muslim adherents werent so tolerant, I wouldnt know, he was banned from coming to observe the Jumaat prayers at the A.B.U Main Campus Mosque just after Main Gate to your right. I think the ban is still in force till this day. Again, Ill stress that I have never witnessed the Sheik, who by the way is rumored to be a First Class graduate of Economics from A.B.U Zaria (if true, those who passed through this institution know how easy it is for a Camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a student to graduate with First Class, more so, from Econs Dept.) or any of his followers, engaged in acts of violence, but I have lived for many years, under the psychological trauma that he and his multitudes of followers are a keg of gunpowder waiting to explode! How else do you describe a sect that dresses in all black from head to toe, takes over a portion of a highway unchallenged and under the cover of police and military protection, seem to be above the law (members of the sect, especially the youth, can be seen in broad daylight in front the Husaniyya, brazenly brandishing various dangerous weapons) and carving what looks like their own territory within a territory. Whenever they held their procession, the hardships they subject citizens to, including myself, cannot be quantified. Therefore, it seemed like a relief that their attempt last December to subject Zaria residents to another round of hardships by blocking the highway and purportedly preventing the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, was rebuffed, albeit, with attendant avoidable loss of human lives. I have seen videos from the one telling the side of the Nigerian Army and that telling the side of the Shiites, and I came to the conclusion that why block the highway and prevent a Chief of Army Staff from passing through despite repeated pleas? Also, did the convoy of the army chief take that particular route with a pre-meditated plan knowing fully well the road was blocked and there was an alternative route to take? Because if Gen. Buratai passed that road on that unfortunate day without prior information that it was barricaded, then it goes to expose the level of intelligence gathering among our security forces. The video telling the side of the army, also exposed, though unconsciously, the lack of respect for human life and level of tolerance for bloody civilians by the lower cadre of Nigerian soldiers, especially. That the Army spokesman, Col. Sani Usman, had to repeatedly warn the soldiers behind him as he proceeded to plead with the Shiite youths to open up the road dont shoot! Hold fire! I repeat, hold fire! goes on to show that even he, was aware that the boys could release a hail of bullets and in the process, he too could be felled. That the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, in its own footage, attempted to disown the youths clearly seen in the video as brandishing swords, clubs and daggers, is a futile effort as those youths were part and parcel of them. There was no need denying the obvious! Also, why would the youths remain adamant and refuse to heed a simple, yet repeated plea to clear up the road for the army chiefs convoy to pass through? Did theyve a death wish or were they acting out a written script? If those youths that blocked the highway hadnt been Shiites or belonging to a religious sect, would the army officers have pleaded that long for them to give way? If clearing the initial blockade by shooting live rounds at civilians and killing an unspecified number was not enough, was returning in the dead of the night to unleash the fury of the Nigerian Army on the Shite sect and their leader justified? Was the demolition of their spiritual headquarters and residence of Sheik El-Zakzaky also justifiable? Could the actions of the Nigerian Amy and Kaduna State Government in this regards be said to be proportionate to the offence of blocking the highway and attempting to assassinate the chief of army staff? For a man whose sons and followers were killed in cold-blood over two years ago by soldiers and he did not incite his followers to go on a vengeance spree, did he deserve the treatment meted out on him by another group of soldiers and the Kaduna State government? I ask these questions because if God forbid, things go awry and Sheik El-Zakzakys followers run amok, believe me when I say it, Boko Haram will be childs play and the devastating effect might just finally mark the end of the north as we know it today. It is my honest opinion that the Sheik, his wife, all his followers detained and the corpses of those killed by unknown soldiers be released unconditionally as a sign of good faith because peace cannot be bought through the barrel of the gun. Any panel of inquiry to be set up by the government must have fair representation and comprise of men and women of unquestionable integrity. That way, the outcome and recommendations of the panel will be acceptable to all. All the unknown soldiers that shot at civilians and those that carried out the raid at night, must be identified and brought to book to serve as deterrent and re-affirm to Nigerians and indeed the rest of the world, that it is no longer business as usual with the new sheriff in town. Likewise, the Sheik must be made to sign an undertaking that his followers will subject themselves to the laws of the land and no longer see themselves and their activities as above the law. In this light, the Shiite sect must subject itself to laws regulating religious activities in Kaduna State. They must also be made to sign an undertaking not to inconvenience other road users and their host communities as much as they have the right to worship. Finally, the government should endeavor to pay compensation to the Islamic Movement in Nigeria for damages done to their property and if possible, relocate them to somewhere where their activities though not far away from scrutiny, would also not pose a hindrance to socio-economic activities of the overall populace. Ayodele Daniel is on Twitter @ayoadaniel A lot of revelations have come to light on how the $2.1 billion meant for arms purchase was allegedly diverted into the presidential campaign of former president and the candidate of the party in the 2015 general elections, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. Former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda, Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (retd), a former National Security Adviser (NSA); Shuaibu Salisu, a former Director of Finance and Administration NSAs office, Attahiru Dalhatu Bafawara, a former governor of Sokoto State; Sagir Attahiru, his son and Dalhatu Investment Limited are a few men in the Jonathan administration that are currently being tried for the offence. Months into the commencement of the investigation, the man who was at the helms while the looting was taking place, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has refused to say a word. In light of this, INFORMATION NIGERIA has gathered up the reasons why Jonathan must speak up now The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under which Jonathan emerged as president has become an object of public ridicule and harsh criticisms and everyone in the party, whether innocent or guilty are being tagged as corrupt. In light of this shame, Jonathan must speak up to redeem his party, whose goodwill he enjoyed for years. If the PDP organised a dinner where billions of naira was raised money for Jonathans campaign, what then is the explanation for the armsgate? Jontahan must say. Jonathan can not act aloof in all these as these alleged crimes were perpetuated under his watch. He should clarify whether he instructed his former NSA to divert the money meant to fight Boko Haram into his campaign. Jonathan in the last administration held the highest authority, therefore must answer questions on what he knows or doesnt know about the chilling revelations being made on the $2.1 billion arms deal. Jonathan had said that his government never awarded any contract in the range of US$2bn, so where did this money come from? Jonathan must tell Nigerians. It is disturbing to start to think it possible that one man (Dasuki), all by himself could have disbursed such mind-boggling amount without the approval of the President and Commander in Chief. If he (Dasuki) actually did it all on his own, then Jonathan must tell us where he traveled to or if Dasuki was the President in his stead. Jonathan can no longer keep mum on this issue, it will do neither Jonathan nor Nigeria any good. We all want to get to the root of this matter, therefore let our former President speak up now or what do you think??? A 22-year-old wheelbarrow pusher, Sola Akangbe, over the weekend, reportedly died following wounds from a fire allegedly set on him by his biological father named Kehinde in Omu-Aran, Kwara state. The deceased was said to have been accused of stealing an undisclosed amount of money from some roadside beggars on Friday and was apprehended and handed over to his father. The father, a commercial driver, allegedly drove his son to a nearby bush on Omu-Aran-Isanlu-Isin Road, tied his hands and legs before setting him ablaze. Sola, who was still alive when he was rescued, reportedly told his rescuers that his father was responsible for the act. The deceased was said to have suffered high degree burns and was confirmed dead by doctors at Ajisafe Hospital, Omu-Aran. It was gathered that doctors at the hospital battled to save his life as the fire affected most parts of his body. The mother of the deceased, Rachael, was seen crying in the hospital after the death of her son was broken to her. She, however, acknowledged that Sola was an unrepentant troublesome fellow. Expressing shock at her husbands action, Solas mother, who is a trader based in Odo-Owa, another suburb, said a friend had notified her of the development on phone before she rushed to the hospital to check on her son. She disclosed that although she gave birth few weeks ago, she had divorced Kehinde about seven years ago as a result of irreconcilable differences. The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, in the state, Ajayi Okasanmi, while confirming the incident, said investigation was ongoing, adding that the suspect was already in police custody. Source:Dailypost News / National by Stephen Jakes A Nigerian prophet has made a prophecy that Zimbabwe that the country's economy will be restored and boom ordering the people in the country to fast and pray for the good times to come.Prophet Isaac Amata on January 6 said he saw a vision of Zimbabwe restoration and recovery for Zimbabwe during 30 days of his fasting and prayers on the prayer mountain."My name is prophet Isaac Amata from Lagos, Nigeria. l am not a Zimbabwean but a Nigerian..a prophet chosen specifically for the deliverance and restoration of the continent Africa. Having returned from my 2 months crusades in Johannesburg and Capetown in South Africa..." he said. "l retreated into my normal end of year 30days fasting and prayer program preceding every new year. Apart from this l was already on my 9 years fasting program since 2007. While on this in December 2015. The lord appeared to me with series of messages for nations..persons but that of Zimbabwe stands out! Why Zimbabwe? What is the interest? l say none but a Prophet speaks what he is showed."He said there is hope, there is restoration, there is abundance coming to Zimbabwe."I saw it! l saw the prosperity! Despite the present challenges..Zimbabwe rose to become a nation of envy to many!" he said. "Ezekiel 37... The vision of Zimbabwe arising again! God loves Zimbabwe. Let every citrizen rerad, let this vision be in their hearts. Let the solution be followed. I was told during the encounter l had as regards Zimbabwe to clearly state..this revelation is not programmed to favor any party..political persons or groups but to favor Zimbabwe as a nation..the people..the peace and stability of a nation called to me as" beacon of hope for Africa " Yes l was told soon other nations will say indeed God indeed resides in Zimbabwe for only God shall take glory in this nation!"He said the lord sent an angel with a map of Africa..pointed to the southern part of Africa to where it was written."Zimbabwe and beneath l saw " Ezekiel 37". I was told that was where Zimbabwe was right now..l was also given a Divine Solution to the recovery. l believe l will state the part which was highlighted to me..Ezekiel 37:1-11.."The hand of the LORD was upon me and brought me in the Spirit of the lord and set me in the valley and it was full of bones...indeed they were very dry. And He said..Son of man can this bones live?" l answered " O lord only thou knows" That is the situation now in Zimbabwe saith the lord. People are asking is there any hope now in this nation..Zimbabweans are asking..but listen to what the lord is saying in verse 4.."He said.."Prophesy to these bones..prophesy to Zimbabwe..to the economy..I will cause restoration..recovery..You shall live! lt starts this year 2016. verse 7.."So l prophesied as l was commanded."Zimbabwe ...it is time to fast and pray... time to prophesy," he said. "I see various people..groups blaming each other..warring each other..finding faults in Zimbabwe..listen lt is not the solution..The spiritual controls the physical..l repeat only God restored Israel..brought live to the dry bones..Zimbabwe needs divine intervention, prayers with fasting..national prayers for 3-7 days from the Government to the people..it doesn't matter which side..which party any belongs to..."Zimbabwe prays for national prosperity" must be called upon..those in Government must spearhead! starting from the President...its ministers..The church..the people..the workers must join hand..the prayers must be.."Lord. Let Zimbabwe be revived..restored again! Send your Spirit into the foundation of beloved Zimbabwe..cause all dry bones..dry circumstances..let all sectors of the nation receive life! Let Zimbabwe and its people flourish in 2016"He said if this is heeded..differences put aside verse 10 will surely come to pass.."So l prophesied ( Zimbabweans prophesy goodness..possibilities not doom..not gloom) as He commanded me and breath came into them and they lived and stood on their feet." he said. " Zimbabwe will arise again..lt will stand on its feet! l am saying what l saw because l believe in God of possibilities. If this prophesy..this revelation is heeded..national prayers with unity..with Zimbabwe and its people only put at heart..l see industrial..economical and financial breakthrough coming so fast that all will be shocked! I see hope..l see restoration! l was told Zimbabweans must stop saying.."No hope..no change..the economy is dead! lt will not be restored again! Yes present circumstances seems contrary just like the dry bones, but the dry bones lived again! So life is coming as l saw because God will restore..bless..do what no man can do!"He said areas will be greatly revived at the end such as agriculture and industries.S"share these good news to many all Zimbabwean on Facebook, Whatsapp etc," he said. "Restoration comes into Zimbabwe." The Federal Ministry of Finance says it has successfully completed a pilot project of using Bank Verification Number (BVN) details to fish out ghost workers, identity duplication and other irregular entries on the payroll. The pilot project was initiated by federal government as a solution to the slow pace of progress being encountered in the enrollment of staff on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS). We believe that the use of BVN rather than requiring physical presentation as a first line check on the integrity of our payroll is a cost effective and efficient measure. This will accelerate the pace of enrollment on IPPIS as well as identify anomalies which can be flagged for further investigation and review, a statement signed by the Director of Press in the ministry, Marshall Gundu, yesterday, said. To date, despite over 5 years since initiation of the project, just 20 per cent of public employees have actually been enrolled onto IPPIS due to a variety of reasons. As part of our public financial management reforms, we are committed to scrutinizing our largest single expense item. Personnel related costs account for over 40 per cent of government expenditure and must be prudently managed to ensure the validity of every payment. We are therefore determined that everyone who collects a salary form the Federal Purse is on the IPPIS system, said the ministry. The Minister of Finance, while commending the Central Bank of Nigeria and Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement Plc (NIBBS) for their co-operation in the exercise, noted that under the BVN initiative, more than 30 million biometric and personal data records had been captured. The BVN provides a pool of reliable data against which records held on the Federal Governments payroll will be cross checked to identify inconsistencies including duplicate payments, payments to dormant accounts, multiple payments to a single account holder, non-matching of data provided, among others, the statement read. The ministry said genuine staff have nothing to be concerned about but those who are collecting multiple salaries and those engaged in any type of payroll fraud are guaranteed to be caught. Chinas former deputy national police chief Li Dongsheng has been jailed for 15 years for corruption offences, according to state media. Li had ties to Zhou Yongkang, jailed for life in June in one of Chinas biggest ever corruption scandals. The sentence was reported on an official China Central Television social media account. The former deputy security minister stood accused of taking nearly 22m yuan ($3.3m; 2.3m) in bribes. He was also accused of abuse of power in positions he held between 1996 and 2013, according to state media reports at the time. Li was formally sacked in February last year, after coming under investigation, along with several other former associates of Zhou Yongkang. Zhou served as Chinas security chief before retiring in 2012. The former politician one of the most senior in China was convicted of a series of corruption charges, including bribery, abuse of power and leaking state secrets. BBC. A former Governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo, who last weekend dumped the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for All Progressives Congress, APC, has explained how he disbursed his share of the N100 million received from the erstwhile national chairman of PDP, Adamu Muazu. Mr. Nwobodo, who denied ever collecting money from the embattled former national Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), also denied that the sum he received was N500 million. I have never met Dasuki in my life. I dont know Dasuki. Ex-Minister Bashir Yuguda I know, just as a former minister like any Nigerian. I got N100million for campaign purposes and not N500million. I did not receive the money from either Dasuki or Yuguda. The money I received was from a former National Chairman of PDP, Adamu Muazu. I gave the list of the disbursement according to states to the party, the former minister said. A statement by John Okoreni on behalf of Nwobodo said: The attention of Senator (Dr.) Jim Nwobodo has been drawn to news items where it was mentioned that he received the sum of one hundred million naira (N100,000,000) from Bashir Yuguda, ex-Minister of State for Finance for the purpose of the last presidential election. Senator (Dr.) Jim Nwobodo states as follows: That he was the chairman of the Contact Committee of the PDP Presidential campaign for the South East Zone The Committee was appointed by the party and inaugurated by its then National Chairman, Dr. Adamu Muazu That the Committee oversaw the five states of the Zone, namely: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo State Members of the Committee were three for each state; Senator Jim Nwobodo, Chairman (Enugu), Chief Onyema Ogochukwu, Secretary (Abia), Ambassador Ojo Maduekwe (Abia), Senator Adolphus Wabara (Abia), Prof. A.B.C. Nwosu (Anambra), Senator Ben Ndi Obi (Anambra), Senator Joy Emodi (Anambra), Ambassador Frank Ogbuweu (Ebonyi), Senator Ben Collins Ndu (Enugu), Ambassador Fidel Ayogu (Enugu), Chief Emmanuel Iwanyanwu (Imo), Chief Achike Udenwa (Imo) and Chief Innocent Nwoga (Imo). That the only fund received by the committee for its work in the five South-Eastern states was N100million and the money was received from the then National Chairman of PDP, Dr. Adamu Muazu, for logistics, travelling, mobilisation of party members in the zone for the presidential election. That the fund was properly disbursed to the states and duly signed by members of the Committee for each State and accounted for to the party. That at no time did Senator Jim Nwobodo receive the money from any person other than the then National Chairman of the party. That it would be unusual for Senator Nwobodo and other members of his committee to query the source of the campaign fund coming from the National Chairman of his party for official functions and purposes. This statement is meant to put the records straight and correct the impression making round in the media on the alleged distribution of money by Bashir Yuguda as it concerns Senator Nwobodo. The Lagos State House of Assembly, through its Committee on Health Services, Tuesday ordered the closure of the blood bank section of Gbagada General Hospital after discovering some unethical procedures during an inspection exercise of the hospital. Chairman of the Committee, Segun Olulade, who lamented the unhealthy situation at the blood bank unit, ordered that it be sealed off immediately. The committee was accompanied by the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFEMAA). The HEFEMAA team leader and Executive Secretary, Dr. Mabel Adjekughele observed that the blood bank was in a bad state, with screened and unscreened blood not separated. The committee also visited the Cardiac and Renal Centre also located in Gbagada General Hospital. Director of the Centre, Prof. Babatunde Olabode Green told the committee that some of the acquired world-class medical equipments at the centre are not functioning, either due to improper installations or poor quality of installation materials. Prof. Green also blamed power supply for the failure to run the facility to its full capacity. In his response, Olulade stated that the committee will summon the contractors that handled the Cardiac and Renal Centre project; Ministry of Health officials, Public-Private Partnership, PPP, and all necessary Agencies to investigate the poor state of the Centre. A Magistrate Court in Kano on Monday remanded a 32-year-old businessman, Kamal Rabiu, in prison for allegedly strangling a two-month old baby. The accused was charged with culpable homicide. Chief Magistrate Muhammad Idris ordered the remand of the accused following an application by the Police prosecutor, Insp. Badamasi Yau. He said the accused should remain behind bars pending an advice from the State Director of Public Prosecution. Yau had told the court sitting in Nomans land, that on Dec. 21, 2015, the Commander of Hisba, Kano command, reported the case to the Commissioner of Police. He said the accused of Goron Dutse Quarters, Kano, sometime in February 15, 2015, impregnated his female friend, Malama Kaltume Tijjani of Unguwa Uku, Kano. He said Kaltume gave birth to a baby boy named Muhammad Kamal. Yau told the court that on December 21, 2015, the accused went to Nasarawa Hospital to collect the two month-old Kamal from Kaltume. In the struggle that ensued, Rabiu strangled the baby, Yau said. The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge. The Magistrate adjourned the case till February 8, for further mention. Source:Punch The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State has apologised to Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka on the embarrassment caused him by Governor Nyesom Wikes allegation that the former Rotimi Amaechi administration spent N82 million on his birthday dinner, which lasted just three hours. The Rivers APC chairman, Dr. Davies Ikanya, who made the apology in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, described Wikes allegation as the unfortunate ranting of a drowning man. The Rivers Commissioner for Information and Communications, Dr. Austin Tam-George, last week alleged that N82 million was wasted on hosting the Nobel laureate to a birthday dinner, threatening to ask Prof. Soyinka to make a refund if it emerges that he collected part of the money in cash. APC said: On behalf of the good people of Rivers State, we hereby tender an unreserved apology to Prof. Wole Soyinka and assure him that Wikes vile attempt to link him to an imaginary corruption has failed. The accusation is nothing but the ranting of a drowning man looking for whom to pull into the stinking pool. But Wike has over-reached himself this time, because Prof. Soyinka is globally renowned as a man of unimpeachable integrity, who has never been associated with corruption in his over 80 years on earth. The fact remains that Wike is currently in a pit full of faeces, looking for whom he will splatter the faeces on; sadly, he remembered our revered Nobel laureate. As rightly observed by Prof. Soyinka, Wike is ready to splatter sewage in all possible and improbable directions. The Rivers APC noted that Wike, in his desperation to demonise Amaechi and whoever that is associated with him, must have forgotten that his panel of enquiry, which investigated the former governors tenure, exonerated him of any financial misdeeds. The party said the achievements of the Amaechi administration could not be wished away or cancelled through cheap blackmail. It also said Wikes outbursts did not surprise the party because of the governors antecedents as a controversial politician. Rivers APC said: For Wike to try to disparage a respected personality like Prof. Soyinka in this manner only exposes him as a drowning man looking for any tool to stay afloat. If Wike is sure of his records, why doesnt he go to court to retrieve the N82 million? The Nigerian Navy has handed over 11 suspects arrested on a vessel apparently used to steal crude to the Inspector general of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase. The NNS Delta on November 14, 2015 arrested MT Camille, carrying about 4,000 metric tonnes of suspected stolen crude on the Forcados waters. The Commander of NNS Delta in Warri, Commodore Raimi Mohammed, while handing over the suspects to representatives of the IGP, said the Nigerian Navy would not relent in the battle against oil theft. Commodore Mohammed, who was represented by the Base Operations Officer, Commander Shehu Tasiu, urged the police to prosecute oil thieves to serve as deterrent. I am directed to hand over 11 crew members of the vessel to the inspector general of Police for further investigation and possible prosecution. The Navy request that the suspects be properly profiled for future reference and that you furnish the Naval Headquarters with the outcome of your investigation. I wish to restate the Navys commitment to assisting the Police in curbing crime, he said. Receiving the suspects on behalf of the IGP, the leader of a Special Investigation Panel (SIP), Assistant Commissioner of Police Shawulu E. Dan-Mamman, said the police would ensure that a thorough investigation was carried out and those found wanting would face the law. Dan-Mamman said the Police would partner other security agencies to eradicate crime and criminality in the country. As you are aware, I want to assure you that the police will partner other security agencies in the war againt oil theft. We shall get to the root of this matter and appropriate action taken against the suspects. Epic Refinery Group, a Nigerian company, has signed a consulting agreement with a foreign firm, Chiron Refineries, for the construction of a 100,000 barrel refinery in Bayelsa State. Managing Director of Epic Refinery, Barango Wenke Jnr. said the agreement followed the granting of licence to the company by the Federal Government. The agreement for the construction of the refinery was sealed in Lagos by representatives of both companies, led by Wenke Jnr., and Managing Director of Chiron Refineries, Ron Kuperberg, an expert on relocation and assets management. According to the President/CEO of Epic Refinery Group, the initiative was his companys response to the growing demand for refined products in the country, in the midst of the sharp decline in the price of crude oil in the international market. He noted that with the forecast that the price of crude oil may further drop to below $20, it was imperative that the country commence refining of its crude. The annual Holy Ghost Congress of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) ended with cold biblical references by the General Overseer, Pastor E.A Adeboye about death which left his audience in cold shock. Millions of worshippers in attendance roared in disapproval as Pastor Adeboye, hinted at his possible passing. The one-week programme ended on Saturday, with a three-in-one service, comprising anointing, communion and impartation. Ministering on the transfer of anointing, Adeboye said he would not be too young at 73 to go back to his creator. He would be 74 in March. He was explaining why the transferred anointing is always more potent than the index case, using Moses and Elijah as examples. Using the scripture, Adeboye pointed that where Moses, who got his anointing directly from God failed, Joshua, who got his fire from Moses, excelled. He also cited the case of Prophet Elijah who performed 7 miracles while Elisha who got his anointing from Elijah when God was taking him away, performed 14 miracles. Adeboye equally explained that the beneficiaries got the transferred anointing when their masters were about passing away. He said he would anoint his wife and other very senior pastors who, in turn, would anoint other pastors, from where the worshippers would experience their own anointing fire. After the explanation, he looked at the congregation and said: you may be wondering if I am about to go. Will it be too early for a 73-year-old man to die? If I go now, who will say it is too early? At this point, the worshippers, who were at the beginning rejecting his passing in a murmur, roared their disapproval loudly from all the four corners of the new auditorium. Smiling, Adeboye added, I am not too young to die. Again, the crowd screamed their disapproval. He later calmed everyone down, saying: okay, it is not now (Im not dying now). To which the crowd roared a thunderous Amen. Source: http://xsouth.com/pastor-adeboye-of-redeemed-church-shocks-everyone-as-he-talks-about-his-impending-death/ The National Secretary of the Accord Party, Dr. Samson Isibor, has asked the National Chairman of the party, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, to return the N100m collected from Chief Tony Anenih under the guise of campaigning for the re-election of former President Goodluck Jonathan. Senator Ladoja, who was the Accord Partys candidate in the April 11 governorship election in Oyo State, confirmed receiving the said sum from Anenih, the erstwhile Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Board of Trustees, to mobilize support for the re-election bid of Mr. Jonathan. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, believes the money is part of the $2.1 billion arms deal fund, which was allegedly diverted by the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki. Speaking on behalf of the party in Benin City, the Edo State capital, Dr. Isibor said Ladoja did not disclose receipt of the money to state chapters of the party, adding that the party was disturbed about the revelation from the arms deal scandal. Isibor, however, urged the EFCC to arrest and prosecute Senator Ladajo until the N100m is returned to the coffers. Ladoja should be made to return the money. No money was disbursed to state chapters of the Accord Party. What he did with the PDP without our consent was fraudulent, Isibor stated. News / National by Staff Reporter ZANU PF's Gokwe-Nembudziya MP Justice Mayor Wadyajena has been freed after he was acquitted on charges of criminally insulting First Lady Grace Mugabe and fellow party member and Kadoma businessman Jimayi Muduvuri.Wadyajena was today acquitted of the criminal insult charges by a Victoria Falls magistrate who ruled that the State had failed to provide adequate evidence to back-up its claims.The youthful Midlands legislator was arrested during the party's national conference in the resort town last month. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said it had retrieved N100 million out of the N170 million traced to the account of the former Military Administrator of Kaduna State and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mr. Jafaru Isah. Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu confirmed the retrieval of the money from Isah. He explained that it was the partial refund that informed his administrative bail to enable him to go and source for the balance. However, Magu said the refund was not a guaranty that the suspect would not be prosecuted for receiving public funds illegally. The N170 million traced Jafaru Isa was said to have been paid to him by the embattled ex-NSA, Sambo Dasuki, to enable him to acquire a property in Kano State for him. The deal, it was gathered, fell through, as a member of the Jonathan cabinet paid a higher amount of money for the same building which Isah was billed to buy for Dasuki. Isah, who was arrested by the EFCC last week, is said to be a close friend of Dasuki and a political associate of President Buhari, although Buhari did not know about the N170 million deal with Dasuki. Former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd) under Goodluck Jonathans presidency is the leading culprit in the heart of the alleged diversion and disbursement of the $2.1bn meant for the procurement of arms to combat insurgency. Up till the time of putting this piece together, the former president has maintained radio silence on the whole scandal which promises to dent his character and administration forever. Things that have been revealed in the cause of investigating this alleged diversion of public funds for personal and party aggrandizement has forced questions of whether or not Jonathan was the President of Nigeria or an ordinary puppet on the minds of Nigerians. INFORMATION NIGERIA has put together the rationale behind these worrying questions on the minds of Nigerians. Former President Jonathans radio silence over the arms deal has given more credence to the wide belief while he was in office that he was clueless. If he was actually the President, he shouldnt be clueless like his radio silence is making him look. Not airing his thoughts on the arms deal and having said contradictory things in the past shows Jonathan had no idea how things under his government were run or he simply wasnt interested in knowing. Jonathans body language on the arms deal shows someone who never understood the things that went on under his nose as President. His body language is that of someone who was a figure head while someone else ruled Nigeria from the backdoor? The mind-boggling armsgate is something that allegedly happened toward the end of Jonathans first and unfortunately term in office. It becomes even more mind-boggling trying to imagine more of such deals that went down prior to that time. The alleged suspension of the senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, by the Tudun Wada branch of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kaduna State has been described by the North-West zonal chapter of the party as illegal. The Chairman of the party in the zone, Inuwa Abdulkadir, said on Monday that as far as the national secretariat of the APC is concerned, Senator Sani remained a bonafide member of the party. Mr. Abdulkadir was in Kaduna as part of the reconciliation process initiated by the national leadership of the party to resolve the internal crisis rocking Kaduna APC. He also cautioned aggrieved party members to desist from the media war that trailed the purported suspension of the senator. Abdulkadir said, We are in Kaduna to meet with the party elders in the state on ways to address the problem. Whatever the case may be, there are rules and regulations of the party that is bound on every party member. Therefore, as far as the national body of this great party is concerned, the suspension of Shehu Sani from the party is illegal based on the fact that the right procedure was not followed. Even the ward chairman wrote to the national body to say the suspension letter was forged. In a brief remark, the former interim chairman of APC in Kaduna, Hakeem Baba Ahmed, who spoke on behalf of the elders of the party, expressed happiness for the intervention of the national leadership, saying it was timely. Mr. Sani, who was also at the meeting, said he will abide by the ceasefire agreement brokered by party leaders just as he pointed out that he had no problem with the state governor, Nasir El-Rufais policies. The alleged suspension of the senator was hinged on his public condemnation of the policies of the Kaduna State government, which was termed anti-party. Senator Sani blamed some people around the governor for fueling the crisis between him and Mr. El-Rufai. A tourists attempt to kiss a snake at a park in Thailand ended in disaster when the antisocial serpent struck and bit the woman on the nose. The woman, a tourist from Shanghai, China, was visiting the snake park in Phuket with her group Saturday when a handler invited her to kiss one of the animals. The tourist leaned in toward the snake, which unexpectedly spun its head around and bit the woman on the nose. The woman was taken to Phuket International Hospital to treat her wound from the non-venomous python. The snake park agreed to pay the woman $3,300 compensation. Officials said this is the first time anyone has been bitten by the snake, which they said frequently allows tourists to kiss it. UPI. The Federal Government through the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has disclosed why President Muhammadu Buhari was very careful on the release of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls. Femi Adesina, said the negotiators engaged by the Goodluck Jonathan administration, made the negotiations a commercial venture running into millions of Naira, only for the government to discover it had been swindled. We need to know a little bit of what happened behind the scenes, between the last government and some people masquerading as the leadership of Boko Haram who wanted to get the Chibok girls released. They actually turned it into a franchise, it became a commercial thing and they got money, possibly in millions of dollars, only for government to discover it had been swindled. They kept saying they could get the girls released, they could interface with Boko Haram and they went smiling to the bank with all that money, and nothing happened. So you should understand why this government is being careful and the President has said the genuineness of the leadership of Boko Haram must be determined before any negotiation takes place. Femi Adesina also defended Buhari on his stance over the bail granted former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd) and IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, saying Buhari was right in saying that, if there are no fresh charges against the men, they would be free to go. On the night of 1415 April 2014, 276 female students were kidnapped from the Government Secondary School in the town of Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria. Responsibility for the kidnappings was claimed by Boko Haram, an Islamic Jihadist and terrorist organization based in northeast Nigeria. On 17 October 2014, hopes were raised that the 219 remaining girls [clarification needed] might soon be released after the Nigerian army announced a truce between Boko Haram and government forces. The announcement coincided with the six-month anniversary of the girls capture and followed a month of negotiations mediated in Saudi Arabia by Chadian president, Idriss Deby. The announcement was met with doubt as this was not the first time the Nigerian government had claimed a breakthrough in negotiations with the Islamic militant group it had to backtrack on a previous announcement in September after saying the girls had been released and were being held in military barracks. The Islamist group Boko Haram wants to institute an Islamic caliphate in Nigeria and is in particular opposed to western-style modern education, which they say lures people away from following Islamic teaching as a way of life. [Thousands of people have been killed in attacks perpetrated by the group, and the Nigerian federal government declared a state of emergency in May 2013 in Borno State in its fight against the insurgency.The resulting crackdown has led to the capture or killing of hundreds of Boko Haram members, with the remainder retreating to mountainous areas from which they have increasingly targeted civilians.However, the campaign has failed to stabilise the country. A French military operation in Mali also pushed Boko Haram and AQIM terrorists into Nigeria lalasticlala Source: The Breaking Times Why set up a disaster recovery site when Amazon Web Services (AWS) already operates world-class cloud data centers? Thats the thinking behind Quantums latest offering, Q-Cloud Protect. Available now in the Amazon Marketplace, the product is a virtual appliance that uses Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3), and works in tandem with the companys Quantum DXi backup appliances (virtual and physical), to provide customers with off-site disaster recovery (DR) services. By eliminating the capital expense of DR storage and placing their backup data on the cloud, businesses can greatly reduce the cost of disaster recovery, asserts Eric Bassier, senior director of Product Management and Marketing for Quantum. Even businesses that ship tapes to an off-site facility can benefit from cloud economics. Whats being stored on the cloud is just the deduplicated blocks of data, Bassier told InfoStor. Using the companys variable-length deduplication technology, Q-Cloud Protect can cut cloud storage and transmission costs by up to 90 percent, according to company estimates. Quantums variable-length approach results in 3x to 5x better data reduction than a fixed-block dedupe algorithm, he said. In essence, Q-Cloud Protect can help businesses, particularly smaller enterprises with tighter IT budgets, avoid the upfront storage costs of properly protecting their operations against floods, earthquakes and any number of natural and man-made disasters, said Bassier. Its all operational expense, no capital expense. Further keeping costs in check is a metered pricing, a licensing model that charges customers on an hourly basis. For added flexibility, Q-Cloud Protect can be downloaded and operated in any one of any Amazons data centers, said Bassier. For example, a customer in the western U.S. can designate Amazons North Virginia cloud data center, or any other part of the AWS global infrastructure, as a de facto DR site. Quantum recommends storing DR data 100 miles from the primary data center, however. Enterprises that have already expanded their IT operations into Amazons cloud ecosystem will have to trouble adapting to the new paradigm. For customers that are already using AWS, its another virtual machine that theyll be able to manage within their Amazon environment, said Bassier. Q-Cloud Protect also serves as a stepping stone for companies that are considering hybrid-cloud approaches for their IT requirements. This is a great application, a great use case, for the cloud, said Bassier. Q-Cloud Protect joins Q-Cloud Archive and Q-Cloud Vault as part of Quantums cloud-enabled data protection product slate. It is available now in the public Amazon Marketplace and will be available for GovCloud and C2S customers sometime in the first quarter of 2016. Support for Microsoft Azure and Googles cloud is also in the works, Bassier revealed. As I landed in Dallas returning from my recent visit to China, I picked up my cellphone voicemails. One of them was from my bank, telling me my personal debit card was frozen and would have to be unlocked. I knew I shouldve let my bank and credit card companies know I was traveling, but I hadnt, mostly because I use a dedicated business card when traveling overseas on business. Still, I wondered why this particular credit card was locked. Not only had I not used it on the trip, I hadnt used it in more than a year, and I have multiple credit card security monitoring services that inform me about unusual activity. I sighed and tried to follow the instructions in the voicemail, but I didnt have time. I had to hit U.S. customs and catch my next flight home. Id take care of the issue later. When I got home I relistened to the voicemail message to get the banks customer service number. But the voicemail message didnt leave one -- the only instruction was to dial 1 to unlock the card. I hung up and called the number on the back of my debit card. To report a stolen card I needed to enter the credit card number, the last four digits of my Social Security number, and some other information I cant remember now. I got a human and told her about my situation. She asked, Did they call you? I said yes. Then she asked if they requested that I hit a button to unlock my card. I said yes again. Then she said: We dont do that. That was a scam! I was floored. Here I am, an overly suspicious computer security guy, but Im pretty sure if the scammer had reached me directly instead of my voicemail, I would have readily given all the information I was asked for. I was learning about yet another scam that the world needed to know about. The phone scam epidemic I hear from a lot of readers these days about phone scams. Sometime, its the tech support scam, where fake reps tell people that theyre calling on behalf of Microsoft or Apple and have detected a computer virus on their computer. Many victims give the caller their credit card information -- and helpfully install malware on their system. In another case, a friend reported that her father was scammed out of thousands of dollars by someone who pretended to be his grandson and claimed to have been arrested -- and needed emergency money to get bailed out. Dont let mom and dad know, he insisted. Others I know have been called by the IRS and told they are going to jail immediately unless they pay a fine for tax fraud. This last one is particularly telling, because its both an indictment of our tax system and an indication of the guilt some taxpayers feel. Even if youre an honest taxpayer, the threat of the IRS sending you to jail is a powerful motivator. Business phone scams are common as well. When I was a full-time penetration tester, one of my favorite social engineering scams was to call someone and tell them I was working for the IT security department. I would say that we were doing password social engineering tests for the company, which we were, then ask them for their password. How often did they give me, a complete stranger, their password? Every time. Some of the most infamous hacks, including of antihacking companies, began with someone calling and claiming that the big boss was out of the country speaking at a big conference and needed an email password reset immediately. One call and the attacker steals the crown jewels of the company, to the great embarrassment of all. Companies of all sizes have been scammed into making fraudulent bank transfers. Typically, banks wont cover the losses for these mistakes. Another popular scam is the fake overdue invoice. The fake invoice can be either from obscure or common items -- say, printer ink cartridges for the latter. Inoculate users against scams Clearly, your user training needs to cover phone scams. My current employer was getting hit by the boss needs his password reset scam for nearly a decade. Although it wasnt often successful, it worked enough that we wanted to stop it. In Phase 1 of the project we examined how often it happened and how often it worked. In Phase 2, we provided user training, and our random testing of employees over the next year showed that it worked. In our tests, we couldnt get a single employee to reset the password of another employee, even if pressured by the caller. In Phase 3 we made it impossible for one employee to reset or ask to reset another employees password without passing that call to top-tier IT security support. We also gave any employee calling three different ways to reset their own password if they knew one piece of private information about themselves and had another authentication factor available (like an employee badge or smartcard). In the last phase -- this is what everyone needs to do -- we did away with passwords. We went with several two-factor options, none of which was a simple name and password. The side effect of this policy and processes is that employees cant be scammed out of a common password that they shared between an external site and their company network. You can create your own antiscam training programs or let another company do it for you. One of my favorite antisocial engineering training companies, Knowbe4, has included phone scamming in its user security training for quite a while. Heres an interesting blog post from Knowbe4 on a recent phone scam telling you to pay a fine or face arrest. If you want to create your own training program, a simple Internet search will turn up lots more examples. Nearly every impacted vendor has information on related scams and how to avoid them. Some examples: Microsoft describes how to avoid tech support scams, for instance, while SunTrust and Scamguard cover bank card fraud. On a personal level, credit and security monitoring services can help, but for businesses, only solid, specific user training can have any real impact. No matter what you do, make sure your antisocial engineering training includes phone scam awareness and guidance. Coffee Prices Slump on the Outlook for Abundant Global Supplies Barchart - Wed Oct 19, 11:52AM CDT December arabica coffee (KCZ22 ) this morning is down -3.70 (-1.90%), and Nov ICE Robusta coffee (RMX22 ) is down -43 (-2.09%). Coffee prices this morning extended their week-long slide, with arabica... KCZ22 : 192.30s (-1.44%) RMF23 : 2,000s (-1.67%) EXPLAINER: What is the Strategic Petroleum Reserve? AP - Wed Oct 19, 11:51AM CDT DALLAS (AP) President Joe Biden or more from the U.S. strategic reserves in an effort to stop gasoline prices from rising now that OPEC and its allies plan to cut production. $SPX : 3,686.63 (-0.90%) $DOWI : 30,328.29 (-0.64%) $IUXX : 11,077.14 (-0.63%) Hogs Up another Triple Digits Barchart - Wed Oct 19, 11:50AM CDT Midday lean hog futures prices are trading $0.50 to $1 higher with triple digit gains from Feb 23 to May 23. The CME Lean Hog index was $93.35 on 10/1, up from $93.09. The National Average Base Hog... HEZ22 : 87.375s (+1.04%) HEJ23 : 92.750s (+1.09%) KMZ22 : 96.850 (+0.34%) Cotton Prices Dropping +3 Cents Barchart - Wed Oct 19, 11:50AM CDT Cotton futures are giving back another 3 to 4 cents in the front months through midday. Dec is now printing new lows for the year. The Cotlook A index for 10/18 was UNCH at 100.95 cents. USDAs AWP... CTZ22 : 78.29 (-4.86%) CTH23 : 77.84 (-4.42%) CTK23 : 77.34 (-4.02%) Cattle Futures Gaining at Midday Barchart - Wed Oct 19, 11:50AM CDT So far through the midweek cattle market, the front month fat cattle prices are $0.95 to $1.35 in the black. October is the weakest on thin OI, but is still up by 62 cents. Feeder cattle continue higher... LEV22 : 149.350s (+0.59%) LEZ22 : 151.350s (+1.05%) LEG23 : 154.250s (+0.97%) GFV22 : 175.225s (+0.23%) GFX22 : 178.075s (+0.14%) Wheat Trading Lower for Wednesday Barchart - Wed Oct 19, 11:50AM CDT Midday wheat futures are down by more than 1%. CBT prices are 9 1/2 to 12 3/4 cents lower in the front months. Nearby KC prices are down by 5 3/4 to 7 3/4 cents on 0.6% losses. MPLS spring wheat remains... ZWZ22 : 841-2s (-0.97%) ZWH23 : 859-4s (-0.95%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.7583 (-1.05%) KEZ22 : 941-6s (-0.29%) KEPAWS.CM : 9.0015 (-0.30%) MWZ22 : 953-4s (-0.26%) Beans Mixed Mostly Lower at Midday Barchart - Wed Oct 19, 11:50AM CDT Front month soybeans are down by as much as 3 cents for midday. The new crop contracts are fractionally higher to 1 1/2 cents in the black, eating into the inverse. Meal prices continue to back off, with... ZSX22 : 1372-4s (unch) ZSPAUS.CM : 13.2604 (+0.03%) ZSF23 : 1382-6s (unch) ZSH23 : 1391-6s (+0.13%) Corn Red through Midday Barchart - Wed Oct 19, 11:50AM CDT So far through the midweek session corn futures are down by 3 to 5 cents. December is priced near $6.75, working at the lowest levels in 2-weeks. EIA data had the average daily ethanol output back above... ZCZ22 : 678-2s (-0.40%) ZCPAUS.CM : 6.6473 (-0.24%) ZCH23 : 684-4s (-0.36%) ZCK23 : 685-0s (-0.40%) News / Regional by Patience Mutsiwi A GWERU magistrate has granted an application for the termination of a pregnancy by the parents of a Form Two pupil who was impregnated by her 30-year-old boyfriend.The 14-year-old girl had insisted on keeping the pregnancy but her parents convinced Provincial Magistrate Phathekile Msipa that she was not in a position to be a mother.The matter was heard in camera, but it has since been established that the girl told the police and nurses at Gweru General Hospital that she wanted to keep her baby.Her mother, however, applied to the court for her to abort and Magistrate Msipa granted the order yesterday.The girl is six weeks pregnant.The girl's mother, in her affidavit, said the pregnancy was as a result of sexual abuse."On December 25, I learnt that my daughter was pregnant as a result of sexual abuse. I therefore request that she be allowed to terminate the pregnancy for the following reasons: 1, she is 14-years-old and cannot be a mother, 2, she wants to pursue her education without parental destruction, 3, she is not prepared to look after the baby," said the girl's mother.Meanwhile, the soldier who impregnated the girl has been jailed for 30 months.He appeared before Gweru Magistrate Gweru magistrate Musaiwona Shotgame facing one count of having sexual intercourse with a minor.The soldier will, however, serve 24 months in prison after the magistrate suspended six months of his sentence on condition of good behaviour.The court heard how the accused had the girl intoxicated with liquor before having sexual intercourse with her.The soldier even asked the girl to suck his manhood after promising her $100.The girl told the court how she was surprised to see herself bleeding after her first sexual encounter with the soldier.She said the soldier would bring her into town from Thornhill Airbase to buy chicken and chips.Thereafter they would go to his single quarter's room at the airbase for sexual intercourse."We went to his room and went out and bought three Castle pints and I drank two of them. Later he slept with me and I bled. I asked him why I was bleeding and he said that's what women do when they've sex for the first time," said the girl.Prosecuting, Bonwell Balamanje, told the court that in November last year, the soldier came across the girl around Thornhill Airbase in Gweru.The court heard how the man proposed love to her and she accepted."Thereafter on different occasions but still around the month of November, the accused would invite the victim to his house and drug her before having sexual intercourse with her several times," said Balamanje.He said the matter came to light after the girl's mother discovered that her daughter was pregnant.She reported the matter to the police leading to the soldier's arrest. By Chuck Gordon In an era when more than eight of every 10 Americans own a computer, independent self-storage operators must embrace online-marketing tactics to compete effectively. Thats especially true in the face of aggressive digital-marketing strategies carried out by large operators. This is where third-party directories come in. These companies aggregate listings of facility locations, rental rates, amenities and other information, essentially giving consumers a one-stop shop for self-storage. Third-party directories combine the buying power of thousands of small to mid-size operators, making it possible for a facility to rank on the first page of Google search results by proxy. Although Google ultimately decides which site ranks where, the days when companies could trick the search engine into artificially ranking them higher are behind us. Today and in the future, its all about which search results get clicked on the most, and which websites deliver the best user experience. Over time, the results that most closely deliver what customers are seeking will rank the highest. Third-party directories put independent operators in a prime position to do just that. If your facilitys website has trouble ranking on the first page of Google search results because of competitive or budgetary barriers, a third-party directory offers a different way to achieve that goal. If your business already ranks on the first page, working with a directory helps you cover more bases, such as reaching the multitude of customers who prefer a comparison-shopping experience. Busting Myths Customers who turn to third-party directories are Internet-savvy, time-conscious people. Theyre 50 percent more likely to choose self-storage facilities with at least one online review, and directories are the leading source of reviews for our industry. Theres absolutely no evidence that customers who use these directories are more price-driven than those who prefer to shop around in other ways. In fact, the cheapest unit in a given area is booked just 20 percent of time. You dont need to lower prices to compete on a third-party directory website because these customers have various motivations and priorities when seeking storage. They care about location, amenities, security and reviewsthe same key factors that determine how directories rank facilities on their networks. Also worth noting is fewer than 2 percent of customers search for specific storage facilities by name. Rather, they typically search by geographic area. A third-party directory lets them quickly compare all their options in one place in minutes. Choosing a Partner So, how do you go about determining which directory to use? As with physical shelf space in a grocery store, its helpful to show up in more than one place online. The same way a cookie brand would like its products to be in the stores main aisle, on an end cap or in a prominent display by the stores entry, its helpful for storage facilities to show up in several places in listings of search results. What does that mean for you? The bottom line is you shouldnt necessarily work with just one third-party directory. However, with numerous options, how do you choose the right ones? Its all about measuring the return on investment and figuring out which websites will bring you the most customers at the best price. Keep in mind these companies offer different cost structures; some charge flat subscription fees while others provide custom pricing. When selecting a third-party directory, look for proven experience and a track record of operator success. Specialized search engine optimization technology, talent and budgets are must-haves. A good directory will also provide access to powerful partners who boost Web traffic. Ultimately, the highest-ranking storage operators receive more online business and generate more revenue. They then have more money to invest in future search-marketing efforts, perpetuating the cycle of success. Tracking Your Results Whichever directories you choose to use, its important to track which leads come from each source as well as the outcome of every lead you get. You should know your cost per lead, cost per rental and the lifetime value of customers generated by each channel. If one marketing source generates multiple leads, but the leads dont convert into actual tenants, you might be overpaying. Likewise, if a source generates a few high-quality leads that stay with your business longer, the vendor might be a better place to invest your money. I think online directories are great. Theyre just like any marketing program: Make sure you track your results against your other programs, says Holly Ritchie-Fiorello, director of business development for Find Local Storage, a consortium of more than 20 self-storage owners who operate an online facility directory. If the cost-benefit ratio is performing, then keep doing it. Try everything once, and track and measure your results. If you doubt the importance of third-party directories and other Internet-marketing tools for your business, consider this comment by Spencer Kirk, CEO of self-storage real estate investment trust Extra Space Storage Inc.: The larger, more sophisticated operators seem to have a significant, pronounced advantage when it comes to the Internet. The Internet is not the great equalizer. The Internet is the great divider. Chuck Gordon is co-founder and CEO of SpareFoot, an online marketplace for self-storage consumers. The company helps consumers find and reserve self-storage units, with comparison shopping tools that show real-time availability and exclusive deals. For more information, www.sparefoot.com. @ProStockTour Halifax, NS- (Jan 11, 2016) The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour announced today that Robert White has been appointed as Race Director for the 2016 season. White replaces Danny Harvey. White resides in Dartmouth with his wife Bev and has three grown children. He has a long history with stock car racing and was a member of the MASCAR team from their early years. White was Race Director when he left the MASCAR organization in 1997 due to work and family commitments. About the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour: The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour (PST) is considered the highest level of stock car racing in Canada. The Tour is recognized in the industry as one of the healthiest stock car racing series in North America. PST visits five tracks throughout the Maritimes during its May through September season. The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour is owned and operated by Maritime Pro Stock Tour Limited. For more information, call our administration office at 902.481.2531 or click www.maritimeprostocktour.com . You can also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/prostocktour and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/prostocktour Media Contact: Tara Foster 902.429.4069 office 902.488.0809 mobile media@maritimeprostocktour.com Recruitment is as much about culture as competency Businesses known for their uniforms are worried about lawyers in business suits in the wake of a change in the nations labor laws affecting their liability for employment practices. The change could unravel the franchise business and wreak havoc for thousands of companies and contractors, according to franchise industry groups and insurance professionals. In a decision known as Browning-Ferris Industries (BFI), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in August 2015 ruled that a small business franchisee could be considered a joint-employer with the franchisor company that lends its brand name and marketing to the small business. This ruling overturned decades-long regulatory and legal precedent for determining whether a joint employer relationship exists under the National Labor Relations Act. Previous law held that a franchisor that did not directly employ or control the franchisees workers was exempt from joint liability for employment practices happening at the local franchisee. The new NLRB standard now considers a franchisor as a joint employer not only if it exercises direct control of employees activities, but also if it has indirect or even potential control. Joint employer status exposes an employer to potential employment liability of others. Thats a big deal, according to Peter Taffae, managing director of FranchisePerils, which operates a national program administrator offering a program specifically for franchisors. Its very concerning and could wipe out franchising, he says. For 30 years the Labor Relations Board has said for a joint employer to be responsible they have to have direct involvement, said Taffae. Now, after 30 years thats changed. The NLRB now says that the employer only needs to have an indirect relationship. Franchisors are not the only business group at risk under the new NLRB standard. Employers using professional employment organizations, or PEOs, staffing agencies, independent contractors and even general contractors now have employment practices liability insurance (EPLI) risk that they didnt have before. In its decision to change the standard, the NLRB said that the old standard was increasingly out of step and outdated with changing economic circumstances, particularly the recent dramatic growth in contingent employment relationships. The NLRB stated the old standard did not reflect the realities of the 21st century workforce. A rise in temporary employment in the U.S. workforce is one reason the NLRB cited as a need for the change. Almost 2.9 million Americans had jobs through temporary agencies in 2014, or 2 percent of the workforce, up from 1.1 million in 1990, the board said. Wilma Liebman, a former head of the labor board who advocated for the new standard, told Bloomberg in August that shifts in the workforce threatened to make basic protections provided by labor laws illusory. Often the company with deeper pockets that hires a subcontractor sets conditions of employment through a contract, she said. These companies should be at the bargaining table, she said. The nature of employment and the nature of the economy has changed a lot, Liebman said in the Bloomberg interview. Unions and others who support the change say the decision was necessary to bring companies that indirectly control working conditions to the bargaining table, and to curb the use of permanent temps who are paid less and do not get the same benefits as ordinary employees. But the change could have devastating effects on thousands of small business owners, said Darrell Johnson, chief executive of FRANdata, a provider of information and analysis on the franchise industry located in Arlington, Va. The Browning-Ferris decision sets a dangerous precedent that is greatly disruptive to the franchise business model and to thousands of small businesses around the country. According to research released in December by FRANdata, at least 40,000 small businesses operating in more than 75,000 locations are at risk because of the recent NLRB ruling, which the group says jeopardizes the ability of franchise small business owners to hire, schedule and set the salaries of their employees. Our survey results indicate the ruling is already impacting expansion plans, and thus, economic growth, Johnson said. Expansion in Liability The recent ruling has removed much of the protection franchisors have enjoyed, with implications for EPLI policies. A franchisor, such as McDonalds, Subway, Chem-Dry or even UPS stores, could now be pulled into a lawsuit, for example, when one franchisee terminates an employee and that termination results in some type of employment practice liability issue. This expansion of the scope of liability is going to be monumental for many businesses, Taffae said. Not only could it change the franchising industry but also its likely to encourage the plaintiffs bar to chase after some deep pockets in various industries, according to Taffae. The most obvious example of the widening scope in franchisor liability involves the worlds biggest fast food restaurant. In December 2014, the NLRB determined that McDonalds is a joint employer, pointing to the franchisors comprehensive computer system, which tracks labor usage and costs, as one of the ways it controls franchisee operations. The fast food giant is fighting back to protect its decades-old franchise model that holds the corporation does not directly employ the staff of its franchisees. In a court filing in late October, McDonalds said it had already spent more than $1 million on the legal fight and produced more than 160,000 pages of documents in response to the NLRB case. The case, NLRB v. McDonalds USA LLC, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, scheduled to go to trial before an administrative law judge this month, is expected to have a major impact on U.S. franchisors. The new NLRB standard could also be dangerous for many in the construction business. Denise Gold, associate general counsel for the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), which represents 26,000 members nationwide, says while NLRB decision is not an immediate problem, it has definitely muddied what had been an established and clear precedent for years and has the potential to be a major problem for contractors. In construction, joint employer status can derive in the context of a staffing company, or it could come up in the context of a subcontract arrangement, or in the context of a joint venture, which is pretty common in construction and not talked about, according to Gold. Employers arent finding much direction from the federal agency either, Gold said. The NLRBs totality of circumstances test to decide whether there is enough authority to control, either indirect control or direct control, to create joint employer status is so vague that it gives employers little guidance as to when joint employer status exists and does not exist, she maintained. Its not only that the standard is new, but it is also not clear. Theoretically, the NLRB could have come up with very specific guidelines but instead they decided to create a more-vague standard, she said. In her opinion, that vagueness leaves employers with little knowledge as to when they might be joint employers. And being a joint employer is an important thing because it exposes the employer to potential liability for unfair labor practices of other companies, for potential bargaining negotiations, for breaches of collective bargaining agreements, and for what you might call economic protest activities, Gold said. If the employer is not deemed as a secondary employer and instead (considered) a joint employer then they can be subject to activities like strikes, boycotts and picketing. The potential impact is significant, Gold says, but how significant has yet to be determined. We dont know quite yet as to where the line is drawn on who is a joint employer, she said. We have to wait for further cases to come out to flush out that standard. Impact on Insurance The new NLRB standard has the potential to create myriad unintended insurance consequences for small businesses nationwide, according to Michael Layman, vice president, regulatory affairs, for the International Franchise Association (IFA). Any small business or big businesses needs to have employment practices liability insurance or other management liability coverage and that coverage is usually based on the number of employees an employer has, Layman said. The more employees the higher the premium. In the new joint employer landscape, if a franchise owner in a particular community is required by an insurer to have its franchisor co-sign on an EPLI policy, Layman says, the entire number of employees in the system may be factored into that policy. So a single franchise operator with 25 employees now has lost a significant amount of autonomy over their operation. Their franchisor has to be involved and their premium may be much higher because of the potential liability that the franchisor and franchisee may jointly share. Small businesses could see EPLI premiums skyrocket or not be able to buy coverage at all, Layman fears. We have heard from our members who are franchisees/small business owners that a carrier wouldnt write an EPLI policy to a franchisee without naming the franchisor as an additional named insured, Layman said. Should the franchise owner attempt to secure coverage alone, the market becomes markedly more expensive for the franchisee thats a new trend, he said. A year ago, five years ago, that wasnt happening but the looming and growing threat of joint employer is having that impact. Its not just the NLRB advocating a new joint employer doctrine, according to Layman. Other federal agencies, even at the state level and municipal level, are tackling the issue. Its a growing threat in pockets of government and the number of businesses at stake, not just in the franchising world, is great, he said. Some states, including Michigan, Texas, Tennessee and Louisiana, have already passed legislation aimed at protecting franchisors from being considered a joint employer with their franchisees. Virginia and Wisconsin may also follow suit. This joint employer issue is just beginning to be an issue from an insurance stand point, says Richard S. Betterley, president of Betterley Risk Consultants Inc. based in Boston. Betterley is the writer and publisher of an annual review of the EPLI market. The report, Employment Practices Liability Insurance Market 2015, published in December took aim at the growing insurance concern over joint employer exposures. In this years survey, we ask carriers directly about their ability and willingness to include joint employers as insureds, Betterley said. For the most part they answered optionally in other words they are willing to consider it. Betterley said most insurers didnt say no to joint employers, but he admits that most of the carriers responding to the survey tend to respond relatively liberally because they dont want to shut off business opportunities so they tend to say they are more willing (to insure) than they are in practice. (See table on page 23) This is the beginning of a problem (where) other parties will be held liable or dragged into suits successfully where they didnt used to be, Betterley said. Thats going to be in the franchise business, in the construction world where there is a lot of subcontractors and potentially even in the independent contractor, 1099 world. At the least, the NLRB ruling has made insurers rethink their approach. The reality is that insurers are becoming cautious because the exposure has changed, Betterley said. In the past if there was a request to add the franchise the underwriting assessment would be presumably that the risk is minimal and yes probably they would. Now they have to look at it and say, No, wait a minute theres real exposure here.' As a result of the new exposure, insurers are reacting, but at varying speeds. The potential for claims has increased but the actual level of claims has probably not yet increased, Betterley said. But youve got to believe that thats just a tidal wave on the horizon that hasnt yet hit shore. Taffae says the trend is quite concerning because theres no way to manage this risk. From our perspective, from a transfer of risk perspective, its very scary, Taffae said. Theres just no way to underwrite it. This whole joint employer thing could really blow up. Topics Carriers USA Legislation Contractors Construction Gregory M. Shepard, an activist investor whos been a major stockholder of Pennsylvania-based Donegal Group and a frequent critic of the company, has sold off his shares. Shepards stake consisted of 3.675 million shares of Donegal Group Class A common stock and 400,000 shares of Donegal Group Class B common stock which together made up 10 percent of the voting power in Donegal Group. He sold all of his shares to Donegal Group and Donegal Mutual Insurance Co. for approximately $70.04 million, according to securities filings. Shepard has been a Donegal Group stockholder since 2005 and was Donegals largest shareholder with the exception of Donegal Mutual, the holder of the majority voting control of Donegal Group. The Securities and Exchange Commission filings on Dec. 22, 2015, show that the sales agreement contains standstill provisions where Shepard and his affiliates agree not to take actions with respect to seeking control of Donegal Group for a period of 25 years from the date of the sale. This means Shepard would no longer try to get involved in Donegal Groups business affairs or buy Donegals stock. As a result of these purchases, Donegal Mutual will now hold 73.8 percent of the total voting power of Donegal Groups common stock outstanding, and Shepard owns no shares of either class. Donegal Group and Donegal Mutual have used a combination of cash on hand and borrowings on their lines of credit at M&T Bank in New York to fund the purchases. We believe the purchases represent a positive step forward for all of the constituencies of the Donegal organization and will enable us to focus on our long-term business strategies, said Donald H. Nikolaus, chairman of the Board of Donegal Group and president and chief executive officer of Donegal Mutual. Shepard, a Florida-based lawyer and former insurance executive, has publicly criticized Donegal Groups management and ownership in recent years. In 2014, he charged that Donegal Groups Board of Directors has failed miserably to meet its fiduciary duties and that Donegal shareholders have suffered from the company managements lack of commitment to shareholder value. Shepard also unsuccessfully pushed for the sale of Donegal Group to a third party and announced in 2014 that he had plans to approach at least 18 property/casualty insurance companies to discuss their possible interest in acquiring Donegal Group. Donegal Group is a Marietta, Pennsylvania-based insurance holding company with subsidiaries offering personal and commercial property/casualty lines of insurance in 21 Mid-Atlantic, Midwestern, New England and Southern states. In October 2015, Donegal Group reported $19.01 million net income, $481.12 million in net premiums written and a 99.0 percent GAAP combined ratio for the first nine months of 2015. Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Pennsylvania We think the time is right for you all to explore the [Florida] flood insurance market. That was the message Florida Senator Jeff Brandes gave insurance industry attendees at the first ever Florida Flood Insurance Conference on Dec. 9 in St. Petersburg. Brandes added that lawmakers are doing what they can to make the Florida flood market attractive and accommodating to private insurers. Our goal is to have 10 private insurers or more in Florida selling flood insurance in the next 24 months, and with your help we think we are going to get there, Brandes said. The Florida flood insurance market has become an expensive problem for homeowners, and its getting more expensive every year, according to lawmakers including Brandes and Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty. Brandes, a Republican, represents District 22 of Florida that includes Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. He has been leading the charge among Florida lawmakers to change Floridas approach to flood insurance. The state currently requires residents in high-risk flood areas with a mortgage from a federally regulated or insured lender to purchase flood insurance from either the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) or a private flood insurer. Currently Florida accounts for 37 percent of the NFIPs policies but, McCarty told Insurance Journal, Florida has paid out far more than what we have gotten in return and that Florida is paying disproportionately higher rates compared to the rest of the country. Brandes said his efforts to tackle this problem began when he was elected in 2010 and his constituents were faced with dramatic increases to flood insurance rates as a result of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Act, which aimed to reform the program. I was really thrust into this area by seeing homeowners who couldnt sell their homes or real estate agents who, instead of putting pool on top of the for-sale sign put No Flood Insurance Required, because nothing was being sold under Biggert-Waters, when the rates went up so dramatically, Brandes said. The state enacted legislation in 2014 designed to streamline the process for private insurers to write flood insurance to encourage more flood insurance competition. A handful of private flood insurance markets have entered the state since then on a primary basis. Brandes has introduced another bill for the upcoming session that would create a flood mitigation and assistance program, which he said would further encourage the private insurance market. We want to create the most fertile ground for any admitted carrier or insurance company to do business in the state of Florida in the flood insurance space, Brandes said. Brandes and McCarty have also been working together to address the Florida flood insurance rate issue since this past summer when Brandes asked the insurance commissioner to look into the NFIPs ratemaking practices. McCarty had previously called out the NFIPs rates in Florida as unfairly discriminatory. He requested the ratemaking data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which manages the NFIP, to analyze it through Florida law and asked FEMA to respond by Dec. 15. McCarty has not yet received the data but his office believes FEMA is cooperating. On Dec. 16, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation issued the following statement to Insurance Journal: The Office has not yet received a formal written response from FEMA. However, the Commissioner has been in discussions with officials at the NFIP. They have expressed a willingness to cooperate with the request and have given their assurances that they want to work collaboratively with the Office to provide what information they can. We know that we have asked them for a significant amount of technical actuarial data, so we understand more time may be needed for a complete response. Overall, we are very encouraged by these discussions and look forward to working with them further on this important issue. Flood Summit The Flood Insurance Conference, Brandes said, was an opportunity to meet with the insurance industry face-to-face and discuss findings of a Guy Carpenter Flood Insurance Risk Study conducted for FEMA of the NFIP. Brandes said the report had not previously been shared publicly. We simply said Come to Florida, lets get some reinsurers and some analytics teams together and lets have a conversation about flood insurance in Florida,' he said. Presenters at the summit included: Bryan Koon, director of Floridas Division of Emergency Management; Maria Wells, of the Florida Realtors Association and the National Association of Realtors; Commissioner McCarty; Jake Clark and Tim Gardner of Guy Carpenter; and representatives from reinsurers such as Swiss Re and modeling and technology firms Weather Analytics and Torrent Technology. Jake Clark, managing director of Guy Carpenter, talked about the FEMA Flood Risk Studys three components reinsurance study; privatization study; and supporting analytics. Clark said the company is currently doing additional work for FEMA looking at reinsuring the NFIP, as well as gathering info for FEMA to present to lawmakers when the program is up for renewal in 2017. Clark highlighted Floridas risk and cost to the NFIP program thus far and reemphasized the opportunities available to insurers. On one level, clearly the modeling suggests that the loss potential for flood-related portfolios can be a lot larger than what history might suggest, Clark said. Yet at the same token, if you look at the figures in totality at the 1-in-100-year level and the 1-in-250-year level, we would argue there is plenty of room and plenty of appetite for the industry to play a much bigger role in managing this portfolio. John Auer, president and CEO of Florida-based American Strategic Insurance, attended the summit. His company started off as a writer of excess flood and recently rolled out a private flood insurance product to its homeowners insurance clients in Florida. He said his company will succeed as a private market by being selective about where it offers coverage. The company is also taking a cautious stance by only writing homes that are 2,500 feet away from water on the West coast of Florida and 1,000 feet away on the East coast of the state. We dont want to write it everywhere. If we can stick to lower risk areas and can write a rate that is lower or similar to the NFIP, we will do it, Auer said. He said Florida currently has a low flood loss ratio, but the state is still at an extreme flood risk and insurers have to understand and be responsible in how they cover the state. We are really only one major event away from those numbers reversing themselves, but when that will happen, who knows? he said. But one thing I will say for certain is the [NFIP] rates dont make a lot of sense from one place to another, and thats why we will write places we think we can sell and be profitable. Topics Carriers Trends Florida Legislation Flood Reinsurance Market New Jersey Gov. Chris Christies office announced that the governor signed the Certificates of Insurance Act (S-3270/A-4705) into law Monday. The new law will govern the use of certificates of insurance, making it illegal to request the issuance of certificates that contain any false or misleading information. The law will provide the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) with enforcement authority with respect to their use. The Certificates of Insurance Act will take effect on April 10, 90 days after the governors signing. It passed the state Senate and the state Assembly in December. A certificate of insurance indicates that a property or casualty policy has been issued to the insured and that the policy contains certain coverages and limits. These certificates are typically used by contractors to demonstrate that they have coverages required to enter into construction contracts. The new law specifies that a person shall not: (1) prepare, issue, request, or require the issuance of, a certificate of insurance that contains any false or misleading information concerning the referenced policy of insurance; or (2) prepare, issue, request, or require the issuance of, a certificate of insurance that purports to alter, amend, or extend the coverage provided by the referenced policy. The law also provides that a certificate of insurance shall not warrant that the policy of insurance referenced in the certificate complies with the insurance or indemnification requirements of a contract. The inclusion of a contract number or description within a certificate shall not be interpreted as providing such a warranty. The law makes actions regarding false or misleading information in a certificate of insurance a violation of the New Jersey Insurance Fraud Prevention Act. The law gives the insurance commissioner the power to enforce the provisions of this act, including the authority to issue orders to cease and desist and to impose a fine of up to $1,000 per violation against any person who violates this act. The commissioner may adopt rules and regulations necessary to put into effect the new laws provisions. The laws provisions apply to all certificates of insurance issued in connection with property, operations, or risks located in New Jersey, regardless of where the policyholder, insurer, insurance producer, or person requesting or requiring the issuance of a certificate is located. The Professional Insurance Agents of New Jersey (PIANJ), a statewide trade association representing independent insurance agencies, brokerages and their employees, hailed the legislations passage. PIANJ commends Gov. Christie, Assemblyman Gary S. Schaer, D-36, Sen. Nia H. Gill, D-34, the bills prime sponsors, and the eight other legislators who shepherded this important legislation into law, said PIANJ President Charles J. Caruso. Last month, PIANJ testified in favor of the legislation during hearings of the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee. This law will protect New Jerseys insurance-buying community and their insurance agents, who will not have to address impossible demands from third parties, Caruso said. Topics Legislation New Jersey News / Regional by Staff Reporter Over 2000 tonnes of grain have been distributed in Matabeleland South province under the drought relief programme.The government has however been called upon to increase food supplies as the number of food insecure households continues to rise.According to the Social Services Department, 20345 households have benefitted from the 2161 tonnes of grain distributed between October and December last year in the province.The number of people needing food aid is however expected to increase as not much is expected from the fields following a prolonged dry spell that has destroyed crops.The critical food shortages being experienced present a national security threat which should be addressed with expediency, noted the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Assistant Commissioner - Operations in Matabeleland South province, Happymore Sigauke.The government is aware of the food challenges confronting the province and the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) is set to release 3000 tonnes of maize this month for distribution to food insecure areas.The months of January and February are peak hunger periods and the parastatal has also set up a number of satellite centres across the province in a bid to move food closer to the people.Meanwhile, committees working on drought relief programmes have been ordered to carry out further assessments to ascertain the actual extent of vulnerability to hunger in all the seven districts of Mashonaland West province.The provincial drought relief committee convened a stakeholders' meeting in Chinhoyi for feedback on the ongoing efforts to alleviate hunger to vulnerable families and to spell out gaps in the distribution of grain to eligible beneficiaries.The current distribution is based on results of the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee, (ZIMVAC), but the Minister of State for Mashonaland West Province, Cde Faber Chidarikire ordered that there be further assessments to ensure no deserving beneficiaries are left out of the drought relief programme.Some 33 000 households in the province are currently benefiting.Minister Chidarikire also stressed that unruly youths should not be allowed to take control of the food distribution programme, following reports that they disrupted a distribution exercise at Mudzimu in Hurungwe.Provincial Administrator for Mashonaland West province, Mr Mike Mazai, called for proper coordination of the programme and provision of transport to ferry the grain to beneficiaries who are currently being forced to foot the cost of transportation.It is not yet clear how many tonnes of grain have so far been distributed.The total number of families in urgent need of relief food will be known by the end of January. As he drank coffee at his job site in the mornings, demolition subcontractor Sean Benschop often talked with Borbor Davis, who worked at the adjacent Salvation Army in downtown Philadelphia. The men, both immigrants, asked where the other was from. I say, `Im from Guyana. He say, `Im from Liberia, Benschop testified Jan. 8 before he was sentenced for his role in a 2013 building collapse that killed the 68-year-old Davis and five others. When I learned he was dead, I couldnt believe it. Benschop, who was operating heavy machinery the day of the collapse despite taking Percocet and marijuana for medical problems, was sentenced to 7 1/2 to 15 years in prison. Co-defendant Griffin Campbell was the cut-rate contractor who gutted the building from the inside, destabilizing it, rather than take it down floor by floor. He was sentenced to 15 to 30 years. Judge Glenn Bronson deemed Campbell a danger to the community, ignoring warnings the building was at risk of imminent collapse. And he said the collapse shook this city to its core. The men were convicted of similar crimes, including involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault and causing a catastrophe, although a jury last year acquitted Campbell of third-degree murder. Benschop pleaded guilty and testified against Campbell. Prosecutors said Campbell ignored standard demolition practices in order to salvage joists and other materials. The joints were resold for $6 apiece. Campbell, 51, denied any profit motive, and said he had a long history of generosity in his North Philadelphia neighborhood. He said he had been thrilled to get the $112,000 contract and hoped it would be his big break after years running a lunch truck. This job meant a lot to me a lot. I was going to be out of debt, and life was going to be good, said Campbell, 51, a married father of four. City Treasurer Nancy Winkler called it disturbing and distressing that her family will have to go through a second trial in civil court to seek justice for others involved in the building demolition that killed her 24-year-old daughter, Anne Bryan. Many families are suing building owner Richard Basciano, who was redeveloping the long-vacant strip of stores after owning them for about 20 years, along with the Salvation Army and other entities. A city inspector who had visited the site committed suicide days later, although officials found no evidence of any wrongdoing. The four others killed were Kimberly Finnegan, 34, a newly engaged woman working her first day at the thrift store; Bryans close friend, Mary Simpson; Juanita Harmin, 75, a retired University of Pennsylvania secretary; and Roseline Conteh, 52, a mother of nine looking for bargains to send to her native Sierra Leone. They suffered a terrible death, buried alive, suffocating, the judge said. Myra Plekan, a widow from the Ukraine shopping at the thrift stores weekly sale, lost both legs after spending 13 hours trapped in the rubble. She was not in court Jan. 8 as she recuperates from her 31st surgery. Her medical bills have topped $10 million, her lawyer said. The doctors tell me I will live to a normal age, but my life will be anything but normal, Plekan, who now lives in a nursing home, wrote in a letter to the judge. I do look forward to when all people responsible for what happened when the Salvation Army store collapsed will be brought to justice. Davis died in the store basement after switching posts with a younger clerk called away to hang a picture, the surviving co-worker testified last year, fighting back tears. Benschop, 44, asked the judge if he could write to the victims families. The judge found his remorse sincere. Mr. Benschop advised others of the proper way to do things, defense lawyer William Davis said. Then, faced with a decision to keep working to provide for his family or to walk away he made a mistake. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Contractors Uncertainty over whether Mario Greco will stay on as chief executive of Generali rattled investors in Italys top insurer on Monday after a Swiss newspaper reported rival Zurich Insurance was set to poach him. Speculation that Greco, who ran the Swiss groups insurance business for five years before joining Generali in August 2012, could return to Zurich has been bubbling for a month. This intensified after Switzerlands SonntagsZeitung reported on Sunday that Zurich would appoint Greco as its chief executive by early February. Brokers said that if confirmed, it would deal a serious blow to Generali, where Greco is widely seen as the architect of a rapid turnaround that has nearly doubled its share value. At 14:45 GMT [on Monday] Generalis shares were down 2 percent, while Zurichs stock was up 3.9 percent. Zurich is seeking to hire a new CEO from among external candidates after Martin Senn quit the Swiss group on Dec. 1 following a failed takeover bid for Britains RSA. The Swiss insurer declined to comment. It was not immediately possible to reach Greco for comment. A source close to Generali told Reuters that Greco, whose mandate expires in April, was in talks to renew his contract. A source close to the insurers shareholders confirmed the contract discussions but said: if Greco wants to leave, it is his decision. This source said Generali was not envisaging sweetening Grecos pay package to stop him from leaving. Greco earned 3.25 million euros [$3.5 million] in 2014. A third source said Generali was ready to give Greco another three-year mandate but he was looking for a six-year extension. Mr. Greco was able to reshape Generali in the last three years, also avoiding a capital increase. His resignation, in the middle of the new strategic plan, would be negative news for Generali, Banca Akros said in a note. It added however that it believed Generali would eventually persuade Greco to stay. The SonntagsZeitung report said Grecos appointment at Zurich had not been formally approved and a last-minute change could not be ruled out. Zurich is due to report annual results on Feb. 11. Greco took the helm at Generali, Europes No 3 insurer, at the height of the eurozone debt crisis after a boardroom coup ousted his predecessor. Under his stewardship, Generali has sold 4 billion euros [$4.3 billion] worth of assets, cut costs and bolstered capital ahead of new, tougher European solvency rules. Senn had faced mounting pressure to boost performance at Zurichs general insurance business. In November, Zurich posted a 79 percent drop in quarterly net profit hurt by losses stemming from a fire at the Chinese port of Tianjin. Chairman Tom de Swaan has taken temporary charge of the company until Senns successor is appointed. (Additional reporting by Zurich newsroom; writing by Silvia Aloisi and Stephen Jewkes; editing by Jason Neely and Alexander Smith) Related: Topics Generali Life Assurance (Thailand) Plc. The state must pay nearly $1 million after losing a discrimination lawsuit filed by a longtime Iowa Department of Natural Resources employee who said he was fired because he sought disability accommodations for a job injury, according to court documents that also show the state tried to fight the award despite a public apology from an agency supervisor. John Vetter, an ex-natural resources technician for the departments Forestry Bureau, was awarded more than $688,000 in damages after a jury agreed last year that he was fired in 2013 over a disability involving his back. Court documents in Polk County District Court show Judge Robert Hanson ordered that Vetter be paid an additional $246,000 for attorneys fees and other expenses. In an earlier ruling this month, Hansen also ordered the Forestry Bureaus management team to stop discriminating against disabled workers and to review department protocol and training for handling such cases. Vetter, who worked for the State Forest Nursery in Ames for 36 years, said he felt validation with the verdict and award. For me, personally, I think its trying to heal over the embarrassment, the loss of my job after all those years, the 65-year-old said. Im just trying to move forward. The attorney generals office, on behalf of the department, tried to toss the jury verdict and get a new trial, but Hansen denied that request earlier this month. State attorneys made several arguments in court documents, including that Vetter didnt prove his job termination was linked to a disability. A spokesman for DNR referred questions about the case to the attorney generals office. Geoff Greenwood, a spokesman for the attorney generals office, said the state is still considering whether to appeal the final decision. After a work injury in 2011, Vetter underwent spinal surgery and his doctor issued permanent work restrictions on how much he should lift, sit, stand and walk during an eight-hour workday. He was placed on involuntary medical leave in May 2013 after supervisors said his restrictions prevented him from performing his job duties. They also said there were no reasonable accommodations that could allow him to keep his job. He was fired a few months later. Vetters attorneys challenged the Forestry Bureau during a jury trial last summer and argued there was a breakdown in communication between supervisors over Vetters job responsibilities and whether his work restrictions affected his ability to do them. Vetter said his supervisors never actually asked him about it. Paul Tauke, Forestry Bureau chief, publicly apologized to Vetter during testimony in the trial, which Vetters attorneys said is not usual in such a court proceeding. Tauke said if he hadnt received bad information, there would have been a different outcome, and John Vetter would not have lost his job, and we would have accommodated his work restrictions. Vetter said he accepted Taukes apology but he still has painful memories about the experience. He said he was good at his job and his evaluations reflected that. To have it end the way it did was bad, he said. I was quite upset about it and I can honestly tell you that I still am and probably will be for a while. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Legislation Iowa The city of Waterloo, Iowa, has settled a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of a man shot to death in 2012 by a police officer. A judge signed off on the $2.5 million settlement with the citys insurance carrier in December, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported. Court records show that $1.255 million will go to Derrick Ambrose Jr.s parents and $1 million will go to attorneys fees. Attorneys for Ambroses family have filed papers to dismiss the lawsuit, which had been filed in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. As part of the settlement, the city and officers admitted no wrongdoing. Criminal investigators said the 22-year-old Ambrose was seen with a gun outside New World League in Waterloo on Nov. 18, 2012. Investigators say Ambrose fled from Waterloo authorities and ignored commands to stop. Authorities say Ambrose stumbled and fell, then rose and turned toward Officer Kyle Law, who shot him twice. Ambroses pistol was later found in a yard, and investigators concluded that Ambrose likely tossed the gun moments before the shooting. A grand jury declined to charge Law. This settlement will not bring back my son, but it may raise awareness of what is wrong with law enforcement in Iowa and around the nation, Derrick Ambrose Sr. said in a written statement issued by his attorney. We must take a hard look at how we can better support the good police officers, and how cities can better investigate and discipline excessive force by police officers. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Law Enforcement Iowa Determined to avoid a repeat of the nations worst-ever avian-influenza outbreak, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is stockpiling up to 500 million doses of a new vaccine but many in the $48 billion poultry industry dont want it. While turkey farmers hit hard by the most-recent outbreak support the shots, chicken producers say vaccinating even a portion of their flocks would prompt foreign buyers to ban imports. Last year, commercial operations in 15 states were affected by the disease, claiming 50 million birds mostly from egg-laying operations and costing the industry $3.3 billion. As soon as you vaccinate any bird, you are telling the world bird flu is endemic, and countries are going to stop buying from us, some of them for years, said Ashley Peterson, science and technology vice president for the National Chicken Council. U.S. poultry producers remain on edge after 67 cases of the highly contagious form of avian influenza were found in France. The U.S. outbreak, which ended in June, led to record egg prices and imports and cut turkey supplies for the Thanksgiving holiday. Most of the cases were in Minnesota, the biggest turkey-producing state, and Iowa, the biggest egg producer. Georgia, the top chicken-meat producer, was unaffected. To prevent a recurrence on American farms, producers are adding car washes to keep the virus from spreading via vehicles and enclosing spaces to guard against airborne infection from wild birds. But thats not enough to deter U.S. investment in immunizations. 48 Million Doses The vaccine search began in March as government and industry realized the scope of the problem. Harrisvaccines Inc. of Ames, Iowa, and Ceva Sante Animale SA of Libourne, France, received contracts in October to produce vaccines. The initial orders for 48 million doses from each company cost $12 million. The U.S. government is preparing to deploy enough staff and other resources to handle about 500 infected flocks, more than double the number seen in 2015. Agency officials have also traveled to meet their counterparts in countries including China, Japan and South Korea to argue that measures the USDA might take shouldnt lead to trade bans. Since July, the USDA has tested more than 25,000 samples for the virus in wild birds as part of its surveillance and biosecurity efforts, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. While the USDA isnt detailing how vaccines would be administered in an outbreak, a September document from its Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service said shots would only be given with the approval of each states top veterinarian, and then only to commercial poultry in areas where disease was spreading rapidly. Injury Risk Vaccinating flocks would create the impression in importing countries that U.S. chicken and turkeys arent safe, increasing the risk of trade bans, said John Glisson, vice president of research for the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association in Tucker, Georgia. Owners of egg-laying hens, which live longer than chickens and turkeys raised for their meat, oppose vaccine programs for another reason: They dont want the hassle and cost of administering booster shots. Unlike broiler chickens, which are raised for their meat and are slaughtered by eight weeks of age, or turkeys, which live to 20 weeks, egg-laying chickens can live for two years. Repeatedly taking aging birds out of their cages for booster shots is quite a task in manpower and expense and risks injuring the birds, Glisson said. Avoiding Conflict Although not a single large-scale broiler operation was affected, the industry still took a trade hit, said Tom Super, a spokesman for the Washington-based National Chicken Council. Producers lost $910 million 22 percent of exports when 17 countries including China, Russia and South Korea limited or shut their borders to U.S. birds. Were already losing exports to bans put in place, Super said. A vaccine opens that wound up further. Opposition to the USDAs plan isnt unanimous. Turkey producers want a vaccine, and trade concerns may be exaggerated, said Joel Brandenberger, president of the National Turkey Federation in Washington. The world recognizes that the science has changed and that vaccines can be used effectively to eradicate virus, he said. To avoid conflicts in an outbreak, groups need to work out their approach to a vaccine sooner rather than later, and the government needs to make potential trade impacts as clear as possible, said Les Sims, a consultant with Asia Pacific Veterinary Information Service in Australia. Otherwise there will be strong resistance to its use by those sectors otherwise unaffected when flu hits its first farms, Sims said. The vaccines themselves, he said, remain a viable option. Hopefully you wont need it, but better to have the option available. With assistance from Rudy Ruitenberg and Megan Durisin. Related: Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics USA Agribusiness Among the more than 140 plaintiffs lawyers competing to lead private litigation against Volkswagen over its emissions cheating scandal is former U.S. Senator and Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate John Edwards. Edwards, who was a trial lawyer in North Carolina before his political career was felled by a sex scandal, sent a letter to U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer of San Francisco last Friday, asking to be appointed to the powerful plaintiffs steering committee. This case has ingredients Ive spent my life working on, Edwards told Reuters in an interview on Monday. The litigation against Volkswagen, he said, requires trial expertise, regulatory know-how and a global perspective. In his letter, Edwards highlighted his acquaintance with foreign heads of state, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel. His work with international leaders, he said, gives him a deep understanding of the global impact of cases like Volkswagens. A Volkswagen representative did not immediately respond to an email request for comment. Plaintiffs lawyers view the Volkswagen case as a potential goldmine. The litigation in San Francisco is a consolidation of hundreds of class actions filed on behalf of more than 500,000 owners and lease-holders of Volkswagen diesel vehicles. Lawyers for individual car owners have said their clients expect the automaker to repurchase cars allegedly marketed with false claims about toxic emissions and fuel efficiency. They have also said they will seek punitive damages against Volkswagen, which has admitted that it installed software to allow 580,000 vehicles to emit up to 40 times legally allowable pollution. An appointment as lead counsel or as a member of the steering committee means the lawyers firm will play a key strategic role in the case. Lead lawyers typically have a say in how court-awarded legal fees are divided among plaintiffs firms. Edwards returned to the practice of law in 2013 after a federal jury in North Carolina acquitted him of accepting illegal campaign contributions. Edwards had been charged in 2011 in connection with nearly $1 million in contributions that were allegedly intended to cover up an extramarital affair he conducted while he was running for president in 2008. The jury did not reach a verdict on all charges at Edwards 2012 trial but the Justice Department dropped remaining counts. Edwards firm, Edwards Kirby, has offices in North Carolina, California and Washington, D.C., and handles mostly high-profile North Carolina wrongful death lawsuits, he said. Edwards has been involved in a New York federal antitrust lawsuit over alleged manipulation of a benchmark for crude oil prices and was scheduled to try a 2015 bellwether case against C.R. Bard in the consolidated litigation over transvaginal mesh. That case settled before trial. His Volkswagen lead counsel application acknowledged his dearth of experience in running enormous class actions like this case, and noted that other applicants have significantly more. Other well-known lawyers seeking to join the VW steering committee include David Boies, who has represented same-sex couples, Presidential candidate Al Gore and the now-defunct music file-sharing service Napster at the U.S. Supreme Court. Boies was appointed in 2015 to serve on the steering committee in litigation over General Motors ignition switch defect and Takata Corp.s allegedly defective airbags. Many of the lawyers who submitted applications to lead the Volkswagen litigation have previously run big-ticket cases. Among them are the chief plaintiffs negotiator in BP PLCs $5 billion settlement of claims from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, lawyers who led a $1.1 billion case against Toyota Motor Corp. over an alleged sudden acceleration defect, and plaintiffs counsel in several antitrust class actions that have ended with settlements of hundreds of millions of dollars. Potential Goldmine If car owners eventually reach a global settlement with Volkswagen, the legal fees could be enormous. In litigation over Toyotas alleged sudden acceleration defect, for instance, lawyers were awarded $200 million in 2013, nearly 20 percent of the automakers $1.1 billion settlement. Lawyers who negotiated a $5.7 billion antitrust settlement with Visa and MasterCard in 2012 are slated to receive $545 million in fees. Fees will be lower if Volkswagen resolves owners claims outside of the consolidated U.S. litigation. The company has named victims compensation expert Kenneth Feinberg to create a settlement program that will operate independently from the court case. There is also a possibility that Volkswagen will try to settle claims of U.S. car owners through Dutch, German or British proceedings. Edwards said if he is chosen for the steering committee in the U.S. case he will fit right in, despite his celebrity. Last month, he attended the first pre-trial hearing in the case. I knew a big percentage of the people in the courtroom, from my legal practice and from running for president, he said. It was a great chance to catch up. Judge Breyer has scheduled a hearing on steering committee applications for Jan. 21 and said he will appoint lead lawyers as soon as possible after that. (Reporting By Alison Frankel; Editing by Amy Stevens, Bernard Orr) Related: California Judge Breyer Expected to Combine, Expedite VW Diesel Claims Volkswagen Wants 350 Diesel Fraud Claims Consolidated Injury Claims Become Commodities with Litigation Funding, Claim Aggregation Hedge Funds Find Gambling on Lawsuits Lucrative Topics Lawsuits USA North Carolina The commission responsible for enforcing workers compensation laws in North Carolina has cracked down in the last year on employers who dont carry proper insurance, collecting $1 million in civil fines from uninsured companies. The News & Observer of Raleigh reports that the state Industrial Commission also charged 100 employers with misdemeanors for willingly going without coverage. State law requires any employer with three or more employees to provide workers compensation insurance at no cost to the workers. Despite the improvements, commission leaders know problems continue. The goal is to head it off and get to compliance before theres an injury, said Andrew Heath, who has overseen the commissions work since Gov. Pat McCrory appointed him chairman in early 2013. Heath will soon leave the commission to be McCrorys budget director; a replacement at the commission has not yet been named. The News & Observer reported in April 2012 that as many as 30,000 employers in North Carolina required to purchase workers compensation had not. The following year, the state auditor reported the commission had done nothing to intervene as more than 11,000 businesses in 2012 canceled policies or let them lapse. In the last fiscal year, the commission investigated nearly 2,000 cases involving potential lack of coverage, and those efforts brought 800 companies into compliance. In that same year, the commission ruled that 71 workers were injured while working for employers without proper insurance. Its unclear how many employers currently lack coverage because of changes made in 2013 in how the information is shared between insurance carriers and the commission. So far, the commission has not pursued companies that misclassify employees as independent contractors. Gov. Pat McCrory, however, has ordered the commission to take a new role in stopping misclassification. In mid-December, McCrory issued an executive order placing the Industrial Commission in charge of coordinating how various state agencies respond to information about businesses that might be cheating. He charged each agency to enforce its rules and issue appropriate sanctions when they find a business misclassifying workers. McCrory acted after lawmakers didnt pass legislation that would have established a team of investigators at the state Department of Revenue to pursue companies that misclassify workers. The bill stalled as newspaper publishers lobbied against the legislation because of late alterations to the bill aimed at newspaper carriers. Legislators had said they would try again to pass the bill this year. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Legislation Workers' Compensation Commercial Lines Business Insurance North Carolina The changing excess and surplus insurance landscape was an oft discussed topic on Monday, with experts describing the challenges and opportunities going forward. The business that we have and the risk we see is going to be changing. No question. That comment was made by Greg Ricker, chief information officer at Atlantic Casualty Insurance Co., during the California Wholesalers Insurance Association meeting in San Diego, Calif. The CIWA conference, which began Sunday and runs through Tuesday, was attended by roughly 150 E&S and insurance experts. It was held at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines. Rickers talk was titled Emerging Issues & Industry Trends. Other panel topics included a California legislative update from John Norwood, CIWA lobbyist and president of Norwood & Associates, and a seminar titled How to deal with an Employee from Hell, conducted by Kristi Dean and Robyn McKibbon, with Stone/Deal LLP. Spencer Hamer, a partner in Michelman & Robinson LLP, discussed employees versus independent contractors, contending that recent lawsuits against rideshare giant Uber Technologies Inc. have increased interest in employee classification suits. These cases are among the most popular for attorneys to take, he said. A variety of reasons are driving this interest including that they can be lucrative and easy to win but the suits against Uber over whether drivers should be classified as employees or contractors may be a big reason, as theyve raised awareness on the part of workers and attorneys, Hamer said. No Slowdown One such case Uber Technologies Inc. v. Berwick is being heard in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. This case stems from a California Labor Commissioners ruling in June that Uber driver Barbara Berwick was an employee of the company and not a contractor. The ruling ordered Uber to reimburse Berwick $3,878 for mileage and tolls plus $274 in interest. Im not expecting it to slow down, Im expecting it to pick up, Hamer said of employment classification suits, which his firm has lately seen more of. Hes also noticed the federal government has become more interested in employee classifications as of late, with the Department of Labor more frequently perusing these cases. Theyre sort of on the warpath, he said. Nicole Zayac, an attorney with Michelman & Robinson, discussed the progress of the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers Reform Act of 2015, or NARAB II as it is commonly called. NARAB was overwhelmingly passed last year, but President Obamas administration has yet to act on it despite a 90-day deadline to create a board that would kickstart NARAB II. The act went into effect in January and as outlined in the acts language presidential action on naming a board was supposed to occur by April 2015. We still dont have NARAB, were waiting on implementation, she said. Mainly were waiting on a board. Bernie Heinze, executive director of the American Association of Managing General Agents, later in the day during a luncheon said NARAB II would help insurance consumers by streamlining the process and possibly lowering costs. However, the holding pattern is denying consumers these benefits because of the delays. This is hurting policy holders, he said. NARAB was one of the many topics of discussion at luncheon discussion moderated by Hank Haldeman, executive vice president and director with The Sullivan Group, president of the National Association of Professional Surplus Lines and a past president of CIWA. Beside Heinze also on the panel was Ben McKay, executive director of the Surplus Line Association of California. Both Heinze and McKay discussed efforts to enlighten members of congress about the role surplus lines should play in flood insurance and other matters. Both described the efforts just to educate legislators about what surplus lines are, and the steps they are taking to lobby on behalf of the industry. We need to be out in front on these things, Heinze said. Both men are also dealing the ramifications of the newly created Federal Insurance Office, which was established by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. FIO was created as a non-regulatory body, but both Heinze and McKay said the entity is acting as a regulator. FIO is making data calls on the insurance industry to gather information much like state regulators and it can enter into covered agreements with other countries. Theyre not a regulator, but they can create regulations without much oversight, McKay said. Heinze said he has been looking for ways to make these data calls less onerous. Were in for some long hauls in regards to data that the federal government is going to look for, he said. Heinze said that despite the regulatory challenges for the surplus industry, there are many opportunities. Its the best time in the world to be in the E&S business, he said. Related: Topics California Legislation Excess Surplus Barney & Barney, a Marsh & McLennan Insurance Agency LLC company based in San Diego, Calif., has promoted nine senior executives to principals. The new principals in the firms San Diego office are David Freeman, Richard Hallett, LuAnn McSwiggen and Debora Walker. The new principals in the firms Orange County office are Amy Fisher, Mike Grant, Stacy Hubbard and Sam Quigley. Allison Barney is a new principal in the firms Walnut Creek office. Barney & Barney now has 62 principals in its offices in San Diego, Orange County and the San Francisco Bay Area. Barney joined the firm in 2009 and is currently director of Client Services in the Bay Area, specializing in employee benefits. She has 15 years of experience and was previously Employee Benefits manager at Standard Insurance Company for more than seven years. Fisher joined Barney & Barney in 2005 and is currently director of Operations and director of Client Service in the Property & Casualty Group in Orange County. She has more than 30 years of experience and previously worked for Marsh for 22 years, most recently as AVP, client executive. She holds the Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designation. Freeman joined Barney & Barney in 2013 and is currently director, Commercial Sales in the Commercial Property & Casualty Group in San Diego. He has more than 20 years of experience and was previously vice president, Commercial Lines at USI of Southern California Insurance Services. Grant joined Barney & Barney in 2011 and is currently director, Technology & Life Sciences Practice in Orange County. Grant has 28 years of experience and was previously an owner and technology insurance broker at Costello & Sons Insurance Brokers. Hallett joined Barney & Barney in 2008 and is currently director of Surety in San Diego, specializing in the surety needs of domestic and international firms. He has more than 11 years of experience and was previously executive underwriter for Surety at Arch Insurance Group. Hallett holds the designations of Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) and Certified Risk Manager (CRM). Hubbard joined Barney & Barney in 2011 and is currently director, Client Services in Orange County, specializing in Employee Benefits. She has 21 years of experience and was previously an account executive with BB&T Insurance Services. McSwiggen joined Barney & Barney in 2004 and is director of Employee Benefits for San Diego. She has more than 24 years of experience and previously worked for Marsh for 13 years in a variety of positions, with a focus on employee benefits. Quigley joined Barney & Barney in 2003 and is currently director, Property & Casualty in Orange County, specializing in recruiting, training and developing personnel. He has more than 14 years of experience and was previously an associate at UBS Financial Services in San Diego. He holds the designations of Accredited Adviser in Insurance (AAI) and Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS). Walker joined Barney & Barney in 1997 and is currently director, Commercial Property & Casualty, in San Diego. She has more than 22 years of experience. Previously, she was a Directors and Officers (D&O) underwriter for Chubb Group of Insurance Companies. Source: Barney & Barney Topics Property Casualty WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Just a little boutique! exclaimed Chi Chi LaRue at the grand re-opening on Saturday of the 2000-square-foot brick-and-mortar retail outlet that bears her name. (photo gallery) The GAYVN Hall of Fame-winning director, DJ and drag queen greeted guests as they arrived to inspect the new storesituated across the street and down the block from its prior locationlit for the occasion in pink and purple neon lights with a Tom of Finland cutout on the sidewalk outside for event-appropriate photo opportunities and a backroom appropriately titled The Dungeon with an open bar, shirtless men slinging drinks and a leather sling behind a chain link fence. The relaunch coincides with the 16th annual Cybersocket Web Awards, where the web component of Chi Chi LaRues is among the nominees for Best Product/Retail Site. LaRue herself is an AVN Awards nominee this year for Mainstream Star of the Year. The nights menu included a chance to press the flesh with youthful CockyBoys matinee idolswhose appearance launched a fusillade of cell phone camera flashes and gasps of recognition from passersby on Santa Monica Boulevardand an in-store presentation by XR Dungeon, makers of BDSM tools and toys. (The event invitation also invited attendees to discretely use and abuse our back entrance, a door tucked in an alleyway behind the store.) Chi Chi LaRues launched in its original location in 2008 and carries the Channel 1 Releasing labels, among them legacy brands All Worlds Video, Catalina Video and Dirk Yates Collection as well as LaRues own Rascal Video line of toys and films. Additional toy lines include COLT Studio, Oxballs and Perfect Fit. Photobooks, calendars, lube and adult DVDs, naturally, fill out the shelves. Photographer Greg Lenzman was among the guests who attended the stores initial launch party. Its a much nicer location, he observed. Theres tons of foot traffic here. And there are boys everywhere! Among the guests were AVNs CEO Tony Rios, GAYVN Hall of Fame director and founder of All Worlds Video, Dirk Yates, Channel 1 Releasing partners Rob Novinger and Steven Walker, dragstress and director Coco Lachine, Cybersocket publisher Morgan Sommer, DJ Francesco Pagano, reviewer Leo Buck, performer-director Doug Jeffries and performers Chad Hunt, Brendan Patrick, Brendan Phillips and Chris Wide. Director Jake Jaxson and photographer RJ Sebastian wrangled a group of CockyBoys, among them Levi Carter, Angel Cruz, Bravo Delta, Tayte Hanson, Allen King, Cory Prince and Kody Stewart. The relaunched Chi Chi LaRues is located at 8861 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. Click here for a photo gallery. Uggla has more than 16 years experience as an adviser in the field of Swedish and international corporate taxation, with a main focus on complex transactions and structuring. Uggla specialises in real-estate funds, institutional real-estate owners and listed real-estate companies, with an extended client base that covers local real-estate and construction companies as well as multinational corporations and private equity companies. Uggla has worked for KPMG, Deloitte, EY and, most recently, Hannes Snellman where he was a specialist partner and headed up the Swedish practice. Un ottobre da sogno per Antonio Conte: lex ct della Nazionale italiana, attualmente alla guida del Chelsea, nelle ultime quattro gare di Premier League ha collezionato solo successi, conditi da 11 reti segnate e addirittura nessuna incassata. Numeri da record che non sono certo passati inosservati alla Federazione inglese, la quale ha conferito al tecnico leccese lambito premio di Manager del mese. Unavventura oltremanica iniziata in sordina, quella di Conte, pur a fronte di tre vittorie nelle prime tre gare di campionato. A far vacillare, anche se solo per un momento, le certezze del patron del club londinese, Roman Abramovich, i risultati conseguiti tra la 4a e la 6a giornata, coincisi con un pareggio sul campo dello Swansea City e, soprattutto, con le due pesanti sconfitte subite dal Liverpool, sul terreno casalingo di Stamford Bridge, e dallArsenal. In particolare, la debacle interna coi Reds, aveva irritato non poco il numero uno russo, poiche occorsa proprio nel giorno della sua 250esima partita da presidente della societa. Come detto, solo un momento. Dopo lincontro dellEmirates, il tecnico salentino cambia modulo, adottando un piu equilibrato 3-4-3 e inserendo elementi di corsa come lo spagnolo Pedro. Una svolta totale perche, di li in poi, il Chelsea inanellera solo e soltanto vittorie: 2 gol allHull City e al Southampton in trasferta, 3 ai campioni dInghilterra del Leicester e 4 allo United in casa, con un meraviglioso numero zero nella casella delle reti subite. Un fantastico poker, ottenuto tra l1 e il 29 ottobre. Un cambio di marcia sbalorditivo, confermato dal 5 a 0 rifilato ai toffees dellEverton nel primo match di novembre, e una scalata che, man mano, ha portato i blues al secondo posto in classifica, a soli 2 punti dal Liverpool capolista. E allora, non poteva mancare il riconoscimento di migliore allenatore del mese, ottenuto surclassando tecnici del calibro di Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool), Arsene Wenger (Arsenal) e Mark Hughes (Southampton). Tanta, ovviamente, la soddisfazione: E un grande onore e voglio condividerlo con i giocatori e con la societa ha dichiarato Conte sul sito ufficiale della Premier League -. E la prima volta che lavoro in un altro Paese, con una cultura diversa, e portare la propria filosofia non e facile, ma ora sono contento di questa scelta. A completare la festa, la premiazione del fantasista belga, Eden Hazard, come miglior giocatore di ottobre. Due risultati importanti per il club, ottimo incentivo per la rincorsa al trono dei campioni, occupato dal Leicester di Ranieri. Il prossimo appuntamento per l11 di Conte sara al Riverside Stadium, tana del Middlesborough neopromosso. Il tempo di festeggiare e gia finito. Most people think of Social Security benefits as a monthly payment that you start getting in retirement and receive for the rest of your life. In fact, Social Security is an umbrella term for several federal benefits programs. One of the largest government programs anywhere in the world, Social Security is expected to have paid out more than $1 trillion to about 65 million Americans in 2020. There are three key groups of people who receive Social Security benefits: retired workers, survivors of retirees, and people with disabilities and their families. How long does Social Security last? It depends on the type of benefit. Key Takeaways Social Security retirement benefits start as early as age 62, but the benefits are permanently reduced unless you wait until your full retirement age. Payments are for life. Social Security spousal benefits pay about half of what your spouse gets if thats more than you would get on your own. Payments are for life. Social Security survivor benefits go to certain family members of deceased workers. The benefit duration varies. Social Security disability benefits go to workers who qualify for Social Security before becoming disabled and to their families. The benefit duration varies. Social Security Retirement Benefits This is the most familiar Social Security plan, with roots that go back to 1935 and the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The retirement benefits are paid out of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund. There are a number of subcategories. Retired Workers You are eligible for benefits if you are a retired worker who contributed to Social Security during your working years. In other words, youre considered insured or qualified. The precise periods needed to qualify are spelled out on the Social Security Administration (SSA) website. You must be insured under the Social Security program before you or your family can receive retirement, survivor, or disability benefits. You can claim Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62, but your benefits will be permanently reduced by up to 30%. You can collect the full benefit if you wait until full retirement age, which is age 66 if you were born in the 19431954 years. The age increases annually by two months from 1955 to 1959 until it reaches 67 for those born in 1960 and later. Once you start receiving benefits, they continue for your lifetime. Social Security Spousal Benefits The spouse of a retired worker can receive up to half of their spouses benefits. This does not reduce the benefits that the spouse receives. This benefit is generally for spouses who do not have a sufficient work history to be otherwise eligible for benefits or whose work history entitles them to a lower benefit than they would receive from the spousal benefit. To get Social Security spousal benefits, you must be one of the following: At least 62 years old Any age if you are taking care of your spouses child who is also receiving benefits A divorced spouse who is at least age 62, whose marriage lasted at least 10 years, and who remains unmarried Depending on the date of birth, full spousal benefits kick in at the same age as a workers full retirement benefits. You can start taking benefits as early as age 62, but if you do so, then the benefit will be permanently reduced. The spousal benefit continues until one spouse dies. The survivor then may be eligible for survivor benefits. Social Security Benefits for Children A minor child or an adult child with a disability may be eligible for Social Security benefits if the parent receives retirement or disability benefits. The child must be one of the following: Under the age of 18 A high school student up to age 19 An unmarried adult who became disabled before the age of 22 Family income limits may also apply. Dependent child benefits begin when a retired worker's benefits start. They end when the child turns 18 (or 19, if a high school student). The disabled person may then qualify for continuing benefits as an adult who is unable to work. Social Security Survivor Benefits Survivor benefits go to family members of a deceased worker if they meet various conditions. Social Security Survivor Benefits for Spouses Surviving spouses can receive benefits based on the benefit amount that the deceased was receiving from Social Security at the time of death. A surviving spouse can get reduced benefits as early as age 60. Full benefits are available at full retirement age. Benefits are for life. A surviving spouse who has a disability can collect benefits as early as age 50. The benefit begins upon the death of the retiree and continues until the surviving spouse is age 65. At that point, they are eligible for the aged benefit. Surviving spouses can get benefits at any age if they take care of their spouses child who is under age 16 or disabled and receives Social Security benefits. Surviving divorced spouses who are age 60 or older can get survivor benefits if the marriage lasted at least 10 years. Divorced spouses dont have to meet the length-of-marriage rule if they take care of the former spouses child who is younger than age 16 or disabled. 4,000,000 The number of widows and widowers receiving monthly Social Security benefits based on their deceased spouses earnings record Social Security Survivor Benefits for Children A child of a deceased beneficiary may qualify for continuing benefits for life if the person is disabled, or until they reach age 18 (or 19 if attending high school). Social Security Survivor Benefits for Parents A surviving parent who was dependent on a Social Security recipient who has died may be eligible to receive benefits at age 62 or older. This benefit is for life. Social Security Disability Benefits The final category of Social Security benefits applies if you suffer an injury or illness that leaves you unable to work. These benefits are paid from the Disability Insurance Trust Fund. A person qualifies for disability benefits after working long enough to be eligible for Social Security before becoming disabled. You must meet certain criteria defined by the SSA, including severe disabilitya disability that has lasted or is expected to last at least one year or result in death, with the person deemed unable to perform any work. The benefit begins six full months after the onset of the disability. This benefit is for life unless the SSA determines that you no longer qualify. Social Security Disability Spousal Benefits The spouse of a disabled worker may qualify for benefits. To qualify, the spouse must be: At least 62 years old (also applies to divorced spouses if the marriage lasted at least 10 years) Any age and care for the spouses child who is under age 16 or disabled The spousal benefits begin when the disabled workers benefits start. It ends at the death of the disabled worker or the spouse, or when the SSA determines that the person no longer qualifies. Social Security Benefits for Child of Disabled Parent The child of a disabled worker can qualify for benefits if they meet the conditions for coverage as a retired workers child. To qualify, the child must be: How the Shell Fuel Reward Card Works Royal Dutch Shell, also known simply as Shell, is one of the oldest and most recognizable brands in the world. The company was established in 1897 as the Shell Transport and Trading company and sold kerosene to customers in Asia. The company operates in 70 countries globally and produces more than 3.7 million barrels of oil equivalent daily. Below, we'll look at Shell's credit card and the benefits that it offers. Key Takeaways Shell offers a Shell Fuel Rewards Card, a credit card that can be used at participating Shell locations and can lower your fuel price at participating Shell locations. Shell's Fuel Rewards Card is offered through a partnership with Citigroup, N.A., based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. With the Shell Fuel Rewards Card, customers can save $.30 per gallon (up to 20 gallons) on their first five Shell fuel purchases. (After that, they can save $.10 per gallon [up to 20 gallons] every time they fill up.) Shell offers a Shell Fuel Rewards Card, a credit card that can be used at participating Shell locations and can lower your fuel price at participating Shell locations. Shell's Fuel Rewards Card is offered through a partnership with Citigroup, N.A., based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Through Shell's partnership with Citigroup, it is able to offer its customers revolving credit services for transactions made at participating Shell locations. Shell's credit card offers are intended for residents of the United States and its territories. Store credit cards are also known as private label and closed-loop cards. They are distinct from general use credit cards that carry the logo of a major financial institution (e.g., Visa or Mastercard) and can be used at any merchant that accepts those network cards. Store credit cards, such as Shell's Fuel Rewards Card, are distinct from this type of card because they can only be used at certain retailers. In the case of Shell Fuel Rewards Cards, these credit cards can only be used at participating Shell locations. Rewards and Benefits With the Shell Fuel Rewards Card, customers save 30/gal (up to 35 gallons) on your first 5 Shell fuel purchases made by 6/30/23 (new accounts only; apply by 2/28/23). After that, save 10/gal (up to 35 gallons) every time you fill up. Savings applied instantly at the pump at participating Shell locations. Customers also receive 10% Shell rebates on their first $1,200 Shell non-fuel purchases per year. It's easy and automatic to redeem these rebates; customers will see rebates applied as a statement credit against Shell purchases made with their card in future billing cycles. Where Someone Can Get the Shell Fuel Rewards Card You can apply for the Shell Fuel Rewards Card online. Customers should allow four weeks from their date of submission to process a completed application. What Kind of Credit Is Required for the Shell Fuel Rewards Card To receive an account, applicants must meet Citigroup's applicable criteria bearing on creditworthiness. As with most store credit cards, the credit needed for the Shell Fuel Rewards Card is generally fair to good. Where Can the Shell Fuel Rewards Card Be Used? The Shell Fuel Rewards Card can be used at all participating Shell locations. A complete map list of participating locations can be found on the Shell Fuel Rewards program website. Shell's Fuel Rewards Card is a private label credit card. This means it is only intended for use at participating Shell locations. The advantage of a private label credit card is that a company can offer more lenient and extended terms to its customers than they could otherwise. Shell's Fuel Rewards Program also allows it to offer loyalty rewards and discounts on future purchases. Alternatives to the Shell Fuel Rewards Card Shell also offers a regular credit card that can be used at any merchant that accepts Mastercard. This card, also issued through Citigroup, is called the Shell Fuel Rewards Mastercard. In addition to saving $.10 per gallon and receiving 10% Shell rebates on non-fuel purchases, this card offers additional incentives, including 2% Shell rebates on dining and grocery purchases (up to $10,000 per year) and 1% Shell rebates on other qualifying purchases. Terms and Conditions of the Shell Fuel Rewards Card Financial institutions are required by law to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who opens an account. Applicants will be asked to provide their name, address, date of birth, and other identifying information when they open an account. Applicants may also be required to show their driver's license or other identifying documents. Applicants will also be required to provide identification information for any authorized users they add to their accounts. The annual percentage rate is 28.74%. Your due date is at least 25 days after the close of each billing cycle and you will not be charged any interest if you pay your entire balance by the due date each month. The late payment penalty fee is up to $40. There is no annual fee for the card. For cash advances, there is either a $10 transaction fee or 5% of the amount of each cash advance (whichever is greater). Annual Percentage Yield (APR): 28.74% Late fee: $40 Annual fee: $0 Transaction fee for cash advances: $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance (whichever is greater) Who Should Consider the Shell Fuel Rewards Card If you live close by to a Shell station and regularly purchase your vehicle's fuel there, a Shell Fuel Reward Card may make sense for you. This may be especially true if you regularly drive long distances and your daily activities require you to consume a lot of vehicle fuel. In the long run, you may be able to save a significant amount of money on your fuel expenses. However, if you have excellent credit, you might want to consider the Shell Fuel Rewards Mastercard. You can earn better rewards, access to a larger credit line, and have the greater flexibility of being able to use the card outside of Shell. The Bottom Line The Shell Fuel Rewards Card can be used at participating Shell locations to lower your fuel price. Customers who frequent Shell stations would benefit from the credit card, in addition to those who use a car to travel regularly on business or for other reasons. Frequently Asked Questions How Do I Get a Shell Gas Card? Shell maintains a website for online applications. Depending on the card or program, required personal information will include name, address, contact phone number, driver's license information, checking account, and other information required to perform a credit check. Can I Use My Shell Credit Card Anywhere? The Shell Fuel Rewards Card is a credit card that can only be used at participating Shell gas stations or convenience stores. What Bank Is Shell Credit Card? Shell has two store-branded cards issued by Citibank: the Shell Fuel Rewards Card and the Shell Fuel Rewards Mastercard. Small-cap index funds are investment vehicles that are designed to provide investors with a return that reflects the performance of an index of stocks with small market capitalizations. Companies that fall into the small-cap category typically have market caps between $300 million and $2 billion. Index funds are special types of mutual funds whose portfolios are designed to track a particular market index, such as the S&P 500, or in the case of small-cap stocks, the Russell 2000 Index. Here are the top 5 small-cap U.S. index funds ranked by 1-year total return. All of the funds below have had negative total returns over the past year, but they are still the best performers amid equity markets that have fallen dramatically over the past month. Funds with less than $50 million in assets under management (AUM) have been excluded due to insufficient liquidity. All numbers are as of June 2020. Key Takeaways Individual small cap stocks offer higher growth potential, and small cap value index funds outperform the S&P 500 in the long run. Small caps also experience higher volatility, and individual small companies are more likely to go bankrupt than large firms, so the opportunities of small caps are best suited to investors who are willing to accept more risk in exchange for higher potential gains. Here we look at 5 mutual funds that track small-cap indices. Ivy ProShares Russell 2000 Dividend Growers Index I (IRUIX) 1-year Trailing Total Return: -10.57% Expense Ratio: 0.65% Assets Under Management: $85.6 million Dividend Yield: 2.65% Inception Date: April 20, 2017 Fund Family: Ivy Funds IRUIX is a mutual fund that follows a blended strategy, investing in both growth and value stocks. The fund seeks results, before fees and expenses, that track the performance of the Russell 2000 Dividend Growth Index. The index is designed to represent the performance of companies with small and medium market capitalizations within the Russell 2000 Index and which consistently increase dividends. IRUIX's top three holdings are Pennant Group Inc. (PNTG), Northwest Natural Holding Co. (NWN), and Quaker Chemical Corp. (KWR). Fidelity Small Cap Index (FSSNX) 1-year Trailing Total Return: -1.6% Expense Ratio: 0.025% Assets Under Management: $10.7 billion Dividend Yield: 1.54% Inception Date: September 8, 2011 Fund Family: Fidelity Investments FSSNX is a mutual fund that follows a blended strategy, investing in both growth and value stocks. The fund seeks to provide investment results that reflect the total return of stocks of small-cap U.S. companies. FSSNX normally invests at least 80% of its assets in securities included in the Russell 2000 Index, which is a market capitalization-weighted index designed to represent the performance of small-cap U.S. equities. The fund's top three holdings are E-mini Russell 2000 Index Futures, Haemonetics Corp. (HAE), and NovoCure Ltd. (NVCR). MM Russell 2000 Small Cap Index I (MCJZX) 1-year Trailing Total Return: -2% Expense Ratio: 0.21% Assets Under Management: $262.5 million Dividend Yield: 1.79% Inception Date: July 26, 2012 Fund Family: MassMutual MCJZX invests in both growth and value small-cap U.S. stocks. The fund seeks to provide results that approximate the total return of the Russell 2000 Index. The fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equities within the index and in Russell 2000 Index futures contracts. MCJZX's top three holdings are Teladoc Health Inc. (TDOC), NovoCure Ltd. (NVCR), and Generac Holdings Inc. (GNRC). Northern Small Cap Index (NSIDX) 1-year Trailing Total Return: 1.46% Expense Ratio: 0.15% Assets Under Management: $1.1 billion Dividend Yield: 1.29% Inception Date: September 3, 1999 Fund Family: Northern Funds NSIDX is passively managed and invests in both growth and value stocks of small-cap U.S. companies. The fund seeks to provide investment returns that reflect the total return of the Russell 2000 Index. It typically invests over 80% of its net assets in securities included in the index as well as in Russell 2000 Index futures. NSIDX uses computer programs and statistical procedures to make portfolio decisions. The fund's top holdings are NovoCure Ltd. (NVCR), The Medicines Co., and Generac Holdings Inc. (GNRC). Praxis Small Cap Index (MMSIX) 1-year Trailing Total Return: -5.66% Expense Ratio: 0.45% Assets Under Management: $114.8 million Dividend Yield: 1.13% Inception Date: May 1, 2007 Fund Family: Praxis Mutual Funds MMSIX tries to track the S&P 600 small cap index, while incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) screening elements. Its prospectus says that it tries to avoid companies that conflict with its core values, among which are "respecting the dignity and value of all people," "exhibiting responsible management practices," and "practicing environmental stewardship." One percent of the fund's assets are earmarked for "community development investing," Its top holdings are Community Healthcare Trust (CHCT), Select Medical Holdings (SEM), and CSG Systems (CSGS). The comments, opinions and analyses expressed herein are for informational purposes only and should not be considered individual investment advice or recommendations to invest in any security or to adopt any investment strategy. While we believe the information provided herein is reliable, we do not warrant its accuracy or completeness. The views and strategies described on our content may not be suitable for all investors. Because market and economic conditions are subject to rapid change, all comments, opinions, and analyses contained within our content are rendered as of the date of the posting and may change without notice. The material is not intended as a complete analysis of every material fact regarding any country, region, market, industry, investment, or strategy. Buying back or repurchasing shares can be a sensible way for companies to use their extra cash on hand to reward shareholders and earn a better return than bank interest on those funds. But in many cases, share buybacks are seen as just a ploy to boost reported earningssince there are fewer shares outstanding for calculating earnings per share. Even worse, it could be a signal that the company has run out of good ideas with which to use its cash for other purposes. In the wake of the 2020 global crisis, companies that spent billions of dollars on share buybacks over the previous several years saw their stock prices plummet, with little cash on hand left to stem the fallout in the markets or to pay furloughed employees. As a result, the practice of stock buybacks was put under a critical microscope again. This means that investors can't afford to simply take buybacks at face value. Find out how to examine whether a buyback represents a strategic move by a company or a desperate one. Key Takeaways A share repurchase or buyback happens when a company buys back its own shares from the marketplace. Companies execute buybacks to boost the value of their stock and to improve their financial statements. Companies tend to repurchase shares when they have cash on hand and the stock market is on an upswing. There is a risk, however, that the stock price could fall after a buyback. Spending cash on shares can reduce the amount of cash on hand for other investments or emergency situations. 1:42 6 Bad Stock Buyback Scenarios When Buybacks Work A share buyback occurs when a company purchases some of its shares in the open market and retires these outstanding shares. This can be great for shareholders because once the buyback is complete, they each own a bigger portion of the company, and therefore a bigger portion of its cash flow and earnings. The company also buys shares in the market, bidding up the prices of the stock, and reducing the overall supply of shares outstanding. In theory, management pursues share buybacks because they offer the greatest potential return for shareholdersa better return than it could get from expanding operations into new markets, investing in the brand, or any of the other uses that the company has for cash. If a company with the potential to use cash to pursue operational expansion chooses instead to buy back its stock, then it could be a sign that the shares are undervalued. The signal is even stronger if top managers are buying up stock for themselves. Most importantly, share buybacks can be a fairly low-risk approach for companies to use extra cash. Reinvesting cash into, say, research and development (R&D) or a new product can be very risky. If these investments don't pay off, that hard-earned cash goes down the drain. Using cash to pay for acquisitions can be perilous, too. Mergers hardly ever live up to expectations. Share buybacks, on the other hand, let companies invest in themselves when they are confident their shares are undervalued and offer a good return for shareholders. When Buybacks Fail Some of the time, share buybacks can be a great thing. But oftentimes, they can be a downright bad idea and can hurt shareholders. This can happen when buybacks are done in the following circumstances: 1. When Shares Are Overvalued For starters, buybacks should only be pursued when management is very confident the shares are undervalued. After all, companies are no different than regular investors. If a company is buying up shares for $15 each when they are only worth $10, the company is clearly making a poor investment decision. A company buying an overvalued stock is destroying shareholder value and would be better off paying that cash out as a dividend so that shareholders can invest it more effectively. 2. To Boost Earnings per Share (EPS) Buybacks can boost earnings per share (EPS). When a company goes into the market to buy up its own stock, it decreases the outstanding share count. This means earnings are distributed among fewer shares, raising EPS. As a result, many investors applaud a share buyback because they see increasing EPS as a surefire approach to raising share value. But don't be fooled. Contrary to popular wisdom (and, in many cases, the wisdom of company boards), increasing EPS doesn't increase fundamental value. Companies have to spend cash to purchase the shares while investors adjust their valuations to reflect the reductions in both cash and shares. The result, though, cancels out any impact on EPS. In other words, lower cash earnings divided between fewer shares will produce no net change to earnings per share. Of course, plenty of excitement gets generated by the announcement of a major buyback as the prospect of even a short-lived EPS rise can give share prices a pop-up. But unless the buyback is wise, the only gains go to those investors who sell their shares on the news. There is little benefit for long-term shareholders. Signed by President Joe Biden on Aug. 16, 2022. the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 includes a provision for corporate share buybacks. Any repurchases executed after Dec. 31, 2022, that exceed $1 million will incur a 1% excise tax. It excludes new shares allotted for public issues or employee stock option plans. 3. To Benefit Executives Many executives get the bulk of their compensation in the form of stock options. As a result, buybacks can serve a goal. So as stock options are exercised, buyback programs absorb the excess stock and offset the dilution of existing share values and any potential reduction in earnings per share. By mopping up extra stock and keeping EPS up, buybacks are a convenient way for executives to maximize their own wealth. It's a way for them to maintain the value of the shares and share options. Some executives may even be tempted to pursue share buybacks to boost the share price in the short term and then sell their shares. What's more, the big bonuses that chief executive officers (CEOs) get are often linked to share price gains and increased earnings per share, so they have an incentive to pursue buybacks even when there are better ways to spend the cash or when the shares are overvalued. 4. Buybacks Using Borrowed Money The temptation for executives to use debt to finance earnings-boosting share purchases can be hard to resist, too. The company might believe that the cash flow it uses to pay off debt will continue to grow, bringing shareholder funds back into line with borrowings in due course. If they're right, they'll look smart. If they're wrong, investors will get hurt. Managers have a tendency to assume that their companies' shares are undervaluedregardless of the price. When done with borrowing, share buybacks can hurt credit ratings, since they drain cash reserves that can serve as a cushion if times get tough. One of the reasons given for taking on increased debt to fund a share buyback is that it is more efficient because interest on the debt is tax deductible, unlike dividends. However, debt has to be repaid at some time. Remember, what gets a company into financial difficulties is not lack of profits, but lack of cash. 5. To Fend off an Acquirer In some cases, a leveraged buyback can be used as a means to fend off a hostile bidder. The company takes on significant additional debt to repurchase stocks through a buyback program. Such leveraged buybacks can be successful in thwarting hostile bids by both raising the share value (hopefully) and adding a great deal of unwanted debt to the company's balance sheet. 6. To Get Rid of Cash It's very hard to imagine a scenario where buybacks are a good idea, except if the buybacks are undertaken when the company feels its share price is far too low. But, then again, if the company is correct and its shares are undervalued, they will probably recover anyway. So, companies that buy back shares are, in effect, admitting that they cannot invest their spare cash flow effectively. Even the most generous buyback program is worth little for shareholders if it is done in the midst of poor financial performance, a difficult business environment, or a decline in the company's profitability. By giving EPS a temporary lift, share buybacks can soften the blow, but they can't reverse things when a company is in trouble. The Bottom Line As investors, we should look more closely at share buybacks. Look in the financial reports for details. See whether the stock is being awarded to employees and whether repurchased shares are being bought when the shares are a good price. A company buying back overvalued stockespecially with lots of debtis destroying shareholder value. Share repurchase plans aren't always bad, but they can be. So be careful out there. Warren Buffett is undeniably the most famous and influential investor in modern history, based on his extraordinary performance record. Not surprisingly, the investment portfolio of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.A), the holding company employing the Oracle of Omaha as chairman and CEO, receives wide media attention and scrutiny, even though Buffett is no longer making every investment decision. Despite his unparalleled success, Buffett's investment model has long been transparent, straightforward, and consistent. He invests in large, blue-chip companies with strong balance sheets and attractive valuations. Buffett often invests for the long term, but he's never been afraid to make significant new investments or drop longtime holdings. He and his team showed that in early 2022 with a big bet on Chevron Corp. (CVX), while dropping Wells Fargo & Co, (WFC)a stock Berkshire Hathaway had owned since 1989. Here are the top five stocks in Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio as of March 31, 2022. Key Takeaways Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway holds a portfolio of blue-chip U.S. stocks valued at $390.5 billion as of March 31, 2022. The portfolio's five largest positions are Apple Inc. (AAPL), Bank of America Corp (BAC), American Express Company (AXP), Chevron, and The Coca-Cola Company (KO). Apple is Berkshire's largest holding, accounting for nearly 41% of its stocks portfolio. The top 5 holdings account for nearly 70% of the portfolio. During Q1 2022, Buffett dramatically increased Berkshire's holdings of Chevron while liquidating the remainder of a longstanding position in Wells Fargo. 1. Apple Apple, the maker of iPhones, is by far Berkshire Hathaway's largest stock holding at $159.1 billion as of Q1 2022, accounting for nearly 41% of its stocks portfolio and for 5.5% of Apple's outstanding shares. Berkshire Hathaway acquired the stake between 2016 and 2019 for less than $35 million. By early 2018, Apple had supplanted Wells Fargo as Berkshire Hathaway's top stock. In the first quarter of 2022, Berkshire Hathaway sold the last of its Wells Fargo stake, which was worth $25.2 billion four years earlier. 2. Bank of America Berkshire Hathaway's second-largest holding is Bank of America, with a stake valued at $42.6 billion accounting for 10.9% of the portfolio as of Q1 2022. Berkshire Hathaway held 12.5% of the bank's shares outstanding. Buffett acquired 700 million of the 1 billion Bank of America shares Berkshire Hathaway now holds in 2017 at about $7.14 per share in exchange for warrants Berkshire Hathaway received when it made a $5 billion investment in the bank's preferred stock in 2011. 3. American Express Berkshire Hathaway's $28.6 billion stake in financial services provider American Express accounted for 7.3% of its portfolio and 20.1% of American Express shares of Q1 2022. The stake dates back to 1994, when Buffett acquired AmEx stock in exchange for warrants from a $300 million preferred stock investment that returned 64% over three years. Berkshire Hathaway has significantly increased its American Express stake over the past decade. 4. Chevron Buffett dramatically increased Berkshire Hathaway's stake in Chevron to $25.9 billion during Q1 2022, making the integrated oil giant his company's fourth-largest holding as of quarter end. Chevron shares accounted for 6.6% of Berkshire Hathaway's equity securities portfolio, while Berkshire's stake amounted to 8.1% of Chevron's outstanding shares. Buffett started buying Chevron in the third quarter of 2020, and Berkshire Hathaway reported a $4.5 billion stake as of year-end 2021. "Chevron is not an evil company in the least and I have no compunction about owning Chevron," Buffett said at Berkshire Hathaway's 2021 shareholders meeting when asked about Chevron's role in climate change. 5. Coca-Cola Buffett famously consumes five 12-ounce servings of Coke per day, and once said he is "a quarter Coca-Cola" based on the drink's share of his caloric intake. Berkshire Hathaway makes do with a Coca-Cola stake of $24.8 billion, representing an allocation of 6.4% in its stock portfolio. That accounts for 9.2% of Coca-Cola's outstanding stock. After Buffett began accumulating the position in 1988, he said he planned to hold it "for a long time" in the next letter to shareholders. "In fact, when we own portions of outstanding businesses with outstanding managements, our favorite holding period is forever," Buffett wrote. Buffett, who turned 91 on Aug. 30, 2021, began his career in the early 1960s. As he aged, many investors and analysts grew concerned about the absence of a formal succession plan at Berkshire Hathaway. At the company's 2021 shareholders meeting, Buffett said he expects to be succeeded as CEO by Greg Abel, head of the company's Berkshire Energy Holdings power and natural gas distribution subsidiary. Which Are the Top 10 Stocks Berkshire Hathaway Owns? Warren Buffett runs the Berkshire Hathaway holding company, which, in turn, is a major shareholder of a number of large public companies. After the top five listed above, Berkshire's next largest public company investments include The Kraft Heinz Company (KHC), Moody's Corp. (MCO), Occidental Petroleum Corp. (OXY), U.S. Bancorp (USB), and Activision Blizzard Inc. (ATVI). In addition to its stakes in publicly listed companies, Berkshire Hathaway owns subsidiaries including GEICO Insurance, BNSF Railways, Duracell, and International Dairy Queen Inc., among many others. Which Railroad Does Warren Buffett Own? BNSF Railways (formerly Burlington Northern Santa Fe) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. Which Insurance Companies Does Warren Buffett Own? Berkshire owns several insurance companies including GEICO, Cypress Insurance, General Re, Berkshire Hathaway Re, National Fire & Marine Insurance Co., and National Indemnity Co. Most people picture a trading floor at a futures exchange as a scene of utter chaos, with fierce shouting matches, frantic hand signals, and high-strung traders jockeying to get their orders executed, which is not too far from the truth. These markets are where buyers and sellers come together to trade an ever-expanding list of commodities. That list today includes agricultural goods, metals and petroleum, and products such as financial instruments, foreign currencies, and stock indexes that trade on a commodity exchange. At the center of this supposed disorder are products that offer a haven of sortsa hedge against inflation. Because commodities prices typically rise when inflation is accelerating, they offer protection from the effects of inflation. Few assets benefit from rising inflation, particularly unexpected inflation, but commodities usually do. As the demand for goods and services increases, the price of goods and services rises as does the price of the commodities used to produce those goods and services. Futures markets are thus used as continuous auction markets and as clearinghouses for the latest information on supply and demand. Key Takeaways Commodities are produced or extracted products, often natural resources or agricultural goods, that are often used as inputs into other processes. Allocating some of your portfolio to commodities is recommended by many experts as it is seen as a diversifier asset class. Moreover, some commodities tend to be a good hedge against inflation, such as precious metals and energy products. What Are Commodities? Commodities are goods that are more or less uniform in quality and utility regardless of their source. For instance, when shoppers buy an ear of corn or a bag of wheat flour at a supermarket, most don't pay much attention to where they were grown or milled. Commodity goods are interchangeable, and by that broad definition, a whole host of products where people don't particularly care about the brand could potentially qualify as commodities. Investors tend to take a more specific view, most often referring to a select group of basic goods that are in demand across the globe. Many commodities that investors focus on are raw materials for manufactured finished goods. Investors break down commodities into two categories: hard and soft. Hard commodities require mining or drilling, such as metals like gold, copper, and aluminum, and energy products like crude oil, natural gas, and unleaded gasoline. Soft commodities refer to things that are grown or ranched, such as corn, wheat, soybeans, and cattle. Benchmarks for Broad Commodity Investing Benchmarking your portfolio performance is crucial because it allows you to gauge your risk tolerance and expectations for return. More importantly, benchmarking provides a basis for a comparison of your portfolio performance with the rest of the market. For commodities, the S&P GSCI Total Return Index is considered a broad commodity index and a good benchmark. It holds all futures contracts for commodities such as oil, wheat, corn, aluminum, live cattle, and gold. The S&P GSCI is a production-weighted index based on the significance of each commodity in the global economy, or the commodities that are produced in greater quantities, so it is a better gauge of their value in the market place similar to the market-cap-weighted indexes for equities. The index is considered more representative of the commodity market compared to similar indexes. Why Commodities Add Value Commodities tend to bear a low to negative correlation to traditional asset classes like stocks and bonds. A correlation coefficient is a number between -1 and 1 that measures the degree to which two variables are linearly related. If there is a perfect linear relationship, the correlation coefficient will be 1. A positive correlation means that when one variable has a high (low) value, so does the other. If there is a perfect negative relationship between the two variables, the correlation coefficient will be -1. A negative correlation means that when one variable has a low (high) value, the other will have a high (low) value. A correlation coefficient of 0 means that there is no linear relationship between the variables. Typically, U.S. equities, whether in the form of stocks or mutual funds, are closely related to each other and tend to have a positive correlation with one another. Commodities, on the other hand, are a bet on unexpected inflation, and they have a low to negative correlation to other asset classes. Commodities can and have offered superior returns, but they still are one of the more volatile asset classes available. They carry a higher standard deviation (or risk) than most other equity investments. However, by adding commodities to a portfolio of assets that are less volatile, the overall portfolio risk decreases due to the negative correlation. For the decade 2011 through 2020, the annual performance of the S&P GSCI has been negative in seven out of ten years. Therefore, some investors have questioned the value of commodities in their portfolios and if commodities could continue to decline in the future. How Volatile Are Different Commodities Supply-and-demand dynamics are the main reason commodity prices change. When there's a big harvest of a certain crop, its price usually goes down, while drought conditions can make prices rise from fears that future supplies will be smaller than expected. Similarly, when the weather is cold, demand for natural gas for heating purposes often makes prices rise, while a warm spell during the winter months can depress prices. Because the supply and demand characteristics change frequently, volatility in commodities tends to be higher than for stocks, bonds, and other types of assets. Some commodities show more stability than others, such as gold, which also serves as a reserve asset for central banks to buffer against volatility. Yet even gold becomes volatile sometimes, and other commodities tend to switch between stable and volatile conditions depending on market dynamics. The History of Commodity Trading People have traded various commodity goods for millennia. The earliest formal commodities exchanges are among those in Amsterdam in the 16th century and Osaka, Japan, in the 17th century. Only in the mid-19th century did commodity futures trading begin at the Chicago Board of Trade and the predecessor to what eventually became known as the New York Mercantile Exchange. Many early commodities trading markets were the result of producers coming together with a common interest. By pooling resources, producers could ensure orderly markets and avoid cutthroat competition. Early on, many commodity trading venues focused on single goods, but over time, these markets aggregated to become broader-based commodities trading markets with a variety of goods in the same place. How to Invest in Commodities There are four ways to invest in commodities: Investing directly in the commodity. Using commodity futures contracts to invest. Buying shares of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that specialize in commodities. Buying shares of stock in companies that produce commodities. Direct Investment Investing directly in a commodity requires acquiring it and storing it. Selling a commodity means finding a buyer and handling delivery logistics. This might be doable in the case of metal commodities and bars or coins, but bushels of corn or barrels of crude oil are more complicated. Futures Commodity futures contracts offer direct exposure to changes in commodity prices. Certain ETFs also offer commodity exposure. If you would rather invest in the stock market, you can trade stock in companies that produce a given commodity. Commodity futures contracts require the investor to buy or sell a certain amount of a given commodity at a specific time in the future at a given price. To trade futures, investors require a brokerage account or a stockbroker who offers futures trading. When prices of a commodity rise, the value of a buyer's contract goes up while the seller suffers a loss. Conversely, when the price of a commodity goes down, the seller of the futures contract profits at the expense of the buyer. Futures contracts are designed for the major companies in the respective commodity industry. One gold contract could require buying 100 troy ounces of gold, which could be a $150,000 commitment, which is more exposure than the average investor wants in their portfolios. ETFs Most individual investors choose ETFs with commodity exposure. Some commodity ETFs buy the physical commodities and then offer shares to investors that represent a certain amount of a particular good. Some commodity ETFs use futures contracts. However, futures prices take into account the storage costs of a given commodity. Therefore, a commodity that costs a lot to store might not show gains even if the spot price of the commodity itself rises. Commodities-Related Stocks Investors can also buy shares of the companies that produce commodities. For example, companies that extract crude oil and natural gas or companies that grow crops and sell them to food producers. Investors in commodity stocks know that a company's value will not necessarily reflect the price of the commodity it produces. What is most important is how much of the commodity the company produces over time. The price of a stock can plummet if a company does not produce what the investors have anticipated. Why Are Commodities Considered an Inflation Hedge? Inflation is a general rise in prices. Commodities tend to be inputs into manufacturing processes or consumed by households and businesses. As a result, when prices rise in general, so should commodities. Traditionally, gold has been the exemplar inflation-hedge commodity. How Do Commodities Diversify a Portfolio? Portfolio diversification occurs when uncorrelated risky assets are added to it. Because commodities, on average, have low or negative correlations with stocks and other asset classes, they can provide some diversification. What Are Hard vs. Soft Commodities? Hard commodities are usually classified as those that are mined or extracted from the earth. These can include metals, ore, and petroleum products. Soft commodities instead refer to those that are grown, such as agricultural products. What Percentage of My Portfolio Should Be in Commodities? Experts recommend around 5-10% of a portfolio be allocated to a mix of commodities. Those with a lower risk tolerance may consider a smaller allocation. The Bottom Line During inflationary times, many investors look to asset classes like real-return bonds and commodities (and possibly foreign bonds and real estate) to protect the purchasing power of their capital. By adding these diverse asset classes to their portfolios, investors seek to provide multiple degrees of downside protection and upside potential. What is important is that the investor draw the line on the maximum correlation of returns they will accept between their asset classes and that they choose their asset classes wisely. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. According to the most recent 13F for billionaire Dan Loeb's Third Point, the hedge fund has decreased its holdings from 40 to 38 while increasing its portfolio value from $13.32 billion to $14.35 billion in the last quarter. The 13F filing, submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ahead of the August 15th deadline, also indicates that Third Point's portfolio remains highly concentrated, with just three holdings accounting for about a third of the entire portfolio value. Below, we'll take a closer look at some of the positions in the Third Point portfolio that shifted last quarter. New Positions in NXP Semiconductors, PayPal, and More Loeb took on several new stakes in Q2 of this year, but two of them in particular stand out. NXP Semiconductors NV (NXPI) and PayPal Holdings Inc. (PYPL) are both large positions that the fund entered in the last few months. NXPI accounted for about 8% of Third Point's portfolio as of the end of June; the fund bought the stock at prices ranging between $92 and $120 per share, and the stock currently trades for just above $87 as of this writing. Loeb has predicted that PYPL will be worth $125 in the next year and a half. Currently, PYPL is trading for just over $85 per share. Third Point also entered smaller positions in Visa Inc. (V), Dell Technologies (DVMT), Far Point Acquisition (FPAC), Campbell Soup (CPB) and Deere & Co. (DE), among others. Each of the named stocks above represents less than 1.5% of Third Point's portfolio as of the end of Q2. Exiting Alphabet Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) had been a sizable position in Loeb's portfolio. Established in the first quarter of 2016 at prices as high as $765 per share, GOOGL formerly occupied about 4.5% of Third Point's 13F portfolio assets. Loeb had moved back and forth with GOOGL, buying and selling to trim or supplement this position for several quarters since that initial purchase. In Q2 of this year, though, he finally eliminated the position, selling off the remaining shares at prices as high as $1,175. Since that time, GOOGL has continued to increase in price, with the stock currently trading above $1,200. Loeb also exited his positions in Time Warner Inc. (TWX), formerly accounting for about 4% of Third Point's portfolio, NYSE owner Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), Mohawk Industries (MHK), and others. He joined Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett in disposing of his position in Monsanto (MON). Loeb's hedge fund has generated annualized returns of 15.4% since its December 1996 inception, compared with 8.1% for the S&P 500 Index. 13Fs are necessarily backward-looking, meaning that any of the information presented in the filing could be out of date by the time it becomes public. Youve landed a new job with an annual salary of $100,000, and youre going apartment hunting. What an exciting time! Although your first question might be, How much rent can I afford to pay? That question has two answers: one that might be considered more "technical," and one that might be considered more "practical." Key Takeaways If you earn $100,000 a year before taxes, you could technically afford $3,000$3,250 a month in rent. A more practical approach that appraises lifestyle, the potential for financial hiccups, and unique expenses may lower that amount. Depending on what city or region you live in will also affect the type of residence you can afford to live in. The Technical Answer The technical answer to the question of how much you can afford to pay in rent relies on estimates based on one of several rules of thumb. These estimates are technical because property owners use them to pre-qualify you for the rent they believe you can afford. One rule of thumb involves dividing your pretax earnings by 40. This means that if you make $100,000 a year, you should be able to afford $2,500 per month in rent. Another rule of thumb is the 30% rule. If you take 30% of $100,000, you will get $30,000. Divide that figure by 12 (the number of months in a year) and the answer is also $2,500 per month. Theres also a rule-of-thumb approach called 50/30/20. This guideline suggests you spend 50% of your after-tax income on fixed costs such as rent, utilities, and transportation; 30% on day-to-day expenses; and 20% on debt, retirement, and emergency savings. Under this approach, if your take-home pay is, say, $75,000 (taking into account taxes and retirement-plan contributions on your gross salary of $100,000), spending half on rent, utilities and transportation would amount to $37,500. That works out to $3,125 per month, but the rent allocation will probably be lower to account for transportation and utility costs. The Practical Answer The problem with all technical rules of thumbs is that they dont take into account your specific financial situation. Just because a landlord is willing to rent a $2,500 apartment to you doesnt mean you should sign that contract. The practical answer requires some calculation based on your finances. The process begins by compiling a list of household living expenses, not including rent. Compile a List of Household Living Expenses Utilities If youre relocating to an area where you already live, you can likely estimate utilities easily using past bills as a point of reference. If you are in a new locale, ask co-workers, locals, or even potential landlords. Most will be willing to share information with you about the average expected cost of utilities in your area. Make sure you know what is included in a rental payment, toosuch as water, gas, oil, or electricity. Food and Incidentals This includes groceries, cleaning supplies, and incidental expenses such as toothpaste. If you are not familiar with prices in the area, visit a couple of large grocery stores, price items, and compare that with what youve spent in the past to arrive at an expected total. Transportation This expense takes into account your car payment and insurance, gasoline, maintenance, parking, and tolls. It can also include the cost of public transportation and any other expenses associated with work-related or non-work-related travel. Communication This category includes landline, cell phone, and/or Internet-use fees. Any means you use to communicate with others should be accounted for here. Clothing Clothing costs can be estimated, based on past experience. Alternatively, if you are starting a new job that requires a clothing upgradesuits instead of casual wear, for exampletake that into account as part of your planning. Debt Most people have debt. It could be student loans, credit cards, or payments on a jet ski. Those payments have to be made and you should plan accordingly. Be sure to allow for more than the minimum payment when it comes to types of revolving debt, such as credit cards. If you can't pay your card balance in full, you should pay it off in the fewest possible months to avoid overpaying on interest. Retirement and Savings Dont shortchange yourself in this department. If you have a company-sponsored 401(k), list the amount you contribute. Also, make sure you hold back funds for a rainy day or an emergency savings account. Renters Insurance Renting an apartment does not eliminate the need to protect your belongings in the event of a loss. Nor does it remove your responsibility to protect yourself from liability in case someone is injured in your new apartment. Extras The last part of your living expenses list is for the extras, like cable TV, Netflix, movies, dining out, gym membership, or expenses related to hobbies you have. These things are the most flexible part of your living expenses, but you need to list them. While youre at it, prioritize these extras. That way, if you find you need to cut expenses, you will have already decided which things are least important. Do the Math Starting with your actual monthly take-home pay, subtract your total monthly living expenses. The amount left over is whats available for rent. That doesnt mean you should actually obligate yourself to that amount. It makes sense to leave yourself a little room to account for expenses you failed to take into account or unexpected expenses down the road. The Bottom Line If the actual amount you can afford is well below the amount you get using rule of thumb measures, this might be a good time to reassess living expenses and trim or eliminate where possible. In some big cities, like New York and San Francisco, the price of a rental apartment may require a greater proportion of your budget. If that is the case, you may need to find one or more roommates or consider living in a less expensive neighborhood. Knowing your limits before your search will save time and put you in a new apartment that fits your finances with far less hassle. As American workers began to shoulder more of the responsibility for funding their retirement, retirement calculators proliferated across the Internet. A Google search for online retirement calculator garners tens of thousands of hits. People are anxious about their retirement readiness, concerned about whether they will have enough money to last through their lifetime. Key Takeaways There are many retirement calculators available on the Internet, but some are better (or more confusing) than others. Having your financial information at hand will make using a retirement calculator quicker and easier. The T. Rowe Price Retirement Income calculator and the MaxiFi are two superior examples. Understanding Retirement Calculators A retirement calculator can be a helpful tool to steer you in the right direction for a comfortable retirement, but some of them can easily throw you off track. The most effective and useful calculators let you model different retirement scenarios, taking into account the variables that can affect how long your money will last so that you can save and invest accordingly. The following online retirement calculators do the best overall job we've seen of translating sophisticated retirement income planning methods into an understandable and easy-to-use laypersons planning tool. T. Rowe Price Retirement Income Calculator The T. Rowe Price Retirement Income Calculator has been widely lauded for its strong emphasis on income planning, enabling you to project your monthly retirement income based on various planning scenarios. For each scenario, it projects your monthly shortfall, if any, and shows the likelihood of your savings lasting throughout your retirement. It then offers options for making up potential shortfalls. You can compare scenarios side by side while changing the variables and assumptions to see their effect. It also has a built-in Monte Carlo simulation tool to help you see how your retirement savings will fare in various market conditions. The major drawback is that it calculates only one retirement age at a time. If you and a spouse plan to retire at different points, you would need to run two separate calculations. For the level of sophistication this tool employs, the presentation is straightforward. The interview process is somewhat involved, but there is plenty of pop-up support along the way. You can expect to spend up to 20 minutes inputting data if you have all of your financial information at hand. MaxiFi Planner (formerly ESPlanner) Many retirement calculators do not allow for the varying tax consequences of different sources of income, which can have a significant impact on projecting your retirement income. The MaxiFi Planner allows for variable taxation that can help you work to achieve greater tax efficiency using Monte Carlo simulations and other financial modeling. It also allows spouses to plan for two different retirement dates. Note that the MaxiFi services come with a cost$109 "Standard" plan for an annual household subscription (renews at $89 per year), $149 "Premium" plan for an annual household subscription (renews at $109 per year), and up to $599 annually for financial advisors (renews at $459 per year). The first thing you may notice when using the MaxiFi planner is the detail of the input screens. The added detail allows for greater flexibility in using planning assumptions. It requires some upfront reading to understand the process. You can choose from several different planning modes, such as Conventional or Economics. It offers two other modes, Upside Investing and Monte Carlo, which you need to purchase. A self-help guide can be accessed by clicking on any underlined word. MaxiFi has the following noteworthy features: It provides separate inputs for the assets of each member of a couple. It assigns a different tax status to each asset, such as after-tax, pre-tax, no-tax, etc. It calculates income taxes automatically based on your inputs. It allows for variable inputs of expenses and income to account for temporary situations or anticipated changes in the future, such as downsizing, the sale of a business, an inheritance, paying for college, etc. Once all the assumptions and variables are finalized, the program goes to work with a simple click. You may find the detailed output a little difficult to understand at first, but it provides several pages of numbers and graphs that begin to clarify themselves. The only real negative is that you have to assume age 100 for life expectancy, and you cannot specify the payout type for a pension, such as single life or joint life. Also, if you are not inclined to spend a lot of time reading and combing through financial details, MaxiFi may not be for you. 3% to 5% The percentage of your assets that most calculators assume you can safely spend each year in retirement. The Bottom Line Online retirement calculators are good for determining how much you need to save to provide sustainable income for your lifetime, and the T. Rowe Price Retirement Income Calculator and MaxiFi Planner are two of the best tools. It is important to keep in mind that retirement calculators rely on accurate information and realistic assumptions. In other words, if you put garbage in, you get garbage out. Before using any planning calculator, plan to have all of your relevant financial and benefits information on hand and spend some time thinking about your goals for retirement. Billionaires play an outsized role in shaping the global economy, politics, and philanthropy. Forbes puts the number of billionaires in the world at 2,668 in 2022. The wealthiest among them belong to an even more exclusive club and wield still more power. Many of these billionaires are founders of technology giants, with much of their wealth still invested in the companies they started. They can, however, still borrow against that wealth to avoid selling stock, deferring (or eliminating for heirs) taxes on unrealized capital gains in the process. Multi-billionaires can also take advantage of a panoply of tax deductions to offset reported income, leaving some on this list paying no income tax in recent years. With so much of their wealth in publicly traded stocks, the net worth of the richest can fluctuate with market valuations. For example, Elon Musk, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Tesla (TSLA) and the richest person in the world, saw his net worth surge in 2021 thanks to the increase in the share price of Tesla Tesla shares rose nearly 50% in 2021. He currently owns 16% of the company. His net worth as of September 2022 was $241 billion. In contrast, Meta Platforms (META) founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg fell out of the top 10 in February 2022, when the company's share price plunged after a disappointing earnings report. Zuckerberg's net worth was reported to be $59.7 billion in September 2022. Below are the 10 wealthiest people on the planet as of the same date, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. All figures are current as of Oct. 4, 2022, unless otherwise stated. Key Takeaways Elon Musk, the co-founder and CEO of Tesla, is the richest person in the world with a net worth of $241 billion. Behind Musk is the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, with an estimated net worth of $151 billion. Billionaires with the largest increases in their wealth in 2021 included Musk, LVMH Chair and CEO Bernard Arnault, and Google co-founder Larry Page. Six of the top 10 billionaires made their fortunes in technology, with Arnault, Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett, Adani Group founder Gautam Adani, and Reliance Industry's Mukesh Ambani being the exceptions. Meta's Mark Zuckerberg dropped off the top 10 list in February 2022. 1. Elon Musk Age: 51 51 Residence: Texas Texas Co-founder and CEO: Tesla Tesla Net Worth: $228 billion $228 billion Tesla Ownership Stake: 15% ($99.3 billion) 15% ($99.3 billion) Other Assets: Space Exploration Technologies ($46.9 billion private asset), The Boring Company ($3.33 billion private asset), Twitter ($3.8 billion public asset), $17.8 billion in cash Elon Musk was born in South Africa and attended a university in Canada before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned bachelor's degrees in physics and economics. Two days after enrolling in a graduate physics program at Stanford University, Musk deferred attendance to launch Zip2, one of the earliest online navigation services. He reinvested a portion of the proceeds from this startup to create X.com, the online payment system that was sold to eBay (EBAY) and ultimately became PayPal Holdings (PYPL). In 2004, Musk became a major funder of Tesla Motors (now Tesla), which led to his current position as CEO of the electric vehicle company. In addition to its line of electric automobiles, Tesla produces energy storage devices, automobile accessories, and, through its acquisition of SolarCity in 2016, solar power systems. Musk is also CEO and chief engineer of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), a developer of space launch rockets. In 2020, Tesla shares soared 740% to propel Musk up the wealth rankings. In December 2020, Tesla joined the S&P 500, becoming the largest company added. In January 2021, Musk became the richest person in the worlda title he's held since then. Image courtesy Getty Images/Saul Martinez. In a Nov. 6, 2021 tweet, Musk asked his Twitter (TWTR) audience whether he should sell 10% of his Tesla stock, framing the issue as a response to criticism of unrealized capital gains as a means of avoiding taxes. He proceeded to sell shares worth $16.4 billion over the remainder of 2021. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, cited a media report that Musk paid no income tax for 2018 to argue for the adoption of a wealth tax. "And if you opened your eyes for 2 seconds, you would realize I will pay more taxes than any American in history this year," Musk responded on Twitter. Thanks to the surge in Tesla shares in 2021 and private transactions boosting the reported valuation of SpaceX, Musk's lead in the global wealth rankings has continued to grow. His net worth hit a high of $340 billion in November 2021. In April 2022, Musk began a campaign to take Twitter private, which culminated in a $44 billion buyout. Musk planned to fund the deal with $21 billion of his own capital. In the run-up to the buyout announcement, Musk sold 9.6 million shares of Tesla, valued at roughly $8.5 billion. In July 2022, Musk decided to back out of the Twitter buyout. Twitter filed a lawsuit against Musk to force the buyout to go through. Musk countersued the company but then reversed course and, in October 2022, declared he was willing to buy Twitter after all. 2. Jeff Bezos Age: 58 58 Residence: Washington Washington Founder and Executive Chair: Amazon (AMZN) Amazon (AMZN) Net Worth: $144 billion $144 billion Amazon Ownership Stake: 10% ($121 billion) 10% ($121 billion) Other Assets: Blue Origin ($9.15 billion private asset), The Washington Post ($250 million private asset), and $14.1 billion in cash In 1994, Jeff Bezos founded Amazon.com in a garage in Seattle, shortly after he resigned from the hedge fund giant D.E. Shaw. He had originally pitched the idea of an online bookstore to his former boss David E. Shaw, who wasnt interested. Though Amazon originally started out selling books, it has since morphed into a one-stop shop for everything under the sun and is expected to overtake Walmart as the worlds largest retailer by 2024. Amazon's pattern of constant diversification is evident in some of its unexpected expansions, which include acquiring Whole Foods in 2017 and entering the pharmacy business the same year. Bezos owned as much as 16% of Amazon in 2019 before transferring 4% to his former wife MacKenzie Scott as part of their divorce proceedings. In 2020, Amazons share price jumped 76% on the heightened demand for online shopping amid the COVID-19 pandemic. On July 5, 2021, Bezos stepped down as CEO of the e-commerce giant, becoming its executive chair. Image courtesy Getty Images/Alex Wong. Bezos originally took Amazon public in 1997 and went on to become the first man since Bill Gates in 1999 to achieve a net worth of more than $100 billion. Bezos other projects include aerospace company Blue Origin, The Washington Post (which he purchased in 2013), and the 10,000-year clockalso known as the Long Now. On July 20, 2021, Bezos, his brother Mark, aviation pioneer Wally Funk, and Dutch student Oliver Daemen completed Blue Origin's first successful crewed flight, reaching an altitude of more than 66 miles before landing safely. Bezos' wealth peaked at $211 billion in the same month. 3. Bernard Arnault Age: 73 73 Residence: Paris Paris CEO and Chair: LVMH (LVMUY) LVMH (LVMUY) Net Worth: $141 billion $141 billion Christian Dior Ownership Stake: 97.5% ($111 billion total) 97.5% ($111 billion total) Other Assets: Moelis & Company equity ($21.3 billion public asset), Hermes equity (undisclosed stake), and $8.9 billion in cash French national Bernard Arnault is the chair and CEO of LVMH, the worlds largest luxury goods company. LVMH brands include Louis Vuitton, Hennessey, Marc Jacobs, and Sephora. Most of Arnault's wealth comes from his massive stake in Christian Dior SE, the holding company that controls 41.2% of LVMH. His shares in Christian Dior SE, plus an additional 6.2% in LVMH, are held through his family-owned holding company, Groupe Familial Arnault. An engineer by training, Arnault first showed his business acumen while working for his fathers construction firm, Ferret-Savinel, taking charge of the company in 1971. He converted Ferret-Savinel to a real estate company named Ferinel Inc. in 1979. Image courtesy Getty/Christophe Morin. Arnault remained Ferinel's chair for another six years, until he acquired and reorganized luxury goods maker Financiere Agache in 1984, eventually selling all its holdings other than Christian Dior and Le Bon Marche. He was invited to invest in LVMH in 1987 and became the majority shareholder, chair of the board, and CEO of the company two years later. 4. Gautam Adani Age: 60 60 Residence: Gurgaon, India Gurgaon, India Founder and Chair: Adani Group Adani Group Net Worth: $125 billion $125 billion Adani Enterprises, Power. and Transmissions Ownership Stakes: 75% each ($72.4 billion) 75% each ($72.4 billion) Other Assets: 65% of Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone ($12.2 billion public asset), 61% of Adani Green Energy ($24.5 billion public asset), 37% of Adani Total Gas ($16.2 billion public asset) Gautam Adani, the founder of Adani Group, surpassed Mukesh Ambani in March 2022 as the richest person in Asia. Adani, via his ownership of Adani Group, owns major stakes in six key Indian companies, including a 75% stake in Adani Enterprises, Adani Power, and Adani Transmissions, as well as a 65% stake in Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone, 61% stake in Adani Green Energy, and 37% stake in Adani Total Gas. The combined market capitalization of companies owned by the Adani Group is $238.4 billion (as of Sept. 6, 2022). Adani entered the power generation market in 2009 with Adani Power. Adani created Adani Enterprises in 1988 to import and export commodities. In 1994, his company was granted approval to develop a harbor facility at Mundra Port, which is now the largest private port in India. Adani dropped out of college and previously worked in the diamond trade. Now, Adani has the largest port operator, closely-held thermal coal producer, and coal trader in India. In 2020, he purchased a 74% stake in Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, India's second-busiest airport. The billionaire was kidnapped and held for ransom in 1997. Adani was also in Mumbais Taj hotel during the 2008 terrorist attack. 5. Bill Gates Age: 66 66 Residence: Washington Washington Co-founder: Microsoft (MSFT) Microsoft (MSFT) Net Worth: $111 billion $111 billion Microsoft Ownership Stake: 1.3% ($25.6 billion) 1.3% ($25.6 billion) Other Assets: Cascade Investment LLC ($51.8 billion public assets), $52.4 billion in cash While attending Harvard University in 1975, Bill Gates went to work alongside his childhood friend Paul Allen to develop new software for the original microcomputers. Following this projects success, Gates dropped out of Harvard during his junior year and founded Microsoft with Allen. The largest software company in the world, Microsoft also produces a line of personal computers, provides email services through its Exchange server, and sells video game systems and associated game devices. It has recently invested heavily in cloud services. Gates shifted from the company's CEO to the role of board chair in 2008. He joined Berkshire Hathaways board in 2004. He stepped down from both boards on March 13, 2020. Bill Gates has much of his net worth in Cascade Investment LLC. Cascade is a privately-held investment vehicle that owns a variety of stocks including Canadian National Railway (CNR), Deere (DE), and Republic Services (RSG), as well as private investments in real estate and energy. Image courtesy Getty Images/Jack Taylor. In 2000, Gates' two philanthropic organizationsthe William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundationmerged to create the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, still co-chaired by Gates and his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates. Through the foundation, they have spent billions to fight polio and malaria. The foundation pledged $50 million in 2014 to help fight Ebola. As of 2021, the foundation had spent more than $1.9 billion to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2010, alongside Warren Buffett, Bill Gates launched the Giving Pledge, a campaign encouraging the wealthy to commit to donating most of their wealth to philanthropic causes. Bill and Melinda French Gates divorced on Aug. 2, 2021. With the divorce, roughly $5 billion in equities was transferred to French Gates. Bill Gates is the largest private owner of farmland in the U.S. with over 268,000 acres. 6. Warren Buffett Age: 92 92 Residence: Nebraska Nebraska CEO: Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) Net Worth: $98.2 billion $98.2 billion Berkshire Hathaway Ownership Stake: 16% ($97.1 billion) 16% ($97.1 billion) Other Assets: $1.03 billion in cash The most famous living value investor, Warren Buffett filed his first tax return in 1944 at age 14, declaring earnings from his boyhood paper route. He first bought shares in a textile company called Berkshire Hathaway in 1962, becoming the majority shareholder by 1965. Buffett expanded the company's holdings to insurance and other investments in 1967. Berkshire Hathaway is now a $705 billion-dollar market cap company, with a single share of stock (Class A shares) trading at more than $439,000 as of Aug. 5, 2022. Widely known as the Oracle of Omaha, Buffett is a buy-and-hold investor who built his fortune by acquiring undervalued companies. More recently, Berkshire Hathaway has invested in large, well-known companies. Its portfolio of wholly owned subsidiaries includes interests in insurance, energy distribution, and railroads as well as consumer products. Buffett is a notable Bitcoin skeptic. Image courtesy Getty Images/Alex Wong. Buffett has dedicated much of his wealth to philanthropy. Between 2006 and 2020, he gave away $41 billionmostly to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and his childrens charities. Buffett launched the Giving Pledge alongside Bill Gates in 2010. Now 92 years old, Buffett still serves as CEO, but in 2021 he hinted that his successor might be Gregory Abel, head of Berkshires non-insurance operations. 7. Larry Page Age: 49 49 Residence: California California Co-founder and Board Member: Alphabet (GOOG) Alphabet (GOOG) Net Worth: $93.6 billion $93.6 billion Alphabet Ownership Stake: 6% ($79.5 billion total) 6% ($79.5 billion total) Other Assets: $14.1 billion in cash Like several of the tech billionaires on this list, Larry Page embarked on his path to fame and fortune in a college dorm room. While attending Stanford University in 1995, Page and his friend Sergey Brin came up with the idea of improving internet data extraction. The duo devised a new search engine technology they dubbed Backrub after its ability to assess links to a page. From there, Page and Brin went on to found Google in 1998, with Page serving as CEO of the company until 2001, and again between 2011 and 2019. Google is the world's dominant internet search engine, accounting for more than 92% of global search requests. In 2006, the company purchased YouTube, the top platform for user-submitted videos. After acquiring Android in 2005, Google released the Android mobile phone operating system in 2008. Google reorganized in 2015, becoming a subsidiary of Alphabet, a holding company. Image courtesy Getty Images/Justin Sullivan. Page was among early investors in Planetary Resources, a space exploration and asteroid-mining company. Established in 2009, the company was acquired by blockchain firm ConsenSys in 2018 amid funding problems. He has also shown an interest in flying car companies, investing in both Kitty Hawk and Opener. Shares of Google soared almost 50% in 2021, moving Page and Brin up the billionaire list. Page's net worth went from just below $52 billion in March 2020 to the current $98.7 billion. 8. Sergey Brin Age: 49 49 Residence: California California Co-founder and Board Member: Alphabet (GOOG) Alphabet (GOOG) Net Worth: $89.6 billion $89.6 billion Alphabet Ownership Stake: 6% ($75.4 billion total) 6% ($75.4 billion total) Other Assets: $14.2 billion in cash Sergey Brin was born in Moscow, Russia, moving to the U.S. with his family when he was six in 1979. After co-founding Google with Larry Page in 1998, Brin became Google's president of technology when Eric Schmidt took over as CEO in 2001. He held the same post at the Alphabet holding company after it was established in 2015, stepping down in 2019 when Sundar Pichai took over as CEO. In addition to its dominant internet search engine, Google offers a suite of online tools and services known as Google Workspace, which includes Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Google Meet, Google Chat, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, and more. Google also offers a variety of electronic devices, including Pixel smartphones, computers, and tablets, Nest smart home devices, and Stadia gaming platform. Image courtesy Getty Images/Tim Mosenfelder. Brin spent much of 2019 focusing on X, Alphabets research laboratory responsible for innovative technologies like Waymo self-driving cars and Google Glass smart glasses. He has donated millions of dollars to Parkinsons disease research, partnering with The Michael J. Fox Foundation. 9. Steve Ballmer Age: 66 66 Residence: Washington Washington Owner: Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles Clippers Net Worth: $88.4 billion $88.4 billion Microsoft Ownership Stake: 4% ($79.4 billion total) 4% ($79.4 billion total) Other Assets: Los Angeles Clippers ($3.16 billion private asset), $5.8 billion in cash Steve Ballmer joined Microsoft in 1980 after Bill Gates convinced him to drop out of Stanford University's MBA program. He was Microsoft's 30th employee. Ballmer went on to succeed Gates as Microsoft CEO in 2000. He held the position until stepping down in 2014. Ballmer oversaw Microsoft's 2011 purchase of Skype for $8.5 billion. Ballmer owns an estimated 4% of Microsoft, making him the software giant's largest individual shareholder. In 2014, shortly after stepping down as Microsoft CEO, Ballmer purchased the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team for $2 billion. Image courtesy Getty Images/Steven Ferdman. Ballmer lived in the same dorm and on the same floor as Bill Gates while the two attended Harvard University. The brotherly relationship between the two became strained when Ballmer started pushing the tech company into hardware, such as the Surface tablet and the Windows mobile phone, during his tenure as CEO. 10. Mukesh Ambani Age: 65 65 Residence: Mumbai, India Mumbai, India Owner: Reliance Industries Reliance Industries Net Worth: $83.7 billion $83.7 billion Reliance Ownership Stake: 42% ($84.2 billion total) 42% ($84.2 billion total) Other Assets: $410 million in real estate Mukesh Ambani is the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, the world's largest oil refiner and one of the world's most valuable companies. The conglomerate was founded by Ambani's father, Dhirubhai Ambani in 1966 as a textiles company and is now one of the leading segments of India's economy. Reliance's operations include oil and gas, petrochemicals, refining, retail, and media. About half of Ambani's wealth is derived from his stake in Reliance, which amounts to 42% of the public company. He owns Antilia, a real estate complex in Mumbai that's worth $410 million. Ambani also owns the Mumbai Indians, a professional cricket team. In 2016, Ambani launched a 4G phone network across India, netting more than 420 million subscribers, and is planning to launch 5G services. The Bottom Line If you want to get a little closer to making the richest billionaires rankings, you might need to become a technological innovator or luxury retail mastermind. Or you could keep it simple and focus on value investing. It also wouldnt hurt to have been born to wealth. However, the greatest fortunes on this list started as good ideas that people with creativity, drive, and connections used to build some of the world's largest companies. Top News - Investor Idea Mullen (NASDAQ: MULN) Continues Acquisition Path With Purchase of ELMS Assets Including Factory in Mishawaka, IN., Enabling EV Production for Retail and Commercial Vehicle Lines BREA, Calif. - October 19, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN), an emerging electric vehicle ("EV") manufacturer, announces the US Bankruptcy Court approval on Oct. 13th, 2022 of its acquisition of electric vehicle company ELMS's (Electric Last Mile Solutions) assets in an all cash purchase. Top AI Stock News - Investor Idea Breaking AI Stock News: FatBrain (OTCQB: LZGI) Acquires Confidential Computing Platform ZeroTrust to Protect Data Privacy and Accelerate Innovation for Millions of Growth Businesses NEW YORK, NY - October 19, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.) (OTCQB: LZGI), the leader in powerful and easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for star enterprises of tomorrow, has acquired the confidential computing and privacy intellectual property (IP) plus software assets of Zero2A PTE LTD ("ZeroTrust Platform"), a software company based in Singapore. Top AI Cybersecurity Stock News - Investor Idea AI Cybersecurity Stock GBT (OTCPK: $GTCH) is Researching the Development of a Machine Learning Driven, RF Cybersecurity System and Protocol San Diego, CA - October 13, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) GBT Technologies Inc. (OTC PINK: GTCH) is researching the development of a machine learning driven radio frequency (RF) cybersecurity system and protocol. Top Health and Wellness Stock News - Investor Idea Health and Wellness Stock News - Amazon ( $AMZN) Expands Endexx (OTCBB: $EDXC) Blesswell Men's Premium Skincare Line Internationally to 13 Countries CAVE CREEK, Ariz. - September 29, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Endexx Corporation (OTCBB:EDXC), a provider of innovative, plant-based, and sustainable health and skincare products, today announces the international distribution of its premium men's Blesswell Skincare line through Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN). Check out our Podcasts for great investor ideas: Get new posts by email: Subscribe Powered by Investorideas.com Newswire: Subscribe to Investor Ideas Newswire History was made at a well-attended New York St. Patricks Day Parade Committee naming of the 2016 Grand Marshal at the New York Athletic Club, on Monday night. Chairman of the Board Dr. John Lahey, President of Quinnipiac University, introduced the Grand Marshal, the Irish peace process architect Senator George Mitchell. But just as importantly he made clear the 2016 parade would be the most inclusive in history with the Lavender and Green Alliance joining the NBC gay group OUT@NBCUniversal. Lavender and Greens founder Brendan Fay could barely hide his excitement and joy at the turn of events. Barred from the parade every year except in 1991, when they were almost driven off Fifth Avenue by vicious abuse, now they are welcome participants. Fay has worked diligently every year since, including starting a St. Patrick's For All parade in Queens to set the stage for acceptance, which was long overdue. This is a great day, Fay stated. Now we are recognized as an Irish group, no more discrimination with the same opportunity to march as everyone else. Senator George Mitchell is clearly an inspired choice. He delivered a dazzling and self-effacing speech, poking fun at those who have practically sanctified him for helping finish violence in Northern Ireland. The choice of Mitchell was an inspired one, especially in such a controversial year for the parade when a rump of disaffected hardliners still resent the parade ever being opened up. John Dunleavy, the architect of that policy, was nowhere to be seen, a strange absence on a stage he once controlled with an iron grip. Mitchell is the greatest symbolic counterweight to all that, a man who took what looked like an impossible job in Northern Ireland and made them feel part of a peaceful, powerful movement. Mitchell spoke emotionally about his parents, poor as church mice, his mother with no English having immigrated from Lebanon, his father raised in an orphanage. I only wished anti-immigration advocates could have been there to hear him. Read more: Senator George Mitchell to lead 2016 NYC St Patrick's Day Parade Chairman of the Board John Lahey should be thanked also, as he coolly and calmly maneuvered through the hardliners and has emerged with the best, most inclusive parade in memory in 2016, on the 100th anniversary of Irelands Easter Uprising. Cardinal Dolan also attended and gave his blessing to the parade, perfectly aware of the controversy surrounding it. It's a bold and inclusive move by the cardinal who doubtless saw irremediable damage to his beloved parade unless a solution was found. As Master of Ceremonies Hilary Beirne noted, the parade had survived the original battle against the British, the Civil War, two World Wars and attempts to tear it apart from the inside. It has emerged now at its strongest with a dedicated and enlightened board who deserve every credit for their work in ensuring the greatest parade of all continues as a symbolic reminder of what we Irish went through before we were accepted in America. Arlene Foster of the Democratic Unionist Party was formally elected yesterday to serve as Northern Irelands First Minister. She is the first woman to hold the position, and, at 45-years-old, she is also the youngest. In addition, Foster is also the first woman leader of her political party, the DUP. She was elected to the role following former First Minister Peter Robinsons announcement late last year that he would be stepping down which he formally did yesterday. Following her formal election by the Northern Assembly yesterday, Foster spoke of her pride in making history and not only spoke of her legal, but also her moral imperative, to serve all of the people of Northern Ireland, the Irish Times reported. "I can think of no greater honor than to have the opportunity to serve my country and the people of Northern Ireland as their first minister," Foster said. "I am truly humbled by the trust and confidence which has been placed in me." Foster also explained that she had grown tired of Stormont being a "watchword for arguing and bickering." "That's not why our people elected us; they did so to provide a better future for us all. I will do all I can to change the political culture of this place, but I can't change that alone, she said. "We can only do it by working together." Historic moment as Arlene Foster becomes Northern Ireland First Minister https://t.co/cJJVXofdRZ pic.twitter.com/Y5KZi2xiMJ Belfast Telegraph (@BelTel) January 11, 2016 Martin McGuinness also returned to his seat as Northern Irelands Deputy First Minister yesterday, with he and Foster both taking their pledge of office to work with the governments power-sharing structure and bodies. McGuinness told the BBC that he anticipates a good and friendly working relationship with Foster. "I've been very encouraged by what Arlene has been saying publicly about not letting the past effectively become a weight around our shoulders. "Yes, we shouldn't forget it and we do need to support victims, but we need to get on with the business of government and normalizing politics here in the north of Ireland," he said. Foster is a former member of the Ulster Unionist Party and was encouraged by Robinson to leave the UUP and join the DUP in 2003. She was born and raised near Lisnaskea in County Fermanagh. During the Troubles she survived a bomb attack on her school bus, which was driven by a member of the Ulster Defense Regiment. Foster's father was a member of the RUC (Northern Ireland's former police force) and she witnessed an attempt on his life by republicans in the family home, during which a young Foster was forced to hide in her bedroom closet. She was educated at Queens University and graduated with a degree in law. She practiced as a solicitor in Portadown and Enniskillen. With Arlene Foster set to become first minister later, @BBCNewsNI looks back at her political career to date https://t.co/BEQxR8kwLi BBC News NI (@BBCNewsNI) January 11, 2016 She developed a keen interest in politics at college. She joined the Ulster Unionist Association in Queens and was chairman of the association from 1992 1993. Foster also chaired the youth wing of the UUP in 1995. She became honorary secretary of the UUP's council in 1996 and she held that position until she left the party in 2003. Foster personally developed strong views about the future of unionism and later left the UUP with Jeffrey Donaldson and Norah Beare. Foster was appointed Minister for the Environment in 2007 and later, following a reshuffle, was appointed to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in June 2008. Prior to her new appointment as First Minister, Foster was serving as Northern Irelands Finance Minister. The MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Foster has fulfilled the responsibilities of interim First Minister twice since joining the DUP from September 10 to October 20 during the Assembly crisis last year, and between January 11 and February 3, 2010 when Robinson temporarily stepped aside following a BBC "Spotlight" program that revealed his wifes affair and that the Robinsons allegedly received financial support from property speculators. Foster was the only DUP Minister not to temporarily resign earlier this year when Robinson and his MEPs walked out of the Assembly in reaction to claims that paramilitaries had been behind the murder of two former IRA men last summer. Thus far, as First Minister, she has vowed to reject any big changes to Northern Irelands abortion legislation and confirmed that she will not be attending the 1916 Rising centenary celebrations in Dublin. Foster and McGuinness will be visiting the US in March. Personal papers and photos of 1916 proclamation signatories Tom Clarke and James Connolly are now available to view for free online as part of the National.Library of Irelands 1916 Digital Collection. Released by the NLI on Monday January 11, the latest papers join those of Eamonn Ceannt released last December and include love letters, letters to family and military orders. In the Clarke collection we see a letter sent to him from Kathleen Daly, his future wife, dated August 1899. In the letter, she expresses delight in declaring her love and speaks of his forthcoming trip to America. In other letters, he speaks with her on the decision to move back to Ireland and of his plans to open a shop. Clarkes shop was to become a meeting point for the leaders as they planned the Rising years later. A further letter, dated 1905, was sent by Clarke to his son John Daly Clarke, who was staying in Limerick with his mother, Kathleen, after he had been unwell. Joking with his young son, Clarke writes: How many cows have you seen, and did they all have ears and tails? Did you see the one that jumped over the moon at all, he must be a great fellow. The Connolly papers also feature love letters to his then fiancee, Lily, as well as a heartbreaking article from September 1903 in the Weekly People in which he and his wife thank friends for condolences received upon the death of their daughter, Mona. Other items in the Connolly papers include the manuscript draft of a song by James Connolly, titled When Labor Calls written circa 1903, and a letter from 1907 to the Secretary of the ISP (Irish Socialist Party) in which Connolly speaks about the formation of a new organization of Irish socialists in the United States, and requests a poem, The artisan's garrett, for use in that organization's inauguration. As well as giving us an insight into the personal lives of some of Irelands best known names, certain items in the collection tell the story of the Rising itself. Featured in the collection is an order issued by James Connolly, Commandant-General, Dublin Division, Army of the Irish Republic, to "Officer in Charge [Frank Henderson], Henry Street" informing him to erect barricades in Henry Street and occupy the first and top floors of houses in the street. The order is dated April 25 1916, which would have been the second day of the rebellion. We are delighted to continue our contribution to the 1916 commemorations by cataloguing and digitising materials pertaining to Tom Clarke and James Connolly, said Dr. Sandra Collins, Director of the National Library, on the Connolly and Clarke release.. These original documents will allow viewers to experience the drama and intensity of the Easter Rising as well as gain insights into the social history of 1916 and personal stories of those involved. These collections remind us of the people behind the history. By April, papers relating to all seven of the signatories will be available in the collection with Sean Mac Diarmada and Thomas MacDonagh expected for release in February. Patrick Pearse and Joseph Plunkett will be the last to be made available, in March. There will be more than 20,000 items available to view in the complete collection. The collection was created as part of the NLIs program of 1916 centenary events. Other free events and activities taking place in the library throughout the year will include: - Inspiration Proclamation: a series of public interviews with major figures on themes of the Proclamation and their relevance for Ireland in 2016 and beyond; - Readings from the Rising: a series of performances of literary work accompanied by music and staged throughout our historic buildings;- School workshops and talks to help visitors trace their ancestors in this period. The NLI will also offer a series of curated perspectives on 1916, onsite at the National Librarys buildings on Kildare Street, in Temple Bar, and online, including: - Rising: a flagship photographic exhibition in the National Photographic Archive; - Signatories: an exhibition in the NLIs Kildare Street building which will present selected documents related to the seven signatories; and much more. You can see examples of the items available to view, below, or search yourself at catalogue.nli.ie. A man has been jailed for three years for having sex with a 15-year-old girl he met after grooming her using a fake social media profile. Conor O'Keefe, 26, set up a profile as a teenage girl called Julie on the website Tagged.com and started chatting with the victim. He later claimed he was Julie's older brother Adam and persuaded the girl to get a taxi to his house in the early hours of the morning where they had sex. Judge Sarah Berkeley called it a sinister offence which highlights the dangers of social media and the opportunity it creates. She noted that there was no threat, force or coercion used against the girl and that she was a willing participant. However she said O'Keefe put pressure on her by expressing disappointment when she was reluctant to perform sexual acts. I do not attribute any blame to her in any way, Judge Berkeley said. She was a child at the time and is entitled to the protection of the courts. The judge noted that O'Keefe knew she was a virgin and that he told her she had to select one of three options: sexual intercourse, oral sex or masturbation. The court heard he set up the profile out of loneliness and isolation and that he had a somewhat difficult childhood. O'Keefe of Oakdale Close, Ballycullen pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to sex with a child in July 2011. He was found guilty of a further count of sexual exploitation of a child by a jury last month following a three-day trial. He was to be sentenced last November but the case was adjourned as O'Keefe's partner had given birth to their first child the day before. O'Keefe, an apprentice plumber, has no previous convictions and is now on the sex offenders register. He was 22-year-old at the time of the offences. The court heard he is taking part in therapy and the Safer Lives programme which is run by the Probation Service. Defence counsel, Damien Colgan SC, handed in a probation report and a psychological report and asked the court to consider non-custodial options. O'Keefe faced a maximum possible sentence of 14 years imprisonment. Calling it a grave and serious offence, Judge Berkeley imposed a five-year sentence with the final two years suspended for two years. Nurses will be balloted on new proposals aimed at tackling overcrowding over the next three weeks. A planned strike by members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation on Thursday has been called off to allow the measures go to a vote. The convicted killer whose case was featured in the Netflix series Making A Murderer has filed a new appeal seeking his release. Steven Avery, 53, claims authorities used an improper search warrant and said that any evidence found as a result is clearly fruit of the poisonous tree. The Belgian tax scheme is the latest to be rejected as illegal state aid by the Commission that is also investigating Irelands arrangement with Apple, in a case that is running on much longer than expected. Last week Finance Minister Michael Noonan said it appeared the decision on Irelands tax deal with Apple would now be given after the election. Competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager yesterday would not give a date for a final decision on the Apple case, or Amazon in Luxembourg, saying she found she needed patience of steel as additional elements arose during the investigation. The finding against Belgium is the first time the Commission found an entire tax tax break system in a country to be illegal, and it follows on from findings against individual companies such as Luxembourgs deal with Fiat and the Netherlands with Starbucks. Belgium must claw back 700 million (3 million) after EU rules tax deals illegal https://t.co/fgMgwoslRJ pic.twitter.com/T7sRuQUy9j Bloomberg (@business) January 11, 2016 The Dutch and Luxembourg governments are considering appealing but it was unclear whether Belgium will do likewise. Finance Minister Johan Van Overtveldt said reimbursement would be very complex, they will try to negotiate with the Commission and will then decide whether to appeal the decision to the European Court. Anheuser-Busch InBev, the worlds largest brewer and headquartered in Belgium, is understood to be one of the companies. They are in negotiations to buy the worlds second largest brewer, SAB Miller for around 100bn. The companies, mainly production firms all with branches in Belgium, must repay 700m to the Belgian exchequer, with the majority, 500m, owed by European companies that made up more than half those involved. The US has accused the EU of targeting American multinationals, which the Commission has denied. Marketed as Only in Belgium, it benefited companies that were part of multinational groups. Belgium argued the scheme was justified to prevent double taxation. Announcing the decision Commissioner Vestager said: We know of no other schemes similar to this which is probably why it was named Only in Belgium. The hotel group, which employs 600 in Cork, Carlow, Wexford and Dublin, has confirmed the purchase of the Stonebridge scheme, on Pauls Quay, Wexford, just 100 metres from its existing Talbot Hotel. Developed in 2008, Stonebridge has ground-floor retail units, including a TKMaxx, 314 parking spaces, 73 luxury apartments and duplexes overhead (never occupied), and a renovated, six-storey grain store, plus two other buildings, on two acres. Reckoned to be one of the largest, recent mixed-use sales in the south-east, Stonebridge went to market in September, 2015, for 6.75m, through DTZ Sherry FitzGerald. Its understood that the Talbot Hotel Collection paid just over that price for the quayside property to add to its burgeoning tourism portfolio. Owner of the Talbot Hotel Collection, Cormac Pettitt, described the purchase as a major acquisition, exciting both for the group and for the town, and said our plans are to invest a further 2.5m to complete these luxury apartments and welcome guests by the middle of this year. The family-owned group started in the retail trade 70 years ago, on Oyster Lane, right by the Stonebridge site, and later established the Talbot Hotel in the 20,000-population county town of Wexford. The hotel groups parent company runs six Pettitt family SuperValu supermarkets in Wexford, Wicklow and Kildare. The Talbot Hotel Collection bought the 79-bed Midleton Park Hotel, in Cork, almost two years ago, for 3m to 4m, and spent up to 1m on improvements, and, later in 2014, bought the Oriel House, in Corks Ballincollig, for around 8m. It also owns the former Stillorgan Park Hotel, in Dublin, and Talbot Hotels in Carlow and in Wexford, by the quays. Now, Stonebridge will be branded a Talbot Hotel Collection aparthotel, with guests having access to the hotels services and pool. Managing director, Philip Gavin, described the aparthotel venture as a completely unique tourism proposition. At its annual review of the tourism industry, Failte Ireland said after a record 2015, the sector could expect further growth this year. However, it warned that the growing optimism in the sector needs to be tempered by the fact that challenges remain in the sector. Failte Irelands chairman Michael Cawley said the huge success of 2015 was largely driven by benign external factors and competitiveness at home. He warned that a low recognition of the Wild Atlantic Way internationally and an acute shortage of hotel rooms in Dublin were major challenges . We know, for example, that the Wild Atlantic Way is a fantastic tourism proposition but has low international recognition at this point. When we survey potential overseas visitors, most are unaware of the new initiative. However, when they are told about what is on offer, the response is phenomenal. Clearly, as we build awareness, the Wild Atlantic Way is going to make a significant and transformative impact in the West, he said. Failte Ireland pointed out that the shortage of hotel rooms in Dublin was causing rates to soar and estimates that an additional bedroom stock of 5,000 units is required so that the country does not lose out on valuable business. Mr Cawley said to sustain the success of 2015, the next phase of tourism growth must be centred on sustaining better value for money and offering more compelling and authentic branded visitor experiences rather than relying on a hazy green image and warm welcome. In 2016, Failte Ireland will invest over 55m in developing and promoting its leisure and business tourism brands. Some 13m will be allocated to Dublin, 18m to Irelands Ancient East, 19m to the Wild Atlantic Way and 5m to securing conference and event business. The agency has secured over 100m of capital funding over five years. Mr Cawley said, despite the challenges which the sector faces, 2016 looks set to be another strong year for Irish tourism. Assuming no major external shocks, I believe Irish tourism is well placed to grow again in 2016, possibly by as much as 6%. The access capacity to the country is set to increase again this season, economic conditions in key source markets are generally positive and our brand offering is compelling and improving. Continuing favourable exchange rates are also helpful. This all augurs well for the wider economy, with total tourism revenues likely to hit 8bn this year with obvious consequences for further job creation, he said. The Failte Ireland review said that almost 70% of tourism businesses saw profitability improve in 2015, while 65% of hotel ands B&Bs expect their business to further increase in 2016. In terms of jobs, two in five businesses plan to increase the number of people they employ in the next two to three years including four in five (79%) hotels. However, the comment is at odds with Insurance Ireland, the umbrella body for the industry, who last week said they would not be willing to sign up to any scheme to cover flood-prone areas until significant defences were built. Michael Horan of Insurance Ireland blamed the Government for a lack of flood defences saying it would be illogical for insurers to pay out in areas where there was repeated flooding. It is likely that there will be disagreement today between members of the insurance industry and Mr Kenny. The meeting will also be attended by ministers including Alan Kelly and Simon Harris. Yesterday Mr Kenny said plain speaking is needed around the fact that people in towns like Fermoy, Co Cork, and Clonmel, Co Tipperary, where publicly-funded flood defences exist and have worked, were still unable to get full cover. We need to have to have a forthright discussion with the insurance companies. There is a difference between towns where defences have been put in place, as in Fermoy and Clonmel. The stories I am getting is that people are still unable to get insurance for their homes. We need to tease that out, he said. Asked, if levies were on the table for discussion, Mr Kenny said the Government will consider the options as to how best to deal with the issue. Minister with responsibility for the OPW, Simon Harris said todays meeting would be seen in the context of the inter-departmental group which has been asked by the Department of Finance to look at other countries and their flood insurance arrangements. A levy is not a preference but all options are being looked at, he said adding that almost half a billion euro will be invested in flood defences in the coming years. The county council had 1,258 outdoor staff in 2008, but it now engaged 878, said Sinn Fein councillor Donnchadh O Laoghaire. Scores of staff who came to work voluntarily at the height of the storm were praised yesterday. However, several councillors said if there had been more outdoor employees, they would have been able to open roadside drainage channels and help relieve flooding and damage to roads. Mr O Laoghaire said staff had to seek time in lieu for the combined 29,010 extra hours they had worked but he felt they should be financially compensated. Fianna Fail councillor Kevin OKeeffe said staff had worked around the clock and were exhausted. He said some staff were diverted to put up flood defence barriers in Fermoy when the work should have been done by the OPW. Fianna Fail councillors Christopher OSullivan and Pat Murphy said there was an urgent need to get the embargo lifted and get more staff out clearing roadside drains and gulleys. They claimed it would prevent millions of euro in water damage to roads. Fine Gael councillor James ODonovan agreed and he was praised by Sinn Fein councillor Rachel McCarthy for the Trojan work he did in Bandon. James was four hours filling sandbags and then he went out cleaning ditches, she said. Fianna Fail councillor Bernard Moynihan said the council has top-class engineers to oversee work, but not the money to do it. Fine Gael councillor Michael Hegarty said it would help if a huge amount of debris in rivers flowing into Midleton was removed, while Independent councillor Mary Linehan-Foley said that a number of roads in east Cork remained impassable and she wanted a report prioritising road repairs. Independent councillor June Murphy said engineers had expressed serious concern about youngsters walking on barriers in Fermoy and mothers putting children on them so they could see the flood. Its a case of one false move and youre gone, she said. Council chief executive Tim Lucey said he would seek more funding and more resources. He said the situation was so bad, three of the eight municipal authorities had just reported in that 42 roads remain impassable in their areas and he was still awaiting news from the other five. I cant pull a rabbit out of a hat to create more resources. I cant turn around and wave a magic wand and its getting worse because of the current condition of our roads, Mr Lucey said. Meanwhile, some councillors criticised the councils emergency response telephone line, which is contracted to a Dublin-based call centre. Fina Gael councillor Anthony Barry said he failed to get through to the number and so had the gardai in Cobh. A national survey reveals that 41% of Irish people incorrectly believe that fertility starts to decline at the age of 35 when, in fact, it occurs five years before that. The study also shows that 46% of women say waiting for the right partner is the primary reason to delay having a baby, while 37% of men say finances is their main reason to put off fatherhood. The report was commissioned by My Fertility Check a self-referral fertility assessment service for men, women,and couples. It revealed that the majority of adults in Ireland are misinformed about the age at which fertility declines. Commenting on the results, Head of Clinical Services at My Fertility Check, Mary McAuliffe, said: I see so many women and couples attending for fertility treatment and IVF who are surprised that it has proven so difficult to have a baby naturally. A substantial portion of adults think fertility declines at a much later age than it does in reality. Forty-one percent of people think the decline begins at 35 while one third believe it starts later at 40 years. The proportion of people that are misinformed is of concern. Ms McAuliffe said the results of the study highlighted the need for a nationwide state funded education campaign on fertility and reproductive health, targeting students at third level. Young people need to be educated on the lifestyle choices that can affect their fertility; in particular, age, smoking, alcohol, and health issues such as sexually transmitted diseases, she said. ome 86% of respondents said they had never had a fertility assessment. Six out of 10 of these said it was because they were unaware of the existence of fertility check services. Having a fertility check at an earlier age will empower people with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their future plans for starting a family and, will also help them avoid the emotional and high costs associated with fertility treatment, said Ms McAuliffe. From fertility awareness studies and population surveys, we have learned that most young people are too optimistic about their chances to conceive spontaneously after age 35. Also, young people tend to overestimate the effectiveness of IVF, in part due to the number of celebrities giving birth in their forties and, also due to miracle stories in the media. Respondents were also asked on why people in Ireland are leaving it later in life to start a family. A recent Eurostat survey showed that first time mothers in Ireland are among the oldest in Europe, with 52% aged between 30 and 39. For more information, see www.myfertilitycheck.ie Michael Donnellan said the amount of time currently spent processing fine defaulters numbering almost 9,000 in 2014 could now go on other important areas. The Irish Prison Service director general said prison should only be used as a last resort and that an instalment system for paying fines was consistent with that principle. The system operated by An Post on behalf of the Courts Service comes almost six years after laws allowing for instalment payments were first introduced. But legal problems, including powers to enable courts to impose deductions from wages, and technical issues, have repeatedly delayed the project. Since the Fines Act 2010 was published the number of people committed to prison for defaulting on court-ordered fines spiralled, from 6,683 in 2010 to 8,965 in 2014. Back in 2008 the number of fine defaulters imprisoned stood at just 2,520. The number of fine committals in 2014 represented more than half of all the people sent to prison in that year. Prison authorities, including governors, have long complained at the huge use of resources processing fine defaulters the vast majority of whom are released within hours or overnight. The Irish Prison Service welcomes the commencement of the Fines Act, said Mr Donnellan. This piece of legislation will dramatically reduce the number of committals to prison. Fines committals for 2014 were almost 9,000 out of a total of 16,155 committals. He added: The amount of time spent in processing fine defaulters can now be diverted to other services and programmes for prisoners. I have always believed prison should only be used as a last resort and this act ensures that this principle will apply in relation to the non-payment of fines. The contract was awarded to An Post following competitive tender and the cost of the contract is understood to be 500,000 for a three-year period. Commencing the law, Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said it was an historic day and that it was an appropriate response to problems caused by a refusal or failure to pay fines. She was confident the number imprisoned for not paying fines in the future would be greatly reduced. Under the act: Fines will be set at a level that takes into account the persons finances; All fines over 100 can be paid by instalments; If the person fails, the judge can consider a wage attachment order, a recovery order or a community service order. Ms Fitzgerald said imprisonment will only apply where these orders are not appropriate or where a community service order was not complied with. The Courts Service said staged payments, or installments, will help a person to meet their obligations and be facilitated in post offices nationwide from Friday. The Irish Penal Reform Trusts Deirdre Malone said: This is a victory for common sense: imprisoning people for failure to pay court ordered fines is not only socially damaging, it creates an illogical and additional burden on an already strained prison system. Eoghan McGarry, aged 30, is judged to be a high-risk inmate. He has amassed over 150 disciplinary reports in prison and is alleged to have attacked several prison officers in Mountjoy before being moved to the high-security prison in Portlaoise. He is serving a four-year sentence imposed in September 2014 for an aggravated burglary during which he held a knife to a womans throat after she discovered him in her house. An earlier burglary involved a woman waking up to find McGarry in her bedroom going through her clothes. Yesterday, McGarry was sentenced for breaking into a school and being in possession of stolen jewellery. McGarry of Tymon Road, Tallaght, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to burglary at St Killians NS in Tallaght on September 1, 2014, and to possession of nine pieces of stolen jewellery at Tymon Park the next day. Luigi Rea, defending, asked Judge Melanie Greally not to extend McGarrys current prison term. The judge imposed a four-year sentence to date from yesterday meaning he will spend an extra four months in jail. With accommodation becoming more costly all the time, especially near urban and college centres, a spare room in your home could become a valuable source of income. The main category of potential renters are third-level students. Edward Thurman, co-founder of CollegeCribs.ie, says the number of rooms offered for rent to students has skyrocketed in recent years. We have seen a huge increase in the numbers of rooms being offered, he said. We believe it is down to how the student accommodation crisis has been covered in the media in the past year. The popularity of private homeowners renting out spare rooms to students has definitely increased. The number of digs offered on CollegeCribs.ie has accounted for 53% of adverts in 2015, up from 34% in 2013. Colleges around the country are actively encouraging people to rent rooms to students and homeowners are becoming aware of the benefits. We have had landlords offering digs for many years, Thurman said. In the vast majority of cases they find it very rewarding. As with most accommodation options, Thurman said room costs were highest in Dublin, followed by Cork, then Galway, Limerick, Waterford. Currently on CollegeCribs.ie, there are single rooms listed in Dublin with rent of 120 to 185pw, with single rooms in Cork and Galway available from 100 and upwards. Many of these ads specified that the room was rented from Monday to Friday, with the student expected to go home at weekends. Different landlords offered different services, so you can tailor your offering to suit the family lifestyle. You can let on a room-only basis, with the student expected to fend for themselves for meals. If offering this option be aware they will then need access to the kitchen to cook for themselves. But if you are preparing a family meal anyway, particularly if there is someone at home during the day, providing breakfast and an evening meal will increase the price you can charge. Generally bills are included in the price and students will expect there to be wifi available. From a tax point of view, renting from your home in this way is covered under the rent-a-room relief. The rental income you earn is not taxable unless it goes over a certain threshold, currently 12,000 per year. So for example, a room rental of 120 for a 40-week college year works out at 4,800, less than half that. Indeed, many of the ads for digs on collegecribs.ie and other sites indicate that the landlords have more than one room rented to students. You will need to complete a tax return even if you fall below the threshold. It is not just students who are in need of rooms. With more and more people travelling long distances to work, many are looking for Monday to Friday accommodation in order to avoid long and tiring commutes. This could be a good option for familes who would prefer workers to students, and/or those who want their homes to themselves at the weekend. Www.getdigs.ie is a dedicated site for this type of accommodation, connecting potential lodgers to homeowners. When renting a room in your home in this way you are not obliged to register as a landlord with the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB). This makes life simpler in that you dont have to provide a rent book to the tenant or ensure the accommodation provided meets certain standards, but be aware that you are not covered by landlord and tenant legislation so rights and obligations under that legislation do not apply to you. Thurman strongly advises putting an agreement in writing with your lodger before they move in. Include how much rent is to be paid and when, and agree a minimum notice to be given if either homeowner or lodger wants to end the agreement. It is also a good idea to make clear what additional services are being included, be it meals, laundry etc. Some insurance policies provide cover for a certain number of paying guests, but having lodgers may also limit areas of cover such as theft or damage. Speak to your insurer before going ahead with any arrangement and consider advising your lodger to arrange their own renters insurance to protect their possessions. DEAL OF THE WEEK With many of us in the middle of the traditional January health kick, Lidl have chosen the perfect time to come out with a range of cooking utensils to promote healthy habits. Of particular interest for those who have been considering the omnipresent Nutribullet but balked at the price tag is the Silvercrest Nutrition Mixer. It comes with a 19,000rpm motor, 700ml and 350ml blender jugs, two blade attachments and a removable tumbler for making smoothies. Also provided are a recipe booklet and lids for on the go and storage and at 39.99 with a three year guarantee, it is an excellent option for the budget-conscious weight-watcher. The range also includes a juicer (9.99), steamer (12.99) and a George Foreman family grill (30). A Nutrition Scale that calculates fat, protein, carbohydrates, calories, cholesterol and more is available for 12.99. These are all on sale on Thursday January 14. US PRESIDENT Barack Obama delivers his final State of the Union address tomorrow, bringing to a close a stirring chapter in Americas history that saw his election as the countrys first black president. But much has changed eight years later and an ugly national mood now threatens to erode such progress. Obama reached back to the historical experience of Irish immigrants to illustrate his fears recently about what is happening to America today. A century ago New York City shops displayed signs, No Irish Need Apply, he told a group of immigrants from 25 countries at a naturalisation ceremony that made them US citizens. Catholics were targeted, their loyalty questioned so much so that as recently as the 1960s when JFK [John Fitzgerald Kennedy] ran [for the presidency] he had to convince people that his allegiance wasnt primarily to the Pope. The president told the new Americans how dangerous it is when a country forgets its history and fails to learn from it. Now its the loyalty of Muslims or Syrian refugees thats being questioned by a number of candidates running to succeed Obama. There have been 38 anti-Muslim attacks across a number of states since the Isis-linked massacre of 130 people in Paris last November. Eighteen of the attacks came after the California killings of 14 people a month later by two radicalised Muslims living in the US. But instead of calming the countrys fears, as Obama has sought to do, many political heavyweights are fuelling hysteria and seizing on it to boost their standing in presidential polls. The biggest irony of course, the president told the new US citizens, is that those who betrayed these values were themselves the children of immigrants. He didnt name names but his analogy was clear. Todays White House hopefuls, led by Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, conveniently forget their own immigrant lineage when they vilify vulnerable minorities for the actions of a few fanatics. Trumps mother emigrated from Scotland and his wife is an immigrant from Slovenia. Two other candidates, Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, were born of Cuban immigrants, while former Florida governor Jeb Bushs wife was born in Mexico. How quickly we forget. One generation passes, two generations pass, and suddenly we dont remember where we came from. And we suggest that somehow there is us and there is them, not remembering we used to be them, Obama told the new citizens. Chinese immigrants faced persecution and vicious stereotypes and were, for a time, even banned from entering America. During World War II, German and Italian residents were detained and Japanese immigrants, and even Japanese-American citizens, were forced from their homes and imprisoned in camps. We succumbed to fear. We betrayed not only our fellow Americans, but also our deepest values. Its happened before. And now its happening again. Obamas election caught the worlds imagination in 2008 and again in 2012. But the world is looking on in horror now at the sight of Americas ugly underbelly, and the politics of anger and xenophobia thats emerged in this presidential race. But there was also a time in another odious era when other powerful politicians refused to take a stand against the racism and hatred that pervaded much of the country and led to the lynching of African-Americans. These lynchings continued well into the 1930s, with 20 reported in 1935, but in those years, the US senate refused to pass a federal law against such barbarism. Yet, over a number of generations, the country changed. In 2005, I was present in the senate when it approved a formal apology to African-Americans for the inaction of its previous leaders. Three years later, in a historic turnaround for the country, enough black and white voters united to make Obama president. What makes America great is our capacity to change for the better, Obama said in a White House preview of his state of the union address a few days ago, our ability to come together as one American family and pull ourselves closer to the America we believe in. The kind of America that many of Obamas supporters hoped for when he entered the White House was laudable. It was an America in which almost all things would be made possible for as many people as possible. But it was also, to a great extent, naive, because politics is never like that. Its about the harsh realties of compromise and pragmatism and small steps towards slow progress. Obama was never going to have an easy ride, especially in a Congress determined to block his agenda. Guantanamo prison wasnt closed, immigration reform failed, along with other pledges. Nevertheless, he steered the country successfully though a global financial crisis and brought stability and growth back to the economy, as well as achieving a historically low unemployment rate of 5% though the impact of many of these measures has yet to be felt fully by the middle class. He has also managed, through his landmark Affordable Care Act of 2014, to make health insurance affordable for 17 million more Americans, even in the face of congressional and court challenges to the law. And, while he failed to secure congressional passage of comprehensive gun control laws, he bypassed Congress last week and introduced limited measures by using his executive powers though these measures can be reversed by an incoming president. Indeed, reversing his agenda, from healthcare reform to gun control, is what many of the current White House candidates have said they are aiming to do. They are also aiming to construct a very different kind of America, one in which their version of greatness seems to be attainable only by turning the clock back to the days when xenophobia and racism powered political ambition. Instead of turning the pages of history back, however, it might be wise for them to learn from that history as they listen to Obamas state of the union address because as an African-American he especially knows how far the country has come and the price generations have paid to get it there. It might be wise for them, too, to remember something that happens on the day immigrants, like those to whom the president spoke recently, become US citizens. After their swearing in, they receive a folder of welcoming documents. One in particular may prove very powerful for these new Americans this election year. It is an invitation to register to vote. THE Mediterranean migration crisis has delivered two critical lessons. First, Europe and the international community have grossly inadequate systems for protecting vulnerable migrants. Second, in the absence of such systems, populist leaders will prey on fear to gain political support, undermining the liberal, tolerant societies that have taken 70 years of hard work to build. That is why vigorous action at the European and global levels is essential this year. In September, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will convene an extraordinary summit dedicated to building a fair global system for protecting refugees and vulnerable migrants. One hopes that countries will come prepared to make tangible, enduring commitments. Such commitments were sorely lacking in 2015. Indeed, the international community could have blunted last years crisis by providing even modest support for the three frontline countries Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan which together host some four million Syrian refugees. With only around 10 billion, these countries could have provided better housing, food, and education for refugees, thereby reducing the incentive to flee to Europe. That failure could end up costing Germany alone upwards of 21 billion annually for years to come. But the financial implications of the crisis pale in comparison to the human and political costs. More than a million people risked their lives crossing the Mediterranean last year, and then endured grueling journeys through the Balkans. Almost 4,000 people died on the way, and many European countries turned their backs on those who survived, refusing them safe haven. Cynical political leaders ruthlessly capitalised on popular anxiety by promoting an odious nationalist vision that either ignores or distorts real-life experiences with immigration. In the United States, for example, not one of the 780,000 refugees resettled since September 11, 2001, has executed a terrorist attack. Meanwhile, immigrants typically pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits. Nonetheless, extremist forces are dangerously close to taking political power in some European states, and are gaining traction even in formerly liberal bastions. Anti-migrant parties already are in power in Hungary and Poland. Their success is compelling mainstream parties to adopt anti-migrant policies as well. All of this has seriously undermined European cooperation. The EUs programme to process the million refugees who arrived on its shores has succeeded in relocating a mere 190 of them. Checks at the borders of six countries within the Schengen Area have been reinstituted, at least temporarily. The most urgent priority is to create safe and legal paths for refugees to reach Europe. This does not imply that every vulnerable migrant must be accepted. But the EU should be more systematically generous in determining how many to admit, and it should implement organised ways to facilitate their entry. Such a system would protect migrants and safeguard Europe by enabling it to vet applicants fully. The second priority for 2016 is building a robust global system to protect refugees and other vulnerable migrants. This requires, first and foremost, agreement by more countries to accept refugees. In recent years, the UN Refugee Agency has been able to resettle fewer than 75,000 of more than 20 million refugees annually. Millions end up in protracted displacement, spending an estimated 25 years, on average, stuck in limbo, unsure when they might return home. In 2016, developed countries should agree to accept a combined total approaching a million refugees annually, either through resettlement or by issuing humanitarian, student, labor, and other visas. With Canada alone saying that it will resettle 50,000 Syrian refugees this year, it is clear that this target is achievable. At the same time, the international community must support the integration of refugees in major host countries like Turkey, Kenya, Lebanon, and Jordan. As it stands, such countries receive just a fraction of the $3,000-5,000 per refugee required annually to provide adequate housing, food, health care, schooling, and job training during the first few years of displacement. If migrants are viewed as a burden or, worse, a security threat, reactionary political forces will continue to gain ground, cutting off opportunities for newcomers and turning such fears into a self-fulfilling prophesy. If, however, host countries enthusiastically integrate migrants, everyone will benefit including home countries (for example, through remittances). Last month in Paris, the international community proved that it could subordinate national self-interest to a greater global goal: confronting climate change. In 2016, the same thing must happen to forge a better system for protecting migrants. It is a matter of life and death for 20 million refugees and millions of other vulnerable migrants and a profound test of the civic health of democratic societies worldwide. Peter D Sutherland is United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration. Copyright Project Syndicate, 2016. Its safe to predict the following dates now, give or take a day or two. The Dail will be dissolved on February 3. There will be a 22-day election campaign, and the general election itself will take place on February 26. The Dail will meet again to elect a new government on Tuesday March 22. The intention will be to ensure that a new government is in place in time for the commemorations of 1916 (Easter falls the week after the Dail resumes). Thats where the safe predictions end (And of course I should remind you of the famous political correspondent who, whenever he was challenged about one of his categoric predictions that turned out to be wrong, always said it was right at the time). The hard questions remain. Who will form the new government? Who will be the incoming Taoiseach? Who will preside over the 1916 commemorations? When I worked in politics, a long time ago, I only ever believed the opinion polls I wanted to believe. That was one of those gut reactions where the heart ruled the head. The unpalatable truth, to dreamers like me, is that, in the Irish context, opinion polling generally has been a reasonably exact science. There are very few instances where pollsters have got it desperately wrong. Back in the day, MRBI was the premier polling company when it came to politics, with a long and decent track record. Now theyre called something different, and they have competition in the form of a number of other companies. Youre always told that you shouldnt compare results from one company with another because they all employ slightly different methodology. So weve never had a poll of polls tradition in Ireland, unlike other countries. In the USA, for example, its considered routine to average the polls. Probably the best website on American politics (at least in the sense of being the most impartial) is realclearpolitics.com. Every day they publish an update of their poll averages in the various races gathering steam at the moment. Were only a few weeks away from the Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire primary the first real electoral contests to decide who will battle out the Presidency for the Republicans and the Democrats. So polling is going on night and day in those contexts, and RCP is using the averages of all those polls to start to make predictions about these critical contexts. At the moment, they have Trump well ahead in New Hampshire but just behind Cruz in Iowa; and Clinton well ahead in Iowa but behind Sanders in New Hampshire. If all those predictions turn out right, then neither Trump nor Clinton can be seen as a shoo-in for their partys nomination. Incidentally, RCPs national polls suggest (nearly a year before the actual election) that the candidate most likely to win a presidential election in the States is the Republicans Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American from Florida. Their local polling, however, suggests he has a long way to go before becoming the Republican candidate. If he does make it, remember you heard it here first! But to come back to ourselves. If we were in a position to assemble a poll of polls, all they would tell us is that there is a real possibility that were all going to wake up the day after the count is complete and wonder what the hell weve done. The only safe conclusion to be drawn from the current state of the polls is that Fine Gael are likely to be the largest party, and that Enda Kenny is in poll position to replace himself as Taoiseach. That would, in itself, be a historic first. But how does he get there? Fine Gael would have to hold every seat they have now and win 12 more to have a bare majority in the new Dail (which will be considerably smaller than the old Dail). That seems like an impossibility the most recent opinion polls are good for FG, but still around 30%. They need at least another nine or 10 points to break through the magic majority number. Nobody else is threatening them. This will be the first election in my lifetime where it will be impossible to take seriously the idea of an alternative Taoiseach. Micheal Martin? Gerry Adams? Really? The funny thing is that Fine Gaels strength going into the election is also their biggest weakness. The strongest card this government can play is the need for stability as the economy recovers, but thats not enough. If there isnt a strong sense that government can be elected, with a vision and a purpose for the next five years, theres no real incentive not to vote for whoever we like. There is added irony in the fact that the next government of Ireland will inherit a situation that was unimaginable five years ago. Then, we were mired in a political shambles. The last government expired in the most complete mess any of us have ever seen. Now, despite some political mistakes along the way, this government looks coherent and integrated. Then, our economy was in the deepest crisis weve ever seen, literally looking like it was about to topple into oblivion. Now, the economy is the fastest growing in Europe, and all the signs are the next government will inherit, in very short order, a budget surplus. Then, we were saddled with unmanageable debt we talked of how we had mortgaged the future for generations. Now, were in a position to start driving debt down. Then, we had lost our sovereignty. Now, it looks as if we can approach the anniversary of the 1916 Proclamation with our heads held high. Like many others, Ive been critical of some of the choices this government has made. We are a less equal society than we were although, mind you, we also squandered the chance to make inroads into our inequalities when we had plenty. But overall, I believe history will record that the government now about to leave office was remarkably successful in turning around the economic and political fiasco they inherited. Whoever emerges victorious from the election will inherit an extraordinary base on which to build. But what will they build? Will they even be interested in building? The first skirmishes of the election campaign suggest that this will be an election fought over taxes. Worse than that the election promises made so far suggest that there are parties out there interested in wooing better-off people with aggressively unfair ideas like flat taxes. Flat tax systems mean only one thing people on low incomes subsidise massive tax cuts for people on high incomes. How anyone can regard that as a civilised way to approach an election baffles me. There is still time for this government or indeed a credible alternative to come together around a sense of real purpose. They have to be able to approach what we know about the economic future with honesty, but above that with a strong sense of vision about how a stronger economy can contribute to a more equal society. Ill try to explain what that could look like next week. Far more serious have been the crimes against humanity perpetrated by North Korean regimes against the people of North Korea. North Korea has possibly 10-16 crude WMDs, and only limited methods of delivery. This is just a tiny fraction of the estimate, by the International Campaign for Abolition of Nuclear Weapons, of well over 15,000 nuclear weapons possessed by other countries, including Russia 7,500, US 7,200, France 300, China 260, Britain 216, Pakistan 130, India 120, and Israel 80. North Korea has never used nuclear weapons in a conflict, but the US has, and the US and Britain have used depleted uranium munitions in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and elsewhere. Five of these countries probably have the capacity to make planet Earth uninhabitable by humans and other living creatures. The threats to world peace from these other eight countries, is far greater than that posed by North Korea. Four of these countries are bombing Syria at present. Your editorial states that mad men with military might have created global conflict. It could happen again. Only with the benefit of hindsight were Hitler and Stalin considered to have been mad. History may well judge leaders of the other nuclear states to have been mad men. Ireland played a major role in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty signed in 1968. We have done too little in the meantime to rid the world of the madness of nuclear weapons. Edward Horgan Newtown Castletroy More than 1m people sought refuge in Europe last year, many of them fleeing violence in Syria and Iraq. A majority of the migrants are Muslims, and Europeans are worried about how to integrate them, especially since the November 13 attacks by Islamist militants in Paris that killed 130 people. The present wave of migration seems to be undermining the foundations of that humanistic spirit which Europe has always loved and defended, the Pope said in an annual address to diplomats at the Vatican City, adding that he hoped countries would prove capable of welcoming the refugees. Europe, aided by its great cultural and religious heritage, has the means to defend the centrality of the human person and to find the right balance between its two-fold moral responsibility to protect the rights of its citizens and to ensure assistance and acceptance to migrants. The question of integration has dominated news headlines in the first two weeks of 2016 after assaults on women who had been celebrating New Years Eve in the German city of Cologne. A police investigation has focused on asylum seekers and migrants and the assaults have prompted an anxious debate in Germany, which in 2015 took in around 1m migrants. The Pope last year led calls for Europe to take in the migrants. Looking to set an example, he called on all Roman Catholic parishes to house at least one refugee family, but his appeal has drawn a mixed response. While praising Europe as a beacon of humanity, he said the West was suffering from a vacuum of ideals and the loss of identity, which he said provided fertile territory for the spread of extremism and religious fundamentalism. This vacuum gives rise to the fear which leads to seeing the other as a threat and an enemy, he said. The EU has struggled to cope with the tide of refugees, most of whom have arrived by sea in Greece and Italy before trying to reach wealthier northern EU states. It is important that nations in the forefront of meeting the present emergency not be left alone, Pope Francis said, urging greater solidarity among European countries. Officials warned that the process could take a long time as Guzmans lawyers file legal appeals to keep their client in Mexico, where he has already escaped from maximum security prisons twice. Agents formally notified Guzman that he was wanted in the United States. In a statement, the Attorney Generals Office said Mexican agents assigned to the international police agency Interpol served two arrest warrants to the drug lord, who is being held at the Altiplano prison following his capture by Mexican marines on Friday. Guzmans defence had three days to present arguments against extradition and 20 days to present evidence, beyond the plethora of other appeals they have already started filing. VIDEO: Dramatic footage shows El Chapo raid https://t.co/PxdOkdXQcC BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) January 12, 2016 Guzmans powerful Sinaloa cartel smuggles multi-ton shipments of cocaine and marijuana as well as manufacturing and transporting methamphetamines and heroin, mostly to the US. He is wanted in various US states and his July escape deeply embarrassed the government of President Enrique Pena Nieto and strained ties between the countries. Guzmans attorney Juan Pablo Badillo has said the defence has already filed six motions to challenge extradition requests. Badillo said that his client shouldnt be extradited to the US because our country must respect national sovereignty, the sovereignty of its institutions to impart justice. On Saturday, a Mexican federal law enforcement official said the quickest Guzman could be extradited would be six months, but even that is not likely because of the many appeals filed by his lawyers. He said the appeals are usually turned down, but each one means a judge has to schedule a hearing. That can take weeks or months, and that delays the extradition, he said. Weve had cases that take six years. Mexicos willingness to extradite Guzman is a sharp turnaround from the last time he was captured in 2014, when then-Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam said the extradition would happen only after he finished his sentence in Mexico in 300 or 400 years. Guzman was re-apprehended on Friday after a shootout between gunmen and Mexican marines at the home in Los Mochis, a seaside city in Guzmans home state of Sinaloa. Five suspects were killed and six others arrested. One marine was injured. Mexican authorities say actor Sean Penns contacts with Guzman helped them track the fugitive down even if he slipped away from an initial raid on the hideout where the Hollywood actor apparently met him. Penns article on Guzman was published by Rolling Stone magazine a day after the drug lords recapture. In it, Penn wrote of elaborate security precautions, but also said that as he flew to Mexico on October 2 for the meeting: I see no spying eyes, but I assume they are there. He was right. Describing the capture, Attorney General Arely Gomez said that investigators had been aided in locating Guzman by contacts between his attorneys and actors and producers she said were interested in making a film about him. Marines finally caught him in a residential neighbourhood of Los Mochis, where theyd been monitoring a suspected safe house. Guzman was able to escape via storm drains and exited a manhole in the street. But he was captured in a vehicle on the highway. Mohammed al-Qeq is protesting his six-month sentence without trial or charge, under a measure called administrative detention. Israels internal security agency Shin Bet did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Al-Qeq is in critical condition after 48 days in hunger strike and his life is at risk, said Issa Qaraqe, the Palestinian minister of prisoner affairs. Al-Qeq is being monitored in an Israeli hospital, according to Israels prison service, which would not comment on his condition. His wife, Faihaa al-Qeq, said Israel accused him of incitement. Al-Qeq, 33, works as a correspondent for the Saudi Al-Majd TV network, and also appears as an analyst on channels linked to the Islamic militant group Hamas. Israel has arrested him in the past for his activities with Hamas student organisation. He was arrested on November 21. Palestinian prisoners have used hunger strikes before to draw attention to their detention without trial or charges. Al-Qeq is the first journalist to do so. Fearing that a fasting detainees death could spark violence, Israel has at times acceded to hunger strikers demands by agreeing to release them at the end of their terms of detention. Israel sometimes extends the administrative detention of suspects. A contentious law passed last year allows Israel to force-feed a hunger striker if his life is in danger, even if the prisoner refuses. Israels medical establishment has protested the law, and there are no known instances of a prisoner being force-fed. Also yesterday, the Israeli military said forces shot and wounded a knife-wielding Palestinian who the military said attempted to stab a soldier in the West Bank. The Palestinians condition was not immediately known. Asia North Koreas Kim Boosts Propaganda in Praise of Nuke Test North Korean leader Kim Jong-un looks to milk his countrys recent nuclear test as a propaganda victory, vowing more nuclear bombs. SEOUL North Korean leader Kim Jong-un looked Monday to milk his countrys recent nuclear test as a propaganda victory, praising his scientists and vowing more nuclear bombs a day after the United States flew a powerful nuclear-capable warplane close to the North in a show of force. A standoff between the rival Koreas has deepened since last weeks test, the Norths fourth. Seoul on Monday continued anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts across the border and announced that it would further limit the entry of South Koreans to a jointly run factory park in North Korea. Outside North Korea, Kim faces widespread condemnation and threats of heavy sanctions over the Norths disputed claim of a hydrogen bomb test. Internally, however, Kims massive propaganda apparatus has looked to link the test to Kims leadership so as to glorify him and portray the test as necessary to combat a US-led attempt to topple the Norths authoritarian system. On Monday, Kim took photos with nuclear scientists and technicians involved in the test and praised them for having glorified his two predecessors, his late father, Kim Jong-il, and his grandfather, state founder Kim Il-sung, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Kim earlier called the explosion a self-defensive step meant to protect the region from the danger of nuclear war caused by the US-led imperialists, a separate KCNA dispatch said. The comments provide insight into North Koreas long-running argument that it is the presence of tens of thousands of US troops in South Korea and Japan and a hostile US policy that justify its pursuit of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. On Sunday, a US B-52 bomber flew low over areas near Seoul, the South Korean capital city only about an hours drive from the border with the North, a fly-over that North Korea will see as a threat. The B-52 was joined by South Korean F-15 and US F-16 fighters and returned to its base in Guam after the flight, the US military said. White House chief of staff Denis McDonough said the B-52 flight was intended to underscore to South Korean allies the deep and enduring alliance that we have with them. Interviewed on CNN, McDonough said the United States would work with South Korea, Japan, China and Russia to deeply isolate the North Koreans and squeeze them until they live up to prior commitments to get rid of their nuclear weapons. World powers are looking for ways to punish the North over its disputed bomb test, which, even if not of a hydrogen bomb, still likely pushes Pyongyang closer to its goal of a nuclear-armed missile that can reach the US mainland. Many outside governments and experts question whether the blast was in fact a powerful hydrogen test. In the wake of the test on Wednesday, the two Koreas have settled into the kind of Cold War-era standoff that has defined their relationship over the past seven decades. Since Friday, South Korea has been blasting anti-Pyongyang propaganda from huge speakers along the border, and the North is using speakers of its own to send messages, although Seoul says they are too weak to be heard clearly on the South Korean side. A top North Korean ruling party officials warning that the Souths broadcasts have pushed the Korean Peninsula toward the brink of war is typical of Pyongyangs over-the-top rhetoric. But it is also indicative of the real fury that the broadcasts, which criticize the countrys revered dictatorship, cause in the North. North Korea considers the South Korean broadcasts tantamount to an act of war. When Seoul Korea briefly resumed propaganda broadcasts in August after an 11-year break, Seoul says the two Koreas exchanged artillery fire. While the Souths broadcasts also include news and pop music, much of the programming challenges North Koreas government more directly. The South Korean measures Monday on the jointly run factory park in the North will take effect Tuesday. They seek to limit the daily number of South Korean nationals at the complex to about 650, from the current 800, according to Seouls Unification Ministry. The park, the last major remaining symbol of inter-Korean cooperation, is considered a rare legitimate source of hard currency for the impoverished North. Last week, South Korea began barring those with no direct relations to the parks operations, such as clients and potential buyers. Responding to the Norths bomb test, US Secretary of State John Kerry has urged China, the Norths only major ally and biggest aid provider, to end business as usual with North Korea. Diplomats at a UN Security Council emergency session pledged to swiftly pursue new sanctions. For current sanctions and any new penalties to work, better cooperation and stronger implementation from China is seen as key. It may take weeks or longer to confirm or refute the Norths claim that it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, which would mark a major and unanticipated advance for its still-limited nuclear arsenal. Burma 14 Bills Postponed Until New Parliament Convenes Burmas Lower House of Parliament defers debate on 14 bills until the new assembly convenes in February. RANGOON Burmas Lower House of Parliament on Monday deferred debate on 14 bills until the new assembly convenes in February. The decision followed a request from the Lower House Draft Bill Committee that some bills be put on hold so as not to rush through complicated legislation on issues such as constitutional protection. Committee member Steven, a member of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), told lawmakers that the bills in question warranted more time to broadly discuss changes before passage. The postponed legislation includes the Nuclear Disaster Protection Bill and the Prison Bill, as well as amendments to the Constitutional Protection Bill, the Land Confiscation Bill, the 1950 Emergency Management Bill, the Private Education Bill, the Weapons Act and the Suppression of Prostitution Act. The current Parliament, dominated by the USDP, has had an industrious last session as it prepares to hand over a majority of seats to the National League for Democracy (NLD). The NLD, chaired by Aung San Suu Kyi, won a landslide vote in the Nov. 8 general election, handing the party a majority in both houses. The new assembly is scheduled to convene on Feb. 1. Burma Notable Absences as Political Dialogue Begins in Capital The Union Peace Conference begins in Naypyidaw, marking the beginning of political dialogue between the Burmese government and a fraction of the countrys ethnic armed groups. A five-day Union Peace Conference kicked off in Naypyidaw on Tuesday, marking the beginning of a long-sought political dialogue between the Burmese government and a fraction of the countrys ethnic armed groups. The government reached what it has termed a nationwide ceasefire agreement with eight of more than 20 non-state armed groups on Oct. 15, stipulating that political talks commence within 90 days. The majority of the countrys armed groups abstained from the deal, and while they were invited to attend the talks as observers, all of the non-signatories declined. Tuesdays event was nonetheless portrayed by the administration of President Thein Sein as a milestone in the peace process. The president remarked during the opening ceremony that the day marks one of the most significant days for us. Today we will write history together. Thein Sein notably added that one purpose of this weeks conference was to ease the handover of the peace process, one of Burmas most critical challenges, to the incoming government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. Suu Kyis party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) won a landslide victory in a Nov. 8 general election, granting it the power to form the new government that will assume power in February. The chairwoman has stated that the new administration will make the peace process its top priority. Among the speakers at Tuesdays opening ceremony were Suu Kyi, Lower House Speaker Shwe Mann, Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing and Chairman of the Karen National Union Mutu Say Poe. In her remarks, Suu Kyi stressed the importance of national unity despite shortcomings of the current peace agreement, emphasizing that it is important not to have division between those signed and those who not and suggesting that the framework for political dialogue be flexible. Shwe Mann, a former general and deposed chairman of the outgoing Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), also stressed the need for collaboration and reconciliation. Peace is for all of us, for the entire Union, he said, we must build peace rather than blame each other. Army Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing said the military maintained a 6-point policy on the peace process with three political objectives. The commander stood firm on the militarys demand to establish a single federal army, while urging some ceasefire non-signatories to join the peace process. The Tatmadaw [Burma Armed Forces] will keep the door open for those who have not signed out of good will, Min Aung Hlaing said. This conference represents the whole country, having representatives of the government, ethnic armed groups, the Parliament and the Tatmadaw. The Tatmadaw shall be the only armed group in the country, and the Tatmadaw welcomes those who wish to join from ethnic armed groups, he added. Business Shares Outstanding as Public Bus Company Nears Launch Burmas first public bus company, expected to launch in Rangoon late this month, raises 3.8 billion kyats in a shares sale to fund the service. RANGOON Burmas first public bus company, which is expected to launch routes in Rangoon late this month, has so far raised 3.8 billion kyats (US$2.9 million) in a sale of shares to fund the first phase of the transportation service, according to an official. The project will introduce a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system to Rangoon, aimed at reducing traffic congestion in the commercial capital. The rollout is being divided into phases, and the first phase of the project is projected to require a total of 25 billion kyats in capital. Through a public-private partnership, the government will provide 10 billion kyats, a 40 percent stake, with the remaining 15 billion kyats available to shareholders. Maung Aung, an adviser to the Ministry of Commerce who leads a committee responsible for forming the public company, said a total of 580 people had bought shares valued at 1.3 billion kyats as of Friday. Five private companies, described by Maung Aung as founders of the new bus companyDiamond Star, Shwe Taung, Shwe Than Lwin, Zeya & Associates, and Fisheries and Marine Products 2000 Ltd.have put down a total of 2.5 billion kyats so far, and will ultimately each hold 2 billion kyats in shares. Shares for the remaining 5 billion kyats stake went on sale beginning Nov. 3 and will be sold until the end of this month. We are selling each share for 100,000 kyats until the end of this month. But if we dont get the required amount, we will extend the period of sale or the founders will close the shortfall by buying the remaining shares, Maung Aung said, adding that preparations for the bus services launch were already underway, including importing new buses from China, Korea and Sweden, preparing a ticketing system, recruiting drivers and setting up new bus stops. Currently, hundreds of small, private companies operate thousands of daily buses throughout the city of more than 5 million residents. Many of the companies use old Japanese Hino Motors buses that are often crammed with passengers and lack air-conditioning. Some 2.2 million people make use of 365 bus lines across the city that are operated by companies that own some 6,000 buses, 4,000 of which are deployed every day, according to the Rangoon Division Supervisory Committee for Motor Vehicles. RBS Warns Investors To 'Sell Everything' Trending News: At Least One Bank Thinks Investors Will Lose Everything In 2016 Why Is This Important? Because this is how market crashes start. Long Story Short The Royal Bank of Scotland issued a report claiming that 2016 will be a "cataclysmic" year for investors, advising them to sell everything except high-quality bonds. Long Story Remember the recession of the late aughts, when subprime mortgage derivatives tanked the market and threatened the global economy? Thanks to emerging markets and a (somewhat effective) series of bailouts by the U.S. government, total disaster was averted and the financial uncertainty is a thing of the past now, right? Wrong, according to The Royal Bank of Scotland. They believe that 2016 may be the most disastrous year in recent memory, advising investors to "sell everything." "We think investors should be afraid," warned RBS credit chief Andrew Roberts. According to CNN Money, RBS is basing this almost comically hyperbolic doomsday outlook on multiple factors. One is that, globally, we're still in a recession our slow recovery is apparently not mirrored by all markets. Another is the very real fact that the price of oil is plummeting, due to both decreased demand and OPEC's inability to agree to reduce output. RBS believes that if oil drops as low as $30 per barrel, rock-bottom prices approaching $16/barrel aren't impossible. Weak corporate loans, deflation and ever-increasing debt are also areas of concern. Altogether, RBS believes that U.S. and European markets could drop anywhere from 10 to 20%. Roberts said that the overall mood of the market is similar to 2008, just before the Lehman Brothers collapse that kicked off the financial crisis. The danger of sweeping proclamations like this is that in some circumstances, they can become self-fulfilling. Bank of America, for instance, feels that the current selloff is temporary enough to have triggered their "contrarian buying signal," meaning prices are artificially low. However, if there continues to be bad news out of China (another area of concern for multiple banks), the sustained selling could snowball and metastasize to the point we're faced with yet another genuine bear market. Will all (or any) of this come to pass? Nobody knows! But if you were thinking about diversifying your investment portfolio, now might be a good time. Own The Conversation Ask The Big Question Should banks be allowed to issue sweeping, fear-mongering predictions like this? Disrupt Your Feed Somehow I think I'm not nearly rich enough for this to impact me in any meaningful way. Drop This Fact Oil prices have already dropped by 16% in 2016. Burma Locals Keep it Real at Pyin Oo Lwins Dee Doke Falls The local community around one of Pyin Oo Lwins coolest destinations is trying hard to ensure that Burmas natural beauty survives the winds of change. MANDALAY About 38 miles east of Mandalay, in Pyin Oo Lwins Magyi Inn village, Dee Doke waterfall crashes down into one of Burmas most stunning natural pools, and one of its many travel delights. The entrance to the waterfall, tucked away down a sleepy road off the highway, is peppered with small restaurants, each vying for incoming guests attention. Just past the strip, a small junction offers two routes to the pools. Elderly persons typically opt to stay on the ground level while younger travelers head uphill. Small huts, selling everything from slippers to snacks, line the rocky ascent to the top, where climbers can soak in a birds eye view of the ponds below, surrounded by beer-drinking youths. The preferred spot for many visitors is a terraced pool; a shallow, five-step body of water that ends in a punchbowl-shaped fall, the limestone underneath giving it luster. Around the pool, red warning letters advise against littering and breaking beer bottles, while urging visitors to be kind to nature. Though the site at times receives large crowds of tourists, the water remains immaculate. Merchants who work nearby say they all do their part to keep the place clean and welcoming. We collect trash every evening to make sure the area is clean, Maung Oo, a souvenir shop keeper, told The Irrawaddy on a recent visit. He said the vendors burn the trash and collect epty cans and bottles to sell to recyclers. The Dee Doke pools were discovered in 2000 by a group of geology students, but only since 2008 have they really caught the eye of tourists, who, in addition to the pristine waters, come to admire the stalactites that line the ceilings of nearby caves. Others prefer even more adventurous activities, such as climbing up steep surrounding hills where more caves have yet to be explored. Locals recalled one Western climber who attempted to scale the walls of one such cavern. Such freestyle climbing is inadvisable, howeverthe man went up without a hitch, but had trouble when he tried to come back down. One local, Than Than Yin, recalled the ill-fated attempt, as the man fell to the ground and was found unconscious. We had to call an ambulance, he said, we dont know if he survived or not. On a lighter note, the pools have opened up a broad debate about conservation in the area. While Dee Doke is beautiful on its own, visitors say its natural appeal is under threat by renovation. The ten-step pool, for instance, is the largest, and hence a draw for many swimmers. But it is also man-made; created by arranging sandbags to obstruct the natural water flows. The upgrade with the sandbags threatens nature, said Hla Hla Win, a visitor from Mandalay who has frequented the area since 2009. Other patrons were also critical of a surplus of shops, which they said spoiled views of the waterfront. Locals said a private company was angling to build a recreation center at the site, but the plan has faced mounting public criticism. Aye Aye Myint, a member of a local development committee, told The Irrawaddy that locals pushed back hard against the project. She said the company had presented a plan to loan retail space to local vendors, which was flatly rejected. Weve been working for years to develop this region with our own money, Aye Aye Myint said. And as soon as the area starts to grow, a company wants to come in and boss us around. The company made two attempts in early 2015 to persuade residents to sign onto development agreements but left empty-handed both times. Locals then sought permission from the government to build up a recreation center on their own. We got the green light from the Mandalay Division government last year, Aye Aye Myint said, elaborating on a plan that would not only reinvigorate the waterfall area but also include a sapling program to combat deforestation on the surrounding hills. Were also going to renovate the roads, trekking paths, shops and, of course, the pools. Locals are eager to develop the area, though some visitors said theyd prefer that things stay just as they are, reveling in the natural beauty that has, for the most part, remained intact despite some manipulation of the swimming areas and the addition of a few shops. Pyae Sone, a university student from Mandalay, said he worried that even a little development would bring unwanted and unsightly consequences. Some parts of the walkways are rocky, slippery and dangerous, Pyae Sone said, but the discos near some of the shops around the ponds are disrupting the serenity of nature. Three years ago, the area was very natural. We welcomed plans to upgrade the place, but now we see sandbags blocking waterways and destroying nature. If locals hadnt sought development advice from experts, the natural beauty of the area wouldnt be at risk and the ponds in jeopardy of becoming man-made. Interview NLD Spokesman: Over 10 Party Members Qualified for the Presidency National League for Democracy (NLD) spokesman Nyan Win sheds some light on the formation of a new government and its reforms plans. The National League for Democracy (NLD) is currently in the process of forming a government following its landslide victory in Nov. 8 elections. The outgoing Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) government is part of a bipartisan committee with NLD representatives that has been discussing the upcoming transfer of political power. Few details have been released so far, however, on the members of the future NLD government or its policies. The NLD is treading carefully in order to ensure a smooth transfer and appease the military, which retains considerable political powers under the 2008 Constitution. Last week, Myanmar Now reporter Htet Khaung Linn visited the NLDs Rangoon headquarters to interview party spokesman and central committee member Nyan Win about the power transfer and the policies and reform plans of the future government. How are the discussions on the transfer of power with the USDP government progressing? I was not involved in the discussions. However, I learned that the process is going well. I do not mean both sides have reached agreements on all the issues, [but] I just mean there is no serious deadlock in the discussions. Does the NLD have plans to select USDP members and incumbent government officials as members in the upcoming government? We cannot say anything about this at the moment. But what we can say now is that our government will focus on democracy and human rights, protection of our citizens and the rule of law. Some people assume a civilian president will have less influence over the military. Is that a concern for the NLD? It depends on the situation; who will become president, and what is the stance of the military? In countries across the world, civilian governments manage the country and the military is one of the institutions of a country. Such practices must be developed in this country. A Japanese news agency reported that you said the NLD has selected potential candidates for the presidential post. Who are they? This is not true, the reporting was wrong. I just told them that we have more than 10 people who are qualified for the presidential post, but their report stated that the NLD has 10 presidential candidates. My answer only meant that the NLD has many members who are well-experienced in politics, well-educated and very faithful to the party. The present government has had some weaknesses in releasing public information to the media. What is your plan for ensuring a speedy flow of information under a new NLD government? The Ministry of Information is responsible for releasing news. But we see important news stories need quotes from relevant sources to avoid legal complications. Do you mean the Ministry of Information will continue to exist? Exactly, but [we are not sure about whether] it is also possible to form information departments at respective government agencies and ministries. What does the NLD think of the development and infrastructure projects of President Thein Seins government? Have these been beneficial to the country and will you continue them? We have sought the governments information on these projects, but they have not given any responses to us yet. Our upcoming government needs to know the details of these projectshow were the projects initiated and to what extent have the projects been finalized? Only then could we continue these projects. We have not received the lists and results from these discussions. We could continue the projects based on this information. We will suspend the projects if the government budget for these projects isnt sufficient. What is your personal view of these projects? I think transparency is an important issue for these projects. If we dont get reliable information, we could not make any assessment of the projects. What will be the NLDs policy on defense and the army? The military is a vital organization for any country. The number of forces and units is not important, the military should be a modern army. What reforms does the NLD have in mind for the government administration? I believe the government bureaucratic system must be restored in our country to what it was in the past. It was destroyed by military regimes between 1962 and 2010 [and replaced by parallel military power structures]. President Thein Seins government tried to restore it by appointing permanent secretaries at the ministries. The administrative officials must be under the management of administration executives. We need to strengthen such management systems. Can you explain this in more detail? When political leaders lay down plans, administrative officials must implement them. However, political leaders must not intervene in the implementation processes as they have no capacity to do so. If policy-makers intervene in implementation processes, the system will not work well. For example, the military officials [during the junta] took administrative positions, saying they are capable of implementation in certain sectors. But they failed to do so correctly, as different [government] organizations have different procedures. Malta tops international exhibitor league table as the world of gaming innovation comes to ICE The latest exhibitor data released by organisers of next months ICE exhibition (2 4 February, ExCeL Centre, London), confirm that Malta will be the most represented nation on the show floor of the Gaming Technopolis. The Mediterranean island tops the ICE international league table with 34 exhibitors, followed by United States (23), Italy (18), Germany (13), Spain (11), Austria, Gibraltar & Slovenia (all 9) and Cyprus, Czech Republic and Netherlands (8 each). These figures clearly demonstrate that ICE is the most international business-to-business gaming exhibition, both in terms of visitors and exhibitors stated Marketing Director, Jo Mayer. Including host nation, the UK, ICE visitors will have access to the very best gaming innovators from a total of 62 nations, a statistic which is unrivalled in the sector. She added: The ability to meet, engage and discuss gaming solutions with innovators from throughout the world and in the process, get a truly international perspective as opposed to just a national or continental interpretation, goes some way to explaining why ICE represents such an invaluable opportunity for business and why so many industry professionals ensure they attend ICE the pop-up gaming city where ideas flourish, contacts are made and where discussions are all about the future. The 2015 edition of ICE secured a record attendance of 25,497, drawn from 133 nations. The independently audited attendance represented an 8% increase on the 2014 figures and 15% up on 2013. ICE is the only gaming event that brings together the entire gaming world and features innovators drawn from the casino, betting, bingo, lottery, mobile, online and street sectors. To register for tickets and for more information on ICE & the ICE Conference programme, visit: www.icetotallygaming.com Quelle: SJC Ltd. This Week in Review A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more. A DREAM came true for budding DJ Kevin Keen on Saturday when he got the chance perform at Destiny Nightclub in front of 2,000 clubbers. The 20-year-old student, of marketing and advertising at West Herts College, won his place on the podium after completing a six week course run by the club's resident DJ, Simon King. Mr Keen, of Roundway, West Watford, said: 'Performing to the crowd on Saturday was the best moment of my life. 'It was so exciting I was on a high throughout the next day. It was an amazing feeling to see clubbers jumping up and down to the music I played. When I told them to throw their hands in the air they did. 'Hopefully, I shall be able to do some more DJ work in the future and I am keeping my fingers crossed that Destiny will consider employing me on a casual basis.' Mr Keen has been a part time DJ career since he was 15. He said: 'I have done a little work at Kudos before it changed its name to Destiny but this time I had a better idea of what I was doing and didn't feel I had been thrown in at the deep end.' Kevin Keen in action The soaring homes market is leading to landlords attempting to drive out their tenants so that they can sell their properties during the boom. Prosecutions for harassment against tenants are soaring, with Brent Council currently taking several landlords to court. SWINDON police are appealing for information following the theft of 20 cash from an office at commercial premises in Cricklade Road, in Gorse Hill. The theft happened at about 4pm on Tuesday February 7. Millions of social media users are no strangers to posting their private lives online which makes it an advantage to share relevant and important life changing events with friends and family. It also makes it a disadvantage when you get tons of backlash, especially when Facebook mogul Mark Zuckerberg shares a photo with his baby getting vaccinated. Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan gave birth to their first child on December 1, 2015 and ever since, Mark has not been shy on posting all Max-related events online. The Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, shared a picture online. He probably thought the post of his daughter, Max, would be an adorable and innocent photo. Max and her father was at the doctor's on Friday, ready to get her first vaccination shots. Within seconds, the uploaded photo received both positive and negative comments from followers online. The photo of the two Zuckerbergs showed the 31 year old dad wearing a grey shirt and jeans sitting down while holding his one month old daughter on his lap wearing an adorable colored onesie. The picture was captioned: Time for vaccines! The photo which hadn't even timestamped to the minute received multiple debates from Facebook followers. One follower commented, "Thank you for being resonsible!", while some did not receive the uploaded picture quite well, saying... Do you honestly think that a beautiful healthy newborn baby needs injections of neurological-toxins to become safe for the public? And there are some who just shook their heads in disappointment. Rolling their eyes that people would even consider that the picture posted by the Facebook CEO was even worthy of all the attention it is getting. It's kinda sad that we now live in a world in which we congratulate people for vaccinating their kids. Look at how far we have regressed due to science illiteracy. Anti-vaccination movements have been a long-time debate for several years and users online have been very forward about expressing their opinions that vaccination is not ideal for human health. Pro-vaccination consumers have said otherwise. Amidst this online back and forth discussion, millions of Americans are still opting to vaccinate their children against diseases that usually affects children such as measles and chicken pox. Many celebrities had their start from places and jobs you may not probably think they ever did since they're all so famous and probably such posh socialites right now. Who would imagine a famous action star used to be a garbage truck driver? Well, it's best not to judge. These stars also tried to pay their bills before they became famous. John Boyega is not an exception. The Star Wars star was once a stock photo model. One wouldn't have imagined it but someone at the University of Nebraska saw an ad in their university and spotted Boyega. He shared the discovery online via Imgur with the caption: ...was a bit surprised to see Finn from Star Wars on a poster at my University The person responsible for the ad is photographer Chris Schmidt who acknowledged his work by posting it online via Facebook with this description: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... I did an education themed stock photo shoot with a bunch of teenage students; it turns out John Boyega did quite well afterwards. The force is strong with this one... Boyega used to model for Getty Images in an education theme. He was doing this stint before he was discovered to play his now-famous Star Wars role. One of his pictures featured him posing on a bench wearing a sweater with other models. The images trended and it wasn't long until Boyega got a hold of this news. In a social media response, using his Twitter handle @JohnBoyega, he retweeted the trending news and responded accordingly: Yep. Used the money for new trainers. So he used the money to buy new shoes. Boyega may had small goals at the time but it led him to bigger things like Star Wars. Let this be a lesson to aspiring actors and actresses to not give up and to always make use of their talents. It's not easy getting to the top but you have to start somewhere like John Boyega did. Keurig's financial nerve had a big itch last year and the investors had gone wild when the company's stock continuously fumbled since the start of 2015 until JAB Holdings saved the company with a deal that privately took the company by $92 per share. What happened before the free-fall and buy-out occured? The biggest earning product from the company was its K-Cups and K-Cup sales had flattened. The plummeting (down by 23%) brewer sales meant a bleak outlook for the company and its investors. Fears stemmed from buyers shifting to a different variety of coffee serves. Consumers are opting for brewing cups which are much more affordable on a per-cup analysis. The stock closed 2015 with $89.98 which was a 32% drop from the beginning of the year. If JAB Holdings weren't there to save the day, then Keurig would have been in big trouble. JAB Holdings bought out the company even though Keurig shows underwhelming stock value. The buy-out shows that JAB Holdings is still confident with the stable company regardless of the rise and fall of its stock values. When Keurig becomes a private company then it could be the best life line for the business. Shareholders will then be able to recover values lost. JAB Holdings is a private group of investors. They have amassed investments with premium brands in the consumer goods category. They also focus on luxury goods and coffee sectors which is one reason why it's interested with Keurig. Keurig in the future would be able to focus on putting more value to the business in partnership with JAB's other coffee brands, reports have indicated. Keurig is a single-serve brewer and coffee-pod manufacturing company which produces a beverage brewing system for home and commercial use. Owned by Keurig Green Mountain in Waterbury, Vermont, the company's main products are single-serve coffee containers, beverage pods, and proprietary brewers. The company has over 400 different brand varieties. Uber has been trending over the past year but at the start of 2016, it seems it's taking the first month of the year at a very slow place. To remedy this, Uber Technologies plans to drop prices in 80 cities in North America. The all-too convenient ride-hailing business hopes this new strategy will move the needle higher. Uber has announced that it will cut prices starting in Los Angeles and San Francisco by 10%, Houston by 20%, and Richmond, Virginia by 15%. Fare cuts are planned to extend to up to 100 cities. This move by Uber will be in effect indefinitely. Andrew Macdonald, the Regional General Manager of the company believes in price cuts when demands take a slow pace. This may sound like good news to ride-hailers hoping to save money but it might be a hit for Uber drivers. Lower fares might mean that drivers are going to make less for every ride. The lower prices may attract more ride-hailing consumers and Uber expresses that the price cuts can also be an advantage to the drivers, indicating that there should be an increase of the number of trips. Macdonald also explained that the drivers understand the logic behind this and they have been through price cuts before. Marketing efforts does explain the rationale behind this maneuver when it comes to cementing income for the first month of the year but some users believe that if this becomes long term (since Uber indicated it is in effect indefinitely), it might upset the drivers. The worst that could happen, if this is not remedied quickly and properly, would be Uber drivers shifting or doubling with Lyft - Uber's main U.S competitor. Seth Miller, an Uber driver, had this to say on Facebook: I knew this was never a full-time gig but hoped it would have lasted longer. Uber, wanting to take care of its drivers, mentioned that drivers will get guarantees. Which means drivers will receive a certain amount of money per hour where there are price cuts. To qualify, drivers must have been active on the system before Jan. 8 and accept 90%of ride requests. The amount guaranteed varies per city and time of day, with Uber making up for the difference. Currently, there are no plans to decrease prices in Chicago and New York, reports indicated. Allowing travellers to book rooms directly from the consumers's households, Airbnb has been labelled as a big threat to the hotel business. But according to a report by the Business Insider, Deutsche bank analysts say that it isn't just yet. According to a deep-dive research note written by Iona Dent and Geoff Collyer, Airbnb looks to be 'increasing the pie' rather than being a threat. "Currently, when cities sell out for an event, for example, and the market rate goes significantly higher than normal, we believe that is where Airbnb is currently offering a key alternative," they wrote. "Drawing an analogy with the low-cost airlines, such as easyJet and Raynair, it was clear these offerings expanded the travel market and opened up opportunities for those who would otherwise not have been able to travel, or certainly would have travelled less frequently otherwise," they added. They also noted that in major cities, hotel income per available room has stayed the same while the supply of rooms that included Airbnb listings have significally increased. The CEO of Hilton, Chris Nassetta, has also mentioned that Airbnb was not a major threat to his business. In Dent and Collyer's note, they have written that the effect across markets is eclectic and cities like New York and Paris have seen a larger impact as compared to Madrid and London. The two analysts also stated in their note that experience from the media and retail sectors have shown how rapidly incumbents can decline in the context of technology facilitated 'disruptive' entrants. In the words of Dent and Collyer, Airbnb is more of a complement rather than replacement, but this does not mean that the hotel chains should just ignore the possibility of Airbnb becoming a major threat to their businesses. Ultimately, the hotel chains are safe for now. 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Holding an UAE driving license is a plus factor.Kindly send CV & educational certificate to careers@alnahrainsafety.co By of the Just when everyone cant stop talking about Making a Murderer, news comes of another documentary about another sensational Wisconsin crime. Beware the Slender Man will premier at South by Southwest in Austin in March, the festival has announced The 117-minute film has been in the works since right after two 12-year-old Waukesha girls were charged in May 2014 as adults with trying to kill their sixth-grade classmate to placate Slender Man, an online fantasy character. Director Irene Taylor Brodsky, of Portland, Oregons Vermilion Pictures, was among the first of several documentarians interested in the case, and has had crews filming around Waukesha for months. Beware the Slender Man is also scheduled to appear on HBO next fall, a network spokeswoman confirmed. Brodsky persuaded some of the families involved, who have not talked with media except for the victims familys appearance on ABCs 20/20 in the fall of 2014. She declined to discuss the film Monday, saying she is still working with those families, who she said will see it before it premiers at SXSW. The SXSW synopsis reads: Beware the Slenderman tells the story of the internets elusive Boogeyman and two 12-year-old girls who would kill for him. Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier lured their best friend into the woods, stabbed her 19 times, then set out on an odyssey to meet the tall and faceless man known online as Slenderman. Shot over 18 months with heartbreaking access to the families of the would-be murderers, the film plunges deep down the rabbit hole of their crime, a Boogeyman and our societys most impressionable consumers of media. The entrance to the internet can quickly lead us to its dark basement, within just a matter of clicks. How much do we hold children responsible for what they find there? The case has been in limbo since September, when attorneys for both girls appealed a judge's decision not to send the cases to juvenile court. Geyser's attorney filed a brief last month, but attorneys for Weier and the state asked for extensions, and the new deadlines are in February. The girls, meanwhile, remain in custody at a West Bend juvenile detention center where they've been housed since their arrests, except for stays at state mental facilities for competency evaluations. Since mid-December, a dozen people have sent letters to the Court of Appeals opposing the girls' continued prosecution in adult court.. Check the Journal Sentinel's collected coverage of the Slender Man case here. SHARE By of the Madison-based Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin Inc., revived over the past few years after being on the brink of failure following the Great Recession, is being acquired by Indiana's largest bank for an estimated $461 million. The acquisition, set to close in the second quarter, will eliminate another Wisconsin corporate headquarters and introduce Old National Bank of Evansville, Ind. and its parent company, Old National Bancorp to the state's businesses and consumers. "Today's transaction is a culmination of the tremendous turnaround at Anchor and a win-win for our communities, customers, employees and shareholders," Chris Bauer, Anchor's president and chief executive, said in a statement announcing the deal Tuesday. Old National CEO Bob Jones said in a conference call with Wall Street analysts that his bank was drawn to Anchor BanCorp's AnchorBank because of its presence in some of Wisconsin's strongest markets and the opportunity to sell its products and services, such as wealth management, to AnchorBank customers. He called Madison "one of the most attractive markets in the Midwest." The deal, which involves 60% stock and 40% cash, gives Old National 46 branches in the state, including offices in the metro Madison and Milwaukee areas and the Fox Valley. "What Anchor really is is a great turnaround story. Chris Bauer has done a wonderful job of turning around this franchise with almost a 100-year history, and they represent just a great opportunity for us, particularly the markets they're in," Jones said. The future of AnchorBank looked bleak during and shortly after the recession, as the bank lost millions of dollars quarterly on real estate loans that soured. Bauer, a former Firstar Bank executive in Milwaukee, was brought in during 2009 to try to save the bank. In 2013, Anchor completed a $175 million recapitalization that gave it a fresh start. Anchor filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, which allowed it to cancel $183 million owed to other banks in exchange for $49 million in cash. The reorganization let Anchor wipe out $139 million owed to the U.S. Treasury under its Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, in a deal in which the Treasury received and immediately sold $6 million in Anchor stock. However, about 7,800 shareholders who were still invested in Anchor ended up with nothing in the reorganization. Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin went public again in 2014. The bank was profitable for eight consecutive quarters after the recapitalization. "It's hardly a surprise that the institutional investors who backed the recapitalization of AnchorBank a couple of years ago would be interested in liquidity reasonably quickly following the improvements in operating performance that have been achieved there," said Milwaukee-based investment banker Robert Edelman of Edelman & Co. Ltd. "What's more interesting is that Old National won the prize. Some other players may have had concerns relating to the competitive situation in Anchor's home market around Madison." In any case, Edelman said, "It's a positive for the state and industry that Old National, which has been an active acquirer, has chosen to expand into Wisconsin. There's every reason to believe they will be looking to invest more capital here." In an interview Tuesday, Bauer said potential acquirers noticed the turnaround. "We got to a point where we had really stabilized as a company, growing, having profitability again," Bauer said. "It grabbed the attention of a number of other institutions and investment bankers. At the end, we kind of had to make a decision, 'Do we start doing mergers, which we were capable of doing, and grow the company ourselves? Or do we find a partner?'" Since the reorganization, AnchorBank has sold off branches in some communities. It also has offered employee buyouts. AnchorBank had about 530 employees through Sept. 3, compared with about 1,000 at the end of 2009, regulatory data shows. "We believe this is a very good strategic fit. But probably more importantly, as I mentioned, Chris and his team have done an excellent job. This is a company that is extremely well-positioned for growth," Jones said. "They've done all the hard lifting." Jones said Old National had identified "over 30% in cost savings" from the acquisition. With assets of about $2.2 billion, AnchorBank is the fourth-largest bank based in Wisconsin. Green Bay's Associated Bank, Racine's Johnson Bank and Brown Deer's Bank Mutual are larger. AnchorBank will be converted to the Old National name, and Bauer will stay on for a while to help with the transition, Jones said. "It's sort of that last step for me," Bauer said. "On the other hand, there is a great future for AnchorBank the legacy organization simply under the name of Old National. Our customers, our communities, our associates, they are all going to be very well-off in this transaction. So I feel like what I'm doing here is handing everything off to a great shepherd of the future. With their products and services and capabilities, I think you're going to see a real dynamic player in the marketplace." Old National has assets of almost $12 billion. In addition to Indiana, Old National has branches in Michigan and Kentucky. It has a few branches in Illinois, but not in the metro Chicago market. Under terms of the agreement, Anchor shareholders may elect to receive either 3.5505 shares of Old National common stock or $48.50 in cash 14% more than Monday's closing price of $42.54 for each share of Anchor they hold. No more than 40% of the Anchor shares can be exchanged for cash. Shares of Anchor closed up $1.63 Tuesday at $44.17. Shares of Old National closed down four cents at $12.48. Statistics show that there has been a mark improvement in the GCE General and a drop in the GCE Technical. Also, there has been an improve... SHARE By of the AT&T is experimenting with offering an unlimited data plan to smartphone customers, while promoting its DirecTV and U-Verse services, but some telecom experts say the new plan has some flaws. Under the promotion, announced Monday, new and existing AT&T wireless customers who have or add DirecTV or U-Verse to their account, can get unlimited data for watching video, playing games and surfing the Web on their mobile devices. The new plan, with one phone and a first year of DirecTV, costs at least $110 a month and the rate increases after a year when the DirecTV promotional price expires. That's also not including taxes, fees or the cost of the phone itself. While AT&T ended its unlimited data offering in 2010 for new customers, followed by Verizon in 2012, the plans with qualifiers still exist. "Our new AT&T unlimited plan is our best value yet. With the fourth (phone) line free after a $40 monthly bill credit, a family can connect four smartphones, with unlimited video streaming, unlimited data, unlimited talk and text, for $180 a month ($220 a month until bill credits begin within two bill cycles)," said AT&T spokeswoman Samara Sodos. The company is offering a $500 "switcher credit" to new or existing DirecTV or U-verse TV subscribers who are not currently AT&T wireless customers. Those customers can get a $300 bill credit plus a $200 trade-in credit or promotion card. T-Mobile and Sprint currently offer unlimited data plans for new customers. But they throttle, or slow, the speed after someone consumes 23 gigabytes of data making it less useful for video. AT&T says it may slow someone's online speeds if they reach 22 gigabytes of data usage a month which would be about 25 hours of high-definition video or if there's network congestion. "Twenty-two gigabytes sounds like a lot of data. But if you start streaming media, you can chew through it in a week or two," said Brian Kirsch, an information technology instructor at Milwaukee Area Technical College. AT&T says, for the most part, its unlimited data plan won't compromise video quality through throttling. "If you're on this unlimited plan ...andyou exceed 22 gigabytes usage in a month, andyou're in an area where the network is heavily congested at that moment in time ...then speeds could vary, and as a result it is possible video quality might be affected," Sodos said. AT&T got into legal trouble because it previously throttled unlimited plans once a customer used 5 gigabytes of data a month. The company eventually relaxed the policy so that unlimited data users would be slowed only after they used 22 gigabytes in a month, and even then only when the network was congested. But the carrier is fighting a lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission and a $100 million fine levied by the Federal Communications Commission. Technically, the unlimited data plans are unlimited. But once the speeds are throttled, they become unusable for many purposes, said Brian Spaid, a Marquette University assistant professor of marketing. "I think it's curious that they are dusting off this unlimited plan and bringing it back. AT&T stopped offering it (in 2010) because they finally figured out how much data their customers were using when they became addicted to smartphones," Spaid said. "This unlimited plan is definitely different than the past because it looks like they're tying it to customers who already have U-Verse or will sign up. That alone could make the unlimited data offering worth it if the U-Verse accounts are essentially subsidizing it," Spaid added. The new plan doesn't allow tethering, which is a form of using your phone as a mobile Wi-Fi hot spot, and telecom experts say the contract should be read carefully. "It's a limited, unlimited plan. This is an offer that's going to have so much fine print, you will need a lawyer to understand it," said Barry Orton, a recently retired telecommunications professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Associated Press contributed to this report. SHARE By of the GE Healthcare announced Monday it will move its global headquarters from the United Kingdom to Chicago. The company said the move would be effective early this year and is designed to move the top leadership for its health care business "closer to operations in Chicago and Milwaukee, while remaining near an international transportation hub." GE Healthcare, which employs about 6,000 people in Wisconsin and 51,000 worldwide, had total revenue of $18.3 billion in 2014. GE moved the headquarters of its health care business to London from Waukesha in 2004 after it bought Amersham plc for $10 billion. According to GE, Amersham will retain the head office for the global life sciences business, as well as the base for GE Healthcare's operations in the United Kingdom. In a statement Monday, John Flannery, GE Healthcare president and CEO, said the company is "excited to strengthen GE's roots in Chicago, where we will continue our focus on being the leading provider of outcome-based solutions for the health care industry. Chicago has a rich industrial heritage, terrific international transportation links and is close to some of the world's leading health care and academic institutions. It is also ideally located for many of GE Healthcare's operations." Asked if Wisconsin was considered for the global headquarters, Benjamin Fox, a GE spokesman, said he could not comment on the decision-making process. He stressed, however, that "a key part of the move" was being close to key manufacturing centers in both southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois as well as access to international transportation hubs. Wisconsin remains the home base and headquarters for key GE Healthcare product lines and imaging businesses, including computerized tomography, magnetic resonance, x-ray, and the unit's services and life care solutions businesses, Fox said. "Wisconsin will also remain a hub for global manufacturing and leadership, and now be much closer geographically than before to the global CEO and headquarters," Fox said in an email. As the global headquarters, Chicago is near not only the Wisconsin operations in Wauwatosa, Waukesha and Madison but also GE Healthcare operations in Barrington and Arlington Heights, Ill., Fox said. Last fall, a separate unit of GE announced plans to stop manufacturing engines in Waukesha. Blaming Congress for its failure to reauthorize the U.S. Export-Import Bank, an institution that finances sales of U.S. industrial equipment to overseas customers, General Electric said it would move that work to Canada. About 350 jobs will be lost over the next several years at the Waukesha plant, where GE Power & Water, a division of Fairfield, Conn.-based GE, builds engines used in the petroleum industry. GE said its decision would not be reversed if the political dispute over the Ex-Im Bank was resolved. Reauthorization of the bank was finalized last month after votes in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. SHARE By of the Marcus Theatres Corp.'s proposed new cinema at Greendale's Southridge Mall would have sit-down dining in all of its auditoriums, marking a different approach for the theater chain's food and beverage services. That's according to new information filed with the village Plan Commission, which is to review the proposal at its Wednesday meeting. The company's plans, initially disclosed in December, call for an eight-screen cinema in the northeast corner of the mall property, 5300 S. 76th St. That site is now an underused parking lot. The building is designed to allow for adding four more screens in the future, according to the new information from Marcus. And the cinema would have a more extensive dining service than the chain's 53 other locations throughout the Midwest. It would include a full-scale commercial kitchen. "Unique to this new Southridge cinema, servers will take patrons' orders and deliver fresh-prepared food and beverages to seats in every auditorium, including the service of alcoholic beverages to patrons 21 and over," the proposal said. "Patrons may also enjoy casual fare and libations in an upscale lounge located near the theater lobby, complete with seasonal outdoor seating," it said. The company didn't immediately respond Monday to requests for more information about the Southridge proposal. Marcus offers its Big Screen Bistro dining service within a limited number of auditoriums at just three cinema locations. A typical menu includes sandwiches, pizzas and wraps, as well as entrees such as pasta, fish & chips and risotto. The only Milwaukee-area location with that service is the Majestic Cinema of Brookfield, where it is provided in three of the 16 auditoriums. The other Big Screen Bistro locations are in Omaha, Neb., and Sun Prairie. Marcus operates Take Five Lounges at 15 cinemas, including four in southeastern Wisconsin. The lounges offer a more limited menu, featuring mainly drinks and appetizers. The Southridge cinema would be open most days from 9 a.m. until the end of the last movie showing at around 2:30 a.m. In addition to movies and dining, it would host special events such as business meetings and private parties, the proposal said. Southridge Mall has undergone a revival in recent years, drawing new stores and restaurants after the 2012 opening of a Macy's department store. Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group Inc. operates the mall. Facebook: facebook.com/JSBusiness Twitter: twitter.com/TomDaykin David Bowies physical presence and gestures, as seen here as The Archer in 1976, are at the core of his art as a musician and performance artist. Credit: John Rowlands Mary Louise Schumacher Art City An online journal about visual art, the urban landscape and design. Mary Louise Schumacher, the Journal Sentinel's art and architecture critic, leads the discussion and a community of writers contribute to the dialogue. SHARE I can't quite decide whether the voluptuous David Bowie retrospective at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art is one of the more brilliant exhibits I've seen at an art museum or stone cold daft. It's brilliant because there is no reason that Bowie, who has fiercely made and remade art from his life, shouldn't be given his due in the temples of art (though some will certainly bemoan this). Bowie is that rare intersection of high art and pop icon, as much a part of the universe of Joseph Beuys and Cindy Sherman as that of Lou Reed and Brian Eno. It's bonkers because what becomes evident in the show, where we see footage of a young Bowie exploring put-on personae as an avant-garde mime, is how much of his art resides in his limbs and gestures. All of the glorious costumes put on display, from the Ziggy Stardust jumpsuit laid out in a glowing coffin-like box to the tattered Alexander McQueen-designed Union Jack coat for the cover of "Earthling," remind us of what's absent and what's most artful in Bowie's oeuvre: Bowie. Still, a little carnal longing seems deliciously apt for "David Bowie Is," the globe-trotting and attendance-record-breaking exhibit organized by London's Victoria and Albert Museum and making its only U.S. stop in Chicago. Bowie, who was not directly involved in the show and who hasn't in fact seen it, gave the curators unprecedented access to his impeccably kept archive, resulting in a show of more than 300 objects, including photographs, handwritten lyrics, drawings, models, word collages, film clips, synthesizers, paintings, frocks and, of course, music. The question for a show like this, especially for an art museum dedicated to contemporary practice, is whether audiences can actually experience something of Bowie's art as opposed to a taxidermied version of it. It's a dilemma of our time for museums, actually. Can you meaningfully re-create the essence of a live work of art? Do you settle for a display of didactics and memorabilia? Or might there be some other way? "David Bowie Is," a show with a title that emphasizes the present tense, offers a flash of an answer, I think. Part of that answer comes in the form of sound, which appropriately is an art object in its own right in this show. The audio guide isn't optional. It's assumed. I'm not a fan of such guides, of experts chattering in my ear telling me how to look at art. But this was different, like crawling inside a womb of music and words. It cloistered me away from other museum-goers, creating a sense of lucid solitude. I'd take a step or turn my head and the soundscape might cut, fade or shift, thanks to new, location-based technology. One moment Major Tom's countdown was in my ears and images of that melancholy astronaut floating peculiarly on a screen before me. The famous image of Earth from space was there, too, as were posters for "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "A Clockwork Orange," all part of the rabid cultural scavenging Bowie was doing at the time. The next moment I was glancing at Bowie in those tan, bell-shaped slacks he wore for the back side of the "Hunky Dory" album cover. Katharine Hepburn-style, he is so fierce and feminine. I forget what he was saying in my ear just then, something about how he might have been a novelist in another life, I think. I was both discovering and sort of performing this exhibit in a way that was unique to my own curiosity and movements. So was everyone else in the room. We were "surfing the chaos" together, to borrow a term from Bowie. It was all so strangely live. So, while I may have been pining after Bowie's body in a where-is-the-art kind of way, I was relocated in my own. We're turned into remote controls, of a sort. It's an imperfect system created by German company Sennheiser, but there is something inventive and generous happening here. Trinkets and photographs At the same time, the exhibit can't quite escape certain museum conventions. The artist who revered William S. Burroughs and his cut-up and reassembled narratives is largely spoon-fed to us in a chronological march of pretty, trinket-filled vitrines. It's unavoidable, really, and memorabilia-hungry Bowie-philes will swoon for the baby pictures, the tissue once used to blot Bowie's lipstick, the cocaine spoon, the keys to the Berlin flat he shared with Iggy Pop and the ridiculously spectacular costumes. There are a few things from the era before Bowie was Bowie, when he was still David Robert Jones, the boy who grew up in a drab London suburb dreaming of America and getting music lessons from Peter Frampton's dad. He changed his name to avoid confusion with Davy Jones the Monkee. We find a taped-up, sweetly framed picture of Little Richard with his glamorous coif and hurling a saddle shoe up on the piano. Bowie bought it at Woolworth's when he was 10 or 11 years old and kept it his whole life. Some sure-handed early sketches are here, too, including a pencil drawing of his mother, who had the same cheekbones and serious mouth. There are the early photographs that the curators love to say show us the clean-cut boy in full possession of his presence. It's as if he peered through the camera lens as a teenager and envisioned us all here streaming into his big museum blowout, they say. Then there's the whole unfurling of Bowie's carefully crafted characters, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and the Thin White Duke, the strongest section of the exhibit. When the world of rock 'n' roll was rooted in the real, searching for authenticity, Bowie was striding rebelliously in glittery heels toward artifice and pure imagination. He singlehandedly reframed sexuality and gender as a spectrum. The trim, sky-blue suit Bowie wore for "Life on Mars" strikes a pose beside the music video in which it stars. The gallery is immersed in white space, a little chapel of music prompting us to pause. High overhead, the ceiling glows orange, matching that famous mullet. A nice touch. I look into those close shots of Bowie's distinctive eyes, beautifully painted in aquamarine, and roll those haunting lyrics around in my mind. Like a lot of great art, you've got to bring a lot of yourself to such words. In a room devoted to the Berlin years, we find truly remarkable Dada-inspired portraits of Iggy Pop and Yukio Mishima painted by Bowie while he was working on the "Heroes" and "Low" records. Iggy's eyes seem to glow in the midst of his angular, blue face as if they're lit by electricity. For years, Bowie slept beneath his image of Mishima, we learn, one of the more telling revelations of the show. The Japanese writer and bodybuilder fused art and life in the most radical of ways. He committed a form of ritual suicide that he considered a work of art. We also find the geometric tuxedo suit Bowie wore for his Saturday Night Live performance in 1979, an outfit inspired by the Constructivists and resembling the costumes of the Bauhaus-era Triadic Ballet. On a lighter and more lowbrow note, the stuffed pink poodle from the same SNL performance that had a TV stuck in its mouth and simulcast the performance as it happened is here, too. For all that I'm giving away and hinting at, there's still so much more. The show does sling past much of the 1980s and '90s, tiptoes past Bowie's film career, where we find he was a better actor on stage as a musician than he has been in films. There is a wonderful clip of him bringing "The Elephant Man" to life on stage, though. He did it sans prosthetics, with nothing but voice and gesture. Immersed in multimedia The culminating showpiece is a giant room turned into an immersive multimedia experience that spans much of his career. Screens, projections, lighting, mannequins, costumes and footage of some of Bowie's best performances are combined in a way that are, at moments, concert-like and may hint at new things for museums. I slipped off the headphones and was in the aural soup of "Jean Genie," one of the more driving, cheerful, strange songs Bowie ever wrote. I watch footage of him defining his cheek bones in pink paint like a Fauvist. It's perfect, or almost. I only wish the room were bigger (as it was at the V&A) and there was a place to dance or lie down for a few hours and soak it in. Museums are just too polite that way. We walk away from this massive show, with its sexy Louis Vuitton sponsorship, Tumblr blog and $100 "superfan" tickets (no longer for sale), with an appreciation for the alien being who fell to Earth and bent to his will every canon he touched, those of art, music, fashion, design and performance. Still, the more profound and subtly emphasized story of "David Bowie Is" is about the all-too-human artist hard at work, a vulnerable and intuitive person with a voracious appetite for meaning, for making things and for an audience. It's in some of the quieter artifacts where Bowie's ideas and aspirations unfold before our eyes. They're in the fluidly scribbled and crossed-out lyrics and notes. They're in the felt-tip pen drawings for the "Ashes to Ashes" video or his dark, unrealized screenplay. They're in the wonderfully fussy conceptual sketches for his makeup and stage sets. This is a David Bowie I knew nothing of. This is a David Bowie who gives us license to be inspired, to create and to be ourselves. Mary Louise Schumacher is the Journal Sentinel's art critic. Follow her coverage on Twitter (@artcity), Facebook (www.facebook.com/artcity) and Instagram (marylouises). Email her at mschumacher@journalsentinel.com. If you go "David Bowie Is" is on view through Jan. 4 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago. Tickets are $25. Children 7 to 12 years old are $10, and children 6 and younger are free. Tickets are limited, and are purchased for a specific date and time. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling (312) 397-4066 during museum hours. By of the Twisted Willow in Port Washington will serve a four-course Scottish-inspired dinner on Jan. 30 that's a nod to the Burns suppers, which celebrate the poet Robert Burns. The Balvenie 14-year Caribbean cask whisky will be poured for the opening toast. The menu includes Scotch broth, served with Bellhaven Scottish ale; haggis, pickled carrots and soda bread with a cocktail; a choice of seared salmon with bubble and squeak or prime rib with parsnip potato cake and Brussels sprouts, served with claret, or red Bordeaux; and cranachan, the parfait-like dessert of oatmeal, whipped cream and raspberries, served with the Scottish drink Atholl Brose. Dinner, which is $70.95 with drink pairings or $55.95 without, will be on the first floor of the restaurant. Reserve seats by calling (262) 268-7600. Twisted Willow is at 308 N. Franklin St. Know of an upcoming event centered on dining, cooking or spirits? Email cdeptolla@journalsentinel.com. Blasts From the Past Highlights from this day in history Blasts From the Past looks at significant events that happened on this day in history. SHARE The cast of All in the Family. x Today's highlights in history On Jan. 12, 1966, the TV series "Batman," inspired by the comic book and starring Adam West and Burt Ward as the dynamic duo, premiered on ABC, airing twice a week on consecutive nights. On this date In 1773, the first public museum in America was organized in Charleston, S.C. In 1828, the United States and Mexico signed a Treaty of Limits defining the boundary between the two countries to be the same as the one established by an 1819 treaty between the U.S. and Spain. In 1915, the U.S. House of Representatives rejected, 204-174, a proposed constitutional amendment to give women nationwide the right to vote. In 1959, Berry Gordy Jr. founded Motown Records (originally Tamla Records) in Detroit. In 1971, the groundbreaking TV sitcom "All in the Family" premiered on CBS. In 1998, Linda Tripp provided Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's office with taped conversations between herself and former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. In 2010, Haiti was struck by a magnitude-7 earthquake; the Haitian government has said 316,000 people were killed, while a report prepared for the U.S. Agency for International Development suggested the death toll may have been between 46,000 and 85,000. Ten years ago: Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish gunman who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981, was released from an Istanbul prison after serving more than 25 years in Italy and Turkey for the plot against the pontiff and the slaying of a Turkish journalist. Five years ago: President Barack Obama visited Tucson, Ariz., the scene of a deadly shooting rampage, where he urged Americans to refrain from partisan bickering and to embrace the idealistic vision of democracy held by 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, the youngest of the victims. One year ago: France deployed thousands of troops to protect sensitive sites, including Jewish schools and neighborhoods, in the wake of terror attacks that killed 17. Associated Press SHARE By of the A 14-year-old girl was wounded by gunfire on Milwaukee's north side Monday afternoon shortly after two teenagers were wounded in a double shooting on the city's northwest side, police said. The girl was shot shortly after 3:30 p.m. in the 2300 block of W. Keefe Ave., according to a news release from the Milwaukee Police Department. She was taken to a hospital with an injury that is not life-threatening, according to the release. The shooting was reported about two hours after a two men, ages 18 and 19, were shot in the 5200 block of N. 76th St., according to police. The two were taken to a hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening and police were seeking a suspects in the shootings, according to the release. Wauwatosa Police Chief Barry Weber talks about a police-involved shooting Monday during a news conference Tuesday. Credit: Ashley Luthern By of the Authorities are piecing together the chain of events in Wauwatosa that began with an apartment resident dialing 911 to report possible domestic violence next door and ended with officers shooting a man armed with a knife and finding a woman dead under an apartment balcony. About 8 p.m. Monday, a resident of Normandy Apartments in the 2500 block of N. 124th St. reported hearing a woman screaming in the unit upstairs and other commotion indicating a possible domestic violence situation, Wauwatosa Police Chief Barry Weber said during a news conference Tuesday. Two officers were dispatched, and shortly after they arrived, a tenant reported someone had jumped off an outside balcony where the domestic violence had been reported, Weber said. After that, officers contacted dispatchers and said they were running after a male suspect on the apartment complex property, and another police squad was sent to help, the chief said. Officers caught up with the man just east of N. 124 St. and a "violent, physical struggle ensued," Weber said. The man drew a kitchen knife and attacked a Wauwatosa police supervisor, slashing and stabbing at him, according to preliminary information provided by Weber. Two officers caught up with the man and their supervisor, saw the struggle and each fired one shot, Weber said. The man, 34, was hit with two rounds, and officers performed lifesaving measures before paramedics arrived and took him to Froedtert Hospital, where he remained Tuesday for treatment, the chief said. The investigation led officers back to the original apartment where the incident began. Officers did not find anyone inside, but a 32-year-old woman was found in the snow underneath the apartment balcony, Weber said. Paramedics attempted to treat the woman, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman did not appear to have been shot or stabbed, and her cause of death is under investigation by the Milwaukee County medical examiner's office. Weber said it was unclear if the tenant who reported seeing someone jump off the balcony was referring to the man who fled or the woman who was later found. The man and woman resided at the same apartment, though other details about their relationship were not immediately available Tuesday. Weber said he did not believe the department had any prior domestic violence complaints involving the two. The 50-year-old patrol supervisor with 15 years of experience was treated at a hospital for injuries on his hands and released. The two officers who fired the shots are 36 and 31 years old, and both have five years of law enforcement experience. All officers involved have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure, Weber said. "Although it's still very early in our investigation, it appears they acted responsibly, professionally," Weber said. Wauwatosa police are investigating the woman's death while Milwaukee police investigate the officer-involved shooting. Once the Milwaukee police investigation is complete, the information will be turned over to the Milwaukee County district attorney's office, a Milwaukee police spokesman said Tuesday. In 2009, an armed robbery investigation at a nearby Chinese restaurant led Wauwatosa police officers to the same apartment complex, where one officer was ambushed and shot by the suspects. The officer recovered from her injuries, and three people were charged in the shooting. Officers Jason Sweeney (left) and Eric Anderson are the Town of Geneva police officer involved in a fatal officer-involved shooting Friday afternoon. By of the The Town of Geneva Police Department has identified its two officers involved in a fatal officer-involved shooting Friday in the town. Officers Eric Anderson, 41, and Jason Sweeney, 39, have been placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome of an investigation by the Walworth County Sheriff's Office and the state Department of Justice, Police Chief Steven R. Hurley said. Anderson and Sweeney are 12-year veterans of the department. The two officers fatally shot Eric C. Olsen, 26, after he charged at them with a large knife, according to Hurley. Anderson and Sweeney were dispatched about 5:10 p.m. Friday to a complaint of a man breaking a window with an ax at a residence at W3836 Lincoln Drive, near Olsen's own residence. After the officers made contact, officials said, Olsen charged at them armed with the knife. No officer was injured in the incident. The department employs 12 officers. SHARE By of the A woman was found dead outside a Wauwatosa apartment Monday night where police shot a man suspected of being involved in domestic abuse incident when the man attacked an officer with a sharp object. Police were called to the Normandy Apartments in the 2500 block of N. 124th St. about 8 p.m. for the domestic disturbance, Police Chief Barry Weber said. According to Weber, when officers arrived they began chasing a man before he attacked an officer with an edged weapon. At least one other officer shot the man, who was taken to a hospital, where his condition was not available late Monday. The officer was also taken to a hospital but is expected to "be OK," Weber said. During their investigation police found the body of a woman believed to be involved in the domestic incident outside an apartment, however Weber said he did not know how she died. Wauwatosa police are investigating the woman's death while Milwaukee police investigate the officer-involved shooting, Weber said. No further information on the incident was available late Monday. While we are living in a world of chaos and social unrest as we know it, it will become more so. If you are a Christ follower you will see more and more intolerance towards your faith. You will see brutality as they have in other countries. There is only one way, it's Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Jesus. One way, NOT MANY WAYS! John 14:6 Jesus told him, I am the Wayyes, and the Truth and the Life. No one can get to the Father except by means of me. told him, I am theyes, and the Truth and the Life. Nocan get to the Father except by means of me. John 17:3 way to have eternal lifeby knowing you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth! And this is theto have eternal lifeby knowing you, the only true God, andChrist, theyou sent to earth! John 18:22 One of the soldiers standing there struck Jesus with his fist. Is that the way to answer the High Priest? he demanded. of the soldiers standing there struckwith his fist. Is that theto answer the High Priest? he demanded. 2 Corinthians 11:4 You seem so gullible: you believe whatever anyone tells you even if he is preaching about another Jesus than the one we preach, or a different spirit than the Holy Spirit you received, or shows you a different way to be saved. You swallow it all. 1 Thessalonians 1 King James Version (KJV) 1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; 3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; 4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. 5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. 6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost. 7 So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. 9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; 10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. For you [who are born-again have been reborn from abovespiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified and] are all children of God [set apart for His purpose with full rights and privileges] through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union with the Christ, the Anointed] have clothed yourselves with Christ [that is, you have taken on His characteristics and values]. There is [now no distinction in regard to salvation] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you [who believe] are all one in Christ Jesus [no one can claim a spiritual superiority]. Galatians 3:26-28 AMP The Pope of the Catholic church is wrong, so very and dangerously wrong. It's not what the Word of God says, not even what the Catholic Bible says. It is about love, but we are to bring the truth of God to the ends of the earth, not accept others beliefs as ours as well. There is a difference. We serve a mighty God! We serve a God of truth and love, we serve a God that deems us righteous and redeemed. We don't have to worship many gods, we just need to worship one God, the Triune. God the Father, send Jesus His Son, and the Holy Spirit who is the comforter. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (left) and Gov. Scott Walker (right), in particular, bear watching after the latest fight over open records. Credit: Associated Press Thank you to every Wisconsin citizen who let his or her elected representatives and appointed officials know that they wanted clean, transparent government in this state. On Monday, the obscure state Public Records Board unanimously vacated its recent move to expand the kind of electronic records that can be deleted and kept from public view. But please remain vigilant and keep an eye on the efforts of officials to hide their work from the public, especially when those records reveal something embarrassing or show favoritism toward campaign donors and special interests. This is especially true for members of Gov. Scott Walker's administration and for Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester). Citizens won this round over government secrecy, but there will be more rounds. The board backed away from its recent move to limit citizen access to some state records after an eruption of criticism from across the state and from across the political spectrum. Nearly 1,900 emails and letters flooded into the board in time to meet a midnight Wednesday deadline for written comments. Journal Sentinel reporters reviewed more than 100 of the emails and found that every one criticized the board's earlier action and many called for rescinding the move. Once again, Wisconsin citizens stood up for open government in the face of powerful interests that wanted secrecy, just as they did last July 4, when Walker and Vos led a secretive effort to gut the state's open records law by sneaking a last-minute provision into the state budget. Shortly after citizens beat back that effort, the Public Records Board quietly voted last summer to change the definition of records deemed to have only temporary significance, which includes text messages and posts to social media. Although the board made no mention of this in its meeting minutes and no news organization knew of it, the Department of Administration used that new definition the very next day to deny a records request for text messages about efforts to obtain taxpayer money for a campaign donor's failing business. Republicans, Democrats and independents alike attacked the board's move and came out in favor of open, honest government. Thomas Kamenick, deputy counsel for the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, a conservative group, wrote: "Allowing government officials to subjectively determine whether a particular government record can be destroyed is an invitation to abuse. Giving officials such discretion robs the sovereign people of their right to oversee government action." This most recent battle over records comes after other attempts to make government less transparent last summer. Only two weeks after leaders in Madison were forced by the public to reverse themselves on the state budget amendment slashing open records, Vos began work on a new bill to grant legislators vast new rights to hide their records. Apparently, when caught, he backed down. And the Republican-controlled Legislature recently passed legislation that ended a requirement that campaign donors disclose where they work, which will make it harder to track donations. This came after a GOP donor was caught funneling money through his company and employees to get around the limits. The Public Records Board did the right thing on Monday; the board did the only thing it could reasonably do in the face of such withering criticism and requests for an investigation into its likely violation of state open meetings laws. Twice in six months, citizens have had to face down Walker and top legislators who sought to abuse their power. Don't bet these power brokers won't try again. Citizens must remain on guard. SHARE By of the A Washington County sheriff's deputies determined a 41-year-old Fond du Lac man was in the midst of an opiate overdose when he was taken into custody for suspected first-offense drunken driving. The Sheriff's Office received several 911 calls about 5:45 p.m. Sunday reporting a northbound vehicle in Interstate 41 near Holy Hill Road that was driving in the emergency lane, tailgating, flashing blinker lights randomly, swerving and traveling 20 mph below the speed limit, according to a news release Monday. A deputy pulled the driver over on I-41 in Addison and took the driver to a local fire department for field sobriety testing because of the cold weather, the release said. Based on the test, the deputy arrested the man and the driver was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital for a blood draw. Deputy Chris Killey a trained drug recognition expert was dispatched to the hospital for an evaluation at the request of the deputy. Killey saw the man displaying several early indicators of a pending opiate overdose with symptoms ranging from difficulty breathing to a high heartbeat. The man was taken to the emergency room where a doctor agreed with Killey's assessment and gave the man Narcan, a prescription drug that can reverse a heroin or other opiate overdose, according the release. Further testing showed that the driver also was suffering liver failure and he was admitted to intensive care unit for treatment. SHARE Keith Kaiman, in a 1998 photo Journal Sentinel files By of the Port Washington How far would you go to help your teenager fight a drinking ticket? A former mayor of Cedarburg's efforts on behalf of his daughter in 2013 landed him in front of a jury facing even more serious charges misconduct in public office, a felony. Prosecutors say Keith Kaiman, 58, used his notary stamp to falsely suggest he had personally witnessed written statements from two of his daughter's friends indicating she had not been drinking at a gathering near a Cedarburg quarry. But a jury late Monday afternoon took about an hour to find Kaiman not guilty at the end of the unusual one-day trial. Kaiman, after hugging his wife, daughter and attorney, blamed the whole affair on Ozaukee County courthouse insiders he says unfairly blame him for Joseph Voiland's upset victory over longtime judge Thomas Wolfgram in 2013, after running on the issue of Wolfgram having signed a petition for the recall of Gov. Scott Walker. "No one should go through this because of a political position," he said. Kaiman, who did not testify, has been a leader in GOP politics in Ozaukee County, and said he took no steps to endorse either candidate in the race. He called the special prosecutor who handled his case "a puppet' of Ozaukee County District Attorney Adam Gerol, who officially recused himself because he, too, has been an active leader in the local Republican party. Kaiman still insists his daughter, who eventually entered a no contest plea to the underage drinking citation, was innocent of that charge. Kendra Kaiman was 17 when she was cited at a gathering in June 2013. Angela Balistreiri testified Monday that in August of that year, Kendra Kaiman appeared at her apartment in Milwaukee and asked her and her roommate Angela Alvarez to sign some statements indicating Kendra had not been drinking at the event. Balistreiri said even though she actually thought Kendra had been drinking, she signed to help a friend. "I didn't know it was going to open a whole can of worms like this," Balistreiri said. "I didn't know how official it was." Kendra returned to college in Mississippi, and her case was set for trial in January 2014. Carol Crowley, a part-time Ozaukee County prosecutor, now retired, testified that on the Friday before trial, Kendra called her to ask about entering into a deferred prosecution deal, in which the ticket would be dismissed in six or eight months if she got alcohol counseling. Crowley said she prepared the paperwork for the agreement, but when Kendra arrived she was with her father, who said Kendra wasn't going to admit to doing anything wrong. Kaiman produced the statements from Balistreiri and Alvarez, as evidence of his daughter's innocence. Crowley said she asked Kaiman if he had driven to Milwaukee to take the notarized statements, and he admitted that he only signed and stamped them after Kendra brought them back. Crowley admitted she didn't really consider if the affidavits might clear Kendra. "I actually thought he probably wrote them," she said. "He was notably hostile and forceful and very insistent Kendra hadn't done anything wrong." Crowley said she was shocked and immediately informed her boss, Gerol, the district attorney. Gerol, testifying Monday for the defense, said he asked the sheriff's office to investigate. After getting reports back that the two friends confirmed to detectives that the statements were prewritten, and that Kaiman wasn't present when they signed them, Gerol asked a Manitowoc attorney, Jerilyn Deitz, to consider the case as a special prosecutor, because of his connection to Kaiman. "I wanted to avoid any appearance of impropriety and just stay away from it," Gerol testified. Deitz, who also handled the drinking ticket case against Kendra Kaiman, wound up charging Kaiman with official misconduct in January 2015. Kaiman's attorney, Steven Cain, argued the case should be dismissed because there wasn't enough evidence for the jury to find Kaiman did anything illegal in Ozaukee County, or even signed and stamped the women's statements. Circuit Judge Paul V. Malloy denied that motion, citing Crowley's testimony as something the jury could believe supported the charges. During jury selection, several potential jurors said they had children who had gotten tickets for various offenses. They split about 50/50 on whether they helped their children resolve the matters. By of the It took more than four decades for a 20-year-old Menomonee Falls soldier killed in Vietnam to get a military burial. And when the cremated remains of Terrence Sund were finally laid to rest last summer, Wisconsin American Legion officials vowed to find other veterans in the state who might be in similar limbo. The search so far has discovered more than 40 veterans whose unclaimed remains are being stored at Wisconsin funeral homes and cemeteries. Now, the Legislature is taking up the issue in a bill introduced this month that would release the remains of veterans if no next of kin claims them within 90 days after cremation. Then the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs will be able to arrange for burial in one of the state's veteran cemeteries. "The funeral directors as well as the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs don't want to take the responsibility of burying the remains in case there's a family member that all of a sudden appears and says, 'Why did you bury them here or there?' " said Wisconsin American Legion Commander Dale Oatman, who served 20 years in the Air Force. "We started talking to legislators and they said, 'We'll fix this with a new statute.' " A Jan. 21 public hearing on the Senate bill is scheduled at the Capitol. State Sen. Sheila Harsdorf (R-River Falls) learned of the issue from a veteran in her district who provided her with a draft of similar legislation from Virginia. Harsdorf's bill, which was introduced Jan. 7, has bipartisan cosponsorship. The provision creates immunity from civil liability for funeral homes. "That's really the catch right now under current law. They don't have clear authority to release these remains," said Harsdorf. "These are individuals who served our country and they deserve a proper burial." American Legion member and Navy veteran Steve Conto learned of Sund's fate while searching for the final resting places for Wisconsin Vietnam veterans killed in action. Conto created a database of more than 1,200 Vietnam KIAs with Wisconsin connections who are buried in more than 900 cemeteries in 28 states and Mexico and Puerto Rico. Sund graduated from Menomonee Falls High School in 1965 and was serving in the 4th Infantry Division in South Vietnam when he drowned while searching a tunnel on Dec. 6, 1967. His body was recovered on Christmas Eve, returned home and for unclear reasons, his cremated remains were interred in a room at a Brookfield cemetery for decades. Conto contacted Sund's sister who gave him permission to raise funds for his burial and Sund was buried in August with full military honors in a ceremony that drew veterans and members of the fallen soldier's high school graduating class. The American Legion reached out to hundreds of funeral homes across the state to see if any unclaimed remains were veterans who had been honorably discharged and were entitled to burial benefits. Among the more than 40 unclaimed remains of veterans discovered since the effort began in July, the oldest is a World War II veteran whose remains have been stored at a funeral home in Waukesha County since 1965, said American Legion State Adjutant David Kurtz. Some of the remains are veterans who died in the last year. "It's an ongoing project," Kurtz said. "Given the uncertain future each of us face, it's an issue that will never go away." The American Legion started a Terrence Sund Memorial Interment Fund for incidental expenses not covered by the government which it will use for other veterans whose remains are unclaimed. Donations can be sent to Wisconsin American Legion, 2930 American Legion Drive, P. O. Box 388, Portage, WI 53901-0388 State and federal authorities are investigating Lincoln Hills School and Copper Lake School, secure juvenile detention centers that share a campus in Irma, 30 miles north of Wausau. Credit: Mark Hoffman SHARE Brad Schimel Journal Sentinel files By of the Madison An investigation of the state's secure facility for young offenders started a year ago as a review of past activities but widened after officials learned of more recent incidents and the possibility records could be destroyed, Attorney General Brad Schimel said Monday. "It has developed now where, in the course of the investigation, we found that there were some other incidents that occurred that led us to believe it's not all historical," the Republican attorney general said in an interview. The probe is centered on Lincoln Hills School and Copper Lake School, secure institutions that share a campus in Irma, 30 miles north of Wausau. Lincoln Hills houses boys and young men, and Copper Lake houses girls and young women. A Lincoln County judge has found there is reason to believe crimes occurred there that include sexual assault, physical child abuse, intimidation of victims and witnesses, child neglect and abuse of prisoners. About 50 agents and attorneys raided the campus last month, a week after a teenage inmate was shoved partially into his room and a metal door was slammed onto his foot so hard that toes had to be amputated. "It did put us in a position that we felt it was more urgent," Schimel said of the Nov. 29 door-slamming incident. "We had to step it up." Concerns about preserving evidence also prompted the raid. "We had received information that left us concerned that records could be destroyed," Schimel said. "We wanted to make sure if there is evidence, we aren't losing it. "There were people who were going to potentially be suspects who would have the ability to have access to those records, so we needed to go in and make sure there was an accurate duplicate of those records that we could always refer back to." The yearlong probe could continue for another year because of the complexity of the investigation and the reluctance of some to testify, Schimel said. "Those are the very kinds of things that lead us to believe an investigation of this type is going to take more than just a month or two months, that this is going to be an extensive investigation," he said. Hundreds of interviews have been conducted of staff, former staff, residents and former residents. Some workers could be granted immunity for cooperating, but Schimel said investigators would have to look at doing so carefully. "It's dangerous to start doling out immunity because ... you always run the risk you could give immunity to the wrong person, and so we're going to be very careful about that," he said. Schimel said his investigators are informing the Department of Corrections when new allegations surface so staff can be put on paid leave. But investigators are not sharing all the information they are learning with the Department of Corrections, he said. So far, 16 Lincoln Hills have been put on paid leave, two of whom have since resigned. The state has refused to release their names, say when they went on leave or detail the cost to taxpayers. Gov. Scott Walker and his corrections secretary, Ed Wall, have said they took swift action to address problems at the school as they learned about them. They have said they have ordered a review of the agency's protocols and how use-of-force incidents are reported. But front-line staff and their union representatives have contended managers and top officials have been slow to heed warnings and ignored concerns they raised. Chronic staffing shortages and a culture of not reporting serious problems have exacerbated the situation, they have said. The Department of Corrections began an internal investigation in late 2014. The Department of Justice got involved in January 2015, persuaded a judge to open a John Doe investigation in October and conducted its raid in December. The John Doe law allows prosecutors to force people to testify and turn over documents. The Federal Bureau of Investigation recently got involved in the probe because of "a concern that there could be kind of an institutional problem" at the facility involving civil rights violations, Schimel said. For now, the FBI is assisting the state Department of Justice. "Whether they decide to conduct their own investigation, I don't know whether they will," he said. President Barack Obama speaks Jan. 5 in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Credit: Associated Press SHARE By Washington President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address will unmistakably attempt to frame the choice facing Americans as they select his successor, doling out an optimistic vision of the country's future in contrast with what he sees as the pessimism that is pervasive in the Republican primary. Obama won't directly appeal for Americans to keep the Democratic Party in the White House for a third straight term. And he won't endorse a specific candidate in the 2016 race. But he will outline domestic and international priorities that build on steps that he has taken during his two terms in office, a vision certain to be more in line with Hillary Clinton and other Democrats than the GOP presidential candidates. "He feels very optimistic about this future," White House chief of staff Denis McDonough said. "That, by the way, is something that's a little different than some of the doom and gloom that we hear from the Republican candidates out there every day." Tuesday's prime-time address marks a transition for Obama his last high-profile opportunity to speak to the public before voting begins on Feb. 1. While Obama has so far succeeded in staving off lame duck status largely through a series of aggressive executive actions the nation's attention has been drawn inevitably to the presidential contest. Still, Obama's reliance on executive powers means that many of his actions could be erased by a Republican president. He has vowed to campaign aggressively for the Democratic nominee, and his administration is seen as favoring Clinton, although the president won't formally back a candidate during his party's primary. The looming election means that prospects are low for significant legislative accomplishments between the Democratic president and Republican lawmakers. Acknowledging that reality, Obama's speech will have few of the new policy proposals that typically fill the annual presidential address to Congress. Still, Obama will tout progress on the economy, which was plunging into the depths of recession when he took office and is now humming at a more comfortable pace. He is expected to keep up his appeals for broader actions to address gun violence, reform the criminal justice system and formally approve a sweeping Asia-Pacific trade pact. On foreign policy, he will try to convince a public increasingly skeptical of his foreign policy stewardship that he has a handle on the volatile Middle East and is taking steps to prevent terrorism in the United States. "There's a lot we have to get done over the course of the next year," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. The pomp and pageantry of the annual address in the House chamber also will have a splash of the gauzy nostalgia that is a hallmark of the Obama political operation. Among the guests sitting in first lady Michelle Obama's box will be Edith Childs, a woman from South Carolina who first introduced Obama to the "Fired Up! Ready to go!" chant that became ubiquitous during his 2008 campaign. Also joining the first lady is Earl Smith, a Vietnam veteran who gave Obama a military patch in 2008 that the candidate carried in his pocket for the rest of the campaign. The White House said the patch will be archived in Obama's presidential library as "a reminder of the people who made up the movement that led the president to the White House." But the Obamas' guests also will reflect what is likely to be left undone or incomplete when the president leaves office. A chair in Michelle Obama's box will be left empty to honor victims of gun violence. Obama has been unable to get Congress to pass gun control legislation, settling instead for more modest executive actions, including steps announced last week to expand background checks for gun purchases. Obama also has invited a refugee from war-torn Syria to attend the address, a symbolic counter to Republicans proposing blocking Syrians seeking asylum in the U.S. But the selection also is a reminder of Obama's inability to end the bloodshed in Syria, where the nearly five-year civil war has spurred a refugee crisis and created a vacuum for terrorism. Republicans selected South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to give the opposing party's rebuttal. In another reminder of the fast-approaching election, Haley is seen as a potential running mate for the eventual GOP nominee. To see video For video related to this story, go to jsonline.com/video/world HOW TO WATCH President Barack Obama will deliver his final State of the Union address at 8 p.m. Tuesday. It will be televised on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, PBS and CNN. Cenk Uygur | (The Young Turks Video Report) | Here comes Bernie! New polls show Hillary Clintons Iowa lead is all but gone within the margin of error. She has been put on Bern notice. Cenk Uygur, host of the The Young Turks, breaks it down . . . Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are neck and neck in both Iowa and New Hampshire, a new poll has found. Clinton is slightly ahead among likely Democratic voters in Iowa with a 48%-to-45% lead over the Vermont senator, according to the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News/Marist poll. However, Sanders is narrowly beating the former Secretary of State among likely primary voters in New Hampshire with 50% support compared Clintons 46%, the survey shows. Both leads in the early voting states are within the polls margins of error, the Wall StreetJournal reports. Reddit Email 0 Shares By Frank-Walter Steinmeier | (Project Syndicate) | BERLIN The November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris which struck at the heart of France and of Europe as a whole have brought the terrorist threat posed by the [so-called] Islamic State [group] (ISIS) to the forefront of the foreign-policy agenda. For me, the answer to such assaults cannot be to lock our doors and board up our windows. To surrender the way we live, to give up on our open societies, would be to play into the terrorists hands. But our response needs to be, first and foremost, a political one: more vigilance at home and more intensive cooperation with our partners security authorities. We in the West must show resolve in battling the social exclusion that breeds alienation, which implies stepping up our efforts to integrate Muslim and other immigrants at all levels. At the same time, we must tackle the evil of ISIS in the places where it began: Iraq and Syria. On the night of the Paris attacks, Germany promised France that we would stand at its side. We decided recently that our responsibility to keep this promise includes a military contribution to the fight against ISIS. We all know, of course, that terrorism cannot be defeated by bombs alone. But we also know that the threat posed by ISIS will not be overcome without military means, and that, unless ISIS is countered militarily, after a year there may well be nothing left on which to build a political solution for either Syria or Iraq. I spent two days in Iraq recently. In the past year, ISIS has been successfully pushed out of a quarter of the territory it once controlled there. But the most difficult tasks in confronting ISIS lay ahead of us. Three components are crucial to the success of our political strategy. The first component is support for those confronting ISIS. Germanys decision last summer to provide the Kurdish Peshmerga with arms and munitions was not without risk, but it was the right move. In November, also thanks to German support, the Peshmerga liberated the city of Sinjar, where ISIS carried out horrific massacres of Yazidis last summer. The advance by ISIS could not have been stopped without the Allies air strikes. Second, we know from previous conflicts how important it is to restore public confidence in areas liberated from ISIS. That is why we are investing in stabilizing these regions, rebuilding police forces, schools, electricity grids, and water supplies. Thanks to German help, more than 150,000 people were able to return to their homes after the city of Tikrit was liberated. The strategys third component is the most difficult to realize and yet the most important. In the long term, the conflicts and chaos that enabled ISIS to spread in the first place can be overcome only if all population groups in Iraq and Syria have a shared political perspective. In Iraq, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has launched a courageous reform program to pave the way toward greater political participation by Sunnis. In Syria, such a political process is of course still a long way off; nonetheless, we must do all we can to work in this direction. German foreign policy is at the forefront of these efforts. I have had countless (and often difficult) talks in Riyadh, Tehran, Ankara, Beirut, Amman, and Vienna in the last year to help bridge the divide between countries in the region and thus rein in their proxy forces battling one another in Syria. I am heartened by the fact that, for the first time after almost five years of civil war, we succeeded in bringing all key states to the negotiating table in Vienna and agreed on a road map for a ceasefire and a political transition process. Its too early to celebrate, but there is finally a minimal consensus shared not just by Russia and the United States, but also by Iran and Saudi Arabia on a way forward to resolve the Syria conflict. The meeting of Syrian opposition groups in Riyadh in December was the first step on this path. Achieving a political agreement will be a long and arduous journey, and the outcome is not entirely in our hands. Some of the partners who we need on board are pursuing interests very different from ours. Some are at loggerheads with one another. But complaining about the complexity of the situation in Syria is no substitute for action. The fact that some political realities do not fit the friend-foe template cannot be an excuse to sit back and wait until the regions antagonisms and conflicts in the resolve themselves or until there is no Syrian state or institutions left to save. The successful negotiations to contain Irans nuclear program showed that persistent good-faith diplomacy can work. In Libya, too, with an experienced German diplomat at the helm of talks being held under the auspices of the United Nations, we have the opportunity to find a political route back to an ordered state. As foreign policymakers, we must face up to reality, with all of its uncertainties, and take responsibility for both our actions and our inaction even when there are no guarantees of success either way. This makes it all the more important that we are certain of our bearings. We will not be able to counter ISIS and the threat posed by Islamist terrorism by pulling up the drawbridge; what we need is persistence and a political strategy that carefully integrates military, humanitarian, and diplomatic engagement. Read more at Project Syndicate Frank Walter Steinmeier is Germanys Foreign Minister. Reddit Email 0 Shares Vladimir Putin | (Der Bild) | Excerpt from part II of Russian President Vladimir Putins interview in the German publication, Der Bild, on Jan. 12, 2016, according to the Kremlin website. Highlight: Putin admits that Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has made many errors, and says that if necessary he can have asylum in Moscow. Question: Regrettably, at the moment the Russia-NATO relations are at the stage of confrontation, rather than cooperation. Turkish military forces have downed a Russian aircraft, and Russian and Turkish warships are reported to come dangerously close to one another all the more often. Do you think that such developments may at a certain point cause an escalation from a cold war to actual hostilities? Vladimir Putin: Turkey is a NATO member. However, the problems that have emerged have nothing to do with Turkeys NATO membership; nobody has attacked Turkey. Instead of trying to provide us with an explanation for the war crime they committed, that is, for downing our fighter jet that was targeting terrorists, the Turkish government rushed to NATO headquarters seeking protection, which looks quite odd and, in my view, humiliating for Turkey. I repeat, NATO has to protect its members from attack, but nobody has attacked Turkey. If Turkey has vested interests elsewhere in the world, in the adjacent countries, does it mean that NATO must protect and secure these interests? Does it mean that Germany, as a NATO member, must help Turkey to expand into neighbouring territories? I hope that such incidents will not cause large-scale hostilities. Of course, we all realise that Russia, once under threat, would defend its security interests by all available means at its disposal, should such threats against Russia arise. Question: Now lets turn to Syria, if you do not mind. We say that we are tackling common challenges there. This is the joint fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. However, some people in the West say that Russian military forces in Syria are fighting the anti-Assad rebels, rather than ISIS. What would be your response to the allegations that Russia is hitting the wrong targets? Vladimir Putin: They are telling lies. Look, the videos that support this version appeared before our pilots even started to carry out strikes against terrorists. This can be corroborated. However, those who criticise us prefer to ignore it. American pilots hit the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, by mistake, I am sure. There were casualties and fatalities among civilians and doctors. Western media outlets have attempted to hush this up, to drop the subject and have a very short memory span when it comes to such things. They mentioned it a couple of times and put it on ice. And those few mentions were only due to foreign citizens from the Doctors Without Borders present there. Who now remembers the wiped out wedding parties? Over 100 people were killed with a single strike. Yet this phony evidence about our pilots reportedly striking civilian targets keeps circulating. If we tag the live pipelines that consist of thousands of petrol and oil tankers as civilian targets, than, indeed, one might believe that our pilots are bombing these targets, but everyone is bombing them, including the Americans, the French and everyone else. Question: However, it is clear that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is carrying out strikes against his own population. Can we say that al-Assad is your ally? Vladimir Putin: You know, this is a rather subtle issue. I think that President al-Assad has made many mistakes in the course of the Syrian conflict. However, dont we all realise full well that this conflict would never have escalated to such a degree if it had not been supported from abroad through supplying money, weapons and fighters? Tragically, it is civilians who suffer in such conflicts. But who is responsible for that? Is it the government, which seeks to secure its sovereignty and fights these anti-constitutional actions, or those who have masterminded the anti-government insurgency? Regarding your question if al-Assad is an ally or not and our goals in Syria. I can tell you precisely what we do not want to happen: we do not want the Libyan or Iraqi scenario to be repeated in Syria. I have to give due credit to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and I told him this myself, because had he not taken on the responsibility, demonstrated fortitude and brought the country under control, then we might have witnessed the Libyan scenario in Egypt. In my view, no effort should be spared in strengthening legitimate governments in the regions countries. That also applies to Syria. Emerging state institutions in Iraq and in Libya must be revived and strengthened. Situations in Somalia and other countries must be stabilised. State authority in Afghanistan must be reinforced. However, it does not mean that everything should be left as is. Indeed, this new stability would underpin political reforms. As far as Syria is concerned, I think that we should work towards a constitutional reform. It is a complicated process. Then, early presidential and parliamentary elections should be held, based on the new Constitution. It is the Syrian people themselves who must decide who and how should run their country. This is the only way to achieve stability and security, to create conditions for economic growth and prosperity, so that people can live in their own homes, in their homeland, rather than flee to Europe. Question: But do you believe al-Assad is a legitimate leader if he allows the destruction of his countrys population? Vladimir Putin: It is not his goal to destroy his countrys population. He is fighting those who rose up against him with deadly force. And if the civilians suffer, I think that the primary responsibility for this is with those who fight against him with deadly force as well as those who assist armed groups. As I have already said, though, this does not mean that everything is all right out there and that everyone is right. This is exactly why I believe political reforms are needed so much there. The first step in that direction should be to develop and adopt a new Constitution. Question: If, contrary to expectations, al-Assad loses the elections, will you grant him the possibility of asylum in your country? Vladimir Putin: I think it is quite premature to discuss this. We granted asylum to Mr Snowden, which was far more difficult than to do the same for Mr al-Assad. First, the Syrian people should be given the opportunity to have their say. I assure you, if this process is conducted democratically, then al-Assad will probably not need to leave the country at all. And it is not important whether he remains President or not. You have been talking about our targets and means, and now you are talking about al-Assad being our ally. Do you know that we support military operations of the armed opposition that combats ISIS? Armed opposition against al-Assad that is fighting ISIS. We coordinate our joint operations with them and support their offensives by airstrikes in various sections of the frontline. This is hundreds, thousands of armed people fighting ISIS. We support both the al-Assads army and the armed opposition. Some of them have publicly declared this, others prefer to remain silent, but the work is on-going. Question: Finally, I would like to touch upon a topic that has never come up before, that is the rift between Saudi Arabia and Iran, as if Syria was not enough. Does it mean that this rift can lead us to a very grave conflict? Vladimir Putin: It hampers the efforts to settle the Syrian crisis and the fight against terrorism, as well as the process of halting the inflow if refugees to Europe, that much is certain. As for whether this will lead to a major regional clash, I do not know. I would rather not talk or even think in these terms. We have very good relations with Iran and our partnership with Saudi Arabia is stable. Of course, we regret that these things happened there. But you have no death penalty in your country. Despite a very hard period in the 1990searly 2000s, when we were fighting terrorism in Russia, we abolished the death penalty. And there is no death penalty in Russia at present. There are certain countries that use the death penalty Saudi Arabia, the United States and some others. We regret this has happened, especially given that the cleric had not been fighting against Saudi Arabia with lethal force. Yet it is true that an embassy attack is a totally unacceptable occurrence in the modern world. As far as I know, the Iranian authorities have arrested several perpetrators of the assault. If our participation in any form is needed, we are ready to do everything possible to resolve the conflict as soon as possible. Via The Kremlin Related video: Bild Reporter: Vladimir Putin: The Interview ( Exclusive ) Reddit Email 0 Shares By Alli McCracken | (Foreign Policy in Focus) | In one fell swoop, President Obama could erase the stain of Guantanamo and make major headway on normalization with Cuba. President Obama should be given props for the progress made in thawing U.S.-Cuban relations, but theres a piece of unfinished business on the island that he could and should still attend to: returning the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo to the Cuban people. In doing so, he could also solve another dilemma thats plagued his administration: closing the Guantanamo prison. In November 2015, CODEPINK brought 60 delegates to the city of Guantanamo for an international conference about the abolition of foreign military bases. To explore the impact of the Guantanamo naval base on the Cuban people, we took a trip to Caimanera a small town of 11,000 people that abuts the U.S. naval base on the southeastern coast of Cuba. Caimanera is hot and humid. Small, colorful, but dilapidated houses pack the narrow town streets. There are crowded sidewalk cafes where highly coveted WiFi is available. In the middle of town theres an impressive central plaza decorated by statues of Cuban revolutionary heroes and surrounded by schools, a community cultural center, Committee of the Defense of the Revolution offices, and more. Since 1903, Caimanera has been a neighbor to a 73-square-mile U.S. naval base. Before the 1959 Cuban Revolution, Caimanera bustled with visiting American civilians and Marines from the base who poured million of dollars into the tourist industry mostly through bars and prostitution. Thousands of Cubans were employed on the naval base. After the revolution led by Fidel Castro, the U.S. severed relations with Cuba and U.S. military personnel were restricted to the base. The Cuban government stopped cashing Washingtons annual $4,085 rent checks and demanded that the land be returned to the Cuban people. As our buses pulled into the town, it was as if the entire community had come out to greet us. Men in suits, women in work uniforms, people holding large banners calling for the closure of foreign military bases, and hundreds of children in their school uniforms all lined the streets, smiling at us and waving Cuban flags. In fact, the whole town had come out to greet us, and they looked positively thrilled that we were there. We spent the day touring the town with the mayor and the governor of the province of Guantanamo. We visited a lookout point where we could see Cubas unwelcome neighbor through binoculars. The U.S. naval base, we were told, is an illegal occupation of Cuban land that violates the territorial sovereignty of the island. The base sits on a critical part of the bay that would vastly improve the local economy if the land were returned. They believe, as Raul Castro has said, that the closure of the base is a condition for the full normalization of relations between the two nations. One part of the base that our Cuban hosts find particularly egregious is the infamous Camp X-Ray and the other buildings that form the U.S. military prison thats housed 779 prisoners from the war on terror since January 11, 2002. The Cubans are well aware of President Obamas 2008 campaign promise to shut down the prison and his subsequent failure to follow through. Seven years later, 105 prisoners still languish there. January 11 marks 14 long years since the first prisoners arrived at the notorious prison. Human rights activists and advocates across the world are demanding Obama utilize his executive powers to close the prison and put an end to this blight on Americas history. Blaming Congress for the hold up in closing the prison, President Obama has run out of excuses. Some of Obamas top Guantanamo experts have argued that the President doesnt need congressional approval to close the prison after all, President Bush didnt get congressional approval when he opened it. They claim that according to the Constitution, Congress cannot specify facilities in which particular detainees must be held and tried. In his last year in office, President Obama must right two wrongs that would help salvage his legacy: Close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo, and announce a willingness to close the naval base there as well and then return the land to the Cuban people. President Obama has said hed like to visit Cuba before leaving office. Wouldnt it be grand if he visited Caimanera to announce the closure of the prison and return of the lovely Cuban seaport to its rightful owners? The people of Caimanera indeed people the world over would come out to cheer him. Alli McCracken (@allimccrack) is the National Coordinator of the peace group CODEPINK, which is based in Washington, DC. In 2015 she co-led three delegations to Cuba to celebrate diplomacy and learn about the normalization of relations. Sign up now to join CODEPINK in Cuba on May Day this year! Via Foreign Policy in Focus Related video added by Juan Cole: AJ+: Former Guantanamo (GITMO) Detainees Want The Military Prison Closed For Good Reddit Email 1 Shares By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | One of the problems Iraq and Syria will face as Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) is gradually rolled back from its territorial acquisitions is that it will demobilize its conventional forces and return to being a terrorist organization. It may be in some ways more dangerous under the latter guise. Though, those who hoped it would be diverted from terrorism to building power on the ground in Syria and Iraq were disappointed by the Daesh attacks in Paris. Those showed that the organization all along has both dimensions, of terrorist group aimed at soft targets and of guerrilla group seeking to take and hold territory. On Monday, Daesh claimed carbombings and hostage-taking at Jawahir Mall in east Baghdad (a largely Shiite area). Al-Zaman [Times of Baghdad] reports security forces from the Ministry of the Interior had succeeded in rescuing the hostages taken at the mall, though there were casualties from the carbombs some 30 people were killed or wounded. The Iraqi security forces said all of the terrorists who took part in the attack had been killed, and that they were believed to belong to Daesh. Guards from the Ministry of the Interior were accompanied by a counter-terrorism force from the military, and snipers were stations on rooftops in the New Baghdad neighborhood. They closed off the neighborhood, blocking entry and exit from it. Two suicide bombers with bomb belts then detonated their two payloads near the site of the original attack, killing some number of people, including members of security forces. The initial estimate is 5 dead, 25 wounded There were also terrorist attacks east of Baghdad in Diyala province, one in Miqdadiya and the other in Baquba, the capital of the eastern province near to Iran. Daesh had made inroads into Diyala in 2015, but has been largely kicked out of the province with regard to conventional and guerrilla forces. It is thus reduced to hauting the cities of the province as a ghost. These devolving back to terrorism is why it needs a political solution. Terrorist movements are movements of dissent launched by weak forces unable to compete on the convenional battlefield. But if local people deny the group cover and resources, it can often be defeated. If they see it as their Robin Hood, it can going wreaking destruction. Having lost Ramadi, the capital of al-Anbar province, over the past month, Daesh appears to have taken revenge on Baghdad by attacking the largely Shiite east. But is is an act of desperation, as the organization begins being rolled back from state status to that of small violent group. - Related video: Arirang News: Around 50 people killed in ISIS-claimed attacks in Baghdad GRANDE PRAIRIE, ALBERTA / TheNewswire / January 12, 2016 - ANGKOR GOLD CORP. (TSXV: ANK) ("ANGKOR") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive joint-venture agreement ("JV agreement") with Mesco Gold (Cambodia) Ltd. ("MESCO") on its Oyadao North Concession, Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia. The new agreement is the second between ANGKOR and MESCO. It expands mineral rights for MESCO revises an already existing net smelter royalty (NSR) that ANGKOR holds on MESCO's Phum Syarung Gold Mine; and allows ANGKOR to focus on its core prospects. The JV Agreement adds to MESCO's current land holdings in the region which includes the soon-to-be-operating Phum Syarung Gold Mine that is scheduled to begin mining in 2016. "MESCO is very close to receiving final approval for their operations at Phum Syarung Gold Mine, and this deal enhances their ability to continue to explore and expand their operations well into the future, which bodes well for all parties involved," commented Mike Weeks, CEO of ANGKOR. MESCO is incorporated under the laws of the Kingdom of Cambodia and is affiliated with Mesco Steel Ltd., a leading vertically-integrated iron and steel producer based in India that has successfully diversified its operations into other raw materials and commodities, including mining. Highlights: -The JV Agreement on the Oyadao North Concession provides MESCO with the rights to explore the entire licence for minerals and, if deemed warranted, bringing a portion into commercial production by establishing and operating a mine. -MESCO agrees to spend US$1,250,000.00 on exploration. -ANGKOR will maintain a 15% free-carried interest on the Oyadao North license without incurring any financial obligations related to the maintenance of the licence and future exploration/mining programs. -Under the JV agreement, ANGKOR and MESCO have renegotiated the existing net smelter royalty (NSR) agreement on the Phum Syarung minesuch that the new NSR for gold will be at 2.0% while the price of gold is less than US$1,000.00 and will increase 0.25% for every $50.00 that the gold price exceeds $1,000.00 to a maximum of 7.5%. For all other minerals, a 7.5% NSR will be paid. "ANGKOR will focus on its core prospects - Halo, Okalla West, Koan Nheak, and CW - for the current work season, and today's announcement ensures that the Oyadao North license continues to be explored by a world-class team," stated John-Paul Dau, VP of Operations. He continued, "Our business model for Cambodia continues to be based on the identification and development of mineable assets through joint ventures agreements with a strong NSR and carried interest attached. Today's transaction furthers those plans towards building long-term shareholder value." ANGKOR's 2016 work program has a primary focus on Okalla West, Halo and Koan Nheak. "Our early results out of Okalla West have been very promising and we are awaiting test results and interpretations from our recent termite-mound in-fill survey," said Dau. "And the positive copper mineralization in our soil and rock sampling programs in Halo, with results of over one percent copper from intrusive rocks exposed at surface, are key contributors to our attracting international attention from a number of global players who are especially focused on base metals. We have hosted numerous site visits with these potential partners, with the intention of bringing the right one to the table with the technical and financial power to prove out what our team already believes to be a very large porphyry system." The QP for this release, which he wrote and approved, is Kurtis Dunstone, BSc Geology, Exploration, Senior Project Manager for ANGKOR. Mr. Dunstone has over fifteen years of post-graduate global exploration and mining experience across Australia, Canada, Papua New Guinea and Cambodia. Including precious, base metals and uranium exploration in multiple mineralization systems encompassing, granite-greenstone, orogenic, porphyry and unconformity systems, with discoveries in gold, nickel and uranium; and is a current member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists. ANGKOR's seven exploration licences in the Kingdom of Cambodia cover 1,448 km2, which the company has been actively exploring over the past 6 years. The company has now covered all tenements with stream sediment geochemical sampling; the company has flown low level aeromagnetic surveys over most of the ground; drilled 21,855 metres of NQ core in 190 holes; and has collected in excess of 110,000 termite mound, and 'B' and 'C' zone soil samples in over 20 centres of interest over a combined area of over 140km2, in addition to numerous trenches and detailed geological field mapping. Exploration on all tenements is ongoing. ANGKOR GOLD CORP. ANGKOR Gold Corp. is a public company listed on the TSX-Venture Exchange, is Cambodia's premier gold explorer with a significantly large land package and a first-mover advantage with excellent relationships at all levels of Government (local to national). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: ANGKOR GOLD CORP. Stephen Burega, VP of Corporate Development Telephone: (647) 515-3734 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. THIS PRESS RELEASE, REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE CANADIAN LAWS, IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO SELL ANY OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN IN THE UNITED STATES. THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN, AND WILL NOT BE, REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS UNLESS REGISTERED OR EXEMPT THEREFROM. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Copyright (c) 2016 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. NEWSLETTER Sign up Tick the boxes of the newsletters you would like to receive. Just Drinks Daily News The top stories of the day delivered to you every weekday. Just Drinks Weekly News A weekly roundup of the latest news and analysis, sent every Monday. Just Drinks Magazine The industry's most comprehensive news and information delivered every quarter KCET will present live coverage from the BBC World News of President Obama's final State of the Union address. When it comes to all things Los Angeles River, there is one agency that looms largest --greater than city or county agencies-- it is the United States Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps). While non-profit organizations and city agencies, investors and real estate developers dream up a myriad of projects ranging from natural habitat restoration to place-making to commercial enterprise, the Army Corps has the final say on which projects actually materialize. This federal agency also builds and maintains America's infrastructure and military facilities; oversee the nation's civil works, which include flood risk management and operation of its hydropower facilities; provides disaster relief; and restores and preserves the nation's wetlands. In brief, the agency is the nation's environmental engineer and has played a major role in taming the L.A. River and enabling the city to grow into the metropolis it has become. A Civil Nature The Army Corps is a Congress-established continental army that was founded more than 200 years ago in June 16, 1775. This first body was just a small team composed of a chief engineer and two assistants. As the projects became more and more ambitious, so did the need for more staff and subordinates. This Corps of Engineers officially became a separate, permanent branch of the army on March 16, 1802. As a branch of the army, these engineers were responsible for founding and operating the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Today, the Army Corps of Engineers owns and operates more than 670 flood damage reduction and navigation structures; 12,000 miles of commercial inland navigation channels; maintains 920 coastal, Great Lakes and inland harbors; and owns and operates 24 percent of the country's hydro power capacity, not to mention managing military construction and researching new technologies to protect soldiers from rockets and mortars on the battlefield. But why is this militaristic agency involved in the river? Since their founding, politicians had envisioned a bigger role for this corps than just builders of the military. They had wanted this agency to contribute to military construction as well as works of a "civil nature." In 1824, Congress cemented the Army Corps role in civil works by passing the General Survey Act, which authorized the use of the army to survey roads and canals. Two months later, this corps --the only formally trained engineers in the new republic-- were also called on to remove sandbars, snags and other obstacles on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, as well as the Missouri. Mississippi River Improvement in 1890. Image by the U.S. Army. Over the years, this army built coastal fortifications, jetties, lighthouses, and piers for harbors. The Army Corps also mapped much of the American West. They were the builders of the then-young United States of America. Before the age of the automobiles, the Corps of Engineers supported transportation infrastructure by working on canals, rivers and roads that enabled commerce including the construction of the Panama Canal. The agency's role in maintaining commercial navigation in its waterways is as prominent as ever. In more than 200 years, the agency has dredged more than 15,000 miles of rivers for navigation purposes. For better or worse, it sweeps away more than 200 million cubic yards of material annually. The operation serves to ease transportation but some say also disturbs a waterway's natural ecology. When this fledgling nation suffered two devastating floods, one in 1912 and another 1916, in the lower Mississippi Valley, which left 250 and 500 people dead, over 16 million acres flooded and over 500,000 people forced from their homes, Congress saw in the Army Corps an agency that could do something about it. Thus, they approved the 1928 Flood Control Act and gave the Corps of Engineers authority over flood control. In 1938 another two floods devastated Los Angeles with record-breaking rainfall that killed 115 people, damaged over 6,000 homes across 108,000 acres (a third of Los Angeles was flooded) and required the evacuation of thousands. It was then that the Army Corps that was called on to channelize the Los Angeles River. It was this channelization that gave the Army Corps its authority over the river. As Tanner Blackman, the former city planner and Planning Director at Councilmember Jose Huizar's office, notes, "What's important for everyone to remember is the role of the federal government in controlling the space through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. As far as I understand, the creation of the river channel in the '30s was a federal project. Ever since then, the Army Corps is the agency that has control over what happens, so now all the plans the city and different municipalities have are just plans. They have to ask permission from the federal government to do anything," That is why in every Los Angeles River project, before any action can be implemented, it needs a "go" signal from the Army Corps. For the LA River to finally open itself in the last few years to kayaking and other recreational activities, it first had to seek the Corps' approval. River Restoration The agency's role on the river isn't just as gatekeepers, the Corps' engineering expertise on the nation's rivers is also why the Army Corps is in charge of the $1.3-billion river habitat restoration project. Since 2006, the Army Corps has been studying the possibility of restoring a 10-mile stretch of the river from Griffith Park to downtown Los Angeles. It is the Army Corps' recommendation, which will be brought before Congress for approval. Readers will recall the city's vigorous lobbying for a more ambitious $1.3-billion plan as opposed to the Army Corps' original, more conservative $453-million plan. Working with the Army Corps has not always been easy. Because the Corps is a federal agency, it also has its own bureaucracy, which adds to the already complex jurisdictions along the Los Angeles River. Take the touted river habitat restoration project. Though it is one agency that is undertaking the study, in reality, the Los Angeles domestic district headed by a Colonel, who in turn reports to a Brigadier General, then a Major General, then a 3-star General, then to a Chief of Engineers, who then reports to the Secretary of the Army (http://www.americanrivers.org/assets/pdfs/reports-and-publications/citizens-guide-to-the-corp.pdf). So, even though a Civil Works Review Board has approved the $1.3 billion dollar plan, it still has to be approved by the Chief of Engineers and then finally sent to Congress for another green light and, more importantly, funding source. Recreational activities, artist projects, real estate developments and any other enterprises must receive approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. As civilians, we little idea of how the process actually works. Aside from sign-offs from multiple agencies with jurisdictions that affect the Los Angeles River, one also needs to get final approval from the Army Corps. "There's no form for that final approval. There's really no proposal format. It's not like pulling a revocable permit from the city," says Blackman. This process has caused consternation among conservationists, especially when the Army Corps exercises its authority, but fails to consider other parties apart from their mandate. Two years ago, the Army Corps caused an uproar because of its clearing of the Sepulveda Basin. The clearing was part of a five-year vegetative management project the agency had planned, yet some claim, didn't adequately communicate to the community. Despite following its public-reviewed vegetative management plan, the agency was accused of razing the green, wild area. Conservationists claimed that too much was removed, even native plants that ought to have remained. "We knew that the corps had a new vision for this area, but we never thought it would ever come to this," Kris Ohlenkamp, a vocal conservationist that's been keeping tabs on the Sepulveda Management Vegetative Plan tells the Los Angeles Times then. Protesters also said they weren't properly kept informed of the activities that led to the clearing. The controversy though detrimental for the cleared area did cause the Army Corps and conservationists to come to open conversation. There is now an ongoing conversation on revising the vegetative plans that the Army Corps had based its clearing on. As of April of 2015, an Environmental Assessment of the Sepulveda Basin's new plans were still being drafted, according to SoCal Wild. Despite this positive development Ohlenkamp says of the Army Corps' attitude, ""They have kept us involved and listened to us, their attitude has changed, but we get the feeling we are not a priority for them." Nevertheless, it is a beginning. The Army Corps has opened venues to work with them, or at least hear their thoughts on Los Angeles River projects. One of the most regular meetings is for something called the River Cooperation Committee, where quarterly representatives from the Los Angeles County Flood Control District, the City of Los Angeles, and the Army Corps sit at the table to hear project presentations and updates. At these meetings, early red flag signals can be raised, helping hopeful river advocates tweak, adjust, or at least get a feel for their project's viability in one forum. Though the committee only acts as an advisory committee it is a helpful venue for communication to happen. There may never be full harmony between conservationists, river advocates, the city, multiple agencies and the Army Corps of Engineers, but as time goes on --and as more and more people are beginning to actively champion the Los Angeles River's future as a recreational, natural amenity for the city of Los Angeles-- this federal agency may have to work more and more with the many players with a stake on the river. In response to the growing importance of auto manufacturing in the state of Tennessee, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Engineering announced that it is developing a graduate-level automotive engineering concentration that will begin in fall 2016. "This is a significant step for both our university and our college," said College of Engineering Dean Wayne Davis. "This presents an opportunity for us to take even more of a role in preparing students for the ever-changing workforce and to solidify our place in the economic development of the state." While many of the classesat both the master's and doctoral levelwill be housed in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science also plan to begin automotive-focused graduate-level concentrations. Additionally, significant coursework supporting these concentrations will come from the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, among others, spreading the impact of the new offerings across the college. "Clearly, this is not only a move to have our engineers be prepared for the workforce after graduation, but also a response to the major role that the automotive industry is playing in our state," said Matthew Mench, head of the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering. "As Tennessee's flagship university, part of our mission is to help the state succeed. "By serving both our students and industries with this concentration, we can better fulfill that mission." There are plans to include classes in UTs Haslam College of Business in the concentration, while UT Chattanooga is also in talks to be part of the program. The importance of the automotive industry is highlighted by a study conducted by the Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C., think tank that analyzed the climate of automobile production in Tennessee in 2013. That study finds that the state's share of North American motor-vehicle-related manufacturing employment, which held firm through the Great Recession, is almost equal to the rest of the South combined and is now ahead of the Midwest, Canada, and other areas in the United States. In fact, with more than 900 automotive-related manufacturers, Tennessee trails only Mexico in North America. The recent expansion of Alcoa's Blount County facilities to include a $300 million automotive-related production facility highlights the importance of the industry to the state and the need for knowledge within that industry, said officials. The Brookings report, titled "Drive! Moving Tennessees Automotive Sector Up the Value Chain," highlights some aspects of the auto industry in the state: Statewide, 82,000 jobs are in some way related to automobile manufacturing. Eighty of the state's 95 counties have at least one automotive-related manufacturer. Work being done on fuel efficiency and design within the state bodes well for future industry growth. "As a state, we are well positioned as a leader in automotive manufacturing, and we have a number of alumni already working in this area across the state and surrounding areas. As a university, we must ensure that we stay relevant to industry within the state," said Dean Davis. The report specifically mentions "lightweight materials (particularly carbon fiber)" as a key to future production, playing directly into one of the strengths of the university and the collegeadvanced manufacturing. A sign of that strength came when the university, along with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, was chosen to serve as a lead institution on the Composites Institute (previously known as the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation), a $259 million research institute spread across 37 states, with a specific focus on reducing the cost of fiber composites. Faculty and researchers from both institutions, along with a host of other partner universities and companies, began that effort in June. "This directed effort to grow automotive engineering at UT is so timely and critical," said Taylor Eighmy, vice chancellor for research and engagement. "I look to our growing research and development relationships with Volkswagen, Nissan, General Motors, Ford and the automotive supply chain, I look to our new Composites Institute, and I see the focus on innovative automotive research and development at ORNL and this new concentration just makes perfect sense." By the numbers: Automotive industry in Tennessee 1The state's ranking in automotive manufacturing strength and for the number of certified sites, by Business Facilities magazine and Area Development magazine, respectively 3The number of automotive original equipment manufacturers in Tennessee: General Motors - Spring Hill (Spring Hill) Nissan North America (Smyrna and Decherd) Volkswagen Group of America (Chattanooga) 76The percentage of U.S. markets within a day's drive of the state 85The percentage of the state's counties with auto-related manufacturing 1,000The number of automotive suppliers in the state 100,000Tennesseans employed in auto manufacturing jobs 6 billionThe annual payroll, in dollars, of Tennessee's auto industry As the cable channel tvN's Friday Saturday drama 'Reply 1988' is nearing its end, actress Lee Mi Yeon, who plays the thirtysomething self of the main character Duk Sun (Hyeri), hinted that her and her husband's love for singer Lee Seung Hwang. On the latest episode of the cable channel tvN's Friday Saturday drama 'Reply 1988,' which aired on Jan. 9, 2016, Duk Sun (Hyeri) in her thirties and her husband had an interview. Duk Sun said during the interview that she and her husband used to go to Lee Seung Hwang's concerts many times. This reminded the fans of the time when Hyeri and Park Bo Gum in high school went to see a Lee Seung Hwan concert. The cable channel tvN's Friday Saturday drama 'Reply 1988' is a comedy family drama of five families in Seoul in the year of 1988. The cable channel tvN's Friday Saturday drama 'Reply 1988' is a sequel of the popular cable channel tvN's Friday Saturday drama 'Reply 1994' starring Ko A Ra and Yoo Yeon Suk, which aired in 2013. The cable channel tvN's Friday Saturday drama 'Reply 1988' will end next week, on Jan. 16, Saturday. After the cable channel tvN's Friday Saturday drama 'Reply 1988' ends, the new cable channel tvN's Friday Saturday drama 'Signal' starring actress Kim Hye Soo will air. Actor Jung Woo, who rose to stardom after filming 'Reply 1994' with Yoo Yeon Suk and Ko Ah Ra, made a cameo appearance on the cable channel tvN's Friday Saturday drama 'Reply 1988.' On the latest episode of the cable channel tvN's Friday Saturday drama 'Reply 1988,' which aired on Jan. 9, 2016, the five high school friends reunited and caught up on their lives. Duk Sun (Hyeri) became a filght attendant. Taek and Jung Hwan (Ryoo Joon Yeol and Park Bo Gum) seemed to still have feelings for Duk Sun. On this episode, actor Jung Woo made a cameo appearance as a medical school student, just like his character in 'Reply 1994.' The cable channel tvN's Friday Saturday drama 'Reply 1988' is a comedy family drama of five families in Seoul in the year of 1988. The cable channel tvN's Friday Saturday drama 'Reply 1988' is a sequel of the popular cable channel tvN's Friday Saturday drama 'Reply 1994' starring Ko A Ra and Yoo Yeon Suk, which aired in 2013. The cable channel tvN's Friday Saturday drama 'Reply 1988' will end next week, on Jan. 16, Saturday. After the cable channel tvN's Friday Saturday drama 'Reply 1988' ends, the new cable channel tvN's Friday Saturday drama 'Signal' starring actress Kim Hye Soo will air. Lee Jong Suk continues to draw attention from the international fashion world through his stately presence at the Burberry menswear event, which was held in London on January 11. The 26-year-old star is depicted alongside industry luminaries like Steve McQueen and retro-inspired pop producer Mark Ronson, in a highlight reel from the show titled, "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue." A photo shared by the fashion editor of InStyle Korea captured the dark blue tuxedo that was paired with a grey wool dress coat, which was expertly worn by the model-turned-actor. Lee debuted on the runway in 2005 and successfully launched his acting career in 2010 with a supporting role in the SBS series, "Prosecutor Princess." He is slated to make his return to television in the upcoming Korean-Chinese drama, "Jade Lover," following a year-long absence after the success of the 2014 SBS series, "Pinocchio." Former EXO member Kris Wu also made a notable appearance at Burberry, in his first turn as a runway model. His presence and classic style garnered the Chinese pop vocalist and actor praise from the preeminent fashion magazine, Vogue. "With Milan menswear on the horizon and Wu certain to make rounds, we have a feeling that his personal style will make him one to watch in the coming weeks ahead- on the runway and off," said Vogue writer, Janelle Okwodu, in an article which highlighted his career. The Chinese outlet, QQ Fashion, also featured Wu, in a video segment, which included quotes from Burberry designer, Christopher Bailey. Since his departure from EXO, Wu has starred in several Chinese films including "Somewhere Only We Know" and the recent action release, "Mr. Six." LINCOLN Gov. Pete Ricketts will not meet with President Barack Obama when the president visits Omaha on Wednesday. "Certainly the president coming to town is a big deal," Ricketts said, but the governor said he already had made plans to work on his State of the State address, which he will deliver Thursday morning. Asked if it would be viewed as disrespectful for the governor to miss Obamas visit, Ricketts said Monday that the presidents trip "just came up quicker" than could be accommodated in Ricketts schedule. Although Obamas trip was announced last week, Ricketts said, he got the invitation Monday morning. Ricketts already had planned a briefing with reporters from 5 to 6 p.m. Wednesday in advance of the State of the State address. Lt. Gov. Mike Foley will greet the presidents plane when it arrives in Omaha and will attend his speech at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert also will greet the president upon his planes arrival, said Carrie Murphy, the mayors spokeswoman. The White House provided 10 tickets to the presidents UNO speech, which will be distributed to staff members who requested to attend the event. OMAHA Students and staff at the University of Nebraska at Omaha will get the day off Wednesday to mark a visit from President Barack Obama. Obama is scheduled to speak at UNOs Baxter Arena. Doors open for the event at 1 p.m. Classes are canceled and nonessential staff have been given the day off to ensure everyone who wants to participate in the historic event can do so, Chancellor John Christensen said in a press release. Obamas only previous Nebraska visit as president was a flight to Offutt Air Force Base before traveling to Council Bluffs to start a campaign trip in Iowa. All the tickets for the event have been claimed, both for visitors and those set aside for UNO staff and students, UNO officials said Monday. The parking lots around Baxter Arena will be closed, and shuttles will transport attendees from open parking on the Dodge Street and Pacific Street campuses. This week, members of the Knox County Legislative Delegation, led by State Rep. Eddie Smith (RKnoxville), submitted letters to Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey and House Speaker Beth Harwell requesting a special committee be appointed and convened to examine and hear testimony related to the activities of the University of Tennessee Office of Diversity and Inclusion along with related personnel. In recent months, the UT Office of Diversity has come under scrutiny from across the state and nation. The office first made national news in August when it encouraged students to use so-called gender neutral pronouns like 'ze', 'hir', 'hirs', 'xe', 'xem', and 'xyr' so as to not offend those on campus who may no longer identify with the gender they were born with. In its release, the Office of Diversity said these pronouns are encouraged for use within the campus, while gender specific pronouns such as 'he' and 'she' are strongly discouraged. Following this event, the Office for Diversity and Inclusion again made national headlines in December after posting on the school's website asking employees to ensure their "holiday party is not a Christmas party in disguise." The post gave tips on how to avoid endorsing a specific religion or culture over Christmas break, including the recommendation not to participate in the popular gift-swap game of "Secret Santa". If granted by Lt. Governor Ramsey and Speaker Harwell, the joint committee of the legislature would be composed of members of the Senate Education Committee and the House Education Administration and Planning Committee and would be convened as soon as possible. In addition, the Knox County Delegation has asked for permission to expand the scope of their investigation to include all Offices of Diversity for public higher education schools, which are funded through taxpayer dollars, in the State of Tennessee. Also according to the official request, the investigation would include, but would not be limited to, the identity of persons and committees involved in diversity efforts, funding of and spending by these offices and persons, objectives of these offices, the practices and nature of activities by persons within these offices and colleges, resource allocation, and the actual productivity and efficiency of persons engaged in diversity activities. "The people of Tennessee deserve to know how their tax dollars are being spent, especially in situations like this," Rep. Smith stated. Following the investigation, the joint committee would issue a written report to the full Senate and House of the 109th General Assembly no later than March 30. The report would include fact findings, conclusions, and recommendations for action. The full text of the group's letter can be found here: https://goo.gl/glSAzO A security camera sits above a street sign on the exterior wall of the home where marines engaged in a gun battle during the search for Mexican drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, in Los Mochis, Mexico, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016. A month or two of intensive renovations transformed the house into a completely enclosed structure, and the new owners also installed surveillance cameras. On Friday, Guzman fled from the home before authorities eventually caught him. (AP Photo/Christian Palma) A resident on Commons Boulevard told police that a large amount of water was coming from upstairs. She said she was concerned about the woman who lived above her. Police responded and did indeed find a large amount of water pouring into the lower residence. An officer contacted the woman upstairs, who said she had awakened to find the deluge of water. The officer soon found the problem - a broken pipe in the bathroom. He was able to get the water shut off. A maintenance man was summoned to deal with the mess. * * * A man on Brookmeade Circle heard a loud noise. He went outside and found that someone had thrown a large rock against the side of his house. The man said there had been other suspicious goings on. * * * The manager of WoodBridge Suites on Lee Highway said a woman ran up a bill of $1,065.96. He said she had been at the suites since Nov. 2. When confronted, she promised to pay just after the first of the year. When the manager went to check with her, the unit was cleaned out. A warrant for theft over $1,000 was taken against the woman. * * * Thomas Jenkins said he and his girlfriend had an agreement. He said it was agreed that Casey Weaver could borrow his car, but she had to have it back by nighttime. He told police nighttime had arrived and the car was not back. The vehicle owner said he did not want to file charges, but he would like to have his car back. He said Ms. Weaver was now in Georgia. Police said he should contact Georgia authorities for help retrieving the vehicle. Chancellor Jeffrey Atherton on Monday approved the hiring of an accountant to examine the financial records at the Raccoon Mountain Cave and Campground. He said each side in a lawsuit between warring members of the Perlaky family would provide a name and he would decide which one to use. Dr. Steve Perlaky is suing brothers Robert and Jeff Perlaky over control of the Lookout Valley attraction, which is one of the top tourist draws in the state. Gary Henry, the new attorney for Dr. Steve Perlaky, said Robert Perlaky is using the attraction "as a cash cow." He said Robert Perlaky, the longtime manager of the facility, "is on a gravy train." Attorney Henry said Robert Perlaky was supposed to be paid at most $54,000 last year, but he said he paid himself $81,000. He said there were $162,000 in credit card charges run up on Raccoon Mountain Cave and Campground cards last year with no explanation of what the spending was far. He said the total put on credit cards since 1989 is close to $900,000. Attorney Henry said when Dr. Steve Perlaky asked his brother for the credit card statements "he was told it was none of his business." The attorney noted that Dr. Steve Perlaky has by far the largest interest in the attraction and is the board chairman. There has been only one other board member, John Gartrell of Texas. Attorney Henry said a third person has been added to the board and the board met on Saturday and passed some resolutions. Attorney Chris Varner has filed a motion saying Dr. Steve Perlaky should be held in contempt of court. He said in December he took $73,256.46 from the cave and campground funds. He said $15,000 and $10,000 were paid to John Wolfe, who was formerly an attorney on the case for Dr. Steve Perlaky and is a partner with him in an Aetna Mountain four-wheeling venture. He said $28,256 went to the Fleissner firm, which also formerly represented Dr. Steve Perlaky. Another $20,000 was paid to attorney Henry's firm - Gearhiser, Peters. Chancellor Atherton said, "By the time this case is over, the entire mountain will be diluted with greed." 19K Shares Share What does a 3 year old know? If you dont like our toddlers opinion, just wait; shell change her mind in a few seconds. The ever-changing mind of a 3-year-old is what makes the fact that I decided to be a doctor at that age all the more amazing. But, thats how old I was when my parents took me on a mission trip to Haiti, and I decided I wanted to be a doctor. I witnessed a delivery of twins, and I knew that I was going to grow up and be a doctor. Becoming an MD + Mom: My personal goals seemed so simple until babies arrived I ended up as a pediatric anesthesiologist; getting there took me from Washington to North Carolina to Virginia to Washington and back to Virginia. Major life choices, sacrifices, and expenses were all part of the pathway for becoming a physician, and I never questioned them. My career aspirations were simple until our first baby arrived during residency. How was I to know that being a mom would completely derail my perspective and goals? Other women had warned me, but I had always looked on them with a bit of disdain, priding myself on what I thought was superior ambition. I thought it wouldnt happen to me. Maternity leave during residency was a rude awakening, as I immediately realized that my life would feel complete and satisfied if I never worked another day outside of the home, as a physician or otherwise. The epiphany: Being a doctor is cool, but Talking to many other women, I think that this epiphany happens to all of us, to one degree or another. It hits some of us harder than others, with some women more easily embracing the fact that they are better at their profession and better mothers because of the balance the other provides. Some of us struggle more. As physicians, we receive professional and personal satisfaction in taking care of patients, but for many of us, our real soul-sustenance comes from being home with our children, and it is a constant battle to keep the two reconciled. We live in tension thankful for an amazing job that we worked hard to obtain, but knowing that it comes at a cost to our children and ourselves. Our efforts to limit that cost are constant, and we are always questioning if we are doing enough to minimize it. I think many of us are surprised by how dramatically motherhood rearranges our sources of fulfillment. I had a lovely discussion with an OB/GYN colleague the other evening. We bonded over the fact that we are happiest when we are home with our children, and joked about how we wish we would have just married the doctor instead of being one ourselves. But, this wonderful woman delivered our youngest baby, and, I cannot tell you how grateful I am that she was there. Every woman can relate to the emotion, elation + terror, of having a baby, no matter how the baby enters your life. This lady was away from her family that afternoon; her children were with someone else, but she was at the hospital, helping me. Finding meaning in our jobs During training, I think it is hard to feel important as a caregiver; we are a low member of the team and can easily feel replaceable. Out of training, it is easier to realize that I actually do have something unique to provide the privilege of taking a child safely and comfortably through the peri-operative experience as their anesthesiologist is a high honor, indeed. That knowledge helps, and I am thankful for having a career that I take pride in. But, it doesnt get rid of the guilt. As physician-mothers, we balance mommy-guilt, professional advancement, and our perception as uncommitted by colleagues; it is a constant challenge. But, I take comfort in this the things that make a good physician also make a good mom. Good mothers are patient, selfless, loving, and thorough. So are good physicians. Good mothers are intentional and present during their interactions; I strive to be those things when I am at work and at home. Even though I may not spend the most number of hours with my girls, I am fierce about maximizing the value of my time with them when I am home. Thank you, fellow MomMDs I am exceedingly grateful for the women who have sacrificed time with their own children to invest in me as educators and now as clinicians. I received excellent care from my OB/GYN, and my children are seen by a truly lovely female pediatrician. Both of these women, and countless other physician-mothers, work tirelessly as non-replaceable caregivers and educators, and I am eminently thankful for them. Mommy-guilt is an ongoing struggle for us. If a simple solution existed, a mom would have discovered it long ago. We are left doing the best balancing act we can, and loving our children in the best way our individual circumstances allow. While I seek to invest in my children as much as I possibly can with the time and resources that I have, I will continue to provide the best care possible as a physician being present, thorough, and patient, knowing that I possess a very special skill. Every patient I take care of has (or had) a mom, and I know that she is grateful. Emily Knipper is a pediatric anesthesiologist. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Margaret Norris from MTAS (Municipal Technical Advisory Services), an agency that provides technical advice for cities in Tennessee, came to a meeting of the Cleveland City Council Monday afternoon to give some guidelines about the search for a new city manager. Janice Casteel has announced she will be leaving the position after 42 years of working for the city. She told the council that it is not required but would be beneficial to hire a candidate that is from Tennessee because they would already have some knowledge of the state requirements. The city of Cleveland, however, is large enough to have departments and individuals that specialize in such matters, and so the search will likely be extended beyond the state. Using a headhunter in addition to MTAS for the search would provide a national data base from which to draw. The process should take from four to six months, Ms. Norris told the council, and every step takes time, she said. The first step will be to determine what qualifications that the council wants in the prospective city manager. The position will then be advertised, and once they are received, the applications will be reviewed. The amount of time for rating them will depend upon the number of applications that the city gets. Then interviews will be scheduled and, after a candidate is chosen, the applicant must be given time to turn in notice to their current employer. The two suggestions Ms. Norris had for requirements were education and experience which are also the qualifications that are in the city charter, said Councilman Richard Banks. The council will determine what else is needed or wanted for the position and send the information to Ms. Norris by Jan. 25 so she will be able to make recommendations and give advice. Councilman Banks said with 32 new employees this year, it is a time of turmoil and change in Cleveland. The city manager will be the ultimate boss. This is the most important thing we will do this year, he added. Discussion took place about property the city plans to purchase to use as parking for the greenway which the city has a large investment in. It is prime property that the current owners bought for $25,000. Vice Mayor George Poe said after that purchase the land was graded to raise it above the flood elevation and it is now a buildable lot. The city already had procured an easement on which a bridge was built to connect to the greenway. A second parcel remains in the flood plain. The city has given the county an opportunity to participate in the purchase, but it appears they are not interested, said Vice Mayor Poe. A grand opening of the new arena for Cleveland High School is scheduled for April 5. It is now known as an arena, not a gym, because it was designed to be a multi-purpose space. It will also help relieve six classrooms by providing space to expand. Lou Patten, chairman of the Airport Authority, spoke to the council to suggest dissolving the group that was formed in 2004 because the initial purpose of building and running the airport has been met. Operations would then be turned over to the private sector. This drew opposition from the council members, citing the fact that the city receives income from fuel sales which would not be the case if a large fixed base operator (FBO) took over. It is also legally unclear if the council has the authority to disband the organization, said City Attorney John Kimball. A vote was unanimous to request legal clarification from the attorney general and legislative delegation on the matter. Lynn Devault was approved to serve out the term of commission member LeRoy Rymer. Ms. Devault said the airport was built primarily with grant money and the obligations of those grants are ongoing. To dissolve the authority because agreement cannot be made on management issues is nonsense, she said. She urged the council to reconsider appointments and the managers term when they come up because there may be more qualified individuals available at that time. The council also heard a class comp study from Steve Thompson, who has analyzed the citys pay grades. He said there are now 15 pay grades, and each has 15 steps of three and a half percent. He said it would take an employee seven and a half years to achieve the market rate from step one, which he said is too long. The city is competing with the private sector, it was noted. He said the pay rates are about 96 percent of the market, a little low to be competitive, although the benefits package is slightly above average. The city managers average salary based on the population of Cleveland is $136,000. Mr. Thompson suggested three alternatives for determining pay plans for city employees. The fist would be to keep the three and a half percent plan, but drop the first low step. The second and the plan he urged the council to think about would be to use pay ranges, which is the current trend. This is based on what is affordable each year, with the knowledge that the city must invest in its employees. The third plan would be to use a two and a half percent plan, which would require the elimination of some of the steps. Land on Kile Lane SW was approved for rezoning from R3 Multi-family Residential to IL Light Industrial Zone. Recommendation for approval had come from the planning commission. The owner said he has aggressive plans for the property. Cleveland School Director Dr. Martin Ringstaff thanked Police Chief Mark Gibson for providing the high school with a second resource officer. He also offered additional public parking on school property for people using the greenway. A resolution was approved for the mayor to sign an agreement with Habitat for Humanity for continued development of Victory Cove Subdivision. The mayor was also authorized to sign the TML Property Conservation matching grant application for $5,000 to buy security cameras for use in city parks. He was also given approval to sign an agreement for a traffic impact study for the new elementary school on Georgetown Road. An environmental site assessment for the veterans home was approved, as was the application for the 2015 grant to assist firefighters for purchasing Aerial/Quint Apparatus. This is an 80/20 grant for $900,000. Another resolution authorized the application for an Assistance to Firefighters grant to purchase Source Capture Exhaust Systems for the fire stations. Watchguard Cop Vu Body Cams were declared as surplus and will be donated to the Polk County Sheriffs Department. Two street lights will be replaced with new LED light fixtures at 905, 17th St. NW. The city will reimburse Cleveland Utilities $162.83 per fixture. Mayor Tom Rowland was authorized to sign a proposal on behalf of the Cleveland Animal Shelter as a beneficiary for settlement of a promissory note. Larry Wallace, who consulted with the city about personnel issues since last March, told the council that he had received complete cooperation from everybody in Bradley County, and he said, I believe you are on the right track. The council members each praised the work that Mr. Wallace did and requested additional help if needed in the future. Margaret Norris from MTAS (Municipal Technical Advisory Services), an agency that provides technical advice for cities in Tennessee, came to a meeting of the Cleveland City Council Monday afternoon to give some guidelines about the search for a new city manager. Janice Casteel has announced she will be leaving the position after 42 years of working for the city. She told the council that it is not required but would be beneficial to hire a candidate who is from Tennessee because the applicant would already have some knowledge of the state requirements. The city of Cleveland, however, is large enough to have departments and individuals that specialize in such matters, and so the search will likely be extended beyond the state. Using a headhunter in addition to MTAS for the search would provide a national data base from which to draw. The process should take from four to six months, Ms. Norris told the council, and every step takes time, she said. The first step will be to determine what qualifications that the council wants in the prospective city manager. The position will then be advertised, and once applications are received, they will be reviewed. The amount of time for rating them will depend upon the number of applications that the city gets. Then interviews will be scheduled and, after a candidate is chosen, the applicant must be given time to turn in notice to their current employer. The two suggestions Ms. Norris had for requirements were education and experience, which are also the qualifications that are in the city charter, said Councilman Richard Banks. The council will determine what else is needed or wanted for the position and send the information to Ms. Norris by Jan. 25 so she will be able to make recommendations and give advice. Councilman Banks said with 32 new employees this year, it is a time of turmoil and change in Cleveland. The city manager will be the ultimate boss. This is the most important thing we will do this year, he added. Discussion took place about property the city plans to purchase to use as parking for the greenway which the city has a large investment in. It is prime property that the current owners bought for $25,000. Vice Mayor George Poe said after that purchase, the land was graded to raise it above the flood elevation and it is now a buildable lot. The city already had procured an easement on which a bridge was built to connect to the greenway. A second parcel remains in the flood plain. The city has given the county an opportunity to participate in the purchase, but it appears the county is not interested, said Vice Mayor Poe. A grand opening of the new arena for Cleveland High School is scheduled for April 5. It is now known as an arena, not a gym, because it was designed to be a multi-purpose space. It will also help relieve six classrooms by providing space to expand. Lou Patten, chairman of the Airport Authority, spoke to the commission to suggest dissolving the group that was formed in 2004 because the initial purpose of building and running the airport has been met. Operations would then be turned over to the private sector. This drew opposition from the council members, citing the fact that the city receives income from fuel sales which would not be the case if a large fixed base operator (FBO) took over. It is also legally unclear if the council has the authority to disband the organization, said City Attorney John Kimball. A vote was unanimous to request legal clarification from the attorney general and legislative delegation on the matter. Lynn Devault was approved to serve out the term of commission member LeRoy Rymer. Ms. Devault said the airport was built primarily with grant money and the obligations of those grants are ongoing. To dissolve the authority because agreement cannot be made on management issues is nonsense, she said. She urged the council to reconsider appointments and the managers term when they come up because there may be more qualified individuals available at that time. The council also heard a class comp study from Steve Thompson, who has analyzed the citys pay grades. He said there are now 15 pay grades, and each has 15 steps of three and a half percent. He said it would take an employee seven and a half years to achieve the market rate from step one, which he said is too long. The city is competing with the private sector, it was stated. He said the pay rates are about 96 percent of the market, a little low to be competitive, although the benefits package is slightly above average. The city managers average salary based on the population of Cleveland is $136,000. Mr. Thompson suggested three alternatives for determining pay plans for city employees. The fist would be to keep the three and a half percent plan, but drop the first low step. The second, and the plan he urged the council to think about, would be to use pay ranges, which is the current trend. This is based on what is affordable each year, with the knowledge that the city must invest in its employees. The third plan would be to use a two and a half percent plan which would require the elimination of some of the steps. Land on Kile Lane SW was approved for rezoning from R3 Multi-family Residential to IL Light Industrial Zone. Recommendation had come from the planning commission. The owner said he has aggressive plans for the property. Cleveland Schools Director Dr. Martin Ringstaff thanked Police Chief Mark Gibson for providing the high school with a second resource officer. He also offered additional public parking on school property for people using the greenway. A resolution was approved for the mayor to sign an agreement with Habitat for Humanity for continued development of Victory Cove Subdivision. Mayor Tom Rowland was also authorized to sign the TML Property Conservation matching grant application for $5,000 to buy security cameras for use in city parks. He was also given approval to sign an agreement for a traffic impact study for the new elementary school on Georgetown Road. An environmental site assessment for the veterans home was approved, as was the application for the 2015 grant to assist firefighters for purchasing Aerial/Quint Apparatus. This is an 80/20 grant for $900,000. Another resolution authorized the application for an Assistance to Firefighters grant to purchase Source Capture Exhaust Systems for the fire stations. Watchguard Cop Vu Body Cams were declared as surplus and will be donated to the Polk County Sherriffs Department. Two street lights will be replaced with new LED light fixtures at 905, 17th St. NW. The city will reimburse Cleveland Utilities $162.83 per fixture. The mayor was authorized to sign a proposal on behalf of the Cleveland Animal Shelter as a beneficiary for settlement of a promissory note. Larry Wallace, who consulted with the city about personnel issues since last March, told the council that he had received complete cooperation from everybody in Bradley County, and he said I believe you are on the right track. The council members each praised the work that Mr. Wallace did and requested additional help, if needed in the future. The server hosting this blog will be going offline this Friday (the 14th) at roughly 10pm. If all goes well, it will come back up on Saturday morning at 7-... 1 week ago (Kitco News) - Gold prices are moderately lower Tuesday on some more profit-taking and chart consolidation following recent gains that saw prices hit a two-month high late last week. A less-anxious world markets scene on this day and a firmer U.S. dollar index are also helping to pressure the safe-haven gold market. February Comex gold was last down $10.00 at $1,086.00 an ounce. March Comex silver was last down $0.096 at $13.77 an ounce. The world marketplace is less anxious Tuesday as China stock markets have stabilized and there was no major economic data from Asia or Europe Tuesday that is impacting world markets. Chinas Shanghai stock index was up 0.2% on the day, while European stock markets were also firmer. U.S. stock indexes are also pointed to higher openings when the day sessions begin on Tuesday. There are growing notions that weaker economic growth prospects for China are now baked into the cake for world stock markets. Japans stock market did drop Tuesday, but thats because Japans markets were closed for a holiday on Monday. Reports said there may have been a suicide bomber terror attack in Turkey Tuesday, in which around 10 people were killed. That news has not had a significant impact on world markets. Crude oil prices are slightly higher Tuesday after hitting another 12-year low on Monday. Traders and investors worldwide have been uneasy with crude oils dropping prices, due to the implications for deflationary price pressures. U.S. economic data due for release Tuesday includes the weekly Johnson Redbook and Goldman Sachs retail sales reports, the NFIB small business index, the IDB/TIPP economic optimism index, and President Obama delivers his final state-of-the-union address. (Note: Follow me on Twitter--@jimwyckoff--for breaking market news.) Wyckoffs Daily Risk Rating: 2.5 (Trader and investor market risk aversion is less elevated today.) (Wyckoffs Daily Risk Rating is your way to quickly gauge investor risk appetite in the world market place each day. Each day I assess the risk-on or risk-off trader mentality in the market place with a numerical reading of 1 to 5, with 1 being least risk-averse (most risk-on) and 5 being the most risk-averse (risk-off). Technically, gold bears have the overall near-term technical advantage, but the bulls have recently gained some technical strength to suggest a market bottom is in place. Bulls next upside near-term price breakout objective is to produce a close above solid technical resistance at last weeks high of $1,113.10. Bears' next near-term downside price breakout objective is closing prices below solid technical support at $1,070.00. First resistance is seen at $1,090.00 and then at $1,100.00. First support is seen at $1,080.00 and then at $1,075.00. Wyckoffs Market Rating: 3.0 Silver bears have the solid overall near-term technical advantage. Silver bulls next upside price breakout objective is closing December futures prices above solid technical resistance at the December high of $14.64 an ounce. The next downside price breakout objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at the contract low of $13.62. First resistance is at the overnight high of $13.91 and then at this weeks high of $14.075. Next support is seen at the contract low of $13.62 and then at $13.50. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 1.5. By Jim Wyckoff, contributing to Kitco News; jwyckoff@kitco.com Follow me on Twitter @jimwyckoff Less Anxiety In Marketplace As China Stocks Stabilize Tuesday (Kitco News) - Gold prices are lower in early trading, on a corrective Pullback from recent gains and a slowdown in safe-haven Buying interest on this day. The world marketplace is less anxious Tuesday as China stock markets have stabilized and there was no major economic data from Asia or Europe Tuesday that is impacting world markets. China's Shanghai stock index was up 0.2% on the day, while European stock markets were also firmer. U.S. stock indexes are also pointed to higher openings when the day sessions begin on Tuesday. By Jim Wyckoff, contributing to Kitco News; jwyckoff@kitco.com Follow Jim Wyckoff @jimwyckoff Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in precious metal products, commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication. kitco news SHARE By Chris Henry BAINBRIDGE ISLAND Bainbridge Island School District will offer free all-day kindergarten in the 2016-17 school year. The district will hold a meeting for parents Feb. 3 about the program, which will be available at Blakely, Ordway and Wilkes elementaries. Bainbridge Island, a relatively affluent district, is the last in Kitsap County to qualify for state funding for all-day kindergarten, which the Legislature approved for all districts in the 2015 session. Families currently pay $350 per month for all-day kindergarten. Income-eligible families pay on a sliding scale either half or a quarter of the full tuition. Kindergarten registration will open after the meeting at 6 p.m. Feb. 3 in the Ordway Elementary School Multipurpose Room, 8555 Madison Ave. N. The district is encouraging interested parents to sign up early for budgeting purposes. The district will offer eight sections of all-day kindergarten. A half-day option will remain, said Sheryl Belt, assistant director of curriculum and instruction. SHARE By Andrew Binion of the Kitsap Sun PORT ORCHARD A 27-year-old man sentenced Monday to 6 years in prison for a car crash where he struck and killed a pedestrian and seriously injured another told a Kitsap Superior Court judge that he was sorry and that he wanted to devote his life to helping people. Daniel Jordan Luckie Krogman pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide for the death of Alana Kemppainen-Cartwright, 23; her friend Andrew O'Brien was seriously injured in the crash. The two were walking on Tracyton Beach Road during the early hours of Sept. 10, 2014, after leaving the same bar where Krogman had been with friends. A test of Krogman's blood found he was at twice the legal limit for alcohol and had marijuana and amphetamines in his system. After striking the two people, Krogman stopped the car and tried to help, which Krogman said was the only thing about that day he didn't regret. He said he has played over the series of events that resulted in the crash and has asked himself what could have prevented the deadly wreck. "It all comes down to responsibility, and the lack thereof," Krogman said. In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors dropped the vehicular assault charge against Krogman, who has spent the past 16 months in the Kitsap County Jail, an extended period of time awaiting resolution of his case after the private attorney he hired was removed in May 2015 and a public defender was assigned. Krogman directed apologizes to the family of Kemppainen-Cartwright, as well as to O'Brien, saying he took their futures and their dreams. "I have taken something I can never give back," Krogman told Judge Leila Mills before she handed down the 78-month sentence, the lowest sentence for which Krogman was eligible. With all the time he has had to think about the events of that night, Krogman said he is a different person now, "a man with new eyes," and wants to help others change their lives. "We all have something we are here for, I think I have found my purpose," he said. Krogman could have faced up to 102 months in prison, but the 78-month sentence had been recommended to Mills by prosecutors and Krogman's attorney, and was given the OK by Kemppainen-Cartwright's mother, Sharon Kemppainen. Kemppainen said that she struggled with the idea of valuing her daughter's life in terms of years of prison. However, she could measure her grief in terms of her loss, of never again seeing her daughter dance to the Beatles and never again hear her say, "Mom, you're my best friend." "I'll grieve for you every day until we meet again," Kemppainen said, describing her daughter as a radiant young woman with a flair for life who was excited to begin a career as a dental hygienist. Krogman also apologized for how long it took to resolve the case, something his mother, Cindy Luckie, called a "travesty." Krogman's first attorney, Dennis X. Goss, was removed after prosecutors alleged he had lied to a judge. Krogman then was assigned a public defender. O'Brien, who suffered a head injury in the wreck and had his heart restarted by paramedics, settled a lawsuit in September for $1.3 million, most of which was paid by the Tracyton Public House's insurance. O'Brien had intended to become a gym teacher, but that dream was cut short by his injuries. "His brain is working, but not like it did before," O'Brien's mother, Donna O'Brien, wrote in court documents. "I still have my son, but not like he was before." Mills told Krogman she believed he was sorry and commended those family members who spoke for their kindness and thoughtfulness. "The irony is that as brutal and tragic as this is, I can't remember a sentencing where I felt so much love," Mills said. Prosecutors had offered a similar plea agreement to Krogman in 2015, and Goss said he relayed the offer to Krogman. However, prosecutors told the judge on the case that it appeared Goss had not gone to the jail to visit Krogman and that he was then under investigation for making false statements in court. To prevent a conflict where Krogman could have been a witness for Goss for the perjury accusations, former Superior Court Judge Anna Laurie kicked Goss off the case. Goss has a state Bar Association disciplinary hearing scheduled for May. Bradley Countys contract with the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) will expire in February, and the county commissioners will soon need to make decisions of how to shelter stray animals. County Mayor Gary Davis proposed approving a new contract with the requested increase to $120,000. Choices will have to be made about which services the county will provide for its citizens before a new contract can be written. The current contract offers only sheltering of stray animals. Other services such as pick-up and after- hour services were given up to reduce costs with the last contract. The number of days the shelter will be open will also have to be determined. Now the shelter is open just three days a week. The original asking price two years ago started at $400,000 and was negotiated down to $80,000 with the reduction of services. The SPCA is now asking for an increase to $120,000. Commissioner Dan Rawls said the SPCA has been successful with a no-kill policy, and without that concept it would lose volunteers. It is because of the volunteers that it is working, it was stated. He and Commissioner Thomas Crye agreed that it is a good value for the money and the asking price is reasonable, but it is doubtful it could be done for the price by any entity without volunteers. Commissioner Terry Caywood said he feels both sides of the issue, but people in his district are very emotional about the no-kill policy. Both he and Vice Chairman Jeff Yarber suggested bidding out the contract. Bill Winters questioned if the county should even be in this business and Mark Hall expressed his desire to part company with SPCA. It was decided that County Mayor Davis will be the person to renegotiate the contract on behalf of the county. The commissioners also heard a report from Drew Freeman from the Department of the Treasury about retirement plan options for city employees. A new alternative available is a hybrid plan which he said has already been adopted by Hamilton and Jefferson counties. This is part pension which gives benefits for the length of service, and part 401K, he said. The pension portion is 30 percent of the plan with the remainder being made up with interest from the 401K. He said currently the city pays 13.62 percent into the employees pension plan. With a hybrid plan, the employer would be required to put four percent into the pension plan and five percent into the 401K portion, but the 401K is optional. An employee could put seven percent into the 401K. The city will be required to pass a look back plan resolution concerning insurance for variable date employees. These part time employees must work 30 hours weekly to be eligible to participate in the countys insurance plan. If one of these workers is scheduled to work 24-26 hours, but instead works 30 hours, the county could look back to see if they did the work to be qualified and would not be penalized or fined for not having offered insurance to that person. To pass this resolution will be to avoid a fine, it was stated. Representatives from the GRAAB Coalition asked the commission to support their effort to stop prescription drug abuse. Tennessee is ranked the number two state for this misuse. Concern has come forward because of the legalization of marijuana in some areas. The commissioners were urged to be pro-active on the issue, and were given examples of ways that other counties have attempted to curtail substance abuse, such as limiting the number of pain clinics with zoning ordinances so a clinic does not pop up next to schools and churches. Another way cities can help is to sponsor take-back programs, the representative said. Acknowledging that prescription drugs are probably more of a problem than illegal drugs, Commissioner Rawls suggested partnering with pharmaceutical companies and holding them responsible. The next meeting of the Bradley County Commission will be a voting session on Tuesday, Jan. 19, at noon. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert laughs at a joke by U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, right, in downtown Bremerton on Monday. Greenert, who's in the region for meetings and to attend Seafair festivities, discussed the Navy's increasing focus on the Pacific Fleet. SHARE Sen. Maria Cantwell, Rep. Norm Dicks and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert hold a news conference on Pacific Avenue in downtown Bremerton on Monday. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert (right), U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks (center) and U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell talked Monday about the role of local Navy bases. By Ed Friedrich of the Kitsap Sun Kitsap County will retain its importance as the Navy shifts more forces to the Pacific, but don't expect to get any more ships, its top officer said Monday. "The number of aircraft and ships will be the same or a little bigger, but we have to have the support to sustain them," Adm. Jonathan Greenert said of Puget Sound bases. "I think there's a bright future up here." The Chief of Naval Operations visited the Puget Sound area for briefings at Navy installations and Seafair activities. After an all-hands call at Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton, he, U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks and U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell met the press briefly at PSNS Memorial Plaza. The Navy is "rebalancing" its resources to respond to a changing world, going from a 50-50 split between the Pacific and Atlantic fleets to 60 percent in the Pacific by 2020. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta reiterated in June that six aircraft carriers and a majority of cruisers, destroyers, littoral combat ships and submarines will be in the Pacific. Local Navy support group Puget Sound Naval Bases Association suggested to Navy and Congressional leaders the logic of adding a second aircraft carrier at Bremerton. The carrier based in Everett would move to Bremerton, thus opening space for more destroyers at Everett. Recent completion of a pier would allow Bremerton to accommodate two carriers. "That's not the plan right now," said Greenert, who relieved Adm. Gary Roughead as CNO in September. "It's very good to have that kind of capacity here, but I think we like the balance as it is right now." Though Kitsap isn't likely to add ships, neither should it lose any to permanent overseas deployment, another trend, Greenert said. The Navy, for example, announced in February that four Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers will be forward deployed to Rota, Spain. They're moving from the East Coast. Up to four littoral combat ships will start operating from Singapore, Panetta confirmed in April. Though the number of ships isn't expected to increase, more workers might be needed to keep them maintained and modernized, Greenert said. "The bottom line, it's people that make this work," he said. You've got to have the industrial capacity like you do. That will be the key to the rebalancing." As the Navy rebalances, or unbalances, toward the Pacific, it will continue to provide a large workload for Kitsap. "I'm proud to have worked on these issues throughout my career, to make this the superior nuclear repair facility on the West Coast," Dicks said of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility. "It's clear the Navy's going to have a lot of work for us to do in the future," Cantwell said. "We want to do it well, on time and in a cost-effective fashion." Ship numbers will remain stable throughout Navy Region Northwest. Though new ships are coming to Everett ? two new destroyers and another changing homeports ? they are replacing three frigates.

Students stream through the commons area in between classes Thursday at South Kitsap High School. MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN

SHARE By Chris Henry SOUTH KITSAP ? South Kitsap voters will see a $127 million bond measure for a second high school and technology upgrades at South Kitsap High School on the Feb. 9 ballot. The 20-year bond would add an estimated $1.11 per $1,000 of assessed value to property owners' local school taxes. Property owners already pay 6 cents per $1,000 on existing bond debt. The bond rate is in addition to the district's maintenance and operations levy, the current rate for which is $3.69 per $1,000. The school board approved the bond measure Wednesday. The district has spent the past 1 A years gauging South Kitsap's appetite to support funding for a second high school, which has been talked about for decades. Voters in 2007 turned down a $163 million bond for a second high school, a major renovation of South Colby Elementary and improvements at all other schools. The last time the district passed a bond was in 1988, to build Mullinex Ridge, Sidney Glen and Hidden Creek elementary schools and renovate East Port Orchard Elementary. The district has no current voter-approved bond debt. Superintendent Michelle Reid said the 2016 bond, if approved by voters, will address three top priorities identified in recent parent-staff committees and community forums. A second high school topped the list, followed by up-to-speed technology and opportunities to develop college and career readiness. The 220,000-square-foot high school is planned for a 42-acre site the district owns on Old Clifton Road. The school would initially accommodate 1,500 students, with a capacity to expand for up to 1,800 total. The project would cost the district an estimated $124.9 million, plus approximately $6.4 million in anticipated state capital funds. With bond proceeds, South Kitsap High School is slated for $2 million in technology upgrades. Reid said the 2015 plan for a second high school is scaled back from the 2007 version. A planning consultant at Wednesday's school board meeting said the per-student square footage for the high school, which likely would open in 2020, is adequate but on the conservative end compared to other similarly populated high schools in the region. "I want to be sensitive to our voting public," Reid said. Board member Keith Garton said building a second high school was not simply about adding more space, although space is an issue with the statewide trend toward smaller class sizes and the district's move to all-day kindergarten. Garton said the new high school will help the district orchestrate a large-scale shift of grade levels within schools that will happen with or without the bond. In 2016, the district will begin moving its ninth-graders up to the high school and will make its junior highs sixth- through eighth-grade middle schools. The transitions will occur over a period of three years. "The driving force behind this is not to simply build a second high school," Garton said. "But it's to accommodate our grade reconfiguration model and giving our students all the advantages they can get." This story has been revised to correct the estimated property tax rate that would result from passage of the new bond and to clarify that there is existing bond debt. The district, since the Oct. 21 board meeting, revised its rate estimate to 99 cents per $1,000. SHARE Greg Iverson, Manchester Ecology proposal a tough reality The proposed carbon emission reduction of 5 percent in three years is a baby step in the right direction with dangerous consequences. In 2013 James Hansen concluded that global reductions in carbon emissions of 6 percent per year combined with a sequestration of 100 gigatons of carbon in soil due to reforestation and improved agricultural practices would be required to prevent catastrophic climate change. Given the reality of carbon emissions in India and other countries which are decades away from their peak emissions, the United States and other developed nations need to do more than the global average perhaps 10 percent a year. Here's a quote from page 10 of Hansen's 2013 paper: "A 6 percent per year decrease of fossil fuel emissions beginning in 2013, with 100 GtC reforestation, achieves a CO2 decline to 350 ppm near the end of this century " Our current global CO2 atmospheric concentration is 400 ppm and we are headed to 450 ppm as early as 2038. The longer we delay serious reductions the worst will be the consequences. As Ayn Rand said in 1961, "[Man] is free to make the wrong choice, but not free to succeed with it. He is free to evade reality, he is free to unfocus his mind and stumble blindly down any road he pleases, but not free to avoid the abyss he refuses to see." Bob Ingersoll used to write a column incalled "The Law is a Ass" in which he analyzed how the law is portrayed in comics then explained how it would really work. (He's since moved the column over to ComicMix .) In 1983, he took a look at the Fantastic Four as a legal corporation and how they would have had to have incorporated and why it made sense. For today's "On History" installment, I thought I would re-run this older piece that originally caught my eye because of my interest in the FF...I first learned about it in#160, Page 16 Panel 3, to be precise. Sometime, several months before that issue and at Reed Richards' suggestion, the F.F. had quietly incorporated. Even at the time, though I was but a lowly college student and unknowledgeable about the ways of the real world, I wondered why. Why after years of existence as whatever type of organization it had been, did the Fantastic Four suddenly incorporate? (I knew the reason had to be more than that the writer had a story line or two whose actualization required that the F.F. incorporate. Comic writers wouldn't have their characters suddenly do something which the characters had, until that point felt, totally unnecessary, simply to advance a plot, now would they?)Now I know the reason. One law school course on corporate law revealed it. So, in the honored comic book tradition of the secret origin of Flash's masked identity and the untold story of Warlord's helmet, I offer the untold story behind the secret origin of the Fantastic Four's incorporation. Besides, I'm a peach of a guy. Rather than force any of my loyal readers to cough up the tuition for law school and suffer through a corporate law class for the answer, I'll give it out free for nothing. All I ask is that you name your first born male child after me. (Not too difficult, really, it's already far too late to name him before me.)The F.F.'s incorporation has to do with money, first making it and then keeping it. I know that talking about money is plebeian, even crass, and that super-heroes should be above that sort of thing. But they're not. It takes money to keep Johnny Storm stocked with hot sauce or to maintain Reed Richards' one hundred pairs of stretch socks.The F.F. has no trouble making money. Reed's patents, which supply the money, are of such number and quality that the Fantastic Four-or a small army in Bolivia-can live off of their sales and applications. Considering the F.F.'s expenses, however-the electric bill on the Negative Zone portal alone must he staggering and the Fantasti-car can't get good mileage-one can only conclude that Reed Richards has a patent on the letter E.Keeping the money the F.F. makes is another matter, one in which incorporation would help considerably. First incorporation creates tremendous tax advantages for the Fantastic Four. Exactly how the advantages come about is complicated, so you'll just have to trust me on this one. I can't explain it to the lay public; mostly because I don't understand it myself.(I beg your pardon, Don and Maggie? I won't getif I don't come across with a legitimate reason? Paid? I won't get paid for the column? Okaayyy...)It has to do with who is liable for the taxes owed by a corporation versus those owed by a partnership. Partners in a partnership share the profits and are individually liable for paying the income taxes on said profits. A corporation, on the other hand, is a separate legal entity, a fictional person which is liable for the taxes on all corporate income. Thus, it is Fantastic Four, Incorporated which pays the taxes on the income generated by Fantastic Four, Incorporated, not Reed and the gang.The tax advantage that this situation creates comes with the realization that along with a patent of the letter E, Reed Richards obviously has political clout. Lots of political clout. Remember we're talking about a man who was able to swing enough zoning variances to permit jet plane landings, rocket ship take-offs, and nuclear generators in the Baxter Building, a mid-town Manhattan address only a few blocks from the United Nations building. All of that in mid-town Manhattan requires more pull than a Coney Island taffy concession. Reed must have enough connections, that he could get Congress to Vote itself a pay cut. With such pull working for him, Reed would have no trouble in getting the F.F. declared a non-profit organization. As a matter of fact, they are. Check#l.The point of all this is that non-profit corporations do not have to pay income taxes, because they don't have any income. So if it is Fantastic Four, Inc. which is liable for the income taxes-not Reed, Sue, Ben, or Johnny-and if Fantastic Four, Inc. is a tax exempt non-profit organization, no one pays the taxes. Indeed, there are no taxes. And if you don't think there's a tremendous tax advantage on not having to pay the taxes on fifteen quintuplatillion umptuplatillion multiplatillion impossibidillion fantasticatrillion dollars, you need to study H&R Block's 17 reasons again.Saving on taxes isn't the only advantage that the corporate structure offers the Fantastic Four. There's an even bigger one in what's called limitation of liability. Your average super-hero/super-villain contest produces repercussions that don't go away, when the gendarmes cart off the bad guy. To quote from John Byrne in#260 Page Panel 1, "Leaving [the site of the battle] will not prove quite so easy, the consequences of a major battle in the middle of a highly populated area being many. There are accounts both economic and emotional that will take years to settle." In other words, your average super-hero/super-villain contest levels your average city block. So when the F.F. trashes a supermarket, freeway and a taxicab in one issue, someone's got to pay far all that damage.Damage to someone's property due to a super powered fight, has always been a problem, especially at Marvel, where the heroes are more destructive. If you don't believe me there, take the same test Don once gave me: picture a closed door and imagine how the heroes would go through it. Flash would vibrate through. Atom would shrink and walk between the atoms. Batman would pick the lock. Even the DC hero most likely to break down the door, Superman, you know would return later and repair it at super speed, because we've all seen him do it several times. (Which brings up a side complaint from the movieAt the film's beginning Clark Kent jaywalks and carelessly allows a taxi to smash into him. The result is a large V shaped dent in the front end. Superman never fixed the damage he caused, a fact I know, because the same damaged taxi appears later in the movie. Its dent, incidently, giving a new meaning to the term V-8 engine.)Now imagine the Marvel heroes going through the same door. Iron Man would blast it with Repulsor Rays. Thor would smash it with his hammer and not even have to retrieve the hammer. Cyclops, Iron Fist, Power Man, Hulk, Thing and virtually everybody found in, volumes 5-11 would break down the door.This problem of destruction has reached epic proportions under John Byrne's run of theandCase in point#6. Pages 18, 19, and 20, where Ben Grimm seems to have taken out one-third of mid-town Manhattan. Only the destruction to Tokyo in Toho Production's classic, Godzilla Vs. Mecha Ruta-Baga rivals Ben's clash with Puppet Master for pure mindless destruction.Now, someone has to reimburse the owners, so that they can restore their rubble. And it's probably not Nationwide that's on their side. If the insurance companies were smart they would already have incorporated clauses in their policies specifically exempting damage caused by super powered battles from coverage. Even if the owners do have a peace of the rock, the insurance companies wouldn't sit on their losses. No, the Rock would sue the persons responsible for the damage for what we lawyers call indemnification. (Don't ask, we had to call it something and what's coming to me was already taken.)Your average super-hero/super-villain fight leaves your average super hero with a big law suit on his hands. Many times the hero would have a defense, the Doctrine of Emergency. This is a common law doctrine which most, if not all states, have adopted. It says, if a person causes property damage or personal injury while acting in an emergency-particularly a life threatening emergency-said person is not liable for said damage or injury. Constant reliance on this doctrine, however, is impossible.Remember the hero must be acting in an emergency and what was an emergency once might not be so forever. I can just picture Judge Wapner's ruling. "I'm sorry, Mr. Richards. I realize you destroyed Sea World of Orlando protecting the Earth from Galactus's recent attack. But this Court must also take judicial notice of the fact that Galactus has already failed to eat the Earth some forty-seven times to date. This Court rules that Galactus has proven himself to be ineffectual, incompetent and not an emergency at all. Judgement for Shamu."Even if the Doctrine of Emergency could he invoked over the damage caused fighting such notables as the Ringer or Leapfrog, the Doctrine does not cover all super hero caused damage. How many times have you seen the Thing get mad and rip up a Rolls? Or the Torch slag a pike in a pique? Several, right? So, when Ben Grimm levels Levitown in a jealous rage, because Silver Surfer was having tea with Alicia again, that wouldn't count.Reed Richards must have seen several persons whose property had been so destroyed file suit against the Fantastic Four, even if Smilin' Stan and Jolly Jack didn't show us the suits. Perhaps that's why the F.F. went bankrupt back in#9. And, maybe they were feeling another monetary crunch in issue 160, paying for all the property the Thing and the Torch destroyed.Reed is, if nothing else, an intelligent, farsighted man. He saw that he had to insulate his personal fortune from the antics of this two-man wrecking crew under his command, before someone successfully sued him for not controlling them better.Incorporation provided the perfect insulation. A corporation, such as F.F., Inc. is a legal entity, which can be sued in a court of law. Moreover, the corporation, not the board of directors is liable for the wrongs committed by its employees. In other words, when your Chrysler blows up, because of a faulty frammistat-Frammistat? I'm a lawyer, Jim, not a mechanic-you could sue Chrysler. Inc. and win all its assets. You might even win its debt to the Feds. But you couldn't collect a cent from Lee Iacocca, because he's not personally liable. This nifty little legal loophole is, as I said, called Limited Liability and is the reason so many "suits" incorporate. In the event of a lawsuit, it saves them the shirts off their backs. (After all what good is a suit without a shirt?In the same way the Yancy Street Gang could sue Ben Grimm for the injury he caused them. They could sue Fantastic Four, Incorporated. But they could not sue Reed Richards. Reed gets to keep his one hundred pairs of stretch socks.So there you have it, the untold story behind the secret origin of Fantastic Four, Incorporated. Maybe next time I'll tell you the real reason that Bruce Wayne abandoned the Wayne Foundation. But if you think about it you should see. I mean would you want to head an organization that sends its top executives into an eastern European country just forty-eight hours before a major revolution. The liability potential there staggers the imagination. Special agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have obtained an indictment for a former nonprofit director accused of stealing thousands of dollars intended to support her organization. At the request of 19th District Attorney General John Carney, TBI special agents began investigating Nicole Hulbig on Dec. 12, 2014. During the course of the investigation, agents developed information that Ms. Hulbig, who operated a service dog rescue nonprofit called RRR Service Dogs, collected more than $92,000 in fundraising efforts from January 2013 through April 2014. The investigation further revealed Ms. Hulbig used more than $10,000 of those funds on personal items and services not related to the groups stated purpose of animal rescue and service dog placement. On Jan. 4, the Montgomery County Grand Jury returned an indictment for the 30-year-old Portland woman, charging her with one count of theft over $10,000. On Tuesday morning, she was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on $25,000 bond. Some McKenzie Farms residents spoke Monday in opposition of the proposed subdivision on Snowy Owl Road in Ooltewah. Bell Development is over the subdivision, which is set to reside on 57 acres and include 224 lots of single-family homes and townhomes. The design calls for 3.9 dwelling units per acre. Nearly half of the proposed subdivision would be used as open space. Opposition arose at Mondays Planning Commission meeting from some residents of McKenzie Farms, the development adjacent to the Snowy Owl Road property. Resident Jeff Tindal, a certified planner, stated the subdivision lays almost two miles outside city limits and has much more density than anything in the neighboring area. Mr. Tindal said the projected townhomes would set a precedent for future developments in the area. He said he was not against the development of the property, but against taking the nature of the area and community, and making it twice as dense as the existing subdivision at McKenzie Farms. Planning Commissioner Barry Payne made the point that there were subdivisions considerably further outside the city limits that were just as dense as what Bell Development plans to do. While McKenzie Farms resident Ben Campbell commended Jay Bell, owner of Bell Development, for holding neighborhood meetings, he said his chief concern revolved around access on Peppertree Drive, which runs along the McKenzie Farms development and will be limited to emergency access only with the new subdivision. In reply to the residents opposition, Mr. Bell said, I do take the concerns of the neighbors at heart. He said he was working with what the market seemed to want right now, the goal being to enhance the property value of McKenzie Farms. Mr. Bell asked planning commissioners to remove the first condition on the application, which called for a pedestrian pathway connecting his proposed development and the adjacent neighborhood, because he preferred for neighbors to use sidewalks instead of a path in the woods. Mr. Bell also asked that planning commissioners alter the second condition in order to make Peppertree Drive an emergency exit only, instead of extending it to be a public road. It was stated Peppertree Drive would dead-end, and there would be another road in the planned unit development that connected to it by gate. Planning Commissioner Eric Meyers said he normally thinks subdivisions of high density so far outside city limits are not good. But, in this case, he saw the need to support public infrastructure. Because of this, Mr. Meyers said having a high-density neighborhood next to the public school, Ooltewah Elementary, where kids could walk to school from their home was a good plan. Yusuf Hakeem, city councilman and planning commissioner, acknowledged that Mr. Bell was attempting to work with the surrounding neighborhood. Councilman Hakeem made a motion to approve the application with the first condition lifted and second condition altered. The motion was seconded, and planning commissioners cast a unanimous vote to send the recommendation for the project on to the Hamilton County Commission. On a different topic, opposition arose from Steve Picketts request to subdivide and build a new home on a 100-foot lot in St. Elmo. Mr. Picketts construction company, Pickett Homes, owns the lot on 5100 Tennessee Ave. At the meeting Monday, Mr. Pickett presented his plans to subdivide the lot, which currently has a house built on one side, in order to build another house on the other side of the lot. Tim McDonald, owner of personal property on Sunnyside Ave., stated there was an approved plan in St. Elmo in 2011 that called for moderate density. Mr. McDonald said building a home next to the one that already exists on the 5100 lot would make that area very dense. Furthermore, he said he had a concern of safety because the existing house on the proposed lot caught fire in the 1970s. Mr. McDonald said he lived near the house that caught fire, and that the fire department feared the fire would spread from 5100 to 5102. He thought the 5100 house could catch fire again because the chimney was not properly constructed, he said. Daryl Stuart said he had lived across the street from the 5100 lot for 30 years, and his concern was one of parking access and storm water runoff. According to Mr. Stuart, he has plenty of water already coming down in front of his house, and the proposed house would only make that worse. He said the new neighbor who recently moved in to the 5100 property has been parking down on 51st Street because of the steep parking. We dont need another driveway right there across from the house. Its not safe, Mr. Stuart said. In response to the opposition, Mr. Pickett stated the density of the lot in question would have five-foot offsets, which was the same as other homes in St. Elmo. The Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve Mr. Picketts request to build a second home on the 5100 lot. The request will go to the City Council for final determination. Anna M. King SHARE Jodi Lee Smith (Campbell County Jail) By News Sentinel Staff A Campbell County woman has been charged with criminal homicide in the death of her 84-year-old grandmother, authorities said. Deputies found the body of Mona Marcum in her LaFollette home Tuesday morning following an E-911 call, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Jodi Lee Smith, 33, made the call shortly after 9 a.m. to report that she had committed a "violent crime" against her grandmother, according to a Campbell County Sheriff's Office news release. Authorities have not specified the victim's apparent cause of death. The body was transported to the medical examiner's office for autopsy. Smith was being held at the Campbell County jail on Tuesday afternoon. Her bond had not been set yet. More details as they develop online and in Wednesday's News Sentinel. Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, right, and Knox County School Superintendent Jim McIntyre announce June 8 a budget deal to build the Gibbs and Hardin Valley middle schools. The deal includes the sale of Andrew Johnson Building and a cut of $1 million in school administrative costs. (SAUL YOUNG/NEWS SENTINEL) By Lydia X. McCoy of the Knoxville News Sentinel KNOXVILLE The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights is conducting an investigation into the building of a new middle school in the Gibbs community, at the request of the Knoxville chapter of the NAACP. NAACP officials learned on Dec. 18 the Office of Civil Rights would investigate "whether the district's plan for the construction of Gibbs Middle School will result in re-segregation, in noncompliance with Title VI." "While Knoxville Branch NAACP does not oppose construction of community schools, studies paid for by the Knox County schools system and the Knox County government have revealed that capacity is not the reason for new construction for a new Gibbs Middle School," the organization said in a news release Tuesday. "Schools have been replaced and/or new schools have been built only in communities with 95% white population. Conversely, minimal dollars or no new construction (has been approved) in schools with African-American population greater than 5%. The Knoxville Branch NAACP feels that this practice could 're-segregate' Knox County schools through the use of new capital construction." As part of a memorandum of understanding a compromise on next year's budget between Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, the Knox County Commission and the Knox County Board of Education, the county agreed to build a new middle school in Gibbs, as well as in the Hardin Valley community. Both communities advocated for the new buildings. Melissa Tindell, a spokeswoman for Knox County Schools, said the district has been notified of the complaint. "We take the issue of equity and fairness very seriously and will work with the Office of Civil Rights as they examine this complaint," she said. The NAACP will hold a news conference on the complaint at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Clinton Chapel AME Zion Church. More details as they develop online and in Wednesday's News Sentinel. State Rep. Jeremy Durham, R-Franklin, right, and Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, preside over a press conference at the legislative office complex in Nashville, Tenn., on Monday, Feb. 2, 2015, about their opposition to Gov. Bill Haslam's Insure Tennessee proposal. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig) SHARE By Dave Boucher and Joel Ebert, The Tennessean The Tennessee House Republican Caucus will keep embattled Majority Whip Jeremy Durham, R-Franklin, in his leadership position. The move is a culmination of publicly criticized acts by Durham, who was first elected House Majority Whip in 2014. The meeting, which began at 1 p.m. and was closed off to the media around 1:15 p.m., lasted until about 2 p.m.. Upon the conclusion of the meeting, which was held in the Old Supreme Court Chamber at the Tennessee State Capitol, Durham who held a press conference with media after the conclusion of the meeting. During the press conference, Durham said he fought to keep his position in order take a stand against the "liberal media." While specific details of what went on during the closed-door caucus meeting are still unknown, prior to closing the meeting, House Republican Caucus Chairman Glen Casada, R-Franklin, entertained a motion from Rep. Sheila Butt, R-Columbia, who made the motion to close the meeting. Rep. Jon Lundberg, R-Bristol, motioned to kill her idea but that effort failed; Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, voted in support of an open meeting. Butt's effort passed with a 53-13 vote, although it appeared that there were more than 66 members present. Casada provided the vote total to the media. Lawmakers cast their votes by raising their hands. Prior to the meeting, Casada said the meeting was going to be open. "The meeting is open, though some members have expressed their desire to have it closed. It is likely a motion is made to do exactly that, which would turn the decision over to the caucus as a whole to vote on," Casada said in a statement to The Tennessean on Tuesday. But that changed rapidly when Butt's motion passed. Butt argued that because caucus members elected the person they intended to talk about, the meeting should be private. Franklin resident Gael Morkel said she was frustrated that the meeting was closed to the public -- particularly, she said, because she thought Casada may have suspected that the vote to close the meeting would take place. The caucus meeting came after Durham began facing public criticism in the wake of several incidents. In 2013 he was the center of a Williamson County prescription drug fraud investigation. He said there was no wrongdoing, but law enforcement took the case to a grand jury. The grand jury chose not to indict Durham. In 2014 Durham wrote a character reference letter for a youth pastor who admitted committing statutory rape by an authority figure and to possessing child pornography. Law enforcement described the porn possessed by Joseph Todd Neill as "violent" and "sadistic." It was discovered after law enforcement started investigating whether then then-37-year-old pastor was having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl at his church, according to federal court documents. Durham said the publicity of the case had taken a toll on the Neill family and noted the value of second chances in the letter, but never stated how he knew Neill. He has not responded to a Tennessean request for comment as to the identity of the person who asked him to write the letter. He also hasn't responded to requests about a conversation requested by House Speaker Beth Harwell. Harwell, R-Nashville, said she asked legislative human resources official Connie Ridley to speak with Durham about "appropriate behavior." Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey called Durham's decision to write the letter on Neill's behalf "poor judgment. SHARE Knoxville chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America members Bill Keck, left, and Ricky Graham buy postcards from Vietnamese children last month in the Mekong Delta. The veterans explored villages, islands and canals in the region. (LINDSEY M. BIER/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL) Knoxville chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America members Ron Kirby, left, Joe Spencer and Rob Owensby travel by boat last month on the Mekong River. Several veterans in the group served in the Mekong Delta region during the war. (LINDSEY M. BIER/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL) A crowd gathers around Jim Black, second from right, as he speaks about his experiences in wartime Vietnam last month at the War Remnants Museum in Saigon. Black is a member of the Knoxville chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America. Exhibits in the War Remnants Museum tell the story of the "Anti-American War" from the perspective of the Vietnamese government. (LINDSEY M. BIER/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL) Knoxville chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America member Ron Kirby converses with a Vietnamese tour guide at a rest stop last month in the Mekong Delta. The veterans saw traditional musical performances and tasted local foods such as rice paper, coconut candy and dragon fruit. (LINDSEY M. BIER/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL) By MJ Slaby of the Knoxville News Sentinel For a group of local veterans, it was what happened after a trip to Vietnam that made the biggest impact. The early December trip was the first time most of these Vietnam veterans had been back to the country in roughly 40 years. While they were there, they toured Ho Chi Minh City and Mekong Delta, shopped at markets and more. But when they returned greeted by "welcome home" signs their views of the country changed and plans for a return trip are already in the works. "Coming back was 180 (degrees), they were so grateful they went," Don Smith, president of the local chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America, said, adding the change in opinions seemed visible. "You didn't have to look for it." Members of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1078, the local group, meet regularly and often volunteer to help other veterans. And the group has a bond built on all being veterans from the Vietnam War, even if they didn't know each other then, said Rob Owensby, a member who went on the trip. "(Joining) was one of the best things I've ever done," said the Army veteran who also served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Nearly 20 people went on the trip. It was mostly veterans, but also a few others including Lindsey Bier, a University of Tennessee Ph.D. candidate who is studying Vietnam and several spouses of veterans. During the weeklong trip, they went on tours and dinner cruises. The veterans said the Vietnamese they met were welcoming. But they also tackled unsettling memories. And when they came home they got something many of their peers, including members of the group, did not a welcome home crowd. Other members of the chapter gathered with signs and balloons at McGhee Tyson Airport to welcome their fellow veterans home from Vietnam. "That was amazing, only 47 years late," Owensby said. "It was beyond words." Another trip aimed for January 2017 is already in the works, Smith said. He served in the Navy and worked with veterans, especially those from Vietnam, for most of his career, and said veteran trips to Vietnam aren't new, but they have become more popular as attitudes toward the country and the veterans improve. There is more recognition for Vietnam veterans now, Smith said. He said everyone has their own motivations for not going or going on the trip. For Phil Claxton, an Army veteran, the trip wasn't about seeing the places he was before. "I wouldn't have a vivid recollection," he said of the places he served. Instead, he went as an opportunity to travel and see how the country has changed. But the opposite was true for Owensby. He went to see if it would be helpful. Owensby said for years he'd have two or three dreams a week about the war, but since coming back from the December trip, the dreams have stopped. "I have no idea how it works, why it works," he said. And for Smith, who served during the Vietnam War, but not in the country, the trip was a chance to see the places fellow veterans saw. "Nobody can fully understand everything they went through," he said. SHARE Knox Area Rescue Ministries (KARM) has hung its symbolic white flag outside its Broadway headquarters signifying temperatures are dropping below freezing Monday, Jan. 11, 2016. The flag signals extreme weather conditions and warns the homeless to seek shelter. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL) Knox Area Rescue Ministries (KARM) has hung its symbolic white flag outside its Broadway headquarters signifying temperatures are dropping below freezing Monday, Jan. 11, 2016. The flag signals extreme weather conditions and the homeless are allowed to seek shelter inside the KARM chapel. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL) By Megan Boehnke of the Knoxville News Sentinel Gov. Bill Haslam on Monday revived a statewide council on homelessness aimed at coordinating efforts between service providers, advocates and government agencies at all levels. E. Douglas Varney, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, will oversee the panel. The council will particularly zero in on the chronically homeless, veterans, families and children with the goal to "effectively end homelessness among the most vulnerable citizens in Tennessee by 2020," according to a news release issued by Varney's office. Knoxville officials said they hope the state efforts will dovetail with local plans . "We know how helpful it is to us at the local level to have our plan of all the different agencies," Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero said Tuesday following a quarterly meeting of her roundtable on homelessness. "I think it would be helpful for the state to have a vision for how to address this because all of us in our communities are addressing this issue," she said. Haslam, who reconvened the council by issuing an executive order, first grappled with the issue as mayor of Knoxville, when he put forward a somewhat controversial Ten-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness. The city and county have since rebooted the plan. "Knoxville's plan starts with accountability all around," said Michael Dunthorn, head of the city's Office on Homelessness. "It's not just about a meal today or a blanket for the cold weather, but about helping folks get off the street and into permanent housing." Haslam's new council has "a pretty aggressive timeline" to create a statewide plan by the end of May, Dunthorn told the mayor's roundtable. Dunthorn said state and local agencies had been holding meetings recently, but Haslam's executive order firms up the commitment. "There was interagency council under the previous administration, but that didn't amount to what we hoped for," he said. SHARE Legislators set up their own PACs Three Republican state legislators Sens. Randy McNally of Oak Ridge and Janice Bowling of Tullahoma along with Rep. Pat Marsh of Shelbyville have recently joined the trend toward lawmakers establishing their own political action committees. McNally, the Senate Finance Committee chairman and the General Assembly's most senior member, has founded McPAC and scheduled its first fundraiser for Monday evening, the eve of the 2016 session that starts Tuesday at noon, reports The Tennessee Journal. Once the session begins, there's a blackout on incumbent legislator fundraising that continues until adjournment. Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, a pioneer in the operation of "leadership PACs" set up by individual lawmakers, also has a Monday evening fundraiser scheduled. He launched RAAMPAC in 2004. Bowling's new PAC is, logically enough, registered as Bowling PAC perhaps following the example of House Speaker Beth Harwell's Harwell PAC. Marsh, who chairs the House Business and Utilities Committee, chose the name Marsh for Tennessee Business PAC. Among other recently established PACs is one set up by John Avery Emison, a former Knoxvillian who has been involved in anti-annexation efforts over the years as a leader of Citizens for Home Rule. The registered name is Citizens for Home Rule PAC and Emison uses a post office box in his current hometown of Alamo, Tenn., as the group's address. Business groups at odds over program Some business groups and the Tennessee Department of Revenue appear on a collision course over a new tax enforcement program as the 2016 legislative session gets underway. Revenue Commissioner Richard Roberts says the Revenue Accountability Program (RAP), implemented under a 2012 law applying only to beer and tobacco sales, has worked well, and he intends to proceed with the expansion known as "Phase II" that covers 23 categories of products. RAP is intended to ensure, he says, that retailers accurately report their sales and the resulting taxes. Under the program, wholesalers must provide a list of products they send to retailers. The department then matches that list with a retailer's report to the department to see if all sales taxes due have been remitted to the state. In 28 months of RAP-Phase I, Roberts says $57 million of tax cheating has been discovered in beer and cigarette sales and added to the coffers of state and local governments. MOst get pay boost Most state legislators will see an increase in their daily payment for expenses this year, but those living within 50 miles of Nashville will see a decrease. The per-diem expense payment for each day of work at legislative duties is adjusted annually. Freelancer writer Tom Humphrey contributed to this column. A conceptual rendering of the planned Tennessee State Museum in Nashville, which is schedule to break ground in spring 2016. (SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL) SHARE Victor Ashe, former mayor of Knoxville and U.S. ambassador to Poland. Lois Riggins-Ezzell, Executive Director, Tennessee State Museum. By Tom Humphrey of the Knoxville News Sentinel NASHVILLE "Conceptual" design plans for a new $160 million Tennessee State Museum got general praise from members of the museum's oversight board Monday but discord developed over selecting a new executive director. Former Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe, a member of the board formally known as the Douglas Henry State Museum Commission, suggested that a new executive director should be in place by the end of 2016 to help guide construction and organization of the new museum, scheduled to open in late 2018. But another commission member, Thomas Smith of Nashville, said Ashe's comments show he has a "personal vendetta" against Lois Riggins-Ezzell, who has held the position for 35 years, that is "irresponsible and irrational." Ashe and Riggins-Ezzell have clashed previously, including contentions by the former Knoxville mayor and U.S. ambassador to Poland of mismanagement. Among other things, Ashe has said the museum has shortchanged East Tennessee in purchasing art exhibits while favoring Nashville-area artists. On Monday, the commission got a review of tentative construction plans by architects and designers of the new museum, to be located near the Tennessee Capitol and the Bicentennial Mall state park, and a report from state Human Resources Commissioner Rebecca Hunter on procedures for seeking a successor to Riggins-Ezzell. The 130,000-square-foot building was depicted as having state-of-the-art technology for interaction between visitors to exhibits and artifacts and multiple novel features, ranging from a "Tennessee porch" to a "Tennessee Time Tunnel." At Gov. Bill Haslam's urging, the Legislature has appropriated $120 million in state funds for construction. The governor also will lead efforts to raise another $42 million in private funds to go with the state money. Hunter and Deputy Commissioner Trish Holliday said they tentatively plan to begin the process of finding a successor to Riggins-Ezzell by holding workshops for commission members in May. At one point, Holliday, who will be coordinating between the commission and the department, suggested that a timetable would call for the new director being in place by early 2018. After Ashe questioned such a long process, Hunter and Holliday quickly said that was a case of "misspeaking." The department will leave all timetables in the search to the commission, they said, with department officials simply offering advice and assistance in the process. Ashe, during a commission break, said the search process could be completed with no problem by the end of this year. "The University of Tennessee has been able to hire a new president in less than a year and we ought to be about to do the same," he said. "We need to move on." Further, Ashe voiced opposition to the idea of having both the new director serve some period of time jointly with Riggins-Ezzell. He compared that notion to former Gov. Phil Bredesen keeping an office at the state capitol to offer advice after Gov. Bill Haslam's inauguration. Smith, overhearing Ashe, told reporters the remarks indicated a "personal vendetta" against Riggins-Ezzell. He also contended media reporting of Ashe's comments would indicate a vendetta as well and unfairly detract from "this wonderful meeting." Ashe said he has no vendetta and was simply offering his opinion on best management practices. Officially, Commission Chairman Steve McDaniel, who is also deputy speaker of the state House, appointed a search committee with Smith as chairman to look into the proper process of hiring a new director and make a recommendation to the full commission. Ashe noted that the committee has no East Tennessee members and also objected to McDaniel naming Riggins-Ezzell as an "ex-offcio" or non-voting member. "That is outside the norm and raises the potential for all sorts of conflicts," Ashe said. McDaniel said he saw no conflict in Riggins-Ezzell serving on the search committee. Instead, he said her long experience and knowledge of existing museum operations should be valuable. Both Smith and McDaniel would offer no suggestions on their idea of a timetable. Riggins- Ezzell said she would like to stay on as long as possible, certainly until the new museum opens. The commission also engaged in a related debate over approval of the minutes from the panel's last meeting in October. A draft copy of the October minutes circulated to commission members earlier via email made no mention of discussion of planning for replacing Riggins-Ezzell, though Ashe and fellow Commissioner Robert Buchanan, president of The Tennessee Historical Society, both noted that there was such a discussion. Buchanan proposed revisions to the minutes to incorporate those comments, expressing regret that staff had not already done so. After some discussion, McDaniel appointed another committee to review the October minutes and consider revisions and bring back a report to the full commission at its April meeting, where approval of the October minutes will be back on the agenda. State Rep. Jeremy Durham, R-Franklin, right, and Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, preside over a press conference at the legislative office complex in Nashville, Tenn., on Monday, Feb. 2, 2015, about their opposition to Gov. Bill Haslam's Insure Tennessee proposal. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig) SHARE By Richard Locker NASHVILLE Republicans in the state House of Representatives voted behind closed doors Tuesday to retain their majority whip, Rep. Jeremy Durham of Franklin, in his leadership position as the state Legislature opened its 2016 session. The House Republican Caucus voted to oust media and the public from its specially called meeting to consider whether Durham should be removed from the relatively low-level caucus leadership position. Members argued for nearly an hour in the closed meeting and ultimately an effort to suspend caucus rules to allow a mid-term vote to strip Durham of his post fell short of the two-third majority required to suspend the rules, several members said later. Durham has been under fire since it became public that he was investigated by the drug task force in his home Williamson County for altering an outdated prescription for a medicine he was taking. However, a grand jury declined to indict him and the matter was dropped. "I will remain majority leader," Durham told reporters after the closed meeting ended. "I'm looking forward to doing what I ran to do. I didn't run to have a kangaroo court proceeding. I ran to help people in my district." The session is the second for the 109th General Assembly, which began last year and concludes with this November's general elections. Rep. Jamie Jenkins, R-Somerville, replaces Leigh Wilburn in West Tennessee; Rep. Gary Hicks, R-Rogersville, replaces Mike Harrison in Upper East Tennessee, and Rep. Jason Zachary, R-Knoxville, replaces Ryan Haynes in West Knox County. The House recessed after only 25 minutes on the floor, to allow its respective Republican and Democratic caucuses to meet. More details as they develop online and in Wednesday's News Sentinel. Herbert Slatery SHARE How much does Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery think the attorneys who defeated the state's ban on same-sex marriage should be paid? We don't know. Slatery's office on Friday filed in federal court a response to the attorneys who overturned the ban and want at least $2.3 million for their work on the case. But the state's take on how much they want to pay is under seal, because, as Slatery says in court filings, some of the information filed by the opposing lawyers is also under seal. Attorneys in Slatery's office have filed a motion asking a judge to unseal those records, which include more details about how much time each attorney spent on the case. Continue reading at The Tennessean, a News Sentinel partner. The National Rifle Association and its zealots geared up in advance to attack President Barack Obama's executive actions on deterring unnecessary human slaughter. That the normally reserved president was driven to tears was reason for humor among those who hate him. Those who hate him specifically or view all progressives as traitors viewed it either as a sign of weakness or part of a staged performance. Scratch a zealot of any faith and see how close to the surface unreasonable, illogical hatred lies. I'm an American who volunteered for military service, as did my brother, when my country was at war. We both signed up to be part of the solution to bullying thugs who would do whatever they wanted if the police were not there to impede them. I did not serve in combat during the war in Vietnam, but I learned more than I ever wanted to know about death and mayhem on the streets of this county. As an American, I believe in the Second Amendment. I also believe in the other nine amendments in the Bill of Rights, and none of them are unrestricted the rights to free speech, freedom of the press and to privacy are not open-ended. The Second Amendment was written by the same men who wrote the rest of the Constitution; it was not handed down on Mount Sinai from Jehovah to Moses. The campaign to prevent all restrictions on firearms is based on a paranoid delusion that reasonable restrictions will result in the government seizing all firearms which would be an impossible task even if a future Congress and president allowed it. As long as firearms are available, there will be deaths by firearms, but we can cut down on the massacres with a few reasonable changes. Repeal the restrictions placed on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives since the Brady Bill was passed that have all but crippled enforcement of parts of the law. Allow access to pertinent mental health information on background checks. Restrict military-type weapons again, and the number of rounds that can be loaded in a weapon. And stop the massive numbers of private exchanges at gun shows. I do know the difference between an automatic assault weapon and a semi-automatic rifle that resembles an assault weapon, because I've handled both. Hunters and target shooters have no need for that large a magazine or clip, which are good only for killing more people without reloading. We once had a law that restricted the sale of such without wrecking the Constitution. During the implementation of the ban on the sale and importation of military-type weapons (1994-2003) with magazines of no more than 10, the share of gun crimes involving this type of weapon declined by 17 percent to 72 percent across the localities examined for study Baltimore, Miami, Milwaukee, Boston, St. Louis and Anchorage, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. It's true that massacres will still happen because so many weapons of this type are already out there, but how can we measure the impact of preventing one massacre in which this type of weapon was used? Ordinary people have a right to feel secure at the mall. It is no longer news that one of the major challenges facing the developed nations of the world is domestic terrorism. Also, its makes a lot of sense and is very objective to state that there are many factors that are responsible for these domestics terrorism acts, those factors ranging from religion, economic and socio-political problems/ struggles, (anti-government/anarchistic) lack of education/proper orientations, also in pursuit of unique special interests etc. However, Chattanooga is acquainted to this situation; maybe we need to refresh our memories. On July 16 2015, Chattanooga was on the spotlight in United States and international news, when a Kuwaiti- born (24 years) Mohamemmed Youssuf Abdulazeez shot at two separate military facilities, a military recruiting center and a Navy training reserve center. Youssuf also is dead. As a reminder and for the purpose of security alertness, there are eight signs of terrorist activities Chattanooga residents should be aware of in accord with Secure Community Network. They are surveillance, elicitation, test of security, funding, acquiring supplies, suspicious people who don't belong, dry runs and deploying asset/getting into position. Surveillance: If a terrorist have chosen a specific target, that area will mostly be observed during the planning phase of operation. They do this in order to determine the strengths, weaknesses and number of personnel that may respond to an incident. Routes to and from the target are usually established during the surveillance phase. It is therefore important to take note of such things as someone recording or mentoring activities, drawing diagrams on or annotating maps, using vision-enhancing devices and/or having in one's possession floor plans or blue prints of places such as a high-tech firm, financial institutions or government/military facilities. Any of these surveillance-type acts may be an indicator that something just is not right. Nothing is too trivial and should not be discarded as such. Elicitation: The second sign or signal is elicitation. What this means is anyone attempting to gain information about a place, person or operation. An example is someone attempting to gain knowledge about a critical infrastructure like a power plant, water reservoir or maritime port. Terrorists may attempt to research bridge and tunnel usage, make unusual inquiries concerning shipments or inquire as to how military base operates. They may also attempt to place "key" people in sensitive work locations. Tests of Security: Test of security is another area in which terrorists would attempt to gather data. This is usually conducted by driving by the target, moving into sensitive areas and observing security or law enforcement response. Terrorists would be interested in the time in which it takes to respond to an incident and/or the routes taken to a specific location. They may also try to penetrate physical security barriers or procedures in order to assess strengths and weaknesses. They often gain legitimate employment at key locations in order to monitor day-to-day activities. In any event, they may try to gain this knowledge in order to make their mission or scheme more effective. Funding: Suspicious transactions involving large cash payments deposits, or withdrawals are common signs of terrorist funding. Collections for donations, the solicitation for money and criminal activity are also warning signs. Acquiring Supplies: Another area to be cognizant of is anyone acquiring supplies. This may be a case where someone is purchasing or stealing explosives, weapons or ammunition. It could also be someone storing harmful chemicals or chemical equipment. Terrorists would also find it useful to have in their possession law enforcement equipment and identification, military uniforms and decals, flight passes, badges or even a flight manual. If they can't find the opportunity to steal these types of things, they may try to photocopy IDs or attempt to make passports or other forms of identification by counterfeiting. Possessing any of these would make it easier for one to gain entrance into secured or usually prohibited areas. Suspicious People Who Don't Belong: A fifth pre-incident indicator is observing suspicious people who just "don't belong." This does not mean we should profile individuals; rather it means we should profile behavior. These include suspicious border crossing, stowaways aboard a ship or people jumping ship in port. It may mean having someone in a workplace, building, neighborhood or business establishment that does not fit in because of their demeanor, their language usage or unusual questions they are asking. As an officer you may respond to complaint that may appear to be a routine investigation but results in something much larger in significance. Dry Runs: Another sign to watch for is "dry runs." Before execution of the final operation or plan a practice session will be run to work out the flaws and unanticipated problems. A dry run may very well be the heart of planing stage of a terrorist act. If you find someone monitoring a police radio frequency and recording emergency response time, you may very well be observing a "dry run." Another element of this activity could include mapping out routes and determining the timing of traffic flow. This stage is attack. Multiple dry runs are normally conducted at or near the target area. Deploying Assets/Getting Into Position: The seventh and final sign or signal to look for is someone deploying assets or getting into position. This is a person's last chance to alert authorities before the terrorist act occurs. It is therefore extremely important to document every fragment of information no matter how insignificant it may appear and forward this information within Chattanooga, Tennessee, our beloved United States of America and all other part of the world. SPC, Abiodun Ramon Oseni (TNG/United States Army) SHARE It's great Tennessee became the first state to release a registry that consists of the names of people convicted of having intentionally abused animals. We should do all we can to ensure that pets end up in the care of responsible and humane owners. The Bible says in Proverbs 12:10, "A good man regards the life of his animals: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel." It's against the law to unjustifiably injure, maim, mutilate or kill any animal. Most would agree it should continue to be illegal. Why is it legal to maim, mutilate and kill a pain-sensitive unborn human baby but not an animal? Those who love animals wouldn't agree that how one treats his own pets should be his choice in the matter. If a candidate supported animal cruelty we would agree that his endorsement of the right to mutilate, maim and kill animals would disqualify him from every elected public office, especially dog catcher. In the same way the endorsement of the right to kill unborn babies should disqualify a person from any elected position or public office. However, child-killing is more serious and evil than animal cruelty. The Bible says humans are much more valuable than animals. The Republican Party looks upon abortion as wrong. The Democratic Party doesn't in its party platform. Hillary Clinton says "religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed" regarding "reproductive health care." Abortion is the most violent ongoing evil in America. The major media are strong supporters of abortion. Some outlets even have rejected paid anti-abortion ads. No child is unwanted. Jesus wants and loves them. Maybe the media will care about the unborn if we use slogans like protesters used: "Unborn lives matter" and "Tiny hands up don't abort." D.D. Nave, Elizabethton By Choi Sung-jin The Korean government has dismissed the possibility of another currency crisis hitting the nation, claiming the country has sufficient foreign reserves. But a recent research paper says this may not be the case. "As of 2014, the nation's actual foreign reserves of $363.6 billion fell $79.7 billion short of assuring the nation can get over a possible currency crisis," says a Korea Economic Research Institute report. The report, by following the standards set by the Bank of International Settlement, defined the sum of three elements _ cash that can settle a quarter of annual import, short-term external liability and one-third of foreign investment in stocks and bonds _ as "foreign reserves needed in times of crisis." Applying that standard, Korea should have $443.3 billion in foreign reserves, $79.7 billion more than it had as at the end of 2014. China, Thailand and Brazil had larger foreign reserves than necessary in times of crisis, the report said. Also, Korea's foreign reserves accounted for only 26 percent of its gross domestic product, compared with 80.5 percent for Taiwan, 33.9 percent for China, and 27 percent for Japan. "International credit-rating agencies have recently upgraded Korea's standing based on its foreign reserves and other reasons, but Korea's credit standing was rated good even just before the 1997-98 crisis," said Kim Chang-bae, a researcher at the think tank. "We cannot rule out the possibility of another currency crisis if the real economy falls into an emergency." A Ministry of Strategy and Finance official reiterated the government's position that the nation's foreign reserves were sufficient. "No foreign institutions have pointed out insufficiency in Korea's foreign reserves," the official said. "Accumulating foreign reserves is not everything, either, as it is not without costs." Walter Cho likely to inherit control of Korea's largest carrier By Lee Hyo-sik Cho Yang-ho, Korean Air chairman Walter Cho, vice president at Korean Air Korean Air appears to be accelerating its third-generational succession as Walter Cho, executive vice president and the only son of Chairman Cho Yang-ho, is assuming an increasingly greater role in steering the country's largest flagship carrier. The younger Cho, 41, used to be in charge of the carrier's passenger and cargo management and strategic planning. But in the latest reshuffle of the company's senior management, Monday, he was given additional authority to oversee its catering, hotel and other businesses. These operations were previously controlled by his older sister Heather, 43, who was forced to quit early last year, following the infamous "nut rage" incident that made headlines worldwide. With his expanding profile, industry analysts say that he is on his way to take over management of Korean Air and other Hanjin Group affiliates, including Hanjin Shipping and Hanjin Express. "It is safe to say that Walter Cho has become the heir-apparent," said an analyst, who retired as a senior executive after spending more than 30 years at Korean Air. "Before the nut rage incident, Heather and Walter competed hard to inherit the carrier. But with Heather out of the picture, Walter will certainly become the next chairman." Cho earned a bachelor's degree in management from Inha University and a master's of business administration from the University of Southern California. The analyst said he will become the company president in a year or two, replacing Chi Chang-hoon who just extended his three-year term for third time in the recent personnel reshuffle. "I think Walter will soon become the president who can actually have a say in management. Chi, who has been serving in the post since 2010, has no authority and does only what he is told to do by Chairman Cho," the analyst said. "The chairman is extremely choosy about people that he appoints to managerial posts. This is why Chi has been able to keep his job." He then said Heather could return to management as early as next year. "If Heather comes back to the company, the chairman may spin off the carrier's catering and other hospitality-related operations and let her manage the new entity. I think it is pretty feasible." Chairman Cho's youngest daughter, Emily, who is a senior vice president in charge of Korean Air's marketing and communications, is widely expected to continue in her current post. She is also overseeing marketing and communications at Jin Air, which has been grappling with a series of safety lapses in recent months. Early last year, Heather was sentenced to one year in prison by a lower court after she had been found guilty of committing acts of violence that disturbed flight safety, coercion and interfering with business. But the high court released her from jail after sentencing her to 10 months in prison suspended for two years. But prosecutors have appealed to the Supreme Court. Heather is also facing a civil lawsuit in the United States, filed by former Korean Air flight attendants who argued they were verbally and physically abused by her. They are demanding compensation for the abuse from her, which they claim caused serious physical and mental harm. Nonghyup Chairman-elect Kim Byung-won waves to his supporters during an event celebrating his win at Nonghyup headquarters in downtown Seoul, Tuesday. Kim was elected as the next chairman, replacing incumbent Choi Won-byung in March, after receiving 163 votes out of 289 in the runoff election. / Yonhap By Lee Hyo-sik Nonghyup said Tuesday that its representatives elected Kim Byung-won as new chairman. Kim, 63, will manage the organization for the next four years. Nonghyup, with 2.35 million members, has assets valued at 400 trillion won ($333 billion), operates 31 subsidiaries and employs 8,800 people. In a six-way competition, Kim emerged victorious from the election held at Nonghyup headquarters in downtown Seoul, Tuesday. After failing to garner the majority vote in a preliminary round, Kim held a runoff election with Lee Sung-hee, former head of a Nonghyup chapter in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province. Of the 289 delegates casting ballots in the runoff, Kim received 163 votes, beating Lee's 126. In 2007 when he first ran for the chairmanship, he faced off with current chairman Choi Won-byung in the runoff but lost. Four years later, he threw his hat in the ring again but failed to win the most votes. Kim began his career at Nonghyup in 1978 after receiving a bachelor's degree from Chonnam National University. From 1999 to 2014, he headed a Nonghyup chapter in Naju, South Jeolla Province, for three consecutive terms. He will begin his term a day after Nonghyup holds a board meeting of its representatives in March to settle its 2015 accounts. BMW Chairman Harald Krueger, left, and BMW Korea CEO Kim Hyo-joon speak during a meeting with the Korean media at the Grand Hyatt Seoul. / Courtesy of BMW Korea By Park Jin-hai Harald Krueger, chairman of BMW, chose to come to Korea this week rather than attend the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Krueger came here Monday as his first overseas destination this year to encourage and inspire BMW Korea Group. He announced BMW's six-year consecutive global sales record hours before the international motor show began. "BMW Korea has played an important role in this success," he said during a meeting with some 20 local media outlets at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul. "In only 15 years, sales have risen from less than 2,000 vehicles to more than 55,000 in 2015. In my eyes that is quite an achievement. Korea is now our 8th largest market," he added. Established in 1995 as the first fully-owned subsidiary of a foreign automotive brand, BMW Korea marked its 20th anniversary last year. BMW remained the best- seller in the imported car segment here for the seventh year in a row last year. "Customers in Korea are discerning and extremely brand conscious. So you can learn about future innovations here. If you are successful and No. 1 in this market, you're also No.1 in the world," he said. Hyundai Genesis G90 is presented at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mich., Monday. / EPA-Yonhap By Park Jin-hai Chung Eui-sun Hyundai Motor vice chairman Hyundai Motor unveiled its recently launched luxury G90 sedan in the United States at the North American International Auto Show, the company said Tuesday. The G90, sold here as the EQ900, is Hyundai Motor's flagship premium sedan and the first vehicle developed under its Genesis luxury brand. Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun gave a presentation about the brand values and vision of the Genesis luxury car at one show on Monday. Design Chief Peter Schreyer explained the design philosophy and Albert Biermann discussed performance "In the past half a century, Hyundai made a culture of ceaselessly working to make better products for customers," Chung said. "That special culture brought about the birth of our luxury car Genesis. "As we could develop into a global automaker on the back of the support of our customers, we will now march toward our new goal to become a luxury carmaker." Hyundai Motor planned to expand the Genesis line-up to six models by 2020, he said. Making full use of its technologies, resources and talents, he said, Hyundai would show uncompromising dedication to make the brand a global success. The top-of-the-line sedan has diverse up-to-date safety and convenience features and enables partially automatic driving with its driving assist system. Official sales in the U.S. are expected to start in the second half of the year. The U.S. is one of the world's largest markets for premium sedans. About 2 million luxury vehicles were sold there in 2014, more than the 1.8 million units tallied in China. Starting with the U.S., Hyundai will launch the luxury vehicle in the Middle East and China. Hyundai aims to sell 30,000 Genesis brand cars each year_ 5,000 G90 sedans and 25,000 G80 sedans. It aims to sell 100,000 Genesis vehicles by 2020. Meanwhile, its smaller affiliate Kia Motors unveiled its SUV concept car Telluride. The full-size plug-in hybrid car, developed by its California design center, is Hyundai and Kia's 12th concept car. The three-row, seven-passenger SUV even monitors the passengers' vital signs. Sensors embedded in the back of the seats capture vital health information, with the data displayed on screens in the interior door panels. Other smart features include a swipe command system for second-row passengers, who can quickly scroll and select desired media by a swipe of their hand. Silverdale Baptist Academy is hosting bullying expert and public speaker Paul Coughlin for a four-day Courageous Community Conference Sunday, Jan. 31, through Wednesday, Feb. 3, on the campus of Silverdale Baptist Academy. Mr. Coughlin is an expert witness regarding bullying and the law, and is a Fox News analyst and contributor. He is a popular speaker who has appeared on Good Morning America, Nightline, CSpan, and has been published in The LA Times, The New York Times, Newsweek and other media outlets. Mr. Coughlin is a bestselling author of eight books, including the freedom-from-bullying parent and teacher resource Raising Bully Proof Kids, as well as a former newspaper editor. He works with numerous professional organizations to diminish bullying, including the Baltimore Ravens. His antibullying curriculum is used throughout North America as well as in South Africa, Uganda, Australia, New Zealand and Brazil among other countries. Mr. Coughlins curriculum, known as The protectors focuses primarily upon the potential strength, heroic desire, and rescuing capacity of bystanders, transforming them into what he calls alongside standers. He also provides assertiveness training for targets, helps authority dispel the many damaging myths about bullying, and inspires children who bully to employ their power in life-affirming directions instead. One school superintendent wrote Mr. Coughlin saying, I just wanted you to know how meaningful your presentation was to the students in our school district. For you to be able to talk to students in grades five through high school about bullying in a context that they could understand and appreciate, was very gratifying for usPerhaps, more importantly, was the time you spent with our parents and neighbors from our school community. For them to hear how many ways they could actually help their own children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews grow strong and understand how bullying really works was a most profound experience for them. While Mr. Coughlin is at Silverdale, he will be speaking to different groups on the campus. There is a community night scheduled for Sunday evening, with special events on each of the following days focused on community groups like local youth pastors, school counselors, and heads of school/school administrators. Complete details can be found on the website at www.silverdaleba.org/ccc. For more information, contact the Office of Development at 892-2319 ext. 2224 or development@silverdaleba.org. By Kim Jae-won The won fell slightly Tuesday hit by increasing volatility in China's financial market and a continuing selloff by foreign investors in Korea's stock markets, according to analysts. The local currency closed at 1,210.30 won against the U.S. dollar, losing 0.5 won from the previous session. The benchmark KOSPI closed at 1,890.86 points, down 3.98 points, or 0.21 percent. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ dropped 0.54 percent to 671.30. "The overnight Hong Kong Interbank Offered Rate (HIBOR) for the offshore yuan rose sharply to 66 percent, creating volatility in the market and pressuring the won to lose its value," said Jeon Seung-ji, an analyst at Samsung Futures. Jeon said that the Chinese currency in the offshore market is drying up because the People's Bank of China is suspected of buying the yuan to prevent a drastic devaluation. She said the selloff by foreign investors in the KOSPI also forced the value of the won to drop. Foreign investors extended their selloff rally, offloading a net 2.2 trillion won. Institutional investors scooped a net 2.3 trillion won, defending the index from the selloff. Retail investors sold a net 855.6 billion won. Samsung Electronics dropped 0.52 percent to 1,146,000 won while Hyundai Motor also sank 0.36 percent to 139,500 won. Analysts believe a possible U.S. rate hike in March, the second of its kind, may also be encouraging foreign investors to cash in their earnings at an early date. Low oil prices are another reason for the weak won, according to analysts. Crude oil prices plunged 20 percent to $31 per barrel as of Tuesday afternoon from the beginning of this year in key markets. Korea's top financial regulator warned of greater market volatility, vowing to properly deal with it with a sense of alertness in order to ensure market stability. "A variety of external uncertainties have rendered the local market volatile since the beginning of this year," Financial Services Commission Chairman Yim Jong-yong said at a meeting with experts. "We will be cautious and on alert while heeding chances of further increased volatility, although the aftereffects of unfavorable global factors on the local market will be limited," he added. A government task force will keep tabs on changing circumstances around the clock, and the financial authorities will closely communicate with investors at home and abroad, the regulator said. Stars of the musical "Mamma Mia!" attend a press conference at Millennium Seoul Hilton in central Seoul, Tuesday. From left are Kim Geum-na (playing Sophie), Shin Young-sook (Donna), Seohyun (Sophie), Choi Jung-won (Donna) and Park Ji-yeon (Sophie). / Yonhap Girls' Generation's Seohyun to play ingenue Sophie By Kwon Mee-yoo It's time to shake your body to the rhythm of ABBA's music at musical "Mamma Mia!" which triumphantly returns to Charlotte Theater in southern Seoul after a three-year hiatus in Korea. "Mamma Mia!" is a rollicking jukebox musical featuring some 22 songs of Swedish pop group ABBA. British playwright Catherine Johnson weaved the tale of Donna and her daughter Sophie living on a Greek Island from ABBA's music. The hit West End musical first arrived in Korea in 2004 and it has been one of Korean's favorite musicals for its joyous music and touching plot revolving around a mother-daughter relationship and friendships of middle-aged women. Mark Whittemore, international manager of Mamma Mia!, said he is excited to bring the show back to Korea. Seohyun of Girls' Generation is cast as bubbly island girl Sophie in "Mamma Mia!" at Charlotte Theater in southern Seoul from Feb. 24. / Courtesy of Seensee Company "(Producer) Park mentioned that this show is a jewel and since 2004, Park and his wonderful team at Seensee never stopped caring about this jewel. This fantastic cast with new faces will add freshness to the show," Whittemore said at a press conference at Millennium Seoul Hilton, Tuesday. The show centers on women's lives and relationships and coincidently, major staff members of the production in Korea are also female associate director Lee Jae-eun, associate music director Kim Mun-jung and resident choreographer Hwang Hyun-jung. Lee Jae-eun, the Korean associate director, said the show is always new because it is consistent. "We tried to keep the show fresh, while maintaining the spirit of the show," Lee said. Music director Kim said she has been keeping the list of actors who participated in the show since its 2004 Korean premiere. "Many of the actors who were in the show are now prominent and the show has been growing up with them. I began with the mind of Sophie and now I understand the feelings of Donna. It is a pleasure for a female music director to work with this show for such a long time," Kim said. The new production consists of veterans who already took part in the show Choi Jung-won as Donna, Jeon Soo-kyung as Tanya and Lee Kyung-mi as Rosie alongside the new cast joining the delightful musical for the first time Shin Young-sook as Donna, Kim Young-joo as Tanya and Hong Ji-min as Rosie. Choi said she dreamt of failing the audition for the new production. "I was nervous because of the dream, but tried to find something new from the role I played for a long time." The new Donna Shin said the trio who previously played Donna and the Dynamos were her role models for a long time. "I will bring out the excitement I felt after seeing the show," Shin said. Lee of Rosie said the show has been a part of her life. "I spent a significant amount of my life with Mamma Mia! I always felt emotional for Sophie's wedding scene and my daughter got married last year, and is now expecting a baby this spring. I share happiness and sorrow with the show." For the role of Sophie, Donna's mischievous daughter who invites her mother's three former dates to find her father, three aspiring actresses Park Ji-yeon, Kim Geum-na and Seohyun of Girls' Generation are cast. Park, who debuted playing Sophie in 2010, returns to the role and Kim, who recently played the titular princess in Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella," joins the show. Seohyun came into the spotlight at the press conference for her third attempt in musical theater after Yeon-woo in "Moon Embracing the Sun" and Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind." "I really wanted to take on the role of Sophie, so I made a diary of Donna imagining how it would be written and brought that to the audition," Seohyun said. Music director Kim said the creative team saw possibilities from Seohyun and her effervescent energy will bring happiness to the show. The Korean production of Mamma Mia! runs from Feb. 24 to June 4. Tickets cost 60,000 to 140,000 won. For more information, visit www.iseensee.com or call 02-577-1987. Liam Neeson / Korea Times file Irish actor Liam Neeson has arrived in Korea for a two-week movie shoot, reports said Tuesday. The actor, widely known for the film "Taken" in Korea, will be staying at the W Seoul Walkerhill in eastern Seoul. It will be the first time Neeson has made a movie here, although he has made several promotional trips. He will play American general Douglas MacArthur, who commanded the United Nations Command during the 1950-53 Korean War in the South Korean movie "Operation Chromite." The U.N. and South Korean forces captured Incheon On Sept. 15, 1950, through an amphibious invasion. The Battle of Incheon saved South Korea from the brink of defeat and played a decisive role in pushing the North back. The movie, directed by John H. Lee, will center on a secret intelligence unit that spied on North Korea to prepare for the historic battle. Kang Ha-neul, from left, Lee Som, Kim Joo-hyuk, Choi Ji-woo, Lee Mi-yeon and Yoo Ah-in pose during a press conference introducing their upcoming romantic comedy film "Like for Likes" at a theater in Apgujeong, southern Seoul, Tuesday. / Yonhap By Baek Byung-yeul A romantic comedy featuring A-list stars, including "Veteran" star Yoo Ah-in, will hit the big screen here next month. Titled "Like for Likes," the film features three couples Yoo Ah-in and Lee Mi-yeon; Kim Joo-hyuk and Choi Ji-woo; and Kang Ha-neul and Lee Som. At a press conference, Tuesday, director Park Hyun-jin introduced her film, the love stories of three couples who start dating on a social network service. "Reflecting the current trend that more people use social media for relationships, the three couples in the film develop their relations through Facebook," the director explained at a theater in Apgujeong, southern Seoul. The six protagonists starring in the new film commented how satisfied they were with their on-screen partners and enjoyed filming. "Shooting with actor Yoo Ah-in was a completely new experience," said actress Lee Mi-yeon, who dates the younger actor in the movie. "As many know, he is a person with distinct characteristics and has a great passion for film, so I was under pressure to keep up with his tremendous concentration while shooting," the 44-year-old actress said. Responding to Lee, Yoo said "I have respected her for a long, long time and have regarded her as my ideal type ever since I began acting in the industry. Overall, I had enjoyed working with her." In the film, Lee features as a veteran television drama writer while Yoo plays the role of a top actor. Actor Kim Joo-hyuk, who becomes a couple with actress Choi Ji-woo said he had felt comfortable working with Choi from the first day they met. "I was comfortable showing with her from the beginning of the film. She's an actor with ingenuous beauty and of course, she looks so beautiful," Kim said. "We hadn't met each other even on an informal occasion. But after I heard that my on-screen partner was to be played by him, I was like free from care. He is caring and I could concentrate on shooting thanks to his consideration," Choi responded to Kim. In the film, Choi plays an air stewardess while Kim is a tenant who rents a room Choi's house. Actor Kang Ha-neul and actress Lee Som, both 25, revealed their first impressions of one another before shooting began. "After meeting with her, I knew she was an unaffected and honest person," Kang said. Lee made his name as an actress after taking a lead role in 2014 romance "Scarlet Innocence," also said that she learned a lot from Kang. Kang plays an up-and-coming composer who has never dated in his life and Lee portrays a rookie television producer who refers to herself as an"expert on dating." "Like for Likes" will hit screens nationwide from Feb. 18. By Kim Se-jeong The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, responsible for the support of former sex slaves from before and during World War II, said Tuesday it will discontinue its campaign to enlist documents about the women in UNESCO's Memory of the World. The withdrawal follows the Dec. 28 agreement between the Korean and Japanese governments over the sexual slavery issue. According to the ministry and sources, the administration had been working with the Women's Human Rights Commission, one of its subsidiaries, to launch an awareness campaign to support civic groups' attempts to enlist the documents, records and audio files related to sex slaves in UNESCO's Memory of the World. The two sides were nearly finalizing the contract for the project, Dec. 23, with the goal to start it, Jan. 1. However, the work was suspended abruptly when the foreign ministers of the two countries announced talks to produce the agreement. In the accord, the two ministers said the sex slavery issue was "finally and irreversibly" resolved on condition that Japan contributed $8.3 million to launch a foundation to support the 46 surviving victims. This raised the question over whether the Korean government would keep supporting the UNESCO listing effort, as Japanese Minister Fumio Kishida told local journalists on Jan. 4 that Korea had agreed to stop the enlistment project. Civic groups showed their anger at the ministry. "It is clear that the ministry has changed it stance on the sex slavery issue since the agreement," said an activist at the Korean Council for Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, which holds a weekly rally in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. "The agreement is having an influence on the government's policy on the sexual slavery issue." It is not known whether the ministry will stop other projects related to the sexual slavery issue. Its main projects included awareness campaigns, creating educational content, research, exhibitions and symposia. The gender ministry said that the project cancelation had nothing to do with the agreement. "The attempt to place records on the UNESCO list was spearheaded by NGOs from the beginning and is irrelevant to the agreement," it said. "We've paid part of their expenses for the enlistment effort and will continue to support the NGOs this year." The UNESCO enlistment is spearheaded by a coalition of seven civic groups and the commission acting as a supporting body, doing administrative work. However, such an attitude contrasts with the ministry's previous stance in heralding the UNESCO project as its own. Former minister Kim Hee-jung, who resigned Tuesday, used to say that the enlistment effort was the ministry's key project in interviews and meetings with journalists last year. During her confirmation hearing at the National Assembly, Thursday, Gender Minister nominee Kang Eun-hee kept saying that the UNESCO enlistment project had been led by the private sector. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe refused Tuesday to deliver a private apology to former comfort women, Japanese media reports say. In the Japanese Lower House, opposition legislator Rintaro Ogata of the Democratic Party asked Abe to say an apology and repentance for former sex slaves of the Japanese army during World War II. Abe said the matter had been mentioned in a telephone conversation with Korean President Park Geun-hye. Abe also said he believes the Korean government will move the statue symbolizing the former sex slaves from the front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. Abe's remarks come after South Korea and Japan came to what was hailed as a landmark agreement Dec. 28. In the agreement, Abe recognized the Imperial Army's involvement in mobilizing Korean women as sex slaves and expressed remorse and apologized. Japan will also put $8.1 million into a fund that Korea will administer. By Kang Seung-woo South Korea and the United States will for the first time carry out a joint exercise aimed at destroying nuclear and missile facilities in North Korea as early as March, defense officials here said Tuesday. For the joint training, the allies will apply the "4D Operational Concept," which is to "detect, defend, disrupt and destroy" Pyongyang's missile inventory, including nuclear, chemical and biological warheads. Last November, Defense Minister Han Min-koo and U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter approved the implementation guidance on the concept as part of efforts to strengthen tailored deterrence against North Korea's nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). "While developing the counter-missile operations based on the 4D concept, the South and the U.S. are seeking to apply it to a joint exercise for the first time," a government official said Tuesday. Washington's strategic military assets, including B-52 bombers and the nuclear-powered aircraft career USS Ronald Reagan may participate in the exercise, sources said. The Ministry of National Defense reported the training plan to the National Assembly National Defense Committee, Thursday a day after the North's fourth nuclear test. "A joint exercise, aimed at enhancing countermeasure capabilities against the North's nuclear and missile threats, is necessary. In this respect, until recently, the two sides have conducted table-top exercises four times using the 4D concept," defense ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said during a briefing. Seoul and Washington are likely to implement the 4D concept in the upcoming ROK-U.S. joint exercise Key Resolve, scheduled for March. Key Resolve is a simulation-driven, combined command-post exercise. A use of the intensified anti-missile program comes on the estimation that the Kim Jong-un regime's pursuit of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles has gone been beyond the "wait-and-see stage." While it remains unconfirmed whether or not Pyongyang actually detonated a hydrogen bomb in its fourth nuclear test, the North is believed to have entered the early development stage of the H-bomb, which is many times more powerful than conventional plutonium or uranium based nuclear weapons, raising the need for the allies to demonstrate their unity and force. In addition, given that diplomatic efforts have failed to stop the North from boosting its capabilities to miniaturize warheads, the South Korean and U.S. military are scrambling to put the 4D concept into action earlier than expected. In the joint exercise, the allies are expected to update their target list of the North's nuclear facilities and missile bases because in an emergency situation, preemptive strikes against such targets could stop Pyongyang from using such weapons or delay its use of them. Based on the 4D strategy, the allies can detect a North Korean missile launch in less than one minute, and identify a target and decide a weapon to counter it within one to three minutes, which would enable a strike against the missile shortly afterwards. "The allies need to formulate a plan to counter North Korean missile threats at any time," said Park Hwee-rhak, dean of the Graduate School of Politics and Leadership at Kookmin University. "A well-organized ROK-U.S. missile defense system needs to be formed to protect major cities such as Seoul." A woman, presumed to be the mother of a victim of the Sewol ferry disaster, sits in a chair at a classroom that keeps the students' belongings at Danwon High School in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. The school held a graduation ceremony for 86 students, including 75 survivors from the disaster. / Yonhap By Chung Ah-young Graduations always draw mixed reactions from students tears and cheers. But 86 students, including 75 survivors from the Sewol ferry sinking in 2014, seemed to have a more solemn and tearful moment rather than a celebration at their graduation ceremony at Danwon High School in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Among 325 second-graders who were onboard the Sewol for a school trip to the southern resort island of Jeju, 246 died in the ferry sinking on April 16, 2014. The disaster left a total of 304 people dead, including nine whose bodies have not been recovered. After losing nearly three-quarters of their peers, the graduates took part in the ceremony which was held calmly, only allowing teachers, students and their families and relatives who were registered to the school in advance to attend. The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education and Danwon originally planned to hold an honorary graduation ceremony to commemorate the students who lost their lives in the disaster. But it was cancelled as the bereaved families said they would refuse to attend until the educational authorities and the school took legal responsibility and show sincere regret. Instead of the graduation ceremony, the families held a memorial service for the victims at a joint altar in Ansan and marched to the classrooms where the students used to learn, holding chrysanthemums. Yoo Kyung-geun, father of a victim, Ye-eun, and spokesman of the victims, posted a message on his social network service (SNS) on Monday to offer congratulations to his late daughter's friends who are alive. "Your graduation is not a sad graduation," Yoo said. "I don't know how to start the story I took it for granted to attend my child's graduation ceremony. But now I give this congratulatory message to my daughter's friends on their graduation," he said. "I so much envy your graduation ceremony." Yoo said he and other parents are proud of the students who have endured the painful moments for 637 days since the disaster happened. He stressed that the bereaved families will clearly remember how people reacted to the survivors. "You shouldn't feel any guilt for escaping from the sinking ship on your own in the disaster which we adults are responsible for," he said. Yoo told the students to have courage when they face difficulties from others who may react badly to their traumatic experience. "Please live confidently anywhere and anytime. You deserve it. I will support you and your ways as if I would hope the same for my child," he said. "What we want from you is only one thing: don't be foolish adults like us. Don't be adults who realize what's wrong only after losing children." Yoo added the comment that he wanted to deliver the message during the ceremony on behalf of the victims' families, but posted it online instead because the school refused it, citing that the survivors' parents didn't want it. By Jhoo Dong-chan The monitoring level for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has been raised by the Ministry of Public Safety and Security from "attention" to "warning," as the disease was confirmed in Gimje, North Jeolla Province, for the first time this season. Officials at the North Jeolla Provincial Government said Tuesday that two pigs at a farm in Gimje were confirmed positive with the FMD virus. The confirmation came after the provincial government requested that the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency conduct the test following a report that 30 pigs among a total of 670 at the farm were showing symptoms of FMD. The provincial government culled all the pigs on the farm and started to disinfect and provide FMD vaccines to all the pig farms in the region. It will also provide vaccines to other farms in nearby regions including Iksan, Jeongeup, Wanju and Buan, an official said. The provincial government established a task force for quarantine in Gimje and ordered the farmers within a 3-kilometers radius of the first farm not to move their animals to other regions for a while. Checkpoints have also been set up at major roads in the region. "Farmers said that a farmer from South Chungcheong Province recently visited the farm hit by the disease and also visited a large-size pig farm in Iksan. So we are investigating whether his visit was related to the FMD outbreak here," the official said. This is the first FMD outbreak in North Jeolla Province, while a total of 185 cases were reported across the country in 2014 and 2015. It is also the first outbreak in nine months nationwide since the last case was reported last April. FMD is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hooved animals including pigs and cows. The disease usually leads to extensive damage at animal farms as it can be spread by infected animals through the air and through contact with contaminated farming equipment. It is believed that humans are rarely infected with the disease. By Lee Kyung-min A turf war has emerged again between modern medical doctors and Korean Oriental medicine practitioners over the latter's attempts to use medical appliances previously permitted only for the former. Kim Pil-kun, president of the Association of Korean Medicine (AKOM), an interest group representing Oriental medicine practitioners, demanded that the government promptly come up with appropriate legal measures in order for his members to use high-end equipment such as intraocular pressure measuring equipment. Currently, only modern medical doctors are allowed to use such devices. "We will file a number of lawsuits against the Ministry of Health and Welfare with the administrative court and the Constitutional Court unless it lays legal grounds for us to perform our duties and exercise legal rights by the end of this month," Kim said during a press conference at the Press Center in central Seoul, Tuesday. The group's demand follows a Constitutional Court ruling that the law, which subjects Oriental medicine practitioners to criminal prosecution for using medical equipment, was unconstitutional. In December 2013, the court said that using the equipment should be allowed if its use does not pose a threat to public health, if the use does not require professional knowledge and if Oriental medicine schools provide curriculum regarding the use of the machines. Kim expressed frustration with the ministry for failing to follow up with prompt measures despite the ruling, while the ministry keeps saying it needs more discussion with medical doctors, represented by the Korea Medical Association (KMA). "We Oriental doctors learn the basic life sciences like Western medical doctors," he said. "Surveys also show that two-thirds of people consent to Oriental doctors' use of medical devices." During the briefing, Kim himself demonstrated the use of a bone mineral densitometer on a man to show that operating the machine does not require any sophisticated techniques and any medical professional in general can use it. "I will set up a center to help train Oriental medicine doctors in medical equipment operation," he said. "I will also use X-ray and ultrasonography equipment." The constitutional appeal was filed by an Oriental medicine practitioner who was fined 500,000 won for violating the medical law as he used an X-ray-based bone mineral densitometer. Following the ruling, the government sought to change the law to allow Oriental medicine practitioners to use the machines, alongside changes to other regulations considered heavy and unnecessary, but to no avail. Regarding the AKOM's move, the KMA said its 110,000 members would give up their medical licenses if the ministry allows a single medical device to be used by the Oriental medicine practitioners. It also filed a complaint with the prosecution against Kim for demonstrating the bone mineral densitometer without a license. The National Park Service is proposing to revise the Fire Management Plan for Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, located in Georgia and Tennessee. Park staff is considering the use of prescribed fire as a possible tool to maintain cultural landscapes, to reduce fuel loads, and to help manage invasive, exotic plants. Also, an environmental assessment is being conducted to analyze the effects of this proposed action on the human environment and to provide an opportunity for public input in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). If you would like to review the public scoping brochure, it is available online at www.nps.gov/chch, or you may request a hard copy of the brochure by contacting Chief Ranger Todd Roeder. Comments on the Fire Management Plan may also be submitted at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/chch until Feb. 11. For more information about Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, contact the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at 706 866-9241, the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center at 423 821-7786, or visit the parks website at www.nps.gov/chch. A South Korean soldier sets up a barricade on the road to the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, Tuesday. The government is permitting entry to the complex to a minimum number of South Koreans in the wake of North Korea's fourth nuclear test conducted on Jan. 6. / Yonhap By Jun Ji-hye Top defense and intelligence officials here are discussing whether to shut down the inter-Korean industrial complex located in the North Korean border city of Gaeseong in retaliation to Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test, sources said Tuesday. "The National Security Council (NSC) is considering all possibilities regarding the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, including withdrawing all South Korean firms or closing it," said a government official on condition of anonymity. "The fate of the complex will depend on the attitude of North Korea." The idea of shutting down the complex is being discussed at the NSC as part of possible countermeasures against the North, the official said. However, the Ministry of Unification dismissed the claims, saying that closing the complex is not an option. "That's a worst case scenario that will never be realized. We should consider the impact a shutdown would have on South Korean firms operating in the complex," a ministry official said. President Park Geun-hye is now facing growing calls to overhaul her inter-Korean policy and take stronger actions against Pyongyang that has appeared to be unwilling to work toward denuclearization despite three years of the Park administration's efforts at trust-building. Last week, Seoul began restricting entry of its nationals into the complex out of concerns that heightened geopolitical tension could threaten their safety. Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee said that the ministry strengthened the restriction from Tuesday by only permitting entry to a "minimum" number of South Koreans, namely businessmen directly involved in the operation of factories, to the complex. A notable thing was that the government took preemptive action regarding the complex where there has yet to be signs of armed protests by the North. This was in contrast to when the North carried out a third nuclear test in February, 2013. At the time, the government said it was not planning to impose any restrictions on the complex, considering its role as a symbol of inter-Korean economic cooperation. Such a change in the government's attitude has also led to speculation that the government might be considering shutting down the complex. "This time, the government put restrictions on granting entry to the complex before the North stages any armed protests," said Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean Studies at Dongguk University. "This could give the implication that the government is not positive about retaining the complex." But he added that the shutdown of the complex would drive inter-Korean relations into a corner. Supporters of a shutdown of the complex cite United Nations sanctions that ban "bulk cash" transfers to the repressive state that could be siphoned into the North's development of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). On the other hand, objectors say that there is an understanding that such money is allocated to pay wages to workers there and is unrelated to the development of WMDs. This so far has been the position held by the unification ministry too. "If you think all the money invested in North will be used in the development of nuclear weapons, that may be a narrow viewpoint," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies. "If the government even cut the normal channel of inter-Korean economic cooperation, it will rather lead the North to sell more rights and interests including mining rights to other countries. A wider viewpoint is necessary in dealing with this issue." Experts say shutting down the complex would not be an easy decision for the government because it should first consider the enormous damage that South Korean firms would suffer if this was done. When the North abruptly declared a shutdown of the complex in April 2013 in protest against the Seoul-Washington joint military drill that followed the North's third nuclear test, the complex was closed for about five months, and South Korean companies suffered financial damage estimated at about 1 trillion won. A total of 124 South Korean firms are running factories there with about 54,000 North Koreans working at the complex, which opened in 2004 as a symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation. Previously, the government restricted the entry of South Koreans to the complex when tensions were heightened in August last year following a North Korean-made landmine blast inside the Demilitarized Zone that maimed two South Korean soldiers, when the North attacked Yeonpyeong Island in 2010, and when Pyongyang carried out a second nuclear test in 2009. Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye A protester holds a banner as Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo enters the home of Kwon Yang-sook, widow of the late President Roh Moo-hyun, at Bongha Village in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. / Yonhap By Kim Hyo-jin Independent lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo has visited the gravesites of former presidents in an apparent bid to widen his support base among conservatives and liberals ahead of the general election slated for April 13. Ahn paid tribute to late President Roh Moo-hyun, who was buried in Bongha Village in South Gyeongsang Province and met Kwon Yang-sook, widow of the late President, Tuesday. Ahn left the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) in mid-December following a leadership struggle with its leader Moon Jae-in and his faction who follow the political legacy of late President Roh. He is now speeding up the process of launching a new opposition "People's Party" by early February. A day earlier, Rep. Ahn paid respects at the gravesites of founding President Syngman Rhee and Park Jung-hee, father of incumbent President Park Geun-hye, as part of his visits to the gravesites of past presidents at the National Cemetery in Seoul. The move was in contrast to that by the MPK leader Moon, who decided not to visit the gravesites this year due to opposition voiced by party supporters following a previous visit in early 2015. There are mixed opinions regarding Rhee and Park, whose long-term presidencies included the emergence and struggles of the pro-democracy movements. Rhee stepped down during the April 19 Revolution in 1960, when a democratization revolt led by labor and student groups took. President Park Chung-hee was assassinated by his intelligence chief after 18 years of dictatorial rule in 1979. The visit was interpreted as Ahn making a move to embrace more conservative voters ahead of the April's general election, in which he aims to field candidates nationwide. On his visits to the gravesites, Ahn was accompanied by Han Sang-jin, co-chair of the preparatory committee to set up a new party and Rep. Kim Han-gil, who recently joined Ahn's camp after quitting the MPK. Han said, "Former President Rhee introduced liberal democracy and helped it take root in society. We need to inherit his dedication to democracy." Citing Park as a pioneer of the country's modernization and industrialization, he commented, "We need to boost the development engine by adopting his views." Observers hold the view that Ahn is making efforts to widen the spectrum of voters by wooing conservative voters while appeasing discontent among leftists who are against the split of the opposition camp. Ahn's success in the general election depends on how successfully his camp can appeal to centrists, and further to those who are center right on the political spectrum, they said. "While Moon is highlighting the party's progressive colors, Ahn seems to be adopting a strategy of turning more toward center right," Chung Goon-gi, a professor at Hongik University said. "If this move works, it could pose a threat to the ruling party that appears to be enjoying the current situation in which a split of the vote in the opposition camp is expected." In a recent poll conducted by Gallup, the approval rating of Ahn's new party stood at 21 percent, overtaking the second ranking of the MPK with a difference of 2 percent point. This was followed by the ruling Saenuri Party's popularity at 40 percent. Potters demonstrate their craft for a foreign tourist at an exhibition center in a ceramics village in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. / Courtesy of Jon Dunbar By Jon Dunbar The Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) will visit a pottery village in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, Saturday, to explore its distinct pottery history. The tour will include workplaces of master potters and visitors can try their hand at making pottery. Jennifer Flinn, a lecturer from Kyung Hee University and an East Asian Studies scholar, is scheduled to lead the tour, the RAS said. "Icheon is famous for baekja pottery, which is generally undecorated white ceramics," Flinn told The Korea Times. "This is a style that became particularly popular in the Joseon Kingdom, closely associated with Confucian ideals, being unpretentious and understated." Icheon was chosen for pottery production during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). It was located near forests that provided firewood, as well as quality sources of kaolin, a type of clay used in pottery. The RAS tour will make stops at several famous kilns in the area. They will visit the traditional wood-fired kiln of Ku Ji-soo, son of the famous master potter Ji Sun-taek. At Kim Jong-mook's kiln they will learn more about the process of making pottery. They will also see the kilns of Lee Un-ku who is known for his brown Buncheong ceramics, a bluish-green style that was replaced by white pottery in the 16th century and only revived in modern times. They will also visit the studio of Kim Se-ryong, who is known for his blue porcelain and his intricate etching and cutting techniques. "Basically if you needed to store it, eat it, handle it, pottery was the go-to material for all of this," said Flinn. "Before plastics, a huge range of everyday materials were all made of ceramics. Even now, ceramics are prized for being long-wearing, not imparting flavors to food, being safe for food and other items and just generally being an all-around workhorse. Plus, it's beautiful." The tour leaves Sinyongsan Station in Seoul at 9 a.m. and is expected to return early evening. It costs 65,000 won for RAS members and 78,000 won for nonmembers. Learn more or sign up at www.raskb.com. The deadline for registration is noon Thursday. By John Redmond Expats from across the peninsula will gather to celebrate Australia Day at the Millennium Seoul Hilton, Jan. 26. Presented by the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AustCham Korea) the evening will feature selections of Australian food and drink with music provided by the rock band Bogan's Heroes. "This is a great opportunity to bring your friends, colleagues and clients to celebrate Australia Day with Australian food, wine and beer to the sounds of classic Australian hits from our live band Bogan's Heroes," the event organizer said. A buffet is offered with over 27 dishes including Australian food with meat sponsored by MLA (Meat Livestock Australia), a collection of Australian state wines and Victoria Bitter beer. Australia Day, Jan. 26, is the anniversary of the first landing of the British Fleet in 1788 on the shores of Port Jackson in what is now New South Wales. The anniversary is a politically divisive issue to many indigenous Australians. Australia has long been considered a good alternative for Koreans seeking to work and study abroad. The signing of the Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement (KAFTA) that went into effect on Dec. 12, 2014, has opened up a new era of strengthening ties in education, the arts and business between the two countries. While Australia is rich in natural resources, Korea has a wealth of technology to export, leading to a mutually beneficial two-way partnership, with both countries being eager participants. AustCham Korea represents Australian and Korean business interests. The organization was formed over 20 years ago as a small business group and has grown to over 240 members. The mission of AustCham Korea is to promote Australian businesses in Korea through providing information, connections and representation. The evening celebrations will be from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The cost is 75,000 won for members and 85,000 won for nonmembers. An early bird special offered until Jan. 19 provides a 10 percent discount, with group tickets available at the member price. Payment should be made to Shinhan Bank account number 100-026-545750. The venue is the Millennium Seoul Hilton (Namsan), Artrium (3rd floor). For registration, email admin@austchamkorea.org or call Austcham on (02)2010-8832. John Redmond is a freelance writer. By John Redmond The Seoul Shakespeare Company (SSC) has announced audition dates for its sixth main stage production, "Much Ado About Nothing," to commence on Jan. 23. The auditions for the Shakespeare comedy to be directed by Michael Downey, will be held in a rehearsal space near Sungshin Women's University Station beginning at 2 p.m. "Actors of all experience levels are welcome to audition. This year we are not asking for prepared monologues. Auditioners will be asked to read from sides," the company said in a press release. "The sides will be posted on the event page approximately one week before auditions. They do not need to be memorized. We highly recommend reading the entire play before the audition." There are two singing roles in this play. Actors interested in playing one of these characters will be asked to sing in the audition. The audition dates are Jan. 23 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Jan. 24 beginning at 5:30 p.m. to 9:20 p.m. Call backs will be on Jan. 30 between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. To schedule your audition, email info@seoulshakespeare.com with your name, phone number and preferred audition time. Founded in 2010, the company is an all-volunteer group, and Seoul's only English-language Shakespeare theater. All plays are performed in English with Korean subtitles. Performances will be on the weekends of May 21-22, May 28-29, and June 4-5 at Egg and Nucleus Theater in Daehangno, Seoul. To get to the auditions, leave Sungshin Women's University Station at exit 1. Turn right at the first major street going into the shopping area (at KB Kookmin Bank) and walk about 250 meters. Turn right at TonyMoly. Walk about 80 meters to VIP Bar or 7080 Bar on the right. Go to the 4th floor. First read-through will be on Feb. 6 at 1 p.m. February rehearsals have already been scheduled for Saturdays 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., and Mondays and Wednesdays 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, visit the company on Facebook at www.facebook.com/seoulshakespeare or www.seoulshakespearecompany.org. By Saree Makdisi At its annual convention this week, the Modern Language Association, which represents 26,000 language and literature scholars, will become the latest academic body to consider the merits of adopting a boycott of Israeli academic institutions. This follows endorsements of such a boycott by the Association for Asian American Studies, the American Studies Association and, most recently, the American Anthropological Association, which voted 1,040 to 136 to endorse a resolution to boycott Israeli academic institutions at its November annual meeting in Denver; the AAA's entire membership will soon vote on the resolution, which is expected to pass. The justification for an academic boycott which targets institutions, not individual scholars stems from the peculiar relationship between Israel's educational system and its broader structures of racism. The United Nations' Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination points out with alarm that Israel maintains two separate educational systems for its citizens one for Jewish children and another for the children of the Palestinian minority a structure that reinforces the profound segregation of Israeli society in everything from matters of citizenship and marriage to housing rights. According to official Israeli data cited by the human rights organization Adalah, by the turn of the 21st century Israel was investing three times as much on a per capita basis in the education of a Jewish as opposed to that of a Palestinian citizen. The consequences are obvious: Schools for Palestinians in Israel are overcrowded and poorly equipped, lacking in libraries, labs, arts facilities and recreational space in comparison with schools for Jewish students. Palestinian children often have to travel greater distances than their Jewish peers to get to school, thanks to a state ban on the construction of schools in certain Palestinian towns (for example, according to Adalah, there is not a single high school in the Palestinian communities of the Negev desert in southern Israel). These naked forms of discrimination extend into the university system as well. "The hurdles Palestinian Arab students face from kindergarten to university function like a series of sieves with sequentially finer holes," Human Rights Watch points out. "At each stage, the education system filters out a higher proportion of Palestinian Arab students than Jewish students." In other words, children denied access to adequate kindergartens do less well in elementary school; students in dilapidated and resource-starved high schools find themselves funneled into work as carpenters or mechanics rather than doctors, lawyers or professors. Indeed, the university admissions process is the point at which the country's two separate and unequal schooling systems converge, with calamitous results for Palestinian students, who fall short on matriculation or psychometric exams that are weighted toward the Jewish school curriculum, according to Human Rights Watch. About a quarter of Israeli schoolchildren are Palestinian. But as a recent study by the Association for the Advancement of Civic Equity points out, the higher you go in the system, the lower the number of Palestinian students. As of 2012, according to data published by the Israeli Council for Higher Education, Palestinians constituted only 11 percent of bachelor's degree students, 7 percent of master's students, and barely 3 percent of PhD students. A mere 2.7 percent of the faculty in Israeli universities are Palestinian, and the percentage of Palestinians in administration is even lower. According to sociologist Majid al-Haj of the University of Haifa, Israeli universities systematically fail their Palestinian students. These students end up feeling alienated in an academic environment that stubbornly resists integration and seems designed to consolidate rather than challenge discrimination. All of this is damning, but there is more: Israel's long-standing assault on the right to education of Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Israel has bombed schools and besieged university campuses; it detains and harasses students and teachers at army checkpoints; it has restricted the flow of school materials to Gaza; it has prevented Palestinian students from studying overseas. One must conclude that Israel's educational system is intended to consolidate the nation's putative Jewish identity and further dispossess the Palestinians. This is a process that the Israeli sociologist Baruch Kimmerling once identified as "politicide." Surely one of its components could be called educide, which international educators ought to reject by endorsing the academic boycott of institutions that engage in it. Such a boycott wouldn't affect individual Israeli scholars, whose freedom to participate in international conferences, publish in journals or collaborate with other scholars would not be threatened. Rather, it calls for a break in institutional cooperation and affiliation. For example, the MLA would not cosponsor an event with Tel Aviv University. Boycotts have been among the most effective means of nonviolent protest against institutional injustice in the modern era. They played a key role in bringing about the transformation of the Jim Crow South and the downfall of apartheid in South Africa, both of which bear an unmistakable resemblance to the situation in Israel. It is as unthinkable to turn a blind eye to the racism of the Israeli educational system as it would have been to disregard those earlier forms of injustice. Saree Makdisi is a professor of English and comparative literature at UCLA and a member of the Modern Language Association. He presented a longer version of this piece at the MLA convention in Austin last week. He wrote this for the Los Angeles Times. It was distributed Tribune Content Agency, LLC. CNN posted an interview with Canadian pastor Lim Hyeon-soo, detained in a North Korean prison, Monday. Lim said he digs holes to plant apple trees in the prison orchard, eight hours a day, six days a week, he said in the interview that was conducted in a meeting room in Pyongyang. The pastor, 60, accused of using religion to overthrow the atheist regime, is serving a life sentence with hard labor. He has been in the labor camp since his trial in December. The video shows two guards bringing and seating Lim in a room. Although Lim is comfortable speaking in English, North Korean authorities ordered him to answer questions in Korean, according to CNN, which said authorities were probably listening in another room. Lim said he has not seen other inmates. He also said he receives regular medical care and three regular meals a day. "The work was hard at first because I was not a (physical) laborer, but I have gotten used to it." He is wearing loose-fitting prison clothes, making it impossible to tell if he had lost weight. Asked if there was anything he needed, Lim replied a Bible, which he has requested but not yet received. He said he very much would like letters from his family. Lim has received two letters from his family in Canada and has sent one through the Swedish Embassy, which acts as the U.S. Embassy. Lim said he did not know if his letter was delivered. Lim was detained last January while on a humanitarian trip to the isolated communist state. The pastor of a 3,000-member church in Toronto had made frequent trips to North Korea, because his church was involved in aid projects involving orphanages and nurseries. Lim, born in South Korea, immigrated to Canada in 1986. North Korea has turned back on propaganda broadcasts along the inter-Korean border to counter South Korea's loudspeaker campaign, officials here said Tuesday. The North is blaring anti-South Korean broadcasts that include direct criticism of President Park Geun-hye, they said. "The North is criticizing our president by name," a Defense Ministry official said, referring to North Korea's border broadcasts being aired at some 10 locations along the tensely guarded shared border. The North Korean broadcasts are mostly broadcasting internal messages idolizing leader Kim Jong-un, encouraging allegiance to his leadership and legitimizing the latest nuclear test, the official said on the condition of anonymity. Last week, South Korea resumed anti-Pyongyang broadcasts in retaliation for the communist neighbor's test of what it claims was a hydrogen bomb. The two Koreas agreed in 2004 to halt psychological warfare using loudspeakers. The North Korean broadcasts are barely audible from the South Korean side of the border, possibly due to a lack of power or poor performance of the loudspeakers, facts based on which Seoul concluded that the North's broadcasting is designed only to muffle out South Korean broadcasts. Over Seoul's broadcasting campaign, which marks the fifth day since its relaunch, North Korea has shown no particular response so far, the military official said. "Our military's anti-North loudspeaker broadcasts are reaching far and wide in North Korea," the official said, highlighting the effect of the psychological warfare operation in pressing the North. On Sunday, the U.S. flew its bunker-busting B-52 bomber in the skies of South Korea as the allies took counteractions to deter North Korea from making additional military provocations. Seoul previously resumed the loudspeaker operations at the border in August after two South Korean soldiers were maimed by a land mine planted by the North. North Korea fired shells at the South in anger over the broadcasts before the two Koreas struck the so-called "Aug. 25" agreement to end military tensions and facilitate dialogue. (Yonhap) Consistency urged in stance toward Pyongyang By Yi Whan-wo North Korea's nuclear test last week not only showed Pyongyang has remained unchanged but also underscored inconsistency in policies toward the regime, analysts said Tuesday. Tactics being employed by Seoul and Washington concerning their relations with Pyongyang have varied depending on the political views of their respective governments, either conservative or liberal. The inconsistency and ambiguity in such policies are partly responsible for the escalating tensions on the Peninsula, they said. In contrast, China has maintained a relatively consistent stance regarding Pyongyang's nuclear program, according to the analysts. North Korea purportedly detonated its first hydrogen bomb in its fourth nuclear test, Wednesday, hinting that it has made advances in its nuclear technology since its previous tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. Concerned about a possible collapse of the Kim Jong-un regime and the influx of millions of refugees, Beijing is apparently reluctant to punish Pyongyang in spite of international pressure. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is distrustful of Pyongyang's erratic leader Kim Jong-un, remains mum on whether his country will take a leading role in economic sanctions against the North. The possible punitive measures include cutting off oil supplies to North Korea, which is heavily reliant on China for crude oil imports. "The flyby of a B-52 bomber, Sunday, is a good example that shows South Korea and the U.S. have repeatedly failed to understand that North Korea will never give up its nuclear arsenal," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies. The U.S. sent the long-range bomber, which is capable of carrying nuclear weapons, to South Korea in a show of force after North Korea conducted the nuclear test. The B-52 bomber was sent from Andersen Air Base in Guam, Sunday, and landed at the U.S. Forces Korea's Osan Air Base in Gyeonggi Province before returning to Guam. In 2013, a B-52 and a pair of B-2 stealth bombers were flown over the peninsula separately in the wake of Pyongyang's third nuclear test. "Such shows of force are intended as warnings to North Korea but it seems Kim was not intimidated because both South Korea and the U.S. have not been successful in implementing effective follow-up measures," said Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong University. The 2013 test took place when President Park Geun-hye's predecessor Lee Myung-bak was in office. Former President Lee, a conservative, banned all inter-Korean activities except for those at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex during his five-year term. President Park, also a conservative, has instead sought to build trust between the two Koreas through dialogue while being stern against any military aggression. Park's tactics shares common ground to some extent with those of the two late progressive-minded presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun. The pair underscored a need for dialogue with Pyongyang for inter-Korean reconciliation. "The Park government basically started from scratch regarding inter-Korean relations and apparently did not have enough time to win trust from the erratic North Koran leader," said An Chan-il, head of the World Institute for North Korea Studies. Park also shares U.S. President Barack Obama's "strategic patience," a policy of squeezing North Korea with sanctions while waiting for Pyongyang to make its decision to denuclearize. Critics are skeptical of Obama's approach, saying "it gave room for Kim to maneuver concerning the nuclear program." "It's true Pyongyang's first nuclear test took place when the hawkish George W. Bush was the U.S. president. But it would not have thought of conducting another nuclear test if a Republican succeeded Bush instead of Obama from the Democratic Party," said Paik Hak-soon, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute. An said, "Seoul and Washington have failed in adopting a mixture of carrot and stick tactics in a timely manner." The analysts stressed a need to convince China to extend its influence on North Korea. "China's role as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council is essential to effectively press Pyongyang, whether bilaterally or multilaterally," Park Won-gon said. By Jeffrey I. Kim Despite slower growth of its gross domestic product, Korea's efforts to promote FDI last year were successful. FDI in Korea recorded US$20.43 billion on a notification basis exceeding its annual target of $20 billion. This was attributable to large-scale construction and petrochemical projects in the Middle East and the popularity of the Korean Wave and Korean brands in China. On an accumulated arrival basis, however, foreign companies from Europe are dominant in Korea. During 1962-2014 foreign investment from the EU account for 42 percent, Asia 33 percent, and the U.S. 23 percent. Currently 539 companies from Germany, 439 from the U.K., and 251 from France are operating in Korea. The investment areas for foreign investment in Korea are manufacturing and service industries. However, Korea favors the foreign-invested companies that bring in high technology and the government provides them with many incentives. This explains why a large proportion of European companies are operating in Korea. Against this background, we take a special notice that a large proportion of foreign-invested companies are small-and-medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Most of them are the producers of high-tech machine tools and precision equipment. According to a recent study released by the OECD, SMEs account for over 95% of the firms and 60%-70% of the employment and generate a large share of new jobs in the OECD economies. SMEs have both strengths and weaknesses. Due to the fast spread of new technologies in this age of hyper globalization, the importance of economies of scale is reduced but the economic contribution of SMEs has increased. Owing to the availability of external partnerships, larger firms tend to downsize and rely more on outsourcing. Consequently the importance of SMEs is increasing. Also productivity growth is increasing by the virtue of competition among small-size firms. Regardless of whether they are operating in developed or developing countries, SMEs are suffering from various problems such as a lack of financing, shortages of manpower, constrained managerial capabilities, and limited access to high technology. The job turnover rates among SMEs are high relative to larger firms and the frequent births and deaths of SMEs significantly disturb the labor market. Due to capital shortages, they tend to spend little on R&D, and critically, they have difficulty in securing well-trained workers. A lack of entrepreneurship is another critical weakness of SMEs. Entrepreneurs are people who sense opportunities, innovate, and develop new products. Unlike the larger firms, family-owned SMEs seldom hire globally minded entrepreneurs. However, the government can help the SME owners obtain entrepreneurship by reducing or eliminating outdated regulations and institutional impediments. The government can also provide platforms through which SMEs may find foreign partners. At this stage of globalization, there is something that small-size firms can take advantage of. By using international networking, SMEs can combine the advantages of their smaller scale and greater flexibility and explore the larger markets. SMEs can better adjust to changing market conditions, evolving consumer preferences and shorter product life cycles by customizing and differentiating products. In Europe, Germany is often cited as an SME-power house. Since 2008 Germany has been exceptional. Compared to other member states, German SMEs expanded throughout the crisis period. Between 2009 and 2013 alone, more than 160,000 new SMEs established themselves. In Germany more than 99 percent of the companies are SMEs and over 3.6 million of them provide more than 60 percent of all jobs in Germany. Most German businesses are small to medium-sized companies. They are called "Mittelstand." The term, Mittelstand, commonly refers to small and medium-sized enterprises in German-speaking countries, especially in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The features of the German SMEs include family ownership, generational continuity, emotional attachment, flexibility, innovativeness, social responsibility, and customer focus. The country is also billed as "the Hidden champions,"a term coined by Hermann Simon which refers to relatively small-size but highly successful exporters actively exploring global markets. Korea welcomes foreign SMEs as the country is in desperate need of strengthening its potential to grow and increase employment. Korea provides foreign companies with various incentives including tax breaks, cash grants, and reductions or exemptions in office and factory rents. In addition, the government provides channels such as the Korea Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) or other local government agencies through which foreign investors can establish partnerships with Korean SMEs as well as with larger firms that can exercise dynamic entrepreneurship and great innovation. Jeffrey I. Kim is a foreign investment ombudsman, a presidentially appointed troubleshooter for investors and entrepreneurs from overseas. He earned a Ph.D. in economics at the University of Chicago and taught at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and Sungkyunkwan University. Chautare are the benches up in the East Himalayan villages which are resting places on trails dedicated to ancestors and relatives who are no more, where discussions happen, specially stories from present, past and future... The nation's largest labor umbrella group has declared null and void the Sept. 15 grand labor compromise, accusing the government of unilaterally breaking the tripartite agreement. The Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) shelved its formal withdrawal from the deal until Jan. 19. But given the labor ministry's strict position on key labor issues, the deal is likely to fall flat. The labor group's secession comes in response to the government's administrative guidelines that would make layoffs easier and enable management to change employment rules more easily. It's quite regrettable that the labor agreement, which had been reached among labor, employers and the government after nearly two years of tough negotiations, is likely to be torn up. The tripartite labor panel's frequent failure to mediate conflicts is attributed to a lack of trust among the three entities. This high degree of mistrust has been apparent in the course of FKTU's latest decision to quit the panel. The government deserves criticism for irking labor circles by disclosing its guidelines unilaterally, although the FKTU repeatedly threatened a do-or-die struggle. While pushing for a parliamentary passage of the five labor reform bills, the government inserted a controversial clause to extend the two-year probationary period for temporary workers to four years. All these fiascos are the natural consequences of a hasty push by policymakers for labor reform, especially after President Park Geun-hye stated that reforming the labor market is one of four priorities on her structural reform agenda. The FKTU is not free from criticism, either. The labor group has consistently turned down the government's repeated requests to discuss key labor issues. As a result, many agreed upon clauses such as one for shortening working hours have not been put into practice to the detriment of laborers. The collapse of labor reform efforts will certainly cause serious consequences. The government's unilateral introduction of the administrative guidelines could prompt unions to go on a general strike, which will amplify social unrest and economic woes. All this explains why the government and those in labor circles should hurry to resume talks so that they can avoid a catastrophe. It's incomprehensible why the labor ministry is so obsessed with the issue of making layoffs easier, given its limited impact on labor market flexibility. The labor ministry needs to do whatever it can to let unions remain within the framework of the tripartite panel. It's also necessary for the ruling and opposition parties to seek a compromise on the five labor reform bills during the extended parliamentary session. A general view of Samsung Electronics' Device Solutions America (DSA) headquarters in San Jose, California. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics By Lee Min-hyung Young Sohn, president and chief strategy officer at Samsung Strategy and Innovation Center SAN JOSE/PALO ALTO, Calif. Samsung Electronics is pushing ahead to find new revenue streams with the Internet of Things (IoT), mobile health and mobile payment sectors. Its new California technology center is leading the way. A senior Samsung Electronics executive said its growth will come throughout aggressive investments in ventures and acquisitions deals and the company believes the shifts fall in line with its initiative for "disruptive innovation." "Leadership in core businesses is not enough for our success," said Young Sohn, president and chief strategy officer at Samsung Strategy Innovation Center (SSIC), in a news conference to Korean reporters, last week. The executive, who had previously worked at Intel, stressed that the SSIC should be adaptive to find "something new" for corporate sustainability. "This is how IT is developing," he said. "There will be more disruptions in a broader range of industries." Samsung invited Korean reporters to the opening of three of its latest U.S. research offices, two of which are the Global Innovation Center (GIC) and Samsung Research America (SRA) on the sidelines of this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. According to Sohn, more undergraduates and graduates from top schools around Silicon Valley are applying to the centers, helping the company build networks and recruit promising human resources. The SSIC was established in 2013 within the device solutions division of the electronics giant, playing a pivotal role in catching up with Silicon Valley's fast-changing industrial ecosystem. Sohn said Samsung had looked into more than 1,000 companies last year, investing in 54 firms among them. He cited LoopPay as one of the most successful examples. In April last year, Samsung acquired the U.S.-based mobile payment company, in a move to launch its own payment platform, Samsung Pay. "Silicon Valley is an important marketplace where industry ecosystems are established," he said. "Therefore, establishing a successful foothold here is an essential part of our business." GIC and SRA The GIC has been at the center of investing and incubating startups in Silicon Valley since its founding in 2012. "What we are trying to do is to make a mixture of a lot of great things between hardware and software," said David Eun, president at the GIC. "We want to bring the best practices and learning of Silicon Valley to Korea, and vice versa." In 2014, Samsung acquired SmartThings, the U.S.-based smart home software provider, in its bid to be a market leader in both hardware and software. "Samsung is a leader in hardware," he said. "When you make hardware, everything must be perfect. In software, things are exactly the opposite. You must build something quickly and launch it quickly, get data and have to send it out again and again, doing many updates." The GIC has invested in 37 startups working in technology sectors including big data, IoT, virtual reality and even mobile commerce. The SRA is a facility where the company comes up with innovative concepts that undergo feasibility tests for new devices. The company's latest smart watch, Gear S2, was also conceptualized here. "Gear S2's rotating bezel was designed and finalized here," said Mark Bernstein, senior vice president at SRA. "The notion of having a display with no visible connections is something that we can do here." The SRA executive also said the company's U.S. research arm is also collaborating with a number of universities to realize what he calls "connected life" through Samsung devices. "We have a number of collaborative projects with universities here, including Stanford, Berkeley and the University of California, San Francisco," he said, adding the company is also teaming up with 14 Silicon Valley automobile labs. "We collaborate with them in terms of understanding the role of Samsung devices in this integrated, intelligent and connected life. We have partnerships with a number of different industry domains including healthcare." Negotiators of the Samsung Electronics leukemia dispute pose at a law firm office in central Seoul, Tuesday, after signing an agreement on preventive measures for workplace safety. From left are Samsung Electronics Senior Vice President Baek Soo-hyun, Samsung leukemia talk's mediation body leader Kim Ji-hyeong, leukemia victims' family group representative Song Chang-ho and Banolim head Hwang Sang-ki. / Yonhap Company agrees to establish ombudsman body for safety check By Kim Yoo-chul Samsung Electronics has signed an agreement with two groups representing victims of leukemia and other diseases who worked at its chip plants. The agreement, announced on Tuesday, calls for the company to establish independent ombudsmen to monitor safety. "Samsung Electronics, Banolim, a local civic group, and the Family Compensation Committee over Leukemia Issue (FCCLI) agreed to establish an independent committee for the safety of the workplaces at Samsung plants," said Kim Ji-hyung, chief negotiator at the three-member compensation body dealing with the issue, at a news conference. Lee Cheol-soo, a law professor at Seoul National University, and two experts will be the ombudsmen. Kim said. Samsung Electronics will also set up a new healthcare management center and invest more for research projects and activities to improve safety at the company's memory chip and display factories. "The three parties also agreed that the ombudsmen have the rights to ask Samsung Electronics to receive documents and data, if necessary, to monitor the health conditions of its factory workers," Kim told the conference, packed with more than 120 local and overseas journalists. "The newly created external body has the right to ask Samsung to correct issues if any harmful substances are found during checks." The ombudsmen will be operational from this year. They will operate for three years, but the term can be extended by another three years. In addition, Samsung plans to extend its period for retaining documents, which may affect factory workers' safety. Samsung said it would fully cooperate with factory workers, and offer access to the documents related to health and safety in cases of occupational ailments. "Tuesday's agreement is meaningful. Samsung hopes all the parties will fulfill the agreed settlement," said Baek Soo-hyun, Samsung Electronics chief negotiator. The agreement comes nine years after the civic group Banolim raised questions in 2007 about the safety of Samsung's key semiconductor and display plants after the death of a female worker, 22, from leukemia while working at a Samsung plant. Banolim had asked Samsung to set up a public committee with environmental and health experts to inspect its plants regularly. It also asked the company to invest 100 billion won as seed money for this, as well as making an official apology. Samsung was asked to make available at random requests details of chemical substances used at its plants. The company refused to set up the public committee and to open up key confidential data; but it agreed to invest 100 billion won within the company. Vice chairman Kwon Oh-hyun earlier issued an official public apology about the issue. The FCCLI was separated from Banolim because the two had different views about early compensation from Samsung, after the company set up an internal compensation body. As of Monday, about 100 former workers out of 150 who applied for early compensation had received compensation. Banolim founder Hwang Sang-ki said the agreement was partial. He said the group would continue its ongoing street demonstration at Seocho Samsung Tower, asking for more compensation from the company. By Kim Yoo-chul Koo Bon-moo LG Group Chairman LG Group outrivaled its bitter local rival Samsung Group in terms of brand awareness, showed a survey conducted by a local private ratings company, Tuesday. Korea Corporate Ratings Research Institute (KCRRI) issued a statement that LG came top in terms of corporate brand awareness out of 30 which were surveyed. The study was a result of a big-data analysis with keywords that had been collected from cyberspace during the December 9 January10, it said. LG received 25.13 million points, closely followed by Samsung Group with 23.40 million points and SK Group with 20.42 million points, according to the study. The latest study shows a steep rise in LG Group's brand awareness compared its No. 3 standing in a survey, last September. The previous survey said Samsung was the top by brand awareness, followed by Lotte Group. CJ Group has also seen noticeable increases in its brand awareness, while that by SK Group and Doosan Group has also risen despite some internal and external issues. Dongbu Group, which was in deep financial troubles, and LS Group, whose business portfolio is focused on business-to-business (B2B) segments were forced to see a drop in their corporate awareness. "Brand image that was seen by consumers in cyberspace is greatly affecting strategies in company's brand marketing," the researcher said. Popular SM Entertainment girl group Girls' Generation will welcome the Year of the Monkey in China. Girls' Generation was invited to perform at the special New Year broadcast Chun Jie Wan Hui and the group flew to Beijing early Sunday morning to record for the show. The group was the only K-pop act invited to attend and perform on the program this year, and will sing several of their hit songs such as "Lion Heart" and "Gee." The Chun Jie Wan Hui performance will be broadcast on Feb. 8 in China. The group will also travel to Bangkok, Thailand later this month for their Girls' Generation 4th Tour - Phantasia - in Bangkok, which will be on Jan. 30 and 31. In the meantime, the members of Girls' Generation are focusing on individual promotions after a successful comeback in 2015 with the release of hit singles "Party" and "Lion Heart." K-Pop Beyond The Charts is a weekly review column highlighting Korea's modern day musical innovators who have yet to find mainstream success. Jager, the alcohol, isn't typically associated with classy sophistication. However, Jager, the rapper, when he teams up with his partner in crime Lucas, produces the kind of sophisticated dance music that is rare in today's lowest-common-denominator pop market. On Jager & Lucas's latest single "Talk To You," released on Friday, the South Korean rap duo flow over a Fender Rhodes electric piano groove that reels you in and keeps you there. Combining a jazzy chord progression with a trace of Tribe Called Quest's 1993 track "Lyrics To Go" with the dreamy production of Kendrick Lemar's dreamlike material like "These Walls" from last year's seminal "To Pimp A Butterfly," Jager & Lucas have great musical taste and it shows. There is also a clear nod to pop icons Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye's '80s material on the K-pop group's recent offering. These MCs don't feel the need to use bluster or production tricks on "Talk To You." The production is creative sure, but it is centered on the starkly recorded soulful vocal takes of Jager & Lucas. Sure, they may be saying "I want to talk to you," but going by tone alone, this does not seem like a demand. It is certainly not to imply this phrase in the way that a high school principal would say it to a troubled student. No, Jager & Lucas seem to be only expressing a deep longing for that first contact with a romantic conquest. And isn't it always the quiet ones who would probably be the most interesting, if only someone would talk to them? Listen to the new single "Talk To You" from South Korean hip-hop outfit Jager & Lucas RIGHT HERE EXO's Kai (Kim Jong In) will make his official acting debut. SM Entertainment confirmed the news on Jan. 11 that the EXO dancer would make his solo acting debut through the web drama Choco Bank. Kai made his first acting appearance last year in EXO's very own web drama EXO Next Door. Choco Bank follows Kai's character, Kim Eun Haeng, whose name coincidentally also means "bank" in Korean, who is a fresh out of college boy in search of a career. Aside from Kim Eun Haeng, the web drama will also follow other recent graduates as the try to become entrepreneurs. The web drama will follow the struggle of these college graduates as they attempt to take on the workforce. Many of the EXO members have ventured into the acting scenes having secured quite the number of movie deals and musical castings. EXO member Chanyeol is currently filming for the Chinese film So I Married an Anti-Fan, while D.O will film two movies this year. Fellow member Xiumin wrapped up his own web drama Falling for Challenge in late 2015 as well. Choco Bank is slated to have six episodes with a duration on 10-minutes each. The web-drama will begin airing this February. The venue for the 30th annual Golden Disk Awards has been changed. While it was previously confirmed that Shenzhen, China would host the yearly awards show put on by the Music Industry Association of Korea, organizers were forced to change the location due to safety concerns following a massive landslide in the region. In response to the environmental disaster, officials in China decided to cancel all major events in the area. The Golden Disk Awards will now be held in Seoul on Jan. 20 and 21 inside the Peace Hall at Kyunghee University. The university previously hosted the 28th Golden Disk Awards on January 16, 2014. The confirmed K-pop artists to appear at the upcoming music awards show include BEAST, BTS, f(x), SHINee, VIXX, and Big Bang. Voting for which artists take home the major trophies on that night, can be done by visiting the award show's official website. The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary Read more Man Who Sold Fake Cubs Tickets Sentenced To 2 Years In Jail By Mae Rice in News on Jan 12, 2016 6:22PM PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 07: Chicago Cubs fans who had non-counterfeit tickets celebrate after the Cubs defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images) Fake it til you make it is a double-edged sword: sometimes good advice, sometimes advice that makes Cubs fans hate you and lands you in prison. One area man has experienced it as the latter. Terry Prince, 21, sold four fake Cubs tickets for $600, and was sentenced to two years in prison Monday, according to the Tribune. Prince pled guilty to one count of forgery, possession with intent to distribute, according to the States Attorneys office. Prince was arrested in Skokie in October, where he sold the fake tickets to two men, who only discovered the fraud once Prince had departed, according to the Tribune. Police, as the Tribune very nonchalantly puts it, arrested Prince following an undercover sting operation. Prince was on bond for a retail theft when he sold the Cubs tickets, according to the TRibune, which may have been a factor in his sentencing. Officials will cut 91 days from Princes sentence, due to time he has already served, according to the States Attorneys office. Some Of Navy Pier's Big, New Ferris Wheel Will Arrive Next Week By Rachel Cromidas in News on Jan 12, 2016 6:43PM rjseg1 The iconic Navy Pier Ferris wheel won't be missing from Chicago's skyline for much longer. A crucial next step in the process of replacing the old Ferris wheel, removed last year, with a bigger, grander new one is about to get underway as Navy Pier shuts down for two days next week for pieces of the new wheel to be delivered. Navy Pier will be closed Jan. 19 and 20 to make way for "key structural elements of the wheel's frame," which are arriving by boat, truck and train from Europe, according to a news release. Navy Pier will be closed to the public, but hang around Streeterville next Tuesday and you may be able to see four large cranes lifting the six legs of the Ferris wheel, which are each 120 feet long and weigh 36,376 lbs., as well as the 104-foot center hub of the Ferris wheel, which in turn weighs about 36,000 lbs as it is secured to the legs. The 196-foot Ferris wheel is slated to be up and running by the summer, in time for Navy Pier's 2016 Centennial Celebration. American Apparel Inc. has received a $300-million takeover bid from an investor group supporting the return of ousted Chief Executive Dov Charney. Hagan Capital Group and Silver Creek Capital Partners, the investors behind the bid, said that this offer was an upward revision from a bid submitted in December, according to a statement Monday. The Times reported last week that the initial offer was worth about $200 million. American Apparel said Monday that it had gotten approval from all the voting groups for the reorganization plan submitted when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October. The plan would take the company private and hand nearly 100% control to its largest bondholders. Advertisement The competing deals mean a potential fight for the future of the Los Angeles company, whose fate is scheduled to be decided by a Bankruptcy Court judge Jan. 20. It also marked a possible path of return for Charney, who was fired in 2014 after an investigation uncovered allegations of inappropriate behavior and misuse of company funds. It is a desperate bid to derail that [reorganization] plan and come away with the brass ring, said Lloyd Greif, chief executive of Los Angeles investment banking firm Greif & Co. If nothing else, Dov Charney has proven he is a cat with nine lives. Chad Hagan, managing partner of Hagan Capital, said that Charney would return as co-CEO under the takeover offer. Hagan had been looking at American Apparel for a few years and contacted Charney about putting together a deal after the company filed for bankruptcy, he said. We kept an eye on it, and the opportunity came up to make an offer, he said. Hagan said the problems plaguing American Apparel are purely operational. The brand remains as powerful as ever and worthy of investment, he said. The takeover offer includes $130 million from the investors, including $90 million of new stock and $40 million from a new loan. The company would leave bankruptcy with about $160 million in new equity and cash and a new $50-million credit line, the statement said. American Apparel would have about $90 million in equity, compared with about $75 million under the reorganization plan. The investors said that senior lenders would fully recover their money, versus 33% to 77% under the other plan. Unsecured creditors would be paid 10 times more compared with the reorganization deal, the statement said. The investment would be overseen by PressPlay Group, the private equity arm of PressPlay Global, which is backed by Hagan and Silver Creek. We are here for the long run, Hagan said. We are bullish on American Apparel; we are bullish on Dov Charney. But the deal will have to contend with the reorganization plan that American Apparel said Monday has been unanimously approved by all creditors. Under the agreement, more than $200 million in bonds would be eliminated in exchange for shares in the reorganized company a transaction known as a debt-for-equity swap. The participating lenders are led by Monarch Alternative Capital. The plan has sweetened the pot for unsecured creditors, who will share in $2.5 million set aside for them, compared with the original $1 million offered. The company also secured an additional $40 million of capital through a new credit line. American Apparel released a statement saying that it evaluates all bids consistently, but it remains focused on pursuing the completion of its financial restructuring following its planned Bankruptcy Court hearing at the end of this month. Andrew Herenstein, co-founder of Monarch, said in a statement that the creditor vote marks a significant milestone in the revitalization of American Apparel. Analysts said the bankruptcy judge would probably delay making a final decision until he has reviewed the takeover offer. shan.li@latimes.com Canadians seem to have lost interest in visiting the U.S., but the Chinese and South Koreans cant get enough of our tourist hot spots, like Disneyland, the Grand Canyon and New Yorks Times Square. Those are some of the conclusions from the latest visitor data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the agency that tracks the number of visitors traveling in and out of the U.S. Overall, the number of visitors traveling to the U.S. in the first six months of 2015 grew to 36 million, an increase of 4% over the same period in 2014, according to the federal agency. The biggest percentage increases came from South Korea, with a 20% jump, and China, with an 18% increase. Advertisement Join the conversation on Facebook >> Our neighbors to the north, Canada, sent only 10 million visitors in the first six months, a 6% drop compared with the same period of 2014, according to the latest data. Our neighbor to the south, Mexico, sent 8.4 million visitors, an 8% increase, the data said. The data released Monday does not offer an explanation for the increases and declines, but a drop in oil prices and a slump in Canadian currency compared with the U.S. dollar may explain why Canadians are cutting back on travel to the U.S. Meanwhile, Chinas economy has been red hot until a few months ago when a slowdown began to worry economists about the ripple effect on the rest of the worlds economy. The burgeoning middle class in China has been traveling to the U.S. in big numbers to spend their disposable income at theme parks and outlet malls. SIGN UP for the free California Inc. business newsletter >> Tourism from South Korea may be on the rise because South Koreans continue to visit family members in Los Angeles, which is home to about 160,000 residents of Korean origin, according to the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute. To read more about travel, tourism and the airline industry, follow Hugo Martin on Twitter at @hugomartin. MORE FROM BUSINESS Word of the year candidate gig reflects a new economic order Stocks edge up, lifted by technology and healthcare companies FTC is falling short in protecting consumers data used by businesses The relentless slide in oil prices, which hit 12-year lows Tuesday, is having only mixed results in helping California drivers save at the gas pump, analysts said. Gasoline prices in the state have fallen from peaks reached last July. But because of Californias unique gasoline market, the states prices remain about 10% higher than a year ago despite the sizable drop in oil prices in that span. Oil prices fell yet again Tuesday, with the top grade of light crude oil for near-term delivery dropping 97 cents, or 3%, to close at $30.44 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, its lowest level since December 2003. Prices briefly dipped below $30 during the session. Advertisement Two years ago, oil was approaching $100 a barrel. But since then, global oil production has far outpaced demand and, more recently, Chinas economic problems and the strengthening U.S. dollar have put added pressure on prices. Markets are concerned that the slowdown in Chinas economy, the worlds second largest, will suppress oil demand even more. And because oil is priced in dollars, the stronger American currency is making oil more expensive to buyers holding other currencies. The fallout from the drop in prices, especially for companies involved in exploring and producing oil, has continued to widen around the world. Oil giant BP said Tuesday it planned to cut about 4,000 jobs in its exploration and production unit this year. The London-based company currently employs about 80,000. We need to do more in order to be more competitive and recognize the increasingly challenging business environment, BP spokesman Jason Ryan said in an email. BPs decision lifted the overall number of job cuts among the worlds publicly traded oil and gas companies to about 250,000 in the last 18 months, said John Graves, president of Graves & Co., an industry consulting firm in Houston. That number is highly conservative because the majority of oil and gas companies are private, and private companies arent going to make public announcements, he said. This is a significant downward change in the fortunes of the oil and gas industry, no question about it, Graves said. There also is speculation that oils price drop could lead to additional bankruptcies among oil companies, especially small- to mid-sized firms. Companies that already have filed for bankruptcy include at least two with operations in California: Raam Global Energy Co. and Sefton Resources Inc., according to the law firm Haynes and Boone. At the pump, the average price of regular gasoline in California on Tuesday was $2.847 a gallon, according to the Auto Club. Thats down from $3.72 in mid-July when some stations sold gas for $4 a gallon or more but 10% higher than $2.595 a gallon a year earlier. The national average currently is $1.956 a gallon, the Auto Club said. As 2016 begins, California is the only gasoline market in the United States now experiencing increasing prices and higher prices than at the same time last year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in a report last week. Why? The key reason is that California requires a special blend of gasoline, and there have been production problems with some refineries in the state, most notably the extended cutback at the Exxon Mobil Corp. refinery in Torrance after an explosion last February. Thats resulted in falling gasoline stock levels and the need to import gasoline from distant sources that require higher prices and longer transit times, the EIA said. Prices are even higher in Los Angeles and Orange counties, where the average is about $3.02 a gallon, said Auto Club spokeswoman Marie Montgomery. Right now, Southern California is the most expensive place in the country, including Hawaii, to get gas, she said. Californians could see lower pump prices during the rest of January because of the drop in oil prices and seasonal low demand for gasoline, said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis for the independent Oil Price Information Service. But in February, refiners begin switching to the summer blend of gasoline that California requires and that will temporarily reduce production and probably send prices higher, Kloza said. In the next few weeks, youll probably see the lowest prices youll see for many months, he said. Youll be going back up between Valentines Day and Cinco de Mayo. Kloza added that any price hikes could be mitigated once the Exxon Mobil refinery is back on line, which is expected sometime from February to April. Meanwhile, some OPEC nations reportedly are mulling whether to hold an emergency meeting of the 13-nation Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to weigh changes in production to stem the drop in oil prices. But analysts at Morgan Stanley & Co. wrote in a report Monday that whats driving much of oils recent declines is not so much overproduction but the strong U.S. dollar. If the dollar keeps rising against other currencies, they wrote, $20-$25 oil price scenarios are possible. Twitter: @PeltzLATimes Times staff writer Samantha Masunaga contributed to this report. MORE BUSINESS NEWS Stocks edge down in the afternoon as energy companies and oil fall FTC is falling short in protecting consumers data used by businesses California regulators reject VW repair plan for diesel vehicles linked to scandal Gay dating app Grindr has handed majority ownership to Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun World Wide Technology Co. for $93 million, valuing the Hollywood start-up at $155 million post-investment. Grindr had been exploring a sale or fundraising round for much of last year. ------------ For the Record Advertisement 7:32 p.m.: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Grindrs valuation is $215 million. It is $155 million. ------------ The app has become a go-to hookup app for men looking for same-sex relationships, getting about 2 million daily users. But the company has sought to play a bigger role, beyond matchmaking, in the lives of its users and the investment is aimed at accelerating that process. Grindr, launched in 2009, also has faced competition from apps like Scruff and Tinder since then. Documents leaked last summer said Grindr expected to generate about $38 million in advertising and subscription revenue in 2015. For nearly seven years, Grindr has self-funded its growth, and in doing so, we have built the largest network for gay men in the world, founder and Chief Executive Joel Simkhai said in a blog post announcing the funding Monday. The investment, he said, would mean business as usual, with a renewed sense of purpose and additional resources. The company didnt respond to a request to comment. Kunlun went public on the Chinese stock market about a year ago. The company relies on mobile games aimed at Chinese consumers for most of its revenue. Kunlun has been making investments in China and across the globe as the mobile games market at home begins to flatten out. Among its recent investments are a groceries delivery company, a livestreaming app and an online electronics shop. The investment is noteworthy because Chinese authorities do not recognize same-sex marriages or civil unions, and being publicly gay remains taboo in China. But Chinese gay rights activists have scored some recent victories, and the increased pressure may begin to open some doors, activists have said. Chat with me on Twitter @peard33 Times staff writer Shan Li contributed to this report. Snapchat Inc. is one of several companies considering adopting features to their apps that would enable users to invest in stocks and other securities from their smartphones, according to a report last week. Without citing sources, news agency Reuters said Venice-based Snapchat as well as Twitter, Venmo, Mint and others could introduce automated money management services. The technology companies have largely young user bases, likely without much extra cash. But as users age, the apps are seeking to keep pace by providing additional services. Finance, along with shopping, are two of the more buzzed-about possibilities. Advertisement Several start-ups already provide automated investment apps, including Wealthfront and Betterment. Users select some strategy preferences and then let computers handle the investing. But the start-ups must spend millions of dollars to acquire customers from scratch, whereas apps such as Snapchat already have tens of millions of users to directly tap into. They also are a highly engaged audience: Snapchat generates 7 billion video views across its app each day, Bloomberg reported and a source confirmed Monday. Thats a major advantage. Still, its far from certain that either the finance-focused start-ups or the bigger technology companies have found a way to generate sustainable profits from investment features. Fee structures vary at existing services. And its also unclear whether in an age of endless specialty apps, consumers would want an app like Snapchat to become a hub for so many of their activities. That leaves the question: Is the cost and distraction of developing an investment service worth the potential revenue? said Steven Lockshin, founder of investment advisor AdvicePeriod and an investor in Betterment. To the extent these guys can tap into the millennial client base, there is a giant opportunity. A different currency. Gem, a start-up working on technology related to the digital currency bitcoin, announced $7.1 million in funding last week from Pelion Venture Partners, KEC Ventures, Blockchain Capital, Digital Currency Group and RRE Ventures. Gem initially focused on bitcoin storage technology. Now, the Venice company is helping companies store data on blockchains, the digital database technology that stores bitcoin ownership records. Banks, healthcare companies and more are intrigued because blockchains are difficult to maliciously alter. A different chain. Source Intelligence announced $17.5 million in funding from Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors to advance its supply chain management software. The Carlsbad start-ups subscription service lets companies track how vendors are holding up compared with various environmental and ethical standards, such as avoidance of conflict minerals. New year, new start-ups. A slowdown in venture capital investment over the last year isnt deterring every would-be entrepreneur. Several nascent services companies from outside the region are starting to expand into Los Angeles. --New York City-based Hooch has been promoting its subscription cocktail service in Los Angeles. Hooch users pay $9.99 a month to get one free drink each day at any one of several bars. Los Angeles options include Golden Gopher, the Larchmont and State Social. --Gobble, a small player in the growing meal-delivery industry, launched in Los Angeles on Monday. The Palo Alto companys schtick is providing users with a kit of ingredients to prepare a meal in about 10 minutes, using just a pan. Competitors like Blue Apron and Plated generally provide more complex meals that take up to 30 minutes to prepare. Reviewers find them all tasty, but consumers have to bite a price that generally exceeds a comparable supermarket bill. --This week, roommate search app Roomi plans to start helping people find places to live in Los Angeles. The app gets people to log in using their Facebook account and then queries them about preferences before hooking them up with apartment listings and a chat app. The New York City company has raised $2 million. --Hotel-room sharing service the Winston Club, based in Seattle, plans to launch in Los Angeles soon. Club members get into fancy hotel rooms on the cheap because the service lets them pair with someone looking for similar accommodations. Elsewhere on the Web. The California Sunday Magazine reports on Tinder and its controversial chief executive, Sean Rad. In the story, he says he receives sexy messages on Snapchat, talks to 10 Tinder users a day to empathize with them, and is living with his parents while his condo gets remodeled. Chat with me on Twitter @peard33 In an era when some people believe there is too much TV, Americans who depend on free, over-the-air broadcasting are facing a future in which they will have less to watch. Dozens of stations could leave the air in a few years as a result of the federal governments auction of TV transmission frequencies, known as the broadcast spectrum. The government is planning to pay stations for their spectrum so that it can be sold to wireless carriers or other technology companies such as Google that want it to meet the growing demand for mobile data. Station owners must inform the FCC today of their interest in selling back their spectrum in the March 29 auction. The stations to be auctioned wont be revealed until that time, but the San Bernardino Community College District, home of the PBS member outlet KVCR, told The Times that it would be filing an application to participate. Advertisement According to the FCCs website, the sale of the spectrum will benefit consumers by easing congestion on wireless networks, laying the groundwork for fifth generation (5G) wireless services and applications, and spurring job creation and economic growth. But in the process, viewers who watch free, over-the-air TV because they decline or cant afford to subscribe to cable or a satellite video provider will end up with fewer channel choices. Estimates on how many viewers depend solely on over-the-air TV vary. Nielsen says its 11% of all U.S. TV households, which comes to 12.3 million homes. Market research company GfKs Home Technology Monitor puts the figure at nearly 15%, or 17.6 million homes. Join the conversation on Facebook >> GfK says a growing portion of these homes -- 5.4 million -- are cable cord-cutters who watch video online. There are apparently enough of them out there for Cablevision to offer its customers a broadband Internet package that includes a TV antenna. Speculators have been buying up small, low-revenue stations around the country in recent years in anticipation of the auction. Many of the stations likely to participate are foreign-language programmers, religious broadcasters, affiliates of nostalgia TV networks, and Public Broadcasting Service members operated by nonprofit organizations or schools. Major media companies, including CBS and Comcasts NBCUniversal, have indicated that they will sell back some spectrum in some markets where they own more than one TV station. The potential for disruption and inconvenience to the viewer is enormous, said Dennis Wharton, executive vice president for the National Assn. of Broadcasters, a trade organization that represents the interests of TV stations. The loss of diversity could be fairly significant. NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >> The money that can be realized in the process explains why station owners are taking a hard look at giving up their broadcast properties. In the opening-bid prices put out by the FCC in October, KVCR was valued at $628.6 million, the highest of any station in the Los Angeles market. Bid prices are expected to go down considerably if a large number of stations decide to put their spectrum up for auction. But even at half that opening amount, the potential windfall is tantalizing for the owner of KVCR. If youre owned by a community college or a school district, those are huge numbers you cant pass up, said an investment banker who has advised station owners on how to navigate the auction. Other educational institutions around the country, including Howard University in Washington, D.C., which owns WHUT, have said they intend to participate in the auction. If KVCR disappears from the airwaves, over-the-air viewers in the San Bernardino area should be able to see PBS shows on Los Angeles public stations KOCE and KLCS, depending on how the post-auction transition shakes out. SIGN UP for the free Essential Arts & Culture newsletter >> A representative for KOCE, which had its signal valued at $581 million, declined to comment on its auction plans. The Los Angeles Unified School District, which owns KLCS, has previously announced that it will give up part of its spectrum and share a channel with KCET, a Los Angeles public station that is not a PBS member. (Stations that give up their signals can stay on the air by negotiating to share channel space with another outlet). The San Bernardino Community College Districts decision to enter the auction raises questions about the future of its Native American programming service FNX, which supplies programming to PBS stations and broadcasts on KVCRs digital sub-channel 24.2. KVCRs 17 hours of local programming serving the Inland Empire would also have to move to other stations or stream online if the station goes away. A representative for the college did not comment on KVCRs plans beyond confirming that it would participate in the auction. PBS officials are concerned that patches of areas across the country will not be within reach of broadcast signals carrying the service once the auction process is complete and stations are moved off the air or onto other channels. According to GfK, 19% of viewers who watch public TV at least once a week are in broadcast-only homes. When the auction results are announced, PBS and other national public media organizations like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Association for Public Television Stations are planning to work together with local and national partners to address any unserved areas that might be created by the auction, said PBS spokeswoman Jan McNamara. ALSO Spotify hit with second songwriter lawsuit in two weeks Time Warner extends Chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes contract through 2020 Kevin Spacey and his production partner join Ryan Kavanaughs Relativity Media After months of speculation its finally official: Ryan Coogler will direct Marvels Black Panther movie. Marvel has just announced that Coogler will direct the standalone Black Panther feature, due to hit theaters on Feb. 16, 2018. Coogler will join the already-cast lead actor Chadwick Boseman, who is playing titular character TChalla aka, Black Panther. The superhero was previously revealed in the trailer for Captain America: Civil War, in which Black Panther will also make his big debut. Advertisement Marvel President Kevin Feige released this quote to Marvel, The talents Ryan showcased in his first two films easily made him our top choice to direct Black Panther. Many fans have waited a long time to see Black Panther in his own film, and with Ryan we know weve found the perfect director to bring TChallas story to life. Our only lingering question now is will actor Michael B. Jordan also find a role in this feature? Jordan was in Cooglers two other critical success stories, Creed and Fruitvale Station. Who knows, however, we are excited to see Boseman don the black suit as Black Panther in Civil War this May. Photos: The No Pants Subway Ride Gets Cozy On The CTA By Rachel Cromidas in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 12, 2016 4:57PM If you think you're cold waiting on the CTA platforms, try doing it pantsless. The No Pants Subway Ride, an annual phenomenon with an international following, is more about celebrating freedom of expression than the survival of the fittest, but it took a pretty brave Chicago contingent to weather the cold last weekend in the name of pants-free public transit fun (a phrase we do not hope to use again). Chicagoist Flickr pool user Natasha Jelezkina captured some of the fun on Jan. 10 as Chicagoans gave each other an intimate look at their answer to the question, "boxers or briefs?" from the CTA Red Line's Loyola station down to Roosevelt Road. The 15th annual ride, originally organized by the group Improv Everywhere, was celebrated around the world, including New York City, Tokyo and Madrid. There was the awkward Ricky Gervais-Mel Gibson moment, Jonah Hill in a bear costume and Denzel Washington belatedly realizing he had to give a speech. But beyond those viral, tweetable, Instagrammable incidents, there was also a fair amount to take away from the Golden Globes, about both the ongoing awards season and larger Hollywood culture. Golden Globes 2016: Full Coverage | Complete list | Red carpet | Highlights | Fashion | Backstage | Behind-the-scenes | Ricky Gervais insults What stood out? Here are five takeaways from Sunday nights Beverly Hilton action: Advertisement Revered Revenant. There are few people whove had the kind of relationship with the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. that Alejandro G. Inarritu has had. In 2007, the Mexican-born directors third film, the globe-hopping Babel, won best motion picture drama at the Globes. Eight years later, his more intimate backstage drama Birdman seemed destined to repeat the feat. It was even categorized in comedy, where it had a clearer path to the podium. And it was a burgeoning Oscar favorite that would go on to win best picture at that ceremony. But when the Globes came around, the HFPA passed it gave up the prize to The Grand Budapest Hotel. That would seem to set up the directors new film, the epic revenge tale The Revenant, for another empty-handed year especially since the film was not favored against fellow drama contenders Spotlight and Mad Max: Fury Road. So what did the HFPA do? It gave The Revenant its top prize of best motion picture drama, and threw in a director prize to Inarritu for good measure. Some of it is just the mercurial choices of the HFPA, but if there is a pattern, what would it be? That it likes his bigger dramas more than his smaller ones? Or feels like it really missed the boat on Birdman? 1 / 13 Comedian and host Ricky Gervais opened the show with jokes that made some laugh hysterically, and others cringe. (Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press) 2 / 13 Jennifer Lawrence accepts the award for actress in a motion picture comedy for her role in Joy. Every time Im up here, its because of you, Lawrence said of her director David O. Russell. (Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press) 3 / 13 In the final award of the night, Alejandro G. Inarritu accepts the honor for motion picture drama for his film The Revenant. (Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press) 4 / 13 Brie Larson accepts the award for actress in a motion picture drama for her role in Room. After a long list of folks to shout out, she said, Im sorry to anyone I forgot, Ill write you a thank you card. (Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press) 5 / 13 As Taraji P. Henson walked to the stage to accept her award for actress in a TV drama, she passed out cookies to those around her, including one to Lady Gaga. Cookies for everyone tonight, my treat, she said for her winning role playing a character named Cookie in Empire. And just as she was asked to wrap up her speech, she refused. I waited 20 years for this, Henson said. (Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press) 6 / 13 After being announced as a two-time Golden Globe award winner, Jim Carrey made it known that he isnt just a regular person, he is a two-time Golden Globe award winner. Though, of course, his dreams wont be fulfilled, as he said, until he becomes a three-time Golden Globe award winner. (Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press) 7 / 13 Presenter Morgan Freeman announces the nominees for directing. (Handout / Getty Images) 8 / 13 Alejandro G. Inarritu accepts the award for director for The Revenant. (Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press) 9 / 13 Presenter Andy Samberg sparks laughs. (Paul Drinkwater / NBCUniversal via Getty Images) 10 / 13 Michael Keaton takes the stage to present an award. (Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press) 11 / 13 Sophia Bush, left, and Kate Bosworth present an award onstage. (Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press) 12 / 13 Maggie Gyllenhaal introduces the nominated film The Room. (Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press) 13 / 13 Music, what music? Ridley Scott made sure to get in all this thank yous while accepting the award for motion picture comedy for The Martian. (Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press) Acting champions. Speaking of The Revenant, the movies star, Leonardo DiCaprio, was one of the most talked about personalities of the night, and not only because of his abrupt segue to the plight of indigenous people. DiCaprio, already a frontrunner, has now separated himself even further from the pack when he won lead actor for a drama for his turn as the, er, embattled, Hugh Glass in the survival epic film. Skeptics like to point out that the Golden Globes are voted on by a group entirely separate from those who vote for the Oscars. But Oscar voters are watching, and a compelling actor speech can sway opinions. The evidence: the winners of lead actor-drama and lead actress-drama in each of the previous two years at the Globes went on to win the prize at the Oscars. That bodes well for DiCaprio, and it also bodes well for Brie Larson, whose turn in Room had her in a close battle with Saiorse Ronan of Brooklyn. After Sunday night, it may not be that close. 1 / 36 Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 36 Helen Mirren (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 36 Laverne Cox at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 36 Amy Adams; Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith; and Lady Gaga (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 36 Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 36 Katy Perry, Taylor Schilling and Kate Hudson (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 36 Christian Bale and wife Sibi Blazic (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 36 Regina King and Rachel Bloom. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 36 Dwayne Johnson and daughter Simone Alexandra Johnson (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 36 Saoirse Ronan (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 36 Julianne Moore, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jennifer Jason Leigh (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 36 Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 36 Director Tom McCarthy and his guest (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 36 Lily Tomlin, Denis OHare and Uzo Aduba (Wally Skalig / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 36 Liev Schreiber and Damian Lewis (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 36 Brie Larson (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 36 From left, actresses Leslie Mann, Zendaya and Eva Longoria. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 36 Amy Schumer (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 36 Sylvester Stallone with wife and daughters (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 36 Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 36 David and Jessica Oyelowo (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 36 Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, from left, Laverne Cox and Eva Longoria on the red carpet. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 36 Elvis Nolasco and Richard Cabral (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 36 Wiz Khalifa (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 36 Lola Kirke poses on the red carpet at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 36 Emmy Rossum and Sam Esmail (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 36 Zoe Kazan and Paul Dano (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 36 Giuliana Rancic, Debbie Matenopoulos and Ken and Tran Jeong. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 36 Maria Menounos (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 36 Ernst & Young couriers deliver the envelopes containing the winners to the 73rd Golden Globes at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 36 Carly Steel, left, Brad Goreski and Louise Roe (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times / Right - Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images) 32 / 36 Fans in the bleachers watch the red carpet arrivals. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 36 Actor Alan Cumming documents the red carpet moment. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 36 Liz Hernandez, left, Carly Steel and Nancy ODell (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 36 Nancy ODell at the 73rd Golden Globes at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 36 Bomb sniffing dogs walked the red carpet January 10, 2016 at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) The Jobs report. It was one of the most famous unmade movies in recent memory when the Sony hacking exposed the messy process of getting it made. Then it became one of the least seen of the hyped fall movies. Now Steve Jobs is back in the limelight? And earning accolades? The movie scored two major prizes Sunday when Kate Winslet was named supporting actress and Aaron Sorkin for screenplay. Whether it can carry momentum forward for the Oscars Sorkin is in the competitive adapted screenplay sections is an open question. But the film can now claim a small measure of validation Jobs is now a multiple Golden Globe winner, something that neither seasonal favorites Carol nor Spotlight can claim. 1 / 21 Golden Globe winners, including Rachel Bloom with her Golden Globe for Actress in a TV Series, Comedy or Musical, stop by the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards press room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 21 Actor Sylvester Stallone, winner of Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture for Creed, poses in the press room at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 21 Kate Winslet accepts her Golden Globe for Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 21 Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, left, and actor Leonardo DiCaprio pose with awards for Best Motion Picture, Drama; Best Director, Motion Picture; and Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama, for The Revenant in the press room at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 21 Winner Oscar Isaac for Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 21 Taraji P. Henson in the press room with her Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 21 Matt Damon, winner for Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 21 Producers Mark Pybus, left, Colin Callender and Rebecca Eaton, winners of Miniseries or Television Film for Wolf Hall, pose in the press room at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 21 Jimmy Naples, left, and Sam Smith, winners of the Best Original Song in a Motion Picture for Writings On The Wall from the movie Spectre, at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 21 Aaron Sorkin, winner of Screenplay - Motion Picture for Steve Jobs at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 21 Director Laszlo Nemes, center, actor Geza Rohrig, second from left, and other members of the Son of Saul team pose with the award for best foreign-language film for Son of Saul, in the press room at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 21 Jennifer Lawrence won the award for lead actress in a motion picture comedy for Joy. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 21 Christian Slater took home the prize for actor in a supporting role in a series, limited series or motion picture made for television, for Mr. Robot. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 21 Gael Garcia Bernal of Mozart in the Jungle wins for actor in a TV series, musical or comedy. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 21 Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail, center, and the cast pose together after winning the Golden Globe award for best TV series drama. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 21 Maura Tierney holds her Golden Globe for supporting actress in a limited series/TV Movie for The Affair. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 21 Jon Hamm holds his Golden Globe for Mad Men. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 21 Winners of the best motion picture musical or comedy for The Martian: Simon Kinberg, left, Ridley Scott and Michael Schaefer. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 21 Pete Docter, left, and Jonas Rivera, winners of the best animated feature film for Inside Out. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 21 Lady Gaga with her Golden Globe for actress in a miniseries or a motion picture. She will perform the national anthem at Super Bowl 50. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 21 Gael Garcia Bernal, Bernadette Peters and Lola Kirke share the Golden Globe for TV series comedy for Mozart in the Jungle. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Out of the spotlight? On the subject of Spotlight, its been one of the most embraced movies since it premiered at the fall film festivals. Tom McCarthys story of the Boston Globes investigation into the Catholic Church sex-abuse scandals of the early 2000s was praised as a low-key ensemble that was one of the best films of the year. So low-key, and so ensemble, that it struck out entirely at the Globes. The low-key part may have played a role in failing to win in picture, director or screenplay categories. The ensemble part may have led to it receiving no nominations for acting. The movie starring Michael Keaton, John Slattery, Rachel McAdams and a host of other stellar performers is seen as such a team effort that no one is getting recognition. Though a Screen Actors Guild ensemble prize could be in the cards, the films actors could get shut out again come Oscar night many of the male actors will go into supporting, and that prize could well go to Sylvester Stallone (he won Sunday night). To paraphrase Yogi Berra, the movie wont win it features too many good people. Jennifer Lawrence. It was a strange night for Jennifer Lawrence. Really strange. The Joy actress continued her unlikely chumminess with Amy Schumer that began last year, even presenting and doing patter with her. (Their bit was good enough, if not Gosling-Pitt good. Then she went and surprised everyone by winning lead actress-comedy, a prize almost no experts had pegged for her. Her stock was rising. But shortly after, she went backstage and got snippy with a foreign-born reporter who was looking at his phone for a question. And a small backlash that had begun to develop in the past year, when some questioned whether she really was as spontaneous and carefree as her public persona, came back to the fore. By now Lawrence being nominated is a given this time of year shell likely pick up an Oscar nomination Thursday, her fourth in six years. But her post-Hunger Games image is as in-flux as Katniss romantic preferences. Twitter: @ZeitchikLAT ALSO: Golden Globes: Lady Gaga says, I always wanted to be an actress Mel Gibson is baaack ... and not just with that awkward turn at the Golden Globes Golden Globes: Taraji P. Henson dedicates her award to the haters Among the many appreciations and celebrations likely published about David Bowie in coming days, readers will learn about his standing as a style icon, a groundbreaking avatar of sexual fluidity and a shape-shifting artist who expanded the possibilities in rock n roll performance. But Bowie the icon is nothing without Bowie the songwriter. Yes, in public, he played with image and identity in ways that will continue to influence generations. Nestled within these visual creations, though, rests the reason for his enduring fame: the music, and his skill as a lyrical storyteller. 1 / 7 David Bowie performs at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine on Aug. 13, 2002. (Robert Lachman / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 7 David Bowie performs during the Nokia Isle of Wight Festival in Newport, Britain, on June 13, 2004. (Jo Hale / Getty Images) 3 / 7 David Bowie performs at Bercy Arena in Paris on Oct. 20, 2003. (Bertrand Guay / AFP/Getty Images) 4 / 7 David Bowie performs at the Hollywood Athletic Club on Sept. 10, 1997. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 7 David Bowie performs during ABCs In Concert on Aug. 30, 1991. (ABC Photo Archives / Getty Images) 6 / 7 David Bowie performs during a stop of his Ziggy Stardust tour at Newcastle City Hall in Britain on Jan. 7, 1973. (Ian Dickson / Getty Images) 7 / 7 David Bowie (Brian Rasic / Getty Images) Advertisement The dressing of a show is just a dressing. Its a sort of perfunctory kind of thing, Bowie told interviewer Russell Harty in 1975, a few years after Bowie had become a superstar as Ziggy Stardust. But the content has to stand. I mean, you can dress a show with a trillion dollars -- or trillion pounds -- worth of goodies, but if the show is not substantial, there will be no impact. Pressed further, Bowie replied, I know what songs Im going to sing, which is the most important thing. Listen to his breakout hit, Space Oddity, and the sensation of travel to the outer limits remains sublimely cosmic. The works first lines, a radio transmission and countdown to blast-off, could be the opening lyrics of Bowies chapter one, his Call me Ishmael. Its 1969. Were going on a trip to the moon, and soon Our Hero will be floating in space. Since the news of his death, fans of David Bowie have been stopping by the artists star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to pay their respects to the rock legend. The arc of his musical life ascended along with that rocket. Once aloft, Bowie transmitted universal songs about star men who communicated via FM radio waves, about humans longing to explore, and getting lost in the process. He penned works about isolation, self-reflection, the rush of enthusiasm that comes with new life and being strung out in Heavens high, hitting an all time low. As the years went on and his body gave way, he frequently addressed death and decay. That essence, that uniquely Bowie-ian way with lyric and melody, wasnt something that could be commoditized or compromised. But somehow these oblique songs hit on an international scale. Ashes to Ashes is about addiction and existential dread: The shrieking of nothing is killing me isnt a line youd expect near the top of the charts, yet there it was. Many children of the 1990s first heard Bowie through Nirvana when the band performed The Man Who Sold the World on MTV Unplugged. When sung by a gravelly Kurt Cobain, himself struggling with addiction, the version felt like a portent. Conjuring a mysterious interaction in a stairway, Bowies words echoed with new meaning: I thought you died alone, a long long time ago. Those odd turns of phrases, the way he snatched bits of strange dialogue and turned them into foundations, are what defined Bowie the lyricist. Every line acted as its own portal. Each was its own chapter in an ongoing saga. But they were sturdy enough to withstand reinvention. Consider a scene from Wes Andersons The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, where Brazilian musician Seu Jorge serves as Greek chorus while covering Bowies songs. Stripped of Bowies glamour, his style and everything but a man singing about life on Mars and the importance of turning to face the strange, the simply rendered songs remain unsinkable. Throughout his career, Bowie never professed to be an intellectual or begged for a podium. He was reluctant in front of a microphone when he wasnt performing. But he did have a singular passion. A timeline of David Bowies studio releases Do I worship anything? Life. I very much love life, he told Harty in a 1973 interview. Four decades later he suggested another passion during one of his final songs, from Blackstar. Ive got drama, cant be stolen, he sang during Lazarus. Its a song about being untethered, drifting away, of being lost but having nothing left to lose. Its not hard to hear the voice of Major Tom when Bowie sings, Im so high it makes my brain whirl dropped my cellphone down below. randall.roberts@latimes.com Follow me on Twitter: @liledit MORE: Full coverage: David Bowies life and career David Bowie: A half-century of music David Bowie: An unlikely hip-hop icon David Bowie: That time the Thin White Duke needed reassurance David Bowie: The Man Who Changed the (Music) World (1947-2016) The morning after Amazon Primes big showing at 73rd Golden Globes, it was business as usual for the streaming service. Amazon Studios head Roy Price addressed reporters bright and early Monday for the Amazons panels at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Pasadena. And, understandably, he was quite the morning person. The streaming service scored two trophies Sunday night for Mozart In the Jungle -- TV series, comedy or musical and actor in a comedy or musical for Gael Garcia Bernal. Advertisement Golden Globes 2016: Full Coverage | Complete list | Red carpet | Highlights | Fashion | Backstage | Behind-the-scenes | Ricky Gervais insults Mozart In the Jungle, which follows a conductor of a fictional New York Symphony, kept Amazon in the conversation following the streaming services turnout last year when Transparent was recognized. Not only was the Jill Soloway series Amazons first-ever Golden Globe award, it also became the first online series to ever win a best series award, comedy or drama at the annual awards show. Transparent was also among the nominees Sunday night. The dramedy was up for TV series, comedy or musical category, and stars Jeffrey Tambor and Judith Light were nominated in the acting categories. Before we get started, I want to say how proud we are of Gael [Garcia Bernal], Jeffrey [Tambor], Judith [Light], everyone behind Mozart in the Jungle and Transparent, Price told reporters on Monday, just hours after celebrating the wins. Five Golden Globe nominations and two wins last night. Its gratifying and exciting to get this recognition and win in the category of Best Comedy and Best Actor in a Comedy two years in a row. So, good night. Amazon is hoping its good fortunes continue with its slate of originals that are unveiled this year. It has Mad Dogs, from The Shield creator Shawn Ryan, launching Jan. 22. Ryan and his partner, Marney Hochman, have teamed up with British writer and producer Cris Cole for the drama, which is based on a British series about four middle-aged friends on a vacation in Belize that goes terribly awry. It stars Michael Imperioli, Steve Zahn, Ben Chaplin, Romany Malco and Billy Zane. Theyve created a delicious blue-sky adventure to take all of our Amazon Prime customers away from the winter doldrums, said Morgan Wandell, who heads up the TV drama division for Amazon. Amazon next rolls out an unscripted series from the New Yorker magazine. Episodes, which will combine short scripted narrative films, comedy, poetry, animation, along with documentary and unscripted material, will be released beginning Feb. 16 in the weekly patternwith two hitting the streaming service each week. Producer Alex Gibney said the intent is to pay homage to the diversity of the magazine. The intent is to celebrate the eclecticism of the magazine and also to do what [New Yorker Editor and Executive Producer] David Remnick does so brilliantly in the magazine, which is to take these extraordinarily talented people and to rather than have, you know, a kind of monochromatic vision, to celebrate the voices of these extraordinarily talented people, but in this case filmmakers rather than print journalists, Gibney told reporters. In addition to new seasons of returning series Bosch and Catastrophe, Amazon will also see the addition of Woody Allens first TV project, and the upcoming Billy Bob Thornton-led legal drama from producer David. E. Kelley. I tweet about TV (and other things) here: @villarrealy MORE: Golden Globes 2016: Complete list of winners and nominees Golden Globes: TV shows find a BFF in the Hollywood Foreign Press and its willingness to embrace the new Golden Globes: 21st Century Fox is the big winner among media companies Charlie Rose says he met with Sean Penn on Monday night to discuss a possible sit-down interview of Penns experience interviewing drug kingpin Joaquin El Chapo Guzman. Rose revealed the meeting Tuesday morning during the CBS news panel at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Pasadena. A friend of mine named Sean Penn has been in the news, Rose told the room of reporters. So I went to see him last night for upcoming CBS piece. Advertisement Penn has been in the news since his interview with Guzman, one of the most wanted men in the world, was published on the Rolling Stone website Saturday. The article revealed that the actor traveled to Mexico to interview the drug lord in October, while Guzman was on the run from Mexican authorities after escaping prison. The billionaire fugitive was recaptured last week. Questions have been swirling about whether the actor could face potential legal liability for meeting with the fugitive drug kingpin. Were planning to do an interview about his experience, Rose said. I have a thousand questions for Sean. When it will happen, Rose added, will depend on when we can agree on the date to do it. I would hope sooner than later. Im prepared to do it whenever I get the green light from [Penn] and his lawyers. The co-host of CBS This Morning noted that he has known Penn for a long time and has interviewed him numerous times on his PBS program. I hadnt seen him, and I was interested in what happened, Rose said. So I went to talk about that... I dont think he will be doing any other interviews until we sit down. When asked for his thoughts as a journalist about the ethics in meeting with El Chapo. I cant really talk about it right now because were going to do that for the interview, Rose said. Clearly, I would have liked to have the opportunity to interview a whole range of people -- El Chapo would have been one of them. All the questions Im saving for [Sean for] the time we sit down together. Theres not much I can say about it now other than it is a remarkable story. I tweet about TV (and other things) here: @villarrealy If theres one thing I know about Downton Abbey, its that trouble is bound to occur any time Lady Mary hangs out with the pigs. Perhaps its just the natural sense of disorder that arises from hearing Lady Mary utter the words fat stock show repeatedly, or from seeing her surrounded by grunting livestock in ankle-deep mud. As Daisy puts it, Its funny to see Lady Mary in there with the pigs. See more of Entertainments top stories on Facebook >> Advertisement Whatever the case may be, those pigs lead to nothing but trouble, whether its a late night romp in the mud (not a metaphor) with Charles Blake or, as occurred this week, Mrs. Drews attempted abduction of Marigold. Downton Abbey tends to be pretty progressive when it comes to gender -- case in point: Lady Mary is now the estate agent -- but the show does have a troubling tendency to portray some female characters as a single personal setback away from becoming wild-eyed baby-snatchers. Youll recall how Lady Edith spent much of last season spying on Marigold from the bushes and/or bursting into tears. Now its poor Mrs. Drewe whos turned into Rebecca De Mornays character from The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. Luckily she is not very good at the whole kidnapping thing and Marigold is quickly recovered, but the situation proves awkward for everyone involved. For some reason known only to him (and Julian Fellowes), the impossibly saintly Mr. Drewe volunteers to move away. While this twist conveniently leaves an empty farm for Mr. Mason to take over, I cant help but feel like Mr. Drewe is really getting a raw deal here. After all, it was pretty kind of him to take in Marigold and keep Ediths secret, and now for his trouble hes stuck with a crazy wife and no place to live. (Note to self: Never, ever agree to take in your wealthy landlords secret grandchild.) In other news, Mrs. Hughes finds herself increasingly peeved by what she sees as Carsons unquestioning loyalty to the Crawleys and Lady Mary in particular. Mrs. Hughes is adamant about holding their wedding outside of Downton Abbey, even if its in the great hall and not the servants hall as originally proposed. While that venue has been good enough for other high-profile weddings, Mrs. Hughes objects. I dont want to be a servant on my wedding day, she says. The theme of the episode, it seems, is women fighting for independence. Daisy seems to be filling the void left by Branson as Downton Abbeys token fiery radical, sounding like an angsty college freshman as she complains about the system. Meanwhile Lady Edith is traipsing around London wearing fabulous capes and butting heads with a sexist editor at the magazine. Anna receives some (relatively) good news on a trip to Harley Street in London to see Marys doctor, who tells her that her infertility is caused by cervical incompetence and may be easily fixed with a few stitches. Lets hope hes right. As Mary puts it, No woman living has been put through more of an emotional wringer than Anna. Its about time she got some good news. The same might be said for Thomas, the recovering villain whos evolved into Downton Abbeys saddest sack. Having assumed hes about to get the ax, Thomas interviews for a job at another estate -- only to learn that in these leaner times, hell be expected to be a one-man chauffeur, footman, valet and butler all in one. Meanwhile, watching Thomas desperately try to make friends with Andy is so pathetic, it almost makes you long for the days when he was kidnapping dogs, sabotaging Mr. Bates and getting shot in the hand so he could come home from the war. Wheres the Thomas we loved to hate? Follow @MeredithBlake on Twitter. David Bowies half-century career will be defined, as it well should be, by his music output. But it cant be altogether untangled from his signature look or rather looks, each one telegraphing the arrival of a totally different Bowie: Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane (with the lighting bolt across his face), the Thin White Duke, the minimalist black-and-white version from his Berlin period. From the vantage point of a cynical 21st century, its easy to look at the over-the-top costumes, the face paint, the magenta teased-high mullet and the enthusiastic bending of gender as a premeditated, well-executed exercise in branding: shape-shifting sizzle to sell music. Especially when this aspect of Bowie is what influenced fashion runways, Hollywood red carpets and Berlin nightclubs for decades, provided a template for the chameleon-like careers of Madonna, Lady Gaga, Janelle Monae and Adam Lambert and made Bowie the subject of a 2013 Victoria & Albert Museum exhibition in London thats touring the globe. See more of Entertainments top stories on Facebook >> Advertisement Keanan Duffty, a New York fashion designer who worked with Bowie on a 2007 clothing line for Target, thinks this view that Bowie style was merely premeditated packaging is off the mark. 1 / 3 Bowie performing on stage as the Thin White Duke London in May 1976. (Michael Putland / Getty Images) 2 / 3 Bowie poses for a portrait dressed as Ziggy Stardust in a hotel room in 1973 in New York City. (Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images) 3 / 3 Bowie on stage on the third and final day of the Nokia Isle of Wight Festival 2004 at Seaclose Park, on June 13, 2004, in Newport, U.K. (Jo Hale / Getty Images) I dont think it was as much a calculation as it was the guy just got bored and wanted to create the next new thing, Duffty said. Hes like a true artist in that way. The various permutations of self that Bowie brought to bear werent calculated stagecraft but rather full-on performance art, an outward expression of the musicians inner self. Despite Bowies considerable influence on fashion, Duffty said, Bowie didnt seem to care for it all that much. 1 / 12 David Bowie (Robert Lachman / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 12 A portrait taken on May 13, 1983 shows British singer David Bowie during a press conference at the 36th Cannes Film Festival. He is the main actor in Nagisa Oshimas film Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. (RALPH GATTI / AFP/Getty Images) 3 / 12 English model Twiggy poses with David Bowie in Paris for the cover of his Pin Ups album, 1973. (Justin de Villeneuve / Getty Images) 4 / 12 David Bowie performs in Hartford, Conn. (BOB CHILD / Associated Press) 5 / 12 David Bowie performs on the first night of his UK tour at the MEN Arena on November 17, 2003 in Manchester, England. (Alex Livesey / Getty Images) 6 / 12 David Bowie performs on stage on the third and final day of The Nokia Isle of Wight Festival 2004" at Seaclose Park, on June 13, 2004 in Newport, UK. (Jo Hale / Getty Images) 7 / 12 From left, Kate Moss, David Bowie and his wife, Iman, pose for a photo at the 2005 CFDA Awards dinner party at the New York Public Library. (Evan Agostini / Getty Images) 8 / 12 David Bowie performs during the Nokia Isle of Wight Festival in Newport, Britain, on June 13, 2004. (Jo Hale / Getty Images) 9 / 12 David Bowie with his wife, Iman, at the New York premiere of Hannibal at the Ziegfeld Theatre on Feb. 5, 2001. (Darla Khazei / Associated Press) 10 / 12 David Bowie at the 2010 CFDA Fashion Awards at the New York Theatre Workshop on April 2, 2015. (Peter Kramer / Associated Press) 11 / 12 Bowie performs at the Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, Britian, on June 25, 2000. (Toby Melville / Associated Press) 12 / 12 David Bowie as Andy Warhol during filming of the movie Basquiat in New York on June 13, 1995. (Steve Sands / Associated Press) When we first met, he was wearing a pair of suede shoes, ill-fitting jeans and a Tommy Hilfiger T-shirt and said something to the effect of: Im not particularly interested in fashion, and I was actually quite enlightened by that, Duffty said. I think he took the bits that worked for something he was creating and used them as part of the palette. ... I think he saw [the clothes] as this great vehicle for what he was doing, so he jumped into it but he wasnt afraid to jump out of [one kind of garb] into another ... and not really worry about whether he was in or out of fashion. Victoria Broackes, co-curator of David Bowie Is, which debuted at the V&A Museum three years ago (and is at the Netherlands Groninger Museum), was unavailable for comment Monday but echoed Dufftys sentiments in a 2013 Los Angeles Times interview. He says himself hes not that interested in fashion, Broackes said, yet the exhibition is going to have 60 costumes including pieces from [Alexander] McQueen and Kansai Yamamoto. Its a performance exhibition but it could just as easily have been a fashion exhibition. She said Bowies shape-shifting persona imbued him with a shamanistic quality. Theres all this mythology. But do we know him? No, she said. We know these things about him I think I know a lot about him but do I know him? No. A timeline of David Bowies studio releases Whether the looks were the outer expression of the inner artist or merely stylistic smoke-screen or perhaps some combination of the two the result was that Bowie, born David Jones, controlled the worlds perception of who he was. And thats really what the clothes and the costumes were really about: defining and redefining the artist, keeping the pop culture tractor beam from locking in on one iteration that might force him to be someone or to do something that he didnt want. Duffty alludes to that aspect of Bowies personality in describing the launch of the Bowie by Keanan Duffty apparel line. Target wanted me to ask him to perform two songs to support the launch, he recalled. When I did, he looked at me and said: Im not Posh Spice! Thats the way he was. He didnt play by anybody elses rules, he didnt do anything he didnt want to do, and he did what he did with 100% participation, and when he was done, he dropped it. Whatever the genesis, and whether he was a fashionista at heart or not, the cycle of looks turned out to be beneficial to the Bowie brand. People got this message that they could be whatever they wanted to be and that Bowie was a sort of conduit to that freedom thats what he represented, Broackes said. The fearless experimentation meant a lot of different looks that Bowie could latch on to. That in turn made him a staple on fashion mood boards around the world. In the Internet era of his career, Bowie matched fashion fearlessness with the element of surprise. His 2013 album, A New Day, the first new album in a decade, seemed to come out of nowhere and take everyone off guard. His most recent, Blackstar, recorded during the 18 months he was battling cancer, includes Lazarus, a tune that serves as a final bow, on his terms. At the end of the video for Lazarus, posted online just three days before the musicians death, Bowie appears in a black outfit with wide diagonal stripes of white, a visual callback to his bold 70s-era looks. The video ends with Bowie backing slowly into a freestanding wooden wardrobe and pulling the doors shut after him. It should come as no surprise that David Bowie, in full control, exits through the clothes closet, the way he was introduced to so many of us so many decades ago. MORE: Full coverage: David Bowies life and career Remembering David Bowie through his 100 favorite books Mikael Wood review: David Bowie looks far beyond pop on jazz-inspired Blackstar From the Robert Hilburn archives: David Bowie spends the 80s convincing us hes just a normal guy Freehand, the office-building-turned-glam-hostel with outlets in Chicago and Miami, scheduled to open in downtown L.A.'s Commercial Exchange Building this fall, will also be home to the Broken Shaker bar and a restaurant by Portland, Ore., chef Jenn Louis. Louis, known for the Portland restaurants Lincoln and Sunshine Tavern and her recent cookbook Pasta by Hand, has plans to open an Israeli restaurant in the Freehand. And if youve been to the Freehand properties in Miami or Chicago, you may be familiar with the Broken Shaker. The bars are the result of a collaboration between the Sydell Group, which owns the Freehand properties, and Gabe Orta and Elad Zvi of Bar Lab. An outlet of the Broken Shaker will open on the Freehand L.A. rooftop, next to the pool. Advertisement The bar, which has been nominated for two James Beard awards, will showcase seasonal cocktails and street-food inspired small plates. Its also known for serving a Cocoa-Puff-cereal-infused bourbon. Both Louis restaurant and the Broken Shaker bar are scheduled to open in conjunction with the hotel this fall. The hotel is expected to have more than 200 rooms for small and large groups. Some of the rooms will include six beds. As soon as we get more information, well be sure to update this post. 416 W. 8th St., Los Angeles, www.thefreehand.com. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @Jenn_Harris_ ALSO: Youll soon be able to go wine tasting in a cave in Temecula Danny Trejo talks vegan tacos at the new Trejos Tacos on La Brea Catch & Release in Marina del Rey closes; Italian restaurant forthcoming Sultan Ahmet Square in Istanbul, target of the bombing that killed at least 10 people Tuesday, has a history that goes back at least 17 centuries, predating the citys days as capital of the Byzantine Empire. Also known now as Sultanahmet Meydani, the site was built by the Roman Empire in the 4th century AD as a venue for chariot races, also known as a hippodrome. Over centuries, the site evolved, growing busier, then falling idle. By the 15th century, it was a ruin. But today it ranks among the citys most popular sites with tourists. A green space shaded by many trees, the square is neighbored by the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia Museum and, within about 500 feet, a Four Seasons hotel. Within a quarter-mile stands Istanbuls Grand Bazaar. Advertisement In a 2014 video on Istanbul, travel guru Rick Steves stands in the middle of the square, explaining how the hippodrome once seated more than 60,000 race fans. Among the squares features -- a stones throw from the site of the explosion -- is a 3,500-year-old inscribed obelisk, imported by the Romans from Egypt. Heres a look at a few key landmarks near the bombing: Blue Mosque (Emrah Gurel / Associated Press) Blue Mosque The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, known as the Blue Mosque, is in the historic and heavily touristed Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, close to the deadly bombing in Sultanahmet Square. Basilica Cistern (Mustafa Ozer / AFP/Getty Images) Basilica Cistern The 6th century Byzantine Basilica Cistern in Istanbul, Turkey, is close to the site of a deadly bombing. Obelisk in Istanbul (Dan Kitwood / Getty Images) Obelisk in Istanbul The ancient Egyptian Obelisk of Theodosius near the Blue Mosque in the Sultanahmet area of Istanbul. Sultanahmet square (Bulent Kilic / AFP/Getty Images) Sultanahmet Square The Blue Mosque and the Sultanahmet Square in Istanbuls tourist hub. Topkapi Palace (Sean Gallup / Getty Images) Topkapi Palace Above: The main entrance gate at Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, blocks from a deadly suicide bombing. Below: The private apartments of the Ottoman Sultan at Topkapi Palace. Good morning from the state capital. Im Sacramento bureau chief John Myers, todays Essential Politics host. The big show in politics may be in Washington, D.C., tonight as President Barack Obama delivers his final State of the Union address, but theres also plenty going on here at home. In fact, you could make an argument that two key words "state" and "union" are a pretty good theme for whats making political news in California. STATE OF THE UNION: THE OBAMA ORATORY First, though, a quick look at what to expect out of tonights speech, which is slated to begin just after 6 p.m. here in California. Start here, with five things to watch as Obama makes his way to the dais. The relatively early State of the Union date is a reflection of the campaign to succeed Obama, and his desire to not be overshadowed by a frenzy thats not just three weeks from the Iowa. Nonetheless, the president and his team see a rare opportunity to not just be part of the 2016 debate but to set its terms, as Mike Memoli and Christi Parsons report. The president is looking to sound an optimistic note, but at the same time, hell highlight the gun violence he has called an epidemic over course of his time in office. And the most recent example of that, the San Bernardino shootings on Dec. 2, will be front and center. Californias congressional delegation will showcase hometown heroes who were the first responders to the attack. Sarah Wire reports that several lawmakers gave up House gallery tickets for their own constituents to view the speech in person so that Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Redlands) could bring more of his own community members to Capitol Hill. Meantime, France train attack hero and Sacramento native Spencer Stone will be among those in attendance at the State of the Union, from the gallery box of First Lady Michelle Obama. Stone was one of three Americans, and two Sacramentans, who helped thwart an attack by a gunman on a Paris-bound train last August. Two months later, he was stabbed outside a popular nightclub in downtown Sacramento but survived. Well also be looking at whom Obama selects as the designated member of his Cabinet to wait out the address in an undisclosed location, a survivor for succession to the presidency in the event of a catastrophe. Did you know there have been only two female designated survivors in recorded State of the Union history? Colleen Shalby explains that statistic and runs through Obamas choices over the years in a (somewhat macabre) trip down memory lane. JOIN US FOR LIVE COVERAGE You can watch the address on our site and well be running a liveblog with analysis and reaction from inside the House chamber. Find both of these on our politics page before the speech gets started. And whats a major political event without an LA Times bingo card? Subscribers to this newsletter will get an email with the bingo card Tuesday afternoon. OK, back to our "state" and "union" theme stretching beyond the big speech. THE STATE OF THE (TEACHERS) UNION: ONE OF CONCERN? Its hard to find a bigger political power in this state than the California Teachers Assn. over the past decade. With more than 325,000 dues-paying members, the CTA has an impressive record of victories from ballot measures to legislative races and beyond. But an apparent majority of the U.S. Supreme Court sounded skeptical on Monday of the unions power to collect millions of dollars in dues. David Savage reports that on the subject of free speech, Justice Anthony Kennedy the lone Californian called it "coerced speech." Should the teachers union lose the case, dont expect it to simply fade from the political scene. In fact, there have been months of quiet discussions at the state Capitol about finding a way that the CTA could continue to keep its membership strong and its coffers filled. No doubt those discussions will grow louder by the month, as the nine justices begin to deliberate on Friedrichs v. California later this year. A STRONG UNION OF LEGISLATORS PICKS A NEW SPEAKER For 55 more days, well need to use the term "Speaker-elect" when referring to Assemblyman Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood), who was formally chosen by a unanimous vote on Monday to be the 70th speaker of the Assembly. "We have the work of creating a better California," said Rendon in his remarks on the Assembly floor. It should be noted that the idea of a leader-in-waiting is a relatively new phenomenon in Sacramento. As Melanie Mason reports, Rendon was a little vague on Monday in what his role will be during these last few weeks of leadership by Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego). Also notable: Republicans did not cast votes for their own leader, Assemblyman Chad Mayes (R-Yucca Valley). In fact, Mayes rose to co-sponsor Rendons formal nomination, saying its "time to start anew with bipartisanship." SOMETHING IN THE AIR, LEGISLATIVELY, AFTER PORTER RANCH Legislators at the state Capitol will soon be considering proposals inspired by the ongoing saga of the natural gas leak near the Porter Ranch community in Los Angeles. Alice Walton reports that state Sen. Fran Pavley wants older natural gas wells operated by Southern California Gas Co. at nearby Aliso Canyon shut down until state officials can verify that they dont pose a risk to public health. Senate Democrats were in the community Monday to unveil a package of bills, just days after a visit by Gov. Jerry Brown. Nearby residents have been battling the odor of leaking natural gas for weeks. CARBAJAL BOASTS BIG BUCKS IN CENTRAL COAST RACE Santa Barbara County Supervisor Salud Carbajal has kept up a prodigious pace of fundraising in his race for Congress from the Central Coast. The Democrat running for Californias 24th district will report Tuesday that hes raised nearly $1.4 million in 2015, including $346,000 in the last quarter. The campaign reports that it has $969,000 in cash on hand five months before the primary. Carbajal was leading the money race as of the last quarterly filings, outpacing Republican businessman Justin Fareed and fellow Democrat Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider. The 24th could be one of 2016s most interesting races, given its a district almost evenly split among registered voters: 37% Democratic, 34% Republican and more than 23% of voters unaffiliated. TODAYS ESSENTIALS -- Christine Mai-Duc takes a look at the curious state Capitol debate over whether a "ballot selfie" should be legal. (Hint: Once you mark the ballot, its now a no-no!) -- Chris Megerian covered the Democrats' Black and Brown Forum in Iowa, where the contenders stepped up their attacks ahead of the Feb. 1 caucuses. -- Days after national headlines called Heidi Cruz, wife of Sen. Ted Cruz, his "secret weapon" in the race for the White House, she somewhat secretly popped in to Orange County on Monday for an event with GOP insiders. -- Patrick McGreevy reports a former state official who later went to work for Kaiser Permanente has agreed to a fine after both working on an audit of Kaiser while a state employee ... then helping Kaiser respond to the audit once she changed jobs. -- The National Republican Congressional Committee has jumped on the backlash over actor Sean Penns Rolling Stone interview of the drug kingpin known as "El Chapo", saying in a Monday news release that Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Palm Desert) should take the $17,600 his campaigns have received from Penn since 2011 and donate it to local heroin treatment clinics. LOGISTICS Miss yesterdays newsletter? Here you go. Did someone forward you this? Sign up here to get Essential Politics in your inbox daily. And keep an eye on our politics page throughout the day for the latest and greatest. And are you following us on Twitter at @latimespolitics? Please send thoughts, concerns and news tips to politics@latimes.com. The Lost Boys of Sudan are men now. A decade or so after arriving as refugees having survived a harrowing 1,000-mile trek through war-torn Africa on foot they have found a new life. Many have jobs, others are going to school, and some are married with children of their own. But their journey continues. As they gathered Saturday for the second annual California Sudanese Lost Boys and Girls Foundation 5K run/walkathon, many of the approximately 80 young men spoke of their continuing challenges. With what I experienced, Im still in between my old life and my new life, said Venson Deng, 36, who came to the U.S. in 2001. Im trying to adjust, Im trying to settle in ... Im still not there yet. Advertisement Deng, who lives in San Diego, said the event was an opportunity to reconnect with the only people who can truly understand what hes gone through. And to meet friends and neighbors who turned out to show their support. What makes this special is it allows us to see the goodness in humanity, Deng said. Walking together on the sprawling St. Michaels Catholic Church property were friends Val Spooner and Kathy Dunlay. Spooner had been moved by a speech that foundation President Daniel Ukang gave to the St. Michaels congregation, and he decided to join the 5K. Dunlay, who has followed the story of the Lost Boys, was interested in what had become of them. The books always end when they get here, she said. The end. To which Spooner added, But its not the end, is it? Not even close, said Lisa Petronis, a San Diego clinical psychologist who conducted a five-year study of the Lost Boys for her doctoral dissertation. Petronis started the foundation in 2008 with Ukang, 36, and other Lost Boys. It helps pay for education, career counseling, dental care, mental health services and more. The biggest hurdles the group faced initially, Petronis said, were learning about U.S. laws and customs, along with modern conveniences such as electricity and indoor plumbing. Today, its navigating life: translating education into a career, working multiple jobs, trying to build a prosperous life for their children. Within their community, there is post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems, unemployment, poverty, health issues and cultural isolation. They have so far to travel to even get to the starting line, to where the rest of us started, Petronis said. Ukangs wife, Mary, who met her husband when they were at the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, was one of the few Lost Girls to be resettled in the U.S. The couple work different shifts at the Barona Resort & Casino and trade off caring for their two boys and two girls, ages 3 to 11. I tell my kids, there is much opportunity in America, there is no excuse for failing, the 33-year-old said. I sleep three or four hours a night. Im so tired and I work so hard. And I love it. michele.parente@sduniontribune.com Parente writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. You are here: Home Volkswagen posted slightly weaker auto sales in China in 2015 compared with a year earlier, but demand for its luxury cars remained resilient. Sales of Volkswagen models dropped 4.6 percent in China to 2.63 million units in 2015. Audi sales edged down 1.4 percent to 570,000 units. However, its luxury cars continued to post strong growth. Porsche sales went up 23.6 percent to 58,000 units during the same period, while Lamborghini sold 17.8 percent more to 278 units. Total auto sales, including vehicles made by Volkswagen's two joint ventures with SAIC Motor and China FAW Group and those imported to China, stood at 3.55 million units for 2015, slightly down from 3.68 million a year ago. Jochem Heizmann, CEO of Volkswagen China, said that the automaker's future China business will focus on sport utility vehicles, electric cars and smart connectivity. The automaker also plans to offer 21 different models for the Chinese market. Your guide to the California drought from the Los Angeles Times. NEWS AND POLICY Water savings: Despite slowing conservation during winter months, California is still on track to meet Gov. Jerry Browns mandate to cut water use by 25%. California cut its water usage by 20.3% in November, the lowest in six months of reporting and moved Californias cumulative savings to 26.3% from 27.1% in October. Advertisement Entertaining read: California water policy can be an insular, jargon-ridden field. On most issues, the arguments and counter-arguments have been around so long that they can seem about as flexible as a concrete dam. But Vlad the Impaler is trying to make it interesting. Are we done yet?: How will we know when the drought is finally over? That could be difficult to assess. Stormwater runoff: The key to water conservation in the future might come down to capturing rainwater instead of wasting it. ON THE GROUND Danger ahead: Silverado Canyon feels Mother Natures force both in brush fires and the mudslides that often follow them. In 1969, five people were killed and 17 injured in a mudslide. In 2005, another mudslide killed a young girl. Now, El Nino has residents again on edge. Rising waters: Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of El Nino might end up being Lake Folsom, which until recently was ravaged by the drought. Ski season: Suddenly, California is once again a hot ski destination. BIG IDEAS There is a good chance that if everything goes right over the next four months, we could end up with good reservoir recovery. We need much better than average snowpack this year for complete reservoir recovery, and so far we are encouraged. Frank Gehrke, who oversees snow surveys for Californias Department of Water Resources This is not a bashful El Nino. This is a brash El Nino. Bill Patzert, climatologist with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge TIPS El Nino threatens to bring flash flooding. Some sobering points: Flash floods can turn a calm landscape into a raging river in a matter of minutes. Most flash floods are caused by slow-moving thunderstorms, hurricanes or tropical storms, but also by dam or levee failures. Read more here. Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Alice Walton or Shelby Grad. Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck has recommended criminal charges against an officer who killed an unarmed homeless man in Venice, marking the first time as chief that Beck has called for charges in a fatal on-duty shooting. LAPD investigators concluded that Brendon Glenn was on his stomach, attempting to push himself off the ground, when Officer Clifford Proctor stepped back and fired twice, hitting the 29-year-old in the back, Beck told The Times. After reviewing video, witness accounts and other evidence, investigators determined Glenn was not trying to take Proctors gun or his partners weapon at the time of the shooting, Beck said. Proctors partner, the chief added, told investigators he did not know why the officer opened fire. Advertisement The May 5 shooting generated fierce criticism of the LAPD and came amid a heated national conversation about how police officers use force, particularly against African Americans. Glenn was black, as is Proctor. The chief said the majority of shootings by officers are justified. But, he added, in those much rarer cases where a shooting is not justified and on top of that, not legal I will also say that. The decision whether to file charges rests with Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey, who, like prosecutors across the country, has recently come under fire for not charging officers in controversial incidents. L.A. County prosecutors have not charged a law enforcement officer for an on-duty shooting in 15 years. Beck said he made his recommendation to Lacey last month when the LAPD handed over its investigation to prosecutors. The chief said he spoke to Lacey about the case, but did not ask and was not told whether she planned to charge the officer. On Monday, Laceys office said prosecutors were still reviewing the case against Proctor. As the countys top prosecutor, it is my ethical obligation to remain impartial until a thorough and independent investigation is completed by my office, Lacey said in a statement. Decisions on whether or not to file criminal charges will be based solely on the facts and the law not on emotion, anger or external pressure. The chiefs comments prompted mixed reaction Monday. Local activists who criticized the LAPD over Glenns death last spring welcomed the move, while the police unions president said the chief should not weigh in on the district attorneys decision. Mayor Eric Garcetti said he hoped Becks input would be considered with the utmost gravity. Proctors attorney, Larry Hanna, accused LAPD brass of making a political decision, saying the chief spoke too early about the case last year when he publicly questioned Proctors actions just hours after the shooting and is following suit in his recommendation to the district attorney. The lawyer defended his clients decision to shoot, saying Proctor saw Glenn going for his partners gun even if his partner may not have realized it. Although a security camera captured the events leading up to the shooting, Hanna said, both of Glenns hands could not be seen for the entirety of the recording. Hanna said he believed Laceys office would make the right decision and decline to file charges against the officer. Theres a lot of people out there who want to see officers tried for any type of shooting, Hanna said. When an officer is making a split-second decision and he sees somebody going for his partners gun ... the officers perception is very crucial here. 1 / 19 Bruce Chartier, 30, places sage on a memorial for his friend Brendon Glenn in Venice. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 19 Matty Flip protest the killing of an unarmed homeless man, near the site of a fatal LAPD officer-involved shooting in Venice. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 19 A die-in was held to protest the killing of an unarmed homeless man by an LAPD officer in Venice. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 19 Karl Harris, 55, protest the killing of an unarmed homeless man, near the site of a fatal LAPD officer-involved shooting in Venice. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 19 LAPD officers keep an eye on protesters near the site of a fatal LAPD officer-involved shooting in Venice. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 19 A man on a bike pedals past a messages written in chalk near the site of a fatal LAPD officer-involved shooting of a homeless man. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 19 A man places flowers at a growing memorial for a homeless man killed by LAPD in Venice. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 19 Solomon Turner, 54, protests an LAPD officer-involved shooting of a homeless man in Venice. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 19 LAPD Chief Charlie Beck says hes very concerned about the fatal shooting by an officer of an unarmed homeless man in Venice. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 19 Protesters shout at police officers near the scene of the officer-involved shooting in Venice. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 19 People react after hearing about an LAPD shooting of a homeless man in Venice. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 19 LAPD Chief Charlie Beck discusses the officer-involved shooting in the Venice area that left a man dead. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 19 Solomon Turner protests the fatal shooting of a homeless man by Los Angeles police in Venice. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 19 One officer suffered a leg injury in an incident in which a man was fatally shot by police in Venice on Tuesday. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 19 An investigation was underway in Venice after a man who had reportedly been in an altercation with a bar bouncer and harassed people was shot and killed by Los Angeles police officers after a struggle. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 19 Onlookers stand Wednesday near the site where a man was shot and killed by Los Angeles police officers after a struggle Tuesday night. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 19 Officers with the LAPDs Pacific Division were called to the area around Windward and Pacific avenues about 11:30 p.m. after a man described as a transient was reported to be harassing passersby. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 19 Evidence markers on the sidewalk where a man was shot and killed by Los Angeles police officers. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 19 An investigation is underway in Venice after a man was shot and killed by Los Angeles police officers. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) The deadly encounter began shortly before midnight, when Proctor and his partner went to Windward Avenue near the famed Venice boardwalk after someone complained that a homeless man was harassing customers outside a building, the LAPD said. The officers briefly talked to the man later identified as Glenn and returned to their patrol car after he walked toward the boardwalk, police said. Soon after, police said, the officers saw Glenn struggling with a bouncer outside a nearby bar. The officers approached Glenn and tried to detain him, the LAPD said, leading to a physical altercation. At some point, Proctor opened fire. Proctor, who has been with the LAPD for eight years, has not returned to work since the shooting. Almost immediately, the LAPD drew criticism over the deadly shooting. Activists and friends of Glenn packed a town hall meeting days after the shooting, angrily complaining about how police officers use deadly force and interact with homeless Angelenos. Within a day of the killing, Beck told reporters he was very concerned by surveillance video that captured the incident. The video, he said at the time, did not show the supporting evidence or extraordinary circumstances that would justify an officer shooting an unarmed person. Police have declined to release that recording. Craig Lally, the president of the union that represents rank-and-file LAPD officers, criticized Beck in May over his remarks, declaring them completely irresponsible given the early stages of the investigation. He criticized the chief again Monday, saying the district attorney should be able to work without outside interference from Beck. I think thats amazing, said Pi Bin Laden, 44, when she heard of the police chiefs recommendation that prosecutors pursue criminal charges against the officer in the Venice shooting. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Let Jackie Lacey and her team of investigators do their job, he said. The chief of police has no business to have a say one way or another. The chiefs actions in the Venice shooting come on the heels of another high-profile case that generated criticism of both Beck and his department: the fatal shooting of Ezell Ford. Over the summer, Beck cleared the two officers who shot Ford, a mentally ill black man. The citys Police Commission later disagreed with the chief and found that one of the officers violated the departments policy for using deadly force. The district attorneys office is still reviewing whether to file criminal charges against those officers. Melina Abdullah, a professor and prominent member of the local Black Lives Matter movement, said she hoped Becks comments were an indicator that more charges and discipline could come for other officers involved in deadly encounters. One recommendation wasnt enough, she said. We wont be pacified by a single person, by a recommendation the charges havent even happened, she said. We want the entire system transformed, where police are held accountable for their behavior. If Lacey doesnt file charges, activist Najee Ali said, it would further erode public trust and confidence in the judicial system as a whole. Along the Venice boardwalk, many people said they felt LAPD officers were too heavy-handed with the homeless. Proctor should have found another way to handle the encounter with Glenn, they said. He should have been detained and prosecuted. He should not have been shot, said Lee Parker, 38, who has lived on the beach for the last decade. Glenn grew up in New York and moved to Los Angeles not long before his death. Friends on the boardwalk knew him as Dizzle, a friendly man who doted upon his black Labrador retriever mix, Dozer. A New York attorney representing Glenns family said it was grateful for and surprised by the chiefs public stance. E. Stewart Jones said he believed Laceys office would charge Proctor. Not doing so, he said, would be political suicide. Theres too much controversy over police shootings, Jones said. When someone is unarmed and shot in the back, youve got to send a message to the rest of the police that you cant do that. kate.mather@latimes.com Twitter: @katemather Times staff writer Taylor Goldenstein contributed to this report. MORE: Get our best stories in your Facebook feed >> ALSO Who is new L.A. Unified Supt. Michelle King? Celebrities and fans gather to celebrate Natalie Coles life San Fernando police fatally shoot man after brief car chase To find the last woman who ran Los Angeles schools before newly appointed Supt. Michelle King takes over, you would need to dig far back into the 20th century. The last female superintendent was Susan M. Dorsey, and she held the post from 1920 until the beginning of 1929. Dorsey worked in the district for more than 30 years so, like King, Dorsey was an insider. Born in New York, Dorsey grew up on the East Coast and attended Vassar College before becoming a classics instructor, according to archived L.A. Times stories. Marriage brought her to Los Angeles. She taught Latin at Los Angeles High School beginning in 1896, became a vice principal and principal, rose to assistant superintendent and ultimately superintendent. Advertisement When she was appointed to the superintendents job in 1920, she was the only woman to be superintendent in a U.S. metropolitan school district, according to The Times. Unlike King, Dorseys appointment wasnt unanimous the board approved her hiring by a 5-2 vote, and chose her in part for her local ties, according to Times coverage of the decision. Her appointment came as a complete surprise to everyone, including Mrs. Dorsey, according to The Times, because it was generally reported that she had declined the position. A story about her appointment reported: She has been instrumental in instituting a number of reforms in the school system. She is regarded as progressive and is well acquainted with the local school needs. She earned $8,000 a year at first, the equivalent of $94,934.40 in 2015 dollars, and by the end of her tenure the salary had increased to $12,000. Kings superintendent salary hasnt been finalized yet, but her current district salary is $303,505. Dorseys district was very different from the one over which King will preside. At that time, Los Angeles had two districts: Dorseys was for elementary and junior high school students, and there was another for high schools. Heres a description from an L.A. Times story from December 1928 about her resignation: When Mrs. Dorsey assumed the duties of superintendent of the Los Angeles City School District in 1920 there were 141,744 students enrolled in 233 schools, to which 3,537 teachers were assigned, as against the seventy-five teachers employed when she began her teaching career in 1896. Now, all of the Los Angeles Unified School District has just under 650,000 K-12 students and about 26,000 teachers. Dorsey oversaw much of the districts physical growth at the time, implementing a building program that cost upwards of $700,000. The Times story on her retirement notes: The startling growth of the city and the amazingly rapid development of easy communication and quick transportation greatly complicated the duty of educators. One of the greatest challenges Dorsey faced was the citys expansion. (King, by contrast, is facing a declining student population.) It is in part thanks to Dorsey that L.A. schools are as big as they are, as a Times story from November 1927, discussing her reappointment, read: Throughout the tremendous building program of the past seven years Mrs. Dorsey has always urged upon the Board of Education the importance of spacious grounds. It is through her foresight and vision that school sites range from five to thirty acres, as she always has insisted that Los Angeles must look to future expansion and that the children of its citizens must build strong bodies on its school playgrounds. She also expanded adult education, and was at the forefront of bringing vocational education and technology into schools. Instead of iPads, though, her tech advancement was to introduce radio instruction and construction and automobile mechanics and shopwork. She even implemented some aviation classes. She retired the day before her 72nd birthday, and this is how The Times, in a front page story on Dec. 7, 1928, described the board meeting at which her resignation letter was read: The white hands of the superintendent moved nervously and a deep flush overspread her face. Then the tears came and the head with its crown of snowy hair dropped. Mrs. Dorsey was witnessing the passing from her hands of a work to which she had given her best efforts, for thirty-two years. Reach Sonali Kohli on Twitter @Sonali_Kohli. In the months leading up to her bid for reelection, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey has found herself under increasing political pressure to take a tougher stance in prosecuting police shootings and use-of-force cases. This week, an unlikely and influential figure joined the push: Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck. Becks public call for criminal charges against a police officer who fatally shot an unarmed homeless man in Venice immediately spurred others to demand that Lacey file what would be her agencys first prosecution of an officer in an on-duty shooting in more than 15 years. Advertisement An attorney for the homeless mans family said it would now be political suicide for Lacey not to file charges. Mayor Eric Garcetti released a statement asking her to consider Becks recommendation with the utmost gravity, and a group of activists gathered in Jefferson Park to urge her to move quickly. One called on Lacey to show the same type of courage that Chief Beck demonstrated. Join the conversation on Facebook >> Any decision Lacey makes in the Venice shooting runs the risk of upsetting either law enforcement groups or community activists, said Raphael Sonenshein, executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State L.A. The district attorneys most prudent act, he said, would be to make a decision based on what she can best justify after considering the evidence. Whatever she decides, Sonenshein said, theres going to be very unhappy people. Lacey, the countys first African American district attorney, faces the challenge as the Black Lives Matter movement has rekindled a national debate over race and policing. The veteran prosecutor, who generally shuns the limelight, has met privately with members of the movement but in public has remained largely silent, infuriating some. Meanwhile, her decision not to file charges in some recent high-profile police use-of-force cases has generated criticism. Last month, some local activists called on her to step down when she declined to prosecute a white California Highway Patrol officer seen on video repeatedly punching a mentally ill black woman by the side of the 10 Freeway. The woman, Marlene Pinnock, won a $1.5-million legal settlement as part of a civil suit, and the officer agreed to resign. In an interview this week, Lacey defended her decisions, saying she has an obligation to follow the evidence and the law in all cases, including those involving police. She said it would be improper for her to bring charges based on public or media pressure and would also be inappropriate to give special attention to cases involving African Americans. The law is supposed to be colorblind, Lacey said. Mac Shorty, a member of the Watts Neighborhood Council, criticized Lacey for not prosecuting officers involved in controversial police shootings. Justice has always been unjust in South L.A., he said, but when he voted for Lacey in 2012 he thought she would better serve the area. He said he has been disappointed. We tend to go after the Police Department because they were the ones that caused the problem, but the problem solver is Jackie Lacey, Shorty said. Her failure to prosecute, period, is a disservice to the people of Los Angeles County who elected her. Cliff Smith, a member of the South Central Neighborhood Council, questioned why Lacey had yet to make a decision on whether to file charges against two LAPD officers who shot Ezell Ford, a mentally ill black man killed near his South L.A. home in August 2014. The delay, Smith said, stands in contrast to actions by prosecutors in other cities, such as Baltimore, where officers were charged within days of the death of Freddie Gray. Her MO has been to try and lay completely in the shadows and hope that everybody forgets about this stuff, but thats not going to happen, he said. This is not going to go away. Bernard C. Parks, a former city councilman and LAPD chief, said he thinks Lacey has handled police misconduct allegations appropriately. Winning convictions against officers for on-duty actions, he noted, is difficult. He said Laceys job is to file only those cases she believes her office can successfully prosecute. The district attorneys responsibility is not to file cases they dont believe are winnable, he said. Last year, Laceys office made headlines when prosecutors won a high-profile assault trial against a veteran LAPD officer captured on a squad car video camera jabbing at the throat and kicking a woman during an arrest in South Los Angeles. The woman, Alesia Thomas, who was black, died soon afterward in police custody. Officer Mary OCallaghan, who is white, was convicted of assault under color of authority and sentenced to several months in jail. NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >> OCallaghans trial was one of three assault cases brought recently by Lacey against LAPD officers based on video evidence. Officer Jonathan Lai was acquitted last month of charges he used excessive force while detaining a man near Staples Center. The trial of Richard Garcia, charged with assaulting a man who had surrendered to officers in South L.A., is pending. In the case of Pinnock, the woman punched alongside the freeway, a 42-second video of the encounter sparked national outrage over the CHP officers actions. Lacey, however, cautioned that the video did not capture the moments that led up to the officer striking Pinnock. Interviews with witnesses and other evidence, she said in a statement last month, led her to conclude that CHP Officer Daniel Andrew had to use force to prevent Pinnock from entering the freeway. The district attorneys statement called the officers force legal and necessary to protect not only his own life but also that of Ms. Pinnock. In her interview this week, Lacey said prosecutors still want to examine more evidence in the Ford shooting before deciding whether to charge the officers. Lawyers for Fords family in a wrongful-death lawsuit have filed depositions of people who may not have been interviewed by police, she said. Last week, the district attorneys office asked a federal judge to unseal those records so that prosecutors could review them. In the Venice shooting, Beck told The Times that LAPD investigators determined that Officer Clifford Proctor opened fire even though Brendon Glenn was unarmed and on his stomach. Proctor, he said, fired twice, striking the 29-year-old in the back. After reviewing video, witness accounts and other evidence, investigators determined Glenn was not trying to take Proctors gun or his partners weapon at the time of the shooting, Beck said. Proctors partner, the chief added, told investigators he did not know why the officer opened fire. The May 5 shooting generated fierce criticism of the LAPD and came amid continuing scrutiny of how police officers use force, particularly against African Americans. Glenn was black, as is Proctor. Asked about why he went public with his recommendation for charges, Beck alluded to the ongoing national debate about policing, calling it a conversation that has to be had. Lacey said that the case is still under review and that her office will make a decision based on a thorough and independent investigation into Glenns killing. The D.A.'s legal policy manual, which explains the basic criteria for filing charges, warns prosecutors against basing their decisions on public or media pressure to charge as well as the mere request to charge by a police agency, private citizen or public official. Im going to do my job to the best of my ability, Lacey said. The chief does whatever he does. I dont feel that should have any impact on how I do my job. Twitter: @marisagerber, @katemather Times staff writer Taylor Goldenstein contributed to this report. ALSO Powerball jackpot still rising, reaches $1.5 billion Two feet of snow expected across northern Sierra Nevada this week 18-year-old woman allegedly stabs boyfriend to death, confesses on Facebook A California appeals court has thrown out a $1.1-million jury award to a man who was holding a toy gun when a Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy shot and wounded him. A Los Angeles County jury had awarded the sum in 2013 to William Fetters, who was 15 years old when he was shot in the chest by a deputy. An L.A. judge had also awarded Fetters more than $2.3 million for legal fees. But a three-judge panel from Californias 2nd District Court of Appeal found that elements of Fetters plea deal in Juvenile Court -- which kept him out of prison and resulted in the dismissal of all charges -- barred him from filing a civil rights claim. The plea deal, the panel said, was essentially an admission that prevented him from filing a claim. Advertisement The jurys award and the legal fees were both tossed out. Fetters was on his bicycle and playing with other children in Palmdale on a spring night in 2009 when two deputies approached and ordered him to drop his weapon, according to court papers. He was holding a plastic toy pistol, with a wood grip and black-painted barrel, according to court papers. What immediately transpired before the shooting was the subject of dispute. Fetters said he dropped the weapon, while two deputies said he pointed the gun as he turned toward them, according to court papers. Join the conversation on Facebook >> Prosecutors later charged Fetters with three misdemeanor counts of brandishing an imitation firearm so as to cause harm. He pleaded no contest to the charges in September 2009, according to court papers. As part of the deal, he was placed on six months of probation, and after completing the term, the case against him was dismissed. Fetters brought a civil rights claim against the county two months after his criminal case was dismissed. He alleged that the deputy who shot him used unreasonable and excessive force. Against the objections of the county and the deputy, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled that the civil rights case could proceed despite Fetters Juvenile Court case. Under a U.S. Supreme Court ruling from 1994, Heck v. Humphrey, those convicted of a crime are barred from filing a civil rights lawsuit if judgment in the plaintiffs favor implies the previous conviction is invalid. The L.A. County Superior Court judge had ruled that Fetters plea did not amount to a conviction. Interested in the stories shaping California? Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter >> But the appellate court panel, in an opinion written by Justice Jeffrey W. Johnson, disagreed, explaining that Fetters juvenile case was a conviction and that his probationary term was a punishment. Fetters plea deal, in which he admitted to brandishing the replica gun at the deputy, had established justification for [the deputys] split-second use of deadly force, Johnson wrote. Fetters fully recovered from his physical injuries, his attorney told The Times in 2013. For breaking news in California, follow @MattHjourno. ALSO Who is new L.A. Unified Supt. Michelle King? Person dies after a six-story fall at San Jose State University library KTLA reporter screams as man rushes at her on live TV; he made sexual remark, police say Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck asked his civilian bosses Tuesday to delay their review of the fatal shooting of an unarmed homeless man while the district attorneys office is evaluating whether to charge the officer who opened fire. Beck made the request at the weekly meeting of the citys Police Commission, a day after the Los Angeles Times reported that he had recommended that Dist. Atty. Jackie Laceys office charge the officer who killed Brendon Glenn. The chief told the Police Commission that his recommendation -- the first time as chief that he has called for criminal charges in a fatal on-duty shooting -- was not one he took lightly. Beck said he believed it was important for him as chief to stand up for the department when its right, but also be forthright when he sees something that he believes is wrong. Advertisement NEWSLETTER: Get essential California headlines delivered daily >> The commissioners, who oversee the Los Angeles Police Department and decide whether officers who use deadly force violated the departments policies, did not initially say at Tuesdays meeting whether they would grant Becks request. The chief asked for the delay so the commissions review would not conflate the D.A.'s investigation or potential prosecution. Beck defended his decision after the meeting, telling reporters that he felt it was his obligation as chief to not only defend his officers when necessary, but also call it as I see it if those officers overstep department or legal standards. I think its an opinion that the prosecutor needed to hear, he said. 1 / 19 Bruce Chartier, 30, places sage on a memorial for his friend Brendon Glenn in Venice. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 19 Matty Flip protest the killing of an unarmed homeless man, near the site of a fatal LAPD officer-involved shooting in Venice. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 19 A die-in was held to protest the killing of an unarmed homeless man by an LAPD officer in Venice. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 19 Karl Harris, 55, protest the killing of an unarmed homeless man, near the site of a fatal LAPD officer-involved shooting in Venice. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 19 LAPD officers keep an eye on protesters near the site of a fatal LAPD officer-involved shooting in Venice. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 19 A man on a bike pedals past a messages written in chalk near the site of a fatal LAPD officer-involved shooting of a homeless man. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 19 A man places flowers at a growing memorial for a homeless man killed by LAPD in Venice. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 19 Solomon Turner, 54, protests an LAPD officer-involved shooting of a homeless man in Venice. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 19 LAPD Chief Charlie Beck says hes very concerned about the fatal shooting by an officer of an unarmed homeless man in Venice. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 19 Protesters shout at police officers near the scene of the officer-involved shooting in Venice. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 19 People react after hearing about an LAPD shooting of a homeless man in Venice. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 19 LAPD Chief Charlie Beck discusses the officer-involved shooting in the Venice area that left a man dead. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 19 Solomon Turner protests the fatal shooting of a homeless man by Los Angeles police in Venice. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 19 One officer suffered a leg injury in an incident in which a man was fatally shot by police in Venice on Tuesday. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 19 An investigation was underway in Venice after a man who had reportedly been in an altercation with a bar bouncer and harassed people was shot and killed by Los Angeles police officers after a struggle. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 19 Onlookers stand Wednesday near the site where a man was shot and killed by Los Angeles police officers after a struggle Tuesday night. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 19 Officers with the LAPDs Pacific Division were called to the area around Windward and Pacific avenues about 11:30 p.m. after a man described as a transient was reported to be harassing passersby. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 19 Evidence markers on the sidewalk where a man was shot and killed by Los Angeles police officers. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 19 An investigation is underway in Venice after a man was shot and killed by Los Angeles police officers. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) When asked why he didnt keep his recommendation to Lacey private, Beck referenced the ongoing national debate about policing, calling it a conversation that has to be had. Beck told The Times that LAPD investigators concluded that Glenn was on his stomach, attempting to push himself off the ground, when Officer Clifford Proctor stepped back and fired twice, hitting the 29-year-old in the back. An autopsy report made public Tuesday confirmed Glenn was shot in his back and died of the gunshot wounds. Both gunshots, the report said, were immediately life-threatening. After reviewing video, witness accounts and other evidence, investigators determined Glenn was not trying to take either Proctors gun or his partners weapon at the time of the shooting, Beck said. Proctors partner also told investigators he did not know why the officer opened fire, Beck said. The May 5 shooting in Venice generated fierce criticism of the LAPD and came amid a heated national conversation about police officers and their use of force, particularly against African Americans. Glenn was black, as is Proctor. The decision whether to file charges rests with Lacey, who, like prosecutors across the country, has recently come under fire for not charging officers in controversial incidents. L.A. County prosecutors have not charged a law enforcement officer for an on-duty shooting in 15 years. Beck told The Times that he made his recommendation to Lacey last month, when the LAPD handed over its investigation to prosecutors. The chief said he spoke to Lacey about the case, but did not ask -- and was not told -- whether she planned to charge the officer. On Monday, Laceys office said prosecutors were still reviewing the case. As the countys top prosecutor, it is my ethical obligation to remain impartial until a thorough and independent investigation is completed by my office, Lacey said in a statement. Decisions on whether or not to file criminal charges will be based solely on the facts and the law -- not on emotion, anger or external pressure. Proctors attorney, Larry Hanna, accused LAPD brass of making a political decision. Hanna defended his clients decision to shoot, saying Proctor saw Glenn going for his partners gun -- even if his partner may not have realized it. Although a security camera captured the events leading up to the shooting, Hanna said, both of Glenns hands could not be seen for the entirety of the recording. The LAPD said the deadly encounter began shortly before midnight, when Proctor and his partner responded to a complaint that a homeless man was harassing customers outside a Windward Avenue business, not far from the famed boardwalk. The officers briefly talked to the man -- later identified as Glenn -- and returned to their patrol car after he walked toward the boardwalk, police said. Soon after, police said, the officers saw Glenn struggling with a bouncer outside a nearby bar. The officers approached Glenn and tried to detain him, the LAPD said, leading to a physical altercation. At some point, Proctor opened fire. Proctor, who has been with the LAPD for eight years, has not returned to work since the shooting. Follow @katemather on Twitter for more LAPD news. ALSO: Appeals court tosses out $1.1-million award to teen shot by L.A. County sheriffs deputy Supreme Court strikes down Floridas death penalty system Affluenza mom released from jail, must pay the cost for being hauled back to Texas A Whittier man found himself in an highly charged predicament Tuesday morning when he crashed his pickup truck into a power pole and a fire hydrant. For about an hour and 30 minutes, the man was trapped in his pickup truck in the 7600 block of Telegraph Road in Montebello as water from the hydrant rained down on the vehicle, according to Montebello Fire Battalion Chief Dan France. On top of the car were live wires, France said. Water and electricity dont mix, as we all know, France said. Advertisement The call came in reporting a single vehicle traffic accident shortly before 6 a.m. and afterward was upgraded, France said. The man used a flashlight inside of the truck to signal to the firefighters that he was still inside. Eventually they were able to reach the driver by cellphone, France said. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> He said he was just shook up, France said. We assured him that we were going to get him out. Firefighters informed the driver that the water and electricity needed to be shut down before he could be rescued, France said. Because of the traffic snarl, it took a while to get Edison on scene, France said. Once the power was turned off, the hydrant was shut down and firefighters rescued the man, who was treated at the scene. The accident is under investigation by the Montebello Police Department. NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >> It was really fortunate that no one tried to get this gentleman out and he stayed in his vehicle and waited for emergency services to get to him, France said. This is a great public safety message ... if wires are down, stay away and call 911. Follow me on Twitter @brittny_mejia brittny.mejia@latimes.com ALSO Two killed and several injured in Pasadena car crash Former child actor Michael Galeota found dead at home Appeals court tosses out $1.1-million award to teen shot by L.A. County sheriffs deputy Aiming to impose a sweeping set of statewide regulations on the marijuana industry, California passed a law last year to license shops that provide medical cannabis. But starting in two years, marijuana shops wont be able to get those state licenses unless they also have permission from local government -- and in Los Angeles, that could leave them in the lurch. Three years ago, Los Angeles city voters passed Proposition D, which allows some marijuana businesses to avoid being prosecuted if they meet a list of requirements, including having registered with the city in the past and operating an adequate distance from parks and schools. Advertisement But the rules dont provide any kind of local license or permit to authorize marijuana shops. Even if shops are in line with Proposition D, were not licensed, said Yamileth Bolanos, president of the Greater Los Angeles Collective Alliance. And if we dont get licensed, we wont be able to stay open. Such local restrictions could undermine the promise of the state law, said Aaron Herzberg, a partner at CalCann Holdings Inc., which invests in California medical marijuana businesses. You can agree Sacramento is going to regulate this, but if every city says, No, no, no -- were not going to do this, its kind of a meaningless law, Herzberg said. To smooth the way for local cannabis shops to get state approval, Bolanos said her group wants to ask voters to approve a new measure this fall, one that would create a city system for permitting marijuana businesses. Bolanos said her group plans to submit their proposed measure by the end of the week. If L.A. doesnt create a permitting system, its businesses wont be able to take part in the state system, said Nate Bradley, executive director of the California Cannabis Industry Assn. Theyre going to have to do it, Bradley said. But if Bolanos and her group succeed in getting its measure onto the fall ballot, it will probably kick off a new battle over how L.A. should regulate medical marijuana -- one bound to divide marijuana shops themselves. While some groups will seek to continue capping the number of pot shops allowed in the city, including GLACA, others will push hard against such restrictions. That is going to be the big fight, Bradley said. Bolanos said the ballot measure would also allow delivery of marijuana from brick-and-mortar shops that comply with the Proposition D rules. City Atty. Mike Feuer has argued that Proposition D bars any kind of medical marijuana delivery except if it comes directly from the primary caregiver. If it garners enough signatures, the local initiative could be on the ballot at the same time as a potential statewide measure to legalize recreational marijuana. Since Proposition D was passed, Feuer says the city has shut down hundreds of medical marijuana shops that violate the local rules. When the law was passed, city officials estimated fewer than 140 pot shops would meet those requirements and be able to stay in business citywide. Yet hundreds more 447 marijuana businesses renewed their registrations to pay L.A. business taxes last year and got registration certificates from the city. Finance officials say they arent authorized to examine whether a business is legal when it registers to pay taxes. But the phenomenon has frustrated lawmakers, who say the city shouldnt be reaping money from some of the same businesses that it is trying to shut down. Critics have also complained that pot shops that flout the city rules have used the tax certificates to dupe customers into believing that they are operating with municipal approval, even though the tax documents are not a permit. To stop that from happening, a City Council committee voted Monday to stop registering new marijuana shops to pay city taxes, since newly opened shops would not be able to meet the Proposition D requirements. Under the proposal, existing marijuana shops would have to attest in writing that they follow the rules of Proposition D when they renew their tax registration. Lying about it would be a misdemeanor. The proposed rules would also make it illegal for pot shops to display an expired tax registration certificate or one in a different business category to mislead the public -- two ways that lawmakers feared that marijuana businesses that do not meet the city requirements could try to avoid the rules. The proposal now heads to the entire council for its approval. Follow @latimesemily for whats happening at Los Angeles City Hall For months, a high-profile head-hunting firm searched the nation for a new superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District. On Monday evening, the Board of Education gave the job to a candidate who was part of the district all along: Chief Deputy Supt. Michelle King. Some education experts cheered the decision. Others winced. Few thought that finding a leader for the district was an easy task. One candidate, Miamis school superintendent, was recruited but said he didnt want the job. A former Montgomery County, Md., schools chief backed away, calling L.A. Unified a total mess. Advertisement Among those raising questions about the insider choice was UC Berkeley education professor Bruce Fuller. Is this a fresh beginning or is it more of the same? he asked. The school board had wanted a unanimous decision to emphasize strong support for a new leader, and members split over several finalists before uniting in a 7-0 vote for King. Many in the district consider King, whose current district salary is $303,505, a reliable choice because she came up through the system. We didnt know the long and winding road would lead us to our own door when we started, said school board President Steve Zimmer. It was the right road and the right door. King, 54, began her ascent into district leadership as a respected high school principal, then kept a low profile as a senior administrator. Her views on where she would like to take Los Angeles Unified remained a mystery as is protocol within the $7-billion bureaucracy, at least for administrators who arent in charge. But board members said they appreciated her knowledge of L.A. Unified, which, they concluded, would allow her to tackle the school systems problems without delay. She replaces Ramon C. Cortines, who retired Jan. 2 after serving three times as leader of the nations second-largest school system. Charles Kerchner, a research professor at Claremont Graduate University, hailed the choice as a vote for stability, saying previous outsiders for the top job had not fared well including former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer, retired Vice Adm. David L. Brewer and educator John Deasy. The notion that an outsider could come in and, by dint of personality and power, turn this ship around has been manifestly unsuccessful for the last 15 years, Kerchner said. David Plank, a Stanford University professor and the executive director of Policy Analysis for California Education, said the selection of an outsider would have signaled an unrealistic expectation that someone new could solve the districts problems. It almost never happens, Plank said. David Rattray of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce said Kings deep experience with L.A. Unified as a student, teacher and administrator would ensure there would be no delay in moving forward. He said he had worked for years with King on such projects as reorganizing high schools into smaller learning communities and found her a consummate team player able to build relationships with students and parents, business and labor groups, and community members. Lourdes Vazquez discusses what a new LAUSD superintendent should focus on. This is one of those rare moments where you get the best candidate and a fast-moving start, Rattray said. But others questioned whether King would bring the new ideas, bold action and deft political skills they believe the district needs for such challenges as declining student achievement, a budget crisis and highly polarized politics. Antonia Hernandez, chief executive of the California Community Foundation, said Kings educational philosophy was unclear because she has mostly stayed in the background while serving as a top deputy to both Deasy and Cortines. One of the finalists, St. Louis Supt. Kelvin Adams, in contrast, had established a clear record of leadership and an ability to bring together charter schools, union leaders and other interests, she said. Does she have leadership skills? Political savvy? Is she willing to rock the boat or is it about maintaining the status quo and the status quo is not where we want to be, Hernandez said. Shes not known publicly for being out there. A good foot soldier is a great insider but is that what LAUSD needs at this critical time? John Rogers, a UCLA education professor, praised the boards choice of a woman and an African American. But he said King does not offer a fresh face or national stature, which could make it more difficult to reset the conversation among conflicting interests. In recent years the district has suffered from inconsistent direction as political factions have battled for control in the nations most costly school board elections. Even without political turmoil, the job is complex. L.A. Unified draws its 650,000 students from 28 cities and unincorporated areas. Nearly 3 in 4 students are Latino; most are from low-income families; collectively, students come from homes that speak more than 90 native languages; and many are learning to speak English. State Board of Education President Michael Kirst said L.A. Unifieds shaky financial condition is the states major concern. An independent review panel in November found the district faced a $333-million deficit in 2017-18, with the shortfall projected to nearly double by 2020. Exacerbating the districts financial risk is a proposal, developed by philanthropist Eli Broad, that called for enrolling half of district students in charter schools over the next eight years. Because schools receive state and federal money based on enrollment, a rapid exodus of students could threaten the districts solvency. District officials solicited public input on desired qualities of a new leader through 9,400 survey responses and more than 100 public meetings attended by 1,400 participants. Board members also considered Adams, Fremont Supt. Jim Morris, San Francisco Supt. Richard Carranza who withdrew from consideration and Jim Berk, a business executive who early in his career was a teacher and principal in L.A. Unified. If the board approves Kings contract on Tuesday, as anticipated, it will mark the ninth time in 20 years that the district has hired a new leader. The board approved spending $250,000 on the selection process, which took five months to complete. The Times receives funding for its Education Matters digital initiative from the California Endowment, the Wasserman Foundation and the Baxter Family Foundation. The California Community Foundation and United Way of Greater Los Angeles administer grants from the Broad Foundation to support this effort. Under terms of the grants, The Times retains complete control over editorial content. howard.blume@latimes.com teresa.watanabe@latimes.com Times staff writers Joy Resmovits and Zahira Torres contributed to this report. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> MORE EDUCATION COVERAGE Who is new L.A. Unified Supt. Michelle King? PAC shielded $2.3 million in donations by L.A. charter school backers What students and parents are expecting from the Porter Ranch school relocation A series of storms passing over Northern California are expected to drench residents in rain and dump up to 2 feet of snow on the northern Sierra Nevada, a precious water resource the state relies on in the spring, the National Weather Service said. The storms are expected to bypass Southern California, according to the weather service. Starting Tuesday night, the first of the storms is expected to reach from San Mateo to Sonoma before moving farther inland toward the Sierra Nevada. The regions forests between the coast and the mountains could see up to eight inches of rain by Monday while the mountains could get 2 feet of snow, said Karl Swanberg, a forecaster with the National Weather Services Sacramento office. Advertisement Though the storms arent directly related to El Nino, they could be pulling in extra moisture from the ocean warming phenomenon, Swanberg said. San Francisco is expected to get about half an inch of rain Tuesday. The heaviest snow is expected Wednesday night and could shut down mountain roads like the Donner Pass, the Weather Service said. The storms will hopefully continue to fill the states reservoirs and build up the Sierra Nevada snowpack, which Californians rely on for water, Swanberg said. Join the conversation on Facebook >> All the precipitation is helping; were not going to get out of [the drought] quickly, Swanberg said. These are typical winter-type storms for Northern California. And thats what its going to take to get out of the drought. After a series of snowstorms slammed the region last month, state officials announced that the Sierra Nevada snowpack was at depths not seen for quite some time. Statewide, the snowpack is 111% of average for the date. In the northern Sierra, it is 116% of the norm; in the central Sierra, 121% of average; and in the southern Sierra, 85% of the norm, according to the state Department of Water Resources. By the end of December, the statewide snowpack was little more than half the average, setting the tone for a dismal winter of bare Sierra slopes. NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >> When it comes to snowpack, the crucial date is still months away. April 1 is when snowpack reaches its peak, and in a typical year that snow provides Californians with roughly a third of their water supply. For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna. ALSO Powerball jackpot still rising, reaches $1.5 billion Ready for El Nino? Heres what many homeowners dont know about flood insurance LAPD chief asks commission to delay review of fatal shooting during D.A. evaluation President Xi Jinping called for advancing reforms in all sectors as China's leading group for overall reform convened its 20th meeting on Monday. The meeting was also attended by Li Keqiang, Liu Yunshan and Zhang Gaoli, members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and deputy heads of the group. Xi, head of the group, said a foundation should be built in the first three years of comprehensively deepening reforms, and a "main body frame" of the reform should be set up this year. According to a statement issued after the meeting, attendees called for full assessment of ongoing reforms in all sectors, prioritizing and focusing on key issues to advance reforms. Reforms of state-owned enterprises, the financial and taxation systems, the science and technology innovation system, the land system, opening up, the cultural and education system, judicial equity, environmental protection, the pension system, health care and discipline inspection are major sectors for overall reforms, the statement said. A total of seven documents were approved at the meeting, including guidelines to advance government transparency, help civil servants learn and use laws, reform public institutions that have administrative functions, and reform science and technology associations, as well as a regulation to protect and award whistleblowers in duty-related crimes. The statement stressed transparency is an important aspect of building a law-abiding government. Power should be made transparent wherever it is exercised. Priority should be given to making government budgets, allocation of public resources and the approval and construction of key projects public. It said public servants should intensify their efforts in learning the law, and their ability to perform duties according to law should be strengthened. It urged leading officials to be models in learning and observing law, adding the assessment of officials should include their performance in abiding by the law. The statement also called for efforts to enhance a system that would encourage members of the public to report cases of suspected duty-related crimes. It said clear measures should be worked out to protect informants who provide tips, and the amounts of rewards should be clarified. Meanwhile, retaliation against whistleblowers should be prevented and severely punished, it said. The pilot reform on institutions with administrative functions should be carried out with innovation, it stressed. The reform of these institutions should inject vitality into the market and society by improving their service and streamlining their structure, according to the statement. The operation of these institutions should be standardized and their administrative efficiency should be enhanced, it added. The statement said the associations for science and technology should be reformed into bodies under the leadership of the CPC which act as a platform to unite scientific workers. The meeting also stressed the significance of clarifying leading officials' responsibilities in comprehensive management of public security. Meanwhile, the management of police support staff should be further standardized with better job security and rules, it added. A retired Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has pleaded no contest to an assault charge for shooting at police responding to his West L.A. townhouse. James A. Bascue entered the plea Friday in a Santa Ana courtroom. Orange County Superior Court Judge Thomas M. Goethals sentenced Bascue, 75, to five years of formal probation and 500 hours of community service, according to court records. Bascues attorney, Richard Hirsch, said his client had consumed both alcohol and Ambien on the night of the shooting. Since his arrest in the early morning hours of June 11, Bascue has undergone treatment for alcoholism, including private counseling, regular Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and a two-day outpatient program, Hirsch said. Advertisement Hes grateful that the court and the prosecutor allowed him to move ahead and prove he can be a productive member of society, Hirsch said of Bascue. Both the courts and district attorneys office of Los Angeles County formally recused themselves from the case. Before retiring in 2007, Bascue was a longtime L.A. County judge who also served as the courts presiding judge from 2001 to 2002. Before his appointment to the bench in 1990, Bascue had worked as an L.A. County gang prosecutor. But Bascues storied career took a dramatic turn last year when he called police about 11:45 p.m. on June 10 to his South Barrington Avenue townhouse and officers found him inside, holding two guns. He loaded the guns magazines and pointed a gun at his head, police said. Officers pleaded with him to drop the weapons. Police said that Bascue fired two shots, one inside his house and another toward an officer at the window, prompting a standoff with a SWAT team that ended with his arrest. In August, the state attorney generals office filed a felony assault charge against the former jurist. In accepting a deal that kept Bascue out of prison, Goethals said the judge merited credit for his career as a prosecutor and court officer, City News Service reported. Goethals said he took into account letters from Bascues former colleagues, and said the news coverage of the case provided shame and embarrassment, City News Service reported. Goethals addressed Bascue as mister and said the sentence did not amount to preferential treatment. Its important to me and this community there not be a perception we have a two-tiered system of justice,' Goethals told the court. Bascues attorney agreed that the very unusual case did not demonstrate preferential treatment. Hirsch said his client had also written a letter to the police officer whom he shot at, apologizing for what occurred. And Hirsch noted that his client called police initially and theres evidence that he didnt even know police were outside his home. He didnt intend to either harm a police officer or do anything to put a police officer in jeopardy, Hirsch said. As Goethals handed down the sentence, Bascue was tearful, Hirsch added. Bascue was also ordered not to drive, and hes expected to return to court in July for a progress report. Said Hirsch: I think hes prepared to move ahead. For breaking news in California, follow @MattHjourno. The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down Floridas death penalty system on the grounds that judges, not juries, decide the key facts that determine whether a killer is condemned to die. In an 8-1 ruling, the justices said this judge-driven system violates a defendants right to a jury trial. The ruling will likely give new sentencing hearings to inmates who were recently sentenced to death in Florida, but the justices in the past have said such new rulings do not apply automatically to old cases. Advertisement Tuesdays ruling relied on a 2002 decision that struck down Arizonas judge-driven system for deciding death penalty cases. Despite that ruling in the case of Ring vs. Arizona, the Florida courts had continued to uphold death sentences there on the grounds that juries had recommended death as the proper verdict. But on Tuesday, the justices decided Florida must move to a sentencing system that gives juries the final word. The ruling will mean a new sentencing hearing for Timothy Hurst, who was convicted of stabbing and killing a a co-worker at a Popeyes restaurant in 1998. Join the conversation on Facebook >> He was tried twice, and the jury, though divided, recommended a death sentence, and the judge imposed one. But Justice Sonia Sotomayor, speaking for the court, said Florida should have followed the 2002 decision by putting the full weight on the jury. The 6th Amendment protects a defendants right to an impartial jury, she said. This right required Florida to base Timothy Hursts death sentence on a jury verdict, not a judges fact-finding. Floridas death sentencing scheme, which required the judge alone to find the existence of an aggravating circumstance, is therefore unconstitutional. Dissenting alone, Justice Samuel A. Alito said the justices had upheld Floridas system in the past. Under the Florida system, the jury plays a critically important role, he said, by weighing the evidence and recommending whether the murderer should die. On Twitter: @DavidGSavage ALSO Seattle activist plans mobile drug haven to encourage safe use In his final State of the Union address, Obama seeks to stay relevant Supreme Court appears skeptical of union fees -- a potentially major loss for labor groups To hear members of the Bundy family and other armed occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon tell it, they are the brave leading edge, a handful of people willing to act on a widely held belief that the federal government has gone too far in its control and regulation of public lands. Yet a bipartisan poll released Monday suggests that there is hardly a groundswell of support for many of the ideas the occupiers have proposed, including turning over federal lands to state and local governments or to private owners. According to the Conservation in the West poll, sponsored by Colorado College and now in its sixth year, 58% of people questioned in seven states in the Mountain West oppose giving state governments control over federal public lands and 60% oppose selling significant holdings of public lands, such as national forests, to reduce the budget deficit. Advertisement In only one state, Utah, did more people say they supported giving states control, with 47% of those questioned saying they did and 41% saying they did not. In Nevada, where the Bundy family ranches, sentiment was also relatively narrowly divided, with 52% saying they opposed transferring control and 39% supporting the idea. In the other states Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming support for transferring control ranged from 28% to 37%. Charges of government overreach from the ideological fringes are making headlines, but in reality most Westerners in this poll favor greater protection and sensible use of the open lands and national treasures that define the region, Eric Perramond, a professor who leads Colorado Colleges State of the Rockies Project, said in a statement. Ken Salazar, a former secretary of the Interior and a graduate of Colorado College, told reporters in a conference call, These findings show us that the Bundy family, their militant supporters and the politicians who sympathize with them are far out of touch with most folks living in the West. The poll of 400 registered voters was conducted in December before the standoff began near remote Burns, Ore. Although Oregon was not among the states surveyed, Dave Metz, one of the private pollsters hired by Colorado College, said Monday that based on past surveys done in Oregon, If anything, I would expect the responses to be as strong, if not stronger, in the same direction in Oregon. The survey also showed that 72% of people questioned said that having national public lands in their state was an economic benefit. william.yardley@latimes.com Join the conversation on Facebook >> ALSO A Cabinet member sits out the State of the Union, just in case disaster strikes Breast cancer screening recommendations clarify science but muddy political waters Clinton and Sanders take aim while OMalley seeks spotlight The mother of a fugitive teenager known for using an affluenza defense in a fatal drunken-driving wreck has been released from a Texas jail. Tonya Couch was released on bond from the Tarrant County jail in Fort Worth shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday. Shes charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon for allegedly helping her 18-year-old son flee to Mexico. Her son, Ethan Couch, is fighting extradition from Mexico. A judge on Monday lowered the mothers bond from $1 million to $75,000. She must wear an electronic ankle monitor and remain at the home of her 29-year-old son, Steven McWilliams, except for appointments with her doctor and lawyer. Advertisement Authorities believe the pair fled as Texas prosecutors investigated whether Ethan Couch violated his probation in the 2013 wreck that killed four people. During the trial, a defense witnesses said the teen was coddled into a sense of irresponsibility by his wealthy parents, a condition the expert called affluenza. I want her at her sons home, and thats where I want her to stay, said State District Judge Wayne Salvant, who also ordered Couch to pay nearly $3,200 in restitution to the sheriffs office for the cost of transporting her back to Texas from Los Angeles. Join the conversation on Facebook >> The 48-year-old woman is charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon after she and her son, Ethan Couch, were caught in a Mexican resort city. Ethan, 18, killed four people in a 2013 crash and was facing allegations that he violated his probation. Authorities say Tonya Couch took $30,000 and fled with Ethan to Mexico out of fear that her son would be put behind bars for violating his probation. The two were caught Dec. 28 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Tonya Couch was brought back to Texas last week after first being taken to Los Angeles. Ethan Couch remains in a Mexico City detention facility, where he is contesting his extradition. Salvant said he understood prosecutors concerns that Tonya Couch might flee again, but that the charge against her, while a third-degree felony, wasnt serious enough to merit a $1-million bond. One of her attorneys, Stephanie Patten, said afterward that she wasnt sure whether Couch would be able to post bond. Ethan Couch was 16 and driving at three times the legal intoxication limit for adult drivers when he rammed a pickup truck into a crowd of people trying to help stranded motorists on the side of a North Texas road. Four people were killed in the June 2013 wreck. A juvenile court judge gave the teen 10 years probation, outraging prosecutors who had called for him to face detention time. The case drew widespread derision after an expert called by Ethan Couchs lawyers argued he had been coddled into a sense of irresponsibility by his wealthy parents, a condition the expert called affluenza. Despite all of the previous testimony about the teens wealthy upbringing, his mothers attorneys argued she had few assets to her own name and couldnt pay the cost of a $1-million bond. McWilliams testified Monday that his mothers bank account had been frozen by a court order and he wasnt able to access it. He also told a prosecutor upon questioning that he wouldnt have been surprised to see $100,000 from the sale of a house in the account. Tonya Couch is separated from Fred Couch, Ethans father, who owns a suburban Fort Worth business that does large-scale metal roofing. According to an arrest warrant, Tonya Couch is accused of telling Fred Couch that he would never see her or Ethan again before fleeing. ALSO Police say 5 men raped a woman in a New York City park Trial of Baltimore Officer Goodson postponed by Maryland appeals court Ringling Bros. circus to end its elephant acts this spring after more than a century in the show The last presidential election in which the future of the Supreme Court was a major issue was, arguably, 1968. In that campaign, Nixon assailed the Warren Court and other courts for weakening the peace forces as against the criminal forces More recently, as one scholar put it, judicial issues produce much campaign bluster but .... affect few ballots. But that hasnt stopped presidential candidates from putting the court at the center of their campaigns. This year is no exception. In an op-ed piece in the Boston Globe last week, Hillary Clinton noted that on Election Day three of the current justices will be over 80 years old, which is past the courts average retirement age. The next president could easily appoint more than one justice. That makes this a make-or-break moment for the court and our country. Advertisement Using code language, Clinton intimated that she would appoint justices who would be pro-choice on abortion, supportive of gay rights and likely to overturn the Citizens United decision: Ill appoint justices who will protect the constitutional principles of liberty and equality for all, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or political viewpoint; make sure the scales of justice arent tipped away from individuals toward corporations and special interests; and protect citizens right to vote, rather than billionaires right to buy elections. (Clinton is being more circumspect than her husband, who said flat-out in 1992 that I will appoint judges to the Supreme Court who believe in the constitutional right to privacy, including the right to choose.) On the Republican side, Sen. Ted Cruz, a former solicitor general of Texas and Supreme Court law clerk, said in an interview, I will be willing to spend the capital to ensure that every Supreme Court nominee that I put on the court is a principled judicial conservative. Expressing grudging admiration for Democratic presidents who had picked liberal justices, Cruz complained: The Republicans have an abysmal record. We bat about .500. About half of the nominees Republicans have put on the court have not just occasionally disappointed but have turned into absolute disasters. Should Clinton and Cruz be criticized for applying a litmus test to Supreme Court appointments? Yes and (mostly) no. Given the life tenure and longevity of Supreme Court justices, its a mistake for a president (if not for a presidential candidate) to focus exclusively on whether a nominee can be expected to vote the right way on the hot-button issues of the day. A justice appointed in 2017 could still be serving in 2050; in that distant future the courts docket might be dominated by issues no one is thinking about today. That argues for presidents to consider not only a potential justices views about current issues but his or her intelligence, erudition and cast of mind. Even the much-ridiculed empathy is a legitimate qualification. Also, Clinton and Cruz may be undermining the credibility of their future appointees by implying that they would be putty in the hands of the presidents who appointed them. Even justices who generally share the legal philosophy of the presidents who chose them sometimes rebel. Look at the votes Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan cast against the Obama administration on religious freedom and the presidents power to make recess appointments. But even if Cruz and Clinton are being crass in the way describe the process of choosing justices, their general point -- that presidents will try to choose like-minded justices -- is valid. Presidents in previous generations may have subordinated judicial philosophy to factors such as religion, party loyalty, ethnic politics or geography, but in recent decades they generally have prioritized judicial philosophy (even if they ended up guessing wrong about how an appointee would rule). Voters should know what a presidential candidate seeks in appointments to the court, so that they can cast their ballots accordingly. But if the recent past is any guide, theyll have their minds on other things. Follow Michael McGough on Twitter @MichaelMcGough3 If a potential employer asks about your prior drug use, pleading the fifth may not be your best bet. A new study finds that most people would prefer to hire and date a person who is forthcoming about his or her unsavory behaviors rather than someone who chooses to withhold information. When you are posed a direct question and you say, I dont want to answer that, people view you as untrustworthy, said Leslie John, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School who lead the study. Advertisement Our results suggest that you need to consider the risk of not answering direct questions in addition to the risks of disclosing embarrassing information, she added. To come to this conclusion, John ran a series of seven experiments that show people usually think they are making themselves look more attractive when they choose to withhold information, but in fact, this act leads others to judge them more negatively than their more forthcoming counterparts. Although John expected to find most people would prefer revealers to hiders, even she was at times surprised by the results of her study. For example, in the first experiment, 126 participants were asked to choose who they would rather date based on two potential candidates answers to a questionnaire that included Have you ever neglected to tell a partner about an STD you are currently suffering from? and Have you ever had a fantasy about doing something terrible (IE torturing) to somebody? She found that 64% of people said they would rather date someone who responded frequently to those questions while just 36% said they would rather date the person who checked the box Choose not to answer. That, to me, is crazy, John said. The preference for someone who divulges information is so strong that people actually prefer someone that they know has the worst values as an attribute over someone who only in the worst-case scenario is that bad. John was so shocked by that finding that she ran the study over several times to make sure she did not get a false positive. Two follow-up experiments showed that it was the hiders act of choosing not to reveal information that was specifically distasteful to people. In these experiments, participants were asked how interested they would be in dating three different people -- a revealer who answered all the questions on a questionnaire, a hider who answered choose not to answer on two of the questions, and an inadvertent nondiscloser who appeared to answer all the questions, but because of a purported computer glitch, not all those answers were available. The researchers found that participants were most interested in the revealer and expressed the least interest in the hider. Other experiments shed light on how withholding information might effect a persons ability to get a job. Participants were asked to choose who they would rather hire between two candidates who were asked, What is the lowest grade you ever received on a final exam in school? The hider checked choose not to answer, while the revealer indicated a grade of F. The researchers found that 89% of participants hired the revealer over the hider, even though when asked, they guessed the numerical grade of the hider was higher than that of the revealer. In another experiment, the researchers divided participants into two groups -- employers and employees. Employees were asked to imagine that they occasionally smoke marijuana, and then asked to indicate how they wold answer the question, Have you ever done drugs? As the researchers expected, 70% of employees chose to opt out of that question. However, participants that had been designated employers were more interested in hiring those who had admitted their drug use than those who withheld that information -- a result the researchers expected as well. Taken together, these results suggest that people are prone to withhold information when they would be better off sharing it, John and her coauthors wrote. In a conversation with the Los Angeles Times John cautioned that her research did not imply that people should go around telling everyone all the bad things theyve done. She said her study showed that when you are asked a direct question, and disclosure is expected, its best to give an answer, even if that answer feels embarrassing. When people are forming an opinion of you and you care about that opinion, you may be prone to withholding information, she said. But in fact, you would make a better impression if you came clean and divulged it. Do you love science? I do! Follow me @DeborahNetburn and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook. NFL owners have yet to agree to a Los Angeles solution, but with many pushing for a marriage between the St. Louis Rams and San Diego Chargers, the Oakland Raiders could be the odd team out. Thats not necessarily a bad thing for the Raiders. The league, still debating a solution to end the two-decade L.A. vacancy, is determined to strike a bargain that ensures none of the three clubs walks away empty-handed. If they were not given the green light to relocate to L.A., the Raiders could be compensated in a number of ways. Believed to be among the possible consolation prizes are the permission to move to a city other than L.A., perhaps with a reduced or waived relocation fee, and/or seed money to use toward a new stadium in Oakland or elsewhere. Advertisement One scenario would have the Raiders back-filling the St. Louis market should it be vacated by the Rams. St. Louis has done more than the other two cities to keep its NFL franchise, even though the league ultimately determined even that citys stadium plan was not viable. If the Rams were squeezed out of L.A., they could be in line for a similar package. They would take a long look at a vacated San Diego market, with the thought that they have the financial resources to develop a stadium that the Chargers couldnt, and that they could recruit a fan base in San Diego, Orange County and L.A. It is highly unlikely that the Chargers would be left out of an L.A. solution. If they were, that would mean that they had struck some type of accord to stay in San Diego, although there are no arrows pointing in that direction. Six months after Afghanistan peace talks broke down, a four-nation meeting on Monday marked the start of a new push to negotiate a truce to end the fighting in the country. The daylong meeting in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, was attended by top Afghan and Pakistani Foreign Ministry officials and special envoys from the United States and China but not representatives from the Taliban insurgency. Although face-to-face talks between the Afghan government and Taliban leaders still appeared to be a long way off, the four parties said they would reconvene next week in Kabul, the Afghan capital, showing a renewed sense of urgency amid mounting violence by Taliban-allied militants. Advertisement The participants emphasized the immediate need for direct talks between representatives of the government of Afghanistan and representatives from Taliban groups in a peace process that aims to preserve Afghanistans unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, the four countries said in a statement after the meeting. Afghanistan says it has received assurances that Pakistan long accused of harboring insurgents who oppose the Kabul government will provide a list of Taliban leaders who are willing to participate in talks. Islamabad has also agreed to take action against Taliban leaders who refuse to take part in negotiations, according to Afghan government officials. But Pakistani Foreign Ministry officials said they urged Afghanistan to not demand concessions from Taliban leaders before beginning talks, and said that threats of violence against Taliban holdouts at this stage would be counterproductive. The primary objective of the reconciliation process is to create conditions to bring the Taliban groups to the negotiation table and offer them incentives that can persuade them to move away from using violence as a tool for pursuing political goals, Sartaj Aziz, the Pakistani prime ministers chief foreign affairs advisor, told the gathering. Pakistan had proposed that the U.S. and its allies halt military action against the Taliban, and that the militants cease hostilities against coalition forces, to build confidence ahead of possible talks, said a senior Foreign Ministry official who was not authorized to speak to the media. Those proposals seemed unlikely to be heeded as the coalition forces and the Taliban remained locked in a tug of war over territory in several parts of Afghanistan, chiefly the southern province of Helmand. U.S. special operations forces deployed to Helmand last month to help Afghan troops try to win back territory seized by the insurgents. One U.S. soldier died in the fighting last week, and Afghan forces and militants have also suffered unknown numbers of casualties. Given the leverage that Pakistans security establishment is believed to hold over the Taliban, U.S. officials believe that Islamabads participation makes this the best chance at starting talks to end more than 14 years of war. The Obama administration, which had grown exasperated with Pakistan because of doubts about its pledges to crack down on militants carrying out cross-border attacks against Afghan and U.S. targets, has recently praised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs government for its actions on counter-terrorism. We believe Pakistan will be the key to facilitating a peace process with the Taliban, and we hope Pakistan will follow through on its stated commitment to Afghan-owned, Afghan-led reconciliation, the Obama administrations special envoy to the region, Richard G. Olson, told a congressional panel last month. Pakistans attempt to broker talks began in July with a meeting between Afghan officials and Taliban representatives outside Islamabad, the first time the two sides had met face to face. But days later, the diplomacy collapsed after the Taliban announced that its longtime leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, had died two years earlier. The announcement raised the question of whether Taliban leaders and fighters were united in their willingness to enter talks, particularly as Afghanistans government shows signs of faltering. Omars successor, Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor, is believed to support negotiations with Kabul but faces deep internal divisions. Many commanders vow to keep fighting, while others have defected and pledged allegiance to Islamic State, the militant group based in Iraq and Syria. This peace bid also has the support of China, a close ally of Islamabad that is increasingly worried about the spread of militant Islam along its western border. U.S. and Afghan officials hope Chinese security concerns, as well as its economic interests in South Asia, will prompt Beijing to raise pressure on Pakistan to bring Taliban leaders to the negotiating table. Pakistani officials have repeatedly played down their leverage over the Taliban. The [peace] process has to be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned as an externally imposed settlement is neither desirable nor it would be sustainable, Aziz said. The role of Pakistan, China and the United States is basically to facilitate the process. Special correspondent Sahi reported from Islamabad and Times staff writer Bengali from Mumbai, India. Twitter: @SBengali North Korea claims it is holding a naturalized U.S. citizen on suspicion of spying for South Korea, CNN reported Monday. If confirmed, the man would be one of several Americans detained in recent years by the reclusive communist state. The State Department declined to comment on the report, explaining in an email that speaking publicly about specific purported cases of detained Americans can complicate our tireless efforts to secure their freedom. The news comes at a time of heightened tension on the Korean peninsula and appeared designed to put pressure on the United States and its allies, which are seeking to increase international sanctions on the government of Kim Jong Un over its claims to have carried out its fourth nuclear test last week. Advertisement North Korean authorities allowed a CNN reporter to interview the purported American detainee, identified as Kim Dong-chul, 62, at a hotel in the capital, Pyongyang. Officials insisted that the conversation take place in Korean, through an official interpreter, but the network said it later verified the translation. Kim told the network that he had lived in Fairfax, Va., but moved in 2001 to the Chinese city of Yanji, near North Korea. From there, he said he would commute daily to a special economic zone in the North Korean city of Rason, where he established a company dealing in international trade and hotel services. Kim said he started spying in 2013 on behalf of South Korean conservative elements who injected me with a hatred toward North Korea. Asked to describe how that worked, he said he bribed a local resident to collect sensitive information about the countrys military and nuclear program, and then smuggled it in his car to China or South Korea. Kim said he was arrested in October while meeting a former North Korean soldier to collect a USB memory stick and a camera used to gather military secrets. The former soldier was also detained, he said, but Kim did not know his fate. Im asking the U.S. or South Korean government to rescue me, he told CNN. The network said it was shown what appeared to be an American passport issued in Kims name and published a photograph of the document. Kim told CNN that he has a wife and two daughters in China. But attempts to reach them using a phone number he provided were unsuccessful, the network said. The last two Americans known to have been detained in North Korea were released in November 2014 after the Obama administration sent the director of national intelligence, James R. Clapper, on a secret mission to the country. Matthew Todd Miller, a Californian from Bakersfield, was arrested in April that year and sentenced to six years of hard labor on charges of entering the country illegally and trying to commit an act of espionage. Kenneth Bae, an evangelist from Lynnwood, Wash., had been in custody since 2012 and was serving 15 years with hard labor for hostile acts against the state. CNN was also given access to a South Korean-born Canadian pastor, the Rev. Lim Hyeon-soo, who was sentenced in December to life in prison with hard labor on charges of using religion to try to destroy the North Korean system of government. I used to think they deified their leaders too much, but as I read the memoirs of both Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, they never called themselves gods, Lim told CNN on Saturday. Family members and colleagues have said that Lim traveled frequently to North Korea, where he supported a nursing home, nursery and orphanage. But they said the trips did not have a political objective. Lim told CNN that he was being held at a labor camp, where he works alone eight hours a day, six days a week, digging holes to plant apple trees. I wasnt originally a laborer, so the labor was hard at first, Lim said. But now Ive gotten used to it. Asked whether he needed anything, Lim said he had requested a bible, which had not been provided. I hope I can go home someday, Lim said. Nobody knows if I will ever go home, but that is my hope. I miss my family. I am longing to see them again, and my congregation. CNN did not specify when the interview with Kim took place but said both men appeared healthy. Kim told CNN that he was being held at a hotel, which the network said was the norm for foreign detainees who have not yet been charged. North Korea claimed Wednesday that it had tested a hydrogen bomb, a thermonuclear device far more powerful than any of the three atomic bombs it has tested in the past. The White House and Western nuclear weapons experts are skeptical of the claim, but U.S. officials have said that any nuclear test by Pyongyang is a violation of the countrys international obligations. The U.S. military sent a B-52 bomber on a low-level flight over South Korea this weekend as a show of force in support of its allies in the region. South Korea has resumed cross-border propaganda broadcasts, which the North considers tantamount to an act of war. Kim defended last weeks explosion as a self-defensive step meant to protect the Korean peninsula from the danger of nuclear war caused by the U.S.-led imperialists, according to a report Sunday by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. For more international news, follow @alexzavis on Twitter. Turkish authorities say the militant group Islamic State was behind a suicide bombing Tuesday that rocked the heart of Istanbuls tourist district, leaving at least 10 people dead, most of them German tourists, and injuring 15 others. The attack appears to be the latest in a series of deadly strikes by Islamic State operatives outside the breakaway Al Qaeda factions self-proclaimed caliphate, which stretches across a broad swath of Syria and Iraq. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters that the suicide bomber was a member of Daesh, an Arabic acronym for Islamic State, which is being targeted in Syria and Iraq by a U.S.-led coalition that includes Turkey, as well as by Russian warplanes in Syria. Advertisement We will continue our fight against terrorism with the same resolve, and will never take a step back, Davutoglu vowed at a news conference in Ankara, the Turkish capital. Authorities described the suicide bomber as a Syrian national born in 1988, but the private Dogan news agency said he was born in Saudi Arabia. The attacker had recently entered Turkey from Syria, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters, without providing additional details. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from Islamic State. Tuesdays explosion occurred in Istanbuls Sultanahmet Square, close to several landmarks, including the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, a former Byzantine basilica that is now a museum. The area is often thronged with tourists, raising the presumption that the bomber was deliberately targeting foreign visitors. News reports indicated that nine of the 10 dead were German, as were several of those wounded. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier put the number of German dead at eight. The Foreign Ministry in Berlin issued an urgent warning to all German tourists in Turkey to avoid large gatherings in Istanbul. Davutoglu telephoned German Chancellor Angela Merkel to express his condolences, Turkeys state-run news agency reported. Merkel condemned the attack as a murderous act. She issued a statement saying: The terrorists are enemies of all free people and, yes, theyre the enemies of all of humanity. But we will prevail in safeguarding precisely that freedom with our international partners against these terrorists. Many of the German casualties in the attack were part of a group of 33 who booked their trips through the same Berlin travel agency, according to a report in Die Welt newspapers online edition. Terrorism hasnt hit us Germans this hard in many years, Steinmeier told journalists in Berlin. But we cannot allow, and will not allow, ourselves to be intimidated by murder and violence. On the contrary: Together with our partners around the world well fight terror wherever it is. German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere is planning to travel to Turkey, and agents from Germanys federal bureau of investigation were already at the scene, the ARD TV network reported. The Istanbul attack again dramatizes the lethal reach of Islamic States external wing, which has been wreaking havoc outside the groups home turf in Syria and Iraq. Islamic State was responsible for the Nov. 13 coordinated attacks on night spots in Paris that cost 130 lives and the Nov. 12 suicide bombings in south Beirut that killed more than 40 and took responsibility for the downing of a Russian commercial aircraft over Egypts Sinai Peninsula on Oct. 31 that killed all 224 people on board, mostly Russians. Islamic State, which became infamous for beheading its captives in recorded execution spectacles, has vowed to attack nationals of any country participating in strikes against the group. Last year, Turkey began allowing U.S. warplanes bombing Islamic State to use Turkish air bases. Authorities have warned of Islamic State cells operating throughout Turkey and blamed the group for suicide attacks last year in Ankara and in the southern town of Suruc. Those two bombings together killed about 130 people. Both targeted gatherings sympathetic to Kurdish nationalists. Tuesdays bombing, by contrast, seemed directly aimed at foreign tourists, a key source of income for Turkey. The area where the blast occurred is among the most popular for visitors to Turkey, which draws more than 30 million tourists each year. The strikes seem certain to batter the nations tourism industry, which generated about $23 billion in revenue last year but was already experiencing difficulties because of security concerns among travelers and tensions with Russia, a major source of visitors to Turkey. Of course this will have an impact on our tourism, said a manager of a jewelry gift shop near the explosion site, who declined to give his name for privacy reasons. But we cannot be sure how much yet, its too soon. Near the blast site, normally bustling restaurants and shops were almost empty. Buses and vans were parked in front of hotels, with some guests seen leaving. The blast occurred about 10:20 a.m. It was heard at Taksim Square, more than a mile away. Pictures on social media appearing to capture the moment of the explosion showed a blast close to the Obelisk of Theodosius, an ancient Egyptian monument transported in the 4th century to what was then known as Constantinople by the Roman emperor, Theodosius I. The square is filled with Byzantine and Ottoman sights, and groups of tourists can be seen there throughout the day and night, often pausing at historical markers in the shape of obelisks to read information in Turkish, English and Arabic. The area is especially crowded on weekends. Video aired by local media showed bodies on the ground in a tight group, and scores of Turkish security officials, including riot police, cordoning off the square. Police sealed off the area amid fears of a second explosion. This month, published reports citing security officials said Islamic State had recruited about 450 members in Ankara via a vast network. Their ranks reportedly included 100 operatives who were undergoing training on explosives in the Syrian city of Raqqah, Islamic States self-proclaimed capital, just 50 miles south of the Turkish border. On Tuesday, Turkish authorities said they had detained 16 suspected Islamic State operatives in Ankara who were preparing a high-profile attack, according to Turkish press reports. Those arrested included 15 Syrian nationals and a Turk who was arrested at a cafe in a busy shopping district, Turkish media reported. Last month, Turkish police arrested a pair of suspected Islamic State members who authorities said were planning to carry out a New Years Eve attack in Ankara. Turkey, the eastern bulwark of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, has come under withering international accusations of being slow to respond to the threat from Islamic State and other militant groups in neighboring Syria, which shares a border of more than 500 miles with Turkey. Thousands of militants have crossed Turkish territory en route to Syria since the conflict there began in 2011. Turkish officials have repeatedly denied allegations that Turkeys intelligence agency has helped arm and finance militant Islamist factions fighting to overthrow the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Last year, Turkish authorities announced with fanfare that Turkey was joining U.S.-led efforts targeting Islamic State. But Turkey has since concentrated much of its firepower against Kurdish militant targets within its borders and in Iraq. Still, the Obama administration lauded Ankaras decision to allow U.S. warplanes targeting Islamic State to use Turkish bases. In recent months, Turkish authorities have begun a crackdown against Islamic State cells in various provinces. Turkey has also increased security along the porous Syrian border. Turkey is home to more than 1 million Syrian refugees. The nation is also battling the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in the nations southeast, which has a large ethnic Kurdish population. Turkish authorities have generally viewed the PKK which has mounted a more than three-decade insurgency against Ankara as a more serious threat than Islamic State. Whether Tuesdays attack in Istanbul will alter that calculation remains unclear. In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby said the Obama administration had reiterated its commitment to working with Turkey, a valued member of the military coalition fighting Islamic State and the shared threat of terrorism. The U.S. is promoting international negotiations to end the civil war in Syria as a way to focus attention on Islamic State. But key members of the group, including Turkey and Russia, disagree on the removal of Assad. Turkey wants him ousted while Moscow continues to support him. Special correspondent Farooq reported from Istanbul and Times staff writer McDonnell from Beirut. Staff writer Tracy Wilkinson in Washington and special correspondent Erik Kirschbaum in Berlin contributed to this report. Twitter: @mcdneville ALSO: Anti-immigrant protest turns violent in Cologne Historic trial opens for Spains Princess Cristina, accused of tax fraud Police investigating mysterious death of an American woman in Italy Sinopec's subsidiary in Guangdong province will offer free refuelling services for migrant workers going home by motorcycle or minibus during the upcoming annual travel rush, known as "chunyun." A total of 10,000 free "refuelling packages" will be given out to motorists, with free pumping, accident insurance and warm clothes included, the company said on Monday, 13 days before chunyun begins. In addition, the company will offer 1,000 more free refuelling items to those going home by minibus, according to the company's general manager, Chen Chengmin. The engine displacement of each minibus must not exceed 1.3 liters. The service will be offered in the provinces of Guangdong and Hunan, and South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, but only those working in Guangdong will be eligible to apply. The applicants must have household registration in Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hunan or Jiangxi, the six localities with the largest number of migrant workers. China's transportation system will carry a record number of passengers during the upcoming peak travel period around the Lunar New Year Festival, with up to 2.91 billion trips to be made via road, railway, air and water between Jan. 24 and March 3. With intense competition for train tickets, many of the country's more than 260 million migrant workers choose to go home by motorcycle or minibus before the lunar new year, or Spring Festival, which is often a once-a-year chance for them to reunite with family. Guangdong has one of the country's biggest migrant worker populations. It is the fourth consecutive year that state-run oil and gas giant Sinopec has offered the service in Guangdong. The company started to take registrations via its official website and WeChat account on Monday. The application period will last until Jan 21. The expected extradition of Mexican drug lord and prison escape artist Joaquin El Chapo Guzman to the United States may take months, but it already has caused a tug of war among federal prosecutors in the key jurisdictions that want to put him on trial San Diego, Chicago and New York City. U.S. attorneys in seven jurisdictions have charged Guzman, who was recaptured Friday in Mexico, with organized crime, murder and drug trafficking in his role as head of the Sinaloa cartel. Under Guzman, prosecutors say, the cartel dramatically increased the flow of illegal narcotics into the U.S. by partnering with Colombian producers. The network ultimately became the largest bulk smuggler of marijuana, cocaine and heroin to the U.S. and Europe. Advertisement Joaquin El Chapo Guzman Plaza de Armas in a hotel in Mexicos Sinaloa state on Jan. 8. (Plaza de Armas / AFP/Getty Images) Indictments against Guzman are pending in the Southern District of California, the Northern District of Illinois, the Eastern District of New York, the Western District of Texas based in El Paso, the Southern District of New York in Manhattan, the U.S. District of New Hampshire and the Southern District of Florida in Miami. SAN DIEGO Prosecutors in San Diego brought the first federal charges against Guzman in 1996 in a push to dismantle a cocaine ring that ran from Southern California to the East Coast. The Justice Department filed an extradition request for him last summer based on the San Diego charges shortly before he made global headlines by escaping from a high-security prison near Mexico City. CHICAGO In Chicago, Guzman and 10 others were indicted by a federal grand jury in 2008 on charges of shipping tons of drugs to the Midwest and threatening to behead the agent in charge of the local Drug Enforcement Administration office. Authorities labeled Guzman Public Enemy No. 1, a moniker previously reserved for Prohibition-era gangster Al Capone. The Chicago case has the best chance to persuade Mexican authorities to extradite Guzman to the U.S., because prosecutors in Chicago have more live witnesses who can take the stand and testify against him, according to Carl Pike, a former high-level official in the DEA. The son of one of Guzmans top lieutenants is in custody in Chicago and is cooperating with authorities. Vicente Zambada-Niebla pleaded guilty to intent to distribute multiple tons of cocaine and heroin in 2013, and his reported knowledge of Guzmans role could make a prosecution there more likely. The Office of International Affairs in the Criminal Division of the Justice Department manages extradition requests from federal prosecutors. When there are competing requests, as with Guzman, officials there recommend the jurisdiction with the strongest case. They will pick the ... case with the highest chance of success, said Pike, who recently retired after 27 years as a DEA agent. But where Guzman stands trial may ultimately be decided by Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch. BROOKLYN Lynch previously served as U.S. attorney in Brooklyn and may want her former office, which has significant experience in winning convictions in complex, high-profile criminal cases, to take the case. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn filed charges against Guzman in 2009 and recently combined them with another case in Florida. Officials in Mexico say they are finally willing to extradite Guzman, after refusing to do so following his previous arrests. But his lawyers will strenuously fight his transfer, and the legal process could take up to a year, officials said. Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, one of the worlds most powerful drug kingpins, gained folklore status during his decade-plus on the lam, evading authorities thanks to his skill at building secret tunnels from his assorted mountain hideouts, urban safe h THE EXTRADITION PROCESS Jose Manuel Marino, the director of international processes at Mexicos attorney generals office, said Monday that the extradition process has begun although he added that Mexican law doesnt allow for immediate transfer of a prisoner to another country. Right now, our legislation doesnt allow for that, Marino said in an interview on Televisas Primero Noticias. We have to abide by our international commitments and the extradition law. The treaty, the law and the penal code carry specific terms for the extradition process. Juan Pablo Badillo, who represents Guzman, said his legal team already has filed six legal appeals in an effort to delay or obstruct the extradition process. Legal experts said the tactic is unlikely to prevent extradition, however. Badillo argued that Guzman should be tried in a Mexican court, and serve any sentence in a Mexican prison, before he can be extradited. The lawyer said he had not been given an opportunity to speak to Guzman since his capture in the coastal city of Los Mochis after a months-long manhunt that culminated in a gun battle near the house where he had been hiding. Mexican authorities had received a tip from a neighbor about loud noise, more people than usual and what looked like a large armory moving in and out of the property, Pike said in a telephone interview. Guzman returning to his hometown was like the rabbit going back to the briar patch, he said. Mexican authorities and DEA agents tracking Guzman knew about his ties to the property, but it had been quiet for several years, Pike said. Then the phone call comes in, he said. There was no activity and now there is a ton of activity. The true catalyst was a neighbors call. Federal prosecutors had repeatedly sought to extradite Guzman, and the Justice Department filed another request based on the San Diego charges 16 days before he escaped last July. Exiting his cell at the Altiplano prison through a hole in the shower stall floor, Guzman descended into a tunnel his organization had built and rode a motorcycle to freedom. Guzman has been returned to the prison since his recapture, and Mexican authorities insist he will not escape again. If he is transferred to the U.S., Guzman probably would be incarcerated with other notorious criminals in the federal Supermax jail in Florence, Colo., while he awaits trial. Keeping Guzman behind bars is unlikely to slow drug trafficking by the Sinaloa cartel, said Jonathan Duecker, a DEA agent from 1998 to 2003, who recently studied transnational criminal organizations as a staff member for the House Homeland Security Committee. There was no discernible impact when he was in prison on the flow of drugs or the amount of cash moving from the U.S. to Mexico, Duecker said Monday. Just because he is locked up, doesnt mean we will see a degradation in their operations, he added. We may see an increase in violence across the border as other cartels try to assert their market foothold within the U.S. Times staff writer Bennett reported from Washington and special correspondent Bonello from Mexico City. ALSO Food and other supplies reach besieged Syrian towns, aid officials say David Bowie, transformative musician and multi-dimensional artist, dies at 69 Californias laws test whether sexual predators can ever be rehabilitated Iranian military forces are holding 10 American sailors and two small Navy boats that apparently strayed into Iranian waters, U.S. officials said Tuesday, but Tehran has pledged to release them shortly. The Americans were on a training mission in the Persian Gulf when the riverine boats experienced a navigational or mechanical difficulty and appear to have drifted into Iranian waters, according to the Pentagon. Iranian coast guard boats brought the vessels to a Revolutionary Guard base on Farsi Island, officials said. U.S. officials said they believe that the American vessels steered off course and that the crew was aided, not captured, by Iranian forces. Advertisement There doesnt seem to be anything malicious at work on either side, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity in discussing the internal assessment. The Navy crew members are safe and are expected to be released promptly, Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said on CNN. But Rear Adm. Ali Fadavi, head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards navy, said American vessels had been making unprofessional air and sea maneuvers in the area for a period of about 40 minutes. Iranian officials said the U.S. personnel included nine men and one woman who had been detained. They said the two U.S. boats, each armed with .50-caliber guns, were seized after the vessels illegally entered nearly a mile inside Irans maritime boundary near Farsi Island. With timely measures taken by the [Iranian navy], this was foiled and 100% tranquility and peace was secured and control returned to the region, Fadavi told the Fars news agency in Iran. He said Iranian military officials were in contact with Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who in turn was in communication with U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry, who he said had called for the release of the sailors. Mr. Zarif had a strong and firm stance, and said: They were in our territorial waters and should apologize, Fadavi said. This process has been done and definitely wont take a long time. In a separate statement to the Tasmin news agency, Revolutionary Guard spokesman Gen. Ramzan Sharif said the U.S. service members were being questioned. If the dialogue is clear and indicates that their entrance into Iranian waters was to collect information, ... then officials will take necessary measures, he said. On the other hand, he said, if it appears that the Americans inadvertently ventured into Iranian territory, that will be taken into consideration. They should be sure that our treatment of them will be based on Islamic compassion, he said. U.S. officials said Kerry had spoken by phone with Iranian officials in Tehran to gain their release. Ben Rhodes, a senior aide to President Obama, said earlier Tuesday that discussions were ongoing. We are working to resolve the situation so any U.S. personnel are returned to their normal deployment.... Hopefully, it will be resolved, he said. A Pentagon official said the Navy lost contact with the two craft as they transited from Kuwait to Bahrain. We subsequently have been in communication with Iranian authorities, who have informed us of the safety and well-being of our personnel, said the official, who was not authorized to speak on the record. We have received assurances the sailors will promptly be allowed to continue their journey. Join the conversation on Facebook >> Farsi Island is home to gas and oil installations, in addition to the Revolutionary Guard base, and public access is restricted. The island comes under the legal jurisdiction of mainland Bushehr province, which is also home to a nuclear power plant built with Russian assistance. The unusual episode began to unfold just hours before Obama was set to deliver his final State of the Union address to Congress. It also came amid rising tensions in the region. On Dec. 30, the White House notified Congress of its intentions to impose new sanctions on Iran for testing ballistic missiles, but then reversed course. Iran also launched a small rocket that reportedly passed about 1,500 yards from a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Strait of Hormuz. Times staff writers Hennigan and Memoli reported from Washington and special correspondent Mostaghim reported from Tehran. Staff writers Brian Bennett in Washington and Patrick J. McDonnell in Beirut contributed to this report. MORE FROM WORLD In his final State of the Union address, Obama seeks to stay relevant Food and other supplies reach besieged Syrian towns, aid officials say Turkey blames Islamic State for deadly blast in the heart of Istanbuls tourist area Jonathan Powell, the UK diplomat who participated in the peace talks in Havana, Cuba, said on Sunday via TeleSur that the Colombian rebels FARC's (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) proposal to submit a peace deal to a referendum was "the most legitimate." Current president Juan Manuel Santos rejected the option, wanting to have a legislative debate instead. Powell, however, said that a plebiscite is undeniably better, adding, "How else could we demonstrate popular support?" However, Powell, who has previously signed the peace agreement with the Irish Republican Army fighters under the administration of Tony Blair, does agree to some of Santos's terms. Of the current peace talks, he praised the agreement that was reached on transitional justice, agreeing with Santos that it has created a precedent in the world. "The government had to balance its duty of satisfying the victims' rights, and of preventing more victims with the conflict's end." Powell mentioned that he's confident that a peace agreement could be reached in the next few months, praising the reform that the government has led to implement the deal. This legislative initiative could avoid a scenario like the one he witnessed in 1994, when the IRA rebels ended the peace process. The UK diplomat stressed the importance of trust in talks, explaining with anecdotes referring to the IRA negotiations. However, he did acknowledge that to reach an agreement, both sides -- the FARC and the Colombian Government alike -- will have to justify the deals with their supporters, putting pressure to achieve demands on both sides. Santos announced on Friday a call for extraordinary sessions in Congress, as noted by The Jerusalem Post, in order to disarm the FARC. He said in Cartagena, I will call for extra sessions in Congress to approve a change in the law, in order to allow the President, that today has no such legal power, to initiate the procedures to disarm the FARC in the negotiated sites." The Colombian government and the FARC rebels agreed in September that the guerilla group would lay down arms within 60 days of signing the peace deal in Havana, where they have been doing their talks. The official deadline is set for March 23, 2016. If the peace deal gets by the government and the rebel group, it will be the end of the war that has ravaged the South American nation for over fifty years, leaving in its wake over 220,000 deaths and millions more displaced. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Notorious drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has finally been captured in what former head of the DEA in El Paso, Texas, called a "great victory" for Mexico and the US, reported Regeneracion Mexico. However, Jordan said he was surprised that El Chapo was arrested in Mexico, telling the press, "I never thought that the PRI were going to arrest 'Chapo' Guzman because they got a lot of money to Pena Nieto's campaign, so I surprised when he was arrested back in Mazatlan." He also noted that Guzman had been essential in contributing to the campaign of now-president Pena Nieto. The Guardian noted that the theatrical escapes from the drug lord have been carried out on collusion with the Mexican government, who were controlled by the Sinaola cartel that he's been heading. After all, when he first escaped in 2001, it was by the use of a laundry basket, which people to this day still refused to believe as probable. He was recaptured but then escaped again in 2015 when he was caught on prison cameras disappearing into a tunnel from under the shower in his cell. Both escapes led people to believe that at that point, even the president must be in cahoots with the escapee. Jordan himself was convinced that Pena Nieto was involved at some point, adding that something must have gone wrong between the president and the drug lord, now that El Chapo has been captured yet again. Jordan said, "something went wrong when 'Chapo' paid the (PRI) billions of dollars to not touch it and paid millions of dollars to (PAN) to let him out the last time; Chapo has all the money in the world." Another possibility is that El Chapo surrendered with a set form of negotiation with the federal government. Of course, these are mere speculations at this point, and officially, news broke that Mexico is willing to extradite El Chapo to the US. The St. Louis Post Dispatch added that this is a sharp reversal from their position from the 2014 capture. An unnamed Mexican official said, "Mexico is ready. There are plans to cooperate with the U.S." Still, he cautioned that the process could be lengthy, and US prosecutors will have to wait before they can get their hands on the most wanted drug trafficker in Mexico. Manilio Fabio Beltrones, president of Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party said, "He has a lot of outstanding debts to pay in Mexico, but if it's necessary, he can pay them in other places." 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The economic crisis in Puerto Rico is threatening the country's access to gasoline and electricity, officials said on Monday. Late last week, Puerto Rico arrived at a tentative deal with Total Petroleum Puerto Rico Corp. after the company decided that it would no longer supply gasoline to state vehicles due to the nation's debt exceeding more than $16 million, said Danny Hernandez, a spokesman for the General Services Administration, NZ Herald reported. Hernandez noted that the agreement is in effect only if Puerto Rico's government makes a $3 million payment on Monday and another $4 million payment before January ends, the news outlet added. The government's lack of liquidity has also almost left the island's ambulances, patrol cars, fire trucks, and other public vehicles without gas supply this Monday. The head of the Legal Department at Total Petroleum Puerto Rico Corp., Denise Rodriguez, said that "a friendly accord" was reached to maintain the fuel supply, according to Fox News Latino. Rodriguez noted that the French major oil and gas corporation started its operations in Puerto Rico eight years ago and that it intends to maintain that relationship, Fox News Latino reported. The goal is to keep the debt below $10 million, the limit Total set on credit line. The Caribbean island's greatly indebted public power firm also announced it would cut electricity supply to three hospitals and clinics this week because of their unpaid multimillion dollar bills, NZ Herald further reported. Jose Daniel Echevarria, a spokesman with the Electric Power Authority, said that the service cuts can be prevented only if the hospitals and clinics come up with a payment plan in the coming days. Last month, the power company has cut off power to the government's Highway and Transportation Authority due to unpaid bills, NZ Herald noted. Services, however, were re-established when a payment plan was agreed to. Puerto Rico's deteriorating financial state comes amid the country's nine years of economic stagnation, NZ Herald added. There's the $72 billion in public debt as well, which, according to the governor, is unpayable and requires restructuring. "We're already seeing the first consequences of this situation," Public Affairs Secretary Jesus Manuel Ortiz said at a press conference on Monday, as quoted in NZ Herald's report. "If we don't address the reality of this crisis, it will only worsen." Ortiz has renewed the Puerto Rican government's appeal for the U.S. Congress to allow the island access to a kind of bankruptcy mechanism, the news outlet noted. The government is slapped with its first lawsuit over how it has diverted funds to meet certain bond payments as its liquidity declines. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Indigenous officials of the Rama-Kriol Territorial Government have been complaining that they are being pressured to give their approval to an interoceanic canal project. The indigenous authorities said that they are under pressure to sign "a document giving the free, previous and informed consent of the Indian people... for the megaproject to be carried out on their territory," according to a public complaint announced by the Legal Assistance Center for Indigenous Peoples, Fox News Latino reported. The natives didn't name national and regional officials in their complaint. The state-run Nicaraguan Grand Interoceanic Canal Commission aims to obtain around 263 sq. kilometers (102 sq. miles) of the Rama-Kriol indigenous territories, Fox News Latino added. The project requires construction of an interoceanic waterway that will measure up to 276 kilometers (171 miles) long, 520 meters (1,700 feet) wide, and 30 meters (98 feet) deep. The structure will connect the country's Pacific and Caribbean (Atlantic) coasts and will serve as a competitor to the Panama Canal. Indian governors said that Nicaragua's laws protect their territory from any type of divisions or its likely disappearance. Indian authorities also asked President Daniel Ortega to "stop this violation of human rights and constitutional guarantees," the news outlet further reported. The Nicaraguan leader has legalized their territory between 2000 and 2010. In addition, the indigenous leaders fear that they would be taken to the capital city, Managua, to "make them sign the document there," Fox News Latino noted. Nicaragua's government approved the project's environmental impact study in November 2015, Business News Americas reported. However, almost no physical efforts have been done since the project's concessionaire, the HKND Nicaragua Grand Canal, began construction in December 2014. HKND's project head for the canal, Bill Wild, said in late November that the project was "behind schedule" by approximately a year, the news outlet added. The film also said that additional studies were being conducted to determine the canal's final technical facets. HKND has blamed the project's late construction to the environmental study's delay, which was only approved by authorities in November, The Rakyat Post reported. In the town of Rivas, people have been uneasy and worried over the canal project, the news outlet noted. Rivas is located near the opening of the Brito River, where the Pacific Ocean gateway will be constructed. Even though the Nicaraguan government has promised its 200,000 residents that the canal would bring wealth upon its completion, rural inhabitants on the outskirts fear that their lives will be uprooted to make way for the huge project, The Rakyat Post added. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Extraditing notorious drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to the United States may take at least one year because the Mexican cartel boss has the right to appeal, according to authorities in Mexico. In a report from BBC, Jose Manuel Merino from the Mexican attorney general's office explained that it will take a long time before El Chapo could be legally transferred to the U.S. government's custody because Guzman is allowed, by law, to appeal his extradition. According to the outlet, the American government requested for custody of the Mexican drug lord after he was indicted by several U.S. federal district courts for smuggling illegal substances into the country. The extradition request from the nation may have also been triggered by several instances when the Mexican drug kingpin escaped his prison guards as featured in an article from Time. In fact, Washington released a statement on Monday, cited by AFP (via Yahoo News), emphasizing the importance of keeping Guzman from escaping again. "Certainly we've made our concerns known to Mexican authorities about the danger posed by this particular individual," State Department spokesman John Kirby stated. He further noted that Mexico may already have some inkling on the matter, considering that the world is watching. "And I think it's safe to assume that they understand that the world is watching how this case moves forward and that this individual needs to stay behind bars," he added. What is more interesting in the recent turn of events is that El Chapo almost escaped the raid that led to his capture, a fact that Mexican authorities allegedly tried to conceal per a report from the Sydney Morning Herald. "He slipped away from the first group charged with capturing him, using the same technique as before, using the drains," Francisco Salvador Lopez Brito of National Action Party told the outlet, adding that the entire capture can be attributed to luck because he was actually getting away from his captors. The SMH further revealed that President Enrique Pena Nieto attributed the capture to the outstanding performance of the Mexican police who restored faith in his administration. "It certainly restored some credibility to his government, which was ridiculed six months ago when Guzman escaped from a maximum security prison -- for the second time -- through a tunnel dug right into his cell," the report read. The outlet further noted that contrary to what Mexican officials claimed, some still believe that El Chapo was not actually the target of raid, and may not have known that he was in the house when they attacked it. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The expanded Panama Canal is expected to be open this year and US farmers are excited for the development, which is expected to boost soybean exports once completed. Star Tribune reported that the expansion work on the 50-mile canal means a lot to the shipment of soybean harvests from the United States to other parts of the world. It also explained that the soybean exports would usually be shipped using the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico, but the 600 million bushels would be transited using the Panama Canal going to Asia. "It's an amazing feat what they're building. It's a major, major project, and unless you see it for yourself, it's really hard to even look at pictures and get a sense of how big it is," said Minnesota soybean farmer Joel Schreurs in the Star Tribune report. Economist Su Ye also agreed with Schreurs, noting that grain exports like corn from Minnesota to Asia will also be boosted by the Panama Canal expansion. An earlier Forbes report also detailed that other agricultural areas in the US, like Houston, will also benefit from the soon-to-be-opened project. The canal reportedly connects Houston to Latin American countries and also Asian markets like the Philippines, Japan, China and South Korea. Port of Houston executive director Roger Guenther said that people can expect that consumer goods will be coming in while materials to make these goods will be exported. "So from toys to garments to household goods, you name it, are coming in through the Panama Canal from Asia, and the things that are going out can be cotton, agricultural-type [products], petrochemical-related products [like] polyethylene and those types of plastics," Guenther noted. Situated between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Panama Canal provides an easier and faster route for ships who would not want to take the Cape Horn route. Its official website explained that the expansion, which started in 2007 and costs $5.2 billion, aimed to create "a new lane of traffic" along the canal with the construction of new locks, thus doubling its capacity. The Wall Street Journal said the main purpose is to really enable larger ships to carry more goods through a deeper canal. Existing locks in the Panama Canal reportedly carried 5,000 TEUs (twenty foot equivalent unit), but the expansion promises a capacity of 13,000 TEUs, more than double the previous capacity of the canal. "It will have a direct impact on economies of scale and international maritime trade," added the official website. The expansion also involved creating an access channel in the Pacific, improving navigational channels through dredging and improving water supply. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The planned closed-door hearing for the genocide case of Guatemala's ex-dictator Efrain Rios Montt, set for Monday, was suspended due to pending petitions from the defense. According to a report from Tico Times, lawyers from the defense and prosecution announced the suspension of the hearing that was ordered by the Guatemala City court back in 2013, following a decision that overturned Rios Montt's conviction and sentence for the same charges. Jaime Hernandez, one of the members of the defense, told the press in the court house that the court "decided to suspend the start of the trial of former general Rios Montt because of three pending petitions to resolve." The said trial was scheduled on Monday, January 11, without the accused 89-year-old because he is already senile and bedridden in his home in a wealthy district in the Guatemalan capital. Rios Montt ruled the country from 1982 to 1983 and is accused of killing 1,771 members of the Maya Ixil indigenous tribe residing in Quiche, located in the northern region of Guatemala, with the help of his former military intelligence chief, Jose Rodriguez. The move was reportedly aimed at removing rural support for the leftist guerrilla group during the course of the civil war between 1960 and 1996. According to BBC, he was convicted of the charges and was sentenced to spend 80 years in prison. However, a high court in the territory overturned the conviction due to procedural grounds, and ordered a retrial to be conducted. Because of the weight of his accusation, the case became high profile and was intensely monitored all over the world, particularly by rights defense groups. After news of the trial suspension broke, human rights advocacy group Amnesty International immediately released a statement condemning the move. "By allowing Rios Montt to evade the courts for decades, the Guatemalan authorities have been playing a cruel game with the victims of the tens of thousands of people who were tortured, killed, disappeared and forcibly displaced under his command and their relatives," said the group's Americas Director Erika Guevara-Rosas. The statement further deemed the suspension of the trial to be "a slap in the face of the victims still trying to heal the wounds of decades of brutal civil war." According to BBC, another trial is set for July but is most likely going to be suspended again since the medical examiner deemed the former dictator mentally incompetent to participate. This was echoed by Human Rights Legal Action Center lawyer Hector Reyes who expressed his fears to Tico Times that the defense is using delaying tactics that could end up in the cancellation of the trial altogether. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. China will stick to family planning restrictions for up to 30 years, a senior official said yesterday, rejecting concerns that limits on the number of children had shrunk the pool of workers needed to support an aging population. Last year, China announced the country would relax its long-standing one-child policy, allowing all couples to have two children. Critics, however, have said that the policy change has come too late to avert a dangerous population imbalance as many couples are now not keen on having more children. China's population is set to peak at about 1.45 billion in 2050 when one in every three people is expected to be more than 60 years old, with a shrinking proportion of working adults to support them. Officials, however, will adhere to family planning restrictions "for the long term," Wang Pei'an, vice minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, told a news conference in Beijing. "This long-term adherence is at least 20 years, 30 years," Wang said. "After a period of time, along with demographic changes, and along with changes in the population's socio-economic development situation, we will adopt a different population policy." It is difficult to give a specific time on how long the restrictions on family size would be maintained, he said, adding that it is an issue that has to be dealt with "in line with the times." Asked about the danger that the two-child policy will prevent China from getting rich before it gets old, Wang said an aging population was a global problem and "an inevitable trend of a society's development." China's main problem with its labor force is not the number of workers but "how to improve the quality of workers," he said. There is a demographic "imbalance" across China, between poorer regions with higher fertility levels and cities, where many residents are reluctant to have more children, Wang told reporters. The one-child policy was introduced in 1979 to prevent population growth spiraling out of control, but is now regarded as responsible for shrinking the labor pool. It has also led to the problem of an aging society, with a smaller number of productive young people, a phenomenon usually seen in industrialized countries. With the adoption of the two-child policy, China's labor force could rise by more than 30 million by 2050 and its aging population will be reduced by 2 percentage points by 2030, Wang said. According to the commission, 90 million Chinese women are allowed to have a second child under the new policy that took effect on January 1. Sixty percent of them are over 35 years old and 50 percent are aged 40 or older. "The new policy has increased the likelihood of later-age pregnancies, which are associated with risks ... Therefore, we need better maternal and child health services," Wang said. Crops from the Dominican Republic can now be exported in the United States again, as agricultural authorities in Washington have lifted the import ban of all Medfly hosts from the Caribbean country. An announcement from the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, (APHIS) cited by Fresh Plaza, stated how the prohibition of imports of several kinds of citrus fruits and vegetables has been lifted and is "effective immediately" in 23 Dominican Republic provinces. According to Dominican Today, the Department of Agriculture Federal Order No. 2016-03 was amended to allow the said products from the Caribbean nation. "Medfly host material for export must be transported in a sealed or tarped container from the production site to the packinghouse, and from the packinghouse to the port of export to safeguard against the introduction of quarantine pests during transport," the APHIS explained in a statement released via the American Embassy in Santo Domingo. The statement also confirmed that all peppers, avocados, papayas and citrus fruits from the country are now allowed to be sold in the U.S. market, effective immediately, provided the products follow requisites for export. The statement also contained APHIS General Management Administrator of Phytosanitary Issues assistant manager Michael Guidicipietro's commendation for his counterparts in the country for their efforts in monitoring and containing the Medfly outbreak. "We applaud the efforts of the Dominican Government in the surveillance and eradication program, as well as on the release of sterile insects in the areas with outbreaks with the goal of finally eradicating the insect from the territory of the Dominican Republic," he said in the statement. According to the country's Ministry of Agriculture, agricultural products from the eastern districts of the country were still banned from being exported to the U.S., particularly in areas where the Mediterranean fruit fly, or the so-called "Medfly," infected tropical fruits and vegetables in 2015. The said ban, which was imposed April last year, greatly affected the Dominican Republic's economy, which Near Shore Americas deemed as "the fastest-growing economy in the Americas." According to the website, the country lost about $400 worth of farm export revenue after the ban took effect. Citing the World Bank, the Dominican Republic is expecting no GDP growth this 2016, after dropping nearly one percent last year. Despite this, the outlet noted the change in perspective among Dominicans who no longer doubt the stability of their economy, and are even "somewhat satisfied with the economic development activities." 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Live footage from Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's capture last Friday has been released. Mexico's news outlet Televisa aired the 15-minute footage on Monday, Fusion wrote. The video was allegedly shot from GoPro cameras worn by Mexican marines involved in the so-called "Black Swan" operation on a house in the city of Los Mochis. Mexican Attorney General Arely Gomez said that the Sinaloa Cartel leader dodged the Marines by escaping with the help of an assistant through an escape tunnel that led to the city's sewage system, before ultimately being captured at a highway by the Mexican Federal Police. They were then taken to a motel nearby to wait for additional reinforcement. Afterwards, they headed to Los Mochis airport and were transferred to Mexico City, according to a report from ABC News. Watch the video of Guzman's capture below. The Mexican Navy reportedly handed the clip to Mexican journalist Carlos Loret De Mola, the news outlet noted. In the video, a commanding officer can be heard urging other marines to move forward and to search the house. At one point, a Marine was injured during an initial shootout as they storm the house. When they stopped firing, the drug lord has already left the building. Seventeen elite Mexican Marines were involved in the raid, ABC News reported. Mexican show "Primero Noticias" said that the Marines were met by around one dozen well-armed guards inside who were ready for a fight. The officials moved from room to room, clearing the house, and found two men in one room upstairs and two women on the floor of a bathroom. All of them were captured. The Marines controlled the whole house after 15 minutes, ABC News reported from "Primero Noticias." Five guards, however, were killed and two men and two women were detained. One of the women was the same cook Guzman had with him when he was arrested years ago. The house where Guzman had been captured was monitored for a month, the news outlet added. "Primero Noticias" said that it acquired surveillance footage showing Guzman and his accomplice emerging from the manhole cover, and then stealing two cars to flee the scene. On Sunday, Mexican officials have formally launched the process to extradite Guzman to the United States, a lengthy process which could be plagued with legal appeals and maneuvering, Chicago Tribune reported. Guzman's defense now has three days to present arguments against extradition and 20 days to provide supporting evidence. These are beyond many of other appeals the defense have already begun filing. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio is now viewing the much debated immigration issue as more of an issue of national security as opposed to a question of what to do with millions of illegal immigrants in the country. The presidential candidate has evolved in his stance on the topic, which has caused many heated debates with conservative voters. Rubio said that the concept of immigration has now drastically changed. In a speech that he gave to voters in New Hampshire, he said that radical jihadist groups were using the country's immigration policies against them, and that this is a very pressing issue that can no longer be ignored. In a report with Fox News Latino, Rubio struggles to explain his supporting an immigration overhaul bill that included a path to citizenship in the past. One of Rubio's chief rivals, Ted Cruz, has criticized Rubio in the past for being too soft on the issue of immigration. The question of immigration is often presented by many skeptical voters during political campaigns, who believe that Rubio is undecided on the issue. With Rubio's backing, the immigration overhaul bill passed the Senate, but he later backed off the proposal, as it drew much criticism from the conservative right. When asked for his explanation on doing so, Rubio said he favors a "one-piece-at-a-time approach." Rubio believes that the federal government needs to boost border security. The Republican presidential hopeful hopes to modernize the legal immigration system. He adds that the government should improve tracking those immigrants with overstay visas. Rubio believes that the e-verify system should be made mandatory. The presidential hopeful has recently started the immigration segment of his speech by showing deficiencies in the U.S.-Mexico border. He views the existing legal immigration system as a national security threat. Rubio has also warned voters that the Islamic State group is recruiting fighters to send to the United States, having them pose as civilians, such as doctors, students and investors. Yahoo reports that Rubio says if the U.S. government cannot establish the identity of a person coming into the United States, they won't be allowed in under his administration. However, Rubio's views on immigration has long been seen as evolving. In 2008, Rubio was criticized by his GOP colleagues for not bringing in several bills that were aimed at discouraging illegal immigrants to vote. These bills reported to include employer verification requirements. One bill also proposed to require police to report people suspected of being in the country illegally. Rubio's views began to shift rightward when he ran for a spot in the Senate in 2010, where he was instantly a favorite. He promised to oppose any legislation that would grant amnesty to illegal immigrants. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. One week after North Korea tested a nuke, the solitary country announced that they captured a US citizen, reported Slate. North Korea claimed that it is holding captive another US Citizen, named Kim Dong Chul. Kim was revealed to CNN when he sat for an interview at a Pyongyang hotel, claiming that he was a naturalized US citizen from Fairfax, Virginia. He told CNN's Will Ripley that he was "frogmarched into the room by stony-faced guards." The US government was not yet able to confirm Kim's identity, although the prisoner said that he moved to Yanji, China, on the Korean border in 2001. He also revealed, with permission from the guards, that he traveled across the border daily on behalf of a hotel services company. He also shared that he was spying on behalf of the "South Korean conservative elements," taking photos of military secrets as well as "scandalous" scenes. He also said that the South Koreans "injected me with a hatred towards North Korea. They asked me to help destroy the (North Korean) system and spread propaganda against the government." Kim was arrested in October on espionage charges. He told CNN in a plea, "I'm asking the U.S. or South Korean government to rescue me." State Department spokesman John Kirby said that he could not confirm reports and declined to discuss the issue further, considering that Washington and Pyongyang don't have diplomatic relations. However, according to ABC News, he told reporters that "We are looking into the matter, and when we have more that we can say -- if we have more that we can say -- we will." If his story is confirmed, Kim will be the first US Citizen held in North Korea since 2014, when the US was able to negotiate the release of a missionary and a tourist. With that in mind, it has been noted that North Korea had been using prisoners for propaganda purposes in order to get high-profile figures to visit the isolated country. Bill Clinton was noted to have met with Kim Jong-il in 2009 to secure the release of two US journalists, while Jimmy Carter was sent to fetch Christian activist Aijalon Mahli Gomes in 2010. The announcement of Kim's capture came just a week after North Korea made international headlines when it executed a nuclear test that they claimed was a hydrogen bomb, although many doubt the truthfulness of the statement. Kim is said to have appeared to be in good health, and he said he has been getting proper nourishment. He is currently being held in a Pyongyang hotel with access to local newspapers as well as a television. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. When it comes to weapons and war missiles, it is imperative that each country keep the advancement of their technology secret, in order to take their enemies by surprise. Unfortunately for the US, such secrecy will not be afforded to them anymore after a US Hellfire missile was wrongly shipped to Cuba. The missile, which was sent to Europe for a training exercise, was then shipped to the South American nation, and according to BBC, the incident could have led to a serious loss of technology. It is said to not contain explosives, however, the US is still trying to get it away from Cuba. A US official who is said to have knowledge of the situation confirmed the report. So what is the importance of the missile that landed on the wrong hemisphere? The Guardian noted that Hellfire, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is said to be a 45kg (100lbs), laser-guided missile that can be deployed from an unmanned drone like the Predator, or an attack copter like the Apache. The Wall Street Journal noted that the missile, which was shipped to Spain in 2014, was used in a Nato training exercise. While loading a flight at the Madrid Airport, officials noticed it was missing, later on finding out that it was taken through Spain and Germany, and eventually to Paris, where it was put en route to Cuba via the Charles de Gaulle Airport. It was loaded on to an Air France flight to Havana, Cuba. When the plane landed, a Cuban official noticed the label and impounded the missile. What worries US officials is the fact that with the missile is in the hands of the South American nation, who could in turn, share the advanced technology with countries such as North Korea, China, or Russia. The Telegraph noted that these countries could study the missile and its technology, including its sensors and targeting, to improve their own, more high-tech versions, or to develop counter-measures. What is especially dangerous is that the United States and Cuba have been hostile toward one another for the last half century. However, they have formally restored diplomatic relations as of July of last year, even re-opening embassies in each other's capitals in the process. Currently, the US is investigating the missile's disappearance as officials are trying to figure out whether or not the incident was a deliberate act of espionage. Do you think there is a possibility that the missile was sent by mistake to another country, or is there a conspiracy at play? 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A rigged election is not uncommon, but in Venezuela, extreme measures have been taken to ensure that the opposition party, despite winning the votes of the public, will not overturn the government, especially considering that three lawmakers in their posts were supposedly suspended from the legislation. The Daily Mail said it has been ruled that any decisions made by the Venezuelan government shall be considered null as three suspended lawmakers remain in their posts, said the Supreme Court. The deciding body said in a statement on Monday, "We declare the absolute nullity of the National Assembly's decisions which have been or will be taken until these lawmaker continue to be part of the deputies." Three lawmakers in Amazonas began their work in the new parliament, despite the ruling of the Supreme Court that is investigating into electoral irregularities in Venezuela. According to Sputnik News, the new opposition-controlled parliament, currently headed by Henry Ramos Allup, has gained majority for the first time in 17 years in the December 2015 elections, gaining a total of two-thirds of their seats in the National Assembly. The ruling angered members of the opposition, who said that by barring them to do the work required of their posts, the Supreme Court is stealing away their historic legislative win. One of the members of the opposition, Freddy Guevara, denounced the order of the court, saying, "We will not cede one iota of the power that the people of Venezuela gave us." However, Diosdado Cabello, who was head of Congress until last week, said that the opposition party should take the court's ruling seriously, and hold a session to remove three of their lawmakers. Still, he doubts that they will do so, saying "I doubt that they actually will, because we know how enormously arrogant the new leaders of the National Assembly are; they are full of hate, bitterness and a desire for revenge." Lawmakers have also been in the process of debating a law that could potentially give amnesty to jailed opposition leaders who have been considered by human rights groups as political prisoners. A congressional committee has also been formed to look into the irregularities of the rush appointment of 13 Supreme Court judges just after the legislative elections, as they were said to be proof that the court itself is rigged. BBC noted, however, that Venezuela's Supreme Court has almost always ruled in favor of the government since the rule of Hugo Chavez, and now, Nicolas Maduro. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Public sales for Costa Rica's ocean-view lots have now begun. The Ridges of Portalon announced the sales of seven whitewater ocean-view lots, ranging in size from just under an acre to 1.25 acres, and starting at just $85,000. According to Free Press Release, the Ridges of Portalon is located in Costa Rica. It is expected to become the premier private gated community in the region. According to the report, the community is already slated to begin construction in January of this year on the clubhouse and infinity pool, which would be exclusive to residents. "With Ridges [of Portalon] the goal was to provide potential buyers the opportunity to own a brand new oceanview home with all the amenities at an affordable price almost anyone can afford. We believe that we've met that goal and are excited to finally present the Ridges of Portalon to the public," said developer Bob Klenz. The website boasts that the lots sprawl across 350 acres. 140 of these acres are protected land reserve, which boast of rolling hills with vast white-water ocean views of the Hills of Portalon. The place is just a 10 minute drive from Dominical beach and 15 minutes to the world renowned Manuel Antonio National Park. According to the website, the location is most ideal for those who want to have readily accessible activities and amenities. Furthermore, the Quepos airport is a 10 minute drive from the property, which makes it easy to fly to San Jose. Marketers Media says that the areas surrounding the gated community are very popular among tourists. This would mean a high demand for vacation rentals. The Ridges of Portalon also offers owners a vacation rental pool and property management to help subsidize their investment, should they prefer that their home generate rental income when the property is not in use. As of the moment, there are eight existing homes at the community generating rental income. The site says that potential buyers are required to register in advance to take the virtual tour of the Ridges of Portalon. Because of the extremely low prices offered on the ocean-view lots, Ridges of Portalon says that it will be focused solely on direct sales to the public. They said that they do not have any involvement with realtors in order to pass these savings on to the potential buyers. For more information on the location, the website can be visited here, at Hills of Portalon. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Chile may very well lose its hold on the wine industry, thanks to persistent price wars and excessive mass production. Should Chile's hold on the British wine industry slip, this would further add to the country's economic and political woes. According to The Drinks Business, Mario Pablo Silva, director of Vina Casa Silva, said that "competitive price wars and excessive mass production have threatened the potential of the Chilean wine industry" in the United Kingdom. The UK is Chile's largest export market. Currently, Chile is the fourth largest exporter of wine in the world. It comes after France, Italy and Spain. It is currently considered to be the largest New World exporter of wine. The United Kingdom currently receives 23% of Chile's wine exports. These figures make up 17% of all value sales, according to figures given by the winery. Silva said that the Cabernet Sauvignon mass production in Chile is potentially damaging to other markets such as Carmenere. Silva recognizes the brand as one of the most potential of all the brands in the emerging wine market. Since 2010, Vina Casa Silva has conducted its research into the different territories across Chile, and has identified "excellent potential" for cool-coast wines and the Carmenere variety. "Chile should be championing Carmenere over Cabernet Sauvignon, which currently has the biggest volume production," he said. "Chile has to identify its strengths, redefine the category and ensure we are only producing wines of quality," he added. According to Silva, UK imports nearly 900 million litres of wine every year. This means that Chile needs to step up its game, and offer its finest wines in order to be deemed a major competitor in the wine market. Silva's assessment came when Vina Casa Silva announced a new proposal with its distributors in the UK in order to promote its premium wines so as to "ensure the longevity of Chilean wine in the UK." Silva challenged the Chilean wine industry to focus on premium wines, should they want to thrive and make it big in the wine industry, a report with Harpers says. The report says that Wines of Chile aims to make the country the leading producer of premium wines by 2020. Silva has been working closely with the Chilean government to ensure that Chilean wine becomes the heart of the Chilean image. He also added that wine makers and the tourism industry must do more in order to communicate the diversity of Chile's wine culture. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Bolivian President Evo Morales said that the campaign that defended the "no" in the referendum on his right to re-election was funded by the United States. Bolivians are scheduled to take a vote on Feb. 21 to modify the 2009 constitution that would allow President Morales to run for office again in 2019. According to TelesurTV, Morales said that Bolivia's right-wing sectors are at war with each other over the United States' supposed financial support. The website says that the Bolivian opposition is in cahoots with the U.S. National Democratic Institute. Morales believes that the U.S. embassy treats many Bolivian politicians as their "pets." "I am not sure whether (the money) is sent by the corrupted criminals who fled to the United States, or by the U.S. State Department," he said in an interview, speaking about Bolivian officials who have found shelter in the United States, which included fugitives from the law, like former President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada. The report also says that the U.S. embassy advised Bolivian opposition leaders to avoid appearing publicly during the campaign period in order to emphasize that the rejection of the Bolivian president's re-election comes from the Bolivian majority. "Our campaign is not only against the Bolivian right but the international right," Morales said. The Bolivian president is also convinced that the United States plans to end leftist governments in Argentina, Venezuela, and Bolivia. Bolivians are scheduled to vote in a referendum Feb. 21 to decide whether Morales can run for a third term in 2019. Authorities have previously ruled that his first term, from 2006 to 2010, did not count toward the two-term limit because it took place during the country's previous constitution. It was earlier reported by Mint Press News that the U.S. government offered material support to those who opposed the Bolivian government and its president, Evo Morales. Those enemies have made plots to kill the president. Morales has spent years persisitently resisting the United States' Latin American agenda. This led to a gradual escalation of U.S. attempts to destabilize Morales' government. In turn, the Bolivian government accuses the U.S. government of supporting plans to overthrow Morales, or even have him assassinated. Morales has already come a long way from the days of his first term. In those days, Bolivia's more-prosperous lowland regions threatened to separate from Bolivia in revolt. After years of sustained economic growth and disciplined fiscal policy, Morales won support in the Santa Cruz department that is the country's business capital. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Fitbit Saves Teen's Life; App Detects Potentially Fatal Heart Condition media@latinoshealth.com By Czarmecin Jan 12, 2016 04:30 AM EST Fitbit is designed to motivate individuals to keep fit and improve their health by tracking activity, exercise, food, weight and sleep. But, did you know that this device can also warn you about a fatal heart condition? Yes, it can and it just did. Sarah-Jayne McIntosh, 18, from Southport, Merseyside, received a Fitbit as a Christmas present. The teen constantly uses this to measure her heart rate, which usually is around 84 beats per minute (bpm), Daily Mail Online reported. On Wednesday, McIntosh was studying for an exam in her residence at Edge Hill University, in Ormskirk, Lancashire when she noticed that her heart rate jumped to 210bpm. It surprised her because it was too high than her usual heart beat per minute and, at the time, she was just sitting down. She was worried, so she called the NHS non-emergency 111 number who immediately dispatched an ambulance and rushed her to Southport and Formby District General Hospital. She was then told that she had a heart condition. "As soon as I got to the hospital, they hooked me on all these machines and did some blood tests and they have found an issue with my heart," McIntosh said. "Apparently one pathway from one chamber to the heart from the other was misfiring. Instead, of the chambers beating one after another like it normally should, they were beating at the exact same time, which was causing my heart rate to increase." The doctors informed her that she had two heartbeats. She had a resting rate of 190bpm and doctors couldn't lower it. So, the medical professionals used shock to reset it and ended up using a medication that reacted within 10 seconds. It forced the heart to slow down and rest her body. "For the first time that day I could get a full breath and I felt a lot better," she said. "My heart rate convulsed and started to gradually reduce." Just several days ago, Fitbit made headlines due to inaccurate data. According to News.com.au, the smartwatch brand was sued by customers who claimed that the gadget's measures are wild and dangerous. The San Francisco federal court suit claimed that the device's heart-rate monitors are inaccurate. "The heart-rate monitoring function of the PurePulse Trackers is a material - indeed, in some cases, vital - feature of the product," as stated in the lawsuit. However, Fitbit fired back and stressed that the civil-action suit has no merit. They stood firm and disclosed that the company "plans to vigorously defend the lawsuit." What will happen to the lawsuit filed against Fitbit, now that a new case proved that the wearable technology works and even saved a life? Share your thoughts in the comment section below. Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! A woman who is in a critical condition in hospital after being diagnosed with H5N6 bird flu last month gave birth to a healthy baby girl by caesarean section, the Xinhua news agency reported yesterday. The 40-year-old, surnamed He, was 35 weeks' pregnant when she was taken to the Zhaoqing No. 1 People's Hospital in south China's Guangdong Province on December 28 after suffering from coughing and fever for six days. The baby was delivered the following day, and was given a clean bill of health, hospital officials were quoted as saying. Since December 2014, four cases of H5N6 infection have been reported in Guangdong, more than any in other province in the country. The latest was reported on Thursday, and involved a 25-year-old man who was taken to hospital in the city of Shenzhen, while on December 28, a 26-year-old woman died from the disease. The world's first human H5N6 infection was reported in May 2014 in southwest China's Sichuan Province. Meanwhile, authorities in Ningbo, a city in east China's Zhejiang Province, yesterday confirmed two human cases of H7N9 bird flu. Both patients, one of whom is in a critical condition, are from the city's Yinzhou District, the Health and Family Planning Commission said. It did not reveal any further information. 'Applebee's Served Bloody Fingertip in my Salad', Pregnant Woman Claims media@latinoshealth.com By Staff Reporter Jan 12, 2016 03:30 AM EST Bloody hell indeed! An Applebee's pregnant client with the name of Cathleen Martin was dining with her husband and child last month when she found a bloody fingertip in her Chinese chicken salad, which she shared with her family, FOX News reports. According to San Luis Obispo, the Martin family visited the Applebee's restaurant located at the 2300 block of Theater Drive on December 20 and found a slice of fingertip in their salad, which they were already eating. TIME reports that Martin released a statement via her attorney, Eric Traut, saying, "It was so gross. Im on pins and needles worrying about what my family might have been exposed to." The Martins reported the incident to the restaurant manager, who confirmed that the severed body part belonged to one of their employees. The family also received a letter from Applebee's counsel saying that by law, they could not require the cook to undergo any medical tests. Applebee's Grill and Bar media spokesman Tom Linafelt released a statement from franchise area director Alan Knapp saying that the business regrets the "unacceptable" incident that the Martin family experienced. The statement read, "We take matters involving the health and safety of our guests and team members seriously. Accordingly, we immediately investigated and determined that an accident did occur in our kitchen. We discussed the matter with the Martins while still at our restaurant, shared our sincere apologies, and have continued to speak with Mrs. Martin in an effort to address her concerns." "Additionally, the team member involved volunteered to undergo screening in an effort to provide the peace of mind Mrs. Martin seeks," Knapp added. "Further, we are retraining our team members on our safety protocols and will take any necessary actions to prevent anything like this from occurring again." According to CBS Local, Martin and her family filed the claim seeking unspecified damages, medical expenses, and lost income. The Applebee's chain began in 1980 in Decatur, Georgia. According to Consumerist, IHOP Corp. purchased Applebee's International for $2.2 billion in 2007. IHOP Corp. later changed their name to DineEquity. Applebee's headquarters are located in Kansas City, Missouri, and has now grown to become a global brand, operating in 10 countries in the Americas, Greece and Netherlands, Egypt, and eight countries in Asia. According to Applebee's official website, the company is committed to "serving good food to good people". The neighborhood restaurant has also grown to 2,000 locations and counting. Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! Lower Back Pain can be Treated by Exercise, Disease Education: Study media@latinoshealth.com By Staff Reporter Jan 12, 2016 05:46 AM EST At any given time, 31 million Americans experience lower back pain, the American Chiropractic Association informed. Lower back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed work and is the second most common reason for a doctor's visit. A new study, which is published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. showed that, among several treatment methods for lower back pain, one of the most effective is simply exercise in combination with education, such as information about lower back pain, posture, or exercise, TIME reported. Researchers found that all sorts of exercise were beneficial, from back and abs strengthening, stretching and other motion exercises. NPR reported that, for the study, researchers analyzed 21 studies conducted globally, involving more than 30,000 participants, on how to treat and prevent lower back pain. Results showed that exercise reduced the risk of repeated lower back pain 12 months following an episode by 25% to 40%. Such exercises included core strengthening, aerobic exercise, flexibility and stretching. "Although our review found evidence for both exercise alone (35% risk reduction for an LBP [low back pain] episode and 78% risk reduction for sick leave) and for exercise and education (45% risk reduction for an LBP episode) for the prevention of LBP up to one year, we also found the effect size reduced (exercise and education) or disappeared (exercise alone) in the longer term (more than one year)," the research team wrote in a statement, as per Medical Daily. "This finding raises the important issue that, for exercise to remain protective against future LBP, it is likely that ongoing exercise is required," the team wrote. Internist Dr. Tim Carey of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill wrote an accompanying editorial in the study, criticizing the common advice of health care providers. Based on his research, passive treatments such as ultrasound or traction treatments, back belts and orthotic insoles were commonly prescribed by health care providers. "Prescribing ineffective treatments for patients may actually distract them and give them a false sense of security away from treatments that are actually beneficial," Dr. Carey said. "Why are we not prescribing an inexpensive, effective treatment? Some of it is, I think, we don't think of exercise as being a treatment the way a tablet or a procedure or a physical therapy treatment might," he explained. "We're a fairly pill-oriented society. Pills are easy to take, and as a doctor, pills are easy to prescribe." Health researcher Chris Maher of the University of Sydney in Australia also commented, "We've got this perverse incentive in our health care system where we encourage people to innovate in terms of drugs, but we don't have the same system to get people to innovate in terms of physical activity." Researchers found that about $80 billion is spent on spine problems including lower back pain, treatments, imaging, surgery, pain medicines and cost of missed work days. They are hoping that more people turn to proper, guided exercise to address the problem of burgeoning costs linked to lower back pain. Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! 'Latinos to Suffer if Affordable Care Act is Abandoned': Julian Castro media@latinoshealth.com By Ivan Menchavez Jan 12, 2016 07:54 AM EST Many Americans are living without a proper health care these days. A trip to the hospital is already a burden to them and the GOP plan to abandon the Affordable Care Act may put a lot of people in suffering including many Hispanics. The federal housing secretary, Julian Castro, said that many Latinos are currently depending on the health law that provides Americans better security. He believes that, if the Republican is serious about cancelling the law, there must be some sort of a replacement that is equal or better than the current one or millions will add up to the already alarming numbers of Americans without health care, as reported by the New York Times. Castro said that a huge percentage of the Latino population in the U.S. have benefited from this health law, also known as Obamacare. His concern came after many of the Republican candidates pledged their support to reverse the Affordable Care Act. According to a report by MSNBC, the GOP is planning to replace Obamacare with their alternative health care law. However, when asked about information with regard to their alternative law, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters, "just wait." There are concerns about GOP's plan to cancel Obamacare and replace it with their own because they have been trying to come up with an alternative since 2009. After 6 years, they still have not been able to finalize their plan. The republicans are also planning to create better planning that will have huge impacts in the 2016 election cycle. Their plan is to "go big on ideas." However, most of them have not been unveiled yet except for the abolition of the Obamacare. They also believe that none of the bills they plan to pass will be signed by President Obama. Meanwhile, Castro, who could be a potential running mate for Democratic presidential aspirant Hillary Clinton, said that the two Hispanic Republican presidential candidates, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida must make sure to protect the interest of the Latino community. Nevertheless, he believes that politics today are more than just race. "Rubio and Cruz, I believe that they're running the race they believe they have to run in order to win the Republican primary," he mentioned in a statement as relayed by the New York Times. "So, in that sense, I don't begrudge Senator Rubio or Senator Cruz for not always reminding people that they're Hispanic. You need to represent the whole country," he added. Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! Labiaplasty: Here's Why Women are Desperate to Get Vaginal Plastic Surgery staff@latinoshealth.com By Monica Antonio Jan 12, 2016 06:00 AM EST There's a new rising trend among women and it involves getting plastic surgery down there. Vaginal plastic surgery or labiaplasty is a procedure where the vagina's vulva or labia minora is reshaped or reduced in size, per News Health. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Surgery (ASAPS), there's been a 49 percent rise in the number of women undergoing labiaplasty between 2013 and 2014, from 5,070 to 7,537. Also, women from under 18 to 64 years old have undergone vaginal plastic surgery, with the biggest number coming from patients between 19 and 34 years old (4,155 women). Dr. Jen Gunter wrote on her blog that labiaplasty significantly decreases the size of the labia minora at more than four to five centimeters. Women usually want to have a smaller labia for entirely cosmetic to misperceptions about size (it is normal for the labia minor to stick out past the labia majora), about symptoms (labial size doesnt affect vulvar symptoms or cause yeast infections) or sex (smaller labia does not enhance sexual pleasure)." Dr. Michael Edwards, former president of ASAPS, told TIME that the increase of labiaplasty procedures is due to the rising public awareness that it exists. Edwards said that women are "self-conscious" about the size of their labia, and those with a protruding labia feel "devastated," especially when it bulges while wearing swimsuits or doing activities like running. Fashion trends like yoga pants have encouraged this procedure as women do not want to have a "camel toe" or "twisting" while working out, per New York Post. Gunter notes that having a smaller labia has been the cultural norm, but argues that when it comes to size, there is really no standard and it can vary among women. "The labia minora are a bit like the nose in that way, there is no normal size medically although there are cultural ideals. Labia minora can range in size significantly," Gunter said. In an interview with NBC News, Barbara Levy, MD, the VP of Health Policy at the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said that because of the popularity of Brazilian waxing, which removes pubic hair, women tend to be more aware and observant of how their vaginas look. Plastic surgeons used this awareness to create the need for women to alter their genital's appearance. Meanwhile, Springer Link posted a study about the psychosexual outcome after labiaplasty. By studying 49 women who received the procedure, it was discovered that labiaplasty helped them to be more satisfied with their genital appearance and sexual functioning. Levy concludes via News Health that labiaplasty is not a need for everyone as each body is different. She says, Its one more body part that we as women are being told to be insecure about. What do you think of Labiaplasty? Would you consider doing it? Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! 7 Weird Latin American Food That Can Make Your Skin Crawl staff@latinoshealth.com By Monica Antonio Jan 12, 2016 06:00 AM EST Latin America is brimming with various fares -- some of which are mouthwatering while others will make you think twice before eating. For the adventurous foodies, here are seven weird Latin American food that will make your skin crawl. 1. Guinea Pig (Cuy) - Peru According to Conde Nast, guinea pig or cuy is a must-try in Peru. Even though they are domesticated pets for Westerners, guinea pigs are part of the ancient Andean diet and even have its own national holiday. To prepare the guinea pigs, they are cooked whole with salt and garlic for a crispy skin. There are two popular cuy dishes: the cuy chactado and cuy al palo. Cuy chactado involves the meat squashed under stones before frying while cuy al palo roasts the meat over a spit. 2. Grasshoppers (Chapulines) - Mexico Commonly eaten in Mexico, grasshoppers or chapulines, per The Latin Kitchen, is a popular summer or autumn dish. Grashoppers can be paired with cheese, put in tacos or eaten on their own. Lonely Planet says that grashopper snacks are available all over Mexico and usually comes with chili powder and lime juice. They are healthy too as they are rich in protein. 3. Bull Penis Soup (Caldo de Cardan) - Bolivia Tagged as the "national hangover cure of Bolivia," per Munchies, bull penis soup or caldo de cardan is what the name states. Eldemira, head chef of the iconic La Llajuita restaurant in Bolivia, says that caldo de cardan "is the only thing you need to eat all day." Eldemira says that the main ingredients are bull penis nerve and hoof. Some chefs also top their soups with an intact bull penis for added wow factor. Apart from curing hangovers, this soup is known to induce sexual stamina. 4. Cow Udder (Ubre) - Chile Escape Here says that in Chile, nothing goes to waste as there is also a dish for cow udder. Ubre Asada is a local specialty in the country, where the udder is cleaned thoroughly to remove the milk then grilled over an open fire to achieve a charred smoky flavor and spongy texture. 5. Big Butt Ants (Hormigas Culonas) - Colombia In Colombia, queen ants are harvested during the rainy season to create a popular delicacy called Caviar of Santander. Matador Network says that the ants' head, pincers and wings are removed then served like peanuts. Caviar of Santander, per TIME, is a crispy snack that may look like a coffee bean but tastes like pistachios. 6. Ant Eggs and Worm Tacos (Hormigas Escimoles and Guasanos) - Mexico Ant eggs and worm tacos, according to Matador Network, is typically eaten in Mexico. The eggs and insects are cooked in an open fire and are served with tortillas and guacamole. Ant eggs, per Lonely Planet, have a "buttery nutty" which looks like a risotto and has a consistency of a cottage cheese. 7. Buchada (Goat Stomach) - Brazil In Ceara, a state north east of Brazil, there's a traditional dish called buchada, which features a goat's internal organs. A young goat or kid is usually used for buchada. The internal organs of the young goat is chopped, mixed with seasoning and the goat's blood and then stuffed in the goat stomach. Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the Mexican drug kingpin who escaped six months ago from a high security prison by building a tunnel, has been captured, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto announced. In his Twitter account, the Mexican President posted a tweet which translates to "Mission Accomplished: we have him. I want to inform Mexicans Joaquin Guzman Loera has been arrested." According to the report by Fox News, citing the official press release about the capture, the Mexican drug lord was caught in a four-star hotel called Hotel Doux which is located in Los Mochis. The Mexican marines said that there were five suspects killed while six others were arrested during the raid. Additionally, the marines were also reported to have seized two armored vehicles, eight rifles, a handgun and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher which indicates that El Chapo had threatening weaponry in store. The report furthered that one Mexican marine was injured, but his injuries were not severe. "The events occurred when naval personnel received information from a citizen saying that armed people were seen in a home," stated in the official release, according to Fox News. "Acting on that information, elements of the Mexican Marines stormed the home where they came under fire. They proceeded to defeat the aggression of the armed men in a legitimate defense and with only the goal of saving their own lives," the release added. The news, however, gathered mixed reactions from social media with some pessimistic comments about the report. Some Twitter users pointed that the report might be a lie as there are no immediate photos or evidence to prove that the drug lord has already been captured, adding it's "lies like always." @El_Universal_Mx @EPN Por que no ponen la foto de la captura de hoy? Esa es la foto "antigua".... Monica Monroy (@monikamonroy) January 8, 2016 Moreover, it was not only in Mexico that the news got a response from social media. Some stars also reacted such as Jimmy Kimmel who posted a tweet saying that he captured El Chapo only to joke one hour later, dropping a tweet that the 61-year-old drug lord escaped again. Other twitter users reacted on the news with humor, with one poking a joke that says El Chapo is already building a tunnel as they speak. Entre otras noticias... Capturan al Chapo. pic.twitter.com/kOpq07OOO6 MARIANO HEREDIA (@MarianoHeredia_) January 8, 2016 Meanwhile, other people from Twitter trolls Donald Trump with El Chapo's capture. Some Twitter users said that the capture was just a strategy to bring El Chapo to U.S. and take down Trump, while others were depressed that the drug lord was captured before he can take on the 2016 U.S. Presidential election candidate. 2015 Latinos Post. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. "The day I don't exist, it's [the desire for drugs] not going to decrease in any way at all," the famous Mexican druglord told Penn. On Friday, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was arrested at the town of Los Mochis in Sinaloa. Mexico's attorney general said that the Mexican government has planned to extradite El Chapo to the United States on drug charges, according to NBC News. However, that's just half of the El Chapo story making headlines at the moment. Apparently, Sean Penn conducted an interview with El Chapo for Rolling Stone months before the drug kingpin was arrested. Sean Penn's El Chapo get is absolutely huge. But god damn it could have used an editor...& more focus on the subject rather than the author. Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) January 10, 2016 El Chapo speaks: Sean Penn recounts his secret visit with the most wanted man in the world https://t.co/F4x6x8ANBd pic.twitter.com/8wDb2I6Xkt Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) January 10, 2016 While it's strange that the magazine asked Penn to conduct the interview, what's more surreal is the fact that Penn wrote the article himself and what he wrote was very unorthodox. Rolling Stone published the secret interview with Penn on Saturday. In October 2015, Penn first met with El Chapo, at a time when Mexican authorities in Mexico were searching for the druglord following his July escape. According to Penn, the two-day interview took place a day after the meeting. Due to security concerns, El Chapo sent his answers to Penn's questions weeks after via video. He reportedly sent the video to Mexican film and television star Kate del Castillo, who had been planning on creating a film about his life. What did El Chapo tell Penn? Via Mashable, what you are about to read are the actual words from Sean Penn in his El Chapo interview article. The magazine said that names had to be changed and locations had to be kept hidden for the interview. In addition, El Chapo had to approve the contents of the article before publication, and that he "did not ask for any changes." "Espinoza is the owl who flies among falcons," according to Penn. The 55-year-old actor claimed that he met with Guzman together with del Castillo in a jungle clearing on October 2 after being taken to an airfield by El Chapo's 29-year-old son. Penn said he saw around 30 to 35 guards. Later, he learned that 100 more soldiers were in the vicinity during the meetup. Penn said he and del Castillo were provided with tacos and tequila. "Everything I say to everyone must be true. As true as it is compartmentalized. The trust that El Chapo had extended to us was not to be fucked with," Penn claimed. Anyway, here's what El Chapo told Penn. "I supply more heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana than anybody else in the world. I have a fleet of submarines, airplanes, trucks and boats," Guzman said. "The only way to have money to buy food, to survive, is to grow poppy, marijuana, and at that age, I began to grow it, to cultivate it and to sell it. That is what I can tell you," he added. At one point, Donald Trump was brought up, and to that Guzman sarcastically said, "Ah! Mi amigo!" Speaking of politicians, when Penn asked El Chapo about his relationship with the government, the drug kingpin said, "Talking about politicians, I keep my opinion to myself. They go do their thing and I do mine." El Chapo also admitted that "drugs destroy" humanity, but that he doesn't think he's responsible for the world's addiction to drugs. The contents of the article have not been verified, NBC News said. Indeed, it's quite hard to imagine Sean Penn writing such an article with vivid descriptions like "I look to the sky and wonder how funny it would be if there were a weaponized drone above us" while he and his team were drinking tequila, and "I make a plan to hide myself in the trunk of a friend's car and be driven to a waiting rental vehicle." On Sunday, it wasn't immediately clear whether Penn and del Castillo's meeting El Chapo helped or delayed the authorities in recapturing him, but according to the Associated Press, the interview helped lead authorities to his exact location. Meanwhile, Penn's reps have said that the actor is unavailable for comment. 2015 Latinos Post. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Kate del Castillo, a Mexican movie and TV actress, is in hot water after it was discovered that she arranged the controversial interview between actor Sean Penn and Mexican drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman. The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Del Castillo is currently under investigation for obstruction of justice after authorities found that she brokered the now-famous interview between Penn and El Chapo. The meeting ultimately led to the capture and arrest of Mexicos most notorious drug lord on Jan. 8, 2016 in Los Mochis in Sinaloa. According to El Universal, a Mexican newspaper, Del Castillo turned to be a public relations intermediary for El Chapo. Previously, Guzmans lawyers communicated with Del Castillo for various projects and requests. Her strange relationship with El Chapo led some to believe that she might be part of the underworld organization to some extent. The actress also received flak from several Mexicans who abhorred the drug war that claimed thousands of lives, because of her controversial statements that seemed to show how much she supported Guzman. Today I believe more in ChapoGuzman than in the governments that hide the truth although it may be painful, who hide the cure for cancers, AIDS, etc, for their own benefit and wealth, she tweeted. "Mr. Chapo, wouldnt it be cool if you began to traffic in what is good, she wrote. You would be the hero of heroes. Lets traffic in love, you know how. In the past, Del Castillo had roles in drug-related shows like The Queen of the South. She addressed El Chapo on Twitter, urging him to use his wealth for noble purposes. The drug lord responded by sending her flowers. Later, Guzman wanted Del Castillo to produce a movie about his life. New York Times reported that Sean Penn learned about the connection between the two and askedDel Castillo to arrange an interview. Rolling Stone published Penns experience, stating that Del Castillo was his interpreter and even drove for him. Penn, Del Castillo and two friends traveled via a small plane and truck into the mountains of the Golden Triangle, which was a neutral zone at the Sinaloa boundary, the home state of Guzman, and the Durango and Chihuahua states. The Wrap cited that some people found a lot of red flags with the Rolling Stone story. According to others, the interview, which lasted seven hours, was more of a thrilling adventure for the Hollywood actor than true journalism. Del Castillos publicist refused to comment on the issue. 2015 Latinos Post. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A new beautiful face has entered the world of politics, making waves worldwide in the same fashion as Michelle Obama and Kate Middleton. Meet Juliana Awada, the new First Lady of Argentina. Mauricio Macri was sworn-in as the new president of Argentina in the fall of 2015. Aside from the head of state, the captivating woman by his side has also garnered the attention of the media all over the globe. Juliana Awada is set to be one of the beautiful, smart and stylish women in the political arena. The 41-year-old has Lebanese and Syrian roots and graduated from Oxford. Awadas father is an immigrant from Lebanon, a native of Baalbek, while her mother is an immigrant from Syria. Both her parents have Muslim heritage, AlArabiya wrote. She is a fashion entrepreneur and has reportedly worked in her familys textile business for many years. Juliana has actively been supporting her husband during the presidential campaign and maintained her composure and elegance throughout the bid. Macri, 56, has been divorced twice. The couple has a daughter together, Antonia. She also has a daughter, Valentina, from a previous relationship with a Belgian count. The fashion mogul is not a stranger to tabloids and has graced pages many times in the past. However, Juliana only recently surfaced on TV for interviews late in 2015 to support her husband without having to discuss politics. She has five siblings and is Catholic. Juliana joined a bilingual high school, and then studied English at Oxford before joining the family business, El Pais revealed. She most likely acquired her passion in fashion from her mother, Elsa Baker, head of Awada, the womens fashion company. She is also a designer and shareholder in the firm. She also traveled to the United States and Europe to know more about fashion. Women and fashion experts have been following the new First Lady in the past several months, admiring her sense of style which catapulted her to become one of the best dressed women in the world. Vogue cited how Awada wore languid pantsuits during presidential debts, a beautiful ivory gown with a conservative front slit at Macris inauguration in December 2015, and skinny jeans traditional Argentinian knits when meeting with supporters. She has been compared to Jackie Onassis at times, Independent wrote. Juliana is expected to have her own personal projects in the near future, similar to Michelle Obama. Her husband promised to fix problems caused by the previous Argentinian government. People can expect to see more of the beauty and her fashion in the coming months. 2015 Latinos Post. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. FlightStats Inc., a US-based flight-tracking service firm, recently came out with its 2015 report of the worlds most punctual major airlines. A few notable Latin American airlines made the exclusive and coveted list. Wall Street Journal noted that Japan Airlines was the No. 1 most punctual major airliner in 2015, with almost nine out of every 10 of its flights arriving at their respective destinations on time during the past year. Meanwhile, 89.4 percent of the 270,685 JAL flights in 2015 reached their destinations within 15 minutes of the scheduled arrival time. JAL reportedly made the most punctual list for the fifth time since 2009. According to JAL, its punctuality was borne out of the cooperation between its passengers and the entire company. The company requested passengers taking domestic flights to pass through customs at least 15 minutes before their scheduled time of departure. JAL also asked its passengers to come to the boarding gate 10 minutes before takeoff. Passengers who were not at the gate at least 10 minutes before departure were not allowed to board the aircraft at all. Spain-based Iberia was the second most punctual major airliner in the past year. 88.9 percent of their flights reached their destinations on time. At No. 3 is All Nippon Airways of Japan, with a rating of 88.8 percent. Among the 12 major North American carriers, Alaska Airlines was the most punctual, with an 86 percent rating. TRBusiness reported that OAG Aviation Worldwide Ltd., a top air travel intelligence firm, also featured a similar report in January 2016, called the Punctuality League 2015. The list showed the most on-time airlines and airports in the world, according to 50m data records. Latvias AirBaltic was at No. 1 again, with an average on-time performance (OTP) rating of 94.39 percent. At No. 2 is Copa Airlines of Panama with a rating of 91.69 percent. Azul, a low-cost carrier (LCC) from Brazil, was third with a 91.03 percent rating. In the LCC group, Latin America dominated with Azul at No. 1 and Gol Airlines at No. 3, with an 86.45 percent rating. Norwegian was second with an 86.67 percent rating. OAG listed Tokyo Haneda as the top large airport of 2015 with a 91.25 percent rating. Munich was in second place with 87.71 percent, while Sao Paulo Guarulhos was third with 87.47 percent. In the medium category, Copenhagen was at the top with 88.53 percent, while Moscow and Helsinki were in second and third place, with a rating of 88.53 percent and 88.48 percent, respectively. The best small airports in terms of punctuality were Osaka ITM with 93.85 percent, followed by Brussels South Charleroi with 93.61 percent and Panama City with 92.55 percent. 2015 Latinos Post. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. There has been an increase in the number of overseas students enrolling for degree courses in Shanghai universities, educational authorities said yesterday. And much of it has to do with the universities' English language curriculums. "Though the number of overseas students remained between 50,000 and 60,000, the number of students applying for degrees here has been increasing," said Yang Weiren, the director of international exchange and cooperation department of Shanghai Education Commission. A total of 16,000 overseas students are seeking degrees here, which was up 3.5 percent from 2014. "Students for both the masters and doctorate increased by more than 12 percent in 2015 from a year before," he said without giving specific numbers. Yang said that was because Shanghai was consciously making efforts to adjust the structure to attract overseas students to the city. "To study in local universities, foreigners first have to acquire fluency in the Chinese language, which makes it difficult for overseas students," he said. Currently, 317 courses taught in English have won financial support from the government. Fudan University developed Chinese Politics and Diplomacy as its first course to be taught completely in English in 2006 and added 32 others in the following years. Anna Volkova from Russia is studying Chinese economy at Fudan. "We came here to gain professional knowledge," she said. "It would be impossible to do that in Chinese while learning the language! But in order to survive here and expand the language skills we take additional Chinese courses." But the language of education can be tricky too. Byron Murphy, an Irish student at Fudan, said, in general, "the professors have a very good level of English and can communicate without any problem." "But while doing my first year of masters here, there was one professor who could speak English but could not understand any of our questions," he said. After actor Sean Penn's interview of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was published online via Rolling Stone Saturday, reports said that authorities appear to be interested in investigating Penn's meeting with the prison escapee, who was on the run at the time of their tete-a-tete. It was learned that the "Mystic River" star had spent seven hours with Guzman in October, three months after his escape, at a jungle clearing after traveling a long way for the rendezvous. "The interviews were held in a jungle clearing atop a mountain at an undisclosed location in Mexico," The New York Times noted. "Surrounded by more than 100 cartel troops, and wearing a silk shirt and pressed black jeans, Mr. Guzman sat down to dinner with Mr. Penn and Kate del Castillo, a Mexican actress who once played a drug kingpin in the soap opera 'La Reina del Sur.'" "I supply more heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana than anybody else in the world," Guzman declared to Penn in the Rolling Stone piece. "I have a fleet of submarines, airplanes, trucks and boats." This statement apparently riled up the White House as a senior official called the boast "maddening." "We see a heroin epidemic, opioid addiction epidemic in this country," Denis McDonough, White House chief of staff, was quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying. "We're going to stay on top of this with our Mexican counterparts until we get that back in the box. But El Chapo is behind bars and that's where he should stay." On Penn's involvement in the interview, McDonough said that he would "let somebody else sort out what Sean Penn did and didn't do." Days after Guzman's interview, Mexican authorities raided his hiding spot, but El Chapo managed to escape, reportedly continuing to conduct the interview from a distance via video and BlackBerry Messenger. However, the fugitive was eventually captured, with Mexican officials saying that part of it was because "he had been planning a movie about his life, and had contacted actors and producers, which had helped the authorities to track him down," as noted by the New York Times. Will Penn be enmeshed in legal trouble in the wake of the revelation that he had met the fugitive while he was on the run? "Not only unlikely, he will not face legal repercussions," said CBS News legal analyst Rikki Klieman, who pointed out that it is partly because the actor is a U.S. citizen. Further, Penn met El Chapo as a journalist, who typically "had no duty or obligation to inform authorities of his interview, even though the interview was with a person wanted by the law." Also, it appears that Penn's effort may have aided in Guzman's capture, although he may not be aware of that and had taken precautions not to be tracked. WATCH: 2015 Latinos Post. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Tags dating, Latino, Romance, millennial What do Latinos talk about during dates? And what do they keep out of the discussion table? According to a piece on Latina, it appears that Latinos are quite different than those in the Caucasian population when it comes to what to talk about or hide while dating. However, there are common denominators. Like cheating history, for example. Some may naturally want to hide this information, if they indeed are guilty of having such a past, of course, from the person they're going out with. However, a Zoosk survey showed that 59% of the respondents said that they want to get the lowdown on their prospective partner's unfaithful tendencies. In connection with that, some may not want to talk about their exes. However, 69% of the Latino participants in the Zoosk poll said they do want to know all about the other's past relationships. "Getting the skinny on past relationships can be helpful," Latina noted. "That information can provide a better understanding of relationship patterns and readiness." However, when it comes to defining the relationship, 70% of the Latinos in the 18-24 age group said they want to know what's the status of their relationship ASAP - as in "after only a few dates." Needless to say, it appears millennial Latinos don't want to waste their time or beat around the bush. Despite this, only 18% of the Latinos in the said age group said they wanted to know what their partners thought about having babies. This may be explained by the fact that many millennial Latinos put a premium on financial stability and furthering their careers at such a phase in their lives. Finally, most of those polled revealed they would share information on whether they are seeing other people, even on the first date. Looks like Latinos believe in honesty as the best policy? Which of these things are you comfortable revealing to your date? Is there any of the above mentioned you don't like to discuss with the one you're seeing right now? In other updates, it appears the need to know about past relationships or cheating history stems from the view that Latinos are likely to be unfaithful. Although 1.2 million Latinos have signed up for an Ashley Madison account, as noted by Cosmopolitan, they aren't the only kind of men who cheat. Also, it's possible that a Latina's success in her career may intimidate Latinos, which suggests that income and professional achievement may affect dating prospects and may even dictate preferences. With that being said, do you think it's ok to mention this aspect while in the early stages of dating or keep mum? WATCH: 2015 Latinos Post. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. At an Oct. 9, 2015 rally in Las Vegas, Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump did what he's wont to do on the campaign trail. He stressed securing the U.S.-Mexico border, denounced comprehensive immigration reform, and proclaimed he would win the Latino vote, regardless. Courting a state with about 800,000 Latinos - 27.8 percent of the population - Trump expected his share of hecklers. Like those outside the campaign event who raised signs condemning his call to deport the "rapists" and "criminals" illegally living in the country; a reference to incendiary comments Trump made in announcing his candidacy last spring. It is part of the reason 82 percent of Hispanics view Trump unfavorably, according to a September Washington Post/ ABC News poll. Other national polls have revealed similar sentiment. But there are Latinos who don't see Trump in the same light. They, like a majority of Iowa caucus-goers, believe he is best equipped to handle matters of national security and the economy. Where some potential Hispanic voters see his plan of deporting 11.3 million undocumented immigrants as implausible, Trump supporters see it as a way of rectifying the U.S. citizenship process to favor those who've paid their dues, cleared a background check, and waited their turn. During his speech, Trump pulled a Colombian immigrant onstage. Later identified as Myriam Witcher by the Las Vegas Sun, the woman beamed as she opened her arms towards the audience. "I'm Hispanic, and I vote for Mr. Trump. We vote for Mr. Trump," she said. "We love you, we love you, all the way to the White House." Forty million Latinos will be eligible to vote by the year 2030, according to Pew Research Center projections released after the 2012 presidential election. This includes some 17.6 million young adults not old enough to vote yet. As the population grows, so does each individual voter's ability to make an informed decision. Latinos aren't unwavering Democrats anymore. They may have indelible beliefs about social issues, or a commitment to one single political party. A David Binder Research and Moore Information survey released in December discredited the notion that all Latinos lean to the left. Researchers found 55 percent of potential voters are persuadable and undecided on who would win their vote. "I've seen the turn this country has taken and it saddens me to see how our laws are being ignored, from our own government to the people that have come here illegally either by crossing our borders or overstaying their visas," said Carmen Morales, a U.S.-born citizen of Puerto Rican descent who co-created the "Latinos Who Support Donald Trump" Facebook page. She continued, "This is a country of laws, and anyone who comes here should assimilate and respect the law, no matter what language they may speak or country they come from." Morales, who also a member of The Remembrance Project, said she and Rosanna Pulido created the 1,360 member group because they believe Trump is misrepresented. They say more potential voters don't support the real estate mogul because he is painted as anti-Latino by the Spanish media. Similar pages have been set up. "Latinos Support Trump" has over 450 likes; "Latinos for Donald Trump" has 1,194; and "Latinos/Hispanics for Donald Trump" carries over 9,550. In 2012, Mitt Romney received 23 percent of the Latino vote; nearly half - 52 percent - came from Mexican-Americans while 14 percent came from Puerto Ricans. The last Republican to win the demographic was George W. Bush in 2004, with 44 percent. For Trump to win the 2016 general election, he'll need to match Bush's numbers. He'll need to convince a record number of Hispanics that voted for President Obama in 2008 and 2012 of his economic and foreign policies. Most of all, he'll have to assuage fears that a Trump presidency isn't bad for Latinos. "I don't hear any empirical evidence that that is going to happen," campaign manager Corey Lewandowski told Politico, responding to the idea that more Hispanic voters could hurt Trump's campaign. "The more people that take part in the election process, the better, and I think it's clear that Mr. Trump has invigorated people who aren't traditionally participating in the process." Lewandowski added, "Poll after poll continue to show that Hispanics are supporting Mr. Trump at a disproportionate rate to any of the other candidates." Republicans need the Latino vote if they're to beat projected Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Hardline GOPers may side with Trump, but moderate conservatives are well aware that his steadfast game plan and refusal to back down from anything deemed controversial may cost the party the election. Trump has offended Latinos and Muslims, he's cut ties with Univision, he kicked well-known Hispanic journalist Jorge Ramos out of a press conference. Still, Trump still has a committed group of Latino supporters ready cast their ballot. "Latinos who support Trump need a voice," Morales said. "I know so many who agree with Trump that you would be surprised." 2015 Latinos Post. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Introducing the all-metal Vivo 5 at CES 2016 this week, discount smartphone maker Blu just joined the premium crowd. Brazilian entrepreneur Samuel Ohev-Zion founded Blu seven years go on the idea of making mobile devices that mix style and low cost. The latest smartphone unveiled by the company at the Consumer Electronics Show 2016 this week, the Blu Vivo 5 epitomizes that mission. With the Vivo 5, the Miami-based smartphone maker known for its popularity in much of Latin America, as well as U.S. retailers like Wal-Mart, officially joins the "premium" device category -- at least in the design department. The Android-based Vivo 5 is Blu's first smartphone with an all-metal build, a design style first popularized by Apple's iPhone, and then imitated by flagship smartphone lines from HTC, Samsung, and many others. But the Vivo 5 is a Blu phone: It isn't a high-powered flagship, but it's also not high-priced. The Vivo 5 will begin offering a premium look and feel to consumers in the U.S., Latin America, and much of the rest of the world when Blu releases it in February 2016, with full a sticker price (unlocked) of $199. The Vivo 5 unsurprisingly skimps on some of hardware to reach the $200 price point, but beyond the attractive aluminum unibody construction, there are some great features it offers to bargain hunters. First off, it's got full LTE capability, with VoLTE support, dual-SIM card slots, and compatibility with all GSM networks operating in the western hemisphere. In the U.S., that means T-Mobile, AT&T, or any subsidiaries. The Vivo 5 is powered by an octa-core Mediatek 6753 System on a Chip (SoC) running at 1.3GHz with 3GB RAM. While Qualcomm SoCs are better known, Blu claims its Vivo 5 outmatches the Snapdragon-powered third-generation Moto G -- which Latin Post highly praised as a great budget phone in its own right -- in benchmarks across the board. The device runs Android 5.1 Lollipop out of the box on a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display at 720p, protected by Gorilla Glass 3. It comes with 32GB of internal storage, but is expandable with a microSD card slot. The 13-megapixel main camera and 5-megapixels selfie shooter are pretty standard, but the camera's phase detection autofocus is an unusual bonus for a budget phone. And on paper at least, the Vivo 5's 3150mAh battery is an impressive addition, as is the decision to include a fast-charging USB Type-C port. The Vivo 5 is as slim and light as some of the top Android smartphones on the market right now, and Blu will offer either Silver or Gold color options. This week Blu also unveiled the Vivo XL, which offers almost the exact same hardware specs as the Vivo 5, but no unibody build, less RAM and ROM -- and a price that's $50 lower. The Vivo 5 is entering into an increasingly crowded unlocked "premiumish" budget smartphone market, as Motorola plays on the same strategy with its Moto G and Moto X smartphones and even HTC has tried to get in on the act with the late-2015 HTC One A9. In the U.S., the Blu Vivo 5 will be released in February on BestBuy.com and Amazon.com. A top aide in the Obama Administration said he was "appalled" by the comments made by infamous Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman during his Rolling Stone interview with actor Sean Penn. In the interview, El Chapo bragged about reigning over the Sinaloa cartel, a multibillion-dollar global drug empire that has supplied much of the marijuana, cocaine and heroin sold in the streets of the U.S. According to the drug lord, he "supplies more heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana than anybody else in the world." In response, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough told ABC's "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos that he "was appalled by his bragging to the interviewers in Rolling Stone that he moves more heroin than anyone in the world." McDonough also described the remarks made by the drug kingpin as "maddening" during an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday. "And one thing I will tell you is that this braggadocio's action about how much heroin he sends around the world, including to the United States, is maddening," McDonough said of Guzman. "We see a heroin epidemic, opioid addiction epidemic in this country. So, we're going to stay on top of this, with our Mexican counterparts, until we get that back in the box." El Chapo spent over a year behind bars before he escaped from the Altiplano maximum-security prison in Mexico in July 2015, his second successful prison break. After his escape, Guzman spent six months on the lam, until he was taken into custody at his secret home in the Mexican city of Los Mochis early Friday morning. Officials were able to find Guzman by tracking his communications with Hollywood producers and actors, including Penn, who was also apparently meeting with the drug lord to discuss making a biopic, reports The Associated Press. "Another important aspect that allowed us to pinpoint his location was having discovered Guzman Loera's intention to film a biographical movie through establishing communication with actors and producers, which formed a new line of investigation," Mexican Attorney General Arely Gomez said, according to CNN. Mexican officials then announced Saturday that Guzman would be extradited to the U.S. to face drug trafficking charges connected to the Sinaloa cartel. "Since Guzman Loera has been recaptured, the beginning of the extradition proceedings should begin," the attorney general's office said in statement. U.S. officials have been pushing for Guzman to be extradited to New York to face a 21-count indictment in the Eastern District of New York located in Brooklyn, reports the New York Daily News. However, experts warn that the process of prosecuting Guzman will be long, as he is expected to battle extradition in the courts. Latin Post presents "Turnout," a series featuring leading politicians, government leaders and advocacy groups discussing and debating the most important issues facing the Latino voting bloc. -- Iowa's Latino population is small, but it's not stopping leaders from engaging the community and amplifying their voices in the state's upcoming caucus. According to League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) of Iowa President Joe Enriquez Henry, the Iowa caucus has always been a bit of an inside game for those who are veterans of politics. He described the caucus as a little bit harder than going to the polls and voting since individuals will have to go to their local precinct location and potentially sit for a couple hours to discuss issues and move around in supporting a candidate. But the Latino voice is being mobilized for the Feb. 1 caucus date. "The Latino vote in Iowa will be pretty impressive this time around. ... Our plan is to have at least 10 percent of the caucusgoers to be from our [Latino] community. We are reaching out to approximately 15,000 registered Latino voters throughout the state," said Enriquez Henry, who oversees work across 12 Midwest states, including Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. For Enriquez Henry, the Midwest is an interesting area that has been saved by immigration, especially in Iowa and Illinois. He told Latin Post immigrants have saved many small communities by creating new small businesses and providing a workforce. "Their voices will be appreciated on caucus day cause they will have the type of experiences that are needed and the type of knowledge to address the concerns that need to be addressed by the presidential candidates," Enriquez Henry said. Enriquez Henry is also the president of LULAC's Council 307, which was started in 2011 to provide a political voice to LULAC in Iowa. "For lack of a better way of saying this, we wanted to put LULAC on steroids. We wanted to become a strong political voice throughout Iowa and also during the legislative session ... and we are building a framework and infrastructure for Latinos to have their voices hear down the road." In preparing for the Iowa caucus, Enriquez Henry said LULAC of Iowa has focused on 20 counties, which has a majority of Latino registered voters and approximately 700 caucus precincts. "There are about 1,700 precincts in Iowa, but we wanted to work on the high concentration areas that would give us the most bank for our investment. We can see this happen," said Enriquez Henry, noting the organization will utilize mailings, phone calls, face-to-face interactions and caucus training to engage Latinos. "This will be the beginning of the Latino vote, and it's going to happen in Iowa. This opportunity has allowed us to amplify our voice. We may only be six percent of the population but we will be at least 10 percent of the caucusgoers and that says a lot and that's going to move the important issues for our community," added Enriquez Henry, identifying the top issues as comprehensive immigration reform, education funding, well-paid jobs and healthcare access. Enriquez Henry said one candidate Latinos will not be supporting is Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, based on information he's seen. The LULAC of Iowa director said he believes Latino Republicans will have a very loud voice against Trump and his rhetoric but may still align themselves with other GOP candidates. Enriquez Henry said Latinos are still waiting to hear what Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has to offer on immigration, while former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has made it know that his stance includes a pathway to legalization. The highlight in preparing for the Iowa caucus has been the youth. Enriquez Henry has seen the 18-to-22-year-old demographic step up and become ready to be involved, which include setting demonstrations against Trump, mobilizing up to 800 people, such as in Sioux City a couple months ago, to protest the real estate mogul. "This is amazing. This shows the political awareness that our young people have gained," said Enriquez Henry, adding that many of these youths are coming from first generation families, and are community colleges or universities and taking on responsibilities. "We hope to see many of them on caucus day, participating in their caucuses and with their parents who've become citizens too to really give us (Latinos) a voice." __ For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Politics Editor Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com. Facebook recently released information about the price and release date of its Oculus Rift VR, coming this spring 2015. Now, HTC has made a similar announcement for its own VR headset in collaboration with gaming company Valve Software, the Vive VR. Pre-orders for the two companies' vision of the next generation of virtual reality begin on leap day this year, February 29, 2015, as The Telegraph first reported. HTC's CEO Cher Wang told the news outlet that the company was planning to start accepting pre-orders on leap day, with the Vive VR's full release date set for sometime in April 2015. The chief executive of Taiwanese smartphone and now VR headset manufacturer, HTC, wasn't ready to part with a lot of other details about the release, including the price. But as Tech Insider reasoned, given the "at cost" selling price of the Vive VR's chief competitor, Facebook's Oculus Rift, which is north of $600 without accessories, one could peg the cost of the HTC Vive VR somewhere between the Oculus Rift and the four-figure mark. One earlier leak of the Amazon listing for Sony PlayStation's VR headset put that price at $1125. HTC, more known for making premium smartphones than gaming accessories, partnered with well-known U.S. cult gaming software company Valve to design and launch the Vive VR. The headset will work with Valve's gaming platform, Steam, which already has a catalogue of VR titles up and ready for sale. When pre-orders begin in late February, of course, we'll have a clear idea of the price of HTC and Valve's virtual reality headset. VR Will Cost More Than the Price Tag But the true cost of acquiring and actually using any VR in 2015 will be much more than the price tag of the headset. To power the next-generation technology involved in immersive virtual reality (with the exception of the less-intense smartphone-powered Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard VR systems), you need a high-powered computer with one the latest graphics cards installed. As CNET judged it recently, to get a strongly rendered VR experience up and running, you'll need a PC that's about seven times more powerful than the gaming PC you'd find in the average U.S. household -- or less than one percent of the computers expected to be in use this year. With the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift finally making VR a reality this year, starting in the spring, those without the latest high-powered gaming PCs have a just few months left to start saving up the thousands of dollars they'll need to make the jump out of this reality. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Monday gained an endorsement from Sybrina Fulton, the mother of the late Trayvon Martin. Fulton announced her endorsement in an op-ed published on CNN, in which she stated that the former secretary of state was the best candidate to "stand up to inaction from Republicans and indifference from the NRA" on gun control. "With so many of our children's lives on the line or taken, we simply can't afford to elect a Republican who refuses to even acknowledge the problem of senseless gun violence. The rising generation of our young people need a President who will stand up to inaction from Republicans and indifference from the NRA. I believe that person is Hillary Clinton," wrote Fulton, whose 17-year-old son was killed during a confrontation with former neighborhood watch caption George Zimmerman in 2012. Zimmerman was later acquitted on all charges for shooting the unarmed teen in 2013, sparking ongoing protests throughout the nation. In the editorial, Fulton explained that her decision to support the former first lady was cemented after they met in person in Chicago last November. At the meeting, Fulton, along with other mothers who lost children at the hands of law enforcement, shared with Clinton their thoughts on criminal justice, gun control and police brutality. Fulton also stated that she agrees with President Barack Obama, who declared last week that he would only support a presidential candidate who stood in support of certain gun measures. "Hillary Clinton passes that test," Fulton wrote. Fulton ended the piece by naming other unarmed black men and boys who were shot down by law enforcement in recent years and calling on their mothers to speak out against injustice by voting. "Not only am I missing my son, but too many other moms like me are missing their sons -- Eric Garner, Jordan Davis, Laquan McDonald, Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Oscar Grant, Sean Bell, Tamir Rice. As their mothers, we must do more than just cry. And all of us must do more than speak out, protest and march," she wrote. "We must vote!" Molina Healthcare Inc., a company that provides healthcare to low-income families receiving government assistance, recently sold a large number of stocks by insider J Mario Md Molina, reports confirm. The news comes after the company also sold stocks one month earlier. A total of 10,000 worth of stocks were reportedly confirmed to be sold by Molina, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing, which was released publicly on Tuesday, Jan, 5. As the New Year starts, the company reportedly sold each stock at an average price of $60.83, gaining a total transaction of $608,300. The company, which operates in two segments through Health Plans and Molina Medicaid Solutions, also sold 3,000 shares on Dec. 15, 2015 by Director Frank E. Md Murray and as evidenced by the transaction's SEC filing. The sale was reportedly priced at an average of $57.94 per stock for a total value of $173,820. Furthermore, Beanstockd said that Wedbush already revised their Q4 2015 estimates for Molina Healthcare earnings in a research note issued on Thursday, revealing that Wedbush currently expects that the firm will post earnings per share of $0.65 for the quarter, which is lower from their initial analysis of $0.74 The news came after the company released its quarterly earnings on Oct. 29, 2015, Corvuswire noted. It was revealed that Molina Healthcare Inc. earned a total of $0.77 per share for the quarter, further topping consensus estimates of analysts which was just at $0.69 by $0.08. Meanwhile, the company also did well during the same period the year before, reportedly earning $0.48 EPS and earning a total of $3.60 billion during the quarter, having low results compared to the estimates which is at $3.70 billion. The quarterly revenue of the healthcare company was up by 45.4 percent on a year-over-year basis. While for the current year, equities research analysts expect that Molina Healthcare, Inc. will post $2.69 earnings per share. However, on Monday, shares of Molina was valued at 56.21. Molina Healthcare, Inc. has a one-year low of $49.37 and a one-year high of $82.37. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $59.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.31, as well as a market cap of $3.15 billion and a P/E ratio of 20.37. In light of this, brokerages have weighed in on the company with seven equities research analysts rating it with a "hold" and only four have issued a "buy" rating to the stock. The company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $75.58. Colorado police charged a man with reckless endangerment and discharging a weapon after he opened fire to try to apprehend a fleeing robbery suspect in Aurora. A bystander, identified as Avery Nelson, sprang into action after a masked man allegedly robbed a Subway restaurant and physically assaulted a female employee around 7:40 p.m. on Saturday. As the robber escaped with the cash, the man stepped in and chased him down to try to make a citizen's arrest. "I saw two females screaming and ducking for cover," he told CBS Denver. That's when Nelson began running after the suspect through a strip mall and sprayed him with mace. The suspect, however, kept running. Nelson then pulled out his gun and fired two warning shots in the air. He also shot at the suspect's car, but the perpetrator still managed to get away. Nelson was later issued a summons. "When you fire rounds into the air you have no clue where those rounds may end up and if they'll strike anybody," Aurora Police Sgt. Chris Amsler told KUSA. "Chasing this guy, firing rounds into the air, shooting at the vehicle, put the public at risk and endangered them." "In this situation we would prefer anyone, whether they're a bounty hunter or not, to be a good witness. To get a good description of the suspect, of the vehicle, and then give it to the police when they get there," Amsler added. However, Nelson, who happened to be a trained fugitive recovery agent, argued that he thought the suspect was a threat to the community. "I did feel that my life and the lives of the people in my community were in danger. So I wanted to stop that person," he said. "He was turning, slowing down, as if he were to attempt to draw a gun, so I wanted to deter that threat." As of Sunday, the suspect was still on the loose. Meanwhile, the Subway worker suffered minor injuries from being punched, slammed to the floor and kicked in the ribs. You are here: Home The image was captured by NASA's Suomi NPP satellite on Jan. 7, 2016. [Photo/NASA] The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released a satellite image of the bushfire that has plagued Western Australia over the past six days. In the picture, large plumes of smoke produced from the devastating bushfire can be seen clearly. Two people were killed and four firefighters were injured in Yarloop, a small town about 120 kilometers south of Perth. Local authorities warned that the bushfire was still not controlled, fearing it will take months to be extinguished from smoldering underground peat. The devastating bushfire spread rapidly after being triggered by a lightning strike on Jan. 16 in Lane Poole Reserve. As of Jan. 11, the fire had charred 71,410 hectares, leaving hundreds of buildings destroyed. The fire burned so vigorously that it fueled its own weather by creating a pyrocumulus -- or "fire cloud," NASA said, adding that the cloud can inject smoke and pollutants high into the atmosphere. As pollutants are dispersed by wind, they can affect air quality over a broad area. Declines in rainfall over the past few years had made the southwestern part of Western Australia a tinderbox. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has argued that he is more electable than Hillary Clinton against a Republican. The latest polls revealed his claim to be true, at least in the state of New Hampshire. According to a recently released poll conducted by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal, Clinton leads Sanders by just three percent among potential Iowan voters. In New Hampshire, where the Vermont senator has kept a small lead for the past few months, he's up by four. "Secretary Clinton and her campaign now know that she is in serious trouble," Sanders said at a rally in Pleasantville on Monday, as per NYTimes. "And, I think a candidate who was originally thought to be the anointed candidate, to be the inevitable candidate, is now locked in a very difficult race here in Iowa and in New Hampshire." Speaking on ABC's "This Week," Sanders told George Stephanopoulos that if Democrats are concerned about electability, Bernie Sanders is the perfect candidate. He added, "Democrats should be very concerned because we certainly don't want to see some right-wing extremist in the White House." The 74-year old politician's steady rise has been remarkable, especially for a senator who was reluctant to run in the first place. Some sectors viewed Sanders as a candidate out to make a point, but not to win the 2016 presidential election. Those who hoped Sanders would win believed it would be his sincere and unwavering stance on income inequality that would attract voters. Sanders, who happens to be the oldest candidate in this year's presidential race, is also winning the support of young voters. A new poll from USA Today and Rock the Vote showed that 18- to 35-year-olds prefer Sanders over Hillary Clinton, 46 percent to 35 percent. It's still unclear if the respondents are going to turn out to vote for the Vermont senator, but it's the latest proof that millennials don't mind the prospect of voting for a self-described democratic socialist. It can also be said that Sanders's messages regarding education and the economy have resonated among younger voters. In December, the Harvard Institute of Politics released a similar poll and found that Sanders had a six percent advantage over Clinton. Only nine percent of millennials said Sanders's penchant for socialism made them less likely to vote for him. Sanders is mostly popular among young white voters and those enrolled in college. Black and Hispanic young people preferred Clinton. Clinton, meanwhile, has spent the last couple of days criticizing Sanders for being, in her view, lenient on gun control. She is currently rolling out an endorsement from Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and a group of female senators in Iowa. In light of the coming elections, Latino voters have been under mixed speculations with regard to their political choices and whether they are pleased with Latino candidates like Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz. Reports also say that the Hispanics may be decisive in certain states like Texas, Florida and Nevada. As the political battle starts between presidentiables and other senate candidates for the U.S. elections later this year, political analysts are eyeing Hispanics to be an important deciding factor in putting candidates to their seats. "Latino voters are virtually insignificant in the primary races unless there is a split among white voters," Luis Fraga, a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame, told Fox News Latino. "A lot of people are divided over who they'll vote for," Evelyn Perez-Verdia, founder of Political Pasion, explained as quoted by the publication. Latino voters in Texas are seen to be primarily between Cruz and Donald Trump per the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll. Meanwhile, Democratic presidentiable Hillary Clinton is the most visible in Nevada according to the news agency, Perez-Verdia further speculates that Rubio, who's currently second at 19.2 percent of the vote in a recent poll data from Florida Atlantic University against Donald Trump with 31.5 percent, may not have an easy journey. "This is not going to be an easy race for Rubio, but if it comes down to him being one of the final candidates in a close race, he will win," Perez-Verdia said. As for Cruz, the politician is viewed to be unappealing for Latinos, especially those with immigration issues. "Cruz's background does not have the appeal to voters in Texas like Marco Rubio does in Florida," Fraga said as quoted by the publication. Furthermore, NY Mag reports that it will all boil down to Cruz and Rubio in the case of the Latinos share in the GOP votes. However, the publication speculates that Rubio repudiating his sponsorship of comprehensive immigration-reform legislation might be the cause of his loss against Cruz. The political arena widely looks at Latino voters as they comprise a large sector in the U.S. Mexicans are two-thirds of the Latinos in the U.S., which is around 35 million people, and Cubans are the third-largest group after Puerto Ricans, with around two million people and is at 3.7 percent of the Latino vote, the Pew Research Center revealed. Time is winding down on President Barack Obama's promise to shut down Guantanamo Bay, but the country made a step in that direction as prisoner Muhammad Abd al-Rahman Awn al-Shamrani got released and sent back to his native Saudi. According to a report from the Washington Post, the Pentagon released a statement saying the Guantanamo detainee had already touched down on his home country, marking the fourth successful release from the controversial detainment facility in 2016. Shamrani, who was described as an al-Qaeda recruiter and fighter, has been in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba since he was captured in January 2002. A report from Military Times revealed a Pentagon profile on the detainee in 2014 said he "almost certainly remains committed to supporting extremist causes, and has continued to incite other detainees against the detention staff at Guantanamo." In his case review last year, the government board concluded that his country's security and rehabilitation programs are enough to keep him from taking up extremist causes once again or at least minimize the likelihood. His lawyer said, "Mr. al-Shamrani looks forward to participating in the Saudi reintegration program, reuniting with his family and establishing a peaceful and productive life in his home country." Shamrani said as much in his own written statement from 2015, according to the Washington Post report. Guantanamo's latest released detainee did not mention fighting again, but only of his plans to open a laundromat in his country and enter the rehabilitation center. The Saudi former prisoner is the fourth of 17 prisoners expected to be freed within January. There are 103 men left in the infamous facility, with 40 more cleared for release. White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough recently reiterated the administration's commitment to shutting down Guantanamo Bay after the center marked its 14th year. President Obama's office ends in less than a year, but he's still focused on the cause. "He feels an obligation to his successor to close that, and that's why we're going to do it," McDonough said in an interview with Fox News. "Sure we are." There has been some buzz on whether the president is planning to use his executive powers to sidestep Congress and hasten the closing of Guantanamo Bay, but McDonough declined to discuss such speculation during his statement. "The president just said he's going to present a plan to Congress and work with Congress and then we'll make some final determination," McDonough responded. "I'm not an 'if when' guy. I said we're going to close it. (Obama) just said he's going to present a plan to Congress to do that." After resorting to boiling soup made of grass and eating pet cats, the war-torn Syrian refugees will finally receive much needed food and other supplies. A handful of trucks containing essential goods had been organized and was made possible by the International Committee of Red Cross, the Syrian Red Crescent group and the United Nations. According to the Los Angeles Times, the aid was planned to avoid an impending humanitarian disaster, as said by aid officials concerning the matter. The supplies will arrive at three besieged Syrian Towns namely Madaya, Fuaa and Kefraya. As reported, at least 50 people already died due to starvation and malnutrition, in addition to lack of medical care in these war-stricken towns. The assistance to Madaya helped eased out the negotiations to reach Fuaa and Kefraya -- two pro-government towns located in the Idlib province. The supply trucks contained basic necessities such as food and water, but also contained other supplies such as infant formula, blankets, medicine and surgical equipment. It was noted that these supplies are enough to feed about 60,000 people for the whole month -- 40,000 for Madaya and 10,000 each to Fuaa and Kefraya. And to ensure proper distribution, the supplies will be stored in warehouses around the area, where they will be dispersed by the local council. Marianne Gasser, head of the Red Cross operation in Syria said, "The operation has started. It is likely to last a few days. This is a very positive development. But it must not be just a one-off distribution." She added that to really relieve the suffering of the Syrian people, regular access to these areas must be done. USA Today reported that a spokesperson from the United Nations also added that a one-time convoy will not solve this problem. Adding that apart from the trio of towns reached by the Red Cross and UN, an estimated 4.6 million Syrians are also experiencing lack of proper nutrition and medical aid. International aid agencies called for all parties in the conflict to end the siege, particularly in civilian areas to ensure regular access to humanitarian supplies, Telegraph has learned. For five years now, the Syrian conflict made the once thriving resort town of Madaya into a shadow of its former self. The town has been the frequent target of the Syrian army and its ally, the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah. The attacks were done as an attempt to drive out the rebels that came from Damascus. With the Syrian conflict already in its fifth year, various humanitarian organizations are hoping for it to end soon. The first case of the tropical virus Zika, a mosquito-borne disease, has been confirmed in a Harris County, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDCP health officals said that the Harris County resident, after traveling from Latin America, has developed rash, fever and joint pain which have been associated with the symptoms of the virus. According to Martha Marquez, the spokeswomen for Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services, the resident has now made a full recovery. Dr. Scott Weaver of UTMB's Institute for Human Infections and Immunity said that the Zika virus is now a major concern not just to Brazil but to other countries as well. "There have been only a few cases definitely linked to Zika virus infection but we think it's likely many of these cases that may total more than 3,000 in Brazil alone could be due to Zika virus infection," said Weaver. The Zika infection shows mild to no symptoms similar to that of the flu virus in most people. The virus is also not fatal. That's why it was initially thought to be harmless. But recently, as posted by the website, Telegraph, experts are already investigating the fact that the virus may lead to birth-related neurological issues or birth defects called microcephaly. CDCP said that, "Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon. A possible link between Zika virus infection in pregnant women and subsequent birth defects is being investigated in Brazil." Guillain-Barre Syndrome which is "a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system" is also associated with the virus. The rates of this disease and microcephaly have corresponded with the place and time of the outbreak. There is still no available medicine to treat the virus. But as posted by CBS News, Dr. Umair A. Shah, executive director of Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services, there is still a key to reduce the risk of the infection, and that is prevention. It's only a matter of time before the virus occurs worldwide, so everyone should protect himself against mosquito bites. "We encourage individuals traveling to areas where the virus has been identified to protect themselves against mosquito bites, and to contact their healthcare provider immediately if they develop Zika virus-like symptoms," said Dr. Shah. The Aedes mosquitoes, the carriers of the virus, are able to transmit the virus during the day and can breed in water close to humans. This outbreak has concerned Latin America for months spreading across Puerto Rico, Colombia and Brazil. If you happen to practice putting your phone inside your pocket, this might be a good read for you. In a report by News AU, Dr. Devra Davis, an American Scientist, expressed her alarm on the growing trend of putting mobile phones in your pocket because of the threat of radiation that it causes. During one of her talks at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Dr. Davis said that the trend of putting such devices in bras, pockets and head bands makes her wonder just how much people know about exposure to phones. Dr. Davis first acknowledged the use of phone-like radiation in the medical field, saying, it has been an important part in treating liver cancer, detecting cancer and even regulates the absorption of drugs for the brain. Despite its helpful feature, exposure to radiation also comes with several negative results such as male impotency and a drastic change in the brain's metabolism. In the case of mobile phone radiation, its effect on human includes diabetes, heart diseases and depression. She also warned mobile phone users to read the manual where it also indicates the dangers of radiation. Putting your mobile phone in your pocket will also affect your pelvic area as well as your bone density. In a related story, Mercola featured a woman who suffered breast cancer without suffering any other related risk factors, it turns out she had a habit of putting her cellphone inside her bra, a trend that coincides with others who normally put their phones inside their pockets. Although the woman's doctor can't directly connect the risk of phone radiation to her breast cancer, the signs have been there and the practice of unknowingly exposing her body to radiation is very high. Phone radiation to men also affects their capability to stay potent. A recent study also showed that regular exposure to such radiation can cause them to risk their sperm count. The quality of their sperm in terms of being able to mature and stay healthy until it reaches the egg is also threatened. One study said, "RF-EMR in both the power density and frequency range of mobile phones enhances mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation by human spermatozoa, decreasing the motility and vitality of these cells while stimulating DNA base adduct formation and, ultimately DNA fragmentation." Varsovia Fernandez, the former CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, will become the state's new market leader for fast-growing firm Customers Bank. Fernandez will be managing the company's commercial lending. She will be focusing on raising access to capital for small and minority businesses in Philadelphia. "Varsovia's experience in building relationships in the Philadelphia business community and understanding the needs of small business will support our expansion of commercial lending services," Customers Bank President Dick Ehst told Biz Journals. "Varsovia shares our commitment to personalized service that connects small businesses with the right resources in order to foster commercial growth in the communities we serve." Fernandez was president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for almost a decade, before announcing her resignation in late 2015. "I am proud to have gathered Latino leadership [over the years] and to have identified this community of Latino business owners," the lady executive told Al Dia News. Fernandez was responsible for expanding the organization's workforce to a record of 600 members while also increasing revenues and member-driven activities. She played a pivotal role in raising awareness for minority business education, widening access to SBA funding and advocating for legislative issues beneficial for business and economic growth. "Beyond her work on behalf of GPHCC, Varsovia has been a great colleague to those of us who've worked with her," said GPHCC chairman Louis Rodriguez. "Her insights, collaborative spirit and dedication will be truly missed, as we look forward to starting a new chapter in GPHCC history." In December, the GPHCC announced that Jennifer Rodriguez, who was then the executive director of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant and Multicultural Affairs, would succeed Fernandez. Rodriguez also served as Vice President of Financial Services for the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation from 2001 to 2008. Furthermore, she previously served on the chamber's board and said she knows how important the organization is to the Hispanic community. Even though GPHCC has grown significantly over the years, Louis Rodriguez believes one of the challenges it needs to face moving forward is being able to efficiently assist smaller businesses. As for Customers Bank, the Customers Bancorp subsidiary has an estimated $7.6 billion in assets, despite only having a handful of branches spread over New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and New Jersey. Market Beat reported that shares of Customers Bancorp have earned an average rating of "buy" from the seven analysts that are currently covering the stock. One equities research analyst rated the stock with a "hold" rating while six have given the brokerage firm a "buy" rating. The U.S. Senate confirmed Latino Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo to serve the Third Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday, after more than a year passed since President Barack Obama nominated the Colombian. The Vote With the 82-6 vote on Monday evening, Restrepo becomes the second Latino judge ever to serve on the Third Circuit and the first one from Pennsylvania. Twelve senators, however, did not vote, including two of the three Latino senators -- Republicans Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas; the other Latino senator, Democrat Bob Menendez of New Jersey, voted in favor of Restrepo. "It is great news for Pennsylvania that Judge Restrepo will soon serve our nation on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals," said Sen. Patrick Toomey, R-Penn., in a statement. "I am pleased Judge Restrepo was confirmed by a bipartisan vote. As both a federal magistrate and district judge, Judge Restrepo has served the people of Pennsylvania honorably and with distinction and will continue to do so ... and I believe that he will also make a superb addition to the Third Circuit based in Philadelphia." "Judge Restrepo's story is the American Dream," said Sen. Bob Casey, D-Penn. "He came to this country from Columbia as an immigrant, graduated from law school and then became a highly respected lawyer, Federal magistrate, and U.S. District Court Judge. I appreciated working with Senator Toomey to recommend Judge Restrepo to the White House for a seat on the bench in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and then for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. I look forward to continue working in a bipartisan fashion to recommend highly qualified candidates for the federal bench to the White House." The Long Wait It was November 2014 when Obama nominated Restrepo, along with attorney Kara Farnandez Stoll. Before senators are allowed to vote on judicial nominees, the nominees require approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee. In April, the Judiciary Committee approved Farnandez Stoll, which allowed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to schedule her full Senate confirmation vote. On July 7, the Senate unanimously approved Farnandez Stoll's nomination, with 95-0, to become the first Latina to serve on the Federal Court of Appeals. Coincidentally, Cruz and Rubio were not present, and therefore did not vote, for her nomination. Restrepo, however, had a lengthier wait for his date with the Judiciary Committee. Toomey was first criticized for delaying the Judiciary Committee vote. Toomey had praised Obama's nomination of Restrepo last November, but he waited several months to send his approval to the Judiciary Committee. Toomey said he was waiting until the Judiciary Committee completed its background check on Restrepo -- even though the Colombian also received a background check in 2013 during his nomination process to serve on the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. In July, the Judiciary Committee unanimously approved Restrepo, more than half a year after Obama nominated him and despite the "emergency vacant seat" label on the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The focus then shifted towards McConnell to schedule Restrepo's confirmation vote. As months went by, McConnell was urged by lawmakers and advocacy groups to schedule the vote, but a decision didn't come until December, more than a year since Obama nominated Restrepo. As Latin Post reported, the Senate "reached an agreement" on Dec. 9, 2015, to consider Restrepo's nomination for Jan. 11, 2016. "There is no defensible reason why the GOP made Judge Restrepo, an experienced, consensus nominee with strong support of both Pennsylvania senators, wait 14 months for a confirmation vote to fill a vacancy that the U.S. Courts designated a judicial emergency," said Carl Tobias, law professor at the University of Richmond, to Latin Post. " On Jan. 11, shortly after 5:30 p.m. EST, Restrepo received overwhelming bipartisan support to become a judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Tobias told Latin Post that Restrepo's confirmation will finally help address the Third Circuit's growing caseload. More Latinos on Hold Restrepo was not the only Latino awaiting Senate confirmation. Armando Bonilla still waits to become the first Latino to serve the U.S. Court of Federal Claims; John Michael Vazquez waits for his confirmation vote to the District of New Jersey; and Dax Eric Lopez was nominated for the Northern District of Georgia, where he would be the first Latino appointed to a lifetime judicial position in the state. "The GOP Senate majority managed to allow votes on only 11 nominees over all of 2015, the fewest in one year since 1960," said Tobias. "There also is no reason why Obama has not nominated someone for Judge [Marjorie] Rendell's Third Circuit vacancy, which arose on July 1 when she assumed senior status and is also an emergency." "I am cautiously optimistic that the confirmation pace might pick up soon, but it is a presidential election year when the process slows and halts as the election nears," Tobias added. __ For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Politics Editor Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com. MoveOn, a major progressive public policy group, endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Tuesday morning, announcing that an overwhelming amount of their members "feel the Bern." In a statement sent to Latin Post, the liberal advocacy organization said that 78.6 percent of more than 340,000 members voted to support the Vermont senator in an online balloting conducted last Thursday through Sunday. On the other hand, just 14.6 percent voted for Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton while former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley earned less than 1 percent of support. Another 5.9 percent of voters chose not to endorse any candidate at all. "This is a massive vote in favor of Bernie Sanders, showing that grassroots progressives across the country are excited and inspired by his message and track record of standing up to big money and corporate interests to reclaim our democracy for the American people," MoveOn.org Political Action Executive Director Ilya Sheyman said in the statement, adding, "MoveOn members are feeling the Bern." Sheyman also said the group will now work to mobilize nearly 75,000 of its members in the key early voting states. "We will mobilize aggressively to add our collective people power to the growing movement behind the Sanders campaign, starting with a focus on voter turnout in Iowa and New Hampshire," added Sheyman. In response, Sanders said he was "proud" to be endorsed by MoveOn, which has been on the forefront of liberal issues for years. "MoveOn has spent more than 17 years bringing people together to fight for progressive change and stand up against big money interests," said the self-proclaimed "Democratic Socialist." "MoveOn's fight to give the American people a voice in our political system was reflected in the group's internal democratic process. I'm humbled by their support and welcome MoveOn's members to the political revolution," he said. MoveOn endorsed Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic primary race after 70 percent of its members voted for the former senator compared to 30 percent who supported Clinton. Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton broke with the Obama administration and criticized the recent raids carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which she said worsened an already tense situation. Speaking at the Iowa Brown and Black forum on minority issues on Jan. 11, the former secretary of state minced no words as she second-guessed President Barack Obama's tough approach on the issue. "I do not think the raids are an appropriate tool to enforce the immigration laws," Clinton said bluntly. "In fact, I think they are divisive, they are sowing discord and fear." Raids Criticism The controversial raids carried out earlier this month have drawn widespread criticism from immigration activists and leaders in the Latino community, and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) told the Huffington Post that it was investigating what it called possible violations of the Fourth Amendment's guarantee against illegal search and seizure in connection with the incidents. "Our review of the cases suggests that ICE used tactics during the raids that potentially are illegal and violate the constitution and that in several of these cases it appears that proper consent was not obtained to enter the houses," SPLC attorney Eunice Cho told the publication. At her Iowa appearance, meanwhile, Clinton was adamant that it was important not just to uphold immigration law, but also how authorities go about that effort. "We have laws and we must be guided by those laws," she said. "but we shouldn't have armed federal officers showing up at peoples' homes, taking women and children out of their beds in the middle of the night." Clinton: Fix Immigration System, Help Central America In a separate statement, Clinton also addressed the problem of unaccompanied undocumented minors, advocating for government-funded counsels for such children. The former New York senator also supports a long-term, comprehensive fix to asylum and refugee programs that would include more officers, translators and immigration judges, her campaign noted, according to Reuters. And an investment in development in Central America was also part of solving the U.S. immigration crisis, Clinton argued. "If the United States takes the lead in organizing a regional coalition to respond to this crisis, I believe we can make a serious difference," she noted in her statement. Fans pay their respects with flowers and messages at a David Bowie mural in Brixton, South London, Britain, on Jan. 11, 2016. David Bowie, the iconic British singer-songwriter died on Sunday, just two days after his 69th birthday, his family announced Monday in a brief statement. [Xinhua/Ray Tang] David Bowie (1947-2016) was the world's most creative popular artist-musician in the last 50 years. He was born as David Jones to a working class family in Brixton, London. The destruction caused by wartime bombing scarred his early visual environment. His family moved to Bromley, near London, where he attended an arts-focused school. He finished at 16 with only one qualification - art. He discovered the impact of music at an early age and it became the central medium to express his drives. His first musical success came in 1969 with the song Space Oddity. It was released just days before Apollo 11 transported the first man to the Moon - Neil Armstrong. At the time I was 5 years old but I clearly remember my father waking the whole family in the early hours to watch Armstrong take this "giant step for mankind." Bowie's song became the anthem of the space age. It blends science with bravery and melancholy to capture the hopes and fears of an era. Its words record a fictional cosmonaut called Major Tom through his radio communication with Ground Control. It still sounds like a siren call from the future and the past. Technology and machines control Tom's fate. He looks down on the beauty of planet earth but seeing it from outside evokes melancholy for the past. As he embarks on his heroic, dangerous and selfless mission on behalf of humanity his isolation evokes declarations of love for his wife that are both desperate and hopeless. By the 1960s the technical, scientific and social advances in the Soviet Union included launching the first satellite and sending the first man into space. Soviet economic planners promised to overtake the West and to create a socialist heaven on earth by 1980. Everyone would live in plenty; they would work less than 30 hours a week; and most goods and services would be free on demand. Therefore, landing a man on the moon symbolized the revival of self-confidence in the United States, capitalism and its mission. The long economic boom of the 50s and 60s generated a confident youth prepared to challenge the dominant norms, constraints and traditions. Bowie worked with multi-disciplinary Arts Labs to generate new cultural and artistic combinations. Popular culture became widely associated with political protest against the Vietnam War and social, cultural, racial and sexual mores of the past were all jettisoned: as peace, love and rebellion became the inspiration and watchwords of the young. From this time onwards Bowie was at the cutting edge of technical and artistic creativity mainly expressed in music and through his changing persona. Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation. The multifaceted problem of diversity in technology has caught the attention of companies, nonprofits, academics, and the federal government. Now Arizona State University has launched a new Center for Gender Equity in Science and Technology to address the reasons why so few women and girls of color pursue or persist in technology careers. The Weak "Pipeline" for Women, Minorities in STEM One of the many persistent roots of Silicon Valley's diversity problem is the lack of a robust so-called diversity "pipeline." In other words, there aren't enough women and underrepresented minorities getting an education in STEM fields -- science, technology, engineering, and mathematics -- for companies to hire an adequately diverse workforce. While the "pipeline" problem can be construed as an easy cop-out for tech companies, there is a demonstrable lack of skilled U.S. workers to fill high tech jobs, and while the underrepresented minorities report the desire to pursue STEM degrees at the same rate as their Asian American and White peers, fewer minorities stick with their STEM major or otherwise see their degree through to graduation. The educational system fares the worst when it comes to helping Latinas, and Black and Native American girls take their interest in STEM fields all the way through a postsecondary degree. For example, while as much as 75 percent of girls in middle school express an interest in science and math, only 10 percent of girls will eventually earn a bachelor's degree in STEM, according to ASU. ASU's New Hub for Women in STEM To study and decode that problem as it relates to women of color -- the least-represented demographics in Silicon Valley -- Arizona State University launched the Center for Gender Equity in Science and Technology on Monday. The center's mission is to enlist the help of academics, policy makers, and experts in STEM fields to research and develop strategies that help break down the barriers that prevent girls and women of color from studying for, and pursuing STEM careers. "This is a critical goal that requires expertise, experience and brainpower from a variety of fields," said Dr. Kimberly A. Scott, the center's executive director and associate professor in ASU's School of Social Transformation in a statement released to Latin Post. "Our collective work will manifest into a larger and further reaching impact to benefit girls of color." Dr. Scott previously founded the nationally recognized after-school and summer program CompuGirls, which teaches skills in digital media and game development to teen girls from under-resourced school districts in the area. The STEM diversity problem is national, and with backing from the White House, ASU was chosen to lead the National STEM Collaborative, a consortium of 12 higher education institutions and 15 non-profits to research best practices and resources for the development of women of color in STEM fields -- and then scale those solutions on a national level. National Push to Improve STEM Pipeline for Girls ASU's new Center for Gender Equity in Science and Technology (CGEST) will serve as a the first and only central hub for the collaborative, building programs specific to African American, Latina, Asian American and Native American women pursuing STEM fields. The goal, as Scott put it, is to "make a systemic impact on issues of disparity that are affecting our society as a whole." The center will work on a three to five year timespan, pursuing three main strategies: knowledge amplification, networking resources, and scaling best practices. The first goal is to provide solid data and research around advocating for girls in STEM that schools can immediately put into practice from the pre-school level and up. The second is to boost the pool of talented students and faculty, and increase the availability for girls of color to enter into and complete higher education in STEM fields. Finally, the last will be a collaborative effort to build and support programs that funnel women of color from community colleges into full four-year university STEM programs. The Broader Mission Beyond an issue of best practices, the problems of diversity in technology are also cultural, and CGEST hopes to highlight how the lack of women and minorities isn't just an economic problem, but one of social justice. Dr. Scott, who is African American, has first-hand experience with that side of the diversity issue. "I can recall going back to my time teaching in high-needs districts back East where I witness differential treatment by teachers and administrators in the schools," she said in ASU's blog announcing the center. "They thought that these kids didn't know enough or would never have the capacity to know enough because of their race, or gender, or socioeconomic status." "So for me, not only as an African American woman, but as a social justice activist," she added, "this is something that we all must take seriously if we are really interested in addressing inequity." A mass killing in the central Honduran city of Comayagua, which authorities believe was probably drug-related, left at least six people dead on Jan. 9. The victims, all men, were gunned down in the early morning hours inside a house located in the suburbs of the city of 60,000, Leonel Sauceda, a spokesman for the country's Security Secretariat, told the Spanish news agency EFE. Police discovered liquor bottles and six bullet casings at the scene of the crime, Sauceda added. Authorities probe narcotics links Investigators believe that the year's first mass killing is likely linked to narcotics trafficking. Sauceda told Agence France-Presse that a relative of one of the victims had been jailed three years ago for selling drugs. Local police official Jose Luis Flores added his forces had carried out an anti-drug operation at the same house just 10 days earlier. The victims have been identified as Jose Ernesto Ramos, brothers Nelson Vegas and Santos Cecilio Reyes, Orlando Josue Orellana, Marvin Josue Montoya, and Rigoberto Hernandez. Hilda Euceda, the mother of Vegas and Cecilio, is currently serving time at the women's prison near the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa on drug charges, Sauceda said. Vegas, Reyes and the other three victims ranged in age from 19 to 24, while Ramos was 42 years old at the time of his death, Sauceda noted. Massacres as an everyday occurrence Mass killings are remarkably common in Honduras, and 96 killings of three or more people were reported in the Central American country in 2015, AFP recalled based on figures from the Violence Observatory at Honduras' respected National Autonomous University. The numbers mean that last year, more than 60 homicides occurred in the nation for every 100,000 inhabitants, which makes for one of the highest murder rates in the world. Local officials told EFE that there are an average of 14 homicide victims per day, largely due to the activities and influence of drug traffickers and other organized crime groups. Communication, commerce, and government are just a few aspects of our daily lives that have been forever changed and, in many ways, made more convenient by the Internet. Unfortunately, these same advancements also have introduced a new breed of technologically-savvy criminal. Such crimes as terrorism, espionage, financial fraud, and identity theft have long existed in the physical realm, but are now being perpetrated in the cyber domain. As criminals more effectively exploit this new frontier, their use of the Internet and technology adds a layer of complexity that cannot be overcome through the efforts of any one agency. To address this evolving cyber challenge, the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force (NCIJTF) was officially established in 2008. The NCIJTF is comprised of over 30 partnering agencies from across law enforcement, the intelligence community, and the Department of Defense, with representatives who are co-located and work jointly to accomplish the organizations mission from a whole-of-government perspective. As a unique multi-agency cyber center, the NCIJTF has the primary responsibility to coordinate, integrate, and share information to support cyber threat investigations, supply and support intelligence analysis for community decision-makers, and provide value to other ongoing efforts in the fight against the cyber threat to the nation Maithripala Sirisena's surprise victory in Sri Lanka's 2015 presidential elections brought hope of an end to human rights abuses in the country. This was wracked by a brutal 26-year civil war that pitted government forces against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's (LTTE) or more popularly known as the Tamil Tigers. However, separate reports by the UK-based Freedom from Torture and the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) documented continuing human rights violations including abductions, torture and severe sexual abuse perpetuated by Sri Lankan police and security forces. The International Truth and Justice Project Sri Lanka documented 20 cases in 2015 all involving sexual violation and severe torture of Tamils with tenuous links to the LTTE along with their families. Most of these victims with past links with the LTTE had thought that it was safe to return to Sri Lanka or to come out of hiding and return to their homes. Almost all of the victims were members of the LTTE though almost all foot soldiers forcibly conscripted by the LTTE. The Guardian quoted Yasmin Sooka as saying that "it was very much business as usual." She said that the notorious white vans as still operating, referring to the vehicles used by security forces during the arrest or abduction of LTTE members. Sirisena is under pressure because of these continuing human rights abuses. International investigations indicate that the inquiries set up by the government of Sri Lanka were ineffectual and were, in fact, partisan. A 220-page, two-volume report by the UN High Commission on Human Rights found that both the government and the LTTE had most likely committed war crimes. Another NGO, the UK-based Freedom from Torture which offers medical aid to survivors of torture, documented eight incidents of torture since Sitisena's election in a report cited by the Sunday Times of Sri Lanka. Again, all victims are Tamils and the alleged perpetrators are elements of Sri Lanka's military or intelligence services. Sonya Sceats, director of policy and advocacy for Freedom from Torture, said Sirisena's promise of reconciliation premised on requiring accountability for serious human rights abuses was a welcome change. But she also said that Sirisena must match his rhetoric with actions to prosecute human rights violators. More charges will likely be filed against four people convicted in a murder investigation in Wyoming County. A preliminary hearing on the case is scheduled to be held in two weeks where additional indictments would be made. Four people involved in a murder in Wyoming County will possibly face more charges, reported WVVA. State Prosecutor Mike Cochrane said that the likelihood of additional indictments against them is "strong". The four suspects were convicted of involvement in the murder of a man named David Crawford who was reported missing to the Wyoming County Sheriff's Department in late December 2015. On Saturday, Sgt. A.D. Palmateer said that the suspects are in custody at Beckley's Southern Regional Jail. There will be a preliminary hearing on the case in two where more charges will be filed against the suspects, added Cochrane. Troopers arrested the four suspects after obtaining evidence from a conversation between a 12-year old girl and her 19-year old boyfriend, Robert Burton, III. WV MetroNews said that the couple were talking about the shooting of Crawford. Authorities questioned the couple and were able to find Crawford's body 10 miles down the Craney area at around 10 PM on Friday. Bluefield Daily Telegraph reported that a John Toler, 27, has been charged with 1st degree murder and conspiracy to commit a felony. Three people were also indicted for covering up the true story behind the killing. Burton was charged with 2nd degree sexual assault, accessory after the fact to murder, and conspiracy to commit a felony. Two women named Vicki Toler and Raesha Massey (18 and 25 years old respectively) of West Virginia were charged with accessory after the fact to murder and conspiracy to commit a felony. Cynthia Ellis, the victim's ex-girlfriend, said that Toler was a friend of Crawford. She reported Crawford missing after she tried calling him but his cellphone service was shortly terminated. "The second night I was at their house, that's when I realized David was missing. They gave me my post office box key off of his body and said he had left it there for me." Ellis learned that Crawford had been murdered on January 8, 2016. "It's horrible. I can only imagine. I don't think he knew that it was coming. He wouldn't have trusted them. He really thought they were his friends. He told me he thought the world of John." Ukrainian oil and natural gas company Ukrnafta PAT has filed a lawsuit against Russia at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, Netherlands. The lawsuit is evidenced by documents posted on Monday on Permanent Court of Arbitration's website, according to UA Today. According to the documents, the lawsuit was filed to defend the oil monopoly company's investment based on the agreement with Russian Federation in 1998. Permanent Court of Arbitration published the Ukrnafta v. The Russian Federation case description: "The Permanen Court of Arbitration acts as registry in this arbitration, which is being conducted under the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Arbitration Rules 1976 pursuant to the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on the Encouragement and Mutual Protection of Investments dated 27 November 1998." The Ukraine's oil company claims that the Russian Federation has broken the 1998 agreement aimed to create and maintain favorable conditions for mutual investments and the expansion of economic cooperation between the Cabinet of Ministers of the Ukraine and the Government of the Russian Federation. The agreement signed in Moscow was also seeking to develop earlier agreement , the Agreement on Cooperation in the Sphere of Investment Activity on December 24, 1993. The Russian Federation side said in the case view that it does not recognize the jurisdiction of the international arbitration and did not appoint its representatives for the proceedings. The Russian Federation also stated that nothing in its correspondence "should be considered as consent of the Russian Federation to constitution of an arbitral tribunal, participation in arbitration proceedings or as procedural actions taken in the framework of the proceedings." In addition to Ukrnafta's lawsuit, another 11 Ukrainian companies including Kirovohrad Nafta, Crimea Petrol, Pirsan, Trade-Trust, Elefteria, VKF Satek, Rustel, Rubenor, Stemy Group, Novel-Estae and Stabil, have also filed suits against Russia over the same claims, according to Russian News Agency. In the middle of 2015, a lawsuit against Russia was also filed by Ukrainian company. According to Unian, Ukraine's largest bank PrivatBank initiated arbitration proceeding against Russia in summer 2015 over the loss of investments in Crimea after the annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula by Russia. In December 2015, Ukrainian company Naftogaz engaged the U.S. law firm of Covington and Burling LLP to protect the company's interest in litigation concerning lost shelf assets in the annexed Crimea. Ukrnafta is also represented by the U.S. law firm in the lawsuit against Russia. The oil company appointed Washington D.C.'s Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP as its representatives. Afghan displaced children stand outside their tents in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Jan. 10, 2016. More than one million people have to flee their homes due to conflicts in the country, according to officials. (Xinhua/Rahmat Alizadah) China is part of a recently formed quadrilateral group along with Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States to facilitate peace and reconciliation between Taliban insurgents and Afghan government. The group was announced in December after Heart of Asia conference in Islamabad and held its first formal meeting in the same city on Monday. China's Special Envoy for Afghanistan Ambassador Deng Xijun led his delegation while Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai, Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry and U.S. Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Olson represented their respective sides. The meeting ended with a joint communique, showing that the participants discussed mutual efforts to facilitate an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process with a view to achieving lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region. The major achievement of the moot was that the four countries agreed on the importance of bringing an end to the conflict in Afghanistan that continues to inflict senseless violence on the Afghan people and also breeds insecurity throughout the region. The group also announced that there was an urgent need for the direct talks between Afghan and Taliban representatives. The participants also underscored that the peace talks would be held under the basic framework which will preserve Afghanistan's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. It was feared before the meeting that different countries might push for different priorities, which would have made the start of peace process more difficult. For example, Afghanistan expected from Pakistan to come up with a list of rebels who are ready for talks. Such a demand from Kabul could have created a division between reconcilable and irreconcilable Taliban. Any such distinction at the initial stage of peace process would have resulted in uncertainty for talks as both the militants and government officials would have doubts about the chances of success due to looming threat of attacks by the insurgents opposing the talks. Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation. Flash Trucks carrying relief aid started entering three besieged Syrian towns on Monday as part of a deal concluded recently between the government and rebels to alleviate the suffering of thousands of starved people. People gather on the street in the town of Madaya, north of the capital Damascus, Syria, Jan. 11, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] The trucks started simultaneously entering the rebel-held town of Madaya north of the capital Damascus and Kafraya and Foa, two adjacent Shiite towns loyal to the government but surrounded by rebels in northern Syria. As many as 7,800 food parcels are entering Madaya, where 40,000 people are besieged by Syrian government forces and the Lebanese Hezbollah group, a source told Xinhua, adding almost 4,000 parcels are entering Kafraya and Foa, where 20,000 people are trapped by the rebels. The entry of aid convoys to Madaya was conditioned to the rebels' allowing humanitarian assistance into Kafraya and Foa. Much of Idlib province is under the control of the Jaish al-Fateh rebel group, except for Kafraya and Foa, which has been under siege since March 2015. More than 600 people in the two towns have been killed in rebel attacks. In recent weeks, the rebels in the city of Zabadani, which is adjacent to Madaya, reached a deal with the government to evacuate from the city. Dozens of wounded rebels were allowed to leave in December amid talks that the government would loosen its siege on Zabadani. Recently, photos showing famished people from Madaya were published online by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, but the government rejected those images as "largely fake" and being planned by the opposition to demonize the Syrian government. The government said aid convoys had been allowed into Madaya two months ago, accusing rebels of seizing the supplies and selling them to locals at very high prices. Muhammad Abu al-Qassem, a Syrian opposition figure, told Xinhua that as the result of a government siege, Madaya has been suffering from a severe shortage of medical supplies and food since last August, causing the spread of diseases and hunger. Some had to resort to eating tree leafs, stray cats and dogs and even garbage as prices of basic food items shot up to exorbitant levels -- an equivalent of about 155 U.S. dollars for one kg of white wheat and 120 dollars for one kg of rice, Abu al-Qassem said. by The New York Times Travel Show is the most prestigious travel show in the United States. I have been fortunate to speak at it multiple times and this year I actually spoke in the large seminar room with about 500 people in attendance about how I traveled to every country in the world. What made the 2016 New York Times Travel Show even cooler for me was that through my partnership with Allianz Travel Insurance, I got to co-host a dinner with 3 lucky winners and their guests at Mastros Steakhouse in New York. Allianz Travel Insurance held a contest where 3 winners would be selected. One travel blogger; one travel agent; and one travel lover to be flown to New York and hosted for 3 days all expenses paid plus special events all over the city and of course entry to the New York Times Travel Show and a Go Bag including a GoPro! The Travel Trifecta, of myself, money saving travel expert Johnny Jet and 2-time SATW travel photographer of the year Gary Arndt hosted a dinner for the winners. It was a lot of fun. One winner was from Atlanta, Georgia. Another from Raleigh, North Carolina and the third was local in New York. Dinner was amazing, as I picked the restaurant (wink), and it was a lot of fun chatting with our winners about their travels, lives and telling stories of my own travels. They seemed like they had a blast and I know the Travel trifecta did as well! On Saturday I spoke about how I traveled to every country in the world and some of my favorites from around the world. The seminar was really well received, attended and the questions were amazing and plentiful. In fact, I stayed for another hour afterwards answering questions from the folks that attended. Whenever I speak at events like the New York Times Travel Show, Im always surprised who attends and I end up seeing people I havent seen in years. There was a guy from my disaster Tokelau Expedition way back when. Also, family friends from 25 years ago and friends from high school and college I havent seen in years! Its always such a pleasure for me. So I wanted to thank the New York Times Travel Show for having me speak once again and to Dan Durazo and Allianz Travel Insurance for being such great partners and the gold sponsor the show itself. Lastly, thanks to the winners for being so cool and good sports. I really enjoyed meeting everyone! Dont forget to check out the Allianz Travel Insurance Content Capsule here! Please Activate Javascript Disclaimer: I and my company, The Travel Trifecta, have partnered with and receive financial compensation from Allianz Travel Insurance. I received no extra compensation for any events with regards to the New York Times Travel Show and my seminar was completely separate from my affiliation with Allianz Travel Insurance. Sharing is caring! Detroit LIVE: Kia Telluride concept Jan 12, 2016, 6:03am ET The Telluride previews the direction Kia\'s design language could take in the coming years. Kia is showing a striking new concept at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show called Telluride. Named after a ski resort in Colorado, the muscular-looking Telluride takes the form of a full-size SUV that elevates Kia's design language to a whole new level. Its tall front end wears a bold rendition of the South Korean car maker's trademarked Tigernose grille and rectangular headlights underlined by thin strips of LED daytime running lights. Out back, L-shaped lights emphasize the Telluride's height, while a roof-mounted spoiler adds a sporty touch to the overall look. The Telluride boasts a futuristic cockpit with a two-spoke steering wheel, a fully configurable digital instrument cluster, and a massive screen that displays the infotainment system. Interestingly, the seats are equipped with built-in sensors that monitor the occupants' health. Data such as each passenger's heat rate, stress level and even jet lag level is displayed on small screens built into the door panels. A wing-shaped LED panel located below the panoramic sunroof emits a pattern of therapeutic light that re-vitalizes the passengers as needed. Power is provided by a gasoline-electric plug-in hybrid drivetrain made up of a direct-injected 3.5-liter V6 engine and a compact electric motor. The two power sources send 400 horsepower to all four wheels while allowing the Telluride to return up to 30 mpg on the highway. Performance specifications haven't been published yet. Kia explains the Telluride hints at the direction its design language might take in the next few years. The concept hasn't been approved for production yet, but we wouldn't be surprised to see a toned-down version of it land in showrooms before the end of the decade. Like the concept, the production model could ride on a stretched Sorento platform. Live photos by Brian Williams. Jan 12, 2016, 12:37pm ET VW proposes new catalytic converter for US cheating TDIs The potential solution has not yet received approval from the EPA or CARB. Volkswagen has reportedly submitted its remediation proposal for non-compliant diesel cars sold in the US market. Euro-spec vehicles will be outfitted with a simple flow transformer upstream from the airflow sensor, increasing measurement accuracy to optimize combustion. The company faces much tighter regulations for nitrogen oxides in the US market, however, requiring a more elaborate retrofit. "We have [a catalytic converter] in the works and we believe that will be a part of the technical solutions," VW chief Matthias Mueller said at a media event ahead of the Detroit auto show, as quoted by Reuters. It is unclear if the executive could be referring to a diesel particulate filter (DPF), selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system, lean NOx trap (LNT), or another modification to the existing emissions-control hardware. In any case, the retrofit will presumably be paired with a software revision that could affect fuel economy and performance. Recent reports suggest the proposed fix will be impractical for some vehicles, potentially leading to a buyback for approximately 115,000 TDI vehicles sold in the US. The number represents roughly 20 percent of the country's non-compliant vehicles. Mueller is said to have scheduled a meeting with EPA administrator Gina McCarthy on Wednesday to present present the proposal, hoping to move forward after months of contentious negotiations. "I think we can now offer a package that will come very close to what the EPA is expecting from us," the executive added. Flash A quadrilateral meeting on peace in Afghanistan on Monday issued a joint statement, calling for immediate talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. The first meeting of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) of Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the United States on Afghan peace and reconciliation process was held in Islamabad weeks after the four nations agreed to jointly work for a political solution to the Afghan problem. The delegations were led by Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai, Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard G. Olsan and Chinese Special Envoy for Afghanistan Deng Xijun, respectively. "The participants emphasized the immediate need for direct talks between representatives of the Government of Afghanistan and representatives from Taliban groups in a peace process that aims to preserve Afghanistan's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity," the joint statement said. The first ever direct talks between the representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban were held in Pakistan in early July, but the process was scuttled after the death of Taliban leader Mullah Omar was confirmed. All four countries underscored the importance of bringing an end to the conflict in Afghanistan that continues to inflict violence on the Afghan people and also breeds insecurity throughout the region. "The discussions focused on undertaking a clear and realistic assessment of the opportunities for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan, anticipated obstacles and measures that would help create conducive environment for commencement of peace talks, with the shared goal of reducing violence and establishing lasting peace in Afghanistan," the statement said. The meeting adopted terms for the work of the QCG and agreed to continue regular meetings to advance the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan. The group would hold discussion on a roadmap at its next meeting to be held later this month in Kabul, according to the statement. The group reiterated the commitment of their countries to the realization of objectives expressed during the meetings held on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia Conference in Islamabad in December 2015. Building on the outcome of December meetings, they considered mutual efforts to facilitate an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process with a view to achieving lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region. Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan's foreign affairs adviser, speaking at the opening session, said, "The primary objective of the reconciliation process is to create conditions to bring the Taliban groups to the negotiation table and offer them incentives that can persuade them to move away from using violence as tool for pursuing political goals." "I recently attended Rick's class so that I could obtain my Michigan CPL. He is extremely professional, yet relaxed, and kept the class interesting, exciting, and informative. He covered a lot of information regarding the laws, how to handle situations should they arise, gun/ammunition types, gun selection, and most importantly safety. I would recommend this class to anyone from the the most seasoned of gun owners to the novice who has never even held a gun before. Rick showed us proper shooting stances and techniques and the best ways to optimize accuracy. He also will stop right away to answer any questions that may come up. For all of these reasons and more, Rick will be my first stop for all of my self defense needs. Thanks Rick!!!" - Mr. Dave B., Clawson, Oakland County, Michigan "If you are even thinking about carrying a concealed weapon for personal protection, Rick's class is the absolute first step you need to take in preparing. You will learn everything you need to know to protect yourself -- not only with your concealed pistol, but also from the authorities if you should ever have the unfortunate circumstance to use your weapon in self-defense. You will get the necessary legal information to know how to respond to the police and what to say and what not to say to the 911 operator if you should have to make that call. Rick doesn't take shortcuts. Rick and his associates take the necessary time to show you the proper way to clear and handle a firearm. Take the class, you will be glad you did! Thanks for all you are doing! Regards," - Mr. D. Schmidt, Clinton Twp., Macomb County, Michigan "Hey Rick! I want to thank you for providing such a vital service to the community. Everyone who cares about their safety and their freedom needs to be educated on how best to secure both, and I can't think of anyone better equipped to teach them than you. Your class was very informative, and as the instructor you were very knowledgeable on every aspect of gun ownership and usage and very patient with the many questions I asked- and had a ready answer for all of them! I would certainly - and have already- suggest anybody looking for a CPL go to you first." - Mr. B. Tilley, Eastpointe, Macomb County, Michigan 48021 "Rick, Thanks for providing me this opportunity, it was very informative and I would definitely recommend your class to others. Take care!" - Ms. M. Woods, Southfield, Oakland County, Michigan 48034 "As an attorney and just as a regular citizen of Michigan, I cannot say enough good things about Rick's Firearm Academy. Rick Ector and his other instructors provided excellent training and instruction and managed to make a normally dry subject interesting and entertaining. They were patient, knowledgeable, skilled, and talented in communicating important information about gun safety, personal protection, and security. I learned a lot from Rick Ector and his staff. The info is extremely useful to my every day life, as I try to protect myself. I was so impressed with Rick and his staff that I intend to take more courses from Rick's Firearm Academy. I am very lucky to have learned about Rick's Firearm Academy, which should be a must for all Michigan residents. Rick Ector and his staff know their stuff and turned a day of training and instruction on rules - regarding firearm safety and concealed pistol licenses - into an interesting experience that benefited me and my safety. I will take the valuable information they imparted to me into my everyday life as I try to make myself more secure from crime and threats. Well, worth the money. In fact, it's a bargain." - Ms. D. Schlussel, Attorney-At-Law, Southfield, Oakland County, Michigan 48034 "Hello Rick, I just wanted to inform you how insightful your CPL class was. Not only did you and Damian educate me better on the usage of a firearm but you also helped me with being aware of my surroundings and how I am approached by strangers as well. I am in the sales and marketing profession for an aluminum manufacturer. I am often in rural and industrial areas and I am much more comfortable after taking your class. I now have better firearm knowledge, know the difference of taking cover, and have knowledge of when it is illegal to shoot when you have been victimized. I have recommended your class to most of my friends who have an interest; some have handled firearms, but they will find that they too need to take your class. I have every intention to stay in contact for additional training and updates. Thanks again. Regards," - Mr. M. Jackson, Sales and Marketing Executive, Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan 48206 Legal problems keep mounting for a teacher who organized a walkout of Allentown students last fall. Michael Frassetto is now facing 74 summary counts of corruption of minors stemming from the Sept. 28 walkout in the city. The most recent citations were filed Tuesday with District Judge Michael D'Amore, whose district includes Dieruff High School. The first citations -- 37 total -- were filed Nov. 24 with District Judge Engler, whose district includes Trexler Middle School. The private summary complaints were filed by the Allentown School District and its solicitor, John Freund, on behalf of the affected high school and middle school principals. Freund said on Tuesday there are no plans to file any additional citations. The 29-year-old Frassetto, who taught at the Medical Academy Charter School in Catasauqua at the time of the walkout, is represented by local defense attorney Gary Asteak. "If the school district spent as much energy, time and resources on correcting its problems, it would be doing the public and its student a much better service," Asteak said. "The result for Mr. Frassetto will either be vindication or martyrdom, either of which he is prepared to suffer." Freund said there were 426 students from the Allentown district who missed school because they participated in the walkout. "Obviously it was not practical to file 426 citations," Freund said, but officials determined they should file citations for each of the schools involved, including the district's newest high school Building 21. "How the court will view the number of actual violations, I can't say," Freund said. "We think it's a serious matter that needs to be followed through on." A week before the first citations were filed, District Attorney Jim Martin said if he could have arrested Frassetto for the September walkout leading to students' truancy, he would have. Speaking at a news conference about attacks by local students against police officers, Martin said, "I think the man is a hindrance." Asteak said he has never seen the specific criminal code, alleging that Frassetto encouraged and enticed the students to be truant, used in a corruption of minors case. "It's a vindictive act on their part to attempt to squelch Mr. Frassetto's first amendment rights of free speech, encouraging peaceful assemble and protest against what many knowledgeable people see to be the failure of the school district and board," Asteak said. Asteak chided the district, saying it was not satisfied with Frassetto losing his job at the Medical Academy Charter School. In December, the district released a statement about filing the complaints, noting the state's compulsory education law requires people who keep children from attending school to be held accountable for their actions. "Encouraging Allentown School District students to commit truancy by walking out of school during normal school hours is an unlawful disruption of the students' educational process," the statement said. "While the Allentown School District supports freedom of expression, the District cannot condone actions in violation of the law." Both attorneys said the plan is to consolidate all the citations at one trial, instead of having separate trials at each of the five district judge offices where the complaints were filed. Freund said he plans to call witnesses, and that may include students. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A Centre County man is facing drug-related charges after an officer found crack cocaine in his vehicle during a stop, Easton police say. Jose Garcia-Velazquez, 36, of State College, Pennsylvania, was stopped by city police shortly after 11:30 p.m. Saturday while driving in the 100 block of South 11th Street in Easton. Police say Garcia-Velazquez failed to use a turn signal while traveling into a alley. Police searched the vehicle and seized 16 individually packaged pieces of crack cocaine, $711 and three cellphones, court records say. Garcia-Velazquez allegedly admitted to police he sells crack cocaine for $10 per "rock," or individually packaged pieces. Garcia-Velazquez is charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, driving without a driver's license and failing to adhere to required signals. He was arraigned before District Judge Richard Yetter III, who set bail at $65,000. In lieu of bail, Garcia-Velazquez was taken to Northampton County Prison. The judge ordered he enroll in county Pretrial Services, refrain from drugs and alcohol and submit to random drug screening. The judge allowed 10 percent of $65,000 bail if Pretrial Services approved it. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A popular European grocery chain is eyeing Wilson Borough as a site for one of its first American stores. Neckarsulm, Germany-based Lidl wants to open a store in the southeast corner of Freemansburg Avenue and 25th Street, according to Wilson Borough Councilman Leonard Feinberg. It's the site of the former Victor Balata belting company. It would be across 25th Street from Aldi, one of Lidl's biggest European rivals. Lidl representatives made their pitch before borough council on Monday. "It sounds like a great deal," Feinberg said. The chain will return to borough council's meeting on Jan. 25 to seek conditional use approval. The website Business Insider called Lidl a cross between Trader Joe's and Wal-Mart. Feinberg said Lidl offers deeply discounted products similar to an Aldi but also popular brands, such as Coca-Cola, that you'd find in a Giant supermarket. The chain announced in June it would build its regional headquarters and distribution facility in Virginia. Feinberg said construction on the stores won't start until the distribution center is ready. Lidl spokesman Will Harwood said the chain is making an aggressive push into the United States. "We plan to have stores open here no later than 2018," he said. Lidl has 10,000 stores in 26 European countries but none in the United States. "Our philosophy is simple: we are focused on offering customers top quality products at the most competitive pricing in convenient locations," said Brendan Proctor, president and CEO of Lidl US, in a news release. "We plan to build on the foundation that has made Lidl so successful in Europe, while creating a unique experience for American consumers that will be unlike anything else in the market," his statement says. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. A Wilson Area High School student was diagnosed with whooping cough last weekend, prompting the district's superintendent to alert parents about the highly-contagious disease. Cases of whooping cough, clinically known as pertussis, have been on the rise in recent years nationally. In October 2015, the Pennsylvania Department of Health sent out a letter stating, "The disease can be very severe and, although deaths are rare, they do occur especially in infants less than one year of age." A ninth-grader at Easton Area High School contracted the disease last September, and more recently, the Salisbury Township School District last month shut down its schools early for the Christmas and New Year's holidays because of an outbreak of pertussis. In 2015, however, fewer than five cases of whooping cough were reported in Northampton County, according to the state Department of Health. A letter dated Monday was sent out to Wilson Area parents and guardians by Superintendent Douglas Wagner. The letter also was posted on the district's website. Wagner on Tuesday confirmed the student has been treated and has returned to school. He did not specify the student's grade and said it was the only case of whopping cough reported. Wagner said the state Department of Health was notified immediately once the student was diagnosed. He said he is not aware of any uptick in student absences since the diagnosis. Wagner's letter says a parent whose child is coughing should promptly call the child's physician and explain the child may have been exposed to a case of pertussis and needs to be evaluated. "Your child's doctor may obtain a nasopharyngeal culture to test for pertussis," the letter states. It stresses children should receive all their shots on time to best control whooping cough. If a child is diagnosed with whooping cough, all household members and other close contacts should be treated with antibiotics regardless of their age or vaccination status, according to Wagner's letter. Symptoms of whooping cough include coughing fits, often followed by a whooping noise, that become worse over one to two weeks. The coughs tend to be followed "by vomiting, turning blue or difficulty" catching breath, according to the letter. Wagner's letter also includes a fact sheet with recommendations for parents who are concerned their children may have been exposed to whooping cough. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Jim Martin and John Morganelli Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin, left, and Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli will meet Tuesday morning with the media. (lehighvalleylive.com file photos) Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli and Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin will meet with the media at 11 a.m. Tuesday in Easton. Morganelli said in the announcement that he wouldn't discuss the subject of the news conference beforehand. There are some issues that could fall to both offices. On Sunday night an Easton man was found mortally wounded in a parking lot at 401 Tilghman St. in Allentown. Chonce R. Acey, 28, of the 1400 block of Washington Street, died from gunshot wounds less than 40 minutes later at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township. Acey was wanted in a 2009 Bethlehem Township robbery and sex assault. And alleged spree killer Todd West is charged with killing a man last summer in Easton and a man and a woman hours later in Allentown. West will be tried in Lehigh County Court. But Morganelli later said Tuesday's discussion would feature a noncriminal matter. On Monday he released the first year results on Northampton County's mental health court. There is no current equivalent in Lehigh County. What do you think they will -- or should -- focus on? Comment below. Coverage is planned on lehighvalleylive.com following the news conference. Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A Megan's Law offender is charged with filming two 6-year-old girls in various stages of undress at a Hanover Township, Northampton County hotel, Colonial Regional police say in court papers. Glenn Evans, 52, of Allentown, is charged with filmed two 6-year-old girls in a Hanover Township, Northampton County, hotel. (Pennsylvania State Police photo) The mothers of the girls allowed them to be with Glenn Evans, 53, of the first block of Jefferson Street in Allentown, police said. Matthew Falk, chief of prosecutions for the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office, said he reviewed the report of the incident and there was no evidence the parents knew Evans was a Megan's Law offender. Following a request on Dec. 20 from Salisbury Township police, Colonial Regional officers went to Room 302 of the Hampton Inn, 200 Gateway Drive, police said. No one answered so police forced their way in and found the girls in bed and Evans naked and passed out on the floor, police said. A cellphone was on the dresser, police said. The girls are not related to Evans, police said. Later that morning after Evans gave up his Miranda rights, he admitted he used his phone to film the girls clothed, partially clothed and nude, police said. He was planning to use the videos for his own pleasure, police said. A search warrant was obtained Dec. 23 for room and Evans' cellphone was taken as evidence, police said. On Jan. 4, a search warrant was obtained for the phone and on Jan. 5, it was taken to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office lab where 12 videos of the children were found on the phone and copied, police said. Evans could be heard on the videos offering the children money to pose and more money if they would pose naked, police said. Evans was arraigned early Tuesday morning before District Judge James Narlesky on charges of child pornography and photographing, videotaping, depicting on computer or filming sexual act, court papers say. Bail was set at $100,000 bail, court papers say. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled Jan. 19 in Narlesky's Hanover Township court. Evans was previously charged with two counts endangering the welfare of a child from the same incident, police said. He was arraigned Dec. 20 before District Judge Joseph Barner on those charges and sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail. A preliminary hearing in that case was continued from Dec. 30 to Feb. 2 before Narlesky, court papers say. Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Cigarettes.JPG The New Jersey Legislature has sent a bill raising the legal age for cigarette sales to 21 to Gov. Chris Christie. ( Express-times file photo) In New Jersey, you can buy cigarettes and other tobacco products at 19. In Pennsylvania, the legal age for sales is 18. Both states have entertained legislation to raise the minimum age to 21, but New Jersey is getting serious about it. On Monday the Assembly approved a Senate-passed bill that would require sellers to refuse sales of tobacco and vaping products to the under-21 crowd, and sent it to Gov. Chris Christie. He hasn't said whether he'll sign it. The move has drawn criticism from retailers and civil-rights advocates. The New Jersey Food Council says store owners stand to lose substantial revenue; the Office of Legislative Services says the drop in sales tax revenue could be $16.2 million annually. Vendors convicted of violations would face first-time fines of $500 and up to $1,000 for subsequent offenses. Public health officials argue that the higher age limit will cut down on the number of young people who take up smoking. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 3,200 kids under 18 light up for the first time each day. More than 480,000 deaths a year are attributed to smoking-related illnesses. In Pennsylvania a bill to raise the legal sales age to 21 was introduced in the House of Representatives last summer; it remains in committee. New York City and several other municipalities -- including eight towns in New Jersey -- have raised the legal sales age to 21. What do you think? Is the health argument persuasive -- or an infringement upon the rights of this age group? Is it a waste of time and public resources to enforce, or well worth the return in reduction in health-related costs and human suffering? Have a say in our informal poll, and feel free to join the conversation in the comments section. Flash German authorities said on Monday that nearly all the suspects in a rash of New Year's Eve violence against women in Cologne had an immigrant background. Ralf Jaeger, Interior Minister of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, has released initial findings of a criminal probe into the crime string that has piled pressure on German Chancellor Angela Merkel over her stance toward refugees. On New Year's Eve, a group of about 1,000 men have surrounded, harassed and robbed, especially women in Cologne. Police said on Sunday that 516 complaints related to the assaults in the western German city had been lodged so far. In addition, similar violent attacks were also reported in other German cities. "Witnesses' statements, the report of the police in Cologne as well as descriptions by the federal police indicate that nearly all the people who committed these crimes have an immigrant background," Jaeger said Monday during a special session of the Internal Affairs Committee of North Rhine-Westphalia's state parliament. According to the initial findings, police are currently investigating 19 suspects. Ten of them are identified as asylum applicants, the other nine are presumably illegally residing in Germany. Amid concerns over reprisal assaults, at least four violent attacks on foreigners happened on Sunday evening in Cologne, which were described by the police as "xenophobic offenses." A group of about 20 people attacked six Pakistanis near Cologne's central train station. Two of the victims were reportedly taken to hospital. Shortly afterwards, five assailants attacked a 39-year-old Syrian national in the same area, injuring him slightly. Besides, a 19-year-old man from Guinea was beaten with a bottle, and another African was followed by about 25 attackers. Right-wing groups have also used the New Year's Eve assaults in Cologne to support their cause, saying there are too many refugees coming to Germany. On Saturday, far-right protesters took to the streets in Cologne to voice anger at the New Year's Eve violence. Police used water cannons and tear gas after protesters threw bottles, firecrackers and stones at the riot police, injuring three officers and a journalist, according to local media. A sister group of the Pegida movement, a far-right organization that opposes immigration from the Middle East, has announced to hold a rally on Monday evening in the eastern German city of Leipzig. Muslims living in Germany have complained about increased hostility toward them following the Cologne attacks. Aiman Mazyek, head of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, said Monday that Muslims in the country were experiencing "a new dimension of hatred," referring to an increased number of threatening phone calls, hate emails and letters reaching the organization as well as anti-Islamic statements in social media since the start of the year. In an open letter to Merkel, which was published on Sunday in the city Duisburg, four refugees living in Germany expressed their shock at the incidents in Cologne and other German cities. They also declared readiness to "help ensure that crimes like those in Cologne do not recur" within their capabilities. The scale of the Cologne assaults has shocked Germany and prompted fierce debates in the country between those who welcome asylum seekers and those who do not, putting an increasing amount of pressure on Merkel's government and its open-door policy toward asylum seekers. Germany has registered 1.1 million asylum seekers in 2015, announced German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere earlier this month. Critics have questioned Germany's ability to integrate the unprecedented number of newcomers. Merkel has until now not wavered from her refugee policy but has taken a tough line against convicted refugees in face of the violence in Cologne, signaling her backing for law changes to make it easier to expel convicted asylum seekers, with officials within her ruling coalition expected to swiftly negotiate the proposals this week. The Cologne assaults have also fuelled fears among Germans, with a poll published Sunday by German Bild newspaper saying that 39 percent of those surveyed felt police did not provide sufficient protection for the public at large, while 57 percent did. A separate poll by broadcaster RTL found that 57 percent of Germans feared crimes would rise along with the record influx of asylum seekers, while 40 percent disagreed. Nevertheless a majority - 60 percent - said their opinion about foreigners had not changed, while 37 percent said they had become more critical and negative about newcomers. A houseguest is accused of defrauding an Upper Mount Bethel Township man out of more than $9,000. Kirstin B. Shafer (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com) Kirstin B. Shafer, 24, of Pittsburgh, was charged last week and sent to Northampton County Prison, court records say. Shafer from Sept. 11-21 was staying with her parents at the home of victim John W. Duvall in the 700 block of Lake Minsi Drive, Pennsylvania State Police said. On Sept. 23, Duvall reported nine fraudulent checks written out of his account, totaling $9,350. Shafer had access to Duvall's living area in the home, where he kept his checkbook, state police at Belfast said. Shafer is accused of forging Duvall's signature and obtaining and writing out the checks without his knowledge or consent. She was arraigned Jan. 5 before District Judge Sherwood Grigg on seven felonies: theft, receiving stolen property and identity theft and two counts each of forgery and access device fraud. She also faces nine misdemeanor counts of possession a counterfeit or altered access device. Shafer was sent to prison in lieu of $25,000 bail and remained incarcerated Monday. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled Jan. 19 before Grigg. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Lehigh Valley's first measurable snow of season is still on track This NOAA satellite image taken at 12:45 p.m. EST Jan. 11, 2016, shows cold air moving over the Great Lakes, producing widespread lake effect snow. The Lehigh Valley on Jan. 12, 2016, looks to see its first measurable snow of the season, but only about an inch or less, according to the National Weather Service. (Weather Underground via AP | For lehighvalleylive.com) The Lehigh Valley's first measurable snowfall of the 2015-16 winter season remains on track to arrive Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service said Monday night. "Snow showers may produce a light accumulation Tuesday afternoon and evening, especially northeast Pennsylvania and into far northwest New Jersey," read a weather service hazardous weather outlook issued late Monday afternoon. "The greatest chance for an inch of snow and slippery travel is over the Poconos." The Lehigh Valley is looking at a 50 to 60 percent chance of precipitation during the afternoon, tapering off to 30 percent at night, weather service meteorologist Sarah Johnson said Monday night. "We're looking at just some snow showers moving through pretty quickly," she said. Less than an inch is expected, with only a dusting forecast south of the Lehigh Valley toward Philadelphia, according to Johnson. Temperatures are forecast to drop into the teens Tuesday night, as Arctic air moves through. The Eastern PA Weather Authority on Monday was forecasting two waves of snow for Tuesday, one from late morning through mid-afternoon and another as the Arctic front passes over the region -- bringing with it the potential for heavier snow squalls. The map/call and impacts from tomorrow's clipper system and associated Arctic front is below. The snow showers... https://t.co/YYZZTcdSGh Bobby Martrich EPAWA (@epawawx) January 12, 2016 Normal snowfall accumulation, by this point in the winter season, is 8.4 inches at Lehigh Valley International Airport, Johnson said. The little snow that has fallen so far this season has been trace amounts, or nothing measurable. A screenshot shows a new state snowplow locator system on Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's 511pa.com website, designed to help travelers plan routes and avoid problems. (Courtesy image | For lehighvalleylive.com) Road crews were out Monday across the Lehigh Valley, pretreating surfaces in the event wintry precipitation does fall. Tuesday could give users of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's 511pa.com their first chance to try a new tracking system for state snow plows. The Automated Vehicle Location outfitted more than 700 PennDOT trucks and 200-plus contracted plows servicing interstates and expressways with devices to track their whereabouts. Building on the website's goal of helping travelers plan their routes to avoid problems, the new system will show what state roads were plowed during the previous two hours. Looking ahead, the rest of the work week looks to be dry in the Lehigh Valley, until a weekend system being watched by meteorologists. A low-pressure system is expected to come up the Eastern seaboard Friday night into Saturday, bringing with it the potential for precipitation, Johnson said. "It's a little too early to say for sure what kind of precipitation we'll have with that," she said, noting that early forecasts show the possibility of a mix of and snow for the Lehigh Valley region. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Flash A huge explosion that rocked Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district on Tuesday was carried out by a suicide bomber of Syrian origin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. A total of 10 people were killed, 15 others wounded in the explosion, the president said, adding that foreign citizens were among the dead. Six German tourists, a Norwegian tourist and a Peruvian tourist were killed in the Istanbul explosion, said the local NTV news channel. "All I heard was a loud noise and then we saw smoke over there ... I didn't move anywhere, I stayed here and waited till the police came. Soon after ambulances arrived and now the police cordoned off the area," a shop owner nearby told Xinhua. The Islamic State (IS) group was behind twin suicide bombings in the capital Ankara in October, 2015, that killed 102 people. The group also carried out the Suruc bombing in July, as well as the attacks against People's Democratic Party (HDP) headquarters in Mersin and Adana provinces in southern Turkey, and against HDP rally in Diyarbakir city before June 7 elections, according to Turkish authorities. Turkey joined the U.S.-led air raids on the IS in July, allowing the coalition to use its bases. Meanwhile, it has also renewed fighting with militants of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party following a two-and-a-half-year peace process. Turkey has stepped up its anti-terror operations across the country since those bombings. The Dutch people has been commiserating with the British people being flooded, yet again, this past year. Apart from the many times the North Sea inundated the Netherlands (the last time, 1953, inspired the Delta Works a massive reconstruction and improvement program of our coastal defences, completed in the 1980s), we suffered massive river floodings in the 1990s from the Rhine (and its branch the Waal past the big city of Nijmegen) and Meuse rivers after heavy rainfall in the Ardennes, Alps and other highlands. In 1995 these forced a big evacuation in the heart of the Netherlands. These floodings were the reason for another massive, nationwide programme of restructuring and improving works, including taking account of Climate Change, under the Second Delta Plan commission and a national Delta Commissioner, who is an influential government advisor. But being a Dutchman who pays attention to floodings elsewhere, I was struck in the past ten years by the frequency that people in Britain involved in, and victims of, those floods complained about two things: negligence in dredging rivers, canals etc; and even bigger negligence in city water defences, starting with a sewage system able to handle massive amounts of surplus rainwater or river water. We Dutch know that those two tasks, if neglected, will make it much more difficult to keep water out, whatever its source. Those complainants are dead right. Those complaints come from a country where after the Big Stink in London of 1858, when Parliament was meeting right beside the stinking Thames, Victorian engineers installed big sewage works whose ample pipes were adapted to a growing population and industry. But being a pioneer can cause complacency and negligence. Part of this negligence is understandable. Whereas most of the Netherlands (not Upperlands) lies below sea level, only 15% of the UK does so. Thus the sense of urgency about the risk of flooding is much higher, and much more broadly shared, in our population, administration and politics than in the UK. The smaller area below sea level in Britain makes flooding appear to be a local or regional issue. The fact that the boss of your Environment Agency was a part-timer and was absent when the predicted rainstorms fell is a stunning illustration of the underestimation of what his job entails. Tim Farron justly compared his negligence with the commitment of his personnel. With my compatriot and party colleague Henk van Klaveren (writing in The Guardian, 27th December 2015), I urge the British politicians not to let down the committed Environment Agency staff and the inhabitants of every constituency with a big river. Start a national Delta Plan reconstruction effort, integrating: the strengthening (or replacement, redirecting) of dykes and other flood defences; efforts at dredging and what the Dutch call giving rivers space (not building near them, but constructing basins for surplus water); and renewal of local sewage and rural drainage systems, with government subsidies and facilities for their upkeep. This means a nationwide policy approach, but the Dutch example also show plenty of ways of using a subsidiary system of decision making: relevant decisions about parts of projects being taken at the lowest possible administrative levels, with local democratic oversight. We even have an autonomous system of Water Boards specializing in water management. That way, the Environment Agency doesnt become a superstate in a devolving British administration, but has to work in harmony with the local people and institutions concerned. Including local democratic involvement also opens the way for NGOs like the RSPB, the National Trust, NFU/farmers etc to, in addition to their national lobbying, get concrete things done at local level. And if they and government fall asleep on the job, its the duty of LibDems practicing Community Politics the Penhaligon way to start petitioning, agitating and raising less corn and more hell (American Populists, 19th century) to make them sit up, return to their offices and work places and get things done. Here are some Wikipedia articles about how the Dutch do things: See about the way the Dutch organized it in the 17th century: For a 7-page piece by me about the British and Dutch history of water managements and their respective ways of doing things, contact me: [email protected] * Dr. Bernard Aris is a historian, a D66 parliamentary researcher and a LibDem supporting member. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page. The Cretaceous period was the last and longest segment of the Mesozoic era. It lasted approximately 79 million years, from the minor extinction event that closed the Jurassic period about 145 million years ago to the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event 66 million years ago. The name comes from "creta," the Latin word for chalk, because of widespread chalk deposits dating from the period, according to the National Park Service (opens in new tab). In the early Cretaceous, the continents were in very different positions than they are today, according to the Australian Museum (opens in new tab). Sections of the supercontinent Pangaea were drifting apart. The Tethys Ocean still separated the northern continent Laurasia from the southern continent Gondwana. The North and South Atlantic were still closed, although the Central Atlantic had begun to open up in the Late Jurassic period . By the middle of the Cretaceous period, ocean levels were much higher (opens in new tab); most of the landmasses we are familiar with were underwater (opens in new tab). By the end of the period, the continents were much closer to their modern configuration. Africa and South America had assumed their distinctive shapes. But India had not yet collided with Asia, and Australia was still part of Antarctica . Parts of supercontinent Pangaea eventually drifted apart to become the continents we know today. (Image credit: USGS) Cretaceous period plants One hallmark of the Cretaceous period was the development and radiation of flowering plants, or angiosperms, which "rapidly diversified," according to the National Park Service. This radiation "gave rise suddenly and mysteriously to exquisite angiosperm diversity in the mid-Cretaceous," an evolutionary development that troubled Charles Darwin, who saw evolution happening much more slowly, according to a review in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B (opens in new tab). Darwin proposed that flowering plants must have started developing long before the Cretaceous, potentially on "a lost island or continent," William E. Friedman, an evolutionary biologist at Harvard University, wrote in the American Journal of Botany (opens in new tab) in 2009. However, the Cretaceous-era burst of floral development may instead reveal how evolution can happen very quickly, Friedman wrote. Though Darwin's lost continent never showed up, some flowering plants may have appeared in the Jurassic, recent research has shown. However, Jurassic-era flowering plants would have been uncommon and may also have been evolutionary links between older plants that resembled angiosperms and the real thing, found in the Cretaceous, researchers said. Scientists generally place "the oldest uncontested" angiosperm fossils at about 125 million to 130 million years ago, in the early Cretaceous, according to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (opens in new tab). These include plants of the genera Archaefructus and Montsechia, which show the first evidence of ovaries in plants but may have lacked petals. Since Darwin, scientists have thought that pollinating insects, such as bees and wasps, played a key role in the Cretaceous explosion of flowering plants, according to recent (opens in new tab) and foundational (opens in new tab) research. This is frequently cited as an example of co-evolution, according to the Washington Native Plant Society (opens in new tab). The mid-Cretaceous saw abundant populations of both insects and flowering plants, and recent finds finally caught Cretaceous-era insect pollinators frozen in the act. In 2019, scientists reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (opens in new tab) the first direct fossil evidence of insect pollination in the Cretaceous: a tumbling flower beetle, Angimordella burmitina, preserved in amber since the mid-Cretaceous, 99 million years ago, and covered with pollen grains. The beetle sports several body parts specialized for feeding on flowers, including pollen-feeding mouthparts, and the pollen grains have traits, like clumping characteristics, associated with insect pollination, the researchers reported. The fossilized Florigerminis jurassica plant with a defined stem, bulbous fruit and fossilized flower bud (marked by the white arrow). (Image credit: NIGPAS) And in a 2020 paper published in the journal BioOne (opens in new tab), scientists reported on the oldest bee found bearing pollen, the 100 million-year-old Discoscapa apicula. Also found encased in amber, this insect shared some traits with modern bees, such as hind legs laden with pollen, and some traits with wasps, such as its wing vein features. Thanks to pollinating insects, flowering plants had tremendous advantages over plants that spread pollen only by wind, spurring the explosion of angiosperms, according to Illinois Extension at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (opens in new tab). Competition for insect attention probably facilitated the relatively rapid success and diversification of the flowering plants, "lead[ing] to the development of many different size, shapes, colors and fragrances of flowers we see today, including the production of nectar to attract hungry bugs. As diverse flower forms lured insects to pollinate them, insects adapted to different ways of gathering nectar and moving pollen, thus setting up the intricate co-evolutionary systems found to this day. A few finds over the decades have estimated that some pollinating insects arrived before flowering plants. In 2009, researchers found that 11 species of scorpionflies present starting in the middle Jurassic boasted the elongated mouthparts and pollen-centric diets characteristic of pollinators, as reported in the journal Science (opens in new tab). These likely pollinating insects, however, fed on nonflowering plants, or angiosperms, "long before the similar and independent coevolution of nectar-feeding flies, moths and beetles on angiosperms," the study said. These critters went extinct during the Cretaceous, around the time of the "global gymnosperm-to-angiosperm turnover," the researchers said. In the 1990s, researchers reported that bee- or wasp-like insects built hive-like nests in what is now called the Petrified Forest in Arizona, dating back to more than 200 million years ago. However, later re-evaluations found that the structures lacked defining characteristics of bee nests and most likely came from beetle larva chambers or other creatures, as reported in the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (opens in new tab). That evaluation of the structures "eliminates them as evidence that decouples bee origins from the Cretaceous origin of angiosperms," the scientists wrote. Some evidence shows that dinosaurs ate flowering plants . Two dinosaur coprolites (fossilized excrements) discovered in Utah contain fragments of angiosperm wood, according to an unpublished study presented at the 2015 Society of Vertebrate Paleontology annual meeting. An Early Cretaceous ankylosaur was found with fossilized angiosperm fruit (opens in new tab) in its gut. However, for the most part, evidence suggests that dinosaurs ignored angiosperms in the Cretaceous, maintaining a diet focused on ferns and conifers, University of Bristol researchers said in 2021, summarizing their work on angiosperm evolution in the journal New Phytologist (opens in new tab). The shape of some teeth from Cretaceous animals suggests that the herbivores grazed on leaves and twigs, said Betsy Kruk, formerly a volunteer researcher at the Field Museum in Chicago and now a principal investigator and project manager at Material Culture Consulting, a California-based company that consults on compliance services including archaeology and paleontology. Cretaceous period animals The Cretaceous was an age of reptiles. Dinosaurs dominated the land, while marine reptiles like the mosasaurs which could span 56 feet (17 meters) swam the oceans. Pterosaurs plied the skies, including the largest flying animal ever, Quetzalcoatlus , whose wingspan could stretch to 36 feet (11 m). The largest-ever land predator (opens in new tab), the famous Tyrannosaurus rex, also reigned during the Cretaceous. By the end of the Jurassic, some large sauropods, such as Apatosaurus and Diplodocus, had gone extinct. But other giant sauropods, including the titanosaurs, flourished, especially toward the end of the Cretaceous, Kruk said. Titanosaurs were the most successful sauropods of the period, and the past two decades have seen a "boom" in titanosaur discoveries, according to the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution (opens in new tab). Large herds of herbivorous ornithischians also thrived during the Cretaceous. These included Iguanodon (which belongs to the same group as duck-billed dinosaurs, also known as hadrosaurs), Ankylosaurus, and the ceratopsians, like Triceratops. Duck-billed dinosaurs were the most common type of ornithischians, a group of mostly herbivorous dinosaurs with bird-like hips, according to the Cal Poly Humboldt Natural History Museum (opens in new tab). Theropods, including T. rex, continued as apex predators until the end of this period. During the Cretaceous, more ancient birds took flight, joining the pterosaurs in the air. Experts have long debated (opens in new tab) the origin of flight. According to the so-called trees down theory, small reptiles may have evolved flight from gliding behaviors. The ground up hypothesis (opens in new tab) posits that flight evolved from the ability of small theropods to leap high to grasp prey or evade predators. Early research suggested that feathers evolved from elongated scales (opens in new tab) whose primary function, at least at first, was thermoregulation. They could be moved to absorb more solar heat in cool conditions and provide protection from the sun when it was hot, according to a 1975 study in The Quarterly Review of Biology. More recent studies suggest that signaling and tactile sensing may also have played a role in the evolution of these feather precursors, according to a study in the International Journal of Organic Evolution (opens in new tab). About the size of a crow, Confuciusornis is the earliest known bird to have a true beak. It lived about 25 million years after Archaeopteryx, but like its early ancestor, it still had clawed fingers. (Image credit: Eduard Sola Vazquez) The earliest fossilized bird, Archaeopteryx, swooped through Cretaceous skies 150 million years ago, though it resembled small dinosaurs more than the birds we see today, according to the Australian Museum (opens in new tab). A variety of birds arrived on the scene soon afterward sporting a range of features that could be more like those of current birds. Some of these creatures evolved into birds of the modern type by the late Cretaceous, which means that "bird-like dinosaurs, primitive birds and early modern birds all co-existed" for a stretch of the Cretaceous, the Australian Museum added. One Cretaceous-era bird, Confuciusornis sanctus, lived about 125 million years ago. It was a crow-size (opens in new tab) bird with a modern, toothless beak, unlike the fanged Archaeopteryx; claws (opens in new tab) similar to those of modern, tree-dwelling birds; and flight-worthy feathers. A study of pigment-storing cell organelles in C. sanctus in the journal Science (opens in new tab) found that these ancient birds likely sported dark feathers on their torsos, with lighter-colored wings, according to the California Academy of Sciences (opens in new tab). Iberomesornis, a contemporary of Archaeopteryx only the size of a sparrow, was capable of flight and may have been an insectivore. Related: Are birds dinosaurs? Sea creatures also thrived during the Cretaceous, with many marine groups reaching their peak levels of diversity, according to the Cal Poly Humboldt museum. Beyond the mosasaurs, ocean sea life included mollusks that built reefs comparable to today's coral reefs, along with sharks, lobsters and crabs, sand dollar-like creatures known as echinoids, and a type of bony fish known as ray-finned fish (named for their fins formed from spines draped with webs of skin). Though reptiles ruled the Cretaceous world, early mammals did exist at the time. Traditionally, scientists have viewed mammal evolution as constrained by the dominant dinosaurs (opens in new tab); mammals couldn't evolve many species types, because dinosaurs occupied most niches, this view suggests. Only after the mass extinction that killed off all nonavian dinosaurs could mammals "radiate," or evolve into many diverse forms. But mammals may have gone through radiations even during the dinosaur age (opens in new tab), including the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, a 2019 study in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution (opens in new tab) found. And a 2021 study in the journal Current Biology (opens in new tab) found that evolutionary suppression of therians, the ancestors of today's mammals, may have come from not only dinosaurs, but also ancient relatives of mammals known as mammaliaforms. How did the Cretaceous period end? About 66 million years ago, nearly all large vertebrates and many tropical invertebrates became extinct in one of Earth's five great mass extinction events , according to former University of California, Davis, Earth and planetary sciences professor Richard Cowen (opens in new tab). Scientists have linked that mass extinction with an enormous asteroid that collided with Earth in what is now Mexico. The event killed off all nonavian dinosaurs, all pterosaurs (which were not dinosaurs) and many marine reptiles, including mosasaurs and plesiosaurs, as well as many early mammals and "a host of amphibians, birds, reptiles and insects," according to the American Museum of Natural History (opens in new tab) in New York. An estimated three-quarters of species alive at the time met their end. Related: What happened when the dinosaur-killing asteroid slammed into Earth? Geologists call this mass die-off the K-Pg extinction event because it marks the boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods; the "K" is from "Kreide," the German word for Cretaceous. The event was formerly known as the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) (opens in new tab) event, but the group that sets standards for geologic nomenclature now considers Tertiary out of date with current science, according to the National Commission for Stratigraphy Belgium (opens in new tab). The Chicxulub (CHEEK-sheh-loob) crater in the Yucatan Peninsula, which spans more than 110 miles (180 kilometers) in diameter, is the likely landing spot of the dinosaur-killing asteroid. This crater dates to within 33,000 years of the K-Pg event, Live Science previously reported. "We've shown the impact and the mass extinction coincided as much as one can possibly demonstrate with existing dating techniques," Paul Renne, lead scientist in that study and a geochronologist and director of the Berkeley Geochronology Center in California, previously told Live Science. Scientists had first associated the K-Pg extinction with an extraterrestrial impact decades ago, however. In 1979, a geologist discovered (opens in new tab) that the thin layer of clay separating the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods contained high concentrations of iridium. This element is rare on Earth but much more common in meteorites and asteroids, according to the Lunar and Planetary Science Institute (opens in new tab). Other researchers found (opens in new tab) "shocked quartz," a form of the mineral created under intense pressure, and tiny, glass-like globes called tektites that form from droplets of melted rock. Both of these geological features form when an extraterrestrial object strikes Earth with great force. Research in 2020 found that the object that carved out Chicxulub hit Earth at the most destructive possible angle , Live Science previously reported. The 7.5-mile-wide (12 km) asteroid, traveling at about 27,000 mph (43,000 km/h), would have vaporized rocks, sending 325 gigatons of sulfur and 435 gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in the form of pulverized rock and sulfuric acid droplets, researchers estimated. When the asteroid collided with Earth, its impact would have triggered a 10.1-magnitude earthquake, sent a shock wave with "hurricane-force winds" rippling across the Americas, and spawned a 330- to 820-foot-high (100 to 250 m) tsunami, according to a 2021 University of Maryland course (opens in new tab). As debris ejected by the impact fell back to Earth, the material would have cooked the atmosphere to 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit (1,482 degrees Celsius), painting the sky red for several hours and igniting forest fires across the planet, Live Science reported in 2013. The heat pulse was like a global broiler oven, not only burning vegetation, but also cooking living things unable to burrow or dive, the researchers said. Illustration of the K-Pg extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous Period. A ten-kilometre-wide asteroid or comet is entering the Earth's atmosphere as dinosaurs, including T. rex, look on. (Image credit: ROGER HARRIS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images) "This rain of hot dust raised global temperatures for hours after the impact and cooked alive animals that were too large to seek shelter," Kruk said. "Small animals that could shelter underground, underwater, or perhaps in caves or large tree trunks, may have been able to survive this initial heat blast." Rock vaporized by the asteroid likely stayed in the atmosphere, blocking part of the sun's rays for months or years, according to the University of Maryland. This may even have lasted as long as 16 years, with a 30-year recovery period. With less sunlight, plants would have died, with consequences traveling up the food chain to herbivores dependent on plants and carnivores dependent on those herbivores, according to the Natural History Museum (opens in new tab) in London. Furthermore, the reduced sunlight would have drastically lowered global temperatures , which plunged in the tropics from 81 F (27 C) to 41 F (5 C), Live Science previously reported. The newly frigid climate would have impaired large active animals with high-energy needs, Kruk said. "Smaller, omnivorous terrestrial animals like mammals, lizards, turtles or birds may have been able to survive as scavengers feeding on the carcasses of dead dinosaurs, fungi, roots and decaying plant matter, while smaller animals with lower metabolisms were best able to wait the disaster out," she said. The last phase of the asteroid fallout, greenhouse warming, may have lasted around 100,000 years, according to the University of Maryland. Carbonite rocks oxidized by the impact would have released large amounts of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. Just before the impact, a series of what may have been the second-largest volcanic eruptions ever on land went off at the Deccan traps in western India, according to the American Museum of Natural History (opens in new tab). These regional catastrophes had already spewed tremendous levels of CO2 and so likely combined with the asteroid fallout to heat up the planet once the sun-obscuring dust settled, according to the University of Maryland. Cretaceous period climate Even before global cataclysms spurred global warming, the world was a warmer place during the Cretaceous period than it is today, according to Climate Policy Watcher (opens in new tab). The poles were cooler than the lower latitudes, but "overall, things were warmer," Kruk told Live Science. Fossils of tropical plants and ferns support this idea, she said. Warm ocean currents, unfrozen poles and levels of CO2 that were relatively high even before the extinction event all combined to produce a hot planet, according to Climate Policy Watcher. Animals in the Cretaceous lived all over, even in colder areas. For instance, Hadrosaur fossils dating to the Late Cretaceous were uncovered in Alaska . And in a 2020 paper in the journal Nature (opens in new tab), scientists reported on a temperate rainforest in Antarctica dating to the mid-Cretaceous. Additional resources Learn about and visit a cast of a titanosaur, the gigantic sauropods of the Cretaceous era, at the American Museum of Natural History (opens in new tab). Explore the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction and Earth's four other mass extinction events, including the possibility that we've entered a new one, at the Natural History Museum (opens in new tab) in London. Discover how pollinators and flowers have co-evolved at the New England Primate Conservancy (opens in new tab). Read Richard Cowen's essay on the K-Pg mass extinction event and other topics in his book "History of Life (opens in new tab)" (Blackwell Scientific Publications, 2000). This article was originally written by Live Science contributor Mary Bagley with contributions from Live Science editor Laura Geggel. Originally published on Live Science on January 8, 2016 and updated on July 26, 2022. This mountain lion has teeth and whiskers on top of its head. A hunter recently crossed paths with a rare cat: a mountain lion with extra teeth and white whiskers on the top of its head, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game reported. The hunter spotted the young male mountain lion near Preston, a city in southeastern Idaho, on Dec. 30, 2015. The hunter saw the mountain lion attack a dog on private property before running off into the hills, the department said in a statement. With the help of hounds, the hunter tracked the mountain lion for 3 hours before legally harvesting it. The dog involved in the earlier attack survived, the department said. [Photos: Mountain Lion Family Feast] But the mountain lion was far from an ordinary cat, the hunter found. It had fully formed canine teeth and small whiskers growing out of fur-covered tissue on the left side of its forehead, the department said. It's unclear what caused the unusual growth, but state biologists offered two ideas. Perhaps the teeth are the remains of a conjoined twin that died in the womb, but was absorbed by the surviving fetus, the biologists said. Or, maybe the abnormality is a teratoma tumor; these are masses filled with teeth, hair and sometimes even fingers and toes. The tumors contain tissue found in early stage embryos. They're usually benign and don't spread to other parts of the body, researchers told Live Science last year. These tumors are uncommon in humans and animals, but cases still pop up in the medical literature. For instance, a teratoma tumor in an Indiana woman's brain contained hair, bones and teeth, Live Science reported in April. In another case, a 4-month-old infant in Maryland had a teratoma in his brain that contained fully formed teeth, but surgeons were able to remove the growth. Yet, the exact cause of the mountain lion's abnormality is anyone's guess, the department said. "Biologists from the southeast region of Idaho Fish and Game have never seen anything like this particular deformity before," the department said in the statement. The hunter reported the harvest to the Department of Fish and Game, and a conservation officer verified that the hunter had a valid hunting license and tag. The officer also recorded information about the mountain lion and how it was killed, and pulled a tooth for age analysis, the department said. But the hunter was not required to give the animal to the department for further analysis. Mountain lions are a native game species in Idaho. But "because of their elusiveness and wariness, human encounters with mountain lions are rare," the department said. However, the cat's prey animals, including deer and wild turkeys, move to lower elevations during the winter to escape the cold and snow, prompting the mountain lions to follow their prey into areas that boarder on rural or urban communities. When this happens, mountain lions occasionally have run-ins with people, livestock and pets. Just like elk and mule deer, mountain lions can be legally hunted in Idaho. But the big cats can be pursued only during certain seasons in designated areas, and only if the hunter owns an appropriate license and tag, the department said. Typically, hunters can harvest one mountain lion per year. Hunters can also use hounds if they have the appropriate hound hunter permit, the department said. Follow Laura Geggel on Twitter @LauraGeggel. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. Alan Brown, writer and blogger for the Kavli Foundation, contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Late last year, 48 scientists from 50 U.S. institutions proposed the "Unified Microbiome Initiative," a national effort to decipher the nature, and applications, of microbiomes, ecosystems of microscopic life forms such as bacteria, viruses, archaea and fungi. Other scientists from the United States, Germany and China echoed that call. Ultimately, the researchers hope to harness microbiomes to cure disease, fight drug resistance, reclaim exhausted farmland, reduce (or even eliminate) the use of agricultural fertilizers and pesticides, and produce chemicals using synthetic biology. Scientists can now identify microbes by the organisms' DNA, and have thereby discovered that microbiomes are far more diverse than anyone ever imagined. Each microbiome potentially includes hundreds of thousands of microbial species, all interacting with one another. In fact, wherever scientists have looked, they have found influential microbiomes: In the human gut, microbes not only aid digestion, but also affect obesity, allergies and even brain development; beyond people's bodies, microorganisms have created the Earth's oxygen-rich atmosphere, and also enable plant and ocean life to thrive. But DNA testing cannot explain how microbial genes function and how these organisms work together. Only with that level of understanding, will scientists be able to harness microbiomes to improve human health and the environment. On Tuesday, Jan. 19, from 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. EST (10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. PST), the Kavli Foundation will host a live webcast about the potential of nature's microbiomes and how humanity can tap into that potential. Submit questions ahead of and during the webcast by emailing info@kavlifoundation.org or by using the hashtag #KavliLive on Twitter or Google+. If you're a topical expert researcher, business leader, author or innovator and would like to contribute an op-ed piece, email us here About the participants: Janet Jansson is chief scientist of biology in the Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Washington state and sector lead for PNNL research in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Biological Systems Science Division. She coordinates two of PNNL's biology programs: the Microbiomes in Transition (MinT) initiative, to study how climate and environmental changes affect natural and human microbiomes, and the DOE Foundational Scientific Focus Area Principles of Microbial Community Design. Rob Knight is the founder of American Gut, an open-access project to survey the digestive system's microbiome and its effects on human health and development. He holds appointments at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Department of Computer Science and Engineering, where he develops bioinformatics systems to classify and interpret large sets of biological data. Jeff Miller is director of the California NanoSystems Institute, a multidisciplinary research organization, and the corresponding author ofthe consortium's Science paper. Based at University of California, Los Angeles, Miller holds the Fred Kavli Chair in NanoSystems Sciences and is a professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics. Alan Brown (moderator) is a freelance journalist and writer who specializes in science, engineering and technology. He has been covering nanoscience and nanotechnology for more than 25 years. Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates and become part of the discussion on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on Live Science. On Jan. 9, 2016, just a week shy of her 91st birthday, Elizabeth Betty Dublin (Sames) Brown, left her beloved three sons and daughters-in-law, 8 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren and others to rejoin her husband of 66 years, Hulon Brown, who went ahead of her April 15, 2013. During a life which began with her birth into the well-known Sames family in Laredo, Texas, she extended her education at several institutions, including; Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, the University of Texas and the obtaining of a BBA degree from Southern Methodist University. She matured amidst the beauty of East Texas in Jacksonville, and elevated the roles of homemaker and helpmeet to a status rivaling any executive or professional. Everyone recognized her beauty which never faded. Those who knew her, knew that her inner beauty surpassed even her lovely countenance. She was at ease with people of all backgrounds and made others at ease when they were around her. During her college years she followed in her mothers footsteps by becoming a member of the Tri Delta Sorority. She was a member of the Hyperion Study Club and the Utile Dulce Study Club. She served in numerous capacities at her church, Central Baptist Church of Jacksonville. She was preceded in death by her parents, Gladys Dublin Sames and William J. Sames, Jr., and by her brother, William J. Sames, III. She is survived by her three sons, Roland Brown and wife Gayle of Wimberley, Alan Brown and wife Jeanetta of Tyler and Marshall Brown and wife Robin of Jacksonville, eight grandchildren; Christopher Brown, Timothy Brown, Betsy Brown Mosley, Ginger Brown, Kevin Brown, Courtney Brown Womble, Collin Brown and Shannon Brown Robinson, and 10 great-grandchildren; several nieces, nephews and their families, along with other relatives and friends. Family visitation took place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11 at Autry Funeral Home in Jacksonville. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12 at Autry Funeral Home followed by interment at Griffin Cemetery. The family suggests memorials to Central Baptist Church of Jacksonville. The 21st Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry at the Library of Congress, Juan Felipe Herrera, has selected poet Allison Hedge Coke for the 2016 Witter Bynner Fellowship. Herrera will introduce a program celebrating Hedge Coke at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 9, in the Mumford Room on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. 20540. The event is free and open to the public. No tickets are needed. Hedge Coke will receive a $10,000 fellowship. This is the 19th year that the fellowship has been awarded. In his selection, Herrera said he sought to honor Hedge Coke for her precision of Earth, of suffering in and out of the Rez, of the workers unnamed, open roads knitted with tin shacks, Case '45 tractors, ancestor dust and the spirit tuned to caribou, America and song. For her translation projects of First Peoples across the entire hemisphere. For her unceasing teaching, humility, courage, and pioneeringfor these offerings to the small miracles of all our voices and the galaxies they aim to call out and admire. Hedge Coke said, I am utterly grateful, thrilled, and deeply moved to be selected for the 2016 Witter Bynner Fellowship, stunned really, as it is by far the most humbling public moment of my life. Moreover, to be selected by such an immeasurably active Poet Laureate is just an immense honor. Hedge Coke is the author of four poetry collections: Streaming (2015); Blood Run (2006 UK, 2007 US); Off-Season City Pipe (2005); Dog Road Woman (1997); a memoir Rock, Ghost, Willow, Deer (2014); and a chapbook Year of the Rat (1996). Her honors include an American Book Award, an Independent Publisher Book Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Native Writers' Circle of the Americas. She has won fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Lannan Foundation, and the MacDowell Colony for the Arts. Hedge Coke is the editor of eight poetry collections, one titled Sing: Poetry From the Indigenous Americas (2011) was named a Best Book of 2011 by the National Books Critics Circle's Critical Mass. Hedge Coke is a founding faculty member of the Vermont College of Fine Arts full-residency MFA in Writing and Publishing Program, where she teaches poetry, creative nonfiction and publishing. The Witter Bynner Fellowship supports the writing of poetry. Only two things are asked of each fellow: that he/she organize a reading in their hometowns and participation in reading and recording sessions at the Library of Congress. Applications are not taken for the fellowships; the Poet Laureate makes the selection. The Witter Bynner Foundation for Poetry was incorporated in 1972 in New Mexico to provide grant support for programs through non-profit organizations. Witter Bynner was an influential early-20th century poet and translator of the Chinese Classic "Tao Te Ching," which he named "The Way of Life According to Laotzu." He travelled with D.H. Lawrence and Frieda Lawrence and proposed to Edna St. Vincent Millay (she accepted, but then they changed their minds). He worked at McClures Magazine, where he published A.E. Housman for the first time in the United States, and was one of O. Henrys early fans. Previous Witter Bynner fellows include Carol Muske-Dukes and Carl Phillips (1998), David Gewanter, Heather McHugh and Campbell McGrath (1999), and Naomi Shihab Nye and Joshua Weiner (2000), all appointed by Robert Pinsky; the late Tory Dent and Nick Flynn (2001), appointed by Stanley Kunitz; George Bilgere and Katia Kapovich (2002), and Major Jackson and Rebecca Wee (2003), appointed by Billy Collins; Dana Levin and Spencer Reece (2004), appointed by Louise Gluck; Claudia Emerson and Martin Walls (2005), and Joseph Stroud and Connie Wanek (2006), appointed by Ted Kooser; Laurie Lamon and David Tucker (2007), appointed by Donald Hall; Matthew Thorburn and Monica Youn (2008), appointed by Charles Simic; Christina Davis and Mary Szybist (2009) and Jill McDonough and Atsuro Riley (2010), appointed by Kay Ryan; Forrest Gander and Robert Bringhurst (2011), appointed by W.S. Merwin; L.S. Asekoff and Sheila Black (2012) appointed by Philip Levine; and Sharon Dolin and Shara McCallum (2013); Honoree Fannone Jeffers and Jake Adam York (2014), appointed by Natasha Trethewey; and Emily Fragos and Bobby C. Rogers (2015), appointed by Charles Wright. The Poetry and Literature Center at the Library of Congress fosters and enhances the publics appreciation of literature. The center administers the endowed chair, U.S. Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry; coordinates an annual season of readings, performances, lectures and symposia; and sponsors prizes and fellowships for literary writers. For more information, visit loc.gov/poetry/. The Library of Congress, the nations first-established federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world, holds more than 160 million items in various languages, disciplines and formats. The Library serves the U.S. Congress and the nation both on-site in its reading rooms on Capitol Hill and through its award-winning website at loc.gov. The personal blog of Peter Lee a.k.a. "China Hand"... Life is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy to those who feel, and an open book to those who read. You are welcome to contact China Matters at the address chinamatters --a-- prlee.org or follow me on twitter @chinahand. Check out our latest E-Edition Accessible anytime and anywhere on your desktop, tablet and smart phone devices. The Lodi News e-Edition is enhanced with the latest digital tools, including RSS feeds, social networking and much more. Check out our latest E-edition! Local News, Health & Wellness, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: January 12 2016 FASNYs creation of the new Health & Wellness Committee underscores one of the associations top priorities: a mission described by FASNY President Robert McConville as, A Healthy Firefighter Is Everyones Fight. Albany, NY - January 8, 2016 - Rarely does the Firemens Association of the State of New York (FASNY) - the New York State-wide organization representing 92,000 volunteer first responders including firefighters and emergency medical workers - institute a new Committee. FASNYs creation of the new Health & Wellness Committee underscores one of the associations top priorities: a mission described by FASNY President Robert McConville as, A Healthy Firefighter Is Everyones Fight. Long Island-based Jacqueline Moline, MD, MSc will serve as Chairperson for the committee. Among her vast accomplishments, Dr. Moline served as the director of Mount Sinais Clinical Center of Excellence within the World Trade Center (WTC) Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program, which has diagnosed and treated thousands of WTC responders in the New York metropolitan area and across the United States, and currently directs Northwells WTC Clinical Center of Excellence in Queens, NY. Of note, she is the only person to have directed two different WTC Clinical Centers. Dr. Moline has been involved in the medical surveillance and care of diverse groups of workers for her entire 25-plus-years career in the field of occupational medicine. Dr. Moline was one of the founders of the World Trade Center Medical Program, and has treated hundreds of first responders since September 11, 2001. She is internationally recognized for her work with the World Trade Center program, and has advocated for medical care for all first responders for decades. In addition to her work at the World Trade Center program, Dr. Moline chairs the Department of Occupational Medicine, Epidemiology and Prevention at the Northwell Health System and directs the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Center of Long Island. She has focused on improving the health and wellness of first responders and other workers at high risk for pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer for the last 20 years. Dr. Moline is a board-certified occupational medicine specialist who graduated from the University of Chicago with honors, then attended the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. She completed an internal medicine residency at Yale University School of Medicine and then completed an occupational medicine residency at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where she obtained a Masters of Science in community medicine. FASNYs Health & Wellness Committee, made up of experts in the medical field, will advise FASNY leadership on matters of health unique to firefighting, focusing on cancer, heart issues and mental health in the fire service, said President McConville. We are honored to have Dr. Jacqueline Moline helm this extremely important committee and are thrilled that she will be providing her expertise and sharing her experience and wisdom in our quest for healthy firefighters, said McConville. As part of efforts to bring attention to the critical issue of wellness for first responders, FASNYs website provides numerous new informational and other resources for firefighters in a central location, found here. In addition to Dr. Jacqueline Moline, Chair, the Committee includes Dr. Jamie Rockwin, Vice Chair; Kerri Winans-Kaley, Secretary; Kelli LaPage, Member; and Alexander Peter Ruckh, Member. Diana Pfersick, MHA; RN; EMT-CC is the FASNY Liaison to the new committee. About FASNY Founded in 1872, the Firemens Association of the State of New York (FASNY) represents the interests of the more than 92,000 volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel in New York State. For more information, visit www.fasny.com. FASNY believes A Healthy Firefighter Is Everyones Fight. In an effort to bring attention to the critical issue of wellness for first responders, click here for numerous resources addressing heart conditions, mental health and cancer issues in a central location. FASNY seeks to make the volunteer fire and emergency medical services as strong as they can be by providing resources and encouraging each organization to take positive action at a local level. Saratoga: $125,238 Rensselaer: $108,750 District attorneys offices in the following counties already participate in the program and will use the grant funding to continue their CARP investigations and prosecutions: Albany: $286,700 Bronx: $732,134 Cayuga: $107,233 Chautauqua: $85,000 Chemung: $68,510 Erie: $437,950 Kings: $848,700 Madison: $71,001 Monroe: $203,169 Montgomery: $30,260 Nassau: $669,859 New York: $5,358,000 Niagara: $42,500 Oneida: $170,725 Onondaga: $87,220 Ontario: $97,436 Orange: $89,000 Queens: $1,577,185 Richmond: $240,643 Rockland: $378,189 Schenectady: $195,286 Steuben: $42,713 Suffolk: $1,697,801 Ulster: $151,815 Warren: $63,000 Washington: $38,250 Westchester: $294,104 The state Division of Criminal Justice Services works with the Department of Taxation and Finance to administer the program. Tax and Finance serves as the program expert by providing technical assistance and helping to identify cases for investigation while the Division of Criminal Justice Services administers the grant funding. Michael C. Green, executive deputy commissioner of the Division of Criminal Justice Services, said, Welfare fraud and tax evasion cases are often complex and require a great amount of specialized resources to crack. Some may require specialized personnel, such as a forensic accountant or other investigators specializing in financial crimes. This funding helps district attorneys offices both large and small with such investigations so that they have the resources to bring these cheaters to justice. This state investment into local law enforcement is a prime example of one that will ultimately pay dividends to all New Yorkers. Jerry Boone, Commissioner of Taxation and Finance, said, This program helps level the playing field for honest New Yorkers by providing local law enforcement with additional resources to investigate and prosecute tax crimes. We will continue to partner with district attorneys to root out tax evaders statewide. The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services is a multi-function criminal justice support agency with a variety of responsibilities, including law enforcement training; collection and analysis of statewide crime data; maintenance of criminal history information and fingerprint files; administrative oversight of the states DNA databank, in partnership with the New York State Police; funding and oversight of probation and community correction programs; administration of federal and state criminal justice funds; support of criminal justice-related agencies across the state; and administration of the states Sex Offender Registry. The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance annually processes 25 million tax returns and collects more than $90 billion in annual state and local revenue. More than 96 percent of the taxes collected are remitted voluntarily by taxpayers. The remaining 4 percent is a result of the agencys enforcement programs and its work with local, state and federal agencies. Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: January 12 2016 Nassau County is attempting to raise public awareness regarding youth trafficking and the commercial exploitation of youths. Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano announced today that the county is raising public awareness regarding youth trafficking and the commercial exploitation of youths via the Safe Harbour Project. Nassau County, NY - Jan. 11, 2016 - Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano announced today that Childrens Protective Services (CPS), a division of the Nassau County Department of Social Services (DSS), in partnership with the Department of Human Services, Office of Youth Services, the District Attorney, Police Department, Probation Department, The Safe Center LI and Family and Childrens Association, are raising public awareness regarding youth trafficking and the commercial exploitation of youths, via the Safe Harbour Project. County Executive Mangano stated, Nassau County is dedicated to addressing the service needs of children at-risk of, or victims of, sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. Together, we are eradicating trafficking and exploitation of youth while assisting victims with the Safe Harbour Project. Through a 2016 grant from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), Nassau County DSS was awarded an additional $136,500 for a Safe Harbour program designed to address trafficked and commercially exploited youths. Nassau Countys Safe Harbour Project is a County-wide, coordinated, multi-system, long-term strategy to enhance the identification, protection and service delivery for children who are victims of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, and to provide services to best meet their individual needs. Since June 2014, there have been 126 children in Nassau County who have been identified as possible victims of human trafficking. Services such as counseling and housing have been provided. It is estimated that over 100,000 children in the United States are at risk of being trafficked for commercial sex each year. While youths in any community can become a victim of trafficking and exploitation, certain youths are at greater risk. Youths at-risk often have unstable family situations and have little or no social supports. Runway and homeless youths, children involved with child protective services and foster care, as well as Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) youths are also at increased risk for exploitation and trafficking. DSS Commissioner John E. Imhof said, As evidenced in County Executive Manganos commitment to raising public awareness regarding family violence, he is equally passionate about making the public aware of youths who are victims of trafficking. We need to continue to raise awareness in all communities. The dome of the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building will be illuminated in blue the week of January 18th, in honor of Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Looking to stay up to date about all of the news stories and local headlines that are important to Long Islanders? We've rounded up the top coverage for all of the important topics from multiple sources around Long Island, so you can be sure you've got the most recent update on the top stories for Long Island. Have an idea for a news story? Email us at news@longisland.com Columnists Press Releases Attorney General Brad Schimel wont intervene in a court case involving a halted John Doe investigation into coordination between Gov. Scott Walkers recall campaign and outside groups. Schimel, a Republican, was asked by two targets of the investigation, R.J. Johnson and Deborah Jordahl, to intervene on their behalf after the state Supreme Court last week rejected special prosecutor Francis Schmitzs request to reconsider its July decision to end the investigation. This has been a long, unfortunate chapter in Wisconsins history, Schimel said in a statement Tuesday. The courts have unequivocally rejected the John Doe investigation, both in the manner in which it was carried out, as well as the legal arguments brought by the prosecutors. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has now ordered that the property seized be returned. For everyone involved, the special prosecutor should end the case, and the property seized from the individuals in this case should be returned immediately. Schmitz said after the ruling he planned to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, though the four-justice majority nullified his appointment as special prosecutor, casting doubt on his ability to appeal. In a follow-up ruling on Friday, the court gave the five district attorneys originally involved in the case 14 days to intervene. Schimel said in his statement that it is very unlikely the U.S. Supreme Court would take the case, and if it does, it would more than likely uphold the Wisconsin Supreme Courts decision. Schimel also explained that his office was already involved in the case in representing the John Doe judge who quashed subpoenas in the case in January 2014. He did not reference that his predecessor, former Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, had been asked to lead the investigation, but turned down the request because of a potential conflict of interest. Schmitz declined to comment on Schimels statement. Critics of the Wisconsin Supreme Courts decision, including the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, have called for an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. They say the Wisconsin Supreme Court went beyond past federal court decisions in allowing so-called issue advocacy groups to coordinate with campaigns and that the justices who ruled on the case should have recused themselves because the groups under investigation spent millions of dollars to get them elected. Groups permitted to accept corporate campaign contributions under a new law must report them to state regulators, a vote by the state Government Accountability Board has confirmed. The board cast the unanimous vote Tuesday. In doing so, the board reversed its public statement last week that such reporting is not required by the law. Speaking to the accountability board at its regular meeting Tuesday, board director Kevin Kennedy acknowledged that statement was inaccurate. Republican legislative leaders and the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau had contended the law required such reporting. In response to press inquiries, it was stated there was no reporting of this activity, Kennedy said. That was an incorrect statement. The answer was: We havent addressed it. That shouldve been the answer. Board members debated how such contributions should be reported at their December meeting but didnt reach a conclusion. Signed by Gov. Scott Walker in December, the law makes the biggest changes to Wisconsin campaign finance regulations since the 1970s. One of its provisions creates a new way for corporations, barred from making direct political contributions in Wisconsin for more than century, to influence campaigns. It allows political parties and legislative campaign committees, the partisan campaign groups in the Legislature, to accept corporate, union and American Indian tribe contributions, provided the contributions go into separate accounts. Such contributions are capped at $12,000 a year under the law. Tuesdays vote confirms that activities relating to those accounts must be reported to the state. Kennedy, speaking to reporters after the board meeting, described the confusion as part of the normal process when state agencies iron out how to implement new laws. This was a bill that got rushed through in a hurry, Kennedy said. There are a lot of kinks to work out. The board will cease to exist after June 30, when it is succeeded by new elections and ethics commissions created by a related law that Walker also signed in December. The Department of Justice has announced that Maalik Alim Jones, a 31 year-old American citizen from Maryland, has been indicted for allegedly supporting Shabaab, al Qaedas official branch in East Africa. Jones appeared before a judge in the Southern District of New York last month, but the DOJ released the indictment and complaint in his case earlier today. Jones allegedly traveled from New York to Kenya in July 2011. Once in Kenya, according to the DOJs announcement, he traveled by land to Somalia, where he trained, worked and fought with al Shabaab in Somalia. Jones received military training at an al Shabaab training camp, learning to operate an AK-47 assault rifle and rocket-propelled grenades. He also purportedly jointed Shabaabs specialized fighting force, Jaysh Ayman, and participated in combat against soldiers of the Kenyan government. In the accompanying complaint, a FBI Special Agent notes that Jaysh Ayman is responsible for carrying out commando attacks and cross-border raids in which fighters, among other things, travel across the land border between Somalia and Kenya to target individuals and carry out attacks in Kenya. Operations attributed to Jaysh Ayman include: a June 16, 2014 attack in which fighters opened fire in a hotel bar in Mpekatoni, Kenya, killing approximately 40 people; a July 2014 attack in Hindi, Kenya, in which approximately 12Shabaab fighters opened fire at a trading center and set fire to government buildings and a church, killing nine people; and a June 14, 2015 ambush at a Kenyan Defense Force base in Lamu County, Kenya, which resulted in the deaths of two Kenyan soldiers. The FBI received seven videos that were in the possession of one of the Shabaab fighters who was killed during the ambush in Lamu. According to the complaint, Jones identified himself in two of the videos. One of the videos features a jihadist known as CC-1 delivering a lecture to a group of fighters. You see Kenyans are now crying. We have not begun to do anything. The war is just beginning, CC-1 said during the sermon. According to a translation in the complaint, CC-1 continued: The Kenyans are crying like young children. Their hearts are filled with fearunbelieversGlory be to God. Right now Allah has granted Muslims, if you have a voice be heard. If you have manhood, defend it. Jones is seen sitting behind CC-1 throughout the entire recorded portion of the sermon, at times smiling and nodding in apparent agreement with statements made. A second video shows various individuals who are believed to beShabaab fighters, greeting each other, hugging each other, and carrying firearms. In this short production, dubbed the Reunion Video, Jones is depicted walking with a firearm and placing the firearm on the ground. Later on in the video, Jones is shown wearing a black t-shirt and hugging and interacting with other males, including CC-1. The complaint cites an unnamed cooperating witness who once led Shabaabs foreign fighters. This witness traveled from the UK to Somalia in 2007, becoming the commander ofShabaabs foreign fighters in Mogadishu, Somalia in 2009. This same ex-Shabaab commander attended high-level Shabaab meetings, and interacted with high-ranking members of Shabaab. He also identified CC-1 as someone who had fought under his command in numerous battles and as a leader among Shabaabs foreign fighters. CC-1 is not fully identified in the complaint. But the FBI describes the recording of his lecture, in which Jones can be seen, as the Shirwa Sermon Video. A Shabaab leader named Luqman Osman Issa, and known as Shirwa, was reportedly killed during the aforementioned June 2015 assault on Kenya forces in Lamu. Issa (a.k.a. Shirwa) was also accused of leading the attack on a hotel bar in Mpeketoni, Kenya in June 2014. Both operations were carried out by Jaysh Ayman, the same Shabaab unit Jones is accused of serving. Jones was detained on Dec. 7, 2015, as he was purportedly attempting to flee for Yemen. There is a potentially interesting twist in his story. Contemporaneous press reports described an American Shabaab fighter named Abdul Malik Jones who had turned himself into authorities. According to those accounts, Jones had pledged allegiance to the Islamic States Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. He reportedly fled a Shabaab crackdown on defectors to the Islamic State. [See LWJ report, American jihadist reportedly flees al Qaedas crackdown in Somalia.] There is nothing in todays release indicating that Jones had sworn his fealty to Baghdadis group. So, it is not known if the published accounts late last year accurately reflected the events that transpired. Shabaabs leadership remains loyal to al Qaeda and its emir, Ayman al Zawahiri. Shabaabs Amniyat, or security service, has been hunting any jihadists who attempt to establish a province for Baghdadis caliphate in East Africa. [See LWJ report, Shabaabs leadership fights Islamic States attempted expansion in East Africa.] Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. The state Supreme Court has allowed three district attorneys to intervene in a court case related to a shuttered John Doe investigation into Gov. Scott Walkers recall campaign. The 5-0 decision, with two justices not participating, allows Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, Iowa County District Attorney Larry Nelson and Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne to appeal the courts decision to end the probe to the U.S. Supreme Court. The district attorneys did not respond to a request for comment on the decision. In a separate 4-1 decision with Justice Shirley Abrahamson dissenting, the court denied without explanation a request by Chisholm and two of his assistant district attorneys for a separate request to intervene over a specific matter relating to the preservation of records obtained in the investigation. The court originally ordered investigators to destroy or return those records, but in December said the records should be delivered to the Supreme Court. Chisholm opened the John Doe investigation in August 2012 based on evidence collected in a previous John Doe investigation into Gov. Scott Walkers Milwaukee County office that resulted in six convictions of Walker aides and associates. After Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen declined to take over the case, it expanded to four more counties where subjects of the investigation resided. The five district attorneys in those counties later agreed to consolidate the case under one special prosecutor, who served dozens of subpoenas in October 2013. A new judge assigned to oversee the case quashed the subpoenas in January 2014. In July the Wisconsin Supreme Court halted the probe, saying it had no basis in law. The investigation was looking into coordination between Walkers campaign and so-called issue advocacy groups. In December the court removed special prosecutor Francis Schmitz from the case, leaving no one to represent it. Two of the five district attorneys initially involved in the case, both Republicans, declined to intervene. Chisholm, Nelson and Ozanne are all Democrats. Luton is a large town, borough and unitary authority area of Bedfordshire. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 258,000. Luton is home to Championship team Luton Town Football Club, London Luton Airport and The University of Bedfordshire. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter. For all the latest news from Luton sign up to our newsletter here. Month of Romance at Mandarin Oriental Hotels Across the U.S. January 12, 2016 Robb Report Unveils Top 21 Luxury Travel Destinations for 2016 In the January issue the magazines expert editorial team explores the places that should be at the top of any luxury travelers list, from must-see cities and emerging adventure locales to undiscovered islands and untapped wine countries. This special issue also covers Robb Reports fourth annual Culinary Masters Competition and reveals which up-and-coming chef has earned the coveted title of New Culinary Master for 2016.From, the January issue of Robb Report takes readers on an epic insiders tour of the places to bebefore everyone else gets there. Not to be overlooked, luxury-destination stalwarts including Paris and Los Angeles have also returned to the list with fresh reasons for a return visit. According to the editors, Paris, the City of Light, is primed to renew its reputation as the city of the future. And with a spate of new gallery openings, Los Angeles has solidified its place as a world capital of contemporary art.We take pride at Robb Report in continuously uncovering the unique and inimitable in luxury travel for our readers, said Bruce Wallin, editorial director. With this years list of the top 21 destinations, we spotlight our experts picks for the worlds most exciting cities, countries, islands, and other international hot spots for 2016. This issue marks the first in Robb Reports 12-month celebration of our brands momentous 40th anniversary, and were proud to start the year off with this thrilling array of luxury destinations.Packing for any of the travels profiled in this issue would prove daunting to most. Thankfully, Robb Report teamed up with industry icon Bruce Pask, fashion director at Bergdorf Goodmans Mens Store, for help building a stylish and sensible wardrobe filled with essentials to cover any turf, from the mountains to the shore and beyond.The January issue also offers a behind-the-scenes look at Robb Reports fourth annual Culinary Masters Competition. Six master chefsJohn Besh, Curtis Duffy, Christopher Kostow, Barbara Lynch, Norman Van Aken, and Michael Whitehandpicked the United States most talented up-and-comers to face off in a clash of regional cuisines. In a show of sheer skill and creativity, Lee Wolen, chef and partner at Chicagos Bokanominated by chef Curtis Duffy of Gracehas been named the victor of this years competition. For a taste of Wolens winning dishes, visitAn exclusive bonus feature in this months digital edition of Robb Report names the top 10 cars for long-distance drives, while RobbReport.com spotlights the top places to stay during the, taking place January 2131. Plus, tune in tofor Robb Reports real-time coverage of the North American International Auto Show, which takes place January 1124 in Detroit, where Robb Reports automotive experts will report live from the trade-show floor. MADISON No new evidence related to the 2007 homicide conviction of Steven Avery has been brought forward for review, Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel said Monday. Thousands have called on Gov. Scott Walker and President Barack Obama to pardon Avery following the release of a popular 10-part Netflix documentary recounting Averys wrongful conviction of a 1985 sexual assault, his release from prison 18 years later, and raised questions about the subsequent convictions of Avery and his nephew for killing 25-year-old Teresa Halbach. Walker, who does not issue pardons, tweeted Monday that documentary viewers should read unanimous Court of Appeals opinion b4 jumping to conclusions. Law enforcement officials who were involved in the Halbach case have criticized the series, which is told from the perspective of Averys family and defense attorneys. Schimel said Monday if evidence not heard by a jury that raises doubt about the convictions of Avery and nephew Brendan Dassey was brought to the DOJ, wed certainly take that seriously. But so far, none has, he said. The jury heard the information thats presented in this movie. They also heard much, much, much more information that wouldnt fit in that somehow didnt make it into this 10-hour program, said Schimel. (Avery and Dassey) both have been afforded appeals. With Mr. Averys case, his case was even looked at by the Wisconsin Innocence Project, which did great work to get him exonerated the first time around when he was convicted of a crime he didnt commit. They looked at it this time and they havent found, at this point, a case to pursue. The documentary chronicles the investigation and trial in the murder of Halbach, whose charred remains and vehicle were found on Averys property in November 2005. Dassey was also convicted of homicide, sexual assault and mutilation of a corpse in the case, which drew nationwide interest because Avery was previously exonerated with DNA evidence. The film includes exclusive access to Averys family and focuses on his defense attorneys contention that the members of the Manitowoc Sheriffs Office ignored other possible suspects and planted evidence to ensure a conviction. At the time, Avery was suing Manitowoc County for $36 million for his wrongful conviction. Those who dispute the framing defense, including former Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz, who prosecuted the case to avoid a possible conflict of interest, emphasize Averys DNA was found in Halbachs vehicle, her DNA was found on a bullet that investigators matched to Averys gun and that Avery had asked specifically for Halbach to be sent over to photograph a vehicle for Auto Trader Magazine. Averys appeals have been rejected all the way up to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Dassey, who did not testify against Avery, was convicted based on statements he made to police during hours of interrogation that he later recanted when he took the stand in his own trial. His case is being appealed in federal court. Schimel said he hasnt seen the documentary and has little interest in watching it after reading an objective review from a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter who covered the trial. As a prosecutor, for all those years, the worst thing that I could imagine would be being responsible for putting a person in prison for a crime they didnt commit. So thats a priority for me, Schimel said. However, Mr. Avery and Mr. Dassey both had trials. (Avery and Dassey) both have been afforded appeals. With Mr. Averys case, his case was even looked at by the Wisconsin Innocence Project ... They looked at it this time and they havent found, at this point, a case to pursue. Brad Schimel, Wisconsin attorney general 2016 2016 Preview Ross Douglas Terry Richardson Damien Dennis/The Pit: SE The Michigan Wolverines will be without running back/defensive back Ross Taylor-Douglas, as well as defensive back Terry Richardson next season.The Taylor-Douglas departure was first reported by 247 Sports, and Scout.com. He will have two years of eligibility left according to Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press.Richardson will only have one year of eligibility remaining.Both Richardson and Taylor-Douglas were reserves for the Wolverines this past season.Both players will be able to play for their new teams right away because both players will have degree's from the University of Michigan.It is no surprise to see a running back decide to transfer. Taylor-Douglass did not catch on much in Jim Harbaugh's new offense, and with Drake Johnson, DeVeon Smith, Ty Isaac, and Karan Higdon returning as well as Kareem Walker and Kingston Davis coming to Ann Arbor the position is a bit jammed, assuming Derrick Green also decides to transfer.Taylor-Douglas posted this photo on Twitter about his decision saying in the Tweet "business never personal, excited for my next phase of my life." WASHINGTON (TNS) The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down Floridas death penalty system on the grounds that judges, not juries, decide the key facts that determine whether a killer is condemned to die. In an 8-1 ruling, the justices said this judge-driven system violates a defendants right to a jury trial. The ruling will likely give new sentencing hearings to inmates who were recently sentenced to death in Florida, but the justices in the past have said such new rulings do not apply automatically to old cases. That will seem to mean former Chippewa Falls resident Bill Paul Marquardt will remain on Floridas death row for the March 15, 2000 murders of Margarita Ruiz, 72, and her daughter, Esperanza Wells, 42. Marquardt has been on Floridas death row since 2012. Last year the Florida Supreme Court left Marquardts murder convictions standing. We conclude that the record provides sufficient evidence from which a rational trier of fact could convict Marquardt of the first-degree murder of Ruiz and Wells, as well as burglary of a dwelling with a firearm. We therefore affirm his convictions, the Florida Supreme Court ruled. Marquardt was acquitted of the March 2000 murder of his mother, Mary Jane Marquardt, in the town of Eagle Point. Tuesdays ruling relied on a 2002 decision that struck down Arizonas judge-driven system for deciding death penalty cases. Despite that ruling in the case of Ring vs. Arizona, the Florida courts had continued to uphold death sentences there on the grounds that juries had recommended death as the proper verdict. But on Tuesday, the justices decided Florida must move to a sentencing system that gives juries the final word. The ruling will mean a new sentencing hearing for Timothy Hurst, who was convicted of stabbing and killing a co-worker at a Popeyes restaurant in 1998. He was tried twice, and the jury, though divided, recommended a death sentence, and the judge imposed one. But Justice Sonia Sotomayor, speaking for the court, said Florida should have followed the 2002 decision by putting the full weight on the jury. The 6th Amendment protects a defendants right to an impartial jury, she said. This right required Florida to base Timothy Hursts death sentence on a jury verdict, not a judges fact-finding. Floridas death sentencing scheme, which required the judge alone to find the existence of an aggravating circumstance, is therefore unconstitutional. Dissenting alone, Justice Samuel A. Alito said the justices had upheld Floridas system in the past. Under the Florida system, the jury plays a critically important role, he said, by weighing the evidence and recommending whether the murderer should die. Lest we forget, this is the 25th anniversary of the Persian Gulf War. I was reminded of that as I paged through my January VFW magazine. VFW Commander John Biedrzycki Jr. commented: The liberators of Kuwait have found their place in U.S. military history as well as popular culture. Some 690,000 Americans served in that theater of operation. The VFW organization has pledged $500,000 over five years in support of the construction of a Persian Gulf War memorial. A total of 383 American deaths were recorded. Desert Shield and Desert Storm are other names commonly used for the war in that part of the world. I pulled out my We Support the 264th Engineer Group of the Wisconsin National Guard poster and looked at the faces of men and women from our area that were involved in overseas deployment back then. They were, and are, our neighbors and friends. Thankfully, they all returned home! Technological advances On to other matters. This past Christmas Day was the lowest cellphone use of any day in all of 2015. That means, according to Jerry Del Colliano, a former broadcaster who now blogs about the radio and music industries, in spite of our technology and connectivity, more people spent time with each other face-to-face, in person. Ive commented in the past that I feel Im all alone in the car when I give rides to our grandkids. Theyre busy texting. Digital devices are tools not relationships. Jerry, tell that to the young and old, too. Because many, regardless of age, are embedded with their cellphones. And some cant chew gum and drive at the same time. Got a light? Reading an earlier article came this remembrance: The old pipe gives the sweetest smoke. Dad had a favorite chair in the living room. Next to the chair was a smoke stand where he kept a pipe or two and a can of tobacco. Smoking, especially a cigarette, was something savored by our society. The Hollywood stars did it. There were many riveting scenes built around Humphrey Bogart and other stars as they lit up a cigarette to heighten the drama of the silver screen. Not so today. Im glad to have lived through that era without becoming a confirmed smoker. Never the Twain ... Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer were characters that did things as they felt. White-washing picket fences was one of their pursuits. Fishing was another. And Mark Twain was the go-between storyteller that often produced some gems still quoted today. As an example: Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside. Other Twainisms include: When angry, count to four. When very angry, swear. There is nothing so annoying to have two people talking when youre busy interrupting. If we keep learning at this rate well soon know nothing at all. Quit smoking is easy. Ive done it a hundred times. Concluding thoughts Avoid fruits and nuts. After all, you are what you eat. Male jogger to woman jogger: My pace or yours? Think about this. If women ruled the world: shopping would be considered an aerobic activity; PMS would be a legitimate defense in court; and all toilet seats would be nailed down. Mr. Ziad Tarek Abdullah Aba Al-Khail serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Aljazira Capital Company (closed shareholding). Mr. Al-Khail served as a Senior Advisor at Andersen Consulting Company for 5 years. He joined Bank Aljazira in 1994 as Head of Operations and served as its Head of Centralized Operations Group from 1996 to 2001. He served as Assistant General Manager for Operations and Technology at Bank Aljazira and also served as its Head of the Operations and Technology Group since 2005. Since 2007, he served as an Acting Chief Executive Officer of Bank Aljazira. Since 2008, he served as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Bank Aljazira and also served as the Acting Chief Executive Officer at Aljazira Capital Company until 2010. Since 2009, he served as an Acting Chief Executive Officer of Bank Aljazira. He serves as a Director of Aljazira Capital Company. He serves as a Non Executive Director of Aljazira Takaful Ta'wuni Company. He served as a Board Member at Aljazira Capital Company until 2010. Mr. Al-Khail is a graduate of the University of Southern California specialized in Civil Engineering in 1986. Interview with Ziad Tarek Abdullah Aba Al-Khail, Managing Director and CEO of AlJazira Capital, Saudi Arabia In your opinion, what is the outlook for the capital market in Saudi Arabia? The outlook for the capital markets is bright. Several developments indicate that Saudi Arabia has diversified beyond just oil. The Kingdom has vast untapped reserves of minerals companies like Maaden and other similar companies in the northern region have invested over SAR 130 billion in the mining sector. The sector could become one of the fastest growing sector in the economy. Moreover, the Kingdom is focusing on its insurance business; insurance represents 1% of GDP, which is low in comparison to developed countries. While some insurance companies remain unprofitable, many have started to become profitable. The insurance sector is poised to become one of the growth stories in the economy. In addition, the new initiatives within the housing market in Saudi Arabia by the government will eventually create growth opportunities for cement, construction and real estate sectors. Finally, the market saw the introduction of qualified foreign financial institutions (QFFIs) four months ago. After a slow start, we expect the activity to increase, and this is just the start of a wave of investments from outside the Kingdom that will come in preparation for the MSCI inclusion time frame of 2017-2018. Can you describe the key challenges and opportunities associated with the current economic cycle? The current valuations of listed companies are at historic lows. Of course, some of the players in the petrochemical and telecom sectors have declined in profitability, but Aljazira Capital believes that when this cycle turns and the market enters the next profit-growth cycle, there will be rapid increases in equity values. The most promising sectors are insurance and retail. The country has a young population about 60% of the population is under the age of 30. The late King Abdullah introduced the King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship Program, which has been continued by King Salman, so there are over 207,000 Saudis studying abroad. A lot of them have actually introduced new innovations and technologies around the world. When these students return to Saudi Arabia, a new wave of innovation and entrepreneurship will ensue in sectors that were not existent in the Kingdom before. Public debt in Saudi Arabia is among the worlds lowest, with a gross Debt-to-GDP ratio of less than 2% in 2014 and is expected to be around 6% by the end of 2015. The transportation mega projects will lead to economic activity and growth, plus the hospitality projects around Mecca and Medina. Experts predict that by 2020 the Umrah will generate more than SAR 47 billion a very significant increase by a non-oil sector. The challenges are numerous. Oil prices have had an impact on how Saudi Arabia structures the budget and fiscal policies. The geopolitical unrest around the Kingdom in neighboring countries continues to create uncertainty. The lack of income diversification in the Kingdom (something that the government is working on right now), and the weak private sector job creation are still in existence; however, these challenges have been under the eye of the government for the last few years. There are new laws and regulations that ensure more active private sector involvement. Aljazira Capital is a Saudi Closed Joint Stock company operating under the regulatory supervision of the Capital Market Authority, specialized in securities business and providing the services of dealing, underwriting, managing, arranging, advisory, and custody. How would you characterize your investment strategy? How do you manage risk? Aljazira Capital is a customer-oriented company. The client is in the center of our strategy. We try to do what is best for our clients. The company studies various markets and asset classes around the world, and try to have a basket of investment opportunities tailored to each individual client. As far as risk management is concerned, our risk management division within the bank ensures that the risks are well. Given the spending or expenditures and low oil prices, the IMF has recently issued a report that Saudi Arabia is heading toward bankruptcy in 2020. What do you think about this? Are such reports over-exaggerated? The exaggeration is beyond belief. The price of oil has only been down for 7-9 months. There are economic cycles and oil cycles. The Kingdom has very low debt-to-GDP ratio of around 2-6%, which is one of the lowest in the world. The economic activity is positive due to many mega projects that create value (economic and employment). In addition, the government is re-evaluating certain projects and there should be a recovery in oil sooner or later it may not go back to US$100, but it may go back to US$75 at some point in the medium term. Any responsible government would look at its revenues and expenditures, and act accordingly. The public sector owns all of the assets, so they can privatize a lot of industries. There are many tools that the government could use to fight the recession. The drop in oil prices is a positive development, as it forces the economic players to be more stringent in how they carry their affairs. In the good times, you need to prepare of the bad times. Now that the bad times have come, we cannot only weather it, but we will come out stronger from it. What are the three most important challenges for Saudi Arabia? The dependency on oil is a challenge 81% of the exports are oil-based. The employment of Saudi citizens while the government has had major initiatives over the past couple of years, there will be a lot of students that will be coming back from outside and the youth will need to be put to work. This is a challenge that will be faced by the government. And like everybody else, global terrorism and regional conflicts around us pose economic challenges. Do you expect a possible upcoming economic crisis in the Kingdom? The expected economic crisis may or may not come, and it may come tomorrow or in five years. The Kingdom always acted responsibly and always tried to be a solid partner when providing energy. The Kingdom will continue to work with the world to make sure there is stability in the world economy. How would you characterize your strategy? What are the strategic goals that you want to achieve in order to maintain the market leadership? Aljazira Capital has been the number one broker in Saudi Arabia for over 10 years. Technology has actually propelled the company to this level. The company controls 25% of internet trading in the Kingdom. The innovative trading platform is developed in-house. To continue innovating, the company is unveiling new HTML5-based products. This technology allows for touch screen and many other unique features. The strategy is to maintain market leadership. Aljazira Capital is also diversifying into asset management. The company has increased the number of funds, classes, and regions on offer. Concurrently, we are developing our investment banking business, which we believe will grow in the Kingdom as more and more companies go public and restructure. Of course, we have one of the best research teams in the Kingdom, and provide and disseminate research all over the world. Aljazira capital is one of the leading brokers in Saudi Arabia. Can you track the performance of your funds? What sort of assets do you invest in? Where do you see value? Over the past two years, our funds have consistently ranked within the top three funds kingdom wide. From an asset-class point-of-view, we have an emerging market fund so we have exposure funds to Asia, Europe, US, and the BRIC countries. The company offers a full set of asset classes based on clients risk tolerance. Other asset classes are real estate and Murabaha. Aljazira Capital owns part of Takaful insurance company. We developed fund-of-funds for the insurer to allow clients that are investing in life insurance to invest in these funds in order to mitigate their risks and control their fluctuations. Where do you see the value and the services you offer? Would you like to focus more on asset management in investment banking or brokerage? Where do you see the cash cows and the rising stars? The brokerage is the most important business for the company. In 2006, the company generated SAR 2 billion. This is where the equity was built, being invested in other lines of the business. The brokerage is sensitive to market sentiment. To mitigate the fluctuations the strategy is to focus on asset management, and reinvest the revenue from these services. In 2015, the assets under management grew from SAR 700 million to over SAR 4 billion. Investment banking is an area where the company wants to grow. Aljazira Capital has already made a few investment-banking deals in the insurance sector. This is a very competitive sector, and there are many companies offering similar services in the market. What makes you different and stand apart from other competitors? Aljazira Capital has decent capital, an excellent investment banking team, and is affiliated with one of the key banks in the Kingdom. Aljazira Bank is one of the oldest banks in the Kingdom. In 2007, the bank became Sharia-compliant. The change was extremely beneficial, and it changed the bank from a loss-making bank to a very profitable institution. The sharia-compliant component is extremely important for Saudi retail customers. Is the new HTML5 application a unique product to the market? Aljazira Capital is the leader in technology. The previous platform was Java-based and competitors tried to copy it. Building on the past successes, the introduction of the new application trading in HTML5 will give the company an additional edge. The technology allows touch screen interactions, works on various browsers and across multiple devices. When we introduce a product for trading, we always try to have some unique features because better technology is our competitive advantage. Who is your new target demographic? It is a combination active traders and young people. The plan is to satisfy the needs of traders and to diversify the sources of revenue in the brokerage business (like the 90-10 rule). The mass market someone who opens an account and trades 5-10 times a year this is our target client. You can actually cost-sell and educate these people on how to invest. In terms of the value of the brokerage or yearly transactions, what is your market share? Our market share stood at around 17% in 2015, which is number one in the market. In 2007, the company used to control almost 23% of the market, before the inclusion of the other 11-12 APs at the time. Our current target is 20%. In addition, the conversion to Sharia-compliant institution accounted for the 4-5% market share loss. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Aljazira Capital will maintain the market leadership in brokerage and will rank amongst top five asset managers in Saudi Arabia. Diversifying into asset management will provide stability in the revenue stream, and that means we succeeded in offering the right asset classes to our clients. Currently, the company has jumped four places to 8th position in terms of assets under management. Interview with Abdullah M. Ben Jebreen, CEO of Abana The IMF came up with a report that in five years Saudi Arabia will face considerable challenges. They said that foreign financial assets fell over the last seven consecutive months to $654 billion at the end of August. Then, Saudi Arabia raised 55 billion riyals from debt insurance this year, and the IMF expects debt-to-GDP ratio to grow to 17% next year, so there is a lot of spending but not enough income. The IMF is quite negative about the outlook for the economy. In your opinion, do you feel that such predictions are over-exaggerated? The report is over exaggerated, however due to the international economic situation the Saudi economy is weaker. As the global economy slows down, emerging economies such as China and even developed economies such as the EU experience temporary weakness. Saudi Arabia is not immune to the global trends and is part of economic cycles. Saudi Arabia has all of the basics to absorb the shocks of reduced oil prices and decreased demand for oil. Saudi Arabia has other untapped resources available such as mineral resources, tourism and other things. Saudi Arabia has been investing in its human resources for a long time; we have over 207,000 students that are sent abroad for education, who are the most important resource for the future economy. They will create the basis for a different economy. What is the general innovation and technology business environment like in the Kingdom? The Kingdom has been taking steps toward innovation. Knowledge economy is in the national strategy. The benchmark countries for Saudi Arabia are Japan and Korea. The government has undertaken several steps to begin the transformation. For example, the creation of King Abdullah University (KAUST), one of the leading universities in the world, focusing on science innovations, is one such step. Other initiatives include Riyadh Techno Valley at King Saud University. Public companies like SABIC and ARAMCO have many research centers and are investing a lot in innovation of petrochemicals. For medium-large size enterprises such as Abana, we innovate some solutions for our clients: we have in-house developments, so we know how important this is for all levels (government and private sector). Abana serves the customers through three business units (Banking, Telecommunication and Cash Services) and delivers premium products, solutions and services in an outstanding manner that exceeds customers expectations and facilitates their operations. Is it easier to do business in Saudi Arabia? The government is keen to ease doing business in Saudi Arabia. With establishing SAGIA and allowing for 100% ownership, the government initiated steps towards this goal. There were obstacles before, but nowadays it is very easy to open a business. Recently, when King Salman visited the United States, he welcomed an open market for the retail sectors. How do you feel about the Tenth development plan? The 10th development plan seems better than the previous plans. First, the Ministry of Economy and Planning is now responsible for development, whereas before it was the Ministry of Finance, and the new minister is establishing KPIs for the plans with each ministry. There is a periodic review for the KPI for each ministry. What is the state of the ATM network in Saudi Arabia? What are some key statistical figures? Compared to advanced countries like Korea and Japan, Saudi Arabia has very low ATMs per capita. Based on the talks with SAMA and the banks, there is a plan to increase the levels of ATMs, liberate some of the regulations on the ATMs, and allow ATMs in banks to be directly connected to SAMA. What is the level of sophistication of the network and how can it be improved? SAMA recently announced MADA (the backbone for connectivity of payment systems, including point of sales, ATMs, and online transactions), which looks very promising. This initiative will resolve many problems, besides improving the network. There are three major telecom operators, which will also help bring the network up-to-date, on par with Europe and the States. Saudi Arabia has one of the best telecom infrastructure in the region. Can a cashless society render ATMs obsolete? Cash is king. Even in Europe and Asia chip cards, electronic wallets and many other cashless means have been adopted by the market, however, these societies still use cash. The use of cash in Saudi Arabia is high. Over time, with the adoption of smart phones, internet banking and prepaid cards, the need for cash will decrease. Within the next ten years the use of cash will still be high, otherwise, SAMA will not have this huge plan to increase the ATM network. What could be the time frame when Saudi will reach a cashless society? We will reach a good balance between using cash and other electronic means. From 2009, Saudi was granted 12 patents by the United States, which has increased significantly to 294 patents in 2014. Its still very low compared to very competitive economies. When the government is spending a quarter of the budget on education, is Saudi Arabia making any headway in innovation and education? Absolutely as I mentioned previously, more than 200,000 students are being exposed to different curriculums around the world that will enhance the innovation and knowledge in the Kingdom. The economy builds on knowledge. What are you planning on rolling out this year? What plans do you have for the future? Abana has just finished the growth strategy for 2016-2022. The strategy is based on a few pillars. First, we are adopting new technologies and enhancing our operations and services for our clients, and we have our in-house innovation center. Aside from the strategic plan, Abana is a dynamic company ready to react and change with the market. Do you feel that there are significant growth opportunities within your sector? Absolutely with the economical cycle going down, the cost goes down as well. People adjust costs, and prices will go down. In the end, its how much money you make and your margin or net profit, not the cost or price. Would you like to stay in your core business or shift toward applications and innovations? As an operations and service company, Abana will focus on these core areas. We are looking at investing in other strategic partnerships to enhance our business. ABANA is your brainchild what makes you beat your competition? If Saudi Arabia opens up more, then perhaps there will be some international competitors. What are your main competencies? Abana is a customer-driven company, not product-driven; we enhanced the quality of our services as the region suffers from bad quality services; we are early adopters of technology; and we add value because we are a locally-made company. Interview with Lina Annab, General Manager of Zara Investment Holding What is your overview of the tourism investments in Jordan today? Perhaps you can take us through the past five years since we met last time and tell us about the overall direction of this particular type of investments. Welcome back to Jordan. A lot has happened since we met five years ago in 2010. A lot has happened not only in Jordan but also all over the world in the tourism and hospitality industry. In Jordan, between 2010 and today, we were delighted to see that the confidence in the tourism product remained robust and this was evidenced with the number of new hotels and other tourism-related developments that have come up in Amman, the Dead Sea and Aqaba. Unfortunately the unrest triggered by the revolutions that rocked the region in the past few years has impacted Jordan economically especially in terms of foreign direct investments. Funnily enough, and I think in big part thanks to social media, it seems that over the past five years there was also an increasing awareness locally and worldwide of the uniqueness and the diversity of the Jordanian tourism product. This, in my opinion, has not only highlighted areas of untapped demand, but also has planted the seeds for new growth opportunities in the tourism sector once we see calm and stability return to the region. The diversity of the product highlights what could be dormant demand and promising investment opportunities for start-ups of all sizes. Outside of Jordan, a lot of disruptions have taken place in the global tourism and hospitality sector as well. For example when we last met in 2010, Airbnb was just two years old, today it is valued at over U$25 billion with estimated 1.2 million rooms sold per month. Priceline, owner of booking.com, was then worth 10 billion US dollars and today it is valued 61 billion US dollars and it is completely reshaping and redefining the hospitality business. In the past five years Facebook online community became bigger than then the largest country on earth. In other words the past five years have witnessed an enormous amount of disruptions and revolutions on all levels, social, economic and political all over the world. For us in the hospitality sector, our business model as we knew it for decades has definitely changed, and we must be ready to adapt to that. New investors who come to Jordan looking at the hospitality sector will need to take that into consideration. You touched upon the challenges on a regional level but what about the challenges on a local level inside Jordan? In Jordan we are neither isolated nor insulated from what happens in the region. Our economy is dependant on vital imports and exports that have been both negatively impacted by the recent regional turmoil. The instability in neighbouring countries can sometimes negatively impact the perception of safety and security, which would suppress demand. Ironically, the upheaval has also redirected and increased demand to us due to the temporary closure of certain markets. This is not the business we covet nor seek even though it is a natural externality of what happens when markets close and we become an option and a natural outlet for the markets that are unavailable because of the unrest. In general, I believe that the prosperity and sustainability of tourism in Jordan comes from stability in the entire region. Given how intertwined our region is in terms of its history and rich culture and heritage, a flourishing tourism sector in all of the Arab World is what we all strive for. Given how intertwined our region is in terms of its history and rich culture and heritage, a flourishing tourism sector in all of the Arab World is what we all strive for. Specifically regarding the holding, what has been accomplished in the past five years? Over the past five years we had the opening of one of Jordans most beautiful resorts the Movenpick Resort and Spa Tala Bay in Aqaba. This was a U$80 million project. This resort proved to be a huge success due to its various room configurations as well as its wonderful food and beverage outlets. In general, we continuously work to improve and innovate our product offerings. This means that we are always refurbishing our properties through quite extensive capital investment projects. At the moment we are working on two multimillion dollar refurbishment and renovation projects. In addition and in order to achieve the best yields for our investments, we restructured our capital and debt. We have also embarked on exercises to reengineer our business model in order to be more agile and responsive to the developments taking pace in our industry. Another very important and exciting accomplishment that we are proud of over the past five years is the partnership forged between Zara Investment Holding and the Vocational Training Corporation, which resulted in Zara developing and opening in May 2013 the 20-room 3-star Saltus Hotel in AsSalt city. This is a non-profit entity that is aimed at providing hands-on training environment for the hospitality industry. Saltus Hotel is also the first classified hotel to be established in the city of AsSalt. To date Saltus Hotel has trained over 400 trainees of which almost 20% are females. "Over the past five years we had the opening of one of Jordans most beautiful resorts the Movenpick Resort and Spa Tala Bay in Aqaba." You mentioned the Movenpick in Tala Bay, what other new additions were there? We are now working on developing an eco-resort in the north of Jordan. This is going to be a departure from our usual luxury 5-star hotels that we normally engage in. Architecturally speaking, it is also going to be a first of its kind in Jordan. Zara has always been focused on developing 5-star properties in Jordan. However we now realise that there is a viable opportunity for lower tier hotels, 3 to 4 star hotels, so this eco-resort is going to be within that range. We are all very excited about this project. When is it forecasted to be completed? Once we are finished with the architectural concept and design, we expect the execution period to be approximately 2 years. Is there any other project you would like to discuss further? In addition to our existing properties, we also have real estate (land) slated for development at any time. They are all prime real estate land and they vary in size from few dunums to large plots of hundreds of dunums (dunum = thousand sq). Zara owns land in Aqaba, Petra, and the Dead Sea, which are all prime hospitality locations. We welcome and seek investors who are interested in jointly developing touristic projects. Zara is also very extensively involved with the arts and events surrounding the arts. How do you support local artists? From the early beginnings of Zara, supporting the arts has been a direction for us. Zara was one of the first companies to focus on and understand the importance of corporate art. Our hotels probably hold the most unique and extensive art collection in the hotel sector in Jordan. We started introducing art by emerging and promising new artists who needed support and promotion. Some of the artists that we have worked with have become famous in their own right and they are today recognized internationally. Supporting the arts has been rewarding for both the artists and Zara. Not only have these artists enriched our working environment and made our properties beautiful with their artworks, their works have also proven to be viable investments with returns to both of us. Some of the art we curated have appreciated in multiples of their original value. Is there anything that you would like to highlight about the holding? I cannot highlight enough the fact that we are witnessing and experiencing a revolution in the global hospitality sector. The industry has been disrupted with innovations that have impacted the entire industry worldwide. We see all these changes as a great opportunity to adopt and evolve. I always say that Jordan has the advantage of a time lag between what happens in the developed world and what happens in the less developed ones. In some way we could say that we can read the future in our country through looking at what happens in other more mature markets. This lag is becoming shorter and shorter because of technology. However it is still there. In my opinion this is an opportunity that we need to take better advantage of. It is also something that we are fully aware and mindful of. Our business model has changed and so have our customers; we are now dealing with a completely different new group of customers, and they are the one dictating and driving the business and the demand. At Zara and as a market leader, we fully realize that we need to go beyond our leadership position and we need to look around us to see what needs to be done in order to keep up with all the innovations taking place around us. To sum up, what is your vision for Zara Investment Holding? I would like to see Zara continue to be the pioneer that it is today in the hospitality sector in Jordan. In order to do so we need to be agile enough to respond to the changes taking place by being innovative and creative in our future outlook and plans. Being a market leader is a very nice thing, but it could also be a very dangerous thing if one becomes complacent and arrogant about this leadership position. In order to offer the customer whatever he or she wants, I would like to always see Zara as a company that continuously keeps up with the times and the technologies that are changing our industry. At the end of the day, it is our customers who determine our success from failure. Zara is the service provider of choice in Jordan; I would like us to become more so because we are offering what the customers want by being responsive to and catering to their needs. What would be your final message about Jordan? Jordan is a country stunning with its beauty and diversity, majestic with its history and heritage, beautiful with its people and their genuine warm welcome and hospitality, and comforting with how safe and secure it is. Jordan is a country full of beautiful surprises to all those who come expecting to experience a new country, only to find out that their imaginations have failed them in how awesome Jordan really is. In that Jordan is truly unique. I believe it is the combination of various factors that make Jordan a place like no other on earth. The size of the country offers the visitor the opportunity to experience a diversity of scenery and natural habitats unmatched anywhere else in the world. The touristic product is so diverse it offers within few hours incredible sites for all types of tourism, be it religious, cultural and heritage, archaeological, adventure, medical, business, or leisure tourism. The tourism infrastructure is also quite advanced from road networks to hotels, restaurants, old neighbourhoods and modern ones, modern banking and health facilities, and yes that most coveted thing called internet access. Today Jordan offers the newest generation of wireless internet access technologies. Our cuisine is also rich with delicacies and delicious offerings that guarantee the visitor a fabulous gastronomic experience. To all those who think of Petra and the Dead Sea when they think of Jordan, I say this is only the tip of the iceberg. If you travel Jordan from north to south you discover that what is in store is probably much bigger than what we ever thought existed in Jordan! For example few are aware that Jordan is home to the best and most beautiful hiking trails in the world; one of which was voted as one of the top trekking trails by National Geographic. Not only that, Jordan today offers a 650-kilometer trail from the north to the south of Jordan that is fully mapped, GPSed, assessed for difficulty called The Jordan Trail. This trail rivals the best in the world, such as the Camino de Santiago to name one. Again, our biggest strength is the diversity of our product. Another strength we have is the people who are genuinely welcoming. We as Jordanians genuinely love to receive people in our homes and in our country. I loved it when you told me that you have been here for a few weeks and that you already like it very much. That really makes me very happy because when you have something beautiful you like to share it with people. We have a beautiful country and we love to share it with the world. FAIR USE POLICY This material (including media content) may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten, or redistributed. However, linking directly to the page (including the source, i.e. Marcopolis.net) is permitted and encouraged. To cut a long travel story (that I will write at some point if I ever remember the names of all the churches I visited) short, I will fast forward to Aarhus the second largest city in Denmark, where we visited the open air museum, Den Gamle by. T his tries to recreate a market town from the period of Hans Christian Anderson . Action and reaction: one thinks of consequences as the immediate aftermath of an event not as a far-off unforseen, intangible.But if you are a sci-fi fan and have read Asimov's "The end of eternity", then you will know that the 'eternals' can cause a flat tyre that will make you late for a scientific seminar and hence the imapact that some great physicist would have had on you, didn't happen and now you will never be the scientist who caused the atom bomb to be built and lots of lives would have been saved.Whew! Don't I sound like a radio jockey trying to fit in as many words as possible before the next commercial break?Well anyway, the point I was trying to make was that who would have imagined that cheap airfares would have made me interested in doll houses.So the man of the house and chief funder of holidays was invited by a friend to visit Denmark with a promise of taking us on a trip to Berlin with a visit to the Stasi headquarters and a ride in a tank to boot. He dismissed it, but I just had to ride the tank in my combat fatigues (which I didn't yet own) and my boots (which I did). My enthusiasm ignited the travel bug which had been slumbering in him for a while.A cursory check online showed that if we booked six months ahead, we could get round trip tickets to Rome from Bangalore at 35000 Rs about 480 euros. You might ask why Rome when we wanted to go to Denmark. Could it be that we didn't know our geography? Well we do, its just that for some reason tickets to Copenhagen were about 10-15 k more. So we decided to see Rome which had been on our wish list for the longest of time.This has some really interesting houses including a tailor's shop and the mayor's house.At some point, we came across doll houses. I can't remember if it was at the toy museum though. Christoph, our super enthusiastic host who was our guide, photographer, adventure trail enthusiast and motivator in chief (making the inertia laden, man of the house, bike 15 kms and me, jump, well okay wade, into the super cold North Sea) told us that he had built a doll house for his girls.The bicycle that I rode on fan islandMay be the germ for this interest was sowed in the miniature rooms in the Art Institute that we visited the previous year at Chicago. My childhood friend insisted that I had to, just had to, visit this part of the museum.My history with her spans several years. I have memories of cold water being splashed by her on my face to shake me out of a well deserved sleep post some serious studying for some random test.As you might imagine, that left some serious scarring on my poor beaten and battered soul. I wouldn't dream of repudiating any suggestion that she might make. In the Windy city, water poured on anyone will only cause pneumonia. Not being sure how much of the hospitalization costs in the U.S, would be covered by my travel insurance, I didn't hesitate and did her bidding.I do meander don't I.But coming back to Christoph's announcement, I was intrigued and what is more, determined to build a doll house for my three year old.Hunger calls, keep a look out for my next post and I will show you the doll house that I have partially built. It was conceived as a three month project. Luckily there is no one holding a gun to my temple as I just might overshoot it (pun intended).But hey, its authentic, every single piece of furniture is self-built, not bought from a shop. So watch out, and maybe in a month or two or maybe two hours from now, my next post will show you the way. Marie Claire newsletter Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Thank you for signing up to . You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions (opens in new tab) and Privacy Policy (opens in new tab) and are aged 16 or over. She said it with fashion... Since the news of his passing broke yesterday morning, tributes to David Bowie have been pouring in non-stop from fans and friends around the world. Everyone has got something to say, memories to share or lyrics to like, but one of the stars very close friends, Kate Moss, chose to mark the sad occasion in her own way she said it with fashion. We all know that the supermodel is a woman of few words (never complain, never explain is her motto when it comes to expressing her feelings to the press) and so when she stepped out yesterday, wearing a t-shirt with Bowies face emblazoned across it, we knew this was her way of saying how she (we all) felt. (Image credit: Beretta/Sims/REX/Shutterstock) Teaming the top with a black hat, feather jacket and leather trousers, she also worked the kind of purple metallic ankle boots that Ziggy Stardust would be proud of. In February 2014 Kate accepted a BRIT Award on behalf of Bowie wearing his 1972 Ziggy Stardust rabbit playsuit (the fact that they were the same size is fantastic) and she has posed with the fashion and music icon dozens of times in her career, including the iconic Ellen Von Unwerth shoot, below, for Q magazine in 2003. When accepting his award, Kate gave a rare insight into the dynamics of the duos friendship. Introducing Kate, presenter Noel Gallagher said; 'You maniacs didn't think David Bowie was actually going to be here? David Bowie's too cool for that - he doesn't do this shit. 'David Bowie has sent his representative on earth. The one and only Kate Moss is going to receive this award on his behalf.' Then Kate began; Good evening ladies and gentleman, David has asked me to say this. (Image credit: Richard Young/REX/Shutterstock) 'In Japanese myth the rabbits from my old costume that Kate's wearing live on the moon. Kate comes from Venus and I from Mars, so that's nice. I'm completely delighted to have a Brit for being the best male, but I am, aren't I Kate? I think it's a great way to end the day. Brazilian miner Vale SA said on Tuesday it has drawn down $3 billion of its $5 billion revolving credit line to improve liquidity and cover potential costs until it manages to close asset sales. The money will partly be used to pay off bonds that mature in the first quarter of 2016, Vale said. The world's largest producer of iron ore has been hit hard by a collapse in the price of the key steelmaking ingredient and analysts expect the company to be cash-flow negative in 2016. In order to make up the shortfall, Vale is selling assets, including its large iron ore carrying ships. Vale said the $3 billion in credit was needed to tide the company over until it closes a deal for its Moatize coal project in Mozambique and the connected port and railway. The miner also said it was working to sell long-term debt in order to reduce the use of its credit line in the future and keep the average cost of servicing its debt stable. Reporting by Stephen Eisenhammer The Coast Guard hoisted two people to safety Sunday from a marsh off Fortescue, New Jersey. The Coast Guard received a call at 8:25 p.m. Sunday via landline that two men were stranded on a marsh after the sailing vessel Leo II became disabled due to mechanical issues. A Coast Guard MH-65 dolphin helicopter crew form Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City responded to the distress call. The helicopter crew hoisted the two men and transported them to the Cape May Airport in Cape May, New Jersey with no reported injuries. "Thankfully these mariners had both working communications and signaling devices," said Lt. j.g. Matthew Kolb, the co-pilot on the case. "They were able to call for help on a cell phone, which ensured quick dispatch of the helicopter crew leading to a timely rescue. Using our night-vision goggles we were able to easily see their emergency flare, and expeditiously locate and recover the cold sailors." The Coast Guard recommends mariners to carry a working VHF radio, life jackets and signaling devices prior to beginning their voyage. VHF radios have a greater range than cell phones, and provide a direct link to Coast Guard watchstanders. The owner of the sailing vessel stated he plans to salvage the vessel. With water temperatures well above the 10-year average, the St. Lawrence Seaway closed its 2015 navigation season ice free on December 31. Thirty-six million metric tons of cargo transited the waterway during the season, with grain, at volumes well above the five-year average, leading the way. The Seaway once again proved to be a key asset for farmers as they shipped their crops to markets at home and overseas. Grain volumes on the Seaway amounted to 10.8 million metric tons, one of the strongest years in recent memory. The Port of Thunder Bay, the principal point of entry for grain into the Great Lakes / Seaway System, reported its second-best season in 15 years. Combined with grain being loaded onto ships from other ports such as Hamilton, Duluth / Superior and Toledo, agricultural commodities have become increasingly important to the Great Lakes / Seaway System. Terence Bowles, President and CEO of The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC), noted that the Seaway continues to serve as a vital trade artery, enabling cargo to move to more than 50 countries across the globe. In May, the SLSMC received the Promising Innovation in Transport Award by the International Transport Forum at the OECD, during the 2015 Summit of Transport Ministers held in Leipzig, Germany. The award recognized the SLSMCs pioneering work in developing, with the supplier Cavotec, the worlds first Hands-Free Mooring (HFM) system for ships transiting locks. The use of this equipment will largely replace the traditional practice of manually securing ships in locks with steel mooring lines, enabling the Seaway to orchestrate gains in operating efficiency and safety, and become yet more competitive. The 2015 season opened on April 2, about a week later than usual, reflecting the frigid conditions in early spring, and closed on December 31st with the passage of the vessel Mississagi through Welland Canal Lock 1 at 3:41 a.m. The last vessel to exit the Montreal / Lake Ontario section was the Baie St. Paul, which exited the St. Lambert Lock at 8:41 p.m. on December 30. The 2015 navigation season was 274 days in length. Now that the navigation season has concluded, winter maintenance projects at the U.S. Snell and Eisenhower locks are already underway. The maintenance of the U.S. locks is a year round job and Seaway employees are diligently working as we continue to rehabilitate and modernize the Seaway infrastructure under our Asset Renewal Program said Betty Sutton, Administrator of the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. The 2015 navigation season saw highs and lows in traditional cargoes that move through the Seaway System. Global demand for coal remained below last years levels whereas general cargo to and from international and domestic markets remained high with over a 100 percent increase. Project cargo and dry bulk materials to support the construction and manufacturing industry also remained in positive standings. The U.S. Navy has awarded a production contract for its Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 1B3 to General Dynamics Mission Systems. General Dynamics will deliver Block 1B3 system upgrades over the next five years. The upgrades will be integrated into new and existing Navy ships providing significantly improved situational awareness of the tactical environment surrounding the ship. Carlo Zaffanella, a vice president and general manager for General Dynamics Mission Systems, said, "This award continues our strong, trusted partnership with the Navy to provide affordable, mission-critical electronic warfare capabilities for combat ships deployed worldwide." General Dynamics has been involved with the SEWIP Block 1 program since 2003 and received a low-rate initial production contracts for the SEWIP Block 1B3 in 2014. Work on the contract will take place in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. SEWIP is comprised of capability improvements divided into production blocks. This contract is part of Block 1, which provides enhanced electronic warfare capabilities to Navy ship combat systems improving anti-ship missile defense, counter targeting and surveillance. The block 1B3 system is the final upgrade for Block 1, providing high-gain/high-sensitivity electronic capability. Coast Survey has issued provisional charts for barge operators and others traversing Alaska's challenging Yukon River, relying solely on satellite images to create the electronic navigational charts that only display shoreline and shoals (shallow areas). The ENCs, which display no depth soundings, will give the mariners annually updated information to help their navigation along the changeable river. During a virtual meeting on January 6 with barge operators who requested NOAA's charting assistance, Andrew Kampia, the cartographer in charge of the project explained, "You may hear me refer to them as an experiment because we have not created or released a navigational product like this before." "The Yukon was literally uncharted," Kampia told the group. "After some analysis and brainstorming, we decided to create a prototype ENC using only satellite data. This is unprecedented." Coast Survey is not able to provide contemporary surveys to acquire data for charting the length of the river, as funding, survey vessel availability, remoteness, and small windows of opportunity to survey are major obstacles. Satellite-derived bathymetry from two navigation seasons between July 2014 and October 2015 helps to fill the void of contemporary data for Western Alaska. The charts will help to address the concerns of the local barge industry that supplies goods and services to western Alaska and who have had to deal with a lack of data inshore of the 12-foot contour. (The average draft of vessels transiting up river for village deliveries is four to six feet.) The new Yukon River provisional ENCs US4AK98M, US4AK99M, and US4AK00M offer 1:90,000 scale coverage that spans the entrance to the Yukon River, including Apoon Pass to Kotlik, and continues east to Russian Mission. Satellite-derived bathymetry uses satellite images and histograms and performs some logarithmic calculations that can sometimes estimate depths in relatively shallow areas. Or, as in the case of the Yukon, satellite-derived bathymetry can estimate shoals, which are displayed on the Yukon ENCs as obstruction areas. Unlike traditional hydrography, however, satellite-derived bathymetry doesn't provide exact depth measurements or tidal data at the time the satellite imagery was taken. "Shoreline depictions are derived from automated processing of satellite imagery," Kampia said. "We felt pretty confident in the position of the shoreline, but it is below our customary standards, so we added notes to the ENCs." Coast Survey has provided two special notes for the Yukon River ENCs: WARNING PROVISIONAL ENC This ENC was constructed using the best data available. All or much of the shoreline, depths and shoals within this ENC are below customary quality, are not corrected for tides, nor based on a known sounding datum. All or much of the charted detail is highly changeable. Navigators should use this ENC with extreme caution. SATELLITE DERIVED DEPTHS Shoreline, depths, and obstruction areas within the area of this ENC are derived from satellite imagery from 2015. Their vertical accuracy is typically 2m. Uncharted dangers may exist. Since the river is in a constant state of change, Coast Survey will use satellite images after the spring thaws to make annual updates. Late this spring, a satellite-derived bathymetry analyst will examine the first satellite images after the Yukon thaws and is navigable. The Landsat 8 images are available every 16 days as the satellite makes it trip around the globe, so the first usable images may not be available until May or June. After turning the images into shoreline and bathymetric updates, updated ENCs will be issued in early July - or earlier if possible. The Office of Coast Survey recently issued the revised U.S. Arctic Nautical Charting Plan, but agency officials stress that it is a "living document," needing adjustments as priorities change. Hydrographic and cartographic experts will travel to Alaska in March to ask the state's maritime industry for input that will help future surveying and charting activities for the State. The U.S. Wants to Seize Your PassportHeres What You Can Do About It By Nick Giambruno Alexander Solzhenitsyn was a talented Russian writer and outspoken critic of the Soviet Unions totalitarianism. He helped raise global awareness of the Gulag forced labor camp system. For his efforts, the Soviet government stripped him of his citizenship in 1974. It did the same - and worse - to many other people it considered internal enemies. The Nazi government revoked German citizenship from people it deemed undesirable, like the Jews. After Castro came to power in Cuba, his government made Cuban citizens apply for exit visas before leaving the island. It did not grant them easily. In recent years, many of the Persian Gulf monarchies - not exactly bastions of individual liberty - have passed laws making it easier to revoke the citizenship of anyone working against the interests of the state or of anyone who has who failed the duty of loyalty. In recent years, these Arab monarchies have used these laws to strip hundreds of people of their citizenship. Most of these people were advocates of political reform. Some even lost their citizenship because of mere social media postings. All of these Arab monarchies are close allies of the U.S. government. Keep that in mind next time you hear a pundit or politician advocating U.S. military intervention ostensibly for the sake of protecting human rights or promoting democracy. But thats a story for another day. The point here is, arbitrarily revoking citizenship and forcing people to stay where they are have always been hallmarks of an authoritarian regime. When a government starts these outrageous practices, its usually a harbinger of things to come. Unfortunately, these practices are becoming more common in so-called liberal democracies for increasingly trivial offenses. Here are a few recent examples of this disturbing trend: Australia is set to pass the Allegiance to Australia Bill. It would automatically strip citizenship from people who act inconsistently with their allegiance to Australia and who engage in terrorist conduct. This would not require a court conviction. It would be an automatic administrative process. France recently amended its constitution to allow the government to revoke the citizenship of a person convicted for threatening the nations interest or for terrorist acts. Canada recently passed the controversial Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act. It grants the government sweeping new powers to strip people of their citizenship. According to Zero Hedge, since 2006, the British government has revoked U.K. citizenship from at least 27 people because the government deemed them not conducive to the public good. Civil liberties lawyers in London have accused the U.K. government of using citizenship stripping to facilitate extra judicial killings of suspected terrorists. One lawyer stated: Our government cannot be involved in secret executions. If people are accused of wrongdoing they should be brought before a court and tried. That is what it means to live in a democracy that adheres to the rule of law. Washington Joins the Party Recently, President Obama signed H.R. 22 into law. Its a seemingly routine federal highway funding law. The mainstream media hasnt covered it much, but it should. Thats because this law is part of a disturbing global trend: Governments are granting themselves more and more power to revoke passports and strip people of their citizenships. Buried in its 400 pages - which I doubt many in Congress bothered to read - is a provision giving the government the power to revoke the passport of American citizens with seriously delinquent tax debt, which the government defines as $50,000 or more. If the government accuses you, there is no way for you to challenge it in court before you lose your right to travel. A bureaucrat can simply initiate an administrative procedure to revoke your passport. Its worth mentioning that tax debt includes taxes owed and penalties and interest. That makes it relatively easy for someone to cross the $50,000 threshold. Not long ago, there was a scandal over the IRS targeting Tea Party organizations. It wasnt the first time the government has used the IRS as a political weapon, and I doubt it will be the last. I think its likely that the U.S. government will use the IRS to target Americans with unpopular beliefs by restricting their right to travel in the near future. This kind of behavior is hardly unique to the U.S. government. Looking at the historical and current examples I mentioned earlier, you can see its common for governments to prohibit citizens with politically unpopular views from travelling. I dont see anything likely to stop this trend. I only expect it to accelerate. Its worth mentioning that the government can restrict your right to travel for reasons other than tax debt. In the U.S., the government can also cancel your passport if it accuses you of a felony. It doesnt even need to convict you. Many people think felonies only consist of major crimes like robbery and murder. But that isnt true. An ever-expanding mountain of laws and regulations has criminalized even the most mundane activities. Its not as hard to commit a felony as you might think. Many victimless crimes are felonies. A study by civil liberty lawyer Harvey Silverglate found that the average American inadvertently commits three felonies a day. The bottom line is: If the U.S. government really wants to cancel your U.S. passport, it can find some technicality for doing itfor anyone. What Happens Next and What You Can Do About It Youll notice that many of these new citizenship stripping laws use vague language like public good, loyalty, allegiance, extremist, and national interest. But the most ill-defined word of them all is terrorist. It has no fixed definition. Terrorist has always been a meaningless pejorative. In the past, it meant something like a non-state actor who indiscriminately attacks innocent civilians for political ends - as if wearing a government-issued costume changes the underlying morality of the act. Now, governments are applying the label to an ever-widening group of people. Take Bernard von NotHaus, for example. The U.S. government labeled him a domestic terrorist for creating a private gold/silver-backed currency. Bureaucrats in D.C. have described conservative activists and libertarians in similar terms. Civil liberties advocates fear its possible for governments to construe even commonplace internet activity such as clicking Like on the wrong Facebook posting as terrorist activity. I think politicians deliberately use imprecise language in these new citizenship-stripping laws. It gives governments almost total discretion. It lets them make up rules as they go alongand get away with it. Its a safe bet that politicians will use the flexible wording in these laws to stretch the net wider and wider. More and more people are will become vulnerable to governments that want to revoke their passport and citizenship. All the government has to do is flip a bureaucratic switch and, poof, it can take your right to travel in an instant, without due process. The best way to protect yourself from this threatening trend is to obtain a second passport. A second passport gives you enormous political diversification benefits. Most important, it dilutes the governments power to effectively place you under house arrest by taking away your passport. Obtaining a second passport is a fundamental step toward freeing yourself from absolute dependence on any one country. Once you have that freedom, its much harder for any government to control your destiny. That said, obtaining a second passport is often complicated. Its essential to have a trusted resource with reliable, easy-to-follow information. Thats where Casey Research comes in. We can show you how to get started. You can get our comprehensive guide on how to get the best second passports by clicking here. Casey Research Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. Feeling Abandoned, Saudi Arabia Ups the Ante Last week a major diplomatic crisis developed between Saudi Arabia and Iran over the Saudi execution of Nimr al Nimr, a charismatic Shiite cleric and anti-Sunni political activist. Nimr's execution was an important political decision. On its face, it served to increase tensions in the developing struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran for regional influence, a drama that has come to full boil as a result of decades of American policy mistakes. This Middle Eastern cold war, which divides Islam along Sunni/Shia sectarian lines, now threatens international oil supplies and regional peace. To understand Saudi reasoning requires a brief look at history. In 1902, Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman bin Faisal al Saud (known widely as ibn Saud) left Kuwait with British money and covert support to retake the lands on the Arabian Peninsula that had formerly been ruled by his father. Successful, he was the first man since the Prophet Mohammed to reunite the Arabs of the peninsula (excepting those of the British protectorates) to form the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932. He was a warrior chieftain of great charisma and shrewdness.In 1945, ibn Saud met President Roosevelt in Egypt as he was returning from the Yalta Conference. Exuding charm, Roosevelt succeeded in convincing Saud that America, rather than Britain, was the only country that could guarantee the Kingdom's security. This encounter produced a most important treaty in which Saudi oil was traded for America's military muscle. This understanding formed the basis of Gulf War I, when President George H.W. Bush was shrewd enough to leave the tyrant Saddam Hussein in power to keep a lid on the simmering tensions between Sunni and Shiite Muslims and to hold Shiite Iran at bay. This was similar to President Truman leaving the Japanese Emperor on his Throne in 1945.Unfortunately, the second President Bush toppled Hussein to unleash mayhem in the area. President Obama compounded this catastrophic error by withdrawing unilaterally to leave his Sunni Arab allies politically and militarily exposed. In addition, Obama appeared to drop Saudi Arabia as a key regional ally in favor of Iran to conclude a nuclear deal that seemingly threatens the Sunnis, Israel and any future perceived enemies of Iran. As well as appearing weak and indecisive, Obama has made the U.S. appear disloyal to its allies and has fermented growing distrust, unrest and war-risk in the Middle East.I met Saudi Arabia's present King, Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud (ibn Saud's sixth son by Queen Hussa al Sudairi) many years ago when he was governor of one of Saudi Arabia's provinces. My opinion of him, that is apparently shared by many in the diplomatic world, is that he is a very deliberative man, not one particularly inclined to rash actions. As a result, many are wondering why he would authorize the execution of the highly followed Shiite leader al Nimr, especially when his country is already in crisis as a result of falling oil revenues. Doubtless, the Saudis believe they have to act to protect themselves from a growing crisis that they are facing on their own.An emboldened Iran is exerting influence in the collapsing Syria, is fomenting revolt inside Saudi Arabia from the Kingdom's Shiite minority (of which Sheik al Nimr was a part), and is using surrogate states such Yemen to threaten Saudi borders. Given the U.S.' prior withdrawal of support to Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak during his "Arab Spring" crisis a few years ago, and the Obama Administrations courting of Tehran with its nuclear treaty, the Saudis are coming to believe that they can no longer rely on Washington.Another problem for Saudi Arabia is that the Sunni Jihadist movement, which first gave birth to Al Queada, and now ISIL, has some origins within Saudi Arabia. In addition to waging war against the "infidels" and the "apostate" Shiites, many jihadists have called for the toppling of the Royal family in Riyadh, which they see as a puppet of Washington.Third, as the sons of ibn Saud are ageing, there is a growing power struggle within the Royal family for succession.Facing these three major threats, King Salman appears to believe that firm deterrence must be forceful and exhibited publicly, with no exceptions.The radical cleric Nimr al Nimr was arrested initially in 2012 at the height of the 'Arab Spring' and the Saudi military support of Bahrain's Sunni ruling family. Nimr was tried in 2014 and his sentence upheld by the Saudi Supreme Court in 2015. Given the historic context, Nimr's execution was to be expected sooner or later.It appears that King Salman weighed Nimr's execution carefully, even trying to reduce its profile by including it among those of 46 Sunni Al Qaeda suspects. He also needed time to secure a clear demonstration of support by his allied nations to build further upon the Saudi claim to be a regional player. Seeing a common threat, Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, and even Sudan fell in line, with Egypt in somewhat laggardly support. Meanwhile, however, the U.S. weighed in with criticism of the Saudis, likely weakening further any remaining faith her allies have in her support, even possibly outside the Middle East.Regardless, the message is clear. Insurrection will not be tolerated by Saudi Arabia especially if Shiite inspired. Meanwhile, the U.S. will bend over backwards to secure its potentially ill-fated nuclear deal with Iran.For investors, the outlook is for further turmoil in the Middle East with a growing risk to oil supplies and even of regional war. The problem with regional wars is that they have a risk of escalating, particularly now that Russia is playing a more active role in the area.Middle East Arabs are famously fond of gold. Realistic threats to their homelands may result in major acquisitions, particularly as it is rumored that the House of Saud has combined wealth of some $1.4 trillion! Read Original Here Subscribe to Euro Pacific's Weekly Digest: Receive all commentaries by Peter Schiff, Michael Pento, and John Browne delivered to your inbox every Monday. By John Browne Euro Pacific Capital http://www.europac.net/ More importantly make sure to protect your wealth and preserve your purchasing power before it's too late. Discover the best way to buy gold at www.goldyoucanfold.com , download my free research report on the powerful case for investing in foreign equities available at www.researchreportone.com , and subscribe to my free, on-line investment newsletter at http://www.europac.net/newsletter/newsletter.asp John Browne is the Senior Market Strategist for Euro Pacific Capital, Inc. Mr. Brown is a distinguished former member of Britain's Parliament who served on the Treasury Select Committee, as Chairman of the Conservative Small Business Committee, and as a close associate of then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Among his many notable assignments, John served as a principal advisor to Mrs. Thatcher's government on issues related to the Soviet Union, and was the first to convince Thatcher of the growing stature of then Agriculture Minister Mikhail Gorbachev. As a partial result of Brown's advocacy, Thatcher famously pronounced that Gorbachev was a man the West "could do business with." A graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Britain's version of West Point and retired British army major, John served as a pilot, parachutist, and communications specialist in the elite Grenadiers of the Royal Guard. 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. NOM Rips President Obama for Honoring Plaintiff Whose Case Redefined Marriage Demands Empty Seat in Audience Honoring 50 Million Voters Whose Votes Were Stolen by US Supreme Court Ruling Contact: Paul Bothwell, National Organization for Marriage, 202-457-8060 ext 105, pbothwell@nationformarriage.org WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today sharply condemned President Obama for inviting Jim Obergefell, one of the plaintiffs whose case was used by the US Supreme Court to impose same-sex 'marriage' on the nation, to attend the State of the Union speech and called for the Republican leadership to set aside a vacant seat in the front of the chamber in honor of the missing 50 million voters whose votes were stolen by the Supreme Court ruling in the Obergefell v Hodges case. "It's an outrage that President Obama is honoring the extermination of true marriage in our nation's laws as a result of an anti-constitutional, illegitimate ruling of the US Supreme Court," said Brian Brown, NOM's president. "President Obama is trying to honor something that is completely dishonorable because it strips from the law the truth of marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and substitutes a fiction from the left that marriage can be anything you want it to be." NOM reminded the nation that voters in thirty-one states cast over 50 million ballots defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The Supreme Court ruling obliterated those votes. "The Republican leadership ought to set aside an empty chair in the front of the chamber to represent the more than fifty million Americans whose votes in support of traditional marriage were stolen by the US Supreme Court," Brown said. "It's a national insult that President Obama would celebrate such an affront to democracy." Brown also pointed out that since the Obergefell ruling imposing gay 'marriage,' countless Christian small business owners have been subjected to extreme punishment by the government for refusing to abandon the truth of marriage. "If the President wanted to do justice concerning this ruling, he would have invited all the people of faith who have been victimized by it bakers, florists, photographers, nonprofit groups, etc. and apologized to them and the American people for the supreme lie that is same-sex 'marriage.' The Obergefell ruling has exposed the falsehood that there would never be consequences for redefining marriage, our most fundamental and important social institution." To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, please contact Paul Bothwell, pbothwell@nationformarriage.org, (202) 457-8060 x-105. Paid for by The National Organization for Marriage, Brian Brown, president. 2029 K Street NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20006, not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Share Tweet SPRINGFIELD -- South-End favorite Red Rose Pizzeria will expand this year, owner Tony Caputo said. Caputo's plan is to convert existing space in Red Rose' building at 1060 Main St. into banquet space and a lounge. It is space that he had been renting to Caring Health Center. Caring Health opened a new $20 million facility across the street at 1049 Main St. in 2014. Opened by Caputo's parents, Nicola and Edda, in 1963, Red Rose had the best year in its history in 2015 with 6 percent growth from 2014, Tony Caputo said. "Business is very good," Caputo said Monday during an interview that focused on the restaurant's upcoming appearance on the Phantom Gourmet television program. So good that Red Rose needs a bigger banquet room and a larger lounge area for customers to wait for their tables to be ready. The expansion, which Caputo hopes to have completed by October, will expand the restaurant by 1,800 square feet to about 13,000 square feet. Caputo earned praise in 2015 when he promised to remain open and not sell out to MGM Springfield and get swallowed up by the gargantuan casino development. The Red Rose also reflects the South End's history as Springfield's Italian neighborhood. But it's not the only Italian business with a lot going on. La Fiorentina Pastry Shop renovated its space this fall, expanding its showroom and moving Zonin's Gourmet Market to a high visibility Main Street location. Also, Langone's Florist, closed since November, plans to reopen later this month on Main Street with original owner Frank Langone and new partner, floral designer Brian Grisel. Christian University and MOOC Partner to Provide $2,000 Accredited Online Associate's and $5,000 Bachelor's Degree KANSAS CITY, Mo., Jan. 12, 2016 / This unique partnership creates a path for students to access the free independent-study content provided by Saylor Academy, have it endorsed by a regulated United Kingdom Awarding Organization, take a third year from that Awarding Organization, and then transfer all their credits to City Vision University for a final year degree completion program. Qualifi, a UK Awarding Organization, has agreed to endorse the first two years provided by Saylor Academy and issue Qualifi Diplomas for each successful year. Students may then complete their third year through Qualifi's Level 5 in Business or Health and Social Care, achieving three years of an undergraduate degree which can transfer to City Vision University for a degree completion program in the final year through instructor-led online courses. The following is a summary of the degree path: Associate's Degree Cost $600 Saylor Proctoring Fees $100 Qualifi Credit Endorsement and Transcript Fee $1,300 City Vision Tuition: 5 Associate's Degree Courses $2,000 Total Two Year Cost of Associate's Degree Bachelor's Degree Cost $2,000 Cost of Associate's Degree $200 Saylor Proctoring Fees $800 Qualifi tuition & accreditation + Athena support $2,000 City Vision Tuition for 5 Courses $5,000 Total Four Year Cost of Bachelor's Degree Students will be able to get an accredited Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Nonprofit Management or Addiction Studies through City Vision. City Vision is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, which is recognized by the US Department of Education and CHEA. Qualifying students in the US may receive federal financial aid including Pell Grants and federal student loans and VA benefits for any courses taken with City Vision. City Vision will also be offering many of the Saylor courses as instructor-led courses qualifying for financial aid. While many students may choose to go with independent study online, the degree path is also open to any educational center globally wishing to offer qualifications. Each center can provide local computer lab access and tutoring support to prepare for the competency-based exams provided by Saylor and Qualifi. The ultimate goal is to have hundreds of centers using Saylor material and Qualifi qualifications to transfer credit to complete their degree with City Vision online. When asked about this partnership, Dr. Leah Matthews, Distance Education Accrediting Commission's Executive Director said, "City Vision and its partners are taking bold steps toward making quality education opportunities a reality for students. This partnership exemplifies the efforts being undertaken by colleges and universities worldwide to implement innovations that advance opportunities for degree attainment." To find out more visit: About Saylor Academy Saylor Academy is an education initiative funded by the Constitution Foundation a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to provide open education to all through open online courses and twenty-first century credentials. Since 2012, Saylor Academy's credit-recommended courses have helped students overcome barriers of cost and time to complete college degrees. About Qualifi Qualifi is a UK Awarding Organization regulated by Ofqual in England and the Welsh government in Wales and is a signatory to the BIS international commitments of quality. Its mission is to enable learners throughout the globe to achieve their true potential by accessing learning programmes cost-effectively. About City Vision University City Vision University is a nonprofit Christian university established in 1998 with the vision of providing radically affordable online education to help others make a living and a life. City Vision is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, which is recognized by the US Department of Education and CHEA. About Athena Education Athena Education is a center that supports delivery of Qualifi programs online. Staffed with international academic professionals with decades of experience in online and blended delivery, Athena Education provides an alternative to classroom-based professional vocational education. Share Tweet Contact: Andrew Sears, 816-960-2008 ext 4KANSAS CITY, Mo., Jan. 12, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- City Vision University, an accredited online Christian university based in Kansas City, Missouri, has partnered with the Saylor Academy and Qualifi, a UK Awarding Organization, to increase global access to higher education by providing a four-year degree pathway to students for only $5,000.This unique partnership creates a path for students to access the free independent-study content provided by Saylor Academy, have it endorsed by a regulated United Kingdom Awarding Organization, take a third year from that Awarding Organization, and then transfer all their credits to City Vision University for a final year degree completion program. Qualifi, a UK Awarding Organization, has agreed to endorse the first two years provided by Saylor Academy and issue Qualifi Diplomas for each successful year. Students may then complete their third year through Qualifi's Level 5 in Business or Health and Social Care, achieving three years of an undergraduate degree which can transfer to City Vision University for a degree completion program in the final year through instructor-led online courses. The following is a summary of the degree path:Associate's Degree Cost$600 Saylor Proctoring Fees$100 Qualifi Credit Endorsement and Transcript Fee$1,300 City Vision Tuition: 5 Associate's Degree Courses$2,000 Total Two Year Cost of Associate's DegreeBachelor's Degree Cost$2,000 Cost of Associate's Degree$200 Saylor Proctoring Fees$800 Qualifi tuition & accreditation + Athena support$2,000 City Vision Tuition for 5 Courses$5,000 Total Four Year Cost of Bachelor's DegreeStudents will be able to get an accredited Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Nonprofit Management or Addiction Studies through City Vision. City Vision is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, which is recognized by the US Department of Education and CHEA. Qualifying students in the US may receive federal financial aid including Pell Grants and federal student loans and VA benefits for any courses taken with City Vision. City Vision will also be offering many of the Saylor courses as instructor-led courses qualifying for financial aid.While many students may choose to go with independent study online, the degree path is also open to any educational center globally wishing to offer qualifications. Each center can provide local computer lab access and tutoring support to prepare for the competency-based exams provided by Saylor and Qualifi. The ultimate goal is to have hundreds of centers using Saylor material and Qualifi qualifications to transfer credit to complete their degree with City Vision online.When asked about this partnership, Dr. Leah Matthews, Distance Education Accrediting Commission's Executive Director said, "City Vision and its partners are taking bold steps toward making quality education opportunities a reality for students. This partnership exemplifies the efforts being undertaken by colleges and universities worldwide to implement innovations that advance opportunities for degree attainment."To find out more visit: web.cityvision.edu/saylor-qualifi About Saylor AcademySaylor Academy is an education initiative funded by the Constitution Foundation a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to provide open education to all through open online courses and twenty-first century credentials. Since 2012, Saylor Academy's credit-recommended courses have helped students overcome barriers of cost and time to complete college degrees.About QualifiQualifi is a UK Awarding Organization regulated by Ofqual in England and the Welsh government in Wales and is a signatory to the BIS international commitments of quality. Its mission is to enable learners throughout the globe to achieve their true potential by accessing learning programmes cost-effectively.About City Vision UniversityCity Vision University is a nonprofit Christian university established in 1998 with the vision of providing radically affordable online education to help others make a living and a life. City Vision is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, which is recognized by the US Department of Education and CHEA.About Athena EducationAthena Education is a center that supports delivery of Qualifi programs online. Staffed with international academic professionals with decades of experience in online and blended delivery, Athena Education provides an alternative to classroom-based professional vocational education. MGM Springfield has made progress in hiring and contracting with veteran-owned businesses, following early difficulties in meeting diversity commitments. The company is largely on-track to meet diversity targets for women and minority-owned businesses and workers, according to a presentation given to the Massachusetts Gaming Committee's Access and Opportunity Tuesday morning. Now, after months of failing to meet targets for veterans, the company is nearing its goals. MGM Springfield Diversity Specialist Chelan Brown said the company has worked with the city's veteran services department and has made increased efforts to meet its hiring goals. "We're still a little down in that area, but we're higher than we were last month," Brown said. "We're doing a lot of work in that area." As of Nov. 30, just 0.3 percent of construction contracts were going to veteran-owned businesses. By the end of the year, that number was 2.9 percent, above the company's 2 percent commitment, according to figures presented to the committee. MGM is still yet to award a design contract to a veteran-owned firm, though the company said it has lined up a company that will be receiving work. MGM is still lagging in veteran workforce, but has shown small improvements from last month. 5.01 percent of union workers and 7.15 percent of total workers are veterans as of Dec. 31, compared to 4.97 percent and 7.06 percent at the end of November. The company is meeting overall diversity targets for women and minorities. The company is exceeding 10 percent women-owned business and 5 percent minority-owned goals, though that success has been driven by construction contracts - design contracts are still lagging behind. And for overall workforce, 9.98 percent of workers are women and 29.23 percent are minorities - well above targets of 6.9 and 15.3 percent. The progress drew praise from Elizabeth Skidmore of the Policy Group on Tradeswomen's Issues, who had criticized the company at previous meetings for not meeting its targets and providing information sought by labor groups. "Since we gave you such a hard time last time, I want to say congratulations, this is really terrific what you've done," she said. Brown said MGM Springfield is continuing to reach out to community groups and diverse companies, including planning site tours for students at the Roger L. Putnam Vocational-Technical Academy and creating an index of labor apprenticeships for aspiring laborers. The company's hiring targets are set by the host-community agreement with the City of Springfield. In July, MGM Springfield hosted interviews with veteran-owned firms, and in August held interviews with minority- and women-owned companies. BOSTON Authorities continue to investigate Boston's first homicide of 2016, the weekend shooting of a man in the city's East Boston neighborhood. Police have yet to release a motive for the killing or the name of the victim, who was shot shortly after 1:30 a.m. Sunday in the area of 144 Falcon St., a block away from East Boston High School. The man was taken by ambulance to a city hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to police. "The Boston Police Department is actively investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident," officials said in a news release, asking anyone with information to call detectives at 617-343-4470. The homicide occurred during a 72-hour window that also included one nonfatal shooting, two nonfatal stabbings and several street robberies, police said. "Nothing ever happens on this street," Lilliana Arteaga told the Boston Globe. The mother of three stepped onto her porch to investigate and saw the blood-covered victim lying on the sidewalk moaning, the newspaper reported. "It's another human being, and I wish I could've done something more," she said. Boston had 40 homicides in 2015, about a 26 percent decrease from 2014, when there were 54 murders in the Hub. MAP showing approximate location of homicide: BOSTON - Boston Police officers are being lauded for saving the life of a 4-year-old girl Saturday by giving the unresponsive child CPR. Officers were called to the area of 256 Adams St. in Dorchester Saturday night for a report of a child in distress, according to a news release. The girl's mother told police her daughter was having uncontrollable seizures. The girl was unresponsive and not breathing, police said. "The officers immediately began to administer CPR which resuscitated the child's breathing," the news release said. "Boston Fire also responded and provided oxygen on-scene." The girl was taken to Boston Children's Hospital where she was responsive and in good care, police said. Going to the bathroom in a sink. A shout-out to Dunkin' Donuts. Hanging out with John Lennon. Those were some of the elements of David Bowie's speech at the Berklee College of Music's 1999 commencement. The speech has resurfaced on the web after the rocker's death has spawned worldwide mourning, tributes and reflection on his greatest hits. Bowie was 69. Bowie received an honorary doctorate from the school and spoke to 580 graduates at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. (The school's first honorary doctorate went to Duke Ellington in 1970.) Bowie also passed along a message from sometime collaborator Reeves Gabrels, an apparent ex-alumnus of the school and future member of the Cure: "'I haven't forgotten that 900 dollars I owe for my last semester.' I should point out this has been owing since spring 1980." Bowie played it loose in his speech, noting, "As always on occasions like this, I really never know what to do, which is pretty much the way I've handled my career as a musician, writer." He added: "I guess any list of advice I have to offer to a musician always ends with if it itches go see a doctor. Real world!" Watch the full speech here: A full transcript is available here. Turkey Explosion 11216 People believed to be German tourists that were targeted at an explosion in the historic Sultanahmet district are escorted back to their hotel in Istanbul, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. A suicide bomber affiliated with the Islamic State group detonated a bomb in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists Tuesday morning, killing at least 10 people -- nine of them German tourists -- and wounding 15 others, Turkish officials said. (Omer Kuscu / Associated Press) By LEFTERIS PITARAKIS and SUZAN FRASER ISTANBUL -- A suicide bomber affiliated with the Islamic State group detonated a bomb in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists Tuesday morning, killing at least 10 people -- nine of them German tourists -- and wounding 15 others, Turkish officials said. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the bomber who carried out the attack in Istanbul's Sultanahmet district was a member of IS and pledged to battle the militant group until it no longer "remains a threat" to Turkey or the world. Davutoglu described the attacker as a "foreign national." Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus had previously said the perpetrator was born in 1988 and was a Syrian national, but the private Dogan news agency claimed the bomber was Saudi-born. "Turkey won't backtrack in its struggle against Daesh by even one step," Davutoglu said, referring to IS by its Arabic acronym. "This terror organization, the assailants and all of their connections will be found and they will receive the punishments they deserve." Turkey's state-run news agency said Davutoglu held a telephone conversation with German chancellor Angela Merkel to express his condolences. A senior government official confirmed that most of the victims were German. Merkel had earlier said they were part of a German travel group. "I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Istanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Davutoglu said the death toll of 10 did not include the suicide bomber. Merkel, speaking at a news conference in Berlin, decried the attack. "Today Istanbul was hit; Paris has been hit, Tunisia has been hit, Ankara has been hit before," she said. "International terrorism is once again showing its cruel and inhuman face today." The explosion, which could be heard from several neighborhoods, was at a park that is home to a landmark obelisk, some 75 feet from the historic Blue Mosque. Turkey's Dogan news agency reported that one Norwegian and one Peruvian were also among the wounded, and Seoul's Foreign Ministry told reporters via text message that a South Korean had a finger injury. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry told news agency NTB that the Norwegian tourist was slightly hurt and was being treated in a local hospital. Kurtulmus, the deputy premier, said two of the wounded were in serious condition. Germany and Denmark have warned their citizens to avoid crowds outside tourist attractions in Istanbul. Last year, Turkey agreed to take a more active role in the U.S.-led battle against the IS group. Turkey opened its bases to U.S. aircraft to launch air raids on the extremist group in Syria and has carried out a limited number of strikes on the group itself. It has also moved to tighten security along its 560-mile border with Syria in a bid to stem the flow of militants. The attack comes at a time of heightened violence between Turkey's security forces and militants linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in the country's mostly-Kurdish southeast. The country is also dealing with more than 2 million Syrian refugees and a wave of migrants from Syria and other countries pouring across Turkey to Europe. Police sealed the area, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion, and a police helicopter hovered overhead. The Sultanahmet neighborhood is Istanbul's main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and the former Byzantine church of Haghia Sophia, now a museum. Erdem Koroglu, who was working at a nearby office, told NTV television he saw several people on the ground following the blast. "It was difficult to say who was alive or dead," Koroglu said. "Buildings rattled from the force of the explosion." Halil Ibrahim Peltek, a shopkeeper near the area of the blast told The Associated Press it had "an earthquake effect." "There was panic because the explosion was violent," he said. Davutoglu immediately convened a security meeting with the country's interior minister and other officials. As with previous attacks, authorities imposed a news blackout, barring media from showing images of the dead or injured or reporting any details of the investigation. Turkey suffered two major bombing attacks last year, both blamed on the Islamic State group. More than 30 people were killed in a suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near Turkey's border with Syria, in July. Two suicide bombs exploded in October outside Ankara's main train station as people gathered for a peace rally, killing more than 100 in Turkey's deadliest-ever attack. The prosecutor's office said that attack was carried out by a local IS cell. Last month, Turkish authorities arrested two suspected IS militants they said were planning suicide bombings during New Year's celebrations in the capital Ankara. Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Mehmet Guzel in Istanbul, Kirsten Grieshaber and Geir Moulson in Berlin and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark contributed to this report. TEWKSBURY - Two people allegedly caught in Tewksbury with 30 kilograms of what is believed to be the powerful synthetic drug called fentanyl were arraigned in a Lowell courthouse this week on heroin trafficking and other drug charges Hilda Gandia, 42, of Lawrence and Agustin Antonio Tejeda Ruis, 45, of Tewksbury allegedly had the large amount of drugs hidden in bedroom furniture at their apartment. Authorities executed a search warrant on the apartment Friday. The Middlesex District Attorney's Office said the drugs tested positive for fentanyl. "We are working aggressively to combat the opioid epidemic," Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a news release. "Early testing has revealed the presence of fentanyl a powerful synthetic opioid even more potent than heroin, making this seizure extremely significant given the deadly nature of this substance. This investigation has taken potentially millions of dollars worth of dangerous drugs off our streets." State Police assigned to Ryan's office along with Tewksbury Police and officials from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration allegedly found the bricks of the off-white colored powdery substance Friday during their search. They also found $21,000 in cash, authorities said. Investigators allegedly found drug packaging materials and other items. "Large quantities of the suspected narcotics were found in Ruis' bedroom and concealed inside hidden compartments located within two pieces of bedroom furniture," the district attorney's office said. Ryan's office has seen an increase of fatal drug overdoses due to an influx of heroin laced with fentanyl. Authorities said drug dealers are mixing fentanyl with heroin. There were 185 overdose deaths in Middlesex County last year with 46 of those deaths occurring in Lowell and Tewksbury. Authorities in Hampden and Worcester counties warned people about a deadly batch of heroin marked as "Hollywood" after it claimed the lives of people in Hampden County. Gandia and Ruis were arraigned on drug charges Monday. A judge held Gandia on $750,000 cash bail. Ruis was also charged with uttering a forged document and identity fraud. Ruis was held on $1 million cash bail. Both return to court on Feb. 9. NORTHAMPTON - Like many other trials involving alleged rapes on college campuses, the trial of 20-year-old Patrick Durocher scheduled for next week will include testimony and evidence suggesting both Durocher and the then-University of Massachusetts Amherst student he is accused of raping on a lawn were extremely intoxicated. Durocher's attorney, Vincent Bongiorni of Springfield, said in Hampshire Superior Court Tuesday that jurors should be instructed to consider the voluntariness of his client's statements to police because Durocher was drunk and distraught when authorities arrived in the early morning of Sept. 2, 2013. "Two witnesses at the scene say he was crying. He was upset. He was intoxicated," Bongiorni said. Durocher, of Longmeadow, has pleaded not guilty to one count each of aggravated rape, kidnapping and assault and battery. He was only a few days into his freshman year at the time of the alleged rape. Bongiorni and the prosecutor, Assistant Northwestern District Attorney Jennifer H. Suhl, were in court Tuesday to argue pretrial motions about what will and will not be allowed into evidence at the trial. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday and the trial will likely take six or seven days. According to accounts of witnesses' statements in court documents, several reported seeing Durocher having sex with the student on the ground near the UMass Campus Center. Some witnesses said the woman appeared to be unconscious. She later told police that Durocher, whom she did not know, strangled and raped her while she was walking home alone from a party at a fraternity. Her level of intoxication is also likely to come into play at trial, Suhl said. The woman gave police several different names when questioned about who had raped or had sex with her, Suhl said. She argued that was because she was so intoxicated. Bongiorni has a different take on the multiple names. He said there was DNA on the condom from at least three people and it is possible that she gave different names because she had consensual or nonconsensual sex with different men. Bongiorni did not say in court Tuesday whether he will present evidence that the sexual activity was consensual, but he did not dispute Tuesday that Durocher's DNA was found on the condom. Also on Tuesday, Rup allowed a witness who is a UMass student to testify via a videorecorded deposition. Durocher did not object. The student is leaving to study abroad soon and will not be in the country during the trial, Suhl said. Durocher, who is out on $10,000 bail, is no longer enrolled at UMass. He told Rup Tuesday that he is working toward his associate's degree in liberal studies. baystate mary lane hospital 1500 pixels.JPG The town manager and selectmen in Ware have invited area officials and community leaders to attend a meeting Thursday night to discuss concerns about the uncertain future of BayState Mary Lane Hospital. (THE REPUBLICAN FILE) WARE The town manager and selectmen have invited area officials and community leaders to attend a meeting Thursday night to discuss concerns about the uncertain future of Baystate Mary Lane Hospital. The meeting at the Ware High School library, 239 West St., begins at 6:30 p.m. Baystate Health plans to turn Baystate Mary Lane Hospital into a regional center for outpatient services. It is also proposing to integrate the facility into a single-license regional hospital network with Baystate Wing Hospital in Palmer, with that facility becoming the regional center for inpatient services. "Reflecting the concerns of the regional hospital community, the Ware Selectmen have proposed a regional meeting to discuss impacts on the region's residents and to consider strategies to respond to the regulatory license amendment process," Ware Town Manager Stuart Beckley wrote. Ware selectmen have said changes proposed at Mary Lane are a bad idea. Baystate Health is expected to submit applications to the state in the near future that would eliminate Mary Lane as a full-service acute care hospital. The changes would eliminate the admitting role at the Ware facility, meaning no more overnight beds, and the end of Mary Lane as an inpatient facility. Inpatient surgical operations would also cease, along with observational care. Baystate assumed control of Mary Lane in 1991, and in 2006 the facility changed its name from Mary Lane Hospital to Baystate Mary Lane Hospital. Benjamin C. Craft, director of Public Affairs for Baystate, said he plans to attend Thursday's meeting. "There are no imminent plans" to close Mary Lane, he said in an interview. The facility is expected to operate as an outpatient facility into the future, but Baystate is not providing a guarantee at this time on how long that could last. Asked if Baystate is committing to a minimum number of years Mary Lane would remain open in that capacity, Craft said staying open in that role is "the future expectation." The public affairs director also said the plan at this time is for the emergency room to continue operating. Among the entities that must approve Baystate's request to allow Mary Lane to operate using the Baystate Wing Hospital license are the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission. Craft said those applications are expected to be submitted soon. A November letter from senior Baystate officials pointed to economics as justification to downgrade Mary Lane's service level, saying inpatient traffic "is not enough to justify" its continuance, and that "comparable care" at Wing is available. "As we reconfigure care delivery in the region to a more sustainable" model, they said, "we honor the legacy" of the Ware facility. Baystate Medical Center President Nancy Shendell-Falik, Baystate Health Eastern Region President Charles E. Cavagnaro III and the east region's Chief Medical Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Mohammed Ahmed, signed the Nov. 17 letter. It was addressed to "Easter Region Team Members." "We are committed to the provision of outpatient services in the Ware community," the trio wrote. "All services will continue as usual at Baystate Mary Lane until we receive regulatory approval to consolidate services." oscar.jpg Oscar Lopez Rivera (IMAGE FROM FACEBOOK) HOLYOKE -- It didn't take long for new city councilor Nelson R. Roman to step into controversy in City Council Chambers, but he said a man's 34 years in prison required that he not waste time. Roman, who marked his first meeting on Jan. 5 as the Ward 2 councilor, proposed that night that the council approve a resolution (see below) urging President Barack Obama to grant the unconditional release from federal prison of Oscar Lopez Rivera, 73 -- an activist some say is a political prisoner but others call a terrorist. The council referred the resolution to its Development and Government Relations Committee (DGR). Lopez Rivera has served 34 years of a 75-year sentence for "seditious conspiracy" related to his participation in the FALN, a Puerto Rican nationalist group that has used violence in its campaign for Puerto Rican independence from the United States, though Lopez Rivera has not been charged with participating in bombings or injuring anyone, said online sources such as Encyclopaedia Britannica, Mother Jones, a left-learning magazine, the New York Daily News and City Journal, a quarterly published by the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank. Lopez Rivera is currently in the United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. Roman's resolution includes a dozen "whereas" preambles. Those include notes that Lopez Rivera is the longest-held political prisoner in Puerto Rican history, has been in prison longer than Nelson Mandela (Mandela was imprisoned in South Africa for 27 years), is a decorated Vietnam War veteran and has had the United Nations, labor groups and numerous levels of elected officials call for his release. "Be it therefore resolved, the city of Holyoke urges President Obama to exercise his Constitutional power to grant the immediate and unconditional release of Oscar Lopez Rivera," Roman's resolution reads. Roman wanted the council to approve the resolution without a committee referral, but other councilors said questions merited discussion. "I just don't feel comfortable voting on this tonight. I don't know anything about this," Councilor at Large James M. Leahy said. The City Council has 15 members and only two are newly elected, Roman and Michael J. Sullilvan, a councilor at large. Sullivan opposed the Lopez Rivera resolution. Nothing against the resolution, Sullivan said, but matters of the federal government fall outside the authority of the City Council, especially faced with so much important Holyoke business. "This is not appropriate for the City Council to be taking up," Sulllivan said. Ward 5 Councilor Linda L. Vacon said she agreed. Roman said he respected councilors' views. But Holyoke is about half Hispanic, many of whom are petitioning for leadership from the City Council, he said. "This has come from constituents and residents who would like to see some action on this," Roman said. Ward 4 Councilor Jossie M. Valentin said other communities have acted on similar resolutions. Also, councilors have had information about the Lopez Rivera resolution since Dec. 28, she said. "This is something, go home and Google it. There's plenty of information on it," Valentin said. "We'll have questions in DGR, that's where we can have a discussion," said Ward 3 Councilor David K. Bartley, DGR committee chairman. In a New York Daily News column on June 8, Albor Ruiz wrote of Lopez Rivera: "He was not accused of harming any person, only of 'seditious conspiracy' -- the same shapeless and gelatinous charge foisted on Nelson Mandela -- related to his connection to FALN, a Puerto Rican nationalist group. He was not charged with participating in any of the bombings attributed to the FALN in the 1970s and 1980s." Mother Jones reported that among those that have called for Lopez Rivera's release are Nobel Prize recipient Desmund Tutu, the government of Puerto Rico, the American Association of Jurists, the AFL-CIO and the United Church of Christ. But writing in June in City Journal, Matthew Hennessey said Lopez Rivera has been convicted of felonies that include possession of an unregistered firearm, interstate transportation of firearms with intent to commit seditious conspiracy and conspiracy to escape, to transport explosives with the intent to kill and injure people, and to destroy government buildings and property. "Lopez Rivera is no political prisoner; he is incarcerated for his deeds, not his thoughts," Hennessey wrote. The New York Times reported on Sept. 8, 1999 that Lopez Rivera " was convicted in Chicago in August 1981 of numerous charges, including weapons violations and conspiracy to transport explosives with intent to destroy Government property, and sentenced to 70 years in prison." The New York Times reported in February 2011 that President Bill Clinton offered Lopez Rivera and other members of the FALN clemency in 1999, saying their sentences were out of proportion with their offenses. While 12 prisoners accepted the offer and were freed, Lopez Rivera rejected his because it did not include all the group's members, his lawyer, Jan Susler, said, the Times reported. In January 2011, a Parole Commission hearing examiner recommended that Lopez Rivera should not be paroled, according to several people who were at the closed hearing, the Times reported. Here is Councilor Nelson Roman's resolution regarding Oscar Lopez Rivera: WHEREAS, Oscar Lopez Rivera, at 72 years old, is the longest-held political prisoner in the history of Puerto Rico. He has served 33 years behind bars -- more time than South African President Nelson Mandela served; WHEREAS, in 1981 as a member of the Puerto Rican Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN), he was arrested and convicted of seditious conspiracy to use force against the lawful authority of the U.S. over Puerto Rico, along with 14 other Puerto Rican men and women. Neither he nor any of his co-defendants were convicted of harming or killing anyone. WHEREAS, he was kept in solitary confinement for 12 out of 33 years of imprisonment, 13 constituting a gross human rights violation; WHEREAS, he was born in San Sebastian, Puerto Rico in 1943 and is a decorated 16 veteran of the Vietnam War; WHEREAS, in 1999, as the result of an international campaign for their release, President Clinton commuted the sentences of most of these men and women. The President had offered to commute Oscar Lopez Rivera's sentence after he served another 10 years in prison. In solidarity with those not included in the commutation, he declined; WHEREAS, all those released are living productive, law-abiding lives. Oscar Lopez Rivera is the only one of his co-defendants still behind bars; WHEREAS, U.S. labor organizations representing millions of workers -- AFL-CIO, 27 AFSCME, LCLAA, and the Puerto Rico AFL-CIO -- have passed resolutions calling on President Obama to grant his immediate and unconditional release; WHEREAS, the UN Decolonization Committee has passed a resolution every year for the past 15 years urging his release during its annual hearings; WHEREAS, the Puerto Rican Community; students, adults, businesses and leaders are actively advocating for Oscar Lopez Rivera's release. Jose Bou (Owner of Salsarengue Resturant), Disodado Lopez, Manuel Frau, Maria Ferrer, and countless other Holyokers' have been leading the charge on the release of Oscar Lopez Rivera. WHEREAS, in Puerto Rico, several former governors, including Rafael Hernandez Colon, Sila Maria Calderon, Pedro Rossello, Anibal Acevedo Vila, and the current governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla, have all petitioned President Obama for the immediate release of Oscar Lopez Rivera, as have Puerto Rico's Resident Commissioner to the U.S. Congress Pedro Pierluisi and the Mayor of San Juan, Carmen Yulin Cruz. The Puerto Rico Senate and House of Representatives have also passed resolutions in favor of Oscar Lopez Rivera's release; WHEREAS, all of the Latino Holyoke City Councilors publicly support the release of Oscar Lopez Rivera; WHEREAS, a growing coalition of public figures and organizations is convening mobilization/rally in January, calling for the release of Oscar Lopez Rivera; BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, the City of Holyoke urges President Obama to exercise his Constitutional power to grant the immediate and unconditional release of Oscar Lopez Rivera. blanton.king.jpg Don Blanton of Springfield, a painter, sculptor and teacher, left, will be the speaker Friday at the Greater Holyoke Council for Human Understanding's breakfast in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. King is shown at right on Aug. 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. at his "I have a dream" speech. King was killed by an assassin in 1968. (FILE PHOTOS) HOLYOKE -- Artist Don Blanton will speak at the 2016 Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast held by the Greater Holyoke Council for Human Understanding Friday at 8 a.m. at Hamel's Creative Catering & Summit View, 555 Northampton St. The breakfast honors King, "the social rights activist and minister who was a leader of the Civil Rights movement. His non-violent campaign work on behalf of all of mankind brought awareness of the dignity and rights of all human beings. With so much of his work remaining to be done, as recent events have shown, this is a particularly propitious time for us to come together and talk about what we can do to make his dream a reality," said the website of the Greater Holyoke Council for Human Understanding. King, 39, a clergyman and civil rights leader, was assassinated April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. He would have been 87 Friday. The breakfast costs $15 at the door and includes a buffet and music from the Holyoke High School madrigal choir, group treasurer Gina S. Nelson said in an email. Blanton, of Springfield, is a painter and sculptor and also works with children. He has taught a drug-abuse-prevention program for teen-agers in Chicopee, mentored young people in art at Duggan Middle School and Western New England University, both in Springfield. Born in Indiana, Blanton came from a family of 11 children. He served in the U.S. Air Force in Vietnam in the early 1960s. He then moved to Western Massachusetts to work at Westover Air Base in Chicopee, and several members of his family joined him in Springfield. During riots and looting in Springfield in the turbulent 1960s, Don and Paul Blanton, his older brother, used art to try to calm crowds. For information about the Friday breakfast email Ina Stockton at ivybeth07@gmail.com or Colleen Cameron at ccameron@hcc.edu The role of the Greater Holyoke Council for Human Understanding is to improve the quality of human development in the greater Holyoke community, its website said. The group also holds an annual Holocaust commemoration and awards student scholarships. Kings Island Reveals Details for Brand New 'Adventure Port' Attraction Adventure Port will be a "hub for explorers searching for the ruins of an ancient civilization." By Maija Zummo Oct 19, 2022 After teasing a big announcement on its social media accounts yesterday, Kings Island has revealed something new coming to the park in 2023: Adventure Port. This land, which will be located between Coney Mall and Action Zone, is described on the website as "resting in the foothills of overgrown mountains and dense tropical terrain" and as a "hub for explorers searching for the ruins of an ancient civilization, its forbidden temple and mysterious wonders." rathbun.JPG Springfield firefighters on the scene of a fire at 7-9 Rathbun St. in East Springfield. (Patrick Johnson / The Republican) SPRINGFIELD - A kitchen fire Tuesday morning caused an estimated $10,000 damage to a home at 7-9 Rathbun St., and displaced three residents, a Springfield fire spokesman said. Dennis Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant, said the fire was quickly extinguished by firefighters, but not before the kitchen sustained heavy damage. Three residents will be displaced until repairs can be made, he said. The Western Massachusetts chapter of the American Red Cross was called in to provide temporary assistance to the three residents, he said. The cause of the fire was determined to be an electrical malfunction with a clothes dryer. The fire was reported at 11:49 a.m. and the first firefighters were on scene by 11:53 a.m., Leger said. The 2-story home is located behind American Legion Post 240 at 290 East Street. According to Springfield assessors records, the legion post owns the Rathbun Street property. The two-family duplex, constructed in 1926, has a total assesed value of $111,000 WASHINGTON, D.C. With President Obama planning to bring up the escalating heroin crisis in his State of the Union Address and the continuing increase in heroin overdose deaths in Western Massachusetts, U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal decided to bring more attention to the spiraling problem. On Monday night, he and U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., hosted a screening of the HBO documentary "Heroin: Cape Cod, USA," which follows the lives of Falmouth heroin users, for those who may have a say in making changes, including Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Michael Botticelli, director of the president's national drug control policy, and any interested members of Congress. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey also traveled to the capital for the screening and to discuss her efforts to curb the opioid crisis. She will also attend Tuesday's State of the Union Address as Neal's guest. "This has to be treated as an addiction now, not just as a felony," Neal said. "It is a disease of the brain as much as a felony." Neal said he wants to use the screening and subsequent discussion as a way to call attention to the addiction crisis and try to find some solutions nationally as well as statewide. In a written statement, Markey said, "For the families in Massachusetts and throughout the country suffering from this crisis, the fight to end this prescription drug and heroin epidemic is my number one priority this year, and it should be for the entire U.S. Congress. The least Congress can do this year is pass legislation that will help stem the tide of this epidemic. We need to a massive effort at the federal, state and local level to prevent addiction and expand treatment to wherever and whenever it is needed. Recovery is possible." Neal has filed a "good Samaritan" bill that will ensure first responders are not held responsible when they administer Narcan to an addict who has overdosed and something goes wrong. Massachusetts already has a similar law. But he also said at the root of the problem is a lack of treatment beds and programs for addicts who want to break the habit. "This will be my third time watching 'Heroin on Cape Cod.' It is pretty stark. It is a reminder of how grim lives become," he said. Neal said he believes the focus needs to be on treatment rather than incarceration for those who are committing crimes because of their addiction, but he also said police and courts have to continue enforcement against those who are brazenly selling heroin. He said he also wants to support people like Healey who are pushing for insurance companies to be required to pay for rehabilitation services as well as for more overall funding to deal with the overarching heroin problem. "We need to stop treating addiction as a moral failing, and start seeing it for what it is: a chronic disease that must be treated with urgency and compassion," Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General, said in a statement just before the screening. Lise Balk King, co-producer of "Heroin: Cape Cod USA," also attended the event. She said she started working on the film in June 2013 and has interviewed dozens of people about what she called a public health crisis. "When we got into the depth of the film, it started to be clear the issue was way bigger," she said. In many ways, Balk King and others working of the film began to believe the film could be used as a tool to advance public policy about the crisis, and said she is encouraged that members of Congress are using it to learn more about the heroin epidemic. While politicians need to work on creating laws and policies to manage the crisis, far more people need to get involved, she said. Currently most of the work has been done on the municipal level, including police and local politicians. "It is going to take an all hands on deck approach," she said. What is key is putting a stronger emphasis on educating young people about opioids and how they are unique in their level of addictive qualities, beyond most recreational drugs. After the film was completed, Balk King said she spoke with one school superintendent in Massachusetts who said he was hesitant to show the film in schools, in part because of parents' reactions. She admitted she was concerned about showing the film to her son, a 14-year-old high school freshman, but did bring him to a screening of the movie. Afterward she asked him if he was OK and if the subject material was too disturbing. In response, he told her that kids are used to violence from television and video games and did not find it a problem. "He said he thought there are a lot of other kids who should see it," she said. "It points to the fact that we are hesitant to showing kids something that may save their lives and their friends' lives." Educators now have to start having the conversation about heroin addiction in the schools, Balk King said. MANCHESTER, Conn. -- A former Northampton, Mass., nightclub owner facing drug charges in Connecticut is free on $200,000 bond, while a Vermont man behind the wheel of a borrowed Subaru when the two were arrested on Nov. 18 remains behind bars. Aaron Kater, of Pelham, an owner of the now-shuttered Hinge restaurant and music venue at 48 Main St., posted bond on Nov. 19 and was released with conditions, while David Loomis, of Halifax, Vermont, did not post the $200,000 guarantee and remains incarcerated in Connecticut, court records show. Kater, 29, is due to reappear in Manchester Superior Court Feb. 11, and Loomis, 30, is scheduled to be back before a judge Feb. 3. The pair were stopped by Connecticut police sometime after 9:30 a.m. on Wed., Nov. 18 after the two allegedly picked up a package at R & L Carriers, a freight shipping company at 540 Sullivan Ave. in South Windsor. The package shipped from Nevada allegedly contained more than 35 pounds of marijuana in 29 vacuum-sealed bags stuffed into two black "Cantora International" speaker boxes, court documents state. Also taken into evidence by police were a glass jar containing 1.5 grams of marijuana, a rubber container housing "dabs" or butane honey oil, a glass smoking pipe, a gray "electronic smoking device," and a Garmin GPS. Police additionally seized the car driven by Loomis, a blue 2008 Subara Outback wagon registered to a Williamsburg woman, identified in court documents as Loomis' girlfriend. A lawyer for Loomis on Jan. 7 petitioned the court for the car's release, saying the owner had not given permission for its use and did not know it was being used to transport contraband. So far, a judge has not ruled on the motion, and the Subaru remains in police custody. A motion to reduce Loomis' $200,000 bond was denied. The court docket contains a statement by agent Mark Halibozek, a South Windsor police officer assigned to the East Central narcotics task force. Halibozek said that on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at approximately 9:34 a.m., an agent was dispatched to R&L Carriers at 540 Sullivan Ave. for the report of a suspicious package. Officers were informed the package was shipped from Nevada and contained two large, "old" speakers found to have an "unusual weight" of over 300 pounds. They were told the customer paid $600 in cash to have the items shipped. Members of the task force, the Department of Homeland Security, and Drug Enforcement Administration verified the package and initiated an operation, wrote Halibozek. Halibozek in his narrative made reference to an additional police report not contained in the court docket. Manchester police on Monday declined to release a report by officer Bontempo, saying as a matter of policy they don't release documents associated with an open court case. A lawyer for Loomis has petitioned the court for the release of additional evidence. Also in the docket on Jan. 11 were letters of support for Loomis. His mother, Karen Loomis, of Leyden, wrote that her son had lifelong mental health issues which rendered him "naive, eager to please, and easily influenced by others." She spoke of his current "loving relationship with a responsible and wonderful woman," and told the court his family would work together to help him put together a successful life plan. Others described Loomis' talent as a guitar player, and suggested that he was easily taken advantage of. An uncle, Larry Dulong, wrote that "promises of musical success and a new set of PA speakers seem to have led him down a path he probably would not have chosen for himself." An aunt wrote that David Loomis is a "kind, generous, and loving" person with "no executive functioning" who has "never understood how he found himself in trouble when he had no idea that trouble was ahead." Kater and Loomis each face charges of possession of marijuana, "sale of certain illegal drugs," and conspiracy to possess cannabis. Loomis is additionally charged with "traveling unreasonably fast" in South Windsor. Prosecutors may elect to bring additional charges, said a court clerk. The pair denied the charges during their initial Nov. 18 court appearance and again on Jan. 7 after a judge found probable cause to sustain the charges. As a condition of his release, Kater must wear an electronic tracking device and stay away from drugs. ___________________________________________________________________ Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com. secret service agent .jpg Garrett FitzGerald married Joan Lyall in his hospital room in Boston this weekend. (Gofundme ) BOSTON - A Secret Service agent who was paralyzed in a head-on crash while on duty in New Hampshire in December was married in the intensive care unit of Massachusetts General Hospital Saturday. Garrett FitzGerald, 30, of Boston, had planned to marry fiancee Joan Lyall in March but the wedding was moved up and held in the hospital because FitzGerald is facing intense rehabilitation after the accident. That's according to Rob Freed, whom Boston.com identified as one of FitzGerald's best men. FitzGerald was one of four Secret Service agents who were injured in a crash on Route 16 in Wakefield Dec. 29. They were traveling for a security detail for Hillary Clinton, who had a campaign event, Boston.com reported. Their car was hit head-on by another vehicle. The driver of that vehicle, Bruce Danforth, 45, died and two passengers in his vehicle were also injured. Garrett FitzGerald and Joan Lyall. "Garrett sustained major injuries to his spinal cord," Freed and another best man, Scott Ackerman, wrote on the GoFundMe page they set up to help FitzGerald. "He currently has no feeling or movement from the upper chest down." The page has raised more than $226,000 in nine days and has been shared roughly 5,700 times. Freed and Ackerman wrote that FitzGerald and Lyall had moved to Boston in September 2015. Their wedding was moved up as FitzGerald prepares to be transferred soon to a "specialized spinal cord injury rehabilitation center" in Boston or New Jersey. Family and friends filled his hospital room Saturday. "There was not a dry eye in his ICU room as family from all over the world streamed the ceremony live," Freed said in the post. This is an update to stories published Monday at 2:30 p.m. and Monday at 6 p.m. SPRINGFIELD Police Commissioner John Barbieri said he and members of his department were blind-sided by the alleged discovery of a staggering $385,000 in systematic thefts of cash from the evidence room by retired Officer Kevin Burnham. During a press conference following Burnham's arraignment Monday in Hampden Superior Court on multiple counts of larceny, Barbieri said the tip of an apparent pattern was uncovered during a city audit in the summer of 2014, after the then-new commissioner took office and approximately when Burnham retired. The city's internal auditor initially reported "there were some problems" after Barbieri ordered a review of the department's cash and evidence protocols. He said the review was part of an overall plan to modernize the department, as opposed to a response to any internal rumblings about Burnham. "We wanted to determine if that cash had simply been misplaced or mis-stored, or whether we, in fact, had been the victim of a larceny," Barbieri said. "Officers reported back that they couldn't locate the cash." A criminal investigation by the state Attorney General's office and Massachusetts State Police ensued, along with a parallel audit by a large, private forensic accounting firm financed by the city. More than a year later, Attorney General Maura Healey's office on Monday announced it was bringing charges against Burnham after a grand jury returned indictments in late December. The indictments state Burnham swiped cash from evidence envelopes stored in connection with about 162 criminal cases. Along with the indictments, Healey's office filed a five-page spreadsheet detailing the alleged thefts with columns for "date received, cash received, cash forfeited; and cash found." (see below) The citations include piddling amounts under $100; but in one case, nearly $108,000 was never recovered, according to the documents. The spreadsheet tracked cases back to late 2009. Burnham pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on his own recognizance. He had been a police officer for 43 years and retired as the department's senior officer in 2014. Healey's office said he "took advantage" of his position as narcotics evidence officer, a position Barbieri said Burnham held for almost 20 years. "As a police officer in this department for 28 years, I am not aware of anything of this magnitude happening in the history of the department. I am saddened by this very rare and unfortunate incident," Barbieri said. In the wake of the alleged thefts, he said the police department has revamped outdated policies, procedures and equipment related to evidence seizures, storage and tracking. The changes include: acquisition of a new facility on East Street to segregate and store evidence; additional training; the purchase of "the most sophisticated" cash counting equipment "used by any New England police department" which detects both counterfeit bills and prints receipts; "state-of-the-art" equipment delineating new procedures for chain-of-custody for seized cash including new surveillance cameras and scanning machines; electronic spreadsheets to track evidence as opposed to handwritten evidence logs; assignment changes at the command staff level to monitor the evidence rooms including the work of its officers. The overall message by Barbieri and other officials at Monday's press conference, including Mayor Domenic Sarno, amounted to: "Lesson learned." Sarno said he was "greatly saddened, angered and shocked" by the allegations against Burnham. "I have full confidence that Commissioner Barbieri and his command staff have implemented robust checks and balances to make sure that this type of situation does not reoccur. I have zero tolerance for anyone who betrays the public's trust," Sarno said. Barbieri, who early in the investigation said that he believed all the missing cash related to closed court cases, on Monday conceded that now remains an open question. The future impact on criminal prosecutions also is not specifically clear. Thus far, the issue has shaken out to be more than a $500,000 problem for a struggling city given the $385,000 missing from the evidence room, $170,000 for the private auditing firm and thousands more spent on new equipment for the department. Barbieri said no other police officers have been implicated in the investigation. It remains a question how one officer could allegedly lift nearly $400,000 in cash under the noses of his supervisors, however. Barbieri and City Solicitor Edward Pikula said a report on the detailed findings by the private accounting firm, Marcum LLP, will be released at the end of January. Barbieri said evidence money is now stored in a bank account, as opposed to in lockers in the evidence room at 130 Pearl St. He said Burnham is innocent until proven guilty, but added: "We'd certainly like to see justice meted out ... not only for the police department but for the general public." Indictment against Kevin Burnham by Patrick Johnson SHAFTSBURY -- A 78-year-old man apparently escaped serious injury Monday afternoon when his car was hit by a freight train at the Cemetery Road railroad crossing, state police said. Arthur J. Odea, whose 2001 Saab 95 sustained extensive damage, complained of a headache after the crash, state police said. He was able to exit the Saab on his own and was evaluated at the scene by medical personnel. The accident occurred shortly after 1 p,m. State police said Odea was driving west on Cemetery Road and was preparing to turn south on Route 7A when he failed to stop at the stop sign in front of the railroad tracks that run parallel to Route 7A. Odea stopped past the stop sign and was hit by freight train owned by Vermont Railway. The train hit the front passenger side quarter-panel and bumper of Odea's Saab and spun it around. The freight train stopped a short time after the impact. The engineer and conductor were not injured. The freight train sustained minor damages and was able to continue operation after the crash. State police continue to investigate the crash. Witnesses are asked to contact troopers at the Shaftsbury barracks at (802) 442-5421. Westfield City Hall 8.22.13 | WESTFIELD | Westfield City Hall (Manon Mirabelli) WESTFIELD - Community Development Director Peter J. Miller will ask the City Council Feb. 4 to proceed with a $450,000 demolition and sidewalk project within the downtown area. The council must approve the acquisition and demolition of a warehouse behind Berkshire Bank on central Street before the project can move forward, Miller said. The council will also be asked to approve a sidewalk project that will target Sherman Street, Franklin Avenue and portions of White Street. Miller said both projects will be funded with $4500,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funding. The fund is the result of two housing projects payoffs involving the General Shepard Apartments which started in 1982 and more recent Mill at Crane Pond project. The funds, Miller said, must be expended before July 1 and his office has identified a need to help eliminate blight in the downtown, the warehouse demolition project, and a need for sidewalks on the three streets cited. Miller said once City Council approval is received the two projects will proceed on a schedule that will see them completed by the end of June. Miller held a public hearing on the projects Monday night at City Hall. There was no opposition voiced concerning the plan. pe.jpg UMass Associate Chancellor Susan Pearson speaking about changes to the focus at WMUA during a December press conference. (Diane Lederman/The Republican) AMHERST - Continuing its shift to a more student focused radio station, WMUA is reducing its polka offerings from 12 to four hours a weekend. And that is upsetting some who have launched a petition drive asking that the full 12 hours be restored. In December, University of Massachusetts Associate Chancellor Susan Pearson and Enku Gelaye, vice chancellor for student affairs and campus life, announced that WMUA is now more student focused, with less community involvement. That came following a review of the station that has faced outside scrutiny since last April. The changes mean non-student programming are limited to 24 hours and that led to the polka cuts. Beginning Jan. 24, polka programming will only be aired on Sundays for four hours. Polka Carousel with Todd Zaganiacz will be aired from 8 a.m. to 10 followed by Polka Celebration with Helen Curtin from 10 to noon. Currently, those shows air for three hours each on Sundays. Early Bird Polka with Mitch Moskal and Polka Bandstand with Billy Belina have been cancelled after their Jan. 23 shows. Those programs have aired Saturdays from 6 to noon. Belina first began offering polka programs in 1979. Polka has been on for 12 hours a weekend for about seven years, Zaganiacz said. Before that it was aired for nine hours. But UMass spokesman Edward Blaguszewski said in an email, "For the student management of WMUA, creating the programming schedule is always a challenge and involves difficult decisions and the balancing of competing needs. "Polka programming will continue to (be) aired but for fewer hours, providing additional air time for student shows." Listeners were crying when they called in this weekend when polka hosts announced the reductions, Zaganiacz said. Zaganiacz said he had a call from a Vietnam veteran who suffers from depression and talked about how the programs help him get through the week. "There's such a huge polish culture," who listen, he said. Nurses called and said the programs are pumped into the sound system. Belina of Chicopee said he is disappointed with the cancellations and said it is a loss for many. "A lot of these people don't have computers and look forward to this," he said. Zaganiacz said the polka programming has helped raised more than $500,000 in the 36 years it has been on the air. "This November it raised $24,000 over a weekend compared to the $4,000 raised during the week. That came just weeks before the changes in focus were announced. "This is a disgrace to the Polish Community who has supported this station for all these years," according to the petition that has been signed by nearly 1,100 since it was launched Sunday. But Blaguszewski wrote "WMUA is the university's student-run radio station, largely supported by student fees and the university. "As a student-managed station, its core mission is educational, providing students with an opportunity to develop a wide array of broadcast skills, including development of a programming schedule. "This emphasis on student focused, co-curricular educational opportunities, is shared with all other student agencies and organizations at the university. "At the same time, we recognize the role community listeners and on-air personalities play in the continued success of WMUA, and we appreciate their continued engagement and support." The changes in focus were initiated following an outside review of the station that came after community members raised concerns last April after the removal of long-time host Max Shea and the reassignment of Glenn Siegel, the long-time administrative adviser to the station. Siegel's jazz program was also cancelled. Other community members have called for a review of the changes and criticized the changes stating the change "is a sharp blow to the cultural life of the Pioneer Valley." This story was updated at 8 a.m. to reflect that all lanes were open and traffic was moving as usual. ___________ BURLINGTON - A head-on crash involving a wrong-way driver left two critically injured and temporarily closed the northbound side of Interstate 95 and Route 128 early Tuesday morning. All lanes reopened shortly after 7:30 a.m., State Police said. Before that, only one lane had been open for most of the morning. The highway was briefly closed after the 4:30 a.m. crash. In a tweet, State Police said the accident was on I-95/Rt. 128 North near the Route 3 exit, which is Exit 32. State Police spokesman David Procopio told Boston.com that two people were taken to the hospital in critical condition. WORCESTER - Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders will open a Worcester field office this Saturday, right before supporters are expected to travel to New Hampshire for door-to-door canvassing ahead of the New Hampshire primary. According to the campaign's website, the Central Mass. field office will be located at 256-258 Park Ave. Supporters are invited to meet the Massachusetts staff starting at 10 a.m. on Jan. 16. At noon, volunteers will be leaving the office to head to New Hampshire. "If you cannot attend the canvass in N.H., that is OK, come by the HQ to say hello and sign up for future activities," the website states. Recent polls have Sanders and overall Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton tied in New Hampshire. Sanders drew just under 3,000 to North High School during his first visit to the city on Jan. 2, where he told supporters to wild applause that he was going to beat the former first lady, senator and secretary of state in New Hampshire. A campaign spokesman referred questions to the campaign's website, which also lists a "phonathon for Bernie" on Jan. 16, at a Tower Street apartment and an invitation to watch the fourth Democratic debate on Jan. 17 at the Sahara Restaurant on Highland Street among other local events. Supporters can search for and register for such events on the website. The Massachusetts HQ can be reached by phone: 617-433-8683 (VOTE) or by email: Mass@berniesanders.com. michael gaffney .jpeg City Councilor Michael Gaffney (FILE PHOTO) (Michael D. Kane | MassLive) WORCESTER - The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce is firing back at city councilor Michael Gaffney, who was critical of the chamber in a press release about the city's tax burden. Gaffney, an at-large councilor, has proposed that the council and City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. produce a fiscal year 2017 budget that will result in not taxing property owners the additional 2.5 percent allowed by law. If taxes are increased by the 2.5 percent, Gaffney is proposing using the new taxes to help cover the cities post-retirement benefits liability. In a pointed statement sent to several members of Worcester's media, Gaffney was not only critical of the City Council's lengthy debate when attempting to set the tax rate in December, but also of what he described as the Chamber of Commerce's "silence" during that debate. The council in December, in a split vote, opted to shift more of the city's tax burden for the current year toward businesses and away from homeowners. It took three meetings to come to a majority vote. Ultimately, the amount of taxes the city needs to raise to pay for its budget is determined by spending. Massachusetts law allows communities to shift a higher percentage of the levy onto commercial/industrial property owners. Gaffney's statement, however, noted that the shifting of the burden from one side or the other is not the solution. Rather, reducing and controlling spending is. Gaffney's statement also called out the chamber of commerce, which he wrote should support his measure, but was "silent during the last budget debate, only to awaken at the tax rate classification. He said his expectations of the chamber's support is low. "While I consistently argue that we cannot just shift the burden from one party to the other and must get ahold of our spending to stimulate growth there has been silence from the Chamber (of Commerce) and disapproval from the administration," Gaffney wrote. In December, the Chamber of Commerce had advocated for a shift that was much friendlier to businesses than what ultimately passed. It supported a tax rate of 32.90 per $1,000 in value for commercial industrial properties. In the end, the rate passed by the council was $33.98. Overall, that resulted in a total increase of almost $7.5 million for the business community. The previous fiscal year, commercial, industrial and personal property tax payers paid a total of $102,512,734. This year, they are projected to pay $109,988,526, according to W. Stuart Loosemore, the chamber's general counsel and director of government affairs and public policy. While taxes would have increased to meet spending anyway, the difference between the two rates is almost $3 million of that $7.5 million, Loosemore said. "All of City Councilor Gaffney's considerable blustering does not change the fact that in December he was a deciding vote to increase taxes for the Worcester business community by more than $3 million in 2016," Loosemore said in an email. "This is contrary to councilor Gaffney's rhetoric during the fall campaign about the need to support 'Main Street businesses.' " Loosemore also referenced a quote Gaffney gave to the Telegram & Gazette last June, in which Gaffney responded to criticism lodged then about a similar request. Gaffney was amid his run for mayor when the budget was approved. Gaffney voted against the budget as written, but ultimately voted to fund the budget that was approved by a majority of the council. Sitting Mayor Joseph Petty used the vote to criticize Gaffney for proposing tax cuts, but not suggesting areas within the budget to cut. In response, Gaffney told the Telegram he did not propose cutting taxes, rather he proposed not taxing property owners the allowed 2.5 percent. "It's not my job as a part-time councilor to then go through the budget line by line looking for ways to cut the budget," Gaffney told the Telegram. Loosemore seized on this quote on Tuesday. "We are glad to see that this year the councilor is taking his budgetary responsibility seriously given his quote last in Nick Kotsopoulos's article in (June," Loosemore wrote. "The Chamber welcomes a thoughtful debate with both the city manager, City Council, superintendent and School Committee on how we can be as fiscally prudent as possible while balancing the need of important city services, such as police, fire public works, parks, education, public health and library - to name a few - that benefit both businesses and residents alike." Gaffney's proposal is set to be presented to the City Council's first post-inaugural meeting on Tuesday night. Asked about Gaffney's remarks, Augustus, through a spokesman, said he "would be glad to provide the council with whatever alternate budget options councilors would like to see." Asima Silva Asima Silva, a leader in Worcester's Muslim community and a WPI graduate, will be the guest of Congressman James McGovern during the State of the Union address tonight. (Courtesy photo) WASHINGTON, D.C. - A leader in Worcester's Muslim community will be in attendance tonight when President Barack Obama delivers his final State of the Union speech. Asima Silva, a Worcester Polytechnic Institute graduate, will be the guest of James McGovern, the Democratic congressman's office has announced. "As both parties come together ... for the State of the Union, I am pleased to have Asima Silva, an inspiring leader from Worcester's Muslim community, joining me," McGovern said through a press release. Silva recently co-founded EnjoinGood.org to strengthen communication between the local Muslim community and other area religious institutions, the release states. In December, Silva joined other local Muslim leaders to organize a Interfaith Vigil aimed at uniting Worcester's communities of faith in condemning recent terrorist attacks, as well as praying for the victims and families. Silva also helped organize last weekend's "Meet a Muslim Day" at the Worcester Islamic Center. Organizers said the goal of that event was to help dispel myths about Muslim Americans and to give people a chance to ask questions about the religion they may otherwise feel uncomfortable or unable to do. "In recent weeks, we have heard some truly dangerous and hateful rhetoric from political leaders who want to divide us," McGovern said. "By helping to bring our community together in the past month, Asima has shown that we are strongest when we are united against such hate. This is the kind of leadership our community needs, now more than ever, and I'm so proud that she will be joining me for the State of the Union." Related video: Worcester Mayor Joe Petty addresses "Meet a Muslim" Day at the Worcester Islamic Center Panhandling.JPG Worcester's ordinances make panhandling on medians illegal. (Lindsay Corcoran, MassLive.com) WORCESTER - Lawyers who battled the panhandling laws in Worcester and Lowell and successfully squashed the restrictions are now asking for roughly $1.7 million in fees and costs, according to paperwork filed in federal court. The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts and Boston law firm Goodwin Procter LLP are asking a federal judge to order Worcester to pay $1,026,223 in fees and costs while they fought against the 2013 panhandling laws in the city. They are also asking for $736,466 in fees and costs from the city of Lowell. Both cities' ordinances were struck down last year. In interviews with the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, lawyers for both cities said the costs are unreasonable. Worcester City Solicitor David Moore said the city plans to file an opposition in court, according to the Telegram & Gazette. An assistant city solicitor for Lowell told the newspaper the fees and costs associate with their case is more in the range of $93,000. Matthew S. Segal, legal director for the ACLU of Massachusetts, issued a statement in the matter. "These ordinances were unconstitutional infringements on the First Amendment rights of poor people, and if the cities had agreed to withdraw them before the courts ruled in our favor, then they would owe nothing in fees," he said. "More fundamentally, the ACLU depends on fee awards and private donations to fulfill our mission because so much of our public service work is uncompensated." The paperwork accuses Worcester of conducting a "scorched earth tactic" that drove up fees and costs. The paperwork said Goodwin Procter, after paying out-of-pocket-expenses, has committed to donate the remainder of any award to the ACLU of Massachusetts. Worcester said it would not appeal a federal judge's decision that found the city's ordinances to be unconstitutional. Goodwin Procter lists nine different attorneys as people who worked on the case against Worcester. The lawyers put in over 2,000 hours of work on the case, according to the federal filing. The list of lawyers details their hourly rates, but note the rates were discounted by 20 percent. Goodwin Procter said without the 20 percent discount the legal fees would have been $1,974,873. Uxbridge Police dog Bear (Uxbridge Police Department | Facebook ) UXBRIDGE - Uxbridge Police Officer Thomas Stockwell and his new police dog Bear were ready to be officially sworn in Monday night in front of selectmen, but the ceremony was delayed when a woman struck the officer's cruiser a half-hour before the meeting. The officer and dog are now both recovering after the crash. Uxbridge Police Chief Jeffrey Lourie said Stockwell was treated at a local hospital Monday night and released. Bear has a contusion under one of his eyes. "They were supposed to be at the swearing in ceremony at the selectmen's hearing, but that plan was cancelled," Lourie said. "Minutes before we were supposed to be at the meeting, we were instead taking the dog to the Uxbridge Animal Hospital." Doctor Jocelyn Cowan at the Uxbridge Animal Hospital is treating Bear, Lourie said. "I'm glad they are both OK," the chief said. Update on the status of our K-9 Bear. I would also like to thank Dr. Cowan, CEMLEC Recon, Sutton Police, Mass State... Posted by Uxbridge Police Department on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 A Sutton Police cruiser was following a car on Route 146 southbound Monday night when the car headed into Uxbridge, police said. Uxbridge Police were then called to help stop the vehicle driven by a 72-year-old woman from Worcester. Around 5:30 p.m., a half-hour before the selectmen's meeting, the woman rear-ended Stockwell's cruiser, a State Police spokesman said. The accident occurred near exit 3. State Police and the Central Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council's Accident Reconstruction Team were called to investigate. The woman was cited for following too closely and violation of a license restriction, according to the State Police. The woman was taken to an area hospital with medical issues. Sutton Police will file additional charges. Lourie said the cruiser, which was outfitted with gear to support transporting a police dog, appears to be totaled. Bear and Stockwell graduated from the Boston Police's K9 Academy on Dec. 24 after 15 weeks of training. Bear, a patrol dog, is scheduled to train as a narcotics dog in August. nude_portland.2.jpg Matthew T. Mglej stripped naked and played violin outside the federal courthouse on May 23, 2014. He was arrested and accused of indecent exposure. The charge was dismissed and Mglej filed a lawsuit against both Portland police and Multnomah County , alleging unlawful arrest, violation of his First Amendment rights and excessive force. On Friday, a judge threw out Mglej's claims that the arrest was unlawful or that his First Amendment rights were violated. (Maxine Bernstein |The Oregonian) By Noah Feldman Bloomberg View The First Amendment protects your right to burn the flag in protest. What about getting naked to draw attention to your cause? An Oregon man is intent on finding out - and so far, the courts have ruled against him. His case deserves attention because of the light it sheds on a core question of free speech. According to the Portland Oregonian, as linked to by the appellate litigation blog How Appealing blog, Matthew Mglej took off all his clothes one day in May 2014, played the violin as God made him, then sat down amid posters he'd made and waited for the Portland police to arrest him. They did, for violating a city ordinance that prohibits self-exposure in public. But, perhaps hoping to make Mglej go away, prosecutors later dropped the case. Mglej wasn't prepared to give up, though, and he has sued the city for arresting him in violation of what he says were his First Amendment rights. He told the court he was inspired by the case of a man who was cleared for violating the same ordinance in 2012 when he took off all his clothes at an airport checkpoint to demonstrate his frustration with Transportation Security Administration procedures. The federal judge rejected Mglej's argument, saying that to merit First Amendment protection, the nudity would have to be part of the protester's message. According to the court, it wasn't. "I don't think an objective observer would have known why the plaintiff was nude that day," the judge said, according to the Oregonian. "I think in fact his posters clouded his message and made it more difficult." Is this the right legal standard? If so, did the court apply it correctly? The case falls, I think, under a doctrine that's received some close attention from the U.S. Supreme Court in recent years: that of a law that generally speaking applies to conduct, but which, when applied to specific facts, impinges on the content of speech. The court clarified and developed this doctrine in the landmark case of Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project, where it upheld the material support for terrorism statute as applied to U.S. nonprofits that wanted to train groups on the State Department terror list in nonviolent advocacy. There the court said the correct standard was to apply what it called "more rigorous scrutiny" to such situations - something just short of the court's highest standard but tougher than the intermediate scrutiny it would apply if a general law burdened speech only incidentally. The case from which the Holder doctrine was derived also involved a courthouse. In the 1971 case of Cohen v. California, the justices permitted a man to wear a jacket with an obscene anti-draft slogan inside a California courthouse. That would seem to fit Mglej's case. The city ordinance doesn't usually burden speech. But because Mglej undressed as part of an intentional protest, enforcing the law against him burdened his symbolic speech rights more than incidentally. The district court seems to have wanted to sidestep this analysis under Cohen by deciding that Mglej's nudity wasn't closely connected to his message. But this analysis substitutes the judgment of the court for that of the speaker. Mglej wasn't taking off his clothes because he wanted some sun. He wanted to draw attention to his protest. That's like making a big or colorful sign - part of the speech act that should be considered within the discretion and rights of the speaker. Maybe the nudity in the protest was ineffectual. But the First Amendment protects all speech, not just the effective kind. Of course, the city's ordinance is still constitutional as regards to nonpolitical nudity. But Mglej should press on to the court of appeals, and demand that the right legal standard be applied to his case - and applied correctly. The principle goes beyond his individual act. Which is why we have the First Amendment in the first place. Noah Feldman, a Bloomberg View columnist, is a professor of constitutional and international law at Harvard. After a group of powerful business organizations joined a coalition supporting increased access to charter schools, and the pro-charter coalition launched an $18 million advocacy campaign, a Massachusetts teachers union is promising to fight the effort. The Great Schools Massachusetts Coalition, a group pushing a ballot initiative and legislation that would expand the number of charter schools in the state, announced Monday that eight business groups were joining its efforts. Separately, the Boston Globe reported that the coalition plans to spend up to $18 million on a campaign to promote charter schools, beginning with mailings in targeted state Senate districts, including the district of Senate President Stan Rosenberg, D-Amherst. The business organizations joining the coalition include the business trade association Associated Industries of Massachusetts, the fiscally conservative Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation and Mass. Fiscal Alliance, two councils representing the technology industry, a commercial real estate association and others. The organizations sent a letter to legislators asking them to support Gov. Charlie Baker's bill to expand charter schools by up to a dozen a year outside an existing cap. "With Governor Baker, Speaker (Robert) DeLeo, two-thirds of Massachusetts voters, and now the state's leading business associations supporting lifting the cap on public charter schools, it's time for the Senate to join them and stand up for the 37,000 children stranded on waiting lists because of the cap," said Eileen O'Connor, spokeswoman for Great Schools Massachusetts, in a statement. In their letter, the business groups wrote that there is "a compelling and urgent economic imperative" to expand charter schools. As business leaders, they wrote, "We face a growing scarcity and intensifying demand for well-educated individuals who are prepared for employment and success in the innovative industries and companies that drive our collective success." The business leaders wrote that most students on waiting lists for charter schools come from a small number of low-income, mostly minority communities. "We simply cannot afford to ignore this enormous pool of high-potential individuals and we must do better to equip them to seize the limitless opportunities our innovation economy offers to so many others in the state," they wrote. Meanwhile, this past weekend, Families for Excellent Schools, a New York-based non-profit dedicated to supporting charter schools, which has been operating in Boston for 18 months, launched a major campaign that includes direct mail, digital advertising and canvassing. The effort is being paid for by Families for Excellent Schools and other fundraising done by the Great Schools Coalition. The coalition is prepared to spend up to $18 million if the question goes to the ballot, according to someone involved in the coalition. The mailer being sent out focuses on the impact of charter schools in low-income, urban districts. Teachers' unions are mobilizing to oppose the campaign. American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts President Tom Gosnell said the campaign "is a down payment on the over $100 million in public funding they could rob from our locally controlled public schools every single year." "If they think they can rip off Massachusetts voters and taxpayers with sleek mailers and slick ads, they're wrong," Gosnell said in a statement. The unions argue that charter schools take away local control, divert taxpayer money from public schools, and do not accept as many students with disabilities or students who are learning English. A ballot question to expand charter schools is likely to get on the November 2016 ballot, unless lawmakers pass their own bill to expand charter school access. The House supported a charter school expansion last session, but the Senate voted it down. Now, it is up to the Senate to decide whether to consider a new bill this year. Rosenberg has been holding intense discussions with members of the Senate to see if senators want to move a bill forward. Rosenberg recently said it would be "very much an uphill battle" to find enough votes to pass a charter school expansion bill. He plans to make a final decision by the end of this month. Rosenberg has said previously that senators are questioning the fairness of the existing charter school funding formula. If senators do take up a bill, Rosenberg said in November that he anticipates they would consider not just changing the number of charter schools allowed but reforming existing laws in areas related to transparency, admissions and retention of students. Clarification: The coalition is prepared to spend up to $18 million if the question goes to the ballot. It does not yet have a plan for spending the full amount. An earlier version of this story was updated to reflect this. SPRINGFIELD Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump dispelled theories that he was hired by the Democratic party to help Hillary Clinton win the White House during a Monday appearance on the "Tonight Show." The businessman, who discussed his campaign and participated in a mock job interview during the television stop, told host Jimmy Fallon that despite rumors he's in the race to make it easier for the Democrats to hold onto the presidency, recent polls suggest he would easily beat Clinton in a head-to-head matchup. "I"ll set the record straight right now: the newest poll just came out today where I'm beating her easily and substantially and I'm winning against Hillary one-on-one and I haven't event started on her yet, although last week I did a little bit," he said. "But we haven't even started." Former President Bill Clinton previously addressed similar rumors, telling "Late Show" Host Stephen Colbert in October that he did not ask Trump to run for the White House. Trump also told Fallon that he believes the former secretary of state's campaign is having a tough time against U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. "She's got some guy, who he should be easy to beat - I mean, how can you lose like this, he really isn't even a Democrat. Well, he's said he's a socialist, and I think he may be a step beyond a socialist and she's not doing well," he said. "She's about tied in Iowa, she's losing New Hampshire, which is sort of amazing and I think she's got a race that's going to be a little bit tougher." Trump, however, pointed to a poll that he said suggests if he and Clinton went head-to-head in a general election, the race would draw the largest voter turnout in the history of the country. "That's a good thing because people don't vote that much in this country, so that would be an amazing thing if that happened." The businessman also downplayed comments he's made about Bill Clinton's role in campaigning for his wife, saying time will tell how his presence will play out. He defended his remarks by saying Clinton was the first to come out swinging against him. "She came out with a little statement on me and I came out with a very big statement about her and Bill and she stopped talking about me all of a sudden," he said. SPRINGFIELD MoveOn.org Political Action, which previously backed President Barack Obama and urged U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., to run for the White House, announced Tuesday that its members have voted to overwhelmingly support U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders', I-Vt., 2016 Democratic presidential campaign. According to the progressive political action committee, Sanders won the endorsement with a record-setting 78.6 percent of the 340,665 votes cast by MoveOn members - the largest total and widest margin in the organization's 17-year history. Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, won just 14.6 percent of the vote among MoveOn members. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley received less than 1 percent. Nearly 6 percent of the organization's members voted against making an endorsement now. The endorsement is just the second MoveOn has announced during a Democratic primary. It's first was for Obama in early 2008, said MoveOn.org Political Action Executive Director Ilya Sheyman. No Democratic candidate reached the threshold for an endorsement in 2004. "This is a massive vote in favor of Bernie Sanders, showing that grassroots progressives across the country are excited and inspired by his message and track record of standing up to big money and corporate interests to reclaim our democracy for the American people," he said. "MoveOn members are feeling the Bern. We will mobilize aggressively to add our collective people power to the growing movement behind the Sanders campaign, starting with a focus on voter turnout in Iowa and New Hampshire." Sheyman added that the endorsement of Sanders "is a natural progression from the Run Warren Run campaign and so much of the work MoveOn members have done in recent years to elevate issues of economic and other forms of inequality." He further attributed the group's backing to what he called Sanders' commitment to standing up to corporate interests; fighting for justice in communities facing oppression; opposition to permanent war; and electability. MoveOn members support Sanders "because they believe they can trust him to stand up to powerful interests and fight for what's right" and "they know his message has broad support and that he is well positioned to win the White House in a general election," Sheyman added in a blog post. Sanders praised the endorsement announcement, saying he's proud to have MoveOn and its members join his "people-powered campaign." "MoveOn has spent more than 17 years bringing people together to fight for progressive change and stand up against big money interests," he said in a statement. "MoveOn's fight to give the American people a voice in our political system was reflected in the group's internal democratic process. I'm humbled by their support and welcome MoveOn's members to the political revolution." With its endorsement, MoveOn pledged to run a 100 percent positive campaign to support Sanders. It added that the organization will support whomever wins the Democratic nomination in the general election cycle to "keep a Republican out of the White House." The political action committee said it will mobilize its millions of members in support of Sanders, including 43,000 in Iowa and 30,000 in New Hampshire. Scenes from the State of the Union address President Barack Obama delivers a previous State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Photo by Susan Walsh) SPRINGFIELD Massachusetts congressional lawmakers used their selection of guests for President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address as a way to bring attention to high-profile political issues that have gained attention in Washington and in the 2016 presidential race. Muslim leaders, Syrian refugees, students facing college debt and anti-gun violence and opioid treatment advocates are among those members of the state's delegation invited to accompany them to Tuesday's 9 p.m. EST speech. With the annual address expected to touch on the issue of opioid addiction, Congressman Richard Neal, D-Springfield, asked Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey to serve as his guest for the speech. Healey, during her trip to Washington D.C., was expected to meet with Congressional members and other federal officials on Massachusetts' expanding heroin addiction crisis, share her plans for ways to handle it and seek help from the federal government. Neal praised her leadership on this front, saying he "could not be more pleased" that Healey would be his guest at the president's State of the Union address. "Maura has been a leader in the effort to come up with a comprehensive strategy to tackle the heroin and opioid epidemic that is having a devastating impact on too many families across Massachusetts," he said in a statement. "I intend to continue my work with her to stop the sad and growing toll these drugs are taking on the young people in our state." Similarly, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., invited Massachusetts gun violence prevention and opioid addiction leader John Rosenthal to join him for the State of the Union address. Markey called Rosenthal, who co-founded the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative and founded Stop Handgun Violence, "a five-star general on the front lines of the most important public health battles our Commonwealth and our nation are fighting." "John's efforts on behalf of countless families, victims and patients impacted by the gun violence and opioid epidemics in Massachusetts are lifesaving, and I am proud to have him join me at the State of the Union," he said in a statement. Rosenthal said he was humbled to be the senator's only guest for the event and looked forward to continuing his work with Markey on gun violence and opioid addiction measures in Congress. U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, meanwhile, was among a handful of Massachusetts lawmakers using their State of the Union guest invitation to underscore support for Syrian refugees and Muslims - an issue which has stirred controversy in the presidential race. The congressman asked Asima Silva, a central Massachusetts Muslim community leader to serve as his guest for the annual address. Silva, who recently co-founded EnjoinGood.org to strengthen communication between the local Muslim community and other area religious institutions, has joined other local Muslim leaders in organizing an Interfaith Vigil to unite Worcester's faith communities in condemning recent terrorist attacks, as well as helped organize the "Meet a Muslim Day" event at the Worcester Islamic Center. "In recent weeks, we have heard some truly dangerous and hateful rhetoric from political leaders who want to divide us," McGovern said in a statement. "By helping to bring our community together in the past month, Asima has shown that we are strongest when we are united against such hate. This is the kind of leadership our community needs, now more than ever, and I'm so proud that she will be joining me for the State of the Union." U.S. Reps. Seth Moulton, D-Salem, and Katherine Clark, D-Melrose, also chose guests to help bring attention to the recent political rhetoric regarding Muslims and refugees. Moulton announced he would host nine-year old Syrian refugee Ahmad Alkhalaf, as well as the boy's father and Nadia Alawa, executive director at NuDay Syria," as his guests for the congressional address. Alkhalaf, who lives with his father in the Boston-area, lost three of his siblings and both of his arms when a bomb hit the Syrian refugee camp where he and his family were living, Moulton's office said. "No one should experience in a lifetime what Ahmad has experienced at just nine years old," Moulton said in a statement. "His courage and commitment to creating a better world should be a lesson to us all. We have a moral responsibility to uphold our American principles and that means helping kids like Ahmad who are fleeing from violence. Ahmad's story is an example of why we must not abandon our American values of hope and freedom." Alawa praised the invitation, saying she's hopeful "it will provide a very visible platform to put a face to the Syrian people who are desperate for a place of refuge, fleeing the horrors of ISIS on one side and the atrocities of their own government on the other." Nazda Alam, a Muslim-American community organizer and chair of the Muslim Voter Registration Project, meanwhile, was invited to join Clark for the State of the Union address. "While the Donald Trump wing of the Republican party continues to poison our political system with hateful, anti-Islamic, anti-immigrant rhetoric, there are people like Nazda who are working to strengthen our democracy and better our communities," the congresswoman said in a statement. "When the president delivers his priorities to the nation tomorrow, I want him to look up and see an audience that reflects our nation's challenges and successes." Clark added that Alam's story "represents millions of Americans who are contributing to our communities and working hard make our country succeed." In an effort to bring attention to higher education costs, meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., announced that University of Massachusetts Lowell student Alexis Ploss, a first-generation student who wants to become a public school teacher and has advocated for policies to help address the country's student debt crisis, would accompany her to the State of the Union address. Ploss, who has reportedly taken on over $50,000 in debt to complete her degree and intends to seek a master's degree, said she looked forward to sharing her story and raising awareness about the financial challenges many students and recent graduates face. She previously shared her story during an April forum Warren hosted on student debt at UMass Boston. "As a student at UMass Lowell, Alexis is studying hard to be a teacher," Warren said in a statement urging Congress to address college affordability and debt. "Our country should be encouraging students like Alexis, but instead, rising student loan debt is crushing America's young people and limiting their long-term opportunities." U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy, III, invited Sue Smith, the director of Homes With Heart in Attleboro, as his guest for the annual congressional address. Homes with Heart is a HUD grant-funded program that seeks to secure permanent housing for chronically homeless persons. U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano's, D-Somerville, office said the congressman did not plan on bringing a guest. The offices of U.S. Reps. Niki Tsongas, D-Lowell; Stephen Lynch, D-South Boston; and Bill Keating, D-Bourne, did not respond to requests for comment prior to publishing. The Massachusetts' lawmakers' guests come in addition to those, First Lady Michelle Obama and other congressional lawmakers invited to the joint congressional address. By Michael Norton and Matt Murphy STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, JAN. 12, 2016.....Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday said a new Boston Globe story regarding Milton Sen. Brian Joyce's relationship with a former dry cleaner owner warrants an "immediate" Ethics Commission investigation. The call from the state's top public official came as the News Service learned that the ambitious work plans of a government improvement committee chaired by Joyce have been on hold for months. The Globe on Tuesday reported that Jerry Richman, the former owner of Woodlawn Cleaners in Randolph, said that Joyce for years took advantage of an offer of free dry cleaning. Joyce's attorney told the newspaper that the free services were compensation for Joyce's legal services, and not an improper gift to a public official. "I am disappointed in the false accusations in the story," Joyce said in a statement on Tuesday. "Over the course of many years, I provided uncompensated legal services to a small businessman and property owner who claimed an inability to pay for those services. Those legal services far exceeded any dry cleaning offered. It was a barter arrangement that he had not only with me, but with two other local lawyers. I provided evidence of this to the extent permitted within the constraints of attorney-client privilege but that evidence was ignored." State Sen. Brian Joyce, D-Milton During his "Ask the Governor" segment on WGBH radio, Baker said, "I certainly think in a situation like this where you have a private citizen speaking so forthrightly about a continuing pattern with respect to this activity I think this is the sort of thing the Ethics Commission should take a really hard look at." After saying the Senate should "consider removing him from his leadership positions," Baker went on to say, "The facts of the matter as they are portrayed in that story justify a pretty quick and pretty immediate investigation and review." Joyce in May stepped down from two leadership posts pending the outcome of a separate ethics probe, but remains chairman of an eight-member Senate committee charged with improving government. In his statement, Joyce also said he believed a final resolution was "imminent" in connection with an unrelated Office of Campaign and Political Finance investigation. "I look forward to publicly sharing those results as soon as I am able to do so," Joyce said. The Globe reported that Joyce has drawn the attention of campaign finance regulators "after he charged his campaign fund $3,400 to pay for this son's high school graduation party in 2014" and that Joyce had justified the expense by saying the party was also a campaign event. Massachusetts Republican Party Chair Kirsten Hughes on Tuesday called on Senate President Stanley Rosenberg to remove Joyce from all committee posts, including his chairmanship of a Special Senate Committee to Improve Government. Hughes said the Globe had published "the third detailed report of Joyce's apparent flaunting of ethics and campaign finance laws." "The people of Massachusetts are sick and tired of the culture of corruption in the Democratic Legislature where conflicts of interest and abuse of power appear to be fringe benefits," Hughes said. "Senator Brian Joyce is Exhibit A demonstrating why Senate President Rosenberg is flat wrong to want to weaken state ethics rules. Instead, he should make an example of Senator Joyce by removing him from all Senate committees until a thorough investigation can determine the full extent of Joyce's wrongdoing." The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance took it a step further calling for Joyce's resignation. Executive Director Paul Craney described Joyce as the "face of old-time strong-arm tactics and back room bargaining." "Brian Joyce clearly lacks a moral compass. He has used his Senate office for personal financial gain. No amount of dry cleaning will remove this stain. This kind of corruption is intolerable," Craney said in a statement. Rosenberg's chief of staff Natasha Perez said any further action the Senate might take would wait until after the findings of the investigations by OCPF and the Ethics Commission are presented. "Senate President Rosenberg referred the issue of Senator Joyce's conduct to the State Ethics Commission last May, as requested by Senator Joyce. Rather than deal with these matters piecemeal, it makes sense to defer to completion of the Ethics Commission and OCPF proceedings before any Senate consideration," Perez said, in a statement. The Globe on Tuesday also re-reported that Joyce has faced criticism in connection with the discounted purchase of sunglasses for his colleagues. "In late 2014, he obtained 40 pairs of $234 sunglasses as holiday gifts for his colleagues but didn't pay until the Globe asked about them," the Globe reported. "Even then, he paid only $3,641, mostly from campaign funds, instead of the full price, more than $11,000." In his statement on Tuesday, Joyce said the sunglasses matter was investigated by the Ethics Commission and the agency "closed out this matter as unworthy of any further action." Asked for evidence that the matter was closed out, a Joyce spokeswoman, Tara Frier, said the commission's lawyer contacted Joyce "to let him know that they were closing out the sunglass matter." The Globe in early May published an article suggesting Joyce had "frequently blurred the lines between his public duties and his private business," including his advocacy before state regulators on behalf of Energi, a client and Peabody company that sells insurance to businesses in the energy sector. On May 8, Joyce relinquished leadership posts he held under Rosenberg, who sent a letter to the State Ethics Commission requesting a full investigation into Joyce's conduct. In a letter to Rosenberg, Joyce in May said he would cooperate with the Ethics Commission investigation, and remained confident the review would find that he "conducted himself appropriately." Joyce gave up his position as assistant majority leader and chair of the Bills in Third Reading Committee, but as the News Service reported in June, he has held on to his chairmanship of the Special Senate Committee to Improve Government and continues to sit on the Health Care Financing Committee and Senate Redistricting Committee. Senators created the government improvement committee on April 15, adopting a Joyce order establishing a panel charged with "examining and evaluating performance, efficiency, service-delivery and transparency across all public agencies, quasi-public entities and municipalities . . . " At the time, Joyce said the panel would "likely" produce legislation. Joyce told the News Service in June that the committee would begin holding hearings after July 1, touting plans to call Gov. Charlie Baker, constitutional officers and a long lineup of top Beacon Hill officials before his panel at six hearings focused on government oversight and improved performance, executive office efficiency, municipal efficiency, judicial efficiency, information technology, and long-term liabilities. "None of that has taken place. It's on hold," James Warren, director of communications in Joyce's Senate office, told the News Service Tuesday afternoon. Reached by the News Service, Joyce declined comment on the committee's work, but said that he has cooperated with both agencies reviewing his actions and had "hoped" the investigations would be completed by now. Sen. Cynthia Creem, an assistant majority leader and chair of the Senate Ethics Committee, said she would not consider her own internal review of Joyce until seeing the findings of the agencies investigating the senator. "I think, as far as I know because I did read the story, all of this is before the Ethics Commission and that's where it is. My understanding was that we were deferring our doing something until we got something from the Ethics Commission because he brought it before them. There's no sense for us to do something and them to do something," Creem told the News Service. Asked whether she found the allegations against her colleagues troublesome, Creem said she would not comment so as not to create a conflict should the Ethics Committee ever decide to take up Joyce's case. "I personally, as chair of Ethics, cannot comment because I don't want it to appear that I have any prejudice. All I've done is read the story. I haven't talked to him. I haven't talked to the cleaner, the assistant, the new owner, the old owner, so it wouldn't be right for me to say this is bothersome and that's bothersome and not be able to deal with it if it came before me. I want to be neutral," she said. Sen. William Brownsberger, the vice-chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee, similarly declined to comment on Joyce, saying the committee had not discussed a separate review. David Price, Dave Dombrowski Boston Red Sox's David Price puts on his new jersey as he listens to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski during a press conference announcing his signing earlier this offseason. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson) So how does the the David Price-led Boston Red Sox starting rotation compare with the other staffs in the American League East? A major concern with Boston's rotation is only starters, David Price and Rick Porcello, have ever reached 200 innings in a season. But all the other staffs in the division share the same issue. Just one Blue Jays starter (R.A. Dickey) has ever reached the 200-inning plateau. Same with the Yankees (CC Sabathia who last reached 200 innings in 2013). Of note, Yankees' Nathan Eovaldi recorded a career-high 199 2/3 innings in 2014. That dropped to 154 1/3 frames in '15. Like Boston, the Baltimore Orioles rotation includes two 200-inning pitchers. Chris Tillman did it both in 2013 and 2014. Ubaldo Jimenez last reached the total in 2010. One Tampa Bay starter has reached the milestone. Chris Archer hurled 212 innings in '15. The other main concern with the Red Sox is the lack of a proven No. 2 starter behind Price. But none of the AL East clubs have a legit No. 2 -- only starters with the potential to be a No. 2 -- and Baltimore lacks a true ace. The argument also can be made the Yankees lack a true ace as Masahiro Tanaka has pitched well but certainly not superb. Let's break down each staff (2015 stats included): BOSTON RED SOX David Price, LHP: 18-5 record, 2.45 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 225 strikeouts, 32 starts, 220 1/3 innings. Eduardo Rodriguez: LHP: 10-6 record, 3.85 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 98 strikeouts, 21 starts, 121 2/3 innings. Clay Buchholz, RHP: 7-7 record, 3.26 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 107 strikeouts, 18 starts, 113 1/3 innings. Rick Porcello, RHP: 9-15 record, 4.92 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 149 strikeouts, 28 starts, 172 innings. Joe Kelly, RHP: 10-6 record, 4.82 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 110 strikeouts, 25 starts, 134 1/3. Roenis Elias, LHP: 5-8 record, 4.14 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 97 strikeouts, 22 outings, 20 starts, 115 1/3 innings. Brian Johnson, LHP: 0-1 record, 8.31 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 3 strikeouts, 1 start, 4 1/3 innings. Henry Owens, LHP: 4-4 record, 4.57 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 50 strikeouts, 11 starts, 63 strikeouts. Steven Wright, RHP: 5-4 record, 4.09 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 52 strikeouts, 16 outings, 9 starts, 72 2/3 innings. Red Sox Concerns: As mentioned above, Price and Porcello are the lone Red Sox starters to have reached 200 innings in a season but Boston does boast strong depth with Elias, Johnson, Owens and Wright. Porcello and Kelly both pitched well during the final two months of '15 when the Red Sox were out of the playoff race. The obvious question is whether they can carry that success into 2016 when the pressure will return. Will Rodriguez progress in '16 or face a sophomore slump? Buchholz's health always is a concern but again, starting pitching depth is a strength. TORONTO BLUE JAYS Marcus Stroman, RHP: 4-0 record, 1.67 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 18 strikeouts, 4 starts, 27 innings. Marco Estrada, RHP: 13-8 record, 3.13 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 131 strikeouts, 34 outings, 28 starts, 181 innings R.A. Dickey, RHP: 11-11 record, 3.91 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 126 strikeouts, 33 starts, 214 1/3 innings. J.A. Happ, LHP: 11-8 record, 3.61 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 151 strikeouts, 32 outings, 31 starts, 172 innings Jesse Chavez, RHP: 7-15 record, 4.18 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 136 strikeouts, 30 outings, 26 starts, 157 innings. Drew Hutchison, RHP: 13-5 record, 5.57 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 129 strikeouts, 30 outings, 28 starts, 150 1/3 innings. Aaron Sanchez, RHP: 7-6 record, 3.22 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 61 strikeouts, 41 outings, 11 starts, 92 1/3 innings. Joe Biagini, RHP: No major league experience. This 25-year-old's stats at Double A in 2015: 10-7 record, 2.42 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 23 outings, 22 starts. Blue Jays Concerns: Toronto signed J.A. Happ to a three-year, $36-million deal but is he worth it? Happ pitched for the Jays from 2012-14, going just 19-20 with a 4.39 ERA in 58 outings, including 50 starts. He recorded an 3.61 ERA in '15 but he went 4-6 with a 4.64 ERA in 21 outings, 20 starts for Seattle. He then went 7-2 with a 1.85 ERA in 11 starts for Pittsburgh. And so he struggled in the AL before experiencing success in the NL. He owns a career 4.46 ERA in the AL compared to a career 3.92 ERA in the NL. Just one starter (Dickey) has reached 200 innings. Is Stroman ready to be the ace? He pitched extremely well when he returned late last season but he has made only 24 career starts. Will Estrada duplicate his 2015 success? He has a career 3.95 ERA in 188 outings, including 99 starts. He owns a career 3.93 ERA as a starter. NEW YORK YANKEES Masahiro Tanaka, RHP: 12-7 record, 3.51 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 24 starts, 139 strikeouts, 154 innings. Michael Pineda, RHP: 12-10 record, 4.37 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 156 strikeouts, 160 2/3 innings. Nathan Eovaldi, RHP: 14-3 record, 4.20 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 121 strikeouts, 27 starts 154 1/3 innings. CC Sabathia, LHP: 6-10 record, 4.73 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 137 strikeouts, 29 starts, 167 1/3 innings. Luis Severino, RHP: 5-3 record, 2.89 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 56 strikeouts, 11 starts, 62 1/3 innings. Ivan Nova, RHP: 6-11 record, 5.07 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 63 strikeouts, 17 starts, 94 innings. Bryan Mitchell, RHP: 0-2 record, 6.37 ERA, 1.79 WHIP, 29 strikeouts, 20 outings, 2 starts, 29 2/3 innings. Luis Cessa, RHP: No major league experience. The 23-year-old 8-10 with a 4.52 ERA in 25 starts combined between Double A and Triple A in '15. Yankees Concerns: New York's biggest concern is health. Per NJ.com, "Each and every member of the Yankees' rotation comes with a red flag. For Masahiro Tanaka, it's his elbow. Ditto for Nathan Eovaldi. For CC Sabathia, it's his knee. Michael Pineda's got a balky shoulder and Luis Severino's got a violent motion, and he's never pitched a full big-league season because last season he was a just a 21-year-old rookie." Tanaka hasn't pitched like a true ace. And the Yankees lack quality depth behind their not-so durable top five starters. BALTIMORE ORIOLES Chris Tillman, RHP: 11-11 record, 4.99 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 120 strikeouts, 31 starts, 173 innings. Miguel Gonzalez, RHP: 9-12 record, 4.91 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 109 strikeouts, 26 starts, 144 2/3 innings. Ubaldo Jimenez, RHP: 12-10 record, 4.11 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 168 strikeouts, 32 starts, 184 innings. Kevin Gausman, RHP: 4-7 record, 4.25 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 103 strikeouts, 25 outings, 17 starts 112 1/3 innings. Mike Wright, RHP: 3-5 record, 6.04 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 26 strikeouts, 12 outings, 9 starts, 44 2/3 innings. Tyler Wilson, RHP: 2-2 record, 3.50 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 13 strikeouts, 9 outings, 5 starts, 36 innings. Vance Worley, RHP: 4-6 record, 4.02 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 49 strikeouts, 23 outings, 8 starts, 71 2/3 innings. Dylan Bundy, RHP: Top pitching prospect who has battled injuries. The 23-year-old went 0-3 with a 3.68 ERA in eight starts at Double A in '15. Chris Lee, LHP: No major league experience. Went 10-10 with a 3.29 ERA in 28 outings, 27 starts, in the minors in '15 (Low A, High A, Double A). Chris Jones, LHP: No major league experience. The 27-year-old went 8-8 with a 2.94 ERA in 30 outings, 22 starts, in Triple A last year. Parker Bridwell, RHP: No major league experience. The 24-year-old went 4-5 with a 3.99 ERA in 18 starts at Double A last year. Orioles Concerns: The biggest issue right now is the Orioles still need to acquire a starter before spring training. They have yet to replace Wei-Yin Chen, who posted a 3.72 ERA in 117 starts the past four seasons. Tillman and Gonzalez both had disappointing years in 2015. They need to bounce back in 2016 for Baltimore to make the postseason. Right now, the Orioles lack depth and they are without a true ace. TAMPA BAY RAYS Chris Archer, RHP: 12-13 record, 3.23 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 252 strikeouts, 34 starts, 212 innings. Jake Odorizzi, RHP: 9-9 record, 3.35 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 150 strikeouts, 28 starts, 169 1/3 innings. Drew Smyly, LHP: 5-2 record, 3.11 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 77 strikeouts, 12 starts, 66 2/3 innings. Matt Moore, LHP: 3-4 record, 5.43 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 46 strikeouts, 12 starts, 63 innings. Erasmo Ramirez, RHP: 11-6 record, 3.75 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 126 strikeouts, 34 outings, 27 starts, 163 1/3 innings. Alex Cobb, RHP: Did not pitch in 2015. Expected to return from Tommy John surgery at some point during second half. Alex Colome, RHP: 8-5 record, 3.94 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 88 strikeouts, 43 outings, 13 starts, 109 2/3 innings. Matt Andriese, RHP: 3-5 record, 4.11 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 49 strikeouts, 25 outings, 8 starts, 65 2/3 innings. Chase Whitley, RHP: 1-2 record, 4.19 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 16 strikeouts, 4 starts, 19 1/3 innings. Blake Snell, LHP: No major league experience. The 23-year-old went 15-4 with a 1.41 ERA in 25 outings, 23 starts, between High A, Double A and Triple A in '15. Jacob Faria, RHP: No major league experience. The 22-year-old went 17-4 with a 1.92 ERA in 25 outings, 23 starts, combined between High A and Double A in 2015. Taylor Guerrieri, RHP: No major league experience. The 23-year-old went 5-3 with a 1.85 ERA in 20 outings, 18 starts, combined between High A and Double A in '15. German Marquez, RHP: No major league experience. The 20-year-old went 7-13 with a 3.56 ERA in 26 outings, 23 starts, in High A during 2015. Rays Concerns: Staying healthy is the biggest key. Odorizzi pitched a career-high 169 1/3 innings in 2015. Smyly pitched a career-high 153 innings in 2014, but hurled only 66 2/3 innings in '15 because of a shoulder injury. Moore struggled in his return from Tommy John surgery last year. It should be interesting to see how much stronger he is this year. Alex Cobb is a legit No. 2 behind Archer but he underwent Tommy John surgery last May. He should return in the second half but how he pitches is anyone's guess. This staff actually has a lot of potential but too many questions exist right now concerning health. Daniel Bard Then-Boston Red Sox pitcher Daniel Bard delivers to the Detroit Tigers on May 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) Former Boston Red Sox reliever Daniel Bard has signed a minor league contract without an invite to major league spring training camp, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Bard posted a dominant 1.93 ERA and 1.00 WHIP for the Red Sox in 73 outings during 2010, then recorded a 3.33 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 70 relief outings during 2011. But it all fell apart for him during the 2012 season. He lost control of all his pitches. He posted a 6.22 ERA and 1.74 WHIP while averaging 6.5 walks per nine innings and hitting eight batters in 17 games (10 starts). His control issued only got worse for him in the minors in '12. He had a 8.16 ERA and 1.88 WHIP while averaging 8.2 walks per nine innings in 32 innings of relief for Triple-A Pawtucket. He hit 10 batters and threw nine wild pitches. He hasn't pitched since 2014 with a Texas Rangers' Single-A affiliate. commute snow.jpg A storm rolling in Tuesday afternoon is expected to make for a difficult evening commute, according to the National Weather Service. (Don Treeger/The Republican file photo) We won't get a lot, but in a winter that's been been snowless and mild any amount of snow is notable. Especially when it falls during a weekday commute. The National Weather Service is forecasting 1 to 2 inches in most areas across the state, although higher elevations could see 3 or 4 inches. The snow will start moving into Western Massachusetts between 3 and 4 p.m. Tuesday and will reach Northeastern Massachusetts by 6 p.m., the National Weather Service reports. In other words, right during the rush hour traffic. Heavier snow squalls could occur across north central and Northeastern Massachusetts around Route 2, Route 3 and the northern end of Interstate 495. Snow should taper off by early this evening as temperatures drop from the low 30s into the low 20s overnight. We'll see partly sunny skies for the rest of the week until Friday night when the chance of more snow mixed with rain, freezing rain and sleet is possible. Education dominated Idaho Gov. Butch Otters 10th State of the State message to lawmakers on Monday, as he laid out an aggressive plan to boost public schools and higher education in Idaho. "We made promises during the Great Recession that we are duty-bound to fulfill," the third-term governor told a joint session of the Idaho Legislature, including restoring cuts the state made to education. "And now, we have the financial means." By Betsy Z. Russell Full Story: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/jan/11/otter-wants-boost-for-idaho-schools-higher-ed/ Conrad Anker sees the positive publicity surrounding the film as "soft diplomacy" for Bozeman and the climbing community. Bozemans legendary alpinist Conrad Anker will learn Thursday morning if the documentary film "Meru" is nominated for an Academy Award. The cinematic inspiration, which has already advanced once in the Oscar process, chronicles Ankers attempt to summit Indias 21,850-foot Mount Meru with Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk. "The Academy (of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) is all something new to me," Anker said Monday during an interview at his Bozeman home. "This is the only time Ive ever gotten close to it and the only time I ever will. If it comes through its going to be a good thing." By Troy Carter Chronicle Staff Writer Full Story: http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/anker-hopes-waits-for-meru-oscar-nomination/article_eb5f442d-866b-570a-bfb5-1b4908105e28.html 1st Place: $5,000 | 2nd Place: $2,500 | 3rd Place: $1,000 Submissions open January 4 through February 19, 2016 What is Shark Tank? A live business plan competition designed to make your business idea a reality, featured at the Invest in Success small business conference in Havre at MSU Northern, March 15-16. Who can enter the competition? Montana start-up/preventure entrepreneurs in the "idea phase" whose gross revenue and investments to date are under $5000. Enter now: https://t.e2ma.net/message/ubbgk/qk7jif Boating adventures of the crew on the motor vessel "Sunset Delight" - a Krogen Express 52 (Blog entries prior to January 2017 cover travels, including our Great Loop Trip, on our previous motor vessel - a 350 Mainship named "Sea Moss" thus the name of the blog.) Chicken will be the best-positioned protein due to its low price position in times of pressure on consumer spending power but rises in production costs and the long-term impact of COVID-19 threaten to disrupt the sector, according to Rabobank. by Gordon Plutsky , Columnist, January 11, 2016 One of the most important lessons I teach MBA students is to look at audience data and hard evidence when making marketing decisions. Its a danger to let your personal bias cloud a strategic decision. I was reminded of that advice last week when the Boston Globes decision to change delivery companies caused a torrent of subscriber anger. In an effort to save money and supposedly improve service, they switched to a new and untested company to deliver roughly 115,000 daily newspapers. It was a poorly handled fiasco, both from an operational standpoint and the PR efforts to sooth upset readers, but thats another story. If you are a digital marketer, your first thought may be surprise that so many people in a highly educated and tech-savvy metro area still get the dead tree version of the Globe. It is dropped at their door each morning and is literally filled with day-old news. The bigger insight was learned when the new delivery company messed up and an estimated tens of thousand papers did not get delivered. The uproar and reaction was swift, loud and angry from the print subscribers. advertisement advertisement It is hard to believe the Globe would put this much revenue in danger with a poorly conceived plan. The entire episode serves to remind us how much newspapers are dependent on revenue from print subscriptions and ads. Those 115,000 subscribers pay roughly $700 a year, which is a cool $80 million a year before factoring in advertising revenue. They get much less revenue for the digital version even though their digital product is far superior to the printed copy. As reported by MediaPosts Publishers Daily on Jan 7: Roughly half of newspaper readers said they read only the print edition of their local newspaper, according to data cited by the Pew Research Center. Pew surveyed consumers in three different mid-sized urban areas Denver, Macon, Ga., and Sioux City, Iowa about their news consumption habits. Despite their geographic, social and economic differences, in each place a similar proportion of newspaper readers said they read only the print version of their local newspaper: 46% in Denver, 48% in Macon and 53% in Sioux City. The overall figures, showing about half of readers consuming only print content, are roughly in line with a national survey that found 56% of readers have contact with only print newspaper content. It is estimated by Pew that many of these print newspaper-only readers are Boomers. It was clear that the Boomer portion of the audience had the greatest reaction because they are the most emotionally attached to print. Not just the physical paper, but the ritual of getting the paper off their driveway or front steps and starting their day spreading out the broadsheet and scanning the news. They missed curling up with coffee or tea and working the crossword puzzle or cutting coupons. It is easy to forget that until the mid-90s, this was the only way to read the news and, for Boomers, it is how they learned to read and interact with the world. Their brains are wired for print in the same way Gen Z is wired for mobile. Marketers get caught up worrying about Millennials and the hard-core digital natives that come after them. Those of us in Gen X straddle both worlds and represent the transition from old to new media. It is very likely the vast majority of people under 35 will never subscribe to a print newspaper. That makes the Boomer audience critical to the survival of the entire industry. This incident should make marketers reconsider some of their ideas about reaching the group with the greatest wealth and disposable income Boomers. Their emotional attachment to newspapers could be leveraged to build strong omni-channel campaigns that lead to digital activation and conversions. The industry has been moving away from print advertising for obvious reasons in addition to the decline in time people spend with the medium. Print ads are neither clickable nor sharable and it is very hard to measure their effectiveness as a sales driver. In todays always-on, always-connected media environment, traditional brand image print ads feel like a waste of money, as they are a disconnected blip and classic interruptive media. Perhaps it is time to reevaluate print newspapers in respect to reaching Boomers. Custom content, advertorials and ads tied tightly to digital campaigns can reach Boomers where they may be going first each morning before firing up the digital device. That dynamic is an important distinction to make about this demographic. Their attachment to print newspapers is not instead of digital, but rather in concert with their use of online channels such as social and mobile. They are truly omni-channel media consumers and should be treated as such. Newspapers would be wise to give them extra attention because the next generation of print lovers are not walking through that door. by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, January 11, 2016 While there are numerous smart home gadgets available or coming to market, the idea of a totally smart home has yet to be realized at scale. Nest thermostats have been selling for some time, smart locks have been on the market for years and Samsung recently introduced their version of a smart refrigerator. The often-stated issue, of course, is how to get all of the things of The Internet of Things to work together. The most common current method is to convert a smartphone into a hub of sorts, to manage and coordinate connected objects. But there will be other ways, and some of them will be far more conducive to advertising and messaging. Though not yet available yet in the U.S., Chinese TV maker Hisense showed a rather impressive version of a connected home, one not requiring a smartphone, at CES in Las Vegas last week. Though not yet a household name in the U.S., Hisense last year acquired Sharp Americas TV business and also got the use of the Sharp brand name in North and South America. The Hisense smart home starts with a small hub, a small device that looks like a remote speaker and can be placed anywhere in a room. In the detailed demonstration I saw, appliances included an air conditioning system, refrigerator and washer and dryer, in different rooms but connected via the hub. While a person is watching TV and a wash is done, a message is sent to the TV set. Phone calls also are routed to the TV, which has been available in the U.S for some time. However, the TV also can be used as a control point to, say, start a wash or check its status. Or to change the room temperature, turn lights on and off in different rooms and check of a door is locked, all without leaving the couch. When a door to the house is opened, a message is routed to the TV. A smartphone also can be used, but isnt necessary. For CPG brands, one opportunity could be to leverage the smart knowledge from an appliance. For example, when a clothes wash is complete and detergent is low, the message to the television viewer could include a suggestion and opportunity to one-touch, re-order the current brand detergent or try a different one suggested. The purchase would occur at the TV viewing location, via the smart home hub. This system is currently only available in Asia but obviously is targeted ultimately to expand to the U.S. The logical progression is not necessarily for a homeowner to go purchase a house full of smart appliances to create their smart home. More likely will be that each appliance purchased moving forward will be a smart appliance, whether a consumer wants a smart one or not. But at least in the case of the Hisense approach, once a smart home hub is added, the appliances instantly become the foundation of the smart home. And the TV advertising of The Internet of Things then can run on the TV while TV programming and commercials are paused. by Karl Greenberg , January 12, 2016 The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), an auto dealership trade and lobbying organization, has completed a rebranding. The group changed its corporate logo and those of its sub-brands, including NADA Academy, NADA Convention and Expo, and NADA Retirement Program. NADAs redesign faces an audience not only of dealers, but of OEMs/partners, politicians, the media, and, probably to a lesser degree today than a few months ago, the public. "A strong and recognizable brand is critical to the individual success of each of our dealer members, just as it is critical to the success of the manufacturers of the vehicles our dealers sell and service," said NADA president Peter Welch, in a statement. "It's no different here at NADA." advertisement advertisement The group is also changing the name of its powerful lobbying group to NADA PAC from the Dealers Election Action Committee. NADA PAC is the third-largest trade association action committee by contributions. There are some 16,500 dealerships in the U.S. challenged from several sides, including new companies, Tesla and beyond, that are not likely to embrace franchised dealerships. If Teslas model becomes a social change agent, the franchise model could be in deep trouble. And then theres technology, a force majeure for the business. About 80% of car buyers go to third-party sites to shop, and in a study in 2014, McKinsey found that half of millennials who bought cars used mobile devices. No doubt that number has growth rapidly since then. NADA, which is getting out of the consumer info business, having last year sold the NADA Used Car Guide to J.D. Power, is focusing on dealer advocacy on the Hill, per Welch. Enabling NADA to better focus on its core mission of enhancing America's new-car dealer network, and advocating on behalf of our dealer members in Washington, D.C., has been one of my primary objectives as president of NADA," said NADA president Peter Welch, in a statement. "Whether we're talking about mobilizing our grassroots network, testifying before Congress, or the sign on our door, if it's going to benefit America's franchised new-car and truck dealers, then NADA is going to do it." by Sara Guaglione , January 12, 2016 IDG Corp., the Boston-based, tech-publishing company that owns media brands like PCWorld and InfoWorld, is considering selling the company. IDG has enlisted the help of investment bank Goldman Sachs to explore their options. IDG Corp., the Boston-based, tech-publishing company that owns media brands like PCWorld and InfoWorld, is considering selling the company. IDG has enlisted the help of investment bank Goldman Sachs to explore their options. Media industry adviser Peter Kreisky told the Boston Herald that he expects IDG could sell for more than $7 billion. Kreisky, the chairman of Kreisky Media Consultancy in New York, said that big players would find the company very attractive. Buyers could include Reed Elsevier PLC, Axel Springer SE, Hearst Corp. and Nikkei Inc., he added. Nikkei already has a licensing partnership with IDG and just bought the Financial Times from Pearson last summer for $1.3 billion. advertisement advertisement In response to certain operating requirements of the foundation, IDGs board of directors has retained Goldman Sachs to map out the companys strategic options spokesman Josh London told the Boston Herald. Our goal is to determine the optimal future balance between whats best for IDG and Pat McGoverns mission for the foundation. The announcement by the publisher and producer of conferences like Demo and MacWorld comes nearly two years after the death of IDG founder and chairman Patrick McGovern. At the time, IDG was the 112th-largest private U.S. company with an estimated $3.8 billion in revenue. After McGoverns death, ownership of IDG was transferred to the McGovern estate for the benefit of the McGovern Foundation, which focuses on neuroscience and IT. One source told Folio that the company is very serious about a sale. Another told the publication that the process of a sale has just begun and bids are still another three to six months away. Sources also told Folio that the estate prefers to sell the company as a unit; breaking up the different divisions would require a lengthy sales process. Insiders told Fortune theyve been told of four possible scenarios: a sale to a third party, a management buyout, an investment by venture capital firms or nothing. McGovern started IDG in 1964 and launched Computerworld, its first publication, in 1967. IDG has grown worldwide to 460 Web sites, 200 mobile sites and apps and 179 print titles. It produces 700-plus events in 67 countries and employs more than 13,000 people worldwide. In 2014, IDG shuttered the print edition of Macworld and turned it into a digital-only brand. Its last print magazine, CIO, was shut down last October and went digital only. However, the company still maintains print magazines in several international markets. It is becoming increasingly common for US states to mandate that breast density information be reported to patients. Breasts are defined as (a) mostly fatty, (b) scattered density, (c) consistent density or (d) extremely dense. Women classified in categories (c) and (d) may be offered supplemental screening with ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI ). Women with more dense tissue than fatty tissue are considered to have dense breasts. Non-dense breast tissue appears dark and transparent on a mammogram, whereas dense breast tissue appears as a solid white area, making it harder to see through and potentially increasing the risk of missing a breast cancer diagnosis. Higher breast density also modestly increases a womans risk of developing breast cancer. Breast tissue is composed of milk glands, milk ducts and supportive tissue, which is the dense breast tissue, and fatty tissue, which is non-dense breast tissue. Up to 19% of women are being incorrectly determined as having dense or non-dense breasts due to inconsistency in measuring breast density. Moreover, supplemental breast cancer screenings for women with dense breasts are greatly increasing the chance of both true and false positive results, says research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. However, the current study shows this approach may not be supported by strong scientific evidence, as it appears to be difficult to assess accurately whether a woman has dense breasts to begin with. Researchers from the University of California-Davis systematically reviewed 24 studies to examine evidence on the consistency of breast density category assignment and on supplemental screening beyond standard mammography for women with dense breasts. One study showed that different radiologists assigned the same BI-RADS category to an individual woman only 82% of the time. Other data showed that as many as 22% of women were reclassified from dense to non-dense, or vice versa, on consecutive mammograms. Additional diagnostic tests for women thought to have dense breasts find some additional breast cancers; however, no studies have examined womens long-term health outcomes after supplemental screening beyond diagnosis. Joy Melnikow, director of the Center for Healthcare Policy and Research at UC Davis and first author on the paper, would like to see long-term, rigorous research to achieve better standardization of breast density classification and determine whether supplemental screenings provide actual health benefits for women. A statement made by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) in the same publication says there is insufficient evidence to assess the balance of benefits and harms for supplemental screening of women with dense breasts with ultrasound, MRI or other modalities. Melnikow says: It is important to be clear who actually has dense breasts. Also, when patients are told their breasts are either dense or not dense, they need to have confidence in that assessment. It is important that policies come from the evidence. It is also important that women not overreact to information about their breast density. Melnikow suggests that the policy may be out in front of the science, and questions whether using mammography and ultrasound to find more breast cancers is really beneficial to womens health. In a linked editorial, Dr. Wendie A. Berg, of Magee-Womens Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh, PA, says that women with dense breasts who are interested in supplemental screening should be offered the chance, but adds that guidance to help them to make the right choice is sorely needed. Medical News Today recently reported that a high sugar intake may increase the risk of breast cancer. Since Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit Earth in 1957, we have been learning how the human body changes under low gravity. The effects of space travel on muscle and bone, brain and nerves, heart and circulation, sleep, digestion and exercise, and many other body functions continue to be subjects of scientific discovery and investigation. Share on Pinterest The researchers say their discovery about genetic differences and vision problems in astronauts may have profound implications for the general population. More recently, missions on board the International Space Station have revealed previously unreported effects of long-duration space flight on eyesight. Now, a study published in The FASEB Journal reports a new and significant finding in this area, as senior author Dr. Scott M. Smith, a researcher in the Biomedical Research and Environmental Sciences Division at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX, explains: Weve identified a genetic link in astronauts with vision issues. He and his colleagues discovered that two significant genetic differences can affect astronaut vision. The differences influence enzymes that direct an essential biochemical process in cells. Dr. Smith explains that, while they have not identified the exact mechanism that leads to vision problems, their findings narrow down who to study and should hasten the search for the cause and how to treat the problem. There are many challenges facing researchers looking for ways to create tissue-like materials for medical research and clinical use. Much progress has been made with various types of hydrogel, as they can replicate the pliable, watery habitats of biological cells, but they lack the mechanical structure of soft tissue. Share on Pinterest The new liquid crystalline hydrogel shown here in a dry state should enable the design of biomaterials that interact with body fluids, say the authors. Image credit: Syracuse University Now, a study from Syracuse University in New York describes how it is possible to combine the properties of hydrogels with those of liquid crystals to produce new medical materials that have the same mechanical properties as the soft tissues of the body. The researchers report their findings in the Journal of Polymer Science B: Polymer Physics. Hydrogels polymer chains that can absorb water are increasingly being used as biomaterials because they are fluid-like and water-loving, and can have elastic properties. For example, they are being investigated for wound repair. Liquid crystals are fluid-like, but they also maintain a crystal structure so they do not lose their 3D shape. However, because they are not water-loving, on their own, they do not make good candidates for biomaterials to use in the body. Scientists have been experimenting with biomaterials that combine the properties of hydrogels with those of liquid crystals. Such materials could have important applications because they keep their shape and mimic tissue so well that they are not viewed as a foreign body. But there are many challenges to producing such medical materials. For example, adding the hydrogel to the liquid crystals does make them water-loving; it can also destroy the structural order of their crystallinity. In African children, a 3-dose intramuscular (i.m.) artesunate regimen is non-inferior to the WHO-recommended regimen for the treatment of severe malaria, according to a trial published this week in PLOS Medicine. The trial, conducted by Peter Kremsner at Eberhard Karls Universitat Tubingen, Tubingen, Germany and Hopital Albert Schweitzer, Lambarene, Gabon, and colleagues, did not show non-inferiority of a similar 3-dose intravenous (i.v.) regimen. WHO recommends that patients with severe malaria be given a 5-dose i.m. or i.v. regimen of artesunate at the time of admission (0 hours) and at 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours. In resource-limited settings, administering five doses on schedule can be challenging. In this open-label, non-inferiority randomized controlled trial, the researchers investigated the efficacy of three-dose i.m. and i.v. artesunate at 0, 24, and 48 hours. Among the 1,002 children who received per-protocol regimens, 78% in the three-dose i.m. group had 99% parasite clearance at 24 hours compared to 79% in the five-dose i.m. group, a result that met a preset criterion for non-inferiority. The three-dose i.v. regimen did not meet the non-inferiority criterion. Combined with the results of several secondary analyses, these findings provide evidence that a three-dose i.m. artesunate regimen may be used for treatment of severe malaria in African children. The study's open-label design may limit the accuracy of its findings. Due to practical constraints, the primary endpoint was parasite clearance at 24 hours rather than survival. Further studies are needed to clarify whether treatment with artesunate or the malaria infection itself was responsible for the delayed anemia observed in 22% of participants. The authors state, "Simplifying [artesunate] usage with a once daily i.m. regimen in severe malaria is supported by our results, but because delayed anemia is common, patients should be monitored for this complication." Trial registration: PACTR201102000277177. Malaysian scientists are joining forces with Harvard University experts to help revolutionize the treatment of lung diseases -- the delivery of nanomedicine deep into places otherwise impossible to reach. Under a five-year memorandum of understanding between Harvard and the University of Malaya, Malaysian scientists will join a distinguished team seeking a safe, more effective way of tackling lung problems including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the progressive, irreversible obstruction of airways causing almost 1 in 10 deaths today. Treatment of COPD and lung cancer commonly involves chemotherapeutics and corticosteroids misted into a fine spray and inhaled, enabling direct delivery to the lungs and quick medicinal effect. However, because the particles produced by today's inhalers are large, most of the medicine is deposited in the upper respiratory tract. The Harvard team, within the university's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is working on "smart" nanoparticles that deliver appropriate levels of diagnostic and therapeutic agents to the deepest, tiniest sacs of the lung, a process potentially assisted by the use of magnetic fields. Malaysia's role within the international collaboration: help ensure the safety and improve the effectiveness of nanomedicine, assessing how nanomedicine particles behave in the body, what attaches to them to form a coating, where the drug accumulates and how it interacts with target and non-target cells. Led by Joseph Brain, the Cecil K. and Philip Drinker Professor of Environmental Physiology, the research draws on extensive expertise at Harvard in biokinetics -- determining how to administer medicine to achieve the proper dosage to impact target cells and assessing the extent to which drug-loaded nanoparticles pass through biological barriers to different organs. The studies also build on decades of experience studying the biology of macrophages -- large, specialized cells that recognize, engulf and destroy target cells as part of the human immune system. Manipulating immune cells represents an important strategy for treating lung diseases like COPD and lung cancer, as well as infectious diseases including tuberculosis and listeriosis. Dr. Brain notes that every day humans breathe 20,000 litres of air loaded with bacteria and viruses, and that the world's deadliest epidemic -- an outbreak of airborne influenza in the 1920s -- killed tens of millions. Inhaled nanomedicine holds the promise of helping doctors prevent and treat such problems in future, reaching the target area more swiftly than if administered orally or even intravenously. This is particularly true for lung cancer, says Dr. Brain. "Experiments have demonstrated that a drug dose administered directly to the respiratory tract achieves much higher local drug concentrations at the target site." COPD meanwhile affects over 235 million people worldwide and is on the rise, with 80% of cases caused by cigarette smoking. Exacerbated by poor air quality, COPD is expected to rise from 5th to 3rd place among humanity's most lethal health problems by 2030. "Nanotechnology is making a significant impact on healthcare by delivering improvements in disease diagnosis and monitoring, as well as enabling new approaches to regenerative medicine and drug delivery," says Prof. Zakri Abdul Hamid, Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia. "Malaysia, through NanoMITe, is proud and excited to join the Harvard team and contribute to the creation of these life-giving innovations." Malaysia's NanoMITe The research effort with Harvard is one of several underway at the Malaysia Institute for Innovative Nanotechnology, initiated in 2013 through Malaysia's Global Science & Innovation Advisory Council, led by YAB Prime Minister Dato' Sri Najib Razak. Nanotechnology involves manipulation of matter at a molecular scale (up to 100 nanometers, a nanometer being one billionth of a meter), and creating special properties of matter that occur below a given size threshold. Based at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, NanoMITe's mission to engage in global scientific research collaborations to generate ideas, knowledge and products to benefit society while contributing to the national economy. Over 100 leading scientific collaborators at world-class academies in Asia, Europe and North America are pooling extensive expertise to make nanotech-enabled advances in health, the environment, energy, food production, and electronics. Says Idris Jusoh, Malaysia's Minister of Higher Education, NanoMITe's foremost financial supporter: "Together, science, technology and innovation constitute the engine that will drive Malaysia's sustainable economic development and nanotechnology research is on the cutting-edge of our pursuits. It is key to the solution of persistent problems throughout our societies but such breakthroughs can only be achieved through collaborative, international research across a spectrum of scientific fields and converging results. Our ministry is proud to support these efforts." Other NanoMITe research efforts include: Nanotech-enabled generation of renewable energy The energy-related research all involves nano scale molecular manipulation using novel local materials, catalysts, processes and technologies to create, for example: Low temperature solid-oxide fuel cells for the power industry; Flexible solar cells for economically viable, clean renewable energy; and Converting waste biomass from palm oil trees into jet fuel, which could add an estimated RM 30 billion to the Malaysian economy by 2020, help meet renewable energy targets and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Says Prof. Datuk Dr. Halimaton Hamdan of the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, head of NanoMITe: "A lot of materials in use today are characterized by low effectiveness and high energy consumption. Nanotechnologies are being used to create nanocomposites and catalysts that enable the production of lighter, more durable and stronger materials, more efficient use of resources and reducing energy consumption. Specific nanotechnologies will also create more efficient means of energy generation, storage and transportation." "We believe that within 20 years, nanotechnology could help reduce the intensity of energy needed to produce a unit of product by 45 percent." Converting greenhouse gases into valuable chemicals Malaysian scientists are also investigating the possibility that, via nanotech, captured greenhouse gases can serve as carbon feedstock for use in chemical production. Specifically, they're looking to design catalytic-nanomaterials to convert GHGs -- carbon dioxide and methane -- into renewable fuels, offering a potential contribution to energy supplies, mitigating climate change and advancing economic development. "Smart farming" with agricultural nanosensors Fungus-related problems are estimated to cost the South East Asian economy US$500 million every year. Once infected with a common fungus (G. boninense), young oil palm trees usually die within 1 to 2 years; mature trees may survive slightly longer. Now scientists at the Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Malaysia Perlis are developing nano-sensors and nano-based systems to create smart, precision farming to help address this expensive problem. With the aid of wireless communication networks, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Satellite Remote Sensing nanosensors embedded in trees, roots and soil can monitor and detect G. boninense disease. Automatic adjustments of pesticide applications, nutrients or irrigation levels would occur once disease, pests or drought are detected. Such a smart farming system could also help make more efficient use of water, nutrients, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and plant growth regulators, improving stability against crop degradation and reducing pollution. By understanding at nano scale the structure of the agricultural inputs and the soil, carriers can be designed to anchor plant roots to surrounding soil and organic matter. Prof. Zakri, a leader of the GSIAC, underlined the crucially important role of the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education to the NanoMITe program: "Without the Ministry's financial support and trust, NanoMITe could have never have been realized." Since prehistoric times, clays have been used by people for medicinal purposes. Whether by eating it, soaking in a mud bath, or using it to stop bleeding from wounds, clay has long been part of keeping humans healthy. Certain clays have also been found with germ-killing abilities, but how these work has remained unclear. A new discovery by Arizona State University scientists shows exactly how two specific metallic elements in the right kinds of clay can kill troublesome bacteria that infect humans and animals. "We think of this mechanism like the Trojan horse attack in ancient Greece," said Lynda Williams, a clay-mineral scientist at ASU's School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE). "Two elements in the clay work in tandem to kill bacteria." She explained, "One metallic element -- chemically reduced iron, which in small amounts is required by a bacterial cell for nutrition -- tricks the cell into opening its wall. Then another element -- aluminum -- props the cell wall open, allowing a flood of iron to enter the cell. This overabundance of iron then poisons the cell, killing it as the reduced iron becomes oxidized." "It's like putting a nail in the coffin of the dead bacteria," said Keith Morrison, Williams' former doctoral student, who is now at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Morrison is the lead author of the paper reporting the discovery, which was published Jan. 8 in Nature Scientific Reports. Rajeev Misra, a microbiology professor in ASU's School of Life Sciences (SOLS) is the third author of the paper. Morrison's work in Misra's laboratory gave insights into the mechanism by which clays work to kill bacteria. Both SESE and SOLS are units in the university's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. A critical part of the investigation involved the use of ASU's NanoSIMS, which is part of the National Science Foundation-supported Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Facility. The study also benefited from a variety of electron microscopes and X-ray equipment in the LeRoy Eyring Center for Solid State Science. French green clay leads to Oregon blue clay A chance discovery of a medicinal clay from Europe caught Williams' attention and put her on the track. A French philanthropist with clinical experience in Africa told her about a particular green-hued clay found near the philanthropist's childhood home in France. The philanthropist, Line Brunet de Courssou, had taken samples of the clay to Africa, where she documented its cure for Buruli ulcer, a flesh-eating skin disease, in patients in the African country of Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). Williams attempted to locate the site of the green clay deposit, which was in the French Massif Central region. When the search proved unsuccessful, she began systematically testing clays sold online as "healing clays." After testing dozens of samples, Williams and her team identified a blue-colored clay from the Oregon Cascades that proved to be highly antibacterial. The research reported in the paper shows that it works against a broad spectrum of human pathogens, including antibiotic-resistant strains such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The colors of the clays reflect their origins, Williams said. The greens and blues of antibacterial clays come from having a high content of chemically reduced iron (Fe2+), as opposed to oxidized iron (Fe3+), which gives the familiar red color of rust (Fe-oxide), often associated with many clays. Reduced clays are common in many parts of the world, typically forming in volcanic ash layers as rocks become altered by water that is oxygen-deprived and hydrogen-rich. "The novelty of this research is two-fold: identifying the natural environment of the formation of clays toxic to bacteria, and how the chemistry of these clays attacks and destroys the bacteria," said Enriqueta Barrera, a program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Earth Sciences, which funded the research. Because blue and green clays are found abundantly in nature, Williams said, this discovery of how their antibacterial action works should lead to alternative ways of treating infections and diseases that are persistent and hard to heal with antibiotics. Williams said, "Discovery of how natural clays kill human pathogens may lead to a new economic use of such clays and also to new drug designs." The Indiana University School of Medicine and the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS have joined forces to respond to a highly concentrated HIV epidemic driven by the injection of prescription opioids in Austin, Indiana. Austin, in Scott County, has an estimated population of 4,200 with approximately 10 percent of the population injecting opioids on a daily basis. Since early last year, 184 new HIV infections have been identified. The joint effort will provide an opportunity to leverage successes achieved by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS in British Columbia by applying its effective HIV Treatment as Prevention model to a rural setting in the United States. The National Institute on Drug Abuse, an agency of the National Institutes of Health, is supporting the effort with a two-year, $200,000 grant, with additional funding coming from the School of Medicine's Department of Medicine. "We are embarking on this project with a sense of optimism and hope, bolstered by the NIH support, the accomplishments of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and our expertise in delivering HIV care in resource-constrained settings," said Kara Wools-Kaloustian, M.D., associate professor of medicine and director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the IU School of Medicine. "We have a chance to reverse the course of this HIV epidemic by implementing fast-acting and effective evidence-based strategies. Using innovations in science and technology, as well as targeted and compassionate approaches to reach those affected by this outbreak, this has the potential to decrease HIV transmission and help save lives within the state of Indiana," she said. Through this effort, researchers will implement strategies and technologies previously shown to be successful in British Columbia and will investigate, track, and curb the spread of HIV in Indiana. The international team aims to identify factors that affect whether individuals seek and continue with HIV treatment. The team will apply mapping technology to track and assess risk factors for HIV transmission, and laboratory-based research will provide a precise, but anonymous, view into clustering of HIV transmission events. Finally, researchers will investigate how to effectively counter the public health harms of injection drug use through the expansion of harm reduction services and other programs at both the patient and system-level. "Treatment as Prevention has been implemented across diverse international jurisdictions from China to Panama to major cities within the United States," said Julio Montaner, M.D., director of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS who will be co-leading the research. "The situation in Indiana marks a critical need for implementing best practices in harm reduction and HIV prevention. Treatment as Prevention is a model for opening up access to early HIV treatment and care, for reducing stigma, and for targeted disease elimination," Dr. Montaner said. "Providing sustained, consistent treatment and care ensures that an individual's viral load decreases, dramatically reducing the likelihood of disease progression and secondarily stopping HIV transmission." "This is an excellent opportunity to expand the successful scientific model implemented within British Columbia and create public health programs that can save lives, applying lessons learned to a growing prescription opioid addiction and drug use problem," said Jacques Normand, Ph.D., director of AIDS Research at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS will work to complement efforts by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies to improve HIV prevention, diagnosis and care for the residents of Scott County. UCLA scientists have discovered that an overlooked region in brain cells houses a motherlode of mutated genes previously tied to autism. Recently published in Neuron, the finding could provide fresh drug targets and lead to new therapies for the disorder, which affects one in 68 children in the United States. "Our discovery will shed new light on how genetic mutations lead to autism," said principal investigator Dr. Kelsey Martin, interim dean and a professor of biological chemistry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "Before we can develop an effective therapy to target a gene, we must first understand how the gene operates in the cell." The UCLA team focused on a gene called Rbfox1, which regulates how the cell makes proteins - the molecular workhorses that perform essential tasks in cells. Proteins also help shape the body's tissues and organs, like the brain. "Identifying a gene's function is critical for molecular medicine," said coauthor Daniel Geschwind, the Gordon and Virginia MacDonald Distinguished Professor of Human Genetics and a professor of neurology and psychiatry at UCLA. "My colleagues discovered that Rbfox1 has an entirely new function that other scientists had overlooked." Earlier studies by Geschwind and others have linked mutations in Rbfox1 to an increased risk for autism, which makes Rbfox1 an especially important gene to study. To better understand how Rbfox1 functions, Martin teamed up with UCLA molecular geneticist Douglas Black. The two blended a cell biology approach with powerful DNA-sequencing technology to reveal the identities of the genes controlled by Rbfox1. "Our results turned up an exciting new set of genetic connections," said Black, a professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics. "We found that where Rbfox1 was located in the cell determined what genes it influenced." First author Ji-Ann Lee, a researcher in Martin's lab, compared Rbfox1's function in the cell's nucleus, or command center, to its function in the cytoplasm, the gel-like fluid that surrounds the cell's nucleus. "Scientists used to think that Rbfox1 worked primarily in the nucleus to allow genes to make multiple proteins. We were surprised to see that Rbfox1 also controls more than 100 genes in the cytoplasm," Lee said. "A majority of these genes encode proteins critical to the brain's development and have been tied to autism risk." Furthermore, the genes controlled by Rbfox1 in the cell's nucleus were completely different from those it controlled in the cell's cytoplasm. The UCLA team's separation of these two functions revealed that the genes targeted by RBfox1 in the cell's cytoplasm were highly enriched in proteins vital to the developing brain. Autism risk increases when these genes go awry. "While some experts have hinted at the role of cytoplasmic genes in autism risk, no one has explored it in actual cells before," said Martin, who is also a professor of psychiatry at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. "Our study is the first to discover that dozens of autism risk genes reside in the cytoplasm and share common pathways in regulating the brain cells." To pinpoint new drug targets, the researchers' next step will be to learn how Rbfox1 controls genes in the cytoplasm. "This is a fundamental discovery that poses significant treatment implications," Geschwind concluded. "Because so many genes are linked to autism risk, identifying common pathways where these genes overlap will greatly simplify our ability to develop new treatments." The study was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Brain and Behavior Research Foundation. UCLA scientists Andrey Damianov, Chia-Ho Lin, Mariana Fontes, Neelroop Parkshak and Erik Anderson also contributed to the research. People's ethnic origin can significantly influence whether they are likely to need hospital treatment for asthma, a study has found. Researchers have shown that people of Pakistani origin have a 50 per cent increased risk of being admitted to hospital for asthma compared with White Scottish patients. The study also showed that people of Chinese origin were 40 per cent less likely to be admitted to hospital than White Scottish patients. Researchers studied data on more than 4.5 million people in Scotland from 2001 to 2010, making this one of the largest ever investigations into ethnicity and asthma. The team securely linked anonymised national census data from 2001 with hospital and mortality records. The use of census data was important because ethnicity was not sufficiently recorded in NHS records to permit a detailed analysis. They compared the hospital admission and mortality rates of ethnic minority groups against those of the White Scottish population. Researchers say the significant differences between hospitalisation rates is unlikely to be explained by differences in the prevalence of the condition. Instead, it may be attributable to lack of awareness about the condition, greater severity of disease or differences in the quality of care. The findings have been published in the journal BMC Medicine. The study follows previous research, recently published in the Journal for Public Health, which is the first study to link health data from GP records with national census information. Researchers say this pilot study shows potential for research on a larger scale to help explain some of the variations in other health outcomes by ethnic group. Professor Raj Bhopal, Professor of Public Health at the University of Edinburgh's Usher Institute said that the ethnic difference is not simply due to country of birth or low socio-economic status. "This study of over 4.5 million people has clearly shown that there are major variations in the risk of asthma admission between ethnic groups. Much more detective work is required to unravel the causes of these ethnic variations and, in particular, understand why the Chinese origin population does so well in comparison with other ethnic groups," Prof Bhopal said. Professor Aziz Sheikh, who led the research at The University of Edinburgh's Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research said the study reveals striking differences in the impact of asthma on patients among ethnic groups. Said Prof Sheikh: "We want to understand why the Chinese people have such good outcomes and whether there are any potentially transferable lessons to other populations." Dr Samantha Walker, Director of Research & Policy at Asthma UK, said: "These findings are significant because it is the first time such a large study has been carried out, looking at 92% of the Scottish population. Tragically, the lives of three families are devastated by the death of a loved one to an asthma attack every day. The reasons for the differences in this study need more research, but it's important everyone with asthma understands how serious it can be." Irene Johnstone, Head of The British Lung Foundation (Scotland and Northern Ireland), said: "These are fascinating findings. Further research is now needed to understand why these variations occur, whether these patterns hold true in other UK nations and how we might use this understanding to make improvements for people living with lung disease. We hope this work will lay the foundations for improving respiratory outcomes for all." The study was funded by the Chief Scientist Office, British Lung Foundation and NHS Health Scotland. Scientists headed by Raul Mendez, ICREA research professor at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), and Mercedes Fernandez, at IDIBAPS in Barcelona, reveal that the inhibition of CPEB4 protein may prevent the development of the abnormal blood vessels associated with cirrhosis. Pathological angiogenesis is one of the most serious complications in patients with cirrhosis and a key factor in the development and worsening of the disease. Consequently, many research efforts focus on identifying treatments for this condition. The results of the study have been published in the most recent issue of Gastroenterology. In Western countries, cirrhosis is among the 10 leading causes of death among adults. It is a very common disease in Spain and the leading cause of liver transplantation in this country. It is responsible for a high rate of hospital admissions and use of health resources due to complications that occur in advanced stages of the disease. Perverse repairing effect Cirrhosis is a chronic lesion characterised by the accumulation of scar tissue (fibrous nodules), which alters the normal structure and function of the organ. Chronic hepatic lesions are caused mainly by alcoholism, hepatitis C, and increasingly by obesity. The accumulation of scar tissue impedes blood circulation in the liver, thus leading to portal hypertension (the portal vein). To relieve the pressure in the vein, collateral blood vessels develop outside the liver. The problem is then two-fold, first because the liver receives even less blood, thereby causing greater damage to the organ, and second because the blood vessels are of poor quality (pathological angiogenesis). "Hepatic cells try to repair liver lesions, but the way by which they do this turns out to be fatal for the organ. This is a loop that gets bigger and finally threatens the patient's life. Also, the collateral blood vessels form varicose veins in the oesophagus and stomach of patients with cirrhosis; these veins are fragile and have a high tendency to burst, causing heavy bleeding that is difficult to stop," explains Mercedes Fernandez, from IDIBAPS and co-leader of the study. "This is why a treatment that regresses and/or prevents pathological veins--which is not currently available--would be efficient," she adds. A target named CPEB4 VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) is the main effector protein in the development of blood vessels. "All current drugs that aim to prevent neovascularisation are based on inhibiting VEGF or VEGF receptors, but the problem is that indiscriminate attack of this protein impairs the normal development of blood vessels, thus causing unbearable adverse effects," explains Mendez, from IRB Barcelona. In a previous study published in Nature Medicine, Mendez, together with researchers at the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona, had already discovered that CPEB proteins are involved in blood vessel development in pancreatic and brain cancer. Given the urgent need to identify new targets for pathological angiogenesis, Mendez and Fernandez started collaborating to examine the role of CPEB4 in this process in the context of cirrhosis, a disease characterised by profound neovascularisation. "The best about the study is that we demonstrate that the development of pathological blood vessels can be stopped by interfering with CPEB4 proteins while positive vascularisation remains intact," says Mendez. The experiments in cells in vitro, in animal models, and in samples taken from patients with cirrhosis have revealed the molecular mechanisms through which the increase in CPEB4 favours the overexpression of VEGF in cirrhosis. From cirrhosis to liver cancer The researchers uphold that the repair cycle that the liver enters worsens the situation to the extent that the regeneration nodules, which show high levels of CPEB4, form liver carcinomas. In this context, the Spanish Association against Cancer (Asociacion Espanola Contra el Cancer (AECC)) has awarded more than one million euros to the Mendez-Fernandez tandem, who, together with Jordi Bruix (IDIBAPS-Hospital Clinic), will work in a coordinated manner to unravel the role of this molecule and to propose a treatment for liver carcinomas, the main liver cancer and third cause of death by cancer worldwide, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 10%. In parallel, Mendez's lab at IRB Barcelona is working on a research project on CPEB4 inhibitors. Last year they resolved the structures of these proteins at the atomic level--the previous step to the computational design of inhibitors, which is being undertaken in collaboration with Modesto Orozco, at the same centre. Furthermore, and with the support of the Botin Foundation, Mendez has fine-tuned an assay to test CPEB4 inhibitors, with the aim to speed up the detection of molecules with the greatest therapeutic potential. PHILADELPHIA Jan. 11, 2016 Michigan Virginia Philadelphia Philadelphia Cherry Hill, N.J. Scranton, Pa. Grand Rapids, Mich. Willow Grove, Pa. Hagerstown, Md. Springfield, Va. Hyattsville, Md. Altoona, Pa. Exton, Pa. Dartmouth, Mass. $10,000 Joseph F. Coradino Douglas Baldasare Canada Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia Douglas Baldasare Neiman Marcus Bloomingdale's /PRNewswire/ -- Two Philadelphia-based companies have teamed up to offer mall-goers a better shopping experience. PREIT (www.preit.com), a publicly traded REIT specializing in the ownership and management of differentiated shopping malls, and ChargeItSpot (www.chargeitspot.com), a four year-old mobile tech company, are providing consumers with free phone charging in secure lockers while they continue their shopping.Shoppers at 10 PREIT malls fromtowill experience "stress-free" shopping in 2016 thanks to the installation of ChargeItSpot mobile phone charging stations.As thearea's dominant mall landlord, PREIT now has the largest mall footprint of ChargeItSpot phone charging stations in the country with charging kiosks installed in 10 malls extending beyond itsportfolio. Mall locations now equipped with the ChargeItSpot units are Cherry Hill Mall (), Viewmont Mall (), Woodland Mall (), Willow Grove Park Mall (), Valley Mall (), Springfield Town Center (), Mall at Prince Georges (), Logan Valley Mall (), Exton Square Mall () and Dartmouth Mall ().The ChargeItSpot charging kiosks are fully customizable and offer multiple opportunities for PREIT to engage with consumers in their mall locations. During the kiosks' test period in December, PREIT used the customizable screens to tie into its holiday sweepstakes "Best Gift Ever" promotion, which offered shoppers a chance to win ashopping spree along with other prizes when they scanned and uploaded shopping receipts into a PREIT mobile app. On the charging station touchscreen, the kiosk asked shoppers "which prize do you like best" and displayed each of the available prizes. This helped stimulate awareness and adoption of the prize giveaway while also gathering information on consumer preferences which could be used for future mall giveaways and contests.In December, more than 8,400 shoppers charged their phones with an average charge time of 53.1 minutes."By offering ChargeItSpot phone charging stations at 10 of our properties, we are providing an important convenience for our shoppers, allowing them to stay charged and engage more fully with our retailers, both of which have become increasingly important as mobile use as part of the omnichannel shopping experience continues to rise," said, CEO of PREIT. "This initial installation is part of a company-wide initiative to connect more closely and frequently with our shoppers through mobile communications and state-of-the-art technology and amenities including free WiFi."ChargeItSpot's free mobile app, available to PREIT shoppers, notifies users when their phone's battery is low and directs them to the nearest ChargeItSpot kiosks so they can power up in secure charging lockers. The charging stations come equipped with eight charging bays, each containing three different charging cables for iPhone and Android phones. Shoppers simply enter their mobile phone number and select a security image in order to begin the user-friendly charging process. When consumers retrieve their phone, they receive an opt-in SMS message thanking them for charging their phones and inviting them to download the PREIT Malls app.ChargeItSpot founder and CEOadded: "PREIT is a technological leader in its space. We are excited that they have identified and embraced the needs of their shoppers with a strong first phase of deployment of ChargeItSpot across 10 of their shopping malls. Their investment reflects a commitment to making their consumers' shopping visits a truly enjoyable and social experience."Since its founding in 2011, ChargeItSpot has set out to solve the problem faced by millions of mobile phone-toting consumers every day running out of "juice" and no place to get a charge. Today, with kiosks installations across the nation and in, ChargeItSpot has quickly become the leading provider of secure phone charging stations for national retail stores, specialty retailers, shopping centers, casinos, hospitals, universities, stadiums and other indoor public venues. An innovative omnichannel marketing tool that delights and engages customers all while driving foot traffic and sales, ChargeItSpot charging kiosks are poised to become the next must-have retail tech amenity.PREIT (NYSE: PEI) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust specializing in the ownership and management of differentiated shopping malls. Headquartered in, the company owns and operates approximately 27 million square feet of retail space in the Eastern half of the United Stated with concentration in the Mid-Atlantic region's MSAs. Since 2012 the company has seen a transformation guided by an emphasis on balance sheet strength, high quality merchandising and disciplined capital expenditures. Additional information is available at www.preit.com, on Twitter or LinkedIn.Based in, and founded by Wharton graduate, ChargeItSpot creates elegantly designed, fully customizable mobile phone charging kiosks. Built for retail, the stations feature an intuitive, user-friendly touchscreen interface, highly secure locking capability, promotional opportunities, customizable on-screen messages, and robust data tracking and reporting. ChargeItSpot also offers a mobile app that alerts users when their cell phone battery is running low and points them to the nearest ChargeItSpot kiosk. Retail partners include, Nordstrom,, Under Armour, Century Casinos, AT&T, PREIT malls and others. Visit the ChargeItSpot Press Room for more info or download the mobile app for kiosk locations. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/preit-installs-chargeitspot-charging-stations-in-10-mall-locations-300201559.html SOURCE ChargeItSpot Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends. Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice. On December 8, 2015, the Global Campaign to Return to Palestine held its third annual conference in Beirut, under the title "Support the Al-Quds Intifada." The conference was attended by 300 activists and NGO representatives from 60 countries around the world, including representatives of Hizbullah and of Palestinian organizations such as the PLO, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Among the speakers at the conference were Hizbullah deputy secretary-general Na'im Qassem, Hamas political bureau deputy head Isma'il Haniya, Islamic Jihad deputy secretary-general Ziad Al-Nakhala, Archbishop Atallah Hanna (Theodosios) of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, PLO secretary in Lebanon Fathi Abu Al-Ardat, and others. Some of the speeches included calls to eliminate Israel. For example, Hizbullah deputy secretary-general Na'im Qassem said that "eliminating Israel will remain the goal to which we aspire," and the chairman of the International Union of Resistance Clerics in Lebanon, Maher Al-Hammoud, likewise spoke of "eliminating the Zionist entity."[1] Qassem, who was one of the prominent speakers at the conference, also praised the stabbing and vehicular attacks carried out by Palestinians in Israel, calling them "resistance operations"; stated that the right of return was part of the liberation of Palestine; warned against accepting any settlement with Israel; and stressed that all of Hizbullah's actions were for the sake of Palestine and that Iran, too, supported the Palestinian cause politically, militarily, financially and culturally. He stated further that the Sunni terrorist organizations in the region were part of Israel's regional plan, and demanded that the Arab and Muslim world return the Palestinian cause to the top of its agenda. At the same time, he urged the Palestinians not to interfere in Arab matters that do not concern them directly, threatening that, if they do, the resistance will remove their cause from its agenda. Palestinian speakers at the conference likewise praised the current intifada and called to continue it, while exhorting the Arab and Muslim world to support it and to place the Palestinian cause at the head of its agenda again, and not to relinquish the right of the Palestinian refugees to return to their homes. The conference's closing statement called, inter alia, to ingrain the Palestinian cause in the consciousness of the Arabs, the Muslims and the world; promote the boycott of Israel and punish anyone pursuing normalization with it; and promote the rights of the Palestinians while employing all means sanctioned by international resolutions to protect it and underscore the right of return.[2] Towards the end of the conference several individuals and organizations were given awards, including 'Ahd Al-Tamimi, a young Palestinian woman who, at the age of 14, struck an Israeli soldier, and Greek sociologist Vangelis Pissias, who organized flotillas to Gaza. Below are translated excerpts from Qassem's lengthy address, and, following that, from other speeches that were delivered at the conference: Na'im Qassem: Eliminating Israel Will Remain Our Goal; The Right Of Return Is Part Of Liberation Qassem opened by congratulating the young men and women throughout Palestine who are participating in the current intifada, as well as the conference organizers for championing the cause of Palestinian return in order to liberate all of Palestine "from the [Mediterranean] Sea to the [Jordan] River." He praised the stabbing and vehicular attacks that he claimed were doing the job of firearms, saying: "The third intifada is a sign that resistance in Palestine is not a transient movement and is one of the [indisputable] truths of the Palestinian right. It also [demonstrates] that jihad and resistance have renewed their activity, along with this new generation, thus belying all the theories that the Zionists and their supporters have tried to establish, [namely] that the Palestinian cause could fade away with time and that the new generation was incapable of bearing the old burden and [demanding] the unwavering right. O youths of jihad in Palestine, you have again proven that Palestine is [ingrained] in the heart and in the conscience. It is present in the embryos [still] in their mothers' womb, in the young, in the upbringing [of the new generation], in every scream of a mother or daughter and every sortie of a jihad fighter or an ordinary man - until the strength of this people, which stubbornly insists on withstanding Israel's arrogance, will be complete. Thus you are restoring to the Palestinian cause its vitality and its standing." Na'im Qassem (third from the right) and other speakers at the conference (Image: Naimkassem.net) Qassem continued: "The [current] intifada generation is renewing the resistance and aiding it with new forces and new action, and this confirms that resistance is [a matter of] willpower, not of weapons or international support, and that it is an act of faith. Such faith, if it exists, provides positions and capabilities that prompt a change in the equation - [a change] that arises from simple and modest capabilities, or even from nothing. You see today that the knife is doing the job of the missile, and that vehicular [attacks] are accomplishing what some weapons cannot. The man of the Palestinian resistance is the Palestinian nobleman who stands proudly when he approaches carrying out his jihadi duty, and whose operation in the field is guided by this reality, regardless of his age, character, or status. Therefore, I say that the future favors the resistance, and does not favor the occupation, even if [the occupation] lasts a long time. The right of return is part of the liberation that will be carried out, with Allah's will, by the youth of Palestine and the Palestinian people, who will be the spearhead, and we will support [them]..." The Resistance Must Not Be Blocked Just For An Arrangement With Israel Qassem warned against any arrangement whatsoever with Israel, and proposed waiting for the right moment to vanquish Israel by means of the resistance: "We must beware of the equation that Netanyahu is drawing. He says that the problem lies not with the occupation but with the conditions of the arrangement. There are those even within Palestine and within the Arab states who are headed in this direction... We warn that the problem is the occupation, and that the problem must remain the occupation. The arrangement is no solution... The problem is the occupation and the solution must be its removal. We will not agree to less than the removal of the occupation as a solution to the Palestinian issue." He continued: "We must not look at the resistance's current strength and the diplomatic situation in which we are living. We must preserve the process, and when the opportunity [arises], we will take advantage of the resistance movement and of the unexpected developments, and of the divine intention that will arrive at the time and under circumstances that only Allah knows, and then we will already be on the correct path to the goal. Whoever goes on the correct path towards the goal will ultimately take advantage of the opportunity and be victorious, even if he does not know when this will come about and how it will be. Here, I turn to the political leadership, and to the forces responsible for running the resistance, and to the organizations operating in the struggle against the occupation, [and I say] that they are responsible for preserving, taking advantage of, directing, and sponsoring this achievement [i.e. the intifada]. I warn against blocking the intifada for the sake of a [diplomatic] arrangement [with Israel], because the intifada is an act of resistance. [If you do not want to encourage it,] at least allow it to continue and to progress with its capabilities, and do not divert it from its path, claiming that doing so is a service to Palestine. Service to Palestine is the continuation of resistance and intifada, and no other path." Qassem addresses the conference (Image: Naimkassem.net) Iran Supports Political And Military Resistance In Palestine Next in his speech, Qassem attempted to rebut accusations that Hizbullah has deviated from its path because of its military involvement in Syria, Iraq, and perhaps additional places in the Arab world. He said that everything that Hizbullah was doing was for the sake of Palestine: "We place our reliance on the resistance plan, as a plan that begins with Palestine and spreads to the entire Arab, Islamic, and global reality. Oh proud Palestinian people, be assured that Hizbullah is at your side, Iran is at your side, the resistance axis is with you, the honorable people are with you. Anyone backed by [such] supporters has to succeed. All the achievements of the resistance axis are in the service of the Palestinian cause. Every achievement of the resistance plan, everywhere, that you read about or see, is for the sake of Palestine, and that is how it will continue to be." Stressing Iran's support for the Palestinian cause, Qassem said: "You know that Iran... really turned around immediately after the victory, with the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979. Iran transformed the process of [the Arab and Muslim] defeat into one of victory and continuity; it transformed the process of surrender into one of heroic stance and valor. It has provided all [possible] diplomatic, military, economic, and cultural support for the Palestinian cause. They punished Iran and plotted against it because of its worthy and just positions. This causes us to support this country and this blessed revolution, that give [importance] to a stance and to truth, and not to exploitation or extortion... I promise you that developments in the region are trending positively in favor of the resistance axis." At the same time, Qassem criticized the U.S. for its support of Israel, saying: "The U.S. and international sponsorship in all our causes, first of all for the Palestinian cause, is dubious, biased [towards Israel], conniving, and in collusion with Israel. These Americans justify the killing, provide sponsorship for the takfiri movements,[3] and act for the sake of Israel so that it will kill and wound the Palestinian people. They are silent about settlements and occupation, and support it with money, arms, and capabilities. This is not sponsorship; it is collusion. Likewise, we stand against the arrogant and aggressive Israel that thinks it can do whatever it wants. This arrogance is already finished, beginning with the resounding Israeli failure in 2006 at the hands of Hizbullah's young jihad fighters. Additionally, Israel's willpower has been broken three times by the young Palestinian jihad fighters in the Gaza Strip. This means that we can leverage these results and reach the longed-for resolution." ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Jabhat Al-Nusra - All Part Of The Israeli Plan With regard to the Sunni terrorist organizations and the resistance axis efforts to fight them, Qassem called them part of the Israeli plan, and said that they will not succeed in removing the Palestinian issue from the top of the agenda: "ISIS, Jabhat Al-Nusra, and Al-Qaeda are spreading throughout our region, and this distracts us from the Palestinian issue, but we will not allow them to [cause the] ummah to squander its capabilities on civil wars that pass from one country to the next and wantonly destroy the capabilities of the Arab and Muslim countries - which serves the Israeli plan. We have seen the takfiri everywhere, but we have not seen them in Palestine. We have seen the takfiri killing Muslims, Christians, pagans, and all the forces [that exist], but they have not killed a single Zionist. We have seen the takfiri attempting to disrupt our lives from A to Z, but we have not seen them throw even one small stone at Israel. This means that they are part of this plan. "We say to them [i.e. the takfiri]: If you think that you can, by means of clashes with us, divert us from prioritizing above all else the conflict with Israel in Palestine, then you are deluding yourselves. Palestine will remain at the top of the agenda; so will Jerusalem. And eliminating Israel will remain the goal to which we aspire." He continued: "All the handshakes between [Arab figures and Israelis], and the Arab haplessness, are marginal and have no impact. Therefore we will speak no more about handshakes, a meeting, an agreement, normalization [with Israel]; these are contemptible and have no impact. We are convinced that as long as the resistance burns, and as long as the Palestinian people remain in the field, the Arabs, Muslims or others have no capability to change the trajectory of the Palestinian cause and the liberation of Palestine. Palestinians' Involvement In Matters That Don't Concern Them Will Harm Their Interests Calling on the Palestinians and the various Palestinian organizations to refrain from taking a stand on matters in the Arab and Muslim world that do not directly concern them, Qassem said that this could harm the Palestinian cause, and remove it from the top of the agenda. With these statements, Qassem appears to be hinting at the position taken by Hamas several years ago vis-a-vis the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and the support it expressed for the Syrian revolution - which did damage to Hamas's relations with the entire resistance axis. He said: "We are not counting on the Arabs coming together [around the Palestinian cause]... but they must know that Palestine is our top priority, and our top priority for Palestine is liberation... [We say to] our brothers and sisters in the Palestinian forces, and to the Palestinian people: We will not demand that you stand for something or against someone [on issues unrelated to the Palestinian cause]... because if you do, you will lose your standing, and your role, for Palestine. But if you leave the [matters that belong to] others alone, and stick to your own cause, and do not entangle yourself in supporting those who are right or wrong [on things that are] unrelated to Palestine - then your cause will remain central ..." Finally, Qassem concluded his speech by congratulating "the martyrs, the wounded, and the people of the Palestinian intifada, who have brought Palestine to the forefront. Our voices must be well [heard], for their sake. Just as knife [attacks have] had an impact, and as vehicular [attacks] have had an impact, [our] voice will have an impact as well. Proof of this is that they [the Saudis] would not stand for the voice of [Hizbullah's] Al-Manar [TV] or [the pro-Hizbullah Lebanese] Al-Mayadeen [TV, and pressured Arabsat to stop carrying these channels]. Know that this was an indication that these two voices are like a knife and a rocket - because they are voices that speak for Palestine. Palestine alone is a force that stands on its own, and those who walk with it, carry it, and defend it will be given strength by the grace of Allah."[4] Palestinian Officials: No Relinquishing Of The Right Of Return; "The Time For General Mobilization... Is Now" In their speeches at the conference, officials from the main Palestinian organizations - Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and the PLO - repeatedly stressed that they would not relinquish the right of return, and called for unity and for the Arab world to once again give top priority to the Palestinian cause. Isma'il Haniya: "We Will Continue The Intifada Until Liberation: In a prerecorded video speech screened during the conference's closing session, Hamas political bureau deputy head Isma'il Haniya called on Arabs and Muslims to once again rally around the Palestinian cause, which he said had taken a back seat on the agenda: "The intifada will continue, even by force of inertia, because our people have embarked on a path and will never stop, even if everything surrounding it is dense and difficult in light of the fading international [interest in the] matter and the countries' and peoples' attending to their own problems and wounds... The intifada has not yet revealed all its [means and methods] to the occupation. This magnificent creative people, which began with rocks and continued with rockets, can persist in its resistance and its intifada, generation after generation, until liberation." He also called on the Arab and Islamic ummah to support the intifada in all possible ways.[5] Haniya in prerecorded video speech (Source: Racamp.net, December 11, 2015) PIJ Representative: Now Is The Time For General Mobilization PIJ deputy secretary-general Ziad Al-Nakhala stressed how important it was that the entire Islamic ummah support the Palestinian people and its struggle, particularly "the need to unite the pro-Palestinian political discourse, in order to protect the intifada and ensure its continuation, and to clarify that the enemy of the ummah is Israel." He continued: "We face an historic opportunity presented by the martyrs of the Al-Quds intifada, who marched on [the path of] conflict with the Israeli aggression apparatus - [a chance] for we Arabs and Muslims to all unite with the free peoples worldwide for Palestine and Jerusalem... The time for general mobilization, unity, and togetherness is now..."[6] PLO Secretary In Lebanon: Establish International Tribunal To Try Israeli Criminals PLO secretary in Lebanon Fathi Abu Al-Ardat stressed that the Palestinian people required both material and moral support. Without directly referring to the current wave of Palestinian stabbing attacks, he said that "the Israeli criminals must not feel immune to accountability" and stressed, "We must establish an international tribunal to try them for their crimes, since the settlements are a war crime, as are the ongoing arrests of prisoners and killing [of Palestinians] on the ground..."[7] Archbishop Atallah Hanna: "No Relinquishing Of The Right Of Return" A second prerecorded video speech screened at the conference's closing session was that of Archbishop Atallah Hanna (Theodosios) of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. He stressed the importance of the Palestinian cause to all religions, and the Palestinian adherence to the right of return: "The Palestinian people's cause is a cause for us all, and is the cause of the Muslims, the Christians, the Palestinians, and the Arabs... "No matter how long it takes, and how numerous the conspirators may be, the Palestinians will continue to adhere to Palestine, to Jerusalem as their spiritual and national capital, and to the right of return... The Palestinian who experienced the Nakba in 1948 and the Naksa in 1967 has the right to return to his homeland... There will be no relinquishing of the right of return, and of our right to Jerusalem and Palestine."[8] Atallah Hanna in prerecorded video speech (Source: Racamp.net, December 11, 2015) Also speaking at the conference was Saleh Al-Khawaja, head of the committee to combat settlements and the separation fence. He criticized the "Judaization" of Jerusalem, calling it "ethnic cleansing and an organized crime" against the Palestinian people.[9] Endnotes: Were excited to announce that metalbulletin.com is now part of fastmarkets.com. A new look and an improved experience means you can still stay ahead of this fast-moving metals market with price data, news and market intelligence right here on Fastmarkets. Discover more than 2000 prices, news and analysis in primary and secondary metals markets. We cover base metals, industrial minerals, ores and alloys, steel, scrap and steel raw materials. If you already have a Fastmarkets account, youll still have uninterrupted access to your markets by logging in with your current details. Tribune Staff Reports BAD AXE Bad Axe police have released the name of a 21-year-old Shelby Township man who was contacted and interviewed in December in reference to a crime committed in the area. Devin Bender-Ryan was arrested and charged with breaking and entering a vehicle to steal property. He voluntarily turned himself in and has been cooperating with authorities. Back in December, Bad Axe Police Chief David W. Rothe reached out via the citys Facebook page for help identifying the suspect. Tips from the community eventually led them to the suspect. During the interview, it was discovered that Bender-Ryan had been arrested in Utica for committing the same crime seven days prior to the one in Bad Axe. Rothe said at that time, a warrant would be submitted to the Huron County Prosecuting Attorneys Office for his arrest. I would like to thank the people who called, posted comments and shared the original post, Rothe said on a follow-up Facebook post. We were able to identify Mr. Bender-Ryan through the information that we received from the public. Thank you. The year 2016 promises to be full of activity and celebration as Indiana residents mark their 200th anniversary as a state throughout the year with special events like a torch relay, special museum exhibits, festivals and more culminating in events celebrating the actual anniversary of the event on December 11, 2016. Here are a few of the state's bicentennial projects that sound interesting and places to go online for more information about bicentennial events. Torch Relay Indiana's Bicentennial Torch Relay is one on the celebration's signature events and planned to promote unity among the state's diverse population. A group of volunteer torch bearers nominated by fellow residents plan to cover a 2,300-plus-mile route throughout the State's 92 counties over a six-week period and averaging 60 miles per day with stops along the way for local festivities and bicentennial observances. The relay starts on September 9, 2016 in Corydon, the site of Indiana's First State Capital. Bearers will convey the torch, designed by staff and students at the Purdue College of Engineering, via horseback, wheelchair, canoe and combine, as well as by walkers and runners, to the end of the route at the current State Capitol building in Indianapolis on October 15, 2016. The culmination of the relay celebration will be the lighting of an Everlasting Light at the statehouse campus to symbolize the legacy of Indiana's first 200 years as a state and a hopeful look forward to the state's next 200 years. Where it all Began True history buffs will want to check out the story of Indiana's First State Capital in Corydon and learn about the special bicentennial events in this Harrison County community. See the state's first capital building, a square Federal style building built between 1814 and 1816, and learn about Indiana's first days as a state before Indianapolis became the state capital in 1825. Indiana had 60,000 residents and 13 counties when Congress approved the state's application for statehood and first constitution, which, among other things, banned slavery. President James Madison signed the Congressional resolution making Indiana the 19th state on December 11, 1816, and Indiana Delegate Jonathan Jennings became Indiana's first governor. Bicentennial Barns of Indiana The state's Bicentennial Committee endorses the Bicentennial Barns project as a way to especially recognize the state's agricultural history. Barn owners and enthusiasts nominated their favorite barns to present the state as symbols of Indiana's agricultural heritage, and the committee narrowed down the list of nominees to 200 structures that best represented the state. Check out some of the nominees on the project's Web site to see the variety of barns and architecture among the nominees. The committee required nominees built in 1950 or before, structures retaining much of their original architectural integrity and buildings serving an essential or useful purpose related to agricultural activities over its lifetime. Look for a traveling exhibit featuring the entries and winning barns later this year at various places around the state like galleries, museum exhibits and a special showing at the Indiana State Fair in August. Ten winning barns will display a special plaque created by Indiana artisan Dorrel Harrison. The hope is that these barns can represent to state's heritage in coming years as well, much as many of the specially painted bicentennial barns in Ohio's 88 counties still do more than a dozen years after that state's 2003 bicentennial. Stamp recognizes Indiana Bicentennial Look for a U.S. postage stamp issue celebration the state's bicentennial later this year. Michael Matti, a 25-year old Milford photographer, made an image of a sunset-kissed northern Indiana farm field near a dirt road off of State Route 15 in Kosciusko County, and the postage stamp uses the scene for a colorful tribute to the state. Other Bicentennial Resources Check these online listings for more bicentennial resources and come back to Midwest Guest later this month for more history at the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis. Indiana Bicentennial Commission Indiana Historical Bureau Indiana Arts Commission Indiana Bicentennial Commission on Facebook Indiana 2016 on Twitter Indiana 2016 on Instagram Indiana Historical Bureau to purchase bicentennial flags and other Indiana 200 souvenirs Indiana Bicentennial events, news and more Want to learn more? Check out Indiana at 200: A Celebration of the Hoosier State (Official Book by the Bicentennial Commission. Dominique King 2016 All rights reserved The U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii is reorganizing to convert a Stryker brigade into an infantry brigade with the loss of at least 1,200 positions, reflecting the difficult choices throughout the service in downsizing to meet budget demands. At the same time, the division is switching out the OH-58 Kiowa scout helicopters in its Combat Aviation Brigade in exchange for 24 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters as part of the "Army's ongoing aviation restructure initiative," said Maj. Gen. Charles A. Flynn, the division commander. The two dozen Apaches were expected to arrive by ship at Pearl Harbor in April, he said. "We were directed by the Army to do it" under the plan to cut active-duty end strength from the current 481,000 to 450,000 by fiscal 2018, Flynn said. "From my standpoint, the Army had to come up with some savings, and this is a decision made taking a look at the entire force structure," he said in a video briefing from Schofield Barracks in Hawaii to the Pentagon. Flynn's main concern was making sure that "readiness doesn't drop while they're turning in equipment" as the division's 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team converts to an infantry brigade beginning in March. In the process, "we're going to lose about 1,200 slots out there, 1,200 spaces" from the total strength of the division, he said. The fallout from the conversion will reverberate through the Army's structures. "We've got about 330 Strykers that we've got to divest ourselves from" while bringing in the equipment set for an infantry brigade, Flynn said. Maj. Gen. Bret Daugherty, Washington state's adjutant general and commander of the Washington National Guard, said he was happy to be getting Flynn's Stryker Fighting Vehicles. Back in July, when the Defense Department announced brigade realignments as part of the downsizing, the plan was to convert the Washington National Guard's 81st Armored Brigade Combat Team, which currently operates M1A1 Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles, into a Stryker Brigade Combat Team. Daugherty said at the time, "This is a huge win for Washington state. Our tanks and Bradleys are critical for our federal mission. However, they're too heavy to move on our local roads, making them almost useless following a state disaster. The Strykers are a more mobile, versatile vehicle," he said. Losing the Strykers will also mean that Flynn will have to send troops from the new unit to the Joint Readiness Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana, for extensive training to be "validated" as an infantry brigade. The 25th ID's troop cuts and the conversion were mirrored at other Army posts. In the downsizing involved to get to 450,000 troops by the end of fiscal 2018, the service announced in July that Schofield Barracks was one of six installations that would lose more than 1,000 troops. The others were Fort Benning, Georgia, 3,402 troops; Fort Hood, Texas, 3,350; Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 2,631; Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, 1251; and Fort Bliss, Texas. "These are incredibly difficult choices," Brig. Gen. Randy George, director of force management for the Army," said in announcing the cuts at a Pentagon news conference, "but the Army has to operate within the budget provided. Part of doing that is restructuring and reorganizing to be able to accomplish the Army's mission in the best manner possible." In 2012, the active-duty Army had an end-strength of about 570,000 soldiers. At the end of fiscal 2016, troop strength is projected at 475,000; at the end of fiscal 2017, 460,000; and at the end of FY2018, 450,000. The missions and commitments for the 25th Infantry Division will not diminish as the Army cuts end strength, Flynn said. The 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade recently returned from a nine-month deployment to South Korea. The division also has commitments to U.S. Central Command. A combat service support battalion from the division is currently deployed to Kuwait, Flynn said. However, the 25th ID's primary mission was to bring an Army ground presence to the Obama administration's so-called "Pacific pivot," the rebalance of U.S. forces to the Asia-Pacific region. "With the capabilities we have here in the 25th Infantry Division, we're a pretty visible presence in the rebalance to the Pacific," Flynn said. Under Gen. Vincent Brooks, commander of the U.S. Army Pacific, the Army has embarked on a series of "Pacific Pathways" deployments to the region involving about 1,000 troops for three months for joint exercises and training with regional partners. One Pacific Pathways deployment occurred in 2014 and there were three last year. Three are planned for this year, with one currently beginning for about 1,000 troops from the 25th ID to Thailand, South Korea and the Philippines, Flynn said. In all, the Pacific Pathways deployments will go to nine countries in the region this year, he said, "allowing Army forces to be constantly in motion west of the international dateline." -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com A U.S. Army logistics officer who writes a fitness blog for the Defense Department's health website has been criticized for plugging Jesus and the Bible as a way of getting healthy. Col. Thomas Hundley, who authors the Motivational Monday Message on Health.mil, the official website of the Defense Health Agency, urged readers of the Jan. 4 column to "improve your spiritual fitness through increased prayer." Increased prayer was the first of five recommendations Hundley suggested for improvement in 2016 in a blog entry that also referenced a Bible story about Jesus feeding thousands of people with two fish and five loaves of bread. "He just gave God a little something to work with," Hundley wrote, tying the story into getting fit by challenging readers to "attain a new you' in 2016. All we have to do is give God and ourselves a little something to work with." Mikey Weinstein, president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which advocates for religious freedom in the armed forces, said he filed a complaint with the Army Regional Health Command at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, after hearing from service members critical of Hundley's inclusion of religion in an official website. The command's public affairs office didn't immediately respond to Military.com's request for comment. Weinstein said Hundley's use of an official blog to plug his religious views is proselytizing and unconstitutional. "Apparently, Col. Thomas Hundley can't figure out whether he's an active duty senior Army officer or an evangelical Christian missionary," Weinstein said on Monday. "Col. Hundley has absolutely no business or authority under American law to be conflating his Army officer rank, title and position with his professed evangelical Christian faith." In addition to authoring a weekly fitness column, Hundley is also the founder of Fit for A King Fitness Ministries LLC, of North Carolina, and author of "Fit For a King: God's Plan For Weight Loss And Total Health," which he sells through his website. More than 40 Motivational Monday Message columns turned up through a search of Health.mil. Hundley's advice to readers often starts off by recalling some event or conversation with a family member early in his life. In a December column in which he urged readers to "go higher" in their "physical, spiritual and emotional fitness," he recalled his grandfather telling him that the eagle is mentioned more often in the Bible than other birds because "God uses the eagle as an example of right living." In a June post he recalled a conversation with his great-grandfather, in which the older man told him that God wants people to be more like a green tomato than a red one, because a green tomato "still got room to grow. "But as soon as you start thinking you are a red tomato, the only thing left for you is rot," he wrote. Weinstein said he is now representing 18 clients who are opposed to the religious slant to Hundley's writings. Weinstein does not reveal the names of his clients because they fear reprisal from commanders, but most of the 18 are Christian. Others are atheist, Muslim and Jewish, he said. In a Jan. 8 letter to Weinstein, Gregory Hill, deputy commanding inspector general for the command, said that after a thorough review of his complaint the office determined it would be handled by another agency. Weinstein told Military.com the letter did not identify the other agency. He said Col. Ivan Speights, the command inspector general, also refused to identify the agency that the complaint was pushed to. -- Bryant Jordan can be reached at bryant.jordan@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @bryantjordan. PHILADELPHIA Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Richard Sambenedetto is many things. Known by all as "Mr. Sam," he's forever a Coast Guard chief, a cutterman by trade and a chief warrant officer by choice, but above all he lives by his personal motto: "Shipmate for Life." "Shipmate for Life," Sambenedetto explained, is his way of saying, "You need to help a fellow sailor out at sea you only have each other." Sambenedetto's presence does not go unnoticed. He is a tall and boisterous man decked out in nautical tattoos that embody the sailor's spirit. "Shipmate" is spelled out across the fingers of both hands, and even his feet are tattooed a rooster on his right and a pig on his left, representing an old nautical belief that tattoos will keep a sailor afloat at sea. Sambenedetto, the finance and supply division chief for the logistics department at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay in Philadelphia, emphasizes the importance of mentoring others. "Between leadership and mentorship, you use your past experience with current policy to help everyone out," he said. "No one's perfect." That mentorship extends in every possible direction, from junior enlisted service members to the wardroom and the chiefs' mess of which he is an active member. He's worked closely with Master Chief Petty Officer Brian Diner, who became Sector Delaware Bay's chief of the mess in August 2015. "In the last couple of months, coming into the sector, I've really gotten to see Mr. Sam's involvement in the chiefs' mess," Diner said. "He's helped me get to know who's who around here, and he brings 25 years of experience. He has a solid history here." Diner said Sambenedetto personifies the ideal of a chief warrant officer he is involved and always available. "He doesn't sugarcoat anything," Diner said. "It's nice to have such a straight-shooter chief warrant officer as a member of the chiefs' mess." The Coast Guard may be composed of individuals, but they do not complete the mission individually, Sambenedetto said. "It's not just about you it's about others," he said. "It's a team. You need active duty, reservists, auxiliarists and civilians. Across all facets of that, everybody helps each other out." Embracing Teamwork to Accomplish Missions Sambenedetto learned about teamwork as he served on multiple Coast Guard cutters for more than 10 years of sea time. His primary duty was as a cook, but among other duties he was also a firearms instructor, firefighting team leader, boarding officer and supply officer. "Most colleges only take your pay grade into effect they don't necessarily analyze your experience at sea to assign college credits," he said. "With over 10 years of sea time, I always say, 'I got a master's degree from the Atlantic Ocean University!' You learn a lot out at sea." Imagine a small group of people being limited to merely hundreds of feet of walking space while floating at sea. They're bound to form a fellowship and learn from each other. The numerous cutters on which Sambenedetto served varied in size and crew complement, but the essence of a crew working together to complete the mission was consistent. He likely has enough sea stories to fill volumes. At Sector Delaware Bay, Sambenedetto's office is reminiscent of a life at sea. Intricate nautical knot work adorns his workspace. More than a dozen ball caps represent where he's served. Coast Guard Cmdr. Kurt Richter, chief of logistics at Sector Delaware Bay, said Mr. Sam's motto of "Shipmate for Life" is a good fit. "I don't think I know anyone else who has 'Shipmate' tattooed on his knuckles," Richter said. "He's constantly looking out for his shipmates. On a daily basis, I see people coming to him for mentoring and counseling." 'A New Normal' Sambenedetto continues to make himself available to his shipmates despite a dramatic turn of events in his personal health. Diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disease that causes muscular weakness and fatigue, he now uses a cane for extra stability, but even that is embellished in nautical knot work reflecting his cutterman pride. Some symptoms of myasthenia gravis include impaired vision, difficulty swallowing and slurred speech. "My whole career I've been helping everybody, and now, ironically, I've got a medical condition and now my shipmates are helping me out," he said. "That's very humbling. When you put pride aside, to be a leader, you have to take care of others and lead from the front." Sambenedetto added, "When junior members are coming up through the ranks during peacetime, you let them lead. But when you're doing an actual mission, [you] do what you're trained to do and focus on it. Now with my condition that's a little harder to do. The simple things aren't so simple. The normal is now a new normal. I just have to learn how to accept it and move on with it, and it's through my shipmates I'm getting that done." Medical Care, Prognosis Sambenedetto's shipmates pitched in to help him in a multitude of ways, but he's also getting help from a team of medical professionals, including Public Health Service Lt. Cmdr. Jason B. Buenaventura, an osteopath assigned to Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, New Jersey. "The weakness is worsened by activity and is better with rest," Buenaventura said. "It is autoimmune, meaning; the body produces antibodies that are attacking the body itself." He said myasthenia gravis isn't contagious or inherited, and the cause is not known. There isn't a cure for the disease; however, many treatment options are available. "Mr. Sam is actually the first person I've ever met in my nine years of practicing who has myasthenia gravis," Buenaventura said. "This condition is not very common at all, but every time I interact with him, he seems to be in good spirits. "I'm sure he's done his research, and he understands what it means for him long term," Buenaventura continued. "He was dealt this and he seems to be such a very resilient individual that he's not going to let it get to him. He's going to bounce back. I truly believe that once we get the right treatments for him, he's going to do fine - 'Shipmate for Life.'" Sambenedetto received approval to get a service dog, though there is a considerable amount of paperwork involved before he can actually bring the dog home. He said the dog will help tremendously with everyday tasks that have become more and more burdensome to him, and he's doing everything in his power to move the process along. Despite his medical condition and a looming medical retirement from the service, Sambenedetto remains involved in mentoring his shipmates. He continues to play a major role in the Chief's Call to Indoctrination, a two-month process that transitions Coast Guardsmen from junior enlisted to senior enlisted. When talking about CCTI and its final events the Rites of Passage and the Acceptance Dinner Sambenedetto said, "This is my Super Bowl!" As he prepares himself for the next chapter of his life, he said he'll always stay connected to the chiefs' mess. "I'll handle it one task at a time," Sambenedetto said. "In a storm, it doesn't rain forever, but now I have to learn how to dance in the rain." Related video: When President Barack Obama gives his final State of the Union address Tuesday, First Lady Michelle Obama will be sitting with one of the first female soldiers to graduate U.S. Army Ranger School and an Air Force staff sergeant who helped thwart a terrorist from attacking a train traveling to Paris. Air Force Staff Sgt. Spencer Stone, Army Reserve Major Lisa Jaster and four veterans have been invited to sit in the guest box with the First Lady and Vice President Joe Biden's wife, Jill Biden. "For the President's final State of the Union address, the individuals who will be seated in the guest box of First Lady Michelle Obama represent the progress we have made since the President first delivered this speech seven years ago," a White House official said in a recent press release. "Their stories -- of struggle and success -- highlight where we have been and where America is going in the future, building on the best of what our country has to offer. The guests personify President Obama's time in office and most importantly, they represent who we are as Americans: inclusive and compassionate, innovative and courageous." Stone was awarded the Airman's Medal, a Purple Heart and a promotion to staff sergeant for his actions in August of last year. He was traveling on a high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris when he, Anthony Sadler, U.S. Army Specialist Alek Skarlatos and a British businessman subdued a suspected Islamic extremist who was armed with an AK-47, Luger pistol and box cutter. The gunman repeatedly slashed Spencer with the box cutter, inflicting cuts to his neck and hand. The 23-year-old EMT and resident of Sacramento, California, survived the ordeal -- and another incident back home in which he was attacked with a knife back outside a bar -- and hopes to continue his work in medicine. Jaster became the first female Army Reserve officer to graduate from the Ranger School, the Army's elite infantry leadership course. She followed the path of two of her Ranger School classmates -- Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver, who earned their Tabs in an Aug. 21 in a historic ceremony at Fort Benning. The 37-year-old combat engineer is a mother of two children. The average age of a student in Ranger School is 23 years old, according to Army officials. Jaster graduated from the United States Military Academy in West Point in New York in 2000. She was on active duty for seven years and deployed in support of both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom before leaving active duty in 2007 to work at Shell Oil Co. In 2012, Lisa returned to service, joining the Army Reserve, and took a leave of absence from Shell last April to pursue Ranger School. Jaster was one of the original group of 19 women who tried out for grueling training program in April. Since then, the Army has opened the traditionally all-male course to all soldiers, male or female. There will also be four veterans sitting with the first lady. Cynthia "Cindy" K. Dias is a Navy veteran who served during the Vietnam War in a hospital ship as a registered nurse. She managed care for wounded soldiers, and worked alongside the chaplain as the designated official to provide notification and care for families of wounded and deceased officers. After her service, she worked as a registered nurse in Florida and Louisiana and eventually moved to Las Vegas, where she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress and lost her job before eventually also losing her home. She found a place to live at Veterans Village, a non-profit working with the city of Las Vegas to provide resources for homeless veterans. She now volunteers with Veterans Village, and she works to care and advocate for veterans in the city. U.S. Army veteran Naveed Shah, originally from Saudi Arabia, grew up in Springfield, Virginia, after immigrating to the United States with his Pakistani parents. Like many immigrants who arrive here as children, Shah noted that his birth country felt foreign while America is home. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2006 and served for four years, deploying to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Shah returned to his hometown in 2010 for college and to work with veterans groups assisting in the transition between military and civilian life. Army veteran Earl Smith first met then-Senator Barack Obama in February 2008 on the campaign trail at the Austin Hyatt Regency where he worked as the director of security. Encountering him in an elevator, Earl gave Obama a 101st Airborne Division patch he had worn serving with an artillery brigade in Vietnam. Smith had held onto his patch for 40 years -- from Vietnam, to his 1977 pardon after three years in prison for a wrongful conviction, to global work in the hospitality industry -- before parting with it in the elevator that day. Then-Sen. Obama carried the patch in his pocket for the rest of the campaign, but Earl had no idea of the impact his story had on the president until he heard it directly from him in the Oval Office in 2013. The patch will be archived in the Obama Library -- a reminder of the people who made up the movement that led the president to the White House. Oscar Vazquez earned his citizen ship after serving in the U.S. Army. He came to the United States as a child in search of a better life. From age 12 when he moved from Mexico to Phoenix, Arizona, Vazquez excelled in the classroom. The student at Carl Hayden High School and led an unlikely and inspiring story of a group of under-resourced Hispanic high school students who took on an MIT team in an underwater robotics competition and won. That opportunity led to a college education in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or STEM field, earning Vazquez a degree in mechanical engineering from Arizona State University in May 2009. Six months later, Vasquez enlisted in the Army and served one tour in Afghanistan. He's now a proud U.S. citizen and works for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railways as a business analyst in a web app development team, and is a passionate advocate on behalf on expanding STEM opportunities for Latino and other under-represented youth. --Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@monster.com. Related Video: It was the second time this year that restrictions have been placed on the use of amphibious combat vehicles. Many struggling military families can't access federal food assistance due to the way their income is calculated on the assistance application, anti-hunger advocates testified Tuesday at a hearing on Capitol Hill. Military families who qualify for assistance through the Women and Infant Children, or WIC, program apply using the income on which they are taxed. But users of the food stamp program, known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, must apply using their total income regardless of taxes. For military families, that means basic allowance for housing is considered part of the SNAP application but not part of WIC -- and can mean families who qualify for one do not qualify for the other. That discrepancy, along with a lack of awareness on military bases of available programs and help, contributes to "food insecurity" among active duty military families, anti-hunger advocates told lawmakers during a hearing today before the House Agriculture subcommittee on nutrition. SpouseBuzz: Commissary Food Stamp Use Drops "On paper it appears these families are economically stable when, in reality, they may not earn enough to support their children," said Erika Tebbens, a former Navy spouse whose family struggled to buy food while on active duty. When her family relocated to a base in Washington State, she was unable to find a job that provided enough income to cover her student loans and cover the cost of childcare. When she tried to register the family for food stamps, but the BAH they received for their home near high cost of living Seattle disqualified them from the program. "There can be no denying that food insecurity among military families is a real and a painful reality," said Abby Leibman, president and chief executive officer of the nonprofit Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger. "Federal policies are actually denying struggling military families the resources they need to avoid food insecurity." Commissary shoppers, including active duty, guard and reserve families, retirees and gold star families, spent about $85 million in SNAP money at the commissary in 2014, the last year for which data is available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which manages the program. That figure is down from $103 million in 2013, though the drop could be the result of a late 2013 food stamp benefit reduction. A U.S. Census survey shows that over 19,400 active-duty service members were estimated to receive SNAP in 2014, Mazon officials said. Leibman said that removing BAH from the SNAP calculation would go a long way in ensuring that military families who are struggling to pay their bills are able to receive federal food assistance when needed and are not left to instead rely on local food pantries. "It means making SNAP not only available but making individuals on the base aware that SNAP is available is much more imperative," she said. Committee members said they need to work on a way to help active duty military families as well veterans, who often struggle financially while moving through the sluggish Veterans Affairs benefit process. "I have to say that your testimony is sad," Rep. Jim McGovern, a Democrat from Massachusetts and the committee's ranking democrat, told the panelists. "We live in the richest country in the world and we have a big chunk of our population that doesn't know if they can put food on the table. And I think we should be ashamed of that." -- Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @amybushatz. BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan Four Airmen deployed with the 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron at Bagram Airfield sprang into action following a Jan. 4 terrorist attack on a compound in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Airmen were in Kabul as part of U.S. Central Command's materiel recovery element, inspecting equipment for air transport out of Afghanistan. While eating dinner at an eatery on the military side of the Hamid Karzai International Airport, they heard and felt a blast. "We were done eating and sitting there then we heard (the blast) and we felt it," said Master Sgt. Matthew Longshaw, deployed from the Utah Air National Guard at Salt Lake City International Airport. "The building shook, and then (Tech. Sgt. Chad Huggins) came in after that; he was pretty visibly upset." Huggins, deployed from Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, was outside talking on the phone when he saw and felt the blast. "You heard it, and saw the flash and the next thing it was like a movie," he said. "I got pushed into the wall and my phone went flying. I don't even know how to explain it." Huggins said he picked up his phone and ran back into the restaurant to find his comrades. About a quarter-mile away, a 15-foot-deep crater sat where the vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated. "I was staring at these guys," Huggins said about the situation, "and they were staring back. Then they started speaking and I couldn't understand them; my ears were ringing. They asked, 'Are you OK,' and I said, 'Yeah, we need to go.'" The team left the restaurant and went back to their temporary billeting, still reeling over what they had just experienced. Then came the call for help. "One of the civilians came in from (readiness management support) and asked for our help," Longshaw explained. "So we got up and started to help; did what we could and whatever we were asked to do." Staff Sgt. Tobi Wagner, deployed from Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, had just laid down in his bunk. "[Airman 1st Class John Michael Aradanas] grabbed my ankle and said, 'Hey, we need to help those contractors. C'mon, let's go.' So I got up, put on some shorts and went to go help. I was still a little out of it so I wasn't sure what was going on, but I knew I wanted to help." Aradanas, deployed from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, is serving on his first deployment. He said his adrenaline was "through the roof" at that moment. "I was just trying to help," he said. "It went by quick, just watching all of these people come in and doing what I could to comfort them." The four Airmen all pitched in to help set up a temporary area, where nurses constantly checked on the civilians, mostly contractors, who were injured in the attack. Then they stuck around for the next eight hours, sitting with patients and comforting them; doing whatever was needed of them. "It brought you back down to reality real quick," Wagner said. "They came in and were covered in debris and they were hurt. You'd see fresh cuts and blood. Everyone was kind of disheveled because they couldn't get any of their stuff." The team commented how one man was knocked from his bed when the blast occurred near his living quarters. He walked his hallway in bare feet on broken glass until someone was able to find him some boots to wear. Another man was saved by a treadmill, which created a pocket in the rubble where he was buried for three hours until a crane was brought in to sift through the debris. While scenes like this aren't necessarily the norm for most Airmen deployed to Afghanistan, it's something which the Airmen felt prepared to support. "When I was here two years ago they [terrorists] were much more active," said Wagner, on his second deployment. "It felt as if we were getting attacked constantly. So I was expecting a little bit of the same. Then I got [to Bagram Airfield] and there wasn't much of anything." That was the case for them until Jan. 4, when the attack occurred and their reflexes and training kicked in. "It's human instinct that if you see someone worse off than you, that you're going to help them," Huggins said. "But the Air Force did help with the training to understand how to deal with it and what to do in certain situations." The team said they set up lodging for the victims of the blast, consisting of about 70 beds, then comforted the victims and assisted the medical staff with anything else that was needed. "I think we did everything that we could've possibly done," Wagner said. "You sit and you listen, which is really what we did. I think that helped a lot of people." Although the attack, which claimed one life and injured more than two dozen others, occurred just a few days ago, each of the Airmen has had a chance to reflect on the incident. "I figure that the guys getting hurt are the ones kicking in doors or doing convoys and stuff like that," said Longshaw, who has previously deployed with the Air National Guard and Marine Corps. "I didn't really think about our contractors getting blown up on the civilian side of an airport. I didn't expect that to happen." For Huggins, serving on his seventh deployment, he figured incidents like this happened to other people, not to him. "I've been deployed a lot," he said. "You know the dangers and reality, but you don't expect to be put in that situation. 'Oh, that ain't going to happen to me.' Now that it has, it's a reality check. You look at things differently." Thus says the Lord: stand by the roads, and look and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. After agreeing to terms with starter Wei-Yin Chen, the Marlins now seem rather unlikely to deal away young outfielder Marcell Ozuna, MLB.coms Joe Frisaro reports on Twitter. Miami had reportedly been dangling Ozuna in hopes of landing a young rotation piece, but seemingly moved on to strike an agreement with Chen when it could not find a trade arrangement it liked. Of course, much of the impetus for the apparent organizational inclination to trade Ozuna seemed to come from owner Jeffrey Loria. Though there had been discussions about an extension, things turned south after the Scott Boras-represented Ozuna declined to pursue a contract and then struggled to open the 2015 season. When Jon Heyman asked Loria today whether Ozuna would be moved, he reportedly responded: hes here! (Twitter link.) That line is hardly definitive, of course, but it certainly seems to suggest that it could stay that way in the context of the Chen agreement and the aforementioned report. While the Marlins were said to be comfortable deploying Christian Yelich in center if a deal had come together involving Ozuna, it seems preferable to keep him and Giancarlo Stanton at the corners. Indeed, as I wrote in addressing the lynchpin decision on Ozuna in the Marlins offseason outlook, there is still tremendous appeal in keeping that trio together for the foreseeable future. stabenowcropped.jpg.png U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (Courtesy) FLINT, MI -- A new initiative called #InTheRed aims to boost upcoming Democratic proposals in the Senate that would take tax loopholes from the rich and help struggling students with astronomical college loan debt. "College students are graduating deep in the red, in debt," said U.S. Sen Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, in a conference call with reporters Tuesday, Jan. 12. Joining her in the call was Flint native Tina Reyes, 21, who said she expects to graduate this year with a degree in political science-public policy. Reyes, a first-generation college student in her family, says her public and private student loan debt will be around $100,000. That's even while working 34 hours a week through college, she said. Reyes will be in the U.S. House gallery Tuesday night as Stabenow's guest during President Barack Obama's last State of the Union Address. She's set to soon begin an unpaid internship in the offices of U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint. The proposals that Senate Democrats aim to roll out would mean thousands saved in her loan repayments, Reyes said. The three-part proposal would: Refinance and lock in public and private student loan debt to the lowest federal interest in 2013-14, at 3.86 percent. Embrace a state and federal partnership previously proposed by President Obama for free two-year degrees at community colleges. Increase Pell grants each year by the rate of inflation to cover cost-of-living increases. "I am graduating with a lot of debt," Reyes said, "And have no idea how to pay it off." Lower interest on her students loans would mean a great deal to her, she said. Stabenow said the $120 billion worth of student debt help over 10 years offered with the proposals would be fully funded by closing some tax loopholes on the "very wealthy." The nation and the state of Michigan "have a huge stake" in students earning an education and entering the economy of the future, Stabenow said. Stabenow, said as a high school student in Clare, she was fortunate to get a full-ride scholarship to Michigan State University. Now, though, cuts in such aid to students and rising college costs have left some students with debt the equivalent of buying a house. "It's stunning to me, actually," she said. She called out years of decreasing state aid for public higher education for fueling the student debt problem. "There is no question that a lack of investment by the state is a real issue," Stabenow said. "The goal should be debt-free college." The #InTheRed campaign would use social media such as Twitter and Facebook to build support for the Senate Democratic proposals, Stabenow said. - Clark Hughes is a journalist for The Bay City Times-MLive.com. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter. GRAND RAPIDS, MI - HopCat is continuing its craft beer invasion into bourbon country. BarFly Ventures LLC announced it plans to open HopCat - Louisville this summer in a historic neighborhood along Bardstown Road southeast of downtown Louisville, Ky. The bar will be the largest in the growing chain of craft brew houses, according a news release issued by the Grand Rapids-based company on Tuesday, Jan. 12. "Kentucky's Bourbon-making heritage has helped make it an outstanding place for craft beer lovers," said Mark Sellers, founder and CEO of HopCat and its parent company, BarFly Ventures. "When we decided to open in Louisville, we wanted to create a hub that would draw craft beer lovers from the neighborhood and from around the world, showcasing the best beers made in Kentucky and around the world." The bar will feature at least 30 varieties of Kentucky-made beer on tap every day along with 100 other craft beers from around the world, the announcement said. HopCat - Louisville will also offer more than 100 varieties of whiskey, with a heavy emphasis on Kentucky Bourbon. The menu will include "food your mom would make if she loved craft beer," two private event spaces with private bars, a deck and outdoor seating, according to the news release. The follows the October launch of a HopCat outlet in Lexington, Ky. and a September announcement that BarFly Ventures LLC has reached a $25 million deal with a Texas lender to finance 30 new locations. The deal, which gives the lender an equity stake in BarFly, gives them enough cash to double its growth rate and open six new HopCats per year over the next five years, said BarFly owner Mark Sellers said. The chain has six locations and plans to double that number in 2016, he said. RELATED: $25M deal will finance 30 new HopCat bars across Midwest HopCat also has locations in Ann Arbor, Detroit, East Lansing, Indianapolis, and Madison, Wis. Hopcat - Lincoln will open in Nebraska's capital city in March. BarFly Ventures also has three other restaurant/bar concepts in Grand Rapids: Stella's Lounge, a whiskey and retro-arcade bar, Grand Rapids Brewing Company and The Waldron Public House, which will open in February. With a total capacity of almost 600, the Louisville bar will be the ninth and largest location for HopCat, which has been named a top beer bar in the nation by CraftBeer.com and Draft Magazine, the announcement said. HopCat will move into the former Spindletop Draperies/Studebaker building after a makeover costing nearly $4 million, the company said. The project will create about 150 new jobs. Founded in Grand Rapids in 2008, BarFly Ventures is the parent company of HopCat, a craft beer bar named "No. 3 Beer Bar on Planet Earth" by Beer Advocate Magazine and "No. 1 Brewpub in the United States" by RateBeer.com. Jim Harger covers business for MLive/Grand Rapids Press. Email him at jharger@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter or Facebook or Google+. pharmacy.jpg Michigan-based retailer Meijer filled 6 million free prescriptions for its Midwest customers. (Courtesy photo) WALKER, MI -- Meijer gave $69 million worth of generic medicines to its customers in 2015. Those 6 million free prescriptions set a record for the Midwest retailer, which has given away a total of 30 million prescriptions -- valued at $422 million -- since launching the program in October 2006. The savings is based on what customers would have paid for medicines or vitamins the private retailer provides free to customers regardless of their insurance coverage. "Meijer is a family-owned company committed to meeting the needs of other families," said Nat Love, the company's vice president of pharmacy. "We do this by providing positive solutions to everyday problems, which includes access to necessary medications. We began our free prescription program with that in mind, and are pleased that so many families across the Midwest continue to find it valuable." The program began a decade ago with free oral generic antibiotics that were most commonly prescribed for children. By May 2008, it expanded to free prenatal vitamins. Metformin, the most commonly-prescribed drug for type 2 diabetes was added in 2010; and Atorvastatin calcium, the generic substitute for Lipitor, the cholesterol-lowering medication, in 2012. Here's the breakdown of free prescriptions filled in 2015: 14 percent were antibiotics prescriptions, including amoxicillin cephalexin, SMZ-TMP (excludes suspension), ciprofloxacin (250, 500 and 750mg strengths), ampicillin and penicillin VK. Those 1.3 million prescriptions saved customers $10 million. 16 percent were prenatal vitamins. The 540,000 prescriptions saved customers $11 million. 15 percent were Metformin. The 1.4 million prescriptions saved customers $10.6 million. 54 percent were Atorvastatin. The 3 million prescriptions saved customers $37.7 million. The Walker-based Meijer operates 223 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. RELATED: Meijer's most popular free prescription drug might surprise you Free flu, strep testing at Michigan pharmacies part of 9-month study Meijer adds generic version of Lipitor to free prescription program Meijer fills $14 million worth of free pre-natal vitamin prescriptions Shandra Martinez covers business for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email her or follow her on Twitter @shandramartinez. 021915_NEWS_23_NSH_01.JPG (Nicole Hester | MLive file photo) A crash closed the left lane of U.S. 23 Northbound near the junction with I-94 on Ann Arbor's southeastern border Tuesday morning. A two-car crash occurred shortly before 9 a.m. between Packard Road and Washtenaw Avenue, just past Exit 35, which connects the two highways. According to a Washtenaw County dispatch officer, this was the only crash blocking traffic as of 9:15 a.m. Tuesday morning. University of Michigan staff meteorologist Dennis Kahlbaum said the Ann Arbor area received 2.3 inches of snow overnight and the National Weather Service issued a Winter Weather Advisory effective throughout the day Tuesday for all of Southeast Michigan, warning of potentially dangerous road conditions due to snow and wind. Update: As of 9:30 a.m., the road has been cleared. Traffic remains backed up. NB US-23 after I-94 Exit 35 Update: Incident Clear Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor MDOT - Ann Arbor (@MDOT_A2) January 12, 2016 Ben Freed is a general assignments reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Email him at benfreed@mlive.com and follow him on twitter at @BFreedinA2. He also answers the phone at 734-623-2528. A New York-based real estate group has purchased Ypsilanti Township's troubled Gault Village Shopping Plaza. The news came just as the township undertook a new legal operation designed to resolve seven years of blight-related issues on the property. The Namdar Realty Group, which purchased the 160,000-square-foot South Grove Road and Emerick Street center for an undisclosed amount of cash, says it specializes in redeveloping distressed commercial and retail space. "We take undervalued, underperforming, undermanaged retail properties - more specifically, properties in Michigan - and we come in with our management team and in-house staff ... and we renovate it, bring it back to life, revive it and make the physical repairs," said Joel Gorjian, a vice president of acquisitions with Namdar. The shopping center suffered since ramps to Interstate 94 were removed in the 1980s, but Gorijan said the company is confident Gault Village is in a position to succeed. Although the exit ramps are closed, Gorijan noted 91,000 cars still travel past the center daily, and 66,000 residents live within a three-mile radius. He added that Namdar employs local and national brokers to attract strong tenants, and he said Gault Village's Family Dollar reports more revenue than the company's national average. The company has taken on multiple other distressed properties around the country, and it has the capital and resources to complete the project, Gorijan said. But it's not clear if Namdar fully understands what it purchased with Gault Village. Gorijan declined to comment when asked whether the company knew of the township's investigation and plan to sue the former owners over the plaza's condition. Among more serious issues township inspectors cited in a December 16 report are roof leaks in occupied buildings, rotting metal roof structures, widespread mold, electrical hazards, failing entry overhangs, bricks falling from exterior walls, a failing exterior retaining wall, parking lot light poles that are tilted and structurally weak, and a crumbling parking lot. Of the 13-acre property's 20 units, six are occupied and 12 were condemned in December. The township has regularly been in court with the former owner, Union Lake Associate's Mike McGlothin, since 2009. In 2011 a Washtenaw County Circuit Court judge ordered a former K-Mart in the plaza demolished and a Value Foods to close over structural concerns, gaping holes in the roofs and mold. Mike Radzik, the township's director of the office of community standards, said that a week after the township obtained a search warrant to investigate the property on December 7, McGlothin transferred Gault Village's ownership to a Sterling Heights-based LLC, which then sold the property to Namdar. But McGlothin did so without informing the township. On January 19, township staff will ask the Ypsilanti Township Board of Trustees for authorization to sue, if necessary, Radzik said. Radzik said the township didn't know who the new owner was until Namdar sent a press release to The Ann Arbor News. He added that the township is excited about the potential for redevelopment, but the doesn't doesn't change the legal course. Namdar will be named the defendant if the township sues. The only way a lawsuit could be avoided is if Namdar presents an aggressive redevelopment plan. "The recent multiple sales of the property will not alter our code enforcement strategy, and hopefully code compliance can be achieved by the new owner without the necessity of litigation," Radzik wrote in an email to The Ann Arbor News last Friday. "After reading the press release issued by Namdar Realty Group today, we are cautiously optimistic and look forward to engaging with the new owner to discuss details of their renovation plans and a time line for completion. If this announcement comes to fruition, it will be a positive and long overdue step forward for the Gault Village neighborhood and its residents." BAY CITY, MI -- A Bay City parolee charged in a slew of break-ins and robberies is returning to prison. Bay County Circuit Judge Joseph K. Sheeran on Monday, Jan. 11, sentenced 42-year-old Michael J. Gorski to concurrent terms of five to 15 years and five to 10 years in prison. The judge gave Gorski no jail credit and ordered the sentences be consecutive to the offense for which he was paroled. Gorski in November pleaded no contest to single counts of second-degree home invasion and breaking and entering with intent to commit a larceny. In exchange for his pleas, the prosecution dismissed single counts of unarmed robbery, first-degree home invasion and receiving and concealing stolen property between $1,000 and $20,000. Gorski's charges date to the night of Saturday, Aug. 29, when police responded to a home in the 200 block of Stanton Street for a reported strong-arm robbery. The alleged victim told officers that Gorski had stopped by her house to see his 20-year-old daughter. During the visit, the daughter gave the woman some cash and asked her to buy a Slurpee and some cigarettes for her, the woman told police. The woman and Gorski then left the residence to walk to a nearby store, she told officers, according to court records. At some point, Gorski asked the woman how much money his daughter gave her, court records show. The woman then counted $70 in front of Gorski, she told police, according to court records. "Michael looked at me and said something like, 'You don't have $70, I have $70' and pushed me to the ground," the woman told police, according to court records. "He grabbed the money from me and started kicking me. After several kicks, I heard him running away." The woman said she went home and she and her husband drove around looking for Gorski, but the search proved fruitless, according to court records. Nearly a month later, in the wee hours of Wednesday, Sept. 23, police responded to a burglar alarm at Jamie's Dairies, 603 Columbus Ave. They arrived to find a broken window with blood located on the sill, on an ice cooler and on a grocery bag hanging halfway inside the window, court records show. They also found a half-empty 20-ounce bottle of Minute Maid lemonade on a counter inside, police reports state. A neighbor appeared on scene and told police he was in his apartment when he heard glass break, then went outside and saw a man enter the business and remain inside for a while. When the alleged burglar exited, he looked at the witness, said, "Gotta go, bro," then took off running, the witness told police. The witness provided officers with a physical description of the culprit. While officers were on scene, a resident in the 700 block of North Grant Street called Bay County Central Dispatch to report a possible home invasion in progress after hearing someone banging on her door. Officers responded to the home and found a basement window smashed out, court records show. Entering the basement, they found Gorski hiding behind a water heater and arrested him without incident. He matched the description of the Jamie's burglar and had small cuts on his arms, legs, and left pinky finger, court records show. "I'm kind of glad you got me," Gorski told police as they arrested him, according to officers' reports contained in court records. "It is finally over. This has been going on way too long." Gorski has a substantial criminal record, having served time for larceny of a firearm, receiving stolen property, larceny in a building and home invasion, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections. The MDOC's website says he absconded from parole Sept. 1, but does not state when he was paroled. BAY CITY, MI -- A 31-year-old Bay City man on probation has pleaded guilty to a 20-year drug crime. Blayton Joyner on Monday, Jan. 11, appeared before Bay County Circuit Judge Harry P. Gill and pleaded guilty to one count of manufacturing or delivering a narcotic or cocaine less than 50 grams. He faced no other charges, but prosecutors agreed not to seek a habitual offender sentencing enhancement. The charge stems from police with the Bay City Department of Public Safety's VIPER Unit on the afternoon of Sept. 24 initiating a traffic stop on Joyner after seeing him driving his Dodge Ram pickup truck west on Lafayette Avenue near Broadway. Once Joyner was detained, police and a Bay County probation officer searched him, court records show. Joyner told police there was nothing illicit on him, court records show. Officers found $461 in cash on him and a plastic baggy containing a white, chalky substance wedged between two seats in his truck, court records show. Asked by officers what the substance was, Joyner told them it was crack cocaine, court records show. Joyner went on to say he smokes a lot of crack and sells enough to cover his costs to about five customers, according to court records. He told police he buys the crack in Saginaw every two to three days, court records show. Police confiscated the cash Joyner had on him at the time of the traffic stop, as well as a cellular phone. Officers subsequently searched Joyner's residence, finding $2,300 in cash, which they also confiscated. Joyner has a lengthy criminal record, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections. A Bay County judge May 12, 2014, sentenced him to three years probation on a conviction of domestic violence, third offense. He was on probation from 2002 through 2005 on a conviction of breaking and entering, and has served prison time for breaking and entering, assault with a dangerous weapon and two convictions of domestic violence, third offense. Gill is to sentence Joyner at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22. LINCOLN All Nebraska state workers would get raises every five years under a proposal introduced by a Lincoln state senator and backed by the biggest state employees union. The goal is to provide meaningful support to our state employees, said Sen. Matt Hansen, who introduced the bill (LB896) in the Legislature on Monday. Raises would range from 6.25 cents per hour after five years service to 50 cents per hour after 40 years. Nebraska currently doesnt offer longevity pay for state employees. Union leaders have tried for years to secure raises based on time of service through standard contract negotiations, but the executive branch told them such a change would need to come from the Legislature, said Mike Marvin, executive director of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees. Meanwhile state agencies such as Health and Human Services and Corrections are seeing terrible, terrible amounts of turnover and overtime. Hansen said turnover and the resulting loss of institutional knowledge has been an issue with ACCESSNebraska, the states system of call centers and other facilities used to process public benefits. And staff at Tecumseh State Correctional Institution have complained about turnover, schedule changes and overtime since a riot broke out at the prison last May. Staffing at Tecumseh was a problem even before the riot, said Sen. Dan Watermeier of Syracuse, who cosigned Hansens bill and introduced one of his own to boost money for state prison workers. The Tecumseh prison is the second or third biggest employer in his area, Watermeier said: Its a big deal in my district. Other entities such as state veterans homes, Beatrice State Developmental Center and the Lincoln Regional Center have struggled to retain employees as well, Marvin said. It isnt clear yet how much the proposed raises would cost the state. Marvin said his union, which represents about two-thirds of state employees, pegged the price tag for its members alone at about $2.7 million in the first year. Legislative fiscal analysts will provide an estimate for all state employees in the coming months. The exact dollar amount of the proposed raises could also change through the lawmaking process, which would impact the overall cost. I understand compromise may need to happen, Hansen said. Marvin called longevity bonuses very common, and said at least 15 other states have some form of longevity pay written in law. A legislative committee probably either Business and Labor or Appropriations will hold a public hearing on the proposal sometime in the coming months. Hansen, who has a fair amount of state workers in his legislative district, said the measure would benefit state agencies and provide an incentive for state employees to remain in their jobs. I think its a good business practice, he said. Chalk it up to fate, serendipity, or otherwise, but as Detroit Public Schools teachers conduct a series of sick-outs to draw attention to school conditions in the city, a mural of legendary labor leader Mary Ellen Riordan is being pieced together in the city's North Corktown neighborhood.Developer Jon Zemke--who is also an editor at Model D--has commissioned a mural to adorn the side of a two-unit building he is renovating at the corner of Cochrane Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The subject is Mary Ellen Riordan, the first full-time president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers who also happens to be Zemke's great aunt.The roughly 20-by-36-foot mural features a portrait of Riordan with some students, uttering the quote, "Teachers want what children need." It's the work of Nicole Macdonald , a local artist whose work can be seen throughout town, including the recent series of Detroit literary figures installed on the outside of a Woodbridge party store Riordan served as president of DFT from 1960 through 1981. A significant force in teachers' labor rights, Riordan is recognized for her role as a woman leader in organized labor, a typically male-dominated field. In 1965, she led the fight to amend Michigan's Public Employee Relations Act to guarantee teachers and all public employees the legal right to collective bargaining.Riordan led one of the largest local unions in the United States and was the first woman to lead a union of such size. At the time of her retirement, DFT counted more than 12,000 members. In 2001, Riordan was inducted to the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame. In 2004, she won the Distinguished Alumni award from Marygrove College, having graduated from that school in 1941. Mary Ellen Riordan passed away in 2010.While Riordan may be his great aunt, Zemke says he commissioned the mural to honor all of the leaders and teachers who have helped shape the city yet might not be as familiar to its residents as mayors and other high-profile public officials."Like most other people in the city that have really made an impact, you kind of lose track of them over the years, the stories fade. And that's happened with her," says Zemke. "I didn't want that to keep happening."Zemke, a Midtown resident, owns and leases several properties in the city, most of them in Woodbridge. The North Corktown building, which had seen its share of damage from squatters and scrappers over the years, has been his biggest renovation project to date, he says. The building is split into two flats and features all new heating, cooling, electrical, and plumbing work among its upgrades. Demand is high for the units, says Zemke, and on-site workers field leasing questions from passers-by nearly every single day. Units should be move-in ready within the next month.Got a development news story to share? Email MJ Galbraith here or send him a tweet @mikegalbraith Kumawood actress Vivian Jill-Lawrence says that she will never date someone in the movie industry no matter what it comes with. She said this in an interview with Delay on the Delay show when the train stopped at Kumasi in the Ashanti region. According to her, the industry is a busy one so having someone who is also as busy as she is as a partner, will not work. We are in the same business and raising a family needs time and proper scrutiny so having a busy partner will just be a burden. It will not help though people think having someone in the same profession will help but for me, it will not work, she said. She said she was grateful to colleague actor, Bill Asamoah, for giving her the encouragement when she went through challenges in the early stages of her acting career. Vivian Jill who started her acting career five years ago has acted alongside actors Agya Koo, Lil Win, Emelia Brobbey, Bill Asamoah, Kyeiwaa and Nana Ama McBrown. 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. 12.01.2016 LISTEN CEO of Ghana Movie Awards Fred Nuamah has said the Ghana Movie Awards (GMAs) has bright prospects. The GMAs has over the last six years consistently honoured excellence in Ghana's move industry. Speaking in a New Year message over the weekend, he congratulated all stakeholders of the movie industry and sponsors for supporting the awards, assuring, we are getting there with your support. It won't be long. 2015 came to a close with us celebrating our sisters and brothers in the Film and Television Industry during our 6th Ghana Movie Awards at the Accra International Conference Centre. We would like to congratulate all winners and would also like to extend our appreciation to every Actor, Director, Writer, Producer, Costume and Wardrobe Designer, Editor, Makeup Artists and Technicians within the Music, Visual Effects, Sound, Production Design, Cinematography and Animation branches. You are the reason the Ghana Movie Awards was created and continues to exist, he said. We continue to be humbled by the warm reception from the general public, who we owe so much to for their unceasing encouragement and patronage towards the Ghana Movie Awards and for their support of the entire film and television industry which continues to work tirelessly towards excellence. We are getting there with your support. It won't be long. The Awards Team would like to thank our sponsors Joy Dadi Bitters, Silhouette Advertising, SEA, Peugeot, Eurostar Global Limousine Group, Vita Milk, KIA Motors, and Kempinski Hotel. We couldn't have done it without you. Let's do it even bigger in 2016! See you there, he added. The 2015 Ghana Movie Awards was boycotted by some of the country's major actors who were not happy with some movies that made the awards' nomination list. They argued that those productions were not Ghanaian enough to compete with Ghanaian local movies. Organisers, they said, could have however created international categories for such movies. By Francis Addo (Twitter: @fdee50 Email: [email protected] ) 12.01.2016 LISTEN The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for this year's elections, Nana Akufo Addo on Sunday evening visited the highlife legend Amakye Dede who was involved in a fatal accident at the Bunso Junction in the Eastern Region, at the Erata Hotel in Accra to wish him speedy recovery. The celebrated highlife musician, who looked cheerful, was very excited to see Nana Addo come through to visit him. Nana Addo who was also happy to see the highlife musician alive said it was disturbing when he heard the news of his accident hence his visit. According to the NPP flagbearer, it was the good Lord who saved the highlife musician and urged him to hold on to his belief in God. Nana Addo Visit Amakye Dede2 Abrantie Amakye Dede who expressed gratitude to the NPP flagbearer Nana Addo for his visit described the accident as shocking. . I thank God for saving my life. I met death face to face but God saved me through his wonders. It was a serious accident and I am shocked that I survived. God is a wonderful God, he said. Amakye Dede who was discharged from the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital last Thursday said God did not take his life because he is not done with what he has been assigned to accomplish on earth. He however thanked Nana Addo for taking time off his busy schedule to visit him personally, adding that Nana Addo's visit was timely and will boost his recovery process. Nana Addo Visit Amakye Dede22 The highlife legend, his manager and his bodyguard were involved an accident at the Bunso Junction on the Accra-Kumasi Highway where they had gone to perform at the Paradise Rest Stop in the New Year in the late hours on Friday January 1, 2015. While his manager, Isaac Yeboah died on the spot, his bodyguard who sustained injuries and was on admission at the 37 Military Hospital has also been discharged. By George Clifford Owusu ([email protected]) Member of Parliament for Amenfi Central in the Western region is offering to accommodate the two former Guantanamo Bay detainees as refugees in his constituency. According to George Kofi Arthur, there is nothing wrong with governments decision to accept the Yemeni nationals in Ghana . Ghana is expected to provide shelter for the two Yemini terror suspects Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby. The two have been in detention for 14 years after being picked up in Afghanistan and suspected to have been linked to the terrorist group Al-Qaeda. Government's decision to accommodate the former Guantanamo Bay detainees has generated a lot of public uproar with political parties and the Christian Council of Ghana demanding the two suspects be sent out of the country. But the Amenfi Central MP on Adom FMs Dwaso Nsem says that the noise being made is much ado about nothing. In his view, the security agencies have done due diligence thus the two terror suspects dont pose any threat to Ghana. We dont have to make a lot of noise about these people. If Ghana was not to be a peaceful country, America would not have brought their people here, he said. Kofi Arthur could not fathom why people were making a lot of noise about the issue when in fact most Chinese nationals in Ghana are ex-convicts. He blamed the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) for creating fear and panic on the issue just for cheap political points. The NPP is making a mountain out of a molehill because they have nothing to say. Im willing to accept them at my house in my constituency and we will live peacefully he stressed. Kofi Arthur urged Ghanaians to ignore the ugly noises by the NPP and trust the government. International Relations expert, Vladmir Antwi-Danso, says returning the two Yemini terror suspects Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby to their country will be difficult for Ghana. Anyone who tells you that Ghana can return the two former Guantanamo terrorist detainees to USA will be [telling] lies he said. The arrival of the detainees for a two-year stay as part of a deal reached between the United States of America and the Government of Ghana has generated a lot of public uproar. Most commentators have demanded that the two suspects be sent out of the country. The two have been in detention for 14 years after being picked up in Afghanistan and suspected to have been linked to the terrorist group Al-Qaeda. But Speaking Monday on Adom FMs Burning Issues programme with Afia Pokua, Dr. Antwi-Danso said sending back the Guantanamo Bay inmates to their country will not easy for the nation. They now belong to Ghana Dr. Antwi-Danso said. Apart from the public outcry, the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) has called on the government of Ghana to return the two Guantanamo Bay inmates in the country with immediate effect because their stay in Ghana puts the nation at risk. The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) also shares the deep anxiety and fears of the Ghanaian people over the resettlement of the two former Guantanamo terrorist in Ghana without the approval of Parliament, political parties and other stakeholders. Ghanaians must calm down because no matter what we do, they are already here with us but we should find proper way of containing them Dr. Antwi-Danso said. According to him, the government must now focus on how to prevent them from affecting Ghanas security system, economic and political systems because they are stuck in the country. Dr. Antwi-Danso also warned government communicators over their public utterances on the issue. Ignorant government officials and their communicators must stop telling Ghanaians lies over the issue he advised. The Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) and the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) have insisted that government must return the two Yemini terror suspects after an emergency meeting with government officials. Yesterday, officials of the Foreign Affairs Ministry and US Embassy met members of the Christian Council of Ghana following the Councils condemnation and public outcry of governments acceptance of the two Guantanamo Bay terror suspects. The terror suspects and former detainees at Guantanamo Bay who are now in Ghana say they are not a part or against any terrorist group. The two, Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby are gracious to Ghana's President for providing them a new home in Ghana and have promised to lead peaceful lives. They insist they are innocent people who were unjustifiably detained by the United States for 14 years adding they pose no threat to Ghana. But General Secretary of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, Apostle Samuel Yaw Antwi told Adom FM's Burning Issues programme hosted by Afia Pokua that government must return the two suspects because governments decision is extremely dangerous to the security of the country and its people. If America thinks that the two poses low level of threats to their security what about Ghana Apostle Antw asked government. Currently, there are fears and panic among the citizenry in the country and for that matter the government must consider sending the two suspects back GPCC General Secretary emphasized after the meeting. The Kaneshie Magistrates Court will later Tuesday hear the extradition case involving British citizen Arthur Simpson-Kent who is accused of murdering his girlfriend in the UK. Kent was arrested in the Western Region over the weekend after running to Ghana last month. The court was to hear the case Monday but had to adjourn because Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) officials who are holding him did not turn up in court with the suspect. A state attorney who was in court requested the adjournment to Tuesday which the court granted. Simpson-Kent 43, is being investigated for the murder of his girlfriend, Sian Blake, and two children. Zomba (Malawi) (AFP) - On vocals: convicted murderer Elias Chimenya, on bass guitar: burglar Stefano Nyerenda, and prison guard Thomas Binamo is one of the band's songwriters. Malawi's Zomba Prison Project band has a unique line-up that could grab global success at the recording industry's prestigious Grammy Awards next month. Their 20-track record "I Have No Everything Here" has been nominated in the Best World Music Album category, with the winner to be announced at a gala ceremony in Los Angeles. Musical talent at the Zomba maximum-security prison was unearthed in 2013 when US producer Ian Brennan spent two weeks working with 60 inmates and guards to make the album. Six hours of recordings were edited down into the final selection of songs, featuring 16 of the prison's musicians, singing mainly in the local Chichewa language. Elias Chimenya, 46, who is serving a life term for killing a man in a quarrel in the 1980s, wrote and sang the haunting ballad "Jealous Neighbour", the album's fifth track. "I am a reformed person, and music has helped me to be cool and deal with the situation of being incarcerated for life," he told AFP at the decrepit prison in the poor southern African nation. "(But) I hope to not die in prison, and instead to be released to take up a music career outside." - 'Already made us famous' - More than two years after the recording sessions, news of the award nomination came as a surprise to inmates. "We are baffled because we didn't expect prisoners could be nominated," said Nyerenda, the 34-year-old guitarist, who expects to be freed next year after serving a 10-year sentence for house burglary. The prison already had an all-male band that tours local schools to spread HIV prevention messages. But the Grammy-nominated album includes other inmates -- and half the songs are by women prisoners living in a separate part of the jail where they have no instruments except hand drums, buckets and pieces of pipe. Among the songs on the album, which was recorded in a makeshift studio next to a noisy carpentry workshop, are tracks called "Last Wishes", "I Am Alone" and "Don't Hate Me". "The nomination alone has inspired us and already made us famous both in Malawi and abroad," said Binamo, the prison guard who wrote the lyrics for a song called "Please. Don't Kill My Child." "Winning an award will be the icing on the cake," he added, as band members wearing white prison uniforms rehearsed a new song in the bare studio under a single light bulb. "We teach vocals, keyboard, drums and guitar until they become musicians. Playing music can bring relief to them," Binawo said. "Many people have a negative attitude towards the prison authorities. They think we only punish convicts." Brennan, who has worked regularly in US prisons, said he was amazed by how music sessions in the Zomba jail "did not have any rigid boundary between guards and prisoners." "I was struck by how the voices are unique, unaffected and direct," he added. Brennan also defended the album, which was released last year, against accusations that it celebrated criminals. "This is not about glorifying anyone -- it is about humanising, and everyone should be humanised," he said. "Some of these prisoners have been proved innocent and released. Others are caught up in bureaucracy for years. But yes, some people are in for life, for murder." - 'What's a Grammy?' - Brennan said the prison, built in the 1930s, was in poor repair but that the prisoners appeared to be relatively well-treated. "Considering the tremendous shortage of resources, I would say prison officials do make an effort to rehabilitate prisoners and provide decent conditions," he told AFP. "It is an incredible thing that they were nominated." The prisoners were paid a small fee for the recording, and any profits will be shared among them -- including several who have since been released. "When I heard the news, I said, 'What is a Grammy?'" recalled Little Dinizulu Mtengano, acting chief commissioner of prisons in Malawi. "Straight from my lunch, I went to the prison to break it to them. They were surprised, but some knew what the Grammys were." No one from the jail is expected to attend the award ceremony on February 15. Also competing in their category are albums by South African choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Indian sitar musician Anoushka Shankar, the daughter of the late sitar maestro Ravi Shankar. Another of the prisoner performers, Chikondi Salanje, a convicted thief who sings the album's opening track, said the nomination led him to reflect on his time in jail. "This is the place where I discovered my potential," he said. "I always tell myself that if I were outside, I would have been killed or faced something terrible. "But I am glad to be part of the people that have put Malawi on the map." A legal scholar, Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare, has condemned President John Mahama over his decision to reward the taxi driver who foiled a robbery operation with a house. The Cabby rammed his car into the motorbike of two robbers - Abaliku Sannie, 35, and Oko Quaicoo, 30 - who shot at a sales girl of the Koala Supermarket on her way to deposit sales at the bank. The supermarket is getting him a new car, the police has scheduled to honour him in addition to a house being sponsored by the Mahama-led administration. Prof. Asare feels the initiative of the government is laudable, but could be a recipe for disaster. But the State should be more careful. Driving your car into someone is a crime, even if the person is a suspected criminal. As tempting as it is to be seen to be endorsing what the Driver did, I strongly believe it is error for the President to reward it, the US-based Ghanaian law professor posted on his Facebook. Below is his full post: Does the President's state funded reward to the Koala Taxi Driver endorse vigilantism as part of the criminal justice system? PS: For the avoidance of doubt, I do not have any difficulties with the Koala Driver. I like what he did and would easily give him a reward. But the State should be more careful. Driving your car into someone is a crime, even if the person is a suspected criminal. As tempting as it is to be seen to be endorsing what the Driver did, I strongly believe it is error for the President to reward it. Let us not forget that the Koala driver saw something and acted. Someone may have only seen the driver running into the suspects. Will that someone, seeing the driver running into what the driver thought were suspects but whom the someone thinks are regular motor bikers, be justified in pouncing on the driver and pouring acid on him? State supported Vigilantism will put all of us on a slippery slope to chaos. Da Yie! The robbers shot the sales girl on her way to deposit the previous days sales at the bank. While bolting, the driver rammed into the motorbike of the thieves, forcing them into a nearby drain. An armed soldier who chanced on the scene intervened to effect the arrest of the duo, who were still shooting in their injured state. 12.01.2016 LISTEN Most days, I prefer to mind my own business; but when one of these Trokosi reprobates takes the battle to the courtyard of yours truly or rather, I should say the courtyard of my customary grandfather (actually he is only one of my several customary grandfathers, the Asantehene being another) then, of course, I am left with absolutely no choice but to shoo off this craven chicken trying to play a pesky gadfly. This is not the very first time that this Trokosi SOB has attempted to create mayhem and confusion in our courtyard. And so I am quite certain that he expected me to shortly appear in the portals of our palatial portico with my horsewhip and deliver his butts a couple of wallops. I didnt know that it was a crime for any major chief or traditional ruler in the country to exhort his people to help any elected leader of Ghana transform our nation into something much better than the apocalyptic socioeconomic, political and cultural mess in which most of us find ourselves presently. Which is why I find it rather flabbergasting that whenever a refreshingly forward-looking traditional ruler, particularly an objective and non-Trokosi one, takes this most healthy statesmanlike stance to national politics and governance, in general, the Trokosi Nationalist finds it nigh impossible to either accept or appreciate such an enlightened and progressive attitude towards the conscious shaping of our collective destiny. Of course, I know where this Trokosi would-be-detractor of Ghanas main opposition leader is coming from. The so-called World Bank of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC). You see, the average Anlo-Ewe chieftain there are quite a few exceptions, I suppose is NPP-blind. One only has to take a cursory glance at the voting pattern in their briar patch of the country over the past two decades to fully appreciate what I am talking about. These red-socks and white-sneakers wearing chieftains simply lack Vitamin Objectivity or the requisite Political Protein to enable them make cross-partisan or non-partisan policy decisions and pronouncements. The observant reader may have even noticed how these chiefs pounce on whoever happens to be the leader of an NDC government, and earnestly, fervidly and sometimes even aggressively demand what they deem to be their fair share of our proverbial national cake which, by the way, they have been widely known to have acquired more than nearly every one of the other ethnic polities in the country. Their threats are almost invariably leveraged around seasonal ballot rigging. We shall take up the foregoing matter as and when deemed appropriate throughout this electoral watershed year. What engendered this sticky subject, by the way, was the all-too-expected appearance of the Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori-Panyin, II, at the 5th anniversary celebration of the installation of the Effiduasehene, of the New Juaben Traditional Area, Nana Okoawia Dwumoh Baabu IV, in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional Capital. Those of our readers who know the history between the people of Akyem-Abuakwa and the New-Juaben State pretty much know what I am alluding to. At this fiesta, among other things, the Okyenhene, naturally, exhorted all Ghanaians thusly: We must all support President Mahamas quest of transforming Ghana from [it presently bleak state] into a better one (See Okyenhene: Lets Support Mahama to Transform Ghana JoyNews.com / Ghanaweb.com 1/8/16). It is quite pathetically obvious that the Trokosi agitprop tout who farcically attempted to rope Akufo-Addo, the 2016 New Patriotic Party Presidential Candidate, into the fray had hoped to gain some political capital by the mischievous suggestion that, somehow, in exhorting his countrymen and women to helping President Mahama transform the country for the better, the Okyenhene could be logically and aptly envisaged to have endorsed Nana Akufo-Addos main political opponent in the lead-up to Election 2016. Actually, the Okyenhene may well have been ironically underscoring Mr. Mahamas notorious diarrheal use of abusive language against hardworking and well-meaning traditional Ghanaian rulers and citizens, such as his infamous tagging of Kyebi, the Okyeman royal capital, as the Galamsey Capital of Ghana. But, of course, nobody expects a low-level and rabidly anti-Akan Trokosi Nationalist to remarkably appreciate the felicitous language of irony and humor. Trust me, Trokosi Man, there is absolutely nothing to the Okyenhenes call besides sheer patriotism and exemplary statesmanship. And even as most of our readers can clearly see, on the question of political objectivity and statesmanship, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori-Panyin is absolutely without compeer in Anlo-Eweland. 12.01.2016 LISTEN The Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) is holding four operators Microfinance Company in the Brong Ahafo Region where customers monies have been locked up for months. The companies which had repordtedly held their customers deposits hostage for several months due to their closure by the Bank of Ghana, were DKM Diamond Microfinance, God is Love Fun Club, Jastar Motors and Investments Company Limited, Little Drops Association, Care for Humanity and Eye Adom 'Fun Club. The BNI subsequently moved in and arrested four operators of some of the distressed microfinance companies. The arrested people were Martin Delle, Managing Director of DKM Financial Services; Noel Nortey, Nkoranza Branch Manager of God Is Love Fun Club; Charles Asum, Managing Director of Jastar Group of Companies and Monica Afriyie popularly called Maame Korkor, Managing Director of God Is Love. With the exception of DKM boss Martin Delle, who turned himself in yesterday after hearing that he was on the run, the other three have already been put before court. They were said to have collected various sums of money running into several millions of Ghana Cedis from their clients, promising them tantalising interests of not less than 50 per cent. About fifty persons were said to have committed suicide in the Brong Ahafo Region after several months and weeks of failed efforts to retrieve their monies unduly locked up with the collapsed microfinance companies. Street protests had been the order of the day in the Brong Ahafo Region, with angry customers demanding payments of their locked up investments. According to them, they could not make ends meet or pay their children's fees as their businesses had reportedly collapsed. The development has widely been criticised as failure on the part of the Central Bank to prudently regulate activities of some dubious elements within the financial sector, hence the locking up of funds belonging to several individuals. The government was said to have waded into the logjam by ordering the arrest of the operators to find a way out of the financial crisis. Last Wednesday, about 1,800 aggrieved customers of some of the collapsed microfinance companies took to the streets in Berekum, threatening to close down traditional banks and the Berekum Municipal Assembly in two weeks if government did not prevail upon the institutions to pay back their monies. The threats might have gingered the government into action against the operators. Resources for all concerned with culture of authoritarianism in society, banalisation of communalism, (also chauvinism, parochialism and identity politics) rise of the far right in India (and with occasional information on other countries of South Asia and beyond) 12.01.2016 LISTEN NUGS CONGRATULATES PROF. EBENEZER ODURO OWUSU AS THE NEW VICE CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA AND APPLAUDS THE GOOD WORKS OF PROF ERNEST ARYEETEY NUGS on this occasion wish to commend the efforts of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Ernest Aryeetey towards making the University of Ghana a world class tertiary institution. Since 1st August 2010, when he ascended the enviable throne of the Vice Chancellor, the University has seen the completion of four more halls of residence, a decongestion policy that has created a serene and conducive atmosphere for learning, previously a room had four occupants, each hosting a percher plus two more "perchers" who sleep on the floor, making the total number ten (10) in a single room. Today however, the story is very different from what Prof. Aryeetey came to meet; at present, the "perching" system has been abolished and only two occupants are allowed in a room. Academically, he has almost phased out all diploma programmes with the intention of focusing the University's attention on research work. This has subsequently led to the introduction of a lot of Masters and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) courses in Legon. Moreover, his tenure has seen an upsurge in security at the halls of residence and on campus in general by strategically installing CCTV cameras at certain locations on campus. Additionally, The University's bad roads have also been fixed with a loan facility under his leadership. As he retires from office on 31st July, 2016, Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu who was significantly decorated in August 2008 as a "LIVING LEGEND" by the people of Kochi Japan for his contribution to Science and the Internationalization of Kochi city, takes over. This is a managerial leader who attracted some funds for research, and in 1999, personally built a laboratory (Food Security) at the University of Ghana for use by staff and students. NUGS welcomes the man who was solely responsible for the acquisition and installation of a Scanning Electron Microscope (first of its kind in West Africa, worth US$ 500, 000.00) through a grant from the Government of Japan. Space will not allow us to list your unending leadership profile. We can only sum up with University of Ghana by the quote below: "A scholar of international repute with proven knowledge and experience in university administration and governance, in addition to demonstrable fundraising ability, Professor Owusu has served on numerous University Boards and Committees as well as serving as Hall Tutor and UTAG Secretary." -- Mercy Haizel-Ashia, Registrar and Secretary to UG Council. The National Union of Ghana Students is of high hopes that your new appointment will set Universities IN Ghana and the nation as a whole to a very high pedestal. As your students, we look forward to having an impacting and amiable working relationship with you. Ayekoo! Professor Ernest Aryeetey. Akwaaba! Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu. Signed. Thomas Takyi-Bonsu Press and Information Secretary 0546060200 Ferdinand Boakye Boateng Ag. NUGS President 0553449725 / 0269838685 12.01.2016 LISTEN What Value System Being Diluted? Article 27(b) of the Liberia Constitution read thus: In order to preserve, foster and maintain the positive Liberian culture, values and character, only persons who are Negroes or of Negro descent shall qualify by birth or by naturalization to be citizens of Liberia. In a layman, plain, simple and strict interpretation, when you are not a Negro or Negro descent, you cannot or will not be able to help and/or preserve, foster and maintain the positive Liberian culture, values and character. Liberian Government is simply saying to hell to any other races and the rapid global and mutual cultural transmission and osmosis! They do not have any cultural goodies that worth emulation and enabling Liberia attaining any of those valuable distinctiveness. Liberia is independent and its sovereignty and cultural values should not be ruined, degenerated and infused by the immoderation and unrestrained lifestyle and other unwarranted foreign manipulations, control and dominance that come with multi-race. Those could be fear factors Liberian constitutional writers probably had, but are those fears reasonable in this day and age to the extent of constitutionally alienating another race? Where is the moral ground to condemn Hitler, who physically alienated, dehumanized and nearly eliminated the Jews from the surface of the earth? Oh, this comparison is unmatched-probably so, this is constitutional alienation, but is this not indirectly humiliating the entire white race? Be the judge. Are there measurable or visible Liberian cultural value, customs, lifestyle, social and economic traditions that are inseparable from the Western lifestyle, particularly the United States of America? All the original founders, presidents and elites of Liberia boast of being from America. Putting it truly, Liberia is a copycat, step son, grand son of Uncle Sam, America. Everything from political and apolitical is almost-nearly practically carbon copy from America, although misguidedly implemented. From Liberias Pledge of Allegiance(only the name Liberia is different),three-color Liberian flag-red, white and blue, with Stars and Stripes, to holiday celebration, including Christmas, Easter, New Year, and Thanksgiving, are all copycats of the United States of America customs and value system. American fashion, style, design, haircuts, voice and accent mimicking are also inclusive and domineering in Liberia. One wonders, what else is there in Liberia to preserve and uphold from non-Negro? Even what is thought to be a unique Liberian custom snapshape handshake originated from the United States of America. Alan Hufman describes this handshake in his book, Mississippi in Africa; The Saga of Prospects Hill Plantation and their Legacy in Liberia Today as a combination of every other handshake in the world, with a twist, the traditional grasp, then something like a soul-shake with a finger snap off of the other mans index finger at the end. The Irony of the Already Implicit Reality Here are the ironies. In the book, Liberia-America Footprint in Africa, Making the Cultural, Social and Political Connection, Jesse Mongrue writes that ten Liberian presidents were born in the [white men] country, United States of America, one was born in Barbados, the Caribbean, and another born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, making it the total of 12 Liberian presidents born outside of Liberia. This further exposes the contradiction of Liberia all Negro citizenship status. More founding Liberian Presidents were born in Caucasians countries. Some Liberian current public officials are citizens of other countries around the world, including white countries. To keep their jobs, most of them denied citizenship of other countries, but the reality is they traveled with officials Liberian passports and hide their foreign passports. They feel happy being citizens of other countries around the world, benefiting from the education, healthcare , infrastructure, better system and control and good lives from those countries, but are racist towards Caucasians, who contentedly want to be citizens in Liberia. Some Caucasians are born in Liberia, speak local dialects, initiated in traditional Liberian societies, culturally entrenched in the Liberian ways of life, attended colleges and universities in Liberia, intermarried, established businesses , yet they are not allowed to be considered Liberians, because of the color of their skins. They are whites, not Negro or Negro descent that is the only offense they commit. Liberia even excludes Indians, Chinese, Malaysians, and Lebanese because accordingly they are not of Negro decent. As developed and industrialized as the United States and some Western and Asian countries are, they recognize the existence of dual nationality. Paradoxically, though, while the Liberian Government is excluding other races, the excluded races can lease a land or home for 100 years plus. The same excluded races are the ones controlling more than 95% of the economy, and are principally responsible for bringing the now infamous $16 billion in foreign direct investment. A count of the more than 100 concessions and contracts signed for the $16 billion show more than 99.99% are from the excluded races. So sad and logically unparalleled, constitutionally intolerable, humanly humiliating, that Liberians who married white persons could be citizens of their white partners, when they(Liberians) choose to do so, but the white husband or wife cannot be citizen of Liberia. Any undertaking that could have helped Liberias growth thorough the inter-racial marriage apparently ended up at the discouragement table. Who wants to put all his/her resources in a country that inherently opposes white citizenship? In fact, another distressing contrast and embarrassment, is when a natural born Liberian married black person, from any part of the world and becomes naturalized citizen of his/her spouse country, the black person being married to, can become a naturalized citizen of Liberia, but the natural born Liberian will either have to conceal his Liberian passport in his luggage while entering Liberia airport or do the business as usual. No dual citizenship for natural born Liberians, but dual citizenship for naturalized black persons anywhere from around the world. Amendment 14, Section 1 of the United States Constitution did not proffer any racist provision. It unequivocally uses all persons, as opposed to racist Liberias only Negro or Negro descent provision: All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. For Liberia Constitution, Ghanaians, Nigeria, Ivoirians, Sierra Leoneans, South Africans-the whole of Africa and beyond, they can be naturalized Liberians, if they choose to; as if the excesses of illegal drug trade, money laundering, widespread statutory rapes, aiding and abetting the loots of our resources, fake medications, dubious companies, willful disregard of the law because of connection at the echelon of power and authority, are considered imported cultural values from some of our Africans or Black counterparts from the African Continent or other parts of the world. You be the judge. Single Citizenship in Liberia: The Paradox Why Liberian authority delaying passing dual citizenship bills also? Why wasting so much time passing this bill when it is foolproof that countless numbers of current and past Liberian public officials have dual citizenship but are buried in conspiracy of silence and secrecy. Are they going to conspire against themselves, and suffer the consequences of not pushing hard to get the bill pass? This is the only sycophancy that is self-destructive .Watch up, if this is a political ploy, it will re-bounce to the very same makers in the future. Again, Liberia is United States step child and traditional buddy.Sorry, no country around the world with such closed tie and family ship with Liberia, except the United States, so more examples are from United States. The United States recognizes dual nationality. In the U.S. Department of State regulation on dual citizenship (7 FAM 1162), the Supreme Court of the United States says that dual citizenship is a "status long recognized in the law" and that "a person may have and exercise rights of nationality in two countries and be subject to the responsibilities of both. The mere fact, he asserts the right of one citizenship does not without more mean that he renounces the other," (Kawakita v. U.S., 343 U.S. 717) (1952). In Schneider v. Rusk 377 U.S. 163 (1964), the US Supreme Court ruled also that a naturalized U.S. citizen has the right to return to his native country and to resume his former citizenship, and also to remain a U.S. citizen even if he never returns to the United States. Further, the United States is encouraging foreigners to come to America and become Green Card holders and eventually citizens. Each year the US grants a million foreigners to enter and work in America through their work visa program (H1-B visas), which has the paved the way for millions of capable and experience foreigners to obtain green cards and citizenship in America. European nations are also doing the same. This H1-B visa is the largest source of brain drain from the third countries, as the best and brightest in the third world have left their impoverished countries (including Liberia) to take advantage of getting rich in America. Ghana and other progressive nations in Africa saw what America and Europe were doing so they too decided to compete for competent and capable manpower, by introducing dual citizenships and removed barriers to naturalization. Today, Kenyans, Ghanaians, Zambians, Botswana , Namibians etc. are all competing with America and Europe, because dual citizenships and removal of barriers to citizenships have encouraged their natural born to return home and contribute positively to the growth and development of their countries. Sadly, a post war nation like Liberia that cries for lack of capacity should have been ahead of Ghana in the du al citizenship game but it is lagging behind, because of backward thinking. Thousands of capable and competent Liberians are in the USA, Europe, Asia and other parts of Africa. They are not going to give up their citizenship just to come and work in Liberia. It is the Government of Liberia that should be begging them to come home and assumed some risks, but that can only be done with a sweetener such as allowing dual citizenship. Natural born Liberians who hold foreign citizenships and persons of non-negro descent will continue to build mansions in America, Europe and other countries because they have no reason to keep incomes earned in Liberia, after all they are not citizens. Lebanese, Malaysians, Indians, Americans and Europeans will also continue to repatriate all their incomes back to their countries of citizenship, because they have nothing that holds them to Liberia. Citizenship could make them to have some lasting connections to Liberia. The Liberian law implicitly agrees that Liberians in the Diaspora, whether they are citizens or not for any country, whether they married white or black persons ,they can stay remit money to Liberia to build beautiful homes that bury defaced homes, establish businesses that help to provide some employment for a huge unemployed Liberian population, feed family members and friends, provide professional and educational support to under-staffed teaching staff at universities, colleges, vocational schools, etc. But those are sheer tips of the icebergs of goodies from a single citizenship. More is better with double citizenship. The more Liberia gives, the more Liberia will be opened and exposed to lot of opportunities in the fast changing global world. The thriftily Liberia gives, the very less at the bottom it will continue to get. According to World Bank Report, remittances to Liberia in 2011 were estimated at $360m, the equivalent of 31% of Liberias GDP and more than half the amount Liberia received in aid that year. Taken as a share of GDP, Liberia is the world's second-highest remittance recipient, behind Tajikstan, and the figure is predicted to have increased to $378m in 2012. If Liberians with single-citizenship remitting such amount, more will be done when dual citizenship is consummate into law. In 2015, the Tanzania Foreign Affairs Minister, Benard Membe, stated that Ghanaians in the Diaspora annually contribute $2.1 billion, while Nigerians and Kenyans in the Diaspora annually contribute $3.1 billion and $1.6 billion respectively. All these countries have one thing in common, dual citizenship. Different Time, Different Circumstance It was President William R. Tolbert that drafted and passed the Alien and Naturalization Law that is today denying Liberian citizenship to those Liberians who have acquired another citizenship. See, Chapter 22. LOSS OF CITIZENSHIP, Alien and Nationality Law - Title 4 - Liberian Code of Laws Revised. Approved: May 15, 1973, Amendments. Approved: May 9, 1974. This was 1973 and 1974. That was the 20th Century and that was at the height of the Cold War. We are now in the 21st Century and we still believe that the conditions that existed during the Tolberts administration are still relevant. Times have change and so has the global competitive environment, where nations are competing capital investment and qualified manpower. Hope Liberia learn from its long-established soul mate, the United States of America. Even closer countries, including Nigeria, Togo, Tunisia, Morocco, Lesotho, Ghana, Cote d, voire, Benin, Burkina Faso and Namibia being on the go for dual citizenship while some sanctioned white citizenship. It is about time Liberia rises above this speculative and obsolete fear of white people taking land and property or owning more land and properties. Liberians have own more undeveloped lands some of which, converted to huge bushes, garbage field, domicile of termite, rats, mosquitoes, etc. for decades. In fact, if the fear is actually to lose land and economy positions, Liberians have lost that long time ago. Non-negro descendants (such as Lebanese, Malaysians, Chinese, and Lebanese) collectively control more than 95 percent of the Liberian economy and Liberians have leased land to them at times for 100 years. The President of Liberia, Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, admitted appointing many Liberians with American and European citizenships. Even the President stand accused over and over again of being a US citizen, but this has not been proven. Basically, the political leadership and economic elites in Liberia hold another citizenship elsewhere in the world. Nothing is going to change that basic fact, unless the Liberian government is prepared to spend millions of dollars to investigate, prosecute and jailed all of its officials who all citizens of another country. So why have a law that is by its nature unenforceable because of prevailing realities. Instead of a long drawn out constitutional process to amend the Constitution to allow for dual citizenship, the Legislature can simply and quickly amend Chapter 22. LOSS OF CITIZENSHIP of the Alien and Nationality Law - Title 4 - Liberian Code of Laws Revised. This is how simple as it gets. Sadly for 10 years the President and the Legislature have talked about amending this section of the law but it has not been done, while confirmation of presidential appointees with foreign citizenships and passage of concessions and contracts have been done speedily without much deliberations and vetting of credentials. About the Author Ernest S. Maximore is a Liberian journalist, a poet, and a lawyer. He earned B.A Mass Communications and Bachelor of Law (L.L.B.) from the University of Liberia respectively and MBA (concentration in Public Administration) from Strayer University, Virgina, USA. He can be reached at [email protected]/[email protected] 12.01.2016 LISTEN PEN Africa Network (PAN), the umbrella body of African Centres of PEN International, has learnt with shock and dismay the suspension of Denis Galava, the Managing Editor (Special Projects) of Kenyas state-owned Nation Media Group (NMG) over an editorial in the Nation newspaper. In an editorial published in the January 2, 2016 edition of the paper, titled Mr President, get your act together this year, the paper criticised President Uhuru Kenyatta and his governments administration, highlighting issues about poor leadership which has led to political patronage, unemployment, corruption, bureaucratic incompetence, and economic paralysis. Following the editorial, the management of NMG has suspended Galava. This, according to the Editor in Chief of NMG, Tom Mshindi, was due to the lack of consultation where one writer takes a strong position on such an im-portant issue single-handedly, without broad discussion and consultation, and describing Galavas action as a significant departure from established procedure. PAN in no uncertain terms condemns this attitude of the management of the Nation Media Group, as we consider the action taken against Galava as an attempt by the government to suppress the independence and freedom of the media and free expression by the citizens of Kenya. We need to emphasise that journalists working in state-owned media are not an extension of government propa-ganda machinery, and therefore the action of the NMG amounts to total surrender of the NMGs independence, and a show of its bias in favour of the ruling government, which does great harm to Kenyas democracy. PAN therefore calls for the immediate recall of Denis Galava to his position. We also wish to remind His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta, and indeed all African heads of state that Africa has had enough of the dictatorial rule of the 1970s and 1980s where majority of countries on the African continent were hijacked by military usurpers and autocrats who killed press freedom and freedom of expression. As the continent strives towards democratic governance, we urge all African countries and their leaders to stop the molestation and intimidation of journalists who voice the concerns of the majority of the citizens. We also request media organisations, especially state-owned media, and their executives to stop mortgaging the independence of the media to government by turning their media organisations into government propaganda out-lets thereby punishing independent journalists unnecessarily for merely practising professionally. We hereby call on President Kenyatta to immediately direct the reinstatement of Denis Galava. Dr Frankie Asare-Donkoh Secretary-General, PEN Africa Network (PAN) 12.01.2016 LISTEN Africa Centre for Energy Policy [ACEP] says Ghana lost estimated revenue of 90million dollar in 2011 to 2012 as a result of mining stability agreement. Ishmael Ackah, Head of Policy, ACEP, indicated that Newmont paid less than 500million dollars tax to government despite reporting its annual revenues of about 2.5 billion dollars in three years [2010 to 2012]. Ishmael Ackah said this when he launched a public interest report titled, Golden Days for Newmont. He noted that the report, which was supposed to have been rolled out in 2015 faced several delays because managers at Newmont refused to respond to the draft which was sent to them for comments. The report highlighted that out of the total value of 23 billion dollars of gold produced in the country, Ghana received 1.7million in taxes representing 7percent. The cost of production per ounce of gold was 596 and 542 with total revenue of 850 to 1050 dollars per ounce of gold in 2012 and 2013 respectively, the report noted. However, the report indicated that international mining companies threatened to lay off workers when government introduced windfall tax in 2012 to capture fair and adequate tax. According to Ishmael Ackah, foreign mining companies particularly Newmont, has been enjoying what they described as the Golden Days because the sector agencies have failed in their quests to track and retrieve all monies due the state from its mining activities in the country. He added that government has failed to strengthen its institutional capacity to capture adequate and fair share of mineral value over the years. Ishmael Ackah commended government for renegotiating the Newmont contract which will earn Ghana 27million dollars. However, he urged government, among key recommendations, to establish mining investment law to guide how mineral revenues are collected, disburse and spent. He added that Ghana must develop an effective tax administration system to detect and punish transfer pricing and other illegal corporate practices. He noted that the windfall tax should be backed by legal frameworks which should be featured in all mining contracts. According to him, government must set up a community mineral development fund backed by an investment plan with 70percent for the state and the remaining 30percent goes to the community. He posited that this could be used for investment in infrastructure and alternative livelihood schemes in affected mining communities. Mr. Benjamin Boakye, Deputy Director of ACEP, said, the report is not an indictment on Newmont however, Newmont is the second biggest producer of gold in Ghana in 2013 with an estimated share of 13percent. According to him, ACEP however put Newmont in the limelight because Newmont contract was available. Mr. Boakye concluded that there is a lot we need to know as a country so that Ghana is not shortchanged for our natural resources. 12.01.2016 LISTEN Listening to, and probing deeper into the sentiments of Ghanaians, tells me something ominous and it is the fact that there are yet very deep cracks within the notion of Ghanas nationhood. The ethnic sentiments often couched in speeches or responses to national issues, captured in the body language and emotional sensibilities of well-placed and common Ghanaians, provides a gauge to check where we are in the march to building a united nation. 59 years after independence struggle, here lies at the centre of Ghanas psyche, an insidious, choreographed prototype of nationalism that is at best a false one. It would be pedantic to dwell again on the historical misadventure of Ghanas amalgamation, which artificially brought together intrinsically disparate peoples who are almost, always divided on issues of religion, politics and ethnicity and always battling over parcels of land. To overlook these overarching differences, concealed under the false notion of nationalism, poses a mortal danger to the nation itself. For Akufo Addo to inherit a nation that has not made much progress in resolving underlining historical and tribal issues. For Instance, why is it a requirement for a Ghanaian to identify his tribe of origin before he has eligibility to work and be admitted in schools of lower and higher learning? The idea of putting ones tribe or origin ahead of ones nationality imposes on people the obsessive awareness of their tribe rather than their sovereign sense of Ghanaian-nationalism; the resurrection of ethnic consciousness and strife within our body politics, livid expressions of irritations, pent-up rage and frustrations within a nation that is falsely constituted. For instance, there are some identifiable elements of obstructive national vision in the conduct and betrayed sentiments of well-placed Ghanaians, which negate the idea of national leadership coming from fellow Ghanaians outside their own tribes. Good examples are the pronouncements coming from some Akan leaders in the past and much recently which seems to suggest that holding power at the centre has always and should be the prerogative of the Akan people. Some of them threw courtesy and gravitas to the wind when they made untidy comments and concluded that a Northener will never rule Ghana again. Ahh!, have you forgotten about Ursula Owusu, Osafo Mafo and Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo and their entrenched positions about Northeners? To what extent have they allowed ethnic and religious sentiments flow into the social and political streams of the country and poisoned the well-being of Ghanas unity? Thats just one of the many I can recall. Lets plough deeper into the formal theatre of Ghanas rein. What constitute Ghanas demographics in true terms? Do we have an ethically correct and well-corroborated census records? What do Ghanas political and economic demographics depict?, a thriving, well-run regions, districts or constituencies? An impassioned look at Ghanas working constitution would reveal, how outdated and lopsided it has become in administering the evolving and dynamic realties of a postmodern Ghana era. For example, the constitution we inherited was drafted by the military under different regime, done on military fiat and dispatch. Successive civilian administrations have often not being able to tinker and make amends to the constitution in key, contentious areas, simply for the reason of obvious collusion by some politicians who are aware of the fraudulently concocted national structure that has given them massive political advantage. Shouldnt we have had a constitution that reflects fiscal and demographic realities, as ought a coalition? Akufo Addos challenge and the biggest one for that matter would well be the opportunity to bring Ghanaians into an honest dialogue, where Ghanas seemingly intractable problems, cleverly camouflaged as no-go-areas, simply because they are feared to be capable of upsetting the irrational but dubious tendencies of Ghanas ruling elites, are finely thrashed out and creative, pragmatic solutions proffered. Nana Addo may wish to listen to the tone and pulse of the nation and the voice of his nephew, and be moved to stage a revolutionary peoples mandate that aspires to meet both the material and psychic needs of his nephew. At such points when a Akyem, would speak less of his supremacy over the Northener, and the Ewe man, not feel an irritation with the prospect of a Fante man becoming Ghanas president and the Ga man not taking up arms to fall his countrymen because of his mythic obsession that power belongs to them. Then we can begin to hope that a nation is taking shape. Being a nation transcends the geographic parameters that defines, or accord legitimacy to the over 26 million people living in the carved up space, called Ghana. It cuts deeper into the social, cultural and spiritual consciousness that binds the people inextricably as one people, who are aspiring to a solid, common, yet intangible vision of national greatness and glory. At the moment, Ghana is devoid of any such genuine collective aspirations; only occasionally do we espouse such unity, and for it to soon splinter in collision with the impregnable wall of ethnicity. Akufo- Addo may build Ghanas economy to become the best and biggest and make corruption a thing of the past as he boasted, but then its only when we are a nation, and lives as one; think as one, would these vision, mission and dream legacies endure. How wrong am I to ask how Ghana can become a nation under Akufo Addo? I think it is only fair that as we navigate to 7th November, 2016, we start to thinker the way forward. With the advent and proliferations of Television debates, media ads and social media, the voter obviously has more than enough information to guide him or her in selecting who leads the nation as president. Included several of the reasons should be among such as; 1. Organizational Leadership 2. The person must have flexible mind, 3. Knowledgeable about issues 4. Respect Constitution 5.Personal Character of the person 6. One who would unite us as a nation first. Some 36 migrants died when a ship carrying at least 106 Ethiopian and Somali migrants sank off the coast of the Somaliland autonomous region in northern Somalia on Friday, according to IOM Somalia. IOM, in partnership with the Migrant Response Center (MRC) in Somaliland, is supporting local authorities to provide food, water, and medicine for the survivors. It also provided trucks to move the migrants from Harasho, where they landed, to the capital of Sanaag, Erigavo, to receive medical attention. According to staff from the MRC, the survivors were all dehydrated and emaciated and many needed urgent medical attention. Those who were in critical condition were referred to a local hospital, where they are being treated by an IOM supported medical team. When the migrants are fit to travel, IOM, in close cooperation with UNHCR, DRC and government partners, will move them first to the UNHCR-managed Berbera reception centre, where they will stay overnight, be registered and screened to determine their protection needs. Today (12/1) 62 migrants will travel to Berbera. The remaining eight will remain under the care of doctors at Erigavo Hospital until they are fit to travel. They will then travel on to Hargeisa, where they will be supported through the Migrant Response Centre and the Ethiopian Community Centre. Migrants who choose to return home may then be offered IOM assisted voluntary return. Every year, thousands of people die in the waters off the coast of Africa while trying to reach Yemen in order to escape conflict-ridden situations and poor economic prospects at home. Yemen serves as a gateway to the rich Gulf countries in the Middle East. Somalis, Eritreans and Ethiopians make up for most of the migrants who look to cross the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea trying to reach Yemen and beyond in precarious boats, often controlled by unscrupulous human traffickers. The Kaneshie Magistrate Court has remanded British citizen, Arthur Simpson-Kent in the custody of the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI). The murder suspect was arrested in the Western Region after he fled the United Kingdom to Ghana. He is linked with the murder of his girlfriend, Sian Blake and her two sons. They were found buried at the backyard of the home they shared with the suspects as partners at Erith in South East London. Joy News' Joseph Opoku Gapko was in court and reports that lawyer for Arthur Simpson-Kent is against the courts decision to remand him. Justice Srem Sai argued that security agencies have breached his clients human rights and the extradition Act 1960 by denying him the right to counsel and not securing an arrest warrant from a local court. He demanded that his client be discharged but the court declined the request. He is to reappear on January 26, 2016. 12.01.2016 LISTEN Haruna Iddrisu The Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Haruna Iddrisu, has been put on the spotlight over an unusual amount of GH1 million he used to fund a conference in Switzerland. He is reported to have initially borrowed an amount of GH129,089 from the Youth Employment Agency and an additional GH900,7545.68 in March 2015. He has admitted that the ministry is yet to refund the GH129,089, saying that it was not unusual for ministries to take money from agencies under them. The monies were raised to cover two separate conferences scheduled for Geneva, delegations of which he was leading as sector minister. DAILY GUIDE has gathered that the trip entailed four-member delegations for the International Labour Organisation (ILO) meeting on March 12, 2015 and a second one in May the same year. Although a correspondence dated March 17, 2015 sought to give an assurance of refund as contained in this excerpt: The Ministry undertakes to reimburse you with the funds as soon as Bank of Ghana honours our request for payment through the GIFMIS platform, and for this transaction I provide my personal assurance, he has not made good the refund. He had explained though that the money would be . reimbursed subject to payment and release by the Ministry of Finance. It would appear that the minister has overshot his budget as contained in the complaint of former CEO of the Youth Employment Agency, Vincent Kuagbenu, who said the employment ministry was making excessive demands from the agency, which he added was putting a strain on his budget something the minister rejected. Kuagbenu has since been removed from YEA and sent to a yet-to-be-determined desk at the presidency. The minister had told Joy FM's 'Super Morning Show' on Monday that there was nothing wrong with the minister relying on funds of its agencies. No sooner had news about the scandal hit town than the minister said in a statement that it was normal practice within the Ghana Public Service for ministries to depend on their agencies when they are in financial distress and can sometimes borrow for subsequent reimbursement, subject to releases from the Ministry of Finance. Ghana's participation in the ILO Conference and the official government delegation, he went further, was officially sanctioned and approved by the office of the Chief of Staff by a letter dated 19th May, 2015 to include social partners, Employers, Representatives of Organised Labour and Members of Parliament. It is to be noted that the two hundred and thirty thousand, nine hundred and sixty US Dollars, forty three cents ($230,960.43) had fifty percent of it used for the payment of subscription arrears owed ILO, amounting to one hundred and forty-four thousand and fifty Swiss Francs, fifty cents (SFR 144,052.50) and that of the African Regional Labour Administration Centre (ARLAC) which amounted to $69,706 pending reimbursement by the Ministry of Finance, which was outstanding and in arrears. Mr Haruna Iddrisu described as erroneous the impression that the money was entirely used for the purpose of official foreign travels. A DAILY GUIDE Report The extradition case involving Arthur Simpson-Kent, a British citizen accused of murdering his girlfriend and two children in London has been adjourned to January 26. The Accra circuit court presided over by Justice Rosemond Agyirie, however, instructed the BNI in whose custody the suspect is being held, to allow him unlimited access to his lawyers. His lawyers today argued that the state had erred in detaining their client without formally charging him. Arthur Simpson-Kent is alleged to have killed a former EastEnders actress, Sian Blake, and her two sons and bolted to Ghana days after being questioned about the crime. The alleged murderer was arrested by a team of police detectives from the Homicide Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Hanson Gove, at his hideout in a thicket at Butre, near the Busua Beach Resort in the Western Region, last Saturday, January 9, 2016. A group of 70 stranded Senegalese migrants arrived in Dakar on January 9th after a 5-day journey in two IOM buses from Benin, via Burkina Faso and Mali. They were welcomed by representatives of Senegal's National Committee for Refugees, Returnees and the Displaced and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad. IOM paid for their onward transportation to their final destination. The IOM operation, in close cooperation with the Benin Red Cross, followed a request from Senegal to help the migrants, who were previously deported from Gabon, where they had gone in search of work. The effort was funded by the Italian government as part of an IOM Niger project: Direct assistance and voluntary return and reintegration for migrants transiting in Niger. IOM staff in Benin's capital Cotonou interviewed the migrants and ensured that they were fit to travel before they boarded the buses. Many West African migrants try to find a better future in Central Africa and in Gabon in particular through irregular migration. This migration flow is seven times greater than the flow from West Africa to other parts of the world. The two regions therefore urgently need to discuss how to improve regional cooperation on migration issues, says IOM Benin's Nassirou Afagnon. 12.01.2016 LISTEN Andrews Osei Bonsu, the fake doctor who rob people with guns A NOTORIOUS ROBBER, who poses as a medical doctor, has been apprehended by the Ashanti Regional Police Command for snatching a Toyota at gunpoint. The suspect, Andrews Osei Bonsu, who is the leader of a three-man group, snatched the car at gunpoint at Sokoban Ampayuo last week. The car's owner, Armstrong Esaah, General Manager of Ashh FM, a Kumasi-based radio station, was about to go to work when Bonsu and his cohorts struck right in front of his house. Bonsu and his gang, who are currently at large, pointed a gun at Armstrong and ordered him to surrender the car else he would be killed instantly. Armstrong quickly surrendered the car and Bonsu drove it way at top speed, leaving his two cohorts at the scene. The two criminals also fled into the bush. Bonsu and his girlfriend were arrested with the stolen car at Agona on the main Kumasi-Asante Mampong road on Sunday afternoon. Even though Armstrong identified him as one of the robbers who snatched the vehicle, Bonsu initially denied the charge right in the presence of DCOP Kofi Boakye, the Regional Police Commander. He claimed that one Dominic gave the car to him, stressing that he was innocent. However, after further questioning by the regional police commander, Bonsu was eventually exposed. DCOP Kofi Boakye, during the interrogation, conducted a thorough search on Bonsu and phones belonging to Armstrong, which were in the car when it was snatched, were found on him. . The police commander then probed further and Bonsu confessed that indeed he was part of the people who snatched the vehicle. Bonsu even directed the police to a repairer at Adum, the Central Business District (CBD) of Kumasi, where he had sent Armstrong's iPad, which was also stolen during the robbery, to be unlocked. Fake Doctor During the interrogation, Bonsu, who was arrested in possession of a stethoscope, also confessed that he was not a medical doctor as he had often posed. It emerged during the interrogation that Bonsu had lied to the family of his girlfriend, whom he was arrested with, that he (Bonsu) was a trained doctor who was in the country for research purposes. The police uncovered that Bonsu had also emptied his girlfriend's accounts. It also came to light that he was accompanied by a group of hoodlums, who posed as his family members, when he visited the family of his girlfriend to seek her hand in marriage recently. DCOP Kofi Boakye told DAILY GUIDE that the police would not relent on their oars, assuring that his men would probe further so that Bonsu would assist the police to arrest his two accomplices. He described the arrest of Bonsu as a huge breakthrough for the police in their resolve to curb car snatching in the region, noting that the police are combat ready to flush out the criminals from the region. FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi 12.01.2016 LISTEN The United Kingdom branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP-UK) says Foreign Minister Hannah Tetteh should resign immediately for misleading Ghanaians on events leading to Ghana's acceptance of hardcore terrorists deported by the United States from Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. There is public uproar over the arrival of Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby. Many Ghanaians are wondering why the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government should strike a deal with the United States to bring the terrorists into the country in the first place. The New Patriotic Party UK calls on Hannah Serwaa Tetteh, Ghana's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, to resign immediately. Madam Tetteh has misled Ghanaians about why terrorists previously imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay, have been brought to Ghana, thereby placing the whole of Ghana and all Ghanaians at risk of terrorist attack, a statement issued in London and signed by Nana Yaw Sarpong, NPP-UK Communications Officer, indicated. According to the NPP-UK, the minister in an official statement, had told Ghanaians that the two hardcore terrorists were not a threat to national security but the NPP-UK says, She was being economical with the truth. Precedence This is not the first time Madam Tetteh has made conflicting statements. In November 2014, as Ghana's Minister of Foreign Affairs, she sat on Radio Gold and said that she had thought the jailed socialite Nayele Ametefe (aka Ruby Adu Gyamfi), now serving eight years and eight months in the UK for drug smuggling offences, was carrying gold dust in the luggage she took to London. The NPP-UK recalled, British police and customs officials later certified that the 'gold dust' was narcotics: 12.5 kilograms of cocaine, worth nearly 2 million. The same Nayele Ametefe, arriving at Kotoka International Airport to board the plane to London on which she was arrested on 10 November 2014, was given VVIP access by Ghana national security officials through the airport in Accra. Already In Town The NPP-UK branch claimed, In Madam Tetteh's statement, the Foreign Minister failed to tell Ghanaians that these two terrorists, Mahmoud Omar Bin Atif and Khalid Salih Al Dhuby, were already in the country. This created the impression that the former detainees were about to arrive and Ghanaians had nothing to fear. It noted that it is turning out that the minister did not inform parliament about the arrangement and that that amounted to what it called gross abuse of power. . Bin Laden's Aide It has emerged that both men, whether proven terrorists or not, received training in Afghanistan with the Taliban. The Taliban are still waging a war against the democratically elected Afghan government, in tandem with the work of al-Qaeda, which has links to Islamic State and other terrorist groups operating in the Middle East and Africa. In fact, one of the two men now in Ghana was an aide to Osama Bin Laden. The government of Sudan took some of these ex-Guantanamo Bay inmates some years ago. Of two prisoners transferred in December 2013, at least one escaped to Yemen to commit atrocities. Another one who was transferred to Sudan in 2012 is now a terror chief in Yemen. The leopard does not change its spots! Common Sense The statement said, We in NPP-UK believe that common sense rather than financial benefit and personal gain should guide our leaders. The security, welfare and well-being of the people of Ghana are more important than the interests of our selfish leaders. Our rights cannot be horse-traded for money, or to curry favour with the US government for its support in helping to win elections! Danger To US We respect the United States and admire its democratic values and freedoms. The United States is the most powerful country in the world. It has military bases everywhere from Europe to the Pacific. If these men are a danger to US citizens, does that mean Ghanaians are second-class beings, and so terrorists should be dumped on us, endangering the ordinary Ghanaian's life? Hannah Tetteh is unfit to be a Minister of Foreign Affairs. She has been untruthful and dishonest. She must go now! the statement stressed. By William Yaw Owusu 12.01.2016 LISTEN THE New Patriotic Party (NPP) has challenged the General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, to prove a forgery allegation against Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia or he would be cited for contempt at the Supreme Court. Chairman of the NPP Constitutional and Legal Committee, Prof. Mike Oquaye, says the NDC General Secretary has, this time around, bitten more than he can chew by his peddling of mischievous falsehood. Speaking in a radio interview with Kessben Fm in Kumasi, Prof. Oquaye stated that the NPP was ready to take on Mr. Asiedu Nketia for his denigration of the Supreme Court. He alleged Dr. Bawumia forged documents and presented them to the Supreme Court. We are daring him to point out in the judgment of the 2012 election petition where the Supreme Court captured this. This is denigration, Mr Oquaye indicated. Mr Asiedu Nketia, popularly called General Mosquito, recently alleged at a press conference in Accra that Dr Bawumia, during the 2012 election petition case, falsified various documents and presented them to the Supreme Court. He told the nation the NPP vice presidential candidate had again falsified another document to the Electoral Commission (EC), asserting that this should not happen to a constitutional body such as the Supreme Court or the Electoral Commission, otherwise our democracy will be in danger. Prof. Mike Oquaye said the NPP was prepared to drag Johnson Asiedu Nketia to the highest court to demand proof of his allegation since he had gone beyond bound 'with his scandalous drivel.' From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi Vivian's body lying near the transformer at Ahodwo Roundabout 12.01.2016 LISTEN RESIDENTS OF Ahodwo Roundabout, a suburb of Kumasi, woke up Monday morning to the disturbing news of the murder of a woman in her early 40s. The deceased, believed to be a commercial sex worker, was identified as Vivian, a mother of two who resided at Suame, another suburb of the city. She was reportedly killed under mysterious circumstances in the wee hours of Monday by some unknown bloodthirsty assailants. Vivian's lifeless body was dumped close to a transformer near the Ahodwo Roundabout. There were bruises and blood on her neck as she lay near the transformer, an indication that she struggled with her killers before dying. . Part of Vivian's clothes was torn, exposing her stomach and other vital parts, with condoms scattered at the crime scene. What influenced Vivian's killers to end her life in that wicked manner was not immediately known, leaving room for people to speculate. Some suspected that some of her male clients strangled her to death for voodoo purposes while others alleged that she was killed by some of her colleague commercial sex workers who operate at the Ahodwo Roundabout. Some residents claimed they heard excessive noise which suggested that the commercial sex workers in the area were fighting on Sunday night. During the paper's visit to the crime scene around 8am on Monday, scores of curious people from other parts of the city had trooped there. Some ladies believed to be commercial sex workers had also besieged the area to verify if indeed the disturbing news of the passing of Vivian was true. The matter was reported to the police who have since started investigations in an attempt to apprehend the killers of Vivian to face the law. FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi The National Chief Imam of Ghana, Sheikh Dr. Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu together with his house has thrown their weight behind the first ever Ghana Muslims Achievers Awards that is designed to celebrate both young and old Muslim who are doing excellence in their field of work. The event is slated for the 29th of January at the National Theater and organizers say gate opens at 8pm prompt. Ghana Muslims Achievers Awards seeks to celebrate Muslims in all disciplines of the country from sports, music, education, civil Servants, politics and more. On the 29th of January the big question will be who wins what? Sheikh Dr. Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu hosted the organizers Sukra Concepts of the event at his house together with his team and below are the photos. Accra, Ghana 11th January, 2016: Vivo Energy Ghana Limited, the company that distributes and markets Shell branded products and services in Ghana, has presented four brand new Shell lubricants trucks to its key distributors. The presentation of the Shell lubricants branded trucks forms part of Vivo Energy Ghanas business development support to its key distributors, to facilitate the transportation of Shell lubricants safely across the country. The Shell lubricants branded trucks will also serve as moving billboards, as the range of lubricants has been printed on the trucks to create constant top-of-mind awareness for existing and potential customers and a reminder of the best choice for quality lubricants. Presenting the keys to the trucks, the Managing Director of Vivo Energy Ghana, Mr. Ebenezer Faulkner, tasked the distributors to work hard to exceed their set targets. The presentation of these new trucks align with our business strategy to improve coverage and penetration of our quality lubricants and to ensure our outlets are well-stocked to meet the needs of our loyal customers, said Mr. Faulkner. Mr. Daniel Mensah of Bazaar Distribution commended Vivo Energy Ghana for this gesture. Shell has done it again! First, Shell supported distributors with garages. Now they have given us trucks, which will surely help to boost sales. Mr. Dickson Yengbe, Head of Dico Dee Company Limited, expressed further gratitude. We are really happy and thankful that the trucks are here. They will help us to go the extra mile, and we hope that they will help deliver increased volumes of lubricants. The presentation highlights Vivo Energys commitment to bringing Shell branded products to the broadest base of retail and commercial consumers in Ghana, and Africa as a whole. Shell lubricants offer high performance and are designed to enhance engine life as well as reduce wear and maintenance costs. The Ghana Education Service has directed heads of second cycle schools to urgently take steps to fumigate dormitories to relief students of bed-bug infestation. Director-General, Jacob Kor, told journalists in Kumasi Monday recent reports of invasion of the blood-sucking insects in some schools poses health threat to students. The presence of bed-bugs is reported to have forced authorities of Mawuli and Keta Senior High Schools in Volta Region to postpone re-opening after the Christmas holiday. There are similar reports at Ghana Secondary Technical in the Western Region as well as other parts of the country. Mr. Kor says he has already summoned a meeting of all regional directors of education to discuss and find a lasting solution to the perennial problem. If it is on health grounds, it is important. And therefore that is why I have instructed my regional directors and I am even meeting them so that they meet all CHASS executives and CHASS members to ensure that all schools are fumigated especially those that have been infested. So its very urgent for us. Mr. Kor announced. Ghana Education Service says it will require heads of schools affected by the bedbugs to write officially for some days off at most 3 days to start the fumigation exercise Meanwhile, Mr. Kor has advised teachers in basic schools to inculcate the culture of reading among pupils. At the launch of a Junior High School literature book, titled Cockcrow, he challenged teachers to nurture their students to attain international standards. The Ghana Education Service in a move to institutionalize literature as a critical subject for study at Junior High School level has introduced the Cockcrow as a literature material. It is aim at improving reading and academic performance among Junior High School pupils. Content of the Cockcrow is a combination of literally works from wide variety of seasoned and inspirational authors covering poetry and drama with a balance variety of stories, poems and plays. 12.01.2016 LISTEN Some members of the group during the vigil Kenneth Kuranchie, National President of the Coalition for Free, Fair and Transparent Elections (COFFTRE), says that the Electoral Commission (EC) has failed to address issues that emerged after the 2012 elections. According to him, there were many urgent unresolved issues after the 2012 elections. Mr. Kuranchie, who is also the editor of the Daily Searchlight, said the situation was dangerous for the country since the country was heading towards another crucial election. The COFFTRE National President, who was addressed members of the group during a night vigil to buttress calls for a new voters' register, said the EC must change the current voters' register. He stated that Mrs. Charlotte Osei, the EC boss must address the grievances of all aggrieved persons. . The Daily Searchlight Editor disclosed that COFFTRE would roll out other programms to mount pressure on the EC boss if she remained adamant after the prayers by the group. Mr. Freddie Blay, the National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), in a message read on his behalf by Evans Nimako, said the party was in support of the group's demand for a new voters' register. Rt. Rev. Frank Addai Aboagye, a representative of the Committed Clergy Association of Ghana, chided politicians over their intransigence over the issue. Other speakers including the Volta Caucus, the Truth and Accountability Forum, all demanded a new voters' register. By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson [email protected] 12.01.2016 LISTEN Group picture of Advisory Committee and NMC members The Chairman of the National Media Commission, Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng has inaugurated a seven member Upper East Regional Media Advisory Committee and charged them to ensure that, the media in the region become a blessing to the development of the region. The Upper East Regional Media Advisory Committee has Robert Ajane, a retired Educationist and former Rector of the Bolgatanga Polytechnic as its Chairman and the Upper East Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalist Association, Eric K. Amoh as its Coordinator. Other members are Madam Agnes Atayela, a retired Public Servant with the Ghana Health Service, Bob Teter, a Lawyer and Human Rights Activist, Edward Adeti, a Journalist, Reverend Father Dennis Tong, Parish Priest, Anglican Church and Alfred Ndago, a retired educationist and former Principal St. John BOSCO College of Education in Navrongo. Mr Gyan-Apenteng in his inaugural address said the creation of the Regional Advisory Committee has become necessary for the effective decentralization of the National Media Commission's activities and also ensure that issues that come up for resolution across the country are quickly and easily resolved. He commended his predecessors, Paul Adu Gyamfi and Ambassador Kabral Blay Amihere for initiating moves towards decentralisation of the NMC's activities across the country, saying the initiative was right and looks forward to realizing its objective. The NMC Chairman called on the Members of the Upper East Regional Committee, to be firm and impartial in handling cases that come before them and be quick to commend practitioners who do good work and adhere to professionalism and ethics and advice those who fall out of line. The Upper East Regional Media Advisory Committee Chairman, Robert Ajane said the formation of the Committee has come at a time the media in the region are gearing up for various activities ahead of the 2016 general elections. We promise to live up to expectation as a Committee and to ensure that the Media in our region become a very useful tool for the development of our region. We look forward to the cooperation of the various media operators and practitioners, he indicated. FROM: EBO BRUCE-QUANSAH, Bolgatanga 12.01.2016 LISTEN The Award winners in a photo with the CEO of KBTH Eighteen workers of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) have been honoured for their outstanding performance and dedication to duty. The winners, selected from all the departments and centres of the hospital by the department heads, received recognition awards at a reception held for them by the hospital's management. The award winners include Dr Kwaku Asah-Opoku from the Obstetrician and Gynecology Department, Joseph Adu from the Pathology Department, Faustina Allotey from New Allied Surgery, Professor Lorna Awo Renner from Child Health Department, David Anafo from the Central Lab, Samuel Lomotey from General Administration, Daniel Tagoe from the Accident Centre and Nicholas Owusu Amoah from the Radiology Department. The others are Elizabeth Nanor from the Polyclinic, Daniel Ankrah from Pharmacy, Esperanza Amenya from Surgical, Bertha Gavor from the Eye Centre, Adamu Alhassan from General Services, Dr Kwame Darko from Plastic Surgery, Olympo Korkortsi from Anesthesia, Victor Okwei Nortey from Central Administration, Douglas Adoboah from the Emergency Services Department and Anani Adolphine from the Medical Department. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KBTH, Dr Gilbert Buckle, in his opening remarks, said the hospital in the year 2015 experienced a number of setbacks management had learnt lessons from, adding that going forward, they would work to correct the wrongs of the past. He also thanked the workers for the opportunity given to the management to develop the hospital to an appreciable level. . I say 'ayekoo' to the workers who are winners and hope the awards will motivate the entire staff to give their best, he said. Mr Henry Arthur Baidoo, speaking on behalf of the Board Chairman, congratulated the management of the hospital for putting together such an event. He said the awards point to the fact that the new management of the hospital is keen on prioritising the needs of the staff. He disclosed that the hospital has formulated a three-year strategic plan that will transform the hospital and the welfare of staff. Let us use the new year to renew our commitment to our duties and give the management the support they need to move the hospital ahead, he urged. Professor Lorna Awo Renner, who spoke on behalf of the winners, thanked the hospital for the recognition and pledged their continuous support to the hospital's management. By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri Cookbook Notes Recipes come directly from the listed cookbooks. We impose no uniform standards upon them. That is why you find omelettes and omelets, cups and liters and other peculiarities in the text. And I'm a bit dyslexic, so my personal spelling can be a tad idiosyncratic on its own. The General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, Reverend Dr. Kwabena Opuni Frimpong, has expressed grave concern about the over-concentration of churches in the cities and urban centres of Ghana to the neglect of rural dwellers. According to him, most rural churches are dying at the time pastors are busily fighting for space in the cities to mount huge bill boards advertising themselves. Rev. Dr. Opuni Frimpong was speaking at the 2016 All Ministers and Wives Conference of The Church of Pentecost currently underway at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, near Kasoa in the Central Region on Tuesday, January 12, 2016. The annual conference, which will end on Friday, is being attended by about 3,500 ministers and their wives of the Church. This years conference which is under the theme, Hearing and Obeying the Lords Voice in my Generation -1 Samuel 3:9-10, also attracted pastors of the Church from the Francophone West African countries and other parts of the world. Addressing the participants, the Christian Council General Secretary challenged Ghanaian pastors and churches to move into the countryside and proclaim the good news about Christ to the people. He indicated that other religious groups have taken advantage of the situation and are making serious inroads in the rural areas- building their sanctuaries and giving them various supports in an attempt to winning them into their fold. He bemoaned that some pastors in some churches even refuse to accept postings to the rural areas, thereby starving the rural folks with the authentic word of God. Rev. Dr. Opuni Frimpong thereby charged the Christian community and churches to sit up and find ways of reviving rural churches so as to make meaningful impact in the country. He however commended The Church of Pentecost for making rural evangelism their priority. Touching on the prophetic ministry, the man of God was not happy about the manner in which some so-called prophets are operating in the ministry. He stated for instance, that some prophets have recently given conflicting predictions about the possible winners of the November 7 presidential and parliamentary elections, all claiming to have received or seen it from God. God has one mouth, so how can God say this person will win the elections and turn around to say a different person will win it? he queried, adding: If they all claim to have received it from God, then they must speak from one voice. The Christian Council General Secretary therefore urged The Church of Pentecost which, he said, is the pioneer in the prophetic ministry and has handled the ministry very well over the years, to lead the way to bring sanity back to the prophetic ministry, saying, These latter-day prophets in this country are confusing Ghanaians. Abraham Amaliba 12.01.2016 LISTEN The National Democratic Congress (NDC) delegates of Bolgatanga, I believe, gave him the sound booting and round rejection that he more than deserved in that partys most recent 2016 parliamentary primaries, so I wouldnt waste any time pretending as if Mr. Abraham Amaliba was worth any more than his proverbial 5 pesewas or 5 minutes of infamy. You, the dear reader, may choose your pick. On the untenably reckless and criminal decision by President John Dramani Mahama to accept some two high-grade terror ex-convicts the U.S. Pentagon and the State Department preferred to classify them as low-grade Jihadist combatants, for obvious reasons from Yemen with field experience from the Al-Qaeda and Taliban networks for residency in Ghana for at least two years, Mr. Amaliba recently told his audiences that this kindly gesture was aimed at righting a wrong committed by the United States military and the CIA, when they picked these two men up from the killing fields of Afghanistan and Pakistan (See Hosting Terror Suspects: Ghana Is Righting U.S. Wrong Amaliba MyJoyOnline.com / Ghanaweb.com 1/9/16). And so maybe somebody ought to ask the NDC Communication Team Member what these two Saudi-born and bred terrorists were doing in the Afghan and Pakistani killing fields, with guns and grenades, when they were captured and summarily dumped at the U.S. Naval Base on Cubas Guantanamo Bay. Picking up a consignment of heroin or cocaine for Nayele Ametefe and her key facilitators in the top echelons of the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress government? Very likely, President Mahamas ability and/or capacity to resolutely resist the Obama White House had been appreciably vitiated by the Ghanaian leaders well-known gross inability to stem the high tide of corruption that has badly frazzled the moral fabric of our fledgling democracy, a scandalous blight of which both President Mahama and his younger brother Ibrahim have been widely and publicly fingered by the media. The Tehran international incident, in which Mr. Ibrahim Mahama, the proprietor of an entrepreneurial factotum of a firm called Engineers and Planners landed a rented U.S.-registered private plane packed with Ghanaian businessmen in the Iranian capital, which could have well landed the Mahama government in deep trouble with the Obama Administration, must all be factored into this inexcusably dangerous and patently lame decision to accept into our otherwise largely placid and tranquil territorial space, Messrs. Khalid Muhammad Salih al-Dhuby and Mahmud Umar Bin Atef. We must also quickly add that Mr. Atef is widely reported to have threatened to decapitate the relatives of some prison guards while incarcerated at the Guantanamo Bays U.S.-operated Maximum-Security Prison aka Gitmo if he could get ready access to them. The guards had apparently done something to rile him up. And so one can just imagine what could happen within the next two years, while these certified terrorists they are widely reported to have acknowledged their combat experience with Al-Qaeda and the Taliban terror networks are free to roam the streets and alleyways of Accra, as well as other Ghanaian cities and towns, casing out their new virgin territory for a possible exploit/adventure in the near future, if somebody triggered a rise out of either Mr. Atef or Al-Dhuby or both of these men. We need to also studiously appreciate the general historical dealings and / or relations between Arabs and their Black-African neighbors. Even Black-African Muslims in such volatile spots on the continent as Sudan and Mauritania in recent years. Somebody also needs to ask Mr. Amaliba, who also sits on the Board of Directors of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), if these two U.S.-certified terrorists were that benign or practically harmless, why the United States, with the best surveillance technological system in the world, had flatly refused to even allow Messrs. Al-Dhuby and Atef to be incarcerated in such globally infamous maximum-security prisons as Californias Alcatraz and New York States Sing-Sing. We should also let it be known to Mr. Amaliba, in crystal-clear terms, that it is not his judgment call, not by any measure or yardstick, to instruct Ghanaian voters on what to do with their ballot papers vis-a-vis the political destiny of President Mahama come November 2016. General Electric (GE) in partnership with Junior Achievement Africa (JA) and Points of Lighthave embarked on a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) campaign to raise awareness and stimulate interest in STEM careers among Ghanaian junior high school students. The campaign took place on November 11th at the St. Francis Xavier school hall in Kotobabi, Accra and was attended by over 200 students drawn from a pool of 10 public and private schools among the Unity Cluster of Schools. Participating schools included, Unity JHS, Kotobabi 13 JHS, St. Francis Xavier R/C Basic School, Darul Hijra Islamic Basic School, 37 Military Basic School, Flagstaff House Basic School, Ron Brown Memorial School, E P Bethel Prep School , Interco Prep School and Family Prep School. GEs Communications Manager of West Africa, Osagie Ogunbor, said millions of university graduates are ill prepared for the reality of the contemporary workplace either by the nature of the courses they study or the non-suitability of the curriculum. He said mentorship is key in bridging the gap between classroom instruction. This is why we are partnering with Junior Achievement (JA) in Ghana to show the students the opportunities that abound in the STEM world and how they need to go about it. Speaking on behalf of JA Africa, Elizabeth Bintliff who is the CEO of the not-for-profit organization in Ghana said she was impressed with the turnout of GE and Google volunteers and the enthusiasm of the participating schools. She disclosed that Google was specifically working on a STEM curriculum to be used by students in primary and junior high schools after the campaign. GE and Google employees also shared their job experiences and guided students in thinking about sustainable solutions to problems in their communities using STEM. The students were then broken into school teams to identify a problem in their community that can be addressed with a STEM solution. Representatives from each school delivered a presentation of their solutions to the judging panel consisting of two GE Volunteers, two school teachers and a Google volunteer. Flagstaff House Basic School took home the Grand Prize for developing a technological solution to tackle improper disposal of waste. Their fabulous idea was to create an app that would teach individuals how to sort trash and recycle waste. Kotobabi 13 JHSemerged second place winner, and Ron Brown Memorial School in third place. All 3 teams were honored with trophies and book baskets with STEM textbooks and literature to be used in their school libraries. All participating students and teachers received a gift bag containing GE branded materials and JA gifts. A Scottish Oil & Gas delegation will be visiting Ghana on 21st and 22nd of January 2016. The aim of this visit is to gain a good understanding of local market conditions and to look for potential local partners interested in enhancing their own offer by linking up with a Scotland-based company. Gary Soper, Accra-based Regional Manager for Africa for Scottish Development International, who will be leading the delegation for this visit, said I am delighted to be bringing such a large trade delegation from Scotland, all of whom are interested in helping to develop and build the Ghanaian oil and gas industry for the benefit of its citizens. Sub sectors represented include education and training; subsea engineering; winches; electrical product distribution; well construction and engineering services; and remote communications systems to name but a few. '' Amongst the delegation, awareness of the need to address local content and local participation issues is high. Scotland is a true Global Hub for oil and gas. The oil and gas cluster makes a huge contribution to the Scottish economy and Scotland has grown many creative and innovative companies already operating in over 100 countries worldwide. And whilst some Scotland-based companies are already operating in Ghana, there is scope for more to be active here through developing partnerships and transferring some of the technologies and skills that have been built up over the 50 years of operating in the North Sea. Anyone interested in finding out more about the composition of the delegation should get in touch with: [email protected] NOTES FOR EDITORS Scottish Development International (SDI) is the international economic development arm of Government in Scotland and provides a broad range of services to support companies and institutions to help them develop their overseas business. SDI also helps overseas businesses tap into Scotland's key strengths in innovation, knowledge, high levels skills and technology. Operating in 29 countries around the world, SDI opened its first office in Africa in the British High Commission in Accra in June 2014. Whilst regional in its geographic focus, sectorally the focus of activity in Africa is exclusively oil and gas and education and training related to oil and gas. The delegation comprises some 14 companies: Scottish Companies 271 Offshore ACE Winches AEL Electrical Core Specialist Services Ltd Forth Valley College Glasgow Caledonian University JEE McDermott Peprime Limited Plexus RigNet Robert Gordon University Terasaki Electric (Europe) Ltd Zenith Energy 12.01.2016 LISTEN On 23rd December, 2015, 501 Recruits undergoing training at the Army Recruit Training School (ARTS) at Shai Hills in the Greater Accra Region were dismissed and sent home packing. Colonel E. Aggrey, Director of Public Relations of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) in a statement explained that the recruits' behaviour was far reaching and inimical to the security of the state. From my investigations and official sources, it is confirmed that some members of the recruits protested and demonstrated that the training they were undergoing was too strenuous and considered the training as punishment. The decision taken by the GAF was swift and justified militarily because the conduct of the recruits is nothing but mutiny and the Authorities must be commended. Mutiny is a criminal conspiracy among a group of people (typically members of the military or the crew of any ship, even if they are civilians) to openly oppose or refuse to obey orders and try to take control away from the person who commands them. Mutiny is a very serious offence in the military because it shakes the very foundation of this proud institution. Whilst commending the Authorities for their action we must not be oblivious of the harm that has been done and critically examine what happened to prevent a recurrence. No factory can manufacture quality products without quality raw materials and therefore the quality of human resources put at the disposal of the training institution needs to be questioned. Secondly, how could 501 people within such a short time develop such esprit de corps to pose a challenge to the military command without any fear or inhibitions? The revelation that they are foot soldiers of the NDC answers it all because firstly, they know each other and therefore communicating among themselves was not difficult. Secondly they are not disciplined as they have demonstrated since NDC came to power and thirdly, they might have been recruited through the protocol system and therefore lack the requisite qualifications. Recruit training is a program of physical and mental training required to convert an individual to become a soldier in the Ghana Army. The basic training is designed to be highly intense and challenging and in all countries, some recruits collapse and die in the course of training. The challenges come from the difficulty in physical training and the required quick psychological adjustment to an unfamiliar way of life. The basic training is divided into two parts namely, basic combat training and Individual training. In basic training, individuals learn about the fundamentals of being a soldier, from combat techniques to the proper way to address a superior whilst the individual training covers rigorous physical training to prepare their bodies and minds for the eventual physical and mental strain of combat situations. One of the most difficult and essential lessons learned is SELF-DISCIPLINE, as it introduces prospective soldiers to a strict daily schedule that entails many duties and high expectations for which most civilians are not immediately ready. For the individual to go through such rigorous training, he must first be committed and demonstrate the willingness to accept the hardships which will enable him or her to undergo the training. It is not a job for the boys but the individual must physically, mentally and psychologically be prepared to undergo the hardship. Complaints and other forms of protests are not entertained simply because no recruit has the right to demand the type of training he/she should be given. Constitutionally, GAF is not a conscripted Army and Ghanaians opting to serve, do so on their own volition. The desire to serve does not guarantee admission but rather interest and commitment whilst the GAF reserves the right to select candidates in accordance with its rules, regulations and expectations. To ensure quality, standardisation and avoid embarrassing situations, GAF has stringent rules and regulations to select prospective service personnel and its selecting committees include experienced psychologists who assess the mental dispositions of interested personnel to avoid recruiting people with mental delusions. The GAF therefore owes Ghanaians some explanations as to how the stringent selection procedures for recruitment in the Army were compromised to pave the way for the admission of NDC foot soldiers knowing fully well that such an action would politicise the Armed Forces. I don't want to believe that the military authorities brought this mishap on themselves because if the recruits had been subjected to the normal selection processes not all the 501 personnel would have passed the test and the incident of indiscipline which took place could have been avoided. This must be a lesson to all active service personnel who allegedly compromise their offices and duties for crumbs from the politicians' table in the form of promotions, postings to lucrative jobs and scholarships for their children's education in local and overseas institutions. . From facts available, it could be concluded that the recruitment was done through the protocol system. Protocol is fundamentally a code of correct conduct or a procedure of getting things done in orderly ways but in Ghanaian parlance it is the indulgence in all kinds of malpractices just to satisfy the whims and caprices of the rich, politicians and powerful people in our society. Why would anybody attempt to pollute the fibre of such an important state institution like the Ghana Armed Forces? A lot of admissions into second and tertiary institutions, nursing training institutions, employment into Government institutions and agencies and the most serious of them all recruitment into the security services notably GAF, the Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, BNI etc have been made through the protocol system. In admissions into training and academic institutions protocol means taking money from undeserving candidates and admitting them whilst neglecting and shamelessly denying intelligent candidates who are poor, admission into the institutions for one's selfish, personal and parochial interest. The harm such corrupt practice is doing to the training of our human resource as a nation is beyond description and space will not allow me to list them. It may interest Ghanaians to know that on completion of the training of these recruits, they would have been posted to other units of the Ghana Army where they would have remained as pockets of cancerous cells and only God knows what they would do on receipt of instructions from their sponsors or God Fathers and therein lies the threat to national security. Could anyone also imagine the conduct of such troops deployed to maintain peace during the forthcoming elections which the NDC is trying desperately to win? Why would a Commanding Officer of an Army training institution, an epitome of discipline, compromise his position by calming down the nerves of recalcitrant recruits? Has he an agenda? Surprisingly, the policy makers are aware of this cancerous practice (protocol) but they are doing nothing about it except mere rhetorics because they are the originators, partakers, beneficiaries and corroborators. The inability of the authorities to curb this ugly menace demonstrates how uncontrollably the moral fibre of our society has been allowed to degenerate whilst the evil deeds continue unabated. Do Ghanaians want to build a society where mediocrity replaces meritocracy, where nepotism, cronyism and crass corruption become the order of the day? Today the declining nature of governance, the falling standards in education, the morale decadence, love for riches without hard work etc. which are seriously undermining our national development can largely be attributed to the ''protocol'' system which enables incompetents to be in charge of our affairs. My humble advice to my colleagues who are still in service is that you perform your duties in accordance with the Constitution of Ghana, the rules and regulations the GAF has established to guide you in the performance of your duties. Resist all protocol recruitments and subject all future recruitments to the existing rules and regulations. Do not allow your own integrity to be undermined because you will need it when you retire and always be guided by your oath. Some of us have retired for the past 25years but can hold our heads in high esteem amongst our colleagues in service or retired. Some retired officers entertain fears when visiting the Retired Officers Mess because of their past deeds and I can assure you that there is dignity in honourable service and be guided by the word INTERGRITY. When you join us on retirement, be sure you can look back and be proud of what you left behind. 2016 General elections will pose a security challenge but perform this duty with a high sense of integrity and ensure that Ghana remains calm and one nation after the elections. The Government must muster courage to abolish the practice of protocol in admissions and employment to all institutions because Ghanaians are all equal and must be treated fairly at least that is what our Constitution says. The world suffers a lot not because of the VIOLENCE of bad people but because of the SILENCE of good people. (Napoleon) By Brig-Gen J. Odei Nkukua-Buoho (Ash), Jan. 12, GNA - Ghanaians have been asked to interested in the activities the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies - to hold them to account for the management of financial resources meant to transform their socio-economic situation. Mr. Christopher Dapaah, Executive Director of Resource Link Foundation, an NGO, said this was important to promote transparency and good governance. He was speaking at a day's workshop on social accountability and good governance held at Nkukua-Buoho in the Afigya-Kwabre District. It was organized by the Centre for Human Rights and Advanced Research with support from the French Embassy in Accra. In attendance were assembly and unit committee members, civil society organizations and the media. Mr. Dapaah said there was the need for more information flow between the assemblies and the people to remove suspicion and misunderstanding. He again spoke of the need for adequate consultations to enable people in the various communities to have input into the budget of the assemblies. It was by so doing that their felt needs would be tackled, he added. Mr. Dapaah called on the media to focus on accountability and encourage the population to demand accountability from their elected leaders. GNA Accra, Jan. 12, GNA - The African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), an energy policy think tank, is calling for mining investment law to ensure that the country's mineral revenue is collected, disbursed and spent in a transparent manner. The Centre suggested that the country needs to introduce a law on resource rent tax in the mining sector to capture a share of excessive profits while introducing other exempted taxes without negatively affecting long term mining investment. "Government must develop a public investment management plan and judiciously apply mineral revenues to the realisation of government's investment objectives." Mr Ismael Ackah, Head of Policy Unit, ACEP, made the call in Accra at a launch of a report titled: 'Golden Days for Newmont.' He said according to Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Newmont has been enjoying 'Golden Days' because the country had failed to capture adequate and fair share of the mineral value over the years. This he said was critical because government had lost an estimated 90 million dollars in 2011/2012 as a result of mining stability agreements and 387 to 1168 million dollars from non- optimisation of royalty receipt from 1990 to 2007. Mr Ackah said from 2010 to 2013, the country's average share of the total value for gold production was seven per cent, while government received 1.7 billion dollars in taxes, the total value of gold production in 2014 was exceeding 23 billion dollars. He said the report revealed that from 2003 to 2012, Newmont paid less than 500 million dollars tax to government despite reporting annual revenues of 931 million dollars in 2012. Mr Ackah said the country's domestic revenue is expected to be 8.1 per cent lower than the 2014 budget estimates, explaining that the situation is likely to persist with decreasing oil revenues which could lead to cut in social services such as education and health. The Centre commended government for re-negotiating the Newmont contract, while urging the Executive government to introduce a law on resource rent tax to capture a share of excessive profits. ACEP called for effective transparency and accountability to track share of royalties that goes to traditional authorities as well as effective tax administration to detect and publish transfer pricing and other illegal corporate practices. GNA 12.01.2016 LISTEN Accra, Jan. 12, GNA - The Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) has urged Government as a matter of national security and for the country's future stability to take the needed steps to send away the terror suspects. In a statement issued by the National Executive Council of GPCC, said Ghanaians has been thrown into a state of fear and insecurity since the announcement of government's decision to host the two suspects from Guantanamo Bay. 'We are indeed shocked and surprised what informed this decision of Government to host these former detainees, described by the US Congress and its citizens as a major national security threat to the United States if allowed to stay in and around its borders,' it said. The Council wondered what security considerations Ghana took in arriving at the decision if the United States with its all-powerful and sophisticated security network was not willing to host them. Outlining reasons for the demand on government to send away the terror suspects, the Council cited the general fear and insecurity that has arisen among the people, and the non-consultative process in taking the important decision which has security implications. Besides it said the decision to bring in the terror suspects appears contrary to Articles 1 (1) of the 1992 Republican Constitution which states: 'The Sovereignty of Ghana resides in the people of Ghana in whose name and for whose welfare the powers of government are to be exercised in the manner and within the limits laid down in this constitution.' This is also confirmed by Article 35 (2), which also states: 'The State shall protect and safeguard the independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ghana, and shall seek the well-being of all her citizens.' It said Ghana's inability to deal with this very sensitive issue even when advanced nations with much more sophisticated security intelligence are not willing to take such risk. 'We believe that just as the two suspected terrorists remain a threat to the national security interest of the United States, their presence in Ghana could have serious security implications for the wider West African sub-region. 'It is the considered position of the GPCC that in spite of our long standing international obligations to the protection of refugees over the years, Government should be cautious about accepting refugees whose presence can seriously endanger the security of the country and that this present decision by Government is extremely dangerous to our national security interest and future stability,' the Council said. The Council said government should not be seen to be pursuing actions that would be detrimental to the general good of the people. 'In this regard, we wish to remind Government that democracy is Government of the people, by the people and for the people and that sovereignty resides in the people as stated in Article 1 (1) of the 1992 Republican Constitution, 'it said. 'By this statement, we wish to reiterate the existing cordial relationship between Christians and Muslims in the country. The position of the Council should therefore not be misconstrued as Christianity versus Islam issue, but rather a common national and international security threat that must be dealt with, without any religious coloration,' the Council added. Government on January 6, 2016 announced that it has reached an agreement with the US Government to receive and host in Ghana, freed Guantanamo Bay Terror suspects. A release issued by the Foreign Ministry informed the public that government has also decided to allow in some other refugees. GNA Accra Jan. 12, GNA - Arthur Sampson-Kent, a British national accused of murdering his girlfriend and two children has been remanded into the custody of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) by the Kaneshie District Magistrate Court. Sampson-Kent, who is being held for three counts of provisional charges of murder, has his plea reserved. He is alleged to have fled to Ghana after murdering his girlfriend, Sian Blake, 43, and his two children Zachary; eight, and Amon; four and buried them behind their apartment in Erith in UK. Kent whose appearance in court attracted the foreign media is expected to reappear on January 26 before the court presided over by Ms Rosemond Dodua Agyiri Sampson. The court had ordered prosecution to provide defence counsel with all relevant documents pertaining to the trial. It further ordered that he should be provided with the necessary facilities at the BNI. When the court earlier, asked Sampson-Kent whether he was comfortable at the BNI custody he responded positively. Trial judge asked:' Do you have access to spring water, iced water, and air condition,' accused person: 'Yes.' Defence Counsel, Mr Justice K. Srem- Sai argued that the proper procedure relating to the law on extradition should be followed by the state. Mr Srem -Sai argued further that if a look is taken to what the state had done in relation to accused person's arrest then he should be released. He contended that there was no arrest warrant to apprehend the accused and he had not been given access to his counsel since his arrest. Mr Srem-Sai said denying accused person of his right to counsel amounted to a breach of his fundamental human rights enshrined in the constitution. 'No reference has been made to any arrest warrant when prosecution presented the facts of the matter to court. In an instance where there is no arrest warrant the court ought to discharge him,' he added. Defence counsel contended that after being contracted by a law firm in the United Kingdom, he had not had access to him before coming to court. Mr Srem-Sai said his encounter with Sampson-Kent was in court this morning and prayed the court to stand down the case so he could have a conference with him before his plea was taken. Referring to the law on extradition, defence counsel argued that the law had been violated by the security agencies and the Attorney General. Defence Counsel recounted that before extradition take place; Ghana's Ministry of the Interior ought to receive instructions from the UK authorities and an arrest warrant issued.'We are not aware of any arrest warrant,' Mr Srem-Sai told the court. Mrs Rebecca Adjalo, Principal State Attorney, mentioned that the state is carrying out its work in relation to UK authorities and the International Police. Mrs Adjalo prayed the court to remand him into lawful custody to enhance coordination between Ghana's Security agencies and their counter parts in the UK. She said on January 7, the police received a request from the National Crime Agency through International Police Organisation and the British High Commission to assist in the arrest of the accused person who had fled the UK. Following the request, Mrs Adjalo said a team of detectives were dispatched to hunt for Sampson -Kent in the Western Region. She said Police Intelligence led to the arrest of Sampson-Kent at Butre, near Busua. GNA Accra, Jan. 12, GNA - The Executive Chairman of Samara Company Limited, Dr Sampson Effah Apraku, has rewarded selfless, dedicated and hard working staff of the company, at an end-of-year party in Accra. Three individuals, all males, were given a surprise package put together by Dr Apraku and the board members of the company in appreciation of their second to none services granted the company over the years. Their contribution have contributed to the success and numerous awards swept by the Company from 2014. These include the Head of State Fastest Growing Company Award; The Premier Brand Ghana Top Emerging Brand and Fastest Growing Brand; The Best Insecticide Brand; The Best Group of the year 2015; and the Overall Achiever Award of 2015 for Dr. Apraku. Mr Sedrick Nartey Ologo, the Marketing Manager, was awarded a brand new 2014 model Toyota Corolla much to his surprise. According to Dr Apraku, the image and progress of the company has seen much increase and success since Mr Ologo joined in 2011 and so he thought it wise to appreciate the young man's effort and to challenge him to work harder now and in the coming years. "I am extremely elated about this gift. I was not expecting it. It came as a surprise to me. As you can see, I am short of words to explain how I feel at the moment," an enthused Ologo said. According to him, he never thought that his services to the company were being monitored to the extent of being awarded; adding that the gift has come as a great motivation to do more for Samara Company Limited. He thanked Dr Sampson Effah Apraku for the honour, and promised to do his possible best to ensure that Sasso Insecticide Spray and Mosquito coil is maintain as the number one brand on the Ghanaian market. Other winners were Alhaji Dawuda Mohammed, who was given a dummy of a four-bedroom house which would be ready by January 2017. Alhaji Mohammed, according to Dr Effah Apraku, has been working with Samara Company Limited for 30 years as the Company's Chief Driver. "Alhaji has been with this company, then Samara Pharmacy for 30 years. We had many people working with us at that time but today we only have Alhaji still working with Samara Company. We are honoring him with a four-bedroom house, which will be ready by the close of 2016," Dr Apraku disclosed. Speaking briefly to the media, Alhaji Mohammed who was also very surprised by the honour said he couldn't have come this far without the Grace of God and the kind treatment from the Sasso boss. "It has been a long journey for me. The company had just started when I joined and as it is normal for every young company to experience difficulties, Samara Company was no exception. "The many colleagues that I started with left but I persevered and today I must say I am proud to be associated with Samara Company Limited, the owner of the number one Insecticide brand on the market," Alhaji Mohammed said. A security man with the company, Mr Michael Ofori, was awarded a brand new motorcycle with helmet to enhance his smooth transportation to and from work. He was also awarded for his dedicated service and proper handling of the company's property. GNA The CSA is an independent, autonomous, non-partisan, non-governmental & privately funded India-centric think tank. We focus on geo-political & strategic issues related to peaceful & harmonious rise of India as a global superpower. | || There is not a single passing day that a member of the NDC government and, or party, does not shock Ghanaians with their exhibition of ignorance, malevolence, mischievousness or acts of nonchalance. The other day, it was President John Dramani Mahama saying, any Ghanaian who has never been the President of Ghana has absolutely no right to lecture him on governance because they do not know what it takes to govern a nation. Today, it is the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs Hannah Tetteh, displaying her nonchalance and ignorance for the entire Ghanaian and the worldwide public to witness in utter bewilderment. From a publication on Ghanaweb under their General News of Tuesday, 12 January 2016 titled, Gitmo ex-convicts were Al-Qaeda 'foot soldiers' Hanna Tetteh (http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Gitmo-ex-convicts-were-Al-Qaeda-foot-soldiers-407039), Hannah Tetteh is seen showing complete disrespect to the people of Ghana. The majority of Ghanaians are expressing concern about the presence of two ex-detainees from Guantanamo Bay dumped on Ghana by the United States of America (USA). The officially sanctioned presence of Mahmoud Omar Mohammed Bin Atef, 36, and Khalid Shayk Mohammed, 34 in Ghana, by President Mahama is causing disquiet among the Ghanaian population the world over. Instead of Mrs Hannah Tetteh saying something more reasonable to justify why the above two mentioned individuals are in Ghana, she is rather denigrating Ghanaians by behaving in the same irresponsible manner as did President Mahama and as indicated above. She says among other things that They were low-level fighters with no operational functionality in Al-Qaeda...to put it in simple terms, they were foot soldiers of AI Qaeda captured in the early days and put behind bars for 14 years,. Subsequently, she goes on to lambast Ghanaians by questioning their authority and that of the parliament for demanding to know why the government did not inform the public prior to accepting the two US ex- Guantanamo Bay detainees into the country. Who or what is a foot-soldier? A foot soldier is a dedicated low-level follower or an infantryman An infantryman is a soldier who fights on foot. If those two individuals were dedicated followers of Al-Qaeda, and Al-Qaeda is known to be a dangerous terrorist organization fighting for a genuine or an illegal cause, are they not themselves terrorists by way of their DEDICATION to that cause? Do they not share or harbour the same ill-sentiments towards the non-Muslim world, especially America and Western European Countries, like any other member of the Al-Qaeda? What is dedication, one may inquire? Dedication by the dictionary definition is the willingness to give a lot of time and energy to something because it is important. Have we seen how ignorant Hannah Tetteh is by fobbing our concerns off with her shallow-minded explanation of classifying the two ex-detainees as foot soldiers? If a foot soldier does not share the concerns and aspirations of his master, will he follow him in the first place? No, he wont! If he does follow the master for one reason or the other, and does perform errands for the master, then the foot soldier is as equally dangerous and guilty as his master that he follows. Am I right? Why should I waste time, no, sorry, I should have said, spend my precious time, on this completely misfit lady who lacks public-relations skills in communication? Does she not know that there are educated Ghanaians or security experts out there who can interpret or read deeper into their hollow-minded utterances and explanations? The NDC guys are pompous. They do not respect the mandate the Ghanaian electorates have given to them. They think they have the unrestrained, if not the absolute, right, to do and speak as they want when they want to Ghanaians. How can a Minister for Foreign Affairs speak in a manner as she did to Ghanaians? If she was a Minister in any of the civilized Western countries, she would have resigned or been forced to resign by allowing such two dangerous individuals into the country, let alone, making preposterous statements as she did. These lawless, nonchalant, incompetent, and nepotistic members of government and NDC party are the same individuals and party aspiring to get Ghanaians vote to maintain them in power come election 2016. How is that possible? If they think they can rig the election to stay in power, let them go ahead. If they do, as disrespectful to the laws of Ghana and abusive to the populace as they have shown, they will suffer not only the wrath of God but also, the anger of the Ghanaian public. Her behaviour is quite weird. It is not credible for her to portray such behaviour of a weirdo. Is she not being naive and arrogant, same as her other colleagues in government and in the NDC party are? For how long are Ghanaians going to sit on their arse doing nothing while these NDC rogues in government take us for fools? Ghanaians need to rise up wake to liberate Ghana from the hands of these political ignoramuses. Rockson Adofo President John Mahama says businessman Alfred Woyome has not been incarcerated because of the democratic system of governance being practised in Ghana. But for the democrate dispensation, Mr. Woyome would be languishing in jail for fraudulently benefiting from E51.2 million belonging to the state, the president indicated in an interactive session with the media today at the Flagstaff House. Mr. Woyome was ordered by the Supreme Court in July 2014 to refund a total of E51.2 million judgement debt payment he received between 2009 and 2010. He subsequently entered into an agreement with the Attorney General to enable him make repayment in installment. He promised to pay the amount latest by December 2015 . However, there has not been any record of him paying any amount to the state as many doubt the states commitment to retrieve that money. The president on two occasions directed responsible state institutions to ensure that the money is paid back to the state, but that has not been heeded. Moreover, a resident of the Hohoe Zongo in the Volta Region has jumped ahead of the state after years of inaction. Abdulai Yusif Fanash Muhammed is in court challenging the decision of the Supreme Court asking Mr. Woyome to return the 51.2 million cedis to the state. John Mahama But in response to a question from host of Joy FMs Super Morning Show, Kojo Yankson as to why the state seems to be disinterested in the money and yet imposing tax after tax to raise funds, the president largely blamed the situation on democracy. President Mahama noted that one cannot be an adherent of constitutional democracy and an admirer for arbitrary justice. There is due process. I was speaking to one of my colleagues heads of state and he said something very instructive. He said when I was a military ruler, I just arrested the people, they were guilty until they prove themselves innocent. He said, but today as a civilian ruler, one, I can arrest them, but even when I arrest them, they are innocent until I prove them guilty. That is democracy, we cant eat our cake and have it.if we did not have the constitution and I was the head of the military government I would have gone and grabbed the guy (Woyome) and locked him up until he is proven innocent but you must go by due process, you must follow the law, President Mahama pointed out. He noted that the Attorney General was about issuing the fi. fa. on Woyome today January 12, 2016, two years after judgement was given in favour of the state, when the suit challenging the refund was served on the A-G. A fieri facias, usually abbreviated fi. fa . is a writ of execution after judgment obtained in a legal action for debt or damages for the sheriff to levy on goods of the judgment debtor. 12.01.2016 LISTEN Former Chief Executive of Youth Employment Agency Vincent Kuagbenu has rejected suggestions from Employment Minister Haruna Iddrisu that he is working to bring him down. Vincent Kuagbenu told Joy FM Super Morning Show Tuesday he did not leak the letters that have embroiled Mr. Haruna in a controversy over financial impropriety. In a letter written by Vincent Kuagbenu and obtained by Joy News' investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, the Employment Minister was accused of making excessive demands on the finances of YEA. According to the Act establishing YEA, Employment Ministry cannot spend more than 5% of YEA's budget for administrative expenses. In the letter, Kuagbenu lamented to the Employment minister that with only half of the year gone, the Administrative expenditure of the Agency is already far in excess of 5% of the funds of the Agency allowed by the Act. But the Minister has suggested his demands on the YEA are within the legal limit. Haruna Iddrisu said on Monday evening that what the Ministry requested from YEA's account could not be more that 3 percent of what it is entitled. . He however, promised that he will refund some monies he took from YEA to pre-fiance travel and expenses for an international conference. The Minister suggested Manasseh has teamed up with Kuagbenu to soil his hard-won reputation. But Kuagbenu is challenging the minister to prove he leaked letters to the journalist. I am not a coward to leak public information to the media. I don't do that, he said. I take serious exceptions to the statement from the minister. I don't engage in crap. I don't engage people to do media work. He said he has no personal ambition that could pose a threat to the minister. I am not from Tamale South [the Minister's constituency], I come from the Volta region. I am not aspiring for any office that he is interested in. I don't cross him in anyway. If he disagreed with Haruna Iddrisu, it was on principles, he stressed. I am only challenging Haruna to prove that I leaked that information to Manasseh Azure, he said. Source: Myjoyonline Geneva (AFP) - Global efforts to crack down on illegal ivory trafficking are eating away at prices, a wildlife trade regulator said Tuesday, voicing confidence the bottom was falling out of the market. "We're seeing the price of ivory start to tank," said John Scanlon, head of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). "You're seeing the bottom fall out of the market," he told AFP on the sidelines of a meeting in Geneva this week focused on illegal wildlife trade. The international trade in ivory has been banned in most of the world since 1989 following a drop in the population of African elephants from millions in the mid-20th century to just 600,000 by the end of the 1980s. But a vast illegal market still sees some 30,0000 elephants slaughtered in Africa each year. Organised crime syndicates and rebel militia looking for ways to fund insurgencies in Africa have become increasingly involved in the trade, eager to reap the benefits as demand in Asia for ivory to use in decorations and traditional medicines drives a multi-billion-dollar market. But in a report published late last year, Kenya-based conservation group Save the Elephants said the price of ivory in China was cut in half over an 18-month period. The organisation said in December that the price of illegal raw ivory in China had fallen to $1,100 (1,000 euros) per kilo, down from a record high in mid-2014 of $2,100 (1,900 euros) per kilo. China has this year taken steps to reduce both the legal and illegal ivory trades -- although a total ban has not been put in place -- and awareness of the impact of the trade on Africa's elephants is growing among Chinese consumers. - 'High risk, low profit' - While the gangs behind most of the illegal trade can still make a profit, Scanlon said the slumping prices were sending a clear message. He said that even more than ivory-coveting end consumers, scrupulous investors speculating in illegal ivory prices were driving the demand, stressing that they were unlikely to keep investing as prices plunge and the risks soar. Countries across the world have increasingly been cracking down on the illegal trade, dishing out harsher sentences to poachers, middlemen and buyers alike and dramatically increasing efforts to track ivory. Trading in illegal ivory "is shifting from low risk, high profit to high risk, low profit," Scanlon said, voicing hope that lower prices could help bring the devastating trade to an end. The problem however remains far from solved. Today, only 450,000 to 500,000 elephants remain in Africa, with the hardest-hit populations in the centre and the west of the continent seeing annual killings that exceed the natural birthrates. "We are faced with terrifying levels of poaching and illegal trade," Niger's representative Mariama Ali Omar told the CITES conference. She was among a range of country representatives calling on countries to destroy their ivory stockpiles and urging those that permit the trade of ivory from domestic elephants to "stop it." "That would help us to bring down demand... (and) bring an end to having domestic trade serve to launder illegal ivory trade," she said. The Geneva meeting will provide a range of recommendations to be considered at the triennial World Wildlife Conference in opening in South Africa in September. Four Multimedia radio stations have been listed among the Top Ten Influential Radio Stations on Social Media in Ghana for the year 2015. Ghanas leading Urban radio station, Joy 99.7 FM maintained its leading position on Social Media in 2015, according to a latest Ghana Social Media ranking compiled by CliQ Africa. Adom 106.3 FM came 5th, whereas Kumasi based Nhyira 104.5 FM was 6th. Asempa 94.7 FM, another Multimedia brand was ranked 10th. Below is the table: Read full statment from CliQ Africa For 365 days that Avance Media and CliQ Africa monitored activities on social media for Radio Stations, which created rivalry competition, some were positively used in doing other activities such as raising funds for charity, sharing of News Articles, Political Awareness aside the usual usage to promote on-air programs. Following Joy FM keenly was Citi FM and Xlive Africa which came 2nd and 3rd respectively. Other radio stations out of Accra such as, Nhyira 104.5 FM and Metro 94.1 FM also showed their prominence making great use of their accounts to keep followed up to date with various activities. For this special category, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and TWITTER were considered due to its massive presence and usage among radio channels with data from Engagements, Post Reach and Mentions. Below are the 2015 TOP 10 MOST INFLUENTIAL RADIO STATIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, in Ghana. Joy 99.7 FM Citi 97.3 FM Xlive Africa Y 107.9 FM ADOM 106.3 FM Nhyira 104.5 FM Metro 94.1 FM Live 91.9fm Starr1035FM Asempa 94.7 FM With analysis from the 2014 rankings, Joy FM and Citi FM maintained their leading roles giving opportunities to Starr FM, Live FM, Metro FM, Nhyira FM, as new entrants chasing out Peace FM, Oman FM, Radio XYZ and Hitz FM. Other potential entrants for next year include: Radio XYZ, Ultimate FM, Angel FM and Peace FM NB: Final Data used for all Rankings were recorded on the 8th December,2015 and Figures (GSMR Score) on the attached chart are calculations from Social Media followings, Engagements, Post Reaches and Mentions. Through Observations and Feedbacks on our rankings for 2014, we came up with the GSMR score, with a formula derived from various followings on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube with data on Engagements, Posts Reach and Mentions. As Ghanaians head towards the polls in 2016 to cast their votes, we have assessed the important role Social Media would play in various political activities and would like to use this platform to appeal to all Ghanaians to desist from using their social media platforms to channel unwarranted contents that potentially can lead this nation into any uproar. The spokesperson of His Eminence Sheikh Dr. Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, the national imam of Ghana, Sheikh Arimiyaw Shaibu says the two Guatanamo Bay detainees in the country are welcome to worship in his mosque. As far as am in Ghana, I dont have any fear. Ghanaian Muslims are peace loving people. As an imam and a sermon giver, I will open up to them if they want to come to my mosque and pray, he stated. He averred that, all he has to do is to inform his congregation of their coming because it is their right to know the coming of such people. I will alert my congregation of their coming and make them aware that they have been cleared of any charge of terrorism, they are humans, they are harmless, we are trying to infuse them back into the society on bases of our love, compassion and sympathy, we acknowledge their right to live as human beings and so they are coming to pray with us as God wants us to do, he stated. He disclosed this in an interview with Ekouba Gyasi on Yensempa Morning Show on Top 103.1 FM when asked of his take on the arrival of the Gitmo detainees in the country. Most Ghanaians are in a state of fear and panic since the arrival of the Gitmo detainees. This has led to various groups and organizations suggesting to government to send them back. Sheikh Arimiyaw said there is no prove that they are terrorist but they are suspects who were detained for 14 years and cleared after there were no evidence against them. "Ghana as a loving country should not be like other countries who do not want to receive them because every country has got its own value, we should think of security measures that will be in place for them, it should be noted that, the sin one commits is what we dont accept and not the person" he said. Even the bible speaks of the prodigal son who was later accepted by his father. We should as a country be thinking of the counseling we will give to them to embrace their new community after being detained for a long while. Comparing the whole issue with religion, there are so many instances where people were so wicked but later changed to become God fearing people and were accepted, we should take away the Muslim prejudice and be at peace with our new neighbors. He said the national chief imam Sheikh Sharubutu is a loving person, he extends his love for all without discriminating and does not stand for wrong doings hence will not support these people should they take the wrong path unlike. "The Christian council of Ghana who have expressed their dislike for the detainees in the country should consult their holy bible well and they will know that human beings can change. The Guatanamo bay detainees arrival in the country is not a threat at all, he concluded. Meanwhile, the president of the republic, has asked ghanaians to have compassion for the detainees. She has honorably resigned, it seems; but that is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. We are an equatorial country, so I guess perhaps a more apt description would be to say that the strategic pink-slipping of Mrs. Dzifa Aku Attivors is only the crest of the storm. The eye of the storm, maybe. Or perhaps even the spume of the trundling hurricane-propelled waves. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that the Transport Minister was suavely forced out in order to salvage whatever little hope may be left of the veritable shipwreck that is the 2016 Mahama Presidential-Reelection Campaign (See Bus Rebranding Saga: Mahama Accepts Attivors Resignation Starrfmonline.com / Ghanaweb.com 12/23/15). The real rot is at the so-called Power Ministry, where Dr. Kwabena Donkor is hunkered down adamantly over the veritable pit-latrine that is the AMERI Groups scamming of the Ghanaian taxpayer to the felonious tune of $ 510 million this figure has recently been revised upward by nearly $ 100 million involving the purchase of some 10 thermal power-generating turbines whose actual market-going price is pegged at about $ 290 million less than the neck-splitting bill with which the longsuffering citizens of Ghana are slavishly saddled by the Dubai-based company, whose primary role in this racket clearly appears to have been that of the parasitic middleman over products who make or manufacture they absolutely had no hand. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the 2016 Vice-Presidential Candidate of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), has more expertly expatiated on the intricacies of the AMERI SCAM, and so I would not fritter any time confusing both the dear reader and yours truly himself. Maybe it was much easier to literally push Mrs. Attivor over the proverbial cliff, obviously because she did not belong to the old boys club. She may also have been forced out under duress, to use the favorite expression of Mr. Johnson Asiedu-Nketia, the General-Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress, in view of the fact that Mrs. Attivors resignation comes barely one day after Attorney-General Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong submitted the findings of her probe into the matter to Mr. Julius Debrah, the Presidents Chief-of-Staff, and the very Flagstaff House operative to whom Mrs. Attivor also tendered her resignation as Ghanas substantive Minister of Transportation, and who knows or cares what else among these title-obsessed NDC operatives? Very likely Mr. Debrah, acting with the express consent of Mr. Mahama, had demanded the prompt resignation of the Transportation Minister. I am, however, not the least bit worried about the future of Mrs. Attivor; like the rest of the NDCs hoodlum pack, she has probably stashed up enough cash to last her over three lifetimes. Besides, the NDC operatives are well known to take care of their own, like a Sicilian Mafia organization, in a way that cannot be said of the rancorous operatives of the main opposition New Patriotic Party. What also fascinates me about the strategic reshuffling of the so-called Presidency, in the lead-up to Election 2016, is how the hitherto northern-dominated presidential staff, with names like Dr. Raymond Atuguba, Monsieur Mahama Ayariga and Dr. Clement Apaak have so smoothly given way to that of Mr. Julius Debrah and other cast of characters of southern ethnicity. There are those with short memories who may be easily fooled by such cynical application of tribal politicking, a strategy almost uniquely associated with the Gonja chieftain. For the rest of us, the critical question of whether President Mahama deserves a second term in office or the renewal of his mandate by the Ghanaian citizenry, will likely be decided on the basis of whether eligible voters have experienced any remarkable improvement in the quality of their lives, since the erstwhile Mills-Mahama and now Mahama/Amissah-Arthur regime received the popular mandate to occupy the Flagstaff House. *Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs 12.01.2016 LISTEN A total of 117 farmers (111 females and 6 males) benefitted from sustainable environmentally-friendly livelihood adaptation (SELA) trainings organized by the Coalition for Change (C4C) in Nimbare, Kompoare and Kunchani communities in the Jirapa District of the Upper West Region. The farmers were trained on bee keeping and soap making (round, bar and liquid) as alternative livelihoods to their peasant farming from October to December, 2015. They were also trained on how to manage the skills acquired to establish thriving businesses. The training is in line with the C4Cs attempt at mitigating practices injurious to the environment especially in the dry season when farmers hustle for survival and to create alternative livelihoods for people to adapt in the medium to long term. Practices like bush burning for hunting, tapping of wild honey, charcoal burning and unsustainable agricultural practices are widely practiced in most communities of the region with both men and women engaging in them, hence necessitating the training. In giving her closing remarks the executive director of C4C miss Rubelyn Yap remarked It is our hope that whilst we implement campaigns against these, we also find alternative means to empower people to move away from such practices,. She also thanked UK charity organization Ghana Outlook (GO) which funded the project. We expressed gratitude to our donor, Ghana Outlook-UK for believing in our cause in protecting the environment at the same time building the livelihood capacities of our rural farmers. There are still so many farmer groups we need to train but we are taking one step at a time, Ms. Yap added. The farmers were not only given the training but in addition were given the capital materials and ingredients to start their business ventures. The project initially was aimed to support underprivileged women in beekeeping and soap making for increased household income and food security as alternative to environmental degradation practices but was extended to include some few men due to their appeals. C4C executive director Ruby Yap reiterated their commitment to the partnership with GO which will go a long way in touching the lives of the marginalized in the areas they served. She also expressed her gratitude to the farmers for their exuberance which contributed to the success of the project. G.O. previously sponsored three key projects in the Nimbare/Kampoare communities which included the construction of one new borehole and rehabilitation of one borehole and KVIP for the Nimbare school and community. The goal of the G.O. is to assist rural communities to enhance their future through self-help programmes, including helping improve agricultural and educational infrastructure. About Coalition for Change (C4C): it is a non-governmental organization which aims to raise secured families using ecologically sustainable local farm base strategies, adaptable income generating activities and available forms of educations as means of closing poverty gap in Ghana. Thus the C4C team up with poor households within deprived communities to eliminate identified forms of obstruction to the full attainment of basic human stateliness through participatory approaches to reduce poverty using gender mainstreaming, self-help communal spirit and promoting quality education. (Press Release) On the last day of December last year, the Electoral Commission issued a statement on the report of the 5-member Panel it constituted to examine issues surrounding the credibility of the Voters Register. That statement sought to create the impression that the Panel was unconvinced by the call for a new Voters Register. This was a palpable lie told by a public body that should be a neutral referee in electoral contests. The Panel actually did a superb professional job. The least show of gratitude they deserve from the EC was for their report to be accurately represented in that statement. From the Panels report, it examined three issues: Whether to keep the 2012 Voters Register; Whether a new register needs to be created; and Whether the existing register needs to be cleaned. The Panel was quick to dismiss the first question as it was of the view that since new voters had been and would be registered ahead of the 2016 elections, practically there was nothing called the 2012 Voters Register. In other words, the Register that was used for the 2012 elections has been superseded. Before answering the remaining two questions, the Panel carried out a statistical analysis of its own to assess the effect of some of the sources of bloating. It admitted constraints in finding out the number of foreigners on the register due to the lack of a universal national identification card. It also acknowledged the difficulties faced by registration officers by relying solely on visual appearance to recognise minors (e.g. some 13 year olds may be made up to appear to be over 18 years). The report then went ahead to present the findings of the analysis, preceded by the following observation: There is some evidence that the Register of Voters possibly contains a substantial number of names of people whose records are currently not valid. By all indications, the number of registered voters is not only unusually high, but it may be in excess of the potential number. First the Panel found that there may be 150,000 more people on the 2012 Voters Register than the potential number. This was based on the projected population in 2012 of those aged 18 years and above, discounted by number of foreigners. By extending this analysis to cover the limited registration of 2014, this number grew to 158,000. With no means of ascertaining the number of foreigners on the Register, the Panel assumed these may all be minors. The second finding from the analysis was with regard to the number of dead persons whose records need to be removed from the Register. Here too, by using projections available from statistical records, the Panel estimated that there might be 580,000 dead persons on the Register, if not removed by the time of the 2016 elections. The Panel also considered the presentations made by the various organisations that met at the forum. It did place more weight on the presentations by organisations and individuals that were not aligned to political parties. The Panel took seriously the observation by Dr Wireko-Brobbey that all registers from 1992 have been bloated but it rejected the follow on that things should be left as they are. It is worth quoting what the report said on this: If it had been bloated should we continue to have bloated Registers of Voters? The answer is really a big No. From just these two sources of bloating mentioned above, the Panel stated that: The existence of such margins on the valid records undermines the quality of elections: such as transparency, fairness, validity and reliability of the results. It went on to further thus: The consequences of a "bloated register (or numerous invalid records) are not ignorable. Maintaining a Register with so many invalid records has the implications of: (a) potentially rewarding corrupt practices of not only those who will come to lead the country but also of public servants and those given temporary responsibility of managing the voting system; (b) the most ingenious wins over the will of the people; (c) Perpetuates violence in communities These conclusions were reached by taking into consideration the opportunities afforded by a bloated register to pad the votes and in the light of the following: The principle of no verification, no vote was not uniformly applied in all polling stations during the 2012 elections; Results could be altered between the polling stations and the collation centres; Party polling agents may be prevented from witnessing the vote and counting in some areas; and Presidential elections are won with very narrow margins. With the finding that the Register is bloated, the Panel then examined ways in which the situation can be remedied. It is here that the EC has not been truthful. The Panel was unconvinced by the ECs own plan to use the challenge procedures specified in CI 72. The Panel considered this approach as having been ineffective. This is what the report says on it: Judging by the sheer numbers, the Electoral Commission's proposition to display the Register, with Political Party representatives, the Electoral Commission and citizenry to identify and point out invalid names, is not a viable approach. Particularly when the persons who identify these records are expected to expend their time, energy and resources not only to provide the evidence but also to testify before a court of competent jurisdiction. The efficacy of the current provisions may be assessed by the fact that in spite of this system having been in place, there were 8,000 registrants in 2014 who may have been minors on the list since 2012. The report continued further: The signal is that the system is not effective in achieving the set goals of eliminating invalid records from the Register and must be reconsidered. It is said that you cannot do the same thing and expect different results. With regards to the demand for a new register, the Panel was not explicitly against it and in fact did not address it in any length. The only comment on it is to be found in the recommendations, which appear to consider a wholesale replacement as not cost-effective. There is nowhere in the report where the Panel said that it was unconvinced about the call. It is therefore worrying that the Electoral Management Body will seek to misrepresent a report by a Panel that it constituted itself. So what were the recommendations of the Panel on whether to clean or replace the register? This is reproduced below: Cleaning versus registering anew Generally, it might be difficult to justify leaving more than half a million invalid records in the Register that we seek to characterize as credible. It may be expedient to try to find a middle ground to creating a new register through a completely new registration process. The Electoral Commission could consider extending the exhibition exercise to have voters confirm their names on the list, an indication that they would want to maintain their voter status. The benefits include signalling that the Electoral Commission is doing something about the known flaws in the Register; the more cost-effective approach is being used. In the same way that a new registration would have required citizens to physically appear for registration, the cleaning would require that they appear to confirm. The major difference is that they spend less time because no forms are filled. Rather than make others responsible for maintaining voters' names on the list, the individuals should themselves do that. This also avoids the issue of people looking for documents to support any claim to get a record removed. This is largely what happens with the current system of hoping invalid names would be detected. It would be important to use this opportunity to call on all who are not eligible to voluntarily get their names off without facing any prosecution. The Panel is thus recommending, for all practical purposes, a new register using a new registration process similar to what was used in Nigeria before their 2015 elections. This approach weeded out over 4 million people from the Nigerian Register. The only difference, in the case of Ghana, might be that no new voters ID card would be issued, unlike Nigeria where new cards with embedded chips were issued upon re-confirmation. To build up trust, the EC should stop this blatant attempt to deceive Ghanaians. It should cease the charm offensive its Chairperson is currently embarking on. There is real work to be done between now and November 7th. It should rather preoccupy itself with publishing its plans for implementing the Panels recommendations and should be getting on with it! Dr Yaw Ohemeng While President John Mahama says two terror suspects brought to Ghana are low-risk, an official document from the United States Department of Defense says they are high risk. Mahama at a media briefing said Ghanas National Security assessed and established that the two played no operational role in Afghanistan during the US war on terror after the September 2001. He wants Ghanaians to show compassion for the two Yemini terror suspects Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby.who were subjected to intensive interrogation and torture for 14 years but were not convicted for terrorism. But a 2007 classified document from the US Department of Defense described Atef as a fighter in Osama Bin Ladens former 25th Arab Brigade and is an admitted member of the Taliban. Detainee participated in hostilities and coalition forces and continues to do so Security analyst Kwesi Aning says he agrees with President Mahamas description of the two former terror detainees as low level operatives but was quick to add that was even more dangerous to our national security. Dr. Aning says within the network of terrorists, it is low-level operatives who actually carry bombs. Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com New York (AFP) - US crude prices fell below $30 a barrel for the first time in 12 years on Tuesday as OPEC member Nigeria called for an emergency meeting to address collapsing prices. New York's benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for February delivery fell to $29.93 a barrel, a level last seen in December 2003. Prices pulled back slightly at the end of trade to end 97 cents lower at $30.44 a barrel. In London prices plunged as well, with the benchmark Brent North Sea crude for February ending down 69 cents at $30.86 a barrel. The continued plunge in prices, with some analysts now seeing a $20 price in sight, spurred more turmoil in exporters, many feeling a deep squeeze on revenues from the collapse of the market. The Nigerian petroleum resources minister, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, declared that he expects an extraordinary meeting of the oil cartel in "early March" to discuss nosediving crude prices. "We did say that if it hits the $35 (per barrel level), we will begin to look (at)... an extraordinary meeting," Kachikwu said at the Gulf Intelligence UAE Energy Forum. Nigeria, Africa's largest economy and foremost oil producer, has been ravaged by collapsing oil prices because crude accounts for 90 percent of the nation's export earnings and 70 percent of overall government revenue. Still, with Saudi Arabia and Gulf allies like the United Arab Emirates set on keeping prices down to run competitors -- especially in the United States -- out of the market, there remained doubts about whether the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries could act. "Nigeria's call for an early OPEC meeting would be a constructive factor if it were to lead to an actual meeting and shift in policy," said Tim Evans at Citi Futures. "But it's far from clear that Saudi Arabia and its nearest allies like the UAE are open to even talking about it." Andy Lipow of Lipow Oil Associates noted that a UAE representative at the oil conference quickly had dismissed the idea of an OPEC meeting. "As a result the market continues to look for something to support the prices, but actually there's nothing out there right at the moment." - More oil company cutbacks - The carnage in the crude trade saw Britain's BP and Brazil's Petrobras both announcing more cutbacks. BP said it would axe 4,000 jobs globally and Petrobras slashed its five-year investment plan by 24.5 percent. Mark Thomas, regional president for BP North Sea, said that "given the well-documented challenges of operating in this maturing region and in toughening market conditions, we need to take specific steps to ensure our business remains competitive and robust." Analysts saw continued downward pressure on crude prices. The markets will be eyeing this week the status of US stockpiles, which have remained at near-record levels in part because of a late onset of winter that kept demand down for heating oil. For those hoping for a rebound, the US Energy Information Agency forecast that US crude production would fall to an average 8.7 million barrels a day this year from 9.4 million in 2015. It estimated output fell by 80,000 barrels a day in December, a sign that low prices are hurting some drillers. 12.01.2016 LISTEN Accra, Jan. 12, GNA - The Four Square Gospel Church at Kasoa in the Central Region, has organised a free medical care and outreach programme for the people. Reverend Samuel Aggrey, Head Pastor of the Church, said the free medical care and outreach programme portrays that the church does not only cater for the spiritual needs of the congregation but their health needs as well. Later in an interview, Dr Ryan Venis, Medical Doctor from the United States and Head of the Medical team said the visit to Ghana was influenced by an organisation called Global Solutions run by a Ghanaian Solomon Badu in the US. He said Solomon approached the church to bring a team of health care providers for free medical screening. Dr Venis adding that the team of seven healthcare providers includes three doctors, three nurses and a pharmacist. Dr Venis said the medications were donated to the Group while some were purchased in the States to run the mobile clinics. ''It is our mission to see as many patients as we can, provide whatever aid we can in the hope that we show a good example to be emulated by other groups and as well to be able provide a template for how these mobile clinics can be run and see what their needs are. 'So when we return, we can be better prepared in the future to meet the needs for the patients,'' he said. He said the team is expected to screen about 1,000 patients, and patients would be giving medication to treat ailments like skin rashes, joint pains, diabetes and pre natal care. Dr Dennis Bortey, a Medical Doctor at the Ridge Hospital said two Ghanaian nurses and a Laboratory Technician are helping the US health care providers Dr Bortey noted that the other areas the team would visit are Papase No 1, Abeka and Adenta. GNA Tamale, Jan 12, GNA - Alhaji Imoro Issifu Alhassan, Northern Regional Chief Farmer of the Ghana Cocoa, Coffee and Shea nut farmers Association has called on government to address the challenges in the shea nut industry. This, he said is the means of alleviating poverty in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions. He said the shea industry has the potential of addressing endemic poverty especially among women if government and its development partners pay maximum attention to address challenges in the sector. Alhaji Alhassan told the GNA in Tamale after an end of year meeting with district chief farmers from the region that the shea nut tree is the only economic benefit for the people of the north. 'I must first of all commend the government for directing the COCOBOD to create the shea unit as part of its administration to be solely in charge of the shea sector'. He said it is unfortunate that some people are calling for the decoupling of the shea sector from COCOBOD, which he described as suicidal if the COCOBOD should wash its hands off the shea sector. He explained that the Shea Development Strategy (SHEDS, 2015-2030) is developed as a strategy of government through the COCOBOD to give clear direction for the development of the shea sector. He explained that the sector would collapse permanently if COCOBOD decouples itself. Alhaji Alhassan said government should also form the National Steering Committee on Shea (NSCS) to among other things provide the necessary governance framework for the shea unit. He appealed to COCOBOD to fast track the legislation of the Shea Development Strategy so as to give clear regulation in the shea sector. Alhaji Alhassan said COCOBOD to ignore the calls to decouple the shea unit from the board. He said: 'It is just premature for COCOBOD to take its hands off the shea sector.' GNA Bunso, (E/R), Jan. 12, GNA - Apostles J.F.K Mensah, Chairman of the Apostolic Council of the Great Commission Church International (GCCI), has appealed to Christians to rise up and finish the task of evangelising the world for Jesus Christ. He said world evangelism is God's topmost agenda, hence Christians must ensure that the gospel reaches every hamlet, village, town and city; so that mankind would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Apostle Mensah said this at the GCCI's 25th General Council Meeting at Bunso in the Eastern Region. The four-day meeting on the theme: 'Celebrating 25 Years of Advancing the Great Commission: That I May Know Him,' was held as part of activities marking the year long silver jubilee celebration of the GCCI. It was attended by more than 120 pastors and their wives, Board of Trustees and Presiding Elders of the church. Apostle Mensah said Jesus Christ gave the task of fulfilling the great commission to all Christians; he however, noted that as people are searching for eternal life, some pastors are rather busily spreading the gospel of prosperity. He advised pastors and Church leaders to make Jesus the centre of their messages; adding that Jesus bought the Church with his blood, and therefore, deserves to take the centre stage. He said God has already made Jesus Lord of everything in heaven and on earth; and that Jesus is the first born among many brothers. He explained that through winning disciples for Jesus Christ, the task of reaching the world with the gospel would be completed within one generation. Apostle Professor Samuel Asuming-Brempong, the Chairman of GCCI - Ghana, in his report to the General Council praised and thanked God for how far, He had brought the Church. He urged churches to focus on training and preparing young people to be ready to carry on the work of propagating the gospel of Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind. He said 'In the next 25 years, the children, junior and senior youth, we see today shall be the pastors and elders in the church.We should therefore, pay extra attention to the young ones - the children and the junior and senior youth to prepare them for the tax ahead,' The GCCI was started in April 1991 on the campus of the University of Ghana, Legon, by seven founding ministers namely Apostles Mensah, Joseph Kwabena Antwi, Prof Asuming-Brempong, Komla Ebenezer Hagan, Samuel Vincent Ansah, Derek Sarpong and Richard Kwami Adanu. Since GCCI's inception, Apostle Mensah, who has been the Chairman of the Apostolic Council; was the maiden Chairman of the Executive Council of GCCI - Ghana for 12 years (1991 to 2003). He was succeeded by Apostle Antwi, who led the GCCI - Ghana for 10 years (2003-2013); with Apostle Prof Asuming-Brempong taking over from him in 2013 to date. GNA Accra, Jan. 12, GNA - Dr George Prah, National President of Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International, has called on Ghanaians to help fight corruption which has eaten deep into the society. He said corruption is a menace that needs the efforts of all to be uprooted at an outreach meeting of the East Legon Chapter of the Fellowship in Accra. Dr Prah expressed regret that corruption is always tagged on government officials and politicians even though everyone is part of the social canker, hence the need for the joining of hands to eliminate the problem. Commenting on the Election 2016, he called on churches to pray for the sustenance of the peace the country is enjoying. Dr Prah noted that for any country to be developed there is the need for the people to embrace peace at all times. He therefore appealed to politicians to desist from using the youth to cause chaos in the country. Mr Kojo Mensa Amissah, President of the East Legon Chapter of the Fellowship said the body would regularly sing the National Anthem during their meetings as a way of instilling a sense of patriotism into their members GNA Yendi (N/R), Jan. 12, GNA - The Abudu Royal Family at Yendi has given government a two-week ultimatum to begin renovation works on the Gbewaa Palace leading to the performance of funerals of the two late overlords of the Dagbon Traditional Area. The Abudu Royal Family gave the ultimatum at a news conference held at Yendi on Monday to share its grievances on the issues of renovation of the Gbewaa Palace and the performance of the final funeral rites of the late Ya-Na Mahamadu Abdulai IV. Mr Alhassan Iddrisu, General Secretary of the Abudu Royal Family read the press statement signed by Vahindi-Naa, Dr Nantogmah Mahama, on behalf of the family. Mr Iddrisu said: 'We are compelled under the circumstances to serve notice that if by Monday, January 25, 2016, there is no renovation work going on at the Gbewaa Palace for the two funerals, we shall advise ourselves.' He said: 'The non-performance of the final funeral rites of Naa Mahamadu Abdulai IV in the Gbewaa Palace as that of a deceased Ya-Na is the single most important threat to the peace and stability of Dagbon Traditional Area' adding 'we intend to explore all means necessary to gain access to the Gbewaa Palace to perform Naa Mahamadu Abdulai's funeral.' Mr Iddrisu said the government and the Asantehene led Committee of Eminent Chiefs (CEC) tasked to mediate the Dagbon chieftaincy crisis had failed to enforce or implement provisions of the Roadmap to Peace Document promulgated by the CEC to bring lasting peace to the Dagbon Traditional Area. He said: 'Whereas the CEC implemented the Roadmap to Peace Document by allowing the Andani Royal Family to bury the late Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II in the Gbewaa Palace and installed the Kampakuya-Naa as his regent, it failed to implement a clause in the Roadmap, which grants the Abudu Royal Family access to the Gbewaa Palace for the performance of the funeral of the late Ya-Na Mahamadu Abdulai IV'. He said President John Dramani Mahama had also given assurances on, at least, two occasions that the Gbewaa Palace would be renovated to pave way for the performance of the funerals to resolve the Dagbon chieftaincy crisis and bring lasting peace to the area. Mr Iddrisu said 'It is our hope that the CEC and the President would appreciate the fierce urgency now and act with dispatch in commencing renovation works at the Gbewaa Palace.' GNA Accra, Jan. 12, GNA - The Ghana Police Service (GPS), has pledged its support for the preparation of the 40-year development policy initiated by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) to promote continuity and stability in governance. Inspector General of Police (IGP) John Kudalor gave the assurance during a courtesy call on the Service by the Commission to solicit the views of the GPS on the long term development policy which would commence on 2018. IGP Kudalor told the Commissioners to make policing critical in the plan since the Service plays a pertinent role in creating an enabling environment for the welfare of the nation. He urged the Commission to include a complete chapter on the Security Services and their equipment especially of the GPS as well as the number of personnel that would work towards the United Nations ratio in the plan. He said: 'We are very grateful for this opportunity to participate in the preparation of the long term policy; however, the earlier we get in touch with you, the better so we do not go contrary to the demands of the Commission towards the framework. 'We will do our best as a security service to support the preparation of the long term development plan since the nation cannot do without us'. Commissioner of Police (COP) Rose Bio Atinga, Director General of Research and Planning, GPS said it is her expectation that the Service would get adequate resources necessary to run their operations. 'By now we should have had helicopters, high rise buildings, and more personnel in the Service to boost our operations', she said. COP Atinga urged the Commission to include a strong financial backing in the plan for the Police Service to support their operations. Dr Nii Moi Thompson, Director General of NDPC disclosed that the Commission would start the second phase of the national consultation in February, which would focus on consulting technical persons and organisations both in and outside government on the preparation of the plan. The Director General said the long term policy is relevant because it has been estimated that by 2057, about 90 per cent of the country's population would be living in the urban centres, which therefore needs a strategic planning which would include the GPS to maintain law and order. Dr Thompson said the plan would include the kind of official structure, residential units and equipment the GPS requires in the future. GNA Ningo (GAR), Jan. 12, GNA - Nene Tetteh Merh III, the Chief of Ahwiam in the Ningo/Prampram District, has appealed to non-governmental organizations and social institutions to support their community with the needed amenities. He said some individuals and organizations, over time, have come to promise them with the provision of boreholes, clinics and other social services, but are yet to deliver their promises. The chief made the appeal when the Ghana News Agency was taken round by the Assemblyman, Mr Francis Teye Addotsu to inspect some of their sources of water for their household use. Nene Tetteh Merh III said: 'Even the pond water that we share with the animals is drying up because of the harmattan and we are pleading with government and philanthropic organizations to come to our aid.' He said it was expensive to depend on water tankers and sachet water for domestic chores, forcing the people to resort to all kinds of ground water with its attendant of health problems. Mr Francis Teye Addotsu, Assemblyman for Ahwiam, also appealed to the Ghana Water Company Limited to restore water supply to the community, saying six months now the taps have not been flowing. The Assemblyman said there was no health facility in the area and the people depended on drug stores for their health needs, which create problems to pregnant women during delivery. He appealed for an urgent attention from government and the assembly to help solve their concerns. GNA Accra, Jan. 12, GNA - The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MELR) on Tuesday said its attention has been drawn to some official documents, publications and correspondence, specifically regarding financial demands made on the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) by the Ministry. In a response to this, the Ministry in a statement under the authority of Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Employment and Labour Relations in Accra, explained that it was normal practice within the Ghana Public Service for Ministries to depend on their agencies when they are in financial distress and can sometimes borrow for subsequent reimbursement, subject to releases from the Ministry of Finance. The statement further explained that Ghana's participation in the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conference and the official Government delegation was officially sanctioned and approved by the office of the Chief of Staff by a letter dated 19th May, 2015 to include social partners vis Employers, Representatives of Organised Labour and Members of Parliament. It said the Ministry's action in charging the vote against the YEA approved vote for 2015 was supported by Section 24 1(e) of the YEA Act 887 of 2015, which stipulates that, 'for the administrative expenses of the Agency and oversight supervision by the Ministry which shall in any case not exceed Five Per cent (5 %) of the funds of the Agency'. It said it was therefore not peculiar to the MELR, because in this case, it was backed by Section 24 of the YEA Act of 2015, Act (887), which stipulates the Application of funds by the Agency. The statement said it was to be noted that, the $230,960.43, in question, had fifty percent of it used for the payment of subscription arrears owed the ILO, amounting to One Hundred and Forty Four thousand and Fifty Swiss Francs, Fifty Cents (SFR 144,052.50), and that of the African Regional Labour Administration Centre (ARLAC) which amounted to US$69,706 pending reimbursement by the Ministry of Finance, which was outstanding and in arrears. It said an erroneous impression was being created that the money was entirely used for the purpose of official foreign travels, however, failure to pay their annual ILO and ARLAC subscriptions would have resulted in the loss of their titular voting rights at the 104th Session of the International Labour Conference held in Geneva, Switzerland from June 1 to June 13, 2015. It said the rest of the amount was spent to cover travel expenses of 16 members of the Ghanaian delegation comprising staff of the Ministry, Agencies of the Ministry, some members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Employment and other Social partners (Tripartite) per ILO requirements. It said the Ministry has at all times operated within the Law and would reimburse where necessary and appropriate as provided by law and per releases from the Ministry of Finance for which a request was made. 'We are not in breach of the Law and we have acted within the parameters of the YEA Act, 2015 (Act 887), the Public Procurement Act of 2003 (Act 663) and Financial Administration Act (FAA) of 2004 (Act 654). The activities and financial operations of YEA is required to be audited by the Auditor General in accordance with Section 27 of the YEA Act (887) 2015, and the MELR and the management of the Agency would respond to any Audit findings accordingly. GNA 12.01.2016 LISTEN Accra, Jan. 12, GNA - The Young Cadres (YC) of National Democratic Congress, has requested the leader of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo to express his position on Government's decision to accommodate the US Guantanamo detainees. A statement copied to the GNA by Mr Bright Botchway, General Secretary of YC explained that it has been a week since news about Government's decision to host some ex-detainees of the United States detention centre at Guantanamo Bay broke, yet the leader of the largest opposition party has been silent about it. 'Varied opinions have been shared on government's goodwill gesture, which was evidently borne out of a humanitarian need.' The statement indicated that the leader of NPP has been silent on the issue and indirectly criticising Government's decision through the party's propagandists. It expressed the need for Nana Akufo Addo's to break his silence since he is angling to be the President of the country. 'His credentials as a lawyer and his past position as Ghana's Foreign Affairs Minister, which saw him at a point becoming the Chairman of the United Nations Security Council, makes his silence on such an issue highly deafening. 'We are a young democracy and thus we learn from the relatively developed democracies of the West, like the United Kingdom.' The statement said it is a common practice to hear the leader of the opposition party states his position on issues that attract the attention of the public. It said the views of the NPP's flag bearer on the resettlement of the Yemeni ex-convicts is a means of offering policy alternatives to government as a dependable opposition leader. GNA Cape Coast, Jan. 12, GNA - The Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Professor Domwini Dabire Kuupole has observed that the university's move for gender parity in enrollment is gaining grounds. He said the gap between males and females narrows every year in the school. His observation was grounded on a gender-based analysis of enrolment into various programmes at the university's College of Distance Education (CoDE) for the 2015/2016 academic year, which showed a total female enrollment of 8,205 as compared to that of 10,634 males. Speaking at the Southern Zone /Third session of the 15th Matriculation of CoDE students held in Cape Coast Prof Kuupole described the statistics as 'an interesting and complex balance' and 'an active competition'. He congratulated the females especially, for taking keen interest in higher education every year and urged them to encourage their counterparts to resist social barriers and also enroll accordingly. This year's enrollment, according to the vice chancellor also revealed that though the entry requirement for admission is being made more stringent, more applicants are making efforts to enroll. Out of a total of 18,830 students admitted, 14, 206 are pursing various programmes in education with the remaining 4,624 in business related programmes. Prof Kuupole advised the students to utilise the opportunity to improve themselves both academically and socially, bearing in mind that 'education is the best weapon against poverty, discrimination and ignorance'. He indicated that the university had increased its study centres nationwide with the latest including various locations in Greater Accra, Brong Ahafo, Eastern, Western and Ashanti regions while work on other centres in other regions are progressing steadily. He assured students of the university's commitment in solving challenges such as late release of examination results, hardships faced in the payment of fees and difficulty they encounter in trying to reach the colleges to seek redress to their problems. GNA Accra, Jan. 12, GNA - President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday explained that the recent hikes in petroleum products and other utilities were done to save the companies from collapsing. He said for the past 15 years, utility companies had accumulated a lot of debt making them financial vulnerable and without such measures, needed services could dwindle in the coming years. "The trend has choked the credit lines of the utility companies that they cannot even go to any bank to deal with those debts", he said. President Mahama, who was delivering his third consecutive news conference to mark his assumption of office, said although the measures were quite austere it would in the end create more jobs as such companies would expand as a result of cash-in flows. The event was attended by over 100 journalists from the public, private and international media, where the President explained some of the decisions government over the years. President Mahama said in spite of the 27 percent increase in fuel prices, it was still 11 percent below the de-regulation point. He said other taxes were to be given to the road fund to pay contractors who would in turn create more jobs for the youth. The President said under the indiginization policy of his administration, most of the contracts would be given to the local contractors who had the capacity to execute the jobs and employ many more artisans in the country. President Mahama said although there were no clear-cut figures to depict the level of unemployment in the country, government through the Ghana Statistical Service, was collaborating with the World Bank to track the unemployment rates in the country. On power, President Mahama said, Ghana was now sufficient in power generation and would in the coming years concentrate on acquiring adequate gas that would feed various plants to supply the country and become a net exporter of the commodity. He said because of the erratic supply of gas from the West African Gas Pipeline, government was negotiating to acquire some back-up supplies from Qatar to place a final lid on load management in the coming years. President Mahama said government was also streamlining measures to absorb all teachers and nurses who have not received their placements after their courses. He explained that government had to stop the payment of allowances to the Colleges of Education because they had gained the tertiary status and, therefore, could source loans from the Ghana Loans Trust just like their counterparts in the universities and polytechnics. GNA A lecturer at the Department of Communications Studies at the University of Ghana is applauding the style and tone of president John Mahama in Tuesday's encounter with the press. Dr Etse Sikanku was however not entirely impressed with some of the broad, sweeping questions by the journalists which he said allowed the president too much room to express himself. The president called a press conference to address some of the key national issues affecting the country. Within a two and half hour period the president answered about 26 questions on a variety of issues including, corruption, the controversial policy to allow two terror suspects into Ghana, the economy, taxes, and of course what he does to release pressure and what keeps him awake at night. There have mixed reactions about the assessment of both the quality of questions by the journalists and the answers given by the president. Dr Sikanku believes the president will walk away "not too disappointed with his performance." Given a defensive approach taken by the president and his communicators in the last quarter of last year which saw them address some of the most difficult issues, including the Ameri deal, accusations about incompetence, the lecturer believes the president made a positive beginning in terms of communication in 2016. "It was president Mahama as we know him at his best. It was a positive as far as the president is concerned. "He was not adversarial. He was civil, and not antagonistic. If I look at it from that perspective, I think it is a win for the president. He said other government communicators must be taking a lesson or two from the style of the president. Asked if the journalists did a good job with the questions, Dr Sikanku said it was mixed, even though he thought some of the questions were irrelevant. 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. you are here: business Persistent buys Citrix, says working on larger deal pipeline Anand Deshpande, Founder, MD and CEO, Persistent Systems says the products are powered by Apache CloudStack. business China events may lead to mild global recession: Ruchir Sharma It is quite possible to get a milder global recession this time based on what is happening in China just because the Chinese economy has become so large and significant in the world today, says Ruchir Sharma of Morgan Stanley Investment Management. business TCS Q3 net profit seen down 0.8%, $ revenue likely to be muted India's largest IT services provider Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is likely to kick-start December quarter earnings season on a tepid note. The entire IT sector may see a muted growth in Q3, which is not unexpected, due to seasonality and Chennai floods adding to the pain. Rolls Royce unveils Spectre | First look at the luxury car| The most luxurious EV ever? January 12, 2016 Syria: Russian Campaign Enables Government Progress - Terrorist's Lines Fall Apart To put pressure on Turkey for more support the Islamic State attacks the Turkish economy. But that is in vain if the Syrian government and its supporters can close the border to Turkey. That now looks very possible as the Syrian government, supported by Russian air force and indirect fire, is winning on all fronts. Turkey received the fruits of its support for terrorists in Syria today. Ten people, most of them foreign tourists, were killed in a suicide attack in the Sultanahmet district, a main tourist area in Istanbul. The Turkish government says the culprit was a 28 year old Saudi man. That mostly excludes that this was an attack of the PKK or any radical left group. The Islamic State is likely the organization behind this attack. The attack's real target is the Turkish economy. Istanbul is the third most visited tourist city in Europe. That will now change. Earlier Russia warned its citizens against visiting Turkey. The German government and others are now likely to follow. Russians and Germans were the two top tourist origins for Turkey. This will have significant consequences for the Turkish economy and employment situation. Turkey has supported the Jihadists anti-government terrorists in Syria and Iraq. Until,very recently the Islamic State ran a sophisticated immigration operation through the Turkey-Syria border: Turkey has long said that it is unable to secure its 500-mile border with Syria. In January, as Isis was logging people passing in and out of Tel Abyad, the Turkish prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, told the Independent that sealing the border would be impossible. ... The border crossing remained open until Kurdish forces took control of the town in June, at which point Turkey promptly sealed it. The crossing remains closed, a government official confirmed. There are still other parts of the border where people can cross from Islamic State held territory to Turkey and back. Imports to the Islamic State come mostly from Turkey while stolen oil is exported to Turkey. Turkey will have to stop all support for the various terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq or it will experience ever increasing mayhem on its own soil. Last year Turkey helped an alliance that included al-Qaeda in Syria and similar groups in capturing Idleb province and Idleb city from the Syrian government. That attack und the Turkish support for these groups was one of the reasons that prompted the Russians to intervene on the Syrian government side. Since then Russian intelligence and air support has helped to turn the war on Syria around. The government forces are now winning on every front. But Turkey is not the only "western" country that is still actively supporting the Jihadidsts: In a statement Monday to Foreign Policy, the Syrian Emergency Task Force said Russian planes bombed one of its offices in central Idlib province in a strike that completely destroyed the facility and equipment. The staff which host civil society workshops, helps distribute U.S. humanitarian aid, and documents atrocities was not present during the incident, and no one was killed, according to SETF. Can someone explain why and how the U.S. Syrian Emergency Task Force, which is financed by the U.S. State Department, can continue to operate in al-Qaeda occupied Idleb? When the Russian air support in Syria started and the Syrian army went on the offense a large number of U.S. provided anti-tank guided missiles where used by the terrorists. The number of such missile attacks has now significantly decreased. The Russian bombing broke the logistic lines of the various groups and ransacked their headquarters and support areas. The four month bombing campaign is now showing real results. In Latakia in north west Syria the Syrian army today took the resort town Salma which had been a major center of terrorist activities in the area. Yesterday a whole suburb west of Aleppo city fell to the Syrian army. East of Aleppo city the Syrian army is advancing towards Al Bab which lies on one of the Islamic State's major roads to Turkey. Near Rastan in Homs province the Syrian army crossed the Orontes river and captured Jarjisah. Further south the Syrian army is progressing towards the Jordanian border. The Russian air attacks also support the advances of the Kurdish forces fighting the Islamic State under the label of the U.S. created Syrian Democratic Front. The SDF is now moving to Manbij north east from Aleppo from the east and towards Avaz north-west of Aleppo from the west which together with the Syrian government rush north towards Al Bab develops into a pincer movement that will cut the Islamic State and other terrorist groups from the Turkish border. Since the beginning of active Russian support the Syrian army has - according to the Russian General Staff - liberated more than 150 towns and villages from the terrorist forces. Since the beginning of January more than twenty two towns have been freed. Bombing is not a solution for conflicts. The U.S. started bombing Iraq 25 years ago and has bombed it ever since. last year alone it dropped over 23,000 bombs on Muslim countries. But the Russian bombing in Syria is in support a legitimate and capable government which has the majority support of its people and that makes all the difference. The Russian campaign has significantly decimated the militant's fighting force. A few weeks ago the head of the Islamic State Baghdadi had called for a general mobilization of all Muslims to support his shrinking state. Yesterday the main religious leaders of Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaeda's organization in Syria, also issued a call for total mobilization. The Chechen terrorist groups in Latakia under Emir Muslim Shishani are calling for help. The fronts held by these shrinking forces now regularly fall apart when under Russian style attacks. They are now near their breaking point. During World War II a majority of casualties were caused by indirect fire. During the recent fighting in Ukraine some 80-90% of the casualties on the Ukrainian government side were caused by massive artillery attacks. The Syrian army has copied this Russian style of fighting by using more by artillery and airstrikes for the preparation of attacks. This preserves the manpower of friendlies but requires strong logistics and causes massive damage on buildings and infrastructure. With the lack of manpower resulting in defeats everywhere the militants and their supporters have upped their "information operations". In a massive propaganda effort they asserted the people in Madaya, under siege by Syrian troops, were starving. Lots of fake and old pictures distributed by "activists" and mainstream media like the BBC showed starving people. But Madaya, like other cities under siege from the terrorists, had received food for several months in October and in late November. The militants seized all provisions and sold them to the inhabitants at extortion prices. Still the International Committee of the Red Cross could not confirm any famine casualties. The propaganda campaign over Madaya did not achieve the intended result of more "western" intervention. Madayan received fresh food but so did Fuar and Kefraya which are bigger and under siege by the terrorist forces. The "starving" claims were fake assertions as they have accompanied the war on Syria from its very beginning. According to the Indian ambassador in Syria at that time al-Qaeda was involved even in the very first weeks of the 2011 "peaceful protests". A fact that at that time was denied by "western" media and is still covered up in recent reporting. But as 9/11 showed and today's attack in Istanbul again demonstrates supporting fundamentalist terrorist forces always comes back to bite. Unfortunately only after creating terrible damage elsewhere. Posted by b on January 12, 2016 at 15:31 UTC | Permalink Comments Via G1.globo.com, a report from Pernambuco: FAV notes eye injury in 40% of babies with microcephaly linked to Zika. Edited excerpt from the Google translation: Preliminary results of research developed from the monitoring of babies with suspected microcephaly at Altino Ventura Foundation, in Recife, show that about 40% of cases of microcephaly related to Zika virus had anatomical problems in the formation of the eyes. Doctors seek to understand how these injuries hinder the sight of babies. The Foundation has been carrying out joint efforts for care, and the third one on Monday (11). Since December last year, 79 babies have been diagnosed with suspected microcephaly. The reviews of 55 have been completed. The malformation of 40 of these babies is related to Zika virus and of these, about 40% had vision problems. Professor of Ophthalmology of the Federal University of Sao Paulo (Unifesp), Mauricio Maia, points out that this is the first time that a research group has described serious eye injuries caused by microcephaly associated with Zika. "In medicine this disease was not yet known. The vision impairment will be assessed further, but the injuries are very suggestive that there will be a very significant vision loss in these patients," said Maia. The two most common changes, the researchers said, is retinal atrophy, which seems a kind of scarring, and pigmentary changes, which are spots on the retina. "Neurological brain structure being compromised, also commits the optic nerve and retina. The sight of children becomes deficient,"explains the president of the foundation, Liana Ventura. Canadian residential mortgage lender Home Capital Group Inc. (OTC:HMCBF) continues to enjoy a healthy bottom line despite a noticeable loss of growth last year, which saw a drop of 37 per cent compared to its earnings per share in 2011. Industry observers attributed the decline to issues in mortgage documentation. In 2015, Home Capital terminated its relationships with 45 brokers who have falsified their borrowers income information. These brokers represented approximately 10 per cent of the companys mortgages outstanding. Despite these developments, the impact on the companys bottom line was negligible, with respectable growth during the second half of 2015. The Home Capital workforce has also seen the addition of 600 active brokers in the same period. The companys dividend yield is now 3.5 per cent, on par with the competition. With the resumption of growth (targeted at 8 to 13 per cent per annum) in 2016, dividend payments can rise from the current <25 per cent of earnings. Most importantly, stringent checks have been implemented to verify each borrowers financial status, with a comprehensive review of the dubious mortgages underway. Over 90 per cent of the companys mortgages remain qualified for renewals. Once again, the Canadian economy showed signs of struggle as the December jobs report showed gains only in Ontario, while jobs were flat or down in every other province.We are likely to suffer continued weakness in the Canadian dollar and the underperformance of the Canadian stock market. Mortgage rates are rising and government actions to cool the housing market will also contribute to downward pressure on the economy, said Dr. Sherry Cooper, chief economist for Dominion Lending Centres . However, the weak loonie will help to spur exports and to attract foreign capital. Tourism will no doubt rise.The New York Times today deemed Toronto the top tourist destination for 2016; and while government fiscal stimulus will help and cannot come too soon, according to Dr. Cooper, Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz is ready to use unconventional monetary policy tools if needed.In marked contrast, payrolls in the U.S. rose more than projected as the unemployment rate remained at a low 5%. U.S. strength vindicated the Fed's recent rate increase.Canada added 22,800 jobs in December, rebounding from a loss of 36,000 in November, but the unemployment rate remained at 7.1% posting a rise of 0.4 percentage points over the course of 2015. While today's employment report surpassed expectations, most of the job gains were in part-time positions.December's gains capped a rocky year for job growth as the natural resource sector shed thousands of jobs, said Dr. Cooper. Employment increased among people aged 55 and older last month and was little changed for the other demographic groups.Despite the sluggish economy, the housing market has remained buoyant.The torrid housing price increases in Toronto and Vancouver continue, with Eastern Canada holding its own while the oil-dependent province of Alberta suffers.House prices have jumped 10% in Toronto and 18% in Vancouver while slumping 2% in Calgary, Alta., in contrast to a 7% national average gain, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association."You dont want housing to be the bright spot particularly if you want manufacturing exports to lead growth, Emanuella Enenajor, senior economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, told Bloomberg News, but given our low rate environment, housing has been one of the key bright spots of the economy. A seven-week decline in optimism by Canadian consumers has stabilized, with a rebound in Quebec helping buttress fading fortunes in energy-rich prairie provinces coping with the oil price shock. The Bloomberg Nanos Canadian Confidence Index held steady this week at 53.8, unchanged from a week earlier while remaining below the 12-month average of 55.4, telephone polling by Nanos Research shows. The index measures consumer expectations for the economy, real estate, job security and personal finances. The stabilization in confidence is due overwhelmingly to the increase over two weeks in Quebec, the countrys second- most-populous province, where sentiment rose to 56.6, the highest since November and exceeding the 12-month average of 54. Expectations slid in the prairies, Ontario and Atlantic Canada, while increasing slightly in British Columbia. The picture continues to worsen in the prairies -- Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba -- with confidence sliding to 44.5, the lowest since 2008, though polling showed a positive sign: one sub-index, measuring personal finance, was unchanged after four weeks of decline. Its a jarring turnaround for a region that has been Canadas economic engine for the past decade, driven by the energy sector. The economic mood in the prairies has gone from the highest in the country to the lowest, Nanos Research Group Chairman Nik Nanos said, citing a cycle of negative forward sentiment. Nationally, the share of those expecting the economy to strengthen over the next six months fell to 19 percent, its lowest point since September and down from 20.5 percent a week earlier. The share of those expecting it to weaken, meanwhile, also fell to 36.6 percent from 38 percent a week earlier. Consumer optimism remains highest in British Columbia, where the index sits at 59.4, up from 59.2 a week earlier. Optimism in Ontario was at 55.5, versus 51.7 in Atlantic Canada and 44.5 in the prairies. The Bloomberg Nanos Canadian Confidence Index is based on two sub-indexes measuring personal finances, job security, housing prices and expectations for the economy overall. Its based on a four-week rolling average of 1000 poll respondents, and is considered accurate within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Josh Wingrove 2016 Bloomberg News According to the latest official figures, the end of 2015 saw 5,088 homes up for sale, exhibiting a sharp increase from the previous years 3,059 properties. Industry observers attributed this rise to the currently low mortgage rates driving greater purchase volume. Another possible contributing factor is the proliferation of infill housing in the city. In turn, the intense competition among buyers is spurring a consistent increase in real estate prices, with the average for single-family properties now sitting at $437,569 and condos at $252,954. All of these developments amid an economy struggling with global oil price crashes and an ailing petro-currency. Experts said that these factors have significantly affected Edmonton locals purchasing power. Indeed, the total number of residential acquisitions dropped by 9 per cent, from 18,991 transactions in 2014 to 17,298 sales last year. Organizations like the Realtors Association of Edmonton said that they see no cause for concern, however, maintaining that the housing market in the city remains as strong as ever, if a bit more cautious than usual. I think the outcome of the year actually has in my opinion been a little bit of a surprise. I think, especially when we compare ourselves to other parts of the province, Edmonton has fared very well, former association chair Geneva Tetreault told CBC News. On the flip side, a weaker Canadian dollar has made the large-scale sellers life more difficult, as buyers have become more wary in letting go of their cash when it comes to bigger properties. The trend is currently pointing towards the increased popularity of smaller and more affordable homes. We were quite confident this was going to sell, and that hasn't happened. So, of course, it's very frustrating, renovator Ron Hewitt said of a duplex he has been trying to sell since September 2015. Chris Hightowers environment hasnt changed much in 20 years. In 1996 he was wrapping up his senior year at Midland High School. Today he can be found inspiring his AP U.S. Government and AP Comparative Politics students to think for themselves and be open to new ideas. I love the job that I have. I love helping teachers, I love helping students, said Hightower, who currently serves as social studies department chairman and sponsors the Model Organization of American States team. Above all, Hightower said he wants students to share the love he has for government and politics and learn how work within it. Hightower holds an associate degree in government from Midland College, a bachelors degree in history and political science from Texas Tech University and a masters degree in political science from Sul Ross State University. Hightower and his wife, Jennifer, have been married 15 years and have three children Abigail, 12, Jackson, 8, and Caroline, 6. How, and why, do you make a difference in Midlands educational landscape? As a department chairperson I try to do all that I can for the teachers in my department so that they can focus on students and teaching. In that role I also work with the campus administration to communicate and provide cooperation between teachers and administrators. As a teacher, I feel the truest purpose of an educator is to make a difference in an individuals life. It is our job to introduce scholastic information and inspire students to achieve. My primary responsibility is to facilitate the progressive development of my students character, knowledge and citizenship. Utilizing a variety of conceptual approaches, I work to assist the students in this process. I have a passion for government and politics, and I believe that people should not settle for less when it comes to our elected officials. All young people need to learn how to participate in our democracy and why that is valuable. I also want my students to learn to think critically about the role of government and be aware of their rights. Why did you choose a career in education? My mother and father (Lynn and Jack Hightower) were both educators in Midland ISD (Lynn - a resource and early childhood educator and Jack - a principal and later on a school board member). I grew up around educators so I suppose it was inevitable that I would become an educator. My goal in college was to obtain a law degree, but after studying history and political science, I made the decision to go into the education profession. While getting my post-bachelors teaching certification, I reflected on several of the great teachers I had growing up in MISD. There were amazing teachers, and I was really taught to love learning. Perhaps my most influential teacher was my high school economics teacher, Hugh Franks. He was excited about teaching us the fundamentals of economics and got so many of us to love a subject that is difficult to comprehend. He taught us to learn for ourselves and inserted a desire for us to achieve. Eventually, Mr. Franks would help shape my teaching career as well. He was my department chairperson and even helped me get my first teaching job at Midland High. He and the other teachers in the department made me a better teacher by mentoring and helping me. Eventually, Mr. Franks retired, and I followed his example and became the department chairperson for social studies. How have you moved beyond the basic curriculum and found innovative ways to reach your students? I like to learn through doing. Learning out of a textbook has its place, but you have to provide real-life examples to students. Classes that allow students to explore on their own are the best ways to enhance learning beyond the basic curriculum. Classes like Model OAS, Comparative Politics, Student Council and Students In Philanthropy get kids motivated and harness their enthusiasm. I wouldnt necessarily say what I do is innovative, but that it reflects that I care about my kids. I want them to share the love I have for the subject I teach and in the process learn how to work and learn within it. I also try to stay active in politics or in exploring new ways to learn about it. Ive interned for congressional offices (national and state), Ive participated in and worked for political campaigns, and Ive even traveled outside the country to understand how diplomacy and international politics works. All this is fun to me but invaluable to my students. Sharing real-life experiences that teach real lessons can be inspiring. Has the role of being an educator changed since your first year as a teacher? If so, how? In college, potential educators are taught a good deal of theoretical ways to teach. All worth learning, but when you get into a classroom with 30 kids, you have to start getting a bit more realistic. Overall, education has changed since my first year. Testing was important when I started, but now it has taken over as one of the most important things. I still believe that teaching is the most important thing -- not test performance. I have changed a great deal from my first year as a teacher, and I look back on those days with some angst but overall with fond memories of working with amazing teachers and students. How have you implemented technology into your classroom and instruction model? I utilize a wide variety of online resources for my students, and I try to utilize what technology we have available to us. However, not all of my students have the ability to utilize these online tools because outside of class they do not have the resources. Our department just this year was able to get a mobile lab of Google Chrome books that have made a huge difference in the ability of students to do research while in the classroom. As a district we are working hard to keep up with technology. While it has gotten better for our elementary schools, our high schools and junior highs are in great need of better technological resources. I love that younger kids are using LearnPads and interactive projection systems, but those are scarce assets at the secondary level. What are your professional goals for the future? I love the job that I have. I love helping teachers, I love helping students. I suppose if there was any other way I could enhance that and impact the district as a whole I might consider it, but Im very happy in the position I currently hold. My goal for the future would be to keep thinking outside the box. I would love to have more opportunities to go see what other successful teachers do, and have more experiences that positively impact my students and other teachers. What is the greatest challenge to being an educator in Midland today? The greatest challenge to being an educator in Midland today is a lack of current technology in the secondary schools and adequate facilities to meet the needs of our students. At Midland High we dont have nearly enough room for all the students we have, and we have to send many of our students all over the city to have class or participate in extracurricular activities at an off-campus venue. I understand that around Midland a bond tax proposed to do anything to secondary schools would be met with harsh criticism and review. However, I truly believe that a community puts its money and its resources toward what it cares the most about. Our community and school officials need to be prepared to finally address this issue and show the teachers and students that they do care about their future. What support can Midlanders provide you and other educators? Support and pass a bond for secondary schools and show the teachers at the secondary level that you really care about the future of our community. The people of this city have been tremendously generous to the needs of elementary schools but we at the secondary level need to support. Our junior high schools and high schools are falling behind, and we need to provide them the resources to better prepare students for their futures. Via Folha de Sao Paulo, a column by health reporter Claudia Collucci: Is only Zika to blame for microcephaly? Edited excerpt from the Google translation: Almost two months have passed since the Ministry of Health established the association between Zika virus and the increase in cases of microcephaly that has reached northeastern states, but increasingly questions arise concerning whether Zika alone is responsible for the severe brain injury affecting more than 3,000 babies in the country. At a news conference last Friday (8), researchers from the ICB (Institute of Biomedical Sciences), USP, raised the hypothesis that there is more going on than we think. Some basic questions: why did the virus not increase the incidence of microcephaly in West Africa, its birthplace? Or why, in Brazil, are cases of microcephaly concentrated mainly in Pernambuco, when by the estimates of the Ministry of Health there are other regions with more incidence of Zika, including Sao Paulo? One of the expected responses is that the Zika virus circulating in Brazil, already known from Asia, suffered some mutation in the DNA that made it capable of causing damage to nerve cells. Researchers at the ICB are conducting experiments with mice to try to reproduce what happens in the neurological system of babies. They want to know, for example, if the damage is caused directly by the virus or some type of immune system reaction. They are also studying the interaction of Zika with various subtypes of dengue virus circulating in the country. They cite the example of dengue hemorrhagic fever, which can occur when a person is infected with dengue a second time, wherein there is a violent reaction of immune cells against cells invaded by viruses. One hypothesis the scientists consider is that Zika is causing an immune reaction like that, but with greater effect on the fetus than on the mother who contracted the virus. There is also the assumption that perhaps Zika is not responsible for the cases of microcephaly, but this is unlikely at this time. A good text on the risk of hasty correlations was written by doctor Luis Claudio Correa, author of the blog Evidence Based Medicine. Pick O the Week Bone Tomahawk (not rated) Theres an enormous amount of comfort in seeing Kurt Russell pin on a badge, strap on a six-shooter and return to the Old West. But theres something different about this saga: a supernatural element that enhances the She Wore a Yellow Ribbon similarities. Fans of traditional genre films might be perplexed but all should still enjoy this film thats a departure from the norm. A Ick! O the Week Heist (R) This film has a lot of nerve calling itself Heist. OK, there is a robbery of sorts, but the bulk of the film is focused on a runaway bus full of hostages, Sound familiar? Trying to blend Speed and Oceans Eleven without any of the intrigue, originality or skills from those franchises is the unfortunate result. D More reviews Haunting at Foster Cabin (unrated) Lame horror fare filled with so much gratuitous nudity that I suspect the filmmakers were junior high school boys more interested in seeing boobies than in actually making a movie. F Hitman: Agent 47 (R) Although I enjoyed this film a bit more than the 2007 original, fanboys apparently did not. Its a film series based on a video game so I didnt expect much, and other than a couple of nifty action sequences, I got exactly what I expected. B- Hope Bridge (unrated) Sentimental, self-important -- thanks to a message from the filmmakers talking on the DVD bonus features about how their effort will save lives -- film is so bad it might have the opposite affect as I found myself looking for a way to end it all about halfway through. The solution, fortunately, was to simply turn it off. F Infected (unrated) Despite a slow start and a runtime of nearly two hours, this British zombie film was rather, um, infectious. C+ The Perfect Guy (PG-13) Although largely predictable, there is a surprise or two awaiting those who like the romance-gone-wrong thrillers without watching Fatal Attraction again. C Shanghai (R) This 2010 film has been denied to American audiences, which is usually a sign that the movie is so bad it goes straight to video so producers can recoup some of their investment. In this case, though, the rumor mill blames producer Harvey Weinstein for purposely withholding the film for other reasons. Whatever the case, this film set in China a couple of months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor is by no means great, but the attention to detail and the story are noteworthy. C- Sicario (R) Easily one of the best films of the year, its shocking to see it wasnt nominated for any Golden Globe awards. Hopefully, Oscar gives its cast -- notably Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro -- the attention it deserves. A The Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR) and the new handgun open-carry laws were the main topics Monday at the Midland ISD board meeting. Executive Director of Accountability Elise Kail and Chief Academic Officer Patrick Jones gave a review of the TAPR that highlighted six areas, among them campus performance objectives and end-of-course results and Leap4ward. The board had been briefed on the districts performance in the fall, but Texas Education Code requires that the information be reviewed again after the Texas Education Agency releases the states results, according to Superintendent Ryder Warren. MISD scored below the state average in all criteria for post-secondary readiness and advanced standard but fared about the same or slightly better compared to other districts in West Texas. One highlight was that, compared to 94.4 percent in 2013-14, the first semesters attendance for this year was 95.09 percent. Weve already had growth in that area due to internal accountability focused on that, Kail said. Jones and Executive Director of Professional Development Jill Rivera also presented on Eduphoria and Excellence in Teaching, programs geared toward recognizing areas where students tend to fall short of state standards and preparing teachers with plans for when learning occurs with students and when it doesnt. When we can look at last years data, and we find those hotspots of where we performed poorly, we're able to plan in advance and preplan and make sure our teachers have the professional development they need to be able to teach those standards, Rivera said. And those are identified by campus principals and their leadership teams, with support from the district. When trustee James Fuller said that they were at war with STAAR referencing the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness Rivera said, Yes, this is our armor. MISD attorney Leah Robertson gave a presentation on the open-carry laws that went into effect Jan. 1. Because weapons have been banned on MISD campuses for several years, the main debate was whether to put up signs on each campus identifying the states new policy that allows for open carry of handguns in public areas. The law states that if school districts choose to put up warning signs indicating a gun-free zone regardless of whether one has a handgun license violators would be charged with a misdemeanor that carries a possible $500 fine. If signs are not installed, all violators whether purposeful or not would be charged with a third-degree felony that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The school is not required by law to post signs, unlike commercial properties that choose to be a gun-free zone, according to Robertson. Midland District Attorney Teresa Clingman helped the school understand the new law, Robertson said. Open-carry signs for the school district would cost $35,000, she said. Warren said the district did not have funds in its budget for this year and likely wouldnt have funds next year, either. Board member Jeff Robnett spoke in favor of providing signs, whereas board member Jay Isaacs, Warren and MISD Chief of Police David Colburn noted that MISD campuses already have been a weapon-free zone for several years. Everyone is still protected by the law as it was before the open carry, Warren said. People cannot carry guns into schools. What the conversation was, that theres a part of the law that protects people with concealed handgun licenses if they forget, for whatever reason ... to take it off. People who walk near campuses but do not enter a building can carry a weapon if they have a license. Teachers and people who park in campus parking lots can leave their weapons in their vehicles, but only if the parking lot is not being used for a school-sanctioned activity, such as marching band practice, Warren said. Robertson said that violators may not be charged if found to have made a benign mistake. It will be at the discretion of the district attorney or Midland police to file charges. The policy was not an action item and will be decided at a later date, Warren said. The only incident in recent memory of a person bringing a gun on campus was in September, when a 17-year-old Premier High School student was discovered with a loaded .25 caliber handgun in the schools cafeteria, according to a previous Reporter-Telegram report. Also at Mondays meeting: Attendance zones for three elementary schools will be re-drawn before the next school year. Warren said that while the team that re-drew attendance zones for the first time in 22 years did an amazing job, Bonham, Burnett and South elementary schools needed to be reconfigured because of an unexpected increase in the number of students. The board approved naming two rooms at Lee High School after retired teachers. The choir room will be named after Paula T. Edward, and the ensemble room will be named after Karen Blackstone. The board approved the calendar for the 2016-17 academic year. Warren said in an interview that a new state law requiring a certain number of minutes instead of a certain number of days, meant that students will attend school for fewer days. The district had been completely over the minutes requirement. However, the teachers calendar will continue to be 187 days, which will allow the district to schedule more time for professional development, Warren said. Follow Cassie on Twitter at @Cassie_Burton51 FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) The mother of a Texas teenager who used an "affluenza" defense for a deadly wreck could soon leave jail days after the two were caught in a Mexican resort town. A judge on Monday sharply reduced Tonya Couch's bond from $1 million to $75,000. Couch is charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon her 18-year-old son, Ethan Couch, who killed four people in a 2013 crash and was facing allegations that he violated his probation. Tonya Couch was brought back to Texas last week, days after she and her son were arrested in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Ethan Couch remains in a Mexico City detention facility. If Tonya Couch makes bail, she will be required to wear an electronic ankle monitor and remain at home except for appointments with her doctor and lawyer. State District Judge Wayne Salvant said he understood prosecutors' concerns that Couch might flee again, but that the charge against her, while a third-degree felony, wasn't serious enough to merit a $1 million bond. One of her attorneys, Stephanie Patten, said afterward that she wasn't sure if Tonya Couch would immediately post bond. Ethan Couch was 16 when he killed four people in June 2013. He rammed a pickup truck into a crowd of people trying to help stranded motorists on the side of a North Texas road. He was driving at nearly three times the legal limit for adult drivers. A juvenile court judge gave Couch 10 years' probation, outraging prosecutors who had called for the teen to face detention time. The case drew widespread derision after an expert called by Couch's lawyers argued Couch had been coddled into a sense of irresponsibility by his wealthy parents, a condition the expert called "affluenza." Despite all of the previous testimony about Ethan Couch's wealthy upbringing, his mother's attorneys have argued that she had few assets to her own name and couldn't pay the cost of a $1 million bond. Another of Tonya Couch's sons, Steven McWilliams, testified Monday that the balance on a bank account belonging to her read "-$99 billion." Tonya Couch is separated from Fred Couch, Ethan's father, who owns a suburban Fort Worth business that does large-scale metal roofing. According to an arrest warrant, Tonya Couch is accused of taking $30,000 and telling Fred Couch that he would never see her or Ethan again before fleeing. The mother and son were apprehended in December in Puerto Vallarta, a Mexican resort town where they were snared after trying to order pizza. The mother of a fugitive teenager known for using an "affluenza" defense in a fatal drunken-driving wreck has been released from a Texas jail. Tonya Couch was released on bond from the Tarrant County jail in Fort Worth shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday. She's charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon for allegedly helping her 18-year-old son flee to Mexico. Last week, I was thrilled beyond words to learn of Midland County Public Libraries selection as the Reporter-Telegrams 2015 Organization of the Year. I am sure the entire library staff from top to bottom is honored and humbled by this well-deserved recognition. But this accomplishment was not achieved single-handedly. First, thank you Midland Reporter-Telegram for recognizing the Midland County Public Library and for always being an advocate for its programs, exhibits and services. Providing the services is only half the battle, for without the Reporter-Telegrams support in promoting the events, the public would not know of services and programs available. Second, thank you to the Midland County Commissioners Court for its continued support and trust in the librarys vision. The commissioners enlightened leadership has enabled our library to become what it is today, and to receive this most noteworthy recognition. Thirdly, all of this is not possible without the support of this community. Our community is very generous, and many of the programs, special events and exhibits would not be possible without the communitys financial support through the Midland County Public Library Foundation. Finally, thank you to the Midland County Public Library Foundation and its board of directors. I am proud to serve on the board with a remarkable group of individuals. Each month, the foundation receives requests from different library departments for materials and programs that could not be funded by Midland County. The county provides the library with the buildings, books, staff, funding and facilities. The MCPL Foundation provides the additional funds for the programming that brings children into the library, for the exhibits that allow free field trips to the library for children, for special speakers who bring our neighbors to the great community resource that is the library and for advertising and marketing efforts that share what is going on at the library. In essence, MCPL Foundation is assisting in providing the resources to enable our library to change the public perception on what a library is. Congratulations MCPL on being selected the Reporter-Telegrams Organization of the Year. Andy Shaffer Acknowledgement is testament to MCPLs work We at the Midland County Public Libraries are moved by our selection as the Midland Reporter-Telegrams 2015 Organization of the Year. That kind of acknowledgement is a testament to the work of many individuals to make the libraries a destination place in our community. A quick thank you to the staff that is on the front lines every day, as well as the Commissioners Court for its continued support. However, none of what we do is possible without the support of members of our community, who are our audience and who help to set the direction they want us to go. A special thank you to the Midland County Public Library Foundation board of directors and all of the foundation donors for supporting the programs, exhibits and special events that set us apart from other public libraries in Texas and across the country. John Trischitti III Library is wonderful community resource I wish to congratulate the Midland County Public Library for the outstanding award presented to them as a community leader. As a teacher at Hillcrest School, I have seen firsthand the wonderful resource the library is to Midland. Mr. T., Edward McPherson and the dedicated staff have given our community a wide array of educational exhibits and guest authors to inform people of all ages. I take my classes to the library once a month so the students can check out books, explore new titles and see whats new on the shelves. I encourage every family to take advantage of this great library. Paul Clinton City isnt prepared for snow storm Its crazy isnt it? The city of Midland knew well ahead of time that a winter storm was coming; it was real obvious way ahead of time. As usual, theyre always unprepared. After all was said and done, other cities were put in an inconvenience for sand trucks just because Midland cant be prepared themselves and have their own. Im so glad were not on the coast where a real disaster would strike. Ive only lived here for 10 months, but I know for sure the city cant handle any major storms or disasters. I know it freezes over every winter, so it would only make every bit of sense to have sand trucks and plows ready the night the storm is predicted to hit so roads can be somewhat driveable instead of moving at 10 mph everywhere you go. Or being forced to stay indoors because you know the roads havent been treated and not everyone knows how to drive on icy roads. We live in a different world than other cities that are well-prepared for winter weather -- rain storms, etc. Midland is a sad place to call home, and I dont know how people put up with it. How the administration lasts as long as it obviously has. People must be OK with it though, and thats pathetic. I need to find me a better place to live soon -- get to a city that is more up-to-date and more prepared for disaters. I dont see Midland ever getting there. Daniel Petrusaitis Livestock association appreciates support I want to take this time to personally thank everyone who has helped put on the Midland County Livestock Show and Premium Sale for the last 64 years. I became involved as a 12-year-old exhibitor showing steers, sheep and pigs through 4-H and FFA. My family met some of the best people around. I learned responsibility, how to win and lose gracefully, perseverance, leadership and the importance of community service. Now, as a parent, I have watched my children learn all the same things.One of my favorite volunteer jobs is working with the Midland County Livestock Association. All the hours spent are well worth it when I see how grateful the stock show kids are. Most will spend the money earned on new animals, feed or their college education. Many local businesses have already committed their support and it is so greatly appreciated, especially in this time of economic uncertainty in our area. Extra special thanks to SM Energy, the underwriter of our 64th annual show. If you would be interested in volunteering with MCLA, donating money to the show or advertising with a banner or ad in our program, contact me (pmmorrison14@gmail.com), and I can try to answer any questions you might have. You are always welcome to come support the kids in person. The Midland County Livestock Show is Jan. 13-16 at the Horseshoe. Animals show on Thursday and Friday and the Premium Sale is Saturday. Thanks again for all the community support. Paula Morrison Open carry attracts unwanted attention In keeping with the theme of Sundays Reporter-Telegram regarding the carrying of handguns, here are a few other things to consider. Everyones motivations are different, but mine are fairly typical. When my first child was born in 1978, I got rid of my only semiautomatic handgun for safety purposes. I was aware of the massacre at the cafeteria in Killeen and other incidents but not concerned enough to react. However, after the Virginia Tech slaughter in 2007 and given my kids were grown and gone, I once again became a gun owner. If a student cannot safely sit in a college classroom, then there is someting dreadfully wrong with society. I followed the law in every regard by becoming licensed before carrying concealed. Though Texas joined 44 other states in allowing open carry, I will not participate in that because I feel it will attract some unwanted attention. Besides, the element of surprise is so much more enjoyable. Think about this: If you are in the checkout line behind an armed officer what is the first thing you notice? You get the picture. One other idea of paramount importance is peak proficiency. As James Durbin pointed out is his article, one must maintain regular relevant practice. Drills for such are freely and readily available online. Just remember, once a bullet is fired you cannot get it back. And in this litigious society of ours, every bullet has a lawyer attached to it. This is all the more reason to maintain stringent capability and judgment in all areas. The bottom line is: It is better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it. Like the old American Express ads, dont leave home without it. Drew Matthews Problem isnt guns; its the criminals I am dismayed yet again by our president. His agenda to do as much damage as he can before leaving office includes attacking our Second Amendment rights. Since he cant muster enough support from Congress to enact gun-control laws, he has decided to act against law-abiding Americans without them. Reading the articles circulating on the Internet, you will note that the descriptions of these executive actions are all about tightening restrictions on your ability to own, sell or trade firearms; who can own or purchase firearms; and broadening the federal governments ability to gain more access to your background information. All this is under the guise of reducing gun-related crime. Americans want crime to be reduced in our country, but these measures will do nothing to reduce gun-related crimes. Most of the articles I found on the Internet make comparisons between America and other countries that have enacted gun-control measures, including confiscation of guns by forced buy-back programs. And they assert that America just has too many guns. It is the same notion that the gun is the issue while not addressing the real issue. Rather than too many guns in America, we have too many criminals. If you really want to reduce gun-related crime, how about passing a one and done law? If a criminal uses a gun in perpetrating any crime, the criminal gets life in prison or the death penalty, depending on the nature of the crime. That will reduce gun-related crime. A gun is a piece of machinery, an inanimate object. Without a human criminal, a gun is a harmless piece of steel. I have lost family members and friends where guns were involved in ending their lives, and I have sympathy for those left to deal with that kind of emotional loss. But it is simply absurd to hold the gun responsible rather than holding responsible the individual who used a gun to commit a crime. How about some executive action on that? Gordon White Theres no comparison between Trump, affluenza teen This past week, Ruth Marcus, of the Washington Post Writers Group, wrote a letter implying presidential candidate Donald Trump and the afflunza teen convicted of four counts of vehicular manslaughter were similar. I disagree. As far as I can tell, Trump was given $1 million by his father, which he lost. He then went on to build his empire, marry and divorce, raise his children and amass a fortune of more than $9 billion. Nowhere did he drunkenly kill four innocent people. The afflunza teenager was incapable of serving his slap on the wrist probation without drinking. Now his mommy is in jail in the USA and he is waiting extradition back to the U.S. I hope it is in the jail our American Marine spent time in because he turned the wrong way and entered Mexico. No comparison, Ms Marcus, between a successful businessman and a drunken killer. On another note for a moment, if you would please. I would like to offer kudos to Crime Stoppers for their successful gun give-away. And then I would like to offer arrows to Crime Stoppers for publishing their names in the Reporter-Telegram. I thought Crime Stoppers purpose was to stop crime and not to publish the names of the winners in the paper so criminals could see the names of potential victims. Dennis Walker Marcus column is spot on The Editorial by Ruth Marcus in Sunday's paper was absolutely spot on. Please let us hear from her again. Corby Considine Letters policy -- There is a 350-word limit; candidate letters have a 200-word limit. -- Letters must be submitted to letters@mrt.com. -- Deadline is noon Thursdays for the following Sunday. -- Reporter-Telegram policy limits individuals to one letter in a 30-day period. -- Letter-writers should include phone number and address. Failure to do so could delay letters publication. Saturday night (Jan. 9), a host of hard rock musicians including Dave Grohl, Slash, Anthrax's Scott Ian, Judas Priest's Rob Halford and more delivered moving eulogies to the late Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead. The service was done perfectly to match the lifestyle and ethos of Lemmy, as speakers told stories of the rocker's antics all while cussing up a storm and drinking in the beautiful venue adorned with a massive, towering Marshall speaker stack. Dave Grohl's speech was the last of the night and possibly the most emotional as he broke down in tears remembering a shared love he and Lemmy had for Little Richard. One day Grohl got the chance to meet Little Richard at LAX and he signed a little Bible pamphlet for Grohl. At that point in the speech Grohl pauses, pulls out the pamphlet that he kept all those years ago and emotionally says that he was going to give it to Lemmy on his birthday. There were laughs too during the speech, such as Grohl's story of when Lemmy first saw him play an acoustic show and was kind enough to put out his cigarette and set aside his beer because Grohl's baby was in the room. In a sign that Lemmy is still screwing with everyone back on earth, Grohl's speech cuts out at the exact moment he's about to reveal the first words Lemmy ever said to him. Slash has never been one for words, but the Guns N Roses guitarist took the podium Saturday anyway and delivered a sincere speech, saying, "He was such a f*cking great example that much of my peers want to be. He was just true to school and had more integrity in one finger than most rock and rollers." Watch the full memorial service below. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Despite the South's domineering influence over hip-hop these past few years, Hot 97's Ebro Darden of Ebro in the Morning is calling out southern rappers, insisting that they are running out of steam and that their reign is coming to an end. The radio personality took to Twitter to voice his opinion on the state of rap, where he ultimately claimed that aside from Future, the South is sonically losing its foothold over hip-hop and "running out of steam." On Sunday (Jan.10th), Darden took to his Twitter account and stirred the pot, inciting conversation over the state of hip-hop and how southern rappers are now being phased out. According to him, Dirty Sprite 2 rapper Future is the only artist from the South with any relevance. Naturally, his comments sparked the ire of many followers, as many followers begin to mention artists such as North Carolina native J. Cole as well as New Orleans native Lil Wayne and more. What a day when the tables will turn... They always do.. South running out of steam... Future all they got left https://t.co/Uw1EREWX53 Ebro Darden (@oldmanebro) January 10, 2016 Ya'll think Cole would have popped without NY? ..... Hahahahahahaaa! Ebro Darden (@oldmanebro) January 10, 2016 K Dot said "Im the King of NY" right? Made that claim cause that crown counts the most... Ebro Darden (@oldmanebro) January 10, 2016 And Wayne was co-signed by Juelz & Dipset to get NY behind him, then was trying to be Hov "Carter" ... C'mon! https://t.co/LVSB7Qxxlo Ebro Darden (@oldmanebro) January 10, 2016 South cats we love ya'll but ya'll gettin this work today... Ebro Darden (@oldmanebro) January 10, 2016 This is not the first time that Darden has expressed a contempt for southern rappers. Back in December, he got into a heated debate with Complex after the publication cited rap duo Rae Sremmurd as having the third best album of 2015. According to Hypetrak, Darden had the following to say about the duo, "They didn't write that sh*t," he said. "Any of it. Maybe some of it. Mike WiLL Made-It you know that his name is Mike WiLL-Made It? He made that album. They're Kriss Kross. It was a fabricated thing that we all liked." The comments then elicited a response from the mega producer on Twitter. . @oldmanebro if Sremm didn't write they raps who tf did.... .... I'm waiting......................................... Willy B (@MikeWiLLMadeIt) December 10, 2015 @MikeWiLLMadeIt Drummer's Ear & You... And them some. Stop it... Ebro Darden (@oldmanebro) December 11, 2015 Although some would gladly agree with Darden's comments, a growing number still think the South's influence is very much alive and well and can be heard in the music of East Coast rappers such as Fetty Wap, French Montana, A$AP Rocky and more. Do you think the South's influence over hip-hop is coming to an end? 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Although Robert Plant made it known he's completely uninterested in performing with John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page as Led Zeppelin, Jason Bonham seems to think he will play with the renowned trio once again. Plant will, however, hit the road with the Sensational Space Shifters for a number of 2016 U.S. tour dates ranging from Florida to Texas. The American South will see the raw talents of the classic rock giant and his band over a total of 13 gigs. "I'm always eager to return to the hospitality of the Southern states," he admitted in a press release. "Towns and cities that hold fond memories for me personally, places that gave birth to so much of the music I love." The tour kicks off with a three-night stint at the Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival in March, making its way through Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, UltimateClassicRock notes. For those who treasure Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters' 2014 release, Lullaby and the Ceaseless Roar, the collaborators have plans to put fourth a brand-new studio project. "Our recent travels have taken this wild whirlwind of a band though many incredible and inspiring places," the 67-year-old rock and roll Veteran added. "Having just begun work on our new album, we thought we'd take time out to raise a little sand and welcome springtime with one more adventure, another celebration of life and song." A future Led Zeppelin reunion looks to be pretty bleak but at least both Plant and Page will storm the stage in 2016, giving Zeppelin fanatics another way to get their musical fix. The guitar legend, who recently placed all focus on reissuing and remastering all nine Zeppelin studio albums, will now look to strictly performing. His upcoming stint will include setlists that draw from all avenues of his musical career including the music of Yardbirds, Zeppelin and solo material. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Sex Pistols have teamed up with Converse for a special edition Chuck Taylor All Star collection. The sneaker collaboration showcasing the punk band's logo and artwork apparently inspired by the band is due out this Spring, New York Daily News reports. According to a Facebook post shared by the footwear company, the collection is being launched in celebration of 40 years of punk rock. The band, consisting of John Lydon (AKA Johnny Rotten), Steve Jones, Glen Matlock, Sid Vicious and Paul Cook, dropped their only album, titled Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, 40 years ago. All but Vicious survive. In addition to the line of classic canvas kicks (there are some leather pairs as well), the collection features other apparel including t-shirts and a bomber jacket. Designs attempt to capture the band's edgy aesthetic with stitch detailing, graphic overlays and elevated fabrics. One pair of low-tops is, of course, decked-out in the Union Jack. The shoes in the Converse X Sex Pistols line will be cost between $65 and $80; the clothing will run you anywhere from $35 to $140. Fans wishing to purchase this latest line of wearable memorabilia can just charge it all on their Sex Pistols-themed credit card, which is absolutely a thing. As Punk News reports, the Richard Branson-backed band previously teamed up with Virgin Money for a collection of credit cards featuring artwork from Never Mind the Bollocks as well as imagery from the band's 1976 single, "Anarchy in the UK." The credit cards dropped this past summer, and as NPR reports, they were accompanied by the tagline, "It's time for consumers to put a little bit rebellion in their pocket." The cards, which have an APR of 18.9 percent, were launched by the bank with the intention "to celebrate Virgin's heritage and difference." Michele Greene, director of cards at Virgin Money, added in a statement: "The Sex Pistols challenged convention and the established ways of thinking - just as we are doing today in our quest to shake up UK banking." Watch the band perform "Anarchy in the UK," which features the all-too-relevant lyrics "your future dream is a shopping scheme," on television in 1976, below. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The first primaries of the nomination are mere weeks away. The Iowa Caucuses will arrive on February 1st, followed by the New Hampshire primaries on the 9th. Needless to say, this is a crucial time in every candidates' campaign. The clock is ticking, and failure to perform well in these races will undermine candidates ability to keep their campaign afloat. Hillary Clinton, long seen as the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, is begining to worry about Bernie Sanders, who has made incredible inroads in the largely-rural New Hampshire and is beginning to rise in the Iowa polls. Sanders, who too comes from a rural state, has managed to connect with voters in these important electoral state, and has begun to chip away at Clinton's formidable lead. In Iowa, according to the New York Times, Clinton has attacked Sanders, claiming his plans will raise taxes on the middle class and put their health insurance in the hands of a mostly Republican congress. Clinton told supporters, standing in the freezing cold at her rally, "I think it's time for us to have the kind of spirited debate that you deserve for us to have. We're so much better than the Republicans, but we do have differences and you deserve to know what those differences are." "There's no way, if you do the arithmetic, to pay for what he has proposed without raising taxes on the middle class," Clinton continued. "That's where he and I part ways." Clinton is referring to Bernie Sanders's plan to provide free public higher education to anyone who wants it, and universal healthcare, among other costly government ventures. Clinton still leads heavily in Iowa, and national polls. However, she is beginning to worry about the rise that Sanders is experiencing. "I feel really good about where we are, but I'm not taking anything for granted," Mrs. Clinton said. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. When Governor Chris Christie was running for his current position in New Jersey, he was labeled as a friend of the National Rifle Association, and a proponent of armor-piercing bullets. In response, Christie's campaign sent out news releases claiming Governor Christie "supports the assault weapons ban and all current gun laws" and that he would "toughen gun laws to fight criminals and make New Jersey safer." However, as a presidential candidate, Christie's positions seemed to have changed. Facing an increasingly conservative Republican base, Christie has made a conscious effort to shift to the right in his views on gun control measures. "When these things involve public safety, I'm for public safety," Mr. Christie said on CBS's Face The Nation. "But if they're laws that are just going to make legislatures and governors feel better, they shouldn't be put in place and infringe Second Amendment rights." According to the New York Times, Christie claims he's become more "aware" of the Second Amendment by traveling through the country during his campaign for the presidency. He says he has learned from the stories he has heard, and changed his beliefs over the amendment's meaning. "He's done exactly what we hope people do when they're given the facts, and that's become more aware of the Second Amendment and more aware of people's rights," said Bob Clegg, former state senator from New Hampshire. He is in charge of the Pro-Gun New Hampshire group. Some doubt Christie's ability to pass legislation, if elected, to ensure greater rights for gun owners. In New Jersey, after failure to pass such measures in the state legislature, Christie had to rely on executive actions. "He can't pass legislation, because you need a legislature to do that," said Senator Loretta Weinberg, a Bergen County Democrat. "Did he do an executive order and create a commission, and announce the attorney general to implement it? Oh, yeah." 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. On Monday (Jan. 11), VH1's Love & Hip Hop: New York aired episode five of season six called: "Endings and Beginnings." Emotions were running high and drastic decisions were being made. In this recap, you'll discover why BBOD might be breaking up before their career truly kicks off and find out the truth behind Amina Buddafly's pregnancy status. Episode four left off with BBOD's Miss Moe Money and MariahLynn getting into an altercation over their shared romantic relations with Cisco. As episode five opens up, Moe is explaining what the commotion was all about and why she slapped MariahLynn's drink out of her hand. Despite Moe's excitement about kicking MariahLynn and Cisco out of her single release party, Sexxy Lexxy and Rah Ali were not impressed with her using another public event to act a fool. Cameras are then directed to Cisco and MariahLynn outside discussing the incident that just occurred. MariahLynn tells Cisco to leave Moe alone and start giving her all his attention. Good news for Yandy Smith, Mendeecees Harris and their family! His official hearing has been postponed until a later date. Although his sentencing is still pending, Yandy and Mendeecees are thankful to be able to spend a little more time together as a family before he's sent away. Tara Wallace and Peter Gunz have a meeting in the studio about the damage that's been done in their relationship. After the blowout Tara, Peter, and Amina had in the apartment, Peter disappeared for a little while. Tara poured her heart out once again to Peter, explaining how tired she is of being mistreated and disrespected by him. She ultimately decides she wants nothing more to do with him and Peter doesn't put up a fight to change her mind. They both tell themselves that it's time to move on. In an attempt to get Bianca Bonnie's career back on track, Yandy sets up a studio session for the two of them. Bianca shows up an hour late, using her hair, makeup, and traffic as the excuses for her tardiness. Yandy isn't feeling the bad impression she's making already, so she decides to sign Bianca up for Tara's etiquette class. While on her way to the studio, MariahLynn receives a message that her mom has been arrested for stealing. MariahLynn's mom's past battles with addiction and recovery has put a strain on their relationship. Her anger boils over about the entire situation, so MariahLynn broke down why she's tired of bailing her mom out of jail and cleaning up her mess. Her mom drops a bombshell on her that makes MariahLynn even more concerned: she's pregnant. MariahLynn questions how her mother is going to bring another child in the world when she's barely taking care of the two children she already has. Her mom thinks the baby will help her straighten her life out, but all MariahLynn feels is disappointment in her. Bianca invites Cardi B to a Zumba class to release some steam. She tells Cardi about the etiquette class Yandy recommended and Cardi shows interest in it. Cardi reveals her manager has complained about her attitude and accent as well, so she decides to attend the class with Bianca. Confused and frustrated by Moe's actions, Lexxy decides to get some advice from their mentor and longtime friend, Treach of Naughty by Nature. Despite having a close friendship with Moe before they entered the music business together, she feels their current work disagreements are affecting their personal bond. Treach guarantees her that most music groups don't get along 100% of the time and to not let these disagreements destroy what they worked so hard to achieve. Lexxy and Treach both agree it would be best to talk to Moe's dad, DB, about everything. In a surprise turn of events, Amina meets up with Peter's daughter Whitney to discuss the current status of her relationship. She revealed that her father's still been messing around with Tara, but Whitney responded like the infidelity news was not a surprise. Whitney admits the way her father treats women has affected her in a major way and questions whether Amina really wants that type of influence around her daughter. Amina reveals the shocking news about her second pregnancy with Peter, telling Whitney she decided to have an abortion. Amina didn't believe bringing another child into their toxic relationship was the right thing to do for the baby or for her. Bianca and Cardi link up again to attend Tara's etiquette class. They tell Tara they're trying to work on their image in order to help them go further in their careers. Tara instructs the women to engage in several exercises to help with their speech in presentation, but with these two, there was more laughter than any real lessons learned. MariahLynn accompanied her mother to her hearing. While her mother intended on pleading guilty and spending 90 days in jail, the judge had a different idea about her punishment. The judge postponed her trial for a year, so she wouldn't have to give birth to her baby in jail. Surprised that her mother was willing to go to jail just to pay her back, MariahLynn breaks down in tears. She admits to never wanting to see her mom behind bars or struggling, which makes her mom start to cry as well. Lexxy sets up a one-on-one meeting with Moe's dad, DB. Lexxy tells him about the squabbles Moe has been getting into and how her attitude is affecting their career and friendship. DB agrees that his daughter can be very stubborn. As Lexxy recounts Moe's recent altercation with MariahLynn, Moe walks into the house with her mom and sister. Moe wasn't too thrilled to see Lexxy having a secret conversation with her father. Lexxy and Moe get into a shouting match about whether or not this meeting with DB was appropriate. Feeling like the argument would lead nowhere, Lexxy tells Moe she's "done with her" and ready to make some solo moves. Previews for next week's episode shows more trouble in paradise. Could this be the end of BBOD? Is Tara pregnant? Where did all this tension come from between Remy Ma and Rah? Love & Hip Hop: New York airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on VH1. Tune in next week for another recap of the drama. Watch the full season six, episode five of Love & Hip Hop: New York below: 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Manchester United faces a number of injuries headed into today's Premier League game against Newcastle United, which could mean an upset for Louis Van Gaal. Who do you think will win? Make sure to check out our free online live stream links below so you can tune in and watch the exciting Barclays Premier League match, complete with a preview of today's game! You can check out more buzzing news coverage from Music Times right here! The Dutch manager spoke to reporters about the injury problems his team faces ahead of the game, mentioning a few options and addressing other concerns as well. "[Morgan] Schneiderlin is not injured but he's in the red zone and had an overload," he said, according to PremierLeague.com. "In the Christmas period, he played every game and we have to take care of that. I don't take risks and, because of that, we have a very young bench. I trust these players also because [Andreas] Pereira is coming in and was a very good substitute [against Sheffield United]. With our injuries and players in the red zone, we have to take care of it. I think we have done it well." Meanwhile, Newcastle manager Steve McClaren called upon his fans for support during this match. "We desperately need the fans on our side," he told his team's website. "We need a similar atmosphere to what they produced against Liverpool and Everton, so they can get behind the players and get the place rocking. It can really bring the performance out of the team and we'll need that against Manchester United." Let us know what you think of today's Premier League games in the comments section below! Check out this free online live stream of the game here, and watch Manchester United Vs Newcastle United in this Barclays Premier League matchup! (Here is another streaming option) 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Lil Wayne has kept a pretty steady stream of music flowing over the course of 2015, despite the fact that his crown jewel, The Carter V, was locked up as a primary exhibit in his lawsuit with Birdman's Cash Money Records. It appears as though Weezy is working on a new album with Hot Boys member Juvenile and long-time collaborator Mannie Fresh. In an interview with AllHipHop, Juvenile and Mannie Fresh spoke about the new album they are working on with Lil Wayne. "It was a long time coming... The fans demanded this. We wanted to show the planet that whatever was going on with us, we could get over that and be brilliant businessmen, entrepreneurs and put some money on the table and watch the magic happen. Juve did mention that they do have some features, though they did not mention who those names might be. There are no further details about this project like when it might drop or what it could be titled. With news being made public that an album between these three old friends and collaborators is on the way, fans will be clamoring for this project until it is released, dulling the roars for Tha Carter V. Mannie Fresh has been teasing the project by posting some pictures on his Instagram of him with Lil Wayne and Juvenile. #COLLIGROVE A photo posted by Mannie Figgie Fresh (@djmanniefresh) on Jan 8, 2016 at 12:09am PST Lil Wayne and Juvenile last came together when the Hot Boys reunited on stage at Wayne's first ever Lil Weezyana Festival in New Orleans in August. Mannie Fresh has been a big part of Weezy's career over the years, helping to shape some of his most iconic tracks. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A source I trust sends me this news from a colleague. I have changed the names: We went to the lab with X and Y's mother to get some bloodwork done related to her diabetes. While there I asked if they had seen any Zika cases. He said they have had lots of positive blood tests for the virus here in Haiti. The strange thing is that the Haitian government is hiding the fact that Zika is flourishing here in Haiti. AB is one of our teachers. He has had Zika-like symptoms. Tomorrow we are going to get a Zika test done on him. People coming to Haiti need to wear insect repellant. Zika is here, even though the government is saying it isn't. Major Lazer have gone from strength to strength in 2015, growing from a niche electronic music act to in demand global pop act with their hit single "Lean On" that has become the most streamed song on Spotify and joined the exclusive one billion play club on YouTube. Now they are set to make history as one of the first major American acts and the largest EDM act to perform in the country since the United States and Cuba normalized diplomatic relations. The Major Lazer concert will take place at La Tribuna Jose Marti, in front of the U.S embassy on the Havana waterfront. They will play for free in front of what is expected to be tens of thousands of fans on March 6, 2016. The historic event is being presented by the Musicbana Foundation ahead of a festival being put on in May. It is being billed as a cultural exchange so Diplo, Walshy Fire and Jillionaire will meet with local music students and DJ talent. "For as long as I can remember, Cuba has played an influential role in my love of music--Cuba has such a powerful cultural impact all over the world, and for me, especially growing up in Florida, it became one of the biggest cultural centers for music to evolve from," explained Diplo in a statement. "I was lucky enough to visit Cuba a few years back with my friends Calle 13, and during my four days there, my mind was blown by the people, depth of culture and their way of life. Going back to perform in 2016 and to be a part of the culture once again is a huge blessing, and I couldn't be more honored to bring the Major Lazer project there." Major Lazer have a strong connection to the Caribbean, drawing strong influences from Jamaican dancehall. They perform one of their biggest shows each year in Jamaica as a way to test out new music. The one-off show in Cuba will be the teaser to a grander festival, Musicbana, from May 5-8. It will be the first major music festival in Cuba produced by U.S and Cuban partners in over 30 years. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Via Nature News & Comment: Hunt for Ebolas wild hideout takes off as epidemic wanes. Excerpt: With the official end of Ebola transmission across West Africa anticipated on 14 January, an epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people in 2 years may be starting to fade into history. But that does not mean that Ebola has disappeared. The virus remains hidden in animal reservoirs, and is almost certain to spill over into humans again. Weve got to focus on what could potentially happen next, says David Pigott, a spatial epidemiologist at the University of Oxford, UK and that means uncovering the species that harbour Ebola in the wild to try to prevent deadly outbreaks in the future. It is no easy task. Since the disease first emerged in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) 40 years ago, efforts to trace the origins of the outbreaks, including the most recent one, have come up frustratingly empty. Wild gorillas and chimpanzees in central Africa have experienced occasional Ebola outbreaks. But like humans, these species are too ravaged by the virus to serve as its natural host. Experts say that a reservoir species is likely to harbour the virus only at low levels, and without becoming sick. The leading candidates are several species of fruit bat from across central and West Africa where all known Ebola outbreaks have originated that are often hunted for meat. A 2005 study uncovered Ebola genetic material in some fruit bats from Gabon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and detected Ebola antibodies in the blood of others. Marburg virus, which is closely related to Ebola, is thought to be transmitted by fruit bats. I firmly believe fruit bats are the reservoir for Ebola, says Peter Daszak, a disease ecologist and president of EcoHealth Alliance, a conservation organization in New York City that plans to survey numerous bat species, including fruit bats, in Liberia for signs of Ebola infection. Other researchers believe that focus is too narrow. The evidence for fruit bats is the strongest, but its still weak, says Fabian Leendertz, a wildlife epidemiologist at the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin. Leendertz suspects another type of bat. He led a team that searched for the source of the latest West African outbreak in early 2014, a few months after a toddler in southern Guinea became the first human victim. The team captured dozens of bats near the toddlers village, but none fruit-eating or otherwise showed any conclusive signs of Ebola infection. Still, circumstantial evidence has led the researchers to suspect that the culprit may have been small insect-eating bats living in a tree near the toddlers home. Although the tree had burned down before researchers arrived, it had been filled with such bats, and villagers told the team that children often played in its hollowed-out trunk. The team is now looking more closely at insectivorous bats, but Leendertz cautions against focusing on any one animal. Mississippi River and Tributaries System efficiently passing flood crest, operation of Morganza Floodway is not required VICKSBURG, MISS., January 11, 2016 Based on current Mississippi River forecasts by the National Weather Service and hydraulic modeling, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers does not anticipate operating the Morganza Control Structure during this high-water event. The Mississippi River and Tributaries project allows the Corps to undertake an MR&T systems approach to managing Mississippi River high-water events, said Maj. Gen. Michael Wehr, commanding general, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mississippi Valley Division. The latest information indicates that the river crest can be safely passed through South Louisiana without operation of the Morganza Control Structure. The operational trigger for the Morganza Control Structure is when river levels reaching 57 feet at the structure and a forecast flow of 1.5 million cubic feet per second and rising. The current forecasts show the river height reach at 57 feet at the structure on Jan. 15, 2016, but the projected peak flow rate will be 1.44 million cfs on Jan. 17, 2016. This rate of flow is within the design capacity for the Mississippi River levees between the Morganza Floodway and the Bonnet Carre Spillway. Although the operation of the Morganza Floodway is not currently required, the Atchafalaya Basin is still expected to experience a significant high-water event this year. Projected water levels for the basin are expected to reach 20 feet on or around Jan. 17, 2016, in Butte Larose and 8 feet on or around Jan. 21, 2016 in Morgan City. The safety of the public is our primary concern, said Wehr. We want transparent communications that enable risk informed decision making by authorities at all levels to maximize public safety and best utilize limited resources. The Corps and its local, state and federal partners will remain vigilant throughout this high-water event. Continued operation of the Bonnet Carre Spillway is required until the water recedes below 1.25 million cfs in the greater New Orleans area. -end- Monique Samuels and Chris Samuels talk about the word on the street. After the couple - who appeared on The Real Housewives of Potomac for four seasons - reportedly split after 10 years of marriage, the couple denied there was any truth to Please enable JavaScript to experience the functionality of this website. - MWEB Via Punch, a Nigerian newspaper: Benue suspends eating of rats over Lassa Fever. Excerpt: The Benue State Government has directed its citizens to stop eating rats in the meantime in order to curtail the spread of Lassa Fever. The state governor, Samuel Ortom, disclosed this to State House correspondents shortly after meeting Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Ortom said the decision was taken because the state had recorded a case of the fever. Rat is a delicacy popular among the people of the state. The governor said, Benue is affected; we have one case (of Lassa Fever) right now that is under control. We have advised our people; rat which is a major carrier is a delicacy. I am finding it difficult, but I have told them to suspend eating rats until further notice. It is wicked to place political ... Microphone and US Flag View Photos In the weekly Republican Address, North Dakota Senator John Hoeven discusses the importance of energy security, highlighting the recent Congressional effort to lift a ban on oil exports. Hoeven was Tuesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words: As we enter 2016, we need to remember that we are truly blessed to live in the greatest country in the world, thanks to our military, veterans, law enforcement, first responders and others who keep us safe and free. On Tuesday, President Obama will give his last State of the Union address to the nation. He will likely itemize a list of what he believes to be his accomplishments and priorities. However, what we really need to hear about is how he will unleash the creativity and drive of the American people. As we look to the future, we need to recognize that the greatest strength of our country is the ingenuity, resourcefulness, productivity, work ethic and talents of our people. As Republicans, we want to empower our great people and country to compete and win. That means reducing the regulatory burden, reforming and simplifying the tax code, and getting our fiscal house in order. It means finding savings and reforms to reduce the size and scope of government, to make sure we dont leave our kids and grandkids a big debt and deficit. Hi, Im Senator John Hoeven, and Id like to talk to you today about how the United States needs to compete in the global energy arena. This holiday season, consumers saw the lowest price of fuel at the pump in seven years. As a result, more families hit the road to see loved ones and friends. If you liked paying less for gas at the pump this year, you need to know that those prices are lower because America is producing more oil and gas, and more supply is keeping costs down. But if Americans want that to continue, we must take proactive steps so that our domestic industry can continue to grow. Make no mistake, were locked in a global battle to determine who will produce oil and gas in the world in the future. Will it be OPEC? Russia? Countries like Venezuela? Or will it be us, the United States. We took an important step toward winning that battle last month by lifting a 40-year-old ban on oil exports. OPEC is fighting to defend their market share and exert their historical dominance over oil markets and energy prices. Theyre actually working to undermine our energy industry. As a consequence of President Obamas nuclear agreement with Iran, this state sponsor of terrorism will now be able to increase its oil exports at a moment when our moderate Sunni allies, and their partners, feel increasingly threatened by Iranian belligerents. As a result, Saudi Arabia has opened the spigot to maintain its own level of exports. A huge part of Vladimir Putins power base on the world stage is the fact that so much of Europe depends on oil and gas from Russia. And ISIL is relying on oil and gas dollars to fund its brutal terrorist activities in the Middle East and beyond. Part of defeating ISIL will include militarily denying them oil revenues, which theyre using to defend their operations. We cant do that and at the same time be reliant on oil from the Middle East. For all of these reasons, we need to make our nation energy secure. Furthermore, we need to be creating good, quality energy jobs here at home, rather than seeing them created overseas, often in countries that are our adversaries. The ability to compete is also vital for our economic growth and job creation in other industry sectors as well. Because energy is a foundational industry. Low-cost energy makes us more competitive in the global economy across-the-board, in all industry sectors. More supply means lower prices at the pump, which benefits all families and small businesses across America, and energy security is a vitally important part of our national security. Americans have seen what it means to depend on OPEC for their energy needs and they dont want to go back to that era of embargoes and high prices at the pump as Europe faces with Russia and OPEC today. At the same time, as we develop and deploy new technologies to produce more energy, more efficiently, and more cost-effectively, were also improving environmental stewardship. Ironically, as were producing more oil and gas, were actually lowering CO2 emissions. Between 2007, when carbon dioxide emissions plateaued, and 2014, we have reduced carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 10 percent. Thats in part because were producing and using more natural gas from domestic shale, like the Bakken formation in my home state. Lifting the antiquated ban on oil exports and enabling our country to compete is just one example, but it illustrates the Republican approach, which is to empower men and women in all industry sectors to compete by unleashing the entrepreneurial spirit of the American people. Combine that can-do spirit with a pro-growth business climate that incentivizes investment and innovation across industry sectors, and you have a formula for success. Americans can compete with anyone, anywhere, anytime. But we need to empower them to do so. We need to help industries across the board, our farmers, ranchers and small businesses, the backbone of our country, to grow and create the good jobs of the future. You do that by building the kind of legal tax and regulatory climate that attracts investment, innovation and jobs. You do that by reforming the tax code to make it simpler, flatter and fairer, so that the American people have the motivation to compete and win. You do it by reducing the size and scope of government and the federal bureaucracy, so that our president and Congress are working for, not against, the innovative men and women who are striving every day to build the future of America. And finally, you do it by controlling federal spending to shrink our debt and deficit. We must stop mortgaging our childrens future. These are the ways you create economic growth and jobs. These are the ways you build opportunity and prosperity for all. After all, opportunity and the chance to succeed no matter who you are or where you came from are the hallmark of America. They are what the American Dream is and always has been all about. Thank you, and best wishes for a wonderful new year. The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning on AM 1450 KVML at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 AM. The issue of human trafficking was discussed at a forum on the Space Coast Monday to find ways to help victims of the serious, international crime. Congressman Bill Posey hosted the forum at Eastern Florida State College in Cocoa. Panelists from police officers, to child advocates to religious leaders gathered to talk about the issue and form ways to team up to combat the crime which affects millions of children as early as the age of eight. Traffickers forcing young children and women into a life of sex and labor is happening around the world, including here in Central Florida. Traffickers are telling them they will find them, their families; it's very common for their ID to be taken," said Prosecutor Diane Checchio. "So that their home address is known. Leaders will be gathering information from the forum to create a community plan of action to battle human trafficking. RELATED The three remaining Albertsons grocery stores in Florida, one of which is in Altamonte Springs, are being converted to Safeway stores. Albertsons Companies announced Tuesday that the company is investing $10 million to remodel the stores and convert them to the Safeway brand. The other two stores are located in Largo and Fort Lauderdale. Customers and employees alike will be excited when they see how we are going to transform these stores, said Albertsons Companies Houston division president, Sidney Hopper. When complete, our new Safeway locations will have contemporary decor packages, new digital signs and menu boards, a natural/organic zone and living well products. The stores will also feature expanded specialty foods selections, more local products, expanded floral and wine areas, enhanced food service offerings and new Starbucks in each location. The company says the stores will remain open during the remodeling, with construction completed in early spring 2016. Brevard County commissioners approved a resolution Tuesday asking Florida wildlife leaders to find out whether speed limits on Space Coast waterways are actually protecting manatees. The proposal was introduced just days after the federal government announced it plans to reclassify the manatee from an endangered species to a threatened species. Curt Smith, a Brevard County commissioner, thinks there is no evidence the manatee protection zones actually save manatees, because the marine mammals can hear boats coming. "I don't think there is any impact with manatees," Smith said. "They get out of the way. I've seen it." Smith wants the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to research the issue, and if the zones prove not to work, he wants to see speed restrictions removed from the Indian and Banana rivers. Katie Tripp, director of science and conservation with the Save the Manatee Club, said Brevard County is one of the top two counties in Florida each year for watercraft-related manatee deaths. "Those numbers would only go up if a proposal like this were to take root," Tripp said. According to the FWC, Brevard County had the second highest watercraft-related manatee deaths in 2015. Lee County led the state. Smith will ask the rest of the Brevard County Commission on Tuesday to approve the resolution, which would petition state wildlife officials to begin researching the effectiveness of manatee protection zones and remove unreasonable speed restrictions. A similar measure is being proposed during the legislative session in Tallahassee. The search is on for two people who dressed as Marvel characters and attempted to steal an ATM from a business in the unincorporated area of Cocoa, deputies said. Brevard County deputies responded around 2:39 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 7, to 4580 Grissom Parkway in reference to a business alarm. When deputies arrived at the scene, they noticed the front glass door of the business was broken and the ATM was stolen. Surveillance video shows two people dressed in Deadpool full-zip hoodies breaking the front door glass and removing the ATM located in the rear of the business. During the course of the burglary, one suspect unzipped his hood, which caused it to briefly fall off his head. No identifying information was observed for the second suspect, deputies said. The duo then loaded the ATM into the back of a 1999 Ford E-250 van that was later reported stolen from a nearby dealership. The suspects weren't able to leave the business' parking lot with the ATM, though, and left it in the back of the van. The suspects were then seen on video getting picked up in the area in a white Chevrolet Tahoe. Anyone with information regarding the identity of the suspects or with knowledge of similar cases is asked to call Agent Patrick Ferguson of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office at 321-617-7306 or send him an email at patrick.ferguson@bcso.us. Tipsters can also anonymously call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (8477). Florida lawmakers are back in Tallahassee on Tuesday to kick off the 2016 legislative session. For the next two months, they will debate some of the state's most pressing issues. But perhaps the biggest issue of all is whether they can even get along, as memories of what happened last year hang heavy. The Florida Capitol's majority Republicans melted down in dysfunction not once, not twice, but three times, trading insults from one chamber to the other. Although they've had time to cool off, the issues are still hot. On the 2016 agenda: an effort to loosen Florida's gun laws. A bill called "Campus Carry" would let concealed weapon permit-holders tote their guns on college campuses. Another measure dubbed "Open Carry" would let people with permits carry their weapons openly in public. There's also a drive to expand the distribution of low-potency medical marijuana. After lawmakers failed in the process of redrawing Florida's political boundaries, bills have been filed to hand that task to an independent commission. Whether it's the spirit of a new year or wishful thinking, leading Florida lawmakers would have us believe they've turned a page, ready to put the dysfunction behind them to get things done. But the true test will come when the bills hit the floor. Some ideas are likely to die, such as Gov. Rick Scott's billion-dollar tax cut package and quarter-billion-dollar business incentive funding request. "Florida should be the job creator," Scott said. Many lawmakers, however, say they don't have the money or the appetite. But on the whole, Florida Senate President Andy Gardiner (R-Orlando) is optimistic. He's predicting early passage of a bill to help kids with special needs, a measure that fell victim to last year's dysfunction. "We think that's going to set the tone. We think it's important that we resolve those matters. They were issues that were part of the discussion last year. Unfortunately, for various reasons it didn't happen, but the speaker and I are committed to get them done," Gardiner said. It's far from the only commitment being made around the halls of power. For now, most seem to be trying to commit to a spirit of unity. The legislative session begins at 11 a.m. with a joint meeting of the state House and Senate. Shortly after, Scott will deliver his State of the State address. Watch the proceedings live on our website. Via The Guardian: Madaya hospital patients must be evacuated, says UN. Excerpt: The United Nations humanitarian affairs chief has called for the evacuation of about 400 people from Madaya hospital after aid trucks reached the Syrian town which has been cut off for months by fighting. After briefing the UN security council, Stephen OBrien told reporters the patients needed treatment for medical complications, severe malnourishment and starvation. This had to be done as soon as possible or they are in grave peril of losing their lives, OBrien said, adding that efforts would be made to get ambulances to Madaya on Tuesday to evacuate the 400, if safe passage could be assured. Forces loyal to the Syrian regime have enforced a tight siege of Madaya since July, and until now only one aid delivery had been allowed in, in October. The Syrian government allowed Mondays delivery of long-awaited food, medicine and other supplies to Madaya after images of emaciated children and adults prompted worldwide condemnation. The delivery was coordinated with similar drops to Fua and Kefraya, two Shia villages that are surrounded by rebels. The UN security council discussed the situation in Syria at a meeting in New York on Monday called by New Zealand, Spain and France. The tactic of siege and starvation is one of the most appalling characteristics of the Syrian conflict, New Zealands UN ambassador, Gerard van Bohemen, told reporters. The US ambassador, Samantha Power, criticised the grotesque starve-or-surrender tactics the Syrian regime is using right now against its own people. She told the UN general assembly: Look at the haunting pictures of civilians, including children, even babies, in Madaya. These are just the pictures we see. There are hundreds of thousands of people being deliberately besieged, deliberately starved, right now. And these images, they remind us of the second world war. Syrias UN ambassador, Bashar Jaafari, denied anyone was starving in Madaya and blamed Arab television especially for fabricating these allegations and lies. Speaking at the UN headquarters, he blamed armed terrorist groups for stealing humanitarian aid and reselling it at prohibitive prices. But OBrien said all the evidence the UN had showed there had been severe malnourishment, severe food shortages and reports of people who are either starving or indeed have starved and died. Rye resident, New York State Assemblyman and former Rye City Mayor Steve Otis, who fought the proposed tunnel in 2007, still thinks it is a bad idea. Otis' comment to MyRye.com: "The proposed study is wider in scope than Westchester and the fact that Connecticut and New York City are also being reviewed is a positive step. However, the major transportation questions for Westchester are much broader than Rye or any other possible crossing location. When I led the opposition to tunnel proposal ten years ago it was county-wide opposition because of traffic levels on the entire length of both the I-287 and I-95 corridors that was most influential. I am confident a new study will demonstrate the same insurmountable traffic failures on these currently crowded Westchester highways and have already been in touch with state officials regarding these issues. I am sure the study will again reflect the impact of that traffic on travel, business and on all our communities and everyone will end up on the same page." See our earlier story on the Cuomo tunnel. San Antonio and Austin are often pegged against each other as I-35 rivals but when it comes down to it, Austin residents actually sing the Alamo Citys praises, especially on Reddit. What do yall think of San Antonio, a user by the name of ConfidenceMan2, asked his fellow Austinites on the citys designated sub-Reddit last week. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The University of Texas at Austin holds at top spot on a list of U.S. colleges with the largest amounts of new student sugar baby sign-ups. UT Austin is ranked as being one National Universities best colleges and its also the third best college in the country to find sugar babies, according to SeekingArrangements.com, a site dedicated to matching men and women under upfront and honest arrangements. According to the service, student participation is tracked by the university/college email addresses and proof of enrollment they provide to the site in the sign-up process. This kind of documentation is requested by SeekingArrangment for free premium memberships offered to students in its "Sugar Baby University" program, Public Relations Coordinator Rachel Kolinoski explained to mySA.com in an email. The company releases rankings based on current numbers of sign-ups, the list released this week is based on schools with the most students registered in 2015. Kolinoksi added students who remove their "student" status or delete their accounts altogether are not counted in the end-of-year totals. The 163 new student sign-ups at UT can expect a sugar baby perks such as financial stability, the company of experienced men and shopping sprees, expensive dinners and exotic travels. RELATED: University of Texas tops list of students with sugar daddies At SeekingArrangement, the users are on the same page, the site described the The Sugar Lifestyle. Forget reading in between the lines, our members know what they want, the site said. Users approach one another without worrying about false pretenses. The service boasts more than 5 million members, with a portion of them residing in Texas. UT is followed on the rank by Texas State University at the No. 6 spot with 138 sugar babies and the University of Houston at No. 12 with 104. Click through the gallery above to see which college is No. 1 for sugar babies. mmendoza@mysa.com Twitter: @MaddySkye Mark Anthony Gonzalez, convicted of repeatedly shooting a Bexar County Sheriff's sergeant with an AR-15, is competent to be sentenced for capital murder, a jury ruled Monday. A jury in October found Gonzalez guilty of capital murder in the killing Sgt. Kenneth Vann on May 28, 2011. Gonzalez shot dozens of rounds at Vann as he sat in his patrol car at Rigsby Avenue and Loop 410 on the East Side, hitting him 26 times. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A lovers quarrel turned violent Sunday night at a South Austin Taco Cabana when a man allegedly crawled into the restroom stall his girlfriend was in and stabbed her, according to a police. When an Austin Police officer arrived on scene at 6430 South Interstate 35, he saw the disgruntled couple arguing in the parking lot while the female counterpart held her bleeding arm, according to a police report. Michael Lavern Abresch, 22, of Buda, and Cassandra Cisneros, 23, of Kyle, both told the Austin Police Department an argument had started between the two during their night spent in the citys downtown area. However, thats about all that was similar in the statements the couple of two years gave to police. Abresch said the argument involved someone taking a parking spot, according to the report. RELATED: Rob the Original's disabled teen brother attacked, robbed in San Antonio crime spree Abresch told APD he sat away from his Cisneros and her friend while inside the eatery. He used the restroom while waiting for his order and when he returned, he told the officer he saw his girlfriend bleeding from her arm and insisted she be taken to a hospital. He explained to police that the cut must have been a self-inflicted accident since Cisneros is known to carry pepper spray and a knife. So, she may have cut herself while sitting down on a toilet, he told APD, according to the report. The reporting officer said blood was visibly covering Abreschs hands, clothing and shoes while he gave his statement. Cisneros account is what led to Abreschs arrest on an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge. RELATED: Police: Former West Texas Whataburger employee robbed location he worked at with machete She told police she fled to the restroom to separate herself from her boyfriend during the argument, but he followed her and slid beneath the locked door of the stall where she was at. He proceeded to push and shove her while in the small space with a 3-inch flip blade in hand. As a result of the struggle, Cisneros suffered a 3-inch slice on her left arm, according to the police report. Witnesses on scene told APD they had seen Abresch standing outside the womens restroom before Cisneros was injured. EMS treated Cisneros bleeding wound at the restaurant and an emergency protection order was filed against Abresch, the report said. This is not Abreschs first violent occurrence. Last February, he was arrested on assault charges, the police report said. mmendoza@mysa.com Twitter: @MaddySkye SAN ANTONIO A man sustained life-threatening injuries after crashing into the back of an 18-wheeler on Interstate 10 on the Northwest Side Tuesday morning. The accident, which occurred in the eastbound lanes near De Zavala Road on I-10 around 10 a.m., has caused major congestion and lane closures from Loop 1604 to De Zavala Road. Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is back in his home away from home, the Altiplano maximum security prison. And with his return trip to the prison where he escaped six months ago Guzman also gets new mugshots. The latest photos, taken Jan. 8 (the day of his capture), show the Sinaloa Cartel head without his signature bushy mustache and untidy full head of hair. Just like in his previous mugshot during his last capture in February 2014, authorities have shaved El Chapo's trademark features. Posted on 01/12/2016, 1:46 pm, by mySteinbach The governments of Canada and Manitoba will support the expansion of Grannys Poultry, a producer-owned poultry processing company in Blumenort, with $2.5 million in funding. Grannys Poultry distributes fresh and frozen Manitoba chicken and turkey across the country, and is one of the largest food processors in the province. The company is implementing a $37 million plant expansion and renovation, which will allow them to grow their business and purchase new equipment for processing, chilling, packaging and grading poultry, and improving production efficiency. Minister Kostyshyn noted this investment also supports the Manitoba governments goal of creating a $5.5 billion annual food processing industry by 2022, which is currently valued at $4.95 billion. Grannys Poultry currently represents 188 producer-member owners who supply the company with hatching eggs, chickens and turkeys. The company is the sole processor of turkeys in the province and employs approximately 500 Manitobans, supporting the livelihood of poultry producers, breeders and hatcheries. The expanded facility will provide an opportunity for up to 148 employees to upgrade their skills over the next two years through new training. Jobs and the Economy will further assist the $37 million plant upgrading through the provision of a secured, repayable Manitoba Industrial Opportunities Program (MIOP) term loan of $2.5 million. The MIOP program provides term loans to assist expanding businesses in Manitoba. The expansion and upgrading of our processing facilities will keep Grannys growing and competitive for years to come. Investing in state-of-the-art equipment will improve production efficiencies and help us develop new market opportunities for Manitoba poultry. ~ Chief Executive Officer for Grannys Poultry, Craig Evans The federal and provincial governments are investing $176 million of cost-shared programming in Manitoba under Growing Forward 2, a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial policy framework to advance the agriculture industry, helping producers and processors become more innovative and competitive in world markets. The Growing Value program provides financial assistance to existing agri-businesses that need to make changes to adapt to market forces and environmental considerations, to increase their ability to compete in domestic and international markets. Wikipedia can be accessed on any device via a browser. However, you can get an improved experience on the go by downloading Wikipedia app for the platform running on your mobile device. Download Wikipedia at the official store of your mobile platform. Supported Devices Wikipedia apps are available for Android, iPhone, Nokia Symbian, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone. However, note that not all mobile phones and devices running the listed platforms will supported. There is also a Wikipedia app for Windows 8.1. Download Wikipedia for your Device The best way to download the Wikipedia app is via the official store of the platform running on your device. The store is usually pre-installed on your device. Wikipedia may also be pre-installed on your device. So, check first: Related Topics High-quality graphene quantum dots from agricultural waste (Nanowerk Spotlight) Rice husks the outer, protective covering of rice kernels, which makes up more than 20 wt% of the entire kernel are the by-product of rice milling. Given the sheer volume of this agricultural waste, roughly 120 million tons a year, researchers have been exploring ways to utilize this silica-rich biomass for the synthesis of valuable materials. In previous Nanowerk Spotlights we already have reported on two successful strategies by nanotechnology researchers to recycle rice husks to synthesize graphene and to produce nanoporous silicon for high-capacity lithium battery anodes. "Due to the high concentration of silica in rice husks, most of the present research focuses on the preparation of silicon-based materials, which exhibit broad applications in the fields of adsorption, catalysis, energy storage, etc.," Dr. Luyi Sun, an Associate Professor in the Institute of Materials Science at the University of Connecticut, explains to Nanowerk. "It is worth pointing out that there is also a large amount of organic components (ca. 72-85 wt%) in rice husks, which is typically wasted in the preparation of these silica materials." In their latest work, Sun and co-workers developed an advanced method for the comprehensive use of rice husks. They fabricated high quality graphene quantum dots (GQDs) from the organic components of rice husks, and simultaneously obtained mesoporous silica nanoparticles with a high surface area from the inorganic content. Comprehensive utilization of rice husks for high quality graphene quantum dots and mesoporous silica nanoparticles. (Reprinted with permission by American Chemical Society) The team reported their findings on Dec. 28, 2015 in the online edition of ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces ("Large Scale and Controllable Synthesis of Graphene Quantum Dots from Rice Husk Biomass: A Comprehensive Utilization Strategy"). This work was a collaborative effort with Dr. Xin Zhang at Guangdong University of Technology, Dr. Bin Liu's group and Dr. Yuhua Wangs group at Lanzhou University, Dr. Weixing Wang at South China University of Technology, as well as Dr. Steven L. Suibs group at the University of Connecticut. As Sun notes, the preparation of graphene quantum dots usually adopts either a bottom-up or a top-down method. In their work, the team developed a new approach that combines the advantages of both of the two methods. "This is the key to utilizing rice husks as the raw material to obtain high quality GQDs," says Sun. "In addition to fabricating GQDs with a high yield, we simultaneously synthesized valuable mesoporous silica nanoparticles from the inorganic component of rice husks. So, this work realizes a truly comprehensive utilization of rice husk biomass." The team's as-prepared GQDs from rice husks can emit bright blue light when irradiated by an ultraviolet lamp. They also show some unique photoluminescent behaviors. "We investigated the photoluminescent properties of our rice husk derived GQDs (RH-GQDs) to explore their further use," says Dr. Zhaofeng Wang, the first author of this work. "We found that the emissions of the GQDs are strongly dependent on the surrounding temperature, excitation wavelength, as well as the lateral size. These unique features provide us many opportunities to further adjust the emissions of RH-GQDs for various uses." He adds that the team has confirmed the bio-activities of the RH-GQDs. Therefore, the researchers expect that the RH-GQDs will be very suitable for biomedical applications, such as bio-imaging and bio-probes. SHARE The Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce has named Teri Monroe communications coordinator. The Southwest Florida Chapter of the Association for Talent Development named its 2016 board of directors: Christine Davlin, president; Kathy Choquette, treasurer; Teresa Hiatt, vice president public relations; Lorna Kibbey, vice president programs; Liz Linares, secretary; Melissa Rizzuto, vice president technology; Rebecca Ruding and Vern Schellenger, directors at large. The Salvation Army Naples Regional Coordinate named a new Development Department leading its donor cultivation efforts, community outreach, and media relations. At its helm is Martin de St. Pierre, director of development. Also named were Operations Director Tony Tidwell, Communications Manager Sheila Fortson, Donor Cultivation Manager Robin Wendell and Development Associate Gabriela Prieto. Events The Harry Chapin Food Bank said Tamiami Ford and Tamiami Hyundai of Naples are the presenting sponsors for the 10th annual Empty Bowls Naples. The event will be held 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 23at Cambier Park in downtown Naples to benefit the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida. Preferred Travel of Naples has selected Sunshine Kids as the charity that will benefit from its 10th annual travel showcase, Travel Treasures of the World, on Feb. 29. Information: 239-261-1177 New business Studio One, a new adult ballroom, Latin and fitness studio, has opened at 4184 U.S. 41 E. in Naples. The studio's mission is to strengthen the body, focus the mind and lift the spirit through precise movements performed to music. To submit your business news directly online, go to naplesnews.com/BIZwire or email news@naplesnews.com. Amy and Blake Owen get their pets attention as they are photographed by Michelle Wood of Paws & Prints Pet Photography as Michelle's assistant robin holds on to the leashes at Koreshan State Park in Estero, Fla. on Saturday, January 9, 2016. (Logan Newell/Special to the Daily News) SHARE Michelle Wood of Paws & Prints Pet Photography photographs the Owens and their pets at Koreshan State Park in Estero, Fla. on Saturday, January 9, 2016. (Logan Newell/Special to the Daily News) Michelle Wood of Paws & Prints Pet Photography poses for a picture at Koreshan State Park in Estero, Fla. on Saturday, January 9, 2016. (Logan Newell/Special to the Daily News) Millie and Roxy, from left to right, get their photo taken by Michelle Wood of Paws & Prints Pet Photography at Koreshan State Park in Estero, Fla. on Saturday, January 9, 2016. (Logan Newell/Special to the Daily News) Michelle Wood, center, of Paws & Prints Pet Photography leads her assistant Dawn Smith, left, and Amy Owen, right, to a spot at Koreshan State Park in Estero, Fla. on Saturday, January 9, 2016. (Logan Newell/Special to the Daily News) By John Osborne With a focus on family pets, a new Naples photography business is all about capturing "furever moments." When Michelle Wood received a Nikon DSLR camera as a gift from her husband a few years ago, she said an addict was born. "I found that the majority of my time was spent taking shots of my five rescue pets as my somewhat-willing muses," said Wood, a Chicago native who moved to Southwest Florida in 1997 and has spent most of her adult life working in the corporate sector, including a lengthy stint as a paralegal. After receiving her new camera, Wood said she threw herself into learning all she could about taking high-quality photos; practicing techniques every chance she got. Finally, she said, more than just the shutter clicked. "And then my 'aha' moment came," she said. "I knew I needed to combine my love of animals and passion for photography to create a truly rewarding career for myself." Wood fulfilled that dream in October, when she formally launched her Paws & Prints Pet Photography business. With it, Wood said she believes she has carved out a niche for herself in the local photography industry. "To the best of my knowledge, I have the only photography business dedicated solely to photographing pets," she said. "I have always been very passionate about animals and photography, so I decided to marry my two passions to begin Paws & Prints Pet Photography." As far as pricing, Wood said she offers standard and deluxe packages. The standard package costs $275 and includes a 90-minute photo session at one location for up to two pets, a private proofing gallery, professional editing and healthy treats. The deluxe package goes for $450 and includes a two- to three-hour photo session at up to two locations for up to three pets, to go along with the private proofing gallery, editing and treats. Each additional pet above the limit carries a $50 surcharge, and the pets must belong to the same family. Wood said clients then typically spend $500 to $2,500 on custom artwork for their homes, which she believes is a small price to pay for the return on investment. "I strongly believe in investing in professional pet photography because, sadly, one day your loyal friend won't be right there at your side," she said. "But you will be able to take comfort in having your pet right there with you through timeless, stunning artwork. And that is absolutely priceless." In addition to her professional endeavors, Wood said she has gone feet-first into charitable efforts around town. "Shortly after I formally launched my business, I was asked by Humane Society Naples to photograph their 'Strut Your Mutt' event the weekend before Halloween, which was a great event," she said. "It was so much fun photographing all of the cute dogs in their costumes. They were clearly having so much fun." From the recent Humane Society Naples 'Home for the Holidays' event on 5th Avenue South, for which Wood also volunteered, humane society fundraising director Christy Saunders said she would recommend Wood's services to anyone. "She's definitely a pleasure to work with," Saunders said. "She has a great attitude and always goes above and beyond to capture the perfect shot." "She's funny, upbeat and quick on her feet with a camera," Humane society marketing coordinator Rachael Johnston said of Wood. "When it comes to photographing dogs, she's one of the top photographers I've dealt with since I started working for the humane society five years ago. We couldn't be any happier with her." For more information, call 239-370-8499, follow Paws & Prints Pet Photography on Facebook or see www.pawsandprintsphotography.com. Mackenson Vilius, from left, Lindoo Blemur and Medache Genelus of Latite Roofing load tile onto a roof on Ferrari Ave. Lance Shearer/Special to the Daily News SHARE By June Fletcher of the Naples Daily News Sales are smoking at Ave Maria, making it the only community in Southwest Florida to land it a top 50 spot on a national list of best-selling master-planned communities. Net sales in Ave Maria reached 283 in 2015, up 25 percent from 227 in 2014, according to the annual survey done by John Burns Real Estate Consulting based in Irvine, California. That's a bigger increase than the 14 percent rise in sales nationally among the top 50 communities. Overall, sales saw their highest increase in six years, the research and consulting company said. The increase partly is due to the variety of amenities offered in master-planned communities compared to traditional subdivisions, according to Jody Kahn, senior vice president of John Burns. While homeowner association fees generally are higher in master-planned communities, increasingly buyers are seeing them as a better value than traditional tract developments. With shared amenities like fitness centers and community pools, "you can quit your gym membership," she said. Ave Maria was in the 40th spot on the list of 230 master-planned communities John Burns tracks nationwide. Last year, the 4,000-acre master-planned community was ranked 49th. Ave Maria opened in 2007, just before the recession hit the region hard. But area housing prices have spiked sharply in the past few years, and Ave Maria has benefitted. While it's some 35 miles from downtown Naples in Eastern Collier County, single-family home prices start in the high $100,000s. "Ave Maria has become the go-to new home community for those priced out of coastal Collier County," said Cee Cee Marinelli, director of development for Ave Maria. "The homes in Ave Maria are of equal or higher quality compared to other communities and they are offered at substantially lower prices." Three builders, CC Homes, Del Webb and Pulte Homes are building in Ave Maria, where buyers can tour 20 model homes. Nearly half of the 680 homes that have been sold since 2013 were sold in the past year. Marinelli believes the momentum can be sustained because of the way the town has been developed, with numerous amenities, including a water park, fitness center and several parks, in a family-friendly environment. SHARE When Samira Beckwith was 4, she emigrated from Lebanon with her parents, who were escaping political and religious tensions that were escalating throughout the 1950s. "I packed a small bag to cross the ocean," recalled Beckwith, 63, president and chief executive officer of Hope HealthCare Services in Fort Myers, an organization she has led for a quarter-century. "I thought my parents were so smart and brave," she said. Her father was a Palestinian refugee, working with the United Nations in the camps. But when he arrived in Columbus, Ohio, he felt lucky to get a job as a factory worker in a tire plant. But at age 48, her father died of a stroke. Her mother took a job as a store clerk to support the family, and all of the five children took on odd jobs for extra income as soon as they were able to work. "I baby-sat, delivered handbills in doorways and was a waitress," Beckwith said. "Each of these jobs taught me something: to get to know people, respect them and treat them as individuals." As a teenager, she worked on a switchboard and did office work, honing her planning and organizational skills. "That's one of my chief challenges as an executive, not to get distracted," she said. Keeping her focus was especially difficult when she was studying for a master's degree in social work in the mid-'70s. Her energy level, normally high, tanked. She felt a lump in her neck. It was Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. She was 24. "It was a shock to me and my family," she said. "No one in my family had had cancer." Over the next three years, Beckwith underwent five surgeries, plus radiation and chemotherapy. She thought a great deal about her own mortality. In doctors' waiting rooms and cancer support groups, she got to know others who were fighting similar battles against disease. In 1976, she met Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, a psychiatrist who focused on near-death experiences and wrote the pioneering book "On Death and Dying," which outlined the five stages of grief. Kubler-Ross's influence, and Beckwith's own slow recovery from a life- threatening illness, convinced her that more needed to be done to support those at the end of their lives. Beckwith became involved in the then-nascent hospice movement, which looked for ways to help control a terminal patient's pain in an empathetic environment that involved the entire family. When she joined Hope HealthCare in 1991, the agency was caring for a small group of hospice patients in Fort Myers now it is more than 2,000 people and their families throughout Southwest and Central Florida. Her hospice doesn't just provide health care but also assistance in other aspects of living from social workers to chaplains to volunteers who may take a terminally ill person to get her hair done, or just sit with her to provide some company. Sometimes it will also help people in their final months relive some of their favorite experiences or activities. "One young man wanted to go fishing one last time," she said. "Another man, who was a pilot, wanted to go up in an airplane again. One child wanted a pool party; another, who was deaf, wanted to feel the beat of certain instruments while music was played." Over the years, Beckwith has served on a number of health-related nonprofit boards and developed a variety of programs to help the elderly live independently and children cope with grief. She also provides services to those living with Parkinson's disease and was appointed by the Florida House of Representatives to serve on the state's purple-ribbon task force on Alzheimer's disease. She participates frequently in national health policy forums and has testified on hospice-related matters before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. Her service to the community earned her a number of awards, as well as praise from former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush as a visionary who is "passionate about ensuring the highest quality of service." Ultimately, though, Beckwith gets most satisfaction from providing comfort, insight and relief to terminally ill people who are an emotional roller coaster ride of anger, fear and pain. To do that, the issues surrounding a loved one's impending death need to be brought out in the open, Beckwith said. "People are afraid to talk about death; they think they will die sooner," she said. Not knowing what to say to someone who is facing their end, friends and family members sometimes pull away from their loved one. "It's human nature; they're afraid they'll say the wrong thing," she said. "But it's important that the dying not be isolated." Beckwith said it's often enough just to make some small gesture of caring bring a box of candy or flowers, or hold the person's hand. "We're social beings," she said. "People want to feel relevant and not forgotten." SHARE By Terri Schlichenmeyer "This is Where It Ends" By Marieke Nijkamp c. 2016, Sourcebooks Fire $17.99/$24.99 Canada; 288 pages In every class, there are always a few kids you try to avoid. The know-it-all kid, for instance: Who has time for that? Or the kid who can't stop yammering or who can't control his temper: Why invite drama? Why shouldn't you avoid the school bully or, as in the new book "This is Where It Ends" by Marieke Nijkamp, the kid who simmers just beneath his skin ... When it's still cold outside, nobody wants to run laps but Claire forced herself into extra practice: This was the last track season her team would have together and she wanted to make it memorable. They'd all scatter after graduation, and while she'd miss the other runners, she'd miss her best friend, Chris, most of all. Inside Opportunity High School, Principal Trenton had just finished her comments at daily assembly. They were familiar words and Tomas and Fareed would've mocked her, had they been there. Instead, because rumor had it that a boy named Tyler was returning to school and because Ty had been bullying Tomas's sister, Sylvia, Tomas decided that a little break-in to the school office was warranted. In the auditorium, the chair between Sylvia and Autumn was empty; Autumn had saved it for her brother, Tyler, and his absence made her nervous. Sylvia understood why: After the accident that took Autumn's mother's life, Autumn's father started drinking; over time, he'd used his fists on both Tyler and Autumn. Sylvia knew Autumn couldn't wait to leave Opportunity. That broke her heart; she loved Autumn. She couldn't make her stay but she couldn't bear to let her go, either. The bell rang, which meant that students had three minutes to dash from auditorium to classroom. Tomas knew they'd mill around for a bit and that class wouldn't start until the teachers arrived; their noise would give him and Fareed a chance to escape from the office. But there was no noise. In the auditorium, students were confused. They tried to leave, but the doors seemed to be locked. Or stuck. Or And then someone began shooting ... Usually when I read, I'm a book-snacker: Dip, taste, walk away, return, nibble, nibble, like a literary bag of chips. But this book this one had me immobile for hours. All I could muster was a turn of page. And yet, it absolutely wouldn't be fair to say that "This is Where It Ends" is ripped from the headlines. It's timely, but it's not sensational like that. There are more than just headlines here: Author Marieke Nijkamp also gives readers a story, told over the course of a mere 54 minutes. In that time, we get to know the kids at Opportunity High, their crushes, dreams, their fears, and their morality. That familiarity as if these kids are your neighbors will make you shudder. Meant for readers ages 14-to-17, this is absolutely an adult book, too. If you can handle a novel that feels like yesterday afternoon's news, then "This is Where It Ends' is one you truly shouldn't avoid. "The Family Tree: A Lynching in Georgia, A Legacy of Secrets, and My Search for the Truth" By Karen Branan c. 2016, Atria $26/$34 Canada; 304 pages The skeletons in your closet don't rattle around much anymore. Most of your family has long forgotten the secrets those skeletons represented, while the ones who haven't forgotten have made sure they're not discussed. And it might stay that way forever unless, as in the new book "The Family Tree" by Karen Branan, there's a journalist in the family. As her 90-year-old, still-feisty grandmother lay dying, Karen Branan hoped to record some of her G'mamma's recollections. Mostly, she got the usual things: Schoolgirl hobbies, gentlemen callers until G'mamma mentioned a hanging that she'd witnessed as a child. Branan tucked the story away in her mind, along with other hushed, whispered things that tickled at her memories. Then, nearly 10 years after hearing that first hint from a dying woman who embellished her tales, Branan went in search of facts. What she discovered was something she didn't want to admit. While there was always a certain amount of racism in Hamilton, Georgia, there was also evidence that blacks and whites mixed easily, especially in bedrooms and barrooms, and except when it befitted whites to use racism as a tool. That seemed to be the case in early 1912. Branan's great-grandfather was town sheriff then, when his kin, a well-liked local white rapscallion, was shot dead on the front porch of a black woman's home. Days later, the woman and three men went peacefully with the sheriff to jail; they had no reason to mistrust him because he didn't arrest them. He took them in, he said, for their own safety and he seemed to have tried to protect them. But Branan discovered that the whole thing was contrived: In the end, the sheriff purposefully stepped away, shielding himself and leaving the prisoners unsafe. Around midnight on Jan. y 23, 1912, a mob marched the four through town and hung them from a tree and life in Hamilton went on as usual until an unexpected faction put a stop to what became an escalation of violence Reading "The Family Tree" is somewhat like looking for tomatoes in a field of weeds: You know there's something worthwhile there, but you must possess patience to find it. You have to want to step over what you don't need. Sadly, what you probably don't need comprises much of this book: Author Karen Branan digs up names, names, and more names, which serve to lay the territory in her memoir, but which become just fluff to anybody who didn't live in Harris County, Georgia. That, of course, is the reason for the title, but it's overwhelming. The worthiness here lies in what you'll read otherwise: Actions that are incomprehensible today but shockingly common a century ago, heroism, legendary bravery, and a journalist who freely admits that she didn't even know what she didn't know. Now, for me, the latter outdid the former, but I was willing to wait for it to happen. You may not be; start "The Family Tree," and you may become impatient. Or start it, and you may be rattled. The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer. She has been reading since she was 3 years old and never goes anywhere without a book. Terri lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 11,000 books. SHARE Michael Fabiano as Faust at Opera Australia. By Harriet Howard Heithaus of the Naples Daily News Michael Fabiano, once the go-to tenor to replace big-name stars, is now the must-have tenor, and he's sharing his Metropolitan Opera cachet Feb. 21 at a Gulfshore Opera fundraiser. Fabiano, whose family lives in Bonita Springs, will join a fundraiser concert and gala headlined by another Met star, bass-baritone Samuel Ramey. Among other works, two are planning the cat-and-mouse scene from Gounod's "Faust," in which Ramey, as Mephistopheles, the devil, bargains for the soul of Faust, played by Fabiano. "This is one of Ramey's most famous roles, Mephistopheles, and Michael is singing the role of Faust all over the world," explained Steffanie Pearce, founder and artistic director of Gulfshore Opera in a news release announcing Fabiano's addition to the evening. Also on the program are Ola Rafalo, mezzo-soprano, and Gustavo Feulien, baritone. Titled "The Legends of Opera," the fundraiser opens with a 4 p.m. concert at First Presbyterian Church in Bonita Springs, and offers a VIP dinner with the artists afterward at the Bonita Bay Club. Ramey is a veteran of opera worldwide, known as its favorite bad guy for his roles: Mephistopheles in "Faust"; Scarpia in "Tosca"; the murderous owner of "Bluebeard's Castle"; and even the comically greedy Don Basilio in "Barber of Seville." Fabiano is a swiftly rising star, having stepped in twice at the last minute once without even a rehearsal for the hero's roles in "La Boheme" and "Lucia di Lammermoor" at the Met. He has made a name for himself at Glyndbourne Opera and the London Royal Opera, being named to The London Telegraph's "Most Glamorous" dozen opera stars last year. He has played the role he'll be excerpting for the Feb. 21 concert at both the Paris and Sydney opera houses. What: Gulfshore Opera's "Legends of Opera When: 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21 Where: Concert First Presbyterian Church, 9751 Bonita Beach Road SE, Bonita Springs; gala and ticketed dinner Bonita Bay Club, 26660 Country Club Drive, Bonita Springs Tickets: Single tickets start at $25 and go up to a gala package at $175 More information: www.gulfshoreopera.org or call 238-529-3925 Alfredo Urbina appears in Collier County court on April 23, 2015. (Carolina Hidalgo/Staff) By Jacob Carpenter of the Naples Daily News A Guatemalan man who spent nearly two decades on the lam before his arrest on a Collier County murder charge received a 15-year prison sentence on Tuesday. Alfredo Urbina, 45, pleaded no contest to one count of second-degree murder in the 1995 death of 35-year-old Fernando Romero. Investigators said Romero was shot several times and found dead in a Naples Manor driveway. Urbina wasn't found at the scene, but two witnesses identified him as the assailant. U.S. Border Patrol agents located Urbina in June 2014, when he was living illegally on a rural ranch about 150 miles south of San Antonio, Texas. The 19-year lapse between the homicide and Urbina's arrest presented several challenges, leading in part to the plea offer, said Assistant State Attorney Katherine Rumley. "We found most of the witnesses, but unfortunately some are deceased," Rumley said. "There were also some evidentiary issues that we felt we could overcome if there was a trial potentially." Under current Florida law, second-degree murder cases involving a death by firearm require a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life in prison. But because the homicide occurred in 1995, when the laws were different, Urbina faced a minimum sentence of 13 years and a maximum sentence of about 22 years in prison if convicted. A judge would have had to find extenuating circumstances to warrant a lengthier prison term. "While we felt it was a decent defense case, we feel it's not worth the risk of going to trial," Assistant Public Defender Rexford Darrow said. Rumley said it came out during depositions that Urbina and Romero had a prior altercation sometime before the murder, though the exact timeline wasn't known. On the night of the homicide, two witnesses described seeing Urbina shoot Romero several times, even as Romero was on the ground. Urbina lived several houses down from where Romero's body was found. Rumley said about 20 to 25 depositions were completed in the case before Tuesday's plea agreement. Investigators tried tracking down Romero's family in Mexico to confer with them about the plea, but were unable to locate anyone, she said. RELATED STORIES:

Mesac Damas enters a Collier County Court House room for his case management hearing on Friday, August 28, 2015. (Scott McIntyre/Staff)

By Jacob Carpenter of the Naples Daily News Lawyers handling the Collier County murder case of Mesac Damas argued the first large batch of pretrial motions on Monday as they wait for a pivotal U.S. Supreme Court ruling. The seven motions, which were knocked out in an hour, dealt mostly with how potential jurors will be questioned and what they'll be told in advance about the high-profile case. Damas, 39, is charged with six counts of first-degree murder in the September 2009 deaths of his wife and five children between the ages of 1 and 9. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Orchestrating Damas' trial will be one of the largest undertakings in county court history, as an estimated 300 to 500 potential jurors are expected to be called for consideration. Most of those jurors will be excused for one of several reasons they can't participate in a weekslong trial; they know too much about details of the case; or they have a personal opposition to imposing the death penalty. "I think you're going to eliminate people with just a couple of questions," said Damas' lawyer, Kevin Shirley. To hasten the process, Collier Circuit Judge Fred Hardt agreed that jurors can be individually questioned about their beliefs regarding the death penalty and any prior knowledge they have about the case. Hardt is also considering whether to give potential jurors a questionnaire that would contain various inquiries about personal beliefs and habits. Monday's motions involved rather routine requests from Damas' defense, but they mark progress in the six-year-old case. Prosecutors and Damas' lawyers are trying to iron out many pretrial motions in anticipation of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, expected in the next few months, that determines whether parts of Florida's death penalty laws and procedures are constitutional. Hardt decided to temporarily put Damas' case on hold until the ruling is issued, deciding it prudent to avoid a potentially long, drawn-out appeal if Damas is sentenced to death. Although Monday's decisions mostly involved issues that won't be affected by the ruling, Hardt acknowledged that the decision "could change a lot of things" if Florida's death penalty procedures are deemed unconstitutional. Lawyers from both sides are concerned about seating an impartial jury, particularly given the extensive media coverage in Damas' case. It will also be a challenge to find a jury willing to fairly consider the brutal details of the case. To that end, Hardt ruled Monday that potential jurors would be told in advance that Damas "is alleged to have killed his wife and five children by cutting their throats with a knife." Following Monday's hearing, one of Damas' lawyers, James Ermacora, said it will "definitely be at least a month or so" before he's ready to decide whether to seek a change of venue. The next hearing date is scheduled for early February, and no trial date has been set. Damas sat with his hands clasped, elbows on his thighs and head bowed throughout the hearing. He only spoke once, asking to use the restroom. Governor Rick Scott talks about his $1 billion tax cut plan at Eastern Architectural Systems in Fort Myers on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015. (Dorothy Edwards/Staff) SHARE By Arek Sarkissian of the Naples Daily News TALLAHASSEE Gov. Rick Scott defended his $1 billion tax-cut plan Monday as some legislative leaders question its size, with Scott arguing reducing business taxes is more important than cutting property taxes for homeowners because Florida needs more jobs. "Jobs are what's important to me," Scott told members of the Senate Finance and Tax Committee. Scott made the rare appearance before the legislative committee to promote his tax cuts at the invitation of Senate President Andy Gardiner. Gardiner and other legislative leaders have said they are concerned that Scott's tax-cut proposal is too large and relies on an estimated surplus next year that may not be around in future years. House Speaker Steve Crisafulli said he supports tax cuts, but he's not sure the state can afford what Scott is proposing. "We're focused on something significant but we have to focus on recurring versus nonrecurring," Crisafulli said. The Legislature has estimated a budget surplus of about $635 million, with about $400 million in nonrecurring revenue, money that isn't expected in future budgets and cannot be used to cover tax cuts. The governor said his office is estimated a surplus of nearly twice that much, at $1.2 billion. "And that money would just keep rolling over," Scott said. Scott said his tax cuts would shield the state from future recessions, promote job growth and eventually lead to more money in the pockets of Floridians. "We've got to diversify this economy," Scott said. "If we see another national recession, we have got to have an economy where all these areas are thriving and there's no reason why manufacturing shouldn't be thriving." State Sen. Darren Soto, an Orlando Democrat, asked Scott if he would be willing to compromise in his tax cut package by cutting property taxes for homeowners. Scott said he would rather focus on cutting commercial taxes first. "We have the opportunity to give these dollars and give them back to business people," Scott said. "When we do that, we create jobs." After the meeting, Soto said the governor failed to acknowledge that property taxes are on the rise and they also impact the state. "I think we always need to have a balance of tax cuts, if we're going to have them, as they work through the process in the Legislature," Soto said. Scott's proposed tax cut package includes $339 million for commercial leases, $46 million for an exemption on college textbooks, and $72.8 million on a total of 19 sales tax holidays to buy supplies for school and disaster preparedness. The largest proposed cut is $770 million to eliminate the income tax on manufacturing and retail business, a tax that state Sen. Thad Altman described as draconian. He had explored the same measure when he chaired the Finance and Tax Committee under Senate President Jeff Atwater "Really it discourages companies from building factories, hiring employees and moving their corporate headquarters here," said Altman, R-Rockledge. Contact Daily News reporter arek.sarkissian@naplesnews.com or 850-559-7620 President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, about steps his administration is taking to reduce gun violence. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) SHARE By Bartholomew Sullivan, JMG Washington WASHINGTON Heres what you need to know about watching President Barack Obamas seventh and final State of the Union speech Tuesday. Time: 9 p.m. Location: The Chamber of the House of Representatives, South Wing of the U.S. Capitol. How to watch: If you dont have a seat in the House galleries, all of the major networks (ABC, CBS,NBC, CNN, Fox) and PBS, MSNBC, Bloomberg, C-Span and Al Jazeera America will air the speech live. C-Span 2 will broadcast congressional reaction to the speech live from Statuary Hall afterward. The audience: Invitees include all 435 members of the House of Representatives, 100 senators, Vice President Biden and new House Speaker Paul Ryan, Supreme Court justices, the Joint Chief of Staff of the military branches, and the presidents cabinet, except for at least one cabinet member who will not attend to establish continuity of government in case of a crisis. Each member of Congress can invite one guest. Many members of the Diplomatic Corps will attend, as will First Lady Michelle Obama and her guests: Sue Ellen Allen of Scottsdale, Ariz., who helps ex-convicts re-enter society; Gloria Balenski of Schaumburg, Ill., who has made use of the Affordable Care Act; Jennifer Bragdon of Austin, Texas, who is attending community college with an eye on a teaching career; Edith Childs of Greenwood, S.C., originator of the campaign slogan Fired Up and Ready to Go; Cynthia K. Dias of Las Vegas, Nevada, a Vietnam Navy veteran and nurse; Mark Davis of Washington, D.C., who started a solar energy company; Cary Dixon of Huntington, W.Va., an opioid reform advocate; Lydia Doza of Klamath Falls, Ore., a software engineering student; Refaai Hamo of Troy, Mich., a Syrian refugee; Major Lisa Jaster of Houston, Texas, a U.S. Army Ranger; Mayor Mark Luttrell of Memphis, Tenn., who works in criminal justice reform; Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy of Hartford, Conn.; Braeden Mannering of Bear, Delaware, a 12-year-old active in Lets Move; Satya Nadella of Bellevue, Wash., CEO of Microsoft; Jim Obergefell of Cincinnati, Ohio, a plaintiff in the Supreme Courts marriage equality case; Police Chief Kathleen OToole of Seattle, Wash.,; Ryan Reyes of San Bernardino, Calif., partner of a victim of the terrorist shooting last month; Ronna Rice of Greeley, Colo., a small business owner; Cedric Rowland of Chicago, Ill., who helps people navigate the ACA; Naveed Shah of Springfield, Va., an Army veteran; Earl Smith of Austin, Texas, a Vietnam veteran; Spencer Stone of Sacramento, Calif., an Air Force sergeant; and Oscar Vazquez of Fort Worth Texas, an Army veteran and Mexican immigrant. The First Ladys Box will also hold a symbolic empty chair for the victims of gun violence. What Obama is expected to say: The president is likely to extend his campaign against gun violence highlighted by high-profile events last week. He is likely to call for criminal justice reform, including limits on mandatory minimum sentencing and suggest a rethinking of incarceration for non-violent drug offenses. He is likely to criticize some in his audience over to 50 votes to repeal his signature legislative accomplishment, the last of which he vetoed on Friday. He is likely to call for vigilance in maintaining the provisions of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law. He is likely to talk about Congress taking up immigration reform and, depending on his mood, distinguish his proposals from those championed by some Republican presidential candidates seeking to succeed him. He is likely to call for both public and private employers to provide paid sick leave. In foreign affairs, he is likely to praise the climate change accord reached last month at Paris and his nuclear weapons deal with Iran. He will provide a status report on the war against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. He is likely to condemn North Koreas continuing nuclear ambitions. And he is likely to talk about unfettered access to the worlds sea lanes. He is likely to talk about the ongoing efforts to detect and stop terrorist plots. And he is virtually certain to state the nations appreciation for men and women serving in the military. What Southwest Florida Congressman Curt Clawson, R-Bonita Springs, who delivered last years Tea Party Response to the State of the Union, expects to hear: The President will again try to paint a picture that our nation is in better shape than where we actually find ourselves with a slow-growth economy and an unstable world that has seen the growth of radical terror in the absence of American leadership, Clawson said Monday night. The Presidents circumventing the will of the American people, in bypassing Congress, and meeting opposition with disdainful rhetoric, has soured the mood of the nation. Clawsons guest will be an unidentified staffer from his office. Florida Gov. Rick Scott, right, waves as he enters the house to make his State of the State address on the first day of session, Tuesday, Jan.12, 2016, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon) SHARE Florida Gov. Rick Scott, right, waves as he enters the house to make his State of the State address on the first day of session, Tuesday, Jan.12, 2016, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon) Florida Gov. Rick Scott delivers his state of the state address during a joint session, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon) Florida Gov. Rick Scott, right, waves as he is recognized by the house of representatives at the start of the legislative session, Tuesday, Jan.12, 2016, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon) Florida Gov. Rick Scott delivers his State of the State address on the first day of session, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon) By Arek Sarkissian of the Naples Daily News TALLAHASSEE Gov. Rick Scott listed $250 million in cash incentives and a $1 billion tax-cut package to help businesses as his top priorities Tuesday during his state of the state speech. Speaking before a joint session of the Legislature, Scott spent much of his half-hour speech promoting his emphasis on jobs. He did not mention important legislative issues, such as education, or bills affecting the state's water policy, or a $3 billion gambling deal he struck last month with the Seminole Tribe. "Floridians want the opportunity to live their dreams," Scott said. "Therefore, I believe that the best way to help our weakest, our poorest, and our most disadvantaged neighbors live their dreams is to help them get a job." Scott's proposed $1 billion tax-cut package includes a $770 million cut in state revenue by eliminating the income tax on manufacturing and retail businesses, and a $339 million cut in taxes on commercial leases. He introduced business owners from across the state to highlight the struggles they face, and talked about the first business he started, at age 22, with his wife in Kansas City a donut shop. "It is hard work to start a business," he said. "It is risky. It is scary. I still remember it like it was yesterday." Some legislative leaders have raised concerns about Scott's tax package, noting the state may not be able to afford that amount of cuts. House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island said Tuesday the House would attempt to pass $1 billion in tax cuts, but many of the cuts would be one-time only because the budget surplus may not continue beyond next year. "It's an opportunity to give money back to the taxpayers of Florida," Crisafulli said, latter adding, "We can't get there with recurring. We've got too many obligations elsewhere." Lawmakers are working with an estimated revenue surplus of $635 million, which is lower than the $1.6 billion surplus estimated by Scott's administration. The makeup of recurring to non-recurring revenue will be determined by House Finance and Tax Committee Chair Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, who was waiting on final budget projections expected later this month. "The important thing here is we can't eat our seed corn," Gaetz said. "The tax cuts just can't be made for the purpose of making tax cuts." Scott asked the Legislature to support his $250 million Enterprise Florida incentive fund. Scott would use the money to lure companies to the state after they pass a series of performance benchmarks. Senate Republicans previously were opposed to tying up state tax dollars in a low-yielding escrow account as companies hit those benchmarks, so Scott proposed the use of a more lucrative investment fund. "The creation of this new $250 million dedicated trust fund will help us diversify Florida's economy, support small business and become the No. 1 place for families to get a good-paying job," Scott said. Senate Democratic Leader Arthenia Joyner said both the Enterprise Florida fund and Scott's $1 billion tax cut package would only make corporations richer. "He talks about his tax cuts and his incentive package helping poor people when it's nothing but corporate welfare," said Joyner, D-Tampa. "How are you going to tell me you're helping your state when you aren't giving anything to people on the street?" House Speaker Pro Tempore Matt Hudson said Scott's choice not to mention issues such as a water policy overhaul bill showed he trusted legislative leadership. HB 7005 by state Rep. Matt Caldwell would set standards for water levels in many state springs and reduce the amount of pollution flowing into Lake Okeechobee. "I think it's a sign that tells me he isn't opposed to the policy," said Hudson, R-Naples. State Sen. Joe Negron said Scott supports the environmental issues the Legislature will address this year. "I think the governor's focused on the job situation, the creation of jobs," said Negron, R-Stuart. "Obviously we can do multiple things this session and I think he's going to be supportive of issues that a lot of us care about, including the environment." Scott starts a statewide tour Wednesday to promote his legislative agenda. His first stops are in Orlando, Tampa and Sunrise. Contact Daily News reporter arek.sarkissian@naplesnews.com or 850-559-7620. Members of the Florida House in session Tuesday, March 4, 2014 during the first day of the 2014 Florida Legislative session in Tallahassee. (AP Photo/The Tampa Bay Times, Scott Keeler) SHARE By Arek Sarkissian of the Naples Daily News TALLAHASSEE Legislative leaders start the regular session Tuesday with concerns about two big proposals offered by Gov. Rick Scott a $1 billion tax-cut plan some consider too big and a $3 billion gambling deal with the Seminole Tribe that many argue goes too far. Senate President Andy Gardiner and House Speaker Steve Crisafulli said some lawmakers believe the Seminole deal expands the state's gambling industry too much and plays favorites by allowing some non-tribe horse and dog racing tracks to install slot machines. "I can't for certain tell you that the deal in its current form has no chance. But is it unlikely? Yes," said Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island. "The reality is everyone will start with a common goal and then everyone starts picking apart ideas specific to different reasons. That's where it starts to get challenging." The gaming deal, which would allow the Seminole Tribe to gamble at its six locations around the state for another 20 years, was among several issues listed by legislative leaders in interviews as the top likely debates for the session. House Speaker Tempore Matt Hudson, whose district includes the Seminole Casino Hotel Immokalee, said he wants a fair deal. Lee County voters had already approved slot machine gambling in 2012 at Naples-Fort Myers Track in Bonita Springs. "I've got people in my district who work at both locations and they visit both locations," said Hudson, a Naples Republican. "If we're going to allow gambling in one spot of the state, it's only fair to allow it elsewhere." Scott's $1 billion tax cut package, which heavily favors businesses, also faces skepticism, as some legislative leaders fear it may be too big for a state budget that may not be growing fast enough. Much of the surplus estimated for next year is from cash that is not recurring each year, according to legislative estimates that differ from the governor's office. "I think right now it's a matter of whether there's enough recurring revenue to support a tax-cut package of that size," said Gardiner, R-Orlando. "The thing about tax cuts is that like recurring revenue, they will be there year after year." Rep. Matt Gaetz, chairman of the House Finance and Tax Committee, said the likelihood of its success would be determined when final revenue numbers surface later this month. Crisafulli and Gardiner praised overhaul bills SB 1052 and HB 7005 that would establish targeted water levels for the dozens of springs and management plans to protect waterways such as Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee River. Sen. Joe Negron, a Stuart Republican, said he would also shepherd SB 1168 and HB 989 with state Rep. Gayle Harrell, also a Stuart Republican, which would use $200 million in Amendment 1 money to restore parts of the Everglades and continue cleanup of the Indian River Lagoon and Lake Okeechobee. Amendment 1 was approved by voters in 2014 and diverts revenue from real estate taxes for the purchase of land to protect parks, water supplies and wildlife. "I think it would be good to continue those efforts, which would restore more of the Everglades," Negron said. Crisafulli and Gardiner said another big issue are bills that would deregulate the health care industry. One would eliminate a costly process for hospitals that are currently required to receive a certificate of need to expand or build new facilities, and another would allow patients to stay longer in surgical centers. Another bill would grant nurses and physician assistants the authority to prescribe narcotics. Of the more controversial bills, the Legislature will discuss a plan that would provide statewide regulation of an oil and gas drilling method known as fracking. Local governments have objected to the bill's provision that prohibits counties and cities from regulating fracking, arguing they deserve a say in the important environmental issue that affects their community. Sen. Garrett Richter, the Senate pro tem, said he wants to streamline local laws that heavily regulate or ban fracking. Richter's bill would establish a $1 million study conducted by the state Department of Environmental Protection to determine the environmental impacts of fracking. Lawmakers would use that information to create state regulation that would supersede local policy set by counties and cities around the state. The bill also would provide a framework for permitting and appoint DEP as a monitor of the chemicals companies use during the drilling process. "I think it's important for the state of Florida to create a regulatory environment to protect its citizens," said Richter, R-Naples. Contact Daily News reporter arek.sarkissian@naplesnews.com or 850-559-7620 SHARE Rocco J. Fiordelisi, Naples Gave away store We won the House in a mid-term landslide and all we needed was the Senate. The electorate spoke and the Senate was won but no one told Rep. John Boehner and Sen. Mitch McConnell. In a previous letter, I rejoiced with the resignation of Boehner, thinking we were halfway there, waiting for McConnell to take the hint. Paul Ryan became Speaker and I saw light at the end of the tunnel but it was only a mirage. Both Ryan and McConnell thought it best to be Santa Claus and fill the president's stocking with everything he wanted. The Republican-led House and Senate passed a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill and separate tax bill that adds to the deficit. It prevented a government shutdown, something only a Republican would do. Among the plums wrapped with a bow for the president are an extension on wind and solar tax breaks; increase of migrants; funding of sanctuary cities; tax credits for people here illegally who pay no tax; funding for Head Start, Planned Parenthood, Obamacare and the list goes on. After the mess created by President George W. Bush and seven years of a president with the intent to destroy this country as we know it, we have an electorate that is frustrated. We also have a candidate who is unabashed and not affected by political correctness. He just wants to "make America great again." It is no wonder he is leading in the polls. America can be great again if we re-establish a democracy based on the Constitution. The president's final year in office is a critical period. His damage has to be limited. The Republican leadership in Congress can make the difference but only if we can convince them that we won. SHARE Pat Lyons, Naples Bundy manifesto As the new year began, I thought 2016 had every chance to be a year for the ages, with Donald Trump leading the presidential parade with his behavior at the debates and public appearances. I would have settled for just that, relishing every national newscast for his latest ramblings. But whoa, onto the national scene arrive the Cliven Bundy family and an armed ragtag entourage of 20-some followers, patriots all, seizing an obscure, apparently abandoned federal National Wildlife Refuge in remote Oregon, a bleak swath of land Rand McNally probably couldn't find. Or want to. And they pulled off the caper in the middle of the winter, not seizing some government parkland in the Florida Keys, instead choosing some God-forsaken land in the Pacific Northwest. Now we have them running around in camouflage and good-looking cowboy hats, rifles over their shoulders and American flags planted everywhere, demanding federal lands be turned over to local authorities to be run as the local governments see fit. These patriots call themselves the Citizens for Constitutional Freedom, and are led by the sons of Bundy (eerily sounding like a John Ford western), and have issued a demand for "redress for grievances" to federal officials. The Bundy brothers have warned they are there for the long haul. Folks, you just can't make up stuff like this; it's straight out of "Blazing Saddles." The demands haven't been made public, and probably won't be until government officials stop laughing, get off the floor and back into their chairs. Anything could be in their demands, ranging from succession to striking a letter or letters from the alphabet. But whatever they may be, 2016 just got a whole lot better, and America is getting great again. The Collier County Womens Bar Association (CCWBA) continues its monthly luncheon series with the Be Your Best at Marketing program on Wednesday, January 27, at Northern Trust Bank, 4001 Tamiami Trail N. in Naples. The event begins at 11:45 a.m. with networking, with the lunch and presentation to follow at noon. The guest speaker is Kimberly Leach Johnson, chair for the national law firm of Quarles & Brady, LLP and partner in the firms Naples office. In her presentation, Johnson will discuss the building blocks of a successful practice and focus on what all attorneys must do to achieve success while facing the challenges of the 21st century legal industry. Johnson is a member of the firms Estate, Trust & Wealth Preservation Practice Group. She has extensive experience representing families in the planning of their estates and the handling of affairs after individuals pass away. Johnson was honored as Woman Lawyer of the Year by the CCWBA in 2011 and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. She earned her law degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, L.L.M. degree from the University of Miami, and bachelors degree from Anderson College. Johnson has received several professional honors, including having been listed among the Top 50 Woman Florida Super Lawyers and among The Best Lawyers in America. The cost of the luncheon is $20 per person for CCWBA members and $25 for non-members. For more information or to sponsor, visit the Collier County Womens bar Association at www.ccwba.org or call Chapter President Kelly Davis at 239-659-5066. A 12-year-old girl was killed after an altercation between her father and a constable when he attempted to serve an eviction notice, according to police and family members. Pennsylvania State Police said they were dispatched to Pfautz Apartments on Rebecca Drive in Penn Township, Perry County, at 10:03 a.m. Monday for a reported shooting. Police reported that Pennsylvania State Constable Clarke Steele, 46, had gone to the apartment at 10 a.m. to enforce an eviction order issued by District Judge Daniel McGuire. Steele attempted to make contact with Donald Meyer, 57, who lived at the residence with his wife and daughter, but Meyer shut the door after opening it to the constable. Police said Meyer then reopened the door, exchanged some brief words with Steele, and then leveled a loaded .223 caliber rifle, which had been slung and concealed along his body. Police said he pointed the gun at the constables chest. Police said Steele, who was in uniform, quickly removed his .40 caliber duty weapon from its holster and fired a single round, striking Meyer in his upper left arm. The bullet, however, went through Meyers arm and struck his daughter, who was standing directly behind him, police said. Family members told ABC27 that the girls name was Ciara Meyer and was a student at Susquenita School District. Police said Ciara was pronounced dead at the scene, and Meyer was flown to Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, where he is being treated. Police did not specify his condition. Police said employees of the apartment complex were on the scene to assist and witness the eviction, and they provided statements about the incident to investigators. Police later discovered that Meyers rifle had a loaded chamber and a magazine containing 30 rounds. Police said Meyer is being charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, terroristic threats and recklessly endangering another person. Police said the investigation is ongoing and is being conducted in cooperation with the Perry County District Attorneys Office. Posted earlier on Cumberlink: ABC27 is reporting that a 12-year-old girl was the victim of a shooting that took place at a Duncannon area apartment complex Monday morning, according to family members. The family told the TV station that Ciara Meyer, 12, was killed in the shooting at Pfautz Apartments in Penn Township, Perry County. Her father, Don Meyer, was wounded and life flighted to a hospital, ABC27 reported. His condition is unknown. State Police are expected to release more information about the shooting today. Police previously reported that an eviction notice was being served at the apartment, and an altercation ensued that resulted in the shooting. ABC27 said a constable was there serving the eviction notice. Perry County Coroner Mike Shalonis said an autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday. Check back to Cumberlink.com as more information becomes available. The Friends of Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park will proudly host the third Annual Childrens Art Show at the Park Pavilion from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 27, and 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 28. Childrens artwork from eight Collier County public and private schools, grades K 5, will be on display throughout the weekend. Teachers may enter any original two-dimensional artwork created by their students. According to the Friends, the goal of the event is to showcase the artistic talents and abilities of local students as well as promote community awareness and enjoyment of the Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park. The theme of the art show, The Real Florida, will reflect the natural and cultural resources of Florida. Some of the suggested categories for childrens artwork include wildlife found at the park, recreation scenes at the park, cultural history, natural seascapes and landscapes. On Saturday morning, judges will award honorable mentions, as well as, first, second and third place prizes for grades Kindergarten through second and third through fifth grades. The Rangers Pick award will also be named. The public will have the opportunity to vote throughout the weekend for the Peoples Choice Award which will be announced on Sunday. According to art show organizers, Local school teachers supported the show last year and are excited to have an outdoor venue for their students to showcase their art. To enter a students artwork in the art show contact Lori Heath Thorn, Park Service Specialist, at Lori.HeathThorn@dep.state.fl.us or call 239-593-2658. Space is limited and the number of entries per school is based on the number of schools that participate. The event is free with park entry fee of $4.00 per one-person vehicle, $6.00 for two-plus persons and $2.00 each for walkers and bicyclists. Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park is located in North Naples at 11135 Gulf Shore Drive at the end of 111th Street. If special assistance is needed to attend or participate, please contact the park office 72 hours in advance at 239-597-6196. For more information about the event and becoming a Friend of Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, please visit www.DelnorWiggins.org. The Friends of Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park is funded solely by public contributions and does not receive federal grants. The publics support as a partner in any event helps to ensure proceeds raised go to upgrades and improvements to Collier Countys treasured beachfront park. For more information about the event and becoming a Friend of Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, please visit www.DelnorWiggins.org. The Royal Palm Academy community will celebrate the wonderful works from the author Roald Dahl and promote literacy in the students of Royal Palm Academy during their 8th Annual Roald Dahl Day featuring the story, the Big Friendly Giant. Come and meet Theo and Maddie Dahl, son and daughter-in-law of Roald Dahl and Royal Palm Academy parents, on Friday, January 22 from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. This year, the event is coordinated with global celebrations of the Centenary of Roald Dahls birth with Royal Palm Academy as the only school in the United States to take part. Roald Dahls timeless childrens classics were celebrated on a set of the UKs Royal Mail Special Stamps issued in January 2012. The six stamps featured iconic Roald Dahl characters from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, The Twits and The Witches. The BFG was celebrated on a further special sheet of four stamps. Royal Mail Special Stamps are an honor reserved for only unique figures and events in UK life, as befits Roald Dahl as the Worlds No.1 Storyteller! A live-action adaptation of BFG, directed by Steven Spielberg, is in production with a release date of July 2016. The event will be even more spectacular than anticipated! Maddie Dahl and her team of dedicated volunteer moms spent weeks planning this successful afternoon to promote literacy. Families will play festival games together, enjoy dinner with friends, and shop at the Roald Dahl Stand containing tee shirts, videos, DVDs, stationery, and books - items usually only available in the U.K. Old style carnival fun will be the layout of this celebration complete with games, prizes, carnival foods and snacks. Mr. and Mrs. Dahl generously purchased a copy of the BFG for each of the schools 240 students to read with their class prior to the event. The Dahls will be on hand all day to sign each students book, as well. We're off to a chilly, dreary start across much of Southwest Florida. SHARE By NBC2 We're off to a chilly, dreary start across much of Southwest Florida. Temperatures will dive down to some of the lowest numbers we've seen so far this season, falling into the 40s across northern areas and middle 50s in southern areas before sunrise. Meanwhile, a disturbance headed our way via the Gulf of Mexico is bringing scattered showers to the region. The bulk of the rainfall this morning will be fairly light, however a few downpours and perhaps even a rumble or two of thunder are possible across portions of Collier County. Conditions will improve as we head through the rest of the morning, with rain ending from north and west to south and east. Skies will clear this afternoon as the winds pick up out of the north and west. Despite some sunshine, afternoon highs will stall out in the upper 60s. Wednesday will feature plenty of sunshine, but will be another unseasonably cool day. Morning lows will fall into the 40s in many locations, while afternoon highs struggle to reach the middle 60s in the face of a strong northerly wind. HARRISBURG Years ago, FFA meant Future Farmers of America and was considered a club for farm kids involved with cows, plows and sows. No more. These days, FFA (which just goes by the initials) has become an organization for city and country youth alike, FFA members agreed on Monday at the groups annual state convention during the 100th Pennsylvania Farm Show. Only about 10 percent of our kids live on farms, said Sara Fulton, ag teacher and FFA advisor with Sherisa Nailor at Big Spring High School in Newville. FFA is about a lot more than production farming. FFA puts a lot of emphasis on getting our kids career ready. It can benefit everyone. Nearly 5,000 people gathered in the New Holland Arena on Monday for the annual convention at which 387 students receives their state degree of membership and 553 first year members were given their blue jackets with gold letters. FFA is growing in Pennsylvania, said Michael Brammer, state FFA Executive manager. Three years ago, we had 8,000 members and now we have 12,700. We offer a lot of opportunities. Pennsylvania has 146 FFA chapters. The FFA crowd in the Farm Show Complexs New Holland Arena on Monday appeared to be a well-dressed, well-behaved group. Students representing FFA chapters throughout Pennsylvania, came early to enjoy the Farm Show then gathered in the arena. As they waited for the convention to begin, they listened to music and discussed what FFA means to them. Ive been in the Big Spring FFA for three years, said Morganne Kerr of Lower Frankford Twp., a junior at Big Spring High School, Newville. It has taught me about public speaking and service. For the past two years, Kerr has been a volunteer at Newville Animal Hospital, transporting animals to and from surgery. She hopes to major in biology at either Penn State or Delaware Valley College, then become a veterinarian. Mason McCullough, 15, of Newville said he was happy to receive his first FFA jacket. The Big Spring High School freshman lives on his familys beef farm and plans to become a farmer. FFA has taught me how to be a leader, McCullough said. It also taught me the value of friends. Greenwood High School in Perry County brought a group of FFA members from its chapter. One of those students, Hannah Bryner of Millerstown, said she joined FFA in seventh grade after she heard another student recruiting for it. I live on a farm, Bryner said. We grow soybeans and corn. FFA has taught me respect, leadership and public speaking. FFA is more than farming. Its about career success through education. She called the statewide convention cool, adding that she has made friends from all over the state. Libby Baker-Mikesell of Port Royal in Juniata County also belongs to the Greenwood FFA Chapter. She noted that her mother has taught education, so joining FFA four years ago seemed natural for the Greenwood High School senior. Im the third generation to live on our family beef farm, she said. I want to carry on my familys passion for agriculture. We have 50 beef cattle. I have a herd of four that I started when I was 8. Baker-Mikesell said that FFA has taught her about both agriculture and service. Its important to always give back, she said. Baker-Mikesell, who recently was accepted to Penn State, where she plans to major in agriculture and extension education and minor in environmental studies. Over the holidays, Europeans were rudely awakened from their utopian dream of open borders and peaceful coexistence to discover, as Oscar Wilde once wrote, ...nightmares are dreams too. Rape and personal crime are on the rise in Europe. The Courier-Mail reports that along with Germany, a rash of sexual assaults took place in Austria, Sweden and Finland on New Years Eve. In Cologne, Germany alone, police received 120 criminal complaints with witnesses reporting that groups of 20-30 young men who appeared to be of Arab origin, surrounded, sexually assaulted and sometimes robbed females. Finnish police also reported an unusually high level of sexual harassment in Helsinki, claiming theyd been tipped off about plans by groups of asylum seekers to sexually harass women. Three rapes occurred at a rail station where witnesses contended that nearly 1,000 mostly Iraqi asylum seekers had converged. This is a completely new phenomenon in Helsinki, told a Helsinki police officer. Six women in Zurich said they were robbed, groped and molested by several dark-skinned men, an unusually high number for Switzerland, police reported. Rapes in Norway and Sweden have skyrocketed in recent years as their Muslim refugee and migrant populations have soared, Examiner.com reports. Sweden, a place which once boasted that women could safely walk the streets at midnight is now known as the rape capital of the West. Norway officials are attempting to fix the problem with sensitivity classes for refugees coming from cultures where women are the property of men, instructing them that Norway does not permit forcing someone into sex...even when you are married to that person. Under sharia, said the Examiner.com report, its OK to rape Norwegian and Swedish women because they are considered infidels. A most telling August 14, 2015 New York Times piece, ISIS enshrines a culture of rape, describes the rape of a 12-year-old Iraqi girl by an ISIS fighter who took the time to explain that what he was about to do was not a sin. Because the preteen girl practiced a religion other than Islam, the Quran not only gave him the right to rape her it condoned and encouraged it, he insisted. While all the reports of sexual misconduct throughout Europe on New Years Eve do not yet link an ISIS tie to the alleged accomplices, based on what occurred, it seems the patriarchal society they come from inspires similar beliefs as the account depicted in the Times report. Might we be attempting the impossible to expect peaceful coexistence in this seismic clash of cultures? Americas sunk, unless we take immediate action. Two Palestinian men who came to the U.S. as refugees were arrested January 7, 2016. CNN reports that one was charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS, and the other, for making a false statement involving international terrorism. Both are accused of lying to immigration officials about their alleged ties to terrorist organizations. Let us not forget, these arrests come on the heels of the San Bernardino ISIS-related attack. Large masses of Americans have voiced concerns that ISIS will indeed fulfill its promise to infiltrate our borders posing as refugees. And the arrests January 7 prove concerns are valid. Unless we want whats happening across Europe to happen here, resettlement of these refugees must cease until we are guaranteed there will be true assimilation into the American way of life. Americas daughters deserve no less. After all, its really not that hard to assimilate, given one is willing to join the rest of us in the 21st Century, abide by Americas laws, speak English, integrate, drop labels, work hard, respect our Judeo-Christian roots and love America. At this point, though, it seems coexistence is but a dream; the kind of dream nightmares are made of. Susan Stamper Brown is a recovering political pundit from Alaska who does her best to make sense of current day events using her faith. Her columns are syndicated by CagleCartoons.com. Email her at writestamper@gmail.com. The regulatory police state has arrived (NaturalNews) Both the EPA and FDA are arming up with military-style equipment such as body armor, spending tens of millions of dollars on military gear over the last few years. OpenTheBooks.com has been tracking government spending on military-style equipment, revealing a frightening pattern of regulatory agencies now arming up their own PRIVATE ARMIES to be used as weapons of intimidation and coercion against the People.When an "environmental" protection agency is building its own private army with military weapons, body armor and assault gear, you know something has gone horribly wrong with the federal government.Now, farmers can be subjected to military-style EPA raids and intimidation tactics, almost as if the government itself is engaging in state-sponsored terror against American citizens.The FDA, too, is building its own military-style "government militia" of armed assault teams. Is this part of the FDA's continued mission to destroy natural products that compete with the profits of Big Pharma? Click here for my full podcast on this subject, or listen below: US Navy deliberately ignoring science showing EMF dangers, lying to public (NaturalNews) The American military is planning to conduct intense electromagnetic warfare training exercises in a primitive forest area of Washington state this fall despite a lack of proper evidence showing that such exercises are safe. According to, the U.S. Navy will fly 36 jets at 1,200 feet above the Olympic National Forest, potentially for 16 hours a day and for 260 days, putting animal and human populations at serious risk.Part of the plan involves erecting 15 mobile ground units within the park that will blast electromagnetic radiation (EMR) signals to supersonic Growler warplanes, a war games exercise that the Navy initially tried to hide from the public. Now that the cat's out of the bag, the Navy is claiming that the exercises are not a threat, though the military arm has provided absolutely no evidence to back this claim.Even so, Dean Millett, the district ranger for the Pacific district of the Olympic National Forest, has issued a draft notice agreeing with the Navy's unsubstantiated claim of "no significant impact" to people or animals. This decision has cleared the way for the exercises to proceed, even though previous military and other scientific documents show that electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs) can cause cellular DNA damage, leading to cancer and infertility."We know the claims that you only have to worry about heating effects are false," stated Dr. Martin Pall, a professor emeritus of biochemistry and medical sciences at Washington State University, toabout the Navy's claims that its EMF exercises are safe because they won't emit thermal/heating effects. "All the assurances of safety are based on that assumption. So this whole thing is of great concern."Pall's understanding of EMF radiation is extensive. He published his own paper citing 24 separate studies showing that EMFs are not only dangerous but distinctly misrepresented by the official safety standards for their use. The idea that the only thing people have to worry about is the heating aspect of EMFs is inherently false, he says.Reams of published science reveal that EMFs are harmful even at non-thermal levels, and that their biological effects are highly concerning. In fact, regular exposure to EMFs even from common consumer products like wireless routers and mobile phones is damaging to humans , leading to conditions like leukemia and infertility."This has been going on for years, and people have been assured of safety based on these things and it is absolute nonsense," said Pall. "So we have a situation now where most people in the world are exposed to microwave frequency radiation based on scientific studies that have no scientific merit."What this means regarding the Navy's planned experiments is that both animals and humans living nearby will face health threats from an arm of the government that is supposed to protect them. The Navy's own published science contradicts what it's claiming about the training exercises, and those entrusted with rooting this out are instead concealing it."What the Navy is doing we have no idea because they don't tell us... but from what little they have told us, they are using a lot of pulse fields in wavelengths that are damaging to us, to biological organisms," added Pall. "They give us not one iota of evidence of what biological effects are produced by those fields, and don't even tell us what fields they are using. You only find empty statements of 'don't worry about these things.'" How long could you survive if your vehicle became stranded? Vehicle bugout bag essentials (NaturalNews) We tend to associate freeways with free movement they are designed for efficient and rapid travel from one place to another, and in emergencies they may also serve as escape routes.But in some situations, freeways can become traps even death traps. They can become hopelessly clogged in weather events such as hurricanes, when too many people try to escape a large city at one time, and they can also become impassable due to heavy snow, winter storms, wildfires, floods or major traffic accidents.Other less likely scenarios that could leave motorists stranded on our nation's freeways, but which should not be dismissed, might include EMPs or terrorist attacks In fact, a terrorist attack on a freeway may not be as far-fetched as it might sound. When authorities began investigating Syed Rizwan Farook, the terrorist behind the recent San Bernardino mass shooting incident, it was revealed that he and his friend, Enrique Marquez had at one point been planning an attack on the crowded 91 Freeway in Los Angeles.The bottom line is that anytime you enter a freeway, there is always the possibility something might occur that could leave you stranded for hours or even days so it's crucial to keep a well-stocked bug out bag or preparedness kit in your vehicle at all times.Suppose you were stuck in a winter storm for more than 24 hours. You've run out of gas trying to keep warm, and you didn't bring along any food or water, so now what? The situation could become desperate in a relatively short amount of time.To be on the safe side, you should have a bag you can carry preferably a backpack that contains everything you need to survive for at least 72 hours.The obvious essentials to include, of course, are food and water. You should also pack some basic survival gear and fire-making materials. Everyone's individual bug out bag should be customized to fit the climate and conditions of the area they live in.Consideration should be given to how much weight is practical for an individual to carry. If you're out of shape or an elderly person, for example, you don't want a bug out bag that you can't carry for more than a short distance. Depending on the situation, you may need to walk several miles to safety.As Jon E. Dougherty ofpoints out: " You can't bug out if you can't carry your bug out bag ."Aside from incidents that might cause you to find yourself trapped on a freeway, it's a good idea to keep a bug out bag in your vehicle anyway, in case an emergency situation arises while you're away from home, or if the SHTF in such a manner that you don't have time to grab your home bug out bag.Here's a short list of essential items every vehicle bug out bag should contain:Three-day supply of waterThree-day supply of non-perishable foodPortable water purifierSurvival blanketSurvival tools (knife, multi-tool, fold-up shovel)Rope or para-cordFirst aid kitFlashlightFlaresDuct tapeExtra clothingThe above list is not necessarily all-inclusive; it's just a list of some items that could prove to be essential to survival . As I mentioned earlier, consideration should be given to the region in which you live and how much you can reasonably carry.How much survival equipment you carry in your vehicle will also be dependent on how much available space you have and how much of it you are willing to dedicate to being prepared for various emergency scenarios That being said, it's better to have more than you need on hand you can always leave some of your supplies behind if you feel like you have more than you can carry to reach safety. (NaturalNews) Connecting the dots between the writers of pro-agrichemical pseudo-journalistic pieces and the funding that fuels their endless propaganda isn't always easy work. But thanks to the efforts of the U.S. Right to Know group, which advocates for mandatory labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) , we now have the inside scoop about a few prominent journalists who have apparently sold their souls to the chemical industry in exchange for a cash payout.A new report focuses on three individuals in particular Amy Harmon, Keith Kloor and Tamar Haspel all of whom seem to support the unmitigated use of unlabeled GMOs in the food supply , and who also can't understand why people oppose hidden biotechnology in their food. The reason for these positions, of course, is that all of these individuals are bankrolled by the biotech industry , and now we have solid proof.is a reporter for(NYT), and has won several awards for her work in "explanatory reporting." She's also connected to the infamous Jon Entine of Forbes.com , who we earlier reported is a domestic abuser and a discredited apologist for GMOs and crop chemicals . Entine actually mentioned Harmon's name in an email exchange, noting that:"I think I've talked Amy Harmon into doing a Hawaii Hawaii story... and I gave her your and Kirby's email information, so she may call at some point if she indeed pursues this."The email was sent to a woman by the name of Renee Kester, and refers to Kirby Kester, the president of an agrichemical industry front group by the name of "Hawaii Crop Improvement Association." Not long after this exchange, Harmon published a story in the NYT supposedly setting the record straight on GMO safety all it really was, though, was a shill piece promoting GMOs.Harmon was also asked to speak at a conference funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation , which was also intends to promote the use of GMOs.is a freelance journalist who has written for a number of popular news outlets includingand. His many pro-GMO articles have also appeared on Jon Entine's website, which is a pro-Monsanto front resource espouses corporate talking points to support GMOs.Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) documents obtained by U.S. Right to Know reveal that Kloor is a "very good friend" of Entine's, as well as other pro-GMO shills who work on behalf of corporations like Monsanto to defend the reputation of GMOs and crop chemicals. Based on an email sent to Kloor and a number of other pro-GMO advocates back in 2014, it is clear that he is very closely aligned with the industry.The email, which was sent by pro-GMO advocate Dr. Channapatna Prakash, included Kloor as the only journalist in the chain. Other recipients of the email included names like Henry Miller, Kevin Folta, and others we've recently exposed for pro-GMO corruption.is a columnist withwho has repeatedly published articles praising GMOs. Her work has also appeared in Entine'sdatabase.Haspel participated in a conference coordinated by John Entine and his colleague Cami Ryan, and was led by theand Academics Review, another agrichemical front group. When asked about her financial relationship with the industry which she has repeatedly endorsed through her work, Haspel said, "I speak and moderate panels and debates often, and it's work I'm paid for."When asked precisely how much money she's received, she replied, "Since any group believing biotech has something to offer is a 'front group,' plenty!" (NaturalNews) Soon, doctors and scientists expect to begin controversial genome sequencing of healthy newborn babies, part of a research program funded by the federal government on behalf of genetic science.As reported by, the research will be conducted at major hospitals and health institutions around the country. The project "stems from a growing recognition that genome sequencing could someday be part of routine testing done on every baby," the paper said in its online edition.That kind of testing, backers say, will give doctors and parents lots of information which could reveal a wider range of possible risks to their children's health later in life -- much more so than the current traditional heel-prick test in which blood is taken from a small number of newborns to check for dozens of potential health issues.As further reported by the WSJ:"We are entering an era where all of medicine is genomic medicine," Robert C. Green, a geneticist and researcher at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston -- a participant in the government program -- told the paper. "In the next five to 10 years, as costs come down and interpretation is more established, it will increasingly be to everyone's advantage to have sequencing information integrated into their care."Supporters of the project note that identifying diseases early on can save a child's life or at least lead to treatments and interventions that could change the progression of the disorder. Scientists say that whole genome or whole exome sequencing, the latter of which concentrates on the 1-2 percent of the genome believed responsible for the bulk of genetic disorders, can help find mutations that are linked to some diseases.Already there are some medical facilities that perform sequencing on a fraction of newborns who demonstrate signs of sickness or developmental problems. That limited sequencing has nonetheless provided doctors with information that they can use to treat underlying conditions.There are a number of issues and questions surrounding genome sequencing in newborns, however. Most of the human genome is shrouded in mystery, and there is no guarantee that, once it is fully sequenced, doctors will have the capacity to utilize and interpret data provided by the sequencing.Also, there is an added expense factor to consider. Traditional heel-prick testing costs about $25; while the price of genome sequencing has dropped dramatically, it still costs $1,000 or more.And finally, there are ethical considerations: Should physicians inform parents of test results which reveal that their newborn baby has some mutations that doctors are not even certain will cause problems later in life?Indeed, some families have expressed concerns and discomfort with genetic information and as such have opted out of having their newborns tested (the program is voluntary, WSJ notes). However, if the sequencing process were to become universal for newborns, "there will need to be population-wide education and acceptance, which I foresee will take longer than solving the technical problems," Joshua E. Petrikin, director of neonatal genomics at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. -- which obtained federal funding to study sequencing in sick newborns -- told the paper.Last year, the National Institutes of Health awarded $25 million in total to four projects aimed at examining separate aspects of sequencing genes in newborns. Additional institutions participating in the project include the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of California, San Francisco, the latter of which will "sequence previous heel-prick samples with the aim of improving the accuracy of newborn screening," the WSJ reported. Sense About Science rooted in demise of extremist group Living Marxism Extremist group Living Marxism's ever-morphing philosophy consistently backs GMOs Living Marxism magazine LM shut down after libel lawsuit (NaturalNews) When one begins to attempt to peek behind the curtain of pro-GMO groups' agendas and methods, the facts revealed are almost as freakish and bizarre as the artificially-mutated products of the industry itself.Take, for instance, the pro-GM front group known as Sense About Science. On its website, the organization describes itself as "a charitable trust that equips people to make sense of scientific and medical claims in public discussion" and which seeks to "stand up for scientific inquiry, free from stigma, intimidation, hysteria or censorship."A noble-sounding ethos, perhaps, but one that the organization adheres to only when it suits its own agendas - or those of the various industries which it seemingly represents, including GM companies.And the disturbing thing about the organization - aside from its apparent aims - is that it is closely linked with a group called Living Marxism.The history of this group is long and complicated. Strangely, Living Marxism has evolved over the past couple of decades from a group professing a radical left-wing philosophy into one that more represents an extreme right-wing libertarian stance, and one which appears to be closely aligned with various corporate interests.This more recent manifestation seems increasingly less concerned about political and societal issues than those which are deemed 'anti-scientific.' However, in the past the group has also championed many controversial and unpopular causes, such as defending holocaust deniers, supporting tobacco companies and spreading false propaganda exonerating those who tortured and mistreated Muslim prisoners during the Bosnian conflict.In fact, aside from baffling observers with its support of extremely questionable causes, the LM group's only coherent and consistent agenda - at least lately - appears to be that of aligning itself to certain corporate interests while donning the disguise of a leftist organization.As crazy as all this seems, there is ample evidence that the group's existence is not only real, but that it also has a powerful influence within mainstream media and over public opinion.A little history: Living Marxism was originally the name of a journal founded in 1988 by the Revolutionary Communist Party.From SourceWatch.org:As the newly-renamed magazine (along with its shady founders) moved toward the extreme libertarian right, it immediately ran into big trouble when it published an article claiming that footage showing emaciated Muslims in a detention camp run by Bosnian Serbs was faked.The British Independent News Television network (ITN), which broadcast the footage, successfully sued LM, which forced it to shut down in the year 2000.Before the publication ceased operations, its founders had reportedly begun a campaign of entryism into "academic and media circles" to further their agendas. Subsequently, members of the LM group founded several organizations and media outlets, including Sense About Science.In 2012, Sense About Science engaged itself in a media campaign to discredit those in opposition to GMO's, labeling them as "Nazis" who display a "hatred of science."Sense About Science seems to be little concerned with either "sense" or "science," but rather with attacking anyone who dares to question not only GMO's, but also such corporate-driven agendas as reproductive cloning and other biotechnologies.Those within the GM industry appear all too willing to rely on spurious propaganda spread by the creepiest of organizations - maybe that's because no sane person or group possessing an ounce of integrity would ever back such a dangerous and misguided agenda. PM: PM Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript. NASA plans to take a new and improved approach to studying coral reefs this year, with the launch of a three-year field expedition conducted with advanced instruments to survey the world's reefs in far greater detail than ever before. Researchers from the COral Reef Airborne Laboratory (CORAL) will take aerial and up-close, underwater measurements to better assess the condition of these threatened ecosystems. Their findings will be used to create a unique database of uniform scale and quality, according to a news release. "Right now, the state of the art for collecting coral reef data is scuba diving with a tape measure," Eric Hochberg, CORAL principal investigator and scientist at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, St. George's, explained in the release. "It's analogous to looking at a few trees and then trying to say what the forest is doing." Coral reefs are valuable marine ecosystems, home to a quarter of all ocean fish species. Yet they are in trouble and very little of the world's reef area has actually been studied scientifically. In fact, most research stems from minimal dive expeditions, in which reefs were measured at only a few sites. That's where NASA's new method comes into play. Alternatively, the CORAL expedition will survey the condition of entire reef systems in Florida, Hawaii, Palau, the Mariana Islands and Australia, using an airborne instrument called the Portable Remote Imaging Spectrometer (PRISM). Scientists will also carry out concurrent in-water measurements to validate the airborne measurements. Hochberg and his team will be analyzing the reef conditions in the context of the prevailing environment, including physical, chemical, and human factors in an attempt find out how the environment ultimately shapes reef ecosystems. "We've seen the reefs of Jamaica and Florida deteriorate and we think we know what is happening there," Hochberg added. "However, reefs respond in complex ways to environmental stresses such as sea level change, rising ocean temperatures and pollution. The available data were not collected at the appropriate spatial scale and density to allow us to develop an overarching, quantitative model that describes why and how reefs change in response to environmental changes. We need accurate data across many whole reef ecosystems to do that." Michelle Gierach, a CORAL project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California, explains PRISM was designed for remote sensing of coastal and inland waters. The spectrometer records the spectra of light reflected upward toward the instrument from the ocean below, allowing researchers to pick out the unique spectral signatures of living corals and algae. The ratio of coral to algae is a good indicator of reef health because algae growth tends to take over dead corals. "Now, estimates of global reef status are synthesized from local surveys with disparate aims, methods and quality," Gierach said in the release. "With CORAL, we will provide not only the most extensive picture to date of the condition of a large portion of the world's coral reefs, but a uniform dataset, as well." While CORAL will provide a more accurate picture of reef health and its impending doom, the expedition will only cover three to four percent of the world's reefs. "Ideally, in a decade or so we'll have a satellite that can frequently and accurately observe all of the world's reefs, and we can push the science and most importantly our understanding even further," Hochberg concluded. Related Articles Reef Health and Butterflyfish: Picky Appetites Protect Fish From Corals Touched By Seaweed Cloudy Waters Shade Corals From Excess Sunlight, Helping Them Survive Climate Change For more great nature science stories and general news, pleasevisit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN). -Follow Samantha on Twitter @Sam_Ashley13 I suppose nothing comes easy our way. Literally none. Ask me and I will tell you, but I can't speak on behalf of any of you. I won't and I choose not to anyway because to each our own bundle of life stories. My story without a doubt have been a roller coaster ride and yo-yo string up and down for as long as I remember. Years of struggling for settling in a career I am passionate about, one marriage failure after 16 years and the rest is more and more pain and misery history until my Indian hero came by. Honestly, if you asking me, he is god send for rescuing me. Whether you agree or not, I really believe there's a soul mate out there for each of us. I met mine when I was dangling in many question marks at 37 years old. The rest is history in making whereby we together worked our butts out for a comfortable life (more at Verona & Milan ). Additionally, unlike the current generation, the lucky generation who are showered with lotsa money by their parents for travelling, I had to save. Thanks also to my other half-half for kick starting me hard towards my first ever heroic solo travel ( Bangkok Thailand - Through My Canon ). Thereafter, I did my solo tour group travel to Vietnam & Cambodia , followed by all expenses paid for knowledge thirsting in Perth and next was another solo travel by way of cruising ( Krabi & Perth ). Shouldn't I be proud of myself? This married Indian lady in her early fifties who have travelled on her own? Not sure if you are agreeing. Maybe its a norm for Western women or younger women to travel alone, but as far as I know, not our Malaysian Indian ladies though. Speak about our suppressing Indian culture, I personally believe I must pat on my own shoulder. Trust me, who ever said travelling alone when you are in your fifties is easy? No, take it from me. Not easy. You need bouts of guts. Worst of it all for me is sleeping alone in a new country, of course the streets are never friendly to women on their own, let alone in Malaysia, yet conclusively, I am not gonna stop. As long as I can, as long as I don't beg, borrow or steal money neither ride on others, I will be out there in one country or another. This latest trip of mine to Chiang Mai/Chaing Rai I reckon can't be included as another solo me. I actually joined force alongside the Indian couple I met during my Vietnam and Cambodia trip ( Ho Chi Minh City - Lets Explore together ). But its still back to sleeping alone, which mind you can be a bed nightmare jerker. Yet, I always remind myself that lets cross the bridge when we come to it. This 4 days 3 nights was one of those all paid for tour travel except obviously, common sense will tell you shopping is always ours? Departing from the airport on a rather early morning flight, in fact I had to be up by 5.00am, up in the air we went for just a few hours, prior to landing in Chiang Mai airport where our tour guide was already on stand-by and another family of four, Malaysian Chinese family were also part of our tour. The start for the day, call it brunch or even early lunch, within the next 20 minutes we were already seated in the road side Thai Muslim stall, A bowl of egg noodles soaking in curry and some chicken pieces, teamed along Thai style kimchi, sliced onion, cucumber, lime wedges, washed down by coffee. Was it a meal I am dying to suggest to you? Don't waste your time. In fact, I didn't even bother jotting down the name. Frankly speaking, we hardly ate. We looked at each other, I especially grinned like a wicked witch, seriously, forget it. intricately carved mythical Naga Serpent steps, leading to atop Doi Suthep/Mount Suthep" temple for viewing the pagodas, statues, murals, bells, the museum and shrines. Do dress decently guys. Its a must in this temple as well as in all temples in Thailand on the whole ( Ayutthaya Thailand ). I usually carry a scarf whenever I travel. If by any chance my knee length shorts is an obstacle , have scarf will travel for me. obstacle Anyway, in all fairness, we didn't sulk nor did we put our thoughts across to the lady tour guide. I suppose its one of those things you can avoid when you are in tour, within the next less than half an hour, we departed to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep via the 15km winding mountain road. Cable car ride was already included, so there was no need to walking up the 300Doi Suthep/Mount Suthep" temple for viewing the Built as a Buddhist monastery in 1393 and still functioning till this day as monastery, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Wat is sincerely a sight to behold. C hiang Mai mountain scenery, the golden spire which decorates the centre of the temple, Emerald Buddha copy statue, the real one in Bangkok I have already viewed, White Elephant shrine, and worlds largest gong and line of bells. I also wouldn't stop admiring the dozens of orchids across the walkway and cable car station. All in all, if you asking me, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is a must do. Even if you have not heard of it before, no worries. The tour guides or even hotels will suggest. However, be mindful if you visiting during peak season or weekends. Actually, come to think of it, Thailand on the whole is forever a popular tourist destination throughout the year. So, it speaks for itself even in Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Hundreds and hundreds of tourists and Thai people seemingly are always praying. Additionally, the petty traders are quite a bunch. They won't leave you alone. They will tail gate you till the end. Then again, isn't it the same elsewhere too? For those of you who have been traveling widely, I am sure you know what I am talking about ( Rome 2 Days ). So, lets not made a big issue out of it. If you don't want buy, just ignore them. That's it. Nobody can force you, unless you do it out of sympathy? By 3.30pm, we were already dropped off in Holiday Villa where we will be staying for 3 days. Off to our room, no qualms whatsoever about my spacious and well maintained room, luggage left aside and and we returned to the lobby. Hunger had strike by then. Should be. Remember we hardly touched the curry laksa, we did though gulp bottles of water in the temple. Having no clue whatever where we should dine, we walked along the road and spotted the few stalls. What a discovery. Truly satisfying tom yam fried rice and absolutely refreshing chilled lemongrass drink. Wow pow tummy rocking. Back to the hotel for a short nap, at about 6.30pm, we left for dinner in one of the Thai restaurants. Not an upscale restaurant, just ordinary and food didn't win us over in any account. Nothing worth mentioning. Subsequently, our leisurely walk from the restaurant took us through the night market and more street stalls, off to bed before an early rise and shine day 2 in Chiang Mai. To be continued................ Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is clearly enjoying being a dad like all proud new parents, he's been posting baby pictures on Facebook to keep everyone updated about baby Max. His most recent post about Max came with a message: "Doctor's visit time for vaccines!" Being the influencer he is, Zuckerberg's post has been liked by more than three million people, who lauded his public stance on the controversial subject of vaccinations. "As someone with autism, with a son with autism, as someone who is constantly watching good people put their own children at serious risk because of old, fraudulent fears of vaccines and autism... thank you for being sensible. Thank you for doing what's right and also for showing everyone else that it's the right thing to do as well," wrote commenter Stuart Duncan. "A subtle political statement indeed, that's great! Who would've thought we'd come to an age where we'd need one on the subject of vaccines," wrote Vanya Kumar. "It's kinda sad that we now live in a world in which we congratulate people for vaccinating their kids. Look at how far we have regressed due to science illiteracy," wrote Carlos Munoz. But not all the attention has been positive. Although the majority praised Zuckerberg's decison to get his daughter vaccinated, anti-vaxxers criticized it. "I am sorry to see you unnecessarily putting your kid at risk by responding to faux science and propaganda, wrote commenter Stuart Morgan Kunkle. According to a Wired magazine report last year, Silicon Valley day cares affiliated with tech companies have below-average vaccination rates. The debate over vaccination took center stage in California right after a measles outbreak in Disneyland. More than 131 Californians were infected, but no one died from the outbreak. Only 81 of the 131 people infected had vaccination documentation. Last June, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that says that only children with serious health problems may opt out of school-mandated vaccinations. The law is intended to boost vaccination rated in the state. "The science is clear that vaccines dramatically protect children against a number of infectious and dangerous diseases," Brown wrote while signing the bill. "While it's true that no medical intervention is without risk, the evidence shows that immunization powerfully benefits and protects the community." (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); The family of a mentally ill inmate who was allegedly beaten to death by three Santa Clara County correctional officers in August has filed a wrongful death claim against the county and the sheriff alleging a violation of constitutional rights. The claim also brings up a host of past alleged abuses at the jail, and directly states the sheriffs department should have learned from the past to prevent similar calamities. Burlingame attorney Paula Canny filed the claim a precursor to a lawsuit on Thursday on behalf of Shannon Tyree and Elizabeth Ott, the heirs of Michael Tyree, who was killed on Aug. 26, 2015. After serving his time for a petty misdemeanor, Tyree was being housed in the main jail awaiting a transfer to a mental health facility. But, instead of being released on July 29 as a judge ordered, Tyree died in jail. The wrongful death claim states the family is seeking unspecified damages for expenses and emotional distress. The coroner ruled Tyree's death was a homicide. The claim names the sheriffs department, the county and the three former officers now charged with Tyrees death: Jereh Lubrin, Matthew Farris and Rafael Rodriguez. The claim also named Sheriff Laurie Smith, who was not immediately available for comment on Monday. But in September, Smith apologized for the deaths at a news conference, and arrested as well as fired the officers. The officers have entered not guilty pleas. (Watch the sheriff annouce the arrest of the deputies.) The claim states that several state and federal rights were violated including Tyrees right to be free from excessive and unreasonable force, the right to be free from conscience-shocking force and the right to be free from deliberate indifference to serious medical needs. The 16-page claim also references past cases of alleged abuse. In 1995, inmate Joseph Leitner was left comatose by five correctional officers who restrained him by putting blanket over his head suffocating him. The claim alleges the guards were not properly trained. In 2004, jail guards subdued Scott Marino until he fell into a coma, and in 2005, Carlos Garcia also died after being restrained, the claim states. The sheriffs department, the claim states, is well aware of the myriad of excessive force and negligence complaints and should have known better. Fueled by a strong tech economy, San Franciscos office rents are on a hot streak, surpassing Manhattans to become the highest in the nation. A report from real estate services firm CBRE Group shows that San Franciscos average asking rates surpassed Manhattans in 2015. The last time this happened was during the "Internet gold rush" more than a decade and a half ago, and even that was short-lived after the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, NYTimes noted. The market here in San Francisco has been largely driven by the tech industry, which has really been one of the growth leaders coming out of the recession, CBREs director of research and analysis Colin Yasukochi told the Times. Manhattan is more dominated by financial services firms who were not on that same growth trajectory coming out of the recession. Demand from the tech sector pushed asking rates up 14.3 percent for the year to $72.26 per square feet and vacancy down to 5.6 percent. Marketwide leasing activity was 9.4 million sq. ft., down slightly from 2014, but still strong considering the low vacancy rate. In 2015, of the 14 deals over 100,000 sq. ft. totaling 2.2 million sq. ft., seven were leased by tech firms. The CBRE rankings are based on average rents. The report predicts that rents are likely to further increase in 2016, given the lack of availability albeit at a slower pace and are on track to break their all-time high of $74 that was set in 2003. Non-tech tenants may have to leave the market as rents continue to increase, the report warned. The rent trend appears durable, but will be tested during the next economic downturn since the high tech industry has historically been volatile and San Francisco office rents are closely linked to tech industry growth, Yasukochi told NBC Bay Area. At $3,490, rents for a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco are currently the highest in the country, online apartment rental firm Zumper reports.[[365033531, C]] With Mexican authorities saying they're committed to extraditing Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to the United States, it appears more likely than ever that American prosecutors will eventually get their hands on the drug lord. But it's not clear exactly how long that process will take, nor which of the offices that have already brought charges against Guzman would get to go first with their cases. A look at how Guzman could be extradited. WHAT HAPPENS NOW? Mexican authorities say they've formally notified Guzman, whose capture Friday came six months after he broke out of a Mexican prison, that arrest warrants from the U.S. are being processed. That's the start of the process, though the head of extradition for the Mexican attorney general's office told local media that it will probably take at least a year to extradite Guzman. And Guzman's attorney said that the defense already has filed six motions to challenge extradition requests. The speed of the extradition process is almost entirely up to the Mexican government, said David Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor who oversaw the narcotics division at the U.S. attorney's office in Miami. "It can go as slow or as fast as they want it to go," Weinstein said. WHERE IS HE WANTED? About a half-dozen U.S. attorneys' offices throughout the country among them Chicago, San Diego, New York City, New Hampshire, Miami and Texas have secured indictments against Guzman in his absence over the years. In the Eastern District of New York, for example, a 49-page grand jury indictment accuses Guzman of running a cartel that imported "multi-ton quantities of heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States" and of employing hit men who carried out murders, kidnapping, tortures and other acts of violence. Meanwhile, prosecutors in the Western District of Texas accuse Guzman and a series of associates of bringing cocaine and marijuana into the state through vast open desert, across bridges and via other trafficking routes, and then arranging for the proceeds to be smuggled back into Mexico. WHERE WILL HE BE PROSECUTED? No announcement has yet been made, and a Justice Department official said Monday that no decision had been reached on where Guzman would be sent once Mexico actually extradites him. The Justice Department has a designated Office of International Affairs that deals with extradition matters and securing the return of fugitives. Regardless of where he ends up, it's safe to expect jockeying among the different offices. Prosecutors in San Diego, for instance, can point to their experience in going after the Arellano Felix cartel. That group's former leader, Benjamin Arellano Felix, was extradited from Mexico in 2011 and was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison in 2012. In Chicago, Guzman has been dubbed "Public Enemy No. 1," and prosecutors there say the city is a major hub for Guzman's Sinaloa drug cartel. Besides its own experience in narcotics cases, the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn counts among its alumni some of the highest-ranking Justice Department officials in Washington, including Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Leslie Caldwell, chief of the department's criminal division. There's often politicking involved in these decisions, and deference is sometimes paid to the office that filed its case first, said Marcos Jimenez, a former U.S. attorney in Miami who oversaw drug cases involving extradited defendants. But, he said, "the overwhelmingly most important factor is which office has the best case against him and the most likelihood of conviction. I would think that they would put those things together and pick the office that has both the best case and the best team of prosecutors available." State police arrested a West Hartford resident Tuesday who they say was growing marijuana in his home on Quaker Lane and seized dozens of the plants and a small stash of illegal fireworks from the residence where a 3 year old also was at the time of their response. Christopher J. Colby, 34, of West Hartford, is facing multiple drug charges and a risk of injury to a minor charge after a lengthy state police narcotics investigation. State police detectives searched his 443 Quaker Lane home at about 5:45 a.m. on Tuesday and discovered a grow room in the attic that contained more than 66 plants. They seized the plants, which were in various states of growth, as well as multiple high intensity lights and ballasts often used in cultivating marijuana, 27 mason jars with marijuana buds of "various strands of marijuana," THC Butter from extracted marijuana oils, pipes, bongs, fertilizing agents and other paraphernalia, state police said. State Police Emergency Services Unit bomb techs responded due to a small amount of illegal fireworks investigators found and seized those. They notified the Department of Children and Families because a 3-year-old child was home at the time. The kid's relationship to Colby is unknown. Authorities charged Colby with cultivation of marijuana, operating a drug factory, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of fireworks and risk of injury to a minor. He is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court on Jan. 26. His bond has been set at $50,000. The State Police North Central narcotics task force oversaw the investigation with the help of special agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency, West Hartford police Special Investigations Unit and the West Hartford Community Interaction Team. When President Barack Obama gives his State of the Union Address Tuesday night, several Connecticut residents will be in the audience. From the governor, to a man falsely sent to prison for a crime he didnt commit, they'll get the chance to hear the president give his last state of the union address in person. It was emotional. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would get a call like that," James Tillman said of the invitation he received from Congressman John Larson. Tillman made headlines nearly a decade ago when he was exonerated by DNA evidence after spending 18 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit. Tillmans story spurred newly passed legislation, co-sponsored by Congressman John Larson, that prevents the government from taxing compensation paid to those wrongly convicted. It means that the government cares. Things happen and the government is trying to make a wrong into a right and it helps," Tillman said. Dr. Mohammad Qureshi, president of the Ahmadia Muslim Community, was equally surprised when he received an invitation from Congressman Joe Courtney. I couldnt believe myself. It was really an honor," Qureshi said. His Meriden mosque was hit by bullets after the terrorist attacks in Paris and California last year and the FBI is investigating the incident as a hate crime. I think our conduct after the incident must have triggered this maybe," Qureshi said. The feedback has been overwhelming. The support Im getting from everybody is overwhelming. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who will sit near the First Lady for the State of the Union Address as her guest, has had a deep connection with the president ever since the tragic Sandy Hook school shootings. I think Newtown changed the president in many ways," Malloy said. The president has championed Malloys efforts on gun control, but, the governor believes the state has made strides in other ways that have gained the presidents attention. Its recognition that weve done a number of things. First state to pass a minimum wage of $10.10, first state to pass paid sick days," Malloy said. Theres a lot of good things that Connecticut is doing and its nice to be recognized. New Britain Police Chief James Wardwell will also be a guest of U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-5). The congresswoman announced that she and former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords will sit together during the address. It has been five years since the tragic attack in Tucson and three years since the tragedy in Sandy Hook, and yet Congress has still not taken up commonsense gun violence prevention reforms, said Esty, who is also Vice Chair on the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. I am proud to join my friend, Gabby, who has dedicated herself to public service. From Newtown and Hartford, to Tucson and Charleston, Chicago and Colorado Spring, Americans are demanding action to enhance criminal background checks and improve access to mental health services. Giffords' husband, Capt. Mark Kelly is expected to accompany her and sit with them in the House gallery for the president's final State of the Union. I am honored to join so many of my former colleagues and Congresswoman Esty at the State of the Union address. Congresswoman Esty is a true champion for common sense in the fight for making our communities safer from gun violence. Both Congresswoman Esty and I know all too well the impact of gun tragedies on our communities and our constituents. We share a bond no elected representative ever wants to share. It is a club you never want to belong to, Giffords said in a statement. But the truth is that gun tragedies befall every congressional district and every community in our nation. Gun violence knows no bounds. Thats why its so fitting and powerful that one seat in the First Ladys State of the Union Guest Box will be left empty to honor the victims of gun violence. The Americans represented by that empty seat no longer have a voice. And we must be their voice. Watch the State of the Union Address on NBC Tuesday at 9 p.m. A 91-year-old man who was reported missing on Monday has been found dead, according to Naugatuck police. Frederick Christiansen, 91, of Naugatuck, disappeared on Jan. 11 and police issued a Silver Alert for him on Monday. Police said he was found dead at a local hotel and detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death. Christiansen's family last saw him at 5:30 am on Monday morning at their home and he left a note at the house indicating he might hurt himself, police said. Anyone with information is asked to call Naugatuck police at 203-729-5221 The mother of a North Texas teenager known for using an "affluenza" defense while on trial for a deadly 2013 drunken driving wreck was released from jail Tuesday morning after posting a reduced bond. A judge reduced Tonya Couch's bond from $1 million to $75,000 in a Tarrant County courtroom Monday. Couch is charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon: Her son, Ethan Couch, who killed four people in a 2013 crash and was facing allegations that he violated his probation. Tonya Couch was brought back to Texas last week, days after she and her son were arrested in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Ethan Couch remains in a Mexico City detention facility. After posting bond Monday, Tonya Couch the mother of a North Texas teen known for using an affluenza defense during a trial for a deadly 2013 drunken driving wreck was released from jail Tuesday morning. She left the jail and went to the probation office where she would be fitted with a ankle monitor. Tonya Couch received an electronic ankle monitor, which she will be required to wear, and must remain at home except for appointments with her doctor and lawyer. She will be electronically monitored 24 hours per day and will need to be available for a visit from a probation officer at any time. She will also have to take routine drug and urine tests. Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said he hopes that's enough. "That's always a concern you're going to have when somebody has already fled one time," he said. "I hope the restrictions put in place will be sufficient." NBC 5 law enforcement expert Don Peritz said if she tampers with the ankle monitor, it could land her back in jail. "The monitor would send a signal back to the home unit that something is wrong," Peritz said. "The home unit would make a phone call and let the person that's monitoring her know that something is wrong, and they may have an immediate warrant for her arrest issued." Tonya Couch will have to pay $60 per month for the monitoring service. "It's easier than being in jail for everybody involved," Peritz said. "It's cheaper for everybody involved, except for the person being monitored. Tarrant County does not have to feed her or have jail guards watch over her. In the long road, it's a better situation for everybody." On Monday afternoon, State District Judge Wayne Salvant reduced Tonya Couchs bond from $1 million to $75,000. Sheriff Dee Anderson said the earliest she could be released is Tuesday, even if she posts bond Monday evening, because she would have to wait to have an ankle monitor issued. State District Judge Wayne Salvant said he understood prosecutors' concerns that Couch might flee again, but that the charge against her, while a third-degree felony, wasn't serious enough to merit a $1 million bond. Ethan Couch was 16 when he killed four people in June 2013, ramming a pickup truck into a crowd of people trying to help stranded motorists on the side of a North Texas road. He was driving at nearly three times the legal limit for adult drivers. On Monday afternoon, State District Judge Wayne Salvant reduced Tonya Couchs bond from $1 million to $75,000. A juvenile court judge gave Couch 10 years' probation, outraging prosecutors who had called for the teen to face detention time. The case drew widespread derision after an expert called by Couch's lawyers argued Couch had been coddled into a sense of irresponsibility by his wealthy parents, a condition the expert called "affluenza." Despite all of the previous testimony about Ethan Couch's wealthy upbringing, his mother's attorneys have argued that she had few assets to her own name and couldn't pay the cost of a $1 million bond. Another of Tonya Couch's sons, Steven McWilliams, testified Monday that the balance on a bank account belonging to her read "-$99 billion." Tonya Couch is separated from Fred Couch, Ethan's father, who owns a suburban Fort Worth business that does large-scale metal roofing. On Monday afternoon, State District Judge Wayne Salvant reduced Tonya Couchs bond from $1 million to $75,000. According to an arrest warrant, Tonya Couch is accused of taking $30,000 and telling Fred Couch that he would never see her or Ethan again before fleeing. The couple originally married in 1996, but divorced 10 years later. They remarried in April 2011, but court records show they are amid divorce proceedings, haven't been living together as husband and wife since at least August 2014, and that Fred Couch's attorneys couldn't locate Tonya Couch as of Dec. 21. Law enforcement officials believe the mother and son had a going away party shortly before driving across the border in her pickup truck. They were first tracked to a resort condominium after ordering pizza before police found them at an apartment in Puerto Vallarta's old town. When they were arrested, Ethan Couch appeared to have tried to disguise himself by dying his blond hair black and his beard brown, according to investigators. Steven Averys new legal team said they plan to present new evidence and are "confident" that the man whose murder case was spotlighted in the documentary "Making a Murderer" will have his conviction vacated. We are continuing to examine every aspect of Mr. Averys case and all of his legal options, Kathleen T. Zellner said in a statement Monday. We are confident Mr. Averys conviction will be vacated when we present the new evidence and results of our work to the appropriate court. Kathleen T. Zellner & Associates, P.C. in Downers Grove announced Friday it will assume the full and complete representation of Steven Avery. The Zellner Law Firm is looking forward to adding Mr. Avery to its long list of wrongful conviction exonerations, the firm said in a statement. The firm will join Wisconsin counsel Tricia Bushnell, the legal director of the Midwest Innocence Project, the statement said. Details on how the legal team plans to move Avery's case forward were not immediately clear. Avery made national headlines in 2003 when he was freed after nearly two decades behind bars -- exonerated for a sexual assault that DNA proved he didn't commit. Two years later, Avery and his then-teenage nephew Brendan Dassey were charged in the killing of photographer Teresa Halbach, who visited the Avery family salvage yard to take photos of a minivan on Halloween. Avery was suing Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, the former district attorney and the county sheriff for $36 million over his wrongful conviction at the time he was accused of Halbach's murder. Halbach's bones and belongings were found burned near Avery's trailer. Both Avery and Dassey were convicted and sentenced to life terms, but only Dassey is eligible for parole in 2048. Both Avery's and Dassey's cases were featured in the gripping Netflix documentary Making a Murderer. The documentary strongly suggests the possibility that Manitowoc County sheriff's deputies planted evidence against Avery, including a key found in his bedroom and blood found in the victim's vehicle. But Sheriff Robert Hermann has denied that claim. "They did not plant evidence," Hermann said. "I trust them 100 percent. Quite frankly, I think justice was served in this case." The 10-part series has prompted watchers across the nation to flood message boards and Twitter feeds, even prompting a response from the White House. Authorities involved with the Wisconsin case are saying the series is slanted and omits crucial facts that led to Avery and Dassey being found guilty in the death of Halbach. The filmmakers, meanwhile, are standing by their work that spans nearly a decade and largely concentrates on the defense and perspective of Avery and Dassey's relatives. Lawyers with Northwestern Universitys Center for Wrongful Convictions of Youth are currently awaiting a ruling on a Habeas petition filed on behalf of Dassey, hoping to force a new trial in his case. They have argued that Dasseys trial was plagued by the actions of his former attorney, who was removed from the case, and claim that Dasseys confession was coerced. The state, however, has said that the attorney's removal happened before his trial and have argued that Dassey fails to show that an appeals court's decision was unreasonable. Students from a pair of Porter Ranch-area schools returned to class Tuesday, but not at the campuses they're used to, thanks to a continuing gas leak that has been causing illnesses and prompting residents to temporarily move out of the area. On Dec. 17, the LAUSD board declared an emergency at Porter Ranch Community School and Castlebay Lane Charter School in response to the leak from the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility. The board decided to temporarily move students to alternate locations. Porter Ranch Community School is located about two miles from the Aliso Canyon facility, which has been leaking natural gas since late October. Castlebay Lane Charter school is about one mile from the site. The roughly 1,100 kindergarten through eighth-grade students at Porter Ranch Community School returned to class at 8:25 a.m. on the campus of Northridge Middle School. The 770 kindergarten through fifth-grade students at Castlebay resumed school at 8:30 a.m. at Sunny Brae Elementary School in Winnetka. Supervisor Michael Antonovich said the contents of the kids' original classrooms had been moved to the new locations. "They had their own desk ... the security that they were still in their class," Antonovich said, praising LAUSD for "putting the children first, not last." Antonovich said Southern California Gas Co. will reimburse the LAUSD's costs associated with the move. The bulk of LAUSD students returned to class Monday, but students at the Porter Ranch schools had an extra day to prepare. Porter Ranch Community School principal Mary Melvin said that absences had been increasing at the campus. "Toward the end we had right around 200 students absent, so it's quite a few -- many because of the relocation, some because of the side effects of the (gas), depending on what families were comfortable with," she said. "But it's wonderful to have them all back." The two schools "have been significantly disrupted by the gas leak," according to a staff report presented to the LAUSD board last month. "Absenteeism and visits to the health offices at each of these schools has significantly increased. "Furthermore, since the leak was first reported, families are opting out of attending school and are instead choosing independent study for their children, while others have transferred to a different school. Additional requests for independent study programs and school transfers continue." The students are expected to remain at the relocated classrooms until the end of the school year. Antonovich and City Attorney Mike Feuer have raised concerns about potential price-gouging by landlords taking advantage of Porter Ranch families looking for temporary housing away from the gas leak. The county's director of Consumer Affairs said the agency hadn't received any formal complaints yet but was working with Feuer to investigate. "This office is prepared to prosecute," Brian Stiger said. The guest list for President Barack Obamas final State of the Union address reflects his presidency as he sees it. The names of people joining First Lady Michelle Obama in her box were announced on Sunday. According to a press release, they tell the story of the progress we have made since the president delivered his first address seven years ago. Each represents a cause which Obama emphasized during his presidency, such as criminal justice reform, the Affordable Care Act and gun control. People of all ages and all walks of life were invited by the president from Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, to everyday Americans making a difference, such as Cedric Rowland, an Affordable Care Act navigator from Chicago. The list is also notable for who is not on it. Obama chose to leave an empty seat in the first ladys box in honor of victims of gun violence who no longer have a voice. Obama has been adamant about his desire for gun control, tearing up during a speech announcing executive actions he planned on the issue. He later said he would not campaign with candidates who do not support common-sense gun control. Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who was in office when the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings took place, was invited as was Ryan Reyes, an activist whose partner was killed in the recent San Bernardino shootings. Last month, Obama made headlines when he commented on a photo of Refaai Hamo, a Syrian refugee, on the Humans of New York Facebook page. Welcome to your new home. Youre part of what makes America great, Obama wrote. Hamo was invited to the address. Hamo lived in Syria with his family until a missile tore through their home, killing his wife and one of his children. They moved to Turkey where he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. His family was eventually granted refugee status in the U.S. and now live in Troy, Michigan. Jim Obergefell, the plaintiff in the marriage equality U.S. Supreme Court case, will be attending as both a guest of the first lady and Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkeley, a Democrat. Lisa Jaster, one of the first female Army Reserve officers to graduate from the Ranger School, will be attending. The 37-year-old engineer and mother of two is one of only three women to graduate from the school last year after female students were allowed to attend, the White House release said. Many other invitees are Americans doing good things for their community. Braeden Manning, a 12-year-old Delaware resident, was inspired to start a nonprofit to feed the homeless after he attended the White House Kids State Dinner Mark Davis of Washington, D.C., founded a business training low-income individuals to install solar panels. A U.S. veteran and Mexican immigrant, Oscar Vazquez of Forth Worth, Texas, excelled as a STEM student in high school. He nows works as a business analyst in a web app development team, and encourages others to pursue an education in STEM. Whimpering in pain, bleeding from head injuries and dazed by the enormity of the crash, victims in the Amtrak train derailment south of Seattle begged 911 dispatchers for help and said "tons of people" had been hurt. Dozens of emergency recordings released Wednesday by South Sound 911 Dispatch provided a vivid account of what happened during the deadly Dec. 18 crash. "My abdomen hurts really bad. I don't feel good," said a crying woman identified as Angela who was bleeding from her head and wailed in panic each time she couldn't find an answer to a dispatcher's questions. "I don't know how old I am off the top of my head. I'm sorry!" Obama also included people he met during his first campaign for president, such as Texas veteran Earl Smith and Edith Childs from South Carolina. (Click here to read the full list of invitees in the first ladys box.) While this is Obamas last State of the Union address, it will be the first for Speaker of the House Paul Ryan in his new position. Ryan said in a statement that his guests were poverty fighters from Wisconsin and around the country, such as Bishop Shirley Holloway, a Washington, D.C., resident who founded a nonprofit to help over 40,000 people dealing with addiction and homelessness. Logan Barritt, a 4-year-old from Wisconsin, will be joining the speaker in his box. Starting with the change in his piggybank, Barritt raised $1,300 to send care packages to service members overseas. Of the four senators currently vying for the White House, only Marco Rubio has announced a guest for the State of the Union so far. The Florida Republican tweeted a link to a local Florida news site announcing his guest as Conner MacFarlane, a college student whose father was killed in Aghanistan. Ted Cruz, however, will be skipping the address entirely. A representative from his Senate office confirmed to NBC that the candidate was not scheduled to be in Washington on Tuesday for the event. Other lawmakers are bringing their own guests from around the country. Each is allowed to bring one person to the annual speech. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will bring Howard Abshire, a former coal miner and Kentucky constituent. A 9-year-old Syrian refugee will be the guest of Rep. Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat. When an airstrike hit the Syrian refugee camp where Ahmad Alkhalaf was staying, three of his siblings were killed. The young boy lost both of his arms in the attack. Rep. Barbara Lee, a Democrat from California, has invited Alicia Garza, one of the founders of the Black Lives Matter movement, according to NBCBLK. Pennsylvania state trooper Alex Douglass was invited to the event by Republican Sen. Pat Toomey. Douglass survived a deadly ambush on his Poconos-are barracks. Rep. Joe Courtney, a Democrat from Connecticut will bring Dr. Mohammed Qureshi, president of the Connecticut chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. The mosque he attends was attacked after the Paris attacks last November, though no one was hurt. Jim Harbaugh, head football coach at the University of Michigan and former San Francisco 49ers coach, was invited to attend with his wife by Michigan Reps. Justin Amash, a Republican, and Debbie Dingell, a Democrat. The father of a news reporter who was gunned down in Washington, D.C., last year will be attending with his local delegate, Democrat Eleanor Holmes Norton. Charnice Milton was shot last May by someone on a dirt bike while waiting for a bus. Kim Davis, the county clerk from Kentucky who defied a court-order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, will be attending with her attorney. Davis visited the Capitol once before for a meeting with Pope Francis. It is unknown which lawmaker invited Davis to the event. Liberty Counsel, which represents Davis, told MSNBC they're 'not publicizing' that information. Obama isn't the only one who is spotlighting an empty seat. Republican Rep. Steve King, of Iowa, said his empty seat would "commemorate the lives of more than 55 million aborted babies." King said he would skip the speech and instead be in the members chapel "praying for God to raise up a leader whom he will use to restore the Soul of America. Obamas final State of the Union address will be broadcast on Tuesday, Jan. 12, at 9 p.m. ET. An engineer who helped rebuild the World Trade Center claims his former employers charged the Port Authority for what could be millions of dollars in unnecessary labor hours. The bills were for so-called "standby trades hours," guaranteed payments to senior union members for being on call whether or not they do any physical labor. Between 2006 and 2009, Magdy Youssef was a structural engineer for Tishman Construction and then for Turner Construction, two companies that managed work on One World Trade and the WTC Transportation Hub. Youssef says the two construction management firms routinely billed the Port Authority for standby hours without specifying on pay records that the laborers were mostly idle. He also says the standby trade laborers were often completely absent from the job site when he held meetings in construction trailers. Personally, me seeing them? I dont recall that, Youssef said. If they are working on the project and they are doing the job that is described as their function - for example, master mechanic, foreman, safety engineer, and the rest of them - they should be sitting in these meetings. Youssef says the improper billing of standby hours hasnt been confined to Port Authority projects. His suit says Tishman and Turner billed taxpayers for idle workers on other federally funded construction sites across the country. His suit does not quantify the alleged overbilling except to say that standby hours could amount to millions of dollars per project. Youssef's claims are laid out in a federal whistleblower lawsuit that alleges the billing of standby hours is a widespread fraud on construction projects all over the region and the country. According to the suit, the Port Authority was improperly billed $175 an hour for a standby master mechanic, $150 an hour for a standby maintenance engineer and $100 an hour for a standby labor foreman. "Why should the government, whether it be the federal government, the state government, or city government, be paying for hours that are not worked on the project," said Daniel Kaiser, Youssef's attorney. Representatives from Tishman and Turner told the I-Team in emailed statements the whistleblower suit is doomed to fail because standby hours are required by collective bargaining agreements. Each and every worker on our projects is paid for the hours they work -- hours which are documented, certified, and approved by our clients, wrote Chris McFadden, a spokesman for Turner. He added that Turner does not support labor practices that do not add value." Youssef's former bosses at Tishman characterized him as a frustrated former worker who once sued Tishman over rights to one of his engineering designs. The lawsuit was dismissed. Mr. Youssef has filed suit against us in the past, wrote John Gallagher, a spokesman for Tishman. As a result of this history, we are confident that this suit, filed by a disgruntled employee, will be dismissed. Tishman and Turner say all standby laborers -- even if they were idle -- reported to the job sites. The construction firms also challenged the notion that on-call laborers are of no value to a project. In a legal brief filed by Tishman, the construction management firm argued these workers, while they may not be performing physical labor at the site while standing by, still are performing a necessary function for that contract. Collective bargaining agreements do often require contractors to pay for a defined number of standby hours, but Youssef claims Tishman and Turner unlawfully passed the cost of idle workers onto the taxpayers. According to the suit, Tishman and Turner hid charges for standby workers by incorporating those extra hours into payment requisitions that they submitted to the government, without disclosing that the costs were associated with standby trade provisions which were required by union collective bargaining agreements which did not represent work actually performed. Both Tishman and Turner reps insist the Port Authority was well aware the agency was paying for idle workers. But a Port Authority spokesman declined to confirm that. "Given the matter remains the subject of pending litigation, the Port Authority is not going to comment, wrote Port Authority spokesman Ron Marisco in an email to the I-Team. Last month, the U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York charged Tishman Construction with a different kind of overbilling on World Trade Center projects. Rather than focusing on standby hours, federal investigators found Tishman routinely lied about overtime hours, sick time and vacation time. The company admitted to the fraud and paid $20 million in a deal to defer prosecution. Mr. Youssefs current suit has nothing to do with the deferred prosecution agreement, wrote Gallagher. They are entirely separate matters. While prosecutors have argued Tishman committed a crime by inflating overtime and other hours, they have not subscribed to Magdy Youssefs claims about standby hours. Already, two U.S. attorneys and the New York Attorney General have declined to intervene. That usually means prosecutors feel they would be unable to prove the case in court. But Youssefs attorney believes part of the problem is that the Port Authority has not been eager to cast itself as a victim of overbilling fraud. The Port Authority has very close relationships with Tishman and Turner, Kaiser said. No one can ever know, but certainly a case like this, you can imagine, would not be attractive to the Port Authority. Chris Ward, the former Port Authority executive director who approved many of the contracts to rebuild the World Trade Center, recently took a job with AECOM, the parent company of Tishman Construction. Ward did not respond to the I-Team's request for comment but, according to the company, Wards position with AECOM does not have day to day dealings with Tishman. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx) said there is at least the appearance of a conflict of interest when a former Port Authority executive accepts a job with the very company that has admitted to padding overtime to defraud his old agency. "There is often an unhealthy relationship between a particular government agency and some of the contractors they are dealing with," Dinowitz said. Carol Sigmond, a construction attorney who is president of the New York County Lawyers' Association, believes a federal judge is likely to dismiss Magdy Youssefs whistleblower suit, but she also says Youssef raises an important issue. "He forces you to consider the question about whether the Port Authority thought through, carefully, all of the standby trades and whether they needed them all. Sigmond suggested the Port Authority should have used the enormous size of the World Trade Center projects to bargain with trade unions and reduce the number of idle workers on the construction site. Youre paying a lot of money for skilled labor to stand around, Sigmond said. Theres no question that if the Port Authority had sat down with the unions and said we dont want to pay for all this standby time. We want, if necessary one standby electrician. We want to limit the hoists. We want to limit whatever we want to limit -- they would have been able to engage in some serious negotiations and they would have had the potential to get some savings for the taxpayers. Four Delaware schools were evacuated Monday morning due to bomb threats, according to police. Investigators say threats were made over the phone from a robotic style or computer-generated voice to the following schools between 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.: H.B. DuPont Middle School, Hockessin, DE Caesar Rodney High School, Camden, DE Indian River High School, Dagsboro, DE Seaford Middle School, Seaford, DE Students from the schools were evacuated while officials and police K9s searched through the buildings. Nothing suspicious was found during any of the searches and students and staff were eventually allowed back inside. The Dover, Smyrna and Milford Police departments are all investigating the threats. If you have any information, please call Troop 2 Youth Aid Division at 302-834-2620, Troop 3 Youth Aid Division at 302-697-4454, or Troop 4 Youth Aid Division at 302-856-5850. Officer Jesse Hartnett, injured in an ambush attack in Philadelphia last week, is an avid collector of police patches and a special collection is underway to make sure he is surrounded by them during his time in the hospital. Hartnett was known to collect various police patches during his free time, according to a Facebook post. A push is now underway to see how many patches can cover the wall of Hartnetts room during his recovery time at the hospital. The push is being described as a way to bolster his spirits and show support, the Facebook post read. If you would to donate any police department patch, special unit patch or police department challenge coins, you can send them to the 18th Police District at the following address: P/O Jesse Hartnett 5510 Pine Street Philadelphia, Pa 19143 Officer Hartnett suffered severe injuries to his arm when he was shot multiple times during an ambush attack in Philadelphia on January 7. The suspect, 30-year-old Edward Archer, is facing numerous charges, including attempted murder. Archer has been described by the head of the Philadelphia police union as an "urban terrorist." During a meeting with the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists (PABJ) Tuesday night, police commissioner Richard Ross Jr. said Hartnett's arm was "virtually destroyed." He also said Hartnett still has a long road to recovery both physically and psychologically. The West Whiteland Township Police Department asked for the publics help in locating a pastor wanted for rape and related charges after a teenage girl said she is pregnant with the 33-year-old man's child. Jacob Malone of Exton, Pennsylvania is wanted after the victim came forward saying she met Malone at a church in Arizona where he was a pastor when she was 12 years old. When the victim was 17, Malone contacted her and invited her to stay with him and his family in Minnesota, where he was a pastor, said West Whiteland Police. While staying with Malone's family, the victim says Malone began trying to have inappropriate contact with her. In July 2014, Malone moved his family to Chester County where he he began working as a pastor in the county, and invited the victim to live with him again, investigators said. The victim reported that Malone began sexually assaulting her in the fall, giving her alcohol on two occasions. During one of those occasions, the victim alleges Malone molested her after she became intoxicated. The teen told police she is pregnant with Malone's child, said investigators. Police believe that Malone is aware of the warrant and is attempting to avoid apprehension. He may have fled the state. Anybody with information on Malones whereabouts is asked to call the West Whiteland Township Police Department at 610-692-5100. Persons wishing to stay anonymous can leave a message on the tip line at 610-594-9057. Anyone who sees Malone should call 911. An Indiana high school has been drawing attention for serving what some have called "sandwiches of shame" to students who have debts on their lunch accounts. A student posted a photo of a cheese-and-bread sandwich served to a classmate in front of her in the cafeteria line. "The lunch lady said, 'You owe $25.60. You have to have this alternative lunch,'" Kokomo High School senior Sierra Feitl told TODAY. The effort is part of a policy enacted to encourage families to pay off their debt. The school notified families about the change at the end of last year but only recently began to enforce it. The district says total credit on lunch accounts have put the school in $50,000 in debt, putting it at risk for losing federal funding. A confessed gunman who ambushed a Philadelphia Police officer might have been part of a small group of urban terrorists and has investigators searching not only in the Philadelphia neighborhood where the shooting occurred but nearby Delaware County as well. Terror investigators worked into Tuesday to find three other men in connection with Edward Archer, a self-proclaimed jihadist who shot a Philadelphia police officer "in the name of Islam," NBC News reported. That investigation included Chester in nearby Delaware County where one of the other men may be from, sources with knowledge of the investigation told NBC10s Deanna Durante. Sources said the other men hadn't appeared to have committed any crimes as of yet. Federal and Philadelphia area investigators also interviewed Archers family, which lives in Delaware County, and searched for other clues after a woman came forward over the weekend to report that Archer has ties with a trio of men with similar intentions. NBC News reported that investigators have learned the names of two of the other men. [[364795361, C]] Archer faces attempted murder charges for Thursdays nights caught-on-camera attempted assassination of Philly Police Officer Jesse Hartnett. The shooting left Hartnett hospitalized with serious injuries to his left arm. "His arm was hanging by a string and he got out there, did what his training said, and he was in an ultimate battle with an urban terrorist, and he came out on top," Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 President John McNesby told NBC10. Investigators want to find out how Archer, 30, managed to make trips to Egypt and Saudi Arabia in 2011 and 2012 despite being unemployed and previously not holding a passport. As the investigation into the shooting and search for other possible jihadists continued, police in the region remained on edge. Some municipalities in Delaware County began doubling up patrols after Philadelphia Police made a similar move in the wake of the shooting. Haverford Township stressed a policy of officers sticking together and only responding with a second officer present and Upper Darby Township continued with its policy of always having backup before responding to a scene. Josh Shapiro, the chairman of Montgomery County's commissioners, said Monday that he is running for state attorney general, joining a crowded field vying to succeed the embattled Kathleen Kane in the November election. Shapiro's entry into the race sets up what could be an expensive Democratic Party primary on April 26. Shapiro, who was recruited unsuccessfully by party elders last spring to run for U.S. Senate, reported last month that he had $1.4 million in his campaign account. Shapiro is a lawyer but has never been a prosecutor or criminal defense lawyer and will be the only candidate in the race without that kind of experience. Still, he insisted he has the credentials to fix an attorney general's office riven by scandal, and he cited a record as an ethics reformer in government. "There is a clear contrast in this race, and I think Pennsylvanians are looking for a leader who understands how to clean up a mess and has proven to have a record of integrity and the judgment to make the right calls," Shapiro said. At least four other Democrats have indicated they plan to seek the party's nomination. They include Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala, Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli, former Allegheny County Councilman David Fawcett and former county and federal prosecutor Jack Stollsteimer. The only Republican in the race is Sen. John Rafferty, of Montgomery. Candidates have until Feb. 16 to gather enough voter signatures to qualify for the primary ballot. The primary election is April 26. Every elected attorney general in Pennsylvania has had at least some experience in a county, state or federal prosecutor's office. Besides leading Pennsylvania's third most populous county since 2012, Shapiro is Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf's appointee atop the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. A one-time congressional aide, he also is a former eight-year state House representative who gained a reputation as a leading ethics advocate in Harrisburg. Shapiro noted that he took over as chairman in Montgomery County after his predecessor had been arrested. The county has a $389 million annual budget and more than 2,300 employees, several times bigger than the attorney general's office. Shapiro said he would make a formal campaign announcement Tuesday in an open letter. In the letter, he says the task before him is to "rebuild the Office of Attorney General and restore integrity to our justice system," citing scandals including the pornographic emails roiling state government. Kane won the office in a landslide in 2012 and could run for a second term despite facing criminal charges and lacking a law license. Kane is seeking the restoration of her law license from the state Supreme Court and is battling an attempt by the Senate to remove her from office. The first-term Democrat awaits trial in Montgomery County on charges she illegally leaked secret grand jury material to embarrass a rival and lied about it under oath. No trial date has been set. Wolf has called on Kane to resign. This may be the tastiest news you hear all day: San Diego Restaurant Week (SDRW) is back, showcasing more than 180 eateries across out local dining scene over the course of eight delicious days. This time around, SDRW runs from Jan. 17 through Jan. 24 with its familiar, scrumptious set-up: participating restaurants will offer special two and three-course, prix fixe menus for lunch and/or dinner. Two-course lunch menus are priced at $10, $15 or $20 per person, while three-course dinner menus are priced at $20, $30, $40 and $50 per person. The popular culinary event spans local restaurants across 12 regions throughout San Diego County including downtown San Diego, La Jolla, Central San Diego, Mission Bay and Beaches, North County Inland and Coastal, South Bay and Point Loma/Harbor Island, to name a few communities. Cuisine varies, too, with every type of food on the SDRW list: from American and California fare, to Mexican, French and Italian. As always, no special passes are required to attend SDRW. Just pick the participating restaurant that sounds good to you, go there and ask for the SDRW menu. Really, its easy as pie. Now, on to the main course. A small sampling of eateries participating in SDRW 2016 include: PrepKitchen (Little Italy, La Jolla and North County locations); Backyard Kitchen & Tap in Mission Bay; the newly-reopened Top of the Market in downtown San Diego; Beaumonts Eatery in La Jolla, Solterra Winery & Kitchen in the North County; and The Red Door Restaurant and Wine Bar in Mission Hills. The very long list of participating restaurants as well as photos and mouthwatering menus can be seen in full on the SDRW website. Foodies can even score a few recipes on the website so they can try their hand at cooking some delicious dishes at home. SDRW has partnered with Sysco and the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank to raise funds for the organization's many programs for hungry children and families in San Diego County, including the Food 4 Kids Backpack Program. SDRW organizers say diners can get involved in the fundraising efforts by posting a photo of their SDRW experience on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #Food4Kids and tagging the SDRW restaurant where they are dining. Sysco will donate $1 to the Food Banks program for every #Food4Kids post during the event so the program, which provides weekend food packages to chronically hungry elementary school students, can be launched in as many local schools as possible. The Maritime Museum of San Diego is putting out a call to aspiring sailors, seeking volunteers to help maintain and sail some of its famous, historic tall ships. The museum located along scenic Embarcadero at the San Diego Bay is looking for volunteers to help with the upkeep of tall ships from four different centuries: the 18th century HMS Surprise, a full rigged Frigate; the 19th century Californian, a Topsl schooner; the 19th century three-masted Bark Star of India, the 20th century steam yacht Medea; and the newly-built 16th century Spanish Galleon, San Salvador. Volunteers wont just get to help with the maintenance of the ships theyll get to sail them, too. To that end, the Maritime Museum will host an orientation for crew on Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. aboard the Star of Indias orlop deck. To register for the volunteer project, click here. After orientation, volunteers will be invited back for their first official class on Jan. 24, at 8 a.m. sharp. Classes for this program will continue every Sunday through March 6, according to the Maritime Museum. At these training classes, volunteers will learn how to sail the museums tall ships, including key skills like knot-tying, laying aloft climbing the rigging sail setting, sail theory, maintenance of the ships and more. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old and members of the Maritime Museum. They must also have valid health insurance. The classes are free to volunteers who meet those guidelines. The new crew will join the museums well-established community of volunteer shipmates. The Maritime Museum of San Diego specializes in restoring, maintaining and operating historic vessels and boasts one of the worlds finest collections of historic ships, including the iconic Star of India. Recently, the museum even hosted reenactments of cannon battles on the bay. The Navy has removed a Coronado-based admiral from his job on allegations he misused government computer equipment. A statement obtained by the San Diego Union-Tribune says Rear Admiral Richard L. Williams was relieved of command of Carrier Strike Group 15 on Jan. 8. No details of the alleged misuse were released but officials say no classified material was involved. Williams was administratively reassigned to the U.S. Third Fleet staff in Point Loma. He has not commented. Williams, a 1984 graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, took command of the North Island Naval Air Station-based strike group in July. The newspaper reported Monday that Captain Chris Barnes is serving as the interim commander until a permanent replacement is named. One man was killed and another was injured after two masked men forced their way into a Waldorf, Maryland, home Tuesday morning. After entering the home in the 11500 block of Terrace Drive about 4:15 a.m., the masked men demanded money and began hitting the men, according to the Charles County Sheriff's Office. They fired several shots at 34-year-old Michael Keith Beers, killing him, the sheriff's office said. A 32-year-old man jumped out of a window to escape, and a 52-year-old woman and a woman in her 20s also safely got out of the house. The woman in her 20s, who police said was partially clothed, disappeared. The other woman, who lives at the house, was a longtime friend of Beers, News4's Pat Collins reported. She had been like a mom to him, a friend said. Investigators believe the masked men targeted Beers. I think as the investigation moves on well learn more about this house and what was going on inside, sheriffs spokeswoman Diane Richardson said. The 32-year-old man refused to go to the hospital. No arrests have been made. A construction worker was killed Monday morning in an industrial accident in Clarksburg, Maryland, officials say. Glenn Edward Baugher III, 28, of Frederick, died after being pinned under equipment at Metro Ground Covers, a mulch supplier on Frederick Road. Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, said the victim may have been hit by a heavy trapdoor or a piece of equipment. Baugher died at the scene. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is leading the investigation. No foul play is suspected in the death. A witness who says she saw Virginia college student Hannah Graham and murder suspect Jesse Matthew together in a bar on the night that Graham vanished reportedly told a friend, "He's gonna f--- her up." Prosecution documents are revealing new details about the hours before Graham, 18, went missing in September 2014, including remarks made by the witness who saw Graham with a man police say is Matthew. On the night that Graham disappeared, the woman was walking on Charlottesville's downtown mall when a man attempted to high-five her, she later told police. She didn't respond, but her friend did high-five him. She then saw the man walk up to a "female walking alone" and put his arm around her, according to a search warrant affidavit. "He doesn't know her," the woman said to her friend. She and her friend then followed the two to Tempo, a Charlottesville bar and restaurant where the four sat at the bar. Police say the man in the bar was Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr. Graham's remains were found five weeks later. Matthew has been charged with her murder, though his attorneys have questioned the credibility of the investigation that linked Matthew to the killing. The new details about the night Graham, a University of Virginia student, went missing were released in court documents obtained by NBC29 in Charlottesville and shared with NBC Washington on Tuesday. They also detail the searches conducted of Matthew's Charlottesville apartment and car. During a pretrial hearing Monday, Matthew's defense attorneys argued that crucial evidence should be thrown out, but after 10 hours of testimony, a judge sided with the prosecution. It's evidence prosecutors believe could convict Matthew, 34, in Graham's abduction and killing. He is also charged in the 2009 murder of another college student, Morgan Harrington. Matthew is already serving three life terms in another case, an attempted murder and assault in 2006. Timeline in Hannah Graham's Disappearance According to a prosecution memo, police reviewed hours of security footage and spoke with witnesses to determine a timeline for Graham's and Matthew's whereabouts on the night of Sept. 12, 2014, and the early hours of Sept. 13, 2014. Authorities say Graham, who was from Fairfax County, left her apartment at 9:33 p.m. Sept. 12, 2014, and was with her friends in Charlottesville's Fig Restaurant at 10:48 p.m. Graham then went to the Camden Plaza Apartments on 14th street, and left around midnight. She was attending a party, authorities have previously said, and she left alone. According to credit card receipts, Matthew spent $22.95 at Tempo shortly after midnight Sept. 13, 2014. Starting at about 12:44 a.m., Graham was shown on surveillance videos from several businesses as she walked east toward the downtown Charlottesville mall. At 12:56 a.m., she texted a friend, saying she was lost. A friend of Graham's showed police screenshots of texts she received Graham that night. An affidavit says the texts appeared to show that Graham was intoxicated. Some of the texts included misspelled words or didn't make sense, the document said. Surveillance video also showed Graham walking east on the downtown mall as a man police say is Matthew walked in the opposite direction. He stopped when she passed, waited for her to walk by and then followed her. A witness later told police that she saw Matthew approach Graham on the mall and put his arm around her, authorities said. Minutes later, the two are shown walking side by side on the mall, authorities say. Witness accounts and surveillance videos show Graham and Matthew in close bodily contact more than once in a short period of time, and the videos also show them talking, authorities said. They also said Matthew appeared to adjust his walking pace and direction to stay close to Graham. The witness said Matthew entered Tempo with Graham and brought drinks with his card, according to the memo. According to credit card receipts, Matthew's credit card was charged $15.30 for drinks at Tempo at 1:10 a.m., prosecutors said. Authorities say within 15 minutes of that time, a vehicle matching Matthew's was seen within a block of Tempo, and that they have reason to believe the two left together. However, defense attorneys dispute that account, saying police have information indicating that Graham walked away in a different direction from where Matthew's car was seen driving away. During questioning several days later, Matthew said of that night, "I was pretty drunk that night, I don't remember," according to an affidavit from authorities. Bloodhound Searches of Matthew's Apartment, Car During their search for Graham, police called in a bloodhound handler, the prosecutors' memo said. The dog tracked Graham's scent away from the downtown mall and to a mulch pile in the Woolen Hills area of Charlottesville, the prosecutors' memo said. However, defense attorneys said bloodhound search evidence that was "intentionally or recklessly omitted" from an affidavit indicates Graham left Tempo and walked to a remote location without Matthew. A bloodhound and cadaver dog searched Matthew's apartment. The cadaver dog's handler indicated there wasn't a strong scent present. However, the bloodhound indicated a scent associated with Graham on the passenger door of Matthew's car, on the asphalt where his car was parked, and around the threshold and sides of Matthew's foyer door and entry door, prosecutors said. The dog's handler concluded that Graham hadn't been walking around at the location, but he said that her scent was present, the memo said. The bloodhound also indicated that her scent was present toward the rear entrance of Matthew's apartment, according to the memo. The handler said there was a 60 percent chance that Graham's scent was present at Matthew's home. The dog also showed interest in a dumpster near his apartment, the memo said. However, defense attorneys dispute those accounts, saying the handler told Charlottesville investigators that he didn't believe Graham had been there. Police Searches of Matthew's Apartment, Car Police executed several search warrants on Matthew's apartment. Officials retrieved several bags of evidence from those locations, including some that allegedly linked Matthew to other crimes. The prosecutors' memo said authorities seized bedding, fibers, a wallet, several articles of clothing and pillows. Matthew Faces Capital Murder Charge Matthew is charged with capital murder in Graham's death. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Monday's hearing for Matthew focused on police actions concerning Graham's disappearance and death. During the hearing, Matthew's attorneys questioned the credibility of the investigators involved, specifically the information they gave to a judge, who allowed them to search Matthew's apartment and car for evidence. "The defense is arguing the search warrant, which led to the discovery of evidence in Jesse Matthew's apartment, was not a valid search warrant, because the officers lied or misled the magistrate in some way about way the facts were," said former Albemarle County prosecutor Scott Goodman. "These attempts to get search warrants thrown out are not successful in most cases," he said. A judge ruled that investigators were not misleading and the evidence is admissible. The defense will be able to challenge that notion Jan. 21, when more testimony will be heard. A K-9 detective testified his bloodhound did not actually trace Graham to Matthew's apartment, as he alleged to a magistrate when police were seeking a search warrant. Under cross examination by prosecutors, the detective said the dog traced the scent of Graham to the passenger side of Matthew's car, then to the entrance way of his apartment, and finally, to a nearby dumpster. "The bottom line here is there was evidence found in Jesse Matthew's apartment that the defense doesn't want the jury to see or know about, so they're trying to get that evidence thrown out," Goodman said. At a hearing last month, a judge approved the hiring of a mental health expert to examine Matthew before his trial. The trial in Graham's murder is scheduled for July. Whatever the verdict, an appeal is expected. Matthew is already serving three life terms for the attempted murder and sexual assault of a 26-year-old woman in Fairfax, Virginia in 2005. He is also facing first-degree murder charges in the death of 20-year-old Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington. She disappeared after attending a Metallica concert on the University of Virginia campus in 2009; her remains were found in early 2010. Matthew's trial in Harrington's death is scheduled for October. Authorities have said DNA from the Graham case links Matthew to Harrington's death, as well as the 2005 attack. Previously happy children became aggressive, were afraid of water and even stopped talking after they were abused at a day care center in Northern Virginia, emotional parents testified Monday in Manassas. The trial of Sarah Jordan began Monday. Jordan is one of two women accused of abusing children age 16 months to 2 years old at Minnieland Academy at The Glen in Woodbridge. Jordan faces 37 charges in the alleged abuse of 13 toddlers. Ten parents spoke Monday, some in tears, about seeing dramatic changes in their children after they joined Jordan's classroom. One after the other, parents testified about troubling behavior that emerged when their little ones were moved into Jordan's class of toddlers, nicknamed "The Monkey Room." Parents said their children became aggressive at home, stomped on their parents toes and became afraid of water. Some refused to bathe, their parents said, and most cried when they were dropped off at the center. Police say the behavior is the result of Jordan and Kierra Spriggs, who also is accused of abuse, spraying children with a hose and encouraging them to bite and fight each other. One father, Adam Smith, testified that his daughter "completely stopped talking" once she was in Jordan's care. "She would stomp her mom's feet. She would run in and slap us for no apparent reason and start giggling," Smith said. The allegations against the two Minnieland workers surfaced in fall 2013, after a coworker of the women called child protective services. Desiree Edwards, who also worked with the toddlers, said Monday she saw Jordan trip a running child and then laugh. On another occasion, Jordan dumped water on a little girl's head, making her cry, Edwards said. Edwards testified that she reported the abuse to Minnieland management and was told bosses would observe the classroom via cameras. When no action was taken, she called the county. All but one of the families involved in the case removed their children from the center, and many said they have met with therapists. Jordan has maintained her innocence since she initially was charged. The defense is expected to call witnesses on Tuesday. Fellow teacher Spriggs faces trial next month. When President Obama delivers his final State of the Union speech Tuesday night, he will be one of only a handful of presidents to end a second term with an address to the nation, and like his predecessors, he will try to ensure his imprint on the countrys future and the coming election. "It is sometimes important for us to step back and take measure of how far we've come," Obama said Tuesday morning on NBC's "Today" show. "The economy right now is doing better than any other economy in the world by a significant margin. We remain the strongest nation on earth by far." Among other two-term presidents, Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan both vaunted thriving economies as their presidencies neared the end and offered policies to keep them growing. George W. Bush faced a country divided by the Iraq War and a faltering economy. Obama is expected to talk about the countrys resiliency even as many Americans question the direction the country is headed. Seventy percent of the public says the country is on the wrong track, according to a December NBC/Wall Street Journal poll. Republican presidential candidates are zeroing in on that discontent. You'll hear a big, optimistic, generous view of the future of America from the president on Tuesday," Obama Chief of Staff Dennis McDonough told NBC News "Meet the Press." Of Republican portrayals of a country mired in dysfunction, McDonough said, I don't really get it. What I see is an America that's surging. President George W. Bush in his last address to Congress emphasized the unfinished war in Iraq and warned against bringing troops home too early from a conflict that took up much of his attention while he was in office. On the faltering economy, the voters top issue, he urged quick approval of a tax rebate package. Our country has been tested in ways none of us could have imagined, Bush said. We faced hard decision about peace and war, rising competition in the world economy and the health and welfare of our citizens. Like presidents before him, he fended off any suggestion that he was a lame duck. We have unfinished business before us and the American people expect us to get it done, he said. The Los Angeles Times in an analysis of the speech called the section on the progress in Iraq and Afghanistan the most soaring and upbeat while noting that the durability of those accomplishments remained in question. The Washington Post said the grand dreams Bush had begun his term with remaking Social Security and immigration law had given way to modest proposals for hiring the spouses of military members. Last year, the Congressional Research Service looked at the tradition of the speeches and stressed that a president has two audiences in mind -- Congress and the American public. After Tuesday's speech, Obama will travel to Omaha, Nebraska, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to highlight the countrys economic progress during his administration. Unemployment in both states has dropped significantly in the last seven years, according to the White House. According to a list compiled by The American Presidency Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara, only five other presidents who served two full terms gave a State of the Union address at the start of their final year in office: George Washington, Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. The list does not include four-term president Franklin D. Roosevelt, while other two-term presidents submitted written reports to Congress. Clinton said that the state of the union was the strongest it had ever been. He pointed to prosperity and social progress with little internal crisis or external threats. The United States was beginning a new century with more than 20 million new jobs, the fastest economic growth and lowest unemployment rates in 30 years, the lowest poverty rates in 20 years and the first back-to-back budget surpluses in 42 years, he said. Never before have we had such a blessed opportunity and therefore such a profound obligation to build the more perfect union of our founders dreams," he said. He set some grand goals, among them health care for all, a cleaner planet and prosperity for every community. He also called for tougher gun control, including state licenses showing new handgun buyers had passed background checks under the Brady bill and a gun safety course. Analysts immediately noted that the National Rifle Association opposed licensing gun buyers. Reagan in his final address called the state of the union much improved and said that there was good reason to believe it would continue to improve. For a time we forgot the American dream isnt one of making government bigger; its keeping faith with the mighty spirit of free people under God, he said. Inflation had dropped from 12.4 percent to 3.4 percent, across-the-board tax reductions had been passed and industries such as transportation had been deregulated, he said. Tonight, we can report and be proud of one of the best recoveries in decades, he said. Send away the hand wringers and the doubting Thomases." Maine State Police say human remains found in a Fairfield garage on Sunday were of a full-term baby boy. Police said Tuesday that human remains that appeared to be the result of a recent pregnancy were found in a garage next to a mobile home on Norridgewock Road. On Wednesday, they confirmed that the remains were of a full-term baby boy. "The body has been examined by the State Medical Examiner's Office and additional testing is taking place," state police spokesman Steve McCausland said Wednesday. Police said the baby's parents have cooperated with the investigation and have been interviewed by detectives. They lived at the mobile home with their 3-year-old daughter, who is now staying with other relatives. No arrests have been made. Detectives have been gathering evidence from the home and the detached garage since Sunday, and are expected to be finished with that process tonight. The body of a missing Massachusetts man has been located. Police in Yarmouth responded to a report of a missing person on Monday. According to a friend, he dropped off Jody T. Ashkenazi, 55, of Yarmouthport off at Gray's Beach Monday afternoon with the understanding that he would call for a ride approximately an hour later. After three hours had gone by with not having heard from Ashkenazi, the friend called police. Police and K9 units searched the area without any results. Members of the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing arrived and conducted a detailed nighttime air support search of the area by State Police helicopter, also with negative results. Just before midnight, an officer who was patrolling the area on an All-Terrain Vehicle, located Ashkenazi unresponsive, approximately 1/4 of a mile into the Callery-Darling Conservation area east of Center St. at the intersection of Alms House Rd. He was pronounced dead at the scene with no apparent sign of criminal activity. Anyone with pertinent information about this case is asked to contact the Yarmouth Police Department Detective Division at: (508) 775-0445 extension 2134. For decades, transit riders north of Boston have been pressing for an extension of the MBTA Green Line past its current Lechmere terminal up to Somerville and Medford, a project that could drive billions of dollars in transformational new development. But the project got derailed last year when its estimated cost spiked from $2 billion to $3 billion. Now the Ts fiscal control board is trying to get it back on track, voting Monday to hire a new engineering team to redesign the project and slash its cost. MBTA General Manager Frank DePaola wants a new project design by April 7, and a new financing plan that includes big contributions from Cambridge, Somerville and private developers by May 6. Then, DePaola hopes, the control board would take a yes-or-no vote on pursuing the project May 11. The federal government has committed roughly $1 billion towards the final cost. One big issue is that many transit advocates simply do not believe the $3 billion cost estimate, given that the project involves adding just 4.7 miles of new trolley lines to the existing Fitchburg and Lowell commuter rail lines rights-of-way and doesnt require any major tunnelling. Im really mystified, and discouraged, and depressed by the idea that people seem to be taking this $3 billion figure as what this is going to cost its a ridiculous figure, said Elisabeth Bayle, a Medford Hillside resident whos among hundreds of transit activists who've fought for the fought for decades to get GLX extension built. Speaking to the T control board at its Monday afternoon meeting in Boston, Bayle said: Please dont take those figures at face value. They just dont bear scrutiny. Rafael Mares, an attorney with the Conservation Law Foundation, agreed that he is confident a new engineering team can rein in the estimated cost of the extension. We should be able to do this without a doubt, and you have to understand, that $3 billion estimate is not a correct estimate, Mares said. It was an extrapolation based on one bid of a contractor that had no competition. Once you go back to competitive bidding and put some of the cost-savings idea, the value-engineering options in place, this project should be a lot more affordable than $3 billion. New direction for W Norfolk school charity A charity which reaches out with the Christian message to children in West Norfolk schools is appealing for supporters to help it explore a new future direction and vision. The charity is holding an open meeting on Thursday January 21 and is inviting ideas and contributions following news that trust leader Kevin Baldwin is to take up a new role as the national coordinator for the LIFE exhibition which goes to schools throughout the UK. Crowns Trust is a trust which supports those Christians who seek to work in largely West Norfolk schools and provides some help with costs and expenses for those who take RE lessons, assemblies etc. Richard Pennington, Crowns trustee said "please join the trust as they seek to showcase the work it has done, is doing and hopes to do, reaffirm and build on what Kevin has achieved in schools in West Norfolk, and setting out a new vision as they go on without him and to pray, thanking God for his help and seeking Him as they move forward". Currently CROWNS supports ;- Sally Beadle who does assemblies in Fairstead, Howard Infants, Howard Junior, Middleton, Gayton, Sandringham & West Newton and Greyfriars schools, and has just now been offering input in 2016 for another 20 schools. She also offers Bible Circus workshops/days - - an interactive R E resource which is based on balloon making! Brian & Josephine Griffin lead the GenR8 team and also do Puppet assemblies in schools. GenR8 ( www.genR8.org) is a Cambridgeshire based team which provide support for Brian and Josephine in the work they do Crowns started in 2003 when Kevin Baldwin felt a call to this work and left his employment as a chef in a school canteen to commit himself to this .This was a a time when many schools were very pleased to have a reliable and Christian input into assemblies and RE lessons at initially at no cost to the school Kevin approached Richard Pennington a local solicitor with a view to setting up a charitable trust and to enable schools and other charities to donate and also to provide a legacy of contacts/funding also Crowns was more than just about Kevin Hence CROWNS trust (Christians Reaching Out in West Norfolk Schools) was born. The charity was registered on 2 July 2003 and the work has thrived over the past 12 years. In 2008 2010 Crowns was able, with support from the Diocese of Norwich Mission Fund, to appoint 2 additional Schools Workers alongside Kevin, this enabled the trust to strengthen their input and reach more schools. As well as school assemblies, they have - mainly through Kevin - developed expertise in Bible Explorer (teaching children about the Bible) Open the Book (Bible story-telling in schools - where they have encouraged teams to be set up across West Norfolk) Brian and Josephine also do B & J Puppet assemblies in schools BJ Puppets http://stmarysheacham.webeden.co.uk/#/puppet-assemblies/4570891225 and this has built this up over the last 5 years the the extent that they visited some 80 schools across West Norfolk last term. and this has built this up over the last 5 years the the extent that they visited some 80 schools across West Norfolk last term. GenR8 http://stmarysheacham.webeden.co.uk/#/genr8/4570868254 GenR8 has been operating since 2008, 3 times per year, around 45 schools each tour. GenR8 has been operating since 2008, 3 times per year, around 45 schools each tour. Prayer Spaces in Schools By working closely with Counties (national Christian mission organisation) Kevin has brought to West Norfolk the LIFE Exhibition for primary schools (the person and life of Jesus), and Exhibition for primary schools (the person and life of Jesus), and GSUS Live interactive computer-based exploration of moral/Christian issues like forgiveness for high schools. In 2014/2015 CROWNS was able, with support from Norfolk Community Foundation, to take 400 children from 10 schools on half day or day tours of World War 1 Trenches (built for training purposes in 1915) at Bircham Newton. This has opened up discussions about war, life in the trenches, the importance of the Christian faith of many soldiers etc. The Open Meeting takes place on Thursday January 21 at Kings Lynn Evangelical Church, starting at 7.30pm. There will be presentations from the team, prayer stations and more. All are welcome and for more detail or information please contact the trustees on trustees@crownstrust.org Do you have a news story or forthcoming event relating to Christians or a church in south-west Norfolk? At its Ubiquity IoT Developer Summit yesterday, Google presented a complete vision of the Internet of Things that consists of open source code and designs that are ready for prototype and pilot projects. Google's version of IoT standards, open source frameworks, and cloud services are compelling, but puts it in a highly competitive market. However, Google's long-term R&D investments in machine learning, cloud, and geo-location technologies uniquely differentiate its vision. Machine learning to teach IoT networks to behave intelligently If This Then That (ITTT) rule engines have been applied to controlling and integrating IoT devices. A good example of ITTT might be a thermostat instructed to send a push notification to a user if the house temperature drops below 50 degrees during the day when no one is home. See also: ITTT works well for many applications, but its recipes are constrained by the complexity of creating rules for larger and larger systems. Google's open source machine learning project Tensorflow gives developers the tools they need to build large, intelligent IoT networks of sensors to do things like smooth the traffic flow through a city, for example. Using Bluetooth LE beacons and cloud for geolocation For more than a decade, Google has invested in outdoor geolocation research to build APIs that developers can use to build geographic position into apps for navigation and geofencing that leverage GPS, Wi-Fi, and cell towers to locate people and things. Google's Eddystone - its open source Bluetooth Low Energy beacon - brings geolocation indoors, increasing the resolution from meters to centimeters either as longitude and latitude or relative scale within the confines of a building. Google has about 20 Eddystone beacon manufacturing partners at this time. Eddystone uses broadcast-only radios operating at a range of frequencies that send small packets of data called frames configured with unique IDs, URLs, or application-specific data. Google will provide a cloud-based registry of information of every Eddystone beacon that app developers can use to store the meaning of each beacon. The plan is to make the cloud registry capable of scaling to manage tens of billions of unique devices with Google's large-scale systems experience and the IoT domain experience of its Nest team. Google The frame payload and radio frequency can be provisioned, but the devices are broadcast only to eliminate privacy and security concerns. The beacon's identifying payload can be resolved by iOS and Android apps using the cloud registry to learn the beacon's meaning, context, and exact location. Location can be optionally integrated into Google Maps or can remain a relative position in a semantic location graph. A good example is Google's pilot app with the city of Portland, through which they equipped each public transit stop with a beacon, successfully providing real-time transit status within a half-second of the traveler's arrival. Brillo and Weave: Table stakes Brillo and Weave were announced during the annual worldwide Google Developer Conference last May. Not surprisingly, Google turned to Android for its IoT operating system Brillo because it already has huge scale and wide hardware support. It is a subset of Android/Linux, which gives Google an ecosystem of development tools, millions of experienced Android developers, and internal and community support infrastructures. IoT manufacturers have flexibility in price-versus-performance design choices because Brillo supports many different silicon device architectures. Brillo follows other IoT architectures by Qualcomm and ARM with a security framework to protect apps from exploits and authorize OS and app updates. Google Weave is the network architecture designed for low-power, low-speed small packet communications compliant with the early IEEE 802.15.4 standard adopted by chip makers like NXP and Freescale. First specified in 2003 and proved viable by commercial products built with ZigBee and ISA100.11a, it is a stable networking building block that is extended to support the billions of IoT nodes and sensors with 6LoWPAN, which provides IPv6 addressing to huge, pervasive low-power networks. Compatibility, security, and privacy standards In a call to action for the IoT industry, Google's lead advocate Vint Cerf, also known as one of the fathers of the Internet, warned that compatibility, security, and privacy could be obstacles to the IoT's success. Cerf acknowledged the necessity of standards by stating that the IoT can't be built if millions of hubs are needed to interconnect incompatible islands of sensor nodes. He also spoke about the necessity of secure app and operating system updates. Cerf cited an example of the potential privacy threats that could emerge with these billions of sensors. To stress the importance of shared sensor data, he pointed out how first responders could benefit from using location data to rescue a victim trapped in a home fire. But he also acknowledge that criminals could use the same shared sensor data to determine when people are away from home and plan a robbery. The IoT remains at an early stage of development and adoption. Google has open source beacons, networking, an OS, SDKs, and machine learning, all of which enables developers and manufacturers to begin building consumer products. All this open source software will take time to mature, and for developers to learn. There will be some midcourse corrections to strategy and specifications to keep pace with an evolving new industry. The key takeaway from the Ubiquity summit is that Google is the only company with a comprehensive vision with advanced machine learning, geolocation, and cloud technologies to knit all the pieces into the IoT. Firefighters from several local stations battle blaze A CHIMNEY fire at a Bradfield house spread to the roof this afternoon (Tues), forcing an elderly couple to seek alternative accommodation. Firefighters were called at around 4pm from stations including Newbury , Tilehurst and Whitley Wood, to a chimney fire at a house in Bishops Road, Tutts Clump, with a slate roof. Neighbour, Tim Wale, the managing director of Tutts Clump Cider, who was at the scene, said an elderly couple at the property were shocked, but unhurt, after the fire broke out in the roof space of the house. "The roof was more or less destroyed and the house water damaged," said Mr Wale, adding the firefighters' swift action had saved the rest of the property. The couple, he said, were staying in a vacant neighbours' house overnight. Columnist Tom Kacich is a columnist and the author of Tom's Mailbag at The News-Gazette. His column appears Sundays. His email is tkacich@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@tkacich). Reporter/Columnist Julie Wurth is a reporter covering the University of Illinois at The News-Gazette. Her email is jwurth@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@jawurth). Reporter Noelle McGee is a Danville-based reporter at The News-Gazette. Her email is nmcgee@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@n_mcgee). One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 Strathspey Crown Holdings LLC announced today the acquisition of the portfolio companies of Novus Via LP, a Nevada-based venture capital investment firm focused on end-stage development and commercialization of advanced electromagnetic and electrochemical technologies spanning healthcare, clean energy and coherent acoustics. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Robert E. Grant, Chairman of Strathspey Crown Holdings LLC, said, "Novus Via LP brings tremendous intellectual property and technical capabilities into our firm, significantly accelerating our development efforts in medical-grade wearable technology. This transaction also marks our first diversification into advanced clean energy technologies and coherent acoustics. We welcome the management of Novus Via LP and its portfolio companies into the growing global family of Strathspey Crown companies." Peter F. Capuciati, Manager and General Partner of Novus Via LP said, "We are very pleased to join the Strathspey Crown portfolio of companies. This transaction brings the Novus Via LP companies access to Strathspey's significant marketing and healthcare channel access, intellectual property, and public policy resources to advance their operating objectives." Capuciati went on to add, "Strathspey is uniquely positioned to lead the rapidly emerging field of medical-grade wearable technologies and we are proud to work together to accelerate this exciting field of development and commercialization." Malaysian scientists are joining forces with Harvard University experts to help revolutionize the treatment of lung diseases -- the delivery of nanomedicine deep into places otherwise impossible to reach. Under a five-year memorandum of understanding between Harvard and the University of Malaya, Malaysian scientists will join a distinguished team seeking a safe, more effective way of tackling lung problems including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the progressive, irreversible obstruction of airways causing almost 1 in 10 deaths today. Treatment of COPD and lung cancer commonly involves chemotherapeutics and corticosteroids misted into a fine spray and inhaled, enabling direct delivery to the lungs and quick medicinal effect. However, because the particles produced by today's inhalers are large, most of the medicine is deposited in the upper respiratory tract. The Harvard team, within the university's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is working on "smart" nanoparticles that deliver appropriate levels of diagnostic and therapeutic agents to the deepest, tiniest sacs of the lung, a process potentially assisted by the use of magnetic fields. Malaysia's role within the international collaboration: help ensure the safety and improve the effectiveness of nanomedicine, assessing how nanomedicine particles behave in the body, what attaches to them to form a coating, where the drug accumulates and how it interacts with target and non-target cells. Led by Joseph Brain, the Cecil K. and Philip Drinker Professor of Environmental Physiology, the research draws on extensive expertise at Harvard in biokinetics -- determining how to administer medicine to achieve the proper dosage to impact target cells and assessing the extent to which drug-loaded nanoparticles pass through biological barriers to different organs. The studies also build on decades of experience studying the biology of macrophages -- large, specialized cells that recognize, engulf and destroy target cells as part of the human immune system. Manipulating immune cells represents an important strategy for treating lung diseases like COPD and lung cancer, as well as infectious diseases including tuberculosis and listeriosis. Dr. Brain notes that every day humans breathe 20,000 litres of air loaded with bacteria and viruses, and that the world's deadliest epidemic -- an outbreak of airborne influenza in the 1920s -- killed tens of millions. Inhaled nanomedicine holds the promise of helping doctors prevent and treat such problems in future, reaching the target area more swiftly than if administered orally or even intravenously. This is particularly true for lung cancer, says Dr. Brain. "Experiments have demonstrated that a drug dose administered directly to the respiratory tract achieves much higher local drug concentrations at the target site." COPD meanwhile affects over 235 million people worldwide and is on the rise, with 80% of cases caused by cigarette smoking. Exacerbated by poor air quality, COPD is expected to rise from 5th to 3rd place among humanity's most lethal health problems by 2030. "Nanotechnology is making a significant impact on healthcare by delivering improvements in disease diagnosis and monitoring, as well as enabling new approaches to regenerative medicine and drug delivery," says Prof. Zakri Abdul Hamid, Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia. "Malaysia, through NanoMITe, is proud and excited to join the Harvard team and contribute to the creation of these life-giving innovations." Malaysia's NanoMITe The research effort with Harvard is one of several underway at the Malaysia Institute for Innovative Nanotechnology, initiated in 2013 through Malaysia's Global Science & Innovation Advisory Council, led by YAB Prime Minister Dato' Sri Najib Razak. Nanotechnology involves manipulation of matter at a molecular scale (up to 100 nanometers, a nanometer being one billionth of a meter), and creating special properties of matter that occur below a given size threshold. Based at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, NanoMITe's mission to engage in global scientific research collaborations to generate ideas, knowledge and products to benefit society while contributing to the national economy. Over 100 leading scientific collaborators at world-class academies in Asia, Europe and North America are pooling extensive expertise to make nanotech-enabled advances in health, the environment, energy, food production, and electronics. Says Idris Jusoh, Malaysia's Minister of Higher Education, NanoMITe's foremost financial supporter: "Together, science, technology and innovation constitute the engine that will drive Malaysia's sustainable economic development and nanotechnology research is on the cutting-edge of our pursuits. It is key to the solution of persistent problems throughout our societies but such breakthroughs can only be achieved through collaborative, international research across a spectrum of scientific fields and converging results. Our ministry is proud to support these efforts." Other NanoMITe research efforts include: Nanotech-enabled generation of renewable energy The energy-related research all involves nano scale molecular manipulation using novel local materials, catalysts, processes and technologies to create, for example: Low temperature solid-oxide fuel cells for the power industry; Flexible solar cells for economically viable, clean renewable energy; and Converting waste biomass from palm oil trees into jet fuel, which could add an estimated RM 30 billion to the Malaysian economy by 2020, help meet renewable energy targets and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Says Prof. Datuk Dr. Halimaton Hamdan of the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, head of NanoMITe: "A lot of materials in use today are characterized by low effectiveness and high energy consumption. Nanotechnologies are being used to create nanocomposites and catalysts that enable the production of lighter, more durable and stronger materials, more efficient use of resources and reducing energy consumption. Specific nanotechnologies will also create more efficient means of energy generation, storage and transportation." "We believe that within 20 years, nanotechnology could help reduce the intensity of energy needed to produce a unit of product by 45 percent." Converting greenhouse gases into valuable chemicals Malaysian scientists are also investigating the possibility that, via nanotech, captured greenhouse gases can serve as carbon feedstock for use in chemical production. Specifically, they're looking to design catalytic-nanomaterials to convert GHGs -- carbon dioxide and methane -- into renewable fuels, offering a potential contribution to energy supplies, mitigating climate change and advancing economic development. "Smart farming" with agricultural nanosensors Fungus-related problems are estimated to cost the South East Asian economy US$500 million every year. Once infected with a common fungus (G. boninense), young oil palm trees usually die within 1 to 2 years; mature trees may survive slightly longer. Now scientists at the Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Malaysia Perlis are developing nano-sensors and nano-based systems to create smart, precision farming to help address this expensive problem. With the aid of wireless communication networks, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Satellite Remote Sensing nanosensors embedded in trees, roots and soil can monitor and detect G. boninense disease. Automatic adjustments of pesticide applications, nutrients or irrigation levels would occur once disease, pests or drought are detected. Such a smart farming system could also help make more efficient use of water, nutrients, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and plant growth regulators, improving stability against crop degradation and reducing pollution. By understanding at nano scale the structure of the agricultural inputs and the soil, carriers can be designed to anchor plant roots to surrounding soil and organic matter. Prof. Zakri, a leader of the GSIAC, underlined the crucially important role of the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education to the NanoMITe program: "Without the Ministry's financial support and trust, NanoMITe could have never have been realized." Source: Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology The world's first vaccine for a disease that causes misery for millions in Africa could be tested within five years. Researchers have taken a major step towards developing a vaccine against river blindness, also known as onchocerciasis, which affects an estimated 17 million people throughout the world. More than 90 per cent of cases of river blindness - listed by The World Health Organization as a neglected tropical disease - occur in west and central Africa. River blindness is a caused by infection with the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus and is spread by blackflies that breed in rivers. About 10 per cent of infected individuals develop eye conditions, one per cent become blind and 70 per cent develop very severe skin diseases which can lead to social exclusion. Experiments have enabled researchers to identify three potential vaccine compounds that could offer protection against the parasite. Scientists hope to take at least one of these potential vaccines to safety trials by 2020 and trials to test its effectiveness by 2025. A vaccine would help achieve the WHO goal of eliminating river blindness from Africa. Current control of river blindness relies on mass distribution of a single drug called ivermectin - also known as Mectizan - which has been successful in reducing incidence of the disease wherever it has been used. However, children under five, comprising up to 20 per cent of the population in endemic regions, are excluded from ivermectin treatment. Researchers hope to administer a vaccine to children as part of national immunisation programmes. Ivermectin use is also compromised in much of central Africa because of co-endemic infection with eye worm Loa loa and the risk of severe reactions. The research initiative - The Onchocerciasis Vaccine for Africa (TOVA) - was launched as a response to the London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases which called for tools to eliminate river blindness from Africa. TOVA builds on more than 30 years of research by Edinburgh academics and researchers in Africa, Europe and the US and involves 15 organisations across five countries. Partners include the University of Liverpool, Imperial College London, the University of Glasgow, the Cameroon Academy of Sciences and Kwame Nkrumah University, Ghana. Lead Researcher Professor David W Taylor of the University of Edinburgh's Division of Infection and Pathway Medicine began work on the causes of river blindness in 1981. Professor Taylor said: "New knowledge of the way nematode parasites regulate people's immune responses has guided formulation of experimental vaccines. A vaccine against river blindness would complement and augment existing treatment and significantly improve the prospects for eliminating this disease from Africa." Synpromics Ltd, a leading synthetic biology company, and The Cell Therapy Catapult, the UK organisation accelerating the growth of the UK cell and gene therapy industry by bridging the gap between scientific research and commercialisation, today announce the launch of a collaboration to remove a major barrier to the development of the cell and gene therapy industry by reducing the cost and increasing the scale and efficiency of viral vector manufacturing. The collaboration will use Synpromics' synthetic promoter design technology, and the Cell Therapy Catapult's flexible manufacturing platform to create stable producer cell lines for the high titre and large scale manufacture of viral vectors. The work will be part funded by a 2m grant from Innovate UK, the UKs innovation agency. Lab Diagnostics & Automation eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today Viral vectors are a crucial tool needed to modify patients cells to create a therapeutic effect. Established manufacturing platforms are limited by laborious processes, a lack of automation and low yields. This restricts the utility of viral vectors for the treatment of diseases where large amounts of virus would be needed, and has to date confined their use to local applications such as in the eye and to less prevalent indications, including orphan diseases. This project will use synthetic biology to develop novel and controllable gene-expression promoters to drive the production of a much higher level of viral vector yield from new stable cell lines. This will allow the industry to produce vectors to much higher titres and with more efficiency, removing the current constraints associated with plasmid transfection of anchorage dependent cell lines. The project will run for three years, and will be focused on developing prototype cell lines to deliver industry relevant viral vectors, including Retrovirus, and Adeno Associated Virus. Synpromics will be responsible for the expression platform development with the Cell Therapy Catapult responsible for process industrialisation and control. The Cell Therapy Catapult has extensive experience in developing cell and gene therapies for clinical trial and commercialisation. The collaboration between the Cell Therapy Catapult and Synpromics has brought together a number of complementary skills that will produce a solution to a big industrial challenge, said Keith Thompson, CEO of the Cell Therapy Catapult. Dr David Venables, CEO of Synpromics, said: Delhi Likely to Be in Grip of Smog in Next 3 Days, Punjab Fails to Douse Farm Fires; GRAP 2 Enforced Lionel Messi of Barcelona shoots next to Papakouly Diop of Levante during the la Liga match between Levante UD and FC Barcelona at Ciutat de Valencia. Barcelona won the match by 4-0. (Getty Images) The guests were welcomed and greeted by Producer AM Rathnam, Raghuram and actor Ravi Krishna, brother of the bridegroom. Rakhi, who was a part of Bigg Boss season 1, has been yet again approached for the show. Rakhi was known as a drama queen during her stint on small tube and she would yet again add some spice to the reality show. After the much talked about break-up, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson were seen together for the first time during the 'Breaking Dawn-Part 2' Los Angeles premiere. It will be interesting to see them back together on screen. A gentle clicking sound followed Lindsay Brown one morning as she peaked in on each of the dogs and cats waiting at the Lynchburg Humane Society for a human to fall in love and take them home. As she neared Luca, an orange tabby, a tiny paw reached out between the grates. Hi Luca. How are you today, she said to the cat, simultaneously touching the cats paw, punching her clicker and slipping him a treat. You are just so trainable. Good boy, she said. I think you are a really special cat. One of only 50 certified animal behaviorists in the country and one of the few working directly with animals rather than in academia Brown is celebrating her first full year as director of operations at the shelter. It was a pretty great opportunity to oversee things and simultaneously be a behaviorist even though Lynchburg does not have a behavior department, she said in November as she went on morning rounds to see that all her animals looked enriched and healthy. Brown, who had a hand in creating the cat rooms at the shelter, said the humane society aims to offer the animals enriching environments by offering lots of choices about where to rest, play, eat, hide or socialize. That just gives them a feeling of control over their environment, she said. That idea of choice and control is still pretty novel in the shelter community but it has huge impacts on their welfare. We have this responsibility to decrease their stress level. For cats we are doing a beautiful job, she said. The cat rooms are just so unique. For dogs, Brown installed what she calls crocks, small treat-filled containers on the front of each cage. Small signs near each crock invite humans to feed the animals and reinforce what shelter workers teach animals every day human hands lead to good things. The results have been noticeable. T.J. Stokes, a behavior and health associate at the shelter, helped Brown administer a food guarding test to a Pit bull mix named Little Bit. Stokes said the dogs were wild until the crocks were installed. She attributes the overall reduction in barking and hiding to the crocks. Brown said the cumulative changes made by the Lynchburg Humane Society in the last year new programs, the light-filled building and advanced medical programming have reduced the amount of time animals wait to be taken home in recent months. Pet adoptions have increased by 41 percent over 2014 as a result of all of the changes at the shelter and increased intake, according to Makena Yarbrough, executive director Lynchburg Humane Society. We have seen an impact on length-of-stay in the past several months, Brown said. Thats the result of many things. As director of operations, Brown said her goal is to have dogs placed within two to three weeks of becoming eligible for adoption and cats placed in five to six weeks. Yarbrough said Brown has given the shelter some great credibility. Shes spearheaded our training classes as well and has brought in a whole new group of people here to be trained under her, she said. Personally, shes a wonderful person to work with. Its just really great to have that knowledge and expertise to rely on when needed. Brown, who offers puppy training classes at the shelter, wants to expand offerings in the coming years to teach owners about the importance of play and relationship building. She particularly would like to educate the public about how to best live with their dogs. Regardless of a dogs age, Brown said, there are many things an owner can do to enrich animals lives and teach them new things. Her long term mission would be to create a behavior department here in Lynchburg, Brown said, adding she already has taught staff to identify behaviors that require her attention and how to train animals to behave in ways that will increase their chances of adoption. I expected that it would be a fun challenge and it certainly has been, said Brown, who is happy to be home again. Brown grew up in Hanover County. She studied animal behavior in New York before going to Florida to work with marine mammals, then to the Humane Society of Boulder Valley in Colorado where she was Director of Animal Training and Behavior. While the MCU has been growing at a rapid rate, there's still plenty of Marvel heroes that aren't included yet. These non-MCU Marvel heroes have serious silver screen potential so it's surely just a matter of time before they join the fray, including the fan-favorite Squirrel Girl. Here's the full list of Marvel heroes that need to join the MCU... are you listening Kevin Feige? For the upcoming movies and heroes confirmed to star in upcoming MCU movies, check out everything confirmed for Marvel Phase 4 (opens in new tab). Or if you need a refresher on the MCU so far, have a read of our MCU recap (opens in new tab) and MCU timeline (opens in new tab). Disqualified (Image credit: Marvel Comics) Before we get to the Top 10, it's important to note the characters we were forced to disqualify. Those include the characters whose rights are still actively held by other studios (like Venom and Morbius), and those characters who we already know are on the way to the MCU proper like Red Guardian, Yelena Belova, Blade, Kate Bishop, Monica Rambeau, Shang-Chi and the collective Eternals, as well as newly-announced additions like John Walker, She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and Black Knight. And were also including all characters that fit under the Fantastic Four and X-Men umbrellas, since thats just a matter of time. A new subtraction is also Spider-Woman, just because of the Disney-Sony trial separation we don't know what the hell is up with her rights. And while we think there is a legitimate question as to whether Kevin Feige considers all of these shows and characters as part the MCU, were presuming for the purposes of this exercise all characters that have debuted in ABC, Netflix, Freeform and Hulu shows are off the table - which includes everyone from Deathlok to Hellcat to Damian Hellstrom. With that out of the way, onto the top 10... 10. Ka-Zar (Image credit: Marvel Comics) The Savage Land-dwelling Ka-Zar may have you saying "who?", and we really can't blame you. This lesser-known Marvel hero, his lover and adventuring partner Sheena, and his tiger Zabu had a moment in the spotlight in the 1990s with a well-received series, but Ka-Zar has largely gone under the radar since then. But with Marvel constantly working to explore new genres in the framework of superhero films, Ka-Zar might be a perfect choice. With a story sorta like Tarzan's (minus some of the problematic elements and with a sci-fi veneer on top), Ka-Zar could be a high-flying adventure film that also introduces the Savage Land to the MCU... and with that, dinosaurs. (Devil Dinosaur... is that you peeking out in that underbrush?) And hey, Marvel Studios has made mountains out of molehills before - look at the Guardians of the Galaxy. 9. Nova (Image credit: Marvel Comics) Just a decade ago, Nova would have been considered a very long shot for movie stardom. Then a couple of things happened: The Guardians of the Galaxy movie of course, and a new Nova named Sam Alexander was introduced in the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon, and has been a core member of the teen superhero team the Champions. Considering that the stars of Guardians are arguably lesser-known characters than Nova himself, it may very well be less of a "why hasn't Nova been in a movie yet?" situation and more of a "how long until the Nova movie comes out?" situation. (And if not a Nova solo film, another cosmic feature with Nova as part of an ensemble certainly sounds like a thing that could happen.) Of course, the Nova Corps appeared in a somewhat different form in Guardians, and though Nova wasn't in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, there are still plenty of places that Sam Alexander, or even original Nova Richard Rider, could find their way into the MCU - even though Thanos did apparently blow up Xandar in Avengers: Infinity War. 8. Sentry (Image credit: Marvel Comics) In comic books, the ultra-powerful Superman-esue Sentry is a bit of a head-scratcher. Billed initially as a "secret lost character" from Marvel's Silver Age, he was in fact a gimmick character whose story was that he retroactively existed in Marvel continuity, but had been forgotten by both other Marvel characters and readers. Sentry's disappearance was the result of his own imprisonment - a necessity to defeat his arch-enemy the Void, who was revealed as a villainous aspect of Sentry's own fractured personality. In the years since Sentry's complex retcon origin tale, the character has become an off-and-on part of Marvel continuity, almost as often appearing as a straight up villain (usually under the manipulation of a bigger menace) as he has a hero. While Sentry's comic book history is spotty, the fact that he could be a hero just as easily as villain is intriguing - and his power level is intense to say the least. While his forgotten-hero-who-changes-everything story rings close to Carol Danvers' MCU origins, the Sentry has some interesting and unique aspects (like being his own arch-nemesis) that could make him a wild addition. 7. Jocasta (Image credit: Marvel Comics) Jocasta is the most 'left-field' of our picks to join the MCU - she's the only character on our list who hasn't headlined her own comic book series - but there's a line of thought behind the choice. See, Jocasta has big ties to some important MCU characters. In comic books, she was created by Ultron as a kind of 'Bride of Frankenstein' like companion to the killer android, with brain patterns partially based on Janet Van Dyne/The Wasp (who was married to Ultron's creator Hank Pym at the time). But she, like her predecessor the Vision (conveniently one of the stars of the upcoming WandaVision) betrayed Ultron and joined the Avengers. She's got a typically complicated and somewhat obscure history since - but she's currently co-starring in Tony Stark: Iron Man. In fact, Tony Stark may be her biggest MCU connection - Jocasta's name was seen as an Easter egg in a list of new AI programs for Tony's suit in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and she's been a core part of his supporting cast in current comic books. With Marvel going back to a dormant villain with Zemo in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, could Jocasta be the MCU's way back to Ultron in some capacity? 6. Angela (Image credit: Marvel Comics) Setting aside Angela's potentially complicated film rights (she was once part of Image Comics' Spawn universe but is now owned by Marvel Comics - long legal story), she's one of the biggest characters with ties to Asgard not yet in the MCU. In Marvel continuity, Angela is Thor and Loki's sister who was exiled to the secret 10th Asgardian realm of Heven before escaping, hanging out with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and temporarily becoming Queen of Hel. Yeah, Thor: Ragnarok borrowed some of that for its version of Hela - but that's just proof Marvel Studios can take a concept and run with it in a new direction. In Angela's case, there's an obvious doorway to the MCU. As it turns out, the current king of Asgard, Valkyrie, needs a queen. Who better than the canonically-queer-in-comic-books Angela, whose origin needs only to be slightly simplified to work just fine in established continuity. 5. Squirrel Girl (Image credit: Marvel Comics) This is a no-brainer. Doreen Green/Squirrel Girl is a fan-favorite character and one of Marvel Comics' best-sellers in bookstore markets. Her popularity extends into cartoons and other media already - so just bring her to the MCU, finally. Yeah she's quirky, but Marvel Studios always makes it work. Hey, they even already cast Milana Vayntrub as Doreen Green for the now in-stasis New Warriors TV series. Let's make good on that, and bring a character who would be totally unique to the MCU. Bonus - Squirrel Girl was born with the ingrained ability to communicate with squirrels. And that makes here a - what? - mutant. And, a perfect character for Marvel Studios to use as a bridge to that corner of the Marvel Universe. 4. Captain Britain (Image credit: Marvel Comics) Technically, a version of Captain Britain is coming to Disney+'s What If...? animated series which, if not MCU canon per se, is based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe films and features alt-versions of the same characters. But that's a very different character than we're talking about (the What If...? version is a Super-Soldier Peggy Carter, similar to Captain America in, well, Britain). But we're talking about Brian Braddock - the classic Captain Britain whose power is tied to the mystical forces of his native England, and who is one of the guardians of Marvel Comics' multiverse. So even though the What If...? Captain Britain isn't the same by a long stretch, the multiversal nature of that show semi-suggests that a full-on mystical Universe-hopping Captain Britain is possible in the MCU. Captain Britain might be a perfect candidate for a character in the recently-announced Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. His classic X-Men ties through his superteam Excalibur (now led in a new incarnation by his sister Betsy, who has also inherited the Captain Britain mantle) don't hurt his MCU chances either ... Or hers, for that matter. 3. Hercules (Image credit: Marvel Comics) While not an original Marvel superhero, of course, (hey, neither is Thor), the Marvel version of the Greek-Roman god is one of the publisher's oldest characters, a longtime, well-regarded Avenger and a fan favorite. The Prince of Power is kind of like Avengers: Endgame's 'Bro Thor' without the self-doubt, and even though Odinson seemed to get his mojo back at the end of the film, the MCU has room for another hard-partying, powerhouse hero that revels in being a powerhouse hero, particularly with the God of Thunder seemingly preferring outer space to Earth these days. Though once erroneously rumored as a cast member of the upcoming Eternals, that doesn't seem to be the case - leaving Herc the last 60s-era Avenger left offscreen. But there's always room in the MCU for a mythical hero. 2. Wonder Man (Image credit: Marvel Comics) Yeah, Nathan Fillion was technically cast (and had a sorta cameo) as Simon Williams in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but the fake movie posters he appeared in for the film were ultimately cut - meaning the character is technically fair game. And you know what - we'd love to see Nathan Fillion see it through. Give him a supporting role in something unexpected - maybe even WandaVision? - and let Fillion play the reluctant comic relief/superhero he's always been born to portray. Either way, Simon is arguably Marvel's longest-tenured, most prominent superhero who's never been on screen in the MCU, besides this guy... 1. Namor (Image credit: Marvel Comics) Namor the Sub-Mariner is not only one of Marvel's most important characters, he's also one of the oldest, literally his first appearance was 80 years ago in 1939's Marvel Comics #1. The film rights to Namor appear to be a little bit complicated. Back in 2006, it was reported that Universal had a Namor movie in development, but that film wound up *ahem* dead in the water. But it seems as though Marvel Studios may have found a way to secure the rights to one of Marvel Comics' first characters, with Kevin Feige saying the studio is searching for a place to use the Sub-Mariner. Dare we suggest going all the way back to the timeline of Captain America: The First Avenger to team him up with Jim Hammond as the Invaders? With Marvel Comics giving Namor a new spotlight with a revived version of Atlantis Attacks this year, Namor is the perfect character to bring into the MCU. TWINS RUN FROM JAIL And while one half of the twins - Roston - was held moments later, the other - Russel - managed to exit the courthouse evade capture and last night was still at large even as police officers were cordoning-off areas in the southern capital as they continued the search for the missing convict. The drama unfolded inside the Fourth Court when Magistrate Margaret Alert_ found the twins of San Juan, guilty of robbery with aggravation. The twins were charged back in 2012 for robbing a man in San Fernando, of his bracelet and gold chain. Both pleaded not guilty and were out on bail while they attended court on several occasions over the ensuing years. The charge alleged that they robbed 63-year-old Patrick Whiteman, of the jewelry. Yesterday, when Magistrate Alert passed the sentence, Russell and his twin brother Roston, fought off police officers inside the courtroom_to the surprised magistrate sat on the bench and made a_dash for the door. A police officer managed to subdue Roston on the corridor of the courthouse but Russell made it to freedom, injuring a police officer in the process as he scampered down the courthouse stairs and ran in the direction of Harris Promenade. The daring daylight escape occurred at about 1.15 pm, at a time when only two of the five Magistrates Courts in the building were sitting in which Deputy Chief Magistrate Mark Wellington and Alert, were presiding in the First and Fourth courts, respectively. Yesterday, was the day for sentencing and twins Russell and Roston, who had been out on bail, walked into the Fourth Court for Magistarte Alert to give her decision on the robbery case. The twins were once represented by attorney Ainsley Lucky, but that attorney withdrew from the case for personal reasons. Alert allowed both men ample opportunity to aquired an attorney, but to no avail did they not secure any. As they stood before Alert for the sentence, the magistrate invited Russell and Roston to make representations on their own behalf by way of mitigation, as to why she should not impose a custodial sentence. Russell and Roston, pleaded with Alert not to be sent to jail. However, Alert told the men that the maximum penalty was five years for robbery with aggravation at summary trial. Alert then told both men that the sentence of the court was that they would both serve three years in jail. When the magistrate made the announcement, Police Constable Burnett walked towards Russell and Roston with a pair of handcuffs, but_ Russell pulled away his hand. The policeman grabbed_Rostons hand, and when he again attempted to place the handcuffs around_Russells hands, he too jerked his_hands away and a struggle ensued. Police Constable Khan, on duty in the courtroom,_ran to PC Burnetts assistance, but Russell_ had already headed toward_the door. Roston followed his twin brother by freeing himself from the grip of the police officers and dashing towards the door. PCs Burnett and Khan ran after them and Khan managed to subdue Roston in the corridor, while Burnett pursued Russell who headed for the stairs where Maintenance Training Security officers_ were guarding the_ main courtroom entrance._ PC Khan handcuffed Roston and assisted by other police officers, escorted him to_ the court buildings holding bay downstairs. Khan sustained an injury to his right hand and sought medical treatment at the nearby San Fernando General Hospital. Russell sprinted his way onto to Harris Promenade with PC Burnett in hot pursuit. Russell_ crossed the promenade _in the direction of_Republic Bank in the vicinity of Library Corner. The police officer lost sight of Russell when he crossed the road and disappeared on the corner of Pointe-a-Pierre Road where the Royal Castle Chicken outlet is located. Burnett also sustained tissue injury to his hand. Security was tightened for the escort of Roston to the Maximum State Prison. Police officers have been assigned to conduct regular patrols at the magistrates_ home and to escort her _to and from the courthouse._ An All Points Bulletin (APB) has since been issued advising police offices in all precincts to be on the lookout for the escaped convict 200 Centrin workers laid off He spoke at a media conference outside the Ministry of Labours St James Street in San Fernando shortly after the union met with representatives of ArcelorMittal. He said the Centrin workforce which comprised monthly, daily paid and contract workers were approximately 200 persons and they were given letters of intention to retrench notices for 45 days but which were effective immediately. Henry said the owners indicated to the union, via letter, of their intention to close down the plant and curtail operations at Centrin in Point Lisas. This company has been operating for the last 25-30 years, it is a profitable company and this company just invested millions of dollars in 2015 to upgrade a plant and we are saying that it cannot be that a company that made a decision to upgrade a plant, have all the workers involved in the upgrade, would have made a decision to close down their plant, something has to be fishy here; we are saying something is definitely wrong, Henry said. Henry observed that the company had used the downturn in the steel industry to close its Point Lisas plant, and would re-open the facility sometime in the future but without worker representation by the union. The opportunity that presents itself with the downturn in the steel industry, that companies would take advantage of this situation, we are saying clearly that she is taking advantage of the situation, it seems to me that if they get rid of these locals and close down, that in the future if they have to open up because they talking about that, the union will disappear, I want them to know that will never happen, Henry stated. We are calling on the company to meet with the union, we are calling on the government to intervene in this very drastic action to send these workers home, he said. Regarding the ArcelorMittal workers, he said the approximately 1,500 workers were advised to report for duty while the union continued with its action at the Industrial Court to contest the layoffs which took place last December. They (Arcelor Mittal), did say that on the 18th they expect workers to show up for work and they have no other information for us and we are instructing them to be on their jobs on the 18th, and we will be engaging the company on how the shifts will be running, how workers will be entering the plant in terms of health and safety, Henry said. Henry said the unions case in the Industrial Court stated that the layoffs was illegal and had forced workers to take a vacation. Dillon: No murder spike Replying to questions in Parliament from Opposition Leader Kamla Persad- Bissessar, Dillon also linked Sundays police shooting of Stephen St Louis described as Laventilles Most Wanted with operations in the wake of a murder spree, last week, which saw 13 murders committed between last Monday and Friday. Investigations thus far have revealed that the murders in the past seven days are gang and drug-related, the Minister of National Security said during Question Time. Outlining what measures have been adopted to deal with last weeks murders, the minister said, Measures adopted include intelligence- led operations targeting known drug dealers and gang leaders in accordance with operations. One such operation recently resulted in the death of Stephen St Louis. Dillon continued, We have also intensified patrols in coastal and maritime areas, and are also looking at co-opting the use of the National Operations Centre Special Services Agency to look at intelligence- gathering, to deal with the drug-related and gang-related offences. Asked by Persad- Bissessar to state whether any of these measures were different from measures pursued during previous murder spikes, the Minister said, There is not a spike in the murder rate. The methods being adopted are new initiatives with a different focus, concentrating on the right time and place to ensure the operations are done effectively and efficiently. Opposition MPs engaged in heckling at these remarks. Dillon was also asked by Oropouche West MP Vidia Gayadeen- Gopeesingh to give figures in relation to missing persons and kidnapping. The Minister said the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service reported 731 persons missing between January 1 to November 30, 2015. Of this figure, 155 of the missing person cases emerged between September 7 and November 30. Dillon said the polices Anti-Kidnapping Unit provides assistance to families and the Negotiation Operations Centre engages in negotiation and operation. A family liaison officer is assigned to each case, and counselling is provided. Medical procedures are followed while the Homicide Bureau of Investigations assists if the case is re-classified. The Victim and Witness Support Unit also plays a role. Dillon said for the same period there were 98 reports of kidnapping, of which 50 had been detected, or 51 percent. Of the 98, 84 took place up to September 6 while 14 were reported between September 7 and November 30, 2015. There were four kidnappings for ransom, but no charges brought. Overall, 575 missing person cases (excluding kidnapping) were solved, with 54 cases outstanding. Of the cases solved, 457 were solved between January and September 6, 2015, while 118 were solved in the period September 7, 2015, to November 30, 2015. In response to another question from Mayaro MP Ruston Paray Dillon also said there is a shortage of 87 bulletproof vests for the 350 officers of the Eastern Division of the Police Service. He said steps were still in train for the furnishing and fit-out of the Mayaro Fire Station. The Minister of National Security also said a draft counter- terrorism strategy drawn up by a committee of the National Security Council in 2014 was being revised in the wake of last years Paris attacks. He gave no time-line for implementation of the National Counter Terrorism Strategy, called-for in the wake of this countrys co-sponsoring of UN Security Council resolution (S/2014/688) in relation to foreign terrorist fighters. 2 men killed Newsday was told that Pascal, Guy and another passenger, Aquila Layne, were driving along the Priority Bus Route, after dropping off a friend from a lime. At about 11.30 pm on Sunday, while Pascal was driving near Tambarind Tree in Laventille, the car skidded off the road and crashed into a nearby lamp post. Emergency services were contacted and fire officers as well as police responded. However, by the time they got to the scene of the accident, Pascal was already dead. Fire services used the Jaws of life to free the passengers who were trapped in the wreck. Guy and Layne were transferred to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. However, Guy succumbed to his injuries while en route. Layne was later discharged. Speaking to relatives of the two deceased men, Newsday was told that the two were neighbours, and good friends. They were like ring on finger, said Andy John, Marks brother, while at the Forensic Science Centre in St James. It was customary for them to go, and lime in Toco. Relatives said Guy was a fun-loving person, who enjoyed going to parties and liming. John told reporters that his family was told by police that he was killed in an accident. I was sleeping at about 3 am and I heard my mother calling out to my bigger brother. John said. I started thinking that something had to be wrong. When I fight up and open the door and was only saying alyuh, Mark, Mark. I asked what happened to him and she said like he get in an accident. We had to carry the news to Shamakers mother. She did not know what happened at all, until we brought the news to her at about four in the morning. They didnt believe it at first. We had to sit the mother down and call my brother by his nickname, then call her son. When she realised that, she started to bawl and called her family. Relatives of Pascal desribed him as a cool, quiet, kind-hearted and polite person. An autopsy done on Pascal at the mortuary in the Port-of-Spain General Hospital confirmed that he died from a broken neck, according to relatives. The number of road fatalities for the year stands at four. Top cop meets CPU heads The Child Protection Unit of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service was established in May 2015, a requirement of the new Childrens Act, and since then it has had to investigate 1,358 reports alleging crimes against children resulting in 574 cases. To date there are 297 matters pending before the various courts Confusion over Cazabon During Parliament Question Time, Minister of Community Development, Culture and the Arts Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said a ten-piece painting collection was acquired by the State. She had been asked by Princes Town MP Barry Padarath to state whether the Government has purchased any paintings, which agency had purchased them, whether an agent was used, and the fee paid to the agent. The Government has acquired a ten-piece painting collection of the works of prominent local artist, Michel Jean Cazabon, since coming into office, the Minister said. The Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts, as the line ministry for national museums, as well as the Office of the Prime Minister were responsible for the purchase. The Minister continued, The services of a local expert and art broker on the works of Michel Jean Cazabon, Mr Geoffrey Mc- Lean, was used for the purchase, and his fee was GBP 14,362.50, a commission of 7.5 percent of the cost of the paintings. The total cost, she said, including the fee to the agent was GBP 191,500. Padarath asked how many paintings were purchased. Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George rose to say the minister had already answered that question already. The ten-piece painting collection appears to be at odds with a statement made by Communications Minister Maxie Cuffie, at a post-Cabinet media briefing held at the Office of the Prime Minister on December 10, 2015. At that briefing, Cuffie said while ten paintings were initially purchased, an eleventh painting was also acquired. Cuffie said, Our participation in the auction was successful, and Trinidad and Tobago acquired ten pieces which were auctioned by Christies Auction House of London on October 29 last. He further said, We also acquired an individual Cazabon painting entitled Maraval Bridge. To add to the confusion, a press release from the Office of the Prime Minister, issued on December 12, 2015, made reference to, The twelve (12) Cazabon paintings that the Government successfully acquired. A subsequent press release issued by the OPM stated, Please be advised that the number of Cazabon paintings acquired by the Government was ten (10) and not twelve (12) as previously stated in a media release sent yesterday. It was reported by Newsday last November that ten paintings had been acquired, and that Cuffie stated an art consultant was hired after open tender in order to acquire the paintings. It is unclear if independent advice was obtained by the OPM before procuring the paintings through its chosen broker. There have been reports, in years past, of thefts of Cazabon paintings, though the outcome of police inquiries is not clear. The new paintings are due to go on display this year. In relation to another item of expenditure for the Office of the Prime Minister - spending on the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting last year - Foreign Affairs Minister Denis Moses said Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowleys attendance cost a total of $206,240. He said cost savings occurred because Rowley flew to Malta without stopping overnight in London (however a stop in London was made on the return trip). He said the travel cost of Mrs Sharon Rowley was $4,878. Other costs for travel included $19,818 for Moses; $15,346 each for two security officers, a protocol officer, a director/producer and photographer. Two vehicles were leased costing $12,293. Moses said there were no hangers-on Amrika crowned NYAC Star of Tomorrow The declaration of All Lives Matter was relevantly weaved into Mutroos competition piece as she chanted against discrimination, racism and violence. During the performance she poignantly questioned the value of life today given the senseless killings and violence plaguing this country and others. Mutroo also tackled head on the recent domestic violence incident involving a man and a woman at a local bar, referencing the viral video, the nonchalance of the aggressors attorney and the general attitude of the society. While Mutroo was on stage performing, the sizeable audience gathered at Daaga Hall, University of the West Indies, seemed ready to unofficially crown her the star of the show. Her message resonated and her emotional delivery connected with the people. When Mutroo turned her attention to the terrorist attacks in Paris and Kenya last year, she asked why the media chose to provide greater coverage to the Paris attacks while limiting airtime to the devastation that found its way into Kenya. This particular reference drew responses from the crowd as persons openly agreed that some lives seem to matter more than others. By the time Mutroo wrapped her performance late into the night, roughly around 11.10 pm, the competition had already seen impressive performances from a few other stars, but she showed up and did something special; she even looked the part garbed in a flowing ivory gown. Prior to the performers taking the stage, MC Duane OConnor praised the National Youth Action Committee (NYAC) for serving as a platform to launch careers and cited his own background as a young performer in the competition. He spoke of the ongoing debate about whether calypso was in trouble, but stressed that his personal view was that the art form is in good hands owing to the level of talent in the Star of Tomorrow line-up. Though the competition was long, stretching well over three hours, the show was entertaining and certainly proved that the young stars are not only talented but they are engaged in the affairs of the nation and are also concerned. Mutroos powerful and affecting performance aside, many of the othe performers addressed important issues as spiralling crime, child abuse, the breakdown in family structures and the of the nations politics. Ezekiel Yorke, who placed second, delivered a stirring performance of his piece, Beyond the Tape. Referencing the popular TV programme, Yorkes message was that fathers are most wanted in the homes. He urged fathers to be involved in their childrens lives and to be present. Sasha Ann Moses rounded out the top three after a rousing performance of A Matter of Trust. Her contribution challenged political leaders to be accountable. She also spoke of building stronger families and about men being faithful to their wives. NYAC released the results of the competition yesterday. The placings and selections rendered are as follows: 1st place Amrika Mutroo All Lives Matter; 2nd place Ezekiel Yorke Beyond the Tape; 3rd place Sasha Ann Moses A Matter of Trust; 4th place Kyle Cowie Early Warning; 5th place Helon Francis Real Bandit; 6th place Aneka Collins - A Chant for d Griot; 7th place Kerine Williams - Fruits Aint Ripe Yet; 8th place Shradah Mc Intyre - Whos Gonna Carry On; 9th place Mark Eastman - Reflection; 10th place Makeda Darius Decision Time . UWI mourns the passing of Dr Jit Samaroo Sankat said Samaroo was a great music icon who was creative and innovative, and broke a lot of barriers. Jits music thrilled and entertained us for a few decades, and just as he could with the pan and the Renegades and with the Samaroo Jets, get us to move our bodies in rhythmic fashion during Carnival-like with Mighty Dukes Is Thunder so could he pull our heart strings with Suhani Raat or Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Sankat added. He crossed the great traditions of our music, was unique and innovative, representing the best of Trinidad and Tobago, a wonderful human being, and a true friend of The UWI. He was always there for us, and I will miss him. The principal was glad that in 1993 UWI had recognised Samaroo by conferring on him an honorary doctoral degree, and that in the coming weeks the UWI community will decide on its own tribute to Jit Samaroo. But for now, the UWI joins the musical community and the culture community as well as Trinidadians and Tobagonians everywhere in mourning the passing of Jit Samaroo, said the statement. The UWI extends condolences to the Samaroo family, and to all who have been touched by the life of this great man. The statement recorded Professor Theodore Lewis lamenting that Samaroos passing is now a consequential loss to the local steelpan movement. He said, Not only was he innovative with his musical strategies, Samaroo projected a high level of integrity in the steel pan fraternity, and had ground-breaking collaborations with artistes. Theodore, in a brief recap of Samaroos musical achievements, highlighted the synergies and respectful regard that existed between Samaroo and Kitchener, an example for the present time, and for generations to follow. Paraplegic limited to one car, threatens legal action No where in the Motor Vehicles Act does it restrict a disabled driver to a fixed vehicle, he said. Singh, who had his licence renewed yesterday told Newsday that once given the go ahead, he will sue the Licensing Office/Ministry of Transport. Relating his experience, Singh told Newsday yesterday that he has to renew his license every year in January in keeping with the regulations for persons with a disability. Every year he has to submit a medical certificate as a pre-requisite for the licence, he said, noting that his health is as good as the normal person who obtains five to ten years licences even though they may have to test their vision every two years. When he received the licence, Singh said, in addition to the restriction to drive with the hand controls which was always there, they restricted me to driving only one vehicle, and placed the licence plate on it. The new restriction means, he said, I cannot go and rent a vehicle. I cannot borrow a vehicle. When my vehicle goes into service, I have to hire a maxi to get me somewhere. He added, I cannot even buy a new car without going back to the Licensing Office. I can no longer rent and drive cars in England and the United States where I would travel because my licence has a restriction, and that would be illegal. He said he spoke with the Chief Licensing Officer who told him that the restriction was the law. Not satisfied, he called Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi who, he said immediately called the Chief Licensing Officer who informed him that it had to be done that way now, and if I want, later on, I have to send a letter to them to change it. Singh said he went through the entire Motor Vehicles Act, and the law simply states that a person cannot be refused a licence once the person meets the driving test requirement, and the licensing office was satisfied. The restriction to one car, he said, is a direct unlawful use of an act ,and a breach of my constitutional right, a breach of the Equal Opportunities Act, and breach of the Motor Vehicles Act. Singh is contending that every time he goes to the Licensing Office to renew his permit, the licencing officer tells him something different. Last year when I went they told me I had to paint a sign at the back of the car saying No Hand Signals. I called the former transport commissioner and he had to call the Licensing Office to tell them that what they were asking me to do, was unlawful. Singh said he has to bring the issue to light because disabled persons cannot be going through these types of restrictions every year because of perceptions, and not in keeping with the laws in place. San Fernando taxi drivers get reprieve Among those present at the meeting yesterday at City Hall were president of the Curepe to San Fernando Taxi Drivers Association, Dane St John; president of the Chaguanas to San Fernando Taxi Drivers Association, Adrian Acosta; president of the Port-of-Spain to San Fernando Taxi Drivers Association, Hayden Whiskey and Snr Supt of the Southern Division Irwin Hackshaw. The decision we came to is that, the police, under the watch of Snr Supt Hackshaw will accommodate temporarily the drivers from the Port-of-Spain, Curepe and Chaguanas Taxi Stands, three cars temporarily on the left side of High Street between Mon Chagrin Street and Short Street. Theyre not occupying the whole of the left side; the left side is legally for loading and off-loading goods vehicles that belong to the business people in San Fernando. We are compromising with the taxi drivers; they have outgrown their space on High Street. In the rough times that we are facing now, were trying to accommodate you all, Mayor Hosein said. The mayor told the taxi drivers presidents as a long-term measure he was looking at converting Short Street to facilitate either Chaguanas, Port-of-Spain or Curepe taxi stands, and the associations have agreed to that. Snr Supt Hackshaw said the decision to allow the drivers to park three at a time on the left side of High Street could range from one week to two weeks. Additionally, according to Hosein, it also depends on how they conduct themselves. US Military Really Didn't Want You to Know What's in New Washington Post Investigation (Newser) Alaska couple Kelly Tousley and Curtiss O'Rorke Stedman, both 27, vowed at the end of 2014 that they would quit their jobs as a social services worker and English teacher and spend a year traveling the US. "After four years of being 'professional adults,' we realized we wanted more out of life," they write on their blog, Pay Gas, Not Rent. To afford the dream, they sold almost every possession in their more than 1,000-square-foot rental home and spent about $10,000 turning a 98-square-foot trailer into a livable space, complete with toilet, mini fridge, sink, desk, pullout bed, and lots of hooks for storage. They left on May 31, 2015, traveling from Alaska to Michigan and from there to at least 13 more states so far. And Business Insider reports that seven months into their journey the couple is not only surviving but enjoying themselvesand is entirely debt-free. Not every month is equal. Their expenses were low when they spent a good chunk of the fall with family in Colorado, for instance, but they spent thousands getting to and exploring California. Stedman, a musician who goes by the name "Cousin Curtiss," plays two to four gigs a week to support their adventure, and the couple says it helps that they have no space to put new material possessions. Stedman admits that they had to learn as they built their new home, which had to hold their two dogs as well: Before this adventure, "the coolest thing that I built to date was a birdhouse in sixth grade," he told Alaska Public Radio at the start of their journey. Much of what they learned was through YouTube and trial and error, the Grand Valley magazine reports. But while they admit to Business Insider that they're committed to finding real jobs again when the year is up and saving for things like retirement, they'll never stop traveling. (The tiny house movement has a little secret.) (Newser) A former police bloodhound handler told a court on Monday that during the search for UVa student Hannah Graham, the animal detected her scent outside the car and apartment of suspect Jesse Matthewand the scent of "fear and adrenaline" where she was allegedly attacked. The handler was testifying during a pretrial hearing where lawyers for Matthew, who is already serving three life terms in prison for a 2005 sexual assault, unsuccessfully challenged the search warrants police obtained for Matthew's home and vehicle, the AP reports. He said the 7-year-old dog, Shaker, traced Graham's scent from downtown Charlottesville to a mulch pile at an industrial site, where the smell of fear was strongest. Matthew, 33, faces a capital murder charge in the 2014 death of Graham, whose body was found on an abandoned property around six weeks after she disappeared. He has also been charged with the 2009 murder of a Virginia Tech student. At Monday's hearing, another police witness testified that, contrary to what the defense claimed, the scent trail was consistent with surveillance videos that showed Graham wandering around, reports WSET. The officer shared text message records indicating that she was lost the night she disappeared.The Washington Post notes that Matthew is seen walking alongside Graham in some of the surveillance videos. (Read more Hannah Graham stories.) (Newser) For more than 10 years, BAV Consulting has kept an eye on the Donald Trump brand, documenting its peaks and valleys in consumer opinion. But as Politico reports, the Donald's hold on the luxury goods marketwhich has helped amass him a portfolio that Bloomberg has estimated is worth $3 billionhas suffered since he's embarked on his presidential campaign, with those who can afford those products and services turning away in increasing numbers. In a December BAV survey, the "value of the Trump name is collapsing," as Politico frames it, in categories such as "upper class," "prestigious" and "glamorous." And even if he's willing to give up his standing in the luxury world for a shot at the White House, there's more bad news: Those same high-income consumers (making at least $100,000 per year) aren't as willing to assign the terms "leader," "dynamic," or "innovative"ostensibly presidential descriptorsto him either. And those in the $150K-plus bracket are turning their noses up at him the most: Trump's reputation for being "obliging" and "upper class" has plummeted 50% since he became a candidate. As Politico explains, a brand's cred usually falls after a negative major event, like a scandal or a recall. But when it comes to the Trouble With Trump, his personality has played a major part. And that one "major event" has been supplanted by a series of smaller ones that, taken together, may be erasing his brand's impact in the coveted demographic: After his statements last summer about Mexican immigrants, for example, Politico notes he experienced the "first visible signs of the commercial cost," with his name ripped off of buildings and out of marketing deals. In the words of his own son, Donald Jr., in 2014, before Sr. said he was running: "He will question things in a way that you don't see anyone doing today. There could be potentially ramifications to his business for taking these stances." (Read more Donald Trump stories.) (Newser) The owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News, and their website has announced he has donated the news organizations to a newly created nonprofit institute. Philanthropist HF "Gerry" Lenfest said in a statement early Tuesday that he has given $20 million to help endow the Institute for Journalism in New Media. "My goal is to ensure that the journalism traditionally provided by the printed newspapers is given a new life and prolonged, while new media formats for its distribution are being developed," Lenfest said. He added that the news organizations will remain committed to producing "independent public service journalism and investigative reporting that positively impacts the community, while also creating innovative multimedia content." Lenfest, who bought the news company for $88 million in May 2014 at auction, said it "must meet our readers where they areand where they are going in the futureas well as develop fresh ways in which advertisers can reach these engaged daily readers in print and online." It's envisioned that corporations and other benefactors could make donations to the institute to support specific journalism projects and reporting efforts, in ways similar to how professors' chairs at universities are endowed. The Philadelphia Media Networkwhich laid off dozens of journalists after consolidating its newsrooms late last yearwill remain a self-governing, for-profit company, owned by the institute and run by the news organizations' current management team and board of directors. (Read more Philadelphia Daily News stories.) (Newser) The mayor of an upstate New York town who has said the town's sealdepicting what looks to be the town's white founder, Hugh White, strangling a Native Americanwas nothing more than "friendly wrestling" is likely pleased after residents voted Monday night to keep it, the Post-Standard reports. The "yeas" counted for 157 out of 212 votes cast, though the newspaper notes the vote was "informal," and the New York Daily News says it's "not legally binding" (the village board will meet Tuesday to decide where to go from here). In response to public outcry that the image is racist and offensive to Native Americans, Mayor Patrick O'Connor showed up to the vote with other logo possibilities, including one that showed White and the Oneida tribe member in a more cheerful interactionclasping handsagainst what the Daily News describes as "a tranquil landscape scene." There were also, as WKTV notes, some more bizarre options, including a collage of ex-NHL goalie Bobby Esche, who lives in Whitesboro; a depiction that transformed White and the Native American into lucha libre-style wrestlers; and one in which the two men teamed up to beat on a British soldier. Many residents who spoke to WKTV after the votewhich the station notes was also attended by crew from The Daily Show and The Nightly Showsaid it was wrong to try to change the town's history. "Political correctness, who cares?" one voter said, while another added, "The Indian and the white man wrestling ... both appreciated it, and enjoyed it. It was a good thing." But Elizabeth Brigham, who designed an alternate, more serene logo showing the Erie Canal, disagreed. "My generation is growing in a way where we are asking for more equality and peace," she said. "And unfortunately our original logo doesn't always depict that to people who don't live here." (Read more New York stories.) (Newser) A Syrian suicide bomber detonated a bomb in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists Tuesday morning, killing at least 10 people and wounding 15 others, said Turkish officials. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in televised remarks that both Turks and foreigners were among the dead in the explosion in the Sultanahmet district. "I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Istanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber," Erdogan said. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber was a 28-year-old Syrian national. He said most of the people who died were foreigners. It was unclear whether the death toll of 10 included the alleged bomber. The Sultanahmet neighborhood is Istanbul's main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, although the Islamic State was suspected. Kurdish militants and left-wing groups also are active in Turkey, and the country is dealing with more than 2 million Syrian refugees and a wave of migrants from Syria and other countries pouring across Turkey to Europe. The Turkish Dogan news agency reported that at least six Germans, one Norwegian, and one Peruvian were among the wounded. (Read more Turkey stories.) A suicide bomber has killed at least 10 people in a touristy area of Istanbul, senior security officials have confirmed. The officials have stated that the attacker carried out the bombing under a plan designed by the Islamic State, the terrorist group that also goes by ISIS and ISIL. The bomber's exact ties were investigated immediately after the attack, which no group had claimed responsibility for, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu stated that the man came from outside of Turkey. Kurtulmus added that the attacker, believed to be of Syrian origin, was not one of the many people who have sought out asylum in Turkey. The attack occurred at 10:15 am at Sultanahmet Square, also known as the Hippodrome of Constantinople, which is near the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. All of these sites are major tourist attractions, but at the time of the bombing, the area was reportedly not too packed. The majority of the causalities were German, the sources at the Prime Minister's office revealed. Several outlets are reporting that among those injured were one Norwegian, one Peruvian, nine Germans and a few Turkish locals. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has condemned the bombing. She said, "Today, Istanbul was hit; Paris has been hit, Tunisia has been hit, Ankara has been hit before. Once again, international terrorism is showing its cruel and inhuman face today." The German Foreign Office also issued a statement advising German travelers in Istanbul to be extra cautious and to avoid touristy areas for the time being. The statement read, "Travelers in Istanbul are urgently advised to temporarily avoid crowds, even on public squares and outside tourist attractions. One has to continue to expect political tensions, violent confrontations and terrorist attacks across the country." Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has addressed the attack, stating that Turkey remains a No. 1 target for many terrorist groups. Erdogan vowed to continue to fight terrorism. "This incident has once again shown that as a nation we should act as one heart, one body in the fight against terror. Turkey's determined and principled stance in the fight against terrorism will continue to the end," he said. Turkey has been subjected to many terror attacks carried out by several different radical groups. The nation is a part of the U.S. led coalition that is focused on combating ISIS in the neighboring countries of Iraq and Syria. Vice President Joe Biden revealed that during tough times when his eldest son, Beau Biden, was ill, the President of the United States, Barack Obama, had offered financial help. Biden opened up about this generous offer for the very first time in an interview with CNN chief political analyst Gloria Borger. During the sit down interview, Biden recalled telling Obama about his fear of not being able to support his son's family financially if his son were to resign from his position as Delaware's attorney general due to his health. Biden said that at the time, he told Obama that he was considering selling his home in Delaware. "He got up and he said, 'Don't sell that house. Promise me you won't sell the house,'" Biden said. "He said, 'I'll give you the money. Whatever you need, I'll give you the money. Don't, Joe -- promise me. Promise me.' I said, 'I don't think we're going to have to anyway.' He said, 'promise me.'" The younger Biden was able to serve out his term after tests revealed that he had not lost cognitive ability from the stroke that he had suffered from. Beau, however, died from brain cancer in June. Biden also talked about how hard it was to have Thanksgiving without his son. "Thanksgiving was hard," he said. "The idea of an empty chair, you know, was something no one looked forward to. But everybody -- you know, they're tough. And you know, we're focusing on the inspiration of Beau, rather than loss of Beau." Aside from these personal topics, Biden discussed the candidates in the upcoming presidential campaign, particularly Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, and cancer research. Residents from the besieged Syrian town of Madaya finally found some relief as the aid convoy rolled in with food, medical supplies and other necessities on Monday. The aid workers involved with the delivery have opened up about the situation inside of Madaya, stating the conditions were "heartbreaking." Madaya, which has a population of about 40,000, is currently under the control of pro-government forces, who have claimed that the reports of malnutrition and starvation were false. "It's really heartbreaking to see the situation of the people," Pawel Krysiek with the International Committee of the Red Cross said reported by Reuters. "A while ago I was just approached by a little girl and her first question was did you bring food....we are really hungry." A local doctor had told Elizabeth Hoff, a representative with the World Health Organization (WHO) who made the trip with the convoy, that about 300 to 400 people need special medical attention. Patients were also reportedly being treated outdoors due to the lack of space. "I am really alarmed," Hoff, who is based in Damascus, said via the phone. "People gathered in the market place. You could see many were malnourished, starving. They were skinny, tired, severely distressed. There was no smile on anybody's face. It is not what you see when you arrive with a convoy. The children I talked to said they had no strength to play." She added, "I sent an immediate request to authorities for more supplies to be brought in. We are asking for mobile clinics and medical teams to be dispatched." The convoy, which contained a month's worth of food and medical items, was allowed to enter the town after receiving permission from the Syrian government. The last time that aid was delivered to Madaya was in October. Hoff added that at least 300 people were allowed to leave Madaya and make the trip to Damascucs with government forces. The United Nations stated that the trucks with the convoy did not take anyone with them. Two other aid convoys were sent to two loyal towns located in the Idlib Province. The towns, al Foua and Kefraya, are controlled by rebel leaders. Diplomats from Western nations have accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for using starvation as a tool in the Syrian Civil War. These experts believe that the government is practicing "grotesque starve-or-surrender tactics." Another convoy is expected to arrive in Madaya on Thursday. The WHO has reportedly asked the Syrian government for permission to send medical teams and mobile clinics into Madaya. Leipzig (Germany): Thousands of far-right protesters have rallied in the eastern German city of Leipzig against the record refugee influx they blamed for sexual violence against women at New Years Eve festivities. The crowd loudly vented its anger at Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday, whom they accuse of destroying their homeland by allowing in 1.1 million asylum seekers last year. We are the people, Resistance! and Deport them!, chanted the followers of LEGIDA, the local chapter of xenophobic group PEGIDA, the Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident. A heavy police presence, with water canon at the ready, kept watch over the crowd of several thousand, and separated them from thousands of counter-demonstrators, as rain poured down. While the rally stayed peaceful, police said some 250 far-right hooligans had thrown rocks and smashed shop windows in a traditionally left-wing student district of the city, before police dispersed them. The key theme of the LEGIDA protest was the New Years Eve attacks in the western city of Cologne, where hundreds of women reported being groped and robbed by men described as Arabs and North Africans, in scenes that have shocked the country. Justice Minister Heiko Maas earlier warned yesterday that those who now hound refugeeson the Internet or on the streetshave obviously just been waiting for the events of Cologne and were now shamelessly exploiting the attacks. Refugees not welcome! read one sign, showing a silhouette of three men armed with knives pursuing a woman, while another declared Islam = terror. Since New Years Eve, nothing is like it was, said one speaker, PEGIDA activist Tatjana Festerling, who decried the nights sex jihad against women. Asylum-Mummy Merkel had barely delivered her New Years address to the people when in Cologne the first fireworks hit the cathedral and police, she said. Then these Muslim refugees started their wholesale terror attack against German women, against blonde, white women, she said to loud boos from the crowd. Waving a sign declaring State of injustice, 44-year-old demonstrator Lukas Richter said Merkel is breaching the constitution and must go, and that the government must close the borders and return all illegal migrants. He charged that the New Years Eve attacks highlighted the violence of foreigners in Germany that has existed for years. One sign mocked Merkels We can do it motto on the refugee influx, saying You cant even secure a train station. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Ferozepur: An alert has been sounded and security has been heightened around the army cantonment in Punjab's Ferozepur after a caller reported the police that he had seen two suspicious men in military fatigues. However, the caller didnt provided his identity to the police. Extra police forces have been rushed to the area, Army has been alerted and search operations are being conducted. Six Pakistani terrorists dressed in Army fatigues had attacked an Air Force base in Pathankot on January 2. The terrorists were gunned down after an 80-hour gun battle, while seven security personnel lost their lives and 20 were injured. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Istanbul: Ten people were killed and 15 wounded today when a blast of unknown origin rocked the main tourist hub of Turkeys largest city Istanbul, the governors office said. Investigations into the cause of the explosion, the type of explosion and perpetrator or perpetrators are underway, it said in a statement quoted by the Dogan news agency after the blast in the Sultanahmet neighbourhood. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Chilika, Asias largest brackish water lagoon and bird lovers paradise in winters has seen being 8, 58, 855 belonging to over 161 species this winter. The lake is spread in three districts of Odisha. Every year winged guests from Siberia, Balkan Lake, remote areas of Russia and other parts of the world. The counting of winged guests was done under the supervision of Chilika Development Authority (CDA) and Chilika Wildlife Division with the help of specialists, scientists, NGOs and local fishermen. As many as 20 groups took part in the census and counted in areas including Balugaon, Tangi, Chilika, Satapada, Nalabana and Rambha ranges This winter, there has been an increase of 96, 915 migratory birds in Chilika, while, there has seen an increase of 7, 128 winged visitors in the Nalabana area. It was expected more but due to rise in temperature and deficiency in rain, many foreign guests were unable to arrive in the state. The lake has been a paradise for birds as every year from November to February a crowd of foreign birds visit to Chilika. This year, the largest number of bird flocks are the Gharwal birds, whose numbers are more than 2 lakhs, while the smallest numbers are of baillons crake which is just two of them. This year over 1000 beautiful and colourful Flemingoes were also seen. Among the five ranges in Chilika, Balugaon has the highest number of birds 5, 63, 725, while, the lowest numbers 3, 416 were found in Rambha range. In Tangi area, 1, 48, 307 birds were sighted, Chilika had 11, 946 and in Satapada range 1, 31, 461 birds have gathered. In Chilika this year there was a rise of 12 pc and in Tangi mere 2 pc rise observed. Beijing: China today downplayed reports about its reservations over the PoK stretch of the USD 46 billion economic corridor it has planned with Pakistan, saying the project would not affect the positions held by the parties to the Kashmir dispute. The ownership of the Kashmir region is an issue between India and Pakistan left over from history and should be resolved through dialogues and consultations between the two sides, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei told a media briefing here. He made the remarks in reply to a question on reports that China is concerned over the disputed status of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) through which the about 3,000 km-long China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is proposed to pass. The project plans to connect Chinas Xinjiang with Pakistans Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea. Relevant cooperation between China and Pakistan in the region aims to promote local economic and social development. It does not target any third party nor affect the positions held by different parties on the relevant dispute, Hong said. Recent reports in Pakistan said following Chinas concerns, Islamabad is weighing options to elevate the constitutional status of northern Gilgit-Baltistan region of the PoK to provide legal cover to the mega corridor plan, marking a historic shift in stand to keep it out of its Constitutional ambit. Gilgit-Baltistan has never been formally integrated into the Pakistani state and does not participate in Pakistans Constitutional political affairs. Hong did not directly respond to the question on Chinas concerns over the disputed region but Pakistani media reports quoted an official as saying that Beijing was apprehensive about future legal complications. China cannot afford to invest billions of dollars on a road that passes through a disputed territory claimed both by India and Pakistan, the official was quoted as saying. Outwardly, China has been maintaining that this project will not have any impact on the PoKs disputed status but the efforts by the Pakistani government to look for options to change the status of Gilgit-Baltistan has come as a surprise to observers here. India has been protesting the corridors passing through PoK to China ever since the project was kicked off by President Xi Jinping during his visit to Islamabad last year. Replying to a question about scepticism prevailing among many Pakistanis over the project, Hong said the corridor is an important consensus reached by leaders of the two countries. It will cover the entire state of Pakistan and deliver benefits to the entire population of Pakistan. It will also promote the common prosperity and development of not only China and Pakistan but a also other countries in the region, he said. Hong also said the project construction will take a long time and will be built in a step by step manner. The building of the economic corridor is a systematic work that will take a long time, he said adding that it will constructed in a step by step manner following scientific planning. We would like to make joint efforts with Pakistan to implement the project, make long term plan and push for new progress in the building of the economic corridor, he said. Reports in the Pakistani media have also quoted Chinese Embassy in Islamabad as saying that, China hopes that the relevant parties in Pakistan could strengthen communication and coordination on the CPEC to create favourable conditions for the project. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav today said his party would contest the 2017 Assembly polls in the state alone. Samajwadi Party will fight the next Assembly election in the state alone, he said when reporters asked him about possible alliance partners in the polls for his party. Yadav, who was at the Green Park Stadium here to attend a ceremony to welcome the Asha Yatra - from Kanyakumari to Kashmir - of spiritual guru Sri M or Mumtaz Ali Khan, said as CM he is of no one party and works for development of all. Without naming any individual or party Yadav said those who are raking up the Ram Temple issue ahead of the 2017 polls are polluting the atmosphere of the country and the state. Anything beyond limit is wrong and is considered as pollution. Which party is spreading pollution in the state or in the country? You know it better than I do. Catch them and ask them, he told media persons when asked about the issue. He said his party is busy in completing developmental works like making available ambulance services, metro project, new roads etc, which benefit all, irrespective of party. Welcoming the spiritual guru and his Asha Yatra, the Chief Minister said the country today needs people like Sri M to ensure an atmosphere of peace and brotherhood. The Ganga-Jamuni mahaul of Uttar Pradesh welcomes all in the state. Sri M has embarked on this journey with the message of peace and brotherhood. Hence, being the head of the government I am welcoming and congratulating him and his team, Yadav said. Earlier SP workers tried to make it into the Stadium to take part in the event and police had to lathi-charge them to stop them. Some journalists were also hit in the lathi-charge. The Chief Minister also spoke of pollution in the river Ganga and said earlier its water never needed to be cleaned but its no longer so. Look at Delhi. The pollution there is so high they have to resort to odd-even (road-rationing scheme). Supreme Court has to tell what should be the permissible limit of noise. All these are happening due to us. We all need to work to fix this, he said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Widening the probe in Pathankot terror attack case, NIA teams today visited Samba and Kathua areas of Jammu region where similar strikes had taken place last year and quizzed for the second day a Punjab police officer who was allegedly kidnapped by terrorists hours before the assault on the air base. NIA sources said a team of the agency today visited the army camp in Samba on the Jammu-Pathankot highway where two terrorists had opened fire on March 21 last year. Both the militants were shot dead by security forces, while three people including a major were injured in the gunbattle. Another team also visited Kathua where Rajbagh police station was attacked by a group of militants a day before. Three security personnel, two militants and as many civilans were killed in the ensuing exchange of fire. They said the agency could spot glaring similarities in the modus operandi of the terrorists, who attacked installations in Kathua and Samba and those who mounted the brazen assault on Pathankot IAF base on the intervening night of January one and two this year. In a related development, the NIA has asked mobile telephone service providers to submit details about the calls made using three particular towers which give coverage to the IAF base in Pathankot, after initial probe indicated that the terrorists had entered the restricted area in the morning of January one, sources said. They said officials of Defence Security Corps and others responsible for handling entry and exit at the base were being questioned to ascertain possible lapses that allowed the terrorists to enter the restricted areas without being noticed. Meanwhile, questioning of Salwinder Singh, a superintendent of police rank officer, continued for the second day today at the NIA headquarters, with the agency claiming he has been changing statements quite often. NIA has also summoned Somraj, caretaker of Panj Peer Dargah in Punjab, which Singh had claimed to have visited before he was kidnapped by terrorists, who attacked the Pathankot Air Force base hours later. The shrine is located a few kilometres from Bamiyal, the village from where the terrorists were suspected to have infiltrated India before mounting the attack. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Bangalore: The state-level green panel has given nod for diversion of 13.93 hectares of forest land in Hassan district, Karnataka, for implementation of Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Project, one of the flagship projects of Krishna Neeravari Nigam Ltd (KNNL). The panel also imposed a penalty on KNNL for commencing the project without prior approval. At present, all works connected to this project have been stopped consequent on the undertaking submitted before the National Green Tribunal. The project aims to cater to the requirements of over 7.55 million people in drought-prone Kolar, Chickballapur, Ramanagaram, Tumakuru, Bengaluru Rural and Hassan districts. The Regional Empowered Committee (REC) under the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest has given approval to the proposal with certain conditions. Considering all the facts, especially the purpose of the project of providing drinking water, which is a basic need of any society, REC decided to approve the proposal, subject to usual conditions, additional conditions and mitigative measures, REC said in the minutes of the meeting held recently. It further said the project authorities are also required to obtain all necessary approvals required under the law governing the project before it is implemented. Accordingly, the Regional office, Bangalore, will issue in-principle (stage -I) approval for the proposal, it said. The REC examined the proposal, including the objections raised against the project and the site inspection report. REC has been informed that Gundia project may have to be dropped consequent on implementation of this drinking water project. Also, there is no proposal on Gundia project before the Environment Ministry and Forest for diversion of forest land. As such, the committee cannot take into account any of the objections on account of this, it said. As against the total land requirement of 276.08 hectares for the drinking water project, the forest land required is the barest minimum. Total notified forest area involved in this project is only 8.1 hectares. The balance 5.83 hectares involved in this clearance is deemed forest under the ownership of the Revenue Department, it added. Taking note of commencement of the project without prior approval, REC said, There is a violation of condition of para 4.4 of the guidelines issued under the Forest Conservation Act which prescribes obtaining prior approval under the law before commencement of the project even on land outside the forest area. It added: It, therefore, calls for imposition of penalty and accordingly, it was decided to get 40 hectares of land earmarked for dumping all along the rising main, planted with native species, at the cost the company by the Forest Department. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: It was embarrass moment for Pakistans Shahid Afridi and Ahmed Shehzad, when they both walked into a fast food outlet at airport after a long flight empty pocketed. Both Pakistani players didnt have local currency to pay for their burgers which they have ordered. They were luck to find Waqas, a Pakistani living in New Zealand, who saved them and paid their bills. "It is a good feeling to have my local team, Pakistan's team, over here," Waqas said. "I am going to support them all." However, during the course of action, a video was viral in the social media space, showing Afridi explaining something to the waiter before the fan stepped in. The Pakistani T20 skipper later said he was disappointed that the entire episode was recorded by someone in the restaurant, but took to social media to clarify the issue. New Delhi: Real estate major Unitech Ltd top bosses, facing charges of alleged cheating, today walked out of Tihar Jail after spending a night in prison despite succeeding to get an interim bail yesterday. They had to spend a night at Tihar Jail as they had yesterday failed to get the release warrant on time from the court. Unitech Ltd Chairman Ramesh Chandra, Managing Directors Sanjay Chandra and Ajay Chandra and Director Minoti Bahri were sent to judicial custody following a drama during which they succeeded in getting interim bail for three days by a sessions court, hours after being taken into custody by a trial court. Advocate Vijay Aggarwal, who represented the accused, said they have got the release warrants today from Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Rao after which they were released from the prison. Additional IG (Prison) Mukesh Prasad confirmed that the company officials were released in the evening after the release warrants were received from the court. Yesterday, the accused officials had managed to secure interim bail from the sessions court in a complaint case in which they were remanded to 14-day judicial custody. The bail order was passed at around 5.20 PM yesterday by the sessions judge and by the time sureties were prepared for the accused, duty magistrate Ankita Lal had left the court due to which the release warrants could not be prepared. The top officials of the company who had appeared in the magisterial court in pursuance to the Non Bailable Warrants against them were sent to judicial custody at around 2.30pm. The complaint case was filed by chartered accountant Sanjay Kalra and his business partner Devesh Wadhwa - who had booked a property in Habitat Apartments in Greater Noida developed by Unitech. The project was delayed and the company had promised to refund the amount along with simple interest of 11 percent per annum by October last year before the State Consumer Commission and sessions court last year. Advocate Kundan Mishra appearing for Kalra had argued that despite the courts earlier order, Unitech had not refunded them the complete payment. The company officials had claimed in the court that due to financial constraints and circumstances beyond their control, they were not able to make the payment to the complainants. New Delhi: Lenovo recently announced that all phone by Motorola will be branded as 'Moto' by the company. Now, another sensational revelation is coming out which says that the company may come up with fingerprint scanner in 2016. A Lenovo executive has said that Moto smartphones will sport fingerprint scanners on board. He also indicated that this will become a necessary feature on every handset going forward. The information was given out by Chen Xudong, Senior VP of Lenovo Group while speaking to a Chinese media outlet. Chen even seemed surprised as to why most Motorola phones from 2015 were lacking fingerprint scanners. Another thing he mentioned that Motorola handsets launching in 2016 will have a screen size of at least 5-inches. If this happens, the already popular Moto phones will become way more tech advanced to be looked up by the customers. ZetrOZ, a Trumbull maker of wearable pain-relief devices, has entered a quiet period as it continues to attract investors, according to a spokeswoman. The company has procured funding totaling $12.85 million since 2010, most recently a $400,000 grant in September. It moved to Trumbull from Ithaca, N.Y., in 2013. Its largest infusion of funds was in October 2014 when it received a $5 million loan from Horizon Technology Finance Corp., which funds companies in the technology, life sciences, health care information and services industries. The Sam which stands for Sustained Acoustic Medicine manufactured by ZetrOZ is designed to alleviate pain and speed up recovery time, getting a patient back to work and possibly forestalling the need for surgery. It has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the company said, and provides continuous mechanical energy directly into tissue. Company officials have called it the first and only product in the world that uses long-duration ultrasound to increase local circulation and accelerate the natural healing processes. In November, ZetrOZ filed for the eighth time with the Securities and Exchange Commission a Notice of Exempt Offering of Securities, which allows the company to raise money from securities sales. Last year, the company won funding from the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology through the Manufacturing Technical Assistance Program, which is financed by the state of Connecticut. Eligible companies must have fewer than 100 employees. The agency also helped ZetrOZ by providing access to resources including a 3D printer, which allowed the company to develop a prototype. The company has pointed to research that shows ultrasound therapy can aid pain relief when applied daily, but the inconvenience of going to a doctors office every day means only some people have consistent access to its benefits. The Sam is meant to change that. hbailey@ctpost.com; 203-330-6233; @hughsbailey Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, recently vowed to invest nearly all of their fortune a staggering $45 billion in philanthropic causes over the rest of their lifetimes. They highlighted education personalized learning in particular as a key area of focus. Thats great news. Their money, however, isnt even necessary to provide the changes desperately needed in K-12 education in this country. The United States has plenty to spend on education roughly $950 billion this year alone. Instead of throwing good money after bad, its time for us to turn our ample resources toward capitalizing on the power of technology and evidence-based methods to customize learning for every student. American children are underperforming. In a recent international assessment, the United States ranked 27th out of 64 nations in science and 35th in math. One in five children who enter our K-12 system fails to graduate. That failure is thanks largely to a top-down learning structure that forces every student into the same rigid curriculum. But research has shown time and again that students can and should learn at their own pace, in their own way. A recent study from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation tracked almost 5,000 students from more than 20 different schools with personalized-learning approaches. Some featured tailor-made lesson plans. Others determined student progress according to how much knowledge they gained, not how much time they spent in class. Others had flexible classroom environments where students could choose how they learned. These methods drove students math and reading scores up significantly. In fact, their impact was larger than those found in 95 percent of other educational intervention studies. Technology can facilitate personalized learning more than ever. Consider the case of a school district in Huntsville, Ala., which recently began an ambitious digital-learning initiative that provides each student with a laptop to use in school and at home. Two years after implementation, math scores improved 27 percent, reading scores grew 18 percent, and the overall graduation rate jumped 14 percent. Some critics, particularly teachers, have been slow to embrace personalized learning. The head of Connecticuts largest teachers union recently cautioned that the strategy learning is not the transformational silver bullet public schools require. But teachers fears about effectiveness and, implicitly, about job security are unwarranted. Personalized learning works. And in classrooms that implement it, teachers still play an incredibly valuable role. That role is just different than the one they play now. Teachers in personalized classrooms spend minimal time lecturing and micromanaging and instead focus on facilitating students learning on their own, from each other and with each other. Customizing education, and the up-front costs of technology and teacher retraining, might appear cost-prohibitive. But the immediate and long-term benefits these reforms deliver are worth the investment. Customized approaches directly target struggling students and reduce the chances theyll be held back. In total, repeated grades cost America more than $12 billion annually, according to the Brookings Institution. Improving student engagement and performance could also increase graduation rates. And that would boost kids likelihood of succeeding in college and the workforce. High school dropouts are 72 percent more likely to end up unemployed and significantly more likely to end up in jail. Our current educational system is failing. Its time we stop fanning the flames. Customized learning offers an exciting, and economically smart place to start. Alan Shusterman is the founder and head of School for Tomorrow, a Maryland nonprofit, independent school for grades 4 through 12. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BROOKFIELD Republican town leaders and a group of disgruntled party members huddled this week, hoping to find common ground after the latter tried and failed to take over the GOP town committee. While some party members called the meeting a success, others said the time for talk is over, and pledged to force a party primary that would give them a second chance to elect a new town committee. I think a lot of people that were there on Sunday wanted to see everyone working together for the benefit of the party, said RTC Chairman Matt Grimes. Grimes said the committee would consider expanding its membership to include some of the opposing members, who narrowly lost their bids to take over the RTC at a Jan. 5 caucus. But Larry Miller, who helped organize the opposition slate, said he saw little point in Sundays meeting, which he didnt attend. He dismissed the idea of adding additional members to the RTC and called for new party leadership. Its a smokescreen, Miller said. We have a window of opportunity (to force a primary). We are not going to lose that window of opportunity. To me, the membership of the RTC, 25 full members and 10 alternates, is big enough, Miller said. I dont see the point of having 50 members. Were so polarized, I dont think that would be a very workable group of people. RTC members Greg Dembowski and Bob Belden said Sundays summit, attended by nearly 40 members, was a good first step toward harmony, but that more meetings are needed to heal the fractured party, whose candidates were trounced in the November municipal elections. This sort of meeting is extraordinarily powerful, Belden said. Republicans talked to Republicans about where we want the party to be. The idea is to start a discussion that could be ongoing and lead to reunification of what seems to be different factions. Dembowski, who along with Belden helped moderate the meeting, agreed. He said keeping the lines of communication open is crucial for the success of the party. Both sides have to listen to each other, Dembowski said. Its not Were right, youre wrong. We need to sit down face to face and have a discussion. The overture comes as the Brookfield GOP leaders prepare to host Friday nights Republican Presidential Straw Poll. Brookfield is just one of just six Connecticut municipalities chosen for the prestigious event, where party members will cast non-binding ballots for candidates like Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio and hear from a slew of state and municipal leaders. Mark Ferry, a longtime adversary of Grimes and other party leaders, said in a Facebook post that a combination of the primary and expanded RTC could bring the sparring factions together. I think both are good solutions and I do not intend on disparaging any member of the slates, Ferry wrote. I for one would like to help make this page one in a new book of Republicans working together as a whole. Miller, however, said he doesnt trust the current leadership to address his main concerns, which include the RTCs too-close alignment with the towns third party, A Brookfield Party, and the town committees refusal to support Republican candidates who dont fully agree with party leadership. There needs to be some accountability for that type of behavior, Miller said I dont see the point of negotiating anything. I dont like the idea of these sort of backroom deals. Some members of both the Republican and Democratic parties have long complained about ABP. Belden said the issue was discussed at Sundays meeting, but that more talks were needed to address what some perceive as single-party rule. There were a variety of opinions in the discussion about ABP, Belden said. It was a far-ranging discussion from the history of it, to the objectives of it, and what you can or cant do about it." awolff@newstimes.com; 203-731-3333; @awolffster SHERMAN The Republican Town Committee has endorsed First Selectman Clay Cope for a Congressional run against U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty. The RTC also authorized a donation to Copes campaign for the 5th Congressional District seat. The actions are the first by an RTC in the 5th Congressional District in this election cycle. I am humbled and thrilled with this strong showing of support, Cope said. These are my closest supporters and helped me win three consecutive elections as first selectman in Sherman. I hope to capitalize on their support, as well as the strong encouragement I have already received from other Republican leaders throughout the 5th District. Cope 53, said in November he was exploring a run for the 5th District seat in 2016. The district extends from Danbury and Litchfield County to the Farmington Valley and New Britain. Cope said he has received strong support from Republican leaders across the district for his conservative fiscal agenda. Cope is pushing for lower taxes, reduced federal spending, a balanced budget and a simple and fair tax structure. Cope also said he wants to achieve meaningful immigration reform and effective border security. Clays unique combination of proven business expertise, assembled over a career of nearly 30 years in the fashion industry, coupled with local government experience makes him an ideal candidate, said George Linkletter, chairman of the Sherman RTC and a former selectman. Anyone who knows Clay knows that he is a true public servant who understands and shares the priorities of his constituents and knows the importance of delivering real results, Linkletter said. Cope moved from New York City to Sherman in 1995. Cope is originally from Dallas, Texas, where he was co-owner of a dress factory and fashion house. He progressed in Sherman politics from a community volunteer, to Planning and Zoning commissioner, to president of the board of directors of the Sherman Library and is now serving his third term as first selectman. Cope is one of four Republicans exploring a run to unseat Esty, a Democrat who has held the 5th Congressional District seat since 2012. Joseph Stagno, of Southbury, John Pistone, of Brookfield, and Matt Maxwell, of Sandy Hook, have also announced they are considering to run. stuz@newstimes.com; 203-731-3352 Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun state has charged the new TRACE Commander in the state, Fatai Olaseni Ogunyemi, to go after traffic off... Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun state has charged the new TRACE Commander in the state, Fatai Olaseni Ogunyemi, to go after traffic offenders and ensure that they are made to face the full weight of the law.4He declared that the Commander should not spare anybody, no matter how highly placed such person may be, even if he (Amosun) is the offender.Amosun stated this Monday while decorating the new Commander and Chief Executive Officer of Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE) in the state.The governor performed the ceremonial decoration of the new Commander on Monday during the State Executive Council meeting held at the Governors Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.He lamented the high number of traffic law breakers in the state, charging him to enforce the law without fear or favour.According to him, Our TRACE should ensure that it is one law for everybody regardless of status. Even if the Governor takes one way, you should arrest him.This is a wake-up call to everybody. Anyone who breaks traffic law will be prosecuted.He noted that the trend was even more pronounced among the rich and influential in the society.The governor also frowned at the indiscriminate parking of trucks on the median along the Lagos-Sagamu expressway, as well as Sagamu Interchange.Amosun emphasized that whoever assaults traffic officers would be charged appropriately, adding that the present administration would empower the new TRACE leadership to achieve its lofty objectives.I want the agency to endeavour to put an end to illicit parking of trucks on the median at the Sagamu Interchange and SagamuBenin expressway. These drivers should be brought to book without leaving any stone unturned, the governor stated.Amosun, who expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Commander who had worked in acting capacity for eight months before his appointment, said Ogunyemi has demonstrated the Ogun Standard culture which, he said, qualified him for the task of co-ordinating and monitoring traffic regulations in the Gateway State.Speaking with newsmen after the decoration, the new TRACE Commander pledged to intensify efforts in the discharge of his duties, saying that whoever flouts traffic laws, would be taken to psychiatric hospital before prosecution.Ogunyemi promised that the agency would engage in increased public enlightenment campaigns on how to make good use of roads across the state.He pointed out that TRACE was not out to punish, but to correct road users in order to reduce accidents. The Presidency has said the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan negotiated with fake leaders of the Boko Haram sect in ... The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said this while featuring on a programme aired on Radio Continental 102.3 FM.Adesina posted excerpts from the interview on his Facebook page on Sunday evening.The presidential spokesman said in the process of negotiating with the fake sect leaders, the Federal Government under Jonathan was swindled out of millions of dollars before it realised that it had been deceived.Adesina said the ugly experience formed part of the reasons why the present administration was being careful on the issue of the Chibok girls.He said the position of President Muhammadu Buhari remained that the authenticity of persons, who claimed to be leaders of the sect, must first be ascertained before the current administration would engage them in talks.Adesina added, We need to know a little bit of what happened behind the scenes between the last government and some people masquerading as the leadership of Boko Haram, who wanted to get the Chibok girls released.They actually turned it into a franchise, it became a commercial thing and they got money, possibly in millions of dollars, only for the government to discover it had been deceived.They kept saying they could get the girls released; they could interface with Boko Haram and they went laughing all the way to the bank with all that money, and nothing happened.So you should understand why this government is being careful and the President has said the genuineness of the leadership of Boko Haram must be determined before any negotiation takes place.On the continued detention of the ex-National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, and the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, the presidential spokesman said despite being granted bail, the suspects still had other charges against them, which informed their re-arrest.He said there would not have been any reason to continue to hold them if there were no fresh charges against them.When asked to react to the Nigeria Labour Congress threat to embark on strike if fuel subsidy was removed, Adesina wondered whether any hardship could surpass the one being expressed on fuel queues across the country.He said, What hardship can be greater than what Nigerians passed through in the past four to six weeks, queuing endlessly to buy petrol and at the end of the day, buying it at N200, N250, N300 per litre? What hardship can be greater than that?On the flip-side, what we are entering into now is something that would make life a lot easier for Nigerians, getting petrol, making sure that the supply is sustained because with crude oil prices down, why should Nigerians pay so high for refined petrol?That is what government is doing. Now that crude prices are down, this is the opportunity to arrive at appropriate pricing for refined petrol; that is why we now have N86 from NNPC, N86.5 from other marketers, and it has also been said that this would be subject to review every quarter.That means if oil prices inch up again, it would affect how much we buy petrol. Labour, I am sure, will look at the matter again, and know that it would be better that Nigerians get petrol at clearly affordable prices, reacting to prices of crude oil, rather than a subsidy regime that is fraught with so much corruption.Adesina also debunked insinuations that Buhari hates the Igbo.He said, When the President ran for political office in 2003, who was his running mate? Dr. Chuba Okadigbo. And in 2007, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke. If he hated Igbo, would he run with them?That shows you the respect and the regard he has for the Igbo, it was political reality that compelled him to come to the South-West in 2011 and in 2015. Let me tell you a story. There is a prominent Igbo family in this country, if I mention the names, you would know them, they are very prominent in the society.They told me a story that in the 70s, President Buhari was Minister of Petroleum, the family wanted to join the petroleum industry and then they made a bid. By then, there were not too many Nigerians playing in that industry, and there was a lot of scepticism from those around the then Lt.-Col. Buhari, who was oil minister.They all said they dont believe that the company as represented by that family had the capacity to play in the industry. This family told me that eventually, they got to Lt.-Col. Buhari; he listened to them, and asked them; Are you sure you have the capacity to do this? And they told him, we can do it.Then he removed his military cap, banged it on the table and told them, it is done. And he instructed that they give them that opportunity they wanted in the oil industry and today that family is so big and it never forgets that the then Col. Buhari as oil minister gave them the break they needed. They told me that story about three weeks ago.The next day, when I saw the President, I told him the story. He laughed and then went on to tell me that when people say he is against the Igbo, it baffles him, that really he never knew that family, he just trusted the assurance they gave him that they could play in the oil industry. The Federal Government has said 41 Nigerians have died following the outbreak of Lassa fever in over 10 states. Minister of Health, Pr... The Federal Government has said 41 Nigerians have died following the outbreak of Lassa fever in over 10 states.Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said this at a press briefing jointly organised with the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in Abuja on Tuesday.He also disclosed that the Federal Government planned to establish an inter-ministerial committee as part of the long term measure to end the menace of Lassa fever in the country.The committee would be made up of the ministers in charge of education, agriculture and natural resources, environment, information and culture as well as health.As of January 8, the number of suspected cases stood at 86 and the number of laboratory confirmed cases stood at 22. While the number of deaths stood at 40, the fatality rate stood at 46.5 per cent.Adewole said, As of today (Tuesday), records from our surveillance show that the number of suspected cases is 93, the number of laboratory confirmed cases is 25 and the number of reported deaths is 41, with a case fatality of 44 per cent.We will like to state that given the high index of suspicion, the increasing number of suspected cases may not be out of place, as health practitioners are more likely to include Lassa fever as a differential diagnosis in their health care facilities.However, the good news is that there have been no new confirmed cases of death in the last 48 hours. This is reflection of our coordinated response and advocacy to all states.The minister also disclosed that in the last 48 hours, the government had raised a four-man committee headed by Prof. Michael Asuzu, president of the Society of Public Health Practitioners of Nigeria, to visit Niger, Kano and Bauchi, the three most affected states.The committee, he said, would embark on a fact-finding mission, assess the current situation, document response experiences, identify gaps and proffer recommendations on how to prevent future occurrences. Sister Teresita and the Spirit by Father Fractious With the Catholic News sites discussing the Vatican's move to reform the LCWR, I pulled this slim volume written back in 1986 off the shelf to re-read. It's a quick and amusing read: a satirical view of the breakdown and renewal of reli... The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James I'd never read any Henry James before, though I did see the Nicole Kidman movie adaptation of Portrait of a Lady some years ago because... well, because it was a costume drama with Nicole Kidman in it. This was one of those novels I ... Men at Arms by Evelyn Waugh If you, like me, have been reared on tales of the second World War as the just and virtuous struggle of the "greatest generation", Evelyn Waugh's arch novels (based loosely on his own war experiences) are an important and darkly enjoyabl... Persuasion by Jane Austen This was the first time in some years that I've re-read this Austen novel, one of the quieter and shorter ones, but one which has ranked among my favorites. It was striking me, on this pass, that it rather shows the effects of having be... Share book reviews and ratings with Brendan, and even join a book club on Goodreads. Lagos Lawyer and human rights activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has asked the Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos, to order the immediate ... Lagos Lawyer and human rights activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has asked the Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos, to order the immediate release of Chief Olisa Metuh, the spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.Olisa Metuh was arrested by the operatives of EFCC on January 5, in his house in Abuja and has been in custody since then, without access to his family and lawyers or doctors.In the suit, No. FHC/L/CS/21/2016, filed against the EFCC and Attorney-General of the Federation, Adegboruwa is contending that under section 35 of the 1999 Constitution, the EFCC has exceeded the maximum time allowed by law for the detention of a citizen, without trial in any court.He is also praying the court to restrain the respondents, whether by themselves, their servants, agents, privies whosoever from further constituting a threat to the life, liberty and freedom of the applicant either through arrest or by physical abuse or violence either generally or for the purpose of preventing or disturbing their free movement in any part of Nigeria.He also want an order of the court, directing the respondents, whether by themselves, their servants, agents, privies or otherwise howsoever to forthwith release the application from unlawful custody.He is praying the court to declare that The respondents are not entitled to arrest, detain or in any other manner restrict the liberty of the applicant on account without charge in flagrant violation of the Applicants fundamental rights guaranteed under sections 35, 38, 40 and 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 and Articles 4, 5, 6, 9, 12 and 14 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights Act, Cap. 10, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.p*A declaration that the arrest of the applicant by EFCC on January 5, 2016 at his home at No.14, Drive 1, Prince and Princess Estate, Abuja, constitutes a flagrant violation of the applicants fundamental rights guaranteed under sections 33, 34, 35, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43 and 44 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 and Articles 4, 5, 6, 12, & 14 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and is ultra vires, null and void and unconstitutional.*A declaration that the detention of the applicant by EFCC on January 5, 2016 at an unknown location, without access to his lawyers, family and doctors, constitutes a flagrant violation of the applicants fundamental rights guaranteed under sections 33, 34, 35, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43 and 44 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 and Articles 4, 5, 6, 12, & 14 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and is ultra vires, null and void and unconstitutional. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC explained, yesterday, why it has not arrested former President Goodluck Jonathan fol... Explaining why the former president has not been arrested while speaking with online news publishers yesterday, in Lagos, the EFCC boss, Mr Ibrahim Magu said that no document has been traced to Jonathan giving any approval for the disbursement of the money for any purpose other than arms purchase.He said that all those questioned so far in connection with the money were people who disbursed or collected it for reasons other than the purchase of arms and ammunition.All approvals by former president Jonathan did not mention that it was for political purposes.All the memos approved by him were for the purchase of arms, he said.Alarmed by the revelations, the National leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has, however, asked Dr Jonathan to speak out.This came as the anti-graft commission disclosed that one of the beneficiaries, the former Military Administrator of Kaduna State, Mr. Jafaru Isah had returned N100m out of the N170m he collected and was given administrative bail to source for the balance of N70m.Another beneficiary, the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and leader of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Chief Olu Falae however insisted that he would not refund the N100 million he collected from Chief Tony Anenih, which was said to have come from Dasuki.Facts have also emerged how former Chairman of Board of Trustees, BoT of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih and Chief Olu Falae entered into a working relationship prior to the 2015 presidential election.Speaking about Olisa Metuh, the EFCC boss revealed that the national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party said he would rather go on hunger strike than refund the N400 million he allegedly collected from Dasuki.Maga also said that Patrick Akpobolokemi, a former boss of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, was recently re-arrested after new evidences of alleged embezzlement of N34.5 billion and another N600 million were linked to him.The EFCC chairman stressed that the war against graft was not selective and assured Nigerians that his agency was not teleguided in the ongoing anti-corruption fight.According to PDP, since former President Jonathan was still alive, he should come out and explain to Nigerians whether he authorized his former National Security Adviser to distribute money meant to fight Boko Haram into his campaign.Addressing Journalists yesterday in Abuja, PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary Abdullahi Jalo said, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is alive, he should clarify whether he asked the National Security Adviser to distribute money meant to fight Boko Haram into his campaign.According to Jalo, Jonathan is alive, he should clarify whether he asked the National Security Adviser to distribute money meant to fight Boko Haram into his campaign. What is important for one to know is that former President Goodluck Jonathan is alive. Has he ever said go and take the money for arms meant for Boko Haram to campaign for me? Is there anytime that Jonathan asked for anything from either Dasuki to go and distribute this money meant for fighting Boko Haram for his campaign?As you all know, no single kobo will be spent by the federal government or former President Goodluck Jonathan without the Act of the National Assembly. Some people however decided to divert this money to something else.Darkness has now come to light, we have now discovered that it is not only PDP members who collected the money but those in APGA collected, Falae collected, Tanko Yakasai collected. They all collected the money under the guise that they are campaigning for Goodluck Jonathan.It is known to us that money meant for campaign are given to the national chairmen of various political parties. We had a dinner in the banquet hall where some billions were collected meant for campaign for Jonathan. That money was meant for campaign. Dangote, Otedola and others donated. So why would somebody tell us that you are taking money meant to fight Boko Haram, which is from an Act of the National Assembly. Any money appropriated is coming from consolidated account of the federal government and its usage must be meant for that.The PDP which also disowned the embattled National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh who has remained detained by the officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, said that as a party, it will not fight for his bail and others who have been alleged to be involved in the arms deal scam because they did that on personal levels and not on the platform of the party.According to Jalo, the issue of bail does not have anything to do with PDP. Let them tell us how much they have brought to PDP, to the national chairman and the money used for campaign, we want to know from them.PDP has nothing to do with individuals that used their companies to get money. PDP has no company, it is a political platform. There is PDP account and they did not even inform the PDP that they had received this money, they just went and slept with their families eating eggs and rice.Jalo who noted that public should not misconstrue the unfolding issues with that of the PDP, said that individuals that were presently involved, accessed public funds through their various private companies and not the PDP even though they were members of the party. He added that the Arms fund were an appropriation of the National Assembly to which the former President and Dasuki Sambo were aware of and were aware of the limit of using the funds other than what it was meant for.The PDP deputy National Publicity Secretary said, There are a lot of outcries against our members that have been taken to court because they received money from what we called Dasukigate or arms deal.The former acting National Chairman, Dr. Bello Haliru, who was taken to court is now on bail, he has a company Pam Proper and Property limited, he was given N600 million under a registered company of Corporate Affairs Commission, you can find out what the contract was meant for. Has he done what he was asked to do with the N600 million?Olisa Metuhs company is Destral investment limited, he was given a job of N400 million. What has that got to do with PDP, you can bear me witness, when Olisa was accusing Lai Mohammed that he collected a contract from one of the states in the West, even Lai Mohammed took him to court, so now the hunter is now the hunted. Lais case has not been proved, Olisa is under investigation.Let us put the record straight. We want anyone of these people that have been accused whether in PDP, APGA or APC to come out and tell us that the money they collected, was given to PDP or their party. When he was given this money was he given the money to go and campaign for Jonathan, if yes let him show us the paper, let him present an evidence, but whoever was given this money should know that this money was not meant for that, it was meant for arms purchase.Thank God the party has kept quiet deliberately, maybe, because some have benefited. If we cannot clean the party now, the future is going to be bleak.If the Legal Adviser of PDP, rushes to go and bail out Olisa Metuh now he is doing the wrong thing, because he has to separate the party and Olisa as an individual. Fresh investigations have revealed that Africas richest man, Aliko Dangote was the one behind the reconciliation of Olamide and Don Jazz... We are very sorry for the wahala. Make una no vex ooo. It is our responsibility to lead but then again we re only human and we all make mistakes. #WeAreSorryHeadies #WeAreSorryFans #PeaceAndUnity #YBNL #SMD #OneLagos #OneNigeria A photo posted by Don Dorobucci (@donjazzy) on Jan 3, 2016 at 12:22pm PST When Nigerias rap artiste Olamide and music maker, Don Jazzy announced a few days after their New Year quarrel at The Headies awards in Lagos, that they had settled their quarrel, not many people knew that the peace maker was Africas richest man, Aliko Dangote.The photographs of the artistes at Alikos Lagos home have now emerged and are trending on Twitter.At the reconciliation meeting, Olamide and Don Jazzy shook hands, hugged each other and sheathed their swords.NE learnt that Dangote settled the rift at his Lagos home where he hosted Don Jazzy and the YBNL boss. The candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the just concluded governorship election in Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, on Monday sa... The candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the just concluded governorship election in Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, on Monday said he would challenge the result of the election in court.The Independent National Electoral Commission had on Sunday declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, and incumbent governor of the state, Seriake Dickson, winner of the election.Addressing journalists on Monday, Mr. Sylva alleged that INEC and the PDP worked in concert to rig the election in favour of the PDP.He said he had officially complained, prior to the election, that the present structure of INEC in the state would not conduct a credible election.According to him, the INEC officials were assembled by the immediate-past administration to deliver the state to PDP in last general elections.I said in the beginning that I do not have confidence in the REC and the Administrative Secretary, that I do not expect a fair treatment if these people were to preside over the election.I said so over and over and over again. I even reduced it to writing, and we sent the petition. Usually before elections of this nature, INEC officials are switched.But this time, they chose to keep this team that was already in place set up by the PDP as rigging machine.This was the same team that returned almost 100 percent of all votes in Bayelsa to the former president.And we felt that these people could not have given us a free and fair treatment. But unfortunately, our cries fell on deaf ears. Yesterday, they proved themselves true to type, he noted.Mr. Sylva argued that the election could have been further declared inconclusive since about 53,000 votes were still outstanding as cancelled votes.He said in places where APC won, results were cancelled, but where PDP won, the results were entered.The former governor further alleged the rigging started from the distribution of materials, noting that election materials were diverted as they were taken to voting centers by vehicles provided by the PDP.According to him, the same set of collation officers, and other officers used in the December election were used on Saturdays election, a situation he said aided the rigging process.Mr. Sylva maintained that in any free and fair election in Bayelsa State, the APC would always win.He appealed to the supporters of the party to keep calm.Meanwhile, 14 of the 20 parties that participated in the election have advised Mr. Sylva to accept the outcome of the poll in good faith.The parties, which endorsed the results of the poll, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the January 9 supplementary poll and called on Mr. Sylva to join forces to move the state forward. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has said that the continued detention of the spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic P... The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has said that the continued detention of the spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is due to his unwillingness to admit and return the over N400 million he allegedly received from embattled former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.Ibrahim Magu, the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, denied claims it was on a witchhunt of leaders of the opposition PDP after its continued detention of Metuh and release of Jafaru Isa, an All Progressives Congress chieftain.Magu claimed that Mr. Isa had begun the process of refunding the money in his possession, Mr. Metuh had refused to do same.From the records, Metuh got over N400 million, he has not said anything because we need the public money to be returned so that its going to be used for public good, Mr. Magu said during a meeting with online media publishers in Lagos.Also Jafaru Isa, what Dasuki gave him was N170 million. He also agreedof course he has collected that money, he was with us for 4-5 days and then he made a deposit of N100 million and entered an undertaking to bring the rest. That does not mean we will not prosecute him.But this other Metuh, instead of going for a refund, he has admitted he collected money. so instead of he still has the money because the money is too much. Instead of returning the money, he preferred to go on strike.Mr. Isa, a former military governor of Kaduna State, was arrested last Wednesday by EFCC operatives for allegedly receiving N170 million from the Dasuki.Mr. Metuh, the Spokesperson of the PDP, has been in EFCC custody since January 5.The EFCC boss insisted the Commission is not selective in its anti-corruption war, noting that only people involved in some certain action or inaction of corruption are being invited for questioning.Nobody who is not corrupt, who is not involved, is with us, he said. The Deputy Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj-Gen. Leo Irabor, has said that all the support needed to win the ongoing war ... The Deputy Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj-Gen. Leo Irabor, has said that all the support needed to win the ongoing war against the Boko Haram terrorist insurgency in the North-East has been provided.Irabor disclosed this on Sunday, while addressing troops of the 7 Division of Nigerian Army at an event to mark Armed Forces Remembrance Day at St. Bartholomew Military Church, Maimalari Cantonment, Maiduguri.He said the Federal government and the military hierarchy are right behind all the commanders and soldiers in the battle fields to defeat Boko Haram this year.What they (soldiers) can take out from me is an assurance on behalf of Chief of Defense Staff and the Service Chiefs is that the President and Commander in Chief and every Nigerian are solidly behind the soldiers; and victory is assured.While promising the families of the fallen heroes of the military supports, Irabor said: What better love can anyone give than to lay his or her life down for friends and other relations. I think that they are heroes and they remain heroes.For the children they have left behind, of course there will be a responsibility to see and ensure that everything that has to do with education, is taken care off. Their husbands have paid the supreme price for this nation. There is no greater love that anyone can pray than that. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has denied claims it was on a witchhunt of leaders of the opposition Peoples Democratic Par... The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has denied claims it was on a witchhunt of leaders of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party after its continued detention of Olisa Metuh and release of Jafaru Isa, an All Progressives Congress chieftain.Ibrahim Magu, the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, told journalists Monday that while Mr. Isa had begun the process of refunding the money in his possession, Mr. Metuh had refused to do same.From the records, Metuh got over N400 million, he has not said anything because we need the public money to be returned so that its going to be used for public good, Mr. Magu said during a meeting with online media publishers in Lagos.Also Jafaru Isa, what Dasuki gave him was N170 million. He also agreedof course he has collected that money, he was with us for 4-5 days and then he made a deposit of N100 million and entered an undertaking to bring the rest. That does not mean we will not prosecute him.But this other Metuh, instead of going for a refund, he has admitted he collected money. so instead of he still has the money because the money is too much. Instead of returning the money, he preferred to go on strike.Mr. Isa, a former military governor of Kaduna State, was arrested last Wednesday by EFCC operatives for allegedly receiving N170 million from the embattled National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.Mr. Metuh, the Spokesperson of the PDP, has been in EFCC custody since January 5.The EFCC boss insisted the Commission is not selective in its anti-corruption war, noting that only people involved in some certain action or inaction of corruption are being invited for questioning.Nobody who is not corrupt, who is not involved, is with us, he said.In all the cases, we conduct preliminary investigation. We work hard. If it is company you used, we unveil the profile of the company to see who owns the company. If its money, we make sure we follow the money, in your account.So it is not true that we just go and carry people and dump them. Sometimes you have to give chance to the person accused to say his own side of the story. And in the process the man will disclose a lot of things that you may not know. So it is very necessary for you to follow up on the information received from the person arrested, to strengthen whatever you have.We dont keep people for more than 10-15 days. In fact, in most cases, we obtain relevant court orders. In all cases, if you see we keep somebody, there must be a supporting court order.If you are not corrupt, we will not have any cause to invite you. So we only invite corrupt people, no selective.Mr. Magu also said he had begun an internal cleansing of the EFCC to weed out corrupt operatives from the anti-graft war.I dont want to disclose what the Commission is doing but Im telling you I will not work with anybody who is corrupt because there is no moral justification to come and make noise, and chase corrupt people when you are yourself corrupt.We do not have sufficient personnel lawyers, detectives the way we want. But the little we have we try to make use of whatever we can lay our hands on. Jose Hernandez-Cerrito of Englewood. (Englewood Police Department) HACKENSACK -- An Englewood man on Monday pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and admitted stabbing his housemate in the heart, The Record reported. Jose Hernandez-Cerrito and the 27-year-old victim had a verbal altercation on Aug. 21, 2014 that escalated into a physical fight in which Hernandez-Cerrito stabbed the other man, he said in Superior Court in Hackensack. The man survived the stabbing. Hernandez-Cerrito, a native of El Salvador who authorties said is in the United States illegally, will face deportation once his sentence is up, said John Carbone, his attorney. As part of the plea deal, Bergen County Assistant County Prosecutor Danielle Grootenboer agreed to recommend a six-year sentence, rather than the ten Hernandez-Cerrito could have faced. Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. CAMDEN -- Brendan Creato was still in his pajamas when his lifeless body was found partially submerged in the Cooper River. And his socks were clean. That key aspect told investigators the 3-year-old didn't walk a half-mile from his father's apartment, down a hill and through the woods and mud. Rather, his body was placed there. Brendan Link Creato, 3, of Haddon Township, who was found dead in a wooded area about a half-mile from his home, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015. This photo was included in a poster at a vigil for Brendan. "Brendan's socks were perfectly clean," prosecutor Christine Shah said Tuesday during the arraignment of David "D.J." Creato, the boy's 22-year-old father who was indicted by a grand jury Monday on charges of first-degree murder and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Creato, wearing a dark blue jump suit and chain around his waist, sat motionless as the prosecution laid out a litany of circumstantial evidence and saw his bail set at $750,000. The child's mother, Samantha Denoto, sat in the center of the front row of the court room, either looking at the judge or down at her lap. Shah said Camden County Medical Examiner Gerald Feigin amended his findings on Dec. 15 to say Brendan died as a result of "homicidal violence" by reason of exclusion from drowning, asphyxiation or blunt-force trauma. Richard J. Fuschino, Creato's attorney who has been defending him since the Oct. 13, 2015 discovery of the toddler's body, argued that the prosecution's claims of what may have killed Brendan triggered even more questions in a death that's been a mystery since the beginning. Shah said multiple local, state and federal agencies assisted in the investigation that ensued after Brendan's body was found. Although initial autopsy and toxicology tests did not determine an exact cause or manner of death, Shah said oxygen deprivation was detected in Brendan's brain. A contusion of the clavicle near Brendan's neck was also detected and that no healing had taken place, which told investigators that the injury would have occurred prior to death. "How he could end up in the Cooper River is blowing my mind," Creato told investigators, according to Shah. However, Shah said the area where Brendan's body was found was both "spiritual" for Creato and a place often visited by him and his 17-year-old girlfriend. Creato and his girlfriend, identified in previous news reports as Julie Spensky, began seeing each other in June 2015 after meeting through an online dating mobile phone application. As she is a juvenile, the prosecution did not name her in court on Tuesday. On their second date, Creato told her about his 3-year-old son and the contact he still had with the child's mother, Denoto. Spensky went away to college in New York in September and the two argued about Creato having to take care of his son on the weekends -- when she was off from class and the two could be together. In online postings, some of which were revealed in news reports months ago, Spensky reportedly voiced her displeasure about the boy and the visitation situation. "Some of it is unbelievable," Shah said of the postings, adding that the tumultuous relationship continued "despite her disdain for his child." On Columbus Day, the day before Brendan died, Creato took Spensky to the train station so she could go back to school. The two continued to talk via text messages that night until Creato went to bed around 10 p.m. However, Shah said he didn't go to bed at that time -- despite what he told investigators. A forensic examination of Creato's cell phone revealed he accessed his girlfriend's Snapchat account and found correspondence from a male classmate of Spensky's. Shah said Creato tried calling her and got no answer. He later told investigators that he was suspicious of his girlfriend and in a paranoid state of mind that night. After using his phone earlier in the morning, Creato called 911 around 6 a.m. to report his son missing. Shah said Creato's girlfriend was born and raised in Pennsylvania and the two are still a couple. "She and her family have not been cooperative," Shah added. Fuschino, responding to Shah's telling of the events, expressed doubt with the prosecution's conclusion of who killed Brendan. "It makes no sense," he said of why Creato would harm his son, adding that his client conducted a lengthy interview with investigators not long after Brendan's body was found. "This is a travesty that not only has he lost his son, but now he's being accused," Fuschino said Monday. Arguing against the "circumstantial" case, Fuschino got bail lowered from $1 million and convinced the court that Creato was not a flight risk. Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. HADDON TWP. -- In the days after Brendan Creato's body was found in a wooded section of Cooper River Park, a small memorial for the 3-year-old boy grew at the curve of South Park Drive and Saginaw Avenue, near his father's home. The memorial grew a little more Monday, after David "D.J." Creato, the boy's dad, was indicted on charges of first-degree murder and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child in connection to the death of his son on Oct. 13. Two women, who did not want to be identified, stopped at the memorial early Monday evening to lay fresh flowers at the site. The shrine started as a single stuffed animal almost three months ago and has to grown to include ribbons, flowers and other items located around two trees not far from where Brendan was found. Creato was taken into custody in Washington Township at about 2:15 p.m. Monday and was held in the Camden County Jail. There was little activity at the memorial late Monday afternoon other than a few television news vans. The vans were also the only life seemingly present at Creato's former apartment on the corner of Cooper Street and Virginia Avenue. Creato reported his son missing in a 9-1-1 call at about 6 a.m. on Oct. 13, leading to a massive search by members of the community. Search dogs found Brendan's body about three hours later. Little information was revealed by investigators over the following three months. The Camden County Prosecutor's Office said there were no signs of forced entry at Creato's home and that Brendan was not sexually assaulted. Results of an autopsy conducted on the day Brendan's body was found were inconclusive. Members of the Haddon Township community were shocked by news of Creato's arrest Monday, just as they were on that October day when the toddler's body was found. At a local tavern Monday afternoon, a resident who did not want to be identified said as a father, he couldn't believe the news. "I cannot believe that a man could go and do something like that to his own boy," he said. "At that age or any age." Brendan's mother, Samantha Denoto, has not spoken publicly since a statement was issued on the day her son's body was found. Her family issued a statement to NJ Advance Media on Monday afternoon that was similar to the one distributed just after Brendan's death. "This is a very difficult time for our family," the statement read. "We do not intend to make any statements regarding today's news. We continue to request that we be provided with privacy during this very difficult time." Creato is is scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Camden Tuesday afternoon for an arraignment conference at 1:30 p.m. The prosecutor's office declined to release any additional information about the arrest. The indictment, released by the prosecutor's office, can be viewed below. Alex Young may be reached at ayoung@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @AlexYoungSJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. CAMDEN -- One of the first big businesses to recently claim Camden as its new home revealed Monday that all operations will be under one roof roughly one year from now. Dan Hauser, senior vice president of corporate development for the Philadelphia 76ers, speaks Monday in Camden. (Greg Adomaitis | For NJ.com) Dan Hauser, senior vice president of corporate partnerships for the Philadelphia 76ers, added that the 120,000-square-foot practice facility will likely be put to use as soon as October of this year. "We are excited to be there," Hauser told members of the Camden Chamber of Commerce at a meeting on Monday. "We're very happy to be moving ... the employees are excited." In June 2014, Sixers leadership joined with Camden elected officials to announce the organization would be moving its practice space and front office operations to the waterfront area. Construction of the facility that will be located off Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard continues. Presently, the team practices at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, in Bala Cynwyd, while business-side operations are located at The Navy Yard, in South Philadelphia. "We're extremely proud of it," Hauser, now in his third season with the Sixers, said of the new facility. According to previous reports, the Sixers toured the Navy Yard to mull expanding operations there. Moving to the other side of the Delaware River was finalized after the New Jersey Economic Development Authority approved $82 million in tax breaks, which will be awarded over a period of 10 years. Such incentives have recently enticed a number of companies -- such as Holtec International and Subaru of America -- to move their operations to Camden. As part of the financial award, the 76ers were required to create at least 250 jobs at the Camden facility. Jobs, both for local residents as well as employment opportunities for the companies attending Monday's gathering, were brought up a handful of times. While Hauser noted that the company expects to hire new employees, he added that it's difficult to say at this point what options will be available one year from now. "There will be opportunities but what exactly does that mean, it's hard to say at this point," Hauser said, adding that the team's community relations crew have been working with city groups to further immerse themselves in the new hometown. Ray Jones, a former law enforcement officer and current president of security firm We See You, asked Houser about providing his company's services to the 76ers. Although it was too early for the 76ers to pin down their security needs, Jones said he received an email from Holtec during Monday's gathering that confirmed his crew would be securing the company's construction site at the Camden waterfront. "We will continue to be a part of this community," Hauser said, adding that 76ers staff all perform 76 hours of community service each year. Asked after the meeting what it means to pick up and move, the former Detroit Pistons executive of 33 years said Camden will play a very important role in the team's future. It doesn't hurt that a large percentage of the team's fan base is on this side of the river, either. Speaking about the team's record, which stands at four wins and 36 losses as of Tuesday, Hauser asked fans for their patience. "That's a major step in the right direction," he said of a practice facility that will help newer players like Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Oakfor develop. Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. HADDON TWP. -- Following his arrest Monday, the father of 3-year-old Brendan Creato will appear in court in Camden on Tuesday afternoon. David "D.J." Creato, Jr., 22, was indicted by a Camden County grand jury on charges of first-degree murder and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child stemming from his son's mysterious October 2015 death. The Camden County Prosecutor's Office, which announced the charges and arrest, has declined to offer any additional comment as to not jeopardize the case. It's still unclear how Brendan, whose body was found nearly a half-mile from his father's apartment, died. An initial autopsy did not determine the cause or manner of death. Creato is scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Camden County Hall of Justice. Bail will be set at that time. "This is a travesty that not only has he lost his son, but now he's being accused," Philadelphia-based attorney Richard J. Fuschino, who is representing Creato, told philly.com. Fuschino, who previously told NJ Advance Media that his client was not a suspect in the investigation and already gave authorities a lengthy interview, did not return a request for comment. It's been nearly three months since Creato called 9-1-1 on the morning of Oct. 13, 2015 to report his son went missing in the early dawn hours. The boy's body was found nearly three hours later in Cooper River Park. William Brennan, a lawyer retained by D.J. Creato's parents and sister -- who testified before the grand jury -- told philly.com, "I know they love and support their son ... I'm sure they will continue to love and support their son." Brennan did not respond to a request for comment on Monday. The family of Samantha Denoto, the toddler's mother who has never spoken publicly regarding the death, told NJ Advance Media via email Monday that this is a "very difficult time" for the family and that they would make no further statements. The Haddon Township community reacted with shock and dismay Monday evening after news broke that Creato had been arrested. Declining to be interviewed, some went back to the memorial erected for Brendan and laid fresh flowers. "I cannot believe that a man could go and do something like that to his own boy," a man who identified himself as a father said late Monday. "At that age or any age." Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. Good news, "Star Wars" fans... New Jersey stores will soon be stocked with toys featuring the noticeably-absent Rey character from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Hasbro says a second wave of "Star Wars" toys is coming later this month that now prominently feature the new female protagonist played by newcomer Daisy Ridley, with her blue lightsaber and blaster. Running up to the film's release and all the way through the holiday season, there was a definite absence of the character from major toy and game campaigns. Fans were angered at Disney and LucasFilm for fears that they didn't release Rey because little boys may not want to play with a female action figure. Paul Southern, head of licensing for Lucasfilm, tells The Wall Street Journal that is certainly not the case. "One of the biggest surprises that filmmakers wanted to keep under wraps was that the 'force awakens' in Rey and she carries a lightsaber," Southern said. Ultimately, fans were so outraged that they turned to social media using the hashtag '#WheresRey' to vent their apparent frustration. Even "The Force Awakens" director J.J. Abrams seemed peeved. First reported by EW, he told the panel on the TCA press tour last week, "It seems preposterous and wrong that the main character of the movie is not well represented in what is clearly a huge piece of the 'Star Wars' world in terms of merchandising." He was there to support his new Hulu series "11.22.66." So just how absent was Rey? A six-figure set exclusive to Target only featured male characters (Chewbacca, Poe Dameron, Kylo Ren, Finn, a First Order Stormtrooper and a First Order pilot), a Millennium Falcon playlet (a ship she helped fly) and, perhaps most infuriating to fans, a new "Force Awakens" Monopoly game. Last Thursday, CNN reported that new editions of Monopoly will be released with Rey. The web site Legion of Leia was also angered and reminded fans this has happened before. "Hasbro, what are you doing?," they wrote. "Did you not hear us when we asked why Gamora wasn't part of the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' team? When there was a national campaign to get her on shirts and lunch boxes? Remember #WheresGamora? Oh, and then again when you decided to leave Black Widow out of all the Avengers sets?" Regarding the next wave of toys, Southern went on the tell EW, "The timing is good to try to address some of the social discussion that has been created through the 'Where's Rey?' movement." Anthony Venutolo may be reached at avenutolo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @AnthonyVenutolo and Google+. Find NJ.com on Facebook. EAST ORANGE -- The state SPCA has accused the city's animal shelter of numerous violations, including failing to provide enough food and water, News !2 New Jersey reported Monday. Following an inspection, the state found 44 violations, summonses for which were filed Monday afternoon with the city's health department. The inspection comes after News 12 investigated the shelter over the summer following reports of unsatisfactory conditions and a lack of public access. The shelter was open only two hours a day but sometimes members of the public, including animal welfare groups, weren't allowed in even during those scheduled hours. A city spokeswoman said East Orange has been working with the state to bring the shelter into compliance. Kathy Yates, who belongs to a local animal rescue group, plans to ask the city if her organization can take over the shelter and operate it under its existing budget. Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@PaulMilo2. FindNJ.com on Facebook 23693755743_10e44f114d_k.jpg Newark Mayor Ras Baraka signs an ordinance approving tax abatements for new construction outside the city's downtown, airport or seaport districts on Monday, Jan. 11, 2015. (City of Newark Press Office) NEWARK - As development in Newark appears to be trending upward, officials are taking measures aimed at ensuring any new era of prosperity will extend to the city's most needy neighborhoods. On Monday, Mayor Ras Baraka signed amendments to an existing ordinance that will grant five-year tax abatements for newly constructed commercial, industrial or multiple-dwelling properties outside the downtown, airport and seaport districts. "This new initiative will accelerate development outside of downtown, with a five-year window that enables building the housing, commercial, and industrial projects we need to revitalize our neighborhoods," Baraka said in a statement. Under the plan, newly constructed buildings will receive a five-year tax assessment based on one of three formulas: either 2 percent of its construction costs, 15 percent of its gross annual revenues or a plan that allows it to pay no taxes during the first year, while paying an additional 20 percent of its assessment over the following four. The newly amended ordinance also provides incentive for existing landlords to make improvements to their properties, offering to hold assessments steady for five years should their projects meet city standards. All abatements and exemptions and proposed improvements will still require approval from the City Council or tax assessor. The newly signed ordinance comes as areas in and around the city's downtown continue to attract significant new attention from developers, resulting in rapid transformation around the Prudential Center, New Jersey Performing Arts Center and Military Park. Work is already underway on a new mixed-use development that will bring a Whole Foods supermarket to the former Hahne's building on Broad Street, and developers are currently eying a newly available plot just east of Newark Penn Station that stakeholders say could bring a high-rise office tower or apartment building to the city's iconic Ironbound District. As new businesses and loft apartment buildings go up, however, many residents have challenged officials as to how they plan to develop long-suffering areas such as the South and West wards, where crime, unemployment and poverty still cast a pall over much of daily life. Officials such as Baye Adofo-Wilson, the city's deputy mayor for economic and housing development, say the new abatement program could prove part of the answer to those concerns. In a statement, he called the move "one of the most aggressive measures we have taken to improve our neighborhoods." "This five-year abatement allows everyone to participate in the city's growth and development," he said. Dan Ivers may be reached at divers@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanIversNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. NEWARK -- While released on $1 million bail on charges of killing the mother of his four-year-old daughter in Essex County, a man is accused of driving drunk and crashing into a minivan early Christmas morning on the New Jersey Turnpike in Middlesex County. Andre Higgs, 43, of Watchung, is charged with assault by auto and driving while intoxicated for allegedly crashing into the rear of the minivan and injuring the other motorist shortly after midnight in the southbound portion of the Turnpike in Cranbury, according to the New Jersey State Police. The collision occurred while Higgs is facing murder and related charges in connection with the May 1 killing of Latrena May, 27, outside her East Orange home while their daughter was inside the residence. Higgs was released from custody on Aug. 14 after posting $1 million bail. During a hearing on Monday in the murder case, Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Justin Edwab said he filed a motion to either increase Higgs's bail or revoke it, because of the alleged drunk driving incident in Middlesex. "This defendant poses a serious danger to the State of New Jersey," Edwab told Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler during Monday's hearing, adding that Higgs was "drunk driving and almost killed someone on the Turnpike." But Higgs's attorney, Thomas Ashley, asked to postpone arguments on the bail motion until Thursday, because he only received court documents about the Middlesex case on Monday morning and he needed time to review them with Higgs. Saying it was "a matter of fairness," the judge granted Ashley's request to return to court on Thursday. Wigler also instructed Higgs that he could drive home on Monday, but then he was prohibited from driving until Thursday's hearing. The crash occurred at about 12:10 a.m. on Dec. 25 when Higgs crashed a Dodge Ram pickup truck into the rear of a Dodge Caravan that was parked on the right shoulder of the Turnpike, police said. The driver of the Caravan, who had stepped out of the vehicle, was injured after being thrown into the right lane of the highway as a result of the crash, according to Trooper Alina Spies of the New Jersey State Police. After hitting the Caravan, Higgs crossed the road and crashed into the left concrete barrier before coming to a final rest, Spies said. Higgs was later arrested and ultimately released after posting $75,000 bail. In the killing of Latrena May, Higgs was indicted on Nov. 6 on murder, weapons charges, possession of heroin, endangering the welfare of a child, hindering his own prosecution and aggravated assault for allegedly pointing a gun at a police officer. Latrena May Authorities have said Higgs and May were arguing on the porch of her Tremont Avenue home while their daughter was inside the residence. As May flagged down a police officer patrolling the area, Higgs shot her three times and the officer then shot Higgs, authorities said. After the shooting, Higgs went into the house and threw the gun on the floor of a hallway before he was ultimately apprehended, Edwab previously said. The girl, who lived with May, was in their first-floor apartment at the time of the shooting, and then ran to the second-floor apartment afterward, Edwab said. May was pronounced dead at the scene. A teacher at Pride Academy Charter School in East Orange, May has been remembered as a dedicated and passionate educator who showed "unconditional kindness" to others. Higgs was treated at University Hospital in Newark and transferred on May 11 to the Essex County Correctional Facility, where he remained until posting the $1 million bail. Before Higgs was released from the county jail, his then-attorney, Sebastian Bio, indicated in court that the bail would be posted in large part with a property bond covering about $706,000 in equity from Higgs's Watchung home. The house is worth nearly $1.2 million, Bio said at the time. During Monday's hearing, Ashley, Higgs's current attorney, said he was investigating certain aspects of Higgs's activities on the day of the shooting. Ashley also indicated he intended to present witnesses at the trial to address Higgs's intoxication at the time of the incident. In addition to the bail motion, Edwab said during the hearing he was pursuing a motion to present evidence at Higgs's trial that May called 911 about a month before the fatal shooting, because Higgs was choking her. Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. rafael G.jpg Rafael Guevara, of the 100 block of 10th Street, is charged with attempting to take $299 worth of merchandise "without paying, then striking store security guard" at the North Bergen Home Depot. (Michaelangelo Conte | The Jersey Journal) JERSEY CITY -- A 69-year-old Union City man has been charged with robbery in an alleged "shoplifting gone bad" at Home Depot in North Bergen yesterday. Rafael Guevara, of the 100 block of 10th Street, is charged with attempting to take $299 worth of merchandise "without paying, then striking store security guard in the chest with a closed fist in order to flee," according to a criminal complaint. Guevara is also charged with conspiring with another to commit robbery, the criminal complaint states. Guevara has 25 prior arrests, seven disorderly person convictions and criminal convictions for aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and three counts of stealing merchandise from a store, a court official said. While arguing for a high bail, Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor John Wojtal told the judge this afternoon that the incident appeared to be a shoplifting gone bad but he noted Marino's extensive record and the allegation that he punched the Home Depot employee. Judge Margaret Marley set the bail at $100,000. There is a warrant for Marino's arrest out of North Bergen Municipal Court on the charge of shoplifting with a bail of $1,000, a warrant out of Secaucus Municipal Court on the charge of shoplifting with a bail of $600 and a warrant out of Union Township on the same charge, with a bail of $533, a court official said. Marino made his first court appearance on the charges today in Central Judicial Processing court in Jersey City. A bill named after slain Jersey City police Detective Melvin Vincent Santiago is one signature away from becoming law. The legislation (A-4105), titled "Detective Melvin Vincent Santiago's Law" and approved 39-0 by the state Senate yesterday, will expand the scope of current law regulating armed security guards in New Jersey. The unanimous approval was the bill's last step before going to Gov. Chris Christie's desk. Santiago, 23, was killed in the early morning hours of July 13, 2014, when he was ambushed while responding to the call of an armed robbery at a Walgreens. The gunman had previously attacked a store security guard, grabbed his gun and later fired on Santiago as he and his partner arrived at the scene. Santiago, a rookie cop, had been on the job for six months at the time of his tragic death. "Detective Melvin Vincent Santiago was just beginning his career in law enforcement. His shooting was a grave tragedy," said 33rd District Assemblyman Carmelo Garcia, D-Hoboken, one of the bill's sponsors. "Security guards are hired by businesses to deter potential criminal activity and protect property. They are the first on the scene and, often, the first line of communication with the police." MORE PHOTOS: Paying tribute to fallen Police Detective Melvin Santiago Under the "Security Office Registration Act," or SORA, security guards employed by security guard companies are strictly regulated by the Division of State Police. Santiago's Law would extend SORA's provisions to armed security guards employed by private companies. Specifically under the bill, any person employed as an in-house security officer who is required to carry a firearm would be required to register with the superintendent of State Police and complete an education and training course. Under current law, only security officers who are employed by a "security officer company" that furnishes security services to other entities are required to register with the superintendent. The bill was co-sponsored by Democratic Assembly members Carmelo Garcia, Charles Mainor, Raj Mukherji, Jason O'Donnell, and Shavonda Sumter. "It is very clear to us that current law needs to be changed to ensure better training of security officers for their jobs. Lives depend on these changes," said Mukherji, D-Jersey City. "Stronger training and requirements will help ensure tragedies such as this one are avoided in the future." ALSO SEE: Santiago's family carries his memory through year of anguish The bill is one of the ways in which elected officials and community members have honored the slain officer since his death 18 months ago. On Thursday, Jersey City cut the ribbon on its new West District police station -- named in honor of Santiago. "He was the best of us," Public-Safety Director James Shea said during the ceremony. "He was taken from us too soon, and we will never forget him." The bill also requires a person employed as an in-house security officer before the bill's effective date to complete the education and training program within one year following the enactment of the bill. A company employing an in-house security officer in violation of SORA is subject to a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for the first offense and not more than $20,000 for the second and subsequent offenses. derek walker Derek Walker, 29, of Maryland, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with serious injuries. JERSEY CITY -- A homeless man was critically injured on Sunday when he was involved in a hit-and-run accident while pushing a shopping cart of his belongings across the street, officials said. Derek Walker, 29, of Maryland, has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident but could face additional charges, depending on the fate of the victim. At about 3:45 a.m., the 65-year-old man was crossing the street on Columbus Drive when he was struck by Walker's purple Hyundai Sonata, according to a police report. Witnesses at the scene told police the victim hit the driver's windshield and was carried on the front of the car "a few car lengths" before rolling off onto the street, the report states. The witness told police the driver exited his vehicle in the middle of the intersection near Barrow Street, looked back for about 20 seconds and then left the scene, the report states. At 4:06 a.m., police were informed that Walker had called police to report that he hit some type of object or person on Columbus Drive and was currently on the New Jersey Turnpike, according to the report. After authorities told Walker to return to the scene, he arrived at 4:16 a.m. His car had a "spider webbing" crack on the windshield and a dent on the hood and passenger side door, police said. The vehicle was impounded and Walker was arrested for numerous traffic offenses and open warrants, the report states. At the scene, police recovered the victim's belonging -- a sleeping bag, blanket, shoes and bottle of wine -- and took measurements from the accident. The report states there was a pool of blood left on the street. The victim's "life-threatening injures" included bilateral femur fractures, a head injury and collapsed lung, the report states. Walker appeared in Central Judicial Procession court yesterday and was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with serious bodily injury. During the hearing, it was stated that the victim not in the cross walk, was wearing dark clothing and it was raining at the time of the accident. Court officials called the accident "sad" as Walker's family sat in the courtroom. Walker has no prior arrests, but had two warrants out of Jersey City Municipal Court for motor vehicle violations. The first warrant was $500 and the second was $7,000 with a 10 percent cash option. Judge Margaret Marley set bail for the accident at $5,000 with a 10 percent cash option, but was concerned the charge could possibly be upgraded to death by auto if the victim dies. He was issued summonses for careless driving, leaving the scene of an accident with serious injuries, leaving the scene of an accident, and reckless driving. The man remains in critical condition at Jersey City Medical Center-Barnabas Health, a hospital spokesman said. axel.jpg Axel Rodriguez, 43, of Elm Street, made his first court appearance this afternoon in Central Judicial Procession court via video link from Hudson County jail. JERSEY CITY -- Citing a Kearny's man's recent criminal history, a Hudson County judge set bail at a whopping $75,000 today when he appeared on charges of shoplifting from a liquor store on three separate occasions. Axel Rodriguez, 43, of Elm Street, made his first court appearance this afternoon in Central Judicial Procession court via video link from Hudson County jail on the new charges. Already facing two open shoplifting cases, Rodriguez was charged with stealing more than $300 worth of alcohol from a liquor store on three separate occasions, according to a criminal complaint. According to the complaint, on Dec. 29, Rodriguez entered a Kearny Avenue store and stole a bottle of Hennessy and a bottle of Jameson, totaling $203.28. The next week, he returned to the same business on Jan. 4 and stole another bottle of Hennessy valued at $50, the complaint states. Two days later Rodriguez entered the business once again and stole a third bottle of Hennessy, valued at $69.99, according to the complaint. Rodriguez was arrested on Jan. 7 after a statement was given by an employee of the store and surveillance video captured him committing the offense, the complaint states. During his hearing it was revealed Rodriguez already has two open theft cases, one from November and one from Dec. 21. Because of his record, Judge Margaret Marley set bail at $75,000 with a 10 percent cash option because she believed all of the charges were a result of "chronic shoplifting gone bad." The bail was significantly higher than the guidelines for the crime, but Marley argued it was set "too low even at that." LAMBERTVILLE -- The former owner of The Bucks County Playhouses was sentenced to 30 months in prison for money laundering and mail fraud, according to a report by the Bucks County Courier Times. Ralph Miller, 69, of New Hope, Pa., was found guilty by a federal jury in Philadelphia in May for submitting false invoices for high-end theater lighting and other items he claimed were damaged by a 2006 flood that forced the closing of the landmark theater, according to the newspaper. On Monday, Miller was sentenced to 30 months in prison, ordered to pay $239,875 in restitution and serve a three-year term of supervised release, with the first year to be served in his home with electronic monitoring, the newspaper reported. According to the Cape Cod Times, Miller owned the Falmouth Playhouse, which was destroyed by an arsonist in 1994. The Cape Cod Times reported that Miller received insurance payments on other fires that destroyed buildings he owned, including a Bucks County warehouse in 1984 and the Woodstock Playhouse in upstate New York in 1988. A 2009 fire that destroyed the Pocono Playhouse, also owned by Miller, remains under investigation as an arson, the Pocono Record has reported. The Bucks County Courier Times reported that prosecutor's claimed Miller had filed fire and theft insurance claims on theater equipment in that fire that former employees testified the playhouse never owned. Shortly after Miller was indicted in 2011, the playhouse was sold to the Bridge Street Foundation, a nonprofit established by Kevin and Sherri Daugherty of Doylestown Township, Pa., for $1.7 million. The playhouse reopened in 2012 and upcoming shows include "The Bucks County Playhouse Comedy Series," "A Taste of Things to Come," "The First Annual Mardi Gras Drag Spectacular," "Defending the Caveman," "Galway Girls: Songs of Ireland" and "In the Mood." Emily Cummins may be reached at ecummins@njadvancemedia.com Follow her on Twitter @EmilyACummins and Facebook. CLINTON -- Route 173 between Clinton and Phillipsburg has been named in honor of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Legislation sponsored by state Sen. Michael Doherty (R-23) has been signed into law. The road, which runs along Interstate 78, is now designated the 173rd Airborne Brigade Highway in honor of the brigade's many years of heroism and sacrifice in defense of this country's freedom. "From service in France during World War I to recent deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 'Sky Soldiers' of the 173rd Airborne Brigade have distinguished themselves for nearly a century," said Doherty. "It is fitting that New Jersey honor the 173rd Airborne Brigade's service and sacrifice by naming part of Route 173 in their honor." The brigade was first constituted as the 173rd Infantry Brigade and deployed to France during World War I, and later designated the 87th Reconnaissance Troop during World War II, entering combat in 1944 and serving in central European, Rhineland and Ardennes-Alsace operations. The brigade was reconstituted as a separate brigade and special airborne task force, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, as part of an Army reorganization in the early 1960s. The brigade, which earned the moniker "Sky Soldiers," was the first Army unit sent into the republic of South Vietnam in May 1965. For the brave service of its members in Vietnam, as a whole, the brigade earned four unit citations, 13 Medals of Honor, and more than 130 distinguished service crosses. Nearly 1,000 members of the brigade participated in the 2003 invasion of Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and between 2005 and 2010 the brigade served three tours in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Doherty's legislation was first introduced in the prior legislative session at the suggestion of the Gem Vac Veterans, a local veterans group that counts as its members some who served in the 173rd Airborne Brigade. The legislation was reintroduced at the beginning of the current session on Jan. 14, 2014. "When the Gem Vac Veterans approached me with the idea to do this, I realized it would be a wonderful way to pay our respect to the 173rd Airborne Brigade for its longstanding service to our nation," said Doherty. Under the legislation, no state funds will be used to produce, purchase or erect signs marking the designated portions of Route 173, with all funds supplied by private sources. A similar funding model has been successfully employed to pay for signs designating Route 31 as the "Tri-County Purple Heart Memorial Highway," a measure also sponsored by Doherty, a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and former captain in the United States Army. Sallie Graziano may be reached at sgraziano@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SallieGraziano. Find The Hunterdon County Democrat on Facebook. Solar panel crash The 21-year-old was issued summonses for driving while intoxicated, reckless driving and careless driving (West Windsor Police) WEST WINDSOR -- Police say an alleged drunken driver swerved off the road and crashed into the field of solar panels at Mercer County Community College Sunday night. Benjamin T. Hartman, 21, of Cranbury, was driving west on the college's loop road around 10:20 p.m. when his 2003 Honda Odyssey went off the road at a curve. He drove over the chain-linked fence, struck a cement foundation block and went through a row of solar panels before crashing into a second set, police said. Hartman declined medical assistance. He was issued summonses for driving while intoxicated, reckless driving and careless driving and was released pending a court appearance, police said. The 8-megawatt solar field went online in late 2013 and provides about 70 percent of the West Windsor campus' annual electricity usage and saves about $750,000 each year. It was not immediately known how much the damage will cost. Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook. The state Department of Agriculture has denied a request under New Jersey's Open Public Records Act for information on the cause of death of a dolphin that swam into a Middlesex County river in August. And the state's reasons for doing so involve a surprising interpretation of the law. Muckrock.com, a collaborative news site that maintains a repository of state and federal government records requests, sought records related to the necropsy of the dolphin, which was spotted in the South River in Old Bridge in August. The animal drew dozens of onlookers and prompted a rescue effort by the Marine Mammal Stranding Center of Brigantine, which tried to coax the struggling dolphin into Raritan Bay, but it died in the river a few days later. Last month, Muckrock, which made the request just days after the animal's death several months ago, received a reply: request denied. The state refused the request because it is related to a "medical diagnosis or evaluation," the Department of Agriculture's designated records custodian wrote. Medical information related to "individuals" is commonly exempt from disclosure under the state's records laws, but the exemption is often understood to refer only to human beings, as Muckrock wryly noted. "Seeing as the exemption applies to 'information concerning individuals,' this rejection would therefore appear to be granting dolphins personhood. With no disrespect to the records coordinator at the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, that seems like the kind of decision best left to someone with a slightly higher pay grade," the group said in an online posting. The state has released animal necropsies and examination results in the past, including from the bear that fatally attacked a Rutgers University student in West Milford in 2014 and of several birds killed by pesticide in Millville in 2012. Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@PaulMilo2. FindNJ.com on Facebook Bishop-Paul-Bootkoski.JPG Metuchen Bishop Paul Bootkoski, seen here in a 2010 file photo, announced that the Diocese of Metuchen will join an effort to bring refugees to the United States. (Star-Ledger file photo) METUCHEN -- The Diocese of Metuchen announced last week that it will join a broader effort among Catholics to welcome refugees to Central Jersey. Several parishes in the diocese, which includes Roman Catholic churches in Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties, have signed up for the effort, the diocese said in a news release. Diocesan officials are expecting to bring 12 to 15 families, no more than 40 people, beginning in October, the diocese said. The Metuchen Diocese would become the second in New Jersey to sign up for the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops' refugee drive, after Camden. The announcement in Metuchen comes just a few days before an upcoming message from Pope Francis. "Biblical revelation urges us to welcome the stranger; it tells us that in so doing, we open our doors to God, and that in the faces of others we see the face of Christ himself," Francis said in his message. War, famine and poverty in North Africa and the Middle East are fueling one of the largest waves of mass migration in history. Millions have fled war in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. But the migrant crisis has brought with it security fears, particularly after the November terrorist attacks Paris, in which some attackers may have slipped in to Europe via the migrant trail. Gov. Chris Christie, for example, said that the state should reject Syrian refugees, even kids younger than 5 years old. The governor, as a state official, had little sway to influence national policy. And Catholic leaders say there is little to fear, given extensive security precautions. "It can take up to two years for a refugee to pass through the whole vetting process," Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, the chairman of the bishop conference's Committee on Migration, said in an news release. "We can look at strengthening the already stringent screening program, but we should continue to welcome those in desperate need." It's likely that some refugees will be from Syria, although they could also come from other counties, like Afghanistan and Burundi, spokeswoman Erin Friedlander said in an email. The diocese did not say which parishes would take part in the effort, but officials said they are recruiting for a broad coalition of parishes. The diocese has already hired four social workers to help with case management. Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski named Chancellor Lori Albanese to oversee the resettlement program. The diocese still needs final State Department approval to resettle the refugees, who would come through State's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. "Today's refugee crisis calls for a humanitarian response, not fear," Bootkoski said in a written statement. "Therefore, the Diocese of Metuchen will do its best to welcome the stranger, with compassion and mercy, in unity with the call of our Holy Father and the US Bishops." Brian Amaral may be reached at bamaral@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bamaral44. Find NJ.com on Facebook. MADISON -- A 22-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman were arrested Sunday after police say they assaulted and robbed a 20-year-old man in order to take his marijuana. The robbery was reported at 6:28 p.m. at a location off of Madison Avenue, Madison police Lt. John Miscia said in a news release. The man who was robbed told police he was familiar with the suspects involved and provided a description of both people involved in the robbery, Miscia said. No weapon was used during the course of the robbery. After canvassing the area, Madison police located the vehicle involved in the robbery as well as the first suspect -- Blake R. Brink, 22, of Morristown. Brink was taken into custody and questioned at headquarters, Miscia said. The second suspect -- Olivia S. Tevlin, 18, of Scotch Plains -- was also located nearby. Investigators say a fight broke out after Brink and Tevlin agreed to purchase marijuana from the 20-year-old man. Brink was charged with robbery and aggravated assault, both of which are second-degree crimes. Tevlin, who police say was the driver, was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, also second-degree crimes. Brink was taken to Morris County Correctional Facility in lieu of $5,000 bail. Tevlin, who according to her Facebook page is a freshman at Drew University, was released on her own recognizance. The man who was assaulted was taken to Morristown Medical Center with minor injuries. He was later released. A spokesperson for Drew University said the two individuals involved in this incident who are not Drew students were issued no-trespass orders by the school. The school didn't identify the third individual but confirmed that a Drew student was arrested. Disciplinary measures against the student are confidential, but, according to the spokesperson, "the University has taken interim measures to ensure the ongoing safety of the campus community." Miscia said the investigation is still ongoing and more charges are pending. Besides Madison police, the Morris County Sheriff's Office, Criminal Investigation Section assisted in the investigation. Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. TRENTON -- The state may be coming up with $5 million or more to help counties that feel financially strapped in dealing with New Jersey's bail reform law, according to the director of a group that advocates for counties. The constitutional amendment that goes into effect in 2017, approved by state voters as a ballot question in 2014, is supposed to require full hearings within 48 hours for newly arrested defendants in major cases, even on weekends. Also, most offenders will be released with conditions and will require supervision by a new pre-trial services staff, according to a presentation made to the Morris County freeholders in September by Judge Stuart Minkowitz, assignment judge for Morris and Sussex counties. Those accused of murder and other violent offenses will likely be detained without bail. The Morris-Sussex vicinage, along with Passaic and Camden counties, were expected to initiate pilot programs in mid-2016 to begin implementing the new law. Minkowitz said coping with the new law would require "an extraodinary amount of resources," and his presentation alarmed the freeholders, who said they would not be able to come up with the funds and physical facilities needed for the new program. The county's financial officials estimated it would cost about $5 million to pay for the new program, according to Larry Ragonese, a spokesman for the county. But hope, in the form of financial help, may be on the way, according to John Donnadio, executive director of the New Jersey Association of Counties. "What we're trying to do is secure additional money," Donnadio said, noting that NJAC officials have been meeting with legislators in an effort to develop a package to help the four counties. Within the next two to three weeks, Donnadio said, the legislators may come up with a proposed financial package. "We collected date from the four counties on projected costs, based on conversations with prosecutors and judges," Donnadio said. A state appropriation of $5 to $7 million may be proposed to help the four counties pay for additional staff and facilities this year, he said. "We're working with legislators to show we need the money," Donnadio said. "We're figuring out what the appropriation is going to be ... We should have something in the next couple weeks." While the program will cost more in the short term, it will save counties money in the long run, Donnadio said, because they will be paying to house fewer inmates awaiting trial in jails. The law was designed, in part, to eliminate the fact that many poor defendants were being held indefinitely prior to trial because they couldn't afford to pay for bail, while richer defendants could gain their release merely because they could pay for it. Ragonese, the Morris spokesman, noted "there has been a lot going on behind the scenes" in an attempt to help the counties with the costs of the new program. Implementation of the pilot program may be delayed somewhat, he said. "The specifics of it are still being worked out," Ragonese said. But, he noted, the law was voted in and must be implemented. Freeholders and the county's finance staff are keeping an eye on what the legislators are doing and need to know what's going on as they begin work on the annual budget for 2016, Ragonese said. "We do have a budget to put together," he said. In negotiating with the legislators, Donnadio said, the county advocates are not going to pound away at the theme of "unfunded mandates." "That never really works," Donnadio said. "I'm cautiously optimistic." Ben Horowitz may be reached at bhorowitz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @HorowitzBen. Find NJ.com on Facebook. LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE - A musician who grew up in Morris County and rose to national prominence died last week. Amy Regan, who collaborated on a project with Beck and was featured in Rolling Stone Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, Spin Magazine and others, died on Jan. 6 at the age of 30, "You are free. You can now rest easy as you eternally sing the music that surrounds us all. You will remain with me through every song that I hear," John Regan, her brother, . Amy Regan was born in Morristown and raised in Chester where she started writing and singing music at 6-years-old, according to the obituary. At 12, she was performing in coffee shops through Morris County. A graduate of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Regan moved to Brooklyn, N.Y after school to launch her career. She released five records independently, according to a biography page on her website. A social media post detailed plans for a forthcoming album. "Planning / writing / rehearsing for my next album! Due out summer 2016," reads a caption on an Instagram photo that appears to show song lyrics. Regan was featured in a Hertz commercial and, in 2012, produced a video in collaboration with Beck's Song Reader project, "America, Here's My Boy" in honor of veterans. She also performed at venues across the U.S., including Joe's Pub in New York City, The Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles, Club Passim in Boston and The Tin Angel in Boston. She was scheduled to perform her last show on Dec. 10 at The Living Room in Brooklyn, according to her social media accounts. The obituary did not state the cause of Regan's death and attempts to reach her family were unsuccessful Tuesday. "My sister Amy passed away on Wednesday, January 6, 2016 in her sleep. I believe that she is now in a better place," her brother wrote. Fausto Giovanny Pinto may be reached at fpinto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @FGPreporting. Find NJ.com on Facebook. U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez was conducting valid congressional oversight of federal agencies -- not lobbying for his friend and political benefactor -- when he questioned top federal officials about issues that could impact his friend, he argued in court papers filed Monday seeking to dismiss the corruption case against him. In a 63-page brief filed with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, Menendez's lawyers argued on constitutional grounds why the case should be dismissed. The filing is Menendez's latest shot in his appeal of a ruling by U.S. District Judge William Walls in September allowing the case against the Democratic senator and his longtime friend and political donor, Salomon Melgen, to proceed. In the filing, Menendez (D-N.J.) says federal prosecutors -- and then Walls -- misread his official efforts to influence top government officials on Medicare and port security policy as "a political favor for a friend." According to the brief, the U.S.Constitution's Speech or Debate clause protects legislators fulfilling their duties, including oversight of department agencies. Among the charges he faces, Menendez is accused of improperly questioning top officials at the Department of Health and Human Services and Customs and Border Protection about issues that could benefit Melgen, a West Palm Beach ophthalmologist who allegedly overbilled Medicare by $8.9 million. Melgen also had an interest in a business seeking a port security deal. At all times, it says, the discussion was about clarifying government policy, not about helping out an individual. "Senator Menendez debated policy in every conversation with executive branch officials," the brief says. In addition, the Justice Department failed to identify any "corrupt agreement" or quid pro quo, it says. "There is no direct evidence of any corrupt agreement (because there was no agreement) -- no audiotape, video, letter, email, witness, or anything else," it says. Instead, it says the government can only suggest circumstantially that Menendez lobbied on behalf of Melgen, who, the government says, lavished close to $1 million on the senator -- in campaign contributions, funds to outside campaign groups as well as luxury vacations. And the court, it said, overstepped its bounds by "explicitly questioning his motives" because its view of legislative work protected by the Constitution was too narrow. In addition, Walls erred by saying congressmen and senators are "categorically" prohibited from lobbying the executive branch of government, it said. Even "informal" fact-finding and information gathering is protected, it said. The filing also goes on to say that charges that Menendez broke the law by failing to report Melgen's gifts on financial disclosure forms should have been filed in Washington, D.C., where the alleged infraction occurred. Further, it said, those matters should have been for the U.S. Senate to handle, not government investigators. Federal prosecutors have three weeks to respond to Menendez's filing. Tim Darragh may be reached at tdarragh@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @timdarragh. Find NJ.com on Facebook. PHILADELPHIA -- Authorities are seeking information from the public after a taxi driver lost sight in his right eye after being shot in the eye with a paintball last month, Philly.com reports. The incident occurred Dec. 19 when the 38-year-old man was driving his taxi cab and stopped at a red light at the intersection of Market and 16th just after midnight, reports say. The driver heard a paintball hit the side of his vehicle and after seeing paint, he rolled down the window and was shot with a paintball in his right eye. Since the incident, the driver has not been able to work and has lost sight permanently in his right eye, according to reports. He has been recovering at Hahnemann University Hospital where he is listed in serious but stable condition. Authorities are looking for the two men who are facing aggravated assault charges. Anyone with information is asked to contact 215-686-3093 or 215-790-9848. Brittany Wehner may be reached at bwehner@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @brittanymwehner. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. NEWARK -- But for a broken screening device, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents might not have been able to stop an airline pilot they claim was smuggling nearly $200,000 in cash into the United States. According to a federal criminal complaint, Anthony Warner, 55, of Dallas, Tex., arrived at New Liberty International Airport Sunday on a flight from Mumbai, India. Warner, a commercial pilot, possessed a Global Entry Card, a federally issued card that allows for quick clearance when entering the United States, it said. File photo of the airport finger-scanning device. (Pat Sullivan | AP) According to the United States Attorney's Office in Newark, card holders present their identification documents, place their fingers on a scanner and complete a customs verification. Then they're issued a receipt and can head to the airport exit. Warner, the complaint said, declared he was bringing into the country nothing of value except for the $180 cash he was carrying. It is a federal offense to fail to report carrying valuable goods into the country and violating the law can lead to criminal charges and civil forfeiture of the items, it said. The problem for Warner, the complaint said, was the Global Entry kiosk computer system was not working Sunday at the airport. Warner presented his customs declaration to a Customs and Border Patrol agent who checked Warner's carry-on bag. In it, the agent found $195,736 in cash wrapped in a newspaper, the complaint said. He also was carrying 10 rings, four sets of earrings and other jewelry, it said. Warner was charged with one count of bulk cash smuggling and one count of making false statements. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, the U.S. Attorney's office said. Warner was released on $100,000 bond after his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven C. Mannion. Tim Darragh may be reached at tdarragh@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @timdarragh. Find NJ.com on Facebook. PHILADELPHIA -- Police are searching for a man who was caught on video robbing a Buddhist monk as he bought lottery tickets in a convenience store. Police said the 61-year-old monk was at a Sunoco gas station store on South Broad Street buying lottery tickets from a machine on Jan. 3 when an unidentified black male snatched $350 in cash from the monk's hands and ran out of the door. The monk is then seen on video chasing the man into the gas station parking lot, where they engage into a physical struggle. The monk is thrown to the ground, sustaining a cut to the leg, but soon gets up and approaches the robber's vehicle before it drives off. Police said they're searching for the newer dark silver For Mustang with a Pennsylvania license plate that reads JHY-3783. Anyone with information about the incident or the man shown in the video is asked to contact Det. McIntyre with the South Detective Division at 215-686-3334, or submit a confidential tip by calling 215-686-8477 (TIPS) or texting a tip to PPD TIP or 773847. Michelle Caffrey may be reached at mcaffrey@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ShellyCaffrey. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. TRENTON -- A Lakewood couple involved in a bizarre kidnapping of an Orthodox Jewish man were sentenced on Tuesday for their roles in forcing the man to agree to give his wife a religious divorce. David and Judy Wax were the last of a dozen defendants to be sentenced in an odd case that uncovered a scheme concocted by a respected rabbi to kidnap and beat husbands until they agreed to give their estranged wives the religious divorce decrees they needed to get on with their lives. U.S. District Judge Freda Wolfson in Trenton sentenced David Wax, 53, to eight years in prison for the strange kidnapping and beating case of one of those husbands. His wife, Judy Wax, 51, who played a lesser role in the 2010 incident, was sentenced to two years of probation. David Wax could have been sentenced to life in prison. In the 2015 trial of Rabbi Mendel Epstein, David Wax testified for nearly four days about his role in the kidnapping and beating of Yisrael Bryskman, an Israeli national living in Brooklyn in 2010 to avoid giving his wife a religious divorce, known as a "get." And Bryskman also testified during that trial, telling jurors he was lured to Wax's Lakewood home on the promise of a job writing for some Talmudic books Wax was publishing. Arriving there in the last minutes of Oct. 16, 2010, Bryskman was led to an upstairs bedroom - which also served as Wax's office - and ambushed. He told jurors he was blindfolded, his hands cuffed behind his back and his legs bound at the ankles before he was beaten and kicked by several men, including Wax, who donned a white cowboy hat during the attack. David Wax Wax, who pleaded guilty in 2014 to conspiracy to commit kidnapping, admitted he beat Bryskman, took him on a cab ride to get money from Bryskman's bank account, and tried to extort money from Bryskman's father in Israel after the three-hour beating. Bryskman said Wax wanted him to withdraw cash from his bank account to pay for Wax to replace the bedroom carpet bloodied in Bryskman's attack. But Bryskman was so scared that he failed to withdraw the money. Judy Wax, who pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony, admitted she followed the cab in her black SUV and eventually, with her husband, drove Bryskman back to Brooklyn after offering him a breakfast of bagels or muffins from a bagel shop along the way. Ignoring the Waxes' threats against reporting the attack, Bryskman called police, touching off an investigation that eventually led investigators to Epstein. Epstein, 70, was sentenced last month to 10 years in prison. He, along with nine others, had been charged, convicted and sentenced in the beatings scheme, which ended with an uncover FBI operation at a warehouse in Edison in 2013. MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Chris Christie announced in New Hampshire last week that he would be "taking a short break" from campaigning to give the annual State of the State address. Don't bother, Gov. I already know how things are going in Vero Beach. A friend of mine is vacationing there. It's sunny and beautiful. It's also in Florida. That didn't stop Christie from including Vero Beach in his State of the State address last year. After a perfunctory reciting of events in New Jersey, he turned to the tale of an 82-year-old woman from that town he'd met on a rope line a few months earlier. "She grabbed my hand and asked me a simple, but powerful question: 'What's happened to our country? We used to control events. Now events control us.'" His solution: "We need a national renewal." Christie left little doubt as to who should lead that national renewal. Shortly after that speech he embarked on a national campaign that took him out of the state for all but 104 days of 2015. For the remaining 261, the actual governor under our constitution was the lieutenant governor, Kim Guadagno. That's who should give that speech today. I suspect she'd get a better reception. Meanwhile Christie could have spent the time preparing for something he really cares about, the big presidential debate in South Carolina Thursday night. Instead Christie decided to do us all a favor by stopping by the Statehouse. On Monday afternoon he put in an appearance at a quickie press conference with the Senate President and Assembly Speaker to announce that a deal had been reached on putting a constitutional amendment on the November ballot to permit casinos in North Jersey. The governor has no role in constitutional amendments. But he pointed out that "This will require enabling legislation and the governor will have to put his signature on it." Christie didn't take questions, but if he had I would have asked "Didn't you mean his or her signature?" Such legislation wouldn't come up will next year. By then a lot of people in Trenton believe Christie will have left the governorship to Guadagno for good and moved on to some other job. As to what job, that's anybody's guess. The presidency's a long shot at best. But when you look at the way the Republican race is shaping up, a guy like Christie might be wise to stay in the running as long as he possibly can. At the moment, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are competing strongly for the anti-establishment vote. Meanwhile Christie is up against three others in a neck-and-neck race to be the party insiders' pick in the New Hampshire primary next month. A good showing there might convince him to stick around picking up delegates that could be crucial in a brokered convention. As for New Jersey, he's clearly lost interest. If you doubt that, here's a name that might interest you: Mary Catherine Cuff. Cuff is one of the seven justices on the New Jersey Supreme Court. Christie didn't name her to that position. Cuff is an appellate judge who holds the seat temporarily because Senate President Steve Sweeney has been blocking Christie's appointments to the court. Christie hasn't even bothered to nominate someone for the job. That's a strange credential for a guy who wants to be naming nominees to the United States Supreme Court. When I cornered Sweeney after that press conference, I asked him why Christie hasn't made a nomination. "Because I told him I wasn't gonna put through another nominee," he replied. "And he's happy with that?" I asked. "No. Hell, no," Sweeney laughed. Sweeney's Democrats hold a solid majority in the Senate. But that doesn't excuse this inaction by Christie. The New Jersey governor is famously the most powerful governor in the nation. If Christie can't use those powers to fill a court vacancy, then how would he perform as president? And then there's the question of why the Democrats hold a four-seat lead in the Senate. The answer is that Christie spent the 2013 election, when the entire Senate was on the ballot, running up his personal numbers while ignoring his fellow Republicans. His goal was to set himself up as the Republican who could win by a landslide in a solidly Democratic state. He achieved that goal and then spent 2014 running around the country as the head of the Republican Governors Association. Then he spent 2015 running around the country campaigning for president. Don't hold out any hope he'll spend 2016 differently. I don't expect to see him again any time soon in New Jersey. Our primary's not till June. Florida holds theirs in March. I suspect that lady in Vero Beach will be shaking his hand again before any Jersey voters do. PLUS: If Christie were seriously interested in keeping his promise to put conservative judges on the Supreme Court, he could make a recess appointment Tuesday between the two sessions of the Legislature. BELOW: The lady from Vero Beach. Paul Mulshine may be reached at pmulshine@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @Mulshine. Find The Star-Ledger on Facebook. By John Farmer Jr. At critical moments in United States history, our greatest leaders -- Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence, President Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address -- have felt the necessity to state our first principles in the clearest possible terms. That was the case 75 years ago -- with fascist oppression devouring Europe and the American public sharply divided over our role in the world -- when FDR used the occasion of his State of the Union Address to rally the nation by delivering a ringing reaffirmation of American first principles and a vision of how those principles could apply across cultures. In his final State of the Union speech tonight, President Obama has what may be his last opportunity to reaffirm for our time the first principles of American freedom; he should, like President Roosevelt in 1941, dispense with the normal dry litany of programmatic recitation and use the speech to engage fully in what the 9/11 Commission termed "the battle of ideas." For we have reached a similarly critical moment. Individual freedom as an ideal is today, as in FDR's time, "being directly assailed in every part of the world." There is, of course, the unrelenting hatred spewed by al Qaeda and ISIS captured in the rhetoric of Abu Musab al Zarqawi, leader of al Qaeda in Iraq and the founder of ISIS. "We have declared," he proclaimed, "a bitter war against democracy and all those who seek to enact it." This is because democracy is premised not on obedience to Sharia law, but on beliefs "such as freedom of religion, majority rule, freedom of expression, separation of religion and state, forming political parties." Such beliefs, he argued, "allow infidelities and wrong practices to spread," meaning that "there is nothing sacred in democracy." The views of zany Islamist frat-boys are one thing, but this attack on the first principle of American freedom has not been limited to the monkey-bars brigade. Vladimir Putin and his RTV and other allies are persistent in pointing out the destructive excesses of American freedoms. As Aleksandr Dugin, one of Putin's philosophical allies, has put it, "what [Americans] have taken for the most important value -- individuality -- is absolutely wrong. ... I think American society is simply insane." Similarly, the Chinese government has endorsed the view that American-style individualism is "eroding the moral foundation and self-confidence of the Chinese people." Victor Orban, President of Hungary, once a believer in individual freedom, now rejects it as an organizing principle for society because "you can't make a law on this ... principle that you are free to do anything that does not violate others' freedom." Twenty-five years ago, in the wake of Communism's collapse, it was unthinkable that within a generation doubts about individual freedom as a first principle of government would be widely held; today, however, they are expressed openly not just by our adversaries but by western world leaders from Pope Francis ("Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own questions and concerns, there is no longer room for others") to Vice President Biden ("we have celebrated unrestrained individualism over common community") to prominent artists such as Alice Walker ("we have taken individualism to its farthest reaches, possibly"). This is where we find ourselves in 2016: On the verge of losing "the battle of ideas" because our individualism has become, in the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse, extravagant to the point of decadence. Unregulated economic freedom has led to rank speculation and to the creation of ever more baroque financial instruments; the combination brought the world to the brink of financial collapse in 2008. Our unrestrained appetites for unsustainable growth have led to mass extinctions and ecological catastrophe. Americans are now armed in ways and with weapons unimaginable to the drafters of the Second Amendment's right to bear arms; they may now be carried openly in Texas in a manner prohibited in Dodge City during its wildest days. Our unrestrained exercise of free speech has led to an explosion of pornography and a spirit of sheer meanness on our anti-social networks; our Supreme Court's tragically mistaken conclusion that political spending equals speech and thus cannot be limited has effectively disenfranchised the vast majority of people, and could well transform us, if it is not reversed, into a plutocracy. Our popular culture celebrates violence and promiscuity in a spiritual wasteland where gratification of one's desires is the only social good; our addictions are the emblems of our decadence. When leaders of every stripe from unshakable ally to implacable foe express the same concern, it should come as no surprise that the extremist version of the message continues to resonate, particularly among the young and alienated. How should we engage, then, in this "battle of ideas?" In the longer term, I believe that we need to take an unaccustomed look in the mirror, to acknowledge that what defeated communism was not unrestrained license but it's own contradictions, and that what sustained us was a system of ordered liberty founded on compromise. Liberals and conservatives alike must recognize that not every economic or social regulation is tantamount to oppression, not every slope fatally slippery. More immediately, and more important, President Obama should seize the moment and recast our freedoms, not in their most extravagant expressions, as they are so commonly depicted, but in their simplest essential terms, as FDR did when tyranny loomed. Our freedoms, and the individualism on which they rest, are essential because history has shown that they are essential to innovation and human progress and remain our only reliable bulwarks against tyranny. It is that simple. Whatever wretched excesses may be committed in freedom's name -- bearded tenors crooning in strapless evening gowns, say, or movie stars aspiring to alien immortality as "Operating Thetan Xs" in the Church of Scientology -- the vacuum left when freedom departs is filled, unalterably, by something immeasurably worse: Unrestrained power. It is no accident that the essential corollary to Zarqawi's attack on individual freedom has been the desecration of world cultural artifacts, the mass slaughter of Christians, the enslavement of women, and obedience coerced at a knife's edge. Nor is it surprising that Putin's bare-chested critique of Western freedoms has served as his opening flex in a strutting pose-off of repression, with journalists murdered, dissent stifled, and the BIG LIE once again resurgent in Russia. "We look forward," FDR said 75 years ago, when the American way of life was "being directly assailed in every part of the world," "to a world founded upon four essential freedoms." FDR's dream -- of a world order based not on arbitrarily drawn borders or imposed forms of government, but on freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear --remains unachieved despite the defeats of fascism and communism. Unachieved, but not unachievable. President Obama should summon his considerable powers of eloquence tonight to remind America, and the world, that those simple freedoms remain our -- and the world's -- best dream. John Farmer Jr is a university professor and special counsel to the president of Rutgers University. TRENTON -- Quick on his feet and adept at delivering quality soundbites, Gov. Chris Christie has taken advantage at many opportunities for national interviews this campaign cycle, and they usually work to his benefit. But not all interviews are a success, and when it rains, it pours. During a weekend interview with "Face the Nation," Christie, on at least three separate occasions, responded to questions from host John Dickerson that directly contradicted his earlier statements on each issue. Here they are: Supreme support "I didn't voice support for Sonia Sotomayor," Christie told Dickerson in response to a question about Christie's judgement on judges. It's straightforward enough, but there was a problem, specifically, Christie's 2009 support for President Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court. "After watching and listening to Judge Sotomayor's performance at the confirmation hearings this week, I am confident that she is qualified for the position of Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court," Christie said at the time, according to a report from the political news site PolitickerNJ.com. "Elections have consequences. One of those consequences are judicial appointments. While Judge Sotomayor would not have been my choice, President Obama has used his opportunity to fill a seat on the Supreme Court by choosing a nominee who has more than proven her capability, competence and ability." More recent 'evolution' on guns For the second time in less than four days and with the help of Dickerson, Christie changed his position on when and how he did a turnaround on supporting New Jersey's semiautomatic weapons ban. The governor conceded it was his time traveling the country as governor and chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2014 that prompted him to evolve on gun control and oppose the assault weapons ban in New Jersey. However, that comment was a clear shift in Christie's statement last week on Fox News that his transformation on the issue was shaped by his time as a federal prosecutor from 2002 to 2008. "You said you learned as a prosecutor, you evolved on that issue. In 2009 though, you were still a supporter of the assault weapons ban, that was after you had been a prosecutor," pressed John Dickerson, host of "Face the Nation." Christie responded: "You know, what I said at the time was I was not interested in debating or changing, because I knew I couldn't, New Jersey's gun laws with a Democratic Legislature. If I had my choice, John, we we would be a state where you could apply, much more easily and receive much more easily, a carry permit in our state. We're a may-issue state, not a shall-issue state. We should be a shall-issue state so people can defend themselves." Planned Parenthood As the presidential campaign heats up, so do the attacks from fellow Republican rivals. Dickerson pressed Christie on one of the attacks from Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who, among other things, accused Christie of donating to Planned Parenthood -- organization that has been a lightning rod issue for Republican voters for decades. "When a super PAC running an ad said that you supported Common Core, you once supported an assault weapons ban, and that you donated to Planned Parenthood. Which one of those is wrong?" host John Dickerson asked Christie. "Well I never donated to Planned Parenthood, so that's wrong." "So, just on the Planned Parenthood," Dickerson pressed. "Never donated, never supported?" "No. No," Christie said. However, the governor's statement doesn't fit with what he had to say in 1994 while a candidate for county office. "I support Planned Parenthood privately with my personal contribution and that should be the goal of any such agency, to find private donations," Christie was quoted saying in The Star-Ledger on Sept. 30, 1994. "It's also no secret that I am pro-choice. ... But you have to examine all the agencies needing county donations and prioritize them. I would consider all groups looking for funding, but there is a limit and we have to pick and choose." In the article, which was also referenced in the 2012 book "Chris Christie: The Inside Story of His Rise to Power," Democratic freeholder candidates pressed their GOP counterparts on restoring cuts the board made to Planned Parenthood of Greater Northern New Jersey in 1989. The Star-Ledger reporter who wrote the 1994 article, Brian Murray, currently works as a spokesman for Christie in the governor's office. Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or on Facebook. Follow NJ.com Politics on Facebook. TRENTON A bill that would require warrants for police agencies using unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones, gained final legislative approval in the state Senate on Monday. The bill (A1039), which sets standards for law enforcement and fire departments, would require police obtain a warrant to conduct surveillance with the devices unless "exigent circumstances exist making it unreasonable" to do so. Supporters of the measure, which passed, 35-3, said the bill would explicitly bring drone use in line with other surveillance technology used by New Jersey police departments. Exceptions to the warrant requirement include the use of drones by fire departments to monitor the extent of forest fires, the State Police Missing Persons Unit for searches and the state Office of Emergency Management for emergency response. The bill specifically prohibits the use of weapon-mounted drones by police. The measure, which was approved by the Assembly in May, now heads to Gov. Chris Christie's desk. Christie "pocket vetoed" a previous version of the bill in 2014, when it was one of 44 late-session bills that died when the governor neither approved nor vetoed. S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook. With Curbed I Spy, you can interact with listings on the market from your computer by spotting the little details that really make them unique. In this game, you will browse through photos of an Alexandria, Virginia single-family home that is currently on the market for $835,000. If there are any items that you can't seem to spot, be sure to leave a comment, and the location will be revealed. From a cow to seven bras hung up in display, it's your job to journey through the ins and outs of this Alexandria listing and find all 10 items listed below. Some of the highlights of this four-bedroom, two-bathroom single-family home include its track lighting, white kitchen cabinets, and painted over wood paneling. Asking $835,000, this listing was built in 1954 and features floor-to-ceiling windows as well as mannequins. Seriously, there are mannequins everywhere in this home. Odd. While playing Curbed I Spy, if you can't seem to find one of the items, be sure to let us know in the comments, and the location will be revealed. A cow A Calder mobile What looks like some kind of pineapple tiki mask A watermelon Seven bras A Barbra Streisand purse "Bah Humbug" A fire extinguisher One of those big exercise ball things Raggedy Ann 7106 Rebecca Drive [Estately] Play more I Spy [Curbed DC] Have a suggestion for a home that should be featured on Curbed DC? Let us know! Privacy Overview This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Thefts on the rise in Mandeville, but other crimes drop The federal government plans to pour $125 million into the fight against a mysterious disease that has ravaged corals in Florida and much of the Caribbean, and now poses a dire threat to the treasured reefs off the Louisiana and Texas coasts. WASHINGTON (AP) The House Jan. 6 committee plans to unveil "surprising" details at its next public hearing about the 2021 attack at the U.S. Capitol. The session Thursday afternoon is likely to be the last public hearing before midterm elections next month. The panel is expected to include new evidence from the U.S. Secret Service about its actions with Donald Trump that day. Ahead of a report later this year, the panel is summing up its findings. The committee says Trump, after he lost the 2020 presidential election, launched an unprecedented attempt to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory. They say the result was the deadly mob siege of the Capitol. Community Its now easier than ever to connect and chat with others in your local area. You can connect with your community by asking general questions, give area updates and recommendations and even let your community know about local events that are taking place. They might be known for their cheesy scenes designed to pluck at your heartstrings, but made-for-television Hallmark Channel movies have become quite an economic driver for Northern Ontario. They might be known for their cheesy scenes designed to pluck at your heartstrings, but made-for-television Hallmark Channel movies have become quite an economic driver for Northern Ontario.Sudbury's Hideaway Pictures has been involved in producing 10 of these movies over the past four years, with plans to make several more this year.Among the titles filmed in Sudbury are Be My Valentine, Midnight Masquerade, Christmas at Cartwrights, A Wish Come True, Lead With Your Heart, Love's Complicated and Disorderly Conduct. Several more have been filmed in North Bay, including Christmas With Tucker, The Banner Project and Mum's the Word.Are the films high art? No, but they are entertaining and popular with fans. What's more, Hallmark Channel movies are lucrative for the local film sector.A lot of Hallmark movies get made in Canada and Northern Ontario, said Hideaway CEO David Anselmo. It's a great economic driver for the industry. Every movie we film, we're hiring hundreds of locals and spending millions of dollars in the local economy.More specifically, each Hallmark movie filmed in the city spends between $1.2 and $1.5 million in the local economy, Anselmo said. Each film employs an average of 70 northern crew members, 10 actors and 200 to 300 extras.Beyond the direct spending on each film, there's massive spin-off spending for restaurants, hotels, car rental companies, caterers, ect., that "cannot really be reflected in these numbers, Anselmo said. Love's Complicated, filmed in Sudbury last November, aired this past weekend on the Hallmark Channel. Unfortunately, the Hallmark Channel is not available in Canada, although Anselmo said the films are usually picked up by Canadian channels such as Showcase later on.It was directed by Canadian director Jerry Ciccoritti. NorthernLife.ca web and digital media manager Mathieu Beausoleil also appears in the film as the chef, one of many locals involved in the project.Love's Complicated stars Holly Marie Combs best known for her role of Piper Halliwell on the television show Charmed as Leah Townsend, along with Ben Bass as Cinco Dublin.In the film, Combs' character, Leah Townsend is trying to decide between her dependable boyfriend, Edward Crouse, and a shock-jock radio host, Cinco Dublin, who, with all his bluster, makes Leah feel alive. The Sudbury and District Health Unit says there is no risk to public health at a West End park where runoff from Vale's slag piles allegedly seeped for decades. The Sudbury and District Health Unit says there is no risk to public health at a West End park where runoff from Vale's slag piles allegedly seeped for decades. A group of residents, along with the Coalition for a Liveable Sudbury, have asked the health unit to conduct soil tests at the Travers Street Park, where high concentrations of nickel are alleged to have seeped from Vale's nearby slag piles for years. I can certainly understand that parents and other local residents may be concerned about the information they have heard about the Travers Street park, said Stacey Laforest, director of the health unit's Environmental Health Division. But Laforest said the park's main play structure is located on the property's highest point. It wouldn't be possible for any leachate to travel uphill from the Big Nickel Mine area to the park and surrounding area, she said. Laforest added she personally has no health concerns related to the park, and would allow her own children to play there. In a search warrant Environment Canada filed on Oct. 8, 2015, which allowed the RCMP to search Vale's offices in Sudbury for evidence of toxic seepage in local waterways, the department alleged samples from the runoff at the school board property contained nickel concentrations of 305 mg/L. In the search warrant, a memorandum issued on Nov. 19, 2012, estimated around 324,000 litres of water seeped from Vale's slag piles onto the school board property every day. I believe that the volume of seepage from the slag pile area onto the school board property is significant and contributes a significant amount of nickel and other contaminants into Nolin Creek, wrote Gordon Moore, who was an enforcement officer with Environment Canada in 2012, and investigated the Vale seepage at that time, after receiving a complaint from a West End resident. Moore said that based on old aerial photographs, the seepage may be been occurring as far back as 1963. The original complaint stemmed from a green liquid a resident spotted in the nearby Nolin Creek in 2012. In tests Environment Canada conducted on rainbow trout, samples of the green substance killed all test fish within 24 hours, indicating the substance had a high toxicity. Following Environment Canada's 2012 investigation, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment ordered Vale to address the seepage problems at its slag piles on Big Nickel Mine Drive and upgrade its seepage collection system at the site. Seepage from the slag site is directed to a wastewater treatment plant for treatment before it can be discharged, said Kate Jordan, a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Environment, in an email to NorthernLife.ca. Ministry approval requires daily limits for nickel and copper to make sure seepages from the site are properly managed and treated before being released. Despite actions to prevent seepage in 2012, Naomi Grant, co-chair of the Coalition for a Liveable Sudbury said the Sudbury and District Health Unit should have the park's soil tested, despite Laforest's argument that liquid can't flow up hill. The soil has never been tested, Grant said. In 2012, Environment Canada only tested the seepage, and the Sudbury Soils Study, in which researchers collected 8,500 soil samples from across Greater Sudbury in 2001, did not cover the property, Grant said. The health unit doesn't feel there's a health risk, so they're not asking for a soil test, Grant said. But she added a soil sample would not be expensive, and would provide concerned residents with more certainty regarding the park's safety. The Coalition does plan to meet with residents in the area of Travers Park again to discuss how they would like to proceed given the health unit's position that testing the soil in the park is unnecessary. Syrian family's reunion with grandfather delayed The first family of Syrians to arrive in Sudbury will have to wait a little longer to be reunited with the grandfather they had to leave behind in a refugee camp in Lebanon. The Syrian family was greeted Thursday at the Greater Sudbury Airport by dozens of volunteers, well-wishers and politicians, who joined a throng of media to await their arrival. Darren MacDonald photo. The first family of Syrians to arrive in Sudbury will have to wait a little longer to be reunited with the grandfather they had to leave behind in a refugee camp in Lebanon. Nilgiri Pearson, with Lifeline Sudbury, confirmed in an email Monday that the grandfather of the Qarqoz family is still in the Middle East. He was unable to fly due to medical reasons, Pearson said. When the Qarqoz family arrived in Sudbury on New Year's Eve, they expressed a mix of happiness to be here, and sadness they had to leave their 80-year-old grandfather behind. The father told reporters it was the family's most pressing concern. "The first thing he wants is his dad to come here," said Abdul Hak Dabliz, Imam of the Sudbury Mosque, who acted as the translator for the family first's media interview. The Canadian government issued the family mother, father, and three sons the equivalent of temporary passports so they could leave Lebanon for Canada. But for some reason, one wasn't provided for the grandfather. That issue has been worked out, and he was expected to arrived in Toronto on Sunday and continue to Sudbury today. But that has been indefinitely delayed until the medical issue is resolved. Double execution by hanging in Kuwait in June 2013 A Kuwaiti court sentenced two men accused of spying for Iran and Hezbollah to death on Tuesday. An Iranian national and a Kuwaiti citizen were found guilty of intelligence links with the Iranian regime and its proxy Lebanese group Hezbollah. The Iranian national was convicted in absentia, but the other was in court. According to the case documents, 25 Kuwaiti and Iranian suspects were put on trial for intelligence links with the regime in Iran and Hezbollah, and for possessing weapons and explosives. They were arrested in August. The case also included the possession of weapons. Other suspects were given sentences ranging from five to 25 years, and three were found innocent. The court said the Kuwaiti man masterminded the plot targeting Kuwait, used weapons and recruited 14 others. The court also sentenced one defendant to life in jail, 15 others to 15 years and one to five years, Kuwaiti news site Al Aan reported. The verdicts come amid deep tensions between Tehran and Arab countries after Iranian regimes agents on January 2 torched Saudi Arabian diplomatic missions in Iran. Source: NCRI , January 12, 2016 By JOB VIGIL Change for the sake of change is never a good thing. Change that has the potential to make life better is what should be sought. Over the past 10 years, I have been the editor at the North Platte Telegraph. It has been an exciting and fun run, and I have enjoyed my job immensely. I still enjoy my job, but it is time for a change and perhaps not exactly the change you might be thinking. No, I am not retiring. Repeat: I am not retiring. For one thing, I am much too young to retire. Also, I am not ready to retire. I love to work. And work is what I will continue to do, right here at the Telegraph. We have been looking for another reporter for quite some time. Since I have all the attributes we are wanting in an experienced reporter, I spoke with Terrie Baker, our publisher, and offered to take that position and move from editor to reporter. This change was totally at my request. Im ready for a new adventure at the same place doing what I love to do: Write stories. It just so happened, as Providence would have it, the opportunity to bring in an experienced editor with ties to North Platte was presented to Terrie following my suggestion. Joan von Kampen, the World-Herald News Service manager, was interested in moving back to western Nebraska. She has worked at The Omaha World-Herald since 1997. Before moving to Omaha, von Kampen worked for two years at the North Platte Telegraph as a copy editor, wire editor and news editor. She also briefly served as interim editor. She previously worked at the Des Moines Register and the Scottsbluff Star-Herald. Von Kampen grew up in Scottsbluff and earned a bachelor of journalism degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her husband, Todd, is a freelance writer and previously worked at newspapers including the Telegraph and the World-Herald. They have four children, two of them grown. I dont think we could have found a better person to fill this position. She has the experience and the heart for news from our part of the state and will be a great asset to the Telegraph. Joan will come on board full time in April. Terrie had this to say about the changes. I appreciate what Job has done for the Telegraph over the years and his help with making the transition smooth as I took the job of publisher, Terrie said. I am pleased Job is willing to take a position that will help our company grow and I am looking forward to the experience Joan von Kampen will bring to the newsroom. With my new role as reporter, I am looking forward to writing. Although I have loved my job as the managing editor, I have missed being out on the streets telling your stories. I love people and writing is something I can do for a long time. From news to sports, you will see my byline on stories, hopefully for many years to come. I invite you to contact me when you have something you think is worthy of a story. Finally, I encourage you to give your support to Joan. She will be a great asset to our community, and I am looking forward to working together with her and being out in the community taking photos and writing stories. I appreciate all you have done for me in my tenure as editor at the Telegraph. This change is good for the Telegraph and good for the community. I hope you embrace it as I have. With the interest in digital media, I want to encourage you to friend me on my Telegraph Facebook page, follow me on Twitter (I plan to flood my Twitter feed with notes on whats happening in our city) and to subscribe to our online ePaper and website to see what I will be sharing with you over the coming weeks, months and years. There is no better place to get your news city, county, state and national than through our print edition and digital media, whether you access it on your computer, phone or tablet. Let us help you stay in touch with everything important going on in our world. Phuket: A Chinese tourist has been paid 2,200 pounds in compensation after she was bitten in the nose by a python during a snake show in Thailand. According to reports, the tourist, who has been identified as 29-year-old Jin Jing, was on a visit to Thailand's Phuket Biotechnology's office in Tambon Chalong Muang Phuket. A video that has gone viral in the Internet, shows an excited Jing leaning over and attempting to kiss a python being held by a man. In a quick movement, the snake is seen launching itself and with a tight grip, bite the young woman's nose, as onlookers scream in horror. She was immediately taken to the local hospital, where she was provided with adequate treatment. A photo, released later by media houses, shows Jing with several stitches on her nose. She was later compensated by the company. INDIANAPOLIS State Sen. Jim Arnold, D-LaPorte, has changed his mind and will not run for re-election in November, making him the third Northwest Indiana lawmaker to end his Statehouse service this year. "I feel good with my decision. I'm happy," Arnold said. "I just thought it was a good time in 2016 with 50 years of public service." Arnold, 71, announced last month he would seek election to a third full term in the Republican-controlled Senate. He insisted Tuesday there's nothing sinister about his decision not to run, just the realization that he'd rather be doing something else. "You know what, it's enough. It's time. It's just time," Arnold said. "It's time for me to spend some quality time with my wife." Arnold joined the LaPorte County sheriff's department at age 22 and progressed through the ranks until he fulfilled his lifelong dream of winning election as sheriff in 1999. In 2007, he was chosen to fill the Senate vacancy caused by the death of state Sen. Anita Bowser, D-Michigan City. Arnold was elected by voters to his own four-year term in 2008 and re-elected in 2012. He said he has no intention of endorsing a successor, but is confident the Democratic Party can hold onto the seat one of just 10 that Democrats control in the 50-member chamber. No matter who is elected, Arnold hopes the new senator representing most of LaPorte County, western St. Joseph and northern Starke counties will embrace the impartiality he's applied to decision-making in the Senate. "I don't vote for a Democratic bill because they're a Democrat, and I don't vote against a Republican bill because they're Republicans," Arnold said. "You have to look at the consensus for the people you represent." In addition to Arnold, state Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, and state Rep. Tom Dermody, R-LaPorte, also have opted against running for re-election this year. Dermody, who is Arnold's son-in-law, emphatically said "N-O" when asked if Arnold's decision to bow out will prompt him to now run for the Senate. INDIANAPOLIS Gov. Mike Pence's plan to spend $1.4 billion on improving state highways and local roads over the next four years easily cleared its first hurdle Tuesday. The Senate's Transportation Committee voted 7-0 for Senate Bill 333, which takes $241 million in surplus state revenue that would otherwise go toward automatic taxpayer refunds and instead earmarks it for roads. It also lifts a 2007 prohibition on new state debt for transportation construction projects and spends $50 million remaining from the 2006 lease of the Indiana Toll Road. The Republican's plan calls for borrowing $240 million and increasing future transportation appropriations by $450 million to pay for state road and bridge repair through 2021. Chris Kiefer, chief of staff at the Indiana Department of Transportation, said the money is needed since more than half of interstate highway bridges in Indiana are at the 45- to-50-year age where major repair or rebuilding is required. Separately, the Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee voted 11-0 Tuesday for Pence-endorsed legislation returning $430 million in local income tax revenue held in reserve by the state to the counties and municipalities where the money was collected for spending mainly on local road projects. State Sen. Brandt Hershman, R-Buck Creek, sponsor of Senate Bill 67, said the measure will "put concrete on the ground," possibly as soon as this summer. Under the plan, the county government and municipalities in Lake County would get $28 million, Jasper County $8.4 million, LaPorte County $4.4 million, Porter County $4.1 million and Newton County $535,000. Both measures ultimately are expected to win approval by the Republican-controlled Senate. However, they face an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled House, where leadership is pressing for a competing long-term infrastructure plan that relies on targeted tax increases, instead of one-time revenue, to ensure ongoing state and local infrastructure funding. The plan, supported by Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, would raise the state gasoline tax from 18 cents a gallon to about 22 cents. In addition, about 5 cents of every 7 cents in sales tax collected on gasoline would go to roads and bridges. House Speaker Brian Bosma expressed support last week for House Bill 1001. Local expressways were nearly back to normal Tuesday afternoon, several hours after Indiana State Police responded to numerous crashes on icy roads. But the Indiana Department of Transportation's Northwest District warned those headed south that blowing snow was still causing hazardous conditions on a stretch of Interstate 65 between the Rensselaer/Remington and Chalmers/Wolcott exits. Indiana State Police for the Lowell District said officials called in extra troopers about 1 a.m. Tuesday to assist with the multiple slide-off and spin-out crashes on I-80/94 and I-65. Indiana State Police for the Toll Road said drivers there experienced similar conditions, with troopers responding to numerous slide-off and spin-out crashes. By 12:30 p.m., most major thoroughfares and expressways were experiencing near normal travel times and road conditions, police said. INDOT Northwest said gusty winds were continuing to cause blowing and drifting snow on some state roadways. "Crews will be in clean up mode to get the road as dry as possible the rest of today," INDOT Northwest posted on its Facebook page early Tuesday afternoon. North Newton School Corp. was on a two-hour delay as a result of the weather. City Baptist Schools in Hammond were closed. The National Weather Service reported 2 to 3 inches of snow fell in most of the Region. At 6 a.m., temperatures in the Region hovered around 17 degrees with a wind chill of 2 degrees, but forecasters warn temperatures would fall. By 9:30 a.m., the temperature was 9 degrees with a wind chill of 8 below zero. Gusty winds of up to 30 mph will create a wind chill of 9 below zero. The National Weather Service is warning the strong winds may cause blowing and drifting snow, especially in rural or open areas. Drivers are being urged to reduce speeds and increase following distance. Tuesday night's low is expected to dip to 2 degrees with wind chills of 12 below zero. More snow is in the forecast for Wednesday, with a 40 percent chance of snow in the afternoon. Wednesday's high is expected to reach 17. Thursday will finally bring some relief from the bitter cold and snow, with a forecast for partly sunny skies and a high of 39. Check back with nwi.com for updates. GARY Her involvement with the civil rights movement is second nature to Tammi Davis. Davis remembers, as a child growing up in East Chicago in the 1970s, her late grandfather, the Rev. K.T. Robinson, helping organize the Fair Share Organization to encourage the hiring of blacks. And Davis also recalls going to National Association for the Advancement of Colored People meetings with her mother, Barbara Holder, a veteran affirmative action professional. "I am a third generation legacy of the civil rights movement," Davis said. Davis, 44, the owner of a Gary-based consulting company, is grateful to be one of the six nominees vying for the 2016 Drum Major Award. "It is inspiring because I believe there's more work I have to do as an advocate for the underrepresented and voiceless without regard to race, gender or religion," Davis said. The Drum Major Award, which is inspired by the "Drum Major Instinct" sermon given by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. two months before his assassination, recognizes people who dedicate their lives to improving the human condition. The 37th annual Dr. Martin King Jr., memorial breakfast, at which the Drum Major Award will be announced, will be held at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Genesis Convention Center. Davis said it's a huge honor to be one of the nominees, particularly because King, one of the major participants of the civil rights movement, accomplished so much at an early age. He won the Nobel Peace Prize at age 35, Davis said. Davis, one of the youngest of the six Drum Major Award nominees, believes she still has a lot she wants to accomplish to help others. "I acknowledge my years of development, growth and exposure to being an advocate for equality, fairness and justice and I recognize all of that has prepared me for such a time as this. And I am grateful to have years before me to do more. It's an honor to be nominated and it's a wonderful achievement," Davis said. Davis was an active member of the East Chicago NAACP branch and Indiana Black Expo's East Chicago Chapter. It was while at college at Jackson State University in Jackson, Miss., that Davis participated in a march to keep Mississippi's historically black colleges and universities equally funded. "Being at Jackson State instilled a real sense of community for me," Davis said. At age 34, Davis became the youngest president elected to the Gary NAACP branch and was one of the youngest adult branch presidents in the state of Indiana during her two-term, four year presidency. Davis is the immediate past president of the Indiana Democrat African-American Caucus, a group that encourages African-Americans to become more involved in civic affairs, vote and register others to vote. She has more than 15 years of experience in affirmative action programs, contract and labor compliance and supplier diversity management. Earlier this month, Davis was the first candidate to file on the Democratic ticket for the Indiana House District 2 seat. HAMMOND Concerns about the handling of the Hammond City Court and a proposal to adjust the pay for some top public safety officials dominated Monday's City Council meeting. Councilwoman Janet Venecz, D-at large, proposed an ordinance to override a recent mayoral veto of a transfer of money that was to be used to cover some part-time salaries at the city court. Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. indicated he issued the veto in response to a lack of action concerning issues surrounding the city's court system. McDermott is upset with the way the Hammond City Court is currently being handled, which he said results in some long and unnecessary waits for some defendants. He claimed Judge Jeffrey Harkin failed to show up at a meeting last month with several officials to discuss the issue. While McDermott said a staffer took notes at the meeting in Harkin's absence, none of the recommendations proposed have been implemented. The motion to override the mayor's veto failed, with only three of the six councilmen voting in favor of it. In other action, the council heard the first and second readings on an ordinance that would adjust the salaries of the city's top public safety officials. The ordinance calls for increasing the salaries of the police chief and fire chief by about 7.77 percent, from $97,426 to $105,000 annually. The second in command in both departments would get nearly a 19 percent raise, from about $80,000 to $95,000. The increases, however, would come with the stipulation they do not receive overtime in the future. According to McDermott, while both the assistant police chief and the deputy fire chief are eligible for overtime pay now the assistant police chief has more of an opportunity to make overtime than the deputy fire chief. McDermott said with overtime pay, many of the lower ranking firefighters have been making more than the deputy fire chief's current salary. He said as a result there is no real incentive to move up in the department from battalion chief to deputy chief. Another ordinance calls for the city's five Park Board members salaries to increase from $1,200 to $5,000 annually. McDermott said he has adjusted the salaries for some other city boards as well and noted that in the past there has been difficulty in getting some people to serve on some of them. At the same time, he said he has eliminated health insurance benefits that were available to board members on the port authority, sanitary district and water works. City Controller Heather Garay said only some of the members took these benefits. City Council President Michael Opinker indicated that some of those in line for pay increases have not gotten a raise in "quite a few years" and even with the increase they will be underpaid compared to what is being paid to officials in comparably sized cities. Councilman Dan Spitale, D-at large, who sponsored the ordinance increasing the salaries for the police and fire administrators, also cited the need to try to keep up with what others are being paid. Both he and Garay said the increases will not raise the overall city budget, but will come from money already allocated in other areas. MERRILLVILLE Police are seeking information about the identity of two people suspected of using credit cards that were stolen in Merrillville. A woman told police her wallet was taken Jan. 9 while she shopped at Costco and later discovered her cards had been used to make purchases at Target and BestBuy stores in Hobart, Merrillville police Detective Sgt. George Fields said. Police on Monday released surveillance photos of two men suspected of using the stolen credit cards. Anyone with information about their identities is asked to call Fields at (219) 769-3531, ext. 349. Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve's future is being protected through an endowment established by a longtime local conservationist. Myrna Newgent, of Portage, established an endowment through the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation to help fund the long-term preservation of the 719-acre property near Griffith and Schererville. Owned and managed by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources' Division of Nature Preserves, Hoosier Prairie is a rare example of the prairie landscape once common in the Region. John Bacone, IDNR Nature Preserves director, said the endowment could cover the costs of summer interns and temporary workers, land stewardship contracts and improvements such as parking lots, trails, fencing and signs. "Myrnas generosity will help keep Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve in a natural ecological condition," Bacone said in a statement issued Monday. "Visitors will continue to be able to enjoy a piece of the 'original Indiana,' as it was in 1816." The DNR and the Natural Resources Foundation are hosting a public event with Newgent at 1 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Schererville Town Hall to recognize Newgent and provide information about the endowment, including how people can contribute. Newgent is a longtime member, past president and life trustee of the Shirley Heinze Land Trust. Newgent also has volunteered with the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore for 35 years and served for 15 years as a volunteer with the American Cancer Society. MICHIGAN CITY Charges were filed Monday in connection with a puppy found with its mouth taped shut and two broken hips in Michigan City. Police were asking for help from the public in locating Richard Cope so he could be arrested and face the allegations. Cope was charged after LaPorte Superior Court 1 Judge Michael Bergerson found evidence against Cope was sufficient enough to order him to stand trial on torturing or mutilating a vertebrate animal, a Level 6 felony, two Class A misdemeanor counts of animal neglect/abandonment and a single count of Class A misdemeanor cruelty to animals. The investigation began when Michigan City police began monitoring Facebook messages about a dog on Christmas Day that wandered into a backyard with severe injuries taken for medical treatment. Camille Germain and her friends were in the backyard after having dinner when they heard the dog "wheezing" then turned saw him stumbling up to them with its mouth taped shut. They took the dog to the North Central Emergency Veterinary Center near Westville and Sherri Christopher, founder of the Portage-based dog rescue group, Guardians of the Green Mile, assumed financial responsibility for the animal. "He smelled like rotting flesh, and we could see all his bones, said Germain of the dog whose lips and gums were swollen enough to indicate its mouth was taped shut for two days. Eight days later, Dr. Aaron Jackson, a veterinarian with MedVet Chicago, repaired the puppys shattered femoral heads in both hips during a nearly two-hour surgery. According to police, the case was officially assigned Dec. 28 to Detective Jillian Ashley whom immediately began talking with witnesses and gathering evidence. It's believed the injuries to the pit bull puppy resulted from abuse, possibly from being used as bait for dog fighting. The puppy named Chance Christmas is now healing and being trained by GOTGM volunteer and foster "mom" Laura Bruccoleri in her home. She's using her own pit bull, a certified therapy dog that visits the schools and teaches youngsters about proper pet care, to practice being calm to help in developing proper manners and other social skills and to erase any emotional harm caused by the physical abuse, Bruccoleri previously stated. "They are going back to basics and giving him calm and peacefulness to teach him how life is supposed to be, because we dont want him to fall victim to his past we dont want it to define him," Christopher stated previously. She also said Chance will be prone to soreness his entire life and in need of a special home. An adoptive home is already waiting for him with someone who has previously adopted from GOTGM. After the dog's plight was posted on Facebook, more than $6,500 in donations quickly came in from around the world, said Christopher, who estimates the dogs treatment and rehabilitation could approach $10,000. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Cope may contact Michigan City police at (219) 874-3221. Muhammad Daniel, who is originally from New Zealand and has changed his name from Mark John Taylor, said in his profile. (Photo: AFP) Melbourne: An Islamic State recruit from New Zealand has reportedly set up a LinkedIn account, describing himself as an "education management professional" working in the Syrian city of Raqqa for his employers, ISIS. "Living in the heart of the Islamic State is a good experience and I encourage others to come and see for themselves," Muhammad Daniel, who is originally from New Zealand and has changed his name from Mark John Taylor, said in his profile. "There's no danger here and a great place to bring up the family. Except Western Jet fighters that always drop bombs on civilians," he was quoted as saying in his profile by stuff.co.nz. According to his Linkedin profile, Daniel has been teaching English to children in Raqqa under Islamic State since October 2014. He claims to have been teaching English to children between the ages of 5 and 12, "teaching with a puppet and enjoyed having fun with the students". The profile lists Daniel's occupation as an "education management professional". He writes to potential employers, "I'm loyal, discipline, hardworking and have a large range of skillsets!" LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking service and is mainly used for professional networking. In the past, Daniel has used social media to announce he had burned his New Zealand passport and encourage others to wage jihad on Anzac Day, the report said. But his most notable social media faux pas came in 2014 when he ousted the location of ISIS fighters to Western intelligence agencies, it said. Daniel failed to turn off the location service on his Twitter account, thereby identifying his whereabouts every time he tweeted. VALPARAISO A 34-year-old Wheatfield woman is charged with having sexual contact last year with a 17-year-old male student at the Hebron Christian Academy while she was serving as his substitute teacher. Jennifer McLeod was arrested on two felony counts of child seduction. She is accused of carrying out the acts while serving as a child care worker for the alleged victim, according to court records. The boy said the first "unusual" incident occurred in April when McLeod gave him a ride to a friend's house and pulled over along the way to show him a video about religion. McLeod then stated that she wished he was 18 because they could not have sex until that time, police said. The boy, who was in the 11th grade, told police he did not know how to respond. He said he began receiving text messages from McLeod, including one that read, "If I was in high school, you would be my boyfriend," police said. On the last day of the school year last year, the boy said he was alone with McLeod when she asked to kiss him, according to charging information. He gave permission and the two reportedly kissed "romantically" for six to eight seconds. He said McLeod made comments about his genitalia on another occasion during the school day and the two kissed once at her home. Police said they were provided with a series of text messages between the two and were told the telephone calls one lasting nearly four hours were even more sexually explicit. A fellow student reportedly told investigators that the alleged victim told him about the relationship with McLeod and that he once saw McLeod rubbing the boy's chest at school. Police said they contacted McLeod about the allegations, but she never followed through with an interview. She has hired Valparaiso attorney Steven Bush and was given a bond of either $8,500 surety or $1,100 cash. HAMMOND Nine employees of the Indiana Department of Child Services on Monday denied they failed to properly protect three children from abuse inflicted by their mother and another woman, federal court records show. Joseph Lozano Jr. filed the lawsuit against the state, the department and nine employees after his ex-wife and the other women were sentenced to prison time for abusing one of the children. He claims state workers failed to properly protect his children and also deprived him of his rights to parent the children. In an answer to Lozano's lawsuit filed Monday, DCS employees Shawna M Smith, Kathryn Deardoff, Rachel Gibson, Tina Dingman, Nicole Markely, Louella F. Richey, Terrance Ciboch, Nathan Johnson and James Wide say they acted in good faith and with the understanding that their actions were reasonable. Lozano's claims should be barred because their alleged actions occurred during the scope of their employment, court records say. Lozano's ex-wife, Valparaiso resident Elizabeth Lozano, was sentenced in December 2014 to 18 years in prison. Her neighbor, Angela Terrell, was sentenced earlier in 2014 to six years in prison for her role in the abuse. Elizabeth Lozano took the 4-year-old boy to a hearing in Lake County on Oct. 23, 2013, and a court-appointed special advocate noticed he had a black eye and extensive bruising with redness around his right ear, the lawsuit said. The suit said the boy was taken to Methodist Hospitals Southlake Campus in Merrillville with bruising, blistering, and multiple contusions on his buttocks, face, back, legs and arms. He later had brain surgery, court records state. According to Joseph Lozano's lawsuit, he was separated from his wife at the time and she refused him access to the children. The suit alleges the Department of Child Services was "repeatedly informed of ongoing abuse and neglect of the Lozano children" both through the Abuse Hotline and through the Porter County field office, yet "failed to take proper action to investigate and protect the children." Lozano was initially denied visitation with his children, but they later were returned to his care, court records state. VALPARAISO Two Kouts nurse practitioners charged with unlawfully issuing prescriptions have the same attorney, but prosecutors are seeking to break up the cases for trial. Porter County Prosecutor Brian Gensel was in court Tuesday morning to argue that trying both cases together would be too demanding for his office and too confusing for jurors. "Kathy Lynch is charged with 27 counts and Karen Dunning is charged with 16 counts, none of which 'overlap' as far as date or identity of recipient," he wrote in a motion. Tuesday's hearing on the motion was continued after defense attorney Lakeisha Murdaugh told the court she had not yet seen a copy of Gensel's motion and would need time to respond. A follow-up hearing was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Feb. 19 by Porter Circuit Court Judge Mary Harper. The cases are currently scheduled for trial March 28. Gensel's motion seeks to kick off just one of them on that date. Lynch is accused of phoning in controlled substance prescriptions for patients or directing her staff to do so, using a license of a physician who had not given her permission. Lynch's employee, Dunning, is accused of prescribing and dispensing controlled substances for weight reduction or to control obesity in violation of the law. Lynch has pleaded not guilty to an additional count of failing to pay income tax withholdings. She owes $89,497 in delinquent taxes and penalties, according to a manager with the Special Investigations Unit for the Indiana Department of Revenue. The debt includes $44,250 from Kouts Family Health Care Inc., which closed its tax withholding account on Jan. 31, 2010, according to charging information. The balance of the debt stems from a newer operation opened Jan. 1, 2010, under the name of Kouts Health Care. WASHINGTON The government of North Korea has detained a U.S. citizen on suspicion of spying, CNN reported Monday. It said a man identified as Kim Dong Chul was being held by the Pyongyang government and said authorities had accused him of engaging in spying and stealing state secrets. In an interview with a CNN correspondent, Kim said he had traveled extensively in recent years between China and North Korea and had made some trips to South Korea as well. In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby said he could not confirm the report. He declined to discuss the issue further or confirm whether the U.S. was consulting with Sweden, which handles U.S. consular issues in North Korea because Washington and Pyongyang do not have diplomatic relations. We are looking into the matter, and when we have more that we can say if we have more that we can say we will, Kirby told reporters. CNN displayed Kims U.S. passport and said he had lived in China for many years, but also had resided in Fairfax, Va. Last Tuesday, I was honored to receive an invitation to the White House. During my tenure as mayor of Gary, I have been pleased to join President Barack Obama in efforts to protect men and boys of color, homeless veterans, Americans without health insurance and our environment. I have also been a longtime proponent of commonsense gun regulations. When I arrived, I immediately wanted to excuse myself from the room. The atmosphere was intimate as I caught glimpses of Cleo Pendleton, Hadiya Pendletons mother, Lucie McBath (mother of Jordan Davis), Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, and parents and survivors from Newtown, Conn., and Charleston, S.C. I overcame my sense of being out of place, because I realized that I needed to be present in that room for the families of Deja Brookshire, Ray Lewis, Charles Wood, Shaqwone Ham, Edwin Deloney and countless others who have lost their lives to gun violence. I was not surprised at Obamas tears. While it would have been understandable for the president to have been moved simply by the collective grief of those assembled, I believe the greatest sources of his tears were anger and frustration. It is hard to understand why a vocal and well-financed few don't understand we have a responsibility to regulate and balance the Second Amendment with other fundamental rights such as the freedom of religion and freedom of assembly. We determine the appropriate age to drink and vote. Doesn't it make sense that we have a uniform process for who should possess weapons, what type of weapons they should possess and under what circumstances? Does the devastating loss of lives not warrant national action? Money influences so many important factors in this country where you live, the quality of the education and health care you receive, and the type of employment opportunities you enjoy. However, how empty have our souls become when we treat a mass shooting or a death of a young person in our streets as a routine event that does not even make an entire news cycle? I reflect on the other life-threatening issues that have plagued our country: drunk driving, domestic violence, outbreaks of deadly viruses and fatal accidents from the failure to use seat belts.We have acted on these issues, despite moneyed interests, because every one of us knows that we could be affected. What level of personal vulnerability will it take for all of us including members of the NRA and influential members of Congress to move from excuses to achieve action? I am not sure what it will take. Clearly, not the grief of urban, suburban and rural America. We are working daily to address violence in Gary and other communities, but we desperately need Congress to help. WASHINGTON The House pushed ahead on legislation that seeks to punish North Korea for its latest nuclear test by expanding sanctions on Pyongyang, a move with strong bipartisan support despite questions over how effective the new restrictions can be. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote Tuesday on the North Korea Sanctions Enforcement Act, which proposes to deny North Korea the hard currency they say it needs for its weapons programs. Holding the vote tomorrow puts it on the same day as President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address. But former State Department officials said any new sanctions won't have teeth unless China makes a major shift in policy toward its rebellious ally. Separately, a panel of experts on North Korea said existing United Nations sanctions against the reclusive country are going unenforced. The House bill is sponsored by Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The new sanctions would put "targeted economic financial pressure" on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Royce said Monday ahead of the vote, arguing that a failure to respond aggressively will embolden Pyongyang. Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, the committee's top Democrat, said Kim is on a "dangerous, destabilizing course" and the U.S. needs to act unilaterally to show the North Koreans that "there are consequences for their actions." Royce's committee unanimously approved the measure in February 2015 and it remained there until last week when North Korea announced it had conducted a fourth nuclear test this one detonating a thermonuclear device with massive destructive power. The announcement was met with doubt North Korea had set off a hydrogen bomb, which would mark a major technological advance for Pyongyang's limited nuclear arsenal. But it could take weeks or even longer to confirm or refute the claim. Yet lawmakers are pushing ahead. In the wake of the announcement, Republicans derided the Obama administration for not being more forceful in its policy toward North Korea. Royce said the administration's approach of "strategic patience" toward North Korea has failed to stop its nuclear program. It's uncertain what the bill's prospects will be in the Senate if it's passed by the House. But Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he wants the U.S. and its allies "to take a more assertive role in addressing North Korea's provocation." A central part of Royce's legislation is to make so-called "blocking sanctions" mandatory rather than discretionary as currently permitted through existing regulations. The sanctions are mandated against any country, business or individual that materially contributes to North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile development, imports luxury goods into North Korea, or engages with Pyongyang in money laundering, the manufacture of counterfeit goods, or narcotics trafficking, according to the legislation. A similar tactic was used by the Treasury Department a decade ago, Royce said, and it drained North Korea of the hard currency essential for buying the parts and supplies necessary for weapons development and missile production. Nor did Pyongyang have enough money to pay its army or police forces. But Joseph DeThomas, a former senior State Department official who advised on Iran and North Korea sanctions policy until February 2013, said new sanctions wouldn't force change in Pyongyang unless China is convinced of the strategic consequence of North Korea having nuclear weapons that could threaten America. Due to mounting international concern, the United Nations also is considering new sanctions against North Korea. But less than 40 of the U.N.'s 193 member states have turned in reports on sanctions implementation since the latest round of sanctions was imposed in 2013. Compliance has been lowest in Africa, an increasingly important market for low-cost North Korean weapons sales. Meanwhile, CNN reported Monday that North Korea has detained a U.S. citizen on suspicion of spying. It said a man identified as Kim Dong Chul was being held by the Pyongyang government and that authorities had accused him of engaging in spying and stealing state secrets. In an interview with a CNN correspondent, Kim said he had traveled extensively in recent years between China and North Korea and also had made a few trips to South Korea. In Washington, a State Department official would not confirm the report. A fifth teenager is in custody in connection with last week's alleged gang rape in Brooklyn. Four other teens are already facing charges in the case, which includes rape and sexual abuse. Police say 17-year-old Onandi Brown, 15-year-old Ethan Phillip, 15-year-old Shaquell Cooper, and 14-year-old Denzel Murray were caught on surveillance video near the Brownsville park where cops say the attack occurred. They are all being charged as adults. Invesitgators say an 18-year-old woman was raped inside Osborn Park Thursday night. #NYPD taking questions on alleged #Brooklyn Gang rape. Cops say they believe the details and have arrested 5 teens. pic.twitter.com/r0bemaZpke Dean Meminger (@DeanMeminger) January 12, 2016 They say her attackers threatened her father with a gun, and made him leave the park. "Eleven o'clock this morning we arrested a Travis Beckford," said NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce. "He's a 17-year old male. He is the fifth person that we arrested in this case, and we believe he's the final person. "He was apprehended by members of the warrant squad in Brooklyn. We're speaking to him now, so he's the fifth and we believe this is the end of no one else we're looking for." The investigation is ongoing. One area of Jamaica recently celebrated a whole year without gun violence, but a few blocks away its a different story. NY1's Angi Gonzalez filed the following report. On Monday, a police cruiser was parked at the intersection where 35-year-old Donald Reed was gunned down late last month. "Since the murders weve got police cars on every corner, which makes you feel somewhat safer," said Jamaica resident Angela Mujahid. The other recent murder, Mujahid is referring to, is the shooting death of 16-year-old Jihad Jackson. The teen was shot to death a few blocks away from where Reed was gunned down and happened less than a week later. Four days after Jackson's death, the NYPD was called to another shooting in the same area. The victim was expected to recover. "Certainly there is a gun violence issue here," said Queens Council Member Daneek Miller. However, Miller says he and his counterparts at City Hall are making headway on addressing the violence. "We started with four of five catchment areas, now they are up to 18. I think each one gets about a million dollars," Miller explained. One of those target zones is in the NYPD's 113th precinct, only a short distance away from the recent violence in the 103rd Precinct. In the South Jamaica catchment area there hasn't been a single shooting in more than 365 days. "We've been able to getting rid of a lot of violence especially gun violence in South Jamaica," said Queens Council Member Ruben Wills. For more than a year, Erica Ford and her Life Camp Inc. team have been working in the south Jamaica target zone. She says there is a way to mimic the success of Life Camp's efforts, to neighborhoods outside the catchment, but says the expansion will cost at least $5 million. So that we can hire more people and go up and go sideways on each end [of the current boundaries] so that we can look at infiltrating more minds and more community members to be part of our process to change the culture of violence," Ford said. Ford has already started a GoFundMe campaign seeking private donations for the expansion. Meantime, Council Members Miller and Wills say they'll ask the city for more money in the coming months in the hopes of widening Life Camp's footprint. "Our math department had a good, self-righteous laugh at your expense," wrote Mary Jane Still, a professor at Palm Beach Junior College. Robert Sachs, a professor of mathematics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., expressed the prevailing view that there was no reason to switch doors. "You blew it!" he wrote. "Let me explain: If one door is shown to be a loser, that information changes the probability of either remaining choice -- neither of which has any reason to be more likely -- to 1/2. As a professional mathematician, I'm very concerned with the general public's lack of mathematical skills. Please help by confessing your error and, in the future, being more careful." The criticism has continued despite several more columns by Ms. vos Savant defending her choice. "You are utterly incorrect," insisted E. Ray Bobo, a professor of mathematics at Georgetown University. "How many irate mathematicians are needed to get you to change your mind?" 'The Henry James Treatment' Mr. Hall said he was not surprised at the experts' insistence that the probability was 1 out of 2. "That's the same assumption contestants would make on the show after I showed them there was nothing behind one door," he said. "They'd think the odds on their door had now gone up to 1 in 2, so they hated to give up the door no matter how much money I offered. By opening that door we were applying pressure. We called it the Henry James treatment. It was 'The Turn of the Screw.' " Mr. Hall said he realized the contestants were wrong, because the odds on Door 1 were still only 1 in 3 even after he opened another door. Since the only other place the car could be was behind Door 2, the odds on that door must now be 2 in 3. Sitting at the dining room table, Mr. Hall quickly conducted 10 rounds of the game as this contestant tried the non-switching strategy. The result was four cars and six goats. Then for the next 10 rounds the contestant tried switching doors, and there was a dramatic improvement: eight cars and two goats. A pattern was emerging. "So her answer's right: you should switch," Mr. Hall said, reaching the same conclusion as the tens of thousands of students who conducted similar experiments at Ms. vos Savant's suggestion. That conclusion was also reached eventually by many of her critics in academia, although most did not bother to write letters of retraction. Dr. Sachs, whose letter was published in her column, was one of the few with the grace to concede his mistake. Last year, as he addressed the congregation from the pulpit of the mosque in Mosul, the self-styled caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi invited all Muslims to migrate to the Islamic State because hijra to the land of Islam is obligatory. He described his territory as one where the Arab and non-Arab, the white man and black man, the easterner and the westerner are all brothers, (where) their blood mixes and becomes one, under a single flag and goal. The number of those who responded to this call is staggering: the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is said to have 200,000 fighters, of whom a third are already battle-hardened. Most of them are from Iraq and Syria, but at least 30,000 are foreigners from 80 countries; about 7,000 are from Europe, including 2,500 women. Till last year, when controls at the Turkey-Syria border were lax, a few hundred young recruits used to cross over to join ISIS every day. Most of the men are aged between 15-20 years, while the minimum age of women is only slightly higher. The men are paid a salary of $500-650 per month. A marriage bureau facilitates marriages, while a counselling office handles marital difficulties. Not surprisingly, most of the recruitment is done online. ISIS employs the latest social media and the most talented IT specialists, putting its messages across in different languages through hard-to-detect tools such as Kik, WhatsApp and Skype. It has its own Facebook (Muslimbook), mobile phone app and a videogame in which American soldiers in Iraq are targeted. Given the centrality of digital technology, the distinguished Arab commentator Abdel Bari Atwan refers to the ISIS as The Digital State and says that without the Internet ISIS would not have recruited its army or succeeded in its territorial conquests. Most fighters are allured through slick recruitment films, such as one titled There is No Life Without Jihad, which has interviews with three jihadis from different backgrounds talking about their battles, as also the comfortable home life they have in the ISIS. One jihadi says there is no cure for depression (like) the honour of coming to jihad. ISIS does not only want fighters; people with different skills are welcome: There is a role for everybody, the video says. Messages projected are of two kinds: Those that use the street slang of young people (jihadi-cool) and focus on the brotherhood of the gang, showing the ISIS as a place where you can belong, and the other that focuses on battles and the killing of hostages and enemy forces, and exalts martyrdom as the highest achievement of the jihadi fighter. Messages directed at women reflect this same dichotomy: They refer to cooking recipes, the periodic shortages of certain food items and the need for warm clothing when seasons change, and also celebrate the martyrdom of their husbands or the killing of enemy soldiers, with their heads being shown alongside pet kittens! Given the large number of recruits and their different backgrounds, the motivations to join ISIS vary widely. For a small core group, the principal allure is religious: they believe they are engaged in a holy war for Islam and rejoice in the setting up of the Caliphate; they say they have longed for the caliphate just as the Jews longed for the Holy Land for several centuries. They see themselves as pioneers in building the new Islamic realm after so many years of defeat and despair. Some others in this group also respond positively to the ISIS sectarian approach: Anti-Shia feelings are deeply ingrained among many orthodox Sunnis who believe the Shia are not Muslims and, today, under the leadership of Iran, are seeking to take over all Muslim countries. These sentiments are being robustly fuelled by the rabid writings of clerics on social media which have millions of followers. But religious zeal motivates very few. Mr Atwan has noted that some boys leaving for Syria took with them a copy of Islam for Dummies! For most young recruits, the allure is adventure and comradeship in an enterprise of global significance. Scott Atran, an American scholar based in France, sees the bulk of the ISIS cadre as marginal misfits, largely ignorant of religion and geopolitics, who are now engaged in a profoundly alluring mission to change and save the world, while experiencing the joy of joining comrades in a glorious cause. Olivier Roy, the French scholar of Islam and jihad, agrees that there is no religious motivation involved in the allure of ISIS for Arab youth. For them, joining ISIS is an expression of the deep generational divide that separates them from their parents, a divide that is greater in Muslim societies because of the sudden changes they have experienced in a very short period. In Europe, Arab youth blame their parents for their life at the bottom of the social ladder, their cultural rootlessness and their experience as objects of derision. Their propensity to violence against society is thus similar to that of the French anarchists of the 19th century and of the Baader Meinhof fighters nearer our time. For Arabs in West Asia who constitute the bulk of the ISIS cadres, the sense of marginalisation and rootlessness emerges from the complete absence of transparency and accountability in their polities and non-availability of institutions for participation in political decision-making. Over the last five years, the youth have witnessed the crushing of their aspirations generated by the Arab Spring and the ongoing violence to retain this political order. The ISIS allure is that it is fighting these Arab tyrants across the region, even as it fulfils the longing of its adherents to participate in a cause that is founded on their own history and traditions. It therefore appeals to young Arabs sense of engagement in an enterprise of historic significance in which they themselves have a heroic central role. ISIS is thus the sanctuary for the desperate. Its fatal attraction can only be diluted through a reformed political order in West Asia that provides its people freedom and dignity. (The author is a former diplomat) She added: My take is that you get out of life what you really want, even if you think you dont want it. So if youre still single, maybe on a very deep level thats exactly where you want to be. Indeed, hundreds of readers, some with long experience in the dating trenches, questioned if the men profiled had realistic expectations. I lived in NYC from when I was 18 to 32, HeatherR. from New York City wrote. I am 46 years old now and am shaking my head in dismay at the older guys that were interviewed here because I know very well that they are of the same age group that would drop someone like a hot rock for any excuse back in the day (one guy who had spoken of marriage changed his mind because he didnt like the eyeliner that I wore one night), just because there were so many options out there. She added: I finally had to move to another country (France) and my sister to another state (Michigan) to find a good man. So sorry guys, none of you are getting the tiniest amount of pity from me. SaraJean from Greenville lamented, I am on the other side as a middle age woman with teenagers still living at home, I see many men sabotage relationships before they even begin. On dating sites, I am mainly contacted by men at least 10 years older than me but they dont want women with kids at home, even if they are not home most of the time. A woman must be able to travel on a whim and follow the mans work schedule but will not consider the womans schedule. VO: DAVID BOWIE WAS MORE THAN JUST A GIFTED MUSICIAN - HE WAS A PIONEER AND A MASTER OF THE MUSIC VIDEO. Natsound from John Im only dancing video VO: IN HIS 1972 MUSIC VIDEO FOR JOHN, IM ONLY DANCING, SCENES OF BOWIE AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS ARE INTERCUT WITH WRITHING DANCERS. THE SONGS GAY SUBTEXT WAS SEEN AS PROVOCATIVE ENOUGH THAT THE VIDEO WAS CENSORED FROM SOME BROADCASTS. Nat sound from life on Mars video VO: THE NEXT YEAR, HIS LIFE ON MARS? VIDEO SHOWCASED HIS ZIGGY STARDUST PERSONA. SHOT AGAINST A WHITE BACKDROP AND FOCUSING ON ONLY BOWIE USING WIDE SHOTS AND EXTREME CLOSE-UPS, THE VIDEO BRINGS THE SONGS DIMENSIONS DOWN TO A MORE HUMAN SCALE. Nat sound from Ashes to Ashes video VO: SEVEN YEARS AFTER LIFE ON MARS, BOWIE RELEASED THE VIDEO TO ASHES TO ASHES. DRESSED AS PIERROT, BOWIE APPEARS TO BE ALLUDING TO HIS OWN PAST IMAGE, WITH CAMEOS FROM FIGURES IN THE EMERGING NEW ROMANTIC MOVEMENT THAT HE HELPED INSPIRE. Nat sound from Lets dance video VO: LETS DANCE, RELEASED IN 1983, IS A COMMENT ON THE STRUGGLE OF AUSTRALIAS INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND RACISM IN THE AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK. THE VIDEO WAS SO INFLUENTIAL THAT FANS STILL MAKE PILGRIMAGES TO THE CARINDA HOTEL, THE SETTING FOR MOST OF THE ACTION. SOUND UP: Look up here, Im in heaven. VO: AND FINALLY, LAZARUS HIS LAST MUSIC VIDEO. THE SCENES OF BOWIE IN A HOSPITAL BED AND WRITING AT A TABLE REFLECT THE THEMES OF HIS NEW THEATRICAL MUSICAL MORTALITY. DAVID BOWIE DIED THREE DAYS AFTER THE VIDEOS RELEASE. As fans mourned David Bowie on the streets of London, Berlin and New York on Monday, a flurry of events served as a reminder of just what an outsize and active presence he had remained in the worlds of music, art, fashion and performance right up to the very end of his life. Mr. Bowies latest album, Blackstar, which was released on Friday, was already on track to reach the top of the charts before he died. In the Netherlands, the Groninger Museum opened, even though it is usually closed on Mondays, so that grieving fans could see David Bowie Is, the blockbuster retrospective of his life that has been touring the world since 2013. In London, where the fashion world had gathered for mens wear shows, a Paul Smith presentation that was put together before Mr. Bowies death was full of Bowie photographs and memorabilia. In New York, tickets went on sale Monday for a star-studded tribute to Mr. Bowie at Carnegie Hall that was recast as a memorial concert. And in a Manhattan studio where Mr. Bowie recorded some of his biggest hits, Bowie songs were being heard once again on Monday for the cast recording of Lazarus, the hit Off Broadway show Mr. Bowie was co-author of. Im really glad we were all able to be together today and celebrate the chance weve all been given to perform this show, perform this music, Michael C. Hall, the star of the production, said during a break in the recording at Avatar Studios, which was known as Power Station when Mr. Bowie recorded the album Lets Dance there more than 30 years ago. David Bowie made pop of impassioned critical distance. He told a good musical story by standing outside of it and knew how to make you think about the artists relation to his work and the listeners relation to the artist; he took the question of image and identity seriously. (The first song he recorded under his stage name, released in 1966, was called Cant Help Thinking About Me.) In a certain way, all his songs were metafictions, even when they seemed personal, even when they were hits. Here is a handful of the best and most widely loved. SPACE ODDITY (1969) A short story arranged as expansive, filmic folk-rock, produced by Gus Dudgeon and the beginning of the narrative of Major Tom, the abstracted astronaut. Mr. Bowie played Major Tom in a short promotional film for the song in 1969. If it wasnt his first presentation of an embodied fictional character in a song dont forget The Laughing Gnome, from 1967 it was the first one that took, and he revived it later, particularly in Ashes to Ashes. Lawyers for Bill Cosby said Monday that they were asking for the dismissal of sexual assault charges filed against him in Pennsylvania, arguing that the local district attorneys office had promised in 2005 that Mr. Cosby would not be prosecuted. That promise, the lawyers said, was made to persuade Mr. Cosby to testify in a civil suit filed by a former Temple University employee who accused him of drugging and sexually abusing her at his home in a Philadelphia suburb. He did testify, and the case was later settled. Mr. Cosby has said the sexual encounter was consensual. Now, to fulfill campaign promises, the newly elected district attorney has repudiated the agreement and has based these criminal charges on the very testimony Mr. Cosby gave in reliance on the Commonwealths non-prosecution agreement, Mr. Cosbys lawyers said in a statement. The Montgomery County district attorney, Kevin Steele, had cited Mr. Cosbys deposition from the 2005 lawsuit, which became public last summer, as part of the new evidence that led him to bring charges. Richard Libertini, a character actor best known for his antic turn as a deranged Latin American general in the 1979 film comedy The In-Laws, died on Thursday at his home in Venice, Calif. He was 82. The cause was cancer, said his former wife, Melinda Dillon. A madcap, bearded Ichabod Crane who could spout a Babel of foreign accents, Mr. Libertini made his early career with the Second City, the storied Chicago improvisational troupe, and went on to be a ubiquitous presence on stage, screen and television. Reviewing him in a Yale Repertory Theater production of Neapolitan Ghosts, by Eduardo De Filippo in 1986, Mel Gussow wrote in The New York Times: Richard Libertini is a master of what could be called the comedy of madness. His funniest characters are furious and at least on the borderline of delirium. Mr. Libertini delighted critics as General Garcia, the moneyed, genteelly vulgar and more-than-borderline-delirious dictator of a banana republic in The In-Laws, which starred Peter Falk and Alan Arkin. Thats not to take away from some of the most successful philanthropists, like Bill Gates, a co-founder of Microsoft who has spent years devoting himself to learning everything about polio and malaria, for example, and working toward eradicating them. (Though, in truth, he has spent a lot of money on projects that didnt work along the way.) Still, as more billionaires are minted amid a ferocious debate about inequality, and the superwealthy continue to buy up trophy assets and seek to sway public policy, it has created a backlash and some are questioning whether they are amassing too much influence. The megarich increasingly use their foundations and their celebrity as philanthropists to mold public policy to an extent not possible for other citizens, Joanne Barkan, who has long been a critic of big philanthropy, wrote in The Guardian. That could turn out to be true for new money coming out of Silicon Valley, which has created a generation of young, idealistic entrepreneurs who want to get involved in transforming businesses and institutions at early ages. There are about 40 men and women under the age of 40 who are worth at least a half-billion dollars, according to Forbes. A lot of young people arent waiting their turn to lead, Mr. Seidman said, suggesting that successful executives used to wait until retirement to try their hand at new projects. He added: Their intent is going to get revealed. Are you deeply committed? How will you act when the path isnt linear? And praying for a wealthy benefactor to save a business is also a flawed business model. John Henry, the billionaire owner of the Boston Red Sox, bought The Boston Globe in 2013 from The New York Times Company. He has invested in The Globe, though it continues to struggle in the challenging newspaper business. Last year, another round of layoffs hit the newsroom. Of course, Mr. Henry can afford to take a risk on a declining business that requires a turnaround. For Mr. Hughes and The New Republic, that may be what happened. He seemed well intentioned. He talked about reviving the publication and restoring its glory, and yes, even making it profitable. He sought to remake the magazine for a digital age. But in the process, much of his staff left the publication and today the business is worth less than when he started. DETROIT While American consumers were taking advantage of low gas prices to buy trucks and sport utility vehicles in large numbers, some automakers delayed investing in slower-selling electrified vehicles. But with increases in federal fuel-economy standards looming in 2017, car companies are hustling to bring out hybrid and electric models to help them meet the new rules even though electrified vehicles make up only 2 percent of overall sales. The federal government has mandated corporate average fuel economy of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. But companies need to meet an interim standard of about 37 m.p.g. by next year. Now, despite declining gas prices, automakers are showing off a raft of electric and hybrid models this week at the annual North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It is unclear how vulnerable Mr. de Blasio may be within his own party, or whether he is more likely to be challenged by a lone opponent or a throng of candidates. Nonetheless, Mr. Stringer and Mr. Jeffries could represent starkly different threats to Mr. de Blasio. Mr. Stringer, 55, is a down-the-line liberal from a political family, an ambitious but deliberative politician who climbed steadily from a State Assembly seat on Manhattans Upper West Side into the offices of Manhattan borough president and then comptroller. What we consider before using anonymous sources. Do the sources know the information? Whats their motivation for telling us? Have they proved reliable in the past? Can we corroborate the information? Even with these questions satisfied, The Times uses anonymous sources as a last resort. The reporter and at least one editor know the identity of the source. Learn more about our process. In contrast, Mr. Jeffries, 45, has made his way as a young man in a hurry. He first challenged an incumbent state assemblyman and then a sitting congressman in a predominantly black district in central Brooklyn, drawing support from unconventional precincts including charter-school donors and conservative pro-Israel activists on his way to Washington. Yet the Democrats careers have intersected at pivotal moments. When Mr. Jeffries faced an incendiary primary opponent in his 2012 congressional race, Mr. Stringer and his wife hosted a fund-raising event for Mr. Jeffries in their apartment. A year later, Mr. Jeffries campaigned hard for Mr. Stringer in his bid for comptroller, appearing with him at churches and subway stations in an uphill primary fight against Eliot Spitzer, the former governor. These days, they share a common orientation toward Mr. de Blasio. Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Stringer have both prodded him on matters of policy: Mr. Stringer issuing audits from his perch as comptroller, Mr. Jeffries employing the megaphone that federal office provides. Both have chided Mr. de Blasio, on occasion, for his perceived fixation on national politics. Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Stringer also enjoy warmer relations with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat who clashes often with the mayor. The governor hosted a fund-raising event for Mr. Jeffriess congressional campaign in November, praising the congressman, according to attendees, as a Democrat who knows how to get things done. Mr. Jeffries sternly rebuked Mr. de Blasio over the summer for his thunderous June broadside against Mr. Cuomo. Mr. Stringer agreed in an interview that that was not a smart move. And the governor has appeared with both Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Stringer at larger public events around the city. On Monday, Representative Hakeem Jeffries, whose district covers the playground, said he was troubled by several unanswered questions as it relates to the behavior of the father. Something does not seem to add up, he said. The complexities did not shake the authorities from their original premise that the 18-year-old suffered a violent attack at a playground near her home. The father said the teenagers entered the playground brandishing a gun, and that he ran off, the officials said. Two minutes later, he returned and threw a bottle at the teenagers, to try to drive them off, but they chased him again, the officials said. When he returned 12 minutes later with police officers, the assailants were gone and his daughter was there, half clothed. When she was interviewed, the woman told investigators she was raped by at least one of the suspects, the officials said. She was forced to perform oral sex on two others, they said, citing her account, and all of the suspects touched her breasts. The initial report, that all five of them raped her, is not looking like it happened that way, one of the officials said. Two of the suspects said a third suspect had sex with the woman. That suspect said he was present, but was on the phone, and when he finished the call his friends were gone, one of the officials said. Zomato is shutting down its ordering service in Lucknow, Kochi, Indore and Coimbatore on account of small market size in these cities New Delhi: Online restaurant guide and food-ordering app Zomato is shutting down its ordering service in Lucknow, Kochi, Indore and Coimbatore on account of small market size in these cities. However, the company said there would be no job cuts due to the development. "We are shutting down the ordering business in Lucknow, Kochi, Indore, and Coimbatore. The size of the market in these cities is small right now and is growing with time," Zomato Co-founder Pankaj Chaddah said in a statement. The company will re-launch the service when the time is right, he added. "There will be no job cuts with this business move. We will be realigning people into other sales verticals," a company spokesperson told PTI. Despite the company's marketing efforts, including television ads, there has been no significant increase in the order volumes in these few cities, Zomato said in a statement. "The combined order volume in these 4 cities accounted for less than two per cent of Zomato's total order volumes," the statement added. Zomato launched its online food ordering business in April 2015 and expanded to 14 cities across the country. The company has 75,000 restaurants listed on its platform in India. People can use the online ordering feature to order from 12,000 of them, Zomato said. Seeking to quell stubbornly persistent gun-related violence in New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday will unveil a new system for handling such cases, creating a dedicated gun court in Brooklyn and a 200-officer police division focused on gun crime. Starting this month, those charged with possession of a firearm will be sent to one of two courtrooms in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn, where two judges, Suzanne M. Mondo and Cassandra M. Mullen, will preside over arraignments, indictments and trials in hundreds of gun arrests each year. The courts will work in conjunction with the new Gun Violence Suppression Division, which will be made up mostly of detectives and handle all police investigations related to illegal firearms, assigning a specific officer to oversee each gun case from beginning to end. The effort will be drawn from existing court and police resources, the mayors office said. The only additional spending will be $2 million to the city medical examiner, starting in the 2017 fiscal year, to provide for quick testing of DNA evidence from illegal guns. Tajiauna Spence and three of her daughters ate dinner at a McDonalds in Chelsea late last month. Her grandson, Styles, was the center of the groups affections as he played with his gloves and made random demands. I want my toy, he said. You got to eat your food first, Ms. Spence said. Then you get the toy. A holiday atmosphere still lingered over New York City. New Years Eve was then two nights away, but even around the warmth of her family, Ms. Spence could not deny that her 2015 was anything but celebratory. She became homeless one bitter cold night last January when a fire broke out in an apartment below hers in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn; she and her children have since lived in a homeless shelter in the Brownsville section. We had no heat last night, Ms. Spence, 45, said. And they have a real bad mice problem. The mice eat your food. The fridge also makes loud noises. Im so ready to leave. But the greatest source of stress, she said, resides in the everyday things that have changed. Her commute from Brownsville to Manhattan, where she works for the citys Human Resources Administration, is exhausting, and caring for her daughters and a grandchild exacerbates the pressure. As New York State officials met on Monday to consider changes to high school graduation requirements, the state announced that the graduation rate inched up last year, with New York Citys edging above 70 percent for the first time. Despite that increase, white students remained far more likely to receive a diploma than black or Hispanic students. And high school graduation remained out of reach for many students with disabilities. Just over 78 percent of New York State students who entered high school in 2011 graduated on time, up from 76.4 percent of students the year before, state officials said at a Board of Regents meeting in Albany on Monday. But while 88 percent of white students graduated on time last year, only 65 percent of black and Hispanic students did, and only about 50 percent of students with disabilities did. Nearly 7 percent of students in that class dropped out, a rate that held steady from the year before. Sixty-two percent of those students were black or Hispanic, and 64 percent of them were poor, the State Education Department said. And get your tickets fast for this one: A concert celebrating Mr. Bowies music will take place at Carnegie Hall on March 31. And heres a goodbye from Mr. Bowie in his own words: I dont know where Im going from here, but I promise it wont be boring. Heres what else is happening: WEATHER Its a busy day in the world of precipitation: A chance of snow showers in the early afternoon, followed by rain, which then turns back into snow. And itll be cloudy all day, with a high of 40, but very windy by the afternoon, when gusts could whip at nearly 30 miles an hour. All those howling winds will make it feel in the 20s on your way to and from work. Winter coat watch: Make sure its waterproof. IN THE NEWS Mayor Bill de Blasio will announce a new plan where those charged with possession of a firearm will be sent to a special gun court in Brooklyn. [New York Times] There isnt enough evidence to bring a criminal case against Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo for his interference with an anticorruption panel that he created and then dismissed, an investigation found. [New York Times] A New York City police officer shot in the leg while responding to a melee outside a party in the South Bronx over the weekend was wounded by a fellow officer, officials said on Monday. The determination that the injury suffered by the officer, Sherrod Stuart, was a case of so-called friendly fire came on Sunday after doctors were able to remove a bullet from the officers left leg, they said. Officer Stuart, who was in plainclothes, was hit just above his ankle around 2 a.m. on Saturday as he and other officers moved in to break up a fight outside an illegal jump-up party in a rented hall in the Mott Haven neighborhood. The fight involved dozens of people, some wielding bats, knives and guns, the police said. Investigators still believe Christopher Rice, 19, a Bronx man with a long criminal history, including arrests for assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest, opened fire in the street outside the hall, at 2505 Third Avenue, near 137th Street. After haunting pictures and stories of starving civilians showed up on international news sites and social media, food and other desperately needed aid were finally allowed into the Syrian town of Madaya on Monday. Yet this should not be a cause for celebration or complacency. The aid convoys and their supplies offer only a respite in the slow-motion agony that is destroying Syria and its people. What is needed, and has long been needed, is an immediate end to the civil war. The obstacles are daunting. But the news coverage, especially the photos of emaciated Madaya residents, is putting a renewed focus on the failure of the major powers to at least move the conflict toward a cease-fire. It also gives fresh urgency to United Nations-sponsored peace talks later this month. The disaster has been unfolding since 2011 when Syrians rose up in peaceful protest against President Bashar al-Assad. He responded with barrel bombs and chemical weapons, and now some 250,000 people are dead, and 11 million displaced, including four million who have fled Syria to neighboring countries or Europe. The chaos enabled the Islamic State to move in and seize territory, making the conflict even worse. Although Madaya is only an hours drive from downtown Damascus, residents and international aid workers say much of the town is starving. That is because the town is controlled by anti-Assad rebels and has been encircled by pro-government forces, including Iranian-backed Hezbollah units, with barbed wire, land mines and snipers. Trapped without aid for nearly three months, some 42,000 residents have been forced to make soups of grass and leaves, according to news reports. RIO DE JANEIRO A Sao Paulo judge sent shock waves across Brazil last month with a ruling that required Brazilian telecommunications operators to block the use of the instant messaging platform WhatsApp for 48 hours. Less than 13 hours later, another Sao Paulo judge reversed the decision, restoring service. But in the meantime, as many as 100 million Brazilians had been seriously inconvenienced, and civil libertarians around the world looked on with dismay. Brazilians take their social media very seriously. The country has one of the fastest growing populations of Internet users in the world. Online tools like Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp are used not only to express opinions; they are an affordable alternative to exorbitantly priced Brazilian telecom providers. One recent study in Brazil found that WhatsApp was used by 93 percent of those surveyed who had Internet access. The official reason for the judges decision to suspend WhatsApp was because its parent company, Facebook, refused to comply with requests to provide personal information and communications records to prosecutors in an investigation into organized crime and drug trafficking. This is not the first time that the Brazilian authorities have jousted with tech companies. Notwithstanding the seriousness of the crimes being investigated, the judges action was reckless and represents a potentially longer-term threat to the freedoms of Brazilians. The ruling was not entirely out of the blue. Brazils Congress has been considering legislation that would roll back key provisions of the countrys freshly minted digital bill of rights, known as the Marco Civil da Internet, which was passed in 2014. The new proposal is expected to make it easier for prosecutors to access citizens personal information without the nuisance of having to obtain a court order. The racial implications of the Willie Horton ad were never subtle. In 1982, Mr. Atwater outlined with alarming candor this so-called Southern strategy for appealing to white voters. He noted that candidates couldnt be as explicitly racist as in years past. That backfires, he noted. So you say stuff like forced busing, states rights, and all that stuff. Mr. Atwater eventually apologized for the ad, but the damage was done. Ken Goldstein, a professor of political science at the University of San Francisco, said that by being played over and over on national news programs, the Willie Horton ad took on a second life. Most people didnt see the ad run, he said. Most people saw it on television news. TV loves airing ads, because you know what ads are? TV. The Willie Horton ad did not single-handedly win the election for Mr. Bush. It simply capitalized on the fears of (mostly white) American voters at that time. In this election cycle, no candidate has taken more advantage of those types of fears than Mr. Trump, according to Tali Mendelberg, a politics professor at Princeton and author of The Race Card: Campaign Strategy, Implicit Messages, and the Norm of Equality. Republicans win largely with support from white voters, so they have incentives to rally their base around racial fears and resentments, she said. The only trick to that strategy is not to run afoul of norms of racial equality that prohibit sounding explicitly racist. Trump more than anyone else in modern American history is loosening that norm. The Willie Horton ad, then, is a clear example of how political debates can be won: through the precise, tactical application of fear, no matter the moral consequences. And that line of attack isnt likely to die out anytime soon. Race is effective because it divides, Scott Reed, a Republican consultant, wrote of the ad in 2004. Youre not looking to boost turnout and include people in your campaign. Youre hoping to actually send people home. An article in The Times Magazine on Sunday has laid bare the unconscionable decades-long efforts of the DuPont company to hide the dangers of an obscure chemical and bamboozle regulators into allowing toxic pollution to continue long after the dangers were known to the company. The article by Nathaniel Rich described how a corporate lawyer, Rob Bilott, built a devastating case against DuPont, based on the companys own studies and internal documents. The case illustrates the urgent need for Congress to complete its efforts to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act, which has allowed tens of thousands of untested chemicals to remain on the market with little more than the manufacturers say-so that they are safe. The chemical that DuPont was protecting is known as PFOA, or perfluorooctanoic acid. It is used in the production of Teflon for non-stick frying pans, a huge source of profits for DuPont. When the Toxic Substances Control Act was enacted in 1976, PFOA was one of a multitude of untested chemicals allowed to remain on the market. The act also made it extremely difficult for the Environmental Protection Agency to require safety tests or crack down on chemicals known to be hazardous. Only a handful have been restricted over the past 40 years. In the case of PFOA, DuPont brazenly dumped its toxic waste into a creek that ran through a pasture where farmers grazed and watered their cows, causing grotesque malformations and deaths among the animals. Meanwhile, the company hid evidence that the chemical had contaminated the local water supply well beyond what the companys own scientists considered safe and far beyond what independent scientists considered safe. The last time the worlds top drug kingpin, Joaquin Guzman Loera, was nabbed, Mexicos top prosecutor said the government would consider extraditing him to the United States in 300 years or so, once all his criminal cases at home had been settled. Embarrassed by his escape in July his second Mexican officials appear to have changed their minds. Soon after he was taken into custody on Friday, the Mexican government indicated it had started extradition proceedings to send Mr. Guzman to the United States. That is the right call. Mr. Guzmans criminal enterprise, the Sinaloa cartel, has caused havoc in Mexico and American communities for years by shipping tons of narcotics into the United States. Under his watch, the cartel has become one of the worlds deadliest and most ruthless criminal organizations. In Mexico it has silenced journalists, sometimes with bullets, fueled corruption and turned parts of the north into a battleground. In the United States he faces drug trafficking, money laundering and murder charges. While some Mexicans understandably would like to see Mr. Guzman pay for those crimes at home, a prosecution in the United States seems like a safer bet to put him out of business and send a strong message to those who will inevitably step into his shoes. President Enrique Pena Nieto of Mexico deserves credit for endorsing Mr. Guzmans extradition soon after his latest arrest. High-profile extradition decisions in Latin America are politically fraught, in part because they often represent an acknowledgment of institutional weakness. Yet extradition can be the best mechanism to dismantle the most violent and menacing criminal organizations. Durham, N.C. THE release last month of Making a Murderer, a 10-part documentary from Netflix, capped a year in which popular cultures portrayal of the criminal justice system seems to have shifted. Out with the old tropes about truth-seeking investigators and tidy resolutions; in with the disquieting, dysfunctional reality of many courtrooms and police stations. The documentary, which has captivated viewers and critics, chronicles the trials of Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey for the 2005 killing of Teresa Halbach. Its depiction of alleged police corruption and prosecutorial bias has inspired some viewers to quip that they hope they are never arrested in Manitowoc, Wis., the county where the two men were convicted. But what happened to them happens to low-status criminal defendants across the country all the time. Searing images of law enforcement abuses in Chicago, Cleveland and elsewhere have eroded the publics trust in police power on the street. At the same time, serialized true-crime programs, such as Making a Murderer and the first season of the podcast Serial, are bringing the failures of due process into focus: careless police work, flawed forensics, forceful interrogations, unreliable witnesses and the woeful condition of state-funded criminal defense. It takes hours rather than seconds to appreciate this procedural violence. That hasnt stopped listeners and viewers. Serial was downloaded some 75 million times. (Netflix doesnt release any audience statistics, but Making a Murderer has generated widespread discussion in social and traditional media.) Yet after the shows are over, audiences still hunger for narrative resolution. Reddit users have written thousands of posts about Making a Murderer, weighing evidence and acting as armchair detectives trying to find the true perpetrator. Petitions seeking pardons for Mr. Avery and Mr. Dassey have gathered 380,000 signatures. A spinoff from the Serial podcast, sponsored by the defendants lawyers, updates listeners on appellate claims and advocates for a retrial. What we are doing, she said, is just taking these old systems, replacing their parts and making sure that they can survive. In a recent report to Congress, the Energy Department, responsible for upgrading the warheads, said this was the fastest way to reduce the nuclear stockpile, promoting the effort as Modernize to Downsize. The new weapons will let the nation scrap a Cold War standby called the B83, a powerful city buster. The report stressed that the declines in overall destructive power support Mr. Obamas goal of pursuing the security of a world without nuclear weapons. That argument, though, is extremely long term: Stockpile reductions would manifest only after three decades of atomic revitalization, many presidencies from now. One of those presidents may well cancel the reduction plans most of the candidates now seeking the Republican nomination oppose cutbacks in the nuclear arsenal. But the bigger risk to the modernization plan may be its expense upward of a trillion dollars if future presidents go the next step and order new bombers, submarines and land-based missiles, and upgrades to eight factories and laboratories. Insiders dont believe it will ever happen, said Mr. Coyle, the former White House official. Its hard to imagine that many administrations following through. Meanwhile, other veterans of the Obama administration ask what happened. I think theres a universal sense of frustration, said Ellen O. Tauscher, a former under secretary of state for arms control. She said many who joined the administration with high expectations for arms reductions now feel disillusioned. Somebody has to get serious, she added. Were spending billions of dollars on a status quo that doesnt make us any safer. Since the early 19th century, inventors had been tinkering with various methods of using electricity to produce light. The New York Times first wrote of the technology on April 15, 1858. That day, Our Own Correspondent in Havana described celebrations of Holy Week that included an electric light cast across the harbor revealing the name of Queen Isabel. But electricity for light at home was still theoretical. By the 1870s, manufactured gas was the most up-to-date method for residential lighting. It was a dying technology. On Oct. 27, 1878, The Times published an article about the declining stock of gas companies, and there was no mistaking the reporters delight at their predicament. They were described in terms that today might be used by an angry customer. What gas companies have always been is a matter of common notoriety, the article read. No monopoly could be more close, complete, and arrogant than theirs. The searching for my father (or, less often, mother) play or film is a genre at this point, but not many of the works in it are as adventurous as The Institute of Memory (TIMe), Lars Jans multimedia personal journey, part of the Under the Radar festival. Not many delve as deeply, either. Mr. Jan goes right into the brain of his father in search of a man who always seemed a cipher. The piece, performed by Andrew Schneider and Sonny Valicenti and created by Mr. Jans Early Morning Opera lab, chronicles Mr. Jans quest to learn more about his father, a Polish immigrant named Henryk Ryniewicz (although whether that was his real name is among the puzzles Mr. Jan encounters) who lived most of his life in Cambridge, Mass. Mr. Jans mother, were told, took him to live elsewhere when he was a young boy, and contact with his father was sparse thereafter. But he uncovers pieces of the mans life, first in Polish archives of the Nazi and Cold War eras, and ultimately in X-rays and brain scans from hospitals where his father was treated before his death in 2009. Transcripts of wiretapped phone calls form part of the narrative, elliptical conversations that might be some sort of code, or might be just friends and relatives talking. Was his father a spy of some kind? What did he do all those years that he was living like a hermit in Cambridge? Sensation slides into silliness in The Changeling, a 1622 tragedy with generous dollops of comedy by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley. The convoluted story grows more lurid and strained as the play hurtles toward its predictably bloody conclusion, but with a fine cast bringing sufficient heat to the panting plotlines, the Red Bull Theater and its artistic director, Jesse Berger, once again win admiration for presenting a rarely seen drama from the Jacobean era with highly caffeinated verve. (Their previous productions include Middletons Women Beware Women and The Revengers Tragedy.) Sara Topham, who appeared in the most recent Broadway production of The Importance of Being Earnest, plays Beatrice, the central female role, a young and comely Spanish noblewoman who is instantly smitten with Alsemero (Christian Coulson), who is smitten right back. This development poses a significant problem, since Beatrices marriage to Alonzo de Piracquo (John Skelley), approved by her father, Vermandero (Sam Tsoutsouvas), is expected to take place imminently. What to do? This being a Jacobean tragedy, the natural solution is murder. Despite being repelled by his disfigured face and general person, Beatrice enlists her fathers servant De Flores (Manoel Felciano) to do the deed, little realizing that he lusts after her and will refuse money for compensation, preferring, and eventually insisting upon, payment of another kind. (His name is a not so subtle pun.) In Iowa, Mr. Rubios campaign has committed to spend just under $3 million through the states Feb. 1 caucuses. Conservative Solutions, a super PAC that supports him, has bought another $2.6 million worth of time. But Conservative Solutions is paying, on average, nearly twice as much as the Rubio campaign to get its ads seen by a comparable audience. All told, The Des Moines Register reported Monday, Mr. Rubio and his allies Conservative Solutions PAC and a nonprofit group called the Conservative Solutions Project have paid for some 7,000 ads to air in Iowa this month, out of 17,000 purchased to run over the same time for presidential candidates and their allies in both parties. Taken together, the ways the Rubio campaign and its allies are working in concert offer a striking contrast to how the campaign of Jeb Bush is working alongside a supportive super PAC. Mr. Bushs unaffiliated group, Right to Rise which amassed a nine-figure war chest last year is doing almost all the advertising on his behalf, offering his campaign far less flexibility and efficiency. But $100 million does not buy what it used to. While Right to Rise is spending $3.5 million in Iowa through the caucuses, the Rubio campaigns own ads should still be seen by a significantly larger audience, because of the lower price Mr. Rubios campaign is paying for each one shown. WASHINGTON When President Obama speaks to the nation in his final State of the Union address on Tuesday night, he will offer a familiar reassurance that the country is expending enormous effort to protect Americans against international terrorism. Here is what he probably will not say, at least not this bluntly: Americans are more likely to die in a car crash, drown in a bathtub or be struck by lightning than be killed by a terrorist. The news media is complicit in inflating the sense of danger. The Islamic State does not pose an existential threat to the United States. He will presumably not say this, either: Given how hard it is for intelligence and law enforcement agencies to detect people who have become radicalized, like those who opened fire at a holiday party in San Bernardino, Calif., a certain number of relatively low-level terrorist attacks may be inevitable, and Americans may have to learn to adapt the way Israel has. By all accounts, Mr. Obama is sympathetic to this view, which is shared by a number of counterterrorism veterans who contend that anxiety has warped the American publics perspective. But it is also a politically untenable argument at a time when polls show greater fears about terrorism than at any point since the weeks after Sept. 11, 2001. As it is, critics contend that Mr. Obama does not take the threat seriously enough and has not done enough to guard the nation against attack. WASHINGTON In his first State of the Union address, President Obama delivered a somber portrayal of a nation mired in a crippling economic crisis and bitter partisanship. As he prepares to deliver his seventh and final such speech on Tuesday, the financial calamity has passed but the partisanship has gotten worse. Aware of the limited options that exist as he and the Republican-led Congress prepare to endure one last year together, Mr. Obama will try to use his speech to reach beyond the traditional recitation of legislative initiatives measures likely to fail to talk about the nations long-term challenges and how taking them on can benefit both the American economy and the nations psyche. His top advisers say he will also emphasize the need to bridge the political divisions that have thrown the House and Senate into dysfunction and to build upon the signs of life that Congress exhibited late last year in approving a compromise budget deal along with major transportation and education legislation. And Denis McDonough, the White House chief of staff, said the president would offer an optimistic contrast to the darker vision of an America in decline that is currently being offered by Republican presidential candidates in Iowa and New Hampshire. The president, Mr. McDonough said in an interview, will instead focus on American potential and what the country can do when we get everybody engaged in the system, everybody engaged in the democracy. PRINCETON, Ore. The armed men who have occupied a federal wildlife refuge here escalated their defiance of the federal government on Monday, using bare hands and a Wildcat excavator stolen from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to rip apart a barbed-wire fence erected by the government at a far end of the vast refuge. The fence, the protesters said, had kept a rancher from grazing cattle on publicly owned land. Were like Boy Scouts, said Ammon Bundy, the occupations leader, as he watched the wildlife agencys Wildcat haul away a mountain of coiled wire and his supporters whooped in the background. No trace left behind. The action seemed to represent a new provocation in the conflict, which began Jan. 2 when Mr. Bundy, his brother Ryan, and several other opponents of the governments land ownership took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, saying they would not back down until federal lands in the area were given to the county for management. And while the group initially promised to leave federal property undisturbed, the giant hole cut into public property indicated a different path. The Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the refuge for the federal government, responded by condemning the action. MEXICO CITY Mexico has started letting American agents carry guns on its soil. A special Mexican unit trained by Americans has been revived after stalling because of mistrust and a sense of national pride. American agents are working with Mexican soldiers to seize guns, and the two nations just agreed on a plan to tackle the heroin epidemic. Even before Joaquin Guzman Loera, the infamous drug trafficker known as El Chapo, tunneled out of Mexicos most secure prison over the summer, the Mexican government had begun rebuilding its strained relationship with the United States. But the drug lords stunning escape shrank that distance even more, creating a sense of shared urgency that had not existed in years. It has been complicated in the past, said John Kirby, the State Department spokesman. But more and more, were finding common ground and common cause. Mr. Guzman managed to evade one of the largest manhunts in Mexican history for nearly six months before being recaptured on Friday and even then, he almost escaped again. He slipped out of a heavily defended compound as Mexican soldiers barreled in before dawn, ducking into an escape route hidden behind a closet and sneaking into the sewers before he was finally caught, officials said Monday. The commander of United States Air Force operations in Europe and Africa expressed very serious concern Monday over what he described as big buildups of complex Russian missile defenses that increasingly threaten NATO military access to air space in parts of Europe, including one-third of the skies in Poland. He also said Russia had started to engage in similar missile buildups in the Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed nearly two years ago from Ukraine, and in war-ravaged Syria, where Russian military forces have been assisting the government by bombing its insurgent foes for more than three months. The commander, Gen. Frank Gorenc, whose responsibilities include Air Force operations covering 104 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and parts of the Middle East, said the Russian strategy, known as anti-access/area denial, or A2/AD in military shorthand, was among the most worrisome trends he had seen. Some of the heaviest concentrations of A2/AD deployments, General Gorenc said in an interview with The New York Times editorial board, are in Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic coast. The surface-to-air missile systems there, he said, are layered in a way that makes access to that area difficult, with a spillover effect in parts of Poland and the Baltics, should NATO jets have reason to operate there. WASHINGTON Iran reported Monday that it had removed the core of its plutonium-producing nuclear reactor at Arak as part of its efforts to complete its obligations under a new international agreement, even as President Obama moved to guard the deal against action in Congress. Disabling the reactor is one of the most critical steps required by the nuclear agreement that Iran reached with world powers in July before international sanctions can be lifted. Iran filled in the reactor core, the semiofficial Fars News Agency reported, and the reactor will be revamped to yield only small amounts of plutonium insufficient for bomb making. The reported progress came as Mr. Obama pledged to veto legislation aimed at undermining the nuclear agreement. The legislation, set to advance in the House on Tuesday, would bar the president from lifting sanctions against Iranian banks or other institutions financially linked to Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps or other Iranian organizations tied to terrorism. In a written veto threat, the White House said the bill would go beyond the terms of the agreement and thus unravel it based on activity that may have taken place and ended long ago. Sabotaging the agreement would deal a devastating blow to Americas credibility as a leader of international diplomacy, the message said. We bought and sold the sculpture in good faith without knowledge of the alleged claim, the gallery said in a statement, referring to Pelhams lawsuit. We are entirely confident that our purchase and sale are valid and that Pelham has no rights to the work. Mr. Gagosian has a longstanding relationship with members of the Picasso family, having collaborated with Diana Widmaier-Picasso, the artists granddaughter, on a show of Picassos sculptures at Mr. Gagosians uptown New York gallery in 2003. In 2011, his Chelsea gallery exhibited the plaster bust along with other work inspired by the relationship between Picasso and Walter, who were Maya Widmaier-Picassos parents (the pair never married). The show prompted several bidders to offer more than $100 million for the work, Mr. Gagosians court papers say. According to Pelhams filings, Ms. Widmaier-Picasso originally agreed to sell the sculpture in November 2014 through the art dealers Connery, Pissarro, Seydoux, a now disbanded firm, to Pelham, which bought it on behalf of Sheik Jassim bin Abdulaziz al-Thani. He is married to Sheika al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, chairwoman of the Qatar Museums Authority, who has become one of the most powerful players in the art world. The Thani family has ruled the oil-rich state since its founding in 1971. In court papers, Mr. Gagosian questions how Pelham managed to secure Ms. Widmaier-Picassos supposed consent to such an unreasonably low price, referring to the $42 million, and whether the Pelham agreement was ever valid, since it requires full payment. After consulting with her daughter Diana, who reminded her mother of the offers in excess of $100 million, Mr. Gagosians papers say, Ms. Widmaier-Picasso contested the sale as null and void, returning the 6 million euros (roughly $6.5 million) of the purchase price that Pelham had paid so far. COLUMBIA, S.C. On Saturday, only three weeks before voters in Iowa first get to weigh in on the presidential candidates, six Republican hopefuls gathered at a convention center here to talk about poverty. Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, the top two, werent there. But still, poverty? Not even Democrats, who by Republicans own admission pretty much own the subject, have dedicated this kind of campaign time to those at the very bottom of the ladder. The votes simply arent there. And thats especially true for Republicans. Whats going on? Those on the left will argue that Republicans offer nothing more than a poison pill to pre-empt effective actions to help the poor. But conservatives have a coherent theory about the causes of Americas entrenched poverty that fits well with their underlying worldview: its largely the governments fault. Regulators in California on Tuesday formally rejected Volkswagens plan to fix its polluting diesel engines, underscoring their frustration with the German automakers ability to repair its defective vehicles. The California Air Resources Board, which is investigating VWs use of a so-called defeat device to cheat on diesel emissions tests, said that a recall plan presented in November and December was incomplete, substantially deficient and falls far short of meeting the legal requirements to be approved. The state agency added that VW was taking too long to devise a fix. The Environmental Protection Agency, which is working with California regulators on the VW fraud, had already said it was not satisfied with the recall plan and requested more information from the company. My goal is to ensure that the journalism traditionally provided by the printed newspapers is given a new life and prolonged, while new media formats for its distribution are being developed, Mr. Lenfest said. Of all of the ventures I have been involved with in my life, nothing is more important than preserving the journalism that has been delivered by these storied news organizations. Philadelphia Media Network will remain a for-profit business, with its own independent board and management, and will operate as a taxable subsidiary of the institute. Individuals, corporations and foundations can donate to the institute and will be able to specify that the tax-deductible contributions be used to support journalism projects at the three publications. The institute will be run by a board of managers, whose members include Steve Coll, the dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and David Boardman, the dean of the School of Media and Communication at Temple University. At a news conference Tuesday morning, Mr. Lenfest called the new ownership structure a perfect combination for the future of journalism in Philadelphia. This is all designed hopefully to perpetuate journalism, he added. But he also acknowledged that the move would not eliminate the current challenges confronting the publications. Mr. Lenfest, known as Gerry, has provided $20 million to the institutes endowment. The publications have been through a public and protracted power struggle. In 2012, a group of local businessmen, including Mr. Lenfest, purchased The Inquirer and the other properties, prompting fear that they sought to promote their own interests. When the editor in chief was fired, two of the men, Mr. Lenfest and Lewis Katz, a former owner of the New Jersey Nets, sued the newspaper and its publisher, arguing that the firing was a breach of contract. Mr. Lenfest and Mr. Katz eventually paid $88 million for the publications in 2014, taking them over from their partners, but Mr. Katz died days later in a plane crash. Mr. Lenfest later purchased Mr. Katzs stake. The New York Times said on Tuesday that Jim Rutenberg, chief political correspondent for the Sunday magazine, would become its media columnist, filling a role that has been vacant since the death of David Carr about a year ago. Our hunt for Davids successor has been exhaustive, and we were privileged to have had extraordinary candidates from both inside and outside The Times, the newspapers executive editor, Dean Baquet, and its business editor, Dean Murphy, said in a memo to the staff. Jim brings to the job a passion for the story, a track record in covering the industry and the experienced eye of an astute observer. Mr. Rutenberg, 46, joined The Times in 2000, from The New York Observer, to cover the media industry. He has since been an investigative reporter and a White House correspondent. Most recently, he worked on a series for the magazine about voting rights. His first article in the series prompted a letter to the editor from President Obama. His inaugural media column will be in the coming weeks, the memo said. He will continue to contribute to the magazine. Its an honor and beyond daunting to be granted the space that David filled in such a special way, which touched so many people, Mr. Rutenberg said. There can never be another David Carr, so I can only hope to do his legacy, and the paper, proud. The court extended police remand of Rahman and Asif by two more days. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: Two suspected operatives of al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), arrested for allegedly radicalising youth for terror activities, were today remanded to police custody for two days by a Delhi court. The two accused, Maulana Mohammad Abdul Rahman and Mohamad Asif, were produced before Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh on expiry of their police remand and the Special Cell of Delhi Police sought extension of their custody saying they were needed for further interrogation. The police told the court that the accused were needed to be quizzed further for unearthing the entire conspiracy of AQIS and to ascertain the identity of their associates. The court extended police remand of Rahman and Asif by two more days. It also sent arrested co-accused Zafar Masood to two weeks judicial custody after the police said he was not needed for further interrogation. Masood was produced before court after expiry of his police remand. According to the police, Rahman ran a madrassa in Uttar Pradesh where several students were enrolled and he was allegedly trying to radicalise them for terror activities. It claimed that Masood was propagating the terror agenda of AQIS among the youth and trying to attract them towards the terror outfit. While Asif (41), was held from Seelampur in north-east Delhi, Rahman (37) was arrested from Jagatpur area of Cuttack in Odisha, police had said. They have been booked under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. According to the special cell, Rahman is suspected to have international links in countries like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Dubai. While acknowledging its role in failing to report a deadly defect for more than a decade, General Motors on Tuesday forcefully questioned the story of a man who was injured in a May 2014 crash and is suing the company. The automaker is facing a civil trial in the first of six so-called bellwether cases over deadly defective ignition switches in its vehicles. Bellwethers are often used in product-liability litigation when many people have similar claims. In this instance, such cases could help G.M. and lawyers for the plaintiffs try out legal strategies or help them determine whether to settle. Of the six bellwethers, three were picked by lawyers for the plaintiffs and three by the defense. The first case, being heard in Federal District Court in Manhattan, is one chosen by the plaintiffs side. It involves Robert Scheuer, an Oklahoman who was injured when his 2003 Saturn Ion crashed into a tree on May 28, 2014. Mr. Scheuer, 49, has claimed that the defective ignition switch in his car caused the airbags not to deploy during his accident, leading to neck and back injuries. The bar owner Sasha Petraske, a pioneer of the current cocktail revival, had a few projects in the works when he died last August at age 42, including a book and a hoped-for third iteration of his trailblazing speakeasy Milk & Honey. At least one of those enterprises will be realized: A bar he had planned to unveil last summer will open Friday in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Called Seaborne, it was 90 percent built when Mr. Petraske died of a heart attack, but its future was by no means certain. A crucial Senate committee on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve Dr. Robert M. Califf, a cardiologist and clinical trial expert from Duke University, as the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Approval by the full Senate, however, is unlikely to happen soon, because Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has pledged to block his candidacy over the agencys approval of genetically engineered salmon. Ms. Murkowski, a Republican, said she would put a hold on Dr. Califfs candidacy because the F.D.A. approved a genetically engineered salmon for consumption days after she questioned him on the topic at his confirmation hearing in November. The senator, whose state is a major salmon producer, had long opposed the genetically engineered fish. With me, when it comes to the F.D.A., the one thing that is really important is what is going on with fish, she said before the vote, by the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. A spokeswoman for Ms. Murkowski said she could not say when the hold would be imposed. Diana Zuckerman, the president of the National Center for Health Research, said she expected the process to drag on, in part because skeptical Democrats were in no rush to approve the doctor. But Mr. Malatras emphasized that the state had devoted millions since 2011 for homeless services to gay and transgender youths, people with AIDS and victims of domestic violence, all groups the governors office had identified as vulnerable to homelessness. The state-created program benefiting people with AIDS, however, left the city covering the majority of the $38 million cost. The budget last year assigned $440 million over four years to rental assistance programs in the city, though the money was to come from city coffers half from payments that the city would have otherwise made to the state, but that the state told the city to use for homelessness, and half that the state required the city to dedicate as matching funds. The budget also included $16 million in direct state money. Several advocates, fearful of upsetting Mr. Cuomo, declined to publicly criticize his record or his current actions. They said they were wary of Mr. Cuomos gamesmanship, which they saw on full display in 2011 when Advantage was dismantled. At the same time that Mr. Cuomo was looking for cuts in the state budget, the Coalition for the Homeless, arguably the most influential homeless advocacy group in the city, was steadily condemning the citys Advantage program as ineffective because the rental assistance was short term and a large number of participants were becoming homeless again. They were pushing Mr. Bloomberg to replace the program with one that used more long-term federal resources. The Bloomberg administration warned the coalition that the program would end, and other nonprofits urged the group to back down and support Advantage. But the groups stance gave Mr. Cuomo the political cover for one of the cuts he needed. We never wanted it ended and replaced with nothing at all, Mary Brosnahan, president and chief executive of the coalition, said in a statement. Ms. Brosnahan added, The governors recent attention to homelessness is encouraging, but the city needs a partner to solve homelessness, not a scold. Michael Polenberg, vice president for government affairs with Safe Horizon, a nonprofit group that helps homeless youths and domestic violence victims, said he was looking for the Mr. Cuomo that advocates remember from his days building homeless shelters and pushing for affordable housing. Governor Cuomo built a career advocating on behalf of low-income families and individuals, and homeless New Yorkers will need every ounce of his expertise to address this crisis, Mr. Polenberg said in a statement. If ever a time cried out for a robust, compassionate, and coordinated response from the governor and the mayor to address the crisis of homelessness, it is now. 2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRIST CHRISTIE, NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR AND 2016 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, SAYING: Instead of accepting the cynicism and the mediocrity of inaction here in New Jersey we have shown what it means to achieve policies of consequence, policies of principle, and yes policies of compromise. Instead of hiding from our problems or pretending they dont exists, we have confronted them openly. More often than not, we have done it together as Republicans and Democrats. And we dont agree on everything, news flash. But we dont have to. As long as we keep talking to each other and try to do the right thing. Instead of slick soundbites, we have governed through hard conversations. I have certainly had plenty of them with many of you in this room and I intend to have more today. But those conversations havent always won me friends but it was never about that. The only thing I have ever tried to win is a better deal for the people of New Jersey. And instead of going for the quick fixes or the easy solutions we have gone for hard solutions and long term revolution in the way we run our state. See, this is what it means to be the governor. Its what it means to be a real leader, its the difference between just talking the big game. Attacking problems head on and be responsible for achieving the results and solutions. 3. WIDE VIEW OF STATE ASSEMBLY CHAMBER 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRIST CHRISTIE, NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR AND 2016 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, SAYING: Our state has never been better prepared to face the future. We proved New Jersey can be governed and leaders who step up and take risks can make the biggest difference for the people we represent. But we still have more to do. And please lets not start taking steps backwards after all this hard work. Now in Washington thats not true. We are going to hear tonight about the big challenges we face as a nation. There is a lot of hot air not only from Congress but from the White House as well. The State of the Union will not be a call to action tonight, it will be a fantasy wish list by a President who has failed us. Its the world as he wishes it was; not the real world his failed leadership has left to all Americans. And for the last six years we have done it differently in New Jersey. A lot of people in this room have shown the courage to set aside partisan differences and achieve real progress. The official emblems of towns and villages generally attract little attention. Often pastoral, they are generally gentle and unassuming. Not so the seal of the Village of Whitesboro, in central New York. A white man appears to be throttling a Native American man clearly identified by the feather in his hair and wrestling him to the ground. The Native American, eyes closed and head cast back, is on the verge of defeat. Forget microaggression. Critics say the image is aggression. For the past four decades, with varying degrees of intensity, its appropriateness has been debated, and on Monday, after an online campaign derided the logo as racist, residents voted on its fate. They decided overwhelmingly to keep it, with 157 of 212 votes in favor of letting the image represent the Oneida County community, which has a population of roughly 3,700. The tax avoidance game is an enormous waste of resources and energy. We would like to see Pfizer focused on developing better drugs, not figuring out how to lessen its tax liability. The corporate sector as a whole devotes an enormous amount of money and brainpower to tax gaming, which contributes zero to the economy. Many of the financial wizards designing these schemes get very rich in the process, making tax gaming a factor in income inequality. For these reasons we should be looking for better ways to extract a share of corporate profit for public uses. Fortunately, there is an old idea that could do the job. Suppose that, instead of taxing corporate profits, we required companies to turn over an amount of stock, in the form of nonvoting shares, to the government. We can fight over the percentage later (wed want to match what we ideally get from corporate income taxes now, so presumably between 17 and 35 percent). But first we can focus on the principle. The shares would be nontransferable, except in the case of mergers or buyouts, but they otherwise would be treated just like any other shares. If the company paid a dividend to its other stockholders, then it would pay the same per share dividend to the government. If it bought back 10 percent of its shares, then it would buy back 10 percent of the governments shares at the same price. In the event of a takeover, the buyer would have to pay the same per-share price to the government as it did to the holders of other shares. This way, there is no way for a corporation to escape its liability. A portion of whatever profit it makes will automatically go to the government. It also eliminates the enormous cost and waste associated with complying with or avoiding the corporate income tax (there would be some start-up and monitoring costs, of course, but nothing like what current enforcement requires). And federal revenues will go up, because companies will have incentive to do what is most profitable, not what minimizes their tax liability. To the Editor: Re Confessions of a Congressman, by Representative Steve Israel (Op-Ed, Jan. 9): When I was a young candidate for Congress in 1978, I supported public funding of congressional campaigns. Challenging an entrenched incumbent, I was primarily interested in leveling the playing field and had not yet heard the expression pay to play (it had not entered the lexicon at that point). I expressed my views one day in a meeting with Tip ONeill, then speaker of the House. To this day, I clearly remember his response: Young man, I want to hear you say that the morning after youre elected! I didnt win the election, but I did learn that quite often, bills are actually introduced in Congress solely for the purpose of generating campaign contributions. Sadly for our country, I agree with Mr. Israels conclusion that given todays makeup of Congress, any effort at substantive change is pretty much a fools errand. GARY E. HINDES Wilmington, Del. Who needs an extremist agenda? Re Up with extremism (Jan. 7): Tom Friedmans notion that it takes a nonpartisan extremist to propose sensible policies for the 21st century completely misreads recent history. Nearly all of his so-called extremist proposals, including his call for a single-payer health care system, bans on the sale of semiautomatic weapons, programs to promote wireless networks, and expanded tax credits for low-income workers, have been promoted by Democrats and even some centrist Republicans for years. Some of these ideas have even been enacted into law, such as the ban on assault rifles, although, tragically, that law expired in 2004. We dont need an extremist agenda for the 21st century; we simply need the common sense, center-left agenda that many members of both parties have supported for decades. Steven C. Silverman, Vienna, Va. Little hope for Obama gun laws Re Obama unveils gun measures (News, Jan. 6): While the rest of the world will never fully come to terms with the twisted logic often witnessed in the United States in the aftermath of yet another mass shooting, one can only applaud President Obamas executive action on gun control announced on Jan. 5. At the very least this can be qualified as a proactive attempt to mitigate future tragedies, as opposed to merely reacting in their aftermath. However, in dissecting the measures introduced by President Obama, it is quite clear they barely scratch the surface of the deep-rooted issues underpinning American gun violence. Furthermore, in a country where a new Gun TV home-shopping channel is about to be launched, expectations of actual implementation or a more robust legislative follow-up must be kept to a minimum. BEIJING In 2010, I moved onto the 11th floor of a new Beijing apartment complex, lured into paying tens of thousands of extra renminbi by the promise of rare, unobstructed views. But over the past two years, Beijings worsening smog has wrapped my apartment in a permanent haze. I envy the people living on the lower floors of whats called the Horizon Apartment Complex at least they still see the trees and pedestrians outside. All I see is a gloomy, unhealthy fog. When the smog has been at its worst in recent weeks, no one in my family dared to venture outside. Unfettered views of the horizon were possible five years ago because the complex is in a neighborhood on the edge of Beijing near an airport flight path, a swath of protected areas of farmland and villages where the government strictly controls land from being sold to developers. Residents are attracted to these parts by traditional rural scenes fields, tree-lined roads, flowers and birds. The cheap housing in villages like this one on the capitals outskirts has attracted high numbers of migrant workers who have come to the city from all parts of China to work in factories. As a result, once-spacious courtyard homes are now divided into smaller crammed houses or sheds that are rented out cheaply to poor migrant workers. The citys outlying villages are big and growing. I often see smoke rising up from these neighborhoods. At a distance, it can look as though the whole neighborhood is on fire. Only as I get closer can I make out the columns of smoke billowing from individual homes. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday said Parliament could consider amending the penal provisions to award harsh punishments to persons convicted of raping a girl child and also define the term child in respect of rape. The court, which refused to entertain the plea of a women lawyers' body seeking castration of those convicted for raping toddlers, left the issue for the legislature to decide. Parliament may think of making such provisions in the IPC and it may also think of defining the term child in the context of offence of rape, a bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and N.V. Ramana said. It agreed with the contention of the Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association that kids, up to the age of 10, cannot be equated with other minors for the offence of rape. Court cant suggest penalties The SC Women Lawyers Association told the apex court that considering the pain of a toddler victim, there has to be a fear psychosis among the culprits. The law should never be made sentimentally and emotionally, the bench said, while concurring with the view of Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi that the court should not suggest a particular punishment. Mr Rohatgi said the demand for castration of rape convicts is more due to the passion rather the rational thinking. The court rejected the submission that it can pass directions on lines of the Visakha case and said in the present case, there is no void as the law is very much there. Issue a direction...to the Centre to consider to impose castration as an additional punishment, the plea said. To the Editor: I was surprised when I saw your editorial on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, since, shortly after the presidents reference to Hitlers Germany, the Office of the President released an extensive explanation of how these remarks ought to be interpreted (Mr. Erdogan Crosses Yet Another Line, Jan. 6). President Erdogan has openly denounced on many occasions all forms of racism and xenophobia, including anti-Semitism. He has also explained that the reference to Hitlers Germany was not an apology for this horrendous regime but rather a way to show that without the right checks and balances, parliamentary regimes can also be dragged toward totalitarianism. The editorial then jumps into denouncing Turkeys fight against the terrorism of the P.K.K. I find it remarkable that at the same time you state that this fight is being waged by exploiting the groups reckless decision to break a two-year-old cease-fire, thus acknowledging that the P.K.K. is at the root of the problem. As for your comment on the full integration of Kurds into Turkish politics, Turkey has already made huge progress in that regard. There are more than 120 parliamentarians of Kurdish origin in Turkey from various political parties. Mehmet Simsek, deputy prime minister, who happened to be in Washington on the day your editorial ran, told a big crowd that he was a proud Turkish citizen of Kurdish origin from a humble background, and this did not constitute an impediment to becoming deputy prime minister. Some of the accusations have merit: The United States certainly bears considerable responsibility for the catastrophe in the Middle East. Some are patently false: Not every popular revolt in the world is a covert C.I.A. operation. But all of them carry more than a whiff of exaggeration. America, after all, is neither as powerful nor as malevolent as the Kremlin supposes. The central contradiction in Moscows view of American foreign policy is its failure to reconcile its insistence that America is a declining power with the tendency to explain everything that happens in the world as resulting from American foreign policy actions. Is Washington failing in its effort to bring stability to the Middle East? Or is keeping the region unstable the real objective of White House strategy? Improbably, Moscow believes in both. More important, the film is a challenge to the widely accepted view of Mr. Putin as a coldblooded realist, a cynic who believes in nothing but power and spends his days poring over maps and checking his bank statements. In Myroporyadok, we find Mr. Putin the angry moralist who, similar to European populists and third-world radicals, experiences the world through the lens of humiliation and exclusion. As Mr. Putins close adviser, Vladislav Surkov, once wrote: We still look like those guys from the working part of town suddenly finding ourselves in the business district. And theyll swindle us for sure if we keep stumbling backward and dropping our jaws. Such exclusion fuels distrust and the tendency to view the world as a family drama structured around love, hate and betrayal. It is this sensitivity, rather than 19th-century realpolitik, that explains most of Moscows policies in recent years. Russian-Turkish relations are a case in point. Rather than adhering to any foreign-policy realism, the Kremlin seems to have adopted a policy of Great Power sentimentality. Until two months ago, Ankara was Russias strategic ally in its struggle for a multipolar world. Turkey had been a brother-in-resentment, the only NATO member that refused to join in sanctions against Moscow after Russias annexation of Crimea. Ankara occupied a central place in Moscows energy diplomacy. REDONDO BEACH, Calif. The Redondo Beach pier juts into Santa Monica Bay, at the southern end of a string of beach cities loosely connected by a bike path and teeming with visitors. But Redondo doesnt get the same bustling foot traffic or the destination status as neighboring Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach. When people come out here to visit, our citizens are bringing them somewhere else for dinner, said Steve Aspel, the mayor of Redondo Beach. To change that, the pier and the waterfront require critical infrastructure repairs with estimated costs running as high as $108 million. Right to Rise, the super PAC supporting Jeb Bush, has released its third advertisement criticizing Senator Marco Rubio, this time attacking him over immigration. The ad is called Vane no doubt a deliberate homophone. On Screen The ad opens on a picture-perfect scene of a rural barn, then zooms in on a weather vane on the roof, in the form of a smiling Mr. Rubio, one hand insouciantly in his pocket, the other pointing west or is it east? As a swirling wind blows this way and that, Mr. Rubio reverses himself again and again. Over the faint thump of a washtub bass and a guitar playing the blues, a narrator mocks Mr. Rubios shifting stances on immigration. Marco Rubio ran for Senate saying he opposed amnesty. Then he flipped, and worked with liberal Chuck Schumer to co-author the path to citizenship. (Here, an image of Mr. Schumer helpfully pops up.) He threatened to vote against it, and then voted for it. He supported his own Dream Act, and then he abandoned it. The ad cuts to a speeding Jeb 2016 locomotive, pulling a flag-painted boxcar with a giant photograph of a resolute-looking Mr. Bush. The Message The attack over immigration aims to appeal to conservatives, who have little love for Mr. Bushs stance on the issue, by warning them that they cannot trust Mr. Rubios conversion to their point of view. But the overall effect of the ad is to portray Mr. Rubio as a flip-flopping, untrustworthy Washington politician. By contrast, it promises, Mr. Bush is a leader, so you always know where he stands just as a barreling locomotive will not leave its track. Fact Check Mr. Rubios record on immigration has been well documented and repeatedly attacked. He was a part of the Gang of Eight senators who in 2013 worked on a bill for comprehensive immigration reform that included a path to citizenship. He also threatened to vote against it in a demand for better border security. And in 2012, he did consider a Dream Act-style bill, but eventually decided against it. But Mr. Bush also supported the immigration reform in 2013, and he, like Mr. Rubio, supports a path to earned legal status. WASHINGTON Each year the first lady attends the State of the Union address with about two dozen guests who capture the news of the day and exemplify the presidents message. This years guests, for instance, include a Syrian refugee, the lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court case last year legalizing same-sex marriage and an Air Force sergeant who helped take down a gunman on a train in France. As President Obama prepares for his final update on the country he has led for seven years, it seems like a good time to revisit the Americans, ordinary and well known alike, who have represented his policies from the balcony of the House chamber. 2009: We Are Not Quitters Fresh off his inauguration, Mr. Obama did not give a formal State of the Union address in 2009 though his first speech to a joint session of Congress in February certainly looked like one. Several guests sat with Michelle Obama during the presidents remarks, including Leonard Abess Jr., the chief executive of a Florida bank who quietly shared a $60 million bonus with his employees, and TySheoma Bethea, an eighth grader who wrote to lawmakers asking for help for her struggling South Carolina school. WASHINGTON The Supreme Court struck down an aspect of Floridas capital punishment system on Tuesday, saying it did not give jurors a sufficient role in deciding whether defendants should be put to death. Florida has about 400 inmates on death row, the second most in the nation after California. It was not clear how many prisoners will be entitled to new sentencing hearings. A 2004 Supreme Court decision indicated that, at least in federal court, rulings like the one issued Tuesday would not apply retroactively to inmates whose convictions are final. The decision in Hurst v. Florida, No. 14-7505, concerned Timothy Lee Hurst, who was convicted of the 1998 murder of Cynthia Lee Harrison, a co-worker at a restaurant in Escambia County. He was sentenced to death in 2000. After the Florida Supreme Court ordered Mr. Hurst resentenced, a second jury recommended a death sentence by a 7-to-5 vote in 2012. The judge then independently considered the evidence concerning punishment and concluded that Mr. Hurst should be executed. NEW DELHI Scores of large, short-finned pilot whales washed ashore in southern India, an official said Tuesday, and 45 have died on a beach. But many others have been guided back to sea. Local fishermen told the police that a pod of whales was swimming near the shore on Monday evening near the Tiruchendur beach in the state of Tamil Nadu. After the police informed the Fisheries Department in the district of Tuticorin, the local authorities and fishermen set out in boats, guiding some of the whales back to sea that night, said the departments assistant director, Isaac Jaikumar. But at least 81 of them beached themselves on a roughly six-mile stretch of beach named Manapad, near Tiruchendur, close to Indias southernmost tip. It was unclear what drew the animals, 15 to 23 feet in length, to shore, particularly in such numbers. The reason why they came, no one has any idea, said S.A. Raju, the district forest officer in Tuticorin. This is the first time this has happened in the area. BEIJING A Swedish man who worked in support of human rights groups and grass-roots legal advocates in China has been detained in Beijing on accusations of endangering state security, supporters of the man said Tuesday. They described the detention of the Swede, Peter Jesper Dahlin, as another step in the Chinese governments drive to silence human rights defense campaigners. Mr. Dahlin had been living in Beijing, where he worked for the Chinese Urgent Action Working Group, an organization that has trained and supported activists and lawyers seeking to promote the development of the rule of law and counter abuses of basic human rights, the group said in an emailed statement. Late on Jan. 3, Mr. Dahlin disappeared while he was heading to Beijing Capital Airport for a flight to Thailand. The Chinese authorities formally detained him the next day on suspicion of endangering state security, the group said. It rejected the accusations, and urged the Chinese government to immediately release Mr. Dahlin, 35, who suffers from Addisons disease, a hormonal disorder that requires daily medication. HONG KONG The Chinese police have formally arrested four human rights advocates in the last week on charges of subverting state power after detaining them for the last six months, according to one of their colleagues and rights groups. The families of two lawyers, Zhou Shifeng and Wang Quanzhang, both of the Fengrui Law Firm in Beijing, received letters on Tuesday notifying them of the formal arrests of their relatives, the lawyers colleague, Liu Xiaoyuan, said by telephone. Mr. Zhou is the director of the firm. Mr. Liu said that Li Shuyun, an intern at the firm, was also arrested, as was Zhao Wei, an assistant to another human rights lawyer. The letters were dated Friday. The four rights advocates were part of what was, until last year, a flourishing group of legal experts who represented prominent Chinese clients, including the artist Ai Weiwei, the activist Chen Guangcheng and the Uighur scholar Ilham Tohti, as well as people seeking justice through the Communist Party-controlled court system. In July, more than 200 of these lawyers were rounded up in a nationwide sweep and pilloried by the state-run news media as swindlers. Many were detained at an undisclosed location in the port city of Tianjin, China. The charge of subverting state power, which can carry a sentence of up to life in prison, is far more serious than several human rights advocates had expected in the four recent cases and suggests that the government believes that these people were seeking to undermine the state through their legal work. By comparison, the Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2009 on the charge of inciting subversion of state power, regarded by many as a slightly lesser offense. New Delhi: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday asserted that any individual or organisation that hurts the country should be given the same pain but how, when and where should be India's choice, remarks which come against the backdrop of the Pathankot terror attack. Addressing an audience which consisted of top army brass, including its chief Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag, he said that history tells us that until those who inflict damage on others experience the same pain, they don't change. It should not be taken as a government thinking, I always believe that if anyone harms you, he understands the same language. How, when and where should be of your choice but if someone is harming this country, then that particular individual or organisation, I purposely used the words individual and organisation, should also receive the pain of such activities, he said. Asked to elaborate, Parrikar later said, Basic principle is that until we give them pain, whoever they may be, until then, such incidents will not reduce. In a reference to the Pathankot attack, the Minister said the country was proud of its seven soldiers who laid down their lives but he is pained by the loss. I don't appreciate it. I have said that it is time we tell our soldiers that it is inevitable that we will lose some soldiers, and in this incident we lost one person in actual combat. BEIJING The United States won a significant victory on Tuesday in its efforts to counter Chinas rising influence in the South China Sea, as the highest court in the Philippines cleared the way for American troops to return to the country. The Philippine Supreme Court, in a 10-to-4 decision, approved an agreement that would allow the American military to station troops and weapons at bases in the Philippines, a former American territory, more than two decades after lawmakers in Manila voted to expel American troops in a show of anti-colonialism. The decision seemed likely to heighten tensions between the United States and China, which is seeking to establish itself as a dominant power in the region by building military facilities on top of submerged reefs in the South China Sea, a major shipping route. The South China Sea will be more crowded, and the risk for a military conflict will continue to rise, said Zhu Feng, the executive director of the China Center for Collaborative Studies of the South China Sea at Nanjing University. ISTANBUL On any given day, the heart of this citys historic district, where the monuments of three empires Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman collide with a mix of majesty and tranquillity, is a bustling center of tourism, one of the worlds most visited places. Mixing among German tourists on Tuesday morning, not far from the celebrated Blue Mosque, the authorities said, was an Islamic State operative from Syria in his late 20s, wearing a vest of explosives and determined to kill as many people as possible. The attack left 10 tourists dead, all foreigners, and like other terrorist strikes in recent months in Paris; Beirut, Lebanon; Mali; Egypt; and Baghdad, it resonated far beyond Turkey as civilians were again cut down while going about their daily lives. MOSCOW There has long been speculation about whether President Bashar al-Assad of Syria might one day join the list of cashiered dictators who call Moscow or at least its plush, gated suburbs like Rublovka home. President Vladimir V. Putin has now weighed in on the subject, telling the German newspaper Bild that it was premature to discuss this, according to a transcript on the Kremlin website. Mr. Putin did allow that it was not in the realm of the impossible, since Russia has accepted difficult characters before. We granted asylum to Mr. Snowden, which was far more difficult than to do the same for Mr. Assad, Mr. Putin said. That was a reference to Edward J. Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who leaked millions of documents about electronic surveillance by the United States government and is now living in Russia on a temporary residency permit. The Russian leader repeated his standard line that the future leadership of Syria should be elected democratically. In that case, Mr. Assad would have no reason to leave, Mr. Putin said. Whats in a name? History, politics and pride. Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been escalating on many fronts over wars in Syria and Yemen, the Saudis execution of a dissident Shiite cleric and the Iran nuclear deal. The dispute runs so deep that the regional rivals one a Shiite theocracy, the other a Sunni monarchy even clash over the name of the body of water that separates them. Is it the Persian Gulf? Or the Arabian Gulf? Iran insists that it be called the Persian Gulf, and has banned publications that fail to use that name. Yet this riles Arab nations, which have succeeded in pushing various parties to use their preferred term Arabian Gulf. This may be among the most minor of the disputes, but it speaks to the level of hostility and competition between the two, and is taken quite seriously by many with an interest in the region including the United States Navy, which, for fear of alienating its regional allies, uses the term Arabian Gulf. Why does it matter? In a world where these two adversaries are trying to outmaneuver each other to be the regional superpower, a name can be powerful. Her trouble with the authorities comes less than two weeks after Saudi Arabia executed 47 men, including an outspoken Shiite cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. While the government accused him of inciting violence against the police, rights groups said he was executed for his fiery sermons that called for the downfall of the royal family. Ms. Badawi did not advocate anything like that, but did push for more rights for women in a country that bars them from marrying, traveling abroad and getting some medical procedures without the permission of a male guardian. In 2012, the State Department gave Ms. Badawi an International Woman of Courage Award. Hillary Clinton, then the secretary of state, said that she was the first woman to sue her guardian for preventing her from marrying the man of her choice, and also sued the Saudi government for the right to vote in municipal elections. In 2014, the Saudi government barred Ms. Badawi from traveling outside the kingdom. On Tuesday, she was arrested with her 2-year-old daughter in Jidda, according to a statement by Amnesty International citing Saudi activists. It remained unclear why Ms. Badawi had been detained and whether she would be charged with a crime. In a text message, Maj. Gen. Mansour Turki, a spokesman for the Saudi Interior Ministry, denied that Ms. Badawi had been arrested but said she was being interrogated in a police station in connection with a request from a prosecutor. MISURATA, Libya Four years after Libyas revolution, the scars of war are still visible in this city buildings pockmarked with bullet and rocket holes, graffiti on the walls remembering fallen fighters, and a war museum where rusty ammunition spills across the sidewalk in front. Misurata became famous for its resistance to an eight-month siege by troops of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi during the Arab Spring uprising of 2011. Its fighters gained a reputation as tough guys, spearheading the final assault on the capital, Tripoli, and catching and killing Colonel Qaddafi. In the aftermath, their militias fought turf wars and ran rackets. Yet now many of those same fighters are advocating peace. Weary of war and even ashamed at what they had become, some have refused orders to fight, organized their own cease-fire and accused political leaders of causing a civil war. A majority of the Misurata revolutionary brigades have signed an agreement to protect a United Nations-mediated unity government and on Friday provided security for members of the government on their first visit to Libya to visit victims of a suicide bombing in the town of Zlitan. You must write more about us, the young Syrian woman demanded. Zoepf did. For more than a decade, she reported from the Middle East as a freelancer for publications including The New York Times and The New York Observer, immersing herself above all in the world of its women from the seemingly banal to the obviously extreme. Excellent Daughters spans Beirut, Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Riyadh and hauntingly, prewar Damascus, where Zoepf lived and studied Arabic from 2004 to 2007. Her subjects include law students and flight attendants; activists for the fall of Mubarak in Egypt and the right to drive in Saudi Arabia; daughters whose families nurture and protect them; and daughters whose families want to see them dead. By Western standards, the lives of the women Zoepf portrays are almost unimaginably constrained. Family members arrange their marriages to men they may have glimpsed only once and never spoken to at all; grown women in Saudi Arabia are assigned male guardians who must approve their every move, including trips to neighboring womens homes for tea; the religious studies of Syrian women meet with suspicion and censure; and across the Arab world, it seems, the status of a womans virginity is everybodys business but her own. You might imagine that the young women who are transforming the Arab world, as Zoepfs subtitle defines them, are rebels calling for wholesale change in the practices she details. For the most part, they are not. Many of them passionately defend their societies arrangements, including Saudi guardianship. But where they chafe against particular restrictions that frustrate them, they work with quiet determination for improvements that look small, Zoepf observes, but that may in fact have far-reaching implications. In Saudi Arabia, for instance, pressure to allow women to work in lingerie shops, on the grounds that modest Muslim women should not have to discuss their underwear size with men, has led the country to shift to all-female sales staffs in shops specializing in a wide variety of womens products. This in turn has opened tens of thousands of retail jobs to the countrys grossly underemployed women. One of Zoepfs most eye-opening chapters concerns a Syrian secret society for Quranic study, called the Qubaisi sisterhood, reportedly 75,000 members strong before the war. For many years, the pious, well-connected and well-to-do women in the sisterhood held closed-door meetings in private homes, their activities illegal and virtually impossible for outsiders to penetrate. Young women selected for membership found themselves inducted into a powerful network, but the sisterhood offered them still more than that: Its only ignorant women who are bullied by men in the name of Islam, one Damascene woman told Zoepf. When girls have the ability to read the Quran and interpret it, they will be able to find their own meanings. Religious education is a great protection for a woman, especially a poor woman. In 2006, the Syrian government bowed to the force and pervasiveness of the sisterhood, effectively legalizing it by allowing the Qubaisi sisters to teach in mosques. Syria, virtually alone in the Arab world, has seen the resurrection of a centuries-old tradition of sheikhas, or women who are religious scholars, and a growth of madrasas for girls that has outpaced the growth of similar institutions for boys, Zoepf writes. Was this Islamic revival or female empowerment? Could it be both? Zoepf traces the influence of a sheikha in the conservative town of Hama. By global standards, the gains are almost comically small, but by local ones, Zoepf suggests, they are not trivial: Over the course of 10 years, the head of the girls madrasa had increasing success persuading fathers to allow their daughters to go outside. Once, the sheikha even prevailed upon a man to allow his brilliant daughter to attend a university. Threaded through her descriptions of these young-adult encounters in between her course notes on Richard Wright, W.E.B. Du Bois, Ned Polsky and Emile Durkheim is the sort of sociological work that David Riesman described as a conversation between the classes. Over the course of the final few weeks of that notebook, jottings on the theories of Georg Simmel or an outline of the history of the Scottsboro boys alternates with a comprehensive lexicon she begins to assemble: fall back: to cool it. fall back! said to a boy trying to holla. Im falling back from hustlin. There are entries for cake/cakin and to smash, followed by pages with definitions of Webers concepts of erklaren and verstehen. Critics have been quick to point out, implicitly and otherwise, that the similar code-switching in On the Run looks a lot like what Erving warned about: forgetting who you are. As one detractor told me, it seemed to many people as if Alice thought she was turning black, and Philadelphia magazine has compared her to Rachel Dolezal, the N.A.A.C.P. president in Spokane, Wash., who was revealed to have been passing as black. On occasion, this discomfort has been crudely sexualized; when Goffman was an undergraduate, professors in her department asked her advisers if she was sleeping with her informers, and that insinuation makes regular appearances in anonymous posts about her on sociology message boards. The conversation between the classes had grown so obviously intimate that a lot of people could understand it only in terms of lust and fetish. Its true that ethnography has come somewhat back into fashion since the 1970s and that no contemporary sociologist would agree with the call, tweeted by a Buzzfeed writer and echoed elsewhere, to ban outsider ethnographies. As one sociologist put it to me, If Alice Goffman isnt allowed to write about poor black people, then sociologists who come from poor communities of color, like Victor Rios, arent allowed to write about elite institutions like banks or hedge funds, and that, in the end, hurts Victor Rios much more than it hurts Alice Goffman. But even within sociology departments, there isnt a lot of agreement about how to go about the process of bridging social distance in a way that is both respectful and rigorous a researcher is always in danger of being accused of having stayed too far away or gotten too close. Ethnographers have always dealt with questions about where their allegiances lie, and more than one ethnographer has been accused of being too close to her subjects to evaluate their self-reports. I asked Goffmans undergraduate adviser, Elijah Anderson, an august ethnographer mostly of urban black communities now at Yale, about the criticism of Goffman as an adventurer or tourist, or as a wide-eyed, credulous observer. He said she had carried out her work just as any ethnographer should. He elliptically handed me a copy of Stigma one of Erving Goffmans most famous books, from 1963 and invited me to look up the part on courtesy stigma. Erving anticipates exactly the sort of criticism brought to bear five decades later on the work of his daughter: The person with a courtesy stigma can in fact make both the stigmatized and the normal uncomfortable: By always being ready to carry a burden that is not really theirs, they can confront everyone else with too much morality; by treating the stigma as a neutral matter to be looked at in a direct, offhand way, they open themselves and the stigmatized to misunderstanding by normals who may read offensiveness into this behavior. Most of the problems On the Run has encountered, especially outside the field, have to do with the fact that it falls between the stools of journalism and ethnography. If the book was too journalistic too descriptive, too irresponsible, too sensationalistic, too taken with its own first-person involvement to count as properly rigorous sociology, it was too sociological to count, for many journalists, as proper reporting. Most journalists believe that true stories are necessarily personal, about the ways particular people choose to act in the world; the language of journalism, like the language of law, is almost always the language of individual moral responsibility. For a sociologist, whose profession since the turn of the century has taken it as axiomatic that society is primary to the individual, the language of individual moral responsibility is often a way of avoiding talk about structural conditions that favor the powerful. Many of the things for which journalists and legal scholars have berated Goffman are considered standard practice for sociologists, and most sociologists have found the mainstream criticisms of the book to be baseless. Procedurally, journalists object to the pseudonymity of sources and the destruction of her field notes; sociologists point out that institutional review boards mandate that identities be obscured and that they often require the destruction of field notes that could be subject to subpoena in a criminal investigation. Regarding most of the books internal inconsistencies, virtually every single ethnographer I talked to described the enormously difficult logistical problem of how to keep track of pseudonymous notes over years and admitted that if you subjected almost any work in the field to that kind of punitive audit, you would almost certainly come up with similar trivial confusions. This is true of even the most organizationally composed people, of which Goffman is not. She cannot off the top of her head remember which year she finished high school, which year she finished college or which year she spent three months in the hospital after almost being killed on her bike by a bus. Goffman has declined to make public the long, point-by-point rebuttal of her anonymous attacker, but after we got to know each other well, she shared it with me. It is blunt and forceful and, in comparison with the placidity of her public deportment, almost impatient and aggrieved in tone, and it is difficult to put the document down without wondering why she has remained unwilling to publicize some of its explanations. She acknowledges a variety of errors and inconsistencies, mostly the results of a belabored anonymization process, but otherwise persuasively explains many of the lingering issues. There is, for example, a convincing defense of her presence in the supposedly closed juvenile court and a quite reasonable clarification of the mild confusion over what she witnessed firsthand and what she reconstructed from interviews along with explanations for even the most peculiar and deranged claims of her anonymous attacker, including why Mike does his laundry at home in one scene and at a laundromat in another. Do you know what a Q fare is? How about an X or a Z? When you browse for flights on an airlines website, assorted letters appear in your search results. Travelers often miss them. Or see them but dont factor them into their decision about which flight to choose. But these letters matter. Because of them, the person to your left may receive more award miles than you, reach elite status faster than you, or change her itinerary at no cost while you pay a $200 fee yet youre both in the same cabin. What gives? As many frequent fliers know, the visible class distinctions on airplanes (Economy, Premium Economy, Business, First) are further divided into invisible groups called fare classes, or booking codes. Different airlines assign different letters to these classes, which can also vary from carrier to carrier. Knowing the ABCs of fare classes may help you attain elite status, avoid penalties for changing and canceling flights, and rack up miles, among other things. If youre aiming to earn award miles by flying an airline thats partners with your primary carrier, its particularly important to learn how to make fare classes work in your favor. The major American airlines have charts that show the relationship between their fare class letters and the miles youll receive if you fly in those classes though they dont exactly make it easy to find them. The fastest way is to search the web for your airlines name and the words fare class chart. Here are links for the big threes charts: Americans is Aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/earnMiles/airlines/american.jsp; Deltas is Delta.com/content/www/en_US/skymiles/earn-miles/earn-miles-with-delta.html; and Uniteds United.com/web/en-US/content/booking/flight/fareClass.aspx. What those charts dont show are details about the flexibility of each fare class. To see the complete rules, including how much you have to pay for itinerary changes, you often have to go deep in the flight search process, almost to the payment page. That said, airline websites tend to make it clear early on in a search whether a ticket can be refunded and if changes can be made. Ill touch on this again below. For now, lets look at how fare classes relate to earning award miles, and miles that count toward elite status. Mumbai: The famed 'encounter specialist' police officer Daya Nayak had been reinstated in the state police department, a source said on Monday. Sub-inspector Nayak's suspension had been cancelled, a senior police officer on Monday said on condition of anonymity. Mr Nayak was suspended in June last year for not joining duty and being on sick leave for a very long time. At that time his posting was in Nagpur area. Before that, after being under suspension for around six years, Mr Nayak was reinstated in June 2012. A 1995-batch police officer, he was suspended in 2006 after the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested him on the charge of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. In 2010, the Supreme Court quashed the charges against him. He was reinstated in 2012 and posted in Local Arms wing of the department. After a brief stint there, he was transferred to the west region (Bandra to Andheri) of the city which is considered as a 'high-profile' zone in the police department. A dog bed and a free rawhide bone may have represented the hospitality vanguard for pet friendliness a decade ago, but now the bar has been raised, not just by hotels supplying monogrammed doggy robes and play parks, but even tour operators that welcome canine companions. In Miami Beach, 1 Hotel South Beach is building a 3,000-square-foot Bark Park, complete with an adventure zone with a tube for pets to run through, a beam to walk on and a box of free squeaky toys. At check-in, four-legged guests of 1 Hotel in New York as well as Miami Beach receive a BarkBox amenity kit from Bark & Co. that includes a water bowl, treats and a toy. In Key West, Fla., the Gates Hotel also issues a BarkBox to guest pets, and a map identifying pet-friendly stops. Among luxury perks, fluffy monogrammed robes greet mans most pampered friend at the Peninsula Beverly Hills. The fashion designer Cynthia Rowley created dog mats featuring white hearts on black backgrounds that guests booking the dog package at the W New York-Times Square can keep after checkout, through March 30. Need an activity for your dog? Try the Bacon Scavenger Hunt for pups at Calistoga Ranch in Napa Valley. Staffers hide smoked bacon in the surrounding vineyard and then lead a guided scent-and-search walk to sniff them out. Beyond bacon, the resorts in-room canine dining options include braised short ribs over brown rice and organic chicken with pasta. Hyderabad: IT minister K.T. Rama Rao on Monday said he would resign from the state Cabinet if the TRS flag doesnt flutter over the GHMC and the party fails to bag the mayor post. Speaking at a Meet the Press programme organised at the Press Club in Somajiguda by the Telangana Union of Working Journalists, Mr Rao, quoting a party sponsored survey, claimed that the TRS would win 100 seats on its own while the MIM would come second, the BJP-TD third and Congress last with seats in single digits. He emphasised that there would be no alliance with the MIM. Read: GHMC polls: Action on the city outskirts KTR: Hyderabad Metro Rail to be extended by 200 km Asked if GHMC polls could be taken as a referendum on the governments performance, Mr Rama Rao said there was no reason for the people not to vote for the TRS. Musubi Monster recently opened in the old Lucky Star location at 374 S. Main St. in Orange. Musubi, a common snack in Hawaiian cultures, is essentially a sandwich but swap the bread for white rice and the deli meat for some Spam. Its wrapped in seaweed. Musubi Monster has 36 variations on the classic, which is as ubiquitous in Hawaii as hamburgers served up in convenience stores, mom-and-pop shops and sit-down restaurants, the owners said. Its an on-the-go snack, eaten by hand. Its a spin on the traditional Japanese rice ball, called omusubi. The classic Hawaiian way is served with Spam. The Spam tin doubles as a mold. Musubi can be any shape except round, because thats bad luck, said Franz Gomez, who owns the restaurant with Jojo Marin of Orange and Daryl Ikeda, who is from Hawaii Marin and his nephew, Gomez, got the idea seeing how many poke restaurants are popping up in Orange County. Poke is a popular Hawaiian dish of cubed fish, such as ahi tuna, sometimes over rice. They noticed the dearth of eateries giving attention to musubi. Their restaurant also serves poke 27 combinations but they wanted musubi, a food thats been harder to find, to be their main thing. Gomez, who is Filipino, said Hawaiian food is as diverse as the island. Hawaii is a melting pot of cultures Japanese, Korean, Filipino, everything, Gomez, of Torrance, said. Ive never seen an island so diverse. Food brings everyone together. One Musubi Monster version uses Kalua pig in the musubi although they cook the pig in the oven, not buried on hot coals as is the typical cooking method in Hawaii. The restaurant has a deep-fried musubi, which has Spam and an over-easy egg inside. In addition to musubi and poke, the restaurant also serves local grindz, which is Hawaiian slang for everything else. Gomez, also the chef, will try to satiate the tastes of anyone coming in for a good Hawaiian dish even off-menu. He makes a loko moco plate, spicy garlic chicken or crunchy poke. The eatery also serves haupia, a coconut pudding. Anaheim Brewery celebrates five years Anaheim Brewery is celebrating five years in Anaheim this year, kicking it off with a special brew. This week, the brewery released its Anaheim Bockbier, a classic golden lager that got popularized in Northern Germany. Since bock means goat in German, the brewerys label features a fashionable goat, in its lederhosen, enjoying a taste of the Anaheim bock. They made 10 barrels, or 310 gallons, so it will be around until people drink it all up, owners said. This time of year strong beers just seem perfect. And because Anaheim was founded by Germans, we think a German beer is a great way to honor the history of Anaheim Brewery as well, owner Barbara Gerovac said. Anaheim Brewery opened in the renovated Packard Building, leading a wave of craft breweries that have opened in Anaheim since. Prohibition dried up the taps of the first Anaheim Brewery. Send north Orange County business news and tips to jclay@ocregister.com. Contact the writer: jclay@ocregister.com Ontario International Airport could be transferred from Los Angeles to Inland control as early as July 1, ending years of contentious and expensive litigation between the two cities, says a summary released with a copy of the final agreement on Monday. A Federal Aviation Administration official said the agency, which must approve the agreement, said there was no time frame for completion. The 98-page agreement obtained by The Press-Enterprise outlines $249 million in various types of payments, deals with transitional labor issues for more than 200 Los Angeles workers assigned to the airport, calls for the end to decades-old agreements that gave Los Angeles ownership, and sets out the dismissal of lawsuits that stemmed from clashes over those agreements. Ontario in 2013 had sued Los Angeles, Los Angeles World Airports and the citys Board of Airport Commissioners, claiming in its Riverside County Superior Court suit that the defendants had stopped promoting and enhancing ONT as a regional airport after 2007. The defendants also own and control Los Angeles International Airport and Van Nuys Airport. Los Angeles alleged neglect caused a loss of air service for the Inland airport, costing millions of passenger boardings, and economic damage in the region amounting to billions of dollars, Ontario claimed. A tentative agreement suspending the lawsuit was announced in August, days before trial was scheduled to begin. The labor issue involves about 200 people employed at ONT by Los Angeles World Airports. The Los Angeles agency says it has guaranteed job protections to those workers. The agreement has been approved by the respective airport boards and the city councils for Los Angeles and Ontario. Spending Plan For much of the decade after the transfer is complete, the Ontario International Airport Authority will send $2 per boarded passenger the airport passenger facility charge to Los Angeles World Airports. The plan, outlined in the final agreement, will try to cover the $120 million that the Ontario International Airport Authority will owe Los Angeles during those 10 years. The $2 payments kick in if boarding passengers exceed 2,082,721 by each anniversary of the transfer. The figure is based on the most recent available annual statistics for enplaned passengers at ONT. More money matters In addition to a schedule of $190 million in payments or surrendered money, the agreement calls for an as-yet-unspecified amount, believed to be about $59 million, to cover bond debts that are outstanding on the day the deal closes, according to the agreement. The summary also said new bonds will be issued at the time of transfer. The rest of the money breakdown is essentially the same as the amounts outlined in the tentative agreement announced Aug. 6. Final Matters And the agreement clears the decks of other matters. Ontarios damage claims against Los Angeles have been released. The 1967 joint powers agreement, will be canceled with the transfer. Legal actions taken by Ontario against Los Angeles will be moved for dismissal within five days of the transfer. Contact the writer: rdeatley@pressenterprise.com or 951-368-9573 As it does for most new parents, life changed for Melissa Dunn when she gave birth on March 23, 2014. But for Dunn, and an increasing number of parents, the change was twice what it mightve been: She had identical twins, Elissa and Emma. The intensity of things is completely different, having two toddlers teething versus one, said Dunn, 31, of Buena Park. It takes a lot more time to get out of the house. You have to pack more, prepare more. It can be stressful. Elissa and Emma, now curly-haired and approaching their second birthdays, were part of a twin record set in the United States in 2014. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 34 of every 1,000 babies born that year were twins. The rate is only a slight increase from the 33.7 per 1,000 births the year prior, but it set a new high in a nation where more and more women are waiting to have babies and turning to fertility treatments. Both factors can cause serious complications and lead to multiple births. Twin births tend to be toward older moms, said Cal State Fullerton psychology professor Nancy Segal, who researches and writes about twins as the director of the schools Twin Studies Center. As women get older, reproductive functions arent as good as they used to be. It could be that two eggs are just part of the aging process. Women older than 35 are more likely to produce multiple eggs in a cycle, said Dr. David Diaz, a reproductive endocrinologist at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley. As recently as 1980, women over 30 accounted for about 1 in 5 births, but thats been changing quickly. From 2000 to 2009, women over age 30 accounted for about 35 percent of all births. And in 2014, the over-30 cohort accounted for 42 percent of all births. But the age of mothers only partially explains the increasing number of twins. Another factor is the popularity of reproductive technology, including in vitro fertilization. About 35 percent of twin births and 77 percent of triplet and higher order births are due to medically assisted conceptions, according to a 2013 study in the New England Journal of Medicine. With those multiple births comes increased risk of preterm birth or low birth weight. Multiple births also put women at risk of high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, early labor, cesarean section and prolonged hospitalization. Karen Brink, a 46-year-old mother from Huntington Beach who did not have fertility treatments, said she had high blood pressure and was put on bed rest for four months before she gave birth to her two sons nine years ago. Shes now a leader of the support group Orange Coast Mothers of Multiples. There are some moms in the club where the twins are born early or with problems, and a lot of them have to be in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) for days, weeks, and thats really hard on the moms, she said. Because of the risks, doctors recently have been implanting fewer embryos during in vitro fertilization than they did just a few years ago. Experts say that might explain why recent CDC figures show the rate of triplet and higher order births dipped 5 percent in 2014, to 1.1 for every 1,000. About 1 in every 881 babies born in 2014 was a triplet, quadruplet or part of a higher-number set. Guidelines urging use of fewer embryos were strengthened after 2009s Octomom case, in which Nadya Suleman gave birth to octuplets after her doctor transferred 12 embryos. What might have been a triplet birth in the past is now a twin birth, said Michelle Osterman, one of the authors of the CDC report. Implanting more embryos does not increase the chance of getting pregnant, but it does increase the odds of having multiple babies. People should understand that the uterus was best designed to hold one fetus it is much healthier for the woman and her child, said Diaz, of Orange Coast Memorial. A lot of people think putting in two (embryos) will increase their rate of pregnancy, but evidence shows that does not seem to be true. People go on the Internet and read all sorts of inaccurate data. The rise of twins hasnt gone unnoticed by schools and companies that sell products aimed at parents and children. Recognizing that having twins can amplify the financial stress of having and raising children (the median cost of delivery alone for multiple births is nearly three times higher than for single births, according to a UC San Francisco study), more organizations are offering 2-for-1 scholarships and 2-for-1 deals on baby products, said Segal, of Cal State Fullerton. And, she said, educators and others are confronting issues specific to twins, such as whether they should be in the same classrooms. Is having twins crazy? asked Sharla Kall, laughing. Yeah. In her Tustin townhome Monday morning, Kall gracefully balanced Tyler on her hip as she wiped down a spill with her foot and kept a watchful eye on his twin sister, Lilly. The 11-month-old babies wore matching red-and-white-striped jumpers. A little red bow crowned Lillys head. Kall learned she was having twins the day before her 30th birthday. When an ultrasound tech told her and her husband the news, she said he started laughing. We had only planned for one, but its not like you can take one away. We literally had no words. We were in shock for a long time. More than nine years after the birth of her twin boys, Orange Coast Mothers of Multiples Brink still remembers a similar feeling of surprise. But now she can say: Twins are a lot of work, but a lot of fun. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact the writer: jchandler@ocrgister.com and @jennakchandler on Twitter Meanwhile, the the Congress has slammed the Centre for not bringing Pakistan's role in the Pathankot attack onto the international arena strongly enough. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: India has no reason to distrust Pakistan's assurance that it will take effective action on inputs given about the perpetrators of the Pathankot terror attack, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday. "Pakistan government has said it will take effective action. I think we should wait," Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a function here. Singh said since Pakistan has given the assurance to the Indian government, there should be no reason to disbelieve them so early. "There is no reason to distrust (avishvaas) them (Pakistan) so early," he said. After the attack, India had said it has provided to Pakistan actionable intelligence to act upon the perpetrators of the terrorist act. During a post-attack telephonic conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, the government had said that "our Prime Minister very strongly urged the Prime Minister of Pakistan to take action. Read: Pathankot attack: NIA not satisfied with Gurdaspur SP's response, says MHA official NIA summons caretaker of shrine SP claimed to have visited "Actionable intelligence in regard to the terrorist attack and the links with the perpetrators in Pakistan were provided to the Pakistani side. The Pakistan Prime Minister promised us prompt and decisive action. We now wait that prompt and decisive action," it had said. Reports from Pakistan yesterday said law enforcement agencies have picked up "some suspects" connected to Pathankot airbase attack from Bahwalapur district, the hometown of Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed. India has identified Masood Azhar as mastermind of the attack. It also blamed his brother Rauf and five others for carrying out the attack that left all six terrorists and seven Indian soldiers dead on January 2. It has provided telephone number in Pakistan contacted by the airbase attackers and given other inputs. India has called on Islamabad to act on the information if the Foreign Secretary-level talks are to take place as scheduled on 15 January. An investigation is underway after the body of a 38-year-old man reported missing was found in a loading dock area outside the Burlington Coat Factory at the Bella Terra shopping center in Huntington Beach early Tuesday morning, police said. Officers received a call just before 4 a.m. reporting a body outside the store at 7777 Edinger Ave., said Officer Jennifer Marlatt, a spokeswoman for the Huntington Beach Police Department. The body was found by an employee near the loading dock area near a parking structure. Paramedics responded and pronounced the man dead. Marlatt said police officers did not initially see any obvious signs of trauma to the body, but the coroner later established that there was trauma, though Marlatt would not elaborate. The coroner will determine the cause of death. The man has not been identified. The man was described by police as being of Asian descent. Contact the writer: 714-796-7865 or afausto@ocregister.com Engine #2, the E.P Ripley, is on display at the Main Street Station. This steam-powered locomotive was the first one to operate at Disneyland and was reported to be Walt Disney's favorite engine. Walt was a licensed steam engineer and was at the controls of the engine into the station the first day the park was opened July 17, 1955. While the Disneyland Railroad is closed to regular operations for more than a year for the construction of "Star Wars" Land, park visitors can walk out onto the platform to see the engines up close. Inspiration isnt found in any one place, it can be found in just about any corner of the world. For proof, ask Chapman composing senior Michael Fleming hes been to most of them. Blessed with parents who have both the means and a love for travel, Fleming, 22, has been to five of the seven continents and too many beautiful locations to name not to mention all five Disney theme parks. Fleming doesnt take this gift lightly far from it. The beauty hes beheld during his travels has become the soul of many pieces hes composed, with others being inspired by books and older music he dives into during his spare time. When I write, the stuff that I put into my brain naturally comes out in my notation, Fleming said. It brings the subconscious mind forward. When you fully try to think about something, sometimes it doesnt work, or its not the best possible way. When you let your subconscious organize it, thats when it really gets interesting. Flemings composition senior recital was recently held in Chapmans Salmon Recital Hall, featuring four pieces and a song all composed by Fleming. The inspiration for this music came from both books and Flemings own travels, from the peaks of the Huangshan Mountains of China to the trails of preserved dinosaur footprints in Denali, Alaska, from Hindi poetry to the musings of Carl Sagan. After graduating from Chapman this May with a B.M. in Composition, Fleming will attend the Nirmita Composers Institute and Cambodian Living Arts 2016 workshop in Cambodia, which he was invited to by Chinary Ung, Chapmans senior composer in residence in the Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music. At the July workshop, Fleming will educate Cambodian youth on composition. Its worth noting that Fleming will be the only American to attend the workshop, which Ung says should serve as a bridge for intercultural practices between the East and West. Composing entered Flemings life in an unexpected way; he originally had planned to become a violinist. One day, as a 15-year-old lad feeling down in the dumps, he sat down to play the piano at his Newport Beach home. Using what he knew about music, he began trying to turn what he felt into music. He didnt think much of what he was playing until his parents came in and asked what he was playing. When he told them, his parents said he would want to learn how to write it down. Fast forward to the present, and Fleming has indeed learned to pour his feelings into a score. As a composer, I have to articulate my feelings and thoughts into symbols that someone can read, Fleming said. Thats another reason why music is so beautiful. If I give my piece of music to a violist and he plays it, it could be very different from another person who plays that exact same piece music interpretation is a very interesting thing because we take our own knowledge and upbringing as human beings and project them onto the music we play and listen to. Music is the most tangible and intangible thing. Through his time at Chapman, he says that professors Vera Ivanova, Jeffrey Holmes, Dominique Schafer and Sean Heim have had a particularly profound influence on his education. Composition has grown from an interest into a lifestyle for Fleming, with many of his activities in his free time working to further inform his music. One of his major pastimes is reading, especially spiritual treatises relating to Hinduism and Buddhism. Much of Flemings music is influenced either subtly or directly by these kinds of eastern ideologies. He also plays four instruments: the violin, the piano, the tabla and the hammered dulcimer. In practicing these instruments, Fleming gets a better idea of how they can be incorporated into his music. As far as non-musical activities goes, Fleming finds great peace in biking. Astride his bicycle, Fleming says that hes able to clear his head of all negative thoughts by just focusing on his breathing and the movement of his pedals almost like a mobile meditation, leaving a level mind to start his latest compositions. With graduation closing in, Fleming plans to continue on with composing, earning his masters degree and doctorate, eventually going to study in India. In the long term, he wants to become a university professor so he can instill the passion he feels for composing into the composers of tomorrow. Michael Fleming explains Yatra Yatra the spiritual journey of the soul, through procession and metaphor. (Translated from Hindi) Exploration is in our nature. We began as wanderers and we are wanderers still. We have lingered long enough on the shores of the cosmic ocean. We are ready at last to set sail for the stars. Carl Sagan I have always had the great passion to wander and explore. From a young age, I have been fortunate to see many parts of the beautiful world we live in with the generosity of my inspiring and adventurous parents. When I discovered the quote by the astronomer Carl Sagan, it instantly filled my head with images and music. His words echo my sentiments for the human exploration of our planet, as well as my curiosity for exploring the great beyond. The title, Yatra, directly reflects my fascination and passion with leaving comfort to explore, discover and confront the unknown through an abstract medium. Yatra is the juxtaposition of the physical and metaphysical journey through Earth and space. The piece is made up of four fluid sections: The Earth; The Ocean; Sun, and Moon and Inner Planets; and Outer Planets and Beyond. All are frontiers of human knowledge and familiarity, yet become more of a mystery the further away we travel. In the latter two sections, I use the proportions of distances between planets to organize the important moments. In between each planet, I used star charts made by the Ancient Chinese as a paradigm for pitch and rhythm patterns, juxtaposing them with cycles of rhythms inspired by the music of India. I experimented with the expansive possibilities of instruments by incorporating noise elements to further convey senses of fear and confrontation with the unfamiliar. Whirly Tubes are used as an addition to the wide palette of musical colors, resulting in an interesting sound effect resembling whirring memories and the ethereal mystery of journeying to the unknown. The piece begins with the Breaths of the Vast, Exquisite Earth, represented by deep drones, breathing through instruments, and a horn solo exemplifying the majesty of our planet. The second section is the Surfaces of Interwoven Waves, characterized by polyrhythms played with the marimba and piano, while the ensemble represents the stars above and depths of the sea the interweaving textures and rhythms. The next major section is the journey away from the familiar, characterized by the interaction of the ensemble with the continuous cyclical rhythm and shimmering of the piano, progressively thickening in texture. The climax is the departure from the shores of the Cosmic Ocean, confronting the unknown and enveloping all human familiarity with fear, darkness, imagination and fantasy, with intense clusters of sounds and intertwining rhythms resulting in cosmological chaos. The piece closes with the fading light of human knowledge, left with subtle murmurs of noise and breath. Contact the writer: jwinslow@ocregister.com WASHINGTON With Mexican authorities saying theyre committed to extraditing Joaquin El Chapo Guzman to the United States, it appears more likely than ever that American prosecutors will eventually get their hands on the drug lord. But its not clear exactly how long that process will take, nor which of the offices that have already brought charges against Guzman would get to go first with their cases. A look at how Guzman could be extradited. Q. WHAT HAPPENS NOW? A. Mexican authorities say theyve formally notified Guzman, whose capture Friday came six months after he broke out of a Mexican prison, that arrest warrants from the U.S. are being processed. Thats the start of the process, though the head of extradition for the Mexican attorney generals office told local media that it will probably take at least a year to extradite Guzman. And Guzmans attorney said that the defense already has filed six motions to challenge extradition requests. The speed of the extradition process is almost entirely up to the Mexican government, said David Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor who oversaw the narcotics division at the U.S. attorneys office in Miami. It can go as slow or as fast as they want it to go, Weinstein said. Q. WHERE IS HE WANTED? A. About a half-dozen U.S. attorneys offices throughout the country among them in Chicago, San Diego, New York City, New Hampshire, Miami and Texas have secured indictments against Guzman in his absence over the years. In the Eastern District of New York, for example, a 49-page grand jury indictment accuses Guzman of running a cartel that imported multi-ton quantities of heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States and of employing hit men who carried out murders, kidnapping, tortures and other acts of violence. Meanwhile, prosecutors in the Western District of Texas accuse Guzman and a series of associates of bringing cocaine and marijuana into the state through vast open desert, across bridges and via other trafficking routes, and then arranging for the proceeds to be smuggled back into Mexico. Q. WHERE WILL HE BE PROSECUTED? A. No announcement has yet been made, and a Justice Department official said Monday that no decision had been reached on where Guzman would be sent once Mexico actually extradites him. The Justice Department has a designated Office of International Affairs that deals with extradition matters and securing the return of fugitives. Regardless of where he ends up, its safe to expect jockeying among the different offices. Prosecutors in San Diego, for instance, can point to their experience in going after the Arellano Felix cartel. That groups former leader, Benjamin Arellano Felix, was extradited from Mexico in 2011 and was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison in 2012. In Chicago, Guzman has been dubbed Public Enemy No. 1, and prosecutors there say the city is a major hub for Guzmans Sinaloa drug cartel. Besides its own experience in narcotics cases, the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn counts among its alumni some of the highest-ranking Justice Department officials in Washington, including Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Leslie Caldwell, chief of the departments criminal division. Theres often politicking involved in these decisions, and deference is sometimes paid to the office that filed its case first, said Marcos Jimenez, a former U.S. attorney in Miami who oversaw drug cases involving extradited defendants. But, he said, the overwhelmingly most important factor is which office has the best case against him and the most likelihood of conviction. I would think that they would put those things together and pick the office that has both the best case and the best team of prosecutors available. Oh, the times, they are a changin. In the wake of the attacks on Paris and San Bernardino, the world is facing yet another paradigm shift one of terrorisms lamentable place in our world. While still a relatively young insurgency, the methods of the Islamic State render the group a rowdy foe. Even now, its working to construct the state that al-Qaida never managed to achieve, leaving the corpses of former countrymen in its wake. Coupled with self-radicalized terrorists born within our borders and molded by the Internet, these new realities are leaving governments scrambling to keep their citizens safe in an unstable world. Further complicating the world stage, North Korea last week conducted a nuclear test one it claims was a successful hydrogen bomb detonation. Condemnation has rained upon North Korea from the United States, Japan, South Korea, China and the United Nations, though the state of world affairs leaves what action if any will be taken up in the air. James Coyle, director of Chapman Universitys Center for Global Education, is an expert on terrorism, national security strategy and Middle East politics among many other topics. Co-author of Politics in the Middle East: Culture and Conflict in the Middle East, published by Prentice-Hall, Coyle also has held several positions in the federal government. Over the last three decades, Coyle has been director of Middle East studies at the U.S. Army War College, first secretary for political-military affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, senior political analyst for Palestinian affairs and special assistant to the FBI/New York Joint Terrorism Task Force. We sat down with Coyle to discuss world affairs and the new realities of terrorism after Paris and San Bernardino. QUESTION Given the growth of the Islamic State group in recent years, did the Paris and San Bernardino attacks come as a surprise or were these types of attacks to be expected? ANSWER First of all, Im going to contradict you, if I can. ISIS is not growing any more. ISIS is actually on the retreat. Theyve lost quite a bit of territory in Iraq. Theyre being pummeled in Syria. The groups outside of Iraq and Syria that call themselves ISIS, theyre really nothing new. A lot of these groups, five years ago, were all considered al-Qaida affiliates now theyre ISIS affiliates. Basically, theyre groups that are unhappy with the governing structures of whatever country theyre in. Theyve chosen to use an Islamic ideology to motivate their base. Before, they were loyal to Osama bin Laden. Bin Ladens dead and ISIS is on the rise, so theyve sworn allegiance to them. Theyre the same groups, theyve just changed names in a sense. Paris is not a surprise to me. Paris was a disaster waiting to happen with the large waves of immigration that had been passing through France, not just in the last year but in the last 50 years. It was just a matter of time until this sort of thing occurred. San Bernardino is a surprise. First of all, the shooters themselves it appears their connection to the radical groups overseas was tangential. In reality, these are what the press is calling self-radicalized individuals. We havent seen that before. Theres not really a lot you can do to stop that. The FBI, since 9/11, has done a very good job of stopping any of these attacks inside the United States, but how do you do that? You penetrate organizations, keep track of them. But if you have a guy and a gal sitting in San Bernardino who arent in touch, are not using these groups for support, how do you stop them? It was a surprise, and I think well probably see more. QUESTION What should the takeaway be from these attacks for policymakers as they work to prevent further attacks? ANSWER You cannot win this battle militarily. Neither on the battlefields of Iraq and Syria nor using homeland security here in the United States. This is a battle for hearts and minds. Everyone who works this field, from (retired) Gen. David Petraeus on down, will tell you the same thing. Yes, you do have to provide a modicum of security. Granted, but thats only step number one. Youve got to win the hearts and minds. This is the difficult part. The United States cant really be engaged in that debate. That is a debate within the Muslim community itself. The moderate voices in the Muslim community need to engage with the radical Islamists. There are elements within the Quran that substantiate that Islam is a religion of peace. Surah 5 says that if you kill an innocent man, its the same as if you have killed all men in the world. A message like that is antithetical to the message of ISIS. That dialogue has to be encouraged, but we cant be the ones holding that dialogue. Were not part of the community, and our voice because were outsiders is suspect from the very beginning. QUESTION What are some of the major differences, in goals and methods, to consider when looking at the Islamic State as opposed to an entity like al-Qaida are we seeing the start of a new age of terrorism? ANSWER Its only methodology. The goals are the same. The goals are Islamic rule over Muslim lands. The sole difference that I see is that al-Qaida was looking at this as a future goal. The original goal of al-Qaida was the elimination of the Saudi monarchy. They werent even interested in the United States. Eventually, bin Laden decided he could not get rid of the Saudi monarchy, which he called the near enemy, unless he got rid of the organization that was propping the near enemy up. That was the United States, which he identified as the far enemy. So, even though we remember al-Qaida because of 9/11, that was not the main thrust. The main thrust was the elimination of the Saudi monarchy and the imposition of a more authentic Sharia law on the Saudi peninsula. Now, in the case of ISIS, theyre not even interested at this point in the Saudi peninsula. Their goal is the establishment of Sharia law throughout Muslim lands, but theyve actually created a caliphate and are trying to establish a government. Theyve established a caliph, theyve got taxation services, a military, garbage collection theyre trying to be an actual state. Al-Qaida never got that far. In my mind, were looking at three separate groups. Al-Qaida is your traditional terrorist organization. It had a central authority in Bin Laden. He and his henchman directed operations around the world, and it was pure terrorism: killing a second party in order to influence a third party for political goals. The second group is ISIS. Theyre not really a terrorist group, theyre an insurgency. They want to overthrow the government in Iraq and Syria, replacing it with themselves. Its an insurgency. We sometimes make the mistake in lumping them together because sometimes insurgents will use terrorist tactics. Theyre not trying to influence somebody, theyre trying to set up a state. Now, youve got the third group, and when I say group I dont really mean an organized entity, more like an amorphous mass. Its all these people around the world that are self-identifying with ISIS or even with al-Qaida. Thats the group we have to be careful of, thats the group thats relatively new. Theres always been that element out there. You have these terrorist waves that come through periodically, this is another wave. Whats different? The Internet. The Internet not only allows people to become radicalized without ever meeting anybody from the organization, it allows them to communicate with people, order whatever materials you need for a terrorist attack and even publicize what youve done in a way that was not possible in the old days. QUESTION In light of recent events, there have been many reports of religious intolerance people being assaulted even for just looking how a Muslim is believed to look, and a presidential candidate discussing a ban on Muslims entering the country. Even so, its been said that Muslims are the chief victim of the Islamic State. Could you comment on this current state of religious intolerance? ANSWER If you look from a historical viewpoint, the United States has always had a very strong nativist streak within it. Every ethnic group that comes into this country is opposed by people who were here first. The German Americans didnt want the Irish to come, the Irish didnt want the Italians to come, the Italians didnt want the Poles to come and the Poles didnt want the Slavs to come. The latest is we dont want the Mexicans to come, and now we dont want the Muslims to come. It happens. Its true that terrorism makes it worse. Ive heard the phrase not all Muslims are terrorists but all terrorists are Muslim, which, by the way, is not true. There are lots of non-Muslim terrorists out there. But it strikes fear into people and they have a tendency to overreact, simple as that. What we have to remember is the First Amendment of the Constitution says Congress shall pass no law on the establishment of religion. Thats the Constitution. QUESTION Cooperation between the United States, China and Russia seems to be a major make-or-break element in dealing with the current state of world affairs. In terms of these relations, what are the biggest obstacles to a united dismantling of Islamic State and containment of North Korea, and how can we hope to overcome them? ANSWER The biggest obstacle is national interests. The national interest of the United States is not that of Russia or China. Where those interests converge, there can be cooperation. Where they dont, there cannot be. We would like Russia to cooperate with the United States against ISIS. Thats good, except that leaves the American-backed opposition untouched. Thats antithetical to the Russian national interest, which is to keep Assad in power. (Bashar Assad is the president of Syria.) It doesnt make sense to cooperate against ISIS when Russia also wants to take out the American-backed groups. Same thing in North Korea. Yes, both the United States and China are interested in maintaining stability on the Korean peninsula. Both of us are opposed to North Korea having nuclear arms. It sounds easy! There ought to be a large basis for cooperation. In point of fact, however, the Chinese have decided the best way for there to be stability for the peninsula is for North Korea to continue on its way. The concern is that if there were anything to destabilize the North Korean regime, then China would suddenly be inundated with a massive wave of North Korean refuges. Where our national interests converge, its fine, but eventually you reach a point where our interests and theirs are not the same. Its a question of where the goals are in the hierarchy. In Chinas case, the goals in which the U.S. and China cooperate on in North Korea are lower in the hierarchy than stability on the peninsula. QUESTION North Korea appears to have conducted another nuclear test. It may or may not have been a hydrogen bomb, but China, the U.S., Japan, South Korea and the U.N. are upset over what happened. Is there any long-term significance to this, or is it just another in a series of provocations by North Korea in recent years? ANSWER Its the latter. This is their fourth nuclear test. The first test took place under the Bush administration. Theres now been three tests under the Obama administration. China is not going to allow any sort of significant sanctions to be placed against North Korea. We can count on China to condemn the tests, we can count on them to verbally chastise North Korea, but we cannot count on them to actually support anything that would hurt North Korea. When the first nuclear test occurred during the Bush administration, the United States actually considered launching a unilateral strike to take out North Koreas nuclear facilities. They didnt do it, for a simple reason. Seoul is 40 kilometers from the DMZ, and North Korea has had 50 years to zero in long-range artillery on Seoul. North Korea has chemical warheads not for bombs, not for missiles, but for good-old-fashioned artillery. The Bush administration received an assessment at that time that if there was an attack and North Korea response against Seoul, you could be talking hundreds of thousands of deaths in the first few minutes. That hasnt changed, and thats not going to change. As long as North Korea has the ability to respond that way against an American ally, the United States hands are tied. And as we talked about before, when you talk about China and Russia, its because of their national interests that they arent interested in responding either. Contact the writer: jwinslow@ocregister.com IRVINE City Council members on Tuesday will discuss whether to dissolve the Great Park Corp., which they oversee as its board of directors, about six months after an Orange County grand jury referred to it as a shell corporation. When created in 2003, the Great Park Corp. was an oversight group for the parks construction and planning, headed by a nine-member board that included Irvines council members. But in 2013, the four positions held by unelected community members were eliminated. Since then, council members have voted dozens of times on recommendations they had made earlier that day as the Great Park board. Annually, council members receive $10,560 for serving on the governing board through their service as Great Park board members. That compensation doubles the pay they receive yearly as City Council members. (That doesnt include officials automobile allowance $8,580 per year or benefits, which include insurance premiums and pension costs.) In a June report, Irvines Great Park: A Legacy Of Hubris?, the grand jury concluded that the Great Park Corp. now serves no intrinsic function and recommended its dissolution. Councilwoman Lynn Schott put the item on Tuesdays agenda. We have one group of people wearing different hats at different times of the day when we meet, she said in October, as the council discussed its response to the grand jury report. However, at that meeting, Councilwoman Christina Shea, chairwoman of the Great Park board, said the corporations dissolution could cause liability issues for the city. But a confidential memo from the City Attorneys Office to the council concludes that the corporation does not serve any useful purpose in its current structure, and therefore should be dissolved, Schott said in a December memo requesting a discussion of the corporations dissolution. In an example of the overlapping nature of the agencies duties, Tuesdays agenda item asks council members to provide a recommendation to the Great Park board themselves as to whether the corporation should be dissolved. The final vote would come from the officials acting as the Great Park board. Contact the writer: sdecrescenzo@ocregister.com This Powerball lottery has gone beyond logical, to astronomical. If one person wins $1.4 billion and elects to take the annuity for 29 years, their pretax earnings would amount to an unimaginable $48 million per year. I cant imagine the stress that person would be under with that amount of money to deal with, considering the taxes and necessary professional advisers needed to assist them. And what happens if their names are made public? Please tell me how any person could decide how to share that amount of wealth and still keep any sense of privacy or safety. To me, it looks like a great burden, but, alas, like millions of others, I will put down my $2 and hope to find the answers. It may be time for the officials to allow larger prizes for lesser winners and spread the wealth. Robert A. Mahoney Costa Mesa Penn and El Chapo Sean Penn has never been any sort of role model, but now he has demonstrated a total lack of morals. Is this supposed to be freedom of the press? Was his interview with Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, one of the worlds most revolting drug dealers, so important that he could ignore the anguish of the families of the thousands of people this man has harmed? It isnt bad enough that Penn chose to meet with this criminal several times? His Rolling Stone interview would seem to indicate that he actually admires Guzman. Rather than being praised for this interview, Penn should be arrested for obstruction of justice. He is every bit as disgusting as his hero. Sandra Stubban Stanton Spiraling state spending Re: Budgets good news about taxes [Opinion, Jan. 8]: A 5.6 percent boost in the general fund budget is astounding, especially considering last years budget was a record. Government is growing faster than the economys meager 2 percent and median incomes remain down. Can taxpayers afford this? No. Will school spending increases all go toward pensions? Yes. Does California owe hundreds of billions of dollars? Yes. Is this spending sustainable? No. Jeff Arthur Costa Mesa SANTA ANA A man in his 20s was shot around noon Tuesday in a possible gang-related attack in a residential neighborhood, police said. Santa Ana police responded to reports of shots fired around noon in the 1400 block of West 10th Street, said Cpl. Anthony Bertagna of the Santa Ana Police Department. A young man was found wounded in the neighborhood after he was struck in the upper body with a bullet, Bertagna said. Authorities did not release the mans name and said he was taken to a hospital in stable condition. Police were initially investigating the shooting as a gang-related attack and witnesses in the area did not give investigators information. Anyone who would like to provide information about the shooting has been asked to contact the Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS. Contact the writer: 714-796-7802 or aduranty@ocregister.com The heads of drugmakers Pfizer and Allergan said Tuesday that the record $160 billion combination theyre planning is meant to produce more medicines and boost revenue, not to just slash jobs and other costs as the companies previously have done. The deal announced last November would move Pfizers official headquarters for tax purposes from New York to Allergans base in Ireland. The strategy, called a tax inversion, would sharply decrease Pfizers income tax bill compared to current U.S. tax rates, though the drugmakers operations would still be run from New York. Pfizer has a history of making such huge acquisitions of other drugmakers, then closing some facilities and eliminating thousands of jobs to boost profit quickly, though usually just temporarily. Over the last 15 years, along with many smaller acquisitions, Pfizer has gobbled up Top 20 drugmakers Warner-Lambert, Pharmacia and Wyeth, paying $68 billion for Wyeth alone in 2009. Speaking at the 34th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco Tuesday, Pfizer CEO Ian Read and Allergan CEO Brett Saunders both said that Pfizers purchase of Allergan, formerly based in Anaheim, is aimed at helping the combined company expand faster. This isnt about cost-cutting. This is about leadership and growth, said Saunders, adding the companies have lots of new drugs they plan to launch in the next few years. His company, which mostly made generics until recent years, likewise has grown quickly from a surge of acquisitions. In the last few years, the former Actavis PLC has bought Watson Pharmaceuticals, Forest Laboratories and Warner Chilcott, all multibillion-dollar deals. Buying Warner Chilcott allowed Actavis to do its own tax inversion, moving its headquarters from Parsippany, New Jersey, to Warner Chilcotts Dublin home. Actavis then bought Allergan Inc. last March, later changing its name to the better-known Allergan. Read said Pfizer and Allergan have little overlap in their operations and both have removed considerable excess costs. That means their integration, already in the early steps, will focus on factors such as where best to invest research dollars and how to create value for shareholders, he said. This is going to be a powerhouse company with a strong dividend, Saunders predicted, and the best pipeline in the industry. Pfizer currently is the worlds second-biggest drugmaker by revenue, and buying Allergan will boost it back to the top spot over current leader Novartis AG. Read said the deal pushes back until at least 2018 any possibility of Pfizer separating its new brand-name drugs unit and its division that sells older, mostly off-patent drugs. Some analysts and investors have been pushing Pfizer for years to break up, arguing that smaller segments could grow faster than the company as a whole and that the price of Pfizers stock, often a laggard in the sector, would rise more. Glimpses of Southern California residents who have been invited to attend tonights State of the Union address: James Parnell Director of patient care for the adult emergency department at Loma Linda University Medical Center Role in speech: Parnell quickly set up the hospitals outdoor triage area after the San Bernardino terrorism shooting last month. Five patients were hospitalized. On attending the speech: Its a great honor, not only to be able to represent Loma Linda University Medical Center and San Bernardino County, but all of the hospitals that were involved in treating patients. Annie Teall Dispatch supervisor, San Bernardino Police Department Role in speech: Teall was on the air, coordinating responses after the shooting at the Inland Regional Center and during the shootout with the killers later that day. At one point, as many as eight dispatchers were on the air. Teall was the calm voice we all heard on the 911 recordings from that fateful day, said Rep. Norma J. Torres, D-Pomona. As panic spread throughout the region, she and her team coordinated a swift, effective emergency response to what is likely the greatest tragedy our community has ever suffered. Jarrod Burguan San Bernardino police chief Role in speech: Burguan has been the even-keeled face of the law enforcement response and investigation into the terrorist attack. Ive watched the State of the Union a number of times on television, and its an annual event a lot of people look forward, to, To have the opportunity to be there is special, Burguan said of the State of the Union address. John McMahon San Bernardino County sheriff Role in speech: His department responded to the shooting at the Inland Regional Center and the shootout with the killers, as well as provided other support to the investigation. Chief Burguan and Sheriff McMahon are the embodiment of leadership and courage. They led an unparalleled team of law enforcement and first responders during the attack in San Bernardino, stopping the spread of violence and managing a complex and deeply emotional investigation while the world watched, said Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Redlands. Pete Aguilar Democratic congressman from Redlands Role in speech: Aguilar represents the district where the terror attack took place. Gun violence was a problem in San Bernardino before the devastating attack at the Inland Regional Center, and it will continue to be until we take meaningful and commonsense steps toward reducing this threat in our neighborhoods, he said. Ken Calvert Republican congressman from Corona Role in speech: As the Inland Empires senior congressman, Calvert is a frequent critic of the Obama administration. The people of San Bernardino deserve to hear how the president, whose primary responsibility is to protect the safety of Americans, will work to stop another attack from happening in the future, Calvert said. The president has tried to use the attack to justify his gun control agenda despite the fact that the measures hes proposed would not have prevented the attack. Paul Cook Republican congressman from Yucca Valley Role in speech: Like many House Republicans, Cook is critical of what he describes as the presidents executive overreach on gun control and other issues. The people of San Bernardino, like the rest of the nation, need to hear that the president shares our concern about terrorism and making sure were doing everything we can to prevent future attacks and keep dangerous criminals out of this country, Cook said. That means a more rigorous screening process for many of those who are trying to come to this country. Mark Takano Democratic congressman from Riverside Role in speech: Takano, like other Democrats, will be cheering the president on as he addresses gun control and other Democratic priorities. I think (the people of San Bernardino) need to hear that this country will not accept mass shooting tragedies as the cost of our Second Amendment rights, Takano said. The horrific violence we felt in San Bernardino and have witnessed around the country just does not happen as often in countries with sensible gun laws. Trenna Meins Wife of shooting victim Damian Meins of Riverside, one of the 14 who died in the shooting Role in speech: Trenna Meins will be the guest of Takano at the State of the Union. Her daughters, Tawnya and Tina, are accompanying her to Washington, D.C.. Meins hopes to hear the president reaffirm his commitment to tighter gun laws. and that he talks about the importance of working together with Congress for the good of the country. Meins said they felt compelled to make the trip so people can understand who we are and how this has affected us personally. Ryan Reyes Partner of Larry Daniel Kaufman of Rialto, one of the 14 killed in the terrorist attack Role in speech: Reyes will be the guest of first lady Michelle Obama. He has been vocal in his defense of the Muslim community following the attack. One group doesnt speak for everybody, and we all know this, Reyes said. But for some reason, when it comes to religion, we dont think that way. With Pathankot attack fresh in minds, the development triggered panic in the area (Photo: PTI) Ferozepur: Security forces in the border town of Ferozepur were on their toes for hours on Tuesday and the entire Cantonment area was cordoned off after two telephone linesmen, who were climbing a wall to repair phone lines, were mistaken for terrorists. The army swung into action after it was informed about the two men and it cordoned off the entire area. Quick Reaction Teams (QRT) were also deployed and checking had begun to look for the suspicious men. However, when CCTV footages were checked, the duo turned out to be telephone linesmen from Signals Regiment, who had come to repair the phone lines passing through the area. With Pathankot attack fresh in minds, the development triggered panic in the area and parents thronged schools to collect their children. Ferozepur Senior Superintendent of Police Hardyal Singh Mann said that the rumors regarding firing or infiltration by terrorists were all baseless and there was no need to panic. In a pre-dawn attack, a group of heavily-armed Pakistani terrorists, believed to be belonging to JeM, attacked the Pathankot air base on January 2 killing seven security personnel. Six terrorists were also killed in the incident. The terrorists were said to have crossed the India-Pakistan border in Punjab and reached the strategically crucial air base and carried out the attack. Applications to the University of California system have increased for the twelfth consecutive year. More than 206,000 students applied to attend at least one of UCs nine campuses next fall, the highest figure ever, according to preliminary data released Monday. Thats 6.4 percent more than a year ago. UC Irvines applications grew by 10 percent, with 98,000 applicants for some 8,700 freshmen and transfer spots. All nine undergraduate UC campuses saw gains in total applications for next year, from 5.8 percent at Berkeley to 13.5 percent at Merced, the systems newest university. Across the nation, students are increasingly applying to multiple schools. One thing making that easier: the Common Application, an online process accepted by more than 600 universities. UC has its own application, but students can check off as many as all nine campuses on the same form if their families are willing to pay the extra $70 fee per campus unless granted waivers. UCI spokeswoman Cathy Lawhon attributes a growing interest in UC schools to their academics and successes. Some UC campuses consistently rank among the top in the country. Its a well thought of university system, and the costs have remained flat for another year. The UC is a good educational value, Lawhon said. Other numbers: UCLA received the most applications: 119,326, including 22,262 looking to transfer from other schools. UC San Diego came in second with 102,692 new and transfer applicants, and UC Berkeley was third with 101,655. Most freshman and transfer applicants, 138,246, are from California. Another 35,093 are from out-of-state, and 33,000 are from outside the country. Compared to last year, there was an approximate 11 percent increase in out-of-state and international students applying, and a 4 percent increase in California applicants. Latinos, the largest racial/ethnic group among California high school students, rose from 34.1 percent to 35.8 percent among California freshman applicants. UCI had the largest number applying: 20,521. UC seeks to increase enrollment of undergraduates from California by 10,000 students by 2018, all with new spots, beginning with 5,000 new in-state students this fall. UC has been criticized for the rising number of out-of-state and international students it accepts. Contact the writer: rkopetman@ocregister.com The Supreme Court listened Monday to lawyers debate one of the most significant cases before the justices this session, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. A decision is expected by June. The plaintiffs in Friedrichs are 10 California public school teachers challenging the constitutionality of compulsory dues paid to the CTA, seeking to re-establish their right to decide for themselves whether to join and support a union and the constitutionality of compelling someone to join and financially support an organization with which he or she disagrees. They argue that state agency shop laws, which require public employees to pay union dues as a condition of employment, violate well-settled principles of freedom of speech and association. They are not alone. Last September, I led several parent activists in writing a friend of the court brief supporting the Friedrichs plaintiffs because the denial of their First Amendment rights has simultaneously stymied and denied the civil rights of predominantly poor and minority students. Virtually every education reform we fight for has been obstructed by the powerful CTA with its tsunami of money forcibly collected from teachers even when rank-and-file teachers support reforms we seek. Hence, kids particularly poor and minority students trapped in failing schools ultimately pay the price. By supporting Friedrichs, we support our kids in a new chapter of the fight for education equality and opportunity first championed decades ago by the parents in Mendez v. Westminster and Brown v. Board of Education. Clearly, what happens in teachers unions doesnt just impact teachers; Friedrichs profoundly affects our education opportunities and outcomes. Thats why Mona Davids and Sam Pirozzolo, president and vice president, respectively, of the New York City Parents Union, joined the brief, stating, As parents, we have had to go to court to seek justice, trying to overcome the Goliath teachers unions which continually suppress the rights of our children to access the American Dream via a quality education. By standing with the Friedrichs plaintiffs, we simultaneously stand for the opportunities of our children. Thats also why two parents, Kelley Williams-Bolar and Hamlet Garcia, who were arrested and prosecuted for theft of educational services when they enrolled their children outside their geographically assigned default school districts, also joined our brief to the high court. Teachers unions, fueled by compulsory dues, have fought against policies enabling kids trapped in failing schools to transfer to better schools. Williams-Bolar and Garcia have become symbols of the fight for parent empowerment and education reform. Others joining our brief include Gwen Samuel, president of the National Parents Union; Rishawn Biddle, executive director of Dropout Nation; Dmitri Mehlhorn, Erika Sanzi, Julie Collier, Bonnie ONeil and Laura Ferguson. Michael Edney, our lead attorney, commented, Friedrichs is about giving a fair chance to everyones voice about how our children should be educated. My clients are only a few of the thousands of parents who have been pleading with public school boards and administrators for reform. But their voice is drowned out by the advocacy of teacher unions, which is funded by compelling every teacher in a school district to pay the union. The policies sought by the unions in collective bargaining against performance reviews, transfers of teachers based on need and merit-based pay make meaningful reform impossible. Laws that compel citizens to subsidize a private partys advocacy, even when they disagree, violate the First Amendments guarantee of free speech. We fully support the [Friedrichs plaintiffs]. Such a decision will provide for a fair public policy debate over the future of education, in which the government does not give one side a commanding advantage. Like the parents in the Mendez and Brown cases, we understand that education is the civil rights issue of our time, which is at the heart of Friedrichs. Staff opinion columnist Gloria Romero is an education reformer and former Democratic state senator from Los Angeles. LAKE FOREST Rick Warren, the nationally prominent Orange County pastor who founded Saddleback Church, has agreed to serve on a board that is advising the presidential campaign of GOP Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. Warren will advise Rubio and his campaign on domestic and international religious liberty as a member of the board, which includes people from a variety of professional backgrounds with diverse theological traditions, said Eric Teetsel, director of faith outreach for the Rubio campaign. Teetsel told the Register on Monday that Warren was selected because he is one of the nations foremost advocates of religious liberty. Warren, whose Lake Forest-based megachurch has spread to 12 Southern California campuses and four international campuses, said participation on the board does not amount to an endorsement of Rubio. The pastor said it is public knowledge he has never endorsed a political candidate and doesnt intend to. It is not my job as a pastor to endorse candidates, Warren said. But I do offer private counsel and perspective to any candidate who asks for it. I have done this with many candidates in the past. In this election cycle, I know most of the candidates on both sides who are running for president, and many have been friends for years, but they all know that I never endorse. The advisory board was created to ensure that Rubio and his team are being advised by Americas top experts on religious liberty, Teetsel said. Although he hasnt endorsed candidates, Warren is no stranger to national politics. In January 2009, he gave the invocation for President-elect Barack Obama. Over the years, he also has interviewed several notable national and international speakers as part of his Civil Forums at Saddleback Church. In 2008, Warren hosted his first presidential campaign forum, between Obama and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. In August 2012, Warren canceled a Civil Forum planned with Obama and presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney at Saddleback Church because of what Warren saw as uncivil discourse between the two campaigns. Instead, he planned a forum on the importance of religious freedom that year. In an interview with the Register at the time, Warren spoke about the importance of religious freedom. This issue is more significant and has far greater implications for Americas future, he said. People have forgotten that America was founded by people who came here to escape religious persecution. Freedom of religion is the first freedom mentioned in the Bill of Rights before freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to assemble and every other freedom. Contact the writer: 714-796-2254 or eritchie@ocregister.com or Twitter@lagunaini A 24-year-old man was sentenced Friday to 60 days on a California Department of Transportation crew in the hit-and-run of an 86-year-old woman in Huntington Beach last year. Taylor Kirby, of Signal Hill, pleaded guilty to felony failure to stop at an accident hit-and-run with injury or death, according to court records. He was also sentenced to five years probation. On April 22, Kirby backed into a woman with his Dodge Challenger while the woman was walking in a McDonalds parking lot in the 16800 block of Beach Boulevard. Kirby and his female passenger got out to check on the injured woman before getting back into the car and driving off. The woman, who was not identified, was taken to a hospital and treated for minor injuries. Tips provided by media coverage and video surveillance led investigators to Kirbys car in Signal Hill. The vehicle was impounded, and Kirby surrendered to Huntington Beach police on April 30. Contact the writer: 714-796-2478 or lcasiano@ocregister.com SANTA ANA In what prosecutors described as one of the shortest death penalty deliberations in Orange County history, jurors spent just over an hour behind closed doors Monday before deciding Daniel Wozniak should die for killing two friends to bankroll his wedding. The relatives of Wozniaks victims hugged and burst into tears as the verdict was read. It was so, so, so, so long overdue, said Steve Herr, who attended more than 130 hearings over the past five years since his son, Samuel, was found beheaded. I can start healing. Its time. This is closure to our nightmare chapter, said June Kibuishi, whose daughter, Julie, also died. The same Superior Court jury last month convicted Wozniak, a 31-year-old community theater actor from Costa Mesa, of killing his neighbor, Samuel Herr, 26, and Juri Julie Kibuishi, 23, in a plot to steal Herrs savings. Wozniak returns to court March 11, when Superior Court Judge John Conley will decide whether to follow the jurys recommendation or sentence Wozniak to life in prison without parole. Prosecutors said Wozniak was broke and had no money to pay for his wedding when he plotted to kill Herr, an Army veteran, and steal more than $60,000 in savings he had earned from combat service in Afghanistan. On May 21, 2010, Wozniak lured Herr to the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, and then shot and killed him. The actor returned the next day and cut off Herrs head, hand and forearm and tossed the body parts in Long Beachs El Dorado Park. That evening, Wozniak took the stage as the lead in the musical Nine at the Hunger Artists Theatre Co. in Fullerton. In an attempt to throw police off his trail, Wozniak used Herrs cellphone to lure Kibuishi to Herrs apartment. Prosecutors said Wozniak then shot and killed her and pulled her pants down to make it look like Herr had killed Kibuishi and sexually assaulted her. Costa Mesa detectives initially believed Herr was a fugitive, but the trail of evidence eventually led to Wozniak. Police arrested Wozniak at his bachelor party at a Huntington Beach sushi restaurant, two days before his wedding. He later confessed to the killings in videotaped interviews played for jurors last month. Jurors deliberated for just over two hours before finding Wozniak guilty of the double murder on Dec. 16. In the trials penalty phase, Senior Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy described Wozniak as a callous killer who carried on with his wedding plans and theater performances while the families of his victims agonized. The Kibuishis are making funeral arrangements for their daughter, while Daniel is planning his wedding in Huntington Beach, Murphy said. He knew Sam and Julie were loved, and he didnt care. Wozniaks attorney, Assistant Public Defender Scott Sanders, declined to comment after Mondays verdict. Sanders and co-counsel Tracy LeSage argued that Wozniak was manipulated by his ex-fiancee, Rachel Buffett, who also had an role in the crimes. Buffett, an actress and former Disneyland princess, has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of being an accessory after the fact for allegedly lying to Costa Mesa police detectives. After the verdict, jurors said they did not believe that Wozniak was controlled by his ex-fiancee. She had no undue influence over him, said Jenny Wong, 55, the jurys forewoman. Jurors said they found few mitigating factors as to why Wozniaks life should be spared. The details of the case, they said, were sad and horrific. The lies, the dismemberment, the murder for money it was all terrible, said one juror, who asked not to be named. Sam was a veteran who served in dangerous places and then he comes to Orange County, the safest place you would expect, and hes killed. It was so unnecessary. The case was delayed as Wozniaks attorney alleged systemic misconduct by Orange County prosecutors and sheriffs deputies involving the use of jailhouse informants. Conley found no evidence of misconduct. On Oct. 30, he cleared the way for the trial to begin. Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas commended the hard work of prosecutors and Costa Mesa police. We spent five and a half years getting to this point, and the death penalty is the right verdict, he said. Its just unfortunate that it took so long. Contact the writer: kpuente@ocregister.com Last Friday, Chinas CCTV News posted a heart-warming story on Facebook about how Japanese railway authorities are keeping a train station in a remote village open for the sake of only one passenger a high school student. The Kyu-Shirataki-Shirataki train station is located in Japans north island of Hokkaido, the post read. Three years ago, due to its remote location and ending of freight trains, the Japan Railway (JR) decided to close it down. However, they changed their minds after they discovered a young girl used the station to go to high school every day. According to the report, the only two trains that stop at the station now are just for this girl, with a unique timetable depending on when the girl needs to go to school and back. Japan Railway apparently intends to keep the station open until March this year, when she will finally graduate. The touching tale naturally gathered thousands of likes, going viral on Japanese social media in just one.The story was shared several times over, and eventually covered by other media outlets as well. Lots of people left comments commending the empathy displayed by Japan Railway in supporting the girls education. Why should I not want to die for a country like this when the government is ready to go an extra mile just for me, one person commented on CCTVs post. This is the meaning of good governance penetrating right to the grassroot level. Every citizen matters. No child left behind! Others took the opportunity to lament about the dwindling population in rural Japan, resulting in the slow extinction of railway services in these areas. But it looks like people might be getting emotional over nothing. According to a report in the Taiwan edition of Apple Daily, the tale is most likely a romanticized exaggeration. The girl actually boards the train from an entirely different station every morning, along with 10 other schoolmates. In the evening, she has a choice of three trains to get back home. While its true that the Kami-Shirataki station is all set to close in March, the report suggests that it may actually have nothing to do with the students graduation date. It isnt clear how the story originated, but it could have been a result of nostalgia for Japans fast disappearing rural villages. Photos: CCTV Via Straits Times Michael Robinson Crisis communications and Congressional hearings are inevitably intertwined, proving the adage that the most dangerous place to be in Washington is between a politician and a TV camera. The recent testimony by Volkswagen Group of America President and CEO Michael Horn is a case in point. In addition to the inevitable picture of the witness raising his or her right hand to be sworn in and yes, the committee does this on purpose he initially hit the right notes before going flat. The New York Daily News captured the scene perfectly: While under oath, Horn admitted that the illegal software installed in the TDI-models produced between 2009 and 2015 were for the express purpose of beating tests, as it was phrased by Rep. Tim Murphy, a Republican from Pennsylvania. It was installed for this purpose, yes, Horn said. This isnt a surprise given the repeated apologies from Volkswagen higher-ups, including Horn, but its still nice to hear it stated so resoundingly. But then, under the sub-head, Execs pass the buck, the News continued: Horn claimed Volkswagens top officials had nothing to do with the emissions tampering. This was not a corporate decision, Horn said, instead placing the blame on a couple of software engineers who he said installed the software. Unfortunately for VW, the company failed to observe some primary tenets of navigating a public affairs crisis: 1) You cant defend the indefensible, and 2) The words I am sorry and we apologize are necessary prerequisites for any senior executive to utter before anything else he or she says will be heard. Indeed, the reality is that companies and high profile individuals who are subject to the Beltway Kabuki Theater do not always have to come across as the wrongdoer. In fact, with advance planning, careful preparation, and the right communications strategy, organizations can pierce through the background noise and articulate their own narrative when faced with a high profile public affairs crisis situation. Specifically: Engage in realistic and comprehensive scenario planning. The Pentagon calls it their Red Team a vertically-integrated unit that forecasts the worst-case scenarios precisely so that the appropriate courses of action, leaders, and materials can be aligned ahead of time. Take the time to really imagine what could go wrong (not just an oil spill, but one that is from the undersea well that doesnt stop, for example). And keep in mind that the larger the organization, the more important it is to engage in this practice at corporate headquarters, in operating divisions, and out in the field. Deeply understand the organization. Know its business, culture, and stakeholders (internal and external) in order to create the right system so that the right information gets to the right people at the right time, and decisions can be made accordingly. Often, it is helpful to get outside assistance to bring a fresh eye to this analysis. Get the tone of the messages right. Understanding that in the event of a major crisis, the notion that a multi-billion dollar company is the victim simply wont fly. That is especially true when it comes to data breach and cybercrime. From Targets 2013 breach to the revelation last year that the Office of Personnel Managements (OPM) systems had been exploited, large organizations are expected to have the right safeguards in place. Practice, drill, and rehearse. Disasters that are well-handled from the beginning are generally not those that attract media and Congressional interest. Knowing that, companies should commit to annual (or, even better, biannual) crisis exercises. Bring in outside facilitators and be ready to experience the time-compressed lifecycle driven by Twitter, Facebook, 24x7 cable coverage in 2016. Make flexibility part of this practice, understanding that what you know in Hour One on Day One, will be wrong (or, at least, out of date) by Day Two. And to be effective, force disagreements during these drills (CEO v. Chairman or General Counsel v. Marketing), so that they can be understood and resolved in advance. Measure the tangibles outcomes as well as the intangibles. Ask as many questions as possible to evaluate your teams readiness for the real thing. How did the company do in this simulation? Were decisions made quickly enough, with the right messages? Is the crisis team too big/too small/just right? Do members of the team know their roles and are the teams in the field equally prepared? Once a Congressional hearing has been announced, or even if individual Members have taken to social media to raise the issue, companies often feel a sense of paralysis. But there is no need for that. In fact, companies do have resources at their disposal and they should use them. This includes: Be proactive in telling your story. You know it best and nobody else is going to help you until you begin to come to your own defense. Recruit and deploy supporting third parties who can provide business, economic, statistical, legal, and other critical analysis in your favor. And be sure they are honest about their relationship with you. Embrace transparency. Too many companies in Washington have, over the years, funded Astroturf organizations (essentially, sock-puppet advocacy groups) to defend them. Be proud to tell your story. Engage in social media and with new digital outlets. Its coin of the realm in politics today, an instant opinion poll if you will. A December 2015 Pew Research Center study found that: reporters for niche outlets, some of which offer highly specialized information services at premium subscription rates, now fill more seats in the U.S. Senate Press Gallery than do daily newspaper reporters. Also increasing in number are reporters for digital news publishers some of which focus on niche subjects, others on a broad range of general interest topics. In 2009, fewer than three dozen journalists working for digital-native outlets were accredited to the Press Gallery. By 2014, that number had risen to more than 130 roughly a four-fold increase. Not unlike business interruption insurance or D&O policies for board members, companies that make an investment today in planning for tomorrow will reap the benefits many times over. The November elections, the August Summer Olympics, and one or two Congressional hearings are all events that can be calendared now. For the corporate executive who ends up under the klieg lights in that hearing room, so too should the preparation. * * * Michael W. Robinson is Managing Director of ICR. The OECD Observer online archive takes you on a journey through half a century of public policy and world progress. Since November 1962, the OECDs experts and leading guests offer insights on the questions facing our member countries with concise and authoritative analysis, and provide our audiences with an excellent opportunity to understand policy debates and consider solutions. Each edition of the OECD Observer reports on a core theme of the OECDs on-going work, from economics and society through governance, finance, and the environment, and articles are bolstered by tables and graphs. Loading... OilVoice will be with you shortly... New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday observed that temples cant prohibit entry to anyone unless it has constitutional rights. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra made these oral observations during the hearing of a PIL challenging the custom at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple prohibiting entry of women between the ages of 10 and 50 years. The bench told senior counsel K.K. Venugopal for Kerala, Temples cant prohibit entry except on the basis of religion. Unless you have a constitutional right you cant prohibit the entry. It was submitted on behalf of the temple board that it is an old custom and supported by an order of the Kerala High Court. Kerala sought permission to file an affidavit to support the stand that such a ban on entry was based on custom. The petition said the practice degrades women and is against the basic tenets of Hindu religion where women are worshipped in the form of goddesses. Such evil practices have generated out of narrow thinking and are not part of the religion. According to the petitioner Young Lawyers Association, Kerala, the discrimination is a violation of Articles 14 (equality) 15 (prohibition against discrimination) and 25 (freedom to religion). It contended that the custom restricting entry of women aged between 10 and 50 to the temple was violative of their constitutional rights. Hyderabad: Tissues retrieved from the cancerous part of the mouth affected by oral cancer were picked and tested by researchers in Basavatarakam Indo American Cancer Hospital and Research Institute where they have found a molecule signature to make diagnosis easy. Oral cancer is generally detected very late as the tongue and buccal mucosa get affected very early but are diagnosed much later. Dr V.V.T.S. Prasad, head of research and development wing said, The results from the data generated in studying the cancerous tissues have given a pattern that helps us understand the molecules which cause this cancer. This molecule signature is now being taken up for research. It will help us diagnose the disease earlier. Oral cancer is the largest cancer affecting males and the number of cases continues to remain 1,00,000 per year. With 10 per cent of the cases being that of oral cancer in India it is becoming important to identify a better diagnostic technique and understand the gene and DNA pattern. Dr Prasad explained, Due to oral cancer being only 2 per cent in the West there is very little work being done there. In the Asian countries and in parts of S-E Asia the numbers are too high. Human pappilloma virus cause for rise in cases Oral cancer also affects those below 45 years of age and researchers are looking at other reasons for this cancer. Human Papilloma virus is being seen as one of the causes and evidence is being gathered in various studies. Dr Mohana Vamsy, cancer specialist at Omega Hospitals said, So far there is no conclusive evidence that HPV causes oral cancer. But various studies across the world indicate that HPV could also be one of the factors. As more evidence is gathered it will be clear soon. Dr V Prasad, senior oncologist at Indo-American Cancer Hos-pital said, The ACTREC in Mumbai has studied data from different centres in India and found HPV playing a role. Now, in younger patients, we are looking at these issues. While the conclusive evidence of association is debated even in medical circles, oncologists say HPV cant be completely ruled out. Omahas graduate chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority is opening this years Founders Day Luncheon to the public. In keeping with AKAs philosophy of being an indomitable force for good in their communities, state, nation, and the world, chapter officials selected an inspirational speaker for the Feb. 6 luncheon: Glenda Baskin Glover, a member of the sorority and its first international vice president, who is the first female president of Tennessee State University, her alma mater. The sorority has an interesting history. In the early 1900s Howard University student Ethel Hedgeman wanted to create a support network of African-American women to come together with their talents and strengths to help others. Her dream became a reality in 1908 when Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first black Greek-letter sorority, was formed. It was incorporated in 1913. Howard University in Washington, D.C., is a prestigious historically black research university. Hedgeman and eight other Howard students put together a plan that provided hope for the masses of black people. This group believed that Negro college women represented the highest more education, more enlightenment, and more of almost everything that the great mass of Negroes never had. Hedgeman and her group worked diligently to honor what she called an everlasting debt to raise Negroes up and make them better. From that group of nine students AKA has grown into a force of more than 283,000 collegiate members and alumnae, constituting more than 992 chapters in 42 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, Germany, Africa, South Korea and Japan. Over the years AKA has used its sisterhood to raise the status of African-Americans, especially women, and continually produced leaders. At Tennessee State University, Glover has advanced a five-point vision that includes: academic progress and customer service, fundraising and partnerships, diversity and inclusion, shared governance, and business outreach. Since she became president in 2013, the academic offerings have increased to include a masters degree in applied geospatial sciences and a masters of computer science accreditations. Glover also previously spearheaded implementation of the nations first Ph.D. in business at a historically black university, Jackson State, where she served as dean of the College of Business. She is a certified public accountant, attorney and one of two African-American women to hold the Ph.D.-CPA-J.D. combination in the nation. She served as chairwoman of the department of accounting at Howard University; shes been a corporate board member of three publicly traded corporations; and is a member of several professional, civic and nonprofit organizations. She is the author of more than 100 articles and papers and is considered an expert on corporate governance. Glover is married to Charles Glover. They have two adult children, attorney Candace Glover and Dr. Charles Glover II. Im sure Ethel Hedgeman would have been delighted to have met Glover and witnessed such a gifted woman be a part of her vision. The theme of the Founders Day luncheon is Launching New Dimensions of Service A New Level of Excellence. It starts at 11 a.m. and is at Regency Lodge, 909 S. 107th Ave. The cost is $50 a person. For information or to purchase tickets, contact lessier2@msn.com or call 402-306-4738. COUNCIL BLUFFS The impending closure of the decades-old Carley Drug in Avoca, Iowa, has residents concerned about keeping pharmacy services in town. Community members have formed a committee to look at finding a replacement. The business is set to close Jan. 29. It happened so fast. Its unfortunate; I just feel bad about it, said Terry Carley of Avoca, former owner of the pharmacy. That wasnt supposed to happen. Carley sold his business in August 2014 to Vogt Pharmacies Inc. of Fremont, Nebraska, so he could retire and spend more time with his family. Carley said part of his agreement with the company, owned by Mark Vogt, was that Vogt would keep the pharmacy in Avoca. That was part of the deal, Carley said. He was supposed to keep the store there and not move it. Vogt Pharmacies plans to sell Carley Drug to Shopko, which has a location in Harlan, Avoca City Manager Clint Fichter said. Customers have been asked to go to the Harlan store for their prescriptions. Anytime we have those types of services especially one that the market has supported leave, its weird, Fichter said. It doesnt sit well. Attempts to reach Vogt were unsuccessful. Carley Drug has four employees, including a pharmacist, according to Ronda Holst of Avoca, whos worked at the pharmacy since 1992. We did not see it coming. It was a shock, Holst said. It was devastating. Not only for just us, but for the whole community. Terry Carley bought the business in 1971, after a year working for the previous owner. Carley worked as a pharmacist for 55 years, 43 running his own shop. Fichter said the committee has been in touch with area pharmacists and has targeted three possible locations for a new pharmacy. He said the city is looking at an incentive package to help a pharmacist venture out on his own. We feel the committee can help make this work, Fichter said. Were hoping this is successful. WASHINGTON (AP) The government is falling short in ensuring that airline pilots keep up their flying skills and get full training on how to monitor sophisticated automated control systems in cockpits, according to the Transportation Departments internal watchdog. Most airline flying today is done through automated systems that pilots closely monitor. Pilots typically use manual flying skills only briefly during takeoffs and landings. Studies and accident investigations have raised concern that pilots manual flying skills are becoming rusty and that pilots have a hard time staying focused on instrument screens for long periods. But the Federal Aviation Administration isnt making sure that airline training programs adequately address the ability of pilots to monitor the flight path, automated systems and actions of other crew members, the Transportation Departments Office of Inspector General found. The FAA also isnt well-positioned to determine how often airline pilots get a chance to manually fly planes and hasnt ensured that airline training programs adequately focus on manual flying, according to the report. The FAA published new rules in 2013 requiring airlines to update their training programs to enhance pilot monitoring and manual flying skills, but airlines arent required to comply until 2019, the report said. Because FAA hasnt determined how carriers should implement the new requirements or evaluated whether pilots manual flying time has increased, the agency is missing important opportunities to ensure that pilots maintain skills needed to safely fly and recover in the event of a failure with flight deck automation or an unexpected event, the report said. The rules on enhancing training were prompted in part by the deadly 2009 crash of a regional airliner while approaching Buffalo, New York. An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that the pilots werent closely monitoring the planes airspeed, which began to decrease to dangerously slow levels. Thus the captain was startled when a safety system automatically went on. Instead of pointing the plane downward to pick up speed, the captain pulled back on the yoke to increase altitude. That slowed the plane even more, leading to an aerodynamic stall. The plane fell from the sky and landed on a house. President Barack Obama is visiting Omaha on Wednesday largely because of the citys healthy economy, and he says his policies have made a difference for the city. Its a point that hes sure to make during his final State of the Union Address tonight, but two of Nebraskas top economists say theres room for debate about the role that presidential policies have had in the citys relatively good economic performance during the past seven years. In announcing the visit, a White House official said Omaha is a great example of the presidents policies making a real difference in peoples lives, citing the below-average unemployment rate and higher employment in Nebraska and Omaha. Indeed, Nebraskas economy has been its old self during Obamas seven years in office so far. That is, job losses but a significantly below-average unemployment rate, a smaller-than-others housing bubble and only one failed bank, and that one caused by out-of-state real estate excesses. We didnt have the Great Recession, maybe, but a pretty significant recession, said Eric Thompson, director of the Bureau of Business Research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Good, pro-growth economic policy can impact the strength of the recovery, no question about it, Thompson said. Were a strong, flexible economy in the United States, so were able to recover in a diversity of policy environments, whether theyre favorable for growth or not. ... The instinct toward recovery is a powerful one. It would take a very poor economic policy to actually derail an economic recovery. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss said Obamas economic performance benefited from the timing of his election. Theres nothing better than taking over when theres a recession, because theres nowhere to go but up. He may be touting economic success, but its not anything anybody should be crowing about. Were mired in slow growth (nationally). Omahas growth has been somewhat better than that. But if he wants to take credit for the good, he has to take credit for the bad. Im saying, what youve done has not been that good. Goss said employment growth is a better measure of economic recovery than the unemployment rate, and Omaha has underperformed in terms of job growth. He said there are other factors in the nations slow growth besides Obamas policies, such as the aging population and global economic and political turmoil. He said the presidents efforts to expand international trade have been on the right side for businesses, especially agriculture which benefits Nebraska and Omaha. Looking ahead, Goss said, Obamas environmental policies could be negative for Nebraskas economy, likely making electricity from coal more expensive, slowing the growth of ethanol production and possibly hurting farmers by expanding federal control over water in the state. People may want cleaner air and water, he said, but they would have to pay for it, which means spending less elsewhere. A comparison of some key economic indicators during Obamas time in office showed gains in employment and a 4 percent increase in the metro areas population. But the median home sale price has dropped nearly $10,000, and Goss recent surveys of purchasing managers indicate economic decline, not growth. Still, Thompson, the UNL economist, said Omaha and Nebraska didnt suffer as much during the 2007-09 recession as the rest of the country largely because agriculture, its foremost industry, was doing well. The citys housing market and mortgage lenders werent out of control, Thompson said, so prices did not catastrophically collapse as they did in some areas. But Omaha did suffer a recession, he said, with job losses and a construction industry still short of workers who found other jobs when home-building faltered. Thompson said economic policy can influence the rate and strength of a recovery. Obama continued the economic stimulus program that began under the George W. Bush administration, for example. Policies that would hurt a recovery include sharp increases in taxes and stifling government regulations, Thompson said. There was some tax increase which occurred, and most economists expect that would slow the growth at least somewhat. An expansion of the regulatory burden, that typically is thought to slow growth on the margins of the economy. Obviously there are arguments about the Affordable Care Act and how that influences employment, Thompson said, and whether it discourages job creation and gives employers incentives to keep workers in part-time status. Some would argue that the (Obama) policies kept the recovery from being stronger than it might have been, Thompson said. Others might argue that while those policies may have discouraged growth somewhat, they certainly did not derail growth and economic recovery. And some might argue that these policies are beneficial for society and didnt end up reducing the recovery all that much, and therefore were appropriate. Omahas growth since the bottom of the recession has not been as strong as some other areas, he said. But we didnt bounce back as much as some other places because we didnt fall as far in the first place. He said the overall economic impact of Obamas policies is uncertain. Some would argue that weve had a slow recovery, but on the other hand, theres evidence that recessions that were generated by financial collapses often have slower recoveries, Thompson said. We dont know if the slower recovery was due to the policies or due to the nature of the recession. It can be difficult to sort that out. The University of Nebraska had the outlook for its creditworthiness slightly downgraded last week, after Standard & Poors said NUs funding level no longer justifies the highest ranking. New York-based S&P, which researches the creditworthiness of corporations and governments that sell bonds to investors, lowered the outlook for the system from positive to stable. The revision, in S&Ps rating lexicon, means the systems long-term credit rating of AA the second-highest rating that denotes strong ability to meet financial obligations is unlikely to change in the next two years. That represents a small downgrade from positive, which means the long-term credit rating might move up within two years. The long-term issuer rating of AA differs from the highest A rating to only a small degree, S&P said. We revised the outlook to stable because while the university system and the University of Nebraska Medical Center continue to produce strong operating results, the systems available resource ratios have not grown in line with the higher rating, and planned debt issuance will most likely prevent additional growth in this ratio during our outlook period, said Standard & Poors credit analyst Jessica Wood, of the companys Chicago office. In the world of public education, available resources refers to contributions from the state budget, operating revenue and income, gifts, investment gains and all other financial wherewithal. The creditworthiness of government bond issuers is of paramount importance to investors who buy bonds, the source of the capital college systems rely on for construction campaigns and facilities upgrades. We assessed UNs enterprise profile as very strong, characterized by large and growing enrollment across all campuses, a good demand profile, with moderate selectivity and robust matriculation rates for the rating, and solid fundraising and research, S&P said. The state provides solid support for the systems debt by providing about $12 million per annum toward debt service payments, which equates to roughly 10 percent of the systems total annual debt service payments. But plans to sell more bonds in coming years, S&P said, precludes the maintenance of the positive outlook at current levels of funding. The University of Nebraska system is made up of the three four-year campuses Lincoln, Omaha and Kearney and the medical center in Omaha. It is one of the largest enterprises in the state, with a 2015-16 operating budget of about $2.5 billion in both expenses and funding from all sources. Contact the writer: 402-444-3197, russell.hubbard@owh.com A lifetime ago a lifetime for him, anyway Jeremy Garner shoved his 83-year-old neighbor down the stairs, then killed her by beating her with two canes, a rock and several cans of food. For that 1998 crime, Garner, then 15, now 33, originally was sentenced to life in prison. Monday, he learned that hell get a new chance at life outside prison walls perhaps by the age of 49 and no later than his 60th birthday. Douglas County District Judge Thomas Otepka sentenced Garner, who already has served 17 years, to 60 to 80 years in prison for first-degree murder. Add his original sentences for using a weapon and false imprisonment and Garners total is 67 to 90 years. The term, which is cut in half under state law, means Garner will be eligible for parole when hes 49; absent parole, hell be released when he is 60. Were not here because of a change in the facts of the case, Otepka said. Were here because of a change in the law. Garner is the sixth of 27 Nebraska juvenile lifers to be resentenced. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down automatic life terms for juveniles ruling that judges must have the option of sentencing juveniles to a range of years. The decision, based on science that says adolescents arent fully able to comprehend consequences of their actions, didnt rule out a life sentence. It just said judges must have the option of something less. Garners attorney, Douglas County Public Defender Tom Riley, said Garner clearly fit the guidelines of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling. At the time of Leus killing, Garner had an IQ in the 60s borderline mentally retarded and roughly the equivalent of a third-grader. He grew up in a home with parents who were both disabled, Riley said. He spent three years in first grade and had a hard time putting his shoes on the right feet. It does sully his ability to resist impulse and to think through a process of, How do you handle anger? How do you handle frustration? Riley said. Riley acknowledged to the judge that it was completely perplexing that ... the person who incurs his wrath is the person who was gentle and caring to him. Its mind-boggling, Riley said. I dont think anyone can explain it, including Mr. Garner. Leu, 83, had been nothing but kind to Garner and to other neighborhood children. Neighbors remembered her for always having a hearty wave and being willing to hire neighborhood children for odd jobs. She often hired Garner to mow the lawn and clean her bathroom. She baked cookies for the families of Garner and other neighborhood children. Leu had lived in the impeccably kept house at 3374 Curtis Ave. from the 1940s until the killing on March 28, 1998, prosecutor Katie Benson said. That day, Garner had confronted Leu in part because she had blamed another neighborhood child for a break-in at her house. Garner also was seeking more money for the chores he was doing. According to Benson, the deputy Douglas County attorney: Garner shoved Leu down the stairs of her home. As she lay on the floor, Garner put plastic bags over his clothes and then searched for a murder weapon. He first tried a walking cane but soon figured out it wasnt strong enough. He then got another cane and beat her. He slammed her with a rock and several cans of food. He retrieved a gas can but ultimately decided against setting her afire. After killing Leu, he took her jewelry box, her wallet and a radio. Benson noted that Garner acted alone and with premeditation, unlike other defendants who have been resentenced for crimes committed as juveniles. This was done under his control, Benson said. He thought about it. ... Its clear what his intent was. These facts warrant a severe sentence. About eight family members showed up in support of Garner. Four of Leus family members sat behind Benson. Ive read about this wonderful, innocent victim from her family, Judge Otepka said. The feelings (theyve) expressed are understandable. All I can say is, Im very sorry for your loss. Leus family members quietly wiped away tears as Benson recounted the crime. Son Don Leus eyes were red-rimmed as Benson noted that he found his mother that day 18 years ago. At Garners original sentencing, Don Leu had said: I dont know if I can forgive him, but I will work on it every day. Monday, he declined to comment. Im sorry, he said outside court, holding back tears. Its just too hard. The ISIS has objected to MRM's call and asked RSS whether it "believed" in the Constitution of India and the national flag. (Photo: PTI) Lucknow: An RSS affiliate's advice to madrasas to hoist the national flag on campuses on Republic Day has drawn criticism from prominent Islamic seminary Darul-uloom-Deoband, prompting the Muslim Rashtriya Manch to clarify it never doubted the patriotism of these institutions. The Islamic seminary has objected to the MRM's call and asked the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) whether it "believed" in the Constitution of India and the national flag. Ashraf Usmani, press secretary of the seminary said though the decision to unfurl the national flag was the individual choice of madrasas, almost all of them hoist it and celebrate Independence and Republic days. Hitting out at RSS, Usmani wanted to know the Sangh's contribution to the national freedom struggle in which he said madrasas had played an important role. "It (RSS) only worships the saffron flag. First it should hoist tricolour at its headquarters and other offices and only the it should talk about madrasas," he said. Meanwhile, the Muslim Rashtriya Manch has clarified its intention behind the campaign was not to test or doubt the patriotism of the religious educational institutions. "We have been appealing the madrassas to hoist national flag on January 26 and August 15 for the last five years," national convenor of MRM Mohammad Afzal said. "Since this time our government is at the Centre, we are planning to organise the event on a large scale, but this doesn't mean that the Manch has any doubt about the patriotism of madarasas or wants to target them through this campaign," he said. Afzal said all citizens should hoist the tricolour on important national events. "MRM workers will hoist flag at madrasas in their areas on January 26. Being a Muslim we will talk about madrasas. Muslims love their motherland and salute the tricolour," he said. Alex Diazs first look at Love Librarys new learning commons came from a Snapchat. Friends flooded his phone Monday with pictures and videos of a wide-open seating area, floor-to-ceiling glass windows and, most notably, a Dunkin Donuts. Diaz, a senior social science major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, decided to see it for himself. Nancy Busch, UNLs dean of libraries, said Diazs experience isnt isolated. Word spread quickly after the 7:30 a.m. opening, she said. By 9:30 you could feel there was a buzz, Busch said. We felt we had a hit on our hands. Monday, UNL officials publicly unveiled the $10 million renovation that transformed the first floor of Love Library North into the 30,000-square-foot Adele Hall Learning Commons. Busch said she hopes students find something new and useful inside. The 18 private study rooms, which can be reserved online, feature smart TVs and wall-to-wall whiteboards available for group projects or work sessions between professors and students. The renovated space features a variety of seating from tables to couches, most of which face or are near glass walls that surround the first floor. A Dunkin Donuts is located in the north part. Diaz and his friend, UNL junior Herson Ponce, liked the doughnut shop mostly for the variety that it adds to the Nebraska Union food court on campus. The learning commons is open 24/7, although after 1 a.m. students must swipe a campus ID card to enter. The project was primarily funded through $7 million in private donations. An undisclosed gift was made through the family of Donald J. Hall, chairman of Hallmark Cards. The donation was in memory of his wife, Adele Hall, who graduated from UNL in 1953. Busch said the project sprang from a desire to improve the purpose of the universitys public library. The project was about recapturing space, Busch said. And now its a different kind of space a collaborative space. Busch said students and faculty needed digital workspaces and areas to collaborate, instead of a room stuffed with rows of books. Many universities across the United States are making similar shifts as they provide for current students and try to attract prospective ones, too. But theres more to be done at UNL. In the librarys southeast corner, work is ongoing on the Digital Learning Center. Busch said the room is slated to have about 200 computers available for supplementary classwork and as a digital testing center. Work also is underway on a two-story glass box that serves as an entry between the outdoor plaza and the learning commons. But Busch said its time to hand over the reins of the new space to the UNL community. Were looking forward to seeing how they make it their own, Busch said. We want to see them make it functional. LINCOLN - The Nebraska Library Commission recently awarded $30,000 in Children's Grants for Excellence to Nebraska public libraries. Of the grants awarded, several addressed the need for specialized computer workstations for children, while others will use tools to encourage creativity in young people. Libraries received funding to implement science programs to encourage young inquiring minds, as well as to offer special reading and storytelling programs. The Nebraska Library Commission congratulates the public libraries listed below as they develop new and innovative programs to ensure excellence in library service for Nebraska young people: Bellevue Public Library Central City Public Library Columbus Public Library Dodge, John Rogers Memorial Library Fremont, Keene Memorial Library Genoa Public Library Kimball Public Library La Vista Public Library Lexington Public Library Louisville Public Library Mead Public Library Morrill Public Library Nebraska City, Morton-James Public Library Papillion, Sump Memorial Library Plattsmouth Public Library Lied Randolph Public Library Ravenna Public Library Seward Memorial Library Superior Public Library Lied Tekamah Public Library Valley Public Library Yutan Public Library Firefighters from eight towns battled a stubborn house fire late Monday northeast of Council Bluffs in Harrison County. No injuries and no fatalities were reported in the blaze that began around 11:40 p.m. in stiff winds and temperatures in the upper teens, Harrison County emergency 911 dispatchers said. The fire was confined to a single house in Persia, which is about six miles north of Interstate 80 along Iowa Highway 191. Dispatchers said the home was a "total loss.'' Firefighters, including two units from Pottawattamie County, were still on the scene in Persia almost four hours after the blaze was reported, dispatchers said. DES MOINES (AP) Iowa lawmakers convened Monday for the 2016 legislative session with a fight looming over how much additional funding to provide to schools in a year with limited new dollars available. Now that legislators in the Republican-majority House and Democratic-controlled Senate have gaveled in, Gov. Terry Branstad will unveil his budget today during his Condition of the State address. The Republican governor said Monday that he would seek a 2.45 percent increase to basic state aid for schools for the 2016-2017 school year. He said the spending increase combined with new money for a teacher leadership program would cost $145 million in the next fiscal year. My message is that we should not spend the whole session fighting. We should instead reach a reasonable consensus on supplemental state aid, Branstad said. Schools, they really want to know how much. Still, it may be tough to resolve the issue quickly though lawmakers agree that it is a top concern as the percentage increase is less than Senate Democrats want to spend and more than House Republicans will support. We didnt think it was adequate last year. We still dont think its adequate, said Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs. House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, said that even funding a smaller increase is going to be a challenge. She said she looked forward to seeing Branstads budget to see if theres an opportunity, but the caucus remains absolutely steadfast in not spending more than we take in. Tensions have been high since last summer when Branstad vetoed several budget compromises negotiated by lawmakers. The governor slashed some one-time education spending, saying he could not support one-time money for ongoing operating expenses. He also axed a deal to keep two mental health institutions open. The vetoes drew criticism from Democrats and Republicans. Monday marked the first session for Upmeyer as speaker the first woman to serve in that role. She said she hoped that her election shows young women and others that opportunities abound. The session is scheduled to wrap up April 19, when daily payments for lawmakers end, though the process could conclude before or after that date. LINCOLN State lawmakers have once again rejected a proposal to end the use of secret ballots when deciding leadership positions in the Legislature. Senators voted 17-30 on a proposal Monday from State Sen. Bill Kintner of Papillion to make public votes for speaker and committee chairs. Kintner offered the proposal Monday as an amendment to the Legislatures rules, saying it would improve the institutions level of transparency. Nobody can defend secret ballots, Kintner said. Other senators, however, argued that secret ballots fit with the Legislatures nonpartisan tradition by lessening the potential influence of political parties to elect leaders based on party affiliation. Defenders also said that publishing the votes could lead to hard feelings among some of the 49 senators. Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha, a registered independent, said he thinks the proposal is motivated by the Nebraska Republican Party wanting to bring its members into line. There is a difference between transparency and busybodyness, Chambers said. The Republican Party has long pushed for public leadership votes and has called on party members to support only Republicans running for leadership positions. Because elections are done by secret ballot, the party cannot identify which lawmakers voted for Democrats or independents. Last year, lawmakers twice rejected Kintners attempts to end secret ballots, both as a proposed amendment to the rules and a legislative bill. Last week, the Legislatures Rules Committee declined to advance Kintners proposal, which prompted him to file Mondays amendment. After Mondays vote, Kintner said he hasnt yet decided whether to introduce a bill this session to end secret ballots. But he predicted that over time, the idea will gain support and eventually be adopted by a majority of senators. Contact the writer: 402-473-9587, joe.duggan@owh.com * * * Additional information on the Legislature LINCOLN Quick, how many amendments does the U.S. Constitution have? What is the economic system in the United States? Who is the commander in chief of the military? What is the name of the speaker of the House of Representatives? Why does the flag have 50 stars? Stumped? Youre not alone. Whether its in formal studies or man-on-the-street interviews by late-night television hosts, large numbers of Americans cant answer basic questions about their government and how it operates. State Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha, a military veteran, wants to change that situation in Nebraska. He introduced a bill Monday that would require Nebraska students to pass an American civics test before they could graduate from high school. Legislative Bill 868 would require that students be tested using questions drawn from the naturalization test given to people seeking citizenship in the United States. Students would have to correctly answer at least 70 percent of the questions before they could graduate. But they would be allowed to take the test multiple times, starting in ninth grade. The requirement would begin for students graduating during the 2019-20 school year. Krist said the proposal is part of a national Civics Education Initiative, launched by the Arizona-based Joe Foss Institute. The initiatives goal is to get similar legislation passed in all 50 states by the 230th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution in September 2017. Nine states have passed the legislation so far, according to the Joe Foss Institute Arizona, Utah, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, South Carolina, Louisiana and Wisconsin. Legislation was introduced in Iowa last year. But the bill was scrapped amid concerns it would duplicate an existing requirement for students to take a government course to graduate. Lawmakers also raised concerns that it would be an unfunded mandate for schools. Sen. Rick Kolowski of Omaha, a former high school principal, had some of the same concerns about LB 868. Nebraska students now have to take an American government class to graduate, he said. He questioned whether the proposed test would be redundant and who would pick up the costs. This fall, a trio of Elm Creek students tried the proposed test on some 200 juniors and seniors. Freshmen Audrey Worthing, Sydney Hubbard and Anna Hoffman found that 83 percent of those tested could not pass. Would-be U.S. citizens have to answer 60 percent of the questions correctly. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, 92 percent of them do, at least after studying the issues. (Here are the answers to the questions posed earlier: 27 amendments, capitalist or market economy, the president, Speaker Paul Ryan, a star for each of the 50 states.) Among other bills introduced Monday: Longevity raises for state workers. All state employees would receive automatic pay bumps for job loyalty under LB 896, introduced by Sen. Matt Hansen of Lincoln. The raises would start at 6 cents per hour on the fifth anniversary and would increase by 6 cents on each subsequent five-year anniversary. University building funds. The state would double to $22 million the amount it spends annually to help the University of Nebraska renovate and replace aging buildings under LB 858, introduced by Speaker of the Legislature Galen Hadley of Kearney. The annual appropriations would be made through the middle of 2029 for a total of $242 million, which would be matched by NU using revenue from a 1 percent tuition increase. Presidential primary. Sen. John Murante of Gretna wants Nebraska to gain relevance during presidential primary season. His LB 871 would require the state to hold presidential primary elections in early March instead of May, when, in most years, the primary winners have already been decided. Elect judges. Sen. Dave Bloomfield of Hoskins sponsored Legislative Resolution 398 CA, a proposal to amend the Nebraska Constitution and allow election of judges. Under Nebraskas merit system, a judicial nominating commission selects several finalists for a vacancy and the governor makes the appointment. Incentive for volunteer emergency responders. Volunteer firefighters and rescue crew members could qualify for a $250 annual credit against what they owe in state income taxes under LB 886, introduced by Sen. Al Davis of Hyannis. School readiness tax credit. LB 889, introduced by Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha, seeks to address the high cost of child care while improving access to early childhood programs during a childs first five years. The bill would provide tax breaks to parents, early childhood programs, early childhood workers and businesses that support and employ families of preschool children. Motorcycle helmets optional. Bloomfield will make his annual attempt to repeal Nebraskas mandatory helmet law with LB 900. The bill also proposes creating a trust fund for motorcycle safety and brain injury by charging an additional $19 for motorcycle registration. Juvenile justice. Lincoln Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks introduced two bills aimed at improving juvenile court outcomes in Nebraska. LB 893 would exempt children under the age of 11 from criminal prosecution. LB 894 would provide for court-appointed attorneys for children in juvenile court. World-Herald staff writer Joe Duggan contributed to this report. Contact the writer: 402-473-9583, martha.stoddard@owh.com * * * Additional information on the Legislature It was a typical post-holidays Monday in the Old Market, except for a steady trickle of sightseers drawn to the spectacle of an ice castle at the districts landmark intersection. Yellow and black police tape stretched across streets and parking meters to keep sightseers safely away from the ruins of a four-story brick building at 11th and Howard Streets that housed Ms Pub, Nouvelle Eve and apartments. Still, many came to gawk and record the scene on cameras and smartphones and to eat lunch or purchase a treat. Unlike normal days, no cars or delivery trucks crawled through the now-blocked intersection, but foot traffic gave dozens of shops and restaurants renewed traction after Saturdays blaze rocked the district. Few businesses were closed. Vlasis Pergakis, a baker at Cupcake Omaha, said customers at his shop, which is diagonally across the street from the burned-out corner, have been generous and encouraging. Cupcake Omaha was not damaged in the blaze. Everybody has been coming in and getting something to support the Old Market, he said. Were baking away and hanging in there. Its a wonderful family here in Omaha that supports each other. One customer, Cheryl Hawkins of Omaha, ran an errand to the downtown post office and stopped at the Old Market to see the destruction firsthand. She purchased a chocolate mousse tart at Cupcake Omaha and then stepped outside to survey the damage with a dozen others standing on the corner under a canopy. I just feel really bad for the people who lost their homes and the people who will be out of work because their business is gone, she said. Down the street, Kristina Vakoc, assistant manager at Overland Sheepskin Co., stood outside the clothing businesss wide-open 12-foot-wide doorway and surveyed the neighborhood. Business was as slow as any other January Monday, she said. Were not concerned about business today, she said. Were just here to make sure everything is OK and air out the building. Vakoc said the inventory of coats and jackets emerged from the weekend in good shape. Employees had sealed off the stores doors with plastic and carried goods to the rear of the building. Mike Pivonka, owner of the Old Market Candy Shop two doors down, sold a butterscotch caramel patty and a peanut butter smore to a couple while juggling a telephone and telling a caller that it would be best to park on nearby 10th Street when coming to the shop. Its hard for people to get around when theyre used to driving straight up and down Howard Street, Pivonka said. But then we see a lot of gawkers driving around day and night trying to get a view of the damage. Eric Snover, a manager at Zios Pizzeria, said the lunch crowd was typical and maybe a little better than usual. It hasnt hurt us today at all, Stover said. We stayed closed Sunday so our customers wouldnt get in the way of the firefighters. It was much the same a few doors east at the Spaghetti Works restaurant, manager Gary Krebs said. Many diners sat along the north wall with front-row views of the ice-encrusted building. A block south of the burned-out corner, a typical lunchtime crowd of upward of 120 people filled the Upstream, said Gabe Butler, assistant general manager. The Upstream provided free coffee for police officers and firefighters monitoring the site. The owner of the five-story brick structure adjoining the west side of the Ms Pub building expressed thanks over his good fortune. John Feddin, whose building houses City Limits, Tea Smith, Billy Froggs, Stokes Grill and Bar and upper-floor apartments, said his structure came through the blaze relatively unscathed. Some basements, however, were flooded by 3 or 4 feet of water from fire hoses directed at Ms Pub for roughly 40 hours. Sisters Abbey and Delaney VanLangen of City Limits sat at the sidewalk window on Howard Street and ate a late lunch while watching people walk to and from the fire site a half a block from their shop. Were open for business and keeping the integrity of the Old Market, said Abbey, the stores manager. The Old Markets still here. Delaney, a sales clerk, said the shops east wall, which abuts the Niche furniture store, was reinforced several years ago during a renovation project. She credited the work with keeping smoke and water damage out of their store. Niche sustained extensive water damage. Icicles hung inside the window. Jill Van Horn of Council Bluffs stood outside Spaghetti Works and took about six pictures with her tablet to send to a former Omahan in New York City. Van Horn worked as a hostess at Ms Pub about three decades ago. Maybe they can rebuild, but its never going to be the same bricks or heritage that it was, she said. A half a block away, Anthony Ciliento of Alexandria, Virginia, scraped a thick layer of ice off the windows of his rented Jeep Grand Cherokee parked on 11th Street across from Ms Pub. He had stopped in the Old Market for a salad Saturday afternoon at Zios when the fire erupted. Fire and rescue vehicles trapped his Jeep, and he was unable to move it for 48 hours. Ciliento, in Omaha on business, started the vehicle, rocked it out of its icing moorings and drove away. Pergakis, the baker at Cupcake Omaha, said he considers the intersection of 11th and Howard to be the heart of Omaha. We need this corner to get back to usual as soon as possible, he said. Its the most magical spot in Nebraska. World-Herald staff writers Kevin Cole and Jay Withrow contributed to this report. Contact the writer: 402-444-1127, david.hendee@owh.com Correction: Mike Pivonka's name was misspelled in a previous version of this story. The Sydney to host guest bartenders from M's Bartenders from Ms Pub will be guest bartending at The Sydney in Benson for one night later this month. Proceeds from the event will go to displaced staff from the Old Market restaurant. Heather Tedesco, the manager of The Sydney, said lots of Sydney regulars work at Ms she even worked there for a short time and she wanted to do something to help. She said so far, the outpouring of community support for the event has been amazing. "The Old Market is the best of Omaha," she said. "I wanted to do something for my friends." The event takes place Jan. 29 starting at noon and will include a silent auction followed by karaoke. People who would like to donate to the silent auction can email thesydneybenson@gmail.com. ******** Crowdfunding for Old Market employees A crowdfunding page has been set up to raise money for displaced Old Market employees. As of early Monday evening, it had raised nearly $5,000. A second crowdfunding page has set up to specifically raise money for employees of Ms Pub. The page had raised had raised more than $1,000 as of Monday evening. *********** Job fair for displaced employees Jake Gardner, owner of the Hive, downtown at 1207 Harney St., and part owner of The Market House, will have a job fair Sunday for employees displaced from their jobs at Ms Pub, The Market House and Nouvelle Eve. Gardner said 30 to 50 businesses will be doing on-the-spot interviews. The event, which is open only to displaced employees of the businesses affected by the fire, will take place at the Hive from 2 to 5 p.m. ************* Housing option for displaced residents The Seldin Company is offering housing at its downtown properties for displaced Old Market residents. The real estate company posted on social media that its waiving application fees and deposits for the month of January for anyone displaced by the fire. People who sign a year lease will receive one month free; those looking for a short-term option can sign a three-month lease with no short-term fees, no deposit and no application fees. For more information, affected residents can call 402-332-9017. The last time Barack Obama came to speak in Omaha, he turned the city into Obamaha charging up a huge crowd in his 2008 presidential campaign with a soaring message of hope and change. His return trip as president Wednesday figures to have a different feel, tempered by the realities that inevitably come with actual governing. The change he has delivered during seven years in office has its critics. And even most of his strongest supporters would probably acknowledge that theyre not as hopeful as they were that day. The man who spoke of unity in Omaha in 2008 now confronts a Congress and nation that may be even more polarized. The man who talked of ending the Iraq War has found that getting out of the Middle East quagmire isnt so simple. And the man who ultimately achieved the signature domestic goal he talked about that day passage of a bill to expand health care coverage still finds himself defending it in the face of criticism. All you have to do is look at how gray his hair is, Creighton University law professor Michael J. Kelly said of Obamas trials. In many ways, hes a victim of his own expectations, Kelly said. From a foreign policy perspective, which is what I teach, he inherited quite a mess, and I think he knew that going in. But I dont think he appreciated the reality of dealing with it. Despite the challenges and criticism Obama has faced, the president will no doubt again receive a rousing Nebraska welcome at the University of Nebraska at Omahas Baxter Arena, his first public appearance after tonights State of the Union address. Obama clearly still has the ability to fire up his Democratic base, as evidenced by how quickly the 8,000 tickets were gobbled up over the weekend. John Cavanaugh, a former Omaha congressman whose roots in Democratic politics here go back half a century, still recalls Obamas 2008 appearance as the greatest political rally hes ever seen in the city. While the buzz might be different this time, Cavanaugh said Obamas supporters here respect his service and accomplishments, the most important of which is helping the nation climb out of the biggest economic malaise since the Great Depression. The euphoria couldnt last and hasnt lasted, Cavanaugh said. But I think it will be a celebration. Theres a real reservoir of respect and affection for the president. Lee Terry, a Republican who also formerly represented Omaha in Congress, won re-election in 2008 even as Obama carried his district. Terry said he was hopeful at the time that Republicans and the new president could work together. But it didnt happen. In fact, Terry said, Obamas actions as president have only widened the political gulf. Theres no red states, theres no blue states, were just the United States of America I love that line, Terry said, recalling Obamas 2008 victory speech. It just didnt turn out to be true. Obama came to Omaha on Feb. 7, 2008, as a political force of nature. Going into the 2008 campaign, many had conceded the Democratic nomination to Hillary Clinton. But Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois, was nearly matching her delegate for delegate in the first two dozen primary states. Obama flew to Omaha to directly compete for delegates in Nebraskas first-ever Democratic caucuses. An overflow crowd of some 10,000 filled the Civic Auditorium and chanted Yes We Can! Days later, Obama swept to victory over Clinton in the caucuses. The victory and wins in several other states that day propelled Obama to the front and ultimately to the nomination. On Election Day, Obama turned Nebraska purple. Though John McCain carried Nebraska, Obama won an electoral vote in the Omaha-based 2nd District. Midlands Democrats joined those across the country in flocking to Washington to watch the inauguration of the nations first African-American president. Now, Obama stands poised to deliver his final State of the Union. While the president is likely to lay out a litany of policy goals, his lame-duck status realistically leaves him little room to accomplish them. At the same time, the pundits, the partisans and the historians are already beginning to assess his legacy. Obama certainly didnt change the tone of discourse in Washington. After years of political strife under President George W. Bush, Obama represented a chance for a fresh start. But it was probably naive for anyone to think political divisions would simply fade, said Dennis Goldford, a Drake University political scientist. It remains significant that the nation elected its first African-American president, he said. But did that solve all sorts of problems and create peace and harmony? No, Goldford said. Appropriately enough, Obama supporters and opponents blame each other for the escalation of the nations political wars. Rick Mullin, a retired Sioux City, Iowa, businessman, remembers standing with 2 million others on the National Mall for Obamas inauguration, so cold they couldnt feel their feet but celebrating and hugging one another all the same. We really felt that the Bush era the wars, the bitterness would hopefully be over with, Mullin said. We really thought that there was a big chance of real change in America. Obama did accomplish much, Mullin said, and would have done much more had Republicans not worked from the beginning to attack and thwart the president at every turn. I dont think any of us realized the depth of that kind of ruthlessness that they were going to exhibit and practice on a daily basis, he said. Terry counters that it was Obama who slammed the door on dialogue with Republicans, offering as Exhibit A the economic stimulus package the president proposed during his first days. Terry recalled Obama coming to Congress to meet with Republicans about his stimulus proposal. Terry took it as a sign the president wanted to govern on a bipartisan basis. But once he was in the room, Terry said, Obamas message was that he had won the election and Republicans needed to just line up behind whatever he wanted. That was the first big step toward a bad relationship, Terry said. Despite the political divide, Obama will leave the nation a much different place when it comes to health care, educational policy, race relations and gay rights, said John Hibbing, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln political scientist. Hes a polarizing figure that actually did a surprising amount substantively, which some people may agree with and some not, Hibbing said. Its pretty startling he did as much as he did. Nearly all agree that Obamacare will stand as the presidents signature domestic accomplishment. Democrats credit the health care law for lifting millions of Americans out of the ranks of the uninsured. Republicans continue to attack the law as a big-government reach and for the first time recently sent a repeal bill to Obamas desk for his veto. While the ultimate fate of the law may rest on who wins the 2016 election, more popular aspects of the law including the bar on insurance companies refusing to cover pre-existing conditions and a provision allowing young adults to stay on their parents insurance plans are sure to live on, Hibbing said. Theres also a mix of opinion when it comes to Obamas foreign policy. The nation was war-weary when Obama took office, and he followed through on Bushs plans to wind down U.S. troop deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama also is the president who finally got Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. But the nation now faces a serious new terrorism threat in the Middle East in the form of the Islamic State. Kelly and Tom Gouttierre, director emeritus of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, say its passing the buck to blame Obama alone for the rise of Islamic State. The terrorist group, they said, has its roots in Bushs decision to invade Iraq, because the Islamic State rose from the ranks of Sunni military leaders ousted from that country. But they said Obama was also slow to recognize how serious the Islamic State threat was. Kelly said Obama surely now regrets his 2014 comments likening the Islamic State to a JV team. When Bush invaded Iraq, he opened up Pandoras box in the Middle East, Kelly said. President Obama maybe naively thought he could put the lid back on. Over the last seven years, the box has disintegrated. There is no box to put Pandora back in. Former Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., who served for two years as Obamas defense secretary, said Monday that it takes history many years to accurately reflect presidential legacies, so any assessment of Obamas is bound to be premature. But Hagel also said Obama faced more problems on day one than any president since World War II and possibly any in the last hundred years. This president inherited two wars, the largest global financial disaster since the Great Depression, Hagel said. Gouttierre credits Obama for engaging with Iran, a move he says will ultimately be critical to any hopes of ending strife in the Middle East. Gouttierre and Kelly also cited the reopening of relations with Cuba as an Obama foreign policy accomplishment thats likely to stand the test of time. It was long overdue, and he had the guts to do it, Gouttierre said. Randall Adkins, a UNO political scientist, said Obamas supporters in 2008 believed he would be another great Democratic president such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt or Lyndon Johnson. Adkins said they most likely wont realize those hopes, largely because their expectations did not recognize the reality of divided government. Perhaps the best evidence that Obama has lost some of his 2008 luster in Omaha came in 2012. Republican nominee Mitt Romney bested the president in the 2nd District despite Obamas easy re-election victory on the national level. Still, Hibbing said no one should have expected the Obama presidency to match the rhetoric of 2008. Hibbing noted the words of former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo: You campaign in poetry, but you govern in prose. I dont criticize him all that much for not living up to the flowery rhetoric, Hibbing said. Thats simply the politics of campaigning vs. governing. Contact the writer: 402-444-1130, henry.cordes@owh.com He was responding to questions when reporters asked him about possible alliance partners in polls for his party.(Photo: PTI) Kanpur: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said his party would contest the 2017 Assembly polls in the state alone. "Samajwadi Party will fight the next Assembly election in the state alone," he said when reporters asked him about possible alliance partners in the polls for his party. Yadav, who was at the Green Park Stadium here to attend a ceremony to welcome the 'Asha Yatra' - from Kanyakumari to Kashmir - of spiritual guru Sri M or Mumtaz Ali Khan, said as CM he is of no one party and works for development of all. Without naming any individual or party Yadav said those who are raking up the Ram Temple issue ahead of the 2017 polls are "polluting" the atmosphere of the country and the state. "Anything beyond limit is wrong and is considered as pollution. Which party is spreading pollution in the state or in the country? You know it better than I do. Catch them and ask them," he told media persons when asked about the issue. He said his party is busy in completing developmental works like making available ambulance services, metro project, new roads etc, which benefit all, irrespective of party. Welcoming the spiritual guru and his 'Asha Yatra', the Chief Minister said the country today needs people like Sri M to ensure an atmosphere of peace and brotherhood. "The 'Ganga-Jamuni mahaul' of Uttar Pradesh welcomes all in the state. Sri M has embarked on this journey with the message of peace and brotherhood. Hence, being the head of the government I am welcoming and congratulating him and his team," Yadav said. Earlier SP workers tried to make it into the Stadium to take part in the event and police had to lathi-charge them to stop them. Some journalists were also hit in the lathi-charge. The Chief Minister also spoke of pollution in the river Ganga and said earlier its water never needed to be cleaned but it's no longer so. "Look at Delhi. The pollution there is so high they have to resort to odd-even (road-rationing scheme). Supreme Court has to tell what should be the permissible limit of noise. All these are happening due to us. We all need to work to fix this," he said. The frozen shell of the Ms Pub building might not survive the fire that ravaged it and the ice that encases it, but the owner is determined to rebuild the Old Market institution. Meanwhile, investigators are waiting for the building to be stabilized before they can go in and try to determine what caused Saturdays explosion and fire. Omahans were still reeling Monday as they saw the aftermath at the northwest corner of 11th and Howard Streets. Fire Chief Bernie Kanger said it took about 60 firefighters roughly nine hours to get the fire under control. And questions remained about the events leading up to the fire, including why nearby construction workers dont appear to have reported a gas leak before the explosion and why MUD didnt shut off the gas for more than an hour after workers arrived on scene. The most damage occurred in the Ms Pub building, where the fire started. Kanger said the first floor and roof both collapsed. Mayor Jean Stothert described parts of that building as pretty much destroyed, though she said she hopes that some of the structure could be salvaged. She said at a Monday press conference that the building and restaurant owners have said they want to rebuild and reopen. She said everyone is hoping to save and rebuild the centerpiece of the Old Market. If the shell can be saved, that could happen within two years, she said. Mark Mercer, the buildings owner, emerged Monday morning from the office of Mercer Management, which is next to the restaurant he owns, La Buvette. Mercer, clad in a thin trench coat and looking weary, said he wouldnt know much about the building until the inspectors and experts tell us. Mercer and his wife, artist Vera Mercer, have lived on the top floor of the Ms Pub building for more than three decades. The couple are staying at a nearby hotel. The Mercer family was instrumental in developing the Old Market. Stothert, who met with the Mercer family Monday, said Mark Mercer asked her to convey his gratitude to the community for support. Before investigators can get into the building, it must be stabilized for safety, said Jay Davis, superintendent of permits and inspections. He said parts of 11th and Howard Streets will remain blocked off while that happens. Two main concerns are an awning and the north wall, which Davis said is essentially unsupported. Davis said its not certain that the building can be saved. He said if the weather freezes and thaws too quickly, that could further damage the structure. But he said hes hopeful. Certainly we dont want to see that building torn down, he said. Its kind of a signature for us. To the west of Ms Pub, another building that is the home of 12 condos also was damaged, though not as badly. City officials said fire inspectors were inside that building Monday, and they hope to allow residents to collect their things and assess damage by Friday. Kanger said the fire was fueled by gas and noted that there was a work crew near the building when the explosion happened just before 3 p.m. Saturday. He stopped short of linking a gas leak to the construction being performed by North Central Service of Bemidji, Minnesota, which was working for Kansas City-based Unite Private Networks on a fiber-optic project. Investigators were interviewing North Central Service employees Monday. Assistant Fire Chief Dan Olsen described the company as cooperative. Olsen asked for patience and said the investigation into the cause of the fire could take weeks or months. Olsen said it would probably involve hundreds of interviews and digging through four floors of rubble. Kanger said all evidence so far shows that the fire was most likely an accident. Even before Saturdays fire, Nebraska Public Service Commission members have been alarmed by the number of times that workers have hit underground gas and telecommunications lines, including 911 systems, Commissioner Crystal Rhoades said. She said the commission plans to vote at its regular meeting Jan. 20 to investigate the frequency of such incidents. These things are occurring at a really high rate, and its something the commission intends to investigate, she said. Rhoades said the goal is not to take punitive action, but to work with the state fire marshal to determine the cause of the service cuts and work to prevent them. City officials and others also offered more information Monday about what happened before, during and immediately after the fire. Bob Stubbe, Omahas public works director, said North Central Services nearby construction project was connected to Verizons plans to install small antennas on light posts in the Old Market. Unite Private Networks was putting in the fibers because of a request from Verizon for the fiber-optic network. Verizon uses the underground fiber to transmit data but does not install or own the fiber. Unite hired North Central Services to work on the installation. North Central didnt return calls from The World-Herald on Sunday or Monday. Unite Private Networks President Jason Adkins told The World-Herald that the fiber optics being installed were part of a fiber backbone, typically available for use by one or more customers. Adkins said he spoke Monday by phone with a city fire investigator, but Unite does not have any formal interviews scheduled with the Fire Department. Verizon spokeswoman Karen Smith said no Verizon employees were involved or present when the explosion happened. To Verizons knowledge, Smith said, the company had not been contacted about the investigation into the blast and fire. A different Verizon spokeswoman, Lynn Staggs, had previously told The World-Herald that the explosion and fire were not related to Verizon work. Smith said Monday that Staggs works in a different area of Verizon and wasnt able to track that down on Sunday. On Saturday afternoon, witnesses said, there was a strong smell of gas outside the building. It prompted Ms employees to evacuate. But Kanger, the fire chief, said there is no record of anyone calling 911 about natural gas before the fire. There were no calls for gas leaks or an odor of gas, Kanger said. There were absolutely no calls for a suspicious odor or gas. One neighbor disputed that in an interview with The World-Herald, saying she called 911 at 2:50 p.m. Saturday to report a gas odor. Thats about the same time that calls began coming in about the explosion and fire. Acting Douglas County 911 Director Mark Conrey released a list of what he said were the first four calls to 911 about the incident, which came in between 2:50 and 2:51 p.m. All reported a fire. One call came from a worker for North Central Service. He told the 911 operator that there had been an explosion at Ms Pub. He said he believed that a natural gas line had been hit, and he believed that there were going to be injuries. On Monday, a man who answered at the phone number used to call 911 declined to comment. Not to sound rude, but at this point, were not going to release any statements to the press in lieu of the investigation, said the man, who did not give his name. MUD workers arrived on the fire scene at 3:16 p.m., according to Kanger. The gas was shut off at 4:28 more than an hour later. When asked why it took so long for them to shut off the gas, Kanger referred questions to MUD. When further questioned, Olsen, the assistant chief, said that was an unusually long amount of time to wait for gas to be shut off. Tracey Christensen, a MUD spokeswoman, said by email, The investigation is ongoing and once it is completed we will issue an update that will include the information youre requesting. Kanger said while gas is flowing, its safer for firefighters if the fire continues. Otherwise, the gas continues builds up and might find another ignition point, he said. Kanger described the explosion and fire in bitterly cold conditions as the second-worst fire hes seen, after the Butternut building fire of 2004. One firefighter suffered a broken hand after slipping on ice. Firefighters took one Ms Pub employee to the hospital, and Kanger said other injured people went to the hospital on their own. Kanger said Ms had a working smoke detector but no sprinkler system, which was not required. The fact that there were no fatalities in this event is nothing short of a miracle, Kanger said. World-Herald staff writers Barbara Soderlin, Janice Podsada, Cindy Gonzalez and Sarah Baker Hansen contributed to this report. Contact the writer: 402-444-1084, roseann.moring@owh.com The husband, stepchildren and daughter of Kerrie Orozco, the Omaha police officer who was slain last year, are scheduled to meet with President Barack Obama during the presidents visit to Omaha on Wednesday. Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer contacted Rep. Brad Ashford, D-Neb., last week to see if he could arrange the meeting, Ashford said Tuesday. Ashfords office then contacted the White House, which set up the meeting between Obama and Hector Orozco and his children, Natalia, Santiago and Olivia Ruth. Hector Orozco hasnt been told many details, but was looking forward to talking with the president, said his attorney, Kristin Fearnow. Hector Orozco plans to hand the president a letter asking him to support the Kerrie Orozco Act. The bill, sponsored by Ashford, would speed the naturalization process for spouses, children and parents of first responders killed in the line of duty. Current law allows an individual with a green card to immediately apply for citizenship if a spouse was a member of the military who died while in service. Ashfords bill basically would offer first responders the same benefit. Ashford said Tuesday the bill already has co-sponsors, including Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb.; Rep. David Young, a Republican who represents southwest and central Iowa; and Rep. Mia Love, a Utah Republican. Wed like to get well over 100 cosponsors, Ashford said. Ashfords staff was helping Hector Orozco craft the letter. Obviously, with terrorism going on, first responders are at great risk, Ashford said. Hector Orozco came to the United States illegally in 1999 but has legal work status today, because of a visa issued in 2012. He was named a legal, permanent U.S. resident late last year, Fearnow said. Absent a change in U.S. law, he now must wait five years to apply for citizenship. The bill, Ashford said, is a real recognition of Kerrie Orozco, the sacrifice she made, and also the challenges of first responders who face this. Hector would have become a citizen in an expedited way had Kerrie lived, he said. Kerrie Orozco was 29 when she was shot and killed May 20 by a felon whom she and fellow fugitive task force officers were trying to arrest. The story attracted national attention, and police officers from across the country came to Omaha to attend her funeral and line the funeral procession to Council Bluffs. She was killed on her last day of work before taking the remainder of her maternity leave to spend with Olivia Ruth. Her daughter had been born prematurely and was ready to be released from the hospital. Natalia and Santiago are Hector Orozcos children from a previous marriage. The letter to the president also will express Hector Orozcos disappointment that the woman convicted of buying the gun that killed his wife was sentenced to one year probation instead of prison. In November, a federal judge in Atlanta sentenced Jalita Johnson, 26, to one year of probation for lying when she bought the gun in April.Prosecutors said Johnsons boyfriend, Marcus Wheeler, a felon, gave her money and told her what to buy. Wheeler, 26, fired nine rounds from the handgun. One shot struck Kerrie Orozco. Wheeler was killed when Sgt. Jeff Kopietz returned fire. In addition to the probation term, U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross sentenced Johnson to 40 hours of community service and 180 days of house arrest. Hector Orozco thinks Johnsons probation sentence is an affront to his wife, Omaha police and all police officers, Fearnow said. World-Herald staff writer Bob Glissmann contributed to this report. * * * More on President Obama's visit to Omaha Family and friends of Tech. Sgt. Joseph Lemm are planning a memorial tribute Saturday in his hometown of Beemer, Nebraska. Lemm, 45, was killed Dec. 21 by a suicide bomber along with five other U.S. service members while serving a tour with the New York Air National Guard in Afghanistan. In civilian life, he was a detective with the New York Police Department. Lemm spent most of his childhood in Beemer and graduated from high school there in 1989. His mother, Shirley, and other relatives still live in Beemer. The event is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. in the Beemer school gymnasium. The program will last for 60 to 90 minutes, Shirley Lemm said. Video tributes will be shown until 5 p.m. Parking will be available at the Beemer Ballroom, with a shuttle bus to carry people to and from the school. Shirley Lemm said her son joined the Air Force soon after his high school graduation but visited Nebraska frequently and remained a fan of Nebraska Cornhusker sports. This is where he started, and this is where his tribute will be, Lemm said. Joseph Lemm joined the NYPD in 2000 and helped search the rubble of the World Trade Center for the missing after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He lived in West Harrison, New York. A crowd that included hundreds of uniformed police officers, Mayor Bill deBlasio and Police Commissioner William Bratton memorialized Lemm Dec. 30 at St. Patricks Cathedral in New York. Lemms 4-year-old son, Ryan, memorably saluted his casket. Contact the writer: 402-444-1186, steve.liewer@owh.com LINCOLN Despite increased marketing of openings and attempts at better engaging workers in their jobs, the state prison system still has high worker turnover and large numbers of job vacancies. A recent report from the Nebraska Department of Corrections says the turnover rate in prison security and housing unit staff has risen to nearly 29 percent more than double what the agency says is considered healthy and normal and 10 percentage points higher than five years ago. Job vacancies in the department overall rose to 224 as of Sept. 30, compared with 190 as of March 31. And, while fewer workers were being ordered to work mandatory overtime, the corrections report said that was partly because of a change to 12-hour shifts at the Tecumseh State Prison following a prison riot there in May. Even so, corrections officers and other security staff work an average of 16 hours of overtime per week, the report said, and that although some employees seek out overtime pay, the demand for overtime must be reduced. State Corrections Director Scott Frakes, who was hired 11 months ago, said more work needs to be done to address the agencys manpower problems, but hes seeing daily improvement in the culture of the department. State Sen. Les Seiler of Hastings, who heads a special legislative committee investigating the Corrections Department, said the report was a sobering reminder that excessive overtime, unfilled jobs and turnover remain big problems. We have to stabilize the (prison) staff. Theres no doubt about that, Seiler said. In all honesty, weve got a big mess thats been there a long time. Even before the report was made public, state lawmakers had prepared legislation to address the workforce woes at Corrections. State Sen. Dan Watermeier of Syracuse, whose district includes the Tecumseh prison, introduced a bill last week to give the agency an additional $2.5 million for bonuses and other incentives to retain and recruit employees. Watermeier said a similar strategy worked in the past to reduce high turnover and overtime at the Beatrice State Developmental Center. Another bill introduced Monday, by Lincoln Sen. Matt Hansen and Watermeier, would authorize salary increases for longevity. It would apply to all state employees and provide about $125 a year in extra pay after an employee works five years. Such step increases were eliminated a few years ago, a move that union officials say has hurt retention of experienced workers at state prisons, state mental institutions and several other agencies. Its not just Corrections, said Mike Marvin, the head of the state employees union, the Nebraska Association of Public Employees/AFSCME Local 61. The agencys report, which was required by Legislative Bill 657, passed last year, stated that the Legislature in 1999 had ordered a special increase in Corrections salaries. But the report added that a recent study indicated that Nebraskas salaries for prison workers were not lower than comparable states. A shortage of experienced staff, high turnover and low morale due to the need to work mandatory overtime and cover for vacancies have plagued the agency, which also has struggled with overcrowded prisons and a scandal involving the mistaken early release of dozens of inmates. The workforce problems were cited in the wake of a deadly prison riot in May at the states highest-security prison in Tecumseh, where turnover was 36 percent last year. At least nine corrections officers quit following the riot at Tecumseh, in which two inmates were killed, a prison officer and caseworker were assaulted, and several prison staffers were trapped by rampaging inmates. Job turnover at Tecumseh had dropped by 3 percentage points over the previous year. Those statistics do not count employees who left that rural facility for other prisons in the state system. Union officials say such moves also are a problem. Frakes, in an interview, said the workforce problems at Tecumseh had improved by the fall, only to worsen in the past couple of months. He said some newly hired staff members had qualified for, and taken, transfers to other prisons. I want to see where that goes in January and February. I hope to restore my optimism, Frakes said. He said prison agencies nationwide are having trouble filling jobs and retaining staff. The economy has improved in recent years, and workers are leaving public employment for the private sector, he said. Plus, Nebraskas low unemployment rate leaves few candidates for jobs, Frakes said. But he said hes making progress in improving the Corrections culture. Workers, he said, are more willing to be honest with each other and not bury problems within the troubled agency. Not only more and more line staff are commenting about what they see, I also see differences at the top of the agency, Frakes said. Omaha Sen. Heath Mello, who heads the budget-writing Appropriations Committee, said lawmakers realize that theres been improvements at Corrections, but whether or not that progress is fast enough is something well discuss this session. Theres still an apprehension about how well the department is operating. Last summer, Gov. Pete Ricketts assigned his human relations aide, Sharon Pettid, to work with Corrections to address the shortage of workers at Tecumseh and to step up recruiting efforts. The agency responded by increasing advertising of vacancies via social media, radio advertisements and career fairs. A full-time recruiter for Corrections was hired in July. Efforts were made to increase networking with National Guard members, college students and high school students. In addition, a culture study of the agency was undertaken this fall to discern whether Corrections workers feel engaged in their jobs and what improvements are needed. Plus, workers who resign are asked to fill out an exit survey on why they left. Engaged employees are more productive and enthusiastic, the report said. Keeping quality, trained staff is important for maintaining safe and secure prisons in Nebraska, it stated. Corrections, in its report, set several goals to achieve. One was to slightly reduce the turnover rate in the agency to 28 percent, from about 28.6 percent, by the end of the fiscal year, June 30, and to reduce overtime per worker to 14 hours a week, from 16 hours. The agency said its vacancies in custody and unit staff have hovered around 105 per month this fiscal year. By the end of the fiscal year, Corrections said it hoped to reduce that to 95 through increased recruitment and retention strategies. Contact the writer: 402-473-9584, paul.hammel@owh.com LINCOLN Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has reversed himself and will greet President Barack Obama after all. Ricketts, who had earlier declined to meet with Obama during his visit Wednesday, changed course Tuesday evening. Ricketts had earlier said the invitation came too late for him to change his schedule and that he had to prepare for his own State of the State address on Thursday. On Tuesday evening, however, Ricketts said his staff had found time in his schedule. "Im grateful to my staff who worked so hard to rearrange my schedule, so that I could welcome the president to Nebraska," Ricketts said. Ricketts on Monday and Tuesday said that the president's visit conflicted with his own calendar. That decision prompted the Nebraska Democratic Party to accuse Ricketts of being "petty." They noted in a press release on Tuesday that past Nebraska governors on both sides of the aisle have welcomed presidents when they visit this state. Until Ricketts changed his mind, the plan was for Lt. Gov. Mike Foley to greet the presidents plane when it arrives in Omaha and attend his speech at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert also will greet the president upon his planes arrival, said Carrie Murphy, the mayors spokeswoman. The White House provided 10 tickets to the presidents UNO speech, which will be distributed to staff members who requested to attend the event. Stothert said Tuesday that while she may not always agree with Obama's policies, she dubbed it an "honor" to be in the welcoming party. Hyderabad: Though Hyderabad and Cyberabad traffic police have identified about 50 accident spots in and around the city that have claimed more than 400 lives last year, there is no emergency mechanism at these spots. GVK EMRI chief executive officer Ramana Rao said, Ambulances are stationed within a radius of 20 kilometers of the accident spots. There is no emergency trauma care center at the spot but if the victim is able to speak, he or she is asked where he or she wants to go. "If there is an attendant than they are asked, or if the accident is very bad than the police has to take the patient to the nearest hospital irrespective of the fact whether it is a private or government hospital", Ramana Rao added. Private hospitals stabilise the patients but there is a need for improving the emergency response system whereby more lives can be saved. The major problem is the unavailability of a neurosurgeon 24x7 in the emergency system. A senior doctor said, In the city, 24x7 neurosurgeon is only at Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences and in other hospitals there are orthopedic and cardiac surgeons stationed all the time in the casualty ward. There is a need to have more centers that have neurosurgeons in casualty. Traffic cops of Hyderabad and Cyberabad have also mapped accident spots and they have been uploaded on their respective websites www.ctp.gov.in and www.htp.gov.in. A visit to these websites however reveals that only the names of the police stations where the accidents occurred have been listed and not the actual stretches. The cops said that the stretch-wise list will be put up in due course. Cyberabad DCP, traffic Mr Avinash Mohanty said they were yet to get in touch with medical and health department officials to place emergency care facilities near the accident prone areas. We have identified the black spots and along with GHMC and transport department, are trying to make some corrections from the road engineering point of view, he said. Hyderabad DCP, traffic Mr A.V. Ranganath meanwhile said they would write to the medical and health department or urge the GHMC to take it up with the departments to arrange for emergency medical care facilities in the vicinity of the black spots. Demo corridor on Telangana Roads and Buildings engineer-in-chief (State Roads and Road Development Corporation) P. Ravinder Rao said they have taken a demo corridor with all road safety measures on the 124-km Hyderabad-Bijapur road. It is a World Bank funded project; it is going to be a demo corridor wherein trauma care centres with ambulances, high patrolling, cranes, etc. would in place for every 50 km. As many as 12 sharp curves have also been corrected on this stretch and improvement of black spots is also going on, he said. As part of a pilot project, two demo corridors have been taken up the 124-km-long Hyderabad-Bijapur road in Telangana and139-km-long Renigunta-Rayalacheruvu stretch in AP. Aligned departments such as Police, Medical and Health, Education, Engineering, R & B and Transport are working in tandem for effective implementation of the project. International news brief: Confident of Pak's commitment, ability to secure its nuclear assets, says US & more From 'dangerous' to 'secure and confident': US makes a u-turn after Biden's comment on Pak Has logical thinking Dawned on Pak post Pathankot terror attack? Feature oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer For all those dejected Indians who feel that the fresh tale of peace with Pakistan would go awry as it had in 1999 and 2008, Monday's editorial in Dawn, a major Pakistani newspaper can provide a boost. In the write-up titled "Pathankot aftermath", it was said that a statement from the Pakistani prime minister's office hinted at the talks that took place between Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and US Secretary of State John Kerry in the wake of the terror attack in Pathankot airbase. The statement, according to the editorial, offered "some clues about what was presumably discussed in more robust and forthright terms privately: the India-Pakistan dialogue must not be derailed and Pakistan must work to investigate and bring to justice any Pakistan-based individuals involved in the Pathankot airbase attack". US intervention not enough It said though US has presumably played an important role in the Indo-Pak issue, but intervention could also pose a threat to the main objective, which is resumption of talks between the two sides. According to the editorial, the Pathankot attack should not delay the talks between the neighbours and that the issue needed to resolved by India and Pakistan themselves. The viewpoint is more than correct. The two nuclear powers cannot be influenced externally to sit together for talks. While India is the world's largest democracy, Pakistan, too, has evolved as a politically stable state in recent years. They know the complexities of their bilateral problems more than anybody else. The presence of a third party only creates scope for more confusion and delay although it might look apparently to be a felicitating force. Dawn has raised right questions The Dawn editorial also said that "high-level diplomacy and serious intelligence cooperation are the urgent needs right now. Rather than leaving it up to India to provide all the details available to it, there should be an independent investigation inside Pakistan too. Were Pakistanis involved in the Pathankot attack?" Has terror failed to break the spirit of Modi's informal diplomacy? This rise of questions from within Pakistan is a positive. One feels that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lahore stopover has left an impression on the Pakistani psyche about a genuine will of improving the relation between the two neighbours. There is a feeling in Pakistan that the Pathankot attack has done a great disservice to the relation between the two countries. It seems the elements have failed to spoil the warmth which was generated by Modi's surprise visit to Lahore. The informal diplomacy of reaching out to the Pakistani leadership by PM Modi perhaps proved more effective than the general formal patterns of diplomacy seen during the times of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh. It also gave India a strong moral platform to win over confidence of the US. Pathankot attack perhaps was a response too early One also feels that the anti-peace elements responded to fast this time to derail the fresh rapprochement between India and Pakistan. The Dawn editorial suggests that this rather pre-emptive strike by the terrorists (even before the talks began formally) just when the Modi government started to show its pro-peace approach did not go down well with the Pakistani establishment. "Surely, there must be steps taken to dismantle the infrastructure that anti-India militants seem to have built around the country," the editorial said. Sharif, who also lost' in the 1999 Kargil War, will also look to secure a place in history Nawaz Sharif, too, bears the baggage of the 1999 backlash when the Lahore bus diplomacy was followed by the Kargil War and he would be thankful to his Indian counterpart for creating a fresh opportunity for both the countries to rewrite the story of peace and book an immortal place in history. His government has already made some moves and the Indian government, too, has acted maturely this time by not escalating the issue at the formal levels to jeopardise the future of the nascent peace initiative. "Protect Pak's foreign policy from militants" The Dawn editorial's conclusion speaks about the desperate feeling in the Pakistani establishment about the menace called terror: "The internal fight against militancy, particularly over the last year and a half, has been about securing the country. Now it is time that this country's foreign policy is also protected from militants". If talks are called off with Pak, it would signal a victory for hard-liners Feature oi-Vicky By Vicky There is a debate on whether India should hold talks with Pakistan after the Pathankot attack. One must remember that Pakistan based militants launching attacks on India after the hand of friendship has been extended is nothing new. There was a Kargil, a 26/11 and now a Pathankot. All these incidents show that there is a faction in Pakistan which does not want peace. The Indian government is likely to take a final call on the talks with Pakistan by tomorrow. All indications are that talks will not be cancelled, but may be postponed for sure. India and Pakistan must talk as ending dialogue would be a victory for hard-liners in Pakistan says Michael Kugelman, a senior associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. In this interview with OneIndia, Kugelman outlines why India should continue talking with Pakistan and not let the hard-liners win. Do you feel that India should continue talking with Pakistan? Yes, I do agree that India should continue dialogue with Pakistan. Ending talks would mean a victory for the hard-liners in Pakistan. Terror groups and some elements of Pakistan's security establishment don't want any official engagement with India. Calling off talks may lead to more provocations along the border. Whenever India has extended its hand of friendship to Pakistan there has been an attack. Should dialogue exist at all? Ending the dialogue so soon after the process was resumed would validate criticism that India's policy toward Pakistan is "confused." It could also set the stage for a messy on-again, off-again pattern that New Delhi may try to avoid by putting the talks on ice for an extended period. This would be a shame for Narendra Modi, who appears genuinely interested in some form of detente with Pakistan. One must also remember that ending talks will not end attacks. More incidents are possible because many Pakistani militants that had been in Afghanistan targeting foreign troops have, with the withdrawal of most of those forces, redirected their attention to India. Other terrorists-including Masood Azhar, the head of Jaish-e-Mohammed-have resurfaced after years of silence and have threatened to attack India. The threat of Pakistan-based militancy against India is growing, and it won't simply ease if India stops engaging Pakistan. If attacks will continue, then what issues do you think talks would resolve? The India-Pakistan dialogue process covers issues such as trade and water as well as territorial disputes and terrorism. If the two sides keep talking, and if hard-liners and vested interests don't impede progress, the countries could normalize trade relations (each has pledged to grant most-favored-nation status to the other) and reach data-sharing accords about water levels and flows for shared rivers. These are important issues that shouldn't be hostage to security tensions. Making progress on them could generate goodwill and trust. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, January 12, 2016, 8:59 [IST] Blacklisting Mahmood blocked by China: The man who raised funds under garb of religion in India Nepal to North Korea: China's contrasting buffer experience Feature oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer In the anarchic world of international politics, nations always prefer having buffer zones whenever there is a presence of a big enemy in the vicinity. This gives them the much-needed space and time to prepare its defence in case the enemy makes a threatening move. The grammar of security mechanism in international relations attaches a prominence to the concept of buffer zone', hence. How US & China have helped North Korea threaten the world In the colonial era, Afghanistan was held as a buffer zone by the Britishers against the imperial designs of Russia. In the current times, Ukraine serves as a buffer between Russia and the West. Buffer zones have proved in the past that they are indeed significant to prevent the worst-possible consequence in world politics, which is war. Hitler's attack on Poland, a buffer between the Natzi Germany and the erstwhile Soviet Union had flagged off the devastating Second World War. How a growing North Korea is causing headache for China The volatile continent of Asia is witness to two important regional theatres that have a buffer state and the slightest of impact on the balance of those buffer zones could pose a big threat to the regional peace. Moreover, the funny part is that one state is party to the buffer scenario in both regions and has opposite experiences in dealing with it. In East Asia, China considers North Korea as a buffer between itself and its traditional enemies in the region, including the outsider: the United States. The fact that North Korea harbours similar sentiments vis-a-vis China's opponents serves as a boon to Beijing and it backs Pyongyang in its bigger design of strengthening its defence, particularly against the US. Whenever it is said that Beijing hasn't been successful in reining in North Korea's dangerous ambitions, the former says the hostile stands of the US, Japan and South Korea have allowed North Korea's belligerence to continue. In South Asia, China is at an advantage over the buffer In South Asia, similarly, Nepal serves as a buffer, more for India against China. Given Beijing's ill-fame as an expansionist power, it is in India's own defence interest that it has always maintained a good relation with Nepal, even though the latter has played the China card conveniently (whether the monarch or the Maoists) to create pressure on India. There have been low phases in India-Nepal relations that have made China interested (it has a diversity of interests---political, ideological and strategic---to act in Nepal) but New Delhi has always tried to maintain the small Himalayan neighbour as the second line of defence against the Chinese whose gobbling up the Tibet had far-reaching consequences in world politics. In East Asia, the buffer has backfired However, while China had a happier experience with the buffer politics in South Asia, it is not having an ideal outcome with its North Korea plan in the Far East. In South Asia, the serious differences between India and Nepal over the latter's newly promulgated constitution saw the latter getting closer to China at the expense of India, who was also accused of imposing a blockade worse than that of the late 1980s to cause immense hardship for the common Nepalis. It was more than a good news for the Chinese. But in East Asia, North Korea's reported testing of the powerful Hydrogen bomb has left Beijing in a spot of trouble. Pyongyang has not only snubbed its biggest ally through the act, it also raised problems for Beijing by drawing the attention of the entire world to the region, something which the latter hates. The belligerence shown by North Korea would see the US and others retaliate in varying ways (Washington has already deployed the B-52 nuclear bombers over South Korea as a response to the January 6 test by the Kim Jong-un regime) which would ultimately add to China's isolationist stand on the Asia-Pacific. Even taking a stand against North Korea is not easy for the Chinese (just like for the Indians in Nepal because of the geostrategic stakes) for in that case, the hermit kingdom might implode under multi-layered attacks, putting China's borders under threat. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, January 12, 2016, 9:35 [IST] Opposition needs to understand that right to religion is not a right to convert The persecution of Hindus in Pakistan continues with a Hindu girl forcibly converted and married No effect of Ghar Wapsi? 8 lakh Hindus converted to other religions in a year, says VHP India oi-Reetu New Delhi, Jan 12: The conversion remained in news in 2015, but in the new year a Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader has made a claim which may leave everyone shocked. According to a TOI report, "The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) national general secretary Y Raghavulu claimed that every year about eight lakh Hindus are being converted to other religions." "Religious conversion of Hindus is a threat to India's integrity; it is taking place in huge numbers," Raghavulu was quoted as saying in the daily's report. "Other strategies to dominate India are to encourage infiltration, grab land of Hindus, to create divisions among Indian communities and lastly to increase their population. We all know very well about the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu and Kashmiri and in recent year the burning of Bodo villages by Bangladeshis in Assam," Raghavulu further added. According to his claim eight lakh Hindus were converted to either Christianity or Islam every year so that the population of Hindus decrease. OneIndia News Another work of 'Jungle Raj'? Body of engineer found in a ditch in Bihar India oi-Pallavi Patna, Jan 12: Merely two days after the bodies of two engineers were found in the state, another engineer's body was found in a ditch in Vaishali district of Bihar. Ankit Jha's body, who was working as a quality engineer with Reliance Telecom, was found at a place 60 kilometer from the capital Patna. He was involved in the laying of optical fiber network in the district. According to sources, Jha may have been murdered by criminals and the body dumped in the ditch. While the body has been sent for autopsy, a probe is on to find the criminals. His family had said that he left for work on Sunday night. His brother had said,"He left at night saying his company car was waiting outside. I thought it must be office work. When I tried to call him in the morning, both his phones were switched off. We then started looking for him but couldn't find him." On Saturday, two engineers of a private road construction company were shot dead by two unidentified men in Darbhanga district. Six people have been arrested in connection with the murders. Meanwhile, taking the cue, BJP's Rajeev Pratap Rudy said,"It would not be fair to say that people are paying what they deserve, but we all knew that this is going to happen in Bihar, despite them (Lalu-Nitish) getting victorious. The fact is BJP had promised good governance, people rejected us, they accepted Lalu Yadav and Nitish Kumar as their leaders." OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, January 12, 2016, 11:43 [IST] Bypolls to seven assembly seats across six states on Nov 3, result on Nov 6 Bypolls for 12 assembly seats in 8 states on Feb 13: EC India oi-PTI New Delhi, Jan 12: The Election Commission on Tuesday announced bypolls to 12 assembly constituencies in eight states, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Karnataka and Maharashtra, to be held on February 13. In UP, Muzzafarnagar, Deoband and Bikapur assembly seats while Devadurga, Bidar and Hebbal in Karnataka will go for byelections. In Punjab, Maharashtra, Bihar, Tripura, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh one assembly constituency each will have byelections. These constituencies are Khadoor Sahib, Palghar, Harlakhee, Amarpur, Narayankhed and Maihar respectively. The notification will be issued on January 20, while Jaunary 27 will be the last date of filing nominations. While candidates can withdraw from the electoral race till January 30, the polls will be held on February 13, a Saturday. Counting will be held on February 16, the EC said. All the three seats in UP were held by the ruling Samajwadi Party. The Devadurga seat in Karnataka was held by the ruling Congress, while Bidar and Hebbal were held by BJP. The Khadoor Sahib seat in Punjab was held by Congress, while Harlakhee in Bihar was held by RLSP. In Tripura's Amarpur, the bypoll was necessitated after CPI-M expelled its sitting MLA M Acharjee who later resigned from the assembly in December, 2015. The bypoll on Palghar in Maharashtra was due since June last year but the EC could not move ahead as an election petition was pending. The seat was with Shiv Sena. The Narayankhed seat in Telangana and Maihar seat in Madhya Pradesh were held by Congress. PTI Congress should not act as expert on national security: BJP India oi-IANS By Ians English Ranchi, Jan 12: Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday said the Congress should not try to become an "international expert on national security" because the analysis of such "ignorant analysts" worsens the situation. "Every second leader of the Congress is talking in such a manner that he is an 'international expert on national security'. They are saying had this been done, then the terrorists would not have entered Pathankot, had this been done, then there would not have been attack on national security," Naqvi told reporters here. Pathankot: Punjab SP, his cook and friend will be brought face to face for probe "Such expert comments were not heard during 10 years regime of these 'intellectual Congress people'," he added. Naqvi said the Narendra Modi government and the security forces have been working with strong nationalistic commitment on the issues of national security and terrorism. "Security of the nation is in strong hands." He also appealed to Congress leaders to stop their misleading comments on the sensitive issue of national security. "Congress leaders should not give any such comment which creates confusion on sensitive issues such as nation's security. The country will never tolerate this. Nation's voice and commitment to national security is strong. India's safety and dignity is priority of the entire nation," Naqvi said. IANS PM Modi to visit Himachal Pradesh on Oct 5; to launch various projects and inaugurate AIIMS Bilaspur Weather update: IMD issues yellow alert for U'khand, Himachal, UP for next 2-3 days 4th Vande Bharat train to be unveiled by PM Modi in Himachal Himachal was valued less on strength, more on Parliament seats before: PM Modi Himachal artistes dance to save girl child, set world record India oi-IANS By Ians English Shimla, Jan 12: Over 9,000 artistes performed a folk dance in Himachal Pradesh to highlight the "Save the Girl Child" message and the event created a world record of largest participation at one point of time, an official said on Tuesday. The performance by 9,892 folk dancers during the Kullu Dussehra celebrations in Kullu town has entered the pages of the Guinness World Records, Kullu deputy commissioner Rakesh Kanwar, the brain behind the event, told IANS. He said a communication in this regard was received from the Guinness World Records authorities on Monday. Kanwar said the Kullu Natti - as the folk dance is called - was the largest voluntary dance in the world. Dressed in traditional Himachali attire, the dancers performed on October 26 last year. Kanwar said the participants, this time both men and women, also took a pledge to work for the cause of the girl child. He said there was no prior category or world record related to the folk dance. The Guinness World Records office in London monitored the performance. Earlier in 2014, a total of 8,540 artists performed a folk dance also during the Kullu Dussehra festivities and entered the Limca Book of Records. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh lauded the efforts of the Kullu administration for conducting the mega cultural event. The chief minister said he himself witnessed the event organised under the aegis of 'Beti Hai Anmol' which effectively spread the mass awareness on saving the girl child. Himachal Pradesh has now been bracketed among the 10 states having the worst sex ratio in the country at 909 females to 1,000 males. The overall national sex ratio according to the 2011 Census is 940 females per 1,000 males. IANS Hyderabad: Stray dogs of the University of Hyderabad seem to be developing a knack for hunting spotted deer for meat. Two deer were killed by stray dogs on the campus last week, a fawn on January 9 and an adult the next day. The adult deer survived the attack and was taken to the Hyderabad zoo where it died during treatment. Till now, stray dogs have killed at least five deer on the university campus, including two last year. There have also been attacks on othe animals like monitor lizards and peacocks which are found in good numbers in the university. In 2014, a rabid dog had gone into a biting spree and injured about 30 students on the campus. According to HCU security officials, while the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has been picking up stray dogs from the campus for sterilisation, the problem arises when it comes to releasing them. Many dogs which do not belong to the university are released in near the campus. Thanks to the damage at various spots on the compound wall; the dogs sneak into the university easily. A university official said, Recently a lone deer had come out of the forests and was spotted lurking near the administrative building. Deer are a shy species and do not come out in the open so easily. The stray dogs are scaring them and pushing them outside the forest. We will discuss with the forest department if they can help us in some way to protect our wildlife. Speaking to some students from the university revealed that some of the aggressive stray dogs try to attack humans too. Research scholar J. Ravi said, It is also to be blamed on students who shower love on the stray dogs and encourage them by providing food regularly and in some cases even take them to their rooms to pet them. Dogs can also be seen licking plates near the food court. Wildlife vigilantes help fight poachers in UoH: A group of enthusiastic students is working to protect the wildlife on the Univesity of Hyderabad campus. The group, Wild Lens, which was formed in 2014, says it has nabbed about 60 poachers from the campus. In some cases, they were threatened by poachers living in villages in the periphery of university. Mr Jillapalli Ravi, a research scholar in animal sciences, who formed the group said, The motive was to make students take active part in the protection of wildlife on the campus. Whenever we see someone suspicious on the campus, we inform the security pesonnel instantly. Karthik Jirra, a Wild Lens member, said, The UoH campus is probably the only place which has free-ranging wild animals. We take pride in being part of the university and we believe that we should ensure that this last resort of wild animals is not taken away from them. Wild Lens members are also wildlife photographers. A picture on a chameleon taken by Mr Ravi was selected by the Telangana forest department for this years calendar. The group has organised bird walks on the campus with a city bird watchers NGO. The students plan to create awareness on snakes, after a security guard died of a snake bite recently. India-Pak talks: NSAs likely to meet secretly, says Report India oi-Jagriti New Delhi, Jan 12: If reports are to be believed then a secret meeting between National Security Advisors (NSA) of India and Pakistan is likely to take place in a third country. The meeting likely to take place between NSA Ajit Doval and his Pakistani counterpart Nasser Khan Janjua in a third country to resolve discrepancies and forge a plan for how to tackle the terror investigation, reported NDTV citing sources. The fate of proposed peace talks between India and Pakistan on Friday is in limbo after Pathankot air base attack. Seven soldiers were martyred and six terrorist were killed in a pre-dawn attack on January 2 on the Indian Air Force base in Punjab. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered to set up a joint investigation team (JIT) on Monday to investigate the links of the Pathankot air base attackers with Pakistan. Pathankot: Pak PM Nawaz Sharif orders JIT to probe terror attack Officials from Intelligence Bureau (IB), Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI) will be part of the JIT to investigate the case. OneIndia New For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, January 12, 2016, 12:19 [IST] Who in India can see partial solar eclipse 2022 on Oct 25 Delhi air quality projected to cross 301 by Sat; GRAP stage II comes into effect ahead of Diwali Indo-Pak talks: Final decision by tomorrow India oi-Vicky New Delhi, Jan 12: The government of India is likely to take a final call on the status of foreign secretary level talks with Pakistan on Wednesday, Jan 13. Pakistan yesterday claimed to have commenced action against the perpetrators of the Pathankot attack and even arrested three persons. The government is analysing the nature of the investigation in Pakistan and if satisfactory in nature will go ahead with the talks. Sources tell OneIndia that calling off the talks is not an option as a process at the highest level had already commenced. "We hope Pakistan is serious about the action it is taking and will act upon the proof that we have given them," the officer also stated. Will the talks take place? There are two schools of thought in the government where talking with Pakistan is concerned. One section feels that talks should be called off in the wake of the Pathankot attack. However, another section feels that calling off talks is giving into the jihadis who always stage an attack when India and Pakistan try talking peace. Yesterday there was some amount of confusion on the status of the talks. The National Security Advisor (NIA), Ajit Doval issued a denial to an interview in which he had said that talks had been called off. He, however, later told a television channel that there shall be no talks until Pakistan acts. There have been a series of meetings on this issue since yesterday. While one meeting of the NSA and the Home Minister lasted around 20 minutes, there was another involving the External Affairs minister. Currently the government is analysing the action taken by Pakistan against those staged the Pathankot attack. To a report that Pakistan felt sufficient proof had not been given, a senior official said that these are early days for the investigation. "As and when the investigation progresses, proof will be shared. Moreover with what evidence we have given so far, we expect that Pakistan will build on it and probe the case. Since the masterminds are in Pakistan they are in a better position to probe the matter," the official also added. OneIndia News J&K govt formation: Mehbooba wants coalition, but on her terms India oi-Vicky New Delhi, Jan 12: Tense and anxious moments over the government formation in Jammu and Kashmir continue. Mehbooba Mufti of the PDP who is all set to become the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir after the death of her father has not indicated anything clearly to the BJP as yet. Sources say that the government with the BJP will continue, but it may be a rocky ride. Mehbooba on the other hand does not appear to be in any hurry to take over as the Chief Minister and this has led to more speculation. BJP sources say that there is no indication as yet from the PDP. The BJP too will decide on the next course of action only after there are some signals from the PDP. However sources also add that Mehbooba will not break the coalition, but may go in for a hard bargain. Jammu and Kashmir: Speculations rife as Congress cozies up to Mehbooba All the speculation was created following the visit by Congress President Sonia Gandhi Before giving any commitment to the BJP, Mehbooba is expected to push for a hard bargain. A package for Jammu and Kashmir is what is likely to be the first demand by the PDP chief, sources say. Further Mehbooba would also like to put to rest a rumour floated post her father's death that the BJP was looking to rotate the post of Chief Minister. In addition to this there are some emotive issues as well which could be holding Mehbooba back. The buzz within the PDP was that she was upset that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not visit her father in hospital or turn up at the funeral. The BJP's Ram Madhav who played a vital role in bringing this coalition however said yesterday that no demands had been made. We hope to continue with this engagement, he had also said. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, January 12, 2016, 13:02 [IST] Jaya seeks PM's intervention to free 41 TN fishermen in Lankan India oi-PTI Chennai, Dec 18: Tamil Nadu Government on Friday, Dec 18 sought the Centre's intervention to secure the release of 41 fishermen from the state detained in Sri Lanka, saying their "continued incarceration" ahead of festive season was causing great frustration and despondency among their colleagues. "The continued incarceration of our fishermen and impounding of their boats in Sri Lanka just as the festive season is beginning is causing great frustration and despondency amongst the fisherfolk of Tamil Nadu," Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his personal intervention for the release of 41 fishermen, including four arrested yesterday, besides 56 boats, she urged him to 'urgently' take up the issue with Lankan authorities at the appropriate level and ensure their immediate release along with boats and fishing gear. "The Government of India should act decisively in the light of the sensitive nature of this issue and initiate a calibrated set of actions to end the sufferings of our fishermen," the letter said. In the latest detentions, the four fishermen were arrested yesterday for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and fishing near Nedunthevu islet off Lankan coast. Jayalalithaa recalled that the issue of IMBL itself is a "matter sub-judice" in the Supreme Court where she had challenged the validity of the Indo-Sri Lankan agreements of 1974 and 1976 ceding Katchatheevu islet to the neighbouring country. She also stated that her demand for a Comprehensive Special Package for Deep Sea fishing to the tune of Rs 1,520 crore raised with Modi twice, once in 2014 and the other in August this year, was still awaiting the Centre's approval. PTI Bengal artists in fix as Centre's thermocol ban comes just ahead of Durga Puja PFI ban 'dangerous' as every Muslim who speaks his mind can now be arrested: AIMIM chief Owaisi 'Appears to have lost its mental balance': Min Karandlaje on Opposition's demand to ban RSS 'Like Maharashtra other states should also ban cow slaughter' India oi-PTI Amravati (Maharashtra), Jan 12: Stating that "Indians have culture in their blood", Union Minister Hansraj Ahir on Jan 11 said that like Maharashtra, other states should also ban cow slaughter. He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the "maker" of India as he has taken up the cause of providing employment opportunities to the country's youths. "Indian culture is deep and unfathomable. Indians have culture in their blood and nobody came from outside to teach us culture," the Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers said at an award ceremony here. Maharashtra has banned cow slaughter and other states should follow its suit, he said. "Awards given by the government should be honoured. Those who criticise our culture are the detractors of the country," Ahir said. PM Modi has taken up the cause of creating employment opportunities by introducing 'Make in India' programme, he said adding, "Modi is the maker of India. Providing employment is the biggest challenge before the government and the PM is leaving no stone unturned to achieve that objective." Urging youths to become entrepreneurs, the minister said, "The government has opened a big avenue through Mudra scheme to enable educated youths to set up their own businesses." On the occasion, Ahir presented 'Sant Gadge Baba Social Work' award instituted by the SGB Amravati University to social worker from Washim district Dilip Baba alias Dilip Pawar. PTI Outgoing VP Naidu was always concerned how country can get best from Parliament: PM Modi 'Nehruvian thoughts more relevant now as India faces danger of religious superstition' India oi-PTI Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 12: Vice President Hamid Ansari today said that Nehruvian thoughts are more relevant in the country now, particularly in the backdrop of the dangers from religious superstition, obscurantism and fundamentalism. To examine the Nehruvian legacy is to renew the fight against religious deformations in thought and practice, he said while releasing a book on the first Prime Minister here. As one of the titans of the national movement and the architect of modern India, Nehru's dynamic and towering leadership and progressive ideas richly deserve to be recalled and evaluated, Ansari said. "Nehru's services were many sided and a discussion on this is required, particularly in the backdrop of the dangers from religious superstition, obscurantism and fundamentalism at the present moment," he said. The Vice President said one of the most important contributions of Nehru was the firm anchoring of secularism as a core character of India polity. "Nehru believed that in a country like India, which has many faiths and religions, no real nationalism could be built except on the basis of secularity," he said. Noting that Nehru's exposition of secularism did not mean an absence of religion, but putting religion on a different plane from that of normal political and social life, he said it was firmly rooted in affirmation of social and political equality. Ansari also observed that Nehru's concept of secularism was to serve as an instrument of national integration, actively promoting social and political change in the direction of eliminating inequality. Detailing the contributions of Nehru to the nation, he said the former PM was a visionary and had played a major role in establishing a modern scientific and technological infrastructure in the country. Ansari released the book 'Jawaharlal Nehru and the Indian polity in perspective' here, edited by P J Alexander, by giving a copy to Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. The book comprises a collection of articles on Nehru by experts from various disciplines. Governor Justice (Rtd) P Sathasivam was also present on the occasion. PTI New audio tape featuring Chhattisgarh Congress chief surfaces India oi-PTI Raipur, Jan 12: A new audio tape containing purported conversations between Chhattisgarh Congress president Bhupesh Baghel and Firoz Siddhiqui, a former loyalist of ex-Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, has surfaced, bringing to the fore fissures in the state unit of the party. In the tape, Baghel could be heard offering a position in the party to Siddhiqui if he agrees to leak to an English newspaper another audio tape containing conversations about "fixing" Antagarh bypoll. In the new tape, Siddhiqui is heard seeking protection for him and his family from Baghel. Baghel could be heard telling Siddhiqui that "if there is an attack on you, I will protect you. To protect you, I will make you General Secretary (of State Congress)." Baghel also says he will not give Siddhiqui the party post just now otherwise it would appear he was rewarded for leaking the tapes. State Congress said there was nothing objectionable in the new tape, while Siddhiqui said he recorded the conversation between him and Baghel on December 9 last year. Ruling BJP took a dig at Congress, saying the new audio tape has proved that differences existed among the key leaders of the main opposition party. Ajit Jogi claimed the conversations revealed how a conspiracy was hatched against him and his son Amit, who has been expelled from Congress after the first tape surfaced. In December, an audio tape was released by an English daily containing several phone conversations purportedly between Ajit, his son Amit, Chief Minister Raman Singh's son- in-law Puneet Gupta, Congress candidate Manturam Pawar, Siddhiqui and another Jogi loyalist Ameen Memon related to alleged "fixing" of bypoll to Antagarh assembly seat in 2014. Pawar, then considered an Ajit loyalist, had withdrawn from the fray just a day ahead of the last date for withdrawal and was later expelled from the party. BJP won the bypoll. The tape purportedly contained conversation suggesting money exchanged hands. In the wake of a political storm following leak of the audio tape, Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee expelled Amit, an MLA, for six years and recommended action against his father, a member of the Congress Working Committee, the party's top decision-making body. Baghel has confirmed the new audio tape contains his voice. "There is nothing objectionable in the audio and state party chief Bhupesh Baghel has admitted that the tape contains his voice. He did not lure Siddhiqui with money. "He just assured to protect him (Siddhiqui) by making him a General Secretary of the party and there is nothing wrong in that," Chhattisgarh Congress spokesperson Shailesh Trivedi told PTI when asked to comment on surfacing of the fresh tape. PTI CBI arrests one of the two absconders in WB's Bogtui killings Nitish supports Mamata, describes her protagonist of harmony India oi-PTI Patna, Jan 12: With the BJP attacking West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over Malda violence accusing her of playing communal politics, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today came in support of Trinamool Congress chief. "Mamata Banerjee has been a great 'Himayati'(protagonist) of communal harmony," Kumar said after coming out of a state Cabinet meeting. Kumar said he did not have details of the Malda violence as he was busy with his work in Bihar. But all efforts should be made to maintain social and communal amity in the country, he added. The Bihar CM's support to his West Bengal counterpart came at a time when she is battling BJP's blistering attack over Malda violence. Kumar has been enjoying a close relationship with Mamata Banerjee who had attended his swearing-in ceremony in November end last year in Patna. Violence had broken out at Kaliachak in Malda district on December 3 over an alleged remark of a BJP leader. Protesters had set fire to a police station and damaged vehicles. The West Bengal CM had said there was no communal tension in the area and described the incident as a fallout of an issue between BSF and the local people. PTI Power cut in Chennai on October 19: These areas will be affected EPS, his supporters detained for trying to hold hunger strike in TN assembly Over 100 small whales wash ashore Tuticorin coast, several dead India oi-Avinash Chennai, Jan 12: More than a hundred whales (short finned pilot whales) have washed ashore in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu since Monday, several of them feared dead. These small whales could be seen lying on the 16 kilo meter long strech of the coast, some 600 km away from Chennai. Several whales are battling for their lives. Local fishermen tried saving them by pulling them back to the sea but to no avail. As per a TOI report, a local fishermen was quoted as saying, "The whales started reaching the shore in groups around 5pm. It is very strange. In 1973 when we were boys, we witnessed same phenomenon. However, not these many washed ashore then." WATCH: Around 50 Small Fin Whales beached in Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu since last evening, number of them deadhttps://t.co/lyC7aMDZxv ANI (@ANI_news) January 12, 2016 Tuticorin district collector has also inspected the coast. Officials were investigating the reason for such a huge number of whales reaching the shore, he was quoted by the TOI as saying. A team from the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park in Ramanathapuram has rushed to the spot. OneIndia News Golden intelligence rule: When your cover is blown, you are on your own Pathankot attack: Defence Ministry wants to make BSF more accountable India oi-Vicky New Delhi, Jan 12: A high level meeting in New Delhi will be convened to discuss border security following the Pathankot attack. The Defence Ministry will lead these talks to discuss ways of making the Border Security Force more accountable for infiltrations. There have been problems on this front and unless and until some are not made accountable the problem of infiltration is bound to persist. Timeline of Pathankot terror attack While there have been lapses while dealing with the Pathankot attack, the crux of the problem still lies in the border security. If the security along the border is strong, then the problem of infiltration would cease to exist. Making the BSF more accountable Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar and Home Minister, Rajnath Singh will hold a meeting on Tuesday, Jan 12 to discuss the issue relating to border security. There is a need to fix accountability in such issues the Defence Ministry feels. Moreover an analysis on the response mechanism during the Pathankot attack would also be conducted. While there has been praise for the security forces for thwarting a design by the terrorists to blow up crucial parts of the air force base, questions are also being raised over whether the IAF appreciated the leads and intelligence they got regarding the attack. Officials say that the very fact that the terrorists gained entry into the base itself is surprising. This was stated by the Defence Minister, Parrikar too while addressing the media after the attack. However, the issue of infiltration would be the key point of discussion. The Home Ministry had sought for a report from the BSF about the infiltration. It was found that in some areas thermal imagers and sensors were not working. There is a need for accountability in such issues, officials say. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, January 12, 2016, 8:40 [IST] CHENNAI: There is an unprecedented rush among private hospitals in Chennai and neighbouring districts to obtain consent from Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) after several years of their operation. Its astonishing that TNPCB has granted consent to around 200 hospitals in Chennai alone within last 20 days. This followed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) here coming hard against hospitals that were going scot free in disposing potentially infectious bio-medical waste and operating without valid consent from the board under Water Act and Air Act and authorisation under Bio-medical Waste Rules (Management and Handling) Rules. 1998. However, when TNPCB has submitted the latest data on list of private hospitals in the four districts (Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Cuddalore) and their consent and bio-medical authorisation details on Tuesday before the second bench of NGT, there were glaring discrepancies and contradictions. For instance, TNPCB data submitted last month says out of 397 private hospitals in Chennai only 133 were operating with valid consent. Now, the latest data shows a contradictory figure. It says out of the total 351 hospitals 333 have consent. This is the same with all other three districts as well. Also, S. Charles Rodriquez, Joint Chief Environmental Engineer, gave clean chit to all hospitals in the four districts saying they are disposing their bio-medical wastes to the common bio-medical waste treatment and disposal facilities of either Tamil Nadu Waste Management Ltd in Kinnar village in Kancheepuram or G.J. Multiclave India (P) Ltd at Thenmelpakkam in Chengalpattu. This surprised the tribunal and the judge P. Jyothimani asked TNPCB to submit a detailed report on number of private hospitals, date of their commencement and date of approval of consent. Interestingly, counsel for Indian Medical Association (IMA), which was impleaded in the case, submitted the hospitals list that showed there were over 700 hospitals in the four districts. Justice Jyothimani said the tribunal would contemplate imposing polluter pays principle on all hospitals operating without consent for years after getting a consolidated list. The case has been posted for January 18 for further orders. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, petitioners counsel M. Velmurgan questioned the hurry in which the TNPCB was granting consent to private hospitals. The green bench in the previous hearing clearly stated that each application should be carefully studied, whether the hospital was disposing the bio-medical waste scientifically all these years, before giving consent. Process of consent should be simplified: IMA Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, IMA president (elect) Ravishankar said TNPCB should simplify the process for hospitals to get consent. For the past 10 years, we have been asking the pollution control board to give a separate format to apply for consent. At present, the hospitals are being treated like industry. Many private hospitals have applied for consent online, but their applications were rejected because all the blanks were not filled. IMA has prepared a format and gave it to TNPCB for consideration, but the board hasnt taken a call, he said. Abdul Saleem, special government pleader, was also of the view that TNPCB should have a separate form for hospitals. Pathankot: Numbers that terrorists called not registered in Pak? India oi-Vicky New Delhi, Jan 12: Pakistan has said that it has not got enough proof from India relating to the Pathankot attack. While there have been some arrests carried out in Pakistan relating to the Pathankot attack, the identity of these persons has not been revealed as yet. Among the lack of evidence cited by Pakistan are the six numbers that India had shared. These are the six numbers that the terrorists had called from India. While one number belonged to the mother of a terrorist, the rest were that of the handlers who gave directions and instructions. Pakistan says that the numbers that India has shared do not exist. Pakistan has also said that these numbers are not registered in their country. Indian officials say that there are not convinced with this reply. The numbers that the terrorists called were shared with Pakistan. However as expected these numbers were switched off immediately after the attack. Timeline of Pathankot terror attack Why are the numbers not reflecting in Pakistan? Pakistan has said that these six numbers are not registered in Pakistan. Officials who had tracked these numbers say that there is no reason to believe the Pakistan version. It was very clear on verification that these numbers belonged to Pakistan and it is up to their investigators to trace or track them. Indian officials say that they would want to give Pakistan some more time. We are hopeful that they would do an honest job in these investigations. At least there is one change and there has been no denial about the fact that the attack originated from Pakistan. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, January 12, 2016, 9:35 [IST] Pathankot: Punjab SP, his cook and friend will be brought face to face for probe India oi-Vicky Pathankot, Jan 12: The Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police, Salwinder Singh, his cook Madan Gopal and friend Rajesh Varma will be questioned together by the National Investigation Agency in New Delhi. All the three of them were abducted by the terrorists who carried out the Pathankot terror attack. The Pathankot story begins with the SP and hence it is extremely important that he gives us the right version, an NIA official informed OneIndia. [Timeline of Pathankot terror attack] Yesterday, all through the questioning he was evasive and contradicted his statements. Now we will bring Gopal and Verma into the same room as Singh and question them together, the NIA officer also added. This will help us remove any discrepancy, the officer further added. Search operation: Meanwhile a ten member NIA team visited the Pathankot air force station to carry out a search operation. The terrorists had left behind a lot of ammunition and during the combing operation there were at least 40 explosions. This shows the extent of ammunition they had on them. The NIA is hunting for material left behind by the terrorists. Not only does it help in forensic examination, but also gives the NIA more proof against Pakistan. All evidence linked to Pakistan is being collected analysed and sent across as evidence. Search operations are likely to continue through the day and also tomorrow. Pakistan sends report: Meanwhile, Pakistan has sent its initial findings to India on the Pathankot investigation. The report mentions that arrests were carried out. However, no clarity regarding the antecedents of these persons has been given. Pakistan has also sought for more evidence against the masterminds of the attack. There is however no word on the chief of the Jaish-e-Mohammad, Maulana Masood Azhar. Pakistan has however made it clear to India that the numbers that were provided are not registered in their country. India says that there is no doubt that those numbers have originated from Pakistan. There is still no clarity on the foreign secretary level talks. India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is likely to hold an urgent meeting with his counterpart Naseer Khan Januja. The location of the talks or the time is not clear. OneIndia News PM Modi to visit Varanasi, Lucknow on Jan 22 India oi-PTI Lucknow, Jan 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to pay a visit to his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi and the state capital Lucknow on January 22. "We have started preparations for the visit of the Prime Minister at both these places for which a demand letter for providing 12 companies each of the RAF has been sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs," IG, Law and Order, A Satish Ganesh said. "We have also asked for four detachments NSG snipers for both these places and a detailed programme of the VVIP visit is awaited," the IG said. Arrangements are being made to provide 8 SP rank officials, 15 ASPs, 30 Dy SPs, 150 SIs and 500 constables each for both the places, and additional force will be provided in case it is required, he said. Although PM's programme was not officially known, he is likely to attend a programme hosted by Ministry of Social Welfare and Justice in Varanasi, Ganesh said. In Lucknow, Prime Minister is likely to attend an university convocation. The President Pranab Mukherjee is also scheduled to visit Gautam Budh Nagar on January 18 for which a demand of eight companies of PAC and civil police has been made and it is being processed. The IG said that a team of Rampur police will attend the Republic Day function in Udhamsingh Nagar district of neighbouring Uttarakhand and vice-versa. PTI Rs 1.65 lakh cr Bihar package progressing: Centre India oi-PTI New Delhi, Jan 12: In a bid to end uncertainty over the implementation of Rs 1.65 lakh crore package for Bihar, the Centre has said that it is being implemented as it is for the people of the state and not for any particular government. The projects under the Bihar package are at different stages of implementation and they are being monitored on regular basis, it said. At a meeting yesterday, Union Ministers including Suresh Prabhu (Railways), Dharmendra Pradhan (Oil & Gas) and Piyush Goyal (Power) assured BJP state representatives including Sushil Kumar Modi, Prem Kumar and Mangal Pandey on the issue. The representatives met over half a dozen Union Ministers and asked them to monitor all these projects on monthly basis for speedy implementations. "The Prime Minister had announced a package of Rs 1.65 lakh crore for Bihar. We are meeting with different Union Ministers to assess the progress over the announced package. All of them have assured that this package is for Bihar and not for a particular government," Leader of Opposition, Bihar Legislative Council, Sushil Kumar Modi told PTI. BJP, which rules at the Centre, was unable to form the government in Bihar following the state elections, raising concerns in certain quarter over the package. "There was a confusion that if the government will not change in Bihar then what would happen (to the package). All ministers told us that the Prime Minister has given package for the people of Bihar. We are implementing this package. It at different stages in all ministries." Modi further said, "Two mega bridges are being constructed on the Ganga river. One is at Digha-Sonepur rail-cum-road bridge in Patna and second such bridge is in Munger. Prabhu has told us that these bridge would be ready in a month's time and would be opened by February end." Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had laid foundation stone of these two bridges in 2003. But these could not be completed during the decade long UPA regime. PTI Subramanian Swamy for daily hearing of Ram Janmabhoomi case in SC India oi-IANS By Ians English New Delhi, Jan 1: BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday said he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for moving the Supreme Court to seek day-to-day hearing of civil appeals in the Ram Janmabhoomi case. "I have written to the prime minister in this connection. The case regarding the Ram temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh should be heard on a day-to-day basis," Swamy told media persons here. The BJP leader sought early verdict in the issue and start of the Ram temple construction in Ayodhya by the year-end. "The moment the court verdict is out, we will start work on the Ram temple construction. We want to start the construction work before this year-end. We will talk to Muslim leaders and find an early solution," he said. Swamy also said he will convince leaders like Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, whose party is in power in the state, and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati for the temple construction. "I am confident that Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is a believer of Hanuman, and BSP leader Mayawati will both agree for an amicable solution," he said. Asked whether the BJP was on the same page with him on the issue, he said construction of the Ram temple was mentioned in the party's manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha election. "It was in the Lok Sabha election manifesto of our party. No one will go against the party manifesto. This is a full time work (Ram temple). The prime minister will run the nation and I will work towards the construction of the Ram temple," Swamy said. The BJP manifesto, in two brief lines on the last page under the heading 'cultural heritage', reiterated the party's stand on the construction of the Ram temple at the site of the demolished Babri mosque. "The BJP reiterates its stand to explore all possibilities within the framework of the constitution to facilitate the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya," the manifesto had said. As for a controversial seminar held at Delhi University on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue last week, Swamy said more such seminars should be held across the country. The two-day seminar on "Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple: Emerging Scenario" was organised at the arts faculty from January 9 by Arundhati Vashishtha Anusandhan Peeth. "Such a seminar should be organised in Jawaharlal Nehru University too," Swamy said. JNU in New Delhi is a reputed bastion of Left-leaning student outfits who strongly opposed the Delhi University decision to allow the seminar, alleging it will "communalise" the campus. The BJP leader said such seminars will be organised across India and he had already received offers from Gujarat and Tamil Nadu for the same. Acting on a bunch of appeals, the apex court stayed the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict that divided the 2.77-acre site into three parts. It also ordered status quo at the site but restrained any religious activity on the 67 acres of adjoining land taken over by the Centre. On the violence in Malda in West Bengal, Swamy said Home Minister Rajnath Singh should exercise his powers under Article 256 and give directions to the Mamata Banerjee government that it was not performing its duty as per the Constitution. Swamy also said there was no use talking to Pakistan as it was a "dumb government" and the real government there was of the ISI, Taliban and military. IANS No information on 39 missing Indians, hope they are alive: Iraqs ambassador to India Sushma Swaraj meets Syrian counterpart India oi-IANS By Ians English New Delhi, Jan 12: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday, Jan 12 met Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Walid Al Moualem and discussed issues of bilateral interest. "Emphasising engagement. EAM @SushamSwaraj meets Syrian Dy PM & FM, Walid Al Moualem for bilateral discussion," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted along with a picture of the two leaders. Al Moualem, who arrived in India on Monday on a three-day visit, is also expected to meet other Indian leaders. The visit assumes importance in view of fresh initiatives taken by the UN to bring about peace in war-torn Syria, where more than 300,000 people have been killed in the past four years and seven million have fled to other countries. European nations have also witnessed a huge influx of Syrian refugees. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Moscow last month, held detailed talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the growing threat of the Islamic State terrorist group and the Syrian crisis. Since the Paris terror attack, many Western nations have directly or indirectly established contact with the Syrian government to counter the activities of the Islamic State. Buthina Shaban, special advisor to the Syrian president, had visited India in March 2013. IANS Swami Vivekananda had said tolerance is Hinduism's specialty: Gadkari India oi-PTI Mumbai, Jan 12: Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari today said here that it was high time Indians followed the path of Swami Vivekananda who presented a true perspective of Hindu Dharma abroad, which some people were now "misinterpreting". "We all know that range of misconceptions are being spread about the Hindu religion. However, Swamiji had already said that tolerance is the specialty of our religion," said Gadkari, addressing a gathering here on the occasion of Swami Vivekananda's 153rd birth anniversary. "Tolerance is inherent among us. No one needs to explain or teach (tolerance to) us. But they should know that what Hindu religion is. It's a way of life," Gadkari said. The program had been organised jointly by Vivekananda Kendra Kanyakumari (Mumbai) and Swami Vivekananda Smarak Samiti (Colaba). PTI Iran-Saudi crisis deepens as diplomatic ties cut International oi-PTI Riyadh, Jan 5: Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran erupted into a full-blown diplomatic crisis as Riyadh and its Sunni Arab allies cut or reduced ties with Tehran, sparking global concern. Following angry exchanges over Saudi Arabia's execution Saturday of prominent Shiite cleric and activist Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, Riyadh and then Bahrain and Sudan severed relations with Tehran, the main Shiite power. European countries and regional power Turkey voiced concerns over the row, while US Secretary of State John Kerry called his Iranian and Saudi counterparts on Monday and Moscow offered to act as an intermediary. The UN envoy for Syria headed to Riyadh and Tehran to defuse tensions, and a US official said Washington was "urging calm and de-escalation". The crisis has also raised fears of an increase in sectarian violence in the Middle East, including in Iraq where two Sunni mosques were blown up late Monday and two people killed. Saudi Arabia insisted at the United Nations, however, that the row would not affect efforts to resolve conflicts in Syria and Yemen. "From our side, it should have no effect because we will continue to work very hard to support the peace efforts in Syria and Yemen," Abdallah al-Mouallimi, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the UN, told reporters. He said Riyadh would attend upcoming talks on Syria, but took a swipe at Iran's role in the nearly five-year war there, saying, "They have been taking provocative and negative positions... and I don't think the break in relations is going to dissuade them from such behaviour." Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran late on Sunday, giving diplomats 48 hours to leave the kingdom after protesters -- responding to Nimr's execution -- set fire to its embassy in Tehran and a consulate in second city Mashhad, an attack strongly condemned by the UN Security Council. Bahrain and Sudan followed suit on Monday, and the United Arab Emirates also downgraded its ties, recalling its envoy from Tehran. Sunni Arab nations accuse Tehran of repeatedly meddling in their affairs, with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir saying, "Iran's history is full of negative interference and hostility in Arab issues". Some 80 Saudis, including diplomats and their families, had already left Iran and arrived in Dubai on Monday, diplomatic sources said. The Saudi civil aviation authority said all flights to and from Iran were also being suspended. Iranian officials denounced the Saudi moves as tactics that would inflame regional tensions. AFP Kanhaiya Lals killing only shows the deep, dangerous pattern by Islamists to target Hindus Udaipur killing: He had refused to open his shop for days, says wife of murdered Udaipur killing: Accused went to Dawat-e-Islami in Karachi in 2014, says Top cop Is Pak using new names to play old games in J&K? UP CM Yogi announces Rs 5 lakh to kin of migrant workers killed in J&K terror attack 'Terror attack' kills 10 in Istanbul's tourist heart International oi-PTI Istanbul, Jan 12: Ten people were killed and 15 wounded in a suspected terror attack in Istanbul's tourist hub today, officials said, with the country on edge after a wave of deadly jihadist bombings. The powerful blast rocked the Sultanahmet neighbourhood which is home to Istanbul's biggest concentration of monuments and is visited by tens of thousands of tourists every day. "Terrorist links are suspected," a Turkish official told AFP, asking not to be named. Ambulances and police were despatched to Sultanahmet, which is home to world-famous monuments including the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, while police helicopters hovered above. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu convened an emergency security meeting of key ministers and officials, including powerful Interior Minister Efkan Ala and spy chief Hakan Fidan. Turkey has been on high alert after a series of attacks blamed on the Islamic State jihadist group including a double suicide bombing in the capital Ankara in October that left 103 people dead. The Istanbul governor's office said in a statement quoted by the Dogan news agency that 10 people were killed and 15 wounded in Tuesday's blast. "Investigations into the cause of the explosion, the type of explosion and perpetrator or perpetrators are under way," the governor's office said. Images published by Dogan showed several apparently dead bodies lying on the ground. The identities of those killed and hurt were were not immediately clear although unconfirmed reports said the injured included two Germans and one Norwegian tourist. Germany warned its nationals to avoid tourist sites in Istanbul, a city of about 14 million people that has been hit several times in the past by deadly attacks. Media reports said the authorities were studying the possibility Tuesday's blast was caused by a suicide bomber but there was no official confirmation. The explosion was powerful enough to be heard in adjacent neighbourhoods, witnesses told AFP. Police cordoned off the area to shocked passers-by and tourists and the nearby tram service has been halted. "The explosion was so loud, the ground shook. there was a very heavy smell that burned my nose," a German tourist named Caroline told AFP. "I started running away with my daughter. We went into a nearby building and stayed there for half an hour. It was really scary," she added. Media reports said the blast took place around the Obelisk of Theodosius, a monument from ancient Egypt which was re-erected by the Roman Emperor Theodosius and is one of the city's most eye-catching monuments. PTI What does the US actually want in Syria? US Congress stalls F-16 sale to Pakistan International oi-IANS By Ians English Washington, Jan 12: The US Congress has stalled a planned sale of eight new F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, the Pakistani media reported on Tuesday. The move reflects the growing anti-Pakistan sentiments on Capitol Hill, Dawn quoted unnamed Congressional and diplomatic sources as saying. Lawmakers used clarification and information notices to delay the sale, the report said. The administration also received a "hold" notice from the Senate, using this legislative process to delay floor action on the proposed sale to Pakistan. But this does not kill the proposed sale, and it can still go through if the administration continues to push for it, Dawn added. The Obama administration is reported to be keen on selling these aircraft to Pakistan. Pressure Pakistan to end support for terrorist groups: US expert At recent Congressional hearings, key US lawmakers raised a host of questions about the end use of the F-16 aircraft and about US relationship with Pakistan. "I don't know how an F-16, with all of its hardware on there for combat, can be used for humanitarian aid. If they were buying C-130s I could see those being used for humanitarian aid. But F-16! It's not really humanitarian aid," said Congressman Ted Poe. "Those F-16s and the military equipment that we are providing Pakistan are being used against their own people, just like they did against the people over there in Bangladesh," added Congressman Dan Rohrabacher. Dawn said both lawmakers belong to a growing lobby in Congress which not only oppose arms sales to Pakistan but often urge the US administration to sever its ties with Islamabad. The Obama administration had informally notified Congress of its intention to sell eight F-16s to Pakistan during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's visit to Washington in October last year. The administration followed it up with a formal notification of "foreign military financing" to fund the sale in December. IANS Madurai: A pall of gloom descended on the villages in and around Madurai preparing for the conduct of jallikattu with renewed vigor and enthusiasm after January 8. Ever since the central government notified the lifting of the ban on bull taming sport close to Pongal, the villagers have been preparing for the event, marking the programme for various activities including painting the Vaadivasal and preparation of the arena, training of the bulls and inviting tamers from across the state for the sport. But, on Tuesday, people were crestfallen, with a youth even attempting self immolation near the Vaadivasal at Alanganallur village and around 11 youth tonsured their heads at Palamedu. People, including women and children, gathered in the streets raising slogans against animal activists. It is an assault on the sentiments of Tamil people. It clearly shows the apex court will only serve the interests of a few urban elites in the country, but not respect the cultural tradition of Tamils, said a group of women gathered at the protest site in Palamedu village where the jallikattu organizing committee has almost completed the preparatory work for the event scheduled on Jan. 16. The shops in Palamedu and Alanganallur village downed their shutters and hundreds of villagers gathered in the main roads to protest against the stay order. Bull tamer Mani attempted to self immolate near the Vaadivasal, but the villagers prevented him. Jallikattu is our soul, why is the apex court refusing to understand this? asked the youth. Alangallur municipality chairperson Geeta Balaji said they would observe an indefinite protest fast till the court lifts the ban against jallikattu. The jallikattu orgaising committee in Alanganallur, Palamedu and Avaniyapuram decided not to celebrate this Pongal. We suspect that the BJP has played a trick using jallikattu to gain election mileage. The BJP high command very well knew that the union minister Maneka Gandhi is campaigning against jallikattu and also supporting the animal activists. If Prime Minister Modi would have convinced her, she couldnt have prevented the animal activist from approaching the court, said Narayanaswamy (75), a retired military man from Palamedu. Now they will try to put the blame on court to escape from the responsibilities, but we are not fools, he said. Like Narayanasawamy, many elders who are custodians of the jallikattu tradition, said they would boycott this election. At Avaniyapuram, where jallikattu would have been organised first in the district on Jan. 15, people were outraged when the police stopped them from preparatory work. The government has evolved law only to safeguard the people from atrocities, but not to suppress the peoples culture and tradition using it. Now it is clear to us that the apex court is using the law to serve the interest of animal activists who know nothing about our tradition, said Kannan, chairman of the jallikattu oraganising committee, Avaniyapuram. When DC contacted Collector L Subramanian, he said he had already given instructions to the police and revenue officials to maintain law and order in the district and to prevent the illegal conduct of jallikattu. SP Vijayendra S. Bidari deployed police in the sensitive places. 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. Iran protest set fire on Saudi Arabia Embassy. Photo credit: AFP By Alon Ben-Meiri The Saudi decision to execute Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr at this particular juncture was a strategic act of defiance meant to challenge Iran and the United States in particular. The Saudis wanted to send a blatant and carefully calculated message that the Kingdom is capable of standing on its own, and it will not be deterred by either the already destabilized region or by the repercussions of its act. To understand, however, why the Saudis chose to go on the offensive now, a brief review of the development of events between Tehran and Riyadh, and Riyadh and Washington, is warranted. This will also explain why the deliberate execution of the Shiite cleric provided the spark that led to the dangerously heightened tensions between the two countries. To begin with, there was no love lost between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran, as their bilateral relations have always seesawed between fragile normalcy and open animosity. The loathing between the two countries is rooted in the historical Sunni-Shiite conflict, which goes back to the conflict over the Prophet Muhammads succession in the 8th century. In recent times, it was the 1979 Iranian revolution that intensified the rivalry between them. Saudi Arabia supported Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war (from 1980-1988) that claimed over one million causalities between the two sides and only deepened the hostilities between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The 2003 Iraq War brought a revolutionary shift that ended the decades-long US policy of mutual containment of the two countries and allowed Iran to become the dominant player in Iraq. The subsequent bloodshed between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq, with Irans direct support of its Shiite brethren, destroyed any remnant of diplomatic normalcy between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Following the eruption of the Arab Spring, the civil war in Syria brought both sides into open confrontation as Syria became the proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Similarly, the conflict in Yemen became yet another battleground between the two countries, with Iran supporting the Shiite-affiliated Houthis both financially and militarily, and the Saudis supporting the Sunni regime led by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in order to prevent Iran from establishing a strategic foothold in the Arabian Peninsula. Finally, Irans ambition to acquire nuclear weapons fueled the Saudis legitimate concerns that a nuclear-armed Iran will make it the de facto regional hegemon; in that case, Iran would have the ability to intimidate its neighbors and impose its own political agenda throughout the Gulf. As a country that has primarily relied on the US for protection, with which it has developed close and binding relations, Saudi Arabia felt all along that it could count on the US to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Although the US has made every effort, including the imposition of crippling sanctions, to prevent Iran from realizing its nuclear ambition, the Saudis felt betrayed by the secret nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran. In addition, Riyadh viewed the Iran deal as a bad deal for having multiple loopholes, which the Saudis believe Iran will exploit since it is determined to acquire nuclear weapons at any cost. The Saudis became gradually convinced that the Obama administration is tilting increasingly in support of Iran for a number of reasons: a) President Obama does not want to jeopardize the Iran deal, on which much of his legacy hangs; b) the administration concluded that without Irans participation in the peace talks there will be no diplomatic solution to end Syrias civil war; c) the US views the Iran deal as stabilizing and thus it gives relations with Iran priority in the current diplomatic tussle between Iran and Saudi Arabia; and d) the US failure to impose sanctions on Iran for testing ballistic missiles has deeply irked the Saudis, who decided to take matters into their hands. Knowing full well what the repercussions of executing Sheikh al-Nimr would be, Saudi Arabia went ahead with its plans because the potential gains, from the Saudi perspective, far outweighed the prospective fallout. To demonstrate its resolve, Saudi Arabia carried out the execution of the cleric deliberately at a time when regional rivalry between Sunnis and Shiites is at its peak. The execution was also carried out to appease the Sunni Saudi clerics who are concerned about Irans growing regional influence, and at the same time deter sympathizers of ISIS, which regards Saudi Arabia as an enemy. Moreover, Saudi Arabia intended to exclude Iran from playing an active role in the search for a solution to Syrias civil war while impeding the growing alliance between Moscow and Tehran to control the predominantly Sunni Syria. Similarly, as Saudi Arabia is fighting a proxy war against Iran in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, it is determined not to allow Iran free regional reign. By creating the crisis, Saudi Arabia also hopes to disrupt the warming relations between Iran and the US, which it views as contrary to its interests. In addition, Saudi Arabia hopes to undermine the EUs drive for rapprochement with Iran, as it otherwise has the potential of becoming the largest trading partner with the EU. The ransacking of the Saudi embassy in Tehran was seen by the Saudis as a blessing in disguise, playing into the Saudis hands and putting Irans President Rouhani on the defensive, prompting Iran to condemn the act. This has boosted the Saudi position and potentially changed the conflict dynamic between the two countries. The US is rightly concerned about the potential escalation of the conflict between the two countries, which can benefit ISIS and potentially lead to another unforeseen conflagration that may engulf several states in the area. To that end, the Obama administration must immediately take several measures: First, the US should seek to postpone the convening of the January 25 international conference in Geneva that seeks a diplomatic solution to Syrias civil war, in order to give Saudi Arabia and Iran a calming period as the participation of both countries is central to finding any lasting political solution in Syria. Second, the US should impose new sanctions against Iran for testing intercontinental ballistic missiles in violation of UNSC Resolution 1929. This measure is particularly important not only to appease Saudi Arabia, but also to send a clear message to Tehran that it cannot violate international agreements with impunity. Third, it would be wise for Secretary of State John Kerry to travel to Riyadh, even for only symbolic reasons, and reiterate the US commitment to Saudi national security. In addition, his visit would allay the Gulf states concerns that the US is being more critical of Saudi Arabia than Iran, a perception that could further reduce US influence, especially in Riyadh when it is needed the most. Fourth, although the US is focusing on deescalating rather than mediating the Saudi-Iran crisis, it has no choice at this juncture but to play a more active role with the objective of resuming the Geneva talks at a later date to end the tragic civil war in Syria. The manner in which the US has conducted itself in connection with the Iran deal, its unwillingness to project itself more aggressively in Syria, its lack of support (as perceived by the Saudis) of the Saudi role in the conflict in Yemen, and its reaction to the current crisis, gave rise to the Saudis deep concerns about Washingtons ultimate goal in the region, especially now that the US no longer depends on the Gulfs oil. Although the US should continue to seek good relations with Iran, it must now conduct a balancing act to allay the concerns of its Arab allies in the Gulf while showing some toughness in relation to Iran, which in fact is needed to preserve the Iran deal and prevent another regional crisis. Macau's Year-Over-Year Gaming Revenue Decline Continues Published January 12, 2016 by Florin P Plummeting gaming revenue suggests that the golden days of Macau casinos are over. For a couple of years, Macau has been a success story that Las Vegas casinos were telling with envy. After a few years of unprecedented growth, the gambling industry slowed down suddenly and the gaming revenue declined for the 19th straight month this December. While the wheels are still in motion and there is no reason to fear a screeching halt, the revenue decline is still worrisome for land-based operators. Revenue Sinks Below $29 Billion Macau casinos are still extremely profitable and in 2015, they won billions from gamblers, but compared to 2014, revenue dropped by more than 34%. December marked the second straight year of plummeting gaming revenue and this is bad news for a city whose economy revolves around casino gambling. 2016 is not expected to be any better and early estimates suggest that gaming revenue will continue to go down, but its not expected to cross into double digit territory. Land-based casino operators have good reasons to be frustrated by the sudden decline, given the fact that two years ago the casino gambling market was expected to inch closer to $88 billion. It's Not All Bad News One of the reasons for the slowdown is that the Chinese government launched an offensive against corruption in Macau. Since the crackdown began, the government scrutiny intensified and this had a deterring effect on many highrollers. There is no news about additional government regulations in the immediate future, but the specter of a smoking ban in Macau casinos is now looming. The recent results had a negative impact on the stocks of most land-based casinos and Sands, Melco and Wynn were all affected. Macau has been an oasis of serenity and optimism for those betting heavily on brick-and-mortar casinos. Now that the revenue is plummeting, the online gambling industry could benefit from this interesting turn of events. Worldwide, many players made the transition to Internet gambling and the trend is expected to continue in 2016 and beyond. Bailey McCann, Opalesque New York: Visio Capital, the second oldest hedge fund in South Africa has started taking on a greater role as a local activist shareholder, according to head of Investor Relations, Craig French in a recent Opalesque TV interview. French says that as more companies mature on the ground, there is room to push for the kinds of shareholder value improvements common to activist strategies here in the US. "If we have to look at the portfolios at present around 20% of the exposure is to companies where the team actively is engaged with the Board," French explains. "This really takes the form of looking at issues like Board composition and the relevance thereof to the company. It can look at issues like capital allocation over time, trying to understand if management teams are adequately incentivized and so forth." French says that the firm has developed a long history of not only talking to companies and boards, but also to local competitors and customers which informs their activism. The high touch activist strategy also includes on-site visits to the companies themselves and a broad internal consensus before a given company is included in the portfolio. "We have a very flat structure. All fund managers, as we call them, are expected to bring ideas to the table, and we will then debate those," French says. Those debates a...................... To view our full article Click here The scheme to regularise encroached government land has brought to light several instances of illegal occupation of state land. (Representational image) Hyderabad: The scheme to regularise encroached government land has brought to light several instances of illegal occupation of state land. Officials at Secunderabad have recovered land worth Rs 1,000 crore. Shaikpet tahsildar C. Chandrakala said about 15 acres in several parcels, measuring between 200 and 1,000 square yards had been recovered. We have recovered government land in Jaihind Colony, Gulshan Colony, Al-Amara Colony, Aziz Bagh, Vinobhanagar, MLAs Colony, Road No. 12, Krishnanagar, Filmnagar, Prashasan Nagar and Venkatagiri, she said. Notices have been issu-ed to applicants about 8,000 who sought to regulare encroached land. Secunderabad RDO U. Raghuram Sharma said Rs 500 crore worth land had been seized in Marred-pally and Trimulgherry. and 119 acres in the SCB. Thousands of People are at Risk of Starvation (Image by Mashable News) Details DMCA An aid convoy on Monday brought the first food and medical relief for months to the western town of Madaya, where 40,000 people are trapped by encircling government forces and local doctors say some residents have starved to death. The World Health Organization said it had asked the Syrian government to allow it to send mobile clinics and medical teams to Madaya to assess the extent of malnutrition and evacuate the worst cases. The World Health Organization said it had asked the Syrian government to allow it to send mobile clinics and medical teams to Madaya to assess the extent of malnutrition and evacuate the worst cases. A local doctor said 300 to 400 people needed special medical care, according to Elizabeth Hoff, the WHO representative in Damascus who went into Madaya with the convoy. Have you seen Dahr Jamail's report on U.S. military plans for war games in Washington state? I'm sure some observers imagine that the military is simply looking for a place to engage in safe and responsible and needed practice in hand-to-hand combat against incoming North Korean nuclear missiles, or perhaps to rehearse a humanitarian invasion of Russia to uphold the fundamental international law against Vladimir Putin's existence. But if you look over the history of domestic use of the U.S. military -- such as by reading the new book Soldiers on the Home Front: The Domestic Role of the American Military -- it's hard not to wonder whether, from the U.S. military's point of view, at least a side benefit of the coming war game isn't rehearsing for the next time citizens in kayaks interfere with a corporation intent on poisoning the earth's climate with fossil fuels. Soldiers on the Home Front is almost rah-rah enthusiastic in its support for the U.S. military: "Our task here is to celebrate the U.S. military's profound historical and continuing contribution to domestic tranquility, while at the same time ... ." Yet it tells a story of two centuries of the U.S. military and state militias and the National Guard being used to suppress dissent, eliminate labor rights, deny civil liberties, attack Native Americans, and abuse African Americans. Even the well-known restrictions on military use put into law and often ignored -- such as the Posse Comitatus Act -- were aimed at allowing, not preventing, the abuse of African Americans. The story is one of gradually expanding presidential power, both in written law and in practice, with the latter far outpacing the former. Some of us are grateful to see restraint in the approach to the men occupying a federal facility in Oregon. But we are horrified by the lack of similar restraint in using the military or militarized police against peaceful protesters in U.S. cities. Police departments as we know them simply did not exist when the U.S. Constitution -- virtually unaltered since -- was cobbled together in an age of muskets, slavery, and genocide. Among the developments that concern me far more than the authors of Soldiers on the Home Front: Numerous drills and practices, and the locking down of Boston, desensitizing people to the presence of the U.S. military on our streets. Congress members threatened with martial law if they vote against their oligarchs. The legalization of lawless military imprisonment without charge or trial for U.S. citizens or anyone else. The legalization of murder by drone or any other technology of U.S. citizens or anyone else, with arguments that apply within the Homeland just as anywhere else, though we've been told all the murders have been abroad. Nuclear weapons illegally flown across the country and left unguarded. Mercenaries on the streets of New Orleans after a hurricane. Northcom given legal power to illegally act within the United States against the people of the United States. Fusion centers blurring all lines between military and domestic government violence. Secret and not-so-secret continuity of government plans that could put martial law in place at the decision of a president or in the absence of a president. The militarization of the Mexican border. The gruesome history and future of the attack on the Bonus Army, the bombing of West Virginia, Operation Northwoods, tin soldiers and Nixon coming, and Franklin Roosevelt's actual and Donald Trump's possible internment camps. The authors of Soldiers on the Home Front claim that we must balance all such dangers with the supposed need for a military to address "storms, earthquakes, cyber attacks ..., bioterrorism." Why must we? None of these threats can be best addressed by people trained and armed to kill and destroy. When only such people have funding and numbers and equipment, they can look preferable to nothing. But what if we had an unarmed, nonviolent green energy brigade taking on the protection of the climate, and non-military police ready to enforce laws in crises, a major new Civilian Conservation Corps trained and equipped and funded to provide emergency services, a computer whiz team dedicated to fending off cyber attacks and preventing their ongoing provocation by U.S. government cyber attackers, a publicly funded healthcare system prepared for health emergencies, and a State Department redirected away from weapons marketing and into a new project of building respectful and cooperative relations with the world? Reprinted from Reader Supported News "Would I approve waterboarding," Donald Trump asked his supporters back in November. "You bet your ass I would. In a heartbeat. I would approve more than that. It works." And, he added, "if it doesn't work, they deserve it anyway for what they do to us." Had Dick Cheney returned from the near dead, reborn as a know-nothing carnival barker rattling the bones of American Exceptionalism without the Biblical bullshit? Demagogue for a new day, Trump brings to life our ancestors who stole a continent from Native Americans and then plucked Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines from a rotting Spanish Empire. He gives voice to white supremacists, killer cops, and ballot-riggers who do not want the lives of black people to matter and do not want their votes to count. He panders to the growing ranks of nativists, each and every one the seed of earlier immigrants, who now despise the "huddled masses" from other parts of the world. And he speaks to the anxieties of white working-class underdogs whom he would inevitably betray. Trump's Republican competitors are no less toxic, and Ted Cruz could be worse with his loose talk about using nuclear weapons against Islamic State (ISIS) to see "if sand can glow in the dark." But let's not duck the more telling comparison. The nuanced and diplomatic Hillary Clinton could also be extremely dangerous on foreign policy, and much harder for the anti-war movement to fight against. "This is a time for American leadership," she told the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in November, just after the bloody massacre in Paris. "No other country can rally the world to defeat ISIS and win the generational struggle against radical jihadism. Only the United States can mobilize common action on a global scale, and that's exactly what we need. The entire world must be part of this fight, but we must lead it." Hillary gave a brilliant speech that day, a masterful mix of detail and determination to establish herself as the have-gun, will-travel paladin of liberal intervention. She avoided the old-fashioned conservative nationalism of Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, for whom might makes right. She sidestepped the neoconservative imperialism of Paul Wolfowitz and William Kristol, who tie themselves to the needs of the military-industrial complex far more than to the desires of right-wing Israeli governments. Hillary, ever the idealist, takes up arms for the good of others. It's an old stance that harks back to FDR's liberal internationalism and the earliest days of the Cold War, and now finds a modern-day echo in historian Robert Kagan's 2012 book The World America Made, a favorite at the Obama White House. Co-founder of the two neocon flagships -- the Project for a New American Century (PNAC) and the Foreign Policy Initiative -- and husband of Victoria Nuland, a major player in the US-led coup in Ukraine, Kagan now shuns the neocon label and calls himself a liberal interventionist. With Hillary as with Kagan, it's staggering how much they fail to learn from mistakes of the past, whether personal or historic. Re-read Hillary's speech to the CFR. For all her talk of relying on local troops, she believes with Cheney that the American military hammer should remain our prime response to every terrorist nail in the Middle East. She continues to think Washington should step in when local clients like the Iraqis fail to do our bidding. And she still wants the US to promote regime change. Just remember. Hillary voted to overthrow Saddam Hussein in Iraq. She helped organize the civil war against Muammar Kadhafi in Libya. She played a cameo role in the second Orange Revolution against the Russian-backed Viktor Yanukovych in Ukraine, and she is again talking up regime change against Bashar al-Assad in Syria. So many mistakes. So little learning. "I worry," warned Bernie Sanders, "that Secretary Clinton is too much into regime change and a little bit too aggressive without knowing what the unintended consequences might be." How kind Uncle Bernie was being! Among the consequences we know to expect is that a US-led war to drive ISIS out of Syria and Iraq may well succeed in the short-term, but would likely keep us tied down in the region for 30 to 50 years to come. As Mr. Rogers might ask, "Boys and girls, how do you spell neo-colonialism?" Committed to American Exceptionalism and seeing America as the "indispensable nation," Hillary's experience and her ties to the rich and powerful make her deaf, dumb, and blind to the essential truth. American leadership in the Middle East is a big part of the problem, not of the solution. Worse, she now wants to stir up even more trouble with her "comprehensive plan," introduced in September, to counter Iranian influence across the region and bolster the confidence of our Arab partners, by which she means Sunni Arabs. What could be more stupid than getting even more mired down in the middle of a historic sectarian war between Sunni and Shi'a Islam? You might well ask the same question of those who pretend to be part of the anti-war movement but now beat the drums to join with Russian and Iranian imperialism to fight against the Sunnis. Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News. (Image by moveon.org) Details DMCA ng class=""> By Ilya Sheyman, Executive Director, MoveOn.org Political Action With a record-setting 78.6 percent of 340,665 votes cast by the MoveOn membership, Senator Bernie Sanders has won MoveOn.org Political Action's endorsement for president with the largest total and widest margin in MoveOn history. MoveOn.org only endorses candidates based on votes by our members. Our only previous presidential endorsement during a Democratic primary was for Barack Obama, in early 2008. In 2004, no Democratic candidate reached the threshold for an endorsement. Here are 5 of the top reasons MoveOn members support Bernie and will mobilize to get out the vote on his behalf in Iowa, New Hampshire, and other crucial early states. "His refusal to accept the status quo of the wealthiest Americans using their power to influence politicians matters to me. If we're going to push back against the rising oligarchy in our country, we need people like Bernie Sanders representing us in government." -- MoveOn member Matt R., Reston, VA At the core of Bernie's campaign is a commitment to fixing an economic system that has been rigged in favor of giant corporations and the wealthiest few and that is making economic inequality worse. Bernie's campaign is funded by more than a million ordinary Americans chipping in whatever they can afford"--"not by billionaires or corporate SuperPACs. In our endorsement vote exit poll, one of the words MoveOn members most frequently used to describe him was "integrity." He isn't beholden to lobbyists and corporate interests, and it shows in the positions he's taken, from fighting to break up too-big-to-fail Wall Street banks, to tuition-free public higher education, to expanding Social Security, to fighting for bold solutions on climate change and a $15-hour minimum wage. In short, MoveOn members support Bernie Sanders because they believe they can trust him to stand up to powerful interests and fight for what's right. "In a nutshell, he exemplifies the 'We the People' style of democracy I believe in. He has stood by and with the people, supporting women, people of color, LGBTQ, seniors, and the poor against those who look to subjugate these historically oppressed groups for profit." -- MoveOn member Natalie R., Claremont, CA Bernie is fighting for racial justice by calling to demilitarize police, invest in community policing, end the drug war and tackle the epidemic of mass incarceration, and restore voting rights gutted by federal courts. On immigration, Sanders proposes allowing undocumented immigrants to purchase health care through the Affordable Care Act, dismantling inhumane deportation programs and private detention centers, and a path to citizenship for 11 million aspiring Americans. He's fighting for equal pay for women and to expand and protect reproductive rights, and has pledged to only nominate Supreme Court justices who support Roe v. Wade. "He represents integrity. He was also right about Iraq and I prefer his stance on foreign policy. I feel that he is concerned with getting our country on track and not getting us in more wars." -- MoveOn member Janekee C., Davenport, FL Bernie Sanders has been a strong, consistent voice for the principle that war should always be a last resort. He had the foresight to vote against authorizing the war in Iraq in 2002, was a strong supporter of the nuclear deal to prevent war with Iran, and has been a voice of reason against escalation in Syria and other conflicts around the world. A diplomacy-first foreign policy has long been one of MoveOn members' top priorities, and Bernie has consistently stood with us against costly, needless, and unwise military escalation that puts our nation's security and values at risk. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Steve Horn (Image by courtesy of Steve Horn) Details DMCA Interview with Steve Horn, investigative journalist My guest is journalist Steve Horn. Welcome back to OpEdNews, Steve. JB: We spoke very recently about President Obama, the Keystone XL Pipeline and the fact that his veto did nothing to stop the majority of the Keystone Pipeline System in its tracks: Obama's Keystone XL Pipeline Veto Just Smoke and Mirrors? [12/8/2015]. Now we're back and I have a feeling it's not with good news. What's on your mind, Steve? SH: Well, firstly, great to be back with you and appreciate the opportunity to talk to you and your readers at OpEdNews. Thanks for having me again. Secondly, it's almost never good news in the world of energy, climate and the environment. I'm consistently the "bearer of bad news," but, then again, so are most people who do this beat unless they're telling fairy tales. It's a scary time to be alive on this planet, given the climate change impacts we've already locked in for decades to come. But to do the hard work of answering your real question, it's definitely bad news I'm here to present you and your readers with. That is, during the Paris climate summit convened by the United Nations, President Obama and Congress signed into law a bill that expedites permitting for oil and gas pipelines and other critical fossil fuel-related infrastructure within the U.S. This comes of course weeks after he claimed he nixed Keystone XL (when all he did was nixed the northern leg of it) and of course in the midst of a climate summit at the end of which he and his surrogates in the White House and State Department claimed the U.S. displayed climate "leadership" in Paris. Global leaders at the United Nations climate summit in Paris; Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons Adding injury to insult, that bill Obama signed into law now codifies the Executive Order he issued to expedite building the southern leg of Keystone XL back in 2012. Most don't realize that Order was issued on the same day as another one that expedited the permitting process for all oil and gas pipelines in the U.S. It's what I've called the "Keystone XL trade-off" in some of my previous investigative journalism. Not such a "happy new year" gift if you care about the future of our planet, is it? JB: I don't even know where to begin, Steve. i'm flabbergasted by the collective chutzpah of Congress and the president. Isn't it the timing bizarre and demonstrating, once again, the height of cynicism? I just don't get it. Do they think the American public wouldn't notice? Or don't care? SH: You hit the nail on the head! Who pays attention to 1,000+-page bills during the peak of the holiday season? Most people are paying attention to $1,000+ travel bills accrued by paying for travel for family coming into town and that sort of thing during this time, not sifting through legislation. But two quotes come to mind for this story that encompass the work I did for it and the ethos involved in making it happen: 1.) "Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made." - Otto von Bismarck Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Reprinted from WSWS Bowing to Trump's racist agitation The Obama White House will not be swayed by protests against the renewed deportations of Central American women and children. So said Obama spokesman Josh Earnest in an arrogant proclamation from the podium of the White House briefing room. "The enforcement strategy and priorities that the administration has articulated are not going to change," Earnest said Friday. "We have focused those enforcement efforts on high priority issues we've identified. That primarily is criminals as you might expect... The other area of priority that is important is to ensure that we are maintaining security at the border. That means individuals who recently crossed the border are priorities for removal." So much for Obama's supposed compassion for children, which was on display only last Tuesday when, announcing measures to curb gun violence, Obama shed tears for the TV cameras over the 2012 death of first-graders at Sandy Hook Elementary School! Far from being "criminals," those targeted by the raids are mothers and children fleeing drug gangs and right-wing military death squads in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, all countries ruled by US-backed regimes that uphold the economic and political interests of local oligarchies. Agents of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unit of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began raiding the homes of Central American immigrants in Texas, Georgia and North Carolina after New Year's Day, detaining a total of 121 mothers and children. Of these, 77 have already been transported to Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala, officials said. The rest are detained at DHS facilities in Texas awaiting deportation or further adjudication of their cases. The 121 detentions are only the tip of the iceberg. Press reports said some 10,000 women and children are to be targeted in the first round of sweeps this winter, while as many as 100,000 -- all those who have entered the country since early 2014 and who have not been granted official refugee status -- could ultimately fall victim to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The raids have been deliberately staged to produce widespread fear. In several instances in Georgia, for example, mothers have been taken from their homes in the middle of the night, having been given five minutes to pack their children's belongings. The widespread publicity given the new US government policy has contributed to panic in Central American immigrant communities all across the country. Press reports cite meetings of hundreds in New York, Boston, Baltimore and other cities where no raids have yet taken place, with people turning out to hear from lawyers and immigration rights advocates. School attendance and turnout at work sites is down, and some are even skipping doctor's appointments for fear of leaving their homes and being detained en route. The comments of the White House spokesman Friday came in response to pleas by congressional Democrats, including party leaders and Latino representatives, for an immediate halt to the raids. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, among others, have all condemned the actions of the DHS as "inhumane." What these representatives of big business really mean is that the raids and deportations are politically inexpedient at the onset of an election year in which the Democratic Party seeks to posture as more sympathetic to immigrants and Hispanics than the Republicans, despite the atrocious record of Obama, once dubbed the "deporter-in-chief" by immigrants' rights activists. A letter sent by the co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Representatives Raul M. Grijalva (Democrat of Arizona) and Keith Ellison (Democrat of Minnesota), reads: "Countless reports have documented how many of these women and children are fleeing extreme violence and poverty in their home countries... It is inhumane for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials to disregard these threats and cause fear and anguish for immigrant families." In comments to the press, Grijalva noted the obvious -- that the deportation campaign was an olive branch to the fascistic anti-immigrant demagogy of billionaire Donald Trump, now echoed by virtually the entire Republican Party presidential field. "I hope that the administration is not considering these women and children as collateral damage in... an election year discussion about immigration," he said. Other protests noted the contrast between Obama's supposed support for refugees fleeing violence in Syria and the brutality towards refugees fleeing similar violence in Central America. The new round of repression comes in response to a new upsurge in immigration from Central America, which peaked in November and December, and the anti-immigrant demagogy of the Republican presidential campaign, spearheaded by Trump. Far from representing a genuine alternative to the Republicans, the Obama administration is demonstrating the real character of the Democratic Party, which carries out the same reactionary policies, albeit with slightly different rhetoric. Reprinted from Campaign For America's Future After a decades-long effort to place ideologically committed "movement" members in the judicial branch of government, funded by extremely wealthy individuals and their corporations, it looks like the resulting corporate/conservative wing of the Supreme Court is ready to make a ruling that would bankrupt public-employee unions. And clearly already-decimated private-sector unions will be the next target. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday in the case of Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. In this case the Court is asked to overturn a unanimous 1977 case that said public-employee unions can charge nonmembers a fee to cover the cost of the services the unions are required by law to provide those nonmembers. The fee does not cover political activities of the union, only the cost of services the unions must, by law, provide. If the corporate/billionaire class gets its way -- and it looks like it will -- the terrible inequality you see in the country today is nothing compared to what's coming. Having grabbed all the income gains since the recession, having wiped out the middle class, having pushed so much to the top that a few families now have more wealth than all of the rest of us combined, now the corporate/billionaire class is coming after the rest of the money in the economy. The Right-Wing Argument Conservatives are making the case that any services public-employee unions provide -- such as collective bargaining, administering resulting contracts and representing employees who have grievances under the contracts -- are themselves political. Because unions represent working people, enabling them to band together and collectively bargain, thereby gaining strength to confront those with concentrated wealth and power on a more level playing field, they argue these services are "political" services. And since public-employee unions bargain with the government, they argue that negotiating for better wages is "political" because better wages for public employees "cost taxpayers." Therefore, by their very nature unions are engaging in "political activity." So, they argue, those fees charged to non-members for the services the unions are required by law to provide are "political" services and can't be compelled. If these fees that cover the costs of those services are struck down, however, the unions will still be required to provide the services. Obviously the purpose of such a ruling would be to bankrupt the unions. While comments made by justices in oral arguments are not always predictive of what a final ruling would be, the court's conservative majority left the clear impression that a majority of the justices are preparing to rule against the unions. USA Today said as much in its news story, "Supreme Court seems sure to rule against unions": "The Supreme Court left little doubt Monday where it stands on forcing teachers and government workers to contribute to public employee unions against their will: It's ready to strike the requirement down. "The court's more conservative justices sharply criticized the current system in which public employees ... must pay for the cost of collective bargaining, even if they disagree with their unions' demands. The problem, those justices said, is that virtually everything the unions do affects public policy and tax dollars. "'Everything that is collectively bargained with the government is within the political sphere, almost by definition,' said Justice Antonin Scalia, seen as the lone conservative who might side with the unions because of past statements." The New York Times, "Supreme Court Seems Poised to Deal Unions a Major Setback": "The justices appeared divided along familiar lines during an extended argument over whether government workers who choose not to join unions may nonetheless be required to help pay for collective bargaining. The court's conservative majority appeared ready to say that such compelled financial support violates the First Amendment." The Washington Post, "Supreme Court majority is critical of compelled public employee union fees": Progressive Content Not Found Sometimes, authors delete their progressive content after publishing. To see if the progressive content was renamed or re-published, please click here. Duluth, Minnesota (OpEdNews) January 11, 2016: The news media have been reporting the controversy involving Wheaton College's first tenured black female professor, Larycia Hawkins in political science. Progressives and liberals should be concerned about the controversy surrounding Dr. Hawkins, because the Wheaton College administration has initiated the process of terminating her employment as a result of the controversy. Initially, the controversy exploded after Dr. Hawkins posted a statement on her Facebook page on December 10th in which she explained that she would be wearing a hijab, a head scarf worn by Muslim women, at the evangelical Protestant college in Illinois during the Christian Advent season in December as a show of religious solidarity with Muslims. Dr. Hawkins' gesture of wearing a hijab came in response to Donald Trump's statement that the United States should temporarily suspend admitting Muslim immigrants into the country -- a suggestion that even Dick Cheney publicly denounced. Like all private colleges and universities, Wheaton College, which has about 3,000 students, depends on benefactors for financial support. As a result, the college is vulnerable to possible financial fallout from the controversy surrounding Dr. Hawkins. Polls show that white evangelical Protestants tend to vote for Republican candidates. Your guess is as good as mine as to how many white evangelical Protestants support Donald Trump's candidacy for the Republican nomination to run for president. As striking as Dr. Hawkins' gesture of wearing a hijab may have seemed, the subsequent controversy centered on two sentences in her Facebook statement: "I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book. And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God" -- the God of Abraham. Of course many American Catholics, like many white evangelical Protestants, tend to vote for Republican candidates, and some American Catholics may support Donald Trump. But the news media have not been reporting any big outcry about the pope's statement. Why not? Judaism, Christianity, and Islam each claims Abraham as their exemplar of religious faith. As a result, all three religious faiths are referred to as monotheistic. But orthodox Christians, including of course both Pope Francis and Dr. Hawkins, hold the doctrine of the divinity of Jesus (the supposed Messiah or Christ) and the doctrine of the divine trinity (the supposed three divine "persons" in the supposed "one" God). However, like Jews, Muslims reject both the doctrine of the divinity of Jesus and the doctrine of the divine trinity. But this difference did not stop Pope Francis from saying that Muslims and Christians worship the same God. Nor did it stop Dr. Hawkins from quoting his statement with approval. To make a long story short, the Wheaton College administration sent Dr. Hawkins on January 4th written notification that it was beginning the process of terminating her employment. On the college's website, the administration clearly states that what is "at issue are the theological implications of Dr. Hawkins' statements." In plain English, what is at issue are not specific statements that Dr. Hawkins made that might arguably violate Wheaton's perfectly legal "Statement of Faith" that all faculty agree to uphold as a condition of employment. But in terms of the letter of the law, Wheaton's "Statement of Faith" contains no statements about Islam or, more generally, non-Christian traditions of religious faith. As a result, in terms of the letter of the law, Dr. Hawkins does not stand accused of violating any explicitly stated provisions in the "Statement of Faith." Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Hyderabad: Justice M.S.K. Jaiswal of the Hyderabad HC has dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of YSRC MP Mithun Reddy on Tuesday in connection with the assault on an Air India officer at the Tirupati airport. This is the second time the MP is approaching the HC seeking anticipatory bail. When he moved his bail plea in November 2015, the court dismissed it. The police booked a case against the MP for allegedly assaulting the airport officer when he was denied a boarding pass to board a Delhi-bound flight as he came late. Posani Venkateswarlu, AP public prosecutor on Tuesday, said the High Court had earlier directed the police to issue a notice to the MP and seek his reply. He said accordingly, the police issued him a notice under Section 41-A of CrPC.and sought his presence for questioning him and the MP while seeking time for his appearance told the police that he would appear before them after December 31. Despite appearing before the police, the MP has to file this plea for the second time before the court, he added. The judge made it clear that there was no valid ground in the plea which warrants interference of the court and dismissed the plea. Vietnam Nicaragua Memorably synthesized by Wendy Carlos (and memorably beloved by A Clockwork Oranges Alex DeLarge), J.S. Bachs Brandenburg Concertos epitomize the playful verve of so much Baroque music. The Concertos display the lighter side of Bachs imperishable genius, writes NPR; few musical works are as lovedand as often performed as the six sprightly instrumental pieces. And of those six works, the fourth, Concerto in G major, is perhaps the most beloved, and most recognizable, of all. Thus it makes a fitting early entry in the expanding archive that is (or will be) All of Bach, a site intending to feature live performances of all 1080 of Johann Sebastian Bachs works, performed by the Netherlands Bach Society. Weve drawn your attention to the admirable effort before, and we happily do so again to celebrate their 150th offering, a performance of Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan (see a short, celebratory video announcement below). The last time we checked in with All of Bach back in April, the site had uploaded only 53 performances. Since that time, theyve added other popular favorites like The Well-Tempered Clavier (a maelstrom in a minor keyalso beautifully adapted to the Moog by Wendy Carlos), and the glorious Magnificat, Bachs first large choral work after his 1723 appointment in Leipzig (hear Deposuit below). The Concerto in G major, which you can see and hear performed at the top of the post, shows us the composer continually misleading us as to which instruments are the real soloists. Two recorders initially take the lead, then a violin, then the recorders again until they are soon trumped by the violin, which steals the show in a whirlwind of dizzying notes. The roles are always ambiguous, and our attention always riveted on the virtuoso interplay. Bach deliberately obscures the usually clear contrast between soloists and ensemble, All of Bach observes, and his play on the characteristic elements of the concerto form draws to a close in a suitably subversive and boundary-blurring way. The site also features extras such as interviews with musicians. (See Harpsichordist Frederick Haas discuss The Well-Tempered Clavier here, or watch violinist Shunske Sato and recorder player Heiko ter Shegget talk about the Concerto in G majors complexity here.) Youll also find plenty of historical and musicological context for each piece. New performances are uploaded to the site every Friday. To keep up with All of Bach, follow them on Facebook or Twitter, or sign up for email updates on their site. Or just visit their web site. Related Content: All of Bach Is Putting Videos of 1,080 Bach Performances Online: Watch the First 53 Recordings and the St. Matthew Passion Download the Complete Organ Works of J.S. Bach for Free JS Bachs The Well-Tempered Clavier Artistically Animated with Pulsing Neon Lights Josh Jones is a writer and musician based in Durham, NC. Follow him at @jdmagness Swatch Originals Silver Glam Swiss Quartz SUOZ147 Unisex Watch Swatch Originals are amazing watches. The glamour shines through the Silver Glam! Its a new style in a lot of black, comfortable silicone with a lot of metal. The face attracts onlookers as you check time, every time. Its a quartz watch with a little industrial look. 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Contact Name : Jasson C phone 860-398-5782 Website : http://www.citywatches.co.uk/ We are here to deliver the best prices without any compromise on customer service. Our friendly customer service ensures that any of your questions, before or after your purchase, are always answered. FUR ALLE Jetzt Ihre Pressemitteilung mit einem Klick auf openPR veroffentlichen Later this year, a former Central Eastside Industrial District warehouse will roar back to life with a new brewery and wood-fired restaurant joining three of Portland's most respected food and drink professionals. The project, Wayfinder Beer, comes from Charlie Devereux, the co-founder of Double Mountain Brewery; Rodney Muirhead, the barbecue master at Northeast Portland's Podnah's Pit; and Matt Jacobson, the force behind late-night pizza sensation Sizzle Pie and hard-charging rock label Relapse Records. Come spring, the new brewery and restaurant will open in nearly 8,000 square feet of space in the City Sign Building, with a brick-walled beer hall up front and a 10-barrel brewing system round back. Found about half a block from Produce Row Cafe, the brewery will pour two dozen taps of house and guest beer to more than 100 seats inside and 100 more on an expansive deck overlooking Second Avenue. Double Mountain co-founder Devereux, who left the popular Hood River brewery in 2013, plans to brew a mix of ales and lagers, the slower-fermenting style he fell in love with on a recent trip to Germany and the Czech Republic. Joining him in the four-vessel brewery is Kevin Davey, a brewer with experience at Washignton's Chuckanut Brewery, California's Firestone Walker and Seattle's Gordon Biersch, where he took home a 2014 Great American Beer Festival gold medal for his Munich-style Helles. "Brewers here have always felt that lagers were something that people liked, but from a business perspective, they're a little more difficult, a little more complicated to make and, well, take more time," Devereux told The Oregonian Monday. "But some of those things have evened out. It's funny, but hoppy beers have gotten so hoppy, and so in demand, that making lagers isn't necessarily more expensive than making ales. If you're making IPAs with 2-3 pounds of hops in them as your mainstay, the cost isn't so different." Food is courtesy of Podnah's Pit barbecue king Rodney Muirhead, who is currently building a wood-fired grill similar to the ones you might have seen at Portland restaurants Ox, Ava Gene's or Imperial. The all-day menu will focus on fresh-baked pretzels, sandwiches made on house-made bread (including a version of the prime rib cheesesteak Muirhead and Aaron Franklin made for the Feast Portland food festival) plus classic brew pub dishes such as fish and chips. "I never feel like I have to reinvent anything," Muirhead says. "Just make it right." Wayfinder will feature fresh-baked pretzels from Podnah's Pit owner Rodney Muirhead. At night, the grill will fire up with steaks, chops, baby-back ribs, a no-nonsense burger and plenty of vegetables, including several vegetarian and vegan dishes. Look for Muirhead to lean on nearby Nicky USA for game meats. If we're lucky, Muirhead might park the custom smoker Franklin built for him outside the brewery for special events. For Muirhead, the project offers an opportunity for him and his team -- including managers Jeff Rain and Ryan Day -- to move beyond barbecue. "We were thinking about what to do next, not necessarily something this big, but I couldn't turn down the chance to work with Charlie," Muirhead said. "I threw out the idea, 'What if I do the food, you do the beer?'" The third principle in the project is Matt Jacobson, the beer-loving entrepreneur behind Relapse Records and Sizzle Pie, who brings a wealth of experience in branding, marketing and back-of-house systems. Jacobson founded the rock- and metal-focused Relapse Records 25 years ago in his parents basement. Since then, the independent label has since released some 750 albums. In addition to his pizzerias in Portland and Eugene, Jacobson formerly owned Southeast Portland's White Owl Social Club, home to Lagerfest, a lager-focused beer festival. Jacobson first crossed paths with Devereux several years ago, after Sizzle Pie produced a poster celebrating a Double Mountain bottle release that was "better than anything we had ever done ourselves," Devereux says. Jacobson's longtime art director Orion Landau will help craft the new brewery's look. Beer release collaborations with Portland artists or musicians could be in the mix. "I'm super excited to be working with these guys," Jacobson says. "Long brefore I got to know Charlie I was a huge fan of Double Mountain. It's definitely one of my favorite breweries in the state. And I love Rodney's simple, authentic approach to food." Two more familiar faces should be popping up behind the bar. Jonathan Carmean, a familiar presence behind beer bars including Saraveza and, more recently, Belmont Station's Biercafe, will manage the bar, while Jacob Grier, the Aquavit-loving bartender who wrote the book on beer cocktails, is crafting Wayfinder's spirits menu and cocktails. Wayfinder Beer is a new brewery and restaurant project from Charlie Devereux (Double Mountain), Rodney Muirhead (Podnah's Pit) and Matt Jacobson (Sizzle Pie). Photo courtesy of Wayfinder Beer. The brewery's classic-meets-contemporary design comes courtesy of Works Parnership Architecture, including mod white-box skylights and a massive deck built out from the bar all the way to Second Avenue, with notches for a staircase, ramp and bike parking. Construction on the project is already underway. For Devereux, draws inspiration from his beer-world mentor, Ecliptic Brewing's John Harris, Wayfinder Beer is the culmination of nearly three years of wandering and planning after leaving Double Mountain. "When I left, I thought I might open a bar, something smaller, Devereux says. "I took a big deep breath, did a little traveling, went to Europe and got re-inspired by beer, especially lager beer. "Then when John opened Ecliptic, I had so much fun watching him brew the first batches. It reminded me that brewing is a special career." Wayfinder Beer is shooting for a spring, 2016 opening at 304 S.E Second Ave. For more information, visit wayfinder.beer. -- Michael Russell Mumbai: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Monday lowered the amount of corporate debt that mutual funds can hold in individual companies and sectors to prevent investors from potentially damaging over-exposure. The rules are in response to market turmoil last year when a unit of JP Morgan in India suffered significant mark-to-market losses after a big investment in the debt by Amtek Auto Ltd soured when the auto parts maker was downgraded by rating agencies. The new rules, announced after a board meeting on Monday, were widely expected given India's market regulator had previously said it would closely review potential risks in the corporate debt investments by mutual funds. The SEBI is not only cutting how much company debt a single fund can hold, it is also imposing restrictions on investments in related entities as well as sectors. The rules will also force companies to diversify their investor base, bankers said. "Mutual funds will have to diversify the companies in which they will invest now that there is a single and group borrower limit," said a debt investment banker at a foreign bank. "Also companies will have to find other avenues to raise funds like from banks, insurance companies." The rules require funds to not hold more than 10 percent of its net assets in debt issued by a single company - down from 15 percent earlier. That limit would be extendable to 12 percent after approval from the fund's trustee compared with 20 percent earlier - the amount of debt a J.P.Morgan fund had held in Amtek Auto's debt. The SEBI rules also bar a fund from holding more than 20 percent of its net asset value in companies belonging to the same corporate group, though it is extendable to 25 percent after approval from the trustee. The regulator also reduced the amount of exposure debt funds can hold on a single sector from 30 percent to 25 percent of net assets, among other restrictions. SEBI said the restrictions do not apply to debt issued by state-run companies and banks. However, some fund managers warned they could now be forced to buy debt from more companies, potentially pushing them towards riskier bonds they would not have previously considered. "People will now buy more riskier paper to meet the criteria, so instead of diversifying risk they have increased the risk in the system," said Murthy Nagarajan, head of fixed income at Quantum Asset Management. Separately, SEBI also approved rules for the issuance of green bonds and primary issuance of debt through an electronic platform, finalising the draft rules announced in November. The late Marc Reisner made an eye-opening but pretty much indisputable assertion about Washington state's Grand Coulee Dam in "Cadillac Desert," his influential 1986 history of U.S. water management and government overreach. "If the high dam spelled doom for most of the salmon in the Columbia River... it did perform a miraculous service which, at the time, was utterly unforeseen," he wrote. "It probably won the Second World War." That's right -- won the war. The Grand Coulee, like all the dams in the mostly arid western United States, was constructed to provide water for farmers and city-dwellers. But in the 1940s, the hydro-electricity from the dams was turned to war production. Almost all of the 900,000 kilowatts of power available from Grand Coulee and Oregon's Bonneville Dam went to building tanks, bombers and aircraft carriers. One expert estimate was that "more than half the planes in the American Air Forces were built with Coulee power alone." "No one knows exactly how many planes and ships were manufactured with Bonneville and Grand Coulee electricity, but it is safe to say that the war would have been seriously prolonged at the least without the dams," Reisner wrote. The Axis powers simply could not keep up with the industrial might of the United States. "Cadillac Desert" makes clear how the Grand Coulee, which opened in 1942, stood apart as a symbol of American can-do exceptionalism. The Southwest's Hoover Dam, completed in 1936, was an awe-inspiring miracle of the industrial age. But it could not compare to the Grand Coulee that soon followed. "Many of the workers who came up to build it were those who had finished Hoover," Reisner wrote. "When they imagined it filing this huge U-shaped canyon, they were speechless." Reisner then quoted Grand Coulee dam engineer Phil Nader: "When they worked on Hoover they thought it made everything else look like nothing. When they saw what we were going to build here they said it made Hoover look like nothing." How grand is Grand Coulee? Check out the photo gallery above (with original captions), culled from The Oregonian's extensive photography archive. -- Douglas Perry Gun policy, Malheur militants: Donald Trump, in Burlington, Vermont, stated that he would eliminate all gun-free zones, including those at schools, the first day he was president. Why doesn't he set an example and eliminate all screening at his rallies and appearances immediately and allow open carry of all "legal" weapons at his events, including AKs and AR-15s? According to his thinking, he would be safer. Carolyn Crandall Newport * Gun policy, Malheur militants: Paul Phillips, president of Oregon Gun Owners, uses the typical rhetoric of all pro-gun groups in his opinion piece: Hide behind the Second Amendment while trying to prevent any progress in solving the horrific gun violence problem in the U.S. Phillips specifically warns against the Oregon Legislature doing anything, labeling attempts as "draconian" and writing that "new gun control measures that will not have an effect in deterring crime." While warning against the elected representatives of the people trying to do anything about solving the gun violence problem, Phillips makes no worthwhile suggestions which might lead toward a solution. Anyone or any group not willing to help try to solve the gun violence problem in our society is a part of the problem. Let's try to solve the problem instead of discouraging solutions. Bruce Hamilton Milwaukie * Gun policy, Malheur militants: The fact that a bunch of guys with guns have taken over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters in order to change public policy brings up one major issue: Our nation decides things with votes not guns. Laws can change with votes. Policies can change with votes. People can express their ideas in a peaceful manner. Put down the guns. It's not a discussion if you have a gun. You don't change public policy in the United States by using a gun to get attention. You don't change minds at gunpoint. This country is made up of a lot of people with many perspectives. We can't create public policy by using guns to intimidate. If one group uses guns attempting to change public policy, all groups can do the same, and no one will be left. Put the guns down and participate peacefully in democracy. Ginny Stern Northeast Portland * Gun policy, Malheur militants: President Obama is a very bright man, but I am wondering why neither he nor his advisors have figured out how to get Congress to act the way he wants them to. Given Congress' predictable behavior of automatically taking the opposing stance to anything Obama promotes, if he wants them to pass background checks on gun buyers, he should say he has changed his mind and that he now opposes background checks. The Republicans will have a hard time agreeing with President Obama and may just pass legislation requiring background checks. There is more than one way to get what one wants. Margaret Anderson Lake Oswego * Gun policy, Malheur militants: The guys and their guns who have effectively held Burns and much of Harney County hostage for these past several days have been tolerated long enough. At some point soon the authorities have to tell these guys to climb back in their pickups and get the hell out of Oregon. Just imagine how things would have been handled if it had been 20 American men of color (African American, Latino or, heaven forbid, Middle Eastern) who had taken over the refuge complaining about actions of the federal government. No one wants to see a gun fight out there (except perhaps some of the Bundy crowd), but this has to end. My suggestion is to tell those guys they have 72 hours to leave the refuge, the county of Harney and -- for those who are non-residents -- the state of Oregon. After 72 hours no one, including but not limited to supporters and the press, will be permitted to enter the refuge or provide supplies to those hostage takers. All utility service will be cut off, and everyone remaining at the refuge will be criminally and civilly prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Then let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. Karl Keener Northeast Portland It may have looked spontaneous, but the takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge a week ago was part of a plan Ammon Bundy and a trusted associate developed largely in secret over the past two months. Bundy, the son of controversial Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, and Ryan Payne, a militia leader from Montana, came to believe that an armed occupation was the only way to bring enough attention to a pair of local ranchers heading to prison and change the underlying problem: federal land ownership. Even as a wider network of anti-government groups and community members rejected taking action stronger than holding a public rally, Bundy and Payne privately strategized an occupation they felt was necessary to spread their message. The Oregonian/OregonLive conducted dozens of interviews with Bundy, Payne, their supporters and federal officials that show how the leaders worked parallel tracks. They encouraged local organizers to plan a peaceful rally to back the ranchers -- Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son, Steven Hammond -- while they scoped out potential sites for a takeover. Bundy and Payne were calculating and charismatic. The Hammonds' plight hit at the heart of their belief system. As Payne cased several federal offices in Burns and visited the refuge on multiple occasions, Bundy spent his time interviewing the Hammonds and pulling court files associated with their case. Their presence in Burns, and the growing support for the Hammonds online, rattled the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service enough that it began making safety arrangements for its 17 employees at the refuge -- a horseshoe-shaped bird sanctuary that surrounds the Hammonds' ranch. A photo of Payne was posted in a refuge building for workers to be on the lookout. But still no one appeared to know specifically about a planned occupation -- not the FBI, not Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward, not the Hammond rally organizers. In keeping their plan shrouded, Bundy and Payne risked losing the support they had galvanized during the 2014 standoff with federal officials near the Bundy family ranch in Nevada. In the hours after the Malheur refuge takeover, rally organizers claimed that they had been double-crossed. But today, as the siege enters its 10th day, the operation has taken on the sheen of success. Some lawmakers are coming out in support of the occupiers' message, even if they believe their tactics were wrong. And the same Hammond supporters frustrated by the deception have tempered their anger and taken up posts at the refuge. The planning The players The Leaders Ammon Bundy , an Arizona businessman and the 40-year-old son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy. The elder Bundy's long-running battle with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management became a lightning rod for various anti-government groups in 2014 when federal authorities tried to round up his cattle in a dispute over 20 years' worth of unpaid grazing fees. With militia support, the family thwarted the roundup, and a video of federal authorities using a Taser on Ammon Bundy went viral. Ryan Payne , a 32-year-old Army veteran from Montana who earned the Bundy family's trust by coordinating the militia response during the 2014 standoff in Nevada. He also founded a network of militias and sympathizers called Operation Mutual Defense, whose board was involved in early talks on how to help a pair of Burns area ranchers. Operation Mutual Defense Gary Hunt , a board member based in Northern California who blogs at Outpost of Freedom. The board didn't support action in Burns without the Hammond family's invitation, but Hunt said he individually backs the occupation. Tim Foley , the founder of Arizona Border Recon, a group that patrols the U.S.-Mexico border. He was on the board, but resigned shortly after the vote to further distance himself from Payne's plans. Jon Ritzheimer , an Arizona man who has been most famous for planning a series of anti-Islam rallies in Phoenix last year. He voted against action in Burns without an invitation from the Hammonds, but later changed his mind. He is among the core group of occupiers. Oregon rally organizers B.J. Soper , a Redmond resident and founder of the Central Oregon Constitutional Guard. That group also is involved with the Pacific Patriot Network, which includes about 4,000 members from various groups in the Northwest. Jeff Roberts , a Grants Pass-area resident and vice president of Oregon III%, which derives its name from the small share of the colonial population they believed to have taken up arms against the British. The group is also part of the Pacific Patriot Network. Ammon Bundy and others in the loosely organized patriot movement had been searching for compelling stories of federal overreach ever since the standoff over grazing fees in Nevada had placed Cliven Bundy in the national spotlight. The Bundys were widely seen as victorious at what became known as the "Battle of Bunkerville." Ammon Bundy and his supporters were looking to use that platform to highlight other personal stories of injustice and bring their interpretation of the U.S. Constitution and the proper role of the federal government to a broader audience. The Hammonds were just the ticket. The Burns-area ranchers were found guilty of arson in 2012 after fires they said they set to reduce harm from wildfires and invasive plants damaged federal land. The trial followed years of friction with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management over water and grazing rights. The convictions were punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, which followed the Oklahoma City bombing and other deadly acts of domestic terrorism. But the judge vastly reduced the Hammond's sentence, saying he didn't believe the ranchers deserved to be lumped in with terrorists. Oregon's U.S. attorney then successfully appealed the sentences. In early October, another judge ordered the Hammonds to serve their full five-year terms. Bundy and Payne were outraged by the use of the terrorism statute, and they separately called the Hammond family to offer help. On Nov. 3, Bundy blogged about the Hammonds' plight with a direct message for government officials. "We warn federal agencies, federal judges and all government officials that follow federal oppressive examples that the people are in unrest because of these types of actions," Bundy wrote. "We further warn that the incarceration of the Hammond family will spawn serious civil unrest." Dwight Hammond Jr., his wife, Susie, and his son, Steven, met with Bundy, Payne and a dozen or so members of sympathetic groups from Oregon and Idaho in mid-November. The emotional daylong meeting took place at the Hammonds' home in Burns, several attendees said. The Hammonds told their story, and the group discussed proposals on how Bundy and the others could help. The plan favored by many who attended the meeting was inspired by Bunkerville. They wanted to protect the Hammonds from being taken back into custody by forming a human circle around their home. But the Hammonds, attendees said, ultimately declined the help. At most, they preferred a more community-centered rally. Among the proponents of a more decisive strategy was Payne, who earned the Bundy family's trust by coordinating the militia response during the standoff in Nevada. Back then, he was among the first to respond to the Bundys' call for help. Payne also is the founder of a communication network of militias and sympathetic people called Operation Mutual Defense. He and four others on the network's board held weekly conference calls, current and former members said. Payne regularly updated the group on his travels to Oregon to meet with the Hammonds and collect information about how best to assist. After the Hammonds declined Bundy and Payne's help, the Operation Mutual Defense board voted 4-1 to do nothing more, said Gary Hunt, a board member from Northern California. The group took a series of straw polls on potential actions they could take without the family's support, Hunt said, but the majority opinion was "if we're not invited, we have no business doing something." Tim Foley, who represented an Arizona group on the Operation Mutual Defense board, said he resigned after the vote. He said he feared continuing to associate with Payne, who he believed was planning a more aggressive act. "Ryan said, 'I'm going to do it on my own,'" said Foley, who thought it was wrong to take the decision out of the Hammond family's hands. "You're creating another form of tyranny," Foley said he told Payne. Payne told The Oregonian/OregonLive that his takeaway from the elder Hammond after a series of conversations was that the family didn't want any action to be about them. "He wanted an effort to be made to free all people," Payne said. "He supported an expansion of public information." Occupying a federal facility would allow Payne to both highlight the Hammonds' story and to address the "economic warfare" he believed the federal government's ownership of significant lands in Harney County inflicted on its citizens. "You can't do that work from a rally," Payne said he realized in November. "It takes more time." "Luckily, we the people have been provided the means to do that because the federal government has provided facilities through legal plunder," he said. The only task, he said, was to settle on a place to occupy. Law enforcement wary In addition to talking daily to the Hammonds in November, Bundy, Payne and other supporters of the family spent hours talking with Sheriff Ward in person and over the phone, said B.J. Soper, an organizer from Redmond. The sheriff heard Bundy and Payne's complaints about how the Hammond case had been handled and supported a peaceful protest, Soper said. But Ward, who estimated he discussed the Hammond case with them for eight hours over two months, said he never heard any information about an occupation of the Malheur refuge "or any other facility," according to a statement from his office. Other Oregon organizers met for more than two hours with the assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted the Hammonds to hear more about the case. "Law enforcement -- local, state and federal -- knew that outsiders had moved into the Burns area in October," according to a statement issued Monday by a spokeswoman representing a combined law enforcement response team including the FBI, Oregon State Police and the sheriff's office. "We knew there was the potential that their activity could cross the line into criminal behavior," the statement continued, "but there was no specific information that they were intending to occupy the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge or any other facility in Harney County." Refuge employees reported to law enforcement that Payne and three other men were scoping out the refuge over the same period. They knew Payne's face because his picture hung on the wall at the refuge. Asked where the picture came from, U.S. Fish & Wildlife spokesman Jason Holm said he couldn't comment on "aspects of an ongoing law enforcement investigation." Payne used a refuge bathroom one day and took time to look around, according to sources close to the investigation. The men parked outside and spent an "unusual" amount of time over a series of days watching who came and went from the refuge, Holm said. "I know they watch me," Payne said recently of the FBI. "I watch them, too." Payne declined to say when occupying the wildlife refuge became his and Bundy's top plan. Bundy posted a letter online to Sheriff Ward on Nov. 13, urging him to protect the Hammonds from federal action. To outsiders, the communication may have seemed a publicity stunt. But to patriot and anti-government groups that share Bundy's interpretation of the Constitution, the letter launched an official process. The groups disavow federal authority, placing the power in local law enforcement. The letter to Ward was a key part of a series of procedures that Bundy and his supporters follow. Bundy continued to post more letters online. Experts say those messages likely raised red flags for law enforcement that the groups' discussions were intensifying. Bundy and Payne tried to get to know a growing number of community members. Bundy visited Burns several times and held at least two town hall-style meetings at the county fairgrounds where he shared his views on the federal government and how the Hammonds had been treated. "We tried to lay out other prudent methods but we could see after discussions over and over with the community that this had to be done," Bundy said. He kept the circles of people he told about the emerging plan small. "I worried about sharing it with the wrong people," he said. Payne was in charge of operations and Bundy was the communicator. They were in sync, Bundy said. "We understand history. We are unified," Bundy said. "We don't have to question each other or try to educate each other." By late November, the Hammonds pulled back from Bundy and Payne. Both Bundy and Payne said the communication stopped because the family felt threatened by federal authorities. The ranchers feared their home would be raided and they would be sent back to prison early, Bundy wrote in a Nov. 21 blog post. Bundy announced the development in a video. He choked up recalling how Dwight Hammond's wife, Susie, had grown so close to him that she'd once ended a phone call saying she loved him. Larry Matasar, one of the Hammonds' three attorneys, wouldn't confirm the FBI called his clients. Bundy told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he learned FBI agents also discouraged two county commissioners from continuing to talk to him. "The FBI was intimidating people," Bundy said. "We had been working with the sheriff and the commissioners, and that stopped. The FBI told them not to respond." Payne said he moved to Oregon in early December in part to try to prevent federal authorities from taking the Hammonds into custody early. He said he was primarily trying to gauge local views on the federal government. But he was also conducting surveillance, with the idea of an occupation in mind. On Dec. 11, Bundy posted an online petition of sorts -- called a "notice of redress of grievance" -- and tens of thousands of people from across the country signed it, tossing their support behind the Hammonds. But the sheriff failed to acknowledge the call to action, said Bundy and other organizers. Under their belief system, they said, that meant the responsibility to protect the Hammonds and other county residents fell to them. Still, with the Hammonds out, other militants began to get cold feet. Rally organizers -- mostly from Oregon, Idaho and Washington -- continued to solidify plans for the protest, which they felt best honored the Hammonds' wishes. Bundy also received a cool reception to the idea of an occupation from the Harney County Committee of Safety. The group of Burns community leaders had formed earlier under the direction of rally organizers. Bundy told the group several days before the rally that he could call up militia for an occupation if necessary, said Tim Smith, a committee member. "Ammon explained how they had the ability to back us up," Smith said. "But we had decided that was not the way we wanted to go." As the Hammonds' Jan. 4 deadline to return to prison loomed, rally organizers intent was to show the father and son and their families that they weren't alone. "America really needed to hear their story regardless of the court process," said Jeff Roberts, an organizer from the Grants Pass area. "They're not terrorists, they're ranching families in rural Oregon." Organizers planned a half-mile march from the Safeway store in Burns, past the sheriff's office and courthouse, to Dwight Hammond's home in town and back to the store. Soper, the organizer from Redmond, said he spoke regularly with the Safeway manager, who agreed to stock extra flowers for supporters to buy and give to the Hammonds. On Dec. 30 -- three days before the Jan. 2 rally -- federal employees were nearing the end of their work day at the wildlife refuge when management told them to go home early. And for their safety, their boss said, they weren't to return to the refuge until instructed. "That was based on the culmination of our intel," said Fish & Wildlife spokesman Holm, "and the start of the holiday weekend." Holm wouldn't elaborate on details of the "intel." Payne said he felt driven by his military oath to defend the Constitution by making a bold move despite the Hammonds' decision to distance the family. "There had been serious constitutional violations here," Payne said. "They feared for their lives. You have to still defend the people from tyranny." He took to the online airwaves Dec. 31 to explain how he thought the federal government would react. "When they take the actual folks who have turned their lives into public service and declare them as terrorists, we now know how they plan to deal with us, which is they are not going to negotiate with us," Payne said on camera. "They are going to use force." Payne made the comments to Pete Santilli, a self-styled journalist and promoter of the occupier's agenda who met Payne in 2014 at the Bundy ranch and regularly posted YouTube video updates of the organizers' work. The interview was titled "Operation Hammond Ranch @ Burns, Oregon Will Be Historic." The rally As Payne and Bundy's rhetoric grew more intense online, some Harney County residents were getting nervous that the Saturday rally would turn violent. Organizers said they held a final meeting on New Year's Day to ease their concerns. About 60 community members and organizers, including Payne, attended the meeting at the fairgrounds. But Bundy wasn't there. Bundy later told The Oregonian/OregonLive that instead he had met up elsewhere with local ranchers, loggers and miners, hoping to recruit them. Afterward, local residents described a meeting where Bundy introduced his idea to occupy the refuge. Some attendees told friends and family later that they thought Bundy's proposal was meant as a joke. They declined to join up. After the two meetings had ended that Friday night, Bundy, Payne and other key organizers met several more times. Increasingly, rally organizers said it became clear Bundy and Payne supported an occupation and that they identified the target: the wildlife refuge. The 187,000-acre reserve sits 30 miles outside of town with numerous buildings, vehicles and equipment. Several roads lead in and out. Soper, the organizer from Redmond, said despite talk of an occupation, he remained convinced the rally was the plan. He went to shovel snow from the sidewalk around Safeway. The next day, Soper was surprised by the turnout. The Safeway manager called him at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday -- two hours before the rally -- to say hundreds of people were already in the parking lot. By noon, about 300 people from across the West had turned out to back the Hammonds. The parade was peaceful, and the crowd cheered during a rally in the parking lot against federal agencies that owned, operated and issued permits for land in the county. Then, when the crowd was supposed to head toward a final phase at the fairgrounds, Roberts and Soper saw Bundy on a snowbank, calling on attendees to join him in taking a harder stand. They were headed to the refuge, he told attendees. Soper and other local organizers were furious. Soper wrote later on Facebook that the move hijacked the rally's intentions. He wasn't alone. "Everybody was like, 'You've got to be kidding me, I came up here for a rally,' " said Melvin Lee, an Arizona resident who had driven up and eventually visited the refuge twice during the takeover. "A lot of people were angry because they didn't get that intel," Lee said. "If they would have told us that, we wouldn't have shown up for that. We wouldn't have driven 3,000 miles." Sheriff Ward immediately told the occupiers to "Go home" -- a message underscored by hundreds of county residents who showed up for a community meeting last Wednesday, two days after the Hammonds had reported to a federal prison in California. But Bundy refused to decamp, saying occupiers wouldn't leave until the federal refuge lands are in local control and the Hammonds are released. Now, many who criticized Bundy and Payne's takeover have begun to voice support, even admiration, for the amount of attention the occupation has brought to the underlying grievances. Occupiers have received increasing local support and supplies and gained international headlines. U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., delivered an emotional shout-out on the House floor. Hunt, one of Payne's board members, was among those who voted against taking action in Burns without an invitation from the Hammonds, county officials or the governor. "I think they've done a beautiful job in what they've chosen to do. It was very well planned and well executed," he said. "This is history here. It shows the government that we made the government and if they don't get smart very soon, we might dissolve that government." That was part of Bundy's plan all along. "We wanted to show the community that we were committed, that we were putting ourselves on the line and would stand hard," he said. "We knew we had to gain the confidence of the community and we knew it would take several days, a week or so, for the community to work through it. "It happened quicker than we anticipated." Les Zaitz and Luke Hammill of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report. -- Carli Brosseau cbrosseau@oregonian.com 503-294-5121; @carlibrosseau -- Laura Gunderson lgunderson@oregonian.com 503-221-8378; @lgunderson BURNS -- Residents of sparsely populated Harney County on Monday night told armed outsiders to go home as they expressed fears about personal safety. At a community meeting, they also acknowledged deep rifts within the community, brought to the surface by the standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. "I've lost friends. ... I've never seen our community so divided," said Karmen Schatz, a local Safeway employee who has lived here for 31 years, at the meeting hosted by county officials in the Burns High School gymnasium. It was the latest in a series of public meetings held in response to the ongoing occupation of the refuge by Arizona businessman Ammon Bundy and his band of militants. Hundreds of people filled the gym and spoke passionately about the plight of ranchers and loggers in Harney County, local residents' attitudes toward the federal government and most of all about the community's full-throated desire for Bundy, son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, to leave. Sheriff Dave Ward, Harney County Judge Steve Grasty, state Rep. Cliff Bentz and other elected officials addressed the crowd before allowing residents themselves to take the microphone. A picture emerged of a community that is ready to heal and move forward but is desperate to rid itself of Bundy and the many distractions he has brought to this small town of less than 3,000. Still, even Bundy's most vocal opponents had to acknowledge that he has started a conversation about federal land-use policies that many locals think is long overdue. Grasty called the militants and the other self-styled patriot groups that have arrived in Harney County "armed thugs." But, he said reluctantly, "there's no way to deny" that Bundy has started a long-overdue dialogue. The militants are protesting the imprisonment of local ranchers Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son, Steven, for setting fires that spread to public land. They are also demanding that the federal government hand over publicly owned land to local ranchers and loggers. Cory Shelman, a rancher from northern Harney County, said he also thinks Bundy and the militants should go home. And he said local federal employees - who have reportedly been followed and felt rattled by the out-of-town visitors and anti-government rhetoric - have "a right to their jobs" and should be treated with respect. But he also said he doesn't think it's constructive to label Bundy a "thug" and believes Bundy has committed a public service by raising the issue of federal land management. "Harney County, to a degree, owes [the militants] a 'thank you' for taking a stand that needed to be made," Shelman said. Bentz, a Republican from Ontario whose district includes Harney County, encouraged residents to honor the rule of law and make changes through the political process rather than supporting armed occupation. "What I hope as I listen tonight is that I'll hear a reaffirmation of the hard work of government," Bentz said. "Not the siren song of a gun." Liz Appelman, a retired Bureau of Land Management employee who worked for the agency for 29 years, told the crowd that federal workers in Harney County "have put their lives into this place." The BLM is one of the chief targets of the anti-government protesters. "They've worked hard to be part of the community," she said. Officials were hoping to wrap the meeting up by 8:30 p.m., but it ran long because so many people - many of whom have lived in Harney County for decades - wanted to speak. It was a 15-year-old Burns High School freshman, though, who stole the show. Ashlie Presley reminded the audience that she had returned to school from the holiday break earlier in the day, a week later than scheduled because of safety concerns about the militants. "It was a lot of pressure knowing how tense it could have been today," Presley said. "And I just want them [Bundy and the militants] to go home so I can feel safe and I can feel like it is home again." With tears in her eyes, Presley said, "I shouldn't have to be scared in my own hometown." Disagreements aside, everyone in the gym gave her a standing ovation. -- Luke Hammill lhammill@oregonian.com 503-294-4029 @lucashammill As we enter Day 11 of the standoff at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, here are the latest developments: * The occupation of the wildlife refuge may have looked spontaneous; it was anything but. It was planned in private over the last two months by Ammon Bundy and Ryan Payne, a militia leader from Montana. They strategized and cased federal offices in Burns as well as the wildlife refuge even as a wider network of anti-government groups and community members rejected taking any action stronger than holding a public rally. * On Monday, Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward called out the militia for harassing and intimidating law enforcement. * The armed militants have come to Oregon from far and wide. But why? We asked them. * Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward, 42, has approached this crisis with the discipline he learned in the military, watchfulness that served him well in war zones, and the humility from a lifetime of church service. * They're military veterans and small business owners. Some have authored books and others lost their jobs to join the cause. Meet the cast of characters who are occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters, and find out what's known about their roles. Some appear to have spent the night continuously, while others have come and gone. A few people describe themselves, in videos from the compound, as sympathetic visitors who drove great distances to see firsthand what's happening. Follow The Oregonian/OregonLive team from the scene today on Twitter: Les Zaitz @LesZaitz Luke Hammill @lucashammill Dave Killen @killendave Thomas Boyd @thomasboyd Fedor Zarkhin @FedorZarkhin Hashtag: #OregonStandoff BURNS -- The armed militants occupying a federal bird sanctuary in rural Harney County have made international headlines. They've appeared in newspapers, online publications, magazines, television broadcasts and radio dispatches across the nation and the world. They also came here from far and wide. Many are not from Oregon. So why did they come? That's the simple question that The Oregonian/OregonLive's team in Burns asked many of the militants and their visitors. The goal was to get a sense of what drove these people to leave family, friends and work at home to join the occupation in the remote, snow-covered high desert. The video in this post compiles some of the responses the team received. Introducing Jon Ritzheimer, a Marine and motorcycle mechanic from outside Phoenix; Quinn Alexander, of Bend, who visited the refuge Friday to learn more about the occupation; Blaine Cooper, a veteran of the 2014 Nevada standoff who has a film company, Third Watch Media; Duane Ehmer, a Umatilla County rancher known for visiting the refuge on his horse; Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, a Northern Arizona rancher whose blog is named "One Cowboy's Stand for Freedom"; and Melvin Lee, a protester from Tucson, Arizona who said he came to prevent an armed conflict. -- Luke Hammill lhammill@oregonian.com 503-294-4029 @lucashammill Eleven days into an armed occupation of a federal bird sanctuary in eastern Oregon, the militants remain, gathering wood to keep warm as they continue to demand the government turn over public land in Harney County to local control. They've rebuffed the sheriff's offer to escort them home. They've covered up the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge signs with their own. And on Monday, they ripped out part of a fence on the refuge's property that bordered a ranch where cattle graze. As the days progress, questions from frustrated Harney County residents and other observers grow: Why doesn't law enforcement take some action? Why not contain the occupiers? Why not block roads leading to and from the refuge? Why not shut down the power to the refuge or keep the media from giving them a national platform? But former federal agents and other police tactical experts say the circumstances surrounding the refuge takeover haven't really changed that much in the past week and a half: No violence has occurred. No immediate public safety threat exists. The refuge remains isolated. So, the FBI doesn't want to take an action that could incite the occupiers, the experts say. "You're going to create confrontations when you do that," said Danny Coulson, who served as special-agent-in-charge of the FBI in Oregon from 1988 to 1991 before becoming the agency's deputy assistant director in charge of terrorism operations. He now runs a security consulting business in Texas. "We don't have a violent act here. Again, it's just protesters," Coulson said. "If you deny access and have to put a road block up and set up a perimeter, you know what that costs a day? Millions of dollars. And what do you accomplish? You'll likely raise the tension for something that's not going to help you." In April 1985, Coulson commanded an FBI hostage rescue team that isolated and contained a radical paramilitary organization -- the Covenant, the Sword and The Arm of the Lord -- holed up in a compound in Arkansas. About 300 federal agents surrounded the compound in the middle of the night and Coulson personally negotiated with the group's leader and ultimately secured their surrender without any violence. In that case, federal fugitives were arriving and the radical group was professing plans to kill federal officials. The Malheur occupation is a whole different species, he said. In Harney County, "we've still got a trespass situation. It's certainly is not worth a firefight,'' Coulson said. Clint Van Zandt, a former FBI chief hostage negotiator, likened Ammon Bundy and his occupiers to one of the Republican presidential candidates. They have said they're camped out until the federal government releases two Harney County ranchers imprisoned for setting fires that damaged federal land and until the refuge land gets into local hands. "The group out there is a little bit like Donald Trump," said Van Zandt, a former negotiator and supervisor in the bureau's Behavioral Science Unit during his 25-year career with the agency. "They do things for attention. They do things so the media pays attention." Yet the protesters have the right to express themselves and air their grievances. "They're exercising their First Amendment rights,'' Coulson said. "If they want to make a statement, let them. Let them have a forum.'' Ammon Bundy told The Oregonian/OregonLive on Monday that he hasn't talked directly to the FBI. So far, he's only talked publicly to the sheriff. Experts say it's logical for the sheriff to remain the public face of law enforcement at this point, with the support of the FBI, because the occupiers don't recognize the authority of the federal government. Coulson said, though, he'd expect law enforcement to make it clear to the occupiers that neither the sheriff nor the FBI can grant them what they want. What they're seeking likely would require congressional changes. If he were in charge, Coulson said, he'd try to arrange a meeting between a U.S. senator or representative from Oregon and the protesters. "We will talk to them until the proverbial cows come home - and even if they come through the fence, I don't care," Van Zandt said. FBI agents have been mobilized from across the state to Harney County. They're collecting intelligence, doing surveillance, have familiarized themselves with the layout of the refuge buildings, may be intercepting calls and contacting people who may have had a falling out with the occupiers to gain more intelligence, the former agents said. They also may be recording any crimes that are occurring to prepare for future arrests. "There's no doubt in my mind that they're fully prepared to go in tactically and resolve this situation if they need to," Van Zandt said. "But the federal government has nothing to gain by taking some kind of precipitous action that would give the group more attention or reason to have an armed confrontation." Still Harney County residents and others have countered that if the occupiers are trespassing or destroying property, why don't law enforcement officers arrest them? "The answer is you can always arrest them," Van Zandt said. "Whenever they come out, if they have violated a law, you can always charge them individually at that time when they're not in a support group." Last weekend's arrival of armed newcomers - a convoy of rifle-toting members of the Pacific Patriots Network, a consortium of right-wing groups from Oregon, Washington and Idaho -- signaled a "disturbing variable," said Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism in California and a former New York police officer. But that was peacefully resolved without police intervention. Bundy and other protesters ended up sending them away. "That's positive. That says they do not want an armed confrontation themselves," Van Zandt said. The FBI no doubt has "a pretty good idea about who's there, and to the extent that calmer heads at the occupation site are prevailing, that alone can accomplish more than any intervention in the short term," Levin said. Federal law enforcement may have a timetable "already where they will ratchet up responses, but my speculation is that it's more based on conditions changing than on the passage of time," he said. The strategy is not to play into the occupiers' hands, said David H. Schanzer, director of the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security at Duke University. "Why create the confrontation? You try to prevent giving people what they want. And what they want is the image of an overbearing federal government using weaponry and power against people trying to make points about land ownership," Schanzer said. Still, if the Harney County sheriff is aware of armed occupiers intimidating people in the city of Burns or violating the law in the city, nothing is stopping him from enforcing county or state laws individually, Schanzer said. "But if you have a large number of armed people hunkered down in a small area, I think law enforcement should wait them out," he said. Schanzer predicts that attention to the group will wane as winter progresses. If he were the Bundys and their fellow occupiers, he said, "I'd declare success and leave. They got more attention to their issues than one would have expected.'' --Laura Gunderson of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report. -- Maxine Bernstein mbernstein@oregonian.com 503-221-8212 @maxoregonian truck1.jpg State police are seeking the driver of this Ford F150 pickup truck, which was involved in a crash Friday night in Grants Pass that killed two people. The driver fled, police said. (oregon State Police) A pickup truck driver slammed into this parked tractor-trailer in Grass Pass. Oregon State Police continue to seek the driver of a pickup truck involved in a that killed two passengers. Officials in a news release Tuesday asked for the public's help in locating the driver of a gold 1998 Ford F150. The truck sideswiped a parked tractor-trailer just east of Interstate 5 after 9:30 p.m. Friday. According to state troopers, the driver faces criminal charges, and officials are actively searching for the man, who ran away from the crash. Authorities didn't release the driver's name so as "not to compromise the investigation." Emergency workers found 32-year-old Megan Becklund dead in the front passenger seat. Jeremy Pearson, a 36-year-old Ashland man, was also dead in the back seat. OSP asks anyone who may have "seen the Ford F150 prior to the crash, saw it at the location prior to the arrival of law enforcement, or picked up a hitch hiker in the area" to call 541-440-3333. -- Andre Meunier lng.jpg Oregon LNG failed to prove that the Army Corps abandoned property on Warrenton's Skipanon Peninsula, according to Magistrate Judge John V. Acosta's ruling. The company wants to build a liquefied natural gas facility there, but the Corps has nearly 60-year-old rights to the property, according to the Associated Press. ((Steven Nehl/The Oregonian)) ASTORIA -- Energy company Oregon LNG has withdrawn a lawsuit filed against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before a judge could officially dismiss it. The move will theoretically let the company refile the complaint. Magistrate Judge John V. Acosta ruled against Oregon LNG in late December. But the ruling isn't official without the signature of a federal district judge, and the company voided the lawsuit before that could happen, reported The Daily Astorian. Oregon LNG failed to prove that the Army Corps abandoned property on Warrenton's Skipanon Peninsula, according to Acosta's ruling. The company wants to build a liquefied natural gas facility there, but the Corps has nearly 60-year-old rights to the property. Oregon LNG could not be immediately reached for comment. Army Corps public affairs specialist Michelle Helms described the company's decision as "unexpected." "But, as we've said before, this site is a part of our plan to maintain the federal navigation channel there, so we're doing our part," added Helms. Opponents of Oregon LNG's planned $6 billion terminal and pipeline project welcomed the legal setback. The lawsuit's withdrawal doesn't provide as much closure as a dismissal, which likely would have settled the case permanently. But the executive director of Hood River-based environmental group Columbia Riverkeeper, which is opposed to the LNG project, didn't seem too concerned about the suit being re-filed. It "seems highly unlikely that they would get a different result," said director Brett VandenHeuvel. "They withdrew because they lost." "It's just one more legal defeat for Oregon LNG in kind of a long string of them," said Columbia Riverkeeper attorney Miles Johnson. "It makes it harder for them to see how they're going to get this project off the ground." -- The Associated Press Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin said today it was premature to say whether Moscow would grant asylum to embattled Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, who had made "many mistakes." "You know I believe that it is premature to discuss this," Putin said in the second half of a two-part interview with German mass circulation daily Bild. "We gave asylum to Mr Snowden, it was more difficult than giving it to Assad," he said, referring to fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, granted asylum in Russia in 2013. "First one needs to give the Syrian people an opportunity to have their say," Putin said, according to a Russian-language transcript of the interview published by the Kremlin. "And I assure you that if this is done in a democratic way, then maybe he won't have to go anywhere. And it does not matter whether he is president or not." Global powers are seeking to push the Syrian regime and opposition to the negotiating table in a bid to end the nearly five-year war that has killed 260,000 people. A UN-backed plan foresees talks between the different sides starting on January 25, the establishment of a transitional government within six months and elections within 18 months. Putin - who launched a bombing campaign in the war-torn country on September 30 - appeared to defend Assad, although he acknowledged the Syrian president had made "many mistakes" since the conflict broke out in 2011. The unrest would not have escalated so quickly "if from the very beginning it had not been fuelled from abroad with a huge amount of money, weapons and fighters," Putin said. "Assad is not seeking to annihilate his own population. He's fighting those who have come to him with arms," Putin added. "And if the peaceful population suffers because of that then I think that it is primarily those who are fighting him with arms in their hands and who are helping the armed groups that are responsible for this." The Kremlin strongman reiterated that the Russian military has also been helping the armed anti-Assad opposition. "We are talking about hundreds, thousands of armed people who are fighting ISIL," he said, using an alternative name for the Islamic State group. "We support both the Assad army and the armed opposition. Some of them have already publicly announced this, some prefer to remain silent but the work is ongoing." New Delhi: The recent entrant in the industry, Letv's Superphones , sport full-metal body designs, becoming one of the few brands in the market worldwide to do so. Since last April when Letv announced to enter the smart phone industry, this multinational company has released four models of phones, including Le 1, Le 1 Pro, Le Max and Le 1s, among which two phones, Le Max and Le 1s, are full metal body phones. Le Max has a bezel-less all metal design, first unibody metal phone in China. Since its launch in July, it has beated Apple and Sumsung consecutively for two months and become the best seller in China for a phone over 3,000 Yuan (Rs 30,562 approx). Letv Le Max Le 1s, the top seller in China since its release at the end of last October. It sold more than 2 million units in two months. Its metal uni-body is sturdy and made for perfection with Aircraft grade aluminium, which makes it solid and reliable, the CNC processing duration of 3300s is crafted for a seamless experience as a whole. Furthermore, the Le Superphones claim to possibly be world's only metal uni-body phone featuring a screw less industrial design, leaving no trace of the industrial assembling. Although Le 1s is a full-metal phone, its weight is only 169g, 23 grams lighter than the same screen sized 5.5-inch iPhone 6s Plus. Additionally, Letv ensure that the whole metal design does not reduce the signals but strengthens it. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. The Delta College Board of Trustees has called a special meeting to discuss a national spectrum auction that has the potential to signal the end of the schools 51-year-old public television station WDCQ-TV. The meeting is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. today in the colleges Board Room, B-151. The session offers the public another opportunity to express opinions on whether Delta should participate in the first-ever Federal Communication Commissions Spectrum Incentive Auction or explore other options that are available to keep Q-TV on the air. The auction, brought about by Congressional legislation, is being held to free up spectrum space on the airwaves nationwide in order to make room for the growing needs of wireless carriers. The college hosted two public forums last week to elicit feedback. At Thursdays forum, which attracted about 100 people most of whom were middle-aged or older the sentiment was strongly in favor of Delta maintaining its PBS operation, no matter how many millions it would have to leave on the table by not selling its spectrum space to the federal government. Oscar Wilde said it best, said Bay Citys Terry Miller, a Monitor Township trustee and environmental activist. People nowadays know the price of everything but the value of nothing. We are a public station. We have a responsibility to preserve it. I have no problem in urging the board of trustees to decline to participate in the auction. Deltas board needs to rise up and say there is no price for our public television station. Others at the forum expressed concern to Board Chair Mike Rowley and other college leaders that they havent been given ample opportunities to weigh in on the matter. Rowley and the board have been trying to get the public more involved. Weve had a special meeting and the board hasnt exactly had a lot of advance notice to deal with this issue, he said. The administration has done a great job of quickly pulling together data and we want to gather as much information and public input as we can before making a decision. Rowley also encouraged the public to write or email the board. Rowley said his preference is to conduct board business in open sessions, but this afternoons session and the trustees regularly scheduled 7 p.m. meeting both will have time for closed sessions. In October, the FCC gave WDCQ a starting bid of $166 million to relinquish its broadcast spectrum. Delta officials, however, said the final price would be considerably less because of the auctions reverse auction format that is designed to drive final bids down. Its complicated with a lot of moving parts, said Pam Clark, who began her career at Delta in broadcasting and is now executive director of institutional advancement. There are over 2,000 stations, commercial and public, across the country that could be impacted by this auction. Its not just WDCQ. The colleges other options include moving from UHF to a VHF channel or reaching a deal to share a channel with another station in the mid-Michigan market. Delta is one of only 12 community college-owned PBS stations nationwide, Clark said. We understand the value WDCQ brings to the community and appreciate how loyal and supportive our viewers have been to the station through the decades. Delta has reserved the right to participate in the auction, but has until a March 29 deadline to decide whether it will actually follow through and do it. Today is the final day Delta and other broadcasters can discuss the issue publicly. The FCC has issued a gag order beginning Wednesday. Rowley said Delta has not yet placed a price tag on Q-TV. We havent even made a decision as to whether were staying in the auction, he said. We wanted public input. After Jan. 12 we cant discuss it anymore. If we open our mouths we risk losing our broadcast license. One year ago, Rep. John Moolenaar was trying to find his way around the U.S. Capitol building. Now, having settled in, the first term representative sat down with the Daily News during the 4th Congressional GOP Round-up at Clares Doherty Hotel to review his first year. September saw a rare event when House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, abruptly announced he was resigning as speaker and leaving Congress at the end of October. It was a challenging year with the leadership transition, Moolenaar said. I think its been a good one. But it wasnt the smoothest transition. There was a lot of uncertainty and chaos for a few weeks there. But where we are now is a much stronger place. After much contemplation, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., agreed to take on the role of speaker. Ryan didnt want the job as speaker, but he has embraced it and is doing an excellent job. He is someone who has the respect of all the members, is someone who listens and takes input from people. Hes very much trying to empower individual members to lead as they have been elected to do, Moolenaar said. Just last week, the House and Senate put legislation on President Barack Obamas desk repealing the Affordable Care Act. The repeal is a promise that Moolenaar made during his campaign last summer. As I talk to people, this is a law that will either ultimately get repealed or will collapse under its own weight because it is not working, Moolenaar said. Republicans passed the legislation knowing that it will probably receive a veto from Obama. We did what we could do and I believe it is important in the year ahead for Republicans to articulate a health policy vision that we would have with a new president and a new Congress with Obamacare not in place. I feel we did as much as we could between the House and the Senate, said Moolenaar, who has publicly supported Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., for president, and will co-chair Rubios campaign in Michigan. Recently, in a live address, the president announced his plans for gun control. I think all of us are saddened when there is a tragedy and someone is shot. I think there is a point to be made that we need to enforce the gun laws on the books. There is a process where states can do a better job with the federal government communicating so we know if there is a dangerous cell, Moolenaar said. Thursday night, Philadelphia saw a police officer attacked by a male who claimed he did it in the name of the Islamic State. None of the presidents proposals would have stopped what happened. When it comes to public safety and security we ought to make sure law enforcement has the tools they need to do their jobs and keep guns out of the hands of the dangerous criminals, Moolenaar said. Moolenaar received three committee assignments: agriculture; science, space and technology; and budget. He was also named to the House and Senate conference committee that is working on the 2016 federal budget. The agriculture committee is so important to the 4th District and the science, space and technology committee, with the background of science in the area, is also very important, he said. After helping improve the budget and appropriations process at the state level, Moolenaar is hoping that he can duplicate it at the federal level. He plans on making it a focal point at a joint House and Senate Republican retreat in Baltimore later this week. That is one of my goals in the retreat this week to talk with senators to see what we can do to have a process that doesnt push everything to the last minute. That we do our work in a timely, orderly way. That makes it a much better policy as a result, he said. Today brings about Obamas final State of the Union. I really dont have any expectations. My sense is he will talk about some of the themes he has over the years and issues that are important to him in his last year of his presidency, Moolenaar said. This being an election year, there may not be a strong desire for a GOP-controlled Congress and a Democratic president to work together. But Moolenaar is hopeful. There is plenty of common ground in Washington, D.C., where people can work together. I think it helps to have that type of leadership from the president. If he chooses that in his last year, it is also an election year and that sometimes makes it more difficult, Moolenaar said. The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) might be one of the areas of compromise. The VWP allows citizens of participating countries to travel to the United States without obtaining a visa, for stays of 90 days or less for tourism or business. Transiting or traveling through the United States to Canada or Mexico is generally permitted for VWP travelers, states the U.S. Department of State website. I think we need to make sure that we have a system that adequately and thoroughly vets people coming into our country to make sure that we know where people have traveled. If there are concerns about potential risks to our country, I think we need to make that a priority in the New Year. We need to make sure our intelligence and were alert and vigilant, Moolenaar said. LANSING, Mich. (AP) An apologetic Gov. Rick Snyder pledged Monday that officials would make contact with every household in Flint to check whether residents have bottled water and a filter and want to be tested for lead exposure while his embattled administration works on a long-term solution to the city's water crisis. He also said he first clearly knew of Flint's lead problem around Oct. 1, when state health authorities confirmed elevated blood-lead levels in children that were detected by a local doctor. Exposure to lead can cause behavior problems and learning disabilities in children. "This is a crisis. So we're responding appropriately. There's more work to be done," Snyder said during a news conference with state and local officials in Flint. It was the Michigan Republican's first visit to the 99,000-resident city since October, when he called for a switch back to Detroit's water after more corrosive Flint River water leached lead from service lines and into homes. Snyder said he may ask lawmakers for additional money for the emergency before his budget proposal in February. Flint's switched from Detroit's water system to Flint River water in a cost-cutting move in 2014, while under state financial management. That was intended as a temporary step while a pipeline was built from Lake Huron. The city returned to Detroit water in October, but officials remain concerned about the corrosion caused by the Flint River water and began adding corrosion controls last month. Since October, more than 12,000 filters have been distributed, more than 2,000 blood tests have been done and more than 700 water tests have been conducted, Snyder said. "Those actions were not good enough. We've worked hard, but we need to get more connection to the citizens of Flint," Snyder said. Last week, he declared an emergency after Flint and Genesee County requested financial assistance. The state could ask for federal help at a later date. 911 is all about saving lives, with seconds crucial in life and death situations. With that said, a new Michigan law will help 911 dispatchers know where calls for help are coming from and get needed help there faster. The new regulations are aimed at places including businesses, schools and universities that use multi-line telephone systems. Emergency calls coming from these type of systems show dispatchers the physical billing address of the phone system rather than the actual location the caller dialed from. For filmmaker Priyadarsan, screenwriter-director V.R. Gopalakrishnan, who passed away on Monday, was not just a colleague. VRG was one of his close friends from his college days. It was when he was pursuing the intermediate (Pre-degree) course at Government Arts College in Thiruvananthapuram, that Priyadarshan met VRG for the first time. They were batchmates. That friendship grew outside the campus and it was how VRG became Priyans associate. Though we were not classmates or in the same friends circle, I knew him very well as we belonged to same batch. He was studying in the second group. One day, while reading Kumkumam magazine, I saw a short story named Cycle in that which was written by one V.R. Gopalakrishnan and more than that, the story has bagged the Kumkumam award. It was then I came to know that it was my batchmate Gopalakrishnan and that was really a surprise for me. Because I did not know that he has interest in the literature. That incident made a big change in my approach towards him and he became one of my close friends, Priyadarsan recollects. It was after he shifted to Madras, now Chennai, he met his old friend of his college days after around five years. That was a struggling period for me. When I met him, he was assisting Balu Kiriyath and I was working as script supervisor in Padayottam. I was then staying at Swamis lodge and he was at Uma lodge. We used to meet occasionally during that period. But it was from Aryan, in 1987, he started working with me as associate director. He was in my crew for around three years and in that period was the associate in my 12 films, including my debut ventures in Tamil and Telugu. More than, that he was the screenwriter of my two movies Cheppu and Vandanam, he says. It was around seven months ago, Priyadarsan met his old friend for the last time. It was during the shoot of television programme at Ooty, in connection with the 28th year celebration of my film Chithram. With the demise of Gopalakrishnan, I have lost yet another close friend of mine," says Priyadarsan. A Midland County judge has dismissed a Sanford womans lawsuit accusing a Midland gym of sexual harassment, retaliation and more, filed after a transgender woman used the facilitys locker room. The 16-page opinion filed Jan. 5 by Midland County Circuit Court Judge Michael J. Beale dismisses Yvette M. Cormiers suit. Cormier filed the suit in March, represented by attorney David A. Kallman of Lansing. Named as plaintiffs are PF Fitness-Midland, LLC, of Michigan and Pla-Fit Franchise, LLC, of New Hampshire. Attorneys representing Planet Fitness filed a motion in July asking Beale to toss the case. In the opinion, Beale pointed out more than once that his ruling had to with the legal issues of the case, rather than the side issues associated with the case namely, rights for those identifying themselves as transgender. Cormier filed on multiple points: Invasion of privacy, hostile environment, retaliation, breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress and violations of the Michigan Consumer Protection Act. The opinion states Cormiers claims on numerous issues centered on the concept of what could have occurred, rather than stating sexual harassment actually occurred. Cormier and the transgender woman were in a common area of the locker room, which is open to other patrons, and not an area where a reasonable person would expect to be secluded. In addition, Cormier stated she did not change in the locker room the day of the incident, and did not claim anyone, male or female, saw her undress. Cormiers suit does not state she was subjected to unwelcome sexual advances or communication of a sexual nature. Instead it asserts what could happen as a result of defendants policy, of being a judgment free zone, the opinion states. There is no disparate treatment because everyone is treated the same by the policy. As far as retaliation, the opinion states the gym simply exercised its contractual right to terminate her membership as a result of her complaint about the company policy, which is not illegal in nature. Also, a share of Cormiers membership payment was returned to her. Beale also found there was no intentional infliction of emotional distress in the case. Individuals will be uncomfortable in either situation as long as a facility has only mens and womens locker rooms and people self identify as being of the opposite sex from their biological status. Once again, this court does not address the bigger social issue involving transgender persons use of public facilities as it is not necessary for decision in this case, Beale wrote. Regarding the Michigan Consumer Protection Act, Cormier claimed Planet Fitness violated the act by representing that there were locker rooms for men and women, and failing to disclose that members could use those corresponding to their self identification gender because she would act upon the knowledge. That is, she would not have joined the gym if she had known about the policy. In fact, plaintiff continued to use the facilities, including the locker rooms, after learning of the policy and the possible presence of a self identified female. Plaintiff cannot honestly sustain a claim that she would not have joined the gym if she knew of the judgement free zone policy instituted by defendants, as her actions clearly indicate otherwise, the opinion states. In Cormiers suit, Kallman gives background about what occurred during her Feb. 28 visit to the Midland gym, located at 701 Joe Mann Blvd. On that day, Cormier who had been a member for one month went to the gym to exercise and came into contact with a man inside an open common area of the womens locker room, the documents state. She left the locker room and notified the front desk that a man was using the womens locker room, and was told the gyms policy is that people are allowed to use the corresponding facilities of whatever sex they identify with. The employee also told Cormier she could wait until the man was finished if she was uncomfortable. There were no signs or posters warning men would be allowed to use the womens locker room, and nothing on the topic in Cormiers membership agreement, so she contacted the Planet Fitness corporate office to inquire. Corporate staff referenced the gyms no judgement policy, and echoed the desk workers statement regarding using the corresponding facilities of whatever sex a person identifies with. Cormier went back to the gym from March 2 to March 4, and warned other women about the policy. The gym eventually terminated her membership. Cormier plans to appeal the ruling, according to MLive. More than 200 Airmen with the 112th Fighter Squadron from Toledo Air National Guard Base, Ohio, are set to deploy mid-January to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, as the 112th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron in support of the U.S. Pacific Command Theater Security Package. The 112th EFS will assume the TSP mission from the 125th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron which is presently at Kadena Air Base, Japan. The 125th EFS is scheduled to redeploy to Tulsa Air National Guard Base, Okla. However, 12 of their F-16 Fighting Falcons will move to Andersen for the 112th EFS to operate. U.S. Air Force routinely deploys fighter aircraft to the region to provide U.S. PACOM and Pacific Air Forces with Theater Security Packages, which help maintain a deterrent against threats to regional security and stability. Movement of U.S. Air Force TSPs into the region has been a routine and integral part of U.S. Pacific Commands force posture since March 2004. These theater security packages demonstrate the continuing U.S. commitment to stability and security in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. In a demonstration of the steadfast commitment to the Republic of Korea's defense, a United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortess from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam conducted a low-level flight Jan 10 in the vicinity of Osan, South Korea, in response to recent provocative action by North Korea. The B-52 was joined by a ROK F-15K Slam Eagle and a U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcon. "The flight today demonstrates the strength and capabilities of the Alliance," said Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, U.S. Forces Korea commander. "The close military cooperation between the United States and the Republic of Korea ensures we are ready to respond at any time to those who would threaten stability and security." In a statement to reporters gathered at Osan Air Base prior to the flight, United Nations Command, U.S. Forces Korea deputy commander and U.S. Seventh Air Force commander, Lt. Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, highlighted the capabilities and readiness of the ROK - U.S. Alliance. "B-52 missions reinforce the U.S. commitment to the security of our allies and partners, and demonstrate one of the many alliance capabilities available for the defense of the Republic of Korea," O'Shaughnessy said. Upon completion of the flight over South Korea, the B-52 returned to Guam. The U.S. Department of State and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will host a reception to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the U.S.-Japan Cooperative Medical Sciences Program, on Monday, January 11, 2016, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. The event will be held at the National Academy of Sciences at its historic building in Washington, D.C. Dr. Diane Griffin, Vice President of the National Academy of Sciences, and Professor at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and U.S. Co-Chair of the U.S.-Japan Cooperative Medical Sciences Program, will serve as the Master of Ceremonies. Confirmed speakers include the following officials: Dr. John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President of the United States for Science and Technology, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Co-Chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) Ms. Fusae Ota, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare, Japan Ms. Anne Hall, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, U.S. Department of State Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone, President of the National Academy of Sciences Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, Director, U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, U.S. National Institutes of Health Following remarks, there will be a signing ceremony for the NIH-Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) Memorandum of Cooperation with NIH Director Dr. Francis S. Collins and AMED President Dr. Makoto Suematsu as the signing officials. This event will be open to the press. Pre-set for video: 5:30 p.m. at the National Academy of Sciences Building located at 2101 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20418. Final access for writers and still photographers: 6:00 p.m. at 2101 Constitution Avenue entrance. Media representatives may attend this event upon presentation of one of the following: (1) A U.S. Government-issued identification card (Department of State, White House, Congress, Department of Defense or Foreign Press Center), (2) a media-issued photo identification card, or (3) a letter from their employer on letterhead verifying their employment as a journalist, accompanied by an official photo identification card (driver's license, passport). MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Their wing is known as the "Wild Weasels," it's the home of the Samurai, and, for 2015, it's been selected as Pacific Air Forces' top fighter squadron. The 14th Fighter Squadron demonstrated superior performance in active air-defense operations with an outstanding intercept training success rate, aircraft ready rate, and flying safety rate, as they move forward to the Air Force-level of the competition with all eyes on the prestigious 2015 Raytheon Trophy. The Raytheon Trophy has been awarded annually since 1953 and is given to the top air-superiority and air-defense squadron in the Air Force. Nominees are graded on air-defense and air-superiority mission performance, operational mission performance, organizational readiness inspection results, training exercise participation, unit and individual achievements, and awards. Initially, only fighter intercept units could participate, but in 1970 the competition was opened to any squadron performing air defense as their primary mission. "I'm tremendously impressed by our accomplishments over the past year," said Lt. Col. Mark Heusinkveld, the 14th FS commander. "If we win this trophy, it won't be a fighter squadron victory; it'll be thanks to every single Airman who has supported our mission over the past year." Since entering service, the F-15 Eagle has won nearly every year. Heusinkveld said he hopes the Samurai's F-16 Fighting Falcons take home this year's trophy. The colonel added it takes more than pilots, however, to win an award, attributing their selection to the hundreds of other service members across the installation, from security forces and services to maintenance and medical support. "This is a team nomination," he said. "And it will be a team win." Lt. Gen. John Dolan, the commander of U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force, visited Misawa AB Jan. 5, to present several air medals and personally announce and congratulate the 14th FS as PACAF's selection to represent the entire major command, spanning nine bases and dozens of other fighter squadrons across the U.S. Pacific Command area of responsibility. "I'm extremely proud the 14th FS will represent not only Misawa Air Base, but all of PACAF as our nominee for the 2015 Raytheon Trophy," Dolan said. The 14th FS flew more than 9,000 combat hours, supporting 100 percent of Air Tasking Orders for 177 continuous days during a six-month U.S. Central Command deployment. Additionally, the Samurais participated in multiple exercises, such as Cope North-Guam and Operation Keen Sword, enhancing the air-to-air capability of U.S. partner nations and ensuring high proficiency as one of only two dedicated Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses units in PACAF. "The unparalleled airpower production rate of the 14th FS made them the asset of choice for short-notice strike taskings from the Combined Air Operations Center and their absolute dedication to the mission and lethality on the battlefield makes the 14th FS my hands-down top nomine for this year's Raytheon Trophy," added Dolan. YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan Units from Japan Self Defense Forces (JDSF) and U.S. military forces will conduct a bilateral command post exercise called Keen Edge 16 beginning Jan. 23, 2016. The exercise, which will run until Jan. 29, is the latest in a series of joint/bilateral command post exercises involving U.S. military and JSDF personnel designed to increase combat readiness and interoperability of U.S. forces and the JSDF. Keen Edge has historically been part of an annual exercise series that alternates between field training exercises (called Keen Sword) and command post exercises. During Keen Edge 16, various Japanese and U.S. headquarters staffs will employ computer simulations to practice the steps they would take in the event of a crisis or contingency. Command post exercises are a cost-effective way of providing military participants with realistic and unobtrusive training in a simulated crisis. Exercise participants will use a computer-based system, called the Joint Theater Level Simulation system, to direct and respond to exercise events. This system helps provide a realistic, though simulated, environment from which commanders and staffs improve their skills by anticipating and reacting in real-time to events generated by computer simulation. Approximately 600 U.S. personnel will participate in Keen Edge 16, including those assigned to U.S. Forces, Japan Headquarters; 5th Air Force; U.S. Naval Forces, Japan; U.S. Army, Japan; Marine Forces, Japan. The exercise will be directed by U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. John L. Dolan, Commander, U.S. Forces, Japan, and Japan Maritime Self Defense Force ADM Katsutoshi Kawano, Chief of Staff, Joint Staff. WHEELER ARMY AIR FIELD, Hawaii (Jan. 6, 2016) -- Soldiers, of 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, or CAB, welcomed Soldiers, of 16th CAB, from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and their four AH-64E Apache Guardians on Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, Jan. 6. The arrival of the aircrews and airframes mark the start of a six-month training partnership between the 25th Infantry Division's, or ID's, and 7th Infantry Division's CABs. "There will be 61 total personnel associated with the 1-229th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion's Bravo and Delta companies," said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Kennamer Yates, tactical operations officer, 2-6 Cavalry, or CAV. "The Killer Spades will be here for six months total, with a personnel rotation expected in March. The Killer Spades are going to fill the void of Attack/Reconnaissance coverage for the 25th Infantry Division following the divestment of the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior." "With 2-6 CAV's retirement of the Kiowas, the Apaches will become a vital asset not only to 2-6 CAV, but also to 25th Combat Aviation Brigade and 25th Infantry Division," said Capt. Franklin Worsham, fire support officer, 2-6 CAV. "The AH-64 will be the only organic aerial attack platform to 25ID. The capabilities the AH-64 will give the division are virtually endless." The team from 16th CAB will be providing support to not only help train the battalion on the use of the Apache, but also to participate in multiple exercises across the Pacific. "Their role is to support the 25th Infantry Division as the attack aviation platform through multiple upcoming training events such as Lightning Forge and 2-35IN combined-arms, live-fire exercise," Worsham said. "The AH-64Es are a force multiplier for 25th Combat Aviation Brigade and the 25th Infantry Division." Inter-unit cooperation is imperative in today's military. Being able to integrate with a new unit quickly and effectively allows the Army to be more agile in executing rotational missions. "With the Army moving toward a more rotational force, the cooperation between 25th and 16th CAB is instrumental in developing the processes for integrating forces with many different policies and operating procedures," Yates said. "Inter-unit cooperation is always a vital part to the success of the Army, particularly here in PACOM [U.S. Pacific Command," Worsham said. "With 16th CAB being the closest Combat Aviation Brigade to 25th ID, their role as a supplementary force would be vital to any military operation if one were to take place here in the Pacific area of responsibility." WASHINGTON, January 10, 2016 A U.S. B-52 bomber from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, conducted a low-level flight in the vicinity of Osan, South Korea, in response to a recent nuclear test by North Korea, according to a U.S. Pacific Command news release issued yesterday. The B-52 was joined by South Korean F-15 fighter aircraft and U.S. F-16 fighter aircraft, the release said. "This was a demonstration of the ironclad U.S. commitment to our allies in South Korea, in Japan, and to the defense of the American homeland," said Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., Pacom commander. "North Korea's nuclear test is a blatant violation of its international obligations. U.S. joint military forces in the Indo-Asia-Pacific will continue to work with all of our regional allies and partners to maintain stability and security." The bilateral flight mission demonstrates the strength of the alliance between the United States and South Korea and the resolve of both nations to maintain stability and security on the Korean Peninsula, the release said. Headquartered in Hawaii, Pacom is responsible for all U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps forces over half the earth's surface, stretching from the waters off the west coast of North America to the western border of India, and from Antarctica to the North Pole. The B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range strategic bomber and part of the command's continuous bomber presence in the Indo-Asia-Pacific. Upon completion of the flight over South Korea, the B-52 returned to Guam, the release said. ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- Two B-52 Stratofortress aircrews assigned to the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, currently here as part of the U.S. Pacific Command's continuous bomber presence, conducted a bomber Airmen heritage flyover of the Mauna Loa volcano and training mission in Hawaii Dec. 28-30, 2015. The flyby was part of the 80th anniversary of the 23rd Bombardment Squadron using bombs to divert lava flow from the Mauna Loa volcano that threatened the town of Hilo, Hawaii, in 1935. One of the great things about this mission is that it illustrates the vast heritage our squadron has, said Capt. Craig Quinnett, 23rd EBS aircraft commander. Its awesome to be a part of a squadron with so much history and to participate in a mission commemorating it. On Dec. 21, 1935, an eruption of the 13,679 foot volcano threatened the town of Hilo. Six days after it erupted, a new vent opened on the volcanos north flank began spewing lava. At first, Dr. Thomas A. Jaggar, a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory volcanologist, concluded that the threat to Hilo was limited. Days later, the situation dramatically changed. The ponded lava broke through the natural levees of stone and began rapidly flowing directly toward the city. Jaggars earlier work suggested that mule teams could take dynamite to the flows and attempt to collapse lava tubes and divert the lava. However, another volcanologist, Guido Giacometti, suggested using U.S. Army Air Corps bombers to deliver precision explosions more rapidly. Since time was of the essence, a call was placed without delay.Then Lt. Col. George S. Patton planned the military operation in support of Jaggers concept. The U.S. Army Air Corps approved the mission almost immediately, according to an article on the U.S. Geological Surveys website. On December 26, six Keystone B-3A bombers from the 23rd BS, and four LB-6 light bombers from the 72nd BS were deployed out of Luke Field, Hawaii to Hilo. Immediately that afternoon, Jaggar briefed the newly arrived aircrew at Hilo on the methods he had in mind to disrupt the flow and flew over the volcano to assess the flows and select the right points for bombing. On the morning of Dec. 27, the first five bombers, carrying two 300 pound practice bombs to use practice runs and sighting, departed on the urgent bombing mission. A second flight of five aircraft was planned for the afternoon, each carrying two 600 pound Mark I demolition bombs. The fuses were set to 0.1 second to ensure the right timing for the lava tube collapse and disruption of the flows. In all, twenty 600 pound bombs were dropped onto the lava tubes. On each of the two missions, a flight of three U.S. Army Keystone B-3As bomber aircraft from the 23rd BS flew in a staggered V-formation while two Keystone LB-6A light bombers from the 72nd BS trailed in line-a-step formation as they made their approach to the designated targets. Due to their full bomb loads, the pilots could only fly 4,000 feet above the volcano. Five of the bombs struck directly into the molten lava flows, with the explosions showering lava in all directions, according to the article. However, these craters were observed to immediately fill back in. The other fifteen bombs impacted along the channel margins. The impact of this mission still resonates with the aircrew of today, 80 years later. While missions like this one dont occur often, aircrews train for close air support missions often. In spirit of this mission, a training flight was conducted out of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, to Hawaii, taking approximately 12 hours. Flights of this duration are nothing new for B-52 aircrews, who have flown sorties of up to 36 hours. The Air Force has been conducting CBP operations in the PACOM area of responsibility for over a decade, from Air Force bases in the continental United States and Guam. Aircraft conducting CBP missions include the B-52 Stratofortress and the B-2 Spirit aircraft. In coordination with U.S. Strategic Command, Air Force Global Strike Command and Air Combat Command, Pacific Air Forces develops and executes CBP missions supporting U.S. Pacific Commands Theater Campaign Plan objectives. Out here, we are pretty well versed in a long duration flight, Quinnett said. Ten hours isnt a long time for us to be up in the air. During the tribute flight, crew members proudly sported their squadron patch, which displays bombs falling into a volcano. Islamabad: Pakistan's paramilitary Rangers force raided the home of a New York Times journalist on Tuesday, sparking a wave of criticism on social media and prompting an investigation by the interior ministry. Journalist Salman Masood live-tweeted the search, fuelling outrage by other users who questioned why authorities would target members of the international media while, as user a siab put it, "turning a blind eye to activities of banned terrorist outfits". Masood, a correspondent at the newspaper, said that at least six Rangers arrived at his home around 7.30 am "in search of a suspect". When he refused to let them in without a warrant, they left, but returned later with an officer and inspected the home for a few minutes without removing anything. He said at least one other house in the neighbourhood also appeared to have been searched, and that when he tried to introduce himself, they "weren't keen" on knowing who he was. "Such raids and activities are not acceptable," a government statement quoted Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar as saying. The ministry has been asked to investigate who ordered the raid and why, the statement said. Police raids and anti-militant operations are common in Islamabad, with the capital criss-crossed by Rangers and other security force units. But it is unclear if the search of Masood's home was a routine operation, as stated by police, or if it was an attempt to intimidate the journalist -- which Human Rights Watch lawyer Saroop Ijaz said was a "distinct possibility". Either way, Ijaz said, it was not acceptable to deprive someone of the fundamental right to privacy. Ijaz also recalled "the long history of Pakistani security forces using strong arm tactics against the press, and their history with New York Times". In 2013 New York Times bureau chief Declan Walsh was expelled from the country for unspecified "undesirable activities". The press in general comes under regular attack in Pakistan, where more than 70 journalists have been killed in the line of duty since 2001, according to the UN. It ranked the country among the worst for unresolved cases of violence against the media. BLOOMINGTON Testimony will begin Tuesday in the murder trial of a Normal man accused in the 2014 shooting death of another man after the two allegedly argued about a woman. Tracy Newson, 49, is accused of killing Carlton B. Jordan in November 2014. The two were involved in an argument over Newson's alleged advances toward a woman whom police described as Newson's significant other. Jordan was shot in the chest with a handgun during a struggle between the men outside Jordan's apartment at 703 Turnberry Drive, authorities said. The men, said police, were at a party when an argument began. Newson allegedly left the party, but returned about 10 minutes later. The two resumed the argument in the hallway, according to the court documents. The two struggled, said prosecutors, and Jordan was shot in the chest with a .40-caliber gun that belonged to Newson. At one point, Jordan had raised his arms to try to choke Newson, according to a statement by the defendant. Bloomington police were called to the scene and found Jordan face down outside of his apartment with a pool of blood nearby. Newson also was shot, but the injury was not life-threatening, according to police. According to prosecutors, Newson left the apartment, went to his home, hid the weapon, and then drove to a hospital for treatment of his wound. The weapon believed to be used in the shooting was found after a search of Newson's apartment, said prosecutors. First Assistant State's Attorney Adam Ghrist and Assistant State's Attorney Brad Rigdon are handling the case for the state. Newson is represented by defense lawyers Jennifer Patton and Michael Herzog. Appleton Coated Earns Green Master Award for Fifth Consecutive Year Jan 12, 2016 - For the fifth year in a row, Appleton Coated has earned the designation of Green Master through the Green Masters Program of the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council. Company representatives were honored at the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council Conference on Dec. 4 for attaining the highest tier achievable in the program. It is clear that Appleton Coated has embraced sustainability, and has integrated the idea into all facets of their business," praised Tom Eggert, executive director of the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council. Contributing to its 2015 Green Master Award, Appleton Coated has expanded its product offering to include more items made with high levels of post-consumer recycled fiber (PCRF) and more items made with Green-e certified green power through its purchase of renewable energy credits (recs). Jenni Birkholz, senior marketing specialist for sustainability, explains, At Appleton Coated we are committed to continual improvement of our environmental impact. Responsible sourcing, high PCRF products, and renewable energy are key touchpoints. For our customers, our products and practices support their sustainability efforts in environmental compliance, supply chain, and in their printed materials. Employee involvement is another key area for us, driving awareness, involvement, and improvement across our organization, Birkholz added As a Green Master, Appleton Coated's performance was evaluated using nine sustainability areas: energy, carbon and other emissions, water, waste management, transportation, supply chain, community and educational outreach, workforce, and governance. Only the top 20 percent of participating companies achieve the highest Green Master designation. 2015 Sustainability Achievements by Appleton Coated: Recognized in 2015 by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for its environmental transparency by participating in the WWF Environmental Paper Company Index (EPCI) which recognizes transparency and continual improvement of participants. 8 year Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SmartWay Transport Partner and 2015 SmartWay Excellence Award Winner. Since 2010, 99 percent of outbound freight leaving Appleton Coated is shipped with partner carriers that have the EPA's SmartWay designation an industry benchmark. Member of the EPA Green Power Partnership since 2011 and named to the National Top 100 for 2015. One of only seven Green Tier II companies recognized by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as having exceptional environmental management systems in place. To learn more about the Green Masters Program, please visit: www.wisconsinsustainability.com/green-masters/. Appleton Coated is a manufacturer and distributor of coated, uncoated, specialty and technical papers sold under the Utopia and other brand names. The company's products are used in high-end commercial printing, textbook publishing, label papers, transactional printing and a variety of specialty and custom applications. To learn more, please visit www.AppletonCoated.com. SOURCE: Appleton Coated Soldiers keep guard at the perimeter fence of the Indian air force base in Pathankot, Punjab. (Photo: AP) New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency has secured a Black Notice from Interpol to ascertain the identity of four terrorists, whose bodies were secured from the attack site at the Pathankot air base. The international notice is issued for identification of unidentified bodies found in a country, an MHA spokesperson said. Read: Pakistan arrests 3 suspects, forms joint investigation team to probe Pathankot attack Read: Sushma Swaraj meets Rajnath Singh amid uncertainty over Indo-Pak talks The NIA has also sent some body parts to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory to ascertain whether they belong to the remaining two terrorists who were involved in the 80-hour-long gun battle with security forces which left seven personnel dead, the sources said. A 10-member NIA team that is continuing search operations in Punjab has recovered an AK-47 magazine, a mobile phone and binoculars from the IAF base in Pathankot, the spokesperson said. Read: Defence bases along Pakistan border continue to be on high alert Read: Pakistan admits Pathankot attack generated from its soil, says Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi NIA teams are working across Punjab and are examining witnesses and carrying out search operations at the encounter site as well as outside the base, he said. It put Punjab Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh to questioning for eight hours. SP may undergo lie test The exhasutive questioning of Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh started from 11 am in connection with the attack, during which contradictions were apparent in his statements to the investigators. Agency sources have not ruled out subjecting him to lie detector test as questioning will continue on Tuesday when his cook Madan Gopal will also be examined by the terror investigation agency. The sources claimed Mr Gopal might be confronted with Mr Singh who is still not giving clear answers to several key questions regarding his alleged abduction by attackers of the IAF base. The NIA has also summoned Mr Gopal to the headquarters for questioning and if need be the two would be confronted, a Home Ministry spokesperson said. The central agency had summoned Mr Singh as he was kidnapped by terrorists during the New Year night before they entered into the air base. A pregnant woman from California said her whole family dined at a local Applebee's restaurant. But they were shocked after they discovered a bloody fingertip in the chicken salad. Cathleen Martin and her family from Atascadero visited Applebee's in Paso Robles in December. The family ate different food, including Chinese chicken salad. However, they were fiercely shocked after they discovered a small fingertip on the salad. Unfortunately, the whole family had eaten much from the dish before they saw the gross fingertip, Mrs Martin told The Tribune in San Luis Obispo. "It was so gross," Mrs Martin said in a news release sent by her legal team. "I'm on pins and needles worrying about what my family might have been exposed to." Martin's lawyer, Eric Traut from Santa Anta, said the restaurant already confirmed to them that the "nauseating garnish" belonged to one of their cooks. The restaurant also said by accordance with the law, they can't force their staff to undergo any medical tests. However, the eatery confirmed that the particular staff involved is willing to undergo screening to give the family a peace of mind they deserve. Hence, Alan Knapp, the area director of Applebee's in California released a statement to profusely apologize about the mishap. The statement included that the restaurant "regretted" that Martin's family had encountered an "unacceptable" incident at one of its eateries. The restaurant also promised that they will be "retraining" their staff to refresh them about the proper safety protocol and will place stringent, necessary measures to prevent any incident like this from happening again. Martin's lawyer said the chain's office was very cooperative with them since the occurrence of the said incident. The lawyer also confirmed that his clients underwent certain medical tests since the repulsive incident. Complainants are now seeking unspecified damages for the medical expenses for the laboratory tests, emotional distress and lost income. A study published by the Proceedings of the Royal Society B says that moms of twins are more likely to live longer than moms that have only one baby at a time. According to the report by Live Science about the research, moms of twins usually have live longer because they are physically stronger in the first place, since giving birth to two babies requires more strength. "We expected the exact opposite," researcher Shannen Robson of the University of Utah told LiveScience. "We expected that since most humans have one baby at a time, having two would be really burdensome ... [Twins] are an identifier of these women who are remarkable, physically exceptional people." The research focused on the genealogical record of female Utah residents from 1807 to 1899 who were not widows, part of polygamous families, and lived to be at least 50 years old. The researchers were able to identify 4,603 women who had at least one set of twins and compared them with those who did not give birth to twins. Research findings show that moms of twins beat out moms without twins in different categories such as life span, reproductive life span, and faster recovery time between pregnancies. "By identifying them, we can then look at other aspects of what it is about them that makes them more healthy, live longer and have babies at a faster rate than everyone else in the population," Robson said in an interview. According to Family Education, identical twins -- or twins that have the same genes and sex -- are conceived when one fertilized egg splits into two separate cells. On the other hand, non-identical twins -- or twins that do not have the same genes and can be of a different sex -- are conceived when two eggs are released at ovulation. Live Science says that the findings seem to suggest that moms of twins "could be an evolutionary adaption in which healthy moms take the chance to pass on double their genes at once". Parents want to raise their children in a safe and secure environment, which is why many parents opt to live in suburbs and the like. To provide further information, Bundoo has recently released a list of the 10 most dangerous cities to raise your children in. The first city on the list is Detroit, Michigan. The Motor City has a lot of culture and landmarks, but it also has a large gang population. The crime rate in Detroit maybe on a steady decline, but it is still higher compared to most other U.S. cities. St. Louis, Missouri is up next on the list. It is on the list due to its high crime rate and the fact that it is along a major drug-trafficking route. Oakland, California comes in third. Violence has been rampant in this city because the police force was "scaled back." Bridgeport, Connecticut is in fourth. It has an imposed curfew as an attempt to end the high-rate of violence, which usually occurs there at night. New Orleans in Louisiana is up next. Violence and looting increased in the city since Hurricane Katrina happened in 2005. Memphis, Tennessee makes the list at number six. There are thousands of violent crimes that occur in this city annually, which can be attributed to the high unemployment and poverty rates there. Birmingham, Alabama is seventh on this list. There is high murder and property crime rate in this city largely due to widespread poverty. Up next is Orlando, Florida. This city's crime rate is 4 times as much as the national average. Atlanta, Georgia makes the list at number nine. Property crime is rampant in Atlanta, especially burglary and vehicle theft. Lastly, there is Jackson, Mississippi. The city reportedly has 36 murders and 454 robberies per 100,000 people. If you are looking for safe places, you are in luck. Bundoo has also released a list of the best cities to raise children in including Omaha and Des Moines. This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions A long time ago (childhood), in a galaxy far, far away (Cleveland), a young girl somehow missed out on watching any of the Star Wars films. Spoiler: That sad, deprived girl was me. I know. Its all the more shocking when you consider that George Lucass daughter has the exact same name as I do. By the transitive property, I am a Star Wars princess, and yet my celestial cherry remained unpopped. A few weeks ago, in honor of the franchises triumphant return, I decided it was finally time. There was only one place to start: the beginning. Not the narrative beginningIve been warned of the Jar Jar Binks(es?) lurking in the prequelsbut with the first-released film, Episode IV: A New Hope. Being a human that grew up in America, I had some baseline of knowledge going into my screening. I knew the force was strong, Yoda was wise, Darth Vader was Lukes (and so Leias) dad, and Luke and Leia had some sort of Josh-and-Cher romance happening. Basically everything else was a big old surprise. (Basic Fandom Disclaimer: Keep in mind that Ive only watched the first film so the musings below are likely wildly obvious and/or short-sighted. I blame all the stars in my eyes.) Below youll find a list of the elements I found most forceful (Editors Note: Oof.) for a Star Wars first-timer. From all the clips and parodies Ive seen of Darth Vader breathing heavily through his mask, I assumed he was some sort of asthmatic Robocop. I didnt realize that he was James Earl Jones, a.k.a. The Lion Kings Mufasa, a.k.a. the animated lion who informed all noble ideals of my youth. I was just waiting for Vader to call attention to everything the light touches. In other words, this casting toyed with my sympathy. How could I hate the reincarnation of the king that defined the circle of life? (Im still fighting the PTSD from that wildebeest scene.) The first flicker of Vaders commanding baritone raised my spirits like a young Simba over Pride Rock. Which probably wasnt George Lucass intention. I couldnt help but note that much of Obi-Wans Jedi-related platitudes doubled as amazing dating advice. There are alternatives to fighting; Stretch out with your feelings; and You must do what you feel is right are just good sense for any happy couple. Finally theres this line: In my experience, there is no such thing as luck, which evokes Cal in Titanic, who, while not a romantic, did leave Rose to find her best matchand made if off the ship alive. All said and done, it seems like Lukewhiney and unattractive Lukecould have benefited from the cool, calculated advice of this sage, old dude. RIP Obi-Wan. The SW galaxy has a proliferation of non-human species dispersed among humanswhich was excellentand it even seemed like they got their own bar, which sits alongside Jurassic Park at the top of my fictional vacay list. Appropriately, A New Hopes best non-human is also the films unsung hero: Chewie. I knew of Chewbacca before watching the films and always wondered exactly what sort of creature he was. Giant dog? Bear? Astonishingly hirsute man? The film did nothing to clear up that mystery for me. It did, however, show Chewie giving a victorious roar when he received his medal at the end, which was everything I never knew I wanted. I was originally worried that Leia would be the traditional damsel in distressand I was never happier to be wrong. She put Han Solo in his place and leaned in to lead the crew to escape the giant trash compactorall with picture perfect makeup. Seriously, that makeup was on point all throughout her kidnapping and torture. Plus, the movie was refreshingly free of sibling flirting! I wasnt even mad that it fails the Bechdel Test. In my book its: Feminism, 1; Incest, 0. Having attended New York Comic-Con, Ive seen C-3POs galore IRL. Imagine my delight when I learned this golden robot had the personality of a fey British dude. His homoerotic obsession with R2D2 was absolutely precious. Leave it to a 70s sci-fi flick to tell a non-traditional love story. Swoon! Having thoroughly enjoyed A New Hope, here are my predictions for The Empire Strikes Back: Princess Leia unrolls her pigtail sockbuns, unleashing curls so bouncy that Hans brain explodes. Later she defeats her dad Darth Vader for good, is named Queen of the Galaxy and appoints Chewie as her Hand. This all seems related. One word: EWOKS! I know these little guys exist, as my older brother had this SWEET toy tree (below). My guess is that Darth tries to land on the Ewoks planet and they adopt him, Swiss Family Robinson-style. He loses his edge, apologizes to his estranged children for being a deadbeat dad and hangs up his lightsaber for good. Is Obi-wan alive? Hes definitely alive. More secret messages stored inside R2D2! Hes the cutest little mailbox! Eight years ago, its mayor governed from a jail cell. Three years ago, the city filed the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history at $18-20 billion. And last month, Detroit became the first American city to be named a UNESCO City of Design. Talk about a turnaround for Motown. Although Motor City is more often associated with dilapidation than design, UNESCO recognized Detroits design legacy and its continued commitment to promote cultural and creative industries. Design continues to play a significant role in our economy, and it was important that our application reflect our citys contributions to the global design community, both historically and today, Detroit Creative Corridor (DC3) interim executive director Ellie Schneider told Architectural Digest. Detroits fostered a rich historic and present-day relationship with design, starting with the likes of Eames, Knoll and Rapson to the architects behind the Guardian Building and Parisian Campus Martius Park. Though Detroits collapse has been well-documented, as of late, the citys been praised for its recent cultural renaissance as companies like Shinola and Ace Hotel and an assortment of restaurants and galleries transform the city into the epicenter it once was. With the nomination, Detroit joins such cities as Helsinki, Budapest and Singapore as cities of design. Tom is a travel writer, part-time hitchhiker, and hes currently trying to imitate Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? but with more sunscreen and jorts. #TeamMrsDrewe Until I watched this weeks episode, I had forgotten how much I was on Mrs. Drewes side. She is the one who took Marigold in when Edith couldnt admit she had a baby. Shes the one still grieving that Marigold has been taken away from her. And now shes the one being forced to move away from Downton. When Mrs. Drewe takes Marigold without telling anyone, Mr. Drewe and Robert agree that the only solution is for the Drewe family to move. All of the Crawleys feel bad about this, of course. But it basically comes down to the fact that the Crawleys are rich and in charge, and the Drewes are poor and their tenants. And thats that. Mr. Drewe even seems to believe its his fault for not being able to control his wife, and for forgetting that emotions would get in the way of the plan he hatched with Edith. The whole Drewe situation came to a crisis point because Mary insisted on bringing George and Marigold to see the Drewes pigs, and Edith couldnt come up with a reason why Marigold shouldnt go. Robert wonders why Edith doesnt just tell Mary the truth. She thinks Mary will use it as a weapon. She may be right. Cora tells him. I do love when everyone acknowledges how downright awful Mary can be. Last week, Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Carson were talking about sex. Now theyve moved on to where they will have their wedding reception. Ostensibly, this should be an easier topic for the pair to handle. Mary insists that Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Carson have their wedding reception at Downton. Your reception will be in the Great Hall if its the last thing I do, Mary tells Mr. Carson. But Mrs. Hughes doesnt want to have her wedding reception where she works. She wants a party that represents them and is their own. Its not us. Its not who we are. It may be where we work, but its not who we are, she tells him. Poor Mr. Carson is torn between two women he adores. Just when I was screaming Go to a doctor Anna at my TV, Mary offers to take Anna to the same doctor who helped Mary when she was having trouble conceiving. Not that Anna doesnt have good reason to always see the glass as half-full, but she really is turning into Debbie Downer. She tells Mary she appreciates her offer to take her to the doctor and shell go, but it wont work. The doctor tells Anna that she is suffering from cervical incompetence. The condition can be treated and hell come to her house to perform the procedure when Anna is about 12 weeks pregnant. She leaves the doctors office full of hope. But, of course, Anna isnt telling Mr. Bates any of this, because these two are all about keeping secrets from each other. All I know is that this season better end with Anna and Mr. Bates having a baby. Fearing that the staff at Downton will be reduced at any moment, Thomas goes on a job interview. He soon learns the effects of downsizing. The job would entail being a valet, an under butler, and a chauffeur. Goodness, this is a job for a one man band, Thomas says. The man interviewing Thomas wonders why he isnt married and says hes a delicate looking fellow. The series seems poised to tackle the discrimination Thomas will most likely suffer because of his (never discussed) sexual orientation. Thomas is also trying to become friends with Andrew, the new staff member who wants nothing to do with him. Meanwhile, Edith is fighting with the editor of her magazine, who doesnt like any ideas Edith has, and certainly doesnt like reporting to a woman. It has yet to occur to Edith that it is within her purview to fire the editor, and find someone who is more willing to work with her. Marys encounter with a man surprised to see her in a position of power goes much better (but then everything for Mary always seems to go much better). Downtons agent cant quite believe Toms replacement is a woman, but he still asks her to contribute some pigs to the Fat Stock Show. Daisy remains weepy that she is responsible for her father-in-law losing his home. She appeals to Cora who doesnt think she can help Mr. Mason keep his current home, but may be able to help him find a new one. The fight for the hospital continues with both Isobel and Violet vying for Coras vote. Cora sides with Isobel, and is for a merger. Robert thinks he can stay out of the whole mess, which seems highly unlikely. Once again, these episodes feel more like visits with old friends Im happy to see, even if I find their stories a little repetitive and boring. Stray observations: Youre married, that means you never have to cry alone again. Okay then Mr. Bates. Well be doing it your way for the next 30 years, but the wedding day is mine. It kind of bugged me that Mr. Carson didnt even attempt to argue Mrs. Hughes point here. Nice to see Mr. Pamuk, responsible for one of the shows most iconic moments, brought up again. Marys pigs win first prize at the Fat Stock show. Say it with me now, Everybody loves Mary. Amy Amatangelo is a Boston-based freelance writer, a member of the Television Critics Association and a regular contributor to Paste. She wasnt allowed to watch much TV as a child and now her parents have to live with this as her career. You can follow her on Twitter or her blog. My parents never took me to Disneyland. I didnt mind. I had my heart set on a place that didnt exist: Willy Wonkas Chocolate factory. Now grown, I still cling to the hope that some mad genius (Bompas & Parr?) will recreate the edible world in Willy Wonkas candy factory. The moment in the film when Gene Wilder wrapped up his song Pure Imagination, sipped tea out of a flower-shaped teacup, and then took a bite out of it made my imagination purely soar. After taking a look at various food blogs, I can see Im not the only person with a piqued interest in edible tableware. One of the best recent food trends has been all of the edible receptacles (made of Jell-O, cookie dough, or fruit) that enthusiasts create at home. Since no one has built Wonka Land yet, I satisfied my dreams by treating myself to a fully edible dinner. Fortunately, there are a few very cool products popping up on the marketand, if my wishes come true, there will be more. Glassware was by far the easiest to find. Loliware was on Shark Tank earlier this year, with industrial designers Chelsea Briganti and Leigh Ann Tucker presenting their delicious cups made primarily from seaweed. On top of coming up with a totally adorable product that aims to help the environment, they came up with a totally adorable tagline: biodegr(edible). For those who love those #cookiecups flooding Instagram but arent good at baking, ChocAmo sells a delectable, readymade kind. Initially created by student Michelle Silberman for her seventh-grade science project, Silberman revisited the concept once she grew up; shes now an entrepreneur with her own business. Unfortunately, I couldnt find any company manufacturing edible plates. But this was merely a small hiccup, as some edible bowls already play a part of food culture. As a lover of Mexican food, I ate my first taco salad bowl long ago. As a fan of medieval history, Im familiar with the bread trencher. The bread bowl I fashioned from La Brea Bakery loaf, and the taco bowl was from from Noche Mexicana. The most difficult to find, as is easy to imagine, were the utensils. I looked long and hard for these, and only came up with one utensil for sale, coming all the way from India (it seems that edible tableware is an international movement). A company called Bakeys, started in Hyderabad, India, by scientist Narayana Peesapaty. Through edible utensils, Peesapatys goal is to address the environmental concerns of disposable cutlery. His solution is appetizing. So far, Bakeys has a flour-based spoon, and is designing a fork and chopstick. I searched for an edible fork, but to no avail. My friend, an architect at Google and quite clever, recommended I use grissini (thin, crisp, Italian breadsticks) as chopsticks. So I did. With all my tableware set, I was ready to eat. I placed the food directly on a clean tablecloth, as my rule was that I was not allowed to use any clay or metal. The dinner opened with a salad inside a taco bowl, and grissini to eat it with. Im quite able with chopsticks, if I may say so myself, so using them did not prove to be too much of a challenge. As the textured grissini met my lips with the lettuce at the end, there was the temptation to chomp the delicious garlic sticks, but I had to remind myself that I needed them to get to the bottom of the bowl. Using the sticks added a flavor on the tongue, and an unexpected, soft sensation on the skin that one does not get from silver spoons. The chopsticks broke halfway through the salad eating, but luckily I had more and did not mind eating the broken ones. Once the salad was done, I proceeded to eat the oily and crisp taco bowl. No morsel was left uneaten. Next on the menu, an amazing Brussel sprouts soup from Le Pain Quotidien, served in a La Brea bread bowl with a Bakeys flour spoon. Im not a fan of thick soups, and the brussel sprout was a light, brothy, one. However, looking back on it, a thicker soup would have worked better in a bread bowl, as the bowl began to soak up the thin liquid and eventually made its way to the tablecloth. The Bakeys spoon held up well. The spoon is shallow, so it mainly picked up the chunkier veggies in the soup, not as much of the broth. But the flavored broth integrated divinely with the bread bowl, making it a soggy and crispy mess to finish. Each of the first two meals was paired with Orangina in a Loliware glass. I chose the yuzu citrus glass, as the orange flavors were an obvious match. The glasses are reminiscent of crisped gummythey are malleable, but hard enough to withstand usage. I worried theyd melt a little from my hands heat and leave me with unappetizing sticky fingers, but they did not and held up wonderfully until I devoured them. Again, what struck me was the sensation of eating with something soft and textured. The glasses are delicate, and compared to a hard glass or piece of plastic, they had a very comforting effect, almost like a baby bottle. Now, a soup and salad may not seem like a large dinner, but remember how many carbs I also ingested by eating my bowls and glasses. With that, all that was left was the grand finale: dessert. With ice cream, Ive always preferred cone over cup, so the Talenti Pistachio gelato in the Lets Do Organic cones was a predictable hit. But the coffee served inside the ChocAmo cookie cupsthat was a divine discovery. I was worried the hot coffee would seep through the breadiness of the cookie, but it didnt. The ChocAmo cups are made of cookie on the outside with a lining of frosting on the inside. That lining keeps the hot liquid from seeping through, but also the different flavors of the cup (in this case peppermint bark and red velvet) diffused into the aroma of the coffee. The cups held strong, the coffee seeping in just slightly. And once again, I have to highlight the sensory effect of eating with an edible material. The soluble texture of the cup grazes the lips, while providing an added scent and flavor. Overall, my dinner was a carb-packed success. (A silver golden lining was not having to do any dishes.) The various inventors behind these products are taking the Mary Poppins approach to the environmental problem posed by disposable tableware, by adding a spoonful of sugar and a cup full of flour to make the biodegradable choice easier (and tastier). Perhaps in the future, catered events will have no need to recycle or wash as many dishes, as all the guests will have eaten the tableware. The implications of these early products are considerable, as well as considerably fun, coaxing citizens to care for the environment with the carrot rather than the stick. Now, if anyone knows of an edible house on the market Madina Papadopoulos is a New York-based freelance writer, author, and regular contributor to Paste. You can follow her food adventures on Instagram and Twitter. French author Charles Perrault, best known for writing historys most popular versions of the Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella fairy tales, would have celebrated his 388th birthday today. To commemorate the occasion, artist Sophie Diao created three Google Doodles inspired by stories from Perraults The Tales of Mother Goose collection. Each Doodle reveals an iconic scene from the classic narratives, which you can read in English here. Enjoy browsing through Diaos charming illustrations, and visit our gallery of literary Google Doodles for more gorgeous art inspired by other authors beloved works. 1 of 3 "Cinderella" illustration by Sophie Diao 2 of 3 "Puss in Boots" illustration by Sophie Diao 3 of 3 "Sleeping Beauty" illustration by Sophie Diao I realize something, as I step on a plane bound for TucsonI have absolutely no impression whatsoever of the craft beer scene or culture of Arizona. This is a pretty damn rare thing for me to be able to say in 2016 (or 2015, when I made the trip). As someone who has been writing obsessively about craft beer for years now, my knowledge of individual breweries and regions tends toward the encyclopedic. Sit me down with a map of Illinois or Wisconsin and I can draw you a huge connect-the-dots of my favorite breweries. But Arizona? Ive never even really been to the Southwest in earnest. Ive barely ever sampled a beer from Arizona, because none of the breweries are really big enough to distribute to the Midwest or the East Coast. I dont know any of the reputations of these companies. The whole thing is a giant blank space, waiting to be filled in. That impression of being a stranger in a strange land only increases when I exit the plane. This isnt like driving to Alabama to sample some beers in Huntsville, or flying to California to attend the Firestone Walker Invitational in wine country. Arizona truly feels different on a bigger scale. Everywhere you look, the landscape and the streets are dotted with towering Saguaro cactus. Every other building is a perfect cube of smooth, autumnally colored adobe. I dont think Ive ever walked into a new city and immediately seen an identity so polar from a childhood in Midwestern suburbia. Even the street art is different. What I found in the beer scene is a craft beer community in transitiongrowing quickly, but still quite insular. Tucson is interesting in the sense that there isnt a local kingpin, a regional craft brewer that is sending its product several states over. Even though there are some local breweries that have been evangelizing better beer for decades, theyre still relatively small, and they still feel local. One gets the sense that the only way you can actually experience Tucson beer is to simply come to Tucson. 1. Ten Fifty-Five Brewing If a day ever comes when I dont want something called Coffee & Donuts Stout, then I will need you to take me out behind the barn and put me down humanely, as I will have outlived all usefulness or potential for joy. Ahem. Which is to say, I was excited when I walked into Ten Fifty-Five and found a beer by that name. This small taproom was where I kicked off my Tucson beer excursion, and in many ways it set the tone. Located in an industrial park, just a few doors down from longtime area stalwart Nimbus Brewing, it feels every bit the experimental start-up, even though the fact that its coming up on its two-year anniversary makes it a veteran presence among Tucsons many new breweries. But aesthetically, Ten Fifty-Five is almost what weve come to expect in new, small brewerieslocated out of the way, with a DIY aesthetic and a confidence that good beer will compel visitors to venture off the beaten path to fill a growler. The beers here are eclectic, well-balanced and decorated with local awards, including the whimsical Iron Brewer trophy decorating the tap area, which Ten Fifty-Five won in a yearly competition to incorporate a specific ingredientin this case grapefruit, via a grapefruit IPA. Other highlights include the series of coffee and cacao-infused stouts, and the vibrant Two Sons Citra, a DIPA. Particularly creative was a one-off beer called Our Valentinea very ambitious all-Arizona pale ale that incorporated rare, Arizona-grown barley and wild hops, not exactly easy to come by in the desert. Youve got to applaud the effort to specifically highlight the fact that all regions of the United States have now become craft beer regions. 2. Iron Johns Brewing Co. Ill just say it: Iron Johns, all on its own, provides ample reason to swing through Tucson on a beer-related expedition. This is an incredibly small operation that earns its artisanal title and is managing to produce at least a handful of beers that are undeniably world-class. Thats not hyperbole. Thats fact. The frightening thing about it is that the guy behind the beer, John Adkisson, isnt even doing this full-time, spending his days working in accounting. The brewery, therefore, feels less like a business and more like an extremely ambitious homebrewing project that somehow spun out of hand and ended up with state and federal permits. And thats not a bad thing by any meansthe industrial park location is tucked away and discreet, and allows easy access to meet the brewer, sample some mind-blowing beer and leave with bottles in hand from the cooler, all in a 15-minute period. As for what hes brewing, it might be faster to list what Adkisson hasnt produced on his tiny system. But its the audacious stuff that will make you gaspbeers made with rare, $100-per-ounce coffee varietals. One-batch barrel-aged sours. Perfectly balanced green chile beers. The variety is stunning, as is the sophistication of the sours in particular. I drank a peach sour at Iron Johns that Wicked Weed or Jester King would have been proud to call their own, and if it had their label on it would have beer geeks beating down the door. God only knows what the guy could do with unlimited resources at his disposal. 3. Dragoon Brewing Co. Dragoon Brewing Co. feels like a risera fast-growing, crowd-pleasing brewery that has been able to grab the current craft beer zeitgeist without sacrificing all of its experimental side. Their taproom is spacious and slick compared to many of the smaller rooms in town, and it simply feels like a brewery primed to hit the rest of Arizona and perhaps push onward from there. Riding their flagship IPA (which is solid), theyve made serious inroads in the last three years. Beyond the IPA, Dragoon does some very nice work in subtle, malt-forward styles, with nice (and often underrepresented) takes on styles such as Vienna lager and dunkel when I visited, both of which had a good feel for the bready, nutty characteristic of malt-forward German beer. Of course, no discussion of Dragoon would be complete without mentioning the double-edged sword that is the brewerys award-winning sour barleywine, Lazarus. Currently rated as the #1 barleywine in the world on Ratebeer, it was the product of a botched barleywine fermentation that was salvaged by head brewer Eric Greene by pitching brettanomyces and sticking it in some unusual barrels for 13 monthsport and cognac barrels that had then been used to mature whiskey. The result is quite unique, bracing, boozy and dark-fruit forward, but essentially impossible to replicate again. Which is to say, if you get a chance to try some of the small amount still in existence, dont pass it up. 4. Sentinel Peak Brewing Co. Sentinel Peak is a brewpub founded by three firefighters, and you have to appreciate the fact that they didnt go the cliche route of naming literally everything in the building after firehouse lingowrite about beer for a while and youll realize how many of those there are out there already. Rather, it has the feel of a well-balanced, classic American brewpub, with the bonus of a cafe/coffeeshop operating in the same location. It doesnt hurt that the paninis are solid, either. The beers keep things a bit on the simpler side, as one might expect from a classic brewpubfood friendly and approachable, for the most part. The Salida Del Sol Mexican amber ale is a nice nod to the better Mexican beers served not far to the south, and comes with a wedge of lime that you shouldnt feel guilty about simply dropping in the pint, as is tradition. Its not all just American styles, thoughyoull also find a black saison, Scottish ale and a banana-redolent German hefe. And of course, theres naturally a chile beeryoure not going to find a firehouse brewery without a spicy beer, and thats a guarantee. However, as became something of a theme in Tucson, the chile beer was surprisingly well executed, although its hot as blazes on account of the ghost chiles. But for a beer that hot, its an accomplishment to come off as more than a PR stunt. I can actually see how this one might be useful as a blending agenta splash in your lager, or perhaps in a cocktail, could give an interesting punch of heat. 5. Borderlands Brewing Co. More than any of the other breweries I visited, Borderlands feels like it exists in the American Southwest. Perhaps its the (somewhat moldering) old building; a former train station/rail depot full of character and reportedly haunted. Or maybe its the tap list, which takes full advantage of the local terroir. But if I was picturing one of these breweries as emblematic of the desert, it would be Borderlands, where a freight train regularly thunders by as locals raise a pint in the taproom. Borderlands has some strong entries in the year-round beer category, particularly the Citrana wild ale, which despite its name is actually a gose, and an excellent one at that. I would say that it would be a go-to session beer for me if I was spending time in Tucson, but given that it clocks in at 6.5% ABV, its actually a touch stronger than one might realize, and that no doubt contributes to its tangy, citrus-packed flavor profile, with just a touch of salinity. Also interesting is the Prickly Pear Wheat, which derives a pinkish hue and Jolly Rancher-like sweetness from the iconic desert fruit. Just looking at the current tap list reveals beers made with desert spices, herbs and fruit such as dates. Its clear that this brewery has made a real commitment toward experimentation with local ingredients, and theyve managed to incorporate them in such a way that they blend seamlessly into beers that are still crowd-pleasers for the weekend taproom crowds. 6. Pueblo Vida Brewing Co. Pueblo Vida is quite small, a veritable hole in the wall in downtown Tucson that looks more like a beer bar than a brewery with its prominent bar and long, thin, single room. The beer, though, is damn good. In fact, Pueblo Vida may have had the best batting average for above-average beers that I tasted while in Tucson. They also had the best IPA I tasted in Tucson. Pueblo Vida keeps a smaller number of beers on tap than some of the other breweries, and seems to focus more on honing in on perfecting classic styles than getting really avant garde. They do have one very useful tool for experimentation, though, which is the weekly infusion series, where one of the standard beers on tap is infused with an extra ingredient to create a one-time-only new beer. Looking just at the last month, those infusion ingredients have ranged from horchata to tangerines, pears and papaya, each paired with different beers. The tap room feels a bit more urbane than some of the others thanks to being located on a main street, but the clientele is decidedly laid-back. The afternoon I visited, an aging hippie held court at and end of the bar, preaching the gospel of kombucha and sampling out little glasses of the fermented tea. You might look at that scene and see a microcosm of Tucson itself. 7. Barrio Brewing Co. Every city needs a brewery like Barrio Brewing Co. somewhere in its craft beer timelinethe trailblazer that paved the way for the modern crop of craft brewers who are now taking local beer to the next level. None of that would likely be possible without Barrio, which got the ball rolling in a much slower time when they opened in 1995. The downtown brewery and restaurant has been a staple ever since, known for cheap pints, bar food and private parties. The lineup is almost exactly as youd expect, full of classic brewpub staples, with a blonde ale as the flagshipi.e., the final beer I downed in Tucson while waiting for my flight at the airport. The styles dont jump out at you so much, but it would be a mistake to overlook their quality. Barrio got a nice reminder of this when they took home a bronze medal at the 2015 Great American Beer Fest (which I attended) for their Scottish ale, Barrio Rojo. In a city full of up-and-comers, Barrio was the one coming home with a medal. Beyond that, my only advice is to arrive at a time when theres plenty of traffic on the nearby rail tracks. Any time the crossing guards are down, pints are only $3.25. What more do you want? 8. Thunder Canyon Brewery Thunder Canyon occupies much the same role in Tucson as Barrio, although unfortunately it was one of only a couple beer locations I wasnt able to visit during my 48 hours in town. It opened in 1997, an eternity ago for a brewery, and has been helping win converts to the craft beer cause ever since. One gets a laid-back sort of feeling from the place, which has two locations in downtown Tucson and the Catalina Foothills. The downtown location maintains a huge tap list that is only partially Thunder Canyon brewsof the 40 beers on tap there, 26 are currently from guest breweries, which tells me that this is a brewery comfortable in its own skin and its role in the community. The website lists a surprisingly large and varied list of beers that the brewery has dabbled with over the years, but if you visit today, expect to see mostly classic styles. With that said, even at an old-school American craft brewery like this, youll now see a 10% ABV imperial barrel-aged porter as a classic style. Which is to say, its quite the time to be a beer fan. 9. Nimbus Brewing Co. Nimbus is the other Tucson brewery I didnt get a chance to sample, the third spoke in the Big Three of original Tucson production breweries, having started in 1996. Braving the rather irritating, monkey-themed website, it feels a bitokay, a lotdated, full of auto-playing sound effects for everything one might click on. Still, with a lineup of classic styles (brown ale, red ale, pale ale, stout), Nimbus has persevered and remained a local staple. They dont have quite the level of hype owned by the citys newer generation of breweries, but there seem to be no shortage of dyed-in-the-wool fans who show for burgers and beer every night. 10. Gentle Bens Gentle Bens appears to be the business that really started it all as far as Tucson beer is concerned, although I have to be completely honestI didnt even hear the name mentioned during the time I was physically in Tucson. Nevertheless, when this brewpub started making its first beers in 1991, it was the only one doing so in Tucsonalthough this was after the building had already been in operation as a bar since 1971. Those first beers were a catastrophe according to the owner, but credit where credit is dueevery scene needs a point of genesis. And if Gentle Bens is still satisfying the university crowds more than 25 years after they started brewing, they must be doing something right. Next: Tucson beer bars and bottle shops 11. Tap & Bottle In Tap & Bottle, Tucson can say they have something that my home in Atlanta cant matcha great beer bar that is also a great beer store. Thanks to some favorable laws, Tap & Bottle is a craft beer bar and watering hole that resembles many of the other great bar/package store combos now flourishing in states where the law is in their favorsimilar to the Old Town Beer Exchange that I experienced in our craft beer guide to Hunstville, Alabama, although Tap & Bottle feels like it has a bit more focus on the on-site consumption part of the equation. The bar was the vision of husband and wife Scott and Rebecca Safford and combines the aesthetic of corner tavern with hip urban watering hole. Local Arizona beers are well-represented on the draft list, although there are also plenty of representatives from sought-after West Coast and mountain state breweries as well. Of particular interest are the rows of coolers, which contain individually priced single bottles of just about every beer available in this distribution area. As long as youre willing to pay a cappage fee, you can drink any of those single bottles at Tap & Bottle, and the prices are so low that even with the fee, its typically still cheaper than anywhere else in town that you might find the same beer on draft. Go on the right day, and you might find brewers from elsewhere in the state presenting their beers in a tap takeover or showcase. 12. Tucson Hop Shop And speaking of one-stop shops, Tucson Hop Shop is the kind of business that wants to turn itself into a destination for absolutely anything beer-related you might be seeking while visiting the city. Just listen to the mission statement: Tucson Hop Shop aims to be North Tucsons premier craft-beer bottle shop, growler-fill station, beer garden, and purveyor of artisanal beer-making kits. As such, you can sit out on the patio and drink a few pints, although the tap list seems to run more toward national brands than the locals. You can also grab a bite from one of the near-daily food trucks parked outside and pick up a pound of crushed crystal 60L for that pale ale youre planning on brewing this weekend. You might even catch some live music. 13. 1702 Pizza & Beer 1702 is a pizzeria seriously committed to the advancement of craft beer in a way uncommon for many restaurants that dont brew their own. Beer almost seems like the reason for the restaurants existence in a waythe first thing they lead off with is we serve an ever-changing selection of 46 beers rather than anything pizza-related, and they got in on the beer game earlier than most of the other bars. The prices are reasonable, and if you go on the right night you might catch the new release of a local brewery or a tap takeover from an out-of-towner. One note: They dont post their current tap list online, which is a necessity for any beer bar in 2016. Get on that, 1702. 14. Arizona Beer House Arizona Beer House might be the best single stop if youre really trying to find desert beer on tap, because the beer list trends strongly toward Tucson locals and other Arizona breweries from Phoenix and beyond. In addition to the 35 taps, you can also find Arizona-made wine and craft sodas at ABH, further demonstrating the philosophy toward promoting the local product. One would assume this would appeal to both tourists and locally-minded Tucson residents in equal measure, but regardless of who you are, ABH is a solid stop to try something you may not have ever sampled before. 15. The beer garden at Reilly Craft Pizza and Drink Reilly Craft Pizza, on its own, has a decent little beer selection, but the real secret is the beer garden out back. Here, youll find 40+ taps in one of the most relaxing places to drain a session IPA in the desert heat. Long, communal tables promote socialization, and no one seems to be taking the beer geek aspect too seriously, even though the tap list is strong. 16. Arizona Pizza Company Honestly, what is it with pizza places and craft beer in Tucson, anyway? Arizona Pizza Company at least manages to carve out its own niche in terms of its presentationsmaller tap list, more immaculate curation and focus on more rarities. Just looking at the current list reveals two varieties of Goose Island Bourbon County Stout along with brews from Funkwerks, Ninkasi and Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpinall that, and some local beer as well. It feels like a watering hole for beer drinkers who are looking to stretch their boundaries a bit. Next: Three Tucson beers you have to drink Borderlands Brewing Co. Citrana Wild Ale Im still a little bit confused why Borderlands purposely refers to this beer as both a wild ale and a gose simultaneously, but whatever it is, its quite good. A bit stronger than the typical craft beer gose that has come into the vogue in the last few years, it marries lemon and orangey citrus flavors with a thirst-quenching, lip-licking salinityright in the middle of the salty gose sweet spot. This is a beer that fits its market perfectlyI cant imagine a better companion to a 100-degree, exceedingly dry day in the desert. There may have been a time when this kind of light, refreshing role was exclusively filled by various lagers and blonde ales, but styles like gose have since come along and introduced beer drinkers to craft styles that are in some ways more assertive and flavor-packed while still being accessible and refreshing. Its just one more choice, and one that can appeal to drinkers who appreciate a mild tartness and the power it has to make flavors pop. Iron Johns Brewing Co. Pater Peche I imagine that just about any sour beer from Iron Johns would work just as well, but I was really blown away by the sophistication of this peach ale, which seemed more like a beer that youd expect to find from a brewery with far more resources behind it. Patersbier or fathers beer is itself a Belgian abbey ale term used somewhat interchangeably with Belgian single/enkle to denote a lightweight, low-ABV session beer made for daily consumption by the monks. Pater Peche takes one of these beers and sours it, aging it for 10 months in a Sauvignon Blanc wine cask with peaches. The stone fruit presence isnt overwhelming; nor is the tartness or lactic acidity. Its just a wonderfully balanced American sour ale, a beer that reflects years of homebrewing practice. Plenty of breweries try and never are able to produce such a well-balanced sour. This one isnt good compared to others in Tucson. It would stand up alongside just about any other peach sour Ive ever sampled. Something infused at Pueblo Vida Brewing Co. I almost just listed Pueblo Vidas Northwest IPA here, but if youre able to get one of the variations of it that has been infused with a unique ingredient, so much the better. The brewery releases a new infusion of some kind each and every Tuesday, which lasts on tap until its gone. This week, the Northwest IPA has been infused with tangerines, and I bet the result is absolutely spectacular. Would that I could snag myself a taste. The beer scene of Tucson has been around for a while, which usually means that a microdistilling scene wont be far behind. Indeed it turns out there are three distilleries in the area with product on the shelves, although each has a pretty distinct identity. The Independent Distillery Seemingly the most classic distillery of the three, The Independent uses old-timey iconography and is currently producing gin and vodka, as just about every distillery begins with these days. Naturally, as with just about any other distillery in its mold, theyre intending to get into both whiskey and rum, which are in progress. For now, though, its all clear. Hamilton Distillers Now heres an interesting distilling project with a truly Arizonian outlook. Drinking scotch at the campfire led the founders to wonder what kind of flavor mesquite smoked barley might contribute to a single malt, so they went out and did it. They produce three productsa clear, unaged, mesquite-smoked moonshine, a classic single-malt whiskey, and the aged, mesquite-smoked whiskey that inspired the whole lineup. I didnt get to try this while I was in town, but of all the local spirits, its the one Id be most curious to sample. Three Wells Distilling Co. Three Wells also takes inspiration from the desert environment in their products. They produce an 80-proof agave that the law may prohibit them from calling tequila, but thats essentially what it isavailable in unaged and aged formats. They also produce a very interesting-sounding spirit called Sonora, a distilled prickly pear concoction that also clocks in at a full strength, 80 proof. Its also offered in both clear and oak-aged variants, which would presumably make the resulting product an interesting cross between fruit whiskey and aged tequila. Definitely a unique expression of the southwestern landscape. Jim Vorel is Pastes news editor, and he wishes Atlantas current climate was a bit more Tucsonesque. You can follow him on Twitter. Theres a game I sometimes play, wherein I imagine which living stand-up comics I would invite to dinner in a sort-of whos who of potluck hilarity. I wont divulge the entire list, but suffice it say I want the storytellers, the ones who weave a yarn so preposterously true that it leaves everyone doubled over in laughter and ready to dish their own anecdote over my impeccably prepared meal. Tom Segura tops that list. Hes the comic you want at a dinner party. Segura wont necessarily be the most outspoken guest, but the way he observes human behavior, stores it away in his brain where it can stew into something entirely other, and then recounts that experience promises to be a surefire hit for any such occasion. That much comes across in his newest and second Netflix Special, Tom Segura: Mostly Stories, which is exactly what it sounds like: entertaining tales, both long and short. Like many a working comic out there, Segura cleverly oscillates between humorous observations that blend personal experience with objective reality, and shorter jokes that tackle quick, funny topics like how to please a man, pulling out during sex and dreaming about the day hell discuss his eventual weight loss. More than the average comic, though, Segura has a natural and capable storytelling ability, one that lifts his narratives out of average anecdote fare and plants them firmly in hilarious ground. With a delivery that exudes an aggrieved calmness, Segura stands center stage rather than pacing and building a loud energy. That lends his stand-up a nuanced humor filled with carefully crafted timing and reactions. Shot in Seattle, Washington, Tom Segura: Mostly Stories deals largely in the foibles bound up in modern day communication. Whether its the shouting match that erupts when a couple brings their baby to a movie theater, his father starting a rumor about Tommy Lee Jones being gay or Seguras disdain for being so conversation-poor that he relies on weather chit chat, he pays attention to the pitfalls surrounding human connections. Where other comics build in massive reactions to capture audiences, Segura is at his best when he keeps things in the dumbfounded range. He often recounts conversations he has with other peopleturning his head from side to side to distinguish between himself and the other personbut chooses to take a backseat in his telling. Instead of shining the spotlight on himself and his reactions, he makes his point strictly his own when he builds in simple, almost awe-stricken reactions to the dumb ass shit people say. With a low-key What? spoken as if he had asked Excuse me? Segura builds in hyperbole in wholly unexpected and subtle ways. Ending with the best story of the bunchand what a bouquet it isSegura regales viewers with the time he met Mike Tyson on a plane and couldnt quite shake him. The lengthy tale serves to punctuate a special capturing Segura at his storytelling best. Amanda Wicks is a New Orleans-based freelance writer specializing in comedy and music. Follow her on Twitter @aawicks. (Swami Vivekananda was born on this day in 1863. In honor of his one hundred and fifty-third birthday, I reprint an essay I wrote and published first back in 2009.) Swami Vivekananda and Unitarian Universalism: A Footnote James Ishmael Ford A few years ago I had the privilege of preaching at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland, in California. Among the mix of reasons I was so pleased to be standing in that pulpit was how I felt a connection like a current of electricity to the great Swami Vivekananda who had stood in that very same pulpit something more than a hundred years earlier. Swamiji was an important figure in my own spiritual development. What for a very long time I was only vaguely aware of, was how important he also was to Unitarians and Universalists at the time of his visits to the West, an importance that may continue down to this day. There is no doubt Swami Vivekanandas visits to America were watershed moments in interreligious encounter. In 1893 he captivated the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago and from that moment drew large crowds wherever he spoke. He introduced America to the idea, startling at the time, that a non-Christian and a non-European could be both saintly and scholarly, and could advocate another religious perspective as compellingly as any Christian preacher. And for some hearing him, much more compellingly than what theyd heard before. Swamiji heralded a spiritual revolution in the West. As a Unitarian Universalist I can take pride in the fact that while the swami may have given talks to one or two small groups earlier, his first real public talk was at the Annisquam Universalist Church, in Gloucester. Within the week he gave his second talk to a significant audience at the East Church, 2nd Congregational, Unitarian, in Salem. During his time in the West he would speak at many houses of worship as well as at secular halls. Significantly, however, during Swamijis two visits to America he visited Unitarian and Universalist congregations and spoke at them some twenty-seven times. In addition he spoke another four times at a Unitarian congregation in London. In aggregate he spoke at vastly more liberal churches than at the churches of any other religious tradition. And some of these were the most prominent congregations of the two denominations that encompassed liberal religion at the end of the nineteenth century. He preached in Chicago and Detroit and Minneapolis, at a number of churches in New England, in Pasadena and in Oakland. Oakland seemed to be particularly significant for him. He preached at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland in 1900. According to Swami Nikhilananda, Swami Vivekananda journeyed to Oakland as the guest of Dr. Benjamin Fay Mills, the minister of the First Unitarian Church, and there gave eight lectures to crowded audiences which often numbered as high as two thousand. Having been to that church, I cant imagine how they fit so many into the building, and I understand they used every available space. At one talk it was estimated five hundred people were turned away. In the following years his memory was particularly cherished within the congregation. Two pictures and several plaques memorialize his visits, and a chair is preserved with the unlikely story of his having been carried around in it. Rather more likely is that he sat in it while it rested firmly on the ground. What is more important is how his connection to that chair had made it so special to his memory in that congregation. The admiration and attention to this meeting of traditions in Oakland continues among the Hindu and particularly within the Vedanta communities in America, and the church is frequently visited by swamis and others seeking places clearly marking this remarkable teachers visit here. During these visits Swamiji also met some of the leading lights of the liberal religious communities. Before the Parliament began, as the guest of Kate Sanborn in New England, he first was introduced to her cousin, the remarkable Franklin Benjamin Sanborn. Sanborn was a Transcendentalist, intimate friend of both Thoreau and Emerson, a fierce abolitionist, in the years running up to the Civil War a supporter of John Brown, and one of the secret six. And this would simply be the beginning of his connections to prominent Unitarians and Universalists, often those at the cutting edge of religion and culture. Among them Swamiji would meet with Unitarian reformers Jane Addams and Julia Ward Howe as well as the Reverend Jenkin Lloyd Jones, one of the leaders in the trend leading Unitarianism away from its Christian roots. At first the subjects of the swamis talks were non-controversial, touching on culture and encouraging tolerance. Gradually however, he began touching on more important themes. Swami Vivekananda believed the rift between rationalism and spirituality that marked religions in modernity created a wound that needed to be healed. And, as he wrote in the Absolute and Manifestation, there was a healing balm for those with ears to hear, the Advita of India, Non-Dualism, Unity, the idea of the Absolute, of the Impersonal God. And there is one more thing. When Universalism first emerged as a theological perspective within American Protestant Christianity the questions turned on whether a good God would or even could condemn anyone to eternal hellfire. Both Universalists and Unitarians embraced the universalist rejection of damnation. However, by the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries this liberal religious tradition began to reinterpret the term universalism. The new view, the one now current in the successor denomination to these traditions, the Unitarian Universalist Association is that there is a universal current within religions, and that all faiths share in the spark of truth. Anyone familiar with Vedanta knows this is essentially the same view as preached by Swami Vivekananda. My small speculation is that while much of what would become this contemporary Universalism was obviously influenced by own homegrown Transcendentalism, itself clearly influenced by the new availability of religious texts from the worlds faiths, including the Bhagavad Gita, there is also the unavoidable fact that the remarkable Swami Vivekananda was meeting Unitarian and Universalist ministers and thinkers and preaching in Unitarian and Universalist churches to an educated and questing community. And in these meetings and talks he was sharing a universalist message that would become nearly the same as what was soon to be preached from these liberal pulpits. The precise connections? Who knows. But I find Swami Vivekandas possible influence on a critical theological view we both share a tantalizing thought.. You remember the three Rs of Readin Writin and Rithmatic? Consider three Rs that are tearing apart global Anglicanism: Relevance, Relativism and Revolution. Edward Pentin writes here about the formal schism that faces the worldwide Anglican Communion. To put it briefly, the modernists in the Anglican Church are facing a widespread walkout by those who adhere to historic Christianity. The big issue this time is homosexuality. The liberal Anglican churches of the UK, USA and Canada are ramping up their campaign for the LGBTI agenda while the Anglicans of the developing world especially Africa(along with mostly Evangelical Anglicans in the North) are holding to Biblical principles of Christian morality. This trouble has been brewing in the Anglican church for decades, and now the progressives in the church have got everything they pushed for in the area of womens ordination (the Church of England finally ordained women bishops last year) they have moved their armies to the next battlefield and are launching a full attack for the LGBTI campaign. As an Anglican diocesan bishop said to me once in that lofty, self righteous way perfected by the English upper classes, We have been at the forefront of equality for women. Now we must see that the church embraces gay people with the same heart of justice! His comment should help conservative Christians who are opposed to the progressive agenda to understand just how the progressives see themselves. They are the prophetic pioneers who are urging their brothers and sisters to reach out in peace and justice to the oppressed and marginalized. They are the ones who are willing to overthrow the old ways in order to usher in a new age of the spirit. They love the vision of Peter in which all the unclean things were declared clean because that shows how the Holy Spirit is always calling the church to re-examine her old prohibitions and throw them away in favor of a new way of love and peace. They love the old wineskins cannot contain new wine passage for it justifies the breaking of the old and the valid revolution of the new. Pentin discusses a progressive missive to the Archbishop of Canterbury: Pressure has also been building in the run-up to this weeks meeting with more than 100 Anglicans, including the dean of St Pauls Cathedral in London, sending a letter to the archbishops of Canterbury and York urging repentance for treating homosexuals as second-class citizens. The time has come, they wrote, for Anglicans to acknowledge that they have failed in their duty to care for LGBTI members of the Body of Christ around the world. The Anglican Communion, they added, needed to apologize for not challenging ill-informed beliefs about LGBTI people. The signers of the letter said they understood there are differing ways of interpreting the Scriptures but urged the primates to be prophetic and Christlike in dealing with our LGBTI sisters and brothers who have been ignored and even vilified for too long. We should step back and understand how this is part of a much bigger philosophical issue, and part of a march larger historical narrative. The schism facing the Anglican Church is simply the history of Protestantism being re-enacted again and again. From the beginning Protestantism has been driven by the three Rs of Revolution, Relevance and Relativism. Look at the founding principles of Protestantism five hundred years ago. The same self righteous, pioneering, prophetic attitude was present. Using the name of Reformation the zealots were actually revolutionaries. What is the difference between reform and revolution? A reformer calls for a refreshment of the original calling, and a renewal of the original charism. A true Reformer doesnt break anything. He repairs it and re-paints it. A revolutionary, on the other hand, is driven by a perverse need to destroy what he considers to be out of date and oppressive. Protestantism is a revolutionary movement, and it is no coincidence historically that directly after the Protestant reformation came five hundred years of revolution and violence. The present turmoil in the Anglican Church simply represents the whole underlying principle of Protestantism. Continue Reading Image Creative Commons News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said on Tuesday that its alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was intact and that neither side has set any preconditions towards the formation of new government in Jammu and Kashmir. It also indicated that party president Mehbooba Mufti may take oath as the States chief minister but not before the seven-day official mourning for her late father Mufti Muhammad Sayeed. The former Chief Minister died in a Delhi hospital on January 7 is over. Nothing has been decided as yet. Even the state mourning is for seven days, senior party leader Dr. Mehboob Beg told this newspaper. Speaking about the difficult situation Ms. Mufti has been caught in, he said, When a persons father dies, it changes his or her life forever. Mufti sahib was not just a father; he was a mentor, a philosopher and guide of Mehbooba. She is still in mourning and it is difficult to set a time frame (for the government formation). He added, She has to come out of the colossal loss she has suffered. We havent talked about anything, we havent discussed anything. The day she comes out of grief, we will discuss. She has to take the final call. Earlier, Beg, who is also PDPs spokesman, told reporters that the terms of alliance already worked out with the BJP will continue to govern the relationship between the two parties in the next government. He said the PDP president will respect the people's mandate and carry forward the agenda of development set by the late chief minister Mr. Sayeed. BJP had on Monday put the ball in the PDP's court saying it (PDP) has to take the first call and made it clear that it wanted the existing power-sharing arrangement between the two parties to continue. When asked about the uncertainty over the government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav, who is known as the architect of its alliance with the PDP, said, "PDP can answer this question. They have to think about the process they have to complete from their side. It is for PDP to take the first call from their side. They have to decide about their leader and come forward. I hope they take a decision soon so that this kind of uncertainty ends." To a query if BJP expected a smooth takeover by a new PDP-BJP government, he said, "I am tempted to say it will be smooth. We will like to know what they are thinking. PDP has to be forthcoming." Meanwhile, former chief minister and National Conference working president Omar Abdullah on Tuesday took a dig at media and other writers for writing about what PDP president Mufti is doing by delaying government formation, asking if anyone had actually spoken to her. He wrote on micro blogging site Twitter.com, So many people writing pieces about what Mehbooba is doing by delaying Govt formation but have any of them actually spoken to her directly. Earlier he said Mufti needs time to recover from the tragedy. Detained Iranian Poet Describes Being Transported in a Cage and Watched "Like a Murderer" 01/12/16 Source: International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran Two-Day Ordeal Included Solitary Confinement and Incarceration with Criminals Hila Sedighi The poet Hila Sedighi, who was arrested and held for two days amidst an intensifying crackdown on independent artistic and cultural figures in Iran, has posted a description of her 48-hour detention on her Facebook page, stating that she was watched throughout her detention as if they were watching a murderer. On Thursday night, January 7, 2015, Sedighi was taken into custody at Imam Khomeini International Airport upon return from a trip with her husband to the United Arab Emirates. The first night after my detention, I was held in solitary confinement at the airports detention center. For the second night, I was in Shapour Detention Center. Its famous for being the most horrific and dangerous place for prisoners. I was in a four-square-meter room alongside eight dangerous prisoners. (Dangerous is a common term for these individuals but they are still human beings with rights and I am worried about their fate.) Their treatment was worse and more heinous than you could imagine. The situation there is so bad that at first the Shapour Police Investigative Unit refused to admit me into the facility, Sedighi wrote. They transferred me in the city in a cage, and I was watched like a criminal, she added. She confirmed earlier reports that her arrest was in connection with a new case which was tried in my absence; I dont know why. For now Im out on bail. Im going to file a complaint so I can defend myself. Sedighi rose to fame by reciting poems in public gatherings in support of the democratic protest movement that followed the controversial 2009 presidential election in which many questioned the victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. She worked for the presidential campaign of reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi in that election. In 2012, Sedighi was awarded the Hellman/Hammett prize for free expression. Sedighi had been sentenced to four months in prison - suspended for five years - by a Revolutionary Court on August 16, 2011. But her latest arrest was in connection with a case decided in absentia by a court set up by the Judiciary to try culture and media-related violations. My arrest warrant was issued by the Culture and Media Court, but those who arrested me did not have any information about the charges against me. I think those who are charged in cultural cases should be defined differently, Sedighi wrote on her Facebook page. Several other poets have been arrested and given heavy sentences in recent months. Fatemeh Ekhtesari and Mehdi Moosavi were given sentences of nine and eleven years in prison respectively, and 99 lashes each. Yaghma Golrouee and Mohamadreza Haj Rostambegloo were also arrested; they were released on bail and are awaiting trial. The persecution of poets comes amidst a broader crackdown by hardliners against independent artists and cultural figures in Iran. Writers, artists, filmmakers, and musicians have been prosecuted as hardliners seek to dominate the domestic sphere in the run up to the February 2016 Parliamentary elections in Iran. Iranian Official Sacked Over Saudi Embassy Attack 01/12/16 Source: RFE/RL Iran has dismissed a security official over the attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, which led Riyadh and several of its allies to cut or downgrade ties with the Islamic republic. Smoke pours out of the windows of the burning Saudi Arabian Embassy during anti-Riyadh protests in Tehran on January 2. (source: Smoke pours out of the windows of the burning Saudi Arabian Embassy during anti-Riyadh protests in Tehran on January 2.(source: Shahrvand daily) The Interior Ministry said the incident was one of the reasons for the replacement of Safar Ali Baratlu as deputy for security affairs to Tehran's governor general. The Saudi Embassy in Tehran and its diplomatic mission in Mashhad were stormed on January 2 over Riyadh's execution of the prominent Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. In a statement issued on January 11, the Interior Ministry said "a blind eye could not be turned" to what happened at the embassy. "Based on primary investigations, the mistakes of Safa Ali Baratlu, Tehran Province's deputy governor for security affairs, were proved and the decision to replace him was promptly made due to sensitivity of the case," the ministry said in the statement, published by Iranian news agencies. Baratlu's sacking was followed by the replacement of the head of police special forces in Tehran. It wasn't clear if his replacement was linked to the embassy attack. Iranian officials have condemned the attacks on the Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran. President Hassan Rohani has called on Iran's judiciary to urgently prosecute those who attacked the Saudi Embassy "to put an end once and for all to such damage and insults to Iran's dignity and national security." Writing in The New York Times, Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Tehran is determined to act against the attackers. "We took immediate measures to help restore order to the Saudi diplomatic compound and declared our determination to bring perpetrators to justice," Zarif wrote in a January 10 opinion piece. More than 40 people have been arrested in connection with the attacks. Tehran Prosecutor-General Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said on January 11 that the attackers are still being identified, arrested, and interrogated. With reporting by IRNA, Fars, AFP, Reuters Copyright (c) 2016 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org EU Foreign-Policy Chief Says Iran Sanctions To End Soon; President Rohani Predicts 'Economic Boom' 01/12/16 Source: RFE/RL The European Union foreign-policy chief said she expects economic sanctions against Iran to be lifted soon. Federica Mogherini, speaking to reporters in Prague, said there was no date set yet but that "the implementation of the agreement is proceeding well." Federica Mogherini speaking to reporters in Prague Iran and world powers agreed to a landmark nuclear deal to limit Iran's enrichment of uranium in exchange for lifting economic sanctions last year. Mogherini, speaking at a news conference after meeting Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek, said it was necessary that all steps agreed have to be "properly done." But she said that "things are going well" and the sanctions might be lifted "rather soon." Iranian President Hassan Rohani has predicted Iran will undergo an "economic boom" with the lifting of international sanctions. "The government is running the country under sanctions, not under normal circumstances," Rohani said on January 11, adding that he hoped sanctions could be lifted as soon as "the coming days." Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP and IRNA Copyright (c) 2016 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org Iranian reformists lobbying Guardian Council for more inclusive elections 01/12/16 Source: Radio Zamaneh Two days after the spokesman for the Guardian Council said failing to sit for the jurisprudence exam would automatically disqualify candidates from running for an Assembly of Experts seat, he announced that those who forego the exam can still possibly qualify. This comes as reformists have been reporting on efforts to lobby the Guardian Council. cartoon by Javad Takjou, Iranian daily Etemad Nejatollah Ebrahimian, the Guardian Council spokesman, reversed his earlier announcement, saying registered nominees who wish to withdraw must do so in writing to their respective election offices. Two days earlier, he had said in an interview on the Channel One national network that those who have not written the exam would no longer be considered for candidacy in the elections. The jurisprudence exam was held on Tuesday January 5 with 400 applicants. Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini, and a number of other prominent reformist figures did not attend the exam, creating a controversy in the media. While Ali Khomeini, Hassan Khomeinis brother, told reporters that the Guardian Council had not invited his brother to sit for the exam, the council said he had been invited like everyone else. Ebrahimians earlier statements appeared to indicate that Hassan Khomeini would no longer be considered eligible to run in the elections but the spokesmans most recent statement leaves room for the reformist figures qualification. Ebrahimian quoted Ayatollah Momen, a jurist member of the Guardian Council, saying the council has not sent any messages to potential candidates, indicating that their failure to sit for the exam had disqualified them from running in the elections. Reformists Lobbying Committee for the Guardian Council The change in the direction of the Guardian Council, despite hard lines drawn by its head, Ayatollah Jannati, points to extensive and lengthy efforts by a group of reformists to lobby the Guardian Council. Media outlets close to the reformists have reported on the establishment of lobbying committees to negotiate with the Guardian Council. Mohsen Rahami confirmed the establishment of a committee in December and reported that there had been meetings with some jurists and scholars who are members of the Guardian Council. He reported that they are also trying to secure meetings with the Secretary of the Guardian Council. Rahami stressed that no details of these meetings will be publicized but he confirmed that their objective is Lobbying on issues concerning reformist candidates. Rahami, who is a member of the Reformist Policymaking Supreme Council, reported this week that they have managed to meet with Ayatollah Momen, Yazdi, Shahroudi and a number of council jurists and felt confident about the continued communications. Rahami was asked about the possible need for eligible candidates to denounce the two reformist candidates of the 2009 presidential election, MirHosein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi. Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard have been under house arrest since 2011 for challenging the outcome of the elections and triggering widespread protests. Karroubi is also under house arrest for the same reason. Rahami said: Reformists have not supported any criminals; anyone who has a charge against them should be tried in judicial proceedings. He added that it was completely legal to work on the Karroubi and Mousavi campaigns as both men had been approved by the Guardian Council as eligible candidates. Ayatollah Jannati, the secretary of the Guardian Council, had said earlier that those involved in the 2009 election protests would not be allowed to run in the elections. Islamic Republic Leader Ayatollah Khamenei also said in a meeting with Friday Prayer Imams that the 2009 election protests had resulted in heavy costs for the country, adding that the opposition leaders were appeased. Ahmad Tavakoli and a number of other conservative members of Parliament had called on reformists to clear the way for their approval by the Guardian Council by denouncing Mousavi and Karroubi. Following the 2009 protests, reformists were severely sidelined in the political arena. Many of their top figures were imprisoned and sentenced to heavy jail terms. Since the election of Hassan Rohani, a more moderate figure associated with the reformists, there has been more effort to bridge the divide with conservatives and especially with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei to secure the re-entry of reformists into the political arena. White House: Bill Would Prevent US Implementation of Iran Deal 01/12/16 Source: VOA The White House says a bill that seeks to bar the U.S. from lifting certain sanctions against Iran would violate commitments necessary to implement the international agreement to limit the Iranian nuclear program. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget said President Barack Obama's administration strongly opposes the bill and would veto it if the House and Senate both approve the measure. Iran made the deal with the U.S., Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany last year to cut back its nuclear activity and allay concerns it was trying to build nuclear weapons. In exchange, those countries agreed to lift economic sanctions they imposed because of the alleged nuclear arms work. The legislation in the House of Representatives would prohibit removing sanctions against individuals and companies until the president certifies they were not involved in transactions with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, a terrorist organization, or anyone whose property has been blocked in relation to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget said President Barack Obama's administration strongly opposes the bill and would veto it if the House and Senate both approve the measure. An OMB policy statement released Monday said the bill would prevent the U.S. from fulfilling its commitments by linking the nuclear deal with unrelated issues. It said those included past activities and individuals who would no longer be subject to sanctions once the agreement goes into effect. The consequences, according to the White House, include the potential "collapse of a comprehensive diplomatic arrangement that peacefully and verifiably prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon." Opponents of the nuclear deal have said it gives Iran far too much relief, unlocking billions of dollars while leaving the country with too much of a nuclear program to trust it will not try to make nuclear weapons. Iran has long insisted its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes. The OMB statement said the White House "remains clear-eyed" about the concerns of Congress and the American people, and reiterated that lifting sanctions tied to the nuclear program would not effect the sanctions enacted against Iran for other reasons. "Powerful sanctions targeting Iran's support for terrorism, its ballistic missile activities, its human rights abuses, and its destabilizing activities in the region remain in effect," read the statement. Iranian media said Monday the government had begun work to dismantle the core of the Arak heavy water reactor, one of the steps it must complete with verification from U.N. monitors in order to get the sanctions relief. The Arak Reactor (IR-40) Related News: Core removed from reactor in Arak, Iran as part of nuclear accord PHOTOS: The Kindness Station in Khorramabad provides cloths, food and books for the needy 01/12/16 By Farnaz Goudarzi, Mehr News Agency Walls of kindness have been popping up all over Iran in an attempt to keep the homeless warm this winter. These spontaneous outdoor charities are based on a simple principal: "If you don't need it, leave it. If you need it, take it." All over the country people are leaving unwanted clothing items on designated walls with hooks and hangers. The Kindness Station in Khorramabad A group of philanthropists in the city of Khorramabad in western Iran have gone a step further and created a Kindness Station which is equipped with a refrigerator and library where in addition to cloths, donors can leave food and books for the needy or the homeless. Not quite of this world, David Bowie was more like someone who had stepped out of the Internetbefore it even existed. And today the world is mourning his death, largely on Twitter(Opens in a new window) and through other online media. It's fitting tribute since Bowie himself didn't just embrace the Internet, unlike those artists who feared it, but he even for a period bent it to his own likeness. In 1998, he launched BowieNet(Opens in a new window), a place to share his music and thoughts with his fans, but also an ISP that lasted until 2006. For those wanting to live in Bowie's world a little bit today, there are plenty of ways to spend some time with the Starman. That Weren't No D.J. That Was Hazy Cosmic Jive Released just this Friday on his 69th birthday, Bowie's farewell album, "Blackstar," is streaming on Spotify(Opens in a new window) for free, and is also available to customers on iTunes(Opens in a new window), Google Play, Tidal(Opens in a new window), and HDtracks(Opens in a new window). Spotify has set up a David Bowie playlist(Opens in a new window) with 49 songs. That's obviously far from inclusive, so make sure to go through the rest of his catalog(Opens in a new window) on the service. Some standouts are his collaborations. Bowie was an influence on and a friend to Lou Reed, and he co-produced his "Transformer" album. After Reed passed, Bowie praised Reed's work with Metallica(Opens in a new window) as his masterpiece and, in turn, Bowie and Reed's "Hop Frog(Opens in a new window)" is a classic. Bowie and Nine Inch Nails toured together in 1995 and the band later remixed his "I'm Afraid of Americans(Opens in a new window)." Perhaps no other performer was as close to Bowie in spirit and friendship as Iggy Pop, so be sure to listen to the two together on the album "I Need Someone(Opens in a new window)." The list of artists influenced by Bowie is near endless but a few years ago some of them paid homage to him with "We Were So Turned On: A Tribute to David Bowie," available on Spotify(Opens in a new window). If you want to be a part of the music yourself, you can relive and remix "Golden Years(Opens in a new window)." Switch On the TV We May Pick Him Up on Channel Two Film was Bowie's next most prevalent performance space. There's perhaps no better metaphor for how the world felt about Bowie than The Man Who Fell to Earth. Bowie plays an alien turned earthly tech titan. The movie isn't streaming but can be rented on iTunes(Opens in a new window), Amazon(Opens in a new window), and Google Play(Opens in a new window). If Bowie was like a modern-day fairytale, it was most evident in his turn as the Goblin King in Labyrinth. The movie isn't streaming but it can be rented on iTunes(Opens in a new window), Amazon(Opens in a new window), and Google Play(Opens in a new window). Bowie inhabited dozens of personas but for the film Basquiat he became one that he knew well, Andy Warhol. He'd paid tribute to his friend in song(Opens in a new window) beforeAndy Warhol/Silver Screen/Can't tell them apart at allmuch to Warhol's horror. His onscreen homage was nearly a decade after Warhol's death, so there's no telling how the artist himself would have felt, but Bowie's performance drew praise. Basquiat is streaming on Netflix(Opens in a new window). Google just announced its annual I/O conference, which will bring thousands of people to the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., where a massive fleet of self-driving cars should be waiting to whisk them around the Bay Area. Wait, what? Google's choice of venue, avoiding more popular and more accessible auditoriums in San Francisco and San Jose, hints that the company is going to need a lot of outdoor space to show off whatever it's doing at I/O, which is scheduled for May 18-20. The massive parking lot at Shoreline could be the launch pad for a slew of new cars or drones, Googling their way across the landscape. There's no way Google could do that at San Francisco's Moscone Center or San Jose's California Theater. It's also next door to Google's own campus. But choosing Shoreline also throws into relief how Bay Area tech companies and cities are contributing to the inequality and infrastructure problems wracking the San Francisco and San Jose metro areas. There's no public transportation anywhere near the Shoreline. The closest bus stop, with one bus every half an hour, is half a mile away. The closest rail station is 3 miles away. There are no hotels or restaurants within walking distance; nearby lodgings are already up to $300 per night. This is par for the course on the Peninsula, though, where NIMBY(Opens in a new window) forces have cautiously invited new corporate campuses while vigorously rejecting the housing and transit that would support the workers. Corporations bring negotiated financial and service kickbacks to existing homeowners, while new residents and transit systems are seen as bringing only crowding and costs. This story in Next City(Opens in a new window) and this excellent TechCrunch analysis(Opens in a new window) go into the complex relationship between the big tech firms and the towns they reside in, which are vigorously trying to stay suburban residential towns with urban levels of employment density. This Slate column(Opens in a new window) (by a Next City author) goes more into the suburban-housing issue. I asked Google's PR team what they're doing to get people in and out of the venue, but they just directed me to Google CEO Sundar Pichai's original post(Opens in a new window) and didn't answer my questions. I assume they're going to be marshalling fleets of shuttle buses like the "Google buses" that were the subject of protests in 2013 and 2014. The Google buses were the targets of San Franciscan rage in part since towns like Mountain View won't build enough apartments for their workers. So housing demand from companies like Google has spilled into San Francisco, displacing lower-income residents. For the duration of I/O, I'll bet Uber surge pricing in the area is going to get factorial. Many of the attendees will probably rent cars, though, increasing congestion on the already choked 101 freeway and backing up along Shoreline Road, the single major access road to the venue. One of my Bay Area friends also pointed out that the Shoreline is a bowl-shaped depression on the bayfront, which can be swamped by storms as it was in 1998(Opens in a new window). That was an El Nino year, and this one is too. So there we have Google I/O, a perfect encapsulation of California in 2016: vulnerable to climate change, choking with traffic, and hoping that new transportation technologies will save it from having to change its basically 20th century infrastructure. Sounds like a time for a transformative vision, if you can get there. Ontario International Airport could be transferred from Los Angles to Inland control as early as July 1, ending years of contentious and expensive litigation between the two cities, says a summary released with a copy of the final agreement on Monday, Jan. 11. An FAA official said the agency, which must approve the agreement, said there was no time frame for completion. The 98-page agreement obtained by The Press-Enterprise outlines $249 million in various types of payments; deals with transitional labor issues for more than 200 Los Angeles workers assigned to the airport; calls for the end to decades-old agreements that gave Los Angeles ownership of ONT, and sets out the dismissal of lawsuits that stemmed from clashes over those agreements. Ontario in 2013 had sued Los Angeles, Los Angeles World Airports and the citys Board of Airport Commissioners, claiming in its Riverside County Superior Court suit that the defendants had stopped promoting and enhancing ONT as a regional airport after 2007. The defendants also own and control Los Angeles International Airport and Van Nuys Airport. Los Angeless alleged neglect caused a loss of air service for the Inland airport, costing millions of passenger boardings, and economic damage in the region amounting to billions of dollars, Ontario claimed. A tentative agreement suspending the lawsuit was announced in August, days before trial was scheduled to begin. The agreement has been approved by the respective airport boards and the city councils for Los Angeles and Ontario. Spending Plan For much of the decade after the transfer is complete, the Ontario International Airport Authority will send $2 per boarded passenger the airport passenger facility charge to LAWA. The plan, outlined in the final agreement, will try to cover the $120 million that OIAA will owe Los Angeles during those 10 years. The $2 payments kick in if boarding passengers exceed 2,082,721 by each anniversary of the transfer. The figure is based on the most recent available annual statistics for enplaned passengers at ONT. But none of the actions outlined in the agreement can take place until the FAA approves it. A spokesman for the FAA in Los Angeles said Monday the agency is actively reviewing the application for transfer of the airport, but added, We do not have a time frame for completing our review. If the federal agency puts its stamp on it, the airport will be returned to sole Inland control, through the Ontario International Airport Authority, for the first time since 1967. Until then, the facility will continue to be managed by LAWA. The final settlement agreement represents a major milestone in transferring Ontario International Airport to local control, Ontario International Airport Authority President Alan D. Wapner said in a statement Monday. We are now looking forward to working closely with the FAA and our soon-to-be-appointed Airport CEO to complete the transfer process and restore our regions most important economic and jobs engine. Where the Money Goes In addition to a schedule of $190 million in payments or surrendered money, the agreement calls for an as-yet-unspecified amount, believed to be about $59 million, to cover bond debts that are outstanding on the day the deal closes, according to the agreement. The summary also said new bonds will be issued at the time of transfer. The rest of the money breakdown is essentially the same as the amounts outlined in the tentative agreement announced on Aug. 6: $30 million, in two payments of $15 million, from the city of Ontario into an escrow account, for release to Los Angeles when the transfer deal is closed. These are the only payments described as coming from Ontario in the deal. A transfer to LAWA of $40 million from an unrestricted cash account that would have been available to ONT, had it remained under LAWA control. A payment to LAWA from OIAA of $50 million within five years of the transfer, which the OIAA plans to fund with the $2 passenger facility charges collected at ONT. A payment of $70 million from OIAA to LAWA within 10 years of the transfer date, using the passenger facility charges payment plan. The use of passenger facility charges to repay LAWA begins from the third anniversary of the closing; if the passenger count falls below the 2,082,721 mark, the annual payment will be no less than $1 million. Protecting Workers Los Angeles World Airports has identified about 205 City of Los Angeles-authorized positions assigned to ONT, and another 9 employees based at ONT or working from other locations in support of the Inland airport, an appendix to the agreement says. The document says LAWA will continue to operate ONT during the transition from the effective date of the settlement until the transfer of the airport to OIAA and keep staffing levels uninterrupted to satisfy FAA certification requirements. The agreement sets out a 21-month period after the transfer to sort out redundancies and redeployment of LAWA workers. During the transition period, staff will continue to be LAWA employees, but OIAA will pay LAWA for workers salary, overtime and benefits, the agreement says. For the long term, LAWA has guaranteed job protection to its employees, who may be assigned in a comparable, available position or classification consistent with the City of Los Angeles Civil Service Systems existing policies and procedures and based upon operational needs, an appendix to the agreement states. An employee protection and transition plan is still to be negotiated in collaboration with Los Angeles city labor groups, the agreement says. Final Matters And the agreement clears the decks of other matters. Ontarios damage claims against Los Angeles have been released. The 1967 joint powers agreement between Ontario and Los Angeles that gave Los Angeles initial control of the airport, along with the 1985 transfer that gave Los Angeles ownership, will be canceled with the transfer. Legal actions taken by Ontario in Riverside and Ventura County courts against Los Angeles over the airport. Contact the writer:rdeatley@pressenterprise.com or 951-368-9573 California Baptist University officials announced a $10 million donation the largest in the schools history and among the largest in the region that will help build a new home for the engineering college. The gift, from a donor who wants to remain anonymous, rivals the heftiest single donations to other Inland universities. The contribution will help fund construction of the three-story, 100,000-square-foot Gordon and Jill Bourns College of Engineering. Cal Baptist President Ronald Ellis announced the benefaction Friday during a trustees board meeting. This is going to accelerate the trajectory of the engineering program at CBU, Ellis said in a news release. The engineering college is currently housed in several locations on and off campus. The main location is across from campus on Adams Street. Construction, which will cost more than $50 million, is expected to start this year and be finished by summer 2018, said Cal Baptist spokesman Mark Wyatt. Cal Baptist is also building a $73 million, 5,200-seat arena/events center thats expected to be ready in spring 2017 for graduation ceremonies. Gordon Bourns is the son of Rosemary and Marlan Bourns, who co-founded Bourns Inc. and gave $6 million to establish UC Riversides Bourns College of Engineering in 1994 the largest gift given to UCR at that time. The couple was also behind Bourns Laboratories at Cal Baptists School of Engineering. UCRs largest single contribution was $10 million. Chinese scientist/inventor Winston Chung donated the sum in 2011 for research at the Bourns College of Engineering. The previous largest gift to Cal Baptist came in 2013, when Hobby Lobby Stores donated the Tahquitz Pines Conference Center, a 21-acre camp and retreat facility in Idyllwild worth $5.65 million, Wyatt said. Contact the writer: 951-368-9444 or shurt@pressenterprise.com TD supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu explains a point to Union minister Bandaru Dattatrey as TS BJP chief G. Kishan Reddy looks on, at the Nizam College Grounds in Hyderabad on Tuesday. (Photo: DC) Hyderabad: Claiming that the Telugu Desam was instrumental in developing Hyderabad, the partys national president N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday asked people to ensure a big victory for the BJP-TD combine in the GHMC polls since it would be a stepping stone for the 2019 General Elections. Surprisingly, Mr Naidu speech focused only on development and he did not utter a word against TRS president and TS Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao nor did he ask the people to defeat the TRS. He also avoided talking ill about other parties. However, there were no such reservations with regard to other TD and BJP leaders, including Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya, TS BJP president G. Kishan Reddy, TD leader Nara Lokesh, TS TD working president A. Revanth Reddy and others, went hammer and tongs against Mr Chandrasekhar Rao, his government and family members, especially K.T. Rama Rao, K. Kavitha and T. Harish Rao. Mr Revanth Reddy said Telangana was achieved due to sacrifices of martyrs like Srikantachary, constable Kistaiah and others but not due to a drunkard like KCR, a statement that was greeted with wild applause. He accepted Mr Rama Raos challenge and said that if the TRS wins a 100 divisions, he would resign as MLA and leave TS forever. A years-long battle over habitat protections for the Santa Ana sucker fish came to an end Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review a case brought by a dozen Inland water agencies. The water districts have been fighting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services designation of 9,331 acres along the Santa Ana River in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and a few waterways in Los Angeles County, as critical habitat for the fish. Critical habitat is land deemed crucial to the survival of a species. While a critical habitat designation does not prohibit development, affect land ownership or create a refuge, it does require federal agencies that fund or permit activities on the land to consult with Fish and Wildlife to ensure critical habitat is not destroyed or adversely modified. The districts said the designation was based on flawed science and did not comply with Fish and Wildlifes obligations to cooperate with local agencies to resolve water resource issues and protect endangered species. It jeopardized billions of dollars in future water capture and groundwater recharge projects, they said. To move those projects forward, 21 agencies are developing a habitat conservation plan for the upper Santa Ana River watershed. The plan will protect the fish while allowing the agencies to proceed with their projects, said Doug Headrick, general manager of the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, one of the agencies involved in the lawsuit. Of course were disappointed, but we werent waiting around for this decision. Some years ago we went down the path of developing a habitat conservation plan in cooperation with state and federal resource agencies, he said. As part of the conservation plan, Headricks district is planning to breed 1,500 of the fish in captivity to transplant in the San Bernardino Mountains, where they historically lived. Environmentalists lauded the Supreme Courts decision not to hear the case. This is a big win for the Santa Ana sucker, said John Buse, senior counsel at the Center for Biological Diversity, which defended the critical habitat decision with three other agencies. These protections will help make sure this tiny fish has a future, but theyll also protect many other kinds of wildlife that depend on these rivers for their survival. The center and two other conservation groups began fighting in 1999 to protect the sucker, which has vanished from nearly 95 percent of its historic range. In 2000, the fish was listed as threatened with extinction under the Endangered Species Act. Results are pending from a U.S. Geological Survey study of 18 sites on the Santa Ana River to determine the current sucker population. The fish live in a 2- to 3-mile stretch of the river between the Rialto Channel in Colton and the Mission Avenue bridge in Riverside. Contact the writer: 951-368-9586 or jzimmerman@pressenterprise.com A chunk of existing money, more than $47 million in the coffers of Los Angeles World Airports, may be used to satisfy a $50 million payment scheduled as part of the agreement to transfer Ontario International Airport to Inland control. The money, $47,338,500, is in the form of passenger facility charges collected by LAWA and already set aside for projects at ONT, according to the 98-page agreement for the eventual transfer of the airport from Los Angeles to the Ontario International Airport Authority. The agreement outlines how that money could be used to make an early payment on the $50 million that is due to LAWA from the OIAA by the end of five years from the date of transfer. Using the earmarked money for payment of part of the transfer debt instead of the improvements requires FAA approval. The federal agency must also approve the entire transfer. Ontario officials hope that will come by July 1. The agreement states that within 90 days of the agreements Dec. 22 execution date, LAWA shall apply to the FAA to amend the payment plan and make the money available for part of the transfer payment plan. Speaking on Tuesday, Jan. 12, Ontario City Manager Al C. Boling, who is also interim executive director of the Ontario airport authority, said LAWA appears to be cooperating on this, a marked turn from the confrontational relationship the two boards had during years of litigation over control of ONT. If the total amount is approved, the early outlay would discount the $50 million amount and satisfy the debt, said attorney Andre Cronthall, who represents Ontario in its 2013 lawsuit against Los Angeles that brought about the settlement agreement in the face of a trial last August. The $50 million payment is part of a $239 million deal to return ONT to Inland control through the OIAA. Of that, $120 million is due to LAWA over a decade the $50 million payment at the end of five years after the date of transfer, and another $70 million by the 10th transfer anniversary. The Ontario authority plans to meet those obligations with what Cronthall referred to Tuesday as a PFC pledge placing the $2 passenger facility charge paid by boarding travelers at ONT into an account to pay LAWA. On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinsteins office announced she had introduced legislation enabling the use of passenger facility charges to pay for the $120 million portion of the debt. The contributions to the fund would kick in once the passenger count exceeds 2,082,721 on each anniversary of the transfer. The figure is based on the most recent available annual statistics for boardings at ONT. The PFC plan, Boling said, provides an incentive to increase air service and get more passengers at the airport. But who is it truly incentivizing? Boling asked during an interview. It triggers the ability to pay, but it actually gets Los Angeles to assist in regionalizing and getting more flights to Ontario. Boling agreed with the irony. Los Angeles, disengaged from owning and operating ONT, would actually be more cooperative to make ONT succeed as a regional airport in contrast to the stifling actions alleged in the 2013 lawsuit. Contact the writer: rdeatley@pressenterprise.com or 951-368-9573 In the wake of the attacks on Paris and San Bernardino, the world is facing yet another paradigm shift one of terrorisms lamentable place in our world. While still a relatively young insurgency, the methods of the Islamic State render the group a rowdy foe. Even now, its working to construct the state that al-Qaida never managed to achieve, leaving the corpses of former countrymen in its wake. Coupled with self-radicalized terrorists born within our borders and molded by the Internet, these new realities are leaving governments scrambling to keep their citizens safe in an unstable world. Further complicating the world stage, North Korea last week conducted a nuclear test one it claims was a successful hydrogen bomb detonation. Condemnation has rained upon North Korea from the United States, Japan, South Korea, China and the United Nations, though the state of world affairs leaves what action if any will be taken up in the air. James Coyle, director of Chapman Universitys Center for Global Education, is an expert on terrorism, national security strategy and Middle East politics among many other topics. RELATED: All the latest developments related to the San Bernardino shooting Co-author of Politics in the Middle East: Culture and Conflict in the Middle East, published by Prentice-Hall, Coyle also has held several positions in the federal government. Over the last three decades, Coyle has been director of Middle East studies at the U.S. Army War College, first secretary for political-military affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, senior political analyst for Palestinian affairs and special assistant to the FBI/New York Joint Terrorism Task Force. We sat down with Coyle to discuss world affairs and the new realities of terrorism after Paris and San Bernardino. Q: Given the growth of the Islamic State group in recent years, did the Paris and San Bernardino attacks come as a surprise or were these types of attacks to be expected? A: First of all, Im going to contradict you, if I can. ISIS is not growing any more. ISIS is actually on the retreat. Theyve lost quite a bit of territory in Iraq. Theyre being pummeled in Syria. The groups outside of Iraq and Syria that call themselves ISIS, theyre really nothing new. A lot of these groups, five years ago, were all considered al-Qaida affiliates now theyre ISIS affiliates. Basically, theyre groups that are unhappy with the governing structures of whatever country theyre in. Theyve chosen to use an Islamic ideology to motivate their base. Before, they were loyal to Osama bin Laden. Bin Ladens dead and ISIS is on the rise, so theyve sworn allegiance to them. Theyre the same groups, theyve just changed names in a sense. Paris is not a surprise to me. Paris was a disaster waiting to happen with the large waves of immigration that had been passing through France, not just in the last year but in the last 50 years. It was just a matter of time until this sort of thing occurred. San Bernardino is a surprise. First of all, the shooters themselves it appears their connection to the radical groups overseas was tangential. In reality, these are what the press is calling self-radicalized individuals. We havent seen that before. Theres not really a lot you can do to stop that. The FBI, since 9/11, has done a very good job of stopping any of these attacks inside the United States, but how do you do that? You penetrate organizations, keep track of them. But if you have a guy and a gal sitting in San Bernardino who arent in touch, are not using these groups for support, how do you stop them? It was a surprise, and I think well probably see more. Q: What should the takeaway be from these attacks for policymakers as they work to prevent further attacks? A: You cannot win this battle militarily. Neither on the battlefields of Iraq and Syria nor using homeland security here in the United States. This is a battle for hearts and minds. Everyone who works this field, from (retired) Gen. David Petraeus on down, will tell you the same thing. Yes, you do have to provide a modicum of security. Granted, but thats only step number one. Youve got to win the hearts and minds. This is the difficult part. The United States cant really be engaged in that debate. That is a debate within the Muslim community itself. The moderate voices in the Muslim community need to engage with the radical Islamists. There are elements within the Quran that substantiate that Islam is a religion of peace. Surah 5 says that if you kill an innocent man, its the same as if you have killed all men in the world. A message like that is antithetical to the message of ISIS. That dialogue has to be encouraged, but we cant be the ones holding that dialogue. Were not part of the community, and our voice because were outsiders is suspect from the very beginning. Q: What are some of the major differences, in goals and methods, to consider when looking at the Islamic State as opposed to an entity like al-Qaida are we seeing the start of a new age of terrorism? A: Its only methodology. The goals are the same. The goals are Islamic rule over Muslim lands. The sole difference that I see is that al-Qaida was looking at this as a future goal. The original goal of al-Qaida was the elimination of the Saudi monarchy. They werent even interested in the United States. Eventually, bin Laden decided he could not get rid of the Saudi monarchy, which he called the near enemy, unless he got rid of the organization that was propping the near enemy up. That was the United States, which he identified as the far enemy. So, even though we remember al-Qaida because of 9/11, that was not the main thrust. The main thrust was the elimination of the Saudi monarchy and the imposition of a more authentic Sharia law on the Saudi peninsula. Now, in the case of ISIS, theyre not even interested at this point in the Saudi peninsula. Their goal is the establishment of Sharia law throughout Muslim lands, but theyve actually created a caliphate and are trying to establish a government. Theyve established a caliph, theyve got taxation services, a military, garbage collection theyre trying to be an actual state. Al-Qaida never got that far. In my mind, were looking at three separate groups. Al-Qaida is your traditional terrorist organization. It had a central authority in Bin Laden. He and his henchman directed operations around the world, and it was pure terrorism: killing a second party in order to influence a third party for political goals. The second group is ISIS. Theyre not really a terrorist group, theyre an insurgency. They want to overthrow the government in Iraq and Syria, replacing it with themselves. Its an insurgency. We sometimes make the mistake in lumping them together because sometimes insurgents will use terrorist tactics. Theyre not trying to influence somebody, theyre trying to set up a state. Now, youve got the third group, and when I say group I dont really mean an organized entity, more like an amorphous mass. Its all these people around the world that are self-identifying with ISIS or even with al-Qaida. Thats the group we have to be careful of, thats the group thats relatively new. Theres always been that element out there. You have these terrorist waves that come through periodically, this is another wave. Whats different? The Internet. The Internet not only allows people to become radicalized without ever meeting anybody from the organization, it allows them to communicate with people, order whatever materials you need for a terrorist attack and even publicize what youve done in a way that was not possible in the old days. Q: In light of recent events, there have been many reports of religious intolerance people being assaulted even for just looking how a Muslim is believed to look, and a presidential candidate discussing a ban on Muslims entering the country. Even so, its been said that Muslims are the chief victim of the Islamic State. Could you comment on this current state of religious intolerance? A: If you look from a historical viewpoint, the United States has always had a very strong nativist streak within it. Every ethnic group that comes into this country is opposed by people who were here first. The German Americans didnt want the Irish to come, the Irish didnt want the Italians to come, the Italians didnt want the Poles to come and the Poles didnt want the Slavs to come. The latest is we dont want the Mexicans to come, and now we dont want the Muslims to come. It happens. Its true that terrorism makes it worse. Ive heard the phrase not all Muslims are terrorists but all terrorists are Muslim, which, by the way, is not true. There are lots of non-Muslim terrorists out there. But it strikes fear into people and they have a tendency to overreact, simple as that. What we have to remember is the First Amendment of the Constitution says Congress shall pass no law on the establishment of religion. Thats the Constitution. Q: Cooperation between the United States, China and Russia seems to be a major make-or-break element in dealing with the current state of world affairs. In terms of these relations, what are the biggest obstacles to a united dismantling of Islamic State and containment of North Korea, and how can we hope to overcome them? A: The biggest obstacle is national interests. The national interest of the United States is not that of Russia or China. Where those interests converge, there can be cooperation. Where they dont, there cannot be. We would like Russia to cooperate with the United States against ISIS. Thats good, except that leaves the American-backed opposition untouched. Thats antithetical to the Russian national interest, which is to keep Assad in power. (Bashar Assad is the president of Syria.) It doesnt make sense to cooperate against ISIS when Russia also wants to take out the American-backed groups. Same thing in North Korea. Yes, both the United States and China are interested in maintaining stability on the Korean peninsula. Both of us are opposed to North Korea having nuclear arms. It sounds easy! There ought to be a large basis for cooperation. In point of fact, however, the Chinese have decided the best way for there to be stability for the peninsula is for North Korea to continue on its way. The concern is that if there were anything to destabilize the North Korean regime, then China would suddenly be inundated with a massive wave of North Korean refuges. Where our national interests converge, its fine, but eventually you reach a point where our interests and theirs are not the same. Its a question of where the goals are in the hierarchy. In Chinas case, the goals in which the U.S. and China cooperate on in North Korea are lower in the hierarchy than stability on the peninsula. Q: North Korea appears to have conducted another nuclear test. It may or may not have been a hydrogen bomb, but China, the U.S., Japan, South Korea and the U.N. are upset over what happened. Is there any long-term significance to this, or is it just another in a series of provocations by North Korea in recent years? A: Its the latter. This is their fourth nuclear test. The first test took place under the Bush administration. Theres now been three tests under the Obama administration. China is not going to allow any sort of significant sanctions to be placed against North Korea. We can count on China to condemn the tests, we can count on them to verbally chastise North Korea, but we cannot count on them to actually support anything that would hurt North Korea. When the first nuclear test occurred during the Bush administration, the United States actually considered launching a unilateral strike to take out North Koreas nuclear facilities. They didnt do it, for a simple reason. Seoul is 40 kilometers from the DMZ, and North Korea has had 50 years to zero in long-range artillery on Seoul. North Korea has chemical warheads not for bombs, not for missiles, but for good-old-fashioned artillery. The Bush administration received an assessment at that time that if there was an attack and North Korea response against Seoul, you could be talking hundreds of thousands of deaths in the first few minutes. That hasnt changed, and thats not going to change. As long as North Korea has the ability to respond that way against an American ally, the United States hands are tied. And as we talked about before, when you talk about China and Russia, its because of their national interests that they arent interested in responding either. Contact the writer: jwinslow@ocregister.com Update on outage information A car crashed into a power pole Tuesday morning, Jan. 12, in Jurupa Valley, causing live power lines to drop and more than 1,300 people to go without power. The crash, which was reported about 6:20 a.m. Tuesday in front of the Metrolink station at Pedley Road and Limonite Avenue, prompted authorities to block the roadway at Pedley Road, Riverside County Sheriffs Department spokesman Deputy Michael Vasquez said. The roadway remained blocked at 11:45 a.m. Southern California Edison workers have been notified of the downed power lines. Vasquez said it could be hours before the issue is fixed. According to SCEs outage map, 1,335 people were without power directly after the crash. By 9:45 a.m., only 93 people remained without power. SCE officials hope to restore power for everyone in the area by 4 p.m. A black car was seen on its passenger side in front of the Metrolink station. Preliminary reports, however, did not indicate the extent of the drivers injuries, Vasquez said. Power was cut to nearby businesses, including a gas station on the corner of Pedley Road and Limonite Avenue. Laura Williamson, who works at the gas station, said the outage disabled the gas pumps and cash registers. Williamson said accidents frequently occur in this area. Its bad here, Williamson said. There were three fatalities last year. This story is developing. Check back for more information. President Barack Obama is expected to strike an optimistic tone during his final State of the Union address Tuesday, Jan. 12, hailing the progress he says has been made during his tenure while encouraging the country to pick a Democratic successor to carry his legacy forward. But as positive as the prime-time speech might be, the president wont be able to gloss over, or ignore, the Dec. 2 terror attack in San Bernardino that killed 14 and injured 22. President Obama cant avoid mentioning the San Bernardino attack. The real question is how he addresses it, said Jack Pitney, a professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College. Will he raise it in the context of terrorism or gun control? It is more likely that he will mention it as part of a discussion of terrorism. Before we knew anything about the shooters, advocates of gun control were using it as a case study. But now the focus has shifted to terrorism in general and the screening of visa applicants in particular. One thing that he cant do is assure Americans that were safe, because San Bernardino shows that we arent, Pitney added. Mentioning San Bernardino poses a challenge for Obama, said Carole Lieberman, a psychiatrist and author of Coping with Terrorism: Dreams Interrupted. The San Bernardino terrorist attack is the most significant event that has occurred in the U.S. (in 2015), so he should feature it prominently in his State of the Union address, she said. Ideally, he should talk about all of the things that his administration is doing to protect us from such attacks in the future. However, he knows that the majority of Americans are fed up with his lack of success against terrorism, both at home and abroad, so featuring it prominently only points up his failures. Among the guests watching the speech in the House of Representatives chamber will be those affected by the attack, including the loved ones of two men who died, San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon, San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan and a 911 dispatcher who was on duty during the shooting. Reps. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, and Susan Davis, D-San Diego, gave their tickets to Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Redlands, so Aguilar could invite McMahon, Burguan and James Parnell, director of patient care for the Adult Emergency Department at Loma Linda University Medical Center. The attack occurred in Aguilars district. Contact the writer: 951-368-9547 or jhorseman@pressenterprise.com The Sacramento Scolds waste no opportunity to remind you that your profligate water-using ways are over. And make no mistake, other than ordering you around, state government is not going to do anything else about water until you change the balance of power. Rain around California last week? Of no consequence, say the scolds. Mike Anderson, a climatologist for the state Department of Water Resources, said Tuesday the state would need years and years more storms like these before it can make up its water deficit. In our newsroom, we often create something called a factbox to accompany stories. The factbox would show a big number, interesting tidbit or accentuate information within the story. For water-releated stories, at right is a recommended factbox for every story we publish. All ye who would object, curl thy tongue. This isnt really an argument about all water use. It has little to do with scarcity. Theres more of a religious fervor among those who would curtail your usage. A water expert with the Public Policy Institute of California last year roughly outlined how Californias water is allocated: About 48 percent goes for environmental uses (mainly habitat preservation). About 41 percent is allocated for agricultural use (which is to say, water that nurtures the foods we eat). About 11 percent for urban uses. (Can you say people?) So all of these months of stories day after day about scarcity pretty much ignore two uses that together comprise about 90 percent of Californias developed water supply. Nearly every single story in the popular press regarding water use is about you and how bad you are. The scolds railing at you about this are the same people you voted into office, or people who work for them. They are not interested in increasing storage, reviewing environmental uses or looking at ways to develop additional supplies of water. Their goal, stated interminably and repeatedly, is to get you to use less than you used before. And to make you feel guilty for using what you had been using and make you pay punitively high prices if you dont. Thats it. Even if you and all your neighbors completely eliminated water use, that would merely reduce the proportion of the 11 percent thats in play. This is not a discussion about all the water. Were only talking about the 11 percent that explicitly goes to homes, businesses, any public greenery. Which is to say, us. Yes, you indirectly use some of the other 89 percent of water through enjoyment of gnatcatcher or mountain yellow-legged frog habitat or eating cabbage grown in the Imperial Valley but the state isnt dictating that you cannot partake of your share of that. The dictating pertains just to the 11 percent in play and makes clear that only they are competent to determine how its allocated. But check out the state websites for yourself to see how the state has spent several billion dollars worth of voter-approved water bonds in recent years. (Hint: Little, if any, has gone to increased storage.) People should not waste water. Neither should court mandates nor politicians dictates. But by exempting nearly 90 percent of water use from consideration and dictating that all change must come from those using about 10 percent they are essentially saying: All others can use what they use except you. As long as this is OK with you, the Sacramento Scolds will say, No, it was not enough, and it will never be enough. A police officer remains in a stable but critical condition after being shot with his own gun during a struggle with a man at a Sydney hospital last night. Police were called out to Nepean Hospital near Penrith around 10:30 last night following reports of a man threatening a doctor with scissors. During a struggle with the 39-year-old suspect, a police officer lost control of his firearm. He was then shot in the upper leg, while a security guard suffered a gunshot wound to his calf; a police source confirmed to the Daily Telegraph that both men were wounded by the same bullet, when it passed through the officers leg and hit the security guard. A witness who didnt want to be identified told the Daily Tele that the alleged gunman was holding a pair of scissors to the throat of a female doctor. A guy was screaming and shouting and holding [a weapon] to a womans throat, we couldnt make out what he was saying, he said. He says he ran over to help after the suspect then took the officers gun during a scuffle on the floor and fired off two shots. I ran over to the copper. I grabbed the copper and dragged him backwards. We threw him on a bed. The security guard wore one in the left [knee] the police officer in the left thigh. The hospital was placed into lockdown following the shooting, with emergency services asked not to transport patients to the area. All that we know at the moment is that there were reports of an incident and police responded with security, said Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn. There was a struggle, and during that struggle the police officer did lose control of his firearm. There were a number of shots fired and the circumstances and the exact detail will now form part of that critical investigation. Both men are being treated at Nepean Hospital. The alleged gunman who police say is a known ice addict has been arrested, and is assisting police with inquiries. No charges have been laid. Photo: Nova. About 60 people turned out for Monday's Carlisle West Side Neighbors meeting to hear representatives from Cleveland, Ohio based PIRHL, LLC - developers, builders and owners of workforce housing - discuss their proposal for roughly 10 acres of the vacant Carlisle Tire & Wheel property in the borough. The Carlisle Tire & Wheel facility closed at the end of 2010. Before the meeting, resident Tamara Mazzola said she was attending because "I definitely want to see what's going on." Representatives from PIRHL on Monday submitted to the borough a sketch plan of the proposed rental development, but during the meeting said the plan is still conceptual and PIRHL has not yet purchased the property. Major components of the proposal include: 52 two and three bedroom units, which would be composed of 40 townhouses and 12 two family semi-detached housing. 50 one and two bedroom apartments intended for senior housing. 20,000 square feet of commercial mixed use space. Dedication of roughly 1.82 acres of green space. Sidewalks, lighting and landscaping. Infrastructure improvements. The proposed development, which is not designed specifically for Section 8 housing and is not public housing, would be reserved for residents with incomes at/below 60 percent of the median income for Cumberland County. A family of four with annual income of $43,140 and at least $15,120 would qualify. Prospective residents would have to meet income qualifications and would be subject to background checks among other requirements, according to representatives of PIRHL. PIRHL would develop and own the property. The Cumberland County housing and redevelopment authorities would probably manage the property, according to Ben Ben J. Laudermilch, executive director of the authorities. Residents and other stakeholders attending the meeting asked about traffic, parking, possible tenants for the commercial component of the proposal and other questions. After the meeting, Mazzola said she has some concerns, including the income qualifications for prospective renters, but felt that PIRHL would be open to her concerns. And Brenda Landis, who coordinates the neighborhood group, said she is worried about the impact of a large number of possible short-term rental units on the community feel of the neighborhood and would like to hear what PIRHL might do to integrate tenants into neighborhood. But resident Leslie Cherry after the meeting said she liked what she heard and thought the development might bring a more diverse group of people into the neighborhood. Resident Paul Grothe during the meeting said he was pleased by the proposal. "It's looking like it's going to be a big improvement for the town and this neighborhood, and thanks a lot," Grothe said. PIRHL representatives said they expect to meet with the Carlisle Planning Commission this month to discuss the proposal. More than a dozen people, ranging from a retired schools superintendent to Harrisburg's chief of police, were named "Pillars of Pennsylvania" in a ceremony that also marked the transformation of the Harrisburg Regional Diversity Coalition into a statewide organization. The coalition will now be the nonprofit Pennsylvania Diversity Coalition, whose mission is to "ensure that resources are distributed equitably" to benefit historically and socially disadvantaged minorities, helping them become self-sufficient through education, economic development and other business opportunities. The coalition, during a brunch held Saturday at the Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course, also announced its support for a new chapter of 100 Black Men of America, aimed at providing professional mentors and support for young black men, said Karl Singleton, spokesman and a founding member of the coalition. It also announced support for the American Association of of Blacks in Energy, aimed at assuring proper representation of minorities in the energy industry, Singleton said. A number of individuals were also honored during the brunch with the following awards: The Michael Bowles Human Relations Award, honoring individuals committed to fighting discrimination, was presented to The Tom Carter Community Safety Award, presented to Harrisburg police Chief The Destry Mangus Grassroots Award, honoring commitment to upholding The Peter Norman Solidarity Award, named in honor of 1968 Olympic silver medalist Peter Norman, was presented to Tom Connolly, Swarata Township commissioner, manager of Rainbow Hills Swim Club; Joseph The Susan Brown-Wilson Commitment Award, honoring commitment to upholding the needs of the masses, was names for and presented to The PADC Perseverance Award, honoring commitment to staying the course to success in the face of adversity, was presented to The Soulmate Award, honoring a spouse or partner for their support, was presented to Gina Finley, Singleton's wife. Commendation Awards were presented to: Cheryl Walker-Davis, Kevin Dolphin, Tina Nixon, Paul Toburen, Marcia Perry, Tom Bedford, Diane Bedford, David Stewart, Marvin Jackson, Jonathan Lee, Dorthy Scott, Dwayne Crawford, Shariah Brown, Roger and Audrey Splawn, DeShawn Lewis, Vera Cornish, Chadd Scott, Roy Galloway. Members of the Pennsylvania Diversity Coalition's board of directors are: Chy Stewart, diversity officer and security director at Hollywood Casino, Wade West of ProRank Business Solutions LLC, and Frederick Douglas, of Cosmos Tehnologies Inc. Anchors in the Coalition recognition was given to founding members of the Harrisburg Regional Diversity Coalition who will serve in advisory roles in the newly formed Pennsylvania Diversity Coalition: Kyron Robinson and Wade West; Brian Hudson of Pennsylvania Finance and Housing Agency, Frederick Douglas Sr., Myneca Ojo, of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission; Juanita Edrington-Grant of Christian Recovery Aftercare Ministries,; Tarik Casteel, of TLC Construction and Renovations; Royce Morris, attorney ; Stephen K. Holmes of SKH Bridge Maintenance; and Donrico Colden, Keystone Public Health & Spiritual Care Inc. The coalition's next meeting, which is open to the public, will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 11 at Camp Curtin YMCA. Editor's note: This story was updated to add names of recipients of commendation awards. Editor's note: This story was updated on Jan. 22 to correct the description of Susan Brown-Wilson's employment. This would be the first bypoll for an Assembly constituency after formation of Telangana state to a seat held by the Congress. (Representational Image) Hyderabad: Bypoll for the Narayankhed Assembly seat will be held on February 13. The bypoll has been necessitated following the Congress MLA P. Kista Reddy on August 24, 2015. The EC has to fill the vacancy before the expiry of the six month period from the date of vacancy, in this case, before February 24, 2016. The bypoll will coincide with polls due in other constituencies in other states. With the announcement of bypoll schedule, the Model Code of Conduct has come into force and will be applicable to the entire district. This would be the first bypoll for an Assembly constituency after formation of Telangana state to a seat held by the Congress. TRS has retained the two Lok Sabha seats (Medak and Warangal) it had held. Though Congress leaders have requested all political parties not to contest the bypoll since Kista Reddy was a popular politician, the request was rejected by the ruling TRS. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has entrusted the job of winning the seat to irrigation minister T. Harish Rao who has been making frequent visits to the constituency to garner support for the TRS whose candidate came second in the 2014 general election. The TRS is banking on the possible split in the two groups of late Kista Reddy and former Zaheerabad MP Suresh Shetkar. The two had reached an understanding before the last elections. The Congress may field either Galemma, wife of Kista Reddy or Sanjeeva Reddy, his son. TRS has most likely to re-nominate M. Bhupal Reddy while the TD, which also has a strong presence in the constituency, may go with former MLA M. Vijaypal Reddy as its candidate. Confederate flag Vendors at the Pennsylvania Farm Show on Monday were asked to remove Confederate flag merchandise. (Sue Gleiter, PennLive.com) Several vendors at the Pennsylvania Farm Show have been asked to stop selling merchandise adorned with the Confederate flag. The vendors were selling items such as t-shirts, belt buckles and hats with the flags at the show which runs through Jan. 16 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg. "All told, seven vendors that were selling items with the flag displayed were brought to our attention. Upon request, seven vendors removed the items of concern, and we certainly appreciate their cooperation and understanding," said Brandi Hunter-Davenport, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture via an email statement. The state has worked to bring more people into agriculture and connect with people from all walks of life, from every part of the state, she said. "Items such as the Confederate flag are not in keeping with the spirit and theme of inclusiveness we're trying to promote. In fact, it's the antithesis of that theme," Hunter-Davenport added. Vendors including Travis Wells of the Wandering Cowboys stand outside of the Large Arena said they were notified on Monday to remove the items. The stand had been selling Confederate flag hats and belt buckles. "It wasn't an issue until we got asked about it," he said. "Honestly, our Confederate stuff is 2 to 3 percent of what we sell. It's irrelevant to our business." The stand sells mostly Western items such as cowboy hats, wallets, women's bags and belts. Wells said some shows do allow the Confederate merchandise and they are more than willing to accommodate requests at shows to remove the flag items. Ever since the Charleston, South Carolina massacre last summer the question of whether the Confederate flag is a symbol of hatred or a piece of Americana that should be displayed has been debated. In August, Confederate flags were ordered to be removed at vendor stands at the Elizabethtown Fair. Debbie Clements, who is selling western wear at the Farm Show, said since the summer she has not sold as much Confederate or "rebel flag" merchandise because schools have banned it. On Monday, she removed one $10 purse from the stand inside the Large Arena. "Ninety percent of my sales were to the kids. They bought it because it was the rebel thing. The whole kids rebel thing," she said. She added that last year she sold Confederate flag merchandise as did other vendors at the Farm Show. Plenty of visitors at the Farm Show today were browsing the many booths and vendor stands eyeing everything from rhinestone-encrusted belts to cowboy hats and t-shirts. Kim Tasker of West Virginia was at the show for 4-H and expressed her displeasure at the fact there is no Confederate flag merchandise to buy. She said she would have purchased an item if they had been available. "It's crazy how this world is turning out these days," she said. For more information on this home contact Ken Huebsch at 717-583-4663. or ken@kenshomesales.com. Susan Weller drew on inspiration from her travels to places such as Italy and Morocco when it came time to build a home for her family in Lemoyne. Working with an architect and a builder, Weller created a floor plan with plenty of open space. An indoor gate, exposed brick and other features creates the illusion of being outdoors throughout the home. "[I designed the home to] always feel like you're outside sitting under the porch," she said. In one bathroom, an elephant is painted behind the shower stall, creating an illusion that it is spraying water from its trunk into the shower. In the master bedroom, dolphins are painted on the wall behind the bed. A painting of an awning extends across the ceiling and connects to pillars. Not all of the bedrooms have these specific details, but each of the four bedrooms feature a sitting room and a private bathroom. Elsewhere, an indoor gate leads to a game room that features a bar and plenty of room to entertain guests. Weller said the home's open floor was important to her because she likes to host events. She's often held private and charity events on the property. Weller said she designed the kitchen so that it is centrally located and can be seen from several rooms, including the family room and sitting room. "Everyone can be out of my way but still see me," Weller said. She noted that about 100 people have been in the home at once without overcrowding being an issue. Although Weller said her family has enjoyed living in the 7,258 square foot-home, they have been trying to move on from it for quite some time. "[My husband and I are] getting older," she said. "I'm ready to downsize." The home has been on the market for a few years, a setback Weller attributes to the economy. Still, she believes whoever takes the home off the market will enjoy the eclectic space. Do you have any suggestions for Cool Spaces? Please let us know in the comment section below or email jwicker@pennlive.com. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Guillermo del Toro, John Krasinski and Ang Lee will announce the 88th Academy Awards nominations in all 24 categories starting at 8:30 a.m. Thursday from the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The Oscars presentation will be held Feb. 28 at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide. According to the academy's website, at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, del Toro and Lee will announce the nominees for Animated Feature Film, Cinematography, Costume Design, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Song, Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. At 8:38 a.m., Krasinski and Boone Isaacs will announce nominations for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Directing, Film Editing, Foreign Language Film, Original Score, Best Picture, Production Design, Visual Effects, Adapted Screenplay and Original Screenplay. More than 400 media representatives from around the world will be gathered, and the event will be broadcast and streamed live on www.oscars.org/live. capitol dome.jpg Pennsylvania's budget gridlock is not improving. A new set of differences between Gov. Tom Wolf and legislative Republicans are enshrined in a new fiscal code bill. (PennLive.com/file) Pennsylvania's House Republican leaders formalized opposition Monday to distribution formulas for state aid to public schools that they say Gov. Tom Wolf has unilaterally and improperly implemented with the partial 2015-16 budget enacted last month. The GOP made its move in the form of an amendment to an already contested fiscal code bill - sometimes called the budget's operator's manual - that would impose different formulas for the state school subsidies. Republicans have expressed outrage over Wolf's use of formulas based upon his March 2015 budget proposal, which they say is causing a disproportionate amount of the state funding to go to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Their amendment, approved at a House Rules Committee meeting on a party-line vote, would require that any basic education subsidies up to 2014-15 levels would be distributed according to that years' formula. Any aid that is over and above 2014-15 levels would distributed based on a new formula crafted by a special bipartisan school funding commission last year. "We had not really intended on doing that until last week when the governor decided he was going to just distribute it (school funding) upon whatever whim he had on that day," House Majority Leader Dave Reed, R-Indiana, said of the insertion of the school funding language. Wolf administration officials have said they support the new funding formula. But they only want to use it after all districts are made whole for education subsidy cuts that occurred during former Gov. Tom Corbett's administration. House Democrats complained Monday that the GOP rules amounted to a step back from formulas that were agreed-to during earlier budget negotiations. "We had a hybrid (school funding formula) that took care... of every child," House Minority Leader Frank Dermody, D-Allegheny County, in explaining the crux of the Democrats' opposition. "The formula they reinserted is a formula that really discriminates against Philadelphia, in particular, and" other urban school districts. But Reed and his fellow Republicans have countered that the aid distribution formulas Dermody referred to were agreed to only as part of a larger budget deal that has largely fallen apart. The House fiscal code bill would also roll back similar changes the administration made in the distribution of a smaller, school block grant program that's traditionally been intended for use in very specific instructional programs. The so-called Ready-to-Learn grants would be distributed and used based on rules from years' past, according to the amendment. The education funding changes are just one of several areas of disagreement popping up in the fiscal code bill. Other controversial measures would: * Give the Republican-dominated General Assembly a larger say over the Wolf administration's Department of Environmental Protection's compliance with new federal regulations designed to limit greenhouse gas emissions. * Order a reset on proposed updates to state regulations on oil and gas drilling that have been in development for years. The bill also appears to contain a number of new fiscal triggers that would force the Wolf administration to expend funds on certain legislative priorities the governor used his line-item veto powers last month to defund. Those programs include a number of earmarks for agriculture, economic development and health programs. The fiscal code bill is scheduled to get a vote on the House floor Tuesday. Because it has been amended, it would then be returned to the state Senate for final passage. While the bill is now peppered with clauses that are likely to cause Wolf some heartburn, the governor's press office said the administration will not take a final position on it until it reaches the governor's desk. Wolf's take on the fiscal code will be important. A Dec. 30 Commonwealth Court ruling held that governors do have the ability to apply their line-item veto powers for appropriations bill to budget-related bills like the fiscal code, to the extent that the language involved directs expenditures. 14202662-mmmain.jpg The future of the ArcelorMittal steel plant in Steelton remains uncertain as companies have expressed interest in buying the facility, according business, borough and union officials. (File) The future of the ArcelorMittal steel plant in Steelton remains uncertain as companies have expressed interest in buying the facility, according business, borough and union officials. Harrisburg Regional Chamber of Commerce President David Black said at least two parties have inquired about purchasing the steel plant, which employs more than 650 workers. "I don't think it is, necessarily, bad news that folks are interested in it," Black said. "[ArcelorMittal] has invested a lot of money in that place. I don't think it'll be shut down." The ArcelorMittal steel plant in Steelton. Black said the reason he doesn't think the Steelton plant will be shut down is because of they work they do. The local plant is one of only three steel plants in North and South America that produce rails for railroads. Ray Napoli, president of the local Steelworkers' Union, confirmed to ABC27 that ArcelorMittal told him the company was up for sale. ArcelorMittal did not respond to requests for comment by 9 p.m. Monday. The information coming out about Steelton plant is that people are interested in buying it and not that ArcelorMittal is trying to get rid of it, Black said. "I have not heard that ArcelorMittal has put it on the block," Black said. Steelton Borough Manager Doug Brown told ABC27 that the company informed him a few weeks ago that the plant was up for sale. "You have to be concerned about your largest employer possibly being bought out, but you also can't panic," Brown told ABC27. The Steelton plant has gotten several new owners over the last 13 years. The International Steel Group purchased the plant in 2003 from Bethlehem Steel. In 2005, Mittal Steel purchased ISG and took over control of the plant. The company became ArcelorMittal in 2007. dewa1.jpg The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (National Park Service) A motorist can't sue the federal government because he crashed on black ice in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, a U.S. appeals court panel has ruled. The ruling the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit issued this week backs a decision by U.S. Middle District Judge Edwin M. Kosik to dismiss the lawsuit Wilby Barnett of Monroe County filed over his January 2010 rollover accident. Barnett contended the crash happened because of poor road maintenance on Route 209 in the national park on the Pennsylvania-New Jersey border. In the appeals court opinion, Judge Anthony J. Scirica noted Barnett admitted he never told park officials there was a drainage problem in the area where the wreck occurred. Park staff said the formation of black ice was an unpredictable problem and there had been no prior indications of any problems at the spot where Barnett crashed, the appeals judge wrote. In the absence of any prior reports of an icing problem, Barnett couldn't prove federal officials knew about the black ice hazard or were negligent in not addressing it, Scirica found. Macy's This Friday, July 10, 2015 photo shows signage at a Macy's department store at the Hanover Mall in Hanover, Mass. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia) Macy's started off the year with a grim announcement that it would close 40 stores, including two in Pennsylvania. The legendary retailer, one of the oldest in the U.S. cited weak holiday sales during a time of year most stores are known for getting out of the red. One of the Pennsylvania stores slated to close first opened outside of Philadelphia in 1930. The other opened near Pittsburgh in 1979 at a shopping mall that is currently on life support. Both buildings are nods to retail's past, serving as unofficial landmarks in their hometowns and stops along a deep timeline of changing consumer trends. These department store closings are becoming predictable, and we should expect more this year, analysts said. As shoppers change, so do their stores. It made sense to build stately, downtown department stores in the early 1900s when consumers went into cities to work and do business. Then in the late 1950s there was a shift to the suburbs, which gave rise to shopping malls. They were full of various retailers, but were still anchored by department stores. Now, those malls are also becoming relics of the past. Outdoor plazas, with street-facing storefronts - similar to the Tanger Outlets in Hershey and the West Manchester Town Center being developed in York County - have gained popularity in recent years. And now that's changing too. The outdoor plazas are still popular among consumers who choose to go to brick-and-mortar stores, but a growing numbers of shoppers are opting to make purchases from the comforts of their phones. More than 30 percent of shoppers made their holiday purchases from a tablet computer or smartphone, according to the National Retail Federation. That, combined with weak holiday sales for many department stores - not just Macy's - is why local residents can expect to learn about more closures this year, analysts said. "Every retailer's got different problems right now," said Britt Beemer, chairman and CEO of America's Research Group, a consumer research firm based in South Carolina. Some stores are underperforming, some are deciding whether to stay in retail, some are hoping to recoup holiday losses, he said. Because of the warmer weather, winter apparel sales were down about $500 million, Beemer said. "They can't make that up," he said of the difference. There's an additional set of problems for department stores anchored at malls. Consumers don't want to go to a mall, search for parking, have to find their store inside, wait in and wait in another line to get out of the parking lot," Beemer said. "People don't have that kind of time anymore," he said. In the last 14 years, mall traffic has dropped by about two-thirds, Beemer said. "We have more malls in America than we can support today," he said. Malls are expected to take the biggest hits this year and in the wake of the Macy's closures, according to analysts. The Macy's closures could have a domino effect on other stores at malls where they're leaving. "When a Macy's leaves, traffic at that mall significantly slows down and it has a negative impact on other stores," said Hale Holden, a retail analyst at Barclays in New York. J.C. Penney operates 19 locations at malls that are losing Macy's stores, and Sears has 16. The mall near Pittsburgh that is losing a Macy's has both a J.C. Penney and Sears has already closed, while the Macy's closing near Philly is the only department store at the Suburban Square plaza. Those stores may struggle, analysts said. "I think Macy's is likely to be a canary in a coal mine," Ken Perkins, president of Retail Metrics, told the Associated Press. -8c7c830af20dc682.jpg It's not difficult to see how important the steel industry has been for Steelton, a small, working class borough in Dauphin County. (File) It's not difficult to see how important the steel industry has been for Steelton, a small, working class borough in Dauphin County. The ArcelorMittal steel plant -- which started out as the Pennsylvania Steel Company -- has been in Steelton since the 1860s. It's served as the borough's namesake, employed thousands of Pennsylvanians and provided steel for countless railroads. It has been an integral part of the Steelton community, which makes news that it is up for sale all the more worrisome. Steelton's mayor, borough manager and county commissioner said they have been told by ArcelorMittal, the Luxembourg-based steelmaker, that it is trying to sell the facility. The local government officials said the news of a sale could be viewed as good or bad news. Good, if the potential buyers want to continue to operate the facility and bad if they decide to close it and liquidate its assets. It all depends on the on the sale, which is up in the air. The future of the ArcelorMittal steel plant in Steelton remains uncertain as companies have expressed interest in buying the facility, according business, borough and union officials Selling the Steelton mill Steelton Mayor Thomas Acri said the company has had the facility up for sale since last year. Several buyers have expressed interest -- whether it be interest in buying the entire plant or buying pieces of it. Acri said he believes ArcelorMittal will sell the plant to someone who wants to keep it open. "I gotta hope for the best," he said. "The best scenario for us is if somebody buys it, keeps operating it and it keeps getting bigger." Dauphin County Commissioner George Hartwick said he's heard that at least two companies are interested in purchasing the steel plant. The fact that multiple companies have expressed interest in the plant is a good thing, he said. "I believe there is a real intent to keep [the steel plant] in its current use," Hartwick said. ArcelorMittal Spokeswoman Mary Beth Holdford said the company "does not comment on rumors or market speculation." Crucial producer of railroad rails Harrisburg Regional Chamber of Commerce President David Black said he doesn't think the steel plant will be bought and then shut down because of its sustained usefulness. The Steelton plant is one of only three steel plants in North and South America that produce rails for railroads. Hartwick, who worked at the steel plant during college, said the mill has positioned itself to continue as a leading rail producer. The Steelton plant has the capability to produce longer length, head-hardened rails. Longer, harder rails, Hartwick explained, are more desirable because they make for a smoother railroad ride and they last longer. "I think the mill is still strategically positioned... to continue its operations," Hartwick said. The Arcelor Mittal Steel Plant in Steelton was originally called the Pennsylvania Steel Plant when it was built in 1865 to make steel rails for American railways. Technology improvements point toward keeping the plant open The Steelton mayor said ArcelorMittal installed a $52 million electric furnace at the facility in 2015. The new equipment, which came online at the end of 2015, will allow the facility to increase production. It's not often that a steel plant invests that heavily in a new piece of equipment, Acri said, then tries to sell it to a company that wants to close it. "It's a new, up-to-date piece of equipment," Acri said. "It's important." Hartwick said the purchase of the electric furnace should not be taken lightly. One of the biggest issues in the steel industry, he said, is the lack of investment in modernization. "I don't think that sort of significant investment, in a tight margin industry, would have been made if Steelton was not positioned to continue to be competitive in the rail market," Hartwick said. Aerial view of the Bethlehem Steel Plant in Steelton. Allied Pix Photo by Thomas A. Leask dated 8/23/78. What a shutdown would mean to Steelton Steelton Borough Manager Doug Brown emphasized the importance the steel plant has on the borough and the community. The identity of the borough -- which has "steel" in its name -- is tied to the plant. Closing the plant, Brown said, would have an enormous impact on the area and its people. "Historically and culturally, our town is a steel town," Brown said. "The steel plant has been a big part of our town." The ArcelorMittal steel plant is the largest consumer of borough water and sewer utilities, the largest contributor to the borough's tax base and has employs hundreds of residents. Brown said he's not heard of the plant closing or anyone interested in buying the plant and then closing it. "I'm not sounding the alarm on that yet because we really don't know what the plan is or how far along their talks with anyone are," Brown said. "It's so early in the process that I don't want to sound the alarm." Management shakeup at ArcelorMittal The acknowledgment to borough officials that the steel plant may be sold comes after ArcelorMittal Americas announced a organizational shakeup in December. It was announced that ArcelorMittal Americas CEO Lou Schorsch will retire in February and ArcelorMittal USA CEO Andy Harshaw will retire in March. The company's organizational chart has changed with people being moved around to different areas in the company. The new executives have been tasked with improving the company's earnings by $1 billion in 2016. ArcelorMittal had revenue of $79.3 billion in 2014. The Steelton plant has gotten several new owners over the years. The International Steel Group purchased the plant in 2003 from Bethlehem Steel. In 2005, Mittal Steel purchased ISG and took over control of the plant. The company became ArcelorMittal in 2007. Harrisburg City Island AERIAL 5 PRR P3 A nonprofit set up to jumpstart Harrisburg's recovery by funding $13 million in infrastructure and economic development projects has been meeting behind closed doors. Board members for the nonprofit said it is exempt from required public meetings. (Photo shows Harrisburg City Island, North End,with stadiums. ) (PETER R. REKUS) HARRISBURG-A Harrisburg nonprofit that controls $13 million in public money may be violating Pennsylvania's Sunshine Act by meeting behind closed doors, according to two attorneys who specialize in media law. The nonprofit, known as Impact Harrisburg, was designed by state receivers to guide Harrisburg's infrastructure and economic development. Board members for Impact Harrisburg have been meeting twice a month for the last year in private sessions, mostly to determine how the group would establish itself. But the group in recent months has hired an investment firm, an executive director and is currently reviewing accountants. Eventually, the group will decide how to distribute $13 million in public money_ money that was set aside from the sale of the city's incinerator and long-term lease of the city's parking assets. The money is supposed to jumpstart the city's economic recovery and address long-ignored infrastructure needs. That brings up the question: should the group's meetings be open to the public? Neil Grover, chairman of the volunteer board, thinks not. He said Impact Harrisburg, as a nonprofit, is not subject to the requirements of the state's Sunshine Act requiring public notice and open meetings. Other nonprofits don't have public board meetings, he said. Melissa Melewsky, an attorney with Pennsylvania Newsmedia Association, disagreed. "Non-profits formed pursuant to statute that administer public funds and perform government functions, like economic recovery using public funds, cannot avoid public access and accountability via non-profit status," she said. Attorney Craig Staudenmaier, with Nauman, Smith, Shissler & Hall, said the relevant phrases of the Sunshine Act define a public agency:"created by or pursuant to statute" to perform an "essential governmental function." Staudenmaier conceded the first part of the definition represents a gray area, especially considering the unique background of this particular nonprofit. But he said a strong argument exists that Act 47 provided the authority for the city's recovery plan, and thus the formation of the nonprofit. "It was created by statute, although once removed," said Staudenmaier, who represents PennLive in various matters. And spending $13 million for infrastructure and economic development projects? "It doesn't get any more essential than that," he said. Grover contends the group does not make governmental decisions. "We do not perform any 'essential governmental function' or exercise governmental authority," he said. Mike Feeley, director of content for PennLive.com and the Patriot-News, said it is in the public's best interest for the board to operate in the open. "There's no more essential government function than the spending of public money,'' Feeley said. "The group will decide how $13 million in public money will be distributed for projects to benefit residents of Harrisburg. We believe the public has a right to participate in that process." Grover said the process to accept applications and award money will be a public process, buy stopped short of pledging open board meetings. The group has consistently posted minutes after each meeting on a state website. Although Grover said the nonprofit is like other nonprofits that receive most of their money through governmental sources, Melewsky said Impact Harrisburg had to be approved by the Commonwealth Court as part of Harrisburg's Act 47 plan. "Its purpose and funding were also set out by the court and are subject to review by the government," she said. "As opposed to most nonprofits, it would not exist but for a deficient government agency. " Being considered a public agency would open the nonprofit to additional costs, including requirements to advertise meetings in advance, and adherence to the state's Right to Know law concerning public documents. Although Staudenmaier conceded that including the public in meetings may slow down processes, or stymie discussion, he emphasized the purpose of the Sunshine Act, is "so the public can see how agencies function and how they spend their money." People averse to the concept can always work in the private sector, Staudenmaier said. "With public bodies and public functions, you should always err on the side of transparency." Harrisburg resident and attorney Bill Cluck has opposed the group's closed meetings from the start. "There has to be transparency of this organization," Cluck said. "It is not a run of the mill non-profit. It was created as a result of the corruption of the city government that resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in debt that had to be paid by leasing parking assets." Cluck also has concerns because three current city employees are on the nine-member volunteer board that will decide how the millions are spent. "Yet another reason the board meetings must be open to the public," he said. Doug Hill, vice chair of Impact Harrisburg, reiterated that the process to distribute money would involve the public, although not because of the Sunshine Act requirements. "We do agree the public needs access to our process," he said. "But we do not believe our 501C3 falls under the open meetings act." Hill said the group is an "independent body," whose board members are not subject to control or replacement by city, county or state officials. He said the nonprofit plans to voluntarily meet the spirit of the Sunshine Act by creating a "clear and consistent policy" for public participation. "We are going to develop a framework for public access, knowledge and input," he said. "It's not going to be ad hoc or changeable once we get it in place." In addition to the closed meetings, the slow pace of the nonprofit in getting started over 24 months has drawn criticism. A task force spent a year determining the proper structure for the nonprofit before the board members began meeting last year. Fred Reddig, who is overseeing the city's financial recovery from the state, said the process has taken longer than anyone anticipated. But he was not critical of the group, because he said they were simply following the steps outlined in the city's recovery plan. Grover said each step in establishing the nonprofit was necessary. And he noted the group gets one crack at distributing the money, so it must be done impeccably. But the complexity of the nonprofit's status is one reason Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse said he opposed the creation of the nonprofit. The city wanted to access some of the money set aside for infrastructure last year to help replace the city's streetlights with energy-efficient LED lights. Because the Impact Harrisburg money was not available, the city had to take out a $3.2 million bank loan, which carries interest and a 3-percent early payback penalty. "I am of the belief that the money should have gone into an account accessed directly by the city with the approval of the coordinator- no need for a nonprofit or paid staff or cumbersome structure," he said. "It should all have been spent by now to help jump start the city's recovery. I think the structure may have been well-intentioned, but clearly has not worked." The nonprofit was designed to last about five years, with the money roughly evenly split between infrastructure and economic development projects. The city of Harrisburg and Capital Region Water are the only entities allowed to apply for infrastructure grants, but the rest of the money carries no restrictions as far as who can apply for grants, Grover said. Camp Curtin.png Camp Curtin Academy at 2900 North Sixth Street in Harrisburg, shown in this district website photo, was the scene of a fistfight that involved a knife Monday Jan. 11. (File. ) UPDATE: A 14-year-old boy as arrested after police said he slashed a fellow student with a knife during a fistfight outside of Camp Curtin Academy on Monday. The boy was charged with simple assault and possession of a weapon on school property. He was released to his mother's custody by juvenile authorities. The 12-year-old victim suffered a superficial arm wound, police said, that may require several stitches to close. The incident began Monday about 3:35 p.m., minutes after classes ended when a large fight erupted near Sixth and Division streets. The 14-year-old boy saw his cousin getting "jumped" by a group of boys, so he intervened with the knife, police Capt. Gabriel Olivera said. The teen cut one of the students involved in the fight with his cousin "to get them off of him," Olivera said. The teen then reportedly tossed the knife. School security officers broke up the fight and detained the participants. Police officers later went to the area where the teen said he pitched the knife, but they could not find it. Detectives interviewed the teen with his mother. He told detectives he was trying to protect his cousin. Olivera did not know what prompted the fight. Kirsten Keys, spokeswoman for the school district, also said she did not know the reason behind the fight and declined further comment, deferring to police. EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was updated to add Keys' comment and change the time of the incident. Police initially reported that the incident occurred at 2:30 p.m., but Keys later clarified it occurred at 3:35 p.m. With only one release in 2015 Shivam, this actress still managed to stay in the limelight, becoming the second most searched Sandalwood actress last year. Ragini Dwivedi, who has been busy shooting for almost half a dozen projects, is all set to enthrall her fans with back-to-back releases starting with Parapancha followed by Nane Next CM, Ranachandi and Huli Devara Kadu. There is also the biggest multilingual film in her career Amma (being made in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi) waiting to hit the screens. Ragini, the next female superstar who has a strong fan base after the Dream Girl of Sandalwood, Malashree speaks to Bengaluru Chronicle about her films and her busy life. I was at a very meaningful event last night (Monday) wherein the best Pourakarmikas who are tireless in their efforts to keep namma Bengaluru clean, were recognised and awarded. I really felt honoured when senior citizens at the event recognised me and appreciated my work. They are usually the ones who complain that the industry does not make meaningful films and just aim at commercial ventures. Films like Ragini IPS, despite both good and bad reviews, have been appreciated by people across all age groups, and my efforts have been lauded and that is great for me as an actress, says Ragini. The actress who got injured recently while shooting and was admitted to a hospital due to food poisoning, and later went through a personal loss (her grandmother passed away), says she had a very stressful and sick December. I lost my grandmother. Last month, was a month of sickness for me first, I got admitted after getting injured and then I had a bout of food poisoning. However, I am back with a bang and enjoying the transition in my career with fantastic female protagonist roles. Its amazing that people have faith that I can shoulder a film alone. I am enjoying every bit of it though its difficult. Not every actress gets such an opportunity, she adds. In Parapancha, she has a daring and out-of-the-box role as a dancer. She feels that everyone has their side of a story to tell, We form opinions soon after getting to know a person, but very rarely do we make an effort to know the other side of the same personality. And thats Parapancha. Insofar as Ranachandi is concerned, it is a growing phase for me individually after Ragini IPS. I have gained a lot of experience. After Malashree, for almost a decade, its a welcoming change for an actress to take the lead, and its slowly happening, be it Priyanka Upendra, Meghana or a few others. I like to do things that are out-of-the-box. Besides Tamil and Telugu, I have several films up for release this year too. She also wants to explore the locations where she shoots, and this is why in her thriller Huli Devara Kadu, the unseen exotic locations in Karnataka are highlighted and Ragini is having a fun time exploring them. With a mass communication degree through long-distance learning, the actress reveals that she has learnt to adapt to her situation well. Soon after finishing shooting, I hardly take half-an-hour to come back to my regular life. My mother lives in Mumbai along with my brother and my father is in Bengaluru, on and off. I have learnt to manage my family and other chores well. But, yes, I have been hearing from a few close friends that I might die alone if I remain this busy, she smiles in exasperation. But she hopes to be able to change that in 2016. Archaeologists digging two metres below the modern surface at the quarry also found preserved footprints, believed to be from people who once lived there. (Photo: Screen grab) London: British archaeologists have discovered some of the best-preserved Bronze Age homes in east England, shedding light on how people lived in the area about 3,000 years ago. Being dubbed as "Britain's Pompeii" after the ancient Roman town in Italy, the houses are some of the best-preserved Bronze Age homes, according to the archaeologists. The circular wooden houses, built on stilts, form part of a settlement at Must Farm quarry in Cambridgeshire, east England, and date back to about 1000-800 BC. A fire destroyed the posts, causing the houses to fall into a river where silt helped preserve the contents. Pots with meals still inside have been found at the site and textiles made from plant fibres such as lime tree bark have also been unearthed. Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, which is jointly funding the excavation with land owner Forterra, described the settlement and contents as "an extraordinary time capsule". "A dramatic fire 3,000 years ago combined with subsequent waterlogged preservation has left to us a frozen moment in time which gives us a graphic picture of life in the Bronze Age. This site is of international significance and its excavation really will transform our understanding of the period," he said. The work to uncover the settlement has been made necessary because there are concerns the water level at the site could fall in the future and the remains of the houses would now be preserved. "So much has been preserved, we can actually see everyday life during the Bronze Age in the round. It's prehistoric archaeology in 3D, with an unsurpassed finds assemblage both in terms of range and quantity," David Gibson of Cambridge Archaeological Unit which is leading the excavation, said. Archaeologists digging two metres below the modern surface at the quarry also found preserved footprints, believed to be from people who once lived there. Once all the retrieved items have been cleaned and documented, they are expected to be put on public display. FILE - In this Sept. 30, 2015, file photo, John Swanton, spokesman with the California Air Resources Board, explains how a 2013 Volkswagen Passat with a diesel engine is evaluated at the emissions test lab in El Monte, Calif. California air quality regulators, on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, rejected Volkswagen's recall plan to fix vehicles including the Beetle and Jetta that were programmed to trick government emissions tests. (AP Photo/Nick Ut,File) In this Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016 photo, George David, general manager of the Royal Film Commission, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Amman, Jordan. Providing locations and crew for foreign films remains an important part of Jordan's film work, said David. "Theeb" (Wolf), set in 1916, a coming-of-age drama set among Bedouin tribesmen roaming the desert emerged as the first potential Oscar contender produced by Jordan's nascent film industry. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh) A policeman guards in front of the Blue Mosque at the historic Sultanahmet district after an explosion in Istanbul, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. An explosion in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists killed 10 people and injured 15 others Tuesday morning, the Istanbul governor's office said. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) By Pete Thomas A dorado tagged and released on December 13 off Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, was recaptured 19 days later 500 miles south off the mainland state of Jalisco. In that time the year-old dorado, a.k.a mahimahi and dolphinfish, grew three inches and gained 8 ounces to weigh 6.5 pounds. The distance the small fish traveled in that time, while impressive, was not as surprising as the tag being recovered by Gray Fishtag Research, which reported its findings this week. The recovery rate for tags in smaller fish like this is small to begin with, but the commercial fisherman who caught this fish was from a tiny Mexican fishing village that I had to look on a map to find, Gray Fishtag scientist Travis Moore said. He was all excited because he saw on that tag that we offer a reward for recovered tags. The dorado was named Walter when it was caught off Cabo San Lucas by Kerri Persons aboard El Nuevo, a charter boat operated by RedRum Sportfishing. Walter was recaptured by Hernan Ramos, a net fisherman out of San Patricio. Gray Fishtag, a budding research company that provides tags to charter fleets around the world in an attempt to learn more about the movements of game fish, sent Ramos clothing and sunglasses. Dorado are an extremely popular game fish, known for their brilliant colors and their acrobatics on the hook. Theyre also highly prized as table fare and sought by commercial fishermen in Mexico, despite regulations that list them as a sportfishing-only species. Sportfishing and conservation groups have been trying for years to halt what they say is an uncontrolled black market for dorado, and to persuade Mexico to enforce the commercial fishing ban. Theyre hoping that any new research about the species will help their cause. Moore said he has heard of dorado covering 100 miles in a day, but said theyre more likely to swim about 25 miles per day if the need to travel in search of bait fish exists. As for Walter, its safe to assume that he became dinner the day he was recaptured, despite the commercial fishing ban. Dorado image is courtesy of RedRum Sportfishing Panther said: I don't think that is the truth. I think the truth is more mundane and boring. More importantly, the truth, imho.... has always been there at the tip of anyone nose if they cared to look. It is exactly as he said it was and not how countless people, who with their own agendas, had interpreted his words and built it into a grand shocking conspiracy. People want others to respect Obama, Okay... fine; But before you can respect a leader on the other side, some reciprocation is expected. Otherwise, no one is going too listen. Click to expand... I am going to note here and now, others are going to search for and use his words to prove me wrong. That is fine, but in the process, i do know they are going to come across a lot of reasonable words from him that they will pass up for their own weaknesses in going after his many mistakes (which i for one am already aware of) and for point scoring and to prove themselves smugly right. I don't care for that ******** and i wished others didn't as well.I know this is politics as usual. But it is not the history as it happened. The opinions i read do not mesh with what i have heard and saw on the internet, tv and in newspapers that weren't in the section under "Opinions". Cost regulators for the National Health Service in Scotland have approved funding for six new therapies, giving new options to patients with cancer, kidney disease and diabetes. Bayers Nexavar (sorafenib) has been accepted to treat a type of liver cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma, which affects a small number of patients and is often diagnosed at an advanced stage. The regulator said the drug is the only treatment with evidence of benefit in patients who are not suitable for surgical treatment, and as such it is recommended for this subset of patients, but only with a patient access scheme (PAS) to improve its value for money. Otsukas Jinarc (tolvaptan) has been endorsed as a treatment for the inherited kidney disease ADPKD, where fluid filled cysts grow in the kidneys causing a loss of kidney function, but only as long as the drug is discounted as per the agreed PAS. Jinarc is the first medicine to address the underlying causes of ADPKD, and can help slow the rate of decline in kidney function thus delaying the need for kidney dialysis, the cost watchdog noted. Chugai Pharmas Akynzeo (netupitant/palonosetron) will now be routinely available on the NHS for the prevention of acute and delayed nausea and vomiting associated with highly emetogenic cisplatin-based cancer chemotherapy, offering patients another option for symptoms control. The recommendation is also dependent on the continued availability of a PAS to ensure its cost effectiveness. The SMC also accepted two injectable medicines for the treatment of type II diabetes, Eli Lillys Trulicity (dulaglutide) and GlaxoSmithKlines Eperzan (albiglutide), after patients groups highlighted that both are once weekly treatments which could benefit some patients. Elsewhere, doctors in Scotland can now prescribe Janssens Stelara (ustekinumab) for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in patients aged 12 years and older, who are inadequately controlled by, or are intolerant to, other systemic therapies or phototherapies. The SMC is, however, stipulating continued treatment should be restricted to patients who achieve at least 75% improvement in their Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI 75) within 16 weeks. Lyzza said: Pfft. Apparently you slept through the last administration if you think this guy is the worst. Click to expand... I base my opinion on a VERY LONG LIST of Obamas evil doings!As to my own list, the sad truth is, Obama has added more to the national debt than all other presidents combined;He has given aid and comfort to our enemies by releasing them from GITMO;He has attempted to strike a deal with a hostile foreign nation behind closed doors and without the consent of the United State Senate being required as commanded by our Constitution;He is allowing a thousand Islamic "refugees" into the U.S. each month without proper screening or a requirement they renounce an allegiance to their country of origin;He has transferred Americas weapons of defense and military technology to hostile Islamic leaders [the Islamic Brother Hood];He has assisted an Islamic terrorist state to move forward with producing the component parts for a nuclear arsenal;He has worked to release $150 Billion in assets to the terrorist government of Iran;He has allowed our southern border to be invaded by the poverty stricken populations of Mexico and Central America;He has decided to prop up the communist government of Cuba by normalizing relations, which in turn will yield a needed infusion of money to strengthen this governments iron fist around the necks of its citizens;He has released thousands of criminal illegal aliens from our nations jails into our nations population;He is responsible for undermining our election process by making it easy for ineligible persons to vote;He has interfered with our nations ability to develop our nations natural resources, namely oil, coal and natural gas, to fuel our economy;He has worked to stifle Americas agricultural industry and ability to produce food under the guise of environmental necessity;He has intentionally sabotaged our nations health care delivery system;He has blatantly impinged upon the American Peoples inalienable right to make their own choices and decisions regarding their health care and medical needs;He is responsible for a dramatic increase in the number of people receiving food stamps;He is responsible for a dramatic drop in fulltime employment;He is responsible for a dramatic increase in the unemployment rate among our nations Black and poverty stricken youth;He has used the force of our federal government to tax the paychecks of hard working people living in our nations inner cities and then transferred $ billions from our federal treasury to his inner circle friends under the guise of green energy [Solyndra/Chevy Volt/Fisker, Exelon, etc.];He has repeatedly circumvented our Republican Form of Government by issuing Executive Orders and memorandums;He has stood by and allowed his Administration to use the force of the federal government to attack "conservatives" who dare to exercise their right to freedom of speech;JWK tooltip Keep reading by creating a free account or signing in. I know Jim Kenney was elected mayor. I didn't know he was elected iman. Putting on his progressive goggles the ones that make it impossible to comprehend reality -- he insisted, more than once, that Edward Archer's attempted assassination of Police Officer Jesse Hartnett had "nothing to do with him being a Muslim or following the Islamic faith." Now we have the spectacle of the mayor of America's fifth largest city having an argument with a confessed wannabe assassin about the shooter's motives. On one hand, we have Imam Kenney saying, more than once, the actions were unconnected with Islam. The other hand holds Archer's confession that he did it for Islam and he pledged allegiance to ISIS, which stands for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Like a president who prohibited the term "radical Islam" from government language, Kenney can't assimilate facts even when they are screaming in his face. If a person believes in Allah, follows the teachings of the prophet Muhammad and obeys Sharia law, that person is not a Muslim? Or he is a Muslim until he commits a crime and then he's not a Muslim? Archer's actions were fostered by his belief, however misguided, in Islam. It did have to do with Islam. The majority of Muslims reject Archer's ideas and one group has stepped up to publicly confront them. http://mobile.philly.com/beta?wss=/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky&id=364938621 The awful Westboro Baptist Church has "to do with" Christianity. Mainstream Christianity condemns them, but they are Christians. The Mafia has "to do with" Italians, but no one believes most Italians are connected with the Mafia. The fact that Islamic terrorists are motivated by their beliefs in Islam cannot be wished away just because you don't want to hurt other Muslims' feelings. Kenney foolishly doubled-down he's slower to learn than Donald Trump sometimes and denied it was even a terror attack and tried to turn it into a gun crime, also a favorite tactic of the president. Our hate of guns trumps your fear of terrorism, they seem to be saying. (Both Kenney and Obama are protected by armed guards.) When we speak of "radicalization," ask yourself, Mr. Mayor, who is being radicalized, by whom, and to what? The who is (generally young) Muslims, the whom are Islamists and the what is Islamic jihad. When we speak of "radicalization," we are not talking about Jehovah's Witnesses. We are talking about Muslims -- one part of the Muslim community, not all of it. The Pew Research Center reports 86 percent of U.S. Muslims feel suicide bombing is never or rarely justified, but that leaves 14 percent who feel it is justified. http://www.pewforum.org/2013/04/30/the-worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-app-a/?beta=true&utm_expid=53098246-2.Lly4CFSVQG2lphsg-KopIg.1&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pewforum.org%2F2013%2F04%2F30%2Fthe-worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-overview%2F%3Fbeta%3Dtrue Are they not Muslims? Trying to ignore facts, or change them, is Orwellian, and that's not intended as compliment. Sadly for Kenney, almost everyone knows the truth about the shooting and easily saw through his transparent, if well-intended, attempt to alter reality. Most of us understand he was either lying or, more likely, so blinded by his political ideology he can't see, let alone admit to, the plain, simple facts. Anyone who can deal with the facts knows he made a fool of himself. I have also repeatedly given my opinion that there is no effective way to limit or muzzle the actions of a Constitutional Convention. The Convention could make its own rules and set its own agenda. Congress might try to limit the Convention to one amendment or to one issue, but there is no way to assure that the Convention would obey. After a Convention is convened, it will be too late to stop the Convention if we dont like the agenda. The meeting in 1787 ignored the limit placed by the Confederation Congress for the sole and express purpose. __ Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Warren Burger, 1988 SEE: Abbott Calls on States to Amend U.S. Constitution Abbott, in promoting a constitutional convention falsely asserts our Constitution "leaves it to the states to limit the scope of the convention." And even if additional amendments were offered, he writes, "none of the delegates' efforts would become law without approval from three-fourths of the states."The truth is, our Constitution nowhere declares the States can limit the scope of a convention once it is called. In fact, when the Articles of Confederation were in effect and the States agreed to call a convention for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation, that limitation was ignored and we wound up with an entirely new Constitution, a new federal government with a number of specific powers being ceded to it, and the event turned out to not be a simple revision of the Articles of Confederation as originally called for!In regard to Abbotts attempt to alleviate the arguments of those who oppose the calling of a convention by saying "none of the delegates' efforts would become law without approval from three-fourths of the states." that comment is also very much in dispute.The historical fact is, the Delegates in the 1787 Convention ignored that the Articles of Confederation could not be altered but by a unanimous consent of the States. Instead, they decided that the new constitution would become effective if a mere nine States ratified it.Additionally, who would be in charge should disputes arise concerning the Convention? Would it not be the very Court which has repeatedly defied our Constitution, and a majority of its members recently handed down its stunning Obamacare opinion in which it acted as a super legislative body to change our law as admitted by Abbott?The fact is, an Article V Convention is a very dangerous idea because:1) there is no way to control an Article V convention;2) that Congress and our Supreme Court [THE ESTABLISHMENT] would have extraordinary manipulative powers over the rules of a convention;3) that every snake on earth with self-interests such as ACORN would be attracted to the convention as a delegate;4) that an entirely new constitution and new government could be drawn up by the Convention;5) that the convention could write a provision for a new government to assume existing states debts, especially unfunded pension liabilities, and use it to bribe a number of states into submission;6) that adding amendments to our Constitution does absolutely nothing to correct the root cause of our miseries which is a failure to compel our existing federal government to be obedient to our existing Constitution;7) and, we dont even know the mode of ratification the convention would adopt to approve their doings, which could in fact be a mere majority vote by our existing Senate members. I say this because the Delegates sent to the convention in 1787 ignored the Articles of Confederation which were then in effect, and by its very wording was forbidden to be altered but by a unanimous consent of the States. Instead of following the Articles of Confederation, the delegates arbitrarily decided that the new constitution and new government they created would become effective if a mere nine States ratified what they did.There are many unanswered questions concerning an Article V convention, and yet, Mr. Abbott has decided to jump on the Article V bandwagon which Madison warned us against!___ Madisons letter to George Lee Turberville, dated November 2, 1788The bottom line is, calling a convention would allow our Washington Establishment to make constitutional, that which is now unconstitutional. Our existing sufferings are not from defects in our Constitution. They are the result of our Constitution not being enforced and those who violate it are not being impeached and punished for their disloyalty to its commands.JWK Russia Strikes On Syrias Southern Opposition Spark Fears of Cross-Border Conflict With Israel BEIRUT Russias involvement in Syria's war has concentrated on the northern and western regions of the embattled country, as part of a tacit understanding with Israel not to extend into its sphere of influence. But, as Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces push further south with the help of Russian air cover and Iranian-backed militia all bets are off. Israel has carried out several unacknowledged airstrikes inside Syria against the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and Iranian forces, and some analysts say Israel looks closer to being drawn further into the conflict. If the Assad regime takes the entire Golan back, that could be Irans way to put in a second front and a second Gaza or a second southern Lebanon, to keep Israel busy, Daniel Nisman, an Israeli security analyst with the Levantine Group, said in a recent interview with the Financial Times. Israel conquered the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War. Iran, Israel, Russia and the U.S. all say their interventions in Syria are carried out with the intention of eliminating terrorists. But the definition and demographics of those labeled terrorists looks very different in Moscow than it does in Jerusalem. Russia supports the Syrian regime, Iran and the various Tehran-backed militias in Syria battling the Islamic State group (AKA ISIS), al Qaedas Jabhat al-Nusra and moderate Syrian rebels. Israel asserts that it wants to see al Qaeda and ISIS eradicated, but not at the cost of seeing Iran and Hezbollah set up shop on its northern borders with Syria and Lebanon. As the pro-regime southern operation intensifies, it could give Iran and Hezbollah a second front with Israel, the first being in Lebanons south: Syria has served as the main transit route by which Iran has armed and strengthened Hezbollah, making Damascus International Airport available for shipments of rockets and missiles that have been pivotal to Hezbollahs challenge to Israel, according to a report from the security and intelligence company Soufan Group. Syria's combatants regard the conflict as a pan-Middle Eastern affair. A senior Hezbollah official in the south told International Business Times, Whats going on in Syria is a regional war. The Iranians would not leave us alone in the battlefield with Israel. The fact that Syria is enabling Hezbollah and Iran to move their forces closer is not lost on the Israelis. Syrian rebel sources reported Sunday that Israel bombed a convoy of Iranian weapons headed for Hezbollah in Qalamoun, a mountainous region that borders Lebanon, near the contested border with Israel. Tensions have been heating up on the Syrian border with Israel since the summer, when clashes in Syrias Quneitra province were so close to the Golan Heights demarcation line that they set off missile-warning sirens in northern Israeli towns. The battles were a result of a push from rebels and Jabhat al-Nusra fighters against the predominantly pro-regime Druze town of Quneitra on the Syrian side of the de facto border. The Israeli military did not respond to IBTs request for a comment about the situation on its border with southern Syria. We Dont Want Bloodshed: Armed White Militants in Oregon v. Paiute Tribe Yet more armed, white militants, members of the Pacific Patriots Network arrived in Burns, Oregon this weekend. They claimed to be there to prevent another Ruby Ridge or Waco by providing a buffer between Ammon Bundy, son of Nevada rancher who drove BLM officers off his land with guns in 2014, and law enforcement. Carrying guns, they presented a resolution to the FBI and local law enforcement calling for the return of land to the people of Harney Countyand surprisingly, recommended co-management with the Burns Paiute Tribe. Burns Paiute tribal chairperson Charlotte Roderique has stated to the media her irritation with Bundy and his militia supporters goal of giving back the land to ranchers. Its been validated weve been here since 15,000 years ago, she told ICTMN. These people are ignorant of the history and that they dont think about the statements they are making. They are misinformed. The Northern Paiutes signed a treaty with the U.S. Government in 1868 that was not ratified and the land, including that of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge remains unceded tribal territory. The refuge was once part of the 1.78 million acre Malheur Indian reservation. Constant attacks and encroachment of their lands by white settlers led to the Bannock Indian War, which the Northern Paiute bands lost. In retribution, 500 tribal members were forcibly marched in January of 1879 350 miles to present-day Yakama Nationmany shackled together in knee-deep snow. When they were able to return years later they found their lands were sold off to white settlers and corporations. In light of this, Roderique says, we are not adverse to a land transfer however, its not something that you would just do. There would have to be financial arrangements made. Accommodations for people who work there. Wed be interested in co-managing the refuge to protect our sites out there. The tribe enjoys a strong working relationship with the Malheur Wildlife Refuge and participated extensively in creating a Comprehensive Conservation Plan in 2013. We utilize the refuge almost constantly, Roderique explains, Weve had excursions where our elders sit down and practice traditional crafts and tell stories about how we once existed. There are petroglyphs down thereits a real valuable site for us. The youth program takes kids down and they make tule boats and swamp. Being Native people we think it is necessary to continue the practice of oral history. When you are down there these stories come naturally. When you take children out today and show them how we survived here so long it is an important tool to bringing the elders and the youth together so the youth are able to identify themselves as Paiute people. However, tribal council members expressed concerns about feeling unsafe with the arrival of more men with guns in their community. Tribal council secretary Wanda Johnson told ICTMN, These people who have been intimidating our Indian men but they are unchallenged and they walk about town and our concern is if they could escalate thingswe dont want to see bloodshed or see anyone thrown in jail. We feel frustrated that these people can come and go in town and resupply. People are taking things out there and feeding them. Like they are out there in on an outing. Its so frustrating. Some animosity towards Native people can be seen in the Harney County Committee of Safety, a local group Bundy started which refers to Natives as savages" in their statement of purpose. A Lebanon man was sentenced to more than eight years in prison on Monday after pleading no contest in Linn County Circuit Court to second-degree assault and other crimes from four separate cases. Gary Lee Robison, 39, used a baton-like object to attack two people in their SUV in the parking lot of the Appletree Restaurant in Lebanon in September. Multiple windows on their SUV were broken out. The female victim said she was hit in the face and the man told police he was struck numerous times, according to court paperwork. The defendant and his buddies believed (one of the victims) cooperated with police, and they were seeking to retaliate, said Prosecutor Keith Stein. Robison pleaded no contest to two counts of second-degree assault in that case, and, per terms of a plea deal, charges of unlawful use of a weapon, first-degree criminal mischief and another count of second-degree assault were dismissed. In another case from September, Robison pleaded no contest to delivery of methamphetamine and delivery of heroin. Charges of patronizing a prostitute and felon in possession of restricted weapon were dismissed through the negotiated settlement. Robison also was convicted of a second instance of delivery of methamphetamine, this time from October. He pleaded no contest in that case and a charge of possession of heroin was dismissed. Lastly, Robison pleaded no contest to a third-degree robbery case from October. Trials were set for February in all four cases, according to Oregons online court database. In the cascade of ironies that continues to tumble out of the standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, heres one that might have been easy to overlook: The standoff seems likely to renew a debate over the idea of minimum sentences, in both federal and state cases. In fact, during his town meetings in the mid-valley on Saturday. U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon said he intended to take a close look at mandatory minimums that can sometimes produce more injustice than justice. One of the issues in the standoff in Harney County is the case of rancher Dwight Hammond Jr., and one of his sons, Steve. The two men were indicted in 2010 on federal arson charges, regarding a pair of fires that the men set that ended up involving land managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. When the Hammonds were indicted, they faced sentencing under the federal Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, even though prosecutors have said they had no intention of treating the ranchers as terrorists. But the arson charge, under that particular law, mandated five-year minimum sentences. The federal judge in the case, Michael Hogan, said during the Hammonds sentencing in 2012 that such a sentence in this case would shock the conscience" and would be as unconstitutional as cruel and unusual punishment. The judge sentenced Dwight Hammond to a three-month term and Steve Hammond to one year. The Hammonds served their time and were released from federal custody. And if the story had ended there, we wouldnt be shaking our heads over the increasingly ludicrous standoff at the refuge. Instead, heres what happened: Amanda Marshall, then the U.S. attorney for Oregon, recommended that the government challenge Hogans sentence. And, when the court of appeals heard the case, it agreed with the feds: The longer sentences might in fact shock the conscience, the appeals court held, but the law is the law, and the law mandates the minimum sentence. The Hammonds returned to federal prison last week. In the meantime, the events at the refuge got underway, even though, to be clear, the Hammonds have disavowed the occupation. These minimum sentences arent just an issue in federal court; judges in Oregon working with Measure 11 crimes often find their hands are tied by laws mandating certain sentences for certain crimes. Part of the idea is to ensure uniformity in sentencing, but the not-so-unspoken implication is that minimum sentences serve as a check on too-lenient judges. But part of the reason why we have judges in the first place is so that they can review all the facts in a case and make decisions accordingly. By tying their hands in making these vital decisions about sentencing by reducing these decisions to the cold black-and-white diagram of a matrix we essentially say that, well, every criminal case is about the same as the next case. In Oregon, the minimum sentences for Measure 11 crimes have helped to fuel the explosive growth in state prison populations, a growth that were just now starting to get under control. Merkleys call for a review of these rules on the federal level is welcome. State officials might want to consider the merits of a similar review. (mm) MEDIA QUESTIONNAIRE Name of Publication Established (Give exact date) ADDRESS TELEPHONE FAX NO NAME OF EDITOR Name of Printer Language Frequency Please attach a copy of declaration certificate Off Days Please specify whether morning, evening or state the date of issue Date on which the first issue was brought out Any special edition Price per copy Annual subscription Editorial Objectives and policy Appeal to any special community, class or section News services subscribed to Special regular features (i.e Womens or Children page etc) & when appearing Liam Wallace is one of those people who can get on any bike and shred it to pieces. During our time with Liam, he stomped tech BMX lines, flowed through jumps, threw down some big tricks, and pinned downhill with the occasional trail speed tuck without breaking a sweat. Liam Wallace Jarret Moore's laid back style in life translates to his riding. Looking chill while he tears through some loam, he not only shreds but also truly loves to ride. J.P. Maffret plus his brakeless hardtail is like watching art in motion, he threw down some insane tech and creative lines for "Keep It Real". J.P. Maffret Matt Macduff needs no introduction, his style and personality are infectious, his wisdom and energy inspiring, and his skill on a bike was incredible to witness first hand. Despite setbacks and adversity, Matt was all smiles and good times and still managed to stack clips! Nearing the end of the trip shooting for Keep It Real, Andrew and I spent a week with Noah Brousseau, his energy and good vibes were exactly what we needed to get the job done, Andrew and Noah put together an all-time segment and we had many good times while doing it. Noah Brousseau Reilly Horan rides like his life depends on it. Aside from seeming indestructible, taking crashes that would put most people out, he put together one hell of a segment. And he is probably the most chill, humble guy you will meet in mountain biking. Reilly Horan Corbin Selfe, a very talented dirt jumper, dedicated to riding. His style can best be described as calculated, clicked, dialed, stomped, throwing down some impressive riding for his seggy. Corbin Selfe's back yard. Stephane Pelletier's riding is probably the closest thing to surfing on a mountain bike, getting tubular on waves of dirt, keeping it real for his part. Spending the summer in sandals, tie-dye tanks, and a camera in hand, Andrew Young committed a good chunk of 2015 living to make 'Keep It Real' a reality. A movie that reminds us that riding bikes is one of the realest experiences you can have. In the summer of 2015, Andrew Young, fresh out of film school, set out to shoot a mountain bike movie shot primarily on 16mm film. He compiled a list of talented riders from across Canada, picked shoot locations in British Columbia and Alberta, and with the help of a successful crowdsource fundraiser along with his own personal savings, left his job and pursued his vision. Keep It Real is a documentation of what happens when people with overlapping passions get together and share the stoke of a shared vision.If you still haven't seen Keep It Real, you can watch the full-length film below and be sure to check out Andrew Young 's profile for more rad videos. I don't think anyone misses the point of Mr. Hartman's letters (Mailbag, Jan. 7) regarding violence. It's easily summed up. Obfuscation! Carefully crafted. Mr. Hartman carefully selects his "evidence," then presents it from a carefully delineated perspective in order to make his highly contrived point. Presumably, it naturally follows that we are to meekly accept the occasional classroom full of massacred school kids because (according to Mr. Hartman) of a "preponderance of responsible gun owners." Those 26 kids and adults at Sandy Hook were not massacred by swords, hammers, choking, poison, or any of the other means on Mr. Hartman's list. The issue is guns and gun ownership! Plain and simple. It seems to me that if Mr. Hartman (or anybody else) wants to call himself a "responsible gun owner" he would take responsibility and support laws demanding responsible, adult civilian gun ownership. Much the same way that old NRA (of which I was a member: I come from a family with a strong gun tradition) did prior to 1977, before Mr. Harlan Carter of Texas took over and before the NRA became the gun merchants' marketing lapdog. Thus, turning civilian gun ownership in this country from a proud American tradition into a national disgrace with the blessing of all the "responsible gun owners" everywhere. Or, to say it all much more eloquently than I ever could, right here: http://blog.sfgate.com/morford/2015/10/02/shooting-up-america/#photo-692717 Bill Halsey Albany (Jan. 10) Sunday Briefing: Ukraine's "LEXER1986" Wins Sunday Million for $185K January 12, 2016 Matthew Pitt Editor With the 2016 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in full swing, it would be easy to forget that the online poker world is still rolling along and that huge prizes are played for while a large section of the community is battling in the Bahamas. The biggest prize of the weekend is nestled in the PokerStars account of Ukraines LEXER1986 who took down the January 10, 2016 edition of the Sunday Million. LEXER1986 outlasted 5,988 opponents, including Canadas AlexS1 to get his hands on the juicy $185,661.70 first-place prize. Australias Matthew mjw006 Wakeman was another PokerStars players helping himself to a sizable sum on Sunday thanks to winning the Sunday 500 for a cool $57,468.75. Wakeman defeated Bulgarias Dimitar trionojnika Yosifov heads-up for the title. It was a star-studded table that saw TanTanSWE finish third for $30,650.00, Ondrej Vinkyy Vinkalrek bust in fifth place for $16,091.25, and Ryan I need sheet Yu fall in sixth place for $13,026.25. Other notable PokerStars Sunday Majors scores include: Mortan23 who won the Sunday Warm-Up for $54,009.54 after a four-way deal who won the Sunday Warm-Up for $54,009.54 after a four-way deal Ron Jov 7 who won the Sunday Rebuy for $38,367.00 who won the Sunday Rebuy for $38,367.00 fred_volpe who finished third in the Sunday Rebuy for $20,706.00 who finished third in the Sunday Rebuy for $20,706.00 Apotheosis92 who won the Bigger $109 for $38,320.72 who won the Bigger $109 for $38,320.72 RodRish who won the Sunday 2nd Chance for $36,540.00 who won the Sunday 2nd Chance for $36,540.00 ShellyCalls who won the Sunday Supersonic for $45,726.01 Over at PokerStars sister site, Full Tilt, Roger Snusarn1 Wassberg helped himself to $9,508.35 by winning the Sunday Brawl; his winnings were boosted by him busting 17 opponents along the way, each worth $50 cash. The final table of the $250 buy-in Sunday Major would not have looked out of place in a tournament 10-times the size, just take a look at who was at it. Place Player Prize 1 Juan Malakastyle Pardo Dominguez $12,090.00 2 TheDegenFund $9,000.00 3 jokai22 $6,600.00 4 Antonio jonwayne69 Gonzalez $4,800.00 5 Joao joaoMATHIAS Mathias Baumgarten $3,600.00 6 nshhsnnsh $2,700.00 7 Jonathan xMONSTERxDONGx Karamalikis $2,100.00 8 cbart_05 $1,590.00 9 S1THL0RD $1,230.00 888poker, which will soon run the $2,000,000 guaranteed Super XL Series, continues to run some awesome tournaments with ever-growing prize pools. One such prize pool, $154,000 to be exact, saw the lions share distributed to OTwenty and peterpan_33. after they chopped the $120,000 Mega Deep for $24,479.11 and $23,953.89 respectively. Finlands nastymake emerged victorious in the $50,000 TURBO Mega Deep for a $11,726.10, with Denmarks B0H7J1M1RS3 winning the $100,000 Sunday Challenge for $19,937.15; the Dane recently broke through the $3 million mark for online tournament winnings. The $150,000 Guaranteed High Roller at partypoker was chopped heads-up this week with the duo walking away with $25,316.94 and $23,088.07. The champion was OurodeTold, which translates as Fools Gold, with the runner-up being trixibelle1. Also in the winners circle was Akira Clutch_Hero Ohyama, who defeated JWPRODIGY11 heads-up for the $9,205 first-place prize in the $50,000 Weigh-In. Rounding out the Sunday Briefing this week is the largest score on partypoker this week, one worth $27,990.00. This is the tidy sum claimed by NightCatX who finished on top of a 1,555-strong field in the $109 buy-in $150,000 guaranteed Main Event. Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+! Douglas County (NE) District Court Judge James Gleason (Photo: KETV screen shot) Late Friday, Douglas County (NE) District Court Judge James Gleason issued an order, affirming his ban on police carrying guns into court, even as part of their uniform. "I think it is a sad situation if our law enforcement personnel identify themselves, not by their presence, but rather by the presence of their firearms," Gleason wrote in the order. The question dates back to December, when Omaha police officers refused to take the stand without their firearms during a hearing on a motion to suppress evidence. Gleason postponed the proceeding and sought input from the Omaha Police Department and city attorneys. "They're on-duty, sworn law enforcement officers," Schmaderer told KETV NewsWatch 7 after the meeting with Gleason. "They're trained to react in the event their services are needed to protect the public, and that can happen in the confines of a courtroom or that could happen in the confines of walking to their car." In his ruling, Gleason noted the Douglas County Sheriff's Office is the only agency charged with courthouse security. The county judge also held up Omaha's federal courthouse as an example. Wounded NYPD Officer Sherrod Stuart is visited in the hospital by Commissioner Bill Bratton. (Photo: screen shot from New York Daily News video) An NYPD officer was shot in the leg Saturday in a wild gun battle in the Bronx that ended with the wounded cop shooting the suspect four times, police said. The shootout erupted at 2:10 a.m. after Officer Sherrod Stuart, 25, arrived at the scene of a massive street fight in Mott Haven involving combatants armed with guns, knives and bats, police said. More than 15 rounds were fired as Stuart, who was shot in his right ankle, and other officers exchanged fire with Christopher Rice, 19. Struck by Stuarts bullets in the neck, abdomen, thigh and hand, Rice was taken to Lincoln Hospital in serious condition. Rice got into the gunfight just three hours after he was released from jail following an arrest on a fare-beating charge, police told the New York Daily News. Canton Officer Ryan Davis comforts Jethro, his K9 partner who was shot several times early Saturday morning. The dog succumbed to his wounds on Sunday. (PhotoL Canton PD) Jethro, the Canton, OH, Police K-9 shot while foiling a burglary attempt early Saturday morning, has died. The Canton Police Department posted this on its Facebook page Sunday morning: "It is with heavy hearts that we must tell you all that we lost Jethro. He took a sudden turn for the worse and has passed." Officer Ryan Davis, with Jethro, was responding to a burglar alarm at Fishers Foods at 1272 Harrison Ave. SW. Jethro was shot during a confrontation with the suspected burglar, who also was shot in the ankle and is in police custody, CantonRep.com reports. Theres not a doubt in my mind that that dog saved officers lives, Police Chief Bruce Lawver said Saturday. The Pennsylvania State Police commander who helped lead the manhunt and capture of accused cop-killer Eric Frein has been demoted and stripped of his rank. Lt. Col. George Bivens, the public face of law enforcement during the grueling, weeks-long hunt for Frein, who was wanted for ambushing two troopers, in 2014, will "revert to the rank of major" and be reassigned to head the agency's Bureau of Gaming Enforcement, according to an email sent Friday morning to agency employees. Two people familiar with the move, which takes effect late next week, told Philly.com Bivens was forced out as the agency's second-in-command by Gov. Wolf's most recent choice to lead the state police, Tyree C. Blocker. Bivens, a well-liked and respected veteran among the agency's roughly 4,600 troopers and 1,600 civilians, was asked to retire or revert to a lower rank, the sources said. When Bivens refused to leave, he was reassigned. He was not given a reason for the change. Alex Douglass, the trooper who survived the ambush Frein is accused of committing, said Friday that he was shocked by Bivens' demotion. . Lobmeyr-Hof, the first apartment complex in Vienna and one of the earliest in the world had been mostly vacant for more than 20 years. The history of Lobmeyr-Hof is quite interesting but beyond the scope of this essay. Lobmeyr-Hof is located in the 16th District of Vienna named Ottakring. It's one of the oldest working class quarters of the city which today is home of many immigrants from ex-Yugoslavia, Turkey and Poland. Lobmeyr-Hof was owned by the Vienna Housing Authority which is a city government agency. Like most capitalist cities, housing is expensive in Vienna. Yet the city of Vienna holds an empty apartment complex in which thousands of people could be adequately housed. I liked Lobmeyr-Hof. I appreciated how it was the template for most of the thousands of apartment complexes in New York City. The Austrian word for apartment complexes is " Wohnpark " or Housing Park in English. Lobmeyr-Hof was similar in architecture as Vienna University Campus. Lobmeyr-Hof was a square of ten 4 story apartment buildings built in a rectangle on the perimeter. Within the perimeter was a large yard with grass, benches, flowerbeds and playground. New York City copied the "Wohnpark" style of mass housing from Lobmeyr-Hof which I appreciated personally as I mostly grew up in apartment complexes in New York such as Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village . My heart was so much into this occupation that I drafted the manifesto of the occupation in English. After 5 days the Vienna Housing Authority decided to evict us. The elite tactical police squad "Wega" or the Special Unit was dispatched. We had been prepared for such an eventuality. A couple of days before the eviction, we had erected barricades. There was a radical protester from France who had spent most of his young life engaging in environmental direct action occupations in his country. He supervised the construction of the barricades. Always leave it to the French to handle the logistics of front line barricades. The day that we had expected the eviction nothing happened. Another day had passed and still no action. We had let our guard down and of course the police arrived early the next morning. I awoke in an apartment with some friends early one morning and immediately knew that we were surrounded. The police had the entire complex surrounded from the outside. The fire brigade were also on hand. We had been split into two groups. The first group had occupied one building and we had occupied the neighboring one. Each group separately decided that it would be best to run up to the roof and make our stand there. I panicked. My worst nightmare was upon me. I had managed to avoid getting arrested. I was arrested once before working as a journalist in Montreal but generally I had a squeaky clean record. Not only was I afraid of the police but I was and still am terrified of jail and prison. Most importantly, I value my freedom. Being locked up is my single biggest nightmare. A criminal record also hinders one's freedom of travel. Now I was caught with no place to run. It was only a matter of time before the police would reach us. Upon the roof it was windy and raining. This lasted for 20 minutes before the rain stopped. The sun appeared and with each passing hour the temperature increased. We could see the other group on the roof on the other side. It took the police more than 3 hours to get through all the barricades. We could hear the constant and tedious clanging of battering rams slowly making progress. It seemed to take one hour for the police to break through each barricade. For no less than 45 minutes was the repetitive sound of: CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! If you appreciate this content please donate by clicking on the donate button on the main page. By Der Kosmonaut12 January 2016It was in Vienna where I overcame my fear of the police. It was during Spring and summer 2011 when the entire world was in a mass social and political tumult from the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia through the Indignados protest movement in Spain to which ultimately three months later became the Occupy Wall Street resistance which spread across North America with varying degrees of success I had just returned to Vienna after a full year living and traveling in most of ex-Yugoslavia. Down on my luck and bored I decided to get involved with Acampa Vienna, which was the solidarity protest with the Indignados in Spain. Acampa Vienna fist occupied an area of the park in Karlsplatz . Incredibly the occupation went mostly unnoticed and unhindered by the authorities. It was only after the Austrian secret police known as the Staatspolizei (roughly State Police in English) noticed Acampa Vienna did the city authorities decide to act. A senior civil servant from the city showed up only to make nasty insults and childish threats.It was decided by the demonstrators that Karlsplatz was too big a public space to occupy. Given the size of Karlsplatz the occupation encampment could be missed by most people passing through or by the park. The campus of Vienna University was selected as the next site of occupation. The Vienna University Campus is roughly 1 KM from the main university building. The campus is compromised entirely of the former General Hospital of Vienna. The campus is essentially a square of buildings which line the perimeter of the streets with a large enclosed yard with pedestrian walkways, grass and trees. The Campus was definitely much cozier than Karlsplatz. Within a couple of days an administrator from the university came down to the encampment. He had heard all sorts of outrageous accusations made against the occupation. After asserting that these were lies and explaining what the occupation was about, did the administrator give us four more days to leave.The next day came a senior uniformed police officer. He calmly approached the encampment with the most bored look on his face. By observing the bars and other insignia one could discern he was a senior officer. Perhaps a captain. He was uncharacteristically sloppy in appearance. His trousers and his shirt were one size too big for him and his police bill was just slightly crooked on top his head. First he checked out the overall scene. He observed people sleeping, sitting, writing and talking. Then he looked at each sign, poster and banner. He seemed to take an interest in the texts and content of the signs. Though his police presence and his sloppy appearance made him seemed dimwitted, his eyes revealed lucid comprehension. This was confirmed by what he said."This is philosophy. This is all about philosophy." The policeman said in German."What?" was the general response of the protesters."This is a philosophical struggle." The policeman countered with increasing bored detachment."What do mean?" was the follow up question by an increasingly perplexed group."This is a struggle about what type of economy and social system there should be." The policeman explained. "There is a struggle now of competing philosophies. This occupation is about one philosophy against another." The policeman concluded.We were left speechless. With that the senior policeman walked away. He didn't yell, insult or threaten. He didn't make an ass of himself. Something exceedingly rare with the Austrian police. He didn't even ask to see anyone's identification. The senior policeman understood that he was not dealing with any criminal activity. Certainly there wasn't a terrorist plot being hatched. Moreoever, we weren't threatening the public. He looked at us as real people and realized that none of us were the normal criminal segment of the population that the police normally deal with. Most importantly, he understood our philosophy. We were squarely in the camp of Humanism and Rationalism. Indeed, our demands were nothing new in Austria. These were the same demands that the Austrian Social Democrats had presented a century earlier. At the end of the day, we were no different than the Austrian Social Democrats of the latter half of the 19th century. It does seem to be the case that the senior police officers in Austria are very educated while the vast majority of the rank and file constables in the country are morons.We eventually shut down Acampa Vienna as it didn't gain any traction. There was no need ever for the police to intervene. The circle of activists decided that it was time to open up a new squat. Locations were scouted throughout the city. Squats used to occur quite frequently in Vienna for nearly 15 yearsThen came the sounds of wood breaking and metal crashing. This was followed by another 45 minutes of monotonous industrial metal on metal.Meanwhile I sat calmly subdued on the roof. I was certain that my goose was cooked. The following thoughts raced across my mind:After more than 3 hours the police finally appeared on the roof. They were in full riot gear. The leader of the group came up to us. Normally under the circumstances one would expect the police to say something along the following lines: "You are under arrest!" "You are commanded to leave the premises immediately." "This is an illegal assembly!" "You are trespassing and therefore under arrest." "We got you now you hippie anarchist motherfuckers! We're going to fuck you up!"No. Nothing remotely close to that was said by the leader of his police group as they came upon us. Instead he said: "Der Spaist vorbei. Geh schon!" (The fun is over. Go already!) Seeing that we didn't immediately move he repeated: "Geh schon!" as he indicated with his gloved fingers to leave. The police opened the hatch to the roof and additional officers on the floor below put up a ladder."Geh schon!" The policeman repeated as his finger pointed down to the hatch we were to exit through. A young Anarchist Austrian resisted leaving."Geh schon!", repeated the policeman.The Austrian Anarchist resisted more. He was picked up and pushed down the hatch. Then an Austrian born Iranian Kurd from Burgenland went down on her own free volition. I followed suit. I descended down the ladder. I stepped off and turned around. To my horror the building corridor was lined with a gauntlet of cops in full riot gear. I gulped. This was it! I was going to be whacked and slammed going through the gauntlet. Confronted with this spectacle I uttered the best imitation of aristocratic Viennese High German from Hietzing which I could conjure up. "(Good Morning!) I greeted the gauntlet of police in perfect Hochdeutsch.To my complete amazement the entire squad replied in the most courteous and respectful manner: "Two officers in riot gear grabbed me firmly but gently by my biceps on either side and we began walking. I waited for the inevitable tap by a stick or a nasty racist insult at the very least. Nothing happened. I was slowly escorted by the two officers down the stairs, out the building door into the inner courtyard. There I saw and made eye contact with the Vienna Housing Authority Commissioner. She was some Vienna SPOe Party hack. To her credit, she was neither nasty nor reactionary. I was escorted through the courtyard through the main gate to the complex and then out on the street. Upon exiting the complex we turned right. There was a cameraman there and as soon as I had stepped out, he trained his camera on to me. I thought it was the Staatspolizei. If it was the Thought Police, I wanted to look straight into the camera and show how much contempt that I had for them. Later I found out that it was the state news broadcaster ORF. Not surprisingly they didn't show my face during that evening's news broadcast.The two officers escorted me on to a side street and took me up to a van. They relieved themselves of me. A female officer asked for my papers. I gave her my passport. I was kept waiting for 20 minutes as they checked me out and determined what to do with me. My passport was handed back to me. I was free to go.Just like that I overcame my fear of the police. I had been in a position of extreme vulnerability and powerlessness. I expected the worst, yet the best resulted instead.However, while I was spared the rod one of my friends was slashed by a baton on his upper back below his neck. He was left with a minor bruise but nothing severe enough to prove "excessive force". He himself was a blonde Austrian from Steiermar k. They were polite with the Black foreigner but took a jab at the white native. Most likely he was punished by the cops for behavior unbecoming of an Aryan.The icing on the cake was that there were no arrests at all. When everyone was accounted for, we went directly from there en masse by U-Bahn to occupy Green Party Headquarters in the 7th District of Neubau. Three months later Epizentrum was occupied and evicted after nearly 30 days. The rest is history.Since that time I've had encounters with the police in other places . While I'm still leery of the police, I no longer fear them. I'm quite aware of the powers of life and death which they have. I cannot be blind to see what's happening all around the world, in the USA in particular, with the epidemic of police violence and murder . However, one must not be afraid of them. In spite of their power, they are human beings equal to me. One shouldn't live in fear of any other person. Submitting to them through fear only diminishes your own self. It's like being in an environment with poisonous animals. Simply being afraid is not going to help you survive. Being cautious yet operating from a sense of fearlessness and confidence in your own awareness of consciousness. The world has always been a deadly place. Injury and death can afflict any living being within an instant. Being aware of the dangers and confronting in self defense those beings that go out of their way to harm you. We live in a police state. We must acknowledge that. We cannot be afraid of it. We have to change it. Norfolk PD K-9 Krijger was killed in a barricade incident Sunday. (Photo: Facebook) A Norfolk, VA, police K-9 was shot and killed during an officer-involved shooting Sunday night. Police say shortly before 6 p.m., officers were called to a residential area after receiving reports of a man with a weapon and a domestic dispute between a husband and wife. According to investigators, the woman managed to escape the home and the man barricaded himself inside the house. Negotiators were called to the scene to reason with the man, 58-year-old Keith Richardson, but police say he refused to leave the home Police say Richardson came out of the house after several hours of unsuccessful negotiations, armed with a handgun. Norfolk Police Dog Krijger, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois, was used to attempt to apprehend Richardson. Richardson reportedly shot and killed Krijger, before he raised his threat to officers at the scene. An officer shot Richardson. Richardson is in critical condition at a hospital and remains in police custody, WAVY TV reports. A Maryland appeals court on Tuesday set March 4 for arguments over whether a Baltimore police officer charged in the death of a black detainee must testify against a colleague accused of murder in the same case, reports Reuters. The scheduling by the Maryland Court of Special Appeals could disrupt the months-long timetable for six Baltimore officers facing trial for the death of Freddie Gray in April. His death from a broken neck suffered in a police van triggered protests and rioting and fed a U.S. debate on race and policing. The appeals court on Monday ordered a delay in the trial of Officer Caesar Goodson Jr., the van's driver, while it determines whether Officer William Porter should be compelled to testify against him and Sergeant Alicia White. Officer Jesse Hartnett (Photo: Philadelphia Police) Federal and local authorities are continuing to investigate a tipster's claim that Edward Archer, the man charged in the shooting of Philadelphia Police Officer Jesse Hartnett, was part of a small group of men with radical beliefs, officials said Monday. Homicide Capt. James Clark said that after a weekend of investigating, authorities have been unable to substantiate the tip, delivered to police by a woman who warned that "the threat to police is not over," and said Archer was associated with a group of three other men more radical than he, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. "We're investigating it, but we haven't found anything yet," Clark said. He and other officials said they take such information seriously and are actively investigating Archer and his background. Archer, 30, of Yeadon, ambushed the officer late Thursday, emptying the magazine of a stolen 9mm police firearm into Hartnett's patrol car and hitting him three times in an arm. Archer later confessed to carrying out the shooting "in the name of Islam," and told investigators he had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. The department's Homeland Security Unit and the FBI's Terrorism Task Force are working on the investigation. In response to Saturday night's tip, the department ordered all officers to patrol in pairs until further notice. Portfolio English Edition's premium content is available only for subscribers Learn about the hottest news of the day, along with immediate follow-up analyses and 1000's of exclusive articles with full access to the premium content. Register and apply for a 14 days free trial period. The law was clear: Cliven Bundy's cattle had been grazing on public land illegally for years. The Bureau of Land Management said so, and so did the U.S. Department of Justice. The federal courts agreed. But when the BLM tried to enforce the law, by seizing the Nevada rancher's livestock in 2014, a ragtag band of armed men rode to Bundy's defense. After a standoff in the desert, federal officials released Bundy's cattle and retreated, soundly defeated. Almost two years later, as Bundy's sons Ammon and Ryan and another small group of men with guns threatens a similar showdown by refusing to leave an Oregon wildland refuge, Cliven Bundy still owes the government more than $1 million in grazing fees. Both cases have raised uncomfortable questions about whether the Bundys are getting off easy and about what happens when demonstrators prevent the government from enforcing its own laws. The standoff in Oregon has drawn the attention of Black Lives Matter activists who have protested law enforcement's regular use of deadly force across the nation, with seemingly little effect on the number of police shootings. The government, meanwhile, isn't saying much about what it's doing to get the money Bundy owes. ADVERTISEMENT Federal officials seem to have shied away from confrontation to avoid recreating the bloody standoffs in Waco, Texas, and Ruby Ridge, Idaho, in the 1990s, which galvanized anti-government radicals like 1995 Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. "The two (Bundy standoffs), I think, are indicative of a problem, and that is: When you have people who are publicly proclaiming their defiance of the law and doing it in a potentially violent way, how do you deal with it?" said Patrick Shea, former director of the BLM from 1997 to 1999, who was the first to sue Cliven Bundy for illegal grazing. "Because if you deal with it an incorrect manner, like at Waco or Ruby Ridge, you tend to enhance their status as martyrs," Shea said. In Bundy's case, the 2014 showdown stemmed from the rancher's belief that federal lands belong to the states because of state sovereignty. In November 1998, a federal judge permanently banned Bundy, whose ranch is located about 90 miles north of Las Vegas, from grazing his livestock on a swath of federal land known as the Bunkerville Allotment and ordered him to remove his cattle by the end of the month. Bundy didn't. Instead, he allowed his cattle to graze on even broader areas of federal land run by the BLM and the National Park Service. In May 2012, federal attorneys sued Bundy to stop his "unauthorized and unlawful" grazing of livestock on federal lands, which they said contain archaeological sites, sensitive and rare plants, and the desert tortoise, a threatened and protected species. Officials complained that Bundy had set up corrals and water tanks on the public lands and that his cattle had caused accidents and near-misses after wandering onto public roads. ADVERTISEMENT In their 2012 request for a restraining order, federal officials noted that they had "no adequate" legal means to "address the continuous and persistent unlawful conduct" by Bundy. Bundy told the court he had broken no law, and in one January 2013 filing that he apparently wrote himself, he said he had been "defamed" by the federal government, accusing officials of insinuating that he was threatening violence. "It tries to twist out of context Defendant's words that he will do 'Whatever it takes' to protect his property," Bundy's motion for dismissal said. "Even their record over the years shows Defendant has never been violent and has been very vocal in the public speaking area, exercising his Firstt Amendment Right to free speech and the ability to exercise civil protest against the government." U.S. District Judge Lloyd D. George disagreed and ruled against Bundy in July 2013. But this time, George's ruling gave federal officials the power to seize Bundy's livestock to enforce the law, which is when the real trouble began. Hundreds of protesters, many of them armed, set up camp near Bundy's herd. In one tense staredown between the protesters and federal agents, both sides had guns at the ready, and photographers captured at least one Bundy supporter aiming his rifle at agents. After the armed confrontation, BLM Director Neil Kornze said on April 12, 2014, that the bureau would release the cattle because of "our serious concern about the safety of employees and members of the public." "After 20 years and multiple court orders to remove the trespass cattle, Mr. Bundy owes the American taxpayers in excess of $1 million," Kornze said. "The BLM will continue to work to resolve the matter administratively and judicially." ADVERTISEMENT But in the year and a half since then, it's not clear what has been done. When asked for comment about the Bundy case, a BLM spokesman gave the Los Angeles Times the same statement it has been handing out for months. "The Bureau of Land Management remains resolute in addressing issues involved in efforts to gather Mr. Bundy's cattle and we are pursuing the matter through the legal system," the statement says. "The Department of Justice has the lead on any investigation of federal crimes that may have been committed. Our primary goal remains to resolve this matter safely and according to the rule of the law." No criminal charges have been filed against Bundy, and a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Nevada declined as a matter of Department of Justice policy to say whether any were being considered. Clark County records showed no tax liens levied against Bundy or his ranch. "Nothing, basically, has happened there," said Aaron Weiss, spokesman for the Center for Western Priorities, a public lands and energy watchdog that opposes Bundy's views on federal land. "It's definitely a shame that he's still been allowed to keep grazing and basically suffer no consequences despite the fact that he still owes $1 million to taxpayers." Weiss said the Bundy showdown also set the stage for the Oregon standoff, which was prompted by prison sentences handed to Oregon ranchers who had set fires on federal lands. "The fact that there's been no consequences has emboldened these militia groups," Weiss said. "Some laws have clearly been broken here, and some people are going to have to pay the consequences for that. We certainly hope everyone here gets held accountable for what they've done." Cliven Bundy, who has kept a low profile during his sons' showdown in Oregon, did not respond to phone messages seeking comment. But statements attributed to him on his ranch's Facebook page showed he was supporting his sons as well as their cause: the return of federally owned lands to local jurisdictions. Thought experiment: What happens if Hillary Clinton is, mirabile dictu, indicted for her crimes? Yes, I knowthats why I called it a thought experiment. Still, it could happen, or at least if the FBI recommends prosecution and the Justice Department declines to indict, it might be enough to cause a crisis that even the Clintons cant overcome. What happens then? Surely the Democratic establishment wont want to head to the fall with Bernie Sanders as their standard-bearer. (And Martin OMushly isnt a very good fallback position either.) Vice President Joe Biden is the obvious Plan B for the Democratic Party, and theres no doubt the party would change the nomination rules if it has to in order to put Slow Joe in the fast lane. Its been done before. In 1968, when LBJ dropped out early in the primary season but definitely wanted to prevent the hated Bobby Kennedy from getting the nomination and effecting The Restoration, the party establishment got behind Vice President Humphrey, who won the nomination that year without entering a single primary. To be sure, the rules were changed after that to enable George McGovern to get the nomination four years later, but theres no reason Democrats cant change them again in a crisis. Just ask New Jersey voters and Frank Lautenberg. Last night Biden appeared on CNN and sounded like a man keeping his options open, and moreover tilting in favor of Sanders. Hasnt he got the memo that the party establishment is trying to clear the road for Hillary? Biden said all the wrong things at a moment when polls suddenly show Sanders gaining on Hillary in Iowa and New Hampshire. If Hillary loses both of those early contests, it might be over for her. Biden: Vice President Joe Biden offered effusive praise for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders Monday, lauding Hillary Clintons chief rival for doing a heck of a job on the campaign trail and praising Sanders for offering an authentic voice on income inequality. I just dont have it in me to read Sean Penns Rolling Stone article about Mexican druglord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman. Its Rolling Stone, after all; the home of accurate, quality reporting. And Sean Penn. Ill just go with Ian Tuttles assessment over at National Review, and Monica Showalter at IBD. But if it is true that Penn inadvertently led authorities to capture Guzman and send him back to the Pen, I think Penn may need better bodyguards very soon. Three years ago in this space, however, I indulged a dramatic reading of one of Penns contributions to the Puffington Host, that time about the wonderful Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. This seems as good an occasion as any to recycle that video: We wrote here, here and elsewhere about the mass sexual assaults that occurred across Germany, often in conjunction with robberies of young women, on New Years eve. All or substantially all of the assaults were committed by Islamic immigrants, in many instances just-admitted refugees. It is hard to say which is more appalling, the mass sexual assaults or the efforts by Germanys officials at all levels to cover them up. The same thing has happened across much of Europe. This report, from the Associated Press, relates to Sweden: Swedish police faced allegations of a cover-up Monday for failing to inform the public of widespread sexual assaults against teenage girls at a music festival last summer. Police hadnt mentioned the August incidents at the We are Sthlm festival until newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported on them this weekend following a string of sexual assaults and robberies on New Years Eve in Cologne, Germany. Stockholm police spokesman Varg Gyllander confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday there was a large number of sexual assaults during the five-day festival and that scores of suspects were detained. He said police should have reported on the incidents at the time given the nature of the crime. It is really extraordinary: there were widespread sexual assaults against teenage girls last summer, but the Swedish press made a conscious decision to kill the story. Gyllander couldnt confirm the ethnicity of the alleged attackers in Stockholm but said this involves young men who are not from Sweden. Roger Ticoalu, who heads the city governments events department, told the AP that a large part of those detained were from Afghanistan, many carrying temporary ID-cards issued to asylum-seekers. He said about 20 teenage girls filed complaints of sexual assault and that about 200 suspects were detained and ejected from the festival for sexual assault and other offenses. It wasnt immediately clear whether any of them were arrested and charged. In Sweden as in Germany, these assaults were planned and coordinated by a considerable number of young Muslim men. Why did Swedens news media keep the assaults secret until now? Dagens Nyheter cited police officials saying Swedish police are reluctant to speak publicly about crimes linked to migrants for fear of playing into the hands of the far-right Sweden Democrats, an anti-immigration party whose support has surged to about 20 percent in opinion polls. Sure: its better that Swedens young women be sexually assaulted than to allow far-right parties to be proven correct. (In Europe, far right means not crazy about mass immigration from non-Western countries.) This is the same mentality that led to the cover-up in Germany. What I find inexplicable is the European liberals lack of concern for the young women who have been violated. In their political calculations, the women do not appear to figure at all. Its almost like they were all Kennedys or Clintons. Earlier today, Glenn Reynolds reported on an awful story from the United States that is quite different from the incidents in Germany, Sweden, etc., but raises some of the same issues. An 18-year-old girl was in a Brooklyn park with her father. They were approached by five African-American men who drove off the father by pointing a gun at him. By the time he could summon help, all five had raped his daughter. One could respond to this story in a number of ways, but one possibility is: the father should have been armed. Glenn comments: Too bad he didnt have a gun but the New York authorities would have treated him worse than theyll probably treat these rapists. Because they dont really care what happens to citizens, but violating gun laws is a threat to their authority. Interesting point: as in Europe, New Yorks political class doesnt really care what happens to citizens. Its all about their power. In Europe, that power is threatened by far right parties that speak for the people on the issue of immigration. The far right parties concerns are obviously valid, which is why the authorities, in conjunction with Europes captive press, deliberately suppress news that conflicts with the official left-wing narrative. Things are better here, but only a little. Public sector unions are probably, nationwide, the number one obstacle to progress. Today a critically important case relating to public employee unions, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, was argued in the Supreme Court. My colleague Kim Crockett, who works with me at the Center of the American Experiment, is a leading voice in Minnesota on employee freedom. She was at the Supreme Court this morning to support Rebecca Friedrichs and follow the arguments. This is her report: I spent the morning on the steps of our Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. standing with and for a teacher named Rebecca Friedrichs. Mrs. Friedrichs, a dedicated fourth grade teacher from California, is suing to end forced agency fees paid to the teachers unions (Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association). She believes they violate her First Amendment rights. Talk about a David versus Goliath contest! Rebecca Friedrichs team was up against the resources and power of organized labor, the federal government and the State of California. Nevertheless, early reports are encouraging. Mrs. Friedrichs had about 100 people at her rally, and I would guess about twice that number for the unions, maybe more. It was a smaller and more muted demonstration on the side of unions than I expected. The fair share or agency fee, endorsed by a unanimous Supreme Court in 1977 (Abood v. Detroit Board of Education) is a concession (or booby prize, depending on your point of view) to public employees who do not want to join a union. The idea is that the fee only covers the costs of agencyi.e., the costs of representing non-members in negotiating and enforcing collective bargaining agreements. The fee is not supposed to be spent on politicking. Mrs. Friedrichs wants Abood overruled, arguing that collective bargaining is inherently political, so that there is no way to separate the wheat (representation) from the chaff (politicking). Whether it is wages and benefits, education policy, pension reform, or the inequality debate, the unions are deep into politics and policy, playing a dominant role in Minnesota and across the nation. My friend Vinnie Vernuccio, Director of Labor Policy at the Mackinac Center, put it this way: Whether it is taxpayer dollars funding increased salary and benefits over parks or roads, or public policy issues such as seniority and merit pay, everything government employees do is political. And public workers have a First Amendment right not to support politics they disagree with. Collective bargaining, in the context of public employees, is political speech. While we may have to wait until June for a decision, the mood of court observers today, including Vernuccio, was one of excitement for Friedrichs. Over and over, lawyers I talked to on the Court steps said that it felt like a 5-4 decision for Friedrichs. Going in, there was concern about Justice Scalia (because of an earlier case), but observers report Scalia saying something to the effect that collective bargaining is inherently political, the winning theory of this case. That may be cause for optimism. Even Chief Justice Roberts is reported to have focused his guns on the unions and government, while Justice Kennedy was described by one long-time observer as on fire for the First Amendment. Going in, Friedrichss team was not concerned about Justice Thomas, or Justice Alito. Thomas is a solid supporter (and as is his style, silent today on the bench). Alito, who did not say much today, had essentially invited lawyers to bring this case in two recent decisions involving agency fees. He framed this issue. The left wing of the Court (Ginsburg, Breyer, Kagan and Sotomayor) would seem to be sure votes against Friedrichs, but who knows? Maybe one or two of them will get in touch with their inner rebel. Vernuccio characterized the morning this way: The questions from the justices show that the premise of the case may be upheld: that collective bargaining in the public sector is inherently political. Vernuccio also told me that when the justices asked for examples of collective bargaining issues that are not political, the opposition came up with just one. One lawyer suggested mileage reimbursements, but even that was shot down. This is why much has been written about the Friedrichs case (e.g., my op-ed in the Minneapolis Star Tribune today), and much more will be written, especially if the Courts ruling restores full free speech rights to Mrs. Friedrichs. All hell will break lose on the left and in the mainstream media, but I think the average Joe and Suzy out there will get it. How can the government force a teacher, or any public employee, to support speech to which she objects? Is it required for political leaders (except Trump and Cruz) to deny the presence of Islamic radicalism in instances of obvious Islam-inspired terrorism, such as the shooting in Philadelphia the other day? Philadelphias major Jim Kenney went out of his way to declare In no way, shape or form does anybody in this room believe that Islam or the teaching of Islam had anything to do with the attack. Does the mayor think everyone is stupid? Just because most Philadelphia voters are? Dorothy Rabinowitz nails it in her Wall Street Journal column today, Denying the Obvious About Islamic Terrorism: The mayors comments, so bizarre in their determined denial of the deluge of facts delivered by top police officials standing next to him, were, nonetheless, familiar enough. Americans have learned to expect, after every Islamist terror attack, lectures instructing them that such assaults should in no way be connected to Islamic faith of any kind. To hear the mayor of Philadelphia was to grasp, more clearly than ever, the fury that has led to Donald Trumps success in attracting votersthe fury of citizens who know official lies when they hear them, whether about border security, immigration, or the ever-expanding requirements of multiculturalist dogma. . . On no subject has there been more sermonizing than on Muslims and terrorism and on what the real Islam is and is notno surprise in an administration which has from its outset tended to the apparent view that the American nation is essentially composed of yahoos whose barely controlled instincts to riot require regular monitoring and checks by their enlightened betters. Yup. Cant really say it any better than this. UPDATE: We Told You So, Eastern Europe Tells Germany Leaders of Eastern European states opposed to Germanys open-door refugee policy have been quick to tell Germany we told you so after the Cologne sexual assaults. Influential politicians across Eastern Europe have pointed to the Cologne attacks, in which men of Middle Eastern appearance allegedly sexually assaulted over a hundred women, as proof that Germanys open-door refugee policy has been a mistake. . . Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in his weekly radio interview that it was proof of a crisis of liberalism that reporting of the sexual assaults in Cologne had been suppressed in Germany, adding that the press in Hungary is much freer than that in western Europe. Orban added that Hungary is in the right on the refugee issue and that migration into Europe must be completely stopped. Merkel must go. Osteoporosis is on the rise. The mediical industry does not know what to do about it. However, we do, Osteoporosis PR-Inside.com: 2016-01-12 07:10:12 Press Information Published by James Matthew 1.888.870.5581 e-mail http://miraclealternatives.com # 620 Words James Matthew1.888.870.5581 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:James MatthewMiracle Alternatives, LLC888.870.5581815.854.4601support@ hgllc.co New Lenox, IL, 1/11/2016 A company called Miracle Alternatives, LLC sells over 200 different holistic health machines. 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Read descriptions, read customer testimonials and watch actual product video demonstrations.About Miracle Alternatives, LLC: Miracle Alternatives, LLC has been in business since 2013. They are considered not only the largest holistic health machine company in the world but also considered a pioneer within the world of holistic health machines.Legal disclaimer: Miracle Alternatives, LLC.The success stories are representative outcomes. However, there are no guarantees, promises, representations and/or assurances concerning the level of future results. Furthermore Miracle Alternatives, LLC does not claim and or guarantee the products they sell will prevent or cure any type of sickness, illness, pain, virus and diseases.# # # A suicide bombing on Tuesday in the tourist heart of Istanbul left 10 dead, with officials saying the attacker was a man with links to Syria. Deputy Prime Minister Numan confirmed foreigners were among the dead, but did not specify nationalities. Mr. Numan identified the suspect as a Syrian born in 1988. He said added that of the 15 people injured, two were in serious condition. Meanwhile a source from the office of the Turkish Prime Minister said on condition of anonymity that nine Germans were among the dead in the Sultanahmet area. He said the large blast, which could be heard several kilometres away, took place at around 10:15 am (0815 GMT) in Sultanahmet, home to the Hagia Sophia museum and the Blue Mosque, both major tourist attractions on the European side of the metropolis. The German Foreign Office said it was in touch with the Turkish authorities and was urging citizens to avoid crowded areas in Istanbul. Speaking in Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the terrorist attack and said a person of Syrian origin was the perpetrator, according to initial assessments. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes amid rising violence in Turkey. The authorities blamed three major suicide attacks last year on the Islamic State extremist group, which controls territory in neighbouring Syria and Iraq. The group has never claimed an attack in Turkey. There is also ongoing fighting with Kurdish militants. A large group of police and emergency workers were at the scene after police cordoned off the area near the blast. The government has also imposed a temporary broadcast ban in the wake of the explosion. Turkey which borders both Iraq and Syria, two nations in the throes of civil wars has been facing increasing unrest during the past year. The largest blast in the countrys history took place in October, in Ankara. Two suicide bombers blew themselves up near a train station during a pro-Kurdish peace rally, killing 100 people. Islamic State militants were blamed for that attack, as well as for another suicide blast in July in the south of the country, which left more than 30 people dead. The group never claimed responsibility. Turkey stepped up its fight against Islamic State last year, after a period in which it was criticized for being slow to tackle the threat from the extremist group. The last major terrorist attack in the city took place in 2003, when suspected al-Qaeda-affiliated militants detonated four truck bombs in two days, killing at least 57 people. The attacks targeted Jewish synagogues, a bank and the British consulate. (dpa/NAN) Voltaire To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize No fewer than 24 million children in crisis zones in 22 strife-torn countries are being deprived of education, UN Childrens Fund, UNICEF, has said in a report. The report was released in New York on Tuesday. The analysis highlights that nearly one in four of 109.2 million children of primary and lower secondary school age, aged between six years and 15 years living in conflict areas were missing out on their education. It said South Sudan, which was thrown into turmoil when conflict erupted between President Salva Kiir and his former Vice-President Riek Machar in 2014, had the highest proportion of the number. It added that over half of primary and lower secondary age children had no access to education. The UN agency said Niger was second, followed by Sudan and Afghanistan. It stated that in countries affected by conflict, collecting data on children was difficult and as such the figures might not adequately capture the breadth and depth of the challenge. UNICEF said unless the provision of education in emergencies was prioritised, a generation of children living in conflict would grow up without the skills they needed to contribute to their countries development. It said the situation might exacerbate the already desperate situation for millions of children and their families. The agency said education had continued to be one of the least funded sectors in humanitarian appeals. It said in Uganda, where UNICEF was providing services to South Sudanese refugees, education was facing 89 per cent funding gap. UNICEF said it was working to create safe environments where children could learn and play to restore normalcy to their lives. In spite of these efforts, security restrictions and funding shortfalls are affecting education and the distribution of learning materials in conflict situations, it said. NAN recalls that UN Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown, told reporters during a briefing that 28 million boys and girls were not in school in areas of conflict or emergency. Mr. Brown made a plea for a multi-million dollar humanitarian fund for education in emergencies to be set up for children in conflict areas. (NAN) The hard and soft copies of the 2016 budget documents President Muhammadu Buhari handed over to the National Assembly on December 22, 2015, have been declared missing, PREMIUM TIMES can authoritatively report. The Nigerian Senate was scheduled to commence deliberation on the proposed budget Tuesday (today). But Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, shocked lawmakers at a closed-door session, when he told them the budget documents had been stolen, people familiar with the matter told PREMIUM TIMES. Mr. Ndume, our sources said, explained that deliberation on the budget could therefore not begin until fresh copies of the documents were obtained from the presidency, the Ministry of Finance or that of national planning. The Chairman, Senate Committee of Appropriation, Danjuma Goje, was subsequently mandated to lead a search for the documents and liaise with the presidency, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Ita Enang, and the national planning ministry on the matter. The Senators also resolved that the matter be kept under wraps, saying making it public could embarrass the presidency, the National Assembly and the country. Our sources said senators of the Peoples Democratic Party accused the presidency of being behind the theft of the documents, an accusation rejected by their All Progressives Congress counterparts, who reportedly said it was too early to speculate. Some lawmakers told PREMIUM TIMES they are suspicious that the presidency might have colluded with the management of the National Assembly to quietly withdraw the documents after detecting some discrepancies in them. Can you imagine this kind of national embarrassment? one senator asked. Documents that were presented to us with fanfare have been stolen. The spokesperson for the senate, Aliyu Abdullahi,could not been reached for comments. So also is Mr. Goje, the chairman of the appropriation committee. President Buhari had on December 22,2015 presented a N6.08 trillion budget for the fiscal year 2016 to a joint session of the National Assembly. It was the first time in three years a Nigerian President would personally present a budget before the National Assembly. Copies were however not distributed to lawmakers before they proceeded on Christmas and New Year holidays. But weeks after the budget was presented to lawmakers, there were speculations that Mr. Buhari had withdrawn the documents to enable him to correct some discrepancies, a claim the presidency and the national planning ministry denied. In the budget, capital expenditure takes N1.8 trillion, marking a significant over 300 per cent increment from the 2015 vote of N557 billion. According to the estimate, N396billion is voted for education, being the largest sectoral allocation. The health sector gets N296 billion while defence has N294 billion. The embattled spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday tore a statement he voluntarily made to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission regarding his alleged involvement in the $2.1billion arms fraud being investigated by the anti-graft agency. Those familiar with the matter told PREMIUM TIMES Mr. Metuh tore the statement after it was presented to him by the investigating officer for endorsement, as part of preparations for his prosecution. Rather than sign the document, Metuh on realising the weight of his confession, seized the documents and proceeded to tear them, one of our sources said. He added that the PDP spokesperson later tried to stuff the papers into his mouth in a bid to swallow them when he was stopped by operatives who managed to recovered the torn pieces of papers from him. Another source in the EFCC said the attempt by Mr. Metuh to destroy a major evidence in the case against him was an offence which could attract a separate charge in court. The tearing of statement is tantamount to willful destruction of government property and it is a serious offence, the official said. Also the fact that he obstructed operatives from performing their job is also a criminal offence. We will explore the possibility of filling a separate charge against him at the Federal Capital Territory High Court. The EFCC is accusing Mr. Metuh of receiving N400 million from a former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, who is being prosecuted for allegedly mismanaging $2.1billion meant for arms procurement. Ibrahim Magu, the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, told journalists Monday that Mr. Metuh was demonstrating reluctance to refund the money even after admitting receiving it from Mr. Dasuki. From the records, Metuh got over N400 million, he has not said anything because we need the public money to be returned so that its going to be used for public good, Mr. Magu said during a meeting with online media publishers in Lagos. Also Jafaru Isa, what Dasuki gave him was N170 million. He also agreedof course he has collected that money, he was with us for 4-5 days and then he made a deposit of N100 million and entered an undertaking to bring the rest. That does not mean we will not prosecute him. But this other Metuh, instead of going for a refund, he has admitted he collected money. so instead of he still has the money because the money is too much. Instead of returning the money, he preferred to go on hunger strike. The acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, has urged the media to provide any information that could assist the agencys fight against corruption. Mr. Magu spoke Monday at a meeting with online media publishers and on-air-personalities in Lagos. Such media intelligence will definitely complement the efforts of the EFCC, he said. The media occupies a vantage position to help or hamper the war on corruption in Nigeria. I quite appreciate the importance of the media as a vehicle for social transformation, and the role which some of you played in ushering the current change in our political fortune is well known. The EFCC needs your critical support if we are to make any headway in this important campaign against corruption. My plea for your support is underscored by my understanding that the forces which we are battling are powerful and some of them may want to use all platforms of the media to distract and derail us. If and when they do come to you, please allow the ethics of your profession, your conscience and overriding national interest be your guide, he said. Mr. Magu said the attempt to use the media to portray the commissions anti-graft war as selective was unfortunate. He also said the EFCC was determined to conduct more penetrating investigations to rid the country of all forms of corruption. The times we are in calls for vigilance by all, more so for the media. I call on you to be our eyes and ears in the corners where you operate Mr. Magu said. The EFCC is a very small organization which cannot be everywhere. You will be complementing the commission when you play the role of whistle blowers. Anywhere you see corruption, let us know about it, he said. The EFCC boss urged the media to enhance their credibility by keeping their platforms away from unscrupulous individuals who have reasons other than the national interest as their motivation. The federal government says Lassa fever has claimed 41 lives from 93 reported cases in 10 states of the country. The federal government on Friday put the death toll at 40 out of 86 reported cases of Lassa fever outbreak in same 10 states. The number of the suspected cases also rose from 86 last week to 93. The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, confirmed this in Abuja on Tuesday at a joint ministerial news conference on the update of the outbreak of the disease. However, Mr. Adewole said there were no new confirmed cases or deaths in the last 48 hours. He did not disclose the states from where another life was lost. In the last 48 hours, the government raised a four-man expert committee, chaired by Professor Michael Asuzu, to visit Kano, Niger and Bauchi, the three most endemic states. The committee will embark on a fact finding mission, assess the current situation, document response experiences, identify gaps and proffer recommendations on how to prevent future occurrences, Mr. Adewole, a professor, said. The minister assured the public the task of the committee was not to apportion blame but rather to document lessons learnt for better planning of an affective responsive. According to Mr. Adewole, part of the long term response is to establish an inter-ministerial committee to deliver a final blow on Lassa fever and other related diseases. The committee comprises the ministers of Education, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Environment, Information and Culture as well as Health. Mr. Adewole advised communities to improve on their hygiene, including food hygiene and food protection practices. He also urged the public to avoid contact with rodents as well as food contaminated with rats secretions and excretions. Avoid drying food in the open and along roadsides. It is also important to cover all foods to prevent rodent contamination, he said. The minister said affected states had been advised to intensify awareness creation on the signs and symptoms of the disease. According to him, the affected states are Bauchi, Nasarawa, Niger, Taraba, Kano, Rivers, Edo, Plateau, Gombe and Oyo. The public is hereby assured that government and other stakeholders are working tirelessly to address the outbreak and bring it to timely end, said the minister. He said the ministry had ordered for the immediate release of adequate quantities of ribavirin, the specific antiviral drug for Lassa fever, to the affected states for prompt treatment of cases. Mr. Adewole said Nigeria had the capability to diagnose Lassa fever, adding that all the cases reported so far were confirmed by our laboratories. The first case of the current outbreak was reported from Bauchi in November 2015. (NAN) Police in Bayelsa State say they are going after an ex-militant leader, Eris Paul, also known as General Ogunboss, and his lieutenants, suspected in the outbreak of violence during the supplementary election governorship election in the state on Saturday. The state Police Commissioner, Peter Ogunyanwo, made this known in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES in Yenagoa. Mr. Ogunyanwo said reports made available to the command showed that the ex-militant leader in company of heavily armed soldiers, policemen and youth, invaded Peremambiri community. Peremambiri is a located in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and was one of the locations for the supplementary election. According to Mr. Ogunyanwo, several persons including the King of Peremambiri Kingdom, Progress Never Die, were allegedly shot by the ex-militant. We received report that the Peremambiri king was allegedly attacked by an ex-militant called Ogunboss, the police boss said. I came to visit the king on the directive of the IG and to wish him heavenly recovery and by Gods grace, he shall make it. Currently, we learnt that the ex-militant is still at the riverine part of the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area. We have our gunboats patrolling the area to ensure that we track him down. We learnt that he is still within the area and our officers and men are monitoring to ensure that he is arrested anytime they spot him if he tries to come back to Yenagoa or Peremambiri. The police commissioner said the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, had earlier directed that security operatives be withdrawn from the ex-militant. However, he said minutes after security operatives were withdrawn, a new set of armed operatives, including soldiers and mobile policemen were said to have been found with the suspect. We are investigating whether those soldiers and policemen who went out with him are genuine and when any of them is confirmed to be genuine, the IG has directed that such persons should be dismissed and prosecuted and we are going to enforce that order. We have reached out to members of the community to give us information on the identity of the soldiers so we could deal with them if they are genuine personnel or police officers. Asked why he spent time praying for the wounded king, Mr. Ogunbinyi said, Even the doctors have a saying that they treat but God heals. I believe we need God to heal Baylesa State by saving the life of this man. I have no doubt that he will survive and through him, good things will come to Bayelsa. We cannot do anything without God. Speaking on the just-concluded election in the state, Mr. Ogunyanwo said apart from the reported skirmishes in some parts of the state, the election was adjudged peaceful and successful. He, however, advised politicians on the need to know that service to the people should not be a matter of life and death. Narrating what happened in Peremambiri, a member of the state house of assembly from the area, Daniel Egala, said shortly after the rerun poll, Ogunboss, accompanied by armed soldiers, police officers and youth, invaded the community. Mr. Egala alleged that the ex-militant opened fire on innocent persons in the community including the king, Mr. Never Die. He said, Ogunboss and his men attacked the community at about 3pm. We are also told that 15 young men were also shot during the invasion. Shortly after the attack, we made frantic effort to get into the area and evacuate the wounded. Till now, we are unable to access those youth and we cannot ascertain what is happening to them. The king was rushed to the hospital by naval officers at about 5pm but I have reported to the commissioner of police to help us deploy men to Peremanbiri to evacuate the youth for treatment. I have made several attempts to get commercial boats to the area to bring them out but the boat operators are afraid to venture into Peremambiri. They are afraid of what the ex-militants and his men could do if they are found saving the lives of the wounded youth. Ogunboss was said to have arrived the community with heavily-armed soldiers, mobile policemen and youths wielding AK 47 rifles. A professor of public administration and local government, Rose Onah, has been named the chairperson of a caretaker committee of Nsukka Local Government Council of Enugu State. Mrs. Onah, who teaches at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, assumed her office on Monday, the News Agency of Nigeria reported. She addressed workers at the councils secretariat and asked for their support. I cannot do it alone; I need the maximum support of everybody in Nsukka to move the council forward; the LGA belongs to all of us and we must join hands to build it to an enviable height. Today is a new beginning, and I have absolute trust in God that appointed me to this position, that he will give me the required wisdom to restore the past glory of this council, she said. Mrs. Onah said she would collaborate with relevant authorities in the state to ensure that the arrears of salaries owed workers are cleared to restore the confidence of workers in government. As Im inheriting assets of the council today, so also I am inheriting its liabilities which include the eight months of salary arrears owed workers. I thank workers who in spite of all odds came out in their numbers to witness my assumption of office as the caretaker chairman of the council. My promise to them is that there will be cordial relationship between the council and workers, as my administration will operate an `open door policy, she said. The chairperson said she would bring her wealth of experience as a lecturer in the Department of Public Administration and Local Government Affairs to bear to reposition the local government area. The Department of Public Administration and Local Government Affairs has been in the fore front of organising seminars and workshop for local government councils in the country on how to run better and efficient local government system. This is an opportunity for me to bring my wealth of experience to ensure efficient and prudent management of Nsukka LG council, she said. In his remarks, the vice chairman of Nsukka LG Caretaker Committee, Alphonsus Nweze, said he would give the chairperson the necessary support for improved productivity. I will help to ensure that the chairman succeeds in her policies and programmes to move the council forward, he said. The chairman, National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Nsukka LGA, George Ngwu, said workers were happy over the appointment of Mrs. Onah as the caretaker chairperson of the council and pledged their support to enable her succeed. The number of workers who turned out to welcome the new council boss is an indication that workers are happy with her appointment. NULGE will give her all support and encouragement to ensure that she succeeds, he said. We know that the council boss being a mother, that she will not like the workers to go hungry, he said. Earlier, Rev. Fr. Paul Obayi, Director of Okunaerer Adoration Ministry, Nsukka, prayed for divine peace, progress and unity to reign in the Nsukka LGA. Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, had last week inaugurated caretaker committees for the 17 local government councils in the state following the expiration of the tenure of the elected council chairmen on Jan. 4 (NAN) A suspected cultist, Kazeem Tiamiyu, on Monday said he murdered at least 15 people in a number of cult clashes in ijebu-Ode and other areas of Ogun State. Speaking to journalists at Eleweran Police Headquarters, Abeokuta, Mr Tiamiyu gave some of the names of his victims as Solar, Sappio, Odunalayo, Akeem, Folly, Ade, Ayokun, Seun and Bisi. Mr. Tiamiyu, known as Butcher among his cult group, revealed that his gang was responsible for the killing of a vigilante group leader, Tola Okunneye, about a year ago during a church service in Ijebu-Igbo town of the state. Mr. Tiamiyu, 23, said after shooting dead the vigilante chief, they mutilated his ear and used it for a cult practice. I was not part of that operation, but was led by Femi. After the killing, one of the victims ears was cut off. The gang later converged on our hideout, where we used the ear to take oath of secrecy, the suspect said. Mr. Tiamiyu, who was arrested at No. 9 Oreagba Street in Ijebu-Ode, said the vigilante boss was killed for standing his grounds against their activities in the neighbourhood. He however expressed regret over his action. The commands spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, also told journalists the suspect belongs to Aye Confraternity, and was arrested after a raid. He said items recovered from the suspect included four single-barrelled short guns, seven rounds of live cartridges, expended cartridge and assorted charms. The police spokesman told journalists the suspect would be charged to court after completion of investigation. Brussels, Germany, Italy and the U.S. are among foreign destinations to be visited by Polish President Andrzej Duda in the first half of 2016, Presidential Minister Krzysztof Szczerski told reporters on Tuesday. In 2016 Poland will host important international events like the NATO summit in Warsaw, WYD in Krakow and celebrations marking the 1,050th anniversary of Poland's baptism, minister Szczerski added. "The NATO summit in Warsaw should be seen as the number one political event. World Youth Day in Krakow comes second as far as Poland's global promotion is concerned. And celebrations marking the 1,050th anniversary of Poland's baptism will also be an international event," Krzysztof Szczerski said at a press conference at the Presidential Palace. According to Szczerski, in the first half of 2016 the president will focus "on building both agreement within NATO and decision-making potential" which is to be worked out during the summit. The president wants "to visit all NATO components to connect all kinds of sensitivity and all points of view present in NATO". In connection with this, the president will visit Norway, Denmark, Italy and one of the countries on the Iberian Peninsula, Szczerski said. "Planned is a visit of the Polish president to Germany on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Polish-German Treaty on Good Neighbourhood and Friendly Relations," minister Szczerski said, adding that such a visit was agreed upon with German President Joachim Gauck last year. "We are waiting for the French side to announce the date of a Weimar Triangle summit which should take place in the first half of the year before the NATO summit," Presidential Minister went on. Also planned are the president's visits to the Czech Republic and Hungary as well as to the U.S. where the Polish head of state will attend a nuclear summit. Before the NATO summit in July in Warsaw the Polish president will deliver speeches in Munich, Washington and Rome, Krzysztof Szczerski announced. President Duda is expected to address a security conference on February 13-14 in Munich where he will "host a European security panel". In late March in Washington the Polish president will address U.S. think-tanks and in May in Rome the NATO Defence College. "The three speeches will focus on ways designed to build agreement and consensus during the NATO summit in Warsaw," Szczerski said, adding that in the first half of the year the Polish head of state would focus on steps aimed at achieving this goal. Summing up the president's plans for the first half of 2016, Krzysztof Szczerski said it would be a "very intensive six months" crowned with the NATO summit in Warsaw and WYD in Krakow in July when "Poland will host the two most significant global events". On January 18 in Brussels the Polish president will meet with EU Council President Donald Tusk and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and in Mons with NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) General Philip Breedlove. In the second half of the year the president will focus on promotion of Poland's economic interests worldwide, minister Szczerski added. (PAP) R Sridharan, president of AIPIMA and Vimal Mehra, past-president of AIPIMA, in this interaction, say, the association is doing all it can to... 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. http://donpolson.blogspot.com/ Bringing you the very best information, analysis and opinion from around the web. NOTE: For videos that don't start--go to article link to view. Registration is Now Open and Includes Exciting New Events during both the Preconference and Main Conference Scheduled April 16-20, 2016 in Orlando, Fla. Contact Joy I. Lee ***@inbia.org Joy I. Lee End -- The International Business Innovation Association (InBIA), a non-profit organization and global advocate for stakeholders within entrepreneur-driven economic ecosystems, today opened registration for its 30th International Conference on Business Incubation . The conference, one of the most established entrepreneurship events across the globe, has been creating and celebrating the success of entrepreneurs for the past three decades. The 2016 conference will take place in Orlando, FL from April 16-20 at the Caribe Royale hotel. In celebration of the conferences 30anniversary, InBIA has prepared an exciting program of events.An activity-packed week kicks off with a Preconference weekend (April 16-17) that includes a variety of training courses, workshops and forums. InBIA is also collaborating with Springboard Enterprises to host a pitch event called the Dolphin Tank on Sunday. InBIA members will nominate companies from their programs that will be competitively selected to deliver a 3-minute elevator pitch in front of a panel of seasoned industry experts. Click here to view the entire Preconference schedule of events.The main conference begins with an opening Welcome Reception on Sunday evening, April 16. The next morning, Alex Osterwalder (http://www.alexosterwalder.com/)kicks off the content sessions as the opening keynote. Osterwalder invented the Business Model Canvas and is the lead author of the Business Model Generation and Value Proposition Design books, which sold over a million copies in 37 languages. Tuesdays keynote, Daniel Isenberg (http://www.babson.edu/executive-education/custom-programs/entrepreneurship/Pages/Isenberg-daniel.aspx), is a professor of Entrepreneurship Practice at Babson College and published author on entrepreneurial ecosystems. For 15 years, Isenberg was an entrepreneur and venture capitalist in Israel, and an active angel investor. He is a frequent participant at the World Economic Forum, the G20, and other international think tanks. Isenberg also frequently consults on global entrepreneurship, where he is often quoted as an expert voice in influential media, including the Economist, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Financial Times, Forbes, among others.Attendees can participate in over 30 education sessions delivered by industry leaders throughout the main conference. These sessions will cover topics across all aspects of business incubation and entrepreneurial ecosystems. In addition, fireside chats and roundtable discussions will provide attendees with highly collaborative sessions to learn about innovative models for serving entrepreneurs.Because this is a milestone event, InBIA is hosting a special recognition banquet inside the Shuttle Atlantis Exhibit (https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/things-to-do/atlantis-shuttle-experience.aspx)at Kennedy Space Center (https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com)on that Monday evening. After attendees have the opportunity to enjoy a private tour of the exhibit, long-time InBIA members and the 2016 business incubation award winners will be recognized during dinner. The following evening, a 30th anniversary reception for all attendees will take place at the Caribe Royale.To learn more about InBIAs 30International Conference on Business Incubation, including the schedule, registration rates and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.inbiaconference.org. "The Flying Dragon" by Georges Ugeux now available nationwide By: Georges Ugeux, Author Contact Maryglenn McCombs ***@maryglenn.com Maryglenn McCombs End -- Archway Publishing announces the release ofthe debut novel by global financier Georges Ugeux.is now available in hardcover, trade paper and eBook editions.Celebrated non-fiction author Georges Ugeux delivers an intense, imaginative and intriguing financial thriller in his debut novel,. Set against the backdrop of the high-energy, high-tension world of global finance,plunges readers deep into a world where power, greed, money, and passion can intersect in a most dangerous way.introduces protagonist Victoria Leung, a beautiful, brilliant, fearless, and highly accomplished financial fraud investigator. Responsible for taking down Sun Hung Kai Properties Kwok Brothers, a real estate empire, Victoria not only established herself as a formidable talent, but earned the nickname The Flying Dragon in the process. When she leaves the fraud department of the Hong Kong Police, Victoria accepts a position as a senior detective at Pegasus, an international security firm based in London. The Pegasus job affords Victoria much-needed freedom, but that calm is shattered when Victoria receives an urgent message from her close friend Diana Yu. It seems Dianas ex- boyfriend Henry Chang is in danger. Henrys co-worker, Bertrand Wilmington, head of the derivative trading desk of a global bank, has fallen from a window of the twenty-second floor trading roomThe Hong Kong Police Force quickly concludes that the death was a suicide, but is there more to this story than meets the eye? Henry Chang thinks soand knows that if anyone can find answers, its Victoria, the Flying Dragon herself. Hong Kong and Mainland authorities are unsuccessful in cracking the case, but Victoria uses her expertise to discover key clues. And Victoria, a dogged, tough, tenacious investigator, wont back down until she gets answers. As she races to piece together the puzzle of what really happened, Victoria is swept up in a world of danger, deception, and deadly consequences. Can she extricate herself from this perilous web of arrogance, power, money and greed? Will she expose the corruption and bring down a financial giant? Or will time run out? The clock is ticking.A fresh, fast, fascinating financial thriller about power, betrayal, and murder,takes readers on a tour de force into the world of global finance. With its pulse-pounding plot, richly-developed, realistic characters and to-die-for Hong Kong setting,will leave readers breathless. Informed by novelist Georges Ugeuxs decades of experience in global finance,is resplendent with intriguing details. A sensational storyline, mesmerizing plot, and tough, tenacious protagonist combine to makean unforgettable debut.A Belgian and U.S. national, Georges Ugeux is the Chairman and CEO of Galileo Global Advisors LLC, an investment banking advisory boutique. Ugeux joined the New York Stock Exchange in 1996, as Group Executive Vice President, International. An adjunct professor at Columbia Law School, Ugeux is the author of a numerous nonfiction books about finance.is his first work of fiction. For more information about Georges Ugeux, visit: www.georgesugeux.com Archway Publishing, a Simon & Schuster company, is dedicated to helping new and emerging talent find its own path to publication. For more information, visit: www.archwaypublishing.com New Womens Empowerment Organization Recruiting New Members Contact Prachel Carter ***@fearlessvixen.org Prachel Carter End -- Fearless Vixen, a new, yet unconventional, womens empowerment organization, will be officially launching and actively recruiting members at three informational sessions located in Rancho Cucamonga, California, Charlotte, North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia in January and February. The purpose of the organization is to help women to wake up, reinvent themselves and develop their unique talents and abilities. At the informational sessions, prospective members can expect to receive information on the: Fearless Vixen organization Initiation and membership process Plans to impact the lives of 1 billion women in by the year 2021The organization refers to its chapters as dens. The Rancho Cucamonga den will be meeting on Sunday, January 24from 2pm to 3pm PST. On Saturday, February 6, the Charlotte den will be meeting and recruiting members from 1pm to 2pm EST and the Atlanta den will follow on Sunday, February 7, from 2pm to 3pm EST. Cost to attend is $5. The exact location of the new member informational sessions will be announced to registered attendees only, the day before each event, but will be located within city limits of each respective city.Fearless Vixen, founded by Event Planner Prachel Carter, was the result of a desire to be in an environment that supported and celebrated the process of reinvention and transformation. After the exhilaration of winning a bikini competition in 2013, I thought that every woman should have the opportunity to feel as though they can take bold, daring steps towards their goals, and to be in a supportive environment while doing so. Later that year, I created Fearless Vixen.For more information or to register for the informational session, visit http://fearlessvixen.org The mission ofFearless Vixen is to help a billion women reinvent themselves by 2021. Fearless Vixen is based in Atlanta and was incorporated in the State of Georgia in 2013. By: Cameras For Kids Foundation Contact Cameras For Kids Foundation Betsey Chesler, Founder ***@camerasforkidsfoundation.org 954-354-5080 Cameras For Kids FoundationBetsey Chesler, Founder954-354-5080 End --- Cameras For Kids Foundation (CFKF), an international nonprofit organization that provides cameras and weekly instruction to disadvantaged children, will showcase their students artwork in an exhibit in the main floor lobby of First Canadian Place in downtown Toronto. Fall of 2015, CFKF launched its eight week photography program to the children of Key Assets-Canada with the support of CFKFs photography teacher and local photographer, Fern Saldanha. Key Assets is an international provider of social care solutions for children and youth with complex needs supported in a variety of environments ranging from individualized community programs to family based foster care.Cameras For Kids Foundation was an excellent opportunity for our youth to boost their self-esteem and share their creative personalities. The sheer excitement, pride and sense of accomplishment that they felt was contagious,said Key Assets Director Kathryn Rock.The final class for the children was a photo shoot day, where they were able to implement their new artistic skills in a different environment sparking their visual creativity, as they photographed Port Credit along the waterfront and Mississauga City Hall and Library.Sponsors of the Toronto CFKF program are BMO Capital Markets, Bloomberg and the Toronto Stock Exchange and sponsors for the exhibit also include First Canadian Place and Vistek, a leading Canadian photo/video retailer for over 40 years.I have seen the impact that Cameras For Kids Foundation has had on disadvantaged children. The response varies from simply feeling proud about their photography and more confident as an individual, to the children that decide to further their education in photography, the arts or graphic design, to name a few. We offer them a program that plants the creative seed, and they have the ability to take it as far as theyd like, said CFKF Founder, Betsey Chesler.This marks another milestone during a period of rapid growth for Cameras For Kids Foundation. Since its founding in 2009, CFKF has expanded to 33 locations across the US and Canada while placing cameras in the hands of hundreds of less fortunate and deserving children.The exhibit will be on display January 11 through 15, 2016, First Canadian Place, 100 King Street West, Toronto, Ontario M5X 1A9.For more information, please visit http://www.camerasforkidsfoundation.org http://www.camerasforkidsfoundation.org or contact Betsey Chesler at 954-354-5080 Hollywood Orthodontics is excited to announce the opening of our second location By: Hollywood Orthhodontics Contact Michelle Gall ***@orthodon.com Michelle Gall End -- Hollywood Orthodontics is excited to announce the opening of our second location, and welcome everyone to tour our new office located at 7611 W. Thomas Rd. Suite E002 Phoenix, AZ (located in the Desert Sky Mall) and meet our team of professionals on Thursday, January 28th, from 6pm to 8pm.Hollywood Orthodontics is a local orthodontic practice with two convenient locations located in Mesa and Phoenix. We specialize in orthodontic treatment for children, teens, and adults, and are committed to providing patients with the highest quality orthodontic care alongside a friendly, highly-trained staff in a comfortable environment.Attendees will meet Dr. John Morris and his team. Dr. Morris is originally from Utah, and attended the University of Utah and then Creighton Dental School. He attended AT Still University in Mesa, AZ for orthodontic training. He has been in practice since 2011. He pursued orthodontic specialty training to help provide young people with confidence by giving them a great smile. Constantly learning and improving on procedures, Dr. Morris shows his commitment to the highest quality of care by delivering beautiful smiles.Light refreshments will be served. All attendees will receive a goody bag. Two Sonicare Toothbrushes will be raffled off. Please contact our office at (480) 636.9970 with the number of attendees from your practice.For more information about Hollywood Orthodontics, please visit www.bracesbymorris.comHollywood Orthodontics is a local orthodontic practice with two convenient locations located in Mesa and Phoenix, AZ. Hollywood Orthodontics specializes in orthodontic treatment for children, teens, and adults. Hollywood Orthodontics is committed to providing their patients with the highest quality orthodontic care alongside a friendly, highly-trained staff in a comfortable environment. For more information about Hollywood Orthodontics, please visit www.bracesbymorris.com Building Bridges short-term exchange program runs for three weeks each January 16 Uruguayan students are studying at Bear Creek and Overlake schools in Redmond Contact Sini Fernandez ***@tbcs.org Sini Fernandez End -- For the sixth consecutive year, The Bear Creek School is hosting Building Bridges, a short term exchange program which provides visiting students from Colegio Seminario in Montevideo, Uruguay the opportunity to learn about American school and culture. Students attend high school classes and participate in field trips to several Seattle area landmarks as well as participate in Bear Creeks annual Ski & Snowboard Program at Stevens Pass Ski Area on Fridays. Visiting students share their language and culture with Bear Creek students during JanTerm (a two-week mini-semester in early January) and the first week of spring semester. This is an amazing chance for students to learn from each other and make lifelong connections and friendships.In 2016, Bear Creek welcomes 10 students, five boys and five girls ages 15-17, from January 4 25. For the second year the Building Bridges program also includes The Overlake School which will host an additional six Uruguayan exchange students.For more information about The Bear Creek School, visit www.tbcs.org . If you have questions about the Building Bridges program, please contact: Gabriela Llanos, Bear Creek Spanish teacher, gllanos@tbcs.org Natalia Morales, Overlake Spanish teacher, nmorales@overlake.orgAdditional information about the program can also be found on this blog: buildingpuentes.wordpress.com/about/Founded in 1988, in Redmond, Washington, The Bear Creek School is an independent classical Christian school that believeswhen faith, mind, and heart are fed together can students experience the fullness of education which produces leaders who think well and are compelled to engage the world.Recognized as a 2014 National Blue Ribbon School, Bear Creek serves students from the greater Eastside and is housed on three campuses. Redmond Campus on Union Hill serves kindergarten to grade 12 students. Valley Campus, also in Redmond, serves preschool students. Bear Creek Preschool has an additional campus in Sammamish serving students ages 3-5. The Bear Creek School is accredited by the Northwest Association of Independent Schools and AdvancED/Northwest Accreditation Commission. Local author, Richard Benjamin Cass, will be available to sign copies of book End --takes readers on a magical flight through the history of Braniff International Airways, beginning with its small-town Oklahoma roots to its high-flying and stylish span of the globe. Braniff brought together the mystery of aviation with the glamorous fields of fashion, art, and design, and taught the flying world how to fly with style and beauty. It is this remarkable joining of forces that has made Braniff as popular today as it was when flying in style across the Atlantic and Pacific.Richard Benjamin Cass, a retired airline pilot, has over 30 years experience in aviation. He saw his first Braniff jet at Dallas Love Field in 1972, and his passion for the airline began. His Braniff Flying Colors Collection, which contains his lifelong collection of Braniff historical items, is one of the largest groupings of Braniff collectibles known to exist. His career and interests have been solely devoted to aviation endeavors, and he has founded several successful aviation businesses. Cass is a native of Dallas, Texas, where he currently lives.Barnes & Noble5959 Royal Lane, Suite 616Dallas, TX 75230Sunday, January 17th, 2016 at 1:00 p.m.Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online ( https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/ Products/9781467134408 ).The combination of Arcadia Publishing & The History Press creates the largest and most comprehensive publisher of local and regional content in the USA. By empowering local history and culture enthusiasts to write local stories for local audiences, we create exceptional books that are relevant on a local and personal level, enrich lives, and bring readers closer - to their community, their neighbors, and their past. Have we done a book on your town? Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com Local author, Dr. John W. Boyd, will be available to sign copies of book End --In 1890, Dallas was a frontier town with medical care delivered by doctors on horseback. The poorly funded city hospitals were ill equipped and had no real medication or nurses. It is difficult to look back on history and define the moment when modern medicine began, but for Dallas, that moment was in 1894 with the building of Parkland Hospital. As Dallas grew and felt the pain of the polio epidemic, world wars, and the Kennedy assassination, Parkland Hospital was there. This is the story of Parkland Hospital and its 120-year journey from frontier medicine to becoming one of the worlds premier medical centers.Many of the photographs from over 15 different collections depict never before seen images being published for the first time!Parkland Hospitals story is told from its start in 1894 to its most recent move into its fourth new facility in August 2015.The medical school has been home to six Nobel Laureates and three NASA astronauts. The author of the title completed his residency at Parkland Hospital as a student at UT Southwestern.Barnes & Noble7700 West Northwest Highway, Suite 300Dallas, TX 75225Thursday, January 21st, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online ( https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/ Products/9781467134002 ).The combination of Arcadia Publishing & The History Press creates the largest and most comprehensive publisher of local and regional content in the USA. By empowering local history and culture enthusiasts to write local stories for local audiences, we create exceptional books that are relevant on a local and personal level, enrich lives, and bring readers closer - to their community, their neighbors, and their past. Have we done a book on your town? Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com Group Hosts Annual Wine, Dine & Win Fundraiser Feb. 5 at The Mansion, Including Biggest Wine Tasting in Southern New Jersey By: Evesham Education Foundation Contact Gary Frisch ***@swordfishcomm.com Gary Frisch End -- When the Evesham Education Foundation convenes for its annual Wine, Dine & Win fundraising event Feb. 5, its board of directors will make the case that the groups mission goes well beyond supplying funds for student trips, various supplies and other niceties for district students caught in the grip of shrinking school budgets.In fact, the nonprofit EEF has actually jump-started academic careers for hundreds of the townships youngest, most fragile pupils, including many who simply feared the idea of going to school in the first place. The Coordinated Arts Program for Primary Students (CAPPS), which since 1995 helped smooth the path for children entering kindergarten, was looking at its demise due to budget restraints. In 2000, the EEF, comprised of parents and business leaders from the community, stepped up.The Evesham Education Foundation pulled this valuable program from the brink, allowing township pre-kindergarteners to continue learning essential social and developmental skills necessary to be comfortable in a new environment,says Evesham Schools Superintendent John Scavelli, Jr. We couldnt be happier for the parents of these youngsters.Held at DiMasi Elementary School each July, and run by the schools assistant principal, CAPPS provides a variety of art programs four days a week, for four weeks, with the goal of acclimating children to the classroom. The program is particularly beneficial for children who are withdrawn, fearful of school, or simply need a bit of a boost to match their peers academically.The EEF likes to spread it around throughout the district, but this has been one of our favorite, most rewarding projects, says EEF Board President John Cipollone. This is the kind of thing that sets the Evesham District apart, something all residents can be proud of.Its that pride the foundation hopes will attract attendees and supporters to Wine, Dine & Win, a wine-tasting/casino night event that promises great fun, great food, and chance to walk away with great prizes from community sponsors. The event, the EEFs biggest of the year and co-sponsored by Oak Mortgage, kicks off at 7 p.m. at The Mansion in Voorhees. Blackjack, roulette, craps and wheel games will be on the menu, side by side with samples from many of Eveshams best restaurants and establishments. Per the event name, there will also be a wine tasting comprised of hundreds of wines from around the world, making it by far the biggest wine tasting in South Jersey, according to Charlie Beatty of co-sponsor Wineworks in Marlton.This is our marquee event, and we hope everyone in town will come out for a good time and to support the wonderful things the foundation does, things that impact the quality of our childrens school experience, and hence the community itself, says Cipollone.General admission for Wine, Dine & Win is $75, and that includes all food, beverages and casino chips. VIP admission, which includes one-hour earlier start time and access to a VIP wine list, is $125. Chips have no cash value, and no monetary prizes will be awarded. The Mansion is located at 3000 Main Street in Voorhees. To register, or for more information about the event or the Evesham Education Foundation, visit http://www.eveshameducationfoundation.org Aspiranet invites community to join Cherish Impact Council to raise awareness, funds for Cherish Receiving Center By: Aspiranet Aspiranet Contact Alicia Rock ***@consortium- media.com Alicia Rock End -- For 10 years, the Cherish Receiving Center has served as a safe haven to more than 2,000 Monterey County youth who have been removed from their homes due to abuse and neglect. Each month, children ranging from newborns to age 17 enter the centers doors not knowing if theyll be returning home, leaving with a relative or entering foster care.The Cherish Receiving Center is a collaborative between leading human services agency Aspiranet, Monterey County Employment and Human Services, Visiting Nurses Association and Monterey County Behavioral Health. The center is seeking new members to join the Cherish Impact Council to help with fundraising and awareness efforts for the program which provides children with vital care including food, clothing, medical and mental health assessments, as well as multiple structured supervised activities in a safe, youth-friendly environment.Cherish Impact Council member Tiffany Dilbeck says the group is seeking diverse team members with fundraising experience who have the heart, love and compassion for children facing adversity. This center is so critical for the well-being of these children who are taken away from their homes due to no fault of their own. While in the center, Cherish staff provide comfort and support to them through the initial trauma while county social workers work to bridge the gap between youth and their next home.Dilbeck, a substitute teacher and caretaker, has held the Cherish Receiving Center close to her heart since it opened its doors, as it inspired her to give back by creating her own non-profit, Sammies Kids, which she started with her daughter, Samantha. Through their efforts, Tiffany and Samantha create individualized backpacks for children in protective custody with three days worth of clothing. Over the past 10 years, Dilbeck says they have donated about 1,500 backpacks to the Cherish Receiving Center. Now that Samanthas in college, Tiffanys husband and twin children have stepped up to help assemble the care packages for at-risk youth.Community members who would like to learn more about joining the Cherish Impact Council are welcome to attend the Cherish Meet and Greet on Friday, Jan. 22, from 3 5 p.m. in the Portola Room at the Portola Hotel and Spa. RSVP by Wednesday, Jan. 19, by calling 831-540-4141. For more information, contact Kathy Davies, Family and Community Services Division Director for Aspiranet, at 925-753-2156 ext. 3824 or kdavies@aspiranet.org Aspiranet, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) strengthens children, youth, families and communities through seven core programs including: Foster Care, Adoption, Residential, Transition Age Youth, Behavioral Health, Intensive Home Based Services and Family and Community Services throughout 45 locations within California.Founded in 1975 as a six-bed group home for young boys in Moss Beach, Calif., Aspiranet is one of the most diverse nonprofit social service agencies in the state. With a statewide network of innovative services, Aspiranet serves more than 10,000 families each year. For more information, please visit www.aspiranet.org Contact The Knowledge Group ***@theknowledgegroup.org The Knowledge Group End -- The Knowledge Group/The Knowledge Congress Live Webcast Series, the leading producer of regulatory focused webcasts, has announced today thatwill speak at the Knowledge Congress webcast entitled:This event is scheduled forhttps://theknowledgegroup.org/event-homepage/?event_id=1418Nadiya Nychay is a Counsel in the Brussels office of Dentons. She is an expert on international trade law and regulatory matters with a particular emphasis on international sanctions. Nadiya has built a strong sanctions-compliance practice, which has been recognized by the Legal 500. She frequently counsels clients from all over the world on the practical implications of the EU and UN sanctions on transactions relating to Iran, Syria, Russia and North Korea, appearing before regulatory authorities in the EU Member States. Nadiya has repeatedly provided legal advice and analysis with respect to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (i.e. JCPOA).Dentons (www.dentons.com)is a global law firm driven to provide a competitive edge in an increasingly complex and interconnected marketplace. Dentons, one of the constituent entities of Dentons, was formed in March 2013 by the combination of international law firm Salans LLP, Canadian law firm Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP (FMC) and international law firm SNR Denton. Dentons built on the solid foundations of these three highly valued law firms. Each gained an outstanding reputation and valued clientele by responding to the local, regional and national needs of a broad spectrum of clients of all sizes individuals;entrepreneurs;small businesses and start-ups; local, regional and national governments and government agencies; and mid-sized and larger private and public corporations, including international and global entities. In July 2015, another highly reputed international law firm McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP (MLA) joined Dentons.Recently, Dentons concluded a combination with , a leading Chinese law firm (pronounced "Dacheng") and became Dentons. As a result, Dentons now has 34 offices in all major cities in China. Globally, Dentons has over 6,500 lawyers and professionals in 120 locations in more than 50 countries.Our team in Brussels advises on the entire spectrum of Government Affairs and WTO law and regulation affecting cross-border business and our advice reaches the highest intergovernmental levels. The team is highly regarded and regularly ranked in the top tier of experts in the European Union for trade, WTO, anti-dumping and customs.On July 14, 2015, the U.S., European Union (EU) and several countries have entered into the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran. In the document, Iran agreed to a number of restrictions and oversight on its nuclear activities in return for the rollback of certain United Nations (U.N.), EU, and U.S. sanctions. The U.S. and EU have both agreed to withdraw many Iranian entities designated on sanctions lists. In particular, the U.S. lifted the Central Bank of Iran and many other Iranian banks from the Specially Designated Nationals List (SDN). As a result, Iranian banks will be allowed to process transactions and issue letters of credit, etc., for most international transactions.The JCPOA is expected to boost economic growth and inspire businesses to start exploring opportunities in the Iranian market. However, as there are still little information about the document itself, many companies in various industries are eager to understand the implications of the Agreement. For example, paying money to or for the benefit of a person on a sanctions list and supplying technical data or entering into contracts, could still be subject to sanctions and restrictions agreed with lenders. Companies are still expected to be vigilant and should be aware that the Financial Action Task Force still considers Iran to be a high risk country for money laundering and terrorist financing.In this two-hour LIVE Webcast, a panel of key thought leaders and practitioners assembled by the Knowledge Group will provide an insightful discussion on the Impacts and Implications of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran on international trade and regulations. The speakers will also discuss the most important issues every businesses need to know in 2016.Key topics include: Iranian Sanctions: Successes and Failures JCPOA An Overview Iran Threat Reduction - An Update Corporate Involvement in Iran Sanctions Multilateral Sanctions for Iran Sanctions Regulatory Developments Mitigating Emerging RisksThe Knowledge Group was established with the mission to produce unbiased, objective, and educational live webinars that examine industry trends and regulatory changes from a variety of different perspectives. The goal is to deliver a unique multilevel analysis of an important issue affecting business in a highly focused format. To contact or register to an event, please visit: http://theknowledgegroup.org By: B2BGateway Contact Roger Leyden ***@b2bgateway.net 14014919595 Roger Leyden14014919595 End -- WMSSoft, an MYOB Enterprise partner and B2BGateway, a world recognized EDI solution provider, today announced a partnership to provide cloud-based, fully-integrated Inventory Management and EDI solutions to users of MYOB Advanced.MYOB Advanced is a new cloud-based ERP and business management software system designed by MYOB to meet the needs of growing business in the ANZ region.WMSSofts fully integrated warehouse management system, powered by The RIC Group, allows MYOB Advanced users to pick and pack goods, automatically create shipments, increase inventory accuracy and utilize multiple units of measure.As a global organization with offices in Sydney, Australia, North America, Europe and China, B2BGateway supports all internationally recognized EDI standards and protocols that may be required by the MYOB Advanced user: EDIFACT, Tradacoms, Eancom, ANSI X12, XML, VAN, sFTP, AS2, etc.. By fully integrating with MYOB Advanced through cloud based technology, B2BGateway is able to remove the need for the user to re-key data. This, in turn, leads to greater accuracy, increased labour efficiencies and it expedites the order-to-payment cycle.Many of WMSSofts and B2BGateways clients operate in the Wholesale Distribution, Manufacturing and Retail market verticals where having a good Inventory Management system coupled with EDI functionality is not only a necessity, but in todays modern, cloud-based, technological world is paramount for success and future expansion. Combining the power of WMSSofts Inventory Management system together with B2BGateways EDI solution gives the MYOB Advanced user a complete, fully integrated software suite that will greatly improve their overall supply chain processes and speed up their order to payment cash cycles.EDI has also become very relevant to our many MYOB Advanced clients says Paul Ellis, Director of Business Development at WMSSoft . That is why it was imperative for WMSSoft to find a great MYOB Advanced EDI partner, one that we could recommend wholeheartedly to our clients. It was also very important that our staff could be safe in the knowledge that not only would our clients get a great cloud based EDI solution, but that they would also receive the same great level of service that WMSSoft clients have come to expect from us over the years. It is for these very reasons that we chose B2BGateway to be the EDI provider of choice for our MYOB Advanced clients.B2BGateway has been providing cloud-based, fully-integrated EDI and automated supply chain solutions worldwide since 1999. We are very pleased to partner with WMSSoft, one of Australia and New Zealands leading MYOB Advanced partners says Dante DellAgnese, ANZ Sales Director at B2BGateway. WMSSoft is a perfect partner for B2BGateway, providing leading cloud based warehouse management solutions to our clients in the ANZ region.WMSSoft are expert business consultants in inventory management and Cloud ERP and help customers utilize MYOB Advanced with a proven Warehouse Management Solution (WMS). WMSSoft is an accredited MYOB Advanced Partner and implements MYOB Advanced for customers Australia wide. WMSSoft is backed by investors with many years of experience and have an energetic team who understand about delivering a solution and defining the problem through analysis.B2BGateway is a world leader in the provision of cloud-based, fully-integrated EDI and automated supply chain solutions. Headquartered in Boston, MA with additional offices in Europe, Australia and China, B2BGateway offers clients 24/7 customer support with each client having their own designated setup team. B2BGateways EDI solutions are simple to use, competitively priced, highly effective and can increase profitability by reducing the costs associated with manual data entry errors. For further information please visit www.B2BGateway.Net or call +61 28003 7584.Roger LeydenDirector of Global Business Development+61 28003 7584 (AU Office)+353 (61) 708533 (EU office)+1 (401) 491-9595 x 1006 (US office)RogerL@B2BGateway.Net Alliance Offers New Technology Opportunities for the Established Insurance Company Media Contact Meredith D'Agostino Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company meredith_dagostino@ bostonmutual.com Meredith D'AgostinoBoston Mutual Life Insurance Company End -- Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company, a national provider of insurance solutions for individuals and at the workplace, today announced that it has partnered with Onyx Data Solutions, a technology solutions company, to develop and implement a comprehensive IT strategy for Boston Mutual Life to modernize its technology capabilities to meet the needs of the insurance market.Im looking forward to working with Boston Mutual to modernize its technology platforms, said Dan Blaney, CEO at Onyx Data Solutions. Both companies have extensive experience in our respective industries, and this alliance provides an opportunity to leverage each organizations expertise to deliver an exceptional insurance technology platform.As part of the collaboration, Mr. Blaney will serve as Boston Mutual Lifes Chief Information Officer, overseeing all IT operations and initiatives. Mr. Blaney brings more than 20 years experience working with insurance carriers and national brands, such as FedEx and Verizon, to create and execute strategic IT initiatives.Boston Mutual Life has been in the insurance industry for almost 125 years, over the course of which weve seen substantial market evolutionespecially changes in technology,said Paul A. Quaranto, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer at Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company. By partnering with an experienced resource like Onyx Data Solutions, were investing in a model that will allow us to be flexible with market changes and continue the ongoing process to best support our policyholders, producers, and employees.Founded in 1891, Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company has enjoyed a long history of financial strength and stability. Headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts, Boston Mutual has been a recognized leader for 125 years in providing flexible insurance products to working Americans and their families in the private and public sectors of the USA. For more information, please visit www.bostonmutual.com or follow the company on Facebook (/BostonMutualLifeIns) Candidate for 7th District Alderman Randy Jones makes a pledge to the residents in his district. Jones will donate 20% of his salary per year for the purpose of family activities and education. By: Roth & Lawrence Associates Candidate for 7th District Alderman Randy Jones Media Contact Ms. Lawrence tam@exposureassociates.com 414-856-5330 Ms. Lawrence414-856-5330 End -- The Candidate for 7District Randy Jones announced to his team that he would be publicly affirming on January 13, 2016 during his 2fundraiser at Mr. Js Lounge located on Fondulac Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; he will be donating a percentage of his earnings to be used to create, community awareness events and activities in the 7district.Candidate for 7District Alderman Randy Jones is sincerely committed to stimulating and empowering his community. Jones is a not a career politician Joness sole decision to run was based onMilwaukees 7district has a vast number of decaying neighborhoods, vacancies, foreclosed homes, and not to mention its unjustifiable violence. The district does not need another career politician to delay its growth.Candidate for 7District Randy Jones has a vision for his district where everybody who works hard has a chance to get ahead. Randy Jones funded his campaign by working a 2part-time job driving the school bus; pulling no punches Jones is resilient and driven to win the race.Former-Candidate for 7District Alderwoman Temeka Williams has joined forces with Randy Jones both are residents in the 7district.I am committed to continue to support my community as a joint effort; I have every intent to work with Randy Jones during his campaign and when he becomes Alderman. We will fight for adequate housing, assuring the residents in our great neighborhood sustainable living and safety. I am confident that candidate Randy Jones for the 7th district will have divine leadership. Mr. Jones is someone I truly believe embodies the leadership the 7th district needs, stated Temeka Williams, former Candidate for 7District AlderwomanWhat: Press ConferenceDuring the event Jones will be signing a pledge along with announcing the collaborative efforts between former-Candidate for 7th District-- Temeka Williams.When: January 13, 2016 Time: 5:30PM CSTWhere: Mr. Js Lounge 4610 West Fondulac Ave Milwaukee, Wisconsin Since 1997, DR1 has been covering the Dominican Republic in English. A site overhaul had long been due. Here is the beta version of the first phase of the new DR1. We have upgraded the website with user-friendly software to serve our community better. We have kept the up-to-date content. Now it is your turn to give the new DR1 a test run! We are tough-skinned. Go ahead and tell us what we are doing right, wrong, and what we need to change asap or work on next. Tell us what you would like to see less or more of, and what we shouldnt change! Imagine we have bought a new house for DR1. The house comes with: New server that ensures DR1 can handle peaks in traffic New DR1 Forums Improved Search New DR1 Calendar DR1 News and DR1 Calendar are integrated into the DR1 Forums New DR1 Wiki for frequently asked topics New Trending Topics emails We now need to furnish the house. It is YOUR DR1! We invite you to collaborate in adding valuable content. What content or services should we add? Check out the new resources, but get creative, too. You can contribute and play a key role in helping people connect, enjoy and be productive in the Dominican Republic. Dolores Vicioso, founder Write to support@dr1.com End -- January 12, 2016 | Toronto The Canadian Institute will be hosting theconference which will be taking place on March 8-9, 2016 in Toronto. The event will bring together senior executives in telecommunications, network technology, content producers and distributors, government, and more to discuss insights and developments that will shape the telecommunications industry for years to come.Developed with the assistance of our Advisory Committee, the conference will cover: What new technology is disrupting the traditional telecomm marketplace and what new breed of enterprise is emerging? Who is the new competition in this marketplace and how will they be regulated? What is the future of content delivery and how will this impact the Canadian content production industry? How to stay on the right side of the privacy line and still use the advantages big data offers What impact will recent CRTC Decisions (i.e. Wireline and Wireless access, pick and pay) and the recent CETA and TPP trade agreements have on the Canadian competitive landscape? Is it time to include broadband as a basic service and if so, on what terms?Speakers include representatives from Ericsson Canada, Ciena, IBM, the Information and Communications Technology Council, Hortonworks, Bell Media, Canadian Media Production Association, Shomi, Verizon, VMedia, CNOC, TELUS, and more.March 8-9, 2016 TorontoThe C5 Group, comprising the Canadian Institute, the American Conference Institute and Londons C5, conceives, develops and hosts conferences, forums, summits and other influential events.We deliver business critical thinking, curated by specialists, inspired by industry leaders and measured by professional peers.This expansive portfolio is shaped by a simple but unifying philosophy: we believe that growth and success occurs when the power of people and the power of information come together. Our goal is to help clients drive operational excellence, accelerate growth and deliver business value. We provide unparalleled access to market leading intelligence and facilitate a global exchange of expertise. We have spent decades building a community of industry leaders designed to advise, inspire and transform. Our wealth of insights and connections steers delegates for years to come.This year marks 30 years since our inception and we are changing how our brand looks and how our website functions. Be on the lookout for our new look in the coming months.Melissa Cabillan, Senior Marketing Manager, 416-927-0718 ext. 7224, m.cabillan@canadianinstitute.com "When The Heart Dreams, Romance Readers and Writers Weekend Mixer" Celebrates the Season of Love - A Great Alternative To Flowers and Dinner 1 2 3 MadelineHunter.Tall dark and Wicked Bev. Jenkins. FORBIDDEN Katharine Ashe THE ROGUE End -- What is a great alternative to receiving the same old flowers and having dinner in an overcrowded venue for Valentine's?With Valentines Day fast approaching,promises to have a lasting impact long after the event is over.The event is for people who love to read romance novels and love all things romance. Romance novels are a multi-billion dollar industry featuring genres from contemporary, historical and paranormal.is the first of its kind to be held in Charlotte on February 5-6, 2016 at the Renaissance Charlotte Southpark Hotel and will feature four keynote NY Times and USA Todays bestselling authors in addition to local authors who are rapidly rising to the top of lists. Readers will have the opportunity to rub shoulders with the authors in a relaxed, casual setting, enjoy delicious food, drinks, games, prizes and free giveaways from the authors," said Karen Lawrence, the event organizer and owner of Its My Affair, LLC.The event will kick-off with a Wine, Cheese and Chocolate reception with national and local authors and fans followed by a fireside chat with New York Times bestselling paranormal authorBestselling romance author,a North Carolina resident, will host the weekend event. Katharine is a three-time nominee in the Reviewers Choice Awards and USA Today bestselling author. Her books have been recommended by Womans World Magazine, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, Barnes and Noble and many others.joins us as the keynote Breakfast Speaker. Ms. Jenkins is a USA Today bestselling author and the nations premier writer of African-American historical fiction. For a long time you couldn't read about black history in a romantic way until Ms. Jenkins came along. Ms. Jenkins writes about parts of black history you don't learn in school and wraps them in a good love story.The keynote for the Queen Authors Luncheon is historical romance author,. Madeline is a two-time RITA winner and seven-time finalist and has twenty-six nationally bestselling historical romances in print. Her books have been on the bestseller lists of the NY Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly. Over six million copies of her books are in print and her novels have also been translated in thirteen languages. Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Welcome Reception with featured authors Public Book Signing Event with national and local authors Book Cover Fantasy Photos with male models Author workshops, Reader Games and Prizeshosted by two up and coming authors,andwho are rising up the charts! Raffle to benefit the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation and the CelebrateLife08.org breast cancer charityVisit www.whentheheartdreams.com for additional details about participating authors and schedule of events.Tickets are $10 for the book signing only and $179 for the full weekend, which includes a swag bag, admittance to the opening night reception, breakfast, luncheon and closing night themed party. Full conference tickets also include a commemorative coffee mug at the fireside chat and commemorative wine glass. Guests who cannot attend the full weekend can register a la carte to attend the breakfast, luncheon or party.Check out the event video on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=7i1KzrdcEEU Local authors, Julianna Fiddler-Woite and Rev. Jamie Retallack, will be available to sign copies of book End --During the construction of the Erie Canal in the early 1820s, the population of Western New York increased 145 percent. Many of these pioneers were European immigrants, with a high concentration hailing from the German-speaking states. These immigrants brought their Lutheran ideals and continued to practice the religion in their new homeland. By 1827, the first official Lutheran church in Erie County had been incorporated as the German Reformed Church, known today as St. Pauls Lutheran Church in Eggertsville. Soon after, the need for mission churches arose, and by the mid-1800s, Lutheran congregations had been established in several Western New York suburbs. During the following century, the Lutherans in Western New York would undergo growth and change. While all congregations eventually abandoned German as their primary language, many struggled to further separate from their German roots during the Nazi regime. Today, there are nearly 200 Lutheran congregations in New York.Highlights ofinclude: Many images in this book have been collected from the archives of local churches. This is the first time that these images have been organized into a collection and made available to the public. Celebrates the life and times of the Lutheran people - highlighting individual congregations as well as their individual members. Chronicles the evolution of the Lutheran church in Western New York over the past 200 years.Barnes & Noble1565 Niagara Falls Boulevard, Suite 300Amherst, NY 14228Saturday, January 23rd, 2016 at 2:00 p.m.Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online ( https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/ Products/9781467133883 ).The combination of Arcadia Publishing & The History Press creates the largest and most comprehensive publisher of local and regional content in the USA. By empowering local history and culture enthusiasts to write local stories for local audiences, we create exceptional books that are relevant on a local and personal level, enrich lives, and bring readers closer - to their community, their neighbors, and their past. Have we done a book on your town? Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com Local author, William A. Fox, will be available to sign copies of book End --In 2007, House Resolution 16 of the 110th Congress named the James River as Americas Founding River. The first permanent English settlement in the New World was made on the banks of the James at Jamestown in 1607, and representative government in America began there in 1619.The river runs for 340 miles entirely in Virginia, from the Allegheny Mountains to Hampton Roads and the Chesapeake Bay. Canal boats, steamboats, and railroads made it a mainstream of commerce and communication for the growing state. While the rivers scenic views have remained relatively unchanged since 1607, there is still much to discover along its length through 20 counties, three major cities, and numerous small towns on its way to the sea. With more than 200 images,seeks to raise awareness about this great river and its history while helping to protect and preserve it for the future.Highlights ofinclude: The river passes through 20 counties, three major cities, and many small towns on its way to the sea. Sections on canal boats, steamboats, and railroads show how the James became the mainstream of commerce and communication for a growing Virginia. The James River and Kanawha Canal was the largest engineering project of the early 1800s.Barnes & Noble11500 Midlothian TurnpikeRichmond, VA 23235Saturday, January 23rd, 2016 at 2:00 p.m.Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online ( https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/ Products/9781467134088 ).The combination of Arcadia Publishing & The History Press creates the largest and most comprehensive publisher of local and regional content in the USA. By empowering local history and culture enthusiasts to write local stories for local audiences, we create exceptional books that are relevant on a local and personal level, enrich lives, and bring readers closer - to their community, their neighbors, and their past. Have we done a book on your town? Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com By: www.1stchoicegov.com Media Contact info@1stchoicegov.com End -- Michelle A. Bell, PHR recently received the nation's premier award for excellence among women's business enterprises (WBEs) bestowed by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). 1st Choice, a management consulting firm, facilitates organizational performance improvement by providing strategies and staff to optimize business operations.Michelle A. Bell, PHR is an outstanding leader who demonstrates how womens businesses can drive innovation and fuel economic growth, said Pamela Prince-Eason, President and CEO of WBENC, the nations leader in womens business development.Michelle will be recognized for her business accomplishments, her inspiration to other women, and her active role at the helm of 1Choice, LLC. She was selected for this national honor by Sandra Eberhard, Executive Director, one of WBENC's 14 Regional Partner Organizations (RPOs) that process WBENC's world-class certification of WBEs, in addition to providing skills-building educational programs and business development opportunities in their regions.The award gala will take place March 24, 2016, is the concluding event to WBENCs annual Summit & Salute convening more than 1,500 corporate and government executives, WBEs and members of WBENCs RPOs in Phoenix, Arizona. Sponsored by Accenture, EY and Ampcus, the three-day event provides vital access to the thought leaders, business intelligence, and senior-level networking opportunities creating the foundation for sustainable growth.1st Choice, a management consulting firm, facilitates organizational performance improvement by providing strategies and staff to optimize business operations. For 16 years we have served as trusted partners to clients by guiding them towards greater efficiency and productivity.1Choice designs and implements solutions for talent optimization while delivering innovation and cost savings to our clients nationwide.Founded in 1997, WBENC is the leading third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women, with nearly 13,000 WBENC-Certified WBEs. WBENC-Certification is accepted by more than 1,000 corporations representing Americas most prestigious brands, in addition to many states, cities and other entities. Throughout the year, WBENC and its 14 Regional Partner Organizations provide opportunities for interactions between more than 650 member corporations, government agencies and thousands of certified WBEs at business building events and other forums. WBENC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that seeks and accepts donations from corporations, foundations and individuals that support its mission and programs. For more information, please go to www.wbenc.org Choice, LLC End -- Prediq Media, a South Florida-based creative agency, will be hosting a series of workshops educating business owners on how to grow their businesses and achieve real results on the internet through proven online marketing strategies. The GROWS series will kick off with its first workshop on Wednesday, January 20, 2016 from 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. at Palm Beach State College, 3000 Saint Lucie Avenue in Boca Raton, FL. The workshop, entitled 2016 Innovative Marketing How Tos, will give attendees a closer look at using online marketing as a tool to grow their businesses.Our goal with these workshops is to arm local businesses with the information and strategies they need to grow their businesses online, said Alex Oliveira, CEO of Prediq Media. This workshop will give businesses a fresh vision of what is working today in the online world.Oliveira will give attendees insight into how to plan and execute a search strategy, Sixcia Devine of Constant Contact will discuss how to create an email marketing campaign in ten minutes and Brian Lowe of Innoventive Media will provide info on how to successfully produce and market videos online.For more information or to sign up for the GROWS workshop, email christopher@prediqmedia.com, call 561.402.7227 or visit http://prediqmedia.com/ workshops Prediq Media Group is a full-service marketing agency based in Miami, Florida. With an emphasis on social media marketing, search marketing and lead generation, the agency aims to keep clients ahead of the curve in an ever-changing tech world. For more information, call 800-796-0201 or visit www.prediqmedia.com. National Pizza Chain Expands Upon Presence in Arizona with Fresh New Look By: Hungry Howie's Pizza Contact Konnect PR ***@konnect- pr.com Konnect PR End --, the originator of the flavored crust pizza, opens its newest location in Scottsdale, Arizona on Wednesday, January 13, 2016. The new Scottsdale location marks the very first store in Arizona to featuremodernized store design, a brand-new model incorporated nationwide as part of a recent brand revitalization.The Scottsdale store features a mid-century interior consisting of clean lines and modern materials, aiming to create a contemporary atmosphere for the young, thriving community in Arizona. An Arizona-staple,brings Scottsdale residents a variety of pizza options with eight delicious crust flavors to choose from including butter, Asiago cheese, Cajun, butter cheese, sesame, garlic herb, ranch and onion.As a lively, community-driven area, Scottsdale is the perfect location for our newest, said franchisee, Andy Goldstein. We look forward to interacting with local families and schools as they enjoy delicious pizza and connect to thebrand.I have the utmost confidence in Goldsteins new location as he has been instrumental in expanding our brand throughout the state, said Jennifer Jackson, Vice President of Development at. We have had great success over the years in Arizona and cannot wait for fans to experience our new, modern look in Scottsdale.Scottsdale is located at 4847 E. Greenway Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85254. For more information please visit www.hungryhowies.com. Contact TRE architecture ***@tarchitecture.com TRE architecture End -- We are proud to announce thathas been awarded Best Of Houzz on Houzz, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. Our firm was chosen by the more than 35 million monthly users that comprise the Houzz community.was also awarded Best of Houzz in 2012, 2014 and 2015.The Best Of Houzz awards are determined by a variety of factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2015. Winners received a Best Of Houzz 2016 badge on their profiles, showing the Houzz community their commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metro area on Houzz.Anyone building, remodeling or decorating looks to Houzz for the most talented and service-oriented professionalssaid Liza Hausman, vice president of Industry Marketing for Houzz. Were so pleased to recognize, voted one of our Best Of Houzz professionals by our enormous community of homeowners and design enthusiasts actively remodeling and decorating their homes.Celebrating over 45 years of business excellence, TRE architecture is an award winning practice located in Carlsbad, California.is a full service architectural firm that works collaboratively with its clients from the inception of an idea through the completion of construction. Through an imaginative and collaborative process, all possibilities are explored to find the harmonious solution. At the core of the process is the ability to take a fresh look at design challenges and transform limitations into possibilities. This formula has produced a diverse and distinguished body of work, commissioned by clients eager to have their expectations raised. Regardless of scale or program, TRE architecture is enthusiastic in its approach and professional in its process. For more information, please visit http://www.tarchitecture.com Houzz is the leading platform for home remodeling and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish - online or from a mobile device. From decorating a room to building a custom home, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world. With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community powered by social tools, Houzz is the easiest way for people to get the design inspiration, project advice, product information and professional reviews they need to help turn ideas into reality. The south Florida auction scene will get a major new player when Antiques & Modern Auction Gallery conducts a grand opening auction on Saturday, Jan. 23rd, at 809 Belvedere Road in West Palm Beach, Fla., beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern time. By: Antiques & Modern Auction Gallery Beautiful Russian guilloche blue enameled silver match case holder. Contact Scott Cieckiewicz ***@antiquesmodern.com Scott Cieckiewicz End -- The south Florida auction scene will get a major new player when Antiques & Modern Auction Gallery conducts a grand opening auction on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 809 Belvedere Road in West Palm Beach, beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern time. About 250 lots will come up for bid, mostly antiques, porcelain, bronze, sterling, original artwork and Asian objects.Its an exciting time to be in the auction business and this promises to be an exciting auction, said a spokesperson for Antiques & Modern Auction Gallery. The merchandise in our inaugural sale has been pulled from prominent south Florida estates and collections. Collectors, decorators or anyone interested in quality antiques will be favorably impressed with what is in this auction.Two lots in particular will be strong candidates for top lot of the auction. The first is a very rare and monumental Meissen Fire porcelain ewer from the makers Four Elements series. The 19century piece, from an estate in Boca Raton, Fla., holds the crossed swords mark to the bottom, stands 24 inches tall and weighs 16.3 kilograms. It should hammer for $12,000-$16,000.The second is an original oil on canvas painting by Heywood Hardy (Br., 1842-1933), depicting a man and woman on horseback riding through the woods. Painted sometime in the late 19century, the painting measures 19 inches by 13 inches (sight) and is housed in a frame. Works by Hardy are scarce and have sold for up to $50,000. This one is estimated to bring $8,000-$15,000.Another painting by a British artist from the same period is also expected to attract interest. Its an oil on Masonite depiction of people in a rowboat and a boat house by Robert Weir Allen (1852-1942). The painting is signed lower left R. Allen and is diminutive, measuring just 12 inches by 9 inches (sight), plus a frame. It has been assigned a modest $800-$1,200 estimate.Expected stars of the Asian lots category will include a Chinese jade magnolia with dragon vase carving, 6 inches tall, expected to fetch $3,000-$4,500;a Chinese jade finger citron Buddha hand carving, 4 inches long, estimated at $2,000-$3,000;and a heavy Chinese bronze vase with Taotie pattern throughout and Xuande mark to the bottom, expected to realize $800-$1,200.Fans of silver will be in awe of the Russian guilloche blue enameled silver match case holder, having an applique double eagle design supported by two rampant lions on a marble plinth. The piece holds 88 silver purity marks, with workmaster and assayer marks. Standing approximately 4 inches tall and weighing a total of 335 grams, the lot is expected to rise to $1,500-$2,500.Also sold will be an impressive and large pair of Royal Vienna antique hand-painted vases with different, highly detailed hand-painted scenes in the center of each vase. Lovely hand-painted flowers are in evidence throughout both. Measuring 17 inches tall by 8 inches in width, the lot has been assigned a modest pre-sale estimate of $800-$1,200, but it could easily sell for more.The full catalog may be viewed now by visiting www.antiquesmodern.com . Internet bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted. Auctions will be held each month, and free appraisals are available. To schedule an appointment, interested sellers can call 561-385-0649. Specialists will be pleased to meet prospective clients in person, in their home or other location, to discuss and evaluate their items.Antiques & Modern Auction Gallery is actively seeking fine quality consignments for future auctions. Appointments for evaluations are available Monday thru Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time. To consign an item, an estate or a collection, you may call them at 561-318-1834;or, you may send them an e-mail at info@antiquesmodern.com To learn more about Antiques & Modern Auction Gallery and the January 23auction, please visit www.antiquesmodern.com. Official Preliminary to the MISS U.S. LATINA Pageant and the MISS TEEN U.S. LATINA Pageant. We are looking for... "More than a Model...a ROLE Model." By: Miss Virginia Latina Organization Media Contact Olga Torres Norma Centeno - en espanol ***@missvirginialatina.com 7572024204 Olga TorresNorma Centeno - en espanol7572024204 End -- The 2016 State Finals of Miss Virginia Latina and Miss Teen Virginia Latina Pageants will be held on Sunday, May 1, 2016. Once again, the Pageant Finals will be held at Old Dominion Universitys Webb Center in Norfolk, VA. Tickets to the event are $15 and will be available for purchased online prior to the event, or $20 on the day of the event.Miss Virginia Latina and Miss Teen Virginia Latina will recognize young girls from the ages of 14 - 16 and young ladies ages 18 - 26 who embody beauty, talent, and pride of their Latino heritage. In addition to these age parameters, participants should be natural born females, living in the Commonwealth of Virginia for the past six months, never married, and have no children. The winners of each category will be awarded a budget for travel expenses to the Miss Teen U.S. Latina Pageant in July, and the Miss U.S. Latina Pageant in August/September, among other prizes.Miss Virginia Latina is now accepting candidates for the 2016 State Pageant, as well as Region Directors for several localities in Northern Virginia, Charlottesville and Richmond. To learn more about the Miss Virginia Latina and Miss Teen Virginia Latina Pageant, Latina young girls and young ladies are invited to send a request for information to info.missvirginialatina@ gmail.com . Individuals interested in joining Miss Virginia Latina Organization as a Region Director can also send an email requesting more details to this same email address.The state pageant is independently managed and produced by Dragonfly Latina Productions, under license from Organizacion Miss America Latina, Inc. For the first time Dragonfly Latina Productions is introducing the Miss Latinita Virginia Pageant with three (3) age categories for girls ages 4 to 12 years old. Parents of girls in these age categories who are interested in obtaining more details are invited to send a request for information to misslatinitavirginia@ gmail.com About Miss Virginia Latina:The mission of the Miss Virginia Latina and Miss Teen Virginia Latina pageants is to empower and inspire Latina young girls and young ladies to embrace and showcase their Latino roots and heritage while living, studying, serving, and working alongside other young girls and young ladies in their own communities. The Miss Virginia Latina and Miss Teen Virginia Latina pageants provide an excellent forum where participants are exposed to professional and personal development and growth, while taking part, alongside other fellow Latinas, in a program where not only their physical attributes, but also their talents, viewpoints, and personal accomplishments are acknowledged and celebrated.The Miss Virginia Latina and The Miss Teen Virginia Latina are the preliminaries to Miss U.S. Latina and Miss Teen U.S. Latina; the most prestigious and well known pageant in the world for U.S. Latinas, as well as the longest-running (since 1983). It is also the only national Latina pageant in the U.S. That follows traditional guidelines for participants and affiliate preliminary competitions.About Dragonfly Latina Productions:The mission of Dragonfly Latina Productions is to produce and promote Latina / Hispanic womens events and causes which elevate our dignity, educate, empower, inspire, raise awareness, and highlight the wonderfully diverse Latino cultures represented in Virginia.Enjoy our 2015 State Finals video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Fed0GOMNIxA Today was our first day working in Honduras. We traveled to Ponciado, Las Vegas, a location that was fairly high up a mountain near a mining community. It was very foggy when we got up this morning, but our drive was rain-free. However, upon arriving it began to rain. The clinic was set up in a school and about 75 people were seen. The numbers were down a little from what was expected because it is in the coffee region and people were working in the mountains picking coffee. The teacher was very helpful to the MAMA team as they set up the various stations. As I talked with him at the end of the day I discovered that his wife is living in Quakertown, PA with their little girl who attends 1st grade there.The construction groups divided into 2 teams to work more efficiently. We were hoping to do 8-10 floors. The rain made walking difficult and the team I was on had a long downhill walk to the first house. The ground is red clay and when it rains it becomes a greasy mess - very difficult to walk on. After doing the first house, we walked halfway back up the hill to the second house, where we had tremendous assistance from the home owner and his uncle. We climbed back up to the main road and were picked up to go to the next house in a pickup. Heading down a hill, we slid into the ditch/bank because of the greasy road and had to exit the pickup and push it out. We carried our tools halfway up the next hill to the house and the pickup turned around and headed back up the hill we had just come down. He was unable to make it up the hill and we had to walk to the truck, push him up the hill, and then return to our house. Between the two teams we did 8 houses and 78 bags of cement by hand. It was satisfying to have home owners join in with us.We finished at 4 pm, packed and ready to return to the mission house. However, the 2 vans were parked in a grassy area and they were unable to back out because of the greasy conditions. The first van slid into the ditch and we were able to get it out using the pickup and plenty of 'manpower.' The second pickup also needed to be pulled out to the main road before we could leave. It was an uneventful ride home and we arrived at dusk. Showers felt great and Isabella the cook had prepared a wonderful meal of spaghetti, meatballs, plantains, and salad. We talked about loving God and loving others in devotional time and finished with the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. We give thanks to God for safety, the opportunity to share our gifts, and the incredible hospitality of the community we were in. It will be an early night for most tonight and we look forward to tomorrow with anticipation - and hopefully no rain.Posted by Tim Weaver for the team By: Cohesion Contact John Larson ***@cohesion.com John Larson End -- CPSI, a leader in IT Consulting in Baltimore, Washington D.C. and the Northern Virginia area, announced today that it is merging with Cohesion. This new partnership is a part of Cohesions ongoing growth strategy involving an acquisition of PeopleSourcer and a strategic partnership with nSight. The concerted effort between all four companies is aimed at helping their clients battle the organizational gaps caused by todays volatile economy and, simultaneously, offer their customers industry-specific IT specialization in 7 targeted categories: Communication, Finance, Government, Healthcare, Insurance, Publishing, & Retail.CPSI has been a leader in IT Consulting in our region for years, with a deep expertise in the government space. Now, joining the Cohesion team, we are able to expand that regional focus nationwide and contribute on a much greater scale. said John Larson, CEO of CPSI, and incoming Co-CEO of Cohesion.CPSI has developed a robust expertise in many areas, especially in the realm of Governmentsaid John Owens, Cohesion. With the addition of CPSI, we are uniquely positioned to expand our national reach and add a deep understanding of the Government space. CPSI will be combined with the existing Cohesion offering.About CohesionCohesion, a leading provider in IT consulting and staffing, is dedicated to adapting to and overcoming tomorrows IT challenges. Cohesion is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. For the last 15 years Cohesion has served Fortune 1000 companies with IT consulting and staffing needs. Cohesion has seven affiliates, with IT consultants serving seven industry-specific verticals. For more information, please visit http://www.cohesion.com/ Redefine your camera using Pinout allowing for remote release, Geo- Tagging, Time Lapse, HDR, Loss Prevention, and more using the device and a simple app on your smartphone. By: Zesty Systems, Inc End -- Tokyo, Japan January 2016Photographers are always looking for the newest gadget to make their life easier when on photo shoots and out in the field. Pinout offers a host of capabilities using a very small pin shaped design that plugs directly into the shutter release port of your DSLR camera. Pinout does not need any cords or cables and does not require a battery making it even more convenient.Zesty, the company that is bringing Pinout to market was founded six years ago in Tokyo, Japan and was one of the earliest companies to acquire an MFi (Made for iPod, iPhone and iPad) license from Apple. Currently focusing on IoT (Internet of Things) and digital life, Zesty has developed new products over the years with the photographer in mind. Bringing to market devices with their mission to make cameras and photography better.Pinout uses Bluetooth LE technology and offers many convenient uses, to include a tracking device to find your camera should it become stolen and alerts sent to you if you are too far from your equipment and theft is as risk.Through their easy to use app, you can take pictures wirelessly with your smartphone, with options for star trail, time lapse, bulb ramping, HDR photography as well as, multi-camera control to list just a few.Additionally, the revolutionary Geo-tagging capability allows you to easily track the location of your work and automatically record the GPS position data of your pictures. It is a very powerful feature at an incredibly low cost and is currently the only Bluetooth DSLR accessory with this capability in the world.Pinout is currently on INDIEGOGO and is looking to reach its $20k goal by the end of the month. For more information about Pinout and the company please view the campaign at http://igg.me/ at/pinout or you can reach the Co-founder directly.Long LiZesty Systems, Inc. Co-founder / CTOlong.li@zesty.co.jp A portrait, if done right, has the magical ability to capture a persons soul on canvas immortalizing them forever. Its what artist Michael Bell is known for and what hes after while painting the likes of notorious former Mob Boss John Gotti. Contact Lisa ***@mbellart.com Lisa End -- A portrait, if done right, has the magical ability to capture a persons soul on canvas, immortalizing them forever.Its what Im known for, and thats what Im always after with every portrait I paint, explains artist Michael Bell.Bell has been painting peoples portraits since the age of five his earliest were of Super Heroes. But his latest, over the past decade have been for the likes of: Marylands former State Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Nancy S. Grasmick; Al Capones great nephew Dominic Capone III in Chicago; numerous actors from HBOs hit series The Sopranos; and most recently for John Gotti, Jr., former Mob Boss of New Yorks most notorious Gambino crime family, whom Bell unveiled his portrait as well as one for his brother Peter J. Gotti the day after Christmas in New York along with an eclectic cast of characters including famed actor Mickey Rourke.To say Bells work is well known in colorful of circles is an understatement.But, for this artist, its all about making the experience a memorable one for his painting clients. Its his process of painting that separates him from the pack.Capturing a likeness, thats the easy part, Bell explains, Capturing someones soulthats a different ballgame. Thats a job for a real pro. I liken this moment of actualization to when you meet someone for the first time, and as you get to know them on a deeper level their face changes right before your very eyes thats their soul emerging - their true personality rises to the surface. Arriving at this moment in a painting over the accumulation of time versus just capturing the moment in a photograph is the difference between reading hundreds of love stories and actually falling in love. Its light years apart. So, while I spend a lot of time on the surface, its the inside of my subjects that Im really after.Can Michael work from a photograph you send him? Absolutely! Its a very easy process.Whether its a charcoal drawing or a portrait in oils on paper or canvas from a photograph you provide anything can be done! Have an idea for a custom portrait but dont have a photograph of it? For a little extra, you can arrange for Michael to take your photograph as a reference for the painting.Need more ideas? Hes also created montage paintings, which consist of a series of photographs combined as one grand finale image in order to breathe some new life into an important memory or captured moment. Hes created portraits from peoples favorite wedding photos, family portraits, paintings of children, spouses, even tribute portraits of loved ones that have since passed away.So, want the perfect gift for your loved one this Valentines Day? Why not give the gift of immortality a portrait by Michael Bell. Trial will evaluate if lowering triglycerides and increasing functional HDL with Kowa's potent selective peroxisome proliferator activator receptor-alpha (PPAR-alpha) modulator, K-877 (pemafibrate) can reduce the elevated risk of cardiovascular disease in high-risk diabetic patients who are already taking statins RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, North Carolina, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Kowa Research Institute, Inc., announced plans to conduct an international, multi-center cardiovascular outcomes trial evaluating triglyceride reduction and increasing functional HDL with K-877 (pemafibrate), in high-risk diabetic patients with high triglyceride and low HDL-C levels who are already taking statins. K-877 is a highly potent and selective peroxisome proliferator activator receptor-alpha (PPAR-alpha) modulator (SPPARMalpha), a promising category of metabolic therapy. Paul Ridker, MD, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention (CCVDP) at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and Aruna Pradhan, MD, a cardiologist at BWH, will be co-Principal Investigators of the planned trial. "This trial is unprecedented," said Gary Gordon, MD, President, Kowa Research Institute, Inc. "Statins are effective in lowering cardiovascular risk among patients with high cholesterol, but residual risk remains, particularly in patients with high triglyceride levels and low HDL-C levels. Kowa will be the first company to run a major, randomized clinical trial investigating whether modulating PPAR-alpha to lower triglycerides and increase functional HDL in diabetic patients can reduce cardiovascular risk when added to statin therapy." Evidence supports a role for triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and low HDL-C as important contributors to atherosclerosis. Kowa specifically set out to create the most potent and selective PPAR-alpha modulator ever developed, and succeeded with K-877, which is at least 1,000 times as potent and selective as other drugs. Kowa has completed clinical development of K-877 for hyperlipidemia in Japan, and has submitted it to the PMDA for approval as a new drug. Kowa's clinical studies have shown K-877 significantly reduces triglycerides, ApoC3, and remnant cholesterol and increases functional HDL and FGF21. The P emafibrate to R educe cardiovascular O utco M es by reducing triglycerides IN diabetic pati ENT s (PROMINENT) Phase 3 K-877 cardiovascular outcomes trial will recruit an estimated 10,000 high-risk diabetic patients worldwide. All participants will receive aggressive, standard of care management of cardiovascular risk factors including treatment with high-intensity statins. In addition, patients will receive either K-877 or placebo. The trial will include diabetic patients with and without established cardiovascular disease and will test whether K-877 reduces the occurrence of heart attacks, hospitalizations for unstable angina requiring unplanned revascularization, stroke, or death from cardiovascular causes. "Cardiovascular disease remains the number one cause of death worldwide," said Dr. Gordon. "Reducing residual cardiovascular risk with K-877 would be valuable to physicians managing patients' cardiovascular disease." About Kowa Company, Ltd. and Kowa Research Institute, Inc. Kowa Company, Ltd. (Kowa) is a privately held multinational company headquartered in Nagoya, Japan. Established in 1894, Kowa is actively engaged in various manufacturing and trading activities in the fields of pharmaceuticals, life science, information technology, textiles, machinery and various consumer products. Kowa's pharmaceutical division is focused on research and development for cardiovascular therapeutics (dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis), ophthalmology and anti-inflammatory agents. The company's flagship product, LIVALO (pitavastatin), is approved in 45 countries around the world. Kowa Research Institute, Inc., headquartered in Research Triangle Park, NC, is the division of Kowa responsible for the clinical development of Kowa's new drugs in the United States. Kowa Research Institute was established in 1997 in California and began operations at the current location in 2003. For more information about Kowa Research Institute, visit www.kowaus.com. LIVALO is a registered trademark of the Kowa group of companies. Media Contact: Ian Mehr Kowa Research Institute, Inc. 919-433-1600 imehr@kowaus.com Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160108/320297LOGO Related Links http://www.kowaus.com SOURCE Kowa Research Institute, Inc. LONDON, January 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- KETTLE Chips buy 26% stake in the nation's most loved premium popcorn brand Metcalfe's skinny Ltd (Metcalfe's skinny) is delighted to announce a business partnership with KETTLE Chips UK. The 26% stake investment will help Metcalfe's skinny with strategic and financial infrastructure to maximise the growth potential of the brand in the UK and Europe. The newfound partnership will significantly shake up the snacking sector with delicious taste and top quality continuing to be at the heart of both businesses. The Metcalfe's skinny existing management team will continue to operate the company independently in partnership with the influential support of KETTLE Chips. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160112/321289 ) Popcorn is currently one of the biggest success stories in the UK snacking. Metcalfe's skinny has seen a growth of +67.4% YoY[1] and now has the highest share and widest national distribution amongst premium popcorn brands in the UK snacking market. Julian Metcalfe and Robert Jakobi Co-Owners of Metcalfe's skinny commented, "We are very excited about the opportunity to expand the Metcalfe's skinny brand with the support and expertise of the KETTLE organization. This is a positive step that we know will not only showcase the brand's potential but will benefit our customers in the long term too." "We are very excited to acquire an interest in Metcalfe's skinny, which is an incredibly innovative, dynamic, fast-growing, premium brand appealing to 'foodie' consumers looking for lighter great tasting snacks," said Ashley Hicks, Managing Director of KETTLE Chips UK. "We look forward to a long term working relationship with the management team to support their future growth ambitions in the on-trend, high growth popcorn snack category. " Notes to Editors About Metcalfe's skinny Popcorn As the Co Founder of Pret A Manger and itsu, Julian Metcalfe is obsessed with delicious and healthy food. Back in 2009 he was fed up of stodgy snacks and wanted to create something that was lighter yet still tasty to replace unhealthier snacks. Metcalfe's skinny was born and is now one of the most loved popcorn brands in the UK. The full range comprises Metcalfe's skinny Popcorn, Metcalfe's skinny Popcorn Crisps, Metcalfe's skinny Popcorn Thins and Metcalfe's skinny Ricecakes.http://www.metcalfesskinny.com About Diamond Foods Diamond Foods are a snack food and culinary nut company focused on making innovative, convenient and delicious snacks as well as culinary nuts true to our 100-year plus heritage. They sell their products under five different widely-recognized brand names: Diamond of California, Kettle Brand and KETTLE Chips, Emerald and Pop Secret. Their mission is to honour nature's ingredients by making food that people love. They are proud of their offerings, many of which are non-GMO Project verified and free of artificial flavors and preservatives and are committed to making great tasting products for their consumers. Diamond's products are distributed in a wide range of stores where snacks and culinary nuts are sold. For more information, visit the Company's corporate web site: http://www.diamondfoods.com -------------------------------------------------- 1. Source: AC Nielson MAT value sales to 26th Sept 2015 SOURCE Metcalfe's skinny Ltd WIXOM, Mich., Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The veterinary division of U.S.-based DiaSys Diagnostic Systems today announced the availability of its next-generation, fully integrated respons920VET Clinical Chemistry Analyzer. The company will officially launch the new product in their booth (#3929) at NAVC 2016, a conference attended by over 8000 veterinarians and support staff from around the world. The respons920VET offers greater testing capacity to higher-volume laboratories with a guaranteed throughput of 200 tests per hour. The respons910VET, launched last year, is ideal for low- to mid-volume veterinary laboratories with a testing throughput of 100-150 tests per hour. Both systems offer a wide range of options with an industry leading 30 assays and six calculated tests. "The U.S. Veterinary market continues to grow and the needs of veterinarians are evolving," said Douglas Danne, Chief Executive Officer. "There is a shift away from pre-defined laboratory instrument testing profiles as well as a trend toward vet-driven, targeted tests that can be performed to match each patient scenario." Dennis Taschek, President and Chief Technology Officer, adds, "We have deliberately designed our product hardware, reagent methodologies and software features to the unique needs of veterinarians and their clients. With the responsVET product line, we aim to provide the most accurate, timely and cost-effective diagnostic results available." The responsVET line of products offers veterinarians new choices for providing on-site diagnostic testing and targeted testing protocols for specific disease states. Testing requests are pinpointed and analyzed for each patient's unique symptoms and can be requested in any testing configuration. This differs from other major systems available today in which tests utilize inflexible, factory-defined panel configurations. The responsVET diagnostic systems provide highly accurate results which utilize technology similar to that used in major reference laboratories. The responsVET line's on-site testing capability enables timely diagnosis and treatment and, as a result, increased recovery time and reduced stress for patients and pet owners. DiaSys Diagnostics Systems, USA, distributes its responsVET systems from their Wixom, MI facility where they also provide comprehensive support and customized operator training programs. Because they manufacture both the analyzers and reagents, they can deliver integrated support to the customers they serve. This resident knowledge is provided by on-staff veterinarians and experienced technicians who are available to provide timely and accurate consultations. About DiaSys Diagnostic Systems, USA visit http://www.diasys-us.com/ SOURCE DiaSys Diagnostic Systems, USA, LLC Related Links http://www.diasys-us.com RAS AL KHAIMAH, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Grace Century have recently completed its inaugural 3-month internship with the assistance of a local institution, The American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK). Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160112/321331 The trail project was organized by Grace Century CEO Scott Wolf and Dr. Lincoln Pettaway, Assistant Professor of Business Administration at AURAK, having recognized the need for "real life" experience as an invaluable component in giving AURAK's aspiring students the best chance of future success in the employment market. Dr. Pettaway has already connected with other RAK-based firms with a view to expanding the program. Dr. Pettaway explained, "Ras Al Khaimah provides a wealth of training opportunities for our students. Unlike Dubai and Abu Dhabi, current internship opportunities tend to be a lot less competitive in RAK than elsewhere, however with innovation taking place now with companies like Grace Century and others, we hope to grow the program and make internships a more prominent feature of our students' learning and education profile." The first student that participated was Adam Dzhamalov, a young man from the Russian Republic of Chechnya. Grace Century CEO, Scott Wolf comments, "When Lincoln first approached me and told me about Adam, I immediately saw this as a win-win scenario. We were helping our stem cell bio bank project, Provia laboratories, initiate a joint venture to open up the Russian Market. Local knowledge was crucial to help us formulate a strategy. Adam was able to research and write an in-depth report on all aspects of the market including demographics, competition, and infrastructure. This was vital knowledge to help our Russian counterparts and brought true value to the table on our part." When asked about his experience, Adam comments, "I think that the internship program is an essential part of study for students because it provides a window when the individual has an opportunity to implement their theoretical knowledge obtained at university, and apply in real-life practice." Scott Wolf concludes, "I would urge any firm to take advantage of the opportunity, especially since I see all parties win." About Grace Century, FZ LLC Grace Century FZ LLC is an International research and private equity consultancy locatedinRas Al Khaimah, (north of Dubai) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Grace Century specializes in "game-changing" life science and health related private equity projects. For portfolio or company information please email [email protected] or call +971 (0)7 206 8851 Please direct all media inquires to [email protected] or call +971 (0)52 712 1777 Website http://www.gracecentury.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GraceCentury LinkedIn - https:/www.linkedin.com/company/grace-century-holdings-fzc-llc Twitter - https://twitter.com/GraceCentury Blog http://www.thegracecenturyblog.com Pressroom http://www.gracecenturypressroom.com About AURAK The American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK - www.aurak.ac.ae) is a public non-profit, independent, co-education institution of higher education which delivers an integrated American-style, undergraduate and graduate education with a strong focus on the local indigenous culture. All of our programs are accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. The American model of higher education, in addition to developing skills in specific academic fields, also provides a general education curriculum which exposes students to new ideas and new ways of doing things, promoting critical thinking on a wide range of local and global issues. SOURCE Grace Century Related Links http://www.gracecentury.com LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif., Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Infinite Corporation has been awarded a contract to migrate RPG-based AS/400 applications for the US Department of Justice. The Department has been operating several IBM I Series (AS/400) LPARS using the System's highly proprietary database that does not allow the data to be easily accessed by other applications in use by the US DOJ. Infinite Corporation offers a unique solution that offers quick time to value and minimal risk. Using software tools developed specifically for these AS/400 services, the Infinite team recompiles RPG, COBOL, DDS and CL to run native on Windows or Linux, migrates data to MS SQL or Oracle and executes the unaltered code on Intel or x86 servers. Infinite will work with DOJ to execute their applications on Windows and migrate data to MS SQL. This will result in dramatically reduced costs for industry-standard systems and software. Support of non-proprietary hardware and database will be more efficient going forward. And information will be more usable using MS SQL database in place of the closed AS/400 system. "We are delighted to add the US Department of Justice to our growing list of global clients," said Raquela Kaplan, Marketing Director, Infinite Corporation. To learn more about the migrating AS/400 applications to Windows/MS SQL, please visit www.infinitecorporation.com SOURCE Infinite Corporation Related Links http://www.infinitecorporation.com ATLANTA, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Invesco Ltd. has acquired Jemstep, a market-leading provider of advisor-focused digital solutions. An early and innovative entrant into digital advice, Jemstep was one of the first digital platforms to focus exclusively on helping advisors deliver professional advice to their clients online. The Jemstep platform enables wealth management home offices and their advisors with a full suite of technology solutions that are highly flexible, customizable and easily integrated into existing systems. "We believe investors are best served by partnering with a financial advisor to reach their unique investment goals," said Martin L. Flanagan, CEO and President of Invesco. "We have a deep history of providing advisors with the tools they need to help their clients achieve their desired investment outcomes through a broad range of high conviction active and factor-based investment strategies. As we continually look to enhance our partnerships with advisors, we recognize that digital solutions can expand their options for meeting client needs. Jemstep's proven platform enhances our ability to help advisors grow their business and by seeking to deliver superior client experiences in a rapidly evolving market environment." Jemstep provides a simple way for advisors to engage with clients by providing a flexible platform that makes it easy for investors to access professional advice online through advisor-selected, customized asset allocations. While peer tools focus on market-cap-weighted indexing, this platform offers investors access to a variety of professionally selected investment options across mutual funds and ETFs. "Similar to Invesco's objective of helping advisors provide the best solutions for clients, Jemstep was founded on the principle of helping advisors differentiate their offerings by maintaining competitiveness," said Simon Roy, President of Jemstep. "This includes helping them grow their business by gaining access to new markets or expanding access to current ones while also helping them meet their clients' needs." Invesco's leading sales and service teams of more than 300 will work with home offices and advisors in the US to help ensure that they are equipped to benefit from the value Invesco Jemstep delivers to their clients. The platform will also give home offices new and differentiated insights to help track advisor progress, view client data in aggregate, enhance portfolio management offerings and services, manage risk, as well as broaden their client reach to address intergenerational needs. "The Invesco Jemstep combination is unique in that it will unite world-class investment management capabilities, Silicon Valley technology and expert human advice to deliver a comprehensive digital solution," said Peter Intraligi, Head of Distribution for North America at Invesco. "We will deploy our industry-leading home office and field sales support in the US to ensure that advisors realize the value of incorporating a digital solution into their practices." The transaction closed today; terms were not disclosed. About Invesco Ltd. Invesco Ltd. is a leading independent global investment management firm, dedicated to helping investors worldwide achieve their financial objectives. By delivering the combined power of our distinctive investment management capabilities, Invesco provides a wide range of investment strategies and vehicles to our clients around the world. Operating in more than 20 countries, the firm is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol IVZ. Additional information is available at www.invesco.com. About Jemstep Jemstep is a market-leading provider of financial advisor-focused digital solutions. Established in 2008 and headquartered in Silicon Valley, Jemstep was one of the first digital platforms to focus on helping advisors deliver professional advice to their clients online. The Jemstep Advisor Pro platform helps advisors scale their business efficiently by providing a full suite of highly flexible technology solutions that can be easily integrated into existing systems and business models. Jemstep is led by a management team with significant experience in financial management and technology development. For more information visit www.jemstep.com. SOURCE Invesco Related Links http://www.invesco.com PLANO, Texas, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- National Asset Services (NAS), one of the Nation's leading commercial real estate companies has successfully delivered 195% of original equity to tenant-in-common (TIC) investors in the Reserve at Charles Place, a multifamily property in Plano, Texas. Under the leadership of NAS, which assumed asset management responsibility for the property in 2009, the 31-member tenant-in-common group realized a cash distribution of greater than 5% for seven straight years. The investment culminated with the recent sale of the property that produced a considerable return on investment. The TIC group originally acquired the Class-A property in May 2006. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160111/321091 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160111/321090LOGO NAS delivered a consistently positive cash flow, due to aggressive leasing and operating expense savings, while still maintaining a high quality living experience for residents. Company executives oversaw an operation that maintained an occupancy level of above 95% with effective rental rates lower than competing properties in the market. "The return on investment that we achieved on behalf of The Reserve at Charles Place investors is a direct result of our ability to generate positive cash flows from long range, proactive management strategies executed at a high level on a daily basis," commented Karen E. Kennedy, President and Founder of National Asset Services. "This is yet another NAS success story about our clients invested in a tenant-in-common property and our expertise in asset preservation that delivers a property with tremendous upside potential to the buyer." The Reserve at Charles Place is a 343,448 foot, Class-A apartment community comprised of 264 units located 20 miles northeast of Dallas, Texas, in one of the fastest growing markets in the Dallas / Ft. Worth market area. Built in 1998, the gated community consists of a variety of unique floor plans ranging from one-to-four-bedroom units, and has an average unit size of 1,301 square feet. The property features a diverse amenity package including a fully-equipped, 24-hour fitness center, playground, picnic area with BBQ grills, jogging trail, business center, clubhouse, two playgrounds, billiards room, theater area and lounge, detached garages and an on-site laundry facility. About National Asset Services (NAS) NAS is a commercial real estate management that works with over 90 investment groups in properties of a nationwide portfolio valued at over $2 billion. The company manages a wide range of diverse commercial real estate: Office, medical office, multifamily, retail, student housing, assisted living and industrial flex properties. The company manages solely owned and multi-owner properties. NAS offers a wide-range of asset management capabilities. They include: Real estate strategy analysis; long-range business objectives; monitoring changing market conditions; investor relations; real estate and investor accounting; loan modification and workout solutions; exit and hold strategies; leasing & marketing; tenant retention plans; research studies; site selections; feasibility studies; insurance risk management; capital improvement planning and tracking; property tax appeal services and cost segregation services. For more information about NAS, visit www.nasassets.com. For industry news and company updates, follow NAS on Twitter @nascommercial. Contact: JW Robison 310-364-5213 Email SOURCE National Asset Services Related Links http://www.nasassets.com NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Residence Inn New Orleans Downtown is ringing in 2016 with a new general manager and a fresh vision for the future. Vanessa Jackson has been named the new general manager of Residence Inn New Orleans Downtown. For information, visit www.marriott.com/MSYRI or call 1-504-522-1300. An 11-year Marriott veteran, Vanessa Jackson has taken the reins of the New Orleans hotel. She started her career in the hospitality industry at the age of 16 at Grove Park Home, a retirement residence in her home country of Canada. In 2003, Jackson participated in her first American work experience during an internship at New Orleans Marriott while studying to obtain a Bachelor of Applied Science in Hospitality from Southern New Hampshire University. Upon graduation, she returned to New Orleans Marriott as an assistant in-room dining manager. Jackson helped oversee several renovation projects, supported the hotel's rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina and was a key player in developing initiatives for a guest satisfaction score committee. In October 2008, Jackson transitioned to the director of restaurants position. She led the execution of a $98,000 marketing plan for 5FIFTY5 restaurant and managed food and beverage outlets with a combined revenue of $5.8 million in 2009. She was also successful in achieving "green zone" status on consecutive quality assurance audits. In July of 2010, she took on the role of director of services, where she was responsible for the strategic direction of housekeeping and laundry operations of the 1,329-room hotel and oversaw 180 associates. After a successful stint at New Orleans Marriott, she accepted an assistant general manager position at Residence Inn New Orleans Downtown in May 2014. Her energetic and focused approach led the team to success in many areas, including increased quality assurance scores in check-in experience, maintenance and upkeep, breakfast quality and staff service. She worked closely with leadership on hotel renovations such as the installation of a new roof. Accepting the new general manager position in December 2015, Jackson says she looks forward to taking the hotel into its next chapter and will have a prime focus on continuing associate development and increasing market share. In her spare time, she enjoys time with friends and family, especially on trips home to Canada with her husband, Keith, and 2-year-old daughter, Ella. About Residence Inn New Orleans Downtown Residence Inn New Orleans Downtown at 345 St. Joseph St. in New Orleans, LA is near the Port of New Orleans, Morial Convention Center and Bourbon Street. The pet-friendly hotel features 4 floors with 231 French Quarter suites and a 700-square-foot meeting room. Guests enjoy complimentary wireless Internet access in addition to a hot, fresh and free breakfast buffet. Visitors also have access to an on-site fitness center, outdoor pool and Sport Court. For information, visit www.marriott.com/MSYRI or call 1-504-522-1300. Join Marriott Rewards now and earn points that can be redeemed for free hotel stays and room upgrades at more than 4,200 hotels in 79 countries and territories. Learn more about Residence Inn and Marriott International Inc. PRESS CONTACT Maria Dellacamera 1-240-274-8966 [email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160111/320832 SOURCE Residence Inn New Orleans Downtown Related Links http://www.marriott.com/MSYRI "Let books be your dining table, / And you shall be full of delights. / Let them be your mattress,/ And you shall sleep restful nights" London needs to build some 50,000 new homes a year over the next 20 years and some of this requirement can be accommodated by increasing the density of existing places, including local authority housing estates, it is suggested. Many such estates require updating and this can be done in a way that creates many more homes, a significantly improved living environment for existing and future residents, and better value for local authorities, according to a new report. This would be achieved by rebuilding estates in a street based pattern, fully integrated into the urban network of neighbouring streets, says the analysis by real estate adviser Savills which highlights the potential to deliver more housing by increasing density in well-connected areas as well as the benefits of building sustainable urbanism. The report estimates that at least 54,000 and up to 360,000 additional homes could be accommodated within existing local authority housing estates through a new approach to estate regeneration. It assumes that every existing resident would be re-housed under the same terms on the new streets. The report proposes a new complete streets model, based on a permeable and well-connected streetscape, which Savills says would improve density and achieve a better outcome for all existing and future residents and greater value for local authority stakeholders. Many of Londons local authority housing estates were built at a time when London was depopulating, so were not built at optimum density. The report estimates that, had they been built in the 1960s and 1970s to the same density as complete streets, they would have housed a further 480,000 households. But, the report argues, low density has not equated to a higher quality of place in the majority of cases. Many of the capitals estates were constructed in a manner that means they are cut off and poorly integrated with the rest of London and neighbouring local communities. The conventional approach to estate renewal, often controversial at a local level, is based on replacing the existing site with new high-mass blocks and towers in a similar layout but at higher density, which does little to improve the neighbourhood or create new place value. Savills has modelled this contemporary regeneration approach against a complete streets alternative, based on a detailed study of six estates across London. The alternative, complete streets model proposes rebuilding estates in a street-based pattern, fully integrated into neighbouring streets and community. The analysis estimates that approximately 1,750 hectares of Londons estimated 8,500 hectares of local authority housing estates might be capable of regeneration using this approach. This could private somewhere between 190,000 to 500,000 homes, representing an increase over the number of existing homes of between 54,000 and 360,000. And because this approach creates opportunities for mixed use development and is fully integrated into the broader city, it also creates greater life chances and employment opportunities for residents. The results were stark, particularly the ability not only to improve density but also the resulting quality of place and value. he complete streets combination of terraced houses, mid-rise mansion blocks and refurbished towers integrated into a human scale streetscape, actually costs less to build than new high-mass blocks in open space, said Yolande Barnes, Savills research director who led the analysis. A complete street neighbourhood will create a better, more desirable place to live and a better asset for the local authority or housing association land owners than contemporary regeneration practices. These findings should have significant resonance for both public land owners and the housing industry because of the profound difference in the end asset value of the two different types of neighbourhood that can be created, she added. The report explains that because the value of the complete streets approach will be realised over a period of time to occupants, landlords and land owners, it requires a different development, management and stewardship model to the conventional approaches dominant in the market today. The complete streets model requires long term patient capital funding rather than short term debt-reliant funding, for example. Among other benefits are that it also offers opportunities for new and more varied types of residential tenure and the possibility for ongoing land owner involvement, potentially endowing the public sector with income. This report challenges the housing industry to think differently about development, estate renewal and estate regeneration in order to improve life chances for many of Londons residents and to create a sustainable income for local authorities, Barnes concluded. By Jan Strupczewski BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Council president Donald Tusk, a former Polish prime minister, urged European parliamentarians on Tuesday to hold the new government in Warsaw to account over democracy but to avoid taking action that would hurt Polish citizens. Critics accuse Poland's nationalist-minded ruling party Law and Justice (PiS) and its leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski of rolling back judicial independence and media freedom in the European Union's largest eastern member state. The government says it has a mandate to defend Poland's Catholic and national values. The European Commission is due on Wednesday to examine concerns about the rule of law in Poland following recent changes to the constitutional court and public media. It could eventually suspend Poland's voting rights and access to EU funds if it deems there is a "systemic threat" to the rule of law, though diplomats say that is currently very unlikely. "The EU has a right and an obligation to engage in a tough and open dialogue with the authorities of every EU member state where the rule of law and norms of democracy may be violated," Tusk said during a meeting with Socialist lawmakers in the European Parliament. "And I hope that your words and your actions will help to mitigate the behaviour of Kaczynski`s party. But at the same time, in no way should they negatively affect my country and of course Polish citizens," Tusk added. Tusk served as prime minister of Poland from 2007 until 2014 when he moved to Brussels to head the European Council, which represents the national governments of the EU. In this role he chairs EU summits and helps to shape the agenda of the bloc. Kaczynski's socially conservative, Eurosceptic PiS defeated Tusk's centrist, strongly pro-EU Civic Platform party in an election last October. The new ruling party has moved to bring public television and radio under direct government control and to boost its control of the constitutional court, curbing its ability to censure legislation. "Personally, I am very critical of many actions taken by the new authorities in Poland for many reasons," Tusk said at the closed door meeting with the Socialist MEPs. "As you know, to most politicians representing the new power (in Warsaw) I am Public Enemy number 1. Not only because I am in Brussels," he said, referring to the long-standing personal antipathy between himself and Kaczynski. Tusk added that emotional comments and "overstatements" in describing the Polish internal situation were unnecessary and counterproductive. "The overwhelming majority of Poles is still pro-European, much more than in many other countries, and ready to defend the foundations of democracy. They need your support but it must be adequate to the situation," Tusk said. (Editing by Gareth Jones) KidCheck, providers of secure childrens check-in software, is leading a workshop entitled Improving Child Safety in Your Childrens Ministry at the Childrens Pastors Conference, hosted by the International Network of Childrens Ministry (INCM). The Childrens Pastors Conference takes place January 20-23, 2016 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The conference is a national event designed for the global kidmin community to gather for learning, inspiration, fun and renewal. It provides a comprehensive learning experience with networking opportunities, inspiring speakers, a multitude of workshops, and access to many ministry tools and resources. KidChecks Improving Child Safety workshop is designed to provide insight on the leading concerns around child security and safety. It is led by Alex Smith, CEO of KidCheck, and Angela Lewton, KidChecks child safety expert and Facilitator for Darkness to Light. The workshop delivers useful, actionable ideas and best practices to help churches create a safe environment for the children in their care and minimize any possible safety and security issues. The workshop covers a broad range of childrens safety and security topics, said Alex Smith, KidCheck CEO. Topics include facility security, volunteer and staff security tips, safety policies and procedures, predator profiles, implementing security teams, and how to handle emergency situations. We are pleased to have KidCheck participate in the Childrens Pastors Conference, as a workshop leader, and as a partner, said Matt Guevara, Executive Director INCM. KidCheck is truly a leader on child security in ministry, both with their child safety expertise and their easy-to-use secure childrens check-in system. The Childrens Pastors Conference is a great opportunity for childrens ministry leaders to join together to increase their knowledge and exchange ideas, continues Smith. Were excited about the opportunity to lead this child safety workshop, to share new ideas and best practices with churches, helping them increase overall security in their childrens ministry. About KidCheck KidCheck, Inc. provides secure, web based childrens check-in software and complete check-in station solutions for churches, fitness facilities, and organizations caring for children. KidCheck is committed to delivering easy-to-use, reliable and secure check-in systems backed by expert, personal service and support. To learn more or to sign up for a demo visit http://www.kidcheck.com. Show Your Card. Save Your Money. "I went to the dentist for oral surgery and a set of dentures, the procedures were going to cost $7,000.00 but I only paid $3,000.00." Carol T., Pitcarin, PA Coverdell is proud to introduce Carefree Dental, a dental discount plan that aims to provide an affordable and sustainable option for the 108 million Americans who don't have dental insurance. Carefree Dental is an alternative to dental insurance, and offers dental discounts that provide significant savings on a wide range of dental services. For those who end up paying for dental services out of pocket, Carefree Dental is a great solution. What Benefits Does Carefree Dental Offer? Dental care can be expensive without insurance benefits. Carefree offers savings of 15 to 50 percent, in most instances, on a wide range of procedures from regular checkups and cleanings to major dental work like dentures and root canals. Our plan even provides additional benefits on vision and prescription drugs. $14.95 per month provides for the entire household, making the price of crowns, braces, and other dental procedures much easier to manage. Where Do Carefree Dental Plans Work? Our nationwide network includes over 161,000 providers who specialize in all kinds of dental care. Subscribers can easily find a provider in their neighborhood by using Carefree Dentals simple search tool. When Do Carefree Dental Benefits Begin? One of the best parts of a Carefree Dental plan is that it's effective the same day a subscriber makes the purchase. There's no need to wait for a plan start date that's far in the future or hold off on scheduling dental care until a subscriber card arrives in the mail. As soon as a subscriber has paid for the first month of the dental discount plan, which costs just $14.95, the savings are available. Subscribers can receive their dental card via mail or via email, with the option to download and print the card, and present it at their dentist's office. Why Make the Switch to Carefree Dental? Not only does Carefree Dental offer discounts on dental services to the primary subscribers, but these benefits also extend to the entire household. That means for the standard monthly cost, a subscriber's entire family can take advantage of discounts on dental services. To ensure that subscribers are completely satisfied with their dental discount plans, Carefree offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, which allows subscribers to cancel the service and receive a full refund within the first 30 days of the plan effective date. To make sure that subscribers save as much as possible, Carefree also refunds the difference if a subscribers annual savings on dental care is less than the annual cost of the discount plan. How Can Subscribers Sign Up With Carefree Dental? Carefree Dental welcomes new subscribers on a continual basis. Interested subscribers should complete our dental discount plan enrollment form to confirm eligibility and start saving on dental care today. Simply go to http://www.carefreedental.com/ and sign up today. Carefree Dental is a subsidiary of Coverdell & Company, one of the largest and most trusted providers of discount healthcare programs in the country. Established in 1963 and a founding member of the Consumer Health Alliance, Coverdell & Company has proven its commitment to healthcare for all Americans. For further information on dental discount plans, please contact Carefree Dental: 877-734-9916. ### *Not available in Alaska, Florida, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. We took the time to listen to the people at the local level, understood that this was a unique country in that 85% of the country lives in rural communities with diverse needs that require diverse, customized solutions tailored to those needs Eco8 Inc. has formally submitted its Madagascar waste-to-energy project to the World Bank Group (Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency -MIGA) for official project finance underwriting purposes. This process is expected to take between 3 to 6 months to be completed. Eco8 is currently negotiating a definitive "Bridge Financing" package that would allow the preliminary construction process for the project to commence in the first quarter of 2016. This will ensure that Eco8 Inc. meets its financial and operational obligations under the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) which was executed in June 2015. While many international companies are looking at what they can take from the resource rich country of Madagascar, Eco8 plans to deliver modern technology to the island nation, with the goal of improving the standard of living for the residents of Madagascar. To demonstrate that commitment, Eco 8 has taken the unique step in promising to re-invest carbon credits from the project back into the country. Led by Peter Edwards, Eco8 will bring clean, sustainable energy to Madagascar. After spending much time in the nation during the past four years, Peter Edwards, the founder and CEO of Eco8, has committed to working with the government of Madagascar, an international group of private investors, the people of the nation, the Countrys Senior Government Officials, and the Office Of The President. Edwards business track record speaks for itself. His expertise has helped develop a unique finance structure for the national project, which focuses on local needs and capacities in this diverse and bio-diverse nation creating a very uniquely structured Win/Win for all involved. ABOUT ECO 8 INC Eco8 Inc. is a Canadian privately held company focused on the delivery of waste-to-energy projects in third world markets (LDC Countries). Eco8 is currently focused solely on Madagascar. The company builds and operates waste-to-energy facilities in partnership with local governments, providing solutions to local waste and garbage issues, in turn creating much needed energy using state of the art technology. Eco 8 leverages the most highly accredited operating partners available in this space today to ensure the success of its projects. ABOUT PETER EDWARDS CEO of ECO 8 INC. In Peters words, At first glance, people only ever saw me as a short, unassuming kid from the wrong side of the tracks. No one ever took the time to dig deeper and thats something that I vowed I would never do. I would take the time to get past the surface and see what was underneath. Years later, this is a big part of why Peter Edwards was attracted to Madagascar. Although the project is 14 thousand kilometers away from his native Toronto, the people of that nation inspired the underdog in Edwards. While the last year has seen many initial skeptics jump on the Let There Be Light bandwagon, the only people that believed in this ambitious project from the beginning were Edwards and his team. He was convinced that the way to do this and ensure success for all of the stakeholders was not biting off more than you could chew, but instead doing a morselized financing approach. To do that, Peter and his team went to each local community separately and customized a funding structure and energy solution that would work for that part of the country. In the end, many of the initial doubters started to pay real attention to what Eco8 is doing in Madagascar, not only because theyre seeing a successful model for the island nation, but also a model that is better suited for international development worldwide, both now and in the future. We approached this from a completely different perspective than most Western companies. They would negotiate a PPA with the government and then go out and get the financing. We took the time to listen to the people at the local level, understood that this was a unique country in that 85% of the country lives in rural communities with diverse needs that require diverse, customized solutions tailored to those needs - i.e. solar, wind, micro-grid, waste to energy ... we will deliver the right solution for the right area. For further information: Alexandra Edwards aedwards(at)eco8(dot)ca In his new book, Moss writes, America is living stormy Monday, but the pulpit is preaching happy Sunday." Otis Moss III, popular pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, challenges preachers to confront the difficult realities of todays world in his newest book. In Blue Note Preaching in a Post-Soul World (Westminster John Knox Press), Moss encourages preachers to preach with a Blues sensibility, which connects the Sunday sermon to the tragedies of the week. Moss writes, America is living stormy Monday, but the pulpit is preaching happy Sunday. The world is experiencing the Blues, and pulpiteers are dispensing excessive doses of non-prescribed prosaic sermons with severe ecclesiastical and theological side effects. The book, based on Mosss 2014 Beecher lectures at Yale Divinity School, includes four powerful sermons that illustrate this preaching style. In them, Moss to life biblical characters that speak to today's pressing issues, including race discrimination and police brutality, while maintaining a strong message of hope. Henry Louis Gates Jr., who is Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University, calls the book preaching and reading at its most profound, while Auburn Seminary president Katharine Henderson advises readers to be prepared to be changed and rearranged as Moss takes you on a faith journey in which you lose and find yourself at the same time. Blue Note Preaching in a Post-Soul World is now available. To request a media review copy, or to arrange an interview with Otis Moss III, contact Emily Kiefer, ekiefer(at)wjkbooks(dot)com. Learn more at http://www.wjkbooks.com/Products/0664261604/blue-note-preaching-in-a-postsoul-world.aspx For almost 50 years, the Wall Street Technology Association provides financial industry technology professionals, vendors, service providers, and consultants forums to learn from and connect with each other. The WSTA facilitates seminars and networking events where members meet and exchange ideas and best practices that assist them in effectively capitalizing on technology advances and dealing with financial industry business challenges. Founded in 1967, the WSTA is a not-for-profit association with a long history of evolving to meet the needs of its members. The WSTA currently offers programs in the New York Tri-State area and Boston and is evaluating other cities where its presence could be beneficial to financial technology professionals in those locations. During 2016, the WSTA plans to continue hosting educational seminars, panels, focused roundtables, and other unique events that will address technology, business and operational challenges and solutions. Scheduled 2016 topics include: Mobility, Analytics, Cybersecurity, Digital, and Emerging Technologies. There will also be two Premiere Social Events for technology professionals to get together after hours in an informal setting. For a complete calendar, visit http://www.wsta.org/events/. The WSTAs LinkedIn group continues to gain momentum with over 4,800 members. We are also leveraging Twitter and Facebook to share information with financial technology professionals and vendors who serve the financial industry. The WSTA would like to welcome and thank its Board of Directors for volunteering their time, experience and expertise which allows the WSTA to continue to be a valuable resource for the financial industry. WSTA 2016 Board of Directors President James Kostulias, Chief Information Officer, TD Ameritrade 1st Vice President Casey Santos, Chief Information Officer, General Atlantic 2nd Vice President Joseph Weitekamp, Managing Director-Chief Enterprise Architect, ITG, Inc. Treasurer Ronald F. Ries, CPA, Partner, WeiserMazars LLP Secretary Chris Randazzo, CIO and Managing Director of Wealth Management and Investment Management Technology, Morgan Stanley WSTA Immediate Past President John Killeen, Retired Directors Alex S. Berson, Executive Director and Distinguished Engineer, Corporate Technology and Risk, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Randall Brett, Managing Director, Head of Software Architecture, Pine River Capital Management Thomas Doughty, VP-Chief Information Security Officer, Prudential Financial Michael Fremgen, Head of IT Infrastructure, MIO Partners at McKinsey and Company Alok Kapoor, Executive Vice President, Enterprise Infrastructure, Fidelity Investments Swamy Kocherlakota, SVP, Head of Operations & Infrastructure, Visa John F. Looney, SVP, Client Technology Services, State Street Corporation Michael Maffattone, Chief Technology Officer, Annaly Capital Management, Inc. Perry Metviner, Managing Director, Chief Technology Officer, Davidson Kempner Capital Management Suresh Nair, Managing Director, Enterprise Technology Architecture & Shared Capabilities, Bank of America Lawrence Pecker, Executive Director, Wealth Management Americas Technology, UBS Thomas I. Piderit, Vice President, Federal Reserve Bank of New York Alec Polnarev, SVP-Head of Enterprise Infrastructure, Harvard Management Company Phyllis Lampell, WSTA Executive Director Jo Ann Cooper, WSTA Executive Director Gypsum Management and Supply, Inc. (GMS), a leading North American distributor of wallboard, suspended ceiling systems and other specialty interior building products, announced today its strategic entrance into the Michigan and Northwest Ohio markets through the acquisition of Gypsum Supply Company. Gypsum Supply Company has served the Michigan and Northwest Ohio markets as a leading building materials distributor for over three decades. Gypsum Supply Company offers a range of specialty interior building products including drywall, ceilings, steel, insulation, as well as insulation installation services through locations in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Traverse City, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Zeeland, Troy, and Toledo. Mike Callahan, President and CEO of GMS, stated, We are thrilled to welcome Gypsum Supply Company to the GMS family. The acquisition positions us to capitalize on markets throughout Michigan and Northwest Ohio. We plan to leverage the long-term relationships and reputation that Gypsum Supply Company has built to enhance our presence in this strategic market. We believe that the company and its employees are a natural partner for our growing company as their culture and dedication to excellence mirrors our own mission. The addition of Gypsum Supply Company further strengthens our attractive Midwest footprint while also providing an opportunity to build our leadership position in Michigan, added Mike Brown, Midwest Regional Manager of GMS. Gypsum Supply Company is a wonderful addition to our growing presence in the Midwest with a well-established customer network, an experienced employee base and highly efficient distribution practices. About GMS: GMS is a leading North American distributor of gypsum wallboard, suspending ceiling systems and other specialty building products. Founded in 1971, GMS now operates a network of more than 175 distribution centers nationwide. For more information about GMS please visit http://www.gms.com or email marketing(at)gms(dot)com. Hybrid Business Solutions will be headquartered at Benseron in Naples, Florida. Since 2011, Hybrid Business Solutions has processed over $1 Billion in volume. Benseron, a restaurant and hospitality point-of-sale (POS) software company, recently announced a merger with Hybrid Business Solutions, a payment processing and merchant services company. The merger is a sign of expansion for Benseron and will result in Benserons point-of-sale customers receiving extremely competitive credit card processing rates as well as seamless integration with Hybrid Business Solutions suite of products. Both companies will continue to operate under the same name, however they will be integrating each others products and services. We are very excited about seeing our two companies come together. We will to have more to offer our customers, making their experiences with us even more fulfilling, commented Onur Haytac, CEO of Benseron. We see this as being a huge win-win all around, most of all for our customers. It is our mission to continue to do everything possible to exceed expectations. Benseron originated in 2004 out of a need for a more innovative point of sale system. The companys CEO, Onur Haytac, got his first glimpse of the multi-billion dollar industry while assisting a friend and restaurant owner with the legacy system they had at the time. In 2013, Benseron began implementing its own proprietary point of sale software, called Bevo POS (Benseron Evolution) to restaurant and hospitality businesses throughout the U.S. Today Benseron has provided its own software and hardware bundles to more than a thousand businesses. Since 2011, Hybrid Business Solutions has processed over $1 Billion in volume. The merger allows Benseron to offer business owners more attractive credit card processing rates, more types of services and reduced monthly expenses. The company is also able to deliver increased security by integrating features such as Point-to-Point Encryption, EMV and tokenization into its POS systems. In addition, Benseron will expand its payment acceptance options via the Hybrid Payments Gateway. Mergers and acquisitions are becoming prevalent in recent years in both the point-of-sale industry and merchant services industries. With both technological innovation and information security concerns on the rise, mergers and acquisitions between point-of-sale and credit card processing companies can be beneficial for both the business and its customers. About Benseron Benseron, the software developers behind the Bevo POS System is a direct manufacturer of restaurant POS systems and software applications that streamline operations to help business owners reduce costs and improve efficiencies. The Bevo POS system provides the most advanced yet elegantly simple, restaurant Point of Sale system available in the industry. Intuitive understanding of the restaurant business and the ability to convert that understanding into technological intelligence has set Benseron apart for other companies in the industry. Their corporate office is located at 6201 Lee Ann Ln Naples, Florida 34109. For additional information about Benseron, visit their website at benseron.com or call 800-785-6012. About Hybrid Business Solutions Hybrid Business Solutions is a fast-growing credit card payment processing and merchant services company that offers a suite of solutions to help businesses succeed. Hybrid offers some of the best rates in the industry, while accommodating all of the latest payment technologies, including EMV, Apple Pay, and NFC. Hybrid also provides additional business solutions including gift cards, customer loyalty programs, data analytics, business funding, cash advances, and online ordering. Hybrid Business Solutions will now be located at the Benseron corporate office, at 6201 Lee Ann Ln. Naples, Florida 34109.For more information about Hybrid Business Solutions, visit their website at hybridpayments.com or call 877-755-4829. Contact: Alex Fernandez afernandez(at)benseron.com 239-249-5640 Benseron 6201 Lee Ann Ln. Naples, FL 34109 http://www.benseron.com Identifix, Inc., an industry leader in vehicle diagnostics and repair for over 25 years, and the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), recognized Dennis Turner, an ASE Certified automobile technician and shop manager of Franklins Service in Arcata, California, with the organizations esteemed Identifix/ASE Aftermarket Drivability Technician of the Year award at the ASEs Fall Board of Governors meeting, held on November 18, 2015, at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, Arizona. The ASE annual awards celebrate the top scorers on the ASE Certification Tests. Other criteria the ASE takes into consideration include on-the-job excellence and community service. Out of a talent pool of over 300,000 ASE-certified technicians nationwide, only 46 ranked high enough this year to receive awards. Identifix is one of just 36 companies in the OEM and Aftermarket industries to co-sponsor an individual technician award in the auto, truck, collision and parts segments. Additionally, the ASE presented awards for instructors, students, service and parts consultants, and managers. The ASE Blue Seal represents a commitment to excellence for our industry, something Identifix strives for in assisting our customers, said Mike Wiltrout, Identifix Training Supervisor, who presented the award to Turner at the meeting. We also understand the value of ASE certification and testing, which is why only ASE certified technicians staff our repair hotline. This ensures our customers receive the best, most comprehensive information thats a result of years of rigorous training and hands-on experience. Turner, whos been an automotive technician for 25 years, will receive a complimentary one-year subscription to Direct-Hit, Identifixs online diagnostic tool as part of his award package, something he appreciates as a current subscriber. Over the years, technology has really come to the forefront of auto repair, said Turner. Computer systems of vehicles have become complicated. When I started, I used to take things apart and repair them; now I have to spend more time diagnosing and replacing parts, he said. But when I dont know whats wrong with a vehicle, Direct-Hit saves me a lot of time. And I like the fact that it is easy to use. Turner lives in Fortuna, California and is an avid outdoorsman, spending time with family and friends hiking, backpacking, camping and hunting. He also enjoys attending his sons sporting events. The ASE is a non-profit, independent organization dedicated to improving the quality of automotive service and repair through voluntary testing and certification of automotive professionals. It has been recognizing top technicians within the automotive industry for more than 40 years. About Identifix: Located in Roseville, MN, Identifix is a leading source for vehicle diagnostics, genuine OEM service & repair information, Factory Scheduled Maintenance plans and reliable estimating. Identifixs products and services include the online tool Direct-Hit and its technical Repair Hotline. Direct-Hit is a registered trademark of Identifix. Founded in 1987, Identifix serves customers in the United States, Canada and Latin America and is a subsidiary of Solera Holdings, Inc. (SLH), a leading global provider of risk and asset management software and services to the global automotive and property marketplace, including the P&C insurance industry. For more information, visit identifix.com or follow the company on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/identifixdotcom. ### Like our many satisfied customers in both the government and private sectors, the U.S. Army will benefit from PrinterLogics centralized print management PrinterLogic, the leading enterprise print management solution, was recently awarded the Certificate of Networthiness (CoN # 201519628) by the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM) as part of its Networthiness Certification Program. The Networthiness Certification Program deals with the identification, measurement, control and minimization of security risks and impacts in military IT systems. The CoN is an absolute requirement for all enterprise software products that are used within the Army Enterprise Infrastructure Network, which concerns the whole of the U.S. Army at home and abroad, including the Army Reserve, the National Guard and some Department of Defense (DoD) organizations. The accreditation confirms that PrinterLogic meets the exacting standards of the U.S. Army and the DoD in terms of security, compatibility, maintainability and sustainability. We are honored to receive this accreditation, said Andrew Miller, Vice President of Marketing at PrinterLogic. Not only does it affirm that our advanced print management solution has passed the militarys stringent assessment process, it also attests to the value of PrinterLogic in the most demanding and varied of enterprise environments. Miller noted that this certification means the U.S. Army is now officially authorized to join the ranks of other local, state and federal governmental agencies who have chosen to implement PrinterLogic as their preferred print management solution on account of its efficiency, security and simplicity. Like our many satisfied customers in both the government and private sectors, the U.S. Army will benefit from PrinterLogics centralized print management, self-service end-user installation, powerful auditing, mobile printing and pull printing modules, seamless support for virtual environments and rock-solid reliability, said Miller. As evidenced by our exhaustive list of case studies, PrinterLogic has been proven to enable organizations of any size, structure or sector to streamline their print environments and empower their end users while cutting costs significantly and generating jaw-dropping ROI. About PrinterLogic PrinterLogic is the world's leading Enterprise Printer Management solution for server-less remote site printer deployments. With more than 1,500 customers in over 120 countries, PrinterLogic enables organizations of all sizes to eliminate print servers. PrinterLogic's single integrated printer management platform is an on-premises web application that simplifies the management, migration, and deployment of printers while drastically reducing cost. For more information, or for a free trial, please visit http://www.printerlogic.com. Questions? Connect with us on Twitter at @PrinterLogic or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Google+. By Pauline Mevel PARIS (Reuters) - A British ex-soldier hopes to be cleared of all charges in France after trying to smuggle a small Afghan girl into Britain at her father's request, since French law protects from punishment those who help people in danger, his lawyer said. Rob Lawrie, a 49-year-old father of four, goes on trial on Thursday in northern France on a charge of aiding illegal immigration at a time of bitter debate across Europe over how to tackle the continent's worst refugee crisis since World War Two. On Oct. 24, at her father's request, Lawrie hid four-year-old Bahar Ahmadi in his van and set from a French migrant camp for Britain. French border police stopped him, also finding two Eritrean men in the back of the van, and returned Bahar to her father. "Rob Lawrie has always said, 'I did it and I'm sorry I did it and I wish I hadn't'. Is he not guilty? Not quite," lawyer Lucie Abassade said in an interview on Tuesday. "But French law...says that if you help someone in danger and you're not being paid, by giving them food or shelter or safeguarding their physical integrity, you can't be charged with anything." "I'm going to say Mr Lawrie did exactly that. He wanted to rescue a little girl, he wanted to save her...by bringing her to her relatives in the UK. That will be our main point (in court) on Thursday." Lawrie, from Guiseley in northern England, was released after the incident and will return to France for the trial in Boulogne-sur-Mer on the Channel coast, Abassade said. Lawrie has told Reuters he had felt he must act to help refugees after pictures of drowned Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi stirred worldwide sympathy in September for Syrians and Afghans fleeing war and poverty. SHUTS BUSINESS TO EMBARK ON AID MISSION He closed his carpet-cleaning business and headed to migrant camps in northern France to deliver tents, aid and help build temporary structures for those living there. Among those he met were Bahar Ahmadi and her father Reza. The little girl followed him around the camp in Calais and he struck up a friendship with her. He refused several times to take the child with him to relatives in Britain until one day he felt he could no longer say no, his lawyer said. "The child was in a desperate situation, one of imminent danger, it was very cold at the end of October, he wanted to save her life," Abassade said. "It was in the evening, they were gathered around a fire. He thought: what do I do? Do I let her sleep in the cold or do I put her in my truck and bring her to her aunt (in Britain)?" Britain has declined to admit any migrants from Calais or anywhere else in Europe, saying this would only spur more to stream into the continent, instead taking only some from refugee camps in Middle East countries neighbouring Syria. If convicted, Lawrie risks as much as five years in jail and a 30,000-euro (22,544.17 or $32,538.00) fine. "All this story has been a nightmare for him, the consequences of it have been really hard for him," said Abassade. "So I am positive he is not going to do it again. He is willing to keep helping refugees in a legal way but he is never going to try to help this way ever again because the consequences have been too harsh." Two online petitions have attracted more than 150,000 signatures asking for leniency for Lawrie. (Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Mark Heinrich) The Patterson Foundation contributed a gift of $250,000 in unrestricted funds to the Center for Disaster Philanthropys (CDP) Refugee Crisis Fund. In disasters like the refugee crisis, thoughtful and innovative philanthropy can play a key leadership role in funding relief efforts. The Patterson Foundations catalyst gift one of the first gifts committed to CDPs Refugee Crisis Fund is designed to help generate contributions from other supporters. The unparalleled movement of people around the world has created the highest number of displaced persons since World War II, making the refugee crisis the defining disaster of this decade. The CDP Refugee Crisis Fund provides funders with the opportunity to take immediate action to address the needs refugees and displaced persons are facing right now, as well as prepare for the needs and challenges to come. Through the Refugee Crisis Fund, CDP will support projects that fund education for children, provide assistance for resettled families, support public health needs and assist refugee resettlement agencies globally. Combining experience and expertise with compassion heightens philanthropic impact, said Debra Jacobs, president and CEO of The Patterson Foundation. The Patterson Foundation is supporting CDP for their dedication to promoting smart funding. Making a difference in a humanitarian disaster like the refugee crisis requires strategic funding and management thats what CDP provides. The Center for Disaster Philanthropys mission is to help donors make more thoughtful disaster-related giving decisions and maximize the impact of their gifts. While disasters frequently motivate organizations and individuals to make contributions, there is often uncertainty as to how their money is being spent and the impact of their donations. CDP works to ensure the efficacy of donations given to disasters, provide guidance for informed giving and bring attention to the continuing need for donations during the entire life cycle of a disaster. In 2015 alone, over one million people displaced from regions facing conflicts and other hardships crossed into Europe, said Bob Ottenhoff, president and CEO of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. Since the conflict began in 2011, about 4 million people have fled Syria, and 7 million have been displaced within the country. There is a great need to help, and we are grateful to those participating in the CDP Refugee Crisis Fund. Since 2012, The Patterson Foundation has contributed more than $1.3 million to CDP. The Patterson Foundation supported CDP most notably following Hurricane Sandy by providing a $200,000 match for CDPs Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Fund. This incentive resulted in $401,400 available through the fund to support long-term relief efforts. By providing catalyst gifts to CDP, The Patterson Foundation aims to boost support for their disaster relief funds and inspire others to participate. About The Patterson Foundation The Patterson Foundation works with partners to accelerate positive change by sharing fresh perspectives on strategy, contributing new ideas and providing resources. We believe the act of creative collaboration produces results and knowledge that can be applied more broadly to transcend any single act of philanthropy. For more information, please visit http://www.thepattersonfoundation.org. ### Biscom, the leader of secure communications software, today announced that the company has been recognized as an Excellence Award finalist in the Best Customer Service category for the 2016 SC Awards. Finalists are recognized for outstanding leadership and for providing superior security products to the information security industry. Winners will be announced at the SC Awards 2016 ceremony to be held March 1, 2016 in San Francisco. From Duqu 2.0 to mobile cyber threats to the nearly $1 billion stolen from financial institutions by the Carbanak cybercriminal group, 2015 saw near-exponential growth in the number and complexity of cyber attacks, said Illena Armstrong, VP, editorial, SC Magazine. As the bad guys shift and pivot strategies, so too do the men, women and companies working to stop them in their tracks. These finalist have shown that they are the best at what they do. The SC Awards, now in its 19th year, are recognized throughout the security industry as the gold standard of excellence in cybersecurity. Winners in the Excellence category are determined by an expert panel of judges, handpicked by SC Magazines editorial team, for their breadth of knowledge and experience in the information security industry. The Excellence Awards honor the professionals, products and services that have proven to be the best in the industry for protecting todays corporate world from cybercrime. Customer relationships are a core part of our culture, said Bill Ho, CEO of Biscom. Having happy customers is one of the most powerful differentiators as we provide secure messaging solutions our incredible support team gives customers confidence in their decision and they know well be there if there are any issues. When were part of mission critical workflows, customers need to trust they have a strong support team. As a finalist, Biscom is recognized for offering stellar support and service to ensure that organizations are safe and sound against the many threats launched by today's savvy cybercriminals, said Illena Armstrong, VP, editorial, SC Magazine. Winners of the 2016 SC Awards will be announced at a gala dinner and cocktail party on March 1, 2016 in San Francisco. This event attracts top professionals in the IT security community and provides an invaluable opportunity for networking. To register for the 2016 SC Awards Gala please visit https://www.eventsforce.net/haymarketus/frontend/reg/tRegisterEmailNew.csp?pageID=15780&eventID=30&tempPersonID=79261&eventID=30. About SC Magazine SC Magazine provides IT security professionals with in-depth and unbiased information through timely news, comprehensive analysis, cutting-edge features, contributions from thought leaders and the best, most extensive collection of product reviews in the business. By offering a consolidated view of IT security through independent product tests and well-researched editorial content that provides the contextual backdrop for how these IT security tools will address larger demands put on businesses today, SC Magazine enables IT security pros to make the right security decisions for their companies. Besides the monthly print magazine, special Spotlight editions and daily website, the brands portfolio includes SC Marketscope and SC Magazine Newswire, and face-to-face events, including the SC Congress series (New York, Chicago, Boston, Toronto, London, Amsterdam) and the SC Awards. Friend us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SCMag Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/scmagazine Nominations and event information: Anna Jurgowski, events coordinator anna.jurgowski(at)haymarketmedia(dot)com 646.638.6015 About Biscom Every day millions of users and thousands of enterprises rely on Biscom for secure and reliable document delivery solutions. Founded in 1986, Biscom pioneered the fax server marketplace with FAXCOM. Since then, Biscom has expanded and today provides solutions around secure file transfer, synchronization, file translation, cloud solutions, and mobile devices for the worlds largest organizations. Learn more about Biscom at http://www.biscom.com. These awards recognize a crucial combination to make tomorrows networks successful: openness AND intelligence. The Network Intelligence Alliance (NI Alliance), an industry organization promoting collaboration among vendors of products or solutions based on network intelligence, today announced the launch of the Intelligent Open Networking (IOPN) Awards to reward service providers and technology vendors that successfully combine intelligence with open networking. The IOPN Awards is an industry initiative recognizing and encouraging the combination of intelligence with open networking. Intelligence brings added value in the form of traffic intelligence, subscriber intelligence, security intelligence and business intelligence. Open Networking is defined as a combination of networking in a virtualized environment, and leveraging open source software (e.g. Linux, Open vSwitch, Docker, OpenStack, etc.). Award entries are open to service providers, systems integrators and vendors of network products or solutions. They are free of charge. The IOPN Awards 2016 will recognize excellence in 3 categories: 1. Best innovation combining intelligence with open networking 2. Best Proof of Concept (PoC) combining intelligence with open networking 3. Best service or solution combining intelligence with open networking The deadline for submissions is the 12th of February 2016. Winners will be announced during Mobile World Congress 2016 during the IOPN Awards Evening on Tuesday, 23 February 2016. Award entries will be judged independently, on their contribution to the networking industry, by members of leading analysts. The 2016 selection jury is composed of: Gabriel Brown, Senior Analyst, Heavy Reading Joe Hoffman, Vice President, Strategic Technology, ABI Research Shira Levine, Research Director, IHS Erik Larsson, Chairman of the Network Intelligence Alliance Quotes: Erik Larsson, Chairman of the NI Alliance: Intelligence is the missing link in open networking: the IOPN awards recognize organizations that are actively working to fill this gap. Gabriel Brown, Senior Analyst, Heavy Reading: The IOPN awards provide insight into the latest trends in intelligent networking technologies and their deployment in the real world. I look forwarding to judging in 2016 and encourage companies to submit an entry. Joe Hoffman, Vice President, Strategic Technology, ABI Research: These awards recognize a crucial combination to make tomorrows networks successful: openness AND intelligence detailed understanding of whats going on within open, virtualized environments. Shira Levine, Research Director, IHS: There are many awards encouraging open networking, but the IOPN awards are the only awards that recognize the additional need for intelligence in next-generation networks. For more information about the IOPN Awards and to apply: http://www.iopnawards.org/nominate/ For more information on the IOPN Awards Evening during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona: http://www.iopnawards.org/awards-evening/ To find out more about the partners of the IOPN Awards and IOPN Awards Evening: http://www.iopnawards.org/partners/ About the NI Alliance The NI Alliance is an industry organization promoting collaboration among vendors of products or solutions based on network intelligence. Members are suppliers of network intelligence technology components; software vendors; and information providers of solutions, such as cybersecurity, telecom service assurance, traffic optimization and more. Participation in the NI Alliance helps members build and market innovative solutions to network operators and enterprise customers seeking to improve performance, security and quality of network-dependent services. For more information, please visit http://www.nialliance.org. NI Alliance Media Contact Madeleine Renouard / Phone: +33 1 70 81 19 00 / Email We are very high on personal connection Judith McGee, C.F.P., ChFC, CEO/Chairwoman (MWM), Co-Branch manager (RJFS); and Chair/CEO of McGee Wealth Management is one of four advisors chosen for 2015 Top Advisor by Research Magazine. Only four financial advisors are chosen annually this coveted award. Candidates who pass rigorous screens for this award have served a minimum of 20 years in the industry, have acquired substantial assets under management, have demonstrated superior client service and have earned recognition from their peers and the broader community for the honor they reflect on their profession. Research Magazine's Advisor Hall of Fame is now in its 25th year. This eagerly anticipated annual feature has become a benchmark of excellence in the financial industry. Were very high on personal connection. Ive always felt that you get paid for the amount of service you give, and that's been part of our code. Every Monday we email a report on what our thinking is regarding the previous week, what occurred in the markets and what we expect for the upcoming week. We have in-person planning meetings; and for clients who aren't in town, we do computer screen-share, where they can see all the data. We Skype with clients and have brief Touch-and-Go meetings for updates and answering questions. We also have a LinkedIn presence and a Facebook page. There's been a big emphasis on education to teach people skills to build money muscle, Judith McGee said when asked about the firms client communication style. Scott Curtis, president of Raymond James Financial Services congratulates Judith McGee for her exemplary work in the industry by saying: Congratulations to Judith, and her entire team, for being recognized as one of the very best financial advisors in our business. Judith's inclusion in the Advisors Hall of Fame reflects her longstanding commitment to her clients and the high quality, clients-first focused associates on her team. It also reflects her leadership in our profession and her history of giving back to others less fortunate. We're proud to be associated with a financial professional and person of Judiths high standing. Preliminary judging in the contest was by Research magazine Editor in Chief Janet Levaux and Executive Editor Kenneth Silber. Final judging was performed by a distinguished panel of experts: Mark Elzweig, principal, Mark Elzweig Company, Ltd.; Michael Finke, professor, Texas Tech University; and Jon Henschen, president, Henschen & Associates. Raymond James is not affiliated with Research Magazine or any of the judges for this award. About McGee Wealth Management McGee Wealth Management, an independent firm is a fee based advisory wealth management firm integrating financial services with holistic planning, consulting, and asset management. With the exemplary credentialed staff, comprehensive services, and philanthropic recognition, McGee Wealth Management believes their Making Life a Richer Experience motto exemplifies their stellar client relationships, built on trust and collaboration, with a strong focus on the financial needs of multi-generational families. McGee Wealth Managements key team members include Judith McGee, L.H.D., C.F.P., ChFC, CEO/Chairwoman (MWM) & Co-Branch manager (RJFS), D. Linette Dobbins, CFP, President/CCO (MWM) & Co-Branch Manager (RJFS), and Jennifer Currin Gutridge, CFP, Executive Vice President (MWM) and Financial Advisor (RJFS). Visit http://www.McGeeWM.com, call 503-597-2222, or write 12455 SW 68th Ave. Portland, Oregon 97223 for more information. McGee Wealth Management is an Independent Registered Investment Advisor. Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA /SIPC. For media requests contact Diane with Inspired Media at info(at)inspiredmc(dot)com Children play real-time literacy games against other students on their iPad or tablet device Blake eLearning, the educational publishers of the popular childrens reading program, Reading Eggs, have recently launched the highly-anticipated new release of Reading Eggspress. Designed for children in grades 2 7, Reading Eggspress follows on from Reading Eggs, covering essential comprehension, spelling, grammar, and vocabulary skills. The research-based program provides a highly structured and rewarding learning experience for children at home and in the classroom, and is now compatible with the iPad and other tablet devices. The Reading Eggspress lessons match to each childs grade level, and children can progress at their own pace with highly interactive one-on-one reading lessons and a balance of literature and informational texts. The new program features simpler navigation on all devices, hundreds of new library titles, and access to detailed assessment reports to track learning progress. The program also includes a brand new English Skills section, with 216 spelling lessons and another 120 grammar lessons set to be released in 2016. The new spelling lessons teach students to recognize common spelling patterns, generalizations, and strategies, using a combination of videos, interactive activities, rewards-based games, and hundreds of printable activity sheets. Students can earn trading cards, trophies, and rewards as they progress through the lessons, which they can later use to purchase fun arcade games and items for their own avatar and in-game apartment. They can also enjoy live games in a multiplayer arena, where students can compete against their classmates, school or other students from around the world. The Stadium includes four different arenas where students can select to test their skills in spelling, vocabulary, grammar, or usage. The new Reading Eggspress has already been rolled out in a number of selected schools across the United States, and has just been released to the home market for families and homeschoolers. For more information or to start a free trial, please visit http://readingeggspress.com/newrex. We are excited about George joining the team his experience directly expands our capabilities as we scale up for growth. R2 Logistics, Inc., a Third Party Logistics service provider, announced today that as part of its five-year strategy for growth it has named George A. Abernathy as President, reporting to founder Ben Gase. Abernathy will lead and support all of the companys business activities through the R2 Logistics executive team. We are excited about George joining the team his experience directly expands our capabilities as we scale up for growth, said R2 Logistics founder Ben Gase. Over the past ten years we have developed an unmatched record through our unwavering commitment to our customers, our employees and our suppliers. Georges unique skills and experience will complement this strategy as we open new offices and offer new products to serve our customers across the US, in Canada and Mexico. Mr. Abernathy brings more than 30 years of industry experience in traditional and technology-based logistics. Abernathy most recently served as President and Chief Commercial Officer at Transplace, one of the largest third party logistics companies in the US. Before serving over 12 years at Transplace, Mr. Abernathy held senior management positions at The Sabre Group, J.B. Hunt, North American Van Lines, NTE, Clicklogistics and Logistics.com. Ben Gase, the founder of R2 Logistics and prior CEO, intends to remain with the company as the Chairman of the board, focusing on the longer-term strategy and planning. About R2 Logistics, Inc. R2 Logistics, Inc. is a Third Party Logistics company headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. The company works with over 35,000 transportation providers nationwide and was named to Inbound Logistics Top 100 3PL Providers list in 2015. R2 Logistics delivers industry-leading services through 10 primary operating branches. These branches focus on full truckload transportation as well as services including less-than-truckload (LTL), expedited freight, intermodal, certified hazardous material, specialized hauling and supply chain management. For more information about R2 Logistics, visit http://www.r2logisticsteam.com. Cloud adoption is transitioning from shadow IT to the office of the CIO, shining a light on the need for the governance, security, and policy enforcement that Scalr provides. - Mackey Craven, OpenView Venture Partners Scalr, the leading enterprise cloud management platform, today announced it has closed a $7.35 million Series A round of financing, led by OpenView Venture Partners. The investment will be used to expand Scalrs product, with a focus on the Scalr machine and container policy engine, and to accelerate its market leadership through the expansion of its US-based sales force. Mackey Craven, Partner at OpenView who led the round, joins the Board of Directors and Jim Baum, Venture Partner at OpenView, joins as an Advisor. OpenViews deep domain expertise in the cloud computing space is precisely the reason we decided to partner with Mackey and his team, said Sebastian Stadil, founder and CEO of Scalr. Up until now, weve bootstrapped our way to immense growth. Todays injection of capital enables Scalr to extend our reach and capabilities far beyond where they are today. Were looking forward to this next chapter and cementing our leadership in the cloud management space. Since its inception, Scalr has focused on providing companies with a single point of policy management for multiple cloud platforms, and today counts among its customers the FDA, NASA, Expedia, Samsung and Accenture. Its rare for a bootstrapped startup to grow so quickly in the heart of San Francisco, and is a result of solving a critical problem in enterprise IT, said Mackey Craven. Cloud adoption is transitioning from shadow IT to the office of the CIO, shining a light on the need for the governance, security, and policy enforcement that Scalr provides. Scalr allows enterprises to govern, audit, and manage their cloud usage from a unified console, policy framework, and enforcement point. It does so with its proven solution that provides IT departments with the means to oversee and regulate an organization's use of cloud resources in private and multi-cloud environments. Three key technology-enabled approaches facilitate these governance and management benefits: The Scalr API and web console give transparency into what infrastructure users consume, providing critical oversight and the ability to trust but verify. A robust policy framework gives IT control over cloud enforcement defining what can or cannot be done with cloud resources for compliance, security, best practices, and more. Scalr embedded DevOps tools allow IT to build and provide shared services, reaping cost and time-to-market benefits. We are in the early innings of a generational transition in enterprise IT, added Craven, and as a result the multibillion-dollar monitoring and management stack needs to be rewritten. Scalr is positioned to be one of the pillars of this new ecosystem. Scalr continues to grow both its open source community and commercial customer base, which now spans more than 400 businesses ranging from manufacturing, finance, banking, retail, technology, and government. In addition to its San Francisco headquarters, Scalr has expanded its presence to Boston, Denver, Paris, Kiev, Manila, St. Petersburg and Tel Aviv with plans to further grow its US-based sales force. Earlier this year, Scalr added Chris C. Kemp, co-founder of OpenStack and former CTO of NASA, to its Board of Directors. About Scalr The Scalr cloud platform enables todays enterprises to manage and control accelerated application development across public, private and multi-cloud environments through an enterprise grade, on-premise software solution. The Scalr platform elegantly automates the deployment, monitoring and governance of cloud computing environments. Founded in 2007, Scalr has been selected by leading global organizations, including Samsung, the FDA, Merkle, Acxiom, Expedia, Autodesk, and NASA. For more information, visit scalr.com. About OpenView Venture Partners OpenView Venture Partners is an expansion-stage B2B software venture capital firm with nearly $700 million in total capital under management. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Boston, MA, OpenView provides its portfolio with value-add services through OpenView Labs. Programs range from recruiting to market research and marketing and sales strategy. For more information, visit openviewpartners.com. Share your professional experience and expertise with colleagues from across the continent at the 2016 Learning Summit, and learn from others at this Intimate gathering of community college educators. The League for Innovation in the Community College invites proposals for this years Learning Summit, to be held at the Omni Montelucia in Scottsdale, Arizona, June 12-15, so plan now to participate. The 2016 theme, Student Success and Completion, will be featured in five topic areas: student learning outcomes; student engagement; faculty and staff engagement; organizational culture; and quality, inquiry, and accountability. Described by participants as intense, thought-provoking, inspiring, and productive, the Learning Summit is a working retreat for community college teams to connect with colleagues and share experiences, discuss issues, and explore strategies for focusing the entire college on improving and expanding student learning. The Summit is a team-based event, with community colleges bringing groups representing all areas of the institution. One veteran participant explained that, The opportunity to work with our team was truly invaluable. This is always a productive experience. Each half-day session offers an interactive symposium, concurrent forums, and conversations about learning. Summit participants are engaged as full partners in all Summit activities. The deadline to submit a proposal is March 14, 2016. Visit the Learning Summit website for more information. Corporate sponsorships are available. About the League for Innovation in the Community College The League for Innovation in the Community College is an international, nonprofit organization dedicated to catalyzing the community college movement. The League hosts conferences and institutes, develops print and digital resources, and leads projects and initiatives with more than 800 member colleges, 160 corporate partners, and a host of other government and nonprofit agencies in a continuing effort to make a positive difference for students and communities. Information about the League and its activities is available at http://www.league.org. YOTEL Hotels Since applying the StayNTouch PMS Overlay solution last May, we have already seen a significant monetary ROI." Claes Landberg, General Manager at YOTEL New York. StayNTouch Inc., provider of the PMS Mobile Overlay Platform, is pleased to announce the launch of the Zest Station and the Zest Mobile App for YOTEL New York. "At YOTEL we are excited to expand our relationship with StayNTouch to provide a seamless and efficient mobile check-in and check-out experience for our guests. We continuously aim to provide smart, flexible and adaptable solutions to suit the individual needs of each guest said Claes Landberg, General Manager at YOTEL New York. Since applying the StayNTouch PMS Overlay solution last May, we have already seen a significant monetary ROI. Given the new revenue stream from Early Check-in, that performance will only improve. YOTEL New York continues to be a leader in providing innovative guest experiences, said Jos Schaap, CEO-Founder of StayNTouch. YOTEL understands that guests want choice above all. StayNTouch is proud that our technology is facilitating their vision by enhancing the guest experience Upon arriving at the 713 Cabin hotel just west of Times Square guests are invited to check in using the Zest Station - an intuitive touch screen interface fully integrated with the hotels PMS. Guests find their reservation, collect their cabin key and print their receipt. For guests arriving earlier than standard check in time, the Zest Station offers the opportunity to check in early for a small fee thereby creating a new revenue stream for the hotel. The YOTEL mobile app is a YOTEL branded version of the StayNTouch Zest Mobile App. Using the app, guests can check in before arriving at the hotel, a bar code is generated on their smartphone which is scanned at the kiosk and their key is issued. All in under a minute! During their stay, guests rely on the app to review their bill, receive messages from the hotel staff and access the YOTEL City Guide - a curated set of activities and useful information about the immediate area. The app is available for both iPhone and Android smartphones. For Check Out, the Guest has a few options: Insert the cabin key into the Zest Station to review and get a copy of the bill or simply select check out using the YOTEL mobile app or mobile web pages. StayNTouch delivers 2 solutions on one cloud platform to YOTEL New York: StayNTouch Zest Web: Mobile Web experience enabling branded guest pre-engagement. Guest mobile check-in & out, preferences collected, upsell opportunities, staff-less key fulfillment. Zest Station: Provide guests with self service check in and check out experience from the convenience of the hotel lobby. Monetize early check ins and room upgrades. During check in, collect credit card and signature, enable to the guest to create their room key and print the registration. During check out, review and email folios. About StayNTouch Inc. StayNTouch brilliantly connects guests to hotels. StayNTouch delivers a full Hotel PMS and PMS Mobile Overlay to bring mobility to both hotel staff and guests. Via any tablet or touch device, Guest Service and Housekeeping have mobile access to PMS via a touch-optimized interface. Guests, from their smart phone, can self check-in and out, view room bill and receive upgrade promotions. StayNTouch dramatically streamlines operations, increases margins and revolutionizes how the hotels connect and engage their guests and how guests experience their hotels. Learn more by visiting http://www.stayntouch.com. Twitter: @StayNTouchInc Facebook: facebook.com/stayntouch LinkedIn: LinkedIn/stayntouch About YOTEL Inspired by first class travel, YOTEL translates the language of luxury airline travel into small but luxurious cabins. Uncompromisingly designed around guests, YOTEL City hotels are taking the essential elements of luxury hotels in smaller, smart spaces and deliver a sense of community with areas for co-working, social gatherings and exercise. Premium cabins include YOTELs signature adjustable SmartBed with luxury bedding, rejuvenating monsoon rain showers, relaxing mood lighting and techno wall with smart TVs, multi power points and easy connectivity. YOTEL currently operates three airport hotels in London Gatwick, London Heathrow and Amsterdam Schiphol airports; and one city hotel in the heart of Manhattan, New York. YOTEL is expanding rapidly with eight new hotels under development globally, including two new airport hotels set to open at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (2016) and Singapore Changi Airport (2018); and five new city hotels currently under construction in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (2017) Singapore Orchard Road (2017), Miami (2017), San Francisco (2017), Boston (2017) and Dubai (2018). Founded by YO! Founder Simon Woodroffe OBE, YOTELs HQ is in London and has offices in Boston and Dubai. Its major partner and shareholder is IFA Hotels and Resorts KSCC based in Dubai. For more information, contact: Karen ONeill, Vice President of Sales & Marketing StayNTouch Inc. Tel: +1 443-864-7246 Email: karen(at)stayntouch(dot)com Image One USA Image One helped us get in touch with valuable clients, and really provided us the tools we needed to get the business running smoothly. We couldnt have done it without their help. Commercial cleaning franchise Image One USA is continuing its expansion campaign as it welcomes Rodney and Tara Hines to the franchise family. The Cincinnati-area husband and wife team launched in November Image Ones first franchise expansion in Cincinnati, and in that short time the Hines are already seeing the advantages of the location and the Chicagoland-based Image One Facility Solutions brand. It was incredible to walk into this business opportunity with several major accounts already lined up, Rodney said. Image One helped us get in touch with valuable clients, and really provided us the tools we needed to get the business running smoothly. We couldnt have done it without their help. After working more than two decades in the commercial cleaning industry, Rodney was frustrated by the lack of support and stability former companies gave him. When he discovered the Image One franchise, he knew it was the right fit and next progression in his professional journey. In a little more than one month, the Hines have taken their two-person operation and grown it to bring on a crew of more than a dozen employees working several large-scale accounts across the Cincinnati and Columbus regions. With nearly 100 franchise owners across the United States, and a newly launched franchise affiliate program, Image One continues to expand its name and affordable, franchise business model. Image One Director of Operations and co-founder Tim Conn is enthusiastic to have Rodney and Tara join the Image One family. Were so excited that Rodney and Tara are leading the charge as Image One expands in Cincinnati and across Ohio and Kentucky, Conn said. They are exactly the type of owner-operators were seeking. They share our values, passion and eagerness and will be a great addition to our franchise community. Additional owner-operated locations are available across Ohio, including in Cleveland, Columbus and other markets. Image One is also slated to open a franchise in Nashville in early 2016, while targeting franchise owner-operators across the Midwest and south into Texas, Florida and Georgia. About Image One USA Image One USA is a commercial cleaning services business. The Image One franchising model was formed on the principles of transparency, training, and top-notch financial and customer service support. In a 2015 Franchise Business Review survey measuring franchisee satisfaction, Image One received high ratings from franchisees, including a 4.3 out of a possible 5 rating in the Core Values category. Image One franchisees work for themselves in a unique relationship with Image One. Image One provides them with customer support for their business, ongoing training, along with assistance with billing, equipment and insurance coverage. Image One has more than 80 commercial cleaning franchise locations throughout the Midwest. Immediate franchise and affiliate expansion plans call for locations across Texas, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Iowa. For more information, visit imageonefranchise.com, call 1 (800) 223-1985 or email Director of Franchising Scott Kochanski at scott(at)imageoneusa(dot)com. The peaceful conduct and high turnout in the first round of presidential and parliamentary elections in the Central African Republic are clear signs that Central Africans seek a new beginning for their country, and a future based on democratic governance and free from the violence and instability that have plagued the country for far too long. The United States commends all Central Africans who, with support from international forces, ensured the vote on December 30 was peaceful and secure. As the Central African Republic moves towards the second round of elections in the coming weeks, we reiterate our desire to see this spirit of peace, tolerance, and free expression.And we strongly urge all parties and their supporters to peacefully address any disputes regarding the recent announcement of results through the Central African legal system. These elections are an historic opportunity for Central Africans to build a united, prosperous, and democratic future for their country and establish a government that reflects the countrys rich geographic, ethnic, and religious diversity. In that effort, they will find a steadfast supporter in the United States. The United States stands with the Central African Republic at this critical moment and will continue to be a strong friend and ally of the Central African people. This project is an excellent example of teamwork that brought the vision of an integrated and agile solution to life in such a short period of time." John Pettit, President and CEO of Adaptik Corporation Starr Insurance Holdings, Inc., a member of Starr Companies, and Adaptik Corporation, the leading provider of scalable and configurable P&C policy administration software, today announced that the carrier has deployed Adaptik Policy for the administration of its Energy and Environmental Package and Excess policies, as well as General Casualty package policies. "We chose Adaptik because of its ease-of-use, scalability, and best-in-class policy administration functionality and technology," said Michael Toran, Starr Insurance Holdings Chief Information Officer. Adaptik has exceeded our expectations; we are using the most advanced policy administration solution on the market. We believe that our partnership with Adaptik will support Starrs continued growth. The success of the go-live implementation has truly been a joint effort, both on the part of the Starr and the Adaptik implementation teams, said Cliff Karlin, Chief Administration Officer at Starr Insurance Holdings. This is the first of a series of deployments with Adaptik that will ensure that Starr has cutting edge technology to meet the increasingly complex requirements of our customers and we look forward to working together. Starr Insurance Holdings took advantage of the Adaptik Challenge to evaluate and ultimately select Adaptik as one of its new policy administration platforms. The Challenge available to all P&C insurance carriers highlighted Adaptiks rapid configuration and prototyping capabilities, as well as its many features designed to support the processing of highly complex commercial insurance products. Due to Adaptiks highly configurable nature, it took only weeks for a fully functional first cut of the system to be created and reviewed live by Starr Insurance Holdings business and operations management. The Adaptik Challenge was followed by the successful implementation of Starrs Energy and Environmental lines of business (which took 10 months to complete) and the General Casualty lines of business (which took four months). We are proud that Starr has successfully gone to production with Adaptik, said John Pettit, President and CEO of Adaptik Corporation. This project is an excellent example of teamwork that brought the vision of an integrated and agile solution to life in such a short period of time. We applaud Starr Insurance Holdings for their dedication to this project and look forward to a strong continued partnership as we continue the implementation efforts for other lines of their business. About Adaptik Corporation Adaptik Corporation provides leading P&C insurance carriers with software solutions that empower them to efficiently handle their most vexing challenges. Fortified by our strong foundation in policy administration, Adaptik offers a suite of insurance solutions designed to simplify product implementations, improve speed-to-market, drive operational agility and scale to support large numbers of users and high transaction volumes regardless of the complexity of the product or line of business. Founded in 2000 and based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Adaptik has been named a Best Place to Work in PA every year since 2010. To learn more about Adaptik or to see a demonstration of our suite of policy administration solutions, visit adaptik.com. You can follow us on Twitter @adaptik, or view our LinkedIn page here. The fact is that Square's pricing isn't very competitive, it's just simple. People often mistake that simplicity with competitiveness." CardFellow takes transparency and education in credit card processing one step further with the addition of a new comparison tool for popular payment solution Square. The payment processing company founded by Jack Dorsey has garnered attention as a simple flat-rate processing option for businesses, but the marketing spin has made it difficult to see that it may be more expensive when compared to a traditional processor. The fact is that Square's pricing isn't very competitive, it's just simple, says Ben Dwyer, founder and president of CardFellow. People often mistake that simplicity with competitiveness, and it may cost them. Dwyer explains that businesses that process $2,000 a month or more with an average sale greater than $10 will pay significantly more with Square than with a processor obtained through CardFellow. CardFellows new Square pricing widget provides an apples-to-apples comparison of Square and other processors. The Square widget shows up automatically when businesses anonymously request quotes for processing through CardFellow. The great thing about the CardFellow Square calculator is that it allows for a direct comparison, says Dwyer. It clearly shows people when Squares pricing is more competitive, when its not, and even when Squares flat rate pricing causes it to lose money. Businesses can invite quotes from any processor theyd like to see how the numbers stack up with Square. Business owners familiar with the frustrations of comparing processors to find the best deal will benefit from the addition of the instant calculations offered by CardFellows Square widget and the ease of reviewing quotes from multiple processors on one screen. CardFellow, LLC has been helping businesses find the most competitive credit card processing solutions since 2006. The companys online marketplace offers instant quotes from pre-screened credit card processors as well as personalized support to help businesses select the best option. The company also offers an extensive product directory with one-click options to add equipment to quotes, and a review system for consumers to read or post about experiences with processors or equipment. Merchants remain anonymous so they can review quotes without the pressure of sales calls. Based in Connecticut, CardFellow provides services to businesses throughout the United States. Mark Kantrowitz Cappex.com is one of the webs best college search sites and provides valuable tools to help students manage their college decision-making process. Cappex.com, a leading website for college search and decisions, today announced that Mark Kantrowitz joins the Company as Publisher and VP Strategy. Mr. Kantrowitz is the nations leading expert on financial aid for college. He has testified about student aid policy before Congress and government agencies on several occasions. He is interviewed regularly by news media and has written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Reuters, Huffington Post, U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, Newsweek and Money Magazine. Mr. Kantrowitz has written 11 books, including 4 bestsellers about planning and paying for college. We are excited and honored to have Mark Kantrowitz join the Cappex.com team as we expand our offerings and grow our product suite, said Alex Stepien, President of Cappex. With a proven track record on building best-in-class web sites about planning and paying for college, he brings important experience as we develop new content and tools for students, parents and our college partners. Mark will also continue to serve as a thought leader on student aid and college admissions. Before joining Cappex.com, Mr. Kantrowitz served as Publisher at Edvisors. In previous roles, he served as Publisher of the Fastweb and FinAid web sites. Mr. Kantrowitz has served as a member of the board of directors of the National Scholarship Providers Association, and is a current member of the board of trustees of the Center for Excellence in Education, the editorial board of the Journal of Student Financial Aid and the editorial advisory board of Bottom Line/Personal. Cappex.com is one of the most innovative companies addressing the needs of students, parents and educators, said Mark Kantrowitz. Cappex.com is one of the webs best college search sites and provides valuable tools to help students manage their college decision-making process. About Cappex With more than 7 million student users, Cappex.com is a top web destination for high school and college students as they actively discover and research colleges online. Cappex.com provides free tools for students to determine their best fit for colleges and scholarships as well as search from more than 3,000 college profiles. Cappex.com also works closely with admissions officers at hundreds of colleges and universities to help them reach their enrollment goals by going beyond student search to generate qualified inquiries online. Schools can attract the students they want without needing to spend time identifying lists and writing campaigns. Learn more at Cappex.com. Yoga Download has been part of the community for more than 10 years, and with the teacher training program, were excited to create a new generation of teachers wholl help shape and mold the practice further," said Yoga Download founder, Jamie Kent. Yoga Download, the premier online yoga studio offering downloadable audio and video classes for all styles and levels, announced today the launch of its first-ever Online Yoga Teacher Training Program. An online version of The Kaivalya Yoga Method Teacher Training, the program features a 200-hour comprehensive online course taught by one of yogas leading instructors, Alanna Kaivalya. Whether ones living a nomadic lifestyle, or staying busy at home, the curriculum provides potential teachers the convenience to learn at their own pace and practice from the comfort of their own space. With classes in the foundations of the practice, yoga history and philosophy, postures, sequencing, anatomy and alignment, meditation and more, the Yoga Download Online Teaching Training Program is guaranteed to create adept, exceptional and qualified yoga teachers. Each class is taught through high-quality videos, audio lessons and engaging content for test preparation. Yoga Download has been part of the community for more than 10 years, and with the teacher training program, were excited to create a new generation of teachers wholl help shape and mold the practice further," said Yoga Download founder, Jamie Kent. Were confident that Alannas dynamic, safe yet rigorous and accessible classes will produce knowledgeable instructors wholl inspire others to live a mindful and healthy lifestyle. As a longtime Yoga Download instructor, Im thrilled to bring my in-person training and teachings to a wide range of students online, said Kaivalya. Whether Im practicing or teaching, Yoga Download has become such an integral part of my life, and with the new teacher program, itll also become an important aspect of so many other peoples lives. The Online Teacher Training includes seven training courses on the following: 1. Anatomy & Alignment Learn key muscle, bone, joint and connective tissue in terms of movement and alignment principles 2. Vinyasa, Sequencing & Subtle Body The essentials of how to safely sequence a vinyasa class; gain an experiential understanding of the deeper layers of the body 3. The Art of Adjustment Study the essential skills of connecting with students through hands-on adjustments 4. Teaching Techniques, Building a Business & Being a Professional Learn the tips, tools, technique and strategies you need to develop and hone your skills as an exceptional yoga instructor 5. Philosophy, History & Theming Dive into the practices history, learning the lexicon, philosophy and themes to captivate a modern day audience 6. Meditation, Myths & Mantras Unlock the power of sacred sound and the profound practice of meditation 7. Final Teaching Culmination After successful completion of all other modules, this course summarizes previous lessons for an easy transition into teaching. Each of the above courses feature interactive testing and assignments, allowing students to work with esteemed Yoga Download mentors. Students must upload video and written assignments, plus complete online testing, demonstrating their learning and development in each respective area. Completion of each course will result in a certificate validating proficiency in the skills learned in that course. The Yoga Download Online Teacher Training Program is currently available for a discounted price of $1,295 (regularly $1,595). For more information on Yoga Download, and to view the complete Teacher Training Syllabus, visit: http://www.yogadownload.com/online-yoga-teacher-training.aspx About Yoga Download YogaDownload.com is a privately-held company based in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 2006, YDL was created to make yoga practices more accessible, convenient and affordable. Combining the modern technology of portable media with the ancient practice of yoga, YDL provides personal, quality, customizable yoga classesanytime, anywhere. YDL offers a wide variety of yoga styles, class lengths, teachers, music and pose guides to help each user maintain the benefits of the practice, with one simple download. In addition, a portion of the proceeds from all Yoga Download purchases benefit a variety of charities. To learn more, visit: http://www.YogaDownload.com Computer Guidance Corporation "CGC is supported by state-of-the-art IT infrastructure and chief cloud partnerships that allow our customers the flexibility to meet their business and regulatory requirements while supporting their desires to grow vertically or globally." Computer Guidance Corporation, the leading developer of ERP solutions for the construction industry, is pleased to announce that Robert Shantz has assumed the newly-created position of Director of Infrastructure and Cloud Services for Computer Guidance. Prior to Computer Guidance, Shantz served as the leader of global information technology and infrastructure for Kaydon Corporation, headquartered in Michigan, overseeing the execution and management of all technology and IT related activities for 23 locations in 12 countries. Shantz role at Computer Guidance is to secure the organizations #1 position in cloud-based construction ERP deployment and technology solutions by bringing additional expertise to the organizations cloud technologies, IT infrastructure and managed services. Shantz will drive Computer Guidances cloud strategy, bringing best practices and insights in this dynamic role and working closely with the companys data centers, service providers, IT auditors and technology partners. These are exciting times in the IT world, and CGCs Cloud Infrastructure and Services are perfectly positioned to help clients improve the return on their IT investments while supporting their business strategies, stated Robert Shantz, Director of Infrastructure and Cloud Services of Computer Guidance. CGC is supported by state-of-the-art IT infrastructure and chief cloud partnerships that allow our customers the flexibility to meet their business and regulatory requirements while supporting their desires to grow vertically or globally. Our cloud deployments and demand for our managed services offerings are growing at a significant rate, stated Mike Bihlmeier, President, Computer Guidance Corporation. As we continue to grow, Mr. Shantz will ensure our data centers, cloud infrastructure, data security and system availability exceed expectations. I am very pleased to bring on an individual of his caliber. About Computer Guidance Corporation With over 20% of their client-base represented on top ENR lists, Computer Guidance Corporation has long delivered the leading construction-specific enterprise resource planning solution including financial and project management applications, #1 business intelligence, mobile technologies and enterprise content management. Scalable, custom configurable and available both cloud hosted and on-premise, eCMS serves the needs of thousands throughout North America and has been named as the ERP solution of choice by the AGC. Computer Guidance Corporation is part of JDM Technology Group, a global construction-specific software conglomerate that serves more than 45,000 users in 40 countries and 6 continents. For more information, visit http://www.computerguidance.com or call 888.361.4551. The new lease now totals 24,866 square feet at the revitalized Two Prudential Plaza and accommodates the companys additional growth. With the improvements both existing and being made to the building overall, Two Prudential Plaza has seen a lot of activity and interest from incoming tenants in the marketplace. Savills Studley represented Ryan Specialty Group (RSG) in the expansion of its global headquarters located at 180 North Stetson. The new lease now totals 24,866 square feet at the revitalized Two Prudential Plaza and accommodates the companys additional growth. Executive Vice President and Co-Head of the Savills Studley Chicago office Robert Sevim represented Ryan Specialty Group; Bill Truszkowski of the Telos Group represented the landlord. With the improvements both existing and being made to the building overall, Two Prudential Plaza has seen a lot of activity and interest from incoming tenants in the marketplace, said Sevim. We were able to secure contiguous space for RSG while still maintaining very favorable terms to produce an excellent solution for both the landlord and the tenant. Ryan Specialty Group, which was founded by Patrick Ryan in 2010, has experienced extensive growth and now operates three major subsidiaries as well as executive oversight and corporate support for eleven additional businesses out of its Chicago headquarters. Together with Savills Studley, we have been able to secure contiguous space on the 45th floor despite other tenant activity and interest, said Patrick G. Ryan, Chairman and CEO of Ryan Specialty Group. According to Sevim, Ryan Specialty Group will begin occupying its revamped space in January 2016. About Savills Studley Savills Studley is the leading commercial real estate services firm specializing in tenant representation. Founded in 1954, the firm pioneered the conflict-free business model of representing only tenants in their commercial real estate transactions. Today, supported by high quality market research and in-depth analysis, Savills Studley provides strategic real estate solutions to organizations across all industries. The firms comprehensive commercial real estate platform includes brokerage, project management, capital markets, consulting and corporate services. With 27 offices in the U.S. and Canada, and a heritage of innovation, Savills Studley is well known for tenacious client advocacy and exceptional service. The firm is part of London-headquartered Savills plc, the premier global real estate service provider with over 30,000 professionals and over 600 locations around the world. Savills plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SVS.L). For more information, please visit http://www.savills-studley.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @SavillsStudley. About Ryan Specialty Group, LLC Ryan Specialty Group, LLC is a global holding company which includes a wholesale brokerage, highly-specialized underwriting companies and specialty services designed specifically for agents, brokers and insurers. http://www.ryansg.com ### Diane Hazel Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP announces that Diane R. Hazel has joined the firms Denver office as an Associate in its Litigation practice group. Clients turn to Hazel for managing risk and resolving disputes in industries as diverse as insurance, energy, retail and industrial products, pharmaceuticals, and health care. She represents companies in business litigation, class actions, and government investigations. Hazel specializes in antitrust litigation and counseling, and has worked on a wide range of antitrust matters, including MFNs, market allocation, price fixing, group boycotts, reverse payments, product hopping, refusals to deal, bundling, and joint ventures. Prior to joining Lewis Roca Rothgerber, Hazel was with Hunton & Williams in Washington, DC. She was also an attorney in the Bureau of Competition at the Federal Trade Commission, where she investigated and prosecuted antitrust matters in the health care and pharmaceutical industries. During her tenure at FTC, she was awarded a Fulbright Grant from the U.S. State Department and spent a year in Namibia working with the Namibian government on antitrust and consumer protection matters. Hazel also has experience as a consultant with Ernst & Young, and was recognized with the E&Y High Impact Award for her work on securitized transactions. She received her law degree cum laude from Georgetown University, where she was editor of the Georgetown International Environmental Law Review, and her bachelors degree in Business magna cum laude from Wake Forest University. Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP represents diverse domestic and international clients across all industries and organizations ranging in size from individuals and start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations, including some of the worlds most recognizable brands. About Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie is built on the strengths of legacy firms Lewis Roca Rothgerber and Christie, Parker & Hale, providing clients across a wide range of industries with representation in litigation, intellectual property, business transactions, gaming, government relations and other practice areas. With approximately 300 attorneys, Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie offices are located in Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orange County, Phoenix, Reno, Silicon Valley and Tucson. For more information, visit lrrc.com. The Account Control Technology Foundation (herein ACT Foundation), a non-profit, charitable foundation established by the founders of Account Control Technology Holdings, Inc., is now accepting applications for its fourth annual scholarship programs, which provide 50 $1,000 awards to students nationwide. The ACT Foundation Second-Year Scholarship Program is for current college first-year students who plan and qualify to enroll as sophomores in a four-year college or university in the upcoming academic year beginning in the fall of 2016. A total of 25 $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to students nationwide. The ACT Cares Community Scholarship Program is for graduating high school seniors from specific communities who will attend a four-year college or university beginning in the fall of 2016. Applicants must be current seniors at high schools within select counties, including Kern and Los Angeles counties in California; Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties in Ohio; and Dallas, Denton, Collin and Tom Green counties in Texas. A total of 25 $1,000 scholarships will be awarded. The application deadline for both programs is March 15, 2016. The scholarship selection process will be administered independently by Scholarship Management Services. Application guidelines, forms, promotional materials and past winners lists are available on the ACT Foundations website at http://www.accountcontrolfoundation.org. In addition to providing information on its scholarship programs, the ACT Foundation website offers content and links to help students plan and pay for college, as well as gain tips to improve their financial wellness. Helping students reach their goals and stay on solid financial footing is important for our communities and our nation, said Dale Van Dellen, Chairman of ACT Holdings and the ACT Foundation. Scholarships help, but even more critical is the need for students to improve their financial literacy. We encourage all young people to review the resources on the ACT Foundation website and learn how they can better manage their educational finances. About the ACT Foundation The Account Control Technology Foundation is a non-profit, charitable organization with a mission to improve the future of students and the greater community by offering financial literacy and debt management education, mentorship and support to those in need. Since 2013, the ACT Foundation has awarded $150,000 in college scholarships and more than $85,000 in funds to charitable organizations. In addition to charitable funding, the ACT Foundation promotes financial wellness and higher education planning. For more information or to make a donation, visit http://www.accountcontrolfoundation.org or email foundation(at)accountcontrol(dot)com. About Account Control Technology Holdings, Inc. (ACT Holdings) Account Control Technology Holdings, Inc. provides comprehensive business process outsourcing and financial services to diverse industries. Our companies partner with clients to help them run the business behind their operations so they can focus on what they do best whether its serving customers, educating students, caring for patients, or keeping communities moving forward. ACT Holdings companies include Account Control Technology, Inc.; Convergent Outsourcing, Inc.; and Convergent Revenue Cycle Management. For more information, visit http://accountcontrolholdings.com. ### Suiteness Suiteness (https://www.suiteness.com), the first travel site to offer exclusive online booking of the hotel industrys most luxurious suites, has expanded into New York City. Consumers can choose from over 5,000 luxury properties at 38 four and five-star hotels. Over half of these suites are offered online for the first time. The New York suites complement the 12,000 luxury suites at top Las Vegas and Miami hotels to which Suiteness also enables direct online booking. The company is growing its inventory of suites rapidly, with plans to expand into other markets in the coming months. Until now, guests could only book top hotel properties by phone, limiting access to sought-after suites. With Suiteness, travelers can easily shop for the ultimate setting for their bachelor/bachelorette party, family reunion, corporate retreat or dream vacation. In addition, every time you book, the company will make a donation to a local charity. We make finding and booking a luxury suite as easy as ordering an Uber, said Suiteness CEO Robbie Bhathal. Until now, if you wanted killer accommodations for your group you had three choices. You could research, email and phone individual hotels to negotiate a rate with a sales representative, you could split up your group, or you could roll the dice and book some strangers apartment. With Suiteness, you get the ease of online booking with the security of knowing your luxury suite will be as amazing as you expect. Suiteness recently announced that the company received more than one million dollars in funding led by Structure Capital, the lead investor in Uber. For more information, visit http://www.suiteness.com. About Suiteness Suiteness (http://www.suiteness.com) is the first and only booking engine dedicated to helping travelers gain access to the hotel industrys most luxurious suites. The company was founded in 2014, with funding and support from investors who have helped launch some of travels most successful and disruptive businesses. The platform currently provides access to 17,000 luxury suites in Las Vegas, Miami and New York. The company is expanding its suite inventory rapidly in key markets across the U.S. For more information, visit http://www.suiteness.com. MDS To be recognized for helping safeguard the small business community is a huge accomplishment for us & we remain committed to exceeding the security needs of the small business for years to come, said Andrew Bagrin, CEO and founder of My Digital Shield. My Digital Shield (MDS), a leading provider of Security-as-a-Service (SECaaS) for small businesses, today announced it has been named as one of the Top 100 Champions by the 2015 Small Business Influencers Awards, produced by Small Business Trends. Recognized for its contribution to the small business community, My Digital Shields affordable cloud-based security solution helps business owners stay protected against cyber threats and intrusion. As security continues to be a growing priority for businesses of all sizes, our primary goal has been to protect small businesses, allowing them to focus on what actually matters growing their companies, said said Andrew Bagrin, CEO and founder of My Digital Shield. To be recognized for helping safeguard the small business community is a huge accomplishment for us, and we remain committed to exceeding the security needs of the small business for years to come. Founded in 2013, MDS easy-to-install cloud-based security solution provides enterprise-level security technology to small businesses at an affordable price. A previously underserviced market is now equipped with an affordable security solution to protect against costly data breaches, hackers, cyber ransoms, viruses and more. With an expanding presence, MDS now serves numerous managed service providers (MSPs) and small businesses across industries that include retail, restaurants, hospitality and professional services. Now in its fifth year, the Small Business Influencer Awards recognizes companies and individuals who have made a significant impact upon the North American small business market through products, services and support they provide. This award highlights innovators who are helping reshape the face of the small business by supporting entrepreneurs and business owners. For a full list of the Top 100 Champions by the 2015 Small Business Influencer Awards, visit: http://smallbiztrends.com/2015/11/small-business-influencer-awards-champions-2015.html About My Digital Shield My Digital Shield (MDS) is a leading provider of Security-as-a-Service (SECaaS) that delivers enterprise-level security technology to small businesses at an affordable price. Based on industry-leading unified threat management (UTM) technology, MDS' customizable cloud-based security solution offers continual protection against cyber threats and intrusion. With its patented, simple configuration engine, all security inspection and intelligence work are performed in the cloud, removing the bottleneck of traditional premise-based security products. With no bandwidth pollution, the SECaaS delivery model ensures that the latest virus definitions and threat updates are in use for continual threat assessment. Offered on an affordable monthly subscription basis, MDS enables small businesses to be as secure against threats and possible intrusion as larger enterprises. Founded in 2013, MDS serves numerous managed service providers (MSPs) and small businesses in various industries including retail, restaurants, hospitality, and professional services. To learn more, visit http://www.mydigitalshield.com or follow on Twitter @MyDigitalShield. ### For the fourth time since 2006, North Korea has tested a nuclear bomb. Although international observers have not confirmed the device was what North Korea claims it to have been-a miniaturized hydrogen bomb -- White House Spokesperson said any kind of nuclear test by North Korea was provocative and a flagrant violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions. Countries around the world, including the United States, China and Russia, condemned the test and an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council was called. The Security Council also strongly condemned it, calling the nuclear test by North Korea a clear threat to international peace and security and pledging to begin to work immediately on further significant measures to address the situation. U.S. State Department Spokesperson John Kirby said, The international community must impose real consequences for the regimes destabilizing behavior and respond with enhanced pressure. The Security Council has a key role to play in holding North Korea accountable by imposing a tough, comprehensive, and credible package of new sanctions, and by ensuring rigorous enforcement of the resolutions it has already adopted. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with his counterparts both in the region and elsewhere over North Koreas nuclear test. He emphasized the need for an international response to the threat posed by North Korea and pledged to continue to protect our allies in the region, including the Republic of Korea and Japan. U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Samantha Power said in a statement that North Korea has increasingly isolated itself and impoverished its people through its reckless pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. The United States remains fully committed to the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, said Ambassador Power. We will take all actions necessary to protect our security, defend our allies, and promote regional stability. UNCF Logo FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 12, 2016 ***MEDIA ADVISORY*** UNCF Greater New York Alumni Celebrate the 26th Anniversary of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards Breakfast The UNCF Greater New York Inter-Alumni Council (GNYIAC) will host its annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast on January 18th. For 26 years, this event has celebrated the life and achievements of UNCF alumnus Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Morehouse College graduate of the class of 1948. The 2016 honorees include: GNYIAC Volunteer, Sherman Perkins, and the Queens Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. for their dedication to and support of UNCF. The Keynote Speaker is The Rev. Henry T. Simmons of St. Albans Congregational Church and there will be remarks by Sen. Charles Schumer. Adrianna Hicks, featured in the Broadway production of The Color Purple, will perform. "We are so excited to be expanding the UNCF footprint in the New York area and to be working with top business and political leaders to make this year's event a major success," stated Fred D. Mitchell, UNCF Vice President of Development. "For the second year, AARP is the lead sponsor of this Breakfast. Hundreds of students from New York are currently attending UNCF member institutions and receiving necessary scholarships, and our local alumni continue to play an integral role in supporting the UNCF mission and most importantly, our students. WHO: UNCF Greater New York Inter-Alumni Council WHAT: 26th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards Breakfast WHEN: Monday, January 18, 2016, 9 am -12 pm WHERE: Antuns; 96-43 Springfield Boulevard; Queens Village, NY For more information about the UNCF Greater New York Office Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards Breakfast contact: 212.820.0155. About UNCF UNCF - United Negro College Fund is the nations largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students education and development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 20 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities. Learn more at http://www.uncf.org. ### The Musicabana Foundation announces international superstars Major Lazer the collaborative project of Diplo, Walshy Fire and Jillionaire will perform in Havana on Sunday, March 6, 2016, becoming one of the first major American musical acts to perform in Havana since diplomatic ties were restored between the United States and Cuba just over one year ago. The Major Lazer concert, which will take place at La Tribuna Jose Marti on Havanas iconic waterfront, will serve as a prelude to Musicabana, the first international music festival produced by American and Cuban partners in more than 30 years. Taking place in Havana, May 5 8, 2016, Musicabana will offer a once-in-a-lifetime experience with an extraordinary multi-genre bill boasting over 25 artists, bands and global DJs. The festival will also mark the largest gathering of Cuban artists in a generation, featuring performances by music legends and some of todays hottest acts, including Pablo Milanes, Carlos Varela, Los Van Van, Orquesta Aragon, Habana dPrimera, Ibeyi, Pedrito Martinez, Yoruba Andabo, Juana Bacallao & Tiembla Tierra, Interactivo, Kelvis Ochoa, and Adonis & Osain del Monte, among others. International superstars Sean Paul and Carlinhos Brown will also perform. Musicabana will be entirely free to the Cuban public, and special travel packages and VIP tickets will be available for international visitors. Regular announcements will be made in the weeks and months ahead as more talent is confirmed. Produced by the Musicabana Foundation, the Major Lazer concert, the biggest EDM act to ever play on the island, will also be free and open to the Cuban people. Consistent with Musicabanas intercultural spirit, the artists will meet with Cuban music students and young, up-and-coming DJs who will also share the stage with the famous band. Cubas music scene is bursting with the same raw talent and energy of decades past, said Fabien Pisani, founder and festival director of Musicabana. We are excited and proud to partner with Major Lazer and bring one of Americas top musical talents to Havana this March, helping us launch the Musicabana festival in May. We will make history and build an unprecedented cultural bridge between Cuba, the United States and the rest of the world through the power of music. "For as long as I can remember, Cuba has played an influential role in my love of musicCuba has such a powerful cultural impact all over the world, and for me, especially growing up in Florida, it became one of the biggest cultural centers for music to evolve from, explained Diplo. I was lucky enough to visit Cuba a few years back with my friends Calle 13, and during my four days there, my mind was blown by the people, depth of culture and their way of life. Going back to perform in 2016 and to be a part of the culture once again is a huge blessing, and I couldn't be more honored to bring the Major Lazer project there." Three generations of Cuban musical stardom have joined forces to bring Musicabana to life. The four-day, three-venue, first-of-its-kind festival was inspired by Cuban musical legends Pablo Milanes, Chucho Valdes and Juan Formell (to whom the festival is dedicated). Musicabana is being produced by Milanes Cuban-born, Brooklyn, New York-based son Fabien Pisani, in collaboration with Cubas National Institute of Music (ICM), the official local agency in charge of the development and promotion of the Cuban music heritage. Acclaimed New York events producer Chris Wangro, who has produced Presidential & UN summits, Papal visits, cultural festivals and spectacles around the world, will be acting as Lead Producer of Musicabana. Ibeyi, the French-Cuban duo that has taken the music world by storm over the past year, will be the ambassadors of the festival, signaling Musicabanas commitment to connecting Cubas musical past with its promising future. Pisani, who grew up in Cuba, says the idea is to promote Havanas rightful place among the worlds major music capitals and to bring Cuba back to the center of the Caribbean, one of the most diverse and culturally rich regions in the world. According to Pisani, he and his New York-based co-producer David Kirchner have been working on the festival for over two years, but a big catalyst was the recent move towards normalization between the two countries. After consulting a top legal team to determine the legalities of hosting the festival, the Musicabana Foundation learned that Americans will be able to attend the festival and be part of history, provided that they qualify for one of 12 U.S. travel license categories. Musicabana is also offering sponsorship opportunities to companies interested in underwriting what the organizers believe will become the biggest annual music and cultural festival in the Caribbean. Musicabana will light up the stages at three major venues around Havana: Plaza San Francisco de Asis, Salon Rosado of la Tropical, and La Piragua. Together, these premier venues can host up to 250,000 concertgoers per day. When pressed on who, besides Major Lazer, had signed on to perform, Pisani smiled and said, Mick Jagger, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Usher and many other global stars have all recently visited Havana. Whoever hits the stage will significantly relate to our festivals cultural mission and long term vision. Who wouldnt want to make history by performing in front of millions of young Cuban fans wanting to reconnect with the world? The Musicabana Advisory Board includes: Pablo Milanes, Chucho Valdes, Carlinhos Brown, Joaquin Sabina, Michael Lang, Ashley Capps, Ned Sublette and Chris Wangro. The Musicabana Foundation is the nonprofit organization leading the development of year-round cultural events jointly produced by partners in Cuba and the United States, aimed at creating a lasting and significant cultural bridge between Cuba, the U.S. and the rest of the world. For information about Musicabana, visit http://www.musicabana.com. Stay connected with Musicabana on Facebook and Twitter. Slayton Search Partners, a globally respected leader in retained executive search, announced that Kevin Duffy has joined the company as Executive Vice President. Kevin brings more than 30 years of executive search experience to Slayton Search Partners. He possesses extensive hands-on knowledge of some of the fastest changing industries in the world, satisfying the executive hiring needs of Fortune 500s, Fortune 50s, Private Equity portfolio companies, privately held concerns, and diverse enterprises in consumer-facing industries. Prior to joining the Slayton team, Kevin led numerous executive search projects as a Managing Director of Herbert Mines. He also was a Senior Client Partner at Korn/Ferry International. "I am excited to be part of the Slayton Search Partners team," said Kevin. "Slayton conducts truly senior level work, having built their business around an outstanding execution platform and a strong client focus. Over the years, I have garnered the ability to bring executive talent to my clients that matches the technical requirements of a position with a nuanced cultural fit, and I anticipate being able to put these skills to good use at Slayton." "Kevin will make an excellent addition to the Slayton team," stated Richard Slayton, Managing Partner & CEO at Slayton Search Partners. "His strong comprehension of the executive-level concerns facing consumer-driven industries, his leadership skills, and his many years of experience will be invaluable. We plan to leverage his insight and expertise to enhance our presence in a market that is constantly shifting. Expanding our team to include Kevin will contribute to our continued success." Kevin holds a Bachelors degree in Management from Texas Christian University. About Slayton Search Partners Slayton Search Partners is a top retained executive search firm, serving some of North Americas most recognized companies. Slaytons limit-less approach to executive search has made the firm the first choice of U.S. businesses and organizations who demand the best possible search results. By focusing on a structure that balances the size needed to do the job with the size needed to deliver personal attention and service, Slayton avoids restrictions that limit traditional search firms. This helps transform the relationships with our clients into a limit-less opportunity for high-quality solutions. Slaytons combination of highly experienced and focused search professionals, coupled with its record for attentive personal service, has made it one of the most highly-respected retained executive search firms in the country. "Potable reuse is clearly coming of age as a strategy to supplement and sustain water supplies in a growing number of communities," said AWWA CEO David LaFrance. Water managers, federal and state regulators and public health experts will convene in Long Beach, Calif., Jan. 25-27, at the first International Symposium on Potable Reuse to discuss advanced technologies that purify wastewater and ultimately turn it into high quality drinking water. The event is hosted by the American Water Works Association, the worlds largest association of water professionals. Recent drought conditions in places such as California and global concerns such as expanding populations and potential climate change have accelerated interest in potable reuse technologies. At the same time, water utility experts, public health officials and regulators are engaging in conversations about how to assure the protection of public health as potable reuse projects expand. Water never stops being valuable, said AWWA CEO David LaFrance. Potable reuse is clearly coming of age as a strategy to supplement and sustain water supplies in a growing number of communities. AWWA is pleased to bring together so many respected potable reuse leaders to share experiences and consider what lies ahead. Mondays keynote address will include remarks from Jeff Kightlinger, General Manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, who will discuss MWDSCs decision to invest in the development of what could be one of the largest recycled water programs in the world. Tuesdays keynote session, titled Policy & Potable Reuse: Balancing Water Needs with Public Health Protection, will feature representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California State Water Resources Control Board. They will discuss the national policy and regulatory approach to potable reuse as a unique water supply solution. Conference attendees will also hear about cutting edge direct potable reuse projects, in which wastewater that has been through advanced purification processes is introduced directly into drinking water systems. Speakers from Big Spring, Texas, the only direct potable reuse facility that has operated in the United States, will speak on treatment process effectiveness and how to confidently produce water that meets all applicable regulations. Representatives from El Paso Water Utilities will present on a pilot direct potable reuse project that could lead to a full-scale facility by 2019. To assist communities interested in developing sustainable water supplies through potable reuse, AWWA and other water sector organizations released Framework for Direct Potable Reuse this fall. This document guides state agencies and utilities in developing guidelines for direct potable reuse. In the 2015 AWWA State of the Water Industry Report, a top cited issue was concern for long-term water supply availability, with 11 percent of responding utility personnel indicating their utility will be challenged to meet anticipated long-term water supply needs. For full details on the symposium and registration options, visit the events webpage. The event will be co-located with the International Symposium on Biological Treatment. Symposium partners include the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, International Ultraviolet Association, National Association of Clean Water Agencies, National Water Research Institute, WateReuse, the Water Environment Federation and the Water Research Foundation. Media Note: Accredited members of the media may attend the International Symposium on Potable Reuse at no charge. However, they are required to register with AWWA Public Affairs. For media registration, please visit AWWAs press room or contact Amber Wilson at awilson(at)awwa(dot)org. # # # Established in 1881, the American Water Works Association is the largest nonprofit, scientific and educational association dedicated to managing and treating water, the worlds most important resource. With approximately 50,000 members, AWWA provides solutions to improve public health, protect the environment, strengthen the economy and enhance our quality of life. Our conference participants will come away with the tools they need to adapt to the shifting legal landscape of colleges and universities. The challenging legal landscape in higher education law and policy is the focus of Stetson Universitys 37th annual National Conference on Law and Higher Education Feb. 11-15, 2016, at the Hilton Orlando. Title IX, constitutional law and compliance issues are the topics of a series of training workshops. Higher education institutions are facing some of the greatest legal challenges since the civil rights movement with the courts and constitutional issues impacting compliance work at colleges and universities. Our conference participants will come away with the tools they need to adapt to the shifting legal landscape of colleges and universities, said conference chair and Professor of Law Peter F. Lake. Professor Lake is the Charles A. Dana chair and director of Stetsons Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy. Stetsons national conference, now approaching its 40th year, provides sessions for college attorneys including in house counsel and private counsel, higher education administrators and presidents. The sessions will cover a variety of topics from updates from Washington, Title IX, FERPA and disability law to investigator training. Conference attendees will participate in boot camps, workshops, and plenary sessions. Attendees will collaborate with presenters and peers throughout the five days in Orlando, Florida. To register, visit http://www.stetson.edu/law/conferences/highered/home/index.php . For more information, call 727-562-7793 or email higheredlaw(at)law(dot)stetson(dot)edu. For more information about the Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy at Stetson, visit http://www.stetson.edu/law/academics/highered/home/. ### About Stetson University College of Law Stetson University College of Law, Florida's first law school, has prepared lawyers and leaders since 1900. Today, Stetson leads the nation in blending legal doctrine with practical training, evidenced by its top-ranked programs in advocacy and legal writing. Through our academically rigorous curriculum and commitment to social responsibility, Stetson lawyers are ethical advocates ready to succeed in the legal profession. More than two dozen Youth Conservation Corps crews aged 16-19 from Northwest Youth Corps spent five weeks clearing wood debris felled by a windstorm at Reclamation's Lake Cascade Reservoir in Idaho. Young people seeking a career that connects with Americas outdoors truly benefit from real-world experiences that provide on-the-job training in resource management issues. Past News Releases RSS Bureau of Reclamation Selects Three... Eleven Organizations to Establish... Bureau of Reclamation Launches Two... Reclamation selected 16 entities from throughout the United States to participate in its youth conservation and youth intern partnership programs. The master cooperative agreements cover five years and will speed up award funding for youth programs as projects become available. No funding is associated or guaranteed with these agreements. "Young people seeking a career that connects with Americas outdoors truly benefit from real-world experiences that provide on-the-job training in resource management issues," Commissioner Estevan Lopez said. "These new agreements with grass-roots conservation and internship programs support Secretary Sally Jewell's 'Let's Move! Outside' initiative. It is one more way we seek to inspire millions of young people to play, learn, serve and work outdoors." Since 2010, Reclamation has entered into more than 15 cooperative agreements with several youth organizations throughout its 17 western state jurisdiction. These cooperative agreements supported about 800 youth opportunities. Eleven entities have been selected to enter into a cooperative agreement for the placement of youth interns and 10 entities have been selected to enter into a cooperative agreement for youth conservation crews. Five of these entities will have cooperative agreements under both programs. The entities were selected in a competitive process through two funding opportunity announcements released in September. The following 11 entities have been selected for placement in youth intern partnership programs: Conservation Legacy, Durango, Colorado Greening Youth Foundation, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia Hispanic Access Foundation, Washington, D.C. Mobilize Green, Inc., Washington, D.C. The Student Conservation Association, Inc., Charlestown, New Hampshire The Great Basin Institute, Reno, Nevada ACE Epic Internship Program, Flagstaff, Arizona Montana Conservation Corps, Bozeman, Montana Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, San Antonio, Texas Northwest Youth Corps, Eugene, Oregon Minority Access Incorporated, Hyattsville, Maryland Participants in Reclamations youth intern program will build understanding and appreciation of natural and cultural resources and learn how to maintain and manage these resources. The following 10 entities have been selected for placement in youth conservation crews: Utah Conservation Corps, Utah State University, Logan, Utah Conservation Legacy, Durango, Colorado California Conservation Corps, Sacramento, California American Conservation Experience, Flagstaff, Arizona The Student Conservation Association, Inc., Charlestown, New Hampshire Northwest Youth Corps, Eugene, Oregon Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission, Fresno, California American Youthworks, Austin, Texas Rocky Mountain Youth Corps, Taos, New Mexico Montana Conservation Corps, Bozeman, Montana Youth conservation crew participants will perform conservation projects on Reclamation lands and assist Reclamation with performing research and public education tasks associated with natural and cultural resources. Partnering entities must provide a minimum of 25 percent of the total project costs in funding or in-kind support. Reclamation will collaborate with the recipients to create and manage individual projects. To learn more about the Reclamation's youth program, please visit http://www.usbr.gov/youth. This work is part an overall strategy by the Obama Administration to connect young people to nature. The Department of the Interior is leading First Lady Michelle Obamas Lets Move! Outside initiative getting millions of young people to play, learn, serve and work in Americas great outdoors and actively involved in promoting and supporting President Obama's Every Kid in A Park program providing all fourth grade students and their families with free admission to national parks and other public lands and waters for a full year. Carolina Digital is a pioneer of hosted phone services, and provides products that improve the capabilities of business and education telephony, while reducing their overall cost. Were thrilled to the help Johnson County School System invest in its students and staff, and deliver a reliable, economical, and scaleable cloud telecommunication system. Carolina Digital, a leading provider of USAC Category 1 eligible hosted telecommunications for K-12 schools in the Southeast United States, announced that it has been awarded a contract by North Carolinas Johnston County School District to install a new 4,500 VoIP phone system. Per the agreement, Carolina Digital will utilize the robust and proven unified communications platform powered by Third Lane Technologies, which supports class-leading customization and versatility. The company will also supply staff across the Johnston County School Districts 44 schools and handful of administrative offices with leading edge Yealink Network Technology IP phones, which offer more functions and flexibility than typical VoIP phones, and are also simpler and easier to use. With respect to the competitive bidding process, to say that Carolina Digital was pitted against some major industry players is a dramatic understatement. The boutique hosted telecommunications firm, led by its well known and highly respected CEO Nicky Smith, was up against Fortune 500 companies with large in-house technical and installation teams, and deep financial pockets. However, the selection process, which was led by the Johnston County School Districts Executive Director of Technology Services Dan Hicks, ultimately centered on the three things that Smith and his Carolina Digital colleagues were banking on: quality, price and service. Our quality is rooted in our market nimbleness and ability to offer the most up-to-date hardware and software, which we can custom program meet the needs of each end user, commented Smith, who has more than 30 years of experience in the telecommunication industry. Our pricing is very competitive, since we keep overheads low by maintaining a small staff and deploying skilled technicians as needed. And just as importantly, our service commitment is unmatched and backed by a team of contractors that can be deployed to any installation site. We also host and manage our software in a carrier class Greensboro, NC data center in order to provide our customers with extremely fast connectivity. Added Smith: Were thrilled to help the Johnston County School District invest in its students and staff, and deliver a reliable, economical, and scaleable cloud telecommunication system one that administrators can easily manage via our web-based portal. We are looking forward to supporting progressive visionary Dan Hicks and his outstanding team for years to come. For additional information regarding Carolina Digital, visit http://carolinadigital.net or email inquiry@carolinadigital.net. About Carolina Digital Carolina Digital is a pioneer of hosted phone services, and provides products that improve the capabilities of business and education telephony, while reducing their overall cost. The companys offerings stand out for their excellent value, including very competitive pricing, the industrys deepest feature set, ease of deployment, and many user-friendly packages from a full turnkey set-up including dial tone and VoIP phones, to automated call answering and routing solutions that work with existing land lines, cell phones or VoIP phones. RNR Tire Express and Custom Wheels franchisees gathered together at the Renaissance, Tampa Airport. Franchisees from 21 states (over 100 attendees) traveled to Tampa, as they do every January, for training, sharing, a vendor show, and their annual awards banquet. The conference celebrated a year where RNR Franchisees experienced significant growth at the store level. In his opening remarks, Larry Sutton, President and Founder of RNR, communicated a clear vision for where the company was headed and provided keen insight into industry trends. RNR locations are servicing more customers then ever before and are focused at providing additional service options to customers and positioning RNR as a top retailer in the tire industry. At this years annual awards banquet, over 70% of all stores were inducted into the Million Dollar Club, and seven stores were inducted into the Two-Million Dollar Club . The Most Improved Store was awarded to Scott Good in Louisville, Kentucky and Most Improved Franchise went to Full-O-Pep wheels, LLC based in Indiana. Franchisee of the Year went to Gulfcoast L&P INC, headquartered in Mississippi. Larry Sutton had this to say about the franchise system: We are very fortunate to work with talented, visionary franchisees that care about the systems growth and contribute to the direction of our franchise and business. Everyone shares their successes and is always available to help fellow franchisees. They all learn from each other, which helps RNR grow and blossom into a truly great partnership and opportunity. I am humbled and grateful that these folks have chosen to fly the RNR banner over their operations. For information on the RNR Franchise please visit: http://www.rnrfranchise.com. The RNR Experience RNR customers are provided a program that allows them to pay for the custom wheels and tires that they want in easy weekly, bi-weekly or monthly installments with no credit needed. In addition, customers are offered the lowest cash prices on wheels or tires and have a huge selection of both new and previously rented merchandise. RNR carries just about every major brand in the custom wheel and tire industry, including: Dub, KMC, Lexani, Michelin, Goodyear and many more. For Information on RNR, contact our Corporate Offices at 813.977.9800. We couldn't think of a better company to carry the Outsource flag. SIG, the premier membership organization for sourcing, procurement and outsourcing executives, today announces the acquisition of Outsource magazine and welcomes Jamie Liddell to the SIG executive team. Jamie joins SIG to head the efforts in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) with commercial and membership growth, new product and business development and expansion of recently-launched SIG University for a global audience. In addition, Jamie will continue as editor of Outsource, the leading global publication for the outsourcing, business services and business transformation space. During his time at the helm, Outsource has grown from a compact UK-centric quarterly print magazine into a multi-faceted, globally facing content and event brand, delivering high-quality, high-level thought leadership to senior professionals the world over. We couldnt think of a better company to carry the Outsource flag, says Daniel Cuby, Managing Director, Outsource. There are such clear synergies between the two companies. Says Dawn Tiura, President and CEO of SIG, Adding Outsource to the SIG family is a natural extension for SIG, which was started for outsourcing professionals wanting to share best practices. Over the past 25 years we have expanded it to become a premier membership organization that represents all aspects of sourcing. Our global footprint has broadened over the past few years and in 2016 will take us all over Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, Mexico, Cuba and China. SIG worked in close partnership with Peter Dickinson, a partner in Mayer Browns London office to facilitate this transaction. Adds Peter, We at Mayer Brown, along with many other global companies, have been pushing SIG hard to expand their presence into EMEA and other geographies, so we are thrilled with this acquisition. About SIG SIG, http://www.sig.org is a membership organization that provides thought leadership and networking opportunities to executives in sourcing, procurement and outsourcing from Fortune 500 and Global 1000 companies. It has served these professionals and opened dialogues with their counterparts in finance, HR, marketing and other business functions throughout its 25-year history. SIG is acknowledged by many as a world leader in providing next practices, innovation and networking opportunities through its: global and regional events, online webinars and teleconferences, member peer connection services, content-rich website and online Resource Center, which was developed by and for professionals in sourcing and outsourcing. The organization is unique in that it blends practitioners, service providers and advisory firms in a non-commercial environment. ### Jaffe is the only full-service marketing and PR agency that works exclusively with the legal industry. Carlos and Alan have demonstrated exceptional talent and commitment to helping our clients improve their PR and marketing programs. Jaffe, the legal industrys full-service marketing and PR agency, is pleased to announce that it has promoted Carlos Arcos to Senior Vice President of Public Relations and Alan Singles to Director of Marketing & Graphics Services, effective January 1, 2016. Carlos was formerly a Vice President of Public Relations, and Alan was formerly the agencys Senior Marketing Manager. Carlos and Alan have demonstrated exceptional talent and commitment to helping our clients improve their PR and marketing programs. These promotions to senior-level positions are well-deserved, said Vivian Hood, President of Public Relations. Based in Houston, Carlos develops and executes public relations strategies for law firms across the U.S. Before joining Jaffe in 2012, he held public relations positions at several PR agencies. He earned his B.A. in history from Baylor University and his juris doctor from the University of Texas Law School. Alan, who is based in Philadelphia, manages Jaffes marketing strategy and serves as the lead graphic designer on creative projects for the agencys legal industry clients. Prior to joining Jaffe in 2013, Alan operated his own marketing and design consultancy. Before that, he served as the manager of graphics services for Fox Rothschild LLP. He holds a B.A from the Art Institute of Philadelphia. Alan and Carlos provide exemplary work for our clients, and I am proud to see them advance in their roles at Jaffe, said Terry M. Isner, President of Marketing & Business Development. About Jaffe Jaffe is the legal industrys full-service marketing and public relations agency. Devoted solely to law firms, legal vendors and legal associations, Jaffe's comprehensive service offerings include media relations, legal marketing and business development, creative services, content marketing, search engine optimization, and rankings assistance. The agency operates through a unique virtual office environment with experienced consultants throughout the USA and in Canada. For more information visit: http://www.jaffepr.com. ### Hello everyone! The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) has renewed its campaign against education underfunding, attack on democratic right... If you are new to iQ you can schedule a demo and learn more about this opportunity. PSFK iQ - Where Innovators Turn for Research. Our professional-grade research platform is designed specifically for Retail and CX leaders who want to know whats next. Whether youre staying current on trends or need a real-time research partner to help you get ahead, count on PSFK iQ to deliver the info you need to make your next move. Cookies What are cookies ? How do we use cookies? How to control cookies? Managing cookies in your browser see what cookies you have got and delete them on an individual basis block third party cookies block cookies from particular sites block all cookies from being set delete all cookies when you close your browser X A cookie is a small text file that a website saves on your computer or mobile device when you visit the site. Cookies are widely used in order to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site.Website use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. ("Google") to help analyse the use of this website. 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You can delete all cookies that are already on your computer and you can set most browsers to prevent them from being placed.Most browsers allow you to:If you chose to delete cookies, you should be aware that any preferences will be lost. Also, if you block cookies completely many websites (including ours) will not work properly and webcasts will not work at all. For these reasons, we do not recommend turning cookies off when using our webcasting services. This is weird, said Matt de la Pena, who spoke with PW via cell phone from St. Paul, where he was in between lectures as part of the faculty for the Low-Residency MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Hamline University. Well known for his realistic YA novels that explore class and racial identity, de la Pena became the first Hispanic author to receive the John Newbery Medal on Monday when his second picture book, Last Stop on Market Street, illustrated by Christian Robinson (Putnam), was announced as the 2016 winner. Away from his Brooklyn home, de la Pena heard the news while running on very little sleep. Im here this week, teaching, and I also had a book due today, he explained. So I stayed up until 3:30 last night finishing the last chapter. I probably had four hours to sleep before I had to go teach. But I left my phone on because I had heard rumblings about the Caldecott so I knew the book was in the conversation, and thought my agent [Steven Malk] might call me if that happened. Of course, it turned out to be a good thing that de la Penas cell phone was still powered on. At 4:30, the phone rings, and Im thinking, Oh my gosh, maybe it got the Caldecott Honor or something, he recalled. The book was, in fact, named a Caldecott Honor for Robinsons artwork, but this particular phone call was not de la Penas agent, but someone else. The guy on the phone said he was the chair of the Newbery Committee, and I thought he messed up and said the wrong word. But when committee chair Ernie J. Cox delivered the news, I just literally could not comprehend it, de la Pena said. To tell you the truth, I still cant believe it. I threatened to kiss him and everyone on the committee when I see them. It was a huge, huge shock. In short order de la Pena called his wife, Caroline Sun, back in New York. She works in publishing, so she understands these awards, he said. I believe she cried pretty hard. Then I called my mom, and she cried. Then I talked to my agent. Though its not unheard of for the Newbery to go to a picture book, this is only the second time it has happened (A Visit to William Blakes Inn won the 1982 Newbery Medal). Last Stop on Market Street follows CJ, an African-American boy, and his grandmother, as they take a city bus through their neighborhood after church. While CJ questions Nana along the way about various things he lacks, she gently reminds him of all the beauty and special encounters they experience on their journey. Their conversation plays out in contemporary colloquial language and de la Pena called that the biggest decision of the book, to leave it the way it is. In most of his books de la Penas dialogue is informed by recording what I hear out in the world, he added. He believes that a lot of Hispanic speaking is influenced by African-American language. Its a mix of Spanglish and urban speak together, he explained. Though he received some critical emails about Last Stop on Market Street not promoting proper English, it hasnt been a major issue. At school, CJ would probably switch codes, and speak the way he needs to to do well in that environment, but in the world of his grandmother, hes going to be natural. The way he speaks on the bus is the truth, not a lesson. The story was sparked largely by de la Penas many school visits. I visit a lot of underprivileged places where the kids are living in poverty and going to the rougher schools, he said. Those kids have such a feeling of unworthiness. Lots of times the older students will ask me, Why would you come here? and it breaks my heart that they dont think they deserve to have an author visit. One thing he hopes that Last Stop on Market Street does, in a subtle way, is to show those kids that they are worthy of being the hero in my books. The Newbery can even further emphasize his point. Its important to see yourself in a book, he said, but now, the kid who sees himself as CJ gets to look at the cover of that book and hell see that sticker right next to his face. Its another form of validation. While recognition is not the primary goal for most writers, de la Pena says it can make a big psychological difference. As a writer you work in such solitude, he said. You aspire to do great work and when someone validates what youre doing its more emotional than I could have imagined. That they thought this book was worthy of an award chips away at the imposter syndrome that I think all writers secretly have. On the flip side, he cautions, The ugliest thing you can do as an author is to assume that you should pay attention to the chatter, or assume you should win something. The same way a bad review can mess with your head, winning an award can mess you up mentally too. Of course Im speaking from six hours of experience! De la Pena noted that a fellow author texted him about another significant aspect of his win. The text said, I believe you are the first Hispanic author to win the medal. That fact struck a deep chord with de la Pena in terms of his personal history. Im a mixed-race person: my father is Mexican, my mother is white, he said. I always worried that I wasnt Mexican enough. He said he feels a kinship with other Mexican-American and Latino-American authors who have been writing for years. In a weird way I feel like Im collecting this award for us, not to be exclusive, but to be celebratory, he added. Its a powerful thing to consider. As for a more immediate celebration, de la Pena said once hes back home in Brooklyn hes going to take a good week off before I start on anything new. Ive been working a long time without a break and Im excited about doing some reading. A title at the top of his list is Bone Gap by friend and colleague Laura Ruby, who just won the 2016 Printz Award for that book, and who also happens to be in Minnesota this week, teaching in the Hamline program with de la Pena. I cant wait to get together and download with her later and maybe have a little tequila, he said. Next up following his brief respite will be working on any revisions for that YA novel he finished in the wee hours of the morning, a work for Random House tentatively titled One of Those Lights Used to Love Me, which the author described as a very personal story about a kid whos the first in his family to go to college, and about the guilt that a kid feels when he succeeds. He will also continue on the picture book track with a new book that will be submitted for publication consideration soon. Its very preliminary but it has a similar vibe to Last Stop on Market Street and stars a Mexican-American girl, de la Pena said. The tentative title for that project is Carmela Full of Wishes. Im so happy I already turned the novel in, he said with a sigh. Im happy to have a week just to relax. To read our interview with 2016 Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall, click here, and to read our interview with 2016 Printz Medalist Laura Ruby, click here. When Laura Ruby got the phone call from the Printz committee this past Sunday, informing her that she had won the 2016 award, she was attending a lecture at Hamline University in St. Paul, where shes on the faculty of the schools low-residency MFA program in writing for children and young adults. Sitting beside her was fellow instructor and soon-to-be winner of the Newbery Medal, Matt de la Pena. Gene Luen Yang, the newly minted National Ambassador for Young Peoples Literature, is also on staff at Hamline. One could almost understand if Minnesota decided to close its borders in an attempt to keep this kind of talent in-state. Ruby ducked out of the lecture to answer the phone, not expecting that the Printz committee would be on the other end. Unlike the Newbery and Caldecott winners, who receive their phone calls on the morning of the award announcements, Printz winners can be notified ahead of time, though Ruby didnt know this. She said she doesnt remember much of what was discussed (I think I just said thank you like 40 times in a row), but at minimum she knew that she had to sit through the rest of the lecture without telling anyone about the call. On Monday morning, the secret was out: Ruby had won the Printz Medal for her novel Bone Gap (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray), a genre-bending book that involves a girl kidnapped in a rural Midwestern town and the boy who saw her abduction but is unable to help. Ruby said she celebrated with some of her favorite people, including de la Pena and author Anne Ursu, who also teaches at Hamline. I wrote this book during a time of professional and personal turmoil, said Ruby. [Anne] was a big champion for this book. It was great to be here with her. As the news disseminated online, Ruby also spoke with her husband, back home in Chicago; Jordan Brown, her editor at HarperCollins; and her agent, Tina Wexler at ICM, another champion of this book. Published in March, Bone Gap racked up significant praise this past year: it received three starred reviews, including one from PW, and several Best Books citations, and it was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young Peoples Literature. Ruby is surprised by and grateful for the attention and accolades. A million good books came out this year so many wonderful books. You couldve picked a bunch of different ones, depending on the committee, she said. This kind of attention is new for me, and surprising, and amazing. While Ruby was aware that the awards were being announced (Its hard not to know. Youre on Twitter, youre on Facebook), she didnt want to dwell on it. Theres nothing you can do about any of this stuff anyway, she said. I didnt want to get too invested in something that was outside of my control. Weird, oddball, and narratively complex are the kinds of words Ruby uses to describe her book, which invokes magical realism, myth, and mystery, and doesnt fit neatly into any sort of genre box. Among the original sparks for the novel were the cornfields of Illinois, the horse farm her father grew up on, and a years-old article Rubys father-in-law gave her about a woman who lost her son at the mall and then couldnt describe him. It stuck with me, but I didnt know what it meant. Once Ruby decided to use mythical retellings to give her book structure, it helped bring order to the self-described chaos of her first draft. Its really hard if you write alone in your office or coffee shop, she said. You have no idea if what youre putting on the page will communicate anything to anybody. You just hope it does. To have this sort of evidence that is does is amazing. She also suspects that the Printz win will boost her confidence as a writer: I hope that Ill feel a little bit freer creatively, freer to experiment, to trust my own instincts. Bone Gap was Rubys first book with Jordan Brown, and Im not sure it could have gone any better. In addition to praising his thorough editing (My editorial letter for this book was I think 15 pages long, single-spaced, not counting the 400 comments on the manuscript pages), she was even a fan of the books cover treatment and typesetting, and was surprised that the staff at Balzer + Bray wanted her opinion on these sorts of things. Not everybody gets asked those questions. While Ruby has written for adults, teens, and younger readers (previous books include Bad Apple, The Chaos King, and I'm Not Julia Roberts), she expects she will write more YA in the future and is currently working on a middle grade trilogy. In addition to her work with childrens and YA writers at Hamline, she and Ursu have taught a fantasy workshop at the Highlights Foundation for years. I never thought I would be a teacher of anybody for any reason, Ruby said. My mom was in education for several years, and maybe it was a knee-jerk reaction. But teaching and reading other peoples work, and trying to help them make their work better or voices stronger Im so gratified by that work, and what makes them passionate makes me more passionate. This sounds so Pollyanna-ish, but its true. I learn just as much by teaching them as they do from me. Given the solitary nature of writing, its easy for Ruby to see the value in finding a community of writers eager to sharpen their craft. Everybody here [at Hamline] takes seriously the emotional arc of the bunny rabbit in a picture book, and I love that they do. With a great deal to celebrate, Ruby said that she and her fellow faculty members were planning to break out the Champagne on Monday night. We are going to toast the Newbery committee, and the Printz committee, and the universe. And then get back to work. To read our interview with 2016 Newbery Medalist Matt de la Pena, click here, and to read our interview with 2016 Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall, click here. 'A Huge, Huge Shock': Matt de la Pena on His 2016 Newbery Medal This is weird, said Matt de la Pena, who spoke with PW via cell phone from St. Paul, where he was in between lectures as part of the faculty for the Low-Residency MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Hamline University. Well known for his realistic YA novels that explore class and racial identity, de la Pena became the first Hispanic author to receive the John Newbery Medal on Monday when his second picture book, Last Stop on Market Street, illustrated by Christian Robinson (Putnam), was announced as the 2016 winner. Celebrating with 'Champagne and Donuts': Sophie Blackall on Her 2016 Caldecott When asked how the rest of her day was going to go, just-named Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall responded: Champagne! And donuts. [Theres] another pot of coffee on, which is good because I never got to finish mine. Blackall may have been a bit distracted from her coffee mug on Monday morning as she celebrated her win for Finding Winnie: The True Story of the Worlds Most Famous Bear (Little, Brown). The book, written by Lindsay Mattick, tells the story of the original bear that inspired A.A. Milnes Winnie the Pooh series. An 'Amazing' Honor for an 'Oddball' Book: Laura Ruby on Winning the 2016 Printz When Laura Ruby got the phone call from the Printz committee this past Sunday, informing her that she had won the 2016 award, she was attending a lecture at Hamline University in St. Paul, where shes on the faculty of the schools low-residency MFA program in writing for children and young adults. Sitting beside her was fellow instructor and soon-to-be winner of the Newbery Medal, Matt de la Pena. Gene Luen Yang, the newly minted National Ambassador for Young Peoples Literature, is also on staff at Hamline. One could almost understand if Minnesota decided to close its borders in an attempt to keep this kind of talent in-state. More than 11,000 librarians gathered in Boston, from January 8-12 for the 2016 ALA Midwinter Meeting. And, for the first time in three years, attendees escaped without a blast of winter weather. According to preliminary figures from ALA, 10,736 people attended this years event, up slightly over the 10,637 who traveled to Chicago last year. [Update: with the conference ending today, ALA's final total attendance figures came in even higher, at 11,716]. In Chicago, many wound up stranded after a major blizzard caused more 1,500 flights in and out of OHare and Midway airports to be cancelled. A winter storm also snarled travel for the ALA meeting in Philadelphia, in 2014. The robust attendance numbers were especially impressive this year given that the show was earlier than usual, and that there is a bi-annual Public Library Association Meeting set for April in Denver. Attendees in Boston were treated to a strong slate of authors and speakers, including a fascinating opening session on the nature of creativity featuring documentarian Ken Burns, and authors Mark Kurlansky and Terry Tempest Williams; a rollicking talk by fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi, about his upcoming memoir; and an inspirational talk from United States senator Cory Booker, who keynoted the ALA Presidents Program (and whose forthcoming book United: Thoughts on Finding Common Ground and Advancing the Common Good will be published this spring by Penguin Random House). Bookers invitation to speak was not without controversyas mayor of Newark, Booker had slashed funding for the Newark Public Library. His appearance drew a wave of protest with some calling for ALA to rescind his invitation to speak. During the Q&A period, Nancy Kranich, a former ALA president and New Jersey resident, brought up the issue and asking how the library community could turn Booker into the number one leading librarian champion in the U.S.? Booker responded that his invitation to ALA was a big step in that direction. He went on to describe the funding cuts to the Newark Public library as a default decision and "one of the greater frustrations" of his time as mayor. He added that "seeing the tax on our librariesmade me swear to myself that if I was ever in the kind of position where I did have the power, as a governor or a senator, that I would be committed to [libraries]. Always the highlight of the ALA Midwinter Meeting, the Youth Media Awards were announced early on January 11, with Matt de la Pena winning the 2016 John Newbery Medal for his picture book Last Stop on Market Street (Putnam). Sophie Blackall took home the 2016 Randolph Caldecott Medal for Finding Winnie: The True Story of the Worlds Most Famous Bear, written by Lindsay Mattick (Little, Brown). And Laura Ruby won the 2016 Michael L. Printz Award for Bone Gap (HarperCollins/Balzer+Bray). And, for the first time in their five year history, the American Library Associations adult book awards, the Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, were announced at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. In fiction, The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen (Grove Press) took home top honors, while Sally Manns Hold Still: A Memoir with Photographs (Little, Brown) took home the award for nonfiction. Both books earned starred reviews from PW. A reception for the winning authors will be held during the ALA Annual Conference in June. At the event, in Orlando, each author their medal and $5,000 prize. Now in their fifth year, the Carnegie Medals have grown quickly and become a prestigious and coveted literary award adult literary; the reception has become a popular event, with the winning authors attending and giving speeches. Some 450 companies also exhibited at the show, with vendors reporting decent traffic in the exhibit hall. Editor's Note: this story was updated to include revised final attendance numbers. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - High school students and their families can learn about college financial aid during a program by Purdue University's Division of Financial Aid and the Ivy Tech Community College Lafayette financial aid office. The presentation is sponsored by the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association. The presentation will be at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 20, and again on Tuesday, Jan 26, at the Ivy Tech Community College, Ivy Hall Auditorium, 3101 S. Creasy Lane, Lafayette. Families with students who plan to start college in the fall of 2016 should plan to attend one of these presentations. Each program will begin with a short overview of financial aid basics, and then attendees will hear detailed information about filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Families also may attend College Goal Sunday on Feb. 21. Starting at 2 p.m., financial aid counselors will be available at Ivy Techs Ivy Hall to answer any financial aid questions that families might have and to help students complete and file their FAFSA online. For additional information and a list of all participating locations see www.collegegoalsunday.org/index.php/information. For information, contact David Reseigh, Indiana Student Financial Aid Association regional coordinator and Purdue's Division of Financial Aid assistant director of outreach services, at 765-496-3919, dlreseigh@purdue.edu. Source: David L. Reseigh, 765-496-3919, dlreseigh@purdue.edu The first procedural session in the Egyptian parliament 2016 "AP" Mansour Jr in the session Parliamentary selfie "Youm 7" In the session "By Al-Masry Al-Youm" Egypt's new parliament speaker Ali Abdel Aal Okasha and the ducktape written on "Not allowed to speak by the government' Parlmany And it is not only the first parliamentary session Egypt has seen since the dissolution of the parliament in summer 2012 but it can be the longest parliamentary procedural session in the history of Egypt and may be the world!!Yes, the session went on till beyond 1 AM Cairo local time. We are having a breaking record here in Egypt and it is not involving food for the first time !!Anyhow this breaking record of hours is just another extra feature in today's Season 1 Premiere of Egypt's Parliament 2016.Since the start of the day, all indications made it clear that it would not be your usual parliament at all.Of course, I was mistaken as I thought El-Sisi would inaugurate the session. It turned to be a procedural session. El-Sisi will inaugurate the parliamentary term in another day, may be next week.Now to the procedural session which was headed by the oldest members in the House of Representative appointed MP and Al-Wafd Veteran member Bahaa Abu-Shouka.After the start of the session, the 596 members "568 elected MPs+ 28 appointed MPs by the President" must take the oath in front of other members and in front of the whole world because the session was on air ... and the fun began !!Some MPs insisted on changing the oath especially MP Mortada Mansour who unsurprisingly was the star of today's premiere with what he had done.Reading the oath, Mansour said at firstand notAbu-Shouka told him to read it again correctly but then the bigger-than-life head of Zamalek club shouted that he would not becauseand He does notThen he screamed saying that he would not swear to respect something he was not convinced with like the 25 January revolution.he screamed vowing to divorce his wife if he took the oath again correctly !!Then MP and film director Khaled Youssef also vowed to divorce his wife if Mortada did not take the oath again.Now, the current Egyptian constitution recognizes the 25 January and 30 June as revolutions in its preface.To swear on respecting the constitution as a whole means respecting and recognizing the 25 January and 30 June as revolutions.Mansour does not hide his hate to the 25 January revolution since day 1 despite after the ouster of Mubarak he claimed that he and his sons were in Tahrir square. Already 75% if not 95% of the members in that parliament hate 25 January revolution and they lied in that oath.Ironically after big and loud interruption, he gave up and said the right oath." He said.I do not know the fate of his wife or ex-wife but I know she was divorced several times thanks to his constant oaths to divorce her. Also, I do not know if their son who is also a MP in this parliament and attended this session representing my constituency was awake when that fuzz happened or not.Then there were other members who decided to have their own oath by changing it despite the warnings of Abou-Shouka.You got former Police general and Assuit MP Tadrous Kalds who decided to change the oath and said "I swear by the One God" instead of "I swear by God". Do not ask me why.Then you got former NDPian and Qena MPs who decided to praise Prophet Mohamed "PBUH" in the oath. Again do not ask me why.This procedural session witnessed a huge number of selfies.The queen and king of Selfies were MP Diaa Doawd El-Din and MP Evelyn Matta.I would not have included that photo in the post if it were not for MP Matta's provoking claim that they were not taking a selfie but rather reading the people's problems in their constituencies !! Then we got the epic moment of mics on air where you can listen to side talks between MPs.I will not include how a MP asked for a candy from another MP because those guys spent more than 10 hours eating only sandwiches in recess but I can not get over what an unknown MP said in the mic accidently regarding those bloody ### who knew a couple of articles in the law and constitution and decided to make the other MPs' life ###.Then came the time to elect the speaker of the parliament. Five MPs ran for the position including the infamous notorious MP Tawfik Okasha who gave one of his "speeches so he would be elected.Strangely that speech impressed 25 MPs only who elected him. The majority of the votes went to Ali Abdel Aal , the Constitutional law professor Despite I expected Serry Siam to be the speaker of the parliament yet Abdel Aal turned to be the lucky one.Already, I found out that there were strong rumors that the 68 years old law professor who was a member of the Pro-Sisi "For the Love of Egypt" electoral list in Upper Egypt as well a member in the Pro-Sisi/State "Support Egypt" bloc in the parliament was tipped to be the upcoming speaker of the parliament.After showing respect to the martyrs of the army, police and the people in the two revolutions, Ali Abdel Aal had his fight with MP Ehab El-Kholy when the later insisted the parliament continue its session to elect two deputies.The newly elected House of Representatives said that it could be postponed but El-Kholy reminded him that according to the constitution, the two deputies should be elected in the first session of the parliament.Abdel Aal then reminded the MP that he participated in drafting that constitution reading from. Anyhow Abdel Aal lost his first battle because the MPs elected the deputies after all on that night. The MP elected one of the deputies on Saturday or rather early Monday and the other deputy had a runoff elections Monday afternoon in another session.The 2016 parliament deputies are former NDPian Mahmoud El-Sherif and Soliman Wahdan.Before I forget, MP Serry Siam also had his own unnecessary fight on what he should be addressed with, whether it is a MP or a representative !!The first thing the parliament did on Monday was sending a telegram to congratulate the leader and president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.Now because the day was not strange enough, we found out that a group of Muslim Brotherhood members from MPs in 2012 decided to have their own parliament in Turkey !!!!!!!!!!!!!It is like we are speaking about a parallel universe.On Tuesday, the Egyptian House of Representatives voted not to broadcast live its sessions and we will have some televised summary instead.House of Representatives speaker Abdel Aal stated that the Muslim Brotherhood wanted the session of the parliament to be live and he would not let them have that opportunity.By the way, Mortada Mansour was chosen as the head of the Human rights committee.Just from few months ago , Mansour called for the return of the emergency laws !!Tawfik Okasha stormed from one of the sessions on Tuesday to object how he was not let to speak. He protested it in his own way.I swear this is a black comedy.I would like to say that neither of those two parliaments, the one in Cairo or that more pathetic delusional one in Istanbul will achieve what the Egyptian people truly need or want nor they do represent the Egyptian people for real.Now, this is a strong premiere and hopefully, the upcoming episodes will be more interesting.Yes, I do not take that parliament seriously because it is not intended to be a serious one from the start. Jury selection is expected to resume in Scott County this morning in the trial of a teenager accused of stabbing a fellow Bettendorf High School student. Drew W. Romkey, 18, is charged with willful injury-causing serious injury. He allegedly stabbed Jacob Woodard, 18, of Davenport, on April 11, 2015, in the 6100 block of Lakeshore Circle in Davenport. Mr. Woodard's injuries required surgery and hospitalization, police said. Mr. Romkey intends to argue that he was defending himself or others, according to court documents. Jury selection began Monday morning before Judge Joel Barrows. Questions to prospective jurors included if they thought a knife was a dangerous weapon and what act would justify the use of force against another person. Prospective jurors also were asked if they had seen or been part of any fights while in high school, and if they had been the target of teasing or bullying while in school. Other questions, which prompted laughter from prospective jurors, included the kind of vehicle they drove and if they were an Iowa Hawkeyes fan. Two students who attended Bettendorf High School last year were interviewed privately by attorneys before being dismissed from the jury pool. Tuesday will mark one year since the Republican businessman's inauguration. Since then, Rauner and Democratic leaders have been unable to agree on a state budget or other major issues such as how to eliminate Illinois' $111 billion unfunded pension liability. In a guest column in Sunday's (Springfield) State Journal-Register, the Republican pinned the blame for the gridlock on Democrats who control the Legislature. Democrats say they won't cave to some of Rauner's demands because it would hurt the middle class. In his column, Rauner says his administration's biggest accomplishments include increasing money for elementary and secondary education and making state government more efficient. Although waters have started to subside, Illinois in recent weeks saw flooding along rivers including the Mississippi, Sangamon and Illinois. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner issued state disaster declarations for 23 counties, largely in central and southern Illinois. Damage assessments are ongoing to see if any areas are eligible for federal assistance. Students returned to Shawnee High School Monday for the first time since flooding closed the Wolf Lake school, The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan reported. The school district runs along the Mississippi River, and most students live on flood plain. Eight of 10 students in teacher Jamie Nash-Mayberry's social studies class said they evacuated their homes, and about half said they helped pass sandbags to shore up levees. She asked her students to write down and document their experiences for historical record. Junior Abbey Livesay of Wolf Lake wrote about how she packed up her home that she has lived in since birth, and then drove to Grand Tower to help friends do the same. Junior Wyatt Hassebrock described how he split time between packing up his home and pulling 12-hour shifts at a farm, where thousands of bushels were being taken to higher ground. "It's a lot of stress to wonder, in three days, how do you haul 200,000 bushels?" Hassebrock said. "Well, when everybody pulls together, it can happen. And it did." Nash-Mayberry is behind the school's Levee Project that teaches students about the importance of levees. They write to local, state and federal officials, research fixes and raise money for local levee districts. Students told her that those lessons resonated as waters rose and said they felt anxious about their homes and school. With waters receding, students' fears have waned for now. "It was a relief knowing that it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but still everybody was just stressed and on edge," Livesay said. The university last week told students the two-wheeled scooters were prohibited in campus housing but widened that restriction Tuesday. A university news release said the ban was put in place over fire-safety concerns related to the batteries that power hoverboards. Some have caught fire, Students are still allowed to ride hoverboards outdoors. The University of Illinois-Chicago last week was considering a similar ban. At least 20 U.S. universities have banned or restricted hoverboards in recent weeks. ROCK ISLAND -- The 25th annual Quad Cities Farm Equipment Show will be held Jan. 17-19 at the QCCA Expo Center, 2621 4th Ave., Rock Island. Hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday. Admission and parking will be free. The show will feature more than 200 companies in 60,000 square feet, displaying everything from seeds, supplies and chemicals to livestock and grain-handling equipment, storage buildings and new technologies, including GPS systems and self-propelled sprayers and seed tenders. According to a press release, this year's show will give area farmers a chance to see quite a few companies that will be exhibiting in the Quad-Cities for the first time, some showing new equipment designed to make planting and harvesting faster and more cost-efficient. Honey Bee, a Canadian company, will show its new Air Flex, winner of the 2015 Manitoba AG Days Best New Product. Maschio Rotary Tillers will show its new line of tillers. AG Focus will show its new Planter Pro Fast Trac. T&T will show a full range of livestock equipment, including scales, meters, feed bunks and hay feeders. Price Brothers will show hay rakes and implements and attachments for front-loader tractors and skid-steer loaders. Parts4Farm.com will show rake wheels, bale spears, net wrap and Herschel parts. Timewell Tile will show its line of drainage products, and Kuhl Grain will show Hutchinson/Mayrath and Sioux Steel products. The Haymizer will show cattle hay feeders. Show manager Richard Sherman said in the release, "Most of the farm shows today are sold out, as farmers are seeing how well farm shows work in conjunction with their Internet research, and companies realize that they have to be out talking directly to the farmer. "All of our exhibit space is filled, and we do have a fairly long waiting list." Returning exhibitors will include O'Connell Farm Drainage Products, Z & J Farms, Rexco, Case IH, Kunau Implement, Brokaw, Birkey's, Iowa Farm Equipment, River Valley Turf with John Deere, AGCO, Salford, Yarger, Wingfield, Correct Truck, Vermeer, Calmer Cornheads, Martin Equipment and Vern's. For more information, visit quadcitiesfarmshow.com. MOLINE Moline-Coal Valley School Board members soon may be asked to approve a $20,000 plan to provide ACT testing to district juniors this spring as administrators await more information about whether the state of Illinois will fulfill its obligations to provide college testing. Assistant superintendent Matt DeBaene told school board members on Monday that they can expect an administrative recommendation at the next board meeting, Jan. 25. Mr. DeBaene said between Illinois budgetary problems and the states recent choice to award a testing bid to SAT rather than ACT, Moline needs to start looking at options for its students. Mr. DeBaene said the recommendation for Moline to foot the bill for junior students taking the ACT would be a one- or two-year measure that aims at bridging the uncertainty between the assessment shift. He said the district would shift priorities within its current budget to pay for the test and then hope for reimbursement from the state. Wayne Cabel, assistant principal of Moline High School, told board members continuing with ACT testing, rather than going with the newly retooled SAT test, provides many benefits to the district. He said it would allow the district to maintain trend and growth data and parents and students have already invested time and money to prepare for the spring administration of the ACT. He said ACT provides four free reportable scores for all students, while the SAT provides limited free scores for certain students. The district has required juniors to take the ACT since 2001, and the requirement has led to an increased number of students attending Illinois state universities, Mr. Cabel said. Board members also heard a report from chief financial officer Dave McDermott on the districts progress in soliciting bids for a $4 million to $5 million contract for a 20-year lease for a wide-area network. The fiber network would increase the districts Internet capability by 10-fold or 100-fold, depending on the building. Mr. McDermott said the district currently contracts with Mediacom for $213,400 a year, or $82,000 after federal reimbursement. He said administrators will open bids on Feb. 8 and make a recommendation for board action by Feb. 22. The intent is for the new fiber network to be live a year from now. The contract is contingent on federal reimbursement at a rate of 79 to 85 percent. Mr. McDermott said the project is intended to meet the needs of the district for the next 20 years, with the option to extend the agreement for two more 10-year periods. In other business, board members: -- Heard from superintendent Lanty McGuire that there will be changes in the administrator organizational char . He said he will return to the board for approval at a future meeting. -- Heard a request from board member Ben McAdams that the board consider moving to a one meeting per month schedule, rather than the current schedule of meeting the second and fourth Mondays of the month. SILVIS -- Two locomotives valued at about $2 million were damaged Saturday by a fire at the National Railway Equipment Co., 900 N. 9th St., Silvis. Total estimated damage, counting to a building, is about $5 million, Silvis Fire Chief David Leibovitz said Monday. A company spokesman who declined to be named said he had no comment. The investigation has been turned over to the Illinois Fire Marshall, Chief Leibovitz said. The locomotives were owned by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, he said. The fire reportedly started in the cab of one of the locomotives, as workers were finishing repairs. One of the workers first noticed the fire and reported it, Chief Leibovitz said. Silvis responded to the call at 11:53 a.m. and spent a little over three hours to contain the blaze. Crews also responded a couple of other times later in the day to battle hot spots and left a truck there overnight to continue fighting flare-ups, Chief Leibovitz. No railway equipment workers were injured. A couple firefighters did fall on the ice after the area was turned into what looked like a skating rink, Chief Leibovitz said. One firefighter took Monday off to recover from a sore back he received as a result, Chief Leibovitz said. Damage was limited to a building extension. The main buildings suffered no damage and reopened for business as usual Monday morning. The damaged extension once had been used as a paint booth, but the locomotives were not there for repainting, Chief Leibovitz. One of three bays in the building is used to wash locomotives. Another is for final prep work, and a third bay is not used, Chief Leibovitz said. About 50 to 60 firefighters fought the blaze, he said. Fire departments from Hampton, Carbon Cliff, Colona, East Moline, Coal Valley, Port Byron, Hillsdale and the Arsenal provided mutual aid. It took about 250,000 gallons of water shuttled in by Port Byron and Hillsdale departments to fight the fire. The fire posed no threat to public safety, nor to nearby anhydrous rail tanker cars, Chief Leibovitz said. Access to the area was banned Saturday by company personnel. National Railway Equipment, headquartered in Mount Vernon, is an employee-owned provider of new and remanufactured locomotives, locomotive products and wheel services, according to earlier reports. Founded in 1984 by Lawrence Beal, the company has grown to encompass 15 facilities and affiliates, such as the one in Silvis, making it the worlds largest independent supplier of new and remanufactured locomotives, new and rebuilt mechanical materials, electrical components, technical support and field services. WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The nation's net farm income is the lowest since 2002, and with another year of low commodity prices, demand for agriculture loans is surging as farmers struggle to make ends meet. Today's grain prices will bring in enough to pay for basic operating costs like fertilizer, seed and land rent, said Troy Soukup, the past president of Kansas Bankers Association's Ag Bankers Division. But crop prices are not high enough for farmers to make payments on equipment loans or even to get paid for their own labor. Agricultural lenders say they are seeing people who had operating loans requesting larger ones, and some who had operated with cash are borrowing money. But it's unlikely the current run on loans will be anything like the farm credit crisis of the 1980s, when those who survived the significant year-to-year losses were without large debts to repay. Farmer Tom Giessel had to borrow just to finish out this season at his western Kansas farm where he grows wheat, corn and sorghum. Not so long ago, commodity prices were so high that Giessel didn't have to borrow any money for the farm between 2012 and 2014. "Everybody is kind of taking a step backward with these low commodity prices," he said. "In fact, it might be more than a step it might be kind of a tumble backward." U.S. farm debt was forecast to increase 6.3 percent in 2015, a recent U.S. Agriculture Department's Economic Research Service report showed. At the same time, net income has plummeted by a staggering 55 percent since 2013 and was forecast to be $55.9 billion in 2015 the lowest since 2002. The report cited depressed crop and cattle prices as the main reasons for the decline. It's the latest in a boom-and-bust cycle as old as farming. A widespread drought that began in 2010 in the South and spread across the Midwest before peaking in 2012 diminished stockpiles of grain, but was followed by a renaissance fueled by a rare combination of high crop yields and prices. As more grain crops were grown, the resulting glut caused a sharp fall in prices the past two years, aggravated by weak exports. "Most of what we are hearing out there is that farmers and the banks are in good shape to be able to weather any potential downturn," said Steve Apodaca, vice president of the Washington, D.C.-based American Bankers Association's Center for Agricultural and Rural Banking. The USDA's Farm Service Agency saw demand for loans across the nation soar from nearly $4 billion in 2013 to more than $5.6 billion in 2015. Delinquency rates nationwide were around 1 percent, according to FSA data. USDA provides farmers "a strong safety net to support them during challenging times," FSA administrator Val Dolcini said in an emailed statement. Lenders credit the low delinquency rates in part to banks, government lenders and some agricultural programs that help stretch out repayment periods until prices come up again. Some lenders also are restructuring payments on some older loans for equipment or land to give farmers more flexibility, according to Soukup, who's also a banker. But the longer commodity prices stay at this level, the more difficult it will be to do that long-term. Giessel is now trying to decide whether he should plant much, if any, corn next year due to the cost of seed: "I guess what you will end up choosing is what you will lose the least amount of money on, if you are going to put a crop out." This field is part of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, which has a headquarters now occupied by armed anti-government protesters. Over the past week, as the protesters raised a yellow Dont Tread on Me Flag, they have portrayed the refuge as emblematic of federal tyranny in the rural West, and demanded the land be placed under local control. For others, this remote refuge has become a very different sort of symbol, one that shows how federal agencies can reach out to different groups with different agendas tribes, environmentalists and ranchers and find common ground on how to manage the nations public lands. These efforts involved a dialogue that stretched over half a decade as people struggled to reach consensus. Their work culminated in a landmark 2013 plan to guide management of the 187,757-acre refuge that set amid the desert lands of the northern Great Basin is a crucial stopover for hundreds of migratory bird species. The plan affirmed that cattle, if carefully controlled and monitored, could help achieve refuge management goals, such as knocking back invasive plants. It called for rigorous and ongoing reviews to find out what strategies work, and what dont, for the federal grazing leases now extended to 13 area ranches. This adaptive management is part of a broader American philosophical tradition that celebrates both democracy and the scientific method, according to Nancy Langston, author of a book about the refuge. The plan also has earned the respect of the cattleman whose herd grazed on refuge pasture this past week. He is Fred Otley, a fourth-generation rancher whose 93-year-old mother, Mary Otley, is still agile enough to run the swather that cuts grasses in refuge fields. Over the years, Fred Otley has had plenty of conflicts with federal land managers. But the current refuge leadership appears to have earned his respect, even as some disagreements still persist about management of federal lands that provide his cattle vital fall and winter feed. To me, what is important is that the refuge has really listened and taken a more collaborative approach, Otley said. Automatically, that helps build better relations with the community. The efforts to develop the 2013 refuge plan have had ripple effects. They helped lay the groundwork for another cooperative program to protect sage grouse that started in Harney County, home to Malheur, and is credited with helping convince the Interior Department last September to not list the grouse under the Endangered Species Act. The program enlists ranchers to take steps on their private land to protect the bird, such as by removing weeds or uprooting junipers that offered perches for predators moves that can also improve pastures. We started saying whats good for the bird is good for the herd, said Tom Sharp, a Harney County rancher who helped launch the cooperative effort that grew to encompass 53 ranches and 320,000 acres. The work drew praise from Interior Secretary Sally Jewell when she traveled to eastern Oregon last March. She referred to Harney Countys approach as the Oregon Way and promoted it as a model. The protesters who control the refuge headquarters were drawn to Harney County from across the West by the prosecution of Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son Steven, two local ranchers. The Hammonds havent run cattle on the refuge since the 1990s, but they have grazed their herds more recently on land controlled by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. They were convicted of arson for setting fires on some of those lands in 2001 and 2006. The two served time in federal prison, but were incarcerated again this month after a federal appeals court said their sentences were too short. The U.S. Justice Departments handling of the case spurred a backlash from many in Harney County who felt the longer sentences five years each were a miscarriage of justice. Hundreds gathered Jan. 2 in nearby Burns for a protest march to show solidarity with the Hammonds. That solidarity extends to Otley, who has known the Hammond family for decades. No one is getting any sleep with Dwight and Steve going to jail, he said. For Otley and plenty of others in the community, the new prison terms were a fresh outrage from a federal government that controls most of the land in Harney County a place where prosperity has been hard to come by in recent decades and the population has been on a decline. Although opposed to the refuge occupation, some hope a peaceful end could help stoke a movement to transfer more federal land to local control. We are very upset that you chose to take the aggressive action, said a draft letter from a group called the Harney County Committee for Safety that was read aloud to more than 100 people at a community meeting in Burns on Friday. We approved of most of your message, but disapprove of your unilateral method of occupation. The small band of protesters who have taken the refuge headquarters includes Ammon Bundy, the son of a Nevada rancher involved in his own high-profile standoff in 2014 with the federal government over his failure to pay more than $1 million in grazing fees. Bundy said the refuge had been the tool the federal government used to take away ranch land. We have a lot of work to do to get the people back to using and claiming their rights, and this facility seemed to work really well for that, he said. The Malheur refuge was formed in 1908 under President Theodore Roosevelt as a reserve and breeding ground for migratory birds, which were being decimated by hunters who killed them for plumage for womens hats. By then, the region already had a turbulent human history. Malheurs marshes, ponds and lakes were a vital water source for the Paiute Indians. The Indians later were pushed out by cattle ranchers who used the water to help build up large ranching empires in the late 19th century. The ranchers, in turn, faced pressure from farmers drawn to the region. Refuge managers, in their early years, sought to restore wetlands that had been drained for pasture and farming. Cattle grazing persisted on the refuge. But in the 1970s, managers reduced grazing as protections for stream-side habitat increased. Some grazing leases, for example, were not renewed when ranchers died. For the past two decades, grazing levels have remained largely unchanged. But the extent of the grazing rankled environmentalists, some of whom felt that cattle had no place on a federal wildlife refuge. So there was plenty of tension among all interest groups who began meeting in 2008 to forge the new 15-year plan for the refuge. Managers at other federal refuges often had chosen simpler ways to craft these plans. They tasked staff to write documents that then went on a shelf after public hearings. Tim Bodeen, who served as Malheur refuge manager from 2008 to 2013, thought a more participatory approach could produce a plan with more impact and community backing. It was a risky strategy: Efforts to forge consensus on conservation issues often fail, and early on it looked like the process at Malheur might implode due to all the mistrust. But with the help of a facilitator, people kept coming to the meetings. They had green cards that they could hold up when they agreed with a plan objective, yellow that they could show to indicate concerns, and red that stood for flat out opposition. When someone held up a red card, the group would go back and work on the objective some more. Whenever we got to a decision point, that was a really good tool, recalled Bodeen. Through this process, one major point of consensus emerged. Whatever anyone thought about cattle grazing, a top threat to the refuge came from carp. The invasive fish species had spread throughout Malheur Lake and, through its pervasive presence, was uprooting aquatic plants and destroying much of the important waterfowl habitat. Over the decades, as carp populations soared, waterfowl production on the lake declined to less than 10 percent of its potential, largely due to the fish. It became very clear to me that the number one problem by a very large margin was that Malheur Lake was dying before our eyes, said Bob Sallinger, conservation director for the Portland Audubon Society. Sallinger was deeply involved in developing the refuge plan and called it one of the most successful such efforts hes participated in over the past 25 years. The final plan involved plenty of compromises, acknowledging a role for grazing but also calling for some changes in livestock uses of the refuge if the science indicated it was necessary. And, through the trust built among participants, refuge managers gained support during a bad fire season to open emergency grazing to ranchers whose pastures were burned by wildfire. (EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE) Otley said he was too busy to attend the group meetings. But friends he respected had attended and briefed him, so Otley was confident he could live with the outcome. The plan also put a whole new spotlight on the war on carp, which the refuge had waged unsuccessfully for years and now is expanding under the direction of a fish biologist, Linda Sue Beck. Beck has guided that effort from her office at the stone headquarters building claimed by protesters last week. The protesters had cleared a space on her desk to make room for boxes of pizza and ammunition, according to two reporters from Reuters. In an interview with Reuters, Ryan Bundy, brother of Ammon, referred to Beck as the carp lady. He said she could come claim her personal belongings, but should not return to work as they prepare to refashion the refuge into what some protesters have called the Harney County Resource Center. Shes not here working for the people, Ryan Bundy said. Shes not benefiting America. Shes part of whats destroying America. DAMASCUS, Syria Aid convoys delivered long-awaited food, medicine and other supplies to three besieged Syrian communities Monday, part of a U.N.-supported operation to help tens of thousands of civilians cut off for months by the fighting. Reports of starvation and images of emaciated children have raised global concerns and underscored the urgency for new peace talks that the U.N. is hoping to host in Geneva on Jan. 25. U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said about 400 people in the hospital in the besieged mountain village of Madaya must be evacuated immediately to receive life-saving medical attention. He told reporters after briefing the U.N. Security Council that they need treatment for medical complications, severe malnourishment and starvation. This must be done as soon as possible "or they are in grave peril of losing their lives," O'Brien said, adding that efforts will be made to get ambulances to Madaya on Tuesday to evacuate the 400 people, of all ages, if safe passage can be assured. The U.N. says 4.5 million Syrians are living in besieged or hard-to-reach areas and desperately need humanitarian aid, with civilians prevented from leaving and aid workers blocked from bringing in food, medicine, fuel and other supplies. It will take several days to distribute the aid in Madaya, near Damascus, and the Shiite villages of Foua and Kfarya in northern Syria, and the supplies are probably enough to last for a month, aid agencies said. "It's really heartbreaking to see the situation of the people," said Red Cross spokesman Pawel Krzysiek, who oversaw the distribution in Madaya. "A while ago, I was just approached by a little girl and her first question was, 'Did you bring food?'" Added Sajjad Malik, a representative of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees who took part in the operation: "It's cold and raining, but there is excitement because we are here with some food and blankets." The operation marked a small, positive development in a bitter conflict now in its fifth year that has killed a quarter of a million people, displaced millions of others and left the country in ruins. "This has to be just a start," said New Zealand's U.N. Ambassador Gerard van Bohemen, who called for the Security Council meeting with Spain. "It can't be just a one-off situation. Humanitarian access cannot be held hostage to politics." Rebels opposed to President Bashar Assad are in control of Madaya, a mountain town about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of Damascus. Government troops and fighters from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have surrounded the town. Opposition activists and aid groups have reported several deaths from starvation in recent weeks. Syria's U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari denied anyone was starving in Madaya and blamed Arab television especially "for fabricating these allegations and lies." Speaking at U.N. Headquarters, he blamed "armed terrorist groups" for stealing humanitarian aid and reselling it at prohibitive prices. "The Syrian government is not and will not exert any policy of starvation against its own people," Ja'afari said. But O'Brien, the U.N. humanitarian chief, said all the evidence the U.N. has shows there has been very severe malnourishment, severe food shortages, and reports of people "who are either starving or indeed have starved and died." An Associated Press crew saw the first three trucks cross into Madaya on Monday, although journalists were not allowed to accompany the aid workers. At the town's entrance, several civilians including five children shivering against the cold said they were waiting to be taken out. "I want out. There is nothing in Madaya, no water, no electricity, no fuel and no food," said Safiya Ghosn, a teacher who stood at the entrance of the town hoping to be evacuated. Simultaneously, trucks began entering Foua and Kfarya, which are both under siege by rebel groups hundreds of miles (kilometers) to the north. Tales of hunger and hardship have emerged from those inside all three communities: Pro-government fighters recently evacuated from inside Foua and Kfarya have said some residents are eating grass to survive. Residents of Madaya similarly have reported living off soup made of leaves and salt water. Madaya has attracted particular attention in recent days because of reports of deaths and images in social media of severely malnourished residents. The aid operation, which is being facilitated by the U.N., was agreed on last week. Some Assad supporters have said the photos were faked, and others alleged the rebels were withholding food from residents. The aid group Doctors Without Borders says 23 people have died of starvation at a health center it supports in Madaya since Dec. 1, including six infants and five adults over 60. Krzysiek, the Red Cross spokesman, said in a statement that he saw a lot of people on the street, "some of them smiling to us and waving to us, but many just simply too weak." Almost 42,000 people in the town are at risk from hunger, said Yacoub El Hillo, the U.N.'s Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria. Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV channel showed a group of people, including women and children, waiting for the convoys at Madaya's main entrance. In interviews, they accused rebel fighters inside of hoarding humanitarian assistance that entered the town in October and selling the supplies to residents at exorbitant prices. Ghosn, who spoke to journalists accompanied by government officials, also blamed rebels in Madaya, saying: "Their depots are full while we go hungry. We have to humiliate ourselves to go to them and beg for food." The trucks in Madaya were carrying humanitarian aid including food and health supplies, blankets, materials for shelters and soap, said U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric. O'Brien said trucks were being unloaded Monday night by flashlight and the light from iPhones. "We continue to call on all parties to the conflict to facilitate sustained and unimpeded access to all people in besieged and hard-to-reach areas in Syria," Dujarric said. The U.N.'s World Food Program has said it will ship one month's worth of food for more than 40,000 people in Madaya from Damascus and enough for 20,000 people to Foua and Kfarya from the city of Homs. A group of eight major international aid groups, including CARE International, Oxfam, and Save the Children, welcomed the aid convoy but also warned that a one-time delivery won't save starving people. "Only a complete end to the 6-month-old siege and guarantees for sustained aid deliveries alongside humanitarian services will alleviate the crisis in these areas," the statement said. Peter Wilson, Britain's deputy U.N. ambassador, said in New York it was "good news that those convoys are getting through, although it's little and it's late." "It's important to remember that Madaya represents only 10 percent of those who are under siege and 1 percent of those who need aid in Syria," he added. In Homs, meanwhile, regional Gov. Talal Barazzi said a 26-car convoy of food and clothing entered the Waer neighborhood of Homs as part of an agreement reached last month between the Syrian government and militants in the area. The deal earlier saw the evacuation of 720 people from Waer, including 300 militants. In reports of fighting Monday, the state-run SANA news agency reported that a rocket, presumably fired by rebels, hit a residential neighborhood in the northern city of Aleppo, killing three children and wounding two other people. It said the Syrian army had begun a major offensive in the countryside west of the city. This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 18 years and 38,000 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. The Israeli military said a 23-year-old Palestinian was shot dead near the West Bank city of Hebron after trying to stab a soldier. Palestinian officials said the soldiers also shot dead a teenage Palestinian bystander. In a separate incident, Palestinian officials said a 21-year-old Palestinian was shot dead after hurling stones at Israeli forces. The military said it was looking into the report. The Palestinian officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief journalists. The last three and a half months have seen near-daily Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers that have killed 24 people. At least 141 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since mid-September. About two-thirds of them are said by Israel to be attackers. The others were killed in clashes with troops. Israel says the bloodshed is fueled by a Palestinian campaign of incitement. Palestinians say it stems from frustration at decades of occupation. The military said the alleged stabber had a knife in his hand when he approached a soldier securing a junction in the West Bank and tried to attack him. Palestinian security officials identified the suspected assailant as Mohammed Kawasbeh. Adnan Halaiqa, 17, was also killed by Israeli fire, they said. Palestinians have frequently clashed with Israeli troops in recent months, with protesters throwing rocks and firebombs and troops responding with tear gas and, in some cases, live fire. Srour Abu Srour, 21, was shot dead Tuesday near Beit Jala, just outside Bethlehem. If you're going to engage in a foreign policy capitulation, might as well do it when everyone is getting tanked and otherwise occupied. Say, New Year's Eve. Here's the story. In October, Iran test-fires a nuclear-capable ballistic missile in brazen violation of Security Council resolutions prohibiting such launches. President Obama does nothing. One month later, Iran does it again. The administration makes a few gestures at the U.N. Then nothing. Finally, on Dec. 30, the White House announces a few sanctions. They are weak, aimed mostly at individuals and designed essentially for show. Even that proves too much. By 10 p.m. that night, the administration caves. The White House sends out an email saying that sanctions are off -- and the Iranian president orders the military to expedite the missile program. Is there any red line left? First, the Syrian chemical weapons. Then the administration insistence that there would be no nuclear deal unless Iran accounted for its past nuclear activities. (It didn't.) And unless Iran permitted inspection of its Parchin nuclear testing facility. (It was allowed self-inspection and declared itself clean.) And now, illegal ballistic missiles. The premise of the nuclear deal was that it would constrain Iranian actions. It's had precisely the opposite effect. It has deterred us from offering even the mildest pushback to any Iranian violations lest Iran walk away and leave Obama legacy-less. Just two weeks ago, Iran's Revolutionary Guards conducted live-fire exercises near the Strait of Hormuz. It gave nearby U.S. vessels exactly 23 seconds of warning. One rocket was launched 1,500 yards from the USS Harry S. Truman. Obama's response? None. The Gulf Arabs are bewildered. They're still reeling from the nuclear deal, which Obama declared would be unaffected by Iranian misbehavior elsewhere. The result was to assure Tehran it would pay no price for its aggression in Syria and Yemen, subversion in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and support for terrorism. Obama seems not to understand that disconnecting the nuclear issue gave the mullahs license to hunt in the region. For the Saudis, it's not just blundering but betrayal. They've seen Obama tilting toward Tehran as he fancies himself Nixon in China, turning Iran into a strategic partner in managing the Middle East. This is even scarier because it is delusional. Obama's openhanded appeasement has encouraged Iran's regional adventurism and intense anti-Americanism. The Saudis, sensing abandonment, are near panic. Hence the reckless execution of the firebrand Shiite insurrectionist, Sheikh Nimr Baqr al-Nimr, that has brought the region to a boil. Iranians torched the Saudi Embassy. The Saudis led other Sunni states in breaking relations with Tehran. The Saudis feel surrounded, and it's not paranoia. To their north, Iran dominates a Shiite crescent stretching from Iraq, Syria and Lebanon to the Mediterranean. To the south, Iran has been arming Yemen's Houthi rebels since at least 2009. The Persian Gulf is Iran's ultimate prize. The fall of the House of Saud would make Iran the undisputed regional hegemon and an emerging global power. For the U.S., that would be the greatest geopolitical setback since China fell to communism in 1949. Obama seems oblivious. Worse, he appears inert in the face of the three great challenges to the post-Cold War American order. Iran is only the most glaring. China is challenging the status quo in the South China Sea, just last week landing its first aircraft on an artificial island hundreds of miles beyond the Chinese coast. We deny China's claim and declare these to be international waters, yet we meekly apologized when a B-52 overflew one of the islands. We said it was inadvertent. The world sees and takes note. As it does our response to the other great U.S. adversary -- Russia. What's happened to Obama's vaunted "isolation" of Russia for its annexation of Crimea and assault on the post-Cold War European settlement? Gone. Kerry plays lapdog to Sergei Lavrov. Obama meets openly with Vladimir Putin in Turkey, then in Paris. And is practically begging him to join our side in Syria. There is no price for defying Pax Americana -- not even trivial sanctions on Iranian missile-enablers. Our enemies know it. Our allies see it -- and sense they're on their own, and may not survive. Maine lawmakers started off the second session of the 127th Maine Legislature listening to impassioned testimony from those on the front lines in dealing with the drug crisis in the state, which may have a record number of overdose deaths this past year. The testimony in support of LD 1537 was heard on January 5 by the Criminal Justice and Public Safety, Health and Human Services, and Appropriations committees. The bill would spend $2.4 million on 10 new drug investigators and an equal amount on treatment and recovery programs, but some addiction specialists say the plan also should include funds for methadone and Suboxone treatment. And Governor Paul LePage has threatened to veto the measure. Among those testifying in support of the bill was Baileyville Police Chief Bob Fitzsimmons, who spoke about losing members of his community to drugs. "I see this first hand every day," he stated. "I've lost almost an entire generation of my 20 somethings to my 40 somethings to drugs. I'm here to ask you today for help for my county, my community, for my families and for me. I've been in the bedroom when the mother calls me because her son has overdosed, taking them off the bed, through the needles, and giving him CPR while she begs me to bring her son back. It doesn't work. I've lost too many people. I can't help them. I don't have the resources. I need you folks to help me get those resources." The police chief in Bangor, Mark Hathaway, made a similar plea to lawmakers, stating, "Over the past 12 months, 11 people have died in hallways, apartments, in automobiles, due to complications associated with addiction. I desperately want to replicate the good work being done in Portland, in Scarborough, Damariscotta, Bath, West Paris. They all have collaborations and partnerships established with treatment facilities. We need this in Bangor. We need this in our region. We are desperate in our region." The need for a detox center in Bangor was stressed by Patty Hamilton, public health director for the City of Bangor and chairwoman of the Community Health Leadership Board. "A message we've heard loud and clear was that hospitals, shelters and jails were not appropriate places for individuals to detox and usually resulted in the revolving door or overdose deaths. Hospital staff are not prepared to handle the many, many people coming in each shift. One ER nurse stated she regularly sees 203 people each shift, each requiring oneonone care related to substance abuse or addiction. We heard over and over from police and EMS that they had no place to take people." She added, "As we heard from the district attorney, the governor and others, we need to address all aspects of the problems to have a measurable impact: law enforcement, prevention, treatment and recovery are all key pieces." In addition to LD 1537, Washington County legislators have submitted bills that tackle both the treatment and enforcement aspects of the drug issue. LD 1496, sponsored by Rep. Joyce Maker of Calais, would provide funding for three new peer centers in the state to run peer support programs to help people in recovery from drug addiction. Two of the centers would have to be in underserved, rural areas. A hearing has not yet been scheduled on her bill. Meanwhile, Senator David Burns of Whiting has submitted a bill that would establish the Maine State Police Drug Interdiction Unit. The unit, which would consist of at least three state police officers and a supervisor, would conduct drug trafficking patrols to prevent the trafficking of illegal drugs in the state. Common Core repeal effort Lawmakers also will be considering a number of bills on different topics, including the Common Core school standards, submitted by Washington County legislators. The Common Core national education standards were debated around the country last year, but the Maine Legislature's Education Committee rejected efforts to repeal Common Core. Rep. Will Tuell of East Machias, though, has submitted another bill, LD 1492, to remove the Common Core standards from the state's system of learning results at the end of the 2016-17 school year. The bill would require the Department of Education to develop new statewide content standards and new assessments for English and math that are aligned with the new standards, along with new standards for social studies. The Education Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on Monday, January 11, at 1 p.m. in the room 202 of the Cross Building in Augusta. That same week, the Education Committee will hold a hearing on a bill submitted by Rep. Joyce Maker to revise the educational personnel certification statutes. Along with updating language and making some other revisions in the law, the bill would direct the Department of Education to review all of the educational personnel certification rules and issue a report to the legislature by next January. The hearing on the bill will be held on Wednesday, January 13, at 1 p.m. in room 202 of the Cross Building. Elvers and lobsters Marine resource matters to be considered by the legislature during this session include the limited entry system for lobster licensing and the elver harvesting season. The Marine Resources Committee will be holding a hearing on Wednesday, January 13, on a bill submitted by Rep. Walter Kumiega of Deer Isle to provide flexibility in the designation of the closed period for elver harvesting. The bill would allow the commissioner of marine resources to set, for each season, the weekly 48-hour closed period for harvesting by rule, instead of having the closed period be established by law. The hearing will be held at 10 a.m. in room 206 of the Cross Building. Other legislation Other bills submitted by county legislators include one sponsored by Senator Burns that would provide ballistic vests for all active law enforcement officers in the state, along with dogs used in law enforcement. Other bills submitted by Burns would provide a 4% cost-of-living rate increase in MaineCare funding to adult family care homes and residential care facilities and also to nursing facilities under the MaineCare program. Another bill, LD 1526, would allow a state criminal justice agency to disclose intelligence and investigative record information to nongovernmental advocacy programs for people with mental illness. Among the bills carried over from the previous session that affect Washington County are ones to authorize a $5.25 million bond issue to renovate the former Cutler naval base buildings to facilitate economic development; to support expanded capacity for breeding wild Atlantic salmon in Downeast rivers by funding hatcheries on the Narraguagus and Machias rivers and expanding the existing hatchery in Columbia Falls; to implement the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; and to permit the Penobscot Nation and Passamaquoddy Tribe to exercise jurisdiction under the federal Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 and the federal Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. The AAR expects the following to occur by December 31: 38% of the targeted 96,806 route-km will have PTC technology 63% of 22,066 locomotives will be equipped with PTC technology 51% of 114,515 employees requiring training will be PTC-qualified 87% of the more than 32,654 wayside signal systems will be PTC-ready, and 77% of 3968 base station radios will be installed. Up to December 31 2015, US freight railways had spent more than $US 6bn on PTC with final implementation expected to cost $US 9-10bn. "In 2016, PTC is a priority for freight railroads as they focus on getting PTC installed and implemented as quickly as possible, without sacrificing safety," AAR spokesperson Mr Ed Greenberg told IRJ's sister publication Railway Age. "The emphasis is that it is critical to make sure PTC is done right. Field testing of PTC is essential for safely deploying the technology and will be a critical focus for the rail industry this year. Currently, rail operators are discovering failure rates of up to 40% as they install and test PTC equipment in PTC labs and designated pilot territories, underscoring the importance of proper testing." On October 28 Congress agreed to extend the deadline for the installation of PTC by Amtrak, commuter rail operators and Class 1s by a further three years to December 31 2018. The legislation applies to all lines carrying products classed as toxic inhalation hazards (TIHs) and all lines used by passenger trains, with the legislation granting an additional two years beyond December 2018 to finalise full implementation and testing of the new technology, provided they meet specific progress benchmarks: PTC hardware is 100% installed on its system by December 31 2018 PTC technology is implemented on more than 50% of its system employee training required by FRA regulations is completed, and all spectrum necessary for PTC implementation is obtained. Installation of PTC was mandated under the Rail Safety Improvement Act (RSIA) of 2008 which was enacted following an accident in Chatsworth, California, in which 25 people were killed after a Metrolink commuter train ran through a red signal and collided head-on with a Union Pacific freight train. Regional railroad Reading & Northern Railroad achieved record-breaking carload volumes and revenue in 2015. R&N, which handles a diverse mixture of commodities including wood pulp, paper, metals, food products, plastics, forest products, chemicals, minerals and anthracite coal (its known as The Road of Anthracite) in 2015 handled 28,940 carloads, a 19% increase from the previous record achieved in 2014more than 4,500 carloads. This 19% carloadings growth helped R&N attain record-breaking freight revenues that exceeded past revenue levels by more than 30%. R&N said the growth is largely from new transloading and warehouse businesses. R&N said it did well in all commodity areas except business related to the Marcellus Shale. Like other railroads in the region, R&N saw its Marcellus Shale business fall by two-thirds. However, unlike other regional railroads, which saw their overall traffic decline, Reading & Northern was able to achieve spectacular growth due to its emphasis on customer service and its entrepreneurial focus, said CEO and owner Andy Muller, Jr. Our record breaking volumes for 2015 prove that our decision to offer our customers guaranteed service windows does grow the business. And in 2016 we are taking this commitment one step further by improving our already excellent service by hiring more crews and running more trains, and faster. We could not have achieved this growth without the hard work of the 200-plus men and women in the Reading & Northern family said President Wayne Michel. R&N increased employment almost 8% in 2015 and is hiring more employees at this time. Michel also stressed that much of the railroads growth was due to taking entrepreneurial risks to develop more traffic, In 2015, we got into the warehouse business in order to serve customer demand. This follows our recent successful move into the transload business to better serve our customers. In addition, some of our customers needed to store their railroad cars as a result of market shifts. We reopened long-dormant tracks and were able to store thousands of cars. Reading & Northern sister company Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway also had a record year as more than 100,000 visitors rode on one of its many steam or diesel-powered excursion trains. In recognition of the railroads focus on customers and entrepreneurial initiatives, Railway Age named Reading & Northern its Regional Railroad of the Year in 2015, the third such time it has been so-honored. Reading & Northern Railroad, headquartered in Port Clinton, Pa., is a privately held company serving more than 60 customers in nine eastern Pennsylvania counties (Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland, Schuylkill and Wyoming). It has expanded its operations over the past 20-plus years, and now operates both freight services and steam and diesel powered excursion passenger services. It owns more than 1,000 freight cars and employs more than 200. UITP to launch international urban rail platform for North America Written by Carolina Worrell , Senior Editor The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) announced Jan. 12, 2016 the creation of the International Urban Rail Platform for North America, which will bring together key rail industry players from the region and the rest of the world. Leaders from the some of the most important urban rail networks in North America gathered Jan. 11 in Washington to kick off preparations to establish an International Urban Rail Platform for North America. This initiative aims to bring the North American rail scene into closer contact with UITPs worldwide membership, to share knowledge and expertise and further advance the North American rail renaissance currently under way, which has seen 23 new light rail systems in the USA since 1985, alongside the existing 36 LRT and 16 metro systems. The Platform, which has the endorsement of UITP member the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), will hold its first official meeting in the fall of 2016. The gathering was a first get-together of the key players to launch the initiative and to discuss the priority topics for the fall meeting. The move comes on the heels of the Dec. 2015 signing of the Fixing Americas Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, to ensure a longer-term vision for mass transit financing coming from the U.S. federal level, an initiative welcomed by UITP for the long-term stability it provides the sector. There is tremendous new recognition of the value that urban rail transportation brings to current societal needs, said Andrew Bata, UITP Regional Manager for North America. In North America, new rail starts and system expansions are redefining the urban landscape; ridership is booming and often well beyond projections. We are experiencing a true rail renaissancea mode that offers a high quality, modern, truly green and efficient alternative to the automobile. UITP and its members have a real wealth of experience in the rail sector and this initiative will be key in helping to share expertise between the flourishing rail market in North America and UITPs international network of members, said UITP Secretary General, Alain Flausch. UITP member companies in North America include some of the regions largest operators in metro (New York, Boston, Washington, Montreal and Toronto) and light rail systems (Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Honolulu, Edmonton and Vancouver). UITP opened its first office in North America in New York City in 2015 to support the growth of urban transit in the region and will hold its flagship event, the Global Public Transport Summit, in Montreal in May 2017. Find out more about UITPs activities in North America HERE. Welcome to Railway Gazette. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our use of these cookies. You can learn more about the cookies we use here. OK Telefonica's Vivo has become the preferred brand in Brazil, ahead of strong trademarks such as Coca-Cola and Havaianas. This is according to the marketing ranking of the Meio&Mensagem magazine, a specialist publication for media, which surveyed people in Sao Paolo.According to the magazine, the preferred brands for Brazilians are Vivo (2.5%), Coca-Cola (2.1%) and Itaipava (2.1%), while the most remembered brands on TV during 2015 were Casas Bahia (9.6%), Coca-Cola (6.5%) and Vivo (5.9%).The results come after a strong rebranding effort by Telefonica, which extended the Vivo brand to its entire telecoms portfolio. The move followed the acquisition of GVT , which reinforced the telcos position in Brazilian pay-TV market. Panavision has reached a distribution agreement with Ludwig Kameraverleih in Germany. The rental facility will now be able to provide filmmakers in the region with Panavision's range of spherical and anamorphic lenses, including the Primo 70 series for larger sensor digital cameras. This partnership deepens Ludwig's portfolio of filmmaking gear and broadens Panavision's reach."It was important for Panavision to find a respected partner like Ludwig Kamera that shares our attention to customer service and detail," said Jeff Allen, managing director for Europe, Panavision . "Distributing our high-performance optics for digital cameras through Ludwig allows us to support filmmakers more effectively and efficiently in the region, which has seen a spike in production."Regional and national government entities have taken progressive steps to make Germany an attractive location for international productions. Increased funding and the recent announcement of the expansion of Studio Babelsberg are just a few incentives designed to draw filmmakers to the area. Ludwig Kamera has locations throughout Germany, including Berlin, Cologne, Munich, Leipzig, Hamburg and Erfurt."Teaming up with Panavision is an important milestone for us" said Martin Ludwig, founder and CEO, Ludwig Kameraverleih. "It broadens our possibilities of service, and allows us to support national as well as international projects with the widest and best range of equipment available." Property details: Welcome to the of Twentynine Palms FIVE ACRES Short Drive to Palm Springs No Minimum / No Reserve High Bid Owns the Property THE AREA: The lot for sale is located in the City of Twentynine Palms in San Bernardino County in Southen California just a short one hour drive from Los Angeles and minutes from Palm Springs and the resort area of Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear Lake. Palm Springs, located just 30 miles southwest is a preferred destination of travelers from all over the world. Nestled at the ... Price: $ 2,045 Seller State of Residence: Florida Property Address: Tapia Road State/Province: California City: Twentynine Palms Type: Homesite, Lot Zoning: Residential Location: , Twentynine Palms, California You will be redirected to eBay Nearby Residential , We're sorry, this article is not currently available Dmitry Rybolovlev, a Russian billionaire, bought an $88 million New York City property in 2011 for his daughter, Ekaterina. Now, the Manhattan apartment is listed again on the market for sale. This is the most expensive residential purchase in the city at the time for the penthouse of 10 bedrooms at 15 Central Park West, which the Russian oligarch acquired for his college student daughter. Mr. Rybolovlev now listed the property on the market. Rybolovlev had won an appeal on a divorce settlement of $4.5 billion with his wife, Elena, and the two reportedly agreed not to sell the pad. The New York Post news report said that the sale might be difficult for an astronomical asking price of the penthouse, as the New York City residential real estate marketing has been quickly declining. The penthouse of Rybolovlev has been recently unseated by the two recent purchases at One57, as the priciest residence in New York City. While the penthouse apartment of Dmitry Rybolovlev is back on the market, its asking price is not yet revealed. According to the Real Deal report, the penthouse would stay off the market after the Russian oligarch reached an agreement in divorce proceedings with his ex-wife, Elena. Rybolovlev was sued by his ex-wife, Elena Rybolovlev, in the Manhattan Supreme Court over the 10-bedroom unit at 15 Central Park West. But they agreed to stay the action as the Russian billionaire appealed at a Swiss court's ruling that he pay a $4.5 billion divorce settlement. Meanwhile, when Donald Trump sold his sprawling Palm Beach, Florida mansion five years ago for a whopping $95 million, he did not name the buyer. But now, Dimitri Rybolovlev has finally acknowledged that he was the one who purchased the mansion at 515 North Country Road at Palm Beach. The 33,000-square-foot property on the oceanfront of Palm Beach was known before as the Gosman estate. The Russian billionaire has amassed his wealth through the potash fertilizer industry. North Rae Sanders, one of the leading providers of commercial property services, was purchased by the Canada-based commercial real estate services provider, Avison Young. "Our entire team looks forward to working with our new colleagues at Avison Young," said Robert Rae, founder of North Rae Sanders. "The acquisition will enable us to grow our business and provide access to a broader range of resources. The Avison Young brand will also enable us to deliver an unprecedented level of service to our current and future clients throughout the U.K. and other parts of Europe, as well as in North America. Taking advantage of the Midlands' rising population, vibrant industrial real estate sector and strong job-growth opportunities, our legacy team will enable Avison Young to enhance its full-service platform and overall market reach." With the acquisition, North Rae Sanders will now be operating under the name Avison Young and will be joined by eight members from NRS. Additionally, Robert Rae, Andrew Jackson, Peter Keir and Tom Kimbell will become Principals of Avison Young. At present, Avison Young has 75 offices in 67 markets that employ more than 2,100 real estate professionals in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Europe, according to their press release in PR News Wire. "This acquisition is another important step towards the expansion of our rapidly growing U.K. operations. Avison Young will continue to offer clients a countrywide service offering that spans the entire property lifecycle, with access to overseas markets and resources of the wider firm. Furthermore, NRS will enable us to further bolster our service offering and provide us with insight and market knowledge at a local level. The NRS team is a perfect match for us as the members are focused entirely on delivering added value for clients, which mirrors the Avison Young client-centric, Principal-led culture," said Mark E. Rose, Chair and CEO of Avison Young. "Robert, Andrew, Peter and Tom are well-respected leaders within the commercial property industry, and their combined experience and approach to the delivery of client projects will be extremely beneficial to Avison Young as we continue to execute our strategic growth plan throughout the U.K. Moreover, the recruitment of the eight members of the NRS team will further strengthen our existing high-performing U.K. team," said the CEO. Commuting has been part of the society. If one wished to travel longer miles without the stress of driving his or her own vehicle, one may choose to commute. Using public transport, has been connected to some real estate values particularly in United Kingdom. The said factor likely affects the value of a certain real estate property. In a comparative review reported by The Telegraph, they made mention that rising value of properties could actually cover an annual fare, from one point to another: Why it pays to commute: House prices rising so fast in commuter towns they pay for season tickets in a week House prices are rising so fast in some commuter belt areas that they are "earning" home owners enough to pay for their annual transport to work in just a week, according to analysis by a property website. The study found that home owners in Solihull commuting to Birmingham could have paid off their annual train travel in a week. The average property in the region increased its worth by around 95 a day over the last year, meaning the rising value could cover an annual 655 fare to Birmingham in seven days, Zoopla said. Read original post... With the said data gathered, it is now possible to determine the value for money in each real estate properties, particularly those within the so-called commuter belt in UK. In the following article of Isabelle Fraser, she made mention of some of the properties nearby commuter belt and their price added to the average annual travel cost: Calgary's housing market in 2015 is being compared to a roller coaster ride. According to Calgary Sun, the report released by the Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB) for 2015 reflected a 26 percent decrease in Calgary-wide sales from 2014. To be more specific, single-family home sales plunged by 24 percent, townhomes saw a decrease in sales up to 29 percent and apartments took a deep plunge to 33 percent. But it's not all that bad. The problem with city averages is that it outshines the positive condition of certain areas. According to the publication, the northwest community of Nolan Hill in Calgary saw increase in sales up to 133 percent every year. Coral Springs on the east side saw an increase of 100 percent, and while Dover was up by 200 percent, sales in Dover Glen increased by 100 percent. On the other hand, Cougar Ridge on the west side saw sales that plummeted by 63 percent from 2014. To further demonstrate why sales in this area is a roller coaster ride, Connaught in the Beltline saw a reduction of 42 percent and the lowest that is 87 percent decrease in sales was seen in the lower part of Mountain Royal. In contrast, though, the east village saw sales that rose to 500 percent from 2014 to 2015. The area that saw the greatest drop from year to year were Sunnyside and Montgomery at 90 percent. However, it is best not to draw conclusions right away. The report suggests that the decline in prices may also mean that sellers are still trying to decide when and at what prices it is the best to sell. The sales-to-list-price ratio by the end of 2015 was at 97 percent. According to Calgary Sun, CREB and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp will present their forecasts on Jan. 13. In a previous report, analysts believe that the future is bright with real estate in Canada. According to Vancouver Sun, people are expected to rent than buy, more investors will come in as they take advantage of the lower Canadian dollar but in general home prices are not expected to go down. A mansion in the Bronx, which was allegedly built for Jesus, has recently been listed for rent for only $35,000 a month. Called the Chapel Hill Mansion, the 15,000-sqaure foot home has been restored over the past 25 years, but still keeps its original look. According to Zillow, the house was built in 1928 when "a religious order in New York set about making room for the son of God in case he ran into that no-room-at-the-inn situation again." The mansion was first constructed in 1928 by Genevieve Ludlow Griscom, who was also part of a religious order, called the Outer Court of the Order of the Living Christ. The home previously had 17 rooms and only 1 bathroom. But thanks to the restorations, there are now 8 bathrooms (five full-baths and three half-baths) to accompany the mansion's 7 bedrooms, reports the New York Post. The estate "is set upon 2.3 acres in the Fieldston section of Riverdale, NY." Meanwhile, the home is just 20 minutes away to midtown Manhattan and 5 minutes away from the George Washington Bridge. There are several amenities in the Chapel Farm, too: it has a gym, a hot tub, a sauna, a walk-in freezer, a cocktail lounge, a barbecue pit in the kitchen, a glass roof conservatory, and six fireplaces in addition to four wet bars. A formal dining room also boasts of a marble fireplace, parquet floors, and a hand-painted ceiling. Owner Sandra Galuten told the New York Daily News that one worker had to remain at the estate for over four years just to perfect those ceilings. Not only that, but the listing (photos available) also features of several more features: "Gold and silver leaf adorn the ceilings and trim while limestone walls usher you into its grand foyer. Marble floors imported from the Vatican greet you as you enter the master suite and its elegant confines a taste of yesteryear. [...] Chandeliers inside the home were also acquired from the Plaza Hotel to match the impeccable detail." The estate, which is situated on top of Bronx's highest point, has been listed and delisted from the market several times over the years now. The most recent listing worth $9.9 million was removed in November. However, prospective home buyers in New York shouldn't fret, as the home is set to be listed again in February, except this time, it's for $10 million. SHARE By Bettina Boxall The demise of a deal to end decades of feuding on the Klamath River could rekindle old battles over water use and dams in Siskiyou County. A key piece of a three-part agreement expired when Congress failed to approve it by Dec. 31. The complicated pact, backed by the states of California and Oregon, called for the removal of four hydroelectric dams, settled water rights disputes and spelled out water allocations for irrigators and wildlife refuges in the Klamath Basin. But the deal never got traction in the GOP-dominated Congress. And though some backers are holding out hope that it can be resurrected, others are doubtful. "It would be very difficult if not impossible to pull the same parties to the table and reach a similar agreement," said Don Gentry, chairman of Oregon's Klamath Tribes. Kevin Eastman, chief of staff for North State Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, said the responsibility was not on Congress in the first place. "Removal of these dams does not require Congressional action," Eastman said. "The idea that ... the impetus for action was on the House or certain members of the House, it's just entirely false." Eastman said the focus on Congress had to do with liability issues for the federal government, not whether the dams could legally be removed. "The stakeholders and the owners of the dams and the state of California, they can start that project tomorrow," he said. "They wanted Congressional action because the Senate bill would have ... placed liability with the federal government." Eastman said that LaMalfa "appreciated" the idea of Oregon Republican Rep. Greg Walden, who authored a bill that would have ratified the agreement, but left the dam-removal question up to the states and Pacificorp, the company that owns the dams. "(LaMalfa) thought it was more appropriate than the federal government accepting the liability for an extremely large private company," Eastman said. Conflict over the Klamath embodies classic struggles over western water. Tribes, farmers, hydropower interests and commercial fishermen all have fought over the 255-mile river, which winds from southern Oregon through Northern California to the Pacific Ocean. Dams, farm and ranch diversions and agricultural runoff have exacted a heavy toll on a waterway that once supported Chinook salmon runs half a million strong. The clashes drew national attention in 2001, a dry year when the federal government cut irrigation deliveries to preserve fish flows. Enraged farmers threatened to open irrigation gates by force. The following year, the government increased irrigation deliveries triggering lethal river conditions that left more than 30,000 dead salmon and steelhead trout floating in the lower Klamath. The agreements, signed in 2010 and expanded in 2014, were supposed to end the strife. But they didn't please everyone. Siskiyou County, where three of the utility company dams are located, opposed their removal, as did key Republican Congressmen. Environmentalists and some tribes complained that the pact gave too much water to irrigators and too little to salmon. Attorney Tom Schlosser, who represents California's Hoopa Valley Tribe, called the expiration "good news." "I'm so tired of hearing this story. ... We all sang 'Kumbaya' and Congress didn't pay any attention," Schlosser said, "when actually the Congress did exactly what it should have done. They looked at this and said, 'This is a nonstarter.'" The Hoopa, he said, will press ahead for dam removal through the federal dam relicensing process, which was put on the back burner when the agreements were struck. California's Yurok Tribe, which withdrew from the accord last year, also has indicated it will keep pushing to get rid of the dams. Other groups could head back to court to settle lingering water rights disputes between the Klamath Tribes and farmers. "Parties are going to start doing some of their own things," said Greg Addington of the Klamath Water Users Association, a group of irrigation districts supplied by the federal Klamath Project. "I'm not saying it's over," Addington said of attempts to save the accord. But Congress would have to signal more interest before his group makes another big push for the settlement. "We're not just going to go beat our head against the wall again," he said. The U.S. Interior Department, which oversees federal irrigation operations and wildlife refuges in the basin, supported the Klamath deal. "We still believe the future of the basin lies with negotiated agreements, and we will work hard with the parties to find ways to achieve their collective goals," Interior Secretary Sally Jewel said in a statement. The dams, spread across 65 miles of the Klamath, are owned by PacifiCorp, a part of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. empire. Under the pact, the company had until 2020 to remove the structures, the oldest of which was erected in 1918. The dams block historic salmon spawning grounds on the upper river and create stagnant pools of water that breed toxin-producing algae. The agreements called for California to help pay for the dam removal and granted PacifiCorp immunity from any liability claims that arose from decommissioning. Without the Klamath agreements, PacifiCorp faces a lengthy dam relicensing process and requirements to meet California water quality standards that could force it to spend an estimated $400 million on fish ladders and other improvements. "We're all just waiting to see whether there's any desire among the congressional delegation, the administration and the settlement partners to try to resurrect the agreements we made," said PacifiCorp spokesman Bob Gravely. "We don't know exactly how that would happen or what it would look like." Record Searchlight reporter Alayna Shulman contributed to this report. Jim Schultz/Record Searchlight Darren Debs Horn, shown Monday in Shasta County Superior Court, was involved in a 2013 traffic wreck that killed 67-year-old Sandra Van Larson of Redding. SHARE By Jim Schultz of the Redding Record Searchlight A Shasta County Superior Court judge on Monday denied a prosecutor's request to reinstate a felony count of vehicular manslaughter against a Cottonwood man involved in a deadly 2013 traffic wreck. Judge Dan Flynn, siding with a previous ruling by Superior Court Judge Greg Gaul, said there was insufficient evidence to have Darren Debs Horn, 31, stand trial for felony vehicular manslaughter, saying there was a lack of proof that the Cottonwood man had been driving while intoxicated. "I can't see it based on the preliminary hearing evidence," Flynn said. Authorities have said Sandra Van Larson, 67, a former independent living specialist who once worked for the nonprofit Independent Living Services of Northern California, was killed Dec. 3, 2013, when Horn ran a red light at Highway 273 and Westwood Avenue. The criminal case against Horn was originally filed as a misdemeanor, but it was later raised to a felony when prosecutors further reviewed the case. But that felony manslaughter count was reduced back to a misdemeanor on Oct. 9 after Gaul ruled at Horn's preliminary hearing that there was no evidence that he acted with gross negligence while intoxicated to warrant a felony charge. During last year's preliminary hearing testimony officers said Horn, driving within the 55 mph speed limit and apparently displaying no signs of driving erratically, never applied his brakes as he ran the red light. According to a toxicology report by the Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Services, Horn's blood sample tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly known as THC, the principal psychoactive ingredient of marijuana. It also tested positive for Oxycodone and two nonnarcotic analgesics. But officers said they did not see any obvious signs of intoxication or impairment in Horn's demeanor immediately after the crash, saying he appeared alert and coherent. Horn reportedly told officers he hit Van Larson's car after he took his eyes off the road after being distracted by something shiny coming from the railroad tracks running alongside Highway 273. Horn, who is also charged with misdemeanor DUI in an unrelated noninjury solo crash in which he was involved while driving on Interstate 5, is due back in court next month for a settlement conference. A trial date has not yet been scheduled. SHARE Shasta County Sheriff's deputies arrested a 38-year-old man early Tuesday after a chase from Shasta Lake through the Keswick area and into downtown Redding, officials said. Deputies at about 10:37 p.m. tried to stop a 1992 Honda Accord at Lake Boulevard and Pine Grove Avenue for a traffic violation. The driver, later identified as Joshua Randal Isaacson, gave a false name and sped away when deputies tried to ask more questions, Sheriff's Sgt. Barry Powell said. Isaacson sped south on Lake, eventually moving west on Keswick Dam Road at speeds up to 80 mph, Powell said. The chase eventually led to Highway 299 and through the streets of Redding, where local police and a California Highway Patrol helicopter joined, deputies said. Isaacson abandoned the car near Waldon Street and California Street in downtown Redding and ran, though deputies caught him a short time later, officials said. Deputies learned the car was reported stolen and had fake license plates attached, Powell said. Inside, they found 15 drivers licenses, 25 credit cards, six check books, three social security cards and a passport, all of which deputies believed were stolen, according to the Sheriff's Office. They also found methamphetamine, scales, drug paraphernalia and a set of brass knuckles, Powell said. Isaacson, who was on felony probation for possessing stolen property, was arrested on suspicion of various drug, stolen property and other charges related to the chase. He was booked into the Shasta County Jail while two passengers in the car were interviewed and released, Powell said. A flood of lawsuits began within weeks after a huge, still-ongoing leak of natural gas arose in late October from a Southern California Gas Co. storage facility 1,200 feet above the Porter Ranch area in the northern reaches of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. There's a class action on behalf of many residents and a suit by the city of Los Angeles, plus individual actions by homeowners. These suits claim negligence, ultra-hazardous activity and "inverse condemnation" of property, among other items. There are no fatalities, but the legal language is akin nevertheless to charges made against Pacific Gas & Electric Co. after the 2010 gas pipeline explosion in the San Francisco suburb of San Bruno, which killed eight people and devastated dozens of homes. It's too soon to say SoCal Gas was negligent because no one has actually seen the source of the leak, which still spreads noxious odors and greenhouse gases for miles around. The Aliso Canyon storage site is about one mile from the edge of upscale Porter Ranch. The suspected cause is crumbled or cracked concrete in a well hundreds of feet underground, says the state Public Utilities Commission. Whatever the cause, this is unquestionably a disaster, even though Gov. Jerry Brown, whose sister is a director of SoCal Gas' parent company, Sempra Energy, has yet to call it one. Plus, the utility still has not deployed the most modern inspection techniques for checking on its other wells. It seeks approval from the PUC to charge customers $30 million a year for six years to use a state-of-the-art "Storage Integrity Management Program," but won't say why it doesn't deploy the new technique now, rather than awaiting approval for the charge as part of a pending general rate case. There's also the late action of the state's Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, which on Nov. 18 four weeks after the leak began issued an emergency order compelling action to plug it, explaining ironically that it "didn't want SoCal Gas and its contractors to lose time." But is this the equivalent of San Bruno, which did not displace nearly as many people, but for which PG&E still faces criminal charges and was assessed a $1.6 billion fine? Did SoCal Gas react too slowly? The company says it observes all four of its storage fields daily and checks well pressure weekly. "The leaking well had passed its most recent inspection," said a spokeswoman. The utility also is relocating residents who want a temporary move. By late December, more than 4,000 families had applied, with at least 2,100 resettled in various housing types sometimes it's a single hotel room for a large family. Not until Christmas week did SoCal Gas agree to act on each relocation request within 72 hours. Two schools have also closed; it's still unclear who will pay for that. Thousands of the area's 30,000-plus residents blame the leak for ailments like nosebleeds, headaches, respiratory problems and vomiting, even though federal, state and local health officials say the gas carries no serious health risks. The noxious odor it bears stems from chemicals added to alert people when they have leaks of otherwise odorless gas. Most likely, no one will ever prove whether long-term health detriments exist. By the time cancers might develop 20 to 30 years from now, residents will have been exposed to enough other environmental factors that singling out the gas leak would be difficult even if a cancer cluster should occur among today's Porter Ranch residents. While there's absolutely no doubt about the cause of death for the eight people who died in San Bruno, there likely never will be such certitude around Porter Ranch. And, so far, there's been no official determination of negligence, either. "No one can be certain what caused the damage until the (concrete) casing is inspected," says the state Oil and Gas division. That can't happen until the leak is stopped, which SoCal Gas says might be months away. All of which means, despite the lawsuits, it's too early to demonize SoCal Gas, even as many residents complain about everything from a slow initial response by the utility to serious and immediate health problems and inadequate relocation housing. This will never be identical to San Bruno, but it could turn out just as badly for the utility involved and those who regulate it. Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. SHARE The Puritans came to America with the goal of gaining religious freedom and denying it to anyone whose beliefs differed. Centuries later, many Americans still have contradictory impulses on the subject. What is good for me is not necessarily good for thee. The latest evidence comes from a new poll by The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. It found overwhelming support for preserving freedom of religion up to a point. While 82 percent of those surveyed think its important to respect the religious liberty of Christians, a smaller share, 71 percent, want to preserve it for Jews. When it comes to Mormons, the figure is 67 percent, and for Muslims, it falls to 61 percent. Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight Randy Smith burns a brush pile Monday at the John F. Reginato River Access in Redding. SHARE Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight Clouds cover the mountains west of Redding on Monday. By Jim Schultz of the Redding Record Searchlight With El Nino expected to remain strong at least through the spring, another winter storm bearing down on the North State is set to arrive Tuesday afternoon, bringing heavy rain to Redding at times and snow to higher elevations. Although the approaching El Nino-driven storm system shouldn't stay around for too long, forecasters with the National Weather Service in Sacramento say North State residents should still see unsettled weather throughout the week and into next week. While the storm should drop about an inch of rain on Redding Tuesday through Wednesday, snow levels will be at the 6,000-foot level Tuesday night, falling to around 5,000 feet on Wednesday. But a National Weather Service meteorologist in Sacramento says the storm is not like those notoriously wet El Nino-style deluges. "The pattern is more typical of an El Nino, but it's not a full-blown El Nino," said meteorologist Courtney Obergfell, explaining that the upcoming storm won't be a long-lasting one with a relentless and battering punch. "The good news is we're getting rain and not getting it all at once." With a 60 percent of rain Tuesday, mostly after 4 p.m., the rain could be heavy at times, weather forecasters say. Tuesday's high temperature should be near 52 degrees, while the low will be near 44. There's a 90 percent chance of heavy rain on Wednesday, mainly before 10 a.m., which should afterward turn into showers, forecasters say. The high temperature should be near 51 degrees, while the low will be around 40. Meanwhile, there's an 80 percent of rain for Thursday, with a chance of showers forecast from Friday through Sunday. Although rainfall amounts won't go much toward putting a big dent in the state's four-year drought, Obergfell says it won't hurt, either. "Every drop helps," she said. That's for sure. Reservoirs in the North State remain low Lake Shasta is 33 percent of capacity, while Trinity Lake is at 21 percent capacity, according to the state Department of Water Resources. Still, Obergfell said, snow pack amounts are encouraging with the statewide snow pack at 103 percent of average to date. "Keep your fingers crossed," she said, Nevertheless, it's still not sure if El Nino will have much of a big impact to break the drought, especially here in Northern California. "The precipitation and snow pack for the rest of this winter is still going to be storm-by-storm dependent," according to a National Weather Service statement. "As we've stated before, even an average winter will not save us from a four-year deficit." An Arkansas rapper casually solved American poverty this week with the simple post of a Facebook meme. "Powerball 1.3 billion U.S. pop 300 million," read the Monday post; the jackpot has since inched up to $1.5 billion."Everyone receives 4.33 mil. Poverty solved!!" Advertisement Alas: Not really! As smug gentlemen and scholars have pointed out across the Internet, $1.3 billion divided by 300 million is actually a paltry $4.33. (Also, not to nitpick here, but the U.S. population was 308.7 million as of the 2010 censusand only 234.6 million, if you exclude children under age 18.) So: Why have 1.3 million people reshared the meme on Facebook, and why have hundreds of thousands liked it? Some are doubtlessly mocking the meme's bad mathbut others, I suspect, agree strongly with the general philosophy of Philipe Andolini, the woman to whom it's credited. Advertisement "Her math was incorrect but I get it," wrote Livesosa, the rapper whose post made the meme go viral. "Point she was attempting to make is simple.. There's enough money to feed the people." In other words, this is a meme less about Powerballthe next drawing is Wednesdayand more about distribution: How is itAndolini's presumably arguingthat one person can, in a stroke of unthinkable fortune, win $1.3 billion ... when other people have next to nothing? Isn't there some way to distribute Powerball's proceeds a little more equitably? Powerball does sort of redistribute money back to "the people" ... albeit not in the form of 300 million personal checks, and not in any form even approaching perfectly equitable. (Case in point: Low-income people are the biggest players of the lotto, leading many economists to argue that it's a "regressive tax" on the poor.) Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. > Powerball is run by the Multi-State Lottery Association, a nonprofit based in Iowa, that basically operates several monster games across 36 states and Washington, D.C. When you buy a Powerball ticket, roughly 50 to 65 percent of your $2depending where you aregoes to the pot of prize money. A small portion, less than a dime, goes to administering the lottery. Something like 12 or 14 cents also goes to the retailer that sold the ticket. But the rest? That goes straight back to the state where you bought your ticket, and your state government decides what to do with it. This varies wildly by state, of course, but the MUSL tracks how much lottery money has, cumulatively, gone to different causes in different states. In Arizona, for instance, some $625 million has gone to local transportation funds since 1982. In Illinois, "proceeds from lottery sales help fund k-12 public education," according to the state's lottery website; in Washington state, the lottery has helped build Qwest Field and the Seattle Mariners' stadium. At its heart, Antolini's meme seems to argue that more Powerball money should go to programs that directly address and alleviate povertythings like literacy and early childhood reading programs (to which Kentucky's devoted $30 million) or meals and transportation for low-income seniors (as in Pennsylvania, nearly $25 billion). Her meme argues that the Powerball pot should be spent more responsibly, not less. And while her method and math are undeniably wrong, reforms to state lotto revenue distribution make lots of sense. Advertisement Admittedly, that doesn't read quite as well as a Facebook meme. RedEye contributed. 'One way of supporting economic growth in the country is by finding solutions on long-term energy.' 'We have to understand the problems in India and how it is different from other countries.' 'I have made personal investment in areas that excite me and in founders that impressed me.' Starting with the University of California, Los Angeles, Tata Trusts will be launching a series of initiatives in India on exchange of big ideas. Ratan N Tata, chairman of Tata Trusts, known for his passion for innovation, wants to get top global universities to ideate with Indian counterparts in fields as diverse as biosciences, material sciences and aerospace. In conversation with Jyoti Mukul, Ratan Tata and Gene Block, chancellor, UCLA, share the details of the first such global forum on sustainable energy. Excerpts: In recent times, we have seen court directives on diesel vehicles, the Union government announcement to leap frog into Euro VI norms and the Delhi government's effort towards road rationing. Will such decisions force newer technology innovations and investment, especially by automobile firms? Ratan Tata: One way of supporting economic growth in the country is by finding solutions on long-term energy. Using new technology and renewable materials to ensure sustainability in the years to come is a must for economic growth. That is the box we chose to be here today. Gene Block: The horizon is not weighing on whether odd and even registration plates are a good strategy or not but looking at bolder technology. We all want to move in this direction. Good strategy would be to see technology is sustainable. In California, there will be all electric cars in some time and changes there have been happening for 40 years. There were two versions of vehicles at that time in the US. The 49-state version and the California state version, which was more fuel-efficient. Car manufacturers have complained but steadily and miraculously developed technology to meet the requirements at the same time. What impact do you see on the Indian automobile industry? Ratan Tata (left): As far as graduating to Euro VI norms is concerned, there is an issue with fuel as well. It has to be low sulphur fuel and if that is being done, then I am glad. It has its pollution advantages but the cost of vehicle goes up. Will entrepreneurship in sustainable solutions survive the low costs being offered because of increased competition? Gene Block: I am impressed by the creativity of individual entrepreneurs in this space. Alternative energy will become profitable in some time. There have been extraordinary breakthroughs. You could imagine there can be photo voltage sprayed from can on surface of windows. There is a lot of research going on there. I dont think you can predict. Science and technology keep moving ahead and so you can keep making investment. What is the purpose behind holding the two-day forum? Ratan Tata: The world over and in recent meetings, global leaders have committed to various goals, mainly related to eradicating poverty and protecting the planet from adverse effects of climate change and harmful emissions such as greenhouse gases. India will emerge one of the important players in meeting these goals. I believe solutions cannot be just adapted from other countries. We have to understand the problems in India and how it is different from other countries. Through this forum, UCLA and Tata Trusts are trying to address issues in India relating to sustainability and energy. Chancellor Block has brought with him some key faculty members who have experience in dealing with pollution and energy. The intention is to get Indian scientists and institutions to interact with this faculty and look towards finding new solutions to our problems rather than straight adapting solutions from the US. As the first stage, we are engaging with some of the best universities in the US on equal basis with India. If India starts to engage with major universities like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, UCLA, Caltech, it could lead to research projects and addressing things jointly. Tomorrow, we could do it in areas of life sciences or material sciences or aerospace. We are hoping there can be an exchange. People in similar levels in India and the US get together and form some dialogue. Hopefully, in two or three cases, there will be connections, research or exchange. Gene Block (left): There is catalytic activity going on in the forum where there are scientists, entrepreneurs and engineers talking to each other. Isnt bringing costs down crucial for the Indian market, especially in power generation because that impacts the health of distribution companies? How do you make green acceptable and affordable? Ratan Tata: You have to know what you are looking for rather than conjuncture about cost today. If you take a long-term view and do nothing to bring new technology to bare, you will be depleting your resources on fossil fuel and doing whatever fossil fuel does to you, or you can make investment in alternate energy sources. It is not about being sustainable now, but for the generation next or the generations after that. The options that we are trying to energise India on its own will be seeking new sources of energy that do not deplete resources and that we can put some clever minds together and provide solutions for India that may be different from the US. There is a talk of reducing costs of solar panels by printing on paper. The issue is, should we not engage? India can have the benefit of solutions. The fact is, India needs to look at renewable energy rather than depletion of resources that it has today. Thats the common area from where we start. How different should the Indian solutions be from the ones in the US? Ratan Tata: By way of example, if you take drinking water, you might have one type of solution in the US that meets various requirements and might have costs because it is needed to be efficient and cost effective on a huge scale but which you could not do in India. Here you can have less sophisticated solution, which is safe and provides safe drinking water, but maybe at a lower volume, and if you took a US model and drafted into India, it may not be suitable. We need to solve Indian problems in an Indian way for India with the benefit of interacting with faculty members who have the knowledge and the experience of working on such problems. Gene Block: Were interested because each of our countries faces some of the same challenges, specifically campuses like us situated in Los Angeles where we focus on sustainability of the city. Los Angeles depends on others for water supply, because it does not have sufficient supply and consumes a lot of energy. We are developing a series of approaches to address the policy, pricing and technology issues. This is a rare challenge for Los Angles, but we are fascinated about implementing solutions with cities that have different constraints and in that Delhi can be one. In your personal capacity, you have made investment in start-ups. Would you also look at the renewable sector either in your personal capacity or through Tata Trusts? Ratan Tata: I have made personal investment in areas that excite me and in founders that impressed me. There is not very much in the areas of sustainability or energy that I am looking at on personal basis. In Tata Trusts, we have been looking at sustainability in many of projects because communities need to sustain themselves. We have been moving away from the model of just hand-outs to creating prosperity which will lead to sustainable community. In five-six areas, we are giving financial assistance to independent communities in areas of sustainability. Let it gradually pull itself out of international routes and focus on linking remote towns and cities, suggests Anjuli Bhargava. Image: Build a network akin to that of the Indian Railways or even the National Highways Authority of India. Photograph: Reuters Let's begin the New Year with a new resolution: Find a collective solution to the Air India problem. The government - the United Progressive Alliance II and now the National Democratic Alliance - will have collectively spent Rs 30,000 crore (Rs 300 billion) over a five-year period on keeping the airline up and running. While some of that amount was justified - the airline had a woefully inadequate capital base - do we, as a country, want to shell out another Rs 30,000 crore over the next few years? Despite the fact that the majority of the aviation ministry's yearly budget - Rs 6,000 crore (Rs 60 billion) approximately - goes towards keeping Air India going, no solutions in the draft policy have been offered on how to stem the flow of public funds and get the airline to become financially viable. Let's accept the hard facts. Privatising Air India is not an option this government - or any other government - is willing to consider. Shutting it down, putting at stake the jobs of 30,000 employees, is even less of an option. So, if you can't fix it, shrink it. Or rather, let's alter the scope of what it does. Let Air India be converted into a strong regional carrier for the country. Let it gradually pull itself out of international routes and focus on linking remote towns and cities - a social objective the government is keen to meet. Build a network akin to that of the Indian Railways or even the National Highways Authority of India. Let it carry out emergency operations such as earthquake relief (like the one in Nepal), rescuing Indians from sticky situations and meet other social objectives like Haj pilgrimages. With this one act, we can kill many birds with a single stone. Cut losses steeply: Three out of 120-odd international routes (all short hauls) flown by Air India make money, as Mahesh Sharma, minister of state (independent charge) for aviation told Parliament in 2014. Almost all the long-haul flights are bleeding. On domestic routes too, very few routes actually earn a profit. Free the private players: The private sector need no longer be asked to fulfil the remote connectivity guidelines and operate to places that are not viable. Why should a Vistara with a business and premium economy configuration be forced to fly to Kohima? On a route where it has no hope of filling its business-class seats? In today's day and age, it's hard for airlines to fill business-class seats even on the Delhi-Mumbai route. It's unreasonable to impose these guidelines on private airlines and begin with a red mark on their books. End privileges: Free tickets for staff and employees to foreign destinations, upgrades and a host of smaller privileges that the staff and bureaucrats have invented over the years will disappear overnight. These privileges will automatically be less attractive and therefore, less worth the trouble. Who needs upgrades for short, domestic hops? No miniature foreign liquor bottles to pilfer. Make money from airplanes: The airline can lease out its wide-bodied aircraft and earn some money from them for a change. Free up slots abroad and save some money. Vacate real estate at prime airports - Heathrow, Narita and others - around the world and save some money. At a macro level, there are at least three obvious positives. By freeing up bilateral rights, Air India's withdrawal can make way for some of the private sector players to step in and perhaps build a strong private international carrier out of India - something Air India has failed to do for 50 years now. Two, domestic connectivity can be enhanced, bringing with it all kinds of multiplier benefits to the economy. And finally, we can justify the amount spent to keep it up and running. The government can ask a taxpayer to finance a flight to some remote corner of the country and he may do it out of the goodness of his heart. But why would he cross-subsidise a flight from Delhi to San Francisco? This way - and this way alone - can one justify the Rs 6,000 crore that we, the taxpayers, spend on it every year. The main stumbling block I see to this is that we, Indians - more than one minister in the past has told me that Air India is a matter of national pride - may have to swallow our pride. Let our national carrier be reduced to a regional one. But we must wake up to the fact that Air India's instance is not unique. The world over, governments have accepted that it is not their job to fly planes. Look across the globe and national carriers have been privatised, shrunk or shut down. We can follow suit. 'In our media and general population the idea of 'strong posture' was successfully sold by Modi. This is now a liability for him, as he has discovered,' says Aakar Patel. How should Prime Minister Narendra Modi manage his Pakistan policy? Let's look at it without emotion. Foreign policy usually is the domain of a handful of experts. Neither you nor I really know what the contours are of India's policy with New Zealand, Norway or Nigeria, nor do we care. This lack of public interest gives those handful of experts and the politicians they report to flexibility and space. If there is a tweak or change needed in the way India deals with such nations, it is easy to bring about. Sometimes, however, foreign policy comes into the popular domain. It forced itself into the American electoral space through the attacks of September 11. Nations that America had ignored for years needed to be aggressively engaged because of public pressure. The country went to war because the population demanded retribution. Those politicians who may have otherwise counselled caution (like Hillary Clinton) were unable to resist. The fallout of those actions is still with us, and that is a different matter. On Pakistan, our policy is at the moment in the popular domain. Two things have brought it there. The mischief in India by elements of the Pakistani state and the militias they have worked with for three decades is the first. This is episodic and the public interest in this (as represented by the number of television debates) waxes and wanes. On the face of it, terror is not that big an issue for India. Leaving aside the conflict areas of Kashmir, the Northeast and the Naxal belt, total terrorism fatalities in 2015 were 13, in 2014 they were 4, in 2013 they were 25 and the year before that 1. These numbers include those killed as terrorists. By any measure, terrorism is not a primary concern for Indians as the data show. Five lakh Indian children die each year of malnutrition, to put the numbers in perspective. But we must accept that because at least some of it is deliberately exported to us, there will always be more anger associated with such events. Now there is a second aspect that has brought terrorism and our Pakistan policy into the public domain. That is the BJP's and particularly the prime minister's insistence that previous governments were soft. A stronger posture (which the BJP will provide) will put an end to our problems. Can it? The events have shown that the answer is no, and this was predictable. Our options in dealing with Pakistan, or any other nation for that matter, are only three no matter what party rules India: Discussions, arbitration or war. We can force Pakistan to submit through war, we can ask a third party or court to mediate our dispute or we can talk. There is no fourth option. The BJP convinced itself that not-talking was a kind of policy. It is not. It is merely a show of anger and irritation. It doesn't get us what we want. Saying the 'ball is in Pakistan's court' after the Pathankot attacks doesn't really address anything. We need to engage with Pakistan because we need something very specific from them: Ensuring that their nationals do not kill our nationals. There are other things we need, for instance access to and from Afghanistan and Iran and Central Asia. But these are secondary. Of the three options available to us, war is out of question because of our mistake at Pokhran. Before 1998, we had a conventional weapons advantage over Pakistan which we squandered. We forced Nawaz Sharif to weaponise Pakistan's nuclear programme, and allowed them to advertise their deterrence at Chagai. Even if we want to, we can no longer punish Pakistan with a short, sharp raid. Those who say limited strikes are an option cannot guarantee that there will be no escalation. And it will take a particularly unhinged leader who will gamble with our lives to secure a little military prestige. Mediation by third parties India is against and so that leaves only one option: to talk. We have to talk even when there are clear violations, as happened in Mumbai and Pathankot. We have to talk because it is in our interest. Not talking does not stop terrorism. Talking to them has many advantages including lessening the mindless artillery exchanges we engage in all the time, costing civilian lives. In our media and general population the idea of 'strong posture' was successfully sold by Modi. This is now a liability for him, as he has discovered. If he clearly frames the problem and explains our options to the public directly, he will be able to reverse the prevailing opinion that we have a fourth option when it comes to dealing with Pakistan. He retains immense credibility among Indians. He will have no problem successfully selling the reversal. Aakar Patel is Executive Director, Amnesty International India. The views expressed here are personal. You can read more of Aakar's columns here IMAGE: A Border Security Force soldier guards the fenced border with Pakistan near Jammu. Photo: Mukesh Gupta/Reuters IMAGE: Vehicles set on fire after clashes between two groups at the Kaliachak police station in Malda. Photograph: PTI The Malda riots occurred on January 3, a day after the Pathankot terror attack. Common sense must dictate that an attack on the nation deserves more coverage than a local riot, says Syed Firdaus Ashraf. When one of my Modi bhakt friends told me how the media was ignoring the Kaliachak riots in Malda, West Bengal, I ignored him. It was, I felt, his daily rant against the 'sickular media', as the bhakt brigade deems my profession. Surprisingly, another friend last week told me the media was ignoring the Kaliachak riots because the perpetrators were Muslim. For those not in the know, the Kaliachak riots broke out on January 3 after a Muslim mob protested against Kamlesh Tiwari, a Hindu Mahasabha leader who three weeks earlier made derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammed. Many people were injured and vehicles were burned in the violence that followed. In my friend's opinion, Muslims destroyed police chowkies and attacked Hindus, but the media was ignoring the incident. The media, he added, had hyped up the Dadri killing of Mohammed Akhlaq where the mob was Hindu but it kept mum about Malda where the mob was Muslim. He then showed me a Whatsapp message which had columnist Suhel Seth's tweet: 'Hello Media Honchos! Is Malda not a part of India? Or is silence the new strategy?' The media, this friend claimed, was only interested in defaming the Modi government when the victim is a Muslim, but no one wanted to point fingers at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who, he alleged, supported Muslim communalists openly and did not take action against them. I felt I needed to defend the 'sickular media.' I told him there were reports in almost every newspaper on the Malda riots. I also saw Rajdeep Sardesai conduct a discussion on the Malda riots on India Today TV. (By the way, Rajdeep is a favourite target of the bhakts.) My friend then said the riots were not covered in detail and mentioned just in passing. I asked him: Do you know when V P Singh died? He said he had no idea. I told him V P Singh died on November 27, 2008, but there was no coverage befitting a former prime minister in the media. At best, there were brief reports about his death. The reason, I told him, was that V P Singh died at a time when Mumbai was under attack by Pakistani terrorists. The whole nation wanted to know what was going on in Mumbai, and this drowned out news about V P Singh's death. I mention this because there is a similarity between the Malda riots and the Pathankot terrorist attack. On January 2, a group of men from the Pakistani terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed attacked the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot. It shocked the nation because just a week earlier, on December 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had paid a surprise visit to Lahore and met with his counterpart Nawaz Sharif. Everyone wanted to know who these terrorists were. Were our air assets safe? Were the families living in the Pathankot airbase safe? Had the terrorists been neutralised? Had the base been secured? All this, it seemed, was of little concern to the bhakts who were more bothered about why the 'sickular' media was ignoring the Malda riots. The Malda riots occurred on January 3, when the terrorists in Pathankot still had to be neutralised. Common sense dictated that an attack on the nation deserved more coverage than the Malda riots. It is a completely wrong perceptio to say that the media ignored the Malda riots. It did cover the riots just like they did the Purnea riots (for the same reason as Malda) in Bihar last week. On November 18, 2015, some 10 days after the Bihar assembly election results, I got a message from a Modi bhakt and I quote, 'In the last ten days, not ONE award has been returned. NO controversy over a religious comment, NO talks about beef/meat anymore. Just sit back and think how the media and politicians manipulated 1 billion people during elections. Good to see that the country has once again magically become tolerant and secular! It is a miracle.' I replied, stating, 'Just like the Dadri lynching kind of incidents have stopped. Beef is no issue now. Riots across India are not taking place because elections are not taking place.' There was complete silence from his side. And for those who don't know, elections in West Bengal and Assam are likely to be held in May. The Assam governor made a statement in the last week of November, 'Hindustan for Hindus.' And now, two months later in January, we are witnessing the Malda riots. What does it all suggest? Elections are round the corner, India! Pakistani military officers were involved in the attack on the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif in which assailants attempted to storm the mission building, a senior Afghan police official said on Tuesday. "We saw with our own eyes and I can say 99 per cent that those attackers were from Pakistani military and used special tactics while conducting their operation," Sayed Kamal Sadat, police chief of the Balkh province, said of the attack that took place last week. Sadat said the attackers -- officers from across the border -- were well-trained military men who fought Afghan security forces in the 25-hour siege. "The attackers were military personnel. They were educated and well prepared and had intelligence. They fought us and only by Allah's grace were we able to control them and eliminate them," Sadat was quoted as saying by Tolo News. The police official said efforts were underway to track down, identify and detain those who assisted the attackers to gain access to the building that was opposite the Indian Consulate. "We are jointly working with the NDS director and have spoken about this - especially as they came here not able to speak in Dari or Pashtu but speaking in Urdu. It means obviously there is someone who guided those attackers and helped the attackers," Sadat said. An intense gun-battle between security forces and the attackers took place outside the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif after assailants attempted to storm the mission building on January 3. The standoff ended on the night of January 4 after the attackers who entered the building opposite the Indian Consulate were killed. One police solider also lost his life and nine others including three civilians were wounded in the incident. As the Consulate came under attack, Indo-Tibetan Border Police guards deployed on the sentry post foiled their attempt by raining heavy fire on them. A strong contingent of over four-dozen ITBP commandos has been securing this facility from 2008 apart from three other missions in the country and the main Embassy in the capital, Kabul. The security of these sensitive facilities was recently heightened after the ITBP deployed over 35 commandos at Indian missions in Kabul, Jalalabad, Herat, Kandhar and Mazar-e-Sharif. 'I only pray that no other Indian should go through such harassment and distress. Am I not a citizen of India?' Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com reports. Arif Hussain, 23, a student of MA in History and an IAS aspirant, from Jammu and Kashmir's Chinor town, narrates the ordeal he, his sister and her husband had to go through in New Delhi on the intervening night of January 9-10 (Saturday-Sunday) just because they hailed from J& K. While Arif acknowedges that the sense of security and suspicion at the hotel, where the trio sought accommodation at around 1 am on January 10, must have been heightened because of the Pathankot terror attack, he fails to understand why an Indian, irrespective of his religion and region, should have been denied a hotel room even when they showed valid identity proofs issued by the Government of India. For those unaware of how Indian citizens were denied their rights in the heart of India's national capital, this is how the story goes... Arif, his sister and brother-in-law, arrived in Delhi from Agra, where they had gone sightseeing, around midnight. Arif, who had reached Faridabad on Friday morning, had decided to go for a short tour of 'Incredible India'. The trio decided to travel to Agra on Saturday from where they had plans to visit Nainital on Sunday, the tickets for which were already booked, spend a couple of days there and then head back to Faridkot and then Chinor. However, their ordeal at three Delhi hotels, which denied them accommodation because Arif was from Jammu and Kashmir put paid to this Kashmiri's dreams of spending a few days at picturesque Nainital. When they reached the New Delhi station around Saturday midnight the autorickshaw driver took them to Hotel Mahalaxmi at Paharganj, it being close to New Delhi station and on the request of the family that they had to reach New Delhi station by 6 am the next morning to head towards Nainital. First, the person who attended them at the hotel told them that accommodation was available. His stance changed when he saw Arif's identity proof. "The hotel manager refused us the room after seeing my driving license and Voters ID card. I think they were thinking of us as terrorists just because we were from Jammu & Kashmir. But we had valid ID proofs issued by the Government of India," says Arif. The hotel manager told them he was acting on the Delhi police's instructions. When Arif and his brother-in-law, who works at the Canara Bank in Faridabad, who, in turn, also showed his bank credentials, this is what the trio got to hear from the manager: "You are from Jammu (and Kashmir) so we can't give you rooms. We don't provide rooms to people from Jammu & Kashmir. He said they have been instructed by the Delhi police not to give rooms to people from Jammu & Kashmir, Pakistan and Afghanistan." While this statement from the hotel manager shocked the trio, they moved out in search of another hotel in Paharganj thinking that they would find a room to spend a few hours in the vicinity. Shockingly, they were given the same excuse as the manager at Hotel Mahalaxmi, which left them completely dejected. One hotel asked them to get police clearance. "I told him we were not criminals to go to the police and get a clearance before renting out a room. We had valid ID cards issued by the Government of India, so why should we get clearance from the police?" asks Arif. Finally, the three decided to go back to the New Delhi railway station en route to Nainital as it was 2 am by then. At the station, Arif tweeted his predicament to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Dr Kumar Vishwas of the Aam Aadmi Party and Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi, in the hope that those who have the authority to take action against such discrimination would act and ameliorate the situation. Only reporter Rifat Jawaid frrom jantakareporter.com and a few spirited Delhiites took cudgels on Arif's behalf on Twitter. "I tweeted about my harassment to Arvind Kejriwal, Kumar Vishwas, Manish Sisodia and B S Bassi, but till date nobody has bothered to respond to my tweets. Only Rifat Jawaid of JanataKaReporter responded to my tweet," says Arif. Sadly, the Twitter campaign, expectedly, soon got embroiled in a free for all with trolls calling Arif a Pakistani and a Modi-baiter. "Lot of people on Twitter expressed their sympathies with me, but there were those who called me a Pakistani, anti-Modi, etc. Now where did the prime minister come into all this, I fail to understand," says Arif. "There is a possibility that they refused me rooms because of my religion and region. But I don't want my religion to be brought into this. I am giving you the facts as they happened. I am not cooking up a story," Arif adds. When the family, now in complete shock, reached Nainital from the Kathgodam railway station at 11.40 am Sunday (January 10), they dropped plans to stay a couple of days in the picturesque surroundings. "We started from Nainital at around 7 pm yesterday (on Sunday, January 10) and reached Delhi at around 4 am (Monday, January 11). "When you say J&K, people start looking at you with suspicion. We didn't want to get humiliated again." "I only pray that no other Indian should go through such harassment and distress. What if we had an ill or an elderly person along with us? I was with my sister. We felt harassed despite being Indian citizens? Am I not a citizen of India?" "From now on, we will think twice before going anywhere in India as tourists." Massimiliano Latorre, one of the two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen in 2012 off the Kerala coast, will not return to India, according to the Head of Italian Senate's defence committee. Latorre was allowed by the Supreme Court in September 2014 to go to Italy initially for four months after he had suffered a brain stroke. His stay there was extended subsequently. "Massimiliano Latorre will not go back to India and work is being done on the possibility of requesting for Salvatore Girone to be able to return to Italy," Senator Nicola Latorre was quoted as saying by Italy's ANSA news agency on Tuesday. Salvatore Girone, the other accused, is still in New Delhi and Italy has been seeking his return as well. The Supreme Court on July 13 last year had allowed Latorre to stay in Italy for another six months on medical grounds, after the government did not object to his plea. The six-month period ends on Wednesday. The matter may come up for hearing in the apex court on Wednesday. The marines, who were on board ship 'Enrica Lexie', are accused of killing two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast on February 15, 2012 after mistaking them for pirates. The Supreme Court which was handling the case suspended the court proceedings relating to the trial of two marines in August last year following an order to this effect by International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea which was approached by Italy for international arbitration. Supporters of the bull taming sport Jalikattu on Tuesday staged protests in Tamil Nadu after Supreme Court stayed the Centre's notification lifting the ban on it, amidst demands by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and Dravida Munnetra Kazhgham supremo Karunanidhi for an ordinance to hold the event. Meanwhile Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan assured positive action in this regard. Dismayed supporters and organisers of the sport resorted to agitations and road blockades in some parts of the state and downed shutters in various areas, including those in Madurai district, hitting normalcy. Police said the situation in some areas in Madurai district where the sport has largely been held traditionally was tense, but under control. Protests were held in areas including Alanganallur, Palamedu and Avaniapuram in the district. In one voice, political leaders of Tamil Nadu demanded an ordinance by the Centre to facilitate holding Jallikattu. Recalling her December's request last year to promulgate an ordinance to enable holding Jallikattu, Jayalalithaa said, "Considering the urgency of the issue, I strongly reiterate my earlier request to promulgate an ordinance forthwith to enable the conduct of Jallikattu." "On behalf of the people of Tamil Nadu I urge you to take immediate action in this regard," she told Modi in a letter. People's sentiments should be respected, she said, adding arrangements had already been made all over the state to hold Jallikattu and circulars sent to district authorities over it. "It is very important that the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu, who have a deep attachment to the conduct of the traditional event of Jallikattu, are respected," she said. Echoing her views, DMK chief Karunanidhi said, "All Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu have only expressed the opinions reflected in the letter written by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to Prime Minister Modi." "Hence, the Centre, in particular PM Modi, should take immediate steps in this emotional issue of the Tamil Nadu people," he said. "On behalf of DMK, I urge that an ordinance amending the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, be promulgated and help holding Jallikattu sport," he said. "The court stay is deeply disappointing. The Central government will take appropriate action on this issue after studying the court ruling," Minister of State for Shipping, Pon Radhakrishnan told PTI. People want cultural practices to be nurtured, he said, adding he would leave for Delhi on Wednesday tentatively. "The issue will be discussed at appropriate official channels," he said. Later, speaking to reporters, Karunandhi said, "I believe that the Central government will act understanding the feelings of Tamils and not deny what we have sought." DMK treasurer M K Stalin demanded that the Centre immediately pursue the issue legally, so as to facilitate conduct of the sport in Tamil Nadu. Expressing disappointment on the court stay, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam chief and leader of opposition in State Assembly, Vijayakanth sought legal steps to get the stay of Supreme Court vacated, paving the way for holding the bull taming sport in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu Congress Committee chief E V K S Elangovan sought steps on a war footing through an ordinance to facilitate the bull taming sport. Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary and leader of People's Welfare Front Vaiko said the Central and state governments should take appropriate action to facilitate conducting of Jallikattu. PMK Lok Sabha MP Anbumani Ramadoss asked the Centre to immediately move the court to get the interim stay removed. "Chief Minister Jayalalithaa should convene an all-party meeting and lead a delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to exert pressure and find a permanent solution to the issue," he said. The Supreme Court had earlier on Tuesday stayed the Centre's January 7, 2016, notification, lifting the ban on Jallikattu. It had also issued notices returnable in four weeks to environment ministry and Tamil Nadu over the issue. Animal rights groups had strongly opposed the notification. The notification lifting the ban was challenged in the apex court by Animal Welfare Board of India, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals India and a Bangalore-based NGO. The May 2014 ban on holding the sport was lifted on January 8 by the Modi government in poll-bound Tamil Nadu with certain restrictions. Widening the probe in Pathankot terror attack case, National Investigation Agency teams visited Samba and Kathua areas of Jammu region on Tuesday where similar strikes had taken place last year and quizzed for the second day a Punjab police officer who was allegedly kidnapped by terrorists hours before the assault on the air base. The NIA sources said a team of the agency on Tuesday visited the army camp in Samba on the Jammu-Pathankot highway where two terrorists had opened fire on March 21 last year. Both the militants were shot dead by security forces, while three people including a major were injured in the gun battle. Another team also visited Kathua where Rajbagh police station was attacked by a group of militants a day before. Three security personnel, two militants and as many civilans were killed in the ensuing exchange of fire. They said the agency could spot "glaring" similarities in the modus operandi of the terrorists, who attacked installations in Kathua and Samba and those who mounted the brazen assault on Pathankot IAF base on the intervening night of January one and two this year. In a related development, the NIA has asked mobile telephone service providers to submit details about the calls made using three particular towers which give coverage to the IAF base in Pathankot, after initial probe indicated that the terrorists had entered the restricted area in the morning of January one, sources said. They said officials of Defence Security Corps and others responsible for handling entry and exit at the base were being questioned to ascertain possible lapses that allowed the terrorists to enter the restricted areas without being noticed. Meanwhile, questioning of Salwinder Singh, a superintendent of police rank officer, continued for the second day on Tuesday at the NIA headquarters, with the agency claiming he has been changing statements quite often. NIA has also summoned Somraj, caretaker of Panj Peer Dargah in Punjab, which Singh had claimed to have visitedbefore he was kidnapped by terrorists, who attacked the Pathankot Air Force base hours later. The shrine is located a few kilometres from Bamiyal, the village from where the terrorists were suspected to have infiltrated India before mounting the attack. Somraj's statement that Salwinder Singh had came to the shrine for the first time before the attack and that his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and his cook Madan Gopal had visited the dargah twice the same day had raised eyebrows as the police officer had earlier claimed he was a regular visitor to the place. Singh continued to face tough questions from from interrogators who have been asking him about various "loop-holes" in his statement given to Punjab Police wherein he had claimed he had been blindfolded by the terrorists who spoke in Hindi, Urdu and Kashmiri languages. The NIA has already summoned Madan Gopal to its headquarters on Wednesday for questioning. Sources said, if needed, he will be brought face to face with Singh, posted as Assistant Commandant of 75th battalion of Punjab Armed Police after he was removed as SP (headquarters) Gurdaspur. The terror probe agency has sent his mobile phone to Central Forensic Science Laboratory to ascertain details of calls made from it possibly by the terrorists involved in the 80-hour gun battle with security forces. The central agency had launched investigation immediately after terrorists struck inside the IAF base on the intervening night of January 1 and 2. NIA also recovered a magazine with seven live bullets from the scene of encounter at the IAF base on Tuesday. Rescue teams gather at the scene after an explosion in central Istanbul on Tuesday. Photograph: Kemal Aslan/Reuters At least 10 people were killed and several others injured in an explosion at central Istanbul's Sultanahmet square, a major tourist spot. Eyewitness said the explosion was very loud. "We shook a lot. We ran out and saw body parts," a woman who works at a nearby antiques store said. A video footage on CNN Turk channel showed police and ambulance at the scene. Turkish media quoted the office of Istanbuls governor as saying that at least 15 people have been injured in the blast and rescue teams and ambulances have reached the spot. The governor's office said that the cause of blast has not yet been ascertained and the investigation is on. However, an official said on condition of anonymity that a suicide bomber may be responsible for the explosion. Police secures the area after an explosion in central Istanbul, Turkey on Tuesday. Photograph: Osman Orsal/Reuters Tourists were among the victims of the explosion, reports indicate, while wounded persons were transferred to nearby hospitals, mainly Haseki Training and Research Hospital. "The explosion was so loud, the ground shook. There was a very heavy smell that burned my nose. I started running away with my daughter. We went into a nearby building and stayed there for half an hour. It was really scary," a German tourist was quoted as saying by news agencies. Turkey has also become a target for terrorists, with two bombings last year blamed on the radical Islamic State group, in the town of Suruc near the Syrian border and in the capital Ankara, the latter killing more than 100 people. Kurdish, leftist and Islamist militants have all carried out attacks in Turkey in the past. IMAGE: People burn tyres during protests after two engineers of a construction company were murdered in Bihar. Photograph: PTI Munni Devi, the police claim, not only sheltered the killers, but was also a key conspirator. M I Khan reports from Patna. Amid mounting pressure from the Opposition alleging return of 'jungle raj' in Bihar after the killing of two engineers working for a construction company, the police arrested the sister and brother-in-law of jailed gangster Santosh Jha from the Darbhanga railway station. The woman, Munni Devi -- who is the chief of the Baheri block in Darbhanga district and is reportedly close to several well-known politicians in the state -- is said to be the main link between Santosh Jha and his gang, which is allegedly involved in the killing of the two engineers who worked for the Gurgaon-based BSC-C&C Joint Venture Ltd. "Munni Devi has been working as the main link between Santosh Jha and his gang, which used to demand rangdari (extortion money) from construction companies engaged in state infrastructure projects," a senior police officer at the police headquarters in Patna told this correspondent. Munni Devi was earlier given a clean chit by Darbhanga Superintendent of Police A K Satyarthi who said there was no proof of her involvement in the crime. Soon after the engineers were killed, Munni and her husband Sanjay Lal Dev fled to Delhi to escape the heat. The move to arrest them came after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's office put pressure on the authorities to round up all the suspects in the murders. After the police obtained an arrest warrant against her, pasted a notice at her home and publicly announced it would attach her properties if she failed to surrender, Munni Devi and her husband arrived in Darbhanga on Saturday, January 9, and were arrested at the railway station. They were later sent to judicial custody. During the ongoing investigation, it was discovered that Munni Devi not only sheltered shooters from her brother's gang who were involved in the killing, but allegedly played an active role in planning the murders. According to the police, Munni Devi, left, used to visit the Gaya Central Jail where Santosh Jha was lodged before the murders. Munni Devi had a long meeting with her brother at the Gaya jail at the end of November. "Authorities of the Gaya jail were directed to keep CCTV footage of her meeting with Santosh Jha as evidence because shortly after her visit, three people -- including the two engineers -- were shot dead by the gang," the police officer said. A supervisor of an electricity company was shot dead on December 2 in Sheohar district, followed the killing of the two engineers on December 26 in Darbhanga district. In both murders, the shooters used AK-47 rifles. Superintendent of Police Satyarthi later said Munni Devi and her husband Sanjay were charged with conspiracy and providing shelter to the shooters who allegedly killed the two engineers. The two engineers were killed, the police said, when the company they worked for refused to pay the extortion money demanded by Santosh Jha's gang. Although she is a Brahmin, Munni Devi contested block-level elections from the reserved seat of Baheri, claiming to be a Mahadalit. Several complaints were filed against her candidature with the local administration, but no action was taken reportedly for fear of Santosh Jha's gang. Before Munni Devi was arrested, her brother-in-law Pintoo Lal Dev was arrested on charges of providing information about the movement of the two engineers to the killers on the day they were killed. Pintoo Lal was closely associated with the two shooters, Mukesh Pathak and Vikas Jha. The trio were seen at Munni Devi's home two days before the crime. A senior manager at the construction company revealed that Mukesh Pathak has been demanding rangdari since August. Pathak had called the company several times between December 16 and 20, demanding money. Santosh Jha was shifted to Bhagalpur Jail after the murders. A Special Investigation Team has so far arrested ten members of Santosh Jha's gang in the case. Congo's forgotten war: The militia of Mambasa Publisher IRIN Author Claude Muhindo Sengenya Publication Date 8 January 2016 Cite as IRIN, Congo's forgotten war: The militia of Mambasa, 8 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56940445d31.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. In spite of the death more than a year ago of key commander Paul Sadala, known as "Morgan", his Simba militia continue to wreak havoc in Mambasa, a vast territory of more than 35,000 square kilometres in Ituri Province, in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. On the night of 5th and 6th of December, armed militiamen attacked two Mambasa mining facilities, located between the towns of Niania and Isiro. During the attack, 47 people were kidnapped, one woman was gang-raped by nine assailants, and a horde of valuable goods was carted off into the forest. This was just one of several incidents in December. Some 40 other civilians, most of them women, were also kidnapped from the Bakaiko mining area, also by Simba militia. "We have no news of these hostages," Alfred Bongwalanga, administrator of Mambasa Territory, told IRIN. And this doesn't seem to be the end of the violence in the region, which is home to some 500,000 people. In mid-December, Simba militia distributed leaflets threatening to attack two other localities: Mabukusi and Epulu. "The security services have collected leaflets from several different villages," Bongwalanga told Radio Okapi. "It's just like what already happened in Makubusi. They warn us in advance before carrying out their assault," he said, referring to a previous attack on that village in November. A thriving militia Mambasa civil society president Kiski Maulana told IRIN that Simba militia attacks across Ituri Province over the past year have seen hundreds of civilians, the majority of them women, abducted - many of them also raped. The militia also burn down people's huts, forcing them to move. "Since Morgan's death (in April 2014), two other leaders have taken the helm, Manu and Mangaribi, close allies of the former rebel chief," said Maulana. "Until these two leaders are apprehended, the Simba militia will always be active." The Simba militia is a broad term for several Mai Mai groups operating in the region. The number of fighters is unknown. According to Bongwalanga, they are most active in Bakaiko, an isolated region located where the territories of Mambasa, Beni, and Lubero intersect. "Here, they surround mining areas and villages, kill a certain number of civilians, kidnap others, rape the women, and steal valuable goods, like minerals," he said. Local journalist Wasukundi Makeom, from the community TV/radio station Mazingira, told IRIN that the Simba militia are simply criminals, lacking any obvious political agenda. Maulana agreed. "They have no clear ideology," he said. "All they do is sabotage the efforts of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve (a UNESCO World Heritage site that occupies about one fifth of the Ituri forest). These are simply criminals involved in poaching and the trafficking of natural resources: notably minerals and wood. They have no desire to one day rule Mambasa." "And to get arms and weaponry, they attack the Congolese soldiers tasked with protecting certain mining facilities and the Okapi Wildlife Reserve," added Bongwalanga. "They are obviously doing well, because there are now fewer soldiers on these sites." 'To be a woman is a misfortune in Mambasa' Human rights group GADHOP has been documenting cases of sexual violence against women perpetrated by Simba militiamen, recording 150 abductions and rapes in 2015 alone. These aren't just traffickers of natural resources, these are also groups waging a campaign of sexual violence, explained GADHOP permanent secretary, Jeremie Kasereka Kitakya. "When they surround the mining areas and the villages, they also take the fleeing women to their camps and use them simply as sexual slaves, and that goes on for several months," Kitakya said. Last September, IRIN travelled to Manguredjipa, in the neighouring territory of Lubero, and met up with a group of women who had just escaped from the Simba militia and who spoke of the pain of living as sex slaves in their forest camps. "In Mambasa, to be a woman is really a misfortune," said Kasoki, a woman in her 40s who escaped in July 2015 after spending about a month as a captive. "The militia attack the villages, and in addition to stealing everything, they also rape the women. Worse still, they take the victims with them into the bush to keep them as sex slaves. "On the way, as well as after we arrive, we are obliged to have sex with the men, who take it in turns to rape us, without respecting our menstrual cycles. I have never had to live through such an ordeal." As sex slaves, the women can't have children, even if a militiaman gets them pregnant. Anne, a 14-year-old orphan whose parents were killed when she was still a baby, recalled what happened to her during her three months of captivity in early 2015. "When we became pregnant, the militiamen forced us to have abortions. They kicked us in our stomachs to kill the foetuses. "One day, the militiaman who had become my partner and who I was living with in the bush even wanted to cut my stomach open to check that my foetus was dead. If it wasn't for the intervention of his friends, I think I would have been killed." Some of the women try in vain to escape. They are quickly tracked down, recaptured, and taken back to camp. Torture is the best they can expect, if the rebel leaders decide to spare their life. "I tried to escape one day," another former abductee, Kavira, told IRIN. "But the militiamen drove me to their chief, Morgan. After taking off my clothes, Morgan and his close friend Manu (short for Emmanuel) picked up some palm tree branches to torture me. They hit me hard on the back, all over my body. "I had injuries everywhere. I will never forget that day," she said, showing IRIN the scars that still marked her back. The need for a big military campaign Several sources in Ituri told IRIN there has never been a joint operation by the UN force (MONUSCO) and the Congolese army (FARDC) against the Simba militia. "What I know is that there have never been joint operations in the proper sense of the term," Laurent Sam Oussou, a MONUSCO spokesman in Ituri, told IRIN. "We have two operating bases in the Mambasa region, in Biakato and Madimba. The Congolese army have just installed their 31st brigade in Mambasa. On the ground, we do regular patrols. This presence can facilitate the preparation of joint operations." But for GADHOP, military intervention is urgently needed to rescue the region from Simba violence. "At the moment, the army seems to be concentrating on foreign armed groups. It forgets that the militia, like the Simba, are also committing atrocities," warned Kitakya. "If we launch large-scale military operations, the Simba won't resist. They are not well enough equipped or organised to do that." Makeo, the local journalist, also urged the Congolese government to boost its military and police presence in Mambasa. "The security forces are absent and weakly represented in numerous villages. The militia take advantage of this to attack the civilians, as they know any intervention will come late, especially in isolated forest regions and numerous villages that aren't accessible on foot. "It is necessary therefore to restore the authority of the state, to open up these places again." MONUSCO's Oussou urged the people of Mambasa to trust and support the UN peacekeepers. "They must continue to give us information and break away from these militia. There are also people who have made pacts with the Simba to enrich themselves, by trafficking the natural resources. They must stop this behaviour to allow us to bring an end to these militia." Will peacekeeper plan help end Burundi violence? Publisher IRIN Publication Date 18 December 2015 Cite as IRIN, Will peacekeeper plan help end Burundi violence?, 18 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56940e7c8072.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Plans for the African Union to deploy 5,000 peacekeepers to protect civilians in Burundi have been broadly welcomed, but will they help end months of deadly political unrest ignited by President Pierre Nkurunziza's quest for a third term? Friday's announcement by the AU's Peace and Security Council was historic for two reasons. It was the first time the AU had invoked a clause allowing it to intervene in a country without permission if the situation is grave enough. And it also lined up the possibility of a first operation for the fledgling East African Standby Force within a member country. But experts cautioned that we shouldn't be getting ahead of ourselves, not only because the United Nations still has to approve the move, but also because Nkurunziza may not allow it. "It is important to note that the idea of the deployment first has to be approved by the Burundian government," Stephanie Wolters, head of conflict prevention and risk analysis at the Institute for Security Studies, told IRIN. If it refuses, the matter goes back to the AU for a vote of heads of state. Two thirds must be in favour in order for the deployment to go ahead, and with several other regional leaders facing mandate issues and wary of setting a precedent for foreign intervention, this is by no means assured. "Although the African Union charter allows for intervention in a member state in the event of an acute crisis such as genocide, war and crimes against humanity, this does not mean that African heads of state will approve the deployment of troops," Wolters said. "Many other heads of state would likely frown upon the possibility that the AU could intervene in their own domestic matters, so a vote in favour of the deployment is far from guaranteed. It would be ground-breaking, as it would be the first time that the AU sends troops to a country without being invited." Could such a force actually work? Phil Clark, a Great Lakes expert at SOAS, University of London, said it was a long overdue response by the AU but doubted the plans would be effective if implemented. "Most likely the troops will come from the East African Standby Force, which has no direct fighting experience," Clark told IRIN. "The Standby Force has provided military advisors in Somalia and elsewhere but it has never fired a shot in anger. It seems ill-prepared to deal with the magnitude of the situation in Burundi." There would also be concerns about which countries' soldiers should comprise the force. How, for example, could Rwanda join given Nkurunziza's allegations that Kigali has been supporting Burundian rebels? "For these reasons, I doubt the Standby Force can help end the conflict," said Clark. "It may even inflame the situation if Burundi interprets this as military meddling by its neighbours." Christoph Vogel, a Great Lakes expert at the University of Zurich, agreed. "Neutrality is an issue," he told IRIN. "Technically, there are few fully honest brokers in the region. Literally, each neighbour country, for instance, has security concerns and hosts Burundian refugees." Experts also voiced concerns about the finances and logistics of such a mission, especially as the AU does not have the resources and would have to rely on outside donors. Talks not guns Ultimately, negotiation rather than military intervention is the best chance of a long-term solution to the political unrest, which has left hundreds dead since April and displaced hundreds of thousands more. But experts felt the AU move could still form part of the solution. "The recent escalation of violence, demands some sort of intervention - if only to work as a buffer and contain violence against civilians," said Vogel. "However, if not accompanied by a genuine political process - none of which we have seen so far - military intervention is always at risk of becoming peacebuilding lip-service or captured by other interests." The Ugandan government, which is chairing regional mediation efforts, has said that Burundi peace negotiations will start soon. "We hope this week or next week, once the logistics are in place and the parties convene in Kampala, then the talks can start," Henry Okello Oryem, Uganda's state minister for foreign affairs, told reporters on Monday. Jason Stearns, from the Center on International Cooperation at New York University, welcomed the AU plans on peacekeepers as a means to an end. "The deployment of an African Union force might provide the pressure needed to get a real political process under way," he told IRIN. "It's not so much having troops who will be engaged in fighting - although it hopefully would put a damper on the violence - but by sending a mission the AU deploys political and diplomatic assets that can help forge a peaceful path out of the current morass." Wolters agreed. "It is very important that the AU take a strong lead on the Burundi crisis and that is why this decision is significant, even if it does not automatically give the AU the green light to deploy," she said. How do Burundians feel? In the flashpoint districts of Bujumbura, where most of the unrest has taken place, including some 87 people killed in the worst day of violence last week, there was relief at the news. Fidelite Hakizumukama, who owns a beauty salon in the Musaga neighbourhood, told IRIN it was "a good thing as the international community will see the reality or the scale of the massacres that are taking place, especially in the capital." Martin Dushime, 31, in Ngagara, said that since protests erupted in April ahead of Nkurunziza's reelection to a constitutionally dubious third term in July, he had been living each day in "grave fear." "I can only welcome with joy the decision to send African Union troops to Burundi for 2 reasons: because there might be a counter-force against the brutality of the 'security forces' and secondly so that people can get back to their normal lives: go and see their friends, go and pray, go out for the evening - those small things that today seem to be forgotten in our supposedly anti-establishment districts." However, not all were in agreement. "I am shocked," Gad Ndayikunda, a member of the ruling party's Imbonerakure youth wing, told IRIN. "It's a way to deprive the Burundian majority of their sovereignty." Nkurunziza led a faction of Hutus against the then Tutsi-dominated army during Burundi's 1993-2005 civil war and although the country has made great strides since, there are concerns that worsening political violence could deepen any lingering ethnic tensions. * Additional reporting by Desire Nimubona in Bujumbura How Boko Haram is killing off farms Publisher IRIN Author Ibrahim AbdulAziz Publication Date 17 December 2015 Cite as IRIN, How Boko Haram is killing off farms, 17 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56940fb621dd.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Bulama Buba Kadai once owned 20 farms and more than 100 head of cattle near Gwoza in northeastern Nigeria. A year ago, when Boko Haram attacked his village, Kadai's land and all but two cows were destroyed. He also lost his two sons - the sole heirs of any property he may one day leave behind. "I think most of us are going back to our graves," Kadai told IRIN. Ongoing attacks have destroyed land and killed thousands of young men since 2009, and, in some cases, wiped out or displaced entire generations of farmers and herders. The future of many rural communities in northeastern Nigeria is, at best, uncertain, at worst, unsustainable. Kadai, and some 500 other farmers from his former community have taken refuge in Malkohi, on the outskirts of Yola, the capital city and administrative capital of Adamawa State. Some of them were temporarily allotted a small piece of land by the local government earlier this year, but yields were poor. He, and many of the others, say they dream of going back to Gwoza, but fear there is also no future there. "In the rural north, the youth are the pillars of agriculture, tending to farms and cattle," said Yakubu Musa, a farmer from Askira. "Now, six years of Boko Haram violence has left farms idle and animals dead or stolen." Like Kadai, Musa lost everything, including his sons, during a Boko Haram raid last year. Living in fear Ahmadu Buba, who escaped a Boko Haram attack earlier this year along with his family, now farms some 20 kilometres away on the outskirts of the border town of Mubi. Though he was "lucky enough" to survive, he saw many of his neighbours slaughtered, and fears a similar fate for himself. "I was on my way to work on the farm with my four children when I caught sight of five men," he told IRIN. "Their faces were covered with turbans and they were carrying AK-47 rifles. They killed some of our most prominent farmers." Buba said many farmers who stayed restrict their movements to "safe areas" and work limited hours in the fields to minimise the risk. He worries about the impact this would have on food supplies and feared the timing of previous attacks could mean food shortages this year. Bulama Modu, a rice farmer from Gwoza who has since taken refuge at a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Malkohi, told IRIN: "Boko Haram has prevented farmers from tilling their fields. They have been attacking us and many farmers were killed, mostly youth. We had to run without tilling our rice." At first, the militants imposed levies and taxes on the farmers in exchange for not burning their crops, he said. In one village in the Chwawa area of Madagali, a community leader, who wished to remain anonymous, said these "fines" ranged from between one and three million naira ($6,000-$18,000), depending on the size of the village. "But later, they started slaughtering people and this situation forced us all to flee," Modu said. His village has since been recaptured by soldiers, and while he hopes to farm again one day, he is still too scared to start replanting. Impact on food security More than 17,000 farmers have fled from northeastern Nigeria to the south since 2012, according to Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) says food production throughout the region will be below average this year, and that areas of western Yobe State, northern Adamawa State and most of Borno State, along with areas in and around Maiduguri, where many IDPs have taken refuge, are expected to remain "in crisis" until at least March 2016. Food prices have also been affected. Inusa Daudu, who sells onions at the Mile 12 Market in Lagos, said that since Boko Haram began attacking farmers the prices of beans and onions have risen by up to 70 percent. "Most of our traders are now afraid to go to the food markets up north," Daudu told IRIN. "Transporters see it as [a] high risk going to such places as Maiduguri to carry farm produce." He cited the example of an attack on the popular Baga fish market in Borno State, which was attacked one morning by Boko Haram gunmen. "Many food stores are locked and whatever is inside is perishing," Daudu said. "It is not only the farmers that are running away, [but] the food sellers and transporters too." Landmine risk Many farmers who have tried to return home are still unable to replant their fields due to landmines. They are forced to seek other employment until their land has been cleared. Others aren't so lucky. Yandum Kwageh spent almost a year in an IDP camp after Boko Haram tore her from the land she called home in Michika. A long-time farmer, she said the only thing that helped her survive the hardships of camp life was the dream of returning to her farm. But in April, when troops finally recaptured her village and she was allowed back, she returned to find destroyed, fallow fields, which, unbeknownst to her, were riddled with landmines. After weeks of digging out weeds and replanting corn, she stepped on a mine left behind by Boko Haram while tending her crops. Kwageh came to in a hospital bed. Now, unable to farm and grow food for her family, she hopes to be able to take out a small loan to start a business. The Commander of the 28 Taskforce Brigade headquarters in Mubi, General V.O. Ezeugwu, told IRIN that there have been "many" similar explosions in farm fields in recent months as refugees and IDPs return to their land in greater numbers. The government says Nigerian troops are working to clear landmines from recaptured areas, but that the work is "both dangerous and very time-consuming." "The troops focus mostly on schools, [health] clinics and roads," Muhammad Bindow Jibrilla, a governor in Adamawa State, told IRIN. "Farms are not considered a high priority." Back in Malkohi, Kadai has given up hope that his farming community near Gwoza will be able to get back on its feet. "What is the use when the youth are all gone?" he asked IRIN. "How can we cope when all we had is gone?" Why can't Myanmar clear its landmines? Publisher IRIN Author Ann Wang Publication Date 7 January 2016 Cite as IRIN, Why can't Myanmar clear its landmines?, 7 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569412077779.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. The morning that everything changed for three young cousins began like almost every other in this quiet community near Myanmar's border with China. The children were walking down a dirt road in the morning sunshine, chatting as they went, when the tranquility was shattered by a huge blast. When the dust cleared, they were covered in blood and writhing in agony on the ground, the latest victims of landmines that litter Myanmar's war-torn frontier regions. "Out of the three kids, two of them passed out, and the only one who was awake kept saying he couldn't breathe," said Luo Dong, an uncle. "We thought the kids would not survive." They did survive the October blast, but they are still recovering from serious injuries. Luo Ben Cing, aged 10, had cuts to his legs and his upper body had to be stitched back together. Luo Ben Qing, also 10, had a skin graft to his right knee and is now blind in one eye. Luo Qian Xiuo, 12, has a fist-sized hole in her right calf and burns all over her body. She is still in the hospital and doctors were pulling out fragments of the landmine from her body two months later. The children are among thousands of people in Myanmar who have been killed or injured by landmines planted by the military or ethnic armed groups during decades of conflict. Despite the scope of the problem, there has been no attempt at all to rid the country of the problem. Clearance efforts have thus far been stymied by ongoing conflict, as well as uncooperative military regimes. But change may be afoot. Representatives from organisations that work on clearing mines and other unexploded ordnance say they hope recent political developments will allow them to begin work soon. A government dominated by former and serving military officers was voted out in November's election, which saw Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party win by a landslide. And there is a new ceasefire accord - at least on paper - which requires all parties to cooperate on clearing mines and other ordnance. "We have high hopes for the new government, and hope that they will cooperate with international organisations like NPA, for the removal of the serious threats to life and health that landmines represent," Ingeborg Moa, country director of Norwegian People's Aid, told IRIN. How big is the problem? Myanmar has been riven by conflict since independence in 1948 and an array of ethnic armed groups have fought the military for independence or autonomy within a federal system. Various groups and the army have laid landmines, but no one knows how many are out there. The Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor ranks Myanmar third after Colombia and Afghanistan for the highest casualty rates in the world. It recorded 3,745 casualties between 1999 and 2014. "However, this is believed to be only a small fraction of the actual figure, which was estimated by the group Mine Free Myanmar to exceed 40,000," said the Monitor in its 10 November report. Any attempts to quantify casualties are hampered by "the lack of an official data collection mechanism, the absence of any basic reporting format or means of sharing data", according to the Monitor, which is published by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and the Cluster Munitions Coalition. In its 2014 annual report published this past November, the Monitor noted that Myanmar was one of 10 countries that year where non-state armed groups used anti-personnel mines or improvised explosive devices. On the government side, the Monitor lists Myanmar along with India, Pakistan and South Korea as countries actively producing landmines. The only countries in the world "with confirmed new use" of mines in 2014 were Syria, North Korea and Myanmar. Very cautious optimism Moa, the country director for NPA, said groups like hers have been unable to carry out surveys to find out how many landmines need to be cleared and where they are, because the government and ethnic armed groups (EAGs) wanted the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) to be signed first. Several deadlines passed before the NCA was signed by some groups in October. "Since the day that the NCA was signed, we have been in new talks with some of the EAGs about the possibility for new surveys and possible clearance," she said. "So far though, we are still waiting for these talks to lead to action on the ground in terms of us being able to survey new areas." There are serious questions about how effective the NCA will be, however, particularly since only eight of the 15 ethnic armed groups invited to sign did so, while the government is in active conflict with a number of others. There is hope that the new NLD-led government may kickstart the peace negotiations. SEE: Myanmar's ceasefire accord: progress or propaganda? Even if the stalled talks move forward and eventually bring enough security to start clearing landmines, it will be far too late for thousands of victims. Luo Ben Qing is so traumatised that he hasn't spoken a word since the incident and refuses to try walking even though the doctors told him he must if the skin graft is to heal properly, according to his mother, Zheng Cong Di. She worries that he will no longer be able to lead a normal life. "He will have to miss school, and now his right eye is blind," she said. "What am I going to do?" Sri Lanka's torture machine continues in peacetime Publisher IRIN Author Jared Ferrie Publication Date 6 January 2016 Cite as IRIN, Sri Lanka's torture machine continues in peacetime, 6 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5694128a2513.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Sri Lanka's new government has been lauded for efforts at reconciliation after a devastating civil war. Yet, civilians are still being abducted, tortured and sexually abused by security forces, according to a report published today. The abuses carry echoes of the not-so-distant past. War erupted in the early 1980s in the island nation when the Tamil Tigers began fighting for an independent homeland for the ethnic Tamil minority, which had suffered discrimination under the Sinhalese majority. The conflict finally ended in May 2009 with the defeat of the Tamil Tigers, but by then more than 100,000 people had been killed, mostly civilians. Thousands more civilians disappeared during the war in a practice that became known as "white vanning", because of the choice of vehicle used by the security agents. Sri Lanka's government resisted international pressure to investigate crimes committed during the war. But the political dynamic changed a year ago when President Maithripala Sirisena took power after a closely fought election. His government has initiated programmes aimed at reconciliation, and even promised a truth commission. The new report by the International Truth and Justice Project is based on testimonies from 20 victims who were abducted during the past year under Sirisena's tenure. It raises questions about how sincere the government is about reconciliation, and about how much control it has over security forces. "Sadly Sri Lanka's notorious 'white vans' are still operating; it's very much business as usual," said ITJP's executive director Yasmin Sooka in a statement. Sooka is a former member of truth commissions in South Africa and Sierra Leone, and was a legal adviser the United Nations secretary general on accountability in Sri Lanka after the war. The identities of most members of the ITJP are kept secret to allow them to work, but they include prosecutors and researchers who have worked with international war crimes tribunals. The ITJP is administered by the Foundation for Human Rights, which was set up by the South African government under the leadership of former president Nelson Mandela. Here are some key points included in the report: All victims were Tamil and many had come home from other countries or came out of hiding in Sri Lanka, because they felt secure after the change in government. The most recent abduction was last month. Researchers interviewed 15 men and five women in four countries. In addition to other corroborating evidence of torture, several victims had fresh wounds and two were still bleeding at the time of the interviews. Torture occurred in well-equipped rooms and included being hung upside-down and beaten, being branded with metal rods, and asphyxiated using a plastic bag soaked with petrol or chili. Both male and female victims were raped repeatedly. The perpetrators were members of the police and military intelligence, and some were senior officers. The torture took place in army bases in the former war zone, at Terrorism Investigation Division headquarters in the capital, Colombo, and in secret facilities throughout the country. The abductions were pre-planned operations and the torturers had information about many of the victims' political activities, including participation in peaceful protests or elections. Several victims were accused of attempting to start up the Tamil Tigers group again. All but one victim paid security forces for their release and escape from the country. The bribes ranged from $2,500 to $7,000 for release from detention and $17,000 to $35,000 to then be smuggled out of the country. The report concludes that there is a well-organised "machine" within the security forces that practices torture and extortion in order to terrorise and oppress Tamils. It urges the government to stop denying the extent of the problem and to take action immediately to halt the abuses and hold perpetrators accountable. School closures fuel Taliban recruitment Publisher IRIN Publication Date 16 December 2015 Cite as IRIN, School closures fuel Taliban recruitment, 16 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569412eb6d2b.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Intensifying conflict in Afghanistan's Helmand Province has forced more than 150 schools to close, leaving about 100,000 students vulnerable to recruitment by the Taliban. For about two months, a near-continuous battle has been raging between government forces and the Taliban for control of Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital that the insurgent group nearly seized in October. Thousands of extra soldiers have since been deployed, but they have succeeded in pushing the Taliban only 17 kilometres from the city centre. The Taliban has been steadily gaining ground as part of a strategy to encircle the capital. Insurgents now control parts of Babaji, an area on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, and have consolidated positions in nearby Nad-e-Ali and Marjah districts. Helmand's newly-appointed police chief Brigadier General Abdul Rahman Sarjang said police fired 30,000 rounds of bullets and hundreds of rocket-propelled grenades in just one night last week to foil an advance on Marjah. "We are fighting round the clock in Marjah," he told IRIN. The province's education system has become a casualty of war. More than 50 schools in districts surrounding Lashkar Gah have been closed for nine weeks due to intense fighting, leaving almost 30,000 students without access to classes, according to Mohammad Sarhadi, the province's deputy director for education. An additional 104 schools that catered to about 70,000 students in other districts have been shut for the past year, he told IRIN. Fertile recruiting ground Lack of education and job opportunities have left young men with few options, and the Taliban has been capitalising on the situation. "In such circumstances, a little propaganda, a little inducement, can swing loyalties," Haji Shah Khan, a tribal elder in Nad-e-Ali, told IRIN by phone. "Taliban is distributing pamphlets and audio cassettes, inciting the young to join them," he explained. "They are also offering money and weapons. If you are a poor, 16-year-old sitting at home, what will you do?" Haji Bayatullah, a tribal elder in Marjah, said he knows of several students from his district who have joined the Taliban over the past few weeks alone. "Sitting idle, the younger generation is more susceptible to Taliban indoctrination," he said, also by phone. It's not only the Taliban recruiting in Helmand. The so-called Islamic State, which is known as Daesh in Afghanistan, has been making inroads into the war-torn southern province too, according to security officials. "Both Taliban and Daesh are recruiting young men in Helmand," said Sarjang, the police chief. "But we are fighting hard to push them away." An internal military report shows that Daesh has been moving into Helmand and two more southern provinces after establishing control over territory in eastern Nangahar Province, according to General Qadam Shah Shahim, who heads the Afghan National Army. Education plan The government is working on a plan to revive the school system in Helmand, according to Sarjang. The police chief declined to share details, but said it would undercut the Taliban's draw. "Once the schools reopen, the insurgents will not get the fertile ground for recruitment," he said. There is no evidence so far of the government's strategy to reopen schools. Sarhadi, the Helmand education official, said government forces have occupied school buildings, using them as posts or to stock supplies and ammunition. "We have told them - please vacate schools as soon as possible," he said. Mujib Meharad, a spokesman for the education ministry in Kabul, said the government has issued "explicit instructions" to the security forces to not only vacate the schools but also provide them with protection. The Taliban has also taken over school buildings and Meharad said the government is using "soft power" to convince them to leave. "The education ministry is taking the help of tribal elders, who try to talk and convince the insurgents to move out of school buildings," he told IRIN. Aside from strengthening the ranks of insurgent groups, Bayatullah, the tribal elder from Marjah, pointed out that halting education will have detrimental long-term effects. "This way, we will only end up with more uneducated Afghans," he said. "The country will not produce any engineer or doctor and we will have to travel to Pakistan or Iran for any medical emergency." Aid? What aid? Besieged Yemenis ask Publisher IRIN Author Nasser Al-Sakkaf Publication Date 18 December 2015 Cite as IRIN, Aid? What aid? Besieged Yemenis ask, 18 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5694144d1595.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. On Thursday night, representatives of Yemen's warring parties announced a deal to immediately allow aid into the besieged city of Taiz. But residents say this week's truce still hasn't brought them the relief they so desperately need. Taiz has seen some of the fiercest fighting since the conflict intensified in March. Many people here started plotting their escape months ago, when rumours of a truce first began circulating. Fawaz Ameen, 37, told IRIN he had been waiting anxiously, ready to take his family out at the first sign of a lull. "When I heard about a truce I was very glad as [it] would open the roads that lead to my [home] village," he said. "But the war hasn't stopped, and we haven't seen a truce yet." A coalition of 200 aid organisations inside Taiz released a statement on Friday morning expressing their frustration that despite the apparent progress at the Switzerland peace talks, they were seeing no practical changes on the ground. "We want international organisations that send humanitarian aid to Taiz [and we want the international community] to send observers," the statement said. Give it time It is too soon to really tell what impact Thursday night's agreement will have, but some recent progress has been noted. Julien Harneis, Yemen country director for UNICEF, said his organisation had managed to bring water, fuel, and mobile medical clinics into Taiz in the last week. He hoped the new deal would make this aid easier to access. "We have been able to operate inside Taiz and throughout," Harneis said. "However, this new access will allow this to be done in a safer way and will allow families to access the assistance we provide. "We can do water trucking. We can bring in mobile medical clinics. But if parents don't feel it is safe to move, then that assistance is not going to be used." No way out In late November, UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said 200,000 civilians in Taiz were living under a "virtual state of siege," with only limited humanitarian assistance making it into the city, once Yemen's third largest. For the most part, Houthi rebels control access in and out. Fighters loyal to the deposed but internationally recognised president, Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, are holed up in certain quarters. A Saudi Arabian-led coalition backs attempts to oust the Houthis from power and has lent the Hadi loyalists air support. Despite the latest truce, which supposedly began on Tuesday morning, clashes were ongoing. Both sides accuse the other of breaching the ceasefire, although Thursday night's agreement was seen as a major breakthrough for the peace talks and was accompanied by a reported exchange of prisoners. Streets are deserted in Taiz, apart from military vehicles. The Old City, once a popular destination for dining out, has been taken over by Hadi loyalists and is routinely targeted by Houthi shelling. Ameen wants to leave so he can find work and enroll his children in school. Almost all of the 58 schools in Yemen that the UN says have been occupied by armed groups are here, in this one city. "I don't think there will be a truce in Taiz as the two warring sides insist on fighting," he told IRIN. "We are just waiting for death in Taiz, as we have neither work nor a way to flee." No way in either When war first came to Taiz in March, many people were displaced. They are now sheltering in the much larger expanse of Taiz Province, where the UN estimates 79 percent of people are in need of humanitarian assistance. Adnan al-Soraimi, who fled Taiz city in June, now wants back in. "I left my furniture at my house as the battles were fierce," he told IRIN. "When I heard about the truce, I decided to enter [to recover my belongings]." But the main road from his neighbourhood into Taiz is said to be mined, leaving him only unpaved mountain paths that only well-equipped vehicles can make it through. See: Yemeni rebels 'mining civilian areas' Not getting through After O'Brien's statement, efforts to get more aid into the city were redoubled. The World Food Programme announced last week that it had trucked in enough provisions to last 145,000 people a month. But some intended recipients said it wasn't enough, and that despite plans by aid organisations to scale up operations during the "truce", they had seen no change in what people were actually getting. Ibhrahim al-Faqeeh, a supervisor at Al-Hikmah, a local charity that helps distribute for international aid organisations, told IRIN that the aid he anticipated was still stuck. "We have 5,000 bags of wheat, flour and rice in [southern] Ibb Province, and we were waiting for the truce to bring them to the city. But the war did not stop and the Houthis are still besieging the city, so they did not allow us to bring aid to Taiz." Thursday's deal has not brought results, he said. "The conditions in Taiz are still the same the only thing that has changed is that the warring sides in Switzerland agreed to allow humanitarian aid to arrive in the city. But, in fact, nothing has arrived." No jobs, no food no oxygen The war has left many Taiz residents jobless and dependent on food aid. Abdul-Jabbar Al-Roaini lost his job as a tutor when war broke out and relies on aid for his basic needs. He said he was shocked at the lack of change the truce had brought to his home city. "Basic goods are available in the market as traders can bring them to the city on unpaved back roads. But the price is more than double and we do not have the money," he told IRIN. Medical aid is in short supply too. A doctor at Al-Thawra Hospital, which is under the control of fighters loyal to Hadi, told IRIN on condition of anonymity that patients were dying due to a shortfall in oxygen supplies. "Many people died in hospital because of the shortage of oxygen," he said. "We have been bringing it through the mountains, but it is difficult and we can't bring much as it isn't safe." OCHA, the UN's emergency aid coordination body, was not immediately available for comment. Other aid groups told IRIN it was simply to soon to tell what the new deal would mean, both for their access and for the people of Taiz. Jordan cracks (down) under refugee pressure Publisher IRIN Publication Date 6 January 2016 Cite as IRIN, Jordan cracks (down) under refugee pressure, 6 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569414fe158f.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. The Sudanese asylum seekers and refugees had been protesting for more than a month when the police came to deport them late December. Hundreds were camped outside the Amman offices of the UN's refugee agency, UNHCR, driven to desperate measures by poverty and hopelessness in Jordan, where life for many has been on hold for years. They'd demanded more support, and resettlement to a country where they could build a life for themselves. "We can't carry on like this," Hatem, a protestor whose name has been changed to protect his safety, told IRIN. But instead of relief, around 600 Sudanese were returned to Khartoum. International agencies agree they're not safe in Sudan, where ongoing violence has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands and displaced millions. But the danger refugees face in Khartoum did not deter the government from sending them back. "We didn't expect what happened," Hatem said, continuing, despite the deportations, to state his respect for the Jordanian government. At the beginning of what's already set to be a tough year, the forcible return is a grim indicator of the growing insecurity refugees in Jordan face. With the neighbouring war in Syria entering its sixth year, some 630,000 Syrian refugees are now registered in the kingdom. But they're just the largest and most high-profile group among almost 700,000 refugees and asylum seekers from more than 40 different nations. A larger crisis The protest that prompted the deportation was symptomatic of Jordan's larger refugee crisis. Many of those camped outside the UNHCR offices said they were unable to pay rent and couldn't afford food: they had, they simply said, nowhere else to go. "How long can refugees continue, just on the basic assistance we're providing?" Aoife McDonnell, spokeswoman for UNHCR in Amman, told IRIN. Most refugees in Jordan, including Syrians, don't have permits to work legally. Access to employment, she added, will continue to be an issue as the years they spend in the country stretch onward. "Their savings are gone. The money's gone. The media lost interest for quite some time," she said. "Various populations feel they're being forgotten about." Thanks to limited funding, UNHCR aid offers very limited relief. A minority of refugees - mostly vulnerable families, such as those headed by women - receive monetary support of a few hundred Jordanian dinar (300 JOD is $423) each month. Others are eligible for emergency funding and receive winter aid for heating and essentials, and some groups receive food vouchers and non-monetary support including housing. Beyond that, many refugees are largely left to support themselves - chiefly with illegal, precarious and low-paid work. The chance of escape through legal resettlement to a better life is low: only 2.9 percent of Jordan's Sudanese population - which numbered just 3,500 before the deportation - have been resettled to a third country. For Syrians, the rate is even lower, at 2.3 percent. "The difficulty is how can we - and it's not just the Sudanese but the whole population of concern - how can we continue to give hope to these people," McDonnell said. For the Sudanese community and those working with them, the Jordanian government's move came as a shock. A mass deportation of this scale is unprecedented in Jordan. It's in flagrant violation of the international legal principle of non-refoulement, which states that people of concern must not be returned to a place where persecution threatens their life or freedom, and it took place under the nose of the very agency meant to protect refugees. "At no stage was deportation [thought to be] on the cards," McDonnell told IRIN. Several sources reported to IRIN that high-level international advocacy efforts tried - and failed - to put a stop to the government action. "It was a peaceful protest. It does not warrant a deportation," McDonnell added. Crackdown? Many of the humanitarian and human rights workers IRIN spoke to believe that the deportation was a warning from Jordan. Unrest, the repatriation seems to suggest, will be not be tolerated by the government. Refugees who protest to better their circumstances cannot assume their rights will be respected, nor that the international community can do anything to protect them. "It has reverberations within the wider refugee community to know that Jordan is capable of this, that they can do it and they can get away with it," Adam Coogle, a researcher for Human Rights Watch in Jordan, said. "[The deportation also means] that Jordan's donor countries are either powerless to stop it, or decided not to push back on behalf of vulnerable refugees." A senior source at an NGO that works closely with Sudanese refugees, agreed. "Despite these deportations being completely beyond the pale, it is not that surprising that the government responded sternly," he said. "The government is very concerned about losing control of the refugee situation in the country." Representatives of the Jordanian government did not respond to IRIN's requests for comment. At the time of the deportation, Jordanian government spokesman Mohamed Momani told journalists that the Sudanese deportees were in the country illegally because they had entered the country on medical visas. It's a claim that was dismissed by the UNHCR and Human Rights Watch. The vast majority of protesters, they said, were registered as asylum seekers or refugees, and the way individuals enter a country - or flee where they're in danger - does not delegitimise a claim to asylum. In the Sudanese community, the effects of the deportation are already being felt. Sudanese refugees have historically been relatively well-organised when it comes to community support and activism. But now the fear of a crackdown means many are too afraid to even go outside, or try to find the work they need to survive every day. Protesting, when they know it could mean deportation, now feels impossible. "We don't know how to change it," Hatem told IRIN. "If some of us protest, then we'll be deported. We're puzzled [about] what to do. We want to find safety and tranquility here, but some of us are even afraid to go to the UNHCR now." Wider implications For Syrians living in Jordan, this fear is more familiar. Their country's close proximity to Jordan, and the ease with which the government can invoke security justifications, means deportation has been a real threat for some time. Forcible returns to Syria have also been documented by human rights watchdogs. See: The case that exposes Jordan's deportation double standards "The sort of chilling effect that you could be deported has been felt by the Syrians since the beginning, maybe, of 2013," Coogle explained. "Because they know, they all know someone who got taken and maybe sent back. The Syrians all know that you better not do a damn thing." What does this mean for the future of providing for refugees? Among development and human rights professionals, there's a concern that the deportation is indicative of a serious shrinking of humanitarian space. If 2016 is a year that sees other concerns - whether that be security, politics, fear of unrest or simply pressure on resources - override refugees' basic rights for protection and aid, it will mean further, deepened hardship for those seeking a safe haven in Jordan. And with 12,000 Syrian refugees Tuesday confirmed to be stranded at the border with Jordan - officials had previously said the number was an exaggeration - access to refuge in Jordan looks to be under even greater threat. Aid agencies report that the humanitarian situation at the border is becoming increasingly grave: freezing temperatures and snow falling in the region are adding to the poor sanitation and malnutrition that were already threatening the lives of those who are trapped. But Momani said security concerns prevent the authorities letting refugees enter in large numbers. "No matter how much support is provided, people aren't going to go home," UNHCR's McDonnell said. "And as the international community, the focus has to be to find political solutions, and countries cannot continue to absorb more and more people who, as time goes on, become more vulnerable." The underlying issue is the number of unresolved conflicts in the region, McDonnell added. "It wasn't safe for these people to go home. It certainly wasn't safe for them to be forcibly returned." Fixing Yemen's aid problem Publisher IRIN Author Almigdad Mojalli & Eleanor Weber-Ballard Publication Date 15 January 2016 Cite as IRIN, Fixing Yemen's aid problem, 15 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5694157e266e.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. The last time the warring parties in Yemen had a go at a ceasefire, it lasted no more than a few hours. This, combined with the ongoing challenges they face in getting assistance to the 21.2 million people who need it, means aid agencies measured their response to the week-long ceasefire that began on Tuesday morning with care. "We hope the ceasefire will provide us with a much-needed window into areas currently not accessible," Sajjad Mohammad Sajid, Oxfam's country director for Yemen, told IRIN, describing his outlook as one of optimism tinged with caution. But the aid shortages go far beyond just the remote areas or the various frontlines of the protracted and complex conflict. Mohammed Ali Qabbas brought his family - his wife, six children, his brother, his sister-in-law and their seven kids - from the northern Houthi rebel stronghold of Sa'adah to the capital a month before he spoke to IRIN. Among an estimated 2.3 million Yemenis uprooted by the conflict, they are staying with around 150 other internally displaced people at a centre in Sana'a. "We have received nothing," said Qabbas, who is 43. "No mattresses. No food. Nothing. And I do not have [a source] of income." Ali al-Qaren, who has been at the same Sana'a IDP centre for nearly six months, also said that the international assistance had been inadequate. He has been helping to collect aid from local donors so the residents can eat. It's the only way to get by. "I do not have a job, and these days no one will hire you, even [for menial labor]," he told IRIN. Where is the aid? Gaps in aid delivery in Yemen are an open secret. "The needs are huge, so there is no way that humanitarian organisations can cover all of them," Julien Harneis, UNICEF's Yemen country director, told IRIN. The UN estimates that some 82 percent of the country's population, an increase of 5.3 million people in the last year, needs aid of some kind. "There remains a huge gap between the needs on the ground and the humanitarian assistance being delivered in Yemen," agreed Oxfam's Sajid. "Despite all the work being done by NGOs and the UN, I don't doubt that aid has not reached [some people]. It's true that the current humanitarian response remains much below what you need for this category of humanitarian crisis." This latest break in fighting comes as UN-brokered peace talks get under way in Switzerland aimed at bringing to an end nine months of fighting between Houthi rebels and backers of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, including a Saudi Arabia-led coalition that has been bombing the country since March. More than 5,700 people, at least half of them civilians, have died in the fighting and the bombing. The Houthis are alleged to have ties to Iran and they are also allied with former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who ran Yemen for 33 years until he ceded power to Hadi in 2012. Other militant groups, including Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and, more recently, the so-called Islamic State, have taken advantage of the chaos to gain territory and support. Is it supplies? At the outset of the conflict, aid organisations complained that the Saudi-led coalition was using its control of the ports to block the import of key supplies, including humanitarian supplies. This supply problem is less of an issue now, several UN and NGO sources told IRIN. But once aid gets into the country, there are still other problems to deal with. "Even when supplies do get through, road access becomes a huge constraint," explained Daw Mohammed, country director for Care International. "There are so many armed checkpoints which delay the delivery of supplies and in some cases prevent them getting through altogether." This is especially tricky in areas like Aden, where multiple militant groups are fighting for control, or Taiz, a city of 200,000 where late last month UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien accused Houthis of blocking aid and said the city was in a state of "virtual siege." See: Life under siege in Yemen "Despite repeated attempts by UN agencies and our humanitarian partners to negotiate access and reach people, our trucks have remained stuck at checkpoints and only very limited assistance has been allowed in," O'Brien said at the time. In addition to problem spots, there are also specific groups who are underserved. Both UNICEF and Oxfam pointed to al-Muhamasheen as a minority group that needs more help. Often derogatorily referred to as "servants" and discriminated against on account of their dark skin, they've been hit particularly hard by the conflict. Treated as an underclass, al-Muhamasheen were already living on the margins of society before the conflict. Harneis said that while many IDPs are sheltering with family members or in communities, al-Muhamasheen are more likely to be living in open areas or public buildings. UNICEF is initiating a cash-transfer program to target this population and Oxfam's Sajid said they are also redoubling their efforts to "reach out to them." So is it distribution? Jamilah al-Mujahid, headmistress of Moa'adh Bin Jabal School in Sana'a, which is being used as a distribution centre for a major aid organisation, was happy to help out but angered by how things transpired. "We were surprised when the organisation called me to open the school and receive aid, and then they asked us to sign off that we had received it," she told IRIN. "The team working on distributing aid did not receive any training on how to distribute the aid or who they deal with before the beginning of the distribution process." Al-Mujahid complained that the process was disorganised and confusing and that she wasn't being paid enough, especially for the disruption to her school, which she felt was being left in a mess. All the aid agencies IRIN spoke to said they closely vet their local delivery partners, namely local NGOS and authorities. But UN agencies and other international NGOs have tight security rules that restrict where their staff can and can't go. So when aid gets to its delivery point, some agencies can only follow the trail so far. Rania Rajji, Roving Protection Trainer at Oxfam, told a London event last week, "Yemen's forgotten war: implications for security and development," that one of the reasons assistance was insufficient was because of these "self-imposed restrictions". Harneis said it had been difficult for field workers to get on the ground and determine just who needs help, and equally to follow up and make sure they were really getting it. He said this monitoring process was a "huge challenge" for UNICEF. In addition to boosting its presence on the ground, UNICEF, along with other partners, is developing an electronic mechanism that would allow it to better monitor aid delivery. This would effectively be an app that would allow local partners to check off the supplies they have delivered in a system agencies could monitor in real time. But Harneis added that there was another serious distribution issue, one connected to Yemen's insecurity, widespread poverty and rising fuel prices: sometimes locals simply can't afford to get to where help is on offer. This problem is especially noticeable in education and vaccination programmes, where he said there was a drop in children attending school and the amount of people turning up for potentially life-saving medicine. "Humanitarian organisations will deliver [at] a certain point," Harneis explained. "The question is: can the population get to that point? That is a way bigger challenge." Is aid going to the right place? "I'm not an IDP and I'm not in need, but the head of the neighbourhood put me on a list," 18-year-old Asel al-Ward, who said he received a case of food aid he didn't really need, told IRIN. On a larger scale, there have been concerns about aid diversion. O'Brien said he was "alarmed by reports that some of the aid destined for [Taiz] has been diverted away from the people it was intended for." UN sources said aid diversion hadn't been a major issue but that there are constant negotiations with all parties to the conflict - including the Saudi coalition - to ensure deliveries end up where they should. Making sure aid isn't diverted is still difficult, said Oxfam's Sajid. "This is a challenge, and we have been working under a lot of pressure, but so far we have managed to ensure our independence in terms of delivery and identification of beneficiaries." The biggest impediment to aid delivery is obviously the fighting itself and the insecurity this has brought to many parts of the country. Within hours of Tuesday's ceasefire coming into force, there were already several unconfirmed reports of clashes. Action Needed on Rural Women's Rights in Afghanistan Publisher Institute for War and Peace Reporting Publication Date 22 December 2015 Citation / Document Symbol ARR Issue 532 Cite as Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Action Needed on Rural Women's Rights in Afghanistan, 22 December 2015, ARR Issue 532, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/569417aa9c75.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. The gap between women's rights in urban and rural parts of Afghanistan needs to be urgently addressed, according to a recent debate organised by IWPR in the northern Balkh province. Participants noted some major advances in the field of gender equality since the fall of the Taleban administration in 2001, but stressed that progress was uneven around the country. Shahla Hadid, head of the Balkh provincial department of women's affairs, said it was important to recognise the achievements of the last 14 years. "Although there have been problems, positive changes have been made to women's lives," she said. Civil society activist Zahra Mohammadi similarly highlighted improvements in equality. "The situation for women is much better now than in the past," she told the debate. "Projects to support women are in place and they can help reduce women's problems. In Balkh, because security is better, women have been able to progress in various sectors. They have free access to education, they can find jobs and they can participate in political and cultural discussions." Taqi Wahidi, representing the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, agreed that things had got better. "We see a clear difference in access to education and healthcare," he said. "Women's social and political awareness has improved and freedom of speech has given them the courage to ask for their rights." However, Wahidi warned that these achievements were threatening by ongoing insurgent violence and the enormous disparity between the lives of women in urban areas and those living in more remote parts of Afghanistan. One of the debate's youngest participants, 13-year-old Mursal, agreed. "We shouldn't just look at the situation in the cities," she said. "In most districts of Afghanistan, there are women who were never given the chance to study and are now illiterate. They want to learn how to read and write. I think half of the women in this country have benefited [since 2001] but the rest are still in a bad way." Nafisa Rohin, a student and civil society activist, told the debate that after 2001, women seemed poised to take on a greater role in public and economic life. "However, the ongoing instability means that women's rights are going backwards rather than forwards," she continued. "For instance, when a group of travellers are taken hostage or a woman has her throat cut, the security situation creates fear and horror in women's hearts." Campaigning work by advocacy groups and human rights organisations in Afghanistan have led to improved monitoring of abuses as well as legal aid and the creation of a number of women's shelters. These services are not spread equally around the country, however, and the level of public awareness remains low. "Women have not yet gained their rights because men don't know what they are," Rohin continued. "Men need to be educated so as to be able to provide these rights, for instance, to give them their rights of inheritance and their 'mahr' [payment made by grooms]. We even have religious scholars who themselves have not paid 'mahr' for their wives." Zeba Samadi, deputy head of the women's council of Dehdadi district, said the problem went far beyond a lack of awareness. "Men don't want women to develop," she said. "There is violence against women on a massive scale." She said that she had personally experienced this kind of behaviour. "Powerful men seized the plot of government land on which I was planning to build a school for girls, and they also seized land which I owned privately and where I wanted to build a madrassa [religious school] for women." Rohin said that the fight for gender equality must continue regardless of the difficulties that lay ahead. "If women join together and refuse to be afraid, we will advance," she continued. "Even if Afghanistan is a male-dominated society, women should not go backwards." Copyright notice: Institute for War & Peace Reporting Vital aid reaches starving Syrians in besieged towns Publisher UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Publication Date 11 January 2016 Cite as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Vital aid reaches starving Syrians in besieged towns, 11 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5694c68f4.html [accessed 19 October 2022] The UN Refugee Agency today took part in a convoy of trucks that delivered life-saving aid of food and blankets to thousands of people trapped in dire conditions in besieged Syrian towns on Monday. The first trucks in a convoy of more than 40 vehicles delivered the aid to rebel-held Madaya, a small mountain town about 40-kilometres northwest of Damascus, where more than 40,000 civilians have been trapped in dire conditions without aid for nearly three months. The UN has received credible reports of people dying from starvation and being killed or injured while trying to leave the area, which last received UN humanitarian aid in October. The first four trucks, carrying essentials including blankets and food packages of rice, oil and lentils were allowed into the town, where volunteers began unloading them in the dark, watched by groups of hungry people, including children. "Crowds of hungry kids around," Sajjad Malik, UNHCR's representative in Syria, said in a text message from the isolated town. "It's heart-breaking to see so many hungry people. It's cold and raining but there is excitement because we are here with some food and blankets." Aid trucks have also entered the besieged towns of Foa'a and Kefraya, near the border with Turkey in northwest Syria, where people have also been facing severe shortages of food and basic commodities, cut off without humanitarian and commercial access since October. Additional convoys to the same locations will take place over the coming days, carrying UNHCR aid including blankets, winter clothes, jerry cans, household items and diapers. Partner agencies are providing food and medicine through the convoys organized by the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. As the crisis in Syria nears its sixth year, up to 4.5 million people in the country live in hard-to-reach areas, including nearly 400,000 people in 15 besieged locations who do not have access to the aid that they desperately need. In the past year, only 10 per cent of all requests to access these areas were approved and delivered. Lone children fleeing war in Yemen, seek safety in Somaliland Publisher UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Author Oualid Khelifi Publication Date 11 January 2016 Cite as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Lone children fleeing war in Yemen, seek safety in Somaliland, 11 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5694c6df4.html [accessed 19 October 2022] emeni teen Khayria Abdel Wahab was making the beds in the home where she was a housekeeper when a shattering blast signalled a heavy bombardment. Panicked by the explosion, the 17-year-old ran out into the crowds fleeing towards the port in her hometown, all the while searching for her mother and her seven brothers and sisters. For three days, Abdel Wahab tried to find her family. "I sat with strangers all desperately looking for someone," she says, remembering the moment in early November. "Mobile phones were not reachable, the network was down. Nobody could give me any hope." She was warned that staying in Yemen was not safe. "I had no alternative," Abdel Wahab says. "I had to flee to Somalia." The unaccompanied minor is among more than 168,000 people who have fled violence in Yemen since March, when years of political instability, economic hardship and sectarian tensions erupted into civil war. More than 9,500 of those who fled went to Somaliland, an autonomous region of Somalia across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen. Most are Somalis and Ethiopians who first left Africa for Yemen but have been driven back across the seas by the fighting. But among them are more than 2,600 Yemenis, including at least 850 who registered with the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, alone or without their immediate family. Many are unaccompanied people considered by UNHCR as vulnerable, including children like Abdel Wahab who became separated from their families, as well as older people, those with disabilities, or the sick. Abdel Wahab paid a smuggler US$120 to take her on the 24-hour sea crossing to the Somali coast. As soon as she arrived, thugs stole her meagre funds and everything she had packed into her little suitcase. Abandoned, alone, and scared, she had no idea where to turn. Eventually, fellow Yemenis found her and escorted her to the region's capital, Hargeisa. It is the custom to care for others from your clan, and Abdel Wahab was passed from one Yemeni refugee household to another, but each was worried about the costs of adopting her permanently. Finally, she arrived at Mohammed Aboubakr El Hindi's home. "Before she came to stay, she had already been with two other families," says El Hindi, 57, also a refugee from Yemen. "It is imperative in our tradition for the clan to support the vulnerable. But given our dire hardships, we thought the best way to assist Khayria was to signal her case to humanitarian agencies." UNHCR acted immediately. Abdel Wahab was registered as a refugee and taken to a women-only safe house where she was given her own room, counselling, food, and medical care. She is grateful, but deeply traumatised, and has still not been able to track down her mother or siblings. "I am so scared of being alone, of the future, of not knowing what happened to my family in Yemen," she says. "I am entirely in the dark about what's next. My body and eyes are so tired of constant crying and sleepless nights. I am very young, but I fear this war might have destroyed my life for good". During an average week, 60 cases of refugees who may require extra help are referred to UNHCR in Somaliland for a needs assessment, says Miriam Aertker, a protection officer with the organisation in Hargeisa. Since March 2015, 33 have been registered with serious medical conditions needing attention, 29 have reported being victims of sexual or gender-based violence, and 80 are children or young people who arrived without their parents. "Even with a network of community service teams referring back to UNHCR and our partners immediately, some cases still escape us, particularly those who did not arrive to the main coastal cities where our reception centres are located," says Aertker. "This means they were never briefed on the services we provide, and are therefore more exposed to vulnerabilities. Once they are in the cities, it is even harder identifying them amongst the refugee urban populations." As well as the Yemenis, Somaliland hosts 9,000 Ethiopian refugees and asylum seekers, 2,900 Somalis who returned home after earlier fleeing their country, and 84,000 internally displaced. All need sustained help to rebuild their lives and settle among a community that already faces its own difficulties. UNHCR and its partners continue to help vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees with emergency financial assistance, legal aid, psychosocial and health care programmes to help integrate them into host populations, and ways to earn a living. Sustained support to funding appeals is crucial to keeping this assistance going during 2016, Aertker says. How UNHCR helps to change young lives on Lesvos Publisher UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Author Tania Karas Publication Date 11 January 2016 Cite as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), How UNHCR helps to change young lives on Lesvos, 11 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5694c73d4.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Whenever Huda Al-Shabsogh, a UNHCR field officer on the Greek island of Lesvos, entered the closed facility for unaccompanied minors at the Moria reception and registration centre for refugees, scores of children erupted in excitement. "Auntie! Auntie!" they shouted happily in Arabic. "How are you today?" Although Huda cared for dozens of new children each month, she knew all of them by name. Most were young boys aged 14-17, though she saw girls, too. The majority stayed on the island for a few days to a few weeks, until UNHCR - along with partner NGOs and the Greek authorities - could help them find individual solutions. "All of them needed advice, but sometimes they just wanted to chat," said Huda. "They are very, very scared when they reach here." Huda is normally based in Amman, Jordan, where she is a UNHCR senior community services associate. She was temporarily posted to Lesvos to do similar work assisting the most vulnerable refugees, such as the disabled, single mothers, people with medical issues, or unaccompanied and separated children. With colleagues, she identified and arranged for their individual protection needs, such as special housing or health services. On Lesvos, her first UNHCR posting outside Jordan, Huda focused on unaccompanied children. (Huda completed her UNHCR assignment on Jan 3 and has returned to Jordan. Other UNHCR staff continue her work.) The process of identifying minors begins on the island's beaches, where hundreds of refugees and migrants land each day after taking the short but dangerous 10-kilometre boat crossing from Turkey. Volunteers, aid workers for numerous NGOs, and UNHCR protection officers work together to find them among the arrivals. Many minors declare they are adults in order to avoid being placed in closed centres by Greek and other European authorities for safety. The minors often consider it as a sort of detention as they are not free to come and go. This makes identifying them particularly challenging. For this reason, there are no completely reliable figures on how many unaccompanied minors arrive on the Greek islands. However, child refugees in general are on the rise. According to UN statistics, children now make up one in three of the refugees and migrants passing through Greece, skyrocketing from one in 10 earlier this year. From January to September, they lodged a record-breaking 214,000 asylum claims across Europe. Once minors are identified on Lesvos, UNHCR protection officers arrange a bus ride to Moria, one of the island's two main reception and registration centres for refugees. Huda was the last link in that identification chain. She received them at the gate, where they were transferred to the closed facility under the control of Greek authorities. The Moria closed facility for minors does indeed resembles a detention centre, with high wire fences and barred windows. Huda would visit several times during the day, chatting and joking with the children until she coaxed out smiles and laughs. Her presence calmed them, despite the conditions. In Moria, the children receive food, medical care, psychosocial support and legal advice from a constellation of UNHCR's NGO partners, including PRAKSIS, METAction, Save the Children and Doctors of the World. Huda interviewed the children to determine their individual protection needs and helped them decide what to do next, ensuring they understood their choices. Some will stay in Greece and apply for asylum. Others are reunited with family members elsewhere in Europe via official channels. One day in November, Huda scrolled through the WhatsApp application on her smartphone. It was filled with messages and photos of children who have come through Lesvos and checked in with her along the route to northern Europe, a journey she advised them not to take. One boy in particular, a 13-year-old named Abdul-Kafi from Aleppo, Syria, sent her voice recordings every day. "When he left [Moria] he said, 'Please, consider me as your son'," Huda said as she played some of his recordings. "When he reached Athens, he called on WhatsApp and said, 'Hello auntie, I'm good.' Now he is in a camp in Germany." Many children experience trauma after all the fighting and violence they have witnessed in their home countries of Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. But the journey to Europe is frightening too. For example, the Aegean Sea crossing to Lesvos is the first time many refugees have been on board a boat and can be especially distressing for minors traveling without their parents or caretakers. Particularly young or vulnerable children are transferred to a special apartment run by PRAKSIS in Mytilene, the island's main city, until they are deemed stable enough to continue to Athens. "Some of them had been alone for one to three weeks," Huda explained. "They came hungry, exhausted and scared. They saw the police and thought they would be sent back to Turkey. There was a language barrier. So once they met someone who spoke Arabic, I could see it in their eyes, 'Finally, someone understands me'." Sometimes she saw dramatic improvements in just one day. With some, a warm meal, a change of clothes and a full night's rest worked wonders. Other children took much longer to work through their fears or just wanted return home to their families. Huda spent extra time on those children. "It was a lot like being a mother," she explained. She has three children herself back in Jordan - a daughter and two sons. "I told them 'You are about to change your whole life'," she said. "'You need to be cautious, organized and thoughtful about your future'." Iraqi journalist working for VICE News is freed pending trial Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 6 January 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Iraqi journalist working for VICE News is freed pending trial, 6 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5694c816411.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) welcomes yesterday's release of Iraqi journalist and interpreter Mohamed Ismael Rasool and urges the Turkish authorities to drop the terrorism charges that were brought against him. One of three VICE News journalists arrested on 27 August while covering clashes between the security forces and members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in southeastern Turkey, Rasool is the last to be released. His British colleagues, Jake Hanrahan and Philip Pendlebury, were freed on 3 September. RSF is relieved by the release of this experienced journalist, who spent far too long in a top security prison. "Rasool spent more than 130 days in prison for reasons that remain unclear although he was just doing his job," said Alexandra El Khazen, the head of RSF's Middle East desk. "We urge the Turkish authorities to immediately abandon the unwarranted judicial proceedings still pending against him." Rasool is banned from leaving Turkey until the end of his trial, for which no date has so far been set, and he is subject to strict judicial control. His prolonged detention outraged the international community and gave rise to support campaigns on social networks. Freedom of information is under attack nowadays in Turkey, with a growing crackdown on independent reporting, and an increase in cyber-censorship and arbitrary arrests or prosecutions. Two senior journalists with Cumhuriyet, a daily newspaper that was awarded the 2015 RSF Press Freedom Prize, have been held since 26 November because they published photos and video in May supporting claims that Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) delivered arms to rebels in Syria. For this they are facing the possibility of life imprisonment on charges of belonging to a terrorist organization, spying and divulging state secrets. (See RSF's petition for their release.) Turkey is ranked 149th out of 180 countries in the 2015 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. Read RSF's report about freedom of information and the Turkish issue in Turkey. RSF alarmed by journalist's arrest on terrorism charges Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 8 January 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, RSF alarmed by journalist's arrest on terrorism charges, 8 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5694c86340c.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is worried by the terrorism charges brought against Mahmood Al Jazeeri, a journalist with the independent daily newspaper Al Wasat, who has been held for the past 11 days Al Wasat's parliamentary correspondent, Jazeeri has been formally charged with supporting terrorist activities funded by Hezbollah and Iran's Revolutionary Guards. Arrested during a raid on his home on the morning of 28 December, when electronic equipment was seized, he is one of 12 suspects who are charged in this case. His last article, published the day before his arrest, referred to a controversial bill before the Shura Council, the Bahraini parliament's upper house, providing for the confiscation of state housing from members of a family whose head has been stripped of his nationality. RSF is concerned about the nature of the charges and calls for Jazeeri's immediate and unconditional release. "Journalists cannot be treated as terrorists just for criticizing the government in their reporting," said Alexandra El Khazen, the head of the RSF's Middle East desk. "Security grounds cannot justify violations of freedom of information. RSF calls for the release of all journalists who are unjustly detained in Bahrain." Jazeeri was also officially accused on state TV of seeking to overthrow the government, inciting hatred, having contacts with a foreign country and supporting the unauthorized Al Wafaa movement and the 14 February Coalition, which has been organizing peaceful demonstrations since 2011. An Al Wasat source told RSF that Jazeeri has not been a member of any political movement since joining the newspaper in 2012. Wafaa Marhoon, Jazeeri's lawyer, told Al Wasat four days after his arrest that the authorities had yet to produce any evidence against him. When contacted by RSF, she stressed the importance of the political context and the vagueness of Bahrain's terrorism legislation, which makes it hard to defend anyone accused of terrorism. If convicted, Jazeeri is facing the possibility of a life sentence and being stripped of his nationality. This is not Al Wasat's first run-in with the authorities. It has been closed arbitrarily several times, including last August, when it was closed for several days for threatening "national unity" and "Bahrain's relations with other countries." The newspaper's founder, Karim Fakhrawi, died in unclear circumstances in police detention in 2011. At least 13 professional and citizen-journalists are currently detained in Bahrain, which is ranked 163rd out of 180 countries in the 2015 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. RSF urges Indonesia to lift ban on French reporter Cyril Payen Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 11 January 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, RSF urges Indonesia to lift ban on French reporter Cyril Payen, 11 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5694c8c940b.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the Indonesian government's refusal to let French journalist Cyril Payen visit Indonesia following the documentary he made about West Papua, the Indonesian half of the island of New Guinea, that France 24 broadcast last October. RSF points out that Indonesian President Joko Widodo promised to allow foreign reporters to visit West Papua. A Bangkok-based reporter specializing in Southeast Asia, Payen was able to visit West Papua in mid-2015 after obtaining all the necessary authorizations before setting off. But the French ambassador in Jakarta was summoned to the Indonesian foreign ministry after Payen's documentary, entitled "Forgotten war of the Papuas," was broadcast on 18 October. Indonesian officials in Bangkok then told Payen in November that he was now persona non grata in Indonesia. And finally, he was notified last week that his request for a visa to make another documentary had been turned down. "We firmly condemn this flagrant violation of media freedom and this discrimination against an independent journalist who has committed no crime," said Benjamin Ismail, the head of RSF's Asia-Pacific desk. "President Joko Widodo has hereby demonstrated that his election promise to open up West Papua to foreign journalists was pure deception. We urge him to keep this promise and to let foreign journalists do their job without having to fear surveillance, censorship or reprisals by the authorities." Foreign journalists and NGOs were long denied access to West Papua, which was forcibly annexed by the Indonesian armed forces 50 years ago. Two French journalists, Thomas Dandois and Valentine Bourrat, were arrested while preparing a report there in August 2014. After being held for more than two months, they were sentenced on 24 October 2014 to two and a half months in prison for violating Indonesia's immigration law. It was under the same draconian law, whichRSF has repeatedly condemned, that two British journalists, Rebecca Prosser and Neil Bonner, weresentenced to two and a half months in prison on 3 November 2015 for violating the terms of their visas. They had already spent more than 150 days in police custody when they were finally sentenced. Travelling on tourist visas, they were arrested by the Indonesian navy on 28 May 2015 while filming a reenactment of pirates attacking an oil tanker for a documentary commissioned by National Geographic. Indonesia is ranked 138th out of 180 countries in the 2015 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. Journalists harassed, jailed in run-up to Iran's parliamentary elections Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 8 January 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Journalists harassed, jailed in run-up to Iran's parliamentary elections, 8 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5694c8f0411.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the latest wave of harassment of media outlets in Iran, which has included the arrest of a journalist and the closure of a pro-reform daily newspaper in the past few days, and the interrogation of other journalists. he authorities seem to be trying to intimidate the media and journalists as part of a preventive crackdown two months ahead of parliamentary elections. Four journalists - Afarine Chitsaz of the daily Iran, Ehssan Mazndarani, the editor of the daily Farhikhteghan, Saman Safarzai of the monthly Andisher Poya and Issa Saharkhiz, a well-known independent journalist - have been held since their arrest on 2 November. According to the information obtained by RSF, several other journalists have been summoned and interrogated, and two of them are being held in the Revolutionary Guard intelligence section. Bahar's closure was announced on 3 January by the judicial system's official website Mizan, which said the reason was its "anti-government publicity" and its "articles questioning the Islamic Republic's basis." The daily was previously closed in November 2013 because of an article said to have "insulted Islam." Farzad Pourmoradi, a journalist working for media outlets in the western province of Kermanshah including Kermanshah Post and Navai Vaghat, was arrested at his home on 4 January after a search by plainclothes officers. His family still does not know why he was arrested or where he is being held. He had created a Kalaghnews page on the Telegram instant messaging and social networking service that covered local news in Kermanshah and the way the elections are being organized there. From the start, this news outlet was the target of irate criticism by conservative media that support the Revolutionary Guards. With a total of 37 journalists and citizen-journalists currently detained,Iran is still one for the world's five biggest prisons for news and information providers and is ranked 173rd out of 180 countriesin the 2015 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. Concentration of Ownership puts Cambodian Media at risk Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 8 January 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Concentration of Ownership puts Cambodian Media at risk, 8 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5694c92040d.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Reporters Without Borders' Media Ownership Monitor (MOM) provides transparency in the Cambodian media market and reveals high levels of ownership concentration. Phnom Penh - December 2nd, 2015 Today in Phnom Penh, the publicly available database www.who-owns-the-media-kh.com has been launched to present all the research findings and to provide continuously updated information to the general public as well as towards civil society advocates and political decision makers. On this occasion, also possible recommendations on media regulation and concentration control were discussed in a public debate. Initiated by the international press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Media Ownership Monitor (MOM) project is a global research and advocacy effort to promote transparency and media pluralism at an international level. The first country study was published in Colombia earlier in 2015. In Cambodia, the MOM was conducted together with the Cambodian Center for Independent Media (CCIM) from September 28th to November 30th. Based on a standardized and transparent methodology, MOM assesses the most relevant Cambodian media outlets across all types of media (TV, radio, print, online) based on their respective audience shares. The data related to media consumption was provided by the Cambodian Media Research & Development (CMRD). Key findings show: The TV sector is the most popular and at the same time the most concentrated media sector: the top 4 media companies (CBS Co. Ltd., HANG MEAS Video Co., MICA MEDIA, Co. Ltd, PPCTV Co. Ltd) gather 78% of the viewership. Moreover, 7 of 10 relevant TV channels belong to owners affiliated to the ruling party. This means that they are either on the government payroll or appointed as advisors. While the PRINT sector is also highly concentrated with the top 4 outlets reaching 59% of the audience, it is important to keep in mind that only one out of 10 Cambodians reads newspapers or magazines. The Top 4 RADIO stations cover 43% of the audience in Cambodia, which reveals a medium concentration. It is most fragmented, with 8 of the 10 most relevant radio stations, reaching between 3-6% of the audience. ONLINE news websites are amongst the most popular websites of the country, although the interest for online news remains still limited. It is also important to highlight that the limited amount of data available related to ISPs and phone operators in the country does not allow to fully show the structure of the Internet distribution. The Top 4 Media corporations and owners (Royal Group, Hang Meas, Hun Mana & Seng Bunveng) together reach 83.4% of the audience across all media sectors. This proofs an exceptionally high concentration of media companies that have a potential influence on public opinion. The Cambodian Broadcasting Service (CBS) Corporation, that alone gathers 47% in the TV sector, is by far the most important media group in Cambodia. Owned by The Royal Group and established in 2003, CBS counts at least three media-related sister companies ranging from phone operations to digital TV and Internet Service Providers. This makes its owner, Kith Meng, one of the most influential media owners with the potentially highest leverage on public opinion in Cambodia. "Mass media shape the public opinion. Therefore, media pluralism and independence is indispensable for any healthy democratic system. This must include the possibility of criticizing people in power in order to hold them accountable," says Christian Mihr, Executive Director of the German section of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on the occasion of his visit to Phnom Penh. "Such a high degree of media concentration as well as political and economical affiliations as we found here in Cambodia puts media pluralism in jeopardy. Furthermore it discourages critical reporting". He also referred to the annual World Press Freedom Index produced by Reporters without Borders where Cambodia ranks only 139th out of 180 countries. The MOM team encountered two main obstacles during the research process: The lack of corporate financial data related to the media sector made it impossible to evaluate the economic impact and dimension of concentration. While there was little public information on ownership structures available, proactively contacted media outlets proved very reluctant to respond: only one third provided complete data upon request. Pa Ngounteang, CCIM Executive Director and operating director of the radio station Voice of Democracy, calls on his fellow media professionals: "All media outlets should be accountable to their audience, to ensure plurality of content and to serve the interests of Cambodian people. Transparency and accountability are inseparable. Transparency of ownership structures not only provides the basis for a more reliable journalism in the newsroom itself but also for its credibility". The investigation also highlights the following: Media regulation in Cambodia is in its infancy. The high degree of concentration illustrates the lack of an appropriate legal framework. The Ministry of Information appears in a critical role being the sole authority to officially allocate and revoke licenses in an opaque process, instead of establishing and entrusting an independent media authority. Christian Mihr concludes: "We encourage the government and legislators to set up an independent body to regulate media concentration and ownership in the country, including a transparent licensing regime as a prerequisite." Media Contacts : Reporters without Borders / MoM project Ulrike Gruska / Christoph Dreyer, media relations officers [email protected] Tel.: +49 30 60 98 95 33-55 Reporters Without Borders / International Headquarters Perrine Daubas, Head of Communication and Development [email protected] Tel.: +33 1 44 83 84 83 Cambodian Center for Independent Media CCIM Pa Ngounteang, CCIM Executive Director [email protected] Tel.: 060 409999 http://www.ccimcambodia.org Concentration of Ownership inhibits Media Pluralism in Colombia Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 8 January 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Concentration of Ownership inhibits Media Pluralism in Colombia, 8 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5694c95140b.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Reporters Without Borders' project Media Ownership Monitor reveals oligopolies and lack of regulation, provides fresh data and analysis of the Colombian media market, public website www.monitoreodemedios.co launched in October. Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the international press freedom organization, launched its Media Ownership Monitor (MOM) project, a global research and advocacy effort for promoting media pluralism, in partnership with the Federacion Colombiana de Periodistas (FECOLPER). During a press conference organized at Centro de la Memoria, Paz y Reconciliacion, the two organizations presented the research conducted during three months in Colombia, the first country where this project based on a standardized and transparent methodology is being implemented. Data and findings are available on the website www.monitoreodemedios.co. The MOM Colombia looked at all types of media (TV, radio, print and the Internet) included in the EGM (Estudio General de Medios) 2014 and concentrated on the ten largest outlets in each category. Among key findings, it was established that, at a national level, the top four newspapers (Qhubo, ADN, El Tiempo and Al Dia) garner two thirds of the total readership and the largest two TV channels post over two thirds of market reach and some 78% of TV advertising revenues. It was also revealed that three corporations - Ardilla Lulle, Santo Domingo (Valorem) and Sarmiento Angulo - accumulate 57% of market reach across all types of traditional media (printed press, TV and radio), due to their ownership of respectively 18 (Adrilla Lulle), 6 (Santo Domingo) and 17 (Sarmiento Angulo) media outlets. In regional newspaper markets, the publishing group El Periodico, property of businessman Eduardo Suarez Burgos, represents a particularly interesting case. With its 11 newspapers already established, it now extends to other areas of the country through the daily "Extra", which currently has 18 local editions. The investigation also produced evidence of the dominance of free and tabloid newspapers, mostly owned and operated by the same traditional publishing groups. Additionally, a trend towards pay TV subscriptions was identified with over 50% of the total television consumption. "Media pluralism is a cornerstone of any diverse and open society and for this reason, high concentration of media ownership - as we see it here in Colombia - puts democracy and freedom of opinion at risk," says Christian Mihr, Executive Director of the German section of Reporters Without Borders (RSF). He also referred to the annual World Press Freedom Index produced by Reporters without Borders where Colombia ranks only 128th out of 180 countries. "Media ownership means power to shape public opinion," states Adriana Hurtado, President of FECOLPER: "Every citizen in this country who uses the media should be concerned about who is controlling what. Media is not just like any other business!", she adds. "The difficulty for us was the lack of publicly available market data," explains RSF project manager Nina Ludewig, "which is in the public domain in many countries but here in Colombia, it seems kept like a state secret!" The team also encountered transparency problems in other fields, such as public spending on advertising, for example. "We believe that more than 500 billion pesos are spent annually by the government to buy airtime or pages in newspapers. This is a huge subsidy, but it remains mostly unclear where the money goes and what the deals behind might look like," says Adriana Hurtado. "Given the high degree of concentration, but also the economic and political stakes of media owners, it should not come as a surprise that journalism in Colombia is characterized by extensive self-censorship," points out Christian Mihr. He adds: "We call on the government and legislators to impose strict, effective regulation to break media oligopolies in Colombia." Media Contacts Reporters without Borders Germany Ulrike Gruska / Christoph Dreyer, media relations officers [email protected] Tel.: (+49) 30 60 98 95 33-55 RSF Latin America office Emmanuel Colombie [email protected] Tel.: (+55) 21 97 36 88 558 / (+33) 1 44 83 84 68 Federacion de Periodistas Colombianas FECOLPER Adriana Hurtado, President [email protected] Tel. (+57) 310 334 5050 / (+57) 313 400 0810 http://www.fecolper.com.co Black week for freedom of information in Somalia Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 22 December 2015 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Black week for freedom of information in Somalia, 22 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5694c97640b.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the latest violations of freedom of information by Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), which in the past week has arrested three journalists and deleted the recordings made by reporters at a news conference. The latest victim was Ahmed Omar Ahmed of Radio Shabelle who was detained yesterday when about to attend a ceremony at the Mogadishu police academy and was taken to Hamar Jajab police station, where he was not told the reason for his arrest. It came just three days after NISA officers arrested Abdukar Mohamed Ali of Star FM and freelance journalist Abdirisak Omar Ahmed in a Mogadishu cafe on 17 December. Ali was released the next day but Ahmed is still being held, without having been brought before a judge. Journalists attending a news conference last week about the 2016 presidential election suddenly had all of their equipment seized on the orders of Gen. Adurahman Mohamed Tuuryare, the head of the NISA. All video and audio recordings were deleted before the equipment was returned. "We call on the Somali authorities to respect media freedom, which is guaranteed by their constitution, and to stop harassing journalists," said Clea Kahn-Sriber, the head of RSF's Africa desk. "Journalists are one of the keystones of democracy and will have to play a major role providing the public with information ahead of the 2016 elections. It is essential that they should be able to work freely." The Somali authorities often harass privately-owned media outlets. Radio Shabelle, which received RSF's Press Freedom Prize in 2010, is an especially frequent target. It was closed twice in 2013 and 2014 and its journalists are often arrested. Somalia is ranked 172nd out of 180 countries in the 2015 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. In new escalation, Burundian minister threatens French radio reporter Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 6 January 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, In new escalation, Burundian minister threatens French radio reporter, 6 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5694c9b940b.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is outraged by the Burundian government's barely veiled threat against a visiting French radio journalist, the latest escalation in attacks on freedom of information in a country that is spiralling ever deeper into political violence and confusion. In a 4 January press release, the public security minister attacked the "customary accursed reporting" by Sonia Rolley, a Radio France Internationale journalist who arrived in Burundi two weeks ago, and accused her of broadcasting "inflammatory false information" and fabricating interviews. Rolley's reporting has included coverage of the systematic use of rape during police raids. In a barely veiled threat, the communique ended by saying, "the authorized government services will take the necessary measures to deal with this journalist's disruptive activities." "It is absolutely outrageous that a government minister should make such threats against a journalist known for the quality of her reporting," said Clea Kahn-Sriber, the head of RSF's Africa desk. "On the one hand, President Pierre Nkurunziza makes fine-sounding announcements and talks about reopening certain media outlets. On the other, he allows officials to continue intimidating journalists and censor the few scraps of information emerging from the current chaos. The government is violating not only the right of journalists to do their work but also the Burundian public's right to know what is going on in their country." Burundi is ranked 145th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2015 press freedom index, which covered events in 2014. The arbitrary closure of news media and persecution of journalists accompanying the political crisis that erupted in 2015 means that Burundi is unlikely to hold this position in the next press freedom index. More information about the crisis in Burundi here. RSF explains withdrawal of release about Jumpei Yasuda Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 6 January 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, RSF explains withdrawal of release about Jumpei Yasuda, 6 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5694c9f2411.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. On 28 December, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) removed a six-day-old press release from its website that was about Jumpei Yasuda, a Japanese journalist held hostage in Syria since July. RSF posted a brief note the same day saying the release "was not drafted according to normal procedure and was not sufficiently verified." An investigation had established that, contrary to RSF's internal rules, information in the release was unfortunately based on a single source in the absence of certainty that the source obtained the information at first hand. Some of the statements made in the release should therefore not have been published. "On behalf of RSF, I offer my most sincere apologies to Jumpei Yasuda's family, friends and colleagues, and to the Japanese media and public," RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said. RSF would also like to deny the far-fetched claims that the release was withdrawn at the request of the Japanese authorities or as a result of pressure from them. RSF believes that Yasuda's situation deserved to be brought to the public's attention. RSF appalled by six-year jail term for Rauf Mirkadyrov Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 30 December 2015 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, RSF appalled by six-year jail term for Rauf Mirkadyrov, 30 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5694ca70411.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the "disgraceful" sentence of six years in prison that a Baku court passed on independent journalist Rauf Mirkadyrov on 28 December. "As we have said time and again, the authorities brought these absurd spying charges against Rauf Mirkadyrov solely in order to silence this well-known journalist," said Johann Bihr, the head of RSF's Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk. "This disgraceful sentence concludes the latest of the frequent farcical tries to which independent journalists have been subjected in Azerbaijan. We reiterate our call for Mirkadyrov's immediate release." Based in Turkey, Mirkadyrov was expelled back to his country of origin in April 2014 and was immediately jailed. His trial on charges of high treason and spying began in the middle of last month. His lawyer, Fwad Agayev, has said Mirkadyrov will appeal against his conviction. Read RSF's previous statement on Rauf Mirkadyrov (22.12.2015). We are into 2016 now and it is certainly time to begin thinking of the Relief Sale for this year. It is exciting to realize that this sale has been going on for fifty years. For those who were there at the beginning, Im sure you are amazed at changes that have gradually occurred over the years. From a small one day sale at the town hall to a two day sale that takes the entire fairgrounds is incredible. The ability to sustain this endeavor surely comes from God. People have come and gone in various roles, but the Relief Sale continues to thrive. Funds generated for world relief have continued to increase over time. Thats why we put on this sale. Plan to come out this August 5 and 6. Join us for sale number 50. There will undoubtedly be new things to experience as well as old favorites. If you have never attended, why not make this sale a new tradition. If the Northern Michigan Relief Sale is a normal part of your summer, we look forward to seeing you at the Oscoda County Fairgrounds in August. Fighting flu starts with a shot, and it's time for Texans to get one Advertisement - Continue Reading Below This just in... Chinese authorities have formally arrested two lawyers and a legal assistant on possible subversion charges amid calls for the release of dozens of rights lawyers and their associates detained in a crackdown that began on July 9 last year. Some 38 lawyers and activists associated with the Beijing Fengrui law firm have remained under "residential surveillance" since the crackdown started, many of them incommunicado and in unknown locations, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a recent statement. The six-month deadline for many of the detainees falls this week, and the authorities must either release them or press ahead with formal charges, lawyers said. Defense lawyer Lin Qilei told RFA that his client, rights lawyer Xie Yang, has has been formally arrested in the Changsha No. 2 Detention Center in the central province of Hunan, on charges of "incitement to subvert state power." "Xie Yang's wife went to the Changsha police department, where they said that her written notification of formal arrest is in the mail, though she hasn't received it yet," Lin said. "But they told her that he was formally arrested on Jan. 9, and they didn't reveal that he was in the No. 2 Detention Center until asked repeatedly," he said. Lin said he had also been denied permission to visit his client in detention, on the grounds that a subversion case involves matters of "state security." He added: "Xie Yang is innocent. This is a question of the authorities using the law to attack lawyers." Others charged In Beijing, rights lawyer Xie Yanyi, who was detained on July 12 last year, is also being formally arrested on subversion charges, while the legal assistant to rights lawyer Li Heping, Zhao Wei, was formally arrested on the same day. Fengrui rights attorney Liu Xiaoyuan said one of the firm's lawyers, Huang Liqun, its financial officer Wang Fang, and intern Xie Yuandong had now been released on "bail," although they have remained incommunicado. "The firm hasn't confirmed any information to date, but we are assuming that anyone who hasn't been released by now is being formally arrested," Liu said. "We don't even know exactly how many people have been released, but we have confirmed that Huang Liqun and Wang Fan got out on Jan. 7." "I also ... heard by phone that our trainee lawyer Xie Yuandong got out, but we haven't managed to confirm this information," he said. Li Wenzu, wife of Fengrui lawyer Wang Quanzhang, said she has had no word of her husband's whereabouts, although she and the relatives of Fengrui boss Zhou Shifang and legal trainee Li Meiyun had all received notification of their formal arrest on subversion charges last Friday. "I am now faced with the darkness at the heart of the Chinese judicial system," she said. "I feel sad and frustrated, but I will keep up the fight, using every means at my disposal." "I want to use legal procedures to fight this," Li said. "But I really don't hold out much hope." Call for release HRW called for the immediate release of all 38 lawyers and associates. "The secret detention of dozens of lawyers makes a mockery of President Xi Jinpings claims that China is governed by the rule of law," HRW China director Sophie Richardson said in a statement on the group's website. "The failure to release all 38 by the six-month legal deadline would shred any credibility the government has on upholding its own laws," Richardson said. After the detention of Wang Yu, her husband Bao Longjun, and their colleagues at Fengrui, police launched a nationwide operation targeting some 300 rights lawyers and activists nationwide. The activists held have typically been people who participated in activities like staging small protests, complaining to the government about abuses, or helping human rights groups gather information, usually in their local community, HRW said. It said most were threatened for supporting the law firm, which in recent years has employed lawyers undertaking rights defense work, and were then released after several hours. Article 73 of the Chinese Criminal Procedure Law allows for the detention of criminal suspects in unknown locations, such as unused buildings or guesthouses, in cases the authorities say involve "endangering state security," "terrorism," and "major corruption." But the ruling Chinese Communist Party's definition of "state security" is broad and vague, and such charges are often used to target prisoners of conscience and peaceful activists. Lawyers who weren't detained, or who were held briefly for questioning and then released, have seen travel bans imposed on themselves and their close family members, including grown children who had planned to attend college overseas. Wider crackdown According to HRW, the assault on China's legal profession is part of a broader operation under President Xi Jinping that targets various elements of the country's civil society. It said Xi's administration has also severely tightened control over freedom of expression, including on the Internet, in the media, and within higher education. "Beijings hostility towards those who try to use the legal system as a check on state power has been on full display," Richardson said. "But efforts to silence such lawyers and activists only amplifies their demands for justice. Beijing should start answering that demand by immediately releasing them," she said. At the start of the year, China's embattled human rights lawyers signed an open letter calling for better treatment of their colleagues in 2016. Sweden on Tuesday confirmed that the Chinese authorities have detained a Swedish national who worked on legal aid and rule of law issues, Reuters cited a spokesman for the Swedish embassy in Beijing as saying. The man, who is in this 30s, had been detained, but has not been named. Spokesman Sebastian Magnusson said the embassy has been in touch with Chinese authorities about meeting man, who is in his thirties. Reported by Yang Fan for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Wen Yuqing for the Cantonese Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie. Vietnamese authorities on Tuesday detained about 30 people in the capital Hanoi for protesting local government attempts to seize family farms, according to news reports and eyewitness accounts The protest by about 100 people in the central city was broken up when 200 to 300 police surrounded the demonstrators near 34 Ly Thai To Street and herded a group of them onto a bus, sources told RFA's Vietnamese Service. About 10 policemen surrounded me, and they pushed us onto the bus, protester Can Thi Theu told RFA. They drove us to the police station in No. 6 Quang Trung street. Theu told RFA that police failed to produce an arrest order at the station. Instead, they dragged us out of the bus, Theu said. My body is still swollen and aching. Theu said she was interrogated separately and that police used thugs words against her. A farmer and land activist from Duong Noi, a village in suburban Hanoi known for its longstanding land disputes, Theu has been through similar ordeals before. She was arrested in April 2014 for recording videos of forced evictions, and along with her husband and other farmers was beaten by police. In September of that year, she was sentenced to 15 months in prison for resisting [official] persons in the performance of their duties. Disputes over land Land grabs in which government officials use their authority to confiscate and sell land to developers are a common cause of social unrest across Southeast Asia, sparking small- and-large scale protests on an almost weekly basis. In many cases, local villagers say they receive little compensation or less than was promised by authorities and are forced to vacate fertile land for less-productive parcels far from their places of origin and with poor infrastructure. Vietnamese citizens frequently gather outside various government offices in the capital Hanoi and elsewhere around the country, hoping to speak or submit letters to officials about homes or farmland they have lost to confiscations by local authorities. Others raise the case of relatives who have been wrongly imprisoned in the authoritarian, one-party state. The protests are coming at a particularly sensitive time for the Vietnamese government as the countrys leaders prepare for the 12th National Party Congress, set to run from Jan. 20 to 28. On Jan. 7, Hanoi police staged an anti-terrorism drill in which one of the scenarios aimed to counter a protesting group of 300 people who had gathered in front of the peoples committee office to demand a talk with the citys leaders about land clearing. Reported by An Nguyen for RFA's Vietnamese Service. Translated by Hanh Seide. Written in English by Brooks Boliek. An Afghan official has warned the Taliban not to boycott the peace process with Kabul, saying insurgents that choose war will face serious consequences. The remarks on January 12 by Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai came after he returned from a four-country meeting in Islamabad to work on a road map for ending Afghanistan's 14-year war. Karzai said all participants at the January 11 gathering -- Afghanistan, the United States, Pakistan, and China -- wanted to bring "permanent peace" to his country. Most Taliban want peace, he told reporters, but he added that "we will use all the means we have against those who do not." Karzai described the country's conflict as "not a war between Afghans," pointing to the involvement of "foreign elements." Officials in Kabul have long accused Pakistan of sponsoring the Taliban in cities near the Afghan border, including Quetta and Peshawar. Pakistan has denied the accusations. The Taliban was not invited to the one-day meeting. The participants agreed to meet again in Kabul on January 18, also without Taliban participation. Based on reporting by AP and Reuters RFE/RL's Uzbek Service, known locally as Ozodlik, has learned from sources that Akram Yudashev, the imprisoned leader of the Akramiya religious group, died in prison five years ago. Yuldashev had not been seen since late 2005. International rights groups had repeatedly called on Uzbek authorities to provide information about Yuldashev, his location and condition, but Uzbek authorities routinely ignored these requests. Ozodlik spoke to sources on January 11 who confirmed Yuldashev had died of tuberculosis in prison some five years ago, though the sources could not provide an exact date or the location of the facility where Yuldashev was being held. Akram Yuldashev rose to prominence in the mid-1990s as a religious leader in the area around the eastern Uzbek city of Andijon. Yuldshev authored a book titled Iymonga Yol (The Path To Faith) in which Yuldashev related his religious and philosophical ideas. Yuldashev wrote the book after becoming disillusioned with the now-banned Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir and parting ways with the sect. His stature as a community and religious leader grew in his native Andijon region. During this time, Yuldashev worked as a math teacher and later in a textile plant. In 1998, he was arrested on charges of narcotics possession and jailed for 30 months. However, he fell under an amnesty instituted by Uzbek authorities some months later and was freed. On February 16, 1999, a series of bombs exploded in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, regarded as the first-ever terrorist attack in Uzbekistan. Yuldashev was arrested the next day and later tried and convicted of involvement in the Tashkent bombings. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison. In the spring of 2005, demonstrations started in Andijon against the jailing of a group of local businessmen. These businessmen were acquaintances of Yuldashev. The appointments of new provincial and city officials some months earlier had upset the established system of patronage in the region and the businessmen had not only lost their enterprises but were in danger of losing their freedom as well. On May 13, 2005, an armed group crossed from Kyrgyzstan into Uzbekistan, attacked a police station, stole weapons, then went to a prison near Andijon and freed the prisoners. Those prisoners mixed with the demonstrators in Andijon and violence broke out. Uzbek authorities sent in troops to restore order and a bloodbath ensued. Authorities blamed a group called Akramiya, followers of the imprisoned Yuldashev, for provoking the violence. Though he had been in prison for some six years, Yuldashev was branded as an instigator of the violence and appeared in court on charges of attempting to overthrow the government. Yuldashev's trial appearances in late 2005 were the last times anyone outside the government ever saw him. His fate has remained a mystery until now. In the 10 years since Yuldashev was last seen, his family has tried to get information about Yuldashev's fate. Some members of the family fled to the United States and engaged legal aid and lobbyists to press the Uzbek government to divulge information about their imprisoned kinsman, all without result. International rights groups such as U.S.-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) repeatedly released statements calling on Uzbekistan's government to provide some information about Yuldashev. HRW's Steve Swerdlow reminded RFE/RL that his organization had issued a report on September 15, 2014, titled Until The Very End, which chronicled the incarcerations of 34 people. Swerdlow said Uzbek authorities provided some information about 33 of those 34 people. Yuldashev was the one person about whom Uzbek officials did not comment. It now appears all these efforts during the last five years were in vain. The person all the people and groups were seeking information about was dead. Uzbek authorities have still not commented on Yuldashev's reported death. Ozodlik's Shukhrat Babajanov contributed to this report GYUMRI, Armenia -- Commemorations have been held in Armenia for the family allegedly killed by a Russian soldier exactly one year ago. Hundreds of people visited the graves of the seven members of the Avetisian family in Gyumri and attended a special liturgy at the city's central church on January 12. Nineteen-year-old Russian conscript Valery Permyakov, who was serving at a nearby Russian base, has been charged with killing the family, including a 6-month-old baby. The murders sparked outrage in Armenia, and mass protests in Gyumri. Permyakov is facing an Armenian trial that is being conducted at the Russian military base. The trial is scheduled to resume on January 18. In August, a Russian military court in Gyumri sentenced Permyakov to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges of stealing weapons from the military base and deserting. The Council of Europe says Georgia has made some progress in overhauling its justice system, but expressed concerns that the authorities may be abusing the law to target the opposition. In a report, Nils Muiznieks, human rights commissioner for the Council of Europe, said long-standing structural problems needed serious attention, in particular the independence of the judiciary. "The commissioner is concerned about allegations of politically motivated measures targeting members of the opposition, especially with regard to the use of pretrial-detention measures against them," he said. Dozens of former officials who served ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili, including a former prime minister, have been arrested on charges such as abuse of power and corruption since Saakashvili's government lost power in 2012. Wanted in Georgia on charges he abused his authority, Saakashvili currently lives in Ukraine, where he is the governor of the Odesa region. Based on reporting by Reuters Germany is turning back more migrants at its border with Austria, particularly those from Afghanistan who Germany insists do not qualify for asylum, Austrian authorities said January 11. Attacks on German women, allegedly by migrants, during the New Year's holiday have put pressure on German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her open-door migrant policy The number of migrants turned back has risen from about 60 per day in December to 200 since the start of the year, authorities said, adding that Germany's tighter border control could be a knock-on effect from Sweden and Denmark tightening their borders. Most of the rejected migrants have been Afghans who did not want to apply for asylum in Germany but in Scandinavia, they said. Others are from Iraq, Iran, Morocco, and Algeria. Last week, Sweden, a favored destination for many migrants, started imposing controls on travellers from Denmark. Denmark in turn introduced spot checks on arrivals from Germany. Austria meanwhile has tightened controls on its border with Slovenia, sending back 1,652 migrants since January 1, police said. Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP The Pentagon says that Iran has detained two U.S. Navy boats, along with 10 naval personnel, but has told the United States that the crew will be returned "promptly." Defense Department spokesman Peter Cook said the boats were moving between Kuwait and Bahrain on January 12 when U.S. officials lost contact with them. "We have been in contact with Iran and have received assurances that the crew and the vessels will be returned promptly," Cook said. The incident raised unexpected drama just hours before President Barack Obama was scheduled to give his annual State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress. U.S. officials told The Associated Press news agency one of the boats had some type of mechanical trouble that caused them to run aground and they were picked up by Iran. "We subsequently have been in communication with Iranian authorities, who have informed us of the safety and well-being of our personnel," another U.S. defense official said. "We have received assurances the sailors will promptly be allowed to continue their journey." In a statement carried by the ISNA news agency, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said 10 sailors in all were detained, including nine men and one woman. It said the sailors received "Islamic treatment" and that they were being kept at an "appropriate" location. The statement said the boats were detained near Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf and transferred to the island, situated about midway between Iran and the coast of Saudi Arabia. The hard-line Iranian news agency Fars, meanwhile, said the boats were detained after they "patrolled" Iranian territorial waters illegally and that their GPS would confirm their location. Deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters at the White House that the administration was working to resolve the situation and was hopeful about it. Reuters quoted a senior U.S. administration official as saying that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on January 12 that U.S. sailors who ended up in Iranian custody would be allowed to continue their journey promptly. With reporting by AP, Fars, and Reuters Russian President Vladimir Putin has introduced martial law in four of Ukraine's regions, parts of which are under the control of Russian troops, as Ukrainian forces continue liberating occupied territories in the country's east despite another barrage of air attacks across the country. Putin said at an online session of the Security Council on October 19 that he signed a decree declaring martial law in Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya -- all of which Russia illegally annexed last month. Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, Russian protests, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. He didnt immediately describe the steps that would be taken under martial law but said his order was effective starting at midnight on October 20. His decree gives law enforcement agencies three days to submit specific proposals. The package of moves, which come nearly eight months into the war launched by the Kremlin in late February, marked the latest escalation by Putin to counter a series of defeats to Ukrainian forces since the start of September. By extending the decree to regions beyond Ukraine, the move ensures that more Russians, already angered by a military mobilization announced last month, will more deeply feel the consequences of the war in their own lives. Mykhaylo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidential office's head, called Putin's move "a pseudo-legalization of looting of Ukrainians' property." "This does not change anything for Ukraine: We continue the liberation and deoccupation of our territories," Podolyak tweeted shortly after Putin announced martial law in the four Ukrainian regions. U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking at the White House, said Putin is trying to get Ukraine to give up. "I think that Vladimir Putin finds himself in an incredible difficult position and what it reflects to me is it seems his only tool available to him is to brutalize the individual citizens in Ukraineto try to intimidate them into capitulating. They are not going to do that," Biden said. U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said earlier the declaration of martial law was a desperate tactic and any claim by Russia over the regions was "illegitimate." Putin's move came as the Russia-installed leader of Ukraine's southern Kherson region said the evacuation has started of tens of thousands of civilians and Moscow-appointed officials in the face of a Ukrainian military advance. Vladimir Saldo said 50,000-60,000 civilians would leave four towns on the west bank of the Dnieper River in an "organized, gradual displacement" over the next five or six days. All of the Moscow-installed administration in the city of Kherson would evacuate, too, Saldo said. Russian television showed footage of a number of people queuing for boats on the Dnieper River bank although it was not immediately clear how many were leaving. The forced transfer or deportation of the civilian population by an occupying power from the territory under its control is considered a war crime. Saldo's statements came after General Sergei Surovikin, the new commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, said the situation in the southern city of Kherson is "difficult" and residents facing Ukrainian bombardment are to be evacuated. WATCH: Ukrainian forces first got their hands on FH70 155-millimeter howitzers courtesy of Italy in May and received training in Estonia. RFE/RL journalists met with a frontline FH70 crew and watched them in action against Russian forces. "The Russian Army will above all ensure the safe evacuation of the population" of Kherson, Surovikin said. But Kyiv on October 19 accused Russia of staging a propaganda show in an attempt to "scare" the Kherson residents. "Russians are trying to scare the people of Kherson with fake messages about the shelling of the city by our army and are also staging a propaganda show with evacuation," the Ukrainian president's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, wrote on Telegram. Kherson was the first big city to fall to the Russian forces in February after the start of Moscow's unprovoked invasion, but Ukrainian forces have been steadily retaking nearby territory in recent weeks. They have pushed as far as 30 kilometers south along the Dnieper River, threatening to trap Russian troops. Meanwhile, fresh explosions were heard in Kyiv and other areas on October 19, with a missile strike hitting a major thermal power station in the city of Burshtyn in western Ukraine. The coal-fired Burshtyn plant in the region of Ivano-Frankivsk, which supplies electricity to three western regions and to five million consumers, was hit and on fire, according to Svytlana Onysshchuk, the regional governor. There were no casualties in the strike at the plant, which was hit by four missiles nine days earlier as well. Serhiy Borzov, governor of the Vinnytsya region in western Ukraine, said Russia had also carried out attacks on energy facilities in his region. Russian bombardment also cut power and water in some parts of Enerhodar in the Zaporizhzhya region on October 19, said Dmytro Orlov, the mayor of the southern city located near the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant that's been a flashpoint of the nearly eight-month conflict. A power plant in Kryviy Rih, a city in south-central Ukraine, was also seriously damaged by Russian shelling, leaving villages, towns, and a city district without electricity, the regional governor reported. Russian forces also targeted Ukraine's southern Mykolayiv region again with kamikaze drones early on October 19. The Ukrainian military's southern command said in a statement on October 19 that its forces shot down 12 drones overnight. More than a week of air attacks has destroyed almost one-third of Ukraine's power stations and cut electricity in more than 1,000 settlements. With Ukraine gaining momentum in the war that is now nearly eight months old, European lawmakers on October 19 recognized the country's "brave" citizens by awarding them the 2022 Sakharov Prize. "This award is for those Ukrainians fighting on the ground. For those who have been forced to flee. For those who have lost relatives and friends. For all those who stand up and fight for what they believe in. I know that the brave people of Ukraine will not give up and neither will we," European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said in the statement. The annual prize is named after the Soviet physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov and was established in 1988 by the European parliament to honor individuals and organizations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms. With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP SIMFEROPOL -- Valery Podyachy's most cherished wish came true in March 2014, when his native Crimea was annexed by Russia. Once a prominent pro-Russian activist, Podyachy, 48, had tirelessly lobbied for the peninsula to break away from Ukraine and return to Russia's fold. Life under Russian rule, however, has not been kind to him. Instead of earning him accolades, his past activism has cost him his university teaching job and his only source of income. Before the annexation, Podyachy headed a pro-Russian group called the Popular Front that pushed for Kyiv to lease the entire peninsula to Russia in exchange for the cancellation of Ukraine's debts to Moscow. While the group stopped short of calling for full secession from Ukraine, Podyachy was found guilty of "encroaching on Ukraine's territorial integrity and inviolability" in February 2011. A Crimean court handed him a three-year suspended sentence, including one year on probation. When the Academy of Life and Environment Sciences where he taught applied mathematics at the Crimean Federal University in Simferopol announced last November that lecturers needed to reapply to their teaching posts, Podyachy found himself automatically disqualified due to his criminal record. Under Russian law, all decisions delivered by Ukrainian courts in Crimea up to its annexation remain valid. Podyachy was forced to leave the university and is now unemployed. Contacted by RFE/RL, he declined to discuss the incident. "I've already said everything I needed to say," he said. Asking whether he intended to appeal his effective sacking, he said he was a "law-abiding citizen" and would not challenge the decision. "I will wait to be rehabilitated," he added. Podyachy's misfortunes have sparked dismay among his comrades-in-arms from the Popular Front. To them, his treatment is highly hypocritical, given the pride Russian officials from President Vladimir Putin on down have displayed about the annexation of Crimea, which poisoned ties with the West and led to U.S. and EU sanctions against Moscow. Russia took over Crimea after sending troops to secure key facilities and staging a referendum denounced as illegitimate by 100 countries in a UN vote. Putin has called the peninsula, which Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev transferred from Russia to Ukraine in 1954, a sacred Russian land. "Instead of being shown gratitude, this person, who devoted half his life to what took place in Crimea, is now being branded a criminal," Vadim Mordashov, a lawyer and former lawmaker and Popular Front member, told RFE/RL. Mordashov said members of the group have petitioned various authorities, including the State Council -- Crimea's new self-proclaimed parliament -- to clear Podyachy. "We received outrageous answers," he said. "For example, the State Council responded to our collective request by suggesting that Valery Podyachy compensate the damage caused by his crime." Mordashov believes Podyachy has become a thorn in the side of current officials who had pledged allegiance to Ukraine before switching to the Russian side following the annexation. "The Crimean leadership is not interested in rehabilitating Podyachy," he says. "They don't need him; he is in their way." According to Mordashov, parliament speaker Vladimir Konstantinov in particular may have cause to resent Podyachy's longtime loyalty to Russia. Konstantinov had strongly condemned Podyachy's calls for a Russian takeover of the peninsula back in 2012, when he already served as parliament speaker. In a statement posted on the site of the now-defunct Ukrainian parliament in Crimea, Konstantinov had branded Popular Front members "marginals who don't represent anyone in the republic" and pledged that "the absurd demands of these political midgets will receive the treatment they deserve in court." Written by Claire Bigg based on reporting by Aleksandra Dobrokhotova Russia could give asylum to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad if he has to leave his country, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published on January 12. "It was surely more difficult to grant [U.S. national security contractor Edward] Snowden asylum in Russia than it would be in the case of Assad," Putin told the German tabloid Bild, referring to the American leaker of classified U.S. documents who was given asylum in Russia in 2013. Putin said it was too early to say whether Russia would have to give shelter to Assad as part of a transition to a new government for Syria under the road map to a peace deal approved by most parties in the Syrian conflict last year. "First, the Syrian population has to be able to vote, and then we will see if Assad would have to leave his country if he loses the election," Putin said. Putin admitted that he thinks Assad has "done much wrong over the course of this conflict." But he added: "the conflict would never have become so big if it had not been fueled by outside of Syria -- with weapons, money and fighters." Putin reiterated Russia's position that it is supporting Assad, a longtime ally, in an effort to prevent Syria from becoming an ungovernable failed state. "We do not want Syria to end like Iraq or Libya," Putin said. "Look at Egypt: one has to praise President Sisi for taking over the responsibility and power in an emergency situation, in order to stabilize the country." Putin said the rift between Saudi Arabia and Iran that broke open last week has exposed a Shi'ite-Sunni Muslim sectarian conflict that exists throughout the Middle East, and will make it more difficult to achieve peace in Syria. "As for whether this will lead to a major regional clash, I do not know. I would rather not talk or even think in these terms," he said. With reporting by Bild, Reuters, dpa, TASS, and Interfax Russian natural gas exports to Europe rose by nearly eight percent in 2015 despite tensions with the West over Ukraine, Russian gas giant Gazprom announced January 11. Aleksei Miller, head of the state-run firm, said it exported 159.4 billion cubic meters of gas to states that were not previously part of the Soviet Union -- mostly nations in Europe -- about 11.8 billion cubic meters more than 2014. Supplies to Germany rose by 17.1 percent to a record 45.3 billion cubic meters, he said, while deliveries to France were up by36.8 percent, to Italy by 12.6 percent, and Britain by 10.2 percent. The increases came despite sanctions imposed on Moscow by the European Union in retaliation for Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and backing of separatists in Ukraine's civil conflict. The EU claims to have made progress lessening dependence on Russian gas. Gazprom, however, said that the rise in exports was due to a drop in the volume of gas produced in Europe -- a trend the company said would continue. Based on reporting by AFP and TASS The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said a suicide bombing in central Istanbul that left 10 people dead, most of them Germans, was carried out by a member of the Islamic State (IS) militant group. All of those killed in the January 12 incident were foreigners, he said. "We have determined that the perpetrator of the attack is a foreigner who is a member of Daesh," Davutoglu told reporters in the capital, Ankara, using an Arabic acronym for IS. Fifteen more people, also mostly foreigners, were injured in the blast in the Sultanahmet district, just meters from Istanbul's historic Blue Mosque. "I strongly condemn the terror attack, which was carried out by a suicide bomber of Syrian origin," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in televised remarks in the capital, Ankara. "The first target of all the terror groups active in this region is Turkey, because Turkey fights them all with the same determination," Erdogan said. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber was a 28-year-old Syrian man. Turkey's state media reported that Davutoglu had informed German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a telephone conversation about the German casualties. Merkel acknowledged that it was feared that many Germans were among the casualties. "We are seriously concerned that German citizens could be and probably are among the victims and injured," Merkel said in Berlin. "Today Istanbul was hit. Paris has been hit, Tunisia has been hit, Ankara has been hit before," Merkel said. "International terrorism is once again showing its cruel and inhuman face today." The White House condemned the "heinous attack" and pledged solidarity with NATO ally Turkey against terrorism. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he hoped those responsible for "this despicable crime" were swiftly brought to justice. Television footage showed several bodies and body parts lying on the ground. Ambulances rushed to the scene of the blast, while police cordoned off the area, taking precautions against a possible second explosion. PHOTO GALLERY: Images From Scene Of The Blast Photo Gallery: Central Istanbul Blast Kills At least 10 Turkish authorities say at least 10 people have been killed in an explosion in the center of Istanbul. The Istanbul governor's office said 15 other people were wounded in the blast, which occurred on January 12 in Sultanahmet district, a major tourist attraction. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says a person of Syrian origin is thought to have been responsible for the blast. The Sultanahmet neighborhood is Istanbul's main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, and the Blue Mosque. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Email to a Friend Share on LinkedIn Davutoglu's office imposed a broadcast ban on reporting of the attack, prompting television channels to halt live broadcasting from the scene. The move prompted criticism. Davutoglu also held an emergency security meeting of key ministers and officials. Among those taking part were in the meeting were Interior Minister Efkan Ala and intelligence chief Hakan Fidan, state-run Anatolia news agency reported. Norway's Foreign Ministry said one Norwegian man was injured in the attack, while Germany warned its citizens to avoid crowds and tourist sites in Istanbul. "Travelers in Istanbul are strongly urged to avoid for now large groups of people in public places as well as tourist attractions and to stay abreast of the situation via these official travel advisories and the media," the German Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The European Union said after the blast that it stood with Turkey in the fight "against all forms of terrorism." Turkey and the EU "must step up our efforts to counter extremist violence," EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement. Kurdish, leftist, and Islamist militants have all carried out attacks in Turkey in recent months. The January 12 blast comes just over a year after a female suicide bomber blew herself up in the same area, killing one police officer and wounding another. A far-left group initially claimed that attack, but officials later said a woman with suspected Islamist militant links was responsible. Turkey also remains on high alert after a series of attacks that the authorities said were perpetrated by IS. In October, two suicide bombings in Ankara killed 103 people. Prosecutors said the attacks were carried out by IS militants. Violence has also escalated in the mainly Kurdish southeast since a two-year cease-fire collapsed in July between the Turkish government and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants, after a suicide bombing by suspected IS militants killed at least 30 people in the town of Suruc on the Syrian border. That attack targeted a cultural center as a Kurdish political group was conducting a press conference. The PKK, which has been fighting for three decades for Kurdish autonomy, accused the Turkish security forces of collaborating with IS. However, the Kurdish militant group has generally refrained from attacking civilian targets in urban centers outside the southeast in recent years. With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, and dpa Banks in Turkmenistan have stopped selling hard currencies, sparking a jump in black-market rates amid fears of a fresh devaluation. Employees at banks in the capital, Ashgabat, told customers on January 12 that the ban on the sale of U.S. dollars and other hard currencies would remain in place indefinitely. Turkmenistan, whose main export is natural gas, devalued the manat by about 19 percent to 3.5 manats per dollar on January 1, 2015. Rumors of another sharp devaluation have created strong demand for foreign currencies, with long lines reported daily outside exchange bureaus in Ashgabat and elsewhere. The U.S. dollar jumped to 4.0-4.2 manats on the black market on January 12 from 3.6-3.7 manats, according to the AP news agency. Neighboring Kazakhstan, also an exporter of hydrocarbons, switched to a floating exchange rate in August. Since then, its currency, the tenge, has lost almost half its value against the U.S. dollar. Based on reporting by AP and Reuters A lawyer for Ukrainian military pilot Nadia Savchenko, who has been on hunger strike in Russian custody for nearly a month, has described the state of his client's health as "worrisome." Lawyer Nikolai Polozov said in a tweet on January 12 that Savchenko had lost 15 kilograms of weight since she started a hunger strike on December 17. Polozov also said she feels pains in her stomach and heavy nausea. Savchenko launched the hunger strike to protest a Donetsk city court's decision in Russia's Rostov region to prolong her detention until April 16. Russian officials say Savchenko helped relay information to artillery units that fired near a location in eastern Ukraine where two Russian journalists were killed by artillery fire in 2014. Savchenko denies the accusations, saying she was kidnapped and forcibly brought to Russia in July 2014. The 34-year-old has spent over a year in custody in Russia, during which time she has already protested her detention by going on an extended hunger strike. Nearly one in four children growing up in conflict zones are missing out on education, with Afghanistan among the four worst-affected countries, the United Nations children's agency (UNICEF) said on January 12. An estimated 24 million children of school age are not in school in 22 countries affected by conflict, the agency found. South Sudan has the largest proportion of children out of school, 51 percent, followed by 47 percent in Niger, 41 percent in Sudan, and 40 percent in Afghanistan. "When children are not in school, they are at an increased danger of abuse, exploitation, and recruitment into armed groups," said Jo Bourne, UNICEF's head of education. "School equips children with the knowledge and skills they need to rebuild their communities once the conflict is over, and in the short-term it provides them with the stability and structure required to cope with the trauma they have experienced," said Bourne. Education is one of the least funded sectors by humanitarian agencies. In 2014, it received 2 percent of humanitarian aid. The UN said 10 times as much is needed for education in conflict zones. Based on reporting by Reuters and Newsweek The leader of a group that sparked an uprising a decade ago in Uzbekistan that ended in massacre and colored Tashkent's relations with the West died some five years ago, sources have told RFE/RL. Akram Yuldashev, who headed an eponymous banned Islamic group known as Akramiya, died in prison in 2010, the Uzbek security-service sources confirmed to RFE/RL on January 11. One of the sources said Yuldashev died of tuberculosis, although neither source specified the precise time or place of his death. Yuldashev's relatives have had no contact with him for more than a decade, and have never officially been informed of his fate. Akramiya leader Yuldashev was arrested in February 1999, following a series of bombings in Tashkent, and was sentenced to 17 years in prison. He would have been about 47 years old in 2010, when the sources suggest he died. Andijon Uprising Uzbek government troops opened fire on demonstrators in the eastern city of Andijon in May 2005 seeking the release of jailed Akramiya members following an armed uprising and mass jailbreak. The roots of the Andijon violence remain disputed -- with the government pointing the finger at an alleged Islamist plot and others blaming trigger-happy officials who feared a Kyrgyz-style "colored" revolution or even a local feud -- but Western condemnation of the government crackdown followed, including sanctions by the European Union. Calls for an international investigation into the incident were dismissed by Tashkent. A follower of Yuldashev living abroad who asked not to be named told RFE/RL his communications with him ended in 2005, several months after the Andijon uprising. Yuldashev testified during the 2005 trial for gunmen charged with leading the Andijon uprising. He appeared in the courtroom via video from his prison cell, as the judge in the trial said Yuldashev was suffering from tuberculosis and could not testify in person. Many of the details remain a mystery, but some facts have been established around the Andijon violence. On May 13, 2005, a large group of armed men overran a police station near Andijon and then took control of a prison, setting some 2,000 inmates free. The group and many of the inmates then went to Andijon, where a few thousand people were protesting the arrest of 23 businessmen reportedly affiliated with Akramiya. Shooting broke out in Andijon, and tens of thousands of people flooded the streets as the armed men took control of the city. The gunmen held negotiations with Uzbek officials in Tashkent and demanded that the 23 businessmen be released, among other demands. But Uzbek troops came and retook the city that evening, with eyewitnesses saying that hundreds of people died at the hands of Uzbek forces. Uzbek officials say 187 people died in the uprising, about one-third of them police and other officials. Other sources put the death toll much higher. In Yuldashev's prerecorded court testimony, he claimed responsibility for the events in Andijon, saying he had issued a fatwa calling for a jihad to be carried out against the city. He appeared emaciated in the video. His relatives and followers say he was forced to admit his guilt. Yuldashev has not been seen since the trial. Uzbek authorities have been accused by former prisoners and rights groups of routinely torturing detainees. Akramiya was seen as a splinter group of the banned Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir. It was centered around a group of businessmen in Andijon and had an intricate infrastructure and a social-benefit system. Written by Pete Baumgartner based on reporting by RFE/RL's Uzbek Service director Alisher Sidikov and Shukhrat Babajanov Turkish authorities say at least 10 people have been killed in an explosion in the center of Istanbul. The Istanbul governor's office said 15 other people were wounded in the blast, which occurred on January 12 in Sultanahmet district, a major tourist attraction. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says a person of Syrian origin is thought to have been responsible for the blast. The Sultanahmet neighborhood is Istanbul's main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, and the Blue Mosque. Aug. 27 Dak McCallister Tipton, 37, of Spring Creek was sentenced by Elko Justice of the Peace Mason Simons to pay $900 and serve 32 days in jail, suspended for two years on the following conditions: serve two days, with credit for seven hours; completion of DUI school and a victim impact panel; and maintain good conduct, no new arrests and no alcohol or drugs clauses; after pleading no contest to DUI of alcohol and or drugs and failure to signal while turning. Sept. 1 Curtis Wayne Decker, 31, of Elko was sentenced by Acting Elko Justice of the Peace Barbara J. Nethery to pay $970 and serve five days in jail, on count two, suspended for one year based on a good conduct clause; after pleading guilty to speeding 11-15 miles over the limit, possession or use of drug paraphernalia and no drivers license in possession. Sept. 2 Trevor Lane Campbell, 20, of Battle Mountain was sentenced by Elko Justice of the Peace Mason Simons to pay $1,140; after pleading guilty to due care or failure to decrease speed. Sept. 29 Justin Paul Gallegos, 24, of Carlin was sentenced by Elko Justice of the Peace Mason Simons to pay $900 and serve 32 days in jail, suspended for two years on the following conditions: serve 48 hours in jail, with credit for 12 hours; complete DUI counseling and school, eight AA meetings and a victim impact panel; and maintain good conduct and no alcohol or drugs clauses; after pleading guilty to DUI of alcohol and or drugs. Nov. 4 Eddie Barajas, 28, of Spring Creek was sentenced by Elko Justice of the Peace Mason Simons to pay $1,095; after pleading guilty to an unregistered vehicle and proof of insurance required. It looks like nothing was found at this location. Maybe try a search? Search for: Search Disclosure This policy is valid from 09 August 2010 This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog does not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, we will and do accept and keep free products, services, travel, event tickets, and other forms of compensation from companies and organizations. The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements. 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ELKO Presidential candidate Jeb Bush is set to visit Elko at the end of the month. Bush will host a rally at 2:15 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Northeastern Nevada Museum. Doors will open at 1:15 p.m. The event is free and those who want to attend can register on the campaign website, jeb2016.com. Click on the states tab and scroll to Nevada and then click on the Elko Rally with Jeb box. A campaign spokesperson said attendees can show up at the event without registering, but pre-registration is preferred. People also can register by calling the Las Vegas office at 702-641-2874. Bush will be the third Republican presidential candidate to visit Elko this campaign season. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul visited with residents in June at the Star Hotel. Dr. Ben Carson spoke to a packed house in December at the Elko Conference Center. Carly Fiorina didnt visit Elko, but she hosted a Nevada Tele-Town Hall Monday. Other GOP candidates who have yet to visit Elko County are Donald Trump, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, and former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore. The fourth of 16 questions for 2016: Will the General Assembly fire a supreme court justice? (Jan. 1 editorial) is correct. The Assemblys removal of Justice Jane Marum Roush from the Supreme Court of Virginia on which she has served over five months since the governor appointed her after she served 22 years as a Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge for reasons that have no relationship to Roushs qualifications, prior performance or future abilities would make a mockery of the judicial selection process and undermine citizen regard for the Commonwealths three coordinate branches of government. Accordingly, when legislators convene on Jan. 13, they must elect Justice Roush. Thats something that opens up opportunities to do a lot more legislating, said lobbyist Andy Rosenberg of Thorn Run Partners. It leaves a lot of room for monkey business and playing both offense and defense in the appropriations process. Business lobbyists say they also are pressing for mega priorities such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade, a Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill and a long-shot tax overhaul. Even if a tax bill or other measures dont see passage this year, lobbyists say they are working to influence these agenda items that could gain traction early in 2017 with a new president and a fresh Congress. The spending battle, though, is one of the most immediate, doable matters.